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November 15, 2009
StarHealer smiled at her wife and son then glanced at the navigator. "How much longer until we enter Earth's atmosphere?"
"400 microns," the navigator replied. "No sign that the humans have detected us. We should have no problems getting to Earth."
The Commander nodded as another officer stepped onto the bridge and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Commander, but we have a slight problem," he replied. He smiled slightly and led a young girl with long gray hair onto the bridge. "I can only find one of your daughters."
StarHealer sighed and walked over to the girl. "Okay, Mi-chan, where is your sister? Let me guess, she started exploring Seiya's ship and didn't get off before we left?" she asked. When the girl nodded, she smiled. "Helm, take us back to Seiya's ship. Tell them we forgot something."
The helmsman nodded and entered in the new course. As soon as she did this, however, her console started smoking. The ship lurched to one side as their port engine exploded. "Yaten, what's happening?" Fuminori held her son close to her as the ship rocked.
StarHealer grabbed her daughter, Mi-ko, and held on to her as she was knocked off her feet. "I don't know," she replied, scrambling back to her feet. "Helm, what's going on?"
"Our port engine exploded. Shields are down. Our cloaks are useless, we will be detected," she replied. She checked a few more readouts and turned to her commander. "We've lost control of the ship. We can't break the planet's orbit."
"Yaten, what is she saying? Are we going to crash?" Fuminori asked.
"Yes," StarHealer replied. She pushed Mi-ko into a seat and returned to the command chair. "Everyone strap in. We can't-"
Before anyone could react, the ship lurched again, knocking Mi-ko out of her seat. The 11-year-old tumbled to the floor as several consoles exploded, sending crystalized glass flying everywhere. She watched helplessly as several large pieces became embedded in her mother's chest. She wondered briefly where her brother was before she realized he was lying beside her, covered in blood. He had been pulled from their mother's grasp, but not before glass from one of the consoles became lodged in the side of his neck. Mi-ko looked back toward the command chairs as smoke began filling the cabin. "Dema!" She screamed as the helm console buckled and fell on her leg, the helmsman falling beside her, dead.
StarHealer looked toward the voice, but couldn't see anything through the smoke. "Mi-ko! Where are you?" She moved toward the voice as another set of explosions rocked the ship. She was knocked forward and fell unconscious a few inches from her daughter and son.
Mi-ko pulled Yo-Ichi and herself as close to the fallen Senshi as she could. She looked for any sign that the other adults were alive, but the smoke was burning her eyes and her lungs and the pain from her leg was becoming too great. She closed her eyes as she was overwhelmed by the smoke and collapsed onto her brother, who was either unconscious, or worse, dead.
An eternity and a few seconds later, StarHealer groaned slightly as she opened her eyes. The ship was still falling, but the smoke had cleared enough that she could see the children. She moved closer to them and focused her power on saving the ship. She glanced over her shoulder, but couldn't see Fuminori or any of the other crew. "Computer, send a distress call to Princess Kakyuu's ship!"
She glanced toward communications and saw that the whole wall was now in flames. She muttered a few well chosen curses in English and looked at the forward view-screen, the only thing that seemed to still be working properly. She could see land approaching fast. 'The desert!? At least it's better than the mountains ... I hope,' she thought to herself. She pulled the two unconscious children as close as possible and used what little power she had left to slow the ship before it hit the sand.
Dr. Suuri Ami was a well known and well loved surgeon in America, but after her husband and several friends were killed in an attack on the White House, she left her career and took her three children to Africa. In Africa, she found that not only would the children now be able to be near their grandmother a lot more, but she also still had the chance to practice medicine. Only now, she could do it without constant harassment from police and reporters. Yes, Africa seemed like an ideal spot to raise her family, except for one thing ... the friends she had grown so close to, and had come to call her family, were half a world away.
It was late one day in mid November, as Ami was leaving the building where she and her mother had set up their practice, when she heard a strange noise coming from somewhere in the south.
"What is that?" asked Umoya, a part-time volunteer at the hospital, who had been talking with the two Japanese women. She was leaving for America tomorrow and was getting last minute tips from the two doctors.
Ami could see something bright in the sky, but it was far off. It almost looked like a shooting star. Since there was no one else around but her mother and Umoya, she transformed into Sailor Mercury to use her visor ...
The US Air Force's Space Command is the agency that monitors happenings for the United States with possible military implications in space. They are particularly interested in objects entering our atmosphere because one of these objects could always be a nuclear warhead. By the fall of 2009, there were entirely too many who could put such a device into space.
This object, however, was much larger ...
It wasn't a threat to the United States, though. It was going to impact somewhere in Southern Africa, or in the seas near the southern part of that continent. Coverage was spotty there; there were a number of nasty wars ongoing or waiting to break out in the region, but none of them were really considered to be the business of the United States after the end of the Cold War.
None of them, not even South Africa, could have possibly built something as large as what was entering the atmosphere. But was it a spacecraft, or simply a larger-than-normal meteor? There was no way to tell until it actually reached Earth, but whatever it was, wasn't a threat to the US.
StarHealer opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. Underneath her was warm sand and she could smell smoke coming from somewhere. It took a few moments for her to remember what she had been doing. She was coming to Earth to show Fuminori the world she had once called home. 'Fumi ... Yo-Ichi ... Mi-ko ...' StarHealer tried to force herself into a sitting position when she felt hands pushing her back down.
"Don't move. I'm no doctor, but you're lucky to be alive," a voice replied in English. StarHealer could tell it was the figure pushing her down, even though she had barely understood what she had said. The figure stood and Healer could see that it was a woman, no, it was a Senshi and it wasn't one of Usagi's friends, at least not one she remembered.
Sailor Cirene moved from the gray-haired Senshi to one of the other people that had been pulled from the burning ship, one of the two children. She knelt beside the young girl and sighed slightly. "I don't know where you're from, but if we can't find a doctor soon, I doubt you'll be going back," she replied in her native language. A shadow appeared over the girl and she looked up as the gray-haired Senshi knelt beside her. "Are you trying to kill yourself? You shouldn't be moving."
Sailor StarHealer looked at the other woman curiously for a moment. She had been speaking a language she hadn't heard before. "Are you a Senshi?" she asked in Japanese.
'Senshi? Strange, she doesn't really look Japanese,' Cirene thought to herself. She had enough experience with Asian culture to know what the woman was referring to. "Hai. But I'm not from Japan," she replied, mixing Japanese and English.
StarHealer nodded slightly and looked at Mi-ko. The young woman had multiple injuries from where the console had collapsed on top of her during freefall, bringing down the tactical station with it. She was covered in blood, although she didn't appear to have many cuts on her at all. The older woman lightly touched the girl's neck, feeling for a pulse. She let go of the breath she had been holding before she realized she couldn't see Fuminori or her son.
Cirene watched the woman for a moment and realized that the girl must be family. She had, after all, tried to shield her and the little boy during the crash. The Botswana native placed her hand lightly on the other woman's shoulder. "We have to get her to a doctor soon," she replied. She could tell the other didn't completely understand her from the strange looks she kept getting. 'Maybe I should have gotten the docs to teach me more Japanese.'
The gray-haired woman turned from the unknown Senshi and started scanning the wreckage. She could see most of the other members of her crew lying not far from where they were, but still no sign of the ones she really wanted to see. Until she looked behind the dark-skinned soldier. There, lying in the sand and covered by blankets, were three bodies, one of them too small to be anyone but Yo-Ichi. StarHealer started crying, even as she forced herself to stand and go to the bodies. The wind began blowing and the blankets that had been covering two of the bodies were blown away.
Cirene moved to retrieve the blankets and started covering the bodies once again when the other woman stopped her. "Do you know them?"
StarHealer nodded slightly and turned to face Cirene. "My ... family," she replied in English. She turned back to the twisted metal that was once her shuttle and screamed several curses in her own language. Before the other Senshi could react, she fired an attack at the still-burning vessel. Her own rage and pain fueling the attack, the ship was reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds.
The darker woman watched in shock as the sand around what had once been the ship solidified into glass. Nothing else seemed effected, though. She was less than a hundred yards from it and she actually felt the temperature drop for a moment. "You ... you're a Senshi?"
The Kinmoku warrior nodded gravely as her body reacted to the violent use of her powers. She doubled over in pain, collapsing to her knees. She felt hands on her shoulders, trying to make her lie down, and looked up into the concerned faces of the unknown Senshi and Sailor Mercury.
Botswana is rich in culture and tradition, but poor and backward in its economy and technology. Still, at the request of the United States, South Africa, the European Union, and even Japan, the government of Botswana found some people to send out to the area where the object had come down ... they had no idea it was there. The country couldn't even afford air traffic control radar coverage of anyplace beyond the region of the capitol. They asked the doctors at the famous clinic what they knew of this. Both Drs. Mizuno and Suuri denied having seen anything, as did the villagers that worked with them. When asked about the new faces in the hospital, Ami's mother replied that they were new assistants from Japan and that several of them had fallen ill almost a week ago. The others had gone to the capital for more supplies. It was two days' travel and they had only returned the night before.
The agents left, satisfied that no one in the group had seen anything. They were still no closer to explaining the mysterious glass, but perhaps it had been a meteorite of some kind, or some piece of space junk. That had been seen before in the vast, empty back country of Botswana.
Once she was sure they were gone, Ami returned to the room where they were keeping the bodies of Yaten's wife and son and the crew member that had died. She found their new ally, Sailor Cirene, or rather, Umoya Womlambo, standing beside the little boy.
Umoya turned as she heard the doctor's footsteps. "Have they gone yet?"
Ami nodded. "They just left. I really wish you'd stay. At least until Yaten-san wakes up," she replied. "I know she'd like to talk to you and thank you for helping."
Umoya shook her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I know you trust your friend and her companions, but I don't know them. Plus I do have previous obligations in America," she replied. "How are they, anyway?"
"StarHealer is recovering. I think she fainted more from overuse of her powers than her injuries," Dr. Suuri replied. She placed her hand on the small boy's body and sighed. "And the girl seems to be recovering quickly as well. She must be a Senshi."
"Senshi? That means 'soldier', doesn't it? Your friend said the same thing when she first saw me."
Dr. Suuri nodded and looked at Umoya. "Your Japanese is better than you think," she replied. "Though it could just be her Kinmoku DNA. The rest of the crew seem to be healing faster than even I would have thought possible."
Umoya nodded slightly. "They do seem to heal faster than most. It's still strange, in a way. Senshi from another planet, coming to Earth. Why would they want to come here? Didn't you say that one of them was named Yaten? Is she a friend of yours?"
"Yes. The one that destroyed the ship is Yaten-san. Her powers must have grown since she was here last, though. The Yaten-san I knew could never have done that, even if he were angry."
"I thought you said Yaten was a woman."
"Long story," Ami replied, smiling slightly. She took one last look at the boy's body before motioning the other woman out of the room. "Mother has already made arrangements for someone to pick you up at the airport. I still wish you could stay."
Umoya shook her head. "I think it's better this way. For now, at least. Perhaps one day, your friends will become my friends," she replied. "But for now, it is better for both them and me. And I start a new job in a few days and it will take me that long to get used to living in California."
Ami smiled and nodded slightly. "You will hold on to the number I gave you, in case you have trouble? They are very dear friends of mine. And I'm sure they would help you."
"I will," Umoya replied. She picked up her bag and walked out to the rental car she had gotten for her trip across the desert. She turned back and smiled at the Japanese doctor before leaving for the airport.
'Perhaps I should tell her more?' thought Ami. But she would probably find out soon enough. Best to let her have a little more time to just be a young woman, before the obligation of being a Bishoujo Senshi came down upon her with its full, crushing weight.
When she saw Umoya was gone, Ami turned back inside and went to Yaten's room. She found her old friend had changed back into his male form, probably because he felt more comfortable that way around her. She could only remember one time that the gray-haired singer had gone female when not transformed. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and pulled out her communicator, planning on contacting the other Senshi.
"Did she leave?" Yaten asked from the bed. He opened his eyes and looked at the blue-haired doctor.
Ami jumped and looked at her friend. "Yes, Yaten-san. She has to be in California in a few days," she replied, replacing her communicator. "She is not a very strong teleporter yet, so she will have to take an airplane."
Yaten sighed slightly. "I wanted to thank her ... for saving Mi-ko."
"Mi-ko-chan? Is that your daughter's name?"
Yaten nodded. "Yes, the youngest daughter. Yo-Ichi is my youngest child and only son," he replied. He closed his eyes for a moment, still weak from the crash. "Where is he?"
Ami thought for a moment before replying. "Don't worry about that. We've taken care of everything," she replied. 'I wish I could promise Goodman-san will help, but Naru-chan wasn't sure ... One can never be sure it will work.' The blue-haired doctor placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled slightly. "You just rest, old friend. I promise I'll take care of it."
Yaten opened his eyes and looked at his friend. "Where is my son, Ami-chan?"
Ami smiled slightly. "Just rest. I have to go," she replied. She left before he could stop her, walking over to the young girl's room. Pausing for a moment to glance through the door, she found her mother in the room, talking to the teenager. "I didn't know you were awake."
Mi-ko smiled at Ami and nodded. "You're Dema's friend, aren't you? Your mother told me about Ichi-chan," she replied, her smile fading. "Do you really think your friend can help him?"
"She heard me talking to Usagi-san," Dr. Mizuno replied. "I didn't know she spoke Japanese."
"Dema insisted that we learn. Uncle Taiki also taught us English. Some English," Mi-ko replied. Her injuries had looked far worse than they were. Mainly, she just had a badly broken leg and a few bruised ribs. All of the blood she had been covered in had come from Yo-Ichi.
Ami smiled slightly and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm not surprised Taiki-san would remember the language, but I don't think Yaten-san does," she replied. "He barely seems to remember Japanese."
"He remembers. That's all they ever spoke in the court, to keep the Hrrrrunai from understanding them," Mi-ko replied. She sighed sadly and then looked at Ami. "Do you really think Dr. Goodman can bring my little brother back? Your mother already said she didn't think the doctor could bring back all of them. And that Kera was ..."
Ami nodded sadly. "Would I be a widow if her powers always worked?" She brushed some of the younger woman's hair from her face and smiled a little. "Don't say anything to your dad until we know more. If it does work, it might take a long time. For now, let's just keep it our secret, okay?"
Mi-ko nodded, blinking back tears. "Okay. Do you think you could find my sister? She got off the shuttle on Uncle Seiya's ship," she replied. She yawned slightly and closed her eyes. "I guess she let her curiosity get the better of her."
"You rest, Mi-ko-chan. We'll find your sister," Ami replied, working a small spell Naru had taught her. As soon as Mi-ko was asleep, she turned to her mother. "We still haven't been able to contact Kakyuu-sama. Our communicators won't reach that far and the others don't understand Japanese. I'm afraid Yaten-san is the only one that can contact them."
Dr. Mizuno nodded. "You can ask him to contact them, later. He needs to rest now," she replied. She motioned her daughter out of the room and toward her own bedroom that she shared with her children. "And so do you. You're no good to any one if you're too exhausted to think."
Ami nodded as she walked into her room. She looked at the sleeping kids and thought back to Mi-ko. 'She looks at least 11, but Yaten-chan said she was the youngest. It's impossible for Yaten-chan to have a daughter older than that ... isn't it?' She decided that as soon as she could, she was going to have to speak to one of the others about Yaten's daughter. But not while the gray-haired man was around, if she could help it.
