Trojan Chapter 1: Discovery, a sailor moon fanfic

TROJAN

Chapter 1: "Discovery"

A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Endymion surveyed the table of Cabinet Ministers with an inquiring gaze. The meeting had been productive. Japan had been rebuilt to pre-ice disaster days. The people were happy, for the most part. China and North Korea were worrisome, but it was a back-burner worry. Life and routine were re-establishing after the disruption of COVID. But thankfully the last few years hadn't seen any invading aliens, power-hungry geniuses or supernatural outbursts. It had allowed the world, the Senshi and particularly his government a chance to focus on their own needs.

"Any other business?" he asked.

As his gaze went from one Minister to another, Endymion could see that several were anxious to get back to work. He was about to dismiss them when he noticed hesitance from Yuriko Watanabe. She was Minister of Finance in his government, a bookish woman with short black hair, large black horn-rim glasses and a tailored suit over a very petite frame. Watanabe seemed concerned about something, but reluctant to bring it up and prolong the meeting.

"Minister Watanabe?" he ventured. "You seem concerned about something."

"Well," she began, feeling the impatient stares of several of her colleagues, "it's been brought to my attention by one of the department auditors. Maybe it's nothing."

"Go on."

"Well, Your Majesty," Watanabe continued, "he's found accounting discrepancies in the accounts of government rebuild assistance payments to several major Japanese industrial firms. It's nothing major - - probably no more than point zero zero zero one percent of the entire payment for the year. It could very well be simple accounting errors."

"If it was one or two companies, I'd be likely to agree with you," Endymion said. "Just how many is 'several'?"

"There have only been discoveries in four companies," Watanabe explained. "Toho Electronics, Fujitsu Heavy Industries, Daimon Telecommunications and Yamanaka Oceanic Enterprises."

"Diverse enough not to suggest a conspiracy," Endymion reasoned. "Headquartered all over Japan, as I recall."

"Yamanaka is in the north," Watanabe said. "Toho is in the south."

"It's probably just sloppy bookkeeping," grumbled another Minister.

"I can have my auditors continue to probe," offered Watanabe.

"Do that," nodded Endymion. "We should be thorough. This is Tokyo and our history suggests that the smallest incident can lead to something more problematic." He thought a moment. "Can you have the specifics of the probe transmitted to my computer station?"

"Certainly, Your Majesty," Watanabe replied. "It's a lot of data to sort through, though. Are you certain you have enough time to properly digest it?"

"Actually, I was going to have someone else look it over," Endymion told her. Picking up his desk phone, the King pushed the preset to connect him with Artemis.

In the Royal Receiving Room, Queen Serenity held court. Sailor Jupiter was by her side as bodyguard. Serenity was chatting with a middle-age man who had traveled to Tokyo from Kochi just to see her. The Queen treated him like an old friend, even though she had never met him before, and gently inquired about his family, the quality of his life and what he aspired to for the future. Jupiter still marveled at the ease in which the Queen related to people and drew them out. Even though she'd seen it since Serenity's ascension eight years ago, it still amazed the woman.

Fortunately he was the last guest of the day. These "meet the people" sessions seemed to get longer and longer. This particular one had lasted for three hours and Jupiter was getting tired of standing. Plus the time was approaching four pm and she had some place to be. Fortunately, so did Serenity.

"Hon'," Jupiter whispered, leaning over and tapping the Queen on the shoulder, "it's almost four."

"OH MY GOODNESS, IT IS!" gasped Serenity. "I apologize, Kuromi-San, but I have something pressing at four and I simply MUST go!"

"You go right ahead, Your . . ." he began, but stopped when Serenity wagged her finger at him, "um, Serenity. You've spent more than enough time with me. Certainly more than I expected."

"And please let me know if your son gets into University," she smiled. Both Jupiter and the visitor felt the flood of warm happiness wash over them.

As Kuromi turned to leave, two security guards escorting him out, Serenity hiked up her skirt and dashed for the side door. Jupiter briskly followed.

"Hon', I want to get down there, too," Jupiter chuckled, transforming back into Makoto Kino-Ikegami as she walked, "but put your skirt down. You'll have Luna after you again."

"So? She scolds me about everything else!" was the Queen's reply.

The pair made it down to the port for the palace vehicle garage just as nineteen children ranging in age from twelve to seventeen emerged. One of them belonged to Makoto. The other eighteen, refugees from several orphan situations over the years that Serenity had taken in, belonged to the Queen.

As the eighteen children swarmed around Serenity, Makoto to her surprise found Akiko with Ichiro. Now off on her own, Akiko was now as tall as her mother was, as broad and if anything even more athletic-looking. Her straight black hair fell down her back to her shoulders. Ichiro, sixteen and beginning to bud as a man, hung back behind his sister as always. When he was younger, Ichiro had been seen as timid. With the onset of puberty, suddenly a segment of the female population at his school saw him as an attractive blend of brooding and mysterious. Even now, Makoto noticed the looks Serenity's adopted daughter Setsuko gave her son. It brought back nostalgic memories of the way she looked at "her sempai" when she was that age.

"Well this is a surprise," Makoto said to Akiko, enveloping the girl in a hug. Akiko could have easily resisted it, but "Mom-hugs" was one of the few things both women could agree on. "Usually the only time I see you is when you have laundry." Akiko, nineteen now, lived outside the palace with her wife Kimiko.

"Riot, Mom," sighed the girl. "Got a test to study for. I was hoping to borrow the chem library in Aunt Ami's lab. And maybe use the equipment."

"And maybe stay long enough for dinner?" Makoto observed. She got a little pout from her daughter and smiled.

"Kimiko's cooking is just fine, THANK YOU," huffed her daughter.

"They do have lab equipment at the university," Makoto observed.

"Not like Aunt Ami's," countered Akiko.

"How about you, Champ?" she asked, turning to her son.

"I've got to work on my English," he sighed. "I wish Aunt Ami could tutor me. She speaks English better than some Americans."

"And I'm sure she'd love to do it," Makoto replied. "So don't ask her. She's way too busy."

"Yes, Mom," Ichiro sighed.

"Come on. Let's get ready for dinner. I pulled bodyguard duty, so nothing's started yet. Maybe you can help, Champ?"

"Wow! Special occasion!" gasped Akiko. "You usually don't want anybody within five meters of the kitchen when you're cooking!"

"Smart mouth," huffed Makoto as Ichiro chuckled.

"Minako," Ami sighed with eroding patience, "I'm rather busy."

Minako sat in Ami's office at the palace, wearing hip-hugging jeans and a flower print short sleeve blouse. She sat across from Ami's desk, which was piled with files, envelopes and papers. As Chief Medical Officer for Japan, as appointed by the King and Queen, Ami was charged with making Japan's medical operation run smoothly and efficiently. Minako, on the other hand, was between films and between albums. She had intruded on her friend and fellow Senshi in search of inspiration for a new character she was in negotiations to play.

"When aren't you busy?" Minako shot back. Ami was wearing her office uniform of a charcoal blouse with long puffed sleeves, a knee length light gray pencil skirt and black hose with low heels. "I don't know when you find time to pay attention to Mr. Boring."

"Hayami is not . . ." Ami began, then thought better of it. "I am in the middle of a major overhaul of the national health care system, as well as preparing a budget for the next fiscal quarter for the Diet. And I have to review a dozen cases that have frankly left the attending physician at a loss. I don't have time to give you pointers on how to be an efficient doctor."

"Do you delegate anything?" Minako asked incredulously. Ami's shoulders slumped.

"If I examine the situation critically, I admit that I do have difficulty delegating," Ami said softly. She adjusted her glasses. "It's just that . . ."

"There are other doctors who passed the bar, you know," Minako persisted.

"Attorneys pass the bar, doctors do internships and acquire licenses," Ami sighed. "And my staff is quite competent. But I can do the work faster and more efficiently. And the key is getting the work done."

"Not if it wrecks your health."

"I assure you that I'm in excellent physical condition. That was confirmed by my most recent check-up."

"OK. What about up here?" Minako asked and tapped the side of her head. "When was the last time you slept in? Or sat in an old shirt in front of the TV and watched cartoons? Or went for a walk in the park with Mr. Boring? When was the last time you had fun - - which I guess in your case would be reading some book on thermonuclear physics."

Ami's glance turned away.

"When was the last time you wrote a poem?" Minako asked gently.

"How did you know about that?" gasped Ami.

"Hell, everybody knew," Minako scoffed. Ami's gaze persisted. "OK, Rei read it one day and blabbed to the rest of us. That's not the point. Remember the old saying: All work and no play gives you dull pencils."

Ami took a moment to refocus.

"Perhaps your concern is justified," Ami admitted. "I do have trouble letting go occasionally. I think dinner and a night out with Hayami might indeed be warranted."

"Now you're talking," nodded Minako. "And now that I've done you a favor . . ."

"Minako," Ami sighed, "I'm not really a practicing physician any longer. I'm more of an administrator. I doubt that's what your script calls for."

"No?"

"No."

Minako slumped in her chair, a look of frustration on her face. But almost instantly she brightened.

"Well, do you know any practicing physicians that I could follow around?" she asked. "Preferably a gorgeous single one?"

Rei Hino sat before an incense burner, her legs tucked beneath her, and tried to meditate. It was never easy for her and tonight was no exception. Her knees hurt. The incense irritated her nose. And thoughts would creep into her mind, a mind she was trying to clear. A few were impressions of people passing by the shrine, their auras detected by her keen senses. Mostly they were hers, little frustrations from the day that refused to be dismissed from her consciousness. That in turn led to more frustration and made it even more difficult to achieve inner peace.

"It doesn't diminish you," she heard a voice say behind her. Rei opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Her great-grandmother Moriko was standing there. "Not being able to meditate. Personally, I always thought meditation was overrated."

"It would be a nice skill to have, though," sighed the priest. "Give me something to calm myself when life gets to me."

"You do fine, Rei-chan," Moriko offered. "You're just too hard on yourself. Find a scene in nature that seems to you perfect. Then take on the robes of that perfection and let them cloak you on your path."

"Robes of perfection?" Rei muttered in confusion.

Just then, Serenity swept back the doors of the shrine and glided in. But just as suddenly, she stopped.

"Oh! Rei-chan, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were entertaining. How are you doing, Moriko-obasan?"

"I'm well, Queen Serenity. Was there something you wanted to ask my Rei-chan?"

"Um, well," Serenity began, hoping Rei would read the problem and she wouldn't have to explain it. But the priest only waited expectantly. "I guess I'm worried about Ami-chan."

"She's working too hard," Rei nodded.

"Did you read that?"

"No, I noticed."

"I've tried cutting her workload back, but she's so insistent. And you know her work is always great. I even tried ordering her to take a day off."

"Bet that went well," chuckled Rei.

"I can't help it! I'm not good at ordering people around!" The Queen grew a guilty look. "So I thought - - maybe you could do it?"

"Why do I have to be the bad guy?"

"Because you're so good at it?"

Rei glared at Serenity and the corners of the Queen's mouth began to turn up involuntarily.

"Well, somebody's got to say something!" Serenity whined, growing serious again. "And you're a priest. She'll listen to you."

"You're the Queen! Your words carry more weight than mine ever could!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese?"

Rei exhaled a frustrated sigh. "OK, I'll give it a shot."

"OH, THANK YOU REI-CHAN!" Serenity squealed. She hugged her friend and then glided out of the room.

"And I wonder why I can't meditate," muttered the raven-haired priest.

"Think of it as offering spiritual guidance," Moriko advised her. "That is your calling, isn't it?"

"It isn't that. I am genuinely worried that Ami is working too hard," Rei replied. "It's just that I hate giving into Serenity when she acts like a five-year-old."

Luna entered the office she shared with Artemis. Seeing the white cat hard at work at his laptop, she leaped up onto the desk and came over. As usual, the screen was filled, to her, with programming gibberish. Rubbing her chin against his, she pulled back when he kept his concentration on his work.

"What on Earth are you doing?" the black cat asked.

"Project for Endymion," Artemis mumbled as he concentrated on the flashing type.

"That's 'His Majesty"," she bristled. "Is there a new threat? It's been quiet for several years now."

"Not to the crown or country," he replied. The screen stopped scrolling and waited patiently for the next command. "But someone's been stealing a lot of pennies from a lot of people."

"Indeed?"

"The Finance Ministry found the first four instances, each with financial discrepancies of a few dollars here, a couple hundred yen there," Artemis explained. "Nothing that would be noticed, or would be shrugged off as an input error if it was."

"You found more?"

"Eighteen more," Artemis replied. "In sixteen different businesses and two governments ranging over half the globe."

"Really?" gasped Luna. "And all for small amounts?"

"Every time."

"But to what end?"

"Actually, it's a very subtle form of embezzlement." Luna seemed puzzled. "You're a thief. If you take a penny each from a million people, how many are going to notice or do anything about it? And yet, you've got ten thousand dollars."

"Seems rather labor-intensive, if you ask my opinion," sniffed Luna.

"Not really," Artemis said. "All you need is a computer and the right programs to hack financial systems and transfer funds. I could probably do it if I put my mind to it."

"Thank you, no," Luna replied. "I prefer not to be partnered to a criminal." She refocused on the computer. "Have you told His Majesty yet?"

"No. I really want to keep digging and find out just how many targets this person has hit. It's kind of like a treasure hunt." He paused. "I guess I should update him."

"I'll be happy to do so, Artemis," Luna offered. "You continue with your 'treasure hunt'."

"Really? Thanks," and he nuzzled Luna's cheek, then went back to work.

Feeling herself blushing, Luna leaped to the floor and scurried off to report to King Endymion.

Continued in Chapter 2