(Author's Note: This episode occurs sixteen hours after the end of the original story entitled "Of Love And Crystal".) The cadet looked up at his terminal as a routine diagnostic check tripped a warning flag. "Now what?" he muttered to himself as he typed out a query as to the nature of the flag. The crystal computer hummed to itself for several seconds before it displayed an answer. The cadet's eyebrows rose as he read the answer. He quickly looked around and spotted the duty officer. "Lieutenant?" he called out. "Could you take a look at this please?" The Dragoon lieutenant walked over and grabbed a nearby chair. "What do you need, Cadet?" he said in a friendly tone as he sat down. The cadet gestured to the terminal. "Just this, sir. According to the data logger, an abnormally large routine time-date check stamp package was sent to this location," he said, tapping at a highlighted set of symbols. "The only thing is, this terminal doesn't exist on the network. It was never detected before because all of the previous packages were normally sized and flagged for bulk transmit." The lieutenant ran a hand through his spiky purple hair and took a closer look at the network address. He smiled as he recognized the mystery computer. "Technically it's not supposed to exist but it does. See this symbol? What it means is it's using a dimensional phase link. This computer is the one General Nephlyte used while he was doing his work on Earth. I thought it was shut down but apparently he left it on." The cadet blinked. "Strange.... I thought a computer wouldn't request anything more than an occasional network check unless someone told it to." "What do you mean?" the lieutenant said. "Well, sir, according to the logger, the package transmitted originated from the central Dragoon archive computer and was 1792 bits large. A routine check stamp package is only 256 bits. The host log shows that the additional bits were all requested information." "The package came from the archives? Now that's odd.... Scoot over and let me work at this," the lieutenant said. The cadet quickly made room for his superior and sat back to watch. The lieutenant tried to access a copy of the package and was surprised by the number of security flags he had to circumvent. This is getting stranger by the minute, he thought to himself. He worked at it some more and finally was able to read the data in the package. The results made him sit back in shock. A search worm disguised as a time-date check? He put all of his computer skills to use as he carefully dissected the search worm to read the coding. Wait a second, he thought in surprise, this looks familiar.... Yes, a four-step trinary conversion to base-256.... Standard anti-detection measures.... Wait. Programmed with Aerce-level clearance? The lieutenant quickly sat up and did some quick thinking. Only command level Dragoons are given Aerce clearance to the central archives, he reasoned. I've got a level 6 access but that's only because Shar-Tei never got around to fixing the rating Tolaris gave me when he was around. Shar-Tei has a level 7 because she's the commander.... level 7..... He quickly ran through the code, looking for the encrypted data that was the level access. He ran it through a simple descrambler, hoping that the data would unscramble so the access rating would be revealed. The crystal computer worked at the task for a few minutes before it finally came back with the answer. The lieutenant knew that only the commanding officer of the Dragoons and the current Commander-General had an access rating of level seven-Aerce to the Dragoon central archive computer. And there are only two people in existence that also know the proper protocols, he thought, those being General Rune and Lieutenant Commander Shar-Tei. However.... He stood up and smiled at the cadet. "According to this, the computer had an error message when it ran a checksum diagnostic on a few key programs. The extra data in the package is a list of checksums for the diagnostic program to use as a template to correct the errors. Nothing to worry about." The cadet breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Sorry to have bothered you, Lieutenant." The lieutenant stood up with a smile on his face. "It's not a problem, Cadet. Dealing with this kind of stuff is why I'm here instead of sitting on my butt at a desk going through reports. But noticing the discrepancy was fine work, Cadet. Keep it up and we'll have you in the Dragoon ranks in no time." "Thank you, sir," the cadet said and went back to his mundane tasks. The lieutenant walked back to his desk still smiling. But beneath the smiling mask he wore, he was shivering inside as a cold hand gripped his soul. Is it possible? he thought as he sat down. Could he still be alive? Lieutenant Maze leaned back in his chair, deeply troubled. He spent the next several hours at his desk. barely moving or acknowledging the outside world. Inside, a name played over and over in his mind, the name of the third person who could have programmed the search worm with level seven-Aerce access and who might just possibly still exist. Commander Tolaris.... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tolaris awoke to the smell of something cooking. He blinked his eyes and tried to summon enough mental concentration to identify the smell. It's not something burning so that's good news, he thought fuzzily as he did his best to wake up. Mornings were not his thing and it often took him awhile for his mind to completely wake up. He blinked in surprise as he recognized the smell of fresh tl'azza being cooked. Oh, I bet I haven't eaten that in months.... he thought before he remembered something. Hold it. Who's cooking it? The thought of a stranger in the cathedral instantly completed the waking up process. He had hurriedly dressed and was halfway to the door before he remembered that he had a guest. Oh, of course. Leda. Tolaris smiled as he also remembered that Leda loved to cook. I'm willing to bet that tl'azza steak that it's her in the kitchen. His smile fell from his lips as he realized that she might not know how to properly cook the food. Granted the tl'azza was harmless, but a few Negaverse dishes were extremely dangerous if not prepared right. And knowing Nephlyte's tastes, I'm willing to bet he's got a few of those things around, he thought as he made haste towards the kitchen area. Leda looked up from her work as Tolaris entered the kitchen. "Morning, Commander. Hope you didn't mind if I borrowed the kitchen for awhile. I got hungry and figured you would want some breakfast, too." Tolaris sniffed the air. "That tl'azza steak smells wonderful, but what else were you cooking?" Leda shrugged and passed him a plate. "Just some bizarre sort of eggs I found in the 'fridge." The Dragoon looked down at the plate and gasped. The eggs were dark blue with cherry-red yolks. "Ertu eggs? Leda, what did you cook these in?" he said with a note of concern. "Just this," she said, holding up a metal skillet. Tolaris alternated glances between the eggs and the skillet. He mentally revised his opinion of Leda's cooking skills by several notches as he carefully set the plate down on the counter. "Leda, did you use the neutralizer?" Leda blinked. "Neutralizer?" she said in a confused tone. Tolaris sighed and looked around the kitchen. "Do you see a stone skillet anywhere around here?" "Yeah, I saw it as I was digging around for the skillet.... Give me a few seconds," she said as she bent down and went through a cabinet. She stood up a few seconds later holding a giant skillet made out of synthetic concrete. She handed it to Tolaris and gave him a curious look. "What's this used for?" "Cooking ertu eggs," he said as he carefully slid the eggs off the plate and into the skillet. He breathed a sigh of relief as the yolks made the move intact. "Keep in mind that the Negaverse is not a pleasant place and various creatures have developed defenses against being hunted and eaten. If you want to eat an ertu egg, you have to soak the entire egg in a special solution to neutralize the enzymes in the yolks." Leda blinked and took a closer look at the blue eggs. "What happens if the egg isn't soaked first?" "This," Tolaris said as he picked up a fork and stuck it into the yolk. The yolk easily popped and a loud hissing noise filled the room. Tolaris made a face as he withdrew the fork and watched as the tines started to dissolve. "The enzymes are extremely acidic," he said simply. He waited until the fork had stopped dissolving before he threw the useless metal into a trash can. "I think you can consider yourself extremely lucky that you didn't manage to break the yolks as you were cooking them." Leda took a long look at the eggs and paled. "I almost scrambled them," she said softly, "But I thought the colors would clash too much.... Great Zeus, that's.... that's...." She swallowed hard and looked up at Tolaris. "Is there anything else I should know about?" Tolaris shrugged. "Depends on what you want to cook." He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. "Oh, good, he did have some already soaked." He reached inside and pulled out a translucent box with four ertu eggs floating in a pinkish fluid. "Here," he said as he handed the box to Leda. "These eggs are done so you can cook them in the metal skillet. Just leave the other eggs in the stone pan and pour the neutralizer over them. I'll dispose of them later." "Okay...." Leda said slowly as she got the eggs out of the box. "While you're here and I'm recooking these, how do you want your eggs?" The Dragoon chuckled. "Actually, I prefer them scrambled. I know it can look quite bizarre at times, but color doesn't mean much as long as it tastes good. Make two for me and two for you. You might like the taste." She managed a weak grin. "I'm not sure I can eat anything that eats metal like that. Do you want anything else with your steak and eggs, assuming that it's steak to begin with?" Tolaris smiled. "I'll get what I need since you wouldn't recognize half of it." He stood up and hunted around the kitchen, making sure to stay out of Leda's way. "I didn't know Nephlyte cared for the taste of v'etu," he said as he picked up something that looked like spongecake. "Did you just sneeze?" Leda asked. "No. V'etu is our version of wheat bread, except that they use the entire stalk instead of just the grains." "Is it good?" she said, curious. Tolaris broke a chunk of the bread off and handed it to her. "Try some for yourself and see," he said, breaking off another chunk and eating it. Leda sniffed the bread cautiously before taking a bite out of it. She chewed for a few seconds before making a sour face and swallowing. She moved past Tolaris and opened the refrigerator, looking for something to drink. "Not good, eh?" Tolaris said. "No offense, Commander, but it tastes like shredded cardboard. Will this hurt me if I drink it?" she asked, holding up a slender bottle filled with a ruby-red liquid. Tolaris peered closely at the hand-written label and his eyebrows rose. "No, it won't harm you...." She didn't wait for him to finish before popping the cork and taking a large gulp. Her eyes went wide as the odd fire sensation started to register after she swallowed. She gasped and gave Tolaris a stunned look. "....But I wouldn't drink a lot of it at once," he finished lamely. "Too much at once ruins the taste, or so I've been told." He leaned against the kitchen counter and waited to see her reactions. She blinked and ran her tongue over her lips, not entirely sure about the aftertaste. She hesitantly took a smaller sip of the liquid and smiled as it went down a lot smoother than before. She finally decided she liked the taste and reached for a large cup. "So what is this stuff? It's pretty good." Tolaris shrugged. "The closest translation is blood-wine." He saw the color drain out of Leda's face and he smiled. "The name comes from it's color, not it's contents." Leda breathed a heavy sigh of relief and looked at the bottle. "So this stuff is alcoholic?" she said as she traced her fingers over the characters on the label. "Very much. Nephlyte used to drink that stuff all the time. We have our suspicions that one of his talents was an immunity to alcohol because he could easily drink anyone under the table and still be stone-cold sober. Of course, more than a few officers believed that was a curse and not a talent, but that's just speculation." "Mmmm," she said with a smile. "Well, seeing how Nephlyte is no longer around to drink it, I think I can give it a nice home in my refrigerator." She poured a generous amount of the blood-wine into the cup and stuck the bottle back in the 'fridge. "In the meantime...." Tolaris took the cup out of her hands. "In the meantime, we can start to work on our strategy for tomorrow. I don't quite know how alcohol works on humans, but I'm willing to bet that if you get drunk now you'll be useless to us in the morning. You can drink all you want after we get back." Leda sighed and turned back to her work. "Do you have anything else to drink then? Some sort of fruit juice?" Tolaris nodded. "We have some oratu milk. An oratu is sort of like one of your cows, except it's got armored plates and a bad attitude." "Wonderful," she said as she spooned the scrambled ertu eggs onto a pair of plates. She made sure the tl'azza steaks were thoroughly cooked before she set them on the plates and brought them to the small kitchen table. "Well, breakfast is ready." Tolaris set the pitcher of oratu milk on the table before sitting down. "Thank you, Leda. It looks wonderful." "Thanks," she said, sitting down. She picked up her silverware and began to cut the steak into small chunks. She glanced over to the scrambled eggs and burst into a fit of giggles. Tolaris looked up at her with a curious expression. "What is it?" "Just the eggs," she said, still giggling. Instead of mixing together, the 'whites' and yolk retained their separate colors and were now a mass of red and blue swirls. "It just looks like I put a Smurf through a blender," she said before she took a bite. "Hey, this is pretty good." He gave her a blank look. "What's a Smurf?" he asked. She smiled. "Nevermind," she said and started to eat her steak. "Get Ami to tell you of those nights where you two are in a relaxed cuddle mood." "Right...." Tolaris said slowly and turned his attention back to the meal. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tolaris looked up from his computer as Ami and Mina entered the room. Ami was carrying a small over-night bag while Mina was wearing a backpack and had Artemis in her arms. "Morning, Commander," the blonde said as they approached. "Morning, everyone," he replied as he stood up. "You two look like you're about ready." Ami nodded. "We are, at least for today. Rei won't be here for another hour because she's still working at the temple, and Luna is still trying to get Serena out of bed." "That must be fun," the Dragoon commented as he looked at Artemis. "While we're loosely on the subject of cats, you must be Artemis." The cat nodded. "Nice to finally meet you, Commander Sterling." Tolaris sighed softly and sat back down. "The Sterling part is a bunch of cow so you can drop it. Denizens don't have last names, so it's just Tolaris." Mina giggled. "I think you mean it's a bunch of bull." "What's the difference?" "A bull is a male cow." Tolaris shrugged. "I thought that was a steer." "Only for cattle," Mina said with a smile. "One minor technicality," the Dragoon grumbled. "Oh, well. Thanks for the correction, Mina. We'll make a Dragoon out of you yet." The blonde's smile became wider. "I'll stick with being a Sailor Scout, thanks." "So when do we start the briefing?" Ami asked. "Just as soon as everyone is here," he replied. "I want to have everyone together first so we can go over it as a group. In the meantime, you two are invited to use the training facilities in the sub-levels." Something exploded somewhere in the depths of the cathedral-base and the floor shook gently. Tolaris sighed and gestured to the floor. "And it sounds like Miss Jupiter has figured out how to work the target launcher. Come on, we'd better go before she discovers the fun stuff," he said as he stood up and left the room in a slight haste. "Fun stuff?" Mina echoed as she and the others followed the Dragoon down the hallway. "Plasma grenades, live-fire practice targets, simulated environments, that sort of thing. Very nasty unless you know what you're dealing with." "And that's your idea of fun?" Ami asked, slightly stunned. "I can see why the ammunition stuff would be dangerous," said the cat, still in Mina's arms, "But why would a simulated environment be bad?" Tolaris gave him an amused look as he opened the door to a stairwell. "Tell me, Artemis, would you find it pleasant to fight a battle in the middle of a jungle where only three of the eighty-five creatures in there aren't poisonous?" "I.... can imagine that wouldn't be fun," was the awed response. "Trust me, it isn't," Tolaris said as he went down the stairs. He grabbed onto the handrail as another explosion rocked the building. "At least it feels like she's not using the multiple-target mode." "Commander, what exactly is she doing, anyway?" Mina asked with a frown. "It sounds like she's taking potshots at self-propelled target drones. They tend to explode if hit too hard. She's probably using a launcher to toss them into random places and have the drones start wandering around. Nothing too complex, but those drones can be rather maneuverable at times." The stairs ended at a pair of heavy steel bulkheads. Tolaris walked up to the control panel and was about to open them when they heard a series of loud pops, followed by another large explosion. The Dragoon leaned against the wall and sighed heavily. "Oh, no...." he moaned quietly. Ami blinked. "What is it?" "I think she found the MechBlaster 3000." Mina shook her head. "The what?" "It's sort of like a super-heavy assault rifle, only much worse. Everyone stand back, please." He waited until everyone had flattened themselves against the walls before he opened the bulkheads. Something hissed as the plates retracted into the ceiling and floor. A large cloud of smoke wafted out into the hall, obscuring vision and making Ami cough. Tolaris sent a strong breeze across the room, dispersing the smoke in seconds. "Don't shoot, it's only me!" he called out before cautiously peering around the edge of the archway. Sailor Jupiter was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by the remains of several target drones. She had an ear-to-ear grin on her face and was holding a large weapon that was literally almost as big as she was. "Commander, I think I've fallen in love. This thing is WICKED!" she said with a smile as she gingerly set the weapon on the ground. "Heavy, too, but I think it's worth it. Mind if I use it while we're in the Negaverse?" Tolaris sighed again and stepped into the room. "No, you can't. If you take that thing into the Negaverse, the tracer beacon will alert everyone for a radius of ten miles to its presence. It's a prototype and I think that quite a few people would be interested in acquiring it." Jupiter shrugged and walked over to them. "Hi, everyone," she said to the two Sailor Scouts and Artemis. "You two want to come play with the drones?" she said, making a gesture to the bulky launcher in the far corner of the room. "Perhaps, but not with tank ordinance," Mina said with a slight smile. "Tolaris said it'd be a good idea for us to practice a bit while we're waiting for everyone else to arrive." Jupiter nodded. "Knowing Serena, it'll be quite some time before we see her. Which is okay, I guess, since we get to play with the drones some more." Artemis chuckled. "You seem to have a thing for drones, Jupiter." "I wouldn't call it play," Tolaris said as he walked over and picked up the heavy assault weapon. "Those drones can be set to fire back at you using live ammunition. Not to mention randomly tossing out small plasma grenades or anti-personnel mines." "And this is supposed to be a combat simulator?" Ami asked. "Nothing like having your butt on the line as incentive for survival," the Dragoon commented as he walked over to a control panel. He looked at the tiny display and frowned. "Jupiter, where did you get the MechBlaster from?" "It was just leaning against the wall. Why?" "It was supposed to have been in the armory, which is locked tight." Sailor Jupiter's eyes lit up like candles. "You mean you have more stuff like that?" she said, drooling ever so slightly. Tolaris exchanged glances with Ami and Mina. "Is she usually like this around weapons?" "We don't know. We've never really been around military-class weapons before," Ami said with a shrug. "Best we've got is Mina's dagger and Rei's ceremonial blade." "I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Artemis as he leapt out of Mina's arms and down to the ground. Tolaris sighed and turned his attention back to the control panel. He entered a complex string of characters into the keypad and a light flashed dark green. There was the sound of heavy bolts unlocking and the bulkheads started to retract into the ceiling and floor. "This might take awhile," he said and leaned against a wall to wait. "Now that is a very big door," Mina said as she saw the thickness of the bulkheads. "Tell me, Commander, do you have very many problems with people getting into these things?" "Not that I know of." "Can't imagine why," Ami said with a glance at the bulkheads. After a full minute, the two-foot-thick steel plates were done retracting into the reinforced walls and the armory was open. Tolaris hefted the weapon and walked inside, the rest of the group following close behind. Jupiter looked around at the vast array of weapons and started bouncing on her toes with extreme excitement. "This is way cool," she giggled and started to explore. "This is not a good sign," Ami said with a sigh. "You're telling me," Artemis said as he looked around. "What is half this stuff?" Tolaris set the heavy assault weapon down on a specially-built cradle. "They're mostly the various types of projectile-weapons we have available in the Negaverse. There are some hand-held weapons, mostly swords, on that wall," he said with a gesture. He looked up and Jupiter and sighed. "Put that back, you can't use it." Jupiter blinked and put the siege crossbow back in it's cradle. "Is there anything in here that I can use?" "Have you ever used any of this stuff before?" he asked. "Well.... not really...." Tolaris smiled. "Tell me, Jupiter, do you really want to go into hostile territory carrying an untested weapon that you have no idea how to use?" Jupiter sighed. "Since you put it that way, I guess not." "Commander, can I take a closer look at this?" Mina called out from across the armory. She was pressed against a transparent casing and was gazing rather wistfully at a collection of daggers. "Hey!" Jupiter said, brightening up again. "Now there's something I know how to use. Mind if we check them out for a bit, Commander?" Tolaris looked at Artemis and the cat shrugged. "I've seen the way she cooks and I know she's lethal with a kitchen knife. Mina's no slouch either with her blade, though she doesn't practice often." The Dragoon glanced over at the three girls. Jupiter and Mina were both pressed against the casing with admiration and desire in their eyes. Ami was standing a bit farther back from the case but she seemed to be more than mildly interested in the daggers. "Tell me, Artemis, would you trust them with daggers in their possession?" The cat sat back and preened. "Mina and Jupiter most definitely. I think I can also say Rei is a sure bet, given her training with ceremonial blades and such. I'm not sure about Serena, though. She is rather clumsy at times." "And what about Ami?" Tolaris asked softly. Artemis sighed and looked over at the vampire. Ami seemed captivated by one of the blades in the collection. She reached out and slowly traced it's outline against the glass, as if she were touching the blade itself instead of the casing. The expression in her eyes seemed to be one of respect rather than the admiration of her friends. "I heard how she killed one of the Negaverse's warriors," Artemis said in low tones. "Took the Crescent Moon Wand and gutted her like a fish. I don't think I'd be too happy having her armed with a lethal weapon, Commander, but I'm not going with you guys into the Negaverse and getting into trouble. If you don't mind the possibility of her going berserk on you, then go ahead. It is a command decision, if I understand the term correctly." "You seem to understand it well enough," Tolaris said and quietly walked over to the collection of daggers. "Can I trust you three enough to use them properly?" he said as he approached. "Define properly," Mina said. "These are lethal weapons, not toys. They should only be unsheathed when they're to be used and they are only to be used for combat. Since I will be leading this little excursion, we will abide by the Rules of Engagement as per Captain Raijen's original orders three thousand years ago. The full list is too complex to explain, but know that you are to use an artificial weapon only when you intend to kill and kill quickly. Needless suffering is dishonorable and I will not stand for it. Understood?" The three girls blanched. "So in essence, we're not supposed to even unsheathe the daggers unless we're going to kill someone, right?" Jupiter said. "Precisely. If you cannot abide by the Rules of Engagement, then you have no business carrying a weapon," Tolaris said firmly. "And that includes the blade you're carrying, Miss Venus, regardless of it's original purpose." Mina nodded. "I understand, Commander, and will abide by your rules." "Same here, Commander," Jupiter said, looking up at him. "I will follow by the rules as well," Ami said softly. Jupiter blinked and turned around to look at her. "I didn't think that carrying daggers was your style. Ami." Ami shrugged. "Never hurts to be prepared in case of extreme emergency. I'll just keep it in my boot." Jupiter giggled. "At least you have decent boots," she said, gesturing to her own boots. Unlike the boots worn by Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, her boots only came up a few inches past her ankle. "I don't have much space to put a blade down there." Mina laughed. "At least you two have boots." "And what exactly do you have?" Tolaris asked as he started to unlock the protective casing. "Modified sandals. They're tougher than they look." "Except when you're kicking walls," Artemis snickered. Mina frowned lightly. "Hey, I only hit the wall because that punk moved, alright? Otherwise I would have nailed him." "When was this?" Jupiter asked. "I don't remember ever having to peel you off of a wall." Mina shrugged. "It was while I was still operating as Sailor V." Tolaris cussed as he slipped and the lid of the casing slammed down on his fingers. "Wait a second. YOU'RE Sailor V? Mina, do you know how many people in the Negaverse want your hide?" The blonde blinked. "Uh oh.... I take it I developed a reputation?" Tolaris snorted. "You dispatched twenty-six operatives, two Dragoons, and a member of the Psi-Corp before the appearance of Sailor Moon put everything else on hold. You think that's enough to give you a reputation?" Mina looked at Artemis. "Told you I missed one." Artemis shrugged. "Okay, so my body count was off by one." The Dragoon looked at Mina with a higher degree of respect. "Remind me to never piss you off, Mina." He opened the lid of the casing and stepped back. "Okay, girls, you can choose any dagger you want, but only take one. This is a rather valuable collection, and while I'm sure Nephlyte would approve of them being used, I wouldn't want to destroy their value any more than I have to." "Afraid of him coming back?" quipped Jupiter and she picked up a dagger. "Tell me, did anyone recover his body?" Tolaris asked solemnly. Everyone looked at Ami and she shook her head. "No, his body broke down into luminescent particles. Molly said the monster said that those spines in his shoulder would drain his energy and reduce him to 'Negadust' or something like that." Tolaris frowned. "But no body was left behind, right?" Ami shook her head again. "No, just dust." She reached inside and picked up the dagger she had been looking at. The blade was made out of an iridescent crystal with tiny glitters of gem dust imbedded along the length. The hilt was also made of crystal, but it was a deep purple color with silver filigree. The crossguard was forged from a silvery metal with an inscription acid-etched into it. The blade Mina selected was almost exactly like the one she currently carried, with the exception that the blade's metal was an interesting shade of steel blue. The rest of the blade was plain steel, with the exception of a tiny, glittering gem embedded in the very center of the blade. "If you don't mind, Commander, I'd like to borrow this one. I already know how to use this kind so it'd be easier to handle." Tolaris nodded. "Wise decision. What about you, Jupiter?" Sailor Jupiter held up a dagger forged out of black steel. The blade was split in half almost down to the hilt, with extremely sharp points and razor edges. "I think I'll use this. If I have to kill something, might as well make sure the dagger can handle it." Tolaris blinked. "Umm.... right. That's mostly used to parry with, but I don't foresee any problems with straight killing. Not that I plan us to be killing anything, but just in case. Keep in mind that the edges are extremely sharp so be careful when drawing it out of the sheath." "Speaking of which," said Artemis, "How are you girls going to carry those blades? Ami said she could keep it her uniform boots, but what about the rest of you?" Mina giggled. "What about our Lunar Space pockets?" The white cat blinked and managed to blush red. "Oops, guess I forgot." "Lunar Space?" Tolaris asked. Jupiter nodded. "It's sort of like a dimensional pocket. It is rather small, but it should fit," she said and held the dagger behind her. She made a flicking motion with her wrist and smiled. She brought her empty hand back and showed it to Tolaris. "It's small for you because your Space isn't supposed to hold anything other than your Power Wand," Ami said as she reached behind her and pulled her Mercury Wand out of her Lunar Space pocket. "I've got more space because I need to put my computer there." Mina nodded and also put her dagger in her Lunar Space pocket. Her hand came back holding her Venus Wand. "Now that we're suitably armed, why don't we start practicing with the drones until the others arrive?" Tolaris nodded. "Good idea, but I have to warn you that if you bring out your blade against the drones, that will activate the Live/Kill mode." "What?" Jupiter said, shaking her head. "Part of the Rules of Engagement. If you attack anyone with any sort of artificial weapon, it is akin to issuing a death challenge, stating your intent to kill. If you do that with the drones, they will switch to live-fire mode and do their best to kill you. It didn't do that with the prototype because it was set for test fire only, not active combat." "I see...." Mina said slowly. "If it's all the same with everyone else, we'll skip that part." Jupiter and Ami nodded violently and Tolaris chuckled. "Well, ladies, I've got other work to attend to so I'll leave you three alone to practice. If you don't mind, Artemis, I'll show you how to program the drone launcher so you can run them through various exercises." "I'd like that, Commander," the cat said with a wicked grin. Mina giggled. "Be nice, Artemis. Remember, you have to live with me." She held her Power Wand up to the light and said, "VENUS POWER!" Her body was wrapped in a field of light that slowly transformed her into Sailor Venus. "Good idea," Ami said and held up her own Wand. "MERCURY POWER!" Tolaris leaned against the glass casing and watched as the two girls were transformed into the Sailor Scouts. It never ceased to amaze him at how they could look so different as Sailor Scouts. Ami told him once that the visual effect was part of the magic used to make them Sailor Scouts. The transformations were finished and Tolaris blinked. "If I didn't just watch you two transform, I'd swear you were different people," he said to Venus and Mercury. Mercury set her dagger down on the protective casing and walked over to Tolaris. "But you still love me, right?" she said as she embraced him. "Always," he whispered in her ear as he kissed her. Artemis coughed discreetly. "Want me to wait or should I start poking around with the launcher now?" The Dragoon chuckled softly and gave Mercury a final kiss. "Okay, okay, I'll show you," he said and headed off towards the door. Mercury reached out and grabbed her dagger. She slid it into her boot and took a few experimental steps. Satisfied that she wouldn't cut herself, she hurried after the rest of the Scouts and prepared to take on a few practice drones. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The crystalline computer finished processing the newly acquired data and displayed the results on the screen. Tolaris sighed heavily and rested his head on the edge of the workstation. So much for stealth, he thought wryly. Someone coughed and the Dragoon quickly looked up. Darian and Luna were standing in the doorway with curious expressions on their faces. "Paperwork got you down?" Darian joked as he walked into the room. "I wish it was that simple. I fear someone's discovered my presence on Earth and now I have to radically alter my plans," Tolaris said with a weary gesture to the computer. "We'll probably wind up taking a less direct route, and that will probably take two or three days roundtrip." Luna frowned. "How much more danger will the Scouts be in?" she asked. "Probably a lot more, but I can't say for sure. We won't really know how much until we get in there." He paused and gave Luna a measured look. "It's not too late for the Sailor Scouts to remain behind and let me go alone." "Trust me, I'm still trying to get them to see that," she said sourly. The Dragoon smiled. "Speaking of them, where are Serena and Rei?" Darian coughed lightly. "They're here, but they're in the middle of one of their, uh, discussions...." He was about to say more when several small explosions went off and the floor shook gently. Rei suddenly burst into the room, her bottomless black eyes wide with shock. "I think we're under attack!" she yelled as she looked for something solid to hold on to. Tolaris laughed. "Not quite. That's just the other Sailor Scouts playing with target drones." "Who's playing with what?" Serena asked as she scrambled into the room and grabbed hold of Darian. "It feels like we're in an earthquake." Tolaris stood and smiled. "Come on, I'll show you." He led them out into the hallway and towards the staircase. "They're in a training room practicing their skills against several target drones, that's all." The floor shook again and everyone leaned against the wall for support. "However, the drones have a slightly annoying tendency to explode if hit too hard." "And you said this is practice?" Luna asked. The Dragoon shrugged. "At least they're not programmed to fire back yet." Serena blinked. "You mean they can shoot back? Maybe this isn't a good idea after all...." "It's not like they can kill you, right?" Rei asked hesitantly. "Of course they can. Why else would they be shooting at you?" Everyone stopped and exchanged glances. Tolaris turned around and gave them an evil grin. "If you are going to go into the Negaverse, it is highly probable that you will wind up getting shot at by various denizens. You might as well get used to it. I won't set the drones to kill you, just come close enough to rattle you. But that will wait until after the briefing and lunch." "When will lunch be?" Serena asked with a hand over her stomach. "Someone woke me up and rushed me through breakfast this morning." Rei snorted. "I only did it because Luna was busy getting some before she got around to getting OUCH!!" She blinked and looked at the set of claw marks on her ankle. "Hey, that had just started to heal!" Everyone stared at Luna in silence. The cat calmly sat back and started to preen her paws. "Are you finished, Rei?" she asked mildly. "Umm.... yeah...." "Then let's go see what the others are up to." She glanced up and sighed. "Serena, you can pick your jaw up now." The blonde blinked. "So that WAS you and Hercules." "Yes it was. Now can we stop discussing my love life and get going?" Tolaris chuckled quietly. "We can discuss that later. Right now, I've got to get the others so we can start this briefing." He led the group down several flights of stairs. They walked in silence, the only sound being the occasional explosion from the training room. The group halted when the stairs ended at a set of immense bulkheads. "Okay, everyone stay close to the walls while I open this, just in case their accuracy isn't the greatest." Only Darian bothered to snicker at the comment as they flattened themselves against the wall. Tolaris nodded and pushed the control button. The bulkheads had only partially retracted into the ceiling and floor when something popped and the sound of a flying drone could be heard. "I've got this one," called out a familiar voice. "Mercury Bubbles.... BLAST!!" Without warning, a sphere of force shot out between the bulkheads, pushing the target drone ahead of it like a surfer riding a wave. The rogue sphere impacted with a wall, smashing the drone into shards of metal and detonating in a miniature fireball. Everyone threw themselves onto the floor as the wave of heat and pressure washed over them. "Are you trying to kill us out here, Mercury?!" Serena yelled as she rose to her feet. "If so, you seem to be doing a pretty good job!" The bulkheads finished retracting and Mercury stepped out of the room with a blush on her cheeks. "Sorry about that, didn't know it was opening." "Nice to see you too, love," Tolaris said as he gave her a quick kiss. "I take it everything is going okay in there?" Mercury giggled. "Sure, despite the facts that Artemis is having entirely too much fun with the launcher and Jupiter is being rather trigger-happy." "That's not good. We'll need to try to stay as quiet as possible on this mission. Anyway, you four can take a quick break while I let these three pick out their daggers. After that's all settled, we can start our briefing." Mercury nodded. "Good, I think we could use a bit of a rest." She turned around and yelled back into the room. "Artemis, turn off the launcher for a few minutes. Everyone else is here and we're going to start the briefing in a bit." She turned back and noticed Rei was giving her a strange look. "What is it, Rei?" The priestess shrugged. "Nothing, really. It just felt as if your aura wavered for a second." There was another loud pop and a second drone could be heard flying about. "I'll get it!" said another familiar voice. "Jupiter Thunder.... CRASH!!" The room was lit up as a bolt of lightning was sent through the hapless drone. It fell to the ground, it's protective casing badly cracked and charred. "Hey, you want to quit with the drones, Artemis?" came the voice of Sailor Venus. "The door's open and they're all waiting for us." "Aww, do we have to?" said Sailor Jupiter. "This was getting fun...." Luna sighed. "I think I need to have a bit of a talk with her." Darian nodded. "No kidding. Tolaris, what was that about daggers?" "Follow me and I'll explain as we go," the Dragoon said as he stepped into the training room. He hadn't taken six steps before he stepped on the remains of a drone. He blinked and looked around at the carnage. "By Raijen, how many drones did you go through?" Sailor Venus stretched and smiled. "I lost count around three hundred." Tolaris just sighed as he carefully walked toward the armory doors. "And they wondered why you five did so much damage the last time...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- The crystal bounced twice before it came to rest in the center of the vast table. It immediately executed its primary program and projected a holographic map into the air. The image was three-dimensional and slowly rotated to give all of the viewers the best possible angle. "This is a simplistic overhead map of our intended route," Tolaris's voice came from the corner of the darkened room. The only light came from the image being projected from the tiny crystal. "My original plan was to open the wormhole at this point," he said and a blue dot lit up on the map. "However, I fear that we may have been discovered. Therefore, we will arrive at this point." A red light lit up, quite a distance away from the blue dot. "Due to the wards surrounding the Dragoon complex, we can only open the wormholes at specific points. This point is far enough away from the complex to avoid routine patrols yet close enough to be able to arrive within a day." A series of yellow dots appeared on the map, tracing out a route from the red dot to the glowing green diagram of the Dragoon Headquarters. Several white rings appeared at various points across the map, not seeming to follow any given pattern. "We will follow along this path to the complex. As you can see, the white rings are the projected locations of routine patrols. They may be out of date or a patrol might be on special assignment, so we can't really trust this. It does, however, give us a good starting point to plan for where possible points of conflict might occur. "Once we reach the complex, we will attempt to enter through this storage bay." The map switched to a detailed floor plan of the complex. A large room lit up a bright shade of green and a series of yellow dots traced a path deeper inside the complex. "We are fortunate that most of what we need is located in that storage bay. However, there are a few items I need to get from a secured storage room deeper within the complex." The map rotated to a side-view of the complex. The main storage bay was shown in green on the first level while another room was shown in flashing red three levels down below the surface. "Here we split up. Sailors Mars and Jupiter will remain behind in the bay to cover our rears while the rest of us proceed to the second target. The target, however, is considerably protected against intrusion so it will take several minutes for me to bypass the security network. This is when we'll be the most vunerable to attack, so I want Sailors Venus, Moon, and Tuxedo Mask to spread out in a defensive perimeter while Sailor Mercury scans for any signs of hostile activity. "After the cargo has been acquired, we'll backtrack to pick up the others and the rest of the cargo. I'm almost absolutely certain that removing the cargo from the complex will activate an alarm, so we will really have to watch our backs. However, if all goes well, we won't be noticed until that time." The map switched back to the overhead view of the entrance point and the surrounding terrain. "We have a margin of safety up until a certain point. If we encounter any problems before we reach the complex, we can abort and return back here with little trouble. However, once we breach the complex and acquire the cargo, we could very well be up against the entire Dragoon division." The crystal shut off and the room fell into darkness before Tolaris hit a light switch. The room was illuminated softly and everyone looked around the table. "If anyone has questions, now is the time for it," the Dragoon said and sat down in a chair. "What exactly is this cargo we're going to get?" Mina asked. "Mostly personal effects, but those I can live without. The second target contains all of the information I've gathered over my seven centuries of life as well as a few unique crystals. The data might be able to be reconstructed, given enough time, but those crystals simply cannot be replaced." "What exactly are those crystals?" Darian asked with a slight frown. Tolaris sighed and slumped in his chair. "The remains of my parents, as well as of a few powerful Dragoons. Rumor has it one of them is Raijen's life crystal, but it is impossible to prove. Also, I believe that the Star Crystal General Nephlyte created is there, and I owe it to him to retrieve it." "Who's Raijen?" Ami asked. Tolaris smiled. "Ah, yes. Captain Raijen. He founded the Dragoons over five thousand years ago, back when Queen Beryl's grandmother was the Queen of the Negaverse. After his death, the ranking Commander refused the customary promotion to Captain, saying that such an honor could only be filled by Raijen alone and since Raijen never named his successor, he would retain his rank. Since then, no Dragoon has ever accepted the rank of Captain, quoting Commander Aerce's words as justification." "So you're going to retrieve their remains out of respect, then," said Rei softly. "I can accept that and will gladly accompany you." "Speaking of which," said Luna as she leapt up onto the table. "I want to make sure each and every one of you realizes the danger in this mission, and I want to know your reasons for going with Commander Sterling, despite his pleas not to." "I'm going because I love him and I would go absolutely nuts if I had no idea what happened to him if he doesn't come back," Ami said, looking down at the table. "If I'm with him, I know what's going on and I can help him." Leda sat back and smiled. "And I'm going with her for tactical support. Can't let you two have all of the fun, and besides, I've got nothing better to do until this snowstorm lets up." "It figures you would say something like that," Luna said with a very loud sigh. "What about you, Mina?" The blonde smiled. "I'm coming along because I'm curious as to what the Negaverse is really like. That, and someone's got to keep these two out of trouble." Rei snickered. "I thought that's why I was coming along. Anyway, we are a team and we should go together as a team." Luna sighed again, feeling rather old for her age. She muttered something inaudible about bad dreams and turned to Serena. She opened her mouth to ask her a question but stopped when she saw what she was doing. Serena was holding the Crescent Moon Wand in her hands and was gazing at the Imperium Silver Crystal as if she had never seen it before. Luna thought it might have been a trick of the light, but she could have sworn she saw the gleam of the Crystal reflected in Serena's eyes for a brief instant. "Luna," she said somewhat distantly, "For some reason, I think that I have to go on this one. Don't ask me why because I can't explain it. I just feel that I need to go." Everyone looked at her. "Serena, are you alright?" Luna asked with some concern. Serena smiled softly at her mentor and put the Crescent Moon Wand back in her Lunar Space pocket. "I'm fine, Luna. It just feels like I need to go, that's all." The cat sighed and laid down. "I don't suppose I could convince you to help keep them here, could I, Darian?" Darian laughed quietly. "Nope, since I'm going with them." Luna looked ready to cry. "I figured as much. Very well, then, since you girls seem so determined to go on this, Artemis and I have no choice but to do our best to help you." Tolaris frowned. "If you intend to come with us, I'm afraid I can't allow that. If you can't fight, you'd be a hindrance to us." Luna shook her head. "No, no, I'm staying here. However, Artemis and I have collected a surprisingly large reserve of Lunar energy while we've been on Earth and I think it's time we put that energy to good use." Artemis nodded and leapt out of Mina's lap. He landed in the middle of the table and walked over next to Luna. "I'm ready when you are," he said. "Good. Now pay attention, Sailor Scouts. What we can do is either give you entirely new, stronger powers, or supercharge your current powers to a new level of power. Either way, the change will be irreversible and we won't be able to do such a thing again for a very long time." "What will happen to our old powers if we get the new ones?" Rei asked. Luna sighed. "I'm afraid the new powers would wipe out your old ones. I don't know the exact mechanics of it, but I understand that your Scout essences can only hold so much in the way of power templates." "So if we went with the new powers, we would have to relearn how to use them correctly, right?" said Leda. "Thanks, but no thanks. It's like Tolaris told me, I don't want to be going into hostile territory carrying an untested power that I don't know how to use. I'll stick with what I know for now." Artemis snickered. "She has a point, Luna. They don't have the time to relearn how to be Sailor Scouts." "True. Very well. Do the four of you agree that your powers should be supercharged, then?" asked Luna. The four Sailor Scouts nodded their heads while Serena frowned. "Excuse me, but what about my powers?" "I'm sorry, Serena, but your powers can only be modified by the Imperium Silver Crystal and you're the only one who can do it." "Me? But I don't know how!" "Nor do I, so that means you're stuck with what you've got for now. Don't worry, I'm sure one day you will learn how to do it," Luna said with a smile. "Now, if you four could please give me your Power Wands, we can get the process started." Four hands reached into Lunar Space pockets and came back holding their Power Wands. One by one, Artemis went to each Sailor Scout and picked up their Wands. He laid them out in a cross pattern in the center of the table. When he was finished, he sat down between the Jupiter and Venus Wands and nodded to Luna. "Ready on this end." "Good. Serena, you will need to use the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal to seal the energy inside the Wands once we're finished, so it would be best if you became the Moon Princess," Luna said as she sat down between the Mercury and Mars Wands. Serena stood up and pulled the Crescent Moon Wand out of her Lunar Space pocket. She glanced up at Darian and noticed he was shaking his head slowly. "What is it?" "It just bugs me slightly that you can yank that thing out of nowhere, that's all. It's like that American television program, 'Highlander'," he said with a grin. Everyone except Tolaris chuckled briefly. "I take it this is an Earth joke?" Tolaris asked. "Yes. I'll tell you about it later," Darian said and sat back. Serena held up the Wand to eye-level so she could gaze at the Imperium Silver Crystal imbedded in the center of the crescent moon. The sign of the Moon started to glow on her forehead and her clothes changed into the soft white dress of the Moon Princess. "I am ready, Luna," she said softly in a voice that was somehow hers and someone else's. Luna looked at Artemis and he nodded. They both closed their eyes and began to concentrate. The crescent moon markings on their foreheads began to glow a golden color as the four Power Wands started to rise up off of the table like ghosts. Wisps of energy began to form around the Wands, slowly enveloping them in gauzy clouds. Everyone except the cats looked up as a ghostly image formed above the Wands and the streams of energy. A dragon composed of a harsh white light was flying with a huge bird covered in fire. Several odd spheres seemed to float aimlessly around while a rain of light fell around the room. The image only lasted for a few seconds before collapsing into four large tendrils of light and energy that wrapped themselves around the Power Wands. Princess Serena stood up and pointed the Crescent Moon Wand at the four Power Wands. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on the Imperium Silver Crystal that was her birthright as the Princess of the Moon. "Cosmic Moon Power...." she intoned, and the Crystal's energies lashed out to surround the Power Wands. The threads of power were quickly absorbed by the four wands and they seemed to glow with power. "Now summon your Wands, my friends, and receive their powers...." Princess Serena said with a soft smile. The four Scouts nodded and stood up. They held out their hands, the signs of their gods glowing on their foreheads as they concentrated. The Power Wands darted away from each other and into the hands of their respective Scouts. "Whoa, blood rush...." Leda said as the supercharged power flowed through her and imprinted itself on her essence. "No kidding...." Rei said, momentarily stunned. Mina giggled. "This tickles," she said with a smile. "I wouldn't call it a tickle," Ami said, frowning slightly. "This feels like when I was electrocuted while changing the math co-processor on my home computer." "You're supposed to unplug it first, Ami," Mina said as she stretched. "I did. I just forgot to discharge the capacitors before I started to work on the chip." Mina blinked. "And you say that's how you felt just a few seconds ago?" Ami nodded. "Not quite, but it was close enough." Mina thought about it for a second before dismissing the matter. "I guess you must not be too ticklish, then." "You'd be surprised," said Tolaris with a smile. Ami gave him a dark look and everyone laughed. "We'll discuss this later," she said. "Is that a promise or a threat?" the Dragoon said. Artemis coughed. "Before Ami and Tolaris get into a minor fight, I just want to make sure that you realize that it will be sometime before your powers are fully adjusted," he said to the Sailor Scouts. "Your old powers will work just fine but your supercharged powers probably won't be available for a day or so." "So what are the new powers?" Leda asked. Artemis glanced at Luna and the black cat shrugged. "Umm, well, Luna and I aren't quite sure, to be honest. The final configuration of the new energy will be done by your essences. It will, of course, fall under your domains of power, but the exact form is unknown." "What was that image we saw?" Serena asked. She was her normal self again and was casually toying with the Crescent Moon Wand. Luna blinked. "What image?" Serena explained to her about the image that they saw while the cats were busy supercharging the Wands. After Serena had finished describing it, Luna remained silent for several seconds as she thought. "That might very well be the final forms of your new powers," she finally said. "However, I can't say for sure since the new power forms aren't written in stone." Tolaris stood up and stretched. "Okay, unless anyone has anything they'd like to say about this mission, we should break for lunch and then start in with training in the combat simulator for tomorrow." "A quick question about that simulator," Mina said. "You said it could be programmed to simulate different environments, right?" The Dragoon nodded. "Holographically, of course, but yes." "Could you program it to run us through the route we're supposed to take tomorrow?" Tolaris just stared at her. "Mina," he said after several seconds, "Are you sure I can't convince you to become a Dragoon? I never thought of that." The blonde blushed. "No, I'll stay with being a Sailor Scout." "So what exactly are you talking about?" Rei asked, slightly confused. "I'll show you in a bit, Rei," said Tolaris. "But first, we need to get something to eat first. We've got a long day ahead of us and an even longer one tomorrow." "Mmmm, what's for lunch?" Serena asked. Leda laughed. "Give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can whip up. Provided, of course, it doesn't try to eat the cooking utensils as I make it." Rei blinked. "Umm.... do I want to ask?" "Only if you can tell me what a Smurf is," Tolaris replied. "I'm not hungry anymore," Mina said with a small frown. Darian just sighed and slumped in his chair. "Yeah, it's going to be one of those days, alright...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mina slowly entered the room as if every movement made her sore. Her hair was still quite damp from the shower and she was wearing a soft lavender robe. "And I thought Luna's training exercises were grueling," she muttered to the room in general. "Anyone got a spare pillow?" Leda reached behind her and grabbed a pillow at random. She tossed it across the room, making a face as the movement made her painfully aware of a tender spot in her shoulder. "If this is what we're going up against in the morning, I'm sleeping in," the brunette said. She was sitting cross-legged on a very large pillow, wearing a dark gray robe and still dripping slightly from her own shower. "You said you wanted to go," Rei said as she was fussing with her hair. She had managed to get most of the water out but now her raven-black hair was a mass of tangles. Out of the five girls in the room, she alone was wearing a nightgown rather than a bathrobe. "It's not like anyone's twisting your arm into going if you don't want to." Leda sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just wish that being shot at didn't hurt so much. How many times did the simulator kill me, twelve?" "Thirteen," said Ami as she ran a brush through her wet hair. "Be glad that Tolaris used rubber pellets instead of real ammunition or plasma grenades. I was injured eighteen times, but only took lethal damage five times." Serena just sighed and rubbed the sore spot on her shoulder and upper arm. "So what was the final score, or should I ask?" she said. Her hair had gotten badly tangled during the simulation and rather than mess with it, she simply undid her hairstyle and let it cascade across her shoulders and back. Ami sighed and looked at her computer. "Final score was Sailor Scouts 15, Dragoon Legion 13. A point was awarded to the team with the lowest casualty ratio during each simulation. Not very good results, if you ask me." "Wonderful," Mina commented. "So what are the odds that we'll come back in one piece from this mission?" Ami poked at her computer for a bit. "According to the simulation, we've got a 64% chance of overall success but only a 2% chance of all of us returning unscratched. Ummm, I have the estimated damage breakdown, if you really want to hear it...." Leda snorted. "Might as well." "2% chance no damage, 23% chance of us having a wide collection of large cuts, scrapes, and bruises, all non-critical. Umm.... a 24% chance of one of us coming back in critical condition, 17% chance that it's more of us.... and there's a 34% chance that at least one of us gets killed." Mina sighed. "So basically you're saying that we've got a good chance of getting beat up pretty badly, right?" Ami nodded slowly. "According to the simulator." Rei coughed. "I'm inclined to trust the simulator, seeing how badly it managed to kick our butts at times." "Yeah, but we trashed it too, so it pretty much evens out," replied Leda. "Besides, if we don't have very high chances, then why did we score more than the simulation? I mean, when one of us died in the sim, there went 17% of our total score. But there were hundreds of them, so each one of them was only a fraction of a percent. And we still won the most," she said with a smile. "Do we really want to stake our lives on this?" Serena asked quietly. "I mean, Tolaris keeps saying it'd be best for him to go alone and to be the only one at risk. Do we really want to risk dying for this mission?" "For the mission, no," said Ami, just as quietly. "For Tolaris, yes." "You love him that much," Mina stated. "Yes, I do." Leda stretched out her legs, frowning slightly as Mina glanced away. "I can say that I don't think I'd put my life on the line for Tolaris. However," she added as Ami gave her a strange look, "Ami is one of my best friends and I'd put my life on the line for her. And I can mean that easier than the rest of you because if I die, I don't have anyone who'd really miss me. Except for the rest of you, that is." "I'm not sure I'd risk my life for one person," Rei admitted, staring down at the pillow she was sitting on, "Even one of you. But for the whole team, I'd have to say that I would." "My sentiments exactly," Mina said. "Someone once said that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. What's one life compared to the lives of the team? If the Sailor Scouts are going to risk their lives for one of their number, I would risk my life for the entire team." Serena smiled to herself as she began to put her hair back into its usual form. "You do realize that this is a moot point, seeing how you four have done so once before and died for it. Fortunately the Imperium Silver Crystal was able to bring you back, and I think I know why. Such love and friendship for your friends deserves a second chance. However, I fear that not even the power of the Crystal can bring us back should we fail this time. I need to go into the Negaverse, for what purpose I'm not sure, but it makes me feel warm and secure inside knowing that my friends are there with me, not because they have to, but because they want to." Everyone looked at her and smiled. "Why do I get the feeling that our ditzy friend here is starting to emotionally mature?" Rei said. "Who are you calling ditzy, Miss Fire-For-Brains?" Leda laughed. "Spoke too soon, Rei." Ami smiled. "Perhaps. Unless anyone has any more profound statements to make, I'm going to wander off to bed. And the first person to ask who's bed gets bitten," she said, going vampiric long enough to show her tiny fangs. Leda's jaw quickly closed with an audible snap. "Ummm.... sleep well." "I'll try. Good night, everyone," Ami said as she stood up and left. Mina craned her head around the door and grinned to herself as she saw Ami knock softly on Tolaris's bedroom door. "Guess what, girls? We're going to have thundersnow tonight." Leda's eyes brightened while Rei's mood seemed to drop by three degrees. Serena looked outside the window and nodded her head. "Well, it looks like the snow part is here. Getting rather heavy, too." "We know you don't like cold and snow, Rei, so you don't need to start in on your usual winter litany," Mina said quickly as Rei started to grumble to herself. "Fine, then. I'm going to go mediate in front of a nice, warm, cozy fire, if that's alright with everyone." She stood up and paused as a thought popped into her mind. "Um, where exactly are Artemis and Luna?" Mina made a face. "Artemis said he found a small colony of field mice and invited Luna out for 'fine dining'. Haven't seen either one since." "Oh, ick," the priestess replied. "Sorry I asked. Well, guess I'll see everyone in the morning." "Good night, Rei," everyone said as she left the room. "I guess I'd better get to bed too," Leda said as she stood up. "Who's room is this, anyway? I know mine's down the hall, but I don't remember who got what room." Mina shrugged. "This is just an empty room, I think. My room is at the other end of the hall, and I think Serena's room is two doors down." "It is," Serena said with a smile. "So why did we decide to meet in this room instead of any of ours?" Mina smiled as she bounced in place. "It had all of the fluffy pillows," she said simply. The three of them laughed for a bit before Serena stood up. "I'll see you two in the morning. Sleep well," she said and headed for the door. "Perhaps," Mina said with a smile. Both Leda and Serena gave her strange looks. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Leda asked. Mina shrugged. "Call it a feeling. Anyway," she said as she stood up. She reached down and grabbed the pillow she had been sitting on. "I don't think anyone would mind if I borrowed this for the night, do you?" Serena shook her head. "Nope. Good night, Mina." "Good night, Serena," Mina said, and the three of them went to their rooms to get ready for bed. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ami smiled softly and closed the door behind her. "You want some company tonight, Tolaris?" she asked quietly as she walked over and hugged him. The Dragoon gave her an amused look as he finished stripping off his dress tunic. "We are going to have a full day tommorrow, my love, so we will both need to sleep well." She smiled and stroked his chest. "They say that you sleep better when you're exhausted...." "Ami...." he said, both surprised and amused. Her mood grew somber as she leaned against him. "Tolaris, there's a good chance that we'll be badly injured on this mission, possibly even killed...." "All the more reason for you and the Sailor Scouts to remain here," he interrupted, hugging her tightly. "Tolaris...." she started to say but was cut off by a passionate kiss. "I know, Ami. I can't force you to stay nor would I try," he said when they broke apart. "And I understand why you and the others want to come with me. I don't like the idea of you being in danger, Ami, but I'll do what I can to keep you and your friends as safe as possible." She hugged him as tight as she could, not sure of what else to say. She listened to his heart beating in his chest and was soothed by the sound. "I love you," she said softly. Tolaris brushed his lips across her forehead. "And I love you, Ami." She sighed in contentment as she bent her head up to kiss him. "Tolaris, will you make love to me?" she asked softly. The Dragoon's response was to gently pick her up in his arms and kiss her thoroughly. "This is going against my better judgement," he said with a soft smile. "But then again, I never was good with matters of the heart." "Fortunately for me," she said as she was carried over to the bed. He looked at her before shaking his head in wonder. He carefully set her down and gave her a gentle but passionate kiss. The kiss lasted well into the night before the Dragoon Commander and the Sailor Scout turned their attentions to other matters of the heart.... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mina entered the room and closed the door behind her without making any sound at all. Moving silently was a skill she had picked up as Sailor V and often surprised herself by the number of situations in which it had come in handy. Situations like the one she was in now. Glancing up to make sure she hadn't been noticed, she turned her attention to the small control panel on the wall. She had figured out that they were the controls to the lighting and outside window shields for the room. She swiftly reprogrammed them to a specific pattern and paused with her hand hovering over the 'commit' switch, studying the room's sole occupant. Leda was still dressed in her robe and standing in front of the windows, looking out into the snowstorm but not seeing. The reflection in the glass was that of a young woman who was deeply lost in thought and memory. Her hand slowly trailed down her throat and idly toyed with the sash to the robe, as if she wanted it opened by someone other than her. Mina's hand pressed the switch and she quickly moved back into the shadow in the doorway. Leda blinked as the lights started to dim and a low rumbling sound could be heard. She watched in silent surprise as reinforced bulkheads slid over the outside windows, cutting off all view of the outside world and plunging the room into utter darkness. The heavy rumbling was replaced with the soft whine of servo motors as the track lighting system was swiftly redesigned and the various spotlights began to move. The process finished several seconds later and all was quiet. A single spotlight lit up, casting down a sharply defined cone of light and illuminating Mina. The lighting was such that very little could be seen past the cone of light, and what could be seen were vague shadows of gray. The shadows seemed to part as Leda approached the very edge of the light. Nothing was said as each looked at the other. Leda appeared to have lost most of her color while Mina's features were sharply accented by the light, concealing her eyes in pools of shadow. After a few seconds of silence, Mina slowly untied her robe and let it fall to the floor, leaving her standing naked in the light. She held out her hand, as if offering herself to the brunette. Leda remained utterly motionless, not even appearing to breathe. After a few seconds, Mina let her hand fall to her side and nodded once. She turned around and picked up her robe, silently wondering where she miscalculated. She froze as she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing and kneading the muscles. The blonde's hair was gently pushed aside and she felt Leda's lips brush across the back of her neck. Mina shivered lightly at the sensation and felt her body start to respond. She started to twist around but the hands on her shoulders tightened gently, keeping her in place. Leda continued to lightly massage Mina's shoulders and neck for several minutes before slowly guiding her over to the bed. Everything became shades of black as they left the cone of light and the girls found themselves feeling alone in a void, comforted only by the intimate presence of the other. The hands on her shoulders gently pushed Mina down on her stomach and a pillow was placed near her head. She grabbed the pillow and tucked it beneath her chin, placing her arms by her side. She heard a rustle of fabric and felt Leda's bare body pressing against hers as the brunette kissed her ear. Mina felt Leda's hands on her shoulders again, only this time her touch was firm and strong as she slowly massaged the tension out of the muscles in the blonde's back. Almost immediately Mina started to feel relaxed and she felt her body surrendering to her friend's skilled touch. She lost track of time as the pleasure and relaxation pushed her mind to the brink of falling asleep. She was dimly aware of rolling over, but she woke up almost instantly as Leda gave her a gentle kiss before starting in on the intimate massage.... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Serena paused in front of the door, trying to decide if she really wanted to try her plan. Indecision gnawed on the edge of her mind before she gathered her courage together and choose a course of action. Here goes nothing, she thought as she softly knocked on the door. "Come in," said the faint voice from the other side. Serena opened the door and went inside, making sure that she closed the door behind her. She quietly made her way into the room, not looking up at the room's occupant until she was a few feet away from him. When she did look up, she smiled at the image she saw. Darian was standing by the window, wearing a pair of faded gray sweatpants and holding a rather sizable scimitar in his hand. Behind him, the falling snow was starting to pile up against the bottom of the window, creating the illusion of the two of them trapped together in the room. He gave her a funny look as she approached, still smiling rather oddly. "Hello, Serena," he said softly. "What's with you? You look like a cat that just ate a bunch of goldfish." "Just my mind sinking down to Leda's level, that's all." He blinked in confusion. "And what's that supposed to mean?" She gestured to the curved blade he was holding. "Is that your sword, Darian, or are you just happy to see me?" she giggled. Darian sighed as he picked up the sword's scabbard from the bed and deftly slid the blade inside. "Sorry I asked," he said, laying the scimitar against the tiny nightstand. "So what's on your mind that you wanted to see me at this hour?" he said, leaning against the wall. "I just wanted to be with you for awhile," she said softly. "That, and I wanted to sleep in your arms again...." He frowned lightly. "Is that wise? I mean, I don't want to upset Luna or anything...." Serena smiled again as she moved closer to him. "Artemis and Luna are out hunting field mice tonight. Luna likes doing that and she hasn't had much time to do so lately, so I'm sure she'll spend most of the night hunting. Depending on how much snow there is, she might even spend the night in a tree." The thought of the serious and civilized cat sleeping in a tree like a wild animal brought a smile to Darian's lips. "Now that would be a sight to see.... Luna taking a nap up in a snow-covered tree in some yard. You wouldn't have thought that cats would go hunting in the snow and...." He trailed off as his attention was diverted by the glimpse of motion out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look in time to catch a puddle of pink terry cloth form at Serena's feet. It's a robe, his mind instantly identified it as. His mind locked up as further implications sank in. It's her robe. Which means she's not wearing it anymore. Darian's brain wasn't sure of its original analysis so it repeated the logical progression of identification a second time before it sank in. Almost immediately, he broke out in a cold sweat as fully half of his brain shut down. Hesitantly, he began to look up. His gaze slowly worked its way up her sleek and slender legs. They were smooth and nicely formed with just the right amount of muscle, a pleasant side effect from her Sailor Scout training. She was wearing a pair of light pink panties, cut high enough to allow a great deal of unrestricted mobility while still remaining decent. His eyes wandered further up, across the smooth expanse of her stomach. Like her legs, it was also well-formed and in excellent condition, despite her constant snacking on sugar and sweets. His gaze flicked to her sides to study her strong and slender arms, again a side effect of her continuous training. His gaze wandered up further to her chest and discovered that she wasn't wearing anything else. Her breasts were small and firm, being absolutely perfect for her size. Her rosy nipples were starting to tighten in response to his scrutiny and he could feel the heat rising in his face. He looked further up, past the tender skin of her chest and throat, and looked into her blue eyes. She had a soft smile on her face and the expression of love in her eyes as she gazed back at him, seeming to be comfortable with her state of undress in his presence. She reached behind her and undid her hairstyle, letting her blonde hair cascade down her shoulders and almost down to her ankles. She stepped closer to Darian and slowly ran her hand across his cheek. "You seem lost, Darian," she said quietly. "Tell me, do you like what you see?" "Very much, my love," he replied and kissed her. She kissed back with equal passion, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. They spent several seconds frozen in that position, their shadows imprinted on the wall by the light of the moon from above. Time seemed to stand still, the only indication that it still flowed was the steady and silent accumulation of snowflakes from the storm. Serena gently pulled away from Darian and moved over to the bed. She laid down and stretched provocatively, making sure she had his full attention. She glanced up at him and smiled at his expression. She slid beneath the sheets and moved over, making room for him to lie down as well. "Darian?" she said quietly. It took him several seconds to find his voice. "Yes, Serena?" "Come to bed. It's late and we both need to get a good night's sleep." He blinked as he slowly sank down on the bed, wondering just how he had gotten into this situation. He tried to think about it but the sight of a very beautiful, half-naked Serena in his bed precluded any serious brain activity. He settled himself down and stretched as well, a distant but functional part of his mind making note of the fact that he had several minor aches in his shoulders. Serena moved over next to him and laid her head on his chest. He reflexively put his arms around her and found that it felt natural for the both of them to be in bed together, despite their state of undress. "Darian, I love you," Serena said, her mind already well on its way to the world of sleep and dreams. Darian tilted his head down and kissed her ear. "I love you too, Serena," he said. He closed his eyes and was surprised at how calm and relaxed he had gotten in the past few minutes. Maybe there's something to this after all, he thought to himself. It was his last conscious thought before sleep claimed both of them, still held in each other's arms. Outside, the snow continued to fall silently, the only sound coming from the faint rumblings of thunder coming from the leading edge of a newly summoned storm. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rei finished a rather lengthy fire meditation ritual and decided that now would be an ideal time to get some sleep. She rose from her kneeling position and stretched, noting with slight amazement that the aches in her joints seemed to have significantly lessened. This is interesting, she thought as she walked over to her overnight bag. I should be feeling tired after today's workout but I'm not. I wonder how long I've been meditating? She reached into her bag and pulled out her alarm clock. She glanced at the display and almost dropped it. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and looked at it again, trying to make sure she saw it correctly. Seven in the morning?! she thought. Is this for real? She swiftly walked over to the controls to the window shields and hit the toggle. The protective bulkheads started to retract from the windows and Rei blinked as sunlight flooded the small room. This is too weird, she thought, when did I fall asleep? She searched her memory for anything unusual that occurred while she was meditating, but she could find nothing that indicated when or even if she fell asleep. Oh, well, as long as I'm not tired, she thought as she unbuttoned her nightgown. She quickly changed into her usual ceremonial robes and started to pack everything together. Her task was interrupted by a soft knocking at her door. "Come in," she called out as she finished stuffing everything into her overnight bag. She smiled at her visitor as he stepped into the room. "Good morning, Commander." Tolaris nodded to her. "More often than not, that's an opinion and not a greeting. I trust you slept well?" "Funny you should say that. I don't recall ever falling asleep. I'm not tired or anything," she quickly added as the Dragoon frowned, "It's just that I have no idea when I fell asleep and when I woke up. I swear it felt like I spent the whole night meditating." Tolaris blinked and looked at her. "It's possible that you never actually fell asleep, Rei. It's common for those highly skilled in the meditive arts to spend the night in prayer and be refreshed as if they had slept well, yet they remain fully awake at all times. But that's usually a highly advanced skill and I wouldn't think that you would be able to do such a thing right now." Rei shrugged. "Perhaps. You did say I had potential, right?" "A vast amount of potential. It doesn't matter right now, just as long as you're awake when we go in. Everyone's starting to get up and gather together for breakfast and last-minute preparation. Are you all set?" She nodded. "Just finished packing. Let me take care of the fire first and I'll be down for breakfast shortly." Tolaris laughed quietly. "All too easily taken care of," he said as a miniature raincloud formed over the fire. The cloud rumbled quietly to itself as it began to rain on the fire, extinguishing it within seconds. The downpour continued for a few more seconds to ensure the fire was out before the cloud dispersed and a tiny tornado formed in its place. The swirling winds gathered up all of the ashes in its funnel and drifted towards the direction of the trash can. "It must be convenient to be able to do that," Rei said as she watched the tornado dump the wet ash into the trash and dispersed itself. "It does have its uses," the Dragoon said with a smile. "Come on, Leda said she'd be cooking something special for breakfast this morning. She won't tell me what, except that it won't do anything like eat the plate as she serves it." Rei blinked as she picked up her bag. "Do you often have that problem?" she asked as she followed Tolaris out of the room. "It all depends on what you decide to call lunch. A basic rule of thumb is if it screams when you poke it with your fork, it's not food yet, but there are some exceptions." The priestess blanched. "Uh huh.... Tell me, how long are we going to be in the Negaverse?" Tolaris laughed. "Long enough for dinner, if that's what you meant." "That's what I thought. Maybe we can get Leda to make us some sandwiches before we go in...." The sound of the Dragoon's laughter echoed down the hall for quite some time as they made there way through the cathedral towards the kitchen. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone was gathered together in the central hall of the cathedral for what Tolaris called "an attitude check". Luna and Artemis were sitting off to one side, watching carefully but not interfering. "Alright, everyone, if I can have your attention?" the Dragoon said in a gentle but commanding tone. Everyone looked up at him except Serena, who was still staring at the star mosaic on the ceiling. Tolaris sighed quietly and coughed loudly. "Serena, can you stop staring at the Astroglobe long enough for me to get this taken care of?" The blonde blushed a vivid shade of crimson and sheepishly turned to look at him. "Sorry," she apologized. "Okay, everyone, it's almost party time and I'm going to give it to you straight. First off, I want it understood that I will command this mission. Sailor Moon is your team leader and you can follow whatever orders she gives you, but everyone will do what I say, when I say, and if you have a problem with this, either speak up now or keep quiet." Everyone blinked at the sudden change of Tolaris's demeanor but no one spoke. After a few seconds, Tolaris nodded and continued. "I know this sounds harsh, but we're going into hostile territory, and if I understand the slang correctly, this isn't going to be a picnic in the park. If I give an order, it will be with good reason and will most likely wind up saving your collective butts. But you have to follow it for it to work, so we're placing our lives in your hands. Is everyone still with me?" They all nodded and the Dragoon commander sighed quietly. "Good. Now no offense, Miss Moon, but if we were in the Negaverse, your inattention could have very well been a fatal mistake. I've lived in the Negaverse for all of my life, and there is still alot about it that can surprise even me. You have to suspect everything, trust nothing and no one except your teammates, and always watch your butt. And when I say everything, I mean everything. You wouldn't think that ant would hurt, but it's bite might contain a toxin strong enough to kill you in eight seconds flat. You might not think that rock is alive, but you'd be surprised when the mimic opens up its mouth and eats your face. I've seen all of this stuff happen before and it is not a pretty sight." Darian was the only one able to speak after Tolaris fell silent. "Excuse me, Commander, but just how common are these little surprises?" he said rather calmly. "Fortunately, a'vechs and mimics are quite rare. However, there is quite alot of other harmful surprises out there, so I had to make sure you understood the extent of the dangers. You do understand what I mean, right?" Everyone nodded with varying degrees of horror and fear etched on their faces. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all...." Serena said, her voice quivering with fear. The Dragoon rubbed his temples. "It never was, Serena. And if you, any of you, don't like this well enough to come along, then by all means stay here with Artemis and Luna." No one spoke as Tolaris looked each one of them in the eyes, making sure that he or she knew what they wanted and what they were doing. He finished his sweep of the room's occupants and nodded slowly. "Very well. I just want to say that I have a great deal of respect for your courage and dedication to this. I just hope that same courage will hold out for this. Okay, weapons check, everyone." Ami, Rei, Leda, and Mina all pulled their daggers out of their respective Lunar Space pockets while Darian picked up his scimitar from where he had left it leaning against the wall. Serena, who chose not to carry a dagger, pulled the Crescent Moon Wand out of her own Lunar Pocket and started to look it over. "You know, Darian," Rei said conversationally as she slid her ceremonial dagger out of it's sheath, "You never told us why you picked a scimitar rather than a dagger. Isn't it kinda heavy?" Darian smiled as the scimitar slid out of the scabbard with a loud hissing sound. "Just a little, but I'm used to it. I've used a sword before, back on in the Moon Kingdom as Prince Darian, remember?" Rei nodded slightly. "No, but I'll take your word for it." Darian shrugged. "Anyway, I've always wanted to own a scimitar. I guess I spent too much time watching movies like 'Lawrence of Arabia' as a kid." Leda snickered. "And I thought you'd want a katana like 'Highlander'." "That's what I want after I manage to acquire a scimitar...." Mina tested the balance of her dagger and glanced up at Serena. "Serena, how come you didn't want a dagger? I know you don't care for them, but having a backup weapon never hurts." Serena stared into the Imperium Silver Crystal and sighed. "I don't know, it.... it just didn't feel right." She looked up and shrugged. "I guess it doesn't make any sense, does it?" Mina smiled. "No, but no one said it had to." Ami looked at Tolaris and blinked. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to the small cylinder he was holding. It was made out of a strange type of wood and was only eight inches long. The Dragoon smiled and squeezed the cylinder. An odd liquid sound filled the room as the cylinder lengthened out to six feet and a very wicked steel tip formed at one end. "Symipa. The traditional weapon of the Dragoons, if you will. Raijen used to use one himself as an emergency weapon and I guess it formed a tradition. It's an extra-tough steel-tipped spear that can fold in on itself into a small, easily-concealed cylinder. The only problem is that the mass never changes so the cylinder is not only dense but ultra-heavy." "How does it change?" Serena asked, her blue eyes wide with wonder. "It's made out of a speical material. Synthetic mimetic polyatomic alloy, if I remember the acronym correctly. The stuff is quite useful since you can program it to take virtually any shape you want. The only problem is that the program itself is unbelievably huge and complex, and our current technology is such that we can't make really complicated objects." Mina frowned. "You said Raijen used one of those? But I thought he lived three thousand years ago." "He did. He was born slightly over five thousand years ago and lived to be around two thousand six hundred years old. However, despite the sizable time gap, the symipa technology hasn't progressed much. Go figure," he added with a shrug. "Anyway, does anyone have any problems with your weapons?" They all shook their heads and Tolaris smiled. "Okay, everyone. Load up and prepare to enter the Negaverse. If you have to use the bathroom, now's the time since there won't be any 'civilized' facilities available until we get back here." He blinked in surprise as the five girls suddenly made a mad-dash for the bathrooms. He leaned against the wall and laughed quietly as he put his symipa in the holster inside his uniform jacket. "The one and only definite proof of male superiority," he said to Darian. "The ability to use the bathroom standing up?" "Exactly." Artemis snickered quietly to himself and got a tail slapped in his face by a slightly irritated Luna. He blinked and calmed down, but not without giving the two guys a knowing smile. The girls returned in a surprisingly short amount of time. Tolaris was going to ask what kept them but decided that now would not be an ideal time to irritate his teammates. "If everyone's finished, then you should transform and get this party started." The Sailor Scouts smiled and nodded to each other. Four cylinders and a hand were held up to the sky as they activated their transformation powers. "Moon Prism Power!" "Mercury Power!" "Mars Power!" "Jupiter Power!" "Venus Power!" Darian smiled as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a rose in full bloom. He silently concentrated and his body started to shimmer with light as he also started to transform. Tolaris and the two cats watched as the room was filled with light and the energy from the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. Eventually, the light faded and they were fully ready for whatever came their way. "It is always interesting to watch you transform," the Dragoon said as they did a series of quick stretches and exercises. "It might be a good idea to test your powers before we go in." "Right," said Sailor Moon. She removed her tiara and concentrated. The golden tiara melted and reformed into a shimmering disc of energy in her and and she smiled. "Moon Tiara checks out." Sailor Mercury cross her arms in front of her and focused her mind. A mote of energy gathered together and grew into a sizable sphere of power. She held it in place for a few seconds before letting it disperse in a harmless puff of vapor. "Mercury Bubbles, check." Sailor Mars clapped her hands together in front of her and extended her pointer fingers. She concentrated and a miniature fireball formed at the tips of her extended fingers. The fireball crackled to itself before she let it vanish with a pop. "Mars Fire, check." Sailor Jupiter closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, her second and fifth fingers forming a V on either hand. A slender rod extended from her tiara and started to crackle with static electricity. She let the charge build up before it discharged in a harmless pop and the rod folded back down into her tiara. "Jupiter Thunder, check." Sailor Venus held up a finger to the sky and concentrated. Two balls of light formed at her fingertip and became a pair of crescent moon beams. She let the beams strengthen in intensity before letting them fade into nothing. "Venus Crescent Beams, check." Everyone jumped as a rose imbedded itself in the middle of the floor. "It looks like I'm ready," Tuxedo Mask said softly. "Didn't mean to surprise you all like that...." Sailor Moon smiled as she bent down to pick up the rose. She yelped as a thorn pierced her glove and drew blood. "Ouch, that hurt!" she said as she picked up the rose a little more carefully. "You alright?" Mercury asked, her gaze fixated on the tiny drops of blood on Sailor Moon's white gloves. Sailor Moon didn't miss where her friend's attention was directed. "Umm, are you okay, Mercury? When was the last time you were fed?" The vampire blushed when she realized what she was doing. "Just last week when I drained you. I'm not hungry or anything, just...." She trailed off, unable to voice what she was feeling. "As long as we don't have to worry about you getting hungry, we won't have any problems," Tolaris said as he drew a strange crystal out of his pocket. The gem was an eerie purple color that shimmered oddly in the light. Everyone blinked and looked at it, captivated by the strange color. "Hey, that's pretty.... What is it?" Jupiter asked in fascination. The Dragoon smiled. "A Silkworm crystal, and our ticket into and out of the Negaverse." He concentrated briefly and a swirling vortex opened up on the far side of the room. Through it they could see a small grove of trees that marked the start of their journey. "Everyone set?" Commander Tolaris asked and everyone nodded. "Well then, ladies and gentlemen, it's party time," he said and stepped towards the portal between Earth and the Negaverse. One by one, the Sailor Scouts followed him across the room towards the portal. Tuxedo Mask picked up his scimitar, hooked the scabbard onto his belt, and hurried after them. "Good luck, everyone." Luna said as they stepped into the wormhole. Only Sailor Moon turned around and nodded before they set off, disappearing from the cat's line of sight almost instantly. Behind them, the vortex shimmered and collapsed, leaving Artemis and Luna alone in the cathedral. "You think they'll be okay in there?" Artemis asked quietly. "I hope so, Artemis. I really hope so...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Whisper turned around as the three Dragoons entered General Rune's chambers. She smiled and nodded her head in respect to Shar-Tei. <So how's everything going in the Intelligence business?> she telepathed to the Dragoon commander. "It's been a headache, Captain," Shar-Tei replied. She turned slightly and bowed before General Rune. Behind her, Lieutenants Maze and Ra'vel also bowed to the raven-haired general. Rune gave Whisper an amused glance. "Telepathing behind my back again, Captain? Shame on you." Whisper smiled and ran her fingers through her pale green hair. "Have a bit of faith, General. You know I wouldn't telepath about people behind their backs." Ra'vel chirped quietly. <Captain would> she telepathed to the Psi-Corp officer. <Hush> was the swift reply. Rune smiled at the two telepaths. "I don't know what you two say, but I can feel it when you telepath." Whisper blinked. "You can?" "It's only a faint buzzing feeling within my mind, but yes. If there were a group of you I couldn't pinpoint it, but since there's only two people in this room with telepathic capabilities, it's not that hard to figure out who's doing what." Maze snickered quietly to himself as both Ra'vel and Whisper blushed in embarrassment. Shar-Tei gave her second-in-command a patient look and he fell silent, but not without giving Ra'vel a knowing smirk. Rune cleared her throat. "Now then, let's get down to business. Report on your current project, Captain?" Whisper nodded and her demeanor changed slightly. "We're ready to begin the testing phase of the prototype cataport now, General Rune." Maze frowned lightly. "Begging the captain's pardon, but don't you mean prototype catapult?" Whisper gave the Dragoon a patient smile. Had the suggestion been from some other officer she would had gotten rather annoyed. However, she had spent a great deal of time working with Maze and had become good friends so she had an extra bit of tolerance for his occassional interjections. "I know what I mean, Lieutenant. The cataport is a catapult attached to an artificially generated jump gate. When the projectile is fired, it only travels a very short distance before hitting the gate. The gate teleports it across a surprisingly large distance, rendering the projectile completely undetectable and unexpected until it appears over the intended target." Maze's tan eyes went wide as the implications sank in. Ra'vel blinked in confusion and chirped to herself. <Projectile teleport exist before. Why needed prototype?> the avian telepathed to everyone in the room. The Psi-Corp captain smiled. "Tell me, Lieutenant, what's the farthest you can teleport a six-hundred pound object?" <Teleport cannot> "Exactly. The cataport will be able to teleport the projectile well over seven standard miles in mid-flight," Whisper said with a touch of pride. Maze discreetly reached out to prevent his friend from staggering. Ra'vel blinked again and did her best to stay on her feet. Out of the three Dragoons, she alone knew the extreme level of power needed to teleport that level of mass across that distance. <Where power sufficient get teleport available?> she telepathed. Her state of shock rendered her speech syntax even more fragmented, but Whisper had known Ra'vel for centuries and was used to decrypting her statements. "We're using a vast array of psionically supercharged crystals to act as batteries for the jump gate. It does take a very large amount of energy but since everyone from the Psi-Corp recharges the crystals when they can, we have an even greater amount of energy stored for use." General Rune gave Whisper an odd look. "Tell me, Captain, was this energy storage plan implemented before or after the Psi-Corp took heavy losses against the Sailor Scouts?" Whisper's pale green eyes grew cold at the mention of the losses. Ra'vel chirped quietly and stepped back as she sensed the captain's change in mood. Everyone knew that Whisper resented her sudden promotion to Captain when Queen Beryl was destroyed and fully ninety percent of the Psi-Corp was killed in the battle against the Sailor Scouts. "The plans for the cataport were conceived after your ascension to power, General Rune, so all of the power was drawn from the current ranks of the Corp as well as from a few psionic volunteers, most notably General Al'vexi." Rune smiled at the mention of her old friend. "I trust she's enjoying her retirement?" "Very, considering there aren't too many denizens who've managed to live as long as she has," Whisper said, still in a dark mood. Rune looked at the Dragoon commander and frowned lightly. "You look like you're thinking about something, Shar-Tei. Tell me what's on your mind." Shar-Tei sighed and ran her fingers through her silvery hair. "I'm not sure why you requested two Dragoons for assignment to a Psi-Corp project. Not that I have any objections yet, General, but I'm just curious." "I didn't just want two Dragoons, Commander, I wanted Lieutenants Maze and Ra'vel on this assignment for a specific reason," Rune said. "And before you ask, that reason is none of your concern. Captain Whisper, do you have a test site for your prototype?" Whisper nodded. "We plan to use the proving grounds in the northwestern flatlands." She didn't dare glance to her side to see Shar-Tei's expression at being cut off so sharply. Rune pulled a tiny crystal out of her pocket and tossed it to Whisper. "Use these coordinates as the testing site. As for the test projectile, I have my own project I wish to test. On that crystal is the cipher code for the security lock on the Lex'eri storage facility. Inside you will find three crystal fragmentation grenades the size of fully-grown weavers. Use one for your test projectile and report back to me everything you can gather about the results." The Psi-Corp Captain blinked and looked at the crystal, a small trickle of uneasiness making its way down her back. I don't like this, she thought to herself. "Of course, General Rune. It will take approximately an hour to align the jump gate to these coordinates before we can test-fire the cataport." Rune nodded. "Just make sure that the field of fire is clear before you start launching grenades. We don't want to wind up puncturing anyone with sharp spines, now, do we? Dismissed." Everyone bowed and turned to walk off to their respective assignments. "Commander Shar-Tei, a word with you, please," Rune said politely but in a tone that made it clear that it was an order and not a suggestion. Shar-Tei nodded and waited until the others had left before speaking. "You wished to speak with me, General?" she said neutrally. "I happened to look through the various reports on my desk this morning and noticed that you applied for the promotion to full Commander. I'm curious as to why you did this now and not before. If I remember right, you said it was because Commander Tolaris still lived." "Correct, General Rune." Rune frowned. "And I am to believe the situation has changed?" Shar-Tei nodded slowly. "Yes, General. I.... took the liberty of giving Commander Tolaris the final peace befitting of a Dragoon. His crystal has been destroyed and Lieutenant Ra'vel was witness to it." The raven-haired general sat back in silence, deeply lost in thought. "I see, Commander...." she said slowly. "Were Queen Beryl still here, I have no doubt you would suffer the same fate for interfering. However, I am in charge now and I'm not Beryl. I will consider your punishment, if any, for your actions and will also consider your request for promotion to full commander. In the meantime, perhaps it would be wise for you to be occupied elsewhere as I have a lot of thinking to do. Dismissed, Commander." The Dragoon bowed and silently left the room. General Rune sat back in her seat and did not move for several minutes. She eventually focused her attention long enough to speak to the room. "V'Kreeth, come here," she said quietly. A shadow detached itself from the other shadows and moved to stand next to Rune's side. "I assume you want to review the hunter-scout's data logs from its mission to Earth?" he said in a dry, hissing voice. "For a start," she replied wearily. "That, and get me something for a headache. I have the feeling that this one is going to get worse, and soon. Very, very soon...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tolaris leaned against the ancient tree and gave Tuxedo Mask a look of patient suffering. "Why do I get the feeling that bringing them along was a bad idea?" he asked, nodding his head towards the small cluster of chaos in the forest clearing. Tuxedo Mask smiled. "Probably because they're having an absolute fit over that rat-thing. Are you sure it's harmless?" "It's a rakketh, and it's quite harmless. I think it resembles a cross between a spider and an Earth rat, only smaller and uglier." Just then, Sailor Moon ran past them, screaming, "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" Behind her, something with many legs and even more hair had grabbed onto the end of her hairstyle and was holding on for dear life. The rest of the Sailor Scouts were running after her, trying to get her to hold still long enough so they could remove it. "Why is it.... she could never.... run like this before?" puffed Sailor Mars as she ran after their screaming leader. "She never had that hanging on to her hair before," Mercury said. She had her computer in her hands and was trying to scan the creature. "I don't think it's dangerous or anything, Sailor Moon, so you can stop running!" she yelled. "Like she's gonna listen," Jupiter growled as she ran. Her tiara was activated and charging with static electricity, but she couldn't get a clear shot at the creature. "C'mon, meatball head, hold still!" Sailor Venus didn't bother wasting her breath as she ran. Most of her attention was concentrated on her Venus Crescent Beam, which was fully charged and gathered together in an incandescent ball at her fingertips. Like Jupiter, she was also trying to get a clear shot, but was unable to due to Sailor Moon's erratic movements. "You guys could help, you know...." Mars said as they ran past Tolaris and Tuxedo Mask yet again. "I'd rather watch the five of you make fools of yourselves," Tuxedo Mask called out with a smile. "Who's side are you on?!" Jupiter shot back. Mercury blinked as an idea occurred to her. "I've got it!" she said as she braked. Jupiter stumbled to avoid hitting her and wound up bumping into Sailor Venus. The contact discharged her tiara, mildly shocking them both and breaking Venus's concentration. The Crescent Beam lashed out, narrowly missing Mars and cutting a path through the forest. Jupiter turned her head to follow the beam and froze for a few moments before shaking her head and getting to her feet. "Mercury, you idiot!" Sailor Mars snapped as she continued to pursue the panicked Sailor Moon, "You don't stop suddenly when we're in the middle of...." She trailed off when she realized that Mercury had gone vampiric and that it was not a wise idea to cuss out a vampire. The vampire ignored her and concentrated on the running figure. "Sailor Moon, look over here!" she called out. The blonde glanced in her direction and an eerie glint appeared in Mercury's steel-blue eyes. At once Sailor Moon stopped running and stood still, a slightly vacant look in her eyes. As soon as she had stopped, the rakketh let go of her hair and ran as fast as its many legs would allow it. Not caring where it went as long as it got away, it ran towards the still-running figure of Sailor Mars. Mars saw the creature charging her and changed directions, not realizing that there was a small but tough tree in the way. Sailor Venus winced as she watched Sailor Mars rebound off the tree and collapse. She ran over to her inert friend, keeping a wary eye on both Mercury and the fleeing rakketh. "You okay?" she said to Mars as she knelt down. "That.... that hurt...." Mars said, not bothering to open her eyes. "If you were watching where you were going, you wouldn't have bashed into that tree like that," Venus said softly as she glanced over at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon was slowly walking towards Sailor Mercury, her gaze still rather vacant. Mercury reached out to touch her, but the blonde's tiara began to glow and the vampire quickly shied away. Sailor Moon blinked and her mind returned to the present, wondering what was going on. "Mercury, what did you do to me?" she asked, still puzzled. "I hypnotized you to get you to hold still. The creature ran off as soon as you stopped and everything's okay now," the vampire said, her voice oddly distant. Jupiter snorted as she leaned against a tree, still dazed from the shock. "Well, I'm not okay. That static discharge gave me a headache and I think my ears are still ringing. You okay, Venus?" Venus nodded. "I am, but Mars slammed into a tree trying to avoid that hairy thing. I think she's okay, she just needs a few minutes to walk off the shock." "Don't make me get up and move around. please don't," Mars mumbled from her prone position. "Lying here on this grass feels rather nice, thank you." Tolaris sighed heavily. "Wonderful. We're not here for three hours and already we've had major problems with a minor pest. Are you sure you five are the ones who defeated Queen Beryl?" As one, the five Sailor Scouts turned towards the Dragoon and glared at him. "Listen, buster," Sailor Moon started to say, but was interrupted when three columns of light coalesced at the end of the small clearing. The forms had barely solidified before a warning cry arose across the clearing. "LOOK OUT!! SAILOR SCOUTS!!" Instantly everyone dove for cover behind the nearest tree. Jupiter's head seemed to feel fine and Mars suddenly no longer felt the desire to lay down on the grass. Tuxedo Mask looked around for a brief moment before jumping up into a low-lying tree branch and climbing higher. "Great, just p'tahk'enn great," Tolaris cursed as he flattened himself against a tree trunk. He blinked in surprise as a slew of neon-red projectiles shot across the clearing and started imbedding into objects. A projectile smacked into the tree next to the Dragoon and he gasped as he recognized it. Only one person I know of could throw that sort of thing, he thought. His train of thought was interrupted by the sight of Sailor Venus taking aim with her Crescent Beam. "Venus Crescent Beam...." she intoned as the two beams merged together at her fingertips. "Venus, wait a second! I know one of them!" Tolaris yelled out. "Sailor Scouts, hold your fire! Let me talk with them first!" Venus shot him a dark look and refrained from firing, but she still kept her Crescent Beams charged. Tolaris waited until another wave of glowing projectiles shot past him before he stuck his head out around the tree and yelled across the clearing. "Maze! Hold your fire! It's me, Tolaris!" He was greeted with a derisive snort of laughter and another wave of neon projectiles. "What kind of fool do you take me for? Tolaris is frozen forever in the wastelands!" said a voice that was quite familiar to Tolaris. A projectile shot by Tolaris and he could feel the hissing of the air as it passed. "By Raijen, Maze, if you don't stop shooting at me, I swear I'll find Lieutenant Ra'vel and tell her who dumped soap in her oil bath last year!" he yelled across the clearing. To his surprise, the rain of projectiles ceased. He swore he could hear a soft chirping sound before he heard, "Boss? That really you?" He was about to reply when a cold female voice called out, "Whoever you are, step out into the open and do it slowly." Tolaris gathered his courage together and slowly moved out from behind the tree. "Nice to see you too, Whisper," he said as the three figures came into view. "Tell me, do you always greet old friends like this?" "Real funny," said the figure with long, pale green hair. "Now you and your Sailor Scout friends surrender or be destroyed." Tolaris drew himself to his full height. "I am Dragoon Commander Tolaris, and a Dragoon never surrenders. The Sailor Scouts are my allies and are merely accompanying me to retrieve some personal effects. We intend no harm and only wish to go about in peace. If you don't believe me, Lieutenant Whisper, then try to read my mind." The second figure stepped forward and hissed, her feathers ruffling in uncertainty and surprise. She looked closely at Tolaris and started to shake. Whisper frowned and glanced at her trembling companion. "Are you sure about that, Ra'vel?" The avian telepathed a response and shrank back from Tolaris. "Lieutenant Ra'vel here says you're psi-mute, so I can't read your mind. It is consistent with Commander Tolaris's mind, but I'm not convinced you are he, despite your uniform and attitude," she said with scorn. Maze stepped forward and gestured. "Commander Tolaris was the only person aside from me who knew about the soap incident, Captain," he said, giving the avian a weak smile. "However, there is a more definitive test to his identity. Tolaris could control the weather, a talent shared by only four denizens. They are all accounted for, except for Tolaris who is still frozen in crystal." Ra'vel chirped quietly and both Maze and Whisper blinked. "She did what?" Maze said, his eyes wide with shock. A crack of thunder drew their attention towards the figure in the clearing. Lightning bolts arced between his hands and he was surrounded by a wall of miniature tornadoes. A great gust of wind swept through the clearing, followed by a short deluge of rain and an even shorter heatwave. "Have I made my point yet or do you want it to snow?" Tolaris asked mildly amidst the apparent chaos of the weather. Whisper frowned as severe doubts plagued her resolve. Could this really be him? she thought. She sent a private telepath towards Tolaris, knowing that the nature of the thought would severely rattle anyone who heard it. Ra'vel gave Whisper a puzzled look as she sensed the telepathic attempt. <Psi-mute/mind-blind being is, Captain. Ra'vel definitive test know.> she broadcasted. <Maze required translation/vocalization. What Ra'vel say Tolaris when tornado-blast feathers lost?> Lieutenant Maze nodded in understanding. "Ra'vel wants to know what she told you when your tornado accidentally blew off her feathers," he said to Tolaris. The Dragoon nodded slowly. "To be honest, Maze, I couldn't quite make out what she chirped at me, but I could tell it was a suggestion to do something about her feathers and fast." Maze blinked as Ra'vel suddenly ran past him and darted towards Tolaris. The Dragoon commander barely had time to blink in surprise before Ra'vel had wrapped him in a bear hug and was chirping away quite rapidly in her native dialect. "I'd say Ra'vel is convinced of his identity, as am I," Maze said with a smile. "Perhaps...." the telepath said doubtfully. "Nice to see you too, Lieutenant," Tolaris said as he struggled to breathe properly. "However, I won't be around much longer if you don't let me try to breathe." Ra'vel chirped an apology and let him go. She glanced over his shoulder and hissed when she saw the partially concealed form of Sailor Mercury. <Still standoff Sailor Scouts!> she broadcasted as she started to step back. Tolaris grabbed her wrist. "Ra'vel, listen to me. The Sailor Scouts are my friends and allies. They will not hurt you. All we want is to retrieve my personal effects and my crystal collection. As soon as we get those, we'll go back to Earth and stay there." "How are we supposed to trust them after they killed Queen Beryl and four thousand other denizens?" Whisper said coldly. Tolaris frowned. "Do you doubt my word of honor, Lieutenant?" Maze coughed lightly. "Uh, boss, she's now the captain of the Psi-Corp." Tolaris nearly fell over in shock. "You made captain already? How?" he said incrediously. Whisper's cold laugh sent chills down everyone's spine. "It's easy when over ninety percent of the Psi-Corp gets killed and you're the highest-ranking officer still left." "What?" Tolaris said. "There were three thousand denizens enlisted in the Corp.... What happened?" "They happened," Whisper snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the still hidden Sailor Scouts. "The Psi-Corp was gathering together in headquarters for a routine meeting when they shot up the complex's fusion reactor. Those who weren't killed outright by the resulting radiation were incinerated when the reactor blew out. We won't even be able to retrieve the remains for another three hundred years because of the radiation." Tolaris was stunned beyond words. Whisper looked into his gray eyes and saw the intensity of the emotion in them. In that instant, she was convinced without a doubt that he really was who he claimed to be. She frowned inside when she realized that she still trusted his word of honor and that meant that the Sailor Scouts really didn't intend to do any more damage. "It is you, Commander...." she said quietly. The Dragoon commander smiled. "Why would I lie about that?" The smile fell from his face as he turned his attention back to the situation at hand. "Captain, we need to get this resolved and soon. Do you doubt my word of honor when I say that the Sailor Scouts will not harm you?" Whisper frowned. "No, I don't." Tolaris nodded. "Then come with us. I want to get this taken care of as fast as possible, and with your help we can do this even faster." Whisper's pale green eyes betrayed no emotions as she fought a fierce internal battle. In the end, her loyalty won over her sense of duty and she nodded slowly. "Very well, Commander, but don't think I've forgiven them for what they've done." "Thank you, Whisper." Tolaris turned towards Maze and Ra'vel. "Do either of you want to join us as well? I understand if you can't or won't...." Maze smiled. "You can still count on me, boss." Ra'vel chirped quietly and nodded slowly in agreement. Tolaris breathed a quiet sigh of relief and nodded back. "I've really missed having you three on my side and I'm glad to have you back." He turned around and called out to the Sailor Scouts. "You can come out now, they're friends of mine and have agreed to join us." One by one, the Sailor Scouts slowly emerged from their hiding places and stepped into the clearing. With surprising silence, Tuxedo Mask dropped out of the tree and landed on the ground, rose in hand and ready for anything. The Dragoon commander frowned when he saw that Sailor Jupiter's tiara was still activated and charged with energy. Maze whistled softly and leaned towards Tolaris. "Hey, boss, who's the blonde in orange? She's a real looker...." he said very quietly. Tolaris gave his friend a bemused look. "At ease, Lieutenant. She's only fifteen and under my protection. Touch her in the wrong way and I would feel compelled to injure you," he said, just as quietly. Maze blinked at the mention of her age. "Uh huh.... What about if she consents?" "I'm surprised at you, Maze. First you throw your projectiles at her, and now you want to take her to your bed?" "Hey, who said anything about taking her to bed?" "I've known you since you were seventy, Maze. Why else would you be that interested in a female?" Tolaris grinned to himself as Maze flushed a dark tan color. He cleared his throat and addressed the Sailor Scouts. "Sailor Scouts, may I present Dragoon Lieutenant Maze, Dragoon Lieutenant Ra'vel, and Psi-Corp Captain Whisper," he said, gesturing to each in turn. Jupiter heard an odd noise and glanced behind her. She blinked in surprise as Venus blushed slightly and smiled softly at the mention of Maze's name. "Down, girl," Jupiter said quietly and suppressed a smile as Venus's blush darkened considerably. "Captain, I would like to introduce Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and Tuxedo Mask," Tolaris continued, again gesturing to each in turn. "Tuxedo Mask, better known as Prince Darian of Earth," Whisper said coldly with a formal bow. "We've met before during his brief stay in the Negaverse. Though I doubt he remembers me. I was part of the group that helped erase his memories." Tuxedo Mask grimaced at the mention of his brainwashing by Queen Beryl. "I am sorry to say that I don't remember you, Captain, and I hope you will forgive me if I wasn't too impressed with your handiwork." Whisper opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the crackling sound of energy. Tolaris glanced over at Sailor Jupiter's tiara and sighed heavily. "Miss Jupiter, I assure you no one is going to harm you, so would you please turn that thing off?" Jupiter blinked in surprise. "I thought I did." She concentrated on her tiara and frowned. "Ummm, I think it overcharged somehow and I can't disperse it so I'll need to discharge it the normal way. Just make sure no one thinks I'm firing at anyone." Ra'vel chirped and telepathed towards Jupiter. <Message understood.> Sailor Jupiter's eyes went wide as she heard the voice speaking inside her mind. "How'd you do that?" she said incrediously. Mercury held out her computer and scanned Jupiter's tiara. "Worry about that later. I don't like the readings I'm getting from your tiara." Jupiter nodded. "Gotcha." She crossed her arms in front of her with her pointer fingers extended. "Jupiter Thunder...." she started to say. A bolt of lightning formed in the cloudless sky and darted down to her overcharged tiara. The tiara's lightning rod overloaded and sent the energy shooting back along the lightning bolt. Instead of dispersing, the new energy merged with the old and condensed into a physical form. Jupiter's green eyes became even wider than before as new power surrounded her body. She found that she could control the new energy form as if it were part of her own body. A name rose up from deep within her mind and escaped past her lips before she realized what she said. "Thunder Dragon...." she whispered. Then as quickly as it had come, the energy dispersed completely and the lightning rod folded back down into her tiara. No one moved for a few seconds, stunned by what they had just witnessed. "Well...." Jupiter said slowly, "I guess the new improvements Luna and Artemis made works...." She was about to say more when pain like she had never felt before lanced through her head. She fell to her knees and screamed as an unseen force tore at her mind. "You're the one!" Whisper hissed as her mind lashed out. "You're the one who killed my husband!" She gritted her teeth and renewed her mental attack, determined to exact vengeance. Tolaris ran over to her and grabbed her head with one hand while holding his other hand inches away from her face. A powerful bolt of lightning arced between his fingers and got Whisper's attention. She halted her mental attack and Jupiter collapsed, whimpering softly to herself. "Listen to me, Whisper," Tolaris said darkly. "Do you remember what went on at the Battle of Mintaka?" "I still have nightmares about that and Ra'vel still has the mental scars from that," Whisper said almost inaudibly. The torrent of emotions inside her mind paralyzed her enough for Tolaris to keep her attention focused on him and not on Jupiter. "Remember how I ran a lightning bolt though that telepath's brain to save you and Ra'vel? I will do the same to you if you so much as consider attacking the Sailor Scouts again. They are under my protection and more importantly, they are my friends, just like you and Ra'vel were at Mintaka," he said in a tone that Whisper rarely heard from him. "Tolaris, she's the one. She killed my husband...." she said as tears started to form in her eyes. "Orestan was killed by a blast of lightning after his batallion was attacked by the Sailor Scouts.... She must pay...." "Captain, you must listen to me. Nothing you can do will bring him back, and attacking the Sailor Scouts will accomplish nothing. Do you have absolute undeniable proof that it was Jupiter who killed him? Are you sure he wasn't electrocuted by something or accidentally blasted by someone else?" Tolaris said in a softer tone. Whisper closed her eyes. "No.... no, I don't...." "Then you must not do anything until you are sure, Captain. If you feel that you can't join with us, I understand. But please, give them the chance to prove themselves trustworthy. You gave me that chance six hundred years ago when I wanted to go with you on the that first trip to the Outreaches. All I ask is to give them that chance now." She opened her eyes and glanced over towards the cluster of Sailor Scouts. Ra'vel was kneeling next to Jupiter and carefully probing her mind under the watchful eyes of the other Sailor Scouts. They're trusting Ra'vel with her mind, Whisper thought. Perhaps Tolaris is right.... "Very well, Tolaris," she said quietly. "But if I do find definite proof that she is responsible, neither you nor anyone else will be able to stop me from making her pay." "Understood, Captain," Tolaris said and released his hold on her. He walked over to the group and looked carefully at Ra'vel. "Will she be okay?" he asked, and received a short chirp in response. "She said that your friend only suffered a light mental blast and should regain consciousness very soon without any damage," Maze said. Sailor Moon blinked. "She said all that in one chirp?" Maze shook his head. "No, she just telepathed it to me. She can't do that with Tolaris because he's psi-mute." Just then, Sailor Jupiter groaned and tried to sit up. "That's it, White Russians are definitely off my drink list.... Ooh, my head...." she muttered to herself. Venus blinked and frowned. "White Russians? Girl, have you been drinking alcohol?" Jupiter coughed. "Oops.... umm.... No, why do you ask?" she said in her best innocent voice. "Leda...." Venus said dangerously. She blinked as someone laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and found Maze standing next to her. "Perhaps you should let your friend recuperate first before you chew her out," he suggested. The blonde blushed at his closeness. "Perhaps," she said with a smile. Tolaris laughed to himself as he noticed the exchange between Sailor Venus and Maze. Why do I suddenly get the feeling that Maze will wake up one morning and not have a clue as to what hit him? he thought to himself. He cleared his throat and addressed the group. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I remind you that we are on a rather tight schedule and need to get this mission taken care of as soon as possible? Just as soon Ra'vel is sure that Miss Jupiter will be fine, we'll have to keep on moving. Understood?" Everyone nodded and Sailor Moon made a face. "Just as long as we don't run into any more hairy things. I've had enough for one lifetime as it is." Mars laughed. "Well if you would have just stood still, we could have gotten rid of it a lot faster, meatball head." "At least I wasn't dumb enough to run into a tree," Sailor Moon retorted. "Oh, yeah...?" Tolaris sighed and let his head bump into a tree. This is going to be a very, very long day, he thought to himself as the argument raged on. Whisper silently moved up behind him. "Are they always like this?" she said softly. "Occasionally. I've learned that it's best to just stay out of it until you can get a definitive word in edgewise. A lightning bolt works just fine, but you need to have the right timing." "Wonderful," Whisper replied. "Tell you what, how about if I take a small nap and you wake me up when we're ready?" At that instant, Tolaris saw his opportunity and he let loose with a sharp crack of thunder. As expected, the two Sailor Scouts quickly fell silent in surprise and looked at him. "Shall we go, ladies?" the Dragoon said with a smile. "You enjoy doing that, don't you?" Tuxedo Mask said as they quickly got ready to resume their march. Tolaris shrugged. "Got to keep entertained somehow on this trip," he said as he started walking down the path. The rest of the group made sure they had everything and fell in step behind him. Together, the Sailor Scouts and their newly made allies left the clearing and entered the forest, intent on finishing their mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The dark figure continued to watch over the Sailor Scouts, following their every movement. He became slightly concerned when they ran into the group of denizens, but things worked out to his relief. His only moment of panic came when the green Sailor Scout came under mental attack, but things were quickly taken care of and he relaxed. After they left the clearing, he stopped at the spot where she had fallen unconscious. He carefully sniffed around for blood or signs of sickness but was unable to find anything except for the smell of her fear, perfectly normal for coming under telepathic attack. Then she is still fine, he thought. Good. I would not have liked to have seen her hurt. He paused for another moment and repeated the word he overheard that helped define his unexpected interest in the Sailor Scouts. Then before anything or anyone could identify the source of the sound, he silently resumed his trailing of the small group and disappeared from sight. Behind him, the softly-spoken word seemed to carry on the wind forever. "Leda...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- They walked quickly but carefully through the forest and towards the small stone valley that marked the outside edge of the Dragoon complex perimeter. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury were at the front, the former keeping a careful eye out for anything while the latter scanned the area with her computer. They were followed closely by Sailor Moon, who was still slightly upset about the incident with the rakketh. Behind them were Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter, also keeping a wary eye out for trouble. Not far behind them, Maze was quietly filling Tolaris in on what happened after he was frozen in crystal. Whisper was following closely behind Maze while Ra'vel and Tuxedo Mask kept alert as the rear guard. "You okay, Jupiter?" Jupiter blinked as Venus's soft question startled her. "What's that?" she said quietly. She glanced over at her companion and frowned as she received a concerned and curious look. "I'm just asking if you're okay. You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Jupiter snorted. "Well, almost having your face taken off by a stray shot will rattle anyone. You're the one we should be worried about, after you got that shock and all." Venus giggled. "Well, if you didn't shock me like that, I wouldn't have lost my concentration and fired." An odd smile crept across the brunette's face. "Mmm, speaking of lost concentration, have you finished drooling over Tolaris's friend yet?" She laughed softly as Venus blushed and her gaze fell to the ground. "Well.... he is rather handsome...." "And probably just as old as Tolaris is, no doubt." Venus shrugged and smiled. "So? If Ami can fall in love with someone who's over seven hundred, what does age matter? Well, relative age, at least. He looks like he's in his late twenties." "Looks can be deceiving," Jupiter reminded her. "If I understood what Tolaris was saying, a twenty-year-old denizen would still be a toddler." The blonde blinked. "When did you learn this?" "Over breakfast this morning." Jupiter frowned as she tried to remember a few details. "Was it this morning? Seems like a while ago...." Venus nodded. "I know what you mean." Jupiter shrugged. "No matter. Anyway, you going to ask Maze out for a date when this is over or what?" Sailor Venus blushed a deep shade of crimson. "Leda!" she said, highly embarrassed. "Trust me, girl, I know that look. I see it in Ami's eyes when she smiles at Tolaris for no real reason other than because she loves him." Venus gave her a strange look. "So what are you saying?" "Nothing much, really, but I'll bet that if we locked you two together in a small room for a few hours, you would spend most of your time getting to know each other in several different ways." She blinked as she realized that her words could be taken the wrong way. "Conversationally, that is," she amended hastily. Venus nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "Perhaps. To be honest, I think I could handle being locked in a room with him." "I would say that the feeling is mutual," said a soft voice behind her. Both Jupiter and Venus turned around to find Maze standing behind them. He smiled and nodded towards Venus and she immediately blushed again. "Forgive my boldness, ladies, but I believe your philosophers are wrong about a few things. They say that the best shall come to those who wait, but more often than not the best won't wait because someone else got there first." Jupiter snickered while Venus continued to blush and could only nod in silent agreement. "That's one of the better interpretations I've heard in a long time. Want me to arrange a private room for you two at a later date?" she said, ignoring the strangled sounds coming from Sailor Venus. Maze nodded. "If you can do it without too much trouble, yes." Jupiter nodded once before her expression darkened slightly. "Just keep in mind that if you so much as think of touching her in the wrong way, I'm going to feed you to my new Thunder Dragon. Understand?" Maze nodded. "Perfectly." He glanced over at Sailor Venus and blinked in surprise. "Doesn't that hurt?" Jupiter looked at the blonde and smirked. "What, the eyes the size of tennis balls, the jaw hanging down to her knees, or the bright red color on her cheeks?" She shook her head and laughed. "C'mon, Venus, get it together and stop looking like you're going to have a heart attack." Any further conversation was interrupted by the sound of Ra'vel screeching almost in the ultrasound range. She continued to screech for a few seconds before she composed herself long enough to telepath something to Whisper. The captain's eyes went wide with pure horror as she realized something. "Maze, we forgot the cataport!" she yelled. "We're standing right in the v'tek'ka line of fire and Ra'vel just felt a teleport!" The Dragoon lieutenant immediately started in on a complex string of cuss words. He reflexively glanced up and blinked as a small object shimmered into existence high above the valley. "INCOMING!!" he screamed. "HIT THE DIRT!!" Everyone dove for cover as the object plummeted towards the group. It waited until it was fifty feet above the ground before it detonated in an ear-shattering explosion, sending several thousand tiny shards of extremely sharp crystal shooting through the area. Cries of pain filled the valley as the shards sliced across skin, leaving bloody lines in their wake. An immense blast of wind rose up vertically into the sky and managed to force the remaining shards off at an angle so they slammed into the edges of the valley rather than into the group. The attack only lasted a moment, leaving everyone stunned and injured in varying degrees. The shock and surprise only lasted a second before another set of warnings arose. Tolaris turned around to find Jupiter doing her best to keep a very upset and vampiric Mercury still long enough for Sailor Venus to yank out the crystal shard imbedded in her abdomen. Every time Venus managed to get a grip on the shard, Mercury would twist and writhe about and the shard would slide out of the blonde's grasp. Venus sighed in resignation and brought her foot down on top of the blue boot in her way. Mercury stiffened in pain, freezing long enough for Venus to grasp the shard and yank it out. The blonde hissed slightly as the sharp edges of the crystal sliced into her glove, cutting the skin and drawing a fair amount of blood. Both Venus and Jupiter stepped back as Mercury fell to her knees and did her best to curl up into a tiny ball. Venus let the bloody shard fall from her grasp and looked at her hand, hoping it would heal without any scarring. She blinked as Jupiter started to stagger, the side of her blouse stained a dark red. "Jupiter...." she started to say. Jupiter waved her off. "Save it, most of it is from her," she said with a gesture towards Mercury. "Sound off, damage report," Tolaris said between clenched teeth. His arm was dripping gray blood and he had a nasty cut across one cheek. Maze coughed. "Lieutenant Maze, got a leg and arm slashed up. Nothing serious, but I'll take some medical gauze if you got it," he said, holding up his arm and showing the dark green gash. "Sailor Jupiter, my side hurts like hell and I'm going to need a serious band-aid for my leg, but I'm still alive." "Sailor Venus, got a bad cut on my hand and a minor one on my shoulder, but that's it." She knelt down beside Mercury and checked her over, keeping an eye out for any sudden moves she might make. "Mercury took a shard in her stomach, but it's out now and I think the wound is almost closed. It looks like her leg got sliced as well, but her regeneration seems to be working fine. The only real problem is the amount of blood she lost." Tolaris grunted. "Just keep an eye on her." Venus nodded. "No problem." Tuxedo Mask made a low moaning sound as he bent over Sailor Moon. "Tuxedo Mask, I've just small cuts, but there are a lot of them and I'm in some very serious pain. Sailor Moon's arm and shoulder are cut, but not badly. However, she's unconscious and I think it's because of the slash in her leg. It looks bad but I can tell it isn't. She probably passed out from the pain, though." "Sailor Mars, got the entire back of my blouse shredded and hurting. Got the cut on my face slashed open, too. Just after it had started to heal," she grumbled. "Captain Whisper, my back is a mess but I'll live. Tolaris, we need to get Ra'vel to a medic and soon. She's got several shards imbedded in her wings and I think she's got one lodged in a lung. The only thing is that if I do a teleport with her, the energy required will be detectable any telepath worth her skills." Tolaris looked over at her. Her back was indeed a mess and covered with her dark green blood. She was holding Ra'vel up with one arm while using the other hand to create a mindlink to the avian. Tolaris figured the mindlink was to keep the pain of Ra'vel's injuries from overwhelming her. The avian's black blood was splattered over the entire area surrounding her, a sight which caused Tolaris to worry. "Don't worry about being detected, just get her to a healer and fast. We can deal with being discovered later, if we aren't already. Just try to report back to me with a few medical kits as soon as you can, Captain." Whisper nodded and tightened her hold on Ra'vel. The two denizens seemed to shimmer briefly before the vanished. Tolaris turned back to the rest of the group, intent on looking at Mercury's injuries. He frowned as he heard a low rumbling sound and the ground started to shake slightly. Tuxedo Mask looked up. "What's that noise?" he asked, still kneeling next to the unconscious Sailor Moon. "It sounds like an avalanche," Mars said. "Remember that one we went through at the ski lodge?" A wave of dread swept through Tolaris. He looked at Maze and saw the look of horror reflected in him as well. They both glanced up at the sides of the valley and gasped. A dust cloud was forming high up on one side, and that could only mean one thing. Tolaris and Maze started cussing in unison. "It is an avalanche!" Tolaris said. "We've got to get out of here, now!" "No time, here it comes!" Jupiter screamed as a large boulder rolled into view and started down into the valley. "Venus Crescent Beam SMASH!!" said Venus as her Crescent Beam lashed out. It caught the boulder in the center and disintegrated it into a cloud of dust and powder. The cloud had barely settled before another boulder rolled into view, followed by several more. Again and again the Crescent Beam lashed out, striking the boulders and turning them into dust clouds. The clouds were quickly blown aside by the passage of dozens of large rocks, far too many for Venus to take out. Terror gripped her heart as she took aim and focused her energy. Something in the depths of her mind clicked and the words formed on her lips before she could think of saying them. "Venus Meteor Shower...." she intoned. The Crescent Beams merged together at her fingertips and fired. Instead of lashing out at one target, the Beams split apart and became several dozen beams, each one lashing out at a different target. The boulders disintegrated into a massive cloud of dust that slowly fell to the ground. The valley went silent, except for the sound of a single rock making its way down the edge of the valley. Tuxedo Mask snickered ironically as a rock the size of a baseball rolled to a stop a few inches away from Sailor Venus. "You missed one," he said with a grin. "Oops," she said in an odd tone. Sailor Jupiter shook her head in wonder. "So that was your new power. I kind of like it, especially since it saved us from a bad case of boulder rash." She blinked and looked closer at Venus. "You okay, girl?" "Slight headache, that's all," Venus replied distantly. She felt a gentle touch on her uninjured shoulder and knew that Maze was behind her. "That was highly impressive, Miss Venus," the Dragoon said softly. "It was, wasn't it?" she replied and passed out into his arms. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Venus awoke to the sensation of a cool, damp cloth being laid over her forehead. She groaned slightly as the feeling of pain in her hand and shoulder returned. She took a deep breath and tried to sit up, only to have a hand gently push her back down. "Easy, Venus," she heard Maze say in soft tones. "Just wait a few minutes before you try to sit up." She tried to open her eyes but the cloth's weight pressing on her eyelids made it difficult. She flexed her hands experimentally and discovered that she wasn't wearing her gloves anymore. She continued to flex various muscles and discovered that not only were her shoes removed, but the top two buttons of her blouse were opened and the fabric pulled aside at her injured shoulder. She couldn't tell because of the cloth, but she was willing to bet that her tiara was also somewhere else. "So how are you feeling, Venus?" Maze asked. "Like I've been used as a punching bag. What happened?" she replied, her voice dry and rough. "According to Sailor Mercury's computer, that new power used a lot of your energy and you passed out. Here, drink this," he said and she felt a cup at her lips. She took a drink and the cool water helped her throat immensely. "Mmm, thank you, Lieutenant," she said with a slight smile. He chuckled quietly. "Please, call me Maze," he said softly and she felt his hand brush against her cheek. "After all, if we're to be locked in a small room together, we might as well drop the formalities, Miss Venus." Venus felt the heat rising in her face as she blushed a dark shade of red. "Call me Mina, if we're to drop the formalities," she managed to say without stuttering. "Mina...." he repeated softly. "A lovely name befitting a lovely young girl," he said as he removed the cloth from her forehead and laid it over her injured shoulder. He watched as her eyes opened and quickly focused on her surroundings. She glanced up at him and her blush deepened by two shades. "If I didn't know better, Maze, I'd say you were trying to charm me," she said with a soft smile. She noticed that his short, spiky purple hair seemed to go well with his tan eyes in a strange sort of way. "Is it working?" he said with a smile of his own. "Perhaps," she admitted. Maze laughed quietly, a deep and resonant sound that sent a strange thrill down Venus's spine. "It looks like I'll just have to test how well," he said as he ran his fingertips along her jawline. Then before she could reply, he bent down and lightly kissed her. The move caught her by surprise and her mind froze, not sure how to handle the situation. With her higher mental functions frozen, her body defaulted to her instincts and she kissed him back. The kiss only lasted for a brief moment before they broke apart and looked into each other's eyes. "I see you two are feeling better," said a mildly amused voice. They both blinked in surprise and looked up to find Sailor Mercury looking down at them with a knowing smile on her face. Her right boot was slashed in two places and her blouse had a small hole where the shard had pierced it, but she appeared to be completely uninjured. Venus blushed again and glanced at Maze. She was surprised to see that his face had lost most of its color and he appeared to be suddenly nervous. If Mercury noticed the change in his behavior, she ignored it. She held her computer towards Venus's shoulder and scanned the injury. "Well, it looks like all you've got is a minor cut on your shoulder and a nasty cut on your palm. They both look like they'll heal normally without any sort of problems. However, your energy reserves are low from your use of your new power, so you should take it easy for awhile." She turned her computer towards Maze and scanned his bandaged arm. She blinked in confusion as he shied away from her. "What's wrong?" Maze sighed quietly. "Forgive my bluntness, Miss Mercury, but what are you? I saw how badly you were injured, and yet you now stand in front of me without any trace of injury at all. According to our reports, no human being should be able to regenerate those kinds of wounds that fast." Mercury slowly knelt down next to Venus as her expression changed from a calm person to that of a person ready to cry. "If you really want to know, Lieutenant, I'll tell you," she said softly. Venus reached up and laid a comforting hand over Mercury's. "Ami...." she started to say but was waved off. Mercury took a deep breath and, looking into Maze's eyes, went vampiric. "As you can see," she said, ignoring his horrified expression at her change, "I have become.... I am a vampire. And it is because I am one that I am able to regenerate the wounds I received." Maze swallowed and nodded slowly. "I remember now.... Shortly after the BloodMoon conjunction, a great deal of our resources were directed towards a project regarding the possibility of a denizen vampire on Earth. I was never told that it was about a Sailor Scout." He blinked as a memory surfaced in the depths of this mind. "Mercury.... It was Tolaris, wasn't it?" "Yes, it was," she replied softly. She gave him a brief explanation of how it happened while she scanned the wound on his leg. She finished the scan and frowned lightly. "There appears to be a residual infection in the injury. All that really needs to be done is to rinse it out with the iodine-peroxide solution and redressed." Venus smiled. "I can handle that while you check out the others." Mercury blinked in mild surprise, the corners of her mouth forming into a smile. "Are you sure about that?" The blonde nodded. "I may not want to be a doctor, but I know more than a few things about taking care of cuts and bruises. Besides," she added with a wicked grin, "If you stick around for a few more minutes, I'd make you talk about what else happened that night." The Dragoon blinked as Sailor Mercury blushed a dark red color and hastily excused herself to attend to the others. Venus giggled as she slowly sat up. She blinked as she felt a breeze across her chest and glanced down. Not only were the top two buttons of her blouse undone but her chest bow was missing as well, exposing the curves of her breasts. She felt a hand brush her hair back from her ear and heard Maze's voice whispering softly. "Before you get upset, Sailor Mercury did that so she could tend to your shoulder without straining the fabric." He laughed softly in her ear, causing her to shiver lightly. "It is unfortunate that you choose to hide such perfection behind something as useless as a decorative bow. Now if that bow of yours was a form of armor, I'd understand, but you'd still miss the opportunity to dazzle your opponents with your beauty." She blushed and looked away. She couldn't explain why, but she suddenly found herself wanting to feel his touch on her skin very badly. She closed her eyes as she felt his fingertips run along her jawline again. He laughed softly again and gently removed the damp cloth from the wound on her shoulder. "We'll have to continue this.... conversation in another time and place, one with a proper setting," he whispered in her ear. "In the meantime, we need to get our collective injuries taken care of." Venus opened her eyes and nodded. "I'd like that, Maze...." she said very quietly as she took the cloth from him and started to unwrap the bandages on his leg. She glanced over at the others and blinked at the extent of their injuries. Tuxedo Mask had removed his shirt, revealing the multitude of slash lines across his back. He was bent over the now-conscious Sailor Moon, carefully tending to the jagged wound on her calf. Beside her were her boots, and Venus could see how badly they were torn up. Venus smiled as she saw Sailor Mars sitting some distance away from the group. She had a thermal blanket wrapped around her and was furiously working away at the blouse in her lap with a miniature sewing kit. She glanced up at Venus and waved. Venus made a show of tugging at her collar and Mars blushed a vivid shade of red before returning to her fast-paced work. Tolaris was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree while he worked at rebandaging his arm. Even from a distance, Venus could tell his mind was elsewhere, working furiously on a way to solve their various problems without further risk to life and limb. Sailor Jupiter had her blouse almost up to her breasts to uncover the slash marks on her rib cage. She made a face as Mercury dabbed at the wounds with more of the iodine-peroxide solution. Venus was wondering where she had gotten the solution from when Captain Whisper teleported into the group with a medical kit under each arm. Ahh, so that's it, Venus thought as the last of the wrappings fell away from Maze's leg. She glanced at the wound and paled. The cut extended almost the entire length of his upper thigh. She blinked and peered closer at the traces of dark green blood still seeping from the injury. Maze looked at the expression on her face and smiled. "Not used to seeing blood that isn't red, eh?" Venus nodded and grabbed the bottle of iodine-peroxide solution. "Does blood color have anything to do with your special powers or anything?" she said as she started to clean the wound. The Dragoon grimaced in pain as the solution came into contact with the raw nerve endings. "Not exactly. Blood color is for the most part a personal trait and has no bearing on the body's functions. The four most common colors of denizen blood are dark red, dark green, dark blue, and black. There are, however, a large range of blood factors that made blood transfusions a tricky affair at best." "What's your blood type?" she asked, curious. "G3-positive. I don't suppose that translates into your system, does it?" Venus giggled. "Nope." She finished cleaning out the wound and proceeded to rebandage it. "There, this should do it." Maze smiled softly at her. "Thank you, Mina." Venus blushed and glanced away shyly. She blinked in mild surprise when a shadow fell across her and she looked up. "Are you two doing well?" Tolaris asked with a knowing smile. "As well as can be expected for being torn up, boss," Maze replied. "What can we do for you?" "Whisper just came back from Medical and has brought some interesting news with her. There appears to be some sort of disturbance in the Outreaches and a large contingent of troops are being moved out there right now, including the majority of the Dragoons in this region. If we wait until morning to make our move on the complex, we shouldn't have to deal with very many personnel." Maze nodded. "That's good, but how are we going to keep the Sailor Scouts hidden and sheltered for the night?" Tolaris finally smiled. "This is where you come in. You'll return to the complex and requisition some camping supplies, enough for a group of, oh, seven individuals." The purple-haired Dragoon laughed. "I think I see where you're going with this plan, boss. Very subtle. I only see one problem, however. How are you going to explain to any patrols why you have six Sailor Scouts camping outside the Dragoon complex perimeter?" Maze blinked in surprise as a figure stepped out from behind Tolaris. Ami smiled at the Dragoon's confusion. "Hello, Lieutenant. Who said they would find Sailor Scouts?" "Who.... who are you?" Maze asked. Ami's smile widened. "My name is Ami, but I think you know me better as Sailor Mercury." Tolaris laughed as Maze's eyes became impossibly wide. "You.... you're Sailor Mercury? But you look so.... different!" Maze said, still in a state of high confusion and surprise. Ami nodded. "I just reversed my transformation, that's all. I just look different as a Sailor Scout because that's part of the transformation magic." Maze blinked and looked at Sailor Venus. "Tell me.... Do you look just as beautiful when you're not a Sailor Scout?" Venus blushed and Ami smiled. She leaned over towards Maze and whispered conspiratially, "We think she's even more stunning when she's wearing something more comfortable than these suits. However," she said, going vampiric and lowering her voice by several tones, "Keep in mind that she is a Sailor Scout and one of our best friends. I'm not sure if I'm reading you two correctly, so let me just say that if you even consider touching her with anything less than honorable intentions, I will personally drain every ounce of blood out of your veins. Are we clear on the matter, Lieutenant?" Maze gulped and took a ragged breath. "Clear as crystal, ma'am." Ami smiled and stepped back, returning to her normal state. "I'm so glad to hear that, Maze." She glanced towards Venus and received a mildly reproving look. Ami shrugged and headed back to check up on how Sailor Mars was doing with the repairs to her shredded suit. Maze looked at the heavens and sighed, wondering what he did to deserve this. "First you, then Jupiter, and now Mercury," he said quietly to Tolaris. "Trust me when I say that everyone's meaning has been made loud and clear." The Dragoon commander laughed. "Never hurts to make sure you understand, Maze. As soon as Miss Venus is finished patching your leg up, I'd like you to start getting those camping supplies. I have no idea what time it is in this world anymore, but my stomach clock tells me it's almost time for dinner." "Sure thing, boss." "Thank you, Lieutenant. Oh, one more thing, if its possible. After you return to your quarters tonight, could you pull up a quick summary of what's been going on in here since my absence? Just a quick collection of the major articles of interest from the newsfeeds should be enough, unless you feel like digging any deeper." Maze nodded. "No problem. You'll probably have to drop by to pick it up, however, since it might arouse suspicions if I keep coming and going." Tolaris frowned. "That might not be wise. I could be recognized and that would definitely screw things up." "Just wear lieutenant stripes instead of your commander's stripes. Trust me, if you just carry a clipboard or something and act like you've got some important business to take care of, no one will pay much attention to you." Tolaris gave his friend a strange look. "You sound like you've done this sort of thing before." Maze grinned. "Hey, when you've got thirty cadets to watch over and you don't feel like dealing with them, you learn to make yourself as ordinary and undeserving of attention as possible." Tolaris laughed. "Spoken like a true Dragoon. Anyway, I'll leave you two to take care of whatever business you were working on. What time do you want me to try to stop by?" Maze shrugged. "An hour after sundown should suffice. I don't know what time it is, either, so I can't give you a better clue." Tolaris shrugged. "Good enough. See you tonight, Maze." "Take care, boss," Maze replied as Tolaris walked off. He glanced over at Sailor Venus and frowned lightly. "You okay?" Venus blinked and her mind returned to the present. "What? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking...." Maze smiled. "Anything interesting?" He blinked as Venus smiled oddly at him. "Perhaps, but we'll have to work on determining that later. Now, let me see your arm...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Leda stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as the dark red sun set on the horizon. Most of the sky had already taken on that eerie purple cast that she had found more than slightly discomforting the last time she was in the Negaverse. Night should be a dark but soft shade of blue, not this harsh shade of purple, she thought as the edge of the alien sun slid out of view. She turned her head a few degrees to the left, looking at the strange sight that had captivated her since she first saw it. In the distance, a small mountain loomed up into the sky, it's base shrouded in perpetual mists and an eternal thunderstorm raging at it's peak. She wished not for the first time to be on that mountain and to feel the power that the eternal storm unleashed. She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and whirled around. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized her silent visitor. "Evening, Captain," she said politely. Whisper looked out towards the horizon. "So it is," she said with a slow nod of her head. "You are best advised to keep alert, Jupiter. Your lack of awareness to my presence could have been fatal." And it still might be, was the unspoken message in her voice. Leda turned to look at the strange mountain again. "Captain, when you attacked me earlier, I heard you yelling something but I couldn't make out the words. What were you saying?" she asked quietly. "That you were the one who killed my husband," was the cold but equally quiet reply. Leda's gaze darted towards Whisper, a look of shock on her face. "What? What are you saying?" Whisper looked out into the night, seeking something to bring peace to her mind. "My husband was one of the denizens killed when you and the other Sailor Scouts fought your way back to Earth. I know he was killed by you because he was killed by a blast of lightning, and you are the only one capable of using lightning as a weapon." Leda blinked. "Captain, I remember fighting someone who could call down lightning bolts in a manner similar to my Jupiter Thunder." The telepath shot her a dark look. "So you say. According to our records at the time of the incident, slightly over six hundred denizens have some form of control over lightning. Of those six hundred, only eight were within the general area of where you were fighting. And of those eight, all of them have been accounted for as being elsewhere when Orestan was killed." Leda shook her head. "Forgive me, Captain, but I know what I saw." She rolled up the sleeve of her blouse and pointed to a fading scar just below her elbow. "This is where he hit me with a blast of lightning while we were having it out." "So you claim. I cannot determine the validity of your statement as I was not there and we have no living witnesses aside from yourself and the other Sailor Scouts. The only proof I have are his charred remains and your Jupiter Thunder. That might not be enough for most, but it is enough for me," the telepath said bitterly. Leda looked out towards the mountain and its eternal storm. "Captain, how can I convince you that I'm telling the truth?" she asked quietly after several minutes of silence. "I would have to probe the memories of someone who was there and witnessed all that transpired," came the equally quiet reply. "In this case, your own mind and it's memories would be the key." Leda blinked. "I don't understand." "I would have to probe your mind, Jupiter, and replay the memories you obtained during that battle. You would be required to open your entire mind to me." She laughed quietly, a soft but bitter sound. "You would be foolish to do so, for at that close a contact I could destroy every single neural fiber in your brain with a mere thought." Leda paled at the image that came to mind. "But you gave your word to Tolaris that you wouldn't harm me without definite proof, and I believe you to be a woman of honor." Whisper gave her a hard look. "You are either a very trusting individual or a fool to say so, considering I wouldn't mind seeing you dead." "Tolaris trusts you and I trust Tolaris's judgement. If I am wrong in trusting you, then I would pay for my mistake with my life or worse. But if I am right, then I stand to gain a friend, or at least an ally I won't have to worry about killing me as I sleep." The telepath nodded slowly. "Very well, Sailor Jupiter, I will do what you ask. But I must warn you that your mind will be completely open to me, and while I will seek the desired memories as fast as possible, I may accidentally unveil personal or sensitive memories." Leda nodded. "Understood, Captain. What must I do?" Whisper knelt down on the ground. "Just sit down and close your eyes. I will contact your mind and we will start from there." Leda knelt down in front of Whisper and closed her eyes. She felt a pair of hands lightly touching her temples and everything went dark.... ------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the essence of darkness, the total absence of everything. She had no concept of direction, no concept of physical dimensions or even physical existence. She just existed, a single mind alone in a universe of its own. What is this? <This is the manifestation of your subconscious mind> said a thought from everywhere and nowhere. <In short, this is the inside of your mind> Where are you? The sound of gentle laughter. <I am here, with you. This is your mind, your world. I can only observe from a distance. This is what you choose to make it> I don't understand.... <Of course you wouldn't. You haven't spent decades of your life learning how to control your mind. Even at this speed, explaining things enough for you to understand would take several months of real-time> Speed? How fast is this happening? <At the speed of thought. Even though it feels as if several minutes have passed since we started, I assure you that no more than a hundredth of a second in real-time has passed> I feel lost.... A warming reassurance filled her being. <You are merely unfamiliar with the workings of your own mind, that's all. In time, you will learn how to control and even alter your mind. In the meantime, I will act as your guide, though I can do very little except observe> What must I do now that we're here? <You must first learn how to remember> Remember? But I already can.... <Can you? Then remember what happened that day> Shock and confusion filled her as she realized she could not. What have you done to me? A gentle and patient sigh. <This is your subconscious, not your conscious mind. Your conscious memories can be altered or even destroyed by time, but the memories your subconscious gather remain pure and unaltered. How your mind stores your subconscious memories is different from how your mind stores the conscious memories. When you remember, you trace down a certain neural path to a certain conscious memory. You must relearn which neural paths to take to reach your subconscious memories> How can I do this? <Unfortunately, it can only be done by trial-and-error. I will do my best to guide you, but it is up to you to lead me to the correct set of memories. Imagine your memories as a spider web, with each single memory being only one strand in a vast field of webs. Touch a memory and it will disturb the ones near it, revealing their contents. Follow familiar memories across strands and webs to the ones you seek> Comprehension dawned on her like a sun rising above the horizon for the very first time. I understand now.... Again the sound of gentle laughter. <You only understand a tiny portion of your mind's capabilities, but it is enough for our purpose. I will start walking on the strands of your memories and you must guide me as we go. Are you ready?> I am.... <Then let us proceed....> The world, the very universe burst into light, color, sound, and motion as something rippled ever so lightly. "Thunderheart...." said the image of a girl with emerald-green hair. As quickly as it had come, everything was gone, leaving only utter darkness. This is not directly related.... yet I feel as if this is a start.... <If it is indeed a start, then we should follow it to the end> A sense of understanding enveloped her as the surrounding memories were revealed. <I see. She was your lover?> A slight feeling of shame and embarrassment filled her being. Yes.... <Why do you feel ashamed of this?> It is not socially acceptable for two women to be lovers.... especially considering our respective ages.... <Yet you felt no shame when you two were together....> No.... <Then why do you feel shame now?> The voice was silent as more memories were revealed. <You feel ashamed of your past because of him?> Not exactly.... Anger enveloped her like a stormcloud. <Because of what he did to you> Yes.... Even now, I find it hard to believe I did.... that.... She could not explain her feelings, yet a sense of understanding and warm acceptance surrounded her. <It matters not, though I did not mean to transgress....> The web of memories continued to ripple in a slowly expanding ring. A sense of unease wrapped around her. <There is a sizable gap in your memory here, following Jenni's death....> It is not related.... <Do you remember?> Not what happened, but only that it is not related.... A memory of another lover surfaced in the tangled web. <But this is> Yes.... A slight laugh. <Sailor Venus?> Yes, Mina.... The laughter continued briefly. <Maze would be mildly upset if he knew that you two are lovers> Embarrassment filled her being. I don't know if we qualify as lovers.... <It matters not unless either one of you tells him> The web twitched slightly as the ripple changed directions. <You two have been friends for a long time> Yes.... <She was with you, wasn't she?> Yes.... I can remember more, now.... A sense of accomplishment surrounded her. <Excellent, then we are getting close to the desired memories> Yes.... I.... I remember now! <Good. Start at the beginning, and work your way from there...> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "What do we have here?" growled her opponent, leering at the slash marks on her blouse. Her gaze never left his as they slowly circled around each other, looking for the chance to strike. His left hand was outlined in the harsh light of electricity being somehow formed into a sword-like projection. She said nothing in response, keeping most of her concentration on her adversary. The rest of her concentration was on the energy level in the tiny lightning rod on her tiara. She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and lashed out, the tip of her boot making a solid connection with the head of the denizen trying to sneak up on her. He went down and she prepared herself for the impending attack. Her opponent lunged at her and she dodged, but she couldn't get clear of the blade in time. Pain shot down the length of her arm as the tip of the energy projection caught her just below the elbow. She was getting ready to unleash her Jupiter Thunder when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Jupiter, get down!" yelled Venus. She wasted no time and immediately flopped down on the hard ground. Her opponent didn't have enough time to react as a searing light formed at Venus's fingertips and lashed out, blasting a hole in his chest. He grunted in shock and collapsed, a small pool of dark blue blood beginning to form around him. "Thanks, Venus...." she started to say, but was cut of by a gesture. "Save it for later, girl, if we manage to get out of this one alive," the blonde Sailor Scout said with a smile. The smile slid off of her face as a crossbow bolt missed her by inches and imbedded itself into a small boulder. They both jumped behind the boulder as another bolt shot past them, again missing by inches. "I don't like this," she said and Venus laughed ironically. "Only sick people like being shot at," she said. "Up there, standing next to that tree." Jupiter nodded. "I see him. Double team?" Venus grinned at her. "You bet," she said and stood up. She concentrated a pair of crescent beams formed at her fingertips. "Venus Crescent Beam...." Jupiter also stood up and focused her mind on her tiara. The miniature lightning rod extended itself again and began to charge with energy. "Jupiter Thunder...." They focused their energies towards their target, intent on merging them into a single, more powerful blast of power. "SMASH!" "CRASH!" The beam of power merged with the bolt of lighting and intensified into a blindingly-bright wave of pure energy. The wave darted towards its target and suddenly encountered an electromagnetic barrier surrounding the denizen. With an ear-shattering explosion, the two powers were reflected off of the energy shield and split. The Crescent Beam darted off at an odd angle and blew a hole in a distant building while the lightning bolt plowed through a group of attacking denizens. Screams of pain filled the air as the denizens were electrocuted and fell into lifeless heaps. The screams were suddenly drowned out by a series of loud explosions, followed by an incredible burst of light as the distant building was disintegrated. Jupiter and Venus saw the shock wave coming towards then and they dove for cover behind the boulder. The wave of intense pressure swept past them and their skin crawled with the sheer power of the winds. When the shock wave had gone past them, they cautiously poked their heads up past the boulder to see what happened. The rest of the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask where standing behind Sailor Moon. She had the Crescent Moon Wand held up high and was generating some sort of barrier around them, protecting them from the shock wave. The bodies of the attacking denizens lay around them, all badly battered and bleeding. Sailor Mercury did a quick scan with her computer and sadly shook her head back and forth. Sailor Moon sighed quietly and let the barrier fade before she motioned for Jupiter and Venus to catch up with them. Victorious yet saddened by the waste, they continued on towards their only hope for escape. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Leda blinked as the world suddenly sprang into existence around her. She shook her head and looked up to find Captain Whisper kneeling next to her, just as she had been before the mind probe started. "Captain, I...." Leda started to say. Whisper stood up and made a gesture. "Say nothing, Jupiter," she said in a dark tone. She took a deep breath and stared out into the night, gathering her thoughts together. "Even though it was indeed your Jupiter Thunder that killed him, it wasn't your fault. Nor is Venus to be held responsible for the destruction of the Psi-Corp headquarters. The moment your powers bounced off of that energy barrier, they became stray shots and thus held unaccountable according to our laws." Leda frowned. "But what do you feel about the matter?" Whisper sighed quietly and faced her. "I suspect that I will come to agree with the law given sufficient time. However, it was still you and Venus who fired and caused the destruction. I won't seek vengeance on either one of you, but if the opportunity arises to do so I doubt I'll refuse." Leda nodded, not really expecting anything more. "I think I can live with that. For now, at least." Whisper nodded and turned to walk away. She paused as a thought occurred to her and she turned her head back towards Leda. "You don't have to worry about watching your back around me, Jupiter. When the time for vengence comes, you'll see it coming," she said, then quietly left the clearing. Leda said nothing as she once again looked out towards the mountain peak and its eternal thunderstorm, a new set of thoughts and worries plaguing her mind and troubling her soul. She lost track of all time as she leaned against an ancient tree, staring at the constant storm on the horizon and thinking about her life as a Sailor Scout. With all the damage we've done and all the lives we've taken, how can we be all that different than the Negaverse? We have really different motives for doing what we do, of course, but still.... Her thoughts were interrupted when she was grabbed from behind and held in a tight grip, one arm pinning her arms at her waist while the other keeping her from making any sound. The impulse to scream had just reached her brain when her captor started whispering in her ear. "Forgive me, but this was the only way to get your entire attention. Stop struggling and listen to me.... There is a small scouting party headed towards your friends' location, and I believe they are aware that you are the Sailor Scouts. You must return to warn them and quickly. I did what I could to delay them but they should be here within minutes." Leda has stood still while he spoke, not sure of what she should do. She noticed with some unease that the arms holding her were formed like those of a giant cat, with short, dark fur and recessed claws. The thought of being a prisoner of a giant panther didn't sit well and she furiously thought of a plan of escape. "I know you have no reason to trust me," he continued, "But the lives of your friends are in danger." He paused for a moment and Leda felt something soft and fuzzy brush her cheek. "I hope we can meet again under different circumstances, Leda. Now go...." he said, releasing his grip and giving her a small shove, just enough to set her slightly off-balance. She stumbled but quickly recovered and turned around. She stopped and blinked in confusion when she discovered that she was alone in the clearing. She briefly wondered if she had been hallucinating, but the voice still echoing in her mind had seemed all too real. Leda made a decision and ran off towards the camp as fast as she could, pausing only long enough to transform into Sailor Jupiter. When she arrived at the camp, she was out of breath and her hands were shaking slightly but she wasn't sure if it was from the exertion of running. "Heads up, guys," she blurted out as the rest of the group looked at her. "We're going to get company and soon, so transform and get ready to rumble," she said, leaning against a small tree for a few seconds. The other Sailor Scouts started to transform while Tolaris and Whisper started to put together a quick plan of defense. "What have we got, Jupiter?" Tolaris asked. "Umm, I'm not entirely sure...." she said and gave them an explanation of what happened. Tolaris and Whisper exchanged surprised glances before the Psi-Corp captain nodded and started to telepathically check the area. "Contact," she said after a brief moment. "Six minds, all clustered in a single group, heading towards us from that direction," she said, pointing past a dense group of trees. She blinked and a small smile crept across her face. "And one of them is telepathic." Tolaris smirked as he took up a position behind a large tree. "Everyone, take cover and get ready. You going to be okay, Captain? You look like you're under siege." Whisper smiled and crouched behind a bush. "I am, but it's a pathetic attempt at a mind blast. Just listen for the scream and that'll tell you how close he is." Her words were quickly followed by a loud and piercing scream. Five armored soldiers suddenly burst into the clearing and began to open fire on the concealed Sailor Scouts. Behind them, a sixth armored denizen staggered into the clearing, clutching his head. Before anyone could react to his presence, he stumbled and collapsed, bright green blood pouring from his ears and nostrils. The Sailor Scouts started to return fire and Tolaris gave Whisper a small smile. "Wasn't that just a bit messy?" he said as he leapt from cover and unleashed several lightning bolts towards the attacking denizens. "Would you preferred he was still up and shooting at us?" she replied as she focused her mind on another target. "Actually.... no," the Dragoon said with a laugh before turning his full attention towards the battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mercury Bubbles.... BLAST!!" she yelled, releasing control of her powers and filling the area with a dense fog bank. As soon as the diversionary fog was in place, she stepped back to give the other Sailor Scouts more room to deal with their opponents. Mercury sighed quietly to herself and started to scan the area with both her computer and her Virtual Visor. There were some days where she wished she could play a more active role in combat, but she was quite often content to sit on the sidelines and observe. No one minded this since her observations have often helped the rest of the team gain an edge or to avoid a trap. She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and looked up in time to catch Sailor Jupiter jab an elbow into an armored denizen before flipping him over her shoulder to land hard on the ground. The fallen warrior reacted by slamming his fist into the ground, causing the whole forest floor to shake unsteadily. Mercury grabbed onto the tree as the earthquake reached her and she lost most of her balance. She looked up in horror as Sailor Jupiter flailed wildly for balance before falling down right beside the denizen. Her Virtual Visor superimposed a flashing red aura around the denizen just as she saw the gleam of light reflecting off of his drawn dagger. Just as she realized that he was preparing to stab the still-prone Jupiter, her Visor started tracking the path of a projectile. Moving faster than Mercury could follow, the object slammed into the denizen's chest and imbedded itself. The warrior screamed in agony before collapsing in a rapidly-forming pool of dark blue blood. Sailor Jupiter blinked in surprise and looked for the source of the projectile. Sailor Mercury did so as well and was surprised to find Sailor Mars standing next to a tree, her arm still raised from throwing her dagger. "Did I get him?" Mars called out as she started running towards Sailor Jupiter and the fallen denizen. Jupiter's response was to quickly reach down, yank the dagger out of the injured denizen, and to throw the blade as hard as she could towards Sailor Mars. Sailor Mercury blinked as her Visor did two things simultaneously: It projected a trajectory for the dagger and outlined the denizen sneaking up behind Sailor Mars in a flashing white aura. The information barely had enough time to sink into her brain before the dagger impacted with the denizen's arm. Mars screamed in surprise and shock as her blouse and arm were splashed with dark red blood. Both Mercury and Jupiter ran towards Sailor Mars, the former intent on checking for injury and the latter intent on injuring the denizen. Even before she reached Mars, Sailor Mercury's Virtual Visor seemed to go haywire, outlining the denizen in flashing gold and superimposing strange readings over him. She blinked in shock as the meanings of the readings sank in. She was about to have her computer scan again when Sailor Jupiter's voice brought her back to the present. "Jupiter Thunder...." she said, the miniature lightning rod extending from her tiara and charging with energy. "Jupiter, wait!" Sailor Mercury cried out, "Don't hurt him, I want him alive!" Both Jupiter and Mars paused momentarily and gave her confused looks. The denizen used the instant of distraction to pull the dagger out of his arm and launch himself at Sailor Mars. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Mercury as the scene unfolded. Without knowing why, she concentrated her powers into a sphere in front of her. Sailor Jupiter realized the danger to Mars and continued running, ignoring her tiara completely and changing her direction to intercept Mars, intent on pushing her out of the way. "Mercury Ice Bubbles...." Sailor Jupiter slammed full-tilt into Sailor Mars just as the denizen reached her and swung the dagger, the edges of the blade still coated with blue and red blood. Both Sailor Scouts tumbled out of the way and the dagger hit only empty air. The denizen glanced up at Mercury, his eyes going wide as he saw the sphere of power she had aimed at him. "FREEZE!!" Sailor Mercury yelled as she released the bubble. The sphere darted towards the denizen and splashed against his chest like a water balloon. The supercooled water froze on impact, completely encasing the denizen inside a thick layer of ice and rendering him immobile. The flow of time seemed to return to normal and Mercury blinked as her reaction fully sank in. "I did that?" she asked incrediously, looking at the frozen denizen. "Looks that way," said Tolaris from behind her. Mercury jumped and turned around to see the Dragoon commander rubbing a sore spot on his shoulder. "We took care of the others and I've dispersed what's left of your fog. Nice lawn ornament," he said, gesturing to the frozen denizen. "A bit ugly, perhaps, but I'm no art critic." Sailor Moon walked over and stood next to Mercury, her blue eyes wide with wonder. "Wow, Mercury, those weren't your usual bubbles.... Is that your new power?" Mercury nodded. "Probably, seeing how I couldn't do this before." She blinked as a thought occurred to her and she glanced down. "Umm, do either of you two plan on getting up?" Jupiter moaned and sat up, She wiped a streak of dirt off of her arm and gave Mercury a pitiful look. "Do I have to? Most of my muscles hurt now...." She glanced over and poked Sailor Mars. "You okay?" "Yeah, except for being slammed in the stomach by you...." was the muffled reply. She was lying face-down on the ground and showed no signs of injury. "Umm, I'll just stay here for a few minutes if you don't mind...." "Lazy bum," Jupiter sighed as she grabbed Mars's arm. "C'mon, time to get up...." "No, wait...!" Sailor Mars started to say, but was interrupted when she was flipped over onto her back by Jupiter. Her problem was instantly revealed as the front of her blouse remained caught in the dirt. She immediately turned back over but not in time to prevent Tuxedo Mask from getting a clear view of her breasts as he approached the group. "Well, that battle was.... WHOA!" he said, turning away with a dark blush on his cheeks. "You, umm, having problems with your suit again, Mars?" "What was your first clue?" Mars replied acidly. "Could someone go get me the sewing kit and a large towel, please?" "Sorry about that," Jupiter said as she ran off to get the kit. Tolaris chuckled quietly to himself as a small fog bank sprang up around Sailor Mars and hid her from everyone's sight. "Thanks, Commander!" came the muffled voice from within the fog. Sailor Venus walked up to the group with a smile on her face. "You know, Mars, life would be easier if you decided to wear a bra," she said rather mischievously. Mars laughed from within the fog bank. "You know as well as I do that these stupid suits don't come with bras," she replied. There was a muffled grunt as Jupiter tossed the towel and the kit into the middle of the fog. "Ow, thanks, Jupiter." "Sorry." Tuxedo Mask blinked in confusion and blushed yet again. "Umm.... your suits don't come with bras?" Jupiter smirked. "No, they don't, but we do have the essentials, thank Zeus. You can get Sailor Moon to give you a full display if you like." "Ha ha, very funny...." Sailor Moon said with a blush. "If I remember right, you're the one who insisted on showing everyone your differing hair colors." Tolaris coughed lightly. "If you ladies are finished, we have a few small details to resolve, like what we plan to do with our captive?" Sailor Moon blinked. "Is he alive in there?" "He is," Whisper said as she approached the group. "I can feel his mind. He is very much alive, and that is good. I'm going to interrogate him to find out who sent him and how much he knows about us." Sailor Mercury frowned. "Try not to hurt him. I want him alive." Whisper blinked. "Whatever for?" Mercury held up her computer. "My scans show that his blood composition is almost identical to that of a human's." The Psi-Corp captain frowned. "I'm not following you." Sailor Venus frowned as well. "Are you that hungry?" "Not yet, but the rest of you need your blood." "Hold it," Whisper demanded. "Would one of you explain to me what you're talking about?" Sailor Mercury sighed quietly and put her computer in her extradimensional pocket. "You were never told, Captain, simply because no one thought it was necessary for you to know. As I told Lieutenant Maze earlier, I am a vampire," she said quietly as she changed to her vampiric form. Whisper paled and stepped back slightly. "I.... I see," she said slowly. "So it wasn't just a rumor of a vampire on Earth." "No, it wasn't," Mercury said. "Now do you understand why I want him in one piece?" Whisper nodded, still visibly shaken. "Yes. I'll do my best to keep him unharmed, but we need to know what he knows and that might get rather difficult if he resists the probe." "I understand, Captain." Tolaris nodded. "If you two can handle things, I've got to get going over to the complex to get the information from Lieutenant Maze." "I think we can handle an ice cube, Commander," Whisper said dryly. "Can I come with you?" asked Sailor Venus. She blinked as everyone turned to give her looks of surprise and wonder. "What?" "Going to go see Maze?" Jupiter asked with a grin. Venus nodded. "Why else would I be going?" "Curiosity," chorused the rest of the group. "Am I that bad?" the blonde said with a faint blush. Tuxedo Mask laughed. "On occasion." "Sorry. Still, I want to go with you, Commander." Tolaris sighed quietly. "Give me a few minutes to think about it. I'm not sure that it would be a wise idea to take a Sailor Scout into the middle of the Dragoon headquarters." Venus gave him her best smile. "Please think about it while I talk to Sailor Mercury about something. In the meantime, perhaps someone should check on Sailor Mars, since she's our best bet at getting that soldier out of that ice." "I'm not going anywhere until I get this stupid suit fixed," said Mars, still inside the fog bank. "Need help?" Sailor Moon asked. "No thanks, I'm almost done," replied Mars. Sailor Venus quietly led Sailor Mercury far away enough from the group so they could talk in relative peace. "So what's on your mind?" Mercury asked once they reached a secluded section of trees. "Just a bit of a warning. You might want to put off draining our friend until Tolaris gets back from the complex." Mercury blinked. "Why is that?" "Well, according to some of the more arcane lore, when a female vampire takes blood from a male victim, they both become highly aroused and more often than not wind up in bed. While I'm not sure if this would be the case with you, you might not want to take the chance," Venus said with a weak smile. Mercury gave her an odd look. "Right.... What makes you think I'd want to get.... involved, so to speak, with our captive?" Venus giggled. "Nothing, but it's just that a horny vampire isn't one to be taken lightly. It would be prudent to keep Tolaris around to.... umm.... deal with the situation should the need arise." "Funny...." Mercury said dryly. "Speaking of which, why are you so eager to see Maze tonight?" Venus blushed and studied the ground. "I really can't explain it.... I just want to see him again, that's all." "Is that all?" Mercury replied quietly. "Mina, I felt the same why you do now when I first met Tolaris. All I wanted to do was to be with him, to talk to him. I'm not sure when we fell in love, but it was fairly quickly. And not too long after that we started getting passionate." Venus said nothing as she continued to stare at the ground. She looked up when Mercury gently tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I know how you think and how you deal with things, Mina. You plan to do more than just talk to Maze, right?" "Yes," was the soft reply, "I was hoping to stay the night for several reasons. One being I don't care for camping too much, and another reason is that it would be a tactical advantage to have a Sailor Scout on the inside of the complex when you make your move tomorrow morning. Maze and I can take down most of the guards before you arrive." Mercury nodded. "You should tell this to Tolaris. It might help him make a decision." Venus nodded and turned to leave, but stopped when Mercury gently grabbed her arm. "Mina, there's more to it than that, correct?" She saw the look of hesitation in the blonde's eyes and added, "You can tell me. I'm not quite a doctor yet, but I still believe in doctor-patient confidentiality." "Well.... I was.... thinking of.... of...." "Of making love to him?" Mercury finished softly. "Yes. You and Jupiter had both said that it was a wonderful experience, providing that you care about each other. If Maze feels the same way about me that I do about him, then it could be just as good if not better than when Leda made love to me," Sailor Venus said quietly. Mercury nodded in understanding. "Just make absolutely sure that you know what his intentions are before you do anything. And if you do, I'd like it if you come see me afterwards, just so I can do a quick scan." Venus nodded slowly. "Thanks, Ami. For everything," she said and turned to head back to the rest of the group. "Oh, and Mina?" The blonde paused and looked back with a curious expression. "Yes?" "Be careful." "I will," Venus said and quietly left Sailor Mercury alone to herself and to her thoughts. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Mars knelt several feet away from the frozen denizen. Her sailor suit had been patched up as best as she could, but there were still several tiny slash marks in various places. It was times like this where she was glad that her bow was large enough to cover a few of the more revealing gaps. "Try not to imagine your power as merely a weapon to be hurled at your opponents," Tolaris said quietly from behind her. "Imagine the fire as part of your hand.... part of your arm.... part of your entire being. Wield it as if you were merely moving a finger." Mars let the words fade into the background as she slid deeper into her meditation. She needed to focus her mind to use her Mars Fire with precision if there was any hope of freeing their captive. Already she could feel the beginnings of power forming at her steepled fingertips. "Now imagine that same power leaving your body and taking a form of its own, still part of you and under your control. Imagine that your body is able to transcend your physical limitations and roam free by thought alone." The image of a bird formed in her mind and she focused on it. She could feel the feathered form take shape from within her soul and fly around the forest, moving here and there at her command. The bird dove for the denizen, her razor claws barely touching the frozen edges. Again and again the bird made light contact under her command. She could feel the power growing inside her until she thought it would utterly consume her being. "Mars Firebird...." she found herself saying as the fireball formed at her fingertips. The fireball writhed and moved about as if it were a living being, waiting to be released. She continued to build up power until she was unable to contain it any longer. "STRIKE!" she commanded as the fireball launched itself. It imploded in mid-flight and unfurled itself into the form of a fiery phoenix. Great wings filled the sky as the bird took flight, circling the frozen denizen like a hunter stalking her prey. At her command, the phoenix began to carefully melt the ice away with her beak and claws while leaving the denizen unscathed. The great bird flew away as the final layer of ice shattered under the soldier's weight and he collapsed. The phoenix threw her head back and cried out a shrill victory call before the flames composing her body died out and she vanished into nothingness. No one was more surprised by the events than Sailor Mars. She continued to kneel, her bottomless black eyes wide with wonder and surprise. "What.... What was that?" she finally managed to say. "You're asking us?" Tuxedo Mask said, his jaw still hanging open. "My guess is that was your new power," Sailor Venus said. "Cool...." Mars smiled as she stood up. There was a muffled groan as the denizen warrior tried to get up off of the ground. "Down, boy," Sailor Jupiter said as she shoved him back down with the tip of her boot. "Ready when you are, Captain," she said, keeping a wary eye on the denizen. Whisper nodded and sat down next to the warrior. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on his forehead. Both of them immediately stiffened as a quick psionic battle took place. Only a few seconds had passed before the denizen slumped to the ground and Whisper's face lost all expression. "This is going to take some time," she said in a flat monotone. "I will let you know when I am finished, so do not disturb either one of us until that time." The telepath then closed her eyes and lost all contact with the real world. Tolaris nodded. "Okay, everyone, listen up. Whisper means what she says and would be highly upset if you were to disturb her. I want you to pitch the tents and set up a defensive perimeter. You can decide among yourselves who gets to stand guard. I'll try to return as quickly as I can and will let you know I'm back by summoning a fog cloud. Anyone have any questions?" Sailor Venus coughed lightly. "Just one, Commander...." Tolaris sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Against my better judgement, Miss Venus, you may come with me. Anyone else have any questions?" No one said anything and he finally nodded. "Good. Sailor Moon, you're in command until I return. Sailor Venus, let's go," he said and started walking in the direction of the Dragoon complex. Sailor Venus only paused long enough to reverse her transformation and to make sure her dagger was where she could reach it before she ran off after the Dragoon. Mina waved to the rest of the group before they turned down a small path and disappeared from sight. "I hope she knows what she's doing," Sailor Mars said as she moved next to Sailor Moon. "I think she does," Mercury said quietly. "Anyway, we should do what Tolaris said and start setting up the tents." "Easy enough," said Tuxedo Mask. "If someone can work on getting dinner ready, I can get the tents set up." "I can start the fire," Mars suggested. Sailor Moon nodded. "So who wants to volunteer to stand guard?" "I've got the first shift," Sailor Jupiter said quietly. "I'll take the second," Tuxedo Mask said as he unpacked one of the tents. Sailor Moon blinked. "Umm, Jupiter, if you're standing guard, who's going to cook?" Mercury smiled. "I can handle it. I don't think I can cook as good as she can, but I can still make edible food." Sailor Moon started counting tasks on her fingers and came up one short. "Wait a minute.... Umm, what am I supposed to do?" Mars smiled slowly. "How good are you at sewing?" ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tolaris and Mina stood crouched behind a large boulder several dozen yards away from the Dragoon headquarters complex. Both were more than slightly nervous and Tolaris was frowning in concern as he looked at the side entrance and the pair of guards stationed there. "Problem, Commander?" Mina asked quietly. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I've never seen the complex so inactive. Usually there's a good stream of traffic going in and out that side door." "It could be because of that deployment Whisper was talking about," she suggested. Tolaris nodded. "It could be, but that worries me too. If the majority of the division was moved out towards the Outreaches, why didn't they take Maze or Ra'vel? They're both highly seasoned field officers." "Speaking of officiers," Mina said as she tugged on his rank insignia, "I thought you were supposed to be using lieutenant's stripes." Tolaris blinked and glanced down. "Hmm, I thought I already did that," he said as he took hold of a stripe and yanked. Within seconds he had removed two of his rank stripes, giving him the appearance of a Dragoon lieutenant. Mina nodded. "Do you have a plan for getting me in or are we going to have to improvise?" Tolaris shrugged. "Improvise, unless you have an idea." She smiled. "If that's the case, Lieutenant Sterling, you've been ordered to escort Lieutenant Maze's niece to the complex so she can see what his job is like. She might even want to become a Dragoon herself if she likes it enough." The Dragoon thought for a few seconds before slowly nodding in agreement. "Sounds plausible enough. I'm not sure if Maze has any living relatives or not, but they're not going to stop us to run a history check." He chuckled quietly to himself for a few seconds before adding, "At this rate, we'll make you a fully commissioned Dragoon before we return to Earth." "Isn't there a regulation about not permitting officiers to have personal relations within the ranks?" she inquired sweetly. "If so, then both Maze and myself would be slightly upset." Tolaris smiled. "I see your point." He glanced back towards the complex, blinked in surprise, and smiled. "Looks like we're about to get a break. Or to be more precise, that first guard is." Mina looked at the guard and frowned. "What do you mean?" "See the way he keeps shifting that lower chestplate?" "Yeah...." "That armor makes a full bladder very uncomfortable," Tolaris said with a knowing smile. "I'll make a bet that he is going to go take a restroom break very soon." His smile widened as the first guard said something to the second, then quickly entered the building. "When you gotta go, you gotta go," Mina said with an equal smile. "So let's go," Tolaris suggested and they both stood up. They walked out from behind the boulder and casually made their way across the barren fields, Tolaris moving in proper military form and Mina moving like an over-excited child. When they reached the entrance way, the guard stepped forward and put out his hand. "Sorry, sir, no unauthorized personnel are allowed in the complex at this time," he said crisply. Tolaris nodded towards the guard. "I am escorting Lieutenant Maze's niece to see him in his quarters, Corporal, as per orders from the lieutenant." The guard briefly looked over Mina. She smiled happily, giving him her best charming look. The guard nodded to her and saluted Tolaris. "Understood, sir. You may proceed." Tolaris returned the salute. "Thank you, Corporal," he said and entered the complex with Mina. "That wasn't too bad," he said to her when they were out of earshot of the guard. "Who could resist a sweet and innocent girl like me?" she giggled. "Someone of Ra'vel's species might have a different definition of sweet and innocent looking," he replied. "Plus, we got lucky that the guard was a guy. Not too many females fall for the charming look from young girls." "Well.... true...." Mina admitted. "Anyway, you might as well give me a quick tour of this place while we're walking so it looks like you're escorting me around." Tolaris nodded. "Good idea," he said, and begin to explain the purpose and function of the section they were in. He kept up a running commentary of the various sections as they made their way deeper into the complex and up into the personal quarters region. It was highly obvious that there were very few Dragoons in the complex, a fact that made Tolaris more and more uneasy with each passing minute. His verbal tour of the complex was interrupted when Mina poked him in the shoulder. "What?" he said, slightly startled. "What's wrong?" Mina asked quietly. "You're starting to look spooked." Tolaris sighed. "I'm just wondering where everybody is. I've been with the Dragoons for over five hundred years and I've never seen the complex this empty, not even during the Mintaka campaign." Mina nodded. "Look on the bright side. This is going to make our job a little bit easier." He stopped and gave her a dark look. "That, of all things, worries me the most," he said, then continued walking down the corridor. He glanced around momentarily to gain his bearings and paused. "Well, it looks like we're here. That fourth door up ahead is his." They both blinked at the door opened up and a figure came storming out and started walking down the hall towards them. Tolaris's blood ran cold as he recognized the long silvery hair and blank red eyes of Shar-Tei. Not knowing what else to do to avoid being recognized by her, he saluted as she approached. Shar-Tei was clearly preoccupied and distantly returned the salute, barely registering Tolaris's presence and entirely failing to notice Mina, who had edged herself slightly behind Tolaris. Tolaris blinked as he recognized the commander's insignia on her uniform. Not even pausing to exchange greetings, Shar-Tei continued on her way and disappeared from view as she turned a corner. "Judging from the lack of color in your face, I'd say you knew her," Mina said quietly. He nodded, still shaken. "That was my former second-in-command. If she hadn't been so distracted, our cover would have been blown and we would have been in for it." He glanced around and noticed that Maze's door was still open. "Come on, let's go before we get a second look." They cautiously walked up to the doorway and looked inside. "Maze, you in there?" Tolaris asked quietly. "Come in and close the door, boss," was the edged reply. Tolaris and Mina exchanged glances before quietly entering the room. Maze was clad only in a pair of sweatpants and was doing pull-ups at a fast pace on the set of bars he had installed in his room. He barely glaced back to nod to Tolaris before refocusing on his exercises, failing to notice Mina's presence in the room. That fact was not lost on Mina. She quietly closed the door and turned to face Tolaris, an impish smile crossing her face. She giggled silently and laid a finger across her lips. Tolaris sighed quietly and nodded, not entirely sure why he was going along with her mischievous impulse. "Did you get the data?" Tolaris inquired. "It's on the desk," Maze replied, still moving at his furious pace. "You have any problems getting in here?" Tolaris walked over to the desk in the far corner of the room and picked up the tiny information crystal and the portable reader next to it. "No, it was rather easy since I was wearing lieutenant's stripes. Which is good, since I almost got run over by Shar-Tei." Both Tolaris and Mina blinked at the string of cuss words that Maze spat out following Tolaris's statement. When Maze was finished, he growled softly and increased the pace of his work. Mina watched with more than mild interest as the muscles of his back and shoulders rippled from the exertions. Tolaris knew that Maze tended to deal with frustrations by putting himself through an intensive workout. "Maze, you're going to strain something if you don't calm down. Shar-Tei really got you that worked up?" Maze sighed and slowed down. "Partially. She was in here to find out why Ra'vel was being stitched up in Medical, then chewed me out for screwing up the assignment. Like I could help that we got fired upon by those trigger-happy p'tais in the Psi-Corp." Tolaris frowned as a thought occurred to him. "What exactly did you tell them?" "We got delayed because we were clearing out a few campers in the target zone. The campers had just left the area when we got fired on." Tolaris put a few facts together in his head and found that they didn't add up. "Wait a second. Who did you make your report to?" Maze growled as he started working faster. "General Rune." Another puzzle piece slid into place in Tolaris's mind, making the final picture darker than he had thought. "Is Rune the other reason you seem intent on tearing a muscle today?" he said mildly. The Dragoon lieutenant seemed to falter for a second before returning to a slower pace of work. "No, it's not her...." "Then who?" Maze fell silent, something which he rarely did whenever Tolaris asked him a question. Tolaris felt a hint of emotion behind Maze's unexpected silence and paused, not sure if he should probe deeper. He made a quick decision and spoke up. "Maze, we've known each other for almost forty-three decades. If something is bothering you, tell me." "Well.... It's Sailor Venus, actually...." Tolaris blinked and gave Mina a startled look. She seemed to be equally startled but she again laid a finger across her lips before tapping her chest. Tolaris didn't understand the meaning of the second gesture but nodded anyway. "So what is it exactly about her that's got you so worked up?" Tolaris asked gently. "It's just that when I look at her, talk to her, touch her, I feel so.... so.... Well, that's it, I don't know what I feel." Tolaris thought carefully. "Take a guess?" he suggested. "Well.... she's hot enough to make my pants itch, for one...." The Dragoon commander sighed and gave Mina an apologetic look. She raised an eyebrow at the statement but remained silent. "Maze, all the females make your pants itch, we both know that...." "But this is different, boss...." Maze said as he swung himself upwards. He flipped around and hooked his legs between two bars. After making sure he was secure, he let go and hung upside down to do a series of sit-ups. "It's not just sex this time.... I want to really get to know her, and I want her to get to know me." Tolaris blinked as he realized that his friend was serious. "Sounds like you want to be friends," he said neutrally. "No, you and I are friends. With her, it's.... more...." Maze stopped in the middle of a sit-up and laid back. "Tolaris, can I ask you a question? A personal question?" Tolaris paused, not sure of how to handle the request. "You can ask, but I can't guarantee an answer," he said slowly. "What did it feel like when you fell in love with Sailor Mercury?" The Dragoon commander suddenly felt the weight of seven hundred years of life pressing down on him and he sat down in the desk chair. He looked up to find Mina's curious gaze on him as well and sighed. "I'm not sure I can explain, Maze. When I met Ami, I didn't know she was a Sailor Scout. We just started talking and things fell into place. I don't know when I developed strong feelings for her, or her for me, but I just know that we wound up falling in love. I'm sorry I can't define it further." Maze sighed and went back to his work in silence. Tolaris glanced up to find Mina smiling oddly at him. He gave her a curious look and she pretended to wipe a tear out of her eye. "You know, boss, perhaps I just might be falling in love with her," Maze said suddenly. Tolaris blinked and glanced at Mina. Her soft blue eyes were wide with surprise and he could see a strange emotion stirring in their depths. "However," he continued, "I'm not sure if she feels the same way about me." Tolaris opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Mina spoke instead. "Trust me, Maze, Sailor Venus feels the same way about you," she said quietly. Both Mina and Tolaris winced as a stunned Maze lost his anchor and fell to the ground with a loud thump. Almost instantly he was on his feet, looking around the room for the source of the new voice. "Who are you?" he demanded when he saw Mina. "At ease, Lieutenant," Tolaris said softly. "This is Mina, whom you know better as Sailor Venus." Maze froze and stared. "Mina?" he asked quietly. "Is that really you?" Mina nodded and slowly walked towards him. "Who else would it be?" she said softly as she hugged him. Maze instinctively returned the embrace and the two spend several seconds together in that position. Tolaris coughed lightly. "If you two don't mind, I'll be heading back to the camp. Unless something goes wrong, we'll make our move as soon as the sun clears the horizon." Maze nodded. "We'll be waiting for you, boss. We might be able to clear a path for you, if we plan things right." "Very well, we'll see you in the morning then," Tolaris replied. "Good night, Commander," Mina said. "Night," he said and turned to leave. He paused as if to say more, then changed his mind and quietly left the room. Mina and Maze looked at each other with slight uncertainty as to what would happen next now that they were alone. "So, where do we begin?" Maze asked after a few moments of silence. Mina smiled shyly. "Can we decide that in a few minutes? I really need to use the bathroom." Maze laughed and gestured towards a featureless door. "In there." Mina gave him a quick hug and darted towards the bathroom. "Thanks!" she called out as she ran. She opened the door and stopped at what she saw inside. "Ooooo, you have a shower, too," she squealed in excitement. "Can I borrow that as well?" Maze shrugged before returning to his exercises. "Sure. You can use the towel on the left side of the rack. If you want to turn it into a steam bath, turn the green dial all the way over to the left." "Thank you," she said as she entered the bathroom and closed the door. Maze sighed quietly to himself as he tried to focus his mind on his work and not on the mental image of Mina in the shower. He sighed again as he realized that it wouldn't be an easy task. "Why me?" he muttered aloud as he started his exercise routine again. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Even before Tolaris reached the camp, he could tell something was horribly wrong. A sense of darkness gnawed on the edges of his soul, making him shiver lightly inside. Frowning in unease, he summonned a light fog bank to announce his presence and moved towards the camp. He hadn't taken five steps before a voice called out to him. "Commander, that you?" said the familiar voice of Sailor Jupiter. "Yes. Who else would bring a fog bank with him?" he said mildly. The mists parted to reveal Jupiter and Tolaris gasped at how haggard she looked. "Jupiter, what happened? You look like you've fought a demon." "You'd be better of asking Captain Whisper first," she said in a strange tone. "Come on, I'll take you to her." Tolaris frowned even more as she started walking back towards the camp. "Miss Jupiter, what happened?" he repeated. "I don't want to talk about it, not now," she replied quietly. "Just talk to Whisper first since she saw everything." He reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop and face him. "Leda, quit stalling and tell me what happened, now," he said in a tone laced with steel. Jupiter sighed and took a deep breath. "Whisper finished her mind probe of the denizen and Ami got too hungry to wait for you to return. She went into a bloodlust after feeding off of him and turned on Sailor Moon. I'm not sure what happened but she suddenly stopped feeding and starting screaming in pain. Rei had to use a ward to pin her down long enough for Whisper to mind-blast her into unconsciousness." Tolaris tried to move past her but she moved to block his way. "Tolaris, you really need to see Captain Whisper first," she said quietly. He didn't say anything as he brushed past her, leaving her to return to her guard duties and to her own haunted thoughts. He entered the camp and looked around. The tents had been set up and a flickering light could be seen inside one of them. Tuxedo Mask was sitting in front of another tent and Sailor Moon was sitting in his lap sewing. He had his cape wrapped around her almost protectively and Tolaris blinked at the despondent look on her face. "Commander, we need to talk," said Whisper from behind him. "With all due respect, Captain, I need to see...." "Now, Commander," she interrupted darkly. The Dragoon sighed and leaned against a tree. "Very well, Captain, what's on your mind?" he said neutrally, slightly stressing her rank. Whisper nodded and sat down on apparently thin air. Tolaris knew that she often used her psychokinetic powers to form a mental chair for her to sit down when no other chair was available. "Our little ambush party's orders were to confirm the presence of the Sailor Scouts at the outside edge of the Dragoon complex. They were also told to expect a rogue denizen to be assisting them. Those orders were personally given by General Rune herself," Whisper said darkly. She waited until Tolaris had finished cussing before continuing. "There was an unexpected development, however. Shortly before they ran into us, they were delayed by an encounter with another denizen, a Felinoid warrior." Tolaris blinked. "What?" "My question exactly. They came to the conclusion that he was the rogue denizen they were told to expect. They were totally surprised to see both you and me fighting against them." Tolaris sighed. "So in short, not only are we going to be expected at the complex tomorrow, but we've also got a true rogue running around, correct?" Whisper nodded. "Looks that way. However, we may still have the element of surprise. We still have Sailor Venus inside the complex, and that could make a difference. But you still need to be prepared in the morning for being caught in a trap." "Of course. What else would we expect around here?" he said dryly. They both chuckled for a moment before the surrounding situation sank back in. "Captain...." Tolaris said slowly. Whisper nodded. "Yes, I know." She took a deep breath and remembered what transpired not too long ago. "You want the short or the long version?" "Short, but make sure you don't leave out any significant details." "Of course. Well, after I finished the probe, Sailor Mercury asked if it was okay if she could drain him. Jupiter wanted her to do what Venus suggested and wait until you got back, but she said that the blood loss earlier today was really getting to her. I didn't see any reason why she couldn't, so I told her that I was done and he was all hers." The telepath paused and shuddered lightly. "I'll admit a bit of curiosity to the process, but what I saw was.... savage. Even those who knew how she fed before were shocked. It was a rather messy affair, to say the least, but what horrified us the most was the look in her eyes after she was finished with him and tossed him away like a rag." She took a calming breath and continued. "Her eyes were full of hunger and were consumed with pure evil. She paralyzed all of us with her gaze and advanced on Sailor Moon. I'll never forget the way she smiled as Sailor Moon removed the ribbon around her throat and opened the top of her blouse." Tolaris placed a comforting hand on Whisper's shoulder as the telepath had to pause to regain her composure. "I was surprised at how gentle she took her. They held each other like lovers and I swear Sailor Moon smiled as her throat was pierced. Mercury only took a few swallows of her blood before she jerked back and started screaming. She started to thrash about and we found that we could move again. "Sailor Mars leapt forward with some kind of paper in her hand. She made a gesture towards Mercury with the paper and she froze. Someone yelled for me to try to calm her down so I stunned her with a weak mind-blast. She dropped like a lead weight and I'm not sure if she's moved since." Tolaris frowned. "Where is she now?" "She's in that first tent. Sailor Mars took one look at her and started talking in spiritual terms. She insisted that she should be the one to take care of her until you returned." The Dragoon blinked. "Sailor Mars? I thought she'd be the last person who would want to watch over Ami after what just happened." Whisper nodded. "Everyone else was just as surprised. She got Jupiter to help carry her into the tent and promptly declared it off-limits. She tossed out Mercury's uniform and her own, asking someone to wash the blood off of the one and to patch up the holes in the other, and asked for a bowl of water and a clean cloth. I was told to have you see her after you saw me, but to make sure to remind you that neither of them are wearing much so you have to knock before you enter." Tolaris nodded, still puzzled at the recent turn of events. "Thank you, Captain. Is there anything else I should know before I go check on Ami?" She shook her head. "No. I'm going to go check on Ra'vel's condition in Medical before I return to my quarters and see if I can't solve a few small puzzles." "Thank you for everything, Captain," Tolaris said softly. "Thank me when this is over, Commander. If we're still alive," she added and shimmered out of existence. He sighed and made his way towards the tent with the strange light inside. He changed directions slightly when Tuxedo Mask waved him over. "How are you two doing?" he asked when he approached. "We'll be fine," Tuxedo Mask replied as he held out Mercury's suit. "We managed to get the blood stains out, so you can give this back to her." "Thank you." "Commander...." Sailor Moon said softly. Tolaris knelt down. "How are you doing, Miss Moon?" he asked, lowering his voice to match hers. "I'm okay. Here," she said as she held out Mars's suit. "Everything is patched up." "I'm sure they both appreciate this," he said as he took the suit. Sailor Moon suddenly blinked and looked up at Tolaris, her soft blue eyes seeming to shimmer with emotion. "Tolaris, it wasn't Ami's fault. It wasn't her. I can't explain what I felt when she bit me, but it wasn't her." Tolaris nodded and she suddenly seemed to withdraw again. Tuxedo Mask wrapped his cape around her even more and hugged her. The Dragoon silently stood up and walked towards the tent, his thoughts disturbed by Sailor Moon's strange behavior. "Miss Mars?" he called out when he reached the sealed entrance. "Just a moment, Commander," came the slightly muffled voice. There was the sound of rustling fabric for a few seconds before she called out again. "You can come in now, just seal the flap behind you." He unsealed the flap and stepped inside, resealing the flap behind him. He turned and stopped at the sight of Sailor Mercury laid out on a blanket next to a small firepit. Her clothing had been removed and was lying in a neat pile at the far end of the tent, leaving her clad only in her panties. Her body was covered in sweat and her face was a mask of pain. "She's been like this since she fell unconscious," Mars said quietly. She was sitting next to Mercury, wearing only a light blanket wrapped around her. As she spoke, she dipped a cloth into a bowl of water and gently pressed it to Mercury's forehead. "Here," Tolaris said as he handed her the two suits. "What happened?" "Did Whisper give you the basics?" she said as she burrowed beneath a set of heavy covers to get dressed. "Yes," he said as he stroked Mercury's face. Her skin was burning hot to his touch and he summonned a cool breeze to try to lower her body temperature. Mars popped back up and finished buttoning her blouse. "That won't help, Commander. The problem isn't physical, it's spiritual," she said quietly. "Explain." "When she drained the denizen, she seemed to go into a bloodlust of sorts. I thought I sensed a drastic change in her aura, as if it wasn't really her. When she paralyzed us, there was one brief moment when I could see everyone's aura as clear as day," she said, starting to shiver at the memory. "Aura vision is a common skill to learn in the spiritual arts, Mars. When we get the time and chance, I'll try to teach it to you." She nodded. "I could see Leda's aura was a bright green, Whisper's was a paler green, Darian was a soft pink, and Serena was pure white. But Ami's aura was a hideous mixture of her usual medium blue and a bizarre form of black. I could see those same auras again when she started draining Serena." She looked up and he could see tears starting to form in her eyes. "All of a sudden, Serena's aura started to grow stronger and brighter. It lashed out and that's when Ami started to scream. Tolaris...." she said, the tears falling now, "It set her aura on fire. It was burning her soul away...." He felt his chest burn as the realization sank in and his heart faltered for a moment. He looked down, trying to focus his mind enough to see auras. He succeeded only for an instant, but it was enough to see how faint Mercury's blue aura had become. "I did what I could," Mars said, still crying softly, "But nothing I do seems to work. I tried to use her computer to scan her, but I don't know what to do. Venus is the only other one who might have a clue as to how to work it, but she's not here. I can't even tell if she'll live or not...." Tolaris focused his mind and laid a hand over Mercury's heart. He could tell her lifeforce was weak, but it wasn't in any danger of completely fading. He sighed as the damage to her spirit was revealed. It was fairly extensive and was certainly beyond his meager healing skills. "She will live," he said as he took the cloth from Mars and started to bathe Mercury's sweat-soaked body. "But there is nothing I can do. I'm not sure there is anything that can be done," he said quietly. Mars nodded and took the cloth back. "If you wouldn't mind, Commander, I'd like to keep watch over her through the night. You need to plan our attack tomorrow and then get some sleep." Tolaris thought about arguing, but realized that she was right. He gave Mercury a gentle kiss before standing up and nodded to Mars. He quietly left the tent, making sure to seal the flap behind him. She sighed and returned to her tasks of tending to her friend's body and praying for her soul. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The door opened up behind Maze and he blinked as the room was instantly filled with steam. "You know," he said slowly as he turned on the room vents, "The idea is to keep the steam in the bathroom and not everywhere else." "Sorry," giggled the voice from within the massive steamcloud. "I didn't know how to vent it and I didn't want to be poking around with all of those controls in there." "Wise decision, seeing how I've got a few alarms and such wired into that panel," Maze said. He turned the vent fans up to maximum and the room started to clear quickly. He looked up at the doorway and blinked, first in surprise then in shock. "Who are you?!" Sailor V sighed and tapped her sandal against the ground. "Must we go this every time we meet? I haven't changed, just my appearance. Venus's suit was covered with dirt and my normal clothes weren't in much better condition, so I had to go with my old Sailor V suit." Maze felt his blood slow to a crawl. "Mina.... you're Sailor V?" he said slowly, still in a state of shock. "Yes, I am. This going to be a problem for you?" "No, but it will be for you if you're discovered. Tell me, is your new attitude part of the suit as well or are you always like this after a shower?" he asked. V smiled and stretched. "To be honest, it's a mixture, though I think a good portion of attitude comes with the suit. Believe me, when you're fourteen years old and fighting the Negaverse on your own, you need an attitude just to survive." She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice seductively. "As for how I am after a shower, that remains to be seen," she said and removed her Sailor V Glasses. Her transformation reversed itself and she returned to being Mina. Maze's eyebrows hit the ceiling as he realized that she was now wearing just the towel he had let her borrow. "Mina...." he said slowly. She wrinkled her nose and giggled. "Hold that thought and take a shower first. No offense, Lieutenant, but you smell like a dead gym bag." "Thank you," he said sarcastically as he headed off towards the bathroom. He had gone inside and was closing the door behind him when Mina spoke up from behind him. "Oh, and Maze?" "Yes?" he said and turned his head just in time to see a vast expanse of dark blue fabric as the towel landed on his face. "Hurry up," she said mischeviously and closed the door. Several minutes later, Maze emerged from the bathroom looking and smelling a great deal better than when he went in. He was wearing a clean pair of dark sweatpants and had his dark gray towel wrapped loosely around his shoulders. "This better?" he asked as he looked around the room. "Come over here and let's find out," Mina said from the bed. Maze turned to look at her and blinked. She had taken off the top sheet of his bed and wrapped it around her slender body in a simple but efficient manner. She moved her arm languidly and he could see that the sheet was highly translucent in places, giving her the appearance of being wrapped in ethereal gauze. She moved her arms around, knowing full well what showed through and what didn't, and the effect it had on Maze. "What exactly is this made of? I kind of like it," she said as she rubbed the silken fabric between her fingers. "It's a combination of monomolecular filaments and our version of silkworm threads," he said as he sat down on the bed and picked up a small wire hanging on the edge of the bed. "When you run an electrical current through it, it behaves like a sonic resonator." Mina blinked. "Meaning...?" Maze smiled. "Meaning it does this," he said and brushed the exposed end of the wire across the silken threads. Her blue eyes went wide as the entire sheet started to vibrate in the ultrasound range and the sound waves rippled across her bare skin. "Ooohhh, this feels good," she cooed as her entire body started to relax. Maze pulled the wire away from the blanket and the sheet quit resonating. He started laughing at the expression on Mina's face at having her relaxation interrupted so soon. "Hey, put that back!" "Sorry, but it wasn't designed to be fully wrapped around a person. The sound waves would quickly start interfering with each other and the effects rapidly decline into unpleasantness," he said gently. Mina pouted and rubbed the fabric. "So am I supposed to just lay on it or what?" "That or just let it rest on top of your body like any other sheet," Maze said. "I use it on occasion to help work out sore spots in my muscles." "A good massage might work better...." she suggested. He laughed softly and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "But more often than not, I don't have anyone here to take care of that." "But you have before, right?" she said hesitantly. Maze paused to choose his words carefully. "While it's no big secret that I've had.... intimate company in the past, it was known and understood that nothing would become of it, and to this day nothing has aside from memories." Mina looked down at the silken sheet. "I.... I see. And.... and what of what you said earlier.... about me...." she said, her voice starting to quiver. She blinked as he gently tilted her head up to look at him. "Our society is not one for soft emotions, Mina. Few of us can claim to know what true love feels like. I'm not sure what love is, but right now I'm feeling emotions that I've never felt before until I met you. "I won't say I know what it is to love, but I do know that what happened in my past was never touched by it. Yes, I've had relations with other women, but we both knew it would only last for that night or until we tired of one another. We wouldn't have wanted it any other way for we didn't know if there could be another way. "But for some reason, when I look at you and hold your hand, I start to feel strange inside. I want to know you, Mina, but I want it to be more than just another short relation in my past. I can't explain it, but I don't want to see you go, ever." Mina was lost in a sea of emotions. She started to search inward to find something that would help her say what she felt. Gone was the flippant and cocky attitude of Sailor V, or the sure confidence and decisiveness of Sailor Venus. Deep inside, there was only a young girl with the natural grace of an angel and a heart that knows no bounds. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly, ignoring the sheet as it slid down to her waist. "Maze.... I love you...." she said softly. Maze returned her hug with equal strength and felt something deep inside his heart explode. All of a sudden, things became totally clear to him and he realized for the first time in almost five hundred years what love felt like. "And I love you, Mina...." he said just as softly. She pulled back slightly and looked at him, not caring about her state of undress. "Do you really?" she asked. "I understand now...." he replied and kissed her. She returned the kiss with as much emotion and passion as she could and he in turn did the same, each second that passed adding more and more specialness to the moment. They lost track of time as they held each other and kissed, the Dragoon and the Sailor Scout exploring not only each other but their own feelings as well. Neither one knew when the moment slowly changed from love to passion, but they didn't care. Still holding each other, they slowly laid back on the bed and let their hearts tend to other matters of love. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mars blinked as she registered motion inside the tent. Her mind quickly emerged from the depths of meditation and focused on her surroundings. She blinked again as she recognized the slender form of her visitor as she closed the tent flap. "Serena, what are you doing here?" she asked softly. The Princess turned around and smiled softly at Mars. "I came to help my friend, Mars. I know now what ails Mercury and how I can help her," she said in her odd musical voice as she knelt down next to the fire. Mars blinked. "What is it?" she asked. "I've been trying to figure out what's wrong and I haven't come up with anything." "It was difficult for me too until I changed into this form," she replied. "I can understand a great deal more than Sailor Moon, but I also lack her inner strength of character." Mars blinked yet again, confused by the Princess's words. "I.... don't get it. Aren't you one and the same?" Serena smiled gently. "No more than Rei and Sailor Mars are. We shall have to talk about that at a later time as Mercury needs my help." As the Princess spoke, she carefully cradled Mercury in her arms and lifted her head up to her neck. Mars blinked in shock. "What are you doing?" Serena paused. "When Sailor Moon's blood was taken, her inner powers tried to protect her from the evil in Mercury's soul by trying to destroy it, and took part of Ami's soul with it. My blood can heal the damage and restore her soul." "No! It was your aura and not your powers that did that!" Mars protested. "I saw it, I saw your aura gather together and burn her soul away...." The Princess gave Mars a saddened look. "It was only because her hunger consumed most of her soul. There was no way to separate her from that evil. But now the evil sleeps within her and while I can't rid her of it, I can fix the damage that was done." She didn't wait for Mars to try to reply before she leaned over and let her throat brush across Mercury's lips. Even only semi-conscious, Mercury's vampiric instincts were still functional and she started to search for a vein. She managed to quickly locate one and opened her mouth to bite down, the light of the fire gleaming off of her tiny fangs. Partially hidden in the shadows. Sailor Mars had a clear view as Mercury's fangs pierced Princess Serena's throat. She expected her to cry out as the soldier did when he was bitten, or even as softly as Sailor Moon did, but the Princess merely blinked before smiling softly. Mars's bottomless black eyes widened in surprise as both Serena's and Mercury's auras became visible, the one glowing a serene white and the other a dim medium blue. But even as she watched, Mercury's aura started to brighten and grow stronger. Serena only let Mercury take a bit of her blood before she slowly pulled away. Sailor Mercury made a soft whimpering sound at having to stop, but she complied and quickly slid into a natural sleep. Serena smiled at her friend and wiped up a few stray droplets of blood with a cloth before turning to face Sailor Mars. "Of all of us, you alone have not shared your lifeblood with her. No one will ever hold that against you, for we all must make our own choices. But I ask that you consider it, Sailor Mars, for you would not just be sharing your blood, but your soul as well," Princess Serena said softly and quietly left the tent. Mars turned back to Sailor Mercury. Her fever was rapidly falling back to normal levels and she appeared to be at peace in her slumber. She pulled the covers over her friend and sat back to think about the past few minutes. She tried to meditate, but the Princess's word echoing in her mind wouldn't let her focus enough. Lost in thought, she continued to stare into the fire for the rest of the night, searching her soul for an answer that would let her conscience be at peace with her mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------- She looked up from her meditations when she heard a voice calling her name outside the tent. "Now what?" she grumbled softly to herself as she glanced at Sailor Mercury. She was still fast asleep and showed no indication of wanting to wake up anytime soon. Lucky, Mars thought to herself as she stood up. I'll bet I haven't slept that solidly in a month. "Mars, wake up," said Tuxedo Mask yet again. "C'mon, time for breakfast." "Yeah, yeah, we're moving, cape boy," she replied. "I just need to get Mercury out of bed and we'll be ready." "Umm.... Just make it quick, okay? Tolaris wants us knocking on the gates to the complex in less than an hour." "Alright, now go away," she replied and turned to a task that she didn't look forward to, Waking up a vampire is probably not the wisest thing to do in this life, she thought. I just hope she wakes up in a better mood than Jupiter usually does. She blinked as Sailor Mercury groaned and sat up, holding one hand to her forehead. "Well, good morning," Mars said quietly as she started to extinguish the tiny fire, grateful that she didn't have to wake her up. "I think you're lying about the good part," Mercury replied fuzzily as she yawned. She grimaced and ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth. "Ick, what did I eat? Tastes like...." she said and froze as the memories of last night returned. Mars felt her heart falter slightly at the look of horror and despair on Mercury's face. "Ami.... how much do you remember?" she asked, knowing what the answer was from the look in Mercury's blue eyes. "Everything...." Mercury replied and started to shake. She looked up at Mars, her blue eyes brimming with tears. "Rei.... what did I do? What have I become now?" she said, her voice starting to shake as well. Mars looked down into the pit of ashes and sighed quietly. "I don't think anyone can answer that for you since we don't know what happened to you. Only the Princess has an idea and even she's not sure of the specifics. You'll have to talk to her later, however, because we've got work to do and soon." Mercury said nothing for several minutes, the memories of what she did continuing to plague her. She eventually stopped shaking and started to look around for the rest of her suit. She found it in the corner of the tent and proceeded to quickly get dressed. She was busy attaching her skirt bow when a packet of herbs was tossed in her lap and she jumped. "What's this for?" she asked Mars with a curious look. "I want you to put them in your tea this morning," the priestess replied. "You had a rough night last night and your energy reserves should practically be non-existent. Those herbs will help you regain most of your strength." "Thank you," Mercury replied softly. She hesitantly sniffed at the herbs and blinked at the rather pleasant smell they had. "Smells good. Should I ask what it tastes like?" Mars gave her an apologetic look. "Best guess is peppermint gone sour." Mercury blinked and looked at the herbs as if they had suddenly become an insidious form of poison. "Ick.... sorry I asked." She sighed quietly and did her best to get her thoughts in order. "Rei, about last night...." Mars held up a hand to forestall her. "I think I know what you're going to say, so don't. I would really rather not know why you did that because I might feel obligated to ensure you don't do it again." Mercury blinked. "I'm not sure I understand." Mars's voice grew soft as she knelt down next to Mercury. "Ami, it is our duty as Sailor Scouts to protect the Princess first and each other second. I know it's a cold truth but we are fortunate it hasn't come down to the point where we have to choose. I value our friendship more than you would think, but I can't.... I won't allow you to attack Sailor Moon again, even if it's not by your choice." "I understand," Mercury replied softly and stood up. She blinked as Mars gently grabbed her wrist. "I don't want it to be this way, none of us do," Mars said quietly. "I know," Mercury said and hugged Mars. Mars returned the embrace with warmth and the two spent several seconds comforting each other. "Come on, I'm hungry," Mercury said with a soft smile as they broke apart and started to pack up the tent. Mars blinked. "Umm.... I would have thought you would be full after...." she trailed off, not wanting to further upset Mercury. Mercury only smiled. "I won't be that kind of hungry for awhile. I'm talking about the solid food that the rest of me needs." Mars nodded and then blinked as her own stomach growled loudly. They both giggled and Mars smiled. "I think I know what you mean. Jupiter should be up by now, so the sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner we can eat." In amazingly short order, the two girls cleared out the tent and broke it down into its component parts. They were busy trying to decide how to get the large tent canvas into the tiny tent bag when Tuxedo Mask walked up to them. "Morning, you two. If you want to go eat, I can take care of folding the tent up. It looks tough, but Tolaris showed me a trick to it and it makes a sizable difference." "Oh, sure, let us do the hard work and let you do the easy jobs," Mars teased as they headed towards the cooking fire. "It worked, didn't it?" he smiled and started to fold the tent. Mercury shrugged and looked around the camp. Tolaris was busy refolding his tent and Sailor Moon was still breaking down the last one. Sailor Jupiter was tending to a large pot of oatmeal with an equally large scowl on her face. None of them were morning people but Jupiter especially loathed getting up and out of bed, a fact not lost on Sailor Mars. "Good morning, Grumpy," she said, intentionally being overly cheerful as they sat down and she scooped out a generous portion of oatmeal into a bowl. Jupiter's sarcastic and blunt reply caused Mercury to blush and Mars to choke on the oatmeal. The brunette snickered while Mercury gave Mars a solid thump on her back. Mars swallowed the oatmeal and gave Mercury an odd look. "Can someone actually do that?" Mercury shrugged and pulled out her computer. She typed away at a furious pace as she sought to create a simulation to answer the question. After a full minute, she shut her computer off and cleared her throat. "It is possible, but only if you're double-jointed and your partner has a high tolerance for pain." "I'll skip that, thanks," Mars said as she coughed. Jupiter shrugged and passed a bowl of oatmeal to Mercury, giving her an odd look as she did so. Mercury paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth, looking at Jupiter look at her. "What?" Jupiter merely smiled and held out a brush. Mercury blinked and ran her free hand through her blue-tinted hair, frowning slightly as she realized that her hair was in tangles. She gratefully accepted the brush and proceeded to amaze everyone with her ability to eat with one hand while brushing her hair at a furious pace with the other. "You make me sick," Mars said as she ate her oatmeal. "I need at least two hands to brush my hair out and I swear it would still be difficult with three." "An advantage to having short hair," Mercury said between mouthfuls. She blinked as someone took the brush out of her hand and started to work on her hair. She twisted around to see Sailor Moon smiling gently at her. "Mars is right," the blonde said with a giggle, "Your coordination makes me sick." Sailor Mars laughed. "That's only because you can't even walk and chew bubblegum at the same time without tripping over your feet." Sailor Moon opened her mouth to deliver a retort when a sharp crack of thunder made everyone jump. As one, they turned and glared at Sailor Jupiter. "Wow, Tolaris was right," she smirked as her lightning rod folded back down into her tiara, "That really is an argument-stopper." "I see you slept well," Mars said darkly. Jupiter blinked and feigned innocence. "Sleep? What's that?" Mercury frowned. "You mean you didn't sleep last night?" Jupiter snorted and waved a hand in the air. "Nope, had too much on my mind. But don't worry about me, I've still got plenty to keep me going." "Is that because of the entire pot of coffee you drank last night?" Tuxedo Mask said as he walked up to the group. "If that's the case, you'd better put another pot on the fire because it's going to be a really long day." Jupiter nodded. "Already got the water boiling," she said, nudging a pot with her foot. "Got water for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and ma'cha if you want it." "Ma'cha?' everyone echoed uncertainly. "Denizen's version of coffee," Tolaris said as he joined the group. "If I understand human tastes correctly, it would taste like 'dishwater' to you." Jupiter shrugged. "Just because I thought it tasted like someone had done their dishes in it doesn't mean anyone else wouldn't like it." "Umm, we'll pass, thank you," Mars said and Tuxedo Mask nodded. "So what exactly are we going to do?" Sailor Moon asked as she finished up brushing out Mercury's blue-tinted hair. "Just as soon as everything is packed up and stashed away, we'll move in on the complex. When the sun clears the horizon. we make our move. If luck is with us, we should be in and out in less than an hour. Since the transport wards around the complex are one-way, we can open the wormhole to Earth from within the storage chamber. Since we now have three other members of our party to take into account, we will not be splitting up but going together as one, acquiring the first cargo and taking it with us when we go for the second." "Sounds like fun," Jupiter said as she started pouring hot water into the cups. Tuxedo Mask shook his head slowly. "One of these days we're going to have to sit down and discuss your idea of fun, Jupiter." "Well, as one of my friends from karate class would say, I'm just here to kick butt and chew some of Sailor Moon's bubblegum," she said. She leaned back with an evil grin and added, "And we're all out of gum." That drew a round of chuckles from the group and Tuxedo Mask gave Jupiter a thumbs-up sign. "Still, you think that's going to be enough?" he asked. Tolaris shrugged and accepted a cup of steaming hot ma'cha from Jupiter. "Looks like we'll have to find out. Okay, everyone, final roll call. If you feel that you don't want to risk yourselves in this, speak now or forever hold your peace." No one made a sound and the Dragoon nodded in respect. "Very well, then. Drink up and get ready to move in ten minutes." Everyone nodded and sipped their respective drinks, each wondering deep inside their mind if it might be their last. They finished in silence and quickly set about to their tasks, ready for what lay ahead. On the horizon, the leading edge of the red sun slowly rose into view. ------------------------------------------------------------------- General Rune looked up as Commander Shar-Tei practically stormed into the general's private quarters. "Fair morning, Commander," Rune said, slightly upset at the intrusion. "What brings you here at this hour?" "With all due respect, General, I want answers," Shar-Tei replied. "First of all, I want to know where ninety percent of my command is. Second, I want to know why one of my best lieutenants is over at Medical being held together with medical tape and Healer Maq'i's regeneration ability. And third, I want to know why I feel like I'm being set up for something." Rune laughed and absently ran her fingers through her dark hair. Shar-Tei blinked as she realized that Rune's hair was not black but a very deep shade of purple. "Very well, Commander, you shall have the answers you seek," Rune said casually. "Someone is indeed being set up, but it is not you. You are merely going to be the spring to my trap." Shar-Tei blinked and frowned. "A trap? For whom?" Rune leaned forward and smiled. "Why, Commander Tolaris, of course." She ignored Shar-Tei's look of utter shock. "Your command is not in the Outreaches but lying in wait not far from here. Your lieutenants Maze and Ra'vel have joined forces with Tolaris and the Sailor Scouts, as have Captain Whisper of the Psi-Corp." "What?!" Rune continued speaking, ignoring Shar-Tei's outburst for the time being. "I'm afraid Ra'vel will not make it, nor will Whisper when she checks in on her sometime today. As for Maze, his plan at easing the Sailor Scout's entrance into the complex will be put to a quick end. When Tolaris and those Scouts arrive, we'll be waiting for them. As soon as they enter, the Dragoon force will return and trap them inside the complex. I think you can figure out the rest on your own, Commander." Shar-Tei frowned and though quickly about the recent turn of events. "If I may ask, General Rune, why was I not told about this before?" Rune stood up and gave the Dragoon a measured look. "This is not only a trap for Tolaris, but a test of your loyalty as well, Commander. I know about you and how you care for your former commander. Deep inside, even though you won't admit it to anyone or even yourself, you 'love' Tolaris." Shar-Tei's featureless red eyes went wide with surprise and shock. "How? How could you have known this?" Rune laughed quietly. "I know a great deal, Commander. I observe and I take notes. I didn't attain my rank by being inattenaive and stupid. I care little for your personal feelings, however. All I am interested in is your intentions to honor your oath of loyalty to me and to the NegaForce." Shar-Tei said nothing as she considered the situation. "You said this was a test of my loyalty," she said at length. "What must I do to prove myself?" Rune nodded. "Once we have the Sailor Scouts secured inside our trap, you will go confront them and challenge Commander Tolaris to a duel to the death." The Dragoon nodded as she became aware of the implications. If she won, she would be killing the one she cared about most for the sake of duty. If she lost, then she would have been considered weak and unfit to have retained her position as the commanding officer of the Dragoons. And if she refused to duel to the death, she would be disobeying an order and be arrested. "I see," she said finally. "I congratulate you on your plan, General. If something like this had been planned earlier, Queen Beryl might still be alive today and the Sailor Scouts no more than a bad memory." Rune smiled coldly. "A pity she never sought to use my tactical skills. But that's the price one pays for not using your full resources. Unless you have any other matters to discuss, Commander, I suggest you return to your own quarters for awhile and try to relax. I don't know exactly when Tolaris will make his move, but I'm sure it won't be long." "As you wish, General Rune," Shar-Tei said with a formal bow and left the room, her heart heavy and her mind still working at a furious rate. "Oh, yes, my dear Commander Shar-Tei," Rune said to the empty room, "It certainly won't be long now...." She settled back into her chair and started to laugh quietly. ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't like this," Jupiter said quietly. "Only two guards?" Tolaris nodded and leaned back against the rock for a few moments. "Keep in mind that we are in the middle of a heavily defended area that's geared more for large-scale assaults and missions rather than small strike teams. They simply don't need a large external guard for the complex since it mostly serves as a base for administrators." Tuxedo Mask blinked. "But isn't this the central headquarters for the entire Dragoon division?" The Dragoon nodded and smirked. "Elite intelligence has never been what you would call a high priority for the Negaverse military." "Isn't it so nice to be loved?" Jupiter said as she looked at the guards again. "So when do we get to take them out?" Sailor Mercury activated the filter on her Virtual Visor and looked at the horizon. Anyone else looking at the dark red sun would have been blinded, but with the Visor's filter in place Mercury was able to see the very edges of the sun. "The sun should clear the horizon any minute now," she told the rest of the group. Mars sighed. "Let's just go and get this over with. I have very little patience." Jupiter nodded. "Same here. I get dibs on the guard on the left." Sailor Moon blinked and giggled. "I think you're too late, Jupiter. Take a look down there," she said and pointed. Everyone turned to look and Tolaris smiled. Lieutenant Maze was casually walking out of the entrance wearing a pair of standard-issue sunglasses. He turned to look at the horizon and said something to the guards. One guard nodded and said something that caused Maze to laugh. Maze gave the guard a friendly pat on the back before he got a solid grip on the guard's armor and rammed him into a stone pillar. The other guard lunged forward to attack but a bright beam of light lashed out from within the building and he dropped to the ground. Maze continued to bounce the first guard off of the pillar until he went limp and collapsed. The lieutenant then took a syringe out of his pocket and injected the unconscious guards with it. "A little brutal, but I like it," Jupiter said as they scrambled down the small hill and ran across the barren fields. "You would," Tuxedo Mask said with a smile. Maze finished his task and looked up. "So, you've returned," he said with a smile. "Took you long enough." "Oh, stuff it," Jupiter said. "We're here on time. Besides, we had to come back to get Venus." "Miss me that much?" Venus said as she stepped out of her hiding place inside the complex. "We just couldn't let you have all the fun," the brunette replied. Mercury unobtrusively moved to stand next to Venus and scanned her with her computer. She smiled slightly as she found what she expected and looked up at Venus. "You look cheerful this morning," she said. Venus nodded. "A steam bath does wonders for the spirits." "Ooo, a steam bath!" Sailor Moon squealed. "I haven't had one of those in a long time. You enjoy it?" "Of course. I never had one before and it was better than I expected," Venus replied, giving Mercury a knowing wink. Mercury giggled and started to scan the unconscious guards. "I'll settle for a regular bath right now," Jupiter said as she plucked at her chest bow. "I probably smell like day-old road kill." She heard someone take a deep breath behind her and added, "Open that mouth, cape boy, and I'll shove my fist down your throat." Tuxedo Mask quickly and wisely closed his mouth and settled on sighing softly. Sailor Moon giggled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I hate to spoil this reunion, but we've got to get moving," Tolaris said. "Maze, what should we expect in the way of resistance?" Maze glanced over at Venus and she nodded. "Go ahead, tell him." Tolaris blinked. "How bad?" "Well, we, umm, kind of jammed the lock on the fire door up on the third level and had to break it down, but everything else is clear down to the level above the secured storage rooms." Tolaris looked stunned. "What? How did you manage that?" Maze held up the syringe and grinned. "Oh, we just gave everyone we could find a few cc's of anastapropaline." The Dragoon commander blinked and looked down at the two guards. "I guess that means these two will be out for a while, then." Sailor Moon blinked. "What's anasta.... whatever?" Mercury passed her computer over the syringe and was marginally surprised at the results. "According to my computer's analysis, it's morphine." Jupiter giggled. "Ooh, the fun stuff. I used to know this girl who did morphine. Took 3 cc's and was zoned out for hours. We used to have all kinds of fun with her when she was like that. Fortunately for us, she usually didn't remember what went on." "Should we bother asking what you did to her?" Tolaris asked as the group made their way into the Dragoon headquarters complex. Jupiter shrugged. "Not really, but I assure you nothing was harmful or remotely dangerous." "Bet you'd make a fun date," Tuxedo Mask muttered. He coughed lightly as Sailor Moon poked him in the ribs and glared at him. He merely shrugged his shoulders and she sighed to herself. "Should we ask if you took any of that stuff?" Venus asked, a small frown crossing her face. Jupiter snorted. "Nope, never have and never will. I saw what it did to her and it made me shiver. We tried to get her to see someone about it but she wouldn't cooperate. I haven't seen or heard from her since I got transferred over to Crossroads Junior High." The group made their way down a long corridor that ended in a T-junction. Tolaris turned to go left but Maze reached out and grabbed his arm. "This way, boss. We already got your stuff and it's sitting just outside the lower level stairwell." Tolaris frowned briefly. "Are you sure you got everything?" "Well, it was already put neatly together in a small cargo container. A medium-sized transparent case with two life-crystals and eight other crystals, four racks of memory crystals with a dozen azure-banded crystals in each, a large book with silver filigree on the cover, your matched set of symipas and what appeared to be a hermetically sealed crystalline globe." Tolaris ran a mental checklist and paused. "Lieutenant, say that last one again? A large globe?" "Yeah.... Something wrong, boss?" Maze said hesitantly. Tolaris nodded, secretly delighted to hear about the globe. "There just might be, but not with my.... globe. How many crystals total did you say were in the case?" "Ten, two life-crystals and eight others." Tolaris sighed. "There should have been eleven. Do you remember if there was a dark purple crystal among them?" Maze drew a blank and looked at Venus. She shook her and sighed. "The only dark colored crystals I saw were the two life-crystals. Everything else was a light shade of something." The Dragoon commander said something beneath his breath and Maze blinked. "Should I even ask what dialect that one was from?" he asked cautiously. "Ancient Eastern Frontier." Maze snorted. "Your accent is horrible, then." Tolaris shrugged. "Sorry if I was raised in the Southern Flatlands." "Anyway, do you want to go try to find that missing crystal?" Maze said. "Where ever it might be, it wouldn't be in that storage area. I have this feeling that we'll find the crystal when we find Nephlyte's Star Crystal." Maze nodded. "Alright, let's go then," he said, gesturing towards the right-hand corridor. "You know," Mars said as they turned a corner and entered the stairwell, "This is starting to spook me. If everyone in this area is drugged up, why hasn't someone from one of the other areas noticed this by now?" Mercury nodded. "And where is everybody?" Sailor Venus giggled. "We stuffed them in bathrooms and broom closets to keep them out of everyone's way." "How thoughtful," Jupiter snickered. "Sailor Mars has a point," Tolaris said. "Even if this place is running on a minimal staff, someone should have discovered something by...." He winced as a loud klaxon began sounding throughout the complex. "You were saying?" Tuxedo Mask said with an ironic grin. "I'm saying we've got to get down to the secured storage area before they drop the protective bulkheads or we'll be in some serious trouble," Tolaris replied and increased his pace down the stairs. "Sounds like it's too late, boss," Maze said as a heavy sound reverberated through the stairwell. They ran down the stairs as fast as the could, Tolaris keeping up a litany of curses beneath his breath the entire time. Just as they approached a large landing, a heavy thump shook the stairwell and Tolaris said a word that needed no translation. "Missed it by that much," the Dragoon commander growled as he glared at the dark gray bulkhead. Sailor Moon blinked and looked at the bottom of the ultraheavy door frame. "Not quite. Looks like something's wedged in at the bottom." Tolaris blinked and looked down. The cargo container had gotten wedged between the bulkhead and the frame, leaving a gap of several inches. "I knew those containers were tough, but I didn't know they could hold up against a security bulkhead." Maze frowned. "You know, I could have sworn I left that in the corner and not in the doorway." "I know you left it in the corner," Sailor Venus said with an equally dark frown. "Can those things move on their own?" Tolaris laughed. "No, they can't. I think I know how it moved, but I'll explain later. First thing we need to do is get this bulkhead up high enough for us to get under it." "How heavy is it?" Jupiter asked. "Two tons," Tolaris said. "Funny," the brunette said and sighed. "Can we try blasting it down?" Sailor Mars asked as she tapped the heavy bulkhead. She glared at Maze and sighed. "It was just a suggestion, so you can stop laughing now." "Sorry," he said, still chuckling quietly to himself. "Umm, Mercury? What are you doing?" Sailor Moon asked. Sailor Mercury was scanning the ceiling and door frame with her computer and Virtual Visor. "I'm trying to find the mechanism that moves this thing. If it can be ordered to be lowered, it can be raised as well." Tolaris sighed quietly. "Sorry, it's on a closed circuit so it can't be opened from an outside signal." "The door control is on a closed-circuit but the maintenance controls are on an open frequency," she said as she started typing away. Tolaris gave Mercury an odd look. "Don't tell me you're attempting to reprogram the maintenance codes. The operating system is nothing like you've ever seen before." "But I have," she replied, still typing rapidly. Everyone blinked and looked at their blue-haired friend. "When was this?" Tolaris asked, slightly stunned. "Last week. I took a study break and poked around for a bit on Nephlyte's computer back in the cathedral. It took me a bit to figure out the language but the syntax is rather simplistic," she said distantly as she typed. She recompiled the program and nodded at the results. "Okay, everyone stand back from the bulkhead for a bit." She waited until everyone had backed off before she told her new computer program to run. A loud humming sound filled the stairway as the framework was charged with an electrical current. But because the bulkhead wasn't completely closed, a full circuit couldn't be completed. Sailor Moon shivered as the intensity of the electric field made the hairs on her arms stand up. "Geez, Mercury, are you trying to electrocute us?" Mercury shook her head, watching her computer monitor intently. "No, what I'm doing is proving to the maintenance computer that this bulkhead needs to be serviced and to open it up for repairs. We're fortunate that it didn't close all the way. Otherwise, it would be blocking my signal and I wouldn't have been able to try this." Everyone blinked as the bulkhead quit humming and started to raise back up into the ceiling. "It won't be long before the master computer figures out what we're up to and lower the door again, so move quickly," Mercury said as she put her computer back into her dimensional pocket. Everyone nodded and got ready. There was barely a two-foot clearance when Sailor Venus rolled herself under the bulkhead and into the corridor. Almost instantly she was on her feet, scanning the corridor for any sign of activity. She made an all-clear gesture and Jupiter rolled into the corridor, followed by Sailor Mars and Lieutenant Maze. The bulkhead was just high enough to allow Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask to crouch down and enter the corridor when it stopped briefly and started to lower back down. Tuxedo Mask cussed and hastily moved out of the way to give Mercury enough space to roll under the bulkhead and into the corridor. Tolaris made sure everyone else was clear before he rolled under the bulkhead, grabbing the cargo container as he did so and dragging it with him. The bulkhead closed with a heavy thump that shook the corridor. "Well, so much for getting out this way," Maze said as he leaned against the wall for a brief moment. "Next question is which storage room are we looking for? There are several of them on this level." Tolaris blinked. "You mean you couldn't find out?" Venus sighed. "We checked the cargo lists carefully but it didn't mention specifics. It just said it was in secured holding on this level." "So where should we start?" Mars asked. Mercury blinked and held up her hand. "Everyone stop talking for a bit, I think I hear something." Everyone complied and she listened intently. It was a very soft sound but it was also rather familiar. "Sailor Moon.... I think I hear your Crescent Moon Wand beeping...." Everyone turned to Sailor Moon and she blinked at the sudden attention. She reached into her Lunar Space pocket and pulled out her Crescent Moon Wand. The Wand was beeping softly to itself and Sailor Moon felt it start to pull ever so slightly in one direction. "What gives?" she blinked, studying the Wand carefully. "I thought it was only supposed to home in on the Rainbow Crystals." "Could it be reacting to Nephlyte's Star Crystal?" Mercury suggested. "It was also set to look for the Rainbow Crystals." Jupiter shrugged. "We might as well see where it leads since no one else has suggested a place to start." Tolaris nodded. "Good enough. If you'll take the lead, Sailor Moon, we can get going." Sailor Moon nodded and let the Wand pull her hand around until she was pointing it down the corridor. "This way," she said and they started moving. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The cargo door was every bit as massive as the security bulkhead. Painted on it was a warning written in the spidery symbols that made up the written denizen language. Sailor Moon glanced down at her Crescent Moon Wand to make sure that this was where it was trying to take her. "Well, this looks like the place," she said nervously. Tolaris sighed and set the cargo container down on the floor, muttering something beneath his breath. Mercury blinked and gave him an odd look. "Who needs to lose some weight?" she asked. "Nothing, just thinking aloud," Tolaris replied. "Secured Storage Area, Level 6 Protocols Required For Access." Venus ran her fingertips along the writing on the door. "That what this means?" "Yes," the Dragoon commander replied and stepped up to the control panels. He punched a few buttons and was surprised when the reinforced doors started to slide back into the walls. "This worries me. I thought they are supposed to change the protocols every time a new Dragoon commander is appointed." Maze shrugged. "Yeah, but you're supposed to be frozen in crystal, which for all intents and practical purposes, means you're dead. It's hard to obtain the protocols from a dead Dragoon. Changing protocols is time-consuming so they probably just gave Shar-Tei the currents protocols." Tuxedo Mask snickered. "Don't you just love bureaucracy?" "For the first time in five hundred years, yes," Tolaris replied with a small smile. He picked up the cargo module and stepped into the storage area, the rest of the group following behind him. Once everyone was inside and clear of the doorway, the automatic sensor quietly closed the door behind them. "Relax, it's supposed to do that," Maze said as the Sailor Scouts all cast nervous glances at the door. "Leaving a secured room open is not wise." Sailor Mars looked around the area and shivered. "I don't know about the rest of you, but something about this place gives me the creeps." The walls were lined with various-sized cargo containers. Several large hexagon-shaped modules were stacked in a group at the far end of the room. The only light came from a single spotlight, aimed down at a small stone pedestal. Resting on the pedestal were two crystals, a dark purple shard and a crystal that was as black as night. Sailor Moon slowly walked over to the two crystals, the Crescent Moon Wand beeping louder as she approached. She blinked in confusion as the Wand zeroed in on the purple crystal instead of the crystal she recognized as Nephlyte's Star Crystal. Mercury blinked. "Why is it going for that crystal instead of the Star Crystal?" Tolaris opened his mouth to say something but remained silent as a low hum filled the room. Sailor Moon stepped back as both the Imperium Silver Crystal and the purple crystal started to resonate. Everyone blinked as the purple shard started to emit a stream of dark motes that quickly coalesced together into an armored being. His armor covered him from head to toe and appeared to have been forged out of an odd blue metal. The plates on his shoulders, back, and elbows had been reinforced with several short and stubby spines, giving his armor an evil look. His helmet covered most of his head, showing his face from the bridge of his nose down to just below his chin. But the most sinister-looking feature of his armor was the way the lenses on his visor were electronically tinted white, giving him the appearance of having pupilless eyes. "Who are you that could have awakened me again?" he said slowly in a deep voice. "How is it possible that I still live?" Tolaris started to shake as he recognized the ancient armor and the small sigil etched into the shoulder plates of the being. "Is it possible?" he said slowly. "Can you really be Captain Raijen?" The being nodded. "I am he. Who are you that knows my name?" Tolaris bowed formally. "I am Dragoon Commander Tolaris, formerly the commanding officer of the Dragoons before my exile." Raijen frowned slightly. "So the Dragoons still exist after all. Can you tell me if it's still a division spoken of with pride?" Maze nodded. "It is, sir. I am Dragoon Lieutenant Maze," he said with a bow. "The name Dragoon has always been a name of respect and pride and still is to this day." Raijen nodded and relaxed slightly. "Good news indeed. Commander, I am hesitant to ask, but why have you been exiled?" "I was sent to Earth on a mission and fell in love with a young girl who turned out to be one of the warriors Queen Beryl had declared as enemies," he said, nodding towards Sailor Mercury. The ancient Dragoon looked at Sailor Mercury and the optics in his visor blinked, obviously mimicking the movements of his eyes. "Can this be? Are you one of the Sailor Scouts?" he asked Mercury. Everyone blinked in surprise. "Yes, I am...." Mercury said hesitantly. "Do you know of us?" "Yes. I have been revived once before, a long time ago. I was introduced to a group of female warriors who wore suits similiar to yours. They called themselves the Sailor Scouts and served their kingdom faithfully." "You know about the Moon Kingdom?" Sailor Moon asked incrediously. Raijen turned to look at her and froze. "Yes, I remember it being called that. You.... remind me of someone I once knew back then." His gaze fell to the Crescent Moon Wand and his visor-eyes widened in shock as he recognized the glittering crystal secured to the base of the crescent. "The Imperium Silver Crystal? But I thought only the Royal House was able to wield it...." He looked up at her and blinked. "Tell me, child, who was your mother?" "Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom," she replied. Captain Raijen's hand started to shake ever so slightly. "Serenity...? And what of your father?" Sailor Moon looked down at her Wand. "I never knew who my father was and Mother would not speak of him. She only said that he was a kind and gentle man and that he would have sacrificed everything to have been able to remain with her." "Is it possible...?" Raijen said slowly as Sailor Moon looked up at him. His visor went dark as he reached up and removed his helmet. She gasped as his shoulder-length blonde hair came loose from his helmet and he looked at her with bright blue eyes. They locked gazes and he slowly fell to one knee before her. "Serenity, why didn't you tell me?" he whispered to the open air. "How could I have?" came the musical voice of Queen Serenity. Everyone blinked as the Imperium Silver Crystal started to glow and the image of Queen Serenity formed in the room. "By the time I knew I was with child, your spirit had already been forced back into the crystal and vanished." "Mother...?" Sailor Moon said. "What's going on? Who is he?" Serenity laughed, a delicate golden sound that caused Raijen to smile in an odd sort of way. "Oh, Serena, you still haven't changed a bit, still asking questions about everything. He is who he says he is, the Captain and founder of the Negaverse Dragoons." She took a deep breath and laid a comforting hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "He is the man I fell in love with a thousand years ago in the Moon Kingdom.... and is also your father." Silence fell around the room like a cloak. Tolaris took one look at the expression on Sailor Moon's face and gently kicked the cargo container across the room. It slid across the floor and came to a stop just behind Sailor Moon. She nodded her head in thanks and sat down, her eyes never leaving Raijen's. "My father...? Mother, why didn't you ever tell me about him?" Serenity sighed, sat down next to her daughter and smiled sadly at Captain Raijen. "Serena, I had to protect his identity because there were a few spies from the Negaverse in our kingdom. If they had known that I was told about Queen Beryl and the NegaForce, they would have attacked immediately and the damage would have been far more extensive. Becuase of Raijen, we were able to slowly and quietly prepare for the Negaverse attack for fifteen years." Tuxedo Mask blinked and slowly walked next to Sailor Moon. "You mean you knew about the attack before it happened?" Serenity nodded slowly. "Yes. I tried to discreetly warn Earth about it but no one would listen, and I couldn't be more vocal about it for fear of letting the spies know about it." "Mother, will you explain to us what happened before the attack?" Sailor Moon asked softly. Tuxedo Mask laid his hand on her shoulder and she leaned back against him, seeking comfort. "It all started back in the Silver Millennium when a small scouting party from the Negaverse arrived under the guise of a diplomatic delegation," Queen Serenity said. "One of them brought with him a strange purple shard that he believed was a good luck talisman. For reasons I'm still not sure of, the Imperium Silver Crystal was able to sense the spirit locked away inside and decided to free it for a while...." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Raijen had been wandering around the palace for some time now, looking for the person who had his crystal. He wasn't sure how or why he had been animated two thousand years after his death, but he had been fully aware of what was transpiring. This is a beautiful place, he mused as he continued walking along. This can't be from the Negaverse. I wonder where this is? He paused momentarily as he heard a gentle voice talking softly to someone. The voice was feminine and rather musical, a sound that the Dragoon found to be very pleasing. Curious, he started to follow the sound to its source. "...and I know she has never been overly strong or healthy, but I've never seen her this ill before. Mercury is doing all she can for her, but even she can't explain the sickness," said the voice sadly. Raijen paused as he came upon a secluded balcony. Sitting on a pillowed bench was a lovely young woman with soft lavender hair. She had it pinned up in a style he had never seen before, forming two spherical buns on her head that ended in ankle-length streams of hair. She was gently stroking a rather heavily pregnant gray cat while staring out into the evening sky, looking at a large blue planet. The Dragoon blinked in surprise as the cat stretched and spoke. "Do you think it's possible that it could be something like a cold hitting her harder than it would other people? She is rather prone to illness." The lady sighed and looked down at her cat. "No, I fear this time it's something else, something far worse than a mere headcold. Otherwise I think that Mercury could have identified it by now. Still...." She paused briefly and looked up. She blinked in surprise when she saw the armored figure quietly standing in the doorway. "Yes?" Raijen bowed. "Forgive me, my lady, I didn't mean to intrude or disturb you...." Serenity smiled at him. "You aren't disturbing me and I could use the company right now. Tell me," she said, tilting her head at a slight angle. "I don't recall ever seeing you before. Who are you?" "I am Dragoon Captain Raijen, my lady." "A captain? Surely not one of my captains," she said with a slight frown. Raijen shook his head slightly. "No, my lady, I am part of the escort for the diplomatic delegation from the Negaverse." He disliked having to create a cover story for his presence, even if it was partly true. "I see...." Serenity said with another smile. "My name is Serenity and this is Diana." "How do you do?" Diana said with a nod of her head. "I am doing quite well, actually, Lady Diana. May I inquire how your pregnancy is coming along?" The cat chuckled and stretched again. "It's coming along, alright. I'd say they've got another week to enjoy it before they have to come out and join the rest of the world." Serenity smiled. "Which means I'll have to put up with you complaining about midnight feedings for a month," she teased. "Would you rather listen to Uranus and her newborn?" Diana shot back. "Not really," Serenity said hastily and Raijen laughed quietly. She gave him an amused look and laughed as well. "Tell me, Captain, what brings you to this part of the castle?" "I was just wandering around and seeing what there is to see. My services are not needed at this time so I have been granted permission to do as I will as long as I check in every now and then," he said evenly. "I see.... Then will you be able to come to the ball tonight?" Serenity asked with a soft smile. She found herself starting to become attracted to the Dragoon, a concept she rarely had to deal with before. She felt a bigger smile tugging on the corners of her mouth as his blue eyes widened slightly. "I.... really don't know how to dance, Lady Serenity, and I wasn't told to bring any sort of formal wear," he said hesitantly. Serenity laughed, a delicate sound that seemed to put the Dragoon at ease. "Don't worry, Captain, as our guests I'm sure we could arrange to provide you with the proper attire. As for learning to dance, I could teach you." She did her best to ignore the slightly stunned look on Diana's face at her offer. Raijen started to sweat inside his armor and tried to think of a way he could gracefully decline. He started to form a reply when there was the sound of something splashing into the fountain in the courtyard below. Almost instantly a high-pitched cry rose up and Diana leapt up onto the railing, not an easy task with her considerable bulk. She blinked as she saw what happened and her fur stuck straight out. "Serenity, Artemis has fallen in! He's only a kitten and can't swim! We have to do something or he'll drown!" she said in a panic. Serenity turned to run for the stairs but stopped when Raijen hastily took a step forward and unclipped his helmet from the hook on his belt. "I'll get him," he said and locked his helmet into his armor collar. Serenity gasped and stepped back as his visor-eyes started to glow white, giving him a slightly demonic appearance. Raijen took two steps forward and leapt, easily clearing the railing and landing down in the courtyard below. Serenity stepped up to the edge of the balcony and looked down, not believing that he had managed to effortlessly land on the ground some twenty feet below. The Dragoon used his momentum to take a smaller hop into the fountain, landing with a surprisingly small splash and scooping up the kitten in a single motion. He quickly jumped out of the fountain and tucked the kitten into the crook of his arm. He then got a short running start and leapt up into the air. Serenity blinked as the Dragoon landed on the edge of the balcony with a heavy thump. She started to move forward to help him but he shot her a look and she froze. "Stay back," he commanded. "But what...." she started to say. She blinked as there was a spark from one of the joints in his leg armor and a cloud of dark green gas was vented. Raijen waited until the gas dissipated before sighing heavily and carefully setting the kitten down on the ground. Diana immediately rushed forward to check out the kitten. His white fur was thoroughly soaked and he was still trying to get the last bit of water out of his lungs. "Artemis, are you alright? Can you talk to us?" "I'll.... I'll be okay...." he said between coughs. "Diana, please take him to the medical ward and have Venus look him over. I'd ask Mercury but she's busy tending to Saturn," Serenity said as she stroked Artemis's fur. "Of course, Queen Serenity," the cat replied and Raijen blinked. Artemis managed to clear his lungs of the last bit of water and promptly let loose with a sneeze. "Can't," he said weakly. "As I was coming to tell you, Neptune is finally in labor. Pluto is watching over Saturn while Mercury, Mars, and Venus are helping Neptune with the delivery. Unfortunately, Mercury thinks this is going to take several hours so you don't have to hurry over or anything." Serenity smiled. "I was wondering when she would get around to having her child. Thank you for the information, Artemis, but I still want you checked out in medical." Artemis nodded and blinked as Diana picked him up by the scruff of his neck. "Come alone, let's go," she managed to say, despite having her mouth full of white fur. She slowly walked off, not being able to move very fast due to her pregnancy. Serenity turned back to Raijen and frowned lightly. "Captain, are you alright?" "Of course, your Majesty," he said as he knelt down to inspect his armor joint. "The joint must not have been sealed properly and the water shorted out the booster." Serenity felt her insides twinge at the note of formality that had crept into his voice. She found herself wishing yet again that she wasn't a queen and could at least try to pursue a friendship. "Captain, if I may ask you, how were you able to make those kind of jumps?" "This suit helps augment my natural ability to jump. Normally I can only make jumps of around fifteen feet, but with the suit's booster system I can usually jump up to around twenty feet. However, since the booster shorted out and depressurized, I can't jump very high while wearing this armor. Too much weight." Serenity nodded. "I'd like to thank you for saving Artemis, and I'm sorry your efforts damaged your armor." Raijen bowed his head. "It is my duty to serve, your Majesty, even if you aren't my queen." She sighed and stifled the urge to scream. "Captain, please. My name is Serenity and I'd like it if you called me that." He looked up at her with a startled look on his face and she flinched as his visor's pupilless eyes gazed at her. His visor-eyes blinked as he noticed her reaction, then went dark as he removed the helmet and clipped it onto his belt. "With all due respect, your Majesty, that would be a breech of etiquette." She looked at him and sighed quietly. "While in public, yes, but I would like you to call Serenity when in private. There are times where I tire of being seen as a queen and a public figure." Raijen blinked as he saw strange emotions stirring in the depths of her lavender eyes and wondered if he was miscalculating something. "I see...." he said as he stood up. He grimaced involuntarily as pain shot down his leg. "You're injured...." Serenity said with concern. "It's nothing, a small burn from the booster shorting out," he said. His visor had showed him that what it should be, but he knew that it was possible that he had gotten burned by the superheated compressor gas as it vented. Serenity frowned. "Still, I want to have it looked at. Mercury is rather occupied right now so you'll have to let me tend to it." "That really isn't necessary, your.... I mean, Serenity. I've suffered far worse injuries before and I'm sure I'll be fine," he replied. He blinked as Serenity started laughing quietly to herself. "Are you sure you're not one of my captains? You're as stubborn about getting your injuries tended to as they are," she smiled. "Are you able to walk?" "Of course." "Good, then let me take you to your room and have that leg looked at." Raijen blinked as a thought occurred to him. "Umm.... I'm afraid I don't have a room assignment yet." Serenity smiled slowly. "Then we'll just have to get you one, then. I'm sure I have several rooms available in the Royal Suites since we aren't hosting any ambassadors or other royalty right now." "That really isn't necessary, Lady Serenity...." Serenity pretended to be insulted. "Come now, Captain, you go above and beyond the call of your duties to your own queen and damage your armor in the process, all for sake of one of my friend's kittens. You can at least let me thank you by providing you with a private suite and a suit of formal wear." The Dragoon suddenly got the sneaking suspicion that he was being set up for something. He ordinarily despised social functions, preferring to remain in the background and watching for any signs of trouble. He couldn't figure out why, but he found himself entertaining the thought of attending the ball with Queen Serenity. "Well, Captain?" she said. Raijen nodded. "Since you put it that way, Lady Serenity, I don't think I can refuse. However, I may have to return to my duties if need be," he said, planning on using that as an excuse to bail out if things got too uncomfortable for him. Serenity nodded. "Of course, Captain. Now, if you'll come with me?" she said and held her arm out. Raijen gently took her arm in his and allowed her to show him to the Royal Suites. During the trip, he spent half of his time trying to ignore the pain in his leg and the other half trying to figure out why he had the feeling that he had just been trapped. Oddly enough, he found that he didn't mind that feeling, either. ------------------------------------------------------------------- "That's sweet," Sailor Venus said with a smile. "You really saved Artemis from drowning?" Raijen looked mildly offended. "Why would I say that if it wasn't true?" Venus blushed and discreetly leaned against Maze. "Well, I just wanted to make sure I heard that correctly." The Dragoon captain nodded in understanding. "It never hurts to double check on most things." He gave Serenity a gentle smile and blinked at the odd look on Sailor Moon's face. "Is something wrong, Serena?" Sailor Moon blushed and looked down at the Imperium Silver Crystal. "No, I'm.... just still adjusting to the idea that my father is.... is from the Negaverse. I mean.... we've been trying to fight the Negaverse for quite some time now, and.... and...." Raijen gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "I know it must be very confusing for you, Serena, but I am not the enemy. I hope you can understand that I founded the Dragoons as a way to unite the most loyal and intelligent denizens together to serve their queen. Had I known that they would one day have to fight my daughter, I would never have done so." Sailor Moon blinked and smiled slightly. "I understand.... but this it's still so.... strange." "Strange indeed," said a soft voice. Everyone immediately leapt up and turned to face their new visitor. "Had I not heard Captain Raijen himself say that Sailor Moon was his daughter, I would never have believed it," she said as she stepped out of the shadows, flanked by two other denizens. Tolaris felt his blood run cold. "General Rune," he said with a nod of his head. "I was wondering if this was one of your traps." He felt his blood run even colder as he recognized Commander Shar-Tei and Psi-Corp Commander Ts'ani standing behind the dark-haired general. "Of course, Commander, it been since I discovered your presence on Earth." She turned to Raijen and regarded him carefully. "I am honored to finally meet you, Captain Raijen. You are, after all, one of the few legendary warriors we have in our history. And I must say that I am honored to meet you too, Queen Serenity, for it is not everyday that one meets the woman who managed to defeat the Shadow Warriors of the NegaForce." Tolaris frowned darkly at Rune. "I don't suppose you would let us return to Earth without any hostilities, would you?" he asked evenly. Rune laughed for several seconds. "Of course not, Commander, though I am not surprised that you bothered to ask. Why should I let you go when I have the perfect chance to eliminate the Sailor Scouts once and for all?" Raijen stepped forward and scowled. "You will do so because they have not made any sort of hostile move against you and only wish to leave in peace." "Captain, please, they have intruded into one of my military complexes and have been caught attempting to steal a pair of crystals from a secured storage area," Rune said, no longer smiling. "Lieutenant Maze and Commander Tolaris are under arrest for treason, and the Sailor Scouts will be punished for their roles in the death of Queen Beryl." Without warning, a pair of figures shimmered into existance in the midst of the group. "And what of your crimes, Rune?" Captain Whisper hissed. Her arm had been cut and was still slowly dripping dark green blood. She was doing her best to support Lieutenant Ra'vel who appeared to have been drugged into unconsciousness. "I happened to check on Ra'vel just as your 'doctors' were getting ready to kill her and make it look like her heart failed on her. If I hadn't gotten suspicious, they would have killed her and laid a trap for me as well." Commander Ts'ani stepped forward and regarded Whisper coldly. "We don't tolerate traitors in the ranks, Captain," he said icily. "You always were a weak fool and now you shall pay for it." Whisper laughed and carefully gave Ra'vel to Maze. "I'm surprised that you actually have the nerve to challenge me, Ts'ani. I thought that after our last 'practice' battle that you would have learned your lesson." "So it is a duel, then?" Rune said innocently. "I'm afraid that means Tolaris won't let anyone interfere then, isn't that right, Commander?" Tolaris gave the general a dark look. "I am aware of the rules regarding duels, General. However, let me assure you that your trap won't work." "That's right," said Jupiter as she took up a defensive posture. "Get ready to rumble, because we're going to turn your little trap upside down." "Right behind you, Jupiter," Mars said. Sailor Moon nodded and flexed her wrist, still holding the Crescent Moon Wand. "I won't let you hurt my friends. Get ready to become moon dust," she said darkly. General Rune smiled. "Just a moment, ladies, I believe that we still have some business to attend to first. Or rather, Commander Tolaris does." Tolaris frowned slightly. "And what might that be?" His frown deepened as Shar-Tei stepped forward and glared at him. "That would be your surrender, Commander," the Dragoon said coldly. "A Dragoon never surrenders," he replied and Raijen nodded slowly. "Am I to believe General Rune put you up to this?" Shar-Tei's featureless eyes narrowed at Tolaris. "She didn't have to, Tolaris, because unlike you, I haven't let my personal feelings interfere with my sworn duty to General Rune and the NegaForce." Tolaris froze as her words replayed themselves in his mind. "Feelings? What sort of feelings?" "It no longer matters," Shar-Tei said as she pulled her symipa from the holster on her back. The weapon made an odd liquid-like sound as it slowly changed from it's cylindrical form into it's combat-ready spear form. "I will only ask you once more, Commander. Surrender." Tolaris sighed heavily as he drew his own symipa out of his holster and activated it. "Maze, I want you to keep Ra'vel out of danger," he said quietly and the lieutenant nodded. "Boss.... be careful," Maze said softly. Tolaris only nodded and turned to face his former second-in-command, his symipa held at the ready. "Shar-Tei, don't do this. We don't have to fight this way," he said quietly to her, knowing it was a futile attempt but he had to try anyway. "I take it you refuse to surrender, then?" she said. He nodded once and her expression hardened into stone. "Then prepare to be destroyed," she hissed darkly. General Rune laughed and raised her arms towards Sailor Moon. "Now, my dear Sailor Moon, we can take care of our business," she said and the room went mad. Sailor Moon gasped as Rune flung her arms out and a glittering cloud of tiny crystal shards were thrown at them. Before any of them could react to the threat, Lieutenant Maze clapped his hands together and concentrated. A wall of electromagnetic energy shimmered into existence in front of the Sailor Scouts, blocking most of the projectiles. The few remaining projectiles that weren't deflected by the energy shield struck glancing blows off of Jupiter and Mars. They both hissed in pain as the shards sliced fabric and skin, adding dozens of cuts to their already battered and bruised bodies. Jupiter cussed rather loudly while Mars muttered several dark comments involving uniforms and swiss cheese. Off to one side, Whisper and Ts'ani each had their hands locked around the other's head, deeply embroiled in psionic combat. The amount of mental energy clashing between the two was powerful enough to create odd little ripples in the air between them, a physical side-effect of their mental duel. At the other end of the room, Tolaris and Shar-Tei appeared to be occupied in a dance of sorts, each moving with unnerving speed and grace as they blocked and attacked, neither one gaining any sort of advantage over the other. The sounds of the two symipas clashing against other was almost rhythmic, adding to the appearance of a battle dance taking place. Venus dodged the projectiles aimed at her and focused her mind for a quick counter-attack. "Venus Crescent Beam SMASH!!" she yelled as the twin beams of energy merged at her fingertips and lashed out. Rune laughed as a purplish globe of energy sprang into existance around her, forming a protective barrier. The Crescent Beam struck the globe head-on and was quickly absorbed into the shimmering sphere. "No way!" Venus said, blinking in shock. "How'd you do that?" "Foolish girl, did you think I'd face you without help? The NegaForce has granted me its powers to destroy you. Your pathetic powers are no longer any match for me," the dark general said with a sneer. "Time to turn up the juice, then," Jupiter said with a snarl. "Hey Mars, your bird wanna play?" "Always. Consider this payback for ruining my suit, dirtbag," Mars said, glaring at Rune. "Mars Firebird.... STRIKE!!" "Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" With a roar and a screech, the air above the Sailor Scouts was suddenly occupied by the Thunder Dragon and the Firebird. They simultaneously launched an attack against Rune, their claws striking repeatedly at the dark sphere with no obvious effect. "You don't get it, do you, Sailor Scouts? You can't defeat me this time," General Rune said as she raised her arms towards the attacking forms. A pair of black lightning bolts lashed out from her fingertips, enveloping the forms in dark energy. They threw their heads back and roared in pain before they were disrupted and lost their forms. "What gives? She should have been toast by now," Jupiter said, trying to throw off the shock of having her Thunder Dragon disrupted. Beside her, Sailor Mars was mildly stunned and would have fallen if Sailor Mercury hadn't stepped forward and supported her. "Tell me, is that the best you can do?" teased Rune. "Queen Beryl must have been weak indeed if you were able to destroy her with that," she said and started laughing. "Laugh this off, Negatrash," Sailor Moon said as she held up the Crescent Moon Wand. "Cosmic Moon Power...." she intoned as she commanded the energies of the Imperium Silver Crystal to lash out. Tiny tendrils of energy streamed out of the Crystal and collected into a tiny ball between the tips of the Crescent Moon Wand. The ball quickly grew into a large sphere that darted towards General Rune and impacted against her energy shield. There was a burst of light and energy as the full power of the Imperium Silver Crystal clashed with the power of the NegaForce. Sailor Moon's jaw dropped as the glow faded and the dark sphere remained intact. "Impossible! You should be moon dust by now!" she said, her blue eyes almost as wide as saucers. Everyone was equally stunned and Rune laughed very softly, the sinister sound sending a chill down everyone's spine. "You forget, Sailor Moon, that I have control over all things crystal, and that includes the almighty Imperium Silver Crystal. While I wouldn't have been able to survive that without the NegaForce's help, I am quite capable on my own of destroying it," she said and raised her hand. Sailor Moon blinked as the Crystal started to resonate and shake slightly. Behind her, Queen Serenity gasped and clutched her chest as the source of her existence started to weaken. Raijen blinked in shock as she stumbled against him and he wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Sailor Mercury quickly activated her computer and started to do a scan of the Crystal. "Sailor Moon, she's creating a soundwave that's attuned to the natural frequency of the Crystal! My scans are showing several stress faults developing and if we don't block that sound soon, the Crystal will shatter!" Raijen looked up in alarm. "If that happens, Serenity will die!" "Not happening," Sailor Venus said as she stood next to Sailor Moon, her Venus wand in her hands. "C'mon, Scouts, we got to rally here. Venus Power!" she said and raised her Wand above Sailor Moon's head. The other Sailor Scouts quickly formed a circle around Sailor Moon, their Wands touching together above her head. "Mercury Power!" "Mars Power!" "Jupiter Power!" Energy sparked between the Wands and tiny motes started to circle around the group. There was a flash of light and the five of them were surrounded by a glittering energy field. General Rune frowned as the new shield dampened her powers and she tried to compensate. "Great powers of the NegaForce, I command you to increase my powers a thousand-fold to destroy the Imperium Silver Crystal and the only thing that stands in your way of conquering the universe!" she said. She laughed as new power flowed through her body and she renewed her attack on the Crystal. Sailor Moon gasped as a tiny crack appeared on the surface of the Crystal. There was a flash of light and she felt her powers fading rapidly, reversing her transformation and returning her to the form of Serena. Serenity cried out and went limp, her physical form starting to fade along with her spiritual lifeforce. Raijen quickly made a decision and gently laid her on the floor. He stood up and quickly ran to Sailor Moon's side, pausing just long enough to grab his life crystal from the pedestal. "Serena, my daughter, there's no time to explain what I'm going to have to do to save your mother's life. Do you trust me?" he said quickly. Serena blinked and looked up at him. "I.... I trust you.... father." "Then give me the Crystal." She blinked and the Sailor Scouts exchanged glances. "What?" "There's no time, Serena. If you trust me, then give me the Crystal." Serena only hesitated for a fraction of a second before she reached down and removed the Crystal from the Crescent Moon Wand. She gasped as another crack appeared in the Crystal and she felt pain sweep throughout her body. She handed the Crystal to Raijen and whispered, "Please don't prove me wrong." Raijen nodded once, cupping the Imperium Silver Crystal in one hand while holding his life crystal in the other. He took a deep breath and, focusing the deepest part of his mind and soul, smashed the two crystals together. There was a great burst of light as the two crystals disintegrated, and then everything went dark. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Serena blinked and looked around her. She, Raijen, and Serenity were inside a large, featureless black sphere. They were all bathed in a soft white light, the source of which was a mystery to the princess. She turned to look at Raijen and saw the tiny glittering fragments of the two crystals slowly falling from his fingers. "You destroyed the Imperium Silver Crystal," she said softly as her eyes started to fill with tears. "I trusted you and you betrayed me and mother." Raijen nodded slowly and cradled the still form of Serenity in his arms. "I had to in order to save it and your mother, Serena," he replied. "Otherwise General Rune would have shattered it and it would have been gone forever." Serena paused and wiped away a stray tear. "I don't understand." "All denizens are born with the essence of Chaos in their souls. As they mature, it takes on several forms and imprints them into the denizen's mind. This is why each denizen has several powers and talents that they are able to use once they fully mature. One of the abilities I have been blessed with is the power to fuse two different systems of energy into one." Serena paused as her mind sought to understand. "You.... used your power to fuse the two crystals together?" she said hesitantly. Raijen nodded slowly. "Yes. Ordinarily the two powers would simply merge into a new form, but each crystal held several unique abilities that conflicted with one another. That is why they shattered. But their powers are still very much intact, however, and are currently in the process of combining themselves into a single crystal." Serena nodded as things finally made sense. "I understand now. But what about mother?" The Dragoon stroked Serenity's forehead and sighed. "Her lifeforce is attuned to the Imperium Silver Crystal, She won't regain consciousness until the Crystal is able to reestablish its powers. I'm not sure why I'm not in a similiar state, as what's left of my own lifeforce was attuned to my crystal." "So what will happen with this new crystal?" Raijen smiled at Serena and she gave him a curious look. "If everything works the way it should, Serenity and I will be together in the new crystal and you will be able to draw from both our powers." Both of them blinked as a tiny point of light lazily floated between them on an invisible current. The light was shortly followed by several other dots of light, all following the same gentle course. Within minutes, the sphere was filled with tiny dots of white light, wandering aimlessly around the room in a seemingly random pattern. They watched in wonder as the motes started to swirl together and slowly condense into a large sphere. As more and more motes were drawn into the mass of light, the diameter of the sphere started to shrink and it started to glow brighter and brighter. As the last of the motes were drawn into the sphere, it let loose with a blinding flash of light. When Princess Serena regained her vision a few seconds later, what she saw brought a soft smile to her lips. Hovering effortlessly in one place was the Imperium Silver Crystal, glowing softly to itself. Serena took a closer look at the Crystal's surface and blinked as she realized that the many facets of the Crystal were more sharply defined and tinted a very dark shade of purple. But the sight that had made her smile was not the sight of the Crystal, but the sight of her mother, now fully conscious and looking as beautiful as ever, being tenderly held in Captain Raijen's arms. The Dragoon slowly bent his head down and gently kissed her. They shared the kiss for several seconds before they broke apart and he helped her stand up. "Finally we are together again, after all this time," Serenity said softly as she leaned against Raijen. "And we shall be for the rest of eternity," he replied. "I know I've only had to chance to say this once, beloved, but I love you." Serenity hugged him tightly, trying her best not to cry and failing rather miserably, "And I have always loved you," she said. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "When we have the time, we'll have to do our best to make up for those thousand years we were apart. But right now, our daughter needs our help to save her friends." "Of course," Serenity said, nodding towards her daughter. "You lost the power of Sailor Moon when the Crystal was destroyed, but now that it has been reforged, you once again can use her powers in the name of the Moon." "You have been using the powers of the Crystal as a focus for your own," Raijen said. "Now you must learn to use the Crystal as the source for your new powers." Serena blinked as the Imperium Silver Crystal floated over to her. The iridescent gem pulsed brightly and she felt a surge of warmth through her body. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that the Imperium Silver Crystal was now firmly imbedded in her transformation brooch. "What must I do?" she asked. "Say the words 'Moon Crystal Power' and your spirit will unite with the powers of the Imperium Silver Crystal to become Sailor Moon," Serenity replied with a gentle smile. Princess Serena nodded and focused her mind. "Moon Crystal Power!!" she said and started to transform. Slender tendrils of energy shot out from the Crystal and wrapped themselves around her body, solidifying into her new Sailor Suit. The new powers imprinted themselves on her essence and for one brief moment, as both her sigil and her aura flared into view, she had the feathery wings of an angel. The new energy faded and Sailor Moon blinked in surprise. "I feel.... different," she said hesitantly. Serenity laughed softly and the sphere echoed with the sound. "You just need time to adjust to your new powers, my daughter. Now that you have the power of the Crystal, you won't need the Crescent Moon Wand anymore." She held out her hand and the Wand materialized in front of her. "But you will still need a focus for your powers," Raijen added, "And so we shall give you a new one." He joined hands with Serenity and together they concentrated on the Crescent Moon Wand. Sailor Moon blinked as the Wand lost its form and started to melt, only to be reformed into a new shape. "Behold your Moon Sceptre," Raijen said as the Sceptre slowly floated over and into Sailor Moon's outstretched hands. She blinked as she felt another surge of energy through her body and she understood how to fully wield its new powers. "And now you must return to your friends, my dear Serena. You must never forget that you will always be in our hearts and we will always be with you," Serenity said started to dissolve in a sparkle of light. "Never forget that without love and justice in the universe, nothing would still exist," Raijen said as he too started to dissolve. "Your friends are counting on you and you must not let them down." "I promise I won't let them down," Sailor Moon replied and closed her eyes as she dissolved into a swirl of golden light. ------------------------------------------------------------------- General Rune laughed triumphantly as the Silver Imperium Crystal was destroyed and Sailor Moon vanished in a flash of light, along with Serenity and Raijen. "At last, the mighty Sailor Moon is no longer!" The Sailor Scouts slowly got up from the floor, having been tossed like leaves by the force of the Crystal shattering. Their energy shield had been disrupted along with their concentration and was now only a quickly fading wall of dim motes of light. "Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried out, unbelieving that she had vanished. "She's.... she's gone!" Mars said as the cold hand of fear clutched at her heart and threatened to make it quit. "What did you do with her?" Sailor Jupiter said dangerously. "I finally ridded the universe of her meddlesome presence," Rune said with a sneer and raised her hands towards the Sailor Scouts. "As I am about to do with you...." "Not so fast, Negatrash," said the voice of Sailor Moon from behind the general. "You aren't going to do anything except surrender." Everyone blinked and Rune whipped around. "Impossible! I destroyed you and the Imperium Silver Crystal!" Her dark eyes narrowed as she saw the gleam of the Crystal on her chest ribbon. "So you've managed to reforge it, I see. No matter. If I can shatter it once, I can shatter it again!" she said and lashed out with her powers. Rune's eyes widened with shock as she couldn't feel her powers having any effect on the Crystal. "How is this possible? I should have been able to make that crystal crack by now. What are you?" "I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice!" Sailor Moon said. "I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you for your evil deeds!" Maze glaced towards Sailor Moon and discreetly leaned towards Venus. "I don't mean any offense or anything, Mina, but does she always sound like that?" he said quietly. Venus sighed and nodded, never taking her eyes of Rune and Sailor Moon. "Unfortunately for the rest of us, she does," she replied in the same quiet tone. "Feel the full power of the NegaForce, Sailor Moon!" Rune yelled as she unleashed several bolts of black lightning. Sailor Moon dodged and held out a strange wand that the other Scouts had never seen before. "Moon Sceptre...." she said as energy collected at the tip of her Moon Sceptre and formed into a curved arc. "ELIMINATION!!!" she commanded and the arc darted forward, diving and swooping towards its target. It collided with Rune's energy barrier and there was a flash of light. A small crack appeared in the globe's surface and quickly spread across the rest of the barrier. There was a sickening crack and the barrier shattered, the fragments dissolving into tiny purple motes that vanished into nothingness. Rune stepped back in shock. "How?" she whispered. "How could you have destroyed the NegaForce's shield? What kind of powers do you have?" Sailor Moon slowly advanced, still holding the Moon Sceptre at the ready. "My powers come from more than a mere crystal. They come from something which very few of your kind can ever hope to understand and even fewer to experience. My powers come from the force of love, General Rune, a force more powerful than the darkest of your powers. Surrender now or I will be forced to destroy you as I had to destroy Queen Beryl." Rune nodded slowly. "Very well, Sailor Moon, I yield for today. But be warned that you haven't seen the last of me." She turned and gestured towards the storage room wall. The air seemed to shimmer as a rift was opened up and the dark general escaped through it. As soon as it had come, the rift sealed itself and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The mood was short-lived as a scream cut through the air and everyone turned around to face the sound. Captain Whisper snorted and let the body of Commander Ts'ani fall to the ground. "Weak-minded fool, I warned you several times that you were no match for me," she muttered to herself. Maze frowned. "Excuse me, Captain, but is he...." he said, not able to finish his sentence. Whisper nodded. "Of course. In a duel of that magnitude, not only is the loser guaranteed to die, but the winner might not be in much better shape as well. The price of using your mind as both sword and shield." She glanced across the room, did a double-take, and blinked. "What, those two are still going at it?" Everyone followed her gaze and blinked as they realized that Tolaris and Shar-Tei were indeed still dueling. Mercury stepped forward but Maze reached out and blocked her path. "Sorry, ma'am, I can't let you interfere. Dragoon Rules of Engagement. The boss would have my head if I didn't stop anyone who wanted to help." Mercury looked at the two combatants and sighed softly to herself. "Is there nothing we can do?" Maze shook his head. "Not until one of them dies, I'm afraid. Trust me, I'm no more happy about it as you are, but I wouldn't want to be the one that Tolaris would have to kill for violating the rules of a death match." Tuxedo Mask blinked. "You mean that if you interfere, they would have to kill you?" he said incrediously. "Unfortunately, yes." "Remind me not to get into fights with you very often," Venus said softly. Maze blinked and grinned. "Why, planning on doing so at a later date?" "No, but this would make me want to think twice," she replied. The rest of the group fell silent as they watched Commander Tolaris and Commander Shar-Tei duel not just for their lives, but for their honor as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------- They fought with remarkable efficiency, neither one wasting a motion as they continued their systematic attacks, blocks, and counter-attacks. Their concentration was absolute, not allowing anything around them to distract them from their battle. Even when Sailor Moon vanished in the flash of light, their only reaction was to blink involuntarily against the glare and to continue the silent battle. A distant part of Tolaris's mind noted that it seemed that as soon as the analytical part of his mind identified a pattern to Shar-Tei's movements, she would immediately change them, forcing him to adapt and to try to find a new pattern. He tried to determine if there was a pattern to her pattern changes or the timing of them. He worked on the problem for a few minutes before he thought he had a solution. Just as he was getting ready for her next change, Shar-Tei suddenly feinted and brought her symipa down in a tight arc. While Tolaris wasn't really expecting such a move, he was still prepared for it. He blocked with the center of his symipa and swung downwards with the blunt end of his weapon. She blocked with the high end of her own weapon and he brought the bladed end of his symipa up at a sharp angle. Again she blocked as he had expected, but the results took them both by surprise. With a sharp crack, her symipa snapped in half and Tolaris's weapon was able to continue its arc, only slightly slowed by the force of the impact with her weapon. Tolaris felt the weapon jerk slightly in his hands and they both froze in place. Ever so slowly, they both looked at the bladed part of Tolaris's weapon. The only signs that it had been involved in combat was a small scratch along one side of the blade's surface and a rather insignificant streak of redness that was slowly oozing down the symipa's shaft. Tolaris glanced at her uniform and noted with dismay at how fast the stain on her abdomen was spreading. He looked up to find Shar-Tei regarding him with an odd look in her eyes. They said nothing at first, both knowing that the wound was fatal. "So it appears that you have won, Commander," she said softly, moving back a few steps to lean against the wall. "Tell me, what are the odds of having a symipa snap in battle like that?" "To be honest, I didn't think it was possible to snap them," he replied. "It would be my luck to have a flawed weapon," she said and began to laugh softly. She grimaced and quit laughing after a few seconds as the motion made her insides scream in agony. "Actually, Tolaris, I'm rather glad I didn't have to kill you." "Shar-Tei...." "Let me finish, Commander," she said mildly. "Remember what I said about not letting my personal feelings interfere with my duty? Well, I still haven't done that nor would I ever have. But now I think I can answer your question, the one you asked me earlier." "About your feelings?" he said softly. "Yes, that one," she said and coughed. She sighed as she spat blood and shrugged. "I think now I understand why you violated your oath of loyalty to Beryl and put your life at risk. all for the sake of a young girl," she said quietly, nodding towards Sailor Mercury. "I know now what it feels like to be in love with someone." Tolaris nodded slowly in understanding. "A wonderful experience, wouldn't you say, Commander?" "Very much." "Shar-Tei.... is there any sort of message you would like me to convey to your loved one? I swear upon my honor that I will get it to him, one way or another." Shar-Tei laughed again, this time able to ignore the pain of her wound and to enjoy the sensation of laughter. "Tolaris, you really are as dense as they say sometimes." The Dragoon blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" She smiled at him and did her best to ignore the feeling of numbness that was slowly spreading throughout her body. "You stupid fool.... I loved you." She started laughing softly again at the stunned look on his face. "Shar-Tei.... why didn't you ever tell me, then?" Tolaris said, still deeply shaken by her confession. "Well, the regulation about not having personal affairs within the ranks had a lot to do with it," she admitted. "But the main factor was that I didn't know how you would react to it, or even if you were capable of love yourself. And when we found out that you were capable of it, you had already fallen in love with Sailor Mercury and was frozen in crystal. I never got the chance to tell you." Tolaris said nothing as Shar-Tei coughed up more blood. She sighed and turned her head towards the group of Sailor Scouts. "Sailor Mercury, I would speak with you for a moment," she said. Mercury blinked and moved forward until she stood next to Tolaris. "Yes?" Shar-Tei looked her over and finally nodded. "Commander Tolaris may be a brilliant Dragoon, but he can be lacking in the social skills department on occasion. I would like you to look after him and keep him out of trouble." Both Tolaris and Mercury blinked in surprise. "I promise," Mercury said in a soft tone. Shar-Tei grunted and glared at her. "Oh, one more thing. You had better love Tolaris as much as he loves you or I swear I shall return from my grave to haunt you for eternity. Understand?" "Of course, Commander," Mercury replied and Shar-Tei smiled. "I wish you well, Tolaris," Shar-Tei said as she slumped to the ground. Tolaris and Mercury moved forward to help but she waved them off. "I.... would just like you to know that you'll be in my heart. Or what's left of it," she said with an ironic grin. The grin slowly faded with her lifeforce and she closed her eyes as her pulse slowed to a standstill. And with one final, soft sigh that spoke of the love she was never able to fully express to anyone else, Dragoon Commander Shar-Tei died. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna and Artemis looked up as a whirling vortex opened up and the Sailor Scouts stepped through, followed by Tolaris and several other individuals the cats had never seen before. "You're back!" Luna cried as she leapt up and into Sailor Moon's arms. "Thank goodness, you had no idea how worried we were. Is everyone alright?" "No, they aren't," Tolaris said as he help Whisper carry Ra'vel out of the room and down the hall. "Mercury, please help me get Ra'vel to a room and make sure she gets comfortable. She's going to need a fair amount of medical care for awhile." "No problem," Mercury replied and ran down the hall to get a room ready. Artemis bristled slightly at the sight of Maze, Ra'vel, and Whisper. "Um, would someone mind telling me who these people are?" Venus smiled and picked up the white cat. "Nice to see you too, Artemis. I would like to introduce Dragoon Lieutenant Maze, Psi-Corp Captain Whisper, and the unfortunately badly injured Dragoon Lieutenant Ra'vel. They're friends of Tolaris and helped us get what we needed." "Nice to meet you, Lieutenant," Luna said. Maze's tan eyes became impossibly wide as his gaze alternated between the two cats. "You two can talk?" Venus giggled. "My, you're swift today," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked up and frowned slightly as Artemis gave her a dour look. "What?" "And what have you been doing inside the Negaverse?" the cat asked. "Getting our butts trashed," Jupiter sighed as she leaned against the wall and reversed her transformation. She waited until the process was finished before she gestured to Mars and added, "Or in her case, her back." Luna took one look at the back of Sailor Mars's uniform and screeched. "Sailor Mars, get that suit off and let me have a look at your back. The rest of you Sailor Scouts, too. I want to know precisely how badly torn up each one of you are." Mars snorted and walked towards a vacant room, muttering something about not wanting to flash everyone again. Leda shrugged and followed Mars, working the laces to her blouse as she went. "I don't think you need to bother checking Ami out, since her vampiric healing thingy seems to be working fine," Sailor Moon said as she went after the others. Sailor Venus reversed her transformation and smiled at Luna. "Actually, Luna, I want Artemis to check me out. That way, he, Maze, and I can have a long talk about several things while he's doing the check." Both Luna and Artemis blinked in confusion. "Mina, talk about what?" Luna asked cautiously. "Well, in short, Maze and I have become rather fond of each other, much in the same fashion as Ami and Tolaris." Luna blinked and smiled while Artemis seemed to wilt like a dead flower. "Mina, that's wonderful! I take it he has proven himself to be as trustworthy as Tolaris?" Luna said, giving Maze a mild glance of approval. The blonde laughed. "Of course he has. I don't think I'd have fallen in love with him if he wasn't." "So nice to know I have a few redeeming qualities around here," Maze said rather dryly. "A few," Mina teased and gave him a kiss that made Maze speechless, made Luna's eyebrows rise almost painfully, and made Artemis sigh heavily. Mina broke off the kiss and gave Artemis a patient look. "The time has come, said she, to talk of many things," she cheerfully misquoted and went into another vacant room with Maze in tow. "Artemis, don't you think...." Luna started to say. "I'd rather not think at all, thank you," Artemis said briskly and went after the couple. Both Luna and Darian blinked as the door was almost slammed shut behind him. "That's odd.... I thought he'd be happy to discover that Mina had finally found someone she could fall in love with," Luna said with a small frown. "Who knows?" Darian said with a shrug. "You, umm, want me to be checked out as well?" he said with a small smirk. "You wish," she replied dryly. "You can ask Artemis to look you over when he's finished with Mina. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check the damage to the girls," she said and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. Darian chuckled quietly and leaned against the wall. "Well, it was worth a shot," he said to himself and sighed. He casually glanced out the window and blinked at the amount of snow on the ground. Looks like Tolaris forgot to turn it off before we left, he thought. I'll bet that means we're stuck here for another night. I wonder if I'll be able to share it with Serena again.... He was brought out of his fantasy daydream by the sound of something heavy skittering across the floor. He opened his eyes and screamed at the sight of a very large crystalline spider slowly climbing out of the cargo container. "Calm down, Dyvach won't hurt you," Tolaris said as he entered the large room. "Long time, no see, old friend," he said and the weaver almost killed itself in its haste to skitter over to Tolaris, making a series of loud sounds akin to a set of wind chimes caught in a hurricane. There was a rather high-pitched shriek from the doorway as Ami entered the room. "Tolaris, what is that thing?!" she demanded, backing away from Tolaris and the chiming spider. "Relax, Ami. This is my pet weaver Dyvach," the Dragoon replied as he rubbed the weaver's carapace, causing the crystaline surface to take on a dark orange tint. "A pet?" echoed Darian and Ami simultaneously. The weaver fell silent for a moment before briefly chiming to Tolaris. Tolaris laughed quietly and patted the weaver once more. "Okay, okay, more like a companion. Dyvach is a sentient being and knows what goes on around it. I'm willing to bet that it was the one who gathered everything together in the container and later moved it to block the bulkhead from closing all the way." The weaver chimed almost indignantly and Tolaris grinned. "Well, I wasn't sure if it was you or just extremely good luck." "That's your pet?" Ami said again, looking rather uneasy. The Dragoon smirked. "Can't handle the thought of having a giant crystal spider being the one to be waiting for you when you get home to feed it?" "Ick...." Darian frowned. "Umm, would you like to rephrase that? It just didn't sound all that appealing...." Tolaris thought about what he said and how it can be interpreted. "Mmm. You may be right. Ami, just think of it as a truly bizarre breed of dog." "Ick...." Tolaris smiled and bent down to the weaver. "Dyvach, the beautiful woman with blue hair over there is Ami Mizuno. Why don't you go over and introduce yourself?" Ami's eyes became impossibly wide as the weaver skittered across the room and stood next to her, chiming softly and turning a delicate shade of blue. Her hands shook as the waver gently brushed up against her. She felt something warm on her foot and looked down to see the weaver attaching a small, slender crystalline thread to her ankle. Before she could react, the weaver quickly skittered back over to Tolaris, trailing the thread behind it. Tolaris was puzzled by the weaver's behavior until it attached the thread to his boot and began to trail a second slender thread back over to Ami. "Dyvach...." he said with a sigh. "We're not weavers so trying to do that wouldn't work." The weaver chimed apologetically and quickly removed the small threads from their shoes. "Umm, what was it trying to do?" Darian asked hesitantly. "When two weavers become lifemates, they seal themselves in a crystal web of sorts. They stay there until the female becomes pregnant, which has been known to take quite awhile," he said with a faint blush. He looked up to find Ami blushing a vivid shade of red. "Problem, my love?" "I just hope Dyvach wasn't trying to tell us something," she managed to say. "Not that I have any problems with the idea of marrying you one day, but I don't think it'd be possible to have your child.... that is.... I...." She blinked as Tolaris moved forward and enveloped her in a tender and loving embrace. "I love you, Ami," he said simply as he held her. Ami smiled and laid her head against the crook of his shoulder. "And I love you, Tolaris." "Aww, that's so sweet...." Rei said as she and Leda came out of the room. Behind them, the door closed softly and Leda shot it a slightly perturbed look. "So where's Serena?" Darian asked cautiously. "Well, she and Luna are.... WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THAT THING?!" Rei said, panicking at the sight of the weaver. Tolaris sighed heavily and spent several minutes introducing Dyvach and explaining about weavers in general. "Why do you keep calling Dyvach an it?" Leda asked. Of the humans, she alone seemed to be interested in the weaver. "Weavers won't develop any gender characteristics until they reach full maturity. I got Dyvach as a mere hatchling so it won't mature for at least another two or three decades." "That's a relief," Ami said with a weak smile. "Couldn't take the thought of waking up one morning to a nest of several dozen hatching weavers, eh?" Tolaris chuckled. "Several.... dozen?" she replied. Tolaris frowned slightly. "I sense that we are going to wind up having a conversation about Dyvach in the future, correct?" "The very near future," Ami said firmly. "You know, Ami, Dyvach really likes you," the Dragoon said softly. Ami blinked. "How do you figure that?" "Because it's purring at you." Ami blinked again and looked down. The weaver was almost sitting on her shoes and was indeed making a soft, purring sound. Ami sighed softly and tried to picture herself taking care of a large crystal spider as a pet. "This.... will take some getting used to...." she said hesitantly. "You three would make the perfect family," Rei teased. "Don't make me hurt you, Rei," Ami replied darkly. Darian coughed and suppressed a smile. "Anyway, I take it you two are fine, considering the multitude of cuts, scrapes, and bruises you now possess?" Leda sighed. "Well, we all checked out fine, except Luna wants us to put a bunch of iodine in our bath tonight. Luna said she had been looking out the window at the snow and figured that we would have to spend the night again. So she asked us what kind of arrangements we made that night, and without stopping to think about it, I told her." Darian immediately broke out into a cold sweat. "Umm, think I should go run and hide?" "Wimp," Rei snickered. "Too late...." Leda said warningly as the door opened up and Luna stalked out, making a beeline for Darian. The cat reached Darian and proceeded to use him like a tree, clawing her way up until she was face-to-face with him. She grabbed onto the end of his nose with a clawed paw and gave him a dark look. "You may spend the night with Serena again. However, if you so much as think of touching her in the wrong way, I promise you a great deal of bodily harm. Do I make myself clear?" she hissed. "Perfectly," he said. "Good," Luna said as she jumped down. "Now that we've got that settled, we can...." she said and froze in fear at the sight of Dyvach. "Already this is going to be a long day," Tolaris grumbled as he started to explain Dyvach again. ------------------------------------------------------------------- They were grouped around the coffee table in the living room, holding a conversation about what to expect from their new life on Earth. Ra'vel was awake and sitting on the floor, paying a great deal of attention to Luna's fur and admiring the softness of it. The cat, for her part, was curled up in a ball in Ra'vel's lap and contented herself to listening to the talk. Captain Whisper was sitting in an oversized arm chair, sipping a cup of Rei's herbal tea and trying to ignore her headache. Rei was kneeling in front of the fire, trying to try her hair out after a much-needed bath. She kept one eye on the flickering flames in the fireplace and the other on the weaver, who was sitting near the fire and soaking up a great deal of the heat. Tolaris was sitting on the loveseat with Ami curled up next to him, using his shoulder as a pillow. Darian was sitting at one end of the couch while Serena was stretched out over the rest, resting her head in his lap. The conversation had hit a temporary null spot when Artemis finally made an appearance, quietly walking into the group looking rather dejected. "So how is everyone?" he asked and sat down next to Ra'vel. "We were wondering when you'd be finished with Mina and Maze," Leda said as she walked into the room and sat down in the empty arm chair. "What went on that it took five hours to finish?" Artemis sighed. "Nothing. We were finished four hours ago. I just.... needed to get away to do a bit of thinking, that's all." Serena sat up and frowned. "Four hours ago? What are they doing now?" "Well, Mina was apparently running off of adrenaline when you came back, because she started nodding off while I was checking her out and fell asleep shortly after that. Maze said that neither of them were able to get much sleep that night and we had a bit of a frank discussion about it. He said he was getting sleepy too so I guess that they're both out cold by now." "Something I should be doing soon," Leda said as she suppressed a yawn. "Mmm, same here," Serena said as she stretched. She looked up at Darian and smiled shyly. "I know you should be exhausted after standing watch all night." Darian shrugged. "I think I'm still wired from Leda's coffee, but that's supposed to wear out real soon." "Not my fault I like a strong cup of coffee," Leda grinned. "Strong enough to melt the rock you poured the leftovers on?" Rei teased. Tolaris laughed. "That's only because it was a mimic and not a real rock. Besides, rocks don't scream like that when scalded." Both Whisper and Ra'vel blinked. "A mimic, you say?" Whisper said with a small frown. "I thought that they didn't live that close to structures like the complex." Tolaris shrugged. "When you get hungry enough, you'll move to wherever you can find food." "True...." Leda tried to supress a second yawn and failed rather miserably. "That's it, I give up. I'm going to bed," she said as she eased herself out of the chair. "Good night, everyone and I'll...." she trailed off as she glanced up. Everyone turned and blinked as Mina entered the room. She seemed to be fine except for the fact that she was wearing a white satin nightgown, she was smiling rather oddly, and that the sign of Venus was glowing a soft shade of orange on her forehead. She lazily made her way towards the kitchen and paused to look up at the rest of the group. "Tell me, Commander, can denizens drink hot chocolate?" she asked fuzzily. Tolaris blinked and looked at Ami. She nodded her head, giving him what some would call an evil grin. "Umm, I think we can," he said slowly, giving Ami an odd look. "Okay, thanks," she said and went into the kitchen. Everyone exchanged glances and Luna sighed heavily. "Artemis, have we found another way to make their sigils start to glow like that or is it what I think it is?" she said wearily. "Do you really want me to answer that?" "Actually, no...." she replied and curled up into an even smaller ball. Mina returned in short order holding two steaming cups of hot chocolate. She paused and smiled rather dreamily at the group. "Is anyone planning any sort of group activity tonight?" "No, but remember that you and the rest of us have school in the morning," Ami said, eliciting groans from Serena, Rei, and Leda. "Mmm, forgot about that. But that's in the morning right?" Mina replied, still slightly lost in her afterglow. "Yes...." "Okay, I guess we'll see you in the morning, then," she replied and made her way back to the room she was sharing with Maze. Leda sighed. "I didn't need to see that. Anyway, sleep well, everyone, and I'll see you whenever I wake up," she said and left the room. There was a chorus of 'good nights' in her wake and stood up to stretch. "A wise idea," the priestess said and gathered her things together, still keeping a wary eye on the apparently dozing weaver. "I think we all could use some sleep," Whisper said as she too stood up to stretch. "Do you think you'll be okay enough on your own, Lieutenant?" Ra'vel chirped a reply and scooped up a cat in each arm, telepathing a question to each of them. They both blinked in surprise and glanced at each other. "Well, I don't have any problem with keeping her company," Luna said. "Neither do I, really," Artemis replied. "Why the interest in us?" The avian chirped for several seconds and Tolaris laughed. "She likes you two because you're soft, fuzzy and warm." Ra'vel stroked Luna and the cat found herself purring instinctively, much to the avian's delight. "Well, I think I can handle that," the cat said with a small smile. Ra'vel chirped for a few seconds before she got up and carried the two cats down the hall towards her room. "Just between you and me, Commander, I seriously think that having those two to play with will speed up her recovery. There seems to be something very therapeutic about stroking a pet that does wonders for both the mind and the body. And after a day like today, she really needs it," Whisper said softly. Darian nodded and gently stroked Serena's neck. "I hope it can work both ways. Artemis really seems to be bummed about something." Ami sighed. "Artemis loves Mina like a brother, and its hard for him to come to terms with the fact that she's fallen in love with someone. It's been just the two of them for quite some time, ever since she became Sailor V. And now that she has Maze, he fears that she'll forget about him or abandon him." Whisper nodded. "Hopefully he'll adjust to the point where he won't look so despondent. Anyway, good night everyone, and I'll see you in the morning." "Good night, Captain," Tolaris said and was quietly echoed by the others. He looked up to find that only Darian, Serena, Ami, and himself remained in the cathedral's living room. "Hard to believe that it's only two in the afternoon and everyone's going to bed." "So we had a really rough day," Darian chuckled. Serena reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him tenderly. "So carry me to bed so we can relax in peace and comfort," she said softly as she nuzzled his neck. Darian blushed and glanced up to see Ami smiling knowingly at him. "Umm, what?" he said hesitantly. Ami laughed and cuddled up closer to Tolaris. "Go on, take her to bed and see that you both get comfortable. While you may not feel it right now, your muscles are rather worn out and need to be rested up. Otherwise, you'll really feel it in the morning." Darian chuckled softly as he picked Serena up in his arms and stood up. "C'mon, meatball head, Doctor Sterling here says to make sure you get nice and comfortable. Don't want to disregard medical advice, now do we?" Ami giggled. "Well, if that's the way you want it, I'm going to prescribe an order of hot chocolate for each of you. Granted it's a mild stimulant, but I'm sure it won't do much aside from keeping you awake in a pleasantly relaxed state. Unlike Maze," she added with a grin. Tolaris blinked and regarded Ami carefully. "Should I ask what you mean?" Ami gave him a rather seductive smile. "Well, with Mina being the hot chocoholic that she is, it will hardly affect her. Maze, on the other hand, is a denizen so the chocolate will affect him differently." The Dragoon frowned. "And how does it affect denizens?" "Instead of acting as a mild stimulant, it acts as an aphrodisiac." Serena and Darian exchanged glances before snickering to themselves. Ami merely smiled suggestively at Tolaris and the denizen sighed heavily. "If I didn't love you so much, Ami, you would frighten me rather badly," he said with a wry grin. Darian laughed and carried Serena into the kitchen to make a large pot of hot chocolate. "Should I ask how you two plan to spend the rest of the evening? Not that it's really any of my business, but I was just wondering if we should keep the storm shutters closed...." "Darian!" Serena exclaimed from inside the kitchen. Ami was about to reply when Tolaris bent down and began to kiss her tender throat. "Perhaps, Darian, but I still have one final loose end to tie up this evening," he said after making Ami start to quiver slightly. Serena came back out of the kitchen, holding a pair of cups in one hand and the pot of hot chocolate in the other, still being carried affectionately by Darian. "Commander," Serena said softly, "I'd like to thank you for taking us with you. If you hadn't, I don't think I would have ever gotten to know who my father really was...." Tolaris nodded and hugged Ami tightly. "If the Sailor Scouts hadn't been there with me, I don't think I would have made it. Serena...." he said slowly, "The name Raijen commands the utmost respect among the Dragoons. I think that they would also have the same respect for his daughter. Should you ever return to the Negaverse again, you may find that you have more friends than you would ever imagine. Good night, Serena." Serena smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you for everything, Commander. Good night, you two," she said. Darian nodded towards Ami and Tolaris and then quietly carried Serena off to their room. Ami sighed and leaned back across Tolaris's lap. "So what is this final task you have to do?" she asked, idly toying with the buttons to his tunic. Tolaris smiled and softly kissed her. "Only to pay final respects to one of the few people I could ever call a friend," he said. "Mmm, but you said you were going to wait until nightfall to do that?" Tolaris smiled. "Yes. Should I bother asking why you were asking?" Ami reached up and unbuttoned the top button to her blouse. "Well, I was just wondering what we could do in the meantime. I'm afraid that it won't be anything too strenuous, as we both need to heal and I'm being made a slave to feminine biology again, but we can still cuddle for awhile...." she suggested and drew him down to her. "I think I can accommodate...." he said and let his lips begin the lengthy and pleasurable process of wandering across her body, starting at her lips and slowly working its way downward along exposed skin. It wasn't very long before he had his work cut out for him, as very little skin was left that didn't wind up exposed to both him and the flickering firelight.... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Molly sighed as she tossed and turned in bed. I can't believe it's been almost a year since he died, she thought, yet it still feels as if it had only happened yesterday. She sighed again, wondering if he would come to her in her dreams again. She blinked as a shadow fell across the wall at the far end of the room. "What? Who's there?" she called out hesitantly. "Molly Baker?" asked a gentle voice. "Yes...." The figure stepped into the room and closed the balcony door behind him. "Forgive me for visiting you at this hour, Miss Baker. I am Dragoon Commander Tolaris. I am.... was a friend of General Nephlyte's." Molly bolted upright, not believing that she had heard him right. "What? You knew Nephlyte?" She blinked and took a closer look at him and his dark uniform. "You're from the Negaverse!" Tolaris nodded. "Yes, I am. I've come here to return something that I believe rightfully belongs to you," he said and handed her the dark crystal he was holding. As she reached out and touched it, the strange crystal started to hum and glow a soft shade of blue. "What? This is Nephlyte's crystal!" she said, not believing her own eyes. "But I thought it had been taken by another person from the Negaverse." "It had been, but I've retrieved it for you. No one will come looking for it now, as it no longer has a use to them." Tolaris stepped back and gave her a curious look. "Do you know why it reacts to you so?" he said, gesturing to the crystal and its odd blue light. Molly shook her head. "No, and Nephlyte said he couldn't figure it out earlier. Do you know why?" "No, but it may have something to do with how the crystal was forged." She nodded and pressed the crystal to her chest, remembering the last few minutes she and Nephlyte spent together before he died. She blinked as she felt an odd warmth surging through the crystal and looked down at it in wonder. "Is.... is it alive?" "No, but part of Nephlyte's soul still exists inside," the Dragoon said softly. "Molly, I want you to know something. A long time ago, I too had my soul trapped in crystal. It was because of love that I was freed, and there exists the possibility that one day your love will be able to free Nephlyte." She looked up at him in disbelief, tears of hope starting to form in her green eyes. "Do you really mean it? Can he be brought back?" "Perhaps he can, someday," Tolaris said. "But that day would be far off in the future for I don't know of any power that can reunite the soul with the body after death. I'm sorry I can't do more, Molly." Molly smiled and looked up at him, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "You've done enough for me as it is, Commander. You've not only given to me a reminder of his presence and love for me, but you've also given me hope. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough." "You are welcome," he said as he quietly made his way out of the room. "Perhaps we shall meet again in the future. Someday. Sleep well, Molly, and pleasant dreams," he said and disappeared into the night before she could say anything in reply. She looked down at the crystal and smiled as the odd warmth started to flow through her body once more. She laid back down on the bed, still holding the mysterious Star Crystal in her hand. Her heart at ease, she slid into a world of dreams. Her dreams were no longer shadows of the past, but memories and dreams that she hoped would one day become part of the future.
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