Sailor Moon V * The Dark Adventures of the Sailor Scouts Episode Eleven * "The Calm Before the Storm" She felt the material of her suit become rigid as the hatch beneath her feet opened up, venting the last wisps of the atmosphere into the void of space and leaving her in a complete vacuum. A simple glance down revealed the gentle curvature of her slightly purple world, the glittering expanse of the northern polar ocean taking up most of the view. A very icy puff of air tickled her nose a moment later, the liquid oxygen tanks strapped to her arms inside her experimental suit reacting to the drop in pressure. The amount of breathable air stored in the tiny tanks wouldn't last for a great length of time, but it would be enough for her needs as long as she didn't waste any time. she said, activating the implant in the base of her throat. The faceplate of her suit seemed to flicker slightly with each syllable, the narrow band over her eyes reacting to her voice for some reason that had yet to be figured out. the embedded speaker in her ear replied. Corona reported as she double-checked the readings on the caspule display. the voice replied. she replied, making a face at the thought of the recording implant that had been carefully nestled in her uterus. The so-called 'black box' would record the input from the other implants in her body so that the data wouldn't be lost if she failed to complete the jump successfully. Re-entry into the atmosphere would create an ionized shock-front around her, jamming all forms of electronic communication and thus necessitating a recorder to collect the data as she made her way down from a height of three hundred miles. A simple touch on the control panel turned most of the systems off, no longer needed now that she was in orbit and getting ready to leave. The module would be de-orbited in a couple of days and burnt up in the atmosphere so as not to clutter any orbital paths. she informed the ground team as she hit a rather prominent toggle. The rest of the lights in the module dimmed, save for a bar of flashing red lights positioned inside the confines of the hatch. She did a modified flip in the micro-gravity to turn around and floated towards the open void, the black material of her suit still fairly flexible despite the changes it underwent upon exposure to a vacuum. the voice said. Corona just sighed quietly as she moved into proper position, nestling herself between the coils in the walls. When activated, they would produce a single electromagnetic pulse that would catapult her outside the module like a giant railgun projectile. Even with the speed boost, it would still take her several minutes to reach the edges of the atmosphere. Gravity would have a firm hold on her by then, and the rest was up to the laws of physics. The bar of red lights suddenly turned yellow, indicating that the charging process was completed. She waited for a moment to make absolutely sure she was ready for this before reaching out to press her hand against a glowing square on the wall. The square flashed blue and the yellow lights began to wink out one by one, warning her that the timer was now activated. Her environment abruptly changed as the last light went out, triggering the pulse and ejecting her into the void in literally the blink of an eye. She didn't feel much of the acceleration due to the micro-gravity, but the small slice of her homeworld suddenly seemed to explode outwards into full view, all but blocking out the sight of everything else. There was no sound out here, only the soft rasping of her breathing and the steady mantra of her pulse audible to her as she sailed through space at a speed that would have been all but impossible to achieve unaided by machinery and rocketry in an atmosphere. A virtual display popped up in her field of vision, reporting her status and telemetry. The speed she immediately ignored, as that would change once she encountered enough air molecules to create friction. Then the true test of her experimental suit would begin, trying to see if it could withstand the raw force of re-entry without burning up. She wasn't worried about what re-entry would do to her, as her powers of Chaos let her create a heat-shield of sorts that would absorb the worst of the shock-front. Doing something about her extreme velocity would be another issue entirely, but that was another part of the suit's test. An experimental type of drag-chute had been incorporated into the unique material, appearing to be little more than a series of four vertical ridges running along her back. They wouldn't deploy until she was in the breathable part of the atmosphere and was designed to slow her down so she didn't slam into the ocean like a meteorite. Or at least, it should do that if it remained intact on the trip back down this time, unlike the last experimental suit she had tested.... She cleared the thoughts from her mind as she enjoyed the pristine view of her world from space, knowing she had a few moments to do so. Only one of the Negaverse's three moons was visible, part of the golden moon of Power peeking out around the western horizon. She knew that one of the remaining two was behind her somewhere, and that the third had just slipped over the eastern edge of the planetary horizon. Positioned as such, their tidal influences on the local gravity field were fairly balanced and wouldn't complicate matters. Or at least not for another hour. "Ouch," she whispered to herself as she cast a glance at what for her was the northern edge of the planet. The wide ring of clouds was still clearly discernible just above the visible equator, having been blown into that shape by the nuclear detonation that had taken place recently. It would probably be a full day before the wind currents reorganized themselves and closed that almost perfectly circular formation. Curious, she started to look around for other objects that were visible from orbit. The geographic features were easily discernible, the dark green swath of the Western Forest standing in contrast to the dark blues and browns of the Northern Mountains and the sandy yellows of the Eastern Frontier. The Outreaches were all but hidden in darkness at the moment, sparing her the sight of their sickly grays and dark purple hues. "Well, I'll be damned," she whispered to herself as she studied the small network of mountain valleys spread out before her in a wide circle, surrounding the cold expanse of the polar ocean. Two of the valleys were desert terrain, modest blotches of yellowish-orange standing out in contrast to the surrounding dark landscape. And in the larger of the two valley areas she could make out what could only be a man-made shape, the metallic gray oval seeming to reflect the sunlight just slightly as it turned in what seemed to be very slow motion. [Warning: Encountering Atmospheric Resistance] Corona blinked as the message suddenly flashed in front of her eyes, the spidery red lettering spoiling her view of the Dragoon Legion's SMT. Already? she sighed, casting one final glance of appreciation at the oval shape before turning her full attention to her virtual displays. The readings were starting to twitch slightly, indicating that she was indeed starting to enter the upper edge of the atmosphere. So now the real fun begins, she thought. She wouldn't try to activate her heat-shield unless her suit started to fail, knowing that the entire purpose of the drop was to stress-test it under real-time conditions. Granted there was a lot they could simulate and replicate in a laboratory environment, but there was simply no substitute for the actual conditions. She glanced up at her hand as she spread her fingers out, the quarter-inch thick material appearing to be perfectly fine. She could feel the resistance around her hand as the atmosphere slowly started to thicken up around her. She continued to stare at her fingertips until she began to see just the faintest traces of motion around them, tiny ghost-like disturbances caused by the air being compressed and displaced by her hyper-sonic passage. Half-hour, she thought as she returned her focus ahead of her. The wide expanse of the ocean was very slowly growing larger as more and more of the horizon began to recede. The disc of the planet all but blocked the rest of space now, masking the golden moon's presence behind an ever-increasing veil of atmosphere. [External Temperature Increasing - Internal Temperature Nominal] So far, so good, she thought as the thermal properties of the suit held up to the design specifications. Even though it was only a quarter-inch thick, the new material had the amazing ability to 'repel' heat without absorbing too much of it itself. She had asked how it was done and was promptly given a very long-winded lecture on multi-dimension quantum physics that left her with a truly massive headache. She finally decided that as long as it worked, she really didn't need to understand how the material could be dimensionally folded in on itself without actually breaking any established laws of physics. A faint disturbance could be seen forming in front of her, the beginnings of the shock-front that would accompany her trip through the atmosphere. The front would soon ionize into incandescent plasma as it continued to heat up, turning her into a bright streak of light that would be clearly visible to all who were watching. [Warning: Ion Levels Above Threshold - Communication Link Inoperative] That was to be expected, as only the most energetic of particles from the ground would be able to pierce the energy halo that was continuing to build up around her. The front was clearly visible now, a slightly elongated oval of compressed air. She carefully spread her arms and legs out, seeking to create the maximum amount of drag possible and deliberately testing the limits of her experimental suit. The resistance on her limbs was incredibly strong now, only the tensile strength of the suit's material keeping her arms and legs from being torn out of their sockets. The corona in front of her likewise changed shape, widening out into a roughly circular mass that was less than a foot away. A bright flash of light heralded the ignition of the air in front of her, the halo finally passing the ionization point and becoming plasma. Now the thermal properties of her suit would be fully tested, exposed to temperatures that would start to boil most metals and would instantly crisp organic flesh the microsecond it became exposed. The internal temperature readings had risen three degrees since she last glanced at them, a fully expected development. There was no cooling mechanism in the suit, unless you counted the super-cool air inside her faceplate as the liquid oxygen in her tanks started to evaporate. That prompted an unpleasant memory about how she had to eject them when her first suit had disintegrated, not wanting to be near the tanks when they were heated from a few degrees above body temperature to a four-digit value that started with the number three. Her visor turned black as it compensated for the now-blinding glare of the shock-front blazing away in front of her. She was flying blind now, having to rely on the implants in her body and the tiny sensors woven into her suit to determine where she was. This was the most dangerous part of the descent, as she had to stay on a proper course if she was to land in the ocean. Granted she had a fairly large target ahead of her, but there were a few small islands here and there that could complicate matters, to say nothing of what would happen if she were to drift over firm terrain. The sensors said she was still on the right course, however, so she tried not to worry too much about it. She had a limited ability to adjust her course at this point, but it wouldn't do her much good until she descended enough for the air resistance to be truly useful. The air inside the suit felt warm now, perhaps being just a few degrees below her normal body temperature. She wouldn't start to truly worry until it rose into the triple-digits, at which point she would have free rein to use her heat-shielding ability. She would rather not use it unless she had to, as it would then invalidate any further data collected after that point. [Warning: Altitude 220A - Course Nominal] Almost there, she thought with a quiet sigh. She would attempt to deploy the new drag-chutes at one-hundred thousand feet up, giving them plenty of both time and space in which to attempt to work. She still had a number of doubts about the functionality of the design, but had also witnessed the test results herself in the wind tunnel trials. They would have been fully tested on the last drop if her suit hadn't disintegrated before she could reach a suitable height to have tried deploying them. The crimson glow of re-entry was visible even through her darkened visor now, the bright reddish-white glow of extreme heat. She could feel the wind starting to have a strong influence on her course, not just from the intense halo of super-compressed air in front of her but from the icy current that was the highest level of atmospheric jet-streams. The thickness of the air was starting to slow her down as she encountered a greater amount of resistance. [Warning: Altitude 125A - Course Drift +0.22N -0.01W] Corona arched her back slightly, trying to change the angle of resistance pressing against her chest. It wasn't the first time she had encountered a slight vertical drift on descent, as being a woman meant her chest wasn't as aerodynamic as would otherwise be possible with a male jumper. Of course, she mused with a mental sigh, men didn't have large cavities in their bodies where implants could be nestled without having to undergo radical or otherwise very invasive surgery. It was a trade-off of sorts, but she didn't mind too much given the extreme lengths the R&D team went to make sure that she couldn't feel the slightest hint that she was carrying anything extra. Wait for it, she thought as she kept an eye on the altimeter reading. It slowly counted down until it reached 100A, pausing for just an instant to flash a far-from-subtle reminder on her display to deploy the new drag-chutes. A simple mental command directed at the implant in the base of her skull set the experimental device on her back into motion. She frowned as she felt the back of her suit rip as four rubbery tendrils suddenly ballooned out, quickly elongating into very long loops. The loops immediately stiffened up as they dried out, flattening out at the top ends to increase the amount of surface area. The change in inertia was felt immediately, doubling her over as her waist was jerked backwards. The pain registered an instant later, telling her that she had just torqued the living hell out of her back muscles. It wasn't bad enough to suggest that anything was broken or torn, but it would certainly make moving around a lot more complicated until the damage was regenerated. [Danger: Suit Breach - Danger: Drag-Chute Structural Integrity Failure] Corona knew that she was likely in serious trouble now. The suit breach was already being dealt with, encasing herself in the bubble-like barrier of her heat-shield to prevent the super-heated air from burning her alive. The unknown failure of the drag-chutes, however, was beyond her immediate powers. She blinked in surprise when her visor cleared up, becoming what passed for normal transparency as the halo of plasma around her faded away. A quick check of her display revealed that her forward velocity was still dropping at a steady rate, meaning that the drag-chutes were working for the most part. Huh, she thought as she found herself plummeting through a high bank of thin clouds. Perhaps this might not be so bad after all.... [Danger: Collision Warning - Objects Within Projected Landing Radius] "Oh, k'ves," she muttered softly as her blood turned cold. The problem was made evident as she finally cleared the clouds and could see what was below her. The wide expanse of dark blue ocean was a welcome sight, as that meant she wasn't about to leave a crater on dry land. The feeling of relief lasted for precisely two seconds before she spotted the cluster of naval vessels in the middle of the ocean, appearing to be a heavy carrier and a support group of smaller surface ships. Of course, she thought with a mental sigh. Untold millions of ke'shels of open ocean, and they just *have* to park where I'm going to splash down. I'm almost tempted to aim for one of them just to piss off those p'tais in the Navy. Stupid bunch of.... huh, she added as she drew close enough to make out the details. That doesn't look like one of ours. Deck rotors on a carrier? Who still uses those things? [Danger: Altitude 005A - Course Drift +0.31N -0.03W] [Danger: Altitude 004A] [Danger: Altitude 003A] You know, maybe they'll be nice enough to fish me out of the ocean, Corona thought before even the gray hulls became blurs around her. Assuming I happen to survive this one. Oops, I hope that's just a shadow and not.... * * * * It took Darian a moment to finally realize that the gentle sensation he was feeling wasn't part of the dream anymore. That was enough to draw him out of the depths of slumber, reawakening his senses one by one until he was more awake than asleep. A soft grunt rose up from his throat as the feeling registered again, a soft but persistent nudging of his bare shoulder. It seemed to take forever for his eyelids to part, feeling awfully heavy for being a pair of very thin membranes. The room was still fairly dark, but there was just enough light available to let him focus on the face leaning over him. "Mergph," he muttered softly as he allowed his eyes to promptly close. "Don't be a wuss," Rei said softly as she nudged him again. "Wake up." "Do you even know what time it is?" he sighed as he felt the last vestiges of sleep quietly drift away from him, leaving him fully awake. He paused as a sudden thought occurred to him and he cracked one eye back open. "And why are you in our room, anyway?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you prefer I let the demon wake the two of you up?" she countered in a faintly edged tone. Another soft grunt rose up from his chest as he thought about it. "Let me get back to you on that one," he muttered as he opened his other eye and tried to focus on the ceiling. He saw Rei's expression change out of the corner of his eye, turning his head to look at her a little more closely before following the line of her gaze. "She really does look like an angel when she's asleep like that," Rei said very softly as she studied the sleeping blonde's peaceful expression. "I wish I could enjoy sleep that much." "And why don't you?" Darian inquired, keeping his voice equally as soft so as not to disturb Serena. The sheets had fallen down to around her waist as she lay cuddled against him, her feminine curves barely concealed by the way her arm was half-thrown across his chest. The realization that he had also fallen asleep in the nude caused him to cast a side-long glance at the raven- haired priestess, both to see what she was wearing and to make sure that none of his own anatomy was accidentally out on display. The front of her white robe was parted slightly but not indecently so, the soft lines of her deep cleavage flexing gently as she absently shrugged her shoulders in helplessness. "I don't know, I really don't," she sighed. "I'm not even sure I actually sleep anymore, just losing myself in deep meditations for what feels like an hour or two only to be startled when the alarm clock goes off in the morning." "Try going to bed without meditating?" he suggested carefully. "That's like going to bed without brushing your teeth," she muttered as she gave him a slightly unpleasant look. "You can do it, but you still get a rather nasty feeling. Or at least it is with me," she amended as she shifted her position on the edge of the bed. Darian just grunted quietly, acutely aware of the fact that he had fallen asleep last night before he had been able to take care of that personal hygiene issue. He had fully intended to do so, but the herbal tea Susan had given them had simply been too strong to resist. A very soft and gentle sigh tickled his chest as Serena stirred slightly. She seemed to stretch her legs for a moment before cuddling back up to him and drifting back off to sleep. The gesture tugged on the sheets wrapped around them, dragging them down another inch or so. "So that's it," he mused with a very soft chuckle, finally realizing how the sheets had wound up all bunched together at the foot of the bed yesterday morning. He caught the uncertain look on Rei's face and added, "We had this problem of migrating sheets yesterday." "Ah," she said simply, glancing down at the white linens. She paused to study just how far down they were, not quite at the curves of Serena's hips yet but at the same time almost down to Darian's navel, before looking back up into his dark eyes again. "So you awake now?" she prodded gently. "Now," he echoed ruefully with a quiet sigh. "Want to talk, or are you going to wake her up now?" Rei asked softly. Darian paused for a moment to regard her carefully. "Talk about what?" he asked in a very cautious tone. The priestess sighed and turned her attention to the wall in front of her, carefully tucking one leg beneath her. "I haven't had much of a chance to think about what happened last night," she said quietly. "I guess I'm still trying to sort everything out." "There shouldn't be a whole lot to sort out anymore," he pointed out in a cautious tone. "We're good friends, Rei, and that shouldn't have changed. Or are you still rethinking the 'I'm giving up on him' mantra?" he prodded. She cast a somewhat unfriendly glare in his direction before sighing and looking back at the wall. "You know my feelings on the matter," she said in a soft tone. "And you know mine," he countered gently. "Feelings can change," she said in an even quieter tone, still looking at the wall with a slightly haunted expression. "That they can," Darian admitted with a half-shrug, making sure not to use the shoulder Serena was using as a pillow. "But your feelings can change just as easily as mine can, and I really doubt that there will be any sudden changes from either of us." Rei sighed quietly and tilted her head back slightly, looking up the wall to where it joined with the ceiling. "Probably not," she muttered. He paused to regard her carefully before sighing softly. "So are you going to tell me what really brought you here, or are we supposed to just go over the same concerns again until Serena wakes up?" he said in a neutral tone. The priestess continued to study the ceiling joint in silence for a few moments before sighing heavily and tilting back, carefully reclining against his lower waist. "I'm scared, Darian," she said very quietly. "The Imperium Silver Crystal won't talk to me. I can't even hear my mother's voice now, and I'm.... I'm afraid it will refuse me when I go to transform into Sailor Mars." "Why would it refuse you?" he inquired, thinking very carefully about the wisdom of letting Rei stay in position. Not that she was crunching anything of importance, but he would rather not have to try to explain anything to Serena if she should wake up and notice that the bed was just a little more crowded than when she went to sleep. "If it would refuse anyone at this point, it would be Serena simply because of how she's changed. Physically, at least," he added, giving in to the impulse to reach out and very lightly run his hand across the blonde's bare back. "I just find the sudden silence to be.... disquieting," Rei murmured as she closed her eyes. Darian glanced down at Serena as she stirred again. He blinked hard as she started to stretch again, his free hand darting down to grab the edge of the sheet just as it was drawn down even further. He managed to snag it just as it slid past his navel, barely keeping his modesty preserved. Rei lifted her head up with a frown as the sheet moved beneath her head, turning slightly to cast an irritated glance at the slumbering blonde. She paused as she noticed Darian discreetly tugging the sheet higher up, a faint blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. "Problem?" she asked in a guarded tone as she sat back up. "Yeah, we're not exactly dressed for company," he muttered. Rei just rolled her eyes and leaned back down, allowing more of her weight to rest on his legs and effectively pinning the sheets in place. "Honestly, after what happened last night?" she said in a pointed tone. "Does it really matter at this point?" "It might," he countered in a flat tone, drawing a faintly surprised look from the priestess. They both blinked as Serena yawned quietly, making a very disgruntled sound to herself as she cuddled even tighter against Darian. Darian and Rei exchanged glances before Rei sighed quietly. "Serena," she said in a bored tone, reaching up above her to nudge the nearest part of the blonde's body. "Wake up, meatball head." "Let her sleep, Rei," Darian said quietly. "I want to get this over with," Rei replied tartly as she prodded Serena again. She was answered with a petulant groan of protest as Serena rolled over onto her other side, resulting in the majority of the sheets being dragged along with her in a none-too-gentle tugging motion. Both Rei and Darian sat up in the same instant, the former because of the minor friction burn she was getting along the back of her neck and the latter because of the fact that what was left of the sheets now barely covered his ankles. His arm came down to grab the edge of the sheets when it was gently intercepted, her hand taking hold of his forearm to halt him in mid-motion. There was a slightly uneasy moment as their eyes met, Darian acutely aware of the fact that he was completely naked and exposed to her gaze. "Rei," he said in a warning tone, his eyes narrowing slightly. She continued to stare into his eyes before reaching out with her other hand, gently shaking the blonde's arm. "Serena," she said flatly. "Wake up." "I'm awake," the blonde muttered, still three-quarters asleep. "Good," Rei replied tartly. "So give Darian the sheets back before I have to take them from you myself." "Rei?" Darian sighed quietly as he tugged himself free from her grip. He reached behind him to grab the pillow, quickly setting it in his lap to cover his groin. "Leave her alone. Hey, easy!" he yelped as Serena suddenly sat up and came perilously close to falling off the edge of the bed. "Huh?" Serena mumbled, trying to shake off the mantle of sleep and focus on her surroundings. It took a few moments for the fog to lift from her blue eyes, a pair of hard blinks finally allowing the situation to register on her fuzzy mind. "What...?" "Good morning," Rei said in a faintly edged tone as she scooted back, one hand absently retucking the robe around her. "Rei?" Serena said in confusion, pausing for a moment to yawn. "What's going.... on...?" she said, her voice slowing down as she realized that Darian was sitting next to her with just a pillow in his lap to preserve his modesty. The fact that Rei was sitting next to him and seemed to be quickly adjusting her robe shut was a rather disturbing discovery, making her wonder just what she was waking up to. Or worse, what she had missed while she was asleep. "Serena?" Darian said with surprising calmness. "Can you do me a favor?" "Wait," Serena said slowly. "Why are you...? HEY!" she yelped as Rei leaned over Darian's legs, grabbing the edges of the sheets and giving them a fierce yank. A truly startled yelp filled the air as the force of the tug not only unwound the sheets from Serena's body but sent her tumbling into Darian, winding up in a truly compromising position. Rei paused for a moment before sighing quietly and shaking her head to herself, knowing that the scene was definitely not what she had in mind. The only thing that kept either Serena or Darian from waking up any further was the fact that the pillow was squished between them, providing a cushioned landing for the blonde's groin. "My bad," she muttered as she fluffed the sheet out, draping it as best she could over them and sitting back down on the edge of the bed with a faint blush. "Don't move," Darian said firmly in an iron voice. He waited until the surprise factor wore off and Serena's momentary panic-attack had left before very carefully twisting around, gently setting her back down on the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief as the situation was remedied without injury to his anatomy or further embarrassment to them both. He leaned over to give her a soft kiss before sitting back up to cast a dark glare at Rei. "Sorry," Rei muttered as she looked away, feeling the blush on her cheeks darken by at least three shades. "Darian?" Serena said in an uncertain tone as she sat up, absently keeping the sheets tucked beneath her chin. "What's going on?" "Let's just call it a rough morning and leave it at that," Darian replied with a quiet sigh. "Don't ask me why Rei decided to wake us up like this." "Look," Rei countered with an impatient sigh. "I already told you, I only came in here to wake you up because otherwise Susan would have done so. That, and I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. That's all." Serena blinked and gave Darian an uneasy look, still not entirely sure what to make of the situation. All three of them blinked and glanced towards the door as there was the sound of a gentle knock, followed by the whispering sounds of the door being eased open a few inches. "Your Highness?" Susan said very quietly, edging just enough of her head into the room to see what was going on. She paused as she realized that both Darian and Serena were not only still in bed but were likely far from dressed as well. "I said I would take care of it," Rei growled, casting an unfriendly look towards the slightly unsettled succubus. "We'll be out when we're ready." Susan blinked at the priestess' tone, glancing over at both Darian and Serena to make note of the startled looks on their faces. "Very well, your Excellency," she said in a neutral tone, casting the briefest of glances over at Rei. "Please do not take too long, as the others are waiting outside." Darian and Serena traded looks before Darian sighed quietly. "You're in a mood this morning," he said as the door was gently closed, giving Rei a flat look. "Or are you still having a few lingering cramps?" he prodded. "Stuff it," Rei growled. "You going to tell me where, or do I get to pick this time?" he shot back in a partially-amused tone, causing Serena to blink hard and Rei to almost slip off the edge of the bed in shock. "Umm...." Serena said slowly. "I think you know where, Darian," Rei muttered, looking away as the blush returned to her cheeks. "Not this one again," he replied with a smirk. "I know you sometimes have a singular focus in your meditations, Rei, but you really need to clear your mind out on occasion. One-track minds tend to get old fairly quickly." "What's going on?" Serena whimpered in confusion as Rei sighed heavily, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands. "Like I said, just a really bad morning," Darian assured her, leaning over to kiss her bare shoulder. "We're awake now, Rei, so you can leave us in peace to get dressed and all." Rei lifted her head up to give him a neutral look before leaning down to scoop up his robe from the floor. "Here," she said simply as she tossed it to him. "You can make new clothes once we're outside in the Ether." Darian cast an idle glance down at the robe before looking back up at the priestess. "Rei?" he said gently. "We'll meet you outside." Rei said nothing, looking over at him in stony silence before glancing over at the still-confused Serena. She sighed quietly and stood up, smoothing out the edges of her robe before heading towards the door. She seemed to pause for a brief instant before reaching for the handle, quietly twisting it open and slipping outside without looking behind her. "Darian...." Serena said slowly once the door had closed. "Is she okay?" Darian sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, Serena," he replied as he leaned over to give her a gentle hug. The embrace was returned with quiet warmth, enjoying one another's company but both still quietly worried about Rei's state of mind. "Come on, let's get this one over with," he said in a resigned tone, unconsciously echoing Rei's earlier words. "Get what over with?" Serena asked in confusion as Darian eased himself off the bed. Her gaze reflexively shifted down to his exposed backside, eyeing his firm masculine curves before the robe was slipped on and tied in place. "This morning's stress-test," he explained in a faintly dry tone as he made his way around the bed to her side. "Susan wants to test us, remember?" "Oh, yeah," Serena grumbled as she untangled the sheets from her legs and climbed out of bed. She paused for a moment to stretch, flexing her back as she briefly rose up on her tip-toes. The stretch very quickly blurred into a deep kiss as Darian took advantage of the distraction, sliding his arms around her nude body to draw her into a fairly intimate embrace. "Heh," he murmured softly once the kiss was broken and her soft monotone hum of pleasure had faded away. "Good morning, my love." She giggled quietly and pulled him down to her for another soft and fairly protracted kiss. "Good morning, my prince," she whispered back to him when he finally edged away. "For once, at least," he pointed out as he briefly bent down to scoop up her discarded robe. He had to fight the impulse to study her body as he stood back up straight, knowing that he could easily lose five minutes simply gazing at the nearly-flawless smoothness of her skin. Had they awoken like this back on Earth on a weekend, things would most likely certainly be different. And not just because of a lock on the door, he thought wryly as he held the robe open for her. He kissed her neck softly as she turned around and leaned against him, her arms slowly coming up to slide into the sleeves. "Thank you," she purred in a soft and dulcet tone as he reached around her waist to tie the white fabric closed for her. She turned around once he was finished for a final kiss before they both headed for the door, figuring that they would have plenty of time to make the badly-rumpled bed after breakfast. Rei opened her eyes as the bedroom door opened up, lifting her head up to watch Darian and Serena emerge from the room. She immediately noticed the soft smile on the blonde's lips, a clear indication that Darian had gone out of his way to make the princess forget that she wasn't a morning person. Granted it wouldn't take much in Serena's case, most likely no more than a tender kiss or two given her emotional nature and tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve, but it was still not something that the priestess wanted to think about. "You two ready?" she asked quietly as she pushed herself off the wall and stood up straight, absently fluffing her dark hair behind her. "We should be," Darian replied in a careful tone, absently rubbing his hand across Serena's lower back. "I hope so," Rei replied calmly as she turned to head for the far end of the corridor. "Rei, are you alright?" Serena asked tentatively. Rei sighed and came to a halt, reaching up to rub her sinuses with her fingertips. "I'm scared, Serena," she said in a quiet tone. "I'm scared that the Imperium Silver Crystal is going to reject me when I try to transform for some reason. I haven't sensed anything from it since that outburst yesterday, and the silence is.... disturbing." "So what if it does?" Darian spoke up, causing both girls to abruptly stop in mid-motion. "Honestly, Rei, do really think the Crystal would go to all the trouble of making you Regent only to turn around and ignore you in the morning? I doubt it. I can only see one of three scenarios happening in a few minutes, assuming nobody's tried to transform yet. Either everybody transforms, nobody transforms, or everybody but Serena transforms." "What?" Serena blurted out, giving him a startled look. He sighed quietly and turned to face her, reaching down to hold her hands in his. "I'm only saying that because you haven't tried to become Sailor Moon since your denizen blood woke up," he said in a gentle tone. "I honestly don't think it will refuse you, Serena. After all, you're still the Moon Princess with the exact same blood you were born with. The only problem I see is if there is something wrong with the Imperium Silver Crystal as an entity, which means that everybody should have the same problem calling on its powers." "You're overlooking one thing," Rei pointed out. "I have dominion over the Crystal right now, not Serena. That might be screwing everything up." "So give it back if you're that worried," Darian countered, giving her a slightly irritated look. "I really don't understand you sometimes, Rei. From what I've both seen for myself and heard from the others, you've been wanting a chance to have the cosmic power for yourself since you first put on Mars' red skirt and fired up the power in your soul. Now that you actually have it, you suddenly don't think it's a hot idea anymore?" "So maybe I was wrong all this time," the priestess replied in an empty tone, giving him a level look. "Perhaps I just needed to be taught a lesson about coveting power. Tell me, Prince Darian, haven't you ever had a desire for something, only to realize it really wasn't what you thought it was once you got it? Or worse, realized that you never truly wanted it to begin with?" "I have," Darian admitted with a somber nod. "I will return control of the Crystal to Serena when this is over," Rei said, giving Serena a neutral look. "That's really up to Susan, however, as she's the one harboring the souls of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen. But one thing at a time," she added as she turned away and resumed walking at a measured pace. "Come on," Darian said to Serena in a gentle tone, briefly squeezing her hand before setting out after the raven-haired priestess. Serena immediately followed him, keeping pace in uncharacteristic silence as the three of them made their way through the ground-level foyer towards the main doors of the keep. The dim lights in the room suddenly winked out without warning as the heavy iron doors began to swing inward, briefly plunging the foyer into total darkness before the soft pink glow of the Ether became visible. "Well, well," Sailor Uranus said as she turned to look for the source of the heavy creaking sound. "Look what the succubus dragged in. Morning, you three!" she called out with an idle wave of greeting. She was holding her Soul Saber in her off-hand, carefully twisting her wrist around to try to loosen it up beneath the weapon's weight. "Leave 'em alone," Sailor Jupiter grumbled quietly as she continued to stretch and roll her shoulders. A simple wooden quarterstaff was laying at her feet, the center portion of the weapon having been solidly bound with a thin cloth ribbon for traction. "Morning," Darian replied calmly as he gently ushered both Serena and Rei onto the slightly damp grass. All three of them made a slight face at the cool sensation beneath their bare feet. They all halted after a few paces and cast startled looks around the immediate area, finding the terrain to be vastly different than they had last remembered. "Hey, what's all this?" he asked with a gesture to the series of booth-shaped tents that had been set up in a large ring like a carnival fairground. "Sue's idea of a training ground," Uranus muttered sourly. "She's playing the warped-physics game again so it just looks small on the outside. Go ahead and stick your head in one, you'll see what I'm talking about." Darian, Rei, and Serena all traded uneasy glances before Darian strode over to the nearest tent. It was roughly the size of a portable toilet and decorated much like a pavilion tent, complete with a colored banner quietly flying from a tiny spire at the very top. He cautiously poked at the material for a moment before prying the flaps apart, seeing only utter darkness inside. He cast a wary look at Uranus before leaning forward to put his head past the flaps, remaining motionless for a number of moments before slipping his head back out. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, his eyebrows arched clear up to his head in a blatant display of surprise. He took a step back and moved to the side to let Rei examine the tent for herself, taking another step back as she stuck her head inside to look around as well. "What the hell?" Rei demanded in amazement once she pulled her head back, giving Uranus a startled look. "It's Sue's way," Uranus replied with a shrug of dismissal. "You have to admit it's a neat trick," Jupiter added as she bent down to scoop up the quarterstaff. She held it horizontally and pumped it up and down a few times like she was working with a barbell before twirling it around in a gentle pattern. "So where's everyone else?" Darian asked as he watched Serena step past Rei to poke her head in the tent. Although it only appeared to be tiny on the outside, the inside of the tent was as roomy as a full pavilion tent, holding a fairly large combat ring. A series of mats had been laid down and decorated with paint in a few odd patterns, while a small row of bleachers lined either side of the ring. The tent was empty for the moment but it appeared to easily be capable of holding everyone together at once. Uranus gestured to a pair of dark red tents at the far end of the circle. "Neptune's setting up the water-works, or so she claims, and Mercury is still talking to Susan about the warm-up exercises we just did." "Okay...." Darian said slowly, glancing around at the tents again. "So call me paranoid, but where's Sailor Venus?" "Right behind you," a coy voice spoke up, causing both Darian and Rei to spin about sharply. "I had to use the bathroom," Venus explained with a smile as she gestured behind her. "Please tell me you're not going to try to fight in that...." Darian cast a reflexive glance down at his robe before glancing over at Rei. "We just got here," he pointed out, looking over his shoulder as Serena finally pulled her head out from the dimensionally-warped tent. "Wow," Serena breathed in awe, looking over at them with wide blue eyes. "That's amazing how Susan got all that space into this tiny little tent. Hi, Venus," she added. Venus chuckled quietly and winked at her fellow blonde. "Good morning, space cadets," she said in a cheerful tone. "You three ready for a physical exam to see how capable you are? I'm sure our dark demoness is ready now...." "Depends on how invasive it is," Darian muttered, giving Venus an uneasy look. He paused as a thought popped into his mind and he glanced over at Rei. "I think this answers the question about transforming," he said to her. Rei looked at him and nodded, seeming to relax just slightly. "Yeah, I was just thinking about that. But still...." "You worry too much," Darian said, cutting her off with a gesture. "And if you're really all that worried, Rei, then go ahead and transform. No use in putting it off, right?" "I suppose you're right," Rei sighed quietly in resignation as she reached behind her to open up her Lunar Space pocket. Her hand came back up a moment later holding the silvery Mars Wand. She seemed to hesitate briefly before holding it up towards what passed for the sky in the demiplane. "Mars Power!" "See?" Darian said calmly as everyone stepped back from the sudden vortex of fire surrounding the priestess. "You girls worry too much sometimes." "Worried about what?" Venus asked as she watched the fiery transformation sequence. The crimson flames soon faded away to reveal the visibly relieved expression on Sailor Mars' face, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she turned to look over at Darian and Serena. "I'm sorry," Mars apologized very quietly. Darian made an idle gesture of dismissal. "Don't worry about it. Good morning," he added as he saw Susan and Sailor Mercury stepping out of one of the dark red tents. "Good morning, your Highness," Susan replied in a cordial tone before she turned her attention back to a visibly disturbed Mercury. "As I said, I will attempt to reload the relevant portions of the databases from the archives once we return to the present, assuming the archives are still intact, but the loss of information should have no impact whatsoever on the program functions." "But where did it come from to begin with?" Mercury persisted, her face half-masked by her Virtual Visor. The broad expanse of the blue-tinted device was all but blotted out by several screens of images superimposed over her line of vision, making everyone else wonder how she could possibly see straight at the moment. "And why didn't I ever notice it before?" Susan gave the upset vampire a patient look. "I suspect that you simply didn't explore the software environment to its fullest," she said calmly. "I assure you the program was in place long before your grandmother was born, so it is hardly a new development. Keep in mind that you are not the only one who has capabilities you were not previously aware of. Sailor Venus and her own Virtual Visor, for example," she added as she cast a mild glance towards the orange-skirted blonde. "Oh, yeah, that," Venus said as she reached up to tap the orange garnet gemstone nestled in the center of her tiara. A band of orange light promptly formed over her eyes, solidifying into a Virtual Visor that was identical to Mercury's visor in every way except color. The blonde promptly blinked hard as a message flashed in her line of vision. "Wait, what's it doing?" she blurted out. "Synchronizing? With what?" "Hey!" Mercury protested as yet another display window opened up on her already-crowded visor. "Establishing connection.... with Venus?! Susan, what the hell is it doing now?" she demanded as she brought her miniature computer out of her Lunar Space pocket and flipped the cover open. Susan paused and glanced over at Mercury. "I do not mean to be harsh or disrespectful, Sailor Mercury, but perhaps you should observe what it does and try to discern its functionality on your own," she suggested archly. Darian exchanged slightly wary glances with the rest of the group before sighing quietly. "Okay, maybe I spoke too soon about it being a good morning," he muttered dryly. "Venus, you alright?" "Hey, I'm fine," Venus replied casually, still glancing up at the tiny display window in the corner of her field of vision. "I don't know what it's doing, mind you, but it's not in my way or anything. Dunno about looking at the world through an orange filter, but I can handle this," she added as she cast an appraising glance at the rest of the group. "Let's hope so, babe," Uranus said as she casually tossed her saber in the air, watching it flip end-over-end several times before catching the hilt in her right hand. "Hey, watch where you toss that thing," Jupiter growled as she took a step away from the sword-wielding Viking. Uranus paused to give the brunette an odd look. "I was watching it," she pointed out. "What, you think I'd just toss this in the air at random? Like I'd want a blade this sharp to come raining down without warning." "Whatever," Jupiter grumbled to herself as she put some distance between her and everyone else. She hefted the quarterstaff again and started to slowly whirl it around in a fairly wide arc, apparently trying to further loosen up the muscles in her upper arms. A startled yelp caused everyone to suddenly whirl around as a panicked Sailor Neptune scrambled out from inside the other dark red tent, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She immediately launched herself into a rolling dive away from the tent flaps, the red material barely closing behind her passage before the entire tent suddenly ballooned outward as if something had exploded inside. The now-spherical tent started to lean to one side, making a very ominous creaking sound as the fabric started to strain. "Mich!" Uranus yelled as she darted over to where Neptune was gingerly rising to her feet, her complexion dangerously pale. "What the hell happened?" "Lady Neptune," Susan said flatly as she cast a distinctly unhappy glare at the tilting balloon-like tent. "I explicitly told you not to disturb the stasis field surrounding the planar portal." "I didn't touch it," Neptune panted as she grabbed onto Uranus' arm for support. She glanced up at the irritated woman and paused to brush a stray lock of aquamarine hair out of her face. "Something came through the gate when I was standing there and tried to talk to me. I couldn't understand her, and when I tried to explain that I couldn't hear her voice too well, she started to poke at the stasis field." Susan's eyebrows promptly arched up in surprise. "Something came through the gate?" she echoed. She got an uneasy nod in response and closed her eyes to think for a moment, oblivious of the slew of very uncertain looks being exchanged among the rest of the group. "Humanoid, pale blue skin, with blue or greenish hair and eyes?" Susan finally asked as she opened her eyes. "I think so...." Neptune replied. "A marid, probably," Susan sighed as she pulled her staff from its niche in Time and rested her weight on it. The movement was so fluid and casual that the rest of the group was caught off-guard to see the silvery staff suddenly appear in literally the blink of an eye without warning. "Odd, they usually don't go poking around tiny dimensional gates like that...." "Wait, a what?" Uranus asked carefully. "A water genie, I think," Venus spoke up in a cautious tone. "Umm, guys? Can we discuss this in a few moments? That tent doesn't look too good...." she said as she made a gesture towards the still-spherical red tent. Susan barely glanced at it before making a gesture with her staff. The tent suddenly seemed to implode inward, twisting and folding in on itself until it simply vanished in a bright spark of light. A very sharp popping sound was heard a moment later, followed by a small deluge of somewhat warm water being sprayed in all directions from the tiny point of light. "Hey!" Jupiter growled as she felt a few droplets splash across her face. "I guess we shall save the swimming test for later," Susan said casually as she stood up straight and sighed. "No matter, we should be ready to begin now that we are all here together." "Umm, excuse me," Venus said, waving her hand around gently. "I don't mean to be rude here, but do you think you could explain to us just what the hell happened?" "Not to mention what you're going to put us through," Jupiter muttered, drawing sour nods of agreement from Uranus and Mars. "A simple series of tests to ascertain your skills and the strength of your domain powers," Susan explained calmly as she drew her Pluto Wand from her Lunar Space pocket. "I had intended to add a few tests to assess your physical attributes, such as strength, agility, resilience, and endurance, but it seems that it may be wise to wait until later. Sailor Mercury, are you finished yet, by chance?" she added in a faintly reproving tone. "Wait a minute," Uranus said slowly as everyone looked over at Mercury, realizing that she was still working on her tiny computer and didn't appear to have been aware of what had just transpired a few minutes ago. "You guys were serious about this attention-span problem of hers, weren't you? Goddamn...." Venus just sighed quietly and crossed her arms. "What, thought we were kidding?" she grumbled. "Focus is nice, but not when it could get you killed because you're not paying attention to a small riot erupting around you. So who's turn is it this time?" Jupiter eyed her quarterstaff for several seconds before grunting. "Nah," she muttered to herself before looking over at Venus. "I took care of her when we ran into the vep'tera earlier, so someone else can handle this one." "You people are such wimps," Uranus sighed as she moved forward, shifting her saber to her other hand. Venus shot her an irked look. "Hey, there are just some things you don't want to do lightly and disturbing a preoccupied vampire ranks up there with mooning a werewolf. Not a wise thing to do regardless, but.... whoa, wait!" Everyone suddenly cringed, first in surprise as Uranus' hand darted down in a grabbing motion, then in pain as Mercury promptly squealed at the top of her lungs. The miniature computer in her hands was sent on a ballistic path that would have bounced off of the stone walls of the keep if Darian hadn't reached out to grab it as it sailed past him. Mercury immediately whirled around, both hands darting back to cover her backside while she gave Uranus a genuinely shocked look. "What are you DOING?" she demanded in a voice that was two full octaves higher than her usual pitch, a bright crimson blush crossing her cheeks. "Getting your attention, babe," Uranus replied calmly. "You awake now?" "That was wrong...." Venus muttered quietly. "Effective, but wrong. Hey, is this a compass?" she added, tapping the topmost edge of her Virtual Visor. The display had changed slightly when she moved her head, only now realizing that it had been there the entire time. Darian just shook his head as he took a few steps forward, holding out the miniature computer to the still-shocked Mercury. "Yeah, I spoke too soon about it being a good morning," he muttered. "Here, you dropped this." "Thank you," Mercury said absently, giving Uranus a truly glacial look. "Settle down, babe," Uranus replied with a roll of her eyes as she went back over to Neptune. "Anyway," Mars said calmly, looking around the circle of tents. "Can we get this thing over with? I'm starting to get hungry." Susan looked at the group for a moment before sighing quietly to herself. "Perhaps that would be best," she said before she held her wand up. "Pluto Power!" "Yo!" Jupiter yelped as Susan was suddenly engulfed in a mass of swirling vapors, the charcoal-gray coloring lending an air of darkness to the process. Her eyes widened slightly as a low, almost mournful sound reached her ears, seeming to be a haunted whisper of pain and agony. "What the hell is making that noise?" "That's just Pluto for you," Uranus said with a shrug, having seen the transformation countless times before. "I told you she's a spooky bitch when she's in a mood." The looped end of a staff suddenly cut through the swirling wall of dark vapor, causing the shroud-like veil to fall away and reveal the black colors of a Sailor Suit. A second whispering-moan could be heard before both it and the last traces of the dark mist faded away, leaving behind the striking figure of Sailor Pluto holding the Key to Time in her hands. "Wow," Venus breathed quietly. "That made my hair stand on end." "Damn...." Jupiter said in a low tone, shaking her head. Pluto paused for a moment before casting a sidelong glance at Uranus. "I suppose it would be entirely too much to ask if you would have the good grace to keep your commentary to yourself, Lady Uranus?" she said archly. "Whatever, Sue," Uranus replied with a shrug. "Anyway," Mars muttered, casting a glance at both Darian and Serena. "You two want to get dressed now? The sooner this is over with, the sooner we can go get something to eat." Darian paused and gave her a leery look. "You're still in a mood?" he ventured in a cautious tone. "I thought you'd have settled down by now." "I'm hungry," Mars replied in a flat tone. "Come on, guys," Jupiter sighed quietly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "Let's just try to play nice for awhile. Serena, go ahead and transform." "Alright," Serena said quietly as she squeezed Darian's hand before moving a few feet away from him. She took a deep breath and raised her hand up to the demiplane's sky, focusing her mind on the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal. "Moon.... Crystal.... POWER!" The rest of the group unconsciously held their breath, a feeling of horror slowly filling the air as nothing happened. "Uh-oh," Venus whispered softly as Serena's eyes tripled in diameter at the realization that she couldn't feel the cosmic power transforming her. "Wait," Pluto said quickly, moving forward so that she was in everybody's line of vision. "This is not an unexpected development once you consider all that has happened in the past three days. Your Highness, listen carefully.... you are not at fault here." "Hold up," Jupiter interrupted as she tapped the quarterstaff against her shoulder, a dark frown marring her face. "Serena suddenly can't transform and you say this is expected? What the hell is going on here?" Pluto sighed and held up a hand. "Consider this, Lady Jupiter," she said in a measured tone. "The Princess is, strictly speaking, not a true Sailor Scout. Let me finish," she added as she heard at least three deep breaths being drawn to argue. "She is of royal blood and as a courtesy is empowered as the rest of us are. The key to this is the realization that she was not being granted this power because she is a princess, but rather because she had dominion over the Imperium Silver Crystal at the time." The rest of the group blinked hard and turned to look at Sailor Mars. The priestess gave Serena a startled look as she reached behind her, removing the quiescent Imperium Silver Crystal from her Lunar Space pocket. She brought the gemstone forward and looked at it, trying to figure out what Pluto meant. "Chancellor...." she said slowly. "Does that mean.... I can transform into Sailor Moon?" "It may be possible," Pluto allowed in a very guarded tone. "However, as you are already empowered by virtue of belonging to the House of Mars, I would rather forcefully recommend against you attempting to do so. Or at least not by calling on the power directly," she added. "Hey, now wait a minute...." Venus started to say. "Go on," Mars said calmly, staring down at the Crystal. Pluto seemed to choose her words carefully as she spoke. "The situation being what it is, you are the Regent, second only in power and domain control to the Crown Princess. That the power is currently under your full control is a transient situation and thus should not be relied upon to persist for a great length of time. However, your status as Regent is permanent and thus may be sufficient cause for the cosmic power to consider augmenting your powers if you so request it. I should like to point out that this is pure speculation on my part as I have no personal knowledge of such a situation happening before." Mars remained silent as she studied the spherical gemstone in her hand, her face an unreadable mask of emotionless contemplation. "Serena," she said very quietly. "What did you do to transform into Sailor Moon the first time?" "Hey!" Venus protested sharply. "You can't just.... OW!" she yelped as she was suddenly jabbed in the thigh by a quarterstaff. "Cork it, girl," Jupiter growled. "Let them work this out." "W-What do you mean?" Serena said slowly, giving Mars an uncertain look. "The words, Serena," Mars said, still studying the Crystal. "You didn't use Moon Crystal Power at first, did you? That only came after our battle with General Rune and the merging of the two crystals." Five sets of eyes suddenly blinked hard in unison as the realization sank in. "You're right...." Serena breathed, her expression changing. Mars looked up at her and nodded slowly. "So if the Crystal has gone back to being what it was, without any denizen influences...." she started to say. "It should be what it started out as!" Serena finished for her, her blue eyes wide with surprise and hope. She blinked and became perfectly still for a moment before her expression started to crumple. "Umm...." "Noooooooo," Venus muttered softly to herself, turning around to rest her forehead on the nearest solid object. "Don't say you forgot what it was, no, no, no, no, no...." she said, thumping her head repeatedly. Uranus gave Neptune a sidelong glance before carefully shifting her saber to her other hand, holding it well away from Venus' body. "Get off me, babe," she muttered to the now-depressed long-haired blonde. "Prism, Serena," Mercury said in an audibly strained tone. "Oh, yeah," Serena replied with a deep blush. There was a brief moment where everyone seemed to sigh quietly in unison before Serena raised her hand up towards the sky again. "Moon Prism Power!" she intoned. "Yes!" Venus cheered with a pumped fist as Serena was suddenly enveloped in a dazzling nimbus of radiant energy. She suddenly paused as the white aura quickly faded away, leaving Serena standing there with a truly startled look on her face. "What?" she blurted out. "Ow...." Serena whimpered quietly as she lowered her arm and looked at the palms of her hands. "That.... that hurt...." "Sailor Pluto, what am I seeing?" Mercury quickly asked, her eyes nearly double their usual diameter as she read what was being displayed on her Virtual Visor. "Transformation failed, energy sequence failure? What *IS* this?" Jupiter and Uranus exchanged weary looks, both girls seeming to age a few years in the blink of an eye. "Honest question, hon," Uranus said quietly to the brunette. "Do I look as bad to you as you look to me right now?" That resulted in a slightly awkward pause before Jupiter just sighed. "If you want me to say you look good to me, I'll have to ask Sailor Neptune to slap you silly," she grumbled. "Bah," Uranus sighed. "That's not what I meant." "Sailor Mercury, I ask your indulgence in deferring your question until we have this current situation rectified, as I am at a loss to explain why the Princess' transformation request was effectively denied," Pluto said calmly. "Everyone be quiet," Mars said sharply, causing the rest of the group to blink at her tone. She wrapped her fingers around the gemstone and brought it up to her face, holding it only a few inches away from her. "You are really starting to piss me off now," she said to the Crystal. "I know I have both the power and the will control you, and I am not shy in exercising them. As the Regent of the Moon Kingdom, I command and demand an answer from you. *NOW!*" The Crystal remained quiet for a number of seconds before a very faint glow started to seep out from the depths. A collective intake of breath from the rest of the group caused Mars to lift her head up, blinking at the sight of a gauzy white shape starting to form in front of her. The shape continued to strengthen until it was resolved into a very translucent humanoid figure. Mars blinked as the spectral queen turned to look at her, seeming to be somewhere in her late thirties. A soft mane of peach-colored hair flowed down her back to the base of her spine, a lock of hair at each temple woven into a small but tight braid. Her eyes, however, were a featureless black as empty as the void of space itself. "You do not know what you are asking," the ghostly image whispered, her soft voice seeming to freeze the blood in everyone's veins. "Of course we don't know," Mars countered as calmly and as evenly as she could, trying very hard to shake off the effects of a sudden anxiety attack. "Nobody is telling us anything anymore. Will you answer my questions?" The image of the past queen slowly looked around the group, her empty eyes seeming to linger on Serena, Mercury, and Pluto. "Depending on the questions you ask," she finally said, looking back at Mars. "Just be warned, Regent," she added, putting an emphasis on the title, "Your capacity to compel us is not as strong as you think." Mars glanced over at Pluto as she approached, the succubus leaning over to very quietly whisper in her ear. "I've never met this queen before," she said almost too softly for even Mars to hear. "That means she is one of the ancient ones and should be treated with the utmost respect. Please, tread carefully. I suggest three questions, no more." "Thank you, Chancellor," Mars said in a neutral tone before turning her attention back to the spectral image in front of her. She paused for a brief moment to glance at the rest of the group, making note of the uneasy looks on their faces at the sudden development. She sighed softly before drawing in a deep breath, looking back at the projected soul. "Your cooperation is appreciated, your Majesty," Mars said carefully. "I hope you will forgive us for being concerned about the situation. Would you please tell me your name?" The queen seemed to tilt her head slightly at the shift in tone. "I am Queen Nectaris, although I suppose that after this long I have indeed earned the title of Ancient One," she said, giving Pluto a measured look. A faint smirk touched her ghostly lips as Pluto bowed her head with an abashed look on her face. "And I believe we can permit three questions without prejudice." Mars glanced over at Serena before looking at the queen. "Why did you suddenly fall silent yesterday?" she asked carefully. Nectaris closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, focusing on the dew-damp grass before looking back up at Mars. "We felt the summons from the time-stream," she said calmly. "The Chosen One had.... will...." she tried to say before sighing heavily. "Oh, how I hate these time paradoxes," she said in a weary tone. "Your Majesty...." Pluto started to say before being silenced by a raised hand from the monarch. "We will, in the near future, receive a summons from the Chosen One," the queen said in a very deliberate manner. "For whatever reason, there were no moderating influences present at the time and the request was granted. The magnitude of the event was of such significance that it sent an aftershock into the temporal flow, which we were able to feel yesterday. The realization of what it meant resulted in a.... lively debate within the cosmic consciousness that continues at this very moment. The current consensus, which I do not presently agree with, is that the power of Sailor Moon shall be kept sealed until we are satisfied we understand the situation." Mars looked over at Serena, feeling a slight twinge in her abdomen at the look on the blonde's face. "Thank you, your Majesty, I think that clears up a lot for us," she said carefully before looking at the spectral figure again. "If I may ask, can my own powers be augmented because I am the Regent?" "Goddamn it," Venus muttered quietly, leaning over to bounce her forehead off of Uranus' shoulder again, drawing a very unamused look from the Viking. "Hon, you do that one more time and you're going to be eating this thing," Uranus growled as she made a gesture with her Soul Saber. "Now get off me." Queen Nectaris nodded slowly. "They can be, if you truly wish to call on them. It will have to be blended with your elemental domain, however, as your Chancellor is only partially correct about the nature of Sailor Moon's powers. Had one of my advisors tried to tell me that I was not a true Sailor Scout, I would have taken him or her out to the courtyard in the middle of the night and given them a solid taste of my elemental power," she added, giving Pluto a look that was just as reproving as it was amused. "Granted the domain of Life is not as potent as the domain of Death when it comes to dealing out raw pain and justified suffering, but we can certainly make it seem to be solely an issue of semantics." "Duly noted, your Majesty," Pluto replied with a chastised curtsey. "Heh," Uranus chuckled very quietly to both Venus and Neptune. "It's not every day we get to see someone putting Sue in her place. I like this Queen," she added, drawing a frown from Neptune and a rather dark glare from Pluto. "I would be careful if I were you," Nectaris said in a warning tone to Uranus. "Belittling those who have considerably more knowledge and experience than you may lead to a significantly harder life." Mars sighed quietly and looked over at Serena again, noticing that Darian was absently rubbing her lower back. She knew she could probably get away with asking a number of questions but something in the back of her mind was telling her not to push the case. And having already asked two questions, she only had one more to go. The real question now, however, was which one to ask. Why are you here instead of my mother? she thought to herself as she cast a quick glance around the group, trying to gauge their reactions to the current situation. Why are you afraid of the future? What is this Chosen One person that has both you and Queen Andromeda so bothered? Why must Serena's power be isolated all of a sudden? If it happened in the future, why all this now? "I sense a little indecision on your part, Regent Mars," the spectral figure said lightly, causing the priestess to blink. "Why is this all happening now?" Mars blurted out, her mind latching on to the most recent thread of thought. "If what you are worried about takes place in the future, why is this all falling together now?" Nectaris nodded slowly in understanding. "It is simple, really. We...." Everyone blinked as the queen suddenly trailed off, a dark frown forming on her face as the faint glow from the Imperium Silver Crystal suddenly flared up. It didn't become as bright as earlier instances, but the change in the strength of the light was still noticeable. "I will answer because that was what we agreed to," Nectaris said in an edged tone as she glared at the gemstone. "Three questions without prejudice or bias, and this is the third one." She paused once again as the glow began to pulse, causing the golden sign of the Moon to appear on her translucent forehead. "If you wish to step forward to answer in my place, so be it. No?" she added when the glow suddenly dimmed in intensity. "Then hold your tongue and let me speak." The image of Nectaris sighed heavily as she rubbed her face for a moment. "Simply put, Sailor Mars, we sensed the future summons from the Chosen One and panicked. Sailor Pluto can probably explain the mechanics of time travel and the unique nature of temporal paradoxes far better than I could, but we could tell that the source of the summons was close. Exactly how close is beyond our power to discern at the present, but the general consensus is within a year if not sooner. This consensus I do agree with," she added in a solemn tone. "A year?" Pluto blurted out, her eyes going wide. "But the Silence isn't supposed to start for another...." "Enough," the queen said as she raised her hand. "We are all aware of what events the future suggests will happen and when. However, you and I both know that the future is extremely malleable and subject to change. As I have said, we became panicked at the summons and the current consensus is that we cannot permit the call to be answered when we reach the proper point in time. The problem at hand, however, is that we are presently unable to discern the difference between the summons of Princess Serena and the call of the Chosen One. Rather than run the risk of making a fatal mistake from confusion, any such call will be denied until a way is found to tell the two apart." Everyone looked over at Serena for a moment before exchanging glances, not liking the current situation one bit. The sound of someone spitting on the ground in disgust made heads turn, the rest of the group quickly focusing on the dark look on Sailor Jupiter's face. "What a load of crap," the brunette snarled. "Sailor Jupiter...." Pluto started to say in a warning tone. "Look, she's right here, okay?" Jupiter said, gesturing with her free hand at Serena. "Is this Chosen One everyone keeps talking about right here too? I didn't think so," she added as the image of Queen Nectaris remained silent. "So let's use some common sense here, okay? If you hear a call in the next ten seconds, you know it's Serena doing it and not this other girl you're getting all bent out of shape over, so you can safely answer it. Serena, try again," she added, giving the spectral image a look of contempt. "One moment, your Highness," Nectaris spoke up quietly, making an absent gesture to the blonde girl. She stared at Jupiter for a moment before turning her attention to Mars and the Imperium Silver Crystal. "I think what was said, however tactlessly it was phrased, is worth consideration, don't you agree? I will add my consent and encourage the others to do so as well if the consensus is modified from a blanket denial to approval strictly on a case-by-case basis. I accept that it will necessitate a delay, which could prove.... untimely in a crisis, but it is still far more reasonable than a simple blind rejection." The Imperium Silver Crystal promptly lit up like the core of a star, the glow intense enough to force everyone to look away from it. Serena's sigil lit up a moment later, the golden crescent shape glowing strongly and seeming to pulse in time with her heartbeat. Both the Crystal's glare and her sigil faded away after a few seconds, leaving the group wondering what was going on. "Very well," Nectaris said softly as she nodded her head. She turned to face Serena and gave her a gentle look. "Should you wish to transform, your Highness, we can accommodate you at the moment. Once you are finished with the power, however, you will be unable to call it back on a moment's notice. To safeguard ourselves, we will have to stop and verify the identity of the one who summons us first before making a decision. This is a trivial task at the moment, being so isolated in this dimensional pocket, but once we are returned to the present it will not be so easy." Serena blinked hard and nodded slowly. "I.... think I understand." "Take it easy, beloved," Darian murmured softly to her, gently squeezing her shoulder. "We'll get through this mess somehow." "We hope you do, Prince Darian," the ghostly queen said in a pointed tone. "Otherwise, the future will be.... not worth contemplating. I must point out that you both have changed," she said to Darian and Serena. "As such, the key to your powers will have to be changed as well. The power of the Moon is still very much yours to call upon, but using the Crystal as a focus as you once did before will not be sufficient. You must be able to draw upon your own powers and use what the denizen Chaos has embedded inside of you. As your body and blood have compromised with your origins, so too shall our powers work out a compromise with yours. Divided as we are in our opinions about you, Princess Serena, we are unanimous in our belief that you are indeed an angel. Perhaps not an angel of this world, but an angel nonetheless. Use that image to draw upon your inner-self and the path to the power of the Moon shall be opened for you. This time," she added in a warning tone. Her spectral image seemed to flicker slightly before it faded away completely, leaving behind only a very faint glow within the depths of the Imperium Silver Crystal. The silence that followed lasted for almost a full minute before Venus quietly cleared her throat. "See, I told you she was an angel," she said to the group at large. "Go ahead and give it a shot, Serena, I want to see what happens." "Indeed," Pluto said in an unusually quiet tone. "Uh-oh," Uranus muttered softly, reaching up to sheath her saber in the dimensional scabbard on her back. "I really hate it when she gets all quiet like that. Sue, you want to tell us what's on your mind?" "No, I do not," Pluto replied calmly, causing the blonde to blink hard. "Your Highness, I would strongly advise you to attempt to transform as soon as you are ready, given the.... seemingly delicate.... nature of.... the.... situation," she said, absently trailing off as she focused on what Mercury was doing. The group's attention shifted as a single unit to the blue-haired girl, several sets of eyebrows rising up at the realization that she holding her computer with her fingertips and was using her thumbs to type away at the tiny keyboard at a speed almost literally faster than the human eye could follow. The display on the inside edge of her Virtual Visor had cleared up and now was composed of a pair of screens, lines of text slowly scrolling up on the upper display as she continued to type at a furious pace. "Okay...." Venus said slowly, not sure what to make of Mercury's burst of activity. "Should we grab her attention or just let her take care of whatever it is she's doing and have Serena transform? Yeow, that looks like it hurts," she added, looking down at her own thumbs and trying to wiggle them back and forth as fast as she could. "Leave her alone," Jupiter sighed in a bored tone, tapping the bound shaft of her quarterstaff against her shoulder. "Let's just get this over with so we can prepare for the next surprise. Besides, I thought you'd be getting cold by now wearing just a robe out here," she added. Darian and Serena traded glances before they both blushed lightly at the reminder of their state of near-undress. He leaned over to give her a gentle kiss of encouragement before taking a few steps back, giving her plenty of room in which to try to call on her powers. "Go for it, Serena," he said gently. Serena took a deep breath and nodded at him, turning her focus inward for a moment to think. "Okay, let's see.... Umm, anyone have any ideas?" she said in a faintly embarrassed tone as she looked up at the group. "Ideas for what, starlight?" Uranus asked in a guarded tone. "You're the one who knows how to do this sort of thing on your own." "Well...." Serena hedged. "Not really...." "Serena," Mercury said calmly without looking up from her task or slowing the motion of her thumbs. "Consider this for a moment.... your powers of the Moon are intact, only the source of the call has changed. Considering the fact that she said you need to use your denizen powers, and that you are in essence an angel, it would make sense if it were to be along the lines of Angel Moon Power or something similar." Everyone exchanged glances as Jupiter edged closer to Mercury. "Decided to pay closer attention to your surroundings this time?" she ventured. "I'm coding, not thinking," Mercury replied in a level tone, not missing a beat as she continued to rewrite a particular program. Jupiter cast a look of patient suffering at the rest of the group, drawing a shrug of indifference from Darian. "Hey, if one of you girls grabbed my butt like that, I'd be keeping an eye on the rest of you too," he pointed out. "Whatever, Darian," the brunette replied with a roll of her eyes. "Your Highness?" Pluto prompted gently. Serena looked over at her before nodding. "Alright, I'll see if that does anything," she said before taking a deep breath and raising her hand up once again. "Angel.... Moon.... POWER!" "Oops," Venus said quietly as Serena was surrounded by a halo of light. Her white robe seemed to disintegrate in an instant, leaving her standing naked in a spotlight of sorts. The thought of her nudity was quickly pushed aside as her denizen wings suddenly exploded out from her back, flaring out into a classic butterfly-shaped pattern in an instant. A brilliant white glow started up in her diamond-like nails, rapidly spreading across her arms and legs to solidify into elbow-length white gloves and knee-high red boots. The glowing ribbons of light sprouting from her back swept forward, wrapping themselves around her torso to solidify into a very familiar white-and-blue Sailor Suit. A glowing crescent moon sigil flared into view on her forehead, quickly expanding outwards and shaping into her silvery tiara. Tiny sparks of light started to bloom around her, weaving together into a pair of bows on her chest and lower back while the rest gathered together to form a pair of ruby barrettes adorning her unique hairstyle. "Oh, wow...." Sailor Neptune breathed in awe as the white glow faded from around Sailor Moon's body. "I've never seen it do that before...." "Dammit," Mercury grumbled as she paused in mid-type, scowling at what was being displayed on the lower half of her Virtual Visor. She blinked as the text sank in, causing her to look over at Pluto with a truly puzzled look on her face. "Just think of it as a way to keep tabs on action in a combat situation," Pluto said in a gentle tone, not presently in the mood to try to explain the history behind the analysis program that was currently loaded into memory. "It can be tied into Venus and Neptune's visors as well to obtain multiple points of view at once and thus make the information more accurate." "Oh...." Mercury said very quietly, turning to look over at the orange- visored Venus. "So that's what it was doing. Interesting...." Venus blinked and gave her an uneasy look before glancing back at Sailor Moon. "You feeling okay there, girl?" she ventured, not sure what to make of the queasy look on her face. "I'm.... not sure," Sailor Moon said quietly. "Something feels.... odd." "I do not believe you should be overly concerned just yet, your Highness," Pluto spoke up. "As it is essentially a new empowerment for you, it would make sense for things to feel slightly different to you." Sailor Moon carefully tugged on the front of her blouse before making a slight face. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. She paused for a moment before looking up at Mars, her eyebrows arching up slightly as she realized something. "Oh, wait, no wonder.... you've got the Crystal," she pointed out. "For what it's worth," Mars muttered quietly before sighing. She looked up at Sailor Moon for a moment before casting a curious glance back down at the Crystal. She carefully brought the gem up to her chest, lightly tapping it against the maroon bow attached to her Sailor Suit. Uranus just shook her head as a burst of light erupted from beneath Mars' fingertips, encapsulating the Imperium Silver Crystal in a silver brooch that was shaped like a stylized torch with wings. "You know, I really shouldn't be surprised by what happens anymore," she grumbled to the rest of the group. "I mean, what hasn't happened to us in the past week?" "Tell me about it," Jupiter sighed. "Right now, I'd be willing to give an awful lot to have a normal day from start to finish." "Just one, Jupiter?" Darian asked carefully. Jupiter shrugged in dismissal. "I just figured that asking for a full week was somewhere between asking too much and just being greedy. It's your turn to transform, Darian, although with the way things are going I'm almost afraid to ask what sort of mess you'll wind up making," she pointed out. "Heh," Darian chuckled as he started to head towards the fog-like border that surrounded the tower-like keep. "I shouldn't laugh, you just might be right. Hang on, let me go grab a.... oh, thanks," he said, stopping abruptly as Venus pulled a rose out of her Lunar Space pocket and held it out to him. "Don't read anything into this, okay?" she said impishly as he carefully accepted the thorny stem. "I just figured you needed a prop or something." "It helps," he replied with a shrug. He took a few steps back to make sure he wouldn't bump into anyone before closing his eyes and turning his focus inward. Everyone blinked hard as he was suddenly enveloped in a white curtain of light, a visual effect that they couldn't remember ever seeing before. The veil of light started to wrap around him like fabric, draping across his body and molding against him before the glow faded away. "Okay," Jupiter said in heavy resignation as she stared at the white-robed individual standing before them. "Honest question here.... did I really jinx things with that comment, or is this a new headache?" "Uh...." Darian said as he looked down at what he was wearing. "Definitely a Maalox moment," Venus muttered with a wrinkled nose. Uranus and Neptune exchanged confused glances. "Okay, so he's back to wearing his desert garb again," Uranus said slowly. "What's the problem?" "Darian?" Sailor Moon said tentatively as she studied the loose desert robes surrounding him. His face was hidden behind a white veil, leaving only his hands and a narrow band over his eyes exposed. A gleaming scimitar hung from his belt, half-hidden by the edges of his off-white cape. A pair of dun- colored boots were visible beneath the flowing edges of his pantaloons, making him look like a desert corsair from ancient Arabia. Pluto sighed quietly before clearing her throat, causing everyone to look over at her with varying degrees of trepidation. "I think I am able to make a sufficiently educated guess as to the.... unexpected nature of his Highness' transformation. Bear in mind that Prince Darian is most assuredly not a Sailor Scout or is otherwise enabled to directly call upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal...." "That's what you said about the Princess," Uranus muttered, drawing a very light swat on the ankle from Jupiter's quarterstaff. "The Princess can call upon the Crystal," Pluto replied firmly. "Prince Darian cannot. But what he apparently can do is draw upon the power of the one who presently has dominion over the Crystal. The suit that Darian wears as Tuxedo Mask was what he was wearing when he met the Princess for the very first time in the Moon Kingdom. What he wears now, however, is the traditional garb of his homeland, which was what he was wearing when he first met Sailor Mars." "Oh, boy...." Venus said softly as she regarded the white-robed figure in a new light. "And seeing how Mars is holding the keys at the moment...." "Hence his present state of empowerment," Pluto finished for her. Uranus shrugged to herself. "There shouldn't be any difference, right? Okay, so he's just wearing a new set of underwear, big deal. You feel anything different, D?" she called out to him. He looked down at the billowy fabric of his tunic and pantaloons before giving her a pained look. "I feel gay wearing this," he complained quietly. He sighed quietly and looked around the group as both Jupiter and Uranus began to laugh loudly at his statement. "You.... you'll be alright...." Jupiter gasped as she tried to stand up straight, leaning hard on her quarterstaff for balance. "Hey, I like it," Venus protested, edging closer to study him. "So what do we call you now? Obviously Tuxedo Mask doesn't apply at the moment...." "Darian will suffice," he said in a tone as dry as any desert. "If I may, your Highness?" Pluto spoke up. "You once led a small group of askari into a difficult battle, and it was said that on the night before you had gathered them together upon a dune and gave them a rallying speech. From what I've heard, you timed it to coincide with the rising of the full moon on the horizon behind you. So awed were they by the image and so inspired by the passion of your words, they took to calling you the Moonlight Knight. None to my knowledge have ever openly called you that, but when the name was whispered among the desert tribes there was very little confusion about the identity of the one being talked about." "OoooOOOOooo," Venus purred. "I like the sound of that." "Anyway," the desert prince said, casting uneasy looks at both Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars. "So I take it this is going to persist until the power of the Crystal is back in the hands of Sailor Moon?" "It would be a reasonable assumption," Pluto replied. "This afternoon," Mars said quietly to Sailor Moon. "Once we get back to Earth and everything has a chance to settle down. Such as it were," she added as she once again cast an appraising look at Darian's white robes. "What?" Darian inquired, giving her a slightly unhappy look. Mars glanced up at the dark pools of his eyes before shrugging. "I think you look good in that," she said calmly. "Don't know about the sword, but I've never really cared for big weapons to begin with." "Bah," Uranus spoke up with a chuckle. "It's not the size of the blade that counts, but.... back off," she suddenly added in a low tone as she found Sailor Jupiter's face only a few inches away from her own. "Do us all a favor and don't go there, okay?" Jupiter growled, pointedly thumping the end of her quarterstaff on the ground. "Just let it go and nobody gets hurt. Now I don't know about you, but my muscles are starting to get all stiff from just standing around listening to everyone play with themselves." "Umm...." Venus started to say. "Don't start," Mars sighed quietly. "Indeed," Pluto said dryly. "I believe we are all ready to begin now, so if you would all be so kind as to follow me?" she said as she went over to the dark red tent, pulling the flaps aside and making a gesture for them to enter. "You alright?" Sailor Moon said quietly to Darian as the rest of the group started to file into the dimensionally-warped tent. Darian just shook his head to himself, already able to feel the beginnings of what would most likely become a very solid headache start up in his frontal lobes. "Ask me later," he replied sourly. "Let's just see if we can get this over with before any new surprises have a chance to pop up." She nodded in understanding and followed him over to the tent, unable to keep herself from studying his desert-robed figure. "Darian?" she said quietly just before he started to enter. "Yes?" he said, pausing in mid-motion. "I think you look good in that, too," she admitted with a faint blush. "Thanks," he replied dryly as he started to slip inside the darkness of the open tent. "But honestly.... let's see you walk around dressed in what feels like a bunch of bedsheets and not feel just a little fruity...." * * * * "The first test is simple and straight-forward," Pluto said as they all sat down on the row of bleachers. Behind her was a fairly long target range where a series of rectangular drones hovered in mid-air. "Each of you will be asked to use your elemental powers to attack the targets. They are programmed to record the intensity of the blasts for comparison and analysis, so you are expected to hold nothing back. "To augment this exercise, I have asked Sailor Mercury to make use of a rather specialized combat analysis program that makes use of her Virtual Visor. Since Venus and Neptune's visors can be linked to form a network, I'm asking them to leave their visors on for the duration of this exercise." "Umm, 'scuse me," Venus said, waving her hand around while Neptune calmly activated her own Virtual Visor. "Tell me again how these things work? I know Bubbles over there uses hers all the time, and probably Neptune as well, but nobody told me I had this thing until the other.... day.... HEY!" "Wait," Mercury said, sitting up straight as she saw the message flash across her own visor. She quickly consulted her computer and typed in a new command, resulting in a slew of data being displayed on the tiny screen. "I think it's a classic client-server model," she spoke up to the group. "If I'm' reading this right, only my visor has the actual capacity for analysis. The rest of you just have recording sensors and a shared display capability." "Like we understood a word of that," Uranus grumbled as she leaned back, resting her arms on the row of bleacher seats behind her. "Just get on with it," Mars said in an edged tone. "I'm not kidding about being hungry. Who's first?" Pluto smiled slightly and made a snatching motion at the air, pulling her staff out of the temporal flow. "If I may demonstrate while I am up here?" she said lightly as she turned around to face the range. She paused for a moment to single out a drone at random, narrowing her eyes slightly as she focused on it. "Pluto...." she intoned, raising her staff. "Lost Soul.... SCREAM!" Everyone except Uranus and Neptune leapt to their feet in unison as a dark wave of energy gathered around Pluto's staff. The energy promptly exploded outwards towards the drone, a truly haunting moaning-cry filling the air as the wave of energy crossed the distance. The drone was struck in the center and reeled back, a series of lamps lighting up to indicate it was hit. "WHOA!" Venus yelped, her attention torn between the staggering drone and the lines of text scrolling up on her orange-tinted visor. "Settle down," Uranus grumbled, nudging Venus with her boot. "Damn, you'd think that you've never seen her do that before or something." "Hello, we haven't," Venus countered, giving her an irritated look. "We don't remember the Moon Kingdom like you do, you know. Mercury, did you see what I just saw in your visor?" "I did," Mercury replied as she sat back down, balancing her computer on her thighs while typing away at the tiny keyboard at a furious pace. "So that is what this program does. I was wondering what this database was used by...." "Next," Mars said calmly. "Heck with it," Jupiter said as she stood up, casually tossing the wooden quarterstaff over to Mars. She ignored the dark look she got from the raven- haired priestess and moved over to the line where Pluto was standing. "So it's just pick a drone, any drone?" she inquired as she flexed her fingers. "Indeed," Pluto replied demurely as she took several steps back to give the brunette enough room to work with. "Whenever you're ready, Lady Jupiter." "Eenie meenie miney moe...." Jupiter said quietly as she crossed her hands over her chest, extending her second and fifth fingers. A slender rod unfolded from the center of her tiara and began to spark as it became charged. Venus quickly scrambled over the row in front of her to quietly whisper in Mercury's ear. "You keeping track of the charging times, by chance?" she said quickly, keeping one eye on Jupiter's back. "Sparky there packs a mean punch, but I know it takes her a few seconds to fully gas up...." "I got it," Mercury replied. "Jupiter Thunder...." Jupiter intoned as she focused on her chosen target drone. She waited for an extra moment to make sure she was fully ready before letting the tiara discharge itself. "CRASH!" A streak of lightning surged down from the ceiling to strike the extended rod, quickly being redirected into a smaller bolt that shot forward to where she was aiming. The bolt clipped the side of the target drone hard enough to send it spinning end-over-end for a few moments. Several threads of energy could be seen rippling across the surface, quickly fading away as the drone righted itself and returned to its position. "Dammit," the brunette grumbled to herself, clearly disappointed with her electrical performance. "Umm...." Darian started to say in a delicate tone. "Yes, I know," Jupiter sighed. "Stationary target and I damn near missed it. I still hit the bastard, though," she added, tossing a level look over her shoulder at him. "First potshot of the morning, sweetie," Uranus called out. "Settle down, we all tend to blow that one." Jupiter made a face as she sat down, leaning back against the edge of the bleacher seats behind her and putting a mild strain on the front part of her Sailor Suit. "Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. "You go take a shot, then." "Sure, hang on," Uranus replied as she gingerly sat up straight. She paused to lean over and kiss Neptune's cheek before making her way over to the firing line, slowly rotating her shoulder. "Okay, honey, come to mommy," she said to herself as she singled out a floating drone. "Uranus Shockwave...." she intoned as she made a fist, gathering a ripple of visibly-excited air around her hand. She wound up like a baseball pitcher before throwing the ball of energy forward toward the drone. "IMPACT!" The drone promptly resonated like a heavy bell being rung as the ripple of air slammed squarely into it, knocking it back several feet and causing almost every single light to flash brightly. "So much for blowing the first shot," Jupiter muttered darkly. "Thanks, I feel a whole lot better now." "Sorry, babe," Uranus said with a shrug of indifference as she sat back down, reclining once again and idly scratching Neptune's back. "You want to go next, hon?" she said quietly to her lover. "Sure," Neptune said as she stood up and carefully made her way down the bleachers. She gave Pluto a slightly uneasy glance as she passed her and went up to the firing line, taking a moment to select one of the drones. She took a deep breath and raised her arms up to shoulder-level, reaching just slightly behind her. "Neptune Tidal Wave...." she said as she focused her powers. "HeyheyheyheyHEY!" Venus blurted out as both she and Mercury were nearly soaked by a wall of sea-green water rushing up from the ground just inches in front of them. The geyser quickly lost form as Neptune whirled around, her eyes going wide at the realization of where her powers were focusing. "Sorry!" she apologized, a vivid blush crossing her cheeks. "We just had a bath last night, thank you," Venus protested, giving her a look of only partial-amusement. "And beaches are nice, but I'm not one to go playing in salt water. Careful where you fire that thing up, please?" "I'm sorry," Neptune said again, her blush darkening slightly. She paused for a moment as she noticed the look of open impatience on Mars' face before moving back up to the firing line. She sighed quietly before she refocused her mind again, repeating her earlier motions. "Neptune Tidal Wave...." A wall of sea-green water rose up behind her, reaching up to almost brush the high canopy of the tent ceiling. The roaring sound of rushing water very quickly reached a crescendo before Neptune threw her arms forward. "SUBMERGE!" she yelled as she released her hold on the salt water. The geyser of sea-water lunged forward, neatly splitting into two columns around her body to surge against the drone from two angles at once. The drone immediately began to spark as it was washed halfway down the firing range, the lights flashing wildly along its surface as it was short-circuited by exposure to the salt-laden water. "Wow!" Sailor Moon said in awe, watching as the ruined drone started to emit a thin stream of smoke. "Heh," Venus chuckled as she leaned back to look at Jupiter. "Hey, you remember what I said back in the Negaverse about how Neptune had to flush the toilet on a bunch of guards? That's what I was talking about," she said as she flashed a grin at Neptune. "Damn," Jupiter said, her eyebrows arched up in surprise. "That must've sucked for somebody." "Next," Mars said. "Patience, young Jedi, patience," Venus sighed as she rose to her feet. She winked at Neptune as they passed, causing a light blush of embarrassment to cross her features before she sat down next to Uranus. "Okay, so maybe I'm starting to feel a few early-morning hunger pangs as well, but we can still be civilized here. Hmm, so many handsome young drones to choose from...." Uranus just shook her head in resignation. "Not even going to ask." "Venus Crescent Beam...." the blonde intoned as she leveled a fingertip at a drone. A pair of glowing crescent shapes formed from the air and merged together at her fingertip, creating a bright point of light. She narrowed her eyes for a moment as she made sure she was aiming right before commanding the energy to lash out. "SMASH!" Her chosen target drone made an electronic spluttering noise as the beam of light lanced completely through it, burning a finger-sized hole a few inches away from the center. The lights embedded in it flashed wildly for a moment before the entire drone went dark and dropped like a stone, clattering hard against the floor. "Tag, Bubbles, you're it," Venus cooed to Mercury, blowing a puff of imaginary smoke off of her fingertip before sauntering back over to her seat in the bleachers. Mercury looked up at the blonde, giving her a dark look at the reference to her fog bubbles. "Thank you," she said in a slightly frosty tone as she set her computer aside and stood up, moving forward to stand on the firing line. "Hey, Mercury?" Jupiter called out, causing the blue-haired girl to pause for a moment. "You think you want to blow an ice bubble for this? Call me crazy, but I don't think throwing some fog into the arena is going to do much against those drones." "I suppose," Mercury replied, casting a weary glance at the drones. "Excuse me," Pluto spoke up, causing everyone to look over at her. "If I may ask, what exactly are these 'ice bubbles' Jupiter made mention of?" Venus just sighed and leaned back, lightly thumping the base of her skull against the bleacher behind her. "Oh, god, that's right," she moaned. "Who wants to tell her what Luna and Artemis did a few months ago?" she asked the room in general, clearly not wanting to have to explain things on her own. "We were given a supercharge of energy when we went into the Negaverse with Tolaris awhile ago," Mercury explained. "The idea was to try to augment our powers in case we ran into more trouble than we could ordinarily handle. I was given the ability to blow.... I mean, to cast a new type of bubble," she said, giving Jupiter a sidelong look. "It's filled with supercooled water and will freeze the target on contact." "Interesting," Pluto commented, tilting her head at a fairly steep angle. "What sort of effect did it have on the rest of you?" "We'll show you in a bit," Mars interrupted. "Mercury, go ahead and take your a shot already. You forgot this," she added as she pitched the quarterstaff over to Jupiter. Jupiter scowled as she caught the weapon, casting a dark look at Mars. "You want to simmer down, pyro?" she grumbled. "If it's that bad, I'm sure we can ask Pluto to find you an orange to munch on until we're finished." Mercury cast a concerned glance over at Mars before sighing softly and clearing her mind. Her usual bubbles required little effort to cast, but the ice bubbles were a slightly different story. "Mercury Ice Bubbles...." she said slowly as she concentrated, forming a small bubble in front of her. The iridescent sphere quickly grew in size as she continued to gather her powers together, swelling up until it was the size of a large beach-ball. The color darkened a moment later as the supercooled water condensed inside, turning the sphere a deep blue color. "FREEZE!" she yelled as she released her hold on the overcharged bubble, letting it dart forward to pop against a drone. "Holy crap!" Uranus blurted out in awe as the splash of water flash-froze into a solid coating of ice. The drone began to buzz harshly as it tried to fight against the added weight of the frozen water, slowly tilting over to one side as it sank towards the ground. "Interesting," Pluto commented in a mildly intrigued tone. "I believe you are next, your Excellency," she added with a gesture to Mars. Mars said nothing as she stood up, her expression calmly slipping into a featureless mask of concealed emotions. She completely ignored Mercury as they passed one another, walking up to the firing line and staring at one drone in particular. "Mars Fire...." she said in a neutral tone, clapping her hands together and extending her index fingers. A spark erupted at her fingertips, quickly expanding into a small ball of fire. "IGNITE!" Several sets of eyebrows were raised as the ball of fire shot forward to slam against the drone, tiny tendrils of flame splattering around the curved shape to leave behind several streaks of carbon. The drone rocked slightly from the impact but otherwise remained in place, only half of the sensor lights becoming illuminated by the contact. "That's it?" Uranus whispered very quietly to Neptune. "What the hell?" "Mars...." the red-skirted Sailor Scout said a moment later as she stood perfectly still, narrowing her eyes even further. Another ball of fire formed at her fingertips, slowly starting to grow in size as she continued to pour as much spiritual energy into it as she could. "Firebird...." Jupiter sighed quietly and moved back a row as quickly as she could, one hand still gripping her quarterstaff. "Great, here comes the mood swing...." she muttered to the room in general. "STRIKE!!" Mars roared as the sphere of fire seemed to explode in front of her. The fiery burst seemed to collapse in on itself before expanding once again, unfurling into the shape of a screaming phoenix. A shrill cry filled the air as the flaming bird spread its wings, swooping into the air for a few moments before dive-bombing the carbon-scorched drone she had first tried to destroy. "Holy crap, what the HELL is that thing?" Uranus gasped as she shot to her feet, her blue eyes unusually wide. Beside her, Neptune's eyes were just as wide as she stared in open-mouthed awe at the sight of the firebird. Pluto remained perfectly silent as she watched the phoenix open its beak to devour the drone in a single chomp. A minor explosion occurred a moment later as the intense heat basically cooked the drone, half-melting the outer shell and making a complete ruin of the electronics inside. The flaming bird seemed to pause to belch a stream of smoke before throwing its head back in a shrill victory cry, flapping its wings as it soared up towards the canopy. It vanished in a dazzling burst of fire before it could get close enough to burn the tent fabric with its heat, leaving behind only a very faint cloud of smoke and ash that quickly dispersed into the air. "Unique," the succubus finally said as she glanced over at Mercury. "How did the program register that one as?" she inquired. "What? Oh, umm, one moment," Mercury replied as she picked up her tiny computer and typed a few commands into it. "A second-level attack," Venus spoke up, tapping her orange visor. "It doesn't have a name for it yet. It did the same when Mercury blew that ice bubble of hers, too." Uranus sighed quietly and looked over at Neptune, trying to read the tiny messages imprinted on the inside of her aquamarine visor. "You have any idea what the hell's going on, hon?" she asked in a weary tone. "I think it's just simple data collection," Neptune said hesitantly as a second screen of text started to scroll up in her line of vision. "It looks like Mercury is making a combat record of what we do and how." "Indeed," Pluto said with a nod. "I will review it later when I have the time, as the information will help me design a better training program suited to everyone's individual needs. I take it the rest of you likewise possesses an alternate mode of attack?" "I know Jupiter and I do," Venus spoke up. "I'd use mine, but I think I should wait until everyone's finished taking potshots at the drones since I'm liable to crater them all." "Or so you hope," Darian spoke up calmly. He had removed the veil from his face but was otherwise still fully engulfed in the loose desert robes of his accidental Moonlight Knight transformation. "Hope my backside," Venus snorted in contempt. "I seem to remember it doing a damn good job of turning an avalanche into a cloud of dust and saving us all from a really nasty case of road-rash." "True," Darian conceded with a bow of his head. "But fragmenting rocks might be a little easier than melting holes through metal." "I think I nailed the drone pretty easily," Venus countered archly. "Get a room, you two," Jupiter grumbled as she set her quarterstaff aside and stood up, moving forward to the firing line. She paused and cast a glance at Mars as she brushed past without a word, returning to her seat up in the bleachers. "Yeah, breakfast is going to be fun to cook this morning," she muttered to herself as she crossed her wrists over her chest again, beginning the somewhat lengthy process of charging her tiara. The slender lightning rod promptly unfolded from its housing and began to crackle quietly, tiny arcs of energy rippling along its length as more and more power was gathered together. "Huh," Uranus said very quietly to Neptune. "Is this really something she uses in combat? It sure takes awhile for it to build up...." she said after a good thirty seconds had passed. "Jupiter Thunder.... DRAGON!!" Jupiter roared suddenly, throwing her arms out as a truly massive bolt of lightning ripped down from the ceiling. The bolt was quickly redirected outwards, the field of plasma seeming to expand in an instant and taking on a vaguely reptilian shape. A harsh roar of fury was heard a moment later as the electrical dragon opened its mouth, lunging forward to snap at the nearest target drone. "Woo...." Venus shivered, rubbing her upper arms as the backwash of energy made her hair stand on end. She flinched a moment later as the drone exploded, filling the air with the stench of fried electronics and melted metal. A roar of victory lashed their ears as the dragon cried out before disappearing with a ground-shaking clap of thunder. "Ow," Uranus protested, rubbing her ears. "Damn, that was a big beastie. Okay, so maybe it's worth taking a time-out from battle to bring it into play, but still.... I'm not sure I'd want to be holding myself for that long." "Like I can help it," Jupiter grumbled as she reclaimed her seat, idly picking up her quarterstaff and resting the back of her neck against the bound center portion. "Truth be told, I've only had to whip it out a few times, but that's why you have friends providing cover-fire while you're busy juicing up the big guns." "It's not as kinky as it sounds," Venus added casually. She had to jump to the side to avoid being swatted by Jupiter's quarterstaff a moment later, looking up at the brunette with an amused twinkle in her blue eyes. "Oh, take it easy, I'm just teasing." "Mercury, just bite her or something," Jupiter growled as she sat back down, pointedly twirling the quarterstaff around in one hand. "Next," Mars said in a flat tone of barely-concealed irritation. "Umm...." Venus said slowly as she looked around the group. "I think that should be it for us, unless you want Sailor Moon to start playing frisbee with the drones or just outright blowing them up with her.... umm.... wait, what sort of powers do you still have?" she asked, giving Sailor Moon a suddenly uneasy look. "I know your Moon Tiara should work fine, but...." "Moon Tiara?" Uranus echoed, trading confused looks with Neptune. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me," Venus sighed as she buried her face in her hands for a moment. "Don't you girls know *anything* about what we've been doing in the past year or so?" "Perhaps a demonstration would be in order," Pluto suggested calmly as she leaned on her silvery staff. "If her Highness has learned a new technique on her own, I would of course be most interested in witnessing it for myself." "Oh, umm.... I haven't used it in awhile," Sailor Moon admitted as she stood up and walked over to the firing line. "Bah," Jupiter grunted, waving her free hand in dismissal. "We've all seen you playing frisbee before, so we know you've still got what it takes. Of course, that's why we still have our first House Rule of Sports," she added, giving the blonde a quiet chuckle. Neptune calmly patted Uranus' back as the short-haired blonde put her face in her hands, sighing quietly. "Will you explain it for us, please?" she asked carefully, trying to ignore the muttered comment from the weary Viking. "So far we have two House Rules of Sports," Jupiter explained as she set her quarterstaff down and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "The first one is Serena isn't allowed to ask anyone to play frisbee with her. The second is that Maze can't ask anyone to play darts with him. You can ask them to play if you want, but it's only a good idea to if you're in a mood to have your butt handed to you. See, they're not allowed to ask so nobody's feelings get hurt when the other guy remembers how badly they got stomped the last time they tried to play along and refuses the offer of public humiliation." "Ahh, I see," Uranus said as she leaned back, absently reaching out to rub Neptune's leg. "Kinda like playing tennis with Mich here, right?" "Quiet," Neptune said primly, giving Uranus an upset look. "It's not MY fault you kept using the edge of the racket instead of the webbing." "Reflexes, babe," Uranus protested, giving Neptune a hurt look. "What am I supposed to do when it's the exact length and weight as my saber?" "You're supposed to hit the ball back instead of slashing at it," Neptune shot back, the edges of her lips turning down in a frown. "What I don't get is how you can serve so perfectly like that, then suddenly panic when the other side returns the ball to you." "NEXT," Mars said acidly, all but gritting her teeth with impatience. "Mars?" Jupiter said with a heavy sigh. "I'm not going to say this again. Settle down, alright? Sailor Pluto, can you do us all a favor and take her back inside to find a banana or something? Anything to shut her up...." "I shall attempt to make this as brief as possible," Pluto replied in a neutral tone. "Your Highness, please proceed," she said to Sailor Moon. "Wanna play pinball?" Venus said to Sailor Moon, giving her a wink. "See if you can ricochet it a few times, might rack up a high score." Sailor Moon giggled quietly before nodding and turning her attention to the floating drones. She paused to give them a measured look before deciding that she could probably indeed cause her tiara to rebound several times if she threw it just right. She reached up to grab her tiara, slipping it off her forehead and concentrating as she held it by the prominent gemstone. The golden tiara started to glow with energy before seeming to melt and reform into a vibrant white disc, hovering just over her fingertips. "Moon.... Tiara...." she said as she lined up the shot. "MAGIC!" she cried as the disc was cast with a flick of her wrist. Several sets of eyebrows rose up as the frisbee-like object sailed through the air, striking a glancing blow off of the side of one of the drones. The drone tilted off at a steep angle, several of the lights along its surface lighting up to indicate a fairly moderate hit. The whirling tiara caromed off in another direction and promptly struck a second drone, resulting in another series of flashing lights. The tiara was sent spinning in a new direction, the plane of the disc still remaining fairly level. That changed as it struck a third drone, sending both objects flipping end-over-end to collide with another pair of drones. The last encounter caused the tiara to spin wildly about on all three planar axes of motion, seeming to shoot up towards the ceiling in an off-kilter spiraling loop before soaring back down to land in Sailor Moon's outstretched hand. "Jackpot," Venus purred with a quiet chuckle. "Hot *DAMN* your Highness!" Uranus blurted out as her jaw sagged open. "Told you," Jupiter replied with a casual shrug. "And now you see why we don't bother trying to beat her at frisbee." "That was.... rather impressive, your Highness," Pluto managed to say in a remarkably calm tone, despite the fact that her eyebrows were arched clear up to her hairline. Mars made a quiet huffing noise to herself. "What I don't get is how she can pull off a shot like that, yet still can't walk and chew bubblegum at the same time without falling flat on her face," she grumbled. "Hmmph," Sailor Moon said as she crossed her arms and looked away with her nose in the air. "You're just jealous because you can barely throw a frisbee in a straight line." "Hey, hey, girls, none of that," Venus interjected quickly as she hopped down from the bleachers. "C'mon, put your tiara back on and have a seat, you can hash out your differences in private later. "Hey, I want to hear this," Uranus spoke up with a wicked chuckle. "Rei, all you gotta do is pull out your bow and do the bull's-eye trick until you run out of space again. Starlight there can hit the target too, but not like you can, so it should even everything out." There was a slightly awkward pause as Mars looked at her in confusion for a few moments. "What bow?" she said in a guarded tone. "Huh?" Uranus said, blinking hard. "What do you mean, what bow? The big red one you've got with you." "What, this?" Mars asked incredulously, tugging on the maroon chest bow attached to the front of her Sailor Suit. "No, you twit," Uranus countered flatly, giving her an irritated look. "The kind you fire arrows with. You know, the one you nicknamed Sniper?" Mars just looked at her for a moment before turning to face Sailor Pluto, pausing as she saw the visibly uneasy expression on the other woman's face. "What am I missing here?" she asked in a very leery tone. "If I may, your Excellency," Pluto said in a delicate tone, "Would it be safe to presume that you are not presently in possession of a large elemental longbow, nor were ever aware of having possessed one at any point in time?" "No...." Mars replied very slowly. "Should I have?" "Uh-oh," Venus muttered, trading uneasy looks with Jupiter. "Why do I get the funny feeling we're about to encounter yet another problem of some kind?" "Sailor Jupiter," Pluto said in an uncertain tone as she glanced over at the brunette. "Do you happen to have a pair of copper wrist-bracers that form spines when you flex your wrists in a certain way?" "Sure don't," Jupiter replied in resignation. "Let me guess," Uranus said sourly. "Venus doesn't have her whip with her and Mercury doesn't have her harp in her back pocket either, am I right?" "No whips or chains here, but having one sounds like fun," Venus replied in an odd tone, giving Jupiter a sidelong look. "Bad idea," Jupiter muttered, shaking her head as she tried valiantly to clear her mind of the mental image of a gleeful Sailor Venus wielding a whip with reckless abandon. "Bad, bad, BAD idea. Christ, I'm getting chills just thinking about her holding a whip...." "Oh, don't be such a meanie," Venus sighed. "I've never even touched a harp before," Mercury spoke up, giving Pluto a slightly startled look. "I take it I'm supposed to both have one and know how to play it?" "That was the general presumption, yes," Pluto said in a weary tone. "Susan, do you think they got left behind in the Moon Kingdom when we.... when we all died?" Neptune spoke up in a hesitant tone. "It's possible," Pluto replied with a soft sigh. "I will go search for them when I have the time to do so. I must confess that this is.... not the most welcome of developments, as it means that the four of you have not been utilizing your full elemental potential." "Sailor Pluto?" Darian spoke up carefully as Sailor Moon quietly leaned against his shoulder. "I think you're being too critical at the moment. Stop and consider this.... the five of them defeated Queen Beryl last year, and they didn't have any supercharged powers to rely on at the time. They certainly didn't have these weapons you're talking about or the value of your centuries of experience to aid them, so it's not like they're just blundering around in a blind alley without a clue or any training." "Yeah!" Venus said as she stood up straight, putting her hands on her hips with a large smirk. "See, we're doing just fine as it is. Tell 'em, girls." "We're still breathing, aren't we?" Jupiter pointed out, idly tapping her quarterstaff against her ankle. "Two trips into the Negaverse before you three showed up and we've only got minor scars to show for it, so that should tell you something." "If I understand the full story correctly," Pluto countered in a faintly edged tone, "Your first excursion into the Negaverse proved to be distinctly fatal for the four of you. Indeed, had Queen Beryl not felt it necessary to summon the Princess to her directly, the situation might have been resolved with a vastly different outcome." "So where were you?" Jupiter shot back as she rose to her feet. "Look, I'm not trying to bust on your skills or anything, but I really don't like it when people who weren't even there try to second-guess what we went through." "Ladies, please," Darian said as he rose to his feet, making a gesture to both Sailor Scouts. "There's no need to get all riled up, what's done is done and thankfully is in the past." "The point, your Highness, is to learn from the past in order to train in the present and thus prepare for future engagements," Pluto said smoothly. "Granted it is obvious that they have managed to either retain or reacquire a significant degree of skill, but it is also obvious that there is still a fair amount of room for improvement. I should also like to point out that, while they have demonstrated an ample skill in defending both themselves and each another against the Negaverse, we as an organization were not created just for the sole and singular purpose of repelling an extra-dimensional invasion." "Don't look at me, babe," Uranus said quietly to Mercury as she noticed the quizzical look she was getting. "I've got nothing to do with this one. Mich here and I have been basically training since we could walk straight, so it's second nature to us. Granted all we've run into are little spats on Earth that needed a little extra muscle, Negaverse issues notwithstanding, but it's still something that makes sense to us. Hell, I've noticed that I've gotten a bit edgy lately because I haven't had a chance to practice in a few days," she added, reaching up to brush her knuckles against the hilt of her saber. The metal seemed to sparkle briefly before becoming invisible again with a slight ripple effect. "Training is good," Mars pointed out in a flat tone. "But there's no need to be pushy about it. If you want to play with your sword, that's fine with me. I would just appreciate being given a few days to make sure everything has settled down and the world starts making sense again before we start tromping off to play in the virtual mud. And if you insist on being pushy, Chancellor, I'm more than willing to push back," she said in a blatant warning tone. Pluto looked at her in silence for a few moments before slowly nodding her head. "Very well, your Excellency," she said in a neutral tone. "Unless there are no objections, I will defer any further attempts at assessing your level of training until I've had the opportunity to consult with Luna. As that means we are essentially finished here this morning, I believe there is little point in remaining here or otherwise prolonging breakfast." "What a bunch of wimps," Uranus muttered as she stood up, making her way down the bleachers and heading towards the tent exit. "You kids go grab a bite to eat, I'll catch up with you later. Sue, you mind if I go borrow one of your empty tents to practice for a few?" "If you wish," Pluto replied in a diplomatic tone. "The green tent with the blue pennant has already been set up as a close-quarters combat arena, so you may find what you are looking for in there." "Hey, hang on a sec," Venus said quickly as she scooted up to the firing line. "Lemme show Pluto here how to take down multiple targets at once. It's a fun trick, trust me," she added with a wink. "Just as long as you don't pass out on us this time," Darian reminded her in a warning tone. "It might be pretty to watch you blitz the horizon, but it won't be pretty if we have to scrape you up off the floor again." "Mmmmm," Venus hummed quietly to herself, casting an appraising glance at the array of drones in front of her. "Bah, you're never really ready for your first time, despite what everyone says. Ain't that right, Sailor Moon?" she added with a saucy wink. "Umm...." Sailor Moon said, promptly blushing like a neon light. "I, er, don't know what you're talking about," she stammered. "Let me know if you need me to explain it to you," Mars muttered darkly. Jupiter just sighed quietly and thumped the base of her quarterstaff on the bleachers in front of her. "Can't you two ever play nice?" "It was pretty nice in the pool last night," Darian spoke up with a quiet chuckle. His moment of humor quickly faded as he had to dodge a casual swat from Sailor Moon. His evasive action proved to be unwise, as his quick motions brought him within range of Sailor Mars. The rest of the room winced in unison as Mars delivered a somewhat solid blow to his shoulder, almost knocking him back across the bleachers to where Sailor Moon was. Venus just sighed theatrically and shook her head. "You asked for it," she said to him before turning around and pointing her finger. "Venus...." she intoned quietly. The twin crescents formed at her fingertip again, sending a faint tingle shooting throughout her entire arm. "Meteor.... SHOWER!!" The Crescent Beam promptly lashed out from her fingertip, crossing the distance to the drones in an instant. It suddenly split apart before it could strike the first target, dividing again and again until there were just as many beams as there were drones. The cluster of beams continued forward and began to slam into the drones, each one blasting a small hole in some portion of the protective armor. "Bah," Venus grumbled as less than half of the drones were completely cored by the beams, producing only a handful of exit holes on the far side of the damaged target drones. The majority of the floating devices wound up on the ground in a matter of seconds, however, and even those that remained seemed to be struggling rather hard to remain both stationary and aloft. "Okay, so I'm trading power for coverage here, but I still nailed them all. Better than what a shotgun can do, right?" she inquired with a glance over her shoulder. "Peachy, babe," Uranus said quietly before turning around and slipping out between the pair of tent flaps. Venus made a face as she gestured to the exit. "What's her problem?" she inquired, giving Pluto a somewhat irritated look. "If the situation permits such a trade, it can be most beneficial," Pluto observed in a calm tone. "I'm actually rather pleased that your powers seem to have been given an improved level of versatility because of this augmentation." "Thanks, I think," the blonde replied, pausing to watch Neptune stand up and quietly leave the confines of the tent after Uranus. "You know, maybe it's just me here, but I'm starting to sense a major disturbance in the Force, if you know what I mean. What exactly is the problem, Sailor Pluto?" Pluto looked down at the ridges on her staff for a moment before looking back up at her. "I believe part of it stems from a.... difficulty in adjusting to how the six of you have changed since.... we became separated in the Moon Kingdom," she said in a delicate tone. "I must confess to experiencing some of that myself in dealing with you, simply because you obviously are no longer the same young ladies I helped raise. Even Prince Darian, whom I have had far less contact with back in the Moon Kingdom, is hardly the same young prince that I helped introduce to the Princess." "Don't know what to tell you," Jupiter spoke up with a casual shrug. "Quite frankly, neither do I at this point," Pluto replied calmly. "How about leaving us alone until you do?" Mars suggested as she stood up and started to head for the door. Venus just sighed as she reached up to tap the orange garnet in her tiara, causing her Virtual Visor to melt into a band of orange light that faded away after a brief moment. "Mercury, are you sure there's nothing wrong with her?" she asked in a low tone once Mars had left the tent. "I know she can be just as pissy as the rest of us when it's that time of the month, but this is really starting to make me wonder." "How well did she sleep last night?" Darian spoke up before Mercury could open her mouth to reply. "I don't know, I was asleep the whole time," Venus replied with a shrug. "Hell, I was probably cranking z's before she returned to the room. What?" she added in a leery tone as Jupiter snorted quietly to herself. "If you were snoring again, that might explain why she's acting like she's short on sleep," Jupiter muttered. "Hate to break this to you, Blondie, but I've ran this one past Artemis and he agrees with me.... you're not exactly a peaceful angel when you're sleeping." "Excuse me!" Venus blurted out in an indignant tone. "Anyway," Darian said calmly as he stood up, absently flicking his white desert cape behind him. "If we are finished here, I'd like to go see if I can make some new clothes from the Ether before heading up to breakfast. Sitting down at the table wearing just a robe or a bedsheet like this just isn't my thing," he added, tugging on the front of his tunic. "Oooo, good idea," Venus suddenly said in a low tone, casting a sidelong glance at Jupiter. "Go away," Jupiter growled. "What, I didn't say anything...." "You didn't have to." "Guilty conscience, then?" "Look, I'm about to shove this stick right up your...." Pluto sighed heavily and looked over at Mercury. "I believe it is safe to say my case has been amply demonstrated," she said in a weary tone. Mercury looked up at her before shrugging and deactivating her own Virtual Visor. "Everything seems normal to me," she pointed out. "At least when it comes to those two," she amended with a gesture of her computer to where Venus and Jupiter were casually arguing. "And Sailor Mars?" Pluto prompted, turning to watch Darian and Sailor Moon quietly slip outside. Mercury took a moment to choose her words carefully. "Perhaps it would be best if you were to worry about Uranus and Neptune's reactions. I think the rest of us can find a way to deal with Mars' current concerns without any undue influences. Excuse me," she said softly before tucking her computer in her Lunar Space pocket and heading for the tent exit. Pluto said nothing as she turned around, idly surveying the carnage of damaged and destroyed target drones littering the ground. The thick layer of ice covering Mercury's chosen target showed no signs of melting anytime soon, despite having been in close proximity to Mars' Firebird for a short period of time. Neptune's water-shorted drone had quit smoking at some point, but there were still plenty of wisps of smoke visible as they drifted up from the slew of drones Venus had managed to destroy with her Meteor Shower. She knew it wasn't power that the others lacked, far from it. But power was next to useless without proper control, and from what she had just seen both on the firing line and behind it, they still had a very long way to go if they were to be restored to their previous level of ability and skill. And as for the Princess.... Enough, she told herself as she shook her head. We must take this one step at a time. Serena's powers will likely be restored once she regains full dominion over the Imperium Silver Crystal, and for that to happen her mother's soul must be retrieved from the soul prison. Recapturing it would be easy, as all she had to do was empty the prison into a waiting soul-rune. Separating the soul of Queen Serenity from Raijen's soul once they were bound to the rune, however.... that was going to be a little more complicated. But one step at a time, she repeated with another sigh as she watched Jupiter chase Venus out of the tent with her quarterstaff in hand. This is going to be a very long day, she thought in resignation as she wearily followed them out of the tiny dimensional bubble and back into the only marginally larger bubble-domain that was her keep in the Border Ethereal. * * * * Mars looked up at someone called out to her, just in time to make out the spherical shape of a grapefruit being tossed in her direction. She reached out to catch it with her left hand, her right hand still held up to her mouth as she munched on a vibrant green apple. The off-handed catch was more than a little awkward and left her slightly unbalanced, but she managed to recover without dropping the fruit on the grass. She looked up at Jupiter, giving the brunette a slightly unsettled look as various fruits continued to be dispensed in ballistic arcs from a large basket. "I've already got something," she said around a mouthful of apple, holding up the half-eaten core to emphasize her point. "So give it to someone else," Jupiter replied tartly as she sent a banana whizzing through the air towards a startled Sailor Venus. "Hey!" Venus protested as she made a near-perfect catch by pure reflex. "Shut up and eat," Jupiter said in a clipped tone as she estimated the distance between her and Sailor Mercury, carefully hefting an orange. Mars just shook her head and resumed eating her apple, not wanting to try to figure out what was irritating the brunette this time. She looked around the circle of tents and picked one at random, not paying attention to the color as she slipped inside with the intent on finding a quiet place to both eat and meditate. The tent flaps had barely sealed themselves behind her before the sound of roaring water registered on her ears, looking up to find a column of seawater in the shape of a half-circle rising up from one side of the matting. Neptune was standing in the center of the geyser, her eyes closed and her arms held out as she continued to both summon and maintain the wall of sea-green water. Uranus was clearly busy on the other side of the matting, her Soul Saber drawn and engaged in a duel of sorts with what appeared to be a pair of ghosts. It took Mars a moment to realize that they were actually holographic images of swordsman, somehow enhanced so that the outlines of their weapons had enough physical substance to make Uranus' saber ring with each blow. Mars simply stood still and watched the swordswoman for a moment, barely able to follow the blurred tip of the saber as it moved with frightening speed and almost unearthly fluidity. Uranus was flanked on both sides by the images and was actively engaging both at the same time, striking at one outline before whirling around to parry the blow of a second, then launching a counter-strike of her own before whirling back to deal with the first projection. The sheer amount of skill and effort required to accomplish such a feat made the priestess stop and seriously reconsider her opinion of the blonde, or at least parts of it. She knew that one didn't achieve such a singular focus like that without being well and truly dedicated to the cause, which Mars took to mean in this case the defense of the Moon Kingdom as a whole and of Serena in particular. So perhaps you do believe you were born to do this, she thought to herself as she continued to observe Uranus' training battle. And what of you, Neptune? she added as she turned to study the other girl, still deeply focused in her exercise of concentration. The seawall had grown slightly since Mars had last looked at it, the edges arcing around even further from a half-circle shape to more of a three-fifths circle. The strain on Neptune's face was quite clear, however, and Mars doubted that the wall of water would be able to expand much further without collapsing. What do the two of you see your fate as? Mars mused, absently munching on her apple. Born to live and die defending your kingdom and your Princess? And now that the kingdom has fallen and your Princess reborn as someone else, what will you do now? Can you change, adapt to your new surroundings? Will you be able to remain so devoted now that things have changed? Or will you start to wonder about your own lives now, what your own future will be? Do you even care about the future, or is it enough for you to have your Princess to guard? The change in Uranus' attacks happened so quickly that she would have missed it if it hadn't been for the sharp battle cry. The Soul Saber was drawn back past her shoulder before it lashed out again, the glittering tip leaving a razor-thin line of blue energy in its wake as it clove through the image of the first warrior. Uranus used her momentum to launch into a vicious whirling attack, tracing an almost perfect circle of blue energy in the air as the saber whipped around to neatly decapitate the second hologram. Not content with such a decisive blow, Uranus brought the blade down in a low arc as she spun around once more to face the first hologram. Mars blinked hard as she watched the blonde launch into a rising-slash, resulting in a blow that would have gutted a living opponent from crotch to throat. The first part of the energy trail had faded away, but enough still remained for her to see the path the saber had taken as it spun around before flashing high into the air. The movement lifted Uranus completely off the mat for what seemed like a full second before her feet came back down with a soft thump that could be clearly heard across the tent. Uranus breathed hard for several moments as she tried to calm down, idly watching the holographic projections wink out of existence. A drop of sweat blurred her vision a moment later, causing her to stand up straight and try to wipe the minor curtain of moisture off of her head. The tiara usually did an excellent job of keeping the sweat out of her face, but sometimes there was simply too much for even that to block. The wall of seawater was expected, of course, but it took her a moment to realize that the dark streak she was seeing wasn't just a sweat-blurred mirage but was in fact someone else. "Hey," she called out as calmly as she could, her breath still heaving in her chest. She blinked as something was thrown in her general direction, reaching up with her free hand to grab the spherical object. "Wait, what's this?" she called out to the dark-haired figure. "Breakfast," Mars replied calmly. "Eh? Oh, cool, grapefruit," Uranus said as she finally focused on what she was holding. She casually tossed the fruit up in the air and took a swipe with her saber at just the right moment. The two halves of the fruit fell back into her hand with only a tiny splash of juice, a distinct improvement over the last time she had tried that trick with a ripe melon. "Thanks, hon." "Welcome," Mars replied indifferently as she nibbled on her apple. She went to swallow and almost had it slip down the wrong pipe as a splashing noise filled the air, followed by a fairly light spray of salt-laden water rushing past them both. A glance over her shoulder revealed a dejected Sailor Neptune standing in a huge puddle of water with her arms still outstretched. "So how'd it go this time, babe?" Uranus called out in a calm tone. "I think I did good," Neptune replied as she lowered her arms and sighed, the pool of water at her feet evaporating at a rapid pace. "I think I might have gotten to the three-quarters mark before it slipped." Uranus nodded in approval as she slid her saber into the invisible sheath on her back. "Sounds good to me. Here, catch," she added as she lobbed one of the grapefruit halves across the tent. "Thank you," Neptune replied as she caught the sliced fruit. "So what brings you here, Rei?" Uranus inquired as gingerly peeled apart her half of the grapefruit and began to nibble on it. "Honestly?" Mars replied with a snort before taking another bite of her apple. "I just wanted to find a quiet place to sit down, but obviously I took a wrong turn." Uranus paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Story of your life, hon, or are you still in a pissy mood for some reason?" "Alex!" Neptune said sharply. "Just asking, babe, don't get your panties in a wad," Uranus replied with a casual shrug as she took a deep bite of grapefruit. "I mean, she'sh shill here sho she mush have sum'shin on her mind." Mars gave the blonde a flat look for a moment before snorting quietly in remote distain again. "Given all the changes that have happened in my life in the past week, I think I'm allowed to be a little 'pissy' as you put it," she said in a faintly edged tone. She moved to take another bite of apple only to pause in mid-motion as Uranus suddenly spat out a mouthful of fruit pulp. "A few changes and you start blowing a fuse?" Uranus asked sharply, one hand coming up to wipe away the streak of juice that dribbled down her chin. "Rei, are you sure you're a Sailor Scout and not someone who just happened to trip over that white suit and decided to try it on for size?" "Alex, stop it!" Neptune said, her face marred by a deep frown. "What's wrong with you, why are you trying to start a fight?" Mars raised a single finger, ignoring Neptune entirely. "Yes, Uranus, that is exactly what happened. I was doing just fine for fifteen years on my own, just me and my grandfather living at the temple, when this blonde brat comes to the temple with her blue-haired friend. Then next thing I know, I'm swept up in some mad alternate reality where cats can talk and aliens from some other world are trying to invade us. I wasn't born into the life of a Sailor Scout, I haven't trained since birth for any of this, and I don't give a damn what anyone else tries to say, I know for a plain and simple fact that I was *NOT* asked if I ever wanted to have any part in this!" Uranus just looked at in her in silence for a few moments before picking another slice of grapefruit out from the rind and popping it in her mouth. "So what am I supposed to do about it, babe?" she asked in a neutral tone. "You want me to turn my back on you and leave you alone? Go tell the others, 'Rei doesn't want to play anymore, so we should just go on without her?' Honestly, if you're whining about why you're here, what do you really want from me?" "You can dispense with the arrogance, for one," Mars muttered. Uranus studied the priestess for a moment before plucking out another bit of fruit. "Arrogance," she said quietly. "Alright, Rei, let's try it like this. What were you doing seven days ago?" Mars paused as the question caught her off-guard, trying to remember just what indeed she had been doing before the current chaos started. "I'm trying to remember," she said slowly. "I don't think anything special was going on, just the usual work at the temple and studying for school." "Peachy," Uranus replied calmly. "So let me tell you what I was doing seven days ago. I was living a rather peaceful life back in the Moon Kingdom. You know, serving as Princess Serena's maiden-of-arms, helping guard the Moon Kingdom, practicing swordsmanship with the others, making out with Mich in dark corners most nights...." "Alex," Neptune muttered in a resigned tone as she started to blush. "You know, just generally minding my own business," Uranus continued as if Neptune hadn't spoken. "Then the day after that, all hell breaks loose as the Negaverse invades us. So six days ago I lost damn near everything I had ever valued. My mother, my friends, my Queen, my kingdom, my whole way of life just up and destroyed in a few hours. And you know what? Maybe it's simply because I still have the love of my life at my side, maybe it's just because Sue is still around to keep me straight, or maybe it's only because Princess Serena is alive and well, but despite everything that I've suffered through, everything that has been forever taken from me.... I honestly think I've managed to keep my marbles in the same bag and not collapse into a sobbing wretch. "Now tell me something, Rei," she added in a steel tone as she stepped forward until she was almost nose-to-nose with Mars. "Just humor the blonde Viking for a bit. Am I really that hardcore, that callous to not have had a complete and total breakdown after how my life has changed? Or are you just that much of a freaking wuss for getting all 'pissy' after the paltry changes your life, such as it is in this time period, has undergone? Who died in your life, Rei? What was taken from you that can't ever be restored?" Mars stood as still as a statue, trying to weather the storm that Uranus was subjecting her to. The tone was fairly hostile, which was both expected and easily brushed off. What she found all but impossible to ignore, however, was the solid ring of truth to the blonde's words. What indeed had she lost that could compare to what Uranus and Neptune had lost? She glanced over to her side as she felt a light touch on her elbow, just above where her white gloves ended. Neptune was standing there, reaching out to touch her skin with a saddened look in her eyes. "And what do you have to add to this?" she found herself asking the other girl without thinking. Neptune blinked in surprise and cast an uneasy look at Uranus before taking a deep breath. "Rei, this isn't easy for any of us," she said gently. "We've known you and the Princess all our lives, and we've suddenly had that all change for us faster than we can follow. It's taking a toll on everyone, not just you, and everyone reacts differently to severe stress." "C'mon, babe," Uranus spoke up with a sigh. "Be that as it may, I know walnuts that don't crack this easily." "You probably are friends with a few nuts, too," Mars pointed out, not paying attention to the change in Neptune's expression. "Oh, and I suppose you're not friends with Mina?" Uranus countered darkly. "At the moment, she seems to be the biggest nut we've got." Mars stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Okay, I'll give you that much. I'm worried about her sanity, too, but at least she's not up in everyone's face with a confrontational attitude." "What, you want me to run from a problem like you seem to want to do?" the blonde growled back. "Want to run home crying to mommy?" Whatever retort that formed on Mars' tongue was completely unintelligible as a fierce torrent of water suddenly slammed into them without warning. The surge knocked both girls off of their feet, sending them tumbling across the mat almost to the other side before the current abated enough to let them get control over their motion. "Plergh!" Uranus said as she spat out a mouthful of salty water before looking up to find a very irritated Sailor Neptune standing on the other side of the mat with her arms crossed. "What the hell are you doing, Mich?" Uranus demanded as she rose to her feet. "Cooling you two hot-heads off," Neptune replied in an icy tone. Mars flexed her abdomen to bring herself into a sitting position, grunting quietly as her wet hair promptly whipped around to lash herself in the face. She glanced down at her hand and saw how soaked the apple had gotten, sighing in resignation and tossing the now-salted fruit over her shoulder. "I suppose we asked for that," she muttered. "We?" Uranus echoed in a dangerous tone. Mars paused and looked up at her, one eyebrow arched up to her hairline. "You think your own girlfriend would blast you if she didn't think you needed to shut up as well?" she pointed out. Uranus glared at her for a moment before glancing over her shoulder at Neptune. "I suppose you have a point," she muttered. "I try to have a point when talking about something," Mars said as she gingerly stood up. "It tends to cut down on arguments." "Peachy, babe," Uranus replied as she wiped the worst of the water off of her chest bow. "So tell me again what your point was in bothering us in the first place? Or was it simply to deliver the grapefruit? Oh, yuck, speaking of which...." she added as she saw the half-eaten fruit lying in a puddle of seawater. "Try this for a point," Mars said evenly. "If we don't seem to measure up to the yardstick you've been using, the problem might be with the stick and not the actual measurement. We're not who you think we are, so don't go getting all bent out of shape when we don't conform to your opinions of how we should talk and interact." "I suppose that's fair," the blonde said slowly, reaching up to rake her fingers through her now-wet hair. "I don't suppose you'll turn the stove down a notch or two on your end in return? I know I'm not the only one who's not overly happy with the way you've been acting lately. And we just went through that whole song and dance routine about how your life has changed, so don't bother repeating it." "We'll see," Mars said simply as she turned to walk away. She stopped as Uranus reached out to snag her elbow, gently pulling her back around. "Hang on, babe," Uranus said in a quiet tone. "I can understand being a little out-of-sorts with what's happened to the Princess. Just between you, me, and Mich here, I'm still stressed out over the fact that she's half-denizen and grew wings on us. This nonsense with the Imperium Silver Crystal really isn't helping the situation one bit, and I'm still too afraid to ask what the hell rattled Sue's cage like that when you were fussing at that past Queen. But something tells me that this mess isn't what's got your panties all in a really tight knot. So is there anything in particular on your mind that's been ruffling your feathers, or should I just be a nice bitch and let it go?" Mars remained silent as Neptune approached them, edging up behind Uranus and slipping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Let's just say that I'm a little unsettled by how things are going between Darian and myself," she said in an emotionless tone after a few seconds of thought. Uranus just shook her head as she absently reached up to rub Neptune's hands. "Explain to me why you're even bothering with that?" she said wearily. "I mean, those two have been class-A lovebirds since they met." "In the Moon Kingdom, maybe," Mars said neutrally. "It wasn't always like that, however." Both sets of eyebrows rose up in unison at her words. "Oh?" Uranus said as Neptune gave Mars a startled look. "You know, I've got a bad feeling about this one. You want to humor us for a moment and tell us the short version of the story?" Mars sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "From what I've been told, Darian and Serena first met in a hospital after he was getting over some sickness or something and she was waiting for her brother to be born...." "Uh, wait," Uranus said as she blinked hard. "Did you just say Serena has a brother?" Mars looked at her for a moment before rubbing her sinuses. "Yes, she has a brother named Sammy," she said in a weary tone. "I'm not surprised that the subject hasn't come up yet, as they both fight like typical siblings. Anyway, so that was their first meeting, and they never really got along since. Hell, they used to be mean and nasty to one another even after this crazy Negaverse nightmare started, so don't go telling me they've always been lovebirds. So there they were, hating one another's guts, and after watching Darian from a distance for awhile, I decided to ask him out on a date." "You what?" Uranus said, her eyes widening. She looked like she might have said more if Neptune's hand didn't come up to clamp over her mouth to keep her effectively silenced. "Go on, Rei," Neptune said quietly. "So Darian and I ended up dating for awhile," Mars said, looking away from them as the flashbacks quietly returned once again. "It was.... nice. Serena didn't care for it, as she and I weren't exactly the best of friends either, and she eventually started throwing wrenches into our relationship." "Whaaaaaat?" Uranus gasped. "You're trying to tell mmmmppphhhh?" "Let her finish," Neptune said pointedly. "Darian and I broke up after a few months, but.... part of me thinks that it was only because of the dreams he was having," Mars continued softly. "The dreams he was having as Tuxedo Mask and of a woman calling out for him. His Moon Princess," she added in a bitter tone. "We wouldn't discover that Serena and the Moon Princess we sought were one and the same until later, but things had already started to change by then. Darian had started to drift away from me as the dreams got worse, despite the fact that.... that I had fallen in love with him." Uranus and Neptune exchanged glances before Uranus carefully pulled the hand off her mouth. "So I take it that you still feel that way, hon?" she asked in a quiet tone. "I mean, I know you said earlier that you still love him and all, but even after all what's happened between him and the Princess in this little pocket-world of Sue's?" Mars sighed and closed her eyes. "If you got to experience what I did, felt the warmth of his emotions reaching out to you, got to feel the depth and sincerity of them in his kiss.... wouldn't you still want that?" she whispered. "Maybe," Uranus countered gently. "If Mich here decided to leave me for someone else, it would hurt like you wouldn't believe.... but I'm not about to mope around and pine for something that's not meant to be. I don't know what to tell you, babe, I well and truly don't. Granted a lot of what you've said and done lately makes a hell of a lot more sense now, but still...." "So what am I supposed to do?" Mars demanded without rancor as she turned around to look the blonde squarely in the eye. "Would you have me give up any and all hope? To back down, to 'run home crying to mommy' as you put it?" "Ouch," Uranus muttered as she found herself suddenly confronted with her own words. "You know, hon, I'm not too sure about the details here, but I'm pretty sure that there was some sort of run-in between you and Darian back in the Moon Kingdom somewhere along the line...." "It's in the past and not really important," Neptune suddenly spoke up in a firm tone. "Besides, neither of them should remember it happening, so that really doesn't count anymore." "Susan made mention of it last night," Mars sighed quietly. "Something about how Darian and I wound up in a quiet corner of the palace before he got a chance to meet Serena." "Sounds like fun," Uranus commented. Her eyes closed an instant later as Neptune jabbed her in the kidney, producing a sharp wave of pain that left her speechless for several moments. Mars nodded in understanding. "Actually, it does. I'm a little upset that I don't remember it, but Neptune is right about it being in a past I never had and thus not counting for much of anything. It is.... an ironic musing if nothing else." "Rei?" Neptune asked carefully. "Isn't there anyone else in your life to consider? I don't want to sound mean or hurtful, but I really don't think that Darian would be the right kind of guy for you, even if he wasn't in love with the Princess." Mars raised a raven-haired eyebrow at her. "Are you sure?" she countered in a faintly edged tone. "Like I just got finished telling Uranus here, I'm not the same person you knew a thousand years ago." "Let's try it like this, babe," Uranus said with a cough, reaching behind her to rub the spot where Neptune had jabbed her. "You're not exactly a pure and proper virgin these days, are you?" The priestess just sighed as she easily saw where this was going. "No, I'm not," she replied quietly. "And no, Darian had nothing to do with it. And before you ask, I still haven't decided if I want to forgive Chad or not for the way things happened that night. The only reason I didn't bother filing a police report for rape was because I was begging him to take me at the end." "Rei, what happened?" Neptune asked softly, reaching up to gently massage Uranus' back as the blonde's eyes widened dangerously. "It was rough, that's all," Mars muttered, able to feel the rush of blood going to her cheeks. "A lot rougher than I would have cared for, and certainly far more rougher than I know Darian would have been had he been the one. Now do you see why I'm a little hesitant to turn back to Chad for the kind of love and tenderness that Serena gets from Darian?" "Want me to kill that punk for you?" Uranus said in a perfectly calm and rational tone. "It'd be a pleasure, as I still owe you one for what you and Sue did for me awhile ago." It took Mars a moment to throw off the chill at the realization that the offer was both genuine and sincere. "Umm, what did I do for you?" she asked in an uncertain tone, not entirely sure if she wanted to hear about it. "Well, let's just say that you and Sue paid a visit to the punks who raped me and Leda," Uranus said with a shrug, the edges of her mouth turning down in a frown as she was all but crushed by Neptune's embrace. "Sue literally ripped the heart out of one chest and you burned the other one alive. Then while you did something about the mess, Sue took their souls into Hell herself and saw that they were cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer for the rest of eternity. Mich, I love you dearly, but I need to breathe here," she added with a sigh. "Well...." Mars said, pausing for a moment to think, "I don't remember any of this, of course, but I can see myself doing that if I get really pissed off enough. And no, Chad doesn't deserve to be killed for what he did. Solidly beaten with a blunt object, perhaps, but not killed," she added. "Trust me, babe, that can be arranged," Uranus replied dryly, still trying to discreetly extract herself from Neptune's protective grip. "We'll see," Mars said with a shrug of dismissal. "I'm not worried about it, so I don't see why anyone else should." "Bah," Uranus grumbled as she finally got enough space to take a solid breath. "That's what friends are for, babe." Mars remained perfectly motionless for a few seconds, casting a sidelong glance at both Uranus and Neptune. "Are we friends?" she inquired in a tone devoid of any semblance of emotion. "Damn," Uranus sighed. "You're *still* in a mood? Alright, try this one on for size and see if it unkinks anything. We're all on the same team, so we get to be friends by default. Okay, so apparently we're not best friends, but we don't need to be parked in each other's laps like Mich and I tend to be in order to get along. As long as we're both working to help protect Princess Serena and one another, that should be all the reason we need to be friends." "I suppose so," Mars replied with a shrug as she turned to leave. "You know, Rei," Uranus said in a low tone, causing the priestess to pause for a moment, "For someone who controls elemental fire, you seem to have an awfully cold streak in you." Mars simply looked at her in silence for a few moments before her parting her lips to reply. "You know, Sailor Uranus, for someone who is a lesbian, you sure don't seem to understand women's feelings very well," she said calmly before turning around again and leaving the tent. Uranus turned to give Neptune a deeply puzzled look. "Was calling me a lesbian supposed to be an insult or something?" she inquired carefully. Neptune blinked in surprise before leaning over to rest her head against her lover's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Alex," she whispered in a tone laced with heavy resignation. "It just means that she's right.... we really don't know who they are anymore." "So what's that mean?" Uranus persisted with a slight scowl. "We're not supposed to trust them or be friends anymore?" "I don't know," Neptune whispered back with a deeply saddened look. "All I can say is that we'll just have to wait and see. Come on, let's go." "Great," the blonde muttered as she allowed herself to be led by the arm towards the tent exit. "The Princess has become a denizen angel, the Imperium Silver Crystal is throwing a fit, something shocked the living hell out of Sue earlier, which we both know is neither easy nor good, and now it seems we can't even be friends with the others. Please tell me that the rest of the day isn't going to get any worse...." * * * * Venus looked up as she caught motion out of the corner of her eye, turning her head to notice Uranus and Neptune approaching her. "Welcome back," she called out in a hushed tone, making a gesture to the nearly-empty basket of fruit. "There's still some fruit left if you're hungry," she added absently as she turned back to look at what was going on. "Thanks, babe," Uranus replied as she started to reach for the basket, pausing in mid-motion as she realized what Venus was looking at. Her eyebrows arched up in surprise as she saw Jupiter and Pluto engaged in a duel of sorts, the brunette using her wooden quarterstaff while Pluto was using the silvery Key to Time. "Hey, wait," she said in a low tone as she straightened back up, looking over at the orange-visored Venus. "Did Sue piss Leda off, or is it the other way around?" "Nah," Venus replied with a flick of her hand. "Pluto asked why Jupiter went to all the effort of making a quarterstaff, one question led to another, and before we know it they're both squaring off. I'm pretty sure it's friendly for the most part, but I think Jupiter's fuse is starting to light up." Uranus and Neptune exchanged uneasy glances before looking over at where the duel was taking place. It became obvious to the both of them that Pluto was testing Jupiter's skill with the staff, spending most of her time blocking and parrying than counter-attacking. Jupiter's face was a mask of focused rage as she lashed out, relying on a full-range motion style to deliver blows rather than Pluto's near-stationary point-defense technique. "Hey, question," Uranus spoke up as she continued to watch the battle. "Leda's not used to using a stick to fight, is she?" "Not really," Venus replied. "Keep in mind she's already a black-belt in karate and recently started working on aikido, neither of which are very heavy on weapons-training. She's obviously got a few basics ironed out, however, and you missed the way she put Pluto on her butt once at the onset." "Huh," Uranus said slowly as she picked a banana out of the basket and started to peel it open. "Sue's usually not that careless.... hey, wait!" she blurted out as Jupiter grabbed Pluto's staff and tried to bring her own weapon inside the perimeter. The battle quickly shifted tone as Pluto's right hand came off her staff and swung outward at a sharp angle, seeking to block Jupiter's quarterstaff with her forearm. Jupiter let go of her weapon just as it hit and heaved as hard as she could against Pluto's staff, ripping it free from her grasp. Both weapons promptly spun away from the two combatants as the brunette's wrists whirled around in a tight circle, grabbing the front of Pluto's Sailor Suit and flexing backwards in a fluid motion. "Whoa!" Uranus yelped as Jupiter landed flat on her back, one leg coming up to press against Pluto's abdomen. A simple heave essentially tripled the succubus' forward momentum, sending her flipping head-over-heels to land hard on her own back behind Jupiter. Jupiter immediately brought her knees up to her chest, giving her own body some momentum as she basically curled into a ball. The gesture allowed her to roll backwards, her hands reaching up to brace against Pluto's prone shoulders. What followed next was best described as a curled back-flip, Jupiter's knees arcing over her body to slam down on either side of Pluto's hips in a pinning motion. The final result was that Jupiter ended up straddling Pluto's waist with both hands free to act as she choose. A simple fist thrust downward to impact the ground an inch away from Pluto's ear drove home the point that she was now in complete control of the situation. "Holy crap!" Uranus gasped as her jaw sagged open. Beside her, Neptune made a startled whimpering noise of disbelief, amazed at how Pluto had been both disarmed and pinned like that. "And that's why you don't pick a fight with her unless you're ready for a major beat-down," Venus said calmly, eating another tangerine wedge. "I must say," Pluto panted quietly as Jupiter moved off of her and stood up, reaching down to help her to her feet. "That was.... most unexpected." Jupiter huffed for a moment as she braced against Pluto's weight before trying to reply. "That's the idea. I'm surprised I managed to hold out for this long before pitching that stupid thing in a corner and trying to kick the crap out of you." "You did remarkably well, I assure you," Pluto said dryly as she dusted herself off and plucked her staff out of the temporal flow. The reflexive gesture seemed to startle Jupiter, having just seen the staff lying on the ground only a few moments ago. "Dammit," the brunette grumbled as she went over to her discarded weapon and leaned down to scoop it up, thrusting one leg out behind her for balance. "So what'd we miss?" Uranus called out to the others as she resumed eating her banana. "Before Sue got flipped like a pancake...." she added. Pluto shot her a faintly unamused look. "Nothing of significance," she said as she absently fluffed her hair out behind her. "The others have gone back up to the residential area to finish eating, so it is just the six of us out here at the moment." "Six?" Uranus echoed as she frowned and started counting heads. "You, me, Mich, Leda, and screwball here makes five...." "Sorry, I was testing something," Mercury said quietly as she suddenly became visible next to Venus, her steel-blue eyes partially masked by the blue band of her Virtual Visor. She blinked hard and gave Uranus a startled look as the blonde yelped in shock, leaping back and trying to draw her saber only to collide with an equally-startled Neptune. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Uranus demanded, her eyes almost tripling in diameter. "I'd say it still works," Venus replied with a casual shrug before eating another peeled wedge of tangerine. "Ami?" Neptune panted softly, still trying to control her breathing and calm her pulse from the shock. "How did you do that?" Mercury glanced at Venus before sighing softly. "Hypnosis," she explained in a subdued tone. "It's.... it's one of my vampiric powers. I'm not really becoming invisible, I'm just using hypnosis to make you forget that you can see me. I've never tried it with my visor activated and I thought the polarization effect from the blue tint might render it ineffective." Uranus glanced at Neptune before taking a guarded step forward. "Run that past me one more time, hon," she said in a wary tone. She blinked hard as Mercury suddenly seemed to vanish right in front of her, causing the blonde to quickly take a step back. "What the hell?" "You'll get used to it," Jupiter said as she came over to where Venus was standing, casually bending over to grab the last dark red apple from the fruit basket. She took a deep bite out of it before gently swinging her quarterstaff out in a wide arc behind her. The staff suddenly halted in mid-motion as it seemed to encounter a solid object. Mercury became visible a moment later, one hand grasping the end of the weapon and casting an unamused look at the brunette. "Watch it," she said in a faintly edged tone. "See?" Jupiter said calmly as she tugged her staff free from Mercury's grasp and rested it against her shoulder. She paused in mid-chew to look at the expression on Uranus' face before sighing quietly. "Relax, she's not the kind of girl who goes sneaking around in the shadows like a thief all the time. Blondie here would at the drop of a hat, but not Mercury." "Leave me alone," Venus huffed quietly. "It's not my fault I had to learn how to be a taffer just to survive. Besides, it's come in handy quite a lot since then. You can't hit what you can't see, right?" "What's a taffer?" Uranus whispered to Neptune, drawing a blank look and a shake of her head in response. "Perhaps I am wrong," Pluto spoke up as she joined the group, "But I am led to believe it is a slang term for a common criminal or petty thief." "A common criminal?" Venus gasped in outrage. "A petty thief? Ohhh, you need to go back and double-check your source on this one, demon. A taffer is a practitioner of the skills one needs to dwell in the dark realm of city streets and dimly-lit corners. Maybe it's not a noble profession, but it's useful." "Here we go again," Jupiter muttered before loudly crunching her apple. "Would you please care to explain?" Pluto inquired with a slight tilt of her head, absently leaning against her staff. "Thieving-skills without stealing," Mercury spoke up in a flat tone. "Oh, pipe down," Venus sighed. "You're just as ignorant as the rest of them up there," she said, making a gesture to the upper levels of the towering keep. "Okay, look, when I was in England visiting my grandmother two years ago and the Negaverse started making trouble, I learned the hard way that it was a very healthy idea to move about the city at night as quietly as possible so I wouldn't be seen until I was ready to kick the crap out of them. I had a bit of a chance encounter with a gentleman in a dark alley one night, and after I ended up saving his life we sat down to talk about a few things and he agreed to teach me the in's and out's of his trade. "So I must've spent a good three weeks with this guy learning how to do things like pick locks, make use of the shadows, how to move quietly, and most importantly, how to move around unobtrusively in broad daylight. A little bit of legerdemain here, a bit of misdirection there, and you can get away with a hell of a lot without anyone noticing. Except security cameras," she added as an after-thought. "Trying to spoof them is a whole different can of wax." "Umm, I think you mean either can of worms or ball of wax," Jupiter said in a cautious tone. "Leave me alone, you know what I mean," Venus grumbled quietly. "I see," Pluto said with a nod. "Perhaps a more suitable term for that particular profession, such as it were, would be a rogue?" she suggested. "Nah," Venus replied with a wave of her hand. "Any goofball can act like a rogue, but it takes true skill and style to be a taffer," she said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Thieving-skills without stealing," Uranus echoed to Mercury with a nod of understanding. "Still, if you're putting them to productive use for a good cause, I don't see why people would get a pissed-off bee in their bonnet." "You forgot picking pockets," Mercury spoke up, giving Venus a sidelong look as she pulled out her miniature computer. "That falls under sleight-of-hand," Venus replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And I haven't stolen anything from anyone who didn't deserve it. Or are you going to throw a fit over what I pulled on ol' Jedyt the other day?" she prodded. "Heh," Jupiter chuckled as she shook her head. "That was beautiful." "Having such skills is definitely an advantage," Pluto spoke up, causing Mercury to blink hard. "I myself have.... encountered a number of situations throughout Time in which relying on such techniques had been the best course of action to take. And it is not the skills themselves that taints the public perception of them, but the way in which they tend to be applied," she added, giving Mercury a reproving look. "Trust me," Venus cooed as she edged over and put her arm around Mercury's shoulder, drawing a very uneasy sidelong glare in response. "Bubbles here would make a great taffer if she ever stopped to think about it. I mean, she's as smart as a whip to begin with, and her hypnosis ability means that very few people would see her in broad daylight, let alone in the shadows. Put the two together and turn her loose, we might end up with a real force to be reckoned with once she develops the right skills." "I'll pass, thanks," Mercury replied in a voice cold enough to turn oxygen molecules into a frozen slush, slipping out from beneath the blonde's casual embrace. "Peachy," Uranus muttered as she traded wary looks with Neptune at the reminder of Mercury's vampirism and hypnosis abilities. "So let me ask you something, Pluto," Jupiter said around a mouthful of apple. "What's the deal with all these tents?" Pluto sighed quietly and cast a quick glance around the circle of small tents she had constructed earlier. "The premise was to develop several unique challenges to run everyone through for assessment purposes. Given the limited space I have available on the physical terrain, I thought it best to utilize a number of 'pocket' domains to render the space constraints moot." The rest of the group blinked as Pluto made a wide sweeping gesture with her staff, causing the tents to collapse in on themselves and vanish with a series of popping sounds. "As they are no longer needed, however," she added casually, "There is little point in allowing them to persist in a physically stable form." "Hey, how'd you do that?" Venus inquired, quickly glancing around to see if any of the tents remained. She blinked as she spotted a number of small pyramid-shaped objects lying in the grass where the tents had been. "And what are those things?" she added with a pointed finger. Uranus turned to look before a deep scowl crossed her face. "Oh, THOSE things," she said in a flat tone. "You know, Sue, I'm not ready to accuse you of breaking a promise just yet, but you want to explain to us why you've got a bunch of those soul-whatevers lying around?" she demanded, casting a dark glare at the green-haired woman. Pluto raised an eyebrow in response to the blonde's tone, causing Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter to exchange wary glances. "If you would be so kind as to take a closer look, you will notice that they are all unoccupied," she replied in a faintly edged tone. "What I was doing was turning their innate powers inside-out, as it were, to project a miniature bubble-dimension that could be freely accessed in either direction. I have not broken my promise to you, Lady Uranus, nor do I intend to as long as you and Lady Neptune insist on keeping me bound by it." Venus carefully walked over to the nearest pyramid and crouched down, her head tilted slightly as she examined it. She paused to cast a curious look over at Pluto, getting a nod of understanding in reply. Venus blinked for a moment before she turned her attention back to the device, reaching down to very carefully pick up the marble pyramid. "Huh," Mercury said quietly to herself as she moved over to another small pyramid and started to scan it with her computer. "It appears to be an energy collector of some sort, although it seems to be inert at the moment." "That's one way of looking at it," Uranus muttered. "Go ahead and ask her what it's used for, and I'm not talking about cheap tent construction, either," she added, giving Pluto another dark glare. Venus gave Jupiter a wary look as she carried the pyramid over, carefully holding it like it was brittle glass. "Okay, I'm curious now," she said in a leery tone. "Sailor Pluto, what is this and what is it used for?" Pluto sighed quietly to herself and leaned on her staff. "What you are holding is an empty soul-rune, and the primary purpose of such devices is to house a living soul that has been freed from the body." "Whoops," Venus said softly as she immediately knelt down to put the empty device on the ground. She stood up and backed away from it, carefully wiping her hand on the edge of her skirt. "Okay, so much for that one. Do I even want to speculate why these things exist?" "If I can attempt to explain without any hostile interruptions?" Pluto spoke up in a moderate tone, casting level glances at both Uranus and Neptune. "Sure, Sue," Uranus replied in an empty tone, moving over to Neptune and rubbing her back gently. "Go ahead and tell 'em what you use them for." Pluto sighed again and seemed to age a few years before turning her focus back to the others. "As I said, the purpose of a soul-rune is to house a soul once it has been freed from the body. The energy fields of the rune create a sort of micro-world that the soul can exist in and sustain itself without being subject to the fading effects of the passage of Time or the lure of the Astral plane. The innate power of the soul can then be drawn forth and harnessed by another if need be, although care must be taken not to draw too heavily upon it lest the soul become exhausted or consumed." Venus turned pale as she exchanged horrified glances with Mercury. "I'm sorry I asked," she muttered. "Sailor Pluto, please tell me that you don't use this sort of power on a routine basis...." "When I have a valid need to," Pluto replied calmly. "As a succubus, I am occasionally called upon to escort a soul into the Underworld for reasons that I will not bother attempting to justify to you. Some souls, once Judged, are cast aside and thus denied a continuance of existence. These lost souls, if you wish to call them, tend to be devoured by other demons for sustenance. I will sometimes capture one or two for myself and imprison them within a soul- rune, thus granting them a sort of stay of execution from oblivion. They are permitted to exist in a microcosm of their own making, and in exchange I am able to draw upon the power of their soul for whatever purpose I so desire. I tend to take great pains not to exhaust or otherwise harm such a soul in my collection, so I view it as an equitable trade." "I think I'm going to throw up now," Venus whimpered in a small voice. "Would you prefer I allowed them to be annihilated?" Pluto replied in a tone of casual indifference. "Then they would be truly lost, simply a bit of exotic energy broken down to its most fundamental components and used as mere organic fuel. When kept in limbo as such, both the soul's conscious mind and its knowledge are retained for referencing. Or have you not yet realized what the Imperium Silver Crystal is?" she prodded. "Uh...." Venus said slowly, giving her a dubious look. "The Crystal is a soul-rune," Pluto continued gently. "Simply on a vastly larger and more powerful scale. It houses, with few exceptions, all the souls, accumulated knowledge, and personalities of all the Queens and Sailor Scouts since its creation. It is a vast reservoir of power that draws upon every soul within, and since there are so many sources of energy it only needs to use a tiny fraction from each one. The power of many focused as one. Think of it as the ultimate example of teamwork in action," she added lightly. "Wow...." Venus said softly, looking down at her suit before glancing up at the rest of the group. "You know, maybe I'm not going to feel too bad about this one after all. I mean, we've all chipped in a little of this and that at various times to get something done, and it didn't hurt us too bad...." Mercury knelt down to carefully pick up the soul-rune that Venus had set down a few minutes earlier. "So what exactly is on the inside of this?" she asked in a careful tone, trying to analyze the marble shape with her computer. "Physically, nothing," Pluto replied. "It is a solid construction, and one that requires a fair amount of effort to properly shape, I might add. As for what the soul encounters once sealed inside.... quite simply, it finds whatever it wishes to find. It is a microcosm that is defined by the soul's will and shaped as desired, much like the Ether can be shaped by our wills." "Huh," Jupiter commented as she looked around the group. "So basically it's like this little pocket-world of yours, just smaller?" "In essence," Pluto said with a nod. "As you saw earlier, even when it isn't housing a soul it can be used to project a small dimensional bubble of sorts to be shaped as desired." "Susan?" Neptune suddenly spoke up, her face slowly losing most of its color. "Umm, that isn't what sustains this keep.... is it?" "Oh, hell," Uranus sighed as Pluto remained silent. "Sue, I thought you said you weren't going to use those damned things!" "What I said," Pluto replied testily, "Was that I would no longer create or use any new soul-runes without a justifiable reason for doing so. All the devices you see here were fabricated long before I made that promise to you, and the network of runes that powers this keep were set into place six hundred years before you were even born. Pre-existing runes and their usage for very specific tasks are thus exempted from the promise. I understand your concerns and distaste for them, but I say again that I have not broken my promise to you since it was made." "Whatever, Sue," Uranus muttered softly as she glanced away, still rubbing Neptune's lower back in gesture of comfort. "You know...." Venus said slowly as she knelt down to scoop up another marble pyramid, "If they can create a little bubble of reality where the one inside gets to make the rules.... that sounds like the perfect fantasy world." "Some might suggest that," Pluto said carefully, giving the blonde a very curious look. "If I may, Lady Venus, what exactly are you thinking about?" "Well...." Venus hesitated, giving her an uneasy look. "Oh, lord, here it comes," Jupiter muttered softly as she put most of her weight on her quarterstaff. "You want to use one to create a fantasy playground, don't you?" Mercury spoke up in a quiet tone, still staring at the marble device in her hands. "It'd be nice," Venus mused with a longing sigh. "I mean, don't get me wrong here, I'd just as soon not see this thing put to use imprisoning anyone's soul simply because it's an evil thing to do. However, if we put it to a good use instead, such as making a little room or two inside the cathedral without having to dig through the walls...." "Interesting suggestion," Pluto said, nodding her head as she contemplated both the wisdom and merits of the notion. "Just think about it," Venus said, her voice starting to get excited as she went on. "We could build ourselves a spa-room like the one Pluto has, we could make a sort of study room to keep Mercury happy, we could make a huge greenhouse to see if we can grow some denizen plants without having to worry about contaminating the local flora, we could mmmprph!" "Easy, Blondie," Jupiter sighed as she put her hand over Venus's mouth. "I think you're getting way ahead of yourself here." "You know...." Uranus said in a low tone to Neptune, "That might not be such a bad idea after all. Think, if we use up all of Sue's spares for this and she can't make any more...." Pluto laughed very softly to herself as she shook her head. "As I said, I am bound not to craft any new soul-runes absent a just cause. Should a need arise for one, however, you may rest assured that I will not hesitate to have the required amount fabricated as soon as possible. In fact, I intend to use an empty soul-rune later today once we are ready to retrieve Serenity's soul from the temporary haven I have created." "Huh?" Uranus blurted out. "Wait, slow down and back up...." "The souls of Serenity and Raijen will need to be placed somewhere once I empty the dimensional haven," Pluto explained in a patient tone. "The easiest solution is to empty it into a waiting soul-rune. Serenity's soul can then be extracted and returned to the Imperium Silver Crystal, while at the same time providing a permanent and stable place of residence for Raijen's soul. Or would you have me consign his soul to oblivion?" she added in a pointed tone. Jupiter shrugged to herself as she took a final bite out of what was left of her apple core. "Hey, that sounds like a justified reason to me," she said. "Besides, I don't see it going over well if someone tried to tell Serena that we can't keep her father's soul around." "Hmm," Uranus said quietly, exchanging looks with Neptune. "I think it's justified," Neptune pointed out in a soft tone. "Probably," Uranus sighed in reply. "Even if he is a denizen...." "Hey, hey, hey, none of that," Venus huffed. "Only a handful of denizens are grade-A buttheads deserving a round to the skull. The rest are just fine, once you both get to know them and get used to them. You really can't try to lump Tolaris and Maze in the same basket with dipwads like Rune and Beryl." Uranus shrugged in dismissal. "We'll see, babe." "Can I keep this?" Mercury suddenly asked, causing everyone else to blink in surprise. Pluto looked at her for a moment before nodding. "You may, but I ask that you not attempt to experiment with it in any way. I would also ask that you not allow it to come near either Myst or Sailor Mars as they are both sensitive to spiritual energies. Neither is likely to do anything, but Myst may panic if she thinks she is in danger of being trapped within." "Heh," Uranus chuckled as she looked around the terrain. "Now there's a visual for you. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...." "Alex!" Neptune protested with a frown. "Aw, c'mon, babe, I'm just kidding," Uranus replied with a smirk. "Speaking of the little furball...." Jupiter spoke up as she looked around the immediate area. "I haven't seen her since genius here dunked her in the tub last night and let her wander off." "Hey, she didn't seem to mind," Venus pouted. "Maybe not, but do you remember how badly she reeked?" Jupiter countered. Pluto just shook her head to herself. "Myst is with Maq'i at the moment in the residential area," she said calmly. "In fact, if we are indeed finished here, I think it would be best if we were to return there to prepare for our return to the present era. Venus, you may put that down," she added calmly. "I will return to collect them at a later moment." Venus looked at the soul-rune in her hand before glancing over at the one held in Mercury's hands. "Hey, how come she gets to keep one and I can't?" she protested. A delicate green eyebrow rose up in response to the question. "I have no doubts about Sailor Mercury's ability to control her curiosity and not attempt to experiment with the soul-runes as she promised to do," she explained in a diplomatic tone. "Your sense of curiosity, however, is far more.... potent and hence exceedingly prone to impulsive experimentation." "I'm not that bad," Venus said as she started to pout. "Anecdotal evidence, both past and present, suggests quite the contrary," Pluto replied dryly with a soft smile. "Anyway," Uranus said with a yawn as Venus knelt down to put the pyramid back on the grass, muttering something impolite beneath her breath. "So now that we're finished playing games for the morning, think we can go find some real breakfast? Fruit is nice for starters, but unless you're going go dig up a whole orchard for us we're going to need a lot more than a couple of natural juice-balls." "Heh," Jupiter chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I suppose I could fire up Pluto's stove and make something a little more substantial. Alright, let's.... wait, what?" she suddenly said as Mercury reached out to gently grab her arm. "I have one more question for Sailor Pluto," Mercury said carefully as she tucked the soul-rune in her Lunar Space pocket. "And I'm not sure if this is something I'd rather have Sailor Moon or Sailor Mars wondering too hard about just yet. Call it a hunch," she added in an odd tone. "Great, now *I'm* worried," Venus sighed. Pluto regarded Mercury carefully for a moment before nodding. "That all depends on the nature of your question," she said in a neutral tone. Mercury looked down at her miniature computer for a moment before closing the lid with a sigh and returning it to her Lunar Space pocket. "What exactly is this 'silence' you mentioned earlier?" she asked, reaching up to deactivate her Virtual Visor. "Well, shoot, that didn't take long," Uranus muttered quietly to Neptune. "Thing is, I'm not sure I'm ready to hear about it...." "Door's over there if you don't want to stick around," Jupiter said with a casual gesture over her shoulder. "Otherwise, have another bite of fruit and keep quiet so we can hear this one." The rest of the group paused as they heard Pluto's soft sigh, the youthful lines of her face seeming to briefly crease with age and the weight of some unknown burden. "I will attempt to explain it as best I can, but I ask that you hold off on your questions until I am finished with my explanation. The Silence is, in essence, a sinkhole in the flow of Time." Pluto paused for a few moments to apparently gather her thoughts before speaking once more. "The exact nature of the Silence is unknown to me. Time flows through it unabated, but I am unable to access what lies within it. I cannot see into it nor can I travel into it.... or rather, I hold no confidence in being able to return from it should I make a concerted effort at entering it. The center is impossible to pinpoint, but the scope seems to vary from moment to moment which is not altogether unexpected given the fact that it lies in the future and that future events are not cast into a rigid mold. Usually," she added in a soft tone. "When is it?" Mercury asked quietly once she was sure Pluto had finished talking for the moment. Another heavy sigh rose up from the succubus' chest before she opened her mouth to answer. "If we use the Moment as a reference point, the soonest I've encountered the chronopause would be roughly two years from now. I should like to clarify, however, that it is exceedingly variable and that the median time- frame would be between four and seven years. The latest I've noticed it would be ten years from the Moment, as anything later than that is certainly within the effects of the Silence." "What?" Venus said in a startled tone. "You mean we've got ten years at the absolute most before this thing hits us?" Uranus grunted softly to herself as she reached out to brush her fingers across Neptune's arm. "Now I know why she flipped out when that Queen Nectar or whatever her name was said it would be within a year," she muttered darkly. "Do not panic," Pluto said in a stern voice, cutting off anything else that might have been said. "Lady Venus, listen very carefully to what I just said. The flow of Time will not be affected by the Silence, only my ability to travel freely within it. I very strongly doubt anyone not associated with the flow of Time will be affected by it or to even be able to notice any changes. Time will not be stopped by it, as no power in the universe can ever stop Time. Slow it down, perhaps, but it can never be stopped completely." "So what causes this thing again?" Jupiter spoke up in a leery tone. "Unknown," Pluto replied calmly. "Given the expanse of the Silence, I am categorically unable to determine a source, cause, or trigger for it. As with all temporal phenomenon, I suspect there is an epicenter of sorts that radiates the dampening effect in both directions. I have long had the feeling that the dispersal pattern is distinctly biased in one direction, but I have not been able to successfully discern when the chronopause ends. Although now that I am significantly closer to the event in temporal terms, perhaps another attempt may be in order...." she added in a thoughtful tone, her voice trailing away to a mere whisper. "Dammit," Jupiter sighed quietly, resting her weight against her staff. "Problem, babe?" Uranus inquired carefully. "Maybe," the brunette replied. "You ever get the feeling that you've got a really large puzzle in front of you, and that the only thing that's keeping you from seeing it finished is a single missing dot that needs to be connected somewhere?" "When dealing with Sue? All the time," Uranus said dryly, drawing a sigh from Pluto and a far-from-gentle poke in the ribs from Neptune. "Okay, Mercury," Venus spoke up in a cheerful tone. "You're our resident genius and master puzzle-piecer, you take a shot at this. What's the piece we seem to be missing here?" Mercury shot her a mildly irritated look before studying Pluto's weary expression for a number of moments. Four to seven years, she thought, but she reacted with shock to the notion of it happening in less than one. "But that wasn't what she reacted to...." she whispered softly to herself, causing the rest of the group to blink hard. "Umm...." Venus said carefully. "Just spit it out," Jupiter said gently. "You're looking in the wrong place," Mercury said quickly, fixing Pluto with a firm gaze. "You said you expected the Silence to be here within a few years, but when you mentioned it to Queen Nectaris she was talking about a call the Imperium Silver Crystal expects to receive in a year.... the call of this 'chosen one' both you and Queen Andromeda mentioned earlier." Pluto closed her eyes as she turned her focus inward, rifling through the virtual library of cataloged memories and information she had gathered over her seven-hundred-plus years of life. "The prophecy of the Chosen One supposedly predates the creation of the Moon Kingdom," she said very slowly and carefully, still trying to locate the exact memory she sought. "I have seen the original text which was written and preserved, but I will have to review it before I can state whether or not that may have an influence. The way it was explained to me interpreted the words as describing the coming of a Chosen One who will set into motion the end of the world. Whether that means a literal end, such as the destruction of Creation or at least the planet itself, or a figurative one is very much open to debate. None, however, dispute that the event will be anything less than a complete and total catastrophe for everyone concerned." "Oh, lovely!" Venus gasped, her face completely devoid of color. "And so this is what's coming down the pipe in the next decade?" "Mina, please," Pluto whispered quietly, her voice seeming to be strained by some inner burden. "You must understand, the future has not yet been cast into a permanent form and nothing is guaranteed. While the Imperium Silver Crystal possesses unprecedented wisdom and foresight, it is not an omniscient entity and cannot see into Time as others can. Queen Andromeda may have built a consensus around the opinion that the Chosen One will soon arrive, but that event lies in the future and simply cannot be determined with any accuracy. I myself have seen the world end no less than four times by viewing future events through the time-stream, and yet we are all still here today." "Do we want to ask?" Jupiter spoke up in a guarded tone. Pluto shrugged in dismissal. "As with all defining moments in history, there are at least two roads to be taken, if not more. One such case was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the United States of America was locked in a very tense situation with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I'm sure you are aware of how it was ultimately resolved, but when it was viewed a full millennium before it actually came to pass, the thread I saw was.... decidedly different. The missiles were launched and the world was eventually sterilized of multicellular life through the use of nuclear weapons." Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter all traded sour looks at the thought. "Eww," Venus said softly. "I don't think I'll be going near a microwave oven again anytime soon." "We never wanted you near one to begin with," Jupiter muttered darkly. "Okay, so what does this all mean?" Uranus asked in a pointed tone. "Sailor Pluto...." Mercury said in a worried voice, "Are you absolutely sure the two aren't related?" Pluto paused for a moment before shaking her head gently. "No, I am not sure," she said quietly. "Bear in mind that the last time I tried to study the Silence was well over a thousand years ago, as I had little reason to worry about an event that was a considerable distance away even by a time-traveller's perspective. Indeed, given the amount of energy required to traverse the flow of Time and the strain it puts on the body, I am limited in the distance I am safely able to travel from the Moment. The limitation in question works out to about a thousand years in either direction before I encounter a considerable amount of stress and strain. Therefore, I.... yes, Lady Uranus?" she sighed as the blonde suddenly started waving her hand around. "Is there a point to this, or should I go head upstairs to hunt for some breakfast now?" Uranus said in a bored tone. "Perhaps it would be best for you to do just that," Pluto replied in a diplomatic tone, the edges of her mouth tugging down in a slight frown. "I'm sure the others will be able to assist you in finding something to eat." Jupiter just rolled her eyes and sighed. "We can't take you anywhere, can we? Tell you what, you can come with me and I'll see if I can't whip up some honey oatmeal to keep that mouth of yours busy. Mercury, do you think you can follow along with what Pluto is saying and break it down for us later?" "I should be able to.... I think," Mercury said hesitantly. "We trust you," Jupiter replied with a nod before hefting her quarterstaff and heading towards Pluto's keep. "Come on, you blonde barbarian, let's go. See you girls inside," she added to the others. "Hey, whoa, stop the music, wait a minuet," Venus protested. Jupiter paused and cast a very leery glance over her shoulder. "You mean wait a minute, right?" she ventured. "I know what I said," Venus countered. "We're talking about the possible end of the world in a few years, and you just want to wander off to go cook breakfast?" Uranus snorted quietly as she brushed past the long-haired blonde. "So come tap me on the shoulder when it's time to do something about it, you'll get my attention then. If you're just going to gripe and groan about something even Sue isn't sure about, however, leave me out of it. If I want a headache, believe me, I can find a way to make one happen. You coming, babe?" she said to Neptune. Neptune visibly hesitated before Pluto spoke up in a gentle tone. "You need not be worried, Lady Neptune, I have no reason to believe that the world will end anytime soon. In any case, there is little that can be done at this point in time, so it does not make any sense to delay breakfast further. We can discuss this again if you desire to do so at a later date." "Okay...." Neptune said in a faintly uncertain tone before she glanced at Mercury. She seemed to sigh quietly before quietly heading after Uranus and Jupiter as they made their way over to the open keep doors. Venus looked up at the empty sky before shaking her head. "Am I the ONLY one here who is worried about this?" she said wearily. "I assure you the concern is mutual," Pluto said calmly. "What I suspect we do not share, however, is the degree of anxiety over it. Perhaps you are allowing your religious background to color your perception," she suggested in a gentle tone. "Look, here's the way I see it," Venus said flatly. "A few years from now we hit a cosmic dead-spot where something happens that you can't see or even predict. Just for the sake of argument, let's pin the tail on this donkey at seven years. I don't know what you'll be doing in seven years, but something tells me that some of us will very likely be happily married by then and will be actively looking at the decision of starting a family. Wait," she said in a tone of dread as Pluto suddenly blinked very hard. "Don't tell me that just now occurred to you...." "Keep going," the succubus said in a flat tone. "Well," Venus hedged, "Andromeda said, for what it's worth, that Serena's daughter will be the Chosen One, right? And if that's the case, a few years from now seems to be extremely reasonable for such a birth to take place. You know, right around the time this Silence thing is supposed to hit? HEY!" "Pluto!" Mercury cried out as Pluto suddenly staggered as if hit, sinking down to one knee and clutching her staff in a white-knuckled grip. She began to move forward to help her before halting abruptly as the red gems adorning the staff suddenly lit up with a truly fierce glow. "One moment," Pluto rasped as she closed her eyes, holding the staff as hard as she could. A veil of fog began to surround her, swirling around in a tight orbit at a frightening speed. A cascade of sparkles began to flow out from within the looped end of her staff, washing across Pluto's face like so many microscopic raindrops. Her red eyes snapped open a moment later, glowing like a pair of red-hot coals drawn from the depths of a roaring blaze. "I don't like this," Venus said in a low tone, taking a step back from the temporal maelstrom surrounding Pluto. Mercury frowned as an odd humming sound started to register on her ears, pitched at an extremely low frequency and seeming to come from the Key to Time. "Sailor Pluto, what are you doing?" she called out as she watched her stare into the stream of sparkles that seemed to surge out from the staff's loop. "Amazing," Pluto whispered. "The Silence has a definite span, ending some four hundred years after it begins. The majority of the threads I see emerging after that epoch reveals that the world is quite intact in a geophysical sense, but forever changed in so many ways. Absolutely fascinating...." "Great," Venus muttered as she looked over at Mercury. "Soon as we get back, I'm going to have to spend some time at a church. Sounds like what they said is true.... Jesus is coming back, and boy is he gonna be pissed." "Somehow, I don't think that's going to be the case," Mercury rebuked in a moderate tone. "You know what I mean," Venus replied with a truly heavy sigh. "You back with us now?" she added as Pluto suddenly stood up, both the stream of sparkles and the curtain of dark vapor quickly dissipating around her. "I believe so," Pluto replied calmly with a nod of her head. "I am more than a little displeased with myself for failing to consider the prospect that the two could be related, which I must point out that I have yet to decisively determine, but the likelihood of just such a scenario is.... greater than what it was five minutes ago," she admitted. "Shall we go join the others now? I believe that enough time has elapsed for breakfast to have begun in earnest, if only on the stove if not at the table yet." "HOLD IT!" Venus screamed loudly, clenching both hands into fists and her face suddenly turning a vivid shade of purple. "We just figured out that the world is going to be worked over in a few years, and you want to just go trot on upstairs for a freakin' blueberry muffin? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Pluto just sighed quietly and waited for Mercury to quit massaging the outer portions of her ear canals. "Lady Venus," she said in a very slow and patient tone, "I should like to remind you of two things. The first being that nothing is set into stone in the future, which means events may or may not come to pass as expected or predicted. Second, even if we were to base our reaction on the presumption that the Silence will be upon us when the Chosen One is born and that Serena is now pregnant with her, we still have at a minimum seven full months to devise a course of action and set it into motion. "Also, as this would be an event of cosmic significance, you may both expect and rely upon the full power and intervention of the pantheon of gods to aid and assist us. Such an action would have to be coordinated with them ahead of time, of course, and I assure you that they will be duly notified as soon as we return to the present. As that has already been planned, I see no intrinsic value to be derived from an uncontrolled emotional outburst. Please calm down and attempt to think like the rational individual that I have every faith you can be when you desire to." Venus just stared at her for a moment before turning to Mercury, reaching up to furiously massage her temples in the process. "You want to translate that for me?" she asked in a weary tone. "The throbbing of my pulse in my ears is making it difficult for me to follow along." Mercury paused to give Pluto a very uneasy look before drawing a very deep breath. "Would you worry about a mid-term exam in Calculus that's scheduled for three years from now?" she suggested. "What I think she just said is that it's entirely too soon for worrying. After all, you might end up not taking Calculus at all." "Umm, that's not a good example," the blonde pointed out carefully. "I know for an absolute fact that you're studying calculus on your own right now and that you won't be taking the class for another two years." "Do you understand the basic premise?" Pluto spoke up. "I myself am just as concerned about this situation as you are, but I also know that an almost incalculable number of events can happen between now and then that could very easily change the final outcome. What if Serena miscarries? What if she is injured and cannot bear children? What if Darian has another child first? What if either one of them dies before then? All are possible, if unsavory, prospects for the future. "Also, that doesn't take into account the fact that we are operating on several assumptions that could be wrong. What if Serena's child is not the Chosen One? What if the summons is received within a year as expected and the Silence is still several years away? Keep in mind that the Negaverse and its influences lie outside our universe and thus their actions cannot be safely factored into the equation one way or the other. What if they invade Earth? There are simply too many plausible what-if's to permit us to make any sort of definitive judgment on what is to come, and that doesn't even begin to take into account all the other unknown variables inherent to existing. When the picture becomes clearer, Lady Venus, I swear by my mother's lost soul that action *will* be taken, but until then.... what use is it to, as it is said, run around like a chicken with her head cut off and a lit stick of dynamite crammed up her bum?" Both Mercury and Venus gave her pained looks before the blonde shook her head in resignation. "Thanks for the visual," she muttered. "I think now is a good time to head back upstairs and find some steel wool so I can scrub that one from my mind." "Behind the sink, on the right," Pluto said lightly. "You know, I'm really beginning to understand what Uranus' problem is when it comes to dealing with you," Venus grumbled. "Oh, whoops, the end of the world is a lot closer than I thought! Oh, well, pass the strawberry jam? I think I need a cigarette or something," she sighed as she turned around and began to wander off towards the keep's open doors. Mercury sighed softly before looking up at Pluto, taking a moment to make note of the sudden profusion of tiny wrinkles and stress-likes that were now visible around the edges of her otherwise youthful face. "Sailor Pluto...." she said in a cautious tone. "What would you have me do, Ami?" Pluto said quietly. "Save the world from a disaster?" Mercury replied pointedly. Pluto raised a delicate green eyebrow in response. "An excellent course of action, if I may say so," she replied in a measured tone. "As we are in perfect agreement and you having made the initial suggestion, I should like to consult the depths of your knowledge and wisdom to ask one question.... How? I sense by your sudden hesitation that you do not yet know how," she added as Mercury remained silent. "I myself do not know how, either, and it is this hurdle which we must first overcome before we can worry about other events." Mercury sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Pluto, do you have any idea how contradictory you sound at times?" she said in a very weary tone. "You say we have all this time to figure something out, but you yourself have pointed out in the past that time is not always in as abundant a supply as we may believe. You seem to possess great amounts of knowledge about past and obscure events, yet when we need information the most you are unable to provide it. When you do provide an answer for us, usually it's couched in cryptic terms that renders it useless for an immediate application. And when someone finally calls you on it, you get sarcastic and snippy," she finished, giving the green-haired woman a moderate glare. "I ask again," Pluto replied with a soft sigh. "What would you have me do? Shall I remain silent when I encounter a situation in which I have a fair understanding of its nature? Shall I keep my personal knowledge to myself and spare you the experience of having it related? I sincerely hope you will be able to forgive me for persisting in such activities, as I have spent some six hundred years serving as an advisor to a succession of Queens and Princesses. As such, sharing my knowledge has been one of my primary duties. Old habits, as it is said, are not so easily dismissed. Neither you nor any of the others are under any obligation to take heed of my advice, but I should like to point out that I will most assuredly not take kindly to accusations of maliciously withholding such information once I've been asked to cease volunteering it." Mercury simply closed her eyes and slowly exhaled through her nose. "You have a valid point," she said softly. "Believe what you will, I do understand your concerns," Pluto explained in a gentle tone. "However, I do not believe you understand my perspective. I am not a full-blooded human as you are, but a hybrid trapped between two worlds. I am forced to see things through two sets of eyes, judge things according to two sets of standards, things such as rules and laws and traditions and social expectations. I was condemned since birth in more ways than you could possibly imagine, ageless and eternal, charged with duties that not only lie in the world as you know it but in a world that you've never encountered before or had reason to even believe truly exists. I am the Guardian of Time, a duty which supersedes my duties as a Sailor Scout, and as such my concerns and approaches to a given situation must reflect that." "Guarding time from what?" Mercury inquired in a slightly wary tone. "Improper influences," Pluto replied as she made a gesture, heading off towards the doors of her keep at a slow pace. She waited for Mercury to fall into step beside her before continuing. "Those who do not have physical access to the Portal of Time and wish to traverse the Flow must go through me first. Only the pantheon of gods and their most trusted minions can gain entry to the chamber that houses the Portal without my knowledge and consent, and not even they can prevent me from sealing the Portal if I deem it necessary to do so. Such a duty bears a tremendous amount of responsibility, as you can imagine, and the price for failure is.... nothing to be taken lightly," she said, her voice softening to a pained whisper. Mercury remained silent as they entered the keep, coming to a halt just inside the iron doors and waiting for them to close behind them. They did so with a heavy boom, causing the array of glowstones set in the chandeliers to suddenly illuminate. "Has it always been like that?" she finally asked as they resumed their journey through the keep. "Like what?" Pluto inquired absently. "That your family has guarded this.... portal," Mercury explained, her voice trailing away as they encountered a stone wall where the hallway used to be. Sailor Venus was leaning against it, her arms crossed over her chest and a very dark look of brooding on her face. "Oops, they took it upstairs, didn't they?" Mercury said to Pluto. "Yup," Venus said in a flat tone. "And I couldn't find a staircase in this stone monstrosity, either. That's a building-code violation, you know," she added as a warning. "A trivial matter," Pluto replied with a shrug as she held out her staff. She waited until both Mercury and Venus had reached out to touch it before turning her focus inward, commanding the staff to open a very short and narrow conduit into the flow of Time. Traversing the blue stream took literally less than a fraction of a second, the walls of the foyer seeming to suddenly become the walls of the residential area in a momentary pulse of light. "Oh, there you are," Uranus called out as she was momentarily startled by the sudden appearance of the three women. "Just in time, too, although that really isn't a shocker or anything," she added dryly before scooping up another spoonful of oatmeal. "Eh?" Jupiter said as she stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, hey," she added. "Hang on, three more bowls, coming up," she promised as she ducked back into the kitchen. Mercury frowned slightly as Venus brushed past her, moving over to plop down in the beanbag behind her synthesizer. The device was immediately powered up and the volume dialed down, the blonde's fingertips starting to wander over the keys in a seemingly random motion as she toyed with the settings. A quick glance around the room showed that Sailor Moon was sitting on the floor with Myst curled up in her lap, the gray kitten appearing to not have been disturbed in the slightest by Pluto's dimension-shifting. The back of her Sailor Suit had been cut open by something, allowing her to release her denizen wings to lazily drift around. Maq'i was kneeling behind her, one hand resting on Sailor Moon's exposed back with a faint white glow surrounding her fingers as she checked her condition. Uranus and Neptune were curled up on their L-shaped couch while Darian and Mars were sitting on the other couch, all four of them contentedly eating their bowls of oatmeal. The smell of honey, vanilla, and oats was easily discernible in the air as Jupiter returned to the main room with three large plastic bowls casually perched on a wooden serving tray. "Here," Jupiter said as she casually set a bowl down on the synthesizer's keyboard. The gesture produced a flat squeal of harmonics, drawing a truly dark look and a soft snarl from Venus before the bowl was all but tossed onto the floor beside her. Jupiter blinked and regarded her carefully for a moment before heading over to where Mercury and Pluto were standing. "I see someone's in a mood," she grumbled as she offered a bowl to Mercury. "I can't find what I did with the jar of cinnamon, so you'll just have to cope until I figure out where it wandered off to. Toast should be ready soon," she added. "Thanks," Mercury said, only slightly disappointed about the lack of one of her favorite spices. She paused and looked up at Pluto as a thought popped back into her mind. "You haven't answered my question yet," she reminded the succubus. "About guarding the portal you keep talking about." "Babe, don't ask," Uranus spoke up around a mouthful of oatmeal as Pluto silently made her way over to her armchair. "If it has anything to do with Time as an entity, you really don't want to ask her to explain anything unless you want to get a serious headache." "To answer part of your question, Sailor Mercury," Pluto spoke up in an unusually quiet tone as she sat down, "The Key to Time has always been in the hands of my House, much as the Soul Saber has always been entrusted to the House of Uranus and the Soul Mirror placed in the care of the House of Neptune. That I was.... appointed as the Guardian of Time, however, is another matter entirely." "Yeah, hold that thought for a few," Jupiter said as she quickly headed back into the kitchen. Mercury looked around the room for a place to sit, frowning slightly as she realized that her options were to either borrow the webbed cup-like chair Serena had made, sit on the cushion in the circle of candles Rei had created, or wedge herself between Darian and Mars on the couch. "Mars, do you mind if I borrow that for awhile?" she asked, making a gesture to the cushion. "Here," Mars said simply as she stood up and moved over to the cushion. The priestess sat down without another word, freezing in mid-motion as the candle wicks promptly reignited with dark green flames without warning. She cast a deeply suspicious look at them before seeming to sigh in resignation, idly fluffing out the pillow before returning to the casual task of scooping mouthfuls of oatmeal out of her bowl. "Thanks," Mercury said in a carefully-pitched tone, warily eyeing the now- vacant couch cushion next to Darian. He had gotten rid of the white desert robes at some point and was casually dressed in a shirt and jeans, seeming to keep one eye on Sailor Moon and Maq'i as he ate his oatmeal. Mercury sighed quietly to herself as she sat down, unobtrusively trying to keep as much space between her and Darian as was politely possible. She knew that he wouldn't be a hazard to her or anything, but his quiet confession of once having had a sort of crush on her and the recent issues between him, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars had left her feeling slightly unsettled with his presence for some reason. "Toast's ready," Jupiter announced to the room as she came back out of the kitchen with a bowl of oatmeal and a small serving tray stacked with what had to be at least a full loaf of moderately-toasted bread. A small bowl of butter and a blunt-tipped knife accompanied the towering pile as it was carried over to Venus' synthesizer and carefully perched on the corner, positioned so as not to be in the blonde's way. Jupiter paused as she glanced up and caught the momentary change in Venus' expression. "You alright?" she asked in a careful tone, feeling a slight chill form in her blood. She blinked as Venus simply reached out to grab a slice of toast, rudely dragging the corner of the crust across the top of the butter before jamming fully half of it into her mouth. "Okay...." the brunette said in a dubious tone as she stood up straight, casting an uneasy glance over her shoulder at the rest of the group. "One of those mornings, it seems," Pluto said with a shrug of dismissal. "Right," Jupiter replied, clearly not convinced. She glanced around the room for a moment before making her way over to the webbed chair, nudging the frame with her knee. She frowned slightly at the way it rolled back on its mount, muttering something undecipherable beneath her breath as she carefully held it steady before sitting down in it. "So if you don't mind my asking, can you tell us about these toys we had back in the Moon Kingdom?" she called out once she was sure her weight wouldn't cause the chair to roll around. "I suppose I could," Pluto replied calmly. "However, it may be easier for me to simply relate a condensed version of the history and origins of both the Sailor Scouts and the Moon Kingdom, as that should answer both your question in full and Sailor Mercury's question in part. The other part of the question, however, I am.... not so eager to answer given the fact that it is without question the most painful memory of my seven centuries of life." The rest of the group suddenly sat up a little straighter and started to exchange uneasy glances. "You mean about you becoming the Guardian of Time?" Mercury ventured in a cautious tone. "Indeed," the green-haired woman replied with a somber nod. "Humor me for a moment, Sue," Uranus spoke up between bites of oatmeal. "I've had a hard time lately keeping up with your definitions of things like good, bad, and painful. Give me a quick run-down of your idea of painful?" Pluto looked at her for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Painful is being raped by a demigod for the explicit purpose of bringing me to brink of death in order to be able bind my soul to the very foundation of the fabric of space-time, thus Damning me to an eternity of suffering once I pass from this mortal coil," she said quietly, her voice starting to waver ever so slightly with barely-controlled emotion. Virtually everyone flinched in unison as Venus immediately choked hard on her oatmeal, resulting in a minor explosion of honeyed oats onto her keyboard that very narrowly missed coating the stack of toast. "WHAT?!" she rasped the instant her throat was free enough to talk, her blue eyes tripling in diameter. "I will explain in due course," Pluto said softly, her face seeming to be unusually pale. "However, let me begin where all stories should, at the very beginning of it all in an era where both the gods and mortal men were still a relatively recent development to the firmament of Creation...." * * * * For all the gifts the pantheon had bestowed upon humankind, there existed the belief that man's capacity for development and self-improvement was not being fully explored despite their potential for intelligence. A faction arose in the pantheon who believed that this was caused not by a lack of knowledge, but by failing to retain that knowledge for subsequent generations. While some tried to ensure that such information would be preserved in what today would be called conventional terms, others thought it best to try to create a central repository for such knowledge and wisdom. A receptacle was created from the very threads of Chaos that once gave rise to the gods themselves, a glittering sphere intended to house the minds and souls of the greatest of human scholars. This sphere would thus be able to preserve their knowledge and wisdom, imparting it to others as was needed to further the development of mankind. The pantheon was aware of the fact that knowledge is power, however, and took steps to ensure that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands where it could potentially bring ruin to both man and god. It was finally decided that this receptacle would be located away from the planet, enshrined in a hidden place on the Moon instead. And so an artificial kingdom was constructed, using the knowledge of divine science to permit life to exist and thrive in the otherwise empty void. Keeping the Moon Kingdom totally isolated, however, would defeat the whole purpose of its construction, and so a Bridge was built to span the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Still impressed by the epic efforts of ancient druids, they anchored the Earth-bound end of the Bridge to the great monolithic structure called Stonehenge. The construction and binding was such as to allow the portal in the Moon Kingdom to open either at Stonehenge or at any point on the planet directly beneath it when the portal is activated. Much like a temple of worship, the new kingdom needed to be protected by dedicated warriors and run by an undisputed authority. To that end a summons was issued to bring forth mankind's finest female warriors of the era, all rare sights in a world still dominated by men. A number of applicants responded to the call, priestesses and maidens and warriors coming from all walks of life around the entire planet. From this gathering the pantheon selected nine of the best women, all with stout hearts and pure souls, to represent them and serve as their chosen avatars. They offered the crown of the Moon Kingdom to the one with the purest of souls and most humble of natures, a devout holy knight who had been born a mere peasant into a harsh life of poverty and had risen through the ranks through sheer force of virtue and pious character. Many were surprised when she sought to decline the honor, saying that she herself was unworthy of the role. When asked about her decision, she confessed that it would be honor enough to serve as an instructor and guide to the new queen and that she sought no higher role. Impressed by her humility, the pantheon decided to hand the throne not to her but to her daughter instead, explaining that the new queen could find no better or more noble an instructor to have than her own mother. To the others was offered a similar role, to impart upon their children all the skills and knowledge and virtues that they had learned. In exchange, the pantheon would empower their bloodlines to enable them to serve their new kingdom and queen as few mortals could. One by one the gods came to their new avatars, blessing them with their gifts and imprinting their souls with their powers to be passed along the female bloodline. Thus were the nine Houses of the Moon created, and as a sign of faith each was entrusted with an artifact cast from the finest of materials and shaped upon the Hellforge by the hand of the lame god Hephaestus. The House of Mercury was founded by the god Hermes, who gifted his chosen avatar with the power of elemental water and blessed her with a keen intellect to be able to analyze a situation and swiftly deliver the report to her queen. He sought to provide her with a replica of his herald staff, the snake-entwined caduceus to further augment her abilities, but his avatar declined because she did not care for reptiles. Instead, she was given the silvery Aqua Harp, the delicate chords able to entice water to bend to her will and soothe even the stoutest of hearts with gentle melodies. The House of Venus was created by the goddess Aphrodite, bestowing upon her new bloodline the power of elemental light as well as gifting them with both divine grace and extraordinary beauty. A specially-crafted whip was given to the new warrior, the Love Chain, consisting of extremely fine gold links each carefully bent into the shape of a heart. The weapon's tip was forged from the seed of a star, neither physical nor spectral, focusing the power of light to deliver either burning pain or the warmth of pleasure as the wielder desired. The god Ares took charge of the House of Mars, imbuing his chosen avatar with the burning fires of war and the ability to draw upon that element in both physical and spiritual terms. His avatar spurned his offer of a spear as a weapon, preferring instead to rain death upon her foes from a distance, and so was the flaming Sniper Bow crafted to be her unerring ally on the battlefield. Zeus, the King of the Gods, laid claim to the House of Jupiter, vesting his avatar with the power of elemental thunder that he too favored. He filled her body with strength and power, the better to smite all who dared cross her path. It was said that Zeus himself toiled upon the Hellforge to craft a pair of copper wristbands for her, the Thunderclaps. Each one consisted of fifty miniature spines in the shape of the jagged bolts he uses, so that when needed she could call upon the fury of a hundred thunderbolts to aid her in battle. The House of Saturn was formed by the god Cronus, Zeus's father, who gave his chosen avatar some of his powers in the harvesting domain of Death. The intense power in her blood weakened her, however, limiting her ability to use her dark gift and thus forcing her to only call upon it when truly needed. To aid her, she was given Silence, a glaive-like polearm tipped with the blade of a scythe that was said to be able to cleave the soul of any living being struck by the dark metal. Ouranos, the sky god and grandfather of Zeus, laid claim to another avatar and founded the House of Uranus. He infused her with the power of the winds, allowing her to call upon their stinging fury when in need. He also granted her blood a measure of the wind itself, allowing her to run faster and longer than most others. Impressed with the power of Saturn's Silence weapon, he had a sword crafted with similar properties and called it the Soul Saber, keeping the deathly edge but reshaping it into a far more versatile form that could be wielded with greater speed and agility. The House of Neptune was created by Poseidon, god of the sea, who gave his chosen avatar the ability to call upon the power of the ocean's deeps. They both felt that such power should never be used offensively, and so a special mirror was crafted for her, the Soul Mirror, that could passively ward off or even deflect hostile powers that were sent in her direction. The last of the Houses, the House of Pluto, was founded by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. To maintain the mystique of his domain, he infused his avatar with the power of elemental darkness and shadows so that none would truly be able to see past her. The souls of the dead were bound to her command, to be called upon to vent their immortal fury toward her opponents as she wished. A political decision was made to entrust her bloodline with the Key to Time, to serve as a moderator for those who would traverse the eternal flow. When first given, it had the ability to project a Soul Shield, an impassible barrier that could protect all who stood behind it from direct harm. Finally, the Royal House of the Moon was created with the birth of the first Queen. The Imperium Silver Crystal, the intended receptacle of all the knowledge that was to be imprinted upon it, was given to her and bound to the power of her blood and pure spirit. The others were in turn bound to the power of the Crystal, forming a balanced circle of nine entities that persisted over countless centuries that we are all descended from today.... * * * * Pluto sighed softly to herself as she looked up at the rest of the group, part of her taking comfort in the looks of rapt attention on their faces. The rest of her, however, was turning deathly cold at the prospect of relating the story of the single most painful and darkest hour of her entire existence. "When the first avatar died," she continued to explain, "The Queen mourned her loss so much that she refused to allow her soul to be taken down to the Underworld. Instead, she had it drawn into the Imperium Silver Crystal where she could have access to both the knowledge and personality that she had come to love as only a true friend could. Ever since then, the souls of the Sailor Scouts have been drawn into the Crystal to be preserved. When the Queen passed away as well, her daughter also bade the Crystal to open up to receive her soul, forming a tradition that has been largely unbroken to this very day. "As the centuries passed and the souls of the Houses began to accumulate, the Crystal began to take on a life of its own. Fueled by the innate powers of the deceased and governed by the combined consciousness, it soon evolved into a sentient free-willed entity. As it was forged from the very same threads of Chaos that binds Creation together, it began to have an influence on the fabric of space-time that persists to this day. The power has become such that the world as we know it can no longer exist without the Imperium Silver Crystal, a consequence the pantheon did not foresee. "The realization that even the Gods were now bound by this cosmic force, kept in check solely by the will and spirit of a single mortal bloodline, was enough to cause a sort of internal rebellion within the pantheon. The deities began to exert their own influences on their avatars, trying to 'improve' the bloodline and make it less susceptible to weakness or destruction. "It was during this initial 'panic' episode that new powers were given to certain bloodlines. The latent spiritual energies of the House of Mars, the power of astrology to the House of Saturn, and the innate sensory awareness of the House of Neptune are only three of the more obvious examples of.... not so much divine intervention so much as.... divine tinkering." "Innate sensory awareness?" Uranus echoed as she turned to give Neptune a slightly confused look. Neptune blinked and gave her a helpless shrug before turning her attention back to Pluto. "I can explain it later if you wish," Pluto said quietly. "In any case, I will not be so bold as to suggest that the circumstances of my birth were consciously or deliberately set up as a genetic experiment of some kind, but neither will I simply dismiss the prospect out of hand. Regardless, my birth was allowed to come about when it could easily have been terminated, so now the pantheon has been able to determine what sort of good and ill can come of such a thing.... as well as the repercussions and consequences." The rest of the room started to exchange uneasy glances at the visible change in Pluto's mood. "You mean your role as Guardian of Time?" Mercury spoke up in a hesitant tone. She blinked as her question was met with a very soft laugh of distinct irony. "My role...." Pluto echoed in a pained whisper before the bitter chuckles finally passed. "Perhaps I used the wrong words earlier to describe the exact nature of my situation. One isn't appointed as the Guardian of Time, but is instead condemned to it. I will attempt to explain, but I ask that you bear with me as the memories are.... not pleasant." "Think some tea would help?" Jupiter offered as she tried to get up from the webbed chair. The shift in weight caused the base to roll backwards on the mount, almost throwing her head-over-heels onto the floor. She grabbed onto the frame by pure reflex, keeping herself in place through sheer arm-strength alone. Her sense of balance quickly caught up with her, allowing her to very gingerly ease her legs forward until they rested on the solid ground. "Not a word," she growled to the rest of the group as she stood up. "The offer of tea is appreciated, Lady Jupiter," Pluto said quietly. "Not a problem," the brunette replied as she started to head towards the kitchen. "Anyone else want anything while I'm up?" Maq'i nodded as she rose to her feet. "If you are offering, I would like to ask for some tea as well," she said gently. "Just make a pot," Mars spoke up from her cushion. "Figures," Jupiter chuckled quietly as she disappeared around the corner. Pluto sighed quietly and looked over at both Maq'i and Sailor Moon. "I trust that the Princess is not showing any signs of illness or injury?" she asked as the blonde started to rise to her feet as well, still holding Myst in her arms. Maq'i chuckled quietly as she made her way over to the eggshell-shaped chair she had crafted earlier. "She's in remarkable health, given the events of the past few days. I can say with virtual certainty that the Chaos Factor has indeed run its course and that her body is quite stable. I don't think her denizen blood will be adding any new surprises anymore, although I have to point out that it only applies to new latencies and not what she already has." "Meaning?" Uranus asked in a wary tone. She paused as she watched Sailor Moon's exposed wings reaching out, grabbing Darian's arm and all but dragging him off the couch. "Okay, I'll admit it, that's a nice trick," she muttered to Neptune as Darian was deposited in the webbed chair with a powerful flick of the glowing ribbons. Maq'i waited for Sailor Moon to curl up next to Darian before shaking her head and explaining. "She will not develop any new powers, but she might find new ways to use what powers she currently has, whatever they might be. That is often the hardest part of surviving the Chaos Factor, not just determining what you can do but how to do it without harm. A classic example would be seeing if it would be possible for her to fly. She has wings, of course, but it would be up to her to see if she can achieve flight." "Wings alone are not enough to achieve that," Pluto pointed out gently. "There are other factors to consider, such as surface area and body weight." "If we were to use conventional metrics, that would pose a problem," the elderly Healer countered. "However, I must remind you that the Chaos Factor is not limited by the laws of physics as we know it. Granted we can usually show a definitive biological reaction within the cells that lead to an outpouring of energy that is then shaped to produce a given reaction, but the exact chemical mechanism for shaping that power and how it is applied is very much beyond our level of medical science." Everyone blinked as there was a muted squeal from the webbed chair, all eyes turning towards a rapidly-blushing Sailor Moon. Behind her, Darian was lifting his head up from the back of her neck, giving her a somewhat unamused look. "What?" he asked in a quiet tone, acutely aware of the room's focus. "Your lips were cold," Sailor Moon muttered softly in a triple-tone voice, her blush darkening by at least three shades. She glanced around the room for an instant before she focused her gaze on the ball of gray fur in her lap, running her fingertips through Myst's fur at a rapid pace. "Been there, done that," Uranus replied with a shrug of dismissal, pausing as she found herself on the receiving end of a rather dark glare. "Wait, don't look at me like that, you know I didn't meant it like that," she protested. "I know how you meant it," Neptune responded primly. Darian coughed loudly as he gently leaned Sailor Moon against him. "So you're saying it's possible she can fly?" he asked Maq'i, more out of genuine curiosity than as an attempt at staving off an argument between lovers. "It is the Chaos Factor, your Highness," Maq'i replied with a soft sigh. "Who can say what form it will take or the results it will bring?" "Do you think the NegaForce might know?" Mars spoke up quietly, causing the rest of the room to blink virtually in unison. Darian and Maq'i exchanged glances in heavy silence before she cleared her throat gently. "I very strongly doubt it, dear child," she said, seeming to choose her words with care. "While it is certainly a higher power, there are a few known limitations to what it can do. If it could shape or otherwise have an influence on the final configuration of the Chaos Factor, surely it would have already done so with the royal bloodline." "Beryl's powers weren't what you'd call flashy or spectacular," Darian spoke up in a dry tone, a faint smirk tugging on his lips. "Trust me, she had plenty of raw power and the ability to throw it around with effect, but there was very little grace or style to it. What?" he added in a very soft tone as Sailor Moon twisted around to look at him, her golden eyes seeming to be filled with unease. "Do I want to ask?" she inquired carefully. "Hey, at least when you turn someone to moondust, you not only do it with a little flair and style but you also clean up the mess left behind," Darian replied with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. A soft snort rose up from the floor cushion. "You're pushing the terms, Darian," Mars muttered as she closed her eyes. "I'm not the one who was given a DustBuster as a Christmas gift after a particular battle when you turned someone into charcoal dust," Darian replied with a languid grin. "A particular brand-name for a hand-held vacuum cleaner," Pluto spoke up as Uranus started to open her mouth. "Oh, okay. Thanks, Sue," Uranus replied. "So that was you," Mars said, opening her eyes to glare at Darian. "I told you, I'm not the one who gave it to you," Darian reminded her. There was a slight sloshing noise as Jupiter came to an abrupt stop, the steaming liquid in the teapot coming dangerously close to spilling out. She paused for a moment to steady the serving tray before giving both Darian and Mars uneasy looks. "You know, I really hate it when I walk into conversations like this," she said slowly as she carried the tray over to Pluto. "Do I want to ask who gave what to Mars?" Pluto sighed as a very awkward silence promptly ensued, fully aware of the way that the words could be twisted and misinterpreted. "A holiday gift after a particular incident, it seems," the succubus said as she accepted an empty cup that was promptly filled with herbal tea. Jupiter thought about it for a moment before casting a glance over her shoulder. "Don't tell me you're still upset about the DustBuster joke," she said as she gave the priestess a measured look. "Just pour the tea without burning anyone," Mars replied in a voice as flat as paved concrete. Jupiter just muttered something to herself about pyromaniacs and scalding- hot liquids before carrying the tray over to Maq'i, ignoring the reproachful look of amusement on Pluto's face. "Here," she said to the Healer, "This is just ordinary green tea with a little honey, it shouldn't bother you at all." "I should hope not," Maq'i replied with a quiet chuckle as she accepted the offered cup and waited for it to be filled. "Uh, hang on a second," Darian spoke up in a slightly edgy tone. "You do remember what happens when you give green tea to denizens, right?" "You mean what happens when Maze drinks green tea," Jupiter countered in an unusually patient tone, giving Maq'i a reassuring look. "Nobody else had any problems with it, and Ra'vel's digestive system is a little more sensitive to such things than the others are." "If you insist," Darian replied warily as he sat back, clearly not very convinced. Maq'i paused for a moment before glancing down at the cup of steaming tea in her hands. "If I may, dear child...." she started to say. "Maze had a full bladder to begin with, and the tea just made it worse," Jupiter explained over her shoulder as she carried the tea pot over to where Mars was sitting and gently set it down on the floor in front of her. "To make a long story short, he swore to us with a rather serious expression that after drinking the tea he promptly spent a full five minutes in front of the toilet dehydrating himself." "Ah," the elderly Healer said in a calm tone of understanding. She seemed to pause for a contemplative moment before giving Mercury an intrigued look. "If I may, do you think it would be possible for me to take a number of your human foodstuffs back to the Negaverse with me for study? I believe I just might be able to put some of them to medicinal and therapeutic use, providing I can test them for safety beforehand." Mercury blinked in surprise at the request. "You mean the tea?" she asked in a careful tone. "Samples of everything that have elicited unexpected reactions from your denizen friends," Maq'i clarified. "I realize that it would amount to a rather large list of items, given all the anecdotes you have told me lately, but I'm sure it would be worth the effort to analyze even a fraction of them for uses in my field." "Hey, now there's a thought," Venus spoke up, seeming to suddenly slip out of her dark mood as if a switch had been thrown. "I wonder if we could set up a sort of export business? Think about it.... if we start shipping lots of tea and chocolate to places like the Imperial Castle, they'd be kept busy in either the bedroom or the bathroom and won't be able to bother us...." "Venus!" Sailor Moon exclaimed with a badly-muffled giggle. "Heh," Jupiter chuckled as she sat down on the couch next to Mercury and casually stretched out. "I think I could throw together a basket of goodies for you from the kitchen once we get back. Nothing lethal, of course, and we can ask Mercury here to draw up a descriptive list of what everything does. Don't look at me like that," she added as Mercury gave her a mild look. "You know your handwriting is a lot better than mine, and I can't scribble down those dead spiders they call a language like you can." "What?" Neptune suddenly asked, sitting up a little straighter with an uneasy look on her face. "Relax, not literal spiders," Jupiter said with another quiet chuckle. "Remind me later and I can show you an example of what the written denizen language looks like. Most of us agree it looks like a horde of tiny spiders that all got run over by a truck," she added with an amused smirk. "Oh, okay," Neptune replied, seeming to relax slightly. She caught the look of amusement on Uranus' face and sighed, leaning against her lover with a faint blush of embarrassment. A gentle silence fell around the room for a few moments before it was broken by an unusually heavy sigh from Pluto. She glanced up as she realized that she had done so far louder than she had intended, sighing softly again before giving the room a very faint and wan smile. "My apologies," she said quietly. "I must confess that I am.... more than a little distracted by the memories. It was.... the singular most painful and defining moment in my entire life, and not just because of the consequences of my actions." "Yeah...." Venus said slowly, suddenly seeming to return to a mental state that was somewhere between horror and depression. "About what you said earlier about some demigod or something...." "I will explain in a moment," Pluto replied softly. "If this is just because I asked about being Guardian of Time, you don't have to explain anything if you don't want to," Mercury quickly spoke up. Pluto shook her head gently before taking a sip of her tea. "No, I think the time has come to both unburden the remains of my soul and allow you a brief glimpse into one of the many events that have shaped me into what I am today. Perhaps once you hear about it for yourselves you will not be so willing to simply dismiss my words of advice or understanding out of hand." The rest of the group seemed to blink in unison at the shift in her tone, exchanging slightly uneasy glances with one another before absently making themselves comfortable. Pluto sighed again and paused to empty her teacup before taking a slow and measured breath. "I was nineteen at the time, a literal lifetime ago given my current age," she said calmly. "To put things in perspective, it was the late third-century A.D. and the global civilization was.... I wouldn't say rudimentary, but hardly advanced. My mother and I were taking a stroll through what is now known as the Black Forest in Germany. I had the Key to Time with me, of course, as it was the birthright of my House and was therefore my duty to guard it. It had been explained to me what it could do and how I was permitted to use it.... as well as what I was forbidden to do with it. "I was.... young and inexperienced. Even though I was a few years older than you are now, I was still somewhat childish inside. Perhaps that was due to my demonic heritage, which had been awakened only three years earlier and I had yet to fully comprehend, let alone control. I was getting better at it as the days and weeks passed, but I was still a fairly impulsive individual. "We were set upon by bandits halfway through our stroll, four of them in total. I immediately unleashed my demonic form and powers to try to hold them at bay, not thinking that it would have been wiser for me to use my powers as a Sailor Scout since I was already transformed. The sight of my demonic wings ripping out from the back of my Sailor Suit terrified the bandits into using their crossbows against us at point-blank range, two of them getting off shots before I could strike them down. "My mother...." Pluto said, pausing to take a deep breath before trying to speak again. "My mother was struck in the throat by a bolt, and I knew from the blood and the sounds she was making that it would be a fatal wound. In a panic, I thought about what I could to do save her, not realizing that it was already too late. I suddenly remembered about the staff in my hands, having the inaccurate impression that it could control Time. Without thinking about the consequences, I opened a conduit and sent myself back in Time five minutes with the intent of warning my mother about what lay up ahead." Pluto paused to try to take a sip of tea, staring into the already-empty cup with a truly dejected look on her face. "That simple action, done solely on impulse without thought, resulted in a violation of the most fundamental of principles of Time travel," she whispered in a voice that was barely audible. "Two temporal versions of the same person or object are allowed to exist in the exact same physical location, providing they do not do so at the exact same moment in Time. The inverse is also permitted, two versions sharing a common and identical point in Time at long as they do not attempt to share the same space. However, a given four-dimensional point in Space-Time cannot be shared with or even allowed to be in proximity of two temporal versions of the same entity simultaneously. "I emerged from the temporal conduit exactly where I wanted to be, five minutes before we encountered the bandits. My mother was there, of course.... but so was I and so was another Key to Time. The close proximity of the Keys set up an instant temporal resonance effect, ripping the fabric of Space-Time apart at the seams and sending shockwaves throughout all of Creation. "Lord Hades, ruler of the Underworld and master of my House, immediately tore a new hole in the fabric of Space-Time to craft a wormhole that would bring him to the disturbance in a cosmic instant. Even so, the sinkhole effect of the resonance had already started, collapsing multi-dimensional space around itself to form a singularity. "What followed next took place in the blink of an eye. Hades realized the sinkhole was caused by a temporal paradox, and so he destroyed the Key to Time that was closest to him. Then before the shattered Key could explode, he then grabbed the remaining Key, the one that I was holding, and fled through the wormhole, sealing it as he went and dragging me along with him into the Portal room in the Underworld. "The explosion that followed the collapse of the singularity didn't occur in three-dimensional space for some reason, which is why the world as we know it is still largely intact. However, the Flow of Time was not spared from it, resulting in an eruption of energy from the Portal that served as a physical conduit into the Flow. "Hades used the Key to seal the Portal shut to wait out the repercussive effects, knowing it would probably be years before it could be reopened. Once he was certain that neither Creation nor the Portal would be destroyed by the aftershocks, he turned to me...." * * * * The looped end of the silvery staff lashed out at a speed far greater than her mortal eyes could follow, feeling the crushing blow against her cheek long before her ears detected the sub-sonic roar of the air parting around it. The blow sent her literally spinning through the air, the world rotating around a blurred axis several times before the ground caught up to her. It seemed an eternity passed before the pain finally registered on her senses, warning her that something had just been broken if not completely shattered. The world grayed out for a few moments before it abruptly returned to very sharp focus, finding herself being lifted off the ground by an iron grip on the front of her Sailor Suit. The sight of a pair of literally smouldering eyes not even three inches away from her own registered next, the pain of her broken cheekbone making it hard for her to focus on the face of her lord and master. He then called her name, a word that was only known to five mortals, using the power and knowledge of her true-name to bring her senses back into relative clarity. "What.... have.... you.... done?" Hades said through gritted teeth, making sure to say every syllable slowly and distinctly. "Hades!" a feminine voice called out sharply in horror as she ran into the room, her breath heaving in her throat. The dark god paused to cast a sidelong glance at his queen. "You need not worry, my sweet, I think the danger is past," he said in a level tone. "The Portal has been sealed for the moment, and I was able to stop the formation of the temporal singularity. Everything is fine now." Persephone frowned as she drew closer, still extremely upset at the whole situation. "I think you're right, but...." she started to say before falling silent as no less than six divinities suddenly appeared in the Portal room by various means. "What is the meaning of this?" Zeus thundered an instant later. "I don't know, dear brother," Hades replied in a dangerously calm tone, causing the Thunder God to blink in surprise. "Why don't you make sure that the Portal is properly sealed while I go ask my avatar what she did? I should be back in a few minutes," he said before wrapping a dimensional veil around both him and Pluto. The veil seemed to fall away an instant later, depositing them at the foot of Hades' throne deep inside the Underworld. Pluto barely had enough time to realize where she was before her senses became disoriented again, the walls blurring past her before she slammed into the floor several feet away from the still-enraged deity. "Do you know what you just did?" Hades said to her in a deceptively soft tone, tightly holding the silvery Key in a white-knuckled grip. "M.... my lord...." Pluto managed to gasp before the entire right side of her face erupted in white-hot agony. She tried to sit up before a surge of pain along her spine forced her to hold still, briefly wondering what had been damaged this time and how long it would take to heal. Hades remained silent as he stared into the looped end of the staff, his face marred by a deep and frightening scowl. A quick flurry of golden radiance washed across the staff before fading away, resulting in an even more furious expression. "You.... utter.... fool...." he hissed softly as his eyes started to glow once again. "Do you know how close to annihilation your mistake brought us? Do you not understand why you cannot try to change the past? Oh, you utterly foolish demon, you simply cannot imagine how much I wish I could simply kill you where you lay and be done with this...." The fires of pain that had been burning in Pluto's body suddenly became dangerously cold at the realization that her life was probably going to come to a very abrupt end in the next few minutes. Perhaps that was best, she thought to herself as even the icy chills faded away to be replaced with numbness. I failed to save her, and it's all my fault.... Hades stood perfectly still for a number of moments, the only steady rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was alive. "In all this time, I have never had an avatar fail me as badly as you just now have," he whispered in a voice that was empty of all emotion. "Were it anyone else under my domain who had made such a colossal error, I would be using their soul to scrub the filth from the heels of my boots. However, right now you are the last of my mortal blood-avatars, and I would rather not lose the bloodline, pathetic as it stands at the moment," he snarled. "M-my lord," Pluto whispered as she eased herself into a sitting position, ignoring the sheen of blood coating the right side of her face. "P-please.... wh-what of my m-mother...?" "Your mother?" Hades echoed, arching his eyebrows up in mock-surprise. "Your mother is now dead, you fool. No, no, let me correct myself," he added with a sneer. "Your mother is worse than dead. Her soul is lost forever now. Oh, yes," he added at the change in Pluto's expression. "It and the souls of all who fell into that singularity are lost to us now, so you'll never get to see or hear from her ever again. Not even in death, which at this point would be too good for you," he added darkly. The air in Pluto's lungs left in a soft whoosh as she flopped back to the ground, stunned beyond words or coherent thought. Of course her mother could not have survived the situation, her physical body reduced to atomic fragments by exposure to the temporal singularity if not by the explosion of the Key that he had destroyed in order to collapse the anomaly. But the complete loss of her soul.... A deep chill flooded her veins as she thought about how he had simply annihilated the Susan Meiou that was closest to him, a fifty-fifty chance that could easily have been her. Just how close had she been to oblivion as well? Or for that matter, how many seconds of existence did she have left? "No, death is not for you anytime soon," Hades continued, slowly shaking his head as his rage settled down into something far more cruel and sinister. "Far better for you to live a great, long life so that you can look back and reflect on this day. Better still that you be reminded of it every day that you are permitted to roam the mortal plane as my avatar. Oh, my little half- blood succubus, how you will soon wish to die, and how you will soon learn it is impossible to escape your punishment as easily as that...." he whispered. The deity suddenly paused and looked up as a shrouded figure entered the throne room in perfect silence. "Charon," he called out with a scowl, "Now is not a good time. Return to your duties, I will come see what you want later." The Boatsman of the river Styx came to a halt, a pair of pinpoints of burning red light the only features visible within the depths of his cowl. "I would speak with you, my Lord," he said in a deep rumble. "I said not now," Hades replied in a warning tone. "I would speak with you anyway," the Boatsman said, seemingly unfazed by his master's temper. Hades paused for several moments, his eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew what it meant for the demigod to leave his post even for a moment, entrusting the task of ferrying the souls of the Dead across the river Styx to his array of lieutenants and minions. That he was now openly defying his master and thus risking his wrath was also something of significance, making Hades wonder what the purpose of the visit was. He cast a poisonous glance at Pluto's huddled form before returning his gaze to his most unexpected visitor. "Very well, Charon," he said in a flat tone. "Speak." "Thrice you have come to me in the past to thank me for my eternal service to you," the Boatsman rumbled quietly. "Thrice did you offer me anything that I wished that you could grant as a boon, and thrice have I asked to be allowed to call upon your favor at a time of my choosing. Is this not so, my Lord?" "It is so," Hades replied with a slow nod of his head. "Of all those who have come to serve me for whatever reason, your service has been valued above all others. For unlike others, you have yet to fail me in the slightest," he added with another glare at Pluto. "I am aware of the situation you are now in," Charon spoke up. "And I am aware of the need to punish your avatar for what has transpired. I ask that I be allowed the honor of seeing to her punishment." That caused both Hades and Sailor Pluto to blink hard in surprise. "You wish to punish her in my place?" Hades echoed incredulously. "Why?" "With all due respect, my Lord," Charon rumbled quietly, "My reasons are my own. I heard your words earlier as I entered, and I believe I understand what it is you desire to see done." "Do you, now?" Hades replied, visibly intrigued by the sudden development. He listened quietly as the Boatsman began to speak in an eldritch language, one that he could easily understand but would be well beyond Pluto's comprehension. "That is, I must confess, along the lines of what I was thinking," he said once Charon fell silent. "And you would accomplish this how?" Again the ruler of the Underworld was answered in a language that Pluto was unable to follow, which was probably for the best. She was fairly certain that she would be allowed to live and thus learn from her mistake, but at the same time it only made her feeling of dread all the worse. The horrors of the Underworld were still new to her, having only first seen the Lake of Fire three years ago when her demonic wings emerged and was escorted by her father, but she had already learned that there were far worse things to be experienced than the blissful embrace of Death. "Why, Charon, you surprise me," Hades said in a mildly bemused tone, his eyebrows arching up slightly. "You mean you've existed for all this time and have yet to...?" "My reasons are my own, my Lord," Charon repeated calmly, cutting off the rest of his master's musing. "Very well, my faithful servant, I shall grant your wish," Hades said, a very chilling smile forming on his face as he turned back to look at Sailor Pluto. "She is yours to do with as you requested, and I shall grant you the power you need to accomplish your task. This should be most entertaining to watch," he added quietly to himself, giving the bleeding succubus a look that sent an even colder chill through her hybrid blood. "There can be no audience," Charon spoke up, causing the god to blink in surprise and whirl back around to face the Boatsman. "The power involved is delicate, as you are well aware of, and I should not like to have any external influences present that could cause a disruption." Hades gave the shrouded figure a very hard look for a number of seconds before finally nodding his head. "Very well," he said in a flat tone. "You shall have the privacy you seek. Take as long as you need in order to see that she is properly punished for this and return her to me once you are finished," he said, casting another chilling glare at Sailor Pluto. "Should she resist you, even in the slightest...." "She will not," the Boatsman said in a calm tone with the eerie sense of finality that usually only accompanied death. "Very well, take her away," Hades replied as he tossed the silvery Key to Time through the air. The staff landed solidly in Charon's outstretched hand, seeming to sparkle slightly at his touch. Hades then turned around and moved to sit on his throne, briefly turning his back on his visitors. Pluto blinked and looked up as the massive figure approached her, moving in perfect silence as he seemed to glide across the stone floor. Part of his shroud seemed to peel back and reach for her, a canopy of impenetrable darkness flowing over her face for a brief moment before withdrawing. She blinked again as she suddenly realized that they were now somewhere else in the Underworld, inside what seemed to be a natural lava bubble of some kind. There appeared to be no exits of any sort, and a cursory dimensional probe revealed an incredibly strong barrier surrounding them that would quite effectively prevent her from attempting to plane-shift herself out of the room. "Stand," Charon said calmly, the heavy tone of his voice seeming to burn through her soul. Pluto closed her eyes for an instant to gather her strength before trying to rise to her feet. Her lungs felt like they would combust at any instant, not from heat or lack of oxygen but from simple terror at what she knew was coming. It wasn't the impending pain that she feared, or so she told herself, but rather the still-unknown method it would be applied. She blinked as he spoke her true-name, suddenly feeling the dread triple in intensity. He had absolute control over her demonic side now, and she had very few doubts about her human side's capacity for resistance at the moment. "Do you know why you are here?" he added after only a brief pause. "To be punished," she managed to whisper, every motion of her jaw sending white-hot lances of pain through her broken cheekbone. "For what?" the Boatsman prodded calmly. "For breaking the sacred rules of time-travel," she replied slowly, her vision starting to blur around the edges from the pain of talking. "So you understand why this must be done," he said, his deep voice still sounding eerily calm. He made a slight gesture with the staff, causing Pluto's Sailor Suit to suddenly glow white before fading completely as her powers were drained away. Susan gasped softly as the protective effects of her transformation left her, leaving a slightly empty feeling in her soul. The clothes she was left with, worn when she had transformed earlier and woven from ordinary cotton imported from Earth instead of a native Underworld variety, immediately began to succumb to the heat-warping effects that permeated the entire fabric of the fiery plane. It took only a handful of seconds for the fabric to ignite and start to burn away, the low-heat flames warming her skin but otherwise failing to harm her. She knew that she was spared injury only because of her demonic blood, being naturally resistant to such flames, but she found that detail to be of very scant comfort at the moment. She stood perfectly still as she became exposed to the Boatsman's unflinching and unblinking gaze, the veil of ashes falling away to reveal the smoothness of her skin and near-flawless tone of her now-naked body. "My lord...." she started to whisper quietly. "Silence," the demigod said. He didn't raise his voice or alter his tone, but the simple command was more than enough to deter her from trying to speak again for the present. "You have failed in your duties, and you have failed our Lord and master. Take the Key in your hands," he instructed as he held the silvery staff out to her. She hesitated for a moment before doing as commanded, reaching out with both hands to grasp the staff. A surge of energy shot through her the instant her fingers closed around the metal, causing the green sigil on her forehead to light up with the strength of a magnesium flare. Her breath became tangled in her throat an instant later as her muscles locked up, preventing her from being able to let go of the staff. "For your failure, I hereby Damn your soul for all eternity," the demigod intoned, his words causing Susan's eyes to widen as much as was physically possible. "You who violated the tenets of Time will now be inextricably bound to them, condemned to guard it for the rest of your mortal days. Even the cold embrace of Death will bring you no succor, for even when released from the bonds of flesh your soul will remain anchored to that which you so carelessly disregarded. The peace of eternal rest is no longer yours." The staff was suddenly shoved forward against her chest, breaking a pair of ribs and throwing her backwards into the air. She landed hard on her back on a slab of jagged basalt, the edges tearing open her skin in dozens of places as her wings were half-crushed beneath her own weight. The inhuman cry of pain that rose up from her throat seemed to echo unnaturally loud in the bubble, echoing and re-echoing until it sounded like a dozen voices screaming in a most hideous symphony. "Your soul will be bound to the staff you now hold," Charon said as he drew off his shroud and cast it aside. "To do so, Death himself will come to you with scythe in hand, severing the threads of Life that keep you bound to this realm until but a single strand remains, frayed and one moment removed from snapping. You will know pain like you have never known it, and you will beg to taste Death's dark kiss upon your bloody lips." Susan managed to open her eyes enough to look at him through the watery veil of her tears. Her dark red irises widened at what she saw, the gaunt and skeletal figure of the Boatsman looming before her as if he were indeed the Archangel of Death himself. Even as she stared at him in horror and absolute dread, the whiteness of his bones became filmed over by threads of muscle and sinew. Pulsing veins of blood crept over his body, merging into a mass of flesh that spread across his entire frame. She started to sit up before he lifted his head just slightly, a single glare from the burning red pinpoints of light in his empty sockets being all it took to stop her breathing completely. The flesh continued to form around his body until it solidified into skin as black as the night itself, leaving the demigod standing before her as if a mortal man might. His body was devoid of hair and his bulging muscles seemed to have been sculpted from stone, hinting of immense physical power. His eyes, however, continued to burn as a pair of bright red points of light. "You who gains the most from the pleasures of the flesh will not find any to be had this night," he warned as he approached her, his massive manhood already swelling up with lust. "Your flesh shall be rent, your body broken, your spirit crushed, and your soul forever bound in unbreakable chains before the dawn comes. I have taken many a demoness before, but never a succubus. That shall be remedied tonight, and it shall be a night neither of us will ever forget. To the brink of Death you must be brought for your soul to be bound, and by the very same pleasures of the flesh which you crave that this will be done so. Prepare," he added in an ominous tone, reaching for her as her unholy screams of terror beyond all mortal comprehension began in earnest.... * * * * Pluto lifted her head up as she felt a touch on her arm, all but blinded at the moment by her tears. The watery image of Sailor Moon's angelic visage hovering over her finally registered on her senses, bringing with it a slight feeling of relief. She paused to draw as even a breath as she could before attempting to resume her story. She would never share the details with another soul, living or otherwise, but she could at least try to relate what she went through that night. "To say I was raped would be an understatement," she said, the gentle grip on her arm firming up as her voice audibly shook. "Sex was hardly an unknown to me, even at that age, and I had already been.... violated, if you will, by an incubus who was not in a mood to be gentle. But what took place that night was.... not just a violation of my body, but of my very soul." "Sue...." Uranus pleaded in a frightened whisper, curled up in a tiny ball on the small couch. Neptune was holding her tightly, trying to calm them both as they listened to the mortal agony in Susan's words. "You cannot imagine what it is like to be literally torn inside-out, taken so brutally that your pelvic muscles are torn free from the bones," Pluto went on, momentarily ignoring the warmth of several glowing wings enfolding her as she spoke. "Nor can you imagine being seared on the inside, streams of acid flooding your womb to dissolve your flesh. You cannot know what it was like to have your wings all but shorn off as you lay on a bed of broken volcanic rock, the skin of your back ripped to shreds with each thrust, or to be forced to lie still as a lake of your own blood forms around you, flowing from a thousand ragged wounds...." "Goddamn it, Sue, stop," Uranus begged, her voice all but inaudible as she shuddered violently. "You need to listen the most, Alexis," Pluto said quietly as she closed her eyes, ignoring the feeling of her tears streaming down her cheeks. "How many times have I tried to comfort you, to ease the pain of the memories that you bear? And how many times have you cast me aside, yelling, screaming at me that I couldn't possibly know what you went through or how you felt?" She sighed and remained quiet as she only heard the blonde's sobbing in response. She could barely make out the super-soft words Neptune was trying to whisper in her lover's ear, knowing that they would be of far more comfort to Uranus than anything she might have been able to offer. Pluto finally opened her eyes as she felt a pair of feather-light touches on her face, able to see the glow of Sailor Moon's wings through her closed eyelids as they wiped her tears away. "Please, your Highness," she said in a soft tone as she looked up at her, "You need not worry about me." "H.... H-H-How c-can you...?" Sailor Moon tried to say before her triple- tone voice failed her, tears streaming out of her golden eyes. "How could I recover from that?" Pluto finished for her, guessing at what the unspoken words might have been. "What's done is done, Serena. I survived my punishment, despite my fervid wishes to the contrary at the time. It took a full day of rest before I could even move and another two before I was able to walk again. The rest of my body healed within a week, although it was quite a long time before my sex drive recovered as well. The pain is still with me, of course, as you can plainly see," she added with a very soft chuckle as she wiped a half-formed tear away. "But I survived. Forever changed, of course, but the changes are not sufficiently dire enough to prevent me from wishing to continue on with my life." "Sailor Pluto...." Venus said very softly, her complexion as white as the fabric of her Sailor Suit. "What you said about being damned...." "It's simple," Pluto explained as she took another deep breath, gently starting to tug her wrists and arms free from the ribbons of light securely wrapped around her. "When my death comes, my soul will be drawn back down to the Underworld instead of being allowed to join the Imperium Silver Crystal. Please, your Highness, you need not be concerned for me," she added quietly to Sailor Moon as the wings tightened around her. She paused to look around the room, not surprised in the least to see the looks of shock and horror on everyone's faces. Darian was stroking Myst at a very rapid rate, both human and Shinma having distinctly haunted looks on their faces. Sailor Mars was still sitting on her cushion surrounded by the candles of green fire, looking to be precisely six seconds away from throwing up. Both Jupiter and Mercury were as chalky white as Venus was, the brunette holding onto the couch cushions in a white-knuckled grip while Mercury was half-curled into a protective ball. Maq'i was slumped in her chair with a truly weary look on her face, seeming to be more saddened by the story than horrified. "Alex," she spoke up quietly as Uranus remained curled up as tightly as she could despite Neptune's attempts at soothing her. "Just.... give me a moment," Uranus whispered as she shuddered violently yet again. "Go ahead and f-finish your story." Pluto shrugged to herself and resumed trying to extract herself from the wings still gripping her. "There is little left to say, really," she replied. "When he was finished, my soul was bound to the Key to Time and I became its guardian. Lord Hades had very little to say about the matter afterward once I was able to both see and hear my surroundings properly, and only a few of the pantheon have ever asked me about my new role. I have, of course, taken the lesson to heart and made quite sure that such a situation never arose again. Your Highness, I must ask you to release me at once," she finally said with a soft sigh. "I sincerely appreciate your comfort and sympathy, but I believe I am starting to experience a reaction to being in protracted physical contact with your wings. Thank you," she added as the wings abruptly let go of her. She sighed softly as she stood up, pausing to give the winged princess a gentle smile of understanding before crossing the room to kneel down in front of the L-shaped couch. "Alex, look at me," she said softly as she reached out, cupping the blonde's face. "Now do you believe me when I say I've understood your pain all this time?" "Sue.... why didn't you say something?" Uranus asked almost inaudibly as she struggled to throw off the veil of horror that was chilling her very soul. "Why didn't you tell me this from the start? All this t-t-time.... and...." Pluto looked at her sadly for a moment before letting her hand fall to her side and standing up. "The pain was too great, Alex," she whispered as she turned away, not looking up at anyone. "I couldn't bring myself to do it, to verbally relive that.... event, just for your sake." "So why now?" Mars spoke up very quietly from her cushion, her face still figuratively green with barely-respressed nausea. "Why?" Pluto echoed as she returned to her seat and sat down, absently squeezing Sailor Moon's wrist in a gesture of comfort. "I felt that I could relate the story now for the sake of many. To help Alex, of course, but also to answer Ami's question about my role as Guardian of Time as well as offering yet more evidence that my advice and wisdom should be heeded as I really do know what I am talking about in most instances. Mina's distrust of my nature and subsequent dismissals of my assessments of current events, for instance." "Sailor Pluto...." Venus started to say in a very quiet voice. "We can speak later in more detail, if you wish, Lady Venus," Pluto said in a gentle tone, pausing for a brief moment to examine the faint red marks on her arms where Sailor Moon's wings had touched her bare skin earlier. "Humor me for a moment, Sue," Uranus said as she uncurled herself enough to allow Neptune to pull her into a sitting position. She sighed heavily and wiped the worst of the tears away before looking up at the green-haired woman, the corners of her mouth still sharply tugged downward in a frown. "Tell me just how exactly making me remember my own pain in vivid detail is supposed to be helping me." "The help is showing you the depths of my own pain, both then and now, and offering a contrast between them as proof that one is quite capable of making a solid recovery from the experience," Pluto explained gently. "Or will you now say that you don't believe I was ever wracked with intense nightmares of my own for a period of time?" "Funny, I don't remember hearing you ever mention those," Uranus muttered in a quiet tone, surrendering to Neptune's protective embrace. Pluto sighed quietly and rubbed the bridge of her nose, keenly aware of Sailor Moon's presence hovering right next to her elbow with a deeply worried look on her face. "Your ears hear my words, Alex, but you seldom listen. I have tried to explain it to you numerous times before, only to be rebuffed in typically harsh terms. Princess Serena, I assure you that I am quite alright, and that your continued efforts are starting to drive me to distraction," she added calmly as she felt Sailor Moon's gentle touch on her shoulder yet again. "I'm sorry," Sailor Moon whispered quietly, her iridescent wings starting to droop around her like wilted flower stems. "I just...." "It is quite alright, your Highness, I assure you," Pluto replied gently, reaching up to take hold of her hand for a few moments. "Yes, the memory is quite painful and rightfully so, but it has lost most of the hold it once had on me much in the way Alex's nightmares continues to exact a toll on her...." A heavy sigh of frustration rose up from the L-shaped couch as Uranus let her body finally relax into a less-stressful position. "Alright, Sue, I get the picture," she grumbled. "Go ahead and share your advice." "Serena," Darian called out gently, making a gesture to the empty webbing in front of him. Sailor Moon cast a final look of unease and sympathy towards Pluto before making her way over to the cup-like chair, her denizen wings all but dragging along the ground behind her. Pluto waited until Sailor Moon had curled up in the chair next to Darian before turning to look at Uranus. "As a succubus, it is a biological need for me to achieve sexual release on a regular basis," she explained in a somewhat delicate tone. "The psychological trauma was enough to permit me to put off that requirement for a few months through sheer force of will alone, but soon even that proved to be insufficient. In order to cope with that, I sought the aid of a man I explicitly trusted beyond all thresholds to help re-initiate me to the pleasures of the flesh as it was intended to be. I will confess that he was the same one I had surrendered my virginity to three years before, but that only made it marginally less difficult to ask for his help. I was wounded in spirit, though fully healed in body, and I needed someone I could trust. And as before, his tender touch and understanding did not let me down, so it wasn't too long afterwards that my libido was able to finally and completely heal." "Right," Uranus muttered, staring down at the floor and doing her best not to shiver at the thought. "Far easier said than done, Sue." "Believe me, I am fully cognizant of what that would entail," Pluto said gently, keeping her focus on Uranus and not on the sudden change in Darian's expression. "And yes, it will be a very difficult experience for you in an emotional sense, if nothing else. But that is my advice to you, Alex, and as always you are free to disregard it at your leisure," she added casually as she sat back. She almost leapt out of the chair as Myst silently hopped up on the armrest next to her, the tip of her tail lashing back and forth in a slow and steady tempo. "Oh, god," Venus moaned softly as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against the edge of her synthesizer. "You say it's cool for her to ignore your advice, then get all bent out of shape later when she doesn't listen to it. I think I'm getting motion-sick just listening to you change stances every five minutes like a politician during election year." "Master Healer?" Jupiter spoke up in a cautious tone. "You look like you want to say something," she ventured. She paused for a moment before saying to Mercury in an almost inaudible tone, "Either that or she's got gas." "Quiet," Mercury murmured back just as softly. "If I may," Maq'i spoke up carefully, waiting to see if there would be any objection. Seeing none, she took a deep breath and continued to speak. "I am no stranger to such.... sexual violence, if you will. I have not experienced it personally, for which I am distinctly grateful, but I have treated countless victims of such acts. Both male and female," she added, casting a brief look towards Darian. "The body I can heal easily enough, but the mind is an entity beyond my skills. There are such therapists who specialize in that particular form of healing, however, a number of whom are very skilled and deeply trusted associates of mine, and virtually all would agree with Sailor Pluto's advice as a method of easing the trauma. It is not a cure-all, of course, and it is best used as part of a healing regimen, but it is still therapeutic under the right conditions. Trust, as Pluto has said, is very much an integral aspect of it." Uranus lifted her head up to look at Maq'i for a number of moments before casting a very brief glance at Darian. She then turned her focus to Pluto for another few moments before sighing heavily. "Maybe," she muttered as she let her gaze drift down to the tips of her dark blue boots. "Sailor Mercury, I trust that answers your question in enough detail?" Pluto said as she idly began to run her fingertips through Myst's silky gray fur. She looked up just in time to catch Mercury shivering fairly hard, only a hint of color visible on her expression. "Yes, it does," Mercury sighed quietly, giving the succubus a deeply apologetic look. "And I really didn't mean for you to...." Pluto simply raised a hand to forestall further lamentations. "As I said, I felt it was the proper time to unburden myself. You need not be of the mind that I was unduly influenced by your question." "That helps," Jupiter spoke up with a sour look on her face. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a sudden urge to take a shower now." "Ditto," Venus sighed quietly. Pluto nodded in understanding, feeling more than a little unclean at the moment as well. "Be that as it may, while the shower has been unclogged and restored to full functionality, you may wish to postpone doing so as we will be returning to the present in roughly an hour from now. While we still have some time, I should like to ask that you all ensure that you recover everything that was in your possession when I brought you here, as it is unlikely that you will return here anytime soon. Also, be advised that any Ether-based constructs will immediately decay upon leaving this demiplane, so it would be prudent to remain in your Sailor Suits until you can reverse your transformations in a suitably private location." "Whoops," Jupiter said as she rose to her feet. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Maq'i, do you need any help finding your original clothes?" "Unless they have moved of their own accord from where I left them in my bedroom, I should think not," the elderly Healer replied with a faint chuckle. "Hope you've kept up with the laundry then," Darian spoke up with a laugh, causing everyone but Uranus to smile to one degree or another in amusement. "Heh," Venus said with a smirk as she rose to her feet. "From what I've been told, Darian, you don't have any room to talk." Darian blinked in surprise and traded slightly confused looks with Sailor Moon before regarding the other blonde carefully. "What do you mean?" "Oh, just some anecdote about Dyvach sorting the laundry bins stacked next to the washing machine one day and almost passing out when he took the lid off of your dirty sock hamper," Venus said airily. "Busted," Uranus muttered softly to Neptune, prompting a quiet giggle and a fierce hug from the other woman. Darian simply raised an eyebrow in response. "Sure they were my socks?" he countered as Sailor Moon eased herself out of the webbed chair. "I'm sure you know how strong of a punch Maze's socks pack after one of his workouts." "No need to remind me," Venus replied in a flat tone, making a face at the memory. "Sailor Pluto, can I...? Nevermind, it can wait," she sighed as she saw the way Myst had made herself quite comfortable in the succubus' lap. "Hmm?" Pluto inquired absently, looking up at her. "I'll bother you later when you don't have a cat in your lap," Venus said as she reached out to casually stroke the kitten. A faint smile formed on her face as Myst purred softly by instinct. "Heh, she makes a great cat for being a demon. Bah, whatever," she said to herself as she headed off towards the residential hallway. Pluto said nothing, content to slowly stroke the kitten as the rest of the group quietly left the room to retrieve their original clothes. She was fully aware of what had gone through Uranus' mind when she repeated her suggestion of spending a night with a man she completely and utterly trusted, as well as the implications it would have for the rest of the group. "I do not envy Alex's dreams tonight," she murmured softly to the Shinma, closing her eyes for a few moments to try to relax. "But by the same token, neither do I look forward to having my own once sleep calls to me. Do we not suffer enough in our lives when awake that we must also suffer during the few hours we have in which to seek solace in the world of sleep and dreams?" she mused quietly. She paused as she felt a gentle tug on her spirit and glanced down, raising an eyebrow as Myst began to quietly and unobtrusively siphon off the copious amount of dark energy currently emanating from her soul. "No matter," she said dismissively as she closed her eyes once again. She knew that Alex would eventually listen to her, perhaps sooner now than later, at which point things would get either get better or significantly worse, not just for her but for the rest of them as well. "Even for one so attuned to the Flow as I, there is only so much I can do to influence events around me. Only Time, as it is said, will truly tell the tale, both present and future...." * * * * "What?" a startled voice said from behind her. "Aw, k'ves! *CHIEF!*" Octane snarled quietly as she eased her head out of the QuadStar's access hatch. "I'm right here, Mint, no need to...." "INCOMING!" Mint screamed as she started to back-pedal at a rapid pace, frantically pointing to the visible ripples of sand approaching them. "What?" Octane echoed before the realization sank in. "Shockwave! GET CLEAR OF THE GEAR!" she roared to the rest of the team as she darted away from the heavy weapon frame, scooping up Mint with two of her tentacles. She put a good fifty feet between her and the frame before throwing herself onto the ground, covering her head with her hands and burying the other four tentacles as deep into the sand as she could. The shockwave ripped past them a bare second later, shaking the ground with enough force to bounce the super-heavy QuadStar frame around on the shock- absorbers like it was a child's toy. A minor tidal wave of sand arrived next, trailing behind the edge of the shock-front as the ground surged and dropped like the surface of an ocean. The sand was compacted so much by the pressure that it acted more like a solid than a liquid, smoothly flowing beneath Octane and pushing her up over the crest instead of washing over her and burying her beneath countless tons of sand. "ERRRKK!" Mint gagged, struggling to breathe as the tentacles holding her tightened instinctively. "Shut it and hold on!" Octane yelled over her shoulder, actively trying not to take a breath lest she inhale a lungful of sand. A series of heavy jolts quickly followed, rattling their teeth as the landscape seemed to bounce around again. The aftershocks were far less intense than the initial shockwave, however, and the terrain soon settled back down after a few seconds. She waited until she was absolutely sure the air was still before drawing in a badly-needed breath, bringing her hands to her face to try to keep the worst of the sand out. She succeeded for the most part, but enough sand made its way into her airway to trigger a half-choking spasm of harsh coughs. She felt Mint start to splutter for air as well and released her hold on her as gently as she could, wincing slightly as the petite mechanic promptly landed on her back right where her lowermost tentacles emerged. "Ow , get off of me...." Taffy's psionic voice echoed in her mind a moment later, reassuring the Master Chief that at least half of her team was still alive and in one piece. A truly booming series of coughs could be heard a few moments later before a raspy voice loudly replied in the affirmative. Has to be Gravija, Octane thought even before she could place the voice, knowing that only the heavy-set woman could cough *that* heavily without tearing something. "Hey!" Octane called out, wincing as she started to cough for another few seconds. "Everyone yell out so I know who's hurt! Glitter, where are you?" "Ay'cha navidshi," a hoarse voice spat as a dark-skinned figure slowly got to her feet. "See, I told you that it'd create an earthquake when it landed," she growled, trying to brush a full coating of sand off of the circuitry on her hairless scalp. "We're here, Master Chief," T'Del's voice called out a moment later. "Is Mint still with you?" Octane breathed a heavy sigh of relief and almost started coughing once again. "Yeah, unfortunately," she called back as she carefully worked herself free from the sandy floor. "Hey!" Mint protested out of pure reflex as she stood up, trying to brush the dust from her dark green hair. "Stuff it, kid," Octane sighed as she stood up, looking around to make sure that she could see everyone. The rest of the team were already on their feet, T'Del helping Glitter remove the sand grains from the silver filigree. Gravija was already tromping back over to the QuadStar frame, a look of deep worry etched on her less-than-beautiful face. "Taffy, where are you?" Octane called out as she started to make her way back to the frame as well. the psionic voice replied calmly. "Screw the struts, just make sure none of the barrels got bent," Octane grumbled as she quickly looked over the heavy frame for damage. She could see that two of the support braces had indeed been jarred out of alignment, but it would probably take Gravija all of two minutes to rip them out so T'Del could weld new ones in place. "Screw what?" Mint piped up out of curiosity as she paused in mid-motion, one finger still trying to clean the sand out of her ears. Octane just shook her head to herself and rubbed her face. "Mint, you're a slut, you know that?" she sighed. "Go help Glitter dust herself off so she can check the interface connection from the inside. T'Del!" "Chief?" the redhead said as she looked up from her task. "See if you can raise the Dragoons on the comm-gear and make sure they're still in one piece," Octane instructed. "No use in playing with this thing if they've got worse problems all of a sudden." "Copy," T'Del replied as she headed over to the ground transport. "Like we could help them anyway," Glitter spoke up. "Can't get near them because of the radiation, remember?" "Don't argue with me," the Master Chief sighed wearily as she turned her attention back to the QuadStar. "Well, at least everything else seems to be largely intact, for what it's worth...." Gravija grunted in dismissal as she braced her shoulder against the frame and heaved, tilting it up at an angle so she could get a good look at what was left of the shock-absorbers. "We do quality work," she reminded her boss. "Mint, come here," Glitter spoke up, reaching out to grab a handful of her green hair. She then rolled the hank of hair into a brush of sorts, using the fine strands to sweep tiny grains of sand out of her fingernail implants. "Hey, hey, hey!" Mint protested sourly with a pout. "Sector Seven to DCX-Zero.... Sector Seven hailing DCX-Zero, please respond, over...." * * * * It took a few moments for the world to return to focus after having been thrown across half the room, somehow managing to avoid cracking his skull open on the console as he sailed past it. "Ay.... ay'cha...." he started to say. "Sir, are you alright?" Tactical said as he tried to stand up, wincing as a flare of pain shot down his leg. "I'm alive, Lieutenant," Tolaris said as calmly as he could as he waited to make absolutely sure the room was finished spinning around. "That will have to do for the moment. You?" "Copy, sir," the other officer grunted as he succeeded in standing up. He then thumbed a toggle on his console and leaned towards the nearest microphone. "Tactical Operations to all stations, damage report," he ordered, listening intently as various departments called back in. "Ow...." Commander K'tal groaned as he peeled himself off of a console, a thin trickle of blue blood seeping out of his nose. "Everyone alright?" He sighed in relief as he was answered with various affirmatives, pausing as he also caught a very soft whimpering sound. "Wait, who's hurt? Asrial?" "I'm.... fine.... Commander," the Felinoid growled very slowly, her voice perfectly flat. She alone was able to remain in a standing position at her station, both sets of claws having been embedded in the metal surface of the console. "Someone.... apparently.... stepped on.... my tail...." "Broken?" the Communications lieutenant asked softly. "No," Asrial growled back, her voice undercut with a soft whimper. "Just kinked. Paaah!" she snarled as she started to work her claws free, succeeding after a few seconds of effort. "D'Nina!" K'tal called out, casting a worried glance at the tiny alcove where the Master Chief was still firmly seated, her expression still blank as she remained connected to the central computer core. D'Nina's voice reported over the speakers, sounding just slightly odd. "That's not good," K'tal said in a worried tone as he reached for the communications panel. "K'tal to Engineering!" It seemed to take an unusually long time before the speaker make a soft clicking sound. "Engineering, we're working on it, stay put, out," a very harried voice blurted out before the channel was abruptly closed. "That's even worse," K'tal sighed as he looked around Operations. "While we seem to have a moment, is everyone sure they're alright? System status?" "Moderate shock-damage throughout the facility," Tactical reported, still keeping most of his focus on the stream of status reports coming across the various channels. "So far the worst appears to be an acid spill in the dining hall, a crate of raw ertu eggs was crushed by something. The deck plates are a mess but they assure me that it's under control and that the superstructure is still intact. Medical reports a lot of heavy bruises but only a few broken bones, nothing overly serious or life-threatening." "Great," K'tal said, his whole body sagging with relief. "Radiation?" D'Nina's voice reported. Her voice seemed to pause before it suddenly switched tones. she said in a loud and urgent tone as the lights suddenly took on a red cast. "K'ves!" K'tal spat as he dove for the communications link. "Operations to Engineering!" "Move it!" the speaker immediately crackled back harshly, not seeming to be replying to K'tal. A loud klaxon could be heard in the background, along with D'Nina's voice urging an immediate evacuation of the compartment. "Get those containment fields up! G'zel, idle the reactor, we should be able to keep it running idle as long as we don't stress it! Maze, you and T'Kern get the service drone running and see if you can pin down this leak before it eats through the plating! Are the fields up yet? Good, you three, get out of here and make sure everyone else is okay. If it's just in the conduit, we should be fine, but if it ruptured out in the open and those containment fields fail on us...." "Chief?" K'tal said carefully. "Who the...?" the speaker growled before there was an intake of breath. "Not now, Commander, I'm still trying to get an idea of what the problem is, aside from a leak somewhere. Wait, say that again?" he suddenly yelled, the force of his voice causing everyone in Operations to wince slightly. D'Nina reported calmly. "Well, don't just stand there holding your k'vesan, PATCH IT!" the voice from the speaker yelled. There was a slight pause in which a female voice was heard in the background, followed by a very disgruntled and heavy sigh from the Chief Engineer. "Look, just fix the p'tai, okay? I will personally build you your own k'vesan to play with later if you want, just.... thank you," he added with a truly large sigh of relief. "Engineering to Commander K'tal." K'tal paused to cast a sidelong look at the rest of the group before very delicately clearing his throat. "Go ahead, Chief," he said calmly, acutely aware of the distinctly crude nature of the conversation taking place down in Engineering and the embarrassed looks on everyone's faces at overhearing it. "Sir, I believe we managed to contain the coolant leak," the Chief said in a measured tone. "It seems to be a small one and I think we got it before it could damage anything else, but it'll still be awhile before we can clear the air and get a team down there to seal it shut. I'm going to idle all three reactors so as to put the least strain on the coolant pipes as possible while still keeping the radiation shields charged up. Best guess is we'll be here for a few days." K'tal very slowly let his breath out. "Copy that, Chief. Casualties?" There was a soft snort of contempt that needed little translation. "We have stringent safeguards for a reason, Commander," he reminded him. "Nobody is hurt from anything that can be blamed on the coolant leak. Got a pair of broken bones and a few conked heads down here from our landing, but everyone is still alive and well. The tractors are a different issue entirely, as we had one blow out on us which is why we landed so roughly, and I'm not too keen on the idea of ramping up the thrusters again anytime soon. I've already got six intakes clogged with liquefied sand, so I hope you'll understand why I'm not looking forward to finding out what got drawn into the main ducts." "Copy, Chief," K'tal replied with a nod of understanding. "Take care of that coolant leak first, then worry about our structural integrity second, and the radiation issue third. Once we have that sorted out, then you can go play in the silicon puddles outside." "Thank you, sir," the Chief Engineer replied dryly. "Engineering out." "He's got a point about that," Tolaris spoke up as the channel was closed. "The backwash from the thrusters probably melted all the sand within a good twenty-ke'shel radius." "It can wait," K'tal said with a shrug of dismissal. "Unless it's oozing inside the hull, I'm not in a mood to care right now. Chief D'Nina?" the computerized voice promptly replied. "You think now would be a good time to disconnect from the computer, or should it wait a few hours?" he inquired in a careful tone. she replied calmly. "I believe it," Asrial growled very softly, gingerly trying to flex her tail without screaming in pain. K'tal sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let me know when you're done with that, Chief." "Sir?" the Communications lieutenant spoke up. "We're being hailed by the mechanics from Sector Seven." K'tal traded wary looks with Tolaris for a moment before making a gesture to the elder Dragoon. "Tell them we're fine," Tolaris said to the lieutenant. "They're still more than welcome to attempt to cleanse our hull if they want, and there aren't any new external problems we are aware of. Make sure to ask if they're alright as well," he added. "I imagine our rough landing was enough to shake up the entire valley." "Copy, sir," Communications replied as she turned back to her panel. "Soon as you're finished with that," K'tal spoke up, "Hail General Olox again and inform him of our current situation. I don't expect to be able to attempt to fire up the mains for a week given the reactor situation, so he shouldn't start drawing up plans for us to be anywhere anytime soon. And once you have that finished, try hailing the Imperial Castle again just for kicks. Who knows, we might actually get lucky for once," he added lightly. "I think we stressed our luck pretty hard so far," Tolaris muttered, more to himself than to anyone around him. "Which is why I'm not worried about stretching it even further for this one," K'tal replied smoothly with a chuckle. "If we reach the Castle, great. If not, so what, it's not like we're completely isolated from everyone else." Tolaris gave him an odd look for a moment before just shaking his head in resignation. "Alright, I suppose I can go along with that one. Lieutenant, are you sure you don't need that looked at?" he said, giving Asrial a concerned look as she continued to quietly make pained whimpering noises to herself. "It's not broken, Commander," she reassured him, slowly curling her tail into a loop. "I think the nerves got pinched for a moment, that's all." "Take it down to Medical anyway," K'tal suggested as he turned his focus back to his console. "I'm sure someone can kiss it and make it better. So, now that we're ptanka-first in the sand, now what?" he inquired, missing the distinctly venomous look Asrial cast in his direction before likewise returning to her own console. "Cleaning up shouldn't take too long," Tolaris spoke up after a moment of careful thought. "At least on the inside. Stop and think, everything that wasn't nailed down to begin with was shaken loose when we took off, so there really shouldn't be a significant amount of new internal damage." "True," K'tal replied with a nod of his head. "Okay then.... give it a full day for internal cleaning, another day to scrub the glowing paint off of the hull, assuming those ladies in Sector Seven don't beat us to the punch, and after that.... what?" he added quietly as he glanced up to see the thoughtful look on Tolaris' face. "Hmm?" Tolaris replied after a moment, realizing that he was being stared at by the other Dragoon. "Something on your mind, Commander?" K'tal prodded gently. "Remember that all-hands meeting we talked about earlier?" Tolaris said carefully. "If the engines will take several days to flush out and return to operational status, and we really don't have a lot to do to keep us occupied in the interim...." K'tal nodded in understanding. "Sounds good to me. Think you can make the arrangements on your end?" "Assuming they're all fine, most likely," Tolaris replied softly. "Worried about them?" K'tal inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Wouldn't you be?" Tolaris sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for their abilities, but sometimes events can overwhelm even the most prepared of people...." * * * * "Freya?" General Nop'tera said softly as she continued to listen to the idle broadcast chatter the various sensors were picking up. The encrypted messages would take some time to decipher, of course, and the computers were already working on that, but there was still a great deal of 'in the clear' communication going on. Nop'tera paused as she heard nothing and was about to call out again when her slave entered the room with a cup of hot tea. "Ah, thank you," she said gratefully as the gentle scent of her favorite tea blend drifted past her. She nodded her approval to the pale-haired woman and absently dialed up the volume on the speaker a notch. "We copy, Zero," the speaker crackled softly in a rather pleasing feminine voice. "We should be ready to test the modifications in an hour and hope to begin the actual scrubbing of your hull shortly afterwards." "Acknowledged," another female voice replied. "Feel free to take your time with that, as we're not going anywhere for a few days. Once we get our hull decontaminated, we might have to ask for your help cleaning our intakes. I'll have to ask the Chief Engineer for the details, but it sounded like we didn't so much land as splash down in a lake of molten sand." A soft grunt could be heard over the line. "I'll pass that one along to our chief, Zero, but one problem at a time. We'll keep you informed of any changes in our situation, over." "Acknowledged, Seven, we appreciate it. You girls be careful out there." "Copy, Zero. Sector Seven clear." "Something wrong?" Freya inquired quietly as Nop'tera eased herself into a half-reclining position in the chair. The medical IV was still hanging on a stand behind her, continuing to slowly drip a pale green solution into her fluorescent yellow blood. "It's amazing what one can learn if you simply stop to listen," Nop'tera mused quietly to herself, taking a cautious sip of the hot tea. "I will have to ask Communications to verify the signal sources for me, but I believe that was a conversation between the Dragoon Headquarters Complex and one of the repair facilities in the Northern Mountains. It of course means that our dear Dragoon brethren survived the attack as well. Interesting," she purred softly. Freya said nothing, knowing that her mistress was prone to introspective moods at times and tended to think aloud. The details tended to confuse her at first, not being as completely aware of the situation as Nop'tera was, but she usually could manage to put a significant number of the pieces together on her own if given enough time. "I wonder if they know?" Nop'tera murmured to herself, snapping Freya out of her brief introspection. "And if they do.... what will they do about it?" Freya continued to remain silent, knowing that she probably could have received an answer if she dared to ask what Nop'tera was talking about. She was still acutely aware of her recent punishment, however, and felt that it would be unwise to draw attention to herself unnecessarily. They both reflexively braced themselves as the deck started to gently tilt to one side, taking on a noticeable incline for several seconds before slowly returning to a level position. It had been an almost unconscious instinct, having gradually acquired it after living aboard the airborne carrier for so long. The feeling was far worse when they were settled on a waterway and were subjected to the rolling effects of ocean waves, more often than not prompting Freya to retreat to the relative sanctity of the bathroom where only Nop'tera would be aware of her sea-sickness. "Freya," Nop'tera suddenly said as she lifted her head up, studying her slave with a curious look. "Start a search of the databases we were able to access from the central networks earlier. See what you can tell me about this Sector Seven repair facility." Freya bowed her head for a moment before crossing the room to sit at the computer terminal. She keyed in her codes and was given immediate access to virtually the entire system, hardly a surprise given her unobtrusive role as the general's hidden hand. A few simple queries to the computer resulted in a momentary delay before the information she sought started to scroll up on the crystalline display. "Sector Seven is a surface-vehicle repair facility specializing in both desert and custom modifications," she reported as she summarized the report. "It is administratively designated as a Northern Mountain Division unit, but it seems that all their supply and logistical work is handled by the Training Division." "Oh?" Nop'tera said, carefully easing herself into an upright position. "That would be.... Colonel Azi'mar's division, correct?" "I believe so," Freya replied as she did some quick cross-referencing. "It seems that they also handle the logistical work for the construction yard Sector One, the aviation maintenance bay Sector Five, and what appears to be a heavy-liquid storage complex called the Dome. From what I can tell, this was done purely for efficiency reasons due to their proximity to the main Training complex near the border with the Central Plains." "Efficiency, you say?" Nop'tera purred softly, a look of sly amusement crossing her face. "With as long as I've been in the military, I have yet to encounter a situation where things done 'purely for efficiency reasons' were just that. Two repair facilities, an aviation facility, and a liquid storage facility, and I will be quite surprised if there isn't an aircraft runway or landing strip under the sole domain of one of them. Interesting. What can you tell me about the crew assigned to Sector Seven?" she inquired. Another few seconds of focused typing resulted in a fairly lengthy delay before the screen display changed, splitting up into six windows. "They're an all-female unit," Freya explained as she read the text blurbs as quickly as she could manage. Even after a thousand years of doing so, it still took her an extra fraction of a second to translate the spidery characters of the written denizen language. "The current ranking member is a Master Chief Octane, fairly solid reputation for quality repair work. A notation in her general file says she is not the most personable of chiefs, but that nobody has ever encountered a problem with her work or the work of her team." "Ahh, the universal repair chief," Nop'tera chuckled softly to herself. "Surely you know what I'm talking about, Freya. They are usually as coarse as raw metal ore and love their machines more than their life-mates, but they do know what they are doing and are absolutely indispensable in an emergency. How many others are on her crew?" "Six in total," Freya replied. "They each seem to have differing fields of expertise, almost all of them confined to ground transports, although one has extensive experience with remote drones of all kinds and another is...." "Hmm?" Nop'tera inquired patiently as Freya suddenly trailed off and began typing away at a furious pace on the keyboard. "Sorry, I was just double-checking this," the pale-haired woman said, her eyebrows arched up in surprise. "They have a specialist on the team, T'Del, and according to her personnel file has a third-level degree in applied nuclear fusion. Among other things," she added in an audibly surprised tone as she continued to read the file. "A third-level degree?" Nop'tera echoed, giving her slave a startled look. "And they have her doing simple ground vehicle repair?" "Applied Nuclear Fusion, Third Degree," Freya started reading aloud from the report. "Particle Waveform Physics, First Degree. N'Then'an Academy of Arts and Sciences graduate, full honors. Declined an Imperial Commission when she enlisted in the military.... declined twice," she added. "A notation says she was personally asked by the Northern Mountain Division commander if she would reconsider. Thirty years in a classified position, was later transferred to a maintenance unit at her explicit request." "Amazing," the Dark General whispered as she sat back, idly taking a contemplative sip of her tea. "Can you access her biometric and psychological files, by chance? I would imagine that the military would want to keep a very close eye on one like her," she mused, mostly to herself. Freya carefully typed in a command and waited to see what the response from the archive computer would be. She blinked hard as a warning message was promptly displayed, informing her that the information she was seeking had been sealed by no less than three different security codes and protocols. "The records are sealed, mistress," she said in a pained tone, giving Nop'tera an upset glance. She knew that it wasn't her fault, of course, but she was also fully aware of the vampire's occasional tendency to vent her frustrations to the bearer of bad news. "Expected," Nop'tera replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "No matter, I'm sure she has her reasons for doing so. Or perhaps not," she added as a thought came to her. "Our one-eyed Training colonel happens to not only oversee a few additional facilities that technically lie outside his command, but can also gain access to a very interesting and likely capable individual as well. Odd," she continued, her tone changing to one of deep thought. "The missile also came out of the north. Coincidence, perhaps? Interesting," she whispered as she eased herself back into a half-reclining position again. "You need to quit moving so much," Freya spoke up in a gentle tone. "You might tear the stitches if you don't take it easy." Nop'tera gave her slave an amused look before taking another sip of her tea. She knew that the damage done by the light acid applied during surgery would have to heal on its own, which meant it would be at least two weeks before she could dispense with the medical oversight. A few days spent inside a medical stasis field would repair virtually all the damage and possibly even avoid leaving a scar, but with the situation being what it was between her and General Rune.... A soft snarl rose up from her throat at the memory of their confrontation. I will have both her head and her blood for this, she swore to herself, the edges of her lips unconsciously pulling back to bare the tips of her fangs. She sighed softly and closed her eyes a few moments later as she felt Freya's gentle touch on her temples, lightly massaging the skin in small circles. She chided herself for not hearing her slave move, realizing that she was allowing herself to become distracted by something she couldn't control. At least, not yet, she added with an inaudible grunt. She had just started to allow herself to relax at her slave's touch when the door chimed quietly, resulting in a repressed groan of weary resignation. "Enter," she called out loudly, opening her eyes as Freya withdrew. It was not unknown for her to continue her ministrations whenever company came, but the general had yet to figure out a pattern or discernible reason as to how she made her decisions when and when not to do so. It was all but impossible to mistake the sound of Ar'kanis' armor for anything or anyone else, his heavy steps seeming to thump across the floor in a steady mantra as he entered. "My general," he rumbled quietly. He waited for Nop'tera to incline her head slightly in a gesture of acknowledgement at his intrusion before continuing. "Communications has picked up a communique from the Visage to a military liaison of the D'Mal seaport," he said, holding up a slender storage crystal. "You may find it to be.... interesting." "Oh?" Nop'tera said with genuine curiosity as she immediately sat up in the chair. A line of fire briefly ran across her chest as the gesture tugged on the stitches, but she did her best to ignore it. "I don't suppose that it has to do with that orbital re-entry that almost cratered their deck plates? Our dear Brigadier V'Laei would certainly not let that one pass without having a few words with someone," she mused with what might have been a twinkle in her featureless yellow eyes. "Among other things," Ar'kanis rumbled as he moved over to the display console. He gently inserted the crystal into the slot and tapped a command on the panel, causing half of the wall to light up. The display remained in a 'waiting for signal' status for a few seconds before resolving into the image of a woman wearing the uniform of a Red Wing brigadier. "This is the Imperial Red Wing carrier Visage, hailing the D'Mal seaport authority," the dark-haired woman said, her expression perfectly composed. Her beauty was best described as glacial, the distinctly pleasing aesthetics of her face very much offset by the stern mien that seemed to be perpetually frozen in place no matter what her mood. She waited for a few moments and seemed to be ready to repeat her hail when the other half of the display lit up, forming into the image of a major assigned to the Port Authority's military liaison section. "This is the D'Mal Port Authority, Major Cern," he replied in a slightly wary tone. "We read you loud and clear, Visage, go ahead." Nop'tera couldn't help the small smile that tugged on the corners of her lips. She could easily imagine the tension in the rest of the military right now given the events that had taken place a few hours ago, and to be a junior field officer having to take a call from a flag-rank naval officer was never a casual event. At least, not to the junior officer. And that doesn't take into the account the stress most men experience when talking to a beautiful woman like V'Laei, she thought with an almost sadistic degree of amusement. "Major, I will admit to being new to this world," V'Laei said in a fairly clipped tone, letting her mood clearly show. "Therefore, I would appreciate your honesty in answering this question for me: Are the people of this planet in the curious habit of dropping things upon others from orbit?" "Ma'am?" the major replied, giving her a distinctly surprised look. "Oh, my," Nop'tera muttered to herself as her eyebrows promptly arched up to her hairline. "That time of the month already, Brigadier?" "First a nuclear warhead comes out of the sky to land next to the Imperial Castle, and now some woman performs a solo re-entry and all but lands on the deck of my carrier?" V'Laei said with a heavy scowl. "What is the meaning of this insanity? And dare I ask what you have planned before dinner?" "Ma'am, we can explain...." the major said, spluttering slightly as he started to visibly sweat. "Major Corona works for Research and Development, and she was drop-testing a new re-entry suit...." Nop'tera gave Ar'kanis a studious look as he reached out, hitting a button and causing the display to freeze in mid-motion. "Interesting," Nop'tera said as she eased herself back into a half-sitting position. "Usually such details about R&D's activities are kept quite confidential," she mused. "They are," Ar'kanis said, his amused tone echoing slightly more than was normal inside his helmet. "I suspect that our field major had a slip of the tongue in his haste, and may suffer a slip of his career as a result. V'Laei is a shrewd woman and no doubt will now seek to gather as much information about both her guest and her gear as possible. However, that information is of secondary importance at the moment. Look at the console in the background, just behind V'Laei's left shoulder, and watch it as I resume the recording." Nop'tera nodded her head in understanding as the recording was set back into motion, blinking in surprise as she realized that it was showing one of the squiggly characters of the Renn alphabet. "....and the flight for this was booked over three weeks ago," Major Cern continued to explain. "Major?" V'Laei said in a deliberately patient tone. As she spoke, the image in the background started to change every few seconds, showing one Renn character after another in a slow but steady progression. "Let's try it like this. Contact your base commander and have him, her, it, or whatever send out a small cruiser to collect your free-falling adventurer. She survived her ordeal, though she might be wishing otherwise at the moment, and we currently have her in medical stasis pending the arrival of someone to take her back to whatever division she came from. While you're at it, make sure the cruiser is accompanied by someone who is capable of giving a calm, reasoned, and rational explanation for recent events, including what looked to us like a nuclear missile strike on our flagship carrier," she added ominously. "Ma'am, I'm not sure I...." V'Laei paused and leaned closer, her already darkened expression turning even darker. "Excuse me, Major, but do you have a hearing defect? I shall speak louder if you need me to. SEND SOMEONE OVER TO EXPLAIN THIS!" she said in a very loud and flat voice. "I do not care if Admiral Si'ren herself has to fly out here, I want SOMEBODY with authority to explain matters to me. Are we perfectly clear on this, Major?" she added. Cern paused for a fraction of a second to glance at someone off-screen before taking a deep breath and looking square at the dangerously-upset naval officer. "Yes, ma'am, we are clear on your request," he said in the robotic monotone all juniors used to reply to upset senior officers not in the mood to listen to anything but crisp, affirmative responses. "We will contact you as soon as we can make the transport arrangements." "Thank you, Major," the Red Wing brigadier said in a calm and cool tone. "In the meantime, we shall be doing our best to ensure that your Major Corona is given the best medical care possible given our limited facilities. Our medical staff expects her to make a full recovery given enough time." "Thank you, ma'am," the major replied, still using the monotone voice. "The Harbormaster has asked me to inquire on her behalf if you need anything loaded onto the requested transport before it leaves the yards." V'Laei seemed to blink in surprise at the request before recovering her composure. "No, thank you," she answered in a gracious voice, a faint hint of a dark smile crossing her lips. "I don't want to be served anyone's head on a platter or otherwise need a sacrifice of blood made in my name for appeasement. I leave that for those who have a taste for it. Just a simple explanation will suffice, Major, though I do thank both you and the honored Harbormaster for asking. Visage out," she said before both images winked out of existence. Ar'kanis gave Freya a bemused look as Nop'tera started laughing softly to herself, slowly easing her body back into a sitting position. "Oh, V'Laei, you are too cruel sometimes," the Dark General said to herself, trying to strike a balance between the urge to laugh against the pain in her chest of doing so. "Perhaps I should have a photograph made of the look on his face. Poor child, that one," she said before laughing softly once again. "The path we tread is not always easy to walk upon," Ar'kanis offered in mild sympathy, remembering his own time spent as a low-ranking officer. "Perhaps," Nop'tera allowed with a slight nod of her head. "I'll be honest, I was listening more to her than trying to follow along with whatever it was she was trying to tell us. Very, very shrewd indeed," she added with a smile of approval. "I doubt anyone outside of the Red Wings has had enough exposure to the Renn's culture to pick up on their language. I trust one of our sharp-eyed communication experts wrote it all down for us?" "All is well," Freya suddenly spoke up, causing both denizens to blink in surprise. "Can recover half flight, Veil other half, tank drones ready in two days, awaiting orders." Ar'kanis glanced down at the small printed note that was all but hidden in his massive hand. "Impressive, Lady Freya," he said somberly. "I myself watched the recording twice and still wasn't able to keep up with it, let alone translate that rapidly. That is indeed what was intended to be said." Nop'tera gently twisted around to give her slave an intrigued look. "To this day, I still don't understand how you can follow along with their language so easily, Freya," she said lightly. "The squiggles are often so subtle that you could easily mistake one word for any six others at first glance." She paused before clearing her throat as quietly as she could. "Or is that merely more of your language's influence?" she said, using the same Earth language she had used earlier with the Sailor Scouts and marked with an Arabic accent. Freya glanced away, her pale violet eyes studying the floor. "They are very similar," she replied using the common denizen dialect they all shared. "Learning the Renn language was not difficult for me." Nop'tera looked at her for several moments before returning her attention back to the armored tank general. "I presume this means that both the Visage and the Veil are prepared to house our aircraft for the time being?" she asked slowly. "I would imagine that between their own wings and half of ours, space in the hangars would be at a rather vicious premium...." "There is sufficient space," Ar'kanis assured her. "Perhaps not enough to permit heavy flight operations, but both Sor'en and the Quartermaster say that it can be done if you know how to creatively park the aircraft in the bays. I suspect that they intend to make an attempt at retrieving the armored units as well, but I must confess to being at a loss to explain how they might do so or where they would find enough space for them." Nop'tera nodded in understanding. "Yes, the mention of tank drones is an oddity as well, but I think she knows what she's doing. Nonetheless, we shall find out for ourselves soon enough. Interesting situation," she mused as she turned her attention back to the now-dark monitor. The door chimed softly again, causing Nop'tera to look back up at Ar'kanis with a slightly surprised look. "Enter," she called out, leaning back slightly to try to see behind the general's heavy armor and massive wings. She blinked in amazement to find the wiry form of her Chief Engineer standing just inside the doorway. "Evening, Chief Sen," she said to him. "Ma'am," the engineer replied with a crisp salute. "Sir," he added with a respectful bow of his head to Ar'kanis. "I apologize for disturbing you, my general...." he started to say. "Chief, please tell me nothing of importance just broke," Nop'tera gently cut him off with a gesture, wondering what else could be important enough for him to leave the sanctity of the engine spaces. Sen paused and gave her a look that was best described as wary irritation. "No, ma'am, the repair work on the sensors is going quite well, and both the gravity shields and the evasion screens are in perfect order." Nop'tera nodded her head in understanding. "That is of more comfort to hear than you know," she said lightly, giving him a soft smile of appreciation. "I should hope so, my general," the Chief Engineer replied after a brief pause. "Ma'am, one of the portside air processors quit working after the nuke blast earlier, and one of my boys just now got around to taking it apart to see why it broke. Apparently we had a stowaway onboard hiding in the ducts, and when the EMP wave hit.... well, let's just say the air got nice and ionized inside," he explained with a distasteful expression. "A stowaway, hmm?" Nop'tera said slowly, casting a brief glance at Freya. "Chief, this wouldn't by any chance happen to be a morph, would it?" "Truthfully? We can't tell," Sen replied in a frank tone. "Soon as the access hatch was opened, this pool of protoplasm gushed out and splattered all over the deck. A medic looked it over and said it was both organic and still alive, so she asked someone to vacuum it up into a holding tank. They should be done any minute now and will bring the bucket over to sickbay for them to analyze or.... something," he added with a helpless shrug. "Perhaps things are going to be even more interesting than I thought," Nop'tera mused with a faint smile. "Chief, contact Medical before you return to your station and have them keep our liquid guest in a magnetic containment unit until she awakens. They need not use a physical seal, as I'm sure she needs air like the rest of us, but treating her like anti-matter is the only way I am aware of to keep a metamorph confined to one place." "A metamorph?" the chief echoed in surprise. "Yeech. I will make sure our Chief Medical Officer understand that completely, ma'am." He seemed to pause for a moment before looking back up at her with an uneasy expression. "Umm.... begging the general's pardon for asking this, but.... with all due respect, ma'am, why aren't you in medical stasis?" Nop'tera paused to cast a faintly reproving glance at Ar'kanis before sighing softly. "Now is not the time, Chief," she said in a neutral tone. "I will rest once the danger to us is past, and not before." Chief Sen just shook his head to himself in resignation. "You've been saying that for the past fifty years, ma'am," he muttered. "Well, if you're going to be stubborn about it, my general, you can at least have the good grace to keep your medical bag full of whatever it they're giving you," he said with a pointed gesture of his chin to the empty IV hanging behind Nop'tera's chair. "We don't need the boys and girls up on the flight deck think you're flying on fuel vapors, you know, that might put a dent in your reputation...." The vampire cast an unamused glance over her shoulder at the empty bag. "Thank you for your concern, Chief, I promise you it will be tended to in the next five minutes," she said in a faintly edged tone. "Just make sure that the sensors are repaired as soon as possible, something tells me that we might be needing them soon." "Yes, ma'am," the Chief Engineer replied with a salute before leaving the Dark General's quarters. "Something amusing, General?" Nop'tera inquired archly as her sensitive hearing picked up an almost silent laugh echoing inside Ar'kanis' helmet. "Are we not allowed to be concerned about you?" Ar'kanis asked calmly as Freya quietly left the room. "The concern of my command is of course appreciated," Nop'tera replied in a dry tone. "What is not appreciated is having everyone hover over me like a vep'tera dealing with a day-old hatchling. I have been wounded before, and I am quite confident that I will live to be wounded once again in the future," she added with a faint note of ironic humor. "Be that as it may, my general, you still need to conserve your strength," Ar'kanis countered gently. "Perhaps you know something I do not, but I am of the opinion that we do indeed have time to rest for the moment. Not even the rest of the fleet knows where we are, which I am sure concerns them very much. That also means that General Rune's forces likewise do not know where we are, so how can one attack something when you don't know where to start searching?" "You would be surprised," Nop'tera replied in a flat tone. She glanced over at Freya as she returned to the room, carrying another IV pouch filled with more of the green medical solution. "Freya, do you know what that stuff is doing to my bladder?" she grumbled as her pale-haired slave started to swap the empty bag for the full one. "Medical orders, my general," Ar'kanis reminded her. "Or would you prefer to be formally relieved of command until you convalesce?" he prodded in a tone that carried just the faintest hint of warning. "We both have been in this situation before, so do not think I am unaware of how you feel. I hated it just as much as you do, but I nonetheless endured for the sake of my soldiers if not necessarily my own. One warrior to another, Nop'tera.... rest now while we still have the time, lest you run the risk of resting in eternal peace." "Is that a threat, Ar'kanis?" Nop'tera asked in a flat tone, her yellow eyes narrowing to mere slits as she stared at the armored warrior. A soft sigh of resignation drifted up from the confines of his helmet. "If you thought I was a danger to myself or anyone else, you would have me relieved of command in an instant, and rightfully so," he said very slowly. "Should the same apply to you, would you have me ignore all that you yourself have taught me and instead stay my hand, putting others at risk? Or would you have me place you upon a pedestal and proclaim you to be above the law?" Nop'tera looked at him in silence for several seconds before looking away, studying one of the many knick-knacks that decorated her quarters. "I am not an invalid, General," she growled softly. "Nor will I simply lounge about in my underwear when we are clearly in a dangerous situation." Her head snapped around to look at him as he leaned over her, his hands reaching out to take hold of the edges of her robe. A simple tug parted the upper half of it to expose her bare chest. "Then with all due respect, my general," Ar'kanis said in a cold and impersonal tone, "Quit bleeding." She immediately glanced down, blinking hard at the sight of a dozen tiny streaks of fluorescent yellow seeping out from where her blue flesh had been stitched together. "Damn it," she snarled softly, ignoring for the moment the fact that her breasts were also clearly exposed to his helmeted gaze. "What?" Freya gasped as she also saw the yellow streaks of blood. "Freya," Ar'kanis said calmly as he took a step back and turned his gaze away from Nop'tera's chest. "Contact the Chief Medical Officer and have him personally tend to this. If nothing else, perhaps this will impress upon our general the need to rest as much as possible," he added casually. "Ar'kanis, I don't have time for this," Nop'tera protested with a flat growl, the edges of her lips pulling back to show the tips of her fangs. "Mistress, please," Freya pleaded in a half-panic, darting across the room to grab a disposable towel to try to wipe up the blood. "Don't move, you're only going to make it worse!" "We have the time for the moment, my general," Ar'kanis said softly. "As I said, I know this does not sit well with you, but you must stop and rest. Or do you no longer have any faith in us to keep ourselves alive and intact until you can return to take your rightful place at the forefront of this?" Nop'tera glared at him for a moment before sighing in surrender. "Damn it," she snarled quietly again. "What?" she added sharply as she heard his soft laughter echoing in his helmet. "Look at it like this, my general," he said in a bemused tone. "Think of this as a learning experience for future events." A single white eyebrow rose up as she looked at him. "Alright, Ar'kanis, humor me for a moment and explain to me what I should be learning from this." Another soft laugh rose up from his armored chest as he turned to leave. "Learn to dodge faster," he said calmly before bowing his head and departing the room. Nop'tera just looked up at Freya as the door hissed shut, doing her best not to give in to the rueful impulse to chuckle softly at his parting words. "I suppose I deserved that one," she mused very quietly. She saw the worry in her slave's pale eyes and sighed, gently plucking the towel from her hand. "I can take care of this, Freya, you should do as he asks and inform the Chief Medical Officer of this. I'm sure he will be delighted to have an opportunity to take me to task and be able to get away with it." She closed her eyes and sighed as Freya promptly darted over to the wall console, furiously opening a channel to sickbay. Damn it, she thought yet again in a quiet rage. It shouldn't be like this, not now. What was Rune thinking? And why won't she even consider the NegaForce's plan for Princess Serena to become the Queen-Regent? Speaking of which, I need to send someone to Earth to make sure both she and Prince Darian are safe, she added, flipping a page in her mental notebook. Interesting, she thought, tuning out the conversation Freya was having in the background. If that is M they vacuumed out of the conduit, and if she's able to recover from whatever happened to her, surely she would be the best person to send to Earth. And perhaps.... just perhaps Freya as well.... Yes, she thought as she felt her slave's gentle touch on her bare chest once again, cleaning up the blood that still oozed from her wounds. Things are going to get very, very interesting indeed.... * * * * "Is that everything?" Sailor Uranus asked in a bored tone for the third time, holding the tiny bundle of her clothes beneath one arm. Jupiter paused and cast an unamused look over her shoulder. "Settle down, willya? Damn, you'd probably be this impatient to get to your own funeral." "Patience, Alex," Pluto said gently. "As I said, I want to be absolutely sure that nothing is left behind." "Aside from a few attitudes?" Jupiter muttered quietly. "You first, babe," Uranus replied with a smirk. "Is that everything, your Highness?" she called out as Darian entered the room, followed by Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars. "If not, I can live without it," Darian replied with a casual shrug. He had reversed his 'Moonlight Knight' transformation and had gotten dressed in the clothes he had worn before they had been drawn into Pluto's Border Ethereal keep. Sailor Moon had nothing else with her, having been wrapped only in a sheet at the time, while Mars held a small but neatly folded bundle. "Peachy," Uranus replied as she glanced around the room. Both Neptune and Mercury were talking quietly in the corner with Maq'i about something, both girls holding onto the bundle of clothes they had been wearing earlier while the denizen Healer had changed back into her white robes. "So I take it we're just waiting on the screwball, huh?" "I heard that," Venus grumbled as she entered the room, likewise holding a small bundle of clothing. "You know, that's starting to annoy me. Just because I think a little different than the rest of you doesn't mean I've gone crazy or anything, okay?" "A little different?" Darian echoed, giving the blonde an amused look. "Oh, don't you start," Venus replied with a flat glare. Pluto cleared her throat gently. "I will admit to a certain degree of concern myself given the admittedly chaotic nature of your Sailor V persona," she said in a measured tone. "While that in of itself may not be an indicator of a mental health issue, her apparently whimsical and impulsive nature fails to instill a reasonable belief that she is in thorough possession of a stable and sound mind." "Hey, Sue?" Uranus said quickly before Venus could deliver a retort, "You say that like there's a difference between them." "I believe there is," Pluto replied calmly, pausing for a brief moment as Venus seemed to all but choke on whatever it was that was on the tip of her tongue. "Just as there are differences between who we are as normal people and who we are as Sailor Scouts. For you and I, the variances are.... subtle and not so easily observed," she said carefully. "For the Princess and those who were reincarnated along with her, however, the changes are a little more.... I hesitate to say readily apparent, but they are visible if you know precisely what it is that you are looking for." "Such as...?" Jupiter prompted in a faintly-edged tone. "A natural-born tendency for violence and an unusually loud voice?" Darian suggested with a dead-pan expression. "Shut up, cape boy," the brunette grumbled. "Well, he's got a point about your voice, hon," Uranus said thoughtfully as she scratched her cheek. "Don't know who you had to kill to get a pair of lungs like that, but you can be pretty damn loud when you're in a mood...." "So?" Jupiter inquired archly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Uranus shrugged helplessly. "I'm just saying that you're a hell of a lot louder than I remember, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, babe." "Anyway," Mars spoke up in a slightly flat tone. "I take it we're ready to return to Earth now, or are we still waiting for something?" Pluto glanced around the room with a slightly uneasy look on her face. "Indeed we seem to be ready, although I am not sure where Myst went." "Dammit," Uranus sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "Mich, do you know where the cat wandered off to?" she called out to the other side of the room. There was a slight pause as Neptune exchanged glances with Mercury and Maq'i before shaking her head. "No, I thought she was with Susan," she said carefully as the three of them moved over to join the rest of the group. "Typical," Uranus muttered dourly. "Maybe she's doing that dimension-shifting thing again?" Venus ventured. "It's possible," Pluto allowed with a slight nod of her head. "I have no way of being able to verify that, however, nor do I know of a way to convey a message to someone shifted into another dimension." "Think your computer can pick something up?" Darian said to Mercury. "I can try," Mercury replied as she dug her miniature computer out of her Lunar Space pocket and flipped it open. "Hmmmmm," Venus hummed softly to herself, casting a studious gaze at the open window and the mass of the slightly-pink Ether swirling outside. She flinched along with the rest of the group there was the sound of a deep breath, followed by Jupiter's voice rattling the cement mortar. "HEY MYST, WHERE ARE YOU?!" she yelled up towards the ceiling. "Ow," Uranus protested quietly as she rubbed her ear. "Damn, babe...." "Lady Jupiter," Pluto said in a calm and unruffled tone, "I assure you that sound will not propagate through a dimensional barrier. If she is indeed in a phased dimensional state, she will not be able to hear you." "Bah, so much for the direct approach," Jupiter sighed. "Any luck?" Darian asked Mercury quietly. "No," Mercury replied with a soft sigh. "The only thing I'm able to pick up are Sailor Moon's wings, and I'm not seeing any unidentified matter, either. If she is phased out, she's in a state I can't detect." "Okay, time to get creative," Venus said as she headed over to the window. "Oh, hell," Jupiter groaned quietly. "Hell's over there, babe," Uranus said, pointing to Pluto. "As I keep reminding you, Alex," Pluto said in a patient tone, "Hell and the Underworld are not the same entity. You will find Hell in the Underworld, true, but only as a discreet subsection and not as an equivalent identity." Mars blinked in surprise and gave the succubus an uneasy look. "Wait, say that again? You say Hell and the Underworld are different?" "They are," Pluto replied with a nod. "I will explain later if you wish, but for the moment we.... MINA!" she suddenly said sharply. "What in the name of the Moon are you doing with that?" "WHOA!" Jupiter blurted out as she saw what the blonde was oh-so-casually tossing back and forth between her hands. "Are you insane? Get rid of that before you kill us!" "Relax," Venus said with a wave of her hand, still idly toying with the olive-green grenade in her other hand. "We won't feel a thing from this. If Myst is lurking around here in another dimension, however...." she added with a disturbingly evil smile as she held the grenade upright and yanked the pin. "Venus...." Darian said in a warning tone as he gently edged Sailor Moon behind him. "Are you absolutely, positively sure you know what you're doing with that thing?" "Trust me," Venus cooed as she let the the spoon-trigger spring away from the egg-shaped device and casually tossed it into the corner. She shot an odd look at the group as the majority of them flinched and edged away, hearing at least two different profanities muttered in the expectation of encountering a violent demise in a few seconds. The grenade bounced once before rolling into the corner, coming to rest against the wall at an angle. It remained perfectly still for a moment before it seemed to wink out of existence with a very soft sound, as if it was nothing more than a soap bubble being popped. Sailor Moon made a very startled yelp of surprise as her wings were blown behind her as if caught by a powerful gust of wind. The shrill sound was very quickly followed by a pair of surprised protests as both Mars and Uranus found themselves becoming thoroughly entangled in the glittering ribbons of light. The wings continued to flutter sharply for a few moments before going limp, slowly falling down towards the ground at a steady pace. "Your Highness!" Neptune blurted out, her eyes dangerously wide. "Hey!" Sailor Moon protested, turning around to look at her wings. "You okay?" Darian carefully asked the upset blonde. "Umm.... I think so," she replied. "That.... that really didn't hurt or anything, but still...." "Good," Mars said tartly as she tried to pry a pair of ribbons out from where they had gotten badly tangled in her mass of raven-black hair. "Now get off of me." "Brilliant move, screwball," Uranus said acidly as she likewise tried to unwind the mass of glowing ribbons wrapped around her arms and legs. "Sorry about that, Sailor Moon," Venus apologized with a faint blush. She was about to say something else when a patch of darkness started to form a few inches away from Mercury's boots, quickly solidifying into the shape of a very disgruntled gray kitten. "Aha! See, told you it would work!" Venus said in a triumphant tone as Myst promptly sneezed hard. "Lady Venus," Pluto said in a distinctly unamused tone. "While it seems that your.... unorthodox methods have indeed resulted in a success, I should like to point out that they also put the Princess in danger of bodily harm to her wings. Also, I should like to point out that part of the mortar in this keep is likewise phased into the Ethereal plane and thus could have sustained damage from your efforts, and I shall be most displeased if I am now required to repair any damage done to it." "It was only a concussion grenade," Venus said carefully, trying to assess the situation and determine just how much trouble she was now in. "Thanks a lot, Venus," Sailor Moon muttered, giving her fellow blonde a dark look. "You could at least have warned me, you know." "Umm, sorry about that...." Venus said with a fairly moderate blush. Darian just shook his head as he bent down to scoop up Myst. "You okay?" he asked as he stood back up, carefully scratching the kitten's ears. He came dangerously close to dropping her as she sneezed hard again, the sheer violence of the sneeze causing Mercury to briefly fumble her computer. "Goodness!" Mercury gasped as she got a firm grip on the device again. "Yeech," Uranus said sourly as she finished removing the last of Sailor Moon's wings from around her leg. "That sounded like it left a mark." "I hate you people," Myst rasped, flicking her ears flat against her head. "Just put me down and leave me alone before you manage to hurt me again...." Darian shrugged to himself as he knelt back down to put her on the ground. "Suit yourself," he said as he stood back up and took a step to the side. "Are you alright, Myst?" Pluto inquired calmly, keeping a wary eye on Venus as she carefully approached Sailor Moon with a deeply apologetic look on her face. "Put me back in the Dark," Myst said flatly, her tail lashing back and forth like a whip as she gave Pluto an unhappy look. "I know now that it's not a prison but a safe haven from these humans. You people are the most chaotic entities I have ever encountered in my entire life," she growled as the rest of the group. She blinked hard as Jupiter stepped over and leaned down, picking up the Shinma by the scruff of her neck. "Listen, kitty," Jupiter said in a level tone as she held Myst up at eye- level. "You're not exactly a bowl of Rice Krispies yourself. We were waiting for you to quit playing with yourself in that side dimension or whatever it was that you said you discovered earlier. You're the one who ran off when you knew full-well that we were getting ready to leave this place, and nobody knew of a way to find you, let alone poke you to get your attention. If you want to get all pissy on us, that's cool, Sailor Pluto can take you home once she takes the rest of back to our home on Earth. Me personally, I like you, Myst. You're just as strange to me as I am to you, but that's part of the fun. Anyway, just do us all a favor, stick your tail in your mouth or something and stay quiet so we can get this road trip over with, okay? It's either that or we leave you behind and it'll be a good three hundred years until you're back to where you started from. So what'll it be?" Myst just looked at her in silence for a few moments, her body twisting slightly as she continued to be held by the scruff of her neck. "You're just as strange as that one," she finally said, arcing her tail towards Mercury. "But at least you're not giving off a strange scent-vibe." Jupiter gave her a slightly leery look for a moment before turning around to cast an odd look at Mercury. "You forget to use deodorant this morning or something?" she ventured in a careful tone. "It is most likely the influence of the soul-rune she has with her," Pluto spoke up before Mercury could reply to the brunette. "What?" Mars suddenly said as she froze in mid-motion, her hands still untangling a glowing wing from her maroon chest bow as she looked up at Pluto. "Yo!" Jupiter yelped as Myst suddenly melted out from her grasp, fading away into the air. She glanced down at her hand and flexed her fingers slowly, giving the rest of the group an uneasy look. "Man, that felt weird...." Mercury sighed and reached behind her, tugging open her Lunar Space pocket to extract the pyramid-shaped object. "I think she means this," she said as she held it up so Mars could see it. "Oh, yeah," Uranus said in a flat tone. "That thing." "Wait," Mars said slowly as she finally freed the wing from her chest bow and carefully approached Mercury. Her bottomless black eyes narrowed down to mere slits as she reached out to touch it, brushing a pair of fingertips along one of the smooth surfaces. "Why do I feel like I've seen this before?" she whispered, mostly to herself. "Chancellor.... what is this? Hey!" she yelped as Myst faded back into view, standing directly beneath Mercury's outstretched hand and starting at it intently. Pluto sighed very softly to herself, absently readjusting the grip on her staff. "It is a soul-rune," she explained calmly. "A haven, if you will, for a living soul where it can be sustained and referenced." "Used, you mean," Uranus added darkly. "We've discussed this numerous times, Lady Uranus," Pluto said in an edged tone. "I cannot help it if you categorically refuse to understand the true nature of it." "Believe me, Sue, I already know it's nature," Uranus retorted coldly. "It's a trap," Myst said as she finally understood, starting to edge away from the device. "A prison for souls. Like the Dark," she added with a sour expression. "Sailor Pluto...." Mars said in a distinctly uneasy tone, casting a very disturbed glance at the green-haired woman. "Stop and think for a moment, your Excellency," Pluto said in a firm tone, causing the rest of the group to blink. "We need to find a haven for the souls of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen once I recover them. I will empty the trap into that rune where they can be safely stored until we can extract Queen Serenity's soul and return her to the Imperium Silver Crystal. That rune will then serve as the permanent residence of Raijen's soul, as his original life crystal no longer exists. Or would you have me simply cast it aside into the maw of oblivion as Andromeda sought to do?" she added in a pointed tone. Mars blinked at the undertone of emotion to Pluto's words before nodding her head in understanding. "I see what you mean," she replied, casting an odd look at the device in Mercury's hand. "I'm not sure what else it can be used for, and something tells me I really don't want to know, but I don't see a problem with using it like that." Uranus snorted quietly as she reached out to take Neptune's hand in a soft grip. "I see Sue's right, ignorance really is bliss," she muttered. "You must be having a life-long orgasm, then," Jupiter added under her breath, drawing unamused looks from both Mercury and Pluto. "Hey, Sailor Moon?" Venus spoke up. "This is just how I see things, but you might want to consider putting your wings in your back pocket or something before we return to Earth. I don't know about you, but I can picture Artemis taking one look at you and piddling on the floor in shock, and I'll leave it to you to decide what Luna might do." "Eww," Sailor Moon replied with a faint shiver, her triple-tone voice clearly resonating with emotion at the thought. "A wise precaution indeed," Pluto spoke up. "Is everyone ready, then?" "One sec," Venus said as she darted over to the window to pick up the pile of clothes she had set aside earlier. She scooped them up with a fluid motion and returned to the group, absently tucking her underwear deeper into the pile. "Hang on, babe, I want to watch this," Uranus murmured to Neptune as she kept her eyes on Sailor Moon's exposed back. She blinked hard along with the rest of the group except for Darian, Mars, and Pluto as the angelic wings began to gently pulse with light. The pulsing glow grew stronger with every second before they shimmered out of existence, seeming to ripple slightly as they faded from view. "Oh, cool!" Venus gushed, giving Sailor Moon a warm smile. She blinked as she noticed the change in her eye-color and smiled again. "Hey, the baby blues are back again, eh?" "Fortunately," Sailor Moon replied in her normal voice. "What, don't like the gold look or something?" Jupiter inquired. "It's.... something I'm still not used to," Sailor Moon answered softly. "Bah," Uranus said with a dismissive shrug, still holding her clothes in one hand and Neptune's hand in the other. "It still looks really good on you, starlight, I wouldn't worry about it." "Would everyone take hold of my staff, please?" Pluto said as she held out the silvery Key to Time. "I should warn you that the displacement effect will be just as intense as before if not more so. Remember, we are not just out-of- phase by three hundred years but are also three days out of synchronization with the Moment," she warned. "Whatever, Sue," Uranus sighed as she let go of Neptune to grab the staff. "Up you go, cat," Jupiter said as she bent down to scoop up Myst in one hand. She carefully perched the kitten on the bridge of hands already holding the staff before finding a place to grasp the metal shaft herself. "Dammit," she sighed as everyone crowded around the staff. "Venus, I like you a lot, but you're standing on my toes again. Move before I hurt you." "It's not my fault," Venus protested. "I've got someone's backside all up against my stomach. Again," she added with a faint note of acid. "Please," Uranus scoffed. "Take a good look, babe, my butt is about as flat as my chest is." "ANYWAY," Mars said in a tone as flat as an airport's tarmac. "Is everyone ready?" Pluto said as Myst's tail coiled around the looped portion of her staff. She waited an extra moment to make absolutely sure that all eleven of them were in firm contact with the staff before closing her eyes and commanding the Key to draw them into the Flow of Time. The world around them quickly dissolved into a nimbus of blue energy as they were swept into the Flow, slipping through the summoned conduit and into the stream of infinite energy as a ship would sail through a harbor to reach the open seas. Pluto immediately began to chart a five-dimensional course back to their point of origin, requiring far less effort than had been needed on the initial journey. As before the three physical dimensions, the so-called X, Y, and Z axes, were simple to plot as she decided to return them to the room containing the Star Mosaic in the cathedral. The fourth dimension, the temporal component, was even easier to plot as she was aiming for the Moment, the point where the 'present' existed and thus the single most powerful influence in the Flow of Time as it crept along at a steady pace. The fifth dimension, what was known as the planar component, was likewise easy to locate given its prominence as the material focus of Creation. Charting the path was easy, but the effort it required for Pluto to keep them on course was far from trivial. Cosmic forces battered the tiny pulse of energy that was their existence as they sailed the Flow, buffeted by currents and eddys from other significant events throughout Time. So too did she have to carefully thread her way among thousands of other conduits, each one caused by some other entity from some other point in Space-Time likewise travelling the Flow. Some were caused by temporal versions of herself on various trips, but many others were not. While the transition seemed to take several seconds from her perspective, it was only a cosmic instant before she finally reached her destination and slipped into the large conduit that opened before her. The physical world reformed around them with a very hard flash of blue light, caused by the exotic particles of the Flow of Time instantly decaying outside of their usual eleven-dimensional environment. The surge of temporal energy that quickly followed was best described as a cosmic resynchronization of their bodies, the threads of Space-Time that they were composed of trying to rebalance themselves to the current temporal state of existence. "Ohmygod," Venus blurted out as the tingle ran through her very being. "Ick," Mercury wailed, releasing her hold on the staff as her arms began to twitch of their own accord like a pair of spasming wings. "Ick ick ick...." Pluto sighed as she waited for the effects to wear off, knowing that the feeling was far more intense than was normal. "Everybody remain calm," she said in a gentle and reassuring voice. "Yeah," Uranus coughed out. "That feeling. Umm, D, you okay?" "Hang on," Darian said in a rather uneasy tone, one hand firmly gripping the crotch of his pants. "Prince Darian...." Pluto started to say. "No, no, I'm fine," Darian quickly said. He continued to hold himself for a moment before letting out his breath and very carefully letting go. "Okay, I think my bladder is cool now, everything's under control...." "Wow," Jupiter said as she took a step back and glanced down at the front of her Sailor Suit. "I think I know a few people who would pay some serious money for a ride like that. Damn...." "Your Highness, you alright?" Uranus inquired as she gently started to massage Neptune's upper back. Sailor Moon glanced down at the exposed skin of her arms and legs, trying to see if it was really crawling around like it felt it was. "Eww," she said in a low tone. "Yeah, that about sums it up," Uranus sighed, giving Mars an uneasy look. "A decent shower with some fairly hot water usually makes the feeling go away. Rei, sweetie, you're not going to throw up, are you?" "Probably not," Mars admitted. "But that was not a pleasant trip." "Agreed," Maq'i said in an unusually brittle voice. "By the NegaForce, that was a most unusual experience. Is everyone alright?" "A shower," Venus said slowly. "A shower sounds like a real good idea right about now. Oh, man, I am *so* glad I used the bathroom before we left." Everyone turned around as the double doors opened up, allowing Whisper and the cats to enter the room. "You're back!" Luna shouted as she darted across the floor. "Where is...? Serena, thank goodness you're alright!" she blurted out as she leapt into the air towards the long-haired blonde. "Whoa!" Sailor Moon gasped as she was almost bowled over. She quickly wrapped her arms around Luna to keep her from slipping, giving the black cat a somewhat fierce hug in turn. "Easy, Luna, I'm fine." "Hey, fuzzy, long time, no see!" Venus said cheerfully as she held her arms out. Artemis promptly leapt up into her waiting embrace, making a quiet purring sound as she nuzzled his cheek. "Miss me?" "Well, apparently the reactor didn't blow up on us," Jupiter said to the telepath as she approached the group. "Thankfully not," Whisper replied with a nod. "Is everyone alright?" "Peachy," Uranus replied casually. "We are indeed," Pluto said with a nod of her head. "As you can see, the Princess has fully recovered from her ordeal." "You had us worried to death," Luna chided Sailor Moon as she heaved a truly large sigh of relief. "Are you sure you're alright?" Sailor Moon seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. "I'm fine, Luna," she repeated. "It's been a rough few days, but everything's fine." "Few days?" Artemis echoed, giving Venus an uncertain look. "It's been three days for us," Venus said slowly. "Why, how long were we gone from your view?" "About five hours," Whisper spoke up with a slight frown as she glanced at Sailor Moon. "Are you girls sure you're okay? You look like you've been in a fight or something." "Bah, that's just the after-effects of Sue's time-bending trick," Uranus said with a wave of dismissal. "It's rough, but nothing we can't handle." "So what ripped Sailor Moon's blouse in the back?" Whisper inquired. "Prrrm?" Luna said as she hopped up onto Sailor Moon's shoulder to look down. "Huh? Sailor Moon, how did that happen?" "Let me see," Artemis said as he hopped out of Venus' embrace. He trotted over to get a good view at the blonde's back, his eyebrows arching up at what he saw. "Whoa, someone did a number on your suit," he said in an uneasy tone. "And believe me, I know how resistant those suits are to being sliced." The rest of the group briefly traded uneasy looks before Uranus sighed. "I did it," she said to the white cat. "I had to cut it open with my saber earlier so Maq'i here could get a look at her shoulderblades." Luna opened her mouth to say something when she turned to get a good look at Sailor Moon's expression. A slight frown tugged on her lips as she leaned forward, very carefully sniffing the skin of her throat. "Serena, are you sure you're alright?" she ventured in an uneasy tone. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything, but you smell different for some reason." "Umm, well...." Sailor Moon started to say in an unusually quiet tone. "Hey, Sailor Moon?" Venus spoke up quickly. "Hold that thought for a sec, okay? How full is your bladder?" she said to Artemis, gently nudging his leg with the tip of her orange sandal. "Oh, great," the white cat sighed heavily. "What happened?" "Just answer my question," Venus said in an impatient tone. "We really don't need to be cleaning up a mess in here, okay?" "I'll be back," Artemis promised in resignation as he started to head for the door. "Luna, do you...?" "Serena, please," Luna said quietly. "Tell me what's wrong." "Nothing is wrong, Luna," Mars spoke up in a calm tone. "Things are just a little different right now, that's all. I'll be right back," she added as she started to head for the door. "Hey, where are you going?" Jupiter inquired. "After that little trip we just took, I need to use the bathroom as well," Mars said in a matter-of-fact tone as she continued to walk across the room. "The shower can wait, but this one can't. Excuse me," she said as she slipped out the door and into the cathedral proper. Darian cast a sidelong glance at Pluto before sighing heavily. "Yeah, I know what she means," he muttered as he started to walk towards the door as well. "Luna, you and Artemis can relax, okay?" he said as he paused to pick up the white cat. "We're all fine, I promise, and nothing is so urgent that it can't wait ten minutes for us all to get situated properly. C'mon, we can talk on the way to the john if you're that worried," he muttered to Artemis. "Indeed," Pluto agreed with a nod of her head. "Perhaps a quick break would be advisable, as it would also give us a chance to change clothing." "Hey, all the reason I need," Jupiter said quickly as she headed towards the door, acutely aware of what she was wearing beneath her Sailor Suit. "See you girls in the living room in ten," she promised. "Sailor Moon," Whisper said quietly as she approached the blonde. "May I conduct a quick scan of your mind? I just want to make sure there isn't any lingering trauma from earlier." She blinked as Maq'i said something to her in a denizen dialect, causing the telepath to give her a truly odd look. "As you wish, Master Healer," she said slowly. "We can talk later, if you wish," Maq'i said calmly. "But for now, I ask for you to be patient. Please, your Highness, take your time," she added to Sailor Moon. "C'mon, meatball head, time to get changed into something substantial," Venus said lightly as she picked Luna up and set her on the ground. "Just give us a few, Luna, we'll be right back." "You really need to quit calling her that," Uranus growled quietly as she allowed Neptune to lead her by the hand, gently dragging her towards the door. Pluto waited until the others had departed, leaving her alone in the large room with Whisper, Maq'i, and Luna. "You need not be concerned," Pluto said to them in a gentle tone. She held up a hand to forestall the questions that both Whisper and Luna seemed to be ready to ask. "Serena is fine in every aspect, despite what she underwent recently, and the rest will be explained in a few moments." "Sailor Pluto?" Luna spoke up with a frown. "Where is the Crystal?" "Rei has it for the moment," Pluto said in a delicate tone. "We had a few.... complications earlier which I will explain in due course. To summarize things, Rei was ordained as Regent and thus gained dominion over the Imperium Silver Crystal when Serena.... died," she said after a noticeable pause. "*WHAT?!*" Luna yelled, her eyes tripling in diameter. "As I said, she is fine now," Pluto said in a faintly edged tone. "When Rei's bloodline became empowered, she used the power of the Crystal to bring the Princess back. Surely you recall how Serena had to do that for the others during their initial Negaverse intrusion to rescue Prince Darian," she reminded the deeply-shocked Lunar cat. "Oh, dear god," Luna whimpered quietly, closing her eyes. "Your princess is in excellent health, I assure you," Maq'i spoke up in a gentle tone. "Granted the shock of the experience took a toll on her, but she has fully recovered in every regard." "There is a great deal more to the story, of course," Pluto said as she gently picked Luna up. "But that will be explained in due time. Come, let us join the others in the living room, they should have mostly recovered from the journey by now." "Pah," Maq'i grunted softly as she followed the succubus out of the room. "No disrespect, Sailor Pluto, but if I ever have to experience a method of transportation like that again, it will be entirely too soon, if not the death of me," she said with a faint grimace. "I doubt you will be required to undergo the experience ever again," Pluto replied demurely with a faint hint of a smile. "Regardless, you have my most heartfelt thanks for accompanying us, both to Earth and to my keep." "I assure you, the journey was worth it," Maq'i replied with a gracious smile. "And not just because of your Moon Princess. If I may, Captain," she said as she turned to look at Whisper, "Do you by chance know of what has transpired in the Negaverse since our departure? I would imagine that things are still quite chaotic...." "Well, I...." Whisper started to say before almost running over Pluto as she came to an abrupt halt. "Where's Myst?" Pluto blurted out as she whipped around, still holding Luna in her arms. "She disappeared as soon as we returned here," Maq'i spoke up. "I'm not sure I would have noticed either if I hadn't been looking directly at her the instant we became aware of our surroundings again." Pluto heaved a soft sigh of relief as she turned back around to head over to the living room. "Thank you. I imagine the journey was not pleasant for her either, and given her mood it makes sense for her to try to seek an avenue of escape for a period of time. My apologies for interrupting you, Captain," she added to Whisper with a slight bow of her head. "To be honest, I have no idea what's going on over there," Whisper sighed quietly. "The network connection was broken when we returned and it hasn't regenerated yet. I put a sensor next to the phase link module to make sure nothing is leaking through in terms of random air molecules, but it hasn't so much as twitched yet so I take that to mean that the physical conduit hasn't been destroyed by anything. Or if it has, nothing like smoke or other carbon compounds are getting near our end of the link." "How big is this phase link?" Pluto inquired carefully. "Eye of a small needle," Whisper assured her. "Just large enough to run a pair of shielded monofiliment wires through to connect General Nephlyte's computer to one of his networks back home. We can use conventional machinery based on the composition of Silkworm crystals to poke stable macroscopic holes in the dimensional barrier, but that's pretty much the limit. The energy requirement is pretty much exponential in proportion to the wormhole's size, so anything larger means we would need to use a real Silkworm crystal." "Interesting," Pluto commented as they reached the living room. She cast a quick look around before settling down in one of the armchairs, absently scratching Luna's ears as she made herself comfortable to wait for the return of the others. She paused for a moment before she looked up at Whisper. "You may wish to have a seat on the couch, Captain," she advised gently. Whisper paused to cast a sidelong glance at Maq'i before staring back at Pluto. "What am I being set up for?" she inquired in a very wary tone. Pluto said nothing as she looked up, a faint frown crossing her face as she saw Rei walking into the room. The stylized brooch still hung from her neck, leaving the Imperium Silver Crystal exposed to glitter very faintly in the ambient light. "Do you feel better, your Excellency?" she called out. "For what it's worth," the priestess replied calmly as she sat down in front of the empty fireplace. She cast a measured look at the layer of ash and carbon inside before sighing quietly and turning her back to it. Luna looked at her for a moment before she glanced up at Pluto with a very unhappy look on her face. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered. "It's alright, Luna, I promise," Pluto said soothingly. Everyone looked up as Darian entered the room, carrying a visibly weary white cat curled up in a small ball. They both remained quiet as Darian made his way across the room, sitting down in the empty armchair and perching the cat on the armrest. "What?" he asked carefully as he noticed the rest of the room's attention focused on him. "Nothing, your Highness," Pluto replied with a faint smile. "It is, as has been said, merely one of those days." "Weeks," Rei spoke up in a weary tone. "One of those weeks." "Tell me about it," Darian sighed as he glanced over at the hallway. He gave Mina an odd look as she bounded into the room with an overly cheerful look on her face, casually scooping up Artemis on her way to claim a seat at the table. "Feeling better?" he inquired cautiously. "A good cup of hot chocolate will do that for you," the blonde replied with a brilliant smile. Darian suppressed a groan as he looked away, trying not to imagine just how hyper she was going to be for the next few hours. He blinked as he saw the rest of the group emerging from the hallway, all of them having reversed their transformations at some point and were now dressed in casual clothing. Serena was wearing a one-piece swimsuit and jeans, apparently the only thing she could readily find that left her back open. "Feel better?" he murmured softly as she drew near him and sat on the edge of the armrest. "Ask me that in ten minutes," she said softly, staring down at her bare feet. She wiggled her toes for a moment before sighing and looking up at Luna with an uneasy expression on her face. "Dibs on the shower when this is over," Leda called out as she and Ami took seats at the table. Michelle appeared to move to sit at the table as well before Alex gently tugged on her elbow, guiding her over to the empty cushion on the couch. She gestured for her to sit down and moved behind the couch, leaning her elbows on the back as she lightly toyed with Michelle's hair. "Very well, then," Pluto said softly as she leaned back and closed her eyes. A dark haze immediately surrounded her for a moment before fading away, bleeding away the excess energy as she reversed her transformation. "As I'm sure everyone else would like to rest for the remainder of the day, I shall endeavor to keep this as brief as possible. As you can see, Princess Serena is perfectly fine after her ordeal in the Negaverse. However, there have been a few changes to the situation, both hers as an individual and ours as a group." "The Chaos Factor?" Whisper spoke up in a flat tone, giving Serena a very uneasy look. "That's the only thing I can think of." "Indeed," Susan said softly as Serena sighed and glanced away. "Serena, I think you are worrying too much over this," she called out. "I'm just.... tired," Serena whispered as she briefly closed her eyes. She opened them again a few moments later and sighed, slowly rising to her feet and putting a bit of distance between her and everyone else. "Serena, are you...?" Luna started to say before her jaw became almost physically unhinged as several dozen glowing ribbons exploded out from behind the blonde. A muted protest rose up from Susan's throat as Luna reflexively extended her claws, trying to retain as firm a grip on her surroundings as she could. There was another sharp sound of protest from the table as Artemis' claws likewise splayed out in shock, leaving twenty perfectly-shaped gouges in the wooden surface. If there was any further noise after that, however, it was completely drowned out by the psionic shockwave that echoed inside everyone's mind as Whisper shot to her feet. "Ah, ow, ow, dammit!" Alex yelped as everyone winced in pain. "Whisper!" Maq'i said in a sharp tone. She didn't even blink as she was rewarded with a near-panicked stream of fricatives in the Outreaches dialect of the denizen tongue, standing up to her full height and grabbing the telepath's arm. "At ease, Captain!" she snapped. "B-B-But...." Whisper spluttered, her eyes still dangerously wide as she stared at a visibly startled Serena. The telepath's complexion was as white as freshly-fallen snow and she seemed to be laboring hard to breathe. "Settle down, child, there is no need to worry," Maq'i said. "But if she is of the ar'kanis...." Whisper said in a profoundly shaken voice. "Then the legends...." "Uh-oh," Alex said very softly, casting a worried glance at both Serena and Susan. "Sit," Maq'i said firmly as she grabbed Whisper's wrist and half-tossed her back down onto the couch cushions. "Take it easy, Serena," Mina sighed as she stood up and started to pry Artemis off of the table. It took three measured tugs before she managed to unbury his claws, carrying him across the room to hold him in front of Serena. "Okay, so she's a little different now, it's no major deal. Just take a deep breath and repeat after me. Angel...." she said very slowly and distinctly, as if speaking to a child. "Go on, you can say it. An-gel...." "Serena...." Artemis started to say before his voice failed him. "I'm all right, Artemis," Serena said quietly, the sound of her triple- tone voice causing his eyes to widen even further. She reached up to gently take him from Mina's grasp, bracing him against her forearm as she reached out with a pair of wings to stroke his fur. "An angel?" Luna finally managed to say as her conscious mind successfully restarted itself after the fourth attempt. "Serena, you've become an angel? That's incredible...." "Is that really a surprise?" Rei spoke up in a calm tone. Serena said nothing as she shifted Artemis' weight, wrapping three of her floating wings around his body to brace him as she crossed the room over to where Susan was sitting. She wordlessly reached out to Luna with another pair of her wings, lifting the startled cat into the air before holding her in her arms. "Master Healer...." Whisper said in a very soft voice, looking at Serena with an expression rarely seen on someone who wasn't on their deathbed. "Is she the one the legends speak of? Ie ay'chen Ar'kanis il' Hal'al?" "I have no idea," Maq'i replied calmly. "I am a Healer and not a monk. Neither, for that matter, are you," she added in an edged tone, causing Whisper to blink hard. "Perhaps you can consult the K'maal il' Hal'al at Ka'an-Nul once things calm down, both here and in the Negaverse, but for the present I am not concerned about it in the slightest. If she is then she is, and we both know that then there is nothing we can do." "Uhh, Whisper?" Mina spoke up in an uneasy tone. "Is there something we should know about this? I mean, granted I can see how Serena's new angel look can be a major surprise, but it's nothing to be having a cow over." "Wait, wait, wait," Alex said in a slow tone, giving both Whisper and Maq'i a deeply suspicious look. "I think spending so much time with Sue there and figuring out her riddles has clued me in to a few things. Now call me a paranoid bitch, but why do I think that your world just *happens* to have some sort of ancient, obscure legend about some angel-like woman dropping in on you and doing something catastrophic like blowing your world into tiny bits?" "Okay, now *my* vibe detector is going off," Leda spoke up as both denizen women remained perfectly silent. "And I'm not anywhere close to being able to feel such things like Rei here is. Whisper, you want to sit down before you pass out and explain to us why you almost wet yourself when Serena brought her new denizen wings out?" she suggested in a guarded tone. Whisper heaved an unsteady sigh as she gingerly sat down, still keeping most of her attention on Serena. "As the Master Healer has pointed out, I am not a monk and thus have no formal training in ancient religion," the telepath explained in a very cautious tone. "I do have, however, a passing knowledge of some of the ancient prophecies, one of which being how the world will end." "What culture doesn't have that one?" Darian pointed out with a faint hint of humor to his otherwise somber tone. "Okay, I can buy that one," Alex said quietly to Michelle with a shrug of her shoulders. "According to what I've read," Whisper continued, "The end of the world will be set into motion with the arrival of the Four Heralds of Chaos, led by the Ar'kanis il' Hal'al." "The Archangel of Light," Ami spoke up as she glanced at the translation offered by her miniature computer. "Wait, wait, wait," Mina said in a somewhat dangerous tone. "Four Heralds of Chaos, you say? Sounds a lot, and I do mean a lot like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse legend that we've got around here somewhere." "Not this one again," Leda sighed quietly, burying her face in her hands. "Mina, don't tell me you think the two are related somehow...." "Got any better ideas?" the blonde shot back in a flat tone. "Mina," Susan said calmly, making a gesture towards the table. She waited for her to sit back down before drawing a deep breath and looking over at both Whisper and Maq'i. "I must admit to finding this revelation to be more than a little discomforting," she said slowly. "I am quite familiar of our version of this 'four horsemen' prophecy and know it to be thousands of years old. Does yours, by chance, mention the aspects of war, famine, and pestilence as those who accompany the Archangel of Death?" "No," Whisper replied with a firm shake of her head. "They are.... let me think of the proper translation," she said carefully. "The hidden hand of the Red Star shall guide the other Heralds to the brink, where the White Water's true innocence shall be tested. Only then can Time bear slow witness as the Black Lady's veil is torn aside by the Archangel of Light, allowing true Chaos to erupt and finally collapse the sky onto the ground," she quoted in a rather ominous tone. Darian grunted softly. "Great, now I'm getting a chill," he muttered. "Be that as it may, your Highness," Susan spoke up, "That does not sound remotely close to any of the apocalyptic legends and prophecies I am aware of." "I think I have to agree with that," Mina said in an uneasy tone. "Okay, so maybe four is just a nice, neat, fairly round number for such things." "Four makes a square, babe, not a circle," Alex spoke up. "Whatever," Mina replied with a roll of her eyes. "As I said, I know very little of the ancient legends," Maq'i said in a calm tone. "And I suppose at my age, I am close enough to the end of my life that such.... religious stories no longer concern me. Should they be of that grave a concern to you, Whisper, then as I said, take her to see the K'maal il' Hal'al once you are sure you can make the journey without putting her in any danger." "Ami?" Leda spoke up without looking over her shoulder. "The Order of Light," Ami translated after a brief delay. "Huh," Alex said as both she and Michelle suddenly straightened up. "Hey, Sue, where have I heard that name before?" she inquired. Susan sighed quietly, casting a very brief glance at Rei only to find the priestess looking directly at her. "The Order of Light is one of the oldest religious organizations on Earth, based in the mountainous region of China." "Tibet," Rei spoke up calmly. "Precisely," Susan replied with a nod of her head. She jumped slightly as a dark blur hopped up onto the edge of the armrest, just inches away from her. "Ah, there you are," she said once she was sure she could speak in a calm and collected tone. "Feeling better, I trust?" "That was not pleasant," Myst muttered darkly as she curled up in a ball and made herself comfortable, casting a leery glance at the way Serena was still holding Luna and Artemis. "Serena," Darian called out gently, gesturing for her to join him. He scooted back as she approached, making room for her on the front half of the cushion. "You alright now?" he asked as she sat down, gently plucking Artemis out of her winged grasp and setting him down on the armrest. "I think so," Serena murmured softly, setting Luna down in her lap and slowly running her fingers through her dark fur. "That's a rather interesting voice you have, Serena," Artemis spoke up in a careful tone. "Have you tried singing with it yet?" "Maybe later," the blonde whispered, suddenly feeling extremely self- conscious about her angelic form. She jumped slightly as she suddenly felt Darian's hand lightly touching her jaw, gently twisting her around and bringing her lips into contact with his for a decidedly deep kiss. "Don't worry about it, my beautiful angel of a princess," he murmured very softly to her once they could both breathe again. "You are who you are, and we all still love you very much for it." "Thank you," she whispered back with a soft smile before she leaned in to kiss him again. The rest of the group exchanged idle glances of what might have been faint traces of amusement and boredom as they patiently waited for the two lovers to finish. "You know," Rei spoke up in a distinctly casual tone after several seconds had passed and neither Darian nor Serena showed any signs of stopping in the immediate future, "Maybe I'm going to have to throw up after all." "Rei!" Ami blurted out in a faintly shocked tone as Darian and Serena abruptly broke apart to give Rei startled looks. The priestess looked back at them impassively for a moment before her expression finally changed to one of amusement, letting them know that she was only giving them a hard time. "Heh," Darian chuckled quietly as Serena's complexion suddenly flushed a moderate shade of crimson. "Bet your stomach wouldn't be nearly as queasy if someone was smooching you like that, now would it?" "I have no idea, why don't you come over here so we can find out?" Rei replied without missing a beat, a perfectly straight expression moving in to replace her humorous mien. She promptly blinked hard with the rest of the group as there was a sudden explosion of activity as Serena's wings darted out to try to grab Artemis as he slipped off the edge of the chair. The end result was a brief instant of frozen motion where the white cat was dangling from a single set of rear claws before he was hoisted tail-first into the air and very carefully deposited into Darian's lap. "Ow, ow, ow, hey.... thanks," Artemis blurted out as his brain caught up with his senses. "Sorry about that, guess I kinda slipped for a moment there, heh heh...." he laughed weakly as he gave Rei a slightly uneasy look. "And here I thought cats were supposed to be graceful," Alex muttered to Michelle with a smirk. "It's Artemis, enough said," Mina spoke up with an overly large smile. "Not in front of the children," Luna sighed quietly as Artemis started to mutter very unkind things to himself under his breath. "I hardly think they qualify as children," Maq'i spoke up gently. "Especially after what we just went through," Leda added with a very faint growl. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think children would have made it with the stress of running against a nuclear clock, then trying to do something about Serena, then trying to figure out just what the hell we had gotten ourselves into once we got her back. And don't ask me about all the problems with the Crystal, that's still way over my head." "Oh?" Luna asked as both she and Artemis bolted upright into identical sitting positions. Susan paused to give Leda a withering look for a moment before clearing her throat gently. "As I said earlier, there have been a few changes to our situation as a group. If you would be so kind as to hold off your questions until I am done, I shall attempt to explain what precisely happened to us once we arrived in my keep in the Border Ethereal." Luna and Artemis traded uneasy glances before the black cat sighed softly, her whiskers seeming to droop slightly. "Very well," she said as she curled up into a ball in Serena's lap. "Artemis and I will not say a word until you are done with your explanation. Right, Artemis?" she added sharply as her hearing picked up more unkind things being muttered in a near-silent whisper. "Sure," the white cat replied flatly before turning around to glance up at Darian. "Thanks for letting me take that whiz earlier," he whispered softly. "No problem," Darian replied with a faint smirk of understanding. Susan seemed to pause to compose her thoughts for a moment before drawing a deep breath. "As you know, the Imperium Silver Crystal is a fully-sentient entity under the domain of the Royal House of the Moon, comprised of all the souls and personalities of past Queens and Sailor Scouts. When the spirit of Captain Raijen was added to the amalgam, it triggered a sort of uprising within the Crystal that manifested itself in the form of Queen Andromeda. She made another appearance, not too long after we arrived in my Border Ethereal Keep, and that's when Rei was named Regent. Andromeda expelled Captain Raijen's soul from the Crystal moments later, and I was able to provide a safe haven for both his soul and the soul of Queen Serenity. The sudden departure of her mother's soul from the Crystal was traumatic for the Princess, so much so that the shock was sufficient to quite literally kill her." "*WHAT?!*" Artemis suddenly yelped, his fur puffing out sharply enough to make an audible popping sound. Darian might have smiled for a fraction of a second if pain hadn't suddenly run through his upper thighs as all twenty of the cat's claws splayed out again, getting an extremely tense grip on both his pants and his skin. "Hey, easy on the claws, pal," Darian said in a slightly strained voice. "Just keep talking, Susan," Luna said in a very weary tone, looking like all she wanted in life right now was a cigarette and a bowl of alcohol to soak her head in. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as she felt the tips of Serena's fingers glide through her fur as gently as possible. "When the Princess died, I removed her soul from her physical body," Susan continued, pausing as she heard Luna's fur audibly puff out in shock. "I did so for a reason, I assure you. In doing so, the power of the Crystal was able to transfer itself to Rei's bloodline, giving her dominion and enabling her to not just expel Andromeda's soul from the Crystal but to resurrect Serena's body and reunite her soul with her flesh." "Don't look at me like that," Rei said flatly as both cats shifted their focus over to her. "I was just repaying the favor after what she did for us in the Negaverse last year. I'd be more than happy to give this damn thing back to her just as soon as Susan retrieves Queen Serenity's soul from wherever it is stashed away." "Rei?" Darian spoke up in a slightly uneasy tone as the rest of the group exchanged startled glances. "You sound bitter all of a sudden...." "I'm tired, Darian," the priestess replied with a soft sigh as she closed her bottomless black eyes. "Tired of this burden. It's pathetic, really. I mean, I've wanted this power for myself for how long now, and three days after its mine, I can't wait to get rid of it?" "And what burden would that be, your Excellency?" Susan inquired gently. Rei's eyes slowly opened and focused on the succubus. "You ever have the power of the entire universe at your fingertips?" she asked softly as her hand moved down to touch the brooch around her neck. "I know now what this thing can do, and what's worse, I know how important it's become. Did you know that I can easily shatter the Crystal if I truly wanted to? I have the power to, since I've got control of it now. I can hand it to Leda and she can bounce it off the sidewalk all she wants, but it won't even scratch the Crystal. With a flick of my wrist, however, I can turn it into a thousand tiny shards.... and in doing so condemn this world to utter destruction in a week." "Yo, whoa, waitasec," Leda quickly blurted out, her eyes wide. "I am aware of that," Susan said simply with a nod of her head. "Just as I am aware of what it would truly take for you to will its destruction, as well as the consequences it would have for this universe. I do not fear for the Crystal in your hands, just as I have never feared for the Crystal in Serena's hands." "Because it wouldn't have crossed her mind to even think of doing so?" Rei prompted in a neutral tone. "Among other things," Susan replied calmly. "She is not tempted by the cosmic powers that lie within it, and I daresay that after having tasted that same power for yourself, neither are you." "Are you sure about that?" Rei said in a dangerously soft tone. "Rei?" Mina spoke up in a careful tone. "Why would you be so eager to get rid of the Crystal if you don't want its power?" "Because you feel you would use that power?" Susan spoke up before Rei could draw in enough breath to reply. A soft rush of air escaped Rei's lips as she breathed out, her dark gaze locked on Susan's composed expression. "Wouldn't you?" she whispered. "Had you asked me that when I was your age, I would," Susan admitted in a perfectly calm tone. "However, as I have already explained, I was taught a rather harsh lesson about being responsible for the powers I was granted, and I assure you that the lesson was very much taken to heart. I think, however, that you yourself need not experience such a lesson for you to gain a measure of understanding of what it means. Am I afraid of my powers and duties as the Guardian of Time? No, and neither am I afraid of my responsibilities as such. I respect them, of course, but I do not fear them." "Not anymore, perhaps," the priestess suggested. "I will grant you that much," Susan replied softly, looking down at the gray kitten in her lap for several seconds. She sighed gently to herself and looked back up at Rei. "You need not run from your role as Regent anymore than you need to run from Serena's trust and love. The power of the Crystal is in your hands for now, and it may be handed to you again in the future. We all have just as much trust in you to do the right thing as we do in the Princess, and that is a fact that you can never simply run away from." "I know you trust me," Rei said very slowly. "But what if I don't trust myself?" "Then you wind up like me, Rei," Darian spoke up in a faintly bitter tone, still absently trying to calm Artemis down to a point where he could make an attempt at picking him up without ripping any new holes in either his skin or his pants. "You get to spend a few days or weeks living in your own personal hell while life blows past you without looking back. What's worse, you could end up dragging your friends into it, making their lives hell as well. Is that what you really want?" "Settle down, you two," Mina huffed quietly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest with a sour pout. "No need to get all gloomy and doomy on us. If Rei doesn't want to hold the Crystal any more, that's her business. I'll hold onto it myself if you want until Queen Serenity's soul is returned to the Crystal. Speaking of which...." she added, giving Susan a meaningful look. "After that stunt with the grenade, I'm not sure I'd want you holding onto a pair of my socks," Serena muttered quietly, almost causing Darian to fall out of the chair as he furiously tried to suppress a laugh. "Uhh, that didn't sound right," Artemis said very slowly, twisting around to cast an uneasy glance at the vivid blush of embarrassment on Mina's face. "What stunt with what grenade?" "I shall explain later," Susan said lightly, making idle note of the looks on everyone's faces at being reminded of the dimensional concussion grenade and the fallout that had resulted. Her attention returned to the quietly haunted look on Rei's face and sighed softly to herself, knowing that she was simply stalling in the face of an unpleasant task. Very well, let us get this over with, she thought with another quiet sigh as she gently picked up Myst and deposited her on the armrest. "Ami, if you would be so kind?" she said as she stood up, unconsciously commanding the Key to Time to appear in her hand. Ami blinked in surprise and gave her a slightly confused look before she suddenly remembered. "Oh," she said as she stood up, quickly extracting the empty soul-rune from her Lunar Space pocket. "Here," she said as she carried it across the room and started to hand it to the succubus. "No, that is fine," Susan replied with a gentle shake of her head. "Just hold it out like that for me, if you please. Thank you," she said softly as the pyramid-shaped device was carefully cupped in both hands and held up. She reached out to brush a pair of fingertips against it, her fingernails lightly scraping across the polished surface before they abruptly sank in to create a visible ripple of energy. "Hey!" Ami gasped in surprise as the soul-rune immediately became warm to her touch. Susan said nothing as she closed her eyes, drawing her powers inward as she raised her staff slightly. She wouldn't need to assume her demonic form for this, as she would be relying solely upon the energies of her spirit to act as a conduit. Taking a deep breath, she rapped the end of her staff hard on the ground, commanding it to open a purely Astral connection into the Deep Ethereal demiplane where she had sent Serenity and Raijen's souls earlier. Her senses promptly blurred around her as her spirit was projected across the dimensional barriers, zooming along through a silvery conduit that appeared to be as fragile as a strand of spider-silk. She knew that the Astral conduit was far more resilient than that, of course, but she also knew that the silver strand was all that was keeping her soul attached to the body she had just left behind in the material plane. The Astral journey seemed to take an unusually long time before she was finally deposited into a small bubble-like domain, a tiny haven neatly trapped by the fibers of the Deep Ethereal plane and thus prevented from being drawn in by the incessant tugs of the Astral plane's "spiritual gravity". She began to project a ghostly mirror of herself as her spirit entered the bubble, a silvery echo to give her some semblance of substance as she looked around. Even as close to the Astral plane as they were, there was still enough cohesion in the Deep Ethereal's structure to allow small strands of Ether to be woven together into a psuedo-reality that could then be shaped at will. That had obviously been done already, as the bubble seemed to be a somewhat spectral mirror-image of Queen Serenity's bedchambers back in the Moon Kingdom. As for the Queen herself.... Susan blinked in surprise before immediately turning to study a portrait on one of the walls, loudly clearing her throat and deeply wishing she didn't have to intrude. I should have expected this, she thought with a soft sigh of resignation. Being trapped here is probably the first time they've truly been alone together in a thousand years, so of course they would.... pick up where they left off, she thought with another soft sigh. She would have been more than willing to return at a later point in time, but the strain of the Astral projection was already starting to take a toll on her. "Susan!" Serenity yelped in surprise as she yanked the sheets up as high as she could. Raijen immediately froze in mid-motion, casting a look over his bare shoulder that was somewhere between surprise and resentment. "I hope you will forgive the intrusion, your Majesty," Susan said in a weary tone as she continued to study the portrait instead of the bed. "But I have come to return the both of you to Earth. I.... regret that I am not able to simply depart and return at another point in time, so I must ask that you get dressed as soon as you can." "How is she?" Raijen demanded as there was a brief but furious burst of activity before half the sheets were tossed aside. "Alive and well," Susan replied calmly as she leaned close to study the gilded ridges in the painting frame, doing her best to ignore her peripheral vision. She blinked as he did something she didn't expect, turning her head to properly focus just as he reached her and grabbed her arm in a grip that was not overly gentle. "The Chaos Factor," he said urgently, not seeming to care in the slightest that he was stark naked and still obviously thinking of Serenity. "What has happened to her?" Susan looked into the depths of his blue eyes for a moment before nodding in understanding, her peripheral vision able to clearly differentiate the color of Serenity's cheeks from the rest of her nude body as she discreetly slid out of bed to make a grab for her clothes. "There has been a change," she said in a very careful tone. "Only two denizens have seen her so far, but both reacted with shock at seeing how she has changed. Captain Whisper said she thought that the Princess was.... forgive my accent, as I'm not used to your language, but I believe she said she thought Serena was the one her legends speak of, ie ay'chen Ar'kanis il' Hal'al." "What?" Raijen hissed, his complexion turning as white as his backside. "Susan, what has happened to her?" Serenity said breathlessly as she came over, still tugging her underwear into place. She absently handed a pair of undershorts to Raijen, her cheeks tinted a curious shade of pink as her rather violent blush was diluted by the pale countenance of a worried mother. "In short, your Majesty, the Princess has become a denizen angel," Susan said as she edged past her to scoop up the forgotten gown. She fluffed it out slightly and snapped it once to remove any casual dust before tugging the zipper completely open. "You will, of course, see for yourselves in short order, so it is best not to waste time. If you would be so kind?" she added casually as she gestured for Serenity to step into the gown. Serenity and Raijen traded deeply embarrassed looks, dark blushes once again coloring their faces as they started to get dressed. "We're glad to see you, Susan," Serenity said in an abashed tone as she was helped into the gown as if it were just another ordinary evening in the Moon Kingdom. "Your timing, however...." Raijen rumbled quietly as he finished tugging his undershorts into place and went over to the pile of discarded armor. "That couldn't be helped, Captain," Susan apologized in a calm tone as she gently zipped Serenity's gown into place. "As you can see, I am projecting myself Astrally to reach this place, and there is no known way to 'look before you leap' when using such a method of projection. I assure you, had I known I would be intruding I would have waited until later." "Still," Serenity muttered as she fanned herself, feeling the skin on her face all but melt with the heat of her blush. She paused as she heard a soft rasp behind her and turned to look, her brow furrowing slightly as she caught the pained look on her Chancellor's face before it could be removed. "Susan, are you alright?" "Astral projection is.... not easy," Susan admitted calmly, trying to ignore the way her senses were starting to blur around the edges. "However, I assure the both of you that I have enough strength to return you to Earth. I must warn you, however, that this journey may be somewhat uncomfortable for the two of you. I will first have to transfer your souls into a soul-rune while I return to my physical body. Afterwards, I will attempt to draw out Serenity's soul to return to the Imperium Silver Crystal while Raijen's soul remains in the rune. It's the only way I can think of to house his soul intact," she said gently. "Rejoining him with the Imperium Silver Crystal is.... not an option, as we have all learned." "Susan, wait," Serenity said quickly as Raijen's head shot up in surprise. "You mean you're going to have to separate us again?" "It can't be helped," Susan replied softly with a shake of her head. "All I can do is ensure that his soul will be protected against the Astral plane and readily accessible to the Princess whenever she desires. I'm not sure if I can arrange a direct link between the Crystal and a soul-rune, but with a little help it may be possible to allow him to project his spirit outside the confines of the rune, just as you can do outside of the Crystal." "But...." Serenity protested, her lower lip trembling slightly. "Serenity," Raijen admonished quietly as he hefted the chest-piece of his armor into place. "We have been fortunate to have had this much allotted to us when we were both prepared to face oblivion. To demand or even expect anything further would be ungrateful, and I have no wish to be as such. To even exist for another few moments is a blessing, and to be given the hope that I will be able to be with you again, even if only for brief instants of time, is enough to sustain my spirit for I will always have your love to sustain my heart." Susan couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face as she saw the way Serenity's unease seemed to melt away like a dusting of snow beneath a warm summer sun. "I can make no promises, of course, but I daresay that the two of you will be able to enjoy far more than brief and transient moments together," Susan said. "I might even be able to arrange a private suite for you...." "Susan!" Serenity gasped as her vivid blush of embarrassment returned with a vengeance. "With all due respect, Serenity, grow up," Susan replied with a look of amused reproachment. "We are all adults here, and I doubt anyone can blame you for wanting to enjoy some of the finer pleasures of being in love. As in the past, I shall protect you from public embarrassment about such things, so you need not worry in the slightest. Do you need a hand with that, Captain?" she inquired calmly over her shoulder, pointedly ignoring the strangled sounds of mortified embarrassment Serenity was actively trying to suppress. Raijen grunted quietly as he locked a shoulder-guard into place. "I am almost finished, Chancellor," he said. "Unless you cannot spare another two minutes." "I most certainly can," Susan replied with a bow of her head. She paused for a moment as the gesture created a sort of sensory sloshing effect, making the room blur out of focus for a brief instant before solidifying again. Or perhaps not, she thought with a faint sense of unease as she felt the tension in her Astrally-projected body become worse. "Susan, you will tell us about everything that happened after we left, right?" Serenity asked carefully as she squeezed the other woman's arm. "When we have the time, yes," Susan promised. "It will take a few hours, however, and it is likely that most of the salient details will have already been made apparent once we return. Serenity...." she said slowly before she lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "I really am sorry for interrupting." "It's alright," Serenity murmured in reply as she looked away, her cheeks almost literally glowing a cherry red color. "I'm not sure how long we've been trapped in here, but.... the time has been put to good use." Both women glanced over at Raijen as he approached, the weight of his armor making his footsteps seem unusually heavy. "I believe I am prepared, Chancellor," he said calmly, reaching out to gently brush an armored hand against Serenity's arm. "Please, let us go see our daughter now." Susan nodded and reached out to them, her hands dissolving into halos of silvery light as she touched their foreheads. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself against what was about to come. "I must apologize in advance if this is.... uncomfortable," she warned them in a gentle tone. Then before they could react, she grasped the cores of their souls as hard as she could and leapt back into the silvery strand leading back to her material body. The return journey was like trying to swim in a river while carrying a sack of rice in each hand. The strain on her spirit was incredible, the pull of the Astral plane threatening to overwhelm her as she left the sanctity of the Deep Ethereal. She would have gritted her teeth if she had any, doing her absolute best to keep a steady pace as she followed the Astral thread back to its source. It seemed to take an eternity before the nimbus of light appeared before her, telling her that she was finally back. She would be able to enter it, of course, as that was her body on the other side, but the souls of Raijen and Serenity would be another matter. Fortunately, she had already forged a new link before she left.... Heads snapped up as Ami screamed at the top of her lungs, the blue sigil of the House of Mercury exploding into brilliance on her forehead with the strength of a supernova. The soul-rune in her hands suddenly lit up with raw energy as well, white-hot sigils burning themselves into the surfaces as it became occupied by a pair of souls. "Susan!" Alex yelped as Susan's eyes snapped open in the same instant, her red irises burning like coals and the dark green sign of Pluto flashing into view on her forehead. Susan snatched her fingertips away from the now-searing soul-rune only to lunge forward again, trying to catch the device as Ami's reflexes kicked in and heaved the superheated rune away from her. Susan could feel the heat wash over her as she successfully caught it, the white-hot sigils slowly cooling down as the trap stabilized itself. The pain was enough to make her wince, but she knew that it would only be minor damage at best and would probably heal before the device returned to room-temperature. "Hey!" Leda protested as she shot to her feet with the rest of the group, completely startled by the sudden burst of activity. "Ami, hold still," Susan instructed as she refocused on the rest of the room around her. Ami's hands and wrists were still spasming hard as she waved them around in pain, bright red burn marks clearly etched into her palms. Her lips were drawn back to expose her tiny vampiric fangs and her breath was being drawn in sharp hisses that clearly denoted the pain she was in. "Why didn't you warn me?" Ami demanded as she struggled to calm down as best she could. She glanced over her shoulder and tried to hold still as Maq'i approached her, the Healer's fingertips already starting to glow white as she gathered her healing powers together. "Soul-runes don't usually do that," Susan replied in a somewhat flat tone, acutely aware of the burning sensation in her hand. She started to carefully toss the pyramid-shaped device from hand to hand like one would a hot potato. "Someone grab an oven-mitt," Mina said over her shoulder. "Hang on," Leda said as she darted into the kitchen. "Well?" Alex prompted carefully, trying to examine the still-glowing soul- rune being tossed back and forth. "I believe everything is in order," Susan replied calmly, casting a brief glance to her side as she became aware of the truly evil glare Ami was giving her. "With the exception of a few unexpected burns," she amended. "Had I any idea it would do that, Ami, I assure you I would not have asked you to hold it for me. Master Healer?" "You'll be fine, child," Maq'i told Ami in a soothing tone, both her hands and Ami's hands encompassed in a gentle white glow. "In fact, your powers of regeneration are working faster than I can keep up. All I am able to do is blunt the worst of the pain while you heal on your own." "Thank you," Ami said in a brittle tone as she cast another glare towards Susan, clearly unhappy with the situation. "Susan!" Leda called out as she pitched an oven mitt through the air. "Thank you," Susan replied in a grateful tone as she caught the padded mitt in her left hand. She quickly slid it on and transferred the glowing soul-rune onto it, a faint sense of relief spreading through her once she was no longer able to feel the still-dangerously hot runes etched into it. "Honestly, Chancellor," Rei spoke up calmly from her spot on the floor. "After trying to contain Serena's soul for a few moments, did you really think that something would be able to hold Queen Serenity's soul without some sort of backlash?" Susan shot Alex a withering look as the blonde promptly buried her face in the crook of Michelle's shoulder and muttered something, causing a pained look to cross the other girl's face. "A reaction was anticipated," she said as she turned back to look at the priestess. "That it would result in a rapid and extreme increase in the surface temperature of the soul-rune was not." "You alright, Ami?" Darian inquired as the glow faded away from Maq'i's hands and she took a step back. "I think so," Ami said in a leery tone, glancing down at the palms of her hands before carefully flexing them. She winced slightly at the tightness of the newly-regenerated skin before looking back up at the rest of the group. "Just give me another few minutes before you ask me to hold anything, though," she added, casting yet another sidelong glance at Susan. Susan glanced down at her right hand, one eyebrow twitching upwards in surprise as she could clearly see a pair of sigils formed by the light pink lines of burnt-but-healing skin. She then glanced at the soul-rune itself, her other eyebrow arcing up to join the first as she saw two distinct colors of spiritual energy seared into the sides of the rune. The golden crescent of the Royal House of the Moon shone the brightest, seeming to pulse and fade like the ghost of a heartbeat, but the glow couldn't completely mask the darker red outline of a sigil that was clearly of denizen origin. "Interesting," she commented as she studied the spider-like lines. "Unless I am mistaken, I would say that I've seen this particular character before. Do any of you recognize it?" she asked as she held it up higher for the rest of the group to see. "Dragoon," four voices promptly replied in unison. "That's the official uniform insignia of the Dragoon Legion," Ami added. "Ah, I understand now," Susan said with a nod. "Hardly unexpected given the fact that he was the driving force behind its founding.... I wouldn't try to touch it just yet, your Highness," she admonished gently as Serena moved over to look at the soul-rune. "They're together, aren't they?" Serena whispered quietly, staring at the way the two runes were seemingly blended together. They retained their own coloring, but there was a sort of bleeding effect at the points where the lines of Raijen's soul-symbol crossed over the golden crescent of Serenity's sigil. "They are," Susan replied with a nod. "They have been since your father merged his life crystal with the Imperium Silver Crystal. Even when Andromeda expelled his spirit, Serenity went after him and they both ended up together in the haven I created. Is everything alright?" she added softly as she saw the look of uncertainty on the blonde's face. "Susan, must we.... I mean, do I.... have to disturb them?" Serena asked very carefully, her triple-tone voice seeming to resonate with her caution. "I mean, if they're alone together and they're safe.... do we really need to keep them apart in separate.... separate places?" It took the succubus a moment to clear her mind of the image she had seen when she first intruded into the bubble-haven. "I'm sorry, Serena," she said, unable to prevent the faintest hint of a blush from tinting her cheeks, "But your mother's rightful place is within the Imperium Silver Crystal. I will have to do some research first, but I believe there is a way to enable your father's spirit to project itself outside the soul-rune and manifest himself, just as your mother's spirit could do from within the Crystal. For now, both you and your parents will have to be content with the current situation." "I know," Serena replied sadly. "It's just that.... I thought they...." "Believe me, your Highness, I understand," Susan said gently, giving the winged princess a meaningful look of understanding. "So now what?" Rei spoke up quietly, one hand absently toying with the stylized brooch hanging around her neck. "Patience is a virtue, sweetie, or so Sue keeps claiming," Alex said with a smirk as she absently rubbed Michelle's temples. "I got rid of my virtue months ago. Next," Rei replied in a slightly flat tone, causing the rest of the group to wince slightly. "Objection, your honor," Mina sighed as she let her forehead hit the table with a muted thump. "Sustained," Artemis muttered. "Think someone should offer Rei a beer?" Darian spoke up in a remotely amused tone. "Lord knows I'll be asking for one if things keep going at this rate. Wait, maybe I should ask if we even have any first...." he said as he turned around to look at Leda. "Don't look at me," the brunette protested. "Tolaris wouldn't let Maze show me where the storage pool is in this place." "Behind Dyvach's nest," Ami spoke up in a slightly disturbed tone. "He likes to sleep on top of the heat sink." "Nothing wrong with finding a warm spot to snooze on, right?" Alex said carefully, trying to gauge Ami's mood. "Depends on where that warm spot is," Ami replied with a sigh. There was a slightly uneasy pause from the rest of the group as they all exchanged glances before Mina sighed quietly. "Okay, where else did you find our lovely crystalline spider?" she inquired with guarded curiosity. "Inside the dryer," Ami replied flatly. "Nothing wrong with toasty underwear in the morning," Darian commented. "I can deal with Dyvach doing my laundry for me," Ami replied, her cheeks turning a moderate shade of red. "I don't even mind him folding my underwear for me. But I certainly mind it when he spends half the cycle curled up in a ball inside the dryer with them." There was another uneasy pause from the group as they exchanged glances before Artemis and Darian looked at one another. "Eeech," they both muttered in identical tones. "I see your point," Darian added with a sour look. "At least they were washed first," Artemis muttered with a flick of his tail. "I'd hate to imagine what it must EERRRKK!" he gasped as a hand grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him into the air. "You, ah, got something to say about the laundry, my friend?" Mina said in a distinctly dangerous tone as she held him up to eye-level. "Do you ever see me playing with your socks?" Artemis replied. "You stole my fresh-from-the-dryer underwear once," Mina pointed out. "And that was what, *after* you spritzed me with that perfume of yours?" "I don't think you ever explained that one, you know," she reminded him. The white cat looked at her for a moment before sighing and deciding to just get it over with. "Well, you wouldn't let me out of your room, and my nose was really starting to burn, and your box of tissues was empty from that chick-flick video you saw earlier, so I needed something to scrub it out...." "*ARTEMIS!!* Mina yelled, her face turning as red as her hair bow. "I stuffed it in the dirty hamper!" he protested. "It's not like I just put it back on the pile you left on the AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" Everyone gasped in horror as he was thrown the full length of the room, tumbling head-over-heels in a fairly low ballistic arc. He was a fraction of a second away from smashing a hole in the wall when he suddenly jerked to a complete halt in mid-air, seeming to be held in place by an invisible force. "Mina," Whisper said in a reproving tone as her powers of telekinesis gently lowered Artemis to the floor. "Oooooooooohhhh," Mina fumed, her face still dangerously red. She glared at the panting ball of fur on the ground and stormed back over to her chair, throwing herself into it hard enough to make it creak ominously. "See what you did, D?" Alex said with a faint smirk. "*I* did?" Darian echoed incredulously. "What do I have to do with this?" "You started it by asking about the beer," Alex said with a languid smile. "Which, come to think of it, sounds like a really good idea right now...." "You're not having any," Michelle spoke up in a somewhat glacial tone. Alex blinked and seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon. "Mich, babe, I'm not going to get drunk or anything, I'm just...." "No," Michelle said firmly. Darian just leaned back in the chair and chuckled very quietly to himself, absently reaching out to stroke Luna's dark fur. "And people say I'm whipped," he murmured to her. "She better have you whipped," Luna replied dryly. "Thanks, Luna," Darian sighed heavily as Leda almost hit the floor from laughing so hard. Rei looked like she was biting her tongue and trying not to smile while Alex's head was buried in Michelle's shoulder again, the blonde's shoulders shaking hard with muffled laughter. "Ow...." Artemis muttered as he unsteadily made his way over to the couch, the tip of his tail wobbling back and forth in an uneven rhythm. "Thanks," he said to Whisper as he hopped up onto the coffee table in front of her. "Susan, are you alright?" Serena asked carefully as Susan started to lean heavily on the staff that had appeared in her free hand without warning. "Just a bit of a headache, your Highness," Susan replied with a faint and distinctly wan smile. "Astral projection takes a heavy toll on both the body and spirit, and I must confess that the current social environment is.... shall we say, less than conducive to casual relaxation." "I told you these humans are dangerous," Myst muttered from her position on the armrest. "Settle down, kitty," Leda gasped as she finally managed to sit upright against the wall, wiping a stray tear of laughter out of her eye. "Like I said, we're not that bad. And if we really are, then I'm sure Susan there can drop you off at wherever it was that she picked you up if you ask her nicely." "That reminds me," Alex said quietly to Michelle. "Wonder what happened to Mephisto?" "Wait, who?" Mina said as she suddenly snapped out of her funk. "Tell you later, babe," Alex replied with a shrug of dismissal. "A Shinma we met while in the Dark," Susan explained calmly. "I strongly doubt he is the demon-lord you are most likely thinking of." "Right...." Mina said slowly, seeming to return to her quiet fuming. Susan glanced down at the soul-rune in her hand and touched her fingertip against it. "I believe it is cool enough now," she said as she set her staff aside and switched the soul-rune to her free hand. Rei just shook her head as she watched the staff casually fade out of existence as if was the most natural thing in the world. "Susan, how do you keep doing that? The staff," she added as she got a curious look. "The Key is an integrated part of Time," Susan explained as she slipped the oven mitt off and set it aside. "In fact, the natural state for it is to be within the Flow itself. Unless I command it to manifest, it will return there of its own accord until needed again. After having used it for so long, the process of summoning and dismissing it has become instinctive and no longer requires a cohesive thought." "Cogito, ergo sum," Mina muttered. "In essence, yes," Susan replied with a nod. "Serena, I wouldn't...." The soul-rune suddenly lit up like a flare as Serena's fingertip brushed over the pair of etched runes. Her sigil likewise began to glow strongly, the golden crescent moon shape seeming to burn on her forehead as her golden eyes promptly doubled in diameter. "Hey!" Leda protested as she leapt to her feet. "Serena, you okay?" "I can feel them," Serena whispered as her eyes half-closed. "Rei?" Rei looked at her for a moment with open unease before sighing softly and rising to her feet. "Do you feel anything?" she asked Susan as she moved to stand next to the blonde. She blinked as she was promptly wrapped up in fully half of Serena's wings, winding around her arms and legs like so many warm snakes that squeezed her gently. "Only the power of the soul-rune itself," Susan said calmly, keeping a very careful eye on both Serena and the rune. "Your Highness?" "Touch it, Rei," Serena whispered in an almost dream-like voice. "You should be able to feel it too. The Crystal should be able to help them...." Rei paused for several moments with obvious unease before she gingerly reached out to brush her fingertips over the etched surface of the soul-rune. Her eyes widened an instant later as her own sigil suddenly flared into view, the deep red arrowed-circle of the House of Mars briefly visible before it melted into a red crescent moon shape. Who is that? a voice seemed to brush against her mind's ear. Rei? "Release them," Rei whispered to herself, her voice suddenly seeming to no longer be her own. "In the name of the Moon, I command you...." Susan blinked hard at the whispered voice and was about to ask what she meant when she realized that the priestess wasn't talking to her but to the vibrant glow spilling out from inside the Imperium Silver Crystal. "Such impetuousness," a soft voice said as a pair of spectral forms began to manifest on either side of her. They resolved into the figures of Lady Mars and Queen Nectaris, a look of open relief evident on Aria's face while the empty void of Nectaris' featureless eyes seemed to contain just the slightest hint of amusement. "And an imperial attitude to go with it," the past queen added lightly. "Your Majesty," Susan said quietly with a bow of her head, still holding the fiercely-glowing soul-rune in her hand. Nectaris just shook her head, a gentle hint of a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "If the situation weren't so dire, my dear, I think I might actually be entertained by her manners. No matter, we have far more important things to tend to at the moment," she sighed as she reached forward and brushed her spectral hand over the rune's surface, giving both Serena and Rei deep chills as she came into physical contact with their flesh. The polished surface of the soul-rune seemed to explode in an instant, a surging geyser of energy erupting outwards in a wide arc before coalescing into the familiar forms of Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen. They both blinked and took a brief moment to reorient themselves to their surroundings before their gazes fell on Serena. "Oh, Serena...." Serenity gasped as she immediately reached out to her daughter, her lavender eyes widening as her mind registered the changes Serena had gone through. She looked like she might have said something else but was suddenly distracted by the heavy clanking sound caused by Raijen collapsing to his knees, his eyes dangerously wide. Rei took one look at the situation and quickly backed up, trying to give the family reunion some space and untangle herself from the glowing ribbons of Serena's wings in the process. She blinked and paused as the wings suddenly tightened around her, refusing to let go. "She said...." Raijen rasped quietly, his voice dangerously raw as it left his throat. "She said that you had become a denizen angel, my daughter, and now I see that she is right. S-S-Serena...." he whispered before his voice failed him completely as his eyes started to flood with tears. Susan said nothing as she edged back a step, watching in silence as most the room started to cry as Serena lunged forward, wrapping one arm around her father's torso and the other around her mother's waist. The majority of her denizen wings followed suit an instant later, looping and coiling around arms in tight grips as her own tears started to fall. Several of the glowing wings continued to grip Rei's arm tightly, causing the priestess to cast an uneasy glance at her arm and start to worry about the restricted circulation of blood. Susan looked around the room as the soft sobbing started, knowing it would be several moments at a minimum before anything coherent would be asked. It failed to surprise her in the slightest to see that only Darian, Artemis, and Myst weren't crying to one degree or another, knowing that such reunions tended to touch the hearts of women far more easily than men. Or demons, she added with a silent sigh as she knew that she herself was rarely moved by witnessing such things despite her wishes that she could be. "Look closely, all of you," Nectaris said softly, not appearing to be talking to anyone in particular. "Can you not see the depth of the love in her hybrid heart? Do you sense any hatred she holds, any ill-will towards anyone? Look closely and tell me if you still see a threat in her." Everyone blinked as the Imperium Silver Crystal suddenly lit up with a bright glow, causing golden crescent moon sigils to appear on the heads of both Serenity and Nectaris. A red crescent began to glow on Lady Mars' forehead an instant later, matching the hue and intensity of the mark on Rei's head. She still poses a danger, Rei heard a voice whisper in her mind's ear. The call has yet to be given, and it will be with her blood. We must not allow ourselves to answer the Chosen One. Her power must remain sealed. "What?" Serenity suddenly said, her head snapping up in surprise. "We have a deal, do we not?" Nectaris said in an edged tone. "Guys, I don't like this," Alex whispered very softly to Michelle and Whisper as they watched the way the glow of the Imperium Silver Crystal and the five crescent sigils all pulsed in unison. We will answer when we know who calls us, Rei heard. That is the deal. The peach-haired queen nodded and seemed to sigh quietly. "As you can tell, Serenity, things have gotten.... unsettled since your.... departure," she said as her expression twitched for a moment as if she had suddenly been forced to suck on a lemon. "I'm sorry," Serenity whispered as she brushed a ghostly tear out of her eye, reaching out to lay a hand on Raijen's shoulder. "But you know why I did what I had to do." "You shall not find my voice among those who would fault you for it," the Ancient One replied calmly as she moved over to a visibly leery Rei. "Had it been the one I loved enough to draw into my bed, I might have easily done the same. No matter, though, as you have come to rejoin us once again. You have done well in guarding the Crystal for this long, dear child, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to return it to me," she said gently to Rei. Rei glanced over at Serena for a moment before returning her gaze to the spectral queen and nodding in understanding. She started to reach up to undo the brooch's clasp when the wings wrapped around her arm gave a somewhat sharp tug, jerking her hand away from the silvery chain. "Hey!" she protested with a startled look. Serena said nothing as she unwound her wings from her parents' arms, the glowing ribbons of light absently arranging themselves in a butterfly-shaped pattern behind her as she approached the priestess. Gold eyes stared deep into bottomless black eyes before Serena took another step forward, wrapping Rei in a tight hug and cocooning them both in her angelic wings. Rei blinked hard as she felt her chest become dangerously warm, an almost liquid sensation flowing across the front of her robe as the Imperium Silver Crystal was pressed between them. The hug lasted for several seconds before Serena finally released her and stepped back, both girls glancing down to see a familiar golden brooch securely pinned to the front of Serena's swimsuit top with the exposed Crystal calmly glittering in the center. "Typical," Rei found herself muttering quietly as she glanced up at the long-haired blonde. She sighed in resignation at the look of warmth and love being directed back at her, knowing there was simply no way she would ever be able to truly resist the depth of Serena's friendship and feelings for her. "You're welcome," she added with a faint hint of sourness. "You'll be alright, my dear," Nectaris said calmly to Aria as she gasped very softly, the red crescent sigil on her forehead slowly melting back into the familiar sign of Mars. "Rei, however, will always retain the power of the Regency inside her soul." "I know," Lady Mars replied in a subdued tone, looking up at her with a soft sigh. "And thank you," she whispered softly, unable to prevent a soft smile from crossing her face as Serena hugged Rei tightly again. A dark red crescent still shone brightly on Rei's forehead, seeming to match the remotely unhappy expression on her face as she yielded to the fierce embrace. "Are you alright?" Serenity murmured in Raijen's ear as she knelt down next to him, starting to grow concerned at the deeply haunted look on his face and the thin trickle of tears that continued to fall. "She survived the Chaos Factor," Raijen replied gently, audibly trying to rally himself. "That alone is a minor miracle, and for her to be so.... so beautiful, every bit as radiant as our love for one another.... Serenity, what have I done to deserve this?" he asked, looking up at her with a deadly serious expression. "What?" she said, clearly startled by the question. "Three times now I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams after my death ages ago," he whispered fiercely. "To meet you, then to have a child, then to see her become a child of prophecy.... what have I possibly done to be given so much?" "Aw, crap," Alex muttered to Whisper. "Here we go with that prophecy stuff again. Doesn't sound like he thinks it's a bad idea, though...." Susan smiled gently as she took a step forward towards Raijen. "If I may, Captain, we have a saying in our world. Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth," she said lightly. Raijen blinked and gave her a startled look before giving Serenity a very confused look. She opened her mouth to explain when Ami spoke up from her spot next to Susan's armchair, giving him the equivalent translation in the denizen language as best she could. The armored figure looked at her for a moment before looking back up at Susan, a rueful smile touching the edges of his lips. "Very well, Chancellor, I will not question your wisdom too deeply on this account," he rumbled as he carefully rose to his feet. "And Maze says denizens don't learn fast," Mina muttered quietly. "Mina!" Ami hissed softly, a delicate blush forming across her face as Raijen glanced at them both before shaking his head in amusement. "Ahem," Whisper said casually, giving Mina a look of identical amusement. "I know humans tend to pick up on things faster than denizens do, but there is no need to be arrogant about it. Besides, Maze is a special case anyway...." "Heh," Leda chuckled softly as Mina turned a delicate shade of pink. "Serenity," Nectaris said gently. "Don't give me that look," she sighed as Serenity glanced over at her with a heart-rending look on her face, one hand reaching out to grip Raijen's tightly. "You know just as well as I do that it is simply not possible. How things managed to progress for this long before Andromeda was able to usurp control is beyond me, but most would settle for writing it off as you having a particularly strong willpower. The soul of your beloved will be quite safe where it resides, and you have my word that I shall do my best to see it remains protected. I said *my* word," she snapped as the Crystal suddenly became markedly brighter, seeming to hum gently from where it hung from Serena's top. "I did not ask for your consent because it will not be needed. I can still do quite a lot on my own, thank you." Both Serenity and Serena's eyes widened slightly as they heard the voice of the cosmic consciousness inside their heads, seeming to argue with Nectaris for an unusually long time. "Are things that bad that there is no longer any consensus?" Serenity whispered as her face grew pale. "They didn't care to have me as their spokesperson," Aria spoke up in a faintly bitter tone. "The ejection of Andromeda's soul into oblivion didn't help matters, either." "What?" Serenity gasped as her complexion turned completely white. "Things are a mess," Nectaris admitted calmly, "But as soon as you care to rejoin us, perhaps you can put that willpower of yours to use in imposing order once again. And I dare you to tell me we don't need it," she added in a dark tone as the Crystal's glow flared up again. Serenity looked at the Crystal for a moment before sighing heavily and turning to look at Raijen, glimmers of tears starting to form in the corners of her soft lavender eyes again. She sighed and closed her eyes as he reached up to lightly stroke her face. "Duty calls, my beloved," he said quietly. "And you know that few more than I understands why the call must be answered above all else. Take comfort in knowing that I will always be near you, and that either you or our daughter need only reach out to find me." "I know," she whispered as she leaned over to kiss him soundly. "Alright, what is it with the Royal House and kissing?" Alex muttered to Michelle after watching Serenity and Raijen kiss for several seconds. "They're just as bad as these other two love-birds. Think we should find them a room?" "Alex!" Michelle gasped in a mortified tone as the kiss was abruptly broken, Raijen's head coming around to cast an unamused glance towards the couch while Serenity's face suddenly exploded into a crimson blush. "That will be quite enough, Alex," Susan said in a strained tone, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. "Indeed," Raijen rumbled softly, his tone causing Alex to quail slightly. "Perhaps it is best you rejoin your ancestors and take care of matters among your court while I have a short conversation with Prince Darian." "Huh?" Darian said as his head snapped up. "I didn't do anything...." "That's not what I heard," Alex muttered softly to Michelle. Her blue eyes bulged dangerously as Michelle's fist swung back, nailing her square in the solar plexus and driving most of the wind out of her lungs. She sank down onto the back end of the couch a moment later in perfect silence, but her words had already been heard. "Oh?" Raijen said, his eyebrows arching up in mild surprise at the look on Michelle's face and the swift violence of her action. "Leave him alone," Serena spoke up, her triple-tone voice catching both Serenity and Raijen by complete surprise. "Serena, your voice!" Serenity exclaimed, blinking hard. "I know," Serena sighed, briefly glancing away. She glanced back at them for a moment before closing her eyes completely, turning her focus inward. All four sets of spectral eyebrows arched up in surprise as Serena's wings began to glow in pulses before they shimmered out of existence, leaving just a faint trace of disturbed air before vanishing completely. "Impressive," Raijen rumbled calmly as Serena opened her eyes, revealing their usual blue color. "Better?" Serena asked carefully in her normal human voice. "Oh, honey," Serenity sighed as she moved forward to hug her daughter. "You don't have to change or hide anything from me, it's a beautiful voice." "Certainly a unique voice," Nectaris commented in a kind tone. "Your Lunar friend is right, it would be interesting to hear that voice sing," she added, making an absent gesture to the white ball of fur curled up on top of the coffee table. "Maybe later," Serena whispered softly as the hug was broken. "Prince Darian," Raijen started to say before falling silent as he felt Serenity's hand touch his arm. "One moment first," Serenity said in a slightly suspicious tone. "I may not be his mother, but I know hidden guilt when I see it. Is there something on your mind, Prince Darian? You look uneasy about something...." "It's just been one of those weeks, ma'am," Darian said in an edgy tone. "Ma'am, is it?" Serenity echoed in a tone that most children dreaded to hear from their parents. "The last time you called me ma'am was when...." "Excuse me, your Majesty," Susan suddenly spoke up. "But you need not be overly concerned about whatever it is that is weighing upon his mind. As he has truthfully said, it has been an extremely rough week for all of us." Serenity blinked and turned to face her best friend. "Oh, and all of a sudden you intervene," she said in very wary tone. "Now I know I am being set up for something. Out with it, Chancellor, what has happened?" "Queen Serenity, I...." Susan started to say before the Crystal began to glow brightly again. Nectaris glanced away to study the walls while Serenity's eyes widened in shock. She quickly whipped around to see a mortified blush of embarrassment and shame spreading across Serena's face, having heard the voice for herself. "Prince Darian!" Serenity said as her temper promptly ignited. "Serenity, we have had this conversation before," Susan spoke up, having a fair idea of what the Crystal had told her. "Susan, but...!" Serenity blurted out as she turned to face Susan. The green-haired woman simply held up a finger, waiting patiently for her to fall silent. "You will not speak to either of them about it," she said with an air of finality. "Or do you need a reminder yourself as to why?" The rest of the group traded uneasy glances as Serenity's face underwent an amazing transformation of colors in the span of several seconds, displaying all sorts of shades of reds, pinks, and purples. "Alright, Chancellor," she finally said in a voice as flat as milled steel. "I will not speak to them of this. Raijen, would you be so kind as to have a few words with Prince Darian for me?" she asked in a somewhat chilled tone as she glanced over her shoulder. The Dragoon blinked hard and gave her a distinctly unsettled look, trying to get a feel for the situation. "As you command, my Queen," he rumbled in a very uncertain voice. Serenity glared at him for a moment before exhaling hard through her nose. "Men," she growled quietly before casting another dark glare at Susan. "Princess Serena," Nectaris spoke up in a faintly amused tone. "Would you please open the Imperium Silver Crystal to your mother's love? I think it is time she rejoined us again," she said as she held her hand out to Serenity. "Go," Raijen said simply as Serenity turned to look at him. "And always carry my love with you as I have carried yours in my heart of hearts." She sighed heavily and nodded, leaning over to give him a final kiss before turning back to face Nectaris. "Cosmic Moon Power...." Serena whispered as Serenity's hand reached out. The Crystal immediately seemed to ignite like the core of a star, a whirling maelstrom of almost painfully-bright sparks of light taking shape around the edges. A deep humming sound filled the air as it floated out of the confines of the brooch, hovering in front of her. Serenity gasped hard as her outline flickered, a bright pulse of light leaping out from the side of the soul-rune and crossing the distance between it and the Crystal in an instant. The golden crescent mark on the rune promptly winked out and vanished, the material smoothing itself out as if the shape had never been etched in it to begin with. The queen's outline solidified a few moments later as she grasped Nectaris' offered hand, the golden crescent sigil on her forehead pulsing brightly for several moments. The whirlpool of energy surrounding the Crystal faded away, leaving the gem hovering in mid-air for a moment before it abruptly plummeted towards the ground. Serena tried to grab it and missed, the Crystal being saved from an encounter with the floor only by Rei's quicker and more accurate reflexes. A deep haunting moan filled the air as it landed in her palm, sending a decidedly dark chill through everyone's blood before it faded out like the whisper of a ghost's memory. "I never could get used to that sound," Nectaris commented sadly as she drew Serenity into a brief hug. "Even when it welcomes the return of one of her daughters, it cries out in mourning. Welcome back, my child." Serenity sighed quietly as she returned the hug, letting her head rest on her ancestor's shoulder for a moment before she suddenly lifted it back up again. "Oh, my...." she said softly, staring over Nectaris' shoulder with a startled look on her face. "I told you things were a mess," Nectaris said calmly, casting a sidelong glance at something only she, Serenity, and Aria could see. "I think it would be best if we were to try to sort this out immediately. Your daughter and her court will very much still be here once we are finished." Serenity gave her an uneasy look before sighing softly and nodding in resigned understanding. "I think you're right," she said. She sighed again and looked around the room with saddened eyes. "It may be some time before I can talk to you all again, surely not until tomorrow at the earliest, but do not think that I will let you out of my thoughts nor forget for an instant how much I am in your debt for all that you have done to help both the Crystal and Serena." "It is a pleasure to serve, your Majesty," Susan said demurely with a bow of her head. "For the most part," Rei muttered quietly, drawing startled looks from both Serena and Serenity. She paused as she became aware of their focus and glanced away with a faint blush on her cheeks. "I wish I could have skipped getting tossed around like ice in a glass back when the nuke went off outside the Imperial Castle," she explained. "Amen, babe," Alex spoke up in a somewhat sour tone. "See, we told you guys to come back to Earth with us," Mina pouted. "And leave the Crystal behind?" Alex countered. "Admit it," Mina said with a sigh as she looked up at the ceiling. "You didn't stay behind to grab the Crystal, did you?" "I stayed for my friends," Alex growled back. "Rei's the one who wanted to stay behind to grab...." "As you can see, your Majesty," Susan spoke up quickly and in a somewhat loud tone, "Things are rather back to normal now, so you need not worry about us for the present." "The truly frightening aspect of this is that I have to agree with her," Nectaris said in what had to be the most emotionally-controlled diplomatic tone ever used in the better part of a century. "Come, Serenity, let us tend to our House and leave your daughter's court to tend to hers." "We'll be back," Queen Serenity promised softly as her spiritual image began to fade. It seemed that she cast a distinctly unamused glance towards Darian before both she and Lady Mars vanished completely. "What's the worst thing about being dead?" Nectaris said absently to the room in general, shaking her head gently. "The wine tastes sweet and one can taste distilled spirits that could put hair on even a woman's chest, but alas, it becomes impossible for the senses to be blurred into pleasant numbness for even a moment's respite," she sighed before her projection vanished as well. "Umm...." Leda said slowly as everyone looked at one another. "Aw, crap," Alex groaned as she buried her face in Michelle's shoulder. "Now I can't even look forward to bliss in the afterlife. Great, I really needed to hear that." Raijen paused to cast a sidelong glance at Susan before shaking his head to himself. "Were I one to drink deeply of such things, I don't doubt that I would become depressed myself at the notion," he rumbled softly. "But she is right about the flavor of the wine," he added with a wistful look. He stared off into space for a moment before shaking his head hard and refocusing on his surroundings again. "No matter, such things are for when there is time to rest in comfort and not when business is at hand." Darian started to sweat as he noticed both Raijen and Luna turning to look at him with somewhat piercing eyes. "Leave me alone, Luna," he whispered to the black cat, his lips barely moving. "When he is finished with you, I should like to ask you a few questions," Luna replied in a somewhat darkened tone, having put a few pieces together in her mind and not liking the final picture. Raijen chuckled quietly to himself. "Fear not, my Prince, I had wanted to speak with you before Serenity bade me to do so, though I have yet to truly discern what she would have me say. I have my suspicions, however, but before I would seek to act upon mere suggestion alone I would first speak with you, my daughter," he said gently, turning to look at Serena. Serena blinked in surprise before a faint blush crossed her cheeks. She nodded her assent and followed the armored figure over to a corner of the room. The rest of the room watched in uneasy silence as he leaned over to whisper a question in her ear, resulting in a hard blink from the princess before a very vivid blush swept over her features. She seemed to try to speak before she settled for a simple nod of her head, the dark pink hue on her cheeks turning progressively darker with each passing moment. "I don't suppose you have anything to say for yourself, Darian?" Luna said in a very low tone as she glanced over her shoulder, her tail lashing back and forth at a brisk pace. "As a matter of fact, I do," Darian replied in a slightly dark tone as he sat up and leaned forward. "Back off and mind your own business," he said in a very calm manner. He remained stone-faced as Luna immediately became a blur of motion, her claws digging into the fabric of the chair for traction as she whirled around to face him. "Serena *is* my business," Luna said in a very dangerous tone, causing the rest of the group to blink at the intensity of her demeanor. "Her health, her well-being, her state of mind, and her future are all *very* much my business." "No!" Serena suddenly said loudly, causing heads to turn. The dark red color of her blush was replaced with a slightly pale pallor, her blue eyes wide with shock as she stared at her father. "Of course not! How can you...?" "Peace, my daughter, please," Raijen pleaded quietly before lowering his voice even further so only Serena could hear him. "Let me speak plainly, then," Darian said quietly as Luna glanced back at him. "You're not her mother, either in the past or the present, and neither are you my mother. What goes on between us is just that, between us and nobody else. I'll answer to Queen Serenity and Captain Raijen if I have to, but I'm not going to have any other human, denizen, demon, cat, or whatever crawling up my backside about it. And if you feel obligated to threaten me if I ever hurt her, take a swipe at me with your claws without a damn good reason and see what happens," he added in a distinctly edged tone. The air was strangely silent and deathly still for a moment as Luna's tail abruptly froze in mid-lash, the fur along her spine suddenly spiking into a perfect ridge. She stared hard at him for several seconds before she made a visible effort at getting her temper under control. She opened her mouth to speak when she was gently hoisted into the air by the scruff of her neck. "Settle down, Luna," Leda sighed quietly as she gently cradled the black cat in her arms. "We've all been through hell recently, despite Susan's words to the contrary, and we're all still pretty thoroughly keyed up about it. Let it go, you can hash it out with him later. And you need to take a chill pill," she added, giving Darian a reproving look. "Tell me about it," Darian sighed as most of the tension seemed to drain from his body. He paused and leaned to one side to glance behind her, most of the tension immediately returning to his body as he saw Raijen heading over to him with a visibly embarrassed Serena hovering behind him. "Uh oh...." "You're evil," Artemis grumbled at Mina as the blonde absently began to hum the opening bars of Haydn's Funeral March to herself, drawing a poisonous look from Ami and a slightly curious look from Michelle. "Prince Darian," Raijen rumbled in a tone that seemed to be both amused and unamused at the same time. "Would you be so kind as to come with me? I believe there is much to talk about, more so now than before." "Sure," Darian said as he stood up with all the calmness of one who was facing potential execution. He paused to cast a sidelong glance of warning at Luna before he headed over to the sliding glass door that led outside to the balcony. Everyone watched as the armored figure followed him in relative silence, his heavy footsteps seeming to be the only audible sound before there was the gentle scraping-hiss of the glass being slid open. It slid shut again after a momentary delay, leaving the rest of the group to privately speculate as to what might be said outside. "Serena," Luna said in a very leery tone as the long-haired blonde sat down in the empty armchair and sighed softly. "I don't want to hear it, Luna," Serena muttered with a weary sigh. "Perhaps it is best to let the matter rest for the present," Susan spoke up in a gentle tone as she sat down in the other armchair, absently setting the still-glowing soul-rune aside on her left and lightly stroking the silky gray kitten sitting on her right side. Luna glared at the succubus for a few moments before sighing heavily to herself, ignoring the feel of Leda's fingertips running along her spine in an attempt at relaxing her through massage. "Alright, then," she finally said in a measured tone. "But they still have a lot of work to do, preferably before dinner." "Whaaaaat?" Leda said as both Ami and Mina blinked hard. "Work? After what we just went through?" "Oh, damn," Rei hissed very softly to herself, her eyes darting towards the door as her thoughts suddenly turned to her work at the temple. "What day is this?" "It's Sunday, which means you girls have school in the morning," Luna reminded them archly. "And I don't think any of you has even cracked open a textbook since Friday, let alone done any of your homework." "Whoa, slow down," Alex spoke up as Mina sucked in her breath and made a rather hideous and protracted gasping noise. "What's the problem, babe?" "Oh, man, and I've got a buttload of homework, too!" Mina moaned as she shot to her feet with a sickened expression on her face. She paused and waited patiently for Serena to quit wailing in despair at the realization of likewise having a lot of work to do with little time to do it in. "Yeah, my sentiments exactly. What time is it?" "Four in the afternoon, give or take," Artemis replied from the coffee table, craning his neck to try to see the kitchen wall clock. "We can do it," Mina said with a measure of confidence as she crossed the room, reaching out to grab both Serena and Ami by the wrists. "But we really need to start booking it though, pardon the pun. Ami, about the science lab assignment...." she said at a rapid-fire pace as she dragged them both into the residential hallway. "Oh, man," Leda groaned as she gently set Luna down on the floor. "This is going to bite the big one. Umm, can someone take care of dinner for me? I can't cook and process history at the same time," she apologized as she made a hasty exit to grab her school books as well. "Grandpa is going to kill me," Rei sighed as she stood up and dusted off the front of her robe with one hand, the other still holding the temporarily- forgotten Imperium Silver Crystal. She paused in mid-motion and turned to cast a measured look at Susan, an idea starting to form in the depths of her mind. "Chancellor Meiou...." she started to say. "I cannot permit any form of time-travel," Susan said firmly. Rei paused for a moment, one raven-haired eyebrow arching up in response. "That's nice," she said in a neutral tone. "If memory serves, you made mention awhile ago about how you did a lot of time-travel and thus can explain a lot about historical events, correct?" "Heh," Alex spoke up with a soft laugh. "Trust me, sweetie, if you need someone to guide you through the pages of history, Sue's your demon." "I believe I may be able to be of assistance," Susan replied with a soft smile on her lips. "Do you remember being that young?" Whisper said to Maq'i in the denizen language as Susan followed Rei out of the room, leaving just the two denizens alone with Alex, Michelle, and the three cats. "To have to study for those yearly inquisitions?" "At my age, I'm fortunate if I remember how long it has been since the laundry was done," Maq'i replied with a soft chuckle. "But yes, I do have my own memories of harsh teachers and rather exacting lessons. I think our winged Princess will make a good Queen some day," she mused. "Especially if she has her friends to help her along." "For which world, though?" Whisper said in a low tone, trying to ignore the looks of uneasy suspicion from Alex as she tried to figure out what was being said in what to her was a very alien language. "If she is to be Queen, my child.... would it matter?" the ancient Master Healer said, almost too softly for even the telepath to hear. * * * * The sliding glass door had barely closed behind Darian before he heard a sharp intake of breath from the armored figure. "What has happened here?" he demanded as he strode forward, his expression turning hard as he gazed on the destroyed portion of the railing and the dark splotches scattered over a good portion of the deck. It took Darian a moment to remember what to him were the events of four days ago. "Oh, yeah, that," he replied in an uneasy tone. "We had a visit from another succubus the night Serena.... disappeared," he said, seeming to choose his words carefully. "The others managed to drive her off, but she had somehow stolen Queen Serenity's brooch and made off with it. I'm glad you reminded me, that's something we need to tell her about," he said as he turned to head back inside the house. "That we will in due time, Prince Darian," Raijen said in a flat tone, his steely gaze still studying the broken and stained wood. "There are, however, other matters that you and I will speak of first. This looks like blood," he said with a gesture to the now-black splotches. "It is," Darian replied, drawing a sharp look from the Dragoon. "Susan's wings were pretty thoroughly ruined in the fight and the blood is hers. We haven't had time to clean up yet, since by all rights it only took place less than a day ago. This time-travel thing has us all confused," he added with a hollow noise that was more of a cough than a laugh. "I see," Raijen rumbled quietly as he moved over to an undamaged portion of the railing and leaned on it. He then looked out towards the horizon, his breath suddenly catching in his throat a moment later as the view registered on his brain. Darian paused and regarded him carefully, not entirely sure what to make of the abrupt change in his demeanor. He cast a brief glance in the direction Raijen was staring at, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary that might have caught his attention. "Is.... something wrong?" he finally ventured in a wary tone, unsure of his present situation but not at all eager to move things along. "I have never seen your world from the surface like this," Raijen breathed in awe. "I have seen how blue it looked from the Moon Kingdom, and the few times I have been reanimated in my daughter's presence were all indoors. To see a blue sky like this when you expect purple, or a yellow sun to hover in the place of a red one.... this truly is a remarkable and beautiful world." Darian nodded in understanding, having seen more than a few late afternoon skylines during his stay in the Negaverse. "You should stick around to see the sunset, then. Sometimes it seems that the entire sky is on fire with reds and oranges before settling into purples and blues." A soft grunt rose up from the spectral image's chest. "That I will do, if the situation permits. As I told Serenity, every such moment I am allowed to savor beyond my death is a gift of its own and should be treasured as such." A gentle silence enfolded them as they gazed into the treeline, watching the snail-like process of the sun as it ever-so-slowly crept towards the edge of the horizon. The wind began to stir slightly, producing just the faintest hint of a breeze that tickled their senses. "There is much I would speak to you of," Raijen finally said in a rather somber and quiet tone. "I should like to begin with the matter Serenity bade me to talk about and the questions I had asked of my daughter. I asked her three questions, the first being if she had taken you to her bed," he said, his gaze still turned outward to study the small forest surrounding them. "She could not bring herself to reply verbally, but the answer was nonetheless an affirmative one." Darian suddenly felt a dangerous chill flood his veins as Raijen fell silent, making him wonder was was going through the denizen's mind. It was obvious to all that the Dragoon valued honor above all else, perhaps save for love, and it didn't require a stretch of any imagination to conclude that he could easily take great offense at the notion of someone being intimate with his only daughter. And after spending a few months with Tolaris and Maze, it was also pretty obvious as to how serious violations of honor were more often than not met with drawn weapons and a steadfast challenge. The silence stretched on before Raijen sighed and drew in another breath to speak again. "I then asked her if she felt that you had been forceful with her or otherwise taken advantage of her innocence. Her reply was made known to all, and in an extremely firm negative. Had she said yes, a third question of her would not have been necessary, as I would have promptly taken the issue up with you then and there," he said, his tone becoming somewhat dark to deliver a clear warning. His eyes, however, remained focused on the landscape instead of turning to Darian and seeing the distinctly uneasy look on his face. Again a heavy silence surrounded them as the Dragoon fell silent, turning his thoughts inward to compose and recompose them before once again drawing a breath to speak. "I then asked her if she felt your intentions were honorable and true, and without hesitating she said yes," he rumbled quietly. He finally turned his head to look at Darian as he heard a soft sigh of relief, one blond eyebrow arching up to his hairline in slight curiosity. "You sound as if you expected her to say otherwise," he said in a neutral tone. Darian just shook his head gently. "Of course not," he replied. "I know the love we share has been sorely tested lately, but I believe that it has been tempered even stronger than ever now. Keep in mind that even by our laws she is too young for such things, but I have every intention of taking her as my wife when she is older. My life-mate in your words," he added. "I know the meaning, my Prince," Raijen said calmly. "While I welcome your words on the matter, I still have yet to be told why you thought she might have questioned your honor after taking you to her bed." "Trust me, it's not her I was worried about," Darian muttered, feeling his cheeks tint pink. "I was more worried about how you and Queen Serenity would react to hearing about it...." Raijen just laughed to himself and turned back to study the blue sky and blazing yellow sun that was now starting to become half-hidden by a bank of extremely fluffy white clouds. "I cannot speak for Serenity, of course, but I believe we are all aware of her feelings on the matter. Indeed, what mother wouldn't be.... less than pleased to hear of such news in regards to her only daughter? But as for me, young man.... you need not fear any wrath on my part. Had Serena said your actions were dishonorable, I indeed would have sought to make you pay a most terrible price for your deed. But as long as there are no questions or doubts about honor, both yours and my daughter's, then my own honor forbids me from seeking to rebuke you for any.... indiscretions," he said as a small smile crossed his face. It took Darian a moment to realize that he was very much off the hook, or at least with the Dragoon. "Umm.... thank you?" he said, still somewhat unsure of the situation. His words elicited a soft laugh from Raijen as he turned to cast a mildly amused glance at the younger man. "It is a simple enough matter, my Prince, as I am not a hypocrite. My own youth contains a small number of such incidents where the degree of discretion taken was found to be wanting. That was largely dispensed with once I found my calling in life and learned of the true meaning and value of honor, but even as a soldier and later a Dragoon there was the odd and rare visit to the bed of a willing woman. There were no illusions about where such consensual dalliances would go, and so honor was not brought into question, but I am nonetheless no longer qualified to rebuke others for their own minor misadventures done within the bounds of honor. Or love," he added before his expression turned serious. "But you will not repeat my words to anyone else, man or woman, as I have spared Serenity such details of my past." "I understand, sir," Darian replied with a nod of his head. "Sir," Raijen echoed in remote amusement before looking out once again at the local terrain. "Do not think that I cannot tell when the word is spoken out of formality and when it is with genuine respect. You need not bother with such formalities with me, Prince Darian, simply because of your own status if not for my own respect for you. That you have become my daughter's consort amid the same bonds of love that I share with Serenity is of no concern to me as long as it remains with the bounds of that very same honor and love, for I have studied you and found little that does not meet with my approval." "Thank you," Darian said, still more than a little uncertain about where the conversation was going. "I confess my approval of both you and your intentions, and yet you still sound ill at ease," Raijen rumbled softly, giving the younger man a studious look. "We shall speak plainly then, one man to another. What is on your mind that bothers you so much, young Prince?" Darian blinked at the shift in mood before taking a deep breath. "What do you want from me?" he asked in a level tone, gazing back at the other man with a hint of steel in his dark eyes. "With all due respect, I don't think it was to shoot the breeze about my honor or intentions." "Part of this conversation was indeed to be about that very same topic," the spectral figure rumbled in a slightly ominous tone. "However, that has already been dealt with and to my satisfaction. As for what remains to be said between us.... it is not so easy to speak of," he admitted as he turned away to stare out at the horizon again. Darian remained silent at the Dragoon seemed to compose his thoughts for several seconds before turning back to face him with a soft sigh. "I would ask of you two favors, though the first is of far more importance to me than the other. I know that now is not the time for this, but I ask that you promise me that, once the worst of the chaos has settled, you will take Serena to the holy temple at Ka'an-Nul. The K'maal il' Hal'al *must* be allowed to examine her," he blurted out, his expression turning to one of unease and worry. "It matters little which Herald she turns out to be should she be deemed one, but we must know if she is indeed a child of prophecy, for then we would have to be on our guard for the arrival of the others.... or for the actions of those who would panic at her presence and seek her death out of ignorance and fear." An icy chill settled around Darian's heart as he stared at the spectral figure, suddenly getting the feeling that far more was now at stake than they had realized before. "That won't be easy," Darian cautioned him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Beryl took me there once, and I remember that we had to do a fair amount of travel because of the wards that prevented wormholes and psionic jump-gates. The terrain is pretty sparse out there, too, so we'd be stuck out in the open for a lot longer than I'd care to be, and that doesn't even begin to take into consideration how the military might react." A hollow grunt rose up from Raijen's armored chest. "I am aware of what sort of difficulties you may and will encounter," he replied in a soft voice. "Regardless, I still ask you to promise me to take my daughter there. Go at your own pace and on your own terms, but I ask.... I beg of you, take her to the holy temple. If she is not one of the Heralds of Chaos, then if nothing else you will be able to enjoy the scenery together, for it is unlike anything else either of our worlds has to offer." "And if she is?" Darian prompted in a guarded tone. "Then she is," Raijen stated calmly. "Then there is little else to do but protect her from harm and wait for events to play out as is it said they were meant to do." Darian raised an eyebrow at the note of resignation and acceptance in the Dragoon's words. "You sound like you expect your world to be destroyed," he observed in a neutral tone. "Regardless of what the ancient prophecies say, my Prince, the mere fact of my daughter's existence will change both our worlds," Raijen replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "She is the first of her kind, for never before has a child been born to a human and a denizen, despite...." "Despite...?" Darian prompted in an uneasy tone as Raijen's voice trailed off without warning. "Despite the number of captives taken during the invasion of the Moon Kingdom," Raijen said, his voice barely more than a pained whisper as he turned and stared out at the landscape once again. "I know little of what transpired in my world after my departure from the Moon Kingdom, but I have become aware over time of more than a few dark secrets kept hidden by the Dragoons. Some four dozen prisoners were taken in total, most of them women, and it is my understanding that more than a few.... experiments were carried out," he said, his face twisting into a sour grimace of shame and distaste. Darian blinked hard at the confession, knowing that such information would be more than a little upsetting for the others to hear. Especially Alex, he thought with a silent grunt as he could easily imagine the blonde Viking going full-tilt ballistic with rage. "Does Tolaris know about this?" he said without stopping to think about it. "Perhaps," Raijen rumbled softly. "He is a very resourceful man, and I would not care to put much past him, but such secrets are often buried in very dark corners among deep shadows, and are rarely encountered by accident unless one is actively looking for where they lay hidden. Regardless, would it really change your perspective of him if he knew?" he inquired gently. "It would be just a little unsettling, I'll admit," Darian answered as he idly scratched a sudden itch on his jaw. "And I know that the others in there would be less than pleased to hear of this," he added, jerking a thumb towards the sliding glass door behind him. "Yes," the denizen warrior agreed with a slow nod of understanding, "I can see how your Chancellor Meiou would not take kindly to the notion." "It's not Susan I'd be worried about," Darian muttered to himself. "Word of advice, my Prince?" Raijen said as he leaned forward slightly. "I would be," he said simply. Darian said nothing as he looked around the deck, idly making note of the way the railing had been splintered by a tremendous force. You know, I'd bet Dyvach could fix that in a few hours, he thought to himself. Come to think of it, I think he's the one who fixed it when Ami broke it awhile ago. I wonder what the little guy is up to over there in the Negaverse...? "I'll talk to the others," Darian finally said aloud, turning back to look at the armored figure. "About taking Serena into the Negaverse. I'm not going to make any promises or anything, but I will at least see if we can come to an agreement on just what such a trip would be worth and how much risk we'd be willing to take." Raijen looked at him carefully for several moments before finally nodding. "Very well," he said in a somewhat neutral tone. "That will have to suffice, for it would indeed be most unwise to simply charge into my world without a plan of action or any preparations. However, having said that, I do not think you understand the importance of having her examined by the K'maal il' Hal'al." "And with all due respect, Captain," Darain replied with a faint edge to his voice, "I think you are underestimating the danger we'd be in. Rune wants Serena dead, that much is pretty obvious, and I think a good portion of the military would be more than happy to start taking potshots at us if they caught even a whiff of our presence. Yes, some of them might think twice once they get a good look at her new angelic side and all, but that doesn't help the rest of the Sailor Scouts. Hell, even I had problems back there, and I'm supposed to be their Crown Prince!" he added, gesturing towards the open air. "So deal with someone other than General Rune," Raijen suggested in a mild tone, as if he were slightly amused by something. "Someone you believe you can trust.... or not," he added in a slightly nonplussed tone as he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a truly unamused glare. "Trust?" Darian echoed very slowly. "You don't ask for much, do you? As I already said once, I wouldn't trust the Negaverse military with a tank of goldfish. You really want me to trust one of them with something like this?" "Would that, by chance, include the Legion?" Raijen inquired calmly. "No, but the Legion doesn't run the military like Rune does," Darian shot back with a quiet growl of frustration. Raijen nodded in understanding. "So we are back to my initial suggestion, find someone in the chain of command other than General Rune," he replied. "That leaves Al'vexi out," Darian sighed, casting a dark glare towards the cathedral. "You can't expect to brain-wash me into becoming Beryl's pawn and then expect to be trusted again." "Odd, I thought you trusted Captain Whisper," Raijen pointed out. Darian snorted quietly in contempt. "Whisper's made a few amends since then and seems to be apologetic for her role in that. Al'vexi, however, has made no such attempts. No, I'm not going to deal with her unless I have to." "So who else is there?" Raijen prodded him gently. "Surely you've met the other flag officers and division commanders during your stay. Surely there is at least one among them you found.... pleasant to deal with, if nothing else." Another soft snort of contempt rose up from Darian's chest. "If you want pleasure, try Brigadier Zan'zemet from Hospitality," he muttered. He blinked and looked over at the armored figure as he heard soft laughter in response, finding a distinctly amused look in Raijen's blue eyes. "I remember Hospitality in my era," Raijen mused, seeming to be trying to sit on a smug grin and not having much success. "Courtesans all, even the men, but few things inspired weary ground troops to march on like the promise of a visit to one of their facilities. All were treated equally, men and women, field sergeants and full generals and all in between, given equal comfort and respite regardless of who they were, for what was the difference between them once the uniform was taken off for a brief respite? Tell me, Prince Darian, that you have at least been bathed in one of their facilities if nothing else," he mused with open curiosity and humor. Darian gave him an uneasy look before glancing away, feeling a faint hint of a blush rise up to his cheeks. "I have," he admitted. "You forget, I was the Queen's consort for awhile and so more often than not we were tended to together. I was bathed alone a couple of times, if you can call it that," he added, his blush darkening slightly. "But they feared both Beryl and myself, and so they didn't stray outside the bounds of what was asked of them. Not that they didn't offer," he muttered as he closed his eyes, trying to cool the burning heat on his cheeks through sheer willpower alone. "It is good to know that little has changed in that regard," Raijen said with a soft chuckle. "A soldier of Serenity's once explained to me how the nobles were bathed in the Moon Kingdom, and though the exact details were not too clear to me, it sounded no different to me than what Hospitality offered. At least in terms of purely hygienic services," he amended with an amused grin. "Right," Darian said slowly, not sure what else to say at the moment. "We are digressing from our original purpose," Raijen pointed out with a soft sigh. "Is there no-one you would feel comfortable talking to among the senior staff in the Imperial Castle? Someone who could counteract or at least moderate General Rune's influence in events? Someone who is, shall we say, a somewhat more reasonable officer?" Various names and faces started blurring past Darian's mind's eye, not necessarily together at the same time. General Malachite, returning from his trip to the Western Forests to lay his beloved General Zoicite to rest, his dark eyes tainted with bitterness for both Sailor Moon and him.... General Rune's unhappy visage as she bowed to her Queen, being ordered to return to the Central Division Headquarters annex to oversee the local defenses instead of being named Commander-General as Malachite had just been.... General Al'vexi's cold face as she seemed to watch his every move, eyeing him like a spider would study a fly's movements as it tried to escape a woven web.... Various other faces brushing up from the darkness of suppressed memory, Whisper, Shar-Tei, Azi'mar, Mal'ek, Zan'zemet, T'shal, D'mer, V'Kreeth, Moirah, Ra'en, Olox, Ne'tan.... "Admiral Si'ren," Darian suddenly whispered to himself as the memory of the white-haired admiral surfaced, surprising Beryl with her presence at the castle instead of being at sea onboard a Navy cruiser, saying that something had come up and that a personal meeting was needed.... "An admiral?" Raijen echoed, giving him a slightly surprised look. "*The* admiral," Darian emphasized as he quickly considered his options. "Fleet Admiral Si'ren. We met shortly before Serena and the others invaded to get me back, apparently there was some sort of research project underway that required a face-to-face meeting with Queen Beryl. We didn't talk much, but I got the impression that she was quite the reasonable type, or at least for a flag officer," he amended with a faint snort of derision. "At least, I never saw any contempt on her face when she spoke with me, unlike the vast majority of the denizens I had to deal with." "Interesting," the Dragoon commented, giving him a studious look. "It was rare for me to encounter any of our naval brethren beyond the borders of the coastal ports and bases. That is not to say I have not delivered reports or briefings to them directly, but only that it was almost always done by a video link or holographic projection. And if she is the Fleet Admiral, then she is second only to Rune herself in terms of military authority and can most likely make your life easier if she wishes...." "Or make it all that much more difficult," Darian countered carefully. "Let's take this one step at a time first, okay? First I have to find her, and the odds are she'll be either at sea or in one of the seaports, both of which are a fair distance away from where we'd want to be. Then I have to find a way to get a message to her, then convince her to meet with me, then convince her to have the entire Northern Division develop a collective eye problem and look the other way when we all start tromping over to Ka'an-Nul, which might turn out to be beyond her powers since she's Navy while everyone else is Army." "One step at a time, my Prince," Raijen said in a gentle tone. "Again, go at your own pace and on your own terms, for time is not truly a factor in this. If she is not a chid of prophecy, then we have nothing to fear, and if she is then events have already been set into motion and there is nothing to be done regardless. But I would know for sure either way so that both our worlds can prepare accordingly for whatever lies ahead, be it peace or ruin." Darian paused and gave him an uneasy look. "You seem to be awfully calm for somebody who's looking at having his entire world destroyed," he observed. "Is it to be destroyed?" the Dragoon replied, one blond eyebrow arching up in studious response. "We do not know that yet, and indeed we shall not until the Heralds of Chaos arrive. Give me irrefutable proof of a fact's existence and I will act on it, my Prince, but I will not do so for mere speculation." "I suppose I can go with that," Darian agreed with a slightly sour nod. He sighed quietly before turning to gaze out at the horizon, idly noting that the sun was now brushing the treeline and would probably set in another hour. "Alright, I'll see what I can do about getting in touch with Admiral Si'ren, though I'm not sure what to say. 'Excuse me, but do you mind if we take Sailor Moon to Ka'an-Nul to see if she is one of your Heralds of Chaos who will end up destroying your world?' Yeah, that'll go over well," he scoffed. "I would ask that you make the attempt regardless," Raijen said quietly. "Like I said, I'll give it a shot," Darian sighed, wrinkling his nose at the thought of the likely response he would receive. "Then I shall leave the matter in your hands, Prince Darian," rumbled the spectral image as he too turned his attention back to the skyline. A veil of silence surrounded them as they lost themselves in their respective thoughts before Raijen cleared his throat gently. "There is one other request I would ask of you, but as I said earlier, it is of far less significance than having my daughter escorted to Ka'an-Nul." Darian waited for him to explain further, casting a sidelong glance at the armored figure when he remained silent. "Go on," he prodded gently, more than a little leery of what else was going to be asked of him. "I ask that you take me with you when you leave this place," Raijen said in a gentle voice, bowing his head just slightly as he closed his eyes. "When I was part of the Imperium Silver Crystal, I was always keenly aware of the fact that I was the sole male presence among hundreds of other women. It was distinctly uncomfortable for me, constantly feeling as if I were trespassing on sacred ground and violating the purity of their sanctuary. There were no such true incidents that I am aware of, for I only directly encountered Serenity's spiritual presence, but I knew the others were there somewhere, and they knew of my own intrusion. They avoided Serenity as well, much to her distress, and so part of me welcomes the solitude once again, for it means that they will no longer openly shun her as they did before. "But at the same time, my Prince.... after spending so much time alone in my crystal shard of a prison, only aware of the outside world when it was held or touched, I have little desire to be alone again. Nor, for that matter, do I desire to be drowned in feminine influences again," he added with the softest of ironic chuckles before he looked over at Darian. "I ask that you take my new home with you, so that I might be free of such things yet still be within easy reach of my daughter if she should need me. As I have already confessed, there is little about you that I find lacking my approval, and so I feel that I would more than welcome being under your influence for the visible future." Darian blinked in surprise before a half-smirk crossed his face. "I'm not sure whether to laugh or cringe," he said, drawing a surprised look from the denizen. "Believe me, I know exactly what you mean about being a little.... overwhelmed by so many women all gathered in one place. You should listen to Artemis grumble about living with Mina, I think his situation is even worse. But to be honest, I'm also just a touch uneasy at the thought of having my future father-in-law move in with me to share the bathroom and all," he added, giving the Dragoon an openly amused look to indicate he was only joking. "The better to keep an eye on you, young man," Raijen rumbled with a smirk of his own. He laughed softly for a moment before his mood lessened by several degrees. "I will be honest with you, Darian. I know of your upbringing and I must say that you have done remarkably well for having lost your father at such a young age, but part of me believes that you could still use a moderating influence, or at least an advisor of sorts." "Like Serena has Luna, and now Susan, right?" Darian suggested, giving him a slightly uncertain look. "In part," Raijen replied with a slow nod of his head. "However, I also am of the opinion that you could use a friend at times. Another man, one you know will most likely understand your true feelings instead of how women view them. Someone who also knows what you have been through. I know you have a good bond with the kitten, Artemis, but I sense sometimes that isn't enough." "Kitten?" Darian echoed with a soft laugh. "You might want to take a closer look at him, he's quite the adult cat now." "He was a kitten when I last held him," Raijen pointed out with a faint smile. "And I must say if it wasn't for him, it might have taken far longer for me to end up in her Majesty's good graces, if at all." Darian just shook his head to himself in amazement. "Funny how the little things in life can have the biggest consequences," he mused. "Indeed," the Dragoon agreed. Darian looked up at him for a moment before nodding. "I think I know what you mean by needing a good friend every so often," he said. "Granted it would not take much to end up tossing a few beers back with girls like Leda and Alex, but there's still a few quiet landmines to watch out for. I've got no problems with taking you with me and all, but I'm going to be just a little upset if I come home from work one day and find you wandering around in a pair of boxers and drinking all my beer while you're watching television," he chuckled. "I assure you that will not happen," Raijen said dryly. "And not just because I have very strong doubts about my ability to consume anything that is of a purely physical nature." "Heh," Darian said as he shook his head. "Gives new meaning to finding a bottle of spirits to drink, eh?" Raijen snorted softly in amusement. "Perhaps you should leave it at that and rejoin the others," he suggested lightly. "Unless, of course, there is something more you wish to speak about." Darian thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, I can't think of anything off the top of my head," he replied. "I'll let you know if I think of something, however. Heh, the others are probably worried that you're impaling me on your symipa or something by now," he said as he turned to open the sliding glass door. "If I may, your Highness," Raijen said slowly, causing the other man to pause and look back at him, "I would like to remain out here for awhile. I am very much enthralled by the landscape and wish to observe the sky as your day begins the evolution into night. That, and I suspect that some of the others would like to speak with me privately about their own concerns," he added in a gentle tone. "Call it the gut instincts of one who is a leader of others and has learned much about picking up on subtle signals." "Not a problem," Darian replied with a nod of understanding. "I'll make sure to tap you on the shoulder before I get ready to go home. You, umm, want to be called for dinner?" "That will not be necessary, your Highness, but I thank you nonetheless," the armored figure replied. "Perhaps I will try to sample your human foods another day, but not tonight." "Alright," Darian said, giving him a slightly awkward look before nodding his head and reaching for the sliding glass door. Man, what am I thinking? he thought as it slid open with a soft rasp. I haven't had a roomie since I was in college, and the mess the apartment is in right now.... Yeah, things keep getting all the more interesting around here, don't they? * * * * Everyone looked up as the lights suddenly winked out, plunging the room into near-darkness. The console displays remained active, however, casting an odd kaleidoscope of color around the room. The usually super-soft sound of the air vents stopped a moment later, seeming to moan like an upset ghost as they faded away. "Uh, Chief...?" K'tal said in a very uncertain tone. "Give it a moment, Commander," D'Nina whispered softly, her voice sounding unusually loud in the dead silence. The silence was broken a moment later as both the lights and the air vents started back up again, the overhead speakers emitting a series of odd harmonics to indicate that the central computer core was still processing something. "Status?" Tolaris called out to the room in general. "External sensors still off-line," Asrial reported in a flat growl. "They should restart in another few seconds." "Reactors still idled and are running fine," someone else reported. "Both the outside radiation shields and the containment fields in Engineering are still intact and holding." "Communications are down," T'Pri grumbled quietly. "You'll be fine, Lieutenant," K'tal said soothingly. "Chief?" D'Nina carefully eased herself out of the chair, obviously favoring a few stiff joints. "I'll be fine, Commander, my legs are just asleep," she assured him as she started to slowly walk around. Both Asrial and T'Pri looked down as their respective consoles beeped at them. "Sensors are back online," Asrial purred. "Communications, too," T'Pri added half a second later. "Glad to hear it," K'tal replied with a nod. "So I take it the entire computer core is working just fine now? Aside from that one corrupted node." "It's being worked on," the Felinoid said with a weary growl, keeping one eye on her panel. "It seems to be a physical problem rather than an actual corruption of the node matrix. Probably unsocketed something when we landed." K'tal nodded again. "Well, tell them to take their time and do it right, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. At least, not without a really decent scrubbing of the main engine intakes...." "Good luck to whomever gets that assignment," the Tactical officer said in a low tone. "I hear melted sand is a royal p'tai to clean up once it cools." K'tal just chuckled quietly to himself as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Tell me about it. I'd rather handle kitchen duty personally before I'd want to tackle that job. Still, someone has to do it, and Engineering is busy with that coolant conduit repair...." Everyone glanced around in obvious unease before T'Pri cleared her throat gently. "Sir, do you think we could ask Sector Seven to handle that? Ask them nicely, of course, but it stands to reason that being a desert unit and all, they would have the tools readily available and would be far more capable than if we tried to do it ourselves...." "One project at a time, Lieutenant," Tolaris reminded her gently. "Speaking of which...." K'tal said slowly as he kept a close eye on the way D'Nina was still limping around, "Any word from them as to when they plan on testing that hull-scrubber of theirs?" T'Pri quickly consulted her communications log. "Sir, last I heard from them was half an hour ago when they said that they had a problem with the sand intake and that they were working on it. I'm still waiting to hear otherwise." "Sand intake?" the Tactical officer echoed in a curious tone. "That's what they said," Communications replied with a shrug as the door hissed open. "Don't ask me about it, I'm a communications technician, not a grease gor'bet." "I heard that," the Chief Engineer smirked as he strode into Operations, both arms coated up to the elbows with pink goo. "Leave the grease gor'bets alone, they're busy trying to save our ptankas from radiation exposure," K'tal said lightly as T'Pri blushed a rather fetching shade of blue. "Oh, hello, Chief, what can we do for you today?" "Two things," the Chief Engineer grunted. "First, you can go ahead and drop the external radiation shields. Half of the contamination is being held in place by the shields themselves, so getting rid of the energy field will let it start to drift down. You'd have to drop them anyway if you want those girls in Sector Seven to start hosing down the hull." "And that won't increase the radiation hazard?" K'tal asked in a slightly uncertain tone. "It might expose the hull to a few more points, but keep in mind that we are well clear of the original radiation zone," the Chief pointed out. "We're not going to get anything new unless someone pops a fresh one overhead. And I just finished checking the internal sensors. We do have a hull breach, but it is in the tractor housing that blew up on us and it's buried beneath a nice, thick layer of molten glass. Nothing's getting through it until we melt it back off, so there's no danger there. Aside from the temperature," he added with a dismissive shrug. "Copy, Chief," K'tal nodded. "And the second thing?" "Second thing?" the Chief echoed, giving him a confused look before he remembered. "Oh, yeah.... you kids need to smile when you say grease gor'bet," he said lightly with a twinkle in his eye. "It's an insult to some and a label of pride to others, so kindly let us know ahead of time how you mean it so we don't have to beat the intention out of you with a plasma welder." "Duly noted, Chief," K'tal replied with a perfectly straight face. The Chief Engineer chuckled quietly and turned to leave, pausing to give T'Pri an amused wink before heading towards the door. It hissed open as he reached the sensor and he started to walk through it before pausing, casting a slightly concerned glance towards D'Nina. "Chief, are you alright over there?" he called out. "A large headache and a stiff joint aside, I am," D'Nina replied with a sigh of patient suffering. "I think I am getting just a little too old for this one after all, or at least my knee is." "Chair not cushioned enough?" the engineer inquired. "For sitting still, yes," D'Nina said. "For being tossed around during a hard landing, perhaps not." "Ouch," the Chief Engineer sighed. "I'd offer to carry you to Medical, since it's on my way back down to Engineering, but I'm a little...." he trailed off, gesturing with his goo-coated arms. "We'll take care of her for you, Chief," Tolaris assured him. "Such gallantry," D'Nina muttered in a flat tone as the door hissed shut. "Stop and think, Chief," K'tal said casually. "If you get seriously hurt or otherwise can't reconnect to the computer, trying to fly this thing back to the Castle is going to be a very interesting adventure to say the least...." "I'll fly it," Asrial promptly spoke up, the tip of her tail seeming to quiver in excitement at the thought. "I have taken the qualifications." "Yes, but you haven't passed them yet," someone muttered quietly, drawing a flat growl from the Felinoid. "I don't see YOU trying to learn," Asrial countered in a dark tone. D'Nina, Tolaris, and K'tal all exchanged glances before seeming to sigh in unison. "Maybe a nap would be appropriate," D'Nina mused as she continued to try to work the kink out of her leg. "Sir?" T'Pri suddenly called out as her console beeped. "We're being hailed by Sector Seven. They say they're ready when we are." K'tal nodded and briefly rubbed his hands together. "Good. Okay then, let them know we're dropping the shields now and that they're more than welcome to do whatever it is they're going to do." "Copy, sir," the Communications lieutenant replied as she turned back to her console. "Any idea how they're going to do this?" K'tal asked aloud a moment later, causing the rest of the group to exchange uneasy glances. "Umm, sir?" the Tactical officer suddenly spoke up, his eyebrows arching up in surprise. "Sensors are picking up a QuadStar weapons battery that just rolled out from behind a hill, and it looks to be coming this way...." "Oh?" K'tal replied, his own eyebrows arching up to his hairline. "I think it's a drone, sir," the officer reported as he cast a sidelong glance at the console next to him. "See if you can get me an overhead image of this thing," he whispered. "Either there's too much sand in the sensor dish and I'm getting a crazy echo, or is something really wrong with this one." Tolaris leaned over his shoulder to read the display for himself for a moment before he reached out to tap the screen. "Take it easy. See this?" "Heavy water echo," the officer replied. "And that's what has me worried. Last I checked, you only find concentrated deuterium in reactor tanks." "Or when you run water through a radiation filter and end up drawing off the heavy water molecules," Tolaris explained. "See, I bet this is where they have the filter attached, this is probably the echo of the feeder line, and *this* one is where they pipe it into the bores." "Let's hope so, sir," the officer said before his display suddenly turned six shades of red. "They're firing on us!" he blurted out. * * * * T'Del paused her visual examination of the Dragoon SMT and cast a sidelong glance towards Octane. "You really shouldn't do that, Chief," she admonished as she returned her attention to the binoculars. "Hush," Octane said as she finished lighting the half-crushed and three- quarters-burnt remains of a cigar. She took a deep drag on it before letting her breath back out, releasing a neon-blue cloud of smoke. "Damn, we do good work," she said in satisfaction as she watched the modified QuadStar belch out powerful water slugs at a rapid clip. "Another project has indeed been completed," the flaming redhead agreed as she observed the way the jets of water splattered against the SMT's hull. "And perhaps a celebration is indeed called for, but to do so by putting your health at risk is unwise. Or the health of others," she added calmly. "So stay upwind," Octane grunted as she took another protracted puff from her cigar. "Besides, would you prefer I go try to get laid like Mint is no doubt fantasizing about at this very moment?" It took T'Del a moment to decide the best way how to respond to that. "I see no need to speculate about Mint's disposition for wanton promiscuity," she said in a delicate tone. "Nor, for that matter, will I speculate on whatever intimate relations you wish to pursue. My sole preference for the moment is for you to contemplate the eventual price you must pay for such an indulgence. T'Del to Glitter," she said as she held up a commlink. the speaker crackled. "If you are currently aiming for the centerline, you are falling short by an estimated seven feet," T'Del explained as she continued to observe the way the water slugs were splattering against the SMT's hull. Glitter said. A heavy thrum started up in addition to the constant staccato pulses of the water slugs and the monotone whine of the rotating bores. The QuadStar began to lumber forward at a slow pace as it continued to fire, leaving a pair of deep tire tracks embedded in the sand. "You have your vices, T'Del, and I have mine," Octane said dismissively with a gesture of what was left of her cigar. She only had a small handful of them left after an electrical fire had destroyed the container she had kept them stored in, and so she only lit one up when she was in a truly celebratory mood. T'Del paused again to cast another sidelong glance at the Master Chief, her vibrant green eyes seeming to be slightly confused. "And what vices do I possess, Chief?" she inquired out of genuine curiosity. "I do not drink as Gravija does, I do not let electrical fields alter my state of mind as Glitter has been known to do, I do not seek the pleasures of the flesh as Mint does, and I do not smoke as you do." "Two words, my friend," Octane said with a causal puff. "Biased Bastard." T'Del's entire head turned to properly look at the tentacled mechanic. "And the performing arts compares to the others how?" she asked in an odd but still respectful tone. "My vice is something you wouldn't do, your vice is something I wouldn't do," Octane said calmly, giving the other woman a meaningful look. "At least, that's how I see things. But then again, I'm just a dirty mechanic," she added with a dismissive shrug, absently running her free hand through her curly mane of dirty blonde hair. "They'd probably be paying me to keep my clothes on." T'Del said nothing as she brought her eyes back to the electronic lenses of the binoculars. "May I remind you that I do not perform for pay?" she said in a faintly clipped tone. "Hey, easy," Octane said, giving the other woman an unhappy look. "I'm not trying to give you grief over it, okay? You asked me what vices I thought you had, and stripping in a bar full of sleazy p'tais is the only one I can think of. To you and others like you, it's an art-form. To others like me, it's just hiana and k'vesana," she said with a shrug. "I've seen you perform and you obviously like being on stage like that, so just ignore the crusty old chief and do whatever it is that relaxes you on your off-time." the commlink in T'Del's hand suddenly crackled, almost causing her to drop the device in surprise. T'Del paused to cast a brief glance at Octane before bringing the device near her lips. "Actually, I think I have one scheduled for either tonight or tomorrow night," she told Glitter. "I will have to check when we return. I take it you would be interested in accompanying me to Sector One?" the drone specialist replied with an audible shrug of indifference. "Poor Mint," Octane said with a note of humor to her voice. "Does she stick around to bed a few Dragoons, or does she thumb a ride and take her pick from the usual dregs of the Biased Bastard crowd? Oh, the choices...." the speaker crackled with laughter. Taffy's psionic voice gently intruded into their minds. "Glitter, you may want to start traversing to the right," T'Del spoke up as she magnified the optics of the binoculars. "I'm starting to see chips in the paint, so it would stand to reason that non-imbedded radioactive particles are indeed being removed." Glitter replied. The monotone whir of the rotating bores changed pitch slightly as the mount was very slowly swivelled to aim the steady stream of water slugs elsewhere along the SMT's hull. "Humor me for a second, Glitter," Octane spoke up as she flicked a small measure of ash into the sand at her feet. "Which would you pick for a little nocturnal entertainment, Dragoons or the crew at the bar?" There was a slight pause before the speaker started to crackle softly to itself. the voice replied with a faint note of scorn. she suddenly growled. "Play nice, you two," Octane sighed, reaching up with a pair of tentacles to massage the back of her neck. "How are the intakes holding up?" "T'Del to Gravija," the redhead said as she changed frequencies. the heavy voice grunted. "What is the current status of the intakes?" T'Del inquired. the other woman replied. "Now there's a thought," Octane mused. "T'Del, do you think we would have any use for a supply of heavy water?" T'Del paused to consider the thought. "For reactor operations, of course not," she finally said. "However, depending on how much is collected, I may be able to distill it to the point where I could attempt to fabricate a small measure of a solid deuterium alloy." "Oh?" Octane said as she quit rubbing her neck, turning to give the fusion specialist a surprised look. "Now that might be useful indeed. Gravija?" she said loudly, leaning over towards T'Del's commlink. "See if you can find a storage jug or something for that heavy water," she instructed the heavy-set mechanic. "If we're pulling this stuff out of the river in measurable quantities, we might as well try to put it to good use." Gravija replied with a soft grunt. Taffy's voice echoed in their minds. she amended with a psionic blush after a brief pause. "Do I want to speculate?" Octane muttered to T'Del. "Perhaps it is best if we don't," T'Del suggested. "Right," Octane said as she took a deep drag from the stub of her cigar, trying not to wonder what was going through the other woman's mind. "One thing at a time. How long do you think this is going to take, anyway?" "Long enough that I sincerely hope I am not scheduled to perform tonight," T'Del replied demurely. "The barmistress dislikes having a disappointed crowd on her hands, and I must confess I do not like missing appointments either." Octane just shook her head to herself. "You're a piece of work, T'Del, you know that?" she sighed. "Thank you, Master Chief," the redhead replied gracefully. "T'Del to Glitter, you may wish to traverse to the right a little more." the speaker crackled as the QuadStar frame started to move again. * * * * "That sounds bad," someone muttered to the room in general as they all heard the series of deep resonating echoes caused by the high-pressure jets of water pulsing against the outside hull. The actual sound of the water wasn't audible, but what could be heard was the metal of the superstructure starting to resonate slightly from the vibrations. "Sounds like deep-sea soyo song," T'Pri commented as she closed her eyes to better focus on the sound that was somewhere between mournful and haunting. "Who cares what it sounds like?" K'tal replied with a shrug. "Just as long as it works and nothing gets shaken loose. Speaking of which.... is it working?" he asked as he turned to look at the Tactical officer. "Umm...." Tactical hesitated as he eyeballed his console readings. "Sir, can you ask me that question again in a few minutes? The spray is creating a rather odd scatter-effect on the sensor dishes and webs, which is resulting in some.... unusual readings at the moment." K'tal blinked and traded surprised looks with Tolaris. "What, we get a little water in the sensors and we're blind?" he said incredulously. "A little water, no," Tolaris replied with a shake of his head. "But to put things in perspective, the dishes are basically being hosed down directly along with everything else. For all intents and practical purposes, they're flooded at the moment and they weren't designed to work underwater." A soft grunt of remote amusement rose up from D'Nina's chest. "Perhaps we should ask them to keep away from the engine shrouds, then," she suggested. K'tal chuckled quietly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "With all due respect, Chief, if they're smart enough to know how to turn a piece of heavy artillery into a giant water cannon, I'm sure they're also smart enough to know not to squirt water into a recently-used thruster vent." A soft purring-growl rose up from Asrial's chest as she flicked her tail. "They seemed to be competent the last time we met them," she observed. "Sir?" the Tactical officer spoke up as his readings started to change. "One of the dishes is starting to clear up, and from what I can tell the vast majority of the radiation is being washed off. We'll probably have to take the paint off to get the rest of it out, but so far everything seems to be working rather well." "Excellent," K'tal replied with a smile. "I might have to wander down to Engineering in a few hours and try to find another illegal brewery so I have something to properly thank our Sector Seven hosts with." "Try the crawlspace between Reactor-1 and the thermal conduits," Tolaris suggested. "There's a spot on one of the heat sinks that radiates a constant temperature which has proven to be perfect for distillation." K'tal paused and gave the other Dragoon a leery look, much to the quiet amusement of the rest of Operations. "You know, Tolaris, for someone with a reputation for strict discipline, I am sometimes frightened by a number of the things I've heard you've knowingly let others get away with." Tolaris shrugged in response. "I had several people point out to me how the heat dispersion effects can't be avoided since any reactor that operates above a certain temperature would have to dump so many degrees of heat through the sinks when it went into the exchanger. Someone even sent me the specs for this facility and showed me just where such hot-spots would occur, along with all the thermal equations required to prove it. Do you have any idea just how many such spots there are in total?" K'tal paused and cast a sidelong glance at D'Nina. "Why do I feel like I'm being set up for something?" he muttered before sighing quietly. "Okay, Commander, how many 'perfect' heat spots are there in this facility?" "Two hundred and sixteen," Tolaris said simply. "Of course, some of those are only viable when the weapon arrays are being used, some when the mains or thrusters are fired up, some can't be accessed by anything short of a drone, and others are simply too small to work with, but the number of ideal spots is somewhere around ninety or so." "So let me guess," K'tal said slowly. "Instead of wasting your time and energy chasing various alcohol enthusiasts all over the superstructure, you set up a sweetheart deal with a few people to keep it all reasonably controlled in a few key locations and thus kept well below the visible horizon?" "That, and I made it perfectly clear how hard I would come down on anyone who reported for duty drunk or otherwise failed to report because of it," the elder Dragoon replied calmly. "I thought it was an acceptable balance." "Not to mention it significantly improved the quality," someone muttered in a very low tone to his partner, drawing a few discreet looks from the rest of the staff. "You're a piece of work, Tolaris, you know that?" K'tal sighed. "Anyway, I think a chat with the kids in Engineering should be enough to procure a few bottles for those ladies outside. Speaking of which, any idea how long it will take to finish cleaning the hull? I'm not in any rush, mind you, but I'd hate to be trying to sleep and have that noise influencing my dreams," he said with a gesture to the walls, still able to hear the very low and deep tones of the vibrating superstructure. The Tactical officer consulted his display before sighing quietly. "You might want to find some earplugs then, sir," he said glumly. "Assuming they stay at their current pace, this should last well into tomorrow afternoon." "I imagine they'd want to get some sleep tonight as well," Tolaris spoke up in a gentle tone. "If we ask them to focus on one of the bays, they should be able to take enough off of the hull to allow us to open it up and send out a few of our own teams. One team takes over control of that QuadStar so Sector Seven can go home and get some sleep, another team or three starts scrubbing the hull to get rid of what's left. Most of the radiation is casual fallout anyway, so there shouldn't be too much that was actually imbedded." K'tal nodded in understanding. "Maybe I should have asked D'Nina to take us through a storm cell first before we landed," he said with a chuckle. He abruptly stopped in mid-chuckle as a thought slammed into him, causing him to blink and whirl around to face Tolaris. "Hey, wait a minute...." Tolaris just sighed, having thought of the idea back when they were busy transiting the mountain pass. "Think very carefully about this one, K'tal," he said in a warning tone. "Can I create the equivalent of a minor hurricane to wash our hull off? Probably, depending on how much water is in that river and how arid the desert is. However, that will also create a visible lume that will essentially announce my presence to the rest of t