Usagi twitches at the hiss of boiling oil as the five-ton forging hits
the quenching bath.

	Ami smiles, `They're much stronger than traditional uniform steel
plate, but not as strong as they need to be,' she waves at the rank of
finished, cleaned, and magnefluxed glacis plates waiting to be shipped to the
other end of the factory for assembly.

	`Oh?'

	`Even American Chobam armor won't stop a direct hit by one of their
depleted uranium sabot rounds, and that's much denser and a little stronger.
We need something better, or to make sure we don't go armor to armor against
the US.'

	`That,' Usagi pauses, `Could be done, but I don't think we want to go
chasing down tanks with Sailor Senshi, which is the only option right now.
Air-to-Ground would be nice, but we don't have anything effective, unless we
steal A-10s.'

	`Exactly.  So we need better armor,' Ami shrugs, `And I have no idea
how to provide it.'

-*

	`Better armor?'  Minako blinks, `Wait, I remember something!'

	`Oh?' Kail asks, `That cake you made last week?'

	Minako pouts, `No, something else, from before.  I had this ugly box,
given to me by my most-disliked uncle, so I was determined to destroy it.  I
couldn't.'

	`Couldn't how?  Hitting it with a hammer?' Ami asks, gently

	`I hit it repeatedly with magical attacks, put a small stratigic
explosive in it, all kinds of things.  I could rarely even singe it, and it
would recover in a week or two.  I don't know where he got it, or if it
survived, but it may have.'

	`Where is it?' Makoto asks, looking interested.

	`Oh, I filled it with rocks and dropped it in the ocean, eventually.'

	`Where?' Ami asks.

	`Venus.  The ocean's all boiled away, so it may be on the surface now,
or it may be lost forever.'

	`But you really hated it?' Rei asks.

	`I couldn't stand it,' Minako nods, `Very intense, focused dislike.'

	`Shall we?' Usagi stands up, and holds out her hands.

	Everyone looks at each other, then stands.

	`Venus Star--'

	`Mercury Star--'

	`Mars Star--'

	`Jupiter Star--' 

	`Moon Prism--'

	`Power, Make Up!' they finish together, then join hands, `Kail, stay
here, please,' Moon says, `The atmosphere where we're going is very
poisonous, and you haven't any protective gear.'

	`Right,' Kail lets go of Venus and Mercury's hands, gives Venus a
kiss, and steps back.

-*

	`So,' Mars kicks the red box covered with orange lacework, `This is
it?'

	Venus nods, `I think so.  The color's wrong, but . . . ' she trails
off and waves at the horizon, which curves up all around the place they are
standing, a nightmareish vision of red-lit rock and smog.

	Mercury tries to open it again, and her gloved fingers slip off the
handle.  She activates her visor, and starts typing at her computer, frowning
at what she sees, `I can't open it,' she says, `And I can't force it open
without destroying it, and that would be very . . . '

	`Difficult?'  Jupiter offers.

	`Messy,' Mercury says, glaring at the box.

	`That's what the owner's manual said, too, but I wanted to let you
have a go at it without preconceptions,' Venus says, then reaches down and
opens the lid with a gentle tug to dislodge milennia of dirt and deposits, and
starts pulling rocks out.

	`That's pretty,' Moon says, reaching into the box to pick up a small,
glittery object, `And the colors shouldn't be as bad in normal light.'

	`What did you,' Venus trails off, `Could I have that back, please?'

	Moon hands it over, and Venus clutches the ring tightly.

	Mercury pulls the last few rocks out of the box, and Jupiter helps her
pull it from the rock-hard soil.

	`Let's go?' Mars asks, touching Venus's shoulder.

	`Let's,' Venus nods, her voice shakey.

	Jupiter hefts the box onto her back, and Mercury helps tie it there,
then they all join hands.

-*

	`This,' Minako says, `Was my mother's, back before, and she gave it to
me, before she died, saying I should give it to the one I love,' she blinks
back tears, `But, before, I never had anyone who was mine, you know?  Friends
but no lovers.'

	Kail gathers Minako into her arms.

	Minako hugs her back for a moment, then pushes gently away, smiling,
`But that's changed, now, so,' she pauses, takes a deep breath, `Would you
accept this ring, and my feelings, and stay with me forever?'

	`I'd love to,' Kail says, tears springing from her eyes, `Until the
stars fall from the sky.'

	`Ick!'  Minako suddenly laughs, `Don't go quoting Jim Morrison,
please!' and presses the ring between their hands, her fingers twined in
Kails, leans up to press a happy kiss to her lips.

-*

	The pink and white box is sitting on a bench in Ami's lab, soft
afternoon light shining off of it, and the smaller pink and white box next to
it.

	`What's this?' Usagi reaches out to touch it.

	Rei grabs her hand, `Don't!'

	`It's OK, this time,' Ami says, smiling, `But you really shouldn't
touch things in here, remember?'

	`My hand only swelled up for a week, and it didn't hurt that much,
really,' Usagi says.

	`Oh?  Who cried herself to sleep for three days, and wouldn't let me
sleep easily for a week and a half because she kept whimpering whenever she
accidently touched her hand against something?' Rei asks, `I don't like to see
you hurt,' she finishes softly.

	`I'm sorry, Rei-chan,' Usagi gives her consort a hug, then turns back
to Ami, `So you've figured out how to make them?'

	`Yep.  The color is determined when it's growing, and I haven't
figured out how to change it yet, but I can mold the fibers into the
shape I want while they grow, and then it grows the membrane.  The thicker it
is, the stiffer, but it seems to stop all attacks from penetrating no matter
how thin it is.'

	`Which means?'

	`A layer the thickness of cloth won't let a bullet through, but most
of the bullet's kinetic energy with translate through it.'

	Usagi closes her eyes a moment, `If I wore a shirt of the stuff, I
couldn't get stabbed, but I could still get my ribs broken by a punch?'

	`If anything could punch that hard,' Ami says, `I'm going to try
growing some armor plate, and band-tracks.  Pink with white lace will do for the
prototypes, at least.'

	`Can't we paint it?' Usagi asks, grimacing, `Pink tanks don't
camoflauge well.'

	`But they'd be cute,' Rei says, smiling.

	Usagi just looks at her for a long moment, then smiles back, shaking
her head.

	`Paint won't stick long enough to make it worth the trouble.
Camoflage net or cloth might work better,' Ami says, a smile on her face at
their antics.

	`Go for it, and figure out how to change the color!' Usagi says, then
sweeps Rei over her shoulder and marches out.  Rei smiles and waves a goodbye.

	Ami breaks down laughing, and leans against the counter giggling, one
hand over her mouth.

-*

	

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Log:
3171/Confusion/60:	Finally started writing on this. ^_^