For Love and Justice

                                   Part II

                  by LeVar Bouyer (ldbouyer@earthlink.net)


Nagano-2, Colony of Hinansho, Moon Kingdom
551 Sakura Drive
13 June 3043
19:58 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Yusuke Okuma stared at his reflection in the mirror, making sure
that no stray specks of shaving cream were hiding on his face.  Everything
seemed to be in order there, and he'd already checked that the rest of his
attire was as perfect as he knew how to make it.  He wore khakis shorts,
which on a June night on Hinansho was a bit adventurous, along with a cream
colored short-sleeved shirt.  Satisfied with his appearance, he dashed out
of the bathroom and nearly flew down the stairs.

	"Yusuke-kun!"

	He froze at the door, in the middle of grabbing an umbrella.  "Yes,
mother?" he asked impatiently.

	"What time will you be back tonight?"  His mother looked up from the
couch, where she sat reading a magazine article on sailing.  His parents, he
remembered, were planning on buying a sailboat soon.  Yusuke generally felt
this was just an attempt to get he and his brothers out of the house.

	He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  "Around twenty-two or so, I guess. 
Maybe later, it's up to her."

	"Done your homework?" asked his father.

	"Of course, Dad."

	"Just checking," said Seiryo, holding up a hand.  "Wouldn't want you
to fall behind in your studies, even if it's for a girl like the one you
have."  He chuckled and returned his attention to the taped volleyball match
from the Moon.  On closer inspection, Yusuke saw it was the Lunar Gravity
League Championship.

	The black-haired boy smiled despite himself.  "No worries there,
Dad.  See you later!" With barely contained enthusiasm, he was out the door
and climbing into the family car.

	Automobiles in Nagano-2 weren't a rarity.  The city wasn't densely
populated enough to warrant the extensive subway and bus lines which were a
trademark of old Crystal Tokyo.  While there were buses, cars played a
larger role.  Happily, the thirty-first century electric automobile was
infinitely cleaner than its twentieth century internal combustion
predecessor.

	The silver four-door sedan Yusuke stepped into and started had a
battery charge lasting twelve hours under normal driving conditions.  It
could be recharged in almost any parking lot in the city, and thus was free
of the need to refuel with expensive and dirty gasoline.  It was also a very
quiet car.  There was very little noise as he pulled out of the driveway. 
As it happened, while it was within the engineers' ability to make the car
almost completely silent, it was decided that it had to make some sound or
else people would never hear it coming.

	Yusuke punched a button on the dashboard, and soon one of the latest
pop music hits was playing on the radio.  He was singing along loudly before
he had even turned the corner onto Akihabara Drive.


105 Akihabara Drive
20:01 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Achika Shibata stood waiting at the door when he arrived.  Behind
her dark outline in the brightly lit and open door, Yusuke could see two
other forms.  Not totally unexpected; only once had he been able to take
Achika out on a date without having to greet her parents, and it had been
when her parents were out on a dinner of their own.  Jamming his thumb on
the off switch, he hopped out of the car and walked briskly to the front
door, bowing to the three.  "Good evening," he said.

	"Hi Yusuke-kun!" said Achika, nearly bouncing up and down in her
excitement.

	'So much for formality,' he thought.  "Hi Achika-chan," replied
Yusuke.  "Ready to go?" As he drew near, he could see that Achika was
wearing a long green skirt with pink flowers which swirled about her ankles. 
The blouse was white, and a soft yellow cardigan completed the ensemble.  He
thought it gorgeous.

	"Yes!" she sang out.

	"Yusuke-san," said Eri, "once you get back, there's something my
husband and I need to talk to you about."

	The tone in Eri's voice wasn't one that Yusuke was accustomed to
hearing.  He was sorely tempted to ask what the problem was, but Achika was
so eager to go that he couldn't delay much longer.  "Okay.  I'll have
Achika-chan back before twenty-two."

	Eri nodded.  "So long!"  

	With only a hint of nervousness, Yusuke took Achika's hand in his
own and led her to the waiting car.  "So," he asked once they were out of
her parents' earshot, "is Chinese okay?"

	"Sure, whatever you like," replied Achika blithely.  At this point
she hardly cared if they went to the far side of Beta, the larger of
Hinansho's two natural satellites.  Normally they visited Crown Fruit
Parlor, but there was something to be said for variety.

	"Ah, good."  They both got into the car, and they were off.  Achika
spared only the briefest of glances at the lit windows of Dr. Sakachi's
house as they drove by it.  "A couple friends of mine were talking about the
new place that just opened up downtown.  Hunan Express, heard of it?"

	Achika shook her head.  "It's downtown?"

	"Yep, down by that Italian restaurant that Sakachi-sensei loves.  I
hear they have great lo mein.  Vegetarian, at that," he finished with a
smile.

	The green-haired girl perked up at that.  "Really?  That sounds
great!"  Achika had recently toyed with becoming a vegetarian, though
privately Yusuke felt the girl was too attached to cheeseburgers to be
willing to turn them down.

	Yusuke could almost see the smile in the darkened car.  "Thought you
might like that." They drove on toward the lights of downtown Nagano-2.


Hunan Express
37 Royal Avenue
20:25 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Sunday nights weren't very busy for the Hunan Express.  Achika and
Yusuke didn't have to wait for a table to clear up; in fact, aside from a
couple of naval officers in a corner, the two had the restaurant to
themselves.  The waitress handed them both menus and then slipped out of the
way to get their drinks.

	"So," began Yusuke, "how are things going with you?"  He looked
through the menu briefly and repressed a scowl as he saw the prices.

	"Well, I don't have any more headaches," replied Achika with a
smile.  "All the pain medication was becoming a real hassle, I'm glad I
don't have to take it anymore."

	"Great!  And just in time for football season, too."

	"Yeah.  Oh, thanks," she added to the waitress, who had returned
with glasses of water for the two.  There was a brief lull in the
conversation as they placed their orders.  "My coach says that I should get
the starting keeper position this year!"

	Yusuke smiled broadly.  Achika had had her eyes on starting keeper
since she had set foot on Hinansho.  It was what she wanted to do more than
almost anything else.  No-one had been more encouraging in her attempts than
Yusuke, who had immediately seen how much football helped the girl's
self-esteem.

	The conversation continued and meandered for a few minutes more,
while the water glasses dwindled to empty and refilled, and their meals were
served.  They were halfway through the second course when the sound of
laughter turned their heads.  Two women were walking through the open door. 
Both were dressed casually, one a tall redhead with blue eyes and glasses,
the other a slightly shorter brunette.  The redhead caught sight of Achika
almost immediately.

	"Achika-san!"

	Both Yusuke and Achika blinked in puzzlement.  Neither had heard
their teacher sound so . . . so . . . .

	"You sound giddy, Jennifer," said Eileen with a broad smile, nudging
Jen gently with her elbow.  The two women drew near to the other couple. 
"Then again, can't blame ya at all."

	"Hello, Sakachi-sensei . . . ," began Achika uncertainly.  Yusuke
echoed the greeting.

	"Hi," said Jen breathlessly.  She bent over slightly, hands on her
knees, and beamed at the two.  Eileen was next to her, an arm around Jen's
shoulder.  "We've got great news!"

	Yusuke and Achika shared a look.  "Um-"

	"We're getting married!" said Jennifer and Eileen in unison.

	All activity in the restaurant ceased.  The two Navy people in the
corner snapped around to look at the senshi.  Behind the counter, the
restaurant staff stared.  Outside, a blue minivan came to a stop, but this
was expected since it was at a red light.  It proceeded on its own a minute
later.

	Achika was the first to speak.  "Con--congratulations," she said,
half a dozen different emotions swirling through her.  She didn't know
whether to be happy, sad, jealous, angry, betrayed, overjoyed, or proud.

	"Yes, that's great news to hear," added Yusuke, who remembered
enough of his manners to stand and bow.  Across the room, the two naval
officers were making their way over to offer congratulations as well.

	Jen and Eileen drank it up.  "We haven't set a date yet," said Jen,
almost babbling, "but we know it'll be here on Hinansho, and it will be *so*
wonderful!"

	Yusuke could only shake his head softly and smile.  His thirty-two
year old teacher sounded more like her nineteen year old appearance than
ever.  It was quite a transformation to see.  He clasped a hand around
Achika's shoulder.  "I'd be honored if I could buy you a drink, or a meal."

	Eileen shrugged.  "Nah, no need for that.  Drinks are on us!"  This
drew a ragged cheer from the other restaurant patrons.  "We want to
celebrate, and you're all invited to join."


HMS Vulcan
8.3 astronomical units from Sol
16 June 3043
23:49 Lunar Standard Time

	Ensign Mieko Kunisada was the lowest ranking officer on the ship. 
Having received her commission a scant three weeks before being assigned to
HMS Vulcan, she was as low in rank and seniority as one could be on board
without being enlisted.

	Unfortunately, this meant when the survivors from EUV Concorde had
piled aboard Vulcan, she had been the first officer displaced from her nice,
orderly cabin and into the bunks for enlisted crew members.  She had been
given a scant hour to put as many of her possessions as she could in a
carryall and haul herself down three decks to the bunks.  All that, so a
Terran could sleep in her bed.

	It mattered little to her that she herself had been born on Earth a
scant twenty years ago, in 3023.  Nor did it matter that the man now in her
bed was there because his own bed was still adrift back at Neptune's orbit. 
What mattered was a foreigner had taken over her room, the room she had been
looking forward to for years.  As if that weren't enough, her new quarters
were right next to an air recycling unit which had a tendency to run very
loudly between 02:00 and 04:00.  She'd put in four complaints to
environmental and engineering, but they had informed her Vulcan had never
been designed to carry this many people, and they were already being forced
to red-line some of the recyclers in rotation in order to keep up with the
demands.

	Now, as she lay on her bunk, which she didn't seem to remember had
once belonged to a senior petty officer who was sleeping on the floor these
days, her thoughts were filled with little else but anger and hatred. They
were not emotions which the computer tech was used to feeling.

	At her hip, her communicator began to beep insistently.  She rolled
her eyes; she'd just gotten off duty an hour ago, and had barely had time to
grab a meal and try to relax.  "What do they want now?" she snarled.  The
other two occupants of the room didn't turn their heads, but went on reading
their books.  Mieko angrily drew the black device from her hip and put it to
her lips. "Kunisada here, go!"

	"Um, ma'am, this is C-4.  Could you come take a look at some funny
readings we're getting?"

	Mieko rubbed her forehead against an incipient headache, brushing
aside her black bangs.  "What sort of readings?  Don't you have a watch
officer down there?"

	"She's on the bridge.  Apparently the sub-processors up there are on
their last legs."

	The young ensign rolled her eyes and blew a sigh.  "I'm on my way. 
Kunisada out." She thumbed the communicator off and rolled up to a sitting
position, which resulted in her banging her head on the bottom of the bunk
above her.  "Dammit!" Rubbing her head, she grabbed her uniform jacket and
headed out the door.

	A few minutes later, Mieko was in the computer core control center,
abbreviated C-4.  She was surprised to see one of the enlisted techs lying
on a futon next to the door, and looked questioningly at the man who had
called her there.

	"Oh, him?" asked Petty Officer Second Class Hirotaka Eguchi, looking
up and saluting his superior.  "He said he sleeps better here than he does
in his quarters.  Less people."

	"I see.  Well, what's this you're talking about?"

	Hirotaka led the way to one of the system readouts, a flat screen
display on the wall above a console.  "See, a fifty-five percent spike in
CPU usage every five minutes.  I checked, and I traced it back to your
cabin.  I was going to run down and see what was going on, but . . . ." She
left the rest unsaid.  The junior rating wasn't sure enough of herself to go
down and check the cabin of her superior.

	"My quarters?"  Mieko blinked in confusion.  "I cleared everything
out of there that I could.  It'd have to be the terminal, right?"

	"Yes, ma'am."  Neither spoke what they were thinking, but there
could be only one conclusion.

	"Hm, I'll head down there.  Thanks for letting me know."  With a
nod, she was out the door, and soon running through the hallways and stairs. 
Someone in her room was using her computer terminal in an improper way,
which could not be allowed to continue.  Somewhere in the back of her mind,
something was telling her to check with security first, or at least read the
logs and see what the terminal had been used for, but she would have none of
that.

	She barely paused long enough to punch in the key code before
barging into her quarters, and for the first time in her life blind-sided
another human being with a right hook to the face.

	The European man in his bright blue uniform went down with a cry of
pain.  The two others who were gathered around her desk and the computer
there stared at her, deer caught in the headlights.  It was almost possible
to see Mieko's black hair rise up in an aura of anger.

	Then, they reacted.

	Mieko found herself meeting stiff resistance.  The remaining man and
woman, both showing the slight wrinkles of age, tried desperately to beat
back the black-suited intruder with a hail of punches.  She did poorly;
hand-to-hand combat and self-defense were both courses she had barely passed
at the Academy.  The Europeans landed multiple blows before Mieko could
stagger back into the hallway.

	Once there, the Europeans would have been well advised to let her go
immediately.  As it was, when two crewmen in the black and white of the
Royal Star Navy came around the corner and saw what was happening, they were
shocked.  "Get them!" shouted the higher ranking of the two, a lieutenant
(j.g.) who wouldn't stand for her shipmate being attacked by a foreigner. 
It was soon three against two.

	What followed was what would best be described as an old fashioned
barroom brawl.  Five people: four women, one man, all throwing punches and
kicks in the tight quarters of a corridor on a starship, slamming their
fellow human beings into pipes and choking them with bundled control wires. 
By this time the commotion was attracting the attention of others in
neighboring compartments, both Moon Kingdom and European.  While some moved
to break the fight up, others jumped in. In particular, those from the Moon
Kingdom were especially enthusiastic, as they really had been looking for an
excuse to continue the beating that had been dealt to Europe by Japan in
3035.

	Thus, it was understandable when the black and green-clad Marines
took a full ten minutes to get things under control.

***

	"Let me see if I understand this properly."  Captain Fuyuko
Ichiyusai rubbed the bridge of her nose and collected her thoughts as she
sat behind her desk.  Before her, Ensign Kunisada stood at parade rest, her
eyes fixed on a small oval portrait of Queen Serenity II on the bulkhead
behind the captain.  "You attacked a man just because he happened to be in
your room, and you thought he was using your computer?"

	"Yes, ma'am, as I noted at my deposition there had been a spike of
fifth-five percent in computer core usage, and the source was-"

	"I'm not interested in that," interrupted Fuyuko.  "What I *am*
interested in is that you've committed assault on the person of a Royal
guest-"

	"You-" started Mieko, and then just as quickly stopped, realizing
what she had done in interrupting her captain.

	Fuyuko simply paused and gave the ensign a stony glance before
continuing.  "As I was saying, you assaulted a guest of myself, this ship,
and Her Majesty.  This is not permitted except in self-defense, as you well
know.  Article eight, section three, paragraph thirty-three of the
regulations."

	Mieko bowed her head in apology.  "Yes, ma'am, I know that, and I
apologize."

	The captain relaxed slightly.  "That's good . . . but not good
enough, I'm afraid.  Discipline has to be maintained, and there *are*
penalties to your actions.  Normally, I would confine you to quarters until
we arrived back in port for a formal hearing.  However, given how tight we
are for personnel, I'm going to have to allow you to remain at your normal
duty station."

	Mieko breathed a short sigh of relief.

	"However, I'll also expect you to, um, volunteer some time helping
out the engineering staff.  They're pretty short-handed down there and they
need all the help they can get."

	"Um, how much time should I . . . volunteer?"

	"Oh, four or five hours a day should be plenty, don't you think?"

	The ensign tried not to betray her emotions.  That would give her no
free time at all, save time for sleep!  "Yes, ma'am, that would be fine."

	"Good, then there will be no repeats of this appalling behavior in
the future?"

	"None, ma'am."  A pause.  "Permission to speak freely?"

	"Granted."

	"Ma'am, they were asking for it.  They took liberties they shouldn't
have, they presumed to experiment with our computers.  That Terran got what
he deserved!"

	Captain Ichiyusai made as if to say something, but then thought
better of it.  "Dismissed," she said quietly.  Mieko snapped to attention,
saluted, and turned to go out the door.  Then the captain sighed and spun
around to look up at the portrait of Serenity.  Just a couple days until
they reached the Moon, and then the European survivors would be gone and out
of her hair.

	Only five fights so far.  She had to admit, things were going better
than she'd thought they would.


Central Spaceport
Mare Serenitatis, The Moon
17 June 3043
12:02 Lunar Standard Time

	"Things are going better than I'd thought," murmured Eisaku Hirota,
Her Majesty's Ambassador to the European Union.  Casually he reached over to
flick a speck of dust from the shoulder of his aide's black formal attire. 
His suit matched Eisaku's, except for the lack of the gold sash which marked
him as one of Her Majesty's ambassadors.

	"Yes, and no protesters either," replied Isoshi Komatasuki, his
aide.  Both stood in the reception line, awaiting the arrival of the
European Prime Minister.

	Mare Serenitatis, better known to colloquial ears as the Sea of
Serenity, was for all intents and purposes the capital of the Moon Kingdom. 
It was there the Moon Palace had been uncovered and restored to its previous
glory, there the Moon's largest spaceport was located, and there the
majority of its population lived.

	However, it wasn't where the Queen held court.  She, and most of the
senshi, were at Mare Crisium: the Sea of Crises.  It was rather hard to miss
the symbolism in her choosing that spot as the underground base of her
government.  After all, she hadn't picked other maria such as Anguis
(Snakes), Palus Epidemiarum (Diseases), or Sinus Aestuum (the Bay
of Seething).  Serenity II definitely had a sense of humor.

	For all the symbolism, Serenitatis Spaceport was the standard
reception point for important visitors.  Never before, though, had
Serenitatis played host to a foreign head of state.  The red carpet had been
laid out in a literal sense: red with gold trim, the crescent golden moon
and heart of the Moon Kingdom embroidered on the end nearest the edge of the
elevator.  Ships arriving at Serenitatis landed on a surface strip and were
taken below the surface by elevators, and this one was just lowering into
position.

	Eisaku looked around casually at the other members of the receiving
line.  A half dozen senshi, four of them planet senshi, a number of other
high ranking officials and naval officers, and of course Queen Serenity II. 
Today she was in the white dress she favored, but with pink trim instead of
the gold of her mother's.  She stood at the end of the carpet furthest from
the elevator, hands patiently clasped behind her back.

	In the few days since the Vulcan situation erupted, he had spent a
lot of time with the Queen, gaining a great deal of insight into how she
thought.  Now, as the final preparations were made for arrival, he realized
he still hadn't figured out how to read her face.  He suspected no-one could
without her knowing and approving of it.  For now, it remained in that
slight, eternal smile which she always seemed to wear in public.

	The indicator lights surrounding the main door to the elevator
cycled open, indicating that the connection to the hatch of the EU ship was
secure.  Eisaku's eyes flickered over to the Marine honor guard, decked out
in black dress uniforms, swords at their waists and rifles on their
shoulders.  They snapped to attention as the doors slid open.  To the right
of the receiving line, a brass band struck up the European Union's slow,
sedately anthem.

	Prime Minister Erik Bjerregaard Wernberg strode down the carpet,
wearing a conservative blue suit and tie which complemented his silver hair. 
Forty-eight year old gray eyes looked out at the host of senshi and
dignitaries, and the same crinkled smile which had won the 3040 election
creased once more at the sight of Serenity.  "Greetings, Your Majesty!" he
said, stopping the precise distance agreed upon by the protocol mavens and
making a perfect bow.  

	The pink-haired Queen inclined her head respectfully.  "Welcome to
the Moon Kingdom, Wernberg-san. I hope you had a pleasant trip?" she asked
warmly.

	"Excellent, excellent."  They continued their small talk, walking
down the carpet and being introduced to the reception party one by one,
flanked on one side by Diana and on the other by the prime minister's chief
aide.  Eisaku followed, along with his aide.

	"So," asked Isoshi, "how did a guy like *him* get to be Prime
Minister?"

	Eisaku raised an eyebrow.  "You don't know?"

	"Um, it's on the tip of my tongue."

	"You really should know that; they told me you had a degree in
European Studies!"

	"I, well, I forgot.  What with all the work I had to do getting
prepared to be your aide, it sort of got squeezed out." This last was said
with a very deep blush.  "Let me see if I remember.  It started after the
war, right?"

	"Right.  Continue."  They turned a corner, then another, following
the procession of dignitaries and senshi and marines as they wound their way
to the official welcoming and photo opportunity in the throne room.

	"Well, after Cabot was deposed following the 3035 war, there were
two or three people who wanted to fill in the vacuum of her administration,
right?" Eisaku nodded.  "Wernberg was the winner.  He's from Denmark, which
was virtually unrepresented in the Cabot administration, and therefore
'untainted.' Plus, he was on record as opposing the war in the first place.

	"Ever since he took office, he's been trying to mend the fences with
us, but he's under a lot of pressure from inside and out.  Lots of his
constituents don't want ties, especially the British. The other
confederations don't want him getting too friendly with us and gaining a
technological advantage."

	"Which is what we've been saying all along we won't let happen."
Eisaku watched as the Queen stopped to talk to a senshi who was standing
guard, introducing her to the Prime Minister and chuckling at something she
said.  "We have such a tight leash on the release of new tech that you can't
even export a light bulb without authorization.  They've got to know that by
now."

	Isoshi shrugged elegantly.  "They only listen to what they want to
hear."

	Eisaku nodded.  At his hip, the small personal communicator attached
to his belt beeped insistently.  "True enough . . . I wonder what this is
all about." He drew the communicator from its secure pouch and pushed the
receive button. "Yes?"

	Isoshi ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair as he waited for
Eisaku to finish his conversation.  While bisexual, he had never been
particularly attracted to his boss.  Besides, he already had a girlfriend
who was a section head at the Martian shipyards.  She was apparently close
in the power structure to Sailor Orion's father, or at least that was what
she said.  Isoshi's ultimate goal was to represent Martian interests as part
of the Royal Court, and he regarded his current position as largely a
stepping stone.

	His thoughts were interrupted by the chirp as Eisaku switched off
the communicator and returned it to his hip.  The older man was grinning,
but behind the grin was just a hint of doubt, a hint that he wasn't
really sure what would happen.  "That was one of my friends over in the PR
offices.  They just got the news from Hinansho; they've been out of contact
the last couple days because of stellar interference.  Sailors Orion and
America have announced their intentions to marry, claiming the precedent of
Sailors Uranus and Neptune."

	Isoshi blinked.  Given the near-epic nature of Sailors Orion and
America's romance, it was mostly a foregone conclusion they would marry
someday.  "But that's great!  It'll-"

	"That's not all.  That's what the public knows, or at least what it
will know once the news hits the nets.  What not so many people know is that
a whole list of requests and invitations came along with it.  Her Majesty is
invited, Sailor Orion's parents . . . and so are Sailor America's."

	Silence.  "No way."

	"Attached was a request to have the parents of one Lady Eileen
Pearcy granted Moon Kingdom citizenship and escorted to Hinansho to attend
the ceremony."

	"But . . . we don't *accept* American immigrants.  Hell, we aren't
even *talking* to them!"  Diplomatic relations with most of Earth had been
frigid at best since the war.  Relations with the American Confederation had
been literally nonexistent.

	Eisaku shrugged and pointed to Serenity II, who hadn't heard the
news yet, and was oblivious as she continued on her way to the formal
reception party.  "It's her problem now."


Ai Furikato Senior High School
Nagano-2, Colony of Hinansho, Moon Kingdom
17 June 3043
15:30 N-2 Standard Time

	Furikato High was built on a hill.  This wasn't immediately obvious
to a visitor who entered from the front of the building, but if the visitor
would go around back to the rear of the building where the athletic fields
were, it would be obvious.  There was a six meter slope which led down to
the track, football fields, tennis courts, and softball diamond.  At the
bottom of this hill was a drainage ditch.  Today it gurgled with water while
still more drained down from the hill, creating a small stream that led off
into a culvert and eventually into the bay.  Two children played in it,
getting thoroughly wet and setting the stage for a cold the next day.

	Some distance away, the first football game of the season was being
played.  Only a few spectators braved the elements of the early summer
downpour.  All had either ponchos or umbrellas, in contrast to the
twenty-two players and three officials who ran up and down the field in
bright, colorful uniforms completely and utterly soaked by the driving rain.

	It was a rotten day to play football, and Jen knew it.  She and her
lover--now her fiancee--were huddled together under a large umbrella,
watching Furikato take on the girls from Usu, a cross-town rival and
traditional season opener.  Usu High School had taken two of the last three
games, but confidence was high in Furikato's newest goalkeeper.

	The goal keeper was Achika Shibata.  She stood two meters in front
of the net, periodically wiping wet green hair away from her eyes, watching
the action on the opposite end of the field.  Furikato had been on the
attack for a good six minutes, putting constant pressure on the Usu keeper
and forcing many corner kicks and throw ins, but still didn't have a goal to
show for it.  'At least their goalkeeper is being tested,' she thought to
herself.

	She had yet to be tested, and didn't relish the thought of trying to
catch a rapidly spinning rain-slicked ball.  Even with her gloves, which
were coated with a special and officially sanctioned adhesive material, it
would be a tricky thing to do.  If it got much worse, she'd have to resort
to batting away any shots and hoping her teammates could handle any bad
rebounds.  This was a strategy she preferred anyway, but her coach insisted
on catching as opposed to punching balls away so as to prevent rebounds.  On
a day like today, she often felt like asking her coach if it would really be
so preferable to let it slip through her fingers.  She didn't like having to
put such pressure on them in her first time out, but then again, she
couldn't control the weather.

	Back on the sidelines, a short distance from Jen and Eileen, two
young men stood together entirely by coincidence.  Yusuke Okuma and Takeshi
Ashida both watched the match intently, though for entirely different
reasons.  Neither really had much reason to say anything to each other, and
so far they hadn't.  The ball went out of bounds, and Furikato prepared for
another throw in.  "So, how's it going?" asked Yusuke casually, raising his
voice a bit over the patter of raindrops on their respective umbrellas. 
Yusuke's was a forest green, while Takeshi's was a uniform black.

	The redhead blinked and glanced at Yusuke, whose eyes were still
firmly fixed on the players.  "Not too bad, you?"

	"I'm okay," came the reply.  "She's great, isn't she?"

	"Achika-san?" asked Takeshi, knowing that she and Yusuke were an
item.  His hand tightened on the handle of his umbrella.

	"Yeah."

	She hadn't handled the ball since the game began twenty minutes ago,
but he decided that telling Yusuke that might be construed as an insult. 
"She's okay, I suppose.  Did you talk to her before the game?"

	Yusuke nodded.  "She didn't seem too nervous at the time.  She'll be
fine.  Say, I didn't see you during the fall season.  Just got interested in
the team this year?"

	"Um-"  Takeshi was saved from having to answer by a shrill whistle
from the referee.  Usu took over the ball on the foul, and with a quick
restart advanced toward Achika and her three defenders.  Her midfielders
were caught forward, victims of the coach's overly aggressive strategies.

	Achika watched with a cool, detached air as they came.  She'd been
worrying about this for some time, but now that it was finally happening,
all the nervousness was gone.  There was just the white ball being hurried
along by the fleet feet of the Usu players, rainwater flying up and out from
it in all directions.  Her own team was too slow coming back, and a deft
move by an Usu player made it two attackers and two defenders.  Then one of
her teammates slipped on the wet grass, her cleats unable to hold their grip
to the ground sufficiently and sending her to the ground.

	Achika winced, briefly giving the defender a mental tirade for her
lack of balance and never considering the uniformly atrocious field
conditions.  It was an odd man rush now, and Achika had to decide quickly as
to whether she would come out of the goal, or retreat to the goal line and
await the inevitable shot.  In a split second she had decided on the latter,
and was already moving to cut down the attacker's angle to the goal mouth.

	Seeing this, the attacker decided she'd waited long enough and took
the shot.  It was a bender, tailing away from Achika and into the far end of
the goal.  Achika shouted something incoherent and leaped for it, arms
outstretched.

	Behind the sidelines, everyone watched expectantly.  In the driving
rain, it was a bit indistinct, but at the same time one could tell that
Achika had kept the ball out of the goal.  What they couldn't tell
immediately was she not only stopped it, but caught it.  She kept the ball
cradled close to her, not noticing or caring as her body lay flat against
the cold, wet ground.

	"*No-one* is getting this ball," she whispered to herself, listening
to the dull hum of the rain and the thunder of nearly two dozen teenagers
rushing down the field.  For a moment, she let the slight cheers of her
school's spectators wash over her as well, and then she stood, still
protecting the ball like a newborn child.

***

	Afterward, when the game ended in a 0-0 tie, Achika stood with the
two boys, receiving their congratulations.  "Well," she said sheepishly, the
rain still streaming down her grinning face, "it was nothing, really.  I
just dove for the ball and gave it my best."

	"Best?" asked Yusuke.  "Achika-chan, you were terrific!"  In his
enthusiasm he hugged his girlfriend tightly.  Too late he realized that
while he was still relatively dry, Achika's uniform was completely soaking
wet.  He didn't care, though.  The rainwater which soaked through his light
jacket was barely felt.

	Takeshi stood aside and aloof, watching the pair.  He hardly noticed
when Eileen stepped up behind him, realizing it only when their umbrellas
brushed together.  He turned to see the brown-haired woman standing with an
impish grin on her face.  Jennifer was nowhere to be seen.

	"Oh, sorry," he said in half-apology.  Eileen raised a hand.

	"Don't sweat it, kiddo," she said.  "You part of the Achika Shibata
fan club too?"

	"No, nothing like that . . . I just felt like coming out to the
game." He knew it sounded lame, but it was worth a shot.  He doubted the
American would pick up the real reason anyway.

	"Heh, nice.  So, Jen tells me you want to be a Marine?"

	Takeshi blinked in some surprise.  "Um, she told you that?"

	"Yeah, she did," answered Eileen.  She turned to look at the field,
which was empty except for one grounds keeper picking up the corner flags. 
Rain dripped from her bright red umbrella, flying off at a tangent as she
turned back to face him.  "She didn't sound too happy about it, either;
thinks you'd be better off going to officer's school."

	Takeshi looked down at his mud-spattered boots.  "I really want to
see the galaxy."

	"And you can get that just as easily as an officer.  You know that;
Jen's explained it.  So tell me, why do you want to spend your career
charging into machine gun fire?" The boy declined to answer.  Eileen sighed;
she'd been hoping not to use her trump card so early.  "Would it have
anything to do with your father?" Takeshi's back stiffened instantly. 
'Bingo,' she thought.  "Wanna talk about it?"

	"Not out here!" grimaced Takeshi, gesturing to the rain that was
still pouring down.  "And not ever, come to think about it."

	Eileen frowned.  She'd done a bit of homework on him, starting with
his family's arrival on Hinansho on forward.  His mother's death had pegged,
of course, but there also seemed to be the possibility of abuse on the part
of the father.  Very odd that he wouldn't have reported it; both
psychologists she consulted said children were always very good at speaking
up when abused.  At least, Japanese children were.  Terran ones were another
matter.

	"Takeshi, I'm trying to talk to you about it.  I really should have
gone to the police about it on the first suspicion, but I wanted to talk to
you first.  Now, tell me: what does your father do to you?"

	"Nothing," replied the boy curtly.  Eileen sighed.

	"Denying it won't get you anywhere, Takeshi."

	"Pearcy-san," said Takeshi in a preternaturally calm voice, "my
father and I get along perfectly.  There's no reason for you to want to
interfere, okay?" He checked his watch.  "I have homework to do.  Bye." With
the most perfunctory of bows, he turned and stalked off into the rain.


72 Akihabara Drive
22:30 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	"I don't suppose you got him to change his mind, then?" asked Jen as
she lay on her stomach in bed, the late news softly blaring in the
background.  Traffic accidents, fires, the usual calamities.

	Eileen walked out of the closet and slid into bed next to her lover,
wearing absolutely nothing.  "Nope.  He's still bound and determined to be a
Marine." Eileen hadn't told Jen about her research.  "Are you going to let
him?"

	"It's not a matter of whether I'll let him," replied Jen.  She
rolled over and stared at the darkened ceiling, her breasts bare as the
blanket slipped down to her hips.  "I can withhold my recommendation, but
for enlistment he just needs one.  He's a good enough student that he won't
have any trouble finding someone who can get him in, and after that it's out
of our hands."

	"No way to stop him, huh?"  She cupped Jen's right breast in her
hand, nuzzling her mouth against Jen's neck.  It was all very casual, as it
should be; in the middle of such a discussion sex was hardly first on the
agenda.

	"None.  Not without really pushing my authority, and we've got to
save our clout."

	Eileen sighed.  "It's going to be a hell of a battle.  And they want
no part of any talks with the NAC." She turned to look into Jen's eyes.
"Jennifer, I *want* my parents to be there.  I'll pull every string I have
to, but they're coming to see their daughter get married!"

	"They will, I promise it.  Even if we have to go in and get them
ourselves."  She gave her fiancee a reassuring shoulder squeeze.


Her Majesty's Briefing Room
Mare Crisium, Luna
18 June 3043
10:34 Lunar Standard Time

	"So overall, military action against the NAC would look pretty good
in the Terran press." Sailor Cassiopeia jogged her note cards into order and
looked at the other senshi ranged about the conference table as she finished
her summary.  "Half the planet hates them anyway; they've convinced
themselves the Americans were the ones who pushed the rest of the world into
the war, and anything we do to punish them is going to come out smelling
like roses.  That's all, Your Majesty." With a nod to the Queen who sat at
the head of the table, Sailor Cassiopeia sat down.

	Serenity II looked around the table.  Half the planet senshi were
there: Sailors Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, and in a rare appearance Pluto. 
Also present were Sailors Cassiopeia and Shaula.  "Would anyone else like to
add anything?" asked the Queen with a small smile.  She knew there was still
plenty to be brought up.

	"Serenity-sama," said Sailor Jupiter, "while it may be a publicity
coup, politically speaking there could be no worse action." She stood and
began to pace about the table.  "Right now the NAC is barely holding
together.  There are factions in Quebec, California, the Yucatan, and
probably half a dozen others we don't know about, all agitating to break
loose of the confederation.  On top of that, we have outright fighting going
on in the Grand Banks and Baja California, with no ending in sight.  The
whole thing is a powder keg, and the *last* thing we need to do is set the
damn thing off!"

	"Agreed," chimed in Sailor Neptune.  "The risk's just too great if
we get involved now." She stood as Jupiter took her seat.  "If the NAC goes,
things will get very difficult in Africa and Europe, both of which are under
our protection-"

	"-neither of which *should* be under our protection," interjected
Sailor Pluto.  The usually silent and mysterious senshi instantly had
everyone's attention; hardly anyone had spoken to her since the war. 
"Europe can protect herself, and Africa should have been left alone long
ago.  If we really cared about the people there, we would have financed
their move to other confederations."

	The Queen looked around at the three of her closest advisers and
bodyguards, then glanced over at the senshi whose fuku was white with a blue
skirt and silver bows.  "Sailor Shaula, please explain to the planet senshi
why their sentiments are unfounded?"

	The blonde-haired senshi blushed at the attention.  Normally she was
simply on the board that handed down disciplinary action for senshi who got
out of line.  Her interactions with the planet senshi were almost always
friendly, and she didn't really want to change that now.  Her soprano was
slightly shrill with nervousness as she spoke.  "Um, Your Majesty--well, as
you've said many times before, we have a golden opportunity to set aside the
hard feelings between our two cultures.  Your hope is that an alliance with
Europe will entice others to ally with us, first to gain access to our FTL
technologies, and later on because of all the other benefits we can give
them-"

	"-which leads to the hegemony you've wanted for so long," finished
Sailor Mercury.  "A noble plan."

	Sailor Jupiter shook her head.  "Not a feasible one, though.  The
Terrans are fundamentally warlike, and giving them access to the stars will
only make matters worse."

	A sigh came from Serenity II.  "Very well, then.  We'll continue
trying to talk to Sailor America's parents, but no attempts to get them out
by force.  I imagine increased technology transfers would improve things
considerably."  This was met with some grumbling from the planet senshi.

	"Your Majesty," said Sailor Cassiopeia tentatively, "if you aren't
going to have her parents, there may be still be a way to patch things up
with Earth, and help our own public image at the same time."

	"Oh?"

	Sailor Cassiopeia nodded.  The idea had come to her in a flash while
in the shower a few mornings ago, and she'd been hammering out the details
ever since.  "A royal wedding."

	Strictly speaking, a royal wedding does not have to involve royalty. 
Both women in question in this case were members of the peerage by dint of
being senshi.  Granted, they were rather low on the cosmic scale,
essentially knights, but it still wasn't much of a stretch.  However, a
royal wedding presided over by the Queen was rare.  Only one had ever taken
place before: the first official same-sex marriage in Japan's history
between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.

	"Interesting . . . go on."

	"Think about it.  A huge wedding with all the trimmings, in the
throne room.  Roll out the red carpet, deck the chamber with Royal colors,
invite tons of dignitaries.  Televise the entire event and let the galaxy
know we can get along beautifully with the rest of humanity.  Just pull out
all the stops."

	Serenity II frowned.  "Turn their wedding into a publicity event?"
she asked, a bit disappointed.  "I'm not sure they'll like having their
occasion being used for political gain."

	"Probably not, but even if they don't, I'm sure they'll love having
such a memorable wedding."  Sailor Cassiopeia looked into Serenity II's
eyes, pleading.

	"And such an expensive one," said Sailor Neptune.

	The Queen smiled.  "Luckily, money is something we have in
abundance.  I don't think that will be much of a problem at all.  Sailor
Shaula, could you go out and extend the offer personally?  I expect you'll
probably be the one sent out to relieve them if they have the wedding here,
since you did that delightful report on Hinansho's most recent trouble."

	Sailor Shaula nodded with surprise.  Hinansho?  Sure, it was a nice
place to write about, but she'd heard horror stories about the stellar
interference with communications out at that backwater of the kingdom.  She
didn't envy Sailors Orion and America their assignments there; Shaula
preferred the more cosmopolitan settings of Moon, Venus, and Mars. 
Languishing on that planet was far from her idea of a pleasant time. 
Instead she said, "I'd be glad to."

	"Good.  I'll expect you out there by the end of the week."

	"Um, I'll try."

 	"Now then," continued Serenity II, "any other business to attend
to?" The senshi shook their heads.  "Very well, then, I'll see you all
later.  Meeting is adjourned."

	Serenity II stood and watched as the senshi filed out.  The planet
senshi went first, obviously conferring about something, and then Sailor
Shaula followed, muttering to herself about having to find a Hinansho
campground.  This left Sailor Cassiopeia, who sat and gathered her notes
from the meeting.

	"Sailor Cassiopeia?" asked the Queen, walking to stand next to the
senshi.  The blonde turned, her curls bouncing slightly.  Serenity II
recalled Sailor Cassiopeia was the only senshi who didn't have straight
hair.  "Do you have a moment?"

	"Of course, Serenity-sama."  She hopped up to sit on the conference
table, crossing her legs.  "What is it?"

	"It's about the wedding; I'm still not sure making it a public
occasion would be the best.  The general impression I've gotten from the two
is that they were looking for a more private ceremony."

	Sailor Cassiopeia sighed.  "That was the impression I had as well,
but at the same time I'm almost certain they won't mind the added publicity. 
Think about it.  Since Polaris's death, the two have become the most famous
and well-known non-planet senshi.  They were the first to openly declare a
relationship.  They've been together the longest, and they were at the
center of the Hinansho invasion.  They've got to be used to the public
spotlight by now . . . and I don't think they'll be unable to handle it. 
They have great stage presence, Sailor America in particular."

	"I see."  The Queen paced about the room for a moment.  "They don't
hide from the press, at least."

	"That's the best part," answered Sailor Cassiopeia with a smile. 
"Sailor America *is* the press."

	Serenity II looked over at her.  "Could you do a preliminary
estimate on just what we'd need to do to pull something like that off?  A
sort of quiet estimate?"

	Sailor Cassiopeia nodded confidently.  "It would only take a couple
of days."

	"Thank you."  The Queen bowed and walked out, with the two senshi
who had been standing at the door flanking her.  Her blonde curls bouncing,
Sailor Cassiopeia slid off the table and turned the opposite way down the
hall.  She had to plan a wedding--and make sure those who were to be wed
didn't know she was planning it.


Room 1
Inner Sanctum of the Planet Senshi and Queen Serenity II
Mare Crisium, Luna
23:00 Lunar Standard Time

	Anyone could tell at a glance whose chambers these were.  Even if
the numbering system wasn't entirely obvious, one could simply look at its
furnishings.  Carpet, walls, furniture, tiles, bedding, all were varying
shades of blue, with some whites and wood grain sprinkled in for variety. 
The wood was in fact oak, though very few people ever noticed, and fewer
realized its significance.  The suite of rooms in which Sailor Mercury
resided boasted a large living room, and in this living room were all the
senshi who represented a planet, save one.

	"It's not like her to be late," Sailor Neptune remarked, an arm
around Sailor Uranus's shoulder as she sat next to her on a two-seat couch.

	"True," agreed Sailor Venus, "but she did say it would take some
time to find a replacement."  She crossed her legs in her armchair.

	"They'd hardly notice she was gone," muttered Sailor Jupiter. 
Sailor Mercury glanced at Jupiter reprovingly, and the taller brunette who
stood next to Mercury relented.  "Okay, *maybe* they would.  But they
shouldn't care-"

	There was a bang of displaced air as Sailor Saturn teleported into
the room, Glaive in hand.  The senshi brushed a strand of black hair from
her eyes and looked around at them all.  "I think we're all here now," and
with that she detransformed.  The others followed suit.

	Setsuna Meioh looked at the assembled senshi with the eye of a
fashion designer, and couldn't help but smile in the enigmatic manner that
by now was more force of habit than an attempt to look mysterious.  It was
so easy to see what a person was like from the clothes they wore.

	Ami wore blue scrubs and a white lab coat--because they were
comfortable, she said.  Minako wore a white Sailor V t-shirt and blue jeans,
totally out of odds with her age.  Rei wore the white, gold, and red robes
of the highest priestess of the Shinto religion; some rumors said she slept
in them.  Makoto wore the black jumpsuit of the Royal Star Navy, still
trying to atone for her failure in 3035.  Hotaru wore the same jumpsuit, but
its white turtleneck did little to counter the morbidity of its inky jet
blackness, death personified into a garment.  Haruka wore the silver flight
suit of a pilot; now that Setsuna thought of it, Haruka had been spending a
lot of time with the fighter wing of HMS Furuhata.  Michiru wore an elegant
white blouse and aqua pants; only a very keen eye could spot the tiny speck
of paint that told Setsuna that the senshi had been in the midst of another
artistic creation.

	Setsuna herself?  Well, she had to admit she was just as predictable
as the rest.  She had chosen a smart gray business suit with white
pinstripes.

	'Do we do this intentionally?' she asked herself.  'Or is it just
unconscious, the way our clothes so unerringly fit our personalities?'
Centuries of study had revealed no clear answer.  Even those who claimed to
dislike being stereotyped did it anyway.  The best example was Sailor
Mercury, who on her seven hundredth birthday received seven white lab coats
from the other senshi.  She had feigned outrage at the time, but as it
turned out each coat was added to her wardrobe.

	The newer senshi, she'd noticed, lacked this trait.  Sailor Orion,
for example, only wore her bookish school uniform because she had to, and at
that, it was worth noticing that she'd had her skirt hemmed up as far as
possible.  She, like most of the other post-3001 senshi, found a delicious
thrill in flaunting her body.  It was as if the process that transformed
young women into senshi also trapped them in the self-consciousness of a
teenager just coming to terms with her attractiveness--except in this case,
the teenagers would never grow old.  Then again, she and the other planet
senshi had thought that as well, and look at them now.

	Michiru broke the ice.  "Serenity-sama is about to make a very
large mistake.  We can't allow her to undo all the work we've done by
intentionally starting a war with North America, but we can't do anything to
stop her, either."

	"Drag our feet, maybe?" asked Minako.  "That would slow things down
until the actual date of the wedding."

	"But they haven't set a date yet," Hotaru replied.

	"So we'll set one for them.  A royal wedding would be on our terms,
wouldn't it?"

	"Yes and no."  Rei seemed thoughtful.  "We *could* enforce a date on
them, but it wouldn't be proper.  This is a sacred occasion, and there's a
limit to how far we can use it for our own purposes." The spiritualist in
her rebelled at the idea of profaning the holiness of marriage with their
own political ambitions, and she was unwilling to pass a certain point in
her desire to regain control of affairs.

	The other senshi sat back and considered this for a moment.  Ami
asked, "Perhaps we can just talk this over a bit more?" Next to her, Makoto
nodded.  "We still have a lot of time, and it's not as if she's going to
push anything through over our heads."

	"Perhaps," Michiru conceded.  "Perhaps, but somehow I think it
unlikely.  She almost never changes her mind--except for you, Hotaru-san."

	All eyes turned to Hotaru, who suddenly looked like she wanted to be
anywhere else.  "You're her best friend," pointed out Haruka.  "She'll
listen to you more than she'll listen to anyone else."

	"I wouldn't want to abuse that relationship."  Hotaru knew full well
they *had* been best friends before.  Now she couldn't be so sure anymore. 
They'd drifted apart over the years, and she suspected the other senshi
overestimated the influence she could exert on the Queen.  Then again,
lately there had been some hints which promised to blossom into something
new.  "And besides, she's made her decision.  Right or wrong, it's not our
place to change it."

	"It's our job to advise," pointed out Rei.  "That's just what you'll
be doing: advising."

	"Yes, advising her to follow along with our own particular agenda."
Hotaru's violet eyes were hard.

	"The agenda that we all decided was in the best interest of
*everyone*," Rei retorted, her purple eyes flashing.

	Hotaru looked down at the blue-carpeted floor thoughtfully. 
"Perhaps I've changed my mind on what that best interest is."

	Rei stared at Hotaru for a long moment, then almost imperceptibly
rolled her eyes and turned away.  "Okay, fine.  Ami, she trusts you a lot,
you can go for it.  Ami?"

	Ami's head was facing in the opposite direction from Rei.  The
senshi of fire looked to see that Ami was staring at a group portrait of the
inner senshi.  "I think we should ask one other person's opinion."


Personal Quarters of Neo-Queen Serenity I and Prince Consort Endymion I
Royal Palace
Mare Serenitatis, Luna
19 June 3043
00:03 Lunar Standard Time

	Usagi Tsukino rolled over and grumbled at the noise.  Bleary-eyed,
the former ruler of Crystal Tokyo looked at the red numbers of her bedside
clock and sighed.  "This had better be good," she mumbled.

	A kiss on the cheek from her husband cheered her slightly.  "What's
up?" asked Endymion, who went more by Mamoru these days.  He still woke
earlier than his wife when someone called.

	"I don't know.  Whoever's waking me up at midnight better have a
good reason, though." She got out of bed and pulled on a faded, threadbare
yellow robe before padding out to the foyer.  Only the most perceptive eye
would see it once had a brown teddy bear embroidered upon it.  Once at the
door, she palmed it open and saw a surprising sight.  "Guys?  What are you
doing here?"

	The planet sailor senshi stood outside, looking fairly self-composed
for now, at least.  Sailor Mars spoke for them all.  "We have a favor to ask
of you, Your Majesty."

	Usagi yawned and waved them inside.  "It can't wait until tomorrow?"
she asked as she sat down in a pristine white couch.

	"I'm afraid not," answered Sailor Mars.  She and the other senshi
continued to stand at attention.  "It concerns your daughter."

	The diminutive blonde was careful to appear relaxed, but she was
instantly on guard.  "You know how much I dislike interfering in her
affairs," she said casually, leaning back against the sinfully comfortable
cushions.

	"And interfering is the last thing we want to do!  We just need a
bit of advice in how to approach her with a proposal." At Usagi's unspoken
question, she continued.  "Sailors Orion and America have yet to set a date
for their wedding.  We want to ask Her Majesty for permission to set the
date for them."

	"Why?"

	"So we'll have more time to convince Her Majesty that she shouldn't
go ahead with getting Sailor America's parents out of the NAC." She blinked. 
"Oh *damn*." Mentally Mars kicked herself; her carefully crafted lie had
evaporated on her tongue.  She had to admit, rather grudgingly, that lying
to Usagi was something she was by now mentally incapable of.

	Usagi looked at Sailor Mars in slight disbelief, then at the others. 
"You're not serious, are you?" At Mars's nod, Usagi shook her head. 
"Eileen-san has every right to have her parents there for the most important
day of her life, you know that."

	"But-"

	"No buts!  If Eileen-san wants her parents, she'll have them.  I
won't do anything to influence my daughter's decision, and if you're wise
neither will you.  Understood?"

	Sailor Mars bowed her head in defeat.  "Yes, Your Majesty.  Sorry to
have bothered you." She bowed and, with the other senshi, beat a hasty
retreat.

	Usagi sat for a moment and shook her head, then stood to return to
her bed.  She had said she didn't wish to interfere in her daughter's
affairs, and this was true.  Her daughter had to find her own way, much as
Usagi had found hers.  Then again, she rationalized to herself, it was no
longer a matter of interference.  By asking for her advice, the senshi had
already entangled her in the situation, and thus it was no longer
interference.

	She slid into bed next to her husband, who was already asleep.  Yes,
it wasn't interference, and she knew Serenity II wouldn't mind advance
warning of what the senshi planned.  Perhaps even a bit of advice.

	A small smile creased her lips as she fell into slumber.


Ai Furikato Senior High School
19 June 3043
11:30 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Teaching was still a passion which Dr. Jennifer Sakachi enjoyed
greatly, but today it seemed different somehow.  A bit off, a bit
unbalanced, like trying to throw a ball left-handed.  She and Eileen spent
the previous night staying up late on wedding plans, and it was still a bit
of a distraction.  She found it hard to concentrate on her tasks at a
time like this.  

	Jen gritted her teeth, then let out a short sigh of frustration. 
She'd read this student's essay half a dozen times, and she still wasn't
thinking clearly enough to give it a fair grade.

	Denbe Tsukahara looked over from his own grading work.  "Having
troubles, Sakachi-san?"

	Jen nodded.  "I just can't think straight today."  She sighed again
and nearly slammed her red pen on her desk.  "This just doesn't happen to me
normally!"

	"Maybe you should try a break," suggested Denbe, leaning back in his
cushioned swivel seat and interlocking his fingers as he stretched his arms
behind his head.  "Go take a walk outside, it's a pretty nice day, I think."
The planning room lacked any windows, surrounded as it was by hallways and
classrooms on all four sides.

	"A break?"  The concept was almost foreign to Jen.  "With all this
work to do?"

	"Yes, a break.  It's not unheard of, especially for associate
professors of history." Denbe smiled without a hint of envy.  "You've got
clout, why don't you use it?"

	"Because I don't want to; I want to succeed on my own merits." Jen
sighed, wondering how to explain it best.  "It's more important to me to be
recognized as an educator than as a senshi, the achievement is more
comparable."

	"You won't achieve much at all if you burn out at thirty-two,
Sakachi-san." Denbe's expression was serious as he put down his pen and
sipped from a bottle of water.  "An academic career takes decades to build,
and you've got more time than most.  Why not just use it?  Take some
vacations, you can afford it!"

	Jen blinked, then giggled softly.  "You sound like Eileen when you
say that."

	Denbe smiled and picked up his pen again, examining a paper and then
circling an error.  "Perhaps she has the right idea, then." Jen leaned back
in her seat.  "I have to say I've admired you and your career for some time,
and I'd hate to see it ruined."

	"I'll keep that in mind."  She doodled on a small sketch pad.  As
usual, her figures bore little resemblance to human beings.  'Over thirty
years old, and I still can't draw worth a damn,' she thought.  Perhaps she'd
add drawing to her list of skills to master, after she'd completed her study
of the alto saxophone.  "But enough about me.  When are you going to settle
down and marry?"

	"What, settle down?  And deprive the poor single ladies of Nagano-2
of their greatest lover?"  He spread his arms magnanimously.  "There would
be riots in the streets!"

	"I think you're overrating yourself," Jen said dryly, but a smile
curled her lips.  She checked the wall clock and sighed.  "Time to go back
to work." She picked up the test papers she had been working on and jogged
them into a neat stack, then put them in her black monogrammed briefcase. 
It had been a birthday gift to her two years ago from Eileen, and she gave a
brief loving brush of her fingers to the JAS engraved on the polished
twenty-four karat gold.  

	Denbe gave her a baleful glare.  "All right, all right," Jen
conceded.  "I'll take tomorrow off, okay?  If Eileen can get the day off too
then we'll get some things set."

	"A good start."

	"Start?"

	"Yes, start.  You need more days off."

	Jen smirked and took a quick peek in the wall mirror to make sure
her hair was in order, then walked over to stand next to Denbe's desk.  "Now
why do I think that you're living your own wishes for more vacation time
vicariously through me."

	"You caught me," Denbe laughed.  Jen shook her head with a giggle
and walked out of the planning room.  It was a rather short trip to her
classroom, and as she was a minute ahead of the changing bell she didn't
have to battle any student traffic to get there.

***

	Achika huffed up the nearly deserted stairs, all too aware of how
close to the tardy bell she was.  In her haste she dropped her school-issued
burgundy book bag, and was forced to double back and pick it up. 
Unfortunately for her, she missed the black handle on her first try and had
to reach down for another, kneeling precisely in a spot of dirt and
smudging her bare knee.  As she continued up the stairs and her foot reached
the top step, the bell was beating out its insistent tone.  "Dammit!" she
muttered, breaking into a run that stopped as soon as she reached the
doorway of her classroom.

	Dr. Sakachi was there, her notes arranged on the desk in their usual
precise order, her textbook open, and the hint of disappointment on her
face.  "You're late, Achika-san."

	"Yes, Sakachi-sensei, I'm very sorry."  Her face red, she bowed
low in apology.  "It won't happen again."  She straightened, congratulating
herself on taking the quick opportunity to wipe the smudge from her knee and
wipe it on the obscuring gray of her skirt.

	Jen nodded once.  "We have a surprise quiz today, but I know you
always do your homework so it shouldn't be a problem. Here." She offered a
single sheet of paper, questions printed on both sides.  There was a
depressingly large amount of blank white space left for the answers.

	Achika blanched and took the sheet quietly, walking woodenly to her
desk and taking out her pen.  "Figures that she'd pick the one day I didn't
do my homework," she muttered.  She brushed a lock of green hair back over
her shoulder and glared at the first question, which was based off the
second section of last night's reading.  Of course, this was the only thing
she remembered about it.

	Back at the large, wooden desk, Jennifer played with her pen
thoughtfully. Achika's lateness was only a minor concern, and she had nearly
forgotten about it already.  Her mind was back to wedding plans; in
particular, whether to marry in Royal Star Navy dress blacks, or the more
traditional white wedding gowns.

	Eileen would look good in a wedding gown, she decided.  Gorgeous. 
Elegant, even.  Jen herself wouldn't, though.  She was too tall, in her
opinion.  Besides, she'd never worn anything so frilly in her life.  The
closest she had come was the second wedding of her aunt.  No, third; that
particular aunt had difficulty keeping a spouse more than two or three years
at a time.

	Her fingers ran along the plastic grip near the tip of the pen. 
She'd been a flower girl at the wedding, only nine at the time.  Jen's
parents made a big deal out of the trip down to Hiroshima, taking an express
jet instead of just hopping on a train.  Only later had she realized how
expensive such a trip really was.

	The bride had been beautiful, she remembered.  She distinctly
recalled her breath catching in her throat when they arrived at the chapel
and she had her first glance at the bride.  Her elaborate gown had been all
lace and silk, her slim hands gloved, her face and hair taking on an air of
unreality behind the gauzy veil.

	Jen sighed.  She so wanted to see Eileen in such attire.

	"Um, Sakachi-sensei?" Jen looked up and saw Achika Shibata wearing a
bridal gown.  "I don't quite understand the wording of this question."

	She blinked once, then twice.  Achika was back in her school
uniform.  "Um . . . right.  Let me have a look at it, please."


Briefing Room 2328
Royal Star Navy Headquarters
Mare Crisium, Luna
20 June 3043
14:05 Lunar Standard Time

	Captain Ichiyusai took a brief moment to inspect the space-black of
her dress uniform and make sure it was properly in order.  The RSN had
changed its dress uniform from white to black a year before, apparently
feeling it meshed better with the black coveralls worn on all other
occasions.  On her right arm was the name patch of her ship, HMS Vulcan, and
its crest: the god Vulcan, hammering out a sword on his anvil.  On her left
arm was the golden crescent and heart of the Moon Kingdom, and the Royal
motto embroidered in tiny letters: Pro Amor et Justicia.  The four gold
stripes of a captain ringed her cuffs, and on her breast hung her single
decoration, a minor medal for graduating first in her class.

	Satisfied as to the acceptability of her uniform, she stepped in
front of the silver metallic door and walked inside after it slid open
automatically.

	The chamber was large in dimension.  At the far end was a long, high
table covered by a pink felt cloth with gold trim.  On it was the Royal Star
Navy's motto in kanji and kana: In Space, Always Victorious.  Behind the
table sat three women and two men, a microphone, glass of water, and
minicomputer on the table in front of each of them.  The woman at the center
of the table had the shoulder braid of a commodore; the rest were captains
like Fuyuko herself.  She was the juniormost, though.

	She sighed.

	The rest of the room was just as stark and functional.  Above the
captains was an rectangular portrait of Queen Serenity inlaid in a gold
frame that looked oddly Victorian against the oaken wood paneling of the
walls.  Fuyuko briefly wondered if it was fake or not; this room was just
important enough that it might have warranted purchasing the genuine article
from an Earth forest.

	A wide expanse of bright red carpet separated the high table from
two rows of lower wooden tables and cushioned chairs.  Each seat at each
table was already taken, by people ranking from petty officer to captain,
like herself.  She noticed on one side of the room was a cluster of men and
women in the powder blue dress uniforms which she recognized to be those of
the European Union Navy, and even two men in the white of the American Navy. 
Suddenly she had an inkling of why the RSN had changed its attire.

	There was just one empty seat, and a clean, crisp ensign who looked
like she'd just come out of the packaging stepped into view from the side of
the door to escort her to her seat.  Captain Ichiyusai firmly squashed the
smirk which threatened to creep up her expression.  The wonders of Royal
Star Navy tradition, where a full captain couldn't even go to her seat
without assistance.

	"Thank you," she said politely.  She placed her briefcase on the
tabletop, carefully avoiding her own water and minicomp.  Next to her was
her executive officer, and by craning her neck Fuyuko could see the rest of
her senior staff.  "I haven't missed anything, have I?"  she asked her exec.

	Commander Katsumi Tanazaki shrugged.  "Not really.  A couple minutes
ago there was a bit of a fuss with the flags, though."  She nodded her head
toward the long flag officer at the head table.  "A bunch of 'em came in
and talked with Commodore Aihara for awhile.  I'm not sure what it was
about, though."  Katsumi said nothing more; overly speculating on the
actions of flag officers wasn't a good idea for those who aspired to such an
exalted rank.

	Fuyuko nodded and bit back a yawn.  She noticed Katsumi's politely
raised eyebrow.  "I didn't get much sleep last night.  Spent all the time
looking over the logs and reports of the incident."

	Katsumi said nothing.  There couldn't be too many logs; while all
chambers on board Vulcan were fitted with cameras as a matter of course,
there wasn't enough memory in the computers to record every second of every
day in every room.  Without that pictorial record, it was just the word of
Ensign Kunisada against that of the EU personnel.  Involuntarily her gaze
flickered back to the four men and two women in blue.

	Finally, the commodore glanced at her watch, nodded to herself, and
sounded three clear notes on the brass bell which sat before her on the
table.  A midshipman cleared her throat and raised her clear, yet slightly
quavering voice to be heard by all present.  She was sixteen years old. 
"This board of inquiry is now in session, to be conducted under and governed
by Article Twenty-Two, Section Eight of the Royal Star Navy Uniform Code of
Conduct and Regulations.  As such, all monitoring and recording devices must
be switched off.  Presiding officer is Commodore Yuki Aihara."

	Captain Ichiyusai folded her hands in her lap and thought through
what she knew about Commodore Aihara.  Aihara had been a mere lieutenant
commander during the 3035 war, and had distinguished herself with her
tactical abilities.  After that she raced up the advancement ladder, making
her current rank of Commodore in 3041.  Since then, though, she'd hit a bit
of a glass ceiling as her tactical skills atrophied.  That had been amply
proven in the last set of war games, where she had managed to completely
destroy her command in a simulated defense of the Sol system against alien
aggressors.

	Commodore Yuki Aihara was also a very close friend of the senshi,
dating from a brief stint as adjutant to Sailor Jupiter.  Scuttlebutt held
it was the only reason she hadn't already been demoted.  All in all, she was
probably the worst, least effective, lowest ranking flag officer in the
Royal Star Navy.  So why was she heading the board of inquiry?

	"Let's get to the point," said Aihara gruffly.  Her voice was low
and unpleasant; Fuyuko took an instant disliking to it.  "Ensign Kunisada
is accused of assault and battery on several members of a foreign navy.  In
particular: Petty Officer Second Class Andrew Duval, Petty Officer Second
Class Michel deGaulle, and Petty Officer Third Class Emily Charlot."

	She made a large show out of punching at her computer and pulling up
the relevant details.  "Captain Ichiyusai?"  Her narrow black eyes looked up
from beneath a mass of dark curls.

	The captain promptly stood at attention.  "Yes, ma'am?"

	"Says here your judgment was for Ensign Kunisada to volunteer an
extra shift with the engineering department."  She glanced over to the
ensign in question, who sat stiff and uncomfortable in her own dress
uniform.  "Is this correct, Ensign?"

	Mieko stood briskly.  "Yes, ma'am!"

	Commodore Aihara smiled thinly.  "Thank you, you may be seated."
With a clearly audible sigh of relief, Kunisada returned to her chair. 
"Captain Ichiyusai, perhaps you could explain the reasoning behind your
actions."

	Fuyuko paused the briefest of moments to swallow.  She'd prepared
for this question.  "As you know, ma'am, maintaining discipline aboard a
starship is always of crucial importance.  Ensign Kunisada's actions were
completely inappropriate-"

	"Excuse me, Captain," interrupted one of the men on the panel,
Captain Ken Torimoto.  "Ensign Kunisada's terminal was being used for a
disruptive computer query which was draining a significant amount of
computer resources.  Don't you believe she was justifiably angry?"

	She refused to back down.  "Angry, perhaps, but an officer must
always keep a level head.  If she had difficulties with the behavior of my
guests," putting a slight but noticeable emphasis on 'my,' "she should not
have taken it upon herself to settle the matter with fists."

	Captain Torimoto nodded.  "So you wouldn't characterize this as an
officer showing initiative?"

	"Certainly not, Captain."  Her toes wriggled in her boots, an old
habit of hers when feeling nervous.  "I consider her behavior a disgrace to
the Royal Star Navy, and the only reason I didn't lock her up in the ship's
brig was that we were already short-handed.  The strain of an extra crew on
the ship's environmental plant was enough that I needed all the help I could
get, and until she could receive more fitting punishment on Luna, I decided
she could provide it."

	"I see, thank you."  Captain Torimoto leaned back in his seat as
Commodore Aihara leaned forward.  Fuyuko Ichiyusai didn't like the
expression on her superior's face at all, but couldn't figure out why.  What
annoyed her more was the fact that so far she had been the one being
grilled, not Kunisada.  She couldn't imagine why; the ensign was the one
who'd started a brawl, not the captain.

	"Captain Ichiyusai," said the commodore deliberately, and if the
malice hadn't been apparent before it was obvious now.  "When passing
judgment on Ensign Kunisada, did you take into account her family history?"

	Fuyuko's mask slipped for a moment, and an expression of surprise
crossed her face at the apparent non sequitor.  "Beg pardon, ma'am?"

	Aihara frowned and tapped a finger on the table impatiently.  "Did
you or did you not take into account Ensign Kunisada's family history when
you passed your judgment upon her?  A simple yes or no will suffice."

	The captain couldn't stop from scratching her head in confusion. 
Suddenly her throat was very dry, but she had no plans of showing further
weakness by sipping from the glass of water before her.  "No, ma'am, I did
not."

	"I see.  Well, permit me to refresh your memory and present it for
the record.  Ensign Mieko Kunisada was born 7 April 3023.  Her parents died
on 23 April 3035 as a result of the cowardly last-ditch attack upon Japan by
the Allied Powers at the end of the war."  In a corner of the room, the
representatives of the navies of those Allied powers stiffened.  "Her stated
goal in entering the Navy was to defend the Crown and the people of the Moon
Kingdom from all enemies it may face.  Captain Ichiyusai, do you view Ensign
Kunisada's actions in any different light now that you know this?"

	"No, ma'am, I do not."

	"Well.  I do.  I see Ensign Kunisada as a woman who has been
repeatedly abused by the European Union, first by the loss of her parents,
again by the loss of her quarters, and *again* by the abuse of the ship's
computers, whose security she oversaw.  I submit to you, Captain, that
special consideration must be given to Ensign Kunisada, and that you may
want to reconsider your punishment."

	Commander Tanazaki stared at the commodore in shock, then looked
with concern at her captain.  She could see instantly that Fuyuko was
furious at Commodore Aihara.  All the signs were there: the slight, barely
noticeable tic at the side of her mouth, the narrowing of her eyes, and above
all the death grip she now held on the right leg of her trousers.  All of
these Katsumi had learned to read in the year they had served together.  To
anyone else, though, they would be indecipherable, and so Aihara had no idea
just how angry Fuyuko was.

	"With all due respect, I must disagree," said Fuyuko in a voice only
the most charitable could call respectful.  "Yes, Ensign Kunisada suffered a
deep, personal loss in the 3035 war.  We all did.  My father was seriously
injured and barely survived; my grandmother didn't survive at all.  But the
war is over, ma'am, and I can't condone such a petty act of revenge in my
officers.  Neither can the Royal Star Navy."

	Commodore Aihara's face colored.  "You do not set policy for the
Navy!"

	"No, ma'am, but I do set it for my ship."

	"Thank you, Captain Ichiyusai, that will be all," said the commodore
in icy tones.

	"I imagine it would, ma'am, since I should not be the one
interrogated anyway."  She shouldn't have said it, she knew she shouldn't
have said it, and yet it had still been the right thing to say.  That, she
knew equally well.

	If Commodore Aihara had been icy before, she was positively arctic
now.  "You may sit down, *Captain*."

	Fuyuko Ichiyusai sat, her face perfectly expressionless as the
inquiry proceeded.  It didn't take long.  Finally the midshipman stood
again.  "This board of inquiry is in recess, and will meet again in three
hours."


Officer's Dining Club
16:12 Lunar Standard Time

	Fuyuko poked at her sushi listlessly.  "Tofu isn't supposed to be
this color, is it?"  Behind her, officers came and went, many enjoying an
early dinner.

	"Eat.  You know being nervous on an empty stomach makes you
miserable."  Katsumi had already finished her meal, and was seriously
contemplating seconds.  She poked her captain gently with one of her
chopsticks.

	"They're going to overturn.  They're going to overturn, and I have
no idea why."  Fuyuko sighed and yanked the napkin from her lap, tossing the
white linen onto her untouched plate.  "Dammit, don't they know what this
will do to morale?"

	"Lighten up, Fuyuko-chan."  By long, unstated tradition, there
were no ranks in an ODC.  It saved everyone the trouble of having to stand
or salute each time a higher ranking man or woman happened by.  It also
meant Katsumi could call her friend by a far more familiar term than would
ever be allowed anywhere else while in uniform.  "Aihara-san's just one
woman, she can't turn the whole board around by herself."

	"She's already got Higashikuni in her corner, and you could see Miwa
and Ishimaru leaning her way too.  The only one willing to give me a fair
shake is Torimoto, and he's got as much clout as that damned middie."
Fuyuko sighed and gulped down a large portion of her orange juice.  Lunar
orange juice was better than anything she could get while out on a cruise;
the best Panwakusei had to offer went to the Moon first.  Fresh-squeezed
orange juice was one of her weaknesses, anyway; even in her current mood she
couldn't bring herself to turn it down.

	"Give Torimoto-san more credit than that," persisted Katsumi.

	"Why?  He's never even had his own command before!"

	"He's a man, that's why."  Katsumi frowned momentarily; her husband,
Lieutenant (j.g.) Akahito Takazaki, had remained at that rank for far longer
than she thought was warranted, and she blamed his gender for this.  "People
like Aihara-san wouldn't give Ken Torimoto credit for knowing the Earth is
one AU from the Sun!"

	"True, true.  Still . . . I have to wonder if there isn't something
else up.  Aihara-san had all that prepped and ready before she even walked
in the door."

	"Right."

	"And so she wouldn't have *done* that unless she was sure it wasn't
going to get shot down later.  Getting one of her decisions overturned would
be the last nail in the coffin as far as her rear admiral rank is concerned;
she'd end up retiring a commodore." Fuyuko drummed her fingers on the glass
of the table, her eyes glazed over in thought.  "If she's going to try and
make me look like a fool, she must be pretty sure she's going to get backed
by the higher ups."

	Katsumi absorbed this.  "You mean the senshi," she said softly, not
wanting to let this part of the conversation be overheard at neighboring
tables.  There was little reason for concern, though; a group of lieutenants
were congratulating one of their fellows on her promotion to lieutenant
commander.  Both beer and sake flowed freely.

	"Yeah, them."  She blew a sigh.

	"Well, what are you going to do about it?  You were never Sailor
Jupiter's adjutant."

	"I'll think of something.  I'm hungry . . . think they can whip up a
burger or something?"


Room 6
Inner Sanctum of the Planet Senshi and Queen Serenity II
16:49 Lunar Standard Time

	Eisaku Hirota coughed nervously and made sure his suit was in good
order.  The summons had come just a few minutes before, and he'd barely had
time to get off the basketball court, shower, and dress in the first suit he
grabbed out of his closet.  Then he'd flat out ran from his apartment to the
other end of the Mare Serenitatis complex, flashing his ID hurriedly at all
the checkpoints.  One did not keep a planet senshi waiting.

	He knocked once.  "Enter," came a quiet, calm voice from the
intercom next to the door.  The door slid open, and he stepped inside.

	The quarters were dark.  He had to squint to see the furniture in
the gloom, picking out couches and tables and chairs more by feel than by
anything else.  The biggest spot of light came from a large picture window
looking out over the Lunar surface.  Sunlight, reflected from the gray
surface of the Moon, illuminated a square of the wall opposite the window,
but oddly failed to reflect any further into the rest of the room.  In the
center of the light was a sailor senshi in purple and red.  She turned
slowly to regard him.

	"Hello, Hirota-san.  Thank you for coming."

	"It's a pleasure, Sailor Saturn."  He forced himself to control his
breathing.  "I came as quickly as I could."  The message had stated he
should come with all due haste.

	"It's okay.  I didn't mean to interrupt your basketball game, but
this really is important.  Won't you have a seat, please?"  Eisaku looked
around for a chair, and Sailor Saturn smiled just a bit.  "Oh . . . I'm used
to it being a bit dark.  Here."  She made no visible move, but suddenly
light decided to obey the normal rules of absorption, reflection, and
refraction, and the room became much brighter.

	Eisaku smiled nervously and sat in a sable armchair.  He closed his
eyes and nearly purred at the sheer comfort of the furniture; it supported
him perfectly, and there was a definite low, subtle vibration which relaxed
muscles held taut by the stress of his meeting.

	Sailor Saturn sat on the arm of an identical chair, her legs
carefully kept together.  "Hirota-san, I brought you here to give you a
warning.  Are you familiar with the Kunisada case?"

	"Um, no, I'm afraid I'm not."

	"I didn't think so, it isn't common knowledge outside the Navy.  A
few days ago, one of our officers caught a European snooping around on her
computer.  A fight ensued, and the board of inquiry is taking place right
now."  Her voice didn't change, but she fixed her purple eyes on Eisaku with
an intensity it was impossible to avoid.  "The warning is that the board
will exonerate that officer of all charges."

	Eisaku first wondered why a sailor senshi would take anyone into
confidence at all on this matter.  Then the import of the matter struck him,
and as he ran through the political and diplomatic ramifications, he came to
one depressing and unacceptable conclusion.  "I see," he said simply.

	"I'm glad you do."  She paused at Eisaku's questioning expression. 
"Yes?"

	"One question: how can you be so sure the board will clear this
Kunisada?"

	Sailor Saturn nodded.  "It's a bit of a delicate situation. 
You'll understand if I can't spell it out for you."  Eisaku nodded once. 
"That said, the board is chaired by Commodore Yuki Aihara.  Commodore Aihara
was once adjutant to Sailor Jupiter."

	Eisaku filled in the blanks.  "I understand."

	"How badly is Europe likely to react?"

	He thought a moment before replying.  "Honestly, all Earth is going
to react badly.  A lot of people hoped Concorde would start a new spirit of
cooperation between Terra and Luna, especially after the Prime Minster's
visit, and that would positively shatter it.  It would be possible to
calculate a worse provocation to ruin our relations, but I'm not sure how."

	"No good side?"

	"As far as foreign relations go?  No, Sailor Saturn, there are none. 
Most Terrans already believe we have a monumental elitist streak, this won't
help.  Is there any way, um . . . that Commodore Aihara could be persuaded
not to take such a stance?"

	"No," said Saturn simply.  She left unstated her fear that applying
pressure to other members of the board would blow the matter out of
proportion, especially if the press discovered the senshi intervention.

	The Royal Star Navy was perhaps the most unusual navy in history. 
To begin with, the commanding officers of its starships were captains in
rank as well as name.  Traditionally, commanders and even lieutenant
commanders had been called captain when assuming the CO position; in the
RSN, a captain was a full-fledged captain.  As a result, there was a
preponderance of senior-ranking captains, which led to a second problem: the
senshi.

	All senshi held the rank of captain, regardless of experience.  Of
course, they all had the proper skills, or else they never would have become
senshi.  Still, their year at the School entitled them to outrank men and
women who had served years, or so had been the decision when the rules were
written.  However, a check was included: senshi could never advance beyond
that rank.  While this had created some grumbling with the appearance of
super sailor senshi in the 3035 war--brief consideration was given to a new
rank of senior grade captain, then discarded--it was generally accepted by
most senshi.

	Things worked out a bit better for non-senshi as well, especially
because of the booming expansion of the RSN.  Ships couldn't be built fast
enough, and the corresponding demand for crews and commanders meant there
were even more opportunities.  So the number of captains increased even
more.  The problem was advancement past the rank of captain, as those
with appropriate skill did.  Advancement to commodore was becoming more and
more common, but after that the numbers fell sharply.  Very few became rear
admirals, and vice admirals were even rarer; the last one was promoted two
years previous.  No-one could ever advance to admiral, for that was the
exclusive domain of the planet senshi.

	Since the planet senshi held a monopoly on the top spots, another
expectation was they wouldn't misuse their authority.  To do so would be to
rub the collective noses of the Royal Star Navy in their permanent
inferiority.  Thus, a hands-off policy was implemented in which the planet
senshi generally left day-to-day operations to the non-senshi mundanes. 
Major matters of strategy and tactics were to be decided by the Deputy
Commander-in-Chief, of course, but otherwise the senshi were not to
influence things unduly.

	Sailor Jupiter's use of Commodore Aihara to bend the board of
inquiry qualified as undue influence, not that Ambassador Hirota could ever
be allowed to know.  Some kinds of infighting had to remain just that.

	Eisaku tried to read Sailor Saturn's expression, then gave up. 
Saturn had a thousand years of experience at keeping her emotions under
control, Eisaku had little chance matching it.  "Well, thank you for the
heads up.  I don't know what can be done to mend fences after this one; I
doubt simply increasing the immigration quotas will keep them happy.  We may
be looking at technology transfer."

	"Her Majesty may not go along with it."

	He shrugged.  "Her Majesty has expressed her wishes that relations
with the various Earth governments be improved as much as possible.  This
certainly isn't going . . . Sailor Saturn, is there any possibility Her
Majesty could-"

	"No, by no means.  The Queen cannot interfere in an internal naval
matter without setting a dangerous precedent."

	"Why not?"  There was no challenge in his tone, merely curiosity. 
"She's the Queen, but she's also Commander-in-Chief."

	Sailor Saturn opened her mouth to shoot him down, then closed it
again.  He did have a point; Serenity II was also Fleet Admiral Tsukino,
supreme commander of all armed forces.  She couldn't recall her ever acting
in such a capacity for any but ceremonial reasons, and the same was true for
her mother Neo Queen Serenity I.  Still, it was a seductive possibility.

	Then again, would it be worth it?  If Serenity II acted, it would be
against the opinion of a majority of the senshi.  While she could do so in
practice, there was a limit to how far she could stretch the power of the
Crown.  As Serenity II had once described it to Sailor Saturn, as Queen she
only had so much credit with her senshi to do things against their will. 
She had no desire to use up all of it too early in her reign.

	Saturn knew instinctively what would happen if she approached the
Queen with such a proposal.  There was no way it would work, unless she
traded on the odd, off-and-on friendship the two shared.  That, too, was a
sort of credit that couldn't be used all at once, not when she had other
things in mind for them.

	"I don't think that would be a wise course of action," said Sailor
Saturn finally.  "I'll suggest it to Her Majesty, but I don't think she'll
follow it up, mainly because of the possibility of dangerous precedents."

	Eisaku started to sigh, then decided that he'd really gotten more
from this conversation than he'd had a right to expect going into it.  Just
knowing Sailor Saturn supported him even, if no-one else did, was a definite
feather in his hat.  He'd have to find some way to use it to his advantage
in the future.

	"I'll request to speak with Her Majesty tomorrow, pending the result
of the board."  He shrugged with a slight smile.  "Who knows, maybe a
miracle will happen."

	"Maybe," said Sailor Saturn with a slight smile of her own.  "It's
been a pleasure speaking with you, Hirota-san."

	Eisaku took the hint and stood, bowing deeply.  "Likewise.  Please
don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything else I can be of help
with."

	"Of course."  She escorted the ambassador to the door, then sighed
and leaned against it once it closed.  Eisaku was smart.  Very smart.  She'd
have to get to Serenity before he did, which wouldn't be too difficult. 
First she'd check in on the hearing.  Dimming the lights once more, she
strode to her computer terminal and accessed the video and audio link into
the board of inquiry's chamber.  Backdooring through the Serenitatis
security codes was easy for a Planet Senshi.


Royal Rose Garden
Mare Serenitatis
19:02 Lunar Standard Time

	Lunar days bore little to no resemblance to the actual revolution of
Luna.  After all, it would be near impossible to match with a day and night
which lasted twenty-eight Earth days.  Thus 19:02, while supposedly a nice
evening time which brought up images of sunset and long shadows, on this
particular day brought the Sun's rays shining full on the glass walls and
ceiling of the Garden.  It was rated to withstand impacts from
micrometeoroids up to six centimeters in diameter.  It was also rated to
reflect eighty percent of the light and heat from the Sun, since it was a
garden and not a greenhouse.

	Properly speaking, the Royal Gardens were part of the Palace
complex, some kilometers from the capital at Mare Crisium.  The Queen rarely
ventured there unless on either ceremonial duties or visiting her parents. 
There was one other reason she came here, and while she completely
acknowledged the reason she came to be hopelessly sappy, she didn't care. 
Besides, only one person knew she was here anyway.

	Serenity II knelt next to a bed of yellow roses, sniffing their
scent as if savoring a fine perfume.  The roses here were the best bred in
the known galaxy, and their smell was one of the sweetest she knew.  She
reached out to caress the petals lightly, still ever so slightly damp from a
recent watering.  The gardeners had just come through and given the roses
their evening workover, and she knew they wouldn't be back until midnight. 
She was assured of privacy, since visitors' hours for tourists had ended at
16:00.  She was alone.

	Well, mostly alone.

	"That's a beautiful rose, Usagi-chan."

	The Queen of the Moon Kingdom froze for just an instant, then forced
herself to continue casually inspecting the flowers.  Sailor Saturn had
never used that suffix in all of Serenity II's reign.  "Thanks,
Hotaru-chan."  Two could play at this game in which the stakes had
inexplicably been raised.

	It seemed exactly the reaction Sailor Saturn had wanted, for a smile
crossed her face as she crouched down next to the monarch and looked more
closely at the rose.  "Shouldn't the lights be dimming soon?"

	Serenity II looked up at the glass enclosure.  "In a few minutes. 
The length of the days is varied to match Earth seasons at Crystal Tokyo's
old latitude." There was only the slightest catch in her voice at the
modifier 'old'.

	"Your mother's decision?"  Serenity II nodded briefly.  "I thought
as much.  When we talk, she always mentions how much she misses Earth."

	"She does.  It broke her heart that I'd never get the chance to
reign over it."  The Queen fought off a sudden, irrational urge to lay
everything on the table and tell Sailor Saturn everything she planned, and
just as firmly squashed it.  It was neither the time nor the place.  "I
nearly offered to take her back for her birthday.  But it's too soon."

	"To hear most of the senshi tell it, we'll never go back."

	"The planet senshi don't believe that."  Sailor Saturn blinked, but
Serenity II's eyes were already back on the rose, a slim white hand reaching
down to lightly pat the perfectly maintained soil.  It felt cool and moist
to her fingers, and tiny black specks of dirt clung to her flesh as she
pulled them back.

	"Yes, we do.  We may not admit it, but we do believe it."  She
sighed; it hadn't been her intent for this to turn into a policy discussion. 
"You know that's why we were so insistent on the makeup of the capital
selection board.  We only want the best; we can't replace Earth, but what we
choose as our new home has to be the best we can find."

	"You resist change," said the Queen quietly, so quietly that Sailor
Saturn had to lean forward to catch the words.  "All of you planet senshi,
you don't like new things."

	The senshi of silence considered protesting, realized it was
pointless.  "We're old."

	"No."  Serenity II rose to her full height, and Sailor Saturn stood
as well.  "You're not old at all . . . you're young.  Very young.  I just
don't understand how you can be so hidebound!"

	Sailor Saturn reached out to place a white-gloved hand on her
Queen's shoulder.  It was a casual gesture, one the planet senshi made many
times to their monarch.  "When you've spent a thousand years living with a
single goal in mind, it overwhelms everything else.  Nothing else really
*matters*, not as much as the goal.  For us, that goal was protecting your
mother, and you.  We . . . it's too late for us to change, Usagi-chan.  I'm
sorry.  *We're* sorry, really."

	Saturn's glove felt hot on Serenity II's shoulder.  "It's never too
late to change.  My mother should have made you realize that."

	"I'm sorry, but in this case she's wrong.  You should realize that;
you work with Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus, don't you?"

	Serenity II managed a wry chuckle.  "Don't remind me," she said,
more lightly than she felt.  "Trying to argue with them is almost as hard as
fighting any daimon."

	"I don't know," said Sailor Saturn seriously.  She withdrew her hand
and stroked her chin as if in thought.  "None of those daimons were nearly
as malicious or tough as Sailor Mars on a bad day."

	The combination of Saturn's tone, words, and expression, proved too
much for the Queen.  She smirked, then giggled, then finally broke down and
laughed.  Her peals of laughter resounded off the glass walls of the garden,
echoing and resounding in a pleasing trick of acoustics.

	Sailor Saturn smiled as well.  "Good.  I'm glad you laughed, you
don't do that nearly enough."

	For a fleeting moment, the Queen had an urge to kiss the senshi.  It
passed almost before she realized it, and she settled for giving Sailor
Saturn a warm smile.  "Thanks.  I guess I needed that."

	"You're much too stressed, Your Majesty.  Diana tells me so all the
time."

	The Queen raised an eyebrow at the senshi, wondering about her
sudden change to formal language, then noticed Sailor Saturn's eyes were
fixed on something behind Serenity II.  "Is that so?" she asked simply,
cursing the interruption of someone else into what was the fourth such
meeting she had arranged.

	"Yes.  She takes a great interest in your welfare, as you're aware. 
You might try giving her some reassurance that you're not overly melancholy. 
Take it from someone who's spent a lot of her life being melancholy."

	"Not that melancholy, not all the time at least."  The low, fuzzy
voice was intimately familiar to them both.  The Queen turned slowly around,
not surprised at all to see Sailor Pluto standing there, Time Staff in hand. 
She sighed; Pluto only carried the staff with her on official business.

	"Can't it wait until morning?" asked Serenity II plaintively.

	"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty.  It's rather important."

	"Is anyone in imminent danger of death or serious injury?"

	Sailor Pluto blinked, a bit taken aback.  "No, Your Majesty."

	"Good, then it can wait.  Would you excuse us, please?"

	Sailor Saturn was careful to show no emotion.  Sailor Pluto was
equally careful, but it didn't stop the thoughts which whirled through her
head.  "Your Majesty, I wouldn't have come here if it weren't important. 
The board of inquiry's finding of innocence has hit the newsnets down on
Earth, and they're furious."

	"And rightfully so," said the Queen, folding her hands behind her
back and assuming a more regal posture than the casual one she had shown to
Sailor Saturn.  "Frankly I'm ashamed of my Navy for having the gall to do
such a thing."

	The guardian of time briefly wondered if Serenity II really didn't
know Sailor Jupiter's influence had been the main factor in the board's vote
to acquit.  "The Navy didn't make its decision in a vacuum," she said
carefully.

	"Oh, I know that, but I can't just go out in front of humanity and
say my senshi fudged it, can I?  I . . . . dammit, why put me in this
situation?  It's not fair!"

	Behind her, Sailor Saturn's head drooped slightly.  She didn't want
to deal with an angry monarch tonight, or at all for that matter.  Best to
try again when she was in a better mood.

	Sailor Pluto was more patient.  "Fair or not, it has to be dealt with."

	"Right.  Where's Diana?"

	"She's in Sailor Cassiopeia's office.  They're both waiting for you
to approve the preliminary official statement by the Crown-"

	"They're *waiting* for me?  Why didn't they say anything?"

	"I suppose they didn't want to disturb you."

	The Queen was already on her way to the exit, Sailor Saturn quite
forgotten.  "That's silly.  This is an important matter, it could have
waited.  Where's Sailor Jupiter?"

	Sailor Pluto strode alongside Serenity II, her pace unhurried. 
"Jupiter is probably at headquarters, I can contact her if you like."

	"Please do.  And call up Mercury, Venus-"  The conversation was cut
off as the two walked outside the gardens, the soundproofed glass doors
sliding shut behind them.  A soft tone sounded three times, and the room
gradually darkened as the glass walls began to filter more and more of the
Sun's light.  Within a minute, the Royal Rose Garden was dark, illuminated
only by soft, dim safety lighting set into the edges of the walkway.  The
rose bushes faintly glimmered in that faint light, looking ethereal and
unworldly.  On any other occasion Sailor Saturn would have called the scene
beautiful.  In this case it merely made her sad.

	She shook her head clear and summoned forth the Glaive into her
hand.  It was time for her to get back to work.


105 Akihabara Drive
Nagano-2, Colony of Hinansho, Moon Kingdom
25 June 3043
06:05 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Achika loved Sundays.  They were the one completely free day of her
week: Mondays through Saturdays were taken up with practice, exercise,
school, and the attendant homework.  Sundays were hers to do with as she
pleased; if she wanted to go to the movies with Yusuke, she could; if she
preferred just to lay on her bed, stare up at the ceiling, and daydream,
that was okay too.

	The exception was on the last Sunday of each month.  It was the day
she had to do all the household cleaning chores.  It wasn't something she
disliked too much; on the contrary, cleaning was rather relaxing and
soothing.

	She started, as always, with the front door.  Sunrise came early to
Nagano-2 in summer, so the bright light of Nozumi shone through the glass of
the window which sat above the front door of the Shibata residence.  It was
a tall window, so she had to use a small stepladder to reach it with her
towel and spray bottle of cleaning fluid.  The cap wasn't on tightly enough,
and a tiny droplet of fluid dropped onto her dull gray sweatpants as she
coated the window with the cleaner.  She neither noticed nor cared; when
cleaning she always wore an ancient pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that
had definitely seen better days.

	Her mother padded down the steps, which were carpeted with a
rosy-red which dominated the house's furnishings.  Her black hair was still
unkempt from the previous night's sleep, and she pulled her thin, flowery
kimono tighter around her as she stopped at the bottom of the steps.  Eri
looked up at her daughter as she diligently wiped the window clean.  "Good
morning, Achika."

	Achika jumped slightly at the sound of her mother's voice and had to
grab hold of the door frame to keep from falling.  "Oh, hi Mom.  You scared
me a bit." She smiled wryly and carefully stepped down from the ladder. 
"What's for breakfast?"

	Eri yawned and sat down on the bottom step, her arms folded around
her knees.  Although she spent much of her time in the laboratory, she made
sure to get the proper amounts of exercise, and so it was easy for her to
pull into a taut ball.  "Toast, tea, cereal if you want it."

	"That's what Sakachi-sensei has," said Achika, her mind distracted.

	The older woman frowned and looked up from inspecting a loose thread
on her kimono.  "How do you know that?"

	Achika shrugged, her eyes blinking a bit from the fumes of the glass
cleaner.  "We were talking about it one day.  She really eats a lot, you
know?  Like, tons more than most people.  But she exercises a lot, so it's
not as bad."  She looked over at her mother with a curious expression in her
dark red eyes.  "Why so quiet, Mom?"

	Eri sighed and stood, turning her back to wipe her finger over the
top of the frame of a picture which hung on the wall.  The picture was a
simple family portrait, with deep space as the backdrop; it had been taken
when Achika was seven years old.  "I just don't like how much time you spend
with Dr. Sakachi."

	"Why?  She's really a great teacher, and I like being her friend
too."

	"Do you really think it's such a good idea to be, ah, friendly with
a teacher?  Eri rubbed the dust she'd collected between two fingers, and the
small roll of gray dirt fluttered to the floor.

	"She doesn't grade me differently than anyone else."

	"And how do you know *that*?"

	Achika frowned at the pointedness of this line of questioning.  "I
don't know.  It's just something she wouldn't do."  She blew an exasperated
sigh, then calmed herself down with considerable effort.  "You've talked to
her at conferences."

	Eri shrugged.  "Yes."

	"Did she strike you as the kind of teacher who would show
favoritism?"

	Her mother sighed.  Much as she disliked it, in this case she had to
admit her daughter had a point.  Eri Shibata and Jennifer Sakachi were both
academics, and Eri knew the type of teacher who would give preferential
treatment.  "No, she's not."  She opened her mouth to say more, but a
thought brought her up short.

	Achika nodded, not noticing her mother's action.  "Exactly."  She
sighed, not wanting to have an argument.  "Do you know if Dad wants the lawn
cut yet?"

	Eri didn't respond for a moment, caught off guard by the non
sequitor.  She hadn't earned her doctorate by being slow-witted, though, and
her mind quickly caught up.  "I think he said something about letting it go
until the afternoon."

	"Yeah, I thought so."  Achika stepped down from the ladder and
pulled open the curtains.  Sunshine brightened the entire room as she
sprayed the cleaner on the large bay windows.  The glass was still cold,
though; a bit too cool outside to open the windows and let in a fresh
breeze.  The planters beneath the window were full, though, with pretty
purple flowers which had been genetically engineered to bloom and thrive in
the chill of an early Hinansho summer.

	"How are things with Yusuke-san?" asked Eri casually, getting up and
slightly rearranging the throw pillows on the couches of the living room.

	Achika's voice took on a familiar, dreamlike tone.  "Oh, he's just
great.  He bought me a really cool bracelet yesterday."

	"He did?"

	"Yes . . . hold on, I'll show it to you!"  Dropping the bottle of
cleaning fluid and towel, she darted past her mother and thundered up the
stairs to her room.  It was a room which fought a constantly losing battle
with entropy, with dirty clothes haphazardly tossed about, posters of senshi
and football stars hanging from the pale green walls which were only dimly
lit by the light from her north-facing window.  Her handlink still sat
forlornly on the hardwood floor next to her book bag, right where she'd
deposited it the previous afternoon.  Her desk had a larger computer
terminal which still displayed Friday night's homework assignment, but the
computer shared space with pens, paper, chewing gum wrappers and a bottle of
shampoo.

	The object she searched for was on top of her cream-and-dark-green
dresser, right in front of the basket which held her makeup, which in turn
sat before her mirror.  She grabbed it and dashed back downstairs, flashing
past a coat closet, the office, the bathroom, and her parents' bedroom, then
thundering back down the stairs, nearly tripping in her haste.

	Eri looked up at the noise and shook her head, but a smile curled
her mouth anyway.  "You really shouldn't run through the house like that."

	"Mom, I was just in a hurry to show you.  Here."  Her hand thrust
out the bracelet, presenting it to her mother's eyes as if at a military
inspection.  It consisted of many small circular links of gold; fairly
pedestrian, really, and nothing overly expensive, but certainly not cheap
either.

	"Nice," remarked Eri.

	"It fits perfectly, too."  Achika demonstrated by clasping it around
her left wrist.  It sparkled in the sunlight that shone through the windows,
a spot of gold against the white of her skin and gray of her sweatshirt. 
Oddly incongruous; she realized this and pushed up her sleeve.  "I think I'll
wear it to the dance."

	Eri blinked.  "Dance?"

	"Oh, right . . . I didn't mention it to you, did I?"  Achika's eyes
were bright as she bounced on her heels.  "It's the summer dance, it's a
couple weeks from now."  

	Moon Kingdom schools, like their Crystal Tokyo predecessors, had
neither summer break nor year-end proms, but a similar dance was held around
the beginning of summer for the schools of each colony.  Of course, this was
occasionally a problem; Panwakusei had the longest orbital period of any of
the colonies of the Moon Kingdom.  Its year was equivalent to 2.3 Terran
years, which with its attendant long growing season was one reason it
functioned as the main agricultural planet of the Kingdom.  It also meant
that the summer dance came every other school term, much to the chagrin of
students there.

	Hinansho had no such problem, as its orbital period of 394.22 Terran
days was relatively close to a Terran year, and further lucky in that its
day was only a few minutes longer than a Terran day.  Its problem was that
summer at Nagano-2's latitude--and indeed, at any latitude other than the
equatorial regions--was warm at best.  Temperatures averaged thirty degrees
centigrade.  While the all-time recorded high downtown was thirty-nine
degrees centigrade, the number of days a year it exceeded thirty-two could
be counted on two hands.

	For this reason, a Hinansho summer dance lacked the swimsuits and
subsequent pool parties which could be found on other planets.  One or two
hardy couples could always be counted upon to brave the beach and face the
chilly breezes which blew off the waters of a Nagano Bay whose waters had
yet to warm appreciably.  For the most part, though, high school students
were content to stay inland and inside.

	Aside from all this, the summer dance served the same purpose as
proms had for centuries in American schools, and Eri knew Achika had looked
forward to this one ever since she'd introduced Eri to Yusuke.  "That
reminds me, the seamstress called about your dress.  It'll be ready
tomorrow." Achika nodded, her eyes still fixed on the bracelet.  "You'll
need to go there and try it on." Her words went unheeded, as the green
haired girl remembered the circumstances which led to the bracelet being on
her wrist.


Crown Fruit Parlor
900 8th Street
23 June 3043
19:02 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	The history of Crown Fruit Parlors was long and storied.  The first
Crown had been in the Juuban district of old Tokyo, founded in 1987.  If the
five inner senshi hadn't made a habit of visiting it on a regular basis in
the mid-1990s, it no doubt would have slid into obscurity after the fall of
Tokyo and subsequent rise of Crystal Tokyo.

	Things didn't quite work out in such a way, though.  Neo-Queen
Serenity remembered the restaurant, and all the good times she'd had there. 
So in the early days of her reign, she made a point to search for its owner,
who had survived the Silence and Formation Wars like most people in Tokyo
proper.  She spoke to him, finally convincing him after much discussion and
walks along the shore of Tokyo Bay that reopening his restaurant just as it
had been before would serve as a signal of normalcy to the city.

	Crown Fruit Parlor reopened on 30 June 2110, and Serenity was
invited to the refurbished building for a birthday party.  It began a
tradition which held for nearly five hundred years, and even today its
prices were slashed fifty percent each Queen's Day.  The second CFP opened
in 2119 in the Nerima district, and within a few decades it became a chain
with locations scattered across all four Japanese islands.

	By 3043 it was one of the most successful restaurant chains in human
history, and so it was no surprise that Nagano-2 had no less than two.  The
one at 900 8th Street was the more popular of the two, mainly because of its
proximity to a gaming center and a couple holo-theaters.  It had also gained
a bit of a reputation as a place where young lovers went on dates; Yusuke
and Achika were thus no strangers to it as they walked inside and sat in a
booth next to the large picture window which looked out on the street and
the sidewalk.

	Achika picked up the slim laminated menu, despite her being well
familiar with its contents.  Each CFP served the exact same thing, and she'd
been going to them for years.  "Thank you for taking me here," she said with
a small smile.  Another tradition; they'd been coming here for months, but
she still thanked him each time.

	"It's a pleasure, my lady."  Yusuke had an absolutely horrible
aristocratic accent when he attempted to emulate it, and it never failed to
make Achika laugh.  This was, of course, the whole reason that he did it. 
"How was practice today?"

	His girlfriend's shoulders still shook a bit from the aftereffects
of Yusuke's joke, but she soon sobered, her eyelids drooping slightly. 
"Hard.  Kami, it was *so* hard . . . I think Coach Ikeda was having a bad
day or something."  Kotaro Ikeda was the head coach of the Furikato High
football club, and usually easy-going with his players.

	"Really?  After that shutout yesterday I figured he'd be thrilled
with you."

	The previous night's match had indeed been a shutout, though this
time Furikato High had scored a goal off the foot of sophomore Fumie
Sugawara.  It had come in the eighty-fifth minute of the match, and when
Fumie sent the ball home it had felt like a boulder was lifted from Achika's
shoulder.  She'd faced a barrage of shots early in the second half as her
defense collapsed, and the thought of having expended such effort just to
pull off her second draw had been more than she could bear.  Once the ball
went in the net, though, she'd celebrated more than anyone on the
field--with the possible exception of Fumie herself.  After the final
whistle was blown, Achika had been the first to congratulate the goal scorer.

	The day-after practice, while normally light, had been anything but
today.  "I guess not.  First he made us do a ton of laps, and then it was
penalty kick drills for an hour."  She sighed; facing shots at point-blank
range for an hour was about as pleasant as a cold speculum.  "I was ready to
drop by the time it was over, but then it was corner kicks, and after that I
still had to do half an hour of stretches before he'd let me go!"

	Yusuke winced in sympathy, reaching across the table to put his hand
atop hers.  "You're right, that sucks."

	Achika nodded.  "The rest of the team got ridden pretty hard too. 
But my job's the hardest."  She sighed.  "I just hope tomorrow won't be like
that.  I just feel like sleeping right now.

	Her boyfriend frowned just a bit, concern wrinkling his forehead. 
"Then why are you here, Achika?  You should go home and get some rest."

	"I can't go home yet, silly.  You're here!"  She smiled with a
brightness which failed to match the fatigue she felt inside.  "I wouldn't
miss dinner with you for anything, you know that."

	Yusuke considered being more forceful in asking Achika to go home,
but decided against it.  Achika had a habit of becoming bullheaded when it
came to coming between her and things she loved: history, football, and
himself were three examples, and not necessarily in that order.  "Right."

	Achika waved over a nearby waitress.  The waitress, dressed in a
pink dress, white apron, and with an oddly spiky bright green hairstyle,
looked expectantly at Achika.

	"Cheeseburger, fries, and a cola," she said without looking up.  It
was what she ordered every time she came to CFP, without fail.  The waitress
shrugged and wrote it down, wondering why she bothered.  By now she had the
order memorized.

	"And you, sir?"

	He gave the menu a quick last glance.  "Chicken stir fry and rice,
and um . . . lemonade, I guess."

	The waitress scribbled the order down on her notepad.  The couple
remained silent while the waitress went to the back, fetched their drinks,
placed them on CFP white paper coasters monogrammed with dark blue letters,
and withdrew behind the counter.  Achika sipped at it with her clear straw,
careful not to get her hands wet on the condensation which formed on the
outside of the glass.  After several swallows, she leaned back and sighed,
savoring the coolness of the cola as it sapped the hotness from her throat. 
"Mmm . . . I guess I needed that more than I thought."

	Yusuke chuckled.  "How soon did you go through your water bottles?"

	"Um, pretty fast.  I didn't time them, I guess."  She smiled
sheepishly; early in the practices she'd acquired the habit of going through
her water bottle in just a few minutes.  Coach Ikeda generally frowned on
players running back to the school to refill their bottles during practice,
so she'd been forced to bring two to the field.  During matches this was
never a problem, and Achika had gone through no less than four bottles in
the course of the victory.  "Anyway, how about you?"

	He shrugged.  "The usual.  Chess club, then I had to go do shopping
for the house."

	"Again?"  Achika raised an eyebrow.  "I thought you did the
groceries last week."

	"I did."  Yusuke smiled wryly and shrugged.  "Yoshii wanted to trade
with me, though.  I think he has a date," he finished with a broader smile.

	Achika laughed again, the same bellike laughter that had caught
his attention that first time.  Yusuke had two brothers: Yoshii, who was
fifteen years old, and Yamato, who was just five.  Yusuke frequently
complained about his siblings all having Y names, but never really meant it. 
Achika had never seen anyone show so much love for their brothers, though
Yusuke vigorously denied and tried to hide it.

	"Do you know who it is?"

	"Huh?"  Yusuke had been distracted while sprinkling a bit more sugar
into his lemonade; here they preferred to err on the side of caution when it
came to sweetening drinks.

	"Yoshii-kun's girlfriend!"

	"Oh, um . . . actually, it might be a guy."

	Achika blinked twice, taking this in.  "You think he's gay?"

	Yusuke exhaled slowly and slouched a bit, the soft plastic of the
booth's bench seat sliding easily beneath him.  "I don't know, really.  I
never thought about it before, but he's been on about this person for oh, I
guess about a week or so.  And in all that time, he's never actually said
this person is a she.  Of course, he never said it was a he either, but
you'd think he'd drop a pronoun once awhile, right?  I mean, it has to be
deliberate."

	"Maybe . . . I'm not sure."  Achika closed her eyes in thought. 
She'd met Yoshii a few times when she'd been over to visit Yusuke, and
hadn't noticed anything which would make her think he wasn't straight.  Then
again, she knew very well nothing said homosexuals had to look like
homosexuals.  Dr. Sakachi was a perfect example.

	"Not that it matters if he is, of course," Yusuke added.  This
wasn't as obvious as it would be if he was referring to a sister. 
Homosexuality was a non-issue for the most part, but lesbianism was still a
touch more acceptable than the male equivalent.  "I just hope he knows what
he's getting into . . . fifteen is kinda young to be looking for love."

	"Oh, I don't know."  Achika took another sip of her soda.  "I had my
first boyfriend when I was just thirteen."

	Yusuke nearly choked on his lemonade.  "You did?  You never told
me!"

	Achika tried, but she couldn't help herself.  She giggled like the
proverbial schoolgirl, and the expression on Yusuke's face only made her
giggle more.  His fingers tapped on the tabletop with metronomic precision
until his girlfriend regained control of herself.

	"Sorry, Yusuke," though a smile still dimpled her cheeks.  "But the
look on your face was just . . . well, anyway.  Maybe boyfriend wasn't too
good a term to use.  I just sort of had a crush on him."

	"Oh."  The single syllable was greatly inflected with relief,
causing Achika to laugh again.  "I, um, I'm sorry."

	"It's okay.  My fault, really."  She took another sip of soda to
gather her thoughts, then smiled as the waitress returned with a platter
which bore their meals.  "Thank you." The waitress nodded as Yusuke chimed
in with his appreciation, setting their plates out in front of them along
with the usual condiments before withdrawing to see to the needs of another
table.

	"Please tell me it isn't anybody I know," said Yusuke, unwrapping
his chopsticks and expertly bringing a portion of chicken and rice to his
mouth.

	"Of course not," laughed Achika.  "I wasn't even on Hinansho when I
was thirteen!"  A brief shadow darkened her eyes; at thirteen she'd been at
Mare Serenitatis, still waiting to move to a colony world.  It passed
quickly at the memory of who she'd met there.  "We were on Luna at the time,
and at school there was this one guy who caught my eye."  

	She picked up a pair of fries, unsalted as was her wont, and popped
them in her mouth.  Yusuke found himself mesmerized by her mouth as she ate,
especially her lips.  He blinked, then smiled sheepishly as he saw Achika
was watching him stare.  "Sorry."

	"It's okay.  I like it when you stare at me."  This brought a blush
to her face, but she continued with her story, still failing to notice how
Yusuke's hands tended to trail under the table.  "Anyway, where was I?  Oh
yeah, I'd met this guy.  Well, he was more of a boy, really, only fourteen
or so I think.  He had long brown hair, really deep blue eyes."

	She sighed.  "Of course, now that I really think about it, he wasn't
all that much to look at.  It's not like he was this well-muscled stud or
anything, he was just fourteen.  But I was thirteen at the time, and I
didn't have a clue back then."

	Yusuke nodded as Achika paused to spread mustard liberally over her
cheeseburger and took a bite.  "You fell for him?"

	"I fell for him," said Achika.  "Hard.  He was all I could think
about for weeks, and I followed him around like, um . . . Pearcy-san would
say like a love-sick puppy."  She fell silent a long moment, then shrugged. 
"That's about all, actually.  I never actually talked to him or anything,
just followed him around and listened to him talk to his friends for a month
or so."

	"What happened after that?"

	"He moved.  His mother was assigned to oversee a production plant on
Inari."

	"Inari?"

	"Inari.  I guess the official name is Murakami-IV, it's pretty far
out.  Four hundred light years or so."  Yusuke whistled softly; that was
several months' journey from home system, and accordingly hadn't attracted
many colonists yet.  "Yeah.  So of course I haven't heard anything from him
since then."

	"Any other crushes I should know about?" asked Yusuke, an impish
grin on his face.

	"None were very important," she replied with a matching grin.  "And
you're the first one I've really loved," she finished with a deep red blush
which, Yusuke thought, went beautifully with her red eyes and green hair. 
On an impulse, he leaned over the table and kissed her chastely on the lips. 
Achika shivered as their lips met; it felt like electricity was running
through her entire body.  She opened her mouth slightly to take the kiss
further, but blinked when Yusuke suddenly pulled back.  "Yusuke?  What's
wrong?"

	Yusuke blushed.  "I didn't want you to taste what I put on my
chicken," he stammered.

	"Oh."  Achika leaned back, the corners of her mouth threatening to
curl into a pout.  "I guess that's okay, then."

	"Yeah.  Um, actually, there was another reason I asked you out
here."

	Achika raised an eyebrow and took another bite of her cheeseburger,
swallowing before answering.  "Oh really?"

	Yusuke nodded.  "Yes.  Um, I know it's not your birthday yet, but I
saw this and I knew you'd want to have it."  He reached under the table and
withdrew a flat black box, about the size of his hand.  It was warm and
slightly damp with his sweat as he handed it to her, but she didn't care.

	Achika looked down at the felt-covered box, her heart fluttering. 
She clamped down on her first thought with the simple fact that if he was
going to propose to her, he would be down on one knee as tradition dictated. 
Besides, they were entirely too young for marriage.  If it wasn't an
engagement ring, though, what was it?

	She flicked the box open, not noticing Yusuke's eyes upon her. 
Inside, nestled in a black velvet cushion, was a bracelet of pure gold.  Her
red eyes opened wide as they stared at the bracelet, then up at Yusuke, then
back at the bracelet.

	He smiled with a hint of nervousness.  "Fourteen karat gold.  I
wanted to go with eighteen, but my father said fourteen would hold up
better."

	"I, um . . . ."

	"Do you like it?"

	"Do I . . . kami, I love it!  I love you!"  She leaned over the
table and drew him into a tight hug, her face beaming.

	Yusuke decided not to ruin the moment by pointing out Achika had
just planted her blouse on his chicken and rice.


105 Akihabara Drive
25 June 3043
14:42 Nagano-2 Standard Time

	Summers on Hinansho may not have been hot, exactly, but the direct
rays of a star are always harsh.  This Sunday afternoon was no exception. 
The air temperature barely cleared thirty degrees centigrade, but sweat
still dripped from Achika's forehead as she pushed the light, silent
lawnmower back and forth across her home's generous front yard.  Her cream
colored shorts and white tank top were little help.

	Automated lawnmowers existed, of course, and had for centuries.  It
didn't take a huge amount of processing power to learn the boundaries of a
lawn and stay within them.  However, when the Shibata family had bought
their house, their monetary situation would allow them to have a lawn with
the latest strain of beautifully green, genetically modified grass, or an
ordinary lawn with an automated mower.  Achika's father, in a rare domestic
decision, chose the greener lawn.

	Achika reaped the lawnmower.

	She didn't mind it too much, though.  It was warm enough that she
could take off her shoes, and the freshly cut blades were cool and soothing
beneath her feet as the lawnmower trimmed them to a precise three
centimeters in height.  She unashamedly wiggled her toes as she made the
turn to avoid the flower bed and took the mower back out to the sidewalk.

	She looked up, her eyes narrowing against the sunlight as she wiped
her forehead with the pink sweatband on her wrist, and it was then she saw
them.  They were jogging along together, the taller of them in dark green
shorts and a white t-shirt already damp with sweat, the shorter wearing blue
shorts, a white tank top, and a red cap with the Roman letter P upon it in
white.  It took a moment for Achika to remember what the P meant, but she
was already bringing the lawnmower to a stop and waving brightly at the
couple.

	Jen waved back and slowed to a stop on the sidewalk, breathing only
a bit harder than usual.  "Hi Achika-chan.  Nice day outside, isn't it?"

	Achika nodded, bowing politely to the two.  "Good afternoon
Sakachi-sensei, Pearcy-san.  Um, why are you here?"  It came out sharper
than she intended, but Jennifer ignored this.

	"Out for a bit of jogging.  It's a nice day, isn't it?"

	"Definitely.  A bit warm, though," said Achika with a smile.  For
the first time, she noticed her teacher's eyes were hidden behind perfectly
black, inscrutable sunglasses.  Eileen didn't have any, and her brown eyes
roved casually over Achika, the lawn, and the house.

	The brunette rubbed at her right knee with her left foot.  "Don't
your parents have an automatic?" she asked, nodding toward the slim green
lawnmower.

	"Long story."  Family finances really shouldn't be talked about
outside the family.  "I don't mind it."

	"If you say so.  Jen here, she bought this monstrously expensive
lawn bot, and then she never uses it."

	Jen blushed slightly, giving her fiancee a mock glare and tapping
the lenses of her glasses into transparency to intensify it.  "I do so use
it, Eileen!"

	"Oh, right.  Only when you're too busy to mow yourself, and even
then you give it only the most boring and flat parts of the yard."

	"The other parts need more attention," replied Jen defensively. 
Achika couldn't help but giggle.  Jen smiled, able to see the humor in
herself, and cocked her head curiously at the girl.  "Actually, now we're
here, there's actually something we were meaning to ask you."  She brushed a
stray lock of hair from her eyes.

	"Me?"  Jen and Eileen nodded in perfect unison.  The motion made
Achika blink, her eyes unaccountably flicking up to the blue skies overhead. 
"Um, what did you want to ask?"

	Jennifer's cool contralto was caught and carried away by a gust of
wind, and Achika had to ask her to repeat herself.  "We received word from
Crisium.  They'd like the wedding to take place at Mare Serenitatis."

	Achika blinked.  "I thought you wanted it here."  In fact, she knew
they had; it was going to be a small, private ceremony in their back yard. 
She'd been over just the other day to help them plan just how to deal with
the sunlight.

	"Oh, we did," said Eileen wryly.  "We even had the invitations
printed out and ready to go."

	"The only problem," continued Jen, "is that now the Powers that Be
back on Luna have decided that the marriage of two senshi is too important
to have out here in a colony."

	"Ten to one it was Mars's idea," muttered Eileen.  Jen gave her
surreptitious elbow in the ribs.

	"So, they've asked us-"

	"Ordered, really."

	"-*politely* asked us to have the ceremonies in the Moon Palace at
Mare Serenitatis."

	The green-haired girl gaped.  "At the *Palace*?"

	"The same."  Jennifer smiled, this time a bit more confidently. 
"It's the first senshi wedding since Sailors Uranus and Neptune, and from
what I hear it probably won't be the last."

	Eileen nodded, her arms folded on her chest.  Achika noticed for the
first time how tan and sun-browned they were.  Hinansho's thick ozone layer
meant she must have spent lots of time in the sun to have such a tan. 
"Yeah.  Half a dozen couples have announced their engagements since we went
public.  But we get to be the first, and Sailor Cassiopeia probably decided
to make a huge publicity thing out of it."

	Jen picked up the thread.  "Which leads to the question.  All along
we wanted you to be a bridesmaid, and we were going to ask you soon.  But
now that the wedding's going to be on the Moon, well . . . the question now
becomes whether you want to travel two hundred light years for it."

	Achika considered it for the barest fraction of a second.  "I . . .
of *course* I do!" Achika looked at the two with surprise.  "Nothing in the
galaxy could stop me from being there!"

	Eileen and Jen shared a glance, one which Achika found totally
inscrutable.  After thirteen years, lovers could communicate volumes with
a look.  "Perfect," said Jen finally.  "We were hoping you would agree, but
of course it wouldn't be right to whisk you back to Luna without your
parents' permission."

	"I'll ask them."

	"You sure?" Eileen asked.  "Are they home?  We aren't busy or
anything, it wouldn't be a problem if we just popped in."

	Jen wrinkled her nose.  "Eileen, we're hardly in condition to
intrude into someone else's home."

	Eileen looked Jen over from head to toe, the redhead's skin still
glowing with sweat.  She gave an appreciative whistle at the way Jen's
t-shirt clung to her curves, and in a sudden flash of insight Achika
realized her teacher wasn't wearing a bra.  Her face flushed bright red, but
Eileen took no notice of this.

	"Oh, right."  The brunette smirked.  "Want to look your best?"

	"I'm hardly at my best when jogging."

	"I think you look rather yummy, myself."  Her tongue flicked over
her lips in an instant, brown eyes boring into Jen's blues.

	Jen looked back, and Achika deliberately sneezed.  The spell broken,
Jen returned her gaze to her student and smiled sheepishly, a hint of red on
her cheeks.  "Um, right.  Is it okay if we come by later, then?"

	Achika nodded, barely managing not to smirk.  "I'll tell them you'd
like to visit.  Is tonight okay?"

	"Any time that's okay with them is okay by us."

	"Okay."  Achika glanced down at her watch and eeped.  "I promised
I'd be done by 15:00 . . . I really have to get back to work."

	"Right."  Eileen nodded and bounced twice on her heels of her
sneakers.  "Well, we wouldn't want to keep you.  Have fun mowing!"

	"And remember that your homework is due tomorrow."

	Achika giggled.  "Of course I won't, Sakachi-sensei."

	"Oh, good.  Judging from your last quiz score, you forgot it at
least once."  The smile on Jennifer's face took away much of the sting of
her words, and Achika smiled as well.  "So long, Achika-chan."

	"Bye Sakachi-sensei, Pearcy-san."  She bowed politely, remaining
motionless as she watched the couple resume jogging back to their home. 
Then she squared her shoulders, thumbed the switch on the handle, and
resumed mowing the yard in neat rows, cooling her mind with thoughts of
lemonade.

***

	Jen and Eileen turned the corner.  They had a choice at this
intersection as to whether to turn left for home, or right around a loop
which would take them another few kilometers.  By unspoken agreement, they
turned left, and soon both were in the kitchen of their house, both gulping
down water.

	Eileen leaned against the counter, a few droplets of water falling
to land on her chest as she pulled the bottle from her lips.  "We don't do
that enough."

	"Well, you're the one who wants to sit around and watch TV all the
time." Jen leaned on the counter next to her, casually rubbing their legs
together.  Eileen's leg was warm, almost hot against her own, covered by a
slight cool film of sweat.  Desire leaped through her, an electric shock
familiar as her heartbeat and yet as exciting as ever.  She set the glass
down on the counter and swung around to kiss her fiancee, but was stopped
short by Eileen's next words.

	"Why didn't you tell her the real reason we're going to Luna?"

	Jen sighed and drew back to arm's length, holding Eileen by the
shoulder.  "The real reason?"

	"Jen, we both know the Queen isn't hauling us two hundred light
years just so we'll have pretty wedding pictures."

	"I know."  She sighed and turned yet again, pressing her back
against Eileen's breasts.  The brunette wrapped her arms around Jen's
waist, holding her close.  "I know, but I . . . she's young, Eileen. 
Young, and innocent.  We shouldn't be in a hurry to take that away from
her."

	Eileen nodded.  "She's a special girl."

	"She'll make an excellent historian someday," agreed Jen.  "I
already have her letter of recommendation written for the University of
Hinansho."

	"Assuming she doesn't go to the Royal University."  She frowned. 
"Jen, this really bothers me.  Sailor Cassiopeia told me politics back on
Luna are really getting bad.  The planet senshi are feuding more with the
Queen than they ever did with Serenity I."

	"It's just a phase.  Eventually they'll come out of it; they have no
choice.  Their power derives from the throne, and they won't get anywhere by
diminishing it."

	"They *aren't* diminishing it, though.  They're being careful, and
Cassiopeia is nothing if not thorough.  Nothing of the Palace bickering is
leaking through to the press."

	Jen smiled at this; sometimes she wondered how much Eileen had been
absorbed into the very press she often spoke of as an outsider.  She was
open and easy to trust, and ratings for her news broadcasts put the
competition to shame.  "We senshi know about it, though.  I just wish they
wouldn't get us involved in their power plays."  

	She sighed and slouched as Eileen rested her chin on the crown of
Jen's head.  "They don't like Her Majesty's reforms, fine, but keep it
confined to Luna.  I just want to marry you, Eileen."

	"I know, love."  Eileen put down her water and kissed Jen's head. 
"I know, and I want it too.  It's only a matter of time."

	"Right.  Speaking of bickering . . . I've seen Takeshi at the swim
club a lot lately."

	Eileen raised an eyebrow.  "Practicing his breaststroke?"

	Jen giggled and disentangled herself from Eileen, leading the way up
the stairs.  "Hardly.  Freeweights."

	"Freeweights?"

	"Heavy ones.  I guess he wants to be nice and strong for the Marine
Corps."

	They reached the bedroom.  The bed was still rumpled and disorderly
from the morning's spontaneous bout of lovemaking, but otherwise the room
was neat and proper.  Jen spoiled this by peeling off her t-shirt and
tossing it aside, then tugging down her shorts to leave them a puddle on the
floor.  After this, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "I've been wondering
if he might be Marine material after all."

	"Takeshi as a jarhead?  Nah, send him to the Academy, it'll be
better for him."

	"I don't know."  She yanked off her panties and kicked them into the
hamper in the far corner of the room.  Naked, she was entirely appealing to
Eileen, and the brunette forced herself to ignore the warmth in her belly. 
Jen's tone of voice warned her against amatory efforts.  "I just don't . . .
the Navy isn't right for him, but I can't for the life of me figure out what
*is*."

	"Palace security?"

	"He'd be little more than a grunt.  Perhaps the Army . . . I know
they've always a need for leadership."  The Royal Army hadn't been much to
look at before 3035.  After the war decimated its ranks, it had never really
recovered.  Recruitment efforts had grown increasingly desperate, but the
Army still lagged well behind the more glamorous Star Navy.

	Eileen smiled and patted Jen's shoulder, giving her a chaste kiss on
the cheek.  "Don't worry, Jen, you'll figure out something.  You always do."

	"I really hope so."  She looked down at her feet, still clad in
white athletic socks and sneakers trimmed in green, then looked back up with
a smile.  "You know, I could really use a shower.  Want to join me?"


Throne Room of the Royal Palace
Mare Serenitatis, Luna
29 June 3043
11:58 Lunar Standard Time

	Sailor Venus trotted into the throne room and glanced around
carefully, then relaxed when she saw that Serenity II was not yet there. 
She wasn't late.

	Her path to the room had been the same as always.  A maze of
corridors and security checkpoints protected the chamber at all times, but
in the end there was only one way anyone not of the royal house could enter. 
She hated that one way, for it was where it had all ended.

	Outside the throne room, at one end of its vast rectangle, was
another, smaller room.  It formed a vast semicircle, with a white marble
staircase spiraling along the curved side of the room, its banister
trimmed with gold.  The floor was marble as well, with thousands of small
golden crescent moons and stylized hearts of the royal family.  White fluted
columns dotted the walls at regular intervals, framing the windows which
looked out upon the barren, austere landscape of the Moon.  Along the flat
side of the room were more columns, these framing marble carvings which
depicted various events in Silver Millennium history, events historians and
archaeologists were still trying to decipher.  The ceiling was ten meters
high, marble and filigreed gold, with a single large chandelier hanging from
six golden chains.

	It was called the Entranceway, but it had originally been a
ballroom.  In this room, over two thousand years before, another typical
palace ball had been interrupted with news the Moon Kingdom was under attack
from Queen Beryl and the armies of Earth.  It was also the room in which
Sailor Mercury, Sailors Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus all fell,
defending the woman to whome they had pledged their lives.

	Sailor Venus paused just an instant before opening the heavy double
doors into the throne room.  She hated this room.  She admitted she did, she
knew others knew, she knew they knew why.  They agreed, for the most part. 
One simply didn't visit the place where one had died.  Of course, this was
generally not a problem for most people.  Most people stayed dead when
killed.  She and the other senshi did not, though.  

	She'd died once here, in this very room, a death she had come to
remember with frightening detail and fidelity.  It was something she could
never describe to anyone but the senshi, not if she wanted to have any
chance of being understood.  Lying on the cold, cold floor, looking up at
the blackness of space through a shattered ceiling, feeling life's blood
trickle out to form a bright, arterial red pool over the golden hearts . . .
she shivered.

	She'd died again at the North Pole, which had been every bit as bad
as the first time.  Since then, she'd never visited the Pole again.  She
knew none of the other inner senshi had either, except Neo-Queen Serenity
herself, on a one day trip taken under ruthless security.  This was
unavoidable, though.  There was no way to enter the throne room short of
teleporting, and that was strictly prohibited.  So each time she was
summoned to the throne room for official business, she had to go through the
place where she died.

	Sometimes she swore it was just because her Queen wanted to annoy
her.

	Sailor Venus blew a sigh through her blonde bangs.  No point in
delaying things further.  She reached out and grabbed the handle which would
kill any non-senshi in an instant, and easily pulled open the door.

	"Oh, there she is," came a distant and slightly peeved voice.

	"I had some other business to take care of, Mars," Venus called
back.  She smiled and walked across the threshold into the throne room.  It,
like the Entranceway, was largely white marble and columns.  The main
difference was one of scale.  The room was rectangular, and the size of a
youth soccer field, with a ceiling which stretched fifteen meters high. 
Nine chandeliers hung from it, one for each planet.  Sailor Venus's was
close to the throne, since they were arranged in their order from Sol.

	Normally, a red carpet would lead from the throne to the door.  This
wasn't a normal day, though, and the carpet was already partially rolled up. 
It was the day before the Queen's Birthday, and pink and gold bunting hung
on the walls, along with thousands of roses.  The red carpet would be
replaced with pink shortly; Sailor Venus saw the rolled up pink carpet off
to the side.

	The planet senshi stood in a rough semicircle around the throne,
which sat on a pedestal draped in red carpet.  It was gold, the ubiquitous
crescent and heart at its head, this time topped with a stylized crown.  For
now, it sat empty.

	"Hi guys," said Sailor Venus, walking briskly to the other senshi. 
"I guess none of you guys knows what this is about?"  Sailors Mercury,
Jupiter, and Neptune shook their heads.  The others remained casual except
for Sailor Saturn, who glanced at the wall.  'Interesting,' thought Sailor
Venus.

	"No idea," said Sailor Jupiter.  "I assume it's important, though. 
She wouldn't have called us all here if it weren't."

	"Correct," said a high, clear voice, and instantly they all turned. 
Queen Serenity II sat upon her throne, the crown of her mother light and
small on her head.  Her pink ponytails settled easily behind her as she
crossed her legs beneath the simple white dress she wore, trimmed with the
same shade of pink.

	"Your Majesty," they said in unison, bowing.  

	The Queen didn't smile.  "Thank you for coming.  I'm sorry for the
short notice, but things came together rather quickly.

	"I'll be brief.  Your behavior in the past months, and indeed in the
years of my reign, has been reprehensible."  Shock and dismay crossed all
their faces . . . all but Saturn's.  None dared interrupt the Queen,
however.  "For eight years I've worked to heal the wounds of the 3035 war,
and at every turn I was hindered and blocked by you.

	"I wanted better relations with Earth, and you resisted.  I wanted
better relations between men and women, and you dragged your heels.  Then
Sailors Orion and . . . Jennifer Sakachi and Eileen Pearcy planned their
marriage, and you sought to turn it into a political ploy to trumpet the
superiority of women and the Moon Kingdom.  And then, and *then* you had the
unmitigated gall to spit in the faces of those I would have as allies, by
allowing a woman who assaulted another human being to go free!

	The iron in her voice softened, but she didn't dare bring her eyes
away from the eight pairs which held nothing else in the universe but her. 
"Not again.  Never again.  I can't allow it."

	Sailor Mercury stepped forward an instant before Sailor Mars.  "Your
Maj-"

	"What the *hell* do you want, Your Majesty?" cried Sailor Mars,
flames dancing in her eyes.  "Have we stopped you from a single one of your
reforms?  Have you done anything wrong?  Tell us!  But don't dare . . .
don't you *dare* accuse us of stopping you from anything.  We protest, we
complain, but have we done an inch less than our duty?"

	The Queen of the Moon Kingdom narrowed her eyes.  "The day you
allowed Ensign Mieko Kunisada to go free after attacking my guest."

	"We didn't-"

	"You did!  If you believe for a moment that I think the board of
inquiry wasn't influenced by you senshi, you must truly think me a fool."

	"Your Majesty."  It was a quiet voice, that of Sailor Mercury's, and
yet no less powerful for the simple, pleading tone it held.  She stepped
forward, her hands clasped before her in her own brand of supplication. 
"Your Majesty . . . whatever it is, you know we'll do it.  Tell us how to
change, please."

	Serenity II sighed, and in that instant Sailor Venus knew it was
over.  "I'm afraid the change I have in mind is rather drastic.  I know it
is, but it's necessary."

	"What do you mean?" asked Sailor Uranus, confusion a rare expression
on her face.

	The Queen leaned forward slightly, folding her hands on her lap. 
"In Silver Millennium times, the senshi were, as now, the guardians of the
Queen.  Specifically, the inner senshi were charged with her personal
protection, while the outer senshi defended the system against enemies from
other stars.  Of course, now we have many more senshi, but the basic purpose
of the planet senshi remains the same.

	"When a Queen died, abdicated, or was otherwise incapacitated and
unable to rule any further, the tradition was that the senshi would step
aside, in favor of new senshi who would have no loyalty to the old regime."

	Queen Serenity II gulped, tears unshed in her eyes.  "I believe you
know what I would like you to do."

	Sailor Mars breathed calmly, deeply in and out, over a millennium of
Shinto training being the only thing that kept her from saying everything
she wanted to say, and only her oath keeping her from leaping at the Queen
and wringing her neck.  "No," she said, the words hammered iron.  "We
don't."

	The Queen sighed.  Sailor Mars was determined to make her work for
it.  "Tomorrow at my birthday party, Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Uranus, and Neptune will announce with deepest regret that they find it
necessary to retire and resign from their duties as sailor senshi and naval
officers.  They will cite as their reason the need to rest after a thousand
years, and their desire to see fresh, new persons hold the planet senshi
titles."

	She plowed on through the gasps and stony glares.  "Sailor Pluto, I
need you to stay on.  You're the Guardian of Time, no-one else could ever do
your job.  Sailor Saturn . . . we can speak later, but rest assured that you
hold an equally important position."

	The Queen fixed her red eyes on each of the senshi she had asked to
quit.  "Sailor Cassiopeia has the letters already prepared.  You need only
sign them, and you can make changes if you see fit.  Sailor Cassiopeia has
final edit powers, however."

	She stood.  "Are there any questions?"

	The throne room was absolutely silent.


--end II

First draft: 18:59 1 May 2001
First edit: 18:55 3 May 2001
Second edit: 14:18 21 May 2001
Final edit: 23:03 22 May 2001