Beginnings and Endings

Written by Nom Da'Gara/Sailor Dathomir and Fon/Sailor Teta

Fon sat in the seat next to Nom. She was amused by this place. It looked like some of the palaces back home.

Nom sighed. They got out of the Eye and headed towards the small alcove. It seemed to be calling Fon.

Nom smiled as she watched the lavender-haired girl stride towards the alcove. She wasn't the only one who had been having dreams. She had been dreaming of a woman who looked extremely similar to herself.

The two girls seemed to always come back together. When Fon felt alone, she would go to Nom. So Fon had asked Nom to take her here. Nom was only too happy to take her to the Maw. Her dreams had be calling her too.

"Dreams are funny things. You know some of the other Senshi don't think dreams are important. Why do you think my dream wants me to come here?" Fon asked, looking at the area.

"I do not know... my dreams have been of two women who looked like us," Nom replied.

"Really? I have the same thing in my dream. That must mean we are both wanted," Fon said, kicking a stone across the area.

"What is that? It looks like a room," Fon said. She ran to the room and tried to push open the stone door.

"That door will not open with brute force. We need something more powerful," Nom noted.

They combined their powers and began to shove the door. A few minutes later, it opened.

There was a glint on the floor from their lights. Both of the girls seemed to be pulled to the glinting objects.

Nom bent down and picked one up. It looked to be an ancient holocube. She handed one to Fon.

"Holocubes? Here? That's odd," Fon said as she took the holocube in her hand. As soon she took it, the thing came to life.

"Whaa-? She looks like you, Fon!" The holo was of a woman who looked much like herself, so much Fon dropped the cube on the ground. "That's the Kshyy!!! I didn't know she made holocubes."

Nom picked it up. The image changed to a full-body profile, and sound came on. It was some strange tongue.

"Well, she did move around a lot in her younger days, but..." Fon put her hand out to take the cube, but at the last moment she pulled her hand back.

She handed the holocube back to Fon, who took it reluctantly. Nom picked up another one, and it too came to life. This time it showed...

Fon's mouth fell open. "Why would these holocubes have these holopics in them?" Fon mused as Nom looked at her cube.

"We should take this to the Council. Maybe they can tell us who made these. And maybe why, too."

There were, and they gathered them and secured them in a cargo net in one of the Eye's bays.

A few days later, Fon and Nom were talking to Master Yoda, asking him if he knew about the holos of the two women they had found near the Maw.

"TWO EMPRESSES? The woman looks like Nom! I know that I was the Empress Teta, but who was Nom, then? There's never been an Empire near the Maw!" Fon cried.

Nom and Fon left, tired. The two walked down the halls of the Jedi Temple. It was void of any life save the few Jedi walking to night meditations. Both the girls were drowsy; it had been a long week for them. And to add this to all of it, there were two empresses that had been in or near the Maw. But who the other woman could have been was unknown to Fon. And Nom didn't seem to know who she was either.

The walk went on in complete silence. When they came to the door of Nom's room, Fon couldn't leave.

"Nom, I know this is a big inconvenience for you, but... Could I stay with you? I just don't think I can be alone tonight. I know this is a really dumb thing but, please?" Fon asked, trying not to sound to pitiful.

The room looked like it had been taken right out of a forest and placed in a building. There were small Bonsai trees set next to minuture waterfalls that gave off a calming sound and piney scent. The floors were sturdy wood, and it looked oddly comfortable to Fon. The walls were splashed with green murals of natural scenes. The room itself was a work of art to the young princess' eyes. Nom smiled in spite of herself. She was pleased by the way Fon looked at the room. It had taken a long time to find the holoprojectors and the time to program them.

"You can sleep in Chakra's bed. She is staying the night with Suta. I am sure she would not mind," Nom said, pulling the bed from its hidden place in the wall. Fon just nodded. When the bed was pulled out, Nom handed Fon a pair of sleep pants and a plain sleep shirt. The two girls changed, listening to the sound of the water falling on the rocks. Fon turned to thank Nom when she saw the large stripes of shiny scar tissue. On each knobby bone of her spine, she could see a small circle with a lightning strike in each little circle. They also spread to her shoulders, ending where the ball and socket joint was. There was also stripes going down her legs.

"Nom, what happened to your back?" Fon asked, entranced by the other woman's back.

"The scars are from my childhood. The tattoos show how many times I have fought a Nightsister and killed her. Now, please, let us get some sleep. It has been a long week for both of us," Nom said, climbing into her pallet of hides with a soft mat hidden underneath.

Moments later, it seemed, when they were surrounded by mist. Fon and Nom were looking at each other when suddenly, the mist cleared. They could see a path leading... somewhere. The two shrugged, looking at each other.

Fon began to giggle. As Nom looked at her friend, she began to feel a strange urge to giggle as well. She tried to hold in her odd urge, but it finally escaped.

Fon stopped almost as soon as she heard the alien sound. What was that!! Looking around, she noticed that the sound was coming from Nom!!

"I knew Coru should not have let you watch 'Wizard of OZ'..." Fon grumbled as they clambered up the hill. The mist parted like water in front of them, but closed after they walked on.

Fon looked closely at the two women. One, she was sure, was the Ksyhh, but who was the other one? She looked identical to Nom, but with very different clothing. Fon wasn't sure she had ever seen Nom in a dress other than her fuku. But that was different.

Nom calmed down and took charge. It wouldn't do to appear unbalanced. "Who are you, and why have you intruded with our dream?"

Teta hid a smile. This Nom was very similar to Lanaeki. As she was finding out right now. Nom was standing right in Lanaeki's face. Hopefully, Lanaeki was in a good mood.

Lanaeki smiled. "Hello, Nom, Fon. Fon knows who she was. Now I will tell you who you are. You, Nom Da'Gara, are the present-life incarnation of me. Amara Lanaeki, the first Maw Empress. Through me, you, Fon, and many of the other Senshi are related. The holocubes you found are the history of the relationship between Teta and myself."

Teta cut in. "The language is in ancient Tetan mixed with Mawan, which has not been spoken in eons. We will enable you with certain powers and the ability to understand the language."

In unison, the two Empresses created two small balls of glowing light, one green, one lavender. The balls floated towards the Senshi's heads. As they reached them, the light was absorbed by the two minds.

Nom pulled out a holo she had hidden in her pallet. It flickered on, as the Maw Empress - Amara Lanaeki - spoke of schooling with Empress Teta - Teta Erenda. It was followed by Teta speaking of her schooling with Lanaeki.

Many many times, Tenchi Gaea and Mortis Thanatos had disagreed. But this one time, they had agreed.

The product of this had been a child. A mortal child. But.... a child who could access a great deal of power. As Gaea was the one with the most child-raising experience, she raised the child in the art of ruling. Mortis taught her everything else she would need. They created a safe place where they could raise her, creating the Maw. Gaea brought her Nebulae, and Mortis brought his Black Holes. Together, they raised the child into great skill and power. As she grew, the Maw Empire became a place for smugglers and the "scum" of the universe. Fortunatly for the Child, she learned quickly. As her tenth year approached, Gaea and Mortis decided to send her to a proper school: Espilce Academy for Privileged Children on Coruscant.

Amara Lanaeki would one day be the ruler of the Maw Empire. She needed to know all that she could. That was why her parents, Tenchi Gaea and Mortis Thanatos, were sending her away.

"Why do I have to go to this place for eight years? The name sticks in my throat!" Lanaeki threw the pamphlet at the floor.

A few hours later, Lanaeki held the pendant close as she quickly threaded it onto a titanium chain. It was to be the symbol of the Maw Empire. Only the future Empress was to have it.

A head stuck out from the cockpit. "Sorry, Lanaeki. We're pushing the drives as it is."

Her father had hired one of the freelance cargo haulers to transport her to Coruscant. Translation: Mortis had hired a smuggler to get his daughter to Coruscant, the capital of the galaxy. Lanaeki wasn't too worried. She had grown in the Maw, one of the roughest places in the Galaxy, and most of the smugglers knew her, and who her father was.

A few hours later, the copilot woke her up. "Look, Lanaeki! The planet's going to be all city one day."

"And right over there is that school you're heading too. Mortis said to escort you. Tymmin can't do that - she has to watch the ship. I'll do it."

"Okay, Sarin. You don't have to," Lanaeki said, pleased that her father had actually thought about that.

Espilce Academy for Privileged Children was supposed to be the ritziest school in the galaxy. To Lanaeki, that just meant it cost more and you had to wear stupid uniforms. Almost all the pictures showed the uniform, which would clash with her black and green hair. Once all the forms had been completed and her dorm room assigned, Sarin left, leaving her with the credit vouchers her father wanted her to have.

Walking up after her uniform fitting (she had been right, it did clash with her hair, and the Med droid had thought it was dyed), she found her room and kicked her carry-on in. It hit someone else's trunk. Lanaeki stared at it.

"I get to this really ritzy place, and I have to share a room. Just wonderful," she muttered sarcastically.

As she was kicking the bed, a dark-lavender-haired girl was thrown in. She stumbled and hit Lanaeki.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!!" Lanaeki cried as she lay suprised on the floor.

"Sorry. I am Teta Erenda, first daughter to Calneais of the Eezthay system. Who are you?"

Teta looked out over the hills of her home. She didn't want to go to the Espilce Academy for Privileged Children. It would mean that she would be gone for eight years, so she would come back when she was eighteen. She wouldn't know anyone there, and she had to be roommates with a princess. She couldn't believe it - why a princess? She will probably boss me around, Teta thought as she picked a flower from the vines growing on the wall next to her. It wasn't fair, her brothers didn't have to go. But there was no way she was going to be able to get out of going. No matter what she did.

"Lady Teta? Your things are packed, and your father wants to see you," Noitam asked. She had always been with the girl, and she didn't know what she would do without the rowdy girl running around getting into fights. Why couldn't she go to one of the war schools here? But if her parents thought this was best for her, then it must be.

"Governess Noitam, are you sure you won't help me run away?" Teta said, coming in from the balcony. The governess gave her look a that said, "If I could, I would". The two embraced, the Governess letting her tears fall onto the girl's hair.

"I love you, my little brat - don't you dare change! And remember to brush your teeth in the morning and evenings."

"Be a good girl for me, dear heart. I promise to come and see you," Teta's mother said, giving Teta a red handkerchief for good luck.

"You make us proud, sis. Tell that stuck-up princess who really rules," her brother said, hitting her on the shoulder. He gave her a small book with her name embossed in gold letters.

"Don't you dare do what your brother tells you. I want you to make friends with the Maw Princess. And if I get any bad reports on you, I will come and make sure you don't have any fun. At all." This was Teta's oh-so-loving father. All he wanted was to make his land grow along with his waist. She was scared of this man, but she knew that she was going to be far away from him and he couldn't do anything to her.

Teta looked out the port window, watching her home world fade from a bright green-blue ball to a small speck. She gazed hard, wanting to memorize every hill she could. Her life was going to change so much in the next few weeks that it scared her, but she would never let herself show that fear. She had to stronger then anyone would think she could be. Never let your enemy see you scared, and this time she thought of everyone as an enemy.

Teta moved softly on the carpet; she was moving like a cat. She was waiting for the yell that was sure to come.

"Hehe, that old bat Latorm won't know what hit him. I wish I could see his face, but I can't be too close!"

"Old bat? I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM! You have already been caught playing tricks on one of the teachers. Now I'm going to make sure you stay in your room!" Latorm said, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her down the hall. When they got to the room, Latorm pushed her in. As she lost her balance, she fell into a tall girl with long black and green hair.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!!" the eerily black-eyed girl cried out, picking herself up from the floor.

"Sorry. I am Teta Erenda, first daughter to Calneais of the Eezthay system. Who are you?" Teta said, introducing herself. She really didn't want to be friends with this girl, but her mother always told her to be nicest to your enemy.

Teta brushed her long hair. It was the first day of class, and she already hated it here. No one wanted to talk to her. It was because her family wasn't into galactic politics. So what if her father was just a Warlord in a blood-stained system? All of them asked her why she wasn't at a War school where she belonged. She would show them all. She also had a the blood of a fine lady in her veins, just like they did.

Her mother had been the only child of Chancellor Binadle, who had money and prestige. But she had fallen in love with the rough Warlord of the Eezthay system, so she ran away and was disowned by her father, the Chancellor.

Teta looked at the high cheek bones and bright purple eyes which were the mark of her mother. Her long dark purple hair and strong mouth were the mark of her father. She had always thought she was pretty, although she never would have told anyone. It would have made her father yell about having 'any kind of weakness is still a weakness.' Her cruel father hated weakness, and had told her so repeatedly.

Once out in the hall, Teta pulled the holocard of her schedule out of her pocket. She was positive that she should have been standing right in front of her first class, Etiquette. The room in front of her was not a class for Etiquette; it was the school's enormous swimming pool. She was surrounded by a sea of girls wearing the official blue and gold uniforms. All the girls wore their hair the same way she did - two tear-shaped odango with ponytails - and the only thing different about all of the girls' hair was the color and length of the ponytails. None of the girls would help her as she tried to ask where she was and how to get to her class. With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the cold stone floor, hoping someone would come looking for her.

The dark-haired teenager slouched in her seat as the stern-looking professor in front of the classroom called the roll.

"I'm here." Lanaeki finally responded, her voice clearly stating she did NOT want to be here.

The Etiquette professor looked over her spectacles at the young lady in the desk. A report had already come from the Headmaster about this one. She was from the Frontier regions of space, and was rough. Well, she thought, it's time to nip that in the bud.

"Amara. My family name is Amara. Get it right." Lanaeki stared at the woman, her space black eyes radiating the chill of vacuum.

"And I will not be spoken to in such a manner, Miss Amara. Is that understood?" Professor Lanai responded, her spectacles reflecting the light from the glowbulbs in such a manner that the class shivered.

"Fine with me." Lanaeki continued staring at the professor until Lanai broke the contact, continuing with the roll.

As the professor continued with the roll, Lanaeki began to wonder just what in the name of the Fireblaze did Mortis and Gaea think she could do here? Sure, these people needed help, but it was more of a "Help! We need a psychiatrist!" kind of thing.

Lanaeki immediately pricked her ears. Teta Orenda? Wasn't she that girl who fell into me yesterday morning?

Professor Lanai sighed and shoved her spectacles up her pointed nose. Tapping the school badge pinned to her blazer, she spoke crisply.

"Why am I the one who has to go get her? Why can't it be that sap that sits in front of me? Nooo! It has to be ME!"

Lanaeki continued muttering to herself as she traversed the corridors, using the map in her mind to find the swimming pool. Well, the part that wasn't busy thinking dark, devious thoughts about that guy she'd seen earlier...

Teta Orenda looked up at the tall girl in front of her. In spite of herself, she began to smile.

"What? Oh wait. Let me guess. It's the uniform, isn't it?" Lanaeki asked, her eyes changing from irritation to humour.

"Well, yes. It doesn't exactly go well with your hair." Teta stood up and gestured towards Lanaeki's green-tipped black hair. "Why don't you have it in odango and ponytails like the rest of us do?"

Lanaeki shrugged. As she did, Teta noticed quite a few things different about Lanaeki's uniform. Gloves, wide wrist bands, tall black boots, earrings, a different-looking badge. (This one was explained, as Lanaeki was a few levels higher than Teta in a few classes.) Even a couple of tattoos showed as the uniform shirt lifted.

"Is your uniform too small?" Teta asked curiously. Most of the uniforms were modest, but not Lanaeki's.

As the two walked, Teta got a good idea of what type of person her roommate was.

When the two girls walked into the classroom, the entire class was studying the uses of the Intergalactic Table Setting.

An extremely boring hour later, Lanaeki walked out of the classroom and into a fight.

About the Senshi in this story:

Fon/Sailor Teta
Nom/Sailor Dathomir