Sailor Moon V * The Dark Adventures of the Sailor Scouts Episode Twelve * "On Wings of Chaos" The moon shown on the display unit was a small one by cosmic standards, being about a third the size of Earth's moon. Called Nathanya by those who viewed it in the sky on an almost nightly basis, it was a pale yellow moon that was for the most part largely nondescript, having only a few distinguishing features to set it apart from any other moon of similar size and color. The video feed seemed to be almost boring as it remained focused on the miniature moon, doing nothing but watching in complete silence. The monotony only lasted for a few moments before the entire moon seemed to shiver for an instant, a brief and very subtle wobbling motion that would have been easily overlooked if the focus hadn't been so intense. A dark crack suddenly appeared on the lunar surface, marring the casual smoothness of the yellow terrain with a jagged line that seemed to ooze thick red magma from deep within the core. The moon shivered again, this time for a little longer than before and added another pair of visible red gashes to the moon's previously featureless face. "We simply don't know what is causing the gravity fluctuations," a very uneasy voice said in the denizen language. The words had both a slight slur and a distinct accent to them, denoting the speaker as one of the conquered Renn inhabitants. "Most blame the quantum accident that destroyed our dark moon Jalandor, but none of the scientists believe this is possible. Regardless of the cause, there is growing unease among the population that this phenomenon is neither transient nor containable. The surviving World Rangers point to the death of their High Priestess and the shattering of the WorldStone as proof that our world will likewise be destroyed and soon." A third tremor rocked the tiny moon, adding yet more magma-oozing cracks to the surface and giving the impression that it was getting ready to shatter into fragments at any minute now. "We expect Nathanya to break up within the hour," the voice said in a subdued tone. "If we assume that the cause is in fact the quantum experiment that destroyed Jalandor and that it is spreading, it will take three weeks to reach the moon of Hallas and will not reach the planet until thirteen weeks after that. "However," the speaker warned ominously, "By that time the moon of Paleste will have passed near the remains of Nathanya. Paleste's gravity well is all but guaranteed to disturb the debris, and several scientists believe that this will send a significant number of asteroids and the like towards the homeworld itself. Given the odds that we will be struck by multiple fragments that will be too big to burn up in the atmosphere, I have no illusions as to our chances of survival in the wake of the utter devastation that will be visited upon us. "Therefore, I intend to request an immediate audience with World Governor Pra'dek and the Red Wing forces, at which point I will urge them to begin a planetary evacuation of the homeworld's population to a safe haven through the dimensional rift, inside their world. I realize that many of you have branded me a traitor and have sought my death as punishment for my recent actions, but you must realize that I am doing this to ensure that we as a species will still survive this catastrophe." The room was deathly silent as Ar'kanis switched off the recording with a simple gesture of his hand. The armored general sighed quietly to himself before he lifted his head up to look at the bed, making note of the look on both Nop'tera and Sor'en's faces. "Ar'kanis...." Nop'tera said, her voice barely more than a whisper as she leaned her head back to rest on the pillow. Her complexion was unusually pale, making the skin seem to be a shade of powder-blue. Her face was clearly etched with lines of weariness as she continued to recover from the allergic reaction to the tranquilizer. "The drone came through the Hinterland rift twenty minutes ago," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly, acutely aware of both the early hour of the morning and of how little sleep both he and Nop'tera had managed to get since they last spoke. "I felt this was important enough to disturb the both of you." "The entire planet," Sor'en murmured to herself, slowly shaking her head as she continued to hold her mother's hand in a gentle grip. "No, the entire star system," Nop'tera whispered as she closed her eyes. "Even if it stops now and only Nathanya is destroyed, the debris will end up bombarding the planet and the other moons sooner or later. Paleste's gravity will see to that," she pointed out in a weak tone. "Can they evacuate the entire planet?" Sor'en inquired in a dubious tone, giving Ar'kanis a skeptical look. "I thought they only had a handful of heavy cruisers left, certainly not enough to shuttle a few billion slugs around." "Enough to form a sustainable and viable colony," Ar'kanis sighed with a slow flexing of his draconic wings. A muted growl of frustration rose up from Nop'tera's chest as she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "Damn it, this couldn't come at a worse time," she sighed. "Ar'kanis, the logistics...." "Can be handled by the military," Ar'kanis interrupted gently. "That is, after all, part of their core function. However, they will need to start the process now if we are to have a decent chance of success. If what was said is correct, then the asteroids will begin to approach the planet in four months. I would like to have everything ready on our side of the rift in three, just to be certain. It will require a lot of work, but I have every confidence that it can be done in that timeframe." "If the rest of the military will cooperate," Sor'en pointed out in a dark tone. "Right now, I bet they wouldn't give us the time of day if we asked." "Leave that to me," Ar'kanis said calmly, causing Nop'tera to blink and make an attempt at sitting up again. Her body was still well beyond exhausted from the after-effects of the allergic reaction, however, and so her upper body only made it a few inches off the sheets before abruptly falling back down with a soft whumph. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Sor'en immediately looked down at her mother and frowned, unconsciously gripping her hand tighter. "Are you sure you're alright, Mother?" she asked for the seventh time. "Sor'en, if you ask me that one more time...." Nop'tera started to say. "Nop'tera," Ar'kanis said softly, causing the dark general to fall silent. "There is a time when it is best for a leader to hide her pain from her troops so as not to affect their morale, and there is a time in which being honest to them is for the greater good. How bad is it at the moment?" Nop'tera looked at him in silence for several moments before casting a brief glance towards her daughter. "I can barely move right now," she admitted in an almost inaudible whisper, looking away from them. "It took two days the last time before I could walk again, and a full week after that before I had my full strength back." "What?" Sor'en gasped, blinking hard. "Wait, what happened?" "The Dark Kiss of Bliss, Sor'en," Ar'kanis explained quietly. "For some reason, the Chief Medical Officer administered it last night. What he failed to realize is that your mother is allergic to it, which results in extreme weakness of her muscles for several days." "You're allergic to that?" Sor'en said, blinking in surprise again as she regarded her mother with a deeply worried look. "Nobody's immune to everything," Nop'tera admitted with what might have been a note of humor and a faint blush of embarrassment on her pale cheeks. "In your mother's case, the drug works all too well," Ar'kanis added with a faint gesture. "She is tranquilized, alright, but just a little harder than was intended." "That's enough, Ar'kanis," Nop'tera muttered, casting a sidelong glance at him and wondering what he was up to. She was privately grateful for the fact that he hadn't made the slightest mention of the rather psychotic episode she had undergone as her body tried to fight off the drug. Sor'en glanced at the armored general before returning her ash-gray eyes to the pale countenance of her mother. "So what does this mean?" she asked in an unusually soft tone. "That will be discussed very shortly, Brigadier, I assure you," Ar'kanis said in a neutral tone. "I will inform you and the rest of the Red Wings once General Nop'tera and I have come to a suitable understanding. For the moment, I think it would be best if you were to oversee the bridge and listen most carefully for any signs of activity from anyone, be it another drone from the rift, our sister ships, or the rest of the Negaverse military. The drone was broadcasting in the open, so I'm sure everyone who was paying attention is now aware of the situation in the Hinterlands and will want to ask questions. If someone does ask someone else, I want to know who and what." Sor'en blinked and carefully eased off of the bed, not sure what to make of the formal shift in his tone. "Understood, sir," she said as she stood up straight, still wearing her night-clothes instead of a proper uniform. "Sor'en," Ar'kanis said gently, "You need not be overly worried for your mother's health or well-being. Think of it as merely a debilitating headcold, something that all of us have had at various points in our lives. Life for the sufferer will not be pleasant, but it will pass in time. Your mother will be back to normal within seven days, I assure you. Now go change and report to the bridge, I will be along shortly." "Sir," Sor'en replied with a crisp salute. She paused to cast a final look of daughterly worry towards her mother before she turned and left to go back to her own quarters. Only a keen observer would have been able to discern Nop'tera's shifting the focus of her featureless yellow eyes, seeming to narrow just slightly. She turned her attention from her departing daughter to Ar'kanis as he strode over to the control panel on the wall. A simple tap of an armored fingertip closed the bedroom door with a soft hiss, and a second tap promptly engaged the lock. The air became disturbingly still as he then turned to look at her for a number of moments in perfect silence. She hadn't bothered to get dressed from earlier and was still completely naked, but the bedsheets and covers provided enough concealment to ensure that she was in no danger of exposing anything. "General Ar'kanis," she finally said after what seemed to be a full minute of uneasy silence. "Surely you of all people know how much I dislike being set up for something. What precisely do you intend to do?" "End this," the armored figure said quietly, causing Nop'tera to tense up at the dark chill that suddenly crept down her spine. "I'm listening," she prodded in a very leery tone, absently tucking the sheets a little tighter around her. A soft sigh echoed out from the confines of his helmet as he looked away from the bed. "I want you to give me command of the Red Wings," he said very quietly. "Three days should be enough to accomplish this. Please, hear me," he added as he raised a hand to forestall the expected outburst of questions. She stared hard at him for several seconds before she closed her eyes and tried to relax. "Again, I'm listening," she said with a discernible edge, the corners of her dark blue lips pulled down into a mild scowl. "It is a simple statement of fact that you are not fit for duty," he said in a calm and level voice. "Rather than have you relieved on medical grounds, I ask that you voluntarily yield command. This will then be explained to the rest of the V'ral as such, that their general knows she has to rest and is not afraid to trust her soldiers to protect her during a momentary weakness. As I said to Sor'en, it will be no worse than the time you caught the same headcold that two-thirds of the V'ral fought off during the insurgency of Vul Rein." Nop'tera grunted quietly out of sheer reflex, not needing to be reminded about how she had suffered over the course of six very long days. Her immune system was robust enough to fight off most viral infections, but every now and then she encountered a bug that was able to linger around long enough to make her life fairly miserable. The bug in question had been both quite prolific and highly mutable, which was why it had lasted as long as it had among the rest of the crew despite the strict hygienic routines practiced aboard the ship. "That much I understand," she said carefully. "But the rest of what you said, about how you plan on ending this...." "By 'this' I mean the problem between you and General Rune," he replied. "And I believe it can be done without further violence or bloodshed. I spoke with Fleet Admiral Si'ren after your encounter with Rune and her crystal sword. The substance of the conversation is not important enough to relate, as she had her orders from Rune and I had mine from you. What is important, however, is that I got the impression that she is nobody's fool and can be reasoned with. "What I intend to do is leave Sor'en in command of the V'ral while I use one of our remaining aircraft to fly over to the Imperial Castle to meet with Admiral Si'ren in person for a very frank face-to-face discussion. The intent will be to avert a war between us, or more precisely, between you and Rune. If she and I can come to an agreement, then I will return here with the intention of persuading you to accept the terms as negotiated while she does the same with General Rune." Nop'tera's eyes promptly snapped open to stare at the ceiling. She then tilted her head slightly to regard him very carefully in silence. "The terms as negotiated, Ar'kanis?" she finally echoed in a soft tone that revealed very little of what she might be thinking. "If I didn't know better, I might think that you intend on selling me out." "Diplomacy, my general, means you don't always get everything that you want from the other party," he said in a distinctly cold tone. "Or do you have so little faith left in me that you think I would negotiate our surrender to General Rune?" "Of course not," she murmured with a sigh as she closed her eyes again. She almost opened them again as she heard the soft rasping and clanking of his heavy armor as he crossed the room. The metallic noises continued for a brief moment even after his footsteps stopped, followed by a soft creaking noise as a weight was settled onto the corner of the bed. She was about to open her eyes to see what he was doing when she felt a warm hand lightly caressing her cheek, moments before his lips brushed against hers in an unmistakable gesture. It was only through sheer force of will that she managed to keep her eyes closed, realizing that it meant that he had taken his helmet off in order to kiss her. That he was doing so was surprising enough to shock her into near- total paralysis, able to do little more than yield to the unexpected warmth and depth of the intimate gesture. "Nop'tera," he murmured very softly once their lips parted, the timbre of his unhelmeted voice sending a tingle down her spine. "Have you no trust in me anymore? I would do anything for you, anything at all, and only ask for your acknowledgment of my service in return. What I seek is to save you from all this, to save everyone from this." "What do you mean?" she asked quietly. She felt the weight from the bed disappear and heard a soft rasping noise, causing her to hesitate for a moment before opening her eyes to look at him. He was still standing next to the bed but had just finished locking his helmet back into place, sparing her the sight of seeing his face again. Her blood promptly turned to slush as she caught a glimpse of his ungloved hand, quickly averting her gaze as she did her best to keep her expression from changing. "There can be no good coming from a conflict between you and Rune," he pointed out, the acoustics of his helmet once again masking his voice with a chilling sepulchral echo. "Such in-fighting is of no benefit to anyone, least of all the ones directly involved. What we need now is a unified military, one that can work together efficiently to deal with the crisis that appears to be brewing in the Hinterlands. We both know why you picked General Pra'dek to be your overseer while you returned to the Negaverse, and we both know how he will react to this threat. He will do what he can to save as many Renn as possible, and in turn we must be ready to do our part to help him. That cannot be done if we are too busy fighting amongst ourselves." She waited until she was absolutely sure that he had put his armored glove back on before turning to look at him again. "And you really think you can do this, Ar'kanis?" she inquired softly with just a hint of dry sarcasm to her voice. "Settle matters in three days and make us all one big happy family?" "I believe I can reach an accord with Admiral Si'ren," he replied in a calm tone. "Or at least reach a mutual understanding. What comes after that, however, all depends on how much influence she has on General Rune. I have no idea if she can be persuaded or not, but I am fairly confident that I will be able to get you to understand the situation from my perspective once I return to the V'ral and have a chance to discuss it with you." "Really, now," she said in a flat tone, giving him an unamused look that was bordering on being unfriendly. Ar'kanis froze in mid-motion before turning to regard her very carefully. "Are you implying you will not listen to me?" he inquired in a studious tone. "Or that you have no desire to be open to compromise, or even understanding? If that is the case, my general, then you disappoint me greatly." It took Nop'tera a moment to get her temper under control, the edges of her lips unconsciously curling back to expose her vampiric fangs. "Ar'kanis, with as much as I value your counsel and services, I do not appreciate being maligned like that," she warned him in a low tone. "I seek an end to this just as much as you do, but it will be on my terms and not General Rune's." "And do you not think I will seek to arrange that?" the armored general replied quietly. "I will be honest, my general, there are probably a few minor points I will have to yield on or otherwise allow Si'ren to have, but I assure you that it is very likely that you will find the end result to be largely to your satisfaction. Unless, of course, you do not see things as I see them, which is entirely possible as we are both individuals. Regardless, I have a duty both to you and to the Negaverse military that I swore an oath to serve to do my best to see this resolved as swiftly as possible and for the greater good of the Negaverse. Surely you understand this, my general." "I do, Ar'kanis," she sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of utter helplessness at the moment. Her body was still too weakened to respond properly, making it difficult to even lift her head up. She knew it would pass in a day or two, but that didn't help her mood in the slightest. "Then if you will excuse me, my general, there is much to be done," he rumbled quietly as he reached for the door lock. He paused as he suddenly remembered something and cast a sidelong glance at her. "You will, I trust, yield command of the Red Wings until your convalescence is complete?" he asked in an uncharacteristically wary tone. A silent growl of frustration rose up from Nop'tera's chest. "I will," she finally said after several seconds of silence. "However, I ask that you do not make me regret it, Ar'kanis. It is bad enough I feel absolutely useless at the moment, I don't need to be adding remorse to the situation." "Honestly, my general, when have I ever not tried to do so?" he pointed out with just a faint hint of humor to the otherwise chilled echo of his tone. "You know what I mean," she grumbled quietly with another soft sigh. She paused as she heard the near-silent tap of his fingertip against the panel and the equally quiet sound of the locks being withdrawn. "Ar'kanis...." she said on pure impulse as the memory of what was said last night resurfaced. "My general?" he inquired. She absently chewed on the edge of her lip before she decided there wasn't too much to lose at this point and drew in a deep breath. "About the storage pool at Hannshok...." She waited to see if he would say anything, feeling a faint chill forming in her abdomen as he remained perfectly silent. "If you really knew all this time.... why didn't you ever say anything?" "Does it truly matter?" he inquired softly. "Or rather, do you want it to matter?" A slightly uncomfortable silence descended around the room as they both remained quiet, briefly lost in their own thoughts and memories of what had happened during the V'ral's maintenance cycle at the Renn seaport of Hannshok. As water was not an overly abundant commodity aboard the airborne carriers, it was a very rare luxury for anyone to soak in a bath instead of using the more water-conserving showers for personal hygiene and relaxation. Someone had come up with the idea of using the storage pools for recreation given the fact that the coolant units had to be taken off-line for several days and their contents had already been relocated elsewhere for the duration. That had led to five days of almost non-stop usage by the crew, much to everyone's delight. There had initially been rules of decorum and conduct in mixed company, but that had lasted for maybe seven hours before quietly being flushed down the drain by unspoken consensus, resulting in more than a few stories that would be told in quiet whispers among friends for weeks afterwards. The storage pools had been officially closed at midnight on the day before they were to be serviced and restored to operation, and as expected the area only became completely vacated an hour later. Only then did Ar'kanis quietly and unobtrusively enter the chamber to make use of the pool in solitude, having reached a quiet arrangement with the Engineering staff. The situation took on an entirely new facet when the lights suddenly shut off, leaving the pool in absolute darkness. The door slid open a few moments later, allowing someone else to enter the room with him. His unknown guest then stepped into the pool after a brief delay to discard her clothes, and it soon became obvious that she wasn't there to soak in the water.... "Ar'kanis...." Nop'tera said softly. "The way I see it," he interrupted gently, "I was not meant to know. That I did know was therefore unintentional, and I saw no need to spoil anything. Sometimes a valid reason is not required for some things. I felt that was one of them, and so I never asked for a reason nor bothered to seek one out." Nop'tera wasn't sure what to say, feeling a chill inside as she thought about what it all meant. She was still struggling to find something meaningful to say when the door hissed open without warning, allowing Freya to enter the bedroom carrying a small insulated container. "Oh!" the pale-haired woman gasped as she almost ran into Arkanis, taking a quick step back and clutching the cylinder tightly. "Easy, Freya," Nop'tera said as she opened her eyes to look at her slave. "I'm sorry," Freya breathed as the worst of the shock wore off, leaving a pale blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I saw Sor'en in the corridor just a few moments ago and thought you had left as well." A muted chuckle of amusement rose up from Ar'kanis's chest. "I will be leaving in a few moments as well, unless General Nop'tera has anything further to discuss." "Not at the moment, Ar'kanis," Nop'tera said quietly. "Then if you will excuse me...." he started to say. "One moment," Freya said quickly. "Medical asked me to pass along to you that M's nerve structures have finished reforming, but that she appears to be in a sort of regenerative-sleep mode. They expect her to show some signs of consciousness within a few hours." "M?" Ar'kanis echoed with a slight hint of confusion. "Our stowaway metamorph," Nop'tera spoke up as her mood shifted. "She met with me earlier to discuss a few things about Earth. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say about why she tried to come onboard," she mused. "Ah," Ar'kanis replied with a nod. "I was told of her nature, although I was not told her name. I will keep you informed of any new developments," he promised Nop'tera. "I also found out what happened to your medical records," Freya continued with an absent gesture of the insulated container. "Do you remember the time the computer core was partially damaged a few years ago and they had to reload some of the data by hand?" Nop'tera blinked in surprise and tilted her head to exchange surprised looks with Ar'kanis. "Yes, I do," she said slowly. "I thought the only data we lost had to do with maintenance and Engineering records?" "One of the data nodes that held a portion of the medical records was also corrupted," Freya explained. "Your record was one of them. They were able to reload it using the physical copy stored in the medical vault, but it seems that a page was somehow overlooked. The Chief Medical Officer wishes to assure you that he will order a physical review of all the records for missing data, and has.... asked for your forgiveness," she said as she came over to the bed and set the container down next to Nop'tera. Nop'tera sighed quietly as she was helped into a sitting position, once again cursing the severe muscle weakness that was plaguing her. The sheets would have tumbled into her lap to expose her if it wasn't for a last-second realization of her state of undress, prompting a hasty grab just as the top sheet started to slide away. She cast a look of faint embarrassment at the armored figure by the door before she turned to look at the cylinder Freya was opening for her. "Oh, my," the blue-skinned vampire purred as she was greeted with both the sight and smell of freshly-drawn dark green blood. "I think he's quite serious about this one. Not that I doubt he would be, given his dedication to his work, but still, this is a little.... unexpected. His, no doubt?" "He had me draw it for him," Freya said quietly, casting a glance down at the slightly-steaming contents. "It hasn't even been five minutes yet, and it has been kept at a constant temperature." "Mmm, breakfast in bed...." Nop'tera said demurely with a soft smile. She looked up as Ar'kanis coughed quietly to himself, one delicate white eyebrow arching up as she regarded him carefully. "Something wrong, Ar'kanis?" she inquired casually. "I need to report to the bridge," Ar'kanis said calmly. "As I said, we will need as much time as we can muster and there is much to do now. Or do you seek an audience for your.... breakfast in bed?" he added, echoing her words with just enough dryness in his tone to let her know that it wasn't the blood that was making him slightly uncomfortable. "I expect you to keep me informed of any developments," she said to him as she picked up the container. Her eyes never left his as she swirled it around gently before bringing it to her lips, taking a careful sip of the emerald nectar. It was several degrees warmer than normal body temperature, which only made the flavor all the more pungent. "Breakfast indeed," Ar'kanis observed with open amusement as he watched the vampire promptly down half the contents within the span of a few seconds. "Or have you been neglecting to take care of yourself since our arrival in the Negaverse, as I am starting to suspect is the case?" Nop'tera paused to lick her lips, giving him a look of patient suffering. "We've all been busy these past few days, Ar'kanis," she said in a tone that was somehow both apologetic and reproving at the same time. "Freya, see that she is properly fed," the armored general instructed in a bemused tone. "Her body has been subjected to a great deal of stress as of late and has probably used up her energy reserves trying to regenerate what it can. Let me know if a few more volunteers are needed." "General Ar'kanis," Nop'tera said crisply, "Might I remind you that I've been managing my blood intake quite successfully on my own for well over five thousand years now?" A quiet chuckle emerged from the depths of his helmet. "Then with all due respect, my general, quit drinking like a dehydrated man being given a bottle of water," he observed as he made a gesture to the container of blood. Nop'tera paused and glanced down, blinking hard as she saw that she had somehow managed to empty it without realizing it. "Leave me alone," she sighed softly, casting a glance over at Freya. Her slave remained perfectly silent, but there was a pale blush on her cheeks that spoke volumes in of itself. "I will deliver a status report to you later, my general," Ar'kanis said with a slight bow of his head. He had turned to leave and was halfway through the bedroom door when he heard Nop'tera call his name quietly, causing him to pause and glance back. "One final question, if I may," Nop'tera said in a very quiet tone, her featureless yellow eyes remaining focused on the faint traces of green left in the empty container. "The storage pool. How did you know?" "There is a saying," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly as he returned his gaze to the main living room. "Even the smallest candle shines like a beacon when in absolute darkness. Fair morning, my general," he said before he left, allowing the door to quietly hiss shut behind him. It took Nop'tera a few seconds to realize what he meant, and it took even longer for her to quit berating herself for overlooking a detail such as that. How long had she mulled it over when the thought came to her, how much effort had she put into setting everything up just right, and how much of a fool had she been for thinking she had successfully kept it secret only to be told long after the fact that she had given herself away almost immediately back then? Worse, everything that he had said and done after that now had to be viewed in a different light simply because he had been aware of it the entire time.... Her focus snapped back to reality as Freya gently pried the empty cylinder from her hands, almost causing her to hit the ceiling. "Are you alright?" she whispered very softly as she noticed that Nop'tera was no longer obviously lost in introspective thought. "I was," the dark general admitted frankly, causing her pale-haired slave to blink hard. "I think Ar'kanis has a point, I honestly can't remember how long it's been since I had that much blood. It seemed to have helped, though, so I might have to ask Medical to thaw a pouch or two for me." "I'm sure we can arrange for a live donation," Freya said softly. "Maybe once I can move properly," Nop'tera sighed as she glanced down at the sheets. She discovered that she could wiggle her toes now, but it required a great amount of focus to do so. "Until then, however.... well, it's not like I have anything else to do now," she grumbled as she tried to lay back down. "Ar'kanis has command for a few days and he's going to see if he can sit down with Admiral Si'ren to work something out. Sor'en will have the bridge, which she'll just love," she added with a weak rolling of her eyes. "But then again, seeing how her fighter wing is parked in some open field, I doubt that she has much else to do either. This is not turning out to be a pleasant homecoming," she sighed wistfully. Freya reflexively winced as Nop'tera suddenly belched, causing a truly dark blush to appear on the denizen vampire's cheeks. "I think you drank that too quickly," Freya pointed out in an embarrassed tone. She then had to blink rapidly to retain her vision as the fumes reached her nose, causing her eyes to start to water. "Ay'cha navidshi," Nop'tera coughed as her own tear-ducts likewise started to react. "This is *not* how I wanted to start my day. I'm going to try to go back to sleep. If the rest of today is going to be like this, don't bother trying to wake me up until at least lunch." "Not if you react to lunch the same way you just did to breakfast," Freya murmured very softly in a rare moment of dry humor. "Thank you, Freya," Nop'tera sighed heavily, wondering just how long the day was going to turn out. If recent events were any indication of things to come, however, it was likely going to be a really long one.... * * * * Serena didn't sit down at her desk so much as plop down, quite obviously not fully awake yet. She was still on-time, however, and even had a full ten minutes to spare before class began, which was unusual enough on a Monday to cause most of the class to exchange assorted glances and quiet whisperings. "Morning, Serena," Molly ventured in a cautious tone as she studied the look on her best friend's face. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she was answered with a very fuzzy grunting-moan of reluctance that said far more than any coherent words could have. "New alarm clock?" "Mom found out how to turn up the volume," Serena muttered quietly as she tried valiantly to stave off a yawn. That caused Molly to pause for a moment. "Huh," she said thoughtfully. "Odd, I thought you could sleep through anything...." "The alarm clock wasn't what woke me up," Serena sighed. "What happened was the volume was loud enough to spook Luna, who of course panicked and began to claw everything around her." "Ouch," the redhead winced in sympathy. "So where did she claw you?" "Don't ask," Serena replied in a voice as flat as paved concrete. Molly chuckled quietly and reached out to pat Serena's shoulder. Her hand hadn't made contact yet when Melvin seemed to pop up between them without any warning whatsoever, already opening his mouth to say something. His arrival caught both girls by complete surprise, resulting in a very shrill scream from Serena and a reflexive swat of panic from Molly that sent him tumbling across the floor. "Hey, girls, guess whaAAAAAHHHH!!!" "Ooh," a freckled girl with a cherubic face winced as Melvin came to a halt at her feet. "You really need to be careful about sneaking up on people like that. You okay?" "Ergh," Melvin groaned as he sat up and readjusted his glasses. "I'm okay, Willow, thanks." "Melvin, don't DO that!" Molly called out once she recovered her wits. "You about scared the bejeebers out of us." "Sorry about that," Melvin said as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Okay," Serena said quietly in a voice pitched a full octave higher than was normal, "I think I'm awake now. Honest." "That's good, Serena," Melvin said as she approached them again. "You're going to love this one. I just got a note from my source in the main office about...." "Melvin?" Molly said in a weary tone, cutting him off with a sharp gesture of her arm that caused half the room to tense up with the expectation that she was going to swat him again. "It's not even seven-thirty in the morning, and it's a Monday morning at that. The gossip can wait." "Not this one," Melvin said, lowering his voice. The somewhat dramatic shift in his mood caused the part of the room that was listening to him to very casually lean closer, not wanting to miss out on whatever juicy piece of gossip he was about to impart. "We're getting a new student today, and she's being assigned to this room." "Oh?" both Molly and Serena said in the same moment, sitting up just a little straighter in their chairs. Melvin nodded sagely, feeling pleased with himself yet again as he took their reactions to mean they wanted him to continue. "We think she's a foreign exchange student, possibly from Europe," he babbled quietly. "Wow, that sounds like.... uh, Serena?" Molly said as she glanced over at the long-haired blonde. She blinked as she noticed the expression on Serena's face as she looked at something behind Melvin, clearly not paying attention to what Molly was trying to say to her. Curious, she turned around to see if she could spot what had grabbed Serena's somewhat flighty attention-span this time. Melvin likewise craned his neck around and almost fell over on the spot. "That *has* to be her," he whispered very softly to the other girls, oblivious to the fact that Molly's jaw was slightly unhinged and that both Serena and Molly's eyes were fairly wide. The young girl standing hesitantly just inside the doorway was about as beautiful as a woman her age could get without resorting to cosmetics. Her skin was a milky white color and appeared to be utterly flawless. Her braided hair was an even paler shade of white, giving her the appearance of being cast out of glass. Her eyes were a very soft shade of cream yellow, seeming to be studying the occupants of the room with reserved curiosity. "Wow...." Serena breathed quietly in awe. "She's pretty." "Definitely a foreign exchange student," Molly agreed somberly. "Maybe she's Canadian," Melvin suggested. "I understand they don't get a lot of sunlight during the winters. Either that or she's really a ghost." Serena and Molly just looked at him in open disbelief that he had actually uttered something that stupid. "No," Molly said very slowly. "That's not it." "Huh?" Melvin said as he turned to look at her with a questioning look. "What makes you say that?" "Women's intuition, Melvin," Molly said calmly, resisting the urge to either roll her eyes or make a good-faith effort at slapping the stupidity out of him. "That, and ghosts don't enroll in schools." "Yeah, I guess you're right," the gossip-king admitted as he turned back to stare at the new student some more. The girl's eyes continued to sweep across the room before her gaze fell on Serena, producing an almost electrical sensation in the blonde's blood as she sat up straight. It seemed that the new arrival was about to say something when she blinked and cast a startled glance behind her, quickly moving aside to let the teacher enter the room. "Ahh, Ms. Azmodan, I presume?" he said cordially as he headed over to his desk and set his briefcase down. "I am," the girl replied in a soft, almost musical voice that immediately reminded Serena of how her own voice sounded when her denizen side was showing. The sudden reminder of the recent emergence of her hybrid blood made her look around the room in acute unease, having very strong doubts yet again about how she was going to keep her angelic nature a secret from everyone else. That she was Sailor Moon was easy to hide, as it took a deliberate effort to transform and thus couldn't just slip out when she was distracted. But if someone like Ami, who certainly had a greater focus of mind than she did, could occasionally let her darker side show without realizing it.... "I don't have assigned seats, so just have a seat wherever you like," the teacher said, snapping Serena out of her brief reverie. "Thank you," the girl said with a faint smile as she quickly scanned the room once again. Her gaze settled on Serena after a brief moment before she started to move towards her, carefully threading her way between the rows of occupied desks. "Is this taken?" she asked softly as she pointed to the empty desk on Serena's left. "Uh, no," Serena replied after a momentary hesitation. "Thank you," the girl said as she slipped between the desks to set her backpack down and sit in the chair. "I'm Lily. What's your name?" "Serena," the long-haired blonde replied, trying to figure out just why she was experiencing a slight anxiety attack all of a sudden. What gives? she thought as she tried to clear her mind. I never had this problem meeting new people before. Especially when they're pretty like she is.... "I like what you've done with your hair," Lily said quietly, snapping the blonde out of her thoughts. "It's definitely unique." "Oh, umm, thank you," Serena stammered in reply. She nearly leapt out of her school uniform when Molly poked her in the shoulder, whipping around in a slight panic to see the redhead giving her a very concerned look. "Serena, you alright?" Molly inquired carefully. "You seem awfully jumpy this morning. I mean, I know it's Monday and all, but still. Hi, I'm Molly," she added as she leaned slightly to the side to look at Lily. "Hello," Lily said with a fairly warm smile. "I'm sorry, it's just.... one of those days already," Serena spoke up with a weak laugh. "Time to switch to sugarless gum," Molly said dryly. "Oh, come on, I'm not that bad," Serena protested sourly. "You know, Serena," Melvin spoke up, "I can probably get you a good deal on sugarless gum. I've got a friend on the Internet who sells such things, and the cost of shipping is really cheap...." "Melvin?" Molly said in a tone of patient suffering. "Go sit down, it's almost time for class to start." Melvin immediately checked the wall clock and blinked. "Oooh, thanks," he squeaked as he bolted for his desk. He managed to sit down with precisely two seconds to spare before the bell sounded, signaling the official start of the morning class. "Good Monday morning, everyone," the teacher said in an overly cheerful tone, prompting a slew of quiet grunts and moans at the reminder. "Yeah, tell me about it," he chuckled. "Anyway, before we begin, I'd like to introduce our newest student to you. Everyone, meet Lilibeth Azmodan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you hail from Glen Haven in Nova Scotia?" "I do," Lily replied with a faint smile. "Great," the teacher said before he paused and cast a quick glance around the room. "Okay, pop quiz," he said, causing most of the class to blanch in pure reflex. "Canada," Melvin piped up. "Correct," the teacher said after only a slight hesitation, giving him a distinctly nonplussed look. "And the county?" "Halifax," Melvin promptly replied. "Geek check," someone muttered quietly, causing a muted outburst of muted giggles and chuckles. Molly sighed quietly and unobtrusively leaned over to Serena. "I hate it when he does that," she muttered under her breath. Serena cast a quick sidelong glance at her best friend before leaning over as well. "Who, the teacher or Melvin?" she whispered. "Both," Molly grumbled. "So much for the geography quiz," the teacher said dryly, causing a few of the students to applaud. "Yes, thank you. Anyway, welcome to Tokyo, Ms. Azmodan, hopefully you'll find it to be as delightful as Glen Haven is. Now, if everyone would be so kind as to pull out your homework from the weekend and pass it up to the front, we can get things started." "Typical," Molly sighed as she opened up her backpack to fish out her homework folder. "Serena, please tell me you did yours this time," she asked in a low tone, casting a slightly worried glance out of the corner of her eye. "Right here," the blonde replied as she held up the completed assignment. "Finally decided to start the week out right, eh?" Molly teased her as she leaned forward to pass her assignment up to Willow. "Thanks." "Hope you did better than I did," Willow sighed as she briefly eyeballed what Molly had written before stacking her own assignment on top and passing them both up the line. Serena sighed as she remembered how both Luna and Susan had teamed up to gently prod and coerce her into finishing the assignment. "Let's just say I had a few people encouraging me," she muttered to Molly. She paused as an icy trickle slid down her back for no discernible reason, casting a glance around the room. It took her a moment to realize that her chest felt slightly odd. A quick and reflexive motion of her hand assured her that the brooch holding the Imperium Silver Crystal was both securely closed and still pinned to the front of her uniform. She let out her breath quietly, then chided her for having held it in the first place. Yeesh, settle down, she told herself as she glanced around the room again. It's not like there's ever been a problem with it before. I mean, it's never popped open by accident or fell off or anything. So why am I so jumpy all of a sudden? Maybe Molly's right about the sugar.... huh? She blinked as the odd sensation in her chest returned, causing her to reach up and touch the brooch again. It felt unusually warm to her before it abruptly cooled back down to room temperature, happening so quickly that it made her wonder if she had simply imagined the feeling. Oh, now what is going on? she thought to herself as a feeling of unease wrapped around her. "Serena," Molly said very quietly. She then flinched as the blonde made a startled squeaking noise that was clearly audible, causing the majority of the class to turn around. "Gezundheit," she said loudly. "Thanks," Serena said, quickly rubbing her nose. Molly let out a silent sigh of relief as the class immediately went back to whatever they had been doing, figuring that it had simply been an aborted sneeze. "Are you sure you're okay?" she murmured once she was sure that the coast was clear. "It's.... been a long weekend," Serena replied hesitantly. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Molly nodded in understanding. No, you don't, Serena found herself thinking as her mind flashed back to what had taken place since school had let out on Friday. First the meeting with Susan, Alex, and Michelle, then the various fights between individuals, Rei's brief resignation as a Sailor Scout, the slow emergence of her denizen side, the fight with Darian, the confrontation with Jedyt, being kidnapped and taken into the Negaverse as she fought for her life against the Chaos Factor, the foggy memories of confronting Rune and watching Darian die, feeling her own life finally slip free from her body only to be called back by Rei, her sudden transformation into a denizen angel, making up with Darian, surrendering her virginity to him the following night, learning that there were more than a few problems with the Imperium Silver Crystal.... "Good job, everyone," the teacher said, abruptly refocusing her on her immediate surroundings. "Of course, we won't know until tomorrow just how good you really did, but at least everyone turned in something which is a bit of an improvement in of itself. Now then, let's pick up where we left off on Friday, shall we?" "So another long week begins," Molly sighed softly. "It's looking to be that way," Serena agreed as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder at Lily. She noticed that the new arrival already had her textbook out but seemed to be uncertain where the class was. "We're on page fifty-five," Serena quietly said to her. "Thank you," Lily replied with a grateful smile. "You're an angel." It took the blonde a considerable effort not to react to the comment, instead managing to force a weak smile on her face at the pretty girl. "I wouldn't say that," she said carefully. "Maybe," the other girl said demurely, her pale yellow eyes giving her a very studious look. "I know a kind-hearted person when I meet one." "Thank you," Serena replied after a slight hesitation. A somewhat booming cough from the front of the classroom got her attention, causing her to look up to find the teacher giving her a reproving look. "What seems to be the problem, Ms. Tsukino?" he inquired warily. "Umm, I...." Serena started to say. "She is helping me find the right page," Lily spoke up, her musical voice turning the head of every single boy in the classroom. "Ah, I see," the teacher replied, nodding his head in understanding. "We're not too far into the chapter, so catching up shouldn't require too much effort. I'm sure Ms. Tsukino can give you a condensed version of what we've covered so far.... after class," he added with noted emphasis. Serena and Lily briefly exchanged looks before nodding to one another. "Thank you," Lily said to the teacher with a faint smile. "We'll do that." "Great," the teacher said as he turned back to his own textbook and began the morning's lesson. Willow cast a furtive glance at Serena before discreetly leaning back. "How does she keep making friends that easily?" she grumbled to Molly. Molly just shook her head in resignation. "It must be a blonde thing," she whispered back sourly. She knew that Willow had a hard time finding good friends because of her chubby appearance and introverted tendencies, but that still didn't have anything to do with the apparent ease at which Serena made friends with people who otherwise showed little social interest. Both Ami and Leda came to mind, the former being a somewhat shy bookworm and the latter an aggressive schoolyard fighter, neither of which she felt she would have gotten to know if it hadn't been for Serena making friends with them first. "Figures," Willow sighed as she sat back up and turned her attention to what was being taught. The material was unusually dry, and it wasn't even ten minutes before the entire class was absently wondering if this was going to be one of those weeks yet again. * * * * "Well?" Rune prompted quietly as Si'ren continued to stare at the display after it was shut off, leaving the room in near-perfect silence. They had been preparing to head up to the turret where Rune's amplification crystals has been growing all night when an aide came in with a recording of the broadcast from the Hinterland drone. "I don't envy them," Si'ren said quietly. "I can only imagine what sort of problems would arise if one of our moons suddenly decided to break up." Field Sergeant Alani glanced around the room before discreetly clearing her throat, acutely aware of just how junior in rank she was among the rest of the occupants. "Ma'am?" she ventured cautiously. "What about what he said about a planetary evacuation?" "Good luck," Lieutenant Tempest spoke up. "You'd need a fleet of heavy cruisers just to clear out a small city, and even then we're talking a few hundred thousand at most. Now being in Security means I'm not able to see the big picture like Logistics or Intel might, but after three thousand years of constant warfare I doubt there'd be that many left. Especially if they're on the losing side," she added. "And if they ask for an evacuation anyway?" Captain Ael'ien suggested in a guarded tone. "There is a human expression," Rune said casually. "Life's a bitch, and then you die." Al'vexi cleared her throat gently. "Perhaps we should not be getting ahead of ourselves," she said in a neutral tone. "No such request has been made as of yet. Should one arrive, it will be filtered through the appropriate channels at which point it will be taken under advisement. Right now, however, we have a more immediate problem on our hands." "The radiation," Ael'ien grunted quietly. Al'vexi nodded slowly. "Correct. I believe we should be ready to see if this plan of ours will work. Pa'an Vol asked if he could have a little time to himself out on the balcony to meditate before we begin, a request that was of course granted. I believe that he should be ready by now as well, so unless there is something else of importance to discuss...." "Excuse me, ma'am?" Tempest interrupted carefully. "I think that before we begin this, we should all have a fair idea of how this is going to be done. I don't mean from a power-networking standpoint, but rather from a procedural one, like where you want me to start bringing the rain down and how you want the storm to circulate." "A fair question," Al'vexi allowed as she glanced at Si'ren. "Like a radar sweep," Si'ren replied. "I want a single line of storms on a north bearing that will slowly sweep around in a circle using the Imperial Castle as a pivot point. The water will be drawn inwards towards the Castle and pooled in the crater. This will allow Vol to focus the majority of his powers close-by instead of having to extend them outwards. He will still have to do that at some point to deal with what doesn't get swept up by the rain or wind, but I'd rather get the worst of it dealt with first so he doesn't have to strain so hard when he goes to do that." "Understood, ma'am," Tempest replied with a curt nod of understanding. "The front will have to creep slowly if you want to have the squall line act as a single entity, but it can be arranged." Rune turned to regard Si'ren carefully. "Sure you can process that much water at once?" she inquired. "Unassisted, of course not," the white-haired admiral replied calmly. "With Sergeant Alani's help and the amplification effects of your crystals, I think it can work. And if not, then we will try other plans until one does." "Hopefully that won't be necessary, ma'am," Ael'ien's aide spoke up as she cast a look of confidence towards Rune. "General Rune was kind enough to let me briefly test the crystal structure she has constructed, and even without any telepathic contact being established I was able to sense a rather strong echo of her mind as she stood next to me. If we can hold the overmind mesh in a synergetic state, there shouldn't be any problems to speak of." Si'ren blinked in slight confusion. "Excuse me, Ensign, but that aspect just went over my head. What is an overmind mesh?" "Allow me to explain," Al'vexi spoke up in a guarded tone, as if she were choosing her words carefully. "The premise of this entire effort is for the eight of us to act as a single entity in terms of both Chaos Factor powers and that which directs it. This will require us to merge our minds together as a cohesive whole, a superconscious if you will. This formation is known as an overmind, and an overmind mesh when it is extended to include non-telepaths in the matrix. When there are enough people merged together as such, as will be the case with eight of us, the overmind will evolve into a gestalt entity that will not be under anyone's direct control but will rather tend to respond in accordance to the will of the majority of its components. As long as we are all in general agreement, working together in synergy, the overmind will not cause any conflicts or otherwise attempt anything unexpected." "I don't think I like the sound of this," Rune said flatly. "All that needs to be done is for everyone to focus on their individual roles," Al'vexi replied calmly. "Ael'ien, A'del, and I will work to keep the matrix stable and ensure everyone is properly joined. Alani will concentrate on her amplification powers, Vol his accelerated radiation-decay ability, you on keeping the crystal lattice structure balanced, Tempest on the weather, and Si'ren on controlling the contaminated water. The only decision-making that is necessary will be on the pace, and that will be set by mutual consensus between Tempest, Si'ren, and Vol. This will not be an in-depth mind link but merely a sort of forum environment, so there are no mental privacy concerns that you need to be worried about, either." "That's a relief," Tempest said dryly. Ael'ien raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Treasonous thoughts we need to know about, Lieutenant?" she said lightly, her expression clearly indicating that it was a joke. The security officer chuckled quietly to herself. "Of course not, ma'am," she replied with a grin. "Just the usual classified things that Security has to deal with every single day. I'd tell you about it, but you're not cleared for it so then I'd have to kill you. Nothing personal, Captain." Al'vexi cast a quick glance at Si'ren, noticing that the admiral was also casting a brief glance back at her. The exchange between Tempest and Ael'ien had been entirely in jest, but it was an unwelcome reminder of the current suspicions about the Dragoon Legion as well as Ael'ien's psionic link to the current Dragoon Commander. Then of course there was the distinct possibility that the former Dragoon Commander was with them as well, which only made the overall situation even more uncertain. "If the two of you are finished?" Rune said in a faintly clipped tone. "A'del, go ahead and take Tempest and Alani up to the terrace," Al'vexi instructed calmly. "The rest of us will be along shortly." "Yes, ma'am," the Psi-Corp ensign said crisply as she started to head for the door. She waited until Tempest and Alani were with her before triggering the sensor that opened the door, allowing them to exit the conference room in measured silence. Ael'ien waited in uneasy silence, getting the distinct impression that there was something the flag officers wanted to talk to her about that wasn't meant to be for the ears of anyone else. That indicated that the topic had nothing to do with their current problem of dealing with the intense radiation surrounding the Imperial Castle, which only made her sense of unease worse. Both Rune and Si'ren seemed to be a little surprised by the request but didn't indicate any objections or unusual impatience, which to Ael'ien meant that it was all Al'vexi's idea. The retired telepath cast a brief glance at Si'ren before drawing in a deep but subtle breath. "Ael, how is your psionic link with Commander K'tal holding up?" she inquired in a somewhat neutral tone. "I haven't been able to feel anything since he transited the aerial route in the Northern Mountains," Ael'ien said slowly. "Whether that is due to the mountains themselves or the distance between us is unknown, but I suspect it's the distance." "But you feel that the link is intact, though, correct?" Al'vexi prodded. Ael'ien paused for a moment before she briefly turned her focus inward, very gently probing the mental link. She felt absolutely nothing coming from the link itself, but she could still discern the fact that there was something anchored in her mind. "I think so," she replied. Al'vexi let her breath out in a soft sigh before glancing over at Si'ren again. "If I am correct," she said slowly, "It is likely that, between the amplification effects of Rune's crystals and Alani's enhancement ability, you will be able to contact him once again through the bond. If that is the case, it is important that we know what he personally and the Dragoon Legion as a whole intends to do." "In what regard?" Ael'ien managed to say without reacting on the outside. Inside, however, she was struggling to throw off the deep chill that was trying to crawl down her spine. She could read between the lines as well as anyone else and knew that she was being asked to spy on K'tal's thoughts. Such a thing was quite unethical, but it was not unknown for telepaths to be employed in such a manner for reconnaissance.... or to confirm suspicions of treason. "The Moon Princess," Si'ren spoke up quietly. "I... will look into it, ma'am," Ael'ien promised quietly. "One more thing, Captain," Al'vexi added. "If Tolaris is indeed with the Dragoon Legion as we suspect he is, we need to have that confirmed as well." "Understood," the Psi-Corp captain said simply, still struggling to keep an outward appearance of neutrality. Rune snorted quietly as she headed for the door. "If Nop'tera would have listened to me, we wouldn't have to be worried about the Moon Princess anymore, now would we?" she grumbled darkly. "General Rune, don't start," Si'ren said in a weary tone, drawing a dark glare from the other woman. "Worry about keeping the crystals together for the moment and save the recriminations for another point in time. I doubt that we will have to deal with the Moon Princess anytime soon given her present state of health. Al?" she added over her shoulder as she noticed the distracted look on Al'vexi's face. Al'vexi telepathed with a sigh. That caused both Si'ren and Rune to halt in their tracks. "They let her return to duty?" Rune said incredulously. "Why not?" Si'ren countered. "She is still a Master Healer, and as long as Security has no reason to believe she did anything wrong, why should we? So she went with the Sailor Scouts to ensure that her patient was properly tended to while she healed. Tell me what Healer wouldn't do that?" Al'vexi warned. "Out with it, Al," Rune demanded in a flat tone. "What is going on?" "We're trying to stop a civil war before it starts, Rune," Si'ren said in a muted tone, causing both Rune and Ael'ien to blink hard. "I know you were there when it was revealed that Princess Serena is the daughter of the Dragoon Captain, and that you promptly tried to keep that information as quiet as you could. I myself didn't learn this little fact until yesterday, and I can very easily see why you kept it quiet. However, that particular secret is starting to become public knowledge now, and once it does we are almost guaranteed to have a rebellion of some sort by somebody." "You think it has already started, don't you?" Ael'ien suddenly said as it hit her like a lead weight. "You think the Dragoons are going to revolt?" "If they haven't already," Al'vexi suggested calmly. "This is why I've asked you to use your psionic link to K'tal to assess his state of mind and ascertain his intentions. We could ask him directly, of course, and we have every intention of doing so once the channels are completely clear, but we need to be absolutely and positively certain we understand what he and the rest of the Dragoon Legion intends to do." "I.... understand," Ael'ien said slowly as the dark chill inside her only got worse. Al'vexi telepathed quietly as she headed for the door. the Psi-Corp captain telepathed back, causing the retired general to stop in her tracks at the sharpness of the mental tone. Al'vexi replied in an icy tone. "Al?" Rune prompted warily, giving both telepaths suspicious looks. While her own meager psionic skill wasn't powerful enough to let her transmit her thoughts to another mind or listen in on a private mental broadcast, she could still 'hear' a very soft synaptic buzzing sound whenever someone was using telepathy around her. "Just making sure everyone is ready," Al'vexi said calmly as she reached the door and stepped into the hallway. "Let's go." Rune frowned and cast a dark look at Ael'ien before she followed Al'vexi out of the room, leaving Si'ren and Ael'ien alone together. They looked at one another in uneasy silence before the Fleet Admiral sighed quietly. "Let me make one thing clear, Captain," Si'ren said very softly. "I don't know what Rune intends to do, but I am certain it is not even close to what either K'tal or Tolaris would do. I'm not sure I can trust either of them at this point, and I'm starting to get the feeling that I can't trust Rune either. If there is any way at all we can defuse this situation, I need to know about it so I can see if I can do something with it and I need to know now. Holding anything back will not benefit anyone at this point." Ael'ien nodded slowly. "I understand, ma'am," she replied quietly. "Good," Si'ren murmured as she headed towards the hallway. "At least one of us understands her role in this. That's actually a bit of an improvement, if I may say so myself...." * * * * "Not so hard, please," Whisper said calmly from her meditative position hovering four feet above the floor, supported only by her telekinetic powers. A shielded plasma sword was floating several feet away from her, the glowing gray weapon likewise under the direction of her mental abilities. "Sorry, habit," Sailor Uranus replied as she paused to catch her breath. The plasma sword in her hands had turned a bright yellow color moments after being ignited, resulting in a brief discussion before the practice fight had begun in relative earnest. The fact that there was almost no risk to Whisper whatsoever had allowed Uranus the chance to unwind, thrusting and slashing her weapon with almost reckless abandon and with a fury that was not easy to tell if it was controlled or not. That was not to say that it wasn't taking a toll on the telepath. The force of Uranus' weapon against her own was still keenly felt as she had to keep exerting her telekinetic powers to keep her own blade stable. She wasn't nearly as winded as the blonde Sailor Scout was at the moment, doing little else aside from providing a target for Uranus, but keeping both herself and the blade supported by her powers was starting to become slightly more difficult with each passing minute. "Do you always try to beat your partner senseless in training?" Whisper inquired mildly as Uranus suddenly exploded into a series of vicious slashes and powerful spinning blows that she would have been unable to block had she actually been holding the weapon with her hands. "Like Sue keeps saying," Uranus grunted as she spun around for another hard slash that produced a ringing hum of colliding forcefields, "Pain is a very effective teacher. A few cracked knuckles usually wises you up to your opponent's tactics in a hurry. Damn, this thing is light," she fussed as she hit the floating plasma sword hard enough to flip it end-over-end before it could be brought back under control. "Careful," Whisper warned, keeping a very wary eye on where the shielded plasma was going, aware of how even a shielded plasma field could seriously hurt if it made contact with unprotected skin for longer than a fraction of a second. It was hardly unknown, and more often than not expected, for novices to the delicate art of plasma sword fighting to acquire at least one fairly serious burn mark in a largely random location from just such a strike. Uranus stepped back and eyed the pommel in her hands for several seconds before sighing through her nose. "Ah, screw it," she muttered as she thumbed the weapon off. The plasma field promptly collapsed with a soft whooshing sound, allowing the force field that contained it to shrink in size until it vanished as well. "I think that's enough for one morning. Starting to put a serious strain on my wrists, too. I'm not used to tossing something around that weighs less than a good length of steel." Whisper said nothing as she closed her eyes, focusing on her surroundings using only her psionic senses. A simple telekinetic brush of her mind found the toggle for her weapon, gently flicking it into the off-position to close down the plasma field. The now-inert pommel drifted back over to her, lightly settling into her lap as she continued to hover in a half-meditative state. Uranus regarded her carefully as she started to stretch and massage her sword arm. "You do this floating thing often?" she inquired. Whisper replied quietly. "Peachy," the blonde observed, scowling as her shoulder started to kink. "So tell me again what exactly you can do with your mind?" the denizen said with a clearly discernible mental shrug. she added. "Yeah, like I understood half that," Uranus grumbled as she continued to rotate and massage her shoulder. Whisper explained. "So I've heard," Uranus said quietly in a glacial tone as she looked away from the hovering telepath. "Did you really have to do a number on Darian?" Whisper sighed quietly and opened her eyes to look at the blonde, feeling a more than a little depressed herself at both the reminder of her role in Darian's brainwashing as well as where the conversation was going. "If Serena asked you to kill Jedyt, would you refuse?" she asked in a neutral tone. "Of course you wouldn't, you'd jump at the chance to bring harm to the enemy of your princess. So why would it be any different than my Queen asking me to do something to someone who was, at the time, one of our worst enemies?" "I s'pose so," Uranus said in an uncertain tone. "In any case, Sailor Uranus, I long ago apologized to Darian and have since worked to make amends," Whisper continued. "We are fairly good friends these days, despite what happened last year, and I daresay we are even more so now since the discovery of his anointment as Crown Prince. That.... reminds me," she suddenly said in a hesitant tone. "I really should sit down with him again for another scan of his memories. The mind-block came apart cleanly and left no discernible residue, if you will, but I still think a detailed scan would be best to make absolutely sure there are no.... lingering concerns." Uranus shrugged and started to pace the training room. "Don't want to hear about it," she said in a clipped tone as she resumed rubbing her shoulder. She suddenly froze in mid-motion as she felt a force start to massage the area, looking up to give Whisper a suspicious look. the telepath thought as she closed her eyes and focused on her psychokinetic probe of Uranus' shoulder. "Thanks," Uranus replied dryly, casting a look at the blast doors as they started to slowly hiss open. "I was going to wait until I was sure Mich was out of the shower, but apparently that's not an issue anymore...." "Fair morning," Whisper said aloud as she cracked one eye open. "Morning," Michelle replied quietly as she padded barefoot into the room, still wearing the borrowed nightshirt and apparently very little else. Myst was curled up in a contented ball in her arms, seeming to be in a far better mood than she was in after yesterday's events. Uranus paused and raised an eyebrow as her lover approached. "You're up a little late this morning," she observed. She blinked as Michelle promptly leaned in for a soft but fairly deep kiss that lasted far longer than usual. The kiss was eventually broken, at which point Michelle simply gave Uranus a soft smile and wordlessly headed back towards the exit. The blast doors hissed shut after she left, leaving Uranus standing in the middle of the training room with a deeply resigned look on her face. "Is everything alright?" Whisper inquired in a careful tone. "She's still a touch upset with me," Uranus sighed. "Otherwise she's in an unusually good mood. Not that she isn't a morning person, which she is, but she still likes to sleep in as much as the rest of us do. Maybe Myst slept on her tits last night and kept them nice and warm or something. Who knows." Whisper gave the other woman a slightly pained look before shaking her head and gently lowering herself back down to the ground. "I'll let you handle that one, if you don't mind," she said as she made an absent gesture with her hand. The plasma sword pommel promptly jerked out from Uranus' grasp and flew across the room to land in her own hand, producing a somewhat violent startled reaction from the blonde. "Hey! Goddamn, *warn* me before you do that!" she groused as she tried to calm down, holding one hand to her petite chest. "I about pissed myself." "Sorry," Whisper replied as she carried both weapons into the open vault and set them back into their charging units. She paused as she only counted three sword pommels in addition to the plasma lance hilt, trying to remember what happened to the fourth weapon. she broadcast back out to the rest of the training room. "Damned if I know," Uranus called back loudly. "I'll try to keep that in mind," Uranus said in a normal voice as she stepped into the vault, casually eying the collection of weapons that lined three walls and took up several display cases in the middle of the room. "Not that I wouldn't mind keeping one of those in my back pocket for emergencies or when I have to cut through something solid like what Blondie did to those blast doors back in the tunnel, but don't ask me to use it if I still have my saber around." "It's always good to have a backup weapon," a voice said behind her in an amused tone, causing Uranus to whirl around and draw her saber in a single, fluid movement. "Goddamn," Uranus panted as she recognized their unexpected visitor. "Is the rest of today going to be like this? Don't sneak up on me like that!" she growled quietly. "Fair morning," Whisper called out in a slightly wary tone. Megan paused for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes, I suppose we can call it a fair morning," she said, absently smoothing a few wrinkles out of her rather conservative, if form-fitting, business attire. "I just wanted to let you know that Susan is not likely to return until this evening, as she said she had a fair amount of what she called 'administrative paperwork' to handle. Not that I have the slightest idea what she meant," the succubus admitted as she fluffed her hair behind her. "Oh, and Lisa has returned to the Underworld to Queen Persephone's side, so you won't have to worry about her bothering you for a day or so either. Nice suit," she added as she gave Uranus an open look of appraisal. "Thanks," Uranus replied distantly. "Do I want to ask why you're dressed in a suit like that? And where's the bat?" she added as she realized that the pair of head-wings were missing. A dangerously coy smile crossed Megan's face as she ran her hands along the length of her dark skirt. "Balregu is at home sleeping on his perch, as he doesn't exactly qualify as business-casual. As for the suit itself.... let's just say I'm scheduled to have a power-lunch with the vice-president of a mid- sized corporation. Apparently he is not in the best of health and recently picked up a very nasty drug addiction that will, sad to say, be the end of him in a few hours. It's shameful what some people do while on company time. Or whom," she added lightly. "Corporate interns aren't what they used to be." "Uh...." Uranus said very slowly, not entirely sure what to make of the succubus' words. "Don't worry, he won't suffer," Megan purred as she absently licked her lips. "In fact, he'll be having the time of his life and probably won't even notice. That's happened to me before, you know," she added casually, ignoring the way both Whisper's and Uranus' eyes widened in shock at the realization of what she was talking about. "You go to harvest a soul, have a little fun with him beforehand, and the smile is still on his face even at the very end. Oh, don't look at me like that, I've been given personal instructions by Lord Hades himself. Believe it or not, this happens.... I won't say all the time, but it does occur with regular frequency. Just ask Susan how many souls she has been tasked to recall." "I don't think we need to be hearing about this," Whisper pointed out in a fairly flat tone. Megan shrugged her shoulders, impressively flexing her chest beneath the somewhat stiff lines of her business attire. "As you wish. I just thought I'd let you know what to expect, as you may encounter it in tomorrow's newspaper headlines. Probably below the fold, however," she admitted. "It is, after all, not too prominent of a company and the veep is almost sixty years old." "Yeech," Uranus muttered quietly to herself, trying very hard to clear her mind of the visual of the seemingly-youthful succubus being screwed by a sixty- year-old man on some business desk. "Anyway," Megan said demurely. "I've done what my sister asked me to do, namely tell you not to expect her until dinner, so now I must be off. Give my regards to your princess. She is.... a rather curiously unique individual," she admitted with a soft note of admiration. "We'll be sure to pass that along for you," Uranus replied dryly as she traded wary looks with Whisper. Megan shrugged absently in dismissal as she turned away. "Let's just say that the more I hear being said about her, the more intrigued I am. No matter, I'm sure I'll run into her again soon enough. As will you and I, of course," she added before she started to leave the vault. She had almost reached the exit before pausing to study a pair of whip-like weapons hanging from hooks on one of the wall displays. "Oooh, what have we here?" she purred softly. "Don't tell me you're into those," Uranus said in an uneasy tone as she returned her Soul Saber to its dimensional sheath. Megan paused and cast a sidelong look at the blonde. "I happen to favor using a whip when I am in need of a weapon," she explained calmly. "It has a certain.... elegance to it when wielded properly. But then again, I'm sure you have your reasons for your choice of weapon. A steel blade for you, a whip for me, a staff for Susan, nunchaku for Lisa.... do I want to ask what you use?" she inquired as she turned to look at Whisper. Whisper telepathed to her, causing Megan's red eyes to widen. What followed next was a brief burst of eldritch noise from the succubus that might have been construed as being part of a language if either Whisper or Sailor Uranus had been able to properly hear the exotic sounds. "Yeah, what she said," Uranus spoke up after a moment of mild confusion, giving Whisper a plaintive look and getting a helpless shrug in reply. "I know what psionics are," Megan said quietly. "And if you have what it takes to use them.... well, let's just say that you're a lot more dangerous than I had initially thought. Things are definitely getting interesting now," she murmured to herself as she turned away and silently left the vault. Uranus watched her depart before turning around to look at Whisper. "Can I go back to bed now?" she asked in a weary tone. "I think I know what you mean," the telepath grumbled quietly as she began to lightly massage her sinuses. "And no, I don't think it's a good idea if you tried laying back down on the couch. There's a fair amount of cleaning to do this morning, after all, which should end up making some noise. Besides, you really need to take a shower first," she pointed out. Uranus just rolled her eyes. "Yes, mother," she sighed as she started to head towards the archway. "I'll tell you one thing, though, Maggie's probably right about the interesting part." "I think you mean Megan," Whisper corrected gently as she followed the blonde Sailor Scout out of the vault. "Whatever. If Sue's going to be busy all day dealing with paperwork, she might actually come back in a tolerable mood," Uranus mused. "I mean, I don't care what anyone says, I've watched her with my own eyes enough times to know she absolutely loves sorting out little nit-picky bureaucratic details. If it happens to be complicated stuff, she could actually end up in a playful mood that has nothing to do with sex for once. Hell, for all I know, she could be getting her rocks off even now over paperwork being filed in triplicate...." This is going to be a long day, Whisper thought to herself with a sigh. * * * * "Ouch," Leda purred very quietly to Mina as they both watched the new student make her way over to an unassigned desk after being introduced to the class by the teacher. "Down, girl, easy," Mina replied languidly, glancing over at the brunette in time to catch the half-amused look directed at her. "She's pretty, alright, but I doubt she's really your type. She looks fragile to me, and I don't think you'd be able to play with glass for very long without breaking something." "Gee, thanks," Leda grumbled quietly. "Cheer up, we can talk to her after class," Mina pointed out with a very cheerful smile. "If nothing else, I want to know her beauty secrets. I never really cared for pale hair or anything, but it has a really nice shine to it. Wonder what kind of shampoo she uses?" Leda just shook her head absently. "If you can get to her before all the boys do," she pointed out, not missing the way that every single male in the classroom was watching Lilibeth. "Just look at 'em, I can almost feel their hormones lighting up from here." "Sure that's not just your own going off?" Mina inquired with a smirk. "I'm just saying she's cute, girl, back off," Leda countered. "Anyway, like I said, good luck getting to talk to her before she gets mobbed by the goon squad." "O, ye of little faith," the blonde chuckled quietly. "Keep in mind you are in the august presence of a master of misdirection. Trust me, girl, I'll be able to talk to her after class." Leda paused and cast a sidelong glance at her. "Great, now I'm worried what you plan to do," she grumbled. "Trust me," Mina whispered with a truly disarming smile. The brunette just shook her head to herself and eyed the wall clock, not looking forward to the next fifty minutes of history class and wondering just how long it would feel like before the day was over. Or at least until it was time for lunch and she could check up on how Serena was doing. She had only caught a brief snippet of the conversation between Mina and Melvin in the hall earlier, but it seemed that Serena was a little jumpy this morning. That, and the long-haired blonde had already gotten a head-start on getting to know their new student from Nova Scotia. Hell, if I had gone through what she did over our extended weekend, I'd probably be jumpy too, she thought to herself. But she must not be doing too bad if she can still make friends like that. I still don't see how she does it, especially with a foreign exchange student. That reminds me, I need to ask Ami just where hell Nova Scotia is on a map.... * * * * Al'vexi said in a concerned tone. She was sitting down on a chair-like protrusion from the now-massive crystal structure that was taking up fully half of the terrace's floorspace. The seat was contoured slightly and angled back to let her recline a few degrees, but she had the feeling that the unyielding surface was going to make everyone's backside more than a little stiff and sore before this was over. "Not so loud, Al," Rune sighed as she massaged her temples slowly. "Ma'am, what's the problem?" Ensign A'del asked cautiously, keeping one eye on Al'vexi as she interacted with the amplification crystals and the other on the pained look on Rune's face. Rune looked at her carefully for a moment before sighing again, not overly thrilled at having to admit to a weakness. "I'm just a little sensitive to telepathic emanations," she admitted quietly. "I can't hear anything that is thought-broadcasted, but I do feel a sort of buzz in my mind from it. And now that Al'vexi is using the crystal matrix to augment her mental powers, the hum in the background just got a lot louder." Al'vexi thought. "One second, General," Master Healer Maq'i said as she stepped forward and placed her hand on the back of Rune's neck. A soft white glow encompassed her hand a moment later as she directed a small amount of her healing energy into Rune's head and neck, trying to discern if there was a obvious cause for the headache. She felt absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, save for a high level of tension, but that was completely expected. "Forgive me, but I wanted to rule out any sudden physical ailments," she explained as she gently removed her hand and stepped back. "I assure you it's entirely mental," Rune said, giving Maq'i a slightly unfriendly look before she moved to sit down next to Al'vexi. She shifted her weight around until she was as comfortable as she thought she was going to get before leaning her head back and resting it in the shallow impression. She let her hands fall to her sides and slipped them into the deep grooves on either side of her, letting her fingertips come into contact with the hypersensitive nodes of the crystal structure that she had grown for the purpose of directing and controlling their energies. She closed her eyes as she felt a ghost-like touch on her mind, followed by a spectral chill as she was enveloped by Al'vexi's mental presence. The thundering noise in her mind's ear promptly peaked before fading away into a very blissful silence, resulting in a soft sigh of relief. Her senses likewise faded away several moments later, leaving her feeling alone and in a floating trance of sorts. Al'vexi's voice said calmly. Rune thought, a feeling of shock washing through her as she both felt and heard her words being broadcast into the psionic realm. Al'vexi explained patiently. she admitted. Rune said slowly. Al'vexi sighed. she broadcast in a significantly louder telepathic voice. Rune instructed, likewise boosting the mental output of her psionic voice. There was a sudden period of silence before she felt a third presence suddenly join the group. An icy tingle swept through her very being as her senses became briefly disoriented, slowly returning to what felt like normal. At least, she thought it felt like normal.... Ael'ien apologized quietly. the retired general replied calmly. Al'vexi instructed calmly. Rune waited patiently as her senses started to blur around the edges once again before becoming stable. She was now aware of the psionic dampening field around her, a sort of bubble encasing her brain that could be traced back along a shimmering thread to where Al'vexi's voice resided. Curious, she started to look around, surprised to find more shimmering threads forming around her. She very carefully picked one up and tried to see where it went. A'del's voice protested stridently. <....> [ ] [ ] [ ] <....> [ ] <*THAT*> [ . . ] <....> [. . .] [. .. ] [........] [...?] [....] [...!] * * * * "So, Commander," K'tal said casually as he stared through his glare-proof binoculars, "You going to try to catch up to her?" "Not even in my dreams," Tolaris replied dryly as he likewise kept track of the dust plume in the distance with a pair of filtered binoculars. "Keep in mind that even when I was her age, I couldn't sustain that kind of speed for more than a few seconds. You might want to try to tell her to dial her speed down a bit, I think she's brushing up against the sound barrier." "So what's the downside?" K'tal wondered. "I mean, we're out in a fairly open desert, nothing but mountains all around us. The sonic boom should be contained quite nicely." "You see what it's doing to the sand behind her at sub-sonic speeds?" the elder Dragoon pointed out. "Keep in mind that it's probably still damp from the rain last night. If she goes supersonic, she'll start to trail a shockwave behind her that will turn all that wet sand into very solid projectiles. That won't be a problem for us if she's down there and we're back here, but we do still have native wildlife around here. Ever see a sand-blasted askiri before? It's not a pretty sight. And once she drops below supersonic speed she will promptly be overtaken by that very same shockwave. While I'm guessing she is using a windburner suit and a scramjet breather, that still won't protect her from a wall of sand slamming into her ptanka at the speed of sound." K'tal grunted quietly. "You might have a point, at least about the local wildlife being exposed to this, as we really don't need to wind up with some opportunistic mess sergeant putting desert roadkill on the menu without telling us. However, I should like to remind you that T'Hai did ask for permission for a free-range run, which was duly granted, and last I checked free-range means nobody tries to post a speed limit sign in your path...." Both Dragoons blinked and glanced down at their belts as they heard the distinctive chirp of a comm-link indicating that someone was trying to contact them. "Strange," Tolaris said as he noticed that it was his device that was lit up. He quickly plucked it off his belt and toggled the switch. "Commander Tolaris," he said calmly, still keeping one eye on the dust plume being kicked up in the distance. "Sorry to bother you, sir," came the voice of the current Communications officer on duty, "But the long-range sensors are picking up a possible lume in the vicinity of the Imperial Castle and the boys over in Sciences wanted to ask you for your help since the weather models are all still pretty unreliable for the Central Plains region." Tolaris nodded absently. "Copy, I'll be on my way shortly." "Thank you, Commander. Operations out." "Problem?" K'tal inquired carefully, still keeping a very careful eye on the distant horizon. Even with full magnification and computer-assisted lens adjusting, T'Hai's figure was little more than a two-pixel blur in the remote distance as she ran at a speed very few living denizens were capable of doing even with their Chaos Factor powers. "It looks like someone is creating a lume around the Imperial Castle," Tolaris replied. "Sciences apparently thinks I can explain something to them given my weather-control powers." "But you don't sound convinced," K'tal pointed out as a statement rather than a question. Tolaris shrugged and refocused his binoculars. "If it really is a lume, then it will do whatever the controller wants it to do, laws of physics being largely damned for the most part." "And if it happens to be a natural event?" K'tal prodded. "Then it will still do as it damn well pleases," Tolaris replied with a faint smile. "Just with a little more conformation to physics, that's all." It took K'tal a fair amount of effort not to laugh aloud, settling instead for a very quiet chuckle that was mostly suppressed in his chest. "You're a piece of work, you know that?" he drawled. "It's hardly my fault that weather patterns are complicated entities," the other Dragoon replied with a shrug of dismissal. "I still think that it has a lot to do with the gravity wells of our three moons, or at least the mechanism that keeps them moving around so erratically. If they ever decided to settle down into predictable and stable orbits, weather-forecasting will most likely get a lot simpler and with far more accuracy." "So how easy and accurate is it with just one moon?" K'tal mused quietly. Tolaris tilted his head back slightly to allow him to cast a sidelong look at his fellow Dragoon. "Something on your mind, Commander?" he asked in a perfectly neutral tone. K'tal sighed softly to himself, still keeping his gaze focused on the distant desert horizon. "I didn't sleep too well last night. Not that such a thing is a rare occurrence, as I'm sure you've had your fair share of sleepless nights as the Dragoon Commander, but no matter. In any case, while I was busy playing the count-the-ceiling-tile game, I was thinking about what to do with our Crown Prince and his half-denizen Moon Princess. Oh, did I remember to mention that they contacted us last night?" he added in an uneasy tone. "What?" Tolaris said, whipping his head around to give him a slightly startled look. "Guess not," K'tal sighed as he lowered his binoculars and switched them off. "You were still on the roof playing in the rain with the avians at the time and I must have gotten distracted with that Engineering report. I spoke with.... Ami, is it? Blue-haired girl?" "That's her," Tolaris affirmed with a slow nod. "Not something you see everyday, but no matter," K'tal continued. "The communicator units you and Maze left in my office started beeping, so I got a little curious and pushed the blinking icon-button. Her image appeared in the display window and we had a bit of a conversation for a few minutes. Princess Serena is reported to be very much alive and well, and that they still have her genetic data readily available for us. She mentioned that Maze would know how to set up a suitable data terminal for transmission and access." "He should, seeing how he helped her with the design and construction of the communication interface between her computer and the main computer core in the cathedral," Tolaris agreed. "Go on." "I asked if they would be willing to meet with us," K'tal continued in an uneasy tone. "You know, for a formal introduction during a mass formation. She said they could arrange that, but only on one condition.... that once our meeting is done that we escort them over to Ka'an-Nul." "Ka'an-Nul?" Tolaris echoed, blinking hard. "Did she say why?" "Nope," K'tal replied with a helpless shrug. "She said she needed to go finish her studies and that dinner was liable to be ready soon, so we ended the conversation at that point. I figured that the 'why' wasn't too important to worry about at the time, as I was more concerned with the group meeting. But now that I've had some free time to stop and really think about it, something about their request is giving me a faint chill." "Yes, like why Ka'an-Nul of all places," Tolaris grunted quietly. "I can easily see Mount Arachen or maybe even the ruins of places we talked about like Asleen and Mintaka, but Ka'an-Nul...." "You think they know something we don't?" K'tal suggested. He blinked in surprise as Tolaris chuckled very quietly to himself and held his binoculars back up to his eyes. "When it comes to humans, K'tal, anything is possible," he murmured. "And half-humans?" K'tal prodded carefully. "They're even more unpredictable," Tolaris sighed as he started to scan the terrain for the dust plume T'Hai would be kicking up behind her if she was still running at superspeed. "Umm, you sound like you're saying there's more than one," K'tal said in a very careful tone. "What, more than one person with only a single human parent?" Tolaris replied calmly. "Absolutely, I happen to know three off the top of my head. Serena, of course, is a human-denizen hybrid, but Susan and her sister Lisa are both human-demon hybrids." "Who and what?" K'tal echoed, giving him a distinctly confused look. Tolaris paused for a moment as he realized that it was likely that he had just said a little more than he had intended to. "I'll let them explain it to you if you ever meet them," he finally said after a short silence. "But as far as half-denizen individuals, Serena is the only one I'm aware of." K'tal grunted very quietly to himself. "The general population is most likely going to have a collective gas-cramp when that little secret gets out," he warned softly. "And just between you, me, and the sand here, I don't think we can keep it quiet for much longer. Too many people know." "So what would you have us do, then?" Tolaris prodded the other denizen carefully. "Do a global broadcast containing that information?" "Not without absolutely rock-solid proof first," K'tal countered. "Don't get me wrong, I personally have no problems going on your word whatsoever as I've known you long enough to know you wouldn't try to dump a pile of navidshi into anyone's lap. I know Maze is the kind of guy to play along with a wide range of jokes and the like, but Ra'vel certainly isn't, and having the three of you solemnly swear to the same thing means that you honestly and truly are convinced of its validity. But as I said earlier, sometimes you still need to have the proof examined under a microscope regardless." "Which will happen as soon as we can arrange the meeting," Tolaris replied with a nod of understanding. "That part was never in question. What we really need an answer to, however, is the question of what to do with that information once it is verified." "Wait and see what happens?" K'tal suggested. "Honestly, Tolaris, I'm not sure that we should do anything with it. Consider what will happen once the common denizen in the village street finds out...." "Honestly, K'tal, do you ever stop to listen to yourself?" Tolaris sighed quietly as he lowered his binoculars and turned to face his fellow Dragoon. "You just said that it will get out eventually, as far too many people know for it to be kept quiet for much longer." "That's true," K'tal admitted. "But do we need to be the ones unlocking the gate to let pure chaos surge forth?" "That depends on how the people take it," Tolaris said carefully. "And how it is viewed will depend largely on how they receive that information. If we were to release it ourselves along with the proof of her heritage and then present our views as to how it should be understood and accepted...." K'tal blinked hard and regarded the elder Dragoon carefully. "I thought you hated to put a bias on published information," he said slowly. "When I am asked for facts, I give only facts," Tolaris explained calmly. "When I am asked for my opinion, I give both my opinion and the facts used to formulate it. When asked for an official policy recommendation, I give that and cite the factual basis for my conclusions." "Okay, that's certainly acceptable," K'tal said after a slight hesitation. "So what exactly are we being asked to do for this one?" "Excuse me, Commander, but I don't recall someone asking us for anything of the sort," Tolaris said in a mildly diplomatic tone. "At least, I myself am unaware of it. Do you happen to know of such a request?" It took K'tal a few moments to figure out what precisely he was saying, and more importantly, what he was implying by what he didn't say. "Like I keep saying, Tolaris, you're a piece of work," K'tal chuckled as he shook his head. Tolaris shrugged absently. "No offense, K'tal, but I don't think I was screened for the job of Dragoon Commander based on my looks. That might work for Hospitality and Brigadier Zan'zemet, but not the Intelligence field." "Ouch," K'tal winced. "I'm sure she'll appreciate hearing that comment." "Which she won't if you have any decency," Tolaris smirked. "Besides, just try to prove to me that physical appeal doesn't have its own weight when it comes to a service division like Hospitality." "No, no, I've seen the reports, I believe you," K'tal replied quickly. He paused for a moment before clearing his throat quietly. "You know, speaking loosely of Dragoon Commanders, isn't Commander D'ael supposedly at Ka'an-Nul these days? You know, after his retirement and all?" That caused Tolaris to stop and think for a moment. "Last I bothered to check, I believe so," he replied slowly. "Why?" K'tal shrugged and scratched his cheek absently. "Oh, I don't know, I was just thinking that if we were planning on dropping by the region, we might as well be polite and pay him a visit for old-time's sake. He'd have to be told of our visit in advance, of course, as you really don't want to just drop in on a monk unannounced or anything. They tend to strongly dislike having their little moments of inner-peace disturbed and all that." Tolaris' eyebrows arched up as he thought about it. "You know, that might not be a bad idea at all. I don't know if he'll be overly thrilled to see you or me, given the stress he was under when he decided to resign, but I'm sure he will be suitably discreet about any such visit arrangements made in advance." "Perhaps even a guided tour?" K'tal suggested lightly. "A small group at most, of course, maybe a dozen or so. It is, after all, a bit of a tourist attraction for the view from the peak observatory if nothing else. And I'm reasonably sure that if someone anal like General Rune happens to get wind of our plans for a bit of an impromptu visit, she should be able to understand and maybe even appreciate our decision to take the scenic route home. Especially if we send her a copy of the pictures...." "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Commander," Tolaris warned quietly. "Worry about cleaning up the last traces of radiation first, then work on the hull and engine shrouds. We have to be capable of travel first before we can properly consider any plans to actually do so." "Cut you a deal?" K'tal asked casually as he turned his binoculars on and started to search for T'Hai's dust plume again. "You worry about getting us cleaned up and mobile again, and I'll worry about coordinating things with the monks at Ka'an-Nul and the paper-pushers in the Imperial Castle. They will be asking questions if we fire up the mains and start meandering around without a flight-plan, you know," he warned. "Or if not them, then at least Air Traffic Control North will want to know." "Let you handle external affairs while I deal with internal affairs?" the other Dragoon paraphrased after a moment of careful thought. "It can work," K'tal nodded slowly. "That way we won't be stepping on one another's toes. We will at some point have to work this rank thing out to a more definite degree, but just between the two of us I'm in no real rush. You know how it goes, there would have to be paperwork out the ptanka, we'd have to get General Rune to sign off on it since it'll be a division-level posting...." Tolaris grunted quietly, knowing that K'tal wasn't making an idle joke about the level of paperwork likely to be involved in such a thing. "I think I can live with that," he said calmly. "Okay, let's assume that the Sailor Scouts won't be free until their weekend. Seeing how the week just started, it will be five days at the earliest before this can happen. I'm fairly sure we can have the engine ducts cleaned out and the facility made mobile again by then. Or at least we can attempt a launch," he added in a sober tone. "There might be a problem when we fire up the mains and promptly liquefy all the sand in a thirty-ke'shel radius of the vents...." K'tal shrugged in indifference. "Work something out with Sector Seven?" he suggested. "It's their sand, after all, not to mention their mess to clean up once we depart. Oh, and Chief Octane asked me last night to pass along her thanks for those bottles we found lying around next to the reactor heat sinks. Seems you were right about that hot spot. Oddest thing.... oh, and it gets even better." "Oh?" Tolaris inquired in a neutral tone, suddenly wary of what sandbag was going to be dropped on his toes this time. "We, being the senior Dragoon officers, have been invited to accompany our Sector Seven sisters tonight over to the local drinking establishment in Sector One, a pub by the charming name of the Biased Bastard. It seems that one of them is.... shall we say, a hobbyist at the performing arts and is scheduled to take the stage tonight. You know who T'Del is, right?" he added lightly. It took a few seconds for the full meaning of the entire conversation to properly register on Tolaris' mind. "T'Del?" he echoed, giving K'tal a stunned look. "The redhead? Fusion specialist? SHE is here? Performing in a bar?" K'tal couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at seeing the usually calm and reserved Tolaris completely blowing several mental fuses all at once. "It's nice to know life on Earth hasn't completely ruined you," he chuckled. "Yes, yes, yes, and yes, respectively. She and the rest of Sector Seven will be joining us for lunch in the cafeteria, since we're stocked with foodstuffs they haven't had in months and all. The evening performance is being kept as quiet as possible, however, as we don't need a horde of off-duty Dragoons all mobbing the bar without any advanced notice. Civilian clothes for that, by the way, I understand the bar takes a dim view on rank and uniforms. Something about not mixing business and pleasure, which I can understand. You want to pick your jaw up now, Commander? It's unsightly, not to mention you're asking for sand to wind up wedged between your teeth in this desert environ...." "That's odd," Tolaris said quietly, only half-listening to what K'tal was saying. "Why would they let T'Del work all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? And as a simple vehicle mechanic? That makes absolutely no sense at all.... unless...." "Commander?" K'tal prodded carefully as he saw Tolaris start to space out. "Interesting," Tolaris mused to himself. "Perhaps there is far more to this whole situation than I had thought. I wonder if her file has been updated recently? Carry on, Commander," he said absently as he started to head back inside the open cargo bay. K'tal watched him go before sighing softly and shaking his head. "Had I known talking about T'Del could throw you for a loop that easily, I'd have done it decades earlier," he muttered as he refocused on what Cadet T'Hai was doing several dozen miles in the distance. "But that's T'Del for you. Alright, my little supersonic cadet, where are you now? Oh, heading back now, are we? I hope you slow down before you get too close. Bad enough we have sand in the intakes, we don't need sand being blown into the cargo bays as well...." * * * * "You're going to love this one," Leda said quietly to Ami as she paused on her way to her seat in the third aisle. "New student from Nova Scotia...." "Halifax, Canada," Ami replied absently without looking up from her open science textbook. "Cool, I was wondering where that was," Leda smirked, feeling pleased with herself for not having to put her ignorance of geography out on display. "So anyway, she's pretty damn cute by anyone's standards, especially the guys, and she's already made friends with Serena and Mina since this morning." "Oh?" Ami said, finally lifting her head up and blinking to refocus on the brunette. "That was fast. Not that it takes long for either of them to start up a friendly conversation, but still.... oh, that must be her," she added as she leaned to the side to look around Leda's hip. "Hmm?" Leda murmured as she glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, cool, she's in this class as well. Yes, that's her. Lilibeth Azmodan, prefers to go by Lily. Huh, she's about the right color as one, too, just now noticed this." Ami paused for a moment and cast a sidelong glance at her. "You should sit down, class is about to start," she suggested calmly. She then froze as Lily glanced in her direction, feeling a deep chill course through her veins as their eyes made contact. For one horrid moment she thought that her vampiric nature was going to try to wake up, but it merely did the equivalent of rolling over onto its other side and going back to contented sleep. The quiet ringing of the bell snapped Ami out of her momentary paralysis, resulting in a furious dash by Leda to reach her seat before the teacher walked in the door. The brunette's haste was unnecessary, as it was a good minute or two before the science teacher finally made an appearance. There was a very brief introduction of the new student to the class, at which point Lily was asked to take the empty spot three seats behind Ami. Another deep chill flooded Ami's veins as Lily passed by her, pausing for a brief moment to smile at the blue-haired student before continuing. It took Ami an additional second to fully recover her senses, but the faint lingering chill in her blood simply wouldn't be dispelled no matter how hard she tried to throw it off. Something's wrong, she kept thinking during the entire class, finding it extremely difficult to concentrate for some reason. She could tell that the dark part of her was unsettled by something, but not enough to truly cause it to be a problem. Logically she figured that it had something to do with the new arrival, as she hasn't experienced anything like this previously, but she also couldn't discount something else being the cause. Like Leda, she too had heard more than one casual observation that Serena was clearly edgy today about something, so it was possible that she could be experiencing the same sort of unidentifiable unease. I'll have to ask Serena about it during lunch, she finally decided as she tried to return to the current lesson being taught. The back of her mind was still trying to warn her of something, however, and more than once she felt the hair on the back of her neck start to tingle as if something was watching her. * * * * "Ms. Hino?" the voice said in a deceptively casual tone, jolting Rei out of the super-light meditative trance she had slipped into. "X-squared minus eight-X plus sixteen," Rei said quickly, rewinding her short-term memory and letting the rest of her subconscious mind speak freely. "And the value for X?" the teacher prompted, giving Rei a nonplussed look. "X equals negative four," Rei replied, giving the math teacher a look that was completely devoid of any semblance of emotion. "Correct," the teacher said simply with a mental shrug. To her, it seemed that Rei had been daydreaming, but obviously she wasn't if she was still able to follow along with the rest of the class. "Ms. Vale, problem five, please." Rei breathed a silent sigh of relief as Willow began to recite the next equation and solution. She had long ago learned how to bring her subconscious mind into a slightly more active role in things, allowing it to pay attention to her surroundings to a certain degree even while she was somewhat distracted with other thoughts. A response still required her to refocus her conscious mind on the task, but she was getting markedly better at making the transition appear to be perfectly seamless. Now if she could only get her subconscious mind to take the tests for her.... Damn it, she thought quietly as the ghost-like chill drifted past her yet again. The feeling had been plaguing her since school started, a vague feeling of general unease that seemed to come and go at irregular intervals. It was getting to the point of distraction now, and she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep herself focused on her schoolwork. I really hope it isn't Serena's fault, she thought darkly. Granted I never felt anything like this from her before, but with that new angel form of hers.... "Correct," the teacher said dryly, snapping her out of her thoughts yet again. "Last problem. Mr. Yoshii, number twelve, please." Damn it, Rei thought again with a heavy sigh. Why do I keep feeling like something is here? None of my wards reacts to anything, so it's not that, she added, absently brushing her fingertips over the spot on her blouse where she kept her spiritual wards hidden away. I might have to ask Ami at lunch if she can do a scan with her computer, maybe there's something around here after all that's just being a pain in the butt.... like Serena. That'd be a laugh.... * * * * Michelle was absently humming to herself as she finished washing the pots and pans in the sink. It wasn't the most pleasant of tasks to be doing at the moment, but like the laundry downstairs it was one of those 'somebody has to do it' jobs. And seeing how Alex and Whisper were already taking care of that, it only made sense for her to tackle the mess in the kitchen. She had just finished drying the skillet and was about to ask Myst an idle question when she caught motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned to get a better look and nearly leapt out of her skin as Susan walked into the kitchen as silently as any ghost. "Yeeep!" she squealed before she could get ahold of herself. "Oh, Susan!" Susan blinked at the unexpected reaction before sighing quietly. "Forgive me, I thought you were already aware of my presence," she said demurely as she held up a clipboard with several forms attached. "Or were you not paying close attention to when Myst greeted me several minutes ago?" she inquired archly. "I...." Michelle stammered as she glanced over at the gray kitten calmly preening her tail. "I must have missed that. I'm sorry," she apologized. "No matter. I need your signature on these documents," Susan explained. "They will serve as your identity records in this era. Unless you have any particular objections, your official place of birth will be the coastal city of Constanta, Romania. That is close to where your father was from, if my memory is accurate," she added. "Oh!" Michelle exclaimed as her eyes went wide. "You took us there once before, didn't you? Back when I was still a little girl?" "I did," Susan replied with a small smile. "I'm surprised you remember, as you were only seven at the time. Alex, of course, remembers next to nothing of the visits to Reykjavik, Iceland, which is where she will be listed as being born in." Michelle paused and peered at the documents closely, blinking when she saw Alex's full signature on half of them. "You got her to sign it as Alexis?" she inquired carefully, giving Susan an amazed look. "That must have been fun." "As I explained to her, these are legal documents," Susan replied with a faint smile. "And her full legal name is required for such things. Here," she added as she handed a pen to Michelle. "This is your contemporary-era birth certificate, which will be discreetly filed in the main hospital in Constanta. These are your immigration papers, saying that you came to Japan with your mother when you were three and thus hold dual-citizenship. It will be several more days before I can arrange for your passport, unfortunately, so you won't be taking any international trips anytime soon. Sign here, please?" Michelle paused and regarded the succubus carefully, absently making note of the rather pleasing lines of her dark green business suit. "You're in an unusually cheerful mood today," she observed with a soft smile as she carefully penned her signature. "There is always satisfaction to be taken from the successful completion of a task, no matter what magnitude," Susan replied. "Since last night, I have been able to take care of several such matters of importance in rather rapid succession. And as soon as I am finished collecting your signatures, I can resume the process of seeding your identities into the bureaucratic system and thus be permitted to set even more events into motion. I anticipate that I will remain preoccupied for most of the week, but by the week's end there will be much accomplished that you and Alex will find to your liking. Financial matters, certainly, and perhaps even residential ones as well, although I must admit that I haven't looked very closely at that one as of yet. May I ask why you are smiling at me like that?" Michelle couldn't help the soft giggle that rose up from her chest. "I'm sorry," she said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "It's just that you don't seem to be in this cheerful of a mood very often. Usually you're all quiet and gloomy. Or at least quiet," she amended hastily as she noticed the change in Susan's expression at her words. "As I said," Susan said dryly, "There has been a great deal that has taken place since last night that has been.... satisfying," she said, her cheeks suddenly taking on an uncharacteristic blush. She quickly rifled through the forms to make sure that Michelle had signed them all, unaware of the knowing look on Michelle's face. "Ahh, I believe that is sufficient, at least for the present. I shall return if I encounter anything.... else...." Michelle blinked at the way Susan trailed off, apparently distracted by something in the hallway. She turned to look and blinked again as a truly massive pile of sheets and towels seemed to be migrating down the hallway in a very slow and unsteady manner. It was only by taking a closer look did she realize that they were being carried by Whisper's telekinetic powers as they floated dangerously close to the ground. "Do you need a hand with that, Captain?" Susan called out curiously. "Whisper?" Michelle called out a few seconds later as she heard nothing but silence in response. She waited until the bulk of the sheets had passed before sticking her head out into the living room, blinking hard as she noticed that the telepath wasn't anywhere around. "Uh, Susan...." Whisper's voice echoed in her mind without warning. "That's interesting," Susan commented, having heard the broadcast herself. "That's spooky," Michelle protested quietly, giving the parade of sheets and towels a slightly uncertain look. "If she hadn't said anything, I'd have started to worry we were becoming haunted by ghosts or something." "Nonsense," the succubus replied with a faintly reproving look. "I have every reason to believe that I would have detected the presence of any such poltergeist or other spectral entity by now if one was in residence. Having said that, I will admit to a minor amount of curiosity as to what precisely occurred in the room with the star mosaic to leave behind that spectral aura I can sometimes sense, but it is a minor curiosity at best." "Wait, what?" Michelle said, giving her a startled look. "It is an Astral dent, Michelle, nothing of significance," Susan explained in a soothing tone. "I assure you there is no need to worry about it, as it is a fixed and apparently immovable object. Now then, unless there is something you need of me, I shall be off to finish this round of paperwork. I doubt I will be back for lunch, as I'm not sure when or where I will be by then, but I shall make a good-faith attempt at being back at a reasonable hour for dinner. Please try to keep Alex occupied and hence out of trouble until my return," she instructed in a humorous tone as she made a snatching motion at the air. The silvery Key to Time promptly materialized in her hand and she disappeared in a burst of light a few moments later. "Mmmmmergh," Michelle muttered quietly to herself, casting an uneasy look towards the part of the cathedral where the star mosaic was. "I hate it when she does that," she complained quietly to Myst. "Prrrrm?" Myst inquired absently as she lifted her head up from her task of preening her paws, her tongue still hanging out. "Nevermind," Michelle sighed quietly as she turned back to the sink to see what else she had to do. "Okay, so they're washed and dried now. Time to see where they all go," she said as she began opening up the various cabinets. * * * * There was a fundamental truth to the saying, 'Timing is everything.' Time was technically a bi-directional dimensional component, meaning one could go forward or backwards along it. However, it was still possible to have a small amount of lateral motion when traversing the stream. Such sideways motion had no direct effect on the physical component of such travel and in fact was quite often unconsciously used by travellers to get around certain blockages or other obstructions in a chosen path. However, unless the temporal 'equation' used to calculate a given path was likewise altered to compensate for the minor amount of lateral motion, or the motion otherwise returned to its original value once clear of the obstacle, the result could sometimes be different than intended. When the conduit opened directly in front of them, a conduit that was most certainly not theirs and was likely a result of someone slipping into the Flow of Time at just precisely that instant so close to their destination, they had little choice but to dodge to the side in an attempt at avoiding a temporal collision. They had been on time-travelling voyages before, but never on their own without Lady Pluto's hand to guide them to their destination. The result of their panicked movement was a minor but still important change in their course, an error that wouldn't be realized until they zoomed in towards the physical coordinates they had been aiming for and slipped into the conduit that opened before them. The world reformed around them in a hard flash of blue light, a result of exotic temporal particles instantly decaying outside of their normal eleven- dimension environment. When the glare faded enough to allow them to see the world around them, they immediately got the impression that something was most likely amiss. "Huh," said the girl with pink hair the color of cotton-candy. She was holding the hand of a girl with dark purple hair, and pressed between their hands was a brightly glowing red gem that was slowly fading away to normal intensity. "Helen, are you sure this is the right place?" "Don't look at me," Helen replied as she carefully let go of the other girl's hand, keeping the red gem cupped in her palm. "You're the one who was driving. Speaking of which.... is it me, or did we move a little back there?" "Leave me alone, I had to move to avoid being run over," the pink-haired girl retorted as she looked around the room with a faint scowl. "Wait, wait, this looks like it after all. Look, up on the ceiling. See, that looks like the Astroglobe that Lady Earth told us about. You know, the one you should be able to use your power of Astrology with?" "If it still works," Helen said dubiously. "It was broken how long ago? Seriously, Renee, I don't think we should try to mess with it. We're here for a wedding, remember? We just slip in the back, watch quietly, and slip back out before anybody notices. That was the deal we made with Lady Pluto." Renee sighed and removed her hat, revealing the pair of conical pink buns that most of her hair had been swept up into. The remaining portion of her hair hung like streamers from the cones, coming down to her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, kitty, don't get your panties in a knot. Here, give me that," she said as she pointed to the now-inert red gem. The gem was casually tossed into the air on a gentle arc and promptly disappeared into the depths of the hat as it sailed into the center of it. "Hey, careful with that!" Helen blurted out. Renee paused and gave her a bizarre look. "What, think it'd break on us or something?" she inquired archly. "You know how easy it is to lose something in that?" the purple-haired girl protested with a pout. Renee just rolled her pink eyes and carefully put the hat back on, making sure that it covered her distinctive hairstyle. "You worry too much sometimes, you know that?" she sighed. "Now come on, if I did it right they should be starting the ceremony soon so we need to start moving. Qui-et-ly," she added in an emphatic tone. "I'm not the one who tripped over the carpet and woke up the entire Castle last year when we were supposed to be in bed," Helen retorted darkly as she cast an unamused glance towards her best friend. "I'm telling you," Renee replied with an exasperated sigh, "We would have been fine if Minerva had just keep her big mouth shut. Now come on, let's just get going before we get...." Both girls promptly froze as the door creaked open, allowing a truly large stack of sheets to be carried into the chamber by Whisper. The sheets were piled so high that the telepath couldn't see where she was going, instead using her psychokinetic sense to attempt to navigate her way along the corridors of the denizen cathedral. "....Caught," Renee muttered in a dejected tone as her blood turned to an icy slush. The pile of sheets promptly fell to the floor as Whisper dropped them in surprise, looking around the room for the source of the sound. She spotted the pair of girls an instant later, her eyes widening in shock at the discovery of intruders in the cathedral without their detection by the internal sensors. "Whisper, we can explain," Helen blurted out quickly. "Who are you?" the telepath demanded in a low tone as she tensed up, one hand hovering near her head in preparation of focusing her mind for psionic combat. Renee and Helen exchanged unhappy glances before sighing heavily in near- perfect unison. "Long story short, we're out-of-phase," Renee said simply, as if that explained everything. It did to a degree, but the statement was quite meaningless to someone who wasn't versed in the mechanics of time-travel. "Give me the long story, then, and quickly," Whisper growled, her body still tense with anticipation of the unknown. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" "I am Crown Princess Renee of the Kingdom of the Moon," Renee said in a quiet but firm voice, turning her focus inward briefly and causing the golden crescent sigil to flare into view on her forehead. "And this is my handmaiden, Lady Helen Tomoe-Kino. We are from what you would call the distant future, and we came here with the intent of observing a wedding, nothing more." Whisper remained perfectly motionless as she considered the implications. She was reasonably sure that the brief flash of soft light on Renee's forehead had been genuine, meaning that she was a descendant of the Royal House of the Moon. That also meant she was related somehow to Serena, which in turn meant that somewhere along the line the concerns of her heritage and her ability to bear children would be rendered quite moot. "Handmaiden?" Helen muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "Hush," Renee discreetly whispered back. "Alright," Whisper said calmly as her thoughts quit cascading enough to let her refocus on the situation. "Say I believe you, that you two are who you claim to be and that you are from the future. Be that as it may, I'm not aware of any weddings taking place around here." "What?" Renee said, blinking in surprise. "But I thought that...." "Renee?" Helen interrupted in a low tone as she took the time to study her surroundings in detail. "I think we have a slight problem on our hands. Look around you. This place doesn't look like it's been around for that long, now does it? The Astroglobe is still intact, too," she added in an ominous tone. The pink-haired princess blinked hard and gave Whisper an unsettled look before she tilted her head back to study the mosaic on the ceiling. "Ummm...." she said dubiously before turning her attention back to Whisper. "Okay, let's start with the basics.... what year is this?" The question seemed to catch the telepath off-guard, causing her to open her mouth before freezing in place. "I don't know," she admitted with a faint blue blush of embarrassment. "I never really stopped to ask how the human calendar works in relation to ours." "Oops," Renee replied, clearly nonplussed by the answer. She thought for a moment before a potential solution occurred to her. "Okay, so just how old is...?" she started to say before Helen grabbed her arm and nearly yanked her off of her feet. "Hey! Easy, kitty, just.... huh?" she said as her friend began to quietly but furiously whisper in her ear. "Oh, good point. So who do we use? Oh, I know. Umm, Whisper? How old is Lady Mar.... I mean, just how old is Rei Hino at the moment?" Whisper gave her a suspicious look before replying, "Sixteen." "WHAT?" both Helen and Renee gasped in shock. They both stared at the telepath before Renee whirled around and swatted Helen on the shoulder. "You sent us too far back in Time!" she blurted out. "Don't blame me, rabbit, you were the one who was driving!" Helen retorted with a dark scowl. "I told you not to call me that," Renee fumed. Whisper blinked and alternated her gaze between the two girls, trying to decide if this was an elaborate ruse of some kind or if they really were just a pair of time-travellers who had simply taken a wrong turn. She would have dismissed that out of hand if it wasn't for the fact that Susan had indicated that she herself was a time-traveller and apparently wasn't above taking others along on a journey with her. "Does it matter right now?" Helen hissed. "We're screwed. We missed the mark by almost a full *decade*, and not only are we seriously out-of-phase, we have to explain to Lady Pluto why we got caught. She is going to *kill* us." "Take it easy, Helen," Renee said in a soothing voice. "Look, the only person who's seen us so far is Whisper, and I'm sure she's not going to tell anyone else. Right?" she added hopefully as she leaned to one side to look at Whisper. "You're not going to change the future time-line by telling anyone that we were briefly here? Please?" Whisper raised a delicate pale green eyebrow. "I think that's already been done now," she pointed out in a very cautious tone. "We're dead," Helen moaned. "Lady Pluto is going to kill us both...." "Look," Renee sighed heavily, "Don't worry about her, okay? I'm the Crown Princess, let me do the worrying. You just.... I don't know, go study the way the star mosaic looks right now or something. Let me handle this, alright?" "Sure, you're doing an excellent job of it so far," Helen muttered as she glanced over at Whisper. She paused as she noticed the rather intense look she was receiving from the telepath and cleared her throat nervously. "Umm, why are you looking at me like that?" she inquired cautiously. "I'm trying to remember if we've met before," Whisper replied in an uneasy tone. "I don't think so, but I've still got the funny feeling that we have. You do, after all, seem to already know who I am," she pointed out. "Maybe because you two met in the future?" Renee suggested dryly. "Renee? Don't antagonize her, okay?" Helen whispered softly. "We're in more than enough trouble as it is, we don't need to go home with headaches." "Oh, please," the pink-haired girl scoffed. "What denizen is going to so much as lay a mental finger on their Cr...." "She doesn't know that!" Helen hissed sharply. "None of them do! For the love of the Moon, you crazy bunny, *we're in the past!*" Renee suddenly got very quiet as the realization sank in, her complexion suddenly becoming dangerously pale. "Oh, right," she said in a small voice. "Yeah, that, umm.... might have an impact. I think we should go home now." "That might be for the best," Whisper suggested as she felt the beginnings of what would soon be a headache of epic proportions start to take up residence in her frontal lobes. She paused and raised an eyebrow as Renee swept off her hat to reveal the conical hairbuns. "Interesting hairstyle," she observed as she immediately thought of Serena's 'meatball' buns and the almost identical streamers of hair hanging from them. "Royal tradition," Renee muttered as she held the hat in one hand and reached into the darkness beyond the brim with the other. She quickly found herself up to her shoulder as she felt around inside the artificial dimensional field, trying to locate the small red gemstone that had been loaned to them. Whisper studied her carefully before shrugging in dismissal. "I can see that happening," she admitted, remembering that Queen Serenity also used the same general hairstyle. "Renee?" Helen prodded in a wary tone after a few seconds of silence. "I'm working on it," Renee replied, absently holding the tip of her tongue between her teeth as she blindly felt around inside the pocket. "It's not like I can shine a flashlight in here to make this any easier, you know? Ah, wait, this might be it. Errgh," she grunted softly as she strained her arm to reach even deeper into the field. "They made this too big," she protested. Helen sighed and crossed her arms over her petite chest. "That's not what you were crabbing about last month," she grumbled. "Well, I didn't think we'd end up with THAT much Halloween candy," the other girl replied with a sour look. "Besides, you were keeping your stash in there too, so no wonder we had a problem with overflow. Oh, come on," she said tartly as she started to balance on one foot while trying to push her arm even deeper into the void. "Great, I think it rolled into a corner." "Careful," Helen warned. "If you fall over, I'm going to laugh at you for a week. I might even tell Kei and Morgan so they can tag-tease you as well." "No you're not, because I'll beat your furry butt for that long," Renee countered. "And don't even think of telling the twins about *any* of this or Lady Pluto really will.... aha!" she said triumphantly as she stood up straight and removed her hand from the depths of her hat. "Finally," she added as she held up the small red gem. Whisper just rubbed her temples slowly. "Helen, please tell me you're related to Rei so I can easily understand the reason you two keep going back and forth like they keep doing in this era," she sighed. "What?" Helen said, blinking hard. "Lady Mars? No, I'm not her dau.... er, descendant. The twins are, but that's *OW!* you stupid rabbit, what the hell did you do that for?" she yelped as Renee promptly stomped on her foot. "To shut you up, furball," Renee said acidly. "Weren't you the one trying to remind me two minutes ago that *we're in the past* right now?" "You didn't need to do that, though," Helen protested darkly. "Well, if you'd watch what you say...." Renee countered hotly, her dark temper starting to flare. "Girls?" Whisper sighed heavily, causing an abrupt veil of silence to fall around the room. "Not to be rude, but just go home already before you make my headache even.... what?" she gasped, staring at the black crescent mark that suddenly appeared Renee's forehead. "Huh?" Renee said in confusion, giving Whisper a concerned look. "What?" "Uhh, you're glowing again," Helen said in a very flat hiss. "And I don't mean the gold one this time." Renee blinked hard and quickly focused her mind, causing the black moon sigil to vanish from her forehead. "Oh, yeah, umm.... mood swing. Temper, you know. It happens, heh heh...." she said weakly. She blinked hard and winced as Helen's hand wrapped around hers, almost crushing it in a tight embrace. "Ow, hey!" she protested. "We're outta here," Helen said quickly as she concentrated on the gem. "Umm, sorry for dropping in on you like this, Whisper, please try to forget we were here and anything you might have seen, and please don't tell Lady Pluto about any of.... this.... Umm, Renee?" "What? This hurts, dammit...." "I'm not feeling any temporal energy here," Helen warned. "Well, quit squeezing my hand so hard and let me try," Renee replied in a cross tone. She made a quiet huffing noise as Helen adjusted her grip so that their palms were pressed together and their fingers intertwined. "Okay, that's a lot better. Now then, just let me.... handle.... this? Umm...." "Yeah," Renee agreed in a sickened tone. Whisper paused and frowned as an icy chill started to crawl down her back. "What's the problem, girls?" she inquired carefully. Helen and Renee exchanged uneasy glances before they took a step back, Renee cupping the gemstone in her hand and studying it carefully. "It's not glowing anymore," she said in a sullen tone. "Meaning?" Helen prompted. "I think we might have used up all the energy getting here, " Renee said in a tentative tone. "After all, we travelled further back than expected...." Helen moaned softly as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh, great," she sighed. "If Lady Pluto wasn't going to be happy with our screw-up before, she is absolutely going to have a litter of kittens now. How are we supposed to get ourselves out of this one?" "Umm.... ask the Lady Pluto of this era?" Renee suggested weakly. "Surely she can time-travel just as easily too, right?" "But not into the Silence," Helen said dourly. "That's why she let us borrow the gem in the first place, remember? Reverse-vector homing and all that fun stuff?" "Oops," Renee whispered very softly. "Well, maybe she can recharge this thing or something?" she asked as she gave Whisper a hopeful look. "She's not here right now," Whisper pointed out. "In fact, she told us not to expect her back until dinner, and that won't be for several hours." "We're dead," Helen said in a flat tone. "We are so dead, and the gods help us if we run into any of the others before then." "Helen?" Renee sighed. "I know you're an Astrologer and everything, but can you put a lid on the doomsday prophecies for once? It isn't helping. Can you try raising her on the communicator network? That should still be working properly in this time period.... right?" Whisper paused for a moment as the chill in her blood became even deeper. "My communicator works just fine, last I checked," she said slowly. "However, I don't think one has been built for Susan just yet." Renee grumbled quietly to herself as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're not making this easy for me, are you?" she muttered darkly. She then had to make a quick grabbing motion as the gemstone started to vibrate hard, almost leaping out of her hand. "Hey, what gives?" she protested. Helen paused and regarded her carefully. "Don't tell me you actually got worse with that clumsy can't-do-two-things-at-once problem of yours," she said with a sigh. "You're standing perfectly still and yet you still managed to start fumbling it? You chewing gum again or something?" "Oh, shut up," Renee groaned with a sigh of her own. "It's not MY fault that this thing just started shaking all of a sudden." "Wait, what?" Helen gasped, her face turning a sickly shade of white. "It started resonating? You know what that means?!" "Resonating?" Renee echoed in confusion before she likewise turned pale. "But that would mean...." She fell silent for a moment before both she and Helen turned towards the door as it creaked open. "Lady Pluto," they both said in perfect unison with identical cringes of anticipation. "Captain, is there...?" Susan started to say with a frown before she saw that the room was more populated than expected. There was an initial moment of reflexive tension before the color seemed to literally evaporate from her face. "Hotaru...." she breathed in a shocked voice so soft as to almost be inaudible. "Okay, *now* we're in trouble," Renee whimpered to Helen. "No, I'm not," Helen spoke up quickly as she realized what Susan's problem was. "Chancellor, listen carefully, I'm not who you think I am but I can't say more since we're out-of-phase." It took Susan several moments to recover to the point where she could nod her head fractionally in a semblance of understanding. "I-I-I see," she said in a choked tone. She closed her eyes and visibly tried to rally herself with a deep breath before focusing on the visitors once again. "If you are indeed out-of-phase with a negative temporal coefficient, then as the Guardian of Time I demand that neither of you say anything further and immediately return to your point of origin," she managed to say with a measure of firmness. "We can't," Helen said very carefully, acutely aware of just how pale the succubus was. "We overshot our target and used too much energy, or at least we think we did. We're going to need your help to get us back," she explained as she pointed to the quiescent red gem in Renee's hands. Susan glanced over at the gem and blinked in surprise before nodding to herself. "So that is the reason," she murmured quietly before she glanced up at Renee. She blinked hard again and stared at her before sighing softly. "I will attempt to have it recharged for you, but that will require a few moments of preparation first. I suggest you either set the gem down or get a very firm grip on it," she warned as she braced herself. She waited for Renee to wrap both hands around the gem before she made an unusually rapid and hard grabbing motion at the air. "Eeep!" Renee squealed as the gemstone in her hand suddenly began to jerk around the instant Susan's staff appeared. The resonance only lasted for maybe a tenth of a second before Susan warped out of the room, obviously trying to do so as fast as she could manage. "Wow, that was powerful," she said to Helen once the gem became still again. "That was dangerous," Helen pointed out sourly, casting an uneasy glance where Susan had been at just a moment ago. "She must have blown one heck of a fuse if she's willing to bring the two into that close a proximity, even for a fraction of a second. Umm, yes?" she added as she noticed the way Whisper was staring at her. "I knew I had seen you before," Whisper said quietly. "Only it was in a painting Susan had done of Sailor Saturn, a girl named Hotaru. You indeed look like her, and I mean exactly like her. Well, aside from the purple hair and eyes," she amended after a moment's thought. A bright flash of light heralded Susan's return, holding the Key to Time in a white-knuckled grip. There were two gaps near the top of the heart-shaped loop where a pair of red gemstones had once been set but had obviously been removed at some point. She immediately braced herself for a hasty exit, but allowed herself to relax after several seconds when it became clear that there wouldn't be any additional temporal resonances in the immediate future. "There," she said quietly. "I believe I can now attempt to recharge the time crystal you are using without causing an overlap. Would you please hand it to me?" she said to Renee, her voice wavering ever so slightly. The gem was wordlessly passed over to her and promptly socketed with a soft click. "Thank you," she said absently as she closed her eyes and focused on the staff. "Susan, are you alright?" Whisper asked quietly. "I.... should like to defer answering that question until later, if you don't mind, Captain," Susan said in a level tone as she continued to focus on the Key to Time. "Meaning she's trying not to throw up," Renee muttered to Helen, drawing a very sharp look of rebuke from the purple-haired girl. "Silence," Susan said in an unusually crisp tone, drawing hard blinks of surprise from the rest of the room. "You have indeed drained the crystal of its energy, which I find to be rather incredible given the charge it usually contains. What I find to be more upsetting, however, is the fact that you were more than a little careless in plotting your temporal journey through the Flow of Time. I only returned here because I became concerned about the potential for harm following the near-collision I experienced several minutes ago. I am, quite frankly, at a loss to imagine how such an event was possible short of gross negligence on your part as I was no doubt the one who instructed you on how to navigate the Flow and most assuredly would not have allowed either of you to travel on your own without having full confidence in your demonstrated abilities to do so properly and responsibly." "Daaaaaamn," Renee moaned quietly as she seemed to wilt like a flower. "You don't even know us and already you're starting with the lectures. Can you at least wait until we get home first?" she pleaded. "Besides, what makes you so sure that it wasn't your *AAAAHHHH!*" "Children, please," Whisper sighed, wincing as she watched Renee try to recover from Helen's somewhat vicious jab to her kidney. "Quiet before you get us both in trouble!" Helen hissed darkly. "I assure you that the both of you have already reached that point," Susan observed in a fairly glacial tone. "Dammit, Helen, that *HURT!*" Renee snarled. "Then bite your tongue so we can get out of here, okay?" Helen retorted. "Don't talk to me like that, I'm your...!!!" Renee started to say before both she and Helen abruptly staggered back from powerful psi-spikes, giving them instant and very strong migraine headaches. "Girls?" Whisper said calmly, hoping she hadn't just made a mistake from using her telepathic skills on them. "Both of you please be quiet. I'm not good at guessing a human's age, especially when they're as young as you seem to be, but you both strike me as being in your early teenage years, which is old enough to know how to behave like adults." "Thank you, Captain," Susan said briskly as she removed the gemstone from its socket and held it out. "Here, the crystal has been fully recharged and should have more than enough power to return the both of you to your point of origin. Again, as Guardian of Time I demand that you do so and without further delay." "Thank you," Renee said in a pained whisper as she reached out to accept the gem. It began to glow as soon as it touched her skin, shedding a soft but steady red light. "Told you not to antagonize her," Helen muttered as she continued to hold one hand to the side of her head. Her other hand reached out to gingerly clasp Renee's, pressing the glowing gem between their palms. "Let's just go, okay?" "See you in a couple of minutes," the pink-haired princess sighed as she turned her focus inward, directing her thoughts towards the crystal. A rift was immediately torn open behind them, drawing the pair of girls inside and sealing itself shut just as quickly as it had come. "Susan!" Whisper gasped as the succubus collapsed to her knees and seemed to go limp. "Tension, nothing more," Susan whispered quietly as she adjusted herself to sit properly on the floor. She set her staff aside and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead against her arms. "Oh, what have I allowed to happen?" she moaned softly. Whisper hesitated for a moment before she moved over and sat down next to her, reaching out to grip her shoulder gently. She blinked as she realized that the succubus was shaking fairly hard. "Susan, take it easy, okay?" she said carefully. "Just take a deep breath and tell me what just happened." "No," Susan replied as she shook her head violently, startling Whisper. "No, neither of us can speak further of this. You must not speak to anyone at all about this, not to me, not to Michelle, not to the Princess, nobody. All that you heard and saw here must be forgotten lest it change the past that has already been written." "Susan, listen to what you are saying," Whisper pointed out. "You told us several times before that the future is not set in stone. If they are from a future time-period, then so what? Whatever they said will not change *our* past, and since their past is our future, doesn't that mean it can still be changed?" "It is not that simple," Susan said quietly. "By changing their past, even though it is still technically our future, they have linked themselves to a specific temporal thread of possibility and forced it into our reality. This is how paradoxes are created, and unless properly broken or corrected they can incur truly catastrophic results. I learned this lesson the hard way, and it is not something I can permit to happen if it is within my power to prevent. Significant damage has already been done with the simple knowledge that they even exist as such. To spread that information to others would be to amplify that damage on a geometric scale." "Even to tell you about it?" Whisper prodded carefully. "Even to tell me about it," Susan echoed with a somber nod. "While I have become accustomed to guarding such secrets for my entire life, they each weigh heavily on me in their own way. Such burdens can never be lifted until the Moment passes the points in Time they concern, fixing events in the past and thus rendering the concerns moot. It dismays me more than you could possibly know to see that you are now burdened by such a duty, but it is nonetheless a duty for you to remain silent on all that you have seen and heard until events come to pass as they ultimately will. Failure to do otherwise could very well have consequences for this world well beyond your imagination or mine." The telepath sat back and studied her carefully, getting the very clear impression that the other woman absolutely believed that what she was saying was the literal truth. "So what do I do about the curiosity I have about all of this?" she inquired carefully. She blinked as Susan lifted her head up and began to laugh very softly to herself, making her genuinely wonder if the other woman's sanity was starting to fragment or at least crack around the edges. "What do you think is the heaviest burden that must be borne?" Susan said with what was best described as remorseful irony. "I of course desire, and I might even daresay hunger, to know who they were and what they were doing here in this era. However, knowing will only further prejudice me against choices I must make in the future, and so I must avoid finding out to the best of my ability. Welcome to one of the many burdens I bear, Captain, and I pray that you can endure it with less pain and suffering than I usually experience." Whisper sat back with a heavy sigh, absently drawing her knees up to her chest in an unconscious mirroring of Susan's current pose. "This is giving me a truly massive headache, you know," she pointed out as she began to massage her temples. "I believe I can state with authority that I share your pain," Susan said with a faint hint of a smile. "If it is any consolation, at least you have a greater degree of mental discipline than most others. Try to imagine for a moment how poorly someone like Alex might cope in this situation." "Ask me later how well I'm coping with this," Whisper replied dryly. "So just so I understand this correctly.... I can understand being asked not to tell anyone else, that part I'm comfortable with. But you and I can't try to figure any of this out between us?" Susan sighed quietly. "I'm sure that we could manage to piece together a great deal of information if we tried," she said in a muted tone. "That is, however, precisely what I am trying to avoid as it is the information itself that will end up prejudicing ourselves when it comes to future decisions. I hesitate to use words like taint or contaminate, but there will nonetheless be a definite bias towards the thread of possibility that they originated from if we pursue this any further than what has already been done, intentionally or not." "Is being biased a bad thing, though?" Whisper mused. "It can be," Susan allowed. "Is it guaranteed to be? No, but there is still an increased possibility of that, and as Guardian of Time is has long been understood that one of my purposes is to ensure that the probabilities are not artificially tampered with by external agents or influences." Whisper just shook her head slowly. "You're making my headache worse, you know," she pointed out in a rueful tone. "With all due respect, Captain," Susan said quietly as she stood up and picked up her staff, "Just imagine how I feel. This is your first encounter with time-travelling entities. I've been at this for seven hundred years now, and being a Damned soul means that I will continue to bear these burdens until either Time as an entity ceases to exist or I am finally claimed by the dark abyss of oblivion. At least you have the hope of not having to go through this sort of experience again. I, however, have no such comfort. I will see you later tonight," she added quietly before she made a gesture with the staff and vanished in a flash of light. "Great," the telepath muttered to herself as she rose to her feet and cast a weary look at the forgotten array of sheets scattered over the floor. "Now I understand why Alex keeps giving her a hard time. Ohh, my head," she moaned as she gingerly began to scoop the sheets up. "You know, maybe Myst is right about things being just a little too chaotic around here after all...." * * * * The rain continued to come down from the ink-black clouds in torrential proportions, not so much falling as being hurled by the internal forces that were directing it. The windshear was not helping matters one bit, or at least from the perspective of the ground as it was torn up by the sheer violence of the storm. The force of the falling rain was enough to take the paint off of most of the unprotected buildings and terrain, and with it the layer of deadly radioactive fallout from the nuclear blast. Aided by not just the super-strong winds but by a seemingly unnatural current, the flood-like waters on the ground flowed towards the eye of the immense storm where the pressure was dangerously low. Like a rip-tide, the water surged along a narrow path to wind up in a whirlpool of sorts where it swirled around in a mad frenzy before being drawn up into the truly terrifying funnel cloud that rotated around the perimeter of the Imperial Castle. What was taken up by the winds soon found itself back in the clouds, being driven back towards the ground once again in a giant meteorological loop. And during the process, the radioactive ions trapped by the water began to spontaneously decay at a rate thousands of times faster than what was normal, essentially rendering them largely harmless. The process was moving very slowly, but it was nonetheless working as it was intended to do. The creation of the stationary mega-tornado that spun with the Imperial Castle safely ensconced in the center of the vortex had been the surprising but highly effective idea of the overmind itself, boosting the efficiency of the water-movement process. Tempest thought to the rest of the group as she kept a very careful eye on the internal pressure of the whirling cyclone. Si'ren thought simply as she remained focused on her work. Vol assured her calmly. General Rune remained perfectly silent as she listened to what was going on in the psionic mesh. The conversation between Si'ren, Tempest, Alani, and Vol was clearly audible to everyone, while the distinctly muted communications between the three telepaths was kept to an almost subconscious level so that their coordination wouldn't disturb anyone else. The child-like instincts of the overmind had its own mental feel to it, not so much heard as a distinctive sound but was rather felt as background noise like the call of nature when in a forest. And now that Al'vexi was too distracted to maintain the psionic thought-barrier that had been shielding Rune from the synaptic static inherent to telepathic activity, she could also hear a fourth level of communication, barely more than the hum of an electric device way off in the distance: the sound of Ael'ien's mind as she communicated with K'tal through the psionic bond that they shared. And what are you saying, Captain? Rune wondered as she focused on the very subtle humming sound. Are you doing what you are supposed to do, finding out what his plans are and determining if he has betrayed us? Or are you plotting with him even now to commit treason? How can I trust you now that your mind is tied to his? Do you think like he does now? Will you in time betray me as I suspect our Dragoons soon will? Will you betray me for her sake, for that of the Moon Princess? Damn you, Nop'tera, she fumed quietly, able to feel the residual ache in her hand despite being immersed in the depths of the overmind mesh. What is so special about her that blinds you to the danger she poses? Even the NegaForce admits she is a danger, yet instead of killing her to ensure that the threat is negated, you wish to protect her? To put her on the throne as Queen-Regent? Darian, she thought quietly. Prince Darian is the key to everything now. I can easily see what Beryl saw in him, and not just from a physical standpoint either. But would it be enough for me? Could I live with him as my Prince? Allow him to be the one to share the rest of my life with? Beryl thought so, and she had to break his mind to do it, but look what it did to her. Who among us couldn't see how she was changed by him? Are these humans really that.... that powerful, that dangerous, to affect us as such? Look what they've done to denizens like Tolaris. Tolaris.... he was a loyal soldier and a dedicated Dragoon. Now he's a traitor, and for what? Sailor Mercury? A lone human girl who by all rights is still a child? And what of the others who followed in his footsteps, the other denizen exiles? Maze, Ra'vel, Whisper? Perhaps Maze could be charmed by one of them as Tolaris could, both being men, but what about a woman like Whisper? She was married for centuries and her husband was killed by the Sailor Scouts. And yet she allies herself with them now? And what of an avian like Ra'vel? What could she possibly see in humans? What are they seeing? Why? Could it all be.... her? Rune sighed mentally as the thoughts and doubts continued to swirl around inside the depths of her mind. What is so special about Sailor Moon? she all but yelled into the empty silence around her, not daring to let the thoughts slip into the psionic mesh surrounding the uppermost layer of her mind. What is so special about these humans that affects us so? a very soft psionic voice whispered in her mind. Eh? Rune thought as her blood turned to ice. Who's this? the voice replied. Find a way to kill Sailor Moon for me and I will be greatly relaxed, Rune thought darkly on pure impulse. She paused as she felt a wave of amusement drift down from the web of psionic connections. A'del said with a faint tinkle of humor to her quite telepathic voice. A dark wave of anger promptly flushed through Rune. You assume I haven't, she snarled. One was indeed dispatched to Earth several months ago, and when the Sailor Scouts were done with him his ashes fit rather nicely in a shoe box. Also, surely you are quite aware of the fact that the Psi-Corp was thoroughly decimated by them and that your former captain now guards her mind on Earth. If you think you can deal with both Whisper and Sailor Moon, then by all means let me know and I'll send you to Earth on a personal assignment. Otherwise, I strongly suggest you hold your tongue, Ensign, as your division simply doesn't have the personnel to spare for such missions. Al'vexi's voice suddenly came through the mesh. Rune grumbled, deciding that it wasn't worth the effort of publicly crucifying A'del for her comments. Vol said carefully. Al'vexi said firmly. the monk persisted. Rune felt her insides turn to lead at the thought of having to hold any sort of public discussion on the issue. Anyone in the military could be given a direct order not to discuss the matter further, with suitable examples being made out of the first violators, but she simply didn't have the authority to impose such a restriction on a civilian. At least, not legally.... Al'vexi replied. Ael'ien spoke up in a very hesitant voice. <*WHAT?*> [...?] Vol said simply. [...?] A'del spoke up. Si'ren spoke up quietly. Al'vexi telepathed privately. Oh, really? Rune thought back in a scathing tone. How so? The thought was enough to stun Rune into silence for several moments. Al? she finally replied. Why? Why would you do this? the telepath replied softly. As immersed in the mesh as they all were, Rune was pretty sure that she wouldn't have been able to feel it if her jaw fell into her lap. The icy shock of realization, however, was just as mental as it was physical and thus was quite easily felt as it rampaged through her. You too, Al'vexi? First Jedyt plays me for the fool, and now you try to manipulate me like a pawn? A soft sigh echoed down the mental link. Al? Rune thought as a wave of weariness washed over her, making her feel tired in ways she had rarely felt before. Kill the Moon Princess, and most of our problems simply vanish. Is that really asking too much? Al'vexi replied quietly. So that's it, then? Rune found herself thinking with open resignation. I'm just supposed to stand aside and let our worst enemy accede to the throne? Surrender control of the military to either a sea-based admiral or a vampiric general who hasn't set foot in this world in a thousand years? Is that really what is best for this world? Al'vexi replied gently. The question echoed in Rune's mind long after the voice fell silent, the soft words seeming to blend together with the repeated thoughts and concerns about the Moon Princess. She's using me, she thought to herself. Not just Al'vexi, but Sailor Moon as well. They're both using me for a purpose.... but can Al'vexi be right? Can it really be for the greater good? A'del whispered softly. Al'vexi replied. Al'vexi said calmly. A'del replied with an audible smirk. [...? ...! .... ....] * * * * "Serena," Ami sighed heavily as she watched the blonde cram fully half of her sandwich in her mouth, "You don't need to shovel it all in at once." "But 'm hungwy," Serena replied as she chewed. "You're always hungry," Leda observed dryly as she leaned back against the oak tree and nibbled on her own lunch. "But still, Ami's got a point. Slow down before it ends up going down the wrong pipe, okay?" Ami glanced around the schoolyard as Serena made a soft grumbling noise to herself and continued demolishing her lunch. She could see Mina off in the distance holding a rather animated conversation with the new student, Lily, which didn't surprise her in the slightest given the blonde's highly sociable tendencies. She couldn't spot Rei yet, which made her just a little uneasy as the priestess was usually one of the first ones in the courtyard once the lunch bell sounded. "So you doing alright, Serena?" Leda inquired casually. "Heard you've been a little tense all day, which really isn't like you. I mean, I know it's Monday and all and we've come to expect you to be a gloomy Gus, but still...." "I'm not that bad," Serena muttered as she started in on a dark red apple. "But...?" Leda prompted carefully. Serena paused in mid-chomp and glanced over at Ami just as the blue-haired girl looked over at her. She sighed and removed the apple from her mouth, idly studying the teeth marks left on the surface. "I'm just a little.... worried, I guess," she admitted in a very quiet tone. "About what, Serena?" Ami inquired cautiously. "About.... you know," the blonde hesitated. "The angel thing." Leda chuckled wickedly to herself. "Trust me, meatball head, nobody here at school who knows about your blonde tendencies and mischievous side is going to think you're even remotely angelic," she teased. "Leda!" Ami said sharply. "Lily did," Serena said quietly as she looked up at the brunette. "So what?" Leda replied with a shrug of dismissal. "Like I just said ten seconds ago, nobody who KNOWS you will say that. She just met you, of course she's going to give you the benefit of the doubt. You are a nice person deep inside, after all, fights with Rei notwithstanding...." "Leda," Ami sighed heavily. "....And admit it, you're not exactly hard on the eyes either," Leda went on, ignoring Ami's exasperated sigh and causing Serena to blush. "So you just might look like an angel to her.... until you pull some crazy stunt like what Mina routinely does for giggles when she's bored...." "Leda, it's not just Lily," Serena blurted out. "I've had several people I only know in passing come up to me and ask me what I did to make myself.... so radiant, is what they most often said." "Huh?" Leda said, almost choking on a portion of her fruit cup. "I don't think I look different today than I did on Friday," Serena said in a low tone as she glanced around nervously. "But I think something *has* changed that other people can see, or at least pick up on. So far they just think that it's a new shampoo or that I'm just in a good mood for a Monday, but I'm worried I'm missing something! I mean, I know my nails look different," she said as she held out her hands with her fingers spread wide. "I'm not all that worried about it since I can say that's just some new clear polish. But what if there is something else?" "And if there is?" Rei said quietly as she sat down next to Ami. She had approached in such perfect silence that it caught everyone off-guard, resulting in squeals of surprise from not just Serena but Ami as well. "Damn, Rei!" Leda rasped as she thumped her chest hard, trying to convince the mouthful of fruit that she had just swallowed to stay in the proper pipe. "Your grandfather teaching you how to do the ninja thing again or what?" "Again?" Rei echoed, giving the brunette a slightly confused look. "Remember way back when I walked into the temple as he was trying to teach you and Chad something involving those boku-tohs?" Leda prodded carefully. "Oh, that," the priestess replied with a dismissive gesture. "Just a way of using a weapon as a spiritual focus, that's all. You need to calm down," she added, giving Ami a mild look. "I think you yelped louder than Serena did, and that's saying something." "Oh, leave me alone," Serena grumbled. "Sorry," Ami apologized with a dark blush as she looked away. "I was just a little distracted and wasn't paying attention, that's all." Leda snorted quietly and buried her face in her fruit cup. "Like that's anything new around here," she muttered under her breath. Ami watched Mina and Lily talking in the distance before she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, turning around to find Rei staring at her with a perfectly unreadable mask of concealed emotions. "Something wrong?" she ventured in an uncertain tone. "Funny you should mention feeling distracted," Rei replied in a tone that was completely devoid of any emotion. "You aren't by chance getting a feeling of unease every so often, are you? Like something's here that you can't quite put your finger on?" "Umm, guys?" Leda said slowly as she saw Ami's expression abruptly change. "Is there something going on that we need to know about?" "I'm trying to find out if there is," Rei replied without taking her eyes off Ami. "You've been feeling it too, haven't you?" she prodded carefully. "I'm not sure," Ami admitted quietly. "My vampiric side seems to be a bit unsettled today, if that's what you mean, but that could be caused by several things. It could be reacting to Serena, for all I know." "Wait, why are you looking at me like that?" Serena protested as Rei's bottomless black eyes turned to focus on her. "Probably because she's likely right?" Rei said in a flat tone. She then sighed heavily and rubbed her face, her whole body suddenly seeming to be overcome with weariness. "Damn it, Serena," she muttered. "I know it's not your fault, but can't you do something about your emotions or something? I'm starting to think they're leaking somehow and that Ami and I are picking up on it subconsciously or something. You have been uneasy all day, right?" she prodded carefully. "Umm.... well, yeah...." Serena replied slowly. "Typical," the priestess muttered as she glanced off towards the horizon. "Wait, whoa, hey, back up," Leda protested as she rubbed her temples in an attempt at enticing her sudden headache to go away. "You mean that because Serena's been on pins and needles all morning that you and Ami have been able to feel it too or something? When the hell did this start happening?" "When did she become an angel again?" Rei pointed out quietly. "Rei, we don't know if that really is the cause," Ami spoke up. Rei shrugged to herself. "Fine, let me know when you have a better idea," she replied as she stood back up. "If I'm picking up on her mood leaks, that would explain a few of the emotional issues I've been having lately. See if I bring you back from the dead again," she muttered as she walked off. "Hey!" Leda called out after her. "Yo, Rei! Get back here! Rei!" Ami sighed as she reached out to put a hand on Serena's suddenly trembling arm. "Serena, please, just take it easy," she said gently. "We don't even know what the problem is here, okay? It could just be a coincidence of some sort. I really don't see how your emotions could be affecting her." "But.... but what if they can?" Serena whimpered quietly, her blue eyes starting to fill with tears. "What if that is part of my denizen side, that I will always.... leak emotions?" "Please," Leda chuckled. "C'mon, Serena, you've always worn your heart on your sleeve, how could you possibly call that a leak? Rei sure knows how to pick a stupid term for something, too," she added ruefully. "Leaking emotions, please. If duct-tape could have helped, we'd have tried that months ago...." "Leda...." Ami sighed heavily. "Hey, Serena's smiling about it," Leda pointed out with a grin. "It is kinda silly when you put it like that," Serena admitted quietly. "Never hurts to laugh, Serena," the brunette added with a gentle pat on the blonde's shoulder. "Well, at least not gently. Lord knows I've had my fair share of stomach cramps from laughing too hard, but that's not the point. In any case, I think I just found a sizable hole in Rei's leakage theory. Stop and think, if it's something that has to do with your angelic nature and that both Rei's spiritual senses and Ami's vampiric nature can pick up on it, then what about Susan? Surely she would be picking up on it as well, right?" There was a very noticeable pause as Serena and Ami blinked and looked at one another, both clearly mulling over Leda's words. "That would make sense," Ami ventured carefully as she turned back to the brunette. "Especially when you take her demonic side's sensitivity to spiritual energies into account." "See?" Leda said as she relaxed and leaned back against the tree. "You guys worry too much sometimes. It's Monday, okay? That tends to put everybody in a disgruntled mood and.... topic shift, incoming," she suddenly warned as she sat back up. Ami blinked and cast a quick glance over her shoulder, feeling a slight sense of unease forming in her abdomen as she saw Mina approaching the group with Lily in tow. She wasn't sure what to make of the new student yet, save that she seemed to be fairly intelligent judging by some of her comments made during a discussion about a question in their science class. However, there was still a vague feeling of uncertainty about the pale-haired girl that she couldn't put her finger on. "Hey, hey, hey!" Mina said cheerfully as they approached. "Good morning, fellow space cadets, how's life?" "Just fine until ten seconds ago," Leda replied dryly. "Ignore the big meanie," Mina said to Lily with a lopsided smirk. "She's a bit of a fruitcake, but she's still a good person. Umm, speaking of fruit," she added slowly as she sniffed at the air, "Do I smell pineapple?" "Sure do," Leda replied as she made a gesture with her empty fruit cup. "And it was delicious." "You are so cruel sometimes," Mina whimpered as she eyed the empty cup. She blinked as Leda reached into her backpack and pulled out another small cup of mixed fruit. The cup was casually launched through the air on a shallow arc to land perfectly in Mina's hands. "Oooh, thank you!" "And she calls me a fruitcake," the brunette chuckled as she watched Mina use her fingernails to neatly slice a perfect circle out of the foil cover. "Have a seat, Lily, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. You've already met Ami and Serena, right?" "Yes, I have," Lily replied quietly as she gave Serena a warm smile. "My savior in math class. Thank you again for helping me out. Goodness, are you alright, Mina?" she added in a worried tone as Mina half-choked on part of her diced pineapple. "Sure, sure, fine," Mina coughed as she waved a hand around. She finally cleared her throat and gave the pale-haired girl a startled look, her cheeks flushed a moderate shade of red. "It's just that I've never heard anyone ever refer to Serena as a savior in class before. Especially in a math class...." "I just helped her find the right page, that's all," Serena spoke up, her own cheeks taking on a light pink tint. "Heh," Leda chuckled as she put her arms behind her head and leaned back against the tree. "Looks like there's hope for you after all, eh, Serena?" she teased, chuckling again as Serena made a sour face at her. "Leave me alone," the long-haired blonde grumbled. "Ami?" Lily asked hesitantly as she carefully studied the other girl. "Yes?" Ami replied cautiously as she glanced up from her textbook. "May I ask you a personal question, please?" Lily said, giving Ami a very cautious yet hopeful look. She waited until she got a nod in reply before she continued, "I have never seen someone with hair colored like yours before, or at least not as successfully with artificial dye, yet I have heard that some people do have hair that color. I mean no offense, but I cannot tell which it is at the moment...." she said, her cheeks turning a vibrant pink color. "It's natural," Ami replied, feeling a wave of heat rise to her face. "But forgive me, I did not mean to embarrass you!" Lily protested as she noticed the sharp contrast of color to Ami's rapidly-changing complexion. "Ah, relax," Leda spoke up with a faint smile. "We all think Ami looks pretty cute when she blushes like that." Mina just sighed and shook her head ruefully as she finished picking out the last chunks of pineapple from the fruit cup. "See, I told you she can be a mean one," she said to Lily. Ami cast an unamused glare at Leda before turning back to Lily. "It runs in the family," she explained calmly. "My mother has the same shade of blue hair as well. It's not very common at all, granted, but I'm a little surprised that you've never seen it before." A faint smile of embarrassment crossed Lily's face as she tinted pink once again. "My homeland is not the most diverse of countries," she admitted with a faint hint of apology to her musical voice. "I have only twice before met people who claimed their exotic hair-coloring was natural. Everyone else I've met said they had used varying dyes for effect. I have seen blue-dyed hair, but as I said, it was never as richly colorful as your hair is." "Thank you," Ami said after a slight hesitation, not precisely sure how to field the other girl's statement. Lily gave her a warm smile and giggled very quietly. "At least your hair has color to it," she pointed out as she picked up one of her braids. She very carefully rolled the ends between her fingertips and fanned it out so that the individual strands were clearly visible. "My hair is almost transparent, like a spider's silk. I am one of the few people who can actually gain color from using bleach, as it leaves the strands milky white." "That's still pretty," Serena spoke up as she carefully reached out to touch the lock of hair. "Ohhh, and it's nice and silky too! Real soft." "Thank you," Lily replied as she gave Serena a gentle smile. "I keep trying to get her to tell me how she does it," Mina interjected with a faint note of envy and jealousy. "You know, shampoo or conditioner and the like, but I keep getting this line about natural beauty." "But it is," Lily protested with a smile. "I cannot help it if my hair grows soft and colorless on its own." A dour sigh rose up from Leda's chest. "Color might have something to do with it, too," she grumbled as she reached up to toy with a streamer of her own medium-brown hair. "I can get the soft thing going if I shampoo and condition it until my head hurts, but it gets all coarse and wiry on me a few hours after it dries. My only consolation is that at least it grows straight and can be brushed out with a minimum of tangles." "Snarl in your hair, dearie?" Mina purred in a wicked tone. "That might explain the snarl in your attitude most mornings...." "Okay, where's a stick?" Leda sighed as she made a show of looking around the area. "Hang on, Blondie, I'll have a snarl for you to play with, just as soon as I can find something solid to beat your...." "Leda," Ami sighed quietly, giving the brunette a reproving look. "You should see her when she really gets going," Mina said to Lily with a truly evil grin. "They don't call her the Psycho-Killer for nothing." "Goodness," Lily observed carefully. "That does not sound good...." A faint smirk crossed Leda's face as she closed her eyes and relaxed back against the oak tree once again. "It's real simple, kid," she drawled. "Don't mess with me and I won't have a reason to mess with you. Sorry if I don't deal with stupid people very well, like idiots who want to try to throw their weight around because they think they've got some muscle and a few half-baked ideas about how to fight." "Yeah, something like that," Mina said absently as she leaned back several degrees to study something in the distance, a small frown forming on her face. "Speaking of half-baked idiots, tell me that isn't someone harassing Willow again...." "What?" Serena said as she turned around, her eyes going wide. A truly dark sigh rose up from Leda's chest as she sat up straight and got to her feet. "So much for starting the week off on a quiet note," she grumbled as she cracked her knuckles. "I'll be right back." "Leda, don't start another fist-fight," Ami sighed in resignation. "What, you want to handle this one?" Leda offered, making a gesture for her to proceed ahead of her. "Tell you what," Mina said as she gracefully slipped between Leda and Ami to move past them. "Why don't you let me try the diplomatic approach first, and if that doesn't work then you can pound the goofball into the ground. That sound fair to you?" she inquired as she lobbed the half-eaten fruit cup into a nearby trash can. "Deal," the brunette said as she glared at the figures in the distance. "Excuse us," she added absently to Lily as she started to follow the blonde across the courtyard. It didn't take them very long to cover the distance at all, a clear path opening up as if by magic once the other students realized that Leda looked to be on the warpath again. "Hey, hey, hey, what seems to be the problem here?" Mina said in a mildly affable tone as she very skillfully edged in between Willow and her adversary. "Beat it, sister," the stocky dishwater-blonde growled in reply. A very light splattering of pale red could be seen on one sleeve, as if a few drops of something had been spilled on it. "This is between me and the whale here." "Hey, it was a simple accident!" Willow protested, her cheeks becoming flushed at the snide comment about her plump figure. "And you're the one who waved your arms around without looking, so don't blame me." "Oh, come on, ladies, there's no need for such anger," Mina cooed as she made a settle-down gesture. "Surely a little accident isn't worth getting all riled up over, right? I mean, we've all had those little oopsies before...." Amanda Parkins paused and cast a dangerous glare over at Mina. "You're about to encounter an 'oopsie' if you don't mind your own business, you little uptight busybody," she growled. "Now scram." Mina paused and raised an eyebrow, giving the other girl a cool look in response. "Aww, ain't that sweet, the mouth wants a piece of me. Oh, well, so much for the diplomatic approach," she said as she sighed theatrically. "Tag, Leda, you're it." Both Mina and Willow found it absolutely amazing at how fast the color drained from Amanda's face. "What...?" she said before her eyes tripled in diameter as she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. "You know, Amanda," Leda said in a languid voice that was almost literally dripping with scorn, "I'll give you credit for being a persistent little tart. I mean, who else would be dumb enough to keep harassing friends of mine after being warned the first time?" "You've got to be kidding me," Amanda said in a faintly shaky tone. "As long as I've known you? You're not friends with the Goodyear blimp here, she's simply not your type." Mina reached out to snag Willow's arm, pulling her to the side with casual grace as Leda shoved the stocky blonde forward to encounter the brick siding of the school. "Temper, temper," Mina said absently with a yawn. "Okay, reject, listen carefully," Leda snarled as she spun Amanda around so that they faced one another. "Am I good friends with Willow? Not really, but then again, I don't need to be best-buddies with everyone to be on good terms with them. She is, however, a good friend of both Mina and Serena, both of whom are *my* best friends. Now then, are you starting to get the picture here, or shall I spell it out for you in excruciating detail?" she added with an ominous flexing of her wrist, placing careful emphasis on her usage of the word 'excruciating'. Both Leda and Amanda blinked as Mina eased her hand between them and very gently pressed against the upper part of Leda's large chest. "Easy, tiger," she purred softly. "I think that we can try the diplomatic approach again, now that we have her attention. You are listening this time, I trust?" she added lightly as she cast an overly cheerful smile at Amanda. "Yeah, what?" Amanda ventured in a very leery tone, not entirely sure if there was any significance of the way Mina's hand was pressed against Leda's chest without actually seeming to be touching her breasts. Mina smirked and removed her hand from Leda's blouse, clasping it behind her. "Oh, it's simple, really. Just walk away and forget the whole mess ever happened. I'm sure that'll come out in the wash without worries," she added with a casual jerk of her chin towards the spotted sleeve. "Willow isn't too keen on confrontations either, so I know she's not going to go out of her way to make an issue of this or otherwise bother to remember anything. Like I said earlier, accidents do happen and we've all had them before, so it's really not a big deal or anything. I'm sure she'll even ignore the insults, since she's a nice person at heart." "Right...." Amanda said dryly. She blinked as Leda leaned over so that their noses were only inches apart. "Now what?" she muttered. "Sounds like a plan to me," Leda said quietly. "I'll even let you walk away without tossing you around like a wet sock in the dryer, providing you don't give me the slightest excuse to change my mind. Of course, that means you don't harass any of my friends again, but surely that should have sunk in during the little get-togethers we used to have back at our old school...." A soft snarl rose up from Amanda's throat. "Are you sure you're not into whips and chains?" she inquired in a very careful tone. "That would explain an awful lot about your aggressive streak...." Mina just rolled her eyes as she reached up to grab Leda's wrist in fluid motion just as it was drawn back. "Oh, come on, that one was so weak it wasn't even worthy of an eyeroll," she chided the brunette. "Look, if she wants the S&M treatment, we can introduce her to Susan later. No, better yet, Megan," she said with a faint hint of glee to her tone as she narrowed her eyes. The change in her mood was enough to cause everyone else to blink hard and exchange looks of unease. "Uh, did I miss something here?" Leda said warily, her eyebrows arched up to her hairline. "Nah, I was just thinking that Megan would probably be more than happy to chain our little problem-child here to the wall," Mina replied with an idle gesture to Amanda. "She just comes across as that kind of woman, you know? I mean, who else would bother using a live bat as a hair ornament?" "Yeah...." Amanda said very slowly as she discreetly began to edge away from both Leda and Mina. "Tell you what, you girls go talk about whom you're going to play with after school and all, and I'll just go take a raincheck for later or something, okay?" "Hold still, dirtball, we're not done with you yet," Leda sighed. "Just let her go, girl," Mina sighed theatrically as she craned her neck to look up at the clouds. "I'm sure she'll forget about this little accident of no importance before school lets out for the day. In fact, I'm pretty sure we all will forget about this whole incident." "I hope I can," Leda muttered softly as she glanced at Willow. The chubby girl gave her a sour nod of agreement, obviously wishing that she could erase the visual from her mind that Mina had painted a few moments ago. "See?" Mina said cheerfully, clapping her hands as she briefly bounced on her toes. "Diplomacy can solve problems after all. Okay, off with you now," she said as she made a shooing motion at Amanda. She paused in mid-motion as she noticed the crowd that had gathered around them, obviously to watch what sort of violence Leda was going to unleash this time. "Show's over, guys," she called out as she made a shooing motion at the crowd as well. "Nothing to see here anymore, honest. Seriously, go away...." "Someone got something they want to say?" Leda said loudly, taking her time in turning around to look behind her. To nobody's surprise, Amanda took the opportunity to make a very quiet and unobtrusive exit, vanishing around a corner a few seconds later. "Damn," Mina said very quietly as she watched the way the crowd abruptly dispersed. "I wish I could do that. Usually I have to spend a few minutes quietly working the area before I can create a bubble of privacy like this." "It's all in the reputation, girl," Leda said absently as she glanced over at Willow. "So you can take it from here, right?" "Uh.... I guess so," Willow replied in an uncertain tone. "Not that I know what I'm supposed to be taking where or anything, but.... oh, hi, Serena," she called out as she saw the group approach them. "Hi," Serena replied quietly as she drew close enough for conversation. Ami and Lily were right behind her, the former giving the brunette a look of resignation while the latter was clearly unsettled by what she had both seen and heard. "Hey," Leda said absently by way of greeting. "Umm, Leda? Was that.... really necessary?" Serena ventured carefully, trying to gauge what sort of mood the other girl was in at the moment. Leda paused and gave her an odd look. "Necessary? No, I could have let her continue to torment Willow, if that's what you mean. After our little conversation, however, I doubt she'll try anything like that again. Think of it as a deterrent against future incidents." "And how successful has that been in the past?" Ami inquired in a faintly edged tone. The brunette sighed and leaned her shoulder against the brick wall as she crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Honestly? I'd say somewhere between two-out-of-three and four-out-of-five times, it works. Amanda's a bit of a special case, however. She used to go to my old school, you see, and we had a bit of a rivalry going back then that tended to get.... what's a good word?" "Violently ugly?" Mina suggested dryly. "Let's just say that she usually found herself on the wrong end of the beat-down stick a couple of times a month, if not more often," Leda replied with a smug smile. "Usually?" Mina echoed carefully, her eyebrows arching up. There was a slight pause before the brunette made a face and grumbled something inarticulate beneath her breath. "Alright, I'll be honest, she's tossed a few good ones at me before and I've had more than one school uniform ruined because the bloodstains on the blouse wouldn't come out, but more often than not I came out on top. What can I say?" she added with a shrug. "It's not like I ever claimed to have a perfect record or anything, you know?" "Boy, I hope Melvin isn't around," Mina said quietly as she glanced around the area. "One word of that into his bat-ears and your reputation would be so ruined." "Bah, like I care," Leda replied with another shrug. "Everyone already knows what'll happen if you try to mess with me or my friends, so let him blab about it. Of course, he better get his facts straight if he does, or he'll be discovering the flavor of the beat-down stick for himself...." "She's not usually like this," Ami said quietly to Lily with a soft sigh. "Yes, she is," Serena muttered. Leda snorted quietly in contempt and pushed herself off the wall. "Thanks a lot, guys, see if I go out of my way to help your friends again. See you after school," she growled as she moved past them and headed back over towards the oak tree to retrieve her backpack. Mina blinked in surprise before sighing quietly to herself. "Okay, maybe I need to go back to marking the calendar with colored crayons again," she said to herself before looking over at Ami and Lily. "Ami is right, Leda's edges usually aren't this rough. Still, it is Monday, after all, and I can imagine that she might be a little extra-cranky because of it. However, she might also be entering the proverbial red-zone here...." "Thank you, Mina," Ami said in a flat tone as her cheeks tinted pink. "Hey, umm, I gotta go," Willow said quickly as she glanced down at her wristwatch. "It's almost time for class and all." "Aww, already?" Serena whined softly, giving Willow a petulant look. "Time and tide waits for no woman, you know," Mina pointed out with a soft sigh of her own. "Come on, girls, time to pack it up and get ready to return to the dullness of our formal education. Don't look at me like that, Ami, it's dull to the rest of us non-geniuses," she added sourly. Ami sighed darkly and returned her science textbook to her backpack. "See you in gym class," she said briskly and headed off towards the main building. "Wow," Mina sighed as she looked up at the clouds. "I'm really failing the charisma checks today, aren't I? Bah, it's Monday, that's an automatic penalty on the die roll anyway." Serena and Lily traded identical looks of confusion before Lily delicately cleared her throat. "Mina, what.... are you referring to?" she asked slowly. "Ah, don't worry about it," Mina replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Come on, girls, time to saddle up. Willow, you want to...? Willow?" she said as she looked around. "Damn, that girl can move fast. And quietly, too, I didn't even hear her wander off. Sneaky little bugger, isn't she? I bet if she could lose a few pounds so she wouldn't stand out at a distance, she could probably be a good taffer...." "Serena?" Lily said very softly as she unobtrusively leaned over. "Is Mina okay? She seems a little.... chaotic." "It's Mina," Serena muttered back with a rueful shake of her head. "Stick around long enough and you should get used to her. Should," she added with a very quiet sigh that drew a very uneasy look from the Canadian student. "And yes, chaotic is how everyone else describes her, too. Welcome to Crossroads," she said with another rueful shake of her head as the five-minute bell sounded, indicating that lunch was over and that class would soon begin again. * * * * The bank executive glanced up from the stack of paperwork on his desk as his secretary knocked on his door. "Ming?" he said in a weary voice as he saw the manila folders in her hand. "Tell me that's good news you're carrying." "It might be," she replied as she entered the office and set them down in front of him. There were nine folders in total, each one marked with a hand- written label that indicated they were prospective new accounts to be opened. Ordinarily such paperwork wouldn't have come anywhere near his desk, as it was a matter for the tellers and low-level managers to deal with. That they were now being brought to him indicated that there was something unusual enough to the requests that they needed executive approval to continue. "Oh?" he said in a neutral tone as he set his current report aside to get a better idea of what the problem was. Five of the folders were not marked in any unusual fashion, suggesting that they would be processed normally. One of them was marked with a yellow sticky-flag, a second with an orange flag, and the remaining two were marked with red flags. "These were all filed at the same time by the same individual," she said in a quiet tone, tapping one of the unflagged folders. "We ran the names past our databases and they returned flags on these four. This one," she said as she tapped the yellow-flagged one, "Is a pre-existing account. This one came back as a relational account," she explained as she gestured to the file with the orange flag. "And the other two said simply to see you personally. Given the nature of the instructions, I thought it best to bring the entire batch up for you to review as necessary." "Oh?" the executive said again, his bushy eyebrows rising up in surprise. He glanced down at the names on the two red-flagged folders and blinked hard. The first he recognized right away, but the second name took a few seconds to sink in. "Ah, yes, I remember now. Yes, I will handle these myself. Thank you, Ming, I appreciate this." "My pleasure, sir," the secretary said simply before she quietly left the room. She paused for a brief moment at the door before quietly closing it behind her with a soft click. The bank manager scooped up the folders and leaned back in his chair, studying the names intently before opening the files one by one. The first five seemed to be of no consequence, being standard applications for a bank account all drawing off of deposits from the first account, which in turn was to be created from a wire transfer from a bank in the United Kingdom. Susan Meiou, he read silently. Michelle Kaiou. Alexis Ten'ou. Rei Hino. Serena Tsukino. He then picked up the yellow-flagged folder and skimmed the hand-written sticky note on the inside cover. Darian Chiba, existing account (checking/savings), will need his written permission to continue. The orange folder, belonging to one Ami Mizuno and flagged as a relational or 'legacy' account, took a few seconds to figure out. Ah, so this must be her daughter, he said as he came across the name Dr. Amelia Anderson in the notes. Dr. Anderson was one of the more prestigious customers of the bank, given her role and reputation as a trauma surgeon at the hospital, and he had gotten to know her personally after having his appendix removed by her three years ago. His hand was halfway to the phone with the intent of calling over to the hospital to ask her if she knew anything about this when he suddenly hesitated. Granted one of the lower-level managers or supervisors should have placed a friendly call to her the instant her daughter's name came up on an application that she hadn't signed off on, but something in the back of his mind was trying to warn him that there might be far more to the situation than initially met the eye. It was an instinct that had served him quite well over the years, enough to have helped him climb the corporate ladder to his current executive position, and thus wasn't a voice that he lightly ignored. Let's see, he thought as he turned to the first red-flagged folder. He only needed to glance at the name to remember everything there was about that particular account, including information that wasn't in the bank's database. Leda Kino, he read silently. Now why is your name coming up on a new account? And one opened by someone else that I've never met before, let alone have any reason to believe is related to you? This is getting very, very bothersome.... His eyes finally passed over the last name in the stack, causing him to sit back and study the folder very carefully. Mina Aino, he thought as a very faint chill seeped into his blood, the real-life identity of the mysterious Sailor V. Why are you popping up on my radar again like this? And I know for a fact that if you really did want to open a bank account in your real name, you certainly wouldn't be doing it here. Now I'm *positive* something isn't right with any of this. He closed his eyes and gave very serious consideration to lighting up a cigar, one of the few remaining vices that he had. The cigarettes had been dispensed with a decade ago and he didn't smoke his cigars very often, but once in a while the craving would return just long enough to drive him to light up for a half-hour or so. Nine filings at once, he thought to himself. All ordinary dual checking- savings combination accounts, all submitted by the same individual and all financed by a quarter-million British pounds wired from good ol' Edgar Bloom in jolly old England. The wire should be legit, but I'll place a quiet call to his secretary tonight just to make sure. Nine people, apparently all women save for Mr. Chiba who's been with us for a few years now. The list includes three people whom I strongly doubt would be opening an account on their own, especially seeing how two of them know me personally. This smells of one of two things, he summarized with a soft sigh. Either it's fraud, in which case Ms. Meiou will have a great deal of explaining to do to the police, or there is something else here that I'm not convinced I really want to know about. However, *not* knowing really isn't an option in this line of work, so I will have to ask a few questions. I have the sneaking suspicion that this is going to be a very long night, he sighed as he leaned forward to pick up the phone. The number dialed was not one found in his Rolodex, but rather engraved into his memory. The other end rung a couple of times before someone picked up and a teenaged voice said, "Seventh Street Pizza." "I would like to speak with Sal, please," the banker said. "Sure, hang on," the teen replied before the line was muted. There was the faintest of humming noises before the line was opened up again. "Seventh Street Pizza," a familiar and somewhat gruff voice said absently. "There is a storm gathering on the horizon," the executive said calmly. As always, there was a moment of hesitation on the other end of the line followed by a somewhat weary sigh. "But the winds are calm for the moment," the restaurant owner answered, able to recognize the voice as being one of the few who regularly made use of the coded exchange. "I need to leave a message for her," the executive said. "One sec," the other voice said as there was the sound of a drawer being opened up. "Alright." "Call your bank," the banker said simply. "That's it?" Sal inquired cautiously. "That's it," he confirmed. "I'll let her know soon as I can," Sal promised before he hung up. He cast a weary glance at the floor beneath him before standing up, easing out from behind the somewhat ratty desk. He absently folded the napkin in half as he carried it out of what passed for his office and headed into the restaurant proper. Things were somewhat busy at the moment, being lunch-time and all, but it was nowhere close to being as busy as they usually were during dinner or weekend hours. "How we doin' so far?" he asked the teen waitress at the counter as he came up beside her and slipped his manager's key into the cash register. He twisted the key to the right and the tray popped open, allowing him to quickly eyeball how much money was inside. "Not too bad," the waitress replied, absently running a manicured hand through her Kool-Aid-dyed greenish-blonde hair. "So far, so good." "Great," Sal said as he closed the register and took his key out. While he was doing that, he slipped the folded napkin under the register and pushed a nearly invisible button set into the underside of the counter. Outside, the neon sign that read "7th ST Pizza" began to flicker just slightly, making the superscripted 'th' section seem like it was running out of neon gas to burn. The flickering would continue until the button was pressed again, which would only be done when someone said the proper coded phrase. "Everything alright in the back?" the teen inquired idly. "Someone called for you a few minutes ago and I tossed it back there, or at least I thought I did. Mute, flash, star-one, then hang-up, right?" "Yeah, I got it," Sal replied. "Routine business and all. Lunch should stay quiet like this, but dinner tonight should be fun. You know how it goes some days," he sighed. "I'll be ready," the teen promised with a smile. Yeah, Sal thought to himself as he headed back to his tiny office, this is going to be fun. He knew it would be several hours before someone would stop by to claim the message, as there had been an understanding reached awhile ago about timing issues. She needs to get a cellphone and an answering service or something one of these days, he thought darkly with another sigh. Had I known I'd be her go-between, I'd have told her to take a hike and let those goons in the alley finish me off. Some days it just isn't worth the hassle.... * * * * "Major?" Ar'kanis inquired calmly as he watched Sirene essentially remove the front half of her throat. The pair of glowing monofiliment wires promptly disintegrated on exposure to the atmosphere, breaking the connection between the implant in what was left of her voice box and the vocoder unit. A soft rasping noise started up as the surgical hole in her trachea became exposed, allowing air to enter and exit the normally-sealed gap as she breathed. Sirene made a universal gesture of asking for patience while she brought the inside of the device up to her lips and blew a puff of air at it, as if she was trying to blow off a layer of dust. She examined the exposed leads of the device before carefully reconnecting it to its proper position over her throat. The vocoder gave off a faint humming sound as it regenerated the monofiliment wires and rebuilt the sound matrix from read-only memory. Sirene hummed quietly before she seemed to relax. "We all have had those mornings," Ar'kanis replied in a bemused tone. "A pity that few problems are as easily corrected as that. As I was asking, how long would it take to make your Ghost aircraft available for flight?" Sirene replied without hesitation. "Excellent," the armored general nodded, fully expecting to have heard such an answer. "And your aircraft can seat two people, correct?" Sirene blinked and regarded him carefully, suddenly getting the feeling that he wasn't asking simply for a status report. she replied in a faintly wary tone. "How tight?" Ar'kanis prodded. Sirene added as a brief after-thought. Ar'kanis grunted quietly to himself and absently flexed his wings. "I see," he said in a faintly distracted tone. "I will be blunt with you, Major, as time is not in ample supply. Would you be able to take me as a passenger in your aircraft for a rather unique mission?" Even though half of her face was hidden behind a metal mask of implants, what was left was still more than capable of showing a wide arrange of emotions and reactions. she blurted out, her forehead wrinkling to suggest that her eyebrows would have been arched clear up to her hairline if she still had them. "Perfectly serious, Major," Ar'kanis said calmly. Sirene blinked hard and took a half-step back to study him, changing the optic filters in her eyes to see the indistinct outline of his body beneath the exotic metal of his armor. She then thought very carefully about just how much room she had to play with in the back seat of her Ghost-class support craft. she said a cautious tone. She waited until she got a somber nod before continuing, "That was expected, Major," Ar'kanis said with a simple shrug. "Indeed, a flight-suit has been kept in storage for me for just such an occasion. Will there be enough space in the external storage compartment for my armor?" Sirene hedged carefully. "We shall simply have to see, then," Ar'kanis stated with another casual shrug of dismissal. "The current idea right now is for me to pay a very quiet visit to the Imperial Castle and have a face-to-face conversation with Fleet Admiral Si'ren about the current state of affairs, and when I say a quiet visit I mean one where we remain as invisible to the sensors as possible. Correct me if I'm wrong, Major, but I believe that only your Ghost aircraft can accomplish a successful launch from a cloaked carrier without detection." Sirene replied as she felt the remains of breakfast turn into an icy slush. "Excellent," Ar'kanis said with a hint of satisfaction to his tone. "I still have a few things to do before I can turn control of the carrier over to Brigadier Sor'en, but I should be ready before the eleventh hour. I trust your aircraft can be prepared for this mission by then?" he inquired. Sirene said as she squared her shoulders and braced herself. "Oh?" Ar'kanis said calmly, tilting his head at a slight angle. He had long gained enough experience to not become upset in the slightest whenever a subordinate told him 'no' with varying degrees of respect, as more often than not they did so with very valid reasons. "Please explain." she asked carefully. "It's possible I may have," Ar'kanis admitted. Sirene said, relaxing slightly as she realized that she wasn't about to be chewed out for not immediately rushing off to prepare her aircraft. A soft echo of faint amusement could be heard echoing inside his helmet. "Indeed. Had a spare tank been left aboard, I would have Sor'en simply drop me off in a flat space and drive to the Castle, even under those conditions, but my choices are limited at the moment. Very well, Major, we will delay this until the weather is clear enough for your needs. Unless, of course, you wish for another pilot to be chosen in your stead," he added lightly. It took Sirene several seconds to decide how to respond to him. she inquired, referring to the usual way of randomly selecting a pilot for such 'unique' missions. "For your unique vision, Major," Ar'kanis replied quietly. "Or rather, for what you don't see. I am quite willing to travel without wearing my armor, but it is always worn for a good reason." Sirene replied in a faintly uncomfortable tone. Like everyone else among the Red Wings, she too was more than a little curious as to what he looked like beneath the imposing armor he always wore. It was rumored that only the Chief Medical Officer knew and that he had been sworn to absolute secrecy about the matter. Many had gone on to discreetly ask the CMO about it, only to be brushed aside with a gentle but iron-clad reminder of doctor-patient confidentiality rules. Some have even suggested that Nop'tera herself didn't know, though nobody had yet dared to try to ask her about the matter fearing her ire at prying into Ar'kanis' privacy. "I thought you had difficulty with the visible-light spectrum?" Ar'kanis said carefully, suddenly wondering if he had been mistaken. A flat burst of static erupted from her vocoder as she snorted in disdain. she pointed out. "I see," Ar'kanis said quietly. "Humor me for a moment, Major. Are you able to see through my armor?" Sirene replied as she carefully studied him again. she offered in an attempt at humor. "And my skin?" he added in an even quieter tone. Sirene paused and glanced down at his arms. It took her several seconds to find the right balance of sensors and filters to penetrate both the armor and his undersuit without going too deeply. she said slowly. she pointed out with another note of attempted humor. Ar'kanis looked at her in silence for a number of moments before quickly glancing around the empty room. He then reached over and removed the armored gauntlet from his right hand, exposing his skin. "And now?" he said, almost too softly for her to hear. Sirene blinked and glanced down at his hand, studying it carefully. It didn't appear to be all that different from any other denizen's hand, save for the fact that the bones in his fingers ended in sharpened points much like the claws of a Felinoid. She found herself having a slight difficulty resolving the visible-light portion of his skin, unable to determine for certain what hue it was, but other than that she saw absolutely nothing of significance. she finally said with a faint shrug. "Thank you, Major," Ar'kanis said with an almost inaudible echo of relief as he slipped his armored glove back on. "I think that sufficiently validated my understanding of how your vision works. Please keep an eye on that lume surrounding the Imperial Castle and notify me immediately once it dissipates. I will be on the Bridge," he instructed as he started to turn away. Sirene spoke up, causing the armored figure to pause. she inquired in a very careful and respectful tone. Ar'kanis paused and sighed quietly to himself, looking at the wall of the room instead of at her. "You will not speak of this to anyone else, not even to General Nop'tera herself. If you indeed saw nothing, Major, then consider yourself fortunate. Warriors who have endured far more in life than you have seen me unmasked and ungloved, only to run screaming from my presence. I wear this armor for protection.... not for myself, but for the sake of others. I trust I need not bother with details about what will happen should another hear of this from your lips, natural or artificial?" he added in a chilling tone as he finally glanced in her direction. Sirene said as she snapped to perfect attention. "Thank you, Major. Dismissed," Ar'kanis replied simply. He closed his eyes and remained perfectly still as she departed the room, wondering if he had finally said too much or allowed someone too deep of a glimpse inside. There were several others who knew what he looked like, of course, as he did have regular medical exams by the Chief Medical Officer and rarely by one of the other medical staff. He had long become accustomed to his armored isolation, however, building up both his character and reputation around the mystique of his imposing armor. Not that he wasn't equally as imposing physically, as he very much was, but the armor merely added an extra layer to the effect that he would rather not see diminished or otherwise tainted. He glanced down at his hands, absently flexing his fingers as he wondered how long it had been since he had touched another living being in a meaningful way. Granted he had briefly touched Nop'tera's face earlier, and before that had to tie her down during the drug-induced psychotic reaction, but what about before then? No, he hadn't been touched even remotely like that, not since.... Enough, he commanded himself as the memories returned once again. It had taken him weeks to get the incident out of his conscious mind where they had subsequently lain dormant for decades. But after seeing Nop'tera in the throes of psychosis and lending his strength to help her fight for control, the dark memories had returned with a haunting vengeance. He had successfully seduced a small number of women in the past, even after the Chaos Factor had taken hold and transformed him to what he was now, but never before had someone turned the proverbial tables on him like that, least of all a legend.... "General Ar'kanis, to the bridge," the wall speaker suddenly said without warning, jolting him out of his thoughts. He paused to regain his bearings before striding over towards the door, his mind already shoving the thoughts and memories into a dimly-lit corner of his consciousness for later review. It was more of a reflex than anything, as he knew he would need a fully clear mind for whatever lay ahead. As for what that would entail, he knew he'd find out once he got there. He only stopped long enough to half-gently bash his armored fist against one of the buttons on the wall speaker. "I'm on my way," he said simply and resumed walking towards the nearest lift. * * * * "This is so stupid," Alex said ruefully as she continued to watch the game show on the television. She was perched on the end of the couch and leaning over the coffee table so that she could munch on her sandwich without making too hideous of a mess. "And people are entertained by this?" Whisper telepathed with a chuckle as she chewed on her own lunch. "Bah," Alex huffed quietly as she took another large bite. "Vu ha'fa 'no w'at vey mean firs'." "Exactly," Whisper said aloud as she cast a mild glance at the blonde as she continued to eat. "I don't understand half of the cultural references of this world, but by watching these kinds of programs in my spare time, I'm able to slowly learn. Sometimes I can keep up with Mina for three whole minutes at a stretch when she gets started on who said what to whom on these soap operas and other social sagas, cheap and sappy as they are." Alex made a face and swallowed noisily. "Ugh," she sighed. "If Mina is watching this crap all the time, it would explain her brain-rot. Seriously, I really don't see much use coming from this stuff. Hell, we only watched that one program for a few minutes and I told you that he was a lying, cheating, scummy dirtbag of a boyfriend. And it took her how long to find out, half the show? Please," she scoffed. "It's called drama," Whisper said dryly. "And not everyone is as jaded as you are when it comes to men. Okay, so a lot of them really are pigs," she added with a shrug. "But they're not *all* bad. It sometimes takes a few hundred years of searching, but the good ones can be found if you look in all the right places." "I'll pass, thanks," Alex muttered darkly. "Besides, I already have Mich to put a smile on my face, why would I want some guy trying to cozy up to me while he's sneaking around behind my back trying to bed the neighbors as well?" Whisper just sighed quietly and tried not to imagine the look that was crossing Michelle's face over at the table. "As I said, it's just drama for the purpose of cheap entertainment," the telepath spoke up carefully. "Very few people actually behave like that, Jerry Springer notwithstanding," she said with a truly rueful shake of her head. She had only seen the show twice, both times because Mina had turned it on during an idle moment, and that had been more than enough for her sense of curiosity. "Like I said, this stuff will rot your brain," Alex grumbled as she cast an absent glance at a somewhat tacky and flashy commercial. "And I don't even need Sue to stop and point that out for me, either." The mention of Susan's name immediately reminded the telepath of what had occurred barely an hour ago, resulting in a prompt souring of her stomach and a very quiet sigh. She had turned on the television in the hopes that it would be mind-numbing enough to help clear out the chaotic thoughts, and by the time the second game show had started it was a largely successful endeavor. Or it had been until a few moments ago. The image of the black crescent moon on Renee's forehead simply wouldn't go away. It was virtually identical to the golden sigil that manifested on her forehead at first, save for the fact that the tips of the crescent moon pointed downwards. Whisper knew for a fact that the rest of the Sailor Scouts were quite familiar with the mark of the Royal House of the Moon, but she had the disturbing feeling that only Darian would be able to recognize the black moon as being the sign of the Negaverse's royal bloodline. And if they were both present in the same person, then Renee could only be.... The sudden feeling of a slightly cold and wet nose brushing against her earlobe was like a lightning bolt, shocking her out of her thoughts and causing her to quite literally leap out of the chair. A defensive reflex kicked in a fraction of a second later, tripling the intensity of her 'casual' psionic shields while lashing out with a moderate-strength burst of unfocused mental energy designed to briefly play havoc with the synapses of unshielded minds. "Ow, ow, ow, goddamnit!" Alex yelped as she dropped what was left of her sandwich to clutch her head. A sharp clattering sound was heard from the table as Michelle's fork fell into her salad bowl, accompanied by a pained keening whimper as she too was briefly staggered by the panicked burst of psi-energy. "Myst!" Whisper panted as she calmed down and realized what the problem had been. The gray kitten was still perched on the arm of her chair, her ears folded flat against her head with a visible look of pain and suffering on her face. Her tail was twisted into a complicated shape that made a pretzel seem straight by comparison, seeming to tremble just slightly as she otherwise stood perfectly still. "Ay'cha navidshi, you startled me. Is everyone alright?" the telepath asked as she glanced around the rest of the room. "Ow," Alex groaned as she rubbed her temples. The initial headache was largely gone by now, but there was still a bit of lingering soreness from the psionic attack as her synapses continued to recover. "Damn, can't you just swat the cat like the rest of us next time?" she complained. "I'm sorry," Whisper apologized with a heavy sigh, feeling more than a little sheepish for having lashed out in a panic like that. She made a soft grunting sound as Myst cast a truly evil glare in her direction before seeming to melt into the chair cushions and vanishing from sight. "Great," she said, mostly to herself before a sudden thought occurred to her. "Hang on, I'll be right back," she said to Alex and Michelle before she turned her focus inward to use her dimension-phasing power. The room immediately seemed to darken and warp into a twisted shape as she slipped into the demiplane, an unexpected effect that immediately worried her. Alex's surprised face melted away until she was a wispy yellow outline sitting on the spectral shape of what looked to be the couch. Much to her surprise, the glittering outline of the normally-invisible Soul Saber could be seen with a moderate degree of clarity hanging from her back. The blade wasn't any more distinct than the rest of the environment but was still easily discernible as a visible object. Michelle was still sitting at the table, now little more than a ghostly figure surrounded by an aquamarine aura. At the small of her back was a metal object of some sort that was unusually reflective, seeming to glitter like a beacon in the near-darkness of the twisted realm Whisper found herself in. It took her a moment to realize that the object was Michelle's Soul Mirror tucked away in her Lunar Space pocket. But what surprised her the most was the pinkish.... *thing* that seemed to be hovering in mid-air where the armchair used to be. Unlike the rest of the surroundings, the blob seemed to be quite defined in terms of detail and color. Whisper telepathed carefully, not sure if her psionic senses were fully functional in the twisted and obviously spectral demiplane. She blinked as she found her telepathic shields flaring under an attack of some sort, her eyes almost doubling in diameter as she saw a physical manifestation of the shields taking shape around her head. She paused to study the Shinma, not entirely sure if she had tried to reply to her or if the attack had been a result of something else. She sent out a very weak psionic signal, akin to a light tapping on the shoulder, and found herself under a considerably weaker psionic attack once again. She then tried a repeat of that experiment using a series of quick psi-pulses and was promptly rewarded with an equal number of rapid but easily-blocked attacks on her mental defenses. Great, she thought to herself, this place is telepathically reflective. An extremely icy chill promptly flooded her veins as she realized that if her surroundings were psionically-reactive as well, she might not be able to shift back to the original plane of existence without triggering a potentially nasty reaction of some sort. She paused as she caught motion out of the corner of her eye and watched as Myst, or at least what she thought was her, started to move downwards at an angle. The telepath blinked in surprise as the Shinma passed through the floor as if it didn't exist. Out of simple reflex, Whisper tapped her foot carefully and nearly threw herself off-balance as encountered only insubstantial air. Ay'cha navidshi! she thought in a slight panic. So what am I standing on if solid objects don't exist in here? She glanced down at the retreating pink blob and decided that she would worry about Myst later, since it was obvious that the Shinma was already familiar with this demiplane and thus wouldn't be in any danger. But as for herself, being inside a somewhat hideously twisted dimensional reflection of the 'normal' world where her own psionic powers were echoed back at her and solid objects were anything but solid, she was getting the distinct impression that remaining there was not an overly wise idea. Let's hope this works, she thought as she braced herself and reversed the Chaos Factor power that had allowed her to slip into the demiplane. There was a distinctly horrific wrenching feeling before she found her nerves under an intense assault that threatened to overwhelm her. The rush of color and sound was both blinding and deafening, but the wave of pure psionic energy was enough to leave her conscious mind dazed even despite her mental shields. "Hey!" Alex blurted out as Whisper suddenly faded into view, only to fall back and collapse into the armchair. "Whisper!" "Not.... so.... loud...." the telepath moaned softly as she slowly got her bearings and struggled to sit up straight. "Ohhh, that hurt...." "Are you alright?" Michelle asked in a muted tone as she approached, her face a mask of worry and concern. "It's just a momentary headache. I think," Whisper said in a tone that suggested she wasn't entirely certain. The wave of psionic energy had receded as quickly as it had come, leaving her just slightly disoriented as her mental shields recovered from the attack. Alex wrinkled her nose and picked up the remains of her sandwich. "No sympathy," she muttered darkly, feeling her skull twinge just slightly in a reminder of the accidental psi-spike she had received a few minutes earlier. Michelle shot her a dark look before turning back to Whisper. "So what happened?" she asked carefully. "You faded out like a ghost a few moments ago, just like Myst did, then you suddenly reappeared without warning." "I think I followed Myst into that demiplane she mentioned," the telepath explained as she rubbed her temples. "Dimension-shifting is the other major power I gained after the Chaos Factor woke up. Back in the Negaverse, it let me slip into a shadow-like world that didn't seem to be directly tied to the rest of the plane. In this world, however, it seems to be a really twisted.... echo, I guess, of everything around me. Nothing was solid, and trying to use my psionic powers resulted in a reflective backlash. I think that's what had hurt me when I shifted back here," she added ruefully. "Huh," Alex said in a somewhat thoughtful tone. "You should probably talk to Sue about it, she's our resident expert on dimensions and all that crap. If you can get a straight answer out of her about it," she added darkly as she turned her attention back to lunch. A very soft grunt rose up from Whisper's throat at the reminder of how it didn't appear to be easy at all to get a full answer from the succubus. "I'll be sure to mention it to her once she returns. Hmm?" she said to herself as she heard her communicator unit start chirping quietly. She dug it out of her pocket and glanced at it, her light green eyebrows arching up in curiosity as she saw the Jupiter sigil blinking at her. She brushed her thumb over the icon and Leda's face promptly appeared on the tiny display screen. "Yes?" she said, blinking as it appeared that the brunette was calling her from a bathroom. "Hey, quick question," Leda said in a muted tone. "Is Susan around? Got a question I'd like to ask her." Whisper shook her head. "No, she's still out taking care of whatever it is she said she needed to do. I don't expect her back until dinner." "Bah," Leda sighed, making a sour face. "Alright, I'll ask her about it then. Thanks anyway," she said before her image abruptly winked out. Whisper looked up from the display as she heard Alex laugh quietly to herself and mutter some unintelligible comment beneath her breath. "Something wrong, Alex?" she inquired in a wary tone. The blonde simply made a dismissive motion with the crust of her sandwich. "Nah," she mumbled before she swallowed. "It's always been like this. Sue steps out for a day to take care of business, and half the palace stops by to ask us if we know where she went. And the funny thing is that they all have minor piddly questions to ask of her, like they can't think for themselves or something." Whisper nodded in understanding, remembering how things went when both Queen Beryl and the division commanders weren't available to answer questions or give orders to the rest of the military. "I think I know what you mean," she replied in a knowing tone. She blinked as the communicator in her hand began to chirp again, this time lighting up the red Rose symbol associated with Darian's communicator. "Uh-oh," she said quietly before she thumbed the line open. "Darian, is everything alright?" she asked as soon as the saw the look on his face. "Yes and no," Darian replied in a flat tone. "I'm fine, but I need to talk to Susan. Immediately," he added darkly. Whisper paused for a moment as Alex promptly crammed the remainder of her lunch into her mouth, obviously fighting the urge to laugh aloud. "She is not here at the moment," she said in a leery tone. "Why, what's wrong?" "I ran into her sister earlier today," Darian's image muttered in a low tone. "Megan. And a few moments ago our vice-president was carted out of here in a body-bag after apparently suffering a heart-attack. Seems he was fooling around with a new intern and couldn't keep up. Guess who that 'intern' turned out to be?" he said ominously. "Oops," Whisper said very quietly. She paused and waited to make sure that the sound she heard from the couch wasn't Alex choking on her sandwich before she took in a deep breath. "Uh, yes, I can see why that would be more than a little.... suspicious. Susan isn't here, your Highness, but I will ask her about it as soon as she returns. Which probably won't be until dinner," she added quickly. Darian made an inarticulate grunting sound to himself before nodding in understanding. "Great. Remind me later to ask Luna about getting a few more communicator units built for her and the others so I don't end up bothering you for something crazy like this again." "Trust me, I'll be sure to bring it up," Whisper replied dryly, thinking about Leda's call not three minutes ago. "Thanks," Darian said. "I'll talk to you later. Out," he added as his image winked out. "Oh, crap," Alex rasped as she finished coughing, trying to clear the last bread crumbs out from her throat. "I know Maggie told us earlier about what she was going to do, but I didn't think it would be the same company Darian works for...." "Indeed," Whisper agreed with a sour expression, trying not to think about the gleam of anticipation she had seen in Megan's eyes as she spoke about it. "Well, what can I say? Even astronomical odds can be beaten if the numbers come up just right. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon." "Whisper?" Michelle asked cautiously from the table, her fork still poised over the remains of her salad. "Is everything alright?" Alex and Whisper exchanged uneasy glances before the telepath sighed very softly to herself. "For the most part, yes," she replied in a careful tone. "However, let's just say that the discussion at dinner tonight should be quite interesting. You said you finished with the dishes, right?" she added. "Oh, yes they're all done and put away," Michelle said, still giving Alex an unsettled look as the blonde continued to very lightly cough to herself. "Alex, are you okay?" Alex took a deep breath and let loose with a very forceful cough, sighing in satisfaction as it finally dislodged the last fragment of crust. "Peachy, babe," she sighed. "Bread was good, if a touch dry though," she said absently as she rubbed her throat. Whisper just shook her head to herself, feeling yet another headache very slowly moving in to take up residence in the front half of her skull. Okay, so maybe Myst is right about things getting chaotic around here, she grumbled to herself. Still, it was pretty quiet a few months ago, so things will quiet back down eventually..... right? * * * * "Hey, not so hard!" Mina protested sourly as the volleyball was viciously thumped by the opposing side. It sailed high into the air where two dozen sets of eyes watched as it seemed to take forever to plummet back down. "Out," she called out in a dry tone as the ball landed a good ten feet out-of-bounds. "Meh," one of the other players sighed. Mina winked at her and trotted over to pick up the ball. "Rotate!" she sang out as she pitched the volleyball over to the girl who had just stepped back to the serving line. "C'mon, Tina, you're up. Make it count." "Twelve serving seven," the brunette called out as she bounced the ball off the ground, caught it, and immediately thumped it on the underside to send it sailing over the net with barely an inch to spare. "Good one, girl," Mina cheered as the other side scrambled to return the service. There was a near-collision as two of the girls both tried to bump it up, but somehow things worked out for a near-perfect set by Molly. The redhead then dodged to the side to allow Serena to make a good-faith effort at a low- intensity spike. "Oh, nice," Mina admitted as the volleyball seemed to zoom over the net at a fairly steep angle. "Mine," another girl announced as she lunged forward, almost eating the grass as she managed to deflect the ball upwards on her wrists. This sent the volleyball on a lop-sided spiral towards Mina, who had all of half a second to decide how to set it up for her team. Sorry, Serena, she thought to herself as she took a quick hop back to bounce the ball off of the inside of her arms. "Gail!" she called out as she quickly backpedaled to make space. Gail, who was an inch taller than Leda and had dark hair cut even shorter than Alex, promptly jumped up as high as she could and used both hands to slam the ball downwards in a classic spike, deliberately trying to aim the ball to the half-empty spot between Serena and Molly. As expected, Serena panicked and flinched from the bullet-like spike as it zoomed directly in front of her, resulting in a point for Mina's team. "Thirteen!" someone called out in a gleeful tone. "Dammit," Molly grumbled quietly as she watched the ball rebound off the grass and start bouncing towards the fence line. "I'll get it," Serena sighed, acutely aware of the muted grumbles from the rest of her teammates. She quickly jogged after the ball and caught up with it just as it came to a halt a few inches away from the chain-linked fence that separated the edge of the school grounds from one of the lesser-used city streets. As was expected for the time of day, there were only a handful of people visible along the street walking along at varying casual paces. The dark chill didn't hit her until after she had heaved the ball back towards the volleyball field, leaving her frozen in place for a brief instant with her arms stretched out as her skin felt like it was turning inside-out. The intensity was far stronger than she could ever remember feeling before, but it was still one she could all too easily identify. The Negaverse, she thought in horror as she whipped around, furiously scanning the area for the source of the dark vibe. Her frantic search lasted for only a few seconds before one of the passing pedestrians paused and looked up from the small map he was holding. Their eyes met and Time seemed to literally freeze in its tracks as the shock of mutual recognition registered. They stared at one another in mute surprise before a faint smile touched his lips and he bowed his head slightly, just enough to indicate his awareness of her presence. "Serena?" Ami said quietly as she trotted over to where the blonde was standing. Like Serena, she too had felt the dark chill and had unobtrusively left her own volleyball game to see what the problem was. "Are you....?" she started to say before she glanced over at what Serena was staring at, her face turning dangerously pale in an instant. Jedyt tilted his head slightly to look at Ami before nodding at her as well, the faint smile still touching his lips. He continued to look at them for another few moments before he smirked and turned away, looking down at his map to regain his bearings and calmly continuing on his way. "Ami?" Serena said in a deathly-soft whisper, clearly conveying her fright at the realization that he now knew where they went to school. "Easy, girls," Mina said in a low tone as she approached the group, laying a gentle hand on their shoulders. "He's not going to dare to do anything, not with a good hundred witnesses or so around. Just breathe, okay?" she said, her eyes never leaving Jedyt's retreating form for an instant. "Relax, if we have to suit up today, it won't be his doing. Just call it a hunch, okay? Girl's intuition and all that." "Are you sure about that?" Ami muttered in a flat tone, closing her eyes and briefly giving in to the impulse to shiver. Mina cast a final glance at Jedyt's back before he disappeared around a corner and slowly nodded to herself. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, I am. He's got places to be this evening, so I doubt he's going to be a butthead yet again and try anything stupid that might get his ticket punched. Look, you two just breathe deep and go back to playing V-ball, okay? Let me worry about what our old friend is up to. Trust me," she added as both Ami and Serena gave her identical looks of unease. "Mina, what are you up to?" Ami prodded in a wary tone. "Settle down, okay?" Mina sighed quietly. "Look, I'll be blunt here. If anything does go down? He's mine," she said ominously. "I've been crossing swords, as it were, with him long before either of you got involved. You had your shot on the airport runway. If someone needs to step up and put him back in his place, it's V's turn and she can handle that herself. I'm serious, you just take it easy and *don't worry* about him any more. I'll be keeping an eye on him, alright? Now come on, we've still got a good fifteen minutes to kill before it's time to hit the lockers and get ready to call it a day. Back to your own game, Bubbles," she added as she gave Ami a playful swat and a very gentle shove back towards the other volleyball field. "Go on, I'm still not finished spiking the ball on Serena's foot yet...." "Hey!" Serena protested out of pure reflex. "Oh, don't give me that," Mina huffed as she continued to absently prod Ami into leaving. "Molly is doing an excellent job covering for you, when she can do it without running you over, and you had a really beautiful return spike a few minutes ago. I keep telling everyone that there's still hope for you yet, but they just don't want to listen. Speaking of which.... Ami, why are you still here?" she sighed. "C'mon, shoo! Your team needs you now more than ever in their approaching moment of triumph and glory...." "Alright, already," Ami growled darkly. She gave Serena a look of unease before sighing quietly and heading back to rejoin her classmates. "Mina, are you sure about this?" Serena asked quietly as she followed the other blonde back towards the first volleyball field. "Oh, yeah," Mina replied without hesitation, flashing a cheerful smile at her. "Seriously, I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm not too happy with the idea that he's still breathing and all, and I'm really not thrilled to run into him like this, but I think I know him well enough to have a fair idea of what he might do.... and what he won't do. If he does decide to bother us again for whatever reason, it won't be today. You just have to trust me," she cooed as she patted her on the shoulder before trotting off to take up the empty slot on her team. "Feel better?" one of the other girls said with a smirk. "What, would you prefer I stuck around here with a gas cramp?" Mina shot back with a languid smile. "Kidding, just kidding. So what's the score?" "Thirteen to twelve," was the slightly disgruntled reply. Mina blinked in surprise. "What happened? I step out for a few and we start tanking all of a sudden? I know I'm good, but c'mon...." The other girl glanced at the opposing team for a brief instant before she leaned in closer. "We didn't start getting spanked until Molly realized that Serena wouldn't be back right away and put the extra room to good use," she muttered. "Next time we play? Either get her on our side or come up with a plan to keep her off of the net because she spikes harder than Gail does." "Ouch," Mina winced. She blinked hard as she heard the call for service and looked up to find the volleyball making a very sharp beeline towards her. She immediately brought her hands up in a modified set maneuver, more to kill the ball's momentum than to set up a spike, and quickly lost all thoughts of Jedyt in a sport where focus and paying attention was half the battle. * * * * Tolaris didn't look up from the screen or pause his typing as he heard the door chime quietly. "Enter," he said loudly, figuring that it was someone like Maze or K'tal to remind him it was time for lunch or something. Is is time for lunch? he thought as he cast a quick glance at the clock in the corner of the computer terminal. Oops, he added with a mental sigh as the time registered. "Don't you ever quit working?" a female voice said with quiet amusement. Tolaris blinked hard and twisted around to face his unexpected visitor, his complexion taking on a distinctly gray pallor as his heart muscle briefly twitched in surprise. "T'Del," he said softly. "I heard you were back," T'Del said calmly as she glanced around the room out of simple reflex. "I didn't see you in the cafeteria, so I figured you had either forgotten it was time for lunch or were simply too busy to bother. May I?" she asked as she gestured to the bed. It took him a few moments to realize that she was asking to sit down, as he was using the lone chair in the room. He immediately bolted to his feet and grabbed the chair, swinging it around with the intent of carrying it across the room to her. "Here, you can...." he started to say before falling silent by a raised hand. "Tolaris," she sighed very softly, almost wistfully. Piercing green eyes met uneasy gray eyes before the faintest of smiles crossed the exquisite beauty of her face. "You need to learn how to relax," she chided him as she strode over to the bed and sat down on the corner. "I know how to relax," he pointed out as he set the chair back down and sat down in it. "So you're just always edgy around me, then?" she prodded lightly, one delicate fiery-red eyebrow arching up in remote amusement. She sighed softly to herself at the look on his face and just shook her head gently. "With as long as we've known one another, you're still uneasy with me." "Some things can't be helped," he muttered as his stomach tied itself into a series of knots. He glanced up at her and immediately took note of the way her gaze remained focused on him, studying him with an intensity that made his stomach squirm and wiggle all the more. "What?" he asked softly. "I never expected to see you again," T'Del admitted quietly with a casual shrug of one shoulder. "At least, not after your.... I hesitate to call it a trial for treason, as it was a bit of a mockery of justice, but you know what I am referring to." Tolaris nodded somberly as he tried to keep his breathing even. "I do." The redhead waited for him to say more, tilting her head slightly as she realized that he wasn't about to volunteer anything further. "I don't suppose you have anything you'd like to say about that?" she prodded gently. "I knew something was wrong when I heard about Shar-Tei's promotion, but it took me a few days to get the full story from someone." "If you have the full story, then you don't need me to say anything," the Dragoon replied calmly. "I did what I felt was the right thing to do." A faint smile brushed her lips. "You always did, Tolaris," she murmured. "I ask that you indulge my curiosity, however, assuming it isn't classified." Tolaris resisted the impulse snort quietly at the irony that she had just as many specialized and compartmented security clearances as he did, and that was despite the fact that most of his were by simple virtue of his role as the commanding officer of the military's elite intelligence division. "What are you really asking me, T'Del?" he inquired in a faintly uneasy tone. T'Del blinked in mild surprise and leaned back slightly. "Very well," she said after a moment, sensing there was more to his brusqueness than his ever- present unease when in her presence. She glanced down at the generic carpeting for a few moments before looking back up at him, gazing into his eyes. "Can I still trust you, Tolaris?" she inquired in a perfectly neutral tone. He returned her gaze in silence before slowly nodding. "You should still be able to," he murmured. "I don't think I have changed all that much during my time on Earth, although I can't rule that out as I of course can't be fully objective." A soft laugh ghosted past her lips even as they settled into a warm and gentle smile. "No, I don't think you've changed much, either," she observed lightly, giving him a look that most others would have called coy. She looked at him with open amusement before she sighed and her mood seemed to change. "T'Del, why are you here?" Tolaris suddenly said, surprising them both. "In which sense of the word?" she inquired, arching one eyebrow up. "In this region, in this unit, in this facility, or in your quarters?" "In this remote desert will suffice," Tolaris replied with just a faint hint of dryness to his tone. "We both know that with your talents...." "My career," she interrupted him gently, waiting for him to fall silent before continuing, "Has always been my business, much like your own has always been yours. We have both done what we liked, Tolaris, and like you, I have very few regrets about the career paths I've taken since we became of age. As I keep having to explain to my crew chief, I do like working with my hands," she said as she raised her hands slightly, very gently flexing them for a few seconds. Tolaris nodded in understanding, absently making note of the fact that her skin was still as utterly flawless as it had been in the past. "Go on," he said simply with an absent gesture. She paused and regarded him very carefully before leaning back slightly with a faint smile on her face. "Surely you of all people know why I have been working with Sector Seven for awhile," she said, her tone taking on a slight suggestion of both huskiness and challenge. "I have my theories," Tolaris allowed softly. "Your records are still sealed with the highest level of protocols that I've ever encountered, however, so I can't be absolutely certain of several things." "A pity," T'Del sighed wistfully. "No matter, you may rest assured that I am still a genuine vehicle mechanic and fusion specialist, and that is what they are paying me for." "Officially," Tolaris pointed out in a perfectly neutral tone. "We all have our little secrets, Tolaris," she reminded him softly. "Even ones that must be kept from friends and family." She paused for a moment before she gave him a faintly coy smile. "You remember when 'I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you' used to be a joke between friends?" she said demurely. "Times change, T'Del," the Dragoon said somberly. "We're not children anymore." "Believe me, I know," the redhead replied with a soft sigh. She studied the look in his gray eyes for a number of moments before she sighed again and glanced away, absently studying the contents of the room. "You haven't answered my original question, you know," Tolaris pointed out in a quiet tone, drawing her intense gaze back to him. "About the real reason you're here. And I think you know what I mean," he added. T'Del looked at him carefully before sighing very softly to herself. "Am I not allowed to seek the company of a childhood friend without having motives ascribed to me?" she asked in a soft voice. "Ideally, no," Tolaris replied. "But when has it ever worked that way?" "The'lon," she breathed with a very hollow laugh, her voice barely audible as she said a word traditionally used to acknowledge a round-winning point in a p'sa'na tournament. She studied the carpet for a moment before looking back up at him. "So what are you going to do now?" she inquired. Tolaris paused and regarded her carefully. "Who's asking?" he countered. "You or whomever it is you really work for these days?" The slightest hint of a smile brushed the edges of her lips as she leaned back a few inches. "I am asking, Tolaris," she replied softly. "Since the failure of our communications unit two days ago, I haven't been in a position to receive any new instructions. Not that I mind," she admitted with a faint shrug of dismissal. "The silence is welcome, which is not to suggest that I am constantly distracted from my maintenance duties, but at the same time I am more than a little distressed to be.... out of the loop, as it were, during a rather unwelcome turn of events in global affairs." Tolaris grunted quietly as he was reminded of yesterday's events. "You mean the nuclear missile strike on the Imperial Castle," he observed. "Among other events, yes," T'Del said with a slow nod. "I don't suppose you or anyone else has figured that one out yet?" she asked in a hopeful tone. "Not really," the Dragoon sighed in resignation. "I am fairly sure it was one of Rune's less-than-elegant ideas, and that it appeared to have been aimed at General Nop'tera's flagship carrier, but the logic behind it all, if there even is any, currently escapes us at the moment. I'm sure it will all become sorted out and explained to the public soon enough." T'Del nodded slowly. "Very well," she said quietly. "I don't suppose you will tell me how and why you became swept up in this? Last I heard, you were judged a traitor, entombed in Eternal Crystal, and subsequently.... departed," she breathed, suggesting that she had feared the worst. It took Tolaris a few moments to decide how exactly to respond. "Let's just say that I was in the area when things got problematic. Being a Dragoon, I was naturally concerned for the welfare of my former command and stuck around to help as best as I could." "I see," the redhead said studiously. "Are you still with the Legion, then, or have you moved on to a somewhat private career?" she inquired. "Would you believe that I am officially listed as being on administrative leave?" he said lightly, prompting a surprised blink from her. "I'm relieved of command, of course, but it just might be plausible that I could return to active and uniformed duty as a Dragoon." "I see you have the uniform aspect taken care of already," she pointed out as she let her gaze wander along the lines of his dark blue uniform. "If I didn't know better, however, I'd say that you've put on a little weight." Tolaris grumbled very quietly to himself as he felt his cheeks take on a dark gray hue. "Life on Earth has been good to me," he sighed. "Oh?" T'Del said, her vibrant green eyes widening slightly as she sat up straight. "Was that Queen Beryl's doing, then, or something else?" Tolaris paused for several moments to regard her carefully. "T'Del, just how long have you been out in the middle of nowhere like this?" he finally said with a faint hint of reproach to his tone. "Granted I wouldn't expect many of the details of my exile to have been publicly advertised, but surely you've heard *something* about what happened and why." T'Del gave him a level look before sighing quietly and glancing away. "I will admit to not having paid attention to minute trivia as I.... as we used to," she said softly. "As I said, after word came of your so-called trial for treason and I managed to research what was recorded of it, I truly had no real reason to believe I would ever see you again. I sort of lost the desire to keep myself.... immersed, if you will, in the intricacies of politics and all that their webs encompassed. After all," she said as she turned back to look at him, "What was the use in trying to keep up with you if you were no longer around to do so? Don't get me wrong, I still paid attention to the newsfeeds about events of importance, but only as far as the next denizen would. I sense I have said something that bothers you," she added with a slight frown as she noticed the change in his expression. "I think, when this is over, I need to see a Healer for a physical," he finally said as his side quit hurting. He gingerly massaged his ribcage where his heart muscle was before sighing heavily and looking up at her. "I'm fairly sure I had a minor heart-attack on Earth several months ago, and it seems I've got this lingering twinge that flares up when something genuinely shocks me. The funny thing is, every heart-scan I've had says I'm fine, and believe me when I say that I've been scanned quite often." "Tolaris," T'Del said with a dark scowl, "You're only seven hundred, you shouldn't be having any kind of cardiological problems. Bear in mind that it might not be with the heart itself, but with another part of your body that can result in excessive stress on the muscles or surrounding tissue. Now be that as it may, what did I say that was sufficiently disturbing to remind you of your medical concerns?" "The part where you said you were trying to keep up with me," Tolaris said with open wryness. "I always felt like I had to work hard just to keep up with you, and even then I didn't often feel like I had managed to do any more than simply break even." T'Del tilted her head at an angle and regarded him carefully. "Even when we were children?" she prodded in an odd tone. "Especially then," Tolaris replied with a soft sigh. "Granted it became easier once I went into the Intelligence field, but by that time.... well, you had your career going and while finding you was easy, trying to talk to you was not. But then again, that's expected when you try to compete with a good fifth of the planetary population for the attentions of a celebrity." "Celebrity," T'Del grumbled, her countenance darkening as she hugged her knees to her chest. "That was a bit of a mistake, to be honest. Yes, I know it is a statement of fact to say that I rank in the top one-percent of women of whom the global population agrees are the most physically attractive according to the vast majority of standards regarding female beauty. The accolades were quite nice at the time, especially for the ego, and I will readily admit that I savored some of the.... benefits, if you will, of the position, but I became utterly and completely bored with it after a century. There was virtually no mental stimulation to speak of, which is why I finally chose a different path." Tolaris nodded to himself. "Back to the N'Then'an Academy of Arts and Sciences for your degree in Applied Nuclear Fusion. A third-level degree," he added with a faint emphasis. "Shortly followed by enlistment into the military and a position in the Engineering division after turning down an offer for an Imperial Commission." The redhead shrugged absently to herself. "The media tends to leave you alone once you leave the civilian life," she said demurely. "That, and after what I had gone through in the proverbial spotlight, I had little desire to be a leader of others. I guess you could say I needed the motivation to grow up just a little more," she added with a faint sigh. "Any regrets?" Tolaris prodded softly. "No, not really," T'Del said without hesitation, shaking her head just slightly. "I'll be honest, the pay was.... less than ideal, but then again I didn't choose this path for the monetary compensation. I have, with very few exceptions, all that I want in life. I have never been a greedy woman, and so I do not possess many material things valued for their physical worth. My job keeps me sufficiently busy that I am not bored, yet doesn't leave me feeling overworked at the end of the day. My abilities are not taxed heavily, but often various challenges will arise that keeps me quite engaged in the overall situation and sometimes even results in a new technique being used that I had not previously contemplated before." "I can see how that might appeal to you," Tolaris allowed with what might have been a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It does," T'Del confirmed with a slight nod of her head. "I will admit in private that I sometimes am.... less-than-impressed with my co-workers and their abilities, but I have to often stop to wonder if that is due to a genuine deficiency on their part or if it is merely arrogance and ego on my part. The current team I am on, Sector Seven, is of course no exception, but I have to confess to being far more at ease with their company than with teams and groups I have had to work with in the past." "So what are the accommodations like?" Tolaris inquired out of genuine curiosity. "I would imagine that an isolated and somewhat desolate facility such as a desert repair bay would not exactly be excessively above your basic barracks-level standards." "Barracks is a good word," T'Del replied with a soft sigh. "Two to an admittedly spacious room with a common open-bay shower. Given the amount of dirt, sand, grease, and other substances in which we routinely find ourselves covered in, however, the open-bay shower is rather efficient in terms of being able to keep the walls and floor sufficiently clean. Of course, being an all- female unit is also a positive, as that means the bathrooms don't need nearly as much cleaning and maintenance as an all-male or mixed-gender unit might. Would you please enlighten me as to how men can possess an aimable appendage for the admittedly secondary but still biologically-valid purpose of liquid waste disposal, and yet routinely fail to ensure that everything arrives in the proper receptacle in its entirety?" she mused with a fairly wicked twinkle in her eyes. "Things sometimes stick," he managed to say with a straight face despite the fact that his face was now a solid gray color. "That tends to spoil your aim at first, and unless you're awake enough to pay close enough attention you might not even realize something is amiss. Such as it were," he added after the accidental pun hit him. Instead of being amused, T'Del tilted her head steeply and seemed to be giving it genuine thought. "Indeed," she said after a few moments of studious silence. "When explained like that, it has a measure of plausibility to it." "I should hope so," Tolaris replied dryly. "Show me a male who hasn't pissed on his foot by accident at least once in his life because things went in a different direction than was intended and I will show you a male who is still in diapers." As expected, T'Del immediately erupted into laughter at the mental image, tipping over onto her side after a few seconds to end up in a ball on the lower half of the bed. The sound of her laughter and the way she was holding her knees against her shapely chest were distinctly familiar, quietly bringing back more than a few ghostly echoes of his childhood and the times they had spent together as somewhat-close friends. "Now that I can believe," she said in a slightly breathless tone once she quit laughing and sat back up straight. She continued to chuckle quietly to herself before she seemed to sober up slightly. "Tolaris.... just how long has it been since we spoke like this?" Tolaris glanced at her for a brief instant before looking away, silently digging through the rest of his memories. "Before Mintaka," he finally said in a subdued tone. "Things were.... fairly chaotic after that for several years, trying to figure out who was still alive and who wasn't. I didn't think you had been directly in combat like I was, but I know more than a few Engineering units that had been completely wiped out. They started the screening process for Lieutenant-Commander about twenty years after the dust settled, and as it turns out the fact that I knew you put a minor flag in my file. They did some minor digging, asked a few questions about our relationship and past, and at some point casually mentioned that you were still alive and well. I asked if they knew how to get in touch with you and they made it quite clear that it wasn't in my best interests anymore to do so." "Ah," T'Del said very quietly. "So he did do that after all." She paused as she caught his questioning look and sighed softly to herself. "Let's just say that a few procedural changes were implemented in the wave of paranoia and distrust following the Mintaka Campaign, and at the time I.... well, for all intents and practical purposes, I didn't officially exist for a good thirty years. I finally told them to let me out for air or lose my services. They chose to let me out for air," she added in an attempt at humor. "Hence my current official career as a mechanic." "Your files, or at least the ones I knew to exist, were shortly sealed and buried under six types of classification and two levels of encryption," Tolaris said quietly. "Needless to say, I lost track of you. I might have been able to find you if I was truly determined enough and was willing to risk breaking a few rules...." "But?" T'Del said in a near-whisper as the Dragoon trailed off. "But I kept thinking," Tolaris replied as he closed his eyes. "I kept thinking, she knows where I'm at, she knows what I'm doing, she knows how easy it would be to get in touch with me. A communique, a letter, a simple service message from a public terminal, anything to let me know how she's doing. And she never bothered. A year, two years, ten years, fifty, a hundred.... all this time passed by me, and never once did you say anything. I figured that you had your reasons for keeping to yourself, and so I didn't force anything. After all, if it really wasn't 'in my best interests' to not ask about you, surely you would have said something, right?" T'Del remained silent as she drew her knees up to her chest again, her vibrant green eyes half-closed as she stared down at the carpet. "Ironic," she finally said in a faintly bitter tone. "And all this time I figured you were simply too busy. I tried to follow you as best I could. First promoted to Lieutenant-Commander, then later again to full Commander and given command of the Dragoon Legion. A mere six-hundred and fifty years old, and already you had attained a division-level posting. That would keep anyone busy." "It did," Tolaris allowed quietly. "Understandable," the redhead replied with a nod. "So then, now that we finally caught up with one another.... what are you going to do now?" A very faint grunt rose up from Tolaris' chest. "Back to this question again, is it?" he said, trying to keep his voice free from any hint of emotion. "Tolaris, please," T'Del whispered quietly as she dropped her legs to the floor and rested her elbows on her knees. She glanced up at him before sighing to herself and slowly running her fingers through her mane of flaming-red hair. "Perhaps I should ask you what you're going to do now," Tolaris said as he leaned back in his chair, studying her carefully. She paused in mid-motion and glanced up at him. "In regards to...?" she prodded in a curious tone. She raised an eyebrow at him as he made a gesture of idle dismissal and sat up straight. "Very well," she said in a faintly cool tone. "This evening I and my co-workers will be heading over to Sector One for casual recreation. No doubt that my crew chief will be patronizing the bar's selection of alcohol, while I personally am scheduled to be performing as part of the entertainment." That caused Tolaris to sit up straight and blink hard in surprise. "Yeah, that was mentioned to me earlier today," he said in an openly uneasy tone. "I don't suppose you would care to clarify a few details for me on the nature of this.... entertainment venue of yours?" "Such as?" she prompted with a faint hint of a smile on her lips. "Surely you don't need anyone to explain to you what a stripper does while on stage." "T'Del...." Tolaris started to whisper before his voice failed him. T'Del stood up and very slowly began to pace around the room, the sound of her boots almost completely muffled by the carpeting. "I don't care what they think, Tolaris," she said quietly. "If they look at me and see something cheap or tawdry, that is their concern. I know what I am, and those who work with me likewise know what I am. To me, it is art, an expression of the living grace and beauty of the female denizen form. When I am on stage, I am not doing it for them. If I wanted their accolades, I would have remained a fashion model for the masses. When I stand in the light, it is all for me. I know what I am, and I don't need anyone to tell me that I'm pretty or beautiful on the outside. I already know that. But on the inside...." She suddenly quit pacing around the room and turned to look at him. "When I stand up there, I can feel how warm the light is on bare skin. Not warmth like standing in sunlight, but the warmth of artistic expression. You have no idea how.... how free it feels, how liberating, to dance like that. There is literally nothing between me and the warmth of that light, of the attention of the crowd. Yes, I mostly see lust and greed when I look at them, but I also see appreciation and approval. Not because I am naked, but because they can see the art in what I do and like what they see." Tolaris nodded slowly to her. "Believe it or not, T'Del, I can and do understand," he said quietly. "The first time is always the worst, having to gather the courage to be so daring, so defiant, but afterwards, once you are comfortable not with just yourself but with the sensations it brings...." "Tolaris?" T'Del said very carefully, tilting her head to study him with enough intensity to make him shiver slightly. "How have you of all people come to know this? Not that you are wrong, far from it, but never would I have even considered that you would be the type of man...." "I'm not," Tolaris interrupted gently. "I only know this because it was explained to me by.... one who is a dancer in her heart." "And who is she?" T'Del asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "No-one you've met," he said gently. "Humor me," she pleaded quietly. He looked at her before sighing softly to himself, suddenly feeling every bit as old as he really was. "Sailor Mercury," he said before his voice quit working properly. As he expected, T'Del became perfectly still as her mind briefly went into overdrive to process the information, narrowing her mental focus so intently that she quite literally forgot to breathe for a number of seconds. "Tolaris?" she finally said once she slipped back out of what he had come to privately think of as 'super-computer mode' and started to breathe again. "When that incident happened last year.... did you, in fact, betray us to the Sailor Scouts?" she asked, her voice unusually hesitant as she looked up at him with open unease. "What I did," Tolaris managed to say in a fairly level tone despite the sudden anxiety attack that was gripping him, "Was refuse to follow what I felt was an unconscionable order to kill three humans whose sole crime was to take up arms to defend their world against an unprovoked aggression on our part. I will admit to letting my emotions taint my perception of events, but even in retrospect I am still convinced my actions were right and just." "Go on," T'Del said softly. "I.... I had them," Tolaris said, his voice starting to rasp in his throat as the memories came back. "I had both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask securely trapped in energy-draining crystal matrices. All that was left was.... was Sailor Mercury, and.... I just couldn't do it. T'Del.... I knew who she was, we had met when I first arrived on Earth, she helped me, we became friends and I found myself...." He closed his eyes as he felt her touch on his wrist, squeezing him gently in a gesture of support and comfort. "I fell in love with her," he rasped very quietly, the words spilling forth in a torrent of emotion. "Not even an hour before I was holding her in the gazebo, and then Serena joined us, and not even three minutes later I'm watching them both transform and realizing that they were the ones I was sent to observe and kill...." "Kill?" T'Del echoed in a neutral tone. "Or merely capture?" "Please," the Dragoon said bitterly as he absently tugged his wrist free from her gentle grasp. "I knew what would have happened to them had I brought them back into the Negaverse alive." "And you couldn't allow that to happen to your.... lover?" T'Del suggested in a very curious tone. She paused and blinked at the look her words drew from her childhood friend, wondering if she had misread something. "We weren't lovers," Tolaris said in a faintly edged tone. He looked at the redhead for a moment and sighed softly before staring down at the carpet. "At least, not at the time," he added in an almost inaudible voice. "Ami was unlike anyone I had ever met before, and the strength of the emotions that she drew from me, and had for me, was.... frightening. And irresistible." He fell silent as he felt her touch along his jaw, very gently tilting his head up so that their eyes could meet. A very dark shiver ran down his spine at the intensity of her piercing gaze, seeming to study every minute detail of his face before she slowly nodded to herself in understanding. It was not the first time she had gazed into his eyes in order to gain an understanding of how or what he was thinking. He had once asked as a joke if she was trying to read his mind through his optic nerves, only to be answered with a very coy smile and a very cryptic answer that he still didn't understand to this day. "As always, Tolaris," she finally said in a soft voice, "You continue to surprise me. Don't misunderstand," she added quickly as he blinked. "I don't think I could bring myself to act against my.... intended life-mate either, so regardless of the actual truth of the matter, you will not find me among those who would condemn you for your actions. You.... do intend to take her as your life-mate, correct? A human girl, even if she is a Sailor Scout?" she inquired in an almost nervous voice. Tolaris might have smiled if he didn't sense an undercurrent of unease to her question. "With all that she and I have been through together, with all the feelings we have for one another that even today still sometimes take me by surprise with its intensity, it would be almost unimaginable if I didn't," he said gently. He paused as he studied the emotions reflected in her green eyes and suddenly got the distinct impression that he was missing something. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" he inquired cautiously. T'Del simply shook her head and edged away from him, gingerly sitting back down on the corner of the bed. "I always wondered how long it would be before you took a lover," she mused in an odd tone. "For awhile I was starting to wonder if you even found women attractive." "You seriously doubted that?" Tolaris said in a very dubious tone. "Well, sort of," T'Del admitted with a faintly embarrassed shrug of her shoulders and a sheepish smile. "You never.... well, you never paid attention to me like that. Don't give me that look," she sighed as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands. "You were one of my best friends," Tolaris pointed out as his guts turned into a solid ball of lead. "In some ways, my only friend. Yes, you were the most beautiful girl in the region, but let's be honest, you didn't act like one and certainly didn't show even the slightest interest in dating anyone." Another embarrassed smile crossed T'Del's face as she edged back and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them gently. "Okay, yes, I was more than a bit of a tomboy," she admitted. "And you're right, very few people interested me like that. At the time," she added. "Like I said, I guess I just needed a little extra time to truly grow up." She paused to glance up at the expression on his face and sighed quietly. "I should quit talking before you throw up," she muttered. "Just keep going," Tolaris said in a somewhat flat tone. "Very well," the redhead murmured as she stared back down at the carpet. "What can I say, Tolaris? By the time I realized I missed being with you, we had already gone our separate ways. Whenever we did talk, I always got the feeling that you were busy and that you were just humoring an old friend. I sometimes think that if we had managed to stay in contact a little better.... well.... maybe things between you and I would be slightly different now." "In what sense?" Tolaris found himself asking in a hollow tone. A very soft and dry laugh rose up from her chest. "Well, you might not have had to look to another world to find a lover or potential life-mate," she admitted, her cheeks suddenly flushing a very fetching shade of red. She very carefully glanced up at him, only to blink hard and bolt upright in shock at the look of pain crossing his face. "Tolaris!" "Wait for it," he grumbled quietly as he clutched his ribcage, willing the sharp stabbing pain to go away. It finally faded after a few seconds, leaving him feeling more than a little drained of strength and energy. "Yeah, I think it's time to make a very quiet and unobtrusive appointment to see a Healer. You know, T'Del, you could have said something to me somewhere along the line about what you were feeling," he said, giving her a disgruntled look. She sighed and hugged her knees tighter against her chest. "Like I said, it just seemed like you were busy all the time and I really didn't want to be in your way or anything. And after we lost touch after Mintaka...." An uneasy silence descended around them as they both briefly withdrew to deal with their own introspective thoughts. Such stretches of silence between them had not been uncommon in the past, tending to crop up after or sometimes even during one of their more speculative conversations about what the future would be like or intellectual debates of philosophy. However, this time the pause carried with it an undercurrent of emotion and the realization of the tension between them was not lost on either of them. "Tolaris," T'Del finally said after an unknown lapse of time, "Can we still be friends, even after all this?" The question seemed to catch Tolaris completely off-guard. "What?" he said before he could get his thoughts back in order. "I.... don't see any real reason why not," he said slowly. "Granted we haven't talked to one another in a good three centuries, but I don't think too much has changed.... right?" "You've changed," she pointed out quietly. "As have you," he reminded her gently. "Everyone changes after time, you know that. I will admit my views of our world have.... not so much changed as been adjusted by the time I spent on Earth and living among the humans, but the Negaverse is still my home and all. Even if most other denizens now view me as a traitor and pariah," he added with a distinct note of irony. T'Del simply shrugged in dismissal. "That can be changed in time," she said absently as she briefly slipped back into contemplative thought. A quiet reminder drifted up from the depths of her mind, causing her to lift her head back up to look at him. "You.... are coming along with Commander K'tal to the tavern in Sector One tonight, right?" she inquired carefully. The reminder was enough to provoke another twinge from the spot where his heart was located. "To watch you.... perform?" he replied in an uneasy tone. "Among other things, yes," she said as a faint smile brushed the corners of her lips. "Honestly, Tolaris, look me in the eye and tell me that you've never wanted to see me naked before...." The soft smile on her face widened slightly as Tolaris sighed heavily and stared down at the floor, his face flushing a dark shade of gray. "Not in that way, T'Del," he murmured as his cheeks continued to darken. "And certainly not with an audience around." He looked up at her as he felt her touch on his face once again, gently twisting his head around until their eyes met. "I would appreciate it if you could be there tonight," she said softly, her piercing green eyes seeming to bore through his very soul. A faint twinkle of amusement seemed to briefly flash across her face before she added, "But if you don't think your heart can handle it, I'll understand. And yes, you do need to have that looked at," she added in all seriousness as she dropped her hand and sat back, still studying him intently. "I will," he promised her quietly. He gazed back at her before sighing softly, feeling his guts tie itself into yet another knot. "And yes, I'll try to be there tonight, barring another reactor emergency or problem." She nodded in understanding and stood up. "A perfectly justifiable reason as any," she said with a soft smile. She seemed to study him for a moment before she bent over to give his cheek a quick kiss. "It is good to see you again, T'Laris," she murmured very softly. "We're not children anymore, T'Del," he said in a faintly edged tone. "Sorry," the redhead apologized. She blinked as there was a rather heavy knock at the door, causing her to cast a reflexive glance at it before looking back down at Tolaris with a curious look. "Enter," the Dragoon called out, giving her a helpless shrug in response. The door slid open to admit Maze into the room, the purple-haired Dragoon seeming to be vastly amused by something. The look on his face quickly changed as he realized that Tolaris had company, causing him to abruptly halt. "Oh," he said before clearing his throat. "Sorry to bother you, Commander...." "At ease, Maze," Tolaris said with a quiet sigh. "Ma'am," Maze said, giving T'Del a respectful nod of his head. "Lieutenant," T'Del replied with a faint smile. "Forgive me, but you are, I presume, the same individual that Tolaris told me about in the past? I seem to recall a rather interesting story being told about the trouble the two of you got into together one midsummer evening...." "Ma'am?" Maze said, giving her a startled look. He paused and cast a very uneasy look at Tolaris as the elder Dragoon sighed heavily and put his face in his hands, clearly able to see the dark gray color taking up residence in his cheeks. "Was is necessary to remind me of that?" Tolaris asked in a muted tone. "Of course," T'Del said demurely. "What else are friends for? As I seem to have taken up more of your time than I had intended, I shall have to ask for a continuance later. Unless you still need a fusion specialist for further engineering repairs...." she added, giving Maze a questioning look. "No, ma'am, we already took care of the coolant conduit," Maze assured her with a neutral expression. "I just came here to remind Commander Tolaris that he needs to set the paperwork aside for a few minutes and eat something." "You're right, you haven't changed much," T'Del said to Tolaris with a coy smile. "I will speak with you later, Commander, and thank you for your time. Lieutenant," she added to Maze as she made her way over to the door. "Ma'am," Maze replied in a respectful tone as he stepped to the side to let her pass. He waited until the door closed behind her before letting out his breath and turning to stare at Tolaris. "That.... was T'Del, wasn't it?" he said in awe, absently jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "You know, the supermodel?" "As you were, Lieutenant," Tolaris sighed quietly. "What in the name of the NegaForce is she doing here?" Maze demanded, his tan eyes dangerously wide. "She had a few questions for me," Tolaris replied, giving him a mild look. "And might I remind you that she is a very competent fusion specialist who is assigned to duty in Sector Seven?" "You're hiding something," Maze pointed out in a wary tone. "C'mon, boss, with as long as we've known one another? And what was that she said earlier about hearing stories about us getting into trouble, anyway?" he prodded. Tolaris resisted the urge to either roll his eyes or bang his head against the nearest wall. "T'Del and I are friends," he explained carefully. "What she was referring to was the little incident you and I went through shortly after we met in Asleen." "What?" Maze gasped as his jaw fell open. "You said you weren't going to tell anyone about that!" he protested as he flushed green at the memory. "You remember how I got you out of that prison cell, right?" Tolaris said in a low tone. "The only reason they didn't haul me in for questioning was I was able to have a friend fusion-weld the bars back into place so it wouldn't be obvious that they had been removed in the first place. The price I had to pay for her services was telling her how and why I had removed them to begin with," he added in a rueful tone. "You mean that she...?" Maze said, still in a mild state of shock. "Pure luck that our paths crossed that day," Tolaris admitted. "She was en-route to a field assignment with her college classmates and they happened to have stopped at that trading village for dinner. Needless to say, we didn't get to spend much time talking as her transport was on a schedule and I.... well, you know what happened after that," he explained, his own cheeks turning dark gray yet again at the memory. "Christ on a crutch," Maze breathed, clearly borrowing one of Mina's more colorful expressions. "Now that we're both suitably embarrassed about forgotten history, would you mind telling me why you're here?" Tolaris inquired, acutely aware of the raging blushes still plaguing both their faces. "Hmm?" Maze said in slight confusion before his mind cleared. "Oh, yes. I wasn't kidding when I said I came here to kick you in the ptanka about not eating lunch. K'tal would have sent Asrial to do it, but I felt that you might not have wanted to be patching claw holes in something, so I said I'd go get your attention. Oh, and the good Commander said I had fifteen minutes to get you into the chow hall before he sent Asrial after the both of us." Tolaris grunted quietly to himself at the mental images that sprang to mind. "Alright, let's go," he sighed. "Wow, that didn't take long," Maze chuckled as Tolaris rose to his feet. "And here I thought I'd have to toss a few kinetic darts at you to get you to put the paperwork down. Or whatever it was you were working on," he added as he cast a discreet glance at the computer monitor. "Paperwork," Tolaris grumbled as he reached out to type in a quick command on the terminal. The display went idle a few moments later, erasing whatever electronic data had been written to it. "Anything worthwhile?" Maze prodded carefully. "Not anymore, Maze," Tolaris said absently as he briefly thought of the odd smile on T'Del's face he had seen only moments ago. "Not anymore...." * * * * "Damn," Leda sighed quietly as she roughly leaned her shoulder against the oak tree. "I thought that class would never end. What is it about school on a Monday that makes it suck so much?" she complained to Rei. Rei just looked at her before shaking her head to herself. "Psychology," she muttered as she kept a casual eye on the horde of students heading towards the buses and the waiting cars of parents. The feelings of unease had largely left after her brief conversation with Serena, but the wave of dark energy that had swept through her less than an hour ago was a different matter entirely. She figured that she could probably tune out the empathic vibes she was picking up from the long-haired blonde if she tried hard enough, but she also knew that there was simply no way that Serena's half-denizen side could have been the source of the very distinct and familiar chill now plaguing her. "I suppose that's a good sign, then," Leda groused as she too started to survey her surroundings. Rei paused and cast a leery glance towards the brunette. "How so?" she prodded in a perfectly neutral tone. Leda glanced over at her before shrugging. "It means I've got a mind to mess with, contrary to what some people have said lately," she pointed out. The priestess just rolled her eyes and went back to scanning the crowd, a slight frown crossing her face as she could see Mina chatting away with a girl with unusually pale hair. "Great," she muttered sourly, knowing that if the chaotic blonde's mood held for another few minutes, she would wind up being a chatterbox for a good portion of the rest of the day. Normally that wouldn't grate too heavily on her nerves, especially when Ami was around to occasionally prod Mina into toning it down so as not to be a distraction, but Leda had a point about Mondays seeming to take a heavier-than-usual toll on everyone's tolerance and patience. "Find something?" Leda asked in a low tone as she cast a glance over her shoulder to try to see what Rei was looking at. "Just the motor-mouth," Rei said sourly. "Which one?" Leda inquired with a smirk, prompting a soft grunt from Rei. "You need to settle down, pyro. Yeah, I know, it's Monday and all, but.... oh, you mean Mina this time, eh? Bah, you know how she is when she makes a new friend," she sighed in resignation. "I'm surprised she hasn't talked Lily's ears off yet." "The pale girl?" Rei said absently as she narrowed her eyes. The ghostly feeling of unease was starting to return once again, very gently raising the hair on the back of her neck. "I don't think I've ever seen her before. She's new here, right?" "Foreign exchange student," the brunette replied. "Met her this morning. A bit quiet and shy, but she's still fairly cute. Mina latched onto her right away and I don't think she's shut up since." "You mean Lily?" a voice said very softly, causing both Leda and Rei to nearly hit the tree branches hanging above them. Rei immediately spun around to find Ami quietly standing behind them, hugging her textbooks against her chest in an unconsciously protective gesture. The hasty movement whipped Rei's mane of raven-black hair around, causing Ami to take a quick hop to the side to avoid having the dark strands lash across her face. "Jesus Christ, Ami," Leda growled as she leaned forward to rest one hand on her thigh and used the other to massage her chest. "How many times to I have to say this? Quit sneaking up on us like some goddamned ninja, okay? Damn...." "Sorry," Ami apologized quietly, casting a very nervous glance towards the street where she had seen Jedyt earlier. "You felt it too?" Rei asked carefully as she realized that Ami was quite obviously uneasy about something. "Jedyt was here," Ami replied, causing the priestess to blink hard. "He saw Serena and I when we were out playing volleyball in gym class. He knows where we go to school now," she said, closing her eyes and shivering lightly. "Huh?" Leda said, pausing as she saw the dark look forming on Rei's face. "Back up for a moment. Jedyt is that dipwad we met over at the temple, right? Right before Serena.... well, anyway," she said, deciding it was best not to remind them any more than was necessary about the weekend's events. Rei simply nodded solemnly as she cast another glance towards Mina. Her expression darkened by another degree as she noticed that Serena had joined the group, both blondes holding a rather animated conversation with the pale-haired girl. An inaudible snarl started to rise up from her throat as the feeling of ghostly unease started to become worse, as if a part of her subconscious mind was trying to warn her of something. "Yeah," Ami said in a very subdued tone. "That's him." "Ami, are you alright?" Leda inquired carefully. "You look like you're ready to crawl under a rock or something." "The three of us had to deal with Jedyt for several weeks on our own, long before you came along," Rei spoke up, her voice sounding faintly distracted. "It was not a pleasant experience and it left a few scars we would rather not talk about. Let's just say he's a mean one and leave it at that. We thought we had killed him at the airport, but obviously not." "Wait, what do you mean by scars?" Leda spoke up, giving Ami an uneasy look. "I thought you said you just picked up the usual cuts and bruises from dealing with the Negaverse." "Psychological ones," Rei spoke up before Ami could. "We weren't used to dealing with the horrors of the Negaverse at the time. It's no different than what you kept bitching about when we had to deal with Zoicite and her antics." Both Ami and Rei blinked hard as Leda made a very dangerous growling noise to herself, her expression immediately twisting into one of pure loathing. "I think I know what you mean now," she grumbled, casting a truly dark look at a particular and distant part of the city behind them. "You know, I almost wish that flowery slut would come back, just so I can have the pleasure of...." "We get the idea, Leda," Ami said quickly as she shivered again. Leda glanced at her for several seconds before making a quiet huffing noise to herself and leaning against the tree, still clearly lost in thoughts of being able to exact her own personal brand of vengeance on the Negaverse general. "Beryl could at least have let us kill her," she muttered darkly. "At least she's dead," Rei pointed out, casting a sidelong look at the simmering brunette. "That's more than we can say for Jedyt." "Bah," Leda sighed as she looked up at the sky, barely able to see the blue color through the thick canopy of leaves overhead. "So tell me again why nobody killed him when he dropped in on you? Alex seemed ready to orgasm at the thought of lopping his head off with her sword...." "Thank you, Leda," Rei said sourly, prompting a soft snort of derision in response. "Anyway, so back to the original problem. Any idea why Jedyt was hanging around here earlier?" Ami hesitated before she took a deep breath. "I think he might have been looking for something," she explained. "He had a map with him, and he didn't seem to be too sure of where he was going." Rei thought about it for a moment, still absently watching the three girls talking in the distance. "He knows where I live," she said slowly, thinking aloud. "And he knows where Darian lives. Or should," she added wryly. "After that visit Zoicite paid him, I'm sure everybody with a fraction of a clue can get the information from a report or something. They also know about us using Nephlyte's cathedral as a base, which probably wasn't a smart move on our part but that was Tolaris' decision." "Hey, easy," Leda said softly as Ami sighed at the mention of Tolaris. "I'm sorry," Ami whispered as she looked away from the group. "I'm just worried about him and the others. Especially with that reactor coolant leak," she added before she shuddered. Rei frowned as she noticed a dark and fairly expensive-looking sedan pull up to the curb in the student pick-up zone. The conversation between Serena, Mina, and Lily seemed to change before the pale-haired girl gestured to the car and seemed to indicate that it was there to pick her up. Must be nice to be that rich, Rei thought to herself with a faint twinge of jealousy as Lily waved to the pair of blondes and got in the car. The sedan promptly pulled away from the curb and headed out towards the exit while Serena and Mina started to make their way towards the oak tree, both blondes having identical smiles on their faces as they continued talking. "Relax," Leda said absently to Ami as she briefly eyed the departing car. "Dragoons aren't stupid, I'm sure they've got the problem well in hand by now and are probably kicking back with a beer or something while some low-ranking janitor is running a mop along the floor to clean up the mess." Rei remained silent as she continued to think about what Jedyt could have been looking for. He knows the city fairly well, she thought, so it can't be something major. If he had an address where he thought one of us lived, he'd be out in the suburbs instead of around here. Unless he had Leda's apartment number, but even then he'd be way over there instead of over here, and surely he'd be far more interested in where Serena lives than a Sailor Scout he never met until.... "Until we ran into him at the temple," Rei suddenly said aloud in a muted whisper as the puzzle pieces finally fell into place. She paused and cast a glance at the rest of the group as they both turned to look at her in surprise. "Eh?" Leda said, giving her an uneasy look. "I know what he's looking for," Rei said in a neutral tone. "Who, Jedyt?" Mina said casually as she and Serena approached the group, obviously having been able to hear what the priestess had said. "I keep trying to get everyone to relax about him, but it's an uphill battle. Hey, girls," she added as an afterthought with an impish smile. "Huh?" Serena said in confusion, stopping dead in her tracks and turning pale at the mention of Jedyt's name. "Wait, what's going on?" "I know what Jedyt was looking for earlier," Rei repeated, giving Mina a look completely devoid of any semblance of emotion. A knowing smirk crossed Mina's face. "If you mean the location of the church where I asked him to meet Sailor V at, you're probably right," she said with a chuckle. "And yes, I completely forgot that it's not too far from here, so I guess you can blame this one on me." "And if he's looking for something else?" Ami prodded in a wary tone. Mina paused for a few moments as a deeply contemplative look clouded her face. "Well," she finally said before she shrugged and flashed a brilliant smile at the blue-haired girl, "If he's looking for something other than the church, I guess I'm just as screwed as the rest of you girls. Oh, lighten up, Ami," she sighed theatrically at the change in Ami's expression. "Look, will you just sit back and trust me for once? I really do know what I'm doing when it comes to dealing with that broken nacho." Ami gave Mina a very uncertain look while Serena, Rei, and Leda all traded dubious looks at the blonde's rather unconventional descriptive term. There quickly followed a collective blink as the muted sound of a rumbling stomach could be heard, prompting a dark blush from Serena. "Sorry," she apologized in a meek voice. "Serena," Leda said in a pained voice, "It's only two in the afternoon, you can't possibly be that hungry." "Er, well...." Serena hedged as she glanced around. "Mina's the one who start talking about nachos and all...." "Oh, god," Mina sighed as she looked up towards the sky. "Serena, what are we going to do with you?" "I can't help it!" Serena whined, giving her fellow blonde an upset look. She sighed and gave Ami an unhappy look as she approached with her miniature computer in hand, carefully scanning Serena's abdomen. "Well?" Leda prompted as Ami's eyebrows arched up slightly. "It seems you have a faster metabolism now," Ami said in a studious tone. She continued to study the data readings before sighing quietly to herself and switching the device off, absently tucking it back into her Lunar Space pocket for storage. She glanced up to find a somewhat confused look on Serena's face and had to suppress a second sigh of resignation. "It means you now digest a lot faster than you used to," she explained. "You might want to either bring a bigger lunch or several snacks for a light after-school meal. And I do mean a light one," she added with audible emphasis. "Got any more fruit cups?" Mina said to Leda in a low but amused tone. "Are you kidding?" Leda smirked as she knelt down to open up her backpack. "C'mon, we've been watching out for Serena for how long now? Give me just a little credit here," she smirked as she stood back up with a pair of the foil- sealed fruit cups. "Just one, Leda," Ami warned, giving Serena a reproving look at the way her expression suddenly changed at the thought of being able to eat something. "Who said they were both for her?" Leda replied archly as she held one out to Mina, catching the blonde off-guard. "This is the one I was looking for earlier, but it had fallen to the bottom and I wasn't in the mood to go hunting for it," she explained. "Oooo, thank you," Mina said as she eyed the cup full of pineapple rings. "Anyway," Rei muttered to herself as she picked up her backpack and hefted it onto her shoulder. "I'll see you guys in class tomorrow." "Erm?" Serena said as she froze in mid-motion, her fingers still crammed in her mouth and holding the pear wedge. She quickly chewed and swallowed, absently wiping her fingertips on the side of her school uniform. "You're not coming with us to the cathedral?" Rei snorted quietly to herself. "I've got work to do at the temple," she reminded her in a somewhat arch tone. "I wasn't there during the weekend, of course, and Jedyt didn't take care of it all like Grandpa thought he had, so I've still got some catching-up to do." "Merk!" Mina gagged as she half-choked on the pineapple wedge. She made a face as she was forced to swallow it hard and gasp for air once it was free from her windpipe. "Wait, back up. Jedyt was at the temple again? While we were camped out in Susan's keep?" Rei paused as she realized that she had said just a little more than she had intended to say. "Yes, he was," she finally spoke up after a brief but discernible silence. "He wanted to talk to Grandpa about having to leave last year without warning and wanted to make it up by taking care of the chores I usually did." "Really...." Mina said in a very slow tone, giving the priestess an uneasy look. Next to her, Ami and Serena traded startled glances, both wondering just why exactly Jedyt would even consider doing such a thing. "Ask him yourself if you don't believe me," Rei said flatly, her face slipping into a mask of guarded and utterly unreadable emotions. Mina blinked at the shift in Rei's mood before nodding slowly. "Believe me, I will," she promised quietly. "Huh," she added as she glanced over to see how Serena and Ami were reacting. "You know, maybe there's a glimmer of hope for that boy after all. Don't look at me like that," she added as Ami promptly scowled. "What are you planning on doing?" Ami inquired in a faintly-edged tone. "I'm not planning on anything," Mina countered as she fished another piece of pineapple out of the fruit cup and popped it into her mouth. "Sailo' V ish gonna talk t' him an' fin' ou' wha's hish problem ish." Leda just rolled her eyes as she zipped her backpack shut and hoisted it up by the straps. "It's pineapple, not seafood," she grumbled. "Want to quit pulling an Alex and stop talking with your mouth full? It's disgusting." "Blech," Serena muttered as she glanced down at the three-quarters empty fruit cup in her hand and made a sour face. "Anyway," Rei sighed as she started to walk off. "Try not to cause any trouble tonight. HEY!" she protested as Leda reached out to snag one of the straps on her backpack, jerking her back with a casual tug. "You want to stick around for a couple more minutes, pyro?" Leda sighed. She paused and raised an eyebrow as the strap was gently but firmly yanked out of her hand. "No, I don't," Rei said briskly. She cast a very brief sidelong glance at Serena before returning her gaze to the brunette. "You can call me on the communicator if something happens. Otherwise, I've got work to do. I'll see you tomorrow," she said before she turned around and headed off. "You know," Mina sighed quietly as she watched Rei's figure retreating into the distance, "At first I thought it was just the PMS kicking in just a little harder than usual, but that quit how long ago? I'm not sure what the problem is, but it's starting to really worry me now. Ami, are you sure she's okay in a physical sense?" Ami glanced over at the blonde before shaking her head. "I don't know, I haven't scanned her recently," she said quietly. "See if you can arrange something," Mina suggested as she tossed the last bite of pineapple into her mouth. "You know, real quiet-like an' all. I've got a few errands to run, so I'll catch up with you at the cathedral in a bit, okay?" she said as she picked up her backpack and started to head towards the nearest trash can, ostensibly to dispose of the now-empty fruit cup. "Remind us again what you're plotting?" Leda inquired warily. Mina resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she pitched the cup into the barrel and absently wiped her fingertips across the back of her skirt. "Like I said, I'm not doing anything, Sailor V is. And don't ask me what she's going to do because I don't think she's decided yet. Planning ahead of time isn't exactly her strong suit," she added with an impish wink. "We've noticed," Ami said dryly in a tone as flat as paved concrete. "Oh, pooh, listen to you guys," Mina huffed. "Don't make me remind you that I've been dealing with Jedyt long before you had a clue that there were green-blooded goobers running around our world." Ami and Leda traded looks before Leda shook her head. "You just did," she pointed out in a rueful tone. "Whatever," Mina said dismissively. "My point is that you girls just need to back off and settle down. It's my turn at bat this inning, okay? Let me swing at the ball however I want. If I strike out, then it'll be your turn to spank him stupid, but for now all I'm asking you to do is *trust me*." Leda glanced over at Ami and paused briefly as she noticed the slightly haunted look on not just Ami's face but Serena's as well. "You're really that sure about this one, eh?" she prodded as she turned back to Mina. She got a fairly serious look in response followed by a solemn nod, resulting in a quiet sigh from the brunette. "Alright, screwball," she said in a weary tone. "You go do whatever it is you gotta do, but you had damn well better check in with us when you're done," she warned. "If we don't hear from you by...." "Midnight," Mina smoothly interjected. "Midnight, then," Leda echoed with a nod of understanding. "Eight," Ami spoke up in an edged tone, giving Mina a flat glare. "You said you'd be meeting him at sunset, right?" "Yes, and I have no idea how long this'll take to iron out," Mina replied with a wary look. "Sundown starts at seven, and I don't like to be rushed for this kind of thing. Eleven." "Nine," Ami countered. "Two hours should be more than enough to tell him to go fly a kite into a power line and die." Leda just chuckled quietly to herself. "Just a little bitter, eh?" "Split the difference at ten?" Mina offered. "Nine," Serena spoke up, taking everyone by surprise. "We have school in the morning, and I don't want to have to lose much sleep if we have to chase you down in the middle of the night." Mina wrinkled her nose in distain. "Gee, thanks," she drawled. "Nice to see where your priorities are, girl. In any case, like I said, I'll catch up with you at the cathedral in about an hour. Think we can do a little group studying before dinner?" "Sure," Leda said as she shook her head to herself, absently starting to wonder what she should cook for dinner. "Anyway, we need to get going. It's only been a few hours, but we might want to check in with Whisper to see if she's heard anything new. That, and see how Alex and Michelle are holding up. Michelle can probably keep herself occupied on her own, but I have the sneaking suspicion Alex will be crawling the walls by now out of boredom." "What makes you say that?" Ami inquired as she started to follow after the brunette, briefly pausing to make sure Serena could keep up with them without tripping over something while she finished off the rest of her fruit cup. "Pah," Leda sighed. "In the words of Quasimodo.... call it a hunch...." * * * * Whisper sighed and waited for the ringing sound in her ears to fade before turning to cast a somewhat weary look at Sailor Neptune. "You sure you don't want me to save a few of them for you?" she offered. Neptune cast a quick glance at the piles of ruin and devastation that now comprised the other half of the room before shaking her head. "No," she sighed quietly. "I can't hit small targets like that without making a mess and you don't need salt water ending up in any of the recovery bins. Besides, it's keeping her occupied. How many are left, anyway?" Whisper turned back to look at the display panel. "An even dozen. Well, ten now," she added ruefully as she tapped a button twice. A pair of popping sounds could be heard on the other side of the room as two of the target drones were promptly ejected and began buzzing around like large flies. In a rather unexpected move, Sailor Uranus immediately turned to the side and hopped back towards the wall instead of charging the drones as she had been doing. The purpose of the move became obvious an instant later as she pushed herself off of the wall while still in mid-air, reversing the direction of her momentum and sending her almost literally flying towards the drones that had started to pursue her. "Soul Saber SLICE!" Uranus yelled out as she darted between them. The tip of her saber immediately began to emit a blue glow, carving a visible line of energy into the air behind the blade like a wake. The blade was then swung at a horizontal angle, causing both the edge and the wave of energy to brush past a drone, neatly cleaving it in two. The ruined electronic halves immediately exploded into fragments, littering the floor with yet more smouldering debris and peppering her arm with twin sprays of shrapnel. The blonde Sailor Scout landed hard on her feet and immediately switched her focus to her other side, reaching out with her free hand to make a fist. "Uranus Shockwave...." she intoned as she drew energy out of the air, gathering it around her clenched fist to form a ball of golden-yellow light. "IMPACT!" she shouted as she made a throwing motion, sending the sphere of energy darting after the second drone that was only now reacting to the fact that she had breezed past it. The shockwave left a trail of visibly-disturbed air in its wake as it crossed the gap, slamming into the drone with a tremendous force hard enough to literally flatten it against the wall like a soda can. As the previous drone had done when fatally damaged, the overloaded device exploded into a smoking ruin in a loosely-controlled process that resulted in a stinging but non-lethal shower of metallic fragments. "Heh, heh," Uranus chuckled quietly, ignoring the sharp line of pain that was drawn on her exposed upper arm by a drone fragment. There were literally dozens of tiny nicks and cuts on her arms and face from previous explosions and debris showers, though only two were deep enough to do anything more than ooze blood and plasma for longer than a few seconds. "Wasn't expecting that one, now were you, sucker? Whew," she panted as she reached out to rest against the wall for a moment. "Hang on a second, Whisper, I think I'm starting to run out of gas here." "No problem," Whisper called back, absently shaking her head to herself. "Are you sure this cleans up easy?" Neptune muttered as she glanced around the training room. The drone carcasses and debris were literally ankle-deep in a number of places and it was starting to become difficult for Uranus to find places to move and fight where she wouldn't be tripping over something. "Maze was kind enough to automate a few things and build a sweeper drone," the telepath replied, casting a glance at the closed doors of the vault. "At least, I'm fairly sure he did. I remember him testing it out one day, but I wasn't actively paying attention to what he was muttering so he might not have ironed all the bugs out. Even if we have to sweep it up ourselves, all we need to do is just dump the parts in the recycle hopper and let the computer handle the rest." "Bleh," Neptune muttered as she surveyed the carnage around her and tried not to imagine how long it would take to sweep up by hand. She blinked and cast a look at Whisper as the computer made a soft beep to itself, flashing an oddly-shaped icon in the center of the display for a few seconds. "Hmm...." Whisper murmured to herself as she studied the display. She typed in a quick command, resulting in several lines of the spidery denizen language to rapidly scroll up. "That's odd." "Something wrong?" Neptune ventured, casting a quick glance over at Uranus to see how she was doing. Comforted by the fact that the blonde seemed to be just fine as she swung her saber around in slow arcs, she turned her attention back to Whisper and the alien text on the screen. "Not really," Whisper admitted. "The external sensors just picked up Ami and Leda entering the outer perimeter, as well as a third individual that the computer is having a hard time identifying. It says that the bio-scan keeps coming back with an echo that isn't matching up with anything ever encountered before, but for some reason it seems it has a partial match and wants to gather the rest of the picture to make a positive identification." "Wait, they're coming from school, right?" Neptune asked carefully. "So shouldn't Serena be with them?" The telepath blinked and cast a quick glance at her before typing in a series of commands, leaning on the edge of the console as she waited for the computer core to respond. It seemed to take an unusually long time to process before it finally began to display more lines of spidery text. "Ahh, that's it," she said with a nod of satisfaction. "It is Serena after all, it's just that the sensors were picking up the echo of her wings and couldn't quite make sense of them. That, and it seems her alpha template has changed," she added in a slightly uneasy tone. "I'm hoping it's just from the Chaos Factor changes to her body, as physical characteristics are a recorded criterion, but maybe her mind has changed slightly as well. We'll see." "Wait, what?" Neptune asked in a worried tone. "Hey, Mich?" Uranus called out from the other side of the room, a slight frown forming on her face as she could see the change in Neptune's expression. "What's the problem, babe?" "The Princess is here," Neptune called back. "Oops," Uranus said as she glanced around the room. "Great, the floor is a mess and I could probably use a shower. Hey, you think you can keep her busy upstairs while I clean up? Don't need her coming down here and seeing the place all torn up like this...." Whisper chuckled quietly to herself. "I wouldn't worry about it, this room was designed for that exact situation. You should have seen the mess the others made the last time we hauled out the target drones for practice." "Oh, yeah?" Uranus said as she carefully slogged her way through the piles of drone parts to approach them. "How long did that mess take to clean up?" "Not too long," Whisper assured her as she keyed in a few commands. The computer immediately chittered back at her as a truly deep and heavy sound started up. The two-foot-thick bulkheads of the vault began to very slowly retract into the ceiling and floor a few moments later, moving at a pace that was somewhere between ponderous and glacial. "Bah," Uranus grunted. "It'll probably take longer to open the damn door than to shovel some of this crap out of the way. Hey, tell me again just why that has to be so heavy and all?" she added as she gave Whisper a questioning look. "It's part of a weapons-storage vault," Whisper explained as she kept one eye on the computer display readings and the other on the slowly widening gap between the upper and lower halves of the vault doors. "The doors, walls, and ceiling are just as thick. It serves two purposes, namely to keep out those who don't have proper access and to attempt to contain any accidental explosion or release of energy from anything inside of it." "Wait, what?" Neptune said, her eyes widening. "Wait, slow down," Uranus said a fraction of a second later, a dark frown marring her face. "I can understand the part about keeping people out, but run the rest of it past me again? It's supposed to keep something inside?" Whisper sighed quietly to herself as she tried to decide how to explain it to the pair of humans. "Think about what you saw in there," she said after a moment of careful thought. "There are hundreds of weapons stored inside, and not all of them are simple things like swords and rifles. Some of them are very complicated energy weapons, like the plasma swords and the rail-gun. If a serious problem develops with those kinds of weapons, they run a minor but still very real and dangerous risk of blowing up. Because of the risk they can pose, even as small as it is, they can only be stored in places where such an uncontrolled or accidental release of energy can be readily contained by the surrounding environment. Hence the seemingly silly size of the bulkheads," she summarized with a gesture to the now half-open vault doors. "Ah, okay," Uranus said in a slightly uneasy tone. "That also why you closed those shield doors over there?" she added, pointing with her saber at the hallway blast doors. She blinked in surprise as the computer terminal chittered quietly to itself before it began to retract the blast doors. "Hey, why's it doing that?" "Probably because someone on the outside wants in," Whisper said dryly as the hallway doors finished retracting to expose the standard bulkheads of the main door. The door hissed open a moment later, framing a visibly curious Leda in the archway. "And yes, I closed the blast doors because of the tendency for the drones to explode when hit too hard. Afternoon, Leda," the telepath called out to the brunette. "Hey there," Leda said affably as she looked around the room, her green eyes doubling in diameter as she noticed the piles of exploded drone parts. "Wow, I see someone had fun in here earlier...." Uranus shrugged in dismissal and absently twirled her Soul Saber around. "Just a little afternoon practice, that's all. How's the Princess doing?" "Serena? She's...." Leda started to say before pausing to wince as the massive vault doors finished retracting into the housings and locked into place with a pair of teeth-rattling booms. "Ow. She's fine. You know you can hear the door being opened from outside, right?" she added, giving Whisper a mild look. "Not very loudly, of course, but you can feel the ground rumbling from a good twenty feet away from the cathedral's front door." "Is that why you all but ran down here?" Ami's dry voice could be heard as she exited the stairwell and approached the open training room doors. "Well," Leda hedged in a faintly sheepish tone, "I figured that if the vault was being cracked open, we'd be able to play with the target drones for a bit. You know, like what Sailor Uranus just said a moment ago, a little afternoon drone practice and all. Speaking of which, did you leave us any?" she added in a rueful tone as she glanced around the room again. "Goodness!" Ami gasped as she finally noticed the smoking piles of ruin that carpeted three-fourths of the training room floor. "There should be a few left over, right?" Uranus said as she looked over at Neptune and Whisper. "Just ten," Whisper replied wryly. "Just ten?" Leda echoed with a hard blink. "Isn't a full load somewhere around four hundred?" "Four-twenty," the telepath sighed. "And yes, we were at maximum when we started earlier. Would you girls step off to the side there, please?" she said as she made a gesture. "I'm trying to see if I can bring ADRARU online and turn it loose. I think it's functional, but it doesn't seem to be in much of a cooperative mood for some reason...." "Ad-what?" Uranus said in a confused tone. "Add-Rah-Roo," Ami said slowly. "Automated Drone Recovery And Recycling Unit. Code nine, function two, option two," she added to Whisper. Whisper just grunted softly to herself as she rekeyed the command, trying not to sigh as she heard a quiet beeping sound start up from within the arsenal vault. "There we go, I was trying function one," she confessed. "Hey, Sparky," Leda said as a small six-wheeled box-like drone rolled out of the vault. It looked like a street-sweeper that had been scaled down in size so that it was only waist-high and perhaps twice as long. A bright orange strobe mounted on the top immediately lit up as it went to work, spinning up the rotating brushes in front as it rolled over to the nearest pile of debris. The sound of a vacuum started up a few moments later, followed by a series of clanking sounds as the broken parts were sucked inside the holding tank. "Huh," Uranus said quietly as she watched the recovery drone's progress. "A remote-controlled vacuum cleaner or something?" "It's a drone," Ami explained. "It's self-automated and has the ability to make its own decisions based on the information it processes and from what its onboard sensors say is around it. Maze did most of the hardware and I put together the logic modules," she added with a hint of pride. "We haven't had time to perfect it, but we think we've managed to work out most of the bugs. It won't run over your foot or try to suck up anything other than drone parts, but it still needs to be monitored, though," she added with a soft sigh. "You mean it won't run over your foot anymore," Leda muttered quietly. "Hush, it didn't hurt you," Ami whispered back in a faintly-edged tone. "And that was Maze's fault for not wiring the tread-sensors properly, so don't try to blame the software for that one." "Oh, so this is one of your toys, then?" Uranus said, her eyebrows arching up in surprise. "Kinda like your little computer, right?" "Sort of," Ami said after a slight hesitation. "Peachy," the blonde said absently as she glanced over at Neptune. The other girl gave her a look of mild curiosity and intrigue in return before nodding her head in seeming acceptance of the invention. "We really could've used one of these back in the Moon Kingdom," Uranus said as she returned her saber to its sheath. "Even if it was only to pick up the dirty socks and the like from the floor on the weekends." "Alex," Neptune sighed quietly. "Hey, I'm just saying it would have been useful, hon," Uranus shrugged in dismissal. She paused and glanced around the room, making absent note of the way a path had already been cleared by the drone. "So where's the Princess, anyway?" she inquired. Both Ami and Leda immediately blinked and looked behind them, exchanging uneasy glances as they realized that the long-haired blonde had either wandered off or slipped away very quietly for some reason. "She better not be in the kitchen," Ami grumbled as she turned around to head back upstairs. "Easy, tiger," Leda said as she gently put a hand on Ami's arm. "Serena could be using the bathroom for all we know. Remember, if she digests faster now, it stands to reason she also processes everything quicker, right?" Ami paused before nodding slowly. "That's true," she admitted before her vampiric hearing picked up the sound of a pair of quiet footsteps making their way down the staircase. She leaned forward to see around the edge of the door frame and immediately blinked, a pale blush rising to her cheeks. "Serena!" she gasped in slight shock. Serena gave her a slightly upset look as she continued to munch on a small sandwich with her left hand. Her blouse and bra had been removed somewhere along the line and were being held against her bare chest with only minimally effective coverage by her right hand. Her denizen wings were floating freely in the air behind her, carefully drawn inward into a more compact shape as she left the fairly narrow confines of the stairwell. Leda glanced over her shoulder and did a classic double-take, blinking at Serena's partial state of undress. "You, uh, feeling a little warm today or something, Serena?" she inquired in a very cautious tone. "I felt confined," Serena whispered, her three-tone denizen voice sounding distinctly musical and angelic as she spoke. "I didn't feel like trying to find something with an open back, and I already put the swimsuit in with the dirty laundry...." "Hey, your Highness," Uranus said as she gave her a brief curtsy. "Good to see you again. You holding up okay, wings aside? I don't know about you, and I'd probably have to ask Sue what she thinks, but I can see how it would get a bit cramped if you have to keep your wings in your back pocket all day. I can probably find you a tank top or something if you want...." "We'll find something in a moment," Neptune said as she stepped forward, giving Serena a warm smile. She blinked and paused as she suddenly found her path blocked by Ami as the blue-haired girl moved closer to Serena with her miniature computer in hand. "Hold still, Serena," Ami muttered in a tone of resignation as she toyed with the scanner settings before starting to pass the edge of the device back and forth over Serena's abdomen. "Wow," Serena said quietly as she leaned to one side to peer past both Ami and Sailor Neptune. "That's quite a mess with the drones. What happened?" Uranus chuckled quietly and cracked her knuckles. "Just a little casual afternoon practice," she said with a wolfish grin. She paused and blinked in unison with the rest of the group as a decidedly flat beep of protest was heard from the recovery drone. A quick glance over her shoulder showed that the ADRARU was nose-first in the corner and was trying to progress forward to reach the last few fragments that were just beyond the reach of its brushes. "Damn it," Ami growled very quietly to herself, causing both Serena and Leda to unobtrusively edge away from her. "I thought I fixed that already." "Bad angle of approach?" Whisper suggested carefully. "It should have figured out that it's dealing with a corner and realigned itself against one of the walls," Ami muttered as she absently tucked her computer back in her Lunar Space pocket without checking any of the readings. Leda and Uranus quickly exchanged glances before the brunette jerked her chin towards the stairwell. "C'mon, starlight, let's go find you something to wear that won't crimp your wings," Uranus said quietly to Serena as she began to gently usher her back towards the stairs. "Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with you wandering around like that to let your tits get some air every so often, but that's usually best saved for after a warm bath...." Serena blinked and gave the other blonde a dubious look while Whisper and Neptune exchanged pained looks. Leda simply closed her eyes and massaged her sinuses as she stepped back to make room, following them into the stairwell once the way was clear. "We will catch up with you girls later," Whisper said to Neptune as she edged back to let Ami have full access to the computer terminal. "I'm not sure how long this will take, but between her, me, and the drone, we should have it all cleaned up and tossed in the recycle hopper long before it's time to start making dinner." "Okay," Neptune said with a nod of understanding. She considered saying something to Ami, only to quickly change her mind as the blue-haired girl began typing in commands at a rapid rate and muttering quietly to herself in two different languages. "Thanks," she said after a slightly awkward pause, giving Whisper a slightly uneasy smile before half-running towards the door. The telepath counted to ten in her mind before turning to regard Ami with guarded curiosity. "Well?" she inquired carefully. "Pause, pause, interpret, pause, compile, interpret, react," Ami muttered to herself as she traced down the logic path, completely oblivious to what the denizen woman had just said. "Why are you still in the corner? You had the sensor data here, and it got passed into the logic matrix here...." Whisper just sighed and cast a leery glance towards the open vault doors. "Well, I suppose I could always do that inventory report I've been putting off for a week now," she said to herself as she made her way over to the archway. She paused in mid-motion as she glanced over at the far left corner to where the plasma sword recharging unit was, suddenly remembering that Mina still had one of them in her possession. I really need to ask her about it, she thought to herself as she accessed the small library computer inside the vault that dealt with inventory. Where is she, anyway? And Rei, for that matter? I'm sure they both have things to do after school and all, but after what happened over the weekend I'm not sure leaving them alone would be a good idea. Well, they've all got communicators, she added with a mental shrug as she picked up a portable data tablet and began to download the inventory list to it. If something does happen, I'm sure we'll be hearing about it real soon. Now, about this v'tek'ka inventory.... * * * * Rei paused and glanced up at the tree, her eyes narrowing slightly as the pair of ravens continued to make an unusual amount of noise. They had been nesting in the tree for years, although she had yet to see any eggs or signs of baby ravens being hatched, and she had often thought of them as simply being a part of the temple. Mina had taken to calling them Phobos and Deimos lately, quietly explaining once how they were the names of the two moons of the planet Mars. That had prompted a very dark glare from the priestess, but then her grandfather had approached and further discussion on the matter quickly ended. A soft shuffling sound behind her was her only warning that she wasn't alone anymore. "Noisy today, aren't they?" a very familiar voice said quietly. "It's Monday," Rei sighed as she glanced over her shoulder. "That tends to ruffle everyone's feathers." "Heh," her grandfather chuckled quietly as he shifted the box of trinkets on his shoulder. The temple's gift store was more like a large shelf instead of a proper store, but it did enough business to make it more than worth the hassle and effort to keep it properly stocked. "So how was school?" he asked, partly out of habit but also partly out of genuine curiosity. "Like I said, it's Monday," Rei muttered darkly as she cast a glance at the tree. One of the ravens promptly cawed at her for several seconds, which only added to her somewhat dark mood. "Which class is it this time?" her grandfather prodded in a wary tone. Rei resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she turned back to face him. "Pick one. We've got a Biology quiz tomorrow about shellfish, a Linear Algebra quiz on Wednesday with multiple variables, and a History test on Friday about the first World War," she summarized sourly. "Mmmhmm," her grandfather said quietly with a bemused expression. "If I were in your shoes, Rei, I would worry more about the math and history tests. Your Biology grades are important too, but I'm not going to get upset if you can't remember the difference between a clam and an oyster. I just know they both go well with cucumber sauce," he added with a faintly wicked chuckle. "I'll do my best," Rei replied dryly. She paused as she noticed a sudden change in her grandfather's expression, his attention focused on something or someone behind her. She instinctively turned around, having learned the hard way as a Sailor Scout that sometimes there wasn't enough time for a warning to be given after an oddity that had been noticed suddenly became a very dangerous and active threat. She spotted the likely source of attention almost instantly, as one would almost have to be blind to miss the sun-yellow and orange colors of the monk's robes. He appeared to be somewhere in his thirties, but there was a sort of ageless aura to him that she could clearly discern from halfway across the temple grounds, suggesting that he might actually be older than he appeared. He was looking around with a rather tranquil expression, as if he had all the time in the world in which to stop and study every blade of grass. "Rei?" her grandfather said quietly in a tone that she very rarely heard from him. It wasn't loud or harsh in the slightest, but there was still a very clear undercurrent of carefully and deliberately hidden emotion that instantly worried her. "You should go inside and change, perhaps even start studying. The chores can wait until after dinner." "Grandpa...." she started to say before she even had an idea of what she wanted to say. "Pah," he grumbled quietly as he shifted the weight of the box perched on his shoulder. "Jokes about shellfish aside, Rei, you do have a test tomorrow that you should study for, and we both know that your science grades could use a little improvement. The chores can wait," he added as he turned towards the gift shop. He paused for a moment before twisting to glance around the box to look at her. "Unless you really want to start restocking all these postcards," he added in a fairly mild tone. "No thanks," Rei muttered as she cast a reflexive glance towards the gift shop. She didn't have any problems with the constant sweeping and cleaning that needed to be done from having a steady stream of visitors and worshippers to the temple, and the rest of the general maintenance chores were tolerable to one degree or another, but she absolutely hated working in the gift shop. Not that it was the work itself that grated on her, but having to deal with some of the potential customers. Most of them were nice, but a number of them thought she was 'of age' because she worked there and thus felt like they could hit on her as if she were a nineteen-year-old college student or something. And more than one had been dense enough to not take 'no' for an answer.... "Just checking," her grandfather chuckled quietly to himself, mercifully disrupting her dark train of thought. He cast a very quick and very subtle glance behind him before heading off towards the tiny store, leaving Rei alone on the sidewalk. Okay.... Rei thought to herself, realizing that something was bothering her grandfather. She glanced over at the brightly-robed monk again, noticing that he was quietly making his way towards the public part of the temple. She thought it odd for a Shaolin monk to pay a visit to a Shinto temple, but her grandfather had taught her enough about Zen Buddhism to realize that it really didn't matter where or how or even what one worshipped, so long as the feelings of inner-peace and self-enlightenment were achieved. More power to him, then, she thought in dismissal as she turned to head towards the private residence. She paused and cast an irritated glance over her shoulder as both ravens started to make a loud racket, cackling and cawing at her in unusually strident tones. "Give it a rest, guys," she grumbled as she started walking. It only took a few seconds to dump her backpack in a corner of her bedroom and exchange her school uniform for the red skirt and white robes that she wore around the temple. She sometimes stopped to wonder why she bothered, as she wasn't a true Shinto priestess by any stretch of the imagination, but neither her grandfather nor any of the other Shinto monks who visited on rare occasion had said anything to her about it or otherwise raised any objections. The long and voluminous skirt was sometimes an annoyance, especially in the heat of the summer months and during the icy chill of winter, but it was otherwise a rather comfortable and surprisingly unrestrictive outfit to wear. The small firepit in the middle of what passed for their living room was lit, of course, as it was only extinguished when neither of them were awake and around to keep a casual eye on it. There had only been two instances that she could remember where the fire-extinguisher in the corner had to be used to put the flames out in a hurry, once because of some chemical spill on the wood used that week that reacted badly to excessive heat, and the second time because of a typhoon in the area that ripped off the silk-screen doors and allowed the insanely-strong wind gusts to scatter burning embers all over the place. That was not fun, she thought distantly at the memory of the typhoon. It had scared the hell out of her at the time, but subsequent instances of such heavy tropical disturbances and her grandfather's insistence on weathering them out in the temple had taught her that one could respect danger without having to fear it. At least, not with a visibly panicked expression.... A soft knock on the half-closed silk-screen doors caused her to lift her head up, gently bringing her out of the meditative trance that she had already started to unconsciously slip into. She blinked hard as she saw the Shaolin monk standing outside with his hands clasped in front of him and an oddly calm look on his face. "The temple is off to the right," Rei said without thinking about it. It was a rare week in which someone didn't become either confused or slightly lost as to which structure was the actual shrine and which one was the private residence. She personally thought it was patently obvious, given the size of the temple in comparison to the residence as well as its prominent place on the temple grounds, but she would readily admit that sometimes she herself would have what Mina called a brain-fart and do something stupid. Or as what Leda more accurately called it, usually to both Mina and Serena's immediate chagrin, a blonde moment. The monk bowed his head to her. "Forgive my intrusion," he said in a very calm and pleasant voice, "But I am here to see.... your grandfather." The hair on the back of Rei's neck immediately stood up, not missing the very slight but still discernible hesitation in his words. "He should be over at the gift shop," she said carefully, still remaining in a kneeling position before the fire. The monk bowed to her again and turned to leave, only to remain perfectly motionless at something outside of Rei's field of vision. The cause became clear a moment later as a wrinkled hand reached in to grab the door, sliding it back fully to permit her grandfather entry into the building. "The temple is off to the right," he said in a perfectly neutral tone as he brushed past the monk as if he didn't exist. "It closes to the public at sunset, so feel free to remain there as long as you wish until then." "It is good to see you, Master Wen," the monk replied, neither his calm tone nor his serene expression changing in the slightest. The gentle words had an immediate effect on Rei's grandfather, causing him to very abruptly freeze in mid-stride. He closed his eyes a moment later, but not before Rei could catch a glimpse of what might have been anger suddenly ingiting in their dark depths. "Do not," he said very slowly and clearly in a voice devoid of any semblance of emotion that nonetheless gave Rei an immediate chill, "Dare to call me that ever again. State your business and leave." Rei blinked hard and shifted her focus to the fire, doing her best to keep her expression as impassive as possible. She couldn't ever remember hearing her grandfather be that curt with someone before, nor could she remember anyone addressing him as the monk had. Part of her wanted to offer a polite excuse and make a quiet exit for the sanctity of her bedroom, but another part of her very much wanted to find out just what the hell was going on all of a sudden. The monk watched impassively as the old man knelt down in front of the fire in such a way that he could still observe the doorway with most of his back turned to his visitor. It was a very subtle message, one that they both understood clearly. "I am not here to aggravate old wounds," he said calmly. "Then leave, it's that simple," Rei's grandfather replied quietly. The monk tilted his head slightly but his expression otherwise remained unchanged. "Has the imbalance grown so strong that you are no longer even open to anything that might be said, for whatever reason?" he asked. "Or has your disagreement expanded further to encompass me as well?" The old man sighed heavily and allowed his chin to sink down towards his chest slightly, his shoulders slumping from an unknown burden. "Why have you come here?" he asked in an audibly weary tone. "The Tulku has asked me to deliver a message to you," the monk replied calmly, still standing outside the open screen doors. "I will take your reply back to him should you have one. I was also asked to deliver one to your.... granddaughter, Rei, and await her reply." "Leave her out of this," Rei's grandfather immediately spat out, whirling around and leaping to his feet in a surprisingly fluid movement. Rei couldn't help looking up from the firepit to stare at both the monk and her grandfather. She still didn't have the slightest clue as to what was going on, but she was beginning to feel more and more uneasy about the entire situation with each passing moment. "As I said, I am only a messenger," the monk said in that maddeningly calm voice as he removed a pair of scroll cases from some hidden location in his yellow-and-orange robes. "I am told that there are two parts to the message for you, but his Holiness only described one part to me. The other part holds his personal thoughts, which are for you alone," he said as he held out one of the cases. "His exact words are unknown to me, but I should be able to answer your questions about his proposition in his stead." The old man stared at the offered case in silence for a number of moments before he grudgingly moved forward to accept it. The polished wooden case had obviously seen better years, but it felt quite solid in his hands as he broke the wax seal on the top and lifted the lid. Rei blinked as she saw him withdraw a literal scroll, a length of what appeared to be parchment attached to two small segments of bamboo. She wasn't able to read whatever was written on the parchment, but she could tell by the way it reflected the dim light of the fire that the lettering had been inked, apparently by hand. While such a thing was hardly unknown to her, being quite proficient in the art of calligraphy herself from a solid decade of inking her own spiritual wards, she knew what kind of effort would have to have been put into writing such a long composition. Her grandfather remained silent as he read, seeming to study the ink with deliberate caution as his eyes went from one word to the next. He began to drift back towards the fire, never taking his eyes off the parchment as he sat down in his original position. He paused for a brief moment to lift his head up and glance over his shoulder, sighing quietly and making a brief gesture to the empty air next to him. The monk bowed his head in acknowledgement before he stepped into the residence and moved to sit down as indicated. His dark eyes seemed to sweep across the room for a brief instant before seeming to study Rei in silence, turning his gaze back to her grandfather after a few moments. The chill in Rei's blood had tripled when the monk looked at her, but had just as quickly settled back down once his focus had turned away. Between the eerie calmness of the monk and the deliberately concealed emotions of her grandfather, she was getting the distinct impression that something unsavory was either happening or was going to happen soon. Despite her unease, however, she continued to remain in a meditative position and tried to focus as best she could on maintaining an outwardly neutral composure. It seemed a minor eternity had passed before her grandfather made a noise, a barely-audible hissing sound as he inhaled deeply to speak. "I presume that you speak for the Tulku in regards to this.... exchange?" he said quietly in a voice that betrayed no hint of his mood. The monk bowed his head slightly in reply. "Yes," he said. "He said to emphasize the fact that the one is not linked to the other in the slightest. He is prepared to send her here even if you do not agree to an exchange, and the offer of compensation will likewise remain unaltered." "Oh?" the old man said, lifting his head up from the parchment to look at the monk. "And why would he do that?" he inquired in a neutral tone. The monk seemed to take a moment to choose his words carefully before replying. "I believe his Holiness does not think that your.... disagreement will have any bearing on this particular issue. I doubt that he would have contemplated making such an offer to you if he had even the slightest reason to believe that you would mistreat her in any fashion. Consider also the fact that you have spent sixteen years raising your.... granddaughter by yourself," he added, again hesitating just slightly as he spoke. "That by itself speaks much for your patience, tolerance, and capacity to teach others, which has not escaped the Tulku's attention in spite of your continued silence." "Even now he continues to spy on me?" the old man said in a soft tone that carried a very subtle but equally distinctive edge to it. The monk shook his head gently. "The clouds in your mind are your own," he said calmly. "Just as they have always been. I do not expect you to truly believe me, but we both know perception has little bearing on reality." "And the girl?" the old man prodded in a leery tone. "A student," the monk replied. "Just as you once were and as it is hoped that Rei will decide to become," he added as he turned to look at her. "As I said earlier, I have a message for you from his Holiness, the Tulku," he said as he held out the second scroll case to her. "Leave Rei out of this," her grandfather said in a flat tone, his dark eyes seeming to flare just slightly with a hidden anger. For one moment, it appeared that the monk might have sighed to himself. "If you had read the Tulku's letter to you, then you will know all of what he has to say to Rei," he said calmly, still holding out the scroll case. "In any case, I am simply here to deliver the message and return with a reply if any is to be given." Rei regarded him very carefully, still highly unsure about what to do in the quite but tense situation. A quick glance at her grandfather's face gave her no answers, seeing only a tightly veiled mask of impassiveness that was of very scant comfort. She glanced back at the monk for a few moments before she carefully leaned forward, reaching out to take the offered case. She blinked hard as her grandfather grabbed it before she could, reaching through the fire itself to pluck the wooden casing from the monk. He sat back a moment later, giving her a clear look of warning before rolling up his letter and setting it aside. The seal was broken as easily as the first one had been and the lid flipped open without so much as a blink from the monk, suggesting that he either had been expecting such a move or possessed a truly incredible amount of tolerance and patience. Rei sighed quietly to herself and stared into the fire, knowing that her grandfather was being extremely protective of her for a very good reason. This is crazy, she thought to herself as she realized that this really was the first time she could remember ever seeing him act this way. She had the feeling that he and the Shaolin monk knew one another from somewhere, most likely in the past long before she was born, but it still bothered her greatly to see him becoming upset like this. Bah, too much more of this and I'll end up wishing I was dealing with Negaverse troubles again, she thought dourly. At least I know how to handle them.... "I want Rei left out of this," the old man finally spoke up, his voice tainted by a faint edge of steel. "You may tell the Tulku that I will give the first question a proper amount of consideration before sending a reply, but I will not allow my granddaughter to become involved in any of this." "If that is to be your reply, I shall tell his Holiness upon my return," the monk replied calmly. "However, I have been instructed to obtain a reply from Rei as well, and that it is to be with her own voice regardless of what she may decide to say or how." The old man lifted his head up from the second scroll and glared at the impassive face next to him. "And if I refuse?" he inquired in an ominous tone. "Then you refuse," the monk said simply. "However, and I say this in my own voice and not the Tulku's, I don't think you will. I have long understood the nature of your disagreement with his Holiness and all that has become of it since. While I obviously do not agree with your views, I doubt that you have changed that much over the years that you would ultimately turn your back on the core of the beliefs that we still share. You know what is being asked of her here, more so than I myself do, and neither myself nor his Holiness would ever speak out against you for acting according to your conscience. We both know that this is a shared choice, and we both know it would be unjust for one to be denied the right to their choice without their consent. Even if the denial is due to a shroud of ignorance clouding the mind," he added calmly. Rei's grandfather sighed quietly to himself and looked back down at the scrolls, holding the side-by-side for comparison. He continued to study them very carefully before rolling up the second one and leaning forward, holding out the parchment-wrapped bamboo to Rei in silence. She gave him a very uneasy look as she accepted the scroll from him and unrolled it, quickly flipping it around once she realized she was holding it upside-down. The glow of the fire seemed to penetrate the bottom of the odd parchment, giving the black ink imprinted on it a faintly golden glow as she began to read the delicate calligraphy. * * * * Rei - I bid you greetings from the Order of Light. I am known as the Tulku, the master teacher of our holy temple in Tibet, China. I doubt you know of me, given the remoteness of our Order, but I know of you and of the fire that burns in your heart. You have a natural gift for spiritual energy, and I know that you have sought for ways to further improve your inner powers. I can instruct you in our arts if you are willing to become my student, as your Grandfather himself once was. This is not an offer that is made often or extended lightly, and I ask that you please consider it most carefully. I know that you have a great number of questions now, more so than ever. As you are now aware of this, your Grandfather will likely answer some of your questions, though many will still be beyond his capacity to answer even if he had the desire to do so. It is my hope that I will be able to help you find the rest of your answers should you accept. As a quick answer is neither wise nor expected, I do not expect to hear from you at this time aside from a simple acknowledgement of receipt of this letter. Should you reach a decision at some point in the near future, your Grandfather will know how and where to contact me with your reply. Please give my regards to your friends, as I know how much of a pillar of strength they have become for you in your darkest hours. Had we all the same guardian angels in our lives as you seem to have in yours, this world would truly be a realm of Light. I look forward to hearing from you one day. Peace Be With You, The Tulku * * * * "Grandpa...." Rei started to say in a very quiet voice. "We will speak later," he said in a neutral tone. "After dinner. And after both your chores and your homework are done," he added sternly. Rei blinked hard and gave him a classic 'you have to be kidding me' look, but otherwise simply nodded in acquiescence. To say that she was curious about what he might have to say about this was a vast understatement, but she knew that he was also simply being practical about the situation. They still had a temple to maintain, after all, and the work could only be put off for so long before it *had* to be done or there would be unpleasant consequences for the way they lived. The gift store paid for itself and then some, but they still lived mostly on the donations of visitors and worshippers, and in order to keep that money coming they had to keep the place presentable and peaceful. "Just think of it as added incentive," he added with a very faint laugh. It was hard for her to tell if it was a natural laugh or simply an emotional facade put on for her benefit. "Thanks," Rei muttered, more out of a reflex than anything. "Rei," the monk said quietly. He waited until she looked back over at him before continuing, "The Tulku has asked me to convey to him what your initial thoughts are on the matter, regardless of what they may be. There are, of course, a number of questions that you will have to have answered to your satisfaction before you decide whether to accept or not, but I still ask that you share with me what you are thinking right now." Rei blinked and cast a questioning look at her grandfather, feeling a faint chill form in her abdomen as he stared back at her with a perfectly unreadable expression before finally nodding to her. "Truthfully?" she said aloud as she glanced down at the parchment, slowly reading it again. "This bothers me." "How so?" the monk inquired calmly, seeming to tilt his head just slightly as he focused on her. "He claims to know me," Rei said slowly. "And I doubt it is from talking to my grandfather." The monk simply nodded in acknowledgement. "And what else?" he asked. "It'd be nice to have some details," she added. "What exactly I would be studying, where, when, and for how long. I've still got school to attend here, so it's not like I can skip a month or three on a whim." The monk nodded his head again. "I believe your grandfather can explain that better than I can, having been a student of his Holiness as well," he replied. "I believe his Holiness understands the concerns of timing and your formal state-sponsored education, but I will mention it when I return. It is my personal view that you would not be asked to travel until the spring season, as the winter months typically result in a very harsh environment that is far less forgiving than even the strictest of our teachers." Rei cast a quick glance at her grandfather as he grunted quietly, seeming to be staring into the firepit with a slightly haunted look on his face. "And this temple would be in Tibet, right?" she inquired with just the faintest hint of wariness to her voice. "It is," the monk replied. "You would, of course, need to apply for a passport and visa permit to travel through China, but that can be taken care of at the appropriate time. Unless you have any objections, Rei, I shall tell his Holiness that you are open to his offer." "Conditionally," her grandfather spoke up in a flat voice. "If I may," the monk said, his normally calm voice seeming to take on a faint suggestion of humor, "That much was understood in the beginning." The old man muttered something very quietly to himself that Rei wasn't able to hear. She had the feeling that it wasn't in a language she could have understood anyway, but she nonetheless received the impression that it wasn't exactly a polite comment. He sighed quietly as he stared into the fire before he finally lifted his head up to look at her. "Rei, you might want to get on with the studying," he suggested in a calm and reserved tone, making to clear that it wasn't a suggestion at all. "As I said, we will speak more of this tonight after dinner. Providing, of course, you make enough progress on your science studies," he added with a soft laugh of honest humor. What might have been a faint grumble of protest started to rise up from Rei's throat, only to be quashed before it could be heard by anyone else. She knew a dismissal when she heard one, and the jab about her less-than-stellar grades was only in half-jest. She permitted herself the softest of sighs as she rolled up the parchment and rose to her feet in silence, giving them both a slight bow of her head before wordlessly leaving the room. "The Tulku warned me that you had changed," the monk said quietly in a quiet, almost musical sub-dialect of Mandarin Chinese. "But I must confess I had not thought you would have become so.... embittered." "We all change over time," the old man replied in the same language as he closed his eyes. "You know why I left, and you know why there can be no sort of reconciliation. Do not waste my time or yours on it further." The monk bowed his head in acknowledgement. "And Rei?" he inquired. "I mean no disrespect, of course, but even I can see that she is not your...." "I would not say anything further I were you," the old man interrupted in a very soft tone that would have chilled the blood of a psychopath. "Rei is my granddaughter and I am her grandfather, and that is the end of it. I'm sure the Tulku understands this quite clearly, even if you do not." The monk was silent for a number of moments, absently staring into the burning heart of the fire as he sorted his thoughts. "Very well," he finally said quietly. "Are you aware of the extent of her potential?" The old man snorted quietly to himself. "I knew the day she came here," he replied. "I may have a clouded mind, as you claim, but I can still see. And I'm sure the Tulku's vision isn't limited to what is in front of him," he added in a darkly ironic tone. "I.... will admit to wondering sometimes when someone from the Order would show up to try to take her from me, and seeing you here today disturbs me greatly." "It is not the Tulku's intention to take Rei from you," the monk countered quietly. The old man snorted quietly. "And what is his intention?" "To train Rei in the arts and return her to you," was the calm answer. "His Holiness does not share his visions with me often, but he has said enough to suggest that he knows Rei's destiny and will not interfere with it. All he seeks is to teach her and open up new doors of opportunity that would otherwise remain closed. Much, as I suspect, as he has done with you." A truly bitter snort rose up from the old man's chest. "And that is precisely what has me worried," he replied, looking up to level a glare at the monk. "Bad enough I had to experience that, now he wants to do the same to Rei as well?" The monk sighed very quietly and looked into the fire. "I was never a student of his Holiness," he reminded the other man. "I know of the art and the training it entails, but I lack the first-hand knowledge of the ordeal." "I know," Rei's grandfather replied curtly, "Which is why I'm not going to waste my breath trying to explain the magnitude of what the Tulku is asking. You say you understand my side of the argument, but until you learn how to see past the clouds in your own mind I will not place much value on your words." "Very well," the monk said quietly. "May I ask what your thoughts are on the other half of the exchange?" The old man remained quiet as he picked up the lengthy scroll and began to read it again. "Rei said it well enough," he finally murmured after a full minute of silence. "This bothers me. Why does he ask this?" "I speak for myself and not the Tulku when I say this," the monk replied in a subdued tone, "But I believe that he is.... uncertain of what else to do." "Oh?" the other man replied as a very surprised look crossed his face. "The situation is complex, possibly even more than I can follow," was the calm reply. "Before his Holiness brought Taki to the temple, we had never had a female student before. His inclusion of her into the Order, while not being against written law, caused no small amount of.... disconcertion among many. Balance was eventually restored without undue pain or dishonor, and I honestly believe that everyone is now far more enlightened because of it, but the first few months were not easy on anyone." "And now you don't know what to do with her, do you?" the old man said in a very uneasy tone. "A student is one thing, but if she has completed her training to the Tulku's satisfaction and is a member of the Order of Light...." The monk dipped his head slightly. "Again, these are my thoughts and not those of his Holiness, but you seem to have raised Rei quite successfully and without outside assistance. Perhaps you can further guide Taki's steps as she continues on her path to womanhood, just as you are doing with Rei." A very dry chuckle rose up from the old man's chest. "I take it the opium harvests this year were exceptional?" he drawled. "If the Tulku has taken up the fine art of drug usage, that might explain his 'vision' about this one." "Master Wen...." the monk started to say. The old man waved him off with a curt gesture. "Does the Tulku honestly think he can just dump his problems on my doorstep like this?" he spat. "Did he say that in his letter to you?" the monk countered calmly. "From what he told me, the plan was for Taki to remain here as your student and aide while Rei is taught the arts. That will not leave your temple unattended or lacking as she will assume Rei's duties. Once Rei returns to you, Taki will then return to the Order for another assignment. If you were of the mind that this exchange would be permanent, then I must apologize for not explaining it properly." Rei's grandfather grunted very softly to himself, realizing that he had indeed misread the situation. "So what about what you said about the two not being linked?" he inquired. "The Tulku wishes two things, for Taki to be your student for a time and for Rei to be his student for a time," the monk replied. "He felt it would be best for both to occur at the same time, simply because he knows how important it is for your temple to be maintained and that you will have a difficult time if you are forced to do it alone due to Rei's absence. Taki's primary purpose will be to assume Rei's role in maintaining things, and the offer of a stipend is to ensure that she will in no way be a burden on your resources." The old man grunted quietly again as he glanced down at the inked scroll, his eyes scanning the delicate characters until he found the proposed value of the stipend. It was far from a trivial amount, and in fact openly bordered on stunning in size. "I was not aware that the Order had become so enriched that it could offer such a sum as a stipend for a travelling monk," he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "Change over the years is not limited to people," the monk pointed out in a tone that might have been taken by some as a gentle rebuke. "You do not need to.... if you will forgive me, worry yourself on our account." The old man paused and blinked before looking up from the scroll to find a faintly bemused look on the monk's face. "A joke, Wu? You of all people?" The monk merely bowed his head slightly, the faint ghost of a smile still touching his lips. "There is a time and place for everything," he reminded the other man. "As to the stipend, his Holiness knows that you are not greedy or wasteful and that anything left over after seeing to Rei and Taki's needs will be put to productive use. For example, I have noticed several spiritual wards have been set into place, but that their energies are.... tired." A soft grunt rose up from the old man's chest, knowing precisely what the monk was referring to. It was obvious to anyone who could sense spiritual energy that the temple resided on consecrated land and was surrounded by more than a few defensive wards, but it had been a number of years since he had been able to afford the necessary materials to reinforce the holy bindings and have the land reconsecrated. There was still more than enough spiritual energy left to continue to repel evil influences, but he was also aware of the occasional transgression by darkened spirits. They rarely stayed for long and to his knowledge never did any damage to anyone or anything, but it was still enough to disturb his meditations some nights thinking about what they were and what it ultimately meant.... "Tell me about this student of the Tulku's," he finally said as he tried to clear his thoughts and refocus on the current situation. "I would if I knew much about her," the monk replied, prompting a blink of surprise from the other man. "Taki does not speak to anyone unless spoken to first, save for when his Holiness instructs her to speak her thoughts, and even then she guards her words in the presence of others. If she speaks freely to his Holiness, he has not indicated such to me." "Not at all surprising," the old man commented absently as he stared into the firepit before closing his eyes. "He has always guarded the secrets of others in silence, I wouldn't expect him to start speaking now. Surely there is something you can tell me about her, though," he prompted. "Only her outward appearance," the monk replied. "I would guess that she is a year or two older than Rei, and having finally seen your granddaughter for myself, I can say that it is not unlike seeing a reflection in a pond." "Oh?" the old man said as he opened his eyes again. "How so?" "A first glance might suggest they are related," was the calm reply. "I know nothing of either woman, so I would not immediately dismiss the notion of their sharing of a common ancestor in recent memory." The old man snorted quietly in dismissal. "I doubt it," he murmured. "How much do you know about your granddaughter?" the monk inquired softly. He waited in patience for a reply that he knew would never come, nodding his head slowly after a few moments to indicate he understood. "As I said, this appears to be a very complex situation that his Holiness has set up, and I do not believe it to be an accident." "I am aware of how skilled a thread-weaver the Tulku is," the old man said very quietly. "Regardless of which, I would know more about this Taki before I invite her to live with me as a student." "She is a model student," the monk replied. "She has never disobeyed an instruction nor misbehaved in the slightest, as she seems to value her sense of honor above all else. She has only asked one thing of us during the entire course of her training, and that was to be permitted to keep her sword with her at all times. She agreed to have it bound so that it could not be drawn, which is why the Tulku permitted it. Other than that, there is nothing else to be said of her." "A sword?" the old man echoed, giving the monk a studious look. "Do you happen to know what kind, by chance?" The monk merely shook his head. "I am not a weaponsmith." "Describe it, then," Rei's grandfather suggested. "The scabbard is this long," the monk replied, holding his arms a fair distance apart. "And the hilt spans this much. I have not seen the blade, but there is a slight curve to the scabbard that suggests the blade has such a curve as well." "Color? Decorations? Carvings on the hilt?" the old man persisted. "The scabbard is black and unadorned," the monk said calmly. "The hilt was bound with a black silk cord and slung with another length of black silk. The hilt seemed to likewise be gripped with black silk and woven with fine gold strands as one might bind hair. There might have been some detail engraved on the hilt beneath the grip, but I never got close enough to see." The monk remained sitting perfectly still, watching in idle interest as the old man rose to his feet and silently left the room. He returned a moment later holding the sheathed sword that was part of the collection that hung on his bedroom wall. "A sword like this?" he inquired as he sat down and held out the scabbard. "It is similar," the monk replied, not moving to touch the weapon. "A katana, then," Rei's grandfather murmured as he set the ancient weapon next to him and stared into the fire. "Interesting." "Indeed, these are becoming interesting times," the monk commented in a faintly amused tone. The barest hint of a smile touched his face as the old man began to chuckle softly to himself. "More humor, Wu?" Rei's grandfather said. "You should be careful with that sort of thing, it could get you into all kinds of trouble." "If only it were humor, I might find it amusing as well," the monk said, causing the old man's chuckles to fade away. "As I said, the situation is very complex right now, and I know that I know very little about it. All the Tulku has said to me is that he desires for Taki to be placed in your service for a period of time, and that he would prefer that Rei be trained in the arts for her own benefit." The old man sighed and picked up the message scroll again, letting his eyes move from one inked character to the next with deliberate slowness. "Just for the sake of discussion," he said slowly after a fair amount of silence, "Let's say that I agree to have Taki come here for awhile. How much advanced notice would have to be given?" "She can be in-country within twenty-four hours of your approval," the monk said calmly, drawing a startled look from the other man. "That is.... surprisingly fast," he said in an uneasy tone. "I would have thought that Beijing would take a few days to scrutinize everything first." "She is a Japanese citizen," the monk replied. "Customs will only delay her to inquire about the sword, and the government permits from both China and Japan have already been obtained. The only delay is making the actual flight arrangements." "Wu?" the old man said in a tired tone as he rubbed his face. "Surely you could have mentioned her citizenship when I asked about her earlier. Do I even want to ask how she became part of the Order?" The monk made a slight gesture of dismissal. "You presume I know," he replied calmly. "Taki's story is her own to tell if she wishes it, as it is not for me to say in any case." "Very well," the old man sighed. "As I said, you may tell the Tulku that I will give it the consideration it deserves." "And as for Rei?" the monk prompted carefully. "I have strong reservations against the notion, but in deference to Rei's wishes I will not immediately forbid it," was the quiet reply. "She and I will discuss it tonight, however, so you may have a different answer come sunrise." The monk bowed his head before he slowly rose to his feet. "I will see that your words are conveyed to his Holiness," he promised calmly. "And I do thank you for your hospitality." The old man waved a hand absently. "A common courtesy, nothing more, so don't read too much into it. Time changes many things, but it still hasn't changed my desire to have nothing more to do with the Order of Light. Or those who still serve it," he added in a faintly edged tone. "I thank you for your hospitality anyway," the monk replied calmly. The old man snorted quietly to himself. "Enjoy the flight home," he said, mostly to himself. He didn't look up from the fire as the monk bowed and left in near-perfect silence, betrayed only by the slightest of whisperings as his orange-and-yellow robes brushed the edge of the door as he exited the building. It took them long enough, he thought to himself as he glanced down at his side. The sheathed katana was a good three hundred years old, given to him by the Shinto priest who had been the original caretaker of the temple. The dark memories started to return and replay themselves in his mind before he abruptly dispelled them, forcing them to return to the corner of his mind where he had largely kept them quietly locked away. "So the first thread finally becomes unbound from the tapestry," he said very softly to the weapon as he picked it up. "It has held for sixteen years, and I had hoped it would have held longer, but no matter. Interesting times, indeed," he said as he started to laugh quietly once again. The very soft and bitter sound remained with him as he stood up, taking the ancient sword with him. He returned it to its proper place on his bedroom wall before turning his attention back to the world around him, knowing that he would indeed have to have a long talk with Rei about the matter and that a few questions would be asked that he would rather not have to answer. And if that wasn't enough, he'd also need to decide if he could handle having two teenagers in the temple. It was an old and somewhat traditional Chinese curse that went, 'May you live in interesting times.' And he was painfully aware that things had just gotten *very* interesting indeed.... * * * * The world swirled madly around Rune in a blur for what seemed to be an eternity before everything suddenly snapped into crystal-clear and distinctly painful focus. The first thing her senses were able to process was the smell, the unmistakably heavy scent that lingered in the air after a solid downpouring of rain. The fact that she was completely soaked to her underwear registered an instant later, producing a reflexive shiver that quickly became a full-body tremor as the chill took hold. "Oh, *ICK!*" someone groaned as the group slowly became aware of their surroundings following the collapse of the overmind mesh. "Everyone stay still, please," Master Healer Maq'i instructed as she made a sharp gesture to her aide. A few simple words into a comm-link resulted in the terrace door opening up, allowing the swarm of waiting medical technicians to scurry out with heated blankets. "Ow.... my.... head...." Tempest whimpered quietly as she gingerly rose to her feet and was promptly enveloped in a deliciously warm blanket. Al'vexi just sighed and rubbed her face, apparently unfazed by the surge of psionic energy that had resulted from the dissolution of the mental union. "The pain will fade in a few moments, Lieutenant," she said in an unusually brittle voice. "The rest of you should remain seated and let the healers take care of matters for the moment, as I suspect we are all suffering from a mild case of Chaos drain right now." "I know I am," Alani sighed quietly, not having bothered to open her eyes yet. "Ohh, that feels good," she cooed as she was all but buried in a mass of heated fabric by a medic. "You can still feel?" A'del muttered darkly as she tried to focus on the darkened sky. "My ptanka is numb, and I'm hoping that's just a stray icicle I feel inside my shirt. Otherwise, I'm in trouble.... HEY!" she protested as she felt a finger slip into her collar and tug her tunic down a few inches. "That's just your necklace you're feeling," the medic said calmly as she started to rub the telepath down with the heated blanket. "Metal takes a bit longer to warm up than skin does. Tell me again what you were doing?" she added carefully as she cast an uneasy glance at the crystal structure A'del and the others were still sitting on. "House-cleaning," Ael'ien grumbled as she probed the front half of her skull with her fingertips. She was fairly sure it was completely intact, but the incessant throbbing feeling was trying to suggest otherwise. "And if there is still a coat of paint on anything within a mile of here, we did it wrong. Ohhh, thank you, that feels warm," she sighed as another technician started to cocoon her in a warm blanket. "Trust me, I think you did it right," another medic said to her. "Remind me again why I'm soaked?" Rune asked in a mild voice as she too was enveloped in heated blankets. "Blame the overmind," Tempest grumbled. She closed her eyes and tried to summon a heated wind to aid the evaporation process, giving up with a grunt as she realized that she was simply too drained of energy to stir a breeze of any sort. "I'll bet the Castle got a decent scrubbing out of it, if.... wait, what was that?" she said in an uneasy tone as an odd sound reached her ears. "I don't know," Alani said in an openly worried tone, "But I know I felt it right beneath me." "Rune?" Si'ren prodded carefully as she both heard and felt another odd vibration coming from the crystal structure. "Chaos drain," Rune said simply as she allowed herself to be gently pulled into a standing position. "The crystal energy matrix was emptied of power as well, so it's starting to disintegrate and collapse under its own weight. No need to panic, it won't blow up or anything," she added as she heard no less than four breaths being sharply sucked in. "There's no energy left in it to explode. Just let it decay on its own and have someone bring a vacuum out here in a few hours to clean up what's left." "Ooof, get me off this thing," Alani said as she tried to scamper to her feet. The sudden change in blood pressure almost caused her to pass out, and she would have fallen back on her rear if it hadn't been for the medic holding on to her elbow. "Hey, easy," the medic protested. "You're all suffering from fatigue and borderline hypothermia. C'mon, we've got orders to take everyone here down to the medical ward to dry you off and make sure you're all okay. Due respect, ma'am, that includes you flag officers as well," he added as he noticed the dark look coming from Rune. "I'm the Commander-General," Rune replied flatly. "Nobody can give me orders unless they're wearing a crown." "They are my orders based on medical authority," Maq'i said gently. "You should come down to the medical ward with us anyway, as we already have dry uniforms ready for you to change into. Pa'an Vol, I trust you will not feel offended if all we can offer you is a robe from our own order?" she added as she glanced at the monk. "In truth, I wouldn't care if you offered me a dress right now," Vol said with a quiet chuckle. "Just as long as it is drier than what I'm wearing now." "Careful what you wish for, Pa'an," Rune said absently as she started to wobble towards the open archway. Her backside was very much asleep at the moment, and the bone-deep chill in her muscles wasn't helping matters either. She none-too-gently shrugged off the hand that tried to steady her arm and continued to make her own way inside. "If this collective effort was as much of a success as I think it is, you can all look forward to a commendation of one kind or another." "I'm honored, Rune," Al'vexi spoke up dryly. "But seeing how I'm retired now, I'll settle for a very warm cup of ma'cha or two." "Not to be greedy, but can I have both?" Tempest inquired as she started to limp towards the door, her backside just as stiff and uncooperative as the rest of the group's rear ends. "Ow, ow, this hurts...." Maq'i just shook her head to herself as she and the other medical aides ushered the group into the distinctly warmer environs of the Imperial Castle. The trip down to the medical wards several levels below was a slow one, but it gave them an opportunity to loosen stiff muscles and restore circulation to their extremities. By the time they arrived in the ward, only Al'vexi and Vol had minor issues with still-sore posteriors. "Oooh, yeah, I can just smell the warmth in that," Alani purred as the doors hissed open, bringing with it the strong smell of freshly-brewed ma'cha. "You all need to change first," Maq'i instructed firmly. "Dry uniforms are over there, and you can put the wet ones in the bin in the corner." "Sir, if you'll come with me?" a male medic said as he guided Vol over to a small curtained-off area where he could change in relative privacy. The rest of the group barely glanced at one another before they began to strip off their tunics, prompting the quiet and unobtrusive departure of the rest of the male medical staff. The remaining female staff members started to bring more heated blankets and towels over to the group, seeking to offer them some modicum of privacy as they stripped. "I don't suppose the Navy uniforms are more water-resistant than this?" Ael'ien inquired absently as she had to literally peel her undertunic off of her skin. "I wish," Si'ren grumbled as she finished stripping to the waist. "The only difference I've ever noticed between uniforms is that ours tends to float better in sea-water." A'del made a soft sound to herself as she struggled to remove her boots without falling over. "Wonder who they found to test that one," she muttered. She paused as a thought occurred her and glanced over at Si'ren only to quickly look away from the bare-breasted admiral. "Or was that the voice of experience talking, ma'am?" she ventured with a faint green blush. "Don't ask," Si'ren muttered as she began to work the fastenings of her thoroughly-soaked pants. Everyone jumped slightly as a comm-link chittered loudly, prompting a very dark curse from her once she realized that it was her comm-link that was going off. She did her best to finish the task of removing her pants as fast she could without falling over. The device chittered twice more before she finally could pluck it off of her belt and thumb the channel open. "Admiral Si'ren," she said as she started to peel her underwear off. "Ma'am, this is Operations duty officer with a situational status report," the male voice said calmly, completely oblivious to her state of undress. That was to be expected of a voice-only communication, of course, but the feeling of exposure wasn't something that could be easily dismissed. Si'ren paused and gave the rest of the group a look of remote unamusement at the current situation. "Go ahead," she said warily as she quickly turned her focus to the comm-link. The nude female body didn't faze her in the least, and like a small percentage of women she actively appreciated the toned and youthful bodies that Alani and Tempest had. By the same token, however, she was more than a little disconcerted to see an aged woman like Al'vexi in a state of near-total undress. "Ma'am, the surrounding radiation field appears to have been completely removed," the male voice said. "The regional communication networks are in the process of being taken down for an attempted synchronous restart. The logic behind this is that such a coordinated restart will take less time to complete than a node-by-node synchronization and rebuilding of the network. The nets should be regenerated in approximately six minutes." "Excellent," the soaked admiral replied. She frowned slightly as she was enveloped in a warm towel and briskly rubbed down by a medic, the sensation momentarily disrupting her concentration. "As soon as the channels are clear, contact General Olox and inform him of our current status. If the radiation hazard is negated and communications fully restored, we should be ready to reassume global command shortly." "Copy, ma'am," the voice assured her. "Operations out." "Umm, excuse me...." Alani suddenly spoke up in a very uneasy tone. She was looking down at the small stack of dry clothes one of the medical aides had handed her, her cheeks turning a very bright shade of blue-green. The cause of her embarrassment was made obvious a moment later as she very gingerly picked up a pair of panties that was somewhere in between frilly and racy. The medical aide blinked and glanced around uneasily before leaning close to the Field Sergeant. "We had to get clean uniforms from your quarters," she explained quietly. "That included undergarments as well, but we didn't want to intrude any more than was absolutely necessary. Those were all that we could find in a quick search, and we didn't want to rifle through everything." "I wouldn't worry about it, Sergeant," Si'ren spoke up as the rest of the group all glanced away from Alani as her blush quadrupled in intensity. "I'm sure that everyone has worn something beneath their uniforms at one point or another for comfort value that wasn't what you would call standard-issue." "Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," Alani mumbled in reply, clearly still too embarrassed to think of anything else to say. She briefly glanced around the room and somehow managed to blush even harder before quickly slipping her panties on and all but leaping into her pants. Rune raised an eyebrow at the casualness of Si'ren's comment. "Anything you want to share with us, Admiral?" she prodded carefully as she continued to dry herself off with a towel. Si'ren paused and regarded Rune carefully. "I'm not sure about the exact date you started military service, but when I enrolled in the Naval Academy the type of underwear issued to female cadets was notorious for chafing in a number of very tender spots, and I'm told the male issue was only marginally better. Suffice it to say that very few instructors bothered to reprimand anyone for non-standard underwear so long as it wasn't obvious or outlandish. I take it that amuses you, Lieutenant?" she added coolly as she noticed the smirk on Tempest's face. "The anecdote, of course not," Tempest replied as she pointedly held up a bra that definitely wasn't military-gray. "I know the Navy uses a different contractor for issued clothing than the Army, but I'm sure we all know what you mean about stock issue tending to chafe. With all due respect, ma'am, I think General Rune was looking for something amusing like a story about reporting for duty with a thong beneath the uniform or something." "I work for the Navy, not Hospitality," Si'ren replied dryly, prompting a series of quiet chuckles from both the group and the medical staff. "And even if at some point in my youth I did happen to have been wearing something that had been obviously designed for off-duty activities beneath my on-duty uniform, I would certainly not be boasting about it in semi-public, even centuries after the fact." "No sense of adventure, ma'am?" Ael'ien teased her with a grin as she began to get dressed. It was fairly obvious that only Al'vexi was making use of the standard-issue underwear, as she didn't have personal quarters in the Imperial Castle for the medical staff to very discreetly obtain dry clothing from. "Not when you reach my age," Si'ren pointed out with a faint smile. "I beg your pardon," Al'vexi spoke up in a very dry tone. "I assure you that age has little to do with it. Now had you said rank, that I would very much agree with. Unless, of course, you really do work for Hospitality, in which case I'm not sure the dress code even applies anymore." "Don't tell me you have something like Alani's underwear in your closet," Rune said in a very amused tone, causing the young Sergeant to blush hard once again. The general blinked hard as she got a distinctly frosty stare in return from the retired telepath. "That, Rune, doesn't even deserve the dignity of a response," Al'vexi said in a level tone as she buttoned her pants and tugged out the wrinkles. One of the medical technicians who didn't appear to be much older than Alani very discreetly leaned over to the young Field Sergeant. "If you don't mind my asking.... where did you get that, anyway?" she whispered. Alani blinked and cast a sidelong glance at the rest of the half-undressed group before whispering back, "Hospitality's quartermaster. She gets a lot of stuff from the civilian markets and has service catalogs for everything. And I mean everything," she added with noticeable emphasis. The group looked over their collective shoulders as a single unit when the main doors for the medical ward hissed open, framing an Imperial Guard Captain in the now-open archway. She took one look inside the ward before she turned to her side to address more guards who where out of immediate view. "Stand post here," T'shal instructed crisply. "This area is off-limits until I say otherwise, and that includes you two. Nobody in or out until I say so," she added before she stepped just far enough into the room to be clear the sensor's detection field. The doors hissed shut behind her with a muted thump that seemed to echo slightly in the sudden silence. "So much for privacy," Rune muttered darkly, still naked to the waist. "Security override," T'shal replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "It wasn't intentional, I assure you. Ma'am," she added to Si'ren with a slight bow of her head, not seeming to be fazed by the admiral's nudity. Si'ren said nothing, knowing precisely why the Imperial Guard Captain had shown up in the medical ward with a security detail. It was an unwelcome reminder of the current situation they were all in, just minus the immediate threat of the radioactive fallout. Rune was still under house arrest pending the investigation of the nuclear missile launch, and Nop'tera's cloaked carrier was still somewhere out there with presently-unknown intentions. "With all due respect, Captain," Al'vexi spoke up in an openly weary tone, "Can this wait for a few minutes? I assure you that General Rune isn't going anywhere, and certainly not in our current condition." T'shal glanced over at Rune to see a neutral look being directed back at her. "I have my orders and protocol to follow, ma'am," she said, not taking her dark eyes off Rune as she spoke. "And in this case, neither privacy nor medical authority supersedes my duty." "Persistent as always," Rune said absently as she half-turned away and finished towelling off her bare chest. Si'ren sighed quietly and turned her attention back to her own task of getting dry and dressed, suddenly mindful of the fact that she was the only one who had yet to put any clothes back on. "Sergeant Alani, Ensign A'del, and Lieutenant Tempest, the three of you are relieved of duty for the remainder of the day. I would recommend that you return to your quarters and rest for a period of time, as I'm sure you're all still just as Chaos drained as I am." "After each of you are examined," Maq'i spoke up before anyone else could draw in a breath to speak. "Kel, take them into Ward 3 once they're finished getting dressed and make sure there aren't any lingering energy issues. If you don't get an echo-pulse above thirty, they stay here to recover until you do get such a reading. Make that thirty-two for Captain Ael'ien, thirty-five for General Rune and Admiral Si'ren, and forty for both Pa'an Vol and General Al'vexi." "Bah," Al'vexi grumbled to herself as she finished buttoning her tunic. She placed both hands on the sides of her head and began to focus her psionic powers, resulting in a visible halo-like splash of energy around her skull. The effect faded away after a few brief moments, but it was enough to raise the eyebrows of both Ael'ien and A'del. "Wow," A'del said quietly in open amazement. "I've never been able to manifest my psi-shields like that. At least, not without absorbing a very intense psi-spike in the process." "Practice, Ensign," the elderly telepath said simply. "I don't know if my energy levels are up to forty on whatever scale the Master Healer mentioned, but I am certain that the Chaos drain effect was not permanently damaging." "I'll be here for awhile, then," Alani muttered sourly as she tugged the wrinkles out of her uniform. "It always takes awhile to recover after using my enhancement powers like that. I'll be lucky if it starts working again before sunrise tomorrow." Si'ren sighed quietly as she tucked the towel completely around her and eyed the stack of clothes the medical aide had set down on the counter. It was nothing more than a spare uniform and clean underwear taken from the topmost shelf of her dresser, but for some reason she felt slightly hesitant about putting the uniform back on. "Rest assured, Sergeant, you will be compensated for your efforts in the line of duty," she murmured absently as the studied the diamond of four silver stars on her uniform shoulders. The admiral quickly became lost in introspective thought, her mind briefly remembering her rise through the ranks to when the four bars of a Commander were replaced with the silver starburst of a Navy Captain, then later became a single silver star of a Commodore, then the twin stars of a Lieutenant-Admiral, then finally the triangle of three stars as a full Admiral. Being given the fourth star, the promotion to Fleet Admiral by Queen Beryl, had come as a complete surprise to her and only long after the novelty had worn off had she come to realize how truly heavy each successive star had weighed on her mind and soul. "Are you going to stand there all day and drip-dry, Si'ren, or can we get on to other business?" Rune's voice intruded into her quiet thoughts, almost physically snapping her back to her senses. "We?" Si'ren said softly as she continued to stare at her uniform. "You seem to forget you're done here, Rune. If you are that eager to return to your quarters, then go. Al'vexi and I will handle matters from here. Ael'ien," she added quietly. "Division commanders like you and I don't get to take the rest of the day off like Sergeants and Lieutenants can simply because of the burden of duty. What we can get away with, however, are fairly decent lunch breaks. I will not expect to see you in the Operations center until half past the thirteenth hour. The rest of you are dismissed." She closed her eyes as she heard motion all around her, quiet shuffles of booted feet as various people left the part of the medical ward she was in. She heard the hissing of the main door opening, followed by a terse but quiet command by T'shal to the guard contingent as they escorted Rune away and back to her house arrest. An odd silence seemed to fall around her once the doors closed again, seeming to thump heavily in the hushed air. The uniform was still there when she finally opened her eyes again, still waiting to be put on once more. Her gaze was drawn back to the cluster of stars that denoted her rank, seeming to mock her silently as she continued to study every minute ridge and detail of the emblems. "Something on your mind, Si'ren?" Al'vexi said very quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper and yet still quite loud to the admiral's ears. "What prompted you to retire, Al?" Si'ren asked softly, never once looking away from the neatly folded uniform. "Two factors, really," the telepath admitted. "Age being the first, and general weariness with military politics being the second. Don't ask me which one had the greater impact, as even now it changes from day to day, even in retrospect." "If I may, General," Maq'i spoke up softly, startling Si'ren with the realization that the Master Healer was still with them, "Age is not nearly as potent a factor as you might think. Look at me, by all rights I should have peacefully died in my sleep a century ago, yet I still don't plan on retiring anytime soon." "The difference, Master Healer, is that you love your job," Al'vexi said in a tone as dry as the Lex'eri desert. "And speaking of jobs.... not to give you the impression that I'm prying into your mind, Si'ren, but you need to quit stalling and get dressed. Simply put, you can't retire anytime soon." "Oh?" Si'ren said in a perfectly neutral tone, finally looking away from the dark blue uniform and casting a sidelong glance at the retired telepath. "You'd need to find two replacements," Al'vexi explained with a slight note of apology. "First of all, you'd have to find someone to assume the role of Central Division commander. It can't be me, since I'm retired, and you had Rune arrested yesterday, so who does that leave? A one-star Brigadier to fill a four-star post? And then what of your position as Fleet Admiral? You have yet to appoint an Executive Officer to replace Lieutenant-Admiral Ne'tan, let alone find someone experienced enough to be your peer." Si'ren simply sighed quietly to herself, acutely aware of just how thin the naval ranks had become as of late. Had anyone asked, she would have openly admitted fast-tracking Ne'tan for promotion to full Admiral and assignment to replace the ailing commander of the Southern Ocean Fleet who had indicated that he desired to retire before his health degenerated further. Given the quiet admission of his physician that he had less than a century to live, Si'ren saw it unconscionable to delay or otherwise deny his wishes. The role could be temporarily filled by the Commodore who was his executive officer, but Si'ren knew that she was still awfully young for such a posting.... "Admiral Si'ren, may I offer some advice?" Maq'i spoke up in a very soft tone, gently bringing Si'ren back out of her introspective thoughts. "If you wish," Si'ren replied absently. She stared at the folded uniform and sighed heavily before unwrapping the towel from around her nude body and setting it aside. No sense in putting this off any longer, she thought as she reached for the pair of panties on top of the stack. "I am not a member of the military, of course," Maq'i said in what sounded to be a fairly delicate tone, "But I think I can offer a solution to some of the problems that seems to be burdening you and the other command staff. All you need to do is travel to Earth, find the Sailor Scouts, and get to know them as the young individuals they truly are. I assure you that they are not the bloodthirsty warrior-women Queen Beryl made them out to be." "And that will solve what, Master Healer?" Al'vexi spoke up when Si'ren remained oddly silent. "You fear them, don't you?" Maq'i asked quietly. "Not so much you as an individual, but the military as an institution. They are not your enemies, nor do they wish to be. They will listen to what you have to say if you approach them calmly and rationally. If you can find it within yourself to open up to Princess Serena, then you will see that you have nothing to fear from her or her Sailor Scouts. There can be peace between our worlds, General, and all it will take on our part is a simple action of inaction. Do nothing to them or their world, and they will embrace ours with their human hearts." "Will they?" Si'ren asked in a near-whisper as she clasped her bra. "Consider this," the elderly healer said simply. "Three of their number already have very strong feelings towards three denizens, and that Princess Serena herself is the product of a fourth human-denizen pairing of love. Yes, even after all that the Negaverse has done to them and to Earth, they still look at our world with awe and fascination. Make peace with the Sailor Scouts, and you will not have a single worry from Earth again," Maq'i promised quietly. "Master Healer, do you truly believe that Sailor Moon is the half-denizen daughter of the Dragoon Captain?" Al'vexi asked in a neutral tone. "A man who died thousands of years before the Moon Kingdom was even discovered?" "Without question," Maq'i replied firmly without hesitation. "That's enough, Al," Si'ren said quietly as she buttoned her tunic. A simple and efficient tug on the front removed the few wrinkles that had cropped up from being put on, followed by a truly heavy sigh of resignation. "If what Ael'ien says is true, then I'm sure we will have ample opportunity to arrange for a meeting with Sailor Moon in the near future. For now, we...." The sound of Si'ren's comm-link chittering for attention could be heard quite clearly, as was the muttered profanity that was an ancient and rather obscure reference to what might be done between bored lovers looking to try something distinctly unorthodox in their search for entertainment. "Si'ren," the Fleet Admiral said a few moments later in a more contemporary denizen dialect once the device was activated. "Ma'am, this is Operations duty officer," a now-familiar male voice said. "I have a priority message for you from Air Traffic Control North on a secure circuit that needs your immediate attention." Si'ren looked at the metal cylinder in her hand and sighed quietly before glancing over at Al'vexi. "Does this never end?" she asked as she took her thumb off the transmit switch so her words wouldn't be carried across the line. "It will end eventually," the telepath replied with a casual shrug. "Of course, you'll either have to die or retire for that to happen, but I assure you that it ends at some point." "Thank you, Al, I feel so much better now," Si'ren muttered darkly before she pressed down on the switch again. "Acknowledged, I'm on my way," she said before turning the comm-link off. "If it's Air Traffic Control, they might have something for you about the V'ral," Al'vexi suggested as Si'ren stepped into a dry pair of boots. "I know," Si'ren replied. "And that's what worries me. Thank you for the dry underwear, Master Healer, it is appreciated. Even if you had to go through my laundry to find it," she added with a faint note of humor. "You are, of course, welcome," Maq'i replied with a bow of her head. "Let's see what surprise is going to be dropped in our lap this time," Si'ren said to Al'vexi with a heavy sigh as she headed for the door. Maq'i remained where she was as she watched the pair of flag officers exit the medical ward. She knew that she really should have checked them both for energy readings, but she was fairly sure that they weren't suffering from any problems that a solid night's sleep wouldn't fix. As for the rest of what was on their minds.... "Master Healer?" a voice said behind her, causing her to refocus her mind and turn around. "I trust you are well, Pa'an?" she asked once she saw who her visitor was. The monk made a gesture of indifference, seeming to wear the saw-toothed robe with relative comfort. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that it was one designed for a woman, and Maq'i didn't see any reason to point that minor detail out to him if she didn't have to. "I suppose I am in need of a nap," he admitted with a faint smile, "But I assure you I will not be passing out in the immediate future. Do you have a few minutes to spare for a discussion, by chance?" he added with an openly hopeful look. The faintest of smiles touched the corners of Maq'i's lips as she could see what he wanted. "To discuss the Moon Princess, I trust?" she said lightly. "If it would not be an imposition," Vol replied. "I know General Al'vexi didn't want a public discussion about the issue, but surely if a private and very quiet conversation were to be held between you and I...." Maq'i simply made a gesture. "My office is this way," she said as she started to move off. "And if you don't mind my saying so, Pa'an, I do hope you are feeling as well as you say, for you might find that things have gotten more than a little interesting on Earth as of late...." * * * * Sirene paused on the access ladder and peered into the open cockpit of her Ghost-class aircraft. she asked carefully as the frame of the aircraft continued to wobble back and forth. "Forgive me, but I am merely trying to make sure I am both strapped in securely and reasonably comfortable," Ar'kanis apologized as he continued to carefully shift his bulk back and forth. The motion continued for another few moments before he found an acceptable balance, keeping his wings neatly folded around him while he gingerly tightened the straps that would keep them braced. The fit was a dangerously tight one, having underestimated the actual space available for a denizen of his size, but he was still determined on his course of action. Sirene replied as she carefully climbed into the pilot's seat, trying not to dwell too heavily on the surprisingly pleasing tone of his unhelmeted voice. His armor had been stored inside the Ghost's external cargo hold with very little room to spare, and the general was now wearing only an avian-design flight suit with gloves and a flight mask. It was enough to completely cover him from head to toe, save for his draconic wings, but it also left his voice without the seemingly cold echo-effect of his armored helmet. The timbre of his voice was such that, in another time and place, she might have simply sat back to listen and enjoy the subtle, almost sexual thrill it induced along her aural nerves where they meshed with her implant mask. She quickly strapped herself in and laid her head back against the padded headrest before typing in a special command on her left-hand console. A soft whirring sound started up as a pair of probes were extruded from the seat that immediately latched on to the sides of her implant mask. Her senses began to swim for a few moments as the monofiliments burrowed into the neural conduits before making a connection to her nervous system. The psionic component was established a moment later and everything became crystal-clear once again, only now with a vastly larger focus. she thought through the link as she used her mind to instruct the aircraft to start the internal pre-flight checks. There were physical controls for the aircraft in easy reach of her hands, but those would only be needed if there was a malfunction with the psionic link to the aircraft. For now, she *was* Ghost-4, able to feel and direct the aircraft with her mind as easily as she could flex her hand or stretch her foot. "Flight bridge, we read you loud and clear, Ghost-4," the voice on the speaker said as the canopy started to come down. Sirene reported calmly as the engines started to turn over. She allowed them to operate for several seconds before shutting them off, letting them remain in a preheated state for a quick restart if necessary. She didn't plan on having to use them until well after the drop and had a chance to put some distance between her and the V'ral, but she still needed to make sure they would be available in an instant if something didn't go according to plan. "Copy, Ghost-4, prepare for drop-shot loading procedures," the voice said from the flight bridge overlooking the entire hangar. Sirene asked over the internal intercom that allowed a pilot to converse with a passenger without having to yell or otherwise twist around in the seats. There was a slight pause before the headset in Ar'kanis' flight mask was turned on with a faint click. "I believe so, Major," he said calmly. "I trust the drop procedures are similar to those of our tanks?" Sirene replied as a dark shadow suddenly loomed over the cockpit. There was a heavy thumping noise and the entire aircraft was very slowly hoisted into the air. Ar'kanis grunted quietly. "So what's the difference?" he asked wariliy. A faint smile crossed Sirene's face at the almost inaudible note of unease in the general's normally stolid voice. "Oh?" Ar'kanis said with obvious surprise. Sirene said with an audible smile. she added as the aircraft jerked to a halt and seemed to sway back and forth slightly for a few moments. "Ghost-4, flight bridge," the speaker crackled. "Tilting now." Sirene simply clicked the channel twice to indicate her acknowledgment of the warning. The world began to lurch forward a few moments later as they were essentially lifted tail-first up towards the ceiling, resulting in her weight pressing down hard on the restraints and Ar'kanis's wings being half-crushed beneath his massive bulk. "Brigadier Sor'en to Ghost-4," a new voice said on the circuit as the aircraft finally reached a nose-down position. Sirene replied carefully, making sure to patch the line into the internal channel so Ar'kanis could hear as well. "Major, are you sure you want to do this?" Sor'en said in a weary tone. "I do, Brigadier," Ar'kanis spoke up before Sirene could reply. "As we discussed, you have full command of the V'ral in my absence until my return or until General Nop'tera has fully recovered. Now unless you have some new information for us, I would ask that you not further distract my pilot." Sirene could clearly hear the sound of Sor'en blinking up on the V'ral's main bridge at the rebuke, making the psionic Major wonder just what sort of behind-the-scenes situation was going on this time. She, like the rest of the Red Wings, had been surprised to hear the announcement that Nop'tera was ill from an allergic reaction to something, and Ar'kanis' sudden request for a stealthed visit to the Imperial Castle only deepened her sense of unease. "No, sir, no new information," Sor'en replied in a detached, almost mechanical tone. "The V'ral has come about to bearing two-two-seven and is at thirty-four angels for your flight operations. Your suggested course after drop recovery is one-niner-seven. Winds are bearing zero-four-seven at thirty- four p'kia with a shear change towards zero-niner-one at seventeen angels. Safe flight, Ghost-4. Main bridge out." She's pissed about something, Sirene thought with a very subtle shiver. "Ghost-4, flight bridge," the speaker seemed to crackle in a subdued tone. "You are locked in position. Drop controls are now yours. Safe flight." Sirene replied as she sent a mental signal through the monofiliment wire that was connected to the anchor points on her tail. The command caused the hatch directly beneath her to spiral open, exposing the pale purple expanse of the lower atmosphere below her. The view was a distinctly hazy one, a side-effect of the light-bending cloaking field that surrounded the airborne carrier and kept them hidden from everyone else. Even from a height and through the blurring effects of the screen, she could make out a few large features of the ground directly below her that she would no doubt plow into at terminal velocity if things didn't go according to plan. she asked over the internal circuit. "At your leisure, Major," Ar'kanis grunted in reply. Sirene said over both circuits. The clamps on the tail section of the aircraft were released with a simple mental command, allowing gravity to take over and send them plummeting into the open sky. The sensation was quite familiar to them both, she from countless such drops before and he from the likewise countless experiences of having his armored tank almost literally cannonballing from the bays on the underside of the airborne carrier. Best described as having your stomach attempting to leap out through your throat, it was not a sensation for the weak of heart. There was the slightest of ripples in the air in front of them before the view became perfectly clear as they passed beyond the limits of the cloaking field. The ground seemed to rush up towards them at an unnerving velocity before Sirene both unfolded the normal wings and extended the underwings to put them into a shallow glide. The nose of the Ghost-class aircraft promptly swung up to level with the horizon, producing a sensation that was not unlike a rollercoaster encountering a very steep curve. Sirene said carefully as she heard an odd noise coming from the seat behind her. "I'm fine, Major," Ar'kanis said in a noticeably strained voice. "Tanks don't normally change orientation like that. Or curve to the side like that unless something is wrong," he quickly added as the horizon tilted at what had to be a sixty-degree angle. she explained with a faint hint of apology. The banking maneuver had been done by simple pilot's instinct, and indeed could have been described as without conscious thought if she wasn't literally flying by psionic command alone. "I trust you will forgive me if I prefer driving my tank instead," he said with a hint of dryness to his tone. "Granted we tend to be air-dropped with regularity, but once we are on the ground we very rarely leave it again." she teased as she adjusted their course with a far more delicate touch this time. The passive sensors in the nose of the Ghost aircraft were showing a few large thermal blooms ahead of them, which meant she stood a very good chance of being able to retain most of her altitude without having to resort to the use of her thrusters. "Mer'catas may fly," Ar'kanis countered with a chuckle, "But landworms very rarely wind up getting sucked into air-intakes." Sirene replied with a static-like chuckle of her own. She had long ago lost count of the number of times where she had been flying a jet- powered aircraft at low altitudes and managed to pick up a flying creature in her intakes. The turbines usually managed to cope with the hapless life-form without too much damage, or at least to the turbine, but there have been more than one instance of a clogged intake requiring a controlled emergency landing. Ar'kanis looked at the array of displays in front of him and sighed very softly, knowing that he probably could find the information he wanted if he had any idea how any of the panels worked. "How long until we reach the Imperial Castle?" he inquired as he absently tried to make sense of the readings. Sirene consulted her displays and made a few mental calculations. A deep grunt rose up from Ar'kanis' compressed chest. "How stealthed are we?" he inquired in a faintly cautious tone. she informed him. she suggested. "Just do your best, Major," Ar'kanis instructed. "Our flight profile is at your discretion, so long as we arrive at the Imperial Castle. Preferably in one piece," he added with a touch of dark humor. "If it becomes necessary to talk to someone on the ground, I will handle that." Sirene replied calmly. She studied the thermal map of the air in front of her and settled on a course, tilting them at a slight angle to change their bearing to match. A warning began to flash on her radar scanner a few moments later, informing her that the intensity of the signal that had been washing over them was starting to increase. "Mmm?" Ar'kanis grunted to himself as he saw an identical message appear on one of his displays. Sirene spoke up as she took a guess at what had garnered his attention. "Let them sniff," the general rumbled quietly. "I took a shower before I climbed into this flight suit, and I'm fairly sure you did as well." Sirene would have arched her eyebrows up at the comment if she had any. she ventured, wondering what sort of reaction she would get. A dry snort echoed in both her ears and along the psionic link that kept her in touch with the internal systems. "I see you don't know me too well if you don't think I have a sense of humor, Major," he pointed out as he continued to study the radar signals the sensors were picking up. she replied. "Constantly entombed in armor?" he spoke up as Sirene hesitated for a moment to try to find the right words. Sirene twisted her head slightly to cast a sidelong glance out of the corner of her eye. she said carefully. The change in the conversation had taken her by surprise, and she was more than a little uneasy about how personal it seemed to have gotten in the span of a few breaths. "I suppose you have a point, Major," Ar'kanis admitted quietly. "I will confess to speaking far more freely to my tank crew when we are on a mission than I do with the rest of the Red Wings. It is.... difficult not to under such circumstances, as everyone's lives are in the hands of everyone else. I lead and they follow, of course, as that is simply the nature of rank, but one cannot help a sense of camaraderie on a more personal level in such conditions. Such as now," he added absently. Sirene prodded carefully, knowing that she was being offered a glimpse into a window that was rarely opened and had to be very careful about peeking inside. "Always, Major," Ar'kanis rumbled before falling silent. Sirene remained quiet as well, absently guiding the Ghost-class aircraft through a series of gentle turns to keep themselves within the thermal blooms. The radar scatter from the ground station was starting to fall off, suggesting that either they weren't looking as hard as they were a few minutes ago, or that their focus was well away from the swept-wing aircraft. Either way, it was definitely good news to hear. "Whom do you confide in, Major?" Ar'kanis finally asked quietly. was the slightly puzzled response. A soft sigh rose up from the back seat. "Whom do you seek out when you have questions that should not be asked, but still need to have answered?" Sirene cast a sidelong glance out of the corner of her eye as she chewed on the edge of her lip. she finally said. "And when you can't ask the one who leads you?" Ar'kanis prodded gently. Sirene replied in a guarded tone. "Nop'tera is all too aware of it," the tank general rumbled in reply. "That in itself is part of the problem. The purpose of what I am doing is to converse with Fleet Admiral Si'ren and seek a peaceful resolution of this.... animosity, if you will, between Nop'tera and General Rune. We will soon be facing a crisis of epic proportions, if we aren't doing so already, and we will need a unified military if we are to respond to events with any success." Sirene asked, her digital voice clearly filled with wariness and unease. Another quiet rumble rose up from his massive chest. "Are you aware of the message drone that emerged from the Hinterland Rift this morning?" The aircraft started to tilt to one side as she carefully steered towards another thermal bloom in the distance, keeping a virtual eye on the slowly decreasing altitude reading as they glided along in near-silence. she said carefully. "Put the controls on autopilot for a moment," Ar'kanis suggested. "And I don't mean mental guidance, either." Sirene would have physically twisted around in the cockpit to look at him if she could have done so without breaking the monofiliment connections to her implants. She remained silent for a number of moments before reaching up to key in a series of commands on her side console, returning the Ghost to a level flight profile and locking it on a straight course. She could still issue an override if she needed to, but it would be a two-step process instead of a very simple mental thought. she said in a neutral tone as she sat back and closed her eyes, neatly folding her hands in her lap. She didn't need to use her optic implants to fly the aircraft, being able to 'see' with the sensors just as well, but the visual darkness helped to allow her to focus on the sound of his voice and his words. "Pra'dek indeed sent the drone," Ar'kanis explained in a muted tone as he stared at the various displays in front of him. "The message it contained was not with his voice, however, but rather that of a Renn collaborator. Why or how is unknown, but the moon of Nathanya has exploded." Sirene blurted out as her eyes snapped open. A distant part of her was extremely grateful for the fact that she had taken a mental step back from the controls, as the shock would likely have sent the stealthed aircraft into a steep dive she might not have been able to recover from in time. "Nop'tera and I expect further information soon, of course, along with as detailed an explanation as possible," Ar'kanis continued. "Regardless of the cause, it is anticipated that Paleste's passage through Nathanya's remains will ultimately send debris towards the main planet. Again, we simply do not have enough information to speculate the scale of this, but it is not unreasonable to presume that there could be a global catastrophe. If a planetary evacuation is warranted, the Negaverse military will be able to assist with the logistics, but only if we are unified as one instead of bickering amongst ourselves like young siblings." Ar'kanis paused and raised an eyebrows as he heard a soft hiss of static in his helmet, wondering if the connection had gone bad or if Sirene's vocoder was malfunctioning again. It became obvious a moment later that that static was merely the telepath exhaling very slowly as she tried to remain calm, able to hear the rush of air coming from over his shoulder. "Are you alright, Major?" he inquired once the hissing noise tapered off. she said in a subdued tone. "The cause is unknown, but the effect is the same," he replied quietly. "Unlike Nathanya, however, the remains of Jalandor won't be heavily disturbed too much by Paleste's gravity well anytime soon." Sirene said, more out of simple military reflex than anything else. Her blood was still ice-cold with shock, and it took her a few seconds before she felt she could safely resume psionic control of the Ghost. "You're the pilot, Major, it is at your discretion," Ar'kanis said with an absent gesture of his hand. Sirene replied as she flexed her hands to try to return some circulation to them. Her skin felt dangerously cold, even inside the flight suit, and right now she would have given an awful lot to be curled up in a ball beneath the blankets in her quarters. The entire moon.... "If I may, Major," the general rumbled quietly, "I would appreciate your silence on the matter upon our return to the V'ral. Nop'tera will make an announcement on the Hinterland situation when she is ready to, but she and I agree that it is best to wait until we get as much information as possible and can verify its accuracy. Many of us have strong ties to the Renn's homeworld for various reasons, and we should not like to cause unease with unfounded rumors or baseless speculations. Brigadier Sor'en is aware of the situation, but she too has been asked for her silence for the moment." Sirene replied, having the feeling that Sor'en hadn't been 'asked' to remain silent but rather ordered to be. Neither Jalandor nor Nathanya were populated moons, but there were a few Red Wings who were born in the colony on the moon of Havar, which was located in a shallow orbit between the planet and Nathanya's broader orbit. If any of the newly-formed asteroids were nudged towards the homeworld by Paleste's gravity, they would first have to cross Havar's orbit with most likely devastating results.... "I understand your concerns, Major," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly, catching Sirene off-guard. "Silence can be a heavy burden at times, but other times it is far easier to bear than the cost of speaking out and risking change." Sirene paused as his words seemed to be just a little too introspective. she said carefully as she made sure the engines were still in a pre-started state, she added in a muted tone as she ignited them. Ar'kanis remained quiet as the noise of the engines started to roar around him, quickly ramping up from a dull thrum to a steady rumble that he could feel in his bones. The sound wasn't overly loud, at least not compared to some of the engine noises that could be heard inside the confines of his tank, but it was still something to be consciously noticed. "It is.... not easy to admit a fear to anyone, let alone to someone who means something to you," Ar'kanis said in a soft murmur. "In such cases, one tends to remain silent as much as possible, seeking instead to deal with the fear through other means." Sirene remained silent as she listened to his muted words, focusing on the quiet emotion behind them as she gently nudged the Ghost into a higher flight path. The radar scatter began to return a moment later, again from the small station off to the north, but she thought it unwise to mention it to him just yet or otherwise disrupt his introspective mood. "When this is over," the winged general continued quietly, "And by this I mean the internal strife among senior military staff, it is likely that General Nop'tera will assume the role of Commander-General of the entire military and that I will be given permanent command of the Red Wings. Should this come to pass, I doubt I will be able to lead my tank divisions from the forefront as a proper general should, but rather remain on the V'ral's main bridge. I shall, of course, miss the luxury of front-line combat operations, but it will be a price I would willingly pay for the benefit and sake of the Red Wings. Such is one of the many burdens of command," he added with the hollowest of chuckles. Sirene spoke up quietly. A very soft and deep sigh rose up from his chest, seeming to rumble like a plume of gas from a less-than-quiescent volcano. "No, Major, it is not," he admitted. "Like you, I was born to military parents on the very slow march to war and victory, and like so many others, have chosen to walk that path myself since I was of age. I have no regrets of where that path has taken me, nor do I regret my lifetime of service to Nop'tera in the slightest. Indeed, I fear I have come to savor it more than I should, for what disturbs me the most is not the notion of being the one whom others would choose to follow in life, but rather that I will no longer be able follow her path as well." Sirene remained silent for a moment as a faint chill ran through her at the depth of emotion in his soft words. she said carefully as she eyed the radar display. The scatter from the station was still slowing increasing, making her warily wonder if they had indeed somehow picked up on the fact that her stealthed aircraft was in the area. "Indeed we would, Major," Ar'kanis replied quietly. "But then it would be from a distance instead of at her side. No doubt that she views naming me as her successor for the Red Wings as a just reward for my life of leadership and service in her name, but I must confess that it is not the reward I seek. All that I have asked of her and will ever ask is acknowledgement of my services and the chance to continue serving at her side. Major, am I to presume that there is some significance to this flashing icon on the upper-right display?" he added in a guarded tone as the amber light caught his attention. she replied in a slightly flat tone. A quiet grunt rose up from the back half of the cockpit. "As I said, let them sniff," the general rumbled. "If we are actually detected, let me handle communicating with whomever is interested. Mmm?" he added as fully half of his displays suddenly lit up without warning, accompanied by a series of soft but rapid beeps. "Major?" he prompted. Sirene reported in a faintly edged tone. she added. "Any indication that they are searching for the V'ral?" Ar'kanis inquired calmly as he tried making sense of the radar readings. Sirene admitted as she nudged the Ghost a few degrees to the south to avoid flying directly over the anti-aircraft radar. she spat as a hard beeping started up inside the cockpit. Ar'kanis simply grunted quietly to himself. "Any message traffic?" Sirene replied. she growled quietly. "At ease, Major," the general said gently. "I did not expect to arrive at the Imperial Castle without detection at some point, I merely wished to avoid exposing the position of the V'ral during launch." Sirene said absently as she focused on what her Ghost aircraft's sensors were telling her. A small burst of radio energy flashed past them in a blink of an eye, a "packet" of data being "squirted" out into the open that took a few moments for her to properly decipher. she reported. "Expected," Ar'kanis murmured as he closed his eyes with a soft sigh. Sirene paused for a moment before she closed her eyes as well, focusing on the sudden bursts of energy her Ghost's sensors were starting to pick up in abundance. she reported as she tried listening to six conversations at once. she added. "Can you transfer the feeds back here?" he inquired. Sirene absently shook her head gently. she added. "Distance to the Imperial Castle?" he prodded. was the slightly distracted reply. A quiet grunt rose up from his chest. "Understood," Ar'kanis said simply. "You are, I trust, prepared to eject if things become actively hostile?" It took Sirene a moment to figure out how best to respond to his words. she said in a wary voice. "It is simple, Major," he said as he leaned over to the communications panel and began to manipulate the settings. "I am about to inform our military brethren of my presence and thus provide them with a very high-profile target. I have no hesitations facing death should it ultimately be of some use or value to Nop'tera, but I would rather not take anyone else with me if it can somehow be avoided." He paused with his hand on the controls as he heard a very quiet noise over his shoulder, one eyebrow arching up. "Not that I intend to be made a sacrifice, mind you," he added lightly. Sirene just reached up to rub the lower ridge of her nose where her flesh met the metal alloy of her implant mask. she replied with a weary sigh. "I don't think they will shoot at us, Major," Ar'kanis replied calmly as he finished setting the frequency. "I am sure they can imagine what Nop'tera will do if she learns that her executive officer was assassinated. Hopefully we can avoid this situation altogether." Sirene replied, clearly not convinced. "Ghost-4 to the Imperial Castle," Ar'kanis said as he pressed the transmit switch, opening the broadcast frequency he had specified. He waited in silence for a reply, a faint frown crossing his face as he heard only empty static. "Ghost-4 hailing the Imperial Castle," he repeated in a measured tone. Sirene growled as a low-pitched monotone alarm went off in the cockpit. Ar'kanis sighed and dialed open the public frequencies. "This is General Ar'kanis of the Imperial Red Wings," he said in a level tone. "I am inbound on an approach vector to the Imperial Castle to meet with Fleet Admiral Si'ren. Any hostile action taken against my aircraft will be viewed as an act of both treason and rebellion by a rogue military unit and will subsequently be dealt with accordingly." Sirene just closed her eyes at his words, minorly grateful for the fact that the tank general couldn't see the expression on her face. she said in a very careful tone. "You know that and I know that, Major," Ar'kanis said calmly. "Or at least I know that now," he amended, causing Sirene to reach down and grasp the crotch of her flight suit to keep her bladder from reacting. "However, having independently developed this particular model of aircraft ourselves during the course of our campaign against the Renn, I doubt the rest of the Negaverse military is aware of its capabilities. Or lack thereof," he added with a very faint note of humor. she replied, not knowing what else to say. "Hail, Ghost-4," the speaker crackled without warning. "This is Commander May'el of the First Plains Shock Front. You have entered restricted airspace and have done so using a hostile flight profile. You are ordered to come about to bearing zero-nine-one and increase altitude to fifteen angels. Failure to comply will result in the immediate grounding of your aircraft." A soft laugh rose up from Ar'kanis' chest. "I will admit that being a tank commander means I am not as well-versed as others might be on the normal protocols for flight operations. Having said that, I would be of the mind that he just threatened to shoot us down, wouldn't you say?" he said lightly. Sirene warned. "Let me reiterate," Ar'kanis said as he thumbed the switch open. "This is General Ar'kanis of the Imperial Red Wings, and I am on my way to the Imperial Castle for a meeting with Fleet Admiral Si'ren. I am sure that both she and General Nop'tera would be most displeased if I were to be late for our meeting because my pilot had to stop and pick the missile shrapnel out of her engine shrouds. Feel free to send up an escort if it will make you feel better, but we will be continuing on our original flight path. Please advise if you can offer a clearer approach vector to the Castle," he added calmly. "Are you alright, Major?" he added over the internal circuit as he heard an exasperated sigh behind him. she muttered. "By all means," Ar'kanis replied, seeming to be amused at her words. she said flatly. "I am aware of the risks, Major," Ar'kanis said gently. "In fact, I am far more aware of the risks that you would think, though they might not be readily apparent to you even with your enhanced vision. What I am seeking to do is save our world from a conflict, and in order to do so I have to be able to talk to Admiral Si'ren in person. If I fail, I strongly suspect that we are all as good as dead anyway, so there is little need for me to hold back if it will get me what I need. And at this moment, I need to get on over to the Imperial Castle, and missile-toting field commanders from the Central Plains Division be damned." Sirene replied in a neutral tone. She paused for a brief moment as her sensors began to detect radio bursts that were encrypted and seemed to be originating from the same antenna that had challenged them earlier. Ar'kanis nodded to himself, the faint smile on his lips thoroughly hidden by his flight mask. "Put yourself in his position, Major," he said calmly. "The first senior-grade officer to arrive in the radar room after an alert, most likely only the battalion's executive officer, and he is confronted with a full general who claims to be going to a high-level meeting with the head of the entire Navy. If I were him, I would be asking for guidance as well," he added lightly as he folded his hands over his abdomen to wait. "What is the radar situation?" Sirene reported with a faint edge to her metallic tone. she pointed out in a measured tone. That caused the unarmored general to sit up slightly. "Oh? How so?" he rumbled as he cast a wary eye at the display consoles. Sirene immediately rattled off as she ticked her fingers for each point. "Major," Ar'kanis said in a tone of gentle rebuke. Sirene continued, ignoring the interruption. she added as she heard a disgruntled sigh behind her. "I had not," Ar'kanis admitted in what for him was a fairly sheepish tone. "As you correctly pointed out earlier, Major, I am not used to negotiating with an opposing force from a less-than-sturdy combat platform. When we return to the V'ral, you will be given the opportunity to freely express yourself to General Nop'tera and take me to task for my oversight. However, we have to concern ourselves with the present situation. If we may appear to be a bomber to them, we must alter their perceptions to show that we are not." Sirene replied in a perfectly even voice. "Major Sirene, as deserving as I am of such a rebuke, I distinctly said that you will be offered that opportunity upon our return to the V'ral and not before," Ar'kanis pointed out dryly. "Excellent. Now then, would I be amiss in thinking that because we are flying in a stealthed profile, we are not broadcasting a transponder signal of any sort?" Ar'kanis mused aloud. Sirene blinked in surprise and cast a quick glance down at her consoles. she said warily. "I am aware of that, Major," Ar'kanis replied gently. "However, it will also raise our visibility profile, which is not something any attack aircraft would wish to do. Now that they know we are here and why, I see no further need to mask our presence." she suggested archly as she cast a sidelong glance over her shoulder. "Thank you, Major. Activate the transponder, please," Ar'kanis ordered. Sirene suppressed the urge to sigh heavily and directed a mental command through the monofiliment links. The tiny transmitter in the tail section began to give off a steady stream of energy pulses, causing her aircraft to abruptly appear on every single radar screen trying to locate her. There was a delay of precisely three-tenths of a second before no less than four missile fire- control radars promptly locked onto her transponder signal, resulting in a very rapid beeping sound in the cockpit. Sirene said in a tone devoid of emotion. "Thank you, Major," Ar'kanis said after a slight hesitation. "Tell me, that beeping sound we hear isn't the transponder itself, is it?" Sirene replied. she added absently as she turned her focus inward, trying to get a feel for the positioning of the missiles around her and the best way to attempt an escape if they light up. "Understood, Major," Ar'kanis said simply. "Distance to the castle?" the cybernetic woman replied. A quiet chuckle rose up from the back of the cockpit. "I assure you that what is said between us will remain so," he said with open amusement. "As I mentioned earlier, it is difficult not to develop a sense of camaraderie when in such a situation. To answer your charge, Major, I would admit that in the none-too-distant past I have been rather bluntly told, if respectfully, to sit back down and hold my tongue so as not to distract the others." Sirene commented absently. She paused for a moment as her sensors picked up two new radar sources approaching from the south, as well as a flurry of encrypted messages squirted from a relay station that appeared to originate from the Imperial Castle. "Escorts, I presume?" Ar'kanis rumbled. Sirene replied. "Attention, Ghost-4," the radio speaker suddenly crackled. "You are ordered to track right to a bearing to two-eight-zero and maintain altitude. A pair of Guardians will be forming up off your wings and have instructions to ground you if you do anything remotely suspicious. Admiral Si'ren sends her regards and will have an escort waiting for you on your arrival at the western landing field." Sirene said over the circuit before Ar'kanis could reach for the microphone. she said as she switched frequencies, making sure to keep Ar'kanis' headset patched in. "Hail, Ghost-4, this is Guardian-8," the circuit said in a female voice. "Maintain flight speed and bearing until instructed otherwise, Guardian-11 will be doing a close fly-by for a visual inspection. Don't do anything unexpected, as it will likely ruin both our days, over." Sirene said before muting the external circuits. she added as an afterthought. "I wouldn't worry about your airborne brethren, Major," Ar'kanis said with an audible note of satisfaction. "It seems that we are not going to be made late for our meeting after all. Rest assured that Brigadier Sor'en will hear of your service and piloting skill once our mission is complete. Interesting," he added as he glanced off to his side, able to see another aircraft in rather close proximity to the end of their wings. "Do they normally fly that close?" was the reply. Sirene replied quietly. "What kind of bird is that, anyway?" the first pilot said as he edged his interceptor a few ke'shels away for more maneuvering room. "A quiet one," Guardian-8 said calmly. "Just keep an eye on her anyway. If she is toting some flag in the backseat, I doubt she'll do anything stupid, but who knows what kind of training these Red Wings have." Sirene spoke up in a faintly edged tone. A small smile brushed the edges of her lips as she heard a muted curse on the circuit, followed by a click as one of the Guardians closed their line. "Mistakes happen, Ghost-4," the pilot of Guardian-8 replied calmly. "So while I have you up here, you mind explaining just what the t'zarn you're doing with all this stealth business?" "Deploying on a mission without compromising the steath of my carrier," Ar'kanis spoke up calmly. "Surely you can understand that one, miss...?" "Lieutenant-Colonel Ceran of the Central Division Air Command," the voice replied crisply. Sirene said wearily. "Duly noted, Major. To answer your question, Colonel Ceran," Ar'kanis said as he smoothly switched channels, "The objective was to make a very quiet visit to the Imperial Castle to meet with Admiral Si'ren, and I didn't want the V'ral to become exposed to any more ballistic missile fire in the process." Sirene moaned in resignation. A dry snort came across the circuit in response. "I'm just a pilot, sir, you'll have to talk to someone else about the political navidshi," Ceran said in a distinctly unhappy tone. "All I give a rakketh's ptanka right now is making sure you behave and getting you on the ground without incident. You should be within range of Air Traffic Control in a moment, they'll give you a proper approach vector. Good luck with your meeting, sir, and with all due respect, try not to start another war this time. Life was interesting enough with two nuclear warheads going off within the span of a week, we really don't need a third one going up. Steady flight, Ghost-4. Guardian-8 out." "I suppose she has a point," Ar'kanis allowed as he set the microphone back in the cradle and leaned back against the seat as well as his wings would allow. He paused to listen as he heard a very indistinct grumbling sound from over his shoulder. "Did you say something, Major?" he prodded carefully. Sirene grumbled. She paused as a new frequency came across her sensors, opting this time to respond to it with a purely mental command. she reported. "At your leisure, Major," Ar'kanis replied. "Hopefully Admiral Si'ren will be just as easy to deal with as the rest of the Central Division has been so far." Sirene replied as she settled into a shallow glide. * * * * "It took you long enough," Leda grumbled as she glanced up from her math homework to give the blonde a disgruntled look. Mina shrugged in dismissal as she set Artemis down on the table. "I told you I had a few things to do first," she replied. She paused as she glanced over at Serena, her eyebrows arching up a few inches in surprise. "Serena, please tell me you got that from Susan's closet and not your own," she hedged. A dark blush swept across Serena's face as she flicked her glowing wings behind her. "I did," she murmured, her triple-tone voice seeming to resonate with embarrassment. She had changed out of her school uniform into a pair of comfortable blue jeans and very little else, her modesty barely preserved by a wide but distinctly thin ribbon of dark green fabric that had been wrapped around her waist to rise up and criss-cross over her breasts. While the attire left her back completely exposed and thus provided a free-range of motion for her wings, it also left a great deal of her feminine curves exposed as well as highlighting both the location and size of her nipples. "Actually, I did," Alex spoke up as she hovered over Ami's shoulder with a faintly puzzled look. "But I figured that Sue wouldn't mind in the least as it's for the Princess. One more time, babe," she sighed quietly. "You add a single drop of this," she said, tapping part of the rather lengthy chemistry equation Ami was mapping out, "And you wind up with all of that?" "Not all at once," Ami said patiently. "Adding the sodium bicarbonate to the solution will start a precipitation reaction, this part. Then when you filter out the solute and heat it, then you wind up with this next reaction." "What frightens me is I think I can follow that," Mina said casually as she slipped her backpack off her shoulders and started to dig inside. "Heaven forbid the chemistry lessons should be sinking in," Ami said dryly as she continued to sketch out the reactions without missing a beat. "Mmmhmm," Mina said absently as she finally extracted her history book and plopped it on the table. "So who's working on what, or should I ask? Artemis, what are you doing?" she sighed as she noticed the white cat poking his head into the open backpack. "Please tell me that's not pineapple I smell," he sighed, still nose-first inside the backpack and sniffing intently. Both Mina and Leda paused before glancing at one another. "I had a few rings with lunch," Mina said slowly, her tone causing the rest of the group to look up at her. "Why?" "Great," Artemis sighed as he backed up and sat down, giving her a weary expression. "You know pineapple gives you gas, right?" "It does not!" Mina said indignantly, giving him an upset look. "Maybe not when you're awake," Artemis muttered darkly. He yelped sharply in surprise as he was grabbed by a pair of wings and yanked back just moments before Mina could swat him with her textbook. "Hey, hey, hey, easy on the cat, eh?" Alex said as she moved over to very gently pluck Artemis out of Serena's winged embrace. "No need to shoot the messenger. Good reflexes, your Highness," she added with a wink. "Errgh," Mina muttered as she glared at the white cat before sitting back down in a huff. "Fine, he can sleep with you tonight. Uh, wait, that didn't sound right," she added a moment later, her expression turning pained. "Mina...." Leda sighed as she rested her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands. "Heh," Alex chuckled quietly as she tucked the white cat in the crook of her arm and absently began to scratch his ears. "He'll have to run that past Mich first, she tends to be a pillow hog most nights...." Leda cringed slightly by reflex and glanced over her shoulder, trying to see if Michelle was around. "I wouldn't say that too loudly, Alex," she said in a warning tone. "No need to upset the significant other, y'know?" "Hey, I'm just saying...." "We know," Mina said smoothly as she flipped open to the current chapter being taught in History class. She paused for a moment as she was distracted by the subtle and gentle motion of Serena's wings in her peripheral vision, turning her head to get a better look at them. "Feeling better about being an angel, Serena?" she inquired carefully. Serena blinked in surprise at the question before sighing quietly. "No," she murmured softly. "I was feeling.... confined earlier, which is why I felt like I had to change. I'm worried about it now, about how long I'll be able to keep it under control and hidden from everyone else...." "Just take it easy, Serena," Leda sighed as she reached out to gently rub the blonde's bare shoulder. "We all know this is new, so of course it's going to take some time getting used to. I'm sure Susan can sit down with you and tell you all about how long it took her to adapt to having wings, just as soon as she gets back from doing whatever." "Good luck," Alex muttered, drawing a number of curious looks. She paused and looked up from Ami's homework assignment as she became aware of the shift in focus and added, "She's playing with paperwork today, which has been known to keep her happily occupied for hours at a time. Some days we think she has to flip a coin to decide if she should go put a smile on some guard's face or get her jollies by filing a stack of paperwork with one of the ministers." "Thanks, Alex," Mina sighed. "I really needed that mental image." "Hey, I'm just saying," Alex protested. "Sue seems to like dealing with the ins and outs of government as much as she likes the ins and outs of...." "Thank you, Alex," three voices chorused in virtual unison. "Uh, no problem...." the Viking said in a dubious tone. "Anyway," Mina said in a faintly edged tone. She paused as the motion of Serena's wings got her attention again, prompting a very quiet sigh. "So back to the original topic.... just what precisely is worrying you, Serena? Afraid you'll sneeze one day and out comes the wings or what?" Serena gave her fellow blonde an uneasy look at the phrasing before she nodded slowly. "Something like that, yes," she admitted quietly. Mina simply gave her a charming smile and squeezed her wrist gently. "I have a crazy question for you, girl.... you even try that before? Letting your angelic side show when you've got a shirt on or something," she amended as she saw a look of confusion in Serena's gold eyes. "I mean, it's one thing to be changing bras in the gym and have a hard sneeze shake them loose, but what if there isn't room for your wings to come out and play? You don't see Susan going all demonic on us with a bra on, right?" Alex snorted quietly to herself. "I think Sue wears a bra less often than I do," she muttered to Ami, prompting a very faint blush from the blue-haired girl. "And lord knows she's the one who really needs her tits tied down...." "Thank you, Alex," Ami sighed as her blush darkened by four shades. "Anyway," Mina said, pointedly ignoring the comment. "Just go give it a try, Serena. Usual clothing, nothing too tight, but you don't want it falling off on its own either. Oh, umm.... nothing you truly want to keep, either, just in case something does tear," she added with a sheepish look. "I can hook you up with something from my closet that I wouldn't miss if it got ruined, if you think you'd need it." Serena blinked before she turned to give Leda an uncertain look, prompting a casual shrug from the brunette. "Don't look at me," Leda replied. "I mean, it sounds plausible in theory, but I would ask Susan about it first before I try something that might poke a hole in a blouse or end up hurting yourself in some way. I mean, what if your wings do come out but there's no where for them to go?" "Hey, where's Michelle?" Alex spoke up as she glanced over her shoulder. "She might remember this better than I do. I think Sue mentioned something in passing once about how she was restricted from changing when she wore something heavy across her back that couldn't be torn by her wings. I'm not sure if that actually prevented her from changing, or if she avoided doing that because it would screw with her wings somehow." "That doesn't help," Leda pointed out. Alex shrugged to herself. "Hey, I'm just passing along what I remember. I know Sue said she modified her Sailor Suit in the back to allow her wings to break through it, as otherwise it was too tough and needed to be sliced open first. Hey, umm, speaking of which...." she added, suddenly seeming to be very hesitant about something. "Can I ask you girls a personal question about the designs of your suits?" "What design?" Mina inquired. "They're all identical, save for the color and the choice of footwear." Alex paused to cast an uneasy glance over her shoulder at the residential hallway before gently clearing her throat. "Okay, I know I don't wear a bra very often simply because I'm flat-chested, but Mich uses one for support and all, which is fine with me. The problem we've noticed is that when she goes to transform into Sailor Neptune, her bra somehow doesn't make it." "None of ours do," Leda muttered darkly. "Wait, what?" Alex said, blinking hard. "When did this start happening?" "From day one," Leda replied in wary tone. "Why am I getting the feeling that we never had that problem before back in the Moon Kingdom?" "Because we didn't?" the short-haired blonde said archly. "Seriously, you mean to tell me that all this time here on Earth, you girls have been fighting the Negaverse without bras in those suits? Doesn't that chafe after awhile?" "Tell me about it," Serena muttered darkly, the tips of her wings seeming to shiver briefly. "Now hold on," Alex protested as she sat down on the edge of the table and rubbed her sinuses, completely oblivious to the fact that she was putting a wrinkle in Ami's homework assignment and was incurring a truly evil glare from the blue-haired girl. "Serena, you're the Crown Princess, you control the Imperium Silver Crystal. Why haven't you used it to modify the design, then?" "What?" Serena said, giving her a startled look. "Umm.... how?" Alex just stared at her in disbelief before sighing heavily. "Oh, for the love of the Moon, your Highness...." She paused as she suddenly became aware of the borderline lethal look off to her side and glanced over at Ami. "Uh, what's with the evil eye, hon? The deodorant gave out already or something?" "You're sitting on my homework assignment," Ami said in a rather glacial tone. "Please move before I have to kill you. Thank you," she added as the Viking promptly hopped off the table and edged away. "Damn, babe," she muttered. "Don't tell me it's your turn to start going all Rei on us...." Mina just shook her head to herself. "That was wrong," she commented. "So back to the suit issues," Leda said, casting a mild look at Artemis to suggest that it would be in his best interests to continue to remain silent. "You're saying that Serena could fix this problem for us somehow?" "I'm fairly sure she can," Alex replied as she set Artemis down on the table, making sure she wasn't anywhere close to Ami's school work this time. "Granted you'll probably have to run it past Sue just to make sure, as I'm sure she can tell you all about the design modifications she's made over the years and all, but last I checked such things are the domain of the Royal House." "Serena," Artemis spoke up in a careful tone as he padded his way over to her section of the table. "I know my memory about such things isn't what it should be, but I think I have a good idea of what Alex is talking about. You remember awhile ago when Luna and I supercharged everyone's powers, and you had to use the power of the Crystal to seal the new changes in place?" "Hmm...." Serena said quietly to herself, the soft triple-tone harmonic sounding quite pleasant to everyone else. She blinked suddenly and glanced up at the white cat with a slightly uneasy look on her face. "But that really wasn't me doing it, it was.... her." "Her?" Artemis echoed in a very uncertain tone. "The Moon Princess," Serena said in an almost inaudible whisper. "Umm, Serena?" Alex spoke up carefully. "You *are* the Moon Princess." Serena shook her head gently. "I know that, but.... in a way, I'm not. I can't explain it, it's like.... she's someone else who comes to visit every now and then. She knows things I don't, she remembers how to truly control the Imperium Silver Crystal. I'm.... still learning," she admitted with a dark blush of shame. Leda snorted quietly and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Funny, you seem to be doing a damn good job so far. Okay, so you might not be able to explain the whole process to anyone, but I think that your spirit knows how to make it all work when it counts, even if you don't think you do. C'mon, when did Luna take you aside and teach you how to raise your friends from the dead?" she pointed out as she leaned back in her chair. "She has a point, Serena," Ami chimed in gently. "You do seem to be able to get the Crystal to respond correctly in a crisis, even when you're asking it to do something unorthodox or unique that hasn't been tried before. Granted it doesn't seem to be able to break certain universal laws of physics, but that has never been an issue before." Alex nodded in agreement. "We're not trying to move heaven and Earth or anything like that, your Highness," she added. "All I want is a decently soft tit-cup for Michelle so she doesn't fuss about sore nipples in the shower, and a minor redesign of my panties when I'm transforming into Sailor Uranus so I don't wind up with crotch rash after a ten-minute fight." There was a slight pause as five heavy sighs were heard in almost perfect unison. "Must you be so vulgar?" Ami muttered, her cheeks tinted a rather fetching shade of dark pink. "Hey, I'm just saying the design is cut far too low," Alex protested as she made a gesture to her upper thighs. "If it can be drawn up to here and thinned out a touch in the front, to about this wide," she added with another series of gestures, "Then I don't chafe in four places when running. I don't have any issues with my Sailor Suit irritating my tits, so I don't need a bra. And like I said, I'm more worried about Mich's concerns than I am about mine." "You might want to try looking into this, Serena," Leda said in a quiet tone. "I don't know about the rest of you girls, but I really wouldn't mind a little support for the twins when suiting up, and I'm sure Rei would as well. And not just because it all becomes visible when we get wet," she added sourly. "Been there, done that, got leered at," Mina muttered. "And yes, support would be nice, thought I'd honestly have to ask for an underwire design rather than a traditional back-and-shoulder harness. Shoulder mobility," she added as she caught the questioning looks from both Artemis and Ami. "It's a little on the rough side to be running and jumping around when you've got shoulder straps digging into your skin," she explained. "Oh, okay," Ami replied after a brief moment of thought. "Alright," Serena said in a faintly uncertain tone. "I'll talk to Susan about it the next time I see her." "Talk to her about the communicators as well," Leda spoke up as a thought came to her. She leaned forward and dug a piece of scratch paper out of her homework folder and started to scribble on it. "Hell, might as well make a list of things we need to talk to her about, seeing how there seems to be more than a few issues. Sailor Suit designs, communicators. What else?" "Those fantasy-bubble world things of her would be nice," Mina spoke up in an openly speculative tone. "I'm still not sure how they work, mind you, but if we could create small virtual-realities as playgrounds...." "Gotcha," Leda said as she scribbled down another line. "Bubble worlds?" Artemis inquired, his eyebrows arched up. "Long story, kitty," Alex said as she absently reached out to stroke his tail. "I'm sure Sue will explain it to you if you can pin her down in a comfy chair for a few minutes. Done already, babe?" she added as Ami set her pen down and sat back, carefully studying the chains of chemistry equations she had written out. "I think so," Ami said after a few moments of studious silence. "That's Ami for you," Mina said as she turned her attention back to her all-but-forgotten history assignment. "I'm almost afraid to ask what other subjects she completed before I could make it over here." "Just her math assignment," Leda spoke up. "Really bizarre math," Serena muttered. "Trigonometry," Ami corrected with a faint hint of crispness to her tone. "Ami, we really need to get you out more often," Mina sighed softly. "Hey, I'm with the Princess on that one," Alex commented, casting a glance over her shoulder as she heard approaching footsteps. "Don't ask me to follow along with what Ami was doing to those triangles, it seemed pretty Greek to me. Hey, hon," she added as Michelle quietly joined the group. She blinked hard as Michelle promptly grabbed her earlobe and started to gently but firmly drag her back towards the residential hallway. "Ow, Mich! What the hell! OW!" "Let me show you what you did to the bathroom earlier," Michelle said in a fairly level tone. "I'm not even going to ask," Mina murmured in a very low tone, casting a sidelong glance towards the upset blonde being dragged into the hallway. "I know there's a few things I'd consider smacking Maze around for, but those are all typical guy habits like their issue with toilet seats." "I'll make you a bet," Leda said as she stretched, putting a significant strain on the front of her blouse for a moment. "Michelle strikes me as the quiet but slightly prissy type, so I'll bet it has to do with soap scum in the tub or something of that nature. You know, something that can be washed down the drain in ten seconds if you deal with it while it's still wet." "No bet," Mina replied in an airy tone with a small smile. "Spoilsport," the brunette grumbled as she turned her attention back to her homework assignment. She blinked and lifted her head up a moment later as she heard a muted beeping noise from somewhere, glancing over at Mina just as the blonde discreetly checked something in her pocket. "Mina, what sort of toy are you playing with now?" she inquired carefully. "Oh, umm.... nothing, really," Mina replied, seeming to be distracted for a moment. "Just a little device I picked up awhile ago that comes in handy every so often." "Tripwire went off already, hmm?" Artemis muttered, causing the rest of the group to blink hard. "It's early, he's probably just checking it out ahead of time," Mina said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She started to turn her attention back to her textbook when she realized that everyone else was looking at her with varying degrees of curiosity, concern, and suspicion. "What?" she asked in a tone of casual innocence. "Tripwire?" Ami echoed in a faintly edged tone. The blonde looked at her before glancing over at the visibly uneasy look on Serena's face, prompting a very quiet sigh of resignation. "Okay, look," she said in a low tone. "There are two reasons why I didn't come here right away with the rest of you guys after school. The first was to grab Artemis." "Oops," Serena said quietly as she reflexively glanced towards the front door of the cathedral. "Maybe I should have picked up Luna earlier...." "She'll be fine, she's probably out having a good time with Hercules or something, if you know what I mean," Mina replied with an absent gesture of dismissal, ignoring the pained looks from the rest of the group at the mental image. "Anyway, the other reason was to put one of Sailor V's toys to use, in this case an electronic sensor placed inside the church where she's going to be meeting with Jedyt soon. It'll send a signal to the receiver here whenever it gets tripped," she said, patting the small device in her skirt pocket. She paused for a moment as it beeped softly again, prompting another momentary delay as she discreetly checked the tiny LED readout. "That's probably him on his way out," she ventured absently. "It's what I did, really, a simple and brief stick-your-head-inside-and-look-around survey before leaving to go back to your usual business." "Should we ask where you got that from?" Leda inquired cautiously. Mina shrugged theatrically and turned back to her textbook. "Sailor V has many friends," she said lightly. "One happens to like tinkering with all sorts of electrical and electronic gadgets as a hobby. This didn't work the way he wanted it to, by the way, which is why he didn't have any concerns about giving it to me. I'm trying to convince him to open up a small store to sell some of those toys he makes, but he says he's not interested in the hassle. A shame, really, some of what I've seen could be sold for a serious penny if the right buyer can be found." "Right," Ami said in a faintly suspicious tone. "Settle down, Bubbles," Mina countered, casting a sidelong glance at her. "I'm not running around like I'm Batman's illegitimate daughter with all sorts of neat James Bond-like gadgets tucked into my panties, okay? I just happen to have a few really useful tools at my disposal. I'm sure you could easily build a detachable electronic tripwire sensor module for your own toy computer if you were of a mind to do so, so it's not like I'm walking off with black-market military technology or anything even remotely close." A sweet smile crossed her face as she leaned forward and added, "And trust me.... I've tried." "She's not kidding, is she?" Serena asked Artemis in a low tone. "Nope," the white cat sighed. "C'mon, even you said those night-vision goggles would be useful," Mina protested with a small pout. "Yeah, and I'm sure that military supply sergeant would have been quite upset if they had walked off," Artemis countered dryly. "Giving a cute girl first-dibs on military surplus is one thing, but some things just aren't for sale yet. Like he said, you'll probably be able to legally get your hands on one in a few years. We already had that very lengthy discussion about what I fully expect you not to do, and stealing from the military is on the top of the list. Even vigilante crime-fighters have to respect the law to an extent for the police to be inclined to overlook certain less-than-legal activities." "Mina...." Ami sighed quietly as she put her head in her hands. "Ami, how many criminals have you arrested?" Mina inquired casually as she looked down at her textbook and flipped a page. "Do the minions of Queen Beryl count?" Ami replied in a wary tone. "Nope," Mina answered lightly. "I mean fully-human, law-breaking dirtbags who might have otherwise gotten away with their crimes had somebody not been able to intervene in time. You know, crimes like assault, attempted murder, attempted rape, robbery, attempted robbery, drug-pushing, fun things like that. The way I look at it some days, usually when I'm in a pissy mood, uptight and sanctimonious, holier-than-thou people like you should be down on your KNEES, thanking V for putting her life on the line for the sake of people she doesn't even know and half of whom probably wouldn't have given her the time of day a mere five minutes before their world was rocked by some thug with a nylon over his ugly mug." Everyone blinked hard at the sudden shift in her tone halfway through her diatribe, edging back slightly as Mina's head came up to fix a truly piercing stare at Ami. "Ask Artemis," she said in a dangerously flat tone. "Ask him how I was about thirty seconds away from an almost certain death if he hadn't empowered those glasses with as much Lunar energy as he could without killing himself. Then ask him about all the good that Sailor V has done with her new powers since then, and not just smacking around rogue denizens. Ask him about the lives she's saved, both in England and here in Japan, and all the money raised for children's charities. Ask him how many young and impressionable kids these days look up to her as a role model, about how her influence has helped so many. Then I *dare* you look me straight in the eye and try to rake her over the coals over what she has to do some nights to get the job done." "Mina," Artemis spoke up very quietly. He waited for the worst of her sudden burst of anger to bleed off before continuing. "Just take it easy, we all know that Sailor V is one of the good guys. However, even you have to admit that she can be a true wild card at times, and we both know that never sits well with those who prefer a little more predictability in their lives," he said, casting a neutral look towards Ami. "And Ami? You really do need to cut her some slack every now and then," he added gently. "I've got my eye on her, and she can tell you that there have been times where a gentle nudge was called for to put her back onto a slightly straighter path." "Gentle nudge?" Mina echoed in a dangerously soft whisper as she began to read her homework assignment in apparent earnest. Artemis paused for a few moments to lick his whiskers. "Yeah, what?" he ventured in an extremely leery tone. "The last time you 'nudged' me on an issue, it took three days for the claw marks on my butt to heal," Mina pointed out in a flat tone, casting a very brief sidelong glance at the white cat. Artemis sat back and sighed, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh, here we go again," he moaned. "I already told you this several times, I only used my claws on you because you were sitting on my tail and wouldn't move. Let's not get started on all the things you've done to me when you didn't like what I was saying when I put my paw down." "Like what?" Mina demanded as she turned away from her textbook to glare at him, oblivious to the sudden look of unease being shared between Ami, Leda, and Serena at the shift in tension. "Let's see," Artemis said with a yawn. "You've duct-taped me to the door of your closet, threw me into your laundry hamper and set the TV on top of the lid, tossed me into the toilet and flushed on more than one occasion, dyed my fur purple of all things...." "Oh, come on," Mina protested, "The purple dye incident was an accident. Even you thought it looked like the bottle of shampoo at first...." Leda sighed quietly and looked over her shoulder as she heard a noise, raising one eyebrow at the look on Alex's face as she made her way back to the dining room table. "Everything okay?" she inquired cautiously. "Bah," Alex grumbled as she sat down at the table. "She was just ticked that I trimmed the short hairs earlier and not all of the fluff got washed into the drain like I thought. Umm, are they okay?" she added as she gestured to the almost casual way in which Mina and Artemis were arguing back and forth. Leda cast a dour look at Ami before shaking her head to herself. "They're fine, they're just bleeding off a bit of stress from earlier, that's all. I take it someone showed you how to use a safety razor?" she ventured. "What? Oh, nah," Alex replied with an absent wave of her hand. "Sue was kind enough to pack our blades in with the rest of the toiletries that she said she was able to recover from the Moon Kingdom. I tried using that foam stuff Whisper mentioned but it came out as this green goop that smelled bad, so I just grabbed the lather kit instead." "Whoa, whoa, wait," Mina said as she held up a finger to Artemis. "Hold that thought for one second, okay? Thanks. Run this one past me again," she said as she turned to Alex with a slightly queasy look. "Did you just say that you used a straight-razor to trim your pubic hair? Quiet," she added as she reached out to flatten Artemis' muzzle against the hard surface of the table. "Errrr..... mgkay," he murmured as his tail started to twitch. "Hey, I told you the cut of the panties in my Sailor Suit is messed up," Alex replied with a sour look. "I was getting friction burn from the elastic, and having it snarl the carpeting was making things worse, so I just trimmed it back a half-inch or so." "But with a *STRAIGHT-RAZOR?*" Mina protested, her eyes widening. Alex glanced over at Leda and Serena before shrugging helplessly. "What else was I supposed to use, babe? It's worked just fine for the past four or five years." "That's brave," Leda admitted quietly. "Mina, you might want to let the cat up for air before he claws you again." "Hmm? Oh, sorry," Mina said as she let go of Artemis' head, allowing him to breathe properly through his nose once again. "Yes, that is brave. One wrong move down there and you'll wind up with a second..... uh, Ami?" she said as the blue-hair girl stood up with a heavy sigh and collected her textbooks together. "What's wrong?" "I'm going to go study in a quieter place," Ami said briskly. "Preferably one where I don't have to listen to such impolite conversations about personal business. What?" she growled in a truly dark tone as Leda gently pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her back down into the chair. "Why don't we all take five, okay?" the brunette suggested softly as she began to lightly knead the tense muscles in Ami's neck. "Call it a study break or something. Not to say that it wasn't broken to begin with for the past ten minutes or so, but still. Settle down and relax, okay? You, however, need to start studying," she said to Mina in a gentle but commanding tone. Mina glanced over at the dark look on Ami's face before sighing quietly. "Yeah, I've still got a couple of hours to kill before I go deal with Jedyt," she murmured as she turned back to her textbook. Alex tilted her head to one side as she idly scratched her jaw, absently eyeing the way Leda's hands were skillfully working over Ami's neck muscles. "Remind me again how that's going to work, babe?" she prodded cautiously. Mina continued to look down at her textbook for a few moments before she sighed softly and closed her eyes. "I keep telling you, I'm not going to do anything, Sailor V is," she pointed out in a muted tone. "The general plan, pardon the pun, is to see what the hell he's doing this time. Only this time, if he's up to no good? He's dead," she promised as she opened her eyes to give the Viking a somber and serious look. "Patience is a virtue and all, but all kidding aside about losing my virtue to Maze, my patience with him is pretty much played out." "Can't you just kill him and be done with it?" Ami muttered darkly, the scowl on her face slowly fading away as Leda continued to lightly massage the tension out of her neck. "Please," Serena added, her own expression tainted with bitterness. Mina just shook her head and reached out to scoop up Artemis. "Sorry, we made a deal," she sighed. "We talk first, then we see what happens after that. And aren't you two usually the first ones to jump on my case about going off half-cocked and shooting first before asking questions?" she added, one blonde eyebrow arching up in mild unamusement. "It's Jedyt," Serena muttered as she glanced away. She blinked and held still as she felt Alex's hands lightly rubbing her upper back, seeming to be trying to mimic the movements of Leda's hands on Ami's neck. Her fingertips were more than a little cold, but it became obvious after a few moments that the short-haired blonde had more than a fair idea of how massage worked. "Easy, starlight," Alex said softly. "No need to get your panties all in a knot over it. Like I said, just point me to him and give the word, and I'll go lop off both his head and his balls for you." "He doesn't have any balls," Ami grumbled quietly as she closed her eyes. "Hey, c'mon," Artemis protested quietly. "Have just a little decency here and leave the guy's cajones out of this one. You're Sailor Scouts, there's no need for unnecessary roughness and hitting below the belt." "Don't tell me you're actually defending him," Alex said sourly. The cat just sighed and gave her a slightly pained look. "It's a guy thing, okay? Just let that one go, please. Hmmmmmrrrrrrr," he purred softly as Mina began to scratch him behind the ears. "So anyway, what homework do you have left, your Highness?" Alex asked absently as she glanced down at Serena's exposed back, giving the glowing wings a very studious look. She blinked as she was answered with a petulant groan that needed little translation, bringing a faint hint of a smile to her lips even as she felt a pang of regret at reminding the winged blonde that she still wasn't finished studying yet. "I'm just asking, that's all...." "Linear algebra and two writing compositions," Serena sighed. "Which subjects?" Ami spoke up, her eyes still closed as she started to unconsciously lean back against Leda. "World War II and a summary of some story read in class earlier," Serena replied in a faintly sleepy tone. "Something about a Roman emperor getting killed by a conspiracy." "Huh," Alex said thoughtfully. "I think I know this one. One of those salad emperors, right? Juice something?" "Julius Caesar," Ami said in a very pained tone. "Yeah, that's him," Alex replied with a nod. "'Eat this, you brute,' or something like that. Sue told us the story a few times, but I never really paid too much attention to the details. I know he made a really good salad, though, especially with the right croutons. Uh, Leda? I think you're rubbing her neck too hard," she pointed out as Ami groaned softly and slumped forward, letting her forehead lightly bump against the edge of the table. "She's fine," Leda muttered as she started to massage her own neck. "Okay, so maybe Ami's not the only one who needs to get out more," Mina commented quietly to Artemis as she tried to lose herself in the historical world of life in the late nineteenth century. "What?" Alex inquired in an uncertain tone. Leda just shook her head as she set her algebra homework aside and dug around in her backpack for her literature textbook. "Have a seat, Alex," she suggested as she flipped pages until she came across the section dealing with the Shakespearian story of the life and death of Julius Caesar. "It seems like you're in a need of a refresher as well. Here, read. You might want to pay attention too, Serena, if you have to write about this. See, it all starts back in Rome with these two Roman officials...." * * * * Sirene stood in front of the conference room door and tried to keep her cybernetic vision on both ends of the hallway at the same time, clearly not in the least bit happy with the current situation. There were six guards in total that she could detect, only four of which she could see in the visible light spectrum without resorting to using her optical implants to pick up the other pair of thermal traces through the walls. None of them were overly close to her, the nearest being a good dozen yards away, but it was still more than enough to give her a distinctly unsettled feeling. She reflexively glanced behind her as she heard yet another heavy metallic sound coming from the conference room where Ar'kanis was changing out of his flight suit and back into his heavy armor. Seeing his thermal trace through the door was a fairly trivial task, but she couldn't quite make out the lines of his armor well enough to discern how much longer he would need. The guards had assured her that they wouldn't be disturbed until he was ready, but there had been an undercurrent of resentment to the tone that only added to her sense of unease at the situation. And of course he asked me to leave the pistol in the cockpit, she thought to herself with a faint buzzing sigh. She paused and blinked as her implants registered a new thermal trace, watching carefully as the woman made her way down a corridor and into the main hallway where she could be seen using the visible light spectrum. she muttered softly to herself as she cast yet another quick glance behind her. She sighed as he seemed to be taking his time in putting his armor back on, his draconic wings flexing back and forth as if he were stretching them out. The sound of a pair of approaching boots caused her to refocus on the new arrival, snapping to perfect attention as she drew close enough for the silver stars on her collar to be seen. she said, her vocoder making her voice perfectly flat and devoid of emotion. Fleet Admiral Si'ren seemed to pause for a moment before returning the salute. "Major.... Sirene, is it?" she said in a calm voice. "Welcome back to the Imperial Castle. I trust he is waiting for me?" she added with a gesture of her chin to the conference room. Sirene hesitated for a moment before squaring her shoulders. "Understandable," Si'ren admitted as she glanced at the closed door for a moment before turning her attention back to the other woman. "Forgive me if I seem testy at the moment, but with events being what they have been as of late, I am not exactly in the mood for further surprises. What is the purpose of your visit?" Sirene said, her forehead wrinkling slightly. "What meeting, Major?" Si'ren prodded in a wary tone. "Until you set off a division-wide Raid Watch with your stealthed approach, I wasn't aware that such a meeting had been scheduled or even contemplated." Her white eyebrows arched up as she was answered with a flat burst of static from Sirene's vocoder that she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to have translated. Sirene inquired in as delicate a tone as her synthetic voice could manage. "No, Major, I was not," Si'ren said firmly. "I sense this is a bit of a surprise for you as well?" she added as Sirene closed her eyes, very slowly curling and uncurling her hands into fists. Sirene growled darkly. she added as she opened her eyes and gave the admiral an uneasy look. Si'ren sighed softly and reached up to rub her face with her hands. "If the situation wasn't so dire, Major, I might otherwise be amused by this," she admitted in a weary tone. "One Negaverse soldier to another.... just what the hell is going on in your division?" Sirene paused for a few moments to choose her words carefully, fully aware that she was a mid-rank Red Wing officer dealing with the highest-ranking naval officer in the military chain-of-command, and one who likely was quite unhappy with the Red Wings as a division. she said slowly, "Believe me, I will," Si'ren promised. Both she and Sirene looked up as the door hissed open, framing the heavy bulk of Ar'kanis' armor in the doorway. "Ah, timing," the admiral commented absently. "Admiral Si'ren," Ar'kanis said as he saluted sharply, the sepulchral echo of his helmet seeming to sound unusually loud to Sirene's ears. "General," Si'ren replied as she returned the formal salute. "As I was just saying to your pilot, I hope you will forgive me if my patience is rather short at the moment given recent events. Why are you here?" "Ma'am, I'm sure you are aware of the tension between General Rune and General Nop'tera," Ar'kanis rumbled quietly. "I seek to end it, preferably as quickly and painlessly as possible, and I believe I will need your help to do this as I doubt General Rune would be willing to negotiate with me directly." "Negotiate what, General?" Si'ren inquired carefully. "Peace," was the simple reply. "I'm listening," Si'ren pointed out. "Perhaps you would wish to sit and discuss this?" Ar'kanis suggested as he stepped back and made a gesture to the conference room. "I find that even when patience is short and time is of the essence, it is still easier on everyone involved to be seated for a calm and rational discussion." "And if I don't have time for this?" the admiral asked casually. "With all due respect, Admiral.... you may wish to make time," Ar'kanis countered calmly. "I have been allotted three days for this endeavor, after which I can make no further guarantees as to what the V'ral will do, but for the moment I can assure you that you will face no threat from the Red Wings while I am here and unharmed." "Really, now," Si'ren said carefully. "Admiral...." Ar'kanis said, lowering his voice to a very quiet rumble. "This is my own initiative, not Nop'tera's. I only know of one side of the story, of General Rune's attack on Nop'tera, but even I can see that there is far more to this than is readily apparent. Even so, there are more important matters brewing on the horizon that will need our attention, and I think it best that we be united as one cohesive military entity in order to meet and counter this threat than to risk disaster while fighting amongst ourselves like little children. For this, I am more than willing to put pride aside and to try to convince Nop'tera to do the same as well.... but only if there is some genuine reciprocation and agreement on General Rune's part." Si'ren looked at him in silence for a number of moments before very slowly nodding her head in understanding. "Yes, I suppose she would be concerned with the question of the Moon Princess as well," she said quietly. "Moon Princess?" Ar'kanis said cautiously, his helmet making the faintest of rasping sounds as it was tilted. "While I understand that her captivity here was a source of contention between the military and the Sailor Scouts from the planet Earth, I fail to see how that would impact the impending crisis in the Hinterland rift-world." "Oh?" Si'ren said, her own eyebrows arching up slightly. "You mean with the exploding moon? That concerns her more than the Moon Princess?" A very soft rumble rose up from the depths of Ar'kanis' helmet. "I sense a disconnect somewhere between our perspectives, and that does not bode well. Forgive me if I seem uninformed, Admiral, for while I am normally kept just as informed as Nop'tera is, there are sometimes things that escape my awareness, either by accident or by the design of others. What precisely is the nature of your concern regarding Earth's Moon Princess?" Si'ren paused for several moments as she regarded him very carefully. "General Ar'kanis, please tell me that you are intelligent enough to figure out what will happen once the general population learns of her heritage," she said in a faintly edged tone. Ar'kanis suddenly became as motionless as a statue, not even seeming to breathe for a number of moments. "Admiral, perhaps I am not nearly as aware of events as I should be," he said in a very slow and openly uneasy tone. "I ask for your indulgence by elaborating your concerns in a little more detail, as I have no personal knowledge of the Moon Princess' heritage, save that she is obviously the daughter of an Earth king or queen." Sirene suddenly spoke up, trying her best to ignore the sensation of her blood turning to slush at the realization that Nop'tera hadn't told him yet. "If you can inform me, Major, then by all means please do so," Ar'kanis said calmly, absently fluttering his draconic wings slightly. S