SunTzu looked out of the window of the Airbus, one of the smaller types used for short- and middle-distances, and onto the terminal of the Eduardo Gomes International Airport, also known as Manaus International, where the plane just had landed.
At this point he had already been traveling for almost twenty hours already, having taken a shuttle from Haneda to JFK and then a commercial flight from New York to São Paulo-Guarulhos. Goddamit, even buisness class sucked when it came to US-Airlines, beginning with the lack of friendliness and ending with food, next time he would upgrade to First Class on his own account.
Why hadn't he just taken AICA?
Ah yes, because Hotaru had asked him if she could train with AICA and he just couldn't bring himself to refuse the teenager something.
At least the change of climate zones didn't hit that much, as it was early summer in Japan and early winter in Brazil. Nevertheless the length of the travel and the time difference hit, between Crystal Tokyo and São Paulo it had been twelve hours and thirteen here in Manaus.
SunTzu yawned heartily as he got up from his seat in the half full business class in the front of the plane and took his small daypack from the compartment above his head.
The passengers left the plane over mobile airplane stairs and as soon as he left the climatized plane SunTzu run into a wall of heat and humidity. The weather here was way different than two and a half thousand kilometers away in the state of São Paulo. Tropical jungle climate, as if he hadn't had enough of that lately.
This job definitely sucked already.
Not that he had any intention to go to the Amazonas but as soon as they had been back at Earth, Makoto had seeked him out in the Flight Center and had handed him a written order over.
It didn't say much, except that in course of Operation Main Belt he had to relocate to the State of Amazonas, Brazil, for training purposes with the recruits, names and other infos blackened.
Further information about transport and travel details would be given in the headquarters, execution immediately.
"I was a firm supporter of the idea to let you train the… recruits." Makoto had told him before she just left without another word, leaving SunTzu staring at her walking off behind, goddamn elite soldiers could be just the same enigmas as spies were.
The exhaustion didn't make his mood any slight better and for a moment he wished he just could sit down somewhere and take a nap when he was standing in the middle of dozens of people clinging on the passenger rail of the airport bus shuttling them to the airport's terminal.
A few minutes later and after some basic hygiene, like washing his face, neck and hands, brushing his teeth, changing his t-shirt and making sure he wasn't looking like a total bum for anyone meeting him here for the last leg of his journey, SunTzu left the closest bathroom to the luggage carousel handling the luggage of his flight. He hadn't wait for long and the luggage came in, and soon after, his large service backpack, his daypack attached to it now, on his back, he marched towards the arrival exit of the airport, hoping that whoever was supposed to pick him up was waiting for him.
SunTzu never made it to the arrival hall, as just as he made his way to walk towards the exit to the hall, a pair of policemen of the Polícia Federal waved him over.
SunTzu sighed again as he walked towards the policemen, pretty sure that things would get complicated if they would scan him for weapons, his permission to carry weapons, of course he had a pistol with him, was written just in English after all.
"Capitão SunTzu?" One of the officers, the older and higher-ranking of the pair asked and SunTzu nodded, apparently the Policía Federal would make sure he'd get to his destination. That or someone tipped them off to fuck with him, probably Haruka.
SunTzu nodded and the younger of the two men told SunTzu to follow him in English with an accent.
A few minutes later SunTzu found himself again on the outside of the terminal building, near a hangar for small planes. The policeman stopped in front of a Cessna 182, obviously a civilian machine, the logo of a plane rental service in blue on the white plane, turned around, saluted and marched off again, leaving a more or less dumbfounded SunTzu behind.
After waiting for a minute and with nobody coming into sight, SunTzu checked if the plane was open, maybe inside there were some infos and someone expected him, a pilot, to fly to his destination. He wasn't much trained to fly a propeller-driven airplane but he'd manage, at least if the lettering was either in English, Japanese, Aurebesh or German.
And wouldn't you know, the door of the plane was unlocked.
"Hm." It escaped SunTzu as he opened the door.
The starfighter pilot looked around but couldn't find any instructions, orders or anything else telling where to head to.
For a moment he just stood there not sure what to do, hand brushing over the back of his head. Had that policeman made a mistake to bring him here? Or should there have been someone here waiting for him?
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be here already."
The voice of an angel, no, of a Demi-Goddess. SunTzu thought that he either was hallucinating from the exhaustion by now or maybe this mission was still way more pleasurable than he had initially thought as he turned around.
She came walking towards him and the plane, dressed in hiking boots, beige cargo pants, a white tank top under an olive-colored button-down long- sleeve shirt which she had rolled up and also knotted above where her belly button was.
A black bandana was tied around her neck and an olive Boonie was hanging from its strap down her back, under her tied-up in a braid hair, gold framed aviators with polarized green glasses hiding her cherry-colored eyes, she also was holding a paper cup in her hand.
Damn, this woman still looked worlds better than anybody else, even when they were going to the fucking jungle.
A smile formed on Setsuna's lips as she noticed that her sudden appearance had made SunTzu speechless, it had been just right to hide her presence in the Force while walking up to him. She did have to admit that it felt nice to see him, and she had to concentrate to calm down those butterflies in her stomach. These flowers sure had hit a spot and she had to admit that she had missed him more than she thought she would. Or it would have been good for her own sake.
She couldn't help but even begin to giggle as she noticed he still was at a loss of words and she brought her hand up to shield her mouth.
"I'm sorry, but you really should see your face."
SunTzu awakened from his dumbfounded state and cleared his throat.
"I… what are you doing here?"
"The same as you, Operation Main Belt."
"Really? So maybe you got some more information for me! I've just been told go to the fucking Amazonas and train some recruits. It's a bit vague for an official mission. And to fly halfway around the planet."
Setsuna tilted her head as she looked at him.
"But training recruits is exactly what you're going to do. And now let's go, the recruits are eager to get to know you."
"That's it? No word about what kind of training, how many there are, of which specialization, anything?"
Setsuna smiled widely at him.
"Oh, it's just four recruits and their training will be a dynamic process, as our jack-of-all-trades that's the perfect job for you. The recruits will tell you more about that at the location. I'm sure you'll get along wonderfully."
I hope they'll be nice to him…
SunTzu didn't see the flinch on Setsuna's face, that only lasted for the blink of an eye.
"Anyways, would you be so kind to board the plane."
"Uhm… yeah sure." SunTzu nodded and then pulled his backpack off his back. "Here, right?" He asked and motioned onto a small door behind the passenger compartment.
"Yes." Setsuna replied and took a step forwards to open it for SunTzu.
He nodded in appreciation before he pulled down his backpack and stowed it inside the storage compartment.
Setsuna closed the compartment and then looked at SunTzu as he begun to check the wings of the Cessna.
She slightly turned her head to the side again and put her one hand on her hip also raising an eyebrow, observing his doing as he obviously checked the airplane.
She silently stayed in this posture for a few moments before she said something.
"It's very kind of you to check the airplane but shouldn't you leave that to the pilot?"
SunTzu stopped suddenly and when he turned around to her she could see that his eyebrows were furrowed.
"There's a pilot coming? Where is he?"
Setsuna having had a sip of the coffee in her hand while he said that and then shrugged.
"Right here."
SunTzu looked around and then back at her, a questioningly look on his face.
"I don't see… what? But you're not a pilot!"
"After all this things I told you about me, do you really think I couldn't fly a plane?"
SunTzu made a waving gestures. "I don't doubt that but I'm a pilot, i think it's better if I fly."
"Starfighter pilot. You're a starfighter pilot."
"I still can fly one of these. I mean, this piece of junk isn't AICA but still. I'll bring us wherever we need to go, safely." SunTzu motioned to the cockpit with his head. "Enter and strap in, I'll just finish my check of the plane and we're on our way."
"I don't think so. You'll be the one to enter while I do the check."
"Setsuna, really, I have the highest respect of all the things you are able to do but I am a pilot. Flying is my job and my life, so let me do it."
A sigh escaped out of the Senshi of Time's mouth. "Okay, when was the last time you flew a propeller-driven aircraft?"
"Uhm…"
"Thought so… listen I've been flying this kind of planes since the 1930s. God bless her soul, Amelia Earhart herself teached me to fly! So please be a good boy and enter the plane. Or do you want me to let me hang out my rank again?"
Now it was SunTzu that sighed. "Fine, whatever. What goes up must…"
"Hush. Don't say it." She shot him a glare.
SunTzu shrugged and entered the plane, grumpiness clear on his face, while Setsuna looked at him for a moment from the outside, shaking her head. Damned troublemaker.
"Just for the record, I'll sit in the back, out of protest." He grouched from the inside.
"Do what you want. At least you won't annoy me as know-it-all-co-pilot then." Setsuna groused back.
While he strapped himself in, Setsuna took another sip of her coffee, at least the coffee wasn't as bitter as her passenger. She rarely drank coffee and only in certain parts of the world, where it was fresh and here clearly was one of this places. She had gotten a cup from a small vendor outside of the airport, a farmer's wife, brewing the fresh beans from their fazenda. The dash of cinnamon on top made it even more fantastic.
Calm down Setsuna, don't let him get to yourself… enjoy this great coffee and don't you're about to see one of the most beautiful places of this planet from above, while you show him how good you can fly. No need to get all worked up because of him.
Setsuna finished the preflight-check of the plane and then entered the cockpit a few minutes after SunTzu as well.
She expected some more bickering but to her surprise SunTzu was lounging in one of the backseats, sleeping sound. The climate and the rather comfortable seat had finally made his exhaustion get the best out of him and he had fallen asleep.
She smiled, a pain in the ass as he could be, she couldn't help but to think again how much she adored to see him sleeping peacefully.
SunTzu opened his eyes for a moment when she started the engine of the plane and let it roll to the tarmac but he immediately fell asleep again, right after looking at Setsuna in the front seat and nodding in acknowledgment.
"Was that so hard?" Setsuna asked quietly as she took a glance at him, sleeping again. And then she gave thrust and made the plane roll to its starting position.
The flight over Centro Amazonense took around one hour and SunTzu slept most of the flight. Setsuna sometimes took a glance at him when she wasn't extra carefully steering the aircraft or marveling of the green beauty of the Amazonas-Jungle.
At least until ten minutes before their landing when Setsuna was observing SunTzu's calm sleeping, the steady up and down of his chest, his t-shirt not hiding his well-sculptured body underneath, oh, she very well knew what was under those clothes, this sorrow-free expression on his handsome face and Setsuna couldn't help but to begin to daydream, what if they'd land at the next larger clearing or strip of shore and finally do those things together which would make their animalistic screams mix with the ones of the jungle.
Faex! She DID make the mistake to let him get to her.
SunTzu jolted up when Setsuna in shock suddenly changed the course.
"What's wrong?!" He immediately leaned over her seat.
"Don't worry… there was just… a bird onto our course. Yeah, a flock of birds came suddenly out of the jungle. But I could dodge them."
How could he after traveling around the world still smell so good, his perfume mixed with his inherent odour and the feeling of his breath in her neck sent fire to her body's core.
"A bird strike in this thing could be fatal. Good that you could manage to dodge them, outstanding flying."
"Th-thank you. Phew… we're almost at our destination."
SunTzu sat back down on his seat and looked out of the window, around them was just the jungle and it's greenish-brown lifeline.
For a few seconds he didn't say anything and then he turned to Setsuna again.
"I'm sorry for earlier. You're doing this great. I didn't want to offend you." He sounded genuinely sorry.
Setsuna bit her lips, as her hormones were betraying her and a voice in her head was screaming loudly for make-up sex.
"I wasn't offended." She cleared her throat, desperately trying to dismiss the thought of the of two of them in a dirty hotel room, having even dirtier sex. She definitely shouldn't have taken so much cinnamon in her coffee and that pepper in the Moqueca Amazônica just added to that. Oh Chronos, what had she been thinking, it was that time of the month, she was in the tropics, and she was meeting SunTzu.
"Sorry, I better concentrate on the landing, the airport is located inside the city."
"Oh yeah. Sorry."
Setsuna grimaced, that was not how she had planned to react after seeing him again after this few weeks.
Carefully to not let him, know she took a few deep breathers to calm down and then concentrated on the landing.
A few minutes later they touched down on the small airport of the city located near the main arm of the Amazonas.
SunTzu clapped loudly after touching down and this made Setsuna briefly turn around to him with an amused smile before she continued to move the airplane over to its stopping place.
Meanwhile SunTzu looked around and assessed the location.
A grey pickup with tinted glasses moved up to the plane as soon as it stood still and SunTzu's gaze immediately fell onto it, hand wandering towards his concealed holster at his hip.
"That's Intelligence's man at this location, he'll take you further."
The tension in SunTzu's body visibly decreased and he turned to Setsuna again.
"You're not coming along?" His voice couldn't fully hide the disappointment. Setsuna was sitting upright in the pilot's seat, legs clenched together.
"I'm scheduled for a meeting with the Brazilian goverment and general staff in Brasilia tomorrow. And I better fly back to Manaus immediately, you know how volatile the weather is in the jungle and I don't want to get into one of these rain showers."
"Oh… I see."
Good thing, SunTzu wasn't sitting next to her, Setsuna thought. He definitely would notice that she was off, she definitely was more of a cat in heat than a leading Officer of the Crystal Crown right now. She needed to get away from him immediately or she would forget herself. Setsuna took a deep breather to calm herself down, there was still one thing that she had to ask him, as his doctor, as his friend and because she cared for him. She took off her sunglasses and turned around to him.
"Will you be good? I know it's… not a clime you feel easy in. At least not anymore."
SunTzu nodded. "I'll be alright I guess, but don't expect any jungle patrols from me."
"Don't worry, that's not what you need to train with the recruits. If you feel any kind of depression or tension getting to you, contact me asap, there's means in the recruits' location. I'll withdraw you immediately if you want."
"I don't withdraw from a mission, If nothing I still got a codex. But… uhm… if you want to do something for me, my invitation for dinner still stands."
Setsuna Meiou, Senshi of Space and Time, timeless being and Demigoddess, needed all her strength to not not let her hormones finally win and answer in a heartbeat with something ranging from an acceptance up to letting him know that they could skip the appetizer and straight head for the main course in the sheets.
"I haven't forgotten that, but lately it seems that our schedules are too tight to find time together. And you'll be here for ten days at least."
SunTzu's small smile twitched minimally, she hadn't shot him down but she made sure that other things had priority.
"One day then." Was his short reply and he got up hastily and exited the aircraft, closing the door behind him again.
After getting his backpack and closing the cargo compartment again he turned around and held a hand up as wave to say goodbye to Setsuna.
"Thank you for those roses again. I loved them, you really got me there." Setsuna whispered to herself as he left. She had observed him all the time from inside the cockpit, still sitting there stark and stiff. She definitely had to take an ice cold shower as soon as she was back in her hotel in Manaus. Or better go to the Arctic to cool down. Great father Chronos, in those pants he looked even good from behind.
Setsuna shook her head and let out a large breather, she really needed to get away from here.
SunTzu hadn't arrived at the pick-up when Setsuna already started the engine of the small plane again. She was glad that at least he hadn't started to flirt with her, because she knew it would have been over then.
She sure's in a hurry to get away from me…Yeah, I think I should rather drop those hopes for a dinner with her…
The door of the pick-up, the vehicle was white colored, opened and revealed a local man in the end of his twenties maybe, his roots definitely indigenous, with a little smile on his face.
"Oi, Capitão SunTzu? I'm Luis. Nice to meet you in person." He offered his hand and SunTzu shook it. His English was almost accent free and he noticed that SunTzu was surprised.
"Worked in an IT-hotline for an international company before."
The Intelligence Agent motioned to the car. "The recruits life a few kilometers outside the city, if you don't mind, we can get going. Oh, I got some water in the car if you're thirsty."
SunTzu nodded thankfully, at least his Intelligence contact here seemed to be in working order.
As usual for most of the people working in Intelligence, at least it seemed that way, Luis was a quiet guy but SunTzu didn't mind as his mind was still occupied with trying to figure out how to take Setsuna's quick getaway.
At least the nap inside that plane had done great against the exhaustion.
The drive didn't take that long, Luis almost immediately had veered away to the city and after a few minutes even left the main road for non-asphaltic roads. Which meant that they weren't at least at the end of the world SunTzu thought, although he had to admit, as he looked out the window, that the jungle was already pretty thick next to the road.
Suddenly the young Brazilian stopped the car at a crossing, taking away from the road.
"Sorry Capitão, I have order from the Headquarters to leave you here."
SunTzu glanced over to him but Luis just shrugged.
SunTzu rolled his eyes and got out, before opening the door to the backseats to take his backpack.
The Bavarian put his backpack on and looked at the road leading further into the jungle.
Luiz rolled down the window. "Their spot is just down this road. If you need anything they have means to contact me. Boa tarde, Capitão."
SunTzu glanced over his shoulder again as Luis left and sighed loud before he began to walk down the provisional road.
A few hundred meters in he could make out a house, probably what used to be a fazenda at the end of the road, and stopped for a moment, not what he had been expecting, there was only a simpel fence around it, but at least it wasn't a shack.
Just as he was about to walk on a voice was heard from overhead, coming out of the treetops.
"Oi, se você não quer morrer vire-se!" It was the voice of a young woman.
SunTzu stopped and looked up into the trees, nobody was visible so he sensed out with the Force.
His eyes widened shortly as he could make out not only one but two individuals in the trees. One definitely was hostile while the other was pretty neutral. And these two were not ordinary women, they had the distinct aura of a Sailor Senshi, although way weaker than the Senshi of Crystal Tokyo. Did they send him to train new Sailor Senshi?
"I don't understand a single word! You speak English? I'm here to train a bunch of recruits and I guess that's probably you guys."
Up on a large tree, around fifteen meters away, a young woman named JunJun, sitting cross legged on the treetop, kept SunTzu fixed in the red dot of her Brazilian-made IMBEL IA2 assault rifle she had pointed at him and marginally moved her head sideways to her sister, kneeling behind her, looking at SunTzu as well.
"Are you a hundred percent sure, that's the guy Setsuna-San was talking about?"
"He definitely fits the description but you know what she said, be on the lookout until he has properly identified himself."
"Yo, the rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cake!" The green-haired teenager shouted down in Japanese, briefly stopping to aim before she looked back through her weapon's optic.
SunTzu was pleasantly surprised that they not only followed protocol but also kept their security up, as annoying as it was in that moment.
Next life I'll definitely will not join the forces.
"The moon's rice cakes are sticky." He answered, yelling it into the top of the huge jungle trees.
"There you go, I think that proves it." The scarlet-red-haired VesVes told from her spot behind her big sister.
"Not for me." JunJun announced, got up and handed her rifle to her younger sister as she got up swiftly.
"What are you doing?" The red-haired asked in bewilderment as JunJun as got into position to jump away from the tree, having the green-haired's girl rifle in her arms in front of her.
"Finding out if the Boomer is even able to train us." With that she jumped away to the next tree.
"Porra." It escaped VesVes's mouth before she put the sling of the rifle around her neck and pulled out a radio from the hem of her pants and brought it to her lips.
"Girls, it's the guy Setsuna-San announced. That's the good news."
"What's the bad news?" The voice of her oldest sister replied after a moment.
"JunJun is about to triple check it."
SunTzu still stood where he had stopped, only a few seconds had passed until he had replied to that women's question and yet he had sensed that the hostile one had moved towards him, over the trees. At least the sense of impending danger he felt through the Force had changed and he also sensed surprise in the second woman on top of the trees. Nevertheless he could sense that woman was moving to attack him.
His new recruit or not, or especially because of possible being one of his recruits, SunTzu decided to make an example.
The woman was fast and agile as she jumped from tree to tree, even crisscrossing over the road but as she was only a few trees away SunTzu forced all his concentration on her and her surroundings. He used the Force to break the thick tree branch underneath her and with a shrill screecher from her, both the branch and the woman fell down.
The tree branch loudly hit the road and the woman would have hit the ground face first if it wouldn't have been for SunTzu stopping her fall midair with the Force.
Now she was hanging head first a meter in the air.
SunTzu walked over the short distance to her, her face being at the same height as his.
SunTzu quickly scanned the young woman for any dangers, but it appeared to him that she was unarmed. As it seemed so normal for Sailor Senshi the teenager looked quite outstanding. Tan skin, dark green eyes, now filled with anger as she struggled to free herself from the invisible grip leaving her levitating in the air, light green hair in a very complicated hairdo, one long ponytail extending upwards, two down her sides, all of them hold together by brown bands. She was wearing olive-colored cargo pants and a tank top as well as combat boots, her body was very athletic and there were muscles clearly visible on her arms.
"Let me the fuck go!" She snarled in anger at SunTzu.
"If you're one of my new recruits, I gotta honor your aggressiveness. But trying to attack your superior isn't what we do at Taskforce Sol."
"LET ME GO!"
SunTzu turned his gaze up to the treetops.
"You up there! Want to test me too or can we go on like normal people from here on?"
"Wait until I can free myself." JunJun threatened SunTzu and made him turn his attention back to here, he took a step towards here until he was close to her face
"Stop this bullshit, kid. I'm here to train you, not to fight you."
The angry glare stayed but JunJun went silent.
SunTzu looked her in the eyes, at the same height as his.
"Why we don't start over again. Captain SunTzu. And you are?"
"Name's JunJun. Nice to meet you." And then as swift as she could she gained momentum with moving her head back and head-butted SunTzu.
The pilot immediately took a step back in pain and held his head, while his concentration was lost and so he also lost the control of keeping JunJun in the air making her crash to the floor with a thunk.
On her elevated position in the tree top VesVes facepalmed, before she put the radio back to her mouth.
"CereCere, you two better get over here. And tell PallaPalla to bring the first aid kit."
A few minutes later SunTzu was sitting inside the house on a comfortable but rather old sofa, surrounded by four young woman.
The shortest one of them, a light-blue-haired girl around the end of her teens, was examining the black eye her younger sister's headbutt had caused SunTzu. She grimaced as she saw it.
Next to her stood a pink-haired young woman looking at SunTzu before she turned around to JunJun. "JunJun, go to the kitchen and get him something to cool it. And for yourself as well."
JunJun stood next to the door, leaned against a wall, arms crossed. There was a bruise on her forehead visible and for a moment she just angrily glanced at SunTzu before she slowly left the room.
VesVes watched her go off and then looked at her blue-haired sister. "Is there something broken, PallaPalla?"
"Hm." The blue-haired tipped on SunTzu's cheekbone. "Does that hurt?"
"It's okay." SunTzu said after flinching.
"You have to excuse JunJun. She's just very keen on keeping us safe." VesVes told SunTzu.
"Sometimes her horse gets loose. It's not our usual behavior to attack the people that come here to train us."
"CereCere is right. We'd never attack Setsuna-sama or Luis." PallaPalla said after she took a last glance at the bruise under SunTzu's eye.
"You're Sailor Senshi, aren't you?" The three girls in the room exchanged surprised glances. "I'm kind of used to get injured in training with Senshi." SunTzu stated and in this moment JunJun came back with two cans of Guarana, Brazil's national soft drink.
She threw one over to SunTzu and even with one eye closed he still could catch it, never would these girls knew only because he used the Force for this, and then put the other can on her bruise as SunTzu did the same with his can and his eye. The can was ice cold and felt fantastic against the bruise.
"How… how do you know that we're Senshi? We were told that you weren't told about that. Not even Luis knows about this." CereCere asked again and JunJun's eyes, leaning back against the wall, widened in surprise.
"I'm a Force-sensitive, I can sense your auras. That's how I made her stop in midair." SunTzu motioned over to JunJun with his head and while she angrily turned her head away, the VesVes and CereCere exchanged glances again before CereCere spoke to her sisters.
"See, I told you all he's someone exceptional, otherwise he wouldn't have dated Rei-San."
Now it was SunTzu that seemed surprised.
VesVes replied to him. "What do you expect? Just because we live in the jungle doesn't mean we don't have Internet."
SunTzu nodded, cooling his eye still, the attitude sure matched the one of the other Senshi.
"By the way, I think we haven't introduced ourselves yet. Name's CereCere, I'm the oldest of us four sisters. Pleased to meet you." The pink-haired young woman said.
"I'm VesVes." The red-haired one nodded at SunTzu.
"I'm PallaPalla." The blue-haired nexto to SunTzu smiled widely, a really disarming smile.
The last one was the green-haired and she didn't smile at all.
"JunJun, if you didn't get that the first time." She stated and then looked away again, rolling her eyes.
"SunTzu. Captain in Taskforce Sol."
"And you're here to train us."
"Correct. I was ordered to do so, although nobody told me in whats specifically. Setsuna said it will be a dynamic process and you'll tell me more."
Some more exchange of glances between the sisters.
"She told us, you'll find a way to train each of us most individually."
SunTzu put down the can from his eyes as he furrowed his brows, had they sent him here without any plan what to do with these girls at all?
Suddenly PallaPalla began to speak.
"Oh, I know! You can show me how to become a better nurse."
It turned out that the four sisters, CereCere the oldest with twenty and VesVes the youngest with seventeen, hadn't much more specific ideas why specifically SunTzu was there to train them than he did. They had received basic training in some parts already and trained to stay proficient, just as they did as Senshi they told him, but although they knew that Operation Main Belt was to make them fit for joining the other Senshi to fight alongside them, it apparently would have made more sense to have sent one of the other Senshi.
Nevertheless, they showed SunTzu around the house, where a small guest room, including a bathroom, would accommodate him, and the estate. The house was comfortable equipped, they had a garage with an ATV and a dirt-motorbike, JunJun let him know that the bike was hers and that he shouldn't even dare to think about it to ride it, a garden growing various fruits and herbs and a small training area including a small shooting range.
SunTzu noticed that the quartet shared some features distinctly making it easy to recognize them as siblings, even though they all had different hair- and eye-color and VesVes and JunJun had darker skin than their other two sisters.
They all showed him around, even JunJun, although she still acted rather unfriendly towards SunTzu.
Apart from the location and methods of training possible there were also more things SunTzu was interested to know and so, after they had finished the tour and were standing in the backyard of the fazenda he asked the girls about something that he was very interested in.
"So, how come I haven't heard about you four? Which planets do you represent? There are no more in the Sol-System."
It was again CereCere, the oldest clearly was the leader it became apparent, who answered first.
"The Sailor Quartet is also known as the Asteroid Sailor Guardians, we represent the first four Asteroids of the Solar System. Our duty is to guard the Princess of Crystal Tokyo."
"To protect us until we are up to the task we have been living here and training ever since we left Tokyo." PallaPalla was next.
"We've been waiting for the day to fight alongside the others ever since." JunJun chimed in.
"Operation Main Belt is the Codename for our activation. The Main Belt is system's primary asteroid field and home of our guardian planetoids." VesVes concluded the information.
"I see. I'll guess I let Crystal Tokyo know that I made it here now. Maybe they have additional info on what I should train you in."
The sisters had a military-grade, decrypted satellite telephone at their disposal in an office like room and SunTzu used it to call the Military HQ in Crystal Tokyo.
He personally spoke to Admiral Artemis but didn't gain any more insight. His mission was to enhance the basic training of the Quartet and prepare them for duty in Taskforce Sol. It was all very vague but Artemis told SunTzu that they all were very confident that SunTzu was exactly the right one to give the new generation of Sailor Senshi the preparation they needed.
It had already dawned when SunTzu ended the phone call and PallaPalla entered shortly after, finding SunTzu sitting on a chair, deep in thoughts, thinking about his mission.
"SunTzu? Ah no, wait, we are soldiers now. Captain SunTzu, yes, Captain. Uhm, dinner is ready." The blue-haired nineteen year old told SunTzu and he twitched, being ripped out of his thoughts.
"Ah yeah, sure." He had completely forgotten about dinner and that he should get some food in.
"Thank you. I'm coming."
The house had a dinner table in the same room as the kitchen and the other three girls had assembled themselves around it, fresh cooked, local food on the table.
"We didn't know about your diet, but I'm sure there is something for everybody." CereCere said as SunTzu sat down.
SunTzu sat down at one of the ends of the table, CereCere to his right and VesVes to his left.
"Please don't tell me we have to pray or something before we eat now." Came JunJun's voice over the table from beside her oldest sister.
"Oh, no. Thank you for the hospitality tho." SunTzu announced and within a second the green-haired amazon began to eat.
CereCere pursed her lips but didn't say a thing to her sister.
"Please, eat." She told SunTzu and motioned to the rich filled table.
At first they ate in silence, the girls observing SunTzu.
After some time it was CereCere who broke the silence. "So, how did you join Taskforce Sol?"
SunTzu looked up and swallowed his bite down before he responded. "I woke up in a Bacta-tank on the planet of Kamino around sixteen months ago without any memories of what happened before and then was trained as pilot and soldier." And then he shrugged. "After my training I was transferred over to Taskforce Sol and settled down in Crystal Tokyo. I'm from Earth, that I know."
"Starfighter pilot, right? I read in the internet you're quite the professional when it comes to that." VesVes chimed in with curiosity and SunTzu nodded.
"Guess I am, but I have to admit this also thanks to my ship, AICA. She… the ship, a modified A-Wing starfighter, is controlled by an AI. It's the most advanced starfighter in the fleet." SunTzu told, not without pride.
"I can imagine flying something like that, especially in space is so damn cool. Hotaru is a pilot as well now I know and she too says it's the best."
SunTzu shot VesVes a small smile after her admiration of flying but just as he was about to reply, JunJun chimed in. "Being a good pilot is the one thing, how good can you fight on the ground? Especially without dirty magical tricks."
SunTzu looked at her. "I'm Spec Forces- and JTAC-certified as well as experienced in both professions." His next sentence was spoken in lower volume than the one before. "I also have experience as platoon leader of an infantry unit." The girls exchanged glances between each other and wondered why SunTzu's mood seemed to have dropped significantly. JunJun was about to say something more but the glare of her bigger sister told her to not say anything anymore.
"I also regularly train with the Senshi and I am the First Knight of Crystal Tokyo, the court labeled me as Guardian of Guardians." SunTzu spoke again, his voice firm again.
"And you're one of these Jedi too, right?" It was PallaPalla, asking.
"No, I'm not a Jedi, just a Force-sensitive. I'm not as skilled and trained as a Jedi Knight is. I was partly trained on Kamino by one though."
"Setsuna-san was right, you seem like you are skilled in a lot of professions."
The girls noticed his surprised look after hearing that.
"Setsuna said that?"
"Yeah, she was talking quite good about you."
"Is that so?"
JunJun and PallaPalla exchanged looks with each other again.
"Yeah, she even said, you're the best choice when it came to training us."
SunTzu's mood began to lighten up. "Then I guess I have to prove early praise."
"Talking about best choice. How came you and Rei became a thing." VesVes suddenly asked from his left.
"And why did you break up?" PallaPalla followed directly after.
SunTzu's eyes wandered over to her in surprise. When it came to attitude and curiosity, these girls definitely were Senshi.
Soon after, and after giving the girls a very quick and short rundown how he and Rei got together and a rather mysterious "Things happened, you know." when asked why they separated just before he got up and said he'd go to bed the next moment, SunTzu left the table.
SunTzu went to bed while the sisters stayed a bit longer at the table, discussing their new trainer. Together with what they had heard from Setsuna and after asking about him over text messages from Chibiusa and Hotaru, their first impression could have been worse, although both CereCere and JunJun had the opinion that he had to prove himself as able to train them first.
The four sisters each had their own room in the house and although not necessary night owls they were used to get up to what could have been called a reasonable time, but what awaited them the next morning was far from that.
The sun wasn't even up when a certain Officer and Knight of Crystal Tokyo ripped open their doors one by one and yelled "Rise and Shine!" into each room.
Reactions varied from PallaPalla falling asleep again, JunJun letting out an impressive multilingual tirade of insults, a jolting so hard in shock that she almost felt out of bed by VesVes to a rather composed although tiredly staring CereCere.
"Roll call in ten, Ladies. See you at the training area so come accordingly!" SunTzu yelled from the corridor while the girls still struggled with being awoken so early.
"Just for the record, I can make it look like an accident." JunJun was the first to talk again.
The girls assembled outside in various states of vigil, appearance and demeanor also varying, their rather extravagant hairstyles had given way for simpler braids or open hair.
PallaPalla had problems keeping her eyes up, VesVes looked tired but was at least more awake than her blue-haired sister, CereCere was almost awake and JunJun was completely awake, her face giving away that her blood was boiling. If she had the same powers as Rei, JunJun would had begun to smoke by now.
SunTzu made a mental note to mark that for JunJun, early morning running on hate alone was a good trait for an infantry soldier.
The First Knight of Crystal Tokyo checked his chrono. "Thirteen minutes, y'all better work on being on time. I know some NCOs that would make you regret ninety percent of your life choices now. Now, would you form a straight line and at least pretend that there's a quantum of discipline in a Sailor Senshi?"
It was the yawning PallaPalla that hold up an arm while the others formed a line. "Sir, SunTzu, Sir? Can I please go back to bed? I don't want to train now."
SunTzu froze a full second before he tilted his head. Actually it was really hard to keep the mean drill instructor demeanor up when something was as cute as that overtired, barely keeping-her-eyes-open bundle of blue hair and sleepiness. "PallaPalla, although I have to honor your honesty, I'm afraid you have to train just as your sisters have to."
"Mhm, that's not nice, I'm sooo tired." PallaPalla quietly responded and yawned again and SunTzu let his gaze glide over all four sisters. "I am not here to be nice. You have to understand, I'm not here to befriend you, I'm here to train you. And that is what we are going to do every single fucking day from now on. So get used to getting up so early."
A four-parted "Ugh" was the response but SunTzu didn't care. "And now we will start with a funny little morning run as first measure to determine your fitness."
As expected the young women were all pretty fit, SunTzu even had to put in some work to keep up with JunJun, who of course tried to outrun him.
After running and breakfast, even if they would have poisoned it, that fresh coffee would have been worth it, some other exercises followed, which all of them passed without any real problems.
SunTzu had Luis bring them lunch before he continued their training on the theoretical side with beginning to teach them the basics of combat and military service, kept open so they would even benefit from it as Sailor Senshi.
By dinner none of the four Asteroid Senshi was fit enough to talk a lot but the glances aimed at SunTzu spoke enough.
SunTzu was silent as well, although he had tried to keep his thoughts away from it as much as he could, training with subordinates made him think about Delta-2 and when they had finished he left the table.
"I expect you to be ready on time tomorrow." Was all he said before he was gone.
The next two days were basically the same and the four sisters acknowledged that their trainer became colder and less talkative every day.
"Fucking boomer probably takes joy in torturing us. As if I couldn't run him to the ground."
"I thought he was a nice guy. But he's not."
"I wish he would at least talk a bit more about why he does the things he does. Hotaru texted me today again, that he's a real nice guy but he doesn't even talk one bit about piloting or what he had seen from the Galaxy."
"Girls, he is an officer and is here to train us, maybe that's just the military way and they all are like this."
"Phew… than I rather stay here."
"PallaPalla, you know we have a duty to protect the Princess. And there is a reason Neo Queen decided that we need to join them in the fight against Chaos."
"Ugh… then why they don't let us loose on Chaos as Senshi?"
After three days SunTzu finally could get Setsuna on the line, she was back in Manaus. She was in a hurry apparently as she told him she was on her way to the United States to help the mission of the Stargate. All she wanted to know was if he had started the training, which he affirmed. Keep it up was her answer.
Crystal Tokyo pretty much told the same and SunTzu also learned that AICA and Hotaru were on Coruscant, both of them were back at the starfighter academy, acting as opposing force for training purposes at the academy.
The nights had been long and mostly sleepless for SunTzu, he would never get fully accustomed to the jungle climate and it seemed to have gotten even worse after Varonat.
The days were filled with excercise and teaching the girls and on the fourth day he took them to the range to see how proficient they were with guns. He started to let them shoot with pistols and then switched to rifles.
While there were differences in their shooting skills, he noted that at least all of them could operate a pistol and a rifle to defend themselves.
JunJun stood out, that kid was one hell of a marksman and maybe even a better shooter than SunTzu already.
It was probably the first time the two of them ever conversed without angry glances or him proving he was in control when he told her that she was a great shooter and did a good job at the range, when they were packing.
For a moment the green-haired woman was speechless and sheepishly said thank you.
SunTzu nodded. "Keep it up, kid." And then he turned back to packing one of the rifles.
Later that night SunTzu was standing in front of the house, looking and listening into the dark jungle, smoking a cigarette before going to sleep.
"Did someone ever tell you these are unhealthy?"
SunTzu had to smile as VesVes appeared behind him.
"There's a certain person that has done so quite some times."
She posted herself next to him, arms crossed.
"Shouldn't you sleep? It's not that I won't wake you up early again."
"Oh, don't worry about that." The red-haired looked up into the sky and into the stars visible. "I think it's amazing that it's possible for one to travel the stars." And then her gaze turned to SunTzu.
"How does it feel to fly in space? In a space fighter?"
SunTzu took a draw from his cigarette and then lowered his gaze.
"Space is a place of opposites. It can be the most lonely, depressing and lifeless place you'll ever encounter. But it also can give you the most beautiful sceneries you'll ever have seen. I remember when I saw my first asteroid shower moving past me."
"I'd love to see something like that one day." The young woman smiled. "I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of people like you and Hotaru. Being able to fly in space, on their own, with just a small craft around them."
SunTzu's turned his head halfway to her and looked at VesVes for a moment.
And then he pulled out his lighter and turned completely to her.
"Catch the lighter." He said and immediately dropped it and although she slightly had to bow VesVes catched the lighter without a problem and held it up for him with a questioning look on her face.
SunTzu took the lighter and nodded. She sure had great reflexes.
"C'mon VesVes, we should get some shut eye before tomorrow's training." He told her as he turned around and walked towards the house door.
The first week went over and SunTzu, now roughly knowing about the abilities and talents and shortcomings of the Quartet began to train them more individually, ideas for possible assignments began to form in his head.
On the first day of the second week he let the Quartet assemble the first time in their Senshi-forms.
The four young Senshi, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, fukus in the color of their hair, stood in a row in front of him. SunTzu stood there with a wooden stick in his arm. He could sense their powers were stronger now but still far away from the ones of the other Senshi.
"Okay, today we'll get serious. You will attack me physically and try to strike me, while not getting hit by my stick. We'll start with a one on one and see if any of you can take me out."
"Oh, awesome! I want to start." JunJun immediately replied and stepped forward.
"Fine with me." SunTzu said and a smug grin appeared on his face, which angered the light green-haired Senshi.
"Oh, you'll not gonna grin when I'm done with you." She announced as both stepped away to have room to fight.
SunTzu gave her a sign to attack and with a primal scream and fire in her eyes she throw herself at him.
It was over in less than three seconds, JunJun was felled from a swift, Force-enhanced legslash before her fist could meet his face and landed face first in the dirt before SunTzu gently touched her with the stick on the back.
"Next!" Was the only thing he said as he turned away from the cursing girl.
Each of them couldn't even came close to hit him, SunTzu fought deliberately with all of his power, drawing in on the Force.
Even when he told them to attack him in pairs, and even as quartet, he defeated all of them quickly.
The Quartet was panting heavy as he assembled them again.
"That's low, you know. Using the fucking Force to go against us." JunJun announced as she wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Do you really think the enemy will go easy on you? And not use everything he has against you?" He stared at them, his face hard as stone and the four young women all lowered their gazes, their flayer was right.
SunTzu left the yard and the four Senshi. As he turned around one time he found himself looking at about what he had inspected, PallaPalla was making sure that her sisters were unharmed and even examined some bruises.
Content with what he saw, he entered the house. He definitely needed to stretch now, without the Force he definitely wouldn't have made it look easy to beat those Senshi.
Later that evening SunTzu was sitting on the bed in his small guest room, his phone on his ear.
"Are you doing alright, Firefly?"
"Yeah, sure. Being OPFOR at the academy is tons of fun. And it's great that I can do my part to prepare the new pilots the best we can do."
"That's great to hear. How's AICA?"
"Enjoying the attention she gets."
"Tell her I said hi."
"Aren't you guys communicating?"
"Everyday, but still. I have to make sure she doesn't forget about her other pilot."
Amused laughter came out of the phone.
"Listen, I gotta go, I gotta take care of some stuff."
"Uh, yeah sorry. Just wanted to check how you guys are."
"That's kind. Give my regards to the girls."
"Will do."
"Have a nice evening, SunTzu."
"You too, bye Hotaru."
Hotaru still had a smile on her face as she put the phone away from her ear.
She was wearing a purple summer dress and was sitting in a charming, little cafe, while the sun slowly was going down over this part of Coruscant, located in the south of the planet, where she had spent her last one and a half days of being off duty for the weekend. She looked up to the person sitting across the table from her.
"Sorry, that was SunTzu. He's training some friends of mine lately. Now, where do you'll take me out to tonight? Holotheater?"
SunTzu put the phone down as well and in that moment it knocked on the door.
"Come in." He said and CereCere came in, making SunTzu check the time.
"Did Luis already brought dinner?"
The pink-haired shook her head while she closed the door. "PallaPalla called him off, she wanted to cook. It's healthier if she cooks herself she always says, but she still needs some time. I'm here because of something else."
"And what could that be?" SunTzu expected her, as the oldest and most mature of the sisters, as the one who had been sent as emissary to tell them they were tired of the training.
"I wanted to say thank you."
SunTzu raised an eyebrow, what could be next, a sarcastic remark? He hadn't taken CereCere to be like her green-haired sister in these regards.
"Although it wasn't pleasant and it sure as hell wasn't good for our egos, you showed us our bounds. You even went all out, but I observed you, you didn't do it to humiliate us, or to show off. You really just wanted to teach us a lesson that the enemy will not have any mercy with us."
SunTzu said nothing and just looked at her.
"You do care a lot for your subordinates. I can see in how you changed up our individual training."
"I'm just trying to make the best out of you. Like I was ordered to do so."
A wry grin appeared on CereCere's face. "JunJun was actually pretty flattered when you praised her shooting."
"She is an outstanding shooter, I just wanted to tell her that."
The smile on CereCere's face vanished and she looked at the floor for a moment.
"You see, me and my sisters didn't have the easiest life."
SunTzu's gaze shot up at her, there was a certain kind of sadness displayed on the young woman's face.
"As you probably have noticed we all don't have the same father. Mother was… mother was... We don't know if she's still in Manaus or if she's even alive at all. She always did drink and took drugs, varying partners." She shrugged like it was the most normal thing. "It's a poor area up here. Our grandparents tried to persuade mom that we could be raised here, as it would have given us some stability, this house used to be their fazenda, but Mom rather ran away with us from our apartment than give us four a chance of a normal life. All we ever had was ourselves. We came back from Tokyo after meeting the other Senshi, thinking that maybe we finally could be a regular family with our grandparents, but we only got here to find out that they had died."
"I am sorry for all that you four had to go through."
A small smile crept back on the young woman's face. "Thank you. It's good to at least have a purpose. And although it's frightening sometimes, you have to understand it's rare for us that someone cares about us, it's nice that someone cares."
She looked at him and SunTzu nodded slowly, no biggie. "You're good with words and people, CereCere. Might should make a career out of it."
A small smile appeared on her face but soon turned sad. "Girls like us usually don't have the chance to get a career at all."
In that moment it knocked on the door and a moment later VesVes's voice came through the door.
"SunTzu? Dinner is ready."
What followed was another long and sleepless night for SunTzu and he questioned his mission.
I'm here to train these girls. To prepare them for duty in Taskforce Sol? Is there something that can prepare you for the horrors we all have been through? These girls should live their life in peace and not train for war… Just like Chibiusa and Hotaru…
A few nights later SunTzu was outside again, having his before-bed-smoke, leaning against the building. He sensed that someone was coming for him. She had learned, or should he say adapted fast, not being surprised that he was already looking at her, when she opened the door of the house.
There was no anger, antipathy or negative emotions senseable from her which hadn't been exactly happening too often since he had arrived here. She even tried to smile when she approached him.
"JunJun, what's the matter?"
"Uhm… I wanted to ask, and I know it's late and stuff, if you could show me some exercises that would benefit me for moving or fighting in the night. Or even train together with me."
She leaned against the wall as well, next to SunTzu.
"Are you not tired and exhausted? We trained quite hard today."
"I don't care I'm willing to do more." She held in for a moment. "I want to make it into Special Forces, I want to become a Wolf, just like Makoto-San."
SunTzu had feared that she would come up with something like this, she was the one who most keen on joining the fight.
"To become one of them you have to be more than just fit and willing. I'll be honest to you, you have to be ready and mentally-prepared to do things that people shouldn't do to each other."
"Like killing someone else."
SunTzu nodded slowly. "Yes, like killing someone else."
For a moment nobody said a word, both stared out into the dark night, SunTzu took a drag on his cigarette.
"I have killed before." The statement came without any emotion.
SunTzu side-eyed the teenager with a tired gaze, it were these moments where he sometimes could understand Chaos wanting to get rid of every lifeform in the Galaxy. He should have been shocked but somehow he wasn't. A fucking eighteen year old teenager telling him she killed before. And they were on one of the civilized planets of this Galaxy...
"It… we were at these Favela Funk a few years ago and there was this guy, he was tall and had lots of muscles. And he got touchy with PallaPalla and got real mad when she rejected him and CereCere told him to fuck off. Filho du puta waited for us outside and pulled out a revolver. We struggled and I got the gun, and next thing I know I'm still pulling the trigger but all six bullets are already sticking inside him and the only thing I hear is the click of the empty chamber." The absence of any emotions told SunTzu how severe it really had been for the girl.
SunTzu took a last draw and finished his cigarette, not putting it in the ashtray nearby but extinguishing it under his shoe. The next thing he did, was to pull out the package again, taking another one.
"Got one for me?"
SunTzu stopped within the motion.
Kid just told me she killed someone while she wasn't even old enough to make a driver's license and instead of questioning everything in existence, I'm here thinking about to give her a cigarette or not…
"Don't worry, I'm not much of a smoker." JunJun said when she noticed his reluctance.
SunTzu handed her a cigarette and then lighted it before he did so with one for himself.
For half a cigarette they were both just silently staring into the night, leaned against the house, but then SunTzu spoke again, pointing at her cigarette.
"Consider this thing as morale booster. After finishing it, you have five minutes to bring your rifle, armor and the largest, most heavily filled backpack that is in this house and we'll do a nice little night march to the city. And you'll lead, god help your soul if I have to step over one snake or one single car spots us.
She looked over to him, a small grin on her face. "Sir, yes, Sir."
Moving fast but silent and unseen, especially with a heavy loadout, was one of the most difficult things for any military force there was, but JunJun outperformed the standard SunTzu had set for her. And she did not curse one time while they moved towards Urucará.
Two kilometers out, SunTzu had called Luis and told him to wait for them at the city limits and then take them back to the Fazenda. The young Intelligence Agent wasn't thrilled to get thrown out of bed like this but professional enough to not complain.
Seeing the lights of the city JunJun had even accelerated her steps and SunTzu was walking silently behind her.
With a bit of training and experience that kid could be as good as Gunny Ortiz when it comes through maneuvering through the jungle. Fuck's sake, she's making it seem easy. And me… fuck, we just lost Fondor and I couldn't do shit about it. After the War we should all retire and leave the future of this Galaxy to kids with such talent.
Not long after they stopped next to Luis, waiting inside his pickup.
"Well, what's next. Another little hike back home?" JunJun asked, sweating in exhaustion but smiling with pride after SunTzu told her she did a good job, just having had a big gulp from a water bottle she had brought along.
"Nope, next is a lesson in infantry tactics. Sleep, when- and wherever you can. Mount up, recruit." SunTzu motioned to the bed of the pickup.
Both sat down and SunTzu told Luis that he could drive them back to the Fazenda.
Next to him JunJun tried to settle against the cabin of the truck but it seemed to be too uncomfortable for her.
"Mind if..?" She finally asked and SunTzu immediately responded.
"Sure."
The green-haired put her head on SunTzu's shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep.
While slowly the darkness of the night began to fade, SunTzu looked at his protege for a moment and then hatched out his plan for the girls more detailed again.
When they arrived at the house of the sisters, SunTzu sent JunJun to bed.
"You have around thirty minutes before day training starts. Sweet dreams."
Then he thanked Luis and told him he'd owe him one.
He followed the truck leaving with his gaze while he lighted another cigarette. Good thing there was Brazilian coffee he thought as he pulled out his phone and called a certain number.
The phone rang a few times before a drowsy voice answered.
"If this is a drunk declaration of love I'm revoking your flight clearance."
"Don't worry, for once it's other women that keep me up at night."
"Are the girls alright? Did something happen?" Setsuna asked, now sounding wide awake.
"It's all good, the sisters are doing fine. Listen, I have some proposals about their assignments but I'll need some help to make it all work."
When SunTzu had finished his call with Setsuna it was almost time for the morning roll call.
The last few days of the second week spun away and SunTzu and the girls upped their training intensity even more. Most nights he and JunJun put in an extra training, while when he came back, he had a look at the physics exercises he gave VesVes to solve. He didn't sleep much these days but the promise to make the best out of these young Senshi and make their dreams come true.
Setsuna, still busy with research at Cheyenne Mountain, and him used all their free time to bring his plan for the girls into motion and both had to pull some strings but eventually, good thing Helios still had a good connection to the ESDF-Academy in Geneva, they succeeded to do so.
It was a Friday, the last day of training and SunTzu and the girls started with a long morning run, having doubled their distance in the last two weeks before more exercises followed until the lunch break.
After lunch he assembled the girls again, content to see that they were now able to stand in a straight line, worthy of Guardians of Royalty.
SunTzu let his gaze wander over all of the girls one time before he spoke.
"I'll make it quick. That was it when it comes to your training with me. I'm proud of you guys, not once you quit."
A few happy smiles were the response and he took a moment before he continued.
"Lieutenant Colonel Meiou and me both share the same opinion as what should be each of your individual utilization."
The girls exchanged glances.
"I start with the downside. You four can't stay together."
The glances exchanged now were of worry.
"This is only temporarily though, for training and education purposes."
The girls now holding hands nodded with comprehension, part of becoming an adult was to let go as well. And it wasn't for forever.
SunTzu turned his gaze to CereCere and then PallaPalla.
"CereCere and PallaPalla your education will be in Tokyo. CereCere you're going to the university of Shibuya. To be prepared for your work in the Diplomatic Service of Crystal Tokyo."
While CereCere's jaw dropped, SunTzu's gaze fixed on PallaPalla's face.
"PallaPalla, the Soichi-Tomoe-Hospital in Crystal Tokyo will make sure that you get an excellent education as nurse."
The blue-haired let out a happy scream and CereCere laid an arm on her shoulder.
SunTzu looked over to JunJun and VesVes.
"You two are going to Geneva, Switzerland. JunJun you get basic and advanced infantry as well as ensuing Special Forces training with the Earth Space Defence Force before deploying back to Crystal Tokyo. Don't disappoint the spirit of Serenity's Wolves."
SunTzu nodded at her firmly and she nodded back the same way.
"Won't let you down, Captain."
And then SunTzu looked at the very anticipated looking VesVes.
"VesVes, I'm pretty sure you know what comes now. Get those wings future-cadet, Sol is waiting for you as new starfighter pilot."
The girls cheered with and for each other happily, hugging and chatting loudly.
SunTzu gave them a moment before he cleared his voice, the girls knew what that meant and fell back into line.
"Good work, Recruits." SunTzu saluted and the girls, although it wasn't perfectly looking, saluted back. "You're dismissed."
While the girls left for the house, talking to each other, a hint of sadness because they had to split for a time but also joyful for the chances, SunTzu stayed back.
He lighted a cigarette and pulled out his phone and began to write a message.
Later that afternoon SunTzu was packing his stuff in his small room, when it knocked on the door.
"Come in." SunTzu said, getting back to packing and hoping that the girls would not intervene now with getting parted into pairs.
The door opened and revealed all four sisters, the oldest of them was the one to speak first.
"Hey SunTzu, we know that these last few days were hard for you too, but we were asking ourselves if you'd like to come along to celebrate a bit with us."
"We wouldn't feel right if just letting you leave without a little bit of farewell party. PallaPalla chimed in.
"Yeah, you can't visit Brasil and not have a good time at least once." The third-oldest of the sisters was next.
"We'll play some pool, you can have a cold cerveja, we all will have some Churrasco. I wouldn't mind some stories from space either."
SunTzu turned around, he knew that the girls were thinking better of him but that wasn't exactly what he had awaited as well. It felt great, that they actually wanted to share their first free evening since weeks with him.
Luis joined the quintet and brought them to a restaurant in the city. The food was fantastic and SunTzu had to admit that Churrasco, the brasilian BBQ, definitely lived up to its hype.
Afterwards they dropped into a small bar with a pool table.
They played billard, the two guys not having any chance against any of the sisters and after a few rounds Luis said his goodbyes for tonight.
SunTzu and the girls played another round of pool, before they made him tell them something from the places he had gotten to since ever he had woken up on Kamino. All the stories he told were on the joyful side, he didn't want to spoil the night.
They took a taxi home as it already was after midnight.
While the four sister went to bed SunTzu finished his packing before he began to do the first planning of his next mission, he felt restless, hoping he had done the right for the girls, and deep down he hoped that the Shadow War would be over before the Sailor Quartet would be in active duty. But it was back to the Taskforce for him and the Taskforce would leave soon for the War again.
Good thing he hadn't drunken just a few beers and stayed away from Cachaca and Caipirinhas.
The next morning came and SunTzu was up a few minutes before the girls, he was already outside waiting for Luis, when the four sisters, and shortly after the Intelligence Agent, joined him.
The girls had decided to sit on the pickup's bed, not really listening to SunTzu's advice to take care and sit down proper.
A touch of woefulness was in the air on the drive to the small airport of Urucará.
Luis drove to the hangars directly and a the Cessna Setsuna had flown SunTzu to Urucará with was already waiting there for him again.
Luis stopped close to the plane and Setsuna smiled when she saw the four girls. The girls were really happy to see her again and jumped from the truck to say their hellos and hug the older Senshi, hugs the tender, older Senshi happily reciprocated.
In the meantime SunTzu said his goodbyes to Luis and thanked him for his help. He also told him to keep an eye out for the girls and the Brazilian promised to do so.
SunTzu got out of the pickup and took his large backpack from the backseat before he walked to the small plane.
Setsuna, probably almost as tired as him after her long trip from the United States to this place, looked of course gorgeous and SunTzu had to admit that he had a thing for her jungle looks, this time cargo shorts and a linen shirt. Not that this women ever had not looked flawless, probably in all her millennia-long life.
While the girls let her know how happy they were to begin their new training and gave her rundown of the last two weeks, Setsuna watched SunTzu, who was storing his backpack in the aircraft, out of the corner of her eyes. She knew him well enough to see that he was tired and exhausted, those rings under his eyes, his mimic a bit more stiff than usual. The training with the girls must have taken a lot out of him.
SunTzu finished storing his luggage and walked around the plane before he stopped in front of the quartet. Setsuna and the girls understood and while the older Senshi took a step back the girls fixed their attention on SunTzu.
He looked at VesVes first. "As soon as it is somehow possible, I'll make sure Hotaru and AICA give you a trip to space."
"Thanks." She pressed her lips together and then smiled. SunTzu extended his hand to her.
"Fair skies and tailwinds on your journey." Both smiled as they shook hands and after they finished SunTzu turned to JunJun.
"Who would have thought that both of us would survive this?" Both smiled as each other as they too shook hands. After ending the handshake, SunTzu put his index finger on the side of his temple. "It's all about the mindset." Both nodded at each other and then SunTzu turned to PallaPalla.
"Miss PallaPalla."
The blue-haired, young woman looked up to him not sure what would follow.
"Since I usually do the opposite I am immensely glad there are still people out there who want to save people lives." He told her with a severe voice and then took a small glance at Setsuna before he turned to the blunette. "You'll be a wonderful nurse."
He extended his hand and PallaPalla looked at it for a moment before she threw her hands around him and hugged him.
"Thank you, Captain SunTzu, Sir." SunTzu looked around in surprise before he began to pat her back, none of the other four women around them could prevent themselves from smiling.
He took a deep breather before he turned to CereCere. "I think I do know what makes a good diplomat. And I know you got that potential. In a few years I probably have to address you as Ma'am." A last honest smile with the oldest of the sisters as they shook hands.
SunTzu let his gaze roam over the four sisters a last time and let it stop at VesVes and JunJun.
"Usually there's a bit of downtime after basic training, I'll make sure you four can see each other."
That said he turned to Setsuna and nodded at her.
He didn't look back when he entered the plane while behind him Setsuna said her goodbye to the girls and then rounded the plane and got in, sitting down on the pilot seat.
She was surprised to find SunTzu in the copilot's seat and even more so as she noticed that he was already sleeping.
She watched as the girls waved a last time after they had entered the pickup's cargo space again.
Setsuna had to grin, she was happy to have seen the girls and after they had left, she glanced at SunTzu, who was completely gone.
I know you were the right choice to train them and make sure they would get the assignment most fitting for them. We all knew.
She stared at him, glad that he was sleeping, hoping that he would find some well deserved rest. She marveled at his handsome face and, Holy Olymp, this scene she had observed just now, it was so sexy when he acted like a father figure.
She began to smile, warmly. She was proud of him, he hadn't told her but she understood why SunTzu had done so much to bring the girls to those places they would train at. He wanted to keep them away from combat, from the War, as long and far as he possibly could. Her smile got even wider as she turned her eyes away from him and started the engine of the Cessna.
She really shouldn't fly alone in a plane with him, next time she probably would join the Mile High Club. Definitely if he would bring out his daddy persona before taking off again.
Setsuna shook her head, it was time to concentrate on flying, they were needed at home.
A few minutes later, Setsuna was steering the plane in traveling altitude over the Amazonas, towards Manaus, SunTzu had not opened his eyes one time and was soundly sleeping.
Now that Setsuna had a moment to take her full concentration off the plane, she looked at him again. After a few moments, having made sure he really was sleeping deep, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
With a smile she turned back.
Maybe, just maybe, he really was becoming the man he should become.