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"Dan, we're approaching the planet. We'll be entering the atmosphere in twelve minutes, please hurry back to the cockpit," Min'Carti said, switching off her comlink when she was done. Sitting at the controls of the Restless Sun, she continued reading the stats while waiting for her husband to return.
"Just a second, hun. I'm adding some more information into the datapad about our journey. I'll be there in a few." Dan continued entering information into his datapad:
3 March. The Galactic Scientific Exploration Agency has sent us on a mission to explore the planets beyond the Outer Rim. During our second week of wandering through space and making dangerous hyperspace jumps, we found a planet that had no current information available on it. Since we were sent to explore worlds, this one seemed like a perfect candidate. There is not even a name for it listed in the directory. We've been waiting anxiously to arrive at the planet, and if it is not already inhabited, the Kinomoto family of Dan, Min'Carti, and Minae might be the first to step foot on this world. It is now ten minutes until arrival. We will soon discover if our predictions were correct.
Once he was finished adding an update into their log, Dan walked to the cramped passenger compartment and went over to a crib stashed in the corner. Sleeping peacefully was his one-year old daughter, Minae. He picked her up gently, and her big, green eyes batted open.
"Daddy!" Minae squealed, stretching her arms out at her father.
"Hello, little Minae. We're going to be landing in just a few minutes. You know, you're going to be one of the first people noted as traveling to this world. You're going to be recorded in history, my little one. Let's go see how Mommy is doing," Dan spoke softly, while playing with Minae's fingers.
He walked over to the cockpit, and while still standing outside, he put Minae on the ground and let her try to walk to her mother.
"My Minny!" Min'Carti said, holding her arms out, ready to embrace her child. Minae took five small steps before she reached her mother, who picked her up and placed her on her lap.
Adjusting her body so she could support Minae but still be able to easily access the controls, Min'Carti notified her husband that they would be landing in one minute. Strapping in, the couple looked at each other, their eyes twinkling, both ready for a big adventure.
"Entering the atmosphere in 3...2...1..." Min'Carti stared intently out of the ship as they began to embrace the planet.
"Min'Carti! Slow down! We're going too quickly! It's dangerous to enter the atmosphere this fast - we might burn up!" Dan roared, pulling back on a lever.
"Hold on! Min'Carti got out of her captain's chair, holding Minae in her arms, and slowly leaned over to the passenger seat behind her own. She placed Minae gently in the seat, strapping her in tight.
"Hurry up, Min'Carti!" Dan growled. "I can't do this alone."
His wife pushed her short brown hair out of her eyes and started turning back around to face the controls. Just as she was about to sit down, a bump in the atmosphere bounced their ship, knocking her forward, then causing her to fall onto the control board.
"MIN'CARTI!" Dan got out of his seat and crawled over to her side. Apparently, when she fell onto the control board, she had knocked the wrong lever and pushed the wrong buttons, causing the ship to start going even faster. She groaned, but when Dan noticed the increasing speed, he rushed back to his co-pilot seat and pulled back on the stick as hard as he could. A bit too hard, actually. The stick broke off, and the force of him pulling back on it caused the stick to fly right into his forehead, the direction that he was pulling towards. Dan screamed in pain, but then slumped over in his chair, holding his forehead.
The sight of her mother stuck between the glass view panel and the control board, all bruised and bloodied, and her father slumped in his chair, holding his head, scared Minae. She started screaming and crying at the same time, covering her tear-filled eyes, and hugging the chair.
The Restless Sun was going faster and faster, and both of the pilots were too hurt to do anything. Min'Carti finally rolled off of the control board, only to fall in between the chair and the floor. Squirming, she finally got free and sat down in the captain's seat. She looked over at her husband, who had been knocked unconscious. She wanted to get up and examine him immediately, but there were more dangers at hand. She began to slide the levers and punch in commands that should've slowed the ship, but it was approaching the ground too quickly. Knowing they were doomed, she grabbed Minae and dragged the crying child to the landing ramp.
"Stay here, Minae. Don't move. Hold on to the wall." Min'Carti turned around and headed back to the cockpit to retrieve her husband.
Minae looked around, wiping her eyes. A jerk caused her to fall and roll across the floor and bang into the wall. Starting to cry again, she held her knee, which was pulsing with pain.
Finally, her mother returned, dragging her father across the floor, then setting him down next to Minae's feet.
"Daddy?…" Minae leaned down and laid on top of her father's stomach, sobbing into his shirt. Min'Carti ran back to their storage area and returned with a small box. She picked Minae off of Dan, and brushed Minae's hair out of her eyes.
"Listen, Minae. Don't ever forget what I'm about to tell you-" the ship jerked, and they bounced up and down, but Min'Carti had a strong hold on Minae. "Keep this box with you always. Open it up when you are old enough to understand things better. Never let anyone take this box away from you. Daddy and I might not be able to make it off the ship with you, but you have to make it, and with this box." Min'Carti leaned over and grabbed a sack off the wall, which she put around Minae's shoulders. "The items in this sack will help you survive. I'm hoping that your father and I were wrong, and that people already dwell on this planet. If they do, I want you to find them, and live with them. Don't tell them about your box, but let them be your new family." Min'Carti wiped some tears from her eyes.
"And always remember, my dear Minae, that your Daddy and I love you, and will never stop loving you, even after we've left this universe."
Min'Carti let go of Minae's shoulders and grabbed the only hover seat. She strapped Minae, who wouldn't stop crying, into the seat and pressed a button. The seat hovered up into the air, and Min'Carti pressed the release button that opened the door that the landing ramp usually extended from. She kissed Minae on the head, then sent Minae and the hover seat flying out of the opening. Minae screamed and stretched out her arms as she was zoomed away on the seat.
The seat reached the ground, hovering slightly above it. She turned her head just in time to see the Restless Sun crash into the ground. The shockwave sent her seat flying even farther away, as she was too stunned and afraid to even cry.
Minae blinked her eyes, staring at the flaming remains of the ship…and her parents. She had no idea what to do; her little one-year old brain couldn't comprehend all of this. Her mother had said something about a box. She didn't really understand what her mother had said, but she knew the box was important. It was pretty, too.
Not knowing what else to do, Minae slipped the box into the pocket of her shirt and closed her eyes. Loud whirring noises made her open them again, and a small stick with a curved thing on it suddenly stuck out from the hover chair.
"Searching for signs of life forms and settlements. Searching. Searching. Searching. Signs of life forms and settlements…Found."
Minae was shocked by the automatic survival tool of the hover chair. The stick with the curved thing went back into its hidden compartment of the chair, and the chair zoomed forward through the dead grass and sand.
Coughing, Minae tried to cover her face from the terrible smell that she had finally noticed. It was like something dead, or… icky. That was all she could think of. She put her hands over her nose and mouth and shut her eyes, trying to avoid all of the terrible stuff in the air.
The chair stopped moving, and the straps retreated from Minae, leaving her free to get up and leave the small vehicle. She opened her eyes and screamed.
A gray creature with large eyes, sharp teeth, and a flat nose was standing right in front of Minae's face, sniffing her. When Minae screamed, the creature jumped back into a fighting stance.
More of the gray creatures appeared, circling Minae. She was more interested than scared, so she decided to speak.
"Who you?"
The first gray creature was taken aback. This being spoke the language of the lost one! The creature motioned for another one to come to it, and it whispered in its ear.
Did you hear the language that was spoken? It's the same as the one who came here before, the one who survived, but only for a while!
Yes, it's the language that we took classes in, just in case more came. I guess it is going to pay off. Would you like to speak first, Sabakakan?
I will.
Sabakakan stepped forward and walked up to the small child, who was still sitting in the hover chair.
"I am Sabakakan of the planet Honoghr. I will not harm you unless you have dangerous intentions. And who are you?"
Minae was a little confused, since her vocabulary wasn't exactly fully developed yet. She pointed to Sabakakan and said, "Sabaky?"
"No, Sa-bak-ak-an," it replied, obviously feeling that its name was to be honored and revered.
"You Sabaky," Minae pointed to Sabakakan, then to herself, "and I Minae!" She giggled and wanted to show her parents that she had just said her own name, but she turned around and they weren't there.
Then she remembered…The ship. Flames. Heat. Big booms. Minae's eyes started filling up with tears again, and she began crying loudly.
Sabakakan looked at its friend, and then stepped forward to Minae. It carefully picked her up.
"Eeee aaaaa!" Minae squirmed around in its arms, but Sabakakan made cooing sounds.
Minae forgot about her parents again and stared back at this strange creature. It started rocking her, and she smiled. It turned around, still carrying Minae, and Sabakakan and all of the other gray creatures started walking away.
15 Years Later…
Minae had been living on Honoghr since as long as she could remember. The gray-skinned creatures, who called themselves the Noghri, were the only family she knew. Every now and then she would have flashbacks of her mother and father, but the flashbacks were so vague.
Sabakakan's clan had accepted her into it right away. She needed to be registered in it, though, and when they did that there was a lot of confusion. Minae couldn't remember where she was born, but it obviously wasn't on Honoghr. Once big ships had crashed into Honoghr, ruining all the plant life and other such things. The planet would be dead if it weren't for the Noghri. The Noghri had started working on one area of the planet, though, and it was actually looking good. But the progress was very slow. Only five blades of grass had grown so far. They called this part of the planet the Clean Lands, in hope of it being the beginning of a restored planet.
Everyone assumed that what the Clean Lands would eventually become is what the place of Minae's birth was probably like. So, during registration, they just put down the Clean Lands as her place of birth. Every time Minae thought about this, she felt hollow. As kind as the Noghri were, and as much as they were her real family now, she still missed what she could have had. But life on the dead planet of Honoghr was all she knew now. She was told she had arrived on Honoghr when she was only one year old, but now that she was sixteen, she basically had lived on this planet for all of her life.
Minae was cleaning her room because Sabaky - the nickname she gave to Sabakakan when she first arrived - was always complaining about how dusty it was. She grumbled, saying that this planet was nothing but dust, but went to clean her room anyway.
On her way there, Sabaky called to her, telling her not to forget to clean under her bed. Minae shuddered, not wanting to know what was under there, since she never cleaned it anyway.
Once she had finished the rest of her room, she approached her bed. With caution, she knelt down and lifted the covers. It really wasn't that bad. Just a few clumps of dust, dirt and…What's this?
Minae laid on her stomach and stuck her hand under her bed. Reaching, she grabbed a hold of an object that was far against the wall. She stood up and sat on her bed, then began to brush dust off of the object.
It was a box. Minae lifted the top off of it, which was hard because it must have been closed for so long, and looked inside.
A small cubed object sat inside, along with a beautiful sculpture of a red heart with gold wings on each side. Minae picked up the winged heart and noticed that it was a brooch.
"How beautiful!" Minae said, gasping at it. She placed the brooch on her bed and smiled. It was so pretty.
Next she picked up the cubed object. It was very shiny and seemed to have a button on it. She pressed the button, and a bluish, 3D image of a woman rose from the cube and began to speak.
"Hello Minae. I hope you're safe and have the box. I am Kinomoto Min'Carti, your mother. Your father, Dan, and I thought we should make this recording, just in case we didn't make it on our voyage. It seems strange to imagine that, somehow, a one-year old girl could survive on her own, yet her parents could not, but we thought we should do this just in case.
"We were sent to explore the area beyond the Outer Rim, to search for new life or any hidden mysteries. We found a planet that had no data on it, and, right now, we are heading over to check it out. We have no idea if it is already inhabited or not, but, if you're listening to this, you probably know by now.
"There's something you should know. You possess many special powers. One of them is the ability to transform into a Sailor Scout, someone who represents a specific planet and fights evil.
"Since I assume you are now on the unknown planet, that planet is going to be the one you will represent. You'll be 'Sailor the name of the planet.' When you first transform, your attacks will be based on what the planet holds and represents. I suggest you transform soon after this message is over, and began practicing your attacks on rocks or trees, just so you won't be at a disadvantage when you face your first danger.
"To transform, throw your brooch, which should be in the box along with this message, into the air. The wings attached to the heart will keep it flying in the air, and that will begin your transformation. And don't forget to say 'Name of your planet Power Make-up,' otherwise your brooch will just fall to the ground. One more thing, nobody should know of your identity as a Senshi. Keep it secret. But if you find people who also hold the same powers as you, group up with them, because together you will all be stronger.
"Good luck, my Minae. Your father and I have always loved you, and always will. Goodbye."
The message ended, and the 3D image of her mother disappeared. Minae sat on her bed, stunned. The message cube slipped from her fingers, and fell to the floor, breaking into tiny pieces. Minae fell back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling.
How could this be? Is this all a dream? Thoughts kept running into her head, until she finally got curious and sat back up. She picked up the brooch again, and walked over to her door.
Leaning out of the door and making sure no one was nearby, she shut it and walked back to the center of her room.
"Here goes nothing. Honoghr Power Make Up!" Minae threw her brooch up into the air, and like her mother had told her, the golden wings began flapping, holding the heart up.
A weird sensation grew over her, as she felt stripped of her clothing. A bright light was all she could see, so she closed her eyes since there was nothing to look at. Suddenly, a smooth cloth enveloped her body from the top of her shoulders to inbetween her legs and wrapped tightly around her.
She started spinning around, her long brown hair flying everywhere, when her legs became encased in high boots that fit snuggly. She began to spin even faster, when a loose skirt slid over her waist.
Tight gloves appeared on her arms, and, finally, a hard, cold metal slid across her forehead and wrapped behind her hair.
She stopped spinning and was placed softly on the floor. Opening her eyes, she looked down at herself. She was wearing some sort of white body thing with a red bow in the middle and a green piece of cloth hanging on her back. She also wore a green skirt, and a red bow tied behind that. Her long boots were a bright red, along with the edges of her white gloves that went all the way up to her elbows. She also had a red choker and red earrings on, along with a gold headband with what looked like a small ruby in the middle.
Minae smiled. It all felt like such a dream! She walked back to her bed and sat on the edge of it, not knowing what to do now.
The next day, Minae sat alone on a rock, thinking back on all that she now knew.
"But what's the good of having all of these powers, if I have nothing to fight? The only thing Honoghr needs is some forests!" She rested her head in her hands, slightly depressed that she couldn't do anything.
A loud noise brought her away from her thoughts, and she looked up to see where it was coming from. Far up in the sky, she could see a circular blot that looked like it was coming closer. Minae stood up and shielded her eyes from the sun, trying to get a better look at the object. It came closer, and she knew right away what it was: a ship!
Minae stayed where she was, jaw dropping, staring at the ship as it landed right in front of her. A ramp extended from the ship, and a person dressed in long brown robes walked down.
"I'm Mace Windu, who are you?" It was a dark man, who was looking straight at Minae, his hand starting towards a cylinder object at his side.
"I'm…Um…I'm…Minae. What are you doing here?" she stuttered.
"That is not exactly a nice way to greet someone who has been traveling a long way. But I shall tell you anyway. I am a Jedi Master, from Coruscant, and I was sent here because we felt strong and mysterious energy waves coming from this planet. It could have been waves caused by the Force, or it could have been something else. Do you know anything about this?"
Minae froze. Could he mean her new-found powers as Sailor Honoghr, the Senshi of Truth and Longevity? When she practiced her Honoghr Toxic Waste Blast attack on a tree, was it really that strong? If he did, was he an ally to the senshi, or perhaps someone wanting to destroy all sailor scouts? But he had a ship. She had never felt comfortable on Honoghr, around the Noghri. They all had their own way. She belonged with people of her own species. This Windu guy was definitely one, but could he still be bad? Something in her clicked, and she knew exactly what to say.
"I'm the only of our species on this planet. My parents and I were on a ship heading here, but the ship crashed, and I was the only one who survived. I've lived here all of my life with the native species of this planet. They want to be left alone, so please don't disturb them. What you might have sensed could have been me crying for help somehow, wanting to get back with my own kind. The beings here are very nice, but I want to be somewhere else. Can you take me back with you? Please?" Minae had no idea how she had managed to say it all, and why she did. All she knew was that she had an opportunity to get off of this planet, and she should take it. She loved Sabakakan and all of the other Noghri so much, but it would only hurt her a little bit to leave. Her heart started pounding. What was about to happen in the next few minutes could very well change her life.
"You have potential. A lot of it," Mace said out of the blue. But potential for what, Minae wondered.
Mace continued. "You can come back with me. But about the rest of the beings on this planet, do they want to come, too?"
"I know them well, and they seem so happy with their life here. But I can't just leave them…" Minae looked down. What was she thinking before?
"As a Jedi, I have the power to erase some of a person's memory. Would you like that? That way, these creatures could live in peace, without ever remembering you."
Pain stabbed Minae's chest for a moment. The Noghri WERE her family. She couldn't just leave them! And to have all memory of her erased from their minds…That'd be like losing them as her family, too.
"We will, of course, send another ship back here with a crew to examine this planet and its people, as we can't just leave it alone, you see," the Jedi added.
"No! Leave them alone, PLEASE, just leave them alone! They shouldn't be bothered! Like I said, they are happy here, except for the small fact that their planet is basically dead," Minae pointed to the dirt and dust all around them, "but I still think it's best not to meddle in their lives." Or was this not the best thing to do?
"Fine, then. You will come back to Coruscant with me, and I will erase you from everyone on this planet's memory. I will tell no one about this planet, though there would be benefits from learning more about it." As soon as Mace said this, Minae gave him a sad look, and he gave in. "Okay, okay. I'll even forget completely about them. I guess we should let them develop at their own pace. It'd actually be interesting to see the outcome."
Minae jumped up, so happy at his decision. She ran up the ramp onto his ship. Before she entered it, though, she heard Mace laugh and say, "So I traveled all the way here, only to stay for less than ten minutes?"
Mace raised his hands and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. Minae felt a ripple in the atmosphere and knew right away that he had removed her from Sabakakan and all the other Noghri's memory. A tear came to her eye when she realized that she'd never be able to see them again. There was a small chance, but something in her said that she wouldn't. First she had lost her parents, and now she's losing the only family she really ever knew. But maybe life would be better on this Coruscant place. She'd have to wait and see.
Mace boarded his own ship and entered the cockpit along with Minae. His started the vehicle, and lifted off into the air. Soon they were in hyperspace, heading towards Coruscant. Minae could only think of one thing: Her life as Kinomoto Minae, who is now also Sailor Honoghr, the Senshi of Truth and Longevity, was about to get much more interesting.
