They were on a spaceship a few weeks later. They had come to the decision that Mars's premonition was probably just a false alarm. Small Lady looked out at the stars surrounding the ship.
"But I thought that they would look brighter."she told Pluto.
"They do look brighter on Pluto."Pluto told her. "But we're not there just yet. We still have to escape the Sun's gravity, and once we're outside Pluto's orbit, the stars will look like you've never seen them."she assured her.
"I've never really seen them from anywhere other than Earth."said Saturn sadly. "I've never even been on Saturn."she looked sad.
"When you're older."Neptune told her. "Then you'll go to Saturn, as Planetary Princess of Saturn."she assured Saturn.
That seemed to cheer Saturn up a bit, and she turned back to the view, looking happier.
"Is it going to take long for us to get there?"asked Small Lady.
"Most of the times the trip takes is spent escaping a star's gravity, and of course, we can't arrive out of hyperspace too close to a star, either. So we can't just get to Sagitarius Star right away."Mercury told her.
Small Lady, Diana, and Saturn looked confused.
"I don't know much about space travel."Diana said.
Space travel wasn't something that came up very often in their studies.
"Well, you should know which constellations are visible from here, though."Mercury told them. "Perhaps you could find them. Astronomy is something you should have received by now."she turned to Nephrite sternly. "Unless you haven't been receiving your astronomy lessons properly."
"I think they've probably done better at that, than any of the arithmetic, and all that you've taught them. At least I don't pressure them, or give them as much homework."Nephrite told Mercury.
"They do say you're the strictest, Mercury."Jupiter told them.
"I like baking better."said Small Lady. "Jupiter always bakes us such great cookies!"
"You're supposed to be learning to bake the cookies! Not just eating them!"Mercury told them.
Queen Serenity looked away guiltily. She had always attended the girls' cooking classes, as she enjoyed eating the cookies herself as well. Although she usually arrived late, by the time they were finished, and there were only whole batches of cookies, waiting to be eaten.
"Just what kind of an education are we going to be giving our future Queen?"Mercury asked.
"Don't worry."Jadeite told her. "I'm sure you'll have better pupils, when you have your own kids. Or maybe they'll end up teaching you. Or competing against you."
"That's probably true."Mars agreed with him.
The two young girls, and the kitten spend the rest of the journey, watching the stars. They especially exclaimed when the star view suddenly changed, when they emerged from hyperspace.
"Did you also see the stars like that when you came here first, Mommy?"asked Small Lady. "Did you really come flying, and not a spaceship?"a
Queen Serenity nodded.
"Yes."she answered quietly. She really preferred not to discuss that subject.
"We'll be there in a few hours at the most."Pluto walked in from the pilot room and told them.
Small Lady and Saturn jumped and squealed with excitement.
"We're so close!"Small Lady squealed. "Isn't it amazing?"
Here, closer to the center of the Galaxy, the stars seemed to crowd each other, there seemed almost no black space between them.
"How is it going to be night?"asked Small Lady. "It's almost as bright as day."
"No, it's not. They're brighter than the stars at night, but they're not bright enough like the day."Saturn told her.
"They are bright, though, Princess Saturn."Diana answered.
"We're almost at the Palace."Queen Serenity said, looking at the star filled sky. "That's where the celebration is always held."
"It looks pretty from here."Diana said, as they approached the castle.
"I think the Crystal Palace is prettier, though."Small Lady said.
Saturn nodded.
"I do, too. This one doesn't shine as pretty."
"You'll see once we get there."Endymion told them.
The spaceship landed, and they disembarked. The first sight of the castle was of several other ships, from other star systems, carrying the senshi from other stars.
"Wow! I've never seen so many people, even at court, Diana."Small Lady told Diana.
"But Small Lady you've never really attended the Royal Court. Only a couple of times. And even then, for only a little while. Only an hour at the most."Diana answered.
"But there's so many people here. Important people, too, probably."she said, looking excited.
"First, we should get some rest, I think."Jupiter said. "I guess we'll be staying in the same ward."
"Where else?"asked Mars. She was obviously very weary. "And before we greet anyone, too. I'm exhausted."
Small Lady, Diana and Saturn looked around, wide eyed, not wanting to miss a thing. The people emerging from the other spaceships all looked so different from the people they'd ever seen on Earth, or on any of the other planets, when they'd visited them.
"Oh, wow! Just look at that dress!"Small Lady pointed to one of the girls emerging from one of the bigger space ships. The dress she wore was covered in lace, and had more ribbons and bows than even Venus's. Her hair was also done in a dazzling style, and it seemed to them that she wore more jewelry than all the planetary princesses of the Solar System put together.
"How long does it take her to get ready each day? And at the end of the day, too?"asked Diana in astonishment.
The girl seemed to notice their fixed gazes, and turned. She wore a cloak that trailed behind her dress as well as her long skirt.
"Oh, wow. Who do you think she is?"Small Lady turned to her parents. "Can we talk to her?"
"Later."Queen Serenity told her daughter.