ElseWorlds: A place where familiar characters are placed in situations that could have, almost did, or never should occur. This is the beginning of one of those tales. (By the way, I'm using the names from the English version, cuz I find them easier to remember)
{Refresher: Nephlite has just been killed, Molly's all broken up and sad, and business is continuing as usual in the Negaverse. Zoisite is now planning to find the 7 rainbow crystals, yadda yadda, you remember the rest}
Now, without further ado, I present to you… (Bum bum BUM) NOVA. Episode One: The Awakening. (Lame title, oh well)
Chapter One: A Bad Day
Time: 5:06 PM Tuesday (Sometime in between Episode 24 and 25)
Place: Kanato School of Martial Arts
"Shawn!"
"Yes, Sensei?"
"Be on time next week, or don't bother coming!"
"Yes, sensei."
The younger boy exited the padded gymnasium, head hung low in shame. He changed to his street clothes in silence, ignoring the snickers from the other members of the karate class. Quickly, he ran from the change room, carrying homework in the backpack over his shoulder and karate clothes in a duffel bag. Quickly, but not quickly enough to miss hearing his fellow students burst out in laughter along with the sensei.
Looking down upon the city, Zoisite chose not to suppress her mocking laughter. Look at them all, she though, busily going about their day, blissfully unaware of what's to become of them in a few short days. Soon, I'll get the seven rainbow crystals, and then… well, traffic will be the least of their worries. She hovered over above a freeway, and just for spite, she slashed a few tires with her telekinesis. Her laughter echoed up and down the freeway.
The boys' mind was full of dark thoughts as he walked home. He walked today, which was not his custom, because SOMEone had forgotten to bring the car home. You knew it was Tuesday. You knew I needed the car tonight. That's why you were supposed to come home after work. How complicated is that? These were the thoughts directed at his older brother who works late nights at a Motel on the outskirts of the city. When he had woken that morning, he had expected James to be asleep in his room, and for their shared car to be in the driveway. But NOOO, you didn't feel like coming home, did you? You blithering idiot…
Being a generally nice guy, he had waited, just in case James would come home late. That didn't pan out either, a complete waste of time. Consequently, he had been late for school. He took some small comfort from the fact that he wasn't the only one late that day, when he saw the girl with the two blonde pigtails or whatever those were running along in front of him. That comfort was shattered when, about 3 feet from the door, she fell for no apparent reason and started crying like a baby. It was then that he assumed she was in Special Ed, and so it didn't really matter if she was late. Mr. Eviot is SUCH a jerk too… so I was 3 minutes late, like it was MY fault or something! How on earth did I wind up with him… oh wait, cuz all my friends transferred out of his class and filled up any spaces in any other class. Yeah, thanks for telling me about that one guys. Not to mention Keltie hadn't even spoken to him, and he had deliberately walked past her four or five times. Maybe she just hadn't seen him… but considering his negative outlook at the moment, that wasn't an option he had thought of. As for the karate class… well, it was one embarrassing experience after another. He didn't plan on going back… though he usually thought these things after every class. And he always went back… Huh. No point in fighting it, eh Shawn? That's the way your life is, every day you'll be doing things you don't want to, and every day you'll complain about it, and every tomorrow you'd go back and do it again, because there's nothing else you can do. Freak, that's depressing. And on that note, he decided to go relax for a while, and waste a few bucks at the arcade.
Zoisite removed the elongated crystal from her pocket. Nephlite had been using this in his pathetic attempt to find the Silver Imperium Crystal. With a little modification, it could be used to find the seven rainbo- wait, what's this? Why is it glowing like…? Zoisite looked at her surroundings. Below her was a young human male, apparently struggling with two large bags. Zoisite narrowed her eyes. His aura is one of the blackest I've ever seen… even from the Negaverse! Could HE be causing the crystal to react this way? I've got to see this closer…
Shawn is a fairly tolerant person. His day has been… well, it hasn't been smiles and sunshine. Quite the opposite, in fact. Until now, he's not reacted too badly. Until now… because right now, he has realized that somewhere along the day, he lost his wallet. His wallet, which had had his bank card, drivers license, various membership cards, and around 20 bucks in cash. That's gonna cause nothing but trouble. He continued walking, passing a small convenience store, and catching a few minutes of Limp Bizkit's Break Stuff before moving on. Fred Durst, you are the man. He began playing the song over and over in his head, staring at the sidewalk, becoming almost oblivious to his surroundings. And completely oblivious to the woman flying above him, that is, until he took the shortcut through the alley. Because that's when she landed right in front of him, scaring the song and most everything else from his mind.
"AHHHH!!! What the heck!?!?"
"Who are you, boy? What power do you posses to make my crystal react so violently?"
"Excuse me? What are you talking about? The only power I posses is the power to kick your butt if you don't get out of my way!" He struck one of the Karate poses he had learned, hoping to look intimidating, but then he remembered that this woman had appeared out of thin air.
Zoisite smirked "Pathetic. Well I suppose if you won't tell me what I want to know, I'll have to do… this." And with that, she turned his world into a black swirling mist.
What she had actually done was capture him in a small Darknet, one of the weakest kinds of traps in her arsenal. It appeared to be working, he was completely confused and disoriented. Which gave her ample time to analyze him more carefully. Hmm… looks fairly wimpy… not the type who would go far in the Negaverse. Wait… what's this? His strength is astronomical! If this is true… I'd better get him back to the Negaverse. I think Queen Beryl would be very interested in this, even if it's not a rainbow crystal. And with that thought, she opened a portal and was gone in the blink of an eye, with an unconscious young boy in tow.
Chapter Two: Enter the Protagonist
Serena ran. This is a fairly common sight on the streets of Tokyo at this time of morning, namely 10 minutes after everyone else is in their seats, getting ready to learn. Serena paused for a moment by a small convenience store to catch her breath. She saw, in the corner of her eye, someone running behind her. She glanced up, but didn't recognize him, even though it appeared from his uniform that he went to the same school as her. It was about then that she realized she had forgotten her lunch again. LUNA! You were supposed to remind me. With that, she moved back onto the sidewalk and started running again, with the strange boy still a dozen meters behind.
She didn't see him again that day, except when he jumped over her fallen crying form a few steps from the front door. He didn't even help… that jerk. He was quickly forgotten in favor of a few other boys, Andrew and Tuxedo Mask to be specific. And just when that daydream got interesting, Miss Haruna destroyed it by showing Serena her latest math test.
Ami sat in her usual seat, front row, next to the window. Glancing out the window, she noticed Serena running towards the door, followed by a short, dark-haired boy. Ami didn't recognize him, but when Serena tripped and fell, she noticed how gracefully he jumped over her, not slowing at all. She wondered if she should ask around about him, but decided against it. Where would I find time for a boyfriend? With studying, and being Sailor Mercury, I doubt I'd have much time for dating. So the thought was quickly brushed aside, as it usually was, and her attention returned to her textbook.
Rei, sitting cross-legged in front of her fire, chanting. Grampa didn't think anything of this; it was a fairly common occurrence. He'd just leave some tea just inside the door, and carry on with his daily chores. Setting the tea down, he recalled some nights ago when she had woken up screaming. He had reassured her it was only a nightmare, and they had had some tea to help calm her down. I wonder if there's a connection…
In fact there was, for Rei was deep in a trance trying to learn the origin of the dream. Which meant she had to recall the scenes… such disturbing images. The worst of it was they all seemed to contradict each other, so it was much harder to make sense of it. Here, Sailor Moon dead, and her and Ami engaged in a war for the planet… There, all three of them in robotic armor, fighting someone… again, all three of them trying in vain to disarm a bomb which destroys most of the city… and the worst of all, her… mad with power, or something… killing her friends and enjoying it. There must be a connection… these can't just be dreams, they're far too real, and too disturbing to just be dreams. She focused deeper, and became aware of the one common denominator in these dreams, a strange man. He seemed to be laughing in most all of the scenes, and definitely in control. She pulled herself out of the trance, and with a pencil and paper, she sketched his appearance. One important question remained as she examined the finished portrait: Who is he?
Later that afternoon, all three girls met at the Cherry Hill Temple. Ami looked back and forth between her two friends. Neither of them looked all that good. Serena was still sporting a large red mark on her forehead from where she had fallen that morning. Rei looked as though she hadn't slept in several days. Luna was nursing an obviously injured tail, probably the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time during Serenas morning rush. So it was with a generally negative atmosphere that the days Sailor Scout meeting began.
"Serena, I saw you come in late this morning. How did you manage to avoid detention?"
"Oh I just told them I sprained my ankle because I fell down the stairs."
"Which isn't THAT far from the truth…" Luna chimed in.
"You know, for a cat, I think you talk too much." Serena replied none-too-kindly.
"If you two are about done, I DO have something to discuss." Rei took charge of the meeting and showed her sketch to the other three. "Do any of you recognize this guy?" A chorus of negative answers was not what Rei was hoping for, but that is what she got. "I've seen him several times in my dreams."
"Ooo, maybe a new crush you're not telling us about? Huh Rei?" Serena whispered conspiratorially.
"Yeah right meatball head! I can tell that whoever he is, he's definitely not on our side. And I wish you'd take this a little more seriously!!" Rei's voice was a bit harsher than usual, due to the lack of sleep, and Serena wasn't prepared at all for the verbal assault. So she did what she usually did. She burst out crying.
"Why are you always so mean to meeeeeee!?! WAAAHHH!!!"
"Rei, I know you're tired, but please. What else can you tell us about this guy?" Ami stepped in, preventing further conflict.
"He's a supreme manipulator. I only saw him actually enter a battle a few times, and they never went well for us. In fact, we lost. Several times. Well… that's the confusing part. I'm not sure what the future has in store, there's too many unpredictabilities to see it clearly. Since this started, I've seen dozens of possible futures, only one of which looked positive."
Luna paused for a moment. She then leapt on top of the bed, preparing to make a small speech. Serena stopped her sniffling, and listened.
"Alright scouts. We don't know what we're up against this time. Beryl and her generals are a fairly predictable bunch, but it seems they've found something I never counted on. If you encounter this guy, don't hesitate to retreat. Rei, if I may, let me borrow that drawing, and I'll see what I can learn about that man."
"That'll be fine. I couldn't get his face out of my head, so I drew a few different pictures, take your pick."
Serena was about to say something else, but Rei gave her a look, so she remained silent. Luna continued, "I guess, if that's everything…"
Ami however had one more small issue. "Serena, what have you heard from Molly lately?"
"Umm… no, I've been meaning to call her, but I haven't really found the time. I've been… well y'know, busy… and stuff."
Rei got mad again. "Serena! That wasn't very responsible of you, we don't even know if she knows our secret. Not to mention she witnessed the painful and bloody death of the guy she was in love with. If that happened to Tuxedo Mask, you'd PROBABLY want your best friend to at least CALL YOU!"
Serena knew that Rei was right. But she certainly wasn't going to admit it. Instead, she ran from the room, crying her eyes out. As soon as she was gone, Rei was immediately apologetic. "Luna.. tell her I'm sorry, I just haven't been feeling well lately. Or something… I just need some rest. I'll see you later Ami."
Serena ran. Tears streamed down her eyes, and she wasn't really watching where she was going, but she did manage to avoid colliding too hard with the impressive male figure, which came around a corner, directly into her path.
"Hey meatball head, watch where you're… hey, are you ok?"
Oh great, Darien, just what I need. "Yeah, I'm alright.."
"Looks like you've been crying again."
"I said I was alright already, now leave me alone!"
"Woah, easy there tiger. Just trying to help."
Serena grinned a bit though her tears. "Since when are you so nice?"
"Oh I'm not making a habit of it, it's strictly a Wednesday thing."
Her grin turned into a confused expression. "But today's Tuesday."
"Is it really? Well I guess I'll see ya around then. Meatball head."
"Stop CALLING me that!"
"Sorry, it's Tuesday, there's nothing I can do about it." Darien called as he casually strolled away.
Chapter 3: What about Shawn?
Zoisite smiled as she stood before her queen. "It's true, this boy is not a rainbow crystal carrier, nor does he bear any significance to the shadow warriors. However, after intensive study, I think he could prove much more useful."
"You'd better hope that he is. I have long awaited the return of my shadow warriors, and I find this delay most… displeasing." Queen Beryl replied.
"Yes, my queen. However, observe these readings. According to our instruments, this human boy is no human at all. According to all our data, he is in fact a Guidaxian."
"A WHAT!?" Beryl was truly shocked for the first time in decades. "How can this be, they're an entirely extinct race. Your readings must be flawed."
"My thoughts exactly. Which is why I performed the tests again. And a third time, all with the same result. This IS a Guidaxian warrior, trapped somehow in the body of a human boy."
"Fascinating. The question is, how do we unleash this warrior, and then how do we get him to aid us in our war against earth?"
"I believe his human form is simply the result of some sort of curse placed on him by an unknown race. It will be easy to remove, though I shall leave it partially intact so he will be easier to control."
"Indeed. Proceed with caution. We certainly don't want a Guidaxian warrior rampaging throughout my kingdom."
Back in what passes for a laboratory in the Negaverse, Zoisite continued her research. She intently read from some screens on the wall. Guidon: 4th planet in system G22. Status: Currently Uninhabitable. History: After several centuries of Civil War, the Guidaxian peoples triumphed over their Guidipian adversaries, wiping them out entirely. In their weakened state, they were no match for the invading Negaverse Armies. Some Guidaxian Warriors escaped with their lives by betraying their comrades and joining our cause. They were all later either exiled or executed because of an attempted rebellion.
Interesting… so all I've got to do is return his mind to the point where it wanted to work with us. Simple, really. And with that thought, she began working her magic.
Rei sat up in bed. It took her a moment to realize that she was awake, and should stop screaming. That's the worst it's ever been. Whatever it is that's happening, it's happening NOW. I wonder if… As if on cue, her communicator beeped. She walked over and answered it.
"Luna? Is that you?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Just a hunch. Is everything alright?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. I just got a beep from Ami, it seems she's having trouble sleeping."
"Same here. And Serena?"
"Well… she's not having the same problem, that's for sure."
"I thought I heard her snoring. Somehow, I'm not surprised."
"Yes, well… that's Serena for you."
"It sure is. Well I can't sleep; I'm going to go on patrol. I'll beep you if I run into anything."
"Excellent idea. But be careful out there."
"Don't worry Luna, you can count on me." The last bit came out a bit more ironic than intended, but Luna didn't miss the true meaning of Rei's statement.
"Queen Beryl, I'm proud to present to you the newest member of our army. I've done some checking, and it appears he was one of the first to defect to our cause. Because of him, hundreds of other Guidaxians joined themselves with the Negaverse. Using strategies he devised, we were able to wipe out hundreds of thousands of Guidaxian Loyalists. Were it not for the fact that the loyalists activated their Holnism devices and devastated their own planet, he would have been placed as the Supreme Commander there. With that in mind, I don't think it's unreasonable that he be immediately promoted to the rank of Commander, being directly subordinate to me. As you know, when a Guidaxian joined our side, they renounced their old name and became someone entirely new. He is known only as Nova to us." Zoisite finished her speech with a flourish, and the man known as Nova entered the room. He was tall, appeared to be in his early 20's and though not overly muscular, he projected power. His hair was dark crimson, and cut in a short militaristic style. It was impossible to tell what color his eyes were, because a pair of small, stylish sunglasses hid them. The sunglasses went well with his attire, which were dark shades of green and blue. This man then transformed into a monster, for that is what most people would call a Guidaxian in his natural form. His skin was green, his eyebrows and beard were a brighter shade of red, and he had gray bony extensions coming from his shoulders and elbows. His red hair was pulled back in a wild warrior-like ponytail. His attire in this form was gray, much like any other general of the Negaverse, but he still wore the sunglasses, which perfectly suited the smirk he wore.
"As you can see, his shape-shifting abilities have not diminished with the passage of so many millennia. I've charted him as having various powers related to fire and light, as well as a very advanced mental ability in regards to strategy and combat. All around, I think he could be the key to destroying the Sailor Scouts."
"Indeed. He is a most impressive specimen. Very well, continue with your plans. Report back to me with any news."
"Yes, my queen."
All eyes turned expectantly to the being known as Nova. He grinned, reveling in the moment, and in a deep voice, he said his first words since his reincarnation. "I look forward to doing business with you."
"So let me get this straight. You guys are waging a war against this... Earth, you called it? Right, but they're in a different dimension, and the only way you can open a portal large enough for the entire army is to send one soldier through to steal energy. Sounds simple enough, why not just steal one of that planets generators?" Nova shifted back and forth from his human form to his Guidaxian in front of the mirror as he read his mission briefing. He decided it would be best to show the enemy his Guidaxian side.
"No, you misunderstood. We're not stealing electrical energy, we need Life Energy, which can only be taken from the Humans, the opposing army."
"Humans? What an odd name, I'd think something more along the lines of Earthites or Earthlings would be more appropriate. Well regardless… I'm looking over your records, and it seems you've tried that mission several times, and each time resulted in… the TERMINATION OF YOUR AGENT!?! Surely these humans aren't THAT powerful?"
"Not all of them. We've had particular trouble with these three. They're not REALLY humans though, they're survivors of the Moon Kingdom."
"Survivors? I thought your victory was total, except for the 'banished to another dimension' bit."
"Well it was, but they've apparently been reborn into human bodies somehow."
"Not unlike myself… except that these girls were invading us, so they got what they deserved. Right?"
"Exactly." It hadn't been easy forging all those historical records, but Zoisite had done it, and just in time as well. She had to remember he had had memories implanted where the Guidaxians and the Negaverse were allies until a rebel faction turned against them all. This explained why he remembered fighting his former friends. It also helped to wash away memories of his own rebellion against the Negaverse. The intervening millennia since had been mostly wiped away, so the question of how he came to be living on earth in the form of a young boy would not be answered.
"Well alright. So we killed them, but they banished us. They're back, so are we. Sounds to me like round one was a draw, but now that I'm here, round two is gonna be a knockout." He flashed her that wicked grin of his, and joined Zoisite in maniacal evil laughter.
Chapter Four: Finally, Some Action!
"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Zoisite, standing high in the air above the park, was unsure of her young Commanders tactics.
"I assure you, this is entirely necessary. I may have read all your logs and reports, but I cannot proceed with my plans until I see this team in action." Nova reminded her. "How long does it usually take them to show up?"
"Oh, usually between twenty and thirty min-" She was cut off in mid sentence by a large fireball that missed her by a few inches.
The two villains turned to see their would-be assailant. "I'm not sure what you two creeps are up to, but I know that whatever it is, it's not good! And I'm here to put a stop to it right now! I Am Sailor Mars!"
"20 minutes, eh?" Nova muttered "Well well, aren't we a bit presumptuous? You've never even met me, and all ready you assume I'm a creep, simply because I appear to be associated with the Negaverse, is that it? I can actually be quite-" He too was cut off in mid-sentence.
"Can it, I'm not interested! Mars Fire… Ignite!" The ball of fire launched from her fingertips towards the pair, who both dodged it easily.
"I take it this is the leader?" Nova conferred with his superior.
"No, actually… this is the rookie."
"Rookie? Well I suppose that figures. Her aim is atrocious, though otherwise she is quite talented. Lets see how she does with our little beastie, shall we?" Zoisite nodded in agreement, and Nova pulled a small pellet from his pocket. He spoke to it, "Chilito, I command you to come forth!"
Serena ran. Luna and Ami followed close behind. "Scouts, you keep going to the park, and be careful! I'm going to see what my contact has turned up on the sketch Rei gave me. I'll see you soon!" Luna turned right at the next corner, leaving the girls to their thoughts.
"Serena, are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Oh sure Ami… just a little sleepy. This cold air will help though."
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean… you haven't transformed yet, and we're almost there."
"Oh. Yeah. I suppose that's a good idea. Moon Prism Power!"
One spectacular light show later, the two Scouts stood just outside the park. The sounds of combat came to them clearly, and from what they could hear, it wasn't going well at all for their side. Sailor Mars battled what appeared to be a large taco. The thing was blasting her with spicy meat that blinded her eyes, and then coating her in sour cream, which quickly hardened into a plaster, trapping her in place. It never stopped talking either, though entirely in Spanish. Not even the two airborne villains could understand it. "Hola. Le daré el mal gas. Usted nunca escapará mi cólera, incluso después de tres horas en el tocador. Más, usted ha bebido el agua, que le infectará con las solitarias! El queso es viejo y molde!"
It was preparing to finish off Sailor Mars by wrapping her in soft bread and slowly crushing her, when suddenly a voice shouted, "Listen here bucko! I don't know who you are, but nobody makes a meal out of my friends! I am Sailor Moon!"
"Now I know why they call it fast food, because we're gonna kick your butt before you even know if you want fries with that! I am Sailor Mercury!"
Nova spoke up, surprising the two sailors who hadn't even seen him. "Isn't there supposed to be something about love and justice in there? I'm told it's traditional."
"Yeah, well, my cat isn't here, I think I can get away with- Hey! You're that new bad guy! I'm gonna turn you into dust, buddy!"
Sailor Mars stopped her though. "You guys, I could use a little help over here… I'm kind trapped, remember!?!"
"Oh, right, sorry."
"No cuido quiénes usted las señoras es. Voy a comerle! Consiga en mi vientre!" Chilito sprayed everyone with the spicy meat, attempting to blind the girls. Sailor Moon got hit full force, but Sailor Mercury managed to get her computers eye screen down and protect herself.
"So blindness is your trick, is it? Well let's see how well you deal with it. Mercury Bubbles BLAST!" The area was immediately surrounded in a thick fog. Nova became irate.
"What's going on? I can't see the battle. This isn't going according to plan at all."
"Perhaps we should watch from the safety of the Negaverse." Zoisite suggested.
"Yes, I suppose so. Capital idea." And with that, the two of them faded and vanished.
"Esto parece apuro. Adónde usted ha ido amante?" It cackled, having apparently made some sort of joke.
"Whatever it's talking about, I don't like it. Finish it off Sailor Moon!" Mercury shouted.
"I would, but where is it? I can't see a thing, it burns…" Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Here, we'll aim you." Sailor Mars had managed to free herself from her sour cream prison, because when Mercury created her mist, the humidity caused it to melt.
"Let's toast this taco! On three… two… one!"
"Moon… Tiara… MAGIC!"
"Yo quiero victoryyyyyieieie!" The thing screamed as it was hit with the disk of light. Seconds later it was nothing but a pile of dust, and an oddly shaped pellet.
"Well done Sailor Scouts. That was a perfect example of teamwork."
"Luna? Is that you?" Sailor Moon stumbled around, trying to find her mentor.
"Yes, I'm right heEEERE!" Luna yowled out as the blinded heroine stepped on the felines still sore tail. Everyone screamed and tried to rescue Luna. As soon as the confusion cleared, Luna began telling the scouts what her contact had discovered about the man they now knew as Nova.
"Well… I'd say that went well for a first try." Nova was bent over a work table, busily constructing something.
"Well? It was a total failure! We didn't even gain any energy. All we did was transport ourselves there, get our hair singed, retreat, and watch your pathetic culinary killer get destroyed. This actually wasted energy!" Zoisite paused, and then stifled a chuckle. "Where DID you get that Chilito thing from anyway? That's got to be the dumbest monster I've ever seen."
"Oh, that was just something I saw on a billboard we flew by. It looked good, and besides, the little dog there didn't look all that threatening."
"Interesting. So in the two minutes we were there, you just created a monster?"
"Yeah… why?"
"No reason." It takes the Negaverse days to create monsters… what other powers does this Nova have that I haven't uncovered? Zoisite looked worried.
"Good. And here we are!" Nova held up the device he had been working on. To a normal human, it appeared to be a virtual reality headset, or some sort of night vision goggles. But it was much more than that. "That mist thing really bugged me, so I decided to make it go away. That was what this thing started as anyway… now I've taken some of those scanning gadgets or yours, shrunk them down, and incorporated them into it. So now it's sortof a tactical display thingy, with a radar and night vision and lots of neat little features. All the bells and whistles, so to speak."
"Intriging… how long did that take you?"
"About half an hour. I confess, my mind wasn't entirely on the battle, about a quarter of it was working on this."
"Indeed…" We've seriously underestimated the powers of this fellow. I don't know if we can control him. I'm going to have to council with Queen… no, if she learns this is my fault, I would be punished severely. I'll talk to Malachite. Yes, he'll help me.
"Yeah, just one final step…" And with that, he set his fingers on top of the device, which started to glow. It got brighter and brighter until Zoisite had to shield her eyes. When the glow dimmed, she looked again, and the spot where the device had been was now vacant.
"What… what did you do?"
"I'm not exactly sure… I just thought I should touch it, and it… it's inside me now." He smiled in amazement at what his mind was experiencing. "Well this IS news. I didn't know I could do that. Did you know I could do that? I didn't know I could do that. Wow, how does this-" He interrupted himself as he activated a feature of the helmet. The shades that he characteristically wore shined and shimmered, changing from the wire rimmed 'cool' glasses to some sleek wraparound 'coooool' shades. All he could think to say, as he re-examined his surroundings with new eyes, was this: "FanTABulous."
"Here's what I've managed to dig up so far, scouts. The person who Rei saw in her dreams, and you all just encountered, is known by several named. The name you need to remember is Nova. In his previous incarnation, he was known as Guido. His people had just won a long and costly civil war, only to be attacked by the Negaverse. Their high council had a meeting, and they decided that there was no way to win this war. They faced certain extermination, unless some of their numbers were to 'betray' their kinsmen, and join with the Negaverse. That way their race might at least continue on, and carry with them the vast amounts of knowledge the Guidaxians held. So Guido and several others became double agents, joining the Negaverse, but secretly helping their own people. The war went as expected, and the vast majority of the Guidaxian race was exterminated. Guido, now known as Nova, managed to save several thousands from certain death, sending them somewhere safe, we're not sure where.. All of the High Elders of Guidon were sent to this secret location. So, Nova and his band of renegade Guidaxian Warriors lived within the Negaverse for several centuries. Here's where our historical records become sketchy. Either the Guidaxians started some sort of rebellion or revolution, which failed, and caused them to be executed. Either that or the Negaverse feared their growing power, and had them executed before they could start a revolution. Either way, they were almost all killed before they could do anything about it. Only Nova escaped. We've got several sightings of him over the past dozen millennia in thousands of systems. The people usually chased him out before he even got settled in, fearing his reputation as a Negaverse warrior. So one day, a few thousand years ago, he just vanished. No one has seen him since… until today."
"So if the Negaverse killed all of his people, even the ones who went with him, why is he still with them?" Ami asked the only logical question.
"I have no idea. Guidaxians are highly resistant to brainwashing or other mind tricks, so I doubt they've managed to alter his memories." Luna shrugged, a very odd gesture for a cat to make.
"Suppose he HAS been brainwashed. What then?" Rei, ever the cautious one, asked.
"Well, he'd believe whatever his mind told him. It's likely he doesn't believe he CAN be brainwashed at all, making the brainwashing all that more effective."
"Wait, you said he was a good guy. Saving your own race and all that, and then he rebels against the Negaverse." Serena tried to see the good side.
"We don't know that for sure, Negaverse politics is tricky stuff, it may be that someone was just jealous and wanted him knocked off."
"I don't think that's it. I think that he did rebel, and that's why the Negaverse tried to kill him. Didn't you guys notice how he didn't join in the fight? I don't think he's really with them, he knows that the Negaverse is trying to use him again, and he's pretending to be with them until he can escape again."
"That sounds fairly risky Serena. And you don't have much evidence to support your statement."
"Thanks Ami, but this isn't debate club. Rei doesn't have any evidence to back her up either."
"Well it seems that neither side is going to win, so lets not have an argument right now, alright?" Luna pleaded, trying to stop it before it started. It was a futile gesture.
"Evidence? I'm covered in damp sour cream and you've got spicy meat in your eye! How's that for evidence!"
"Oh come on, you think that was a serious threat? I could've beaten that dumb little thing with one arm behind my back. Unlike you, who was getting her butt whipped without the two of us."
Amy made a frightened little gesture, definitely not wanting to be caught in the middle of this.
"Oh whatever, I would've had him if it hadn't been for his stupid cheese putting out my fireballs."
"HA, so you're saying nothing you did hurt him at all?"
"NO! I could've kicked it too! Unlike you, I know how to fight with more than just my powers!"
"Unlike you, I don't need to, because my tiara is a killer move, so there!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
And as usual, the two girls end up staring at each other and sticking out their tongues, while Ami and Luna shake their heads and wonder where they went wrong, and why they wound up with such undisciplined teammates.
THE END