But there is no life on Earth.

[waterfell]

Near the north pole of planet Mercury, there are signs of life, all enclosed in a thin, transparent dome that still allows a clear view of the heavens. Inside, the air is clean and breathable, and even stirs itself in artificial breezes.

The entire city is a mass of blue crystal, luminous with the glow of thousands of solar trees both within and without, their blue cels attached to silvery branches and trunks. It makes a striking contrast, and the structures provide the city's energy, veritable solar power farms, bustling and thriving like the city itself. . Everywhere, the roads lead inward towards a palace, attention drawn to it by its height, taller than any nearby building.

The lush sound of splashing water comes from a clear, ornamental pool in the entryway. Tropical fish swim contentedly there, glimmers of golden koi amid and around the stems of water lilies. There is greenery, too, and flowers provide a seasoning of color. Overhead, the ceiling is dizzyingly high, adding to the sense of open space.

Seated at the edge of the pool, dressed in an elegant gown and with the sigil of her planet showing proudly on her forehead, is the Princess Mercury, now queen of her reborn kingdom. She plays a simple, longing melody on the harp she holds in her lap.

Comments

[waterfell]

[Even in Ami's natural time, there's talk of the possibility of terraforming Mercury near its poles, where the extremes are less. Of course, it would take a lot of effort, and is unlikely to happen.

Here, however...]

It was always my birthright. I've finally made it happen.

[repudiate]

Ruling a planet, that's pretty impressive for a birthright. [ And despite the deadpan, at least that much is genuine sentiment - she can't even imagine someone ruling a planet back in her own world.. ]

So I guess you must at least like it here, huh?

[waterfell]

[There's the tiniest wrinkle of confusion, quickly smoothed away.]

It's very nostalgic. When I'm here, I seem to remember things from a distant time in the past.

[repudiate]

But Mercury has always been.. well, you know. An abandoned planet, right? [ the raise of an eyebrow. ] I've never heard of there having been life on any of the other planets in the solar system other than Earth, discounting those lame theories about life on Mars.

[waterfell]

Humans have forgotten when these planets were all civilizations and kingdoms of their own. I'm not surprised they're not aware of it in your world, either.

[repudiate]

[ So they were in the past, but people just.. forgot it? And now they can't find any evidence or traces of it? It sounds weird and unlikely, but.. ]

You're sure that's the case no matter the world, that these places used to have life on them just like Earth?

[waterfell]

A world where Earth exists might have a similar past. However, it isn't certain.

[repudiate]

Well, it's a strange enough story either way.. My uncle was a fan of space tourism, he should've seen this. [ of course she has to turn it deadpan again. ] He would have gone crazy from excitement, probably.

[waterfell]

Space tourism? [It was a bit too serious for that, in her world.]

Earth was dying. [It comes abruptly, but simply.] The chance for survival was to come here. To make it habitable again.

[repudiate]

Yeah, you know, when people-- [ She stops in the middle of her casual explanation when she hears the rest though. Earth was.. dying? Is that what happened in this world? It's not unimaginable even in her world with the kind of stuff people do to the planet, but still.. ]

... You're saying there's no life at all anymore on that planet?

[waterfell]

[In her world, it had been helped along by various enemies.]

Earth has no life on it. It's no longer capable of supporting any.

[repudiate]

Sounds pretty depressive. A post-apocalyptic sort of world, huh?

[waterfell]

You could say that. However, you could also look at it as the next step in the development of life. [Surely the conditions on planet Mercury would push the life brought here in new directions to adapt.]

[repudiate]

... That's true. [ She's already heard enough plans about it in her time, after all, even if that was still closer to science-fiction than actual science. It's not unthinkable. ]

But still.. from as much as I know about astronomy, it's pretty difficult to create living circumstances here on Mercury, right? Since it's so close to the sun and all.

[waterfell]

That's right. However, you're speaking from hundreds of years ago. [Which is very suggestive of why the shitennou are no longer here in the roles they once had.]

[repudiate]

Technology has advanced that much?

[waterfell]

Well... [Her smile is sly, and decidedly proud of herself.] They had help.

[It hadn't been hard to reverse-engineer some of what had existed in the Silver Millenium, especially with access to much of the moon castle's computer systems through her own.]

[repudiate]

[ She can see that pride, so she doesn't even have to ask whose help it was, instead she just casually (rather than disinterestedly) shrugs, looking around more. ]

It's a pretty good job. I mean.. walking around on this place just like on Earth, it's pretty amazing. Even I have to admit that much.

[waterfell]

[Earth's breezes would be more natural, its soil richer, its waters...

But this is a good approximation. It has everything they need for life.]

I'm flattered! I'm glad it doesn't bother you to be inside this dome.

[repudiate]

It's a little different than what I would have expected from being in space. [ It seems to be a slight joke, but at least all in good nature, even if it's deadpan. ]

And at least it means the future after the Earth is in good hands.

[waterfell]

To someone growing up here, the Earth would be going into space.

[It's not just an obvious observation. There are already generations who've lived here, and no one but her who remembers when it began.]

[repudiate]

That's such a weird idea, thinking of the Earth as something out in space, far away from us.. [ although, thinking about it, she can't help but arrive that that conclusion as well. ]

Are you saying people already lived here for that long?

[waterfell]

For generations. [And she doesn't look a day over her twenties.] They've been born, lived, and died here. Only a few remember living on Earth at all.

[repudiate]

So it's even far into the future compared to usual, huh..

[ generations already.. ]

I guess you've been doing pretty well throughout time, though. [ you know, the whole twenties thing. ]

[waterfell]

Don't compare my lifespan to theirs. This is natural. [And apparently Mercury still suffers from pride and arrogance.]