The Day a Train Fell From the Sky {1/1}
The Day A Train Fell From The Sky.
A Sailor Moon / Galaxy Express 999 crossover by Tim Nolan.
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com
Please see the comments following the story for continuity
information. This story is based on the Sailor Moon manga,
and not the anime.
****
The Day A Train Fell From The Sky
There's no winner of this fight as I collapse,
now exhausted
I look to the stars above and don't even have the
strength to cry
I don't need, don't need yesterday anymore
I don't need dreams that have crumbled away.
- from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083. ' The Winner' lyrics
by Yoshihiko Ando
Setsuna smiled, hearing the faint click of a door
closing upstairs. Michiru and Haruka had earned their rest
tonight, that was certain. Her being away on a short
business trip as part of her subterfuge for her college
job this last week had not been easy on the two women.
Hotaru was far more a handful than most children of her
apparent age. It had only been a few months since the
child's rebirth, but she already looked two.
The difficulty was that one moment, Hotaru was acting
like she was two, and an hour later she was asking for more
books to read. These changes, along, with a steady stream
of questions about the world when she was acting older,
were just some of the things that let them know they did
not have a normal child here.
Thankfully, Hotaru was quiet now. The pajama-clad
girl was stretched out on the floor of the den near the
fireplace with an astronomy book in front of her, but
looked to be on the edge of falling asleep. It was warm
enough that the fireplace was not needed, and the split
logs in the rack were going to be decorative until
late autumn.
" Tired?" Setsuna asked. Hotaru murmured an
affirmative, and her eyes slid closed for a minute. When
they next opened, Setsuna could see her looking down
at the book and frowning like she couldn't make out
what the words and pictures were saying.
The poor girl, the woman sighed inwardly. To be
changing like that must be torture enough, and far
worse to know that it was happening. A temper tantrum
often accompanied the brief regressions back to
Hotaru's apparent age, and it was best to defuse
this quickly before the girl got too upset. " How
about you put that book away, Hotaru-chan, and I'll
read one of yours to you?"
" Hai, Setsuna-mama," the child agreed, yawned,
and stood before making her way over to the bookcase
that took up one wall of the room. Hotaru had her own
shelf of books and looked them over. Her eye was caught
by an old book with a crack in the old leather of the
binding in the shelf just above her own books.
" This sounds like one of my books," Hotaru
commented, looking over at the woman as she pointed
the book out. " ' The Day a Tra-," she stammered, unable
to form the words she could read. Setsuna rushed over
and picked the girl up, and tightly hugged her.
" It's called ' The Day a Train Fell from the
Sky'," she said, kissing Hotaru on the cheek. She
managed to keep holding Hotaru and still pick up the
book off of the shelf, and returned to her seat on
the couch. Arms still around the girl, the woman
rocked her gently, and whispered to her that things
would be all right soon.
By that time, though, Hotaru was crying, tears
of frustration making their way in two shiny trails
down the girl's cheeks. Setsuna was crying as well,
shivering at the idea of such torment. Three weeks
now this had been happening, and Hotaru showed no
signs of stability. She was getting smarter, and
more aware of those times where she was not.
Something was forcing this to happen, that
much was clear, but none of them had any idea of
why. After they'd taken up raising Hotaru, they had
discovered they had lost their powers, and had no
way of becoming a Senshi in order to check with their
Guardians in their castles.
Her soothing the girl worked eventually, and
she felt Hotaru relax and go limp. Setsuna leaned back,
and glanced at the book.
" Perhaps I won't read you that one, Hotaru-chan,"
she said softly. " It isn't a true story, first of all,
and I think I should tell you a special one right now."
" Why isn't true?" the girl sleepily asked,
looking up at Setsuna with her large, violet eyes. The
woman laughed softly, and leaned forward to give the
child a kiss on the forehead.
" It's about a train that came down from the sky. A
man named Augustus wrote it, and it was found in his
journals in the late twenties. There's a train that flies
to the stars, and all sorts of fanciful things. People
going to the moon, fighting monsters and finding riches."
" You still haven't said why it wasn't true," the
girl objected.
" Augustus read Wells and Verne, and probably
used ideas he'd gotten from them. He was a good
storyteller, you see, but not an original one. I knew
Gus, and I was there the only day that Gus could have
gotten the idea. None of what he says happened
actually happened that day, except for one important
thing, Hotaru-chan.
" A train did fall from the sky."
****
Grangeville was a small town in the central valley
of California. The houses and shops along the two streets
were mostly new, like the train station and warehouse
at the end of one of the streets. Flat-faced, square
and made of cheap wood, they had no admirers save those
who owned said properties. Further back, though, an
older influence was at work, small villas built in
a Spanish or Mexican style, with stucco walls
surrounding trees and gardens.
The train tracks went east from Grangeville for
nearly 20 miles before swinging to the south. The
route had been chosen to keep the better cropland
from being plowed under for tracks. There had been
farmers here well before the railroads, thanks to
the river and plentiful water. The railroads had
brought hundreds of people to the San Joaquin valley,
and now the farmers had enough money and muscle to
make the railroads run the tracks through an arid
rocky area leading up towards mountains that only a
few desperate gold miners wanted anything to do with.
That's why nobody was there to see something
amazing happen. A train, looking just like any other
train, emerged from a cloud and drifted down as light
as a feather. A plume of steam came from its' stack,
but anyone watching, if there had been someone,
could not see any reason for it to have not fallen
like a rock.
Down it came, and as it neared the ground the
wheels all moved inward to match the gauge of the
railroad tracks. With hardly a sound, it settled into
the tracks, and chugged along into the town itself, as
if it was nothing but an ordinary train.
" What's the meaning of this?" the ticket seller
asked, leaving his tiny office to wriggle past a stack
of boxed turnips and run out onto the platform. " This
is a privately owned line," he yelled as the train
came to a stop with a hiss of steam. " You can't be
on these tracks!"
Nobody came down from the engine compartment,
to his surprise, but he glimpsed the sleeve and
shoulder of a uniform coat for a moment. Further
down the train a door slid open, and he made his
way towards it.
" Is anything wrong?"
The ticket seller stopped in his tracks, eyes
and mouth wide open at the vision before him. The
woman was taller than him by half a foot, with a face
and golden hair that reminded him of the angels in
the paintings at his church. She wore black where
she should have been in white, though, a fur-trimmed
traveling cloak and short, straight hat.
" No, Ma'am," he stammered, remembering his
manners. " I don't' know how you got on the tracks
with that, though. It's not a company locomotive-"
" But you don't have a train going through for
another thirteen hours," the woman interjected
politely. " We'll only be here a few hours, and
will have plenty of time to make it to Fresno and
a side-track. Also, your Santa Fe office has given
us permission to use the tracks. I'm sure you can
telegraph them to check."
" That's... that's all right, miss," the ticket
seller smiled back, feeling more at ease. A lady who
had that much knowledge about where the trains ran
and was on company tracks probably did have permission.
" Would you direct me to the Valdez residence?" the
woman asked, and set off after getting directions. It
was not a long walk, thankfully, for it was very hot
in the midday sun. The fabric of her clothing breathed
well, but it was still black.
The house she was looking for turned out to be
one of the villas set back from the streets and on
the side of a small hill. The house itself was a
long, low building that encompassed three sides of
the central garden. A fountain splashed in center
of the garden, and nurtured the trees which
provided the shade that was a welcome relief. The
path led into the garden, then branched to the
porch that fronted each part of the house that
faced the garden.
" It's quite lovely," the woman in black said,
looking around and finally seeing another woman sitting
on a rocking chair next to a table, and an empty chair.
" Maetel," the woman in the chair said, and motioned
towards the other chair with a slight movement of her head.
" Pluto," the woman in black replied with a nod
and a small smile. She sat down, and then took a long
look at the dark-haired woman. A long skirt in a dark
red, almost the color of blood, and the lace collar
of the white blouse set off her features beautifully,
but the blonde could also see how the colors would make
a person not look at her as much as the clothing.
" It's very hot today. Lemonade?" Pluto asked,
pouring a glass from a pitcher dripping with condensed
water without waiting for a response. Maetel nodded,
took off her hat, and accepted the offered glass.
" Thank you, Pluto. That's perfect on a day
like this."
They remained quiet for several minutes, each
keeping to her own thoughts. The only sounds were from
the fountain, or from one of the small birds flitting
through the branches of the trees.
" I gather you're not here on business," Pluto
finally said, breaking the silence.
" No," Maetel responded. " This is more a
social call than business, Pluto. The last time I was
here, you looked like you needed someone to talk to."
" I'm glad," the Senshi replied in a whisper. " It
has been a long time since I had anyone to talk to,
Maetel."
" My work kept me for almost a decade, Pluto. I
came as soon as I could," Maetel explained, and took
another sip of the lemonade, savoring the balance of
tart and sweet in the drink. " I'm sorry you had to
leave Greece. You told me how much you liked it there."
" Too many memories," Pluto whispered, and then
shuddered. " I spent too long there, I know, but it's
the only place that reminds me of my home."
Maetel reached out and put her hand over that
of the other woman's for a moment.
" I was home as well. I envy your wanting to
return to yours."
Pluto looked at Maetel again, this time closely,
paying attention to details. " A new body, then? I
almost cannot see the differences."
" My mother is very particular about my looks,
and spends a lot of time making sure each new body
matches my old one," Maetel said, sadness clear in
her voice. " If I could do my work with a machine
body, I would take one in a heartbeat. Having a
machine body is like selling your soul in many ways. You
can't taste food the same, you don't sleep or dream, or
feel a touch the same way, but it would be worth it
if I didn't feel the pain of what I do so sharply."
" That's what I like about talking to you, Maetel,"
the dark-haired woman dryly responded. " You do so well
at making me realize how good I have it."
" I've learned to adjust to new bodies over the
years, Pluto, but it's not easy. Be grateful for what
you have."
" I am, Maetel," Pluto said with a deep sigh,
and then sat up straighter in her chair, already
feeling a little better. She filled up her own glass
before going on. " Why don't we get business out of
the way first?"
" Very well," Maetel nodded. " I hope you don't
mind the use of your planet as a tomb for the bodies
of those who have chosen machine bodies. While I do
not think that construction will begin for a few
millennia at least, the planet Pluto was surveyed,
like all ice planets seem to have been.
" I can try to get the records changed so it's
listed as unsuitable as a cemetery," Maetel offered
apologetically. " I should have kept the survey from
ever going to your Earth."
Pluto waved her hand dismissively. " It's all
right, Maetel. Nobody has ever used it for anything,
after all, and they will never find my castle."
" Thank you," Maetel went on, nodding her head
slightly in gratitude. "I still need to recruit several
more people from here, but they're ones we discussed
before. I don't foresee any problems between your goals
and mine here, or my taking anyone you need."
She then smiled gently at the Senshi. "After that,
though, I will not be back for a very long time, Pluto.
Several millennia, possibly more."
" But, I won't... " Pluto protested at first,
and then the importance of Maetel's words began to sink
in. " Sweet Serenity be praised!" she exclaimed, and
leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief.
" It's starting, isn't it?" she asked, and the
blonde hesitantly nodded.
" Perhaps, Pluto, but I don't even know where
or when, or even if. I can't give you any more than
that, I'm afraid. Oracles whisper of many things, but
rarely are any of the signs clear."
" That's more than enough, Maetel. I always knew
it was going to happen, that my duty would end, but I'd
almost given up hope that the time would come," the
dark-haired woman smiled in relief. " Now, even if
it's still thousands of years away, I know it will
have an end."
" That's why I came today, Pluto," Maetel said,
and lifted up her glass to tap it against Pluto's with
a ringing chime. " I thought you could use the good
news."
" I could," Pluto replied, and then her voice
became more serious. " What about you, though, Maetel?
Do you know how much longer it is for you, and how
can you stand it? I know you've been doing this for
longer than the three millennia I've been here. That
much time almost drove me mad."
" I must," Maetel answered after a moment. " That's
all I have to console myself, Pluto. My mother has to
be stopped before she enslaves the galaxy. She'll do
anything to be immortal.
" I know it will still be a very long time, I'm
afraid," Maetel said, her voice heavy from weariness. " I
don't know how many years, and I still need hundreds
if not thousands more to help weaken what my mother
is building."
A train whistle shattered the air, making Pluto
start in surprise and Maetel turn towards the
station. " There must be a problem, Pluto. I have to go."
" Wait," Pluto blurted out, taking Maetel's arm
and stopping her as she rose to her feet. " If I may not
see you again, will you please tell me what I am doing
that is so important to you?"
" Pluto, I can't-"
" This is just one planet, Maetel," Pluto
interrupted, pleading her case. " I know you want
to stop your mother, but thousands of worlds are
under control of her empire, and more are added each
year. You've let that much slip in our talks.
" You've come here to see me for over two
thousand years, and only told me you needed me to
keep doing what I was doing. What's so important,
Maetel? Please tell me, so I can know what to protect."
The blond looked at the Senshi for several
moments, eye to eye, then she picked up her hat and
put it on her head.
" Your Silver Millennium won't last forever,
Pluto. The one in the past could not, just like the
kingdom you will help create when those who you wait
for return. Nothing made by man is permanent. Only
the Sea of Stars can claim that."
" I know," Pluto quietly replied, her voice firm
and steady despite her feelings inside after hearing
that all she would do would be for naught. " Why the
Earth? Why the Silver Millennium? Why me?"
" I need your dream, Pluto," Maetel coolly
explained, still matching the gaze from Pluto's red
eyes. " Not everybody is willing to share their dream.
" Your new kingdom will flourish for a time,
then stagnate and die long before the Machine Empire
reaches this part of the galaxy. All that will remain
is a legacy of the golden days. When things go wrong,
people will look back on what you built, and they
will remember being free. Free to do what they
wanted, the same freedom that will be at the heart
of your kingdom."
Maetel paused a moment, and reached down to
gently pull her sleeve free of Pluto's grasp before
going on.
" One day, finally, your dream will be what
stops my mother, Pluto. That's why I need you," Maetel
pleaded, her voice low and thick with emotion. " One
day, there will be a person who dreams of that freedom,
and wants it so badly he'll fight for it. On that day,
a pirate will become a hero, and I will know that my
task is soon to be at an end."
" Thank you," the Senshi quietly replied, and
then briefly hugged Maetel. " I hope we meet again,
Maetel. I've never told you how much it meant that I
had you to talk to."
Maetel smiled.
" It's been like that for me as well, Pluto," she
agreed. " Farewell."
Pluto sat back down, and watched Maetel walk
through the garden, down the path, and turn towards
the station. She took a long drink of the lemonade,
and sat back in her chair. Closing her eyes, she settled
back for a short nap, feeling more at rest than any
time in her recent memories.
Maetel's reminding her that nothing lasts forever
should have hurt more. The new Silver Millennium she
would help build wouldn't last forever. However, she
reminded herself, nothing truly did last forever. The
important thing was that the dream would not die, and
what she knew of Serenity and her daughter told her
that they would not mind at all.
Pluto sighed, smiling, and drifted off to her
first restful sleep in over a decade.
****
Hotaru had long since fallen asleep, but Setsuna
kept telling the story all the way to the end. It was
as much to help her sleep as it was for Setsuna
herself. She'd figure out some way to keep Hotaru
from giving up hope. Things would get better, soon.
After all, Maetel was still out there, riding
the rails of the Galaxy Express, looking for people
who would agree to become living components of the
machine planet that her mother was building. Later,
when the time was right, all these components would
have been placed into critical positions by Maetel
and used to bring about her mother's downfall, but
Pluto had no illusions as to the time and effort.
It would take a long time for that to still
happen. Planets were huge, and it was doubtful that
a woman who wanted to live forever would settle for
a small one. Maetel still had thousands to find, she
guessed. How Maetel kept going on, she would never
know.
" I'd lost hope by that day, Hotaru-chan," Setsuna
murmured to the sleeping girl, and brushed a lock of
hair from her face. " Mine was restored that day, and
I'll find some way to restore yours."
The woman stood, carefully holding the child so
as to not wake her, and made her way towards the door. It
would be best to let the girl sleep while she could,
and to get some rest herself later on.
" I will find a way," she promised the girl,
and started up the stairs. After she put the girl to
bed, it was time for some serious thinking, and
perhaps a glass of lemonade in memory of her friend.
The End
****
Sailor Moon created by Naoko Takeuchi.
Galaxy Express 999 created by Leiji Matsumoto.
All characters are copyrights of the respective holders.
Please send all comments, etc. to the above e-mail address.
****
Author's Notes.
Yes, you're seeing a crossover from the guy who
hates crossovers. For those who expected to see a whole
flock of Sailor Senshi riding the rails on the GE999, I
apologize, but I don't have that kind of a fic in me.
Crossovers are delicate things, and the elements
that make one show work usually do not combine well with
others. However, I thought this story was possible, and
that if these two storylines were in the same world,
these two characters would probably know each other.
Despite all his storytelling skills and imagination,
Matsumoto and continuity do not often go hand in hand,
so I'll state that I'm taking my information here from
the first GE999 movie. The movie seems to imply that
Maetel has been at her task for a very long time.
Still, Matsumoto's works were a big influence on
me. I only was able to see Yamato once when I was young,
when it was going by the name of Starblazers. I may
have only seen it once, but it was not forgotten. The
same goes for Matsumoto's other works, like Harlock
and Emeraldas; they all have a special place in my
heart.
On the Sailor Moon side, this story would be
taking place in the time in between the S and SuperS
seasons, and in the manga, not the anime. The manga
has the Outers briefly losing their powers at that
point while they raise Hotaru, and it is this time
that this story would take place. For those who are
interested, one of my stories in the Outer Senshi
trilogy, Intermezzo, deals with the effects of this
on the Outers in more detail.
*
Special thanks to the following:
Pandora Waldron, for being both a wonderful person and
a wonderful writer. Thank you for making me laugh and
for making me think. Oh, yeah... and she's also a
wonderful mother as well. Her eldest daughter, Myrna,
is a html wiz and going to be a writer to look out
for. You can find links for both of them at
http://webhome.idirect.com/~pwaldron/
Sailor Skuld, for being one of the most important
people in SM fanfiction. Thank you so much for all
the effort and inspiration, Skuld. Your fanfic archive
was the biggest and best for SM fanfic, and simply
cannot be the same without you.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/
Greenbeans, for being a fellow Outers fan,
co-conspirator on the OST, and all-around nice person.
http://www.tyrlen.org/gbeans/homepage/
Jackie Chiang, for being a fellow Outer fan,
co-conspirator on the OST, and for always being so
wonderfully silly on-line.
http://sailorsoldier.cjb.net/
Alex Glover, for all his work and kindness in
translating the manga.
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm
****
The Day a Train Fell From the Sky {1/1}
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