(Rating: G) ================================================= Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Orion A more-or-less original fanfic by LeVar Bouyer Episode #401: After Today, a Normal Senshi Again ================================================= "Correct. Now, one of the major results of this was that the Allies had to plan another way to dethrone Serenity, which led to the War of 3035." The teacher nodded and continued walking across the front of the room. "Now who can tell me why an immediate attack was not possible?" She scanned the four or five hands that were raised in response, then chose one. "Aoi?" The prim and proper girl with short black hair smiled. "Because they needed time to prepare for such a prolonged military campaign, sensei," said Aoi. "Um, no. If the Allies needed time they wouldn't have wasted time they didn't have by retaking the Sinai in October 3034. You're thinking too militarily." "But you're-" "Anyone else?" asked the teacher, turning away from Aoi and leaving a chastened expression on the face of the would-be teacher's pet. The other hands went down; obviously they'd been thinking along the same lines as Aoi. She withheld a sigh and looked around, wondering why her lessons on 3035 always seemed to fall flat on their faces. Heavens, it had only been six years ago; it was more current events than history. Perhaps another surprise exam would be in order . . . but she had one more thing to try. "Joseph?" "Uh . . . yes, ma'am?" "Do you know why an immediate attack wasn't possible?" "Um . . . because it would appear too suspicious for the Allies to attack on the heels of the failed terrorist coup d'etat?" The teacher was silent for a moment. "That was what I wanted, yes. Well done, Joseph!" "Th-thank you, Sakachi-sensei," replied Joseph, unaccustomed to actually being right. "Okay, so now-" Dr. Jennifer Sakachi was cut off by the ringing of the bell. "-we're out of time. See you guys tomorrow," she continued, raising her voice over the noise of students passing in the hall outside and the noise of students inside the classroom packing away their books. "Remember, chapter four is to be read and summarized for tomorrow, and there is the possibility of a short-answer quiz on what we've covered today! Bye!" She imperceptibly slouched her shoulders and retreated to her desk. Technically her day at Ai Furikato Senior High School was over now, at 13:00, but her day at the University of Hinansho was just beginning. She began putting handlinks, papers, and assorted items into her briefcase, mentally running through the list of things to do in the hour before her 14:00 lecture of HIS 113, Early Crystal Millennium History (1999-2197). It was an introductory freshman course with twenty-three students, and one of the two reasons she ever went to the University of Hinansho. She patted the now closed briefcase affectionately. Jen had graded the last batch of exams, and they were a marked improvement over the last ones. With a last look around the now empty classroom, she nodded to herself and briskly walked out of the school, which was in a city called Nagano-2, which was on a planet called Hinansho, which was several hundred light years from Earth. *** [title sequence] *** (This is the first of two times I'll actually include the entire thing) [Two silouettes outlined against a red moon. They appear to be wearing senshi uniforms, but aside from a slight wind that ruffles the skirts, the figures are unmoving. In the lower right corner, a yellow digital clock counts down the minutes, seconds, and tenths of a second, starting from 1:20.0. This clock stays in the same position for the entire opening. Just before the first drumbeat, the taller of the two leans over to kiss the other. Right after the first one, the screen goes to black, with the kanji and kana for 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Orion' in yellow lettering. Then, as the song segues into the vocals, the screen is divided into two halves, reminiscent of the Sailor Stars opening.] [For the next four lines, images of Jennifer Sakachi dominate. There are four paired shots, each lasting only as long as the line does.] [Jen on the left standing at attention, dressed in the black regulation RSN uniform, as if for an ID photo. She is smiling slightly. On the right is a sort of control room half filled with computers and people. Jen is overlooking the scene.] [1:05] There comes a time [Jen in a schoolteacher's uniform on the left, and explaining something at a chalkboard to the right.] [1:02] When you face the toughest of fights [Sailor Orion, striking a dramatic pose on the left, and Sailor Orion in the middle of a battle on the right.] [0:58] Searching for a sign [Jen in an offwhite sweater and jeans, smiling broadly with her hands in her pockets, outlined against a starry night. On the right, three quick images: Jen on her knees in a flower bed working with a trowel, Jen playing the saxophone and looking embarassed, and Jen in a tennis outfit, smashing a forehand.] [0:55] Lost in the darkest of nights [The next three lines are similar to the previous ones, except that Eileen takes the spotlight.] [Eileen in her RSN uniform, smiling uncomfortably and fingering the collar as if she's too hot (which in fact she is), on the left. On the right, Eileen in a picture with three as-yet-unnamed female officers, all in uniform, all grinning.] [0:51] The wind blows so cold [Eileen in nice business attire, sitting behind a desk and looking fidgety. On the right is Eileen standing next to a window in a busy office, leaning against it and looking down at the street below.] [0:50] Standing alone [Sailor America, striking a pose of her own, while on the right is America in action.] [0:57] Before the battle's begun [Dual shot of Orion and America in a split-screen; the scenery shows them in two different locations in a nighttime city, but they're both looking right at each other.] [0:44] But deep in your soul [0:42] The future unfolds [They both look up as day breaks and the sun turns the sky from black to purple to pink to yellow to blue in an instant.] [0:41] As bright as the rays of the sun [during the very quick instrumental bridge going trom :41 to :38, quick images flash by: the two senshi in various stages of battle, various pictures of a headquarter complex, a mountain range, a city on a bay, two moons in a sky, a classroom, and a final close-up of the right half of Orion's face and the left half of America's.] [As the clock continues to count down, more pictures of Orion and America fighting various enemies in both day and night are seen.] [0:38] You've got to believe in the power of love [0:31] You've got to believe in the power of love [America, looking exausted, looks up and smiles as Orion rushes in from offscreen and gives her a bear hug.] [0:23] It gives meaning to each moment [Jump shot to another battle. Orion is blasted aside by some beam weapon. America rushes to her side.] [0:20] It's what our hearts are all made of (just look inside) [Jump to a shot of Jen and Eileen looking over a city at nighttime, holding each other closely. The sky is full of stars, and a hint of dawn is in the east.] [0:16] You've got to believe in the power of love [0:09] In the power of love [0:06] In the power of love [Slow fade to black.] 16:55. Jen sagged at her desk, exhausted. The lecture had gone rather well, all things considered. It was the questions afterwards that had dogged her. A full half of the class had come to her office with exams in hand, demanding to know why their grades weren't higher. Admittedly she was glad to see their enthusiasm, but quite frankly she hadn't been in the mood to bicker over one or two percentage points. Wearily she picked up her glasses from where she had set them a minute earlier and replaced them on her face. "Come on," she said quietly, "just five minutes longer." The redhead looked up at the clock on the wall of the tiny office which was all the history department was willing to give her. Five minutes, and she could leave without having to deal with her erstwhile graduate student--the student she spent a good part of each day wishing she didn't have. "Quite a far cry from the sailor senshi days," she mused to herself. "No more drills, no more fighting, no more worrying whether or not I'll live to see tomorrow, no more therapy, no more endless months and years in space." She undid the top button of her uniform blouse--at Furikato High, even the teachers wore uniforms--and listlessly pushed a pen back and forth on her desk, eyeing the two exams she had grudgingly agreed to regrade. "Just the civilian life." *** In the vast inky blackness of space, far far from Earth, something moved. Civilian life would shortly become more complicated. *** Jen Sakachi walked along the sidewalk, feeling for all the world like a schoolgirl carrying home a bad report. Her appearance reinforced that; the thirty-year-old woman looked nineteen at most. Idly she let her heels kick the briefcase she held behind her, mentally planning out the evening. A slight fall breeze rustled her skirt and set it to flapping against her calves. 'Going to be cold soon,' she thought, 'need to find the longer skirts.' "Hey Sakachi, need a lift?" Jen turned around at the light, yet familiar voice. A red sports car had stopped on the road beside her, its driver hidden in glare of the afternoon sun against the window. "No thanks, it's just two kilometers to my house," she called to the driver. "I could make it worth your while," added the driver. Then the door opened and the driver popped out, dressed in a conservative business suit. Jen recognized her immediately, and a sly smile came to her lips. "Oh, I dunno," she replied. "Perhaps I could use the exercise, especially considering what a certain somebody has been saying about my weight." "JEN!" protested Eileen, her cool completely gone. Jennifer smiled a bit more broadly and then stepped off the curb to get in the car. "Just joking, Eileen." The brunette got in the car as well, and Jen gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's up?" Eileen usually didn't pick Jen up from school. "Just got off from work a bit early. Satellite interference was making contact with Earth almost impossible." She sighed, cursing the sun. "Anyway, how was your day?" "Not too bad," conceded Jen. "First period was rather hellish, though." "Figures." It wouldn't be Jen's first horror story about her first period class. They made the turn into the driveway of their home, a modest two story affair with an apple tree in the front yard. A few leaves lay on the ground as the red car came to a stop, and the two made their way inside as a slight breeze picked up, rustling them away. *** In space, the something became somethings. They slowly fanned out, hidden from most detectors, biding their time. *** Jen lay in bed, Eileen snuggled next to her beneath the ample covers. Another full day. "Eileen?" "Hm?" murmured the brunette, already half asleep. "Do you like your job?" "Do I like being a anchorwoman? It beats a real job, I guess." "Do you miss being a senshi?" Eileen stiffened slightly, barely enough for the redhead to notice. "Why?" Jen stared up at the darkened ceiling. "Is this right?" "Is what right?" Eileen rolled over to face her lover. "It's too late at night for existentialism." "This. Here we are, leading perfectly ordinary lives, when we've spent years training to be extraordinary. That doesn't seem the slightest bit odd to you?" Eileen hmmed to herself a moment, then gave Jen a quick kiss on the lips. "It seems to me that the universe owes us for six years of pain and suffering, and has decided to make it up to us by giving us a leisurely retirement here on Hinansho." She rolled back over. "And if this is how the universe plans to repay us, I have no problem with it. We're due. G'night." Jen's eyes narrowed in the darkness. "Thanks a lot." "I'm here for you!" replied Eileen brightly from beneath the covers. Jen sighed, pulled the covers closer to herself, and went to sleep. While she loved to think about things like destiny, she had to agree with Eileen. Bedtime wasn't the time for such thoughts. *** The next morning's first period was a survey course of European history. Jen wrote some notes on the board. "So, these are the basic tenets of Protestantism as seen during the Counter-reformation. First, that-" She heard a high-pitched beeping and nearly froze. With great willpower, she forced her hand to finish the sentence she was writing. "Excuse me, class." Jen briskly walked out into the hallway, reached into nowhere, and pulled out the communicator that she hadn't used in six years. "Sakachi here." "This is headquarters. We're going to level two alert. Be prepared." There was a click as the connection closed, and an icy ball formed in her stomach. It was the first level two alert since she arrived on-planet; the first time Sailor Orion's services had been needed since the war. "Understood," she said to the empty hallway. Jen brushed her hair back a bit, took a moment to stop herself from shaking, adjusted her glasses, and went back to the class. "Now, where were we?" she asked brightly, turning back to the chalkboard and writing more notes. She ignored the looks of suspicion and fear on the faces of her students. They knew just who she was and what she had done, even if they didn't let it show. She'd found they were willing to treat her as Dr. Sakachi the teacher, not Sailor Orion the heroine. In the past it had worked well for both sides. They had heard the beep too, and unfortunately for her, this intrusion of senshi affairs into the class had not gone unnoticed. She had to wonder what they were thinking, whether they were as afraid as she was. If they weren't, they soon had reason to be. *** "Sir, stellar interference is reaching a new maximum. We're losing ninety-two percent of the signal." "Hmmm." Nagano-2 was the capital of Hinansho, and was home to the main communications nexus among other things. In the main control room of the planet's complex communications network, which was coincidentally a few floors above planetary defense headquarters, the two sole occupants peered at the displays. "Have you tried using the new FW-310 signal boosters?" "Twice, and still no go." The young man ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to make of this . . . maybe it's just an unusually heavy period of stellar interference." "That's possible," conceded his superior, who had a doctorate in astrophysics. Nozomi, the star Hinansho revolved around, had a history of erratic radiation spikes. These spikes often interfered with the delicate system of psi-satellites that linked Hinansho with the Sol System and the Moon, where Queen Serenity II was still making preparations for her subjects to build a new capital. The radiation was generally in the low-band radio ranges, which meant that it took a lot to cause any biological damage. At the same time it was in the perfect range to interfere with the new psi-satellites which were still in an experimental stage of development. Now it seemed possible that they could completely lose their link with the Moon, and that would leave them completely alone on the hinterlands of the Moon Kingdom. Hence, the level two alert earlier. "Hmm," the superior repeated. "Boot up the HA-210 system. If we can't get any more signal, we'll have to do our best with what we have. The decryption routines should be able to extrapolate the rest of the data...and if not, we'll have to wait for more data." "Yes sir, will . . . will . . . ." "Hm?" "I think you should look at this." He bent down to look at the radar screen. A number of fuzzy blobs were arcing across the generally fuzzy background left by the radio interference . . . arcing very fast. He didn't hesitate and immediately turned and lifted a black phone. "Yes, shipyards? You weren't expecting anyone any time soon? Yes, I understand. Several, but . . . no, you can't allow anyone to know. As a purely precautionary, yes. Okay, bye now, and good luck." He turned to his subordinate. "They're expecting no-one. Call down to Valhalla and report 'em as hostile, be ready to give whatever data you can." The superior, a lieutenant in the War of 3035, turned away to wipe a tear. "It's 3035 all over again." *** Three hundred meters below the surface, fifty meters below communications ops, was the Planetary Defense System Coordination Center, abbreviated PDSCC, and for an obscure reason nicknamed Valhalla. It served the same function Royal Star Navy Headquarters did on the Moon, and the old Earth Headquarters in Crystal Tokyo, except on a much smaller scale. Normally the days passed slowly at Hinansho's brightly-lit nerve center, occasionally interrupted by a passing cruiser. Now, things were slightly more busy, and almost everyone wished the three usual commanders were there. Lieutenant Hayato Kwakami was listening to the latest report. He was watch officer and therefore senior official that morning, in the absence of any higher-ranking officers. "Sir, we've lost contact with three more geosynchronous satellites," said the talker. "That makes eight sats we've lost, total." Hayato frowned. "Landline backups?" "We've already switched over." "Any more news on the UFOs?" "None, but the radar blurs are moving closer. Estimated points of impact: Miyagi and Akita provinces in the Northern Hemisphere, Shizouka in the south. No word on prefectures either, there's just not enough radar data." "Then get the data, dammit!" shouted Hayato, throwing the entire stack of reports to the ground. His voice reverberated in the rather cozy confines of Valhalla, bringing the entire place to a standstill. "Get the data before things get any worse." "Ye . . . yes, sir. Initiating emergency search radar." "And put Nagano-2 under full alert." *** Eileen Pearcy, along with most of the broadcast team for the Nagano-2 Nightly News, watched a large video screen. A cameraman was on the roof of the twenty-story tower shooting the scene from outside, where military trucks were racing all over the city. No official alert announcement had been made yet, but the inhabitants of the Second Nagano City knew something was wrong. "Any word from Valhalla?" she asked, wondering if she should pull rank and get some answers. "Just an advisory not to spread rumors," replied her producer. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath. She knew the Hinansho Defense Force's PR director, she'd even taught him most of what he knew in the past year or so. So why was he being such a bonehead? "That's it, I'm giving Goro a call. Be right back, guys." She trotted down to her office, high heels clicking on the floor. Once there, she quickly dialed the number and got the operator. "What the hell's going on?" asked Eileen angrily. "I'm sorry ma'am, Valhalla is at a high level alert and is not accepting nonpriority calls." "This *is* a priority call." "What is the nature of the priority?" asked the operator, almost bored. "AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO ASK?!? This is Captain Eileen Pearcy, a.k.a. Sailor America, so get me Lieutenant Goro Egami and GET HIM NOW!" Another lesson in relations: shouting works wonders. She was connected with Goro within seconds. "Pearcy-san?" "In the flesh," replied Eileen, leaning against her desk. "What's up?" *** In Valhalla, things were rapidly descending into panic. "Oh, nothing much," remarked Goro, watching Hayato nearly take a young tech's head off for not being able to pinpoint the location of the invaders. "Latest news is that we have a UFO ready to skim the atmosphere, and the path'll bring it directly overhead. I figure we'll alert the city very soon." "And we haven't been told?!?" "I'm waiting for the-" "EGAMI!" Goro snapped around to regard his superior, rapidly straightening into attention. "Y-yes?" "Notify the broadcast companies, tell them the situation. We're going to need the entire population below-ground just in case, and for God's sake, DON'T CAUSE A PANIC!" "Yes sir, you can count on me." Hayato stomped off, and Goro leaned back into the phone again. "It's official now. Nagano-2 is now under a state of emergency. You're to get the word out immediately. Keep things calm, okay?" "And me?" "What?" On the other end, Eileen nearly pouted. "I'm a senshi, you know. I'm not going on active duty?" Goro looked over at the retreating Hayato. "I think you'll have to use your own judgment there. If I ask, he's likely to rip my head off." He didn't bother mentioning this was a bad trait in a commander. "Great," muttered Eileen. "Jen?" "She'll probably be called in within the next couple minutes." "I see. Thanks, and good luck." "You too, sir. Bye." *** The beeping from nowhere came again, more insistently than the last time. Jen reached into nowhere and pulled out the communicator, this time not caring about doing so in front of the class. "Sakachi here." "Activation code is 635G," came the cool crisp voice. "Please acknowledge." While her emotions fell into a tumult of terror, her training took over. "I acknowledge that I am now reinstated into active duty as captain in the Royal Star Navy," she replied in an equally cool tone. "Very well. Report to Valhalla immediately. That is all." She pushed the button on the communicator to end the transmission and looked up at her class. Half of them were confused, the other half looked to be scared stiff. She sympathized with the latter half, especially once the emergency sirens began to wail. "Okay, down to the shelter. I've got some business to attend to." *** "To repeat, a state of emergency has been declared for the Minsaka and Hizen districts until 23:59. All civilians and nonessential personnel are requested to stay indoors on a low floor or basement. All military and emergency personnel are ordered to report to their posts immediately." "Clear!" The tech thumbed off the microphone into which Eileen had been speaking. Immediately the message began to loop, being broadcast on all radio and television stations, as well as most public announce systems. At the same time, the few remaining sound techs began to head for the basement themselves. "Ma'am?" asked the lone remaining intern in the studio. Eileen leaned against a shelf stacked with tapes. "Aren't you going to the shelter?" Eileen pulled out a photograph. From the intern's angle, she couldn't tell who it was of, but the edges of the photo were frayed, as if from long use. The brunette closed her eyes and bowed her head. When she came back up, her brown eyes were open and blazing with determination. "You go ahead, I have some work to do." She reached into nowhere and pulled out a slim stick with a few ornamentations attached. Once more into the breech. "America Star Power, Make-Up!" The familiar sensations of the transformation enveloped her, and when it was complete, Sailor America stood where Eileen Pearcy once was. She started towards the stairs, then stopped, turned, and looked out the window. 'Third floor,' she thought to herself, 'about ten meters. I can handle that.' She nodded, grabbed a swiveling chair from a desk, and hurled it through the plate glass window, shattering it into a few thousand pieces. "MA'AM!" "Don't mind me," said Sailor America, "it was the quickest way out. They can deduct the damages from my senshi paycheck if they like," she continued with a smile. "How much do they pay you?" asked the intern, momentarily awed. She'd known intellectually who she worked with, but this was the first time she'd truly seen it. Sailor America paused with one foot up on the windowsill, her legs nearly touching the leftover shards of glass. Looking back over her shoulder, she replied: "Whatever I want them to." Then, with a quick motion, she leapt out the window and onto the street below. She hit the ground perfectly, then glanced to her left and right to see what was going on. It took her awhile to look up, but once she did, it was quite a surprise. An orange trail was streaking through the sky, and it was beginning to look as if it would hit Nagano-2 dead center. Fascinated, she watched as it drew closer. Yellow dots arced up from some point behind the hills and mountains that surrounded the northern end of the city, but the anti-air defenses had no effect. Just as she was preparing to unleash her attack on the invader, it began to pull up. A small object appeared to drop off from it, but the main streak was definitely pulling up and away. Within seconds, it had disappeared in the blue midday sky as soon as it had appeared, falling behind the skyline to the east. Sailor America could heard emergency sirens racing to the scene; the defense forces were on their way. "Might as well join them," she murmured, and took off running. *** She regarded the slim stick with mixed emotions. It had been six years since she had used it in anger, six years she had spent healing her physical and mental wounds, moving on, putting her life back together after the hell of 3035. She had earnestly hoped she would never have to use it in wartime again. Jen still had no confirmation that her services would be necessary this time, but she undeniably had the suspicion, the hunch, the feeling that this was a turning point, that she was getting back in the saddle. She didn't like it a bit. She reached into nowhere and pulled out a small scrap of paper, regarding it lovingly. "Eileen," she whispered. Then she looked up at the window of the classroom and the scene before it. The defense forces were converging on a slightly smoking crater a kilometer or so away. She looked back down at the paper, folded it, and returned it to the nothingness it came from. "I'll kiss you again, Eileen. I swear it. Orion Star Power, Make-Up!" ==================== Ending theme: Suki to Itte [Nothing fancy here; just Jen and Eileen sitting on a park bench on a sunny day as a couple with a stroller, an old lady, a gaggle of kids, and finally three female officers stroll by. At the end, Jen leans over and gives Eileen a kiss on the cheek which she holds until a fade to black.]