Note: * Words * is how I indicate thoughts

Neptune Rising

by Ben Harrision

The young woman looked through the view port of the ship. There. Getting bigger by the moment was the Moon. A place she was going to spending a lot of time. A lot of hard working time, not that she minded.

* The Moon digs. The only extraterrestrial archeology site currently being worked!!! And Fi me lassie ye be one of the students who get to go on the dig!!! * Fi felt a presence beside her as she looked out. "Lovely isn't it?" the person asked. "Aye Gina it is." Fi replied. "And we get to toil on it's surface and learn more of it's past." She shivered as something inside her whispered "To show the way to the future."

As they prepared to disembark one of the other undergraduate workers asked Fi the question she was getting tired of. "I know you did several aqua-digs, how come are you here?" Flipping her red braid back she gave the same reply. "Ah be familiar with a hostile environment already. This one just has extra rules to follow, and it can kill ye a bit quicker. Ah be haven fewer bad habits to watch out for."

"Fi, what's wrong?" Gina asked. She and Fi had struck up a quick friendship while preparing for this dig.

Fi shook her head as her arm gesture took in the whole area of the dig. "It be this place. Once all the planets had people living on them, not all o'them all superpowered like them Senshi in Crystal Tokyo, just ordinary people, living, working, playing. Ah feel fey around here. Like they are watching and saying 'Learn from us, find out more so our world, and then all the others can live again.' Ah think that is part of why we be here."

"You must be one of those people who have a sense of destiny" wry observed Gina. Fi looked at her friend. "Until Ah got here Ah would have laughed at the notion. Now Ah no be so sure."

"So, we got another dig on site. I assume all the standard precautions have been set?" asked Haruka.

"Hai Sensei. All sensors are set and the outside view ports have their camoflauge in place," answered Sakuya. "Jeanne has gone outside and double checked that they were not noticeable and then used her powers to erase her prints."

"Then we have a some what boring time ahead of us as we wait for them to finish their current project," responded Michiru. She did not know yet, how wrong she would be.

"Fi where are you going?"

"Ah'm going out Gina."

"What?!? You got to be kidding. Where are you going? This isn't a place with much night life you know? And even if there was, you have got to be as tired as the rest of us."

Fi gave a weary smile, her friend was right she should be exhausted. The area they were focused on was an artisan quarter, many who had their shops and homes combined. There was a wealth of small artifacts that needed very precise handling, from recording how they were found, to the very careful removal of the surrounding soil using brushes, to the careful packaging of the freed artifact for later study. She had been doing a lot of the "brush work" this shift and normally she just wanted to crash as soon as she was back in the dome.

"Aye Gina. Ah'm more than a little tired. But Ah also be a little restless. Guess Ah miss my walks back home. Ah'll be taken a airbelt tour of the digs. Ah'll have a locator and a full charged belt. Ah'm going to be taking my holocamera as well."

"OK, the Professor didn't restrict our movements in anyway, just let a second person know as well, I'm going to crash."

"Pleasant Dreams Gina"

Elder Neptune and Uranus were sitting in the lounge of the base. While leaving the entrance that Michiru had originally found intact, they had refurbished the rest of the base extensively to train themselves and the Younger Senshi for their mission. Those Youngers were elsewhere in the base involved in their own activities.

"Mayuki was quite the hit of the chat rooms last night" said Michiru.

Haruka raised her eyebrows, asking the question with her eyes.

"One of the ones dealing with magic," her friend and lover explained then shook her head. "What a world, where chat rooms about magic and it's practical aspects, even low magic, exist on as something as technical as the Net. In any event the conversation got around to what could be done about gaining more High Magic"

Haruka nodded. "What did Mayuki do?"

"She said she tried to add the common misconceptions about High Magic, and pointed out how useful Low Magic really was. She did point out that High Magic did have to be used carefully, otherwise we might have another version of the Nucular Arms race."

"And we don't want that, not with every tinpot country and maybe even a few megacorps already having the capablities to build those bombs. But we both know that High Magic is going to have to be let free sooner or later, if nothing else when we start the Main Mission."

Michiru nodded. "Yes, I know, you are preaching to the choir. But Mayuki said it was funny how close they were about some things and so far off on others. She kept a full transcript of her online time so we could be sure she didn't let anything out of the bag. I did a quick scan earlier today, I think we don't have to worry about damage control. As soon as I get some time I'll go over it in detail."

"Good."

"You know, sometimes I wish the vision would also let us know a bit more about the Youngers personalities," Michiru sighed.

"Well we knew Mercury was going to be smart."

"Yes Haruka we did, but some how we got locked into thinking the Youngers would be close to the Elders. Such as what subjects interest them. Can you imagine Ami doing some of the things Mayuki has said she's done?"

Haruka sobered. "From what Mayuki has told us I can't imagine Ami even thinking of doing some of the things Mayuki has said she's done."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the base.

"Speaking of the vision," Michiru began.

Haruka nodded. "Your Younger will be next, I know. I can almost make out her features now. That head of red hair will help."

Michiru stroked her chin. "Yes it will lower the possible candidates from the billions to the millions."

"You know we _will_ find her or she will find us."

"I know I know, its just that right now I don't feel like leaving the moon."

Haruka laughed. "Well one or both of us are going to have to go down to earth. They Youngers would enjoy a few days off, either here or on Earth. And the trip will have to be made. It's not like she is going to come up, knock on our door and say 'Hi! I'm the Younger Neptune, I understand you've been looking for me'?"

For some reason the statement triggered gales of laugher from both of them. Michiru had just about regained her breath to speak when the alarms for the original entry went off.

Fi was gazing at the full earth. * That be a fair sight * but she also felt a tug to look out at the stars. Several of the planets were visible to the naked eye, easier to see because of the lack of atmosphere.

* There be Mars, and Jupiter. And Ah don't believe it Ah can see Uranus and Neptune as well. Well, Fi me lass, let us be off, I want a proper walk, to make sure I can get some sleep. *

As she walked she found herself remembering her past digs.

* Even if my Da did pull a few strings to get me on the others it was great to be there. And the first two were aqua-digs. How he knew that would be bonnie Ah dinna know. * Fi had always loved the water, in any form, in all it's moods. Like the sunny Med where her first aqua-dig had taken place. At what, for literally ages, had been thought of as a Phonesian shipwreck had suggestions that it might actually had been a sky-ship of the Silver Millennium, which had crashed during the fall of the Kingdoms. There were enough clues to support that theory, but a lack of hard evidence to confirm it.

Her second aqua-dig had been a real challenge, in the Antarctic. This site looked to have been town or small city that had been submerged during the fall. The environment was rough. Even with the improvement from both technology and magic, diving times were very limited compared to other places. But oddly enough, while the others were always glad to return to their base camp she had always stayed in the water to the limit of her endurance.

* It was odd that. But I have always loved the water. * and her subconscious whispered back * It likes you as well *

Her third site was on dry land, very dry land as in the Middle East. This site too had possible SiM connections, but mixed in with the other cultures that had inhabited the area as well. That dig did produce a general increase of knowledge for all the cultures, except frustratenly enough the SiM ages. It also confirmed the place as one of the longest inhabited locations on earth.

"And now Ah be on the Moon. Ah will most certainly will be focusing on the SiM during my post graduate work. And one sasqech will be eating his word when I do my Masters Thesis.

That man was a throwback to the 19th {and any other centuries that had been similar -blh} century in is thoughts about women. She thought back to that interview. His politeness had been superficial, the type that was done because he felt women were inferiors, instead of the good manners most people she knew projected. *And he should have done his research better.* 'Oh we really shouldn't be thinking about the Moon to much Miss McDougel. It's said the despite the low gravity, people work too hard and tire themselves out quickly. Your frame just might not be able to take the stress'."

Fi had quickly disabused him of that notion, "Have ye ever been to the beach Mr. Chadwick? Been swimming? Ever notice how tired ye be when you finish?" she had asked in a mild tone.

He had nodded face obviously showing confusion.

She had gotten up and had wandered over to the fireplace he had in his office, she had notice that whether it was working or not it had all the traditional implements, including pokers.

"Well, ye should try doing working dives sometimes. Ye got to be verrry precise and while ye be almost weightless, ye still be moving through water. And water gives much more resistance than air. Yet after about a week A could work all day, and dance a good deal of the night away. So A ken how to pace myself, plus ye be surprised just how much a workout swimming all day can give ye."

"Oh come now Miss, just how strong could swimming make you?"

"This strong" she said and bent the poker into a U shape.

Fi was still chuckling to herself when she stopped. * This be the site of the first dig. Well now let's get a few shots * She started doing the tourist number.

* Now for a panoramic view. I'll set the camera to auto advance and do a sweep, lets just be taken a step baaaaackkkkkkkk!!!! * The last part of her thoughts were spoken out loud as the apparently solid rock she stepped back against turned out to be an illusion.

"Someone's come in through the viewing chamber! Everyone transform just in case" commanded Haruka.

[Note: From this point on the "[]" brackets will indicate that someone is speaking in a foreign language, normally English unless stated otherwise.]

[Oh!!! Where am Ah?]

Fi had wound up face down with her rump high in the air (later she would discover that this pose had been recorded by her still functioning camera) the clatter of the two chairs and the stepstool she had tripped over still resounding. She had just started to get herself up when she was suddenly confronted by six women in Sailor style costumes. The corner of her eye also noted two cats. But the majority of her attention was focused on the six women.

*[Senshi? But they all live in Crystal Tokyo. And why does me head feel strange. A no hit it that hard when Ah fell.]* Then she saw one of them point at her head and say in Japanese "Sensei Michiru she has your sign!!!"

Fi reached up and felt her forehead. There was a feeling of _something_ there. She traced the design with her finger. She thought back to some of her classes. *[That be an astrological symbol for the planet Neptune!!]*

One of the women removed the headband she wore, revealing the same symbol on her forehead.

[Greetings Younger Neptune, we've been expecting you,] Fi then got the impression the woman was trying to hold back a laugh. Another woman, a blond also appeared to be holding back a laugh when the first one added. [Only not this soon.]

Fi just sat there on her knees staring.

Several weeks later.

"Moria Fiona McDougal this was not what ye were thinking of when you got into archeology" she said to herself as she sat her quarters.

Her first meeting, at the base's enterance, with Sensei Michiru and Haruka and the Youngers had been totally unplanned. Nether the less the Sensei had contigency plans laid on for various situations.

* Well living for millinnum would tend to make one take the long view. *

That first night the Sensei had simply told Fi how to use the "normal" enterence to the base and told her to go back to the dig and await contact.

* It be a clever cover they came up with. Officially hireing me as a liason between the corporation funding the digs and it's parent corporation.* Fi had been informed (later) that the Sensei's had set up a holding company in which they controlled 95% of the stock, the funding corporation was naturally controlled by them as well. She was surprised and pleased that the Sensei's corporation holdings included stock in her own family's companys as well. She was also informed that the set up would allow her to continue her education so she could eventually earn her Doctorate.

Fi then thought back to the meeting on Earth once she was clear of the dig. It was in the office that the Sensei's corporation maintained for their use,

[Miss McDougal] started Haruka in English.

"Sensei Haruka, your background search on me should have shown I read and speak several languanges. Japanese is one of them. Native speakers say they have no trouble following me, and unless you start talking like an auctioneer I will have no problem following you. And please Sensei, call me Fi unless you consider it too informal."

Both older women laughed. "No Fi, the only background check we did was to make sure our cover story would stand up to most checks and to keep your family from worrying. All we know right now is that you are a student archologist who was good enough to be able to go on the moon digs. We have made arragements so you will be awarded the degree you have earnned, and you can preform your duties and earn any other degrees you wish as time goes on." "[Och] Sensei, why are you doing so with so little background checking? You know so little of me."

Michiru smiled. "Let me tell you of a vision Haruka and myself have had for over three hundred years.

When she had finished Fi looked at Michiru. "So I'm your replacement when you retire, but that time is going to be a long way off, seeing as we are going to be reseting the solor system from scratch."

"Yes indeed, although, assuming we can get Neptune started again, we will split the load of ruling."

"My ladies, you have no idea what this means to me. As an archologist the extraterristral ruins have always drawn me, now I know why. Plus you are going to be needing someone like me to make sure we don't accidentally destroy any old knowlege that might be useful in getting us running or making sure we don't repeat ancient mistakes."

Fi then got an odd gleem in her eye. "And if we do get Neptune running again, we are going to have to set up the succession very carefully, to much of Scotlands history came about because of such confusion and I no want that to happen again."

"You are with us then" said Haruka, as if she had no doubts (she didn't).

"[Aye], Hai, Yes."

"Then we have only two more things to do before we go back to the Moon. This is the most important. I'm sorry we couldn't give it to you when we first met, but we deemed it safer to wait. Michiru?"

The Elder Neptune rose and glided over to the Younger. "This is the key to your power. This is your transformation wand. It will always be with you, until such time as you yourself have a Younger Neptune to allow you to retire. Keep it as a sacred trust."

"I will Sensei."

"Now hold the wand up and repeat after me, 'Neptune Planet Power'."

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!!" Fi felt the swirling energy common to the Senshi transformaiton. When it was over she had never felt so alive, so right, like a part of her that she had been cut off from was now whole.

The Elders explained to her about her powers and how to call on them. They also explained how to return to her normal form. They had her change back and forth a few times to get herself use to the change. Fi noted that the feeling of completeness didn't leave her when she returned to '"normal" mode.

"And now for the other important thing. You realise that our goals are going to take a long time, correct?" asked Haruka. Fi nodded. "And you know that Michiru and myself are immortal? That we have been affected by exposure to the Silver Crystal?" Again Fi nodded. "We are going to take you to Crystal Tokyo for a meeting with Neo-Queen Serenity. There you are going to have a talk with her. What you talk about will be kept between you two only. Then you will be exposed to the Crystal powers, You will also become an immortal."

"What?"

"Fi our goals will take a very long time, we all will need the time. Younger Jupiter is a little over 100 years old, she was the first Younger Senshi to be found, you are the latest. Only Mars, Moon and maybe Saturn remain to be found. Mars for example may show up tomorrow, or she might just now be born. Or her parents may have not yet even met."

Fi sat thinking. She had read of many legends of immortal people from both myth and popular fiction. She thought of the Senshi of Crystal Tokyo, how they appeared to cope. How the two women in frount of her coped. She though of what she could do with unlimited time. She also thought of her family, how this 'gift' would force her to see not only her parents, but her brother and sisters eventually die. *[ But the clan would remain, and Ah would never be alone, truely. And if my fellow Senshi are also in the same boat, I will also have that circle of friends.]*

"OK Sensei, lets go. To be honest, the thought scares me, but I feel

I must see this through"

"If you weren't at least a little scared we would put off the meeting until you relised the responsiablities. I'll set up the meeting with Serenity. Hopefully it will be today. Then we will go back to the Moon and start your training."

....................

Fi leaned back pillow clutch to her breast. *[Queen Serenity be a nice person. It looked like she wanted to make sure Ah was the right person for the job, that A could handle the power and responsibility.]* she rolled over on her stomach. *[ A'm still not 100% sure Ah am ready for it, but when Ah told her that she said it only proved Ah was.]* The rest of the talk consisted of a wide range of topics that jumpped around mainly to see what were Fi's interests. Two things stood out in Fi's memory, one was the Queens surprise of how Fi appeared to handle the protocal so well. "It's still the United Kindom over there your Magesty, and my father is Laird McDougel of McDougel. You are not the first Queen I've been presented to, although this is my first private audiance. The Queen had also appeard surprised at her comment on CT's buildings.

*[Guess she didn't relise that Archologists need to know at least a little about Civil Engineering and how that be me minor. Guess once we have at least one world restarted A'll be trying my had at it.]* Fi flopped back over on her back. *[She be a good Queen, and if the Sensei's had not had their vision Ah would be pround to serve her. But the Sensei are right, we need to break out and go back to the planets and stars.]* Then she sat back up. *[If we have the same division of responsablity that we did in the SiM I'm going to be seeing the stars. That be bonnie.]*

Fi sat for a while longer before she started to get herself ready for the day. She had just finished braiding her hair and was about to put on a jumpsuit when a knock came to the door.

"Just a minute!! Ah'm halfway dressed!!" the reply beyond the door sounded non-commital. Quickly putting on the outfit Fi opened the door.

She found herself having to look up to meet the eyes of one her fellow Younger Senshi. *[Got to get use to that Fi me lass, we all be Senshi.]* [And what can Ah be doing for you?] Fi asked politely, forgetting for the moment that Japanese was the common language on the base.

[You speak Japanese too? Yes?] asked the visitor.

"Aye lassie I do although I like to sprinke in a few wee idioms from my native tounge" responded Fi. "And my appologies for not speaking to you in Japanese at first. I was thinking in English and forgot to change modes"

Her visitor gave Fi a mesuring look. Fi somehow felt that her value had been catolaged under the 'pending' file. "No problem. I'm here to get to know you a bit better and show you to your first day of training. I thought I should do it as I'm the oldest."

"Then you are the Younger Jupiter."

"Yes I am, but out of training or if we are off duty I'm Sakuya." at that Sakuya offered her hand.

As Fi returned the handshake she told Sakuya. "I be Moria Fiona McDougal of the Clan McDougal. But I prefer to be called Fi."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Fi asked, honestly confused.

"Keep your accent in Japanese? Most people who learn a language a fluent as you have either have no accent or pick up the accent their teacher has."

"You have a fine eye and ear for detail Sakuya"

"In the business we are in, we are going to have to notice things like that all the time. Sometimes I wonder how the Elder Moon and her crew managed to survive to found CT" She paused and then stated "You still haven't answered my question."

"The lands of Clan McDougel have a small Japanese settlement. All the founders of that villiage said was they were refugees from somewhere. They have adapted well to the land and still keep many of their traditions, even though they have intermarried with us. And I mean that personnally, one of my ancestors came from that village. I've always wanted to learn about the past so I was always visiting the village historian. I bugged him so much he taught me Japanese so I could read the original texts. But because his family has had generations in Scotland, he also speaks with a Scottish accent. Broader than mine actually."

Sakuya got a good laugh at that image, which Fi shared.

"You know, you are surising me slightly Sakuya."

"How?"

"Well it is the way I see you. I know even from our brief aquantance you are deffinetly a Warrior, like your Elder, but there is a slight differnence in additute. The Royal Army has a training camp near us and I've seen them on manuvers. I see two officers, One a Regualar and the other a Territoral, even if they are equelly competent, I can always tell who is who. Elder Jupiter has always struck me as a Territoral while you come across as a Regular."

"I'm confused."

"A Territoral would be called a reservist in other countries. That reservist may be an expert at their job, a perfectly competent statagist or tactical leader for example, but they have other major interests. A Regular's business is War, it is his or hers main focus, their business as you will. Their Profession."

"We are not copies of our Elders Fi. We can't be, we have grown up in different Times than them. And you are right, being a Senshi is my business, my Profession."

Selene at that moment chose to come in. "Hello Fi, Sakuya."

"Hello Selene," said Sakuya, "Here to get us to school?" "In part, but I also wanted to speak to our newest Senshi some. She is after all of the House I've sworn to." The Moon Cat looked directly at Fi for a moment. "Sakuya is correct that the Youngers are not copies of the Elders, she herself being a very good example of that, but there are simularities as well, besides you powers. For example, do you play an musical instument? And if so will you show it to me?"

Fi noded and went to the closet. "It's a wind instrument so I warn you Selene the pitch might bother you a mite, if your hearing reacts like mundane cats do."

The others could hear her doing something behind the door, most likely setting up the instrument. "And what do you play Fi?" asked Sakuya.

[The Pipes] said Fi as she started playing "Scotland the Brave"

Her guests fled.

Later that day a young woman walked into the hall. At the end of the day the Sensei's had preformed a simple initation ceremony to formally acknowlege Fi's membership. Once again what she was getting into both excieted and scared her.

* [Och lassie if ye weren't at least a bit scared ye wouldn't be human.] * She paused, fingers rubbing up and down the wand she now carried. *[Only now Ah'm a wee bit more than human. ]*

But now she knew not only who she was now, but what.

"Neptune Planet Power!" she suddenly shouted.

She transformed into Younger Sailor Neptune.

Yes, the official initiation was just complete. At least as far as the others were concerned. But she had one last part that she had to do for herself. And perhaps for her ancestors as well. She now spoke in the Gaelic of those ancestors.

[I be Moria Fiona McDougel of the Clan McDougel. I also be the Sailor Senshi of Neptune. I pledge to honor the the comment I have just made for the Golden Millennium. May true justice guide my hand and my actions!]

As she marched toward her quarters, she could have sworn that just outside of hearing, there were bagpipes. Urging her on.

Character Notes.

Real Name: Moria Fiona McDougal prefers to be called Fi Third Child of her Family, Older Siblings, Mary (oldest) and Morgan Younger sister Christine.

Age at time of awakening 20 (2971), 30 at the start of Crystal

Renegades

Ht: 5' 7" (original version I had her 5' 9", but decided we already had enough tall Senshi)

Hair: Red, normally wears it in a braid (to keep it out of her way) but often takes it down for such things as visits to earth or when entertaining.

Other distinguishing features: Fair skin and emerald green eyes.

Has a Scottish lilt regardless of what language she is speaking. Becomes _almost_ non-existant when she has to explain something or in a stress situation. Note: you noticed when I had her speaking Japanes it was normal typing, in english simply subsitute A or Ah for I, use ye for you and throw in a few kinna (for know) or dinna (for don'ts) and you can do her accent.

Personality: Love of life, which from her point of view most certainly includes learning. It takes a lot to provoke her into a redheads temper (Note how she took care of the bigot interviewer, if she had gone balistic she would have used the poker on him). She loves all types of learning, but is especially attracted to history. Her knowlege of civil engineering is good enough that right now she could be a assistant project manager.

She is proud of her Scots heritage, having a complete set of regalia in her quarters. This includes a claymore sized for a woman and a Scottish Saber, and she can use both of them as she did take fencing in college and did make the team (an expert could take her down with only a little effort though, elder Jupiter could take her once she got inside Fi's guard) . Due to all her time diving Fi has gotten used to carring a knife around. Shortly after she starts training whe will start hiding a diveing knife behind the bow of her Fuku.

Fi also has a set of bagpipes. To those who like the pipes (this author being one of them) she is a good amateur piper. To those who dislikes the pipes (such as the Younger Jupiter and the moon cats) it is just a form of torture.

Fi gets along well with all the younger Senshi. She has a friendly/teasing relationship with Younger Mercury. They do argue about all sorts of academic subjects. Based on her training Fi does tend to win any based on history, archeology and related subjects, but Mercury creams her in other subjects, especially magic related

Fi also is a good researcher (again from her training) and is very willing to help out any of the Senshi who are trying to dig up facts or references.

Fi is not homo- or bisexual, but she has no problems with people who are. I suggest that she does get along well with Younger Uranus, perhaps having the deepest friendship with her. This would be just a variant of what the older Uranus and Neptune have. Maybe the youngers will marry brothers.

Fi tends to look after Hitomi, as a big sister would, trying to break her out of her shyness. Her excuse is "We redheads have got to stick together.

BTW she is wrong about her family pulling strings, she earned her spot on the other digs totally on her own merit.

Quarters Note: Lots of stuff about archology, has a workstation tucked into one corner. She keeps her pipes and regalia in a closet.