Trenchcoat-mask 4. "The Fire of Mars"
Part 1: Moonlighting
----------------------
These late nights are killing me. Staying up until all hours and the
stress of keeping a lookout for Nephrite are really taking their toll.
I look around the gloomy cram school science lab and sigh. The air
is faintly charged with ozone and the slight smell of burned
electrical insulation. (A product of one of my failed experiments
that still smoulder in the trash can.) My laptop computer chimes
indicating that it has completed testing a batch of filaments so I
unhook the cluster of metal and metalloid wires crudely mounted in egg
cartons from the occilioscope and replace them with another group.
Restarting the test program, I open a text editor window on my
computer and peruse my note file on the events from a week ago.
<<My night at the Dia Embassy>>
0) Try to find out what Nephrite was doing around OSA P. Jewelry
store. Meet Naru and Myuko, ask out Myuko, she asks me out to Dia
embassy. (Meet Usagi and cat again, see below.)
1) Show up at the Dia embassy with Myuko and Naru
2) Spot Usagi (She's using disguise magic!)
3) Nephrite dancing with Naru, later leads her outside
4) Spot Usagi again and she's dancing with Endymion
5) Loose track of everyone while changing. I'M SO STUPID!
6) Alarm goes off.
7) Possessed P. Diamond throws Usagi and Endymion over balcony
8) Cat throws parasol to Usagi, I throw umbrella to Endymion
9) Endymion chase Nephrite, Sailor Senshi on lawn (Mars, Mercury)
10) I fight possessed P. Diamond and lose.
11) Wake up, see unpossessed Prin. Diamond on lawn with senshi
(Mercury, Moon, Mars.)
12) Princess Diamond freaks at talking cat ( Moon cat), Senshi run
off.
13) Princess displays diamond statue: Imperial Crystal.
Conclusions and Points:
a.) Usagi helping Nephrite
(Passes possession on to Diamond who then tries to off her?)
b.) Nephrite think Imperial Crystal == Ginzuishou ???
c.) Endymion think Imperial Crystal == Ginzuishou ???
d.) How is Naru involved?
1) Nephrite thinks girl who lives at jewelry
store knows where Ginzuishou is? ( What a doofus.) )
2) Wrong place at wrong time?
3) Possessed in previous attack? (Review police reports.)
e.) Moon cat helps Usagi. Usagi has black cat wt. crescent mark
(Usagi's cat == Moon cat!!!)
f.) Since Usagi helping Nephrite -> Moon cat is spying on Usagi?
Blast! What am I missing? The conclusion about the Moon cat just
doesn't add up. Every time I feel like my thinking is on the correct
path I come to this garbage. I know that deduction is wrong, wrong,
wrong, but I just wind up here at this mental oubliette. Damn! It's
almost as if I'm under a spell.
I sit up straight and blink at that realization. Hmm, under a spell?
Could I really be feeling the effects of some enchantment? Could it
be something like disguise magic has muddled my thinking? Hmmm,
Unlike the disguise spells from the other night, though, I can't seem
to penetrate it. Well, I've resisted it pretty well to get this far
along so I guess I'll have to gather more information to keep going.
To get to the bottom of all this, I'll have to go straight to the
feline's mouth. I write down a final note to my file before I close
it: GRILL THE CAT (preferably with a Coke and a side of fries. :-)
ha ha. ) My humor gets strange when I'm tired.
Rubbing my eyes, I lean back in my chair and stretch. Woof, I'm
exhausted. After a week of experimenting every night on these Dark
Kingdom chips, I'm almost completely drained. (Standing guard over
OSA P. until three in the morning after leaving the science lab here
hasn't helped matters either. I took Myuko Osaka to a movie on sunday
to keep the lines of communication open with her ( Women just hate
guys that go out for one date and never call. ) but I fell asleep in
the theater. Fortunately, she was good-natured about it and actually
found it kind of cute.) On top of all that, in order to test them, I
have to occasionally recharge those damn simms by letting them drain
my energy. At last, though, these are the final tests tonight.
I've been steadily working towards making a sensor that picks up the
energy emitted by the operating Dark Kingdom device. To do that, I
made a boat-load of figments of all lengths and sizes from about every
element that is not an insulator and ran current through them at
varying voltages and frequencies. The metalloids showed the most
reaction to the Dark Kingdom energy in the forty-two kilohertz range.
(A gallium-arsenide alloy seems to work best of all.) Tonight I'm
down to the fine tuning stage and I couldn't be happier.
The Dark Kingdom PC Jr. sits partially disassembled on the table in
front of me in the cram school science lab. Since most of the lights
are off, I can see the computers' root-like chips glow a faint violet
with life energy they've drained from me. To my right, my laptop
cheerfully chatters through the serial port with the ocillioscope to
find the frequency and voltage that causes the most reaction in the
filaments. The thirty six filaments are wired up in parallel and
mounted in several egg crates. The o-scope is cycling current through
each particular one to find the best gallium-arsenide ratio for my
purposes. When I get that down, I just have to whip up a circuit
board, hardwire a few chips, add a power supply, stick it in a case
and viola! I've got me a patent pending, Dark Kingdom Magic
Detector(tm).
It's a good thing too, this is really wearing thin. I'm starting to
appear so haggard my students are looking at me funny. Today in
class, Ami Mizuno asked what made me look so tired. I just said I had
been up late surfing the internet but I don't think she bought it.
After tonight, though, I don't have to worry about this anymore.
(Yay! My futon calls to me even now. ) When I'm done with these test
runs, I'll be finished with the O-scope. Slightly light headed from
lack of sleep, I chuckle evilly as I imagine the surprised look on
Nephrite's face when I track him down and ambush him. Only this time
I'll drop an anvil on him, not just hit him with some little rock. My
small chuckle turns into almost maniacal laughter as an image runs
through my sleep-starved brain of a super-deformed Nephrite getting
driven into the ground by an Acme Anvil. As my laughter grows I think
to myself, "I've really got to get some rest, I'm starting to sound
like an anime villain."
I'm snapped out of my hysterics by a slight, out-of-the-ordinary
sound: a rustle of paper. Someone's in the hall! I put the top back
on the pc to cover the evil electronics and, slipping off my shoes,
silently pad to the door and listen. In the hall I hear a young
woman's voice say, "... pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen." I
bet one of my students is wondering what the crazy gaijin teacher is
doing here in the middle of the night and decided to check up on him.
Damn, I can't have to worry about some busybody stumbling upon my
secret. Someone quietly turns the knob of the door from the other
side and stealthily starts to slide it open. Figuring I'll put the
fear of God into the little spy, I get set to give her a little scare.
Violently snatching the door open, I jam my head into the hall and
shout, "WHATTA'YA'WANT!?!"
I'm rewarded by a couple of shrieks when I startle Ami Mizuno and her
friend Rei; their eyes get big as saucers. "Akuryou taisan!" Rei
shouts and her hand darts out to stick what looks like a post-it note
with some characters on it to my forehead. I'm so surprised that I
step back and trip over a desk behind me. Flailing wildly, I collapse
to the floor with a crash. When the dust settles I hear Rei say to
Ami, "See? I told you he was evil! I got really weird vibes from
him from the moment I met him." Ami looks apprehensively a my
twitching, prostrate form, "I guess you're right Rei but he looked so
normal." She starts again and lets out a gasp of surprise when I
suddenly sit up and glare at them. "I'm not evil!" I exclaim
snatching the Shinto anti-evil ofuda off my head, "I'm just clumsy."
Ami flinches from my scowl and says, "Oh! sensai-Davis,"we're so
sorry. We were just... um..." "Just, what?" I snap irritably as I
struggle to my feet. I angrily wave of Ami's attempt to help because
now I've got a headache the size of Honshu. "Hey," Rei says in an
no-nonsense tone of voice, "we're sorry we caused you to fall but you
deliberately scared us. We *were* here because Ami was worried about
you. You looked like some of the students did when that strange thing
happened a couple of months ago." I blow a sigh out my cheeks and
force myself to relax. "And you were just going to come here and
exorcise the evil spirits?" I ask sarcastically "Why you...!" Rei
says getting really steamed now, "don't you mock me or my religion.
You'd be blown away by some of the things I've seen and dealt with,
buster." A quick review of the horrors Ferrite has been nose to nose
with flits through my mind and I say, "Somehow, I doubt that."
Gesturing to the empty room I ask, "But tell me, Rei, do you see any
demons here?"
They hesitate for a moment and look around the room. The school
science lab is neat as a pin; the only thing unusual is my equipment
set up on the table. "Er... no," Rei admits sheepishly. "So what are
you doing here so late at night?" Ami asks suspiciously. Uh-oh,
She's a real Dr. Science type, my story will have to be good to fool
her. I hesitate for a second before Rei prompts me with a, "Well?"
Humph! Just my luck to run into the evil opposite of the shy, demure
japanese girl stereotype. "I'm testing a new type of shielding to cut
down on computer magnetic radiation," I say thinking up a plausible
lie, "I think I've hit on a way to lower emissions by fifty per cent
using a new metalloid lining. Since I don't have an occillioscope at
home, I've been testing here after hours." "Oh," Ami says intrigued
with my story, "you really think you've got something?" My laptop
completes its test run and sounds a soft chirp. "Yes, but I think
gremlins have infested my laptop and it could use a good exorcising."
Rei opens her mouth to retort but I cut her off by apologizing, "I'm
sorry. That was uncalled for. I do respect your beliefs, just don't
stick them on my head again." "All right," she says dourly, "I'm
sorry I warded your head." I can almost see the wheels turning as she
looks at me in that hard and straight manner of hers again and says,
"you should still come by the temple for a reading, though. I sense
something odd about you." "You and my school guidance counsellor," I
quip. They just sort of stare at me so I say, "I'll see if I can find
an opportunity to drop by some time. Hikawa Shrine/Sendai Hill is
it?" "Hai," Rei answerers shortly. "Fine, maybe in the near future,"
I agree again non-committally.
"Now if you ladies will excuse me," I say trying to shoo them out the
door, "I have work to do." "Well, we're sorry we disturbed your work,
sensai," Ami says. I give them an, "Umhmm" as I gently urge them to
go. Before they leave, though, I look at them and say, "thanks for
being concerned, girls. I'm sorry I was short. The lack of sleep
must be getting to me." They smile pleasantly and Ami says, "That's
all right, goodnight sensai." I smile in response and say, "Goodnight
girls." When the door slides shut again, I wait a moment to make
sure they're gone.
Hmmm, little Ms. Temple Priestess really seems to want to put my
spirit under a microscope. I wonder if she's detected my Ferrite
persona or something. I look a the ofuda I still have in my hand. The
characters on it translate to "Evil Spirit Begone." With a shake of
my head, I crumple it up and toss it into the trash can. Looking over
the figures on my computer I see that the sixty-forty gallium-arsenide
alloy does indeed have the most reaction to the Dark Kingdom energy.
Success at last! Well, the next thing I have to do is build the
hardware for my detector; something I can happily do at home.
Popping open the evil PC jr., I lick my thumbs and grasp the
contacts of the Dark Kingdom memory module. Bzzzt! Sput! I ground
myself on the evil circuitry and regain my stored life energy. "Wow,
ouch!" I exclaim at the sensation. My fingers feel a thrill of
electricity from the circuit board. The resulting jolt is better than
a cup of coffee, however, and I feel awake and alert again. With that
done, I shut down the DKEPCJr. and get ready to pack up.
I'm about to turn off the O-scope when I notice something
interesting: it shows I'm still getting a reading indicating faint
magical energy. It can't be the chips, they're discharged and turned
off. I pick up the egg carton of filaments and start moving them
around to try and find out where the emissions are coming from. When
I get them near the trash can, the readings grow stronger. Pulling
out the wadded up ofuda, I hold it close to the detecting filament.
The faint readings increase the closer I get the paper to the wires.
Amazing, the anti-evil charm is actually charged with a bit of magical
energy. Rei is an honest-to-God... er honest-to-Kami mystic! Looks
like the Sendia Hill Temple charms have a lot more in them than just
prayers and good wishes.
Thoughtfully, I turn off the O-scope and pack most of my stuff away.
"Sendai hill... Sendai hill... why is that familiar?" I muse. Then I
remember where I read that before. Bringing up my police report notes
on my computer, I review them. There had been a report or two of
people disappearing around there about a eight weeks ago. Something
to do with the bus. This happened a little before I encountered the
prince and before Ferrite woke up. Hmmm... Maybe it would be a good
idea to drop by the Sendai temple for a reading after all. Maybe I
can find an ally against the Dark Kingdom there.
"Caw, caw!" A pair of ravens raucously scold me from their perch atop
the gate of the Sendai Hill shrine. I look up at them and the
afternoon sun catches in their eyes causing them to glimmer as the
stare at me with their beady little eyes. Creepy... Discomforted by
their gaze, I glare back at them and mutter, "Beat it!" With a
squawk, they take wing almost as if they understood me. One of the
little bastards even tries to take a dump on me but I side-step his
little bomb. What are they, temple guardians or something? I swear,
Japan gets weirder and weirder by the minute. I'm about to step back
onto the path when I notice the mailbox just inside the gate.
I wonder who our little Mystic corresponds with. Glancing around to
make sure nobody is about, I open it and riffle through the letters
inside. Bill... bill... occupant... hmmm, here's something
interesting, a letter from city hall: official correspondence from the
office of City Councilman Hino. So, Rei has a politician in the
family. I memorize the address and make a mental note to look into
that later.
At the sound of footsteps on the walk, I hurriedly stuff the
envelopes back into the mailbox and step back onto the walkway.
Coming from around the bushes about twenty feet away from me is a very
short, bald headed priest about fifty years old dressed in blue and
white robes and carrying a broom. "No picture prease," he says in
heavily accented english when he notices me by the gate. "I humbly
beg your pardon honorable sir, but whadjasay?" I ask him in japanese.
(One of the upsides of remembering every last detail from all of my
past lives is that I know a lot of languages. Sadly my most recent
Japanese incarnation was a bureaucrat in Japan about the time
Commodore Perry showed up so I speak somewhat archaically.
Fortunately the present, Bob Davis, incarnation speaks limited modern
japanese. By blending the two I can get my meaning across but
sometimes the result can sound really strange.)
"Oh, you speak japanese, good. Please be respectful and refrain
from photography during your tour the temple," he says while he
starts to sweep at the leaves on the walkway.
"Photography? Tour?" I ask confused.
"You are a foreign tourist, aren't you?"
"No, I'm here to see Rei."
His eyes bug out at my pronouncement and he shouts, "What!?" He
shakes the broom at me angrily and exclaims, "I told her no dating
until she's sixteen. What are you, some kind of hentai chasing after
under-aged girls?"
I recoil a bit from the brandished broom and exclaim, "Nani-yo!?
Date? No, I'm a teacher for one of her friends. Rei invited me over
here for a reading. Please, honorable sir, calm down before you bust
a blood-vessel."
"Oh," he says as his mood shifts almost schizophrenically from rage
to extreme good humor. "I'm afraid she won't be back for another
hour. We have a waiting room, or there are benches around the grounds
if you wish to wait for her."
"Thank you," I say gingerly trying to avoid another explosion, "I
think I'll first just pay my respects, honored sir." Giving a polite
bow, I walk over to the open air shrine. The shrine is a simple
affair with a small wooden icon of the Sun goddess, Amaterasu
O-mikami, in a three quarter pagoda enclosure. Large cloth scrolls
with prayers, high examples of artistic calligraphy drape the walls.
A thick rope hangs from the rafters with two large bells on it. The
bells are spherical, reminiscent of the kind found on a cat's collar
but these are engraved. Several candles burn in front of the statue
and the fragrant smell if burning incense sticks fills the air.
Grasping the rope, I ring the bells lightly to gain the attention of
the spirits and bow my head as a proper show of obeisance to their
influence over my life. I stand there for a minute or two and murmur
a prayer I remember from a hundred years ago. My previous Japanese
incarnation was more of a Folk Shintoist than a Shrine Shintoist but
"any port in a storm" as they say... I place the equivalent of ten
dollars in the collection box and light a candle. I'm not sure if it
will have any effect but I can use all the help I can get.
"I'm surprised a foreigner knows the ways of our temple," the old
priest says from behind me when I finish the prayer.
"I have some ancestors who were Shintoists. It's only proper,
revered father, I say a prayer or two for them," I reply courteously.
Hm, since he seems to be in a conversational mood, I wonder if I can
find anything out about the bus incident. "Say, would you mind telling
me about the temple here? I can give you a hand with your sweeping
until Rei arrives."
The old fellow's face brightens a little and he says, "Certainly,
physical labor is good for focusing the spirit." Uh-oh, I think, I
hope Rei comes back soon or else I have a feeling this guy will be
having me regrouting his bathroom. He quickly fetches another broom,
and we start sweeping the walk. He is right about simple, physical
labor, though, when the hands are busy the mind is free. We introduce
ourselves to each other and I learn that Rei is his granddaughter. We
converse on some of the tenets of shintoism but I try to steer the
conversation to this shrine in particular. He seems more interested
in talking about Rei, though, so I tell him how I met her through Ami
and Rei suggested a reading.
His mood compass swings to disgruntled and he says, "I've asked
Rei's friends if they want to come work at the temple here but they
said they were all too busy." He turns to me with a strange sort of
gleam in his eye and asks, "are there any cute girls at your school
that you think might want to be temple maidens here?"
"I would doubt it," I answer, "they all seem pretty wrapped up in
their school work too."
"Oh, that's too bad," he says disappointed but his mood shifts again
and he looks at me slyly, "But good for you, I'll bet."
"Hmmm?" I ask curiously.
"There's nothing like a pretty young girl to brighten up the place.
I bet you know all about that, eh? Eh?" he nudges me conspiratorially
and winks.
"Er... yes their youthful enthusiasm is refreshing," I say somewhat
taken aback at his implications.
"Heh! Youthful enthusiasm... yeah, enthusiasm... Heh, heh," he
chuckles at my words deriving some hidden meaning that I can't fathom,
"Some call it talent, you call it enthusiasm... Youthful, heh!" He
trails off as he continues to sweep.
I look around me sure that at any moment Rod Sterling is going to
step out of the bushes. This is just too weird; I'm either in the
Twilight Zone or on Candid Camera.
He stops his sweeping and points out a schoolgirl coming down the
street towards us, "Take that little beauty there," he says fairly
drooling, "she has a lot of... "youthful enthusiasm," wouldn't you
say?"
I must admit the girl he points out is a rather pretty one, with
long, silky black hair, and her school-girl uniform shows off a trim,
athletic figure. The bloom of youth is upon her and no doubt that she
will break quite a few hearts in the future. I have to say too that
part of me does find her attractive but I generally prefer women my
own age. As she gets closer, I get a better look at her and say,
"Hey, isn't that Rei?"
The old guy's eyes bug out again for a moment and he says, "Er, so
it is... so it is..."
Rei climbs the stairs to the walkway and finally sees me sweeping
with her grandfather. Just like the elder Hino, Rei's mood wildly
shifts from calm to anger and she exclaims, "Grandpa! Why are you
making sensai Davis sweep? I invited him over here for a reading, not
so you could put him to work!"
"Er..." I start to explain.
"What?" the elder Hino shouts, "He asked me to talk about the ways
of our temple and offered to help out. At least he shows some respect
for his elders, not like some members of my own family."
"Um... I did volunteer," I say embarrassed to be the cause of this
family dispute.
"Why did you do that?" She storms now turning her attention to me,
"you think my grandpa' can't take care of it himself?"
Checking my first impulse to call her a hot-headed little... I
switch to diplomatic mode and say, "Not at all, Rei. I was so
impressed by the serenity of your temple here, I wanted to contribute
a little something personal to it. Your grandfather was so kind as to
indulge me."
My words seem to mollify her and the storm clouds over Rei pass just
as quickly as they appeared. Calm once again, she turns to her
grandfather and says, "I'm sorry grandpa. It's just... I worry over
all the work you have to do here."
"That's all right, little ember," he says affectionately. Realizing
he's speaking these things in front of a strange gaijin he straightens
up and says more formally, "I can still take care of things just fine.
Now, why don't you go inside and change for Davis-san's reading."
"Hai, ojiisan," she says and bows politely. Bowing to me in turn
she says, "If you would accompany grandfather to the inner temple,
I'll be joining you in a few minutes." She straightens up and runs
coltishly up the steps and around the building out of sight.
"You must be very proud of her," I say, "she's a really nice girl."
"I am," the old priest admits, "but I wonder where she gets that
temper of hers?"
A few minutes of brisk sweeping later, the old priest shows me inside
to a coat room. There I hang my trenchcoat and put on some sandals.
Leading me inside the inner sanctum he urges me to kneel on a cushion
to wait for Rei. The room has a large fire pit in the center with a
square arrangement stone beams framing the fire within. Rei's
grandfather feeds the fire a few small logs and it crackles
cheerfully. A screen door slides open and Rei comes in dressed in her
red and white temple maiden robes. She's carrying a stick thingie
with papers hanging from it ("gohei" my shintoist incarnation prompts)
which she waives about a few times. Setting it aside, she chants some
words and dramatically moves her hands rapidly through a series of
gestures and positions that are used to focus the spirit. "Sacred
fire, show us the reason for the disturbance in this man's kai." I
stare hypnotised by the flames as I find myself swept up in a memory
of when I last stared into a fire looking for answers.
Part 2: The Fire of Mars
-------------------------
"Please have a seat, cousin," Endymion says as I step into his study.
Uh oh, he only calls me cousin when he wants my help with something.
The most memorable time he did that we both wound up in hot water with
me taking most of the heat. But he was ten and I was fourteen at the
time and all that really happened was our ears got boxed. I sit in
one of the plush, velvet chairs facing his desk and await my prince's
scheme. Endymion's study, where we are, is almost the opposite of his
father's. Where Arturo's has no windows and is somewhat gloomy,
Endymion's is brightly illuminated with large windows. Books and
artifacts from other planets cover the shelves here whereas the King's
room is almost bereft of any decorations at all. One thing that is
the same about them, though, is their drive to have things their way.
Once either sets their mind to something they will move heaven and
Earth to do it. With the knowledge I'm going to be part of some
endeavor near and dear to the prince's heart, I give him my undivided
attention.
Standing behind the desk he paces to and fro before he says
excitedly, "Cousin, I want to go to Mars." I bite my tongue to keep
from immediately reacting and instead wait for him to continue. "The
annual shipload of rare woods we give to them celebrating their new
year is leaving in a few weeks and I want to go along to consult the
Oracle. When I speak to father about this, I would like to know I
have your support." I pause for a few moments, formulating my answer.
What the prince wants to do is unprecedented. No ruler from any
other planet has directly consulted the Oracle of Mars, ever.
Emissaries have been sent, to be sure, but no ruler. For it to be
Earth, it would imply that we accept spiritual leadership from them.
The church of Fire is fairly strong on Terra, but that would give it
prestige that it currently lacks as a foreign church. This could
cause quite a stir amongst the native religions. Not to mention that
we need their support against Beryl.
"Of course you realize the implications of such a visit?" I ask
him.
"Yes," he answers excitedly, "but there is something I must consult
the oracle about. I've heard of it's visions of the future and I
want... need to find out about Serena... about us."
"Oh?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. Ever since his birthday six
months ago, where Serena gave him her locket, they have been
corresponding regularly and have visited four times but I hadn't
thought it this serious. Travel has been a bit restricted since Beryl
has gone underground in the wilds of Arcadia. She has not moved
openly but we have intercepted several of her agents. Outside the
palaces of the Earth or the Moon the prince is not as safe as I would
like. There is no telling when or where that witch might decide to
strike.
I guess that absence does make the heart grow fonder because the
prince gets this sort of far away look when he talks about Serena
lately: kinda' happy, kinda'... stupid. In fact, he looks that way
right now. I concentrate on what he just said and try to sum it up
for him, "Let me see if I understand you correctly, you have strong
feelings about her but you aren't sure of their nature so you wish to
consult the Oracle to see what the future holds in store for you and
Serena."
"Yes, exactly!" he exclaims, "I've never felt like this about anyone
before, I think she feels the same way too, but..."
"But, given your position as future King of Earth and the lengths
some women have gone to be your bride in the past, you wish to make
sure that her feelings are genuine."
"It's not that I don't trust Serena, I do, it's just that..."
"Her mother wields the mightiest magical artifact of the Ancients
which is capable of reshaping reality itself. Given that, you need to
be absolutely certain that what you are feeling is genuine."
"You truly understand," he says relieved, "so I can count on your
help?"
Actually, I don't understand; I've never been in love. I really
can't see why he's acting so out of control over a woman. Serena is a
nice girl and all... and his best match amongst the available
princesses but... but who am I to argue with love? The reason the
prince is telling me about this first is there is not a duplicitous
bone in his body. Good thing he's come to an expert. I steeple my
fingers meditatively as I ponder the situation. He's looking to me
for the best way to spin this request and I'd best not disappoint him.
After a minute or two I say, "I think things can be arranged. The
Nemesis and Constellation were going to be escorting the transports.
Additional ships could be provided for your own security easily;
logistics is not a problem. The real trick will be getting the
Martians to accept you and the Earth churches to not feel slighted.
If we frame your visit as a political one, we might get away with it.
Say you are going there to there to negotiate free passage through
their space in emergencies, that would make it inoffensive to the
Earth churches. To the Martians, say you are going along with the
gift ship to personally deliver it to the Hierophant herself. While
you are there you wish to settle a few trifles of passage rights and
perhaps take a visit to various Martian sights such as the Oracle."
"Yes, that's it!" He exclaims realizing his idea is doable, "that's
just what I need to say."
"Then perhaps you'd best carefully consider your words; write them
down so you know exactly what you need to tell the king. Then, after
you've rehearsed them a few times, go talk to your father."
"Good idea, cousin," he says and eagerly sits at his writing desk to
begin composing.
"Oh, and while I'm here," the prince looks up at me when I ask him,
"are there any letters to Serena you would like to send with the
afternoon naval dispatches again?"
The prince blushes and takes a sealed envelope out of his desk
drawer and hands it over; I notice that the envelope is stuffed with
at least ten pages. "I'll be sure the courier takes it by the Lunar
palace personally."
"Thank's cousin, you're a true friend."
"You're welcome... cousin." I respectfully back out of the door and
into the hallway, closing the door behind me. Instead of heading to
the office of Naval affairs I go straight to the king's study. His
secretary halts me but when I proclaim that my business is of the
highest priority, he announces me and I'm led inside.
King Arturo puts away several papers as I enter and says, "What is so
important, Ferrite, that cannot wait until tomorrow's staff meeting?"
"Both good news and bad news, your majesty. The good news is that
Endymion is very serious about his relationship with Serena. I think
he is considering asking for her hand in the near future."
"Ferrite, this is wonderful news! Excellent!" he exclaims.
Reaching for the brandy he says, "This deserves a toast."
"Er... you might want to hold off on that for a moment, sire. The
bad news is he wants to be aboard the Nemesis when we sail for Mars."
The smile evaporates and he says darkly, "Did you put this fool idea
in his head?"
"No, your majesty, not at all!" I say taken aback at the shift in
mood. "No, he asked me about it first and I suggested he frame his
ideas before coming to see you."
"And you betrayed his trust and came directly to me?"
I pause uncomfortably before I answer, "My loyalty is to the crown.
The Monarchy and Endymion are best served by my being here now."
"So what do you wish to say to me that he will not in a few
minutes?"
"I am here to convince you to let him go."
"Let him go? What absurdity is that? With Beryl in hiding and
organizing secret societies against us we need the churches firmly on
our side. We can't have it seem the heir to the Emerald throne
embraces an alien religion."
"Beryl worships a demon queen," I say simply, "the churches would
support us if Endymion shaved his head and became a Plutonian Time
Watcher. If we frame the trip in political terms, they will be
mollified. As to my reasons for urging you to let him go, you desire
to see the prince married to Serena, for his sake as well as the
Earth's. The prince wants to rid himself of some doubt about his
emotions to Serena and feels consulting the Oracle would do that.
Your first reaction to him would be to say no."
"Naturally enough," Arturo mutters.
"After doing so, you would stick by your decision come hell or high
water. Given the prince's conservative nature, his doubts would grow
unless they are addressed in the manner he decides upon. Serena would
naturally pick up on his doubt and interpret his indecision as
indifference. As there are many eager to take Serena's place, and
Endymion's for that matter, an outsider would have little trouble
breaking them up. The only logical thing, therefore, is to let him
go."
"Pah!" He exclaims incredulously, "How would that strengthen his
bond with Serena?"
"Making the trip will, in his mind, commit him to the decision of
becoming engaged. The actual pronouncement of the Oracle will just
cement the deal. I know my cousin, without this trip his doubt will
grow into a wedge that will ultimately divide them."
"One little problem with your scheme there, Ferrite," Arturo says.
"Yes, sire?"
"What if the Oracle says he should not marry Serena?"
"Hm..." I pause before saying, "Unlikely, but it would be the same
result as if he did not go."
"Very well," he concedes but then asks, "How are you so convinced
that he is devoted to her?"
I hold up the envelope before the king and say, "Because this is his
third letter to her of this size in two weeks. Endymion, it seems,
devotes a lot of time and energy thinking about Serena."
Arturo looks at the overstuffed envelope and then asks, "He really
loves her, you think?"
"I've passed his quarters late at night and heard the music from the
locket Serena gave him. I even know he is composing a little poem to
speak to her using the locket as accompaniment."
Arturo raises an eyebrow at that. "How is it?" He asks.
I hesitate for a second before replying, "A little amateurish but it
speaks from his heart." Before the king can further comment, I plunge
on, "And..Right now he's agonizing over how he is going to confront
his father over a very serious issue; all for her sake. Remove these
nagging doubts of his and the dam of his affections will burst.
You'll be a grandfather before the solstice of next year."
That last statement evokes a chuckle from Arturo. Good, he's
relaxing; I think I've changed his mind. We are interrupted by the
king's secretary coming in and announcing the prince. "I guess the
prince is eager to present his case," I say. "I will take your
suggestion under advisement, Ferrite," the king says formally
dismissing me. He will not admit that I have convinced him but there
is a twinkle in his eye that was not there before. He will allow his
son to persuade him, but only after a lengthy and impassioned fight.
Exiting out the other door, I hurry off toward the ministry of the
Navy. I've got a million things to do in preparation for the prince's
trip and only two weeks to do them.
Mars, the red planet, hangs large in space like an apple on the
cosmic tree. The H.M.S. Nemesis' orbital approach brings us in
slightly to the side and makes it look as if someone has been nibbling
on the edge of said apple. The windy season has just ended on the
planet and I see from my view on the bridge that the sun is barely
starting to shine on Mt. Olympus, the great volcano. The Martian
capital city of Sandbartan is probably just waking up now. I can
almost hear the temple bells calling the faithful to prayer. Glancing
over at the railing, I see my fellow guardians Jadeite and Nephrite
standing there with Endymion; they will be his escorts for this visit.
We could only get permission for two Guardians to accompany Endymion
on his visit from the Hierophant so Kunzite and Zoicite have stayed
behind to guard Arturo. The Martians were always overprotective of
the sacred fire; it's as though they thought we would be able to make
off with the ancient wonder. Endymion and Jadeite stand together
chatting as they stare at the growing red disc. Nephrite, on the
other hand, looks off at the constellations burning so bright in the
inky void. "It's beautiful," Endymion says about the planet to no one
in particular. I must admit that he is right. I've seen all the
planets but Mars has this exotic beauty that is both familiar and
alien; She beckons to you, but to stay is painful.
Mars' two moons, Phobos and Diemos, are visible as two tiny crescents
to the right of Mars on her night side. We must first stop at a pier
on Phobos before we will be allowed to land on the desert planet.
There, priests and priestesses will go over our ships with charms,
prayers and incense to drive off any evil spirits we might bring with
us. Only after such a "cleansing", and paying the hefty expenses for
same, will we be able to proceed.
"Martian stone barges off the starboard beam," the lookout calls from
his perch; I give a little curse of exasperation at that news.
"What's the matter, Ferrite?" The prince asks, "do they mean us
harm." "No," I say perturbed at the Martians, "because you're with
us, they undoubtedly want to give you a proper escort. Or maybe they
wish to make a show of strength given the number of ships in our
flotilla." I look at the Earth ships that sail in an arrow head
formation with the Nemesis at the point. To our port is the
"Constellation" a forty-eight gun frigate, on our starboard is the
"Terra" her sister ship. Trailing aft are the sloops of war, "Combs,"
"Latus," and "Ashley." Toward the rear are two merchantmen loaded
with rare woods for the Oracle. "They are no threat to us," I tell
the prince, "it's just that those Martian monoliths will slow us to a
crawl."
The Martian barges are cut from the red sandstone that is common on
the desert planet. Lacking trees, the Martians get by with what
materials they can. The sails are strung from massive, ornately
carved stone obelisks. Glyphs in their cryptic writing cover almost
every inch of their ships. Fitted with the lift-stones and air-stones
of the Ancients, they make for what can euphemistically called
"leisurely" travel. Mainly they are used for trips to the Martian
moons but on rare occasions they can be found in the sky ports of the
asteroids. "Mr. Robervall," I call to my second in command, "get on
the farspeaker and call the other ships, have them simultaneously run
up the colors and render full honors to our hosts. Smartly now, we've
got royalty aboard so don't embarrass them." Following our lead, the
other ships raise the blue and golden sun-burst of Terra.
Twenty-three rays emanate from the yellow disc; one for each of the
great kingdoms.
Cutting back to one quarter speed to match our hosts, we eventually
arrive at Diemos high-port for our ritual cleansing. We take on the
pilot, a young black haired man dressed in the white and light blue
robes of the Martian theocracy. The small moon has practically no
gravity so there is a tall spire, a pier that juts up from the surface
of the small world. Like birds landing on a branch, the ships of our
flotilla dock on the pier. Following the pilot's instructions he
brings us safely to dock with the constructed of sun-dried brick. It
would really be much easier for us to make landfall on Mars straight
away but we have to come here so we might not accidentally pollute the
holy red planet. Like a parade, priests file aboard swinging their
censers and waiving their whisks to drive out any evil spirits that
may be hiding amidst our masts.
Humph! This seems more like a reason to put the bite on us for a bit
of gold than to actually purify us. I've had a little experience with
evil spirits and they were never very subtle. The first such spirit I
encountered was at a garden party on the palace grounds about a month
after Endymion's coming of age. I was there with a troupe of marines
investigating a rumor our the kitchen staff was infiltrated when the
thing attacked. The demon, looked like an attractive female chef that
kept hurling knives, cleavers, and skewers at me, all the while
spouting lame, annoying, cooking metaphors. The marines blasted away
at it with their muskets but it wasn't until I put a shot from my
dueling pistol into it that it finally dissipated. It's times like
that I really wish I were as powerful as my fellow Guardians. Take
Kunzite for example, he would have pulverized the thing with one
blast. Me? I had to hold it at bay with my sabre while I shot it.
Missed the damn thing three times too. As actions go, that thing was
quite obvious in its goals: namely eviscerating me. Indirect? Not
any of the evil spirits I've seen.
Things seem to be going normally, or as normally as this sort of
thing can go, when one of the priests steps up to us and looks at
Nephrite closely. "You, you wear the pendant of the Earth College of
Astrology do you not?" He asks in halting terran.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Nephrite asks curiously.
Instead of answering the priest goes over to the high priest and
starts talking to him very rapidly in Martian. My Martian is a little
rusty but I can pick up about half of what is said. It runs along the
lines of, "unbeliever" and "infidel" and such. After staring at
Nephrite for a moment the high priest steps forward and says
definitively, "You cannot be allowed to land on Mars."
"What?" Endymion exclaimed with disbelief, "What is the meaning of
this?"
"He cannot go to Mars," the priest reiterates pointing a finger at
Nephrite, "Our laws are clear. None who seek the future by means
other than the sacred flame are allowed to land on the planet of
fire."
"What laws do you speak of?" I ask racking my brain for any
reference to what he says. "There are no passages in the book of Fire
pertaining to..."
"I'll not tolerate this outrage!" Nephrite growls, "I am part of the
royal court of Earth and a prince of Cibolita as well. My post is
with the Endymion, I will not leave his side."
"That makes no difference, Astrologer," The High priest spits the
last word as if it were a curse, "You will not be granted admittance."
He crosses his arms and takes a stance as if setting himself in
granite; he is not going to budge on this.
"We have a writ of passage from the Hierophant herself!" Endymion
exclaims taking the parchment from his scroll case and reads aloud,
"His highness, Endymion of Earth, two guardians, and his personal
guard are hereby given permission to enter the city of Sandbartan to
meet with her holiness in personal conference. Signed, Yukari,
Hierophant Church of Fire."
The high priest hesitates for a moment before the says accusingly,
"That was before we found one of you to be an astrologer. You
deliberately chose him as an insult to us. I follow the holy scrolls
and an unbeliever will not be admitted." He motions to the others and
they form up a on him as though to back him up in a fight. The crew
and marines notice this and casually take up defensive positions. Not
a few of them pick up tools and weapons. Things will get ugly unless
I do something quick.
"Hold!" I shout, "Any man who so much as raises a fist will answer to
me." The crew glares at the martians for a moment and then goes about
their business. Damn, this whole trip could fall apart unless I do
something quick. "My lord," I call the prince and the others aside,
"Rather than force the issue... Er, I have a special secret mission
that needs the personal attention of a Guardian."
His brow beetles at my announcement and says, "I was not told of
this."
"I was to attend to it after you were safely on the planet," I say
quickly, "but since Nephrite's status is now in question, logically it
could openly be reassigned to him. This way we can save face and it
will not look like we are giving in."
Endymion shakes his head and declares, "I will not allow them to
push us around."
"I agree," Nephrite says, "they cannot dictate to the prince of
Earth."
"There is no history of this ever happening before," Jadeite
affirms, "It would set a bad precedent in future dealings with them."
Blast, opinion is against me. I've got to say something that will
tempt Nephrite away. Urgently I reiterate, "But it is vitally
important that these dispatches get to our embassy on Jupiter. They
cannot be transmitted by far-speaker and I trust no one but a Guardian
to deliver them."
"Jupiter you say?" Nephrite asks his interest piqued.
"I didn't know anything about any dispatches," Endymion says.
"A minor but important naval matter, your highness. Nothing for you
to concern yourself with, but a responsibility that needs to be
carried out."
"Jupiter you say?" Nephrite asks again. Good, he's taken the bait
now I've just got to convince Jadeite and Endymion.
"I still don't like giving in, the writ says I and two of my
Guardians are granted passage," Endymion says, "It's an insult to both
Nephrite and me."
The prince has set his mind, if I can get Jadeite in my camp he
might change it. I know, Jadeite is a historian, if I can show a
historical-political angle he'll come over to my side. "Ah, but you
balance their affront to Nephrite by replacing him with me. You would
be placing symbol of Earth's powerful navy right into their midst."
"True, " Jadeite agrees, "in the past, the Martians have resented
our navy as a reminder of the days of the old Imperium. Ferrite would
be perceived as an insult."
I do a double-take at that comment but decide to let it slide. The
prince hesitates as he weighs these matters. I've got to try and
further tip the scales. If I can get something positive out of this
he will reconsider, "Let me take Nephrite place, besides a prince of
his stature would make a bigger impression on the Jovians if a court
official of Nephrite rank and stature attended their harvest festival
commencement. I had planned to make an appearance representing Earth
while I was there but he would be much more impressive than a naval
captain."
"Ju..." Nephrite begins.
Time to bring Nephrite firmly into my camp, "Why yes, how did you
guess Juno will be there?" I turn to him suddenly, "I didn't know you
followed the comings and goings of the senshi."
"Oh..." Nephrite says, "When you are a Guardian you've got to know
these kinds of things."
Endymion looks at Nephrite and asks, "Would you feel slighted by
being replaced?"
"A bit, but it is important that the mission go forward," Nephrite
answers sincerely. It almost masks his eagerness at the possibility
of seeing Juno again.
Endymion turns to the priest and says, "We agree to your condition,
however Ferrite will take Nephrite place." The priest takes a look at
me and I try to look as pompous and Naval as possible. His scowl
deepens but he can find no objection to the replacement. With a
snort, he gathers his followers up in a huff and leaves. "I'll get
the dispatches for you, Nephrite," I say and go down to my cabin.
Once inside, I hurry over to my desk and start stuffing old messages
and cryptic requisition forms in a satchel. When it is sufficiently
heavy I dash out a letter to the consul on Jupiter:
"William,
Please take these dispatches and act as though they were expected top
secret documents. Nephrite is to be treated with all the courtesy and
respect of his office, but he is not to know that his arrival is a
surprise. Use whatever methods you deem necessary to get him a place
on the rostrum for the Jovian harvest festival. If at all possible,
arrange a meeting between him and the Younger Jupiter. These contacts
could be valuable to Terra in the future Lunar court. In gratitude
for this favor to me and your silence, I hereby forgive all your poker
debts.
Your humble servant,
Ferrite
Just for good measure, open up my liqueur cabinet and throw in a
bottle of my best brandy. Now, a quick trip to the farspeaker room to
inform the captain of the Constellation of his change in orders and
I'm done. Whew! Interplanetary matchmaking does have its
tribulations. The only thing left to do is think up how I'm going to
tell the king I diverted one of his warships to keep his son's trip
going smoothly.
After Nephrite teleports to the Constellation (I hate it when they
show off like that, he could have just as easily walked there) we are
free to proceed to the red planet below. Sweeping down from orbit
like a flock of celestial swans, our ships break out of night into the
Martian dawn. When we are well within the atmosphere, we shut down
the air-stones and our sails billow with the cool dry Martian air.
There's something about the rusty smell of the red planet that reminds
one of blood. Indeed, one of the reasons Earth sends a shipload of
rare woods to be burned on the fire of the Ancients is to honor the
blood of heros spilt upon the plains outside the Martian capitol.
"Endymion," I call over the wind, "Do you see that plain we are
coming upon? That is the 'Plain of Blood', the battlefield where
Terran forces held off the Slavers while the Ginzuishou was forged on
the Fire of Mars."
"It happened here?" Endymion asks, "I've read about it in the
history books but I didn't realize we would be passing right over it.
This is it?"
"Jadeite," I turn to my fellow Guardian, "you're a historian, tell
him about it."
Getting into his role as teacher he points out over the plain of red
dust before us, "Yes, this is spot, on the horizon you can see the
pyramids; In between them is the fire. Here men from your planet laid
down their lives to throw off the Slavers who held humanity in
bondage. The artifact of the moon was reforged into the Ginzuishou
that Serenity wields today. Then, while Earth forces fought and died
to buy her time, Serenity the first, bound the magic of the Fire of
Mars to the Martian royal house. When she was done, Sailor Mars,
first of the senshi, joined the fight and turned the tide of battle.
Many other historians consider that to be the starting point of the
Silver Millennium,"
Robervall, my executive officer, steps up to me and hands me a
wreath he fetched from below.
"We have a tradition," I say to the prince, "when a ship of the line
flies over the plain they lay a wreath to those who died so far from
their home. Endymion, would you say a few words?" I ask holding out
the wreath.
"I would be honored," he said taking the flowers to the side.
All hands!" I shout, "Covers!" At my command, the crew doffs their
caps as we fly somberly over the desert plain. The bugler sounds his
horn in a lonely mournful call. Reverently, Endymion tosses the
wreath over the side and says, "May we never forget your sacrifice..."
Paradoxically our designated landing point on this desert planet is
in one of the great canals that carries water from the poles. Our
pilot brings us smoothly into the water and guides us expertly into
the docks just inside the city walls. In tribute to his skill we land
with barely a splash. Our welcoming committee is assembled on the
pier consisting of priests, priestesses and other sundry government
officials. For our landing, the entire crew is in full dress uniform
and mans the rigging serving to decorate the ship as much as the
pennants and flags that fly from every mast. We come to a gentle stop
in the water and I give an appreciative nod to the pilot for a job
well done. A crowd is assembled on the dock which stand back from the
official greeting party of priests and priestesses. The crew quickly
lowers the gangway to the swept stone walkway below and all snap to
attention. After the prince's personal guard of twenty elite marines
assemble on the dock, Jadeite and I go down the gangway to make sure
all is secure and to announce the prince.
On closer inspection, the greeting party is of much greater rank than
I expected. Recognizing her from pictures sent by the embassy, I see
the lady Rei, heir apparent to the theocracy and the younger Mars. As
she is in her role as priestess she is in a red and white robe. Her
raven black hair flows down her shoulders and back in stark contrast
to her white blouse. Bowing to our hosts like a proper servant, I
announce loudly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, His highness, Endymion, Prince
of Mu, heir to the Emerald throne of Earth." Endymion strides down
the gangway with a manly, athletic grace of a born leader. The breeze
stirs his cape and its red lining highlights the aesthetic simplicity
of his uniform. Following a tradition set by his father, Endymion
eschews almost all decoration like medals and orders feeling they
needlessly clutter. In the Martian dawn he looks proud, cool and
remote. The only thing to belie his aloof dwemeanor is a smile of
genuine good humor that curves his lips.
When he reaches the bottom of the gangway however, he surprises me.
He stops before the priestess and does something unprecedented, he
bows low to her and awaits her acknowledgement. For a prince of Earth
to bow as if to a superior to a Martian priestess is unheard of.
Since this is the last thing she would expect from a haughty Terran
prince, Rei is flustered by this show of deference and hesitates for a
moment and looks to her advisors. They are quite comical trying to
urge her to bow motioning with their heads without saying anything.
Bowing in return, she bids him rise, "Welcome to Mars, prince
Endymion. We are very honored by your presence in our humble city."
By the looks on the faces of her advisors that wasn't in the script
either.
The crowd of citizens murmurs a bit at this exchange, it not being
what they expected. Endymion is supposed to be the supplicant and Rei
should act as if she is deigning to admit him to the holy planet.
What is the meaning of this friendly exchange? Why isn't he acting
like the arrogant, rich Terran? Rising he says for the crowd's
benefit, "Please accept, in memory of the sacrifice of both our
peoples, these shiploads of fragrant woods and incenses to be burned
upon your sacred fire. May they and our prayers bring sweet savor to
the souls of those who fell." "On behalf of the people of Mars I
gratefully accept your generous token of remembrance. Please
accompany me to the throne of the revered Mother." By that she means
her grandmother the Hierophant and grand high priestess of the Church
of Fire.
Leading him past the crowd to a large open air planiquin she bids him
enter. Twenty sturdy looking footmen with shaved heads wait to take
up the poles, their heads bowed. Rei enters the cushioned interior
and sits down, and gestures Endymion to sit opposite her. He
hesitates for a moment, not liking the idea of being carried by
another man when Rei says, "Don't worry, they feel it is an honor to
bear you." Endymion looks to me and I nod in confirmation. They
probably had to fight to get the honor of carrying the lady Mars.
Jadeite and I, along with the prince's personal guard, fall in step
behind the bearers as our procession gets under way. It certainly is
a grand procession too. Low level priests precede us with whisks to
clear any evil spirits from our path. A marching band follows raising
a wailing and screeching from pipes and flutes. Behind them and
adding to the din are the percussion section that bang gongs and beat
drums with great vigor. Bringing up the rear is a procession of
temple guards, bedecked in their highly polished bronze armor. If
that weren't enough long strings of firecrackers are occasionally set
off by the leading priests to startle those demons that are
particularly hard of hearing. The bearers take no notice of the
little explosives that go off right next to them, but just stride
forward as calmly as ever.
POW! "Yawp!" Jadeite exclaims as he steps on a firecracker that goes
off under his boot, startling him. I make sure to look straight ahead
to save him any embarrassment, but I see lady Rei glance back at him.
She puts her hand to her mouth and stifles a small giggle at his
reaction. Jadeite, who I have seen barely flinch when an assassin
opened up his shoulder, blushes furiously in embarrassment.
Noisily making our way through the streets, we at last arrive at the
tabernacle. It is a great soaring building who's brightly painted
onion domes dominates the city. This massive building leaves little
doubt who is in charge here. Inside the vast, marble foyer we remove
our shoes and are given red silk slippers, especially purified to
protect the sanctity of the inner chambers. As we make our way
through the marble halls past elaborate frescos depicting Martian
prophets, one thing in particular strikes me about the temple of this
"Church of Fire": it's cold in here, bitter cold. I flip up the
collar of my wool greatcoat and bury my hands in the pockets. The
open, empty, stone halls allows the frigid Martian air to suck the
heat right out of you.
At last we are brought before the Hierophant, the high priestess of
the Church of Mars, interpreter of the mysteries of the Fire of the
Ancients, Sailor-Senshi Mars of a hundred years ago. She sits upon
the raised dias in her red silken robes, old and wizened like a
shriveled old turtle. Her eyes gleam with an edge like a snake sizing
up its prey, patient and all-seeing. The priests and priestesses all
prostrate themselves before her, dipping their heads to the floor,
even Rei. As one monarch to another, it is permissible for Endymion
to remain standing but instead, he goes down to one knee. His eyes,
however, remain gazing at the Hierophant's. He shows respect to her
but as an equal, not an inferior; Following his lead, Jadeite and I do
likewise.
With a wave of one withered arm she bids us all rise. "So, at last
you have arrived, men of Earth," the old crone croaks in a gravelly
voice. "Long we have expected you to come before the fire and seek
its wisdom." "The wise ruler knows what truths to seek and what
truths to ignore," Endymion answers. Good one, he concedes he desires
her advice but not in all things. "Very well," she concedes, "we will
speak of many truths during your visit here."
"However," she raises a warning finger, "We will not rest until the
entire solar system recognizes the authority and truth of the sacred
fire," the Hierophant declares. "We allow all to decide religious
matters on their own terms," Endymion reiterates, "All we ask are open
passage of the spaceways and freedom to trade." "Good," the
Hierophant suddenly warms, "now that the posturing is out of the way
we can get down to business. One of the things you desire is
emergency landing rights in the event of disasters. We desire you
restrict the trade in certain goods engaged in by some of your
merchants." "Yes, your grace," Endymion says, "we have brought a
negotiating team to resolve those issues." "Good, a meeting hall has
been set aside for that purpose, have your sharks meet my sharks to
hash those matters out." I stifle a chuckle at her calling our
diplomats "sharks." They are indeed the meanest nastiest most
ruthless negotiators we have. Despite myself I find myself starting
to like the Hierophant.
Turning to he attendants she orders, "Leave us." They all start to
go when she adds, "Not you Rei. You will stay and assist us." They
all file out and close the door behind them. Making sure that they
have left she grunts a little and calls her granddaughter over, "Rei,
help your old granny out of this ridiculous headdress." Endymion
blinks at her informality with us present. When Rei removes the heavy
felt and gold headpiece from the Hierophant's head, the old woman
sighs with relief and scratches her head. "Damn, I hate that thing.
You'd think they could make a lighter one," she grumbles a little
irritably.
"Anyway," she continues, "you've come before us ostensibly to settle
some rights of transit matters but what you really seek is what
visions of the future that the fire offers." "Er..." Endymion
hesitates, "I wanted to honor your holiness on this anniversary of..."
Rei breaks in to say, "It's best to speak plainly to our Revered..."
"Grandma," the Hierophant corrects her. "... to Grandma," Rei sweats
a little in embarrassment and continues, "the fire tells her all." I
lean forward and whisper into Endymion's ear, "perhaps a shift in
stance is warranted, your majesty." He nods in agreement.
"My, that coat looks very warm," the Hierophant suddenly pipes up
pointing to my greatcoat. "Ah, yes it is," I agree surprised at the
statement, "It's standard navy issue and proof against the coldest
winds of Neptune." "May I try it on?" She asks. I glance over at
Endymion uncomfortably but he bids me to do so with a backward wave of
his hand. Draping my greatcoat over the old woman, she is fairly
engulfed in it. "My it *is* warm!" She exclaims and then asks, "May
I have it?" I glance over at Endymion again, exasperated but he says,
"Certainly, Ferrite would be happy to give you his coat." "An honor,"
I agree sardonically. "Ah, thank you young man. These silks they
make me wear for ceremonies are so thin. Say, is that one of the
pistols of the Ancients?"
I put my hand possessively over my holster. It is indeed an artifact
of the Ancients. Only eight were ever found and all are in the
possession of Earth. It is well beyond humanity's ability to make a
weapon of such precision and quality; the best we can do is make the
crude gun-steel for muskets and cannon, never mind a revolving chamber
pistol that fires bolts of iron like this one.
To be allowed to carry this weapon is a mark of honor and distinction
few in the solar system have. Besides, unlike my fellow guardians, I
can't project energy beams or spontaneously create objects from
crystal psycoplasm the way they do. I need it in order to stand on a
more or less even footing with them; even then, I am a step down in
power compared to even Zoicite. I notice the Hierophant staring at my
hesitancy as these thoughts run through my mind. Surely the prince
would not make me give it to this old hag. "Yes," I say reluctantly,
"it is one of the Ancient's weapons. They are quite rare and great
prizes of Earth."
"I've never fired a gun; would you let me shoot it?" She says and
smiles playfully. Rei looks back and forth from me to her grandmother
as if she can't believe what she is hearing.
With mixed emotions I look back over at Endymion who gives a slight
shrug and nods. "Very well," I say reluctantly, "Let us go to a
window that opens over the canal or the desert and..."
"In here's fine," the old woman chirps happily, "I've always hated
that vase in the corner anyway."
"Grandma!" Rei exclaims almost apoplectically, "are you crazy?
Firing off a gun inside is..."
"Oh, just listen to the disrespect I have to put up with," the old
woman grumbles good naturedly, "the walls are thick, child." She
clutches my coat a little closer to herself and says loudly and more
vehemently as if to hidden ears, "supposedly to keep the *heat* in
here." On a roll, she shuffles over to a decorative panel that no
doubt conceals a guard or other observer and, cupping her hand to her
mouth like a megaphone says to the panel, "They are supposed to absorb
the noonday *heat* and keep an *old woman* from having to beg for a
decent coat from a *Terran* for fire's sake. Never mind the old woman
has complained to her *vizier* about the cold in here before."
Faintly, there comes the scurrying of feet as someone runs off behind
the screen. Apparently satisfied, the Hierophant shuffles back over
to me and holds out her hand out expectantly, "Now, let me put that
vase out of my misery."
Despite many misgivings, I take my pistol out of the holster and heft
it experimentally. Just to be on the safe side, though, I remove all
but one of the bolts. "I turn to Rei and ask, "That is an outside
wall, isn't it?" When she nods, I place the grip of the oversized
weapon firmly in the Hierophant hand and help her line up the shot.
When it is pointed in the proper direction I say, "Now, just pull
the..." KABLAM! The ancient weapon gives a loud report and
discharges the bolt of iron with tremendous force. The vase shatters,
sending fragments flying and the bolt blows out a huge chunk of the
wall behind it. A hole the size of my fist shows daylight through the
yard thick wall. Bits of molten iron glow red in the wall where they
sizzle and smoke. "Excellent, excellent," she cackles gleefully
waiving the spent weapon over her head, "I must see if King Arturo
will part with one of these. Heh, heh, heh."
"Ahem," she coughs and holds the pistol in two hands and she looks at
me with a measured gaze. She runs her hands over it the way a blind
man will when he examines an object. Her eyes glaze slightly for a
moment and she says distantly, "You've killed four demons with this,
three men, and..." she hesitates for a moment, searching before she
finishes, "a woman." Determinedly taking the back pistol from her, I
shove it into its holster. "My record is well known," I say
defensively, "all I have done was for king and planet." "I saw that
too, Ferrite," the wizened old woman says, "little is hidden from me
or those who watch the fire." I repress a thrill of fear as her
piercing eyes seem to look into my very soul.
"Now that you mention it," Endymion says interrupting any further
questioning of me, "that is one of the reasons I came to Mars. I
would like to tour the old sites, perhaps even a visit to the Fire."
"We know why you have come here," the Hierophant says offhandedly as
if it were obvious to anyone, "I will see to your reading personally.
Be prepared for any truths that are to come. In the meantime, please
take your rest with us here in the temple complex. Our servants will
take you to your quarters and provide housing for your guards. We
have scheduled a feast and entertainment for later this evening and
invite you to share our hospitality." "Thank you, your grace,"
Endymion says and we descend to one knee again before Rei ushers us
out of the room.
"I hope you weren't too disturbed by my Grandma," Rei says
apologetically as she leads us down the hall. "She is really the
nicest person you could ever know. I'll see that your coat is
replaced, Ferrite." "That's very thoughtful of you, lady Rei, but
don't trouble yourself. I was quite happy to be of service to her
grace." "Still, she was a bit crass with you Endymion."
"I wasn't offended," he says, "Your planet and mine have had their
differences but maybe we can get past them by speaking plainly. Your
grandmother was quite honest with us and that I respect." He pauses
and says, "I still disagree with her on a number of things, but at
least we understand each other." Other than me losing my coat, I
think, it looks like this visit is off to a good start.
That night we are treated to a feast of Martian cuisine which is
outstanding. The dishes largely consist of fish from the canal with
rice noodles of various sorts complimented by pickled water lily. The
highlight is raw sandworm cut into thin slices and beautifully
arranged on silver platters. The chefs that make it must undergo
special training to prepare it this way or it is deadly poisonous.
Rei and her grandmother pick at it with their chopsticks with great
gusto which Endymion matches.
The entertainment is in the grand communal style that the Martians
like. First is a traditional play backed with a forty-two piece
orchestra concerning your typical Martian opera: boy finds girl, boy
loses girl, boy storms castle full of demons with the aid of an army
of wind dragons, boy finds girl. That is followed by a chorus of
young girls singing hymns in praise of the fire. The highlight
however is a solo by lady Rei who sings a ballad of two lovers who's
forbidden passion was so great they are placed in the heavens and
become the two moons of Mars. Jadeite, who has an excellent singing
voice himself seems very impressed with her too; why, I don't think he
takes his eyes off her the whole night.
In a change from recent weeks, Endymion is very lively this evening,
laughing and chatting with Rei and the Hierophant. This trip has done
him good; on Earth he was always on edge and pensive about the future.
Soon it will be shown to him so he can relax and let it come to him.
All throughout the evening, however, I feel an odd tension in the air.
I cannot help but feel that I am under close scrutiny by the
Hierophant. Several times I catch her looking at me when she thinks I
am distracted. I'm just a lowly Guardian; what is her interest in me?
My suspicions are confirmed when later that night I receive a very
strange visitor in my bed chamber. After making sure Endymion's
guards are posted and alert for the evening I was just starting to
undress for bed when I feel eyes on my back. Whirling around I see an
orange and white striped cat sitting on my window sill. We're three
floors up so I'm curious how he got up here. I hold out my hand and
call in a high-pitched voice, "here kitty, kitty, kitty."
"Why the hell are you talking like that?" The cat asks snidely; his
deep, gravelly voice chokes out the words. I start in surprise but
recover quickly. A closer look at my feline visitor reveals a yellow
crescent mark on the cat's forehead. Ah! I've heard about him. This
must be the planet Mars' resident Moon cat, Aries. Serenity the
second, Queen of the Moon and first ruler of the Silver Millennium
more than a thousand years ago, created a race of immortal (or at
least very long lived) cats to serve as advisors to the sailor-senshi.
Imbued with great intelligence, they would be teachers and advisors
to generation upon generation of the senshi that would follow, always
making sure that the holders of the office lived up to expectations.
I've met four others in my travels around the solar system, and they
have been pleasant experiences. Aries, however, is rumored to be the
most bad tempered of all the moon cats and the first words out of his
mouth seem to bear that out.
"What?" The cat asks as if a talking feline was an everyday
occurrence, "Are you just going to sit there with your thumb up your
butt and let me do all the talking or are you going to ask me what I'm
here for?"
"Okay," I decide to humor the vulgar, ill-tempered lout and ask,
"what are you here for?"
"The man is a genius," the cat scoffs, "her High Holiness the
Hierophant wishes to see you in a private audience. She desires it to
be secret but wants me to assure you that there is no duplicity
against Earth or the prince involved."
"What does she wish to talk about?" I ask.
The cat rolls his eyes at my question if it is the stupidest thing
he's ever been asked. "If it's a secret, it's supposed to be between
you and her. Got it? I'm just here to tell you about the meeting."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I ask. The cat calls me
"shit-head" in Martian, apparently thinking I don't understand that
language. I'm about to call him on it but decide it's better that he
underestimates me. "What was that?" I ask.
"It was a compliment on the intelligence of your questions," the cat
answers. "Are you coming or not?"
"Just a moment," I say as I dash off a note saying where I am going
and what to do if I don't come back. I hand it to a guard outside my
door with instructions that he is to take it to Jadeite if I haven't
returned within the hour. The cat and I leap out the window to the
ground below and he leads me past several guard stations back to the
audience room of the Hierophant. Inside the old woman awaits, no
longer dressed in her silk robes of office but in a plain kimono with
a heavy quilted jacket. I kneel as before and she bids me sit at a
small lacquered table. Playing the proper host, she pours me a cup of
tea. Tapping the table twice in thanks when the cup is full I play my
part of the polite guest. Taking a sip of the excellent tea I nod my
head in appreciation and ask, "What does you grace desire of me that
it demands such secrecy? Nothing untoward my prince or planet I
take?"
The Hierophant ignores my question and asks, "Tell me, Earth-man,
what do I desire above all else?"
I stop to consider her question, imagining that the answer to it
will reveal her motives. What would she want? Power? Riches?
Security for Mars? Then I remember when I saw the Hierophant most
happy today. Before her ministers and followers she was imperial and
aloof but then she became lively and lighthearted when Rei was near
and I know. I smile and start to answer her but she waves me away.
"I see by your expression that you know. Yes, I want, above all
else, for my granddaughter to be happy."
"And where do I play a role in her happiness?"
"You are at the hub of events that will occur in the next few days.
I have looked into the fire and it has shown me that she will only be
happy, truly happy, with just one man," she pauses as she takes a sip
of tea.
My mind races trying to process the implications of her words. Rei
will only be happy with me? We've spoken a bit to be sure but, of
Endymion's escorts, she seemed to respond to Jadeite more than me.
I'm not ready to settle down now...
"...Endymion." She finishes setting down her tea cup.
Oh! Rei will only be happy with Endymion. I think with not a little
disappointment. Then the implications of her real meaning hits me.
"What!?" I exclaim, "And you expect my help in snaring him? I'll not
betray the trust of my king nor my prince. Goodbye!" I get up to
storm out but she halts me with a question.
"What if he really fated for my granddaughter and not Serena?"
"Are you serious?" I whirl and ask incredulously, "His love for the
Moon princess..."
"Is in doubt, or else he would not have come here." The old martian
finishes for me, "His actions do not seem to be those of one who's
love strong."
Great, if it weren't for me Endymion would still be on Earth.
Defensively I counter, "Be that as it may, he and she are bound to be
together. I'll not be a party to separating them."
"They are not bound," she scoffs, "it is the merest thread that ties
them. Tell me, what if she is the wrong one... like Beryl was?"
"How dare you compare Serena to that witch. She is innocent and kind
and..."
"...childish and lazy and... well, you are quite aware of her
shortcomings. Rei would be a much better match for him and a better
queen. Look me in the eye and tell me that would not be so."
"He loves Serena," I reiterate weakly. Then I wonder if Endymion has
given Rei some sign that I have missed and ask, "What makes you think
that Endymion is even considering Rei?"
"The fact is, he will be drawn to her in the coming days, that I
foresee," she states as if it has already come to pass. "I and the
fire never lie. However, it is the final outcome that is cloudy"
"Then why don't you perfume Rei, put her in silks and thrust her into
his bed-chamber. You hardly need my advice in this respect."
"You impugn my granddaughter morals again at your own peril, Terran,"
she says darkly. Thinking I'd best be served by staying calm I wait
for her to continue. She regains her composure and says, "Now think,
before you speak again and hear what I have to say. I see the shadow
that falls across you, Ferrite. It is plain to one gifted with the
fire-sight such as I. Beryl's dark spell perches on your shoulder
like a raven and picks at your heart. There are certain cleansing
rituals that would be effective and these I will offer to you for a
price."
Pah! She thinks she can buy me. "And what is that price?" I ask
planning to take her every word to Endymion.
"That you do nothing. Do not interfere and allow what will happen to
happen. If Rei is right for him and Endymion for she, then
interference by you would be a crime. I have read your possessions
and seen into your heart." Ah, I see now why she wanted my coat, she
wanted to do an object reading on it. The sneaky old bat was spying
on me. "I know that you love Endymion like a brother," she says
solemnly, "you would give your life for him a thousand times over.
All I ask is you allow him to make up his own mind and let nature take
its course. I seek no betrayal nor duplicity from you in this bargain
that I offer."
To be free of Berly's curse... and all I have to do is let Endymion
make up his own mind. I shake my head to clear it. What am I doing
here? This is crazy! Me in cahoots with the Hierophant to marry off
Endymion to Rei? I stand up to tell her to go straight to hell but
something stops me. If it is destiny and he is drawn to her...
"I sense your hesitancy," the Hierophant says, "you need not decide
tonight. You will know when the moment is upon you and your actions
at that time will tell me your decision. Now, be away and think upon
what I've said."
With the audience at an end, I am led back to my window by the cat.
Before leaping up to my room I turn to the him and ask, "what do you
think of this?"
"The cat blinks in surprise. Apparently, he would never expect me to
ask for his opinion. "How the hell would I know the human heart?" He
asks with the equivalent of a kitty shrug but then adds with a sigh,
"I just know it is a terrible thing to be alone." I am touched with
sympathy for this immortal creature essentially trapped here with none
of his own kind about. All he has is humans for company. Noticing
my scrutiny he says, "Hey, what are you looking at me with those sappy
eyes for, Terran? I don't need no damn sympathy from some stupid
outsider. You'd better get the hell back before that guard wrecks
everything." With a shake of my head, I leap back up to my room.
The next day is a blur of activity as we tour the various sites
around the city of Sandbartan. The place where the first humans
arrived on Mars. The museum of artifacts of the Ancients. The plain
of blood. The place where the first sailor-senshi ever, the first
Mars, turned the tide of battle against the slavers. Finally we are
led to the two great pyramids that stand at the end of plain. Between
them is a large, stone temple that houses the great wonder of Mars:
The Eternal Flame of the Ancients.
The temple is a large, open-air structure covered with a high, tile
roof held aloft by numerous surrounding columns carved in the shape of
water lilies. Like most stone buildings on Mars, it is made of the
red sandstone that lies just below the surface in the surrounding
hills. Every inch of the temple is covered with Martian hieroglyphics
depicting myths about the Ancients and how they send visions of the
future to the faithful. Toward the inner sanctum, however, all
decoration ceases. No embellishment is necessary to convey the sense
of mystery that radiates from the wonder. At last, we round a pillar
and we see the legacy of the Ancients before us.
The sphere of fire crackles and burns nothing as it hangs suspended
in the air a few inches above the floor. It is a ball of energy caged
at the base by stone beams, probably more to hold offerings of wood in
than to contain the flames. The fire is about two meters in diameter
with tongues of flame that lick into the air yet another two meters
from the surface of the sphere. A smoke hole in the roof is open to
the pale blue sky above allowing the fire to carry the faithful's
thoughts to heaven. Seven shrine maidens, their eyes downcast, murmur
a steady stream of payers, adding to the reverence of the place.
The heat it radiates warms my skin but I notice that the metal items
of my clothing are ice cold. Its true what they say, only the living
or the once living are affected by the Fire. Rei motions us to sit on
several cushions off to one side. The Hierophant, regal in her red
and white silk robes of office whisks the air with her gohei to clear
it of any stray thoughts. Three times round the fire does her ritual
take her before she prostrates herself before the artifact. Touching
her head to the floor she murmurs a call to God and the Ancients for
clarity of sight. Her head snaps up and her eyes open wide as she
stares into the fire. When she does so, Endymion, Jadeite and myself
focus our gazes on the depths of the fire. Vaguely I notice mind slip
away from my body as I am swept up in a vision.
I'm back home in the pine forests of my youth. Long ago, I had
planned to be a forester on the lands that my brother would inherit
and I am there again. I'm standing on a path through the woods that
forks a few paces ahead of me. To the left lies a long and winding
path that eventually leads to a shining city of crystal by the sea.
Somehow I know that it will never be my home. At the right fork is a
short path down to the crashing waves of the waters edge. To my
wonder, a goddess walks forth from the waves. Her hair is long and
blond, slicked to her body by the water. Her blue, blue eyes are full
of love for me and she beckons to me with her open arms. At the fork
in the road stands lady Mars dressed in her priestess robes of office.
"Choose," she says holding an arm out to either path. At that
moment, I am suddenly gifted with the eyes of an eagle and can make
out a trio of people standing before the crystal city walking hand in
hand, a family. It is Endymion, Serena, and an odd child with red
eyes. When I look down the beach at the goddess, I see beyond her the
violent, turbulent sea. Endymion is there too and he walks hand in
hand with Rei. The waters rise in a great wave and sweep everyone
away. I try to shout a warning but I have lost my voice and all I
can do is watch silently. "Choose," the Rei in front of me says again
and as quickly as it came, the vision is gone. The cold, martian wind
stirs my hair and once again I am staring at the fire.
I look over at Endymion and Jadeite. Endymion looks a bit befuddled,
as though he saw something but is not sure what while Jadeite is
clearly disturbed. We all arise and walk back into the anteroom
accompanied by Rei and the Hierophant. "So, did the fire reveal what
truths you wished, prince of Earth?" The old woman asks.
"I... I saw myself on my wedding day," Endymion stammers, "with my
bride dressed all in white standing veiled beside me. We exchanged
rings but when I raised her veil, she had no face. I don't understand
it at all."
"The reading was inconclusive," the Hierophant says, "because events
are still fluid. You are close to the knowledge that you seek, but
final resolution is not yet."
"Arh!" The prince exclaims, "We came all this way and I still don't
have an answer."
"The moons will align again in five days time," Rei says, "visions
are usually clearer when the lovers are together."
"I beg your pardon?" Endymion asks.
"The Martians refer to Phobos and Diemos as the two lovers, Hero and
Thisbe," Jadeite says in a lecturers voice, "like in the song."
"Then we must extend our stay until then," Endymion states. Damn!
This could be trouble, the longer we stay here the more chance he will
fall for this Martian princess. If he leaves Serena for her the
repicussions to Earth's situation could be devastating. Not to
mention what might happen down the line when Serena becomes queen of
the Moon. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I'm about to
object when he says. "Ferrite, get on the farspeaker and make the
arrangements. Schedule a farspeaker conference with my father also,
so that I may personally talk to him." His tone is one of command
that brooks no compromise and I automatically say, "Yes, my prince."
Double damn!
Four days can pass very slowly when you are really waiting for
something. To try and distract the prince from the obviously
attractive Rei, I try to get him involved in some activity or another
over the next few days to keep them separated. Sadly, Rei decides to
become our personal guide. Did I say double damn already?
Day one: Since the Church of Fire keeps many rare and important histo
rical documents in the temple, I decide to get Jadeite stoked on one
of his history binges hoping that his enthusiasm will carry over to
the Prince. I figure if they are locked up all day in the archives he
won't grow anymore attached to Rei. What I didn't count on as Rei
being cut from the same cloth as Jadeite and almost begging to
accompany us. At the church library, he and she corral the prince
into researching the lines of ascension of the Martian royalty with
them. She seems to be fascinated by the development of the ancient
Martian handwriting to the modern day equivalent. This also has its
roots in the ebb and flow of the various city states ruled by the
theocracy which fascinates Jadeite.
I figure my plan is working perfectly. Jadeite and Rei chatter on
and on about brush strokes and schools of thought while the prince
stares out the window. Endymion is about bored to tears when he
discovers a book of poetry by a well known martian bard. Rei seems
delighted with his choice and excitedly talks about how pivotal this
particular poet was. I'm afraid that they are about to start
discussing love poetry when she launches into an analysis of the
ancient writing the poet used rather than the subject. Jadeite starts
asking her about the school that the poet studied at and the lecture
about the various colleges of ancient writing begins. On that note
they are off again.
About half-way through it, Endymion gives me the, "rescue me from
this situation sign" and I loudly suggest he and I go consult with the
negotiating team. He loudly agrees with me and we leave with him
almost ordering that Jadeite stay with Rei. I give a sigh of relief.
At last one of my schemes has gone right. The rest of the day is
spent with me and the prince half dozing as our negotiating team
fights it out with the martians over obscure clauses in a trade
document.
Day two: Tired of spending all day in the temple complex Endymion
decides to tour the floating markets that Mars is famous for. Rather
than go out with our entire entourage in tow Endymion asks (read
orders) that some other arrangements be made. After consulting with
Jadeite and Rei we decide the most secure method would be to use Rei's
magic disguise wand and camouflage ourselves as Lunar merchants.
Between two guardians and a sailor senshi, the prince should be safe.
At there first sign of trouble, though, Jadeite is to teleport away
with Endymion.
Taking a side exit, we join the canal traffic in one of the long,
reed boats used by the martians in their water traffic. Jadeite moves
us along using a long pole pushing against the bottom of the canal.
I'm more than happy to let him do the navigating as the constant up
and down motion of the boat makes me more than a little ill. Give me
a proper ship that sails between planets with a steady deck, not these
pitching unnatural things that ply the water.
Rei seems to enjoy our little outing as much as the prince, because
she is downright cheerful as she directs us through the canal streets.
After a bit of navigating we arrive at the floating markets where
anything you could imagine is on display. Along with sundry items
like fruits, vegetables and rice are such things as meditation
obelisks, weapons, silks and a few (non working) artifacts of the
Ancients. Playing out the role of Lunar merchant on holiday with
money to spend, it seems like Rei has us stop at every other boat to
haggle over some item or another.
After a couple of hours of this, Jadeite is looking a little weary
when the prince suggests we stop for a little refreshment. Tying up
at a floating tavern, we grab our purchases and step inside. It's not
until we have noisily plopped ourselves down at a table and our eyes
adjusted to the dark that we realize what a sleazy dive we've just
walked into.
I hear a few of the patrons mutter into their drinks a little loudly
but I am able to pick out words like, "Loonies" (the derogatory word
for Lunans)and "Leeches"
Rei leans over and whispers to Endymion, "Maybe we'd better leave.
Lunar traders are cutting into the business of some of the boatmen
here and are not liked very much."
"I'll not be intimidated," Endymion says, "we've as much right to be
here as they do."
"Perhaps one drink and then we leave," I propose, "that'll show them
that we can't be pushed around."
"Besides," Jadeite says with a sniff, "the whole place is rather
unsavory."
"Okay," the prince relents, "one drink and then we're out of here."
Almost as if on cue, what has got to be the biggest, burliest,
sweatiest, stinkiest serving wench I have ever seen, and I've been
into many a sleazy dive in the solar system, saunters up to our table.
She apparently has it in for all Lunans because she says in a loud
voice, "well iffen it isn't a bunch of moon traders out on 'oliday
gracin our 'umble establishment with their presence." A chorus of
"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" along with much mock bowing and
scraping is added by a rowdy group boatmen. This spawns a round of
raucous laughter at our embarrassment and the whole bar whoops it up
at our expense. The laughter, however, has more than just a tinge of
menace.
"Er... yes," Endymion says a bit discomfitured. In the past,
whenever he went anywhere he was always greeted with respect if not
outright adoration. Being met with derision is a completely new
experience for the prince. "Four of your best ales, please," he asks
politely.
"Alright," she says going to the bar, "we got nothing but the best
for our moonie friends, right boys?" she calls to the whole bar.
"Right, Liddy" they call back with some odd anticipation in their
voice.
Picking up four mugs by sticking her fingers down inside them, the
waitress plops them down on the table in front of us. Uncorking a
large ceramic jug, she pours some piss-yellow brew that smells almost
as bad into the mugs, slopping it onto the table.
Jadeite takes one whiff of the foul stuff and pushes the cups to the
edge of the table disdainfully.
What's the matter, "Loonie? Martian ale not good enough for ye'?"
The barmaid asks.
"Martian ale is fine but we would just like a little better quality,"
Jadeite says reasonably, "and a clean mug to drink it out of," he adds
eyeing the cup disdainfully.
In a complete surprise to all of us, the waitress brings the heavy
ceramic jug down over Jadeite head, hard. Not having any warning to
get his personal shields up, he goes down stunned. "Shut that
smart-ass moon-boy up," she cackles. The whole bar erupts into
laughter at her astounding whit. I'm looking for a quick way to get
the prince out when, eyes flashing in anger, Rei leaps to her feet and
backhands the brawny serving wench. "How dare you!?" Rei virtually
roars, "You are a disgrace to your entire planet!" Rei must have been
holding back because rather than taking her head off the brawny
serving girl goes crashing back over a nearby table scattering mugs
and platters to the floor. The whole place goes silent for a moment
before some big bruiser of a Martian boatman about a foot taller than
me and twice my weight says, "We don't take kindly to you loonies
beaten' up our women. Even if youze a woman yerself." "It's just a
misunder..." Endymion starts to explain. Klunk! A thrown mug
bounces off his head with a dull thud, causing him to blink and
stagger. "Get em'!" Someone shouts. And the fight is on.
Endymion, being the prince of Mu is heir to great magical strength
because of his house's ties to the great portal. The thing is, he
won't really get the full benefit from that for a few years yet. It's
a good thing for the bar toughs too, because he lays about him with
great gusto. If he were at full power he would at least be breaking
bones. Some punk behind starts to pull a dagger on him but before it
even clears the scabbard, Rei clocks the blaggard with a thrown wine
bottle. I sort of lose track of things for a moment as about eight of
these martian boatmen pile on top of me while I'm trying to get Jadeit
e up. Even though I'm the weakest of the Guardians, I'm more than a
match for the whole lot of them. The trick is to avoid accidentally
killing one. Methodically I stand up, grab a boatman, punch him, grab
another, punch him and so on until I can see again.
When my field of view is clear, I see Endymion trading punches with
the big bruiser that hates Loonies. It is a toe-to-toe exchange of
lefts and rights. The big guy is slower but his punches are packing a
lot of wallop the few times he actually manages to hit. Endymion is
dancing back out of range to occasionally zip in and lay on a few
lighting fast punches now and again. Rei, is leaping about like a
ballerina delivering flying high kicks and spinning back kicks with
inhuman grace. She precedes to deck the entire crew of a cargo
hauler. At last, Endymion skips inside the guard of the big bruiser
and knocks him out with a powerful uppercut.
We stand there for a moment and survey the damage. Barely a stick of
furniture remains intact, it having been broken in the fight by flying
bodies or some times over my or Endymion's heads. I haul Jadeite to
his feet and duck under a clumsy swing from him. "Lemme' attem'!
Lemme attem'!" he shouts groggily. "I'll show that wensh' to sherve
us the sheap wine." "Heh!" The prince laughs, "We already showed em'
Jad..."
"JEDADIA!" I interrupt the prince to keep him from giving away our
cover.
"Ah, very good Mr. Irons," Endymion says catching my meaning, "let's
get back to our *merchant ship* now."
"Here, let me help you with him," Rei says and takes Jadeite's other
arm.
Together we walk him unsteadily back to our boat. On our way out the
door, Endymion tosses a small bag of gold coins to the bar tender and
says, "For the damages and an excellent time." Outside as we are
loading Jadeite into the boat he says, "Hah! Did you see me when I
was slugging it out with that bounder. First he swung at me but ..."
and so he goes on and on retelling his tale all the way back to the
temple. I do the polling while Jadeite lays in the gunwale, his head
resting in Rei's lap. Despite the bruising he's taken, Jadeite seems
oddly happy.
Day three: It seems like a good idea to get out of the city and let
the general public cool down, what with the atmosphere so unfriendly
to outsiders. Since rumors of riots abound, it is decided, we should
all go on a sand-worm hunt. After the announcement is delivered by a
servant, we suit up in our riding clothes and Rei meets us dressed in
riding boots and jodhpurs. Hanging from her belt is a very large
hunting knife about a foot long. For a moment I anxiously wonder
exactly how big sand worms get. A hunting party of about twenty men
on horseback is assembled outside and we ride out onto the plains.
The way you hunt one of the beasts is you take a small to medium
sized goat and tie a grappling hook to it's back. Then, you run a
stout rope from the hook to a convenient boulder and wait. When the
goat, who attracts the worm by wandering around in the sand, suddenly
disappears into the creature's maw you have your quarry hooked. After
dragging the boulder for a few miles, the worm will surface and you
skewer his brain with a well placed lance or two. Slice, saute and
simmer, serves four hundred and twenty-three. Just in case you hook a
particularly big one it is advisable to pack a light artillery piece.
In this case, we have a bronze, three-pound carronade on a sled.
Our guide, a weathered little martian named Ikuno, takes to the
desert at the edges of the grasslands that the worms frequent. They
are a predator that attack lone heard animals by following the
vibrations they make on the ground. Staking out the hapless goat, we
wait for our quarry. It isn't too long before Ikuno shouts and points
off to the east. The sand dunes where he indicates are crumbling as
if disturbed by the wind but to the trained eye there is a pattern: a
trail left by some huge burrowing creature. As he shouts instructions
to the men I pick up that this is a particularly big one. We mount
our horses and set our lances as we wait for the beast to arrive.
"Stick close to me," Rei orders, "things can happen pretty quickly
after this." Endymion, Jadeite and I maneuver our horses close to her
and they snort anxiously. They are well trained mounts though, and
respond deftly to our signals. Still, they paw the ground nervously.
I find my hand is sweaty as I shift the lance in agitation.
With a bleat of terror, the goat suddenly disappears down the maw of
a great worm. In the glimpse I saw of it before the horrid thing dove
under the sand like a dolphin its head appeared to have a huge three
valved affair with large, sharp jawbones like plows for moving through
the sand. The rope goes taught and the monster starts hauling a two
ton boulder along like it were nothing.
"Tally ho!" Rei shouts lustily, and we're off. Our party goes
pounding across the sand, trying to keep the boulder in sight as it
plows straight through the dunes. Ikuno and the rest of the hunters
lag behind, weighed down by the cannon as we struggle to keep the
thing in sight. After moving across at least six miles of desert, the
boulder at last stops moving and the monster surfaces. My first
impression of the creature did not do it justice; it is huge! The
thing has got to be at least forty to fifty feet long judging by the
size of the gargantuan head it sticks out of the sand and lets out a
roar of rage.
"Woah! That's a big one!" Rei exclaims. "Since I'm the experienced
worm hunter here," Rei says hefting her lance, "You'd better let me
finish this one off. He's a little to big for an amateur." "Don't
you think we'd better wait for Ikuno?" Endymion asks eying the
thrashing beast. "Aw, don't worry," Rei says with a smirk, "I'm not
afraid of a little worm like that." With that she spurs her mount
forward and lowers her lance to deliver the coup de grace.
Suddenly, the ground in front of her explodes in a spray of sand.
Another worm! No, another three worms! Smaller than the first, they
erupt from the surface around Rei's horse. The horse rears back away
from the threat in front of it throwing Rei from the saddle. She
lands in the sand hard but still manages to roll clear of the horse's
thrashing hooves and regain her feet. The horse bolts off and to our
horror, Rei just stands there stock still as the worms writhe around
her.
"She's in danger!" Endymion cries and with one fluid motion he
dismounts and goes into a crouch. "No, Wait!" I shout and try to hold
him back but I'm too late. Rei waves desperately for him to stop as
he leaps the intervening thirty yards. Landing next to her he gets
ready to carry her off. The worms instantly react to his impact on
the soil and turn on Rei and him. "Fire soul!" "Jah!" KABLAM! Rei,
Jadeite and I dispatch the three new worms simultaneously; they using
blasts of fire and energy, me with my trusty pistol. Still operating
on momentum, Endymion sweeps Rei up into his arms to leap with her to
safety. KABLAM! "Jah!" KABLAM! Jadeite and I finish off the big
worm with a few shots just to be on the safe side. It gives one last
twitch and then all is still.
Endymion, still holding Rei, looks around in confusion finding that
the danger has passed. Uh oh! This could be the critical moment
foretold in the vision. If she plays the damsel in distress and
clings to him like... "Ahem," Rei clears her throat noisily and asks
irritably, "could you please put me down?" "Oh, sorry," Endymion says
embarrassed. "I thought..." She wriggles free of his grasp and
surveys the carnage. "I'm an experienced sand worm hunter," she says
testily, "If you stay still they can't find you by vibration. Now
look at this mess," she says indicating the smoldering carcasses of
the worms. "All that good meat is ruined."
"I thought..." Endymion begins.
"Yes, I know," she sighs, "you thought I was in danger. Thank you
but you've got to stop acting so rashly. I'm Senshi Mars; I'm trained
to handle these situations. I could have leapt away if I thought I
was in real danger, or Jadeite could have teleported me to safety, or
Ferrite could have shot them, or... well, I don't mean to be insulting
but you've got to think a bit more before you act."
"I was just trying to help," Endymion grumbles.
"That's okay," Rei says patting him on the shoulder comfortingly,
"you can still help." When he looks in her eyes, she smiles brightly
and hands him her hunting knife. "We've still got to butcher these
things. Can't let what's left go to waste, ya' know."
With a sigh, all three of us Terrans just look at the huge worms.
Day four: After yesterday's little adventure, we decide to stay a
little closer to home. Most of the day is spent taking in the many
works of art that grace the temples and art galleries of Sanbartan.
Rei acts as our guide, pointing out the most significant pieces. Over
the course of the Silver Millennium, many artists and sculptors have
come to Mars looking for inspiration and the occasional glimpse of the
future. A large number of them captured what they saw in great,
sometimes frightening works of art. Those of a historical nature
spark Jadeite interest and he and Rei discuss them at great length
during the viewing.
The most famous of the works by an unknown sculptress, "Plunge to
Infinity," is of a young woman, her gown billowing behind her depicted
in fantastic detail as she falls. You would expect her face to be a
mask of terror but what is so moving about the piece is that her
expression is so peaceful as she sees her end reaches out a hand to
touch it. It was the artist's final comment on facing death, rumor
has it she fell from a sky ship the day after she completed it.
Though we had been engaged in running commentary most of the day, we
all stand in hushed reverence before it.
With the setting of the sun, I breathe a sigh of relief. It seems
like the Hierophant is wrong. Tomorrow is the reading and Rei and
Endymion look like all they'll be is friends. They've spent all this
time together and nothing has happened. It looked like during the
sand-worm hunt that she could have made advances and chose not to. Or
the flush jovial camaraderie after the bar-fight remained just
friendly. Maybe the critical moment has passed and I didn't have to
do anything at all. My stomach does flip flops to think that I could
be free of Beryl's curse. Still I have this sense, that something, I
can't say what, may still occur.
After dinner that evening, we meet informally in a small study that
is just down the hall from the prince's suite of rooms. Unlike almost
ever other room I've seen since we've been here this one is warm and
cozy. Large bookshelves line the walls and a small fire crackles
cheerfully in a stove at the center of the room. Several overstuffed
velvet cushioned chairs invite one to sink into them. A cart with tea
and light pastries has been thoughtfully provided for us and adds to
the homey atmosphere. Rei and her grandmother are our hostesses and
stay with us enjoying the atmosphere. For once in the past few days
all save myself seem relaxed.
The atmosphere being conducive to conversation, Endymion begins to
speak of affairs of state. The Hierophant shushes him by saying,
"Please Prince Endymion, let us set aside politics for this evening
and engage in more amusing topics and diversions." "Jadeite,"
Endymion says, "I hear you've been doing some fascinating historical
work on the colonization of Mars during the Golden Imperium and the
settler's efforts to reclaim the cities. I'll bet you're dying to get
the perspective of the royal house of Mars." "Ah, yes," he says a bit
reticently, "it would greatly aid my work if you don't mind me asking
a few questions." "Gladly," Rei answers. After that Jadeite launches
into yet another question and answer session with Rei and her
grandmother, querying them about the events from over a thousand years
ago. He presses them on several points that show the historical
rulers of Mars to be less than angelic but he is answered truthfully.
I listen quietly from the depths of my chair impressed by the thrust
and parry of my fellow guardian's questions. When he retires from his
position he will no doubt be a hell of a teacher at one of the
universities.
"Enough," the Hierophant says bringing the session to a close, "that
is enough questioning for tonight. Give an old woman a rest." "Lady
Rei," Jadeite asks excitedly, "would you be available to answer a few
more questions I have later?" "Certainly," she says, "I'd be happy to
tell the Martian perspective on our history." "Now it is your turn,
Endymion," the Hierophant turns to the prince and says, "a story or
song perhaps?" "Well, there is a little poem I've recently composed
that..." "Excellent, excellent," the old woman cackles, "you must
recite it." "Well..." he hesitates shyly. "Oh, please," Rei pleads,
"we'd love to hear it." "Very well," he says taking a rather theatric
pose."
"Ahem!" Endymion clears his throat and closes his eyes as he
remembers his poem. After a pausing for a moment which seems to
heighten our attention he recites,
"My lady with the shining eyes."
My lady with her shining eyes,
doth draw me down to Earth.
I cast aside my wandering heart
and think of home and hearth.
Adventure calls they young man's soul
but cast it out he would
At one full glance from shining eyes
filled with love so pure and good.
She looks at me, her eyes adore,
they are like stars that shine.
Two separate hearts are now as one,
two lonely souls entwine
My love for her's eternal
like all the stars above.
I long to give myself away,
surrendering to her love."
The room is silent save for the crackle of the fire. The prince
looks over at Rei and quietly smiles at her; too shy to ask how she
liked his poem. Rei's eyes have taken on a glow that I have seen many
times in my travels with the prince. Right now he is beautiful and
sensitive, showing her a glimpse of a heart that any woman would
desire.
People think that the turning points in life occur with a lot of fire
and flash and are quite obviously the linchpins of our fate but they
are wrong. No, life turns on small things, the decision to stand or
pass on one's principles, to be more or less compassionate, the word
spoken or unspoken, the promise remembered or forgotten. These
things, like the snowflake that starts the avalanche, are the heart of
fate. Endymion could fall in love with her and if he does the
turbulent ocean awaits him. The Hierophant looks at me with a steely
gaze from across the room and I decide.
"You composed that for Serena, did you not?" I ask softly from the
depths of my chair. Endymion blinks back from his romantic fantasies
and says, "Yes, before the trip." Mars looks startled at the
pronouncement and then spares a baleful glare at me for spoiling the
moment between them. "You planned to have the locket that she gave
you playing in the background as you spoke it too, correct?" I ask.
"Yes," he says as his eyes get a far away look as he remembers her, "I
thought it would be appropriate." He stops and smiles as he remembers
his Moon princess. The color drains from Rei's face as she realizes
her mistake in thinking the poem was for her. Not willing to let
there be any ambiguity, I give the knife one final twist. "Why don't
you recite it for us that way," I say, "I'm sure Rei could give us a
woman's perspective on it and tell us how Serena would like it."
"I'd rather not," Rei says quietly.
Seeing that the point is made, I change the subject. "Perhaps a
little music then?" I ask. Calling a servant over, I send him to
fetch a small case from by room, "Jadeite has an excellent singing
voice and I have brought my flute. If his throat is not too worn out
from all those questions, we might coax a song from him. I know just
the thing: A duet with Rei!"
"I don't think that Rei is..." Jadeite begins bashfully.
Damn it, what is it about her that turns this fellow into jelly.
"Now, now," I chide, "besides being a historian, Jadeite is a damn
fine singer. Since Endymion has graced us with an glimpse of his
creative soul, you must as well." The servant returns with my flute
and I warm up, oblivious to Jadeite protestations and the baleful
glare of the Hierophant. Pausing to remember the notes, I begin to
play the tune that I heard Rei sing on our first night here.
Irresistibly drawn to the haunting melody, Jadeite starts in with his
baritone retelling the story of the two lovers. When he stumbles over
a difficult Martian word, Rei joins in and corrects him. Their voices
interweave naturally taking their respective parts as the man calls to
the woman and she answers. Toward the end of the song, where he vows
to follow her into heaven I note that the sadness in Rei's eyes has
abated a little. Perhaps she realized it was not meant to be.
The next day we have our reading before the fire much as we did five
days before. This time when I'm caught up in the vision, I see myself
along the twisting path with the heavy stone on my back. Behind me,
Mars lays wounded with a cut over her heart. Jadeite is next to Rei
and tries to tend to her but still she bleeds. I look down on the
beach on the road, but the goddess that would have been mine is gone.
The rock cuts into my back as I shoulder it and start down the long
path. In the distance is the city that will never be my home.
When I come back to myself I see a smile light up Endymion's face.
He can barely contain himself as we reach the antechamber. "I saw it
cousin, I saw it!" Endymion says excitedly, "I saw Serena and our
first born. She was a very cute little girl with long hair like her
mother's and the nicest smile. Her eyes were an odd red color but
that just makes her all the more special and..." he babbles on like
that for a long time but I sort of stop listening. I smile and nod
and if he looks like he needs encouragement. Sometimes I'll turn one
of his statements into a question like, "Red eyes you say?" and he'll
fly off for another few minutes.
Jadeite seems a lot more subdued so when Endymion is babbling all
this to the politely discomfitured Rei and her glowering grandmother,
I speak with him in low tones. "What's the matter my friend, did
something disturb you?"
"Yes, he says with a bead of sweat upon his forehead, "I saw visions
of lady Rei. She and I, together..."
"That's great," I say, "she's a lovely young woman and a good match
for you."
"But the thing is," he continues, "I have this vision, in the
distance of a great bird casting it's shadow over me. A creature she
controls."
"Whew, what a temper! I guess you'd better not forget her birthday
then." For a moment he looks agog at my insensitivity and then he
laughs his fears away as feasts his eyes on Rei. She is a woman worth
going through hell for. (And probably one to give you a full measure
of it too.) "Maybe you'd better rescue her from Endymion before he
talks her ear off about his future family," I say. Jadeite steps
over to them and says something to Endymion who turns to me and steps
over briskly.
"Jadeite says you wished to talk to me about travel plans."
"Aye, my lord, I take it that you wish to return to Earth now?"
"By the fastest ship possible," he says enthusiastically, "put all
canvas to the solar winds and take me back to her."
"Yes, my prince, it shall be done. We sail the day after tomorrow
when the Constellation returns."
The next days pass quickly enough, but I hate being at the temple.
Rei and her grandmother make sure I know that I am on their bad sides.
(And they have a very mean bad side.) I'd be happy to return to the
Nemesis but my post is by Endymion so I endure the cold formality as
we put the final touches on the trade document. We don't see much of
the Hierophant, but for me the environment is still decidedly chilly.
Mostly the excuse is she's called away on church business but there
are no other activities that we can see. Even that damn moon cat,
Aries, gets his licks in and sharpens his claws on my boots while I'm
out.
There is a definite warming between Rei and Jadeite though, and they
grow closer together in the intervening days. She takes him to the
church archives again for the whole day, alone. If Jadeite is lucky
he won't get much reading done. That evening, he still isn't back
when the Constellation calls us from orbit signalling Nephrite's
return.
The next morning we assemble on the Nemesis with decidedly less
fanfare than we arrived. Endymion is on the deck with both teams of
negotiators and Rei along with a few martian officials saying final
farewells. Jadeite and I are on the bridge looking down on them and I
notice how morose he is.
"What's the matter, my friend?" I ask, "Are things going all right
with Lady Rei?"
"I'm afraid we had a little argument last night," he says sadly, "We
disagreed about the import of an obscure martian theologian. She says
he was pivotal, I said he was trivial. I think I was right, but when
I presented a decisive argument she stormed off in a huff saying I was
just being stubborn and she didn't want to waste time with such a
close minded man.
"Then, I guess you'd better apologies."
"What for?"
"For being right."
"That's something to be sorry for?"
"With some women it is," I say, "Apologies for being inflexible
then, if it makes you feel any better."
"Hmm, perhaps you are right," He says as Endymion starts to climb the
steps, "I think I'll talk to her before the Martian delegation leaves.
Wish me luck."
"You don't need luck," I say to him, "just say you're sorry."
When he steps away and calls Rei aside some cargo boxes, Endymion
breaks away from a persistent negotiator and walks up to me. He's
dying to comment on Jadeite but doesn't want to act like he was
listening. Both of us make a scene of not watching as Jadeite speaks
to Rei with a since look on his face. She is at first cold with him
but visibly thaws to his words and it looks like she says something
equally heartfelt. The make several rapid exchanges that end with him
taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. She moves close to him
and kisses him quickly on the lips, bashful about public displays of
affection. As they walk back together, I notice that they
unconsciously fall into step. Jadeite bows to her one final time
before she descends the gangplank. Unnoticed by all save myself, she
looks back at Endymion standing next to me looking at the blue sky and
her eyes take on a far away look.
"You know," I observe to Endymion and he looks back at me, "she'll
never forgive him."
"Hm? I thought she did just now," Endymion looks quizzically at me,
"What won't she forgive him for?"
"For not being you," I answer simply.
Jadeite joins us on the bridge and Endymion does not comment further
on my statement. Jadeite grins ear to ear and says, "you were right.
Apologizing was the best thing I could have done. I asked if I could
write to her and she said yes. It's just like in my vision, she and
I..." He just sighs contentedly.
"You too?" Endymion asked amazed. Jadeite just gave a sort of silly
grin that Endymion had on his face when this whole thing started.
"Ferrite, take us home," Endymion orders enthusiastically, "nice to
have a sure future. Eh, Jadeite?" They both get that stupid grin and
look back over the stern as we rise up from the red planet. Indeed,
the future is sure and as I stand at the bridge and look into the
dawn, I think about the lost goddess and the distant city.
-------------------------
Part 3: Family ties.
Rei puts her face close to mine and stares into my eyes with a look
of concern. When I don't respond she puts her hand before my eyes and
waves it back and forth; I blink in response. "Davis-san," Rei says to
me louder, "Are you all right?" I blink and come back to myself.
"Hm?" I ask realizing I'm in the Hikawa shrine and the reading is
over. "For a while there you were entranced," she says. "Um, the
flames are quite hypnotic," I say, "I drifted away for a moment. Did
you see anything interesting in the fire?" "I can't say for sure,
there seems to be some sort of dark shadow hanging over you. All I
can tell about it is that it is very old." "Hm, old you say?" Damn,
this girl is a mystic, I'll bet she's seen Beryl's curse. "What do
you think it might be?" I ask.
"I can't say for sure, I've got to meditate on it further."
"Is there anything I can do about it?"
"There's no telling right now. Perhaps if you meditated too and
tried to remember some dark incident in your past."
"I'll see if I can remember anything."
"I'm sorry there's nothing else I can do right now."
"Take two meditations and call you in the morning?"
She looks at me confused as the doctor cultural reference goes right
by her. "Um, something like that," she says.
Disappointed in her limited abilities I decide to leave. What was I
thinking? A little shrine maiden take on Beryl's magic. Sha-right!
I'd better get out of here, whatever made those buses disappear they
aren't talking about it and Rei's abilities won't be of much help to
me.
I bid them a polite goodby and go to the local library. Since I took
the evening off now would be a good time to see if there is anything
on psychic disturbances on Sendai hill in the newspaper archives.
When I call up the references, I get several hits on a councilman
Hino. Curious at his connection I found that reporters questioned him
because his father-in-law runs the shrine near the disappearances
which is also in his precinct. Intrigued, I run a query on him and
receive a lot of mundane items like sewer bond issues and such, but
several headlines in the past few days are very interesting.
Looking through the paper, I notice that Councilman Hino is trying to
get the rest of the city council to approve an additional expenditure
in the public arts budget. The paper quotes him as saying, "We must
do what we can to expand the layman's appreciation and knowledge of
art." Another member, noted for his support of religion and family
values stated, "that's all very well, but the budget is already
allotted for this year we don't need to spend precious yen on things
that just promote avarice like displaying this gem collection that is
making a world tour." Gem collection? A little further reading
reveals that the collection in question is some of the most fabulous
collection of noted gemstones in the world. Museums across the world
are hosting this collection, sponsored by jewel merchants, as it moves
from city to city.
Call me crazy but Hino-san's sudden interest in this particular type
of exhibit just as Nephrite is making a similar search is just too
much of a coincidence. I think it would behoove me to check out
councilman Hino. Maybe there is some connection with him and the
buses disappearing around his daughter's temple. Shutting off the
computer, I head for city hall.
A short train ride later, I walk into the city municipal complex and
it looks like most modern day government office buildings. It being
late in the day, it looks like most of the pencil pushers have knocked
off early; this would be the perfect time to case the joint. Ducking
into the washroom, I change myself into a janitor using my disguise
pen and commandeer a rolling trash can. To the casual observer, I'm
just the cleanup crew getting an early jump on the night's work. I
come onto the main hallway just as Rei steps out of the elevator. I
sweat a bit as she walks right up to me and stops. I expect her to
demand to know what I'm doing here when she daintily spits her chewing
gum into a tissue and throws it into my trash can. With a nod, she
moves on. Whew, I sometimes forget how effective disguise magic can
be to ordinary people.
She's dressed in a very formal black dress with a white collar.
Guess she wants to be businesslike as possible for her daddy..
Surreptitiously, I follow her down the hall to her father's office,
stopping on occasion to empty a trash can. I take up station outside
Councilman Hino's office, press my ear to the door and listen.
"All right father, I'm here, what do you want?"
"Can't a man ask to see his little girl now and again? I've missed
you."
She snorts at that and says, "Maybe if I'd been a boy you'd care,
you've wished I was enough times."
"That's not..."
"But since I'm not," she breaks in, "you've got more important things
to take care of. Now, what do you want?"
"Very well," he switches to a no-nonsense tone, "here is what you
must do: a fellow council member of mine, Kosuke Fujishima, will come
to the shrine and have a reading. You will advise him to be less
obstructive of new ideas. Embrace changes that come from outside."
"Huh! Does this have to do with that thing I've read about in the
paper. That little argument between you and him about the travelling
gem exhibit?
"Yes, that is it exactly. It is important to me that the exposition
come into town.
"So, you want me to compromise my principles so you can get your
little gem show in town? Never!"
"You are just being stubborn..."
"Like you were about a son with mother?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You knew it was dangerous after I was born but you just had to have
a boy to carry on your name."
"That is irrelevant to today... you will obey me."
"Never! Now stay out of my life."
I hear some crashing as if furniture being pushed aside. "If that is
the way it is, you will obey me in another way."
"What? Let go of me or I'll slug you, I'm warning you..."
"Quiet girl, look in my eyes." Rei shrieks and I decide I can wait
no longer. Instantly transforming I raise my foot and kick the door
off its hinges. When I crash through the door I take in the scene.
Rei struggles with her father who has her by the wrists. His eyes
glow a dull red and I can make out a signil on his forehead. I
recognize it, Nephrite used it back in the Silver Millennium as a ward
against evil spirits but the sign's been inverted. Her father is
possessed! With a flick of my arm, a Yellow rose whizzes through the
air to pin his right wrist to the desk. Twistin