Chapter 1 - Summer School

Chapter 1 of the Alpha Arc.

Summary
The ten Celestial Beings were just created by The Goddess of the Calm and sent on their mission to arrange an army and protect the Gemstones they were entrusted with. They integrate into society and make a solid plan of action.

Characters

 * 1) The Sun
 * 2) The Moon
 * 3) Mercury
 * 4) Venus
 * 5) Mars
 * 6) Jupiter
 * 7) Saturn
 * 8) Uranus
 * 9) Neptune
 * 10) Pluto

Chapter 1 - Summer School
The handful of unusual-looking young adults traversed through the forest in which they landed. They were all wrapped in whatever they could find; large leaves from the surrounding greenery, sheets stolen from clotheslines around the area, and anything they could find. Eventually, the group happened upon a parking lot, the hot asphalt blistering beneath their feet.

"Ow... ow ow ow! The ground wasn't hot over there. Why is it hot over here?"

Pluto complained in a high, whiney voice. The Sun sighed quietly.

"Because it's asphalt, and it's summer. Duh."

"Jeez, sorry...I don't know much about heat."

Pluto sighed. The rest of the group was relatively quiet, just following the Sun and her determined will. She stopped in front of the group, standing akimbo and wearing a smug expression.

"Alright, gang. Let's set some ground rules before we get started on our mission. First! I'm the leader--"

"Hey... What makes you the leader?!"

The dark-skinned bald man, created from Mars, spoke up loudly. Then a murmur broke among the group. The Sun sighed and rolled her eyes.

"First of all, I'm the one holding the gems. Next, no one else wanted to be the leader. I'm the only one who said something. If you wanted to be the leader, you should have spoken up. Anyway, I'm the leader and I decree we get some actual clothes. Then, we get food because, as humans, we gotta eat food to stay alive. Agreed?"

The murmur in the group began to die. Many multi-colored heads began to bob up and down. A smile burst on The Sun's face.

"Good! Look, there's a clothing store right there."

Venus pointed, her aim going across the street. There indeed was a clothing store, settled between a restaurant and an electronics store within a plaza. Despite being mid-day, the plaza was nearly abandoned, with only a handful of shoppers traversing between stores. It was perfect.

"All right. Let's go."

The group made their way to the store. Once inside, the group realized why there weren't any people outside. The clothing store was packed. Wall to wall, droves of customers were swamping the sales associates.

"This should be easy then."

Saturn turned back towards the Men's section of the clothing store. Triumphantly, he took some clothes off the racks and disappeared into the changing room.

"Guess we should follow him."

Neptune followed directly behind, also taking the men's clothes that suited his tastes. The Sun was distraught.

"W-wait for me!"

She dashed behind Neptune. The Moon, who was behind her, sighed and shook her head.

"I understand what's going on, but...I can't say I approve of these methods."

The group separated.

--

The crew exited, all dressed in...a variety of outfits. The Sun stepped out, her hand shading her face from the afternoon sun.

"All right gang. We have successfully clothed ourselves. Now we need food for our now human bodies. As the leader, I demand that you all find somewhere to eat."

"Whoa, hey. Why us?"

"Because I'm the leader. I say so."

The crew thought for a moment before The Moon perked up wearing a defiant scowl.

"Wait a minute. What does this have to do with the mission? It just sounds like you're trying to get a taste of mortal life. I refuse to take part in these shenanigans any longer."

The Sun was stunned. Saturn began to speak.

"She has a point. I would like to get into our mission as soon as possible."

"It's always about time with you, Saturn. Well--"

Pluto cut The Sun off.

"We are celestial beings. All we need to do is assert our power and create a stronghold. We can protect the gems ourselves."

Everyone began to murmur amongst themselves. The Sun was losing her influence. She massaged her temples, trying to figure out what to say or do. Enough was enough.

“Okay, shut up! Shut up! I have an idea! All eyes on me.”

Everyone turned.

"I’ve got a plan, but I need to talk about in privacy, and I know just the place. Follow me."

The Sun charged confidently over a hill and disappeared down a street corner, leading the crew right into a high-scale restaurant.

--

“Good afterno—”

They met at a restaurant named The Freshest. The atmosphere was oppressive. The walls were black, and candles burned to illuminate the scene. It was clearly 3 or 4 star, with the patrons eating complex-looking dishes and drinking wines of all kind. They were seated at a party table by a waiter who couldn’t stop staring. His mouth hung open at the sight of the crew dressed in dregs from the nearest department store. He was captivated even more by The Sun’s glowing hair and fierce demeanor.

“Table for ten, please. Also could you not stare?”

“Y-yes! Sorry. Err... Right this way.”

The ten of them were seated around a table, stained with various multicolored blotches and rings, towards the very back of the restaurant. The waiter smiled nervously and sauntered away. They were all visibly uncomfortable, aside from Jupiter, who seemed to be enjoying himself, and Uranus, who did not hesitate to order the first alcoholic beverage she saw on the menu. The Sun, sitting in the middle between The Moon and Neptune, cleared her throat loudly.

“So, I have a pretty unique idea. I thought about it while you were all arguing. Okay. So, we are technically the ones supposed to protect the gems.”

The Sun looked around. None of the other patrons of the restaurant seemed to be paying attention. The Sun reached down, holding her hands in fists. They began to glow. After the light died down, she opened her hands. In her palms were the twelve gemstones.

“The first thing I’ll do is make necklaces out of these. We gotta keep our eyes on these stones. However, it might be too dangerous to defend these gems ourselves.”

“Hold up,” Saturn interjected, “If they’re too dangerous to defend, then what are you saying?”

“I thought of that, too,” The Sun grinned, making the gems vanish again, “and I figured we should use the mortals.”

“Leaving these sacred, intergalactic gemstones in the hands of mortals?! Isn’t that a tad risky, my Love?”

Venus chimed in. The Sun’s smile grew even more.

“Not if we are supervising them. Here’s my full idea. We’re adults, right? Why not open a school or something? We can teach the mortals how to use the gemstones, and in return, they fight to protect their sad little rock from angry Goddesses, and we can relax.”

Silence. The rest of the group exchanged worried looks before hot rolls of bread and cups of butter were placed in front of them. Uranus, who was mostly silent, sipped the last of her wine. Her glare cut right through The Sun, and she spoke with icy cadence.

“Do you even hear yourself right now? “Use the mortals”? And what? Tell them we’re all-powerful celestial begins that rule their pitiful galaxy? Tell them we’re in the middle of a war? Why get them involved at all?”

The Sun sighed. Neptune huffed, patting The Sun on the shoulder.

“What I think she means is, that we’re adding more and more unnecessary risks than needed. We’re strong enough on our own, don’tcha think? What if we...accidentally get a mortal killed?”

The Sun bolted out of her seat. Her eyes and hair glowed furiously.

“What if one of you get killed?! Did you ever think about that?! Who cares about these pawns? Mortals die all the time. It’s nothing special!”

Dead silence plagued the restaurant. People dropped silverware and glasses shattered. All heads were turned to The Sun, whose flaming hair and glowing eyes grew in intensity. She tried to storm out of the restaurant, struggling to get past The Moon, on her left hand side.

The remaining nine exchanged worried looks. Uranus was the first to react. “This is a disaster...” Uranus sighed into her empty wine glass, face down on the table. Venus bit her lip, shaking her head quickly.

“I’m gonna go check on her.”

“No. I’ll go.”

The Moon stood, extending a gentle arm.

“Okay, Love. Good luck,” Venus mumbled in a sweet, lofty tone. The Moon went outside, looking around for The Sun. The Sun stood by the entrance of the restaurant, trying to catch her breath. Her fists were clenched tightly, and she was growling. The Moon stood, not daring to interfere.

“What’s wrong with my plan?! Why is everyone so reluctant to follow my plans?!”

The Moon bit her lip. ''You’re clearly being naive. We can’t just follow your plans without asking questions. This isn’t going to work like in the solar system. We don’t revolve around you. There’s got to be a better way to word it. You were clearly being immature about criticism.'' The Moon’s lips parted, aiming to give words of advice. The Sun turned around.

“I...I’m being immature, aren’t I? That’s what you’re going to say. I’m getting mad over nothing.” The Sun’s head was lowered, eyes closed. “This isn’t like the solar system. No one revolves around me anymore. I just have to used to...this.”

The Moon smiled, having to say nothing. “We...”

The Sun looked up, green eyes shining.

“We just want your plan to work out. We’re all concerned with how it’s going to play out.” The Moon opened her arms wide, as if to hug her. The others approached from inside the restaurant. Mercury wore a large grin on his face, eyes beaming.

“We can all discuss the layout, technology, housing situations, and all the details together! It will be fun!”

“Yes, my Love. I can’t wait to see how this will flourish,” Venus chirped. Neptune approached from behind her.

“Of course sweetie. You’d have to be out of your mind to think about tackling this alone.”

“It just takes some time management and determination,” Saturn began, “and not to mention having fun with it all!” Jupiter finished with fervor. Mars nodded in solidarity.

“Once we find somewhere to start, all it takes is a little elbow grease.”

Pluto came out next, her words sweet and expression unchanging. “Of course, there are still a few kinks in the plan, but that’s why we’re here. For starters, we’re going to need names, real names. Names like “The Sun” are not going to cut it.” The Sun began to smile at her support. Uranus was the last to exit, stumbling out with only one shoe on.

“Fuck it, let’s go now!”

Uranus joyously proclaimed, holding an entire bottle of wine above her head. The Sun began to giggle, then ran to embrace The Moon, whose arms were still wide open, waiting for the hug.

“I...love you guys!”