MANIFOLD DESTINY BOOK ONE: Other lives, other paths By: Rick Federle and WolfByte _______________________________________________________________________ Sailor Moon and all associated characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi, and are trademark of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Ltd., and Toei Animation Co., Ltd. Usage of them is without permission, and for the sole purpose of entertainment. Solar is property of WolfByte, and if you wish to use the character he requests you ask permission first. The Guardsman/Warrior of Light is the property of Rick Federle, and if you wish to use the character please ask permission before hand. All other characters are joint creations of the two. _______________________________________________________________________ Chapter 5 "Hesitant Allies" Solar ran his fingers along the rock wall, feeling it's smooth texture even through the gloves he wore. Something about it seemed wrong, out of place. It's glossy surface told of something he could not quite grasp, some story that he was unable to hear. It's sheen showed him blurry forms of his girlfriend, the alternate Sailor Venus, and her husband the Guardsman, both curious individuals to him. He watched their forms ripple and move as they walked, as though seeing them through the surface of a clear lake, or a tranquil fall. "Water formed these caves centuries ago." Started the warrior turned towards their feline host, uncertain how to react to having his thoughts seemingly read. "Water has long since become a scarcity on this world," Pela continued with a sigh. "We have more than enough to live on, our waste water recycled and distilled so that we always have enough, but it is rare to see it in natural occurrence." A large cloth draped across the passage before them brought the group to a halt. "Doesn't it rain here?" Sailor Mars asked. "The sky has long ran out of tears," an unfamiliar voice answered through the cloth. The words echoed softly carrying a sense of sadness and regret, as though it was shedding the tears it claimed the sky no longer could. "No more than a few quiet sniffles escapes it now." Pela pulled the curtain aside, revealing a large open cavern before them. Roughly circular in shape, it's ceiling curved up like a dome, jutting straight up near the top, as though it could not decide exactly which shape it wanted to have. The group looked about it's small expanse, no more than perhaps 30 feet across. Bundles of wires ran about the area, splitting off to connect several large lights, and a few banks of battered monitors, far beyond their days. Dozens of passageways were displayed upon their worn screens. The images hard to discern in black and white. "This is the monitoring room," Pela informed them. "Once we had enough to require monitoring, now it is little more than a formality. But we also use this room for planning, as it is the largest single cavern." "And that too is almost a formality is it not husband?" From some unnoticed shadow stepped a smaller figure, garbed heavily in tattered brown robes. The fur on her head was stark white save one ear which was covered in short silver-gray. Her voice rang familiar in their heads. It was her sad voice that had spoken of the sky so shortly before. "My eldest wife Taka," Pela informed them, turning towards the quiet spoken female. "What brings you to the place of war?" "The wives have heard of the aliens you rescued the other day, and were curious to know what they looked like. Few alien captives make it to the homeworld in one piece." Taka's eyes roamed the four strangers, her soft gaze seeming to measure them up. Slowly she inspected to two men with unbreaking stares that spoke of curiosity. Her focus moved to the two women, pausing for the slightest moment as she took the two women into her gaze, her pupils seemed to glimmer with something neither women knew how to interpret. With a gentle nod she extended her hand towards the two senshi. "Would you ladies care to have a tour of our home? It's not much, but we would be honored to show it to you." Sailor Mars looked at her boyfriend then back at the feline woman, "I'm not so-" "We'd love a tour." Inside Mars stared daggers at the blonde-haired senshi. But she trusted her friend, enough to place her faith one from another dimension. Taka led them down a side tunnel, Mars quickly falling into step at the rear, ever on her guard. "I don't like this," she stated quietly, whispering it into Venus's ear. "We shouldn't leave them behind. We shouldn't separate from them." The blonde's muscles went a bit tense, a fact that Mars could feel more than see. "They saved your lives Rei, isn't a little trust within reason? Besides, I know William will be alright. He can take care of himself." The senshi of fire slowed her steps until she was no longer walking at all. Her left hand gripped her right wrist as she bit her thumbnail worriedly through the thin material of her glove. Sailor Venus turned around, curious as to why Mars had stopped following. She stared into her friend's eyes with confusion. "Mars?" "You can feel your husband. You know his moods, his situation. You share his joy and his pain, and little can effect him outside of the basic life-ailments." "True," Venus admitted. "Though it doesn't stop the lingering worries. But even if that weren't so, I'd trust him to take care of himself. " "You've never experienced it Mina." Words died on her lips as the blonde's unspoken question was answered with restrained tears. "He's talented, and certain not a pushover...b ut he's impatient, he's quick to act when someone needs help, and always takes it upon himself to make the world a better place. He's arrogant, and lives life on the edge, always doing what will probably get him killed..." She shook her head for a moment, before returning Venus's gaze again. "But for the life of me Mina, I can't live without him." Venus stood in slight shock. The hair, the eyes, the voice, everything about the woman before her mirrored her friend back home. But this wasn't the same woman. In some ways that was perfectly clear. She'd never heard her friend admit such fear, such worry, had never heard her open up quite like this. "Rei, I'm sorry, I didn't know..." "That's right Venus," Mars snapped. "You didn't know. I am not the Sailor Mars you've known for so long. Remember that before you even think of accepting an offer for me." "Mars, I-" Sailor Venus was cut short but the loud rumbling of a feline throat being cleared. "Excuse my interruption," Taka politely asked, "but there's much to show you, and the other wives would like to meet you." * * * "You see, there simply aren't enough of us to overtake the citadel." Pela grimaced, his sharp feline teeth grinding together in agitation. "It seems we're stuck in a corner." "He's right," Solar agreed, "in that there's not enough of them to hold the entire citadel." Frowning, the guardsman took hold of the citadel plans that lay on the table before them, running his eyes over every line. "What's this room here?" Pointing at an unlabeled room on the plans, he turned his inquiry to Pela. "That's the First Fel's throne room. Although by now I imagine the Second Fel resides there. That is, if he hasn't promoted himself yet." "Are the Fels the leaders of the military only?" A short laugh escaped Pela's throat. "We are the Virka," he announced with a mocking tone. "We are all the military." Guardsman's interest peaked, "What would happen if the Second Fel were captured?" "Chaos," Pela answered simply. "No one would no what to do. While our race is full of the power mad, none challenge the current Fel. And no one would know what to do without one." The large feline shook his head. "Our people don't know how to think on their own." "Plan?" Solar asked his friend, his eyes curiously fixed on the smooth surface of the chamber. "It's simple," William explained. "We don't need enough troops to hold the entire compound. We just have to hold one person." Pela's jaw fell open slightly. "Attack a Fel?" "Rebellions mean breaking the rules Pela," Solar answered. "And if you take the Fel's throne," finished Guardsman, "Then the rest of the palace comes free." "A surgical strike," Solar noted. Guardsman turned to his new friend, "Familiar with them?" A wide grin stretched across Solar's face as an almost alarming glimmer entered his eyes. "In a mannor of speaking, yes." * * * The two senshi stood back to back, their muscles tensed, their breathing slow. They had been surrounded without warning. Several dozen felinoid forms pressed close together to form an unbreaking circle about them. The two women stood their ground from the ferocious assault of questioning gazes, and undirected murmuring. Taka had introduced them to a handful of the wives, including two of Pela's younger mates. However the introductions had just started when the rest of the resistance wives had poured into the chamber, curious to see the 'strange beings'. "Enough, enough" Taka repeated as she pushed into the middle of the group. "Give them room, things are unsettling enough for them already. Your curiosity can wait until they've become at least a bit more familiar with us." Obediently the wives backed away, but not without a few quiet grumbles. They scrambled to find seats in the sparse furniture of the room, the rest of the wives making do leaning against the wall, or sitting on the floor wherever there was room. The two senshi, no longer surrounded by a sea of fur, looked about the primitive sitting room. Large stones had been arranged in a rough circle about the place with furs draped over them for comfort. The rough center of the room was marked with a large round stone, the top chiseled flat, and worn smooth with age. Several crude wooden bowls and goblets sat piled upon each other, and Mars couldn't help but notice that the insides of the bowls were stained a slightly red hue. The Virka wives sat in silence, squirming impatiently in their seats, looking away only to adjust their rough heavy cotton robes. Taka shot a sharp glance at two of the youngest wives who had found seats right beside their guests. Having quickly realized their mistake they evacuated the seats with haste, giving a quick bow as they moved away towards the wall, their eyes glued to the floor. Mars turned to Taka to protest, but Sailor Venus nudged her gently. "Don't insult what they see as hospitality, Mars. Just sit." They quickly sat down on the open seats, turning to face the circle of curious wives. "Wh-what are you?" sputtered out one of the two young wives who had just given up their seats. "You're out of line Kernia!" Snapped another wife. "Respect your place." "I'm sorry for her rude question," Taka apologized. "She is young, and a bit too spirited." "It's quite alright Taka," Venus insisted. "Really." "We're humans," Mars answered. "From Earth. Well, actually, two Earths in different dimensions." "We're not familiar with your species," Taka admitted. "Please tell us, have humans been brought here before?" "Not that we're aware of," Venus replied. "From the way the First Fel talked, I'd guess we were the first." "We were an experiment," Mars snapped. A few of the wives talked quietly amongst themselves briefly. One of the elder wives, her face crisscrossed with scars, stood up as they silenced. "Some of the younger wives have a point, why would they bring the warrior's mates along for study? It serves no purpose." Mars looked puzzled for a moment. "Why wouldn't they bring us? They wanted examples of the resistance they would encounter on each Earth, so they brought two warriors from each. Sailor Venus and her husband, and my boyfriend and I." "Ridiculous," another of the wives snapped. "Are you trying to tell us that your males allow you to fight beside them?" "They are our guests Hebel." Taka's voice was harsh and scolding. "Be more respectful." "They don't ALLOW us," Raye growled. "We fight because it's important to us to defend our world. And I seriously doubt they could do it without us." Another round of quiet murmurs circulated through the room, even Taka seemed to ponder the last answer with great uncertainty. "Haven't any of you ever wanted to help protect your husbands?" Venus asked. "It's not-" "There's no need," Taka interrupted. "The Virka leaders are conquerors, the fighting is always done elsewhere, and only for their twisted reasoning." Mars looked around at the uneasy wives. "What if someone did attack your world? Wouldn't you try to defend it? Defend your husbands? Your CHILDREN?" "Our help would be more properly given tending to the children and the injured." "Jerez is right," agreed Hebel, gesturing towards the scarred wife. "Our place would be tending the needing, not out on the battlefield." Sailor Mars narrowed her gaze looking from nervous wife to nervous wife. "If you wanted to fight, for some reason... would you be allowed to?" The feline faces turned from her gaze one by one, looking at the floor, the stony chairs, each other, anywhere but at the two humans. Mars turned to Taka. "Well? Taka? Would you, would any of you be allowed it?" Venus rest her hand lightly on her friend's shoulders. "Calm down a bit Mars," she urged. "There's no reason to get worked up." But her friend ignored the statement, and instead rose to her feat. "Would you be allowed?" "No," The elder wife admitted, fighting to look at her guest as she answered. "No, we would not." "Taka," Venus asked, her voice calm and mellow. "How many things are you not allowed? As compared to your husbands I mean?" "I'm not sure I entirely understand," Taka admitted. "We are allowed all that is needed. Just as they are." "On our planet," the blonde explained. "Women were at one time allowed to do less than men. But we strived to do more, to be able to do what many women felt was our rights, granted to us for simply being born humans, just as the men were." "We help make decisions," she continued. "Not just in our households, but in the government. In fact many government officials are women." Hushed gasps were heard for a moment as she let the implication set in. "We're everything they are," Mars stated firmly. "Anything we wish to be. Women aren't just wives and mothers. If we so chose we can work to support our families. Sure many women take care of the injured, or children, but that is of choice. We are also soldiers, and painters, politicians, and so many other things that it would take too long to list." "And it is the same for them," Sailor Venus finished. "What do you mean?" Kernia asked her voice filled with interest. "Please explain. How is it the same for them?" "On Earth," the blonde senshi told them, "we have men that cook and clean, men that weave clothing, take care of the injured, and look after the children. Everything that seems solely your duties here." "Just how do the human men keep track of all there wives in this busy world of yours?" Jerez sneered. "It would seem impossible to keep them in line." "We aren't kept in line!" Mars snapped. "Don't you understand we are as free as they are!" "Rei." The soothing tone her name was spoken in backed her anger down enough for her to realize she was not only still standing, but had barged out into the middle of the room. Shaking her head to cover her slight embarrassment, the senshi of fire trudged back to her seat, and settled back upon it, still too angry to stay quiet long. "Humans also tend to only take one mate," Sailor Venus added, "although there have been some humans who had many. Whether such a thing is right or not I would suppose depends on how those involved feel, and whether or not it works for them." "How do you stand it," Mars grumbled. "You're lives are practically drawn out before you're born. Everything you could ever do is already written in a book somewhere. And I bet that when you're not busy tending to the sick, or taking care of children, you're paraded around like prizes, or made to fulfil you're husband's whims." "Is it not a wife's job to please their husband?" Taka inquired, confusion obvious in her voice. Sensing another outburst on it's way, Sailor Venus put a finger over her friend's mouth. "You should please your husband because you love him, and enjoy making him happy, not simply because he wants you to. There is a difference Taka." A sharp cough cut into the awkward silence of the room, startling several of the younger wives, and bringing the others to their feet. A large Virka male, his body covered in a coat of short gray fur, entered the room, tossing an unapproving gaze at Taka and the two senshi. "We have several recovering soldiers that need to be checked on, and a room of children that wish to be fed. I'm certain you find our guests fascinating, but this is no excuse to neglect your duties. Understood?" None of the wives answered as they all shuffled quickly out the room's many exits. Taka turned to the two women. "It seems our little chat has run a bit longer than expected, and you still have not had the full tour. So, if you'd just come with me, I'll show you the rest of our facilities." "Of course," Venus replied with a smile. "Please, lead the way." "Yeah," Mars grumbled, "after you."