To Save Our Home We Must Leave It: An Adventure in Another Galaxy
Friend or Foe? A Stranger Appears!
The halls of Triton Castle echoed with the almost ghostly and ethereal melody of the violin. It had been so long since anyone besides Haruka visited her to hear her play. Of course, this was to be expected, as the princess of an Outer System planet. Even with the powerful magic of the planets, it would still take quite a while for any of her fellow senshi to visit her. Still, a part of her missed the sold out concert halls, bouquets of flowers, and thunderous applause that she used to have back on Earth. That life was over, though. Now, she was to resume her duties guarding the galaxy from outside threats; and while she was used to the solitary life of an Outer Princess, the touch of a "normal" life had altered her mindset, in a way. Living life like a 20th century high school student had been fun; but all fun and games had their end.
As she moved on from the introduction to the more complicated melody of her newest composition, a sudden pulse of energy surged through her body. It had startled her so much that she dropped her violin with a loud clang. Michiru was rarely so ungraceful, but the pulse of energy had felt so urgent, and so foreign, that she was certain something was amiss. The galaxy had been rather peaceful and quiet lately, so if a new threat was upon them, she needed to act quickly. As the outermost planet (excluding Pluto, as Setsuna spent her time protecting the Space-Time Door and not in Charon Castle) she was the first line of defense for their galaxy. Not even bothering to pick up her violin, she hiked up her flowing, sea green gown, and sprinted for the Reflecting Pool. If there was a threat, the pool would reveal everything that she needed to know. The pool was powered by her Deep Aqua Mirror, and was the most powerful scrying pool in the galaxy.
Ignoring her servants, who seemed rather panicked at her frantic attitude, she made her way through the courtyard into the tall glass tower just beyond the far hedges, Throwing open the sea glass doors, she descended the amphitheater-like staircase and looked into the large basin. At first glance, the pool didn't look like much. It was rather plain looking, just a basin with murky sea water. Michiru closed her eyes and focused her energy and recited the incantation:
"I, Princess of the Deep Sea, Princess of Embrace, Affinity, and Comprehension, open the lens to the galaxy. I will the waters to clear and allow me to glean the knowledge required to protect this galaxy, as is my sworn duty," She recited it calmly, but knew that the consequences could be dire if she did not do her duties promptly and perfectly. As soon as the incantation left her lips, her planetary symbol began to glow. The water of the reflecting pool began to fill up the room with the same sea green light as the light emanating from her forehead. Michiru opened her eyes and looked into the pool. The visions from this pool could at times be cryptic, so she desperately hoped for some clarity.
When the water reached full clarity, Michiru gasped. Just beyond Charon Castle, a single figure was drifting through space. Her clothes were ripped, and Michiru didn't recognize any of the symbols that adorned her skirt. Her skin was olive, and she had long flowing auburn hair. She didn't seem to be conscious, as her body limply floated through space. On the girl's hand, a golden ring with a bright yellow gem that matched the tattered fragments of her skirt, seemed to glow. As if it had a life of its own, the ring pulled itself upwards and emitted a beam of light. Michiru lurched forward from the same pulse of energy that had thrown her off in the first place. Although this mysterious girl didn't seem to be anything of a threat, she was definitely suspicious. Michiru knew that she was not of this galaxy, based on her energy signal alone. It didn't match anything in the Sol or any of the other systems that she had become acquainted with. Believing that there was no immediate threat to the galaxy or the Queen, Michiru deactivated the mirror and took a deep the girl could be brought in for questioning without a fight, but she dared not pursue her without Haruka by her side-if only to avoid any jokes about Michiru running off to capture a scantily clad alien girl. Michiru would never be able to live that down...and she refused to give Haruka that satisfaction, though the thought did cause the Princess of the Deep Sea to chuckle to herself. It had been too long since she last saw her lover.
Michiru exited the tower and let her thoughts wander to the strange woman who seemed to be not of this galaxy. If she was a threat, Michiru was glad that they would be able to catch her early, and put an end to her. Some might consider her to be cold or cruel, but she takes her duty to the galaxy incredibly seriously. If anyone tried to infringe on that safety, they would be eliminated. She knew that the soldiers from the Inner Planets would want to do everything in their power to make peace with this new alien-even if she would try and kill them. Michiru never understood such a soft approach to protecting their princess, who was now queen. She hoped that Usagi, erm, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion weren't so soft in raising their own daughter. Michiru made a mental note to use the Reflecting Pool to check on Small Lady and the Sailor Quartet. Making sure that they were adequate would surely make defending the galaxy easier.
Walking into the main throne room, Michiru was surprised to see Haruka already waiting for her. She must have felt the vibrations in her space sword and assumed that Michiru would want to investigate. Michiru smiled slightly, finding her lover's intuition rather charming. Haruka was already in her senshi form, which wasn't surprising. Besides the staff at Miranda Castle (Haruka's home), very few people saw her in her dress, even though Michiru found it to be incredibly beautiful and elegant. Then again, Haruka could wear anything and Michiru would find her to be the most beautiful woman in all of the cosmos.
"What's the matter? Never seen a guardian before?" Haruka teased, raising an eyebrow slightly at her lover. Though not publicly affectionate, because Michiru would never care for such an open display, Haruka could tell that the other woman was comforted by her presence. The feeling was mutual, however, they both knew that they had their duties. "I felt the vibration too. Have you found out anything else? And do you plan to transform, Michiru? We need to get moving"
Michiru had to suppress a chuckle at Haruka's hastiness. She wondered if it was because Haruka couldn't race any more. Michiru had never seen Haruka as happy as she was when she was on the race track. She was sure that her love was feeling very confined and claustrophobic, as she never liked to stay in one place for long; and they didn't exactly have the battles that they used to. Perhaps, that was why she was so hasty to leave.
"Neptune Crystal Power, make up!" Michiru called out, summoning her lip rod with ease. Transforming into Sailor Neptune always caused such a rush of emotions. It was like jumping into the ocean after a long day of relaxing on the beach. As the water surrounded her, an overwhelming feeling of calm washed over her. It was perfect for battle, as it centered her and cleared her head. Once transformed, she summoned her Deep Aqua Mirror without a second word and conjured up the image of the alien woman she had found earlier.
"She-the alien, was drifting near Charon Castle, so she shouldn't be too far from here," Michiru explained, "We don't know if it's a threat yet, so we should bring it back here as soon as possible,"
"No, we'll bring it to Setsuna's place. It's closer to the alien, and further from the Inner planets," Haruka concluded after looking into the Deep Aqua Mirror. Also, Charon Castle was like a fortress. If this seemingly harmless alien turned out to be a harbinger for the rest of her species to invade, it would be exceedingly difficult to break through Charon's defenses. Perhaps it was paranoia, but the last time someone slipped through their defenses...no...that was not going to happen again.
"Right. Let's go," Michiru nodded and raised her Deep Aqua Mirror into the air, as Haruka raised her Space Sword into the air. Activating both of their talismans, both soldiers were surrounded by sea green and cobalt blue light. With a bright flash and a high pitched ringing noise, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were transported from the throne room of Triton Castle into the endless expanse of space. Without Setsuna's talisman, their power was weakened, but Michiru hoped that the two of them would be able to intercept this alien with ease. Though, it was likely Setsuna already knew that something suspicious was going on, as she likely felt the vibration in her own talisman. If she had believed it to be dire, she would have already been here.
There wasn't much conversation between the two sailor soldiers as they flew through space, their only protection were their barriers of energy, which served as something of a vehicle. Though they hadn't seen each other in months, they both knew that time was of the essence in this mission, and that talk and love could wait until later. As they altered their course for Charon Castle, it didn't even take them more than twenty minutes to discover the floating body of the alien woman. She looked even worse up close. Her long yellow skirt was barely more than a few strands of what at one time must have beautiful fabric. Her shirt, which had a yellow bow in the center, had one large gash right above her waist. It was clear to the sailor soldiers that she had been attacked, and whatever had attacked her was severely dangerous.
"We need to take her to Charon Castle right away," Haruka said with a tone of urgency. The ring that the alien was wearing was giving off a very faint pulse of light, which the talismans were able to pick up. The pulses were significantly weaker than before, and Haruka was sure that this was a sign that whatever life form before them was fading fast.
Michiru nodded in understanding before merging her own barrier with Haruka's. This would drain a lot more energy from the sailor soldiers, but it would allow them to move much more quickly. Acting as a single unit, the two sailor scouts absorbed the alien into their now joint barrier, and without another word, blasted toward Charon Castle. It was abnormal for them to just show up out of the blue to such a faraway castle, but Michiru only hoped that Setsuna was able to contact those who presided over Charon castle to warn them of their arrival.
It took nearly an hour for the pair to reach the large, looming, solid black fortress that was Charon Castle. Its high walls and foreboding appearance always made Michiru feel uneasy. She couldn't imagine living in such a place, but then again, Setsuna was rarely ever there. As the first line of defense against galactic invasion, the castle had to be a bastion of fortitude and strength. Although she understood, she was quite glad that her own castle wasn't so constricting.
Landing just in front of the gates to the castle, the soldiers dismissed their barriers and Haruka carried the alien girl with ease. Brandishing their talismans, the gates swung open. Luckily for them, whoever was in charge of the castle while Setsuna was away, must have received word from the protector of the Space-Time Door to let Michiru and Haruka in without any questions.
"Quickly. We'll tend to her in the tower," Haruka said quickly. Although each of the planetary castles were very different, each of the outer planets had an observation tower which only they could enter. It was usually where the talisman was kept when not being used. They were not questioned by any of the servants and other staff person as they made their way through Charon castle. The black walls and hallways were arranged in a complex labyrinth that would have thrown off anyone trying to lay siege to the palace. Luckily for the mysterious person being carried by Haruka, the sailor soldiers have travelled these halls hundreds of times, and had no problem finding their way the locked gate at the heart of the labyrinth.
Michiru pressed her mirror to the center of the gate, which sent a sea green pulse of energy that rippled across the gate. After a few seconds the gate swung open with a loud creak. Swiftly ascending the steps, they were surprised to see Setsuna waiting at the top of the stairs for them. She had transformed into her Sailor Soldier form (or rather, stayed in it, as she rarely ever wore anything else.)
"I've prepared the space for the alien, we need to move quickly," Setsuna motioned for them to enter the room. She had set up a small bed and had several potions on a bedside table.
Haruka quickly set the alien woman on the bed, and Setsuna moved swiftly. Without a word Setsuna began to administer the potions to the woman. At first, it was almost impossible to get her to swallow the potions, but with each potion she took, her ring seemed to glow brighter and brighter.
"It shouldn't be too much longer now," Setsuna sighed quietly and looked at the woman. Although she still looked like she was still in horrible shape, Setsuna was no longer worried that the other woman was going to die. Setsuna couldn't get over how strange the other woman's clothing was. She didn't recognize any of the symbols on the woman's tattered skirt, and Setsuna certainly wouldn't mind running some tests on that ring she was wearing. Perhaps later she would contact Ami, who had the best labs in the system. But, that would likely require more time away from the Space-Time Door, and she was almost certain that it wouldn't be allowed.
Setsuna was pulled from her thoughts when the woman began to stir. Haruka rested her hand on her Space Sword, while Michiru knelt slightly by the woman.
"Don't strain it. There's no point in hurting yourself all over again," Michiru's tone was slightly cold, but she wasn't sure about this woman yet.
"Where am I?" The woman bolted up suddenly, though doubled over from the pain. Her voice was high and almost musical sounded. She spoke with a lilting accent and though she was panicked, her voice was beautiful. "I've got to find the leader of this star system, there isn't any time to sit around!"
"Calm down!" Haruka warned, "You can start by telling us who you are, and what your intentions are in this galaxy," Her hand didn't leave her Space Sword as she eyed the recently awoken woman.
Seemingly surprised by the sudden harsh tone, the woman took a few seconds before answering "I am Sailor Aristaeus, but you may call me, Eirene." She began, keeping a cautious tone, "I am not from your galaxy, yes, but I...I was able to escape my own to bring you a message. It was the final wish…"Her eyes welled up "The final wish of my queen, Queen Minerva," Eirene took a deep breath "Our galaxy was drained of all life. As I am sure you know, each planet has a warrior who protects not only her own planet, but our ruler as well. Our galaxy has been through its share of fights, but there was no way we could have fended them off…"
"Who is 'them?' Michiru asked, not sure if she believed this supposed sailor soldier yet.
"They have spoken to us only once, just before they began their assault on us. They said that they are from a race known only as the Kyrios. They began slaughtering our people like we were nothing more than flies. The rest of the soldiers and I were able to fend them off only for a couple of hours. Within that time….I lost everyone. My family, my friends, my comrades….within just five hours, my planet was nothing more than a tomb." Eirene explained calmly. Though she appeared calm, the cracking of her voice every few syllables made it obvious to the three talisman holders that she was breaking up on the inside.
"How did you escape?" Setsuna asked, a look of worry on her face. If what Sailor Aristaeus was right, then they needed to embrace the possibility of the same foe coming to their own galaxy.
"In the last seconds before the Imperial Palace was destroyed, Queen Minerva used the last of her power to send me to the closest neighbouring galaxy. She entrusted me with her own planetary crystal, the Chrysolan Imperium Crystal. The Kyriosans harvest planetary crystals for reasons we do not yet know. Queen Minerva ordered me to take the crystal to the ruler of this galaxy. She wanted me to warn this galaxy of what was to come." Eirene swung her legs over the bed, but doubled over in pain.
"Don't strain yourself," warned Michiru. Her Deep Aqua Mirror hadn't signalled her that the foreign sailor soldier was lying.
"We will take the crystal to Neo-Queen Serenity. She will decide what we'll do," Haruka said solemnly "And for security reasons, you'll have to stay here until we can confirm your story and our queen gives you permission to leave,"
Looking slightly annoyed, Eirene nodded and held out her hands. A gentle orb of yellow light formed in her hands, and after a few seconds, a clover shaped platinum brooch appeared in her hands. It was inscribed with many golden symbols like the ones on Eirene's skirt. She held it out to Haruka "Protect this with your life, and do not open it until you are in your queen's presence," Eirene cautioned.
Haruka took the brooch carefully and nodded "We will talk to the queen, but if this is some sort of plot to harm our galaxy, we will not show any mercy," She said with a somewhat cold tone. Nothing that Eirene had done had set off any alarm bells to Haruka, but in her mind, Eirene was a threat until she wasn't. "There's no use in waiting to leave for Neo-Queen Serenity's palace. Neptune, Pluto, let's go,"
"I have some things to take care of here. I'll stay behind, and that way I can also look after her. Maybe I can learn more about our new guest as well," Setsuna smiled slightly to her teammates. Although she missed fighting and adventuring alongside them, she knew that they could handle it without her.
"Right. We'll keep you updated," Michiru hugged her friend, while Haruka gave an approving nod.
The two soldiers left the tower and once they were back outside, they again formed their energy barriers and sped toward Crystal Tokyo. They had to act quickly, because if what Sailor Aristaeus said was true, they would not have much time to fight when the Kyriosans arrived. And who knew when or even if that would happen.
Little did they know that their galaxy would soon change forever.
Continued in Chapter 2: It's Time to Leave Home: Small Lady and Her Quartet Take On Their First Mission