Book I of the Aki Chronicles
Crystal Palace 3010 SE (Crystal Kingdom)
Luna sat cross-legged on a large cushion before her regular morning history and culture class and soon began her tale.
"Long before the Silver Millennium, the solar system was quite a different place to how it was during the reign of Queen Serenity. Earth and Orpheus shared the same orbit, both worlds dancing their way around the sun, back then known as Sule; so-named in honor of the Senshi Queen who colonized this star system long ago." Luna knew her young charges were hooked. She was enjoying herself and smiled before continuing with the history lesson, "Each year would be celebrated as a universal fertility rite. At this time, the orbits of Terra or Earth revolved in a clockwise direction around the sun. But Orpheus would pass the Earth running in the opposite direction; this 'crossing' symbolizing the reunion of lovers after a long time apart. Love and romance were celebrated system-wide and people would come from great distances to be a part of it all. By the way, the ancient capital of Orpheus, can anyone tell me the name?"
Luna smiled, and then looked into the mauve eyes of her daughter. "Mother, I know!" Dianna piped up, and Luna nodded. "Odina City, it was amongst the most beautiful within the Sulean
Kingdom, only matched by its rival on Earth, or Terra as it was back in those days. Atlantari, the city of pearls," she recited excitedly.
"Yes, and can anyone else tell us where the Terran capital was located? Sigma, can you tell the class?"
"Yes, Lady Luna, it was located on the lands once known as Antarctica before it was covered by the ice!"
"Correct, and it had beautiful Pyramids and statues over 5000 feet high and coastal resort communities that proved most popular! Orpheus on the other hand, had its golden granite flame monument. If you were traveling to Orpheus from Jupiter or Venus, you could see it clearly through the view port of a star vessel."
"It's so pretty," princess Eoster, Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity's three-year-old daughter said, clapping her tiny hands.
As the questions and gasps continued to rise from the young audience, Luna was enjoying herself. Teaching had become her new calling, especially as Queen Mercury and her husband spent more time on their home world with their family and traveled throughout the galaxy on diplomatic assignments. It fell to Luna to take up the post of Crystal Palace Head Mistress and she was truly in her element.
She then zeroed in on the three-dimensional representation of Orpheus orbiting its new home, a shimmering yellow star hovering above the floor of the classroom. She turned to her students, "Now children, who can tell me the name of the star where the planet Orpheus now resides?" Luna smiled, brushing her long lavender tresses from her eyes while unconsciously scratching behind one feline ear.
Kiki, a young Mauan student raised her hand, just beating Ukiyo, her brother by a whisker.
"The planet Orpheus was flung from its orbit and cast adrift spending its next few years, numbering several hundred… don't!" the red faced Mauan girl apologized after chastising her brother, "Sorry, Lady Luna, its – Oh, yeah, as a rogue planet, it drifted into deep space with its remaining moons in tow. Fortunately, it found a new home around a yellow star we now know as The Amaterasu Disk."
"Thank you Kiki, and young man, can you tell the class the significance of the Myolan festival?" Luna said winking at the grinning girl from Mau, delighted that Luna had placed her mischievous brother on the spot.
"Yes Lady Luna… At this time, the initiations of new Senshi would take place," he said with smug self-assurance, puffing out his chest with pride. Kiki pulled his tail. "Ow!"
"Yes young man, everything all right?"
"Um, yes Lady Luna, sorry." He scowled at his sister and took his place as said sibling fingered her Lunarian medallion while refusing to meet his eyes.
"All right, any questions?" Luna said, looking over her students.
"Yes, Lady Luna. About Orpheus, after it left orbit…wouldn't the people fall off the planet if it had no gravity to support it from a star?" the young Mauan in his cat form asked, as giggles rose from Diana and Small Lady.
"Now, children, that's not as silly a question as you might suppose. The planet has its own gravity, the only problem the Orpheuseans had was climate control and to tackle that problem, Orpheusean scientists created a shield to protect the planet and its moons. But for you avid history buffs, the fifth moon… Luna had strayed into Earth's orbit, setting the stage later for the emergence of the House of Serenity, and the rest you know."
Luna thought about the curse, the scandal concerning the sibling kamis: Myola and Odin, the latter known to Norse mythology, but Myola was wiped from the history books until her lavish legacy was restored by order of the Neo Queen and the Princess Aki, current ruler of the Myolan Continent. Terra or Earth's long journey was one Luna had intimate knowledge, and she was glad for all they'd done: the senshi, Shitennou, and the new alliance.
"Okay everyone, time out, lunch… boy, am I hungry!" The class nodded and giggled.
