"LUNAR: Tales From Crystal Tokyo"
LUNAR:
Tales From Crystal Tokyo
By
Daryll Pung
Episode
2-01: And We're Back (Pomp And Circumstance)
Rated:
R
Crystal
Palace in Crystal Tokyo, Planet Luna, Sol system, 1 December 2737
She drew to a halt, in front of the door.
She was willowy, and exotic; her features indicated Sioux Indian descent-
despite the fact that her civilian name was Phoebe Richards- complete
with tan skin and dark hair. She
was attired in the uniform of a Senshi; her skirt and collar were aquamarine,
with her bows silver. Her hair was
drawn back in an intricate braid, and her black eyes indicated her intense and
volatile personality, showing she was not one to cross.
She heard the beep.
"Who is it?" came the voice from within.
"Sailor Geminga, ma'am," she said.
"Enter."
The door hissed open, revealing an ornately decorated office.
The Senshi at the desk looked up, brushing a few strands of sea-green
hair from her eyes. She set down
the microcomp she was holding, and fixed her gaze on Sailor Geminga as she walked
up to the desk.
"I've been expecting you," commented Sailor Neptune, who had
recently taken over the office of Deputy Fleet Commander.
"May I ask what this is about, Sailor Neptune?" Sailor Geminga
said quietly.
"It's in reference to your ship.
Have a seat, Sailor Geminga." Sailor
Neptune paused to allow Sailor Geminga to settle herself, and then continued.
"How do you like the new system mods?"
"I'm still not quite clear on a lot of them; I still don't like the
idea of the Bahumat becoming a Skunk Works plaything," Sailor
Geminga said firmly.
Sailor Neptune allowed herself a tolerant smile.
"That is why we're making a switch of your personnel, regardless of
the result of the day's events."
Sailor Geminga blinked. "Ma'am?"
"You're getting a new Chief Engineer.
He doesn't even know it yet. As
of 3 December, Derrelli will be assigned to the Bahumat.
He had a hand in a few of the upgrades; he also understands how all of
the upgrades work. He will oversee
the new systems and familiarize everyone with them," Sailor Neptune said.
She took a closer look at Sailor Geminga, noting the intense surprise in
her eyes, followed rapidly by anger and a touch of hatred, before she schooled
her face into an expressionless mask.
"Is there a problem, Sailor Geminga?" asked Sailor Neptune
quietly.
"I know nothing about him," replied Sailor Geminga stiffly.
"He brings an unknown and unstable element into an already
unpredictable situation."
Sailor Neptune sat straight up, her pleasant demeanor vanishing. "You'd better do some homework, then," Sailor Neptune
said coldly. "Whether you like
it or not, whether he passes the Test or not, he is going to be aboard the Bahumat.
Sailor Geminga, command of a battleship in the Royal Star Navy isn't
about personal feelings; it's about defending the Golden Millennium.
Despite his... ah, erratic nature, Derrelli is very smart, and very
loyal, and is quite an asset. Read
his file."
"You may be sure of that, ma'am," Sailor Geminga said through
clenched teeth. "Is there
anything else?"
"No," said Sailor Neptune, her expression softening.
"Dismissed."
Sailor Geminga spun on her heel and stalked out of her office; and Sailor
Neptune leaned back with a sigh.
She hated having to deal with the caustic Senshi who were recruited
during the Second Lunar-Nega War. Sailor
Geminga was one of these; she was a capable ship captain, but she had an
attitude that was, at times, very harsh.
She glanced down at the schedule of events, noting that the Test would be
concluded by 1500 hours, and the press conference scheduled at 1600 hours.
If the Test was passed, the celebration and ceremonies would take place
starting at 1630 hours.
"Busy?" she heard, and Sailor Neptune snapped her head up. Sailor Uranus, Uranus Knight, and
Neptune Knight stood in the doorway.
"We saw Sailor Geminga leaving.
She appeared to be rather upset," continued Neptune Knight. "I take it she didn't like the news?"
"Not one bit," smiled Sailor Neptune.
Sailor Geminga's hatred of the male sex was a well-known fact; it was a
view neither Sailor Neptune nor Sailor Uranus shared, despite their
eccentricities. "Any word on
the Test?"
"Not yet, but then, it is too early," commented Uranus Knight.
"The Test of the Crystal always takes awhile.
And there's no guarantee he'll pass."
"He will," murmured Sailor Neptune in her soft, musical voice.
"As was previously said about him, I don't think he knows how to
fail."
"We'll know soon enough," nodded Uranus Knight, kicking back
and propping up his feet on her desk. Sailor
Neptune raised both of her eyebrows at him, noting Sailor Uranus’ grin.
Sailor Geminga scowled as she sat at the terminal.
"Nirvana, access and display the abbreviated personnel file for the
Wizard Derrelli."
"Access code?" asked the AI.
"Geminga gamma two two seven," she snapped.
Nirvana thought for a microsecond about commenting on her rudeness, but
she discarded the idea. She knew
this one didn't give one whit about AI's feelings.
"Accessing," Nirvana said.
Part of her memory idly wondered just how Neo, the AI aboard the Bahumat,
put up with her. Fortunately, all
AIs were gifted with a great deal of patience.
Sailor Geminga narrowed her eyes as the file appeared.
Derrelli, Wizard. Sorcerer
candidate. Born Zachary Adam
Thomas, 19 December 2717, in Milwaukee, North America, Earth.
Birth father, Ryan James Thomas, deceased. {See file on Lieutenant Ryan Thomas; KIA.}
Birth mother, Mary Anne van Houten.
Stepfather, Ronald Paul van Houten.
Siblings: Tabatha Marie van
Houten (stepsister), Tamara Marie van Houten (stepsister), Helen Theresa van
Houten (stepsister), Frederick Paul van Houten (half brother).
The van Houtens, huh? thought Sailor Geminga.
A rich, powerful family. The
females certainly were quite bright, and Mr. van Houten wasn't too bad... for a
male. She went back to the file.
Schooling: passed
Senshi/Sorcerer Aptitude Battery, score 100%. Removed from Darien Chiba High School, overall GPA for
scholastic career 3.6. Excelled in
Maths and Sciences. Sent to
Sorcerer Basic Training, Southern Desert, Mars on 21 March 2736. Graduated as a Cadet on 17 June 2736, with marksmanship
honors.
I've got a damn genius on my hands.
Great, just great. He'll
have an ego for sure. Sailor
Geminga sighed.
Arrived Lunar Academy of
Sorcery on 18 June 2736. Promoted
to Apprentice 23 July 2736; Promoted to Mage 15 September 2736.
Disciplined for excessive property damage and personnel injury a total of
seventeen times. Took the Test for
Wizardry on 27 September 2736; passed with score of 100%.
Promoted to Archmage 29 September 2736.
All the disciplinings, and he still made rank?
What the hell? wondered Sailor Geminga. She narrowed her eyes, noting that those dates were
familiar... oh, yes, she remembered. That
was during the Atlantis system incidents, when the North Star was
destroyed and the Draco, Pleiades, and Destiny were
fighting with the DK. That was just
a few days before the fall of the Atlantis and Sabaat systems, and the
destruction of the Sabaat Array. She
remembered when she had first heard about the defeat of the Destiny... on
the 3rd of October, when the Nebula War had started.
She looked back down at the file.
On 3 October 2736, was
involved with Archmage Ereunak in an incident in which a Dark Kingdom
Infiltrator was killed at the entrance to the Crystal Tokyo Luna Convention
Center. On 4 October 2736, with Archmage Ereunak, captured the Dark Kingdom
Infiltrator responsible for the death of Gloria Wolenstein.
Later in the same day, assisted in destroying another Dark Kingdom
Infiltrator that attacked Neo-Queen Serenity the First.
Received a commendation for this act.
{Cross-reference with file on Ereunak, and the Infiltrators file.}
Sailor Geminga pursed her lips. She
recalled that pair of incidents. It
was shortly before the fleet began to gather in the Sol system.
Hmmm, she thought, before continuing to read.
On 10 October 2736, was
placed in command of the Sorcerer 187th Legion, the "Vipers".
Second in command was the Mage Torym.
{See the file on Torym, and cross-reference with the 187th file.} Assigned to the SLS Minotaur for transit.
Departed 12 October 2736 as part of Operation Lonely Heart, for the
Sabaat system. {Reference Operation
Lonely Heart file.}
Wasn't there another operation at the same time? wondered Sailor
Geminga. Oh, yeah.
Operation Discover Atlantis. That
one ended badly; only Archmage Ereunak had survived.
Lonely Heart had been the liberation of Sabaat.
Hmph.
On 14 October 2736, landed with the 187th on New Sahara, Sabaat,
participating in the initial assault. Assigned
to liberate Shield Generator 27 on New Sahara, and Powell Mine, New Sahara.
Completed reconnoiter of Shield Generator 27 as scheduled, and proceeded
to Powell Mine. Encountered the
heaviest resistance reported anywhere during Operation Lonely Heart.
During the fighting, the mine collapsed.
Was credited with keeping the 187th alive, and able to escape.
Received a commendation for his excellent performance in leading the
187th in battle. On 16 October
2736, the 187th was reassigned aboard the SLS Destiny following the loss
of the Minotaur. {Reference
file Dread for more information.} On
25 October 2736, led the 187th aboard the Dark Kingdom Gate in the Atlantis
system. Led special mission force
to rescue the captured Archmage Ereunak. The
force encountered substantial resistance; forced the premature use of explosives
to clear a retreat. Went alone to
the Gate primary core, and successfully completed the mission at extreme cost to
self. {Reference Dark Kingdom Gate
file.} Was rescued by Neo-Queen
Serenity the First and Princess Serena. Received
three commendations for bravery and preserving the lives of the Royal Family.
Sailor Geminga looked up, expression thoughtful.
She remembered all the reports of that final fight: the desperate situation of the Destiny, the mass of
enemy reinforcements. He must
have a huge ego, she thought. He's
obviously quite brave, but I bet he's an arrogant asshole. She returned to the file.
Out of commission on
medical leave until 5 December 2736. Promoted to Warlock 16 February 2737. Requested transfer to Royal Star Navy Research and
Development Directorate 17 February 2737. Request
granted after evaluation by Sailor Mercury.
Transferred 20 February 2737. Promoted
to Wizard 31 May 2737. Evaluated by
Advisor Luna; approved as a Sorcerer candidate 3 June 2737.
Several design breakthroughs for RSN starships completed 5 October 2737.
Immediately begun modifying SLS Bahumat for testing purposes on 6
October 2737. Posted as supervisor
over the updating. {Reference RSN
R&DD files for more information; classified.}
Scheduled for Test of the Crystal to begin on 27 November 2737.
File will continue to be updated. For
more in depth information about any subjects in this file contact the Royal Star
Navy Personnel Directorate.
The screen darkened as Sailor Geminga leaned back, reflecting on what she
had read. She forced herself to
calm down, and look at the situation objectively.
He was obviously very well regarded, and liked in high places.
He was also obviously quite intelligent; he had cruised through the ranks
quite easily. In short, he was
quite a person... for a male. She sighed; she would give him the benefit of doubt for now.
"Done researching?" she heard a voice.
She whirled.
"Sailor Eos?" she asked. Sailor
Geminga glanced around; it was then she saw Princess Serena reading over a
workstation nearby.
"She wanted to have a complete background for the press conference
later," Sailor Eos nodded. "Ironically,
she's looking at the more detailed file of what you were just looking at.
Why were you looking at Derrelli's file?"
"I try and find out what I can about anybody posted aboard the Bahumat,"
Sailor Geminga said quietly.
Sailor Eos' eyebrows rose. "He's
going aboard the Bahumat? Hmm.
I bet he doesn't even know that yet, considering he's been taking his
Test for the past five days."
"Isn't that draining to Her Highness?" asked Sailor Geminga.
Sailor Eos smiled slightly. "Not
as much as you might think. It is,
however, very draining to the person taking it, since it draws upon their spirit
and power instead of Neo-Queen Serenity's.
Actually, the hard part for Neo-Queen Serenity is the end of the Test,
when the successful candidate is granted Sorcerer-hood."
Sailor Geminga nodded as she absorbed that information then cocked her
head curiously. "You were at
the Battle of the Gate, weren't you?"
Sailor Eos closed her brown eyes for a moment, recalling the intensity,
desperation, and the final triumph of the events of over a year previously.
"Yes, I was."
"You've met him, then. What's
he like? What's he been doing since
then?" Sailor Geminga queried.
"Recuperating," chuckled Sailor Eos.
"Seriously, though, he's thrown himself into his magic; once he made
Warlock, he no longer had to perform guard duty and went to the Skunk Works.
He spent a lot of time at the firing range, honing his skills with his
new toys; he's been researching a ton of spells, and technical developments, of
course. I understand a few of the Bahumat's
new designs were influenced by his... rather unique talents."
"Toys?" asked Sailor Geminga curiously.
"Yeah," grinned Sailor Eos.
"A pair of old-style guns... Pythons, I think he called them. He's also commissioned a staff; I guess that's almost
ready."
"I see," said Sailor Geminga.
"Do you or anyone talk to him a lot?"
Sailor Eos shook her head. "What
I know is secondhand info through Princess Serena; she got it from Sailor
Mercury. Most of us present at that
final fight only had the conflict with the DK in common; we've all gone our
separate ways. Sailor Sirius now
runs the RSN Records Directorate; that gives her plenty of time for her novels.
I guess her latest is getting rave reviews; I really ought check it out.
Sailor Vulcan spends part of her time at the Skunk Works with Sailor
Mercury; the rest is spent on various archaeological and paleontological digs
with Sailor Cygni. Sailors Orion
and America have settled on Congetia, in the Sabaat system.
They took over the posts of Designated Senshi in Charge of the Sabaat
system defense and rebuilding efforts. As
for the Planetaries; well, everyone knows where they are and what they're
doing."
"What about other Sorcerers?" Sailor Geminga asked.
Sailor Eos adopted a thoughtful frown.
"I'm not sure what they're up to; I know Torym made Archmage, but
that's it. I have no idea what
Archmage Ereunak's up to. Torym
should be at the ceremonies later, assuming Derrelli passes the Test.
You could always seek him out then."
"I think I will. Thank
you, Sailor Eos. How goes the
Test?" asked Sailor Geminga. "You
know something, right?"
Sailor Eos smiled broadly. "Now,
that would be telling."
Sailor Geminga smiled slightly. "I
guess you're right. Thanks
again." Sailor Geminga turned,
and headed for the exit.
"No prob," murmured Sailor Eos.
She continued under her breath. "Somebody
should warn Derrelli about her."
"Derrelli's a big boy, Eos," laughed Reeni, overhearing. "He can handle it."
"Hope so; he's going to be stuck with her as his captain,"
Sailor Eos said, glancing at Reeni's hunched form, noting her red eyes devouring
the information on the screen. "How
is he doing on the Test, anyway?"
Reeni paused, and looked up.
"Now, that would be telling," said Reeni, grinning as Sailor
Eos stuck her tongue out at her, before both broke into laughter.
Edge
of the Gamma Hydra system, 1 December 2737
The
SLS Robin
"Status?" yawned the captain of the cargo freighter SLS Robin.
"On course, on time," reported the ops officer.
"We'll earn that bonus for arriving early for sure."
The captain stood. "Excellent,"
she grinned. "We could all use
that bonus."
"Ma'am?" asked her science officer hesitantly.
She turned. "What is
it?"
"I'm picking up several anomalous readings aft," reported the
science officer.
"Well, we did just exit the Oort cloud," she said, moving to
the science station.
"I'm not sure that would explain these readings," the science
officer shook his head. "It's
almost as if we're being closely shadowed by another ship."
"Another ship?" The
captain pursed her lips. "Has
there been any warning of DK or pirate activity in the region?" she asked
her tactical officer.
"Negative, Captain," replied tactical.
She turned back to the science console.
"Verify those readings; run a diagnostic-"
A sudden, vicious blast threw the captain off her feet.
As she hit the deck, Robin activated Red Alert automatically.
"Red Alert, Red Alert! All
hands to battlestations!"
"What hit us?" gasped the captain as she struggled to sit up.
Another blast rocked them, but not as hard as before; their shields were
now up.
"It appears to be a heavily modified RSN Cruiser, ma'am!"
reported tactical. "They were
hiding in the exhaust wake from our passage from the Oort cloud!"
The deck heaved again, and an explosion ripped across the bridge as the
tactical officer fell away from her now-destroyed console, arm on fire. The main lights flickered off, quickly replaced by red
emergency lighting.
"Report!" the captain gasped.
"Shields down!" coughed ops.
"Multiple hull breaches in the cargo bays!
They are tractoring our cargo out!"
"What!?" blinked the captain.
"Weapons?"
"Gone; main power offline, sublight offline!
Emergency power only!"
The captain sat up. "Send
a mayday. You mean to tell me
there's nothing we can do to stop this?"
"Not necessarily," said the science officer, holding one hand
to the vicious gash on his forehead. "Our
self-destruct sequence would be powerful enough to take them out."
"They've finished stealing our cargo!" reported ops before the
captain could make a decision.
"So, they're going to simply leave us to drift, helpless?"
growled the captain.
"Umm, I don't think so," sighed science, amid the sparks, flame
and smoke.
"Why?" asked the captain.
"Incoming torpedo salvo. Brace
for impact," science said in a monotone.
The Robin was slowly tumbling as the cruiser that had just
attacked her lazily arced back around. Plasma
streamed from her engines and several ruptured sections of the ship; gaping
holes marred her scorched hull.
The cruiser drew level, dark, crackling energy around her torpedo
launchers. As she neared, two
blackish torpedoes blazed forth; the first struck the Robin dead center. Multiple detonations burst from beneath the hull as the
second torpedo slammed into the engine area of the crippled freighter.
The resultant blast removed the Robin from existence.
The cruiser ducked underneath the explosion, green energy billowing from
its RIFT engine elements; dark blue spotlights highlighted its name.
Dread.
Suddenly, the green energy burst from the RIFT engines to surround the
entire ship, and it stretched forth into eternity, before disappearing in a
bright green counterspiral and flash, leaving behind an expanding cloud of gas,
plasma, and debris.
The
Dread
"So, what'd we get?" asked Heran lazily, leaning back in the
recently re-upholstered captain's chair. It
was plusher, and a lot more comfortable.
"Approximately ten thousand metric tons of tricticite," grinned
Aaryx. "That will more than
pay for conversion of the outside six torpedo tubes back to fire standard GM
torpedoes; as well as acquiring a decent quantity of Phoenix torpedoes. Unfortunately, our contact has yet to be able to acquire
Ghost torpedoes."
"Tricticite? Isn't that
one of the components to make duranium?" asked Neris, lounging in her
chair.
"Yes," answered Aaryx. "It's
also very rare outside of the GM; this makes it extremely valuable."
"Good," smirked Heran. "Set
a course for Dreyious Prime, then. Might
as well do some dealing and upgrading."
"You got it, boss," replied Aaryx.
His fingers danced over the controls, and the Dread moved almost
imperceptibly onto her new heading.
Gamma
Staryard, in orbit of Gamma Hydra-1, Gamma Hydra system, 1 December 2737
"That is confirmed, sir," said the ops officer.
"Play it back again," ordered the station commander.
There was a beep, and then the message burst over the speakers.
"Mayday! Mayday!
This is the transport SLS Robin!
We are under heavy attack from a modified RSN cruiser!
They are stealing our cargo, and-"
Beep.
"That's it, sir," she said.
The station commander sighed heavily.
"And sensors didn't record anything?"
"The battle happened at the edge of the system, sir.
We caught some weapons fire, and the final explosion of the Robin,
but the enemy ship was jamming, and we couldn't break through," reported
the ops officer.
"Very well," said the station commander.
"Let's get SAR ships over there, and see if there's any survivors,
and recover what we can. Send a
message to Fleet HQ; advise them of the situation."
"You got it, sir," nodded the ops officer.
She immediately set to work.
The station commander turned, and slowly walked back into his office.
Crystal
Palace in Crystal Tokyo, Planet Luna, Sol system, 1 December 2737
The light slowly faded, leaving in its place soothing blackness. He blinked, and realized that his surroundings weren't black;
just a lot darker than the light had been.
He let out a slow, trembling sigh.
He was exhausted.
He blinked, slowly adjusting his eyes, his mind reeling with the efforts,
images, sounds, questions, and answers of the past...
Was it only five days?
It felt like an eternity.
He was sitting. His nerves
were now reporting back, reporting that he was fine.
His vision could almost make out details, now.
Yet, everything felt different. He
felt more alive... more vivid, if that were possible.
He felt as if he was seeing everything anew.
His hearing seemed to catch echoes he had never made out before.
He tasted the air, inhaling deeply; somehow able to identify tastes on
the breeze. The area carried a
pleasant scent he had never before sampled; and every nerve tingled with a
sensitivity he had never known. It was as if his perceptions had been enhanced and clarified.
Things were becoming clear, now. The
chair he was sitting in was on a raised pedestal in a small chamber; his hands
and feet were fastened in ornate clasps. Thin
lines ran from below the chair's armrests into the wall in front of him, just
below the large mirror.
The room was, indeed, softly lit. It
was a comforting sort of lighting, homely, welcome.
He was attired in his usual; the uniform he wore so proudly.
In the mirror, he could see the gold and platinum gleam of his rank
insignia. Another gleam caught his
eye. He lowered his vision, eyes
finally coming to rest on his right hand, which he opened to reveal his palm.
A gleaming, golden crescent held his gaze; he touched it with his right
thumb.
It felt as if it belonged there, as if it had always been there.
There was a hiss; a brighter rectangle of light shone into the room, with
a shadow blocking part of the light. The
shadow became the shape of a woman as it approached; a beautiful, angelic woman
with long ponytails, and twin balls of hair upon her head.
She spoke.
"Congratulations, Sorcerer Derrelli."
It was a half hour later when Derrelli stepped out of the recovery
chamber. His uniform was different,
now. No rank insignia adorned it;
instead, it resembled an RSN uniform, with gray as the color. He also now wore a dark gray cape, with a red interior.
The clasp was a golden chain, linked at a golden crescent.
He had changed in other ways. He
was just coming from the post-Test briefing, where had had been told about the
changes: faster healing, enhanced strength, and speed, vastly increased
longevity, sharper senses. Sorcerer
Dramlyn,
who had given him the briefing, had also mentioned his magic abilities were
probably enhanced, and that he might discover other powers along the way.
Derrelli smiled slightly as he took in his surroundings, aware of the
difference in how things felt, sounded, looked, and smelled.
He was still very tired; he wasn't looking forward to the press
conference, or the ceremony and state dinner later in the evening.
Still, as Her Highness had mentioned, it was merely a few hours, and then
he could rest for a day.
He liked that particular idea.
"Pyro," he heard. He
stopped, and turned to face Torym. The
tall black man grinned and extended his hand.
Derrelli took it, still wearing a faint smile.
"Way to go, man," said Torym.
"I'm glad for ya."
"You'll get here someday, Tor," commented Derrelli.
Torym shook his head. "Maybe.
Maybe not. Doesn't matter
right now; it's your day, today. How
ya feelin'?"
Derrelli's expression turned into a mischievous grin.
"Nuke'em if you got'em!" he chuckled.
"That's the Derrelli I know," Torym smiled broadly.
"New and improved, with additional blasting capacity!"
"Sorcerer Derrelli?" they both heard the quiet, feminine voice.
Both turned to see a Senshi in blue and orange, with blonde curls and
blue eyes, approach.
"Yeah, Sailor Betelgeuse?" Derrelli said.
"Congratulations on passing your Test," she began.
"The press conference starts in about a half hour; please come with
me so we can get you ready."
Torym enjoyed a short laugh at Derrelli's discomfiture.
"No worries, Pyro; you'll do fine."
As Derrelli began to follow Sailor Betelgeuse, he paused, and looked back
at Torym. "Yeah, right; easy
for you to say. I hate being the
center of attention!"
"Get used to it," Torym snickered.
"Every time you blow something up, now, it's national news!"
Derrelli shook his head as he resumed walking after Sailor Betelgeuse.
There was a beep, and Sailor Neptune turned away from the window, and
reached for the inbuilt comm panel on her desk.
"Sailor Neptune here," she said.
"Hey, it's Princess Serena," came Reeni's voice from the
speakers. "Hope you're all
ready for a celebration."
Sailor Neptune smiled slightly. "He
passed."
"He did, indeed. Be at
the main ballroom in your formal attire at 1630 hours; we have a new
Sorcerer in the ranks."
"Is he ready for the new universe he's entering?" asked Sailor
Neptune.
"I think the more appropriate question is 'Is the universe ready for
him?'" Reeni replied with a laugh. "See
you there!"
Sailor Neptune didn't quite have a reply for that.
"See you then," she said.
As the comm beeped off, she smiled.
Sailor Geminga was going to have her hands full with this one!
STAY
TUNED!