From Beyond
Broken Peace
Princess Ialla of Jancarmsa sat on the white marble railing, just above her small lagoon garden, lightly plucking out a melody on her lyre. She always considered it off that, as the soldier of the planet of music and life, she could only play one instrument. As the tall blond strummed her instrument, she stared out into the tree-shaded calm waters and pondered quietly to herself.
Despite the recently good summer weather, the king had died of a recent epidemic and the queen was failing. Ialla, through being kept away from anyone at court for over a month, managed to avoid the sickness. Soon, the young princess would be queen of her small planet.
Just then, a dark-haired servant slipped through the curtains from the princess's bedroom and onto the balcony. She cleared her throat nervously. Ialla stopped her plucking and muffled the strings with her hand. "Yes?" she asked.
"There is someone here to see you Highness," the maid explained, averting her eyes from Ialla's penetrating blue ones. "Begging your pardon, but she is very young. I cannot help but wonder what a child would want with the princess of this planet."
"Did she say her name?"
"Ena, Your Highness."
"Princess Ena of Yahrn, I would suppose?" she commented then ordered firmly, "Bring her here."
"Yes highness," the maid bowed and retreated through the green curtains, "Right away."
Ialla resumed her playing for a few minutes until a small girl with short, curly blond hair, a few shades darker than Ialla's, and light green eyes passed through the curtains onto the balcony. She looked frantic. Her whole body quivered with panic.
Ialla's eyes widened and she gently dropped her lyre on the balcony floor, hurrying over to the smaller girl and grasped her shoulders. "Ena!" she exclaimed, "What's the matter? Are your parents dead?" The summer epidemic had traveled to many of the other royals at diplomatic events recently. Ena's parents were not spared.
The young princess swallowed and nodded, "That, and worse."
"What?" Ialla asked, dismayed, "What could possibly be worse?"
"We're under attack," she said plainly.
Shock overcame Ialla and she could find no words.
The princess of Yahrn took a deep breath and continued, "A dark queen calling herself Beryl appeared on the Northern Reaches and has already destroyed the Eeshae Outpost with her monsters, youma. There are not any other towns for a ways from there, so we can stop the destruction if we hurry. Thrnaeslnae is the nearest if they continue in the direction."
"The crown city is next?" Ialla blurted. "Why haven't you told the Imperial Princesses yet? They have to know!"
Ena blushed and looked at the floor, blond curls falling into her face, "I'm so young, no one listens to me. It was hard enough getting to talk to you. I'd never get to speak to them. No one on the Inner Ring recognizes me. Can you tell them Ialla?"
"Why me?" she asked, "Mieaka is much closer to your planet and could take less of your time from the fight." She felt awkward and was suddenly uncomfortably aware of how she towered over the much smaller girl.
"Because people take you seriously. Besides, the people of the Golden City know of you almost as their own royalty."
Ialla blushed harder. Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "Is that all you think I should tell them then?"
Ena nodded.
Ialla nodded again in response. "It isn't my place to tell you, but," she started slowly, "you need to gather the others on your way back to Yahrn. We can't let them gain any more ground and need as much help as we can get."
Ena grinned, "You can say that. You know a lot better than I do. Anyway, I need to get going and so do you."
"Have my maid show you back to the transport chamber," she said and collected her lyre from the floor. She strode through the curtains and set the golden instrument on her bed.
"I know how to get there," Ena headed for the door then paused, "I'll see you at the Northern Reaches then?"
Ialla smiled, "Of course you will."
Ena disappeared quickly out into the hallway. Ialla strode out after her, turning the other direction. Standing just outside of the door was a maid, who the princess ordered, "Inform Mother I will not be at dinner tonight. I'm taking a trip to the Golden City then to Yahrn. There are troubles in Yahrn I need to help remedy."
"She said they were under attack," the maid observed quietly, "Is that true?"
"Do not repeat that to anyone but the queen and let her decide when it is time to spread the word, understand?" she snapped.
"Yes Highness," she answered meekly and bowed, hurrying off towards the queen's quarters.
Ialla rushed down to the transport room keyed to the Golden City. The room was abandoned as usual, save for the guard just outside of it that bowed deeply at her arrival. Glancing around to be doubly sure, she raised her right hand, which had the bracelet with the violet gem resting on it. Gazing up at it, she yelled, "Jancarmsa Planet Power, Makeup!" Moments later, she found herself no longer in her long violet dress, but in a short violet skirt and collar with tall violet boots and white gloves, adorned with teal bows. She glanced nervously down at the outfit. Although she had trained as a Sailor Senshi with the other six crown princesses of the system, it always felt odd to wear such a small item of clothing.
She remember her goal then stepped onto the transport platform. She looked up at the crystal mounted above her, then called out the triggering magic phrase, "Wsoo Golden City thdeen mwsahrnm lleen nyae!"
Sailor Jancarmsa was enveloped in while light and disappeared from the room.
Ena, as Sailor Yahrn, flew from Jancarmsa to Deewsdae. Bumping into Sivah in the stone corridors near the banquet hall as she hurried to find her, she pulled the older girl into a more private place and quickly explained the situation.
Princess Siva gasped, putting her hand over her mouth, "They must have killed many of your people already! We cannot let this destruction continue. If they were already at that part of the Northern Reaches when you left, they could easily be at the crown city. It might be too late to save Thrnaeslnae even now!"
"Don't talk like that Sivah, we still have time!" Sailor Yahrn scolded.
"A little time," she said slowly, then raised her right hand, "Deewsdae Planet Power, Makeup!" A moment later, both of the youngest crown princesses of the system stood side by side as Sailor Senshi, ready to defend their homes. "We need to get Rinnale!" she declared and hurried out of the room they conversed in and hurried to the Nearah transport room. The girls stepped onto the platform and immediately chimed together, "Wsoo Nearah thdeen mwsahrnm leen nyae!"
The two Sailor Soldiers hurried across the boardwalk bridge ways between the giant trees that supported the palace of Nearah. Sailor Yahrn did her best not to look down, even though the bridges were sturdy with secure railings, as heights bothered her. Sailor Deewsdae, on the other hand, spent the trip in awe, analyzing the structures and the sheer ancientness of the trees they were supported in. Only, when they stepped onto the main platforms of the huge wooden structure that spiraled awesomely up into the treetops around the large trees did the younger girl feel comfortable again. They climbed a few flights of spiraling stairs to another bridge way and crossed it to a smaller tree where the smaller royal wing of the palace was mounted above the ground.
Glancing down, Ena saw the boardwalks below among the ferns and undergrowth, a river rushing by just beyond the next portion of the tree-palace. She saw, down below, the transport chamber that they would have to use for their trip on to Oornahfthae and made a quick plan on how to get back down there. They stepped onto the sturdy platform around the tree and walked towards the curtained doorway into the royal wing when a guard stepped squarely in front of it.
"What do you want?" he demanded gruffly.
Sivah smiled sweetly, "Her Highness Princess Ena of Yahrn and myself are looking to see Her Highness Princess Rinnale over urgent matters."
"My apologies Highnesses," he said, still gruff, "But you cannot."
"Why not?" Yahrn gaped.
"Because she is at the Golden City now," he explained, "you shall have to find her there."
"Ialla will get her, I'm sure," the younger blond said quietly to her friend.
Despite his gruffness, the guard let them take a usually forbidden back stairway that spiraled all the way down to a wing of the palace, the library, much farther down on the same trunk. From there they took two more bridge ways and a short set of stairs down to the boardwalks and to the transport chamber. Again, they stood on the platform and gazed up at the crystal, "Wsoo Oornahfthae thdeen mwsahrnm leen nyae!"
"I can't believe we wasted so much time on Nearah for no reason," Sailor Deewsdae grumbled as they hurried down the orange stone halls of the Oornahfthae palace, all other people stepping quickly out of their way, "That place is a maze and so difficult to navigate."
"We couldn't have known not to stop though. We would have had to for the fastest transport anyway," Yahrn pointed out.
"I suppose you are right about that," she sighed and halted then pointed to a corridor to their left. "That is where her rooms are. This way!"
Pivoting on the heels of her Sailor boots, she hurried after the taller girl. Soon the stood outside of Princess Mieaka's door, calling in, "Mieaka! It's urgent, we need you now!"
The salmon-haired girl appeared immediately at the door. She yawned sleepily from the nap she had just woken from and asked, "What is this about?"
"Henshin quickly and we'll explain it all to you on the way to the transport room, I fear we are running out of time," Sailor Deewsdae said tersely.
Mieaka blinked at them once and raised her right hand, "Oornahfthae Planet Power, Makeup!" A moment later, she was dressed as Sailor Oornahfthae, soldier of the orange planet. Yahrn seized her wrist and drug her along as they jogged to the transport room. By the time they got there, Mieaka had been completely debriefed and was completely in shock.
"How can something like this be happening to Moodahrn Sheernshahdae?" she murmured quietly as they arranged themselves on the platform.
A moment later, they chorused together, "Wsoo Yahrn thdeen mwsahrnm leen nyae!" With that, the trio flew through space towards the outermost icy planet, hoping that Sailor Jancarmsa could find Rinnale, Ikio, and Nemai and hurry to assist them in the Northern Reaches where they were bound for.
Sailor Jancarmsa stepped off the transport platform into a room of three servants. All but one raised their eyes to her, scanning her apparel.
One of the servants, actually an armed guard, observed, "Princess Ialla of Jancarmsa!"
A maid asked, "What brings you here so attired?"
"I must speak to Their Highnesses Ikio and Nemai," Jancarmsa answered firmly, her midnight blue eyes hard.
The guard bowed, "Yes Princess, right this way." He strode quickly from the room, the senshi at his heels with her long strides almost overtaking his.
"They are in their quarters at this time of day," he said tersely as they walked.
Sailor Jancarmsa nodded gravely. Maids, servants, courtiers, and guards moved out of their way and almost fearfully. She was awed by the great number of them and the respect and discipline. The Golden City, she had no doubt, was the most prosperous and beautiful city anywhere, even more so than the Silver Millennium, the crown city of the nearest system to them, the Sol System. They passed behind some tall while pillars capped with gold that stood at the edge of the great hall and throne room. She spotted the emperor and empress of the system at the head of the hall, taking no notice of their royal visitor.
Off of the throne room, they passed through some heavy doors into the royal wing, which provided wider hallways than before and many more guards. All nodded small bows as she passed and she nodded back in response. Finally, they came to the door before the twin's suite. The two guards standing in front of the doorway, unlike those in the hall, stood firmly in their places.
"Her Highness Princess Ialla of Jancarmsa has come to see Their Highnesses Princess Ikio and Princess Nemai," her guard announced.
Nemai's sweet voice sounded from inside, "Ialla?" The door pulled slowly open to reveal the golden-clad, orange-blond princess standing in its arch. She looked over her visitor's clothing and her teal eyes darkened, "Why are you wearing-- oh never mind, just come in."
Sailor Jancarmsa moved forward but the guards appeared reluctant to move.
Ikio appeared behind her sister with a swish of midnight blue skirts, "Oh just let her in. She's almost as royal as we are."
The pair of guards snapped to attention and immediately moved out of the way. The tall blond strode confidently between them and shut the door after her.
"Come and sit down," Nemai urged, moving over to a set of plush couches, "You have obviously traveled a long way."
"I dare not take the time," Sailor Jancarmsa answered gravely.
"What do you mean?" Ikio asked, "Why are you wearing that anyway? You can make people unnecessarily nervous that way."
"I wear it because it gives me power in two necessary ways," Jancarmsa explained evenly, "First, it gives me respect and recognition in the Golden City, and second, it gives me the power to fight.
"Fight?" Ikio asked quietly.
"Yahrn is under attack. The Eeshae Outpost has already been demolished," she answered firmly.
"That cannot be true!" Nemail exclaimed in disbelief.
"Ena just came to my palace to inform me before she went back to collect Sivah, Rinnale, and Mieaka to help her fight. She sent me to tell you," she explained.
"Rinnale is here at court to contest about the trade laws on Nearah," Nemai said, white in the face from shock as she rose from her couch and walked over to the door. She opened it and ordered the maid stationed there with the guards, "Fetch Her Highness Princess Rinnale of Nearah immediately. It is urgent."
"But she is in--" the maid protested.
"Do it now," Nemai ordered, "I order her to come and that dispels any of her current appointments."
"Yes Highness!" the frantic maid bowed low and hurried away, stumbling in her attempt to run.
Not two minutes later, the princess of the forest planet stormed into the room, shutting the door noisily behind her. "Ikio, Nemai!" she started loudly as she brushed her dark green locks from her face, "This had better be good. I was just-- Ialla? What are you doing here? Wearing that?"
"Yahrn is under attack and Ena needs our help," the slightly taller princess answered quickly and then quickly explained all she knew to the other three royals.
Ikio glanced at her sister when Sailor Jancarmsa finished her narration then said, "Let's transform and leave, we have no time to waste."
"Vnahm Solar Power, Makeup!"
"Deethbws Solar Power, Makeup!"
"Nearah Planet Power, Makeup!"
Sailor Jancarmsa nodded at the three of them, "Let's go."
The quartet burst from the room and strode down the hallway, not waiting for the usual guard escort. Like this, they could defend themselves easily. As they turned into the transport room, Sailor Vnahm paused to speak to one of the guards that had struggled to keep up with them, "Tell Their Majesties and no one else: Yahrn is under attack and we are going to assist in pushing off the enemies." With that, she followed the other three Sailor Senshi into the room and carefully stepped onto the small platform with them, just barely fitting.
Sailor Deethbws sighed and asked, "To Yahrn?"
"Yes," Sailor Nearah nodded, "To Yahrn."
"Alright," Deethbws said then started, "Wsoo..."
The other three senshi joined in the chant, "Yahrn thdeen mwsahrnm lleen nyae!"
They whizzed through space towards the small ice planet, only to arrive to destruction.