"David H. Olivier" Note to the second edition: This story is essentially the same as that originally published under the name of "`Seemann Mond', chapter 1". The only changes of note are corrections and clarifications to translations, especially true in reflection of the title change. When I originally started writing this story, I could not decide on whether the term >>Seemann<< or >>Matrose<< was a more appropriate translation of "sailor". I was originally leaning towards Matrose, but I decided to consult with a group I thought would be more likely to know - the members of soc.culture.german. They were nearly unanimous in their endorsement of Seemann, and so I went with their recommendation. After sending out this chapter, I received e-mail from several German SM fans who felt that Matrose would have been more appropriate. Now filled with doubt and uncertainty, I resumed the debate, finding myself faced with the question of changing the title of a story already published. The clincher proved to be in the form of a book I found while doing research at the University of Toronto's John Robarts Library. It is a reprint of a book originally published in 1891, depicting everyday life in the Imperial German Navy, from senior officers getting dressed for the Kaiser's birthday ball to cadets swabbing the deck of their training ship. Included in the text is a depiction of the uniforms worn by the ranks; the rank equivalent of the Royal Navy's Ordinary Seaman is a Matrose. So, I've changed my mind again, and the crossed-out titles in my notebooks of "Matrose Mond" are being restored even as we speak. And I promise never to do this again. Note to the first edition: This is a bit different. The original characters, situations, and stories were created by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha and by Toei Animation. However, they've been modified and adapted in ways which their creators did not intend. Therefore, anything which seems out of place is my own fault. As well, this is a work of fiction. Names used in this story, other than the occasional clearly recognized historical figure, are entirely of my own creation. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is solely coincidental. Third, I've decided to rate this story as PG-13. This is due mostly to some concepts and ideas expressed by characters, although there is some violent content. While there may not be any swear words, there will be words and phrases used that may be vulgar and offensive to some. Please bear in mind that things said and done by some characters are not reflective of the views of the original creators or of this author. Finally, there are foreign words and phrases used in this work. As a convenience, I'll provide a glossary at the end of each installment covering some that may require explanation. [I also intend to put this out on an unscheduled basis; in other words, when I've completed a chapter, it'll eventually make its way here. Don't expect regularity. I think the whole story will take about twelve chapters.] ***** "Matrose Mond": Chapter One. It was a city of two colours: grey and brown. The buildings were grey, the trees were grey, the faces of the people were grey. By contrast, the sky was brown, the soot piled in the corners was brown, and the clothes the people wore were brown. The only relief to this dichromatic existence was the bright red of the flags and banners that festooned every public building, every lamppost, every tower. It was a charade of gaiety in the midst of blasted drabness: urban blight on a nightmare scale. All the clocks in the city struck the hour of eight with strictly regulated punctuality. Most adults were already hard at work; the youths of the city were slowly struggling out of their beds, regretting the dawning of a new day. It was March 1992, and the government said all was well. Somewhere beyond the clouds and smog the sun was rising. `Kani' Schmitt had been up since six. She'd managed to do her house chores, fix breakfast for and clothe her eight brothers and sisters, and spare a moment of concern for her mother, who was periodically running back and forth between the bedroom and the bathroom. From years of experience Kani knew the signs and dreaded the approach of yet another sibling. Her father - *stepfather,* Kani reminded herself - lay sprawled on the couch in the parlour, snoring heavily, his cane lying on the floor beside him. *At least he made it into the house this time,* she thought. She ran her fingers through her short blonde mop of hair. Kani would have liked to wear it longer but long hair took time to care for, and time was something of a luxury in the Schmitt household. She looked older than the fourteen years she'd spent on this earth, and she seemed to be aging before her eyes; as her mother was more and more worn out by the daily chores, Kani stepped in as relief. Frau Schmitt was grateful for the extra pair of hands but feared Kani would become too much like her: barefoot, pregnant, and eternally slaving over a hot stove. Kani was thin and a bit shorter than most of the girls her age, barely a metre and a half high; this led to jokes and wisecracks about "Kanichen", as if she was everyone's little plaything. Only Kani and her mother knew what her real first name was, and neither would tell. At last it was time for Kani to go to school. The brothers and sisters of age had been sent on ahead, and those too young had been set to play with the strict admonition to be good for Mama and not to disturb Papi. Experience being the hardest teacher, they knew better than to rouse the sleeping giant. Bookbag in hand, Kani went out the door and set off on her walk to school. Kani knew she was lucky to be attending the >Gymnasium<. Girls with her social background and financial prospects didn't go to the good schools. However, her stepfather was a war veteran and his honourable discharge, war wounds, and distinguished service record entitled him to a few benefits from a grateful State. Kani knew she wasn't the brightest of students, but she wanted to make the most of this opportunity. When she could spare time from her family commitments, her schoolwork came a close second. Her stepfather may have seen the >Gymnasium< as a place for her to meet a nice boy - preferably well-off - and marry him, but Kani wanted more from life. A strange noise attracted Kani's attention. In the alleyway, a group of young boys stood circled and bent over something, something which evidently did not relish the attention. The huddle moved and swayed: now closer in, now backing away. There was a snarl, and a moment later a shriek of pain. "It bit me!" one of the boys cried out. "Get it!" shouted another. They edged in. She couldn't stop herself. "What's going on?!" Kani exclaimed. In an instant, the youths had scattered to the four winds. Kani stood alone in the alley, looking down at a black cat, bruised and bedraggled, with a piece of sticking-plaster on its forehead. She bent down to examine the feline. Softly, she took it in her hands, expertly checking for broken bones or internal injuries. The cat seemed fine, other than the superficial wounds and a general appearance of malnutrition and neglect. It was also a she. Kani was intrigued by the bandage. *What kind of wound could it be covering?* she wondered. On an impulse, she peeled it off. There was no scar or scab to be seen; only a tiny patch of yellow fur that was shaped like a horseshoe with points on the ends. Kani looked at the cat more closely. There was something in those eyes.... A booming chime sliced the air - the half-hour bell. Kani was startled. If she ran, she could still make it. She scrambled to her feet and dashed off, shoes pounding a rhythm on the cobblestones. The cat watched Kani in her brown uniform disappear down the alley. It felt good to be able to think clearly again. She thought about the girl and about the last instructions she'd ever been given. *Could this be the one?* Kani made it to school, barely. The others were all at their desks, awaiting the entrance of the instructor. Kani took out her books and sat down, only to promptly rise again with the rest as the instructor walked in. He placed his satchel on the desk. "We will begin with our oath of allegiance." Reverently, the class turned towards the corner, facing the flag. It was a blood-red banner, just like all the others in the city. It had a white circle in the middle surrounding a black swastika. It was the Party flag. It was the State flag. It was the Reich flag. Kani and the others pledged their undying loyalty, as they did every day. Life went on. It was March 1992 and Berlin was still the capital city of the glorious Third Reich. ***** Like most teenagers, Kani was torn in her enjoyment of the strictly regulated afterschool social life set down by the State. As a 14-year-old girl, she was now permitted to take part in the >Bund deutscher Maedel<. However, she felt guilty about leaving her mother saddled with the care of the household and the younger children. Furthermore, her father would be up by now. If there was a consolation to the extracurricular life, it was that Kani got to spend time with Maria. Maria Baeker was everything Kani was not: rich, popular, smart, and (in Kani's view) attractive. Maria was the same height as her friend, but had a freshly-scrubbed peaches-and-cream complexion and well-groomed auburn hair. Maria could have had her pick of any classmates as companions. Boys were constantly swarming over her; girls were envious. Kani was her closest friend. The BdM session had ended for the day and Kani and Maria were walking home. Maria lived in a flat above her family's jewellery store; her mother ran the shop with an iron hand while her father was a skilled craftsman. He was so good at his trade that it was rumoured he regularly made pairs of earrings for the Minister of Propaganda to present to his mistresses; that sort of publicity always served to increase business. "You must come over for dinner again one of these nights, Kani. Mama was asking about you again. She swears she's never seen such an appetite on anyone except when Papa was courting her and would have dinner at my grandparents'." "Can't, Maria. It's going to be busy at home again soon." Maria recognized the euphemism. "Your mother's pregnant again?" "'Fraid so." Maria digested this in silence for a moment. Then she looked over at the blonde. "I want to get married someday and have a family of my own but I'm not sure I'd go that far. Ten kids seems an awful lot, even with the State bonus and Mutterkreuz." Maria lifted her eyes to the dusky sky. "When I marry, I want to be in love." Her voice drifted off, lost in romantic dreams. Kani snorted. "All well and good for you; your Papa can afford to set you up nicely. You know how my stepfather feels about me being at the >Gymnasium<;" here she imitated his hoarse voice: "`it's a good place to meet a nice young man, Kani.' Pffagh! As if that's all I'll ever be good for." Maria turned to face her friend. They stood there: Maria in her freshly-ironed crisp new uniform, clean face and hair, immaculately trimmed nails; Kani in an older but still serviceable outfit, with the look of the proud poor. "Don't you ever dream of falling in love?" "I don't have time to dream." They'd had this conversation many times before; it always ended up the same way. Maria felt sorry for Kani; Kani found herself slightly envious of Maria. Despite the best efforts of the Party programme there were still some barriers in society that simply could not be hurdled. Finally they reached the streetcorner with the sweetshop. This was their mutual point of departure: Maria turning up the street and into the well-to-do business section; Kani going down the street to the run-down tenements and slum apartments, the only neighbourhood she had ever known. Before going they always bought something for the way home. Maria had something different every day. Kani always had a pfennig candy. Smiling, sucking on their sweets, they waved good-bye and went their separate ways. A pair of eyes watched their parting. Pausing a moment, the owner focused on one girl and decided to follow her home. ***** Kani had long finished her candy before she arrived home. It was the one treat she allowed herself before beginning an evening crammed with non-stop activity: helping with the unfinished chores, doing homework with the little ones, and generally giving Mama some relief. It also helped steel her nerves for the one part of her day she truly dreaded. Hans Schmitt may have been a kindly man once when he first married the destitute widow with a young daughter, but he was little more than a drunken lout now, living off his past. His only interests were beer, old war stories, and impregnating his wife as often as possible. Kani hated him. In return, he wanted her out of his house, the sooner the better. Unfortunately, this was the one time each day when the two could not avoid one another. Kani had to come home eventually, and Hans couldn't go to the veteran's clubs or the public-houses too early, or there would be talk. What had once been a near-civil truce rigorously enforced by Frau Schmitt had steadily degenerated into all-out brush war. They sat at the kitchen table, barely eying one another. The younger ones ate in silence, fearful of another explosion. Mother dished out the thin soup, cut the black bread, and handed round the margarine and ersatz fruit preserves. The meal was light but seemed to taste better for having passed through Mama's skilled hands. It could be avoided no longer. "How was school, Kani?" His voice was rough and crude, the product of too much beer and stale cigarettes. "Fine." "How did you do on your exam?" "Okay." "Any new boys?" The sullen silence that only an aggrieved teenager can produce. Hans tried again. "You know, you can't stay here forever. Someday you'll have to at least look at a boy; otherwise they'll think you're some kind of queer. You know what happens to those types." He slid a finger across his throat. "Papi!" Mama's first foray into peacemaking. "If you didn't keep Mama laid up so often, I might have time for boys." Hans glared at her. "What your mother and I do in the privacy of our room is none of your business; when you get married, then you and your man can do the same." "When you can find your way that far." "What do you mean by that?" Irritation giving way to anger. "You know perfectly well what I mean. Coming home every night smelling like an old beer cart, half the time -" "Kani!" "- never making it past the front door -" "Kani!!" "Let her finish!" "- except when you've got that look in your eyes. Everything in this house is set up for you and you alone. If I were to leave tomorrow, you'd notice it the day after when Mama drops dead!" She folded her arms across her chest. "Are you quite finished?" His voice was calm, just. "Yes." "Good. Now let me tell you something, young lady. You and your mother would be little more than compost in a pauper's graveyard if I hadn't married her. Your father left the pair of you in a fine fix, broke and homeless. I gave you a home. Furthermore, it's my pension that puts bread in your mouth, clothes on your back, and keeps the rain off your head. You can go to the fancy >Gymnasium< because I fought in the war. Without people like me, this place would have been overrun by the Communists, Slavs, and Jews. Where would you be? I'll tell you - knocked up by some Russian soldier, or dead!" "And all that is past, now. Other wounded veterans have gone out to work; you lay about all day and booze up all night." Papi rose to his feet, towering over the table. He leaned towards Kani. "What I do with my money is my business. If you don't like it, you can leave. My wounds are a badge of pride; I am an honoured veteran of the Reich." "And if only you'd been wounded ten centimetres higher." Hans' face turned beet-red. He lifted his right hand from the table, swung it back, and followed through with a full slap across Kani's left cheek. The sound made every child wince. "Hans!" Mama had had enough. She turned to her daughter. "Kani, you are excused." Kani got up and left. She did not look at Papi, refused to let him hear the pain she felt, refused to put her hand to her stinging face. She had more work to do. She always had more work to do. ***** The jewellery store was filled with customers; Maria had never seen it so busy before. She looked around: everywhere people were milling about, checking the display cases, admiring the fine craftsmanship, the exquisite detail. Many were lined up at the cash register, clutching mark-notes or state credit cards to pay for their purchases. The shopgirl at the till was mechanically ringing up each sale, seemingly oblivious to the endless queue of customers. In the midst of the crowd, Maria saw her mother enticing a young couple admiring matching wedding bands. The man wore a field-grey Wehrmacht uniform while his fiancee was in an instructor's outfit. "Oh, Herbert," the woman gasped breathlessly, "these would be perfect." He smiled back at her. Maria's illusion of love was rudely interrupted by her mother's next words: "And I can let you have the pair for half the marked price." Half price? Maria knew her mother well enough to realize that something was wrong. Frau Baeker had not become a rich woman by selling expensive jewellery at half price to a couple making do on a private's stipend and a teacher's salary. Maria wandered over to check on her. Once she had ushered the joyous couple to the line-up, Frau Baeker turned to greet her daughter. "Good evening, child. How was school today?" "Mama, is something wrong? Why are there so many people here today?" "I'm having a sale. Everything is reduced." "Why? We do well without sales." "Now things are different." Maria bent over to examine a matching necklace and earrings set on display. "This doesn't look like Papa's work. Where did you get it?" The jewellery looked exquisite, the craftsmanship was superb. Yet, to Maria's trained eye, something didn't seem quite right about the pieces, something she couldn't put her finger on. She felt a chill run down her spine, as though someone was walking over her grave. Maria's mother seemed oblivious to the sensation her daughter felt. "A new supplier. We shouldn't rely on Papa alone. He may not always be here to make jewellery. His energies are better focused elsewhere." She smiled, a crooked half-grin, as if she'd never smiled before. Now Maria really began to worry. "Where's Papa? I want to see him." She turned towards the office door. "Don't go in there." "Why not?" "He's not to be disturbed." Maria grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and swung the door open. There, lying in a heap on the floor, were her parents, unconscious. Her father and mother looked so peaceful - and yet her mother was standing right behind her. Maria swung around. "Oh dear," said her mother. "You shouldn't have done that. Now I'll have to be cross with you." The skin on her face began to slide in impossible directions. Maria watched in horror as Frau Baeker's finely-sculpted features melted away, replaced by a withered brown countenance with black holes where the eyes should have been. "Let's begin the party, then," said the thing. Suddenly, all the people in the shop collapsed. There was an eerie whitish glow around them, as if St. Elmo's fire was trying to consume them. The creature licked its lips. "So much for those greedy souls." She turned to face Maria. "Now it's your turn." ***** In a household of eleven people, there is only one room where one can go to be assured of any privacy, a brief, blissful moment of solitude, before the ever-looming knock on the door and the plaintive "I hafta go" from one of the many siblings. Kani deliberately planned her daily schedule to include a trip to the privy only after the other children were fast asleep and Papi was off to the veteran's club for another booze-up. Today had been just another day in her life, like all the others before it, and she expected the routine to last until she finally married and moved into a house of her own. Maybe her stepfather had the right idea. Maybe she should take her nose out of the books and start looking at her male classmates. Maybe she should dare to think of falling in love. Her life would never be the same, from the moment the gentle tapping began on the bathroom window. Kani turned, startled by the rapping. She couldn't see out the stained and grimy window; dare she open it? Again what appeared to be a tiny hand pressed against the window in rapid succession, producing quiet knocks. Some shred of curiosity prompted her to undo the latch and pull the small window open, her safety remaining assured in the window frame being too small to allow a person access. Kani was surprised by the black streak that darted past her. By reflex she closed and bolted the window again before looking down at her visitor. The golden crescent on her forehead told Kani that this was the same cat she'd rescued that morning. She bent down and absently began stroking the top of the cat's head. "Hello, kitty." "Hello yourself." *The cat spoke!* Kani wasn't prepared for this turn of events. "D-did you say something?" she asked, unable to believe her ears. The cat looked up at her. "I did indeed." She seemed gasping for breath. "You're not an easy person to get alone. And that climb up to this window - I'll be glad when my claws grow back fully." She held up a forepaw, showing Kani where the nails were newly-grown, their predecessors having been trimmed to the quick. Kani still hadn't got past the talking part. "Wh-what do you want with me?" "I need you. I believe you are the one I have been searching for." "Why?" "To aid me in my search for the Mondprinzessin, of course." The cat coughed into her paw; it sounded to Kani as if this feline had spent too many nights out in the snow and rain in her quest. "Excuse me. I suppose I should introduce myself: my name is Luna." "Pleased to meet you; my name is Kani." The girl held out her hand, at first by instinct raising it in the traditional greeting of the Party salute; then she remembered it was unlikely for a talking cat to be hailed in such a manner. She quickly lowered her hand and extended it out. Luna stuck out a paw in return. "You mentioned something about a search; what can I do to help?" Luna looked at her thoughtfully. "Just hold on a moment; I have something for you." Kani watched Luna leap into the air and do a back flip; from somewhere, a shiny object appeared and fell to the floor in front of the cat as she landed. "Pick it up, Kani; it's yours." Kani looked at it in wonder; it appeared to be a large gold-coloured brooch with a crescent moon motif. She had never owned any jewellery of her own before. "What do I do with it?" "Put it on." Kani considered the problem for a moment. It was all well and good for Luna to tell her to "put it on" but the trick was where to put it. She'd seen what happened to girls who wore unauthorized jewellery on their uniforms, and felt certain that this brooch was too important to lose to an irate teacher's interpretation of the dress code. She reached into her blouse and pinned it inside; the bulge was barely noticeable. "Okay?" she asked Luna. Luna nodded. "Now, repeat after me: >Mondprismen-Macht, schminke!<". Kani nodded her head and dutifully repeated the phrase. For some reason, she felt the need to thrust her right hand out in a dramatic pose while doing so. "Mondprismen-Macht, schminke!" She would never forget the incredible wonder of the next few seconds. There was a blur and whirl; she saw what appeared to be red ribbons explode from the brooch which moved to centre itself on her - on her now naked! - chest. Her arms and legs moved of their own accord, and suddenly there were red boots on her feet and long white gloves on her arms. Her brown skirt was gone, replaced by a daringly short blue pleated one. Under it she seemed to be wearing a white one-piece bathing suit, trimmed around the neck with a blue navy-style collar. A huge red bow flopped about below the brooch, while another swayed about on her back at the top of the skirt. She could feel something hanging from her earlobes, something else cold and metallic pressing against her forehead and temples, and there was a tingling in her scalp. When the sensation passed, she moved over to look in the mirror. It wasn't her who looked back. It was a stranger. She could hear Luna's voice a long way off, even though the cat stood on the sink in front of her. "Welcome, Matrose Mond." She looked again in the mirror. Her short blonde hair was done up in the most outrageous style imaginable - two round knots with red facings, with the rest dangling in absurdly brief ponytails behind. They looked like the headlights on a police car. From her ears hung identical earrings - tiny crescent moons on delicate chains. The cold metal on her forehead was a golden tiara with a red jewel in the centre. She looked down at her reflection and saw the effect of the full costume: heeled boots and short skirt showing off more leg than she'd ever dreamed, a swelling in her bosom that certainly wasn't there before, and the gaudy splash of colours - red, white, and blue. There was nothing else she could do but begin to laugh. Luna was mystified. "Why are you laughing?" It took Kani a few moments before she could respond. "I look ridiculous!" "But this is your uniform." Kani stopped laughing. "My uniform for what?" "Fighting evil." This produced an effect contrary to what Luna expected; Kani began to laugh again. "In this outfit? I look like a circus clown! Luna, you've got the wrong person. I'm not some Uebermensch or the protegee of Die Fledermaus; I'm just a schoolgirl with too many chores and not enough time." "No, but you are Matrose Mond, and you will be needed." Kani was about to respond when something happened. It began as a tingling on the top of her head. Then the hair wound around those red headlamps began to vibrate. It reached down her skull until it settled in her ears. "Help! Help me!" It was Maria's voice, so tinny and far away, but unmistakably hers. Kani looked at Luna. "What do I do?" Luna jumped off the sink. "Go and help her." *Easier said then done,* Kani suddenly realized. She couldn't get out through the window, and once she left the safety of the bathroom she could be seen by any pair of prying eyes. "Luna, can I change back and then change again once I'm outside?" "Yes." In an instant, the effects had been reversed. Kani opened the window, tossed Luna out, then ran to join her as quietly as possible in the back alley. "Let's go." The decision had been made; there was no turning back. ***** Maria was terrified. All the customers in the store were lying on the floor unconscious. Her mother - what had appeared to be her mother - had turned into the most hideous creature imaginable and was coming closer and closer, beckoning with a taloned hand. "Come here, my pretty one. No use fighting the inevitable." Maria backed further away; somehow she sensed that her very life depended on doing exactly the opposite of what this creature wanted. She looked around and realized she was running out of room. The creature advanced nearer. Maria took another step and found herself falling backwards; she'd tripped over one of the prone bodies. Helpless, she watched the monster reach for her. Maria screamed. "Hold it right there!" The monster looked up. Maria craned her neck to see the source of the voice. They both looked at a shadowy corner of the store. "Who are you?" the monster croaked. "Ich bin Matrose Mond! I fight for love and justice! I will not let you wreak havoc on an honest businessman's store! Im Names des Monds werde ich Sie bestrafen!" Matrose Mond stepped from the shadows, Luna at her feet. The monster began to laugh. "You and what army, little girl? I have all the forces I need right here!" She gestured and the bodies of the fallen rose, zombie-like, and advanced towards the heroine. Maria was still in shock. She hadn't taken the opportunity provided by the distraction of Matrose Mond's arrival to escape. She lay there, propped up on one elbow, staring at her would-be saviour, her mouth open in an `o' of surprise. Matrose Mond looked down at Luna. "What do I do now?" she asked. Luna thought for a moment. "Throw your tiara at the monster." *Strange: not even a hint of panic in her voice. I must have made the right choice.* Matrose Mond reached to her forehead and grabbed the tiara. It began to glow brightish yellow and in seconds had become a disc of light. She held it like a discus, the way she'd been taught in school. As she threw, she recited the words of power as Luna had instructed her: "Mond Diadem Aktion!" The tiara whirled up and over the oncoming people, heading straight for the creature. Either the monster hadn't expected to be attacked or her zombie-army had obscured her view of the tiara. When she did see it, it was too late for her. She had time for one brief scream before the tiara struck in her midsection. She hung in the air, motionless, then dissolved into dust, cascading to the floor. In seconds, the dust had faded away to nothing. The zombies collapsed, then began groaning as they awakened. The tiara, mission accomplished, flew back to Matrose Mond. She caught it and replaced it on her brow. Maria staggered to her feet. She looked up to see the girl in the strange costume and the black cat both run out the door. "Wait!", she called out. "Matrose Mond: who are you?" But there was no answer. ***** The ball of light suddenly vanished. The hand that had been holding it tightened into a fist. "What happened?!" shouted a voice in irritation and anger. The hand and the voice belonged to a young man, blond hair, pointed chin. He wore a grey double-breasted uniform with red piping. No uniform such as this had been seen on Earth in a long time. It would soon be a frequent sight. ***** end Chapter One. Glossary: (A note on spelling: German vowels often have their pronunciation changed by the use of an umlaut - an accent indicated by two dots over the vowel. (The English word `Noel' uses an umlaut over the e.) Since Pine cannot duplicate accents, I've resorted to the convention of adding an e after the vowel affected. For instance, Maria's last name, `Baeker', is actually spelled B-(a umlaut)-k-e-r. The added e simulates the change in pronounciation.) Kanichen - the suffix "-chen" is used as a diminutive, and also as an endearment; e.g., "mein Liebchen", literally "my little love", but usually translated as "sweetheart". Gymnasium - the German high school system is streamed, with pupils required to decide by Grade 6 which of the three types of secondary schools they wish to attend (although some latitude is allowed for changing later). The >Gymnasium< is the high school for those going on to University, as opposed to the >Realschule< which is more professions-oriented, and the >Hauptschule< [and not >Hochschule< as I mistakenly wrote in the first edition] for trades. BTW, it's not pronounced the way we in North America pronounce it; say the `g' the same as in gap, and flatten and nasalize the `nas'. Bund deutscher Maedel (BdM) - the German Maidens' League was for girls age 14-18, and was the female counterpart to the >Hitlerjugend<, the Hitler Youth. The quaintly prudish Nazi society, in an attempt to pre-empt opportunities for teenage sex, tried to segregate the boys and girls in their social activities. You can imagine the success ratio. Mutterkreuz - "Mother's Cross", a medal awarded to German women during the Third Reich who gave birth to a certain number of children. (I think the number was ten, but it could have been a dozen.) The philosophy behind this award was that strength lay in numbers - the more Germans there were, the better it was for the country. Pfennig - German equivalent of a penny; 1/100th. of a Mark. Wehrmacht - the name for the German army during the Third Reich. die Mondprinzessin - the Moon Princess. Mondprismen-Macht, schminke! - Moon Prism Power, Make Up! [My translation; it's not the same as the version used in the German-dubbed series.] This was one of the two things that needed serious work from the first edition (the other being that boneheaded typo in the glossary about Hochschule). My original version of the transformation phrase was >Mond Prisma Macht, Schminke!<; similar but not identical. It was suggested that I more closely link the series of nouns and adjectives at the beginning to make it more coherent (literally, "power of the moon prism"). For the verb >schminken<, all I did was drop the capital S, so that it obviously the verb of the sentence. BTW, schminken in this case is used as a reflexive verb - the proper translation should be >schminke mich!< ("make myself up!"), but the reflexive pronoun is understood and therefore unneeded. The English names of Uebermensch (Superman) and die Fledermaus (literally, The Bat) should be familiar to longtime DC Comics readers; I did take the liberty of shortening the latter from the technically more-correct >der Fledermausmensch<. (And no, I don't know what they're called over in Germany.) (According to my correspondents, >Supermann< and >Batman<.) >Im Names des Monds, werde ich Sie bestrafen!< - "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" [My translation, which has gotten me into a minor dispute over the use of >Sie<, the polite form. After careful consideration, I decided to retain the polite and formal tone, rather than switch to the familiar >dich< because, well, Kani's *my* character and I believe she's just that kind of girl, polite even to horrible energy-sucking youma and cruel generals from >das finster Koenigreich.] With extra thanks to Sebastian Weinberg and Steffen Kresmer, patient Germans who understood and even helped a naive Canadian to tone his butchering of their mothertongue down to a gentle butchering. For items I've translated, I welcome any comments or corrections, especially corrections.