Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Moon of the 30th Century ❯ Chapter 1

SAILOR MOON OF THE 30TH CENTURY

 

Prologue

 

It was the worst natural cataclysm in the history of the planet earth. Each event led to another. It hit so quickly and unannounced that there was no way to prepare. The massive area that makes up the Pacific tectonic plate had one massive shift, and not of the ordinary. For some reason known only unto nature and God, the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates shifted simultaneously, bumping into each other, and from the momentum rammed the Pacific plate for the briefest of moments in the opposite direction. The Philippine plate snapped like a sheet, and caused the most massive earthquake in, not just Japan's, but every nation's history of that region. What made matters worse was that every volcano on the Ring of Fire, as well as on the edge of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates went off simultaneously. This was accompanied by massive earthquakes in the Americas from Cape Horn all the way up to the Aleutian Islands. All the quakes were off the scale, and whatever the quakes did not kill, the tsunamis finished the job. To cap it off, the chain reaction of events caused the largest volcanic caldera in the world upon which Yellowstone National Park rested to fully erupt for the first time in millions of years. Of course, with all the ash being dumped into the atmosphere, it made human pollution that many believed was causing global climate change to look like it was benefiting the environment. As a result, a fast moving ice age started to move in. However, despite all the disaster, there was one place left on Earth that somehow managed, relatively speaking, to survive the disasters fairly well, and many people of many nations flocked there for haven—Japan. It was the only place left where there was a chance. Considering the initial death rate, followed by the residual amounts of death caused by the cold, they were somewhat thriving. Because of how things went, no one really cared about race, politics, or nationality, because the survival of mankind was far more important than those petty arguments. Now, Japan was the ark, and the only chance for mankind, and whatever species of animals that could not survive the change. However, right before these events, those responsible for all this would not have had any clue that they would be responsible for this saving grace.

 

The Sailor Scouts were now about six years extant from their high school graduations, and Tom Reichmann's graduation from Officer Candidacy School. Usagi Tsukino Chiba had, by this point, graduated college with a degree in political science, knowing that one day such things would be useful. She only had a 2.33 grade point average, but it was enough for her. Just the fact that she even finished high school was a phenomenal accomplishment. For her to do this was out of this world. This was also a great thing for Mamoru Chiba, her husband; because she was turning out to be far more mature for the wear, beyond the expectations of many. However, bits and pieces of her personality still remained enough for her to remain enduring to everyone that loved her. Ami Mizuno was highly successful as a doctor, specializing in brain surgery, but also spent time as a pediatrician. Rei Hino was, by this point, the head priestess in the Hirawaka Shrine, having taken over after the death of her dear grandfather's death. They were going to send in a new head priest, but because she did such a good job in running the thing, no one ever challenged her. Her senator father had finally retired from politics and moved into the shrine after Grandpa Hino passed, and they were finally able to patch up their problems of the past. Setsuna was able to become the Juban High principal, while Haruka and Michiru were respected members of the faculty. Hotaru was able to graduate early, and spent time learning psychology and forensic science. The Ark Juban Trio, consisting of Tom, Makoto Kino, and Minako Aino, were also the top recording artists in Japan, as well as in the top ten in the rest of the world. Tom and Makoto married at the same time as Mamoru and Usagi, and they were a happy couple. In fact, even though the Marine Corps was something that Tom always wanted, and still enjoyed, he was looking at just getting out when his first eight year obligation was finished so he could concentrate on his recording career. However, he would not be out in a different aspect, as the others would not be, because of their other great obligation. The Sailor Scouts were still very active, and they were the scourge of crime and terrorism across the globe, their fame spreading greatly amongst the free world for their exploits. They were now well respected around the world. However, their future ambitions would soon be thrown out of whack.

 

When the disaster struck, it happened to be that the scouts, in full force, with the cats, were making a visit to the emperor in his palace. There was not much that could be done about the quake, but when Fuji went off, everyone expected the worst. That was when something instinctive came up in the head of Sailor Moon, and she held up the Silver Crystal aloft, concentrating on the safety of the people. Before long, the whole of Tokyo was being covered with an energy shield that was penetrating into the ground below the city, and causing it to act as if it were on great shock absorbers. There was still some destruction before this, and sadly, some death, but they managed to do far better than the rest of those in the affected areas. Everything in the shielded area rested in a suspended animation until the volcano stopped. After that, the scouts sprang into action. The shield had created a massive lava wall; so now that would help act as a bulwark. The city was still suffering massive aftershocks, but the scouts were doing all they could to aid the trapped, treat the wounded, grieve and console those left behind, and then to mourn for the dead. However, when Yellowstone erupted, the already severely affected environment was made worse, and it seemed that the world was seeing the complete collapse of civilization as they knew it…but not in Japan.

 

Because of the initial use of the Silver Crystal, and how its power crept into the earth below Tokyo, it was spreading out now throughout the islands that make up the nation, and it was managing to allow massive adaptation of the area to continue to sustain life. Even then, though Japan was hanging on, there was no way that they could yet have enough resources to sustain everyone. Yet, because of her leadership and great heart in the crisis, people were now looking to Sailor Moon as the ersatz leader of Japan, and even the emperor and the parliament were yielding to her, because these were drastic times. There was only time for decisive action, and no time for bureaucracy. As time passed, they were now calling her empress or queen, and she started to be able to fill the roll well. As the years passed—about three—the ice age was creeping in, and what was left of mankind, and whatever species that mankind could preserve, were now flocking to Japan. Yet, despite what the crystal had done, there was no way it could prevent Japan from being covered with ice and snow as well. Usagi, now being called Queen Serenity by this point, used the crystal once again to create a massive barrier once again, but this time, over all of Japan. When she did, it created a crystal shield strong enough to withstand the glaciers, and to keep them warm by the greenhouse effect that the little sunlight that crept in provided. They began to revive civilization underneath this shelter, but even then, there was only so much that could be sustained in this case. Serenity thus decided to use the crystal to put the whole in a suspended animation until the time came where the glaciers receded enough to call for their awakening. Once they had, they would go about doing what they could to prepare for the retaking of the earth. This was done, and many centuries later, they were freed. They would now face the future of rebuilding this world.

 

Chapter 1

 

“It's morning in America!” (Ronald Reagan's campaign slogan for the 1980 presidential election.)

 

Once the glaciers receded enough for all to be awakened, it was determined that it would have been considered the 25th century. However, since it was the restart of all that was known, it was now considered year one of the First Silver Millennium. It was then that those left behind began to branch out and rebuild their world. However, there was never talk, or even thought, that anyone would part from the leadership of the woman who asked that people now address her as Queen Neo-Serenity, because she had proven herself as such a great leader. Why seek for anything else? Normally, human nature is as such that people would become ambitious for power, especially when they spread out, get their own group to rule, and then begin to gain greater aspirations. However, there was no thought to this, considering that great lessons had been learned in the Great Cataclysm, dated as being in the year 500 BSA, (before suspended animation.) If there was ever a chance that the earth could be untied, it was at that point! During the time before the suspension, (where it was recorded that time was not truly tracked until they all awoke,) people began to unite. For the first time, because of all the people there with all the different languages they brought, Esperanto was not scoffed at as a language. Because it was invented with other languages in mind, the teaching of it was far easier than everyone expected, and it became the universal language. Other languages were not forsaken, mind you, but they all became secondary languages comparatively. The most common secondary language was English, but even the English speakers yielded to Esperanto, and thus it was. This was not to say that things were utopian—far from it. However, what kept the wars from reoccurring was not just the queen, but all the scouts with her.

 

The Sailor Scouts were able to keep law and order fairly well, and because of their abilities and great reach, no one dared to say anything against them, lest they felt their wrath. It was not that they forced anyone to do anything, but they did act as a reminder that order had to be maintained if mankind was to have a chance. Queen Neo-Serenity, (or Serenity for short,) even gave a speech after all awoke, telling them that she was determined to insure that all who were left would not fall into the grips of a new dark age. As a result, her chief physician and engineer—Princess Mercury—did all she could to reeducate the people, and to insure that the knowledge of the world was not lost. She became vital to creating the model of civilization building that all could use once they began to spread out over the world once more. She was even responsible for retaining the crystal shield over Tokyo, making it an impregnable fortress for that city, and the nobility, (which now consisted of the royal family and the scouts.) Princess Mercury began to train many to work under her direct control, and they became the first facet of the new military force that would soon emerge. This facet was the Science Corps, which consisted of the medical division, and the construction brigades that contained the engineers. The construction brigades were initialed in print as the CBs, and as a result, they were called the Sea Bees, akin to the name borne by the old U.S. Navy's construction battalion. It was this division that was not only responsible for designing the face of civilization from that day forward, but she also designed the vessels that would one day actually make up a navy. Princess Venus took a keen interest in this, knowing that they could help speed the spread of people world wide. Yet she had greater ambitions.

 

Venus wondered why they could not extend this navy into a stellar fleet. Mercury thought that this was a great idea, and she decided to design ships that were a combination of surface, submarine, and spaceships. The main reason for this was that Venus wondered if it would be good to explore at least the solar system, and find out how to use the technology that was being created to terraform whatever worlds that could be done so, and begin to colonize them. Mercury went one step further, and she got the greatest minds together to create something that could actually defy the limitations that were created by the speed of light. It was agreed that it would have to consist of warping space, and that would have to consist of a power source big enough to cause this to happen. As time passed, it was discovered that some minerals in Japan had been transformed by the Silver Crystal, and caused to exist an element that would be set, more than likely, number 114 on the periodic table of elements. This would make it a metal, and not exactly stable in its isotopes. However, as it turned out, its reactions were perfect to create controlled matter/antimatter reactions to cause the warping effect. Before, it had been created synthetically, and when it was, it only stuck around long enough to know just enough to put in on the table. Now it existed naturally. It had a name before, but because of how it formed, it was now called Serenium. The fleet was then begun in earnest, and Venus took oversight of this. There was one thing that she indeed wanted, and that was for this fleet to be just as oriented in science and exploration as well as being a strong military force. Mercury wanted it no other way.

 

Prince Ceres and Princess Jupiter gave oversight over the rebuilding of the Marine Scouts. In the past, it had been said that Ceres would have ended up subordinate to Jupiter, and that Ceres would end up an enlisted man. However, as Ceres had so aptly pointed out in that time, history could change in this regard, and indeed, they were now peers. As Venus was creating a sea and space navy, and Ceres and Jupiter were forming the Marines to be incorporated with it, Mars was seeking to build elites. She sought out others that had her psychic abilities, and she began to train them to use that, and to become, essentially, the Space SEALs. As this was going on, King Endymion, (Mamoru,) was building an army. This army would, at the first, defend earth, and then it would be sought that they would also defend other worlds as they sought to colonize. While this happened, the outer scouts began creating a global bureau of investigation. Within that, they made up the intelligence agency. There would be none other in it outside of the outer scouts, because of the powers that they all wielded. They would work intelligence in cooperation with the GBI, but they would be the elites, and elite field agents. Their main job was to insure that law and order was indeed maintained. It was through these things that civilization was able to crawl out of the Great Cataclysm and become a great world again. Yet, there was one thing that the people found amazing.

 

As time passed, none of the scouts, including their cats, were aging. No one could understand why at first. However, as time passed, they discovered that, because of the scouts' contact with the Silver Crystal at the start of the Great Cataclysm, it had made them all immortal. This did not mean that they were invulnerable, but what it did mean was incredible. No matter how much they could be hurt, they could heal quickly, and look as if nothing had ever happened. The only way to kill them would either be beheading, or the complete obliteration of their bodies. This would mean that there would be no succession of leadership, but because of the benevolent and kind rule of the king and queen, no one seemed to mind. Centuries passed, and indeed the solar system was colonized, and even the worlds that could not be terraformed were colonized with technology that would allow for people to live there despite the harsh conditions. Even the moon became a lush, earthlike world. The royal family even had a manor built up there for vacationing. By the time the 30th century came around, the people of the First Silver Millennium were now prepared to go beyond the edge of the solar system and explore deep space. In addition to this, because of events of the past, the Amazoness Quartet arrived in time to meet up with a now 13 year old Princess Usagi, formerly known as Chibiusa and Bunny, and they began to train to take over leadership of the space fighter force, just as the princess had said many centuries before.

 

On this day, on the dock sat the new flagship of the fleet, and it was being commissioned. Her name was the United Earth Ship (UES,) Artemis, and because it was a new type of vessel, it was called the Artemis class battleship. Venus insisted on this, having loved the loyalty of her cat for all those years. Artemis was as pleased as punch to learn of this, and he was even more excited to hear that this ship would be commanded by Princess Venus herself, and that he would have a place on board. There was excitement as the band began to play the trooping of the ship, and the piping aboard of the crew. It sat in the harbor of Neotokyo, indeed a ship of the line. It was roughly the size of an Iowa class battleship, designed to sail in the water and to sail the stars. The armament was formidable: it had four main batteries three 16 inch rail guns, 24 particle accelerators port and starboard, 12 phalanx anti-fighter blasters, and eight photon torpedo launchers—four to port and starboard. She also bore the latest Neotesla shielding system, designed to stop both beam and projectile attack. However, just as much as she was designed for a fight, she also was loaded with all the latest tools for scientific and space exploration. Her main task was to be for exploration, but she was also ready, as all the other ships in the fleet were, to defend against any alien civilizations that may misunderstand the intentions of the Sol system and thus attacked as a matter of defense. It was hoped that such things would not have to be used. Venus had the staff of command, and began to run up the gangway as the rest of the crew—2,000 sailors and marines—ran behind them, taking their posts all over the exterior of the ship in a time-honored tradition of the commissioning of a vessel. As the royal family watched with pride, wearing their finest uniforms and dresses, they hoped that the peace they had enjoyed for five centuries would continue. Only Princess Pluto would know, and she would not say, because she said that now was the time to make their own future. They just hoped that, this time, peace could last.

 

 

 

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