Furies Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Imperial Palace was situated in the center of a
three hundred square kilometer section of old growth forest.
Some of the "astri" trees stood almost a kilometer tall and
predated the Imperium. Within sight of the palace itself towered
"Cloud Song", oldest and at twelve hundred fifty meters, tallest
of the giant "astri". Legend had it that Serenity, the first of that
name, sheltered from her enemies in its branches during the first
days of the revolution. From that spot she rallied her forces,
planned her campaigns and, so the stories went, set out on the
final genocidal assault that destroyed the Z'rten. From the ruins of
an Empire that for ten thousand years lived on the blood, flesh and
terror of their enemies Serenity had forged the Silver Imperium.
She built her palace within sight of the tree saying only that
"Cloud Song" was the best and most honest of all her advisors.
Five hundred meters above the ground another figure
had taken refuge this day.
Augmented senses scanned the palace and grounds.
Every millimeter of terrain was searched and mapped. Every room of
the palace that wasn't covered by class1 shielding, every corridor,
every hallway, service passage and cubby hole was meticulously
probed with delicate electronic senses, cataloged, cross indexed and
the information stored with robotic perfection. Even the shielded
apartments yielded valuable information. The shielded areas had
something to protect. . . something. . . valuable. Only after
every roving patrol, every fixed guard station was pinpointed;
every trap, trip-wire and alarm probed did the did the silent
figure move, dropping from its five hundred meter perch as easily
as a house cat hopping down from the kitchen table.

****************************************************** *
She staggered, clutching at the wall for support.
Her vision blurred and her ears were clogged with a harsh
thrumming sound. Something was wrong.
"Sys. . . sys'ms. . . S ystem. . . .C. .check." ##Accumulators
at 76%. Primary Weapon locked.
Energy weapon, no access. Kinetic Weapon, no access.
Infiltration mode engaged. Optical Effect generator working.
Active sensors on standby, Passive Sensors at 0.35. Stealth
generators ON. BioEnhancement operating at maximum.## The whisper
paused. ##Warning! Second Stage Warning. Use of BioEnhancement at
War Emergency power for extended periods will degrade neural
pathways. Cellular integ. . . ##
"Cancel warning." the voice fell silent. "What's wrong with me?"
##Command not found## "Mission capability compromised. Isolate
fault." ##Biological components exceeding design tolerance.
Protein envelope shows multiple breaches and out-gassing of parasitic
byproducts.##
"I've got running sores and I stink. What
else?"
##Not underst. . . ## "Continue!!" ##Core temperature 5
degrees above optimum.
Increasing numbers of viral and bacterial agents detected.
Blood filtration system beyond design capacity. System failure
imminent. Tissue necrosis evident in the following areas.## An
internal diagram appeared in her mind. Her liver and kidneys
were highlighted, with an alpha-numeric display to the lower right
providing detail.
##Oxygen carrying capacity compromised, system
saturated with fatigue poisons. Degradation of. . . ##
She shuddered and would have fallen without her
implants to hold her up. Blackness threatened to overwhelm her.
"Stims." she ordered the voice. ##Negative.## "Stims," she
ordered again. "Mission priority
override."
##Negative. Core programming forbids self-
termination. Stimulant usage at lethal threshold.##
"No! How long. . . " The voice seemed to understand
this question.
##Mission at T plus 225 hours, 22 minutes, 18
seconds. Weapon has been active for T plus 225 hours, 22 minutes,
19 seconds. This exceeds design specifications by 153 hours, 22
minutes,20 seconds.##
Her thoughts clawed their way through the heavy
clinging mud of fatigue and sickness. She was so close, she thought
weeping with fatigue and frustration. She banged her fist against
her thigh. So close. Ten billion kilometers. Over 200 hours. And
now, when she was within METERS of her target, within minutes
of completing her mission. Princess Serenity was going to live
because she couldn't stay awake.

**************************************************

##Warning! Guard Patrol ahead. Autonomous Defense
Mode Initiated.##
She wished the voice would shut up. She was so
tired. Too tired to make sense of that stupid voice.
##Combat Capabilities 0.06. Initiating Escape and
Evasion sub- routines.##
She wanted to weep with frustration. Every time she
was almost asleep that stupid voice would wake her up. The meaning
of the words niggled at the back of her mind, but the meaning
just wouldn't come. The voice sounded impatient, worried even. Maybe
if she answered it, it would shut up and let her sleep.
"Wh' h'ppn." ##Input not understood## Stupid voice. "Whus
hap'ning." ##Escape route compromised. Enemy forces closing
in. Detection/capture imminent. Defense sub-routines require
command input##
She struggled to open eyes glued shut by
exhaustion. The blinding light sent a stabbing pain through her
head. Stupid voice. Using all those big words. She'd show it.
"Shu'up. Tr'n off ligh' n let me sleep. Jus go way
be quiet." There was a momentary pause.
##Command input accepted. Initiating new Escape sub-
routine.##
The shambling stinking scarecrow raised an arm and
placed it against an apparently featureless part of the wall.
There was a brief flare of heat and light. Then lights went out
and alarms went off all over the palace. Intruder alert sirens
whooped along side the shrill ohee-ohee of fire-alarms. Then the
sprinkler system went off. In the confusion, no one noticed the lone
figure make its way through the dark confused corridors. By the
time the fault in the security system was isolated and repaired
the figure was already deeply asleep in a bed in the old part of
the palace that had not seen use in over a century.

**************************************************

"Higher, papa. Higher. I want to fly!" Papa threw
her higher and higher. The mountains looked like hills, her house
like a toy. Then papa, mama, the mountains all vanished.
"Work through the pain! Haven't you learned
anything! If you can't get this much right you're useless."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I try to be good. But it's
hard. It hurts. I'm sorry."
"Don't talk, focus. Focus!" Pain flashed through her body. She
arched against
her bonds till her joints cracked and she cried blood as vessels in
her eyes burst.
"Now FOCUS. Bring the ball through the hoop. Don't
let the sides touch."
She concentrated, focusing on the swirling colored
motes. She concentrated through the pain, bringing the gnat sized
objects into focus, controlling the delicate sensory implants with
virtuoso skill. Like threading a needle in a hail storm, standing
on one leg in a small boat, while someone drove burning iron into
your joints. It just took practice. And just like that the
microscopic ball flew through the infinitesimal hoop, with microns
to spare. And the pain. . . stopped. Peace washed over her body
and she slumped sobbing and sweating in her bonds. Distantly,
disinterestedly she could hear voices.
"How did it go?" "Magnificently. You were correct. I would
never
have imagined she could reach this stage so quickly. She maintained
control at all times. And there is no evidence of the
psychosis or delusional behavior that was so troublesome with the
previous subjects. We have actually exceeded the threshold imposed
by the new generator technology by 20%. Phasing up or down should
actually be quite pleasant. . . in comparison."
"And the primary weapon?" "The generator has already been
installed. We
should be able to do our first power up by tomorrow evening."
The voices faded as she was wheeled away, still
strapped to the test frame. She could see brightly colored cloth
swirling next to her head. It was one of them. Beautiful and bright,
she'd thought they were angels when she'd first come here. Now
she knew. She'd been bad. She didn't know why or what. But she'd
been bad. She'd told them she was sorry. She told them she'd be good.
She almost never did that anymore. It just wasted time. A tear
leaked from an eye that shouldn't have had any more tears to cry.
"I'll be good." she whispered. " I promise, I'll be
good."

**************************************************

She bolted awake, her sleep fuzzy mind trying to
separate dream from reality.
"I brought you a tray." She whipped around in the bed at the
sound of the
voice. Huge sky-blue eyes blinked solemnly back at her.
"I brought you a tray," the voice repeated, "you
can eat it in the bath."
A tiny hand, pale as star light, reached out to tug
her gently off the bed. Dazed she followed the insistent tugging
till she found herself confronting a tub the size of a small lake
filled with fragrant herbs. Tugging and pulling the small hands soon
had her filthy clothes piled in a heap at her feet.
"Get in now. I'll help you." Her small helper dropped her own
robe to the floor
and stepped naked into the tub with her.
"They call me 'Stormy'.What's your name?" "I. . . I. . . " At
her look of miserable confusion her petite
helper patted her softly on the shoulder.
"I know, I don't like my name either. Stormy's just
a nickname. How 'bout I come up with one for you?" she thought for a
moment. "I know. 'Misty', 'cause your eyes look just like a morning
mist. Well, fog, really. . . but calling you foggy wouldn't be as
pretty. Is Misty OK?" She asked anxiously.
Stormy seemed to take silence as consent and as
simply as that she had a name. She'd had one "before", a name and a
life, but that was so long ago as to be beyond a dream. But now she
had a name again. She was no longer the "subject", the "project"
or "Weapon 4". She was a person. Stormy, seemingly unaware of
this internal turmoil pushed Misty gently but firmly into the tub.
"Wait just a minute and you can eat." Stormy
scrubbed away at the grime and oil that blackened Misty's arms.
"OK, now you can eat while I finish the rest." With that she
swung out a tray loaded with small
sandwiches, cold cuts, cheeses and a pitcher filled with cool,
sweet spring water. Misty grabbed the pitcher and drained it in
one prodigious gulp. She followed this by cramming fist fulls
of food into her mouth as fast as she could swallow without
chewing. Stormy ignored the spray of food particles and gasping
gulping noises as she contentedly bathed her new friend.
"Lift please." She brought the sponge down in long
gentle strokes.
"I hope you like the cakes, they're my favorite."
Stormy didn't seem to expect an answer. Or perhaps the way Misty
inhaled the delicate honey-cakes, mixed indiscriminately with
cheese, bitter relish and parched nuts was an answer in itself.
"Are you ticklish?" Stormy scooted down and lifted
one of Misty's feet into her lap. She paused, brush held expectantly
in one had. "Tell me if you are, 'cause I don't want to get kicked
in the head. I mean I've got a friend. She TELLS everybody
she's not ticklish. . . .BUT. . . We were trying on shoes one
day, and I ran a finger down her sole. . . trying to get the shoe
on. She's got really, really big feet. Well not that big, but
bigger than mine. And I'll tell you, she let out a shriek and
almost took my head off." Stormy's chatter paused for a moment
and she rubbed her cheek reminiscently. "So anyway tell me if
you are. . . ticklish that is."
"I don't know. I've never been tickled." "REALLY?" Stormy looked
at the small bare foot in
her hands, a mischievous glint in her eye. Then she shook her
head regretfully. "No, you need to rest first." She proceeded
to scrub both grimy feet with the precision and detachment of a
pathologist cleaning a specimen. "All done. Now, hold your breath."
"Huh?" "Hold your breath silly. Like this." She
demonstrated, sucking in a large gulp of air, puffing her cheeks
out. Misty did so, uncomprehendingly.
"We need to wash your hair." So saying Stormy
yanked on the feet resting in her lap, pulling Misty completely
under water. She came up sputtering to find Stormy already behind
her, a large dollop of shampoo in her hands.
"Just relax. I'm really good at this. Probably
'cause I get so much practice."
The combination of a full tummy, warm water and
gentle fingers massaging her scalp was like a drug. Helplessly
her head fell back to rest against a surprisingly strong
bare shoulder.
"Just relax, I'll be through in a minute." The warm soapy
water and the soft voice touched
some forgotten, forbidden fragment of her lost life. A tear fell
from her eye, then another and another.
"You're crying. What's wrong?" "I don't know. I don't know. I'm
sorry, I'm. . . " "Hush, it's all right. It's all right.
I 'll
protect you. It's all right."
It was absurd, foolish. To think this tiny girl
could protect her from. . . them. But she was
so tired. So afraid. She wanted to believe. . .
****************************************************** *
. . . "Did you have a nice sleep." When she 'woke again it was
still daylight. "You fell asleep in the tub, so I just put
you to
bed." Misty peeked under the covers that had been drawn over her.
"I brought you some clothes." Stormy handed her a
bundle that seemed to consist of the same lacy pink froth Stormy
was wearing. Misty looked in horror at the "cute" confection and
Stormy broke out in a braying laugh that sounded more like a
turbine with a broken impeller fan than something produced by a
human throat.
"If. . . if you could ONLY have seen your face!" The
memory threatened to send Stormy off into paroxysms again.
"Sorry. . . I couldn't resist. Here, THESE are for
you." She handed Misty a bundle, consisting of short boots, work
pants and shirt of a heavy cloth. Stormy grinned at the look of
relief in Misty's eyes.
"I couldn't resist. We have company coming and I
had to dress up." She twirled, petticoats and over skirt flaring in
a deadly vortex of lace and ruffles.
"I love dressing up, and I adore lace. . . but
this!" She giggled again.
"Anyway, I'll be gone most of the day. I brought
you another tray and some books. You can go out into the garden if
you want." she indicated large doors of frosted glass. "They're
pretty overgrown because no one comes to this part of the palace
much any more. Except me. This is my own special place." She looked
at Misty seriously. "And now it's yours too." She glanced at a
bracelet strapped around her wrist and let out a shriek as a row of
numbers and letters flashed briefly.
"Ohhhh! I am sooooo laaaattteee! Gottagogoodby!"
And disappeared through the door in a taffeta storm. . .

**************************************************
. . . ."Is this what you wanted?" Stormy poured a
bag of tools out on the floor. Misty had been in this room for
over a week. Every day she woke up to find Stormy by her bed. Every
day Stormy brought food, books, games. Sometimes they'd talk, well
Stormy would talk.
Misty listened fascinated, even when she didn't
understand the alien concepts of. . . friends. . .
freedom. . . laughter but was soothed somehow by the gentle voice.
Or Stormy would try to teach her how to play a game, or they
would walk in the garden, wild and overgrown after a century
of neglect.. Two days ago Misty had asked for some tools. Stormy
didn't ask any questions. She never asked questions. And Misty
had too little knowledge of human nature to think this strange.
She hadn't seen a human being in ten years.
"Yes, this is just what I needed." "Ewww! Doesn't that hurt?"
Stormy watched in
horrified fascination as Misty opened up her abdomen with a quick
neat slash.
"No," she answered truthfully prying up a rib with
her fingers. "I have a high pain threshold." She reached
behind the ribs and pulled out a small grey cylinder with a
wet sucking sound. She pulled a thin wire from a small orange
box that was among the tools Stormy had brought her and plugged
it into an access port in the cylinder.
"Run diagnostics."she commanded the whispering
voice. She watched the test unit display change as her implants
ran through diagnostic routines.
"Yes, this is just perfect. . . see!" She held out
the tiny instrument in a bloody hand.
THUNK!
*************************************************
"I'm sorry Stormy." Misty didn't sound sorry. She
honestly didn't understand why her friend was upset.
"That's OK, you couldn't know." Stormy sat with her
face carefully to the wall while Misty worked.
"Uh, how much longer?" "I don't know. Be silent." Stormy grinned
at the blank wall. Misty had a lot
of social skills to learn. It would be so much fun teaching her.
##Energy weapon on line. Kinetic weapon on line.
Primary Weapon locked.## She hugged herself in delight. She'd never
expected this much. Her chance of success had just increased by
several orders of magnitude. There were holes in the security
system. She'd proved that when she escaped. She couldn't
kill herself. She couldn't kill Pluto or any of the senshi.
She couldn't kill the Queen. She couldn't kill the Princess. Ah, but
therein lay another hole in the programming. Mistake, oversight,
act of Goddess. It didn't make any difference. She couldn't
kill the Princess, but they'd never told her what the Princess looked
like. There was nothing to prevent her from killing a perfectly
unknown person who happened to occupy the Princess's apartments. She
couldn't kill herself. . . but when she killed the Princess. . .

****************************************************** *

She waited for the Princess to return to her rooms.
She'd accessed the security computer and downloaded the Princess'
schedule. She should be returning from the dinner party in just a
few minutes.

##Sensors detect movement. Three to five
individuals moving toward ambush. Do you wish to refine data?##
"NO!" No, the last thing she wanted was a clear picture
of who was coming. If her implants recognized anything that
identified the Princess they would lock her down tighter than any
chains. She calmed her breathing. Soon it would be over, she would
be free. They would never hurt her again. And best of all, it would
hurt HER, hurt her plans, whatever they were. She savored the thought
as she waited for the one person who could grant her release.
She would kill the Princess. . . then someone would kill her.
"Weapons off safe. Standby to power up." She had to wait to
power her weapons till the last
minute. She wasn't sure how good the palace's internal sensors were
and she didn't want to be detected at the last moment. She could
be ready to fire in under a second. Agonizingly slow to her
enhanced senses, but sufficient for her task. She could hear foot
steps now, no need for augmentation they were so close. The door
latch started to slide.
"Power to weapons." The door quivered and swung inward.
##Weapons hot,## the voice whispered. ##Targeting
data?##
"Targeting set to manual control." ##Manual targeting
confirmed.## She swung both guns up and centered on the opening
door. The blast would kill everyone in the corridor. She would
have fired through the door, but it was armored. The time it
would take to burn through the door might be enough time for her
target to escape. A figure entered the room and she started to fire
at. . . STORMY! She froze in confusion as she recognized her friend.
Then other figures crowded into the room. SENSHI! Alarms began to
scream in her head as fail-safe routines started. Her augmentation
shut down, leaving her weak and vulnerable as any normal human. She'd
anticipated that this might happen and planted a few surprises of
her own.
"Run Simulation. . . Palace Coup." She felt a
hesitation, then her augmentation spun back up as the idiot savant
computer in her skull accepted input telling it that this was
a war game simulation and not real senshi. It wouldn't fool the
computer long, but she didn't need long. As power came back to her
weapons she brought them to bear again as a brightly colored figure,
twice her size, smashed her to the ground.
"Mars, Mercury get the princess out of here!" She
froze. . . Princess. . . her augmentation recognized the regalia,
the jewels, Imperial signet. . . another set of fail-safes went
off. This time she didn't just lose power. THEY had tried to teach
her not to disobey. THEY had tried to teach her not to question
them. BUT. . . They had also taught her to withstand pain. That
lesson made it difficult for them to discipline her. But THEY were
clever and cruel as they were beautiful and bright. They turned her
own mind against her. Even as Jupiter pinned her to the ground
she screamed and bent almost double in convulsions, throwing the
big senshi across the room. Psychotropic drugs flooded her
system, stripping away reality. A buried program activated,
filling the void with night terrors, phantasms and fears carefully
stolen from a young girl and hoarded against need.
The horrified senshi backed away from the
convulsing, screaming figure.
"Princess, get back!" "Misty, it's me. Stormy." "No,no,no. I'm
sorry. I'm sorry. Don't hurt me any
more. I'll be good." Misty tried to crawl to Serenity.
"Make it stop. I'll be good. I promise. I promise.
Please. I'll be good." The Princess dropped to her knees and hugged
her friend to her.
"It's me, it's me! What can I do!" Misty curled
into a small weeping ball at Serenity's feet.
"I'll be good, make it stop, make it stop I'll be
good!."
"Princess! Princess!" "What, Mercury!" "Tell her she's
being good!" "What!" "Hurry, tell her she's being good!"
The frantic Princess grabbed her friend and
whispered fiercely in her ear.
"You are good, you are good." The convulsions
lessened.
"You are very good. You are my friend. My good
friend. You are a good girl, a very good girl. The best."
She held the shuddering girl, repeating this litany over and over
'till her voice was gone and the girl fell into an exhausted sleep.
"Well that was exciting." Sailorjupiter limped
back to her friends from the kitchen bearing a tray with glasses and
a pitcher of spiced wine." I take it you know her?"
"She's the friend I told you about." Sailormars
stared at her princess.
"You didn't tell us she was a homicidal maniac." "That's not
fair!" "FAIR! This maniac almost fried us and you talk
about FAIR!"
"Actually, there are a couple of interesting things
about the princess's new friend." Sailormercury was looking at
her computer and entering commands.
"OH! Something interesting aside from the fact that
she tried to kill us with a pair of CANNON!"
"Calm down Mars." "Well, excuse me if almost being assassinated
makes
me CRANKY!!"
"Look at this." Mercury pointed to a schematic on
her computer screen. "Now this is her pharmocopia. Most of
the drugs are pretty standard, pain killers, antibiotics,
stimulants. But this little section here, contains a very powerful
psychotropic drug. It's usually used in treating mental illness. . . "
"I told you she was a nut case." Mars muttered.
Mercury ignored her and continued.
"And this," she pointed to a blinking icon, "is a
miniaturized dream state actuator. This is used in treating
certain deep seated phobias and psychoses." She tapped a few keys. "I'm
going to play back what happened just after the princess opened the
door. Here you can see she is about to fire. She recognizes the
princess and freezes. Now this was a voluntary reaction. Then we
enter the room behind the princess. Our 'friend's' implant's--"
"Her name is Misty." "Sorry, Misty's implant's go wild and
try to shut
her down. But someone, probably Misty, is a very clever programer
as well. There was a routine coded that told the implants that
we were all just a simulation. No senshi here, just a computer
simulation of senshi. That fooled the master computer but THEN
something else happened. I'm not sure exactly what but it was
centered on you." Mercury indicated her princess.
"ME?" "Something triggered some core fail-safe that
dumped the drugs into her system and started the dream- state
actuator. But instead of being used to CURE a phobia or psychosis
it was use to give them. Some one arranged to drop her into her
worst nightmare and then magnify it."
"Will she be all right?"
-"I don't know. She should be dead. By normal
standards that was a lethal dosage of drug. On the other had it looks
like someone has completely rebuilt her. She's even got a complete
"MolFac' installed inside her body. I've never heard of. . ."
"Wait, wait, 'Molfac?" "Sorry. Think about when you go to the
healer and
they inject tailored molecular machines to fix a broken bone, or
repair a torn ligament. Well, she's got a factory inside her to
manufacture molecular machines. As long as it's got power and raw
materials it can keep her up and going no matter the damage. And
it's been used. . . a lot. My scans indicate that every bone in her
body has been broken, multiple times, over a period of years.
It's harder to tell with soft tissue but her repairs are so extensive
that she looks like a quilt."
"Who would do somethin. . ." Jupiter's voice trailed
off. "Oh shit. Them!"
"Yeah, with friends like them, who needs enema's." "That's an
old joke, Mars. And not very funny." "Oh yeah, well how 'bout this. What's the
difference between Sailorneptune and Queen Beryl? Queen Beryl wears
a longer skirt."
"I've got one!" Jupiter chimed in. "What's the
difference between Sailoruranus and Queen Beryl? Queen Beryl has a
sense of humor."
"Ok, Ok." Venus riposted. "What's the difference
between Sailor Pluto and Queen Beryl?"
"I don't know." "Neither does anyone else!" Usagi sat on the
floor with Misty curled in her lap
like an abandoned kitten. She looked up at her jesting friends.
"What are we going to do?" The senshi looked at
their princess.
"We could hide her. My uncle has a hunting lodge." "That's no
good Mars. Even if we fooled the demon
bitches, Pluto could find her anywhere she hid."
"We've got to think of somewhere Pluto can't find
her. . . or someone Pluto can't intimidate." Mercury put in.
"Well, the only two I can think of that would go
against Pluto are the Goddess OR Her Majesty. . . " Jupiter
joked.
"Well, we can't depend on miracles," Venus
dead panned. "So I guess it's the Goddess."
"I think. . . I think I have an idea." The princess
looked at her friends. " I need to go get something. Look after
Misty while I'm gone. Don't take any chances with the Outer's or
Sailor Pluto. If you have to. . . go to my mother. I think I'll
be back before anything happens but. . . "
"Yeah. But why not just go to your mother now?" The
princess looked up at her big friend.
"Because I don't want to put mother in the position
of having to choose between Sailor Pluto and me. She has enough
to worry about with all the trouble Beryl is causing." The princess
walked out of her apartments followed by the commander of her guard.
"This is a big mistake. We should just give her
back."
"Venus," The Princess looked betrayed, "you've seen
what they did to her, what they'll keep doing."
"They must have a reason. . . " "Oh yes. They always have a
reason.." Her bitter
condemning tone would have shocked most of the palace residents
who knew only the cheerful smiling princess. "They can justify
anything. . . Sacrifices must be made!" she mimicked. "The
problem is, by the time they're through sacrificing to save the
Imperium. . . there won't be anybody left alive to save. Well not
this time. They don't get her. Not now! Not ever!"
"We can't stop them." Venus held up her hand to
forestall objections. "You are our Princess. You command and we
obey. Besides," Venus gave her liege a wry grin, "nothing would give
me more pleasure than to hand those two their heads." She saw
Misty's surprised look and explained.
"I was visiting some friends at the super-metal
mining facility about ten years ago. That's in the asteroid
belt so it falls in the Outer's jurisdiction. Well, there was an
outbreak of Nerve Fever. In a closed system like the belt habitats
it's horrible. And since the incubation period is almost four weeks
the whole system was contaminated before anyone knew it. It was so
bad they had to call on the Inner System to help with treatment
and evacuation. I was on one of the unaffected habitats that was
used as a staging area." Venus chuckled "Up to that time I
knew I wanted to be a senshi, but I wanted to be an Outer. Guard
the Frontier, first contact with aliens, the whole bit. Well, I
got to see Inner and Outer senshi in action. The Outer senshi all
looked like they'd just stepped off a recruiting poster. Especially
Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune. And their groups of refugee's. . . No
crying babies, everyone in their queue, no pushing or shoving. It was
text-book perfect. Then you could walk down and see the Inner's
working. Uniforms rumpled, and dirty. They looked like an unmade
bed. Babies crying, children playing in the halls, people pushing
and shoving in line. It was a real mess. I thought they were
a joke. Then, one day, I watched the Outer's process a new
batch of refugees. They sorted, cataloged and moved them along
like they were so much trash that had to be disposed of. And I
found out why their refugees were so polite. They were terrified
of the Outer senshi. I watched them separate a little boy from
his parents. The parents had tested positive for the virus, but
the child was clean. So the parents went to quarantine and the
child went to holding. Well this kid had a stuffed animal, a bear
or horse or something. And he was clutching this thing and crying
for his mama and papa. Problem was this stuffed animal wasn't on
the Outer's approved list. Only NECESSARY items, as decreed
by the all knowing Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune. I watched one of
the Outer senshi SNATCH the doll out of that child's hands and
dump it. I hated them for that. They could have made an exception.
The Inner's did all the time. But not the Outer's. That would
be too untidy, too inefficient. "Sacrifices have to be made." That
was the first time I ever heard that. I found out later that's
the un- official Outer Senshi motto." Venus took a deep breath
and let it out slowly. "We can't stop them if they come. If you let
me call out the Inner Guard . . ." Venus's voice trailed off as her
Princess shook her head.
"And have senshi fight senshi? Inner Guard against Outer . .
.Civil War. Wouldn't Beryl just love that. No, we do this on our
own. Just my own personal guard."
"Then we can't stop them." Venus repeated. "Maybe in a few
years when we're older, stronger. But they'll be hurting when
they leave."
Princess Serenity slipped a heavy chain over her
head and dropped it over the surprised Sailorvenus's head.
"This is my personal seal. When you speak it is
with my voice. When you act it is by my will. If any one attempts to
take Misty, you tell them she is under MY personal protection. Tell
them any attempt to remove her from my care will be treated as an
act of treason and I will so charge them in the High Court."
"You do know what this means, don't you?" "Well, at the very
least I'll find out who means
the most to mother, Sailorpluto or me."

**************************************************

"Good morning sleepy head. Have a nice nap?" Misty bolted up
right to see. . . a very large. . .
breast? It spoke again.
"Not a morning person? You're just like the rest of
these slug-a-beds. I just LOVE mornings," the voice caroled.
She scooted back to gain some perspective and discovered an even
larger girl attached to the mammoth mammary, which turned out to be
one of a matched pair.
"Hey, Venus! Rise and shine. You need to show our
guest around while I fix breakfast." A huge right hand blurred
toward the bed covers.
THWAK! "Owwwwie." A tousled bond head popped up from under
the covers.
"Save it for Mercury you sadist. SHE likes it."
Venus rolled off the bed rubbing her injured dignity and glaring at
her sister senshi. Jupiter laughed and padded back into the kitchen.
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." Venus looked down at the
bewildered girl on the bed.
"Uh, Misty isn't it." The small dark head bobbed once.
"OK Misty, lets get you cleaned up, then fed. We
have a long day ahead. . . I hope," she muttered sotto voice.
"Mercury, time to get up." She prodded the small
senshi who lay drooling cutely into her pillow. She giggled
slightly at Venus's assault, only drawing her arms in slightly to
protect her ribs. Venus poked again, harder. This caused Mercury
to curl up on her side , knees just under her breasts, one hand
going to her mouth like a small child.
"Yuch!" Venus grimaced. "Even asleep she's
adorable. HEY Jupiter," she shouted to her culinary comrade.
" How can you stand this! She makes my teeth ache, she's so sweet."
"She has her moments." "Ha, I've got it. A low powered
'Crescent Beam'."
Venus started to power up. "Might even leave her eyebrows."
"Aaaakkk! I'm up, I'm up!" Mercury bolted out of
the bed, hands held protectively over her eyebrows.
"How nice you could join us. Now let's get going." "Jupiter, it's
your turn to get Mars." "Aww. Do I haffta?" "I did it the last
two times. Now move." Venus and Mercury shepherded Misty
toward the
bathroom while Jupiter grimly stalked toward the bed and the remaining
senshi.
"I bet you wondering why you're naked," Mercury
asked her charge as they headed for the bath.
"'Cause we like looking at naked girls?" "Shut up Venus!" Mercury
snapped. "Your old clothes
were covered in vomit. And there was no sense in putting clean
clothes on you to sleep when you were so dirty yourself." Venus
chuckled evilly.
"Good one Mercury. Now explain why WE are all
naked."
Mercury took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "WE are
naked because my analysis indicated that it
was the sens. . . " She paused as Misty tensed beneath her hands,
"because our uniforms caused you to react badly."
"And because we like to look at naked girls," Venus
chirped.
"I think it's the crystal," Jupiter intoned as the
padded by. . . a comatose Mars slung over one shoulder like a
bag of rice. She disappeared around a corner headed toward the
cold section of the bath.
"Uh oh!" "Quick, down!" Venus grabbed Misty and hauled her
down behind a cabinet as Mercury hurled herself under a low bench.
SPLOOSH! "Ahhhhhhhhhh!COLD!" "Uh. . . "MARRRRRRSSSSS!
"It's not my fault." "FIRRRRREEEEE!" "Mercury made
me do it?" "SSSSSSNNNNNAAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!"
"I'vegottagocheckonbreakfastbynow!" Jupiter
thundered past as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels,
instead of a fiery serpent nibbling just a little higher.
"Well that went well." Misty gazed at Venus in
bewilderment.
"She didn't set off the sprinklers." "ONE time, and no one
ever lets you forget." The
senshi of fire squished into the room, looking like a drowned cat
and smelling like burnt wool. She looked around the room. "Hey,
why is every body naked?"
"It's the crystal." Jupiter came into the bath
carrying two heavily laden trays.
"Jupiter's got this theory that long exposure to
the crystal has made the Imperial family. . . a little strange."
"Hey, it explains the short skirts. And remember
Serenity the First had a TREE as her chief advisor."
Misty was settled into the steaming water, two
senshi on either side of her.
"You know, eating in the bath was one of Stormy's
better ideas. It's fast, comfortable and you're all clean when
you're done."
"And you get to look at nake. . . " "Will you knock it
off." Mercury bopped her friend
lightly on the head."
"Ummm. Why do you call her 'Stormy'?" "Ha! Well Serenity is
the Imperial family name, but
of course each Sovereign has her own personal name and later chooses
her Reign name. Well 'Stormy' HATED her personal name, so every
one called her 'little Serenity'. That wasn't much better
as far as she was concerned. She was always getting into so much
trouble that someone finally said she had as 'little Serenity as a
typhoon.' From then own she was called Stormy." The five girls washed
and ate in companionable silence.
"Well, now what do we do?" Jupiter asked the walls.
"Get dressed, if there's anything in Stormy's
closet that will fit" Venus looked at her giant companion
who grinned back.
"Or won't strangle us in lace," Jupiter added.
Venus looked dismayed at the prospect.
"Why don't we just 'port something from our rooms,
or buy new?" Mars asked?
"Because THEY may be out looking for our friend
Misty. The Royal Apartments are shielded. No one can tell who,
if anyone is in here right now. And even THEY might hesitate to
blindly invade the Princess' apartments. But if THEY knew we were
here then. . . "
BANG! BANG! BANG! Everyone jumped as the door shuddered under
massive blows.
"Shit!" Venus cursed and leaped to her feet. "Mars,
Mercury take Misty and run for the Queen's apartments. She may
shelter you, at least until she talks with Stormy."
"We're not going to leave. . . " "Don't argue. I promised Stormy
that we wouldn't
let them take Misty. This is our best chance."
"And if the Queen won't give us shelter?" "Don't let them take
her, not alive." Venus took up
position beside the door.
"Jupiter, open a hole with a thunder bolt when I
open the door. That'll be your signal Mercury. Lay down a 'Shabon
Spray' and try to break out down the corridor. I'll cover
with a 'Crescent Beam' as long as I can. Mars, you just burn anything
still moving. Ready?"
Mars' fire burned with an angry flame while frost
rimmed the ground around the grimly determined Mercury. The stench
of ozone filled the air as fat balls of electricity dripped like
sweat off Jupiter to plop on the ground with an evil hiss. Venus
felt her own body swell to bursting with golden power as she
readied her "Crescent Beam." She swore to herself that she would
burn Sailorneptune a new asshole before she went down. She reached
out and gently unlatched the door, then slammed it open.
"SUPREEEEM. . . "SHAAAABONNN. . . "THUN. . . "CRESEN. . . "
"FIRE. . . " "BEAAAA. . . ' "Hiiiiiiiii! I brought
Coooookkkkiiiieeeessss!" "!!!!!!!!!!"

***************************************************

". . . my hands were full." the princess wailed. "That's no
reason to scare us half to death." "Hey, these cookies are
good!" The other senshi glared at
Mercury.
"Well they are." "You are such a child about sweets," Jupiter
said
fondly. "Here have one of mine."
"F'ank 'U,"Mercury mumbled through a mouthful of
crumbs. Venus rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"If we can get back to the problem at hand. What
are we going to do about Misty and. . . THEM?"
"This!" The princess pulled a box out of her
pocket.
"S-T-O-R-M-E-Z S-T-U-F" Mercury traced the letters
on the box . "K-E-P-P O-U-T. I hope for the sake of your tutors that
this is an OLD box." The princess stuck her tongue out at the senshi
of water.
"This is all my best things. I had to go to the
summer palace to get it." She dumped the box on the floor. Sea
shells, brightly colored pebbles and a bird's nest spilled out across
the carpet. Mars let a handful of pebbles run through her fingers.
"Well, yes I can see how this would strike terror
in the hearts of. . . "
"Not that silly, THIS!" She dug through her pile of small
treasures and
held up a palm sized brooch. Mars stretched out a hand toward the
object, then snatched it back as if she'd been burned.
"Where did you GET that!" she hissed "Grand mama gave it to me."
"Grand mama! You wouldn't happen to be talking
about Serenity Iron Tongue also known as Serenity Maneater
and Serenity BUBBLEHEAD!!"
"Well, she was a little eccentric." "ECCENTRIC!" The senshi of
fire screeched. "She had
all of her lovers flash frozen. . . "
"Only after they were dead." the princess excused ". . . and
made them CABINET MINISTERS!!" "Grand mama said she could get
more work done, and
it was so much quieter." Mars glared at her princess , puffing like
a walrus with adenoid problems.
"THAT GRAND MAMA!! You got that." She pointed to
the offending object "from HER!"
"I think it's beautiful." Misty reached down. . .
"NO! Don't. . . " Mars screamed. . . . and picked it up. It
was old iron, black with
age. A dragon and a phoenix twisted together in a savage embrace.
The dragon had pierced the phoenix's breast while the phoenix claws
were driven deep into the dragon heart. Blood ran together from both
wounds to join in a single ruby drop, the only splash of color
on the unrelieved black.
". . . touch it." Mars finished weakly. "What's the problem,
Mars?" Jupiter asked. "The problem is, that the last time
someone had one
of those" she pointed at the broach in Misty's hand "they turned
the 'Old Stone Fort'" she lurched up from the floor and stomped
over to the sliding doors that faced the gardens "or what used
to be the Old Stone Fort" the doors slammed back. Every one
winced as sunlight streamed into the dimly lit room, "into
a crater three kilometers across and six hundred meters deep."
She pointed to an ornamental lake in the distance.
"I don't suppose GRAND MAMA gave you an instruction
book to go with that. . . damn. . . thing."
"OK, Mars, you've had you're little tantrum. Now
why don't you provide a little detail."
Mars glared at Venus for a second before plumping
back down beside the group.
"Two thousand years ago the senshi didn't exist.
The Imperial family was warded by the Blood Guard. Each year that
a Royal baby was to be born a young woman, heavy with child,
would come down from the Iron Mountains. She and the Royal
mother-to-be would stay together for that year. Blood Guard
were joined with their charge before life and after death, so
the stories go, drawing their first and last breath together.
In between, they would sleep in the same bed, eat from the same
bowl, drink from the same cup. The thought of one would come
from the lips of the other." She looked at her companions. "Two
thousand years ago the last of the blood guard and all but one of
Serenity's line were murdered during the 'Revolt of the Barons'.
Serenity Ironback, known as Serenity the Sorrowful lived to birth
her child, then followed her Blood Guard into the next world.
No one ever came down from the Iron Mountains after that, and
expeditions sent into the mountains found nothing or never returned."
"That's so sad." Mercury hugged her self as a chill
went through her body.
"There were attempts to revive the Blood Guard of
course. The last, four hundred fifty years ago resulted in an
explosion that vaporized the 'Old Stone Fort'. No one has tried
since. Of course, no one has had one of those." she pointed at the
broach. "If it's real, then it might well solve our problems with
Pluto and the Outer Senshi. Even Sailor Pluto can't arrest a ball
of hot gas and bone fragments."
"They probably tried to force it." The senshi all turned to
Misty at the sound of her
voice.
"It won't work if you force it." This time it was
their Princess.
"What did the brooch have to do with the Blood
Guard?" Jupiter asked.
"No one knows, except that it had something to do
with an exchange of oaths. Oaths which" Mars added looking
pointedly at her Princess "no one knows anymore because they were
never written down anywhere."
"It can't be written on paper." Serenity said "It's written on
the soul." Misty added "The oath is personal. . . " "Between the
two. . . " "Who are one. . . " Their hands met and somehow the
brooch was clenched between them.
" forever. . . " Mars looked startled, then concerned.
"Uh, guys. I don't think this is such a good idea.
Maybe we should think about this."
The two figures were on their knees, facing each
other.
"My blood when you thirst. . . " "My fire to warm you. . . "
Jupiter grabbed her princess around her waist and
heaved. Muscles bunched in her shoulders and veins popped out
on her brow. She would have has better luck pulling the palace up
by the roots.
"My flesh when you hunger. . . " "My steel to defend you. . . "
Mercury was rapidly tapping commands into her
computer. She glanced a readout, startled.
"This does NOT look good. I think. . . " "I am the blood, with
wings to carry" "I am the guard, my life is yours." A whirlwind
of light surrounded the two. Blood
dripped from their clenched hands where the iron brooch bit into
tender flesh. The horrified senshi watched as blood from the two
swirled together, dripped from their fists. . . and disappeared.
"I am the soul, with heart to shelter." "Before this life. . . "
The light grew brighter, the wind faster, cutting
their flesh like glass splinters. The senshi were forced unwillingly
back against the wall.
"And into the next. . . " "Forever." A freezing blast of
flame, beautifully terrible
slammed them into blackness.

**************************************************

"How is she. . . how are they?" Mars had come awake at the
bottom of a tangle of
senshi. She had clawed her way from under to find her princess
and her princess' 'Blood Guard' unconscious, hands still locked
together. Now she looked down at the two figures on the bed then
back at Mercury.
"How are they?" "Asleep, as far as I can tell." "Nothing
else!" the fire senshi asked anxiously. "Well.. ." Mercury
drawled consideringly "WHAT!" "I believe this 'Blood Guard'
thing must have
worked." She looked at her computer display. "Respiration,
pulse, even blood pressure and core temperature. . . match." She
quirked a grin at the slack jawed Mars. "Also, their alpha waves
and REM match. I think they're even dreaming the same dream."
"Well, I'm not leaving her alone with this. . .
this. . . " Mars glared at Misty curled against HER princess,
then looked challengingly at Mercury.
"I think Stormy would appreciate that." Mercury ran
a quick scan. "In fact, why don't you lie down too. You took a nasty
crack on the head."
Mars looked mutinous, then nodded. She toed off her
shoes and slipped in beside her princess.
"I'm not going to sleep," she growled at Mercury.
"Just lie down a second 'till my head stops hurting."
"Of course. I don't expect anything else." Mercury
concentrated on her computer. The click of computer keys was
accompanied by little grunts of frustration or hrumphs of
disbelief. A low buzzing sound interrupted her concentration. She
hit a function key. The buzzing got louder. Mercury hit the key again
with a little "mew" of frustration. Startled when there was
still no response from her computer she looked up. A smile spread
over her face as she saw the senshi of fire fast asleep, curled
protectively around both her sleeping Princess and her Princess'
"Blood Guard." Mercury gently drew a coverlet over the sleeping
girls and quietly left the room.
"How's it going?" Venus whispered. "They're all asleep."
"Even the pyro?" "I used a little psychology. How's it going
here?" "Great. Let me introduce you to 'Misty Brightwater,
Centurion in the Blood Guard." Venus handed a sheaf of hardcopy
to Mercury.
"What! Centurion! Blood Guard? I thought we were
going to HIDE her not. . . "
"Relax. This Blood Guard is a provincial militia
named in honor of the original 'Blood Guard.'. Militia are constantly
rotating through the Capitol for training and equipment upgrades. Plus
everyone knows the Princess is always taking in strays. One more
lonely homesick girl won't be noticed. It's perfect. Hiding her in
plain sight." Mercury looked awestruck
"How long do think we can hide her? And what
happens when THEY find her?"
"I don't know. Under the law she and Stormy are
LEGALLY the same person."
"HUH?" Jupiter was reading the papers over
Mercury's shoulder.
"That's how 'Blood Guard' and the one they guarded
were regarded in the 'First Empire' and the law is still on the
books. I guess with the real 'Blood Guard' all gone it never occurred
to anyone to change the law. But LEGALLY they can't touch her now. But
THEY've never been too concerned with the law."
"But how long do you think it will be before THEY
find her?" Jupiter asked again.

**************************************************
It took nine months, eighteen days.

***************************************************

". . . was NOT!" "Yes you were. I saw you." Mercury turned
to
'Misty' who was in her normal place, just behind and to the right
of the Princess. In fact she was so precise in her placement that
many in the Palace had started calling her Storm's Shadow or
just Shadow. She didn't seem to care what anybody called her, she
only answered to the Princess.
"You were there, you tell us. Wasn't Stormy
flirting with that prince from Earth?" Misty' turned expressionless
eyes on Mercury.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked tonelessly.
Mercury nodded in the affirmative. The Blood Guard stopped and
turned to face Mercury squarely.
"You are certain?" Mercury gulped a little at the serious tone.
She
could see out of the corner of her eye that her sister senshi and
the Princess had all stopped to listen.
"Uh, yes, I am certain." "Very well." The Blood Guard advanced
a step as
Mercury retreated. "I will tell you." The put her hands on either
side of Mercury's head and leaned close 'till they were nose to nose.
"But then I have to kill you." Mercury's magnificent brain
whirred with the
precision of an atomic clock; then hiccoughed as it processed
that last statement.
"Eeeeeep." Mercury scooted back so quickly she fell
and slid across the floor on her rump.
Misty's lips quirked in an infinitesimal smile. "Gotcha."
##Alert! Entering Shielded Area## Misty absently noted the
whisper's message. This
was normal when entering the Royal apartments.
##Alert. Entering Shielded Area. Active Sensors to
standby. Passive Sensors reduced to .24.## The shielding scrambled
active sensors with feedback and reflector ghosts, and even
passive sensors were hashed unless greatly reduced in sensitivity.
##Area clear within scan range.## The scrolling map in her head
showed an area empty
except for the icons identifying the Princess and her senshi.
She would be glad to have the Princess back in her rooms and under
cover. Dancing struck her as only slightly less dangerous than
clearing a mine field. It was especially troublesome that there
were no dances for THREE people. Misty had improvised by learning
to steer her own dance 'partner' (Venus joked that Misty had a
dance 'hostage' ) alongside the Princess and her partner. Mars head
snapped up from talking to Venus.
"Wha. . . " ##WARNING!## The whisper was urgent now. ##Energy
spike. Portal opening. Multiple portals detected.## The walls
shimmered like ripples in a pool of water.
##WARNING. Hostile detected. Multiple hostile's.##
Black figures erupted from the floors, wall and ceiling. Misty swept
a hand knocking the Princess to the ground. The rest of the senshi
moved to form a defensive circle around her.
"Comm systems are jammed. I can't get out."
Mercury's voice was low and urgent.
"We don't want the Princess. We just want her." The
tallest of the black clad figures pointed directly at Misty. Misty
looked at the hallway, crowded with heavily armed and armored
figures, then back at her Princess peeping out from the center of
her senshi's protective circle. She knew where these black clad
figures were from, knew who the one in front must be; Sailoruranus.
"I'll come with you." "NO!" "Good choice. Come over
here." Misty walked away
from the senshi and toward the speaker.
"Now put these on." The figure shoved a set of
heavy shock-restraints into her hands.
"No, Misty. Don't. . . " "It's OK Stormy. Remember what we
talked about."
But Stormy wasn't thinking about the law, or plans or anything
else. The shock of being attacked in her own home, almost in
her own rooms had driven such mundane thought from her head. The
black-clad spokesman grew impatient at the delay and grabbed Misty
by the hand. Misty jerked back reflexively, her body remembering
old pain these hands had given. The situation went to hell. . .
'Black-clad' clubbed Misty with a nerve-burner
thinking she was trying to escape. . .
Misty cried out in pain and shock. . . Stormy broke away from
her senshi and ran toward
her friend. . .
'Black Clad' lashed out blindly at the half-seen
figure coming up behind. . .
Stormy flew backwards in a spray of blood hitting
the wall and sliding to the ground like a broken doll. . .
"Weapons hot," Misty commanded. CRESCENT BEAM!" A savage
golden beam scorched
through the air, narrowly hitting 'Black Clad" who dove for the
ground. Venus tracked the beam left, blasting chunks from the
ablative armor worn by the swarm of black clad invaders.
##Selecting Armor Piercing Anti-personnel
Incendiary. Power at 0.02.## The computer automatically selected a
weapons mix and power setting that wouldn't kill everyone, friends
included, when used in the close confines of the corridor
"SUPREME THUNDER." Jupiter's attack rolled
harmlessly off black armor. The invaders knew who they would be
up against and had come prepared. They came forward, confident of
their immunity. Jupiter snatched the first armored figure to reach
her off it's feet. Grasping it by the ankles she began to swing
it in great sweeping arcs, attempting to batter her way through the
crowd surrounding her.
##Input targeting criteria## "Identify Princess and her senshi
as friendly. All
others hostile."
##Input accepted## Mercury had abandoned her futile attempts
to summon
help. Finding her SHABON SPRAY as useless against the black armored
figures as Jupiter's thunder, she launched a gallant and suicidal
barehanded attack on an armored figure striding purposefully toward
her downed Princess. She leapt on the back of the invader, and
wrapping her legs around its torso began smashing its armored
head with the Mercury Computer. The figure reached back with black
gauntleted hands to pluck Mercury from her perch.
"Fire." The stream of 4mm darts moving at mach 25 turned
the black armored head into a rapidly expanding pinkish grey
mist. Mercury dropped to the ground with a little "oooph", and rolled
clear as the headless figure fell to the ground with a rattling
clang. As she pulled herself groggily to her feet her computer
made a small electronic sound of distress and Mercury looked at
the display.
"They're opening another portal," she cried. "We
can't hold them." The air shimmered and twisted with the energies
of a large transport portal opening. As the portal stabilized
the dismayed senshi could see more armored figures and what looked
like a stun cannon.
"MARS WAR FIRE!!" The blast of super-heated plasma blew
through the
black armored figures just emerging from the portal reducing
them, their stun cannon and sixty centimeters of armored bulkhead
to a fine ash. The portal abruptly popped out of existence like a
soap bubble in a furnace.
All fighting stopped as the stunned combatants, on
both sides, looked at the warrior of fire who stood swaying on
her feet..
"HA! You better not mess. . . " her eyes rolled up in
her head and Mars dropped to the floor like an empty laundry bag.
"Got her! Let's go!" Venus twisted in the grip of
two armored invaders to see Misty fall under the point- blank fire of
six neural disrupters. Her last sight, as an armored fist hammered
her into blackness, was of an unconscious Misty and the horde
of armored figures winking out of existence.

***************************************************

"Aaaaaa" Sailoruranus hissed as Sailoneptune
sprayed wound-sealant on the burn running from wrist to shoulder.
"I could do something for the pain it you'd let
me."
"Leave it. Pain is instructive. Maybe I'll learn
something from it." She pounded her good had on the table.
"Dammit. This was supposed to be a simple pickup.
Grab the girl, in and out. Quick clean, no one hurt." She looked
grimly at her companion.
"How bad is it?" "We're clean." At Sailoruranus's look of
disbelief
she went on.
"It's true. We'd already taken care of the security
net. And Mars's fire actually did us a favor. Any residual
traces we might have left were destroyed by her blast. There's no
evidence of who we were."
"They'll suspect. . . " "Suspicion is not evidence. Pluto can
convince the
Queen that it was Beryl."
"What are our losses?" "Twenty four dead. Most of those when
Mars blew the
portal. Thirty more wounded. Three of those may not make
it." Sailoruranus swore harshly.
"What were those idiots thinking! They were
outnumbered, surrounded. Hell, they didn't even have light
armor. All they had to do was give us the target and no one would
have gotten hurt." It didn't occur to Sailoruranus to include "the
target" in the list of people who would get hurt. Or even in
the list of people.
"They're just children." Sailorneptune said
tolerantly. "They're too emotional to make good decis. . ."
She broke off as the admittance chime sounded. Sailoruranus
stiffened.
"I'll see who it is." Sailorneptune left the
bedroom, while Sailoruranus fretted. She could hear the door open,
then voices. Indistinct, they quickly became clearer.
". . . honored to have you visit Majesty. But I'm
afraid that this isn't a very good time. Sailoruranus isn't feeling
well. . . "
Hastily Sailoruranus tugged her tunic over her
burned arm with a grimace of pain.
". . . can not go in there." Sailorneptune blurred through the
air and slammed
against the wall with a force that shook the walls. Sailoruranus
jerked to her feet in shock as Queen Serenity appeared in the
entrance.
"Can not?" the voice was mildly questioning. The
eyes were not.
"In my own palace, you tell me that I 'can not'?" Sailoruranus
knelt before the Queen her mind
racing. Something in their cover story had broken, but what?
How much did the Queen know? She tried to stall for time."
"Gracious Majesty, if Sailorneptune has given
offence I am sure. . . "
"Where is she?" "She, Majesty? I don't. . . " Sailoruranus
screamed as she was slammed against
the wall. Her vison blurred as a giant hand smashed again and
again into her middle. Finally she was released sobbing and
vomiting to fall to the floor. Delicate footsteps clicked over
to where she lay. She opened one eye to stare blurrily at the hem
of a silver gown.
"You may tell me what I want to know," the voice
was delicate, soft and cultured, "or I will take it from you." The
voice was indifferent to Sailoruranus choice.
"I. . . I" she wiped a pink froth from her smashed
lips. She could feel broken ribs grate. "I don't know what you
mean graci. . . "
Queen Serenity blazed with power as she prepared to
rip Sailoruranus's mind apart like a used tissue.
"DON'T!" Feebly Sailoruranus let her head roll to one side
to see Sailorneptune scrabble across the room on her belly.
"Please, don't hurt her. I'll tell you. . . " "Don't! Not for
me. We have to. . . " "She'll take it from you anyway. And you'll
die for
nothing. Nothing!"
Sailorneptune sent a frantic mental command that
opened a sealed portal.
"There. She's in there!" Queen Serenity reappeared carrying a
limp form. She
stared coldly at the two fallen senshi.
"The senshi you commanded are under arrest for high
treason. It has been a while since the executioner has had
any work. I imagine after the first dozen it will come back to
him." Sailoruranus struggled to her knees.
"Majesty! Please, the senshi were under my command.
They were only following. . . "
"Orders? This may serve to instruct your successor
as to which orders should be given and which orders should
not." The Queen stopped and turned back to Sailoruranus.
"Did you know that you struck my daughter?" Sailoruranus
sucked in an involuntary breath, then gasped as her broken ribs
protested.
"No, Majesty. I never. . . " "My daughter says as much. She
tells me that she
came from behind, suddenly. That you could not have known it was
she." The Queen paused, lost in thought. "My daughter does not
understand that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater
good. She believes instead that the good should be increased. . .
so that all may share." Queen Serenity looked down at Sailoruranus.
"I have sheltered and protected my daughter all her life. I did not
wish her to learn about the ugly side of the Imperium; the greed,
lies and betrayal that fuel court life. I wonder if I shall thank
you for instructing her so well?"

**************************************************

"Serenity, I have some good news. It seems as if
Beryl's research and development facility has suffered an
accident. There is. . . " Sailor Pluto halted as Queen Serenity held
up a hand.
"A palace coup." Sailor Pluto grinned. "I didn't realize you
wanted to play. My news can
wait." She started forward.
"Betrayed by my closest advisor." Sailor Pluto reached for
the Queen. "What is weapon 4?" Only someone who knew the
guardian of time well
would have sensed her slight hesitation.
"What do you mean?" Her head snapped back. A ring on the
Queen's hand
ripping a long deep furrow in her perfect skin. She reeled back,
the shock of the blow more devastating than a sword to the heart. She
stretched out a hand. . .
"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" "Please, just let me. . . " "LIE!"
The Queen drew in a long shuddering breath.
"Don't bother. I know about weapon 4, and what you have done."
"Then you must know I did it for the Imperium, for
y. . . "
Sailorpluto stumbled back as the Queen surged
forward in a rage.
"Don't say you did it for ME. Don't you dare say
that you kidnaped, murdered, tortured for ME!! Don't you tell me
that you had my daughter and her companions ATTACKED for ME!" Pluto
fell back, white faced, before the Queen's rage.
"Ser. . . Majesty, I had to do it. Beryl is. . . " "Beryl."The
Queen's harsh laughter shivered across
the room. "What need have I to fear Beryl when I have YOU!"
Pluto staggered at the accusation , catching herself on a table
before she could fall.
"At least Beryl never pretended to love me! At
least Beryl never betrayed my trust!" Pluto raised a trembling
hand. The Queen cut her off with a savage motion.
"NO! Not a word! I should kill you with my own
hands. She glared at the guardian of time. " The Weapon 4 project
is finished. I want all records of it and all other projects you
are running, on my desk in the morning." She immediately killed
the spark of hope in Pluto's eyes. "Send one of your lackeys
with the records. I don't want you polluting my air with your
presence." Pluto tried one more time.
"Majesty, by the love we shared, may I speak?" "Speak." The
words grated unwillingly. "Beryl and her Shadows are dangerous. I
had to find
a weapon to fight them. That is why. . . "
"What need to fight Beryl if we BECOME her!" The
Queen's fists clenched 'till the knuckles whitened. "I loved you,"
she said suddenly. "I loved you from the first moment I saw you in
my mother's court. I thought you were the most beautiful, the most
perfect creature in the universe. I thought that you were lonely. That
I could help you.. . And I loved you with all the helpless,
hopeless passion of an infatuated twelve year old. Everyone told
me how cruel you were, how inhuman. That you were nothing but a
creation of the crystal, with a heart to match. When you came to my
rooms that first time. . . I thought that the Goddess had answered
my prayers. I didn't know it was the devil" She rose from her
seat to tower over the kneeling Pluto. "But I am sworn to protect
the Imperium and its people. I will not sacrifice their lives to
avenge my own betrayal. I can not afford a division in the Imperium
now. You and the Outer senshi may live. . . on sufferance. You and
they will retire to the outer system." She turned to go.
"Serenity, please. . . "
The Queen stepped through a portal. "please. . . "

**************************************************

A door that didn't exist opened from a place that
had no name. A tall figure with long dark hair stepped through
and looked at the six girls tumbled together like a basket full
of kittens. Kittens that had been through a very hard day. She
selected one slight figure that was nestled up against a tiny
blond girl with absurdly long hair. She motioned with her staff
and both she and the girl vanished.

**************************************************

"It's very difficult to carry on a conversation if
you keep trying to kill me."
Misty snarled and lunged again at the guardian of
time. Again she bounced off an invisible shield.
"You should be pleased," Pluto continued. "Queen
Serenity arrested the Outer Senshi and condemned them to death,
after first breaking several important bones. And I have been
banished." Pluto noted Misty's feral snarl. "Now you and your
Princess and her senshi can live happily together. . . until Beryl
comes. The you have a choice of hoping she dies in the fighting or
you can kill her yourself. I don't think you want her delivered
alive into Beryl's hand's."
"I can protect her." "As you protected her today? And the
Outer Senshi
weren't even after the Princess."
"I can. . . " "Do nothing. But I can. I can give you power. Power
to defeat Beryl. Power to protect your Princess. If you come back
to finish the project."
"Why are you asking? Why don't you just take.
You're good at that."
"Because you are under the Queen's protection now.
If I take you she will come after me. I can't fight Beryl and
Serenity at the same time. But you can come of your own free will."
"Why me? Why am I so important?" Pluto sighed to herself. It
would have all been so
much simpler if they had managed to obliterate the girl's
personality completely. But as usual the technical people had
overestimated their capabilities. It would have been nice though. So
much less trouble.
"Because the weapon we have developed to combat the
Shadows, to allow you to exist between dimensions, has killed
everyone who has used it or driven them mad. You are the only one
who can survive the pain of transition between dimensions. The only
one who can withstand the madness of zero-space. You are the only
one who can fight the Shadows and win."

***************************************************

". . . upgrades worked perfectly. The new power
receptors are even better than we anticipated."
"And how long before we can duplicate Weapon 4?"
The director smiled.
"We have already started. We should be able to
decant the first batch within six months. Initial programming
and implant installation should be relatively straight
forward with what we have learned. I think we should have no more
than a 40% wastage."
"How soon to produce completed weapons?" "Eighteen months for
the first six. After that,
with the facilities we have, I think we can produce two weapons every
four months." Pluto tapped the table in front of her thoughtfully.
"I think that is acceptable. Beryl is still
rebuilding her R&D facility after that fire last year. And she seems
to be concentrating a great deal of effort in the mono-pole mining
facility." A briefly wistful look crossed her face as she remembered
Queen Serenity's almost childish glee at her ploy to distract Beryl.
She banished the thought ruthlessly. "I would like to see. . . "
An alarm rang and a face appeared on the
communications screen. A terrified tech looked out at her.
"Sailor Pluto, a message from the capitol! They are
under attack!" Pluto froze for a stunned moment, then lunged for
the console. She entered a code. Her heart thudded in her chest
while she waited for the screen to clear.
"Sailor Pluto, thank the Goddess. We've been trying
to get through to you but. . . "
"The Queen! Where is the Queen." "I don't know. I think she
went to 'Cloud Song' to
rally the Inner Guard but. . . "
"Give me Commander Tarn. If she can hold the curtain
wall I can. . . "
"Tarn is dead. The wall is down. The Shadows are
already in the palace grounds. We must have. . . "
Pluto stared at the blank screen. A portal snapped
open behind her and Sailoruranus supporting a wounded Sailorneptune
stumbled out.
"Pluto. . . the Shadows. They destroyed the Outer Guard
barracks. The power grid is down and the portal system is failing.
We need to warn. . . " Pluto ignored the senshi and turned to
the director.
"How long to get the Combat Support Unit back on
line?"
"The CSU? Why I don't know, several hours, perhaps
a day. As I mentioned we are re-calibrating the power. . ."

"Strip the facility. Empty the infirmary. Unless
they're six weeks dead I want to see everyone on the transport
grid with a weapon in fifteen minutes." She thought a minute.
"Put the CSU on autonomous repair mode. Tell it to signal as soon
as it's ready."
"What do you have in mind Pluto." Sailorneptune
asked, sagging with exhaustion.
"We're going to port directly into the palace. The
Queen's tower is the most heavily armored part of the palace. If
we can hold it long enough for the CSU to come on line we can
counter-attack with. . . "
"The Princess!" Misty burst into the room, panting
heavily. "Something is wrong. I can feel it."
"The palace is under attack. We are leaving as
soon. . . "
"NO! I'm not waiting on you. You don't care about
her."
There was a flare of light as Misty wrenched open a
portal to the Moon Kingdom and vanished.

**************************************************

The palace was burning. She could see people and
stone melted together. The primary weapon activated without
conscious thought. The familiar screaming pain was swallowed by her
terror for the Princess.
"Active sensors at maximum," she ordered the
whisper.
"Locate the Princess." ##Searching.## A nightmare shape rose
suddenly before her black
and twisted; it screamed and writhed as it burned in the fires of
zero-space. A huge hand scattered buildings and people like toys as
it lunged for her.
"Kinetic Weapon. Select super-dense. Maximum
acceleration"
##Super-dense Selected. Acceleration set at 0.3C##
the voice whispered.
"Initiate phase lock." ##Phase lock complete.## came the whisper
"Fire." Ordinarily an object that was in zero-space, that
peculiar place between dimensions, was invulnerable to outside
forces until that object chose to leave the safety of zero-space
and touch normal-space. Unless that outside force had the ability
to phase into zero- space as well.
20,000 rounds per minute of super-dense 4 mm
needles blasted out of the "barrel" of the coil-gun at a little
over fifty thousand miles per second. The swarm of needles
blow-torched through the Shadow destroying its containment field
with. . . unfortunate and fatal results. The Imperium's last blood
Guard raced through the expanding gas cloud that had once been one
of Beryl's elite shock troops.
##Accumulators at 0.38## She cursed her carelessness. She'd
used too much
power killing that first Shadow and without the CSU there was
no chance of. . .
##. . . nitiating power tap. NO RESPONSE. Initiating
power tap. NO RESP. . . ##
"Cancel" she told the idiot-savant computer. "CSU
not available."
##Acknowledged. 18 minutes combat capability
remains at present power drain.##
A pair of Shadows converged on her from the flanks.
Her internal map showed the Princess just beyond them. The energy
weapon burned the legs off one, the kinetic weapon blasted the second
in the torso. She didn't wait to see the results but raced on toward
her duty and her friend.
##5 minutes combat power.## Ahead, she could see the huge
figure of a woman
looming over a tiny seeming figure in armor and below that. . .
##Princess!!## She sent power to her contra-gravity and JUMPED.
##4 minutes power. First warning. Prepare to shut
down phase generator.## The giant figure laughed and reached for
the fragile blond figure.
##Target lock.## she put the targeting pip in the
center of the cruel laughing face.
"Select Kinetic weapon. Fire." ##Null, response. Magazine empty##
"Select Energy Weapon. Fire." ##Null response. Power below
minimum level for
Energy Weapon.##
A long metallic staff appeared in her hands. It
shimmered and twisted as it formed into an ugly beaked war
hammer. She sent power to her contra-grav again and JUMPED!
##2 minutes power. Beginning fail-safe shut down of
phase generator.##
"OVERRIDE!!" she snapped. ##Failure to shut down will result
in. . . ## "OVERRIDE! IMPERIAL PRIORITY!!" she screamed at the
computer.
##Override acknowledged.## She was almost there. Three more
jumps. Power to
contra-grav and JUMP.
##40 seconds to shield collapse.## And JUMP!' ##15 seconds.##
The giant sneering face dominated everything now.
That and the pitiful figure hanging in the air before Beryl.
## 8 seconds.## She brought the hammer over her head. Fiery
hooks
ripped at her body. The world shimmered and shook as dimensional
shear slowly ripped her body apart. The dying containment
shield flared and hissed as it devoured her body and shredded
her sanity. And JUMP! She soared into the air high above Beryl. She
could see the evil face slowly start to turn upwards, comprehension
slowly come to the eyes.
##3 seconds.## She was screaming the hate and rage
and fear of a lifetime directed at this one moment, this one
target. She would fulfil her purpose. She would kill Beryl. Then she
could rest.
##2 seconds.## The hammer came down in a savage
arc, to smash that giant skull like a rotten fruit. As the hammer
neared the end of its arc a bright white light swept over the
doomed capitol. As it moved over the ground it swept away the dead
and dying, sins and sinners, clean and unclean. . . leaving nothing
in its wake.
##1 sec . . ##

***************************************************************************