Sailor Moon Chronicles R

Revenge of the Separatist Commanders

Night in the Haunted Ruins of the Jedi Enclave

Serena, Amy, Rei, Lita, and Mina were all aboard their starship, the Moon Carriage, and on their way to a party on the planet of Dantooine. Several high ranking members in Sailor Scout Industries had announced a celebration and sent invitations to all of the Sailor Soldiers on Earth. Zoey was busy with work, and Trista, Amara, and Michelle were off on missions for the Justice League. Dantooine was an odd location for a party since it was located in the outer rim of the Republic and known mostly as just a farming world.

"I'm so excited to go to this party," cheered Serena. "I can't wait to get there. They said there was going to be pizza."

"Be patient," said Amy. "Dantooine is far from Earth. Did you find it strange that some of the executives just suddenly decided to have a party?"

"Not really," Mina answered. "Executives do that kind of stuff all the time on Earth. Hell, we do it."

"We're representatives," Rei added, "not executives. Besides, why would they invite us?"

"Because we are super cool and super famous, that's way," Mina said with pride. "Sometimes it is a curse to be so popular and awesome."

"You have such an ego," commented Lita. "I don't care who is throwing it or where it is, I need a party after our last few missions. That ridiculous Watchmen fiasco really wiped me out."

"That Rorschach dude seriously freaked me out," Serena said, gripping her shoulders. "All I want is pizza. I told Darien to meet up with us. My stomach is rumbling. I didn't have a good lunch. It was a terrible salad. Yuck! I want pizza."

The coordinates they were given took them to a part of the planet experiencing night. The terrain matched the database's description perfectly. In daylight, the land was painted by gold and green fields and savannas. Rolling hills did crescendos into mountains and then rolled back down into plains until ending at the seas. It was a simple world compared to most. The farms were technology driven yet still moderate in size. When night fell, the land was distilled in a tranquility and serenity that was almost eerie. The yellows and greens turned to grays and blues.

They soon came to the location of the party. To go further, the girls had to use a drop ship to get to the doorstep of the structure. Clouds covered the party's location for a quite a while until the drop ship dipped through them. With the veil removed, they found that the coordinates had taken them to some kind of large temple ruin.

"What in the world?" Mina exclaimed. "That isn't glamorous."

"It looks like a ruin," Rei said.

"Cheer up everyone," said Serena with optimism. "I could be one of those fancy places that looks sucky, but that is only the theme. I bet it is super swanky inside."

Serena was wrong. When they came to building's façade, they found that it was truly a ruin. The building was in shambles, empty of life for years. It was a large circular structure that used to have a several courtyards around the exterior. The girls walked through what used to be a flourishing garden bursting with vibrant colored plants. Now the flower bets held nothing but ash and dust.

"What do you think happened here?" said Amy, eyeing the barrenness.

"A battle must have taken place here," Lita speculated. "Do you think it happened during the Clone Wars?"

"The ruins look too old," said Rei. "I'd say this happened long before the Separatists touched this planet."

Just then, Serena felt a rain drop strike her nose. A second later, rain started to viciously fall. The girls all reacted to varying degrees of shock from upset to spastic. They began running to the ruins.

"Darn it!" Lita said. "We're too far from the ship. Let's go into the ruins and wait for the rain to lighten up."

They came into the structure and found a sky-open courtyard and stayed under the rim of the circular room still covered by roof, witch was not very wide, so they were spread against the wall.

"When I found out who pulled this trick on us," Mina said angrily, "someone is getting slapped."

"I'll help you," Serena added just as steamed. "If there is no pizza here, I'm going to go ballistic."

"We'll all go out for pizza after this," said Rei. "We don't know how long the rain is going to last, so let's go further inside so we can move around a bit."

The girls inched along the wall to avoid the torrential rain. Once they reached a corridor, they ventured forward. It was very dark, so Amy brought a small emergency flashlight out of her purse.

"It is so eerie," Serena said, getting closer to Lita.

The corridor led them to a circular room. There were chairs arrange around the circumference of a mosaic pattern in the center of the room.

"Look at this, guys," Rei said. She pointed to the pattern on the floor. "This is a Jedi pattern. I've seen similar patterns and symbols in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. This place must have been an old Jedi temple."

"Jedi are pretty tough," said Lita. "What do you took this place down?"

Suddenly, the sound of a lightsaber igniting was heard along with the room's sudden illumination in green light. The girls twisted to see the sources. A teenage Togruta girl with a lightsaber stood before them. She was probably about twelve or thirteen. He skin was tomato red like the usual Togruta. She had the classic three head tails and two horns on her head. Since she was young the horns were quite short and dull. Her eyes were cerulean and full of determination. She wore tight brown and white pants with brown boots along with a narrow tube top that exposed her midriff.

"Who are you?" she demanded.
The girls were still in shock that their confronter was only about thirteen and had a lightsaber. The stupor ended with a comment from Mina. "Aren't you a little small for a Jedi?"

"What is that supposed to me?" the girl said angrily.

"Mina, you don't say something like that to anyone who has a lightsaber," Rei hissed.

"Are you working for Ventress?" the girl questioned, "Durge? Grievous? If you are, you dress in a lot of color for Separatists."

"We don't know who they are," Serena said in a whiny cry. "I just came here because I was promised pizza." Just then Serena had an idea. "I'll prove were not villains. I am Serena Tsukino, AKA Sailor Moon." She pulled her transformation brooch out of her purse and held it up for the girl to see.

"Sailor Moon?" the girl repeated. "Isn't that the airheaded Sailor Soldier with strong purifying powers?"

"I wouldn't say 'airheaded'" Serena said unhappily.

"You got it, kid," said Rei. "This is Sailor Moon, the powerful and airheaded. I am Rei Hino AKA Sailor Mars."

The girl then pressed a button on the communication device located in her gauntlet. "Master, I have found five suspicious girls here. They aren't complying with anything. They seem pretty brain dead."

"Brain dead!" Amy spat in outrage. "I would have you know I that I am quite skilled in several academic fields."

"You five are coming with me," the girl commanded. "Don't try anything funny."

The girls obeyed her. They were certain she was a Jedi, so once they met her master everything would be cleared up. The girl directed them to another room where several Clone Troops were stationed, indicating that there was something very wrong with this turn of events. The girl stopped behind a human man.

"Master, I have come with those women I told you about," the girl said.

The man turned around. To the Sailor Soldiers amazement, the man was Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi was with him too.

"Anakin!" Serena squealed. She leapt into his arms, which he did not like. The Togruta was stunned by seeing her master getting hugged by, in her eyes, a stranger and possible enemy. "I knew that this was a party. You really had us going with the rain storm and the ruins and the little Jedi girl. You guys didn't do a good job decorating. Now where is the pizza?"

Every there was just amazed by Serena's cluelessness, especially one person in particular. It was another Jedi. This one was a male Kaminoan. Like all Kaminoans, his skin was chalk white; his arms and digitigrade legs were long and thin; his neck was thin and a foot long. His eyes were large, almond-shaped, black eyes with gray irises. Kaminoans do not have noses but instead have nasal slits. This man's mouth, like all Kaminoans', was small with thin lips. Kaminoans are naturally more than seven feet-tall. The males always had a short fin on their heads that ran down the back of his neck. He wore flowing grey and black robes. His digitigrade, two-toed feet were in peculiar, flip-flop-like, black sandals. He looked at Serena with a haughty expression. "Are you some kind of idiot?"

"Did I say something odd?" Serena asked genuinely confused. "Isn't this a party?"

"No," the Kaminoan said dryly.

Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed. "Why are you here?"

"We were sent an e-mail by some executives telling us that there would be a party here," Lita said.

"With pizza!" Serena blissfully added.

"I'm afraid that you have been horribly tricked," Obi-Wan said grimly. "This is the hideout of three of the most dangerous war criminals known to the Republic."

"Who would do such a thing?" asked Amy.

"Asajj Ventress, Durge, and General Grievous," Anakin answered. "They were three commanders in the Separatist army. Since you defeated their leader, Darth Sidious, they were out of jobs. Now they are hunting down Jedi, and, because of you, Sailor Soldiers. Sailor Rattataki and Sailor Kintan were found dead from lightsaber wounds."

"How horrible," Serena breathed.

"Wait!" the Togruta girl said. "Master, you told me that Sailor Moon defeated Darth Sidious, but you just said that this woman did."

"That is because that woman is Sailor Moon," Anakin said. "Each of those girls is a Sailor Soldier."

"They were right?"

"I'm sorry if my Padawan scared you girls," Anakin said. "This is Ahsoka Tano, my Padawan." The girls introduced themselves to the slightly bewildered Togruta.

"Who is going to apologize for the guy calling me an idiot?" Serena said in little whine.

"Ladies, this is Jedi Master Kuro Hi," Obi-Wan said. "He is the one who picked up on Ventress's trail. His Padawan, Juno Su, is here, but right now he is scouting further into the temple. Now that introductions are out of the way, you must get off this planet immediately."
"Why would we do that?" questioned Lita. "We can help you stop these guys."

"We appreciate your offer," Anakin said, "but you would most likely get in our way if we encounter one of the three criminals."

"We have taken down plenty of villains before," Rei protested. "If you can remember, we took down the boss of those three criminals."

"Sheer dumb luck," Kuro Hi said dryly. "Your encounter with Darth Sidious was a farce of skill against luck at best. Ever since then, none of you have ever faced any other user of the Force outside of practice. A Dark Jedi is unlike your villains."

"Don't knock our villains," retorted Mina spicily. "We get into some freaky s*** with our villains. I think we can manage your villains."

Kuro's large eyes narrowed on the girls. Kaminoans are known for their manners, so being treated rudely is something that raises their defenses quickly. "You know nothing, youngling." He stepped closer to the girls. They stared up at his tall, wiry physique and into his dull, gray eyes like children about to be scolded. "Such foolishness will lead to death. If you have an ounce of sense or self-worth, you will obey us and leave Dantooine. Do you understand?"

The girls had no choice. Jedi Masters outranked them and had the power to command them. If they were to rebel, they would be punished through administrative procedures, so they had to obey the orders to leave. However, each girl was steamed at Kuro in particular for he was much harsher in his delivery of commands. They thought Obi-Wan and Anakin would take their side since they actually witnessed Sailor Moon's victory against Darth Sidious, but as they were Jedi, orders took extreme priority over person affection. Luckily, the rain had stopped, but an inky overcast remained. As they entered the outdoor courtyards, all mouths opened.

"'You know nothing, young one,"' Mina mimicked Kuro angrily. "What the hell kind of c*** is that?"

"I can't believe the Jedi still think so lowly of us after all these years," Rei exclaimed. "We have gone such a long way since they met us, but they won't let go of those first impressions."

"Not everything about what just happened is bad," Amy said. "They were just looking out for us. But I do admit that I am not fund of Master Kuro Hi."

"That guy is a douche," cried Serena. "He called me an idiot and didn't even care. For a Kaminoan, he is such a jacka**."

They then heard the sound of someone snickering. "You got that right."

The girls spun in the direction of the speaker to discover who it was. It was another Kaminoan. He sat on a stump. This one was quite different from the last. He was a teenager, about thirteen or fourteen at most. As a teen he was shorter than a fully grown man, near six foot. He wore a brown cloak over gray robes and tan sandals. He wore conical straw hat that was probably used to guard him against the rain and keep the rays of the sun from harshly striking his white skin. What set him so far apart from Kuro Hi were his green eyes. They shined with an ebullience of life and energy and spirit. Another strong difference that made him different from all Kaminoans and most Jedi was his smile. He was smiling at them as he sat on that stump and ate an apple.

"So you girls are the mythic Sailor Soldiers of Earth," the boy said. "The descriptions were all right. You are amazing."

The girls were not sure how to react to complement like that from a Jedi.

"Thank you," Amy said. "Who are you?"

"Juno Su," the boy said, biting into his apple, "Padawan to the great and terrible Kuro Hi." He tossed the core over his shoulder, got up, and walked over to them. "Please don't let him get to you. He is a Kaminoan, tall and blander than ball of dust."

"You seem awfully different from any Kaminoan we have ever met," said Rei. "While Kaminoans are naturally emotionless, you seem to show you emotions."

"That is simple to explain," Juno said. "When your father ships you off to become a Jedi because you're Force sensitive, you interact with other species that have emotions, so you adopt emotions too."

"You look awfully familiar," Serena said. Her eyes squinted to view him thoroughly. She leaned up to him. "I have never met you before, but you look like someone I know."

"Don't say that everyone in a species all look the same, Serena," Amy said softly.

"I really mean it," Serena persisted. "I can't put my finger on it, but that face looks familiar."

"I know," Juno chirped. "You must have met my father, Lama Su."

"Lama Su?" Lita said in shock. "You mean Lama Su, the Prime Minister of Kamino?"

"That is the one," Juno said with a smile.

"It is really nice to meet you," Amy said. "Sorry, we can't stay. We were instructed by your master and Master Kenobi to leave this place."

"Right," Juno responded. "They are definitely here. An underground facility not part of the temple's design was discovered. If they told you to leave, you should leave. It was nice meeting you all."

The girls said their good-byes and walked to the ship. Suddenly, the ship exploded. Luckily, they were far away enough from the explosion to not be injured.

"Holy c***!" Serena screamed.

Several Super Battle Droids came through the flames with their wrist mounted lasers armed for the girls. Juno dashed between the girls and droids with a green lightsaber in each hand. He deflected their lasers with his lightsabers. "Get back inside!" he shouted.