Chapter 23: Becoming the Mask
A/N: Thank you so much to all of my readers for helping this fanfiction reach 4,000 total views! Your continued support is deeply appreciated!
"
Princess Serenity looked down at the carpeted floor in the back left corner of Endymion's bedroom, following the Prince's pointing finger. He was standing behind her, emphatically indicating the spot on the ground.
"Doesn't look any different to me," Serenity said, bending down a bit at the waist and looking down hard.
"That's the idea," Endymion said, stepping past her and going over to the corner of the room. He ran his slippered foot in a line down a short portion of the carpet, and then sharply thumped his heel on a spot right by the line he had drawn.
A square section of the carpet popped up, the center right where Endymion had pressed his heel. Endymion kneeled down and lifted the panel up by the carpet fibers, moving it over to the side to reveal a hatch down into a small silver room, with a few ladder rungs leading down into it. Serenity bent down, looking down through the hole. Other than the raised portion on the left side which functioned as a bench-like seat with a few pillows and blankets on top of it, there was nothing really to speak of. It looked big enough for maybe three adult-sized people,
"Whoever designed this palace was...well, I'm not sure if the right word is paranoid, creative, or cautious, but there are hidden rooms and tunnels everywhere." Endymion placed his right foot down on the top rung of the little steps built into the sidewall of the room, descending down into the silver panic room.
"Is there anything down there?" Serenity asked, placing her right bare foot on the top rung after Endymion had finished his descent, delicately lowering herself down. Endymion grabbed her hips as she dropped down into the small room, setting her down on the cold steel floor.
"Little retractable shelf over on the left side, rations for a few days. Emergency beacon as well." Endymion stood up on the elevated side of the room, his tall frame able to reach back up into his bedroom. He grabbed the hatch and dragged it back into place, grabbing a little handle on the bottom of it and yanking it down hard. With a firm little snap, it was locked back into the hole, covering it perfectly, sending the chamber into pitch-blackness. After a beat, a dim little light flickered on from the wall behind the seat, just enough to allow the two royals to see each other.
"The seal is airtight. This room has its own independent air supply, can last up to three days with three people. Plus, the steel is infused with redium, so people inside won't show up on heat scans." He reached over to a little finger hold in the left wall and pulled, extending a small shelf out from it. A stack of paper packets and a glass bottle full of blue pills, as well as a cube with a switch and button on the top face, were collected there. "The beacon will penetrate the redium, so it still works despite that seal."
"Have to use it often?" Serenity asked, picking up one of the packets and holding it up by the light.
"I've hidden down here a few times," Endymion admitted. "Even the maids don't know about it. Actually, only members of the Earth royal family and the generals are supposed to know about the secret rooms and passages."
"And yet, here I am," Serenity mused, replacing the packet in the wall shelf. "What's that supposed to mean?" She turned back to the Prince. "And please, don't even think about trying to propose to me down here."
"No, no, not that," Endymion assured her, pushing the shelf back into the wall. "I just trust you, what can I say? And, I don't think I'm overstepping things if I say that you will be a member of the Earth royal family sooner rather than later."
She gave a bashful little grin, leaning up against Endymion's chest. "I'll hold you to that."
Endymion embraced her with his long arms, bending down a bit to kiss her forehead. She went up on her tiptoes after he pulled away, allowing him to get down low enough to brush his lips against hers. He pulled her in tighter, then began to slowly lean into her, pushing her down towards the elevated seat portion of the tiny chamber.
She allowed him to catch her weight and set her down on top of the mess of blankets and pillows, and felt his fingers fumbling with her blouse. She gave a sensual little moan, but then her eyes suddenly went wide and she reached her right hand up and pressed it against Endymion's forehead. He pulled back, giving her a quizzical look.
"I-I just remembered," she stammered. "I haven't taken my pill yet, and…" she gave an awkward little point downward, towards her waist. "I think I'm...well, you know."
"O-oh," Endymion said, a little flustered. "Okay, where are they? In your purse or something?" He mounted his right foot up onto the bottom rung of the little ladder.
"I don't have a purse," Serenity said meekly. "They're back in my room, in the Moon Palace."
The two lovers blinked at each other for a few beats.
"It really wouldn't take that long for me to get there and back," she suggested.
"W-well, whatever, it'll be fine," Endymion said, sitting down on the bench-style seat next to his girlfriend. "I'll pull out, it won't be a problem. Don't leave, it'll ruin the mood."
"I...I don't know," Serenity mumbled. "Pulling out isn't very reliable, is it?"
"It'll be fine," Endymion enthused. "Come on, what are the odds?" He gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Let's just do it, I'll make sure to pull out."
She blinked a couple times, biting her lower lip. "You sure?"
"Serenity, sweetie, come on, you've got me all worked up here, are we really going to get tied up in worrying about things that aren't even going to happen?" He rubbed his fingers along the top of her head. "We're fine!"
Serenity sighed, but nodded. "O-okay, okay! You're right, nothing to worry about!"
With that, she wormed her way up into a more upright position and turned herself around, locking lips with the Crown Prince again, again feeling his fingers go to work on her casual wear.
"
Endymion had his fingers criss-crossed together in front of him, leaning back in the cushioned chair, looking back and forth between his three generals seated before him. Kunzite to his left, Nephrite to his right, and Zoisite across from him. The little circle of men were all seated around a small slip of paper, on a small table, with a few lines of cursive writing on it.
Endymion sighed out of his nostrils, sitting up to lean forward a bit. "How did this person know how to contact us?"
"Wasn't hard if they were paying attention," Nephrite replied. "All he had to do was identify someone who was working for us as a dealer, track them down, and tell them to pass it up the chain."
"Sounds too good to be true," Endymion muttered, rubbing at the spot between his eyes on the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I'd love to believe it, of course, but him just coming to us like this, offering us everything we need right now, I can't help but wonder." He blinked a couple times. "If someone comes up to you offering to sell you a dragon egg, it should at least run through your mind that dragons are supposed to have been extinct for tens of thousands of years before you buy it."
"Unlike dragons, long-time imperium smugglers with large networks do actually exist," Kunzite reasoned. "And it makes sense that they'd pursue our product, there's nothing else in the galaxy even close to it. I'm not saying it's completely trustworthy, but it's believable."
Endymion nodded. "Let's talk options. Obviously, we can't sell on the streets, to people. Not with these new laws. But we might be able to sell to corporations, to organized crime outfits, where the entire exchange can happen in private."
"We don't have those connections. Not enough of them, anyway, we were just starting to make a little headway selling to organized crime operations when the laws were altered. Those kinds of entities aren't going to just trust us, especially not after the crackdown. We could try to develop ongoing agreements with corporations, but it would be very slow. The plan was to try to develop those kinds of relationships through the street operation, and that's been interrupted now." Kunzite steepled his hands together in front of him. "It's not viable, and likely wouldn't be for a long time."
"Plus, do we really want to be assisting criminal organizations on Earth, the planet that you stand to inherit?" Zoisite asked.
"Alright," Endymion said, leaning back. "What would we be looking at in order to establish some sort of infrastructure on other planets? The agency doesn't have the same pull on Jupiter, or Uranus, or Neptune, it'll be much harder for them to change the laws there."
"It's not feasible," Nephrite replied. "I can't just relocate part of my spy network to another planet. Part of their value is their familiarity with their surroundings, and the fact that they've been part of the communities for years."
"Okay," Endymion grunted. "Nobody's saying anything about displacing your spies. But if we could maybe grow a distribution network on those planets, using people who already live there, maybe that could be sustainable."
"It would take years," Zoisite countered. "It took Nephrite years to grow his spy network to a thousand members, and he's not asking people to do anything illegal."
"Your Highness," Kunzite said, sitting up, looking over at his charge. "I think there's value in distancing ourselves from the product. Running our own street-level operation, it leaves us in a vulnerable state. If we went through another dealer network, their problems would be none of our concern. Arrests, theft, turf wars, we wouldn't even have to think about those things. We hand over the imperium, get paid, and that's that."
Endymion tightly crossed his arms over his chest, forehead tightening.
"I know it's less money," Kunzite acknowledged. "But it might be worth it if we're spared the headache of managing thousands of dealers on a day-to-day basis. We had a good thing for a few cycles, we did very well given our lack of experience, and we made nearly two billion creds, but it's tough to deny that there were bumps. Bumps that we were able to get over, but there were close calls that could easily derailed everything, and the next bump could easily be the one. Ultimately...none of us are criminals. We just don't have experience in these kinds of things. Maybe someone who's been in this business for a long time is just what we need."
"Our last experience with an imperium smuggling veteran went less-than-well," Endymion pointed out.
"Yes, there's no doubt that we need a professional. Not some street thug who thinks a pile of corpses is the solution to all problems." Kunzite got to his feet. "We need someone who looks at this as nothing but money. And maybe, just maybe, this person is capable of doing that."
Endymion blinked a few times, putting his hands together underneath his chin.
"Your Highness, I'll carefully vet this proposed meeting place and take every precaution. We should at least try. This individual explicitly said they're looking to buy in bulk, we might be able to offload a hundred libras! Two hundred! Think about how nice it would be to get that amount off our hands all at once, to get that large sum of creds with a single transaction! We have nearly sixteen hundred libras of highly illegal, extremely valuable imperium, and we can't sell it right now. If we find someone who can, then it's worth taking less money."
Endymion finally gave a curt little nod. "We'll give this person a chance. But I want to meet him, in person. I make the decision."
Kunzite nodded. "Very well. Maybe we can use the opportunity to rework your disguise."
"
Kunzite shot the Prince a tired look, unable to stop himself from disdainfully regarding the outfit that he had insisted on wearing to the meet. Despite Kunzite's insistence, Endymion had stuck by his original alter ego. He remained the spitting image of a highly-eccentric, overdressed man, top hat, cape, and mask making him comical to behold.
The two were standing in the main hub of a Class A starship, just enough seating for six. The windows of the ship had all been covered by thick panes of steel, thus ensuring the unimpeachable protection from virtually all outside forces. An experimental design, this particular little ship could withstand impacts and explosions that would have easily shredded a typical Class A ten times over. A quality well-worth the tradeoff of increased weight and lower speed, not to mention high price. The Carapace seemed likely to be the first of many.
The ship had been parked into a little slot on a large, long apparatus of concrete and steel, the parking grooves copied all the way down on either side, each one inviting another Class A with the chance at a rest. Every few slots, a ship could be found parked. This particular parking dock was right next to a major spaceport, meaning that it provided long-term housing for ships being left behind by families going on vacations, or salesmen on extended business trips, or whoever else required a larger ship capable of long-distance jumps. It was nice and public, without being out in the open.
The proposed meeting time was mere secundas away, and the two young men were observing the surrounding area outside through an assortment of tiny cameras placed on the ship's exterior, flipping around between screens, looking for any sign of their prospective distributor.
"This really was a good opportunity for you to start using a less conspicuous and attention-drawing disguise," Kunzite grumbled. His own subtle getup consisting of a short blonde wig, jaw inserts, and glasses was successful in completely hiding his true identity, making him look absolutely unrecognizable.
"It's the brand now," Endymion said. "We've been over this, Tuxedo Mask is associated with our product."
"That's really not a good reason to keep it," Kunzite insisted quietly. "At the very least, the cape—"
"Can you drop it? It's fine, it works, no problems with it. The cape plays, alright?" Endymion said, observing two hooded figures approaching the ship from the front side on a small handheld screen that he was holding. "Alright, I think we might have our man."
"He's punctual, then," Kunzite commented, going over to the exit hatch on the right side of the ship's barren interior and grabbing a red lever right next to it. "Are you sure it's him?"
Endymion waited a moment, watching the two come up right by the ship's hull and stop. Both of them had heavy cloaks covering their torsos and hoods casting their faces in shadow, so he couldn't yet distinguish either of them other than that one was significantly taller than the other. "They seem to be here for a reason."
"Stay here, and close the hatch after I'm out." Kunzite pulled back on the lever, releasing the latch on the exit door and popping it open. A rickety steel ladder extended down a couple steps to the ground, and Kunzite eschewed using it in favor of simply dropping down the short distance to the ground. As soon as his boots contacted the asphalt below, the door sealed shut above him, ladder retracting back into the ship's thick hull. He looked back and forth between the hooded figures, a couple tense moments ticking by as the three stared each other down.
"Can I help you two?" Kunzite asked.
Both reached their hands up to pull back on their hoods, revealing their faces to Kunzite. The taller one, in a mild surprise, ended up being a woman. Tall and thin, with green hair done up in a complex series of buns and loose strands, with a few thin black bands wrapped around her forehead. Large pink earrings hung from her ears.
But Kunzite's focus, as well as shock, was on the second individual. This one was a man, pale skin, moderately-short white hair, a sharp, pointed chin, and round, thickly-rimmed glasses over his eyes. He gave an amicable little smile over at the Prince's guardian.
"
Endymion, eyes glued to the screen in his hands, watching the initial interaction between Kunzite and the two newcomers, stared in shock at the man as he revealed himself. He blinked, mouth hanging open, giving the screen a little flick with his left index finger as if he could suddenly get the camera to start showing him a more believable sight. It didn't.
"What the…" he muttered under his breath.
"
"I think you're in the wrong place, sir," Kunzite said over at the white-haired man.
"I'm right where I want to be," he replied, still giving a pleasant smile, his voice lightly accented and his words flowing together satisfyingly.
"I don't think so," Kunzite insisted.
"I am here to conduct business," he continued. "You're here for the same, aren't you?"
"I'm sure this is an odd coincidence," Kunzite said, looking up towards the closed hatch on the bottom side of the ship. "We should part ways, sir."
"That would not be good for either of us," the man insisted. "Nor for the man you're working for, who I assume is up inside the ship. There are very, very few people in this galaxy who can afford large quantities of your product."
Kunzite slowly leveled his gaze back at the man, having been preparing to wave up towards the ship's hatch. Quickly, he regained his quasi-regal composure, straightening up.
"My apologies, sir. You just bear a striking resemblance to—"
"Well, there's a reason for that," he said, still casually smiling over at the imposing bodyguard.
Kunzite wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, so he simply stood there, eyes flickering back and forth between the two, confused all over again.
"Now, we can enter your ship?" he asked. "We're out in the open here, I'd prefer to be in a secure location for the duration of this meeting."
Kunzite thought for about two beats, then looked over at the tall woman to the man's right. "There's a F-90 handgun on your right hip, five throwing knives along the front of your waist, a retractable garrote on your right wrist, and a snub-nose Hittite on your left ankle." He pulled a tightly rolled-up burlap sack out from the inside of his heavy brown jacket, tossing it onto the ground at her feet. "Once I see all of those things in that bag, we can go up."
The man gave a quick glance and nod over towards his companion, who quickly reached down to her right hip to remove a black firearm from underneath her cloak.
"
"What's the meaning of this?" Endymion asked as Kunzite's head appeared just outside the open hatch, pulling himself back inside the ship.
"They're the ones who want to meet us," Kunzite said quietly as he moved to the side, allowing the green-haired woman and white-haired man to enter. Endymion just gave a mildly-frightened stare as the two came on board the ship. Kunzite shuffled over next to his Prince, ready to act instantly if the meeting made any sort of undesired turn.
"Fascinating design," the man stated, glancing about the interior of the ship. "No doubt meant for extreme defense?"
Endymion tilted his head slightly, unwilling to let his guard down in the slightest despite the man's light, friendly tone.
"Ah, my apologies." He turned towards the disguised Prince. "Tuxedo Mask, my name is Cronus, and my companion here is Tellu."
"Cronus," Endymion repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Cronus?"
He smiled. "I suppose that I'm probably the most well-known Cronus in the galaxy right now, yes. In any case, I wish to do business. I think we can make each other very happy by working together."
"You...you want to do business with me?" Endymion said slowly.
"I've seen your product. It's exquisite, paradigm-shifting, nothing else in the galaxy even close to it," he explained. "And I have just the infrastructure to capitalize on your product."
"H-hold on," Endymion said, putting his open palm out towards the older man. "You're Cronus of Saturn? Cronus, the medical science genius and pharmaceutical tycoon, developer and producer of cutting-edge medications, majority owner of hundreds of thousands of medicine stores across the galaxy, one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy, that Cronus?"
He nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"And you...you want to do business with me? You, wealthy beyond measure from legitimate business, have the infrastructure to distribute my product and the willingness to take on that risk?" He blinked a few times, taking an unconscious step away from the two. "That's what I'm to believe?"
"It's the truth," Cronus said simply. "I have been involved in imperium smuggling for nearly ten years now, almost as long as I have been running Galen Laboratories, and as long as I have been the majority owner of Soranus Pharmaceuticals." He folded his hands together in front of his chest. "Now, Mister Mask, the question I have for you is, do you want to do business with me?"
"Wait wait wait," Endymion insisted. "We've got a lot more to—"
"Or would it be more appropriate if I called you by your actual name?" Cronus asked. "Prince Endymion."
Endymion froze, mouth open, stopping mid-sentence to absorb that particular proclamation. His abject shock was obvious, even with the benefit of the face mask, so Kunzite's own nonplussed reaction was rendered worthless.
"And you're, no doubt, his trusted general and guardian Kunzite?" Cronus added, looking over at the disguised general. Kunzite again had no reaction, even though the game was already up.
"Interesting accusation," Endymion said, trying to reset himself.
"Not really an accusation," Cronus clarified. "More of an invitation to take that costume off, if you'd like." He paused for a beat. "Or keep it on. Up to you." He paused. "Congratulations on the birth of your daughter, by the way."
Kunzite slowly turned to his left, staring over at the Prince with a hard glare. Slowly, with a rather annoyed scowl on his face, Endymion reached up, grabbing the edge of his face mask and pulling it up over his head, removing the top hat with the same motion.
"So." Endymion swallowed down, dropping the mask to the floor by his feet. "Is this blackmail, then?"
"Not at all," Cronus assured him. "I investigate everyone who I consider doing business with. Besides, hardly any incentive for me to blackmail, when you know about me as well. In fact, I think we might both have quite a bit in common. We are both very powerful men who seek to obtain even more power within the criminal underworld."
Endymion blinked a few times, glancing over towards Kunzite, as if looking for advice and guidance.
"Now, can we talk business?" Cronus asked. "That's why I'm here, and I think it's why you're here. I assure you, nobody else in the galaxy has a distribution network anywhere close to as large, diverse, and experienced as mine. And if I may sing my own praises, nobody has been in this business nearly as long as I have without getting caught." He blinked over at Endymion and Kunzite. "How much product do you have on hand right now?"
Endymion gave Kunzite a resigned shrug, acting as a prompt for the loyal guardian.
"Fifteen hundred and eighty-seven libras," Kunzite answered. "Refined and ready for use. All of it between ninety-nine percent and ninety-nine point one percent pure."
"Wonderful," Cronus said with a broad, inviting smile. "I'll take it all."
"He said libras, not uncias," Endymion said.
"I heard him," Cronus countered easily. "Fifteen hundred and eighty-seven libras, I will take it all."
Endymion was slightly taken aback, recoiling his head slightly. He quickly gave his head a shake to regain his composure. "I'm only willing to take money up front. No consignment deals."
"Just short of sixteen hundred libras, let's say…" Cronus stared down at the floor for a few beats. "One point seven billion creds. Call it a tiny discount for the bulk purchase. Is that acceptable to you?"
Endymion flinched slightly, glancing over at his guardian. "W-when?" he managed to ask.
"Tomorrow?" Cronus suggested. "Would that be acceptable?"
Endymion tilted his head slightly. "You can get that kind of money together that quickly?"
"Your Highness, you'll have your money. All of it. Up front." Cronus nodded. "The question is, can you get your product together by tomorrow?"
The Prince held his tongue at this question, opting instead to stare over at Kunzite. The general nodded.
Cronus spread his hands to his sides slightly. "Then do we have a deal? Say we meet tomorrow, out in space?" He reached inside his cloak, getting Kunzite's hand to drop to his waist, but he simply slowly pulled out a small slip of paper. "Coordinates, um—"
"Eight thousand six hundred and twenty-four point fifty-two, twenty-five thousand one hundred and ninety-five point twelve, nine hundred ninety four point five," Kunzite interrupted. "There are your coordinates, we can meet there."
With a short pause, Cronus replaced the paper slip into his inside cloak pocket. "Well, you certainly came prepared," he said, looking bemused. "Very well, just let me write those down before we leave." He looked over at Endymion. "Assuming that we have a deal."
The Prince continued to stare down Cronus, but despite his best efforts to expose some sort of facade or sniff out a trick, nothing changed. He remained, perfectly playing the part of a friendly, amicable, reasonable businessman who genuinely desired nothing more than the exchange of imperium for money. Not a disguised agency officer, nor a psychotic, blood-thirsty criminal, but rather, precisely the kind of contact that the Prince needed in this business.
If something was too good to be true, it typically was. And yet, as Cronus extended his right hand out towards Endymion, offering it to him, he was finding himself ignoring that famous phrase.
He stepped forward, Kunzite moving up alongside him. Slowly, Endymion reached his own right hand out, taking Cronus's hand and shaking it.
"We have a deal," Endymion said. "Tomorrow. Imperium for money."
"
Two Class B starships tangoed through the emptiness of deep space, connected by a long black tube, which had been created by either ship extending out a docking port and locking them together. Both ships were as generic and plain as could be, black and without decals or distinctive markings. Even if someone happened across the sight of the two ships docked together, they wouldn't give it a second thought.
Inside the connected docking tube, however, was quite a sight. Crown Prince Endymion of Earth and his two largest and strongest generals stood before the black and orange steel door that served as the lone remaining barrier between one ship and the other.
"If anything starts to go against plan, you focus on getting behind us," Kunzite instructed firmly. "And if I might ask one more time, are you quite sure you don't want to just stay back in the cockpit? It's dangerous enough you being here at all."
"This is my deal, my operation, and we're about to move nearly five days worth of labor that has a street value of over three and a half billion creds," Endymion said firmly. "I am not going anywhere."
Kunzite and Nephrite both took a step forward, providing minimal cover for their charge with their large bodies. Kunzite reached forward and swiped his finger on a panel right by the steel door, and a moment later it slid back into the wall. The docking port continued on for a few more paces past where the door had been, and then expanded out into the primary chamber of the opposite ship. Cronus, this time wearing a form-fitting black vest on the top of a white undershirt, was seated right in the middle of the room on a swivelling chair.
"Welcome!" he called out, waving over towards the trio. He was flanked by Tellu on his left, and to his right was a sharply-featured woman with straight white hair that fell just past her shoulders, with an odd looking white cap on top of her head. With trepidation and caution, Nephrite and Kunzite walked forward, Prince Endymion trailing just behind and peering over their shoulders. "I trust you have the product?"
"We've got what we promised," Kunzite said sternly, emerging out into the main room of the ship and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Ah, Nephrite, is it?" Cronus pointed over at the brown-haired guardian at Kunzite's side. "I've heard all about you, of course." He glanced over to his right. "Oh yes, where are my manners, this is Viluy, another assistant of mine." He turned his focus back to the two generals and prince before him. "Perhaps you two can bond over your mutual loves for chemistry, she's been acting as my imperium chemist ever since I started in this business."
"How about we see your end of the bargain?" Nephrite growled, a hint of implied menace in his tone.
Cronus, however, either ignored it or didn't pick up on it, simply turning to Tellu. The green-haired bodyguard casually tossed a brown leather sack with assorted straps constricting it tightly out onto the floor, halfway between Kunzite and Cronus. Kunzite and Nephrite both flinched back slightly, eyes on the bag. It simply laid there, inert and stationary.
"That's the money?" Endymion asked, peering up over Kunzite's shoulders at the bag, a small frown on his face. "You look light to me. Way light."
"Well, only one way to find out," Cronus replied, beckoning over towards the leather container. In response to this, Kunzite and Nephrite both threw their arms out to the sides, trying to keep Endymion safe if things devolved to violence.
"Cronus—" Kunzite said warningly, a twitch away from shifting into battle mode, mentally calculating the most efficient and effective ways to quickly kill him and his two lackeys.
"Let me help clarify things," Cronus said, getting to his feet and walking over to the bag. Kunzite had his hands up in front of his chest, ready to act, watching as the genius scientist bent down and began to tug the straps on the bag loose. After a few beats, he had the mouth of the sack open, and poured the contents out onto the floor.
Endymion gasped as a flowing little stream of pink crystals pouring out of the sack, piling up in a little mound at Cronus's feet. Most of the precious gems were tiny, the size of a pebble, but a few of them were significantly sized, one or two maybe even the size of Chibiusa's tiny baby fist.
After dumping the entire sack of pink diamonds out onto the floor, he stood back up, dropping the bag by the obscenely valuable gem pile. Maintaining his friendly smile, he nodded.
"I trust this will suffice as payment?" he asked, sounding earnest and sincere. "It was easier for me to get this together on short notice. Plus, much easier to transport."
"Holy…" Endymion choked out under his breath. Even as a Prince of a massive Kingdom, with untold wealth to his name, seeing such a large collection of rare pink diamonds all together was a sight to behold.
"This is fine, then?" Cronus asked.
Kunzite seemed to relax ever so slightly, dropping his hands back to his sides. "I'll judge that after examining and weighing them, but...yes. Payment in gemstones is perfectly fine."
Cronus motioned over to Viluy. "Might Viluy be allowed to examine your product at the same time? Just to verify that it is actually the product we were promised?"
Kunzite slowly stepped forward, moving to the pile of pink diamonds and kneeling down next to them. "Nephrite, escort her to the cargo hold, let her check the imperium." He pinched one of the little gems between his right thumb and index finger, holding it up in front of his face and staring at it.
"I'll need some time, sir," Viluy said, turning to Cronus and awaiting permission.
"I have the feeling that Kunzite will as well, so by all means." He motioned his right hand forward, and the white-haired chemist stepped around Kunzite and the diamonds, going over the burly general. Endymion moved to the side, allowing Nephrite and Viluy to walk through the docking port, back into the other ship.
"I apologize if my payment method was unexpected," Cronus said regally. "I just consider this to be preferable when dealing with such giant sums."
"No, no," Endymion said, eyes on Kunzite as he continued to closely examine diamond after diamond. "It's actually probably better for us as well. T-thank you." He wiped his hand over his forehead, glancing over at Tellu, who remained silent and stoic at Cronus's side as the pharmaceutical kingpin took his seat in the swivelling chair again.
"She doesn't say very much," Cronus admitted. "Don't worry, it's not a problem with you." He beckoned over towards another chair on the right side of the modestly-sized room. "Sit, if you'd like."
"I'm fine," Endymion said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "So...that's really what it is, huh? The biggest name in medical science by day, the biggest imperium smuggler by night?"
Cronus placed his hands on his kneecaps, nodding. "I thrive in the world of business because I see opportunities and take them. This was just an opportunity, like any other, that I recognized as lucrative."
Endymion gave a half-hearted nod. "And an opportunity to be shoved in a prison cell for the rest of your life. Meanwhile, your legal business interests print money at a rate that can hardly be calculated." He tugged at the buttoning points of his jacket. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because your product is, by far, the best and most valuable in the galaxy," he replied simply.
"No no, why are you doing any of this in the first place?" Endymion clarified. "Why are you risking imprisonment and criminal charges when you have more money than you could spend in a hundred lifetimes through legitimate means?"
Cronus's smile dropped ever so slightly, but he quickly brought it back. "Your Highness, I could ask you the exact same question."
"Maybe." Endymion absentmindedly began to mill about the ship's interior chamber, looking around. "But I asked you first."
Cronus gave a little laugh, then looked down at the floor for a few beats. The only sound in the room was Kunzite tossing one of the diamonds down to the ground, drawing a gentle little tink, before picking up another one.
"Family," he finally said, looking up at the Crown Prince. "What about you?"
Endymion pursed his lips, seemingly impressed by the answer. "The same, as it happens."
Cronus leaned back in the chair, putting his left fist into his right palm. "What better reason is there to do anything than for family? For men, what other reason even is there? What other reason would be worth considering?"
Endymion, after a moment's contemplation, managed to put an eased smile on his face. "Y-yes, I suppose that's true."
"Tell me," he began. "I'm not going to insult your intelligence by asking too many questions about your source of raw product, I harbor no illusions that I can get you to say a word about it. But it's important that I have some idea of how much you have remaining."
"A lot," Endymion said easily. "Running out will not be a concern anytime soon."
"A lot," Cronus repeated. "Could you ballpark it to...more than a hundred thousand libras?"
"More," Kunzite chimed in from down on the floor, holding a large pink diamond up close to his right eye. "Far more."
"A million?" he continued to pry. "Ten million?"
"We haven't actually counted it," Kunzite acknowledged, beginning to scoop the diamonds up carefully and place them back into the sack. "But, more than that, I feel confident of that."
Cronus's disposition seemed to brighten even more. "Wonderful!" He turned back to the Prince. "Assuming things go well with this transaction, and that I'm happy with the results, I will be in contact with you in the near future."
Endymion quickly stepped over to Cronus, no longer feeling any fear or concern about this meeting being some sort of trap or ambush. He extended his right hand out towards the wildly successful businessman.
"Then I await your contact eagerly," he said.
Cronus took his hand and shook it. "And, of course, I most certainly know where to find you."
"
"Your Highness, please, give it to me, I'll stash it someplace where nobody will find it," Kunzite pleaded, following the Crown Prince down the large, lavishly decorated hallway, eyes on the leather sack looped over Endymion's shoulder.
"It's fine," Endymion said dismissively. "I want to keep these close to me." The two men were quickly bearing down on the door to Endymion's bedroom, nestled into the left wall at the end of the hallway, just shy of the giant window in the wall that ended it.
"Endymion, there's no reason why you need to keep them with you, I promise they'll be safer with me," Kunzite continued, keeping his voice down.
"The bag is small enough to hide in my room, it's just as safe and secure in there. In fact, all things considered, my room is probably one of the most secure places in the galaxy." Endymion quickly closed the distance to his bedroom door.
"Yes, but your bedroom is not just your own!" Kunzite reminded him. "Where will you hide it? And please, don't say your closet."
Endymion placed his hand on the knob, but stopped before twisting it open. "...temporarily," he muttered. "Just for today, I'll stick it in the spillover compartment. And then tonight, when Serenity's taking a bath, I'll move it somewhere better."
Kunzite gave an annoyed grunt as Endymion opened his bedroom door and strode in, bag in tow over his shoulder.
"Wonderful timing, she just woke up," Serenity called out from the four-poster bed, laying back on it and holding Chibiusa against her chest. The tiny baby was bundled up in a blanket, as was typical, staring forward with a vacant little smile on her face. Endymion quickly walked over to his wife and daughter, Kunzite peering into the room, shielding his deep concern behind a flat expression.
"Oh, yes, she knows when daddy's coming home, doesn't she?" Endymion said playfully, reaching over and giving Chibiusa a gentle rub on her forehead with his finger. He stood back up straight and walked around the bed, heading over towards the walk-in closet on the far side of the room.
"Oh, Kunzite, you wanna say hi?" Serenity offered. The white-haired general came over to the Princesses, figuring at the very least it would distract Serenity from asking questions. As he came up to the side of the bed, however, Serenity turned to look over at her husband.
"Oh, what's in the sack?" she asked casually. Kunzite felt his stomach lurch.
Endymion glanced over his shoulder as he reached down to open the closet. "More than a billion and a half creds worth of pink diamonds."
Kunzite's eyes widened, a panicked stare cast over at the Prince, thankfully unnoticed by Serenity as she was looking over at Endymion. A few tense beats passed.
"That'd be pretty cool," Serenity said airily, looking back down towards the baby in her arms as Endymion disappeared into the closet. "Wouldn't it? Wouldn't that be cool?" she leaned in and kissed the top of Chibiusa's head. "Did you hear that? Daddy thinks he's funny. Yes he does. Yes he does!"
Kunzite's body relaxed and he closed his eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. He slowly shook his head.
"
"Oh, my," Queen Neptune said, voice sultry and refined, every syllable seemingly finding a way to accent her wealthy, privileged upbringing. "Looking more and more like a Prince every time I see you."
The regal and elegant Queen of Neptune sized up Prince Endymion, extending her finely manicured hand out towards him. Knowing how etiquette worked on Neptune, he reached forward and took her hand, bending down slightly to kiss the back of it.
"Been a few years, hasn't it?" Kasios said, standing at Queen Neptune's side as the two young adults exchanged greetings. "We should get together more often, Neptune. This kid of mine, he's changed so much since the last time you saw him. Totally different person."
A charming smile on his face, Endymion gave an amicable nod. "You might say that, yes." He was wearing his finest opera clothes, an expensive suit with dark purple trimmings.
"Mm." Neptune cast a glance to Endymion's left and right. Princess Serenity stood to his right, and his four guardians hovered a few steps behind him. "A father, now? You must be so proud."
The Galle Opera House was the most recent great architectural innovation on a planet absolutely loaded with them, a large towering building that resembled a partially-open oyster from the outside. A construct of marble and reinforced glass, with some granite mixed in, the layout of the pillars and archways calling back to a style from nearly eight hundred years ago. Lighting was accomplished via floating paper lanterns that perpetually hovered a few haplouns above everyone's heads. A fortune in jewels studded virtually everything in sight, and expensive artwork hung on the walls. It was an ode to excess and style, demanding reverence at every moment from all who were given the opportunity to be inside it.
Queen Neptune was overseeing greeting the more esteemed guests as they entered the Triton Lounge, the entrance point of the second floor of the building, where only the wealthy, famous and powerful could gain access. The various royals of the galaxy, as well as a few ultra-successful businessmen and moguls, slowly filtered up the brown marble staircase into the lounge, where several long tables of gourmet food were situated to occupy them before they were escorted to their viewing booths.
"Beautiful opera house, by the way," Kasios commented. "You outdo yourself every time I come around."
"I'll have to arrange for a performance at the Orchestra Hall at some point," Neptune said, voice lilting and clipped. "We really should mingle more than once every few years."
"Well, obviously, you need enough time between visits to put together something to show off," Kasios said. Princess Serenity came around Endymion's shoulder, reaching her right hand out to the slightly older Queen.
"It's been a few years for me too!" she said energetically. "Good to see you!"
Neptune gave a polite smile, returning the handshake. "You were a girl last we met. Now, a woman. I can tell just by looking at you." She quickly scanned her eyes over the collection of Earth visitors. "Well, I have to go greet the other guests. Feel free to eat and meet up with other attendees." With that, she walked off, practically gliding across the marble floor, bottom of her blue dress just barely dragging below.
"By the Gods, I would drink her bathwater," Jadeite said quietly as Neptune sauntered away.
"Classy," Zoisite mumbled under his breath, glancing over to the right and immediately perking up. "Oh, hello!"
The other three generals and the three members of the Earth royal family turned to meet the object of Zoisite's attention. Princess Mercury, wearing a dress of a mildly darker blue than Queen Neptune, and Queen Mars, clad in red, were approaching.
"Zoisite!" Mercury called out cheerfully. "It's been awhile, things well?"
"Mercury! Mars!" Serenity squealed cheerfully, running around her husband over to the two young women, never missing an opportunity to be with her old friends.
"No complaints," Zoisite said as Mercury turned to greet the Princess of the Earth-Moon Kingdom. "Been dabbling in business, running a chain of bookstores. Growing far faster than even my boldest expectations, we're opening up some new locations soon."
"Sounds exciting," Mercury remarked. "You seven will all be sitting together, I take it?"
"Right," Kasios affirmed. "Viewing booth number five, I think it was."
"And congratulations on the child!" Queen Mars piped in, coming to rest her right hand on Serenity's left shoulder. "Perfectly healthy and well, I take it?"
"Oh, yes, she's perfect," Serenity said.
"Well, Queen Mars certainly knows an awful lot about being perfect."
The eased smile faded from Mars's face as she looked over at Jadeite, who had a devilish smirk up, putting his right hand up on his hip.
"Oh," se said flatly, giving a resigned little sigh. "You're still alive, are you?"
"You can't get rid of me that easily," Jadeite retorted playfully.
"Well, perhaps one day the universe will come to its senses and rectify that," she said, turning back to the Earth King. "Good to see you, King Kasios."
With that, she bowed and spun around to depart, Princess Mercury giving an awkward wave before following.
"Oh, yes," Jadeite muttered. "Hate to see her leave, love to watch her go."
"You could have almost any woman in the entire galaxy, and you keep lusting after the ones who would never want anything to do with you," Nephrite whispered. "What's up with that?"
"Not only that, but one who would wish death upon him to his face," Zoisite added.
"Hey, you're always attracted to someone who doesn't want you, right?" Jadeite pointed out. "Well, there you have someone who not only doesn't want me, she doesn't even appreciate the fact that I exist! She wants my destruction!" He pointed his finger up at Nephrite's chin. "That's a turn on."
"Ah, she's just bitter that you left Mars after your training," Kasios said. "Don't take it personally." He slapped his son's forearms. "Alright, I'm gonna go make the rounds, you guys do whatever makes you happy and be in the booth on time." He walked off.
"I thought you were traded to Earth as part of a deal to avoid an armed conflict," Zoisite said, the half-dozen individuals moving as one over towards the nearest table of food.
"Sure." Jadeite went over to a platter of cheeses and picked up a couple of cubes with his left hand. "But they would never have given me up if I was behaving." He pointed over to his right, a golden, bejeweled goblet beginning to levitate off the right side of the table and hovering over into his hand. "You know I'm still considered one of the most powerful practitioners of psychokinesis Mars has ever seen? Kills them that I didn't fall in line and embrace the life."
He began to cause a second goblet to float in the middle of the air, and then began psychically escorting it across the room, over towards the direction that Queen Mars had gone. "Well, maybe she'll appreciate a nice olive branch."
"Yes, parlor tricks always win the women over," Kunzite remarked dryly, picking up a small plate of caviar.
"Oh, son, turn around real quick, I want you to meet someone!"
Endymion, at the voiced order of his father, slowly turned himself around, his stomach jumping up into his chest at the sight laid before him. His father was beckoning a man forward towards him. A man with white hair, moderately short, a pointed chin, and thickly-rimmed glasses. Although he was now wearing a white tuxedo-style suit with a flowered lapel on his left chest, there was no mistaking him. He recoiled back, going wide-eyed.
"Son, I don't think you've met Cronus before, but I'm sure you know of him. One of the most successful businessmen and scientists in galactic history," Kasios said cheerfully. "Truly one of the finest men who has ever lived."
Endymion opened his mouth, quickly closing it to swallow, and then finally managed to remember to force himself to act naturally. "C-Cronus, yes, I...I definitely know of you."
Cronus gave that comforting, unassuming smile again, extending his right hand out towards the Prince. "Your Majesty, I heard you have a daughter now? You must be proud."
Endymion blinked blankly at Cronus for several beats, before finally jerking his own hand forward to return the shake. "Y-yes, most definitely."
"Uh, sorry, Cronus, he's usually not this awkward," Kasios said, giving his son a bit of a curious look.
"Oh, no, I...Jadeite just said something a little shocking, I'm recovering from it," Endymion mumbled. "C-Cronus, I know of your story, it's remarkable. You're the best of us."
"Cronus is one of our biggest private donors at the agency," Kasios explained. "We know him well, and he goes above and beyond to support us."
"Just doing what any concerned citizen of this galaxy would do when given the chance," Cronus insisted. "Your father has told me that you achieved a crystal-level certification in the field of medical science during your education?"
Endymion again forced the lump in his throat down. "Y-yes, yes, medical science, I was rather fond of that field."
"Well, too bad, in a way. In another lifetime, where you weren't a Prince, perhaps you could have come work for me at the laboratory. I think you would have been fantastic." With that, he straightened back up. "If you'll excuse me, I have other contacts to make." He turned about and walked away.
"Great man," Kasios said. "Nobody even knew who he was ten years ago, just another random guy with nothing to his name. Now look at him." He patted Endymion on the shoulder. "Just thought you'd like to meet him."
The High King walked off, leaving Endymion there, a little shaken. A slightly nudge on his back caused him to look over his shoulder to find Kunzite standing there.
"Everything alright?" he whispered.
"O-oh, yeah," Endymion stammered. "I-I mean, he seemed nice."
"Didn't imply anything?" Kunzite asked.
"I don't think so," Endymion replied.
Kunzite gave a little nod. "Let's just act casual." He jerked his head over his shoulder, prompting Endymion to re-approach the table of food.
"
Endymion gritted his teeth hard and winced, gloved right hand coming down to rest on his stomach. Serenity, clinging onto his right arm from the seat next to him, looked down in mild concern.
The massive, dark main hall of the opera house was being filled with the deep baritone of a particularly gifted male singer, powerful lungs able to carry the long, demanding notes of the performance, as he stood on the center of the stage, surrounded by props to simulate the appearance of standing on a giant boat. Ordinarily, Endymion would have been appreciating the impressive performance, but an uncomfortable bubbling inside of him was taking up his focus. He fought to not make any detectable noise as he fought with the faint nausea, sitting between his wife and his father, but it seemed like the discomfort was increasing.
"You okay?" Serenity whispered lightly into Endymion's ear.
Endymion gave a silent nod, blinking down heavily, feeling sweat begin to bead on his forehead. He was dimly aware of a woman joining the performance, hitting hard on a series of high-pitched notes to contrast expertly with the man's baritone.
"Be right back," he finally muttered, standing up suddenly and quickly lurching through the seats set out for his four generals. He strided through the curtain that separated the viewing booth from the back hallway, Kunzite hot on his heels.
"Your Highness?" Kunzite asked as soon as the two were out into the hall.
"Stomach," he grunted, keeled over slightly as he stormed over towards the silver door just a dozen paces down the hall.
"Should I alert a doctor?" Kunzite asked.
Endymion shook his head. "Just gotta get it out," he said hurriedly, pressing both palms into the door and pushing it open hard. "Be right out!"
Kunzite stopped right outside the washroom door as Endymion disappeared inside, thinking for a moment before leaning his shoulder up against the wall right by the door, waiting for his charge to return.
"
Inside, Endymion quickly raced across the tiled floor, over towards the walled-off stalls on the far side of the room, just barely together enough to mentally note that the fan seemed to be quite loud. He was just about to push his way into the center stall, when he was suddenly slammed into on the right side, being forcibly pushed into the left wall.
Taken by complete surprise, Endymion was unable to fight back as he was shoved into the wall, turning to see the bizarre, shocking sight of Queen Mars being the one who was driving him against the tiled surface. After getting him off balance, Mars grabbed his left arm with her right hand, putting her left hand into his chest, and slammed him again into the barrier. As he regained his bearings, he realized that Princess Mercury was standing behind Mars, looking rather nervous as she glanced about the washroom.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Endymion quickly said. "You two are in the wrong place, what are you doing?!"
Mars ignored his statement and question, looking him straight in the eyes. "Alright, what's her name, huh?"
"W-what?!" Endymion gasped, glancing over his shoulder at Mercury. "Look, if you guys don't let me go in there right now, we're about to have a big mess!"
"The poison you took just creates the sensation of needing to vomit," Mercury explained, again twisting her head over her shoulder towards the washroom door. "You don't actually have to, it'll pass in a moment."
Endymion's jaw dropped a bit, staring over at Princess Mercury. "P-poison?!"
"I slipped it into your caviar," Mercury explained quickly.
"U-uh—"
Mars took her hand off his chest, instead grabbing his chin and forcibly twisting it so he was looking right at her. "We know you're fooling around, Prince. You're cheating on Serenity, the question is with who? That's what we're here to find out."
Endymion's expression was somewhere between abject confusion and rage, giving Mars a disgusted look. "I-I...you two are both insane, let me go right now before—"
Mars shoved his head back into the wall. Endymion could maybe have fought her off, but was cowed slightly at the thought of using physical violence on a woman, even in these circumstances, and it was understood that Queen Mars had received thorough martial arts training during her upbringing.
"I am not cheating on Serenity, so—"
"What's her name, come on!" Mars goaded. "Alright, let's go!" She stared right into his eyes. "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, alright, I." She quickly looked over her shoulder at Mercury. "I. What's that?" She looked back at Endymion. "Ilona? Irene? Iris? Isadora?"
"What is wrong with you?!" he snapped. She responded by twisting his arm, making him wince in pain. "Ahh! I'm not—"
"Isabelle? Irma?" Mars continued. "Who is she, huh? Some supermodel floozy you met on Venus? No? Some mistress you've got hidden away on Earth?" She blinked a few times. "She from the Moon? Oh, wow, that's it right there, the Moon!"
Mercury again cast a panicked look at the door behind her, back at the door.
"Come on, Prince," she said, twisting his arm again. "You may as well just give it up now, what's her name?"
"Mars!" He finally managed to wrench his arm away from her iron-like grip. "I am not cheating on Serenity! There is no other woman!" He tried to move around the Queen, looking to beat a hasty retreat, but was simply pushed back into the wall by her.
Queen Mars took in a deep breath, then let it out, looking right into his face. "You know, he's got a secret, that's for sure. A big one." She glanced over at Mercury over her shoulder. "But I think he's telling the truth."
"I am!" Endymion hissed. "Now get out of my way so—"
Mars spun back around, pressing her palms into his shoulders and shoving him back. "Oh no, Prince, you've still got a secret, you're hiding something from Serenity, but what is it?"
"I." Mercury squinted, looking down at the floor, wrinkles in her face slowly unfurling. "I. I...I...wait." She blinked a few times. "I. Imperium."
Even a novice microexpression reader could have picked up on the strong reaction in Endymion's face.
"Ooh, he really didn't like what you just said, Mercury," Mars said, again giving him an unfaltering stare right into his eyes. "Keep going!"
"Oh my God, I…" Mercury's mouth fell open. "Zoisite." She looked up at Endymion. "He wasn't drunk. No, you sent him down there. You ordered him to do that!"
Endymion coughed. "Mercury, I don't even know what you're—"
"Oh, no, we got him, keep going Mercury," Mars interrupted, grabbing his forearm again.
"I forced myself to not believe it," Mercury said, voice becoming thick with hurt. "I saw the book that he had grabbed, and then the agency investigating us, I...I knew, but I just forced myself to believe it was a coincidence. You sent Zoisite down there to get something for you, from that book, didn't you?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Mars said evenly. "He's panicking inside right now."
"The Moon," Mercury said, sounding almost dazed. "Zoisite waived the mine inspection on the Moon. I didn't even ask, he just offered it. I thought it was odd, but didn't want to question it, so I didn't think about it." She again stared up at Endymion. "There's imperium down there, isn't there? You found it, and you haven't told Serenity."
"I think we're hitting the target straight on," Mars said. At this point, Endymion was so obviously starting to panic under the interrogation and accusations of the two young women that anyone could have clearly figured out that his dirty secrets were being brought to the surface.
"T-that's absolutely ridiculous, listen to yourself! I—" Endymion tried to protest, but was simply bumped back into the wall by Queen Mars, silenced.
"The ninety-nine percent pure imperium. Tuxedo Mask. That's you, isn't it?" Mercury's expression still displayed absolute shock, even as she analytically went through everything, checking every single box on her way through Endymion's sea of lies. "You're selling imperium on the black market, and Serenity has no idea. You...you found it before the marriage. Before the union. And you didn't tell her."
"N...No, no! This is a big misunderstanding!" Endymion babbled. "Mercury, Mars, both of you stop and listen to—" He knew the situation was fast slipping away, and he was cycling through every single idea that he could come up with in order to get out of it. Everything was collapsing around his ears, not only his operation, but his entire life.
"I think we're done here," Mars said. "That's all the dirty laundry he's got." She pulled his hands away from his thin, tall frame. "My my, we came here to expose adultery, and look what we happened upon."
"Unbelievable," Mercury said, still aghast at the string of revelations of the last couple minutas, staring at Endymion as if he was growing a second head. "You, of all people, getting involved in all of this!" She began backing away towards the door.
"Mercury." Endymion tried to assert himself strongly by pointing emphatically over at the Princess. "You are making a big, big mistake right now. This is all just a misunderstanding."
"We'll let the agency decide that," Mars said, turning away from him and following Mercury towards the washroom door.
"Gods, how?!" Mercury muttered, giving Endymion a confused look over her shoulder. "That you would do this, get involved in this business, with your father being who he is."
The bubbling panic in Endymion's head and gut reached a fever pitch, threatening to overwhelm him completely as the two women were just beats away from leaving the room to expose his deceptions and crimes. With a shudder and a twitch of his cheek, spurred on by survival instinct, using visions of his seemingly-imminent imprisonment to motivate him, that panic was suddenly flatlined. His pale face, clearly stretched in an alarmed expression, began to flatten out. He stared over at the two, mind racing to find a way out.
"It's strange that you don't think he's in on it."
Mercury, just about to pull the door open by the steel handle, froze, fingertips grazing the bar. Slowly, she turned to look over her shoulder. "...what?"
Endymion was now faintly scowling over at the two female members of royalty, neck pulsing. His voice had dropped an octave, coming out in a controlled, yet finely-curated growl.
"It's strange," he continued. "You're assuming that I'm acting alone, as if it's not the High King who came up with the whole idea in the first place." He quickly advanced over towards the two, widening himself out slightly to make himself appear larger. "That I'm not just helping my old man out, that I'm not part of a bigger scheme."
"T-that's insane," Mercury said, stepping back from the door nonetheless. "High King Kasios is—"
"A member of the high council of the Galactic Imperium Agency? One of the most pro-regulation people in the galaxy?" Endymion gave a dangerous smirk. "Tell me, Mercury, is there a better position from which to run a black market imperium operation? Can you name one?"
Mercury's mouth gaped open ever so slightly, glancing over at Mars, unable to come up with a good response.
"So by all means, you two feel free to try to convince the agency that one of their own, one of their most valued and trusted council members, is running imperium behind their backs." He menacingly rounded on Mercury, causing her to back up into the wall by the door, taking on a frightened expression. "I'm sure they could use a good laugh."
"T-they'll have to investigate," Mars countered, although even she was shaken by Endymion's sudden swing. "If the accusation comes from us, they'll have to at least—"
"It's also strange that you think that he hasn't gone through painstaking procedures to cover everything up so nothing can lead back to him." Mercury was quickly wilting under his threatening tone, the pieces falling to place in her head as Endymion was giving them to her. "That he's left so much as a shred of proof of any of this. Even if you convince the agency to take a look at him, they will find nothing!" He smirked dangerously. "But then, he'll know that you two know. And what do you think happens then?"
Mars swallowed down some bile that had built up in her throat, looking over at Mercury, seeking her high intellect to offer some sort of guidance and assurance of safety. She didn't offer any.
"I think he might just decide that those peace treaties have outlived their usefulness," he menaced. Mercury's cheeks tightened at this threat. "It's rather easy to drum up an excuse to go to war, I'm sure he'll have no problem with that." He glared at Mercury. "What's your standing army these days? Sixty people who took a three-day self-defense class on Jupiter during their vacations?"
Mars grabbed at Endymion's right shoulder. "Hey—"
Endymion spun about violently, shoving her hand away. "You touch me again, and you're going to have a war on your hands!" he snarled, bearing his teeth in a feral display of anger that threatened so much more. "Your song and dance and superstition won't save you, Mars! Jadeite has been combing the planet ever since we got him, finding every single potential psychic, taking them under his wing, training them, weaponizing them! We'd be prepared for anything and everything you can do! We'll rip Phobos right out of orbit and smash it down on top of your palace!" He tilted his head over at the young Queen. "That what you want your legacy to be?! First year Queen, causes the extinction of her entire population?!"
Mars slid her left foot back, unable to fight the overwhelming urge to back away from the Prince. Her face twitched as visions of his dire potential future for her planet flashed through her mind.
Endymion turned back to Mercury. "And you, you wouldn't even get a war. You'd be surrendering before we broke the atmosphere. Your diamond reserves, pillaged and brought to Earth. Your scientists and scholars, shoveling horse manure in stables. Don't think we won't do it. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be a working as a maid for some show business star in the capital city when it's all over."
Mercury managed to regain just a fraction of her composure. "J-Jupiter would never let you—"
"Jupiter will be trying to beat us to the punch when they find out about the secrets you've been hoarding down in that vault!" Endymion growled, causing Mercury to startle back into the wall. "Oh yes, I know all about that, too. You think that just because Queen Jupiter is your friend, she'll be okay with Mercury keeping all that scientific knowledge about uses for the gases that they harvest a secret? All in the name of potential leverage in negotiations one day? Or how about Mercury's involvement in the assassination of King Giles of Jupiter eight hundred years ago?"
Princess Mercury gave a strangled little gasp.
"You think they might find that interesting? What do you think, huh?" He grinned.
Mercury went as pale as a ghost. "You...I...that's impossible—"
Endymion's tone became light and mocking, continuing to bear down on Mercury without actually touching her. "I'm afraid that Zoisite did far, far more than just look inside a book while he was down there."
Mercury could barely keep herself from slipping down to the floor, cowering away from the Crown Prince.
"You see, Mercury, you were just so lost in those...dreamy eyes of his, you didn't notice what he was doing with his hands," Endymion taunted. "I know all of your secrets, Akila."
Mercury gasped again, looking absolutely appalled, body shaking in fear now.
"That's right. And I can have the entire galaxy out for your blood if I decide to share it with them. Is that what you want?" Endymion leaned in closer to the blue-haired Princess, a violent scowl on his face.
Mercury shook her head frantically, having seemingly de-aged at least a decade with how meek and fearful she appeared.
"Then do we have an understanding?" he asked her.
"I-I...I won't tell...I won't tell a-anyone," she managed to force out of her tight throat, putting her palms up and out towards Endymion. "Your Highness, I...I give you my word. I s-swear. Nobody will hear any of this from me. I'll never...n-never, breathe a word of this to anyone."
He stared her down, getting her to slide down the wall another finger length or so. "We have people everywhere, Princess. As you must realize by now, I can get my hands on anything I want. And I give you my word, that if any of this leaves this washroom, I will hear about it, and your Kingdom will become a territory of Earth within a cycle. Understand?"
She nodded hurriedly. "Y-yes sir," she peeped out.
Slowly, he stood back up straight, giving Mars a menacing glare. She, despite her training on keeping composed in any and all situations, was visibly shaken by the turn of events that had happened right in front of her. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the suddenly threatening Prince of Earth, who mere moments ago she had regarded as little more than a whelp to be intimidated and read like an open book.
"I-I won't say anything either," she said quickly. "Y-You're...I won't. I promise. I promise." She put her right palm out towards him, trying to calm him. "Alright?" Her other hand came up instinctively, as if protecting her face
"Why don't you stick to the spirit world and leave reality to the rest of us?" he snapped. "You do that, and we'll let you survive." His lip curled down into a nasty snarl. "Both of you, keep your noses out of other people's' business, before it gets cut off." He suddenly charged towards Mars, arms swinging heavily at his sides. "And that goes double for you, Mars! What was that thing you gave my wife?!"
Mars blinked vacantly, jaw dropping. "U-uh...I...the…"
"For the baby? Keeps her safe?" His face was just maybe a finger length away from hers, his scowl enhancing to the point where he was hardly recognizable. "You think I can't take care of my own family?!"
Of all the things in the last few minutas that had confused Mars beyond belief, this forceful question seemed to take her by surprise more than anything before.
"You think I need your help?! That I need you meddling, like I can't handle it?" He shook his head, flecks of sweat flying in every direction. "I provide for my wife and daughter! I protect them, I care for them, not you, not anyone else, me! You get that?!"
She nodded, deciding simple agreement was preferable to trying to protest this absurd point. He backed off from her, twisting about to look at Mercury's cowering figure.
"You two keep your mouths shut, and your Kingdoms will avoid our wrath," he reminded them. "But toe the line, or there will be consequences."
He started to move towards the door, when suddenly, Princess Mercury managed to gather every last bit of courage she had remaining in her body, and opened her constricted throat to speak.
"I...I have known Princess Serenity for a decade," she gasped out, getting the Prince to stop and turn to look at her. "I've been close friends with her since we were ten. I know her as well as I know almost anyone. She's…" she swallowed down hard. "She's a sweet, kind, good person. And I don't know what you've...what you've done to keep her quiet. I don't know what lies you've told to keep her placated." She inhaled deeply, then pushed out the breath hard. "But she doesn't deserve whatever you're doing to her."
Endymion tilted his head slightly to the right, neck and cheeks pulsing as the muscles within them twitched. His scowl was almost that of an angered predatory animal, so feral and aggressive that it was. He leaned in slightly towards the Princess, making her quake. "Fuck you," he growled.
Princess Mercury hadn't heard much profanity in her life. Certainly none of it had ever been directed at her before. It had a sharper effect on her that she might have thought. She gasped and recoiled the tiny bit that she could. Endymion turned away and went over to the door as a few tears started to leak down Mercury's face, grabbing the handle.
He took just a moment to compose himself, knowing that he would have to make himself presentable to Kunzite. He rubbed at his face, working the snarl out of it, and then edged the door open and slid through it.
Sure enough, his white-haired guardian was leaning up against the wall right there, Endymion quickly getting through the door and shutting it behind him so that he didn't have a chance to see the emotional carnage he had left in his wake.
"Feeling better?" Kunzite asked.
"Much better," Endymion answered, smiling faintly. "Sometimes you've just got to let it out."
Kunzite pushed himself off the wall and began marching over to the curtain that shielded the viewing booth, Endymion a step behind, a bemused smirk on his face as the extreme power rush continued to surge through his body.
"
"It was very strange," Zoisite said quietly to himself, seated in the left chair in the third row aboard The Bastion as it ripped through space, closing the distance to the Earth with a speed that only a handful of other ships in the galaxy were capable of. Endymion was seated in the pilot's chair, his wife right behind him, and the four guardians situated behind her. "I had wanted to meet up with Princess Mercury after the show, discuss some things, debate some of the recent scientific theories that have come out of her planet in recent times." He shrugged. "Couldn't find her, though. It was like she left early."
"Maybe something came up," Endymion said calmly, twisting his neck slightly to glance over his shoulder, The Bastion essentially piloting itself during the long jump. "She is a royal, royals can become suddenly busy at the drop of a hat."
"I was somewhat disappointed," Zoisite continued. "I'm sure there will be other opportunities, though."
"Am I detecting some jilted lover tones?" Jadeite asked playfully, giving Zoisite a cheeky grin. "Because I think I am."
Kunzite sighed. "Did we really have to let him out of his cage for the Opera?"
"I like her," Zoisite said defensively. "She's nice. And we have a lot in common."
"I'm actually not making fun of you," Jadeite said. "In fact, I'm glad you finally figured it out, took you long enough."
"What did I figure out?" Zoisite asked dryly, tone indicating that he already knew he didn't particularly want to hear it.
Jadeite put the tips of his thumbs and index fingers together, forming a rough diamond shape with the four digits. "That it's all about this, right here!"
Nephrite reached over, grabbing Jadeite's earlobe and giving it a strong yank downward.
"OWWW! Ow!" Jadeite yelped, jolting up a bit out of his seat and reaching up to swat at Nephrite's hand. The brown-haired brute let him go, leaving him to wince and grab at his ear. "Ahhhh, what the hell?!"
"The Princess is sitting right in front of you," Nephrite grumbled.
"What, like she doesn't know how this works?" Jadeite protested, gingerly rubbing his ear.
Serenity just rolled her eyes, leaning up towards Endymion's back. "Ooo, I wanna get home to Chibiusa, I hope she didn't freak out spending so much time with the midwives."
"It hasn't even been a day, I think she'll be fine," Endymion comforted her.
"
Serenity placed the small bundle of cloth with a tiny face in it into Endymion's arms, letting him take the child.
"Alright, remember, if she starts throwing a fit, give her something to chew on," Serenity said, rubbing Endymion's shoulder. "Two cycles old and already teething, your father wasn't kidding about the fast development thing."
Endymion nodded. "I've got it, don't worry. You go take your bath." He brought Chibiusa's tiny face up close to his, looking down at his daughter with a content grin.
"When I get out of the bath, she'll probably be about ready to take a nap," Serenity said, heading across the room to the bathing room door, looking up over her shoulder. "Although she keeps surprising me lately. Try to do some stuff to stimulate her mind, she's reacting well to it."
He nodded, waiting for Serenity to depart the room, standing up from the edge of the bed, still looking down at his daughter. He heard the click of the bathing room door, glanced up to make sure she was gone, and then went back to his daughter.
"Hey, Chibiusa," he said quietly. "You want to see something?" He shuffled over towards the door out into the hallway, running his finger along the knob, locking it. "You want to see what daddy did for you?"
He quickly walked over to the bathing room door and pressed his ear to it, hearing the water running, and then the little splashing sound of Serenity sliding her body into the water. Satisfied, he quickly walked all the way across the room, still holding the small infant in his arms. She was glancing about, seemingly alert and aware of her surroundings as her father moved her to the back left corner.
"Alright, here we go," Endymion said, whispering so as to not alarm the child, setting her down on the floor on her back. He went over a few paces and ran his heel down a line on the carpet, then thumped his heel down on a spot right by it, getting the hatch to pop open. After moving the hatch to the side, he went down one rung on the ladder, leaning down into the small panic room, and grabbing a leather sack on the elevated seat side. Wrapping his fingers around the strap, he lifted it up onto the floor, setting it down, and then coming back up off the ladder. He crawled over to his daughter, dragging the bag with him, and he took her tiny figure in his arms.
Chibiusa, who was mildly anxious after being left alone for a few beats, was immediately calmed on being taken in her father's arms.
"Here it is," Endymion whispered, opening the back up, reaching his hand in and grabbing a handful of the contents. He pulled it out and put his closed fist in front of Chibiusa, opening it up.
A collection of small, perfectly cut, crystal-clear pink diamonds rested in Endymion's large hand, sparkling and twinkling in the light from the wall. The shiny jewels certainly caught Chibiusa's attention, and after a moment of looking at them, she broke out into a wide smile. Her stubby arms wormed out of the blanket she was wrapped in and she began excitedly reaching over towards the diamonds, tiny stubby fingers being wiggled about as the baby was enamored by the sparkly objects.
"Oh, you like them, don't you?" Endymion said, smiling as his daughter tried to reach over and grab the tiny gems. "Oh, you wanna see a big one?" He pulled the bag over towards himself, dumping those diamonds back in and peering inside. He stuck his hand into the sack, feeling around in the little lake of tiny pink crystals, before finally finding the biggest one. He pulled it out, finding it to be about the size of Chibiusa's little fist. Slowly, he brought it over in front of him, presenting it to Chibiusa.
Sure enough, she was smitten with this one as well, even her infant mind finding appeal in it's perfectly-cut symmetry and shiny, sparkly makeup. She cooed and laughed as she reached over. Endymion let her touch it, running her tiny fingers along the diamond's surface.
"Yes, that's right," he said softly. "Daddy did this for you. He did this for you. Yes he did."