[Ranma][Fanfic] Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty - Chapter 8: The Black Wars "In the Beginning, There Was Death" ======================================================================= Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty Chapter 8: The Black Wars "In the Beginning, There Was Death" Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and copyright 2000-2001 by Jim Lazar An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime. For maximum enjoyment of this fanfic series, please read my Childhood of Modern Dynasty series before reading Adulthood. E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: jim [at] animeprime.com Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for all released AMD stories, graphics files, and other information: http://www.animeprime.com/ff/md ==================================================================== June 25, 2008 (Black Wars Minus 308 Days) In the beginning... On the southern edge of a hot, barren desert, strong winds blew sand across the desert floor. The blowing sands flowed across the sand dunes and piled up against the sparse vegetation that littered the area. Not far to the south, palm trees and other lush vegetation could be seen where the desert gave way to a dense jungle made green by the springs and water that flowed away from the desert. Across this inhospitable desert a figure dressed in a black cloak walked casually across the sand, seemingly unaffected by the strong wind that caused his cloak to flutter. After walking for untold kilometers, he suddenly stopped. The spot didn't look different than the rest of the desert he had crossed to get there, but it was perfect for his needs nonetheless. "Perfect," Shuma said, flipping back his hood and revealing his sun beaten half-male/half-female face. He shrugged off his long black cloak and the white robe underneath, revealing his naked body. His single female breast was mirrored by a penis and single testicle on his male side. Most prominent was his large distended belly, which was shifted towards his female side. He settled down onto the desert floor and arched his back. Almost immediately, a black aura appeared around his body. Clenching his teeth, he spread his legs and revealed a long vaginal opening beside his penis. He pushed with his abdominal muscles and a flood of black blood poured from within him, slowly soaking into the desert sand. Seconds later the area was engulfed in a huge black fireball. The blast sent a wave of blackened sand rolling away from Shuma. When the blast subsided, a crater over a hundred meters in diameter and fifty meters deep had been formed. At the bottom of the crater, a hundred-meter long monolith lay flat on its back. Shuma was sitting calmly on top of it, with two glowing forms standing at his side. They looked like most ground Buyierfei with their long tentacles flaying around slowly, but instead of being blacker than black or invisible, they emitted a bright golden glow from within their translucent skin. Shuma stood up, seemingly unaffected after giving birth to a hundred-meter long monolith and the two glowing Buyierfei. Only the dried, black blood that covered his lower body showed the signs of what had just happened. He slipped his robe and cloak back on and looked around. "Perfect. The desert sands will hide the portal from the cattle." He bent down and picked up two handfuls of black, golf ball-sized spheres that rested in the puddle of black blood where he had just given 'birth'. Gripping the spheres tightly in both his hands, he started walking westward. "Come, my sons, we must plant the seed for the next portal and establish more nests." The two glowing Buyierfei slid in behind him, gracefully gliding over the sand on their long tentacles. Behind the strange trio, the desert sands had already started to cover up the monolith. *********************************************************************** >From the personal journal of James Davidson July 2, 2058 Akane stepped up to the podium in the South Gate's media room. She had arrived at the South Gate in a wheelchair along with her entourage of nurses, but had kept both outside the media room. She was dressed in a very formal kimono and I could see no signs of any of the medical hookups she normally had attached to her when she was back at her house. Although she was recovering quickly from her wounds, I knew she was putting on airs to reassure the reporters in front of her and the people watching from around the world. Akane smiled nicely and did a slow scan of her 'audience' with her head before speaking. "Good morning. The reports of my death are--yet again--greatly exaggerated." I had to smile at that. The number of times that the press had inaccurately reported that the Matriarch was dead was a triple-digit figure, and that's just from the legitimate news media. I believe the rumor rags have declared her dead on almost a daily basis, injured or not. My all time personal favorite was 'Matriarch bitten by Buyierfei mosquito; dead at seventy-two'. Whenever I remember that headline, I imagine a very ancient mosquito hobbling up in a walker and biting Akane's ankle. Then the seventy-two year old mosquito dies instead of Akane. "I owe my life to my family, friends, and the medical team that pulled me through this latest injury." Akane thumped her chest. "As you can see, I have recovered from my injuries." I know she's bending the truth. She's better, but hardly a hundred percent yet. "Matriarch, why has it taken you so long to hold this media conference?" Akane smiled, hiding her obvious irritation. "It's been less than two months since I had my chest run through with a Buyierfei tentacle. I'd like to see you recover from such a serious injury and hold a press conference this fast." "We would have come to your hospital room after you regained consciousness." Akane smirked. "I wasn't exactly presentable, what with all the medical equipment and all." Yet again, she's bending the truth. I know that she just doesn't want the public to see her as weak and defenseless as she looked while she was recovering in the critical care room. From researching her history, I know her early days in front of the media were a far cry from the calm, controlled woman who stood in front of the reporters now. "Matriarch, can we see your scars?" Akane chuckled. "Pervert." I guess I should feel honored, since she had taken great joy in forcing me to look at the scars after she got out of the clinic. After dozens of questions were asked and answered, Shashiki stepped up to the podium. "That's all the Matriarch has time for now. There's a full detailed statement in the Compound's digital media feed." She turned towards Akane. "Thank you, Matriarch." Akane nodded and then smiled at the reporters. "I hope to never see you all again." She winked. "Once in a while you could cover something other than my impending death, you know." The reporters chuckled and then tried to get in some last minute questions, but Akane calmly left the room with me in tow. I heard Shashiki moving on to other business as we left. "Now then, the appropriation for the new Tendo One has finally been approved by..." -A- -M- -D- I walked by Akane's wheelchair as we slowly made our way back to her house. A nurse was pushing the chair, while the other five were hovering nearby just out of Akane's line of sight. They probably thought it would be easier to avoid her wrath that way. "That went well." I glanced at my wristtop's holo display as it bobbed alongside me. "Think we can talk about the start of the Black Wars today?" Akane frowned. "I'm in the mood for a happy story today." I sighed. "Akane, I know the Black wars were painful for you..." "Painful for everyone..." I nodded. "...but I need this information for Adulthood. The Black Wars are the focus of that part of your life. Akane shook her head. "No... in between the battles, there was time for some happiness," she said wistfully. "I'm glad." Akane smiled and looked at me. "I know! Why don't you tell me how your parents met." "Akane, you can't..." "Please?" "Well, okay..." Akane frowned, having expected a bigger fight from me. *********************************************************************** >Excerpt from the New York Times, November 23, 2008 Thousands Flee the Expanding Sahara Desert By Angela Rodriguez-Davidson (feature reporter) As the Chad/Niger/Nigerian drought enters its fourth month, the death toll has risen to an estimated four hundred and fifty thousand men, women, and children. Although the relief operation has helped provide much needed food to help feed the people affected by the drought, thousands of people are still making their way south in search of greener pastures. Unfortunately, this is straining the ability of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the other surrounding countries to absorb and handle all the refugees. Sudan and Cameroon have already closed their borders. Or tried to. The latest reports have indicated small arms fire has routinely been heard at the closed borders as desperate refugees come into conflict with the armies of those nations. With the refugee camps set up by the United Nations not being able to handle more than a small fraction of the people fleeing the advancing desert, many are turned away there too. And so more people die every day. Both from starvation and from the hand of man. Although many political analysts believe that President Cheney's refusal to send more aid to the area led to his losing his re-election bid for the Presidency of the United States, he has continued to veto all the aid bills that Congress has put on his desk. President-elect Hogan has urged Congress to overturn the veto as soon as possible to avoid more needless deaths. We will know tomorrow when the vote is taken, but even that might be too late to do much good. Scientists are still uncertain as to what is causing the unusually dry weather in the area and the massive dieback of vegetation, but they can't deny the results: high temperatures that have never before been recorded in the region, the Sahara Desert growing southward by miles every week, formerly lush plains and jungle growth dying, and--of course--the widespread famine. Life in and around the Sahara Desert has always been poised precariously between life and death. That much is certain. Sadly, death is winning at the moment. *********************************************************************** November 23, 2008 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 157 Days) A tall woman with graying hair put down the newspaper. "What is President Cheney waiting on?" The man across the breakfast table from him smiled. "You, of all people, should know the answer to that." The woman sighed and thought back to her recent interview with the outgoing President. "That interview was a joke. He tried to sweet talk his way away from the details the whole time and he even faked a heart attack in order to cut the interview short, for goodness sake." She pounded the table with her fist. "I knew that I shouldn't have voted for him back in oh-four!" The man reached forward and took her hand. "Angel, you have to learn to relax." Angela smiled. "I know... I know. I have to look beyond the story and see the big picture." "At least wait until our anniversary is over." He leaned over the table and gave his wife a long kiss. "Break it up you two." The two lovebirds broke the kiss and turned to see their nineteen-year-old son walk in. The longhaired, tall, skinny boy had at least a three-day growth of stubble in his never-ending quest to look cool. He was still working at it. Angela smiled. "Does it bother you to see your parents in love?" "Yeah... act your age." Angela giggled. "We're just trying give you another little sister or brother, Bobby." "Call me BOB... and I'd rather get a new car. I love little Susan to death, but she doesn't have racing stripes or attract chicks." "Actually, BOB," Angela said, smirking. "Lots of young women like men who like kids." Mike looked at his son. "Bobby, having a car in New York is expensive." Bobby rolled his eyes. "I hate this city... I can't wait till I graduate and go someplace cool." Angela smiled. "Everyplace except home seems cool until you go there." Bobby sighed. Mike smiled. "Concentrate on graduating first, then you can decide where to go from there." "Oh, there's no doubt about it. I'm leaving New York when I graduate, that's for sure." Angela smiled. "That's your decision, but you have to graduate first. So don't forget that your tutoring sessions start tomorrow night." Bobby sighed. "I don't need no stupid tutor!" Angela and Mike exchanged a look. "We've seen your midterm reports, you know." Bobby sighed in resignation. -A- -M- -D- November 24, 2008 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 156 Days) After his college classes were over--which he skipped to hang out in Central Park with the other bums--Bobby walked up to a small house's door and knocked. "She lives in this old house? Damn... I bet she's an old hag with a pointy nose and boobs that sag all the way down to the ground." He knocked again and waited. After the door went unanswered for almost a minute he reached up to knock again. Just before his hand hit it, the door creaked open. "Oh, sorry, I was on the phone." Bobby's jaw dropped open. "Are you Bobby?" Bobby tried to nod, but couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent view in front of him. "Are you okay?" "Uhhhh..." The woman sighed. "If you look up from my breasts, you might be able to communicate better." She reached forward and lifted Bobby's chin with her hand. "I'm Deborah, your tutor... unless I'm mistaken on who you are." Bobby eyes grew wider as he saw her face. "Oh... my... god... she's a babe!!" Deborah smiled. "You probably should have thought that instead of saying it out loud." Bobby gulped loudly. "Sorry... It's just... err... well... you're very beautiful." Deborah smiled. "Thank you. Are you Bobby or just a passing pervert who likes looking at well endowed women?" "Both," Bobby answered without thinking. His eyes widened again as he realized what he had just said. "Ack! I'm sorry... I... err..." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry. Yes, I'm Bob." Deborah smiled. "Okay, Bobby, check your hormones at the door and come in. We'll can get started right away on your language requirements." She waved him into the house. Bobby nodded dumbly and walked in, awkwardly trying to hide a certain physical reaction that had developed. -A- -M- -D- December 10, 2008 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 140 Days) Deborah answered the door. "Yes, may I help you?" she asked the young man in the three-piece suit. The man smiled. "I'm here for my tutoring session, Deb." Deborah's eyes widened. "Bobby?" Bobby nodded. "Yes. Will you call me Bob now, Deb?" Deborah chuckled. "As soon as you start calling me Deborah." Bobby gestured at his suit. "Does a boy named Bobby dress like this?" "Nope, probably not." Deborah tilted her head. "You don't look half bad clean shaven and with a decent haircut, you know." Bobby scratched his freshly shaven face and then ran his hand through his short, neatly trimmed hair. "Thanks." "Let's get to work, Bobby." Deborah said as she turned around and walked into her house. Bobby sighed. His shoulders slumped as he followed her in. He couldn't see it, but Deborah smiled slightly at hearing his sigh. -A- -M- -D- "Voulez vous parler, ou bien dois-je continuer a vous relequer de la ou je suis?" Deborah gasped and a blush formed on her face. "Where did you hear that?" Bobby scratched his head. "My friend uses it all the time in French class, why?" Deborah took a deep breath to compose herself. "You have weird friends." Bobby smiled awkwardly. "Sorry." Deborah pointed at the book in front of her pupil. "Let's stick to the book, okay?" Bobby nodded. "Pourquoi aimes-tu les chiens?" "Good." "Parce que ils sont heureux." "Good, but roll your 'R' at the end a bit more." "Parce que ils sont heureux." "Better." "Je t'aime." "That's nice, but you're too young for me." "Rien." "That's no way to talk to the woman you love." "Sorry." Deborah giggled. "That's okay. You've come a long way in just a few weeks." "It's all because of you," Bobby said, reaching across the coffee table to touch her hand. Deborah shook her hand out of his hand and swatted it. "Behave yourself." "Sorry." "Now then..." Deborah began in her most teacher-like tone of voice. "You are progressing nicely on your French, but what language did you want to take next semester to complete your two language requirements?" "What's the easiest?" Deborah shook her head sadly. "Ancient Mayranyan-Bolgrias." Bobby frowned. "They offer that at my college?" "No... it's a dead language." Deborah smiled. "My old college professor and I are two of only four people in the world who can speak it." "Then why did you suggest it?" "Because learning languages isn't about what is easiest, it's about what will open your mind to new places and new cultures." "Oh... then what do you think I should take?" "That's your choice." Bobby thought for a few minutes before deciding on something. "How about Japanese?" Deborah stiffened. "I'm sorry, but..." She looked away. "I don't tutor in that language." "Oh, I thought you knew it." Deborah nodded. "I do, but... I have some bad memories surrounding a Japanese student I once tutored in English." "Oh, I'm sorry." "That's okay... I just don't like hearing that language nowadays. It reminds me of him and..." Deborah took a deep breath. "And the Blackness." Bobby cringed. "Oh..." Deborah tried to put on a cheerful smile, but it was forced. "It was a long time ago... I'm sorry for dumping it on you." Bobby jumped over the coffee table and sat down next to her on the couch. "No, that's okay." He took her hand. "I will always be here for you." He pulled her into a hug. Deborah burst out laughing. "I've told you many times to check those hormones at the door, Bobby." Bobby removed his hands from her butt. "Sorry." -A- -M- -D- December 23, 2008 - Turkey (Black Wars Minus 127 Days) "Halt!!" the Turkish soldier yelled and raised his gun. Shuma paused near the small border-crossing hut. "Kill him." The soldier's eyes went wide as two glowing forms appeared out of the glare caused by the setting sun. As the two Buyierfei advanced on him, he started spraying the two glowing forms with bullets. When it became clear that the bullets were having no effect on the creatures, he reached for the sword that he had carelessly used to prop open the window of the hut to get some fresh air. His rationale at the time--that there wasn't much chance of a multi-tentacled creature from hell trying to cross the border that particular day--turned out to be his last and fatal mistake. Not that having the sword readily available would have improved his odds of survival that much anyway. As the tentacles of the two glowing Buyierfei wrapped around the man's arms and legs, his body shuddered and started to shrivel up as if he was being consumed from the inside out. Within moments, the matter of his body exploded outward and spread the black dust that was once a loving husband and father across the small dirt road. "Come," Shuma said emotionlessly and walked past the hut towards the north, his feet crunching on the remains of the man. The two Buyierfei slid in behind him and resumed their silent journey. -A- -M- -D- December 30, 2008 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 120 Days) "Um...will you go out with me?" Deborah looked down at the young man kneeling on one knee in her doorway and holding a bouquet of roses up to her. "Bobby, I'm your tutor and six years older than you... it's not going to happen." "Why?" Bobby asked, making puppy dog eyes. "Because of what I just said." "Why?" Deborah sighed. "Bobby, give up. I like you and all, but I'm not going to go out with you." "Why?" "I'm a lesbian, that's why!" Bobby smiled. "Do I look like I just fell off the turnip truck?" Despite herself, Deborah chuckled. "Get dumped with that line a lot, do you?" Bobby blushed and looked away. "Maybe." "Tell, you what... you did pretty good on your French exams, so..." "Pretty good?!" Bobby blurted. "I got a B minus!" Deborah nodded. "Yeah. As I was saying, you did pretty good. Now if you can get an A on your German exam next year, maybe I'll go out with you to celebrate." Bobby's eyes brightened. "Really?" He jumped up and gave Deborah a big hug. "Thank you... thank you... thank you." Deborah gasped for breath. "Okay.. okay... let me breathe!!" Bobby relaxed his grip and stepped back, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry." He covered his lap. Deborah sighed. "Just don't get your hopes up for any hot and heavy action." "I'd never think such things about you." Deborah glanced at his bulge. "Yeah, right." Newly energized, Bobby smiled his most charming smile. "Want to go out with me on New Years Eve?" Deborah pleasant smiled vanished and she looked away. "Just as friends... honest." Bobby didn't see any reaction from Deborah. "Um... I'll invite some of my friends and we'll just hang out, okay?" Deborah shook her head. "No." "Oh... sorry, I was just happy and forgot myself. I'll study hard and pass my German exam with flying colors!!" Deborah shook her head. "That's not it. I... I don't celebrate New Year's anymore. Not since the Blackness." "Oh..." Bobby fidgeted. "I understand. My mom used to get spooked around this time for a few years after ninety-nine too. She was in Florida covering the evacuation at the time and saw the First's shock wave up close. Were you there too?" Deborah shuddered. "To start with. But... but..." She clenched her fists. "I don't want to talk about it." "Sorry." -A- -M- -D- "She must have had a rough time during the Blackness." Angela looked at her son and nodded. "Those were tough times for a lot of people. Some got through it better than others. You were so young, you probably were just happy that I came back to you." "Yeah... I had no idea how many people died and what it all meant. I just knew my mom was back." "Your tutor must have lost someone she cared about deeply during the Blackness." "Yeah..." "Maybe I should interview her sometime." "Mom..." Bobby growled. Angela waved her hands in front of her. "Sorry, sorry... I know I promised to lay off the stories about the Buyierfei and the Blackness after my last book." Bobby smirked. "You were getting pretty obsessed over it." Angela nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. It's just that I've already interviewed a lot of people about their experiences during the Blackness and there are still so many missing pieces. While some people have put their losses behind them, others can't let the pain go." "But what can I do to help Deborah?" Angela smiled at the maturity in her son's voice. She paused. She reached a conclusion. Angela reached over and took her son's hand. "You have to be patient. Be there as a friend and support her. Trying to force her into a date or into bed will only alienate her and drive her away." Bobby blushed. "Mom!!" "I was young once too, you know." Angela slapped Bobby's face lightly. "Just don't get carried away and do something you'll regret." "I won't." "That's what you said about the high school play." Bobby gasped. "Hey, it's not my fault her dress fell off!!" "I know, but it was your fault when you tripped and fell between her breasts." "That was an accident!" "And the babysitter when you were twelve? And that girl at the airport in two thousand? And..." "Alright... alright. They weren't all mistakes..." Bobby blushed and looked awkwardly away from his mother. "Just keep your face out of your tutor's breasts, okay?" "Forever?" "Well, unless invited." Bobby sighed in relief and visions of Deborah's sweet melons danced in his head. Angela sighed. -A- -M- -D- April 13, 2009 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 16 Days) "You study hard for your tests and don't drool over Deborah's breasts too much," Angela said as she gave her son a long hug. Bobby looked away awkwardly. "Mom!" Angela released her son. "Take care, Dear." She looked at her husband. "Are you sure this is okay?" Mike smiled and nodded. "I've known you long enough to know that you're going crazy trying to cover the famine long distance." "I was getting a little frustrated at the lack of information coming out of the area." Angela reached up and touched the side of Mike's head. "I'll try not to get too involved in my job again." Mike decided not to comment on her 'little frustrated' comments, knowing she was a way beyond that point. "Call often, Angel." He leaned forward and gave his wife a long kiss. he thought, trying to keep his fears at bay. Angela stumbled backwards a bit after the kiss ended. "Maybe I should stay..." Mike chuckled. "Go and get your big story." Angela nodded and looked at the small girl wrapped around her husband's legs. "You be good, Susan." She knelt down and gave her daughter a kiss and hug. The little seven-year-old girl smiled. "I will, Mommy!!" Another round of hugs and kisses were exchanged and then Angela walked towards the airport gate. She wiped a tear out of her eye and then looked back at her family and waved to them. Her two kids and husband waved back and then slowly made their way out of the airport. -A- -M- -D- April 28, 2009 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Minus 1 Day) Deborah opened the door to reveal a young man standing with a test held up over his face. On top of the test was a great big 'A+'. She smiled slightly as she reached over and pushed down the hands holding the test to reveal a young boy with a huge grin on his face. "Congratulations." Bobby grinned more, almost breaking his face. "I couldn't have done it without you." "Thank you. Or should I say danke?" Bobby frowned. "What does that mean?" Deborah scowled. "I hope you're kidding." "Du bist wunderschoen wenn du schmollst," Bobby said and tweaked her nose. "You're impossible, you know that?" "Persistent too. So when do you want to go out?" "Huh?" Bobby's grin faltered. "You promised if I got an A on my final German test you'd go out with me." Deborah thought for a few moments. "Oh... yeah, I'd forgotten about that." Bobby smiled again. "So when?" She thought furiously for a way to get out of the date. "I really don't think it's appropriate to date one of my pupils." Bobby had an answer for that already prepared. "Since I've finished my foreign language requirements, I don't need a language tutor any more. So I'm no longer your pupil." Deborah's head dropped and she sighed. "Very persistent." "So, when do you want to go out?" Deborah sighed again and looked up at the eager face of her former student. "Fine. One date." Bobby's eyes brightened and he jumped forward and gave Deborah a big hug. "Thank you!" "Remember, just one date." "One is all I'll need to win your heart." "Confident, aren't you?" "Yeah, get that from my mom." Bobby smiled. "So, how about tomorrow night?" Deborah thought for a second. "Well... okay." Bobby was grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, I'll pick you up at seven and show you the greatest time of your life." Deborah chuckled. "You do that." -A- -M- -D- April 29, 2009 - New York, New York, USA (Black Wars Day 0) Bobby straightened the bow tie on his tuxedo and checked himself in the mirror. Turning to the side, he struck a pose. "Oh yeah, I'm one fine specimen of a man." "Don't you think you're overdoing it?" Bobby turned and saw his father in the doorway of his bedroom. "No, I'm just making sure that Deborah has the time of her life." "Where are you taking her, McDonald's?" Bobby shook his head. "Of course not! I'm taking her to Spago." Mike's eyes widened. "Wow... where'd you get the money for that?" Bobby looked away. "Somewhere." Mike sighed. "We're not extending you any more loans until you graduate, you know." Bobby gulped. "I know... I'll manage." "Go get her, tiger." Mike checked his watch. "Isn't it still ten hours until you're supposed to pick her up?" "I'm just making sure everything's ready," Bobby said, trying to tame a stray cowlick that wouldn't stay down. Mike laughed softly as he left his son's room. He remembered some of his earliest dates and the endless preparations to make sure everything was perfect. He smiled at the pleasant memory. Finally having tamed the troublesome cowlick, Bobby smiled at his reflection in the mirror. "Tonight is going to be the greatest night of my life." "BOBBY!!" Bobby turned at hearing his father's shout. "What is it?!" "Get out here!!" Bobby frowned at hearing the harsh tone of his father's voice and rushed to the living room. "What?" he asked, noticing that his father was on his knees in front of the television, which was tuned to CNN. Mike didn't answer. The CNN newsreader did. "Repeat: We have just received word from several different sources that a huge beam of golden light has been seen all over the Eastern Hemisphere. Early reports indicate it has hit the Moon just like the Buyierfei's beam did in ninety-nine, but we do not know the extent of the destruction--on Earth or the Moon--as of this moment. Bobby's eyes went wide. "Buyierfei." "This just in: CNN experts have correlated the reports that are flooding in and determined that the beam seems to have originated from central Africa." Bobby's knees gave out and he dropped to the floor next to his father. "Mommy..." His cowlick popped up. "Angel..." 09:01 hours, April 29, 2009 local time (New York, New York) *********************************************************************** >From the personal journal of James Davidson July 2, 2058 Akane frowned. "That's not a happy story." I chucked a pebble into the nearby koi pond and then looked at Akane, who was in a comfortable chair and hooked up to just her monitoring equipment, having been off her IVs for several days now. "I don't know... even if their first date didn't happen as planned, they did eventually marry and have my sister and me, so it has a happy ending." Akane sighed. "You did that to get me to talk about the Black Wars, didn't you?" "Yes... you're not the only one who had to live through that hell." "I know... I've always known that." Akane wiped a tear out of her eye and looked at me. "You win. I'll tell you about the beginning of the Black Wars." I smirked. "But it'll have to wait for tomorrow, I'm a bit bushed." I studied her face trying to decide if she's trying to evade talking about the Black Wars again, but could see her straining to keep her eyes open. "Okay." I nodded and stood up. "I'll be here bright and early tomorrow." Akane nodded. -A- -M- -D- I was almost back to the South Building when I saw Shashiki strolling from the direction of the South Gate. "You're not just finishing the media conference, are you?" I checked my wristtop's time display, verifying that it was about three hours since Akane and I left the media room. Shashiki looked up at me and smiled. "Hi, James." She shook her head. "No, the media reporters left a couple hours ago, but I had some other work to do." "Politicians driving you crazy?" "Constantly." Shashiki sighed. "My mother was a lot better at this than I am." "Really?" "When she wanted something badly enough, she'd twist you to her way without you realizing it." "Seems odd for an Amazon." "Oh, she'd put a sword to your throat sometimes too," Shashiki said, smiling broadly. "I wish I could have known her." "She was a remarkable woman, mother, warrior, and leader." Shashiki smiled. "Not necessarily in that order." *********************************************************************** April 25, 2009 - Joketsuzoku, China (Black Wars Minus 4 Days) In the days after Yukiko and her family returned to the Amazon village, things were fairly quiet. The kids quickly were the envy of other Amazon kids as they related their tales of their 'adventure'. Powder spent most of her time with her daughter, having never realized how hard it would be to so far from her daughter for so long. Yukiko and Shinuma happily made preparations for the birth of their fifth child. In short, everyone was happy. And then the storm hit. Shinuma was awakened a few hours before dawn not by the storm that raged outside, but by a loud screeching sound. He slowly opened his weary eyes and saw parts of the hut's roof flutter down with the rain that poured in. His eyes shot open and scanned the bedroom. A guttural cry of intense pain emerged from his mouth when he saw a small white cat sitting in a pool of blood. "Yukiko!!" The cat just wailed. Shinuma knew why. The same thing had happened during their second attempt to have a child. Water and cursed pregnant women do not mix, since a cat is biologically not able to carry a human child. "Oh... Yukiko..." Ignoring the blood, he scooped his feline wife into his arms and cradled her close to his chest. "I'm so sorry." -A- -M- -D- "Matriarch, you are healthy and I don't see any signs that there could be any long term affects from the miscarriage. I see no problems that would prevent you from carrying another warrior." Yukiko nodded and then silently stood up, her eyes glazed over and showing no emotion. Shinuma quickly slid his arms around his wife. "Thank you Doctor Earwax." Doctor Earwax nodded and watched the couple walk out of her hut. "I'm so sorry, Honey." Shinuma tightened his grip as they walked through the dirt roads of the village, the other Amazons keeping their distance out of respect for their situation. Yukiko remained silent and her vacant eyes stared ahead of her, not making eye contact with anyone. -A- -M- -D- That night, Yukiko and Shinuma slept in their repaired bedroom, though slept was probably not the right word for it. Shinuma spent most of his sleepless night holding his wife tightly in his arms. Her short periods of sleep were interrupted by fits of hysterical crying and trembling. He felt so helpless, but he did what he thought best and held his wife and comforted her with kind words. What worried him the most was that she hadn't spoken since he turned her human with hot water. He didn't realize what was really troubling her the most until a squad of warriors showed up at their hut around noon a few days later. -A- -M- -D- April 29, 2009 - Joketsuzoku, China "The Matriarch and her spermbank are requested in the Circle." Shinuma rubbed his weary eyes. "Huh?" "The Matriarch and her spermbank are requested in the Circle," the tallest warrior repeated word for word. Shinuma looked back into the hut from where he stood at the front door. "Um... my wife is not feeling well right now, can't this wait?" "No." Shinuma frowned. "Can I speak to Powder?" "No." "Can I..." Shinuma's latest question was cut off when the warriors all drew their swords. He gulped loudly. "I'll go get my wife." -A- -M- -D- Shinuma led his wife into the Circle's hut. He was dressed in a very nice shirt and pants, while Yukiko was dressed in a pair of frumpy pajamas covered by a tear stained robe. He had tried to get her into something more presentable, but she hadn't cooperated at all. Shinuma looked around and saw all the Circle members assembled around the circular room. He frowned when he saw Powder sitting on the dais normally reserved for the Matriarch. "What's going on?" Powder looked sadly at Shinuma and Yukiko. "I'm sorry, I tried to delay the vote." "Vote?" "The spermbank will remain silent," one of the Elders snapped. Shinuma looked at the source of the voice. A wave a dread washed over him as he recognized the Elder who had spoken. Calluse shuffled forward. "This meeting of the Circle has been called at my request." Powder nodded, her expression pained. "Elder Calluse has asked for a vote of no confidence in the current Matriarch." "What?!" Shinuma blurted. Shaken out of the shocked stupor she had been in since her miscarriage, Yukiko finally raised her head. Silently she scanned the assembled Elders, appraising their expressions. Calluse spoke. "Since the Matriarch is no longer with warrior, I believe she is unfit to be Matriarch and should be banished along with her unworthy spermbank and drains on our society." That settled Shinuma's unasked question about why he was asked to come, since men were very rarely permitted at the Circle meetings. "How can you do this after she has just lost a..." "Quiet!!" Calluse snapped. "Do not speak or you'll face a much greater punishment than banishment!" Some of the other Elders started to shout and complain about both Calluse and Shinuma's proper place in the meeting. "Be quiet yourself, Calluse!!" Everyone in the room went silent and looked at Yukiko. "This Circle meeting will end now," Yukiko growled like a cornered cat. "I have spent the last nine years leading this tribe. I have come to know this as my home and I will not be forced out by the likes of you." She ended her statement by glaring at Calluse. "You have no choice. You have dishonored your position by bearing three drains on our resources with naught but one warrior to show for it." "We will have another gir... warrior, I know it!" Shinuma blurted. "No, we won't." Shinuma gasped at his wife's statement. "But..." "I have four beautiful children and love them all equally." Yukiko put her hand to her stomach. "I was more excited to be having another child than that it was a warrior." She glared at Calluse "This need for me to have a warrior was to appease you, Calluse. I may have more children, but they will be born because of the love between my husband-" She looked at Shinuma and smiled. "-and myself, not because of you." She looked at Calluse and tilted her head. "You never bore a warrior for the tribe yourself, have you?" The other Circle members all gasped and murmured amongst themselves. "I have dedicated myself to serving the Circle." "I have dedicated myself to serving the whole Amazon tribe." "By producing three drains on our resources you have hurt the tribe." Yukiko's eyes narrowed. "These are not ancient times. We are not starving from lack of food or dying in battle against the Blackness, we don't have to shun males or use them as breeding stock anymore." "You speak against the ancient ways!!" "No, I speak against you using my children as pawns in your quest for power!" Yukiko took an angry step towards Calluse. Despite her frazzled appearance, her presence was very intimidating. Powder was torn. She would like nothing better than to see Yukiko scrape the walls with Calluse, but she knew that would cause more problems than the embattled Matriarch currently faced. Not only were physical attacks during Circle meetings punishable by death, but Powder doubted Yukiko was in any condition to fight at that moment. She stood up and raised the golden staff of the Matriarch over her head to stop the brewing fight. By ancient tradition, everyone went silent and listened to the words of the one entrusted with the symbol of Amazon power. "Matriarch, the Circle has broken one-eighty. As Eldest, the Matriarch's Staff has been entrusted to me until the Ceremony of Matriarchal Banishment can be held in the Plaza of Heroines." Yukiko gasped and reached a shaking hand towards her husband, who took it and held it tightly. He wished he could do more. Powder began to recite the ancient words of Matriarch banishment, which had only been used once in recent memory: To remove Yukiko's father from his role as Matriarch. "When darkness falls, the accused Matriarch will face the Circle. Should the Circle break more than two-forty, the old Matriarch will forever be banished from the Amazon tribe." -A- -M- -D- Later, Shinuma held his wife in his arms. "What was that two-forty business?" "Basically if two thirds of the Circle members turn their backs on me, we're banished." "Oh. Five of them, huh?" Yukiko smiled weakly. "The ancient Amazons were big on geometry." She sighed. "Half of the Circle is needed to force the ceremony to be held, or 'one-eighty'. And two thirds to force the banishment." "Do you think Calluse has enough votes?" Yukiko opened her mouth to answer, but someone else did. "Yes, I think she does." The worried couple looked at the doorway of their bedroom and saw a woman with short white hair standing there. "Are you sure, Powder?" Shinuma asked. "I'm not positive, but I think she's managed to get enough of the Elders to believe that she could lead the tribe better. And irritating as she is, she's not stupid enough to go against you like this if she wasn't sure she had the votes she needed." Powder said as she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, I tried everything I could think of, but she pressed the issue." Yukiko patted Powder's hand. "I know, don't worry." "What'll you do?" Powder asked. Yukiko looked at her longtime friend and smiled. "I'll face my banishment with honor." She looked at her husband and smiled more. "I can be happy anywhere with my family." Powder nodded. "I'll be going with you. I have no desire to be part of the Circle with that hag as Matriarch." Yukiko reached over and hugged Powder. "You don't have to." "I want to. The laws allow the Eldest to step down when the Matriarch leaves office in dishonor and I'm sure Calluse won't mind." She paused and then added, "She'd probably help me pack." "Thank you, my friend." A loud gong rang out and shook the wooden walls of the hut. Yukiko looked awkwardly up. "How many more?" "Sixty seven... On the one hundredth sounding of the gong, you need to be in the central plaza for the ceremony." Yukiko nodded. "We'll be ready." "We?" Yukiko looked at her husband. "Me and my family." "But..." "I know it's not what they'll expect, but I don't believe there's a law against it." Powder thought for a moment and then smiled. "No, I don't believe there is." Yukiko smiled. "If they want to banish me, they'll have to see the faces of my husband and my children that they will also be banishing." "Some of them might not care." "I know, but I'll go out with my head held high." Yukiko's expression changed slightly. It wasn't the expression of a cornered cat as one would expect under the circumstances, but of a lioness protecting her cubs. Powder frowned. -A- -M- -D- The sound of the hundredth gong rang out across the Amazon village. It didn't need to travel that far to reach the thousands of Amazons who were currently in Joketsuzoku. They had started to gather in the large central plaza as soon as the gong started sounding. Although they had no idea why the gong was sounding, they knew it was important since the Great Gong only sounded in times of great crisis. In the center of the plaza, the six members of the Circle waited dressed in their best robes, each with a fancy sheathed sword attached to their sashes. Four of them--including Calluse--were very old and withered, while the other two were barely into their forties. All had hair of white--either naturally from age or from being bleached white--as befitted their position in the tribe. The Circle didn't speak or make eye contact with the crowd; they just waited. The hushed murmurs suddenly vanished when a group of figures appeared at the end of a long road, the setting sun outlining them in silhouette. Yukiko was in the First Matriarch's robes with Shinuma on her right and Powder on her left. Floss clutched her mother's hand, while Shashiki, Shave, and Lather formed a chain of hands starting at their father. And little Razor was nuzzled up to his mother's breast, contently sucking away on her teat. This was not the normal way a Matriarch arrived at her banishment ceremony, of course. "Your children are not required here." Yukiko stopped, causing her entourage to stop with her. She glared at Calluse. "Banishing me is the same as banishing my family." Calluse only hesitated a second. "Very well, approach the Circle." Yukiko strode confidently into the middle of the circle with her family. The confidence she displayed was mostly external; since she was a mess inside. Powder stopped at the edge of the circle made up of the Circle members and took her place, Floss still at her side. Calluse shot Powder an irritated glare, which Powder ignored. Powder waited silently for several minutes before speaking. Normally she would have spoken immediately, but she didn't want to rush things. She also liked how blue Calluse's face got when she was mad. Calluse's face was very blue at that moment. "We are gathered here today because the Circle has broken one-eighty with the Matriarch," Powder began. There were renewed murmurs from the crowd. They had heard was what happening by word of mouth as they assembled, but to hear it proclaimed by the Eldest was another thing altogether. "What we do today will dishonor and shame us all, but our foremothers foresaw the need to allow the Circle to remove a Matriarch they considered unfit." Powder looked at Yukiko. "Matriarch, the Circle has broken one-eighty, what say you?" Yukiko looked up from her nursing son and scanned the crowd. "I do not believe I am unfit to be Matriarch. I have led this tribe for nine years and brought my family honor and myself honor in doing so. The reasons for the Circle being broken are legal-" The crowd gasped at the admission. "-but are based on the old ways that no longer apply in these modern Amazon times." She slipped little Razor off her nipple and pulled him to her shoulder, covering her breast with the golden breastplate that was part of her armor. "I don't know what my daughters and sons will contribute to the tribe as they grow older, but they won't be a drain on our resources or bring dishonor to us." Razor gave a loud burp, causing the crowd to 'awwwwww' and Yukiko to smile. "I am ready to leave, but I do not wish to. I am Matriarch, mother to my family and to the noble Amazon tribe." "Vote!" Calluse snapped the second Yukiko finished. "Vote now!" Powder waited. Calluse fumed and turned an amusing shade of azure. Amusing for Powder at least. She waited some more before finally speaking. "As Eldest, it is my duty to ask the Circle to either face their Matriarch or to turn their backs on her. If two-forty of the Circle breaks, the Matriarch is banished." She ended her statement by stepping forward and facing Yukiko. "I stand by the Matriarch." Calluse wasted no time in drawing her sword and slamming it into the ground in front of her. She turned and faced away from Yukiko. Yukiko mentally counted. The Elder next to Calluse--who happened to be Calluse's sister--embedded her sword in the ground, and followed her sister's lead after spitting toward Yukiko. Yukiko counted, unsurprised that Blister had backed her sister. The next Elder stepped forward. "I stand by the Matriarch." Yukiko smiled and nodded to her only true supporter on the Circle. Besides Powder, of course. Shortly, two more swords were driven into the ground and two more backs faced Yukiko. Yukiko gulped as she saw the last Elder go for her sword, her hopes of convincing one of the Elders to go against Calluse vanished. In a blur, she drew the golden sword strapped to her armored skirt and held it over her head. "I challenge my accuser in a trial by combat!!" She hadn't wanted to take this step, but she would not be forced out of her home. She pointed the golden sword at Calluse. "As is my right as Matriarch, I claim Calluse's actions are dishonorable and challenge her in a trial by combat!!" Her valiant pose was ruined somewhat by Razor spitting up on her shoulder. The assembled crowd of Amazon warriors all gasped at the sudden turn of events. Powder took three large steps and slipped in beside Yukiko. "Are you sure? It's a fight to the..." Calluse turned around and retrieved her sword. "That law is not for the likes of you." "Speak for yourself. The Amazon way is not to back stab your opponents with political maneuvers..." Yukiko handed Razor to her husband and then readied her sword in front of her. "It's to stab them in the front with a sword!!" Shinuma and the kids quickly left Yukiko's side as they had promised when she had explained what she had planned to do if she couldn't get any of the Circle members to change their vote. Shinuma wasn't happy, but had agreed when he saw the fire in his wife's eyes. Calluse gritted her teeth. "You'll regret this." She shrugged her elaborate robes off, revealing a tight set of ninja-like clothes underneath. "I may look frail, but I was fighting for the tribe when your great-grandmother was in diapers!!" She held her sword in front of her. "I will taste your blood before the day is done." The other Circle members--including Powder--backed away and gave the two combatants room for their duel. Yukiko hefted her golden sword in front of her. If it was truly made out of gold, she wouldn't stand much chance against Calluse's steel blade, but the Matriarch's golden sword was made of the strongest steel available to the ancient Amazon's who constructed it. Like her armor, the gold color was due to a fine layer of the purest golden material left in the ashes of Buyierfei battlefields. "Begin!!" Powder shouted. Yukiko circled to her left, keeping her eyes on Calluse for signs of her opponent's attack. Calluse smiled and circled to her left, a smug look on her face. After the fifth revolution, Yukiko couldn't stand the smug look anymore and jumped forward to wipe it from her opponent's face with the edge of her sword. Calluse had been waiting for that. Her sword flashed forward and upward, hoping to slip in under her opponent's armor. Instead, it met the blade of Yukiko's sword with enough force to jolt both warriors' arms. Yukiko spun her sword to the side, knocking Calluse's sword downward. The tip of her sword sliced through the space occupied by Calluse's head a second earlier. Calluse rolled to the side and then sprung to her feet. She jumped backwards to avoid Yukiko's latest swing and then lashed out with her own sword. Steel clashed against gold plated steel, accompanied by a tremendous flash of light. Yukiko jumped back and shielded her eyes. "What?" She squinted trying to find her opponent. Her opponent had dropped her sword and was staring into the sky. Seeing Calluse wide-open, Yukiko jumped forward without thinking. "Matriarch, stop!!" Yukiko flinched at hearing Powder's shout. She diverted her swing to avoid impaling Calluse and looked at Powder. "What's wrong?" Powder just looked into the western sky. Yukiko followed her gaze and saw a golden pillar of light rising into the sky. "No..." "When the Blackness returns..." Calluse started. "... all Amazons must take up their swords and fight the Buyierfei," Yukiko recited the rest of the ancient phrase. "Together as one, the Blackness must be vanquished lest all life perish." All around the plaza, the Amazons kissed their fingers and pressed them to their foreheads. "Let none of the Blackness remain, lest we dishonor our foremothers!!" the tribe shouted as one. Her battle with Calluse made meaningless by the Buyierfei's return, Yukiko dropped her golden sword and reached out to her husband and children. They rushed into her arms and the family collapsed into a ball, shaking under the golden glow cast by the Buyierfei's beam. The other Amazons quickly held onto their loved ones as well, for they knew the Amazon's ancient battle against the Blackness had begun once again. The gong started ringing again, the sound louder and more frequent in order to try to indicate just how much worse the current crisis was. Unfortunately, there wasn't a gong loud enough in the world to fully convey the magnitude of the current crisis the Amazons and the world now faced. 20:01 hours, April 29, 2009 local time (Joketsuzoku, China) *********************************************************************** April 29, 2009 - Jusenkyo, China (Black Wars Day 0) Sanma sat in front of a small tent scratching her left breast. For some reason, every time she came to Jusenkyo to reactivate her series of curses, her left breast started to itch. The itching increased steadily until the Moon was finally in the proper position to refill the Spring of Drowned Sanma. Since Sanma had learned from her repeated trips to Jusenkyo that the actual time of refilling varied by as much as a day before or after the date and time of the New Moon according to the calendar, she had been camping in Jusenkyo for the previous two days. She checked her watch for the millionth time. "It's late." She looked up at the vague outline of the New Moon, which could just be seen in the western sky. A sudden gurgling sound made her look down. She smiled broadly as the water that would return her manliness bubbled up into the shallow depression. "Hot, freaking damn!!" Sanma yelled as she peeled off her clothes. Taking one last look--or the last look for a while--at her breasts and penis-less lap, Sanma jumped into the Spring of Drowned Sanma. She felt a familiar sensation start to wash over her body. Then the sky lit up with a bright golden light. Sanma looked up into the sky a split second before a huge black lightning blast hit her and the surrounding area, deepening the once shallow spring and causing nearby rock formations to collapse. The golden light continued to illuminate the area as steam rose from the dry bed of the Spring of Drowned Sanma. Sanma stirred. "What the hell happened?" she asked as she scratched her itchy left breast. "Huh?" She looked down at her body and realized it was still HER body. Breasts, no penis, and assorted burn marks. "Fucking-A!!" she shouted as she realized the spring hadn't worked. Then she looked up at the sky and realized her still having breasts and no penis was the least of her problems and that she should have saved the curse for the newest one. She wasn't exactly able to see what happened in ninety-nine firsthand since she was with the others within the Buyierfei realm, but she knew all too well what the golden beam and the huge explosion that engulfed the Moon meant. "The Buyierfei are back." Sanma looked towards the east. "Ukyo..." She clutched her chest. "My babies." 20:01 hours, April 29, 2009 local time (Jusenkyo, China) *********************************************************************** April 29, 2009 - Chad, Africa (Black Wars Day 0) The desert sands blew across the barren desert, unimpeded by any vegetation. Not even a scrawny twig had survived the nearly year long sand storms that had blasted the area and drove the surrounding jungle growth southward as the Sahara Desert claimed more and more of the jungle. Scientists were at a loss to explain the weather changes that lead to the sand storms and the drought that swept the central African plains, but they could measure the expanding desert, the dying jungle growth, and the failing crops that lead to the worst famine since the great Chinese famine in the middle of the Twentieth Century. The death rate was so high and happened so suddenly that many speculated that there was some kind of contagion at work as well. Some of the more sane theories revolved around a natural virus or some kind of biological warfare agent. That speculation only added to the panic of the refugees that fled the area in search of salvation. Even with massive amounts of relief flooding into the area to feed, clothe, and care for the refugees, there was only so much that could be done. In all, an estimated nine million people died in the three hundred some days that came to be called the Great Central African Famine. Some died from starvation, some from the long march to find salvation, some by the hand of man when political borders failed to be an effective deterrent to millions of starving people. By mid April, the relief operations--aided by massive amounts of funds requested by the new American president and approved by Congress--started to show progress and it seemed the worst was over. Then in the blink of an eye, the 'famine' became a small footnote in history when over a hundred and seventy million people died as the truth behind the famine revealed itself. No one was around to see the sand covering the Fourth Monolith burst skyward as bolts of black lightning screamed into the late afternoon sky. No one saw the Fourth Monolith fold in on itself and pull thousands of tons of desert sand in with it. Unseen, when it was revealed to the air for the first time in three hundred and eight days, the collapsed monolith exploded and sent a huge shock wave racing across the desert sands. Sometimes its what you can't see that will change the world forever. The shock wave initially found nothing to convert into energy. Kilometers and kilometers of barren desert had already been sucked dry of the life that had once barely held onto its existence under the harsh Saharan sun. Life hadn't stood a chance when the balance of nature was upset by something so completely unnatural as the Buyierfei. Eventually, the relentless shock wave started to find living material to convert into the unique energy the Buyierfei fed on. Plants, shrubs, and trees felt nothing as they were drained and reduced to a fine, black dust. Animals that had barely survived the drought felt their bodies ripped apart as they fed the Buyierfei. And then there were the humans that once called central Africa home. In an instant, they realized that they should have traveled further to seek salvation from the famine. Skin was peeled from flesh. Organs were vaporized. Hearts thumped their last beats. Mouths screamed their last anguished cries. Lungs took their last breaths. Eyes saw their last glimpse of their once peaceful world. Brains had a split second to register a pain worse than death. Flesh was blasted from bones. The pain was so intense that when death followed, the victims of the Fourth welcomed death and the end of pain. That pain was repeated over a hundred and seventy million times as the shock wave engulfed Chad, then Niger, Sudan, Nigeria, and the other surrounding countries. They should have fled further. Like the shock wave from the First Monolith in Florida, the shock wave from the Fourth converted the stolen energy into a purer energy that the Buyierfei thrived on. The energy was fed back to the point the Monolith had laid buried, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality. Ripping a hole to a realm of darkness and demons. A portal for the Buyierfei to use. And they were using it. Hundreds of thousands of Buyierfei spilled out of the vortex created by the collapsing monolith. The land variety spread out from the center of the blast, slowly fading from view as they left the fluctuating aura of energy that surrounded the vortex. The avians--large and small--flew out of the spinning maul and pierced the billowing clouds of black dust that was once land teeming with plant and animal life. Being land locked, no aquatic Buyierfei emerged from the Fourth. That would make little difference in the months that followed. Meanwhile, the shock wave briefly lapped at the Atlantic's waters before collapsing back to its source like a rubber band. At the edge of the blast, it left behind ruins of jungles, hills, mountains, buildings, vehicles, and corpses. Closer to the center, the rubble became unrecognizable until there was nothing but black dust raining down on the already blackened crater that was once Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and parts of the surrounding countries. The returning energy turned the vortex on its side. Flowing through the center, the energy ignited with a brilliant, golden glow. A small fraction of the energy was sent arcing across the Earth's surface in several different directions, each bolt of black lightning seemingly more powerful that the one before it. The bulk of the energy was focused into a narrow beam of pulsating, golden energy that was blasted heavenward. Like the golden beam that soared away from the ruins of Florida nine years earlier, the beam split the skies as it left the Earth's atmosphere and made a carefully calculated beeline towards the Moon. The beam pierced the cloud of debris that had been in lunar orbit since ninety-nine and struck the surface of the Moon, sending tons of additional dust and debris into lunar orbit. Unlike the ninety-nine beam, this beam didn't hit a relay monolith--only one of which still existed on the far side of the Moon. Instead, it just kept blasting the spot it struck, pouring its energy into the ever-expanding crater. More debris entered lunar orbit in the minutes that followed. Then it stopped. The beam. The explosion. The expanding dust cloud. It just stopped. The orbiting debris started to settle into place, bumping and knocking other pieces as they attempted to find an equilibrium. What didn't stay in lunar orbit fell to the Moon's surface, spiraled down toward the blue-green world the Moon orbited, or drifted off into deep space. In the weeks that followed, the debris that entered the Earth's atmosphere put on a spectacular multi-colored light show in the sky. No one enjoyed it. They were too busy trying to survive to feel any joy. Too busy fighting to pause and appreciate the nuances of the vapor trails that traced their random paths through the atmosphere. Too busy burying the dead to look up from the ground. And too busy to wonder why the beam had blasted the Moon in the first place. The Black Wars had begun. ...there was death. 15:01 hours, April 29, 2009 local time (Chad, Africa) [End - Chapter 8] Coming soon: Chapter 9: The Black Wars "First Blood in the Sand, the Fight for Survival Begins" ======================================================================= The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings: Now I know that Chapter 8 of CMD introduced the Buyierfei and here is their big return in AMD Chapter 8, but it wasn't intentional. Honest. It just sort of worked out that way with how the previous chapters of AMD went. I had actually planed on the big bang being in AMD chapter 6, but what can you do when your muse makes you write more details into your story than you planned? Disappointed there wasn't more fighting in this chapter? Sorry, but these events fit best here as lead-ins to the big bang. I'd like to thank my pre-readers Michael A. Chase, Thomas C. Kinnen, Aaron Nowack, Micki Hibiki, Tanya Acojeda, Frank Berger, and Olesh Hotra for helping me find and fix problems with this story. Thank you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes and botched characters are my fault. Revision 0.0 - Rough draft began (September 5, 2000) Revision 0.1 - Rough draft finished (September 21, 2000) Revision 0.3 - Pre-reader draft (February 3, 2001) Revision 1.0 - Final version (March 7, 2000) Revision 1.1 - First RAAC posting (March 17, 2000)