Just a few more chapters, at most, before the Scouts and their companions all finally return to the Moon of 174 BC, for sure, folks. But how well-off will they all be, when they do? Only time will tell, of course, you know. So you'll just have to continue reading on to find out, if and when you like and can.
With no further ado, then, let's all get back to seeing what happens next for everyone on this wild and crazy adventure. I really hope you're all still quite buckled up here, because there's still quite a lot of story yet to go for us all, most definitely. TUS out.
On The Western Shore Of Lake Kenokoa
September 27, 174 BC - September 28, 174 BC
Kenokoa Beach, Katrelomisian Empire, Tarokauni III
The Scouts arrived at the place marked with an X on their map about ten or so hours, at the very most, before the expected comet was most likely due to appear again well enough in their current part of the Katrelomisian Empire. It actually had appeared for several nights already in that area, even before the currently-present Scouts and the rest of their current traveling party got there. But they'd not seen it yet, as a matter of fact. This was because they'd been too far away to see it before then.
As they'd all been moving toward the required location elsewhere in the Katrelomisian Empire, Serenity had also somehow been able to collect at least some, if not all, of the extra energy that Pluto Beta had gathered from any number of her opponents, and store it in her Imperium Silver Crystal for the later use of the Scouts. It may not have always been easy for her to do so at least once, as a matter of fact. But she was still somehow able to collect at least some, if not all, of the extra energy that Pluto Beta had earlier gathered from her opponents in the Scouts' latest major battle, just the same. And to store it in her own Imperium Silver Crystal as well, somehow.
As they were then awaiting the appearance of the expected comet, the Scouts made camp in their current location as needed. It took them at least two or three hours to make camp. They had to pitch, for instance, at least half a dozen tents, if not more than that number of tents, for example. And that was just for the human or humanoid beings, of course. Which numbered at least two dozen of them, if not more. The cats didn't need a separate tent, after some brief enough discussion between them and Serenity. And they chose to stay either with Venus or Moon, as the case might be for either of them. The Scouts pitched one large tent for their horses, and they used some curtains to divide that tent up into separate areas for each of the horses. All the necessary tents were pitched on solid ground that was mostly about thirty or so yards away from a two hundred yard-wide beach on the nearest shore of Lake Kenokoa to them, specifically on a bluff of some sort that had a really nice view of that lake and at least one large mountain on a nearby island in that same lake primarily to their east. Each tent, in fact, also had at least one panel that could be slid aside or removed to let in light from anywhere above it, if not more than one such panel.
Serenity would stay in one tent with Luna, Moon, Corona, Eclipse, Peppermint, and Mini Moon. Mercury would stay in a second with Artemis, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Calypso. Bamboo would stay in a third with Chrysalis, Cinnamon, Rainbow, and Jasmine. Skyhorse would stay in a fourth with the Beta-level Scouts who were actually from Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, respectively, as well. The fifth tent would have Amilaram and three of her own Monitors in it, most specifically Sierra, Paquasim, and Onziza, while the sixth one, and possibly the last one for the human or humanoids now in the Scouts' traveling party would then have Firehawk in it with Sacala, Enisangob, and Ocabirama. Another tent would serve as their mess hall area, if there could be such a thing for them at the current time during their latest adventure.
Part of the bluff in question here, as a matter of fact, even stretched out some distance over the aforementioned beach that bordered at least part of the western shore of Lake Kenokoa. There was an overhang of about ten or twenty yards, in several places, if not even more of one in any or all of them, as well. But this overhang was, or these overhangs were, each at least thirty yards, if not more, above the beach that they hung out over, in fact. So it probably wouldn't be all that wise for most, if not all, of the Scouts to jump onto the beach from them. Some cactus-like plants were even quite significantly located under that overhang, with quite numerous and quite large spikes or other similar things coming out of them. Which probably would make things very painful for most, if not all, of the Scouts, if they ever jumped or fell off that overhang or those overhangs, for any reason whatsoever.
After all the necessary tents were up and taken care of in the necessary manners, then, several, if not all, of the Scouts began taking short naps. That was only if they could do so, of course. Including, quite naturally, Moon, for all the obvious reasons.
In the relative privacy of each tent, then, each of the Scouts who chose to nap for a while could choose to also power down out of their current Scout states of being. And many, if not all, of them chose to do so, in fact. For they were really quite tired by the time that they did so.
Serenity dropped back one power level, to her Royal Serenity state of being, if she'd not already done so by then. And she chose to stay awake, as Moon dropped back to her normal non-Scout state of being. Corona soon became blind again, of course, when she dropped back to being just Destiny. And Eclipse became deaf again, when she dropped back to being just Bethany again in her life. Peppermint dropped back to her own non-Scout state of being as Margaret Calumet. And Super Sailor Mini Moon dropped back two power levels to her own non-Scout state of being as Rini Shields, as well.
Serena Moon said, "Mother, I think it's time that Destiny, Bethany and I get some rest now, if possible. For if we're going to have to watch for a comet later on, I think we'll need to be quite rested, if we can be, by the time it shows up here for us."
"Understood, Serena. Rest then, if you feel that you three have to, and I'll let you all know if and when anything of sufficient enough importance begins to happen around here."
"Thank you, Mother." It then took no more than another minute or so for all three of Serenity's daughters who were currently present in the tent to fall asleep, and do so quite soundly. That soon left only Serena's future daughter, her own mother, and her own maternal grandmother still awake and conscious in their tent, of course.
After Rini watched her future mother, Destiny, and Bethany go to sleep again, she asked, "Royal Sailor Serenity, how do you think we'll be able to get back to our respective time periods eventually?"
"I have no idea at all, Rini. But I trust that the Lord of all Creation will provide a way for us all to do just that. I do think that you miss your mother very much back where you come from, however."
"Yes, I suppose that you might say that. I miss her greatly, as a matter of fact, back where I come from. Do you miss your own mother, as well, by any chance at all?"
"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. But in my very own time, I believe that she might very well already be in the Celestial Palace of the Celestial City, Rini. That's if I'm not too mistaken about such a thing here, of course."
Margaret asked, "And if she's there, Serenity, what do you miss the most about her, if I may ask?"
"The stories that she used to tell me as we each often attended balls with each other, I think. She used to tell me stories of Sailor Scouts from long-ago times, and I really liked hearing stories that had to do with Sailor Chrysalis and/or Sailor Calypso, whenever possible. I really miss those stories she used to tell me of those Scouts, as a matter of fact. If I'm not mistaken too much here, however, the times of those respective stories haven't yet come to either or both of them in their lives. For they both seem to be at least a little younger than they each were in those particular stories that my dear departed mother used to tell me of either or both of them. I suppose that in order for those stories to be told to me again at least once more, then, we'll all have to get back to our respective time periods. Granted, I may not be able to see my own Mother again once I go back to my own time period, if I can do that somehow. But I accept that very possibility, just the same."
"And if you can't, then what, Royal Sailor Serenity?" asked Rini.
"So be it, then, Rini. Things don't always work out, just as they might be hoped for, in a person's life. So a person has to try to deal with whatever may actually come their way in it to the best of their ability to do so, whenever the need arises for them to do so. Take, for instance, if they have to fight any number of strange beings in their lives. Earlier, I wasn't planning to have to fight during this current adventure of ours. Or at least I wasn't originally planning to, anyway."
"But when we had to, then what did you do, Serenity?" asked Rini.
"I began trying to formulate a sufficiently workable plan to help us all out as much as possible, Rini. I didn't know exactly how we'd be able to fight them, of course. But I still tried to come up with such a plan."
"And did your plan work out well enough, Royal Sailor Serenity?"
"With some necessary modifications, of course, it eventually did so, Rini. It didn't work out exactly as I'd originally planned for it to, mainly due to the strength of our various opponents, whoever they might have then been, especially in the last building. But it still worked eventually, somehow, after all the necessary modifications had then been made to it, Rini."
"And if you have to improvise again in the future, then what?"
"I'll do so, Rini. I'd do almost anything for those who I care for in my life, no matter what it might be. Especially my children, husband, and/or brother, I think."
"Even if it means your death, Royal Sailor Serenity?"
"Yes, even if it means my death, Rini. And if I'm not mistaken too much here in my own life, it may very well do so, someday, as a matter of fact, Rini."
"I've heard at least once in my life from my own mother that you'd be willing to sacrifice your Moon Kingdom for her future and the futures of so many others, if the need ever arose for you to do so."
"And what has she told you at that time or those times, Rini?"
"That in her past, or at least one of them, if not in her only one, you did just that somehow in your own life. You used the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal to save her and so many others from a state of permanent enough death, if I remember that time or those times well enough here in my life."
"And I died?"
"You at least fell asleep, if you didn't die instead, Royal Sailor Serenity," answered Rini.
"And those I saved, Rini?"
"They were sent to the distant future, in a fervent hope that they'd all have reasonably pleasant and peaceful lives, of course."
"And if they were sent there, did they do so well enough, Rini?"
"I don't know about all of them, of course. But at least some of them didn't have such lives, in actual reality. For they often had to fight when they didn't really want to have to do that, Royal Sailor Serenity. Or if they didn't feel that they were in good enough condition to do so somehow, as well."
Margaret asked Rini, "What did your mother say about those particular people that Serenity actually saved who weren't able to do as she might have hoped they'd be able to do, somehow?"
"She said that they fought as needed, whenever they possibly could do so. Even if they didn't really want to do that. And they did so, Princess Margaret, no matter how many times they might have lost any of their various battles before."
"Like how?" asked Margaret.
"Like apparently being killed or put to sleep somehow, I think, if I'm not too mistaken here, Princess Margaret," answered Rini.
"And if they were apparently killed, then how were they still able to fight periodically after getting themselves in trouble like that?"
"Apparently, if they actually had the Imperium Silver Crystal with, or near enough to, them, and God saw fit to make it possible somehow, they weren't actually killed, but they were just put to sleep somehow for a time, Princess Margaret."
"I see, Rini. And could your own mother be one of those people that might have been saved by God in the necessary enough manners at least once before in her life or lives?"
"I believe so, as a matter of fact, Princess Margaret. If that's so, though, I don't know exactly how God and the Imperium Silver Crystal did so. For I don't totally know exactly how the Imperium Silver Crystal and God do that kind of thing, at least, if not anything else as well, at the current time in my life. If I ever will know how they might do so in actual reality, that is."
Margaret thought about this information for a short period of time, as she looked around the tent at everyone else in it at least briefly, if not at great length. Then she looked right at Luna.
Luna saw this, and then asked Margaret, "What's on your mind right now, Princess Margaret?"
"I'm thinking that you seem quite familiar to me, at the current time. But I don't quite know exactly where from, Luna."
"I don't remember seeing you before either." Luna thought, after saying that aloud, "Or at least not at this time in your life, Princess Margaret, we've not yet met, I think."
"Then why do we seem quite familiar to each other, if what I can tell from that last statement of yours is accurate enough here, Luna?"
"Maybe back where you come from, you have at least one cat of your own who looks at least a little like me, Princess Margaret," answered Luna.
"Come to think of it, you remind me of one or more of them, Luna. Do you know any cats by the name of Apollo and/or Iris, for example?"
"Once upon a time I did, but no longer, at least as of the current time in my own life, Princess Margaret?"
"What happened to them, if I may ask you this, Luna?"
"They were lost aboard a spaceship, Princess Margaret."
"Serenity told me, at least once, if not more than once, that her parents were lost aboard a spaceship with a whole lot of cats and many other people. Could your parents have also been aboard at the exact same time that her parents were on that ship, Luna?"
"Yes, I believe that I can tell you that they were, Princess Margaret. Can't I, Serenity?"
"Yes, you can. In fact, I think that you just did so, Luna," answered Royal Sailor Serenity.
"If I ever saw your parents, would I likely recognize them, Luna?" asked Princess Margaret.
"If the need ever arose for you to do so?" asked Luna.
"Yes, Luna. That's what I mean."
"I do really believe that you'd actually do so somehow, Princess Margaret. Though exactly how, I don't really know yet, I think, in my own life. Supposing that I ever will know that someday, of course, if I don't already know that in my own life, in fact."
Just then, Destiny suddenly unzipped her sleeping bag by feel, and she arose from where she'd been lying down, as she also woke up. As she did all three of those things, Royal Sailor Serenity soon quickly picked up a cord near where she'd been lying down, and soon quite adeptly tied it between her daughter's nearest wrist and her own nearest wrist. Which, in this case, meant that Serenity tied the cord one-handed between her own right wrist and Destiny's own left wrist. With that done, Serenity soon said to her future mother and/or to Luna, "I really think that I'd better attend to Destiny for at least a little while, if not even longer. For it seems that both Serena and Bethany are still quite asleep. And whenever Destiny's blind like she now is, she often needs someone with her, for all the obvious reasons. I'll return as soon as I can with her, of course. In the meantime, please watch over Rini and my two daughters who are still asleep in our tent, Princess Margaret. Luna, I want you to stay with them too, please."
"Understood," said both Princess Margaret and Luna together. Then Serenity led her daughter Destiny out of their tent. Destiny then asked her mother to bring her to the mess hall tent. For she was hungry and thirsty again for a while. Serenity agreed to do so, of course.
Moments later, then, both of them were in that mess hall area, and preparing to have some sandwiches, which Serenity was now making for them, for all the obvious reasons. For Destiny, Serenity made three sandwiches with ham and cheddar cheese in them. While for herself, she made one sandwich of peanut butter and grape jelly, one of tuna and cream cheese, and one with bacon, lettuce, and three tomato slices in it. Serenity put all their sandwiches as needed on two different plates. While next to her, Destiny retrieved two reasonably cold bottles of milk out of some sort of ice chest their traveling party had found earlier as they'd been moving toward where they were now, if they'd not already had it when they'd been brought to the world that they were all now on.
Then, once the chosen drinks and the chosen sandwiches were all ready for their consumption to a sufficient enough degree, Serenity led them both over to a large rock that was about waist-height for her, at least, if not also for her daughter. This rock would serve them as a table, as a matter of fact, while other rocks sufficiently near it could serve them as chairs of a sort. Once Destiny was in the necessary location on one of those rocks, then, Serenity set down their sandwiches in the necessary places. And she took one of the bottles of milk from her daughter for herself, of course. With that then done, Serenity soon untied the cord connecting her tied wrist to that of her daughter's. And she set it to one side of her, but still somewhat in front of her.
After doing so, she then said, "Destiny, your sandwiches and milk are now in your hands, or they're now in front of you on a large rock."
Destiny then reached toward her mother with her free hand and wrist. Which, in this particular case, in fact, were her just-untied left ones. She felt around until she touched her plate of sandwiches. And she found a sufficiently large enough area for her to set down her own bottle of milk in next to her sandwiches. Then Destiny set down her own milk for a time, of course.
After doing that, Destiny soon said, "Mother, I hope that we can get back to our own time period again."
"So do I, Destiny. Do you have any special reason why, if I may ask you this here?" Serenity asked this here, just as she then picked up her tuna and cream cheese sandwich and Destiny did the same for one of her ham and cheddar cheese sandwiches.
"Solomon, for one." Both of them then began eating their sandwiches in very short order.
"You miss him very much," said Serenity, when she saw a somewhat sad expression flash across her daughter's face. Even though Destiny was now quite blind, for all the obvious reasons.
"Yes, I do, Mother. Do you think we'll have at least enough time to be boyfriend and girlfriend, if not even more, to each other for a while before you try to save us for the future?" Destiny then opened her own bottle of milk just by feel, and she brought it quite easily enough to her lips with her left hand. By the time that her mother then spoke again, she was already drinking some of her milk.
"I don't really know what to think about such a thing right now, Destiny. I wish I did, of course, but I don't. I would like to see you have a boyfriend, if at all possible, before the end of the Moon Kingdom, Destiny. But you may not have that ability by then, if what I remember of any number of my dreams and/or visions is sufficiently accurate in its complete enough nature. Serena and other members of her crowd might by then, if they're somehow old enough to do so. But if they're not, then that's the way things will be, it seems. Even if those other people might not really like such an idea being true enough for them somehow. Including you and Bethany, if not also Solomon and Renaldo, of course, Destiny."
"Why will you save us, if you can, and you feel the need to try to do so, then, Mother?" Destiny then set her milk back down again for a little while, so that she might be able to hold one of her sandwiches with both of her hands, at the very least, if nothing else as well at the same time.
"Because I am not only your mother, but also your Queen."
"Not just because of Serena and Darien?" Destiny then took a bite from her current sandwich, just as Royal Sailor Serenity took a sip from her own now-open bottle of milk.
"Not just because of them, Destiny. Granted, seeing them quite possibly being killed by my mortal enemy might be too much for me. But I won't just save as many of you as I can because of Serena and Darien, Destiny. By then, you might even have been killed, or at least rendered unconscious, by at least one, if not more, of our enemies. But maybe you won't. I don't really know yet, if I'll ever know, in my life, whether that'll be true for any or all of the rest of you. But if my dreams and/or visions that pertain sufficiently well to either Serena or Darien, if not both, are sufficiently true in their nature, then the potential loss of either or both of them will somehow cause me to sacrifice my Kingdom and quite possibly even myself for as many of you as I can possibly save for the future."
"If so, then will you miss us?"
"For as much longer as I might live, if I'm still alive then, Destiny?" She asked this as she saw Destiny take another sip of her own milk, and just before she took a bite from her own tuna and cream cheese sandwich.
"Yes, that's what I mean, Mother."
"I probably will, Destiny. This, of course, would be for all the obvious reasons. Listen to me, Destiny. If I can't somehow actually have as many of you around me as possible, then I don't want to rule the Moon Kingdom any longer in my life. I'd really prefer to have as many of you as possible around me more than I would really prefer to rule the Moon Kingdom without as many of you around me as possible."
"Because we mean just too much to you, Mother?"
"You might say that, Destiny."
"You'd send us into a different time period, if you could, where we'd most likely not be able to remember you or the Moon Kingdom?"
"If I felt the need, and if I could do so somehow, I'd gladly do so, Destiny. Sure, I might not like doing so, for all the obvious reasons. But I'd still do so, if I had to, in order to save as many of you as I could." Serenity then took another sip of milk from her own bottle.
"Why would you trap us in your Crystal, instead of using it to eliminate our enemies?" Destiny finished her first sandwich, and then reached for her second one.
"Because if I did, I'd not be able to save those of you who they'd killed, or at least rendered unconscious, from a state of permanent enough death, somehow, Destiny."
"Like Serena and Darien, for example?"
"Yes, like them, for instance." Serenity finished her tuna and cream cheese sandwich, just as Destiny then finished her milk. And then Serenity reached for her peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich.
"You really care for them both a whole lot?"
"Of course I do, Destiny."
"And why will you not be able to completely seal them, meaning our enemies, away for good, if I remember enough of your dreams and/or visions well enough?"
"My sorrow, I think, will make it somehow impossible for me to completely seal away our enemies once and for all, Destiny. They'll show up again sometime in the future, if that's so. And those that I've somehow saved by then will probably have to fight them again at least once more in their lives, I'm sure, if that's true enough."
"Including Serena, perhaps?" Destiny then literally wolfed down the rest of her current sandwich, as her mother also finished her own milk.
"I'm afraid so, Destiny."
"Do you like the idea of them possibly having to do so then, Mother?"
"Of course not. But if the Negaverse reappears in whatever time period I'm able to send as many of you into as I can, then someone will quite naturally have to fight them again, for all the obvious reasons, Destiny. Even if that means that my dear Serena has to fight again, someone will have to fight them again, if they ever reappear anywhere else in time."
"Are we as dear to you as Serena is, or the rest of her crowd?"
"Of course you are, I believe, Destiny. Never doubt that. You are blood of my blood, and flesh of my flesh. Granted, you're not my oldest child, Destiny. And neither is Bethany. But I still care for you at least as much as I do her, or at least I think and hope that I do. I think and hope that the same thing is true for all the rest of you who are now also part of her crowd, even if you're not all blood of my blood, and flesh of my flesh."
"But she's the Moon Princess, Mother."
"So she is, Destiny. So she is. But I still love you all very much, whether or not you're all biologically part of me in your lives, just the same. And it'll still hurt me very much to lose any or all of you, as a matter of fact. Do you remember when you all faced the drones that went haywire?"
"Yes, at least vaguely I do, I think."
"Well, there was a certain length of time after that when I wasn't quite sure that any or all of you would somehow survive easily enough in your lives as Scouts."
"Like Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus, at least, if not any of the rest of us as well, Mother?"
"Yes. But if it hadn't been for Eclipse, at least, I might not have been able to save any or all of you, Destiny."
"You mean, of course, Bethany."
"Yes. She, as Eclipse, used some emergency beacons to summon me to where you all were fighting against those screwed-up drones of ours back on the grounds of the Rainbow Springs Palace."
"And you were able to save us, with a lot of help from Junior Sailor Moon, at least."
"Correct. As I will always try to do as best as I possibly can, for as long as I can. Even if I must sacrifice my Kingdom and my life to possibly save the lives of as many of you as I can possibly save somehow. You have my word on that, Destiny. And you know my word is good by now, I'm quite sure, Destiny."
"Yes, I do, Mother," said Destiny as her mother finished her own second sandwich. And she said this just as she began to eat her own last ham and cheddar cheese sandwich. That then, of course, left only her own mother Serenity with a still-uneaten sandwich, for all the obvious reasons.
As Serenity was trying to think of a suitable comment to add to their current conversation, and watching Destiny begin eating her last sandwich, Calypso suddenly appeared near them both. When Serenity saw this, she asked Calypso, "What's going on, Calypso?"
"I wanted to get some fresh air for a little while, Serenity. It seemed to me that the air was possibly getting a little too stale for me in my tent. I don't know why, exactly. But it still seemed to me that the air was doing that somehow, a little while ago."
"Then who's staying awake there in your tent, at least while you're away from it, Calypso?"
"Mercury is, while everyone else is resting for a while. Is this girl your daughter, Serenity?"
"Yes, she is. I think you've been told that before by now. But if not, then I'm telling you now here. Her name is Destiny, in either case, Calypso."
"She appears quite blind at the moment."
"That's because she is, Calypso. She always is whenever she's not in her Sailor Scout state of being as Corona. Eclipse is always deaf whenever she's not in her own Sailor Scout state of being, and whenever she's just Bethany Moon, in her life, as well."
"Do you two mind if I sit down near you both?"
"No, I suppose not, Calypso," answered Destiny, once Calypso had let Destiny touch her face for the obvious enough reasons. "Please sit down near us, then, if you wish to."
"All right, I will do so, then, Destiny." Calypso then did as requested of her by Destiny, as Serenity began eating her last sandwich as well.
"Calypso, would you care to play us some music, if you don't mind doing so here?" asked Serenity.
"If I do so, don't you think that might possibly wake up everyone else in very short order?" responded Calypso, in like manner.
"Maybe so, but I still think that you might consider playing some music just the same."
"I think it would be best, at least for a little while longer, for me not to do so, because several members of our party seem to be quite tired yet here. Maybe if they start arising again within an hour or so, I might reconsider that particular idea. But right now, I don't really think that it'd be very wise for me to play any music or sing for a while."
Calypso then talked for at least a little while longer with both Destiny and Serenity here. Even while they were still awaiting the arrival of the comet they and the rest of their party was now expecting to eventually see, she did so here. Meaning at least two or three hours, if not even longer than that. They talked more about themselves, whenever possible. And they wondered exactly how they'd actually be able to return to the Moon as at least one scroll that their party had found had said that they would. Of course, they didn't yet know exactly how they'd be able to do that at all with themselves and the rest of their current traveling party, but they still hoped that they'd somehow find that out soon enough, when the proper time came for them to know that. This was quite naturally for all the obvious reasons, at least, if not for any other logical enough reasons as well at the same time.
Serenity finished her last sandwich no more than ten to fifteen minutes, at most, after Calypso joined her and her daughter in the mess hall tent for their traveling party. And just as she did so, Calypso asked her fellow Scout Royal Sailor Serenity, "How much longer do you think that we'll have to wait for that comet to appear, Serenity?"
"I really don't know, as a matter of fact." Then the three of them continued their current conversation for at least a little while longer, as already stated here, about whatever things that came to any or all of their minds. Supposing that they could discuss any or all of those particular things, of course, while they were still carrying on their current conversation with each other.
After quite a bit of time had passed for all three of them in their current situation, they were eventually joined in the mess hall area of their camping location by several of the other members of their current traveling party. Specifically, they were joined there by Moon, Mini Moon, Eclipse, Luna, Peppermint, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Artemis, in that particular order. All the other Scouts hadn't yet joined them there, however. When Serenity saw that several other members of their party had shown up there in their respective Sailor Scout states of being, she asked Destiny, "Destiny, would you like to become Corona again now? Several of the other members of our party are back in their respective Sailor Scout states of being now. And would you like to see them again here?"
"Fine, Mother. I'll power up, then." Destiny then stood up, and she backed away from the rock that she'd been sitting on for a while, with some obviously-needed guidance being provided where needed to her by either Calypso or her mother, if not both. When she felt that she was far enough away from that rock, she transformed into her own Sailor Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Corona.
Several seconds later, at most, she looked around herself again, for all the obvious enough reasons. And she then saw her plate and bottle still sitting where she'd last put them both some length of time before. She then picked up both empty bottles and both plates that she and her mother had earlier used during their latest meal. And she put them both in a medium-sized basin of some sort. This was so that they could be washed later on, if possible, by someone who was now in their traveling party, of course.
With that done, Corona asked Moon, "Where are the rest of the Scouts in our traveling party?"
"Still in their tents, it seems," answered Moon.
"Who wants to bring them to the rest of us, then?"
"I'll do it, Corona," said Calypso. Not more than fifteen or so minutes later, then, Calypso then returned with the rest of the now-present Scouts, of course.
All the Scouts who were also Monitors stood reasonably near each other in the party's mess hall tent, while Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus stood near Moon, Corona, Eclipse, and Serenity. Mini Moon stood near Pluto Beta, Uranus Beta, Neptune Beta, and Saturn Beta, at the same time, once all the Scouts were in the same tent. Luna sat on Royal Sailor Serenity's left shoulder. While Artemis sat on the opposite shoulder of Venus. Chrysalis stood in a cluster of Scouts with Calypso, Peppermint, Bamboo, and the rest of the other assembled Scouts, as well.
Serenity accounted for all of her Sailor Scouts. After she did so well enough to suit her sufficiently well, she walked out of the mess hall tent in very short order, as a matter of fact. Everyone else quite naturally followed her out of it, and went to wherever she went next, or at least as close to it as they could, of course.
She soon climbed up on a large rock rather easily, without the use of any equipment at all, in fact. After she did so, she then told Calypso to take out her saxophone, Mercury to take out her flute, and Neptune Beta to take out her violin. Then she told Mars to sing whatever came to her mind as the three just-named Scouts played their instruments, while also assuring Mars that she herself would sing as well at the same time.
Calypso withdrew her saxophone from a sack that she had slung over her own back. While Mercury did the same with a flute in another sack that she was carrying then, and while Neptune Beta was taking a violin out of a third similar sack that was on her back as well. All three of those Scouts were soon tuning and preparing their own instruments in the required manners, as a matter of fact. Mars also began preparing to sing, at the very same time, by briefly practicing her various musical scales to at least some degree, if not to a great degree. Serenity listened for a few moments to the chosen Scouts' preparations of a musical enough nature, as she too prepared at least in a mental sense, if not in any other senses as well, to provide some musical accompaniment to the required Scouts of hers. This was for the obvious reasons, at least, if not also any other reasons, as a matter of simple enough fact right here and right now, of course.
When all four of the other Scouts that she'd chosen to provide music for everyone else were sufficiently ready to do so, they soon told her that they were, of course. Serenity looked at each of them, very briefly, in fact. And then she looked at the horizon that the comet would first be visible to them over, before she soon said, "Everyone, please find somewhere reasonably safe to sit or stand, if you can, for the obvious enough reasons, at least. Mercury, you'll need to jump up on the rock that's closest to me on my left. Neptune Beta, you're to stand on the next one to her, on Mercury's left side, then. Mars, you then are to take the next one after that. You'll need to be on Neptune Beta's left side in a five-rock circle formation here. Calypso, you will then need to take the one that is closest enough to me on my right side, before we can start either playing or singing here and now."
All four of those Scouts soon climbed up onto each of the necessary rocks, just as they'd been directed to do by Royal Sailor Serenity. And they waited to see what she'd want them to do next. The sky soon began to darken, because it was now getting quite close to local nightfall and/or sunset, in fact, if not both of those things.
But still, they waited, for the comet was at least ten or so minutes from becoming even the slightest bit visible in the skies that were close enough to him. It was, in fact, still below the horizon that was directly opposite the one that it'd later sink under in their traveling party's very own presence.
The assembled Scouts and cats still waited, especially for the ones that were now either standing or sitting on large rocks in the area. Five minutes, at most, before the comet was most likely due to start appearing near their party of travelers, Serenity, who by now had powered back up to her Sentinel Serenity state of being as a Scout, finally said, "Calypso, start playing your saxophone, right now, just as you feel the need to play it here. Neptune Beta, thirty seconds later, and exactly thirty seconds later only, after Calypso does so, start playing, in like manner. Mercury, thirty seconds after Neptune Beta begins to play her violin, begin playing your flute in like manner. Mars, you start singing thirty seconds later, then, just as your mind leads you. I will then join in singing with you thirty seconds later, of course."
Calypso then nodded at Sentinel Serenity, almost immediately after Serenity said all those things here and now. Serenity then very briefly smiled at Calypso, before she too nodded in return. With that done, Calypso wasted no more time in beginning to play her own saxophone. She started out with long and low notes, just before she began to include several shorter and higher-pitched notes in her music. She soon had established a beat quite like that of the kind of music that shared its name with that of her Sailor Scout state of being, if not entirely like it.
Exactly thirty seconds after Calypso began playing her saxophone as the need arose for her to do so, Neptune Beta began playing her violin with the exact same beat pattern that Calypso was now using. She played notes that were reasonably agreeable with those that Calypso was currently playing, of course. When Calypso needed at least one certain note, if not more than one of them, to be played by Neptune Beta, she tried to let Neptune Beta know that ahead of time by playing certain other notes a few notes before she'd need Neptune Beta to play them or similar enough notes, whenever possible. Fortunately enough for all concerned, Neptune Beta didn't miss any of those signals to her from Calypso, whenever they came to her here.
Mercury then joined in with Neptune Beta and Calypso exactly when she needed to do that, of course. She too started out playing whatever notes struck her fancy to play then, before she began following the cues that Calypso had just begun sending her through Neptune Beta's own playing of notes. Neptune Beta passed along cues from Calypso to Mercury periodically through her playing of notes.
Exactly thirty seconds after Mercury began playing her flute, Mars then began singing a song that told at least part of a legend that she'd learned from the time she was just a few weeks of age, back on Mars. This legend of hers told of certain people that'd been around at and around the time that Mars had originally joined the Moon Kingdom, and certain events that'd taken place at the same time. Several of the Scouts now present knew to a sufficient enough degree about such events in their lives, or at least enough to allow Mars to sing about such things here.
Thirty seconds later after Mars began singing, Serenity then began telling the Moon Kingdom side of such events and people, just as needed, by singing here. Serenity did this while Calypso, Neptune Beta, and Mercury also continued to play certain notes as the need arose for them each to do so.
By the time that Calypso had played her saxophone for about five minutes, more or less, the first glimmers of the expected comet started becoming visible by all the assembled Scouts and cats. The comet rose in the skies above everyone's head until it was directly over the midpoint of the five-rock formation that Serenity and four of her Scouts were now situated on here. It stayed in such a position for a period of exactly one Terran hour, before then starting to move again. It then proceeded to move toward the necessary horizon just as quickly as it had moved from the opposite one right after it'd first appeared once again.
Of course, the music still continued to be played and sung as needed as it moved, or stayed stationary, in the skies above everyone's head, for all the obvious reasons. Finally, it began sinking below the required horizon, after having been visible in the skies above for a period of at least six or so hours, if not even longer than that.
The required Scouts continued to play on, just the same, as it did so. And they actually seemed to be serenading it by the time that it began sinking below the appropriate horizon, as a matter of fact. They'd not been doing so when it first began to appear near enough to them and the rest of their party, actually. But by the time that it began disappearing from their view, they seemed to be doing just that, in fact, to the rest of their current traveling party here.
They played and sung at least until the very faintest view of the comet could no longer be seen by any of the members of their party, to a sufficient enough degree, if not even longer than that, of course. And they also did so until Serenity finally allowed them to stop doing so. Serenity, in fact, kept them singing and playing their instruments until about ten minutes or so after the last glimmers of the comet had finally vanished from sight to a sufficient enough degree. By this time, then, the five Scouts in question here had either been singing or playing their instruments for a period of not less than six, and not more than ten, hours in a row, as a matter of fact.
When Serenity let them stop singing and playing their instruments, it was still no more than about forty or so minutes before the next part of their adventure would make itself known to them and the rest of their party, of course. That next part of their current adventure, as a matter of actual fact, would have to deal with a gold cross that'd suddenly appear directly above all their heads.
As they all awaited the appearance of the aforementioned cross, everyone stowed away their instruments, or they shut up, as was now needed or desired by each of them here. Mercury stored away her flute, Neptune Beta stashed her violin away, and Calypso put her saxophone back, exactly where each of them needed to do so for each of their own musical instruments. Mars and Serenity quite soon became very quiet, in fact, as they periodically looked at the rest of their current traveling party's members who were sitting or standing near the rocks they were still finding themselves on here. They were so quiet, in fact, that it was quite apparent to every other sentient being who was now present with them that they were both in quite deep thought about at least one thing, if not more than one, in each of their lives. Whether or not it was actually true for either of both of them, that was what was presently apparent about Mars and Serenity to the rest of their sentient companions.
As had been earlier predicted in a previously-found scroll, then, the expected cross quite suddenly appeared exactly where it'd been predicted to appear in that very scroll. It stayed directly over their heads for a period of three Terran hours, in fact. As it did so, a bridge then started to become visible leading from the bluff that they'd camped out on straight toward the island that had the nearby mountain on it. This bridge appeared to them as if it came out of thin enough air, as well. It appeared to be quite like the Golden Gate Bridge that'd eventually be built in and around the future American city of San Francisco, if at all possible. But not entirely, in fact. For instead of it being a bridge made of steel and concrete, at least, if nothing else as well at the same time, it consisted primarily of light, if not entirely of it. It was thirty yards wide, and two thousand feet high from its main level to the top of its primary structure. It was also 10.625 Terran statute miles long, exactly, from where it was anchored to the nearest part of the Scouts' bluff to where it was attached to the necessary part of the mountain on the nearby island. The bridge was perfectly level, in any case at all here, when it finished becoming completely visible to everyone else who was sufficiently near it.
Under the quite bright light that the gold cross in the skies above was then providing, Serenity had several, if not all, of her assembled Scouts quite quickly begin to strike their camp's tents. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons, at least. And she watched the cross above as they did so. With very little, if any, unnecessary wasting of time by everyone else in her party, as the required Scouts struck their camp, Serenity watched her Scouts work. And she wondered exactly how they'd be all able to get back to the Moon somehow.
I estimate there are about five or so more chapters left for me to post of this story here, before it can be called complete. And possibly more than that. However I don't expect there to be many more chapters seeing as we're about two-thirds of the way through it, if my math is correct enough here. The Scouts should be returning to the Moon within another chapter or two, and then we can begin winding this story up, once they get back there well enough, I think.
There are at least one or two more long chapters left in this story, if not more. I hope to have all remaining chapters of this story posted by no later than the end of Thursday for this week, if at all possible, and begin posting Operation Cocoon One within 24 to 48 hours after the last chapter for this story is posted. The next volume of this story series should be roughly as long as this story is, I think. Before I start posting Operation Cocoon One, though, I would strongly recommend that you all also read Books I through IV for this series, even Book III, for Sylvia will likely play a major role in relation to the more important events of it and in the volume immediately following it, at least. And so might Rolando, for that matter. Not only that, they may both play major roles in many future stories in this story series as well, come to think of it.
Until next time, then, folks, I'll close this. Hope you've all enjoyed this adventure so far, and have often been entertained by it at least a little, of course. TUS out.