28: Sailor Kastalle
28: Sailor Kastalle
I
managed to get home before Dyka did. I was actually fortunate to do so, though
I did not know yet why Dyka was late. After all, if Bora was out of the court,
surely, Dyka should have been as well.
I
didn't know that Dyka had been told to leave, but afterwards, she and Varuna
were both called back to the courthouse by the Three for an important meeting.
The substance of the meeting, I will not say yet. It will be touched upon
later.
As
I got home, of course, it did occur to me that something was going on. For, in
the front of our door, there was a large man standing. He was Bysey; I began to
worry as I approached the door.
-.....What
are you doing?
-H-huh?!
The
man quickly blocked my way in. My eyes widened, and I desperately looked for an
answer. I could not believe it; my disguise was working too well once more!
-You
can't go in.
-....I......
It was a sure embarrassment to be caught wearing a bowl on one's head. -B-but I
live here.
-Oh?
-Y-yes.....
With
that, I quickly uncovered myself, allowing my disguise to disappear, and for
the true me to show through. The guard looked sincerely confused, and I
expected such. After all, its not often one comes across such a good disguise
as that.
-Um.......
He slowly stood aside. -I, uh.....see......you can go in, seema-ship....
With
a great sense of satisfaction, I proceeded into the main room. With a gesture
of drama, I threw my disguise back on my bed, and smoothed out my regular
clothing. As I did, of course, the key I had gained fell to the floor with a
loud thump.
The
key. I had almost forgotten in my excitement over the success of my disguise. I
was to go to Kastalle that night, to meet Sailor Kastalle. Cursing my
forgetfulness, I quickly picked the key up and put it in my clothing. I didn't
want to lose it, and as such lose my life to the always watchful Astramort.
Hmmm..... I paused. I'm going to have to tell the guard that I'm
going out again. I won't use my disguise.....I wonder why he's here, anyways.
In
the end, of course, I merely concluded that he was there because of Brutus. It
seemed logical, as Brutus had been the bodyguard. I did wonder, of course, why
he wasn't at Asgerd protecting Tsukino Usagi? It didn't quite fit that she'd
not be here. Then again, I didn't know if she was at the house or not. But I digress; that was the last thing on
my mind as I left the house.
-Leaving
so soon? The guard looked almost suspiscious as I left the house. -Where are
you going now?
-Um......
I lied. -I am going to go shopping.
-Huh.
The guard rolled his eyes at this. -Figures. You Themisians are frivolous like
that with money. Just don't spend too much, huh? Its on your Seemarin's budget.
Frivolous?!
I
really wanted to dignify his insult by smacking him with my appendages. He
really was horrid and smelly on top of being rude! But I realized he'd probably
kill me in retaliation. So I left, my anger having been roused from the comment
with no remedy for it.
-
I
managed to catch the next transport from Mehsheh to Asgerd; there, I caught the
transit to Kastalle.
I
have not really talked much about the planet which I was going to at this
point, so I will take a moment for that. Kastalle is somewhat on the edge of
Fruch system, a very prosperous, very powerful system. It is one of the most
populous in the civilized universe, and its largest planet, Ginganter, has
583,000 times the population of your kind's planet. It is a very dense, very
well civilized place, with many advancements in technology and the sciences.
Some may say the Fruch system is even more technologically advanced than that
of Asgerd's, and when they say it, it is not entirely untrue. Things in terms
of people's private needs tend to be done better with better sciences.
Of
course, I have my misgivings with the system. For example, Kastalle's world is
the third largest in terms of population, but the second smallest in terms of
size. Old Kastallian tradition is to have many many children, and of course Kastallians
breed easily. Sailor Kastalle herself had three children in less than two
years, though they were not what you would call multiples - they were
individually brought out. But I digress.
The
era of technology that came to Kastalle created a great problem for that world
- it has become very overcrowded very quickly in recent years, even while the
civilian government has tried to limit the growth and try to pass laws to keep
people from senselessly breeding. Certain families are even forbidden to travel
off planet, as some people use off-planet excursions as a way to have more
children while they are away. But not one restriction has been of sufficient
help. There is no room to breathe, it is said, on Kastalle. As a result of the
population, the star has started to suffer. Even as I write, the condition of
that planet starts to get worse and worse.
There
is very little country on Kastalle as a result also - all that is on the planet
are the behemoth apartments that try to give everyone some space and the metals
that are constantly being used to build and build more. Giant towers to
accommodate everyone have shot up even into orbit, where some of the busier
transit stations are. There is even a special bridge that connects one of
Kastalle's satellites to the planet - because there are so many people that go
to work on the planet, special considerations had to be made for the large
population of satellite dwellers.
It
is to here that I would meet the famous editor of a notorious paper that did
nothing but slander my name in the past. It didn't help that the transport I
was on to Kastalle was packed with people. I could barely move, and I was in a
seat!
-Bla
bla bla. Many people were speaking all at once, so it was hard to differentiate
discussions. -Broke my foot bla bla my food was moldy. Bla bla I have to see my
mom bla bla the school sucks bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Bla bla you are an
ass bla bla what did you say to me!?
Something
that happened which would turn out to be very important in the long run -
though I didn't know it - was that a fight broke out between two young
Kastallian men on the transport. Naturally, as many arguments were founded in
those days, it was about the Great Matter. One of them was a supporter of
BatBi.
-QUIET!
The transport had to stop, and the transport driver finally got involved.
-Punks getting on my boat! Show some respect for others and take your little
fight outside!
Finally,
the pro-Tsukino Usagi supporter was forced off of the transport and escorted to
the nearest planet to be dropped off, as it was conceded that he had started
the fight by spitting on the BatBi boy. Several others who were involved in the
fight were also dropped off, and this was good, because everyone got to have
seats. Oddly enough, though, the BatBi boy wasn't kicked off the transport.
-Huh!
I tensed up as he decided to sit next to me. -Punk, huh? I'll show him when
this ride gets off. Doesn't that gall you, lady, how these flunkies treat their
customers? Like slime, I tell you! Where does he get the right?
-....Yeah.....eheh......
I
tried to turn away from him, as I didn't want him knowing who I was. After all,
in terms of the organization the boy was a part of, I was worthy of being
disemboweled on sight. And I had no one to protect me if that was what the boy
decided to do.
-You
know. By amazing good fortune, the boy was so wrapped up in his complaining
that he didn't even think to realize he was sitting next to a sworn enemy of
his. -If I ruled this world, these jerkoffs would be so much nicer, yes sir.
They'd know better than to treat passengers like the spit on their shoes!
It
was at this point that I noticed something very interesting in front of me. I
saw a red hood sitting in the seat right in front of me, seemingly facing
towards the floor. Only one type of person wore a red hood, and that was a
person of the Bysey race. I remembered them well from the first encounter I had
had of Tsukino Usagi.
-And
that guy should have to pay for a new shirt for me! The boy next to me was
still talking. -After all, I'm a BatBi member! People should understand and
respect that I'm doing society a favor by ridding it of an appalling figure and
should pay for my shirt when they spit on it! I should have gotten the names of
those scums.....Oh, I despise Tsukinousagi huggers, they make me physically
sick...!
At
that, I myself was feeling physically sick because the boy smelled of vomit and
dirt. But I digress.
-Uh....uh
huh.....
I
couldn't keep myself from looking at the red robe. I somehow wondered if that
particular Bysey knew Brutus, and it made me sad. I realized that, perhaps,
Brutus would be wept for by many, if he wasn't already. He was a big and
powerful man, a brute man who supposedly
commanded a lot of respect from his homeworld and from his guards.
Would
Tsukino Usagi have anyone to mourn for her when she was gone? I could not
answer that question.
-Huh!
It was a time before the transport stopped again. -About time! These people are
so slow....
I
did not bother to stay and hear the rest of the BatBi boy's complaints. I
wanted to get out, and get done with what I had to do as soon as possible.
Several hours had already been wasted, and surely Dyka would once again be
wondering what happened to me. If I could get whatever the Astramort wanted
over with in a timely manner, I reasoned that I could get back in time to
confront Dyka on where I had been for the past half day. Perhaps the guard told
her, of course, and she wasn't worrying at all about me. This, however, I could
not be sure of.
So,
I made my way out of the station and onto the street. From here, I was on my
own.
-
I
know, by now, many are questioning what exactly Kastalle would have known that
the Astramort thought so important that I should be taught of it. It made no
sense still to me, for Kastalle and the Astramort were of two different molds.
Kastalle was a sailor soldier; the Astramort, personifications of darkness. The
two could not be further apart from each other.
What,
I was wondering, could have possibly brought the two together to contact me?
And why me? Why not Dyka, or Varuna? I was no longer on the case!
Naturally,
even then, even at that moment, there were several things that we did not know.
It wasnot because we did not necessarily bother to look for it. It was because
we had no reason to look where the answer lay. We did not even know that such
an answer that lay before us actually existed. If we had, then in hindsight, we
could have saved Tsukino Usagi from the humiliation she went through. But what
could we know? The true answer was guarded by circumstances beyond our control,
by people and things whom we did not fathom would do such things to us. But I
digress.
Kastalle's
capital city is called Shoppei. It is here that Kastalle's main press was located, and
it was here that my particular transport stopped. And it is here that terrible
things began to happen.
It
was not a long walk to get to Kastalle's press. The directions from the station
to get there were very easy, for it was only several minutes away.
Nevertheless, it seemed to take an eternity, with every step leading me closer
to something that I really unsure of how it would end. Indeed, how would such a
meeting between myself and one who had reviled me turn out? I could not be
sure.
What
was more, I felt very scared. Not only because I was about to meet an enemy of
mine. I had the feeling that I was being followed.
I
kept having to turn around several times as I walked, looking behind be
nervously as I did. The problem was that, with such overcrowding on Kastalle,
faces blended in, and all I saw was a wave of civilians walking all around me.
I turned away each time, my fear that someone was following not abated. In
fact, I became more and more worried.
-Hey,
yuuuuu! In front of a restaurant, several men stopped me. Smelling their
breath, I knew they were intoxicated. -Yuuuuu wuuuk wiik thet guurly, Saaaeler
Femus. Yuuu her?
-I......
I became nervous as several of them surrounded me. -No.
-Aaaah
falabwus! The stupored men laughed. -Guud. I haterer. She luuks wike aturdy.
I
quickly excused myself from their presence and kept going. Such disgusting
people, with such manners! I couldn't believe how horrible they were. How
people could let themselves get to that point? It was quite disgusting.
Nevertheless,
I carried myself to the appointed place. Kastalle's printing press was closed
and shuttered; the Kastalle work day was over. Or, their work day was over.
People were going to other places of work, but there was only me going into the
Sailor Sentinel tower.
I
looked behind me, to make sure one more time that no one was following me.
Then, I entered the building, for the main lobby was still open.
The main lobby was very large, and almost as imposing as that of
the Court of Justice. It was sheathed with a metallic stone that I was unfamiliar with at the time -
kastar, which in its normal form is a precious hard gem, but
melted down came be made into a hard sheet. It shined, even in the dark, as I
made my way through towards the transit boxes - what your kinds calls alleviators(?)*.
I
went toward the one furthest to the left. As I went to push the button to bring
the box down to the lobby, however, I noticed something covering the button. A
note.
WRONG BOX.
I
instantly recognized the writing. So, I quickly went to the center box and
found another note.
TRY AGAIN.
I
stared, perplexed at the fact that the Bloos Thirsters could have predicted
that I would take the wrong elevator not once, but twice! As I went to scatch
my head, I went to the box furthest to the right. There, a note waited for me
there.
PERFECT.
I
began to get scared; were the Astramort planning to kill me then and there?
After all, the lobby was dark, and it was not very easy for on to spot anything
- anyone - that could be hiding behind a desk, or a chair, or a brush....
Then
I saw something on the note. It was an arrow, pointing to the side of the
buttons. There was a sign there, PRIVATE,
and below it, a keylock.
I
seized it. Quickly, I took the key from my clothing and jammed it into the
lock. As I turned it, the door to the box opened. Stepping in, the awkward
silence was supplanted by the eerily cheerful sound of music coming from
nowhere.
I..... Taking a guess, I pushed
the button that had the highest level on it. ...suppose this is it....
It
took some time for the box to get up tp that level. By that time, of course, I
was annoyed by the music. It was quite grating on the mind, and very bland. But
I dugress.
The
doors on the box finally opened, and slowly, quietly, I stepped out. It was
completely dark in the hallway. Papers and other printing articles were strewn
about the place, testifying, for reasons that I was unsure of, something hasty
having happened during the course of the day. All of the doors in the hall were
open, for I could see the light of the Shoppei skyline shining faintly
throughout the hallway. Glancing into one of the rooms, I entered.
The
room I went into was one that was for correspondents - there were several desks
and holo terminals in the room. At least, there were remains of those things.
The room was violently ransacked. The windows were smashed, and everything was
stolen or smashed and scattered on the floor. I began to wade reluctantly
through the mess to survey everything.
As
I did, I noticed several papers on one of the civilian reporter's desks. They
were ripped up into shreds, but they were still readable. I quickly began to
piece them together as best as I could:
Intelligence Data Rep. SEE
Code 1, No 34874487
Entity G 46.271 draka of
Cau. Signal of Entity S sited in sec. 462514243. J1 initiate Operation Equinox
for apprehension of Entities. Specifics for Operation include draft covert,
code 4534, involvement imperative. Entity G code 156376559, Level 1. Entity S
code 6301978, Level 1. Completion Imperative, Failure not an option.
I
gave a gasp. I didn't understand what some of the codenames meant, but the Code
1 heading was enough to make me worry. For, on top of illegal books, somehow,
Kastalle's people obtained secret documents.
I
should not have read any of them at all, for, as I learned later from reading a
book on Seemarin security codes, a Code 1 data report was supposed to be
totally classified. Not only that, but Code 1 reports were transmitted through
the most secure networks, using a code called the Asgrate cipher. Only sailor
soldiers with the highest security clearances could possibly use the networks
and access them. No Code 1 data had ever been intercepted and decoded by any
mere civilian or sailor soldier!
Which
could only mean that a certain type of sailor soldier helped to decode the
civilized universe's most secretive code. But who? It certainly could not have
been Sailor Kastalle. It had to be someone who had the ability to hack into the
network that the Judges themselves used to convey secret messages. Someone with
a very special type of terminal to do it.
My
mind began to wander at this. I began to ponder more about the Astramort, for
surely, it had to be them. But what could Blood Thirsters know of such secrets?
Had they penetrated so deeply through the system that one movement could end it
all?
But
it still made nose sense. What were the Astramort doing with me?
-AAAAAAH.....
The
strange sound broke through the silence, coming to my ears. It was just as I,
in my curiosity, was putting as much of the ripped up paper into my clothing as
I could. My head came up at it, for it sounded like a wounded animal. My entire
body tensed up, waiting for the next sound.
*CRAAAASH*
-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
There
was no doubt that time. I knew whom the scream belonged to. As fast as I could,
I ran out of the room, running to the end of the hall. As I did, however, I
felt myself run into something large in the shadows.
-AAAAUGH!!
I
gave a curse as I stumbled, but I did not fall. Whatever I ran into, however,
fell straight to the floor behind me, maing a strange sound as it did. But I paid
no attention to it; I kept on going.
-KASTALLE!!
I
ran into a room completely destroyed by struggle. I began to be very afraid,
for I knew that she was in that room. Not only that, but the wall I was
touching had dark blood on it. I could feel my breath become strained, even as
I desperately looked around the room for Kastalle.
-KASTALLE!!!
-...............................emis.........
I
turned as I came up to the desk and gave a scream. She was there, sitting in
her chair, staring at me. She, the desk, and her chair, was completely covered
in blood. Her blood.
-NO!!!!!!!!!!!
I
tried to pull her up as best as I could, for I did not wish to get blood on me.
But, to my shock, she grabbed my appendage and pushed me away. She sank back
down into her seat, breathing heavily, sti. I knew she was dying; I could now
see all of the places where she had been stabbed, including where her heart
was.
-Who....
-.....The....mis.........
She struggled to speak, her breath becoming halted. -The......astr......mort..........not.....
-Not-notwhat?!
Her hold on me became tighter. -Kastalle, why did you change?!
-.....themis............
She took in one great breath. -Kepe is................is............
Her
eyes widened, for her heart finally stopped. Her breath slowly came out of her
mouth, and, with her bloodied face staring right at me with pleading eyes, for
she must have wanted to finish her sentence, she became still and died. Her
hand on my appendage became limp and cold, as if the light of her sailor
crystal had been extinguished like a mere candle within her then and there.
-........RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!
WHYYYY!!!!?!
I
gave a scream. With an angry heave, I threw Kastalle's hand off of me. It
harmlessly bounced back, dangling at Kastalle's side.
Why?
Why did it have to be like this? This was a moment that could have saved so
much terror. Kastalle could have been the key to everything. But the fates
seemed against us, always. First Jyanda, then Brutus, now Kastalle. Each
chance, destroyed.
But
then, Kepe....
I
banged my head into my appendages. I was angry at the fate of the stars. How
could I not be? What reason did anyone have to keep me from what I was seeking?
Why did everything go against us? Nothing made SENSE.
Then
I heard panting, and a shout in the hall.
*BING*
I
gave a cry. I heard the box doors open. With a wild thrashing of my appendages,
I managed to bring myself outside, and down the hall. Whatever I had hit on my
way to Kastalle's room was not on the floor anymore.
-NOO!!!!!!!
I
saw the figure dive into the box. I ran as fast as I could to reach the box, to
get the killer. To get answers.
*BING*
The
doors closed just as I got there.
-RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!
With
an angry scream, I slammed my tentacles down into the doors, leaving very
unseemly dents in them. I barely missed catching the murderer.
But
I was enraged; I was not going to let it end there, even as Kastalle's body was
becoming cold.
Four
times, someone was violently killed. People whom had little of any kind of connection
at first, yet, looking back, were sall omehow connected to the Great Matter,
and to Tsukinousagi. All four times, they were violently murdered when no one
thought to look. All four times, their murderers had escaped the justice of
civilized people.
But
it would be very different this time. Because now, I was mad. And I was ready
to kill someone for it again.
*elevators.