This will be the last chapter before the return of many to their proper time periods, one way or another, folks. There will be a major discussion between six people about certain things related to that, among other things that they will discuss with each other. Those who are part of that meeting may not be able to share certain things related to that meeting with other Scouts currently accompanying them, if certain circumstances didn't require that to happen. But other matters, they might be able to discuss later on with them.

With no further ado, I'll give you chapter nineteen of Time Vortex One. Until later, then, folks, TUS out.

In The White Oak Tree

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

September 15, 174 BC

As Amy and others were otherwise occupied with consuming food and drink provided to them elsewhere by Prophetess Ruth, Serenity, two of her ancestors, and two of her descendants were also meeting with Prince Yageru Kyotosho, as needed, in his room. Serenity soon asked, "How are we going to be able to get back home to our respective time periods, with your help, Prince Yageru Kyotosho?"

"I will make it possible, with the help of so many others, for those of you who are, or will be, Queens in the Moon Kingdom's own history to link your Imperium Silver Crystals together somehow. This is so they can provide at least enough power to summon forth the same phenomenon or phenomena that you all experienced when they grabbed each of you from your respective time periods, if not also to make it grab you all up again and return you to each of them as needed. Then everyone else might possibly have to use at least some of their own power as well, to make sure that you all can return to each of your own time periods well enough, and safely enough. I don't yet know for sure whether that'll be necessary for those of you who aren't actually from the Moon, but it may very well turn out to be the case that it'll be, Queen Serenity."

"But Queen Eve will not be a Scout as of that time, I think."

"Maybe not, Queen Serenity, but she'll still need to make her Imperium Silver Crystal available at least partly, if not entirely, for my use, just the same. Or none of you will actually be able to get back to each of your respective time periods, somehow."

"What will happen if we don't return to them?"

"Abigail, if you don't return to them, then the enemies of the Moon Kingdom or of any successor government will conquer whatever worlds and time periods that you each come from in your own lives, most likely, if they possibly can somehow do so at all."

"Even the Negaverse, Prince Yageru Kyotosho?" asked Serena Moon.

"Most especially the Negaverse, and if they get sufficient control of this world and the other inhabited worlds of this solar system, they'll never leave it voluntarily, no matter what. And they might even try to do the same with any other possible solar systems they might ever find anywhere else in the Universe as well, Serena."

"So we must all actually return to our respective time periods, Prince Yageru Kyotosho?" asked Margaret and Rini together.

"Yes. Otherwise all will most likely be quite lost for any or all of you others in the Universe, at least for quite some time, if not forever, Margaret and Rini."

"And if the combined powers of all our Imperium Silver Crystals aren't enough to allow those of us who aren't actually native to this particular time period to get home to our respective time periods, then what?"

"Then, Abigail, at least one or two, if not more, of your other companions will have to help provide power to power the multi-period time transfers that'll have to be executed. Or to do that for as long as they can then do so, before they too have to try to return to each of their time periods as well. Whether or not any of you are still here in this particular time period, as a matter of fact, if and when they're whisked away from it."

"And what if we still don't have enough power built up?" asked Abigail, in very short order.

"Then, I suppose Sentinel Whaleduck and I will have to contribute at least some power from ourselves, Abigail. And somehow do so for at least as long as it takes for those of you who may still remain in our time period to return to each of your respective time periods, if not even longer than that here. No matter what those time periods might actually be for each of you, for all the obvious reasons, of course."

"I see," said Abigail, moments later.

"One way or another, though, we'll somehow make absolutely sure that each of you returns to whatever time period or time periods that you each came here from. No matter what the cost, Abigail and everybody else who is now here with me in my room, we'll still do so. Even if we must actually die for some reason while making it possible for you to return to each of your own time periods in the Universe's history, none of you will be stranded here in this one for the rest of your own mortal lives."

"But if you die, then what of your future descendants?"

"Then I suppose they won't exist any longer, if they currently do, of course, Rini."

"I suppose so. For if a certain ancestor dies before a certain descendant of his or hers is at least conceived, then I suppose after him, or her, as the case might then be here, there'll be no more descendants of himself or herself besides the ones that are already existing up to that point in time," said Rini.

"That's logical enough, I suppose, Rini."

Serena got a rather strange idea of a sudden, and then asked, "Do you know of a Prince Darien in your life yet, Prince Yageru Kyotosho?"

"Not personally. But I know somehow that he'll be one of my future descendants, if this idea of Abigail's works out well enough for all concerned. So I must survive somehow, if that's the case. For at the current time, I have no wife, due to the fact that I'm just about nineteen or so Terran years old, and have only been on my own for about two or three of those years, after my parents died rather suddenly during a trading mission to Europe. My parents and all my male siblings were lost when some Chinese ships found one of our convoys of trading ships, and sunk most of the trading ships in that convoy, even though they were being escorted by several ships from the Japanese Resistance's naval forces at the very same time here, Serena. The Japanese Resistance was made up of those that were opposed to China's taking over of our home islands, either by diplomatic, or by military, means. And of my parents' ten children, only I and three of my five sisters definitely enough still remain alive, as far as I currently can tell, in my life. Ever since my parents and my brothers died as they did some time ago, I've been largely trying to hide from those who are now undoubtedly seeking me on the Earth. I have periodical contact with my remaining sisters, whenever I can possibly have such contact with them, but it's never in person, in actual physical reality. I do most of the contacting with them, while they only rarely are able to do the same with me on their end. They're all hiding as well back on the Earth as best as they can from our known enemies, and it's not yet safe enough for me to return to the Earth in the exact same manner as I came here. Maybe someday, it will be again. But just not yet. I knew that one of my aunts lived here on the Moon, and I located her to the best of my ability to do so, before I ever left Earth."

"How did you leave Earth then, if I may ask you this?" asked Serena Moon, in very short order.

"A series of strange messages suddenly appeared to me one night where I was then hiding, and they directed me to an underground cavern. After they did so, a portal of some sort that I can't quite describe well enough to you all here appeared in front of me. I saw another message for me come through it, and it told me to say and do certain things. Then the portal grabbed me away from that location with everything else that I had with me at that time, and brought me to a location quite near here on the Moon. I soon found this inn, and I found that aunt of mine that I've just mentioned here, Serena Moon. And ever since, I've been here, whenever the need arises for me. But I'm not always here, for I periodically go elsewhere on the Moon, as the need or desire ever strikes me, in my life here on the Moon. I can't tell you exactly why that's the case, in fact. But I can tell you at least that it's the case for me periodically in my life here on the Moon. I'll most likely never return to the Earth in my lifetime. And I'll most likely die somewhere here on the Moon. I may not like it very much, of course. But I still accept that there are some things in my life that I actually won't be able to change in it somehow."

The five females now in his room with him talked at least a little while, if not a long while, longer with him, until he felt that he'd done so long enough. After he felt that, he then pulled a certain rope-like bell chain near his sleeping area in the room, so as to let his aunt know that he was wishing her to escort his visitors out of his room again. Not long afterward, then, his aunt returned to the door outside his room in her inn, and she escorted all of his visitors out of his room again.

Then Prophetess Ruth brought them all downstairs again, so that they could rejoin the rest of their current companions prior to their return to the Imperial Palace's own grounds. As she did so, she reminded them all that whatever they'd discussed with him most likely wasn't to be discussed with the rest of their current companions at all, if possible, under any circumstances whatsoever, in any of their lives.

Certain things, though, might be able to be discussed with other members of their traveling party, while others most likely wouldn't be able to be discussed with those members as well. She realized that certain things which related to specific crystals that were now in the Scouts' possessions might need to be discussed at sufficient enough length, of course. But she didn't necessarily have to like that fact at all, just the same, in her own life. Other things, however, that she knew they'd talked about with her nephew, she did know that they'd most likely never reveal at all in their lives, if they didn't absolutely have to do so at all in any or all of them, for all of the obvious reasons, at least.

After Prophetess Ruth brought Serenity, Serena, Rini, Margaret, and Abigail back to wherever the rest of their current companions were, it was at least a little while, if not a long while, after local midnight, and it was now September 15, 174 BC, as of the current time. Serenity, Serena, Rini, Margaret, and Abigail each then got at least a little bit of food and drink for themselves over at least the next twenty or thirty minutes. And they all consumed all that food and drink for themselves in relative silence, before they eventually left with the rest of their current companions, and after thanking Prophetess Ruth for making it possible for them to do so as well.

Not too much later, then, everyone returned to each of their currently-assigned Imperial Palace chambers at least long enough to take a rather short nap, if they wanted or needed to do so at all. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons, no doubt. And, as a matter of fact, all of them did so, even the cats Luna and Artemis.

Two chapters remain for this story. The out-of-time visitors to the Moon of 174 BC will return to their respective time periods, one way or another, in the next chapter. Many tears will certainly be shed, but that is going to be unavoidable in certain cases, for sure. Others may not cry, but certain people definitely will, without any doubt at all. Who cries and who doesn't, you'll just have to read on and find out, of course, everyone. And who we might see again in this series, you'll have to wait and see, as well.

I hope you all have enjoyed this story so far, and have been entertained at least a little. But seriously, though, if you don't or haven't yet read every chapter in the series so far, you may miss things along the way, with future stories in it, including Operation Cocoon One, in truth, that are rather important to the development of things and people in this story series. So, PLEASE, read every chapter, if you haven't already. Things are going to get a lot more hairy, so to speak, for many in the Solar System very soon, for sure. And you may not understand certain things well enough in the future if you don't, I think.

Until the next chapter, then, I'll close this. TUS out.