FicWad

Chapter 9



As they sat to devour the pizza, Setsuna began to explain. "Right now, you are all the lieutenants of Sailor Moon. The only exception is Jupiter, who is ranked as an admiral due to her past command of the marines. Since there is one here, in matters of the scouts, he will be subordinate to her if teamed with her. However, one day, you shall all have the rank of at least commodore, commanding a branch of the Neo-Japanese military."

"COMMANDING?" said Minako, not sure if she wanted this.

"Of course," said Setsuna, "In fact, it is going to be that the marmalade trim on your skirt and neckerchief, as well as the trim on your glove, will be the color designation of the space fleet, and you shall be the fleet admiral. In fact, each of your trims will mark your branches, and the uniforms shall be marked accordingly."

Minako just stared at her stunned. Her, be a fleet admiral-that had to be amistake. "I don't understand?" she said.

"Actually, let me say that it was Mamoru...that is...Endymion's and Tom's idea,"responded Setsuna, "They realized that the major failure in the old Moon Kingdom was the fact that you had to rely on only a handful of scouts, and just a corps of marines to help, if they could get there in time. They figured to correct this. Therefore, the military would be based on a navy model, and the fleet itself would consist of a bunch of sailors, trained by Minako, to patrol this sector of the galaxy."

Minako plopped down on a chair, overwhelmed by the responsibility she would one day have. Setsuna said, "Be assured, it will be years into the future, when you have been able to grow into such things. You have a greatness that you have yet to realize. Do not fear; you will learn to lead in time."

She then turned to Ami and said, "You shall head the science wing as acommodore, which will include the medical department, and the engineers. They will be combat ready, and tough. They, as the Americans call them now, will be called the Sea Bees."

Ami, more able to take this information, said, "How will I be able to do both?"

"You are highly intelligent and resourceful," responded Setsuna, "You have the strength to head that kind of a department without issue. Do not fear."

Setsuna then turned to Rei, and said, "Because of your fire control abilities, you shall teach it to a specialized team that will act as the Special Forces: you shall be commodore of the Space SEALs."

"How will I teach this?" she said, confused at the whole scheme.

"You have your psychic abilities," answered Setsuna, "/as will the entire outfit/! You can then teach them what you know, and be the deadliest force in the galaxy. As for Jupiter, her green scheme already matches the Asteroid Marines, and since she had command in the Moon Kingdom, she shall have it again."

Usagi screwed up her face, and then said, "Will they be normal people, or like us?"

"They will be the cream of the crop," answered Setsuna, "They will be people who have the ability to be empowered as scouts. Therefore, they shall all be sailor and marine scouts."

Chibiusa said, "And I'm in training to be a fighter pilot. One day, I'll lead the Air and Space Corps!"

"Why would you want something as dangerous as that," exclaimed Usagi, "I would never allow that!"
"Ah, but you do later on," said Setsuna, "and Endymion has been encouraging her. He said that having air support for the army would help."

"Army?" said Mamoru, "There would be an army?"

"That was also your and Tom's idea," responded Setsuna, "Marines are great for taking turf, but soldiers are good for keeping and expanding gains. You are the commander-in-chief, being the king at that time."

Mamoru then smiled, feeling great about having such an important position.

After hearing that, it got Usagi thinking. "What do I do?" asked Usagi, now sad that she had not been given a job.

"You're the princess," said Setsuna, "What else would you want. They all answer to you."

Now Usagi, (who, by this point, had put away about 2/3 of a large pizza herself,) plopped down, overwhelmed by this news. Setsuna was not finished. She then said, "The cutlasses also add new attacks for all of you, as will the new scepter. I think that next weekend; we need to practice these, for they may come in handy for the new fight that you now face."

They all sat there and meditated on what that would bring, and the futures they were all being handed, (Usagi doing so as she always had when pondering things-stuffing another piece of pizza into her face. Everyone wondered where she put it all, and yet remained so slim.)



Later on, a telegram was sent to Sark from Ragna. It read, "Transformation successful-stop. Ran into a snag-stop. Thought two youma enough; I was wrong-stop. More odd sailor fighters than before-stop. Will make and send bigger force to counter-Ragna."

Sark looked at the cable, and saw the reference to sailor fighters. Why did that seem so familiar? Something was eating at him, but he did not know what. As he walked back to where his lair was now located, he put some thought to the past worlds of the Earth and the Moon. He knew that there was only one group of people that could have even stood up to a youma... "No, it can't be!"exclaimed Sark, "They should have all died when Queen Serenity the Elder used the nuclear option! How were they preserved?"

Sark knew, by the description, that he was dealing with the Sailor Scouts. "That has to be impossible," he continued to ponder, "All the marines were killed except for one, but he should have died with the rest. Even if they lived, there is no way that, thousands of years later, they are still alive! Who were these people?"

He stopped and turned about on his heel and went back to the cable office. He sent a wire back to Ragna, and said, "Transform more humans-stop. Have them cause chaos-stop. Draw them out-give me description-number and type of attack-Sark."

Ragna received the cable, and decided to go to a beach outside of Tokyo, right on the coast, because that would be where there would be people. It was still warm enough for this, so he knew that he had his choices varied and fresh. He would wait for several days, to let things blow over, and hopefully lull...whoever they were...into a sense of false security.



On the Sunday of that week, Setsuna had them all board a bus, and head out to the nearest beach that would have plenty of room to work, and where they could work discreetly-somewhere far down the beach away from people. Usagi was all upset, and said, "If I knew we were going to the beach I would have been better prepared!"

Luna sighed and said, "Usagi, this is not a pleasure trip, this is training!"

"Can't you lighten up for once, Luna?" snapped Usagi, "You are always on about training. Don't you ever have any fun?"

Luna happened to look over at Artemis, who looked at her with a smirk, pumping his eyebrows up and down. Luna was afraid that everyone would draw the wrong conclusions and gave him a good paw across the face! "RRROWWW!" exclaimed Artemis, "What was that for?"

"You know," responded Luna, who then turned her head and looked up. Setsuna said, "Sorry, Usagi, but you now have weapons and abilities you need to learn how to use."

"How come you outer scouts didn't change?" asked Ami out of genuine curiosity.

"Our branch will be military intelligence," said Setsuna, "and we don't need scouts for that. There will be no need for a command structure, save that every spy that works for us will merely answer to us. We are Her Majesty's Secret Service."

Tom started to hum "Secret Agent Man" and everyone laughed. It would be another hour to the beach, so they had time to relax. Minako was beating her face again, to which Rei said, "We're not going out for a party. Why are you doing this?"

"Well, it is the beach," reasoned Minako, "and you never know who you might meet there."

"You mean, 'what boys you'll meet there,'" answered Rei with a knowing look.

Minako became all flustered, and then just put her things away and stared out the window. Rei just grinned and nodded as she then went into meditation, being sure that her mind was clear for the upcoming instruction she was about to receive. Michiru contented herself with playing the violin, and Haruka was reading the latest cycle magazine. Hotaru and Bunny, (Chibiusa,) were getting reacquainted. Bunny was happy to see her old friend was at an age where they could be close friends. The last time she had seen her, she was a baby again. It shocked her how fast she had grown, and further found it odd that she had stopped growing. However, the maturity level of both girls made their bond with each other even deeper. Ami was with her ever present book, but reading what Makoto had suggested-what she herself had just read-and lent to Ami. Yet, there was something interesting happening elsewhere on the bus.



Tom had a window seat, and by chance, Makoto sat beside him. Tom had his mp3 player out and was listening intently to the music. Makoto saw that he was really getting into it, and she said, "What are you listening to: Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart?"

Tom hit pause, and said, "None of the above: it's the Monkees."

"Really?" she said, "I thought you were into..."

Tom interrupted, and said, "I like all kinds of music. Want to listen?"

She pumped her head up and down vigorously, and Tom reached into his sack and pulled out a headphone splitter, so that the both of them could listen. He then handed her an extra set of ear buds, saying, "Don't worry; I washed these out."

While he was doing this, he noticed her clothes. She wore a light, ankle length pink skirt, grey tee shirt, Levi's denim jacket, what looked like Mardi Gras beads, and earrings that looked like the crescent moon on the foreheads of the cats, with about four teardrops hanging off each one, both a dark blue. She also wore a set of dark blue sandals, and some silver bangles. Tom then said, "I must admit something: I have never seen you dressed like this."

Makoto was worried, and said, "Is there a problem with it?"

Tom smiled and said, "Absolutely not-it actually looks good on you. It says,'When is tomboy not a tomboy-when she is Makoto.'"

She looked at him oddly, but had to laugh. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Tom smiled and laughed with her, saying, "It means that your look is your look, and you make it look good. It would not look good on anyone else. That look says, 'I know who and what I am, and I am comfortable with that.' Wow! You took that book to heart!"

"It was a help."

"Oh, by the way: don't wear make-up, because it would ruin the effect."

Minako heard this, and Rei immediately rolled her eyes, knowing what kind of areaction this would bring. "What do you mean?" snapped Minako, "If you used just a touch of blue eyeshade and maybe a light pink lip gloss..."

Makoto was beginning to agree with Tom, and she interrupted her, saying, "...and I would look like a circus clown!"

Minako was hurt, because of what that seemed to imply. "Are you saying that is what I look like?" squealed Minako, and she looked all pouty. Makoto just groaned, and said, "That's not what I mean. I am just saying that I don't want it or need it. If people can't take me for me, then I don't need them as friends."

Minako wanted to respond to this, but then she realized that there was aconfidence coming from her friend that she had never seen before. Further, Minako wondered if she was just hiding behind a mask. Suddenly, the bus was abit silent. They knew that Makoto was not trying to cut on her friend, but they also knew that those words forced her to think. It was then that Usagi came up and said, "Minako-chan, cheer up: that doesn't mean that people don't like you. You have to do what makes you happy!"

Ami had to interject, and she said, "I really think you need to read this book. The authoress talks about things like that. It's good. I will say that you just have to be you, and if that is you, so be it."

Usagi gave her a hug, and said, "Just think about it, but don't think too hard."



As things began to settle down, Makoto put on the headsets, and they began to get into the music. They also began to talk. He shared some things from the sports field, and she shared some things about her early days. She also began to ask him about the history of the Marine Corps, and he was more than happy to talk about it. This led to the story of the American Revolution. Makoto was always curious about what caused that. Indeed, it was a part of the curriculum in world history, but even world history could only cover so much. She had wanted a deeper understanding, and she also knew that the best way to get that was from an American. He was at least able to share what led up to the revolution, and why it did. Before long, they hit some slower songs, and began to doze. Before they knew it, they were asleep and somehow managed to put one arm around the other as they did. As she slept, she snuggled in a bit closer to him. A half hour later, they were at their location, and the stopping of the bus woke the both of them up. Suddenly, they noticed how they were positioned, and they were both alert right away. They were both making weak apologies to each other for invading one another's personal space while everyone started to laugh. Usagi was quite amused because it reminded her of she and Mamoru when they were first starting to flesh out their feelings for one another. The laughter caused the two of them to laugh, and then proceed to exit the bus with the others.



Once on the sand itself, they moved way down the beach in a secluded spot and transformed. They then started to train. "Now, the first thing I need to tell you about is that just possessing the cutlasses of command that you have add new attacks," said Setsuna, "It will be more powerful than what you have yet to experience. Venus, in addition to your crescent beam and chain attacks, you will have added to you a combination of the two. Now, go over to that boulder and whip the chain, saying, 'Shocking Chain.'"

Venus went over and shouted, "SHOCKING CHAIN!" The chain wrapped around the rock, and electricity danced over the rock. She could not believe it. Setsuna then said, "The chain acts like a tazer, and the amount of shock will adjust itself automatically for the being you may be attacking, so as not to kill it, but to subdue it. The only exception is if someone means harm to the royal family, and you intervened. If that were to happen, it would be a fatal attack."

Venus was flummoxed. It was enough to find out that you were going to be afleet admiral one day, and now you have an attack that makes you one bad lady! Setsuna then turned to Mars, and said, "Your attacks are quite powerful as they are. However, demolitions will be your area of expertise, considering what and whom you shall lead."

Setsuna took a position that looked down to where the people were, and she hoped they would be far enough away when the blast was heard. She told Mars,"Okay, go to that same boulder. I would also suggest that everyone get behind that sand dune."

They all did, and then Setsuna said, "Okay, now say, 'Volcanic Blast,' and then get behind the dune, because you will only have 20 seconds once things are set."

She called out, "VOLCANIC BLAST," and a bright orange-red ball appeared on the rock. She then fled as Setsuna got behind the dune on which she stood, and there was a loud blast. When all the pebbles had finished scattering, they looked up to find one half of the boulder was gone, and the other half was melting like molten rock. Setsuna looked down the beach, and saw a few people looking over, making a bit of investigation, but halted when there were no more blasts. Once that was done, Setsuna came over and said, "Obviously, this is not good for close quarters combat, and is only to be used as a weapon as alast resort. Now, Jupiter, if you would come forward."

She did, and Setsuna said, "Your attacks are powerful as well, but one of your attacks will now have more of a sustained effect. I want you to go over to the water's edge, outstretch your arms, hands with your palms down. Put thumb to thumb, and call out, 'Shockwave.'"

When she did, lightning spread out, hitting the water, causing quite asplashing, and Setsuna said, "You can sustain that for as long as you want until you bring your hands apart."

Jupiter did so, and everything stopped. With that, a bunch of dead fish floated to the surface, and the sea gulls had a ball. Setsuna then said, "You can put as much behind it as you need, and it is more than an attack. You can use it to ignite things, cause things to power up, or use it like an electromagnetic pulse and disrupt or fry electronics. Now, Mercury, it's your turn."

She came up and Setsuna then said, "Okay, now yours is going to be very powerful. Go to the water's edge, put wrist to wrist when you extend your arms, and call out, 'Absolute Zero.'"

She did, and a cone of cold air emitted from her hands. However, what did come out was not really able to be seen, but it was the water vapor instantly freezing. When it hit the water, it formed an iceberg about the size of aChevy Suburban. Setsuna said, "Not only is this a great attack, but there are also many uses for it as a tool. If you are trapped in a room, you can freeze a door or wall and make it brittle to the touch. You can preserve things that need preserving, create slick surfaces, and so forth. Do know, however, the further the target, the lesser of an effect, because the cone of cold will warm up the further it goes."

She then turned to Usagi and said, "Now, you have a new attack as well, and an improvement on another. The scepter and the cutlass of command improve your tiara attack. When you throw it, it will act like a boomerang, and come back to you if it misses the target. It can also act as a cutting tool if need be. Your scepter also has two attacks. One attack acts stun and subdue an opponent. You don't have to do it now, but you call out, 'Full Moon Flash.' The other is a healing attack that would heal anyone caught under the disease of the youma. You call out, 'Deep Umbra Cleansing,' and it would reach in and cleanse the infection."

Everyone was then chattering about their new abilities, and then Setsuna said,"There is one more attack that you must all do together. It would combine your abilities. What you do is..."

However, that was as far as she got when screams down the beach began to cut in. Mercury activated her visor and turned on the telescopic vision. She then said, "Looks like we get to test this stuff. There are youmas on the beach-about ten, /and they all look like shark men/!"

"Great!" thought Setsuna, "This is not what we needed."

However Tom said, "Time to kick some tail!" seemingly anxious for action as he drew his weapons and charged down the beach, shouting, "LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!"

Indeed, he seemed to have a crazy streak, but his motivation seemed to spill on everyone else, as they let out a girl's styled rebel yell and followed behind. It was time for the new and improved Sailor Scouts to make the scene!