Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 3: Crystal City.
Act 2: Exploration.
Episode 15: Pioneering.
By Razor Knight
Last update: October 17, 2019
Usagi had decided to visit her mother, as she had a plan she wanted her to approve.
"The way mankind is going about it, it will take them a thousand years just to figure out how to settle in Jupiter."
"I don't think mankind is ready yet. We are still fixing this world, should we be bringing our mess to other planets?"
Usagi looked at Serenity. "The moon colony is doing its job so far. There's already children there, who only know the Earth as 'that large blue disc in the sky.' But expanding in such an environment takes too long, and in other planets... We haven't even reached Mars. Well, unless we count Tsuki, but that's hardly an achievement for a Senshi."
Endymion looked at his daughter. "Why the sudden interest? I mean, there's nothing wrong with trying new things, but-"
"It's because of that... Of my memories. In both versions of the future I can 'remember,' mankind had settled as far as the Jovian moons. As a kid I didn't pay much attention to it, but I remember history books saying it had happened in the early centuries of our city."
"Both versions agreed?"
Usagi nodded at her mother. "But here's one thing I remember. Something that, in hindsight, I should have tried to figure out decades ago. In my future, the leader of the colonization efforts beyond the Moon colony was Ami. In this version, there was no mention of who led mankind that far from the Earth."
Endymion had lived long enough, and seen enough 'impossibles' to guess. "So you think it was you, but the future you had to be kept in the dark about it."
"Yes. Of course, I don't doubt Ami could do it, but with all the differences between both futures, maybe me not being around was the reason why she thought about it first. Oh, and one more small difference: Colonization started earlier in my future. Twenty years ago, and Ami was involved with Mars' colonies from the start."
"So you want to do what Ami was doing in 'your' future?"
Usagi smiled at that. "No, I'll do something fancier. Ami had magitec and her genius. I'm sure that would let her think of some pretty amazing ways to terraform those worlds."
"Are you going to ask her for help?"
"Probably. But I won't use terraforming, I'll just... Undo what your 'other mother' did to stop Beryl's troops from taking over while you were gone."
Serenity blinked a few times. "Uncapping the mana wells? But those planets are wastelands, each in their own way. Are you saying restoring the flow of mana will magically fix them?"
"No, but I read, in both futures, about an item known as 'World Seed.' The Earth's one was never shut down, but the others... Maybe that Serenity did not want youma in other worlds to have any chances to survive, or maybe she wasn't aware of the 'Seeds' and the Earth one was tougher than the others."
Endymion nodded. "I remember reading about them, in my past life. They were considered just myths."
Serenity chuckled. "Sailor Galaxia was 'just a myth' too. However... You are not doing this alone, right?"
Usagi smiled. "Hotaru would tag along even if I didn't want her to. So, do I have your permission to do this?"
Serenity looked at her daughter for a moment, her face unreadable. "Permission granted." She then gave her a warm smile. "I can tell you are serious about this. Just be careful out there."
A couple days later, a couple Senshi were floating over a large crater, and looking up at their home world.
"The Earth looks amazing from here."
Moon smiled. "It does. I was here when the moon base was first open to tourists. Back when it was just 'the moon base' and not its current, silly name."
Saturn looked around. "I hope we are not breaking any local laws by coming here without going through the usual channels."
"I did ask the man in charge for permission. I will quote the Prime Colonist of Lunaris 1. 'We would lose face if we forbid Sailor Moon from coming to the Moon, and also... It's not like our security forces would be able to force you to leave.'" She looked around. "And besides, we're not inside Lunaris. I'm sure they're watching us, though."
"So, what is it we're looking for?"
"I will know when I find it."
Saturn stared at her wife with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "... What."
"These World Seeds are older than our oldest civilizations. Older than Senshi themselves. Not even Gin knows what they look like. I'm sorry I can't show you a picture of one."
"Fair enough. How will you find it?"
"It can be in some crazy places. Earth's one is supposedly somewhere inside the core. The one in the Sun is inside the Sun. But to be affected by magic, the others need to be in less crazy places..." She looked down and smiled. "Like a deep system of tunnels and caverns."
"I thought they had not found anything larger than small caves down there."
"These are deep enough to be hard to detect. Also, protected by magic."
"Sounds like a crazy enough place to me," Saturn said.
"Prime, there are two Senshi a few miles north of our city."
The man looked at his secretary. "Is Sailor Moon one of them?"
"Yes."
"I see... They are looking for something here, an ancient artifact buried deep inside the moon. Just keep an eye on them, if possible."
"That will be... Quite difficult. They seem to have teleported. They are now several miles under the surface... Apparently there are caves deeper than we knew."
"Guess they found what they were looking for." He saw his subordinate was quite nervous. "Relax, boy. I was born on Earth. Senshi have been keeping that particular powder keg from exploding for two centuries now. They're not going to blow up the Moon, or destroy the city."
"But if what I read about them is correct, they could do either of those."
"And yet they won't do it. That makes them the good guys, as far as I care."
It took them a few minutes, but they finally found it. Moon looked at it and rose an eyebrow. "So this is the World Seed? Why does it look like a pyramid?"
"You probably got that backwards," Saturn said. "It's possible the pyramids were made to look like this."
"Weird. Anyhow, now I need to see if I can..."
Saturn saw her wife focus, her eyes shining white for a second. Then she felt a rush of energy. "Already done?"
"Mom told me how she had removed the 'seal' in the mana wells on Earth. As she guessed, the same thing could be used in other worlds."
"And the 'Seed'?"
"That... I am glad I was the one coming here."
"Huh? Why?"
"Something I didn't know, but the Seed just 'told me.' It can only be restarted by a Senshi connected to its world."
"So we'll need the others for the rest of the Seeds."
"Yeah." Moon closed her eyes for a few seconds, then fell to her knees. "Ugh... That's interesting."
Saturn could feel no change this time. "Did it fail?"
Moon staggered up. "No, it worked, but it... Takes a lot of energy to restart these, even by our standards."
"So, what now?"
"Let's go back to the surface."
"Sir, look outside!"
Prime Colonist Suann did just that, and had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "The sky is..."
Moon and Saturn appeared right then. "I apologize for bypassing protocol," Moon said, "but I need to explain what I just did. What you see out there is no illusion. The moon now has an atmosphere close enough to that of Earth to allow humans to survive, and mana shielding is already in place to make up for the lack of an ozone layer. In short, your people can go take a walk outside your city without wearing a spacesuit."
"That... How?"
"I will make this public knowledge soon enough, but... Each 'dead' world in our system has an artifact that allows humans to live in them. The Moon was one of many worlds of mankind, in a very distant past. I intend to bring a few other worlds out of their slumber."
"Does that mean we could even colonize other systems?"
Moon shook her head. "These artifacts need to be activated a Senshi who is using mana from its world. So if you set up a colony like this one, in a barren world in some distant system, and a child is born who has Senshi magic, linked to that world, they could turn that world into something like what you see outside your window. If no Senshi appear in any new worlds we colonize, then they'll remain as hostile as they were."
The secretary looked at them. "At risk of sounding rude, I find it hard to believe you would do this for free."
Saturn smiled at him. "We have more money than we'll ever need already, thanks to some other things we trade, like the universal translator you are using right now to understand me."
Moon smiled. "It's our mission to protect mankind, even from itself. True, in the last century, humans have learnt to control themselves, and seeing a family with more than two children is rare, but there are still far more people on Earth than the planet can handle. It's a matter of either send people outside, or... Using less morally acceptable methods to reduce the population."
"It's that bad in there, huh?"
"Yes, so you could see it this way: We also need that planet to live, so we don't mind helping mankind expand outwards."
One year later, Usagi and Hotaru returned to the satellite, and this time Kyouko tagged along. "The trees are white, the birds are white, the grass is white, everything is white. How?"
"Magic," Usagi said, chuckling as Kyouko gave her a half-hearted glare. "Jokes aside, this may be one of those 'inverse thinking' things. It's not that the living beings in this world mimic the moon's color. The moon has this color because it was the color everything had before it was turned into a lifeless rock."
"Still, this is awesome. I wonder how Mars will look like?"
"Probably still red," Hotaru said. "But we'll go to Mercury and Venus first."
"So, Ami will have to tag along?"
"Yeah. I'm sure even if we asked Terry or Takamaru, they would both tell us to give that honor to Ami."
Kyouko looked around and smiled. "I think I found my new favorite vacation destination."
"There's some dangerous animals out there. Nothing we can't handle, but the moon is mostly wilderness now. They've been making plans to do as little damage as possible to this new world, keep nature as unharmed as possible. Mankind does learn, I guess."
"So, anyone tried to make food out of any lunar thing yet?"
"I ate a steak made from one of the largest predators on the moon. It looks like a crocodile with a beak, named Hursk after the man who discovered it."
"So, what did it taste like?"
"It tasted like... A Hursk."
Days later, Usagi was visiting Ami's house, and had just told her and Terry about her next goal.
"I admit I am curious to see how that world will look once restored," Ami said.
"Don't remember it from your past life?"
Ami shook her head. "I was a 'bookworm' back then too. My past self never got to see how the surface looked."
Terry rose an eyebrow at that. "Oh so the people of Mercury lived underground?"
"Most did, from what I can remember."
Terry nodded. "Anyways... You say you need a Senshi of that planet to reactivate the Seed. Wouldn't more than one Senshi make it easier?"
Usagi looked at him, then at Ami who had a very 'how didn't I think of that' face. "I... Didn't consider that."
Terry smiled. "I mean, it's not that I don't think she can do it, but I am curious about that world too, and I can share the burden of restarting that thing. Better than just sitting around watching bank accounts grow."
Usagi nodded. "It would also mean Ami wouldn't be drained as badly. That planet isn't human-friendly at all, so the less risks we take, the better."
Aiko appeared near them. "I'm tagging along."
"But you-"
"I am no Senshi, but I've been testing my limits, this last decade. Being able to use 'clones' to do the testing helps. The temperature on either side of Mercury is nothing I can't handle. And breathing is quite literally a cosmetic thing for me."
"If I may ask, why do you want to go?"
"I want to see if I can find the database the Codex is connected to, the so-called Library. I am curious about what an ancient computer would look like."
Ami smiled at that. "Now that you mention it, I'm curious too. Maybe seeing how it works can help us improve computers of this era."
One thing the Elder Senshi had figured out a bit late in their lifetime was that teleportation magic, by itself, didn't have a limit. It was the magic reserves and skill of the caster that limited the teleportation spells. To a Holy Senshi, moving around the solar system was a matter of knowing where to go. And as Mercury herself had tested, two decades earlier, they could even reach the surrounding star systems, though that required enough magic to make a Senshi of her level feel tired.
In any case, getting to Mercury - the planet - was not an issue for them. Surviving in it, however, was a different matter. "Okay, let's hurry, I don't think we can stand the heat for long." Even in the "dark" side of the planet, the temperature was downright deadly for normal humans. The Sun side was a scorching wasteland, and the dark side was a frozen desert. Could the World Seed really make this place good for humans?
Moon smiled. "There, found it. Follow my lead."
Saturn looked around the place where they had teleported to. "Another deep cave system."
"Maybe that's the difference," Aiko said, "maybe the Seeds other than the Earth's one were all too exposed to whatever the old Serenity did back then."
Moon was looking at the 'Seed.' "And maybe we are a century and then some behind schedule for this one."
Dragon Saturn smiled at the joke. Moon had told them the World Seed on the Moon was a pyramid, but this one was a black monolith. "Good thing we brought HAL along."
Aiko shook her head at that. "Har har. 'I'm sorry about his sense of humor, Dave.'"
Mercury let out a sigh. "Sometimes I wonder what I saw in you, Terry."
"Me too," Terry admitted.
Moon was already focusing, searching for the 'seal' in the planet's mana. It took her a few seconds to find it, and a whole minute to break the seal. She fell to one knee and winced. "Well, I just learnt something. Apparently the Moon's cap was way weaker than this one."
"How-" Mercury started, then gasped as she felt a rush of energy. Both Serenity and her daughter had told them about it, but it was still strange for her, to feel her power rise so fast. "I see now you were right about the mana flow."
Dragon Saturn nodded. "Guess I should change for the party." With a thought, his Saturn colors shifted to his Mercury ones.
Aiko waited as her parents focused on the Seed. It took a minute, but as they opened their eyes, she could sense it even this far underground. The planet had an Earth-like atmosphere now. "Amazing."
Mercury looked at her glove. "I can feel it from here. The Library."
"I haven't been to one for decades," Moon joked.
Mercury sighed at that. "Not you too, Usagi... Let's go."
"Welcome back, High Librarian. It's been many centuries since one of you visited me."
Moon looked around, but saw no source for the voice. This was an empty cavern, with no interfaces or visible machinery anywhere. "The Library has an AI?"
"I am aware of the term, Lady Serenity. I could be called that, in a way, but my 'program' was built from spells. I am also older than Senshi themselves."
Mercury looked around. "Who created you?"
"A race almost as old as this universe. They created me, and other artifacts. The one you now know as 'Gin' was one of their best works."
Moon frowned. "So, they had Senshi too."
"No."
Aiko blinked at that. "Then why create those artifacts-"
"They had ways to see what would be, in a far more accurate way than even the Gatekeepers of Pluto can. They knew Senshi would exist, and they knew artifacts would exist to aid them. They saw themselves crafting those artifacts, so they crafted them."
"So they... How were Senshi powers created?"
"I cannot answer that."
Aiko looked around. "Can't or won't?"
"Both. I am a program. You of all humans should know better than anyone that I do not withhold information because I 'want' to."
Aiko sighed. "Yes, I still remember how- Wait, how do you know?"
"I am the Codex, a part of me is in the Artifact linked to your mother's very soul. My mission is to be a source of data, but to that end, I am a keeper of the history of this system. I know how you started, Aiko Mizuno. It is interesting to see how far a 'program' can go-"
Aiko glared at the walls around her. "I am not-"
"I would think you were at peace with your origins, but do not misunderstand me. I do agree with you. You are not a program, not anymore, not since the Ginzuishou altered you. My creators would be as impressed as I am by your evolution."
Dragon Mercury sighed. "So, where exactly are you?"
Mercury smiled. "The Codex is here. All around us. It is made of raw magic energy."
"My only 'physical' form is the glove in Sailor Mercury's arm."
"Are other artifacts... Sentient?"
"No. Not even to the level of my emulated sentience. Gin was the only one who came close to what you are, Lady Phase."
Saturn sighed. "I must admit you are an interesting... Program, Codex. May I ask why parts of the data in her 'terminal' are locked?"
"My database has no locks, but to access any particular part of it, two conditions must be met. One, that the person browsing it is a High Librarian, a Senshi of Mercury, or a Serenity authorized by one. Two, that the person asks the right question." Mercury nodded at that. "In the past, I've tried to figure that out. It makes sense to me."
Moon looked around. "I think I'll leave you guys to talk to this Codex. Have fun."
"Your goal is a good one, Lady Serenity," the Codex said, "but you don't need to rush it."
"I am aware of that. I just don't see the need to be here right now. Ami will tell me anything else I need to know about you and this place."
Saturn looked at her and nodded. "I'll go too."
Mercury frowned for an instant. "Something wrong, Usagi?"
Moon shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll tell you later. It's nothing bad."
Saturn looked at her wife as they both appeared back in their home. "Am I wrong to think there was something worrying you?"
"Not worry, just... What that Codex said made me wonder about a few things. Like where the 'ancient race' who created our artifacts is right now."
Saturn smiled. "Maybe they'll come to visit, or maybe they're watching us from... Elsewhere."
"You don't mean..."
"Not saying any of our planet's religions is completely right, but... Creating a world in one day? If not taken literally, it sounds like what you did twice already. And if this race created our power, somehow, then they are gods, in a way."
"... I hadn't thought about it that way."
"... But you're still going to 'fix' other worlds."
"Of course," Moon said, "it's the one thing that was the same in both of my 'memories.' All planets up to Jupiter had humans in them."
"Jupiter?" Saturn shook her head. "That one won't be easy. High gravity, massive size, the actual solid part of it is incredibly dense and small, compared to its atmosphere..."
"Sounds like fun." "Your definition of fun worries me."
A/N: It's nice to have a couple normal humans around for a change, even if just for a couple scenes. A reminder that not everyone in that reality are magicians, monsters, aliens, Senshi, or any combination of those.
And so starts Act 2 of this book. How many acts have I planned for this? More than two. You're welcome.
