"LUNAR: Tales From Crystal Tokyo"
LUNAR:
Tales From Crystal Tokyo
By
Daryll Pung
Episode
1-06: Rise Of Atlantis
Rated:
R
Academy
of Sorcery/Crystal Tokyo, Planet Luna, Sol system, 20 June 2736
He tapped his fingers, attempting to mask his impatience.
He sat in a crowd of his peers, in the auditorium.
They had all been prompt; of course, they were fresh out of basic, and
nobody felt like doing the 3-30 for tardiness: 30 push-ups, 30 pull-ups, 30
sit-ups.
Not that they yet knew that wouldn't happen here.
Presently, Gloria walked on the stage.
She set some microcomps down on the podium; some were hers, some weren't.
She shuffled them for a few moments; then turned on her wireless
microphone, a small silver piece near her ear and her jaw, to address the newest
recruits for the Academy.
"Good Morning," she began.
"Yesterday, I gave a basic briefing on how things work around here.
You've all had time to do a little touring, as well as find the basic
facilities, such as the dining hall and your apartments.
I hope everyone found the accommodations to their satisfaction." She scanned the crowd. Nothing
but expressions of approval, or in a few cases, boredom.
To be expected.
"Well, today we begin the real task at hand; namely, the training of
a new group of potential Sorcerers. Your
bodies have had their training and punishment; now it is your minds' turn."
She trailed off, glancing to her right.
"Cadets, please welcome the First Sorcerer, Dramlyn!"
As the confident Sorcerer Dramlyn strolled onto the stage, her clapping
set off a spontaneous response throughout the auditorium.
All of the Cadets knew damn well just who Dramlyn was, and passing the
Test he in part had designed had given them all the opportunity to be just like
him. The applause was sincere.
He waved it down. He, too,
wore a wireless mike. "Thank
you, Gloria, Cadets." He paused, giving the crowd a quick scan, masking a
grin as he noticed the one student he had truly hoped to see pass Basic.
He turned to address them, clearing his throat. "Well, another group
of eager young minds to train. Good,
good. Well, here's the deal,
Cadets. I'm gonna break things down
for you here. Now, how the training
works: like any other school."
He grinned at the surprised expressions.
"Except for we focus on one subject; any other subjects may be
studied at your discretion after the basic course load here is completed.
As for the subject: Higher
mathematics and magical theory. We
focus on math courses so advanced; it makes calculus look like basic arithmetic.
After you learn the necessary equations, we teach you how to utilize
those equations to use magic. This
is followed by specially supervised labs where you apply the energies you
harness in a controlled environment. We
even have heavy-duty firing ranges to test combat magics."
He grinned. He preferred the
energy ray types. "It behooves
you to make full use of your spellcomps; apply yourselves single-mindedly to
your studies. You determine the
status quo; you advance at your own pace. When
you meet the necessary spell mastery levels, and at certain stages, pass a test,
you will be eligible for advancement. You
will be divided into eight classes; study hard.
Your schedules are being auto-uploaded to your spellcomps as we
speak." He paused.
"In closing, the following weeks may be hard on you.
But the rewards are worth it, and you'll find the Sailor Senshi,
Sorcerers, and Royal Family to be the only family you'll ever need."
As the applause once again filled the auditorium, Derrelli smiled.
"Sweeeet," he said.
"Amen, brother," added the black Cadet next to him.
Derrelli recognized him.
"Torym, wasn't it?" he asked under cover of the clapping.
When he received a nod, he continued.
"What's it mean?"
"Nothing yet," came the reply.
He received a searching look. "And
Derrelli?"
Derrelli just grinned.
Sol
Base 1, In high Lunar orbit, Sol system, 20 June 2736
The trio strode down the hallway. It
wasn't necessarily unusual to see them in this area, but it was unusual to see
at least one of them dressed the way she was.
For it was rare for Princess Serena to be seen in anything other than
formal garb; although she did look mighty good in the black and white uniform of
a commanding officer of the fleet, the insignia of an admiral on her collar. Her pink hair still fell in her traditional style, and she
carried a microcomputer in one hand. She
moved with a purpose.
As did the smallest one of the trio, a small gray cat with a gold
crescent on her forehead. Like the
Princess, Diana had also grown over the years, and now matched her parents in
size. Her feet rapidly padded the
floor as she moved to keep up with the businesslike pace of the trio.
The third was the rarely seen Guardian of the Rabbit, in reference to the
traditional hairstyle of the Moon family. Sailor
Guardian Eos had no problem keeping up with the Princess, whom she sometimes
regarded as her little sister in the way she sometimes regarded Sailor Pluto as
her mother after hers, the previous Sailor Eos, had been killed. She was adorned in a uniform that faintly resembled that of a
Senshi, with several major differences, the foremost being no bows and her
midriff being exposed. As a
guardian, she had little to-no offensive power; her one outright attack was
fairly weak and drained her immensely. However,
she could channel enemy attacks of pretty much any sort into a retaliatory
attack, with the strength in direct relation to the power of the attack she
channeled. That ability, and her
utter loyalty and love of the Princess, made her a perfect companion as well as
a guardian.
"So, what do you think about this, Reeni?" asked Sailor Eos,
not falling out of pace as she spoke the nickname of Small Lady.
Very few had the clout to do so, and even fewer the familiarity.
Sailor Eos was one of these. She
glanced at Diana, both noticing the look of concentration on Reeni's pretty
face.
"I think I can pull off what Mother wants," she replied. "And frankly, I'm just happy to be able to help.
Besides, with you around, I'm as safe as I always am."
Sailor Eos pushed her auburn hair away from her brown eyes, laughing the
infectious laugh she always used. "I
take that as a compliment."
"You should," snorted Diana.
"That's what it was meant as." She considered her options: wear herself out, or swallow her
pride and be carried. She sighed,
glanced at Sailor Eos, sighed again, and jumped.
Sailor Eos caught her without missing a beat.
"Besides," continued Diana, now hanging from Sailor Eos' arms. "With you around, we gain a distinct tactical advantage
in a fight."
"Which there will undoubtedly be," said the Princess, not
entirely happy about it. They
turned a corner, coming to the airlock. Having
already passed the security checkpoints necessary to get this far, they paused a
moment to glance out of the nearby transparent crystal window at the docked
starship they were about to board.
"It's beautiful, like always," said Serena.
"And deadly." She
glanced up, raising her voice. "Request
airlock access."
"Granted," came the feminine voice of the base AI after the
briefest of voice verifications. The
door hissed open, and the trio moved inside, the huge circular door hissing shut
behind them.
Nebular
Artifact NAX-1701, near the Sabaat system, 21 June 2736
The
Demon
The big ship, now almost completely repaired, shuddered as it always did
when it entered the nebula.
It was truly ironic, thought Heran, lounging in his chair, that the GM
had no idea the true size and depth, and the unexplored mysteries of, this
nebula. Hell, his own people knew
even less; with the exception of the one area he was now approaching.
As the DK battleship drew near the arrival point, a beep was heard, and
on his comm officer's console a light blinked repeatedly.
"Incoming transmission," came the report.
"On viewer," he said. He
sat up as he recognized the emblem of his superiors.
There was no other visual, merely their combined voices speaking.
"We have altered your orders," they began, their voices echoing
on the bridge. "You will take
command, and we have decided this sector is vital to our plans.
Do not fail us; do not underestimate your enemy."
Before Heran could reply, a beep signified a completed download. Another series of beeps indicated approaching vessels.
Heran's jaw dropped. His
mission had just gained top priority, and...
"I must've done something right in a previous life," he gasped.
His eyes drank in the task force under his command:
five more battleships, twelve cruisers, and twenty-seven escorts.
An evil smile slowly creased his face.
"I can't imagine what that could've been."
He turned, and snapped a few orders.
At the Demon's signal, six of the cruisers broke off, heading
towards the last location of the GM scout ships.
Excellent, he thought. A
huge blow to Serenity's forces, to say the least.
He settled back in his chair, steeping his fingers across his face, the
evil smirk growing wider.
I wonder how those fucking Senshi will handle this? he thought.
The
SLS Draco
The two scout ships hung almost a full AU from the nebula, studying via
probes. It had been agreed that
until the repairs to the Draco were complete, they should stay back.
The ship was again nearly fully functional; at least in all the
departments they could fix without the aid of a starbase.
Sailor Vulcan gazed at the viewscreen, scanning the data being sent from
the probes. Her face was neutral,
her demeanor calm. She was as
relaxed as she generally allowed herself to be, although deep inside she
seethed. She could have been
catching up on her archaeology. Instead,
she was stuck in a dangerously close situation, where any second...
Her train of thought broke off as the data became scrambled, and the
signal beam strength readouts from the probes became extremely weak. She stood.
"Explanation?" she asked.
"We're being jammed!" shouted tactical.
"It's not yet strong enough to interfere with communications; I
would say the enemy responsible isn't yet near. We're talking with the Pleiades to coordinate;
they're suggesting Sailor Communicators, which appear to be immune to the
jamming."
Sailor Vulcan nodded. She
activated her communicator, and looked up.
"Very well. Sound Red
Alert. Sailor Sirius to the bridge." She strolled calmly around the bridge to scan the tactical
readouts. Sailor Vulcan allowed
herself an extremely rare show of emotion.
She sighed. "Here we go
again."
Sol
Base 1, In high Lunar orbit, Sol system, 21 June 2736
Princess Serena grinned. "Finally.
All checks complete; all plans finalized.
Let's get this show on the road!"
Sailor Saturn smiled slightly. She
had joined Sailor Eos, Diana, and the Princess the day before, and had since
then helped prep the ship for departure. She
glanced at the screens.
Serena took her chair. "Helm,
hail starbase docking command. Request
departure. Take us to L-Point and
engage RIFT drive, maximum speed. You
already know where."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the umbilical connections separated from the gleaming crystalline
hull, she was perhaps unaware of her audience.
Neo-Queen Serenity I stood at the bay windows facing the launch vector.
She briefly wrestled with her desire to handle this situation herself.
She sighed.
"She'll do fine, love," said King Endymion, walking up and
resting his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently.
"She deserves the chance."
"I know," Neo-Queen Serenity I replied.
"I trust her abilities. I
trust her judgment. I trust Sailor
Eos, Diana, and Sailor Saturn. I
still cannot help but worry." She
leaned against him. She glanced at
the ship as it began to pull away, straight out of its dock, heading into the
inky blackness of space towards L-Point, the point just past Mars where there
were no satellites, shipyards, starbases, sensor relays, and defensive platforms
to interfere with a RIFT jump. She
turned to the big viewscreen nearby. "Hal,
follow their progress until jump on that screen."
"Yes, your highness," came the feminine voice of Haley, the
starbase computer. The screen
blinked on to show the starship rapidly moving away, a red trail of ionic energy
marking its passage. Within
minutes, the Red Planet was visible, and they cleared the last obstacle.
White energy blazed forth from the RIFT engines, enveloping the ship,
briefly surging into a white burst of light that jumped out of view, marked by a
spiraling wave of power.
"Good luck, Small Lady."
Nebular
Artifact NAX-1701, near the Sabaat system, 21 June 2736
The
SLS Pleiades
"Are we ready?" asked Sailor Orion to her communicator.
"Well, that actually depends on you," nodded Sailor Sirius on
the small screen of the Sailor communicator.
All Senshi and Sorcerers had one, although they were heavily customized.
They used a tiny bit of magic to work; hence, it was nearly impossible to
jam.
"I'm ready," allowed Sailor Orion.
She glanced at Sailor America. This
was her idea, after all. She looked
nervous. Sailor Orion glanced at
the screen. "Any sign of them
yet?"
J.J. looked thoughtful. "Probably.
We're losing the probes, one by one. Each is marked by an
explosion."
Sailor Orion glanced back down at her communicator.
She saw Sailor Sirius nod.
"Red Alert!" they said simultaneously.
As lights flashed red and alarms sounded, both gave additional orders.
The two scout ships leapt into action, the Draco slightly in the
lead, red energy glinting lethally along the leading edge.
"Captain! Confirming
targets as six DK cruisers!"
"Wha-?" gasped Sailor America.
"Let's proceed as planned!" snapped Sailor Orion.
The lead of the six cruisers had barely any warning, as the detonations
of the probes temporarily screwed up their sensors.
Suddenly, a silvery ship burst from the explosions.
The
SLS Draco
Sailor Sirius' teeth were clenched, red energy crackling about the
armrest receptors of the TPA as she prepared to shoot.
"Sirius Infrared Laser... DISINTEGRATION!"
A beam of intense red energy blazed from the ship, accompanied by twin,
slicing blaster fire from the ships' arrays.
The red beam scored first, smashing through the lead ship's shielding and
scorching its hull, causing secondary explosions along the wake of the attack. The enemy starship fell off to one side, plasma leaking
heavily from the ship. The blaster
fire scored next, all shots targeted on the engines of the enemy ship.
One of the engine elements exploded, debris flying into space as
streaming green energy joined the plasma trails.
The enemy cruiser shuddered briefly, from internal explosions, spiraling
out of control, before exploding in an immense blast of greenish-yellow gases
and black organic debris, with plasma and ichor swirling out.
The shockwave struck the Draco, shaking it slightly, as the scout
ship blazed past the surprised ships as they regrouped.
The Draco plummeted into the nebula, and the five remaining
cruisers followed, anger overcoming their shock.
Which is why they never saw the Pleiades cruise to a stop just
behind the line of the last probes. Energy
glinted along its front end, and the nebula seemed to expand slightly.
The
SLS Pleiades
Sailor America glanced over at Sailor Orion.
So far, so good. She
wondered just how long Sailor Orion could hold off her attack, as it built up
dangerously. She also wondered how
the Draco was faring against five enemy cruisers, each with Negatorpedo
capability.
True, they did have one of the best pilots in the business.
She shook her head. Everyone
had agreed her plan had merit, and they had finalized it with the AIs' help.
Here we go, she thought, turning her attention back to the
viewscreen.
The
SLS Draco
The ship flung violently sideways, as Sean pulled out all the stops and
pushed the starship to its limits. Ducking,
weaving, flat-out spins and spirals, the Draco dodged the firepower the
five cruisers were flinging towards them. As
before, the main screen showed the tactical view, to prevent the bridge crew
from being nauseated.
Not that this was on anyone's minds.
The bridge crew was a little too busy holding on to even think about
that. The maneuvering was
overpowering the ship's inertial dampers, and the slight screeches of metal and
crystal showed the structural integrity field was being overwhelmed as well.
This was, of course, a major concern for the crew.
"Start exiting the nebula!" called Sailor Sirius, still braced
against the TPA console.
Sean nodded. He was perhaps
the only person on the ship wearing a grin.
It was not often a pilot got to fly a ship like this, and nothing in the
known galaxy could match a Pleiades-class scout in maneuverability. He pressed his panel ever so slightly, and the Draco
snapped to a sideways orientation as it spiraled behind the cruisers.
It careened back towards the edge of the nebula, blasting to maximum
sublight velocity in almost a straight line, its red ionic trail billowing out.
Now came the fun part. The
cruisers were much slower turning around, and the Draco had pretty much
doubled back on itself. They
finally came to the correct heading, only to find their target was out of
weapons range. Five captains issued
the order to speed up so they could blast the fleeing scout ship.
One of them ordered a message sent.
"Captain, something's odd about the nebular boundary,"
commented Em.
"No, that's normal," commented Sailor Sirius, a smile playing
over her face.
"Huh?" asked Em in confusion.
The crew hadn't been privy to the planning sessions for this one. Even as she pondered what it could mean, the Draco
shot out of the fringes of the thickening gases, soaring clear to the stationary
Pleiades, arcing around to come to a stop just in front of the Pleiades,
and just below it.
The
DK Cruisers
"Lord, it appears both targets have stopped and are waiting for
us!" came the report.
"All stop! Keep us in
the nebula!" she said. She was
somewhat surprised they'd try this again. A
beep, and suddenly four screens lit up with the other four captains.
"Did they think we'd fall for the same thing twice?" asked one.
"Odd," commented another.
"I thought the Senshi were supposed to be smarter than that."
"Lord!"
"Not now!" she snapped. She
was interrupted again anyway.
"There's something odd about the nebula gasses!
They're swirling about, thickening, in a distinct pattern!"
"Pattern?" she echoed, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"I thought this nebula was unpredictable..."
"Oh shit!" cursed one of the other captains.
"Sailor Orion!"
She blanched. "Helm!
Get us outta here!"
The
SLS Pleiades
"Orion Nebula... COLLAPSE!"
Even as Sailor Orion relinquished control of her attack to the laws of
physics, the Draco came about, swooping over them, and suddenly the ship
lurched as a tractor beam latched on, and the Draco dropped a layer of
shielding to envelop the Pleiades and drag her to safely, allowing the
TPA to finish its job, even as both ships matched their internal fields. The two
ships, now in perfect synchronization, suddenly became white with RIFT energy as
they jumped.
Behind them, the gasses Sailor Orion had gathered condensed far too
rapidly for the DK ships to react, and although it appeared one would get away,
it was not to be.
The gases suddenly burst to life with astonishing force, igniting and
being consumed as four of the five cruisers were instantly incinerated by the
birth of a new, albeit short-lived, star. The
fifth had been on its way, but its exhaust trail was also drawn in, and the
white-hot fire of stellar ignition raced up the trail, catching the ship just as
it thought it was clear. It
spiraled out of control as its aft end was charred, and it left a clear trail of
burning gas, ichor, and debris as it finally detonated. The huge shockwave from the collapse and stellar ignition
destroyed the few remaining probes, cutting off all links with the area.
Near the planetoid, a white counter-spiral appeared, and suddenly the Draco
and the Pleiades reappeared. The
tractor beam cut out, and the two separated.
The
SLS Draco
"Commence long-range scans," said Sailor Vulcan.
Em nodded, a smile on her face. "Wow.
Okay, we have a newborn star, and a good quantity of the already present
nebula was also consumed when it was born.
All cruisers destroyed. Estimate
of the star's longevity..." she frowned.
"We can't get a good estimate.
Normally, a lifespan of ten years or less would be expected; however,
trails of the nebular gas are still flowing into the star.
Within a year, we'll be able to tell if the star will be permanent. In the meantime, I suggest giving it a name."
"Who gets to name it?" came Sailor Orion's voice through the
communicator.
"Well, you created it," said Sailor Sirius.
"Okay... how about..." she trailed off.
Then she smiled. "Atlantis."
"Atlantis it is," said Em.
"Updating charts... and sending a message to the Sabaat Array to be
relayed on. The shockwave is
approaching, ma'am. It is currently
Force 3, downgrading by the second. It'll
rock us, but little else. It will
also cause some sensor disruption, and communications."
"On screen," said Sailor Sirius.
The main screen blinked on to reveal the white wall of energy, rapidly
approaching. It was eerily
beautiful, and very awe-inspiring, even in it's weakened state.
As it approached, Sailor Vulcan turned to Sailor Sirius.
"Fifteen seconds to impact," came Em's report.
"That reminds me," stated Sailor Vulcan.
"Where did those cruisers come from?"
"Good question," replied Sailor Sirius.
"We'll figure that out momentarily."
The fringes of the shockwave began to wash over the Pleiades, in
front of the Draco. The
bright light reflected prettily off their hulls, even as both ships rocked
slightly.
As the Pleiades settled in front of them, the last remnants of the
shockwave passing by, there was a sudden purplish-black flash, and the Pleiades
lurched violently. Sailor Sirius
and Sailor Vulcan's communicators went dark as a second Negatorpedo nailed the
scout ship, finishing off its shields, scorching its hull.
The glow of the engines faded, and the Pleiades rolled out of
control, plasma venting from its engines as it tumbled for the planetoid.
"What the!" shouted Sailor Sirius, leaning forward. "Tactical, what's-"
Just as suddenly, the Draco gave a violent heave, throwing
everyone not sitting about like rag dolls.
The bridge went dark as a second impact smashed into them, and Sailor
Sirius hit the floor, not moving. Sailor
Vulcan's last thought as her head hit a console, as green blood flowed down her
face, as her vision darkened on the now burning, smoke-filled bridge, was a
simple one.
Of course, a fleet, splitting their forces.
Logical.
She faded from consciousness.
STAY
TUNED!