================================= Episode #314: Inflection Point[s] ================================= Ad Dawhah, Qatar, Arab Union 13 April 3035 In the year 1969, the world of Major League Baseball was dominated by the Baltimore Orioles. Their superstars, like the two Robinsons (Brooks and Frank), Jim Palmer, and others, ruled over the diamond, winning pennants left and right. 1969 saw the rise of a new team, though: the New York Mets. Just a few years before they had amazed their manager by finding new ways to lose. This time they made it all the way to the World Series, stunning a Baltimore team accustomed to uninterrupted success and going on to win the world championship in seven games. The Orioles, the Mets, and MLB were long gone by the time the six world leaders met in the large Middle Eastern city of Ad Dawhah to discuss the latest developments, but the mood there was stunningly similar to that in the Orioles clubhouse so long ago: complete and utter dejection. It was like a funeral, and to some of them it might as well have been one. "Tell me, Mina," said Prathachulthorn lightly, "how does it feel to have single-handedly lost the war for us?" "Now wait just a-" "David!" exclaimed Cabot. "I can handle this." Ronowski reluctantly returned to his seat. "Now, why do you think *I've* lost this war for you? Last I checked we still held most of Hokkaido! Another day and we'll be ready to make a push for Sapporo, and then-" "Ground matters have changed considerably," noted Prathachulthorn acidly. "But we'll get to that in a bit. More importantly, that silly stunt you pulled in orbit accomplished nothing but strengthen Crystal Tokyo's resolve." "How were we to know they were hiding a starship under an island?" retorted Cabot. "That was an intelligence failure." "Nonetheless, the mines that cost you so much were easily dispatched." "And?" She tried not to think of what her blunder would do to her confederation's economy. "What about these new developments on the ground? They've got heart busters too?" "Yesterday two senshi went super." Prathachulthorn was greeted with a blank stare. "Huh?" asked Fayit. He sighed while Ronowski cut in. "In other words, two of the post-Black Moon senshi, who we thought were on a permanently lower power level than the planet senshi who are the core of their defense, have proven us wrong. They can now be considered to be a threat comparable to that posed by the planet senshi. Not quite at the same level, but close." The room fell quiet to consider this. "You mean," said Liu, "that we've got two new planet senshi to deal with?" "Effectively, yes." Another pause. Then Prathachulthorn threw his hands up in the air. "That's it, then. It's over." "No it isn't-" "It is, and you damn well know it, Ronowski! I said all along that if I feel we're going to lose, I'm cutting my losses and making a separate peace, and I meant it! "Are you blind to what's going on? This has been the closest of battles from the beginning! Now you tell me that they've got two more powerful senshi, and God only knows how many more on the way, and you can sit there and tell me that you're going to hang in here? You're mad!" Ronowski scowled. "What of your war debt? Do you think Crystal Tokyo will pay it out of the kindness of its heart?" "No, I don't think so. But I also know all too well what will happen if we fight to a conclusion." Ronowski fell silent. For once he had nothing to say. How could he convince a hopeless man? "So you're set, then. All the money, all the lives this war has cost you, and you're willing to throw it all away." "We entered their country, despoiled their land, killed their finest, destroyed their dreams. Do you think they'll show us a single scrap of mercy if they beat us on the battlefield? Better to withdraw now, I say. Perhaps if I'm lucky SEAA will remain autonomous." "Coward," said Ronowski, not with malice or bitterness: just a casual, matter-of-fact tone. "A coward who made a mistake, and will atone for it as best he can." He stood. "In twenty minutes I'll give the order for my troops to pull back. There will be no need for any of you to cover our retreat. Ladies and gentlemen, while I truly regret my exit under these circumstances, I hope you understand that I am only acting in the best interests of my constituents. While I am convinced that any further trek down this road is a foolish exercise and doomed to failure, I still wish you all God speed." With a pang of regret he slouched a bit, as if the formal tone of this voice had taken something out of him. "Goodbye," he concluded, walking out for the last time. "Well," said Ronowski into the dead-silent room, "let's put all our cards on the table, shall we? All ashore who's going ashore." *** "It's a miracle," said Serenity over and over again. "But I knew it was destined." Before Neo-Queen Serenity stood Sailor Uranus. She wore a grin that said maybe, just maybe, two weeks of grief and suffering might end on a high note after all. "Unbelievable," agreed Sailor Mercury. She and Sailor Jupiter were the others in the chamber atop the Crystal Palace. "So many theories of senshi abilities will have to be rewritten . . . not that the equations didn't say it was possible, but the improbability factors-" Sailor Uranus cut off Mercury before she could begin rattling off variables and equations. "One dozen super sailor senshi," said Uranus simply, euclidating what Sailor Mercury had been about to put in a more obtuse fashion. "Ten more in just a few hours, almost on par with us, power-wise. Faster, with even more enhanced abilities. One of them alone could defend a town, with a bit of help. Three could *take* a town!" "It was so simple," gushed Sailor Mercury. "Given the stresses put upon all senshi in these times, it was simply a matter of time before they broke out. Granted, we had a bit of help back when we did it, but-" "Can we expect more?" asked Uranus. "Almost certainly, and with more . . . ." She didn't have to finish. They all knew what enhanced senshi could do both for Crystal Tokyo's morale and firepower. "Sailor Saturn is making arrangements for the supers to be placed in trouble spots. She says already the regulars are more cheerful, fighting harder. And the Allies are terrified." "Excellent," said Serenity. "Now all we need is-" "Your Majesty!" Sailor Cassiopeia burst into the room, ecstactic, forgetting to bow in her excitement. "It's President Prathachulthorn! He's surrendering!" *** It was a slow, rhythmic murmur in her dream, like a tuneless lullaby a mother sings to soothe her child to sleep. It puzzled her at first, how it could be so calming when it was really a . . . "Decompression warning?" she whispered to herself, and then she remembered. The mad dash into orbit, the desperate gamble, and the final triumph of true love. Of course, there was also the shockwave. Sailor Orion slowly struggled to her feet, careful not to accelerate too fast or else fly off in the null gravity. She felt a slight pressure on her right hand and knew without looking it was her lover's. Glancing around, she wasn't really surprised at what she saw. The bridge was illuminated only by the dim red emergency lights, making everyone look like trauma patients. The computers looked to be completely dead; only static showed on the screens. "Everyone all right?" called Sailor Orion. The bridge crew responses trickled in. Some cuts, bruises, one ankle that was either twisted or sprained. Considering the sheer force of the shockwave through which they had passed, the redhead was only thankful things hadn't been worse. "Can't raise engineering," called out an ensign. "No communications at all, sir." Next to him, a tech gratefully turned off the various alert sirens. Sailor Orion was reluctant to let go of Sailor America now. Still holding her hand, she gestured to the door with her free hand. "Akai, go down there and check on their status." "Aye, sir." The backup pilot floated towards the door, putting on her pressure suit as she went. There was no telling what conditions might be like on her way. Sailor Orion glanced around yet again. Was there anything she'd forgotten? "Oh, are we sending a distress call?" "Can't say, sir," said the same ensign as before. Nuriko Kasawagi was still fiddling with gear, trying to get anything to work. Even if they could only listen, it would be better than their current condition, cut off from the outside world. "We might be, but the systems are so fried it's too hard to tell." "I'm taking a look outside," Still gripping Sailor America's hand, she went to the captain's office. There, behind some support beams that had been jostled loose at some point, was a good-sized porthole which still had the manufacturer's sticker attached. She and America floated over to it, putting their heads together and peering outside. Above was the Earth, serene and blue, looking untouched by the madness of the last several weeks. By squinting, Sailor America could pick out her southern namesake; apparently the ship had been blasted into a different, more southerly orbit. As for space, it glittered. The sunlight reflected from Earth shone and coruscated off billions of tiny granules of metal, each polished to brightness by the heat of the explosion. "Beautiful," breathed America. "Something so beautiful from something so terrible." Sailor Orion smiled down at her lover. "Poetic, are we?" Sailor America giggled. "Yep." "Well . . . I think we did it. How about you?" "Yeah," said Sailor America, a great weariness in her voice. "We did it." Sailor Orion looked sadly into Sailor America's eyes. The redhead tried so hard to shield her lover from danger; this was the closest the brunette had come to death. It was never easy, the first time. "Look!" She pointed to a white speck that was moving faster than most. "Help is here." *** Einstein's theory of relativity states among other things that time will tend to dilate relative to a stationary observer as speed increases. A layman would have another definition, however, which would state that the more events occur at once, the shorter a given time period will seem to the senses. Sailor Cassiopeia thought this to be particularly true as she stood in Earth headquarters, a place she had never dared to visit before. Even now she was on a diplomatic mission to ensure that Prathachulthorn was being honest. It appeared that he was. "Message repeats. This is President Sean O. Prathachulthorn of the Southeast Asian Alliance. Effective immediately, I am ordering SEAA forces to withdraw unilaterally from the front in Hokkaido. I have been most explicit to my generals that no further shots are to be fired by my troops. You may therefore wish to take care before firing on my men and women. "Furthermore, I, my government, and my military, accept full responsibility for any and all damage due to SEAA assets to Her Majesty's property, her land, and her people. We are willing to accept whatever penalties Her Majesty sees fit to mete out, and most humbly throw ourselves on Her Majesty's mercy. "Message repeats. This . . . ." "Well?" asked Sailor Neptune, leaning with her back to the railing with a map of Kyushu in the background framing her sea-green hair. "I believe him," said Sailor Cassiopeia, more confident than she had been in a very long time. "He realizes that he's lost; that-" she pointed to a status screen of Earth orbit, now safe once more for transit, "-was the turning point. For him to go on now would just be stupid." "It was stupid to attack us in the first place." "They nearly beat us, Sailor Neptune. Don't be so overconfident, that's what got us into this mess." Just a month ago Sailor Neptune would have been outraged at such a remark, especially coming from one of the junior senshi. The rules had changed, though. Now, with the post-Black Moon senshi closer than ever to the rank and power of the originals, theirs would no longer be relationship of teachers and students. Now they were partners, almost equals. She felt as well the bitterness in Cassiopeia's voice. The planet senshi had sacrificed nothing in this war compared to the junior senshi. Nearly a quarter of their number had died, tallies that only the super transformations kept from being a complete loss. Even overlooking that, there were the regulars: the mere mortals who had died by the thousands. Who knew what anger they held? Sailor Neptune overlooked this for the moment. She had to. With a shake of her head, she returned to reality. "Thanks for the diplomatic perspective, but this is a military matter. You may go now." "The hell it's military. This is a matter for the peacemakers, not the peacekeepers!" Sailor Neptune sighed heavily. "So what would you have me do? Order a cease-fire only on SEAA? We couldn't-" "FINE!" said Sailor Cassiopeia, the fury evident in her voice. The best chance for peace since the damn thing started, and Sailor Neptune couldn't get it through her hidebound mind that now was the time to act! Emboldened by recent events, she went so far as to glare at Sailor Neptune. "I'm going over your head." She turned to a nearby tech. "Get me Sailor Saturn." "Sir, I-" "Sailor Cassiopeia, if-" "I *said*, get me Sailor Saturn. That's an order!" The crow's nest fell silent. Never before had there been such a blatant defiance of a planet senshi, not since the Second Sailor Wars. Everyone was still, wondering what Sailor Neptune's reaction would be. The communications officer swallowed hard. "Y-yes, contacting Sapporo now." He went to work, knowing that Neptune could overrule at any time. She didn't. "Saturn's in the field, sir. I can try to raise her-" "Do it." Sailor Cassiopeia stood legs apart, arms folded on her chest. Sailor Neptune thought to herself that she would make a fine commander some day. After a minute, the main screen flickered, and Sailor Saturn's face appeared. The camera was apparently very close; her face filled the screen, and a few beads of sweat were visible. "Good afternoon, Sailor Cassiopeia. What can I do for you?" In the background could be heard screaming; Saturn dismissed it with a wave. "We've got them on the run, don't worry." "Sailor Saturn, have you heard the latest word from Prathachulthorn?" The black-haired senshi frowned. "No, I haven't. Nothing bad, I hope?" What nonchalance. "They're pulling back. All of Southeast Asia's troops are ceasing fire, and I feel that we must honor this." "With a withdrawal?" "With a cease-fire. I very strongly recommend that we hold back on any attacks against SEAA people." "Easier said than done," countered Saturn. "Allied uniforms are very nearly standardized." "But we *must* try! It's our chance to end this!" Sailor Saturn pursed her lips in contemplation. "True, perhaps, but at the same time it seems to me they're ready to surrender whether or not we shoot at them." "Where's the honor in killing someone unwilling to fight back?" Sailor Saturn seemed about to reply, but thought better of it. Instead, she said, "I see." She thought. It had been her decision to do what Sailor Jupiter had been unwilling to do: turn the full magical might of the senshi not on youma or daimons, but on ordinary human beings. She knew, perhaps more than anyone, what 'overkill' really meant. At the same time, there was something else the messiah of silence had learned from a blonde-haired dumpling head many many years ago: forgiveness. "Does Sailor Neptune have any suggestions?" "You know how I feel," came the simple reply. "Then we let them withdraw. It's time to end this." *** President David Ronowski shook his head, trying to shake off the accumulated jet lag of the past month. He and those who remained in the conflict were in a conference room in Vancouver-3. It was a shorter list: SEAA had left, and so had China and the Arab Union. The only two who remained fervently loyal were AC and EU, with Russia on the verge of bailing out as well. They hadn't lost yet. The maps showed it, the statistics showed it. The Allies still had the upper hand, but it was a narrow race and Crystal Tokyo was gaining. Even now, the military leaders were proposing the unthinkable. "No. We just won't do it." "Titan would guarantee success," cautioned one of the generals. Ronowski remained adamant. "Not until all else is lost. The risk is too great." "Can we still do it?" asked Rostov. "Of course. SEAA is leaving Titan in place until a final peace agreement is hammered out, mainly to make sure there are no complications. It will be a very close call, I think, but if we wanted to, given the authorization codes we could initiate the sequence in ten minutes." "Who has the codes?" asked the Russian immediately. "I do, and you, and Mina. The other three have them as well. Any one of us can start it by ourselves, though. Insecure, but we had to guard against five of the six being killed. That seemed very likely at one point. "But that's moot. We cannot do it, not yet." "Why?" asked Cabot. "Suddenly afraid of civilian casualties?" "And what if I am?" he retorted. "It would be surprising, is all." She smiled. "Especially considering the lack of regard you've given life so far during this mess." "I have my reasons. But rest assured, if necessary I would vote for Titan. But we'll have to see what the senshi will offer us." *** Sailor Cassiopeia fought some jet lag of her own as her plane touched down in Moscow under ruthless security. With her were Sailors Mars and Uranus: the warmongers, as she thought of them. Their objective was to hammer out a final peace agreement, or else. In this case, however, 'or else' could very well mean anything. They were to meet with the leaders of the three remaining warring confederations. If all went well, a treaty could be signed in Honolulu as early as tomorrow or as late as next week. Otherwise . . . Crystal Tokyo now had a secure line of supply. It could fight for as long as necessary. Within an hour the peace negotiations had begun. Now it was a matter of waiting. *** They looked at each other across the table. On one side, Sailor Mars. On the other, President Ronowski. They had met face to face once, seemingly an eternity ago but in reality just a few months prior. Quite a bit had changed since then. Ronowski's eyes were filled with belligerence. "Shall we get to the point?" "No," replied Sailor Cassiopeia, just as sweet as Ronowski wasn't. "We have some other matters to attend to first. This is a preliminary meeting only. If all goes well, a formal surrender will be accepted by us at a place and time of our choosing. Otherwise, we go back to our posts and fight this to a conclusion." "I'm all for that. We still want Serenity out of there!" "That isn't going to happen, Ronowski." Sailor Cassiopeia cocked her head to the side, but she wasn't angry. "Would you like to know why?" "Do we have to-" "Yes you do, Cabot-san," growled Uranus. "You see," said Sailor Mars, only slightly calmer, "you can't win. We thought you understood that when SEAA and others left. Here," she said, giving him a handlink, "I'll do something unorthodox. These are our latest supply figures." She knew she was taking a huge gamble by showing them to him, but if it worked . . . . "As you can see, with our supply lines once again open, we'll have no problems keeping up with our munitions. "There's a few other things you may want to read as well. Here are the latest position reports. Your forces have been on the defensive ever since the SEAA withdrawal. Your men and women are demoralized-" "They are not! How can you-" "We can see it. For the sake of the kami, we don't have to do any more than ask our front-line people! They feel that in a week they could take back Hokkaido. I'll be honest. It's probably closer to two weeks, perhaps three if you get your acts together. But it's inevitable." "Nothing is ever inevitable." "Then your own military advisors haven't already told you that it's over?" It was like a blow to the stomach. Certainly, the military had informed him that continuing the war was madness, but they had left him just enough what-ifs to convince him there was still a chance. "I don't think it's any of your business as to what their assessment was." Sailor Uranus pressed the attack. "It wasn't good, was it?" "I'd rather-" "They said that short of some wild gamble, it was hopeless, didn't they?" "Dammit-" "Ronowski-san, if you have a scrap of sense left in you, you see that you've lost. Carrying on will still mean senseless deaths and needless expenditures, and you can't honestly tell me you'd like that! Don't you see? You've lost. We're giving you a chance to come out of this without losing it all. Don't throw it away." Her voice had gone persuasive, and her logic was irresistable. Ronowski pondered over it all. Could she be right? Could this all be just a colossal, misguided mistake, and could she truly be offering a way out of it? Suddenly, Ronowski was a very very tired man. "We're going to Honolulu." 'And I'm going to die.' *** In a cabin in a ship being towed in space, two lovers embraced. ================================== Begun: 7:10 27 July 1998 Finished: 22:22 30 July 1998 Final Draft: 20:12 2 August 1998 Final Edit: 13:12 26 February 2001 ==================================