"Sailor Moon:  Quest For Marius" By Daryll Pung

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Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius

By Daryll Pung

Part 1: Starlight, Starbright

PG13

      Serena looked thoughtfully outside.  The discussion behind her was heated.

      "There is every possibility she left Nega-creeps behind so we can't leave this place unguarded!" snapped Lita.  Their families and close friends were quiet, listening.

      "Well, we can't just let her go unchecked!" said Amara heatedly.

      "Wait a sec..." began Luna.

      "And what are we supposed to do?  We don't know for sure what's going on!" said Mina, arms crossed.

      "That's enough," said Serena, turning.  To all the non-Scouts present, it came as a surprise to see Serena take charge.  "Okay, here's what we'll do.  Amy, get with Stryfe and figure a way to enable our communicators to talk across the planes.  We will split up.  Our goal is not to defeat Marius, but bring her back here so it's easier to defeat her.  As such, we can accomplish this with two teams.  We do not need the whole team to defeat her underlings.  Therefore, Mina, Amy, Raye, Lita, Luna, Artemis, and Darien will accompany me on our chase after Marius.  The rest of you, battle any thugs Marius left behind.  Keep in touch, and keep this plane safe!"  She turned to Stryfe.  "When should we leave?"

      "ASAP.  The longer you wait, the more damage that witch can do," said Stryfe, mildly amused. 

      "Uh, wait...where are you going, Serena?" asked her mother.  Serena gazed at Amy. 

      "Amy, the complete history, please?" smiled Serena.  "And then explain what Stryfe is here for."

      "Sure, Serena.  Over a thousand years ago...." began Amy.

      "So, what's our destination?" asked Amy after the history lesson was complete.

      "C-23," answered Stryfe.

      "C-23?  That's..." began Mina.

      "The prime with me as a Warp Systems Specialist," smiled Serena.

      "And the Enterprise," finished Sam.

      Stryfe nodded.  "Remember, time frames are different.  Pazrek is now a captain in command of his own ship.  This will make it easier for you to track down Marius.  I will leave the exact details in yours' and his' capable hands."

      "We leave first thing in the morning," said Serena.  She turned to the others.  "Girls, remember.  We now have a delicate appearance to maintain in the public eye.  It's something we have to worry about.  Please, be patient.  Don't do anything rash.  Amara," she said.

      "Yeah?" she asked.

      "You're in charge of the stay-at-home group," smiled Serena.  Amara blinked in surprise.  "Remember...keep your temper in check, okay?"

      "I'll try," grinned Amara.

      She turned to the families and friends.  "I know this has been a big experience for all of you.  A lot of surprises, and some you may even be hurt that we kept this from you.  We did, so that no one could target our families as a weakness.  If you spot anything suspicious, if any of you are in any sort of trouble at all, don't hesitate to call any of the Scouts, ok?  And keep this information close.  We may be in the public eye, but don't advertise.  I want to make it as easy as possible for us to live a somewhat normal life.  And... thanks."

      She turned back.  "Let's get some rest, and meet in the park at dawn."

      The sunrise burst clear into the sky.  Serena and Darien were sitting on the boulder, snuggled and gazing at the dawn.  Raye was the first to approach and break their solitude.  Mina, Lita, Luna, and Artemis joined them.  Amy was the last.  Serena and Darien shared a kiss, then jumped down off the boulder.  Amy knocked.  The boulder split open, allowing them inside, and closed behind them.  Lights came on, and they walked downstairs in silence.  Finally, they entered the chamber.  Stryfe had the equipment powered up, and was talking through a monitor to Pazrek. 

      "We're almost in position, Stryfe.  I will let you know the second we are ready for transfer," said Pazrek.

      "Copy, we'll be standing by," Stryfe said, leaning back.  He glanced at them.  "Ready?" he asked.

      "As we'll ever be," answered Mina.  Their communicators beeped.  They glanced at each other, and then activated them.

      "Hey, it's just us," said Amara.  "Good luck, and hurry back!"

      "Thanks, Amara, everybody," smiled Serena.  "Good luck to you, too!"

      The node glowed white as it was activated.  On the monitor, Pazrek looked up. 

      "Ready," he said.  Stryfe turned and nodded.  The Scouts glanced at each other, and then jumped through.

      As before, the transfer seemed to both last forever and only last a microsecond.  When the white light faded, they were standing in a conference room.  Pazrek was standing at the monitor.

      "Okay, got'em.  We'll let you know how it goes.  Pazrek, out."  He tapped off the monitor and turned to face them.  He now had four pips on his collar, signifying a captain.  He smiled.

      "Long time, no see.  Well, I can't call you hoppers, as this is deliberate, but I can call you Scouts.  Let me brief you on the situation.  You are currently standing in the conference room of my ship, the USS Marauder.  Out the window, to either side, are the USS Deathwish and the USS Warmonger.  Yes, I know these names are not in keeping with Starfleet policy, but that is because there was no other use for these three experimental ships than to form a special task force under my command with several goals in mind.  First, an emergency battle group; these ships carry revolutionary new drive systems and weapons.  Secondly, an advanced scout and special mission force; and lastly, to support Project Reunion.  You Scouts, of course, know what that is," he paused.

      A nod.

      "Okay.  More relevant info:  one week ago in our time frame, Marius arrived.  A science station, called Omega Facility, captured her arrival.  We are now resuming course towards it.  We are hoping to analyze the available data and hopefully find a way to prevent her from willingly jumping, allowing you Scouts to capture her and take her back where she belongs.  She ominously disappeared in the direction of Delta quadrant," he continued.

      "I would like to help with the analysis," spoke up Amy.  Pazrek nodded.

      "I was hoping you'd ask, Amy.  That is another reason why I am glad to have you guys on the job," Pazrek smiled.  His combadge chirped.  He tapped it.  "Pazrek here, go ahead."

      "Sir, we have Omega Facility on long range sensors.  They are hailing," a young male officer's voice said.

      "Thank you, Ensign.  On my way."  He waved for the Scouts to follow as he headed for the door.  It hissed open to allow them to the bridge.  "On screen."  Pazrek moved in front of his chair.

      An image of a pristine white outpost rotating in space was replaced by a view of the sterile interior.  A man in a white uniform greeted them.

      "This is Captain Pazrek of the Marauder," began Pazrek.

      "Captain, I am Dr. Losjern of Omega Facility.  I presume this is in response to our Reunion-coded discovery one week ago?" asked the professor in charge.

      "Indeed.  Myself and eight guests will be transporting over in a few minutes," Pazrek responded.

      "Very well, we await your arrival.  Dr. Losjern out."  The screen returned to the view of the science station.  Pazrek rose, motioning the Scouts to follow.  They moved towards the turbolift.  "Number One, you have the bridge."  The door hissed open and shut as they stepped into the lift.

      "Well, we haven't seen any trace of Nega-creeps for awhile," sighed Michelle.  Serena's little catch phrase had caught on with all the Scouts.

      Sam grunted.  "It's like the calm before the storm.  It's been too quiet.  Not even any ordinary crime.  Something bad is about to happen."

      Mel agreed.  "Very bad," she said softly.  The twins, unlike some of the Inner Scouts, were completely comfortable with the Outer Scouts and each other.  They had a perfect understanding.  Their combined power was extremely potent.  What everyone found odd was that cocky, smart aleck Samantha controlled the reviving powers, while shy, outspoken Melanie used the violent attack powers.  Melanie was the brawn to back up Sam's trash talk.  They were quite happy with their fighting abilities, and their potency as a team, somewhat due to their now fully developed psychic connection.

      "Yeah," grimaced Amara.  "I feel it in the wind."  She moved away from the window, turning back to the rest.  They were meeting in Raye's temple, now the base of Sailor Scout operations.  It's not like Raye's grandfather minded.  He enjoyed trying to teach these girls new tricks.

      "What shall we do?" asked Trista.        

      "Well, just stay alert.  The second something's up, we've got to be on the scene.  I've rather gotten used to being part of a team, and I want to show our new and improved Moonface I can lead well," said Amara.

      "She hid it well," said Hotaru.  "She only let on to Reeni how hard she was trying to get smarter, less klutzier, while not appearing to change.  It's like, a little piece of her innocence died every day, and she tried hard not to let anyone down, most of all, herself.  She was determined to make everyone proud."  Hotaru glanced out the window at the cloudy skies.  The first drops pattered against the windowpane.

      Reeni smiled and giggled.  "She tricked everyone, I was so surprised."

      Sheets of rain began to fall.  Water ran down the windows.

      "We'll adjourn for now.  Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!" finished Amara.

      They materialized on the transporter pad of Omega.  As they stepped off, Mina shuddered. 

      "I am never gonna get used to that," she said.

      "It's not as bad as Sailor Teleport," smiled Serena.  "Little to no effort involved."  Luna rolled her eyes.

      "Captain!" Dr. Losjern rapidly approached.  His eyes were somewhat wide upon spying the girls.  "Wha..."

      "Doctor.  You are cleared for Project Reunion, are you not?" smiled Pazrek.

      "Yes," Dr. Losjern said.  He tilted his head.  "They are hoppers?"

      "No.  They've come of their own will to assist in capturing the Locust."

      "'Locust'?" asked Amy.  Pazrek nodded.

      "It's what we call travelers who come plane-hopping for their own evil reasons.  Doctor, this young lady's name is Amy.  She will assist you in looking at the data regarding our Locust.  Any idea what the Locust was up to?" asked Pazrek.

      "If she was as powerful as you say, then I'm scared," began the Doctor.  He led them into a control center.   "She headed into the Delta quadrant.  I don't need to remind you what is there."

      "What is there?" asked Artemis. 

      Dr. Losjern gave both cats a second glance and chuckled.  "Why am I not surprised?  The Delta quadrant is home to the greatest enemy of any organic species."

      Pazrek looked grim.  "Well, Task Force Nova can handle a few of their ships with no problems.  Do you think that it is possible?"

      "It's very possible, Captain.  Even now, we are deploying a network of transwarp detectors.  This is something the Federation does not need, even with TFN here with us.  We are still examining the readings.  Come, Miss Amy, this way," he pointed to a console.  Amy pulled out her microcomputer.

      "Just Amy, please," she said as she got to work.

      Serena's Sailor communicator beeped, as she was about to ask again about what they were worried about.  She glanced down and answered it.  It was Amara.

      "Hey, Moonface, just checking in.  We have seen nothing so far, but like the Earth twins say, it's too quiet.  Both Michelle and I feel it.  Something is about to happen.  The thing is we're not sure to whom."

      "Well, we just arrived at where Marius entered this place.  Amy's assisting, but there's something out there they are all afraid of," said Serena softly.  "Nothing to report as yet."

      "Sir!" shouted one of the technicians.  "Transwarp signatures detected in sector 3!"

      Dr. Losjern glanced at the screen.  "Very well."  He turned to Pazrek.  "You should intercept, Captain.  Omega has no weapons."  Pazrek nodded as Dr. Losjern turned back.  "Sound Red Alert, and raise the shields after Captain Pazrek and his party beams back."

      Amy looked up, and at Serena.  "You guys should go; I need to be here researching this stuff."

      "You sure, Amy?" asked Raye.

      "Yeah, you guys can protect us."  Amy's head was already staring at the screen, as she examined the information it contained.

      "Right," said Lita.  She looked at Serena, who nodded.  Darien looked worried.

      "Talk to you later, Amara, but I think the bad thing just happened to us!"  She closed her communicator and ran to join the others on the transporter pad.  She gazed at Amy.  Her last view as she shimmered out of Omega was Amy glancing at them and giving thumbs up.

      Stay safe, Amy, thought Serena.

      Be careful, guys, Amy thought as she returned to her work.

      They rematerialized and raced to the turbolift.  They piled in with Pazrek.  He spoke.

      "Bridge."  As the turbolift began moving, he tapped his badge.  "Pazrek to H'shang."

      "H'shang here, sir," came the reply.

      "Number One, go to Red Alert.  Power up all weapons.  Contact the other two ships and tell them to do the same.  Get the coordinates from Omega, and proceed at maximum possible warp factor to those coordinates!" Pazrek ordered.  He knew his Vulcan first officer well enough that he wouldn't ask why until Pazrek had a chance to explain.

      "Aye, Captain," the combadge chirped.  Next the loudspeaker came on as a siren went off and lights dimmed to red.

      "Red Alert!  All hands to battlestations!"

      Amara looked at her communicator, the snapped it closed.  She glanced at Michelle.

      "I'm sure they can handle it," smiled Michelle.  "But the sea has not calmed.  This may be part of it, but I believe both teams will be involved."

      "You think Marius is launching some two-part plan?" asked Sam.

      Bad news, sis, Sam heard.  Divide and conquer.  Admittedly, it will be tough for the Negaforce, but we're most likely going to be way too busy to assist Serena and the others should they need it.

      Humph.  Come on Mel, Serena's strong.  We all are.  They won't need us.  Have faith in our princess, Sam thought back.

      Yes, Serena is strong.  But she has one major weakness, and it only recently became major.  Her friends.  Us.  Everyone now knows our identities.  If something should happen to one of us, Serena will blame herself.  That could come at a crucial moment, and she might not react appropriately.  Don't mistake me; I like her a lot.  But, the Negaverse is strong, and crafty, thought Mel, a worried expression on her face.

      The others had seen the interactions of the twins enough to know they were speaking telepathically.  Their worried faces caused the others to glance at each other.  Sam slumped in her chair.

      "You're right, Mel.  Serena does have that one major weakness, and it could cripple her," she sighed.

      "What weakness?" asked Trista.

      Sam looked up.

      "As Mel put it, us.  All of her friends," said Sam softly.

      Task Force Nova broke a lot of long-standing rules and traditions of Starfleet.  Designed during the Dominion War, these three ships were intended for action as three new classes.  Their designs were as ships built solely for war.  They broke the saucer/twin warp drive tradition, too.  Even Defiant-class ships were comprised of a saucer and two warp engines, fused together as they were.  But no warp engines adorned these three.  Instead, they used a new engine type, known as Innerspace Drive.  All the drive took was a single fin with the engine components in it.  And it was faster.  The three ships shared some similarities.

      The smallest was the Warmonger.  She had a saucer, but it was bent.  She looked like a deep-space manta ray, rounded and without the tail.  Her frame was arced downward.  On the top of the downward-arced edges, one on each side, were two backup I-fins.  The primary one hung downward at the middle of the arc, directly beneath the bridge on top.  Weapons were clearly in evidence.  She was the most nimble and quick of the three. 

      The next largest was the Deathwish.  She was shaped similar to a football, only hollow.  Her top half was solid, and packed with weapons.  From either side, two pylons wrapped downward to her sensor array.  The pylons were the engines, as well.  The back edges of the pylons were serrated, containing the engine grid.  A backup fin hung above the sensor array and torpedo station, and the bridge was on the top point of the ship.  She packed a lot of torpedoes, and a lot of shields.  She played the bomber to Warmonger's fighter.

      But Marauder was the most heavily armed.  Considerably larger than the first two, her shields were strong and she had as many weapons as the other two combined.  Her design was that of a sleek, slender, swept oval, from which extended two "wings".  The narrow parts of each wing, close in to the central hull, were serrated with the engine components.  A back-up I-fin was on the top of the central hull, at the trailing end.  The whole point of the wings was to hold the energy and radiation away from the main hull.  Each wing contained a phaser cannon embedded in the leading edge.  Each wing also contained separate Innerspace neutrelectron reactors to individually power the cannons.

      All three ships carried what was now standard weaponry:  the enhanced phasers of the Sovereign-class, pulse phasers from the Defiant-class, and quantum torpedoes.  They also carried innerspace torpedoes.  These torpedoes caused little to no damage to a ship's hull, but they drained power and temporarily phased out shields.  Pazrek generally used them in conjunction with quantum torpedoes.  All three ships had a special neuron beam, also.  Usable when shields were down, they affected the crew of the ship, rendering them unconscious.  Only Marauder had the phaser cannons.  These combined the principles of pulse and regular phasers, combining the technology into a massive emitter.  Every weapon and shields were frequency agile.  Every ship could cloak.

      But, would it be enough? thought Pazrek.  Well, I guess we'll find out.  The turbolift doors hissed open, and he and the Scouts moved onto the bridge.

      "Captain on the bridge," said H'shang calmly, getting out of the Captain's chair.  "We are at Red Alert, proceeding at Warp 9.9 to sector three."

      The Scouts took up positions off to the side, out of the way, and observed.  Pazrek sat down.  "Very good.  Contact Warmonger and Deathwish.  Time for a briefing."

      "I have them both, sir," said Ensign Warmex, the youthful Orion ops officer.  Sure, she was young.  But her lightning quick reflexes and wits made her the best ops officer on the ship.  The old prejudice about Orion women was gone.  Warmex had rearranged several faces and gotten disciplined for it, but no snide remarks followed her around anymore.

      "On screen," ordered Pazrek.  The screen blinked on to show Captain Mir Geffries of the Warmonger and Captain B'thron of the Deathwish.  Geffries grinned, and made a mock salute.  B'Thron's feminine feline face just smiled.

      "What's going on, brave leader?" chuckled Geffries.

      Both were surprised when Pazrek didn't smile.  He was usually easygoing.

      "Bad news, I'm afraid.  Have your shields and weapons set to continuous remodulation.  Tell your crews to reset their handheld phasers to variable freq mode.  Be prepared to be boarded," said Pazrek.

      "What is it?" rumbled B'thron.

      "The Borg," said Pazrek.

      Geffries went dead serious.  "Borg, huh?  Copy.  You want the two of us in flyby mode?"

      "Yes.  During the fight, keep your eyes open for anything unusual.  Also, we'll need to see what there is before we engage.  If it is a single cube, we'll tackle it.  Anything too bad, and Starfleet will send what help they can.  They're remustering all ships now in case the Borg enter Federation space," said Pazrek.

      "So, for now we're on our own?" asked B'thron.

      "Yep.  Be ready.  Ten minutes to sector three.  Stay alert!" warned Pazrek as the screen returned to external view.

      "Captain!" came a call.  His head turned.  "Long range sensors have picked up one cube and two spheres!  They just altered course to meet us!  We're being hailed by them."

      "Ignore it.  Prepare for maneuver Pazrek delta-six.  On screen when in visual range," Pazrek ordered.

      The screen blinked on, revealing two smaller sphere shapes moving in front of a huge, ominous, metallic cube.  The Scouts gasped.

      "Signal to Starfleet: Task Force Nova has engaged the Borg!"

      Amy was preparing to go down to one of the labs to examine something when one of the scientists looked up.

      "Doctor!  We just intercepted a signal sent to Starfleet!  TFN just met the Borg!"

      Dr. Losjern nodded grimly.  "Keep me informed."

      Amy exited, thinking.  I hope they're okay.  As the doors hissed shut behind her, the scientist looked up again.  "We're being jammed!  We can't talk to anyone anymore, it just happened all of a sudden!"

      "What?" asked Dr. Losjern.

      "Uh, Doctor, we have incoming Borg ships!"

      "Find a way to get the word out!  Call for help!"

      The first sphere exploded in a wreck of green-gray metal as Deathwish pounded the other with lethal combinations of innerspace and quantum torpedoes.  Marauder cut high over the Deathwish, escorted by Warmonger.

      "Initiate maneuver!" snapped Pazrek.  The Marauder dropped low.  Pulse phasers ripped into the cube from the Warmonger as Marauder fired a salvo of innerspace torpedoes, followed by quantum.  Her wing phaser cannons were charging.  Deathwish finished off the sphere and cut to the right of Marauder as Warmonger circled the cube, making numerous strafing runs.  Energy beams and torpedoes flew from the cube.

      No holding beams? wondered Pazrek.  It's almost as if they want us to win.

      "Cannons charged!" called Sokor, his Bajoran tactical officer.

      "Fire!" ordered Pazrek.  Deathwish and Warmonger broke off, circling wide to approach Marauder from behind as two humongous beams of pulsing phaser energy shot out.  Both impacted and buckled the cube's shielding and burrowed a huge hole into the cube, blasting out the other side as the cube exploded in a glorious explosion of green gases and wrecked metal.

      Pazrek stood as cheers rang out over the bridge.  "Good shooting, Sokor."  He turned.  "Signal Starfleet.  Borg scout force destroyed."

      "That was a scout force?" asked Luna.

      “If they were serious, multiple cubes would have been present.  However..." Pazrek trailed off.

      "Sir?" asked H'shang.

      "It was too easy.  Did any of them use a holding beam?  It was as if they wanted us to win... like if they were bait," said Pazrek.

      "Well, if that is the case, and I find nothing wrong with your logic, then what was the real goal?" asked H'shang.

      "Hmm... contact Omega Facility!" he ordered.

      "No response, sir."

      Pazrek whirled.  "We've been had!  Helm, plot course to Omega!  Maximum warp!  Engage!"

      "Oh, no," gasped Artemis.

      "Amy," worried Serena.

      Amy exited the lab, and walked absentmindedly towards the lift to go back up to control.  Suddenly, the post rocked from an impact, and the lights went out.  Dim emergency lighting kicked on.  What the? thought Amy.

      The intercom came on.  Screams were audible as someone shouted, "Run! Try and escape from them!  Someone-"  The transmission was cut off by a gasp.  Fear welled up in Amy.  Now, now, Amy, you are a Sailor Scout.  Find out what was happening.  There has to be a solution, she scolded herself.  She pushed her fear down and ran down the corridor.  She rounded the corner in time to see Dr. Losjern step out from the turbolift, panting.  She moved towards him, failing to hear the transporter hum behind her in her concern.

      "Dr. Losjern!  Are you okay?  What's happening?" Amy asked as she neared him.  He looked up and his eyes widened in shock.

      "Look out!"

      Amy whirled, raising her hand to transform, but what she saw shocked her.  It had once been human, but the soft hum of technology came from numerous cybernetic devices implanted in it.  It grabbed her raised hand and lifted her effortlessly off the deck, moving its humanoid hand towards her throat.  As she struggled, twin long, slender tubes issued from its wrist, and injected themselves into her neck.  Her eyes widened in pain as she was dropped.  She found she could not stand.  Then the pain increased.  Due to her Scout nature, she felt every little nanoprobe- millions of them- burrowing throughout her body, rapidly taking it over.  The pain grew more intense, washing over her, almost causing her to pass out as the nanoprobes began taking some of her tissue and converting it to various metal parts.  By this time, she couldn't scream, couldn't do anything as her body was ripped from her control.  Then, she felt another stab of intense pain as hundreds of thousands of minds smashed into her mind, probing her most intimate secrets.  They learned everything and asserted their control, banishing her last protest.  It took under sixty seconds for the process to be complete.  She regained her feet.

      "Miss Amy?" asked a wide-eyed Dr. Losjern.  Her skin was whitening rapidly, and things were moving around, under her skin.  "Are you okay?"

      She turned towards him, stepping in front of the drone in a robotic movement.

      "Amy?" he asked.

      The voice was not Amy's, but a robotic-sounding feminine voice.

      "We are the Borg.  You will be assimilated."

      Her arm rose as he backed against the wall, eyes blinking in shock.

      "Resistance... is futile."

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Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius

By Daryll Pung

Part 2: The Best Of Both Worlds?

PG13

      The drone that had been Amy grabbed Dr. Losjern by his shoulder, slamming him against the wall.  Her other hand went to his throat, and two thin tubes shot out of her wrist into his throat.  After a second, the tubes retracted and her hand let go.  What had happened a few seconds ago to Amy now happened to Dr. Losjern.  Before long, a new drone staggered after.  As the mass assimilation continued, a tiny voice whimpered, buried deep in the brain of the drone now known as 277 of 599.  It went unheard by anyone. 

      Before long, assimilation was complete, and the Borg left the battered facility to drift lifeless in space.

      "Sir!  Now approaching Omega Facility!" said Ensign Warmex.

      "Hail them!" ordered Pazrek.

      "Sir, not much point in it," sighed Warmex.

      "Explain," Pazrek said curtly.

      "Sir, the facility has taken a pounding.  There is no power in the grid, and no life signs," reported Warmex.

      "No!" said Serena.  "You're lying!  Where's Amy?"

      Pazrek turned.  "Serena, please!  We'll get to the bottom of this.  Now is not the time for panic.  Number One," he turned.  "Take an away team.  Search that outpost."

      "Yes, sir," H'shang said as he turned towards the lift.

      "Oh, no," whispered Serena, eyes wide.  "Amy!  Please be all right!"

       Amara gazed at the storm from the safety of the temple.  It had been raining for two straight days.  The team was due to meet soon.  Michelle and Trista were already present, and they made out three shapes running up the stairs in raincoats.  One tripped, and the other two stooped to help her.  Her hood popped off, revealing pink hair as they ran for the door.

      They removed their dripping coats as Michelle closed the door behind them.

      "Hey," smiled Sam, pushing her wet bangs aside.

      "You okay, Reeni?" said Mel.

      "Yeah," sighed Reeni.  "It's really wet out!"

      "Everybody here?" asked Sam.

      "Still waiting on Hotaru," said Amara.  She looked back out the window.

      Four blocks away, Hotaru rounded a corner.  Water was coming out of the sky in sheets.  Something felt wrong.  She stopped at an alleyway, gazing down it.  A shape moved out of the darkness.  It was huge.  Hotaru backed up, eyes widening in fear.

      "HeLlO lItTlE sAiLoR sAtUrN," it drooled.  Four heads came into view, fused onto one huge, misshapen body.  Two grotesque arms and legs finished out the beast.

      "SATURN COSMIC POWER!"

      Amara started, then looked closer.  No, it was not lightning.  It was the unmistakable power of a scout transformation.

      "Hotaru's in trouble!  Let's go!" said Amara.  The girls scrambled.

      Saturn jumped aside, dodging the claw.  She struck with her glaive.  The thing blocked, and swung.  Saturn's eyes widened as the other claw came swiping at her.

      "EARTH LOVE SHIELD!"

      The claw nailed the protective shield, shocking the creature.  It withdrew.

      "URANUS GALACTIC COLLISION!"

      The creature looked up, all eight eyes widening in fear as the light of the crashing meteor highlighted it.  Pluto gasped.

      The impact of the meteor sent up waves of heat.  When it cleared, the creature was getting up, and turning away.  As it did so, it smiled and faded from view.

      "LaTeR, sCoUtS!"

      Neptune turned to Pluto.  "What was it?"

      Pluto's eyes were still wide.  "I, I don't believe it.  How can this be?  Those four were dusted by the Inner Scouts!"

      "What four?" asked Earth-Love.

      "Jedite, Zoisite, Nephlyte, and Malachite!  They were Beryl's four generals, corrupted from Queen Serenity back in the Silver Millennium.  And how did they get fused into one?"

      "So what does that mean for us?" asked Mini-Moon.

      "Big trouble," sighed Pluto.  "Big trouble."

      The door to the conference room hissed open.  Pazrek walked in.  The place was silent.  Serena was staring out the window at the station, and the rest were silent, lost in their thoughts.  A beeping from her wrist startled her.  She glanced down and opened her communicator.

      "Hey, Moonface.  We've got trouble," said Amara.

      "Yeah, us too," began Serena.  Then she saw what Pazrek had in his hand and gasped, eyes wide.

      "This is all we found," said Pazrek, tossing it on the table.  The team was numb, eyeing Amy's microcomputer.

      "Not even a body?" asked Darien.

      "Negative.  This is both good and bad news as far as you are concerned, and nothing but bad news for us.  Amy is not dead.  That's the good news," began Pazrek.

      At the temple, the team shared a startled glance.

      "What happened to Amy?" gasped Michelle.

      Pazrek continued.  "The bad news is, Amy no longer exists.  She has been... assimilated.  She is now a Borg."

      Serena staggered into a chair, and collapsed, head in her arms.  Darien moved to comfort her.

      "When assimilated, the Borg forces the hive mind into your brain, scanning and saving relevant information.  The short of it is, whatever she knew, the Borg now know.  They will have discounted most, if not all of it, as below their technology level and mystical nonsense, but they have access to her powers," stated Pazrek.  "I'm sorry.  We know how much this hurts."

      "NO!" screamed Serena, jumping out of her chair.  "NO!  We will save her!  I have never given up on my friends and I'm not going to now!"

      Pazrek shook his head.  "Listen, it's damn near-"

      "Shut up!  We didn't have to help, you know.  We could have waited until Marius returned to our prime, but we elected to come.  Therefore, we are not leaving without our team intact!"  Serena gazed coldly at Pazrek.  Her hands were on her hips, and Pazrek actually felt a flash of fear.

      "Is it possible to recover someone who has been assimilated?" asked Luna.

      Pazrek looked at her.  "It's been done only once to my knowledge, the first time the Borg attacked the Federation.  They captured and assimilated Jean-Luc Picard."

      Mina gasped.  "But, wasn't he in command the last time we were here?"

      Pazrek nodded.  "He became Locutus.  The Borg, against us, then used his knowledge of Federation tactics, ships, and personnel.  A single cube clobbered forty starships at a system called Wolf 359, and almost assimilated Earth."

      "Wow," murmured Artemis.

      "The day was saved by Riker and the previous Enterprise.  They beamed aboard, captured Locutus, and returned him to the Enterprise.  They studied him, finding out how the collective worked.  They were able to use that against the Borg, causing them to self-destruct.  Picard underwent microsurgery and counseling for months afterwards.  The thing is, he remembered every horrible moment," finished Pazrek.  "We did learn a lot, however.  We learned to vary frequencies, weapon types, shield remodulations, because the Borg quickly adapt.  Now, it is fairly easy to damage them, but it is still dangerous, because they can regenerate."

      "Fine," snapped Serena.  "How do we find Amy?"

      Pazrek sighed.  He tapped his combadge.  "Number One, come to the conference room."

      The door hissed open.  "Sir?" asked H'shang.

      "Scan for transwarp signatures and ion trails.  We need to track down whichever ship did this.  Load Amy's bio-readings from the transporter buffer into tricorders for an away team; get several tranquilizers from sickbay," ordered Pazrek.

      H'Shang raised an eyebrow.  "You intend to recover the other girl?  That is not logical."

      "They volunteered, H'Shang.  It is my responsibility to get them all home.  Let me know what you find," said Pazrek.

      H'Shang nodded, and turned on his heel.

      "What did all that mean?" asked Lita.  Darien and Raye were attempting to calm Serena down.

      "Assimilation changes a person.  Amy will look nothing like what she normally does.  Her eyes will be black from the synthetic components in her, and no Borg has hair.  She will have all kinds of bizarre tubing and wires in her.  There will be two ways we will locate her.  The first one is by the sudden use of her powers, and two, by her bio-readings that the transporter automatically records when it is used.  Now, when we go over there, we're going to have to be careful.  The Borg won't even stop us until we make a threatening gesture.  We can scan all we want.  However, once they start coming, they don't stop.  Don't worry, we'll get her," he said as he motioned for them all to follow.  They moved onto the bridge.

      "Wait a minute.  If the Borg don't believe in mystical stuff, how will Amy's powers get used?" asked Mina, confused.

      "They'll know she has the potential, and will use that to their advantage.  To them, it will be fact that she can do certain things," said Pazrek.

      Back at the temple, the girls could only stare at each other, openmouthed.

      "Oh my God," gasped Mel.

      "Poor Amy," said Trista.

      On the bridge, Serena smoldered.  "Wait.  You intend to lead a team over there to find her.  We're coming."

      Silence reigned for a few seconds.  The team glanced at each other and nodded in agreement; Sokor broke the silence.

      "Yeah, right!  You'd only be a liability!" he said.

      "A liability?" asked Serena in a quiet, controlled voice.

      "Only trained Starfleet personnel should undertake risky away missions," began Sokor.

      Pazrek cut him off.  "We'll discuss this later.  I believe your friends had something they wanted to talk to you about.  In the meantime, we will attempt to locate the Borg.  Please try and relax, Serena.  It will do you no good to remain angry the whole time we're searching."

      Serena simply glared at Sokor as the others ushered her back into the conference room.  As the door hissed shut, Sokor shuddered.  Pazrek smiled grimly, then turned.

      "Anything yet?"

      277 of 599 moved forward.  The remnants of her human clothing had been discarded, and she was now encased in Borg synthetic body armor, laced with various essential components and devices.  Her right eye had been ripped out and replaced.  She could now see in various spectrums, and at incredible detail, due to the Borg eyepiece.  She remained absolutely still, and held out her right arm.  It was her turn.  The three assimilation drones stepped up to her.  One raised his implement, the blade whirling rapidly.  It came down in one fell swoop, chopping her right forearm off.  A quantity of blood gushed out before the next stepped forward and inserted the metal interface, sealing it to her stump and cauterizing it, effectively joining flesh and metal.  The last held out her implement, a claw with a welding torch.  It stepped forward, snapping it to her metal interface, and twisting it in place.  The last step was to finish off her body armor and seal the arm.  Her right arm dropped, as she obediently turned away, moving to her alcove to recharge.  In some far off, back corner of 277's mind, a small voice cried in hopelessness, feeling the pain.  Behind her, the right forearm was picked up and discarded into a recycling chamber.  Oblivious, 277 continued on her way, directed by the collective.  After all, pain was irrelevant.

      "Are you sure?" demanded Serena.  "We moondusted them a long time ago!"

      "Well, except for Nephlyte and Jedite," pointed out Raye.  "Nephlyte was betrayed and killed by Zoisite, and Jedite was imprisoned for all eternity... supposedly."

      "That must be it," said Trista.  "Somehow, Marius caused Jedite to be freed, and put him through this bizarre mutation.  But we have seen no evidence of their old powers."

      "No, just the ability to cause damage and turn invisible," sighed Sam.

      Serena put her head down.  It was too much.  First, Amy captured and… changed, then, her old adversaries showing up.  Why? she thought.

      "Can you handle it?" asked Serena.

      "Sure," said Amara.  "But you needed to know what's going on.  We'll handle it for now.  You just worry about Amy."

      Serena tightly closed her eyes.  She didn't even want to think about what could be happening to Amy.  Especially if what Pazrek said was true.  I'm sorry, Amy, she thought.  I failed you.  I failed to protect you.

      "Okay.  Just remember, they were trouble all by themselves.  I hate to think what they could be like all together.  Be careful!" Serena said.

      "Sure thing, Moonface," said Amara as she cut her communicator.

      "Does anybody else here think that none of this is a coincidence?" asked Lita.

      "It is too much at once," began Artemis.

      "As if Marius was planning this all along?" finished Darien.

      The door hissed open, and Pazrek looked in.

      "I think we found them."

      "It is pretty," said Mina.  They were gazing intently at the main screen, although they were the only ones.  There was a flickering of lightning amid the purples and blues of the nebula.

      "Overlay ion trail on screen," directed Pazrek.  A green trail showed up.  "Okay.  They skirted around the nebula."

      "Hmm.  I'm getting increasing sensor returns.  I do believe they are right on the other side of that nebula," said Warmex.

      "All right.  Ensign, launch a class-four probe to track the trajectory.  Then direct Warmonger and Deathwish to follow us.  Plot a course far enough into the nebula where we will not be detectable, but close enough to receive telemetry from the probe," ordered Pazrek.

      The Marauder shuddered slightly as the big ship pierced the first gaseous clouds, rippling with electricity.  The probe shot away, and the two smaller ships sailed in behind.  They sailed to a stop within the raging nebula.

      "Status," commanded Pazrek.

      "Shields holding, no radiation exposure as of yet," said H'shang.

      "Telemetry coming in.  Uh..." trailed off Ensign Warmex.

      "What is it?" asked Pazrek.

      "I'm registering six cubes and one sphere!" reported Warmex.

      "You're registering what?" asked Pazrek in disbelief.  He shook his head.  "That's too much for even us to handle.  Ensign, contact Starfleet with a comm probe.  Let them know what's going on here.  Keep scanning.  Find that bio-signature."

      "Yes, sir," said Warmex as she bent to the task.

      Reeni was with the twins in the park.  Besides being on Nega-watch, they were enjoying the warm, sunny day.  The rain had stopped two days ago, and they had decided to have a picnic.  Having already eaten their fill, they were lounging around while Reeni was picking the daisies that were growing in abundance.  The park was fairly crowded.

      "Nice day," murmured Sam, lying on the blanket; the sun was warm on her face, making her drowsy.

      Mel simply nodded, gazing after Reeni.  She was actually allowing herself to relax.  Then she heard screams.  Mel sat bolt upright, as did Sam.  Reeni had dropped the daisies and was running towards them.  Mel snapped open her communicator.

      "Trouble in the park!" she said before jumping to her feet.  Her twin was already standing.  They glanced at each other and raised their hands as Reeni initiated her transformation.  Light swirled, and the three Scouts rushed to the scene.

      They arrived to find the creature they had been looking for.  It held a woman in one hand, and she was screaming hoarsely.  Then it noticed them, as three became seven.

      "What are we waiting for?" asked Uranus.  "Let's do it!"

      "NEPTUNE STUNNING TSUNAMI!" shouted Neptune, pointing her mirror at the thing.  As the water burst out, the beast snapped the woman's neck, killing her, before tossing her into the oncoming attack.

      "NO!" gasped Uranus.  "You'll pay, mutant Nega-creep!"

      It absorbed the water attack, reeling only slightly.  "PlEaSe, CaLl Me GeNeRaL tRoUbLe.  AnD dO yOuR wOrSt!"

      "PLUTO FINAL SAY!"

      As the energy from Pluto's attack hit, Uranus launched hers.

      "URANUS GALACTIC COLLISION!"

      After the impact from the meteor, the Scouts looked in vain for signs of General Trouble, but found nothing.  Earth-Love examined the body sadly.

      "She's dead.  Her neck was indeed cleanly snapped.  And, uh, I hate to say it, but methinks that punk is setting us up for a fall.  With the impacts of our attacks, it could be blamed on us," she said worriedly.  Sirens could already be heard.

      "Well, we could stay and try and reason-" began Earth-Anger, to be cut off by Uranus.

      "He couldn't have gone far.  Let's try and find him before anyone else gets killed!" she ordered in a rage.  The Scouts agreed, Earth-Anger reluctantly, and they moved off to try and locate him.

      Lieutenant Fuji Togiro gazed at the body of the woman.  The coroner was already examining her.  There were no eyewitnesses, as when the screams had started, everyone had run away.

      "Cause of death?" he asked.  He had seen bodies before... but not like this.  It was barely recognizable.

      "Massive neck trauma.  Lieutenant," the coroner began, looking up.

      "Yes?" Fuji asked.

      "Notice the water?  And the scorch marks?" continued the coroner.

      "Get to your point," said Fuji, now intrigued.

      "Well, there's no body of water in this park.  And sure as hell, water doesn't cause scorch marks.  I think this was done by the Sailor Scouts!"

      "Sir, I may have something," began Warmex.

      "Shoot, Ensign," said Pazrek crisply.

      "Two things.  First, the cube near the back has the localized bio-readings we're looking for.  Second..." she trailed off.

      "Okay, so that cube has their friend on it.  Isolate and prepare to disable that cube.  Now, what else did you find?" Pazrek said.

      "Uh, I can't really describe it.  The probe is not certain what it is, and neither am I.  There's just something weird about the sphere, which seems to be in charge of their force," trailed off Warmex.

      "On screen," commanded Pazrek.  The viewscreen blinked to show a Borg sphere crackling with black energy.

      "What in the name of the Prophets is that?" wondered Sokor.

      "That's where Marius is," said Serena.  "That's Nega-energy."

      "Are you sure?" asked H'shang.

      "Definitely.  Lord knows we've been hit with it enough," sighed Serena.

      "So, our Locust seems to have taken over a small Borg fleet.  She is pretty powerful," said Pazrek.

      "Hmm.  Sir, they seem to be getting underway," began Warmex.

      "Target the last cube!  Disable only!  Let's go!" ordered Pazrek.

      The seven ships began moving forth as the orders came from the sphere.  A green rift opened nearby.  The ships altered their course to enter the transwarp conduit.  As the last one prepared to do so, three small ships raced out of the nebula nearby and opened fire.  Torpedoes and phaser blasts ripped into the cube as the three ships circled, firing away.

      "Good catch!  Lieutenant Sokor!  If any holding beams latch onto any of us, target them!" ordered Pazrek.

      As if to imply Pazrek was psychic, a holding beam lashed out to the Deathwish, holding her in its grasp.  The Deathwish's shields began falling rapidly before three quantum torpedoes terminated the beam and allowed her to reraise them.

      "Sir!  The cube's shields are almost down, and Deathwish reports being boarded, but the situation is under control!" said Warmex.

      "Copy.  Disable engine systems and power distribution first!  Get them in a regenerative mode, so we can beam over!" snapped Pazrek.

      "No phaser cannons?" asked Artemis.

      "We're not trying to blow them away, just disable them.  Unless you want to kill your un-friend?" replied Pazrek, raising an eyebrow.

      "Borg shields are down!" reported Warmex.

      Impacts began resounding throughout the Borg cube.  As power fell off, the cube entered regenerative mode, and the weapons and shielding were deactivated.

      "All right!  H'Shang, I'm going.  This is my responsibility, not yours.  Any arguments can wait.  Sokor, get a security team and meet at Transporter Room Two.  Scouts, with me.  Cats stay here.  H'Shang, you have the bridge," finished Pazrek as everyone began moving.

      H'Shang raised an eyebrow in the Vulcan way as Pazrek left.  "Continuous scans.  Maintain transporter and communications lock on them."

      "Yes, sir," said Warmex.

      Transporter Room 2 was a beehive of activity and anxiety.  The Starfleet personnel all received modified tricorders.

      "Ready, Sokor?" asked Pazrek, slinging his phaser rifle over his shoulder as a medic passed out a hypospray filled with tranquilizer to everyone.

      "Yes, sir," he said, and then hesitated.  "Permission to speak?"  Upon receiving a nod, Sokor continued.  "As much as I understand their desire to rescue their friend, I still think bringing them along is a bad idea."

      Serena had paused on hearing him start; now she interrupted Pazrek.  "We're going, and that's final."

      "You'll just get in the way," said Sokor.  "I understand your concern, and I do not mean to offend you, but-"

      "GET IN THE WAY!?" snapped Serena.  "I'll show you!  MOON HEAVENLY POWER!"  Serena's hand snapped up, and white energy poured from her fingertips, enhancing her strength and turning her into Sailor Moon.  Before anyone could do anything, her fingers went to her tiara.  "MOON TIARA MAGIC!"  She flung the white disc, angling it up and softening the edges so that it hit Sokor square in the chest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the wall behind without actually ripping his uniform or severely hurting him.

      "Sailor Moon!" gasped Raye.

      "That's enough!" snapped Pazrek.

      Moon grasped Sokor by his shirt and lifted him up until his feet were dangling.  "Listen real carefully, okay?  That was my weakest attack, and I deliberately weakened it further.  I could have cut your head off."

      Sokor was frightened by the look in Moon's eyes.  It was feral, ugly, and inhuman.  It was Death, lurking in the shell of a beautiful soldier, and it promised vengeance.

      "But I didn't.  I don't want to hurt you, or anyone else on this ship.  I just want to kill all but one thing on that cube.  And if I'm not mistaken, our powers will remain useful long after your phasers are ineffective.  So.  We are going with, and we are going to rescue our friend, and then we are going to take Marius home and beat the hell out of her for even dreaming of hurting one of my friends!"  Moon set Sokor down.  "I'm sorry about that, but you needed to get it through your skull that we are not useless, and that we are coming, and that failure is not an option."

      As she turned away, Sokor rubbed his chest, eyes wide.  He knew damned well that he was going to get a huge bruise from that.

      "What are you guys waiting for?" demanded Moon.  "Transform, and let's do it!  Amy's waiting!"

      "Right!" said Lita, as Darien became Tuxedo Mask.  "JUPITER COSMIC POWER!"

      Lightning rippled around her, and Sailor Jupiter was ready.

      "MARS COSMIC POWER!"

      Fire roared, replacing Raye with the Inner Scout of fire.

      "VENUS COSMIC POWER!"

      Starlight shone as Mina transformed into Sailor Venus.  The Starfleet officers were duly impressed with the light show, and Pazrek ushered everyone onto the pad.  Then he spoke.

      "Energize!"

      The first group, consisting of Sokor and his five Security personnel, spread out and established a perimeter as the second group materialized.  The air was hot and humid, and smelled uncomfortably of flesh and metal.  Everyone was already sweating.

      "Tricorders out," ordered Pazrek.  "Begin scanning."

      The Scouts looked about uncomfortably.  The walls were solid metal, with cables running everywhere.  The floor was grating, and eerie green lights flickered all over.  But the most terrifying thing was the alcoves along every wall, each containing a Borg drone, wired into the collective.

      "Oh, my," murmured Moon.

      "This way," said Sokor.  He led the way.  All the Starfleet officers had their rifles ready.  After a long twisting walk, every step wondering if the Borg would jump out at them, they reached a chamber with five alcoves along each of the three walls.  Sokor stopped, and gave signals to his team.  They spread out, and readied their phasers.

      "Find her?" asked Pazrek.

      "The one in the middle, back wall," answered Sokor.  "We're ready.  How do we get their attention?"

      "That's Amy?" gasped Moon.  Amy's signature blue hair and eyes were gone.  She had only black tubes in her head where her hair had been.  Only one eye was visible, and it was black.  The other was merely an extensive eyepiece.  Her skin was a mottled white, and was moist.  She was covered in a black suit, much like the other Borg, with tubes and conduits wired throughout her.  One hand was recognizable, although it was partly covered in metal and had an interface on it that was plugged into the wall alcove.  The other was a claw.

      Pazrek nodded grimly.  "Borg surgery is a bit on the invasive side.  Now, we need to shoot at something to get their attention.  We do not want to blast them while in their portals.  That could cause a feedback that would possibly kill Amy.  A power node would be perfect."

      "Like that one right there?" asked one of the Security officers.

      Pazrek leveled his rifle.  "Get ready."  He pulled the trigger, and a red-hot beam of energy impacted into the power node, destroying it.  As if flipping a switch, the Borg began swarming out of their alcoves.  Phaser rifles kicked off, blasting them back.

      277 disconnected and moved towards the nearest Starfleet officer.  He was preoccupied shooting at another Borg, and she grabbed him and lifted him up, tubes shooting from her wrist into his neck.

      "My God," gasped Moon, watching the officer fall.  Eight of the fifteen Borg were now dead.  Pazrek took aim at another, and then switched to the officer before he fired.

      "he… lp... me..."

      Pazrek closed his eyes for a second.  "Sorry," he whispered as he pulled the trigger.  The beam lanced out, killing the officer before assimilation was finished.

      "They've adapted!" snapped Sokor, watching his beam hit with no effectiveness.

      "Our turn!" shouted Jupiter.  "JUPITER SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"  The ball of lightning sailed into the nearest drone, smashing it backwards towards its alcove, where it crashed in a smoldering heap.

      "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" called Mars, pointing her hands at another drone, rings of flame smashing into it, burning through the armor and searing it dead.

      "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!"  Energy blasted from Venus' hand and blasted the drone in front of her.

      "MOON TIARA MAGIC!" called Moon, throwing her tiara with practiced ease, directing it through the necks of three Borg, severing the heads.  As they collapsed, her tiara returned.

      277 raised her hand.  No words were spoken.  None were deemed relevant.  Power surged through her and water blasted from her open hand, smashing another Starfleet officer into a nearby alcove and electrocuting him.  Smoke issued from the officer's clothing as he gave one final spasm.

      "AMY!" screamed Moon.

      "We are 277 of 599.  Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own.  Your culture will adapt to service us.  You will be assimilated.  Resistance is futile," 277 said in her robotic monotone voice.

      Tuxedo Mask was quietly sneaking up on 277, hypospray in hand, when Venus moved from the other side, her hypospray ready.  She jumped at 277.

      277 saw it coming, and with strength greater then that of any Scout, since she was indeed an assimilated Scout, caught the wrist with the hypospray.  Staring blankly at Venus, she closed her grip.

      There was an audible snap and Venus felt a wrenching pain as she screamed, as the bones in her wrist were crushed.  277 whipped Venus into the nearby wall.  She hit with such force that more audible cracking was heard, and she collapsed into blissful unconsciousness, lying at weird angles.

Back to Top

Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius

By Daryll Pung

Part 3: The Elusive Locust

PG13

      Moon's scream stopped time for a second.  Only the Borg seemed not to care, as 277 moved for Mars next.  But Tuxedo Mask was already in position.  He reached forward from behind 277 and slammed the hypospray into her neck.  There was a hiss.  277 began turning, and fell unconscious just before as she grabbed at Tuxedo Mask.

      "Got her!" he shouted as Sokor moved to the fallen Venus.

      "Is she okay?" asked Moon.

      "She needs sickbay!" reported Sokor.  "And she needs it now!"

      "Go!" ordered Pazrek.

      Sokor tapped his combadge.  "Sokor to Marauder.  2 for emergency transport straight to sickbay!"  Sokor and Venus dissolved into columns of light.

      "Our turn!" snapped Pazrek.  "Get ready for transport!"

      "There's more behind us!" snapped one of the other guards.  Three of the security guards were left. 

      "Sailor Moon!  Tuxedo Mask!  Take Amy and go with Pazrek!  We'll hold them off!" shouted Mars.

      "No!" snapped Moon.  "Last time I left one of my friends, look what happened to her.  I'm fighting until everyone is safe!"

      Phaser beams hit the Borg, to no avail.

      "Listen!  We'll protect your captain!  We can still hurt the Borg!  Go with Tuxedo Mask and my friend!  Get out of here!" yelled Moon.  The guards glanced at Pazrek, who nodded as Jupiter shot lightning down the hallway, blasting several Borg.

      "MARS SEARING INFERNO!"  Fire raged from Mars' outstretched hands.  The flames were easily the width of the hallway, and gave them a temporary reprieve.  The guards, Mask, and 277 dematerialized behind them.

      "More coming!" roared Jupiter.

      "MOON TIARA DEVASTATION!" Moon's tiara whipped down the corridor, smashing into and detonating on the incoming drones.

      "Ready!" called Pazrek.  "Energize now!"

      The Borg swarmed as beams of light appeared and removed the remainder of the rescue squad out of harm's way, at least temporarily.

      The door hissed open, admitting Serena.  She immediately spotted Venus by the swarm of medical personnel around her.  She moved closer, and silently watched and listened.  She grimaced as she heard Venus' moans.

      "Tough girl," one of the doctors said.

      "Her healing is remarkable.  We just need to stabilize her, she'll be fine within a day," commented another.

      "As long as she remains in Scout form," commented Serena, relieved that Venus would be fine.

      Venus' eyes opened as she heard Serena's voice.  "Hey," she whispered.

      "Stick in there, Sailor Venus," said Serena softly.  "Hold on to Scout form so you heal faster."  The doctor moved an instrument Serena was unfamiliar with over Venus' wrist, which was now black and blue.  Venus sighed in relief and closed her eyes.  Despite herself, Serena was intrigued.

      "What's that do?" she asked.

      "Begins mending bones.  With her accelerated healing, she'll be fully healed skeletally within a few hours.  She will be released tomorrow, although she'll be bruised for a while," commented the doctor.  "Who are you?"

      "Her leader," commented Serena.  The doctor took her aside as the work continued.

      "She broke every bone in her wrist and hand.  All of her ribs were cracked, she had a concussion, and her spine came too close to being severed.  From what I heard happened, I'm surprised she's still alive," the doctor shook his head in wonder.

      "Sailor Scouts are tougher than normal humans," said Serena, inwardly chilled at the injury report.  "Speaking of which," she smacked herself on the forehead.  "I forgot!  I haven't used it in so long, I totally forgot I could!"

      "No," moaned Venus weakly.  Her eyes fluttered open again.  "Save your healing for Amy.  I'll be just fine.  Sokor told me what happened.  Go to her, Serena.  Right now, she needs you more than me."   Venus smiled bravely.  "Let me know what happens."

      "You got it, Venus!  I'll keep you up to date.  You just get better!" Serena said.  She smiled and then turned around.  The doors hissed shut behind her.

      "Force field in place and holding," reported the security officer manning the console as Serena walked in.  They were in a lab, and an enclosure along one wall had been Borg-proofed and currently held a sleeping 277.  Luna and Artemis were staring in horror, as were the other girls.

      "Venus'll be fine," said Serena, eyes on 277.  "She was practically killed, but thanks to her Scout toughness and the medical knowledge of this place, she'll be up and around tomorrow.  Where are we?  What are we doing here?"

      "We've set up the forcefield.  We need to wait until she awakens before attempting to cut her off from the collective.  This is touch and go," said Pazrek, standing near the console.

      "I could heal her," said Serena.

      "The shock could kill her," said Luna softly, still staring.  "Which means they have to break contact first."

      "She can't be wanting to be a Borg," gasped Raye.

      "She doesn't know," said Pazrek patiently.  "Listen, girls.  She is not Amy.  Amy won't even be Amy for some time after this, even assuming there is some magical way you can suddenly heal her.  The mental trauma from being assimilated lasts a long time.  Like it or not-"

      A shuddering explosion interrupted Pazrek.

      "What the hell?"

      "Sir!" gasped Warmex.  Smoke filled the bridge as the cube fired again.  "This isn't right!  The cube is regenerating and attacking at the same time!"

      "Pazrek to bridge!  What the hell's happening?" came over the bridge comm circuit.  H'Shang staggered up and answered. 

      "It's not logical!  The Borg are still regenerating, but they are attacking at the same time!"

      Down in the lab, the Starfleet personnel all glanced at each other in shock.  Pazrek gritted his teeth.  "Damn that Locust!"

      The Borg now seized all of TFN in a holding beam, one per ship.

      "Captain!  They have all of us in a holding beam!  If we don't do something-"

      "Fire," the captain ordered.  At tactical, Worf nodded and pressed his panel.  The screen showed multiple phasers and torpedoes shooting out, as TFN was released from the holding beams. 

      "Concentrate all firepower on that cube.  Target the power distribution network.  All ships, open fire!" ordered Picard.

      On the screen, which Pazrek had routed from the bridge so he could watch, three blue torpedoes smashed into the source of the holding beams, terminating them.  A swept shape moved in front of TFN, firing all the while.  Quite a few other ships followed it, and the sight made Pazrek smile.

      "Thank you, Captain Picard," smiled Pazrek.  "I knew I could count on the Enterprise!  Bridge, do we have phaser power?"

      "Yes, sir.  I've just charged the cannons!" reported a coughing Sokor.

      "Terminate that cube!"

      The Marauder was the first of the TFN ships to recover.  She came up, pointing both wings at the staggering cube.  Firepower from twenty-six ships was followed by the coup de grace from the Marauder, as both wing cannons blasted at the same time.  Twin beams of ultra-intense energy struck the cube, overloading its systems and exploding it in a massive burst of gas and debris.  The Enterprise came around and assumed a protective position near the three injured ships.  The rest of the fleet reformed around them.  The Borg cube was gone, and TFN began repairs.

      Picard, Troi, and Data gazed at 277.

      "So, that was the smart blue-haired girl?" asked Troi.

      "Yes.  So far, we're ready to begin.  We're waiting for the tranquilizer to wear off," began Pazrek.  "And this time, they're not Hoppers.  They're here to help catch a villain.  That villain, which we call a Locust, is in charge of a small Borg fleet, and is extremely powerful.  Before you ask, Captain, we were caught unawares because that cube was regenerating and fighting at the same time."

      When he said that, Picard, Troi, and Data all shared a shocked expression.  Then they looked back at Pazrek.  "That's also why 277 here is still alive.  Apparently, Marius, our Locust, still retains control over her.  On a related subject, we are attempting to discern where they went so we can finish our business."

      Picard nodded.  "I have Riker on that as we speak.  I think, though, with our Borg experiences, Data, the Counselor, and myself would be best served here to aid you.  For example, Data can man the console and attempt to break the link, while we wait to help with her mental recovery."

      Pazrek agreed.  "Since you have been assimilated, you do have an idea what she's going through."

      "And I guarantee she will remember every horrible moment for some time to come, not to mention blaming herself every step of the way," said Picard quietly, noting the horrified looks of the rest of the Scouts.

      The sky was overcast.  It had been raining on and off for the past two days.  The Scouts were not happy.

      First, because General Trouble, or GT-creep, as the girls had begun to call it had not been spotted and so far eluded their every effort.

      Second, because the media were giving them a less then favorable image.

      "And while the police are not accusing the Sailor Scouts of the murder, there are various opinions that they are indirectly responsible.  Our very own Mari is on the scene at the very park where the incident occurred.  Mari?"

      "Thanks, Juni.  The public opinion of the Scouts varies pretty widely.  Some think it's wonderful that these young women give up their personal lives to aid others, but they are the minority.  Most say that they are a loose cannon, requiring regulation.  We've spoken to some people about what they think of the Sailor Scouts."

      "Well, those punk kids need to learn restraint.  The fact is, they killed that woman, and if this keeps up, who knows where we'll end up?  It's getting to where people are afraid of them."

      Amara spit her tea at that one.  She coughed, and gasped in outrage.  Michelle raised an eyebrow as Sam got up to get her a towel.

      "We're certainly catching a bad rap, aren't we?" she sighed.

      Amara frowned at her.  "Well, I'm sure this isn't what Serena had in mind.  I'm sure she doesn't want people to fear the Scouts.  But we can't be blamed for this!  It's not our fault!"

      "We know that," said Trista.  She turned away from her computer, allowing the mists of time to recloud the monitor.  She loved the interface Amy and Stryfe had come up with, as it allowed her to be with the Scouts and still monitor timelines.

      "Hmm.  Has anyone noticed a pattern developing?  Each incident, so far, has occurred within spitting distance of us," commented Sam as she handed Amara the towel.  "I'd wager it's still nearby.  I think it might be tracking our power."  As if to admit she was right, an explosion sounded.

      Amara sighed.  "Let's finish it this time," she said as she raised her hand.

      "Commander," called the lieutenant at Ops.  "I'm picking up traces of a residual trans-warp signature.  I think we have stumbled on their route.  It gets stronger ahead."

      Riker stood up.   "Okay, follow it.  Inform the Captain what you have so far."  He moved back by Worf at tactical.  "Mr. Worf, I have some tactical ideas for fighting them I want to discuss with you..."

      By the time they got there, the only sign of GT-creep was a burning pair of cars.  Both drivers' heads were lolling on their shoulders, showing their necks were snapped.  A huge footprint was in the dirt nearby.  Uranus was livid.

      "He's playing us for a fool!" she snapped.  She lost her temper.  Unfortunately, she lost it as the police and media arrived.  She spun around and punched the nearest object, a telephone pole that snapped cleanly as she hit it.  The pole crashed down, sparks flying and wires snapping.  The Scouts were now trying to calm her, but they decided it would be best to get out of here and calm her down elsewhere.  They vanished.

      "Lieutenant?" asked his partner incredulously.

      Fuji realized he had no choice after seeing what he just saw.  Like it or not, he had people to protect.  "Call it in.  We need to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Sailor Scouts."  I can't believe this, he thought.  What's going on here? 

      Ensign Warmex blinked as she received the Enterprise's scan info.  The Marauder was behind the flagship, and was putting her resources to work elsewhere.  As Warmex examined the info, she realized why Riker had been concerned.  "Sir?" she called to H'Shang.  "Come take a look at this."

      "Seven more cubes?" asked Pazrek.  "You sure?"

      "Yes, sir.  Logically, two possibilities emerge.  The first is the possibility that the Locust is stronger than anticipated, and these are reinforcements.  The second is the Borg are displeased with her and are going to attempt to take control over her.  Logic dictates that while the second option is more beneficial, neither option is favorable," finished H'Shang.

      Pazrek glanced at Picard.  "Not nice, huh."

      "Our options are indeed limited.  When we recover the girl, we need to find out what they're up to.  The link does go both ways," said Picard.  "In the meantime, we need a battle plan for the worse-case scenario."

      "Commander Riker is in the midst of such planning now, sir," said H'Shang.  "If you will excuse me, I must get back to the bridge."  He turned and left.

      Deanna Troi scanned the room.  She decided to see how everyone was doing, and slowly lowered her mental shields.  The door hissed, and Troi was conscious of pain and determination to be cheerful.

      "Mina!" called Serena, hugging her. 

      Mina hissed.  "Not so hard, Serena.  I still hurt.  By the way, the medical staff is most displeased with me."

      Troi swept the others.  Data she had gotten used to barely being able to feel, but he was engrossed and currently had his emotion chip shut off.  Pazrek and Picard shared a sense of anxiety and determination.  The pigtailed blonde was extremely anxious, but eager to get her friend back.  The brunette was actually bored, although still worried.  The two security guards were nervous.  And the black-haired girl... was looking right at her, and knew she was being touched by Troi's mind.

      You're telepathic, said Troi mentally.  Raye nodded slightly.

      We call it psychic.  I can't read other's minds, but I can tell if someone's evil or not, and I have a limited ability to see the future, Raye said mentally.

      I'm not a full telepath, since I'm half human.  But I can feel emotions.  I can tell how others feel.  In other words, our talents are very similar, smiled Troi as she continued the mental communication.

      "So they are," whispered Raye softly.  A whirring sound caught everyone's attention.  They all turned to see 277 scanning her cell.

      "Amy?" asked Serena.

      "We are 277 of 599.  These measures are futile.  You will be assimilated," began 277.

      "Yeah, I know," murmured Picard.  "I said that myself, once."

      277 stepped up.  "Locutus.  You will be reassimilated.  Resistance is futile."

      "Data?" asked Pazrek.

      "Erecting the field to block the collective now, sir.  I am doing it gradually, lest the shock of being suddenly cut off kills her," Data said as he worked.

      For a second, a flash of recognition came to 277's eye.  Troi was conscious of a struggle.  The flash faded, as did Troi's reading.

      The claw popped up, and energy shot out of the tips, mingling in the forcefield.  The security guards stepped back and drew their phasers.

      "The forcefield is failing!" called Data.  "The suppression field is almost up!"

      As the field went down, Picard jumped back.  "Put your phasers away!  You can't shoot her!"  277 moved swiftly towards one of the guards and picked him up, despite his attempt to move away.  Her hand moved towards him, tubes coming out of her skin.

      "Field up!" called Data, before leaping over the console to stop 277.  He got halfway when he realized her hand had stopped moving.  277 dropped the guard and lowered her arm.  She turned.  A tear trickled out of her eye.

      "Oh, my God, Serena," came a voice, identifiable as Amy's.  She shuddered, and then collapsed to her knees, tears streaming out of her eye.  She stared at her claw-arm in horror.

      "Amy?" Serena asked, stepping closer.  The other Security guard still had his phaser pointed at Amy/277.

      "Yeah," shuddered Amy/277.  She looked up at her leader.  "Please, get this stuff off of me."  She began tearing at the body armor with her hand, trying to remove it, and failing miserably before she collapsed into sobs.

      "It's okay, Amy," said Raye, coming close to comfort her.

      "Glad you're back!" said Lita, following Raye.

      "Yeah, Amy," smiled Mina.

      Amy/277 shrank away.  "No!  Don't come near me!  I don't want to hurt anyone else!"  She stepped back from her friends.

      Serena's heart was bursting.  She felt for her friend.  They said she should go through the entire recovery process, getting everything surgically removed.  Well, they don't know the power of the Sailor Scouts, and she needs my help now.  I won't fail her again.  Serena raised her hand.  "MOON HEAVENLY POWER!"  White light heralded the arrival of the champion of love and justice.

      Moon willed for her crescent wand to appear.  It didn't.  A long, beautiful silvery staff appeared in her hands instead, the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal in its tip.  Luna gasped as the attention shifted to Sailor Moon.

      "The Imperium Moon Staff!" whispered Artemis in awe.  "I didn't think it was real!"  He shared a look with Luna.  Sailor Moon had truly begun mastering her powers...

      Oblivious to anyone's astonishment, Moon focused her energies on Amy/277.  "Amy," she said.  "I failed you.  I'm sorry.  But at least I can be here for you after it's all over.  MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"

      White energy shot from the staff, surrounding Amy/277, lifting her off the deck.  The Starfleet personnel stared as Amy's features were covered, and the glare became too intense.  Instead, they watched the pieces fall to the floor.  The first was the eyepiece, followed by all the other components, the metal-to-flesh interface last of all.  Amy's body was now illuminated as a white shape, and her right arm was regenerating.  Finally, the white light faded, and Amy dropped to the floor behind the pile of Borg components.  Her head was once again covered in blue hair, and her blue, teary eyes focused on Moon.

      "Thank you," she whispered as she slipped into unconsciousness.

      "Amy!" Moon said, releasing and transforming back to Serena.  She ran to her friend, picking her up in her arms, staggering.  Darien moved to help.  Serena shook her head no.

      "I'm responsible.  I'll take her.  Just remind me to play with Marius before I finish her as payback," she said with a coldness that shocked Luna and Artemis.  The other girls all agreed wholeheartedly as the door hissed open, and the Scouts left.

      Data was still looking at the pile of components, wondering.

      "Wow," said Troi.  "Such power."

      "Might even give Q a run for his money," said Pazrek.

      "I doubt it, unfortunately," Picard said, shaking his head.  "Still, appearances can be deceiving.  I didn't think much of them, but my opinion has certainly raised a notch."

      "You should've seen them attack the Borg," Pazrek said as they left the lab, leaving the cleanup to the other two officers.  "Impressive.  I'd say they're physically as strong as Data when in Scout form, except for Sailor Jupiter.  She's even stronger..."

      Eight hours later, the fleet was nearing the destination, the current location of the Borg ships.  Picard and Pazrek were in intense discussion via viewscreen when the doors from the conference room hissed open.  Serena and the others walked through, Amy last, brooding and silent.  Serena walked right up to Pazrek.

      "Your second of the two options is what it is.  Amy told us that.  The Borg are not happy with Marius.  They will attempt to seize control of the other cubes and destroy the sphere.  They will fail.  Marius, seeing the damage that Starfleet can do, is now powering all her ships with Nega-energy.  What this means is all your battle plans are for naught," Serena stated calmly.

      "How do we fight them, then?" asked Sokor.  Having fought with the Scouts in more ways then one, he now respected their abilities.

      "Simply put, that's what we're here for.  Destroy the sphere and they revert to normal Borg.  Your battle plans will be effective then.  So, your engineer should construct a..." Serena trailed off, and looked at Amy.  "What'd you call it?  Multiphasic power input relay?"

      Amy nodded.  She had yet to look anyone in the eyes.  "Something to allow us to channel our power into the ship's weapons, preferably the cannons that blasted the cube from the decoy force."

      Picard blinked on the screen.  He saw something in Amy he recognized.  Self-loathing.  He glanced at Troi.  She nodded sadly.

      Mina rested her hand on Amy's shoulder.  Amy stiffened.

      "Why are you doing this?" Amy asked through gritted teeth.  "I... I tried to kill you!"

      "No, Amy, you didn't," said Mina softly.  "277 of 599 did.  It was worth the pain to see you back with us.  We're a team, and we need you.  We missed you.  And maybe now Serena will stop blaming herself."

      Amy blinked in surprise and met Serena's eyes.  Serena's were also filled with guilt, though not as much as Amy's.

      "But it wasn't your fault," said Amy.  "There was nothing you could do."

      "You couldn't do anything either, Amy," said Raye sadly.  "Nobody can resist a million minds by themselves."

      Amy's eyes filled with tears again.  She almost never cried, but she was crying a lot here. 

Pazrek cleared his throat and tapped his combadge.  "Pazrek to Forger.  Construct a multiphasic power input relay into the Phased Cannon system.  Rig it with five inputs that combine into one."

      "Aye, sir," came over the comm channel.

      Pazrek turned.  "Activate Order Console, Project Reunion protocols.  Code Pazrek One Eight Seven Theta Phi Alpha.  Prepare secondary gate generators."

      "Activated," replied the computer.  Near the back of the bridge, the bulkhead split in two and a console was revealed.  It lit up as power was supplied from the now operating Order generators.  Pazrek turned again.  "Captain, proceed with Riker's battle plans.  Await the sphere's destruction before you begin, however.  TFN will assist at that point.  Our first concern is that Locust.  Oh, and Captain?"

      "What?" asked Picard.

      "Good Luck," smiled Pazrek.  As the screen reverted to a view of the fleet, Pazrek turned to Amy.  He pulled something out of his belt.  "I believe this is yours," he said, handing Amy her microcomputer.

      Amy blinked away her tears and forced a smile.  "Thanks." 

      Pazrek nodded with a smile.  "Relax, Amy.  Picard, whom you know was also assimilated, passed on something for me to tell you.  He said, 'You blame yourself for what happened.  So did I.  Your nightmares won't end for some time to come.  Despite all this, you are a better person.  You've survived and fought back from something most can't.  You have lots of close friends and family who care deeply about you.  Listen to them.  Lean on them.  It's what they want, because you are important to them, and you are loved, despite the Borg's best efforts.  Cheer up.  For you, it's over.  There is only the future.'"

      "Sounds like good advice from someone who knows what you're going through," smiled Lita.

      "I'll try," murmured Amy.  "It won't be easy."

      "Probably not," said Darien.  "But you have something else to think about right now."

      Amy nodded, expression hardening.  "Marius."

      "Sir!" called Ensign Warmex.  "Detecting two Borg task forces exchanging fire ahead!"

      "Engineering to bridge!  Relay constructed!" called Forger.

      Pazrek glanced at Serena, who nodded and spun around. 

      "It's on deck four, section seven," said Pazrek.  "We'll call when we're ready."

      Serena nodded as the lift doors closed around her and the Scouts, and they transformed.

      Pazrek turned back.  "Ensign, on screen."

      The screen blinked on to show the five cubes take position around the sphere.  Energy crackled from them, and all linked to the sphere, which redirected the energy at the incoming cubes.  Seven explosions marked the defeat of the Borg task force.

      "Uh, all that is registering now are the five cubes and one sphere," gulped Warmex.

      "Interesting.  Tell TFN to break off and cloak.  We've got to surprise the Locust.  Tell the fleet to get in position, but stay out of range," ordered Pazrek.

      The Scouts stepped out of the lift, and met up with Forger, who pointed it out to them.  The Scouts simply nodded as they took their places.

      "Are we ready?" asked Moon.  "Remember.  We don't have to exhaust ourselves, merely supply our influence to their weapons.  We have to do it together."

      "Divided we stand, tomorrow us all," said Venus.  They rolled their eyes.

      "It's together we stand, divided we fall," said Forger with a quiet grin.

      Venus shrugged.  "Whatever."

      "Places," commanded Moon.  She glanced at Mercury.  As if sensing her concern, Mercury looked up. 

      "I'll be fine.  Just gonna give Marius a taste of my anger!" she said, eyes blazing with hatred.  Before anyone could say anything, the wall panel beeped. 

      "Pazrek to Scouts.  Ready when you are."

      They each gripped the charging handles.  Concentrating, they drew mightily upon themselves, and each other.  As one, their power began to flow into the already charged system.

      Sokor blinked at the energy readings.  "Sir!  The power curve is now OFF THE SCALE!  It's incredible!  Registering cannons ready!"

      "Decloak and fire!" ordered Pazrek.  "Shields up!  Computer, activate node, set to A-74, instant trigger when signatures match!"

      Space rippled as Marauder came into view.  Instantly, both wing cannons fired, but not as pulsing red beams.  Instead, they were white, surrounded by red, blue, yellow, and green swirls.  Both beams impacted on the Nega-sphere, instantly destroying its defenses.  A white flash swept through it just before it exploded.  As the five cubes were caught off guard, the rest of TFN decloaked and began hammering the cube nearest them, joined moments later by Starfleet, from all sides.  Starships began playing hopscotch, blasting one cube, then switching weapons and diving for another, not giving the Borg a chance to adapt, or adjust to the strategy.  To an outside observer, the tactics seemed totally random.  To Riker, they simply made sense as the Enterprise finished off the first cube.  To Starfleet, they simply worked, as when the last cube blew, no starships had been destroyed.  To Picard, it was a victory.  To Pazrek, it was a defeat.

      "So what are you saying?" demanded Serena.

      "She detected and warped the node.  She's now in prime B-3.  I've already reconfigured the node and contacted the Order member there.  You should jump as soon as possible," sighed Pazrek.

      Amy rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "Could you spare a few components?"

      Pazrek nodded, curious.  Amy took him aside and explained, and he walked over to the replicator and generated what she needed in a gray, nondescript carrying case.

      "What are those for?" asked Lita.

      "A trap for Marius.  I'll build it later.  We should go track that bitch down," said Amy heatedly.  The others blinked at the curse.

      "Absolutely," said Serena.  "Let's go."

      "Good luck," said Pazrek.  All Serena could think about as the world went white was Amy's attitude.

      I'll help her get better, thought a determined Serena.  It's my duty as her princess and her friend...

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