Senshi (Guardians)

The next day there was only a morning math test, so school was out early. Kyoko, Ami and some of the other girls met Hana at Niji studios and they drove to the magazine shoot with all of the dresses that Hana wanted to feature in the magazine. The biggest hit was the wedding dress. Kyoko was wearing her crown and the crown jewels that Thael had given her. Everyone at the shoot was awed by her beauty and demeanor. Hana and Ami chan cried when they saw Kyoko in all her splendor.

Kyoko didn’t seem to notice that everyone was treating her differently. She still chatted with everyone regardless of who they were. Her smile and cheerfulness endeared her in everyone’s hearts. When the shoot was over, Hana hugged her and thanked her while crying at the same time.

“You look so beautiful in my dresses. Thank you, Kyoko sama.”

“I should thank you, for the honor you give me by letting me wear them.”

Friday afternoon, the driver stopped the tour bus in front of the school. Thael exited the bus and greeted the students anxiously waiting for their trip to Taelon. Some of the girls had their parents with them to see them off. The driver opened the storage compartments on the side of the bus and helped the girls put their bags inside.

Takeda Sensei came over to Thael. “Everyone is here, Thael sama. We’re all looking forward to our trip.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to it myself.”

Kyoko was standing by the bus door. “Okay, everyone, let’s get going. We have to be at the airport by six.”

When everyone was aboard, Thael stood at the front of the bus with Kyoko.

Thael spoke up: “Can everyone hear me?”

“Hai!”

“Good. I need to say a few things before we get to the airport. First: Thank you all for being our friends and sharing this trip with us. Second: All your dresses for the ceremony are already on Taelon waiting for you. Hiro and Leura went earlier today with them.

“Third: Since you’ll all be staying in a strange place, we’ve arranged for you to share rooms. Three to a room; except Takeda Sensei, she’ll have a room of her own. There are chambermaids to help you dress, change your bedding, etc. so it will be a little like staying at a hotel. Please remember that we treat out staff with respect and dignity. They aren’t slaves nor are they just paid servants. They are part of our family.

“Fourth: Your rooms all have adjoining doors that you can open to connect you to each other’s rooms, if you want. Tonight, we’ll give you a small tour of the palace and introduce you to the people who work there. If you like, you can all have a slumber party tonight. Dinner is at eight, so before that you’re free to wander as you wish.

“The Larrians have graciously sent volunteers to be chambermaids for the occasion, so you’ll get to meet more of Leura’s people.

“Fifth: As you know we are going to the Airport. There are too many of you to fit in our ambassadorial ship, so I’ve arranged a treat. We’re all going in a flying saucer.”

There were various expressions of excitement from the girls like:

“Sugoi!”

“Saikou!”

“Lastly: I know you’ll all be on your best behavior so that Takeda Sensei can have some vacation time too. We promised your families to look out for you. One of those ways is with our palace staff and the Guardians. There isn’t any danger in the royal palace or on the grounds. In fact most of inhabited Taelon is pretty safe. You’ll find the people friendly and very much like people here on Earth.

“You’ve all met Captain Watanabe Shinto – Kyoko sama’s brother – and you’ve met Commander Watanabe Una. They have decided to take the next step in their marriage. They will be having a Bonding ceremony at the Shrine of the Singing Stones tonight at ten. I know you’ve seen our Vid, but to experience a bonding in person is breathtaking. When you are surrounded by the sound of the Singing Stones… I can’t describe it. I’m sure it will be one of the best experiences of your life.

“Gomenasai, O Kyoko sama, I seem to be talking too much. I’m sure you would like to say a few words too.”

She chuckled. “While we’re traveling to the Airport, I thought I would tell you something about Taelon marriage and bonding. There are three basic steps. The choosing, the bonding, and the public ceremony…”

She went on to explain how important and serious the three steps are. Before anyone realized it the bus was pulling into the airport and heading for the tarmac. Kyoko finished her story just as they entered the gates. The bus stopped on an empty part of the field. The girls left the bus and retrieved their luggage. They stood for a few minutes, talking among themselves.

There was a whirring sound. They looked up and a large disc shaped craft was descending near the spot they were standing; three landing gear folded out of the bottom of the saucer as it slowly set down on the helicopter pad. The whirring noise stopped. A stairway dropped slowly in front of them. At the top of the stairs there stood a familiar figure.

“Una,” Ami chan exclamed… “It’s Una!”

Una waved and beckoned them to climb the stairs. When they reached the top, Una greeted them and told them to go inside.

“What about the rest of our luggage?” Takeda sensei asked.

“No problem. Take a look.”

They all looked down on the tarmac where their luggage was piled. It glowed, shimmered and disappeared.

“Sugoi!” Ami exclaimed, “What happened to it?”

“It was transported directly to Taelon. You won’t need it until we land there anyway,” Una said.

“How long does it take to get to Taelon, Una San?”

“Good question, Naru chan, it’s forty-five light years away. However, for us, it’s only a matter of minutes.

You can all watch from the observation deck. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.”

By the time they got to the observation deck all they could see were stars.

Miss Takeda was the first to speak: “What happened to the airport?”

Kyoko chuckled, “If you look behind us, you’ll see where it is.”

They all turned around and saw the earth getting smaller and smaller.

“Now,” Kyoko continued, “If you look out the front, you can see the moon.”

Thael spoke: “Minna, don’t let our speed frighten you. Distances in space can be quite vast, so it takes a fast ship to traverse them without taking days or months, or in some cases, years to get to your destination. My ambassadorial shuttle is capable of light speed when there are no jump gates available.”

“What’s a jump gate?” Takeda sensei asked.

“You’ll see one soon, but to put it in simple terms: It’s a pair of gates that create a wormhole from one gate to the other gate which is tuned to its frequency.” Seeing their blank faces he looked at Kyoko for help.

“What he means is that it’s like a superhighway in space that allows us to take a short cut from one place to another. A journey that would take years, only takes minutes.”

“Oh…” The girls all nodded.

“Sugoi.”

Ami chan raised her hand.

“Yes, Ami chan?”

“Does that mean we’ll get to see one up close, Thael sama?”

“Yes. We will be using one to get to Taelon, because Taelon is on the other side of the Milky Way. It would take years, even at light speed, to get there without the gate.”

“When Thael first took me to Taelon, we jumped from the backside of the moon. It was a beautiful experience,” Kyoko said.

Thael added: “If you’ll look ahead of us you can see the ring of purplish lights that identify the Taelon jump gate. In a few seconds we’ll go through it. You might get a little dizzy from the light show, so I suggest you hold onto the rails in front of you.”

The girls barely had time to grasp the rail when the saucer entered the gate. The sky filled with the firefly effect. They danced and flew all around the ship. Before anyone could express their feelings about it, the ship came out the other gate and slowed down.

There was a pause and then the room filled with applause and comments about the beautiful lights.

Kyoko spoke up: “Minna, look out the window. That beautiful purple planet on the right is Taelon.”

“What’s that bright purplish blue spot, Kyoko sama?” Yamada chan asked.

“That is the valley of the singing stones. When I first saw it, it looked like a big black spot because they were asleep.”

They passed Guardian One without a hitch. As soon as they approached, sergeant Thorn greeted them and immediately cleared them for Taelon space.

The saucer landed in the same area Thael’s ambassadorial shuttle had landed before. There were nine smaller ships lined up on the left side. Each one had an Imperial Guardian standing in front of it. As the group came down the stairs led by Thael, Kyoko, Shinto, and Una, the nine Guardians saluted. Thael saluted them. When they pointed their swords downward, their weapons immediately disappeared.

As they passed through the double line of saluting palace guards the girls looked from side to side.

“They’re all girls!” Ami chan exclamed.

Thael stopped the group. “Yes, the palace guardians and Imperial Guardians are all female. It’s a tradition that started thousands of years ago that continues today. These ladies are daughters of the Guardians that came before, who were daughters of the Guardians who came before that. These people are from generations of specialized warriors. The Palace Guardians are Elite Senshi. They are well trained in many forms of fighting and weaponry and protect the Palace from invaders. The Imperial Guardians in black are the elite of the elite. It’s their duty to personally protect the royal family. Let’s go in now, they are waiting for us.

They continued forward between the saluting palace Guardians and through the palace doors. After the introductions to the staff, they were shown to their rooms.

While they unpacked their clothes, Yamada Chan asked, “Kyoko sama? What will we wear to dinner? The only suitable dress I have to wear is my Hana creation for tomorrow’s ceremony, but it will look funny if I wear it to dinner tonight and again tomorrow for the service.”

Kyoko chuckled, “Open that closet.”

She opened the door Kyoko had indicated and saw her formal for the ceremony, but there were two other dresses there as well. It was the same for the other girls.

“What…?”

“Hana made everyone three dresses: one dress for the ceremony, and two to wear around the palace. They are mostly for eating with the King and Queen, or playing croquet in the garden with them. You can wear your regular clothes for just everyday use, if you’d rather. The chambermaids will do your hair for you.”

Yamada chan hugged Kyoko, “Thank you so much! You’ve been so kind to us even though we treated you pretty badly before. You really are a proper Princess.” She bowed with respect, “I’m so happy for you and Thael sama.” The other girls all bowed and thanked her.

“Zenzen, we are all friends now. Hana knew one dress wouldn’t do for a palace visit, so she made two more because this weekend, you are all beautiful Princesses who live in a beautiful crystal palace. If you look in the vanity drawers, you’ll see names written on jewelry boxes. On each vanity are jeweled tiaras for you to wear with your Hana dresses.

“Please remember, that as honorary Taelon Princesses, you must behave like one. Taelon Princesses always treat the people who serve them with respect and dignity. Leura, for instance, is more family and friend than servant.”

The girls dressed for dinner. The chambermaids helped the girls with their hair, clothing, and jewelry. When all the girls saw each other, they couldn’t believe how royal everyone looked.

After meeting the King and Queen, they all sat around a long dinner table. The King and Queen sat at one end while Thael and Kyoko sat at the other. Miss Takeda was invited to sit next to the Queen. The girls were all on their best behavior. At the end of the meal, the King complimented them for being so mature and polite.

“I must say, you all look like Proper Taelon Princesses tonight. In honor of your visit I am proclaiming you to be honorary princesses of Taelon. From this day forward you have the title and respect that goes with it. This includes Takeda sensei. You must all remember to address her as Takeda sama when you greet her.”

The Queen spoke next: “Yes, and you are all welcome to visit Taelon any time you wish. My husband and I will look forward to it. I hear you have an appointment at the Shrine of the Singing Stones tonight. Kyoko sama’s brother is bonding with Una. She is one of our best Guardians and has almost as many commendations as our Grandson, Paru. We have always considered her to be a part of our family.

“The Imperial shuttle will leave for the shrine in about twenty minutes, so you should all go freshen up.”