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Episode 411: Modern Agriculture 
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	Jen finished stuffing the last bag into the trunk of their rental
car.  "That's the last of it!" she called to Eileen.
 
	Eileen finished trying to brush out the coffee stain on her jeans. 
"Okay, I'll just lock up then." 'Stupid me,' she thought, 'shouldn't have
been in such a hurry.' She walked back and keyed in the locking sequence on
the door.

	Jen hopped into the driver's seat on the right side of the car and
buckled her seat belt, as Eileen did the same a moment later.  "Sure we
didn't forget anything?" asked Jen, taking off her gloves and leaving them
on the dashboard.  Outside it was a cold damp day, and she was happy to have
thick woolen red gloves to wear and warm hiking boots on her feet.  She was
happier to have a car whose brake and gas pedals could be almost instantly
adjusted for the heavier weight.  

	"Did you remember the flashlights?" 
 
	"Yep, and the lamp, and the flare gun."  Eileen glanced over at Jen. 
"In case of emergencies," explained the redhead.
 
	"Jen, we're senshi.  If we can't handle something, how is anyone
else going to?"
 
	"What about medical emergencies?  One of us could break a leg or 
something!" 
 
	"Hm . . . I suppose."  Eileen still didn't like having something 
dangerous like that around.  But at least it was a vacation.  "Let's 
go." 
 
*** [title sequence] *** 
 
	Getting this vacation had been one trial after another.  The 
biggest was Jen herself. 
 
	"Jen, we need some time off." 
 
	Jen looked up from the stack of tests she was grading.  "What was 
that?" she asked, pushing her glasses up on her nose. 
 
	"Time off.  A break.  Vacation.  You know, what civilized people do
when they've been working too hard.  Last time I checked, we fit both
categories." Eileen pulled up the other chair in the study and sat down. 
Actually, there were three other chairs, but they all either had papers or
books in them.
 
	Jen put down her red pen and leaned back in the swiveling chair. 
"You know we can't do that."
 
	"We can't?  Who's going to stop us?" 
 
	"I am," replied Jen firmly.  "We're senshi, and Nagano-2 is in
danger.  We can't leave the city until the emergency is over."
 
	"Jennifer, you know as well as I do that there are regulations for
that.  We're both RSN officers, and we're due for some rest and relaxation. 
It's *required* to keep commanders from going insane." Eileen noticed that
Jen didn't flinch at the word.  Good.  "Ordinarily a psych officer would
have to validate it, but as we're effectively in command of the planet, I
think we can get by without that."
 
	She could see Jen starting to crumble.  "But what if something
happens?"
 
	"Then Valhalla calls us, we get in the car, and we're back within an
hour.  The mountains aren't far away at all."
 
	"Where do we stay?" 
 
	"I know a producer at NBO, he'll let us use his cabin.  Beautiful 
place, up in the woods . . . ." 
 
	Jen closed her eyes, and Eileen smiled.  It was now a foregone 
conclusion, even if Jen didn't know it yet.  "It'd be a chance to get 
away from the university, the high school, Valhalla . . . ." 
 
	"Well . . . ." 
 
	"Besides," said Eileen, getting up and crouching down next to Jen,
"there are all sorts of other things we could do up there, like practice my
massages." She moved her right hand to Jen's chest and let it slide down to
her lap.  "Lots of . . . mmm, fun things."
 
	Jen blushed and squirmed slightly.  "I suppose I could get a sub for
the day and cancel my university class."
 
	"That's the spirit!  I'll put in for leave and get a rental car." 
 
*** 
 
	They were on the 44, the main route leading from Nagano-2 up to the
mountains.  It originally had been built to provide easy access to Antares's
resting place beneath the hundreds of meters of rock.  A side effect was
that it was also a key road to many of the area's tourist spots.  A number
of resorts had found niches in the mountains, and there were several ski
slopes on the other side of the range.  However, it was too early in the
season for skiing; the first snowfall of the year had not yet come.  Jen and
Eileen had little company on the drive north.  Once or twice they passed a
supply truck, but that was all.
 
	Eileen looked idly out the window at the passing scenery.  As they
climbed from the abbreviated coastal plain of Nagano-2, through the
foothills, and into the real mountains, the early morning mist grew thinner
and thinner.  Eventually, they were above it.  Eileen glanced in the
rear-view mirror and saw Nagano-2's three main skyscrapers poking up out of
the fog.  Somehow it gave her great satisfaction to see that the four
previous attacks had left them untouched.
 
	She glanced over at Jen, whose concentration was on the road and the
music; the history professor had set the stereo to play her beloved
Soundgarden, and 'Spoonman' was blaring out the speakers.  Eileen didn't
mind that at all; she'd learned early on to tolerate Jen's little
idiosyncrasies.  If Jen wanted to listen to that ancient twentieth century
band, so be it.  It was another thing to love about her.
 
	"Jen?" she asked loudly. 
 
	"Yeah?" replied Jen just as loudly.  She reached over and dialed
down the volume.  "What is it?"
 
	"I know you just got one of the resident subs for your high school
classes, but who did you get to teach your 14:00 class?"
 
	Jen smiled at a private joke.  "Someone very competent, full of 
energy, bright, and enthusiastic." 
 
	"You didn't get Kyosuke, did you?"  Jen said nothing, but simply
grinned some more.  Eileen smiled a bit as well.  "You know he's way too
lazy to be any good teaching."
 
	"He wants a doctorate, it's time he learned what he'll be doing for
a living." She giggled.  "Besides, I want him to be answering questions for
once instead of asking them.  He'll get plenty of them, I'm sure."
 
	The brunette adjusted the seat to tilt back slightly and laughed. 
"You're a terror, Jennifer."
 
	"Yes, and you love it." 
 
	Eileen reached over and grabbed Jen's left arm.  "I love that, and
other things." She leaned to kiss Jen on the cheek, and tried to move to her
lips.  A moment later, after Jen had managed to regain control of the car
and Eileen sheepishly sat in the passenger seat with her hands in her lap,
they made the turn onto a smaller access road.  "Memo to self," said Eileen
quietly.  "Cars aren't a good place for romance."
 
*** 
 
	"So, this is it?" 
 
	"Looks like it." 
 
	Jen made a left off the rather bumpy dirt road and onto an even
smaller road, one that was nothing more than two worn tire tracks with a
strip of greenish-brown grass running down the middle.  To both sides of the
road was a thick forest of trees, cold and grim, with only a few dead brown
leaves dangling on the deciduous trees.  Evergreens were a novelty on
Hinansho, having been transplanted from Earth, and so the only green needles
to be found were on saplings here and there.  Aside from the road and the
cottage they knew was at its end, the saplings were the only sign that
mankind had ever breached this part of a new world.
 
	Eileen liked it already.  She could entertain herself for days
hiking up here, and she could be relatively certain no-one would interrupt
her.  The cottage had no computer and thus no AI pickup; Antares wouldn't be
there to spy on them.  It was very likely that there was no-one else for
kilometers.  'Just me and Jen,' she thought, tingling at the opportunity.
 
	Jen thought otherwise.  "Are you sure that roof isn't leaking?"
 
	"It's a traditional design, Jen, it's supposed to sag like that."
Eileen wasn't too sure of that at all, but as long as it didn't collapse
while they were there things should be okay.
 
	"If you say so."  They pulled in front of the cottage and hopped out.  
Around them it was fairly quiet, with only the slight rustle of the wind 
and a far-off bird call.  Jen walked around a bit, shoving her hands in 
the pockets of her formfitting jeans.  She shrugged a bit in her jacket 
as her breath condensed in the cold mountain air.  "Other than that, not 
a bad place at all." 
 
	"Brand new," agreed Eileen.  "The producer wanted it to look this
old, actually." That made sense: on a colony world where almost everything
was new, it was the old that stuck out in people's minds.  Eileen glanced
down at Jen's jeans and smiled at the view.
 
	"Eileen," said Jen without turning around, "are you looking at my 
butt again?" 
 
	"Um . . . yes.  How could you tell?" 
 
	"Lucky guess."  A pause.  "C'mon, we should get this stuff in the
house."
 
*** 
 
	A few hours later they were inside, along with everything they had
brought with them.  A fire was roaring in the fireplace, and the two simply
lay on the tiny couch, relaxing after all the lifting.
 
	"Not too bad for a morning's work," remarked Jen, toying with
Eileen's brown ponytail as the brunette lay with her head on Jen's bosom.
 
	"Not bad at all," agreed Eileen.  She wriggled her shoulders and
slid deeper into her comfortable spot.  She glanced up to see the fire
reflected in Jen's glasses.  "Aren't you glad we came up here?"
 
	"Of course," replied Jen.  "Although I'm still waiting for all this
fun you promised me . . . or do I have to find it myself?" Her other hand
snaked around to Eileen's backside and caressed it through the fabric of her
jeans.
 
	"Either way works.  And really, Jen, you don't need to sneak a feel. 
All you have to do is ask."
 
	Jen bent and kissed Eileen's head softly, breathing in the scent of
her hair.  "Sometimes having to ask isn't as fun," she whispered, just
within Eileen's range of hearing.  She gave a final squeeze and then sat up
a bit straighter, forcing Eileen to get up as well.  "Let's do something
different."
 
	Eileen pouted.  "Do we have to?" 
 
	"I'll give you a treat later." 
 
	Her eyes lit up.  "Well, if you put it *that* way . . . ." 
 
*** 
 
	"This better be a damn good treat," groused Eileen.  For the
thousandth time she shoved aside a stray branch as they walked through the
woods.
 
	"Trust me, it is," said Jen, stooping to avoid another branch that
Eileen would rather push away.  They both had their hiking boots on, and Jen
wore a field pack with a few supplies.  "Isn't this great?  Just you, me,
nature-"
 
	"Snow," said Eileen, watching a single flake fall from the sky.  "I
thought they said it wouldn't snow until Tuesday."
 
	"They were wrong, I guess."  They kept walking on for a bit, each to
their own thoughts.  Jen was conscious of the crunch of dead leaves beneath
their boots, and the way their path was uneven.  There were all sorts of
little bumps and tiny rises, and every now and then a larger bump and crack
told her she'd just stepped on a twig, or a branch, or once a fallen tree
trunk that they had to climb over.
 
	She also thought of her enemies.  Somewhere in the sky above them,
someone or something had sent four creatures to Nagano-2.  The first had
seemed to have the goal of destroying the city, the second and third had
never been given the opportunity to get that close, and the fourth, a
mystery, had seemed to be bent on reaching Antares.
 
	Something didn't add up to her.  Why Hinansho?  There was nothing
vitally important here, no ginzuishou, no magical artifacts.  In fact, the
only magical things here were Jen and Eileen themselves in their roles as
sailor senshi.  Perhaps that was it, then, maybe they were after the senshi
after all . . . but still, why?  Who in the universe would both know who the
senshi were and want to eliminate them?  Had some of Selenite's forces
somehow survived?  That would explain it; they'd almost certainly go after
the woman who had spearheaded the demise of their queen.  Still, she'd like
to see them face to face.  She hated not even knowing what her adversaries
looked like.
 
	Glancing behind her, she saw Eileen.  Despite the Pennsylvanian's
complaints, she could see that Eileen loved hiking.  She'd heard plenty of
stories of how Eileen would wander around the Lebanon Valley area, sometimes
all the way up to Indiantown Gap.  It had sounded beautiful to Jen.  All
that farmland on the valley floor, the hills to either side, fishing
unsuccessfully in the Quittapahilla, the small stream that bordered Eileen's
hometown of Annville.  Eileen was an outdoors girl, no doubt about it, and
Jen was glad to see her happy.  Her thoughts wandered off, and by
coincidence her thoughts were along the same line as Eileen's.  Then again,
lovers often think the same thing at once too often to be coincidental. 
Perhaps it was something else.
 
	The brunette walked on, taking in her surroundings.  She knew they
had no clear goal in mind, and yet at the same time she wasn't worried about
getting lost.  Even without an inertial tracker to give their position and
the cabin's to within five centimeters, she was confident she could guide
them back if necessary.  So, she looked around.  A typical forest, with a
few vines here and there, fallen branches and trees, few animals.  This
didn't surprise her; Hinansho was low on fauna, and most had been imported
to the southern hemisphere for ranching.  Too late in the season for
squirrels, she supposed.
 
	Eileen took in another bit of scenery: the person she regarded as
the most beautiful and all-around best person in the world.  Sometimes
looking at her made her want to just jump Jen wherever they were, and
sometimes she could just sit and stare at her for hours without laying a
finger on her.  It wasn't just physical, she knew; if it were her looks
alone Eileen probably would have moved on years ago.  No, it was her heart. 
Jen had a way of putting a hundred percent into everything she did.  She
knew that a lot of people were intimidated by that.  Eileen didn't mind; a
strong personality was just another thing to love about her, her willingness
to put everything into their relationship.
 
	Jen wasn't perfect, she knew.  She worked herself too hard at times,
she had a tendency to expect too much from others--and herself, too.  She
was still healing from the catastrophe of 3035; there were more than a few
times when Eileen had to give Jen a shoulder to cry on, when the memories
became too much and the redhead would sob herself to sleep, hating herself
and calling herself unlovable.  Those were the times that Eileen loved being
there for her lover, soothing her and telling her that no matter what
happened in the past, she would always be there for her.
 
	There was also the sex, the consummation of all their feelings and
affections for each other.  Making love with Jen was always wonderful for
both of them.  Eileen had been surprised more than once at the creativity
and enthusiasm Jen brought to bed, especially considering that Jen's
position as a teacher of history almost dictated that she be cool, calm, and
collected at all times.  That all went away in the bedroom, though, and she
knew she could count on Jen bringing her to the peak time and time again.
 
	All these thoughts ran through Eileen's mind, even as she
methodically noted the trees, the branches, the little landmarks that would
guide them back when necessary.  Even so, she found that their walk was
becoming more and more difficult.  She could feel her bottom and hips
starting to chafe ever so slightly.  When she realized just what had caused
it, she blushed.  "Um, Jen?"
 
	"Yes?"  She stopped and turned to look at Eileen. 
 
	"I think we should turn around now." 
 
	Jen frowned and leaned against a moss-covered tree trunk.  "Why? 
We're making good time, still plenty of daylight." Another snowflake fell.
 
	"Well . . . I've kinda got an itch, y'know . . . ." 
 
	"Oh," said Jen very slowly.  "I see, then.  Yeah, we should get back
and let you relax for a bit, then." A familiar glint came into Jen's eyes. 
"Yes, relaxation."
 
	Eileen looked into Jen's eyes and shivered slightly in anticipation. 
"Let's go, then."
 
*** 
 
	The next day was spent mostly at a nearby river.  It was barely a
river, really; it could just as easily be called a large brook or stream. 
In any case, Eileen had her heart set on catching some fish during this
little trip, and this was her chance.  Jen sat on the bank of the creek and
watched dubiously as Eileen assembled her fishing rod.  "Jen, did I ever
tell you about the time I caught a ten pound bass?"
 
	"No." 
 
	"Good, because I never did."  She finished attaching the reel and
tested winding it up.  "Best I ever managed was a goldfish that someone had
dumped out into the Quitty." Eileen looked up to the sky, but the clouds had
been replaced with sun.  No snow today, apparently.
 
	"Did you keep it?" 
 
	Eileen, satisfied with the reel, finished threading the pole and
attached some bait to the barbless hook.  "Of course not.  I threw the poor
thing back." She glanced over to make sure Jen was clear, then drew back and
cast.  "What was I going to do with a goldfish?"
 
	"You have a point," replied Jen.  She shifted a bit; perhaps sitting
on the cold, slightly damp ground was a bad idea.  "You never tried to fish
back in Crystal Tokyo."
 
	"All the streams designated for fishing were packed.  You needed to
place reservations a week or so in advance, and fishing should be something
spontaneous, you know?" Jen nodded.  "Besides, I didn't want people to think
that all us Americans know how to do is hunt, fish, and kill people."
 
	"We don't think that." 
 
	"You'd be surprised."  Eileen waited patiently for a good half 
hour, neither of them talking.  Jen watched a bird swoop down, come to 
rest on the other side of the stream, cock its head, and then fly off 
again. 
 
	"Slow day," said Jen at last. 
 
	"Yes." 
 
	More silence.  "You're not too good at this, are you?" 
 
	Eileen frowned.  "I'd like to see you do better." 
 
	"Okay, let me have a shot."  Eileen handed the pole over to Jen, who
cast it out again.  Not ten seconds later she felt a tug at the line.
 
	"Son of a . . . okay Jen, what you have to do is reel him in.  Just
keep a good grip on the pole with one hand, and . . . here, lemme help." She
reached over and pressed in close to Jen, trying to guide the red haired
woman's hands to the proper places.  "Good heavens he's strong!" she
exclaimed.  The tug was almost too much, and Eileen felt it slipping.
 
	"I'm losing it, Eileen!" 
 
	"Okay, on three you hold on as tight as you can and fall back.  One,
two-"
 
	She never got to three.  The fish, apparently the strongest fish on
the planet, gave a last mighty pull, pulling the two into the water with a
splash.
 
	"KYAAA!" 
 
	"ARGH!" 
 
	Dripping wet and freezing, Jen and Eileen leapt out from the stream,
making an instant decision and abandoning both the fish and the pole.  A
second later they decided to abandon Eileen's bag, too, as they ran back to
the cabin.
 
*** 
 
	"This," said Jen, "is much better." 
 
	Eileen made no reply, but simply sank lower in the tub.  The cabin,
for all its rustic nature, was fully modern when it came to the bathroom.  A
large hot tub big enough for two was there, along with a shower, toilet, and
sink, and it was the hot tub that they were using.
 
	Jen blinked.  She had left her glasses outside the tub, and so the
rest of the room was mainly a blur.  She could see Eileen, but little else. 
Squinting, she couldn't even make out the pattern of Eileen's swimsuit. 
"Don't you think so?"
 
	Eileen popped back up.  "Yeah, it's great."  She closed her eyes and
let the warmth seep into her bones, thoroughly chilled by her splash in the
water.  "We should get one of these at home."
 
	"Where'd we put it?" 
 
	"Hm."  Eileen thought.  The basement of their home was out; too far
away from the second floor bedrooms, and too close to all the junk they'd
accumulated over the last ten years together.  So was the first floor, with
its living and dining rooms, kitchen, foyer, and study.  The second floor
would have to be it; just knock down the wall to the second guest room,
which was nothing but a glorified closet anyway.  "Second floor.  We get rid
of the second guest room."
 
	"What if we-" 
 
	"We've only used the first one three times, I doubt we'll have need
for the other anytime soon.  I'll call a contractor when we get back."
 
	"Okay," said Jen, nodding.  She adjusted a strap on her swimsuit and
sighed.  "I wish we could stay here forever."
 
	"Forever, eh?  I had to convince you to come up here!" 
 
	"Well, if staying here means an endless string of last nights, then
I can live with it." 
 
	"We can do that at home, too," smiled Eileen, reaching under the
water and tugging slightly at Jen's swimsuit.
 
	Jen blushed slightly, but made no move to dissuade Eileen's move. 
"Well, I can think of other things to do at home, too . . . ."
 
	"But?" 
 
	". . . I wouldn't want to disturb the neighbors." 
 
	Eileen paused for a moment, then laughed, pushing off and causing a
wave of water to surge as she plowed through the soap bubbles to hug Jen
tightly as they kissed.  "Oh, you perv."
 
	"Can't deny that," said Jen with a smile.  She gave Eileen a gentle
squeeze and hugged her again.  Too bad it was back to work tomorrow.
 
*** 
 
	The drive back on Sunday afternoon was uneventful.  Eileen drove
this time, through the woods and secondary roads that would lead to route
44.  "So, what do you think?" 
 
	"About what?"  Jen had been staring out the window when Eileen
snapped her back to attention.
 
	"About *them*," replied Eileen, pointing to the sky and the aliens
above.  "They cut us off from Earth, they've got us at their mercy, but we
beat them back four times.  What's next?"
 
	Jen sighed.  Back to work indeed.  "Whatever's next, we should be 
ready for it.  The public knows what's going on and is cooperating with 
us, the military is as ready as it's ever been, gertie stations have 
been set up throughout the Nagano-2 area.  That leaves you and me." 
 
	"Are we ready?" 
 
	Jen would have loved to smile and say, 'you better believe it,' but
she couldn't.  "I hope so."
 
	They made the turn onto 44, and then before them lay a gorgeous
sight.  Nagano-2 stood in all its splendor.  Three hundred thousand souls
lived, worked, studied, and played in the biggest city for light years.  The
three main skyscrapers proudly reflected the red light of the setting sun,
while the dozen or so lesser buildings stood resolutely around them.  Below
them all, the small shops, apartment buildings, school, and thousands of
other buildings that made up Nagano-2 lay on the coastal plain.
 
	Both senshi took in a breath of awe.  "It's beautiful," said Jen
softly.
 
	"Yeah," echoed Eileen.  "This is our home for a long time to come."
 
	"And we can't afford to let it fall," continued Jen.  "No matter
what.  Although . . . ."
 
	"Although?" 
 
	"If it came down to saving Nagano-2 or saving you . . . I truly
believe I'd save you."
 
	"Jennifer," said Eileen softly.  Nothing more needed to be said. 
 
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