"*Someone* better show up," Yoshi grumbled.  He pulled his
trenchcoat tighter around himself and turned out of the wind to
light another cigarette.  He froze when he found himself staring
into a chest -- a *male* chest, he noted unhappily -- encased in
grey leather.  Displayed prominently upon that leather were the
stylized romaji letters "LT" in a shieldlike shape.

"Someone has."  The amused tenor tones originated just above his
eye level, and Yoshi looked up to see a familiar helmet and black
goggles.  

*That's the UN emblem!* he realized as his gaze swept across a
patch of sky-blue amid the marbled grey plastic of the helmet.
"Um," he said, stepping back a pace or so.

"Hi," greeted the grey-clad apparition.  "Shall we sit?"

Yoshi nodded, and the two made their way to the nearest bench
without a word.  The reporter dropped heavily, shaking the bench
for a moment.  He pulled out his minirecorder, making an obvious
show of placing it on the bench between them.  Turning it on, he
launched into the interview.  "You're one of the Sailor Senshi."

The helmet shook.  "Not technically.  Not in the way that you
mean.  I'm more of a... mentor and trainer, I suppose you'd say.
A little adult supervision, although they really don't need it."

"Okay.  So, what's your name?"

There was a hint of a grin within the helmet.  "It's not in my
best interest to tell you my civilian identity.  My codename,
however, is 'Looney Toons'."

Yoshi snorted.  "Right.  And who gave you that codename?"

A shake of the head again.  "You've never heard of the
organization I work with."

"You've got a UN emblem on your helmet.  Does that mean this
mysterious organization is a UN branch?"

A chuckle.  "If you were to ask them, they'd deny we existed."

Yoshi felt his right eyebrow creep up toward his hairline.
"*That* secret?  Why break cover and talk to me, then?"

The figure in grey settled himself down at the other end of the
bench.  "Couple of reasons.  One, we're on our own here -- no
official support, no acknowledgment."

Yoshi nodded, understanding.  "Maximum deniability."  He'd seen
it before in other situations.

"Two, sooner or later we're going to need press contacts.  At the
moment, the mission is technically sub rosa, but you never know
when you'll have to go full public.  Having a mutually respectful
and helpful relationship with a trustworthy member of the Fourth
Estate when that day comes will be of inestimable worth."  Yoshi
opened his mouth but "Looney Toons" cut him off.  "And before you
ask the inevitable 'how do you know I'm trustworthy'...  I've
done a thorough background check on you.  If we play fair with
you, we can trust you."

Yoshi grimaced.  "Thanks.  I think.  Does that mean you'll answer
my questions, then?"

"If you agree to this, yes.  To a point.  We're all running more
or less deep cover for now, and we need to protect that.  But if
it doesn't threaten our cover, I'll answer it."  He chuckled
softly.  "I don't guarantee that you'll believe me, but I will
promise I that won't lie.  I'll tell you when you reach an area I
won't go into, but I won't feed you outright disinformation."

"How do you know I won't warp or sensationalize what you tell
me?" Yoshi probed.

Another soft chuckle.  "If there were any chance you'd do such a
thing, we wouldn't be talking now."

Yoshi thought about that, then nodded.  "Fair enough.  It's a
deal."

"Cool."

"Can I pitch you a first question, then?"

The helmet bobbed in a nod.  "Fire away."

"Okay.  Why teenaged girls?"

There was a rustle of thick but flexible leather as "Looney
Toons" shrugged. "Because they're the ones who have the power.
They weren't manufactured by some mortal agency, they were born
that way.  And there are destiny and fate issues tied up in it,
too."

"Destiny and fate?"

The helmet bobbed again.  "It's a long story I'll share with you
at another time, but the TV Guide capsule version goes like this:
Before the dawn of recorded history, the solar system was home to
a magic-based interplanetary civilization, ruled from the Moon."

"The *moon*?"

"Looney Toons" shrugged.  "Don't ask me.  I'm just telling you
what we've figured out from the few bits of information we've
managed to scrape together.  Apparently the level of magic use
was high enough to make it -- and a bunch of other moons and
planets around the system -- habitable.  Comfortable, even."

"But... magic?"

The other man murmured something softly -- in English, Yoshi
thought -- and then held out his hand.  Yoshi nearly swallowed
his cigarette when a ball of light formed over it.  "Yes, magic,"
"Looney Toons" said.  "It's very real, and it's still around,
even though not many people use it -- or *can* use it -- any
more."

"But..." Yoshi stammered.

The helmet dipped toward him.  "Later you can have all the
demonstrations of magic you want.  Right now, though..."  He
murmured something else and the ball vanished.  "Back to the
topic at hand.

"Earth was the only independent planet in the system, but when
the prince of Earth fell for the princess of the Moon, that
looked likely to change."  He tilted his head thoughtfully.  "The
'Tsukihime' legends are probably a distorted ancestral memory of
this," he added.  "Anyway, somebody -- we don't know whom at this
late date, although it was almost certainly someone who didn't
like the idea of Earth losing its independence -- ended up
summoning and unleashing a demonic horde against the Moon and the
other planets.  Long story short, the horde did too good a job,
and knocked out the underpinnings that supported all that magic,
pretty much killing everybody in the solar system except for
those on Earth, before the Queen -- who was apparently one hell
of a spellcaster -- banished most of the horde and its human
leaders into a nearby pocket dimension.  With their controllers
gone, the remaining demons turned on the Earth folk, killed most
of *them* and triggered the collapse of *their* civilization as
well, then died off slowly over the millennia while humanity
basically recreated itself from scratch.  This time with
technology alone as magic was left with a bad rep.

"The problem facing us now is that, well, the Queen did a hasty
hack job of a spell to banish her enemies.  It wasn't permanent,
and she knew it.  So, with her final act, she gathered up the
souls of her daughter and the royal guard, who had all died in
the conflict, and sent them into the future to be reincarnated at
about the time she expected her containment would break down and
wear off."

"And those are the Sailor Senshi," Yoshi guessed.  "And the youma
are the banished demons, back again."

"Pin-pon.  She also sent a couple of advisers forward the long
way to train the girls and tell them what to do.  However, like
any last-ditch desperation strategy, it had holes in it you could
drive a Mack truck through.  Murphy stepped in and had his merry
way -- the girls were born too close in time to the containment
breakdown, and are only now just re-awakening to their powers.  
And the advisers showed up with severe memory loss.  They
remembered the big picture, but not all the details."  Within his
helmet "Looney Toons" grimaced.  "We've spent the last few months
or so piecing together what we can.  We're still missing a lot of
little things, but we've got enough to work with now."

"So where do you fit in?  Are you one of the advisers?"

He laughed.  "Oh, no, not at all!  I was an independent operator.
I stumbled across Sailor Moon her first night on the job.  She
actually did quite well for someone with absolutely no experience
whatsoever, but she really needed a coach to watch over her until
she felt confident enough to work solo.  So I offered."  He
chuckled ruefully.  "Then it got complicated."

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Covert Loses - 05/Aug/2012
Early January 2012, Asteroid Belt.
Prisoner relocation.  From 'Asteroid X' to 'Asteroid Y'.  Of course, they'd got better names than that.  But, Boskone were rattled.  Taking silly security precautions.
Something had been picking-off raiders.  Captain Roberta had detected something, on the limits of her passive scanners.  Four groups had reported losses, no sign what happened to them.  Some high-value prisoners were being relocated.
The Captain was considered pretty reliable.  She was careful, used stealth tactics, and those who worked for her got rich.  That's what the scuttlebutt said, anyway.  Now she was obviously jumpy, even more abrupt than usual.  It was a bad sign.
The prisoner was one 'Arthur'.  He'd turned up several months ago, in a fancy waved-up aeroplane.  With a big robot bodyguard.  Wanted to get in on the action.  Bit stupid, really.  No contacts in Fenspace; just a 'Dane.
They'd smashed his robot, straight-off.  Nearly killed him, too.  But, it looked like he was good with the 'wave, so the bosses kept him around.  Checking his work, of course.  He seemed pretty good with robots, and they'd taken precautions to make sure they stayed loyal.
The relocation team were lucky no one'd found a good use for Arthur's fancy plane.  One of the bosses had taken a good look at it, said it was nice, but a bit too flimsy, and didn't carry enough cargo.  The fact that you needed a pilot's license to make it fly may've had something to do with it.  Who knew that jerk EMPath had one?
They'd been gone half an hour now.  Everything thing went pretty smoothly, and Captain Roberta didn't even threaten to kill someone, like she usually did.  Wait a minute.  How did EMPath get to fly that plane?  He had to stay in range of his brain, in the Captain's ship, and they weren't taking that.  And, wouldn't his EMP trash the plane?
Heads were going to roll.  It was just a question whose.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

Secure Allies - 04/Aug/2012
Late December 2001, Kandor City.
Trust.  Society depends on it.  Finance requires it.  We trust people all around us, every day of our lives.  But, how much can you trust someone who tried to kill you?  Who is a 'rogue AI'?
His name was, had been, Erwin Merkin.  A Super, one of those fascinated by Nicola Tesla.  In his case, the phenomena of the Electro Magnetic Pulse.  Now he called himself 'EMPath'.  And, if you wanted an expert on EMP, he was it.
As a process of getting the biomod he wanted, giant Tesla Coils and handwavium with a wide range of (computer-free) electrical goods dissolved in it might make sense.  He got what he wanted - he also permanently burned-out his higher brain functions.  And, acquired an EMP aura that effected any medical or other hardware, particularly that which got really close-up and personal.
Dr Asmodeus Grey had apparently been involved in his case, before he fell from grace.  Erwin was one of the things he took with him when he fled.  Later, surgery implanted an AI link, which drove Erwin and created 'EMPath'.
Janet spent a week in Kandor, sorting out her 'pirate collection' situation - the police weren't happy, but accepted jurisdiction, and most of the pirates ended up in The Vault, for safe keeping.  EMPath spent some time in hospital, and fortunately his biomod seemed to give him enough regeneration that his broken neck, with suitable (manual) treatment, quickly recovered.
One of EMPath's problems was that he couldn't afford to get too close to his AI core without risking burning-out his own brain.  The Boskone had used this issue to make it quite clear he'd no chance of changing employ.  Janet commissioned a heavily-shielded R2 astro-navigation unit, and installed the AI core, so that mobility would be far less of a problem.
The Kandor police seemed unsure what to do about EMPath.  He'd obviously been involved in crimes, but effectively with a gun held to his head.  For the moment they decided not to press charges, but kept the option open in future - a clean record for a few years and they'd likely close his case.  They did pride themselves on their fairness.
Janet knew she had deadlines.  Even if Boskone didn't directly know what happened to the latest group of pirates that she'd captured, it was very likely that information would seep from Kandor City.  Even if the police themselves didn't have any leaks.  She had intel, and needed to make use of it, fast.
EMPath had proved a little reluctant, to start with.  Then, when it became clearer he wouldn't be imprisoned, and the R2 unit was delivered, he started to talk less about how much danger he was in, and more about Boskone.  They appeared to be bigger than many had feared, but were more like a loose federation, which combined cooperation with turf wars, than a solid enemy.
Dr. Asmodeus Grey had a presence which hung over a lot of Boskone.  He had clear objectives, to do with producing catgirls, but smart people suspected as a step towards total control of The Wave.  He also wanted power and influence, which Boskone gave him.  Fortunately, he was only one man, and didn't appear to have a lot in the way of trusted lieutenants.  Yet, anyway.
Opinions in the Kandor police were mixed.  Some thought she was a hero, a superhero, even.  Others a trouble-maker, someone wasting Kandor City resources, filling-up the prison system with those not a direct threat to the city.  Neither view was dominant, and there was only a small on-line flame war about what she'd done.  Some BNFs seemed to have smoothed things over.
She just hoped she'd got the right sort of attention, quickly enough.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

Just heard the word on the radio - Curiosity stuck the landing perfectly! First pictures even now rolling in. Unlike other landers that had to do a bit of unpacking/checkout - Curiosity is already active from the moment it touches down. 

Fantastic!!!

EDIT:   

From Gizmodo: Some live commentary/blogging. Here's a snippet at the end. 

Quote:[i]Comments on reverse chronological order. Local Pacific Coast time.[/i]
10:41 — Needless to say, everyone is happy here.
10:39 — TOTAL SUCCESS BY NASA. These guys are moving all of humanity forward, developing incredible technologies that will affect us all. More importantly, this mission may finally solve the mystery of the life in Mars, further advancing our understanding of the Universe and our place in it. If there's anything more important than that, I don't know what is.
In other words: ASK YOUR CONGRESSMEN FOR MORE MONEY FOR THESE PEOPLE.
10:38 — Another image coming in: the shadow of Curiosity on the surface of Mars. Things just can't go better than this. It's incredible.
10:36 — High resolution images are coming now. The wheel of the rover is safe on the surface of Mars. These engineers are true heroes.
10:35 — More images are coming in! What a relief. Oh my god. The emotion here is uncontrollable. I'm tearing up myself.
10:34 — FIRST IMAGE IS IN. We can see the ground and the wheel. Holy fuck!
10:33 — IMAGES ARE COMING DOWN! This has been a complete success. Data is strong!
10:32 — IT LANDED! IT LANDED!
10:31 — Getting teary now. This is too much. People here are extremely excited.
10:31 — The skycrane is flying! THE SKYCRANE IS FLYING! ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL!
10:30 — Curiosity is slowing as expected. Thermal shield has been jettissoned!
I am going to end every phrase with a slammer now!
! < that's a slammer
10:29 — PARACHUTE DEPLOYED! WE ARE DECELERATING! Congratulations Douglas and parachute team!
10:28 — Vehicle is now at Mach 2. All going good. Heart beat tones keep coming in!
10:27 — Are you alive Curiosity? I imagine you down there, waiting patiently as we receive your signals, sent over the last seven minutes. You are good girl. Let's talk again soon.
10:26 — Connection is good. Data coming in! All good!
10:26 — Now we are going to get the heart beat tones, which will tell the control if all is going good.
10:25 — The spacecraft is getting into the atmosphere now. This means that, right now, therover is on the surface of Mars! We just don't know if it's a pile of smoldering metal or if it's working and good.
GET TERRORIZED.
10:24 — Curiosity has switched antennas as expected.
10:23 — FOUR MINUTES TO ENTRY.
10:20 — Space has started to feel the atmosphere. The thrusters are firing to put the capsule in the right position for entry.
I NEED PEANUTS (the people in Mission Control are having these now. It's a tradition). Some people here too. GIMME SOME PEANUTS, GODDAMNIT.
10:16 — Everything is going good. I hope I keep repeating this phrase a lot in the next seven minutes.
10:15 — CRUISE STAGE SEPARATION. And the crowd goes wild.
10:14 — Signal seems good. "Things are looking good"—they said. My keyboard, on the other hand, looks wet.
10:13 — Cruise stage separation happening in one minute. Sorry about the confusion before. I JUST GOT CONFUSED, OK?
Going out to scream. I need my pills.
10:11 — It's happening, people. "We have started venting". I'm referring to the spacecraft.
10:07 — Confirmed: Cruise stage—the part with the solar panels—has [i]NOT been successfully jettisoned yet. People here started to scream (for something else).[/i]
10:06 — Everything is in position. All looks good so far except my veins. I'm transforming into the Hulk right now.
9:58 — The worst thing would be when the "tones"—as NASA calls the signals sent by the spacecraft during the re-entry—start to arrive to Earth. When the first tone arrives, signaling the entry into Mars' atmosphere, the rover would be already on the ground!. We wouldn't know its actual state until seven minutes later. Perhaps even more.

Permission is granted to use Surfing with the Alien Omega in continuity, edited to fit battle circumstances if neccessary or just as background events, should a suitable time appear.

eta- just remember that he (and any similar mecha built for his faction) can take 3-5 times the punishment of average gear, dishes it out as well. While he's doing it in melee with swords, he's using MAX. OUTPUT mode, for gravjump & limb accel ~150g plus normal reactionless drive. There's a reason he dies from the strain...
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

 When:Monday!
Where? Cimerora
Who? Anyone 35+
What? Roman beatings
Why? Because we can! (Also xp/notice/shards.)
 Being back and just having been informed that ITF is the wst I'd like to run at least one on Monday, my times are flexible so jot yer name down and if we have enough intrest try to get one going round 5-6 mountain time.7-8 EST. If that is too late for too many people feel free to give suggestions.
Update:Thus far we have 3 hardy souls for roman beatings. Do we have another 3-5 contestants?

...by stealing a Monster Manual illustration for the cover of his most recent newsletter.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

How goes the "War on Drugs" in Fenspace?
Tobacco, ethanol, and caffeine seem pretty acceptable.
The various 'smart' drugs?  (Modafinil, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Racetam, even Omega-3)
How about MDMA (Ecstacy), Cannabis, LSD?
We know about Thionite...
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind

I really hate batches of ficlets posted as a 'series' instead of an onmibus collection, and that's EXACTLY what the drabble perpetrators will be choking the Latest Stories list with all efting month...

Well, joke's on them since I don't even bother if words
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

I'm seeing ads creeping into text all around the forums here. It looks like a link, but it's got two underlines and when you mouse over it, a little window pops up with some ad or another. This also isn't just limited to post text, too. Just about any text that isn't already a link is viable to be ad-ified. A few examples are the 'online' in the "Who's online" list, "Forum" at the top of the general list, and words in the board descriptions.
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI