Future Plans

Nova’s Tale – Part 9

I’m sitting in my library lying back in my chair with a great tome before me just thinking about the last few months. It’s hard having a daughter that went from birth to six year old in minutes but Mina and I have adjusted to the situation and … bonded to her as any parent would to their child. Chibi is a shooting star full of energy and noise. She’s always dashing about trying to find answers and when she can’t find them herself, she’s bugging all of us with her questions. Chibi’s more active with questions now then when she was inside her mother. Serenity is a great help with her since she raised two similar children with the affliction. Serena and I took about a year to grow to the same age that she achieved in a couple of minutes but we were just as curious about our world. I can’t say that I’m disappointed in not having to change diapers but I do have more quiet time at night than most new parents since Chibi usually tires herself out by nightfall.

All the Sailor Warriors and Generals have taken her into their souls. One of the strangest sights I could have ever imagined was the dignified and stoic Kunzite giving Chibi a piggy back ride in the Great Hall and if the bizarre truth was known, they both appeared to enjoy the experience. It makes you think that you have spent years with a person and you never see a side of them until a small child enters their life. I guess that this change is nature’s way of getting humans to grow up and become responsible adults.

Mina had a rough time for the first few days because her body was producing milk to feed her child but that child had a mouthful of teeth. The breast-feeding experiment only last a couple of days until they both gave it up as a failed experiment. Ami was worried that Chibi wouldn’t develop certain immunities from her mother’s milk that she needed to survive in a hostile world. The solution was to have Mina provided milk to Ami that she used to supplement Chibi’s meals so her main worries were eliminated but Mina still feels that breast-feeding would have drawn Chibi closer to her but she’s mistaken of that fact. Chibi adores her mother and I can say it as a clear fact that she couldn’t be closer to Mina than if she had grown from infant to her present age. They bonded together when Chibi was twelve inches below Mina’s heart and nothing will change that love that they feel for each other.

Having six-year old around the Fortress is not what we expected when we decided to have children. Chibi is a ball of fire when she gets something in her head. Serenity tells everyone that my daughter reminds her of me at that young age but I think that my dear sister is mistaken because I was more focused. I had a direction that all my plans were going and Chibi … well … she just goes wherever the spirit moves her and her shadow. Her shadow … Terri … a constant companion of my daughter. You never see one without the other during the day and many nights, Terri is sleeping in Chibi’s room, too tire to make it back to hers, I would imagine or maybe just unwilling to leave her best friend and princess alone at night.

Actually, I glad that they enjoy each other’s company because the sign are starting to fall into place where having a being as powerful as Sailor Saturn around can save my baby’s life. When Chibi was born I felt a disturbance in the universe. A being of great evil was released on that day in the far reaches of the universe. I felt it start it first steps towards its pre-determined meeting with me. A meeting that will tear the universe asunder if I allow it to occur as the time stream predicts. I have to save the future even if it means the present will suffer and may die.

The future … I had to look at the true time line and see what possibilities exist or what choices I had in the meeting. I quietly passed between the moments of the present and found myself in the Cavern of Time. The time streams presented themselves in a myriad of colors but I looked for true time stream and not just a depiction of what may happen. I remember the day that I brought Mina here and later Susan. I lied to them about this place. Susan thinks that she guards time but time needs no guardian because it patrols itself and takes its vengeance upon all those that try to influence it. This cavern is all a facade brought about by the universe to deceive those that are not of time from viewing the time stream itself.

I felt another presence in this place and know, at once, that it was Susan. She walked towards me, “Nova, what are you doing here? You told me that no one should ever visit this place until the far future when its secrets are to be revealed.” Susan, Sailor Pluto, stood before me with her hand on her hips waiting for my answer. I extended my hands and she ran to clasp them in hers. “Please forgive me Susan for deceiving you.” Susan gave me a puzzled and hurt look but I place a finger on her lips before she could speak. “This … illusion … is for the unknowing. It just presents possibilities of time to those that have made it this far.” I waved my hand towards the walls and the lines disappeared. “Call it a crutch, a support, for those that didn’t belong fully to time.” Susan ran her hands over the walls as if she was trying to find any trace of the lines that were there just moments ago. I took her by the shoulders and spun her to face me.

“It’s a sham, a cosmic joke by a being that has no sense of humor. It is now time that I show you what I need you to protect with your life.” I gathered the time energies around me and focused them in a place where nothing existed. A gateway formed before us and we slowly and cautiously walked to its opening. In the gateway stands a golden door and in it midst, a key. I turned the key and opened the door. Before us was the chaotic currents of time, swirling in on itself as it spreads from the center. I took Susan’s hand in mine and together we walked in the chaos. “This place is where time dwells. Think of time more as a living being than a concept. I grow and shrink as one current collides with another. It is never ending because when the ends comes it just collapses upon itself to form a new beginning.”

Susan was just shaking her head trying to take everything in, “Nova, I can see all the points in time … at once … but I can not comprehend what is happening.” I knew what she was experiencing. I felt the same when I first came here but she had to become accustomed to this place because she will spend most of her life here. I handed her the key, “This key will allow you the ability to isolate a single point in time and trace it back or forward from that spot.” I heard her give a huge sigh when she grasped the key to her chest. “The key will also allow others to open the door to time and travel upon a single road. Only we, you and I, have access to the universe’s entire history.”

I saw that Susan’s sight was clearing as she approached me and knelt, “Your Grace, I am so afraid.” I held her hand in mine, “What makes you fear, Sailor Pluto?” She rose before me and took both my hands in hers, “Can we change history?” I thought for a moment and laughed. I spun Susan around and pointed to the swirling chaos before us, “How can we change something that is not static? Can we change the feelings in a young girl’s heart? We can’t change time, only time can change itself and as you can see,” I spread my arms wide as I step in front of Susan’s view, “it can change you.” I couldn’t see what was happening to me but I saw my outspread arms change from male to female and every color of the spectrum. “These are all the forms that my spirit has taken in the varied ages. Some of them never even existed because time destroyed those lines. I can’t be certain that the same present will be there when we return but everything is taken into account. Don’t worry about changing history, history is static depending on your point of view but only from your point of view is history created.”

I pointed to a single spot in the chaos, a spot where all the lines were merging. It was opposite another spot, “There is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, only those two spots can not change and we can’t travel to them until the time is right and the Negaverse or us lie in defeat.” In defeat, that’s the way that everything is shaping up in this war. One side or the other will have to win for the sake of mankind. Sometimes, I think that if I could lay down my life to make everything right again, I would freely give it. I see millions dying in the battles that will follow and over two thousand years of death and destruction. I felt Susan’s hand on my arm, “Nova, is there anything that we can do to prevent the war?”

I let my hand rest on hers, “War, Pluto, don’t you realize that this war means nothing. Millions will die thinking that their death will be a purpose but it won’t.” I swept my free hand through the chaos of time, “Time is a farce. A game played with thunder but with no meaning. No, everything that occurs in the time stream means little except to build the two opponents that will meet at the end of time.” I could tell by the look in her eyes that Susan was becoming frightened of me and the words of truth that I told in this place of chaos, “Susan, don’t worry about what I said. Sometimes I tend to ramble when I deep in thought.” I reached forth my hand and touched a single point in the swirls, “Here, this is a major turning point in the upcoming battle and a point where I need your help.”

Susan used the key of time to look at the point where I indicated and I looked upon her face. The fears of a thousand years shone on her face before she hid it in both her hands. She forced her eyes away from the point that she saw and hugged me with all her might, “Nova, it can’t be true. You can’t die. You have to live to protect the future. It would kill Mina if you were gone.”

I held the sobbing girl in my arms, “No, you are right but the alternative may hurt Mina as much as this possibility.” Susan looked at me through tear filled eyes, “What can I do?” I wiped the tears from her eyes and turned from her so she would not see me wiped tears from my eyes. I have a hard decision to make. It was a decision that will change every aspect of the fight against the Negaverse for all time but a decision that may help the future. “Susan, for the plan to work, you must devote yourself fully to the service of time. You must be time’s guardian and let none pass unless they have with them a member of the royal family. You must hold yourself apart from the others, you may still be part of them but you will never be close to them until we come to the end of your servitude. Do you agree?”

I saw the look of concern of her face then she buried it in her hands, “Yes, Nova, I agree.” I left her kneeling in the chaos as I saw the point that I need to find. I reached to it and allowed the scenes to play in my mind. I collapsed beside Susan who slowly put her arms around me and drew me to her. “Nova, I saw what you must do to save the future. I understand what is needed and I will prepare the future for my task. Don’t worry, my prince, I won’t fail you.” I looked upon Sailor Pluto’s face for almost the last time that I would see it in the next thousand years but I was proud of her for her decision. I held forth my hand and drew forth from its hiding place the Staff of Time. “Susan, you must travel the chaos trail. This staff will guide you and allow you to enter any moment of time that you wish. We will not see each other for a while but remember that we all love you even though you can’t fully return that love until the end of time. Goodbye for the present, Sailor Pluto.”

I rose to my feet and saluted her but Susan embraced me and pressed her lips to mine and with a small pat on the cheek, she left to find her future and I found myself alone in the bowels of time. It’s strange when time reveals your future and then allows you to choose exactly what you want to happen. I am at one of those moments. I can take Mina and my family and hide us in the farthest part of the universe while the Negaverse gains its power or face a monster that could kill me but with either victory or defeat harms the Negaverse for all time and will allow my force to gain a victory in the end. Either way, I’ll hurt Mina and my heart is breaking from that simple fact.

I have seen all that I need to see and with a simple wave of my hand, I found myself in my chambers just as a small girl opens the door, “Daddy, Uncle Jadeite ask me to get you. He has some more information about the Negaverse next plans.” I held my hands towards my little girl and she ran to me and jumped in my arms, “Honey, have I told you how much I love you?” She placed her head on my shoulder, “Daddy, I know that you love me as much as you love Mommy and like she says ‘We are the luckiest girls in the world’ and she’s right.” I held my baby in my arms for a couple of minutes before I hoisted her on my back and take us both to the war room to meet with the others.

Jadeite was seated at the far end of the table as we enter the room. I took my usual place opposite him with Mina on my left and Chibi on my right. I felt Mina’s hand, under the table, slipping into mine and giving me a soft squeeze that was our sign for our love when others were present. I returned the gesture with a smile on my face and looked deeply into her eyes. I hope that one day she would be able to forgive me for what I had to do in the next weeks but I probably will never know. I barely heard Jadeite relating what I already knew. The Negaverse had activated one of the primal forces of this galaxy, the Unstoppable. It is a being of immense power that was involved in the destruction of the failed galaxy. I think I have to explain, when the universe was created, some galaxies failed to support life of any kind and because of certain condition they can never support life. They are just too poisonous to living beings for any race to gain a foothold there so the universe created the Unstoppable. It was the ultimate juggernaut, plowing under the worlds so new stars could form in the havoc that it creates by its passage. Until recently, it was confined to lifeless galaxies only but the Negaverse used some magic or power to disrupt its programming and now it was attacking inhabited worlds.

Something had to be done to stop it but how do you stop something that was created to never rest in its ceaseless duty. I felt Mina squeeze my hand again and looked at her. I could see the look of concern on her face as she mouthed, “Love, are you all right?” I smiled at her before I rose from my chair. “The Unstoppable is heading here. I can feel it in my bones and we must take action against it.” All their eyes were focused on me and Terri finally spoke the words that I dreaded to hear, “Nova, how do we stop it?”

My heart clinched tightly in my chest as I started to answer her without thinking, “There is a shrine located near the edge of the universe. Inside the Shrine of Forever there is a weapon of might that will stop the creature. We just have to retrieve it.” My heart was tearing as I spoke half-truths, “I found in the Great Library references to this sword, the Cosmic Bane, that will be important to us in the upcoming battle.” I hated to lie to my family but I learned about the sword in the time swirls but I thought that it would be better for them and me if they didn’t know the actual truth or I would have to explain what is probably will happen. Susan’s promise to guard the time stream increased my odds of survival but it didn’t seal my fate. The Unstoppable is one of the primal forces of the universe, born in the chaos of the first explosion of the universe. It will take all my power to defeat it and that release of power may cause my death.

They all wanted to come with me but I saw that only Darien would survive the trials that were set for us at the Shrine. Mina took it the hardest when I turned her request down but she knew that I had done the right thing when I explained that I needed someone of the Earth’s ruling family to gain entrance into the Shrine and Darien was the only one with us that met that requirement. Even though she trusted and understood, she was still hesitant as I started up the ramp of the starship that would span the distance we needed to travel. She told me how much she loved me and I return the message to her. With a final kiss of my child and my beloved wife, Darien and I boarded the ship. My eyes started to water as we lifted off the moon, “Darien, we are standing on the threshold of everything.” I wiped the tears from my eyes, “Tomorrow will determine the fate of the universe but I don’t think that I will see what is finally in store for us. I’m scared, my friend, that I’ll never see my love ones again and my heart hurts just for that single fact.” Darien placed his arm around my shoulder, “Nova, you can be defeated. You have stood up to everything the Negaverse can throw against you and you stood your ground.” My tears stopped, “Yes, I have defeated the Negaverse but what we face soon is not of the Negaverse.” I slowly felt the weight of my sorrows descend upon my shoulders but I slowly fell asleep by my friend’s side.

We fought many monsters on the path to the Shrine but we prevailed in all of our tests. The Shrine stood before us radiating a golden glow to all the surrounding area. You could almost feel the ancient air around you as we arrive at the edifice. It’s almost like the Shrine of Forever has been at this one spot since the dawn of time. We approached the doors of the structure and Darien looked at me, “Well, you’re the brain. How do we get in?” I took Darien’s hand in my and stretched it forth until it touched the doors. The doors parted down the middle and soundlessly swung inward reveling a deep red glow from the interior. Darien started to enter but I placed a hand on his shoulder, “No, my friend, your touch opens the doors but you would not survive inside. Only those that can control time may enter.” I left my friend at the entrance as I walked into the light.

As I stepped into the Shrine, I changed into the visage of the Dark Queen. I looked around me and saw the weapons and items that were made in the primal furnace of the flames that brought forth the first breath of the universe. I stood before the pedestal that once housed the Unstoppable and realized that Beryl was the only one that could have taken it from its place where it had resided for thousands of eons. My heart sunk as I thought that my sister, who made me a promise, would have taken such a destructive item to use against me but I was here for another reason. I looked at the foot of the pedestal and saw a skeleton. The bones must belong to the family member of Darien that she tricked into opening the doors. She just tossed the hapless victim away when its use was finished. I wish that I could give the poor soul a decent burial but it’s not the right time to think about that since I may not have a burial when I past from this realm.

I stood in the center of the room and looked around me. I reached for a glaive and noticed a presence beside me, “Susan, this glaive is for Terri. It will help channel her power in the future.” She accepted the glaive and started to leave but I held her hand, “You might as well take the others their token of power.” I went to the various cases and gathered the items that I needed to give her, “The scimitar is for Erica, the mirror for Michelle, and when the time is right, give the large box to Luna. The box contains the Sailor Warrior’s transformation pens and Serena’s devices. She’ll need them if everything goes as expected.” Susan took all the items and held them for the flow of time to bring them to their place in the future. She slowly turned to leave but quickly turned to face me. With tears flowing from her eyes, she embraced me and kissed me on both cheeks and the lips. She slowly faded from view in front of the place where my destiny awaited.

As I walked to the case, I changed into Super Sailor Nova for even the Dark Queen could not control the power that needed to be released. I reached my hand and grasped the golden hilt of the ebony blade and the power of the stars flowed into my body. Energy beyond measure flowed into me but I knew that I had to contain it for my family. My body withered in the onslaught but I kept an image of my beloved in my mind and slowly, molecule by molecule, my body changed to accept the energy of the Cosmic Bane. Carefully, I found my balance and rose from the floor. I saw my reflection in the glass cases. I was now Sailor War. I may look like Super Sailor Nova but I knew in my heart that Sailor War replaced that persona. I changed back into myself and sheathing the blade inside its golden scabbard, I walked purposely towards the open doors.

I exited the Shrine and felt stale air on my back as the doors closed behind me. Darien stood before me and stared in wonder at the weapon that I held in my hands. I place the scabbard across my back, as it had to be worn, and started the long trek to the starship that brought us to this world. Darien quickly caught up with me, “Is everything alright?” I thought for a second, “No, my friend, nothing is right but I will correct all the problems.” I felt the immense weight of the sword upon my back. Yes, I will make everything right before I leave my family.

So ends this part of Nova’s tale. Stay tune for the conclusion of this series where the Unstoppable meets the Immovable Object. Lives will change forever as two primal forces of the universe meet on a small battlefield called Styx. Next time, Nova’s Tale Part 10 – “Let This be our Last Battleground”.