But perhaps the claim of specificity, on the one hand, and the claim of derivativeness or non-existence, on the other, are not as contradictory as they seem. Is it not possible that lesbian sexuality is a process that reinscribes the power domains that it resists, that it is constituted in part from the very heterosexual matrix that it seeks to displace, and that its specificity is to be established, not *outside* or *beyond* that reinscription or reiteration, but in the very modality and effects of that reinscription? In other words, the negative constructions of lesbianism as a fake or bad copy can be occupied and reworked to call into question the claims of heterosexual priority . . . Lesbian sexuality can be understood to redeploy its "derivativeness" in the service in the service of displacing hegemonic heterosexual norms . . . The political problem is not to establish the specificity of lesbian sexuality over and against its derivativeness, but to turn the homophobic construction of the bad copy against the framework that privileges heterosexuality as origin, and so "derive" the former from the latter. Judith Butler, "Imitation and Gender Subordination" I tell you folks, all politics is applesauce. Will Rogers, _The Illiterate Digest_ _______________________________________________________________________ Kinmokusei Story Chapter Twelve: Sex and Politics by Kotetsu _______________________________________________________________________ Sixteen miles away from the royal palace, nestled in the rolling hills and open plains of the northern patagonia, the main hangars of the royal spacefleet loomed like gargantuan concrete leviathans. But there was hardly a warship or a battle cruiser to be found inside the intimidating structures; the vast majority of Kinmoku's spacefleet was composed of either massive barges that transported agricultural exports offworld, or luxurious passenger ships that ferried diplomats and politicians to represent the planet in faraway meetings of the Galactic Union. By the crack of dawn the next morning, Yaten was already loading her luggage into the small, sleek cruiser that would serve as her home during the next three days that she spent in Subspace. Five individual cabins, a fully- equipped kitchen unit, a shared bathroom, and a spacious lounge to relax in. Not bad. Not bad, at all. The Queen's balls still zipped and whirled about her head as she claimed a cabin for her own, and began spreading her luggage out on the bed. Seiya popped her head into the cabin. "Hey, is this one bigger than mine?" she asked, gazing about the spacious room. "Finders keepers, losers weepers." Yaten stuck out her tongue. "Where did you get those earrings? They look good on you." "Oh, these?" Yaten flipped her hair casually away from her face, revealing the dangling mirrored earrings. They chimed softly as she turned her head. "They do look good on me, don't they?" She blinked, suddenly noticing the dark circles under Seiya's eyes. "Hey, how much sleep did you get last night?" "Not much." Seiya shrugged. "It's hard to sleep at a time like this." "Well, I haven't slept in over twenty four hours," Yaten bragged, "but you don't see *me* with unbecoming circles under my eyes." "No fair. You're being pumped full of energy, that's why." "I'll crash once we're far enough away from Malathos," Yaten said casually. "Where's Taiki?" "Outside, talking to Kakyuu." The balls hovered behind Yaten, spinning and whirling. "Who's going to fly this thing?" "We're short on pilots, so . . . " Seiya made a face. "They're going to download an AI into the shipboard computer, and let it handle everything." "Perfect." Yaten tugged at Seiya's hand, pulling her down the passageways of the ship. "Come on, let's go find Taiki." They found her standing at the edge of the boarding ramp, receiving a stack of official documents and papers from the Queen. "Passports, medical records, credit vouchers, identification," Kakyuu ticked off on her fingers. "This one, here, with the royal seal - that's authorizing any amount of money or wealth that the Sultan of Turan demands. You three will need to sign it to seal the contract." Taiki stared at the impossibly high pile of papers in her arms. "Ah, anything else?" "Yes." Kakyuu hefted a thick, bound paperback book into Taiki's arms. "The owner's manual for the KRA-447. The AI unit should take care of everything, but in the unlikely event of an emergency . . . " Her voice trailed off. "Um, does it tell us how to program the radio presets?" "I'm sure it must be in there somewhere." "That's all that I need to know," Taiki grinned nervously. "Oooh, let me see that!" Seiya grabbed the book from Taiki's arms. She began flipping quickly through its pages, and she whistled softly. "Holy . . . Look at these schematics! This is so complicated--" Yaten stood on her tiptoes, peering over Seiya's shoulder. "Seiya, you're holding it upside down." "Oh." While Seiya and Yaten were occupied with the incomprehensible owner's manual, Kakyuu quietly slipped a folded document, sealed in wax with the royal crest, into the pile of papers that Taiki was still holding. "Don't lose this. It might be the most important of all of these documents." "Right." Taiki felt her heart fluttering nervously in her chest. Although Kakyuu didn't say it, she knew what the letter was. It was the order to leave Yaten behind on Turan. If they couldn't break the link between her and Malathos before they were scheduled to return to Kinmoku . . . With a gesture of her hand, Kakyuu gathered the three Senshi around her. "This," she said softly, "is a diplomatic mission of the utmost importance. Please . . . Please . . . *Please* don't embarrass me." "Of course not." "We would *never*." Seiya saluted. "You can count on us!" One of the floating balls suddenly darted forward and whacked Seiya soundly in the back of the head. "Oops," Yaten said. Seiya rubbed the back of her head, and grimaced. "Great. Just great. I'll be stuck on a spaceship with a telekinetic for three days." Kakyuu leaned forward, and kissed Seiya softly on the cheek. "Don't worry. It will all be fine, shortly." Then she kissed Taiki's cheek, and Yaten's. "May the Goddess protect you." She stepped back, her eyes darting from one worried face to the other. All three of them, they were staring at her apprehensively, as if . . . Well, of course. Separation anxiety was to be expected, especially considering that the last time they had parted like this, it had been during their mad escape from Galaxia's imminent threat of destruction-- No. Kakyuu couldn't afford to think about that. She had to be strong, not just for her three Senshi, but for the entire planet, as well. The whole world was counting on her. She simply could not allow herself to indulge in nervousness or fear. "I'll contact you every day of your journey," Kakyuu assured them, hoping to soothe their apprehension. It worked, at least a little bit; Seiya was smiling at her wanly, making a valiant effort to hide her fear. Kakyuu was decided. The three of them had to leave, and leave now. Before their nerves finally gave out. "You must go. Now, quickly. Yaten, your energy level is still rising. You must leave this planet." "Oh . . . I suppose," Yaten sighed with resignation. She bowed her head low, humbling herself before Kakyuu. "Farewell, my Queen." "Farewell, my Queen." Seiya bowed. "Farewell, my Queen." Taiki bowed. A moment later, they were gone. Safe on board the ship, with the external exits sealed. From across the hangar bay, surrounded by her guards and her Knights, Kakyuu watched the external thrusters flare to life, and with a roar of superheated flame and exhaust, the ship rumbled to life. It rose; it hovered, firing its second set of thrusters; and then, like a streaking bullet, it blasted through the open side of the hangar bay and up into the sky, becoming a twinkling pinprick against the glare of the rising sun-- There was a brief flash of light, like a star winking in and out of existence. Kakyuu slowly let out the breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. That finished it, then. They had entered Subspace. And when they emerged three days later, they would be orbiting the planet Turan. Hopefully, if all went well. Hopefully. ******************** They had been in Subspace for only fifteen minutes when Yaten, already bored but pumped full of more energy than she had ever been in her life, decided that it would be a fun idea to telekinetically juggle all of the forks, spoons, and knives in the kitchen unit. "Hey, guys, check this out!" she called out as she created a whirling cloud of sharp, glittering utensils that swirled around her head. "Somebody throw some fruit into this thing, and let's see if I can make a fruit salad." Seiya's jaw dropped when she beheld the horrifying site. "Yaten, are you trying to get yourself KILLED?!" "Heavens, no. I'm just bored, that's all." Taiki, passing by the kitchen at that moment, poked her nose out from the thick volume of classical poetry in which it had been buried, glanced briefly at Yaten, sighed, shook her head, and returned to being absorbed in her book. "You shouldn't read while you're walking, Taiki," Yaten called after her. "You'll walk into something." "Right, right, right." Taiki waved her hand impatiently in the air, dismissing the warning. Which left Seiya alone in the kitchen, with Yaten and a small tornado of whirling knives, forks, and spoons. Seiya gulped. "Um . . . I just remembered . . . I forgot to make my bed. Bye!" Seiya scurried away from the kitchen before Yaten could even begin to protest. Yaten sighed. "Some people just have no sense of humor, do they?" she asked the empty kitchen. Some of the knives began to wobble slightly in their orbit around Yaten's head. In that case, it was probably time to put them back down . . . . Slowly, carefully, Yaten lowered the kitchen utensils back into the open drawers that were waiting for them. Then, with a casual thought, she slammed the drawers shut. And about two seconds later, she was bored. Again. Yaten spent the following hours occupying herself in any way that she could. She rearranged the furniture in her quarters three times in a row, without ever once using her own two hands. Then she returned to the kitchen to attempt to make herself a sandwich using the same telekinetic techniques. The sandwich experiment, however, was a spectacular failure; there was mayonnaise and mustard splattered all over the ceiling and walls by the time she was finished. Feeling rather grumpy about it, Yaten reluctantly cleaned up the kitchen. Then she returned to her cabin, laid across the bed on her back, and watched the colorful ceramic balls perform acrobatic dances in the air above her. Eventually, the balls began to wobble and falter in the middle of their dance routines. Yaten frowned. Was she . . . Was she actually beginning to feel tired? Suddenly, the blue ball hovering above her simply shivered, spun once, and then dropped to the ground beside her. Yaten struggled to sit upright, then stared at the ball, and concentrated. Hard. Nothing happened. It sat, still and unmoving, neatly nestled into the carpeting on the floor below her. Yaten sighed, and slid off the bed. Her eyes were beginning to itch, and her eyelids felt heavy and leaden. Followed by only two of the original three balls, Yaten shuffled out of her quarters and down the passageways of the ship, toward the lounge. Taiki was sitting on the couch, watching an old black-and-white movie on the television, when Yaten entered the lounge, shuffling wearily and stifling a yawn behind her hand. The two balls hovered listlessly behind her, no longer spinning. "Feeling tired, yet?" Taiki asked, even though the answer was obvious. "Yeah." Yaten slumped down onto the couch next to Taiki. "Please tell me that you're watching something interesting." "Oh, yes. Terribly interesting. It's from the golden age of classic Altair cinema." "Ah . . . " Yaten's head drooped, leaning slightly against Taiki's shoulder. Unnoticed, the second ball dropped softly to the ground behind the couch. Now only one ball was left, wobbling as it struggled to stay afloat in its degrading orbit around Yaten's head. "Shall we watch this, or is there something else that you wanted to watch?" Taiki asked. But there was no response. Yaten was already asleep, breathing deeply and softly. With a click of the remote, Taiki turned off the television. She sat in the dark, quiet lounge, content to let Yaten sleep on her shoulder, content to be lost in her own thoughts for a while. It was good, to have time to think alone. A few minutes later, the final ball lowered gently to the ground, and sat there, unmoving, unnoticed. ******************** When Seiya entered the lounge a little while later, Taiki was sitting still on the couch, staring off into space and lost deep in thought, while an exhausted Yaten slumped against her shoulder and slept soundly, her chest rising and falling in deep, slow breaths. "Awwww, look at that," Seiya gushed teasingly as she plopped herself down on the couch on the other side of Taiki, "wittle Yaten is all tuckered out." "Shh!" Taiki held her finger to her lips and frowned. "She's not quite back to her normal energy level yet. I don't want to wake her until we can be absolutely sure." "You two look cute together." Seiya snuggled against Taiki's other shoulder, resting her head against Taiki's neck and wrapping her arms around Taiki's waist. "Can I cuddle too?" she asked, giving Taiki her puppy dog eyes. Taiki sighed, feigning resignation. "Sure, Seiya. That's what I'm here for." "Mmmm-hmmm." Seiya felt warm and snug against Taiki, and felt herself relaxing for the first time in a long time. Taiki sat, still and silent, falling back into her private ponderings. This annoyed Seiya, although she couldn't exactly explain why. She nudged Taiki, gently. "Hey, what are you thinking about?" " . . . Nothing." "You're being gloomy. I wish you would talk to me about it." "I'm thinking about the three representations of feminist ideology outlined in a metaphorical context in DerBreeger's nineteenth century dissertation about--" "Right, right, right. Sorry I asked." Seiya felt grumpy. She knew that Taiki had just pulled a dirty trick that she only resorted to when there was something *important* that she didn't want to talk about. She nudged Taiki, again. "If you're worried about something, you should talk to me. I'm your friend, and that's what friends are for." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, broken only by Yaten's slow, steady breathing. Seiya reflected, silently. Taiki never *had* told any of them all of the details behind that night with the man called Reynard. Was she still hiding something . . . ? Then Seiya could feel Taiki's eyes boring into her. She looked up, blinking. Taiki's violet irises regarded her curiously. "Yes, but what about you?" Taiki suddenly asked. "Huh? What about me?" "You're troubled, too. And yet you will not speak to either of us about it." "There's nothing wrong with me." Taiki sighed, closing her eyes. "We need to talk." "Yes. We do need to talk. About you." "No, Seiya; we need to talk about *you.*" And with that, Taiki gently pushed Seiya away from her, breaking their embrace. She stood up carefully, gathering the sleeping Yaten in her arms. "Come on - help me tuck her into her bed. Then we can talk." Quietly, obediently, Seiya followed Taiki into the quarters that had been designated as Yaten's bedroom. With the tenderness of a mother lying down her child, Taiki lowered the silver-haired girl to the bed, removed her shoes and socks, and pulled up the covers to Yaten's shoulders. Then she gently smoothed Yaten's hair away from her cheeks, and kissed her forehead solemnly. Seiya stood and watched all of this, never uttering a word. Finally, Taiki turned back to face Seiya, her eyes inexplicably sad and sorrowful. "She's just like a baby sometimes, isn't she?" she asked quietly. "Um . . . Is that a rhetorical question?" "Yes. Of course it is." Taiki moved away from the bed, exiting the room quickly. "Follow me. There is something of dire importance which we need to discuss." Seiya felt her heart clench in her chest. She hadn't the faintest idea what Taiki was talking about. Yet her gut instinct told her - and she could read it as well, in Taiki's voice and body language - that it was not going to be good news for her. They stopped when they reached the lounge again. Without speaking, Taiki began rummaging through a pile of papers and books that she had brought on board and spread them out to cover the coffee table near the couch. Seiya sat on the couch, and waited patiently, feeling the first tremors of fear in her stomach. Then, frowning slightly, Taiki pulled a handful of paper pamphlets from the pile, and thrust them into Seiya's face. "Read," she commanded coldly. Seiya took the pamphlets, and read them. She read them very carefully, slowly absorbing the words on the front and the back of each and every panel. After a few tense minutes, she raised her eyes to meet Taiki's. She could now feel her stomach twisting into sickening knots, and she was overwhelmed with alternating waves of intense disgust, revulsion, and fear. "Where did you get these?" she asked faintly. "They were being distributed by lobbyists outside the Assembly chambers last week," Taiki explained calmly. "The first two are from a group that call themselves 'Crusaders for the Repopulation of the Galaxy.' The third is from the Intergalactic Alliance for the Defense of Family Values. They already have multiple headquarters on just about every populated planet in the galaxy. Their support among the Kinmoku populace is growing. The fourth is from the Kinmokusei Conservative Alliance. Their rhetoric is more clouded than the others, but the underlying message is painfully clear. They're attempting to revoke the legal recognition of the few homosexual marriages that exist on Kinmoku. In this era in which we are in the wake of galactic holocaust, and less than fifty percent of the original galactic populace remains . . . " Taiki trailed off, unable to finish, her mouth twisting with distaste. " ' . . . Homosexuality is a narcissistic practice that selfishly threatens and undermines the core traditional values of a healthy galactic society.' " Seiya read right off the final pamphlet, her voice shaking. "Oh Holy Maresuu. How bad is it, really?" "It's bad, Seiya. They've got a lot of powerful people listening to them. Not just on our planet, but all over the entire galaxy." Taiki grimaced. "I expected that the decimation of the galactic population would incur a temporary backlash against homosexuality, but even I will admit that I never imagined anything of this scale." Taiki continued slowly, looking Seiya squarely in the eye, the expression on her face unreadable, her voice carefully level. "I know how much you love Kakyuu. Yaten knows, too. We both know. And we know that Kakyuu loves you, too. And that neither of you will ever be happy unless you can be together. And believe me, both of us will do everything within our power to protect you two, and to make sure that your relationship remains, for now, at least, a carefully guarded secret." She took a deep breath. "That having been said, I have to admit that I'm not going to enjoy what I have to say next. Seiya, do you have any idea what sort of a scandal it will cause if your relationship goes public?" "Well, I imagine that a lot of people would be very upset." "And have you given any thought as to *why* they would react that way?" "Yes . . ." Seiya squirmed uncomfortably. "I mean, same-sex relationships have never really been that popular among the conservative coalition in Kinmoku. And now . . . with all this stuff about how we have to do our part to repopulate the galaxy . . . it's gotten even worse, hasn't it?" "True enough." Taiki nodded gravely. "There have been isolated cases of past Queen having homosexual affairs in secret, but always after they were already married to a King, and never were the affairs exposed to the public until after the Queen's death. Lesbianism seems to be slightly more common among the Knights than among the rest of the populace, but as a whole, homosexuality is frowned upon in the upper classes." Her eyes narrowed, almost glaring at Seiya. "But there's more to it than just that, isn't there." "I guess so. I mean . . . From what I understood from Anya's research and our schooling . . . the Sailor Senshi are supposed to love their Princess, or their Queen, or whatever . . . but not . . . in that way. Not that it hasn't happened before. There are stories of it happening in the past, but they always seem to end in tragedy . . . " "It's an unspoken rule that has yet to be challenged successfully," Taiki sighed. "Seiya, you're going to sacrifice both your reputation and the Queen's, by going against thousands of years of tradition and custom." "I know," Seiya replied in a small voice. "But it gets worse." Seiya snapped her head upward. "What do you mean? How so?" "Seiya . . . " Taiki hesitated, searching for the right words. "Seiya, remember what I just said about past Queens having affairs on the side?" "I don't want to be a 'secret affair!' And I think that's wrong, too!" Seiya suddenly blurted out. "If you really love someone, you should be faithful--" "I know, Seiya," Taiki snapped, hushing her instantly. "I know that. I know that you and Kakyuu want to share a monogamous relationship. But sooner or later . . . If the Queen doesn't get married, if she rejects all of her suitors, if she doesn't start a relationship with any men . . . not only will the people begin to suspect, but . . . they'll be angry at her." "Why?" "Because the Queen has to have a daughter." "WHAT?!" "Oh, sure, it was a big enough problem in the past, when a daughter was required to pass on the royal lineage. But now it's an even bigger issue, because - and Seiya, this is the way that it's always worked, for thousands of years - the Queen has to pass on her Sailor Crystal. So that there can be Sailor Senshi in the future, to protect our world from the threats that it is now exposed to." "Oh no." Seiya buried her face in her hands, moaning. "No, no, no, no . . . I never thought about that . . ." Suddenly, she gasped with a sudden realization, and her head snapped up again. "But what about--" "You and me and Yaten? Same deal. We're expected to have children sometime in the future." "That's terrible!" Seiya's voice was raising in both pitch and volume. "They can't do that to us! MY sexuality is NOT a matter of public concern! And it's my body, so I should decide whether I should have children or not! They can't take that away from me!! It's bad enough that I have to defer everything that I care about in life to my duty as a Senshi, but NOW they expect me to actually--" "Calm down," Taiki urged. "Look, I'm playing devil's advocate here. I'm telling you exactly what the populace of this planet, not to mention most of the galaxy, believes at this moment. You're not the only one in trouble here, Seiya. Think of Kakyuu. And heck, probably Yaten too, the way things seem to be going with her . . . and maybe me, too." "You? But don't you . . . I mean, uh, don't you have Hideaki?" "Yeah." Taiki cast her eyes downward, suddenly intensely absorbed in staring at her own feet. "It's just that . . . " She trailed off, leaving her sentence dangling in the air. Seiya sighed with frustration. "You *do* plan on marrying him eventually, don't you? It's, um, not proper to keep sleeping with him, if you're not going to marry him." "Yes, I do want to marry him." Taiki blushed, and a small smile danced at the corner of her lips. "I don't know when, but maybe even soon . . . " Then Taiki bit her lip, and her blush faded. She raised her eyes until she met Seiya's. "But look at me! Seiya, I've never even *thought* about having children! I can hardly imagine myself as married, let alone being a mother. How terrible is that?! I wouldn't have the first clue as to how to handle a baby or how to discipline a toddler or how to talk to it about puberty or how to--" " 'It'?" Taiki rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. And . . . This is the worst, really . . . Can you even CONCIEVE of Yaten raising a child?!?!" "No." Seiya shook her head in a numb, mindless negation. No, no, no, no, no. It wasn't fair! That she was expected to be some sort of breeding stud for future Sailor Senshi-- "Wait!" Seiya's eyes flashed with sudden insight. "It's been done before, I know it has! Remember, back on Earth, there were those two Senshi . . . what were they called . . . Uranus, and Neptune . . . Haruka and Michiru . . . They were all over each other, and they were public about it, too." "I'm aware of that," Taiki said evenly, "but you have to remember that Earth is not yet a part of the larger galactic society. Earth is isolated, and even deemed untouchable until the Earthlings can develop Subspace travel technology. When that does happen, and when the Earth becomes exposed to larger interstellar civilization . . . When the galactic spotlight finally does fall on the Sol Senshi, as I'm sure it will eventually, Uranus and Neptune are going to find themselves in a world of trouble that they never even imagined." "That's terrible!" "It's inevitable." Taiki closed her eyes and breathed deeply, steeling herself for what she was about to say next. "All right, Seiya, there's one more thing that we need to talk about. Even with same-sex relationships, the technology exists to allow one or both partners to conceive and have children." "Wha . . . Oh, yeah!" Seiya's face shone with sudden excitement. "Taiki, why didn't you bring that up sooner! I'm such a moron, I completely forgot about . . . Um, you know . . . Come ON, Taiki, you have to admit that it solves all our problems--" "No, it doesn't. Seiya, are you even listening to yourself?!" "Why? Did I say something wrong?" "Even if your relationship with the Queen was accepted by the public, even if you managed to change societal attitudes regarding both homosexuality and the relationship between a Senshi and her Queen, even if you could manage to do all of that without being condemned or ostracized or perhaps even assassinated . . . Seiya, even if you COULD live happily ever after with Kakyuu, and even if you COULD bear children . . . ask yourself this question . . . do you really want to?" Seiya sat for a moment, silent, stunned. "What?" "Do you *want* to have children?" "Well . . . I don't know . . . I mean, it's a little early to think about that sort of thing." "You're right. It is too early to think about that sort of thing. But whatever decision you eventually make . . . It's irrelevant. Are you following me? Your decision in this matter is irrelevant. The entire planet, no, the entire *galaxy* expects you to give birth to a daughter. And if you delay too long, or you simply choose not to . . . The people of this planet have the power to take that choice away from you. They have the technology to do it, too. Do you understand what I'm saying?" "No . . . " Seiya's voice trembled with fear. She was not negating her understanding of the situation, but uttering a futile negation of the truth of the matter, feebly protesting the horrible fate that suddenly lay down one of the possible roads in front of her. "It's happened in the past. It was in the old books that Lady Anya researched. Seiya, I wouldn't be warning you about this if there wasn't enough past precedent to cause some concern. Sailor Coronis, three generations back, was the last documented case. The people of the planet Coronis rose up against her. They invaded her home at night, and took her easily. She refused to fight against them. They brought her to a hospital . . . T-T-They performed the necessary procedures on her, and . . . they kept her . . . confined there . . . for nine months . . . They treated her well, and reported no attempts at resistance on her part . . . and after nine months . . . They had little Sailor Coronis, all ready to grow up and replace her mother when the time was right. The terrible truth is that Sailor Coronis isn't the first example of such treatment. She's only the most recent. There have been hundreds of documented cases over the last several thousand years . . . The only time the ethics of it all was challenged was almost a millennium ago, on Cerel, when Sailor Cerel's guardian Senshi brought an accusation of unjust treatment before the Intergalactic Judiciary Council. The judges ruled against the Senshi, stating that a Sailor Senshi must always uphold the future safety and security of her constituents above all else--" "STOP IT!" Seiya clamped her hands over her ears. "Stop it, I won't listen to this anymore!" "You have to listen to me." "Why should I?!" "Because nobody ever speaks of these matters. Anya wouldn't even tell us about it. It almost never makes it into the history books, only the most obscure volumes of galactic lore contain the actual details, I myself didn't even have the faintest idea until I accidentally stumbled upon the research, and--" "So *why* are you telling me now?!" "It won't even be an issue if you actually do decide to bear children. Don't be so upset." "I AM UPSET!" She stopped, suddenly, her face lighting up again. "But that technology isn't foolproof! It's not even *reliable* most of the time--" "It's different with Sailor Senshi. Remember Dr. Cooger's book? Statistically, it's almost impossible for any of us to have a failed pregnancy. There's never, ever been a Sailor Senshi with a natural reproductive health problem. And our bodies tend to react very favorably toward--" "Dammit, Taiki, I thought that we were supposed to be HEROES! Eighty percent of the galaxy's population owes us their lives! Isn't that what Kakyuu said?! They ALL owe the Sailor Senshi for protecting them from everything evil and wicked in the galaxy, and they ought to be grateful to the Senshi for giving up everything that they hold dear just to save the lives of the same people who turn on them at a moment's notice and take away their rights and their bodies and d-d-d-do the most h-h-horrible things to them--" "Seiya." Taiki placed one hand, gently, on Seiya's taut, trembling shoulder. "This is not the time, nor the place, to become upset about it. In fact, in all likelihood, it won't even be an issue for you. If we're careful, if we're quiet, and if you make the right decisions . . . it won't be a problem. Understand?" "You're wrong. It is a problem." Seiya's fists were clenched in anger, but the rest of her shivered with something that might have been intense fear. "I'm scared, Taiki. Are you happy now? I don't know what you hoped to accomplish with this little 'talk', but you've got me scared, at least. There, are you happy?" "My goal was not to scare you. Although I anticipated such a result." Taiki hid her concern for her friend behind a mask of icy cool calmness. Well, her other goal had been to distract Seiya from the fact that she wasn't hiding her *own* secret problems very well, but then again, that had all been secondary to the main purpose of their conversation. Regardless, both of Taiki's goals appeared to have been accomplished. "But I wanted you to be aware of the situation. I don't want you to make any important decisions without being informed of all the possible consequences." "Decisions." Seiya clenched her jaw. "As for children, well . . . I don't know. It's too early to think about that, anyway." Then her eyes rose to meet Taiki's, and they shimmered with fierce determination. "But my feelings for Kakyuu will never change." "I know." Taiki finally smiled a small, serene, but comforting smile. "And I want you to know that whatever decisions you make, you have my love and my support. Yaten's, too. Understand?" "Yes." Seiya nodded, finally calming down a bit, her muscles relaxing, her fists unclenching, her heart stopping its angry thumping in her chest. She returned Taiki's smile, and although her own was still watery and unsure, her eyes sparkled with hope and love. "Thank you," she said. And then the two embraced, silently but warmly, within the quiet, still spaceship. Seiya suddenly stirred against Taiki, a brilliant thought bursting into her mind. "Hey, Taiki . . . You believe in evolution, right?" "Of course." "Well, I've got this gut feeling." Seiya sounded distant, detached; she was possessed by the force of her own idea, which had suddenly burst forth from the farthest, most repressed regions of her mind and now gripped her entire being with such a feverish intensity that she just *knew* she was right about it. "We're Sailor Senshi, right? The existence of our . . . species, if you want to think about it like that . . . depends on us reproducing our Sailor Crystals . . . er, right?" "Right. That's the *point* of what I've been trying to tell you--" "No, no. Listen to me." Seiya closed her eyes. "The Crystals can evolve and adapt. I may not pass my Crystal on to my biological daughter. I may never even have a biological daughter. If I don't, when the time is right, the Crystal will CHOOSE a proper successor for me, and reproduce itself within that person's heart." Taiki pulled away from Seiya, quickly, and eyed her with a mixture of curiosity and fear. "Seiya . . . that's crazy." "No, it's not." Seiya's eyes were still closed, a faint smile danced across her lips, and her face glowed with utter peace and contentment. Her voice still sounded distant, distracted. She was speaking as if she were a woman possessed. Taiki wondered, not quite idly, if that were really the case. "I feel it in my bones. It's the truth. I can . . . I can almost see the future . . . " "Seiya!" Taiki slapped her lightly across the face. "Seiya, snap out of it! NOW!" Seiya blinked, shaking her head in confusion. "Hey, what was that for?!" she protested indignantly, rubbing her sore cheek. Her voice was back to normal. Taiki breathed a silent, mental sigh of relief. "You were scaring me." "I was? How?" Taiki shrugged, deciding not to press the issue. It had only frightened her a little bit, after all; she had a gut feeling that whatever had taken such a sudden and complete hold on Seiya was . . . benevolent? Maybe yes, maybe no. But Taiki would have sensed it if there were any danger involved, or any intent to harm either of them. < . . . .> "Yoo-hoo, Kinmoku to Taiki!" Seiya waved her hand in front of Taiki's startled face. "Geez, I hate it when you go all introspective on me. I can just *tell* when you're having a mental argument with yourself. You get this hilarious expression on your face--" "I'm sorry. I must be getting tired." Taiki yawned - perfect timing. "I need to get to bed." "Me too, I guess." Seiya shuddered. "I've got a lot to think about." "Hey, don't worry too much about it, okay? We've got problems to address, that's undeniable; but they will take a great deal of time, and slow, careful planning, to resolve. You can't do anything on your own tonight. You - and me - both of us - need to rest and conserve our energy." "Right." Seiya nodded gravely. "Get the book. Bring it back home as quickly as possible. Defeat Malathos. That's our first priority." Then she yawned, her shoulders slumping forward. "I think it's past my bedtime," she joked wearily. "Good night, Seiya." "Good night, Taiki." No more than fifteen minutes later, the entire spaceship was cloaked in darkness and silence, as the three Senshi slept soundly in their beds. - end part twelve -