Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailorstars vs Aliens: Death Trap

by Japan Boy

Part two of a three-part trilogy: A new discovery of life from beyond the known solar system goes horribly wrong as the acid-blooded nightmares storm a massive space station high above the Earth - with the Sailor Soldiers smack dab in the middle of it with no way out! Kindly review if read.

PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON SAILORSTARS VS. ALIENS:

DEATH TRAP

2002, 2007 by Anthony Ogozalek

PROLOGUE

One year ago, the Tanaka Space Station:

Most of the station's staff members were accompanying the main communications room, located in the very heart of the entire complex. The room was huge, about the size of a school gymnasium & a half, both in height & width. It was the largest room in the area, alongside the recreation rooms, which are full of leisurely activities, ranging from pool & ping-pong tables to video game machines. The cafeteria—located in between the two—was the second largest in the place. The rec rooms were a necessary addition to the station, mainly because of the fact that those who work in this space facility are scheduled to remain at it for a durably long time, ranging from a couple of months to over a year before receiving the opportunity to return to Earth & see friends/family in the flesh, & the fact that it houses over a thousand people easily. That's primarily the reason why the station has these activities to keep the staff from going insane, along with all network channels on their television screens so that they may enjoy a movie/TV show during their leisure time, as well as news channels to see what's going on back on Earth: just because the staff has to be off-planet for a good amount of time doesn't mean they can't learn about the events taking place below, let alone enjoy the simple things the planet has to offer.

Their stay at the station was made more bearable by retiring to warm, comfortable rooms with cozy beds to crash in after a hard day's work.

For the most part, it was a home away from home.

In front of the multitude of monitors & control panels, a lone figure—a man—stood to address the group he now faces. The male was somewhere in his early 50s, with a full head of hair that was mostly black with white only on the sides, just above his ears. His face held only a vey few wrinkles, & looked remarkably good for a man his age. Dressed in a traditional white lab coat & black pants/shoes, he starts his speech to his audience; those who couldn't be in the room with him, due to sickness or being in a situation they need to remain in that particular room for, listen & watch the man on a medium-sized monitor, giving him their full attention.

"Good morning, everyone", he begins as the people return the gesture back at him. "Today, I am happy to announce that our long ambition has finally come to bear fruit. As I've mentioned to all of you, I have always been fascinated with the countless wonders of outer space ever since I'd learned about the Soviet Union launching the world's first satellite, 'Sputnik', in the year 1957 when I was in kindergarten. That particular event brought mankind into the next chapter of its wondrous evolution—the space age. It had also made me wonder: are we alone in the universe, or are there other life forms out there just waiting to be discovered by us? Finally, after so many years of hard labor & a lot of patience, I am happy to say that my answer is 'yes'. Only three weeks ago, one of my communications staff has picked up a transmission of unknown origin. The broadcast was from what sounded like a lone female, & explained to us that she's been receiving our signals for some time, but had difficulty getting through to us up until now."

One staff member raises his hand. "Did this female say where she came from, professor?"

"I'm afraid not, young man. All she did say was that she's been just as fascinated at life on other planets as I am, & since she's been following our signals for a while, she's announced to us that she is preparing her spacecraft & plans to make her journey here, to Earth."

The news caused murmurs of wonder & curiosity among the staff. It was a breakthrough of all their efforts, one that they've been waiting for, but it also raised some concern for a few. "Did you say that this female individual is…heading here, to Earth?", asked a female staff member with rectangular, wire-rimmed glasses over her eyes, & short, dark brown hair.

"Yes, she is, Kumi my dear", said the professor to his wife. "But before making her way to the planet itself, she has told us that she will be stopping at this very station first."

"Any reason why, Professor Sekizawa?", asked a male staff, twenty years of age.

"Simple. She wants to greet those who've made contact with her in a formal & friendly way. Plus, this female says she is willing to share her advanced technology from her homeworld with our magnificent race. Think of what the human race can accomplish with their secrets at our disposal: we would be able to accomplish goals we only dreamed of, such as curing diseases like breast cancer or even AIDS, the latter of which there is currently no known cure for! Another example is for having the technology to teleport from one place to another anywhere on the Earth—at the mere push of a button, no less! That's just the beginning of what we could accomplish with the sharing of their technology! The possibilities are endless, people! With it, we can really make the Earth a futuristic & better place!"

The staff look at each other in amazement as Kumi smiles at her husband's excitement for finally achieving what he set out to do for so long.

"Did this female say exactly when she'll be arriving here at this station, professor?", asked the 20-year-old staff member.

"As a matter of fact, she did", said Sekizawa. "She said within one year of our time—traffic pending, of course!"

Sekizawa, his wife Kumi, & the rest of the staff broke out in a hearty guffaw over the man's little joke about traffic in space, which has a gargantuan 'fat chance' written all over it. Still, it was nice to have humor in their work, & it really put the whole crew in good spirits over the straining labor they put in for many years. This feeling made them energetic & gay, as it is often said that laughter is the best medicine.

"It's nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humor after all the rigorous work that you put yourself through, Hoshino!", said Kumi, still snickering.

"That, Miss Sekizawa, is what keeps our morale in good spirits, & nothing does it better than a nice, hearty laugh!", said a man with a guard's uniform on & a rifle slung on his shoulder, having dark brown, stylish hair & looking to be in his mid-30s.

"How right you are, Shindo", said another man, also in a guard's outfit. "If we can solve all our problems & cure diseases with laughter, we'd teach the governments of the world a thing or two, & put all the pharmacies out of business!"

Another eruption of laughter occurs from all, causing their stomachs to hurt slightly, but it's a pain they can deal with easily. Shindo & his friend—Hongo—have been working together since their days as security personell over at the Self Defense Force base near Tokyo. They have always been hard as nails when doing their jobs at keeping things peaceful there, but their highest attribute was causing little jokes to the recruits that resulted in big laughs among them, which also included the higher officials such as the General. When Shindo was asked to be security for the Tanaka Space Station, he said yes in a heartbeat, especially when Hoshino Sekizawa himself says that Hongo could join him, knowing that they were the best of friends.

Once the laughter subsides, Hoshino approaches Shindo & Hongo.

"You both know how to remain in good spirits yourselves, even in situations which are dire", the professor says. "I knew I was right to make you chief of security here at the Tanaka."

"Thank you, professor!", Shindo & Hongo said together.

"Men, for your unwavering service here, I am offering you both the chance to be the first to greet our new arrival when she gets here in one year from now."

Neither Shindo, Hongo, or anyone aboard the station was prepared for what just came from Hoshino's mouth, as theirs were all agape with surprise. More murmurs suddenly sounded into a mass chorus as Shindo started to talk more intelligibly over the noise.

"You're giving us that privilege, professor?", he asked.

"Correct."

"Not that we're not honored, professor", satates Hongo, "but I thought this was your life-long dream to meet & greet otherworldly life. Why give us this opportunity?"

"While I've waited a lifetime for this moment, I couldn't possibly think of not sharing this historical chance with the rest of you, that's why. All of you have helped to make this a reality for me. In return, I want you to be the first to experience the first contact with a being or beings from another world."

This was another answer the staff, or Kumi, never expected to hear from the man who had planned this sovereign trove for most of his life. He finally accomplishes it, & suddenly he wants to give his staff his very chance to say hello to a foreigner of epic proportions.

This is generosity at its pinnacle, if ever they've heard or saw it.

"Are you absolutely sure of this, professor?", asked Shindo.

"I've never been more so in my life", said Hoshino. "As I said before, I can't forestall any of you my dream, so you all have first dibs on meeting our 'visitor' when she gets here."

Smiles flash from the staff's mouths in appreciation as Kumi runs to her husband & wraps her arms around him,planting a kiss on his cheek. "This is one reason why I'm so glad I married you, Hoshino! Not only do you have such great ambition for your goals, but you're so generous in sharing with others! I can't wait to meet this female figure myself!"

Hoshino gently makes Kumi face him. "Actually, my dear, at that time, I want you by my side back on Earth."

Kumi's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't want me here for it? Why?"

"Because when I finally meet this individual myself, I want you to be with me, just the two of us, after these good folks have greeted her once she arrives & comes down to Earth. Surely you understand?"

Kumi nods. "Yes. I will gladly be at your side when the time arrives."

Hoshino smiles wider than his staff does. "That's my girl", he says, turning to his staff. "It's settled, then. Upon the female's arrival here at this station, Kumi & I will be on Earth at the Space Science Authority, where we'll monitor your progress with our interstellar guest before we have her trip to the planet arranged. In the meantime, we'll continue our work here as usual, & there is still much to do, so let's get busy!"

"Yes sir!", the people cheered.

The staff members break up like roaches & rush to their workstations, while Hoshino & his wife Kumi head for the cafeteria for some breakfast, since they've forgotten to eat due to sharing the news with everyone aboard the station. On their way there, unbeknownst to his wife, Hoshino's smile grows with eagerness.

Everything is going ahead better than I hoped for!, he says to himself. Once that ship gets here, it will be smooth sailing from that point on! Next year can't come fast enough for me, let alone my associate!

Although it may strain him mentally, the wait is something Hoshino can easily tolerate.

For his lifelong dream to finally see fruition, he'll walk straight through the fiery, sultry pits of Hell.

So will everyone else on Earth.

CHAPTER I

The trio were battered & bruised all over their bodies, panting heavily.

Yet, they still don't yield to the terrible force they now confront, even after a harsh battle.

Under a dark-clouded nighttime sky, the immediate landscape of a city was covered in rubble & is littered with dead bodies, both human & otherwise. The humans on this world who litter the area were skewered, shredded, & stabbed, while others had holes in their chests the size of softballs. The corpses which weren't human were over two meters tall, black in color, had exoskeletons which made their skin hard to penetrate, segmented tails that ended in pointed spikes, tubular dorsal fins on the back, & long, curved heads with sharp teeth. Also littering the battlefield were leathery, oval objects two feet in height, all of which were opened by four petals of some sort at the top & empty inside. Finally, corpses of pale-yellowish creatures with five pairs of legs & a tail like a snake lay on their backs, their legs in a curled position & their inner organs exposed, stiffer than a bag of sauce left in a freezer for days.

The three left standing on this barren, rubble & corpse-filled battlefield were females, each of them dressed in black bikini-like outfits, with matching boots & gloves that reach up to & past their knees & elbows. A pair of white angel wings decorated the front of their bras, as chokers of different styles & colors were worn around their necks; one had a singular, the other two had a pair—one had them worn in a regular manner, the other had them criss-crossed. Golden earrings shaped as stars decorated their ears, as a thin same-colored tiara with a star in the center were worn across their foreheads. All had the same hairstyle—tied in long ponytails that reach their buttocks. The tallest one had brown-colored hair, the second tallest had black, the shortest had light gray-white.

These three are known as the Sailor Starlights—Sailor Star Maker, Sailor Star Fighter, & Sailor Star Healer, Sailor Soldiers from outside the known solar system of Sailor Moon & her band. Not long ago, the Starlights, along with their Princess, escaped & left their homeworld when the powerful being known as Galaxia attacked & left it in ruins all over. During their journey to planet Earth, the Starlights were separated from their Princess. In order to locate her again, the trio disguised themselves as a super-popular singing idol male group known as the Three Lights—Taiki, Seiya, & Yaten—in the city of Tokyo, Japan (in their civilian identities, the Starlights sex changes from female to male, & vice versa). They sang loud with all their heart in hopes of having their Princess hear & come to them to be reunited. Upon arriving in Tokyo, the trio befriend Usagi & her friends when they get transferred to their very own school, Tenth Street High. During their time in the city, the Starlights & Sailor Soldiers (Sailor Moon & company) have clashed uneasily against Phages, monstrosities that humans turn into when their exposed Star Seeds turn out to be blanks for not shining too brightly, & their opposing differences with each other: Sailor Moon & her group wanted to protect the planet against Galaxia & her band of rogue Sailor Soldiers (Sailor Iron Mouse, Sailor Aluminum Siren & her rival Sailor Lead Crow, & Sailor Tin Nyanko) & prevent them from capturing true Star Seeds so that Galaxia can rule the entire galaxy & destroy Earth like she has done to countless other planets. The Sailor Starlights were only concerned with finding their Princess & heading home again, not caring whether Earth lives or dies.

Having revealed their true identities to one another only complicated matters more. This was at the time when Sailor Aluminum Siren set a trap for Usagi Tsukino (who discovered her true identity as Sailor Moon during a break at a school softball game) to surrender her Star Seed on a jumbo jet flight that was promoting a movie the trio made. In the thick of it all, both groups of Sailor Soldiers transformed in front of each other. Siren made good her escape from the army of Sailors, but perished when Galaxia exhausted her patience with her repeated failures. The rift between the Sailor Soldiers & Starlights widened even further apart when Seiya was injured in a life-saving move from a backstabbing attack by Sailor Tin Nyanko. While Sailor Moon saw it as a rescue on Seiya's behalf, Maker & Healer did not, saying bad things have happened to them all because of her & order her to stay away from all three of them. Even the Outer Sailor Soldiers—Uranus, Neptune, & Pluto—didn't want her involved with them, & made steps to ensure that she doesn't, despite her—and Seiya's—objections.

But when Galaxia attacked the Three Lights during their final concert & vanquished their Princess & taking her Star Seed right before their eyes, the rift between them started to close, slowly but surely. Seiya was the first to realize that leaving their homeworld when Galaxia invaded was wrong to do, & when the younger Sailors—Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, & Venus—sacrificed their lives by having their own Star Seeds taken, the Starlights joined forces with Sailor Moon to rid the Earth & the galaxy of the destroyer of worlds.

It was a tough battle for all involved. Sailor Uranus & Sailor Neptune had temporarily turned traitor by joining Galaxia, having their Star Seeds removed & wearing special bracelets as the only way to remain alive once one's Star Seed has been taken. They were so serious in being Galaxia's servants, they even took the Star Seeds of both Sailor Pluto & Sailor Saturn. All felt betrayed by the two Outer Sailors, but no one was more so when Uranus & Neptune turned the power of their bracelets against Galaxia herself, planning to remove her own Star Seed.

The only thing wrong with their plan was, Galaxia didn't have a Star Seed within her, & the two Sailors, stained with the blood of betrayal, joined their fallen comrades. When Sailor Moon had asked them why they turned against her & the others, Uranus simply said 'because it is our way'.

With only Sailor Moon & the Starlights left, the battle intensified, with neither side backing down. But as valiantly as they fought against Galaxia, the Starlights knew that they cannot defeat her without the Light of Hope. No one was more shocked than they were when Galaxia mentions that what they seek to defeat her was Galaxia herself. Long ago, she was known as the legendary strongest Sailor Soldier, Sailor Galaxia. With the Sword of Sealing, she sealed away Chaos, the origin of evil in the galaxy. Her task was successful, but not without a price. Not realizing the high power Chaos has, she underestimated the entity, & it slowly corrupted her in body & soul. Before she was overtaken completely, Sailor Galaxia forced her Star Seed out of her body, which reached Earth in the form of a child named Chibi Chibi whom sought refuge with Usagi as Chibi-Usa had done the first time she arrived from the 30th Century. In the battle's climax, Sailor Moon had been given the Sword of Sealing to defeat Galaxia with once & for all. The rogue Sailor Soldier broke the sword, but Sailor Moon was able to reach deep within Galaxia's subconscious with the help of her own Star Seed & break through to the surface, releasing Chaos & dispersing it while all of Sailor Moon's friends were resurrected, Star Seed & all. The other Star Seeds were also returned to their rightful owners throughout the galaxy, including the Starlight's Princess & Mamoru Chiba's, the latter of whom had his taken from him on a flight to a university in America to study abroad; Uranus & Neptune were more than forgiven for their temporary betrayals.

With the danger finally dealt with, the Starlights & their Princess can return home, knowing they've made friends with Usagi & her group of Sailor Soldiers, & very happy to have done so.

Because of the victory, the Starlight's homeworld & others ruined by Galaxia was returned to its former glory.

Now their homeworld is under siege once again, this time by monsters with near steel-hard skin & yellow molecular acid for blood, the latter of which has killed, injured, & disfigured a good number of the populace. The creatures were sent to their world by a mysterious female figure, as she hovers in shadow above the Starlights, surveying the wounded Soldiers & the destruction & death her 'pets' have made. Slung over her shoulder is an unconscious man with marks across his face, indicating that something has attached itself to it for a period of time.

The mystery woman chuckles, amused at the performance of her three foes.

"You three still stand after all of that? I must admit, your persistence amazes even me, & I'm not one who gets impressed that easily!", the woman gloats.

"Whatever the hell comes to our planet & threatens it, we'll be right here to abolish & purge it away!", said a defiant Sailor Star Healer.

"Pretty tough talk, for someone & her friends who abandoned their home when Galaxia had invaded & destroyed it!"

"What did you just say?", barked Sailor Star Fighter, her hands in tight fists.

Fighter wanted to fire her primary weapon at the woman, but Sailor Star Maker prevented her, needing to know. "How in the hell did you know what Galaxia had once done to our home?"

The woman laughs. "Stupid fools! There's no one within this galaxy who doesn't know about it! I even know of your allegiance with the Sailor Soldiers from planet Earth, who helped you to defeat her! To be honest, I didn't think they would succeed in doing so, but they are much tougher than they appear to be! Speaking of that rural planet, it's time to make our acquaintance there as I have done here with you!"

"You're going to take these monsters to Earth?", Maker growls. "Sorry, but there's no way we're going to permit you to do that!"

"You're welcome to try & stop me, that is, if you even can!"

"You can bet that we will!", shouted Fighter, raising her jeweled star brooch at the woman.

"Star Serious…Laser!"

Her brooch emits & shoots forth a powerful white beam of energy, aiming straight for the one who caused all the trouble on their world, making a beeline straight for their mystery foe. The beam abruptly stops short just five feet from her, hitting an invisible wall & spreading Fighter's shot in other directions, dispersing it. Sailor Star Fighter & the other Starlights were shocked to see her shot not reach their enemy, who laughs maniacally in triumph.

"I anticipated as much from you!", she says. "That's why I formed this barrier surrounding your capital city once I saw you gaining the upper hand against these monsters! It will also keep you three from delaying my trip to Earth & unleashing these creatures there! By the time you get through, I will have a sizeable & considerable lead! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some friends who will be literally dying to see me!"

The woman's hideous laugh echoes the area as she rises into the sky with the unconscious man still slung on her shoulder.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!", Star Healer bellows.

"Star Gentle…Uterus!", Sailor Star Maker shouts.

"Star Serious…Laser!", Sailor Star Fighter yells.

"Star Sensitive…Inferno!", Sailor Star Healer cries out.

The Starlights aim their star brooches at a particular area of the barrier & fire their primary weapons. Beams, balls, & lightning strands of powerful white energy erupt from their brooches & hit the area they all aimed at with full force. A powerful & bright explosion occurs seconds after all three shots hit simultaneously. The flash was so bright, the Starlights had to cover their eyes with their arms until it dissipated. When it did, the Starlights were in shock again to see the barrier now completely visible & still standing, with no indication of even the slightest bit of damage done to it.

"It can't be!", said Star Maker.

"Even with the three of us attacking all at once, we can't penetrate this barrier!", noted Star Healer.

"We have to get through this damn thing & stop that woman, whoever she is, before she can unleash those monsters upon the Earth!", Star Fighter demands.

"And you will, I assure you", said a voice from behind them.

The Sailor Starlights turn to see a woman in a ceremonial robe, with auburn hair & a pair of rings & strands of it on the sides of her head, the latter reaching her hips in length. It was their Princess, & appearing from behind a building that received heavy damage during the conflict, she steps forward toward the Starlights, stopping just a couple of feet away.

Standing at attention, Fighter & the others kneel in respect as their Princess gestures to rise up on their feet once more.

"Princess", says Maker in a soft voice.

"It's admirable that you want to help the Sailor Soldiers you've befriended during your stay on Earth & prevent this from happening there, but to try & break through this barrier recklessly is a waste of your time & energy", said the Fireball Princess. "You've already spent enough of both in battling these monsters in our city."

The Starlights bow their heads in respect & defeat. They knew she was right: the fight with these aliens from god-knows-where has taken its toll on their strength, & even if they do manage to penetrate the barrier surrounding their city, they'll be much too exhausted to pursue the eerie & mysterious arsonist who dares to invade their home & let these creatures run rampant, injuring several people & killing many more, now on her way to Earh, where Sailor Moon & her own band of Sailor Soldiers reside, ready to repeat this nightmare on that peaceful planet.

Because of what they did for them when Galaxia followed them there, The Starlights can't & won't let that happen.

But they need to escape the barrier first, & they need to do so intelligibly.

"You're right on all counts, Princess", said Healer.

"Do you have a plan to get us through this barrier, Princess?", Maker asked.

"Yes, I do", the Fireball Princess replied. "It will take some time & effort, but if you follow my instructions to the letter, the process will go much easier. Are you ready?"

"Yes! Let's do it!", Fighter said immediately.

Maker & Healer nod.

It was no surprise to Fighter's two comrades that she would instantly agree to escape their barrier prison & head to Earth to help the Sailor Soldiers there, most particularly Sailor Moon herself. Even before the two teams of Sailor Soldiers revealed their identities to one another on that nightmarish flight, Seiya always had quite a fondness for Usagi Tsukino ever since they met formally at Tenth Street Park (their actual first meeting was at the airport as Usagi & Mamoru were giving their farewells to each other before Mamoru took his flight to America, but that meet was more or less irrevelant) while shooting a program there. Since then, the two have shared quite some time together in various places & events—amusement parks, dance clubs, etc.. Through thick & thin, Seiya & Usagi shared a friendship as only the latter can create with other people.

Because of that strong friendship they share, Seiya would endure any kind of torture to help defend her planet should the need ever arise, despite the distance between their worlds.

Sailor Star Maker & Sailor Star Healer feel the same way, even if their relationship with the Earth-bound Sailor & them got off to a rocky start.

Even without guessing, the Fireball Princess doubtlessly knew they would assist the Sailors on Earth, as she herself is grateful to them, Sailor Moon mainly, for all they've done to eradicate Galaxia's malevolence from the galaxy indefinitely.

With a warm smile, the Fireball Princess begins explaining her plan, with the Starlights being all ears.

CHAPTER II

Tokyo, Japan, one year later.

Present day.

Springtime hit the country in both spirit & weather, becoming a very sunny & comfortable sixty-five to seventy degrees temperature, a climate which allows most residents to be outside without the necessity of wearing a jacket, light or not. It was the beginning of two things: one, people begin to get romantically involved with each other, & two, spring break has just started, giving students a week-&-a-half off to enjoy themselves before finishing the rest of their semesters/school year before the big summer vacation break, roughly two months away; it was a day & time of year that made one feel glad to be alive.

In the Juban District of downtown Tokyo, some residents there are grabbed by the attention of a large, billboard-size screen TV monitor playing on the front of a building. The screen was showcasing a news announcer—somewhere in his mid-40s—with a sheath of papers in his hands & a picture of a huge space station orbiting the Earth on a screen in the background to his left. As he sifts through the papers handed to him by an off-camera assistant, the newscaster starts reading his report.

"Here is today's top story for this clear & sunny day of April 3rd. Renown scientist & astrologist Hoshino Sekizawa has announced that his staff aboard the orbiting space station known as the Tanaka are expecting to greet an arrival of a visitor from another planet after a year of first making contact. The professor reports that the 'visitor' he & his staff have made contact with was female, & has been monitoring transmissions from Earth at her home planet for several years, finally getting through. This interstellar individual is said to be arriving first at the Tanaka before heading down to the planet itself, according to professor Sekizawa. Hoshino, along with his wife Kumi, an astrologist herself, will be monitoring the greeting from the monitor room at the Space Science Authority Center, here in Tokyo. This historical event is scheduled to take place in just three days from now, according to personell at the Authority Center. We will have more details of this wondrous discovery as details develop."

The crowd viewing the giant monitor grew in size when the announcer has given his report unto the populace, their curiosity growing just as much. Among the crowd of viewers, there was one individual—a young man—who was most interested in the report more than anyone else. He had on a short-sleeve pink shirt on, with light blue jeans & black shoes. A pair of sunglasses shade his eyes from the blinding sun. He is Mamoru Chiba, college student at Tozai University & Usagi Tsukino's boyfriend. Unknown to the world, he is secretly Tuxedo Mask, the mysterious figure who has aided the Sailor Soldiers countless times, & has saved their lives on more than one occasion. Also unknown to most is the fact that he was (& will be) Prince Endymion from Earth's past & King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo in the future, the 30th Century to be exact. In his past life as Prince Endymion, Mamoru often visited the Silver Millennium Kingdom which resided on the moon of the Earth to see & be with Princess Serenity (Usagi's past self) every chance he got. One day, when the evil being known as Queen Beryl appeared & attacked along with Queen Metalia & her minions of the Dark Kingdom, Serenity's kingdom was brutally destroyed. Despite great resistance from Endymion & the Sailor Soldiers, there was no hope for the once great & peaceful kingdom. The only way Queen Metalia, Beryl, & their minions were stopped was with the power of the Silver Crystal, wielded by Queen Serenity (who looked exactly like her daughter/Usagi, but with a light-gray hair color), placed upon the Crescent Moon Wand. Serenity seals them all within the crystal, but in doing so has spent her strength & dies shortly after, but not before sending her daughter, the Sailor Soldiers, Prince Endymion, & Luna & Artemis to Earth to be reborn as regular people, with no memory of their former selves. During his childhood on Earth, Mamoru's parents were killed in a tragic car accident, miraculously sparing his life somehow. Since that day, he has embarked on a quest to find clues to his identity, & the only way he could do that is to find the seven rainbow crystals that have been hidden within seven humans who have no clue that they were once warriors of the Dark Kingdom. In a battle at the Star Light Tower at the bay area of the city, Mamoru (as Tuxedo Mask) battles Zoisite for custody of the crystals & is wounded as a sad & shocked Sailor Moon watch events unfold, crying. Her tears summon all seven rainbow crystals to her & form the Silver Crystal right before their eyes. The crystal floods the mind of Sailor Moon & Tuxedo Mask of memories of their time at the Silver Millennium Kingdom. The other Sailors arrive to help them both, but are too late. Mamoru is taken by Kunzite & brought to Queen Beryl as she attempts to brainwash him & make him a servant for the Dark Kingdom. His goal: to get the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon so that Beryl can fully revive Queen Metalia & free her from her prison. When the Sailor Soldiers traveled to the North Pole (via teleportation, using the 'Sailor Teleport' method) to confront Beryl & her five most powerful monsters to dispose of the girls, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, & Venus all fall in battle, leaving only Sailor Moon left. Arriving at Queen Beryl's throne room, the wicked queen orders Emdymion to kill Sailor Moon & take her crystal from her. Refusing to fight him, Sailor Moon instead shows him a star-shaped locket that plays music (which he drops during a battle with one of the seven monsters from the Dark Kingdom). Hearing the tune, he recalls his memories of the love they once shared during their time at the Silver Millennium Kingdom all those years ago. The evil energy Beryl had poisoned him with couldn't reach all the way into his heart, & remembering his love for Princess Serenity broke him free of it. Disgusted, Queen Beryl throws a crystal spear at Emdymion, killing him. In the final confrontation with Beryl (super-charged with energy from Metalia), Sailor Moon (in the guise of Princess Serenity) defeats the evil queen, using both the power of the Silver Crystal & the spirits of her deceased Sailor Soldier friends. After Beryl's defeat, Usagi & the girls (& Mamoru) are returned safely to Earth alive & well, but with no memory whatsoever of being a Sailor Soldier, let alone meeting one another.

But their amnesias, fortunately, would not last: two months after Queen Beryl's defeat, the peace of Tokyo is shattered by a meteorite crashing near Usagi's home. Two aliens named Ali & En (disguised as school students named Seijuro & Natsumi) use monsters called Cardians to steal energy from the life forms on Earth, namely humans, to feed their Doom Tree, the source of their very existence—if the tree dies, so do they. After the first two Cardian attacks, Luna restores the girl's memories using a mind meld of some sort with the crescent moon placed upon her forehead, becoming a team once again.

Mamoru's fog of amnesia would be lifted a little later, though: discovering the true nature of Seijuro & Natsumi, Mercury & the other Sailors head over to their apartment, only to find it taken over & engulfed by the Doom Tree itself, which had gone berserk. Knowing Usagi & Mamoru are trapped inside, the Sailors enter the building & confront Ali & En, their true colors revealed. When the battle reaches its peak, the tree kills En in its fury. Later, it is revealed that the tree needs the energy of love to grow prosperously. Using the last of its strength, the tree resurrects En & is then transformed back into a sapling, after it asks Sailor Moon to purge it of all the negative energy it was fed for years. Refreshed, Ali & En, along with their tree, are given a fresh start & depart for parts unknown. The mysterious figure known as the Moonlight Knight (a figure dressed in a white turban, armed with a sword & throws white roses, who has helped the Sailors during the Cardian attacks) suddenly appears & reveals himself as Mamoru. Sailor Moon & the other Sailors are a bit baffled: how can the Moonlight Knight be Mamoru when the real thing was with her the entire time? The Knight explains that after Queen Beryl's defeat & everyone was returned safely back to Tokyo, Mamoru's spirit developed a personality of its own, using it to aid the girls in times of need, much in the same manner Tuxedo Mask would do. When the two merge into one, Mamoru's memories are finally restored, & his love for Usagi remains the same as it was.

His identity as King Endymion of the future is another story. When Chibi-Usa arrives from the 30th Century to escape members of the Black Moon called Nemesis, hell-bent on destroying Earth from the past and future, & killing the younger Tsukino in the process, Mamoru takes an immediate liking to the child, as does Usagi (despite constant quarrels with one another—stealing each other's snacks, quarreling over Mamoru, & so forth). With several attempts on Chibi-Usa's life, the Sailor Soldiers & Tuxedo Mask have decided to travel to the future & accompany her to put an end to the Wiseman's plans for good. Upon arriving, they see the city of Crystal Tokyo in utter ruins & run into a 3-D projection image of King Endymion, the ruler of the ruined city (& of Earth). There, he explains the horrific & sad history of how all the trouble started with the sudden & brutal attack of the Black Moon clan from Nemesis. He also reveals that King Endymion is Mamoru Chiba—Tuxedo Mask—in the future, & his wife, Neo-Queen Serenity, is Usagi in the future, their 'future-selves'. It was the King himself who projected terrible visions to his past self of great harm coming to Usagi, forcing him to break up with her in order to save her. It was more or less a test to see just how strong their love for each other really was, as they would need it for defeating the Wiseman & his evil ambition of summoning the Death Phantom & destroy the Earth, reducing it to a wasteland. They succeed on all counts, with the King apologizing for putting both of them through such a painfully emotional, but necessary, ordeal.

But neither Sailor Moon nor Tuxedo Mask were prepared for the ultimate shock: Chibi-Usa is actually their very own daughter from the 30th Century. It was no wonder she had a similar hairstyle to Usagi's own, & immediately knew about the Silver Crystal upon her first arrival to the 20th Century. Even though Usagi believed her to be the brattiest kid on Earth when they first met, the child had a way of growing on people, much like Usagi herself does. Deep down, they were both glad at the revelation, & would always be together as both a family & Sailor Soldiers to defend the planet from any & all threats. Like Usagi & her friends, there's nothing Mamoru wouldn't do to keep Chibi-Usa safe from harm. Even when the Wiseman had transformed her into a young adult named Black Lady & aided the evil entity in destroying the world, neither he nor the Sailors had given up on Small Lady (a name Chibi-Usa is frequently referred to as). With aide from the infinite love of her parents, Chibu-Usa was reverted back to her young & innocent self, & using both Silver Crystals from the two Tsukinos, the Wiseman & Death Phantom were defeated, the planet spared a horrible fate.

Through it all, Mamoru has been there for his love, Usagi, & the rest of her friends in the thick & thin of their adventures, & while it's quite the burden to lead multiple lives at a time, he wouldn't want to change it for all the Silver Crystals in the world.

Still staring at the large monitor on the building's front, Mamoru lifts his sunglasses up over his eyes & smiles warmly.

You've finally done it, haven't you, professor?, he says to himself. After so many years of trying, you achieve your lifelong goal. I can't wait to see the results when I come to see you in three days.

With the newscaster now presenting other forms of news, Mamoru lowers his sunglasses & walks off as casually as he arrives.

He heads for a phone booth to make a couple of calls.

To some very important people.

The Fruit Parlor Crown was doing nice business, having some more customers than usual on this beautiful afternoon, probably due to the spring break students are now having, which is more or less the majority of customers now at the popular eatery in downtown Tokyo. The Crown is a place where one can be with friends after a hard day at school to speak of their day, what's been going on outside school walls, etc.. It's also a place where some of the best food & drinks in the city are served at.

This day was no different.

In the far left corner of the place, where a table rests near a wall on one side & the outside window on another, Mamoru sits with Usagi Tsukino & the rest of her very good friends—Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, & Minako Aino, secretly known as the defenders of Earth, love, & justice, the Sailor Soldiers. The girls are all dressed in the same manner as Mamoru himself, being in casual clothing, rather than the traditional Juban High School uniforms. Around Usagi's neck was a golden choker comprised of small dinosaur skulls, the same piece of jewelry the Predator known as Saber-Tusk had given her last year after their deadly one-on-one. Amid the super-heroine teens are their feline guardians, Luna & Artemis; the former resides with Ami, the latter with Minako.

Making his phone calls to each one of the girls, Mamoru has invited them all to the Crown in order to tell them about Professor Hoshino Sekizawa's dream project, but not without having a nice, cool drink first. After ordering a soda for each of the ladies (except for Ami, who preferred a glass of milk instead), Mamoru relayed all the news he heard on the broadcast earlier in the day to Usagi & company, each with their own, happy thoughts.

"You seem to be really excited about this upcoming event, Mamoru-san", said Rei.

"I am, especially since professor Hoshino Sekizawa is a personal friend of mine, as well as the driving force behind this new discovery", he replies.

"How long have you known the professor for, Mamoru?", asks Makoto.

"We first met in high school years ago. He at first began as a substitute teacher there, being in when a teacher in science class called in sick, but the principal was highlt impressed by his performance, he became a full-time employee, eventually having his own office & lab full of all sorts of scientific equipment & discoveries. But of all his achievements, nothing has fascinated him more than the wonders of outer space, beyond our very own solar system. Since his days in kindergarten, he's always believed that we weren't alone in the universe, & that there were highly intelligent life on other worlds besides our own. Throughout the years, he has worked feverishly to prove that there was, & just last year he finally hit paydirt."

"That was the female individual the news broadcast mentioned earlier?", asked Artemis.

"That's right. She will be arriving at the orbiting space station the Tanaka in just three days from today to greet the personell there."

"Professor Hoshino Sekizawa designed the Tanaka station himself, didn't he?", asked Ami.

Mamoru nodded. "It was solely for his intention of his goal, Ami. The Tanaka was built with the most toughest & advanced materials/technology the Space Authority had to offer. Sekizawa himself offered the funding to have it built, being the son of a wealthy tycoon."

"If Hoshino designed & funded for the station personally, then no doubt it must be a rather durable domicile to be orbiting space as it is", added Minako.

"You're right. The armor plating inside & out of the station is so tough, it can withstand the force of an atomic bomb after detonation. Anyone living within that place will feel as if they're inside a bank vault, which is a comfort due to the fact that hundreds of people currently reside in it for a good amount of time. The only way it ever can be destroyed is from inside the station itself."

"What do you mean by 'destroyed from inside', Mamo-chan?", asks a puzzled Usagi.

"Well, as a precaution, Hoshino has implanted a self-destruct mechanism within the power core of the place."

This piece of news came as a bit of a surprise to the girls, but the answer quickly became an obvious one, which Luna points out. "Did professor Sekizawa install that device to detonate the station in case of a dire emergency, Mamoru?"

"Yes, but Hoshino would only ever use it as a very last resort, in case the station should ever malfunction & begin falling to Earth, or if any hostile life from beyond the solar system overtakes it by force. It would be a regretful decision if it ever came to that, but Hoshino will let no harm come to his staff, or the Earth itself. Fortunately, there are numerous escape shuttles all over the station to make for a swift evacuation; there's even a teleporter unit where the power core is located at, should the shuttles somehow malfunction."

"It would seem that Hoshino has thought of every contingency in order to get people to safety in case of trouble that's way over their heads", states Ami.

"How very noble of the man to do so, putting his staff in front of his own ambitions", added Luna.

"He is, Luna", Mamoru says. "Just because he eagerly seeks out to find & discover life from other worlds, it doesn't mean he'll forfeit the lives of his own race."

"I'm glad to hear that", said Makoto. "A professor who makes new discoveries but has a cold heart doesn't make you all that great to begin with."

"That's right", adds Rei. "To be a good discoverer of anything new, you need to have love & compassion in your heart & soul, not just for making the discovery by itself."

"But then", Minako cheerfully chimes in, "being Mamoru's teacher will do that, so I guess it would be no surprise that Hoshino is as humane as you say he is. It's just like that old saying goes, 'better secure than sorry'. Right, Mamoru?"

"Uh, I believe it's called 'better safe than sorry', Minako", Ami corrects her.

"Sure, you can say that,too!"

Minako lets out a hearty but goofy laugh, with embarrassing faces on the girls, felines, & Mamoru for hearing the one-time Sailor V heroine getting familiar phrases wrong, something she has quite a habit of doing.

"Uh, well, I was one of Hoshino's best students in his class", Mamoru replied, "& we did get along quite nicely during our time in school,so…"

"Bingo! I knew it!", said Minako.

Still embarrassed, Mamoru didn't know how to respond to Minako's remark, so he stayed silent.

"I wonder what this female individual will look like once she arrives", Usagi says in a soft & dreamy tone. "Maybe it's a beautiful Princess who abandoned her homeworld & seeks refuge here on Earth, like we all were by Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium Kingdom."

"Or maybe…", Rei says with an eerie tone & look on her face, looking like a zombie, along with Makoto & Minako, all staring at Usagi, giving her the creeps.

"…she's an evil alien in disguise, wanting to punish those who don't study hard for exams like they're supposed to be doing!", Rei continues.

Makoto picks up where Rei left off, also in a creepy voice. "She does it by secretly injecting her victims with a seed of knowledge inside of their bodies…"

Minako continues. "…then that seed grows & grows at an alarming rate, & then, when you least expect it, the seed will finally…"

"…BURST THROUGH YOUR CHEST!", the three shouted in unison, laughing wickedly afterwards. Usagi—scared out of her wits—grabs her chest with her hands & lets out a gasp of fright as she collapses on the floor. Ami & Mamoru lower their heads in disgrace, while the girls & felines laugh in amusement from the little joke Rei, Makoto, & Minako played on her.

"That wouldbe a blessing for us if that is the female's true intention!", says Artemis with a big smile on his face.

"You bet it would, Artemis!", Luna agrees, also smiling from ear to ear. "Usagi's already a space cadet of her own to begin with!"

"WHAT did you say?", Usagi growls as she rises up from the floor, her facial features going from fright to anger, transferring her fear to the felines, who shake & tremble.

"Come on, Usagi. It was only a little joke", Ami pleads, trying to defuse the situation. "I'm sure that won't be the female's motive once she gets here, so relax."

It took a few moments, but Usagi finally does & sits down next to Mamoru, relieving Luna & Artemis, sparing them a severe scolding; the girl doesn't show her own scary side often, & when she does, it's a sight to take note of, even for Luna, who's always nagging her to study, be more like the others during battle as a Sailor Soldier, & so on.

It amazes the black feline that Usagi even has a scary side to begin with.

"Well, be that as it may", Usagi states, "my Mamo-chan likes me just the way I am, no matter how much of a space cadet you all think of me as! Right, Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru couldn't answer right away. Like the girls & felines, he was too much in a state of confusion, with a look on his face to match his feelings inside. Now they look at Usagi like she really is from outer space, which to them is true for the most part.

Feeling embarrassed (& ashamed), Usagi gives up & announces she's heading home.

And so she does.

Shortly after Usagi leaves the Fruit Parlor Crown, the other girls do the same, splitting up & going their own separate ways: Ami Mizuno heads to the Tenth Street Library to catch up on her reading, a pastime she seldomly skips; Rei Hino returns to Hikawa Shrine—her home—to finish her daily chores her grandfather has laid upon her & Yuichiro (the shrine's apprentice who has a huge crush on Rei) before her meditation time inside; Makoto also returns home to clean her place up a bit before preparing herself a hearty meal, having only a drink at the Crown like everybody else; Minako heads over to the Crown Game Center to play the racing games she excels at (& she hopes to find some cute guy there, as another favorite pastime of hers), as Artemis heads straight for home, knowing his Sailor Soldier master will be occupied for a time.

Usagi began walking home alone, but was soon offered a ride afterward by Mamoru in his red convertible with Luna in the back, apologizing if she made even the slightest bit of a fool out of him. He assures her it was no big deal, & none of the others were as offended any more than he had been. In fact, it only made him adore her more, a trait of hers he never gets tired of seeing.

Arriving at her house, Mamoru puts the car in neutral.

"Thanks for the ride", said Usagi.

"My pleasure, Usako", said Mamoru.

Usagi doesn't get out of the car right away, for there was something on her mind that she needed to know. "Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Since you know professor Hoshino Sekizawa, will you be a part of his accomplishment over at the Space Science Authority three days from now?"

"Perhaps not directly, but I'm sure I can convince him to invite me there, since we remained close friends even after high school. If you like, I'll see if I can also convince Hoshino to have you & the others there to witness this historical event unfold firsthand."

"Doea that also include Haruka & the others?"

"It's a possibility. After I speak with Hoshino, I'll get in contact with them right afterwards & see what they say. Personally, I'm hoping their answer will be 'yes'."

Usagi smiles. "That makes two of us. But I wouldn't worry too much about it: once they know we'll all be there, I'm sure they'll agree to it."

"As long as Hoshino grants his permission for that to happen to begin with. They'll be very busy in helping the man to accomplish his goal to spend too much time talking to any of us, so do try to bear that in mind."

"Of course we will, Mamo-chan. We'll be so quiet, they won't even notice we're there."

"This coming from the one who shouted like a cheerleader at a chess tournament not too long ago!", Luna intervenes from the back seat, smirking.

Mamoru chuckles as Usagi turns to the black cat, her hand in a fist. "Are you ever going to let me live that down & forget about it?"

"Someone needs to keep you disciplined 24/7, & one of the ways to do that is to remind you of your past tomfoolery!"

Usagi now grits her teeth. "I've always wondered if cat tastes like chicken! What do you say we find out…tonight?"

Luna cringes in the back seat, her voice a whimper. "I-I'll be good."

"Glad to hear it! Now let's get inside! Mom went shopping today, & I need my snacks to help tide me over until dinner!"

"C-Coming."

Usagi opens the car door & exits, with Luna joining her a second later, remaining silent as she does: this is the second time in one day the black feline has seen Usagi's scary side, & didn't wish to endure any more of it, so she says nothing else to her at the moment until maybe later once her jets cool down. Mamoru watches them exit his vehicle & head for/enter the house, all the while suppressing an irresistible urge to release a boisterous guffaw from the antics between his true love & her feline guardian. While she can be more than a handful at times, Mamoru knows Usagi is worth the time & energy to be with, having such a huge heart & all—much bigger than anyone else he knows.

Anyone who knows Usagi & has spent even the slightest time with her would say the same thing, guaranteed.

When the urge to laugh has subsided, Mamoru puts his car in drive & takes off for home to make some more phone calls.

Unlike Usagi, his day isn't over yet.

The two pieces of chocolate cake just about kept Usagi's hunger in check until dinner came along. The Tsukino family—mom & dad Ikuko & Kenji, & little brother Shingo—sat down to a hearty meal of freshly baked ham with sweet potatoes, corn, & green beans. Orange juice & milk had helped to wash the mouth-watering food down with ease. Luna ate leftovers from all of the family's plates, which was rather plentiful, even after the Tsukinos ate heartily.

Finally stuffed (to everyone's relief), Usagi heads upstairs to her room to digest her supper in the most utter peace.

Usagi goes to her room in the attic, the same room Chibi-Usa had during her stay in this century. After the younger Tsukino's departure back to the 30th Century since her ordeal with the Dead Moon Circus queen Neherenia, Usagi more or less had a void in her life she needed to fill in Chibi-Usa's absence. Therefore, she had her room moved to this very spot which was hers once out of the most generous respect for her future daughter. When Chibi-Usa returned a short while ago during the Sailor Soldier's battle with the alien hunters known as the Predators that took place only last year, Usagi gladly gave her this room in order to make her feel more at home just like she did before. Having Chibi-Usa in Usagi's old room somehow didn't feel right, so the alternative was really the best solution.

Now, with her future daughter back with Neo-Queen Serenity & King Endymion, Usagi had moved back up here to be with her in spirit—the least she could do in her absence.

Sitting atop her bed, Usagi stares out of the window & into the clear, cloudless sky at all the stars twinkling like little dots, or even jewels. She isn't even aware of Luna's presence until the black feline speaks.

"Quite the peaceful night, isn't it, Usagi?", she says.

"Yes. If only it would stay like this all the time, all year long, day or night", said Usagi, much calmer than she was hours ago.

Luna knows Usagi as few others do. She notices her staring at the stars so intently, like she expects them to do something else, other than shine the way they do now.

When Luna sees her like this, she can tell there's something on her mind.

"Is there anything you wish to talk about, Usagi?", she asks.

Usagi turns her sights from the stars to her feline guardian. "Like what, Luna?"

"You stare at the evening sky so intently, you expect to see some strange activity to occur from it."

Luna got her, & Usagi knew it, so she smiles & speaks her mind. "You have good intuition. I guess I'm wondering about this event Mamo-chan's professor friend Hoshino Sekizawa has going for him, being able to meet someone from another planet somewhere far out in space. What a joy that's going to be for him, especially since he's worked on & waited so long for. As I've said at the Fruit Parlor, I wonder what kind of personality this interstellar woman will have."

"Are you having doubts about this discovery of Hoshino's?"

"Some. What if this experience turns out to be a fight for Earth's survival, like the time the Snow Queen had tried to freeze the entire planet? We shouldn't overlook that possibility."

"Uh, yeah. That was a creepy encounter, wasn't it?"

It was: Luna praises Usagi for remembering that incident, & for being self-aware of what can easily happen if indeed she is right about this event converting from a scientific wonder to a disaster. Luna recalls in her mind of what Usagi is referring to of the Snow Queen, a malevolent being of ice & snow who had returned to Earth after a long absence to try & put the entire planet in a huge block of ice & preserve it for her 'collection' of worlds that have met that very fate. All she needed was a colored crystal that fell to Earth disguised as a comet, one which was discovered by an astronomer named Kakeru Ozora, a human Luna had indiscriminately fallen in love with after being saved from a speeding motorist when she tried to cross a busy street when a cold had struck her. While the Sailor Soldiers concentrated on dealing with the Snow Queen & her Snow Dancer servants, Luna's desire for Kakeru strengthened further, even though she knew it was hopeless due to the fact that he was human & she a cat. It was even more distant when she witnessed firsthand a quarrel between him & Himeko Nayotake, an astronomer herself. The quarrel was about Himeko believing only in what science can prove, while Kakeru has more of a wild imagination, believing in fairy tales. He even claimed once to his peers that he saw an actual, real princess living on the moon, a tale that made everyone at the academy laugh at him for such a ludicrous claim. Because of their differences, Kakeru & Himeko briefly went their separate ways.

But that wasn't Kakeru's & Luna's only problem. The comet contained a crystal in which Kakeru had taken home with him. It was the same crystal the Snow Queen had been looking for in order to put the whole Earth in ice, turning it into a world of the dead. What's more, for the time Kakeru had the crystal in his possession, it had collected a good portion of his energy, making it even stronger as it made Kakeru weaker. Luna realizes that the only way for Kakeru to beat the crystal's evil power is for him to see his fabled 'Princess Kaguya' he has fantasized since his own childhood & overpower its curse on him. After the Sailor Soldiers defeated the Snow Queen & her Snow Dancer servants with the Silver Crystal, Sailor Moon uses its power to temporarily transform Luna into a human, wearing a yellow dress with a blue underside, long blue hair that measured half her body length, a crescent moon pendant worn around her neck & right ankle, & a pair of moon earrings & a crescent moon placed upon her forehead. But her most distinctive thing on her was a yellow ribbon tied around her neck—the same ribbon Kakeru himself had tied on Luna's own. When Kakeru regains his strength from seeing her in her new form, he deduces her identity, but she tells him that his real Princess Kaguya (Himeko) will be waiting for him once she returns to Earth after a routine space flight above the planet. When Himeko sees her lover with Kaguya in space for a brief instant, she finally understands what Kakeru was talking about, all the while learning not everything can be solved scientifically.

Returning to Earth, Luna is reverted back to her feline self, & Himeko & Kakeru are happily reunited, their different worlds easily colliding into one.

Bearing that incident in mind, Luna can see why Usagi has cause for alarm about Hoshino Sekizawa's event, & how it can turn ugly in the blink of an eye.

"In any case, Usagi, I wouldn't worry too much about it", Luna assures her. "I'm quite sure Hoshino has things well in hand for the big day when it comes."

"I've no doubt about that, Luna", says Usagi, "but just to be safe, I'd feel a lot better if I & the others were all there to make sure deja-vu doesn't occur again if it can be helped. To be perfectly honest with you, I can't help but feel more than a little scared with this whole thing."

"Usagi, that's one of the rite of passages of being a Sailor Soldier. There will be times in your life when you will face things that may & will frighten you. When those times arrive, you need to be strong, stand up, & face your fear head-on, no matter how frightening they may be. Once you do that, you'll feel like a mountain of strength, & nothing can stop you."

"You believe I can?"

Luna gives Usagi a reassuring smile. "Would I be a good guardian if I said otherwise?"

Usagi chuckles. "I suppose not. Queen Serenity—my mother—gave that role to the right one after all."

"What do you mean, 'the right one'? Are you implying anything, Usagi?", Luna says with a weird look on her face.

Now Usagi lets out a little laugh. "Of course not, Luna. For all my recklessness, you've stood by me through thick & thin, & I'm grateful for it. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Just keeping you on your toes…where are you going?"

Usagi steps off the bed & heads for the stairs leading down. "To take a refreshing bath before slipping into my pajamas, & then I'm going to sleep like the dead. See you tomorrow!"

Luna doesn't say anything else, let alone stop her. Instead, she watches her disappear from sight as she descends the stairs & heads for the bathroom to spend time in the tub. While Usagi still has her care-free attitude from the day they first met, when she rescued her from a group of young delinquents who tortured her, she has grown & matured considerably since. It may still be a far cry from Ami, Rei, & the others, but she has become more aware than ever of her destiny/duty as a Sailor Soldier, mostly due to the strength of believing in not just her friends, but in herself as well. That strength has really shown through in recent struggles, mainly in the battle with the rogue Sailor Soldiers led by Galaxia & the fight the girls had with the Predators, the latter of which happened only last year during Japan's record-breaking heatwave.

Luna knows how lucky Usagi is to have her. She also knows she can always depend on her for sound advice whenever she's in any kind of slump. The reverse is also true: shortly after Usagi & Luna met, Shingo was deathly afraid of cats since his childhood, & Luna was no exception. He demanded she be thrown out, much to Usagi's protests. After defeating one of Jadeite's minions at a pet store, which was selling animals that steal the energy of their owners to be used to revive Queen Metalia of the Dark Kingdom, Usagi (as Sailor Moon) convinced Shingo to be nice to Luna on her behalf. Being a big fan of the champion of love & justice, Shingo agrees, & has done so ever since.

In short, both are fortunate to have each other.

And that's the way it's going to stay.

CHAPTER III

It was a busy day aboard the Tanaka Space Station, more so than usual. The big day they've all been waiting & working so hard for was tomorrow, & everyone was on hand in preparing for it. All communications experts were glued to their seats in the main communications room, each surveying all radio & video activity, inside the complex & right outside in space. Shindo & his good friend Hongo—being in charge of security—step up the duties to all their personell & make sure the operation goes smoothly without incident; it has been years for Hoshino to make this wish of his come true, & now with it just a day away, they don't any kind of nasty or unpleasant surprise to hinder his dream. With their rifles slung on their shoulders & a smaller firearm in its holster on their sides, they would both make sure of it.

Technicians at the monitors & communications centers keep a close watch for anything out of the ordinary, a surefire sign of the interstellar female's arrival. While she announced that she would arrive tomorrow, there's always a chance for an early one.

If that is so, their radars will pick it up on a dime.

A blip suddenly appears on the radar, & continues giving a signal in intervals of every 4-5 seconds, getting the attention of everyone in the room. The staff work their equipment in order to pinpoint the object's location, heading straight in their direction. They all know there are no scheduled arrivals at the station for the next few days, so this sudden acquisition can mean only one thing to all.

The female is arriving at the station a day early!

"How far off is it from us?", asked a female technician.

"About one mile away", said a man. "Its speed is currently at 50-60 knots. At that rate, the ship will be here within an hour from now!"

The female technician turns to another employee. "Contact Shindo & notify him of what's going on. Have him & his men report to the docking area immediately!"

"Right!", said the employee, getting on his walkie-talkie.

She turns back to her assistant. "Can we get a visual on the oncoming craft at this range?" The man—Kowaji—shakes his head. "No. Something is jamming the long-range camera systems. Until it gets here, we'll have to keep the craft on sight with the radar instead of the monitors."

The woman—Sueko—nods her head. "Try contacting the female on her frequency. While you're at it, contact Hoshino on Earth & tell him of our situation."

"Right."

Kowaji instructs his staff to get in touch with those individuals on the radio while Sueko gets word from the one who spoke to Shindo. "Sueko, Shindo & his men got my message. They are just fifteen minutes away from the landing docks", he says.

"Good", said Sueko.

"Sueko, the radio isn't responding!", said Kowaji.

"What?"

"The frequencies are all dead! All we're getting is static!"

"That's impossible! Keep trying! Don't stop until you get through!"

"Right!"

Just then, all video monitors go out, turning each & every screen into pictures of black & white fuzz.

"What's wrong with the monitors?", Sueko demanded.

"I don't know", a technician said. "They all just suddenly stopped functioning!"

"Can you get them back on line?"

"We're on it!"

Sueko started worrying about what's been happening all around. First the communications all go dead, followed by the monitors. All this happened almost immediately after the craft had showed up upon their radar, being a day earlier than expected. Why? Why would the craft which carried the female arrive one day in advance like that? The last time they got in touch with this individual was just yesterday, claiming she would be at the Tanaka in two days. Instead, her ship is here now, on approach with the station—no advance warning, no anything.

No one aboard could understand any of this, but Sueko has a terrible feeling about it. She begins to wonder if the female they're scheduled to meet aboard the approaching craft is more or less responsible for all the systems failures in the communications room, & perhaps even all over the place. They can't see the ship approach, much less contact it or Hoshino on Earth unless they can get their systems back on line. Until they do, the people aboard the Tanaka are all up the creek without a paddle, floating in space.

It sent a cold shiver down her spine.

Shindo, Hongo, & the rest of their security team all waited at the main door of the landing docks, weapons at the ready. Since systems started going down all around, Shindo had the same gut feeling Sueko has about the situation, & he didn't like it any more than she did.

He turns to Hongo & his men. "All right, listen up! With everything going haywire, Sueko surmises that the cause of it is coming from the craft on its way here! It's possible that our 'guest' is not who she claims to be, as we were once led to believe! So when that ship arrives, I want all of you to surround it with weapons drawn, & follow my instructions to the letter! Absolutely nobody fires unless I give the order! Understand?"

"Yes, sir!", the men all shouted together.

Shindo & his men wait patiently for clearance to enter the dock, which beyond a second door lies the cold, merciless vacuum of space. Unfortunately, without visuals on the monitors for Sueko & her staff to confirm the ship's arrival, there's no way of knowing if & when the men can enter the docks: if they enter too early while the ship is entering from space, they'll all be sucked into the cold vacuum & die instantly. If they wait too long & enter late, the female scheduled to be here will undoubtedly try something hasty & cause harm to all aboard the station, & with all the systems going down, Shindo, Hongo, & the rest have good reason to believe that their supposed 'guest' is hostile, planning on doing great harm to everyone on the station & quite possibly to the Earth itself.

The job of Shindo & his men are to make sure that it never happens.

Suddenly, the men hear a heavy metal door opening from within as a red light upon a wall panel indicates it dangerous to currently open. It means that the ship will soon approach & land on the dock inside. That's when Shindo & his men will surround the craft, but not before the air fills up in the room again once the outer door closes, making it breathable again. With walkie-talkies currently the only way to communicate, Shindo informs Sueko & her staff about what's now taking place where he is.

Finally, the light on the wall panel turns from red to green, making it safe to enter the docks.

Shindo tries the button on the door panel to open it up, but nothing happened, even after several attempts.

Just when he was about to order one of his men to run a bypass to handle the door, it opens up by itself. Even before it opens up to their height, Shindo & his men duck down under it & enter the dock, surrounding the craft which lays in the center of the place, exactly as Shindo had ordered. The room inside was gigantic, about the size of the entrance of a mansion & just as wide as one. Resting in the center, the ship lay on four hydraulic legs that are just barely visible to see from Shindo's point of view. The craft itself was the size of two one-story houses, staying side-by-side in length, not in width or height. A pair of short wings stuck out on the sides, being mainly five feet in length each. The front of the ship looked like that of one of Japan's bullet trains, the fastest kinds in all the world. From the windshield Shindo can see blood splattered across it, which almost covered the whole thing in the thick, red this grisly sight confirms the man's & Sueko's suspicions of hostility from their alleged guest.

Now was the time to take the initiative.

"Hongo, have some men accompany us at the main door of this ship", Shindo orders. "Keep them in tight formation. When we're ready, I want this craft stormed & searched every inch of. Do not leave no stone unturned!"

"Understood!", Hongo replied, signaling a dozen men over to their position. With the utmost caution, they approach the entrance to the ship, located on the right side, weapons pointed directly at it. Looking for a panel, Shindo immediately finds it & presses an arrow button, indicating which direction the door will open/close. He presses the arrow that points up, & sure enough, the door on the ship's side opens vertically on a pair of hydraulics. A ramp slides diagonally down to the floor for easier access, briefly taking the men by surprise. Shindo then orders the female within to slowly step out of the ship, & warns her that any action she takes against him or anyone else will be considered an act of aggression, concluding they will use deadly force if need be. After several tense moments of deadly silence, Shindo lets her know the bottom line.

"You in the ship—come out with your hands up, or we will storm in & take you down! This is your last warning!", he barks.

Still nothing, except for a distant sound like someone digging his hands in fresh mud.

Then it becomes quiet again.

"What was that noise?", whispers Hongo.

"I don't know", Shindo whispered back.

Hongo takes a few steps to the open entrance of the ship, prepared to shoot at anything that unexpectedly comes his way. The female had her chance to surrender peacefully after a warning or two, but didn't respond, forcing the men to do things the hard way.

As fast as Hongo was at response time, there was something inside the ship that was even faster than he is, & it comes out of nowhere & attacks him.

From the cover of the craft's interior darkness, a swift moving object throws itself at Hongo & hits him directly in the face, causing the man to stagger back & fall to the floor.

"Hongo!", yelled Shindo, seeing his good friend go down.

On the hard, steel floor of the dock, Hongo wrestles with the thing wrapped around his face as he frantically tries to pry it off. The thing looked like a giant, hairless yellow spider with five pairs of legs, & a tail that wraps itself around his throat like a snake. Hongo desperately pushes the creature to get it off his face, but the more he tries, the more pain he causes for himself: every attempt at it only makes the thing wrap its legs & tail tighter. It also makes the sides & back of his head bleed with each try. The thing has a firm grip on him, & there's no way Hongo will be able to get the creature off him, at least not without tearing his own face off with it.

But Shindo & his men don't know that.

The head man of security orders his men to help get the parasite off his friend, but they only succeed in making it worse for Hongo, along with causing him more pain & bleeding. One guard had become so scared of this sudden attack, that he unwittingly backs up the ramp of the ship at a snail's pace, his fear making it hard for him to think clearly on what to do next.

It wouldn't matter to him anyway, because in a heartbeat, he was crying out in terror as a black & pointed object spears him through his back & sticks out of his chest, spraying blood all over. Shindo & the others turn to see the aftermath of their crew member's gruesome fate, their eyes agape in horror. The point which killed the man was attached to a whip—or even tail—of some kind, concealed in the ship. The lifeless man was then tossed away like a sack of garbage & is smashed into the wall before sinking to the floor, creating a bloody stain on both.

Aiming their weapons, Shindo & his men prepare to shoot whoever—or whatever—had killed their member, but their advantage is lost when the lights in the dock abruptly go out in the wink of an eye, plunging the area in a world of darkness. They couldn't see too well in the dark without their night vision goggles (which they foolishly left behind), but they could hear heavy breathing of some kind coming from within the craft, no doubt belonging to the perpetrator who murdered Shindo's team member.

His heart palpitating madly, Shindo takes two steps back just as a portion of a face—one equipped with sharp, needle-like teeth—shows itself at the entrance, having no eyes on the front of it.

In the darkness, all Shindo & his men could see were those teeth.

Like lightning, those teeth rushed right at another of Shindo's men.

That's when the screaming started, loud & boisterously.

Three hundred yards away from the Tanaka, a shadowy female with tall hair stands tall in space, completely unaffected by the cold or the vacuum of it. She flashes her pearly-white teeth as she somehow listens in on the firing of guns & the high-pitched screaming of the people inside the metal behemoth of a station, the latter giving her more satisfaction.

With eyes as cold as space itself, the female stares daggers at the orbiting station, then at the Earth itself, unleashing a malevolent chuckle.

"Foolish humans", she says in a cold tone. "You cannot defeat the nightmare in which I've presented you with, & soon, the entire planet will experience it—one that you will never wake up from! All that needs left to be done is to invite some old friends to this station, so they may share the horror it is now plagued with! Once that happens, everything will be fulfilled!"

She laughs wickedly to herself, with thoughts of death & mayhem spanning worldwide in her mind, a sight she welcomes with open arms. When her special guests arrive at the Tanaka (& she knows full well that they will), the fun for her will truly begin.

With everything mostly in place, the shadowy female disappears from sight.

Rei Hino steps out from her relaxing bath in her home at the Hikawa Shrine. Putting on a white bathrobe, she heads for her room to brush/comb her gorgeous long, jet black hair while she dries it with a blow dryer. She passes her meditation room without even stopping & reaches her bedroom to get started styling her hair. Unknown to her, the mirror in the meditation room—a small compact chiefly used for putting makeup on—begins acting up by flicking on images like a TV set. One such picture the mirror shows is one of a set of sharp, needle-teeth, hissing like an angry serpent.

The image on the mirror disappears one second before Rei enters.

Everything is as it should be, with nothing out of the ordinary.

But Rei knows she felt something that wasn't ordinary; since the day she was born, Rei Hino had a rather special talent—a sixth sense, to most folks—that enables her to detect an evil entity whenever it gets in close proximity of her. This 'special talent' has been a valuable asset to her duties as a Sailor Soldier, & has so often saved the skins of her & the rest of the team. Before she was discovered to be a Sailor Soldier, Rei used her sixth sense to locate missing items all over, & while she thought of it to be satisfactory in helping others with her talent, the majority of those who know her keep their distance, for they find it rather spooky & unnatural. Because of this, Rei has more or less been alone without a friend to call her own.

And then Usagi Tsukino came along, & the rest is history: Rei Hino would never be alone any longer, all thanks to her—and the fact that she was another of the Sailor Soldiers which Luna had been searching for.

She felt her sixth sense kick in for just a brief moment, but it put Rei on full alert. She knows better than to ignore her premonitions, even ones which only last for a second or so; that kind of carelessness can get her or any of her friends in deep trouble—or worse. Last year, she made that error when on her way to the beach with Usagi & the others for her birthday. An eerie feeling had lasted not even a second as one of the alien hunters known as the Predators was hiding in a tree as they passed, with the girls being totally unaware of its presence, no doubt in its cloaking mode: a talent they have for bending light & render them an invisible shimmer in the air. At first Rei believed it to be the high temperature of the day (it reached very close to 100 degrees), so she did not pay too much attention to it.

It lay a heavy burden upon her conscience; the alien hunters had attacked & killed a number of innocent people, something it was later discovered they would not do so normally, as their own ethics were twisted by the space huntress named Demonia, a crippled madwoman who wanted to collect Sailor Moon's head for a final trophy. They learned it was Demonia who used an evil spell on the Predators to put them under her power, containing the same aura as the alien hunters had during the time they were her slaves.

Rei vowed never to put these feelings aside whenever she gets them, brief or not. Not a day goes by that she doesn't wish she can go back in time & undo that slaughter, preventing it from ever taking place in Tokyo's history: no doubt Usagi & the other girls feel the same way.

Still dressed in her bathrobe, Rei enters the room & begins to meditate, chanting words only a trained priestess would know & going into deep concentration.

Outside the room, Rei's grandfather & his apprentice Yuichiro (who has such a huge crush on the shrine priestess) watch in silence as Rei speaks in a chanted language, sitting Indian-style in front of a fire she has ignited. They know to leave her be whenever Rei gets into this kind of trance—once she does, no one & nothing can get her out of it but herself, when she's good & ready to do so.

In silence, Rei's grandfather & Yuichiro depart & head for bed.

CHAPTER IV

Light gray clouds filled the sky on this typical afternoon in downtown Tokyo. No rain was predicted to come on this day, but the clouds were still too thick for the sun to penetrate, giving the scenery a dismal, melancholy look to it. But there was nothing melancholy about the moods of the citizens of Japan's capital city. People were all going about their daily routine, either at work or at play. Some ran around all over town hitting place to place, while others stayed in one spot & concentrated on getting through the day, all making the most of it.

Around large television monitors placed on certain buildings all over the city, crowds have gathered at each one & grab their attention, with the news announcer displaying the details of the alleged arrival of a female individual in which professor Hoshino Sekizawa has contacted with a year ago from another world, whom has been willing to share the technology from her planet with that of the human race on Earth. The news announcer explains that his & other TV news networks will keep the populace up to speed with the details of Sekizawa's discoveries as soon as they develop, & will do so for as long as it takes.

This piece of news attracted more people as the broadcast repeated its report.

Six certain individuals, however, didn't have to wait for news of Hoshino's discovery to be shown on TV, for they are about to get live coverage of it as it happens. Mamoru Chiba arrives in his red convertible at the Space Science Authority Center, with Usagi & Luna riding in the front passenger seat. Luna rested herself on Usagi's shoulder, acting like an accessory. Mamoru dressed in a short-sleeve dark blue shirt, matching slacks, & black shoes—he resembled an astronaut in a way, awaiting his first mission for space travel. Usagi dressed herself in a baby blue shirt, with a red skirt & white sneakers. The trio waited patiently for the others just across the street from the building.

It was a short one.

"Usagi! Mamoru!", Rei Hino called out to them, waving to them as they run up to the trio after a nice, comforting bus ride with the rest of the group. Each of the girls wore a small dress & looked like they were attending a dance instead of an authority center: Rei's was red, Ami's was blue, Makoto's was green, & Minako's was orange; all had matching colored shoes. Like Luna with Usagi, Artemis lay atop of Minako's shoulder, resting comfortably.

"Everyone!", Usagi shouted back, returning the wave.

"Welcome. We're so glad you all were able to make it today", said Mamoru.

"We're just as glad to be here as you are, & it's all thanks to professor Sekizawa giving us permission to do so", Makoto stated. "I guess you & him really have remained such good friends even after your years of school together."

"Yes. Your good news from the previous night made us all very proud, so we should also give our gratitude to you as well, Mamoru", said Ami.

"Think nothing of it, please", Mamoru insisted. "Hoshino himself said that he couldn't dream of not having me here for this special occasion. In fact, he even insisted that I be here for it. The same is true for you five as well."

"Hoshino wants us to be here?", asked Rei. "Did he say why, other than the fact that you know us?"

Mamoru shook his head. "He didn't go into details about it. All he said is that the five of you were to come down & join him, along with me."

It flattered the girls that Hoshino invited them with Mamoru to the Space Science Authority Center to witness the man's crowning achievement after so many years of trying, but from the sound of things, some of the girls couldn't help but feel a little suspicious about it. Why would the professor insist they be here? Wasn't this his little victory? What was the purpose of it?

A piece of this didn't feel right, but Minako breaks their thoughts with a cheerful attitude.

"In any case", she began, "I thing we should be grateful to the man for this once-in-a-life-time opportunity. Personally, I've always wanted to see the inside of a place like this & find out what these people do."

"Minako has a point", said Artemis. "How often will a chance like this head your way? It's best to seize the moment as it's presented to you."

"Right you are, Artemis! Like the old saying goes, 'When opportunity breaks, don't break the opportunity'."

"I think you mean, 'When opportunity knocks, don't knock the opportunity'", Ami corrects her.

"That's exactly what I meant!"

Mamoru, the girls, & the felines hang their heads in embarrassment over Minako's slip-up of yet another familiar phrase.

Someone give this girl a thesaurus of phrases!, Artemis says to himself.

Mamoru & the girls reach the entrance of the center & climb the stone steps to where a security personell stands at the main door of the huge facility, measuring ten stories high & reaching nearly a city block in width. The group stops at the top as the man asks the group for identification, a chore handled by Mamoru.

"Mamoru Chiba. Professor Hoshino Sekizawa sent us."

The guard looks over the list on his clipboard & sees Mamoru's name, along with those of the girls themselves & smiles. "Ah yes, Mamoru. Please go right in. The professor is expecting you & these fine young ladies inside. Just go turn left at the middle of the hall & go straight down. It will be the last door on the right side. You can't miss it."

"Thank you", Mamoru answered, turning to the girls, all of whom nod.

The main lobby & even the hallway was massive in size, both height & width. The area was so roomy, a Tyrannosaurus could easily fit into it without the top of its head even touching the ceiling, standing upright. Potted plants lay at the entrance to the sides, while two sets of stairs lead up to a second floor unable to be seen at ground level. On the other side of the wide hallway were large glass windows that showed the other side of the block, similar to the front entrance. A few staff members were running around frantically, not even acknowledging the presence of either Mamoru or the girls.

Except for one.

"Mamoru!", said a middle-aged woman wearing a traditional white lab coat, with a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles over dark brown eyes, matching her short hair. She runs to the group with a clipboard in her hand.

Mamoru recognized the woman.

"Kumi!"

"It's good to see you made it here, like you promised", she says, noticing Usagi & the girls. "I see your friends were able to do the same. Unfortunately, the circumstances are at a terrible time for you all to be here, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's head down to the communications room where my husband & his staff are now, & I'll explain along the way."

Mamoru nods. "All right."

"Let's go", the girls said in unison.

Kumi lead the group down the wide hallway & turned left when they reached the middle of it, just as the guard outside told them to go, even without Kumi leading the way. From there, she gave the details of their current situation, which had turned from docile to dire.

"None of you can get in touch with the Tanaka station?", Mamoru asked with utmost worry & concern. "That's impossible! Your husband equipped that place with the most highly advanced of technology aboard it! That also includes state-of-the-art communications! There's no way you couldn't reach them!"

"It's the truth, Mamoru!", Kumi said matter-of-factly. "Since the other night, we have tried reaching them over the radio to get the word on the approaching craft, but all we received was static!"

"What about the monitors? Could you get visuals from aboard the station at least?"

"Nothing! The monitors are just as dead as radio contact is!"

Usagi & the girls listen to every word coming from Kumi's mouth, & become living things of worry. They've only just arrived at the Space Science Authority Center, & already problems have arisen with both radio contact & visual screenings being on the fritz. It was no doubt the same way aboard the Tanaka station itself, as helpless with contact of any kind as they are. Rei ponders if this the danger she was forewarned about through her premonition, or if this just a normal, typical malfunction. Like the rest, she can't know for sure, but until she does, her senses are on full alert for anything unusual.

Kumi reaches the door at the end of the hall, windows among the wall showing the staff hard at work inside at various stations, turning & pushing countless switches/buttons. Mamoru & company can see even before they enter all their monitors displaying nothing but fuzzing black & white snow. Hoshino's wife opens the door, allowing her guests to enter the large room, filled with numerous consoles & technicians operating on each & every one of them: in the rear was a large opening to another room near the right corner. Hoshino see his wife & friends enter & rises up to greet them, but issues an order to the man sitting next to him at his station. "Keep trying to reach them. I'll be back momentarily."

"Yes sir", said the man, continuing at his job.

Hoshino approaches Mamoru & the girls with a little smile—half happily, the other half a sympathetic gesture, surely to apologize for the current inconvenience.

"Mamoru", he says in a sorrowful tone. "I'm happy to see you kept your word coming here with your friends, but I fear we have a situation on our hands—one that has been troubling us since yesterday. My wife gave you the rundown, I take it?"

"Yes, professor", said Mamoru. "Do you know exactly what the problem is caused by yet?"

Hoshino shook his head. "No, I'm afraid we haven't. We're all just as in the dark about this as you & your friends here are."

"Professor…", Mamoru started.

Hoshino cut him off. "Please, call me Hoshino. We're not in school anymore."

Despite the circumstance, Mamoru had to smile at that. "Fair enough. Hoshino, what exactly happened that caused this communications blackout?"

Hoshino sighs. "Yesterday, while we were monitoring the station from this very room, just about everything suddenly went into a tailspin & crashed. We've desperately tried getting systems back on line, but had no success. No matter what we do, there's no way for us to get in contact with our crew at the Tanaka."

"Have you tried re-routing your systems, Mr. Hoshino?", asked Ami.

"Yes. We've even asked the Space Frontier Industries for assistance, but even they can't get in touch with them. The only thing we haven't tried yet is shutting down the entire system & reboot it, but we're reluctant to do that."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, Mr. Hoshino", said Makoto. "All your hard labor of valuable data could be lost forever!"

"Exactly why we're not so crazy about that idea…Makoto, is it?"

She nods.

"So what will you & your staff do to reach those aboard the Tanaka?", asked Usagi. "Surely there must be some way to do that without erasing your important data."

Hoshino went into deep thought for a moment, trying to come up with a logical solution.

Then it hits him.

"I suppose we could try to…"

"Professor, we've got the radio working!", shouted his assistant from over at his station.

Hoshino ran over to him, just as everything miraculously came back on to full working capacity, from radios to monitors. The latter showed a map of the planet, but the important thing was that they were working, period. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; now all they need to do was patch in to the orbiting space station, & they would be back in business.

Hoshino wanted not one unnecessary second to pass by.

"Koji, get visuals on the monitors & broadcast them on the big screen!", he ordered.

"Yes sir!", said Koji.

The professor sat down next to his assistant, announcing he will handle the chore of getting in touch with the station. Pressing a switch, Sekizawa speaks into a thin microphone sticking out of the console. "This is the Space Science Authority Center on Earth calling the Tanaka! Come in, over!"

No answer came over the radio after several tense moments.

Hoshino tries again. "I repeat, this is the Space Science Authority Center on Earth calling the Tanaka! Come in, over!"

He still does not get any response.

"Dammit!", Hoshino cursed under his breath before asking out loud to Koji. "Have you had any luck with getting visuals of the Tanaka yet, Koji?"

"I should have a picture of within the station soon, once I…", Koji started to explain when the large-screen monitor in the room suddenly showed scenery of the Tanaka's interior. At first, everyone was so relieved to see it & everything else in perfect working order, but their feelings of relief & joy were immediately replaced by those of sheer & utter terror. What they were all staring at on the big screen—including Mamoru & company—made them regret getting their systems back. Wide eyes & gaping mouths was the facial features of all those within the room, because what was on the main monitor can only be described as a nightmare: a multiple number of corpses lay across the floor & leaned against the wall, all in a puddle of blood. Those leaned up against the wall had holes in their chests the size of a softball. The corpses laying upon the steel floor of the station have been stabbed by a single weapon that went right through the back & out the chest, or vice versa. The pale, zombie-like color of their skins indicate they've been dead for at least one whole day.

Is this the danger my premonition was trying to warn me about the other night?, Rei Hino said to herself. Did this happen to everyone aboard the Tanaka?

"What kind of madness is this? What the hell happened up there?", demanded Koji.

Nobody could answer the man's question, because they were all too much in a current state of shock, with the eerie, bloody scenery on the large monitor somehow putting them in a trance: the silence chilled the blood of each.

Hoshino became the first to regain his composure, cudgeling on what the next move should be to get to the heart of this literally blood-chilling occurrence. "All right, all of you listen up!", he says to his audience. "We need to find out what went down aboard the Tanaka in the last couple of hours, so in order for us to repeal those moments, I want you to download all the video footage from the security cameras on the station. Considering they haven't malfunctioned or shorted out like everything else did, we should hopefully discover just who or what is responsible for this most truculent act of violence! Let's get to work, everyone!"

"Yes sir!", they all shouted.

Hoshino walks up to Mamoru & the girls. "Mamoru, my deepest apologies to you & your friends. I know you all just arrived here, but as you can see, we have a situation. I'm afraid the young maidens will have to go, but I'd appreciate it if you remained & lend a hand to me & my staff. With the skills you gave during your time as one of my students, they would be valuable at this time of crisis. Will you help us, Mamoru?"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Hoshino, & I'd be glad to offer my assistance to you if you really need them", says Mamoru.

Hoshino smiles & nods as Mamoru turns to the girls. "It looks like my services are required here, everyone. I'll meet up with you all later on. Sorry for this little inconvenience."

"As with Hoshino, you've nothing to be sorry for, Mamoru", says Minako. "If your services are needed, it would be a great asset to the professor's team."

"I agree", Ami steps in. "Due to your past history with the professor, your partnership will help to overcome this horrific turn of events."

Ami & Minako start to exit the room, followed by Rei, Makoto, & Usagi, but not before the former two offer encouraging words.

"Good luck to all of you!", said Makoto.

"You'll get to the core of the problem! Believe that you will!", said Rei.

"Thank you", said Mamoru, as Usagi pauses in front of her true love, both of them staring at one another.

"You'll know where we'll be & why, Mamo-chan", Usagi whispers to him.

"I know. Please be very careful in getting there", Mamoru whispered back.

Usagi nods in agreement, with the two lovers sharing a passionate kiss that lasts for several heartfelt moments before she rushes off to join her friends. Once she was out of sight, Mamoru turns his attention to Hoshino.

"Let's get to work, professor", he says.

"Glad to have you aboard, Mamoru", said Hoshino, smiling.

Usagi easily caught up with Rei & the others & exited the building. They went a reasonable distance away from it, & when Rei was certain the guard at the entrance was out of earshot, she explains the eerie feeling she had last night, including the one she felt only moments ago when they were inside.

"You felt it again, Rei?", asked a stunned Usagi.

"Yes", the priestess began. "Last night, my sixth sense kicked in just before I went to bed. I meditated for over an hour to try & find where it had originated from, but I couldn't see or sense anything: either it covered its tracks really well, or it wasn't there to begin with. But I know I felt an evil presence last night! On top of that, I felt it again inside the communications room just as we were leaving!"

This left the girls in amazement, along with a state of shock.

"It wasn't from the horrible pictures on the large monitor, was it?", asked Makoto.

Rei shook her head. "I don't think so. If it was, my senses would've kicked in sooner than that."

"We're betting it's the same kind of aura we felt ourselves", said a woman's voice.

The girls looked to see four females standing twelve feet from where they were. Three of the ladies were full-grown adults, while the fourth looked to be no more than ten or eleven years of age. One had short, golden hair & wore a light khaki shirt with black pants; the one next to her had long, turquoise hair, wearing a baby blue shirt & light green skirt; the third woman had long dark green hair & wore a gray shirt with white pants—in one hand she held a lavender staff with a heart-shaped attachment at the top. In its center was a maroon-colored sphere. The youngest of the group had jet black hair like Rei, but was a lot shorter than hers, reaching no further down than her shoulders. This child had on a lavender dress, much like the ones Makoto, Minako, Rei, & Ami all had on, in her size.

They were people Usagi & her group all knew.

"Haruka!", said Ami.

"Michiru!", said Rei.

"Setsuna!", said Minako.

"Hotaru!", said Usagi.

This quartet of females are secretly known as the Outer Sailor Soldiers—Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto, & Sailor Saturn—warriors from the outer solar system, brought together with the inner Soldiers to protect it from any & all threats.

"How long ago have you felt this unpleasant aura?", Makoto asked as she & the rest rushed over to them.

"Since yesterday evening, same as Rei", answered Michiru. "Earlier today, my mirror had received it again, but could not pinpoint its exact location. Even after some time, we had no more success at finding out what caused it any more than you did."

"Whatever this energy is, we must assume that very powerful forces are at work, possibly an enemy we've not dealt with before", noted Setsuna.

"They must be powerful, if they're able to prevent both Rei & Michiru from homing in on the source", Ami surmises.

"We must also assume that it has something to do with what's happened up aboard the Tanaka space station, orbiting the Earth", Hotaru added.

Usagi & her group nod.

All nine ladies retreated to a deserted underpass not all that far off from the Space Science Authority Center, being away from prying eyes who might witness what they'll need to do in just moments from now. A feeling of uneasiness engulfs each one, but they all know it is necessary, no matter what the risks may be.

As Sailor Soldiers, it's their duty.

"You saw what we did in your dream last night, Hotaru?", asked a surprised Usagi.

"I did", she says. "I suspected that my vision became exactly as you five saw from within the Center just now, especially since I noticed the evil aura myself, therefore confirming the very worst. It's probable that this female professor Sekizawa got in touch with is an evil being without him realizing it & secretly arrived at the Tanaka a day or two earlier than she said she would, attacking & killing those aboard there before they could discover her true intentions."

"Or maybe they did discover them, but couldn't do too much about it", said Rei.

"Whatever the case may be, this female—whoever she is—needs to be stopped at all costs!", Usagi stated. "If she's malevolent enough to cause all those deaths up on that station, then she mustn't be allowed to set even one foot here on Earth!"

"Are you suggesting that you all head up to that station & face her there?", asked a worried Luna.

"That's a dangerous step to take for all of you!", Artemis cautions. "None of us know the extent of her power, let alone her identity! Going up there without all the facts will be like going on a suicide mission!"

"Well, we're certainly not going to gather the facts by waiting here for her to arrive & allow her to spread her reign of terror & death on Earth!", said Haruka.

"She's right, Artemis!", said Minako. "The best way to put an end to this nightmare is to go & stop it at the source where it dwells, & that means heading up to the Tanaka! This is no longer about meeting life from other worlds or trying to improve our planet—it's about defeating an unknown evil & saving our Earth!"

"You know she speaks truthfully, Artemis", Setsuna says. "What further proof do any of us need than what was seen over at the Authority Center, or the premonitions which Rei, Michiru, or even Hotaru each had?"

"Sure, it's dangerous, but it's best to keep this battle off the planet & within the station, so that we can have the mayhem contained in one place & bury it there!", said Makoto.

"I still don't like you going up there without all the details", said Artemis.

"Everyone's mind is made up, & even you have to see the veracity in what they're trying to say", said Ami.

Defeated, Artemis nods, but is compelled to say something pleadingly. "Just be sure you all return home safely."

"Of course we will", Usagi assures him.

"There hasn't been a mission we haven't returned home from yet", says Minako.

It may not be much, but Artemis was given a boost of confidence, more than he had seconds ago; he smiles thinly at the girls,but it was enough.

"Then there's no more time to waste", said Luna. "You all had better transform & head up there!"

Usagi grabs her heart-shaped brooch & opens it up as the rest grab their transformation sticks. The sticks of the younger girls are baby pink in color, with a coffee muglike handle on the side & white angel wings & a colored jewel sphere on the top. Each of these spheres are a different color, from blue to orange. The sticks of Haruka, Michiru, & Setsuna have no extra handles on them, but have a planetoid sphere on the top, each in a different pattern.

Holding them all up above their heads, the girls all begin to shout out individually.

"Mercury Crystal Power! Make Up!", Ami Mizuno called out.

"Mars Crystal Power! Make Up!", Rei Hino called out.

"Jupiter Crystal Power! Make Up!", Makoto Kino called out.

"Venus Crystal Power! Make Up!", Minako Aino called out.

"Moon Eternal! Make Up!", Usagi Tsukino called out.

"Uranus Planet Power! Make Up!", Haruka Tenoh called out.

"Neptune Planet Power! Make Up!", Michiru Kaiho called out.

"Pluto Planet Power! Make Up!", Setsuna Meiho called out.

Immediately after their words left their mouths, the girl's transformation sticks & brooch all came to life, shining with different colored lights & awashing each one of them in a soothing aura of energy all over their bodies. During this 'bath', their clothing morphs & changes into sailor-type outfits, complete with a mini skirt, boots/shoes on their feet, white gloves on their hands (some covering their entire forearms right up to the elbow), & a bow on both their rear & chest—the latter containing a jewel in the middle. Placed upon their foreheads was a golden tiara, also with a jeweled center. A colored choker surrounding their necks completed the transformation.

Usagi's outfit was slightly different from those of her friends: instead of a bow, she has been fitted with a small set of angel wings on her chest & top of her head, & in the rear on her back, two pairs of angel wings sprouted, one set larger than the other. Her tiara on her forehead was no more, but did have a crescent moon there. Finally, she had on a trio of mini skirts on her outfit in three different colors: yellow, red, & blue, in that order.

Once all was said & done, nine Soldiers of love & justice stood in place of what used to be civilians only a few seconds ago.

Ami Mizuno became Sailor Mercury.

Rei Hino became Sailor Mars.

Makoto Kino became Sailor Jupiter.

Minako Aino became Sailor Venus.

Usagi Tsukino became Eternal Sailor Moon.

Haruka Tenoh became Sailor Uranus.

Michiru Kaiho became Sailor Neptune.

Setsuna Meiho became Sailor Pluto.

Last but not least, Hotaru Tomoe became Sailor Saturn, converting into her Sailor Soldier identity by sheer force of will, without the aid of a transforming stick, an ability the others do not share with her. In her right hand she holds a tall staff with a long, curved sickle blade that points upward. With the transformations completed, the Sailor Soldiers all gathered around in a circle & grasped hands as they did so.

Before they begin their trip to the Tanaka, Sailor Uranus turns to the feline duo, instructing both of them.

"Luna, Artemis, with the detection of the evil presence at the Authority Center, we need for you to head back there & keep an eye on Mamoru while we investigate the orbiting space station. Make sure there are no more nasty surprises in store—we've had more than enough of them already for today."

"Leave it to us!", the felines say together.

Uranus nods as the Sailors prepare to embark on their journey.

"SAILOR…TELEPORT!", they all shouted.

Bright, colorful lights of vertical energy again engulf each one of the warriors & begins lifting them slowly off the ground. Their feet are only a few inches from terra firma, keeping them suspended in the air for several seconds before a sudden flash of light erupts out of nowhere & swallows the girls entirely. When the flash of light dissipates out of existence, so do the Sailor Soldiers themselves, with no indication of them being there to begin with.

After the light show was over, Luna turns to Artemis. "Let's get going back to the Space Science Authority Center, & keep a close watch on the Prince!"

"Right! Let's double-time it!", says Artemis as Luna nods.

The two felines take off, giving new meaning to the phrase 'cat-like reflexes'. With every ounce of speed they can muster, Luna & Artemis race like the wind to their destination, with part of them having deep concern about the girls, considering what was viewed on the big screen over at the Center they're heading for once again.

That is out of their hands (or in their case, paws). At this moment, the girls are on their own & will have to fend for themselves. All they can do is fulfil Uranus' wish & let them handle the threat aboard the Tanaka.

They can also pray that they will return home safely, as Usagi & Minako promised.

Safely & alive.

CHAPTER V

Aboard the Tanaka within the confines of the widened hallways, nine vertical beams of light—each one in a different color—suddenly appear & disappear in a flash. In their place stand nine females in sailor outfits with different-colored mini skirts, boots/shoes on their feet, white gloves on ther hands, & jeweled tiaras on their foreheads.

The Sailor Soldiers have arrived at the floating space station, but their surroundings were anything but commendary or inviting: covering the walls, floors, & ceilings were a type of a very unearthly formation, completely alien in origin. What covered the area seemed to look a cross between a mechanical, yet organic, structure. Everywhere the girls looked was the same substance of a great magnitude. The area didn't look anything like a space station, but more like they were within the inside of a large creature of some sort, with the structure acting very much like its rib cage/digestive system, that had just swallowed them whole. Even with boots or shoes on, the girls can feel the soft, eerie texture of the unearthly substance.

It made them feel uneasy, & the disturbing looks on their faces confirm it.

"What kind of a place is this?", asked Sailor Moon, not caring too much for an answer, but she gets one anyway.

"Whatever this is, I doubt Hoshino Sekizawa had this kind of décor in mind when he had it constructed", Sailor Saturn said. "This must be the work of the female who attacked the people here."

"Speaking of which, we should get started on finding survivors", said Sailor Jupiter. "If even one of the personell aboard this station is still alive…"

"You're right", said Sailor Pluto. "We're all here on a rescue mission, not admire the interior of this place. Plus, if this female is still aboard, we must put an end to her before she can cause harm to Earth."

Sailor Mercury nods. "Then we'd best get to work. I'll take a quick scan of the place, & check for any heat signatures. With any luck, we'll locate them quickly."

Pressing one of her small round earrings, a pair of blue, translucent goggles appear over Mercury's eyes & starts her search. So far, all she sees on her goggles is the structure of her surroundings, seeing no heat signatures of any kind, in any one of the rooms whatsoever. Mercury continues scanning while at that same time, an unusual yet familiar feeling hits Sailor Mars—big time.

That evil presence I felt last night & earlier at the Authority Center—it's here!, the priestess says to herself. Mars was about to tell Mercury, but the latter Sailor cried out as a bright flash of light suddenly erupted & stung her eyes; the abrupt attack made her lose her balance & fall to the floor.

"Mercury!", cried Sailor Uranus, as she & the rest ran to her aide.

"What happened?", Sailor Moon asked, deeply concerned for her friend.

"Some kind of…light…flashed in my eyes", Mercury explained. "It came at me so sudden that I had not nearly enough time to check for survivors. It felt very malevolent."

"That's probably because of the evil aura I felt just now!", said Sailor Mars. "It was that same one as before from the previous night at the shrine, & when we left the Center prior to coming up here!"

"As did I", said Sailor Neptune. "My mirror detected it as you did, & it is now aboard with us. It's a safe bet that female—whoever she is—is still here on this station!"

"Were you able to see in your mirror if there are any survivors?", asked Sailor Venus.

Neptune shook her head. "I was as unsuccessful as Mercury was. All my mirror did was flash on & off, but gave me no picture of any kind in it."

"So survivors are unknown at this point", said Sailor Moon.

"It would seem that way", said Sailor Uranus. "This female obviously doesn't want us looking for them, & somehow she's strong enough to prevent us from homing in on her, something she's more than proven!"

"Then we'll just have to search the place & find them manually", Sailor Pluto says. "We'll begin by checking out these first couple of rooms before going to another sector. Let's move, everyone! There's no telling what kind of danger they're in at this moment!"

"Right!", the Sailors all said at once, beginning their search by opening the doors alongside the walls & looking thoroughly within each one. What they find are the same kind of décor they first saw when they arrived, covering everywhere in what used to look like bedrooms, with all the furniture badly damaged and/or thrown.

But no people, alive or otherwise.

This went for all the Sailor Soldiers, each one coming up goose eggs.

"Damn! In all those rooms we've checked, no one could be found!", Sailor Jupiter barked, her disappointment evident on her face, slamming her fist hard into the wall. "Where the hell is everybody?"

"Please try to calm down, Jupiter", pleaded Sailor Mercury. "Under the circumstances, they probably all felt their living quarters weren't the safest place to hide from the danger aboard this station. It's quite possible they retreated to an area where they were guaranteed safety."

"Once we find that, we'll find them—I'm sure of it!", said Sailor Moon.

Jupiter mentally commands herself to settle down, & nods once she does. "You both raise a valid point. Should we split into two teams & try to find just where they're being held up at?"

"Given the way things are, I don't think that would be wise for us to do", Sailor Venus cautions. "An attack could come at us anytime, & we need to stay together in case it does. Like Neptune stated before, we must believe this female is here, waiting to ambush us if we drop our guard even for a split second. We daren't risk that!"

Another valid point made. The Sailor Soldiers have no idea or even the faintest clue as to who the female is, but it's clear that her intentions are anything but benign, & with no signs of the crew thus far, they fear the worst for them as to what their 'guest' may have done to them.

They mustn't be careless in their search, let alone believe that no survivors will be found.

"You're right: we shouldn't be separated at this point", Jupiter says. "But then, now that we've searched all the rooms in this hallway, which direction should we go in to continue—our left or our right?"

Sailor Moon looks in both directions. To her own left is a large metal door, about fifty yards away. At her right was another door, but this one was only fifty feet away.

It was an obvious choice.

"Let's try this door here", she says, pointing in its direction. "It's a lot closer to us than the other one, so we should check it out first. If we find nothing, we can either check the door on the opposite side, or exit this room through another door & keep going."

"Good thinking, Sailor Moon", said Sailor Mars, turning to the rest, all of whom approve of her idea & nod.

"Then it's settled. I'll take lead", Mars finishes.

"Got it", said Sailor Moon.

Following Sailor Mars, the girls head for the closer door as the fiery Sailor presses the open switch next to the door. With the sound of a whoosh, it slides horizontally to its left & disappears into the wall. The room was near pitch-dark inside, & Sailor Mars warns her comrades to all be on their toes & alert for anything. Taking careful steps & keeping their hearing acute for any kind of danger, the Sailor Soldiers enter the dark room & squint slightly to try to get a better view of what occupies inside. They can't exactly see what resides within, but they can tell the room is quite large in scale, being the size of a prison cafeteria, if not a pinch larger than one.

"Someone try to get lights on in here so we can see where the hell we are", Sailor Jupiter announces, unhappy with stumbling around in the dark. Almost as if in answer, the lights upon the ceiling of the room flicker off & on, before remaining lit. It wasn't as bright as they'd hoped, but it was still more than enough. This room was only an extension of what they first stumbled upon when they arrived, but now it was even more of a nightmare than just the décor: the girls stare in utter disbelief & horror at people bound to the walls almost in a cross-like position, looking like they were being crucified as Jesus Christ himself once was. The people were kept there by a clear epoxylike substance that has long hardened, probably for hours. All of them had pale skin, looking like their blood was literally drained out of their bodies. On each of their chests was a hole the size of a small grapefruit, with caked blood on the edges & stomach. To Sailor Mercury, who is studying one of the corpses, it looks as if something broke out of the chest, noticing the bones in the rib cage bending outward.

What she couldn't figure out was how it was even possible to do this to a person.

Bodies weren't the only thing occupying the room. Lying on the floor in close proximity of each deceased person was an oval object two feet in height, looking organic in appearance. All opened at the top like some four-petaled flower, empty on the inside. Aside from the oval, leathery objects, there lay a multitude of animalistic corpses. The creatures measured the size of a person's face, with five pairs of legs that curled into the bodies, & a segmented tail that looked to be twice their body length. The things resembled something like giant, hairless spiders, a pale yellow in color, all dead. With her sickle staff, Sailor Saturn picks up one of the creatures & examines it.

Curious despite their disgust, the Sailors stare at the thing on Saturn's staff.

"What is that?", Sailor Jupiter asked her.

"I can't say for sure, but I assume these creatures are the primary reason for the deaths of all these poor people", Saturn surmises.

"That's impossible!", says a disbelieving Sailor Venus. "You can't actually mean that these little creatures caused all this! It's absurd!"

"We shouldn't underestimate these life forms", Sailor Mars warns her. "We've never seen them before until now." She turns to Sailor Pluto. "It would seem you were correct: this is a brand new enemy we're dealing with!"

Pluto nods. "They were obviously brought here by the malevolent female that arrived at this station. I fear the people had no more knowledge of them any more than of the female's rigorous intentions."

"And they paid the price for it—with their lives", said Sailor Neptune.

"Do you believe this happened to everyone else aboard?", asked Sailor Venus with dread in her voice.

"I hope not!", Sailor Jupiter snapped politely. "I don't want this trip up here to be all for naught!"

Sailor Pluto reassures Jupiter of doubts she's having since laying her eyes on this horror show. The other Sailors themselves do the same, except for Sailor Moon, who cannot remove her eyes from the scenery of brutal death right in front of her. This is the second time in under a year in which she has been exposed to this kind of nightmare, the first being their brutal/bloody battle with the Predators on the day of her birthday where many innocent people had the misfortune of tasting the blades & cannon blasts of the alien hunters. After that real-life nightmare, Sailor Moon hoped never to bear witness to something that hideous again.

Unfortunately for her, she's now back in the thick of it, if not in a worse scenario.

Having handled Jupiter's little crisis, the girls turn to Sailor Moon now, seeing just how tense & uneasy she is, being in a room full of nothing but death.

"Easy, Sailor Moon!", Sailor Mars comforts to her as best she can. "I know this is hard for you, but please try to pull yourself together! We need you!"

"Be strong, Princess!", Sailor Saturn urges her.

"R-Right", she says, trying to muster as much confidence as she can.

Sailor Moon slowly lifts her head up when her eyes catch a sight that causes her to gasp in fright, making her take a few steps backward. The other Sailor Soldiers turn to what made her back off in fear, & suddenly they gasp themselves, catching sight of three hideous creatures at the doorway where the Sailors entered from. Each of these creatures stood over two meters tall & a hideous black in color. They stood on two legs with four toes on each foot, & looked like a combination of a giant reptile & an insect. Four tubular dorsal spines stuck out from their backs & had a long, segmented tail that ended in a sharp point, which looked capable of piercing a man in one strike. Their arms were longer than a regular person's, with hands that each had six long fingers, ending in sharp claws. Their heads were shaped like a mutated black banana, & on the front was a mouth full of thin, sharp, needle-like teeth that glistened in the light of the room. They all gave out a low, sinister hiss, like that of a very large snake.

The hearts of the Sailor Soldiers beated like mad, & stared with wide eyes at the beasts.

"What the fu…!", Sailor Uranus started to say, but before she can even finish her vulgar sentence, she, Sailor Pluto, & Sailor Jupiter were attacked & pinned by the three creatures as they move with inhuman speed.

"Jupiter!", cried Sailor Moon.

"Uranus!", cried Sailor Neptune.

"Pluto!", cried Sailor Venus.

Sailor Jupiter was knocked to the floor, while Sailor Uranus & Sailor Pluto were both held against the wall by the vicious, lightning-fast creatures. The monster's sets of needle-teeth were in the Sailor Soldier's faces, only inches away. Jupiter & Uranus kept their attackers at bay with their own two hands, while Pluto kept hers off using her Garnet Rod. All their arms strained with the pressure of keeping them from advancing any further, when the creatures open their mouths wide & reveal to the stunned Sailors a second set of teeth from within. The second set startled the three temporarily that they almost didn't move their heads to one side fast enough to avoid getting hit in the forehead, a blow that would've undoubtedly penetrated the flesh & bone of the skull & kill them all instantly.

Not wanting the inner jaws in their faces again, Sailor Pluto, Uranus, & Jupiter place their feet upon the chests of the creatures & push with all their might. The force of the push get the beasts off & put distance between them, but the three monsters already regain their footing & once more charge after the Sailors.

The girls anticipated as much, so they strike first.

"Dead Scream!", Sailor Pluto calls out, pointing her Garnet Rod & fires a ball of purple energy from its top.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!", Sailor Jupiter calls out, forming a ball of lightning in her hand & throws it as she would a softball or water balloon.

"World…Shaking!", Sailor Uranus calls out, raising her right hand that forms golden energy as she slams it to the floor, creating a golden ball, shooting it forward.

All three of the Sailor's attacks hit the creatures dead-on: Pluto's & Uranus' attacks blow a gaping hole in two of the monster's chests & out their backs, while Jupiter's fries the third one. A chorus of high-pitched, hideous screeching echoes throughout the room, sending chills up the girl's spines. The monsters fall dead to the floor with a sickening thud, their lifeless bodies smoking.

"Pluto! Uranus! Jupiter! Are you three all right?", asked a worried Sailor Mercury, running up to them.

"Yes, we're all fine", said Sailor Pluto.

"What were those things? Are they the cause of these people's deaths?"

Sailor Pluto has a grim look on her face. "I don't want to reach a quick conclusion, but…"

The sound of more hissing put the Sailor Soldiers on full alert in the wink of an eye, as they face another group of the same creatures at the door's entrance, counting at least five more, from what Sailor Neptune can see. Standing in defiance, the Sailor Soldiers poise themselves against the nightmares they now face, with Sailor Moon giving instructions.

"All of you", she begins, "when I say, hit these monsters fast & hard simultaneously! Don't let them get too close!"

"Understood, Sailor Moon!", Sailor Mars says. "Just say when!"

"On three! One..two…!"

In a blinding instant, the creatures at the door's entrance were attacked & killed savagely by unknown forces from behind them: one was a barrage of white energy balls, another by a deadly white beam. The attacks were swift, giving the monsters no chance to counterattack: all died in a heartbeat, dead before hitting the floor.

"What the hell happened to them just now?", asked a baffled Sailor Venus.

The others were baffled themselves, but then Sailor Jupiter came up with a probable cause for the sudden attack. "Maybe it's some of the survivors aboard this station coming to offer their assistance to us!"

"You're half-right!", said a female voice from beyond the door. "We're not survivors from this station, but we are here to lend you a hand against these monsters!"

"Who are you?", wondered Sailor Moon.

"If you're here to help, then show yourselves!", Sailor Uranus demanded.

A sound of snapping fingers filled the room & connecting hallway as the mystery saviors slowly approach the mouth of the doorway. "Penetrating the darkness at night, the air of freedom breaks through. We are the three sacred shooting stars!"

One by one, the mystery saviors appear before the Sailor Soldiers, announcing themselves.

"Sailor Star Maker!"

"Sailor Star Fighter!"

"Sailor Star Healer!"

Three females wearing black bikini-like outfits stand at the open doorway, each one with identical hairstyles (in long ponytails), but in a different color: Maker's was brown, Fighter's was black, & Healer's was a grayish-white. A thin tiara rested upon their foreheads, centered with a star. On their feet were boots that reached their knees, & they wore gloves that went just past their elbows. Their chests had a pair of angel wings with a starry jewel in the middle.

Sailor Moon & her friends at first couldn't believe it was really who they thought it was, but there wasn't any mistaking the outfits or the faces that came with them.

It was really them.

"Sailor Starlights…stage on!", they all said in unison.

"Maker!", said Sailor Mercury.

"Fighter!", said Sailor Moon.

"Healer!", said Sailor Venus.

Sailor Star Healer, carrying an unconscious man on her right shoulder, greets their Earthly Sailor Soldier allies. "Hello, young ones. Long time no see!"

"It has been some time", said a relieved Sailor Mars. "It's just too bad it's under dangerous circumstances—seeing you all, that is."

Sailor Star Fighter snickers. "We know the feeling, so there's no need to apologize."

"So, what brings you three back here to our neck of the woods?", Sailor Uranus asks, with a slight touch of rudeness.

Sailor Star Maker flashes a not-too-unfriendly smile at the Outer Sailor, remembering the difficulty they had the last time they were on Earth some time ago, when Galaxia threatened the planet, due to their irreconcilable differences they shared.

"Why, Uranus, is that any way to thank those who just pulled your ass out of the fire?", the Sailor Starlight replied with sarcasm.

Sailor Uranus scowled, but only a little, being non-offensive.

Sailor Saturn takes notice of the man, wearing a guard's uniform & having dark brown hair, upon Star Healer's shoulder, a gun in his right holster. "Healer, who is that man with you?"

Sailor Star Healer gently places the man down on the floor & up against a wall as she now explains her story. "This man is an actual survivor from this floating space station. We found him unconscious like he is now."

"That really doesn't explain why you three are here to begin with", says Sailor Neptune.

Sailor Star Maker nods. "I suppose you do deserve one, this being your neck of the woods & all. It all started one year ago: after arriving home from your planet during the fierce battle with Galaxia, our world was returned to its former glory & our people also returned, living in complete peace & prosperity. And because of your unwavering bravery when you all assisted us last time we were here, the three of us & our Princess took an oath & vowed to protect our planet from any & all threats that dared to arrive & disrupt our peace, no matter how deadly they were. For many months, we had no trouble. Then the aliens came, & everything turned into a new nightmare: an unmanned ship crash-landed on the outskirts of our main city. When we & several residents went over to investigate, we all received an unwelcome surprise—these monsters that now plague this station."

"How bad was the battle, & is your Princess all right?", asked a concerned Sailor Moon.

Sailor Star Healer picks up where Maker left off. "Firstly, our Princess is alive & well, I am very happy to say, & thank you for asking. However, I am not happy to say the battle against these creatures was fierce. Like a living tide, they swarmed over our city, attacking & murdering our populace indiscriminately. Those that weren't killed on the spot were snatched & taken to a fate a lot worse than death."

"What do you mean, 'a fate worse than death'?", asked Sailor Saturn.

"As vicious as the monsters were, there was one even deadlier—an egg-laying creature, a queen, if you will. This alien queen laid the eggs, & when they 'hatch' by opening up at the top, a small creature resembling a spider with a long tail jumps out & attaches itself to the face of their victims. It forces some sort of embryo down the throat that travels to the chest for it to gestate within the host's body. Once it does its task, the 'facehugger', if you want to call it that for obvious reasons, removes itself from the victim & dies, being no longer needed. After a time, the embryo in its host grows, & when it gets big enough, it exits through the chest as a snake with sharp teeth & tiny forearms, growing at an alarming rate into the monsters you all see before you on the floor."

"Their birth will mean the death of the host, I take it?", asked Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Star Healer nods. "There's something else you should know about them: their relentlessness isn't the only thing that makes them deadly. These nightmares have acidic blood coursing through their bodies, which can eat through solid steel along with human flesh & bone. One of our friends got himself doused with it on his face, & in no time it disintegrated his entire head, leaving nothing but a stump. That's why one must be very cautious about how to dispose of these things."

"And now we're faced with this very same problem!", said Sailor Uranus.

"We know how", said Sailor Star Fighter. "There was this woman who showed up after we finally defeated the aliens. She planned to bring them here to your planet & repeat the whole nightmare. Before we could intercept her, she surrounded our city with a barrier that was difficult to penetrate. We were finally successful when our Princess drained a great portion of the barrier's energy long enough to allow us to break through of it. But the attempt came at a cost: the effort left our Princess & us very weak. In seven days, we recouperated enough to finally pursue this woman, but by that time, she had quite a huge head start on us. Needless to say, we came too late to prevent this catastrophe aboard this station."

"How long ago did you three get here?", asked Sailor Pluto.

"Only about an hour or two. Not too long ago, we found that man over there, & the rest you all know."

"Did any of you get a good look at the woman who sent these aliens here?", asks Sailor Jupiter.

The three Starlights shake their heads as Maker explains. "She was literally shrouded in a dark shadow, so none of us could see her face."

Violent coughing caught the attention of all the Sailor Soldiers as the unconscious man Star Healer had on her shoulder wakes up, his vision blurry & his face had line marks on the sides. The Sailors approach the man, but give him his personal space to move.

"It's okay, sir. Don't be afraid. We're all here to help you", said Sailor Moon.

In moments, the man's vision comes into focus. He sees a dozen females dressed in sailor-type outfits, while three wore black, bikini-type ones. He rubbed & squinted his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating somehow, especially when he focuses his sights on Sailor Moon, who has angel wings on the back of her colorful sailor outfit; part of him believes he's died & went to Heaven.

But he needs to be sure.

"Am I dead?", he asks in a low voice.

"No sir, you're not; you're alive & seem to be well, I'm happy to report", said Sailor Venus as she smiles to assure him of her words.

"You do remember where you are, don't you?", asked Sailor Neptune.

It took a moment or two for the man to recollect his clouded thoughts, but it all clears up in his mind, & he begins to tell a tale of his own, starting with his name & occupation.

"Yes. My name is Shindo, & I am the head of security here aboard the Tanaka. I remember we were preparing to honor the arrival of a ship that would be piloted by a lone female whom professor Hoshino Sekizawa made contact with a year ago. However, the trouble started when the craft arrived a day ahead of schedule without any advanced warning from her whatsoever. As it got closer to this station, all of our electronics systems—video surveillance, communications, & so forth—went on the fritz. We couldn't see what was happening within the place, much less contact Earth to let them know our situation. All of us suspected the female was indefinitely responsible for all electronics failure, & deduced for her to be hostile. When my men & I surrounded the ship after it docked, there was no sign of her anywhere, but she didn't arrive alone. Inside the craft were these horrible creatures that viciously attacked us, leaving many of my security team & technician staff dead. My good friend Hongo had a smaller creature attack & wrap itself around his face. We attempted to remove the thing, but it was useless. There was no way to get it off him without tearing his own face off. Later, it came off by itself & died. Hongo seemed fine at first, but shortly after, a different creature burst out from his chest in a splash of his flesh, bone, & blood. Before we could kill it, it escaped to parts unknown. Becoming too much for us to handle, we attempted to flee the station using the escape shuttles, but they've all been sabotaged—every single one. With only one option left, we headed for the teleporter unit where the power core is, but to our horror, it was sabotaged: the female trashed the main controls for it. With them totaled, all of us remained trapped aboard this station. The aliens soon overtook us, but I still refused to step down. I knew I probably won't make it off here alive, so I took it upon myself to eradicate them all so that their reign of terror doesn't reach the planet, if that even is the female's goal. Unfortunately, in the course of the action, I was knocked out & when I awoke, here you all are."

"Shindo, can you remember if there are any survivors from the alien's assault here, aside from yourself?", asked Sailor Jupiter.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. All I do know is that there weren't many of us left. Those alien shits got us much more than we got them! From how things went, I say I'm the only one left!"

"And for the whole attack, you never saw the female even once?", asked Sailor Star Maker.

Shindo shook his head. "She never showed herself to us, & even if by chance she is still aboard this station, she never made a sound."

The Sailor Soldiers all rose to their feet as Uranus helped Shindo get to his. Pondering the information in her near-flawless mind, Sailor Mercury came up with a stunning revelation, one she should've realized sooner upon hearing the Starlight's story.

"Everyone, from what we've gathered, I have a horrible feeling that the woman who had shown up on the Starlight's homeworld & whom professor Sekizawa got in contact with a year ago & came here with the aliens aboard her ship are one & the same! We can also assume that the ship that crash-landed on Maker's home was made to do so by her, much in the way the creatures had been brought here. By knocking out the Tanaka's monitors & communications, the woman snuck them in successfully, in spite of Shindo's suspicions. With electronics crippled, both the people here & on Earth couldn't hinder her progress in any way."

"Do you suspect this to be a well-planned invasion, Mercury?", asked Sailor Moon.

Mercury nods. "Yes."

"It certainly sounds like one to me", Sailor Pluto adds, "but one thing I don't understand is this: if the Earth is this woman's primary target for the aliens, then why send them up here?"

Hideous, wicked laughter echo throughout the room, putting the Sailor Soldiers & Shindo on alert, the latter grabbing his firearm—a Desert Eagle Magnum—from his holster.

"The answer is simple!", said an unseen female's voice. "It's to get rid of all of you Sailor Soldiers first!"

"Where are you?", demanded Sailor Neptune, her eyes scowling.

"You're that woman,aren't you?", Sailor Moon suspected. "Who are you?"

"Sailor Moon, don't you recognize an old friend of yours?", said the woman. "I'm hurt, & after all the trouble I went through to send you & your friends to your deaths aboard this space station!"

Hearing the woman's voice made the Starlight's blood boil, for the trio recognize it.

"You're the bitch who infested our city with these monsters, right?", Sailor Star Healer spat.

Her answer is more of her hideous laugh, confirming the Starlight's belief. All three gritted their teeth & scowled their eyes in anger.

"How the hell do you even know about Sailor Moon?", Sailor Uranus barked.

"And what makes you believe you're an old friend of mine?", Sailor Moon wondered. "I've never seen you before!"

"Still no clue as to who I am, Sailor Moon?", said the woman. "Perhaps this will refresh your memory!"

Everyone turned to the bright flash of light that appeared in the middle of the room. The intense brightness made them cover their eyes until it subside. When it did, a female figure stood in its place. She measured over seven feet tall, which included her turquoise-colored hair that stood straight up like a candle's flame. She wore a sleeveless red dress over her light-blue colored skin; a dark blue choker on her neck & armband on her right bicep sported a red jewel. Her ears were pointed, like the character of Mr. Spock from the TV show 'Star Trek', with purple oval-like earrings dangling from her lobes. A same-colored jewel was embedded on her forehead, & so were her lips. Her eyes were yellow, with red pupils, & an ivory claw stuck out on each one of her shoulders, the point facing up. One look at this woman can make anyone confirm that she is evil incarnate from head to toe, but worse yet, it was someone the Earthbound Sailor Soldiers knew all too well, making their eyes & mouths go wide.

"Queen Beryl?", Sailor Moon gasped in utter shock.

"The ruler of the Dark Kingdom?", Sailor Pluto said, as shocked by her reappearance as Sailor Moon & the others were. The Outer Sailor Soldiers may not have battled the evil queen, but they sure as hell know of her. Being the protector of the Gate of Time once, she has heard of the horrid tales of Beryl's attacks across the galaxy, including the time she & her forces have invaded the peaceful Silver Millennium Kingdom, forever destroying it. She also recalls the queen's defeat at the hands of Princess Serenity at the North Pole, with the assistance of the spirits of the other Sailor Soldiers before returning safely, sans their memories of being Sailors erased for a time.

But seeing this malevolent person appear here & now is just more than a tad too much for even her to accept.

"This is impossible! You can't be here!", Sailor Mercury argued. "We all defeated you at the North Pole & wiped out the entire Dark Kingdom with a single blow!"

"That may be true", Beryl began, "but just as I knew I was going down during that battle, I still refused to lose to that pathetic excuse you call your Princess! Just before you were able to wipe out my beloved kingdom, I managed to muster enough power to teleport out & save myself from its fate, but the effort left me very weak & almost drained of my strength. It took me quite some time to regain it, but by then, I learned your numbers have increased by about half. Knowing I'd be defeated if I attacked all of you directly, I wandered throughout the galaxy to search for warriors who would be willing to join forces with me & attack you anew. After endless searching for many months, I finally found an army of unequalled viciousness I've not seen anywhere else: a horde of acid-blooded aliens with near steel-hard skin that live only to reproduce & conquer! Even my old warriors from my Dark Kingdom—Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, & Kunzite—could not begin to compare to their relentlessness, unhindered by human emotions as that fool Nephrite once was! They were the perfect instruments I wanted for exacting my vengeance upon you & the Earth itself! First, I wanted to bear witness firsthand of their viciousness, so I sent them to the homeworld of your Starlight friends before sending my 'pets' here! As you've deduced, Sailor Mercury, I am the one whom professor Hoshino Sekizawa made contact with last year! I wanted him to believe I was a benevolent soul, willing to share my technological secrets to the world you all fight to protect! I knew you Sailor Soldiers would discover something wrong aboard this space station & head up here to investigate—that's why I sabotaged all the escape shuttles & destroyed the console for the teleporter unit to make sure you all become trapped here with no chance of a safe return back to Earth! Once all of you are killed by the aliens, I will unleash them upon the planet itself & watch in delight as they wipe out every living soul with no interference from you or anyone else!"

"Guess again!", shouted Sailor Star Fighter. "Nobody endangers our home like that & gets away with it, & there's no way we're gonna let you do the same to their home, either!" Her voice rises to its highest decibel as she, Maker, & Healer all rush at Beryl. "YOU BITCH!"

"Starlights, don't…!", Sailor Pluto warns them.

They weren't listening: Sailor Star Maker, Sailor Star Fighter, & Sailor Star Healer were all too much in a blind rage to pay attention to any common sense, similar as to how they became when Galaxia had seemingly wiped out their Princess right before their eyes. With their hands clenched into solid fists, the Starlights race towards the one-time ruler of the Dark Kingdom, determined to make her pay dearly for causing a staggering amount of deaths in their city with their own bare hands.

Roaring like banshees, the Starlights get in Queen Beryl's reach.

Sailor Star Fighter gets to her first & throws her fist forward.

It goes right through Beryl, followed by Maker & Healer themselves.

In fact, they all go through Queen Beryl entirely, & it's clear to see why they did.

"A hologram?", noted Sailor Star Maker.

The hologram of Queen Beryl turns to face her three bewildered foes, chuckling. "My, what ferocious tempers you three have! You'd surely make fine warriors for me if we weren't foes!"

"The Starlights & us would never join a reptile like you, Beryl!", Sailor Moon firmly stated. "We will fight you to the bitter end & defeat you, just like we did before!"

"You'd best listen to her!", barked Sailor Star Healer. "And if you really want to see how fierce our tempers can be, just make yourself corporeal & we'll be happy to show you!"

Queen Beryl flashed her teeth in a wicked grin & chuckled again. "Better save it, for I'm now the least of your worries! My revenge has only begun, along with your nightmare! It's now feeding time for my pets, & what better to serve them than a nice batch of fresh meat? Enjoy your moments together, Sailor Soldiers—they will be your final aboard this death trap!"

Queen Beryl disappears from view, laughing maniacally as she does so. At the same time, all the doors in the room open at once automatically, probably caused by Beryl herself. Unholy screeching can easily be heard echoing from the hallways connecting the room. The Sailor Soldiers & Shindo quickly position themselves in the center & form a tight circle, with the head security man & Sailor Moon within it. In this position, everyone can spot the aliens coming at all entrances & fire on sight. With his Magnum in hand, Shindo readies himself to assist the Sailors in fighting the living horrors that now plague the Tanaka.

"Ready for another showdown with these monsters, Shindo?", asks Sailor Neptune.

Shindo gives her a little smile. "You make it sound like there's any choice, Sailor…"

"Neptune. Pleased to meet you", she finishes for him.

"Same here."

"Get ready! They'll be here any moment!", Sailor Pluto warns, the screeching of the aliens rising in volume.

At long last, two of the horrors show themselves at one of the open doors, flashing their needle teeth.

"It's game time!", shouted Sailor Star Fighter.

She fires her primary weapon.

The other Sailor Soldiers & Shindo follow suit.

CHAPTER VI

With Mamoru Chiba now an official member of professor Hoshino Sekizawa's staff at the Space Science Authority Center (at least for this particular mission), everyone was hard at work in downloading all the video footage from the Tanaka to their console in the communications room. It was hoping to find out just what occurred during the time all contact with the floating space station was inoperative, & as to how the people aboard were suddenly skewered like cattle on an assignment Hoshino had sweated blood to see fruition.

That was what worried Mamoru the most: when dealing with otherworldly life, there's always a chance one could be dealing with a vicious, malevolent entity instead of a benevolent figure/race. Mamoru suddenly recalls all the past enemies he & the girls have dealt with—the Dark Kingdom, led by Queen Beryl, the Black Moon clan, led by the Wiseman, the Death Busters, & so forth. In fact, when one thinks about it, all their past foes have come from the stars, beyond their own solar system. Mamoru did have that distinctive, uneasy feeling of the professor getting in contact with an evil figure when he first got in touch with this female, & now his instincts served him correctly. At first he wanted to tell Hoshino about that possibility (now probability), but since his former teacher & good friend has worked nearly his whole life trying to prove that there are other intelligent life in the universe besides the human race, Mamoru couldn't hinder his progress any more than the rest of his own staff did.

Then again, as any priest/reverend might say, 'the devil himself can act like an angel, if it gets him what he wants'.

From what he's seen on the large video monitor before, Mamoru hopes the devil hasn't been delivered right to their doorstep.

"We did it, professor!", he says, working side-by-side with his wife Kumi: even with having his thoughts partially on the danger they now contend with, Mamoru never wavered from his actual task at hand.

"You have the video recordings taken from aboard the Tanaka, Mamoru?", asks Hoshino.

"Yes. With your wife's assistance, I've been able to download all the video footage we can salvage into our console. We've already made it set to play upon the monitor. All you need to do is say the word."

"The word is now, Mamoru. Please do the honors."

"Yes sir."

A simple press of a button was all it took for the large screen on the wall in the middle of the room to come to life again, being kept off for the silence in order to concentrate on the job. In a matter of seconds, moving pictures displayed on the monitor. What they were now viewing was a hundred times more terrible than the corpses they saw earlier. The screen showed footage of a group of black, two-legged alien creatures with long pointed tails & banana-shaped heads, with mouths of sharp, needle-teeth, all standing over two meters tall. They each moved at an inhuman speed, attacking & killing helpless staff members, crying out in sheer terror before getting torn asunder. The video suddenly cuts to another scene, which seemingly shows it taking place in what appears to be the cafeteria of the station: two of the monsters have each caught a person—a man & woman Hoshino recognize as Kowaji & Sueko—holding them by the head in their hideous six-fingered hands. Sueko & Kowaji stared wide-eyed at the hideous mouths of the beasts that opened to reveal a second set of teeth inside. These second mouths shot forward & buried themselves into the heads of their victims, splattering flesh, bone, brain matter, & blood, killing them both instantly with no time to even whimper before death.

Again, the video makes another cut & shows a squadron of Shindo's security team aiming & firing their rifles at the alien invaders in one of the wide hallways of the station. One got a tad too close & one man shoots it at point-blank range, the bullets from his weapon tearing into the black hide of the creature, its yellow blood spilling onto him. The doused man screamed in agony as the yellow fluid, acting like acid, ate at his flesh & bone on his hands & face, disintegrating in a bloody mess before his horrified crew members. That gave the remaining aliens time to swarm over the other men before they can refocus their weapons & fire, all of them screaming themselves as they go down.

Quickly cutting to another scene, the screen shows what looks like a laboratory with torn cages & dead animals inside, ripped to pieces & then some. But that wasn't the most grisliest sight in the room: several people were bonded to the wall by their arms & legs with some kind of thick & clear substance which resembled something like rubber cement, but in large quantities. Hardened to keep them in place, half of the people began to grunt lowly, but the volume started to rise to screams when they began to convulse uncontrollably & their chests started to bulge, like something was pushing itself out from within. It was exactly that: the bulging stopped & their chests exploded in a spray of gore, revealing a snakelike creature with teeth & tiny arms. Surveying their surroundings, these critters slithered out of their host's chests like actual snakes & sped away to parts unknown.

Once more the video switches to another scene, but this time, the picture was far too dark to make anything out. All they got out from this one was the sound of heavy breathing of some kind or other, sounding through clenched teeth. The only thing anyone could see was a small twinkle or two & a pinch of movement, but without proper lighting, it was difficult to decipher exactly what it could be.

But it sounded really big.

Just as soon as the screen switched to another scene, Kumi slams her hand on the console & hits the button with her open palm, turning it off; her eyes were tearing in horror & deep sorrow.

"Kumi!", Hoshino says, turning to her in surprise over her sudden action. "Why did you go & do that for?"

"I-I'm sorry, Hoshino", she says, sobbing. "I-I just couldn't watch what was going on any longer! Forgive me!"

The professor just stared at his wife, astonished at her sudden emotional breakdown. Kumi is one of the most iron-willed women he's ever known, tough as nails whenever on the job. Now, she cries & trembles like a little girl in kindergarten. But given the circumstances of what she's just witnessed, it was perfectly understandable: those people aboard the Tanaka were her dear friends in the business, & she watched them get killed by monsters from God-knows-where.

Seeing her wobble on her own two feet, Mamoru helps her stay steady just before he sets her down in her seat.

"I think we've all seen more than enough of the footage to get the general idea of what went on up there, professor", says Mamoru, turning to Koji. "Would you be so kind as to get Kumi some water?"

"O-of course", Koji responded, trying to shake the images for a second just long enough to assist Hoshino's wife.

Even after he does, Koji & everyone in the room don't say a word, being in some state of mental shock over seeing horrifying images upon the big screen. It wasn't a catatonic state in the fullest, but it kept them all quiet for a while; none of them could think of anything to say, but then again, what could anyone say? How can they express what just happened without going into a big fit of hysteria, watching people they've worked with for many years get slaughtered as if they were nothing more than chickens or cattle?

For right now, no one says anything.

That didn't apply to Luna & Artemis, however, both of whom were watching events unfold on the screen from the safety of a ventilation shaft—a method they used to get back inside the building, now that the girls were elsewhere. Behind the safety of the shaft's grid which conceals their appearance, the two felines share their thoughts to each other in low voices, so as not to be heard by those in the room.

"It would seem that the girls were right about there being a new kind of enemy aboard the Tanaka!", said Luna. "No doubt that female brought them there herself!"

"And these are enemies that don't take any prisoners!", says Artemis matter-of-factly. "The only things those monsters know how to do is attack & kill anything in their sights! Dammit, this is exactly why I warned them not to just rush off without first finding out the enemy's modus operandi! Who knows what's happening up there now!"

"Artemis, please. The girls all believed in the choice they made, & so should you. Usagi was right—enemies that dangerous should not be allowed to set foot on the Earth. Personally, I myself think they made the right decision to go up there & stop this new threat at its core before it can spread anywhere else. You have to believe that, no matter the circumstance."

"That's not really what concerns me the most, Luna—it's Usagi."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not that hard a Sailor Soldier in battle, unlike the others. She's more than likely to freeze in the heat of the mayhem now taking place aboard that station. Don't you recall how she behaved after the Predators attacked them the first time? You even told me yourself that she's had nightmares about that incident many times, waking up with her pajamas soaked in sweat. If she gets that way now…"

"Artemis, I understand what you're saying, & I myself am worried for her & the rest as you are. But you must have faith in her to do what is necessary to protect this planet. If you were in her shoes right now, wouldn't you do the same thing to ensure those creatures don't reach Earth?"

If Aremis were to give a confession in front of a judge or firing squad, he would no doubt say yes. While Usagi isn't as focused in a battle as Ami, Rei, or any of the Outer Sailor Soldiers for that matter, but despite the difficulties, she always manages to triumph over any obstacle that comes her way. One of the reasons for it is the strength her friends give her during the worst of times, always reminding her to believe in herself. They do worry when she has her doubts, sure, but there are times when her hidden strength came shining through, & it really has made a very big difference, & because of the unwavering love Usagi has for both her friends & planet Earth, she has always been victorious over the toughest foes. There wouldn't even be a planet Earth if she hadn't had that going for her, & Artemis knows it.

"I'm sorry, Luna. You're right", he says,softly. "I'm just scared, that's all. I only wish I myself could do more on this predicament."

Luna gives him a reassuring smile. "Well, that's perfectly understandable, giving the eerie circumstances. Don't worry, they'll prevail—remember what Usagi & Minako promised us before heading up there."

Smiling himself, Artemis nods.

Below the two felines, Mamoru, Hoshino, & the rest of the professor's staff—all seated to shake off the numbness of seeing the horrific images—begin to come to, regaining their posture. All of them had their own, personal thoughts of what they've witnessed, but can all agree on one thing for certain.

It was a living nightmare—one they hope to wake up from.

Hoshino became the first to break the eerie silence. "For years, I've always wanted to have a chance to meet & greet life from beyond our own solar system. I never thought I'd be bringing back something so malevolent, so vicious, so…evil."

"It's not your fault, Hoshino", Mamoru assures him. "There was no way for you to know in advance that your discovery would turn out like this. That female deceived us all, not just you."

Hoshino weakly nods. "Perhaps you're right, Mamoru."

"Of course he is, Hoshino", says Kumi in a light-hearted tone. "We were all so excited by your achievement, we became blind to any signs of belligerence the female had. Don't you worry about it, though—we can send the Self Defense Forces up to correct this cataclysmic error."

"No. We'll still bring them down to Earth, like we originally planned", said Hoshino in a soft but firm voice.

The man's response hit everyone in the room like a quick, hard slap in the face, giving them a tough time digesting what they just heard from his mouth.

"Excuse me, professor?", snapped Koji, rising from his seat.

Hoshino did the same & rushed over to the man, getting so close in his face that their noses almost touched. "You all heard me!", he snapped back. "We will stick to our original plan, & have a shuttle arranged to bring those things down here!"

"You can't really mean that!", begged Kumi. "You want to continue…even after what you saw?"

"Yes, to both your questions!", said Hoshino without looking at her, his gaze still on Koji.

"Hoshino!", Mamoru pleaded.

"Shut up, Mamoru!", he barks without facing him either.

"No! I will not!", he says, rising from his own chair & standing in defiance.

This time Hoshino did turn in his direction, his face as stony hard as a Golem's, approaching Mamoru in the way a kid from school would come up to a bully to let him know he wasn't going to take it anymore. Mamoru stood perfectly still where he was, not flinching or wavering in any way, not even when Hoshino got within just inches from his face.

"What did you just say to me?", he spat.

"You heard me!", Mamoru said firmly. "You may be dumb & blind at this moment, but you aren't deaf!"

Hoshino scowled his eyes. "Remember who the hell you're speaking to, boy!"

"We're not in school anymore, remember? I'm no longer a student you can order around, especially when it's to do something I know to be wrong!"

The professor points a defiant finger at his former pupil, gritting his teeth. "You listen to me & you listen good, Mamoru! You wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for me! I allowed you to come here & stay due to your skills, not to listen to your pathetic morals! They have no place here in science whatsoever!"

"I didn't volunteer for this to endanger the planet, or anyone on it! You saw yourself how nasty & vicious those monsters aboard the Tanaka are! Can you imagine the consequences if they were loose here on Earth? Is that what you really want?"

"Mamoru, I've spent my entire life working on this project to make my dream come true! I will let nothing hinder my progress now, let alone with human morals! They do not mix with science at all!"

"This isn't science or the thrill of discovery anymore! This is now a matter of survival, namely the Earth's! Those aboard the Tanaka have already paid a heavy price for this 'project' of yours! Doesn't that concern you any?"

Hoshino smirks. "Let's just say that they've all willingly devoted their lives to science's cause, & in its name!"

"It doesn't seem that way to me! Dammit, Hoshino, you're mad! You've become so obsessed with this whole thing, you more or less forgot what was really important to you!"

"Preach to me some more! Now, like I've said before, we will arrange for a shuttle to bring those things down here, & everyone is to volunteer in making that happen!"

Now it's Mamoru's turn to smirk. "Is that right? Try telling that to your staff!"

Hoshino believed it to be a hoax of some sort, but then realize Mamoru isn't the type to do such a thing to anybody, even to one such as himself. He then heard footsteps from behind him, & as he turned around, he saw Kumi & the rest heading for the door: his own wife Kumi leads the staff away from the current madness.

"Where the hell do you all think you're going?", Hoshino barks. "I don't recall giving any of you permission to leave!"

"We're not asking for any!", said Koji.

"He's right, Hoshino!", Kumi firmly stated to her husband. "We're not endangering the welfare of our planet just for your ambitions! This isn't like you to do that!"

"Times change!", Hoshino snapped. "Now get back here, or I'll take drastic measures!"

"Try & stop us!", barked Koji.

All right, I will!, Hoshino says to himself. The man reaches into his lab coat & withdraws a Beretta handgun & points it at Koji. Before Mamoru can even process in his mind of what the man is about to do, Hoshino pulls the trigger, hitting Koji in the back of the head. The bullet enters the rear & goes all the way through, exiting through his scalp, spraying bone & bile; Koji falls like a timbering tree & hits the floor with a sick thud, dead before he even started falling.

No one in the room—Mamoru, Kumi, the staff, or even Luna & Artemis from their secure hiding place—could believe at what just occurred. Everyone froze in their tracks except that is for Mamoru, who takes several steps back away from his one-time teacher-turned-psychopath. When the rogue professor sees his former pupil, he points his pistol at him & fires a shot. Mamoru was barely able to dodge the shot in time. In the ventilation shaft, Luna & Artemis can only watch as Hoshino fires three more shots at Mamoru, who manages to get to the door & exit through it in a dive, continually running down the hall & out of the madman's range.

Not so brave now, are you, Mamoru?, Hoshino says to himself with an evil smile, as he now turns to & focuses on his literally captive audience, rather than pursue his former pupil.

"Now…let's all get back to work, shall we?", he instructs his wife & crew, pointing his Beretta at them.

Having not much choice in the matter, Kumi & the others slowly but surely take to their seats & begin working again.

Hoshino flashes an evil grin.

The aliens entered the room like a giant swarm of ants raiding a picnic for all the food of some unlucky couple or family. Only thing is, the current situation is no picnic, & the Sailor Soldiers themselves are the food they're after, along with Shindo, presumably the only surviving member of his security team, & maybe even the entire space station. Armed with his Desert Eagle Magnum—a personal favorite gun of his, due to its immense power (& because he's a very big fan of the 'Dirty Harry' movies with Clint Eastwood)—he assists the dozen Sailors, blowing fatal holes in the oncoming creatures that rush at them, eager to do the same to them as they'd done to everyone else aboard.

Not if they have anything to say about it!

"Deep…Submerge!", Sailor Neptune calls out, raising her hands above her head, forming a turquoise ball of energy & shoots it forward. The ball hits two aliens on fast approach in the chest & blows a gaping hole in each one, bringing them down; the beasts give out a howling screech for their epitaph.

"Star Sensitive…Inferno!", Sailor Star Healer calls out, aiming her star brooch at a trio of the monsters & fires a stream of white lightning, engulfing the aliens & frying them where they stand.

"Mercury…Aqua Rhapsody!", Sailor Mercury calls out, creating a water harp with strings which she plays, unleashing a volley of powerful streams of H2o that knocks several of the beasts down, enabling one of the other Sailors to take the offensive.

"Jupiter…Oak Evolution!", Sailor Jupiter calls out, raising an antenna on her tiara & fires a barrage of green energy balls. This attack shoots at the aliens at a high velocity & strike fiercely & act like a mini meteor shower: the shots ripped through the tough hide of the creatures & busts smoking holes through their bodies, turning them into swiss cheese.

"Star Serious…Laser!", Sailor Star Fighter calls out, pointing her own star brooch at another batch of the aliens, firing a white beam of energy that rips through the beast's craniums & bursts their heads open like ripe fruit.

But no matter how many aliens they take down, two, three, or more rush in to take the place of the fallen ones, with no end in sight.

"This is fucking insane!", Sailor Mars stated. "We've been fighting these monsters for well over an hour now, & they still show no signs of letting up! They're relentless!"

"Sailor Mars is right!", Sailor Moon says. "We may be having the upper hand now, but from how they keep advancing toward us continuously, it's only a mater of time before they use their sheer numbers to overwhelm us!"

"Sailor Moon has a point!", said Sailor Saturn. "We need to defeat these creatures in some other way than this!"

"Agreed, but first we need to retreat to another room!", Sailor Star Maker stated, using her 'Star Gentle Uterus' attack to fend off more aliens. "Shindo,is there any other way out of this room besides the doors?"

"Yes, there is!", he says, using his Magnum to kill a duo of advancing aliens. "As in every room, there are trap doors in each corner that will take you into another area, going either up or down! Take your pick!"

"We'll head down, with you leading the way for us! Agreed?", Sailor Pluto said, making a quick decision for all.

"Agreed!" His answer was quick & to the point.

"First we'll need to keep these monsters back at a distance long enough for us to get to it!", said Sailor Venus, using her 'Crescent Beam' attack to slaughter a few more of the monstrosities.

"Sailor Moon, you can use your Tier for that purpose!", said Sailor Uranus. "If you keep them back with your own attack, we'll be able to…"

"Understood! Get ready to run!", Sailor Moon says, getting the idea & raises her Tier—a magenta/white-colored stick with what looks like a rounded king's crown on the top—above her head.

"Silver Moon! Crystal Power Kiss!", she calls out. Rays of bright, pink light shot out from the crown & spread outward toward the aliens, forcing them to retreat outside the room. A few were not as fortunate: those unlucky ones were pierced & killed by the rays of Sailor Moon's weapon.

With the aliens at bay, the Sailors & Shindo have unobstructed access to their escape route.

"That's perfect! This way, everyone!", Shindo says, running over to the trap door at the right corner with the Sailor Soldiers right behind. Flipping up a hidden panel, he presses one or two buttons & a piece of the floor slides open to reveal a hidden passage heading down with curved metal pipes embedded in the wall, acting like a ladder. Shindo goes in & down first, followed by the younger Sailors, the Outer ones, & the Starlights taking up the rear. Each go down as quickly as they're able. Soon, Sailor Star Fighter was the last to make her descend, but not before turning to Sailor Moon, still keeping the monsters at bay with her Tier.

"Sailor Moon, we're all through to the room below! Now it's your turn!", she bellows.

"On my way!", she shouts back.

Waiting a moment, Sailor Moon braces herself to make a mad dash for the passageway in the corner of the room. She has to be ready to run once she lets up her attack & not to stumble or hesitate doing so: she's seen how fast the aliens are, & they'll tear her asunder should they get a hold on her.

She has to make sure she's even faster than that.

When she feels she has what it takes to make it, Sailor Moon ceases her attack with her Tier & runs with all her might to the corner passage leading down, daring not to let up on her speed or even look over her shoulder to see how close the aliens are to her. She doesn't need to see them to know they're already gaining on her once she let up on her killer rays—the sounds of their hideous screeching getting louder & closer was all the evidence she needs. Seeing her coming, Sailor Star Fighter descends in order to make room for Sailor Moon to join her & the others, going in feetfirst. Taking hold of the man-made ladder, she rushes down as the entrance slides closed, sealing the aliens off from her & her friends. It didn't mean she was out of danger, though: from above her, the creatures began pounding on the panel entrance relentlessly, making small but surefire dents in the tough metal. Her heart pounding in her chest, Sailor Moon drops herself to the floor where the others are all waiting—scared shitless,but alive.

Just as the pounding started, it ceased just as quickly, giving everyone a temporary sigh of relief. The area they now occupy in is another large hallway, again with multiple doors—most likely another living quarters area.

Being the next to last to go down the passageway, Sailor Star Fighter is now the first to reassure Sailor Moon, seeing how tense she is at this point. "Easy now, Sailor Moon. You're okay, as are the rest of us."

Sailor Moon nods weakly, barely surviving a horrible encounter.

"Don't get too used to it", said Sailor Uranus, firmly reminding Fighter. "They may have let up for now, but it won't be long before they locate & attack us again. Once they do…"

"We can't just keep this charade up!", said Sailor Star Healer. "That bitch Queen Beryl will keep us on this floating death trap until those monsters kill us all, or maybe even do it herself! We have to do something to take the initiative & get off of here!"

"And what do you suggest we do?", asks Sailor Neptune. "You heard Beryl yourself—she sabotaged all the escape shuttles, & trashed the control console for the teleporter unit where the power core is! What's more, we can't teleport ourselves out due to the fact we've exhausted most of our own energy getting here and fighting those aliens!"

"Are you suggesting we just wait here & let those monsters and/or Queen Beryl pick us off & kill us, one by one?", asked Sailor Star Fighter.

"Of course she doesn't mean that!", Sailor Venus stepped in. "That's just absurd & you know it, Fighter! All she's saying is that we really need to use our heads in this predicament if we wish to save Earth & see another day on it!"

Silence followed after Venus' statement, putting them all in a thinking stage on how to get off the Tanaka & be rid of the aliens before they can be taken to Earth by Queen Beryl once she gets confirmation on the deaths of all the Sailor Soldiers from both this solar system & beyond.

It doesn't take too long for one of them to come up with a possible solution.

"I think I may have an answer", Shindo announces.

"What is it, Shindo?", Sailor Moon asks,wondering.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before: that ship for whom that bitch you call Queen Beryl used to bring the aliens here aboard this station—that might still be operational! If we all can make it to the landing docks, I'm sure it'll still be there, & we can use it to escape! Once we're safely back to Earth, we'll concentrate on destroying this station—and the aliens aboard it!"

"A good plan, Shindo, but there's also a chance that Queen Beryl has sabotaged it, along with all the other shuttles", Sailor Mars brings up.

"We should at least try it", said Sailor Saturn. "With no other options currently available to us, it's our best shot at saving the Earth. Agreed?"

"You're right. It couldn't hurt to try", said Sailor Jupiter. "Shindo, you know this station better than we do, inside & out. How do we get to the landing docks from here?"

"The same as before with the trap door", he says. "Just follow me to the letter &…"

Shindo's sentence was abruptly cut off by a violent cough, causing him to fall to the floor as he coughed up a couple droplets of blood from his mouth.

"Shindo!", Sailor Mercury cried, running to his side. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

The man shook his head. "No. I think…I've got one of those things inside me."

His answer took the Sailor Soldiers by storm in a hard blow. One of them was about to ask him how that was even possible, but then they all saw & remembered the marks upon his face. These were the same marks they witnessed on the corpses that met the grisly fate of having one of the aliens bursting out of their chests, as Sailor Star Healer had explained before of the monsters' life cycle. Sailor Mercury didn't need to ask how it happened, as she deduced it on her own.

"At the time when you were unconscious…"

"Yes", said Shindo. "While I was knocked out, one of those spidery creatures must've attached itself to me & planted its embryo inside without me feeling a thing—until now."

Shindo coughed again, this time even more violently & spitting up more blood. All that the Sailor Soldiers can do is watch helplessly as they wait for the inevitable to happen; for all their incredible power they each possess, they can do nothing to prevent the man's death from occuring shortly, never feeling so useless, for no one had a clue as to how to save him.

"There's gotta be a way to save you, Shindo!", Sailor Moon says, with tears in her eyes. "I won't let you fall victim to these monsters! Please tell us what we can do to help you!"

Shindo wipes his mouth & faces her, giving her a weak smile. "Sailor Moon, you have…such a good heart, but please…don't grieve too much for me. Right now, the only thing that matters…is saving the Earth. Promise me, Sailor Moon…that you'll make sure those monsters…never reach it there. Will you do that…for me?"

Teary-eyed, the champion of love & justice nods.

"You've nothing to fear, Shindo—Sailor Moon won't be alone in that task", said Sailor Star Fighter, holding up her star brooch in front of her.

Shindo knows what Fighter's brooch is capable of & nods, giving the otherworldly Sailor his consent on doing what needs to be done. Realizing what Fighter is about to do, Sailor Moon looks the other way to spare herself the grisly sight; the other younger Sailor Soldiers do the same as her, not wanting to witness an execution, even if it is a necessity. Only the Starlights & the Outer Sailors (except for Saturn) keep their composure as Uranus holds Sailor Moon close to her in comfort, soothing her uneasiness as best she can.

"Please try not to be too upset over this, Sailor Moon", she says in sympathy. "Shindo isn't afraid of what needs to be done, & neither should you. He's asking you to carry out his final wish for him, & he did so because he trusts you. If he felt differently, he wouldn't have, so let's keep that promise to him, all right?"

Sailor Moon nods softly, trying to stay strong for the gold-haired Sailor. Uranus then looks at Fighter, the signal she needs to go through with Shindo's definite final wish. Sailor Star Fighter nods, & places her star brooch over Shindo's chest dead center. The man now grunts louder than he did before, indicating the alien inside his chest is on the verge of bursting out any moment. Before she loses her nerve, Fighter carries out her task.

"Star…Serious…Laser", she softly says, tearing. The white beam of light emits from her star brooch & penetrates Shindo's chest, piercing through with ease & hits/kills the alien within. Blood & smoke come out from the fatal wounds in the front & back as Shindo slumps lifeless to the floor, his eyes staring at the Sailor Soldiers, each of whom shed tears for a man who had bravely fought alongside them against the marauding aliens that were planted by an enemy the Sailors all believed to be long defeated & gone. Sailor Star Fighter crouches down & gently closes Shindo's eyes with her free hand, mostly relieved he is free of all the pain & on his way to greet the man upstairs.

"God be with you, Shindo", says Sailor Star Healer.

"Yes. You're in His hands now", Sailor Star Maker added.

When the devilish deed was done, everyone gathered around Sailor Moon, seeing how tense she still is over what occurred. It was totally comprehensible: she still isn't used to this kind of level of violence, what with this being the second time she had been exposed to it. Sailor Star Fighter gently turns to face her & bends down to meet her at eye level.

"Dumpling", she begins to say, "I know how you feel about all of this, but Shindo's right: we can't grieve for him while the entire Earth is in danger of being overrun by these monsters. They need to be stopped at all costs, & we're the only ones who can do that now. Believe me when I say that we'll defeat them—and Queen Beryl—and save your planet, like last time."

Fighter smiles warmly at Sailor Moon, something which always gives her confidence, no matter what the circumstance. She knows Fighter speaks the truth, & has every reason to believe her words, especially since the Starlight always had an affinity for the Moon Princess during the Starlights' first visit to Earth not too long ago. Whether as Seiya or Sailor Star Fighter, he/she was always there for her, before & after their identities were revealed to one another during Sailor Aluminum Siren's terror flight in an attempt to gain possession of Sailor Moon's Star Seed. It was him/her who helped keep Usagi strong when Mamoru was on his way to America to study abroad.

Because of that, Sailor Moon has no reason to doubt her whatsoever.

She smiles herself & nods. "I believe you. Let's keep that promise to Shindo, & make sure his death is not in vain."

"That's the Sailor Moon we know!", Sailor Mars praised.

"We're all up for that!", said Sailor Mercury.

Just as her confidence was strengthened, echoes of eerie, familiar screeching was heard by all, chilling the blood of even the Starlights & Outer Sailors.

"We'd better get moving!", said Sailor Moon. "If there ever was a time to carry out Shindo's wish, now's the time to do it!"

Sailor Star Maker nods. "I agree! Let's head for that craft, & hope Beryl hasn't sabotaged it as she did the others!"

"Right!", said the rest.

With Sailor Star Healer taking lead, the Sailors follow her in a rush, going in the opposite direction from where they heard the alien's hideous cries. With Shindo out of the picture, the girls are on their own in finding the landing docks where the ship Queen Beryl used to bring the beasts aboard in complete stealth resided at. Each one of them knew deep down that there was the biggest possibility of it being sabotaged by the one-time ruler of the Dark Kingdom, but as of this moment, they weren't left with much choice.

All they can do for now is get to it, & hope they're going the right way to the landing docks.

CHAPTER VII

For more than half an hour, the Sailor Soldiers & Starlights have raced throughout at least a quarter of the Tanaka Space Station, with no luck of finding anything that resembles a landing dock area. They all felt like rats in a maze, with acid-blooded monsters acting like the cats, waiting to move in & pounce for the kill. The girls have chosen to avoid using any elevators, which there were in abundance, for two reasons: one, they were all out of order, probably due to Queen Beryl's arrival & two, even if they were in working order, any number of aliens could be hidden inside & attack the second the girls open the doors. Despite the inevitability, they'd like to avoid any kind of confrontation with the things if it can be helped.

So far, they haven't run into the interstellar nightmares since beginning their search for the landing docks, which seemed rather strange to them.

None of then could guess if it was a blessing or a curse.

But rather than worry about being attacked/slaughtered by the creatures or even tire themselves out, the Sailors all stop their mad dash & lean against a wall after entering a medium-sized room, being close to a door that leads to another. Breathing heavy, the girls give themselves a couple moments to catch much-needed breaths.

"This is getting us totally nowhere!", said Sailor Star Maker. "It feels like we're running in nothing but circles!"

"Maker's right", Sailor Mars said, agreeing. "Without Shindo guiding us, it's difficult to decipher where to go, let alone where to start."

"Let me try to scan the station again", said Sailor Mercury. "With any luck, we'll be closer to it than we expect."

Before Mercury can activate her VR goggles, Sailor Venus issues a word of warning. "Are you sure you want to do that? Last time, you were hit by a powerful blast of energy, which I now know Queen Beryl was responsible for!"

"I'll have to take that chance, if we're to make it off alive."

That said, Sailor Mercury presses one of her earrings & conjures up her translucent blue goggles over her eyes. Immediately she scans the interior of the station from all angles, getting a blueprinted readout. The diagram shown in front of her via her goggles gives a viewing of every room in the area, showing its equipment/furniture in each. After searching for a full minute, she sees something that looks promising.

She deactivates her goggles & they disappear from her eyes.

"Anything?", asked Sailor Star Healer.

"I found what looks to be our destination, & it's just a little ways past this room in front of us", Mercury explains.

Her news brought a sigh of relief to the girls. On an adventure like this, the Sailors will take any kind they can get, whether it's major or minor.

"That's some of the best news I've heard all day", noted Sailor Jupiter. "It seemed we were headed in the right direction after all, & without us even realizing it!"

"It is quite a relief, I'll admit", says Sailor Pluto, "but we may run into the aliens on the way there. Mercury, were you able to scan for them during your search for the docks?"

Mercury shook her head. "I could find no heat traces of them. Either they can't be found in that manner…"

"Or Queen Beryl is hiding them with her dark magic, the same way she's able to elude both Sailor Mars & myself from homing in on her", Sailor Neptune warns, mirror in hand.

"Then we'd better assume that there are aliens waiting for us near the docks!", said Sailor Star Healer.

"We'd better be ready!", said Sailor Uranus, drawing her jeweled sword. "Just because Sailor Mercury didn't find any aliens while scanning this station doesn't mean they're not here!"

"I'll go first", said Sailor Star Maker, holding her star brooch at the ready. She presses the button to open the door, sliding it into the wall. The room inside was pitch black, making it barely able for the girls to see their own hands in front of their faces as they all enter one at a time, doing so with the utmost caution. It's unknown if the aliens can see in this kind of darkness or if they're even in this room to start with, but the Sailor Soldiers are not willing to take the chance.

"Somebody get some lights on in here", said Sailor Star Healer, talking as low as she can.

Behind them, Sailor Moon feels the wall with her hand right after she enters the room herself in hopes of bringing Healer's wish.

Almost immediately she's found something.

"I think I've found some for us, Healer!", Sailor Moon says, just above a whisper.

"Good going, Dumpling!", Sailor Star Fighter praises. "Activate them!"

"Right!"

Sailor Moon finds a small lever of some kind & raises it. Like a miracle, the room brightens up to its fullest illumination, relieving everyone. That feeling died as soon as it began, because waiting in the wings over at the opposite side of the room, a dozen aliens were all in a crouching position & stood as the lights went on, their needle-teeth glistening in the bright light & hissed like snakes.

While their appearance did frighten them, the Sailor Soldiers had expected to see them even before they entered the room, so it wasn't too big of a shock for them. Rising to their full, hideous height of over two meters tall, the dozen creatures leaped at the Sailors, their arms & claws stretched out in front like angry cats.

The Sailor Soldiers attack with equal response.

"Mercury…Aqua Rhapsody!", Sailor Mercury calls out,creating her water harp & plays it. A multitude of water streams encircle three of the aliens like pythons & keep them at bay.

Sailor Star Maker takes the initiative.

"Star Gentle…Uterus!", she calls out,shooting a barrage of white energy balls from her star brooch. The balls hit the captive aliens with deadly force & blows them each to pieces, limbs being shattered in numerous places.

"Venus…Love & Beauty Shock!", Sailor Venus calls out, her hand & lips gesturing a blowing kiss that forms a yellow heart of energy which she then throws at two more aliens, creating deep, fatal craters in their sides that leak their acidic blood, causing them to smoke.

"Space Sword Blaster!", Sailor Uranus calls out, swiping her sword & creating yellow energy blades from it. These hit another three aliens literally dead center in the abdomen, cutting them in half.

Sailor Neptune & Sailor Mars follow it up with their own attacks.

"Submarine Reflection!", Neptune calls out, pointing her mirror at another trio of horrors, & a powerful stream of water emits from the mirror's glass side, hitting the monsters & knock them to the floor. Immediately they get up, but Sailor Mars counterattacks.

"Burning…Mandala!", she calls out, creating a circle of fire her height with her hand & positions them both forward, firing a volley of yellow circles that propel toward the creatures & cut into them like round razors, creating cuts & holes on their bodies.

These wounds kill the aliens in a second, & they fall dead to the floor like the others.

The last alien sprang toward Sailor Moon like a stalking panther, eager to tear her apart, but Sailor Saturn eliminates that option by slicing the creature's head clean off its shoulders with her sharp sickle staff, swinging it like a baseball bat; she cut it too fast for its acid blood to do any damage to her deadly weapon.

It falls to the ground—its head in one place, the rest of it in another.

"Are you all right, Princess?", Sailor Saturn asks Sailor Moon.

She nods. "Yes. That was a great save."

Sailor Saturn smiles. "It's my duty to protect you & keep you safe at all costs."

"Just like everybody else."

"Yes."

The bodies of the defeated aliens begin to smoke from the exposed acidic blood as it rises up to the ceiling & reach the overhead sprinklers. Sensing a fire hazard due to the heat from the smoke, the sprinklers activate & shower the Sailor Soldiers & alien corpses, cooling off the latter with its cold temperature. It takes over two minutes for the sprinklers to completely douse the heat from the alien's acid blood until they shut themselves off automatically, soaking the room.

"Come on, everyone!", said Sailor Moon. "We should get moving to that ship before more of those monsters can show up & surround us!"

"We hear you,Sailor Moon!", said Sailor Venus. "I'll…"

"I told you all before—you have no chance of escaping this station alive, & I aim to keep my promise to you!", said a voice no one was glad to hear again.

"Queen Beryl!", Sailor Jupiter growls, her hands in fists. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

The evil queen materializes in the same spot the aliens were waiting,surveying her hated enemies with a malevolent glare. "I said these will be your last moments in your miserable little lives, so don't any of you kid yourselves! You were on your way to the ship which I used to bring my pets here, weren't you? Well, you can forget it: even then, I knew you would attempt to use it to escape, so I sabotaged it shortly after the aliens attacked the pathetic humans on this station!"

"Don't you dare call the people aboard this place pathetic!", snapped Sailor Mercury. "They all worked hard to make the world a better place to live in, & like a gremlin, you went & destroyed that for no good reason!"

"Revenge upon you is as good a reason as any to have these people killed! I'd wipe out an entire planet just to see you all dead—especially Sailor Moon! And once I see your bloodied, rotting corpses, I'll do the same to everyone on Earth as I've done to these people here!"

"We'll never allow you to do that to the Earth—not while there's even an ounce of life left within us, Queen Beryl!", Sailor Saturn firmly stated, pointing her staff at her.

Undaunted & unimpressed, Queen Beryl chuckles in utter mockery. She looks at the alien corpses laying on the floor before staring daggers at the Sailor Soldiers once more.

"You've done quite well against my pets thus far, but you still won't be as fortunate in the long run! Or do you really believe you have a chance in Hell of winning this day?"

"It's more a chance than you'll ever have, Queen Beryl!", Sailor Neptune spat, ready to rush at her as the Starlights did before, but Sailor Star Healer puts her arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, not wanting Neptune to repeat that error they made.

"Don't, Sailor Neptune!", says Healer. "It's probably just another hologram!"

Although enraged, Neptune stayed put.

"Oh?", said Beryl. "You expect me to be just an image, like last time? If I was, do you think I'd be able to do…this?"

Queen Beryl extends her arms out, palms & fingers facing the girls. The Sailor Soldiers then realize this may not be a hologram after all, & prepare to strike the wicked queen.

Unfortunately, Beryl was faster: streams of black energy shoot out from her hands, engulfing all dozen Sailors with intense heat & pain, made even more so because of their being doused by the overhead sprinklers only moments ago, adding to their torment. Caught in Beryl's web, the girls yell in anguish & drop to their knees, unable to strike back. With the Sailor Soldiers at her mercy, Queen Beryl can easily kill them literally with her own two hands, but somehow, she did not wish their end to be in this manner.

So she relents.

Battered & bruised, the girls pant heavily, feeling like they were at a tanning salon with the lamps on at their highest. Sailor Uranus was the first to lift her head up to look at the wicked queen with cold but surprised eyes.

"Why did you let up on your attack, Queen Beryl?", she growls. "Don't you have what it takes to finish us off? Or are you too afraid that you'll lose to us again if you even try to take us all on, like last time?"

Beryl chuckles again. "As much as I'd love to have you all killed by my hand, I have a more fitting demise in store for you! Why waste any of my own precious energy when I can have these beasts do it for me? Rest assured, Sailor Soldiers, the next time we meet will definitelybe the last time!"

As she spoke, both Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter rose to their feet, being the first to do so, if a little groggy about it. In spite of her condition, Fighter was more than eager to go mano a mano with Beryl. Not since Galaxia has the Starlight wanted a piece of someone so badly in her life: this woman has sent these creatures to her city on her homeworld & caused countless deaths for a 'test-run' before repeating the nightmare on Sailor Moon's own home. Because of her deep feelings for the Moon Princess, Fighter & the other Starlights will never let it happen, even at the cost of their own lives.

Too bad for her, Queen Beryl vanishes from sight, laughing wickedly as she does, giving her no chance of a counterattack, having even more of a reason to hate her.

Then again, it was a good thing Beryl left, for it enabled her & Sailor Moon to assist their friends without the Queen's presence—or any aliens—to hinder their progress.

"Is everyone okay?", Sailor Moon asked, helping Sailor Mars & Sailor Venus to their feet first, while Sailor Star Fighter assists her two Starlights companions.

"Yes", said Sailor Mars. "A little black & blue in spots, but I'll live."

"Same here", Sailor Venus added.

"I'm glad", said Sailor Moon, relieved.

"We may be fine for the moment", Sailor Star Healer adds her two cents sourly, "but now we're back to square one on how to get off this death trap! That Queen Beryl bitch just confirmed on the ship she used to bring these monsters here being sabotaged! We may have no other choice but to detonate this station & kill these aliens before their terror can spread elsewhere!"

All eyes turn to Healer in a state of surprise, disbelieving what she just said.

"Are you mad?", Sailor Pluto snaps. "How are we able to do that before we're all at a safe distance away from here? Neptune told you before—we can't teleport out in our current situation because we're using too much of our power to battle the creatures aboard this place!"

"Then we should hold up somewhere until we do have enough power!"

"That won't be possible! Neither Queen Beryl nor the aliens are going to let us do such a thing! They won't stop until we're all dead! By destroying this station while we're on it, you're only helping our enemies accomplish their goal! Can't you understand that?"

"What I understand is that we're dead, no matter what we do! Even if we wipe out those monsters, Queen Beryl will finish what they started, so if you have a better idea, let's hear it!"

Sailor Pluto & Sailor Star Healer were just inches from each other's face, like two boxers ready to square off, & from the heat of their argument, it seems as if they will.

"Stop it, both of you!", Sailor Jupiter steps in, separating the two older Sailors by spreading her arms to her sides. "We've got enough problems without fighting each other!"

Realizing what she's saying was all but wrong, Healer steps down with feelings of guilt swelling up within her. She knew Pluto was right: she'd be only helping Queen Beryl in her goal of defeating her & the others, & it'll be a cold day in Hell before she or even Maker & Fighter see that bitch of a queen triumph over them, especially after what she went & did back home.

Healer starts to apologize. "Pluto…Jupiter…I…"

The two Sailors smile.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Healer", said Pluto.

"Not at all", Jupiter added. "You were just angry about everything that's happened, & you went & said things you don't really mean. It can happen to anyone."

Healer smiles & nods. "You're right. Queen Beryl made me so mad, I temporarily lost it & I brought up things which didn't make any sense. Still, you must admit that we're in a very tight spot, & our chances of making it out alive are getting slimmer by the second."

"Please try not to worry, Healer", Sailor Mars says. "My friends & I have been in tighter situations than this. If I said otherwise to you, I'd be lying."

"She has a point", Sailor Star Maker says. "Remember the fight against Galaxia? That was a tough one, but no matter how difficult it was, we didn't give up, & in the end, thanks to Sailor Moon, we were able to bring her reign of terror to a halt for good. If we can survive that, surely we can get through this. You with us?"

Sailor Star Healer hears the veracity in Maker's words & sincerity in her voice. Seeing her warm smile only makes it a stronger assurance.

"We're all Sailor Soldiers, aren't we?", Healer asks.

"Of course we are!", Sailor Moon says with glee. "No matter what comes our way, we can triumph over the toughest evil when we stand tall & face it! Even someone like Queen Beryl can be taken down once we…"

A noise of banging & scraping metal from above causes the girls to look up. From overhead air ducts, two of the aliens reach down & snatch both Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter with their long arms, acting like giant mutant spiders dropping on unlucky insects who have gotten trapped & tangled in their web. The two trapped Sailors snake, fight, & struggle to get themselves free, but to no avail: the vice-like grips of the aliens make escape virtually impossible.

"Sailor Moon!", Sailor Venus yells.

"Star Fighter!", Sailor Star Healer yells.

Sailor Star Maker points her star brooch at the attacking aliens.

"Star Gentle…", she begins, but Sailor Mercury intervenes by grabbing her arm.

"No! Don't!"

Almost as soon as they showed up, the aliens were gone from sight, disappearing within the air ducts, taking their captive prey with them.

Maker turns to the blue-haired Sailor. "Mercury, why in the hell did you stop me for? I had those monsters dead in my sights! I could've saved them!"

"No! Even if you hit just the aliens, their acidic blood would've splashed on & killed them both!", Mercury explained.

Sailor Star Maker mentally kicked herself for forgetting that fact. When she, Healer, & Fighter battled the creatures on their homeworld, they've seen their blood eat & burn through solid metal/steel. They also saw what it did to human flesh & bone. Had she fired her weapon & actually hit the beasts, she probably would've succeeded in killing her own comrades unintentionally.

"Dammit!", she growls.

"What are they going to do with them?", Sailor Mars asks, afraid she may already know the answer to her own question.

"They probably won't kill them indirectly", said Sailor Saturn. "If that was their goal, they would've done so already. According to what Sailor Star Healer told us about the creature's nature, Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter are being taken to their lair."

The other Sailors didn't like where Saturn's theory was going, but scared as they were about it, they had to press for a definitive answer.

"Do you mean to say that…", Sailor Neptune started to say.

"Yes", Saturn continued. "I fear that our friends are in danger of becoming 'impregnated' by these monsters, just like Shindo & mostly everyone else here was."

The news still struck them hard, even if they expected to hear it from the young Sailor Soldier. It was a situation they dreaded the most on this horrific adventure—one or more of them ending up like the crew on the Tanaka with an alien monster dwelling within their chest. Worst of all, Sailor Moon herself was the one in the most danger of having it happen to, & she wouldn't be alone either: Sailor Star Fighter will be joining her for the same fate, & as tough as she is, even she won't be able to survive an alien bursting out from inside her chest.

"Shit! We need to find them before our worst fear comes true!", Sailor Uranus barks.

"You're damn right about that!", Sailor Jupiter said. "The only thing is, we don't know where the lair is, & since this station is massive with hundreds of rooms, we may be too late to prevent their impregnation!"

"Not if we follow the signal from Sailor Moon's communicator closely enough!", Sailor Mercury says, holding her mini computer in her hands. "Just after she & Fighter were snatched, I've locked onto it, & now we can track it down, acting like a homing beacon!"

"Good thinking, Mercury!", said Sailor Star Maker. "Which way are they headed now?"

Mercury looks at her computer, then to the door on the opposite side from which they've all entered. "That way!"

"Then there's no time to lose!", said Sailor Pluto. "Mercury, lead the way & take us to them quickly before the worst occurs!"

"Right!"

Sailor Mercury rushed to the door & pressed the button to open it, her mini computer in hand & the other Sailors right behind, following her lead. The door slid open with ease, but they were all met with a horrible & unwelcome surprise: a horde of aliens—a huge horde—raced down the hallway, engulfing it like a living black tide of giant ants. The swarm was so big, no one could even see the walls once they raced past. Flashing their teeth & hissing angrily, the monsters ran at the Sailor Soldiers with utter ferocity, determined to wipe them out.

The Sailor Soldiers were equally determined to do the same to them, letting nothing stand in the way of rescuing their two missing comrades.

"Come get some, motherfuckers!", growled Sailor Star Maker, raising her star brooch.

The aliens did not slow their charge.

Kumi Sekizawa & the rest of her staff at the Space Science Authority Center were hard at work like they always are, only this time, it wasn't at a leisurely pace.

It was at gunpoint.

Minutes ago, professor Hoshino Sekizawa, the mastermind behind the day's events (one he had planned for a full year after years of hoping), has snapped & held his own wife & staff hostage within the main communications room of the Center when they refused his request of bringing the vicious creatures down to Earth via space shuttle. Even after viewing the relentlessness of the aliens on the big screen once they downloaded video footage from the Tanaka, Hoshino was still eager to extract the beasts out of the station & onto the planet, oblivious to the mayhem & death they can cause. To prove his point, the man shot & killed technician Koji Suzuki in the back of his head. Because of his heinous act, Kumi & the others were forced to sit down & prepare the shuttle for launch, having no choice in the matter. Only Mamoru Chiba—a former pupil of his—had managed to escape the rogue professor's fury, having barely dodged a bullet shower & ran for cover. Kumi & her captive staff can only hope that Mamoru has gone to the police to rescue them from Hoshino's dangerous ambition.

But Luna & Artemis—still hiding behind the metal grating inside a ventilator shaft—know he won't get the police involved in this situation. They also know better than to try & attack the man on their own: not only will they each get shot & killed themselves, but they'll endanger the lives of Kumi & her staff. If the room was empty with no one to hold hostage, it would be a different matter.

For now, all they can do is wait until proper help arrives.

The guilt of committing an act that will slaughter countless lives was overpowering on the conscience of Kumi, & she tries one more desperate plea to her husband to cease his plans, in hopes that there's still the man she loves underneath his tough interior.

"Hoshino, I beg of you! Please think about what you're doing & reconsider this! Your discovery isn't worth the lives of everyone on Earth!"

Her husband just turns his back to her, saying nothing.

Finally, Kumi could stand it no longer. By now it was obvious that Hoshino wasn't going to give in at any time to her or anybody's pleas, or to his own better judgement, if it was even still there to begin with. Frustrated with his lack of cooperation & blindness of his position, Kumi gets up from her seat & turns to head for the exit where Mamoru escaped from.

"Where are you going?", Hoshino growls, turning to his wife. "I never said you or anyone else could leave!"

Kumi pauses. "That's too bad!", she snaps back.

"Dammit, you get back here & get to work! If you don't, I'll shoot you where you stand!"

Kimi stares daggers at her husband. "Then go ahead & do it! I'd much rather be dead than to be part of a goddamn kamikaze mission, with you as its pilot!"

Her words reach the rest of her staff & they, too, rise from their seats & start to join Kumi in exiting the room, not wanting to be any more part of a suicide run than her. They leave behind a frustrated Hoshino, who was becoming more unhinged & unstable with each passing second. Outraged by this sudden turn of events, Hoshino raises & levels his Beretta at his wife, the main reason for the sudden revolt against him & his goal. If he is to be denied his accomplishment, there will be heavy hell to pay, starting with her.

Not caring if they live or die, Kumi & the others reach for the exit as Hoshino squeezes the trigger on his gun & fires a round.

The bullet misses its target: just before Hoshino can fire his shot, he was struck in the hand by a fast-approaching object, causing his aim to be slightly wavered & misdirected, hitting only the wall high above the hostage's heads. The strike in his hand also made the man to lose his weapon, as it flew far out of his reach many yards away. Hoshino looks around to see (if he can) just what smacked him in the hand & finds—a rose.

A red rose with a thorn on each side, sticking diagonally into the floor.

"What the hell…", Hoshino began to say, before a new voice interrupted him.

"That's quite enough, professor!"

Everyone in the room—Hoshino, Kumi, & their staff—turned to the sound where the voice came from & see a tall, well-demeanored man standing upon one of the consoles near the far side. The man was dressed in a black tuxedo & matching dress shoes, with a white undershirt & bowtie placed at the collar. White gloves cover his hands, & a mask of the same color conceal his eyes. On top of his head was a black top hat, & dangling from his shoulders is a black cape with a red underside. In his right hand is a black, straight cane that he holds like a sword. All in all, the man resembles a magician, & from the way he made his mysterious appearance just now, he may as well be one.

The man in black begins to speak.

"The Space Science Authority Center is a place for people to discover the wonders of what lies beyond the reach of our planet, & the joy it can give those who make these discoveries: it is not a place to hold innocent people hostage at gunpoint against their free will! I, Tuxedo Mask, will never allow such a heinous act to occur!"

From their hiding place, Luna & Artemis light up with joy at the sight of Tuxedo Mask for making it in time to prevent another death by the rogue professor. They were wise to wait for his arrival & handle this situation on his own, rather than do so themselves.

"Good timing, Mamoru!", Luna whispers.

"And good luck!", Artemis chimes in softly.

With a leap, Tuxedo Mask goes from the top of the console to land on the floor just ten feet in front of Hoshino, blocking his view of his captives.

"What the hell do you think you're doing…Tuxedo Mask?", Hoshino growls.

"Letting these people go, for one thing", he says, addressing them without taking his sight off of Sekizawa. "You can exit the building, everyone. Don't worry: I won't let this man lay a finger upon any of you. If he wishes to do you folks harm, he'll need to get past me first, & I won't let that happen."

Kumi & the rest of her staff don't know who this 'Tuxedo Mask' really is, having a mask over his eyes, but she & the others are ever so grateful to him nonetheless, arriving just in time to prevent another murder by Kumi's homicidal husband. With the man's intervention, Kumi & her staff sagely utilize the opportunity & make a beeline for the exit. When everyone but Hoshino's wife are gone, she turns to her mystery savior.

"Thank you…Tuxedo Mask!", she says before exiting the room herself & join the others.

Now there was no one in the room except for Hoshino Sekizawa & Tuxedo Mask, both of whom stare at each other for several moments, the former eyeing his opponent in contempt, the latter in wonder & a piece of remorse. Tuxedo Mask feels the man he—as Mamoru—once knew was gone or close to it, but makes one more attempt to bring him back to his senses, for old times sake, as one would put it.

"Professor Hoshino Sekizawa, you were an excellent astronomer once. You can still be hailed as one, if you give up now & turn yourself in to the police to face charges of first-degree murder on your behalf."

"You expect me to give up my life's work when I'm this close to accomplishing my goal? You're no better than my rebellious staff you helped to escape!", Hoshino spat angrily.

"I don't expect you to do that, professor", Tuxedo Mask went on. "I only ask you to answer for your murder charge. This isn't you at all: you always put the lives of your staff & the safety of Earth first before anything else upon making new discoveries. The real Hoshini Sekizawa would never do such a thing. What's happened to you?"

Hoshino smiles, rather wickedly. "I never said I was the real Hoshino Sekizawa…Mamoru!"

Hearing the man call him by his real name gave Tuxedo Mask a blow to the face by an invisible hand. "H-How do you know who I really am?"

"Why, Mamoru, don't you recognize an old friend when you see him?"

Tuxedo Mask was more confused than ever, but he does not get a chance to ask his one-time teacher on how he came to know his true identity of Mamoru Chiba. Right before his eyes Hoshino shines & glitters all over in bright light, causing Tuxedo Mask to take a couple of steps back & cover his eyes with his sleeve, unsure of what to expect. While his vision is temporary limited, he can make out a change in the man's shape as his sides extend a bit outward & his head swells a notch, morphing as it does. The light show lasts only moments, & when it dissipates, the professor was no longer present, & was replaced by a man in a gray-colored suit with a dark blue strap across his waist & shoes on his feet. Like Tux himself, he wore a pair of white gloves on his hands, but no top hat or anything on his head, except for a set of long, ivory-white hair. A light blue cape with a dark blue underside draped over his shoulders.

The man Tuxedo Mask now faces made his eyes & mouth go wide, all because he knows who he is, & he shouts out his name.

"KUNZITE!"

"Hello, Endymion! Long time no see!", said Kunzite with a sinister grin.

Tuxedo Mask cannot believe what his eyes & mind are now processing the man in front of him. Kunzite is one of the strongest warriors of the Dark Kingdom which Queen Beryl had once ruled with Queen Metalia, if not the strongest, being second only to the aforementioned rulers. He was to replace Jadeite, who was placed into an eternal sleep by Beryl after failing to kill the Sailor Soldiers in a showdown at Haneda Airport, & Nephrite, the latter of whom had foolishly fallen in love with Usagi's best friend Naru Osaka, disguised as business tycoon Masato Sanjoin. After Nephrite was disposed of by three of Zoisite's minions (before Naru's devastaded eyes), it was Zoisite who took the reins, & her chore became finding the seven Rainbow Crystals hidden within seven humans (actually, six humans & a cat), with one of them being Rei Hino's very own grandfather, & another being Ryo Urawa, Ami Mizuno's old classmate with the ability to read minds & predict the future. During Mamoru & Usagi's capture inside the Star Light Tower, both retreat into an elevator, only to be trapped in it as Zoisite unleashes a stream of flame to fry them alive. Usagi reveals her true identity in front of Mamoru to save herself & him just in time. Queen Beryl later eliminates & kills Zoisite for his incompetence & going against Beryl's orders of bringing Mamoru to her alive. Kunzite (who was romantically involved with Zoisite, & vice versa) witnesses this execution before his eyes & is grief stricken wholeheartedly, & while he detested Beryl for her decision, he dared not go against her: he'd be killed in a heartbeat if he did. Pressing on to more important matters, Queen Beryl proceeded at eradicating Mamoru's past memories to make him a servant of the Dark Kingdom. For a time, Kunzite & Mamoru (as Tuxedo Mask & Endymion) had worked together, though not without difficulty due to their irreconcilable differences they've had on how to approach a situation. Their goal, however, remained the same: to retrieve the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon & fully revive Queen Metalia. When the Sailor Soldiers locate the portal to the Dark Kingdom, they are confronted by Kunzite & get into a fierce battle. In the end, Sailor Moon deflects one of Kunzite's energy blades, sending it back to him. The blade penetrates his skin &, like Nephrite, disintegrates & dies.

But now—for some unknown reason—the evil warrior is standing right in front of Tuxedo Mask, alive & well. Even Luna & Artemis watching events unfold from the vent shaft could not believe seeing Kunzite in the flesh as he is now. The two felines have their own unpleasant memory of the Dark Kingdom warrior, having confronted the man while locating the Dark Kingdom's entrance, which happened to be at the North Pole, of all places. Both cats barely survive the man's onslaught before retreating & finding the Sailor Soldiers: to see Kunzite now gives the felines a sick feeling of deja-vu.

What Luna & Artemis are now thinking is what Tuxedo Mask says orally.

"This is impossible! How can you be alive? Sailor Moon killed you, as I recall!"

"That's true", says Kunzite. "However, I had been revived by an unlikely but very welcome source of energy! Try & guess what it is!"

It didn't take too long for Tuxedo Mask to decipher what Kunzite meant, & it was a revelation that chilled his body & soul.

"You can't mean…!"

"Oh, yes I do!", said Kunzite. "I was revived by none other than Queen Beryl herself! After escaping her ordeal with Princess Serenity, she received enough power to revive me, & we both roamed the universe in search of a new army to conquer your world! We hit paydirt when we found those vicious, acid-blooded aliens, whose relentlessness surpasses even my own! In order to get them into this vicinity, Queen Beryl made contact with your professor Hoshino Sekizawa & pretended to be a benevolent soul! I myself arrived here on Earth & took the professor's identity for more than a year's time!"

"So upon the time Hoshino had made contact with Queen Beryl—it was you all along, was it not?", Tuxedo Mask surmised.

"Correct you are, Mamoru! Queen Beryl, as you now know, is the professor's female space visitor, & right now she & those monsters are raiding the Tanaka Space Station with your Sailor Soldier friends trapped aboard it with no way down!"

"So that's why you wanted the crew up in that station to greet her first! You knew those creatures were on that ship when it arrived the other day, & why it got there early!"

"Correct again, & we also knew the Sailor Soldiers would head up there to investigate, so Queen Beryl sabotaged all the escape shuttles & damaged the console that would activate the teleporter unit & bring then back to Earth! Once they're dead, this planet & everyone on it will join them once we unleash those aliens here!"

"And what did you do with the real Hoshino Sekizawa?", Tuxedo Mask demanded.

Kunzite chuckled. "You might say he's taking…an extended vacation!"

Tuxedo Mask—Mamoru—could not believe it at first. He thought it was just a ruse to get him riled up & drop his defense. But for the brief time he worked with Kunzite while as an unwilling servant of the Dark Kingdom, he learned that the man is anything but a liar, despite his reputation of being a vicious fighter in battle. He knew Kunzite was telling the truth, even if he loathed hearing it from him: he killed one of the proudest & most brilliant men Mamoru ever had the pleasure of learning from during his days in high school. Hoshino was more than a teacher—he had become sort of a father figure to him, being a substitute of sort for his real one who was killed too soon in life, along with his mother.

And now, he's been gone for over one year, being masqueraded by a man he never had any respect for, even when under Queen Beryl's control.

His pent-up anger finally explodes, & Tuxedo Mask wastes no time in displaying it.

"You son of a BITCH!", he hollers, charging at Kunzite with his cane raised like a sword, intending to use it as one. Kunzite easily dodges Tuxedo Mask's attack by moving to one side just as the man in black brings his weapon down, missing him completely. But his assault on him didn't end: with a swift kick, Tuxedo Mask clobbers Kunzite in the jaw with the heel of his shoe, & follows it up with a buffeting attack in the face with his black cane, hitting him on the side of his head. The blow sent Kunzite back a few steps & his vision caused him to see stars for an instant, blood dripping down the side of his mouth.

"Oh, struck a nerve, did I?", said Kunzite, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Impressive! It seems you've drawn first blood! Not many of my enemies have done that to me & lived to tell about it! Your fighting skills have improved since last we saw each other!"

Kunzite extended his arm out to his side & summons his Beretta by sheer force of will, as it flies into his hand by his mental. Once in possession of the gun, it shines & morphs into an energy blade, a weapon he primarily & admirably uses; so admirably, in fact, he forms another in his other hand, now having twin blades in his possession & ready to do battle.

"Come, Mamoru!", Kunzite says, spreading his arms. "Let's see just how much those skills of yours have improved by having a one-on-one with me—for old time's sake!"

Gritting his teeth in anger disgust, Tuxedo Mask rushes at his hated foe, his cane raised yet again.

Kunzite does the same, & both of their weapons clash.

CHAPTER VIII

Sailor Moon felt like she was asleep for an entire century before waking up,opening her eyes slowly & feeling nauseated, like she drank a whole bottle's worth of cough syrup. She shook her head to clear herself of the fog that swam through her vision, trying to recollect what had happened before her vision went black: she was in a room with her Sailor Soldier friends & comrades where they confronted Queen Beryl, who attacked them after an alien ambush with streams of black energy. Soon after she had disappeared, she & Sailor Star Fighter were abducted from above by aliens that…

Sailor Star Fighter!, she said to herself,remembering that she was taken along with her. Is she still alive like me?

Sailor Moon tried to move, but discovers that her arms, legs, & body were immobile, as if they were bound to something. The only thing she could move was her head, & even in the dimly lit room where visibility is mild at best, Sailor Moon can see that she was pinned to the wall by her body & appendages in a clear, epoxylike substance that has hardened, acting just like dried cement. She couldn't see very far in front of her because of the low lighting, but she has to make sure Sailor Star Fighter is all right.

"Sailor Star Fighter?", she whispers, keeping her voice down in case any aliens might be occupying the room with her.

When she doesn't get an immediate answer, she calls out her name again an octave higher.

"Sailor Star Fighter? Can you hear me?"

Suddenly she hears groaning from not too far a distance from where she is, & turns to the sound.

"Sailor Star Fighter?"

"Dumpling? Is that you?", Fighter says, relieving Sailor Moon to know she's still alive.

"Yes, it is! It's good to know you're still among the living!", said Sailor Moon. "You remember what happened?"

"Yes! Those aliens ambushed us, then Queen Beryl made an unwelcome appearance! Afterwards, you & I got snatched from above by those monsters & sent here, wherever 'here' is!"

"I don't know. It's quite dark, I can't see our surroundings that well at all. Can you?"

"No more than you can, I'm afraid. What's more, I'm pinned to the wall by something stiff & can't move my arms or legs. How about you?"

"Same here. I feel as if I'm part of the wall."

"Don't give up just yet. Somehow, I'll get free of my bonds & then help you out of yours."

"Thank you. Once we're both free, we'll try & locate…"

Without warning, lights started flickering on & off, putting Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter on full alert, despite their current handicap. It went dark again for a few seconds, then it lit up once more & stayed that way for good. Both Sailor Soldiers stayed silent as they saw a literal showroom of horror. The floor was full of alien eggs scattered all across the massive room which was once used for the crew's leisure activities, as the girls can see ping-pong tables thrashed against the walls, among other items. Several crew members were bonded to the wall as they were, all with a gaping hole in their chests & corpses of the spidery-like creatures which Sailor Star Healer aptly named 'facehuggers' lying near their feet. Dozens of full-grown aliens stood in all their hideous height, with some of them clinging to the walls like giant geckos, cleverly blending in with the wall itself as the perfect camoflauge, all giving a low hiss. This scenario was just like the first room Sailor Moon & her group stumbled upon shortly after they arrived aboard the Tanaka, only this was worse by a hundredfold on a grander scale.

But as awful as these sights were for the two captive Sailors, the worst was yet to come: a sound of rather heavy breathing suddenly came into existence & grabbed their attention. Both of them turned to the left, & what they saw made their eyes open all the way—it was a sight they could never have imagine in their worst nightmares. Even Sailor Star Fighter felt trepidation in her upon seeing this most awful of creatures, being the second time she's seen this living horror, a sight she still has not gotten used to seeing in the flesh. It was like the aliens they've battled all over the station, only this one was twice the size of the others, & then some. This new, much larger monster was shaped just slightly different from its kin, sprouting an extra set of smaller arms that jutted out of its chest, below its main pair of arms, & ended in three-fingered hands. Its head was also larger than the others, as it grew a massive cranial plate in the rear that branched out like a pair of antlers. In the rear of the creature was a very long, segmented tail that measured nearly twice the length of its body & ended in a sharp, pointed tip like the rest of its kind. Between the rear legs & tail was a large, tubular yellow sac of sort that resembled something like a piece of an intestine track which ballooned itself to giant size. The sac was supported by thick strands of the same clear resin that now holds the two Sailor Soldiers captive; the sac looked really heavy to begin with.

At the end of the sac was a hole just large enough to deposit the two-foot high oval eggs in a thin layer of the translucent substance. Watching this event unfold made Sailor Moon reach a frightening conclusion, one she shares orally with Sailor Star Fighter.

"Fighter, is this the alien queen you guys were referring to before?", Sailor Moon asks to be sure, turning her head to her trapped companion.

"You bet it is, Sailor Moon!", Fighter quickly responds. "This is the bitch we had to locate & destroy in our fair metropolis in order to really end the threat there! Until we did, the nightmare just kept on going, & Queen Beryl plans on doing the same to your city—and spread this terror worldwide on your planet!"

"That's never going to happen—not if I have anything to say about it!", Sailor Moon firmly says, struggling even harder than before to bust free & live up to her promise of preventing these horrors from setting foot on planet Earth.

Good for you, Sailor Moon! I knew you would say that, & you won't have to do so alone, not so long as I & the rest of us live & breathe!, Sailor Star Fighter says to herself, straining & struggling herself to get free of her epoxylike prison, but both discover doing so is much tougher than each one suspects: when it's a gooey mess & wet, it's not so difficult to get it off you, but when it hardens, it's like trying to break free of wax, only harder.

But aside from the difficulties of getting free, the two Sailor Soldiers cannot give up trying to do so—not if the Earth is to survive, & Queen Beryl is to pay for her heinous crime.

Realizing what her two new victims are about to do, the alien queen turns to the one who's closer—Sailor Moon, about ten feet away—and emits a low screech, scaring her & forcing her to cease her attempt to get herself free. Sailor Moon & the queen lock their sights on each other, having been mesmerized with one another for some reason, even for a brief period of time; Sailor Star Fighter is herself, stopping as well when the queen let out her eerie call. When the queen was done checking out the Moon Princess, she turns her attention downwards toward Sailor Moon's lower section & hisses lowly again—so lowly it was barely audible.

Both Sailor Soldiers do the same & what they see only one yard away from Sailor Moon's feet made their hearts palpitate like mad: an egg!

Sailor Star Fighter curses herself mentally for not noticing it before, let alone decipher just as to why she & Sailor Moon were brought to this room with the alien queen occupying it. They both should have realized it—those who the aliens don't kill right away & get snatched are then brought to the queen, where her eggs await to get impregnated with an embryo by the spider-like facehuggers that hatch & erupt from them.

Now it's their turn, beginning with Sailor Moon.

The leathery, oval object opens at the top like some ghastly, hideous flower covered in clear goo. Sailor Moon's heart now starts pounding harder than it did before, as does Fighter's own, knowing the time is drawing near for the nasty surprise to come. Sailor Moon's struggles are more desperate, using every ounce of strength in her body to get free from what awaits her. Sailor Star Fighter does the same, pressing herself to go forth, despite the uncomfortable strain it's taking her in the attempt. Her persision pays off, however: the dried resin that adhesively binds her to the wall begins to crack & chip away, & finally breaks off completely with one swing of her arms. She then works quickly & frantically to get her legs free of her binds, using her star brooch, which thankfully was on her persona when she was taken away.

"Star Serious…Laser!", Fighter calls out, pointing her brooch down & uses its white beam to cut through her leg encasements. The white energy beam goes through hardened resin like a spoon through pudding. Once she's totally free, Fighter runs to Sailor Moon's aide, but several of the aliens leap & pounce on the otherwordly Sailor Soldier, their weight bringing her down like living sandbags. Because of this swift attack, Fighter never got a chance to use her primary weapon against the creatures, & being caught off-guard, she drops it into a cluster of eggs.

"Sailor Moon!", Sailor Star Fighter yells, fighting frantically to get the aliens off of her in time to rescue her friend from a horrible fate, who still struggles to get loose.

Try as she might, Sailor Star Fighter was no match for the alien armada whose physical strength was more than she can handle. She shouts her friend's name again as she is forcefully taken to an already open egg, while a lone alien approaches Sailor Moon & grabs her head to force her to stare down at her own egg; the Moon Princess was no more successful at resisting the alien's strength that Fighter was: even her great physical strength couldn't compare to the alien's own. She can only watch as she witnesses several yellow spider legs appear & wriggle like fingers at the egg's open top.

The same thing happens with Fighter's egg.

"SAILOR MOON!", Sailor Star Fighter screams at the top of her lungs, unable to prevent a dreadful event from happening to someone she deeply cares for, much less to herself. No matter how hard she tries, she can do nothing except watch.

The facehugger creatures emerge further from their birthright,exposing themselves more to both Sailors, each of them watching with no eyes. Before Sailor Moon knew it, the thing launched itself at her & covers her face, obscuring her vision as it turns pitch black all around.

Seconds after, the same thing occurs to Sailor Star Fighter.

The Sailor Soldiers barely survived the alien swarm they encountered being on the trail of finding their two missing companions, wiping them out with their attacks & dodging their acidic blood, some of which had burned a portion of Sailor Star Maker's hair, but did no permanent damage. Now moving on pure adrenaline & utter fear, the Sailors race off to get to Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter before their worst nightmare comes true. Aliens have impeded & delayed their search for their friends, making surprise attacks by showing up out of nowhere, but with equal determination, the Sailors relentlessly press their attacks on the creatures, blowing holes into them & sending them crashing lifeless to the floor: nothing, but nothing, was going to stop them from getting to Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter, & they'll be tremendous hell to pay for anyone or anything that gets in their path—aliens, Queen Beryl, or otherwise.

That especially went for Queen Beryl, the one-time ruler of the Dark Kingdom who had masterminded the whole thing for more than a year, pretending to be a friendly soul from another world & visit Earth to share secrets humans don't have possession of. The only thing she's offered was a species of deadly alien creatures whose solitary purpose is to reproduce & kill: no doubt many worlds & planets got ruined & uninhabitable because of them. First, she discarded the beasts on the Sailor Starlights' own world, & while their terror had been confined only to their capital city, the death toll was still quite staggering. Soon, Beryl brought the aliens to the Tanaka Space Station, & trapped the Sailors with them, severing all means of escape to die aboard it. Once she got confirmation of their deaths, Queen Beryl will send the horrors to the planet itself & they will eradicate every living thing in sight, with little or no opposition.

So far, it hasn't happened.

They need to be sure it doesn't.

It became more difficult for the Sailor Soldiers to get nearer to where the aliens have taken Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter; not because the girls were getting reckless, but because of something more obvious.

"We must be getting closer to the alien's lair!", Sailor Saturn says, slicing an alien in half with her sickle staff, followed by another. "The closer we approach, the more of these monsters show up to stop us!"

"Mercury, time is getting short!", Sailor Star Maker stated, blowing away two more aliens with her 'Star Gentle Uterus' attack. "How much further do we need to go to rescue our friends?"

Sailor Mercury checks her mini computer swiftly, but not before freezing an alien using her 'Shine Aqua Illusion' attack. "We're in luck! The signal from Sailor Moon's communicator is at its strongest, & it's coming from down this hallway at the very end, into the room beyond it to the left!"

"It's about time!", said Sailor Venus. "Let's move it, everyone! Double-time it, aliens or no!"

The girls all nod & start to run,when they hear a loud, boisterous noise coming from down the hallway in the direction the Sailors would go.

It was a scream—a human scream.

And it sounded very familiar, as it could belong to only one person.

"Fighter!", they all shouted,racing down the hallway & fearing the worst. Were they too late after all? Or would they get there in time to stop what they know is inevitable?

They don't know, & they won't know until they get there.

In a surprisingly empty passageway, the Sailor Soldiers have made good time in reaching the end of the hall, seeing a door on either side of the wall: the door on the right side matters nothing, but the one on the left is where they need to go. As desperate as the girls are to reach their two friends, they can't help but wonder why the aliens didn't attack them while racing down the hall. It couldn't be because the Sailors were too much for them to handle; the aliens seem like the type of species to mow down anything in their path, a fact more than proven. No,there was another motive as to why they've not attacked.

They can't worry about that right now.

They have friends who need rescuing—fast.

Before they permanently lose them.

A shot was heard erupting in the room up ahead as the girls race to it, knowing it was Sailor Star Fighter's primary attack. Getting within reach of their destination, the door on the left opens up & two aliens emerge. The Sailor Soldiers immediately brace themselves for action, but find out it would be pointless, & the girls discover why.

Both aliens are dead, due to a gaping, smoking hole in their chests.

The deceased creatures slump to the floor on their stomachs, smoke rising from the hole on their backs.

"What the hell? Did Fighter do this?", wondered Sailor Star Maker. Her answer had come moments later when Sailor Star Fighter appeared from the room, carrying an unconscious Sailor Moon in her arms like a married man carrying his newlywed wife, but this was no blissful nuptial for either Sailor Soldier. With Sailor Moon's head buried in Fighter's chest, the latter Sailor cried constantly, her tears flowing like a river as the door closed behind them.

"Fighter!", said Sailor Jupiter. "Are you all right? What happened to you? How's Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Star Fighter didn't say a word. Instead, she simply just turned & faced the other Sailor Soldiers with wet, teary eyes. She remained silent, but any words at this point weren't necessary—a series of marks were shown on both sides of Fighter's face in a horizontal position, like something squeezed hard enough to leave. The Sailors all gasped in fright: they were the same kind of marks Shindo had on his own face just before he began coughing violently, as he had an alien in his chest, waiting to burst out.

"No! It can't be!", Sailor Star Healer said defiantly, refusing to believe her own eyes. "You became impregnated by one of those monsters?"

"I'm not the only one", Sailor Star Fighter said in a sobbing voice. She exposed Sailor Moon's own face to the rest. No one could say anything, because the sight was just as scary as anything they can ever imagine—Sailor Moon had the same marks upon her face as Fighter's, & tears formed in the eyes of the rest of the Sailor Soldiers as their greatest fear becomes a reality.

Sailor Moon has been impregnated herself by the aliens!

Too late. They all arrived too damn late to rescue their companions, more particularly their Princess, who now has an alien monster growing inside her chest, along with Fighter. The Sailors mentally kicked & cursed themselves for not getting to them in time, & with it being more than a half hour since they were both snatched away, there's no telling how soon the aliens within them will be fully developed & attempt to break out of their chests, killing them both when they do.

Sailor Star Fighter gently places Sailor Moon down onto the floor & cries, burying her face in her hands.

"Princess", Sailor Saturn sobs, feeling like she could die.

"Usagi", Sailor Mars cries, approaching Sailor Moon along with Sailor Venus. They, along with Sailor Jupiter, feel the most guilty about their Princess' condition: just the other day over at the Fruit Parlor Crown, the three cracked a joke about the female space traveler professor Hoshino Sekizawa made contact with being an evil alien wanting to punish those for not studying for exams by planting a seed within them & later bursting through their chests. They regretted it now, big time, because that's exactly what's going to happen in a horrible way, & that these aliens are anything but a joke.

Sailor Mercury isn't completely innocent, either: she once stated to Usagi that what the trio who made fun of her at the Crown wasn't the female's intention. It was, & worse yet, it was the plan of an enemy long thought to be defeated & gone. Even if she had no way of knowing this beforehand, it didn't begin to comfort Mercury, because not only did it happen, neither she nor the other Sailor Soldiers have the foggiest idea on how to save either her or Fighter.

Opening her eyes slowly, Sailor Moon sees her friends all crying at her, finding not one dry eye in the bunch.

"Everyone, what's happened? What's wrong?", she softly says, wondering.

"You mean you don't remember?", Sailor Star Fighter sobs. "One of those things…I tried so hard to stop them…& I failed! I'm so sorry, Sailor Moon! Please forgive me!"

Fighter wraps her arms around her dear friend & cries uncontrollably on her shoulder. The Moon Princess tries to recall events in her mind since she last blacked out suddenly, being twice in quite a short period of time. She remembers being secured to the wall with Sailor Star Fighter in the alien queen's lair, with many eggs laying around all over the place, with one opening in front of her, a facehugger launching itself at her face…

Her face! Now it all came back to her in a flash. Seeing the flowing tears in the eyes of her friends made it clear of what happened, & why she blacked out.

But she still had to ask to be sure anyway.

"Everyone, I'm carrying one of those aliens inside of me just like Shindo & the rest of the people on this station, aren't I? Aren't I?"

When no one gave her an answer, it only cemented the indisputable proof.

The moment was made even more gloomy when a sinister, maniacal laugh echoed the corridor where they were, one the Sailor Soldiers are familiar with.

Queen Beryl.

She doesn't show herself this time, but her creepy voice makes it feel to the girls like she is.

"How right you are, Sailor Moon!", Beryl says. "You & your friend Sailor Star Fighter are both impregnated with one of the alien monstrosities within your chests! What's more, while your friend only has a warrior, you, Sailor Moon, are carrying a queen, & now it's just a matter of time before the inevitable happens! I will ENJOY watching both of you die when the alien embryos burst from your chests in puddles of your own blood, making my revenge all the more sweet!"

Queen Beryl laughs wickedly again over the demise the two impregnated Sailors will meet, but it converts the other Sailor's feelings from sorrow & dread to determination & rage.

"Shut up!", Sailor Jupiter shouts at the unseen Beryl. "Despite how grim their situation is, we will find a way to save them both from the aliens within!"

"You heard her!", shouted Sailor Mars. "Don't think this battle is a foregone conclusion, just because two of our team is impregnated!"

"You Sailor Soldiers are more foolish than I thought!", Queen Beryl stated. "No one has ever survived an embryo implantation once the host is infected! I told you I had a more fitting demise for all of you, & it has now come to fruition! Enjoy these last moments of Sailor Moon's & Sailor Star Fighter's lives—while you can!"

"Damn you to Hell, Beryl!", shouted Sailor Venus, not giving a rat's ass whether she was still listening or not. Mixed in with the sorrow for not rescuing Sailor Moon & Fighter in time, the Sailor Soldiers are boiling over with an anger they've not felt in quite a while, & Queen Beryl is just that type of person anyone'd want to tear the head off of & use it for a bowling ball. She is everything one would expect of: malevolent, callous, methodical, devious, bleak, malicious, & down-right cold. Between her, Galaxia, or even Demonia—the space huntress who wanted Sailor Moon's head for a retirement trophy—it's hard to tell who was worse.

Then again, being insane will make one all of that, & more.

Still mentally grieving over the horrible events, Sailor Pluto regains her composure & breaks the eerie silence. "Everyone, I know that this is a grave matter for us all, but we still have a mission to complete, namely preventing those monsters from setting foot on Earth!"

"We've not forgotten our objective", Sailor Star Healer says, "but what about Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter? There has to be a way to save them!"

"She's right! If we do nothing, Queen Beryl will have the last laugh, something we have no intention of giving her!", Sailor Star Maker says.

"Starlights", Sailor Saturn steps in, "I assure you, we will do everything in our power to save the both of them before the worst, but right now we must keep fighting on, if Earth has a chance!"

"That may be difficult", Sailor Neptune added. "I don't know about Fighter, but Sailor Moon is probably too scared now to do so, not that I blame her. If I had a monster inside my chest just waiting to burst out, I'd be scared myself."

Sailor Moon sits on the floor where Fighter placed her & hears Neptune's words to the letter. Neptune was right: she is scared. In fact, she's very scared—this is one enemy that can kill her in a method none of her previous foes have done, & that's from the inside of her. She has never battled an enemy with this kind of method, & Sailor Moon didn't know how to deal with or prevent the inevitable any more than the others did.

That's when she remembers something what Luna said to her at her home the other night, just before the big day.

Usagi sits on her bed, worried (& more or less frightened) about the possibility of trouble occurring with professor Hoshino Sekizawa's discovery, like the incident with the Snow Queen a while back.

Luna offers her words of encouragement.

"There will be times in your life when you will face things that may & will frighten you. When those times arrive, you need to be strong, stand up, & face your fear head-on, no matter how frightening they may be. Once you do that, you'll feel like a mountain of strength, & nothing can stop you."

As usual, Luna was right: she's faced many dire/scary situations in the past & she's always come through on top, & part of the reason as to why she does is for the courage & love for her friends & the planet she adores so much. Even in this situation—with an alien in her chest & an entire space station full of them—there is a light at the end of the tunnel, & Sailor Moon is hell-bent on finding it, or die trying.

For her friends and for the Earth.

Brushing her fears aside, Sailor Moon rises to her feet defiantly, much to everyone's amazement & surprise. She looks at her friends like an Army drill instructor inspecting his troops, her gaze easily read by all, but she speaks anyway.

"Everyone, I know this is a scary moment for all of us, with me & Sailor Star Fighter being impregnated by one of those monsters, but Sailor Pluto is right: we have to make certain these aliens don't reach Earth, no matter what. I may lose my life in the attempt, but if I'm going to go down, at least I'll take those creatures with me! We're the Earth's only hope, so let's move!"

The Sailor Soldiers—while scared of what's yet to come—are so proud of Sailor Moon's courage & determination of eradicating the aliens & rescuing the planet. She may still not be the toughest physical fighter of the group (that honor probably going to the Outer Sailors & Starlights themselves), but she can be counted on to get her wits together when the shit really goes down, & needless to say, this is that time for it, along with several other things.

Time to be courageous.

Time to wipe out the aliens that have caused over a thousand deaths in hours.

Time to take care of Queen Beryl once & for all.

Time to save Earth.

And finally, time to get the hell off this death trap by whatever means necessary.

"You couldn't be more right, Dumpling", said Sailor Star Fighter, wrapping her arms around her neck in a warm embrace. "Like yourself, if I or any of us die this day, then let's all make sure those alien bastards join us in death!"

"I can live with that. If we don't survive, then neither will they!", Sailor Moon says.

"Glad you're seeing the bigger picture in spite of your dread, Sailor Moon", said Sailor Mercury.

"There's still the problem of getting off this station aside from our friend's alien impregnation", Sailor Star Maker reminds them. "With the teleporter unit down, we are in quite the fix!"

"Then there's no choice but to try & patch it up as best we can", said Sailor Venus.

Sailor Star Healer turns to her. "That will be difficult. We don't know heads or tails on how it works, & even if we did, there may not be enough time to fix it up before the aliens overrun us."

"I know, but what choice is there left for us? It may very well be our last chance of getting ourselves off this station. We shouldn't leave out this opportunity, regardless of how slim it may be to us."

It did not take long for Healer to comprehend that Venus was right. "All right, you win. Let's get to that unit, fix it, & get the hell off this nightmare."

"Thank you, Healer", Sailor Venus says, sharing a smile with her companion.

"Let's get to it, then", said Sailor Uranus. "Every second we waste is one in the favor of the aliens—and Queen Beryl."

"I have good news on the teleporter unit", said Sailor Mercury. "We're only a few rooms away from it where we're standing. I discovered this while scanning the station with my computer when searching for Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter. I would've mentioned it sooner, but rescuing our teammates came first, of course."

"Good going, Mercury", praised Sailor Mars. "Which way do we go from here?"

"That's the bad news about it. The quickest way to get there is through the room Sailor Star Fighter & Sailor Moon emerged from. The other door leads to a dead-end room, with no doors anywhere."

"But that door leads to the room where the alien queen herself resides at!", Fighter says. "Going back in there is like…"

"Going into the lion's den", Sailor Neptune finishes for her. "We know the feeling, but we have no other alternative."

"Therefore, it's us or them", said Sailor Pluto. "Take your pick."

"Them, of course", said Sailor Jupiter. "But if the queen really is in there, no doubt so will the other aliens, & they'll overwhelm & kill us to protect the queen like ants safeguarding their own from enemies!"

"Maybe not", said Sailor Moon, all eyes turning to her. "Since Fighter & myself are carrying an alien within us, they'll most likely keep their distance & not endanger their lives in any way."

"Sailor Moon may have something", Sailor Saturn says. "These monsters are like ants, & the drones will do nothing to put their queen in any jeopardy, hatchling or full grown. Queen Beryl said it herself: they live only to reproduce & conquer. They're survivors, & part of their survival is ensuring the safety of the queen."

"So if we pretend to threaten to kill the queen within Sailor Moon…"

Sailor Mars' answer was finished by Sailor Star Maker. "They'll keep their distance, & give us a safe passage to the exit."

"They may not do so in full, but it's our best shot, so let's take advantage of it while there's still time left", concluded Sailor Star Healer.

"Everyone ready?", asked Sailor Moon.

They all nodded, as did the Moon Princess herself.

It was now or never; Sailor Star Fighter goes up to the door on the left side of the wall & presses the button to open it up. Sailor Moon takes lead & enters first, followed by Uranus, Saturn, & all the rest. The Sailor Soldiers enter the room cautiously, even when the aliens retreat slowly when Sailor Moon shows herself, the monstrosities knowing all too well she carries an unborn queen in her. Aside from Sailor Moon & the Starlights, the Sailor Soldiers are awestruck by the alien queen's appearance, seeing the gargantuan creature for the first time, surveying the girls from the rear of the room. The queen hisses lowly at the Sailors with contempt, being that close to the queen's 'successor'. The feeling was more than mutual with the girls: this monster implanted one of its own in a person they all care for & love very much with every fiber of their being. The hate for the aliens in each of the Sailors was growing rapidly, & they fear they may not be able to contain it much longer.

For the moment, they have to, if Earth is to live.

Slowly but surely, the Sailors inch their way to the door on their right just seventy feet away, never taking their sights off the aliens for any reason. From behind, Sailor Uranus wraps her left arm around Sailor Moon's neck & points her sword in her right hand at her chest, smack dab in the middle. Sailor Saturn does the same with her sickle staff.

"What…?", asks a surprised Sailor Moon.

"Easy, Dumpling. Don't forget: this is part of the plan, so play along, all right?", Sailor Uranus gently whispers in her ear, a reassuring smile on her face. She looks at Saturn, who does the same, & at that point she remembers what it is they're planning, nodding her approval.

The other Sailors themselves follow their pattern & play along, seeing it's the perfect ploy to reach the other door without too much hassle.

"Keep your distance, you vile & vicious creatures!", Sailor Saturn barks. "Do you see where our blades are aimed at? All we need to do is make one quick thrust, & we will kill this girl along with your unborn queen if any of you dare to take one step toward us!"

All the aliens—including the full-grown queen—screech in protest against the threat against the young queen inside Sailor Moon. Despite their low intelligence level (sans the queen), the alien warriors keep their distance, doing nothing to force the hand of the two Sailors from doing an act of homicide—an act that's really a fib.

But the aliens don't know that.

"It would seem Sailor Moon had been right all along", Sailor Star Healer noted. "These monsters won't do a damn thing to her because of what she carrying inside!"

"Good! That will give me the perfect chance to do…this!", Sailor Mars snaps, unable to contain the rage within her any longer, for fear that it will consume her if she does not release it, & now is the perfect time & place to do it.

"Fire…Soul!", she calls out, putting her hands together & pointing both index fingers. A high velocity flame shoots from her fingers, & Mars uses this combustible element to fry every egg in the room alive, turning them into charred remains. The queen screeches loudly in protest at seeing her unborn brethren burn to death as the other Sailors unleash their own attacks, also out of rage & fury, despite several attacking aliens.

"Crescent…Beam!", Sailor Venus calls out, pointing her right index finger & firing a yellow energy beam, penetrating a trio of creatures & killing each one.

"Supreme…Thunder!", Sailor Jupiter calls out.

"Star Sensitive…Inferno!", Sailor Star Healer calls out.

Both of their attacks send deadly bolts of lightning at ten advancing aliens, all of which get caught in their web, cooking the creatures alive, their own blood boiling them to death.

These aliens drop to the floor, but still more take the place of the fallen.

Still, the Sailors fight on.

"Star Gentle…Uterus!", Sailor Star Maker calls out, firing white energy balls from her star brooch, blowing pieces of half a dozen aliens upon contact. Coming out from behind Sailor Moon, Sailor Uranus instructs Sailor Saturn to keep her staff trained on her, while she, Neptune, & Pluto prepare to make an attack that will buy them enough time for a fast exit out. Sailor Mercury sees what the Outer Sailors plan to do, & nod.

"Mercury…Aqua Rhapsody!", she calls out, creating & playing her water harp, unleashing a volley of water streams that knock back the aliens, making a clear path to their true target—the alien queen's egg sac.

"World…Shaking!", Sailor Uranus calls out, her hand creating golden energy & she slams it down to the floor, creating a golden ball with a ring around it that races forward.

"Deep…Submerge!", Sailor Neptune calls out, throwing her hands above her head, creating a ball of turquoise energy & places them forward, shooting it.

"Dead Scream!", Sailor Pluto calls out, pointing her Garnet Rod forward & shooting forth a purple ball of energy from the heart-shaped Talisman at the top.

Each one of their shots combine as one, creating a multi-colored ball of energy. The ball rams into the queen's egg sac & detonates on impact with powerful force, showering the place with gooey chunks of leather & unborn fetuses/embryos. The alien queen herself is thrown by the force of the blast into a wall, denting it & creating a crater of some sort. She sluggishly tries to pick herself up, screeching angrily as she does. Several more aliens leap at the attacking Sailors to avenge their queen, but Sailor Star Fighter unleashes her own attack upon them.

"Star Serious…Laser!", she calls out, firing her white energy beam at the airborne creatures, blasting their heads & blowing them to bloody chunks; the headless corpses drop like flies with a sick thud.

The alien queen continues to get up on her feet, having assistance from several of her 'children'. Knowing she'll be more dangerous than ever at this stage, Sailor Star Healer urges the Sailor Soldiers to get going before they are overwhelmed.

"Let's move, everyone! I don't trust these alien shits to stay off of us for long!", she bellows, rushing to the door to the next room with the rest right behind her. Even as they were hurrying over to the door, the aliens were in hot pursuit, ready to tear them all apart except for Sailor Moon. Despite being impregnated, Sailor Star Fighter wasn't immune to the creature's assaults, as they will sacrifice every warrior to keep the queen safe, even an unborn one.

That suited Fighter just fine; she wouldn't want any sympathy from these vile & dangerous creatures anyway.

"Get through! Hurry!", Healer urged, rushing out of the room & into the next: an area that has multiple tools & gadgets placed on tables & walls, from welders to drills. Sailor Moon was the last to exit, with Sailor Saturn still pointing her staff at her chest, making sure the aliens don't pursue the girls any further. Saturn then removes her staff away from Sailor Moon & closes the door, when the aliens ran right into it, creating a noticeable dent of about two inches. Sailor Moon & the rest pull away from the door & see more dents being pounded into it the size of soccer balls. The girls are stunned by the monster's strength: Hoshino constructed the station with all the toughest materials a wealthy man can conjure up, & the aliens are pounding the metal like it was made out of paper or clay.

"Damn, they're strong!", Sailor Star Maker says. "At this rate, those bastards will be through in mere moments!"

"Unless we make it tougher for them to get through!", said Sailor Mercury, taking point.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!", she calls out, splashing a tidal wave of water at the door which freezes instantly, covering it in a very thick wall of slick, shiny ice.

"Good move, Mercury!", praised Sailor Venus. "That will strengthen the wedge & keep them off us for a nice amount of time!"

"Nevertheless, let's not push our luck! The teleporter unit is just ahead, so let's use the time we have & get to it!"

"Right!", the Sailors all said in unison.

Like running in a multiple-meter dash at a decathlon, the Sailor Soldiers make haste in a frenzied attempt to reach their only ticket back to Earth before the aliens swarm over them—a high possibility still, despite countless defeats at the girl's hands. This space station had housed over a thousand people, & even less than fifty can do the job of conquering them with ease. Keeping that in mind, the Sailors don't dare drop their guard, even for the slightest of instances: one wrong move can be their last, & with their destination within their grasp, they make sure not to blow it.

Amazingly, since Sailor Mercury showered the door to the alien's hive with a thick wall of ice, the deadly creatures have not been seen or heard of. But the girls all know better than to believe for them to cease & desist in their hunt for them—these are truly the most vicious forms of life they've ever had the misfortune of running into in all their careers as Sailor Soldiers. They show no mercy, they're relentless, as Sailor Mars stated earlier, they don't know when to quit, they can't be reasoned with, & the most important thing anyone should know about them is their lifestyle is one of simplicity: they live only to kill, breed, & survive. To them, they will always win, all because they are unclouded by human emotions of any kind such as love, anger, sorrow, or anything else that would cause a human to hesitate to carry out his/her task to completion. These creatures don't rely on such things—all they need is their killer instinct, & their unequaled ferocity to get them through life. They seem as vicious as the alien hunters known as the Predators, if such a thing was possible, & that's saying quite a lot for them. To see any planet—including the Earth itself—overrun with these malicious beasts is basically non-existent with Sailor Moon & the other Sailor Soldiers, & whether they survive their ordeal with them or not, there's no way in Hell they'll see (or allow) Earth to be inhabited by acid-blooded nightmares.

As one would say, 'the buck stops here'.

With Sailor Pluto up front, the Sailors enter a new room that has computer consoles on both ends to the girl's left & right, & a huge metal circle placed in the center of it. The spherical object stood about twenty feet in height & width on a small metal podium, only six inches from off the ground. Even though the girls are seeing it for the first time, they all knew what it was.

"This must be the teleporter unit of the Tanaka!", Sailor Mars replies. "I'm sure of it!"

"It seems we've hit the jackpot!", Sailor Venus says.

"Now all we need to do is to get it working again, so we can leave!", said Sailor Star Maker.

"That'll be even more difficult than locating it. Take a look for yourself", Sailor Neptune says, pointing to the console to the right, revealing a surprise that was expected, & yet wasn't. A big portion of it had been pulverized & torn beyond recognition: metal was twisted, wires were cut & sparking with electrical life but activating nothing, & monitors were either showing waving lines, snow, or nothing at all. The Sailor Soldiers were devastated—they did expect to see damage done to the controls, as Queen Beryl described she caused to it, but they never thought it would be this bad.

Sailor Uranus ran to the damaged console & picks up a loose transformer in her hand, examining it. She could hardly stay in self-control as she throws the useless item into the gaping hole in disgust.

"SHIT!", she barked.

"Uranus!", Neptune called to her, approaching her side.

"So close, & yet so far!", said Uranus. "It would seem Queen Beryl has thought of every contingency to keep us aboard this station!"

"You heard her say she sabotaged the controls for the unit, like the rest of us did!"

"I know! I just couldn't believe her in full at first!" Sailor Uranus turns to Sailor Star Maker. "It would seem you were right, Maker—we are in quite the fix!"

"That's still no reason to give up!", said Sailor Star Healer, giving the Outer Sailor a heartfelt smile. "None of you—Sailor Moon in particular—would give up when Galaxia invaded your world, & that battle taught Maker, Fighter, & myself not to run from our problems, but to stand & fight to the end! This doesn't strike me as being any different! Am I right?"

Sailor Uranus returns the gesture. "It seems the students have learned well since their last semester!"

"Students, are we?", Sailor Star Maker says sarcastically, smirking.

Sailor Neptune lets out a small giggle. "Don't take it personally. She means to say that you Starlights did great during that battle, even when Uranus & I turned traitor temporarily to throw Galaxia off-guard."

"Thank you", said Sailor Star Fighter.

"While I hate to spoil the moment", Sailor Jupiter intervenes, "we're still faced with the same dilemma—how can we get back to Earth with everything out of working order?"

The Sailor Soldiers remained silent for a while, trying to come up with a solution on how to return home. There weren't many options left for them to try, if at all; Queen Beryl planned this to a 'T'—finding the aliens, passing off as a benevolent lifeform for one professor Hoshino Sekizawa (who was killed & replaced by a resurrected Kunzite of the Dark Kingdom who masqueraded him, a fact the Sailors are unaware of), smuggling the aliens aboard the station & getting the girls up to it, & cutting all means of escape to ensure they die here. To make matters worse, both Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter have been implanted by the creatures, the former with a queen, the latter with a regular warrior, with no telling of when they will force themselves out of their hosts & kill them. With time being short, the girls need to come up with a solution to both of their current problems, or Queen Beryl wins.

But even the best laid plans can have a flaw or two in them.

The Sailor Soldiers just need to find that flaw.

After what felt like an eternity of finding an answer is actually only three seconds before Sailor Mercury comes up with it.

"There's no other choice—we have to try using our power to teleport, no matter how drained we may be from fighting the aliens!"

"Even if we succeed, what about Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter?", wondered Sailor Star Healer. "We still need to remove the aliens within them without killing them in the process!"

"We can worry about our conditions once we're back on Earth!", said Sailor Moon. "Right now, the safety of the planet comes first! Uranus told me not to be afraid before, so I won't! I'll keep on fighting until these monsters are purged & no longer a threat!"

Sailor Pluto smiles. "That's our Princess! Don't worry: after we defeat the aliens & Queen Beryl, we'll find a way to save you & Fighter from…"

Pluto is stopped short of her sentence when Sailor Moon starts grunting loudly, grabbing her chest with both hands & dropping down to the floor, her chest feeling like a river of fire burning within.

"Sailor Moon!", cried Sailor Star Fighter, when the same feeling suddenly hits her in her own chest as she, too, crashes to the floor.

"Sailor Star Fighter!", cried Sailor Star Healer.

The Sailor Soldiers all rushed over to their two fallen comrades, their confident attitudes converting into deep trepidation & worry.

"I think the aliens are fully adapted & ready to come out!", noted Sailor Mercury.

"What the hell can we do to help them?", said a scared Sailor Mars, the fear evident in her voice.

"I-I don't know", said Sailor Jupiter, feeling as helpless as anyone else. For all their vaulted strength & power, the Sailor Soldiers can do little, if anything, to save Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter from the horror that now forces themselves out of their living hosts. Both impregnated Sailors grab their chests with their arms, like they were giving themselves a bear hug. But there was nothing cuddly about what was coming, as the excruciating pain continues to feed the fire inside them, causing the two to cough violently, spitting up their own blood in the process. They always feared this the most; that one of them would get implanted by one of the aliens with an embryo, but it was twice as worse as they thought. Not only was more than one of them a victim of this terrible fate, but the person each one cherished most of all—Sailor Moon—would be the one. It would've been no different if it was any of them in general, but in Sailor Moon's case, it was most dire.

Thin streams of blood started dripping down from the mouths & noses of the impregnated Sailors.

The pain in their chests became staggering.

Sailor Star Maker took Fighter's hand as Sailor Saturn took Sailor Moon's in a last attempt to give them the strength to stay strong & somehow save themselves.

"Princess! Sailor Star Fighter!", Saturn says to them, tears once again forming in her & everyone's eyes. "Please don't give up! Fight the creatures within you! You can beat them! We know you can!"

"Remember the promise we made to Shindo?", said Sailor Uranus. "Are you going to let him down, followed by the Earth itself?"

Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter only half-heard Uranus, their thoughts mainly on the unbearable pain they now endure, getting worse by the second. Finally, neither Sailor could stand the pain any longer & both yell out in a banshee-like scream that echoed the room. Everyone yelled out their names as Sailor Moon's & Fighter's visions turned white all around.

The young aliens finally emerge from their chests.

Glaring their small but deadly needle-teeth, the infant aliens screech as they exit the chests of Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter completely, but not one drop of blood from either Sailor has been spilled, let alone splattered anywhere; the reason for this is the tears which formed from the girl's eyes have consciously activated the Silver Crystal Sailor Moon keeps inside her heart-shaped brooch & opens a portal of some kind on their chests, allowing the infant creatures to pass on through harmlessly without killing the Sailor Soldier hosts. During this little miracle, the eruption of the aliens through their chests felt no worse to Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter than a doctor's syringe being injected into them to be vaccinated from a disease at the office, & that's something even Sailor Moon (Usagi) herself can handle.

Everyone breathes a heavy sigh of relief, seeing their two companions alive & well after a harrowing, horrible experience. Sensing the immediate danger had passed, the Silver Crystal ceases its shine & the infant aliens survey their surroundings, each curled up on the two Sailor's chests like curious snakes, staring at the girls, who stare back with more irate feelings than with fascination. These little monstrosities have caused agonizing pain to two people they adore very much, & nearly succeeded in ending their lives this day—they'd all like nothing more than crush the life out of them with their bare hands, acid blood or not.

That also goes for Sailor Moon & Fighter themselves. Usually, the former has a soft spot for just about all living things, but she makes a happy exception with these monsters, being nothing but teeth, fight, viciousness, & death all rolled into one. Very slowly, the two Sailors move their hands closer to their inhuman 'children' to grab them when they least expect it.

Suddenly, they make their move: Sailor Star Fighter snatches her chestbursting alien with ease, but Sailor Moon wasn't so lucky. The infant queen became too fast for her to grab, as it leaps away with lightning speed & launches itself at its nearest first victim, Sailor Mercury, who cannot get out of its path in time, being caught off-guard & too scared to do so.

Mercury didn't have to lift a finger; like a striking snake herself, Sailor Uranus lashes out at the advancing alien with her right hand & grabs the newborn nightmare in the blink of an eye, moving like her namesake, 'the Soldier of Wind'.

"Don't even think about it, you little alien bitch!", she growls, staring at the creature with a malevolent glare that can melt steel as it screeches helplessly in protest, snapping its jaws that bite only empty air. Uranus looks at Fighter, still holding the alien that came from her chest, & nods. In unison, both Sailors snap the necks of the young aliens like twigs with a fast crick, ending their lives before they could even begin & drop them to the floor, squirting not one drop of their acidic blood on their hands or anywhere else.

Now it was Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter's turn to unleash a sigh of relief, surviving an ordeal that would've killed them for sure.

"Are you all right, Dumpling?", asks Fighter, getting to her feet & helping Sailor Moon do the same.

"Yes. It's comforting to see you are, too", she returns.

"What was that light before? Your Star Seed?"

"No, that was Sailor Moon's Silver Crystal", Sailor Venus explains. "She had obtained it at some time ago when we were ambushed by two of Queen Beryl's warriors, Zoisite & Kunzite, at the Star Light Tower in Tokyo. The Silver Crystal is actually a merging of seven Rainbow Crystals that contained the spirits of seven of the Dark Kingdom's most powerful monsters. It contains an incredible amount of power to abet in good or evil, whoever wields it. Queen Beryl wanted it to revive Queen Metalia, the supreme ruler of the Dark Kingdom. Thankfully, neither she nor Beryl got hold of it, all due to Sailor Moon's unyielding belief in herself—and us."

Sailor Moon nods. "This crystal I possess has saved us & Earth on many occasions, & once we get back home, I'll be glad to…"

"Sailor Moon, what's wrong?", asked a wondering Sailor Star Maker as to why she stopped in mid-sentence.

The answer literally came at them in a flash. From her vantage point, Sailor Moon saw a twinkle from behind her friends that came from the middle of the gate. Now it suddenly comes to life as bright, white light fills the inner circle of the teleporter unit, changing into a pattern of colors. The Sailor Soldiers face this spectacle with amazing looks on their faces—just when they needed a miracle to aide them in escaping the death trap the Tanaka has become, they get one.

The unit wasn't the only thing that gets activated:a blaring sound that goes on & off every second, rotating red lights, & a computerized female voice all go on simultaneously. The female voice gets played all over the station, echoing in every room. "Attention! Attention! The self-destruct system has been activated! All personell must evacuate immediately! The station will automatically destruct in T-Minus five minutes!"

"How is this possible?", asked a puzzled Sailor Mars. " I thought Queen Beryl crippled the controls so that the gate couldn't work!"

"I don't think it matters!", said a happy Sailor Jupiter. " We needed a miracle & we got one, so let's use it to our advantage while we can!"

"You're right!", said Sailor Star Maker. " We can wonder about it later! Right now, let's get out of here & leave the aliens & that Queen Beryl bitch to their fates!"

"Right!", the girls cheer, & start heading for their ticket home. They get only two or three steps when they're attacked from behind by a barrage of black energy beams that cause the girls to all go stiff, unable to move. When the attack stops, they all go down on their hands & knees to the floor, feeling like they've been drained of most of their energy.

"So I'm a bitch, am I?", said a voice everyone knew all too well.

"Queen Beryl!", growled Sailor Star Healer, turning to see the evil queen standing at the door leading to the room. Beryl fixes her sights on Sailor Star Fighter, then at Sailor Moon herself, surprised to see the both of them alive even now.

"A pity!", Beryl gloats. "I had hoped to see the two of you dead with a gaping hole in your chests, lying in puddles of your own blood! Your resilience amazes me: I never foresaw the possibility of anyone surviving an impregnation by these aliens, & yet, here you are!"

"It'll take a hell of a lot more than acid-blooded monsters to bring us down, Beryl!", barked Sailor Star Fighter, struggling to get up with everyone else.

Sailor Moon was the first to do so. "My friends & I will stand strong to face any & all evil which comes our way, Beryl! As long as we stand together, nothing will threaten the billions of lives on the planet we hold so dear to protect, whether it's you, the aliens, or anything else!"

"You really think you can prevent my pets from reaching Earth, let alone defeat me?", quotes Beryl.

"I defeated you once before, & I will do it again!"

Queen Beryl sneers in defiance. "You were only lucky the last time, brat! This time, I'll make sure there's no way back for you or your friends, & I'll start by doing what I should've done before when I first arrived here!"

The female voice announces that there is now only four minutes until detonation as Queen Beryl thrusts her hands forward & fires more black energy beams at the teleporter unit itself, the error she intends to correct. She believed by just crippling the controls to it, the Sailor Soldiers would be stranded indefinitely aboard the station, with the aliens hunting them down. Beryl could not figure out how the gate got activated any more than the Sailors, & she doesn't care. She plans to rectify the problem by destroying the unit itself.

Sailor Moon dives in front of the deadly volley of beams & takes the full brunt of the hit with her entire body, surprising both friend & foe alike.

"I promised Shindo that those aliens will never get to Earth, & I intend to keep my word on it!", Sailor Moon firmly states.

"Then you're an even bigger fool than he was, Sailor Moon!", says Beryl. "Even if those creatures don't get to Earth by this gate, I can always transport them!"

"Not while I still stand, you won't!"

"Which won't be for long!"

Queen Beryl unleashes the full intensity of her beams at Sailor Moon, who keeps holding her ground even as the beams cause her much anguish. The other Sailor Soldiers watch as their dear friend stands strong in the face of danger, & possibly her death: if the aliens didn't kill her, then maybe Beryl herself will. They need to assist her in this struggle, but unfortunately Beryl's surprise attack had left them weak at the moment. Even as their vitality starts to returns, they fear they might not be able to get it back in time to help her, what with the countdown to detonation of the Tanaka now only three minutes away.

With every ounce of her strength, Sailor Moon resists Queen Beryl's beams from reaching the teleporter unit, but now her attempts have taken its toll on her. She sinks to her knees, feeling like she weighs a ton. Beryl lets up on her assault & stares with joy at the fallen Sailor Soldier, knowing her vitality is spent.

"Sailor Moon!", everyone cried, seeing her go down.

Queen Beryl laughs wickedly. "It was a valiant effort on your part, Sailor Moon, but I did say that these moments aboard this staion would be your last, & that's a promise I intend to keep! Once your friends all watch you killed by my hand, they'll be next!"

Beryl raises her hands above her head as energy bounce between them, indicating that the eveil queen plans to deliver a blow which will kill Sailor Moon indefinitely, should it make contact with her.

And none of the girls can help her, for they're still too weak from Beryl's rear attack.

"Goodbye, Sailor Moon!", she bellows gleefully, an evil grin on her face.

Queen Beryl brings her hands down, as if throwing a basketball.

A sound of skin being pierced echoes throughout the room as Beryl's hands are parallel to Sailor Moon where she kneels on the floor, about to deliver the killing blow.

No energy beams emerge from the wicked queen's hands.

Queen Beryl felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her stomach, & for good reason: just before she can deliver Sailor Moon's death blow, the evil queen was struck in her midsection by Sailor Saturn's sickle staff, who thrusted it with just enough strength & barely in time. The upright, curved blade of the young Sailor's weapon penetrated Beryl's solar plexus, cutting one of her lungs. The point of the staff exits out Beryl's back, squirting her blood from both openings & even from her mouth, coughing it up at times. Her strength ebbing away, Queen Beryl drops to her own hands & knees as the Sailor Soldiers had done, only now they all rise up to their feet & stare daggers at the fallen queen of the Dark Kingdom.

Sailor Saturn approaches Beryl & stops short, while the latter looks at her in utter shoch: this girl looks to be no more than ten to twelve years of age, & yet she commits an act of homicide.

Even with the painful proof in her, Beryl couldn't believe it.

Sailor Saturn speaks with contempt to Beryl.

"A word to the wise, Queen Beryl: anyone who contends with Sailor Moon contends with all of us! One such as yourself relies only on power, while Sailor Moon & the rest of us rely on each other to help us triumph! She believes in the strength of her friends & her heart! That's why your plan to overrun Earth with these aliens after having them wipe us out first fails you, Beryl: you depended on them too much!"

"You…little…shit!", Queen Beryl growls in a gargled voice, as she chokes on her own blood as she spoke. Beryl hardly paid attention to Saturn's words—she was too fixed on making the young Sailor pay for her heinous act. She might as well be trying to threaten a pack of hungry wolves: the Sailor Soldiers were unimpressed/unintimidated by the fallen queen.

Grabbing her staff, Sailor Saturn yanks it out of Beryl with one jerk of her hands, causing the evil queen to grunt loudly in pain as she did. The sudden removal of her weapon made Beryl cough up more blood, this time more intensely than last. Both punctures on her front & back started dripping on the floor, making a small pond. Her blade still dripping with blood, Sailor Saturn & the other Sailor Soldiers turn away & begin heading for the gate that will take them back home to Earth.

"Wait!", Queen Beryl strongly pleaded, holding out her hand. "You all can't just…leave me here…to die! Where's your…sense of pride…& duty?"

The girls all momentarily stop to turn & face Beryl.

"Our sense of pride & duty is to the safety of both our planet & Princess—at any & all costs!", Sailor Saturn firmly stated.

"That's right!", said Sailor Venus. "As relentless as you & those aliens were, we never gave up hope in finding a way to overcome the obstacles you both placed in our way! That's something you never had, & why you are beaten—again!"

The female voice announced that there was only two more minutes left before the station self-destructs. Turning away from Beryl, the Sailors all reach the mouth of the unit, & one by one they enter the bright lights & disappear from view, having absolutely no sympathy for their beaten foe. Sailor Moon was the only one left now in the room to enter, but she pauses for just a moment or two to give a final glance at the one-time ruler of the Dark Kingdom. As generous & caring a soul as she is, even the champion of love & justice didn't feel sorry for Queen Beryl in any way. While she's no soulless killer, she couldn't help but feel superior to Beryl's condition, if not more than a little happy to see her grovel.

Queen Beryl smiled at her, hoping to receive her remorse.

Sailor Moon doesn't give her one drop, & makes it perfectly clear.

"Goodbye, Queen Beryl!", she spat, turning her back & entering the gate to join her friends.

Queen Beryl feebly uses her hands to carry herself across the floor to reach the gate, but the loss of blood made it next to impossible: she can barely hold her head up, let alone make it to the only thing that can get her to safety.

From behind her, the room to the door slides open & the aliens pour in like a swarm of insects, having finally busted through the ice barrier Sailor Mercury put up to impede their progress. Queen Beryl tries to muster every last ounce of strength to rush over to the gate, but her attempt was just as feeble as before. Even if she didn't have the fatal wound in her midsection, there was no chance for her to escape the alien's wrath. Beryl underestimated their speed, & the creatures were all surrounding her in nothing flat. They have her where they want her, & even Beryl herself can see it. She nervously waits for her death to come & claim her, but oddly enough, it doesn't.

Not right away.

Two of the aliens approach her & each grabs one of her arms, holding her captive like mideval guards presenting a prisoner to their king/queen, which is exactly what they were doing. The creatures turn Beryl to face the open door—and the alien queen herself. Pushing her way through the narrow entranceway (just slightly smaller than she was) ,the queen peels away metal & makes her grand appearance inside the room with her children hissing in respect. The female voice now announces that there was only one minute left until the station destructs, but Queen Beryl can do nothing to prevent the inevitable, much less get free of the alien's firm grip. She was forced to stare at the alien abomination that now focuses its attention on her. The alien queen gets within inches of Beryl's face, her teeth glistening in the light. Chills run up Beryl's spine, unable to fight back or do anything else defiantly. She never realize just how frightening these monsters really are until now, being in this close proximity of them; no doubt anyone who has & lived to talk about it would agree, which on most occasions, isn't often.

Opening her hideous maw, the queen reveals her inner jaws to Queen Beryl. The disposed ruler of the Dark Kingdom widens her eyes & screams as loud as she could. Her sound lasted only a few seconds; the queen's inner jaws sprang out like a cobra & drove itself into Beryl's forehead, reaching halfway into her brain. Blood & pieces of flesh & bone go flying upon impact from the hit, killing Beryl on contact: she only had a tenth of a second to acknowledge what has happened to her before her vision goes totally dark, her body instantly going cold.

Queen Beryl didn't even feel the hit.

She fell on the floor in a wet thud, her eyes wide & her forehead, stomach, & back all bleeding from the injuries she received. The alien queen retracts her inner jaws in her mouth, still wet & dripping from the blood & brain matter of her victim. She looks straight ahead at the flashing lights of the still-active teleporter unit, just when the female voice now counts down the final seconds before the explosion occurs.

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…"

Reaching the end of the countdown, everything inside & out of the Tanaka went critical, & becomes bathed in a white light that swallows & consumes the entire station, acting like a second sun. A powerful explosion blows the station into millions of pieces, scattering them in every direction the force sends them to; some were blown far out into space, others were jettisoned to the planet itself, with the atmosphere burning every fragment of debris into harmless ashes, even if the station was constructed with state-of-the-art materials. The aliens themselves were blown into oblivion with the station; their remains floating away with the rest.

It would've been a living nightmare for the whole Earth had those creatures set foot on it.

But now, thanks to the Sailor Soldiers—and the mystery person who activated both the teleporter unit & self-destruct system—this one particular nightmare will never happen.

CHAPTER IX

A good portion of the main communications room in the Space Science Authority Center has sustained great damage, from small explosions that blew chunks of metal & wires off the consoles to cuts in the materials, caused by an extremely sharp blade of some kind. Inside, two male figures—Tuxedo Mask & Kunzite—battle each other in a fierce brawl, with no clear winner as of yet. Tuxedo Mask is armed with a straight black cane that can extend many times its own length, while Kunzite arms himself with twin glowing blades he uses to slash his well-dressed opponent. Both men attack, dodge, & block every strike against the other, neither gaining an advantage. Kunzite tried evening the odds in his favor by using attacks of lightning projected from his hands, but was unsuccessful so far in nailing his foe. Tux didn't fare better: Kunzite was all too familiar with the man's fighting skills before & after he was a servant of the Dark Kingdom, & can for the most part predict what he will try next, & what move he'll make. Tuxedo Mask needs to come up with different fighting skills soon, or his defeat is a foregone conclusion.

Luna & Artemis viewed the entire fight from their safe, secluded hiding place in the ventilation shaft with a grid protecting them from being seen directly. Through the metal rails, they see the conflict intensify with each passing moment. Neither feline knew how much longer the feud will last for, but worry starts creeping into their souls, fearing the outcome won't come as hoped.

"I don't like this, Artemis", whispered Luna. "Considering how malicious Kunzite is, Mamoru might not be triumphant against him. Next to Queen Beryl herself, he's the Dark Kingdom's fiercest warrior. That's probably why Beryl saved him for later against the girls."

"You're not suggesting we go down there & help him, are you?", Artemis whispers back.

Luna faces him. "What else can we do for him?"

Now Artemis faces her. "Luna, the last time we squared off against Kunzite while searching for the Dark Kingdom's entrance, he nearly killed us both. Do you want to risk that again?"

"So we should do nothing in case Mamoru gets killed?"

"Luna…"

"Artemis, do you know why Queen Serenity from the Silver Millennium Kingdom placed us in charge of locating the girls & keeping them safe?"

The white feline stayed silent, making Luna answer for him.

"Because not only did she trust us to do so, it's also our sworn duty. Queen Serenity's last dying wish was to ensure their safety. That also included Mamoru, considering the past & future he has & will share with Usagi. We can't jeopardize that, no matter what the personal cost to ourselves is."

Artemis stares at the two combating individuals. Looking at Tuxedo Mask (the past Prince Endymion & future King Endymion), he knows Luna is right. When they discovered his true identity during the fiasco at Tokyo's Star Light Tower, they learn that he is the Prince Usagi (as Princess Serenity) has been in love with for all that time, destined to be together. That factor was made even more true when they found out that Chibi-Usa from the 30th Century was, in fact, Mamoru & Usagi's future daughter. Once that was known, their duty became more important than before.

"We won't", was all Artemis could say, making Luna rather proud of her feline companion.

After Kunzite's last slashing attempt at him, Tuxedo Mask put some distance between himself & his foe, panting heavily at barely being able to avoid the Dark Kingdom warrior's deadly weapons. Kunzite can see the weariness in Tuexdo Mask, & knows it won't be long before the fight will belong to him.

"It seems I've overestimated you, Mamoru!", Kunzite says slyly. "You're not so tough without Queen Beryl to hide behind! How disappointing you are!"

"You're wrong, Kunzite!", barked Tuxedo Mask. "I never needed to hide behind anyone, least of all one such as Beryl!"

Kunzite chuckles. "Is that so? Then come prove it to me—if you think you've got the guts!"

Gritting his teeth, Tuxedo Mask points his cane at his enemy & extends it forward. The projectile aims for Kunzite's chest, but he easily dodges the hit by moving to one side. It didn't help him to avoid what was next, though; Tuxedo Mask predicted that Kunzite would simply move out of his cane's path, so he conjured up a counterattack & wastes no time implementing it. He throws a trio of red roses at Kunzite's face, & the thorns cut in three different areas—his cheeks on both sides & his forehead. Kunzite growls in pain & grabs his face with his hands, preventing the blood from dripping into his eyes.

"You filthy son of a…!", Kunzite started to say, but got cut off when he removes his hands from his face in time to see Tuxedo Mask rush at him like a freight train & ram his now extracted cane into Kunzite's chest, where he planned to strike him before.

Unable to dodge, the evil warrior goes down on the floor as Tuxedo Mask again extends his cane & keeps the tip of it on his neck, keeping him pinned down.

"Don't move, Kunzite!", Tuxedo Mask warns him. "If you try anything, I will thrust my cane straight through your throat!"

Kunzite grins wickedly, in spite of his predicament. "Incredible! You'd kill me in cold blood, just like that? I never expected you to be that type of person, Mamoru!"

"Just like the Sailor Soldiers, I'll do whatever it takes to defend this planet from the likes of you—and those monsters you wish to bring down to Earth!"

"You're bluffing! You're no more of a killer than those foolish girls are, particularly Sailor Moon!"

"Is that why she killed you once before?"

Kunzite scowled & gritted his own teeth, reluctant to admit that little fact.

"Don't ever underestimate her, Kunzite!", Tuxedo Mask tells him. "She may look inferior to someone such as you, but when push comes to shove, she can become a rather fierce fighter of any & all things evil, & if she can defeat one such as Queen Beryl, those creatures aboard the Tanaka won't stand a chance in Hell against her!"

The Dark Kingdom warrior turns his frown into a grin.

"That may be true", he admits, "but you shouldn't underestimate those aliens, either—or me, for that matter!"

Even as he spoke, Kunzite lifted his fingers only a fraction of an inch at his sides, but it was more than enough for Tuxedo Mask to catch sight of. He realizes that Kunzite is planning something behind his back: sure enough, a sharp, pointed crystal materializes out of thin air only fifteen feet away from the well-dressed hero. Tuxedo Mask has been in that predicament twice before—once with Zoisite, the other with Queen Beryl herself. Both times got him impaled by the literal backstabbing attack.

Tux wasn't about to go for three.

He turns to his right just in time to see the oncoming projectile head right for him, & slides over to his left. The crystal passes through without hitting anyone or anything, sans the wall to the northeast of the room. Unknown to Tuxedo Mask, it was a diversionary move by Kunzite, as Tux had done to him moments before. He may have avoided being impaled by the crystal, but couldn't prevent what came next: with his right hand, Kunzite summons one of his energy blades & brings it upward, cutting Tuxedo Mask across the chest. Luna & Artemis gasp in horror as the Prince yells in pain by the cut that makes his chest feel like a fire is going on inside, tumbling backwards & crashing onto the floor, his mask & top hat flying off, revealing his face. He covers his wound with his hands, staining his gloves with blood. He checks the wound to see how bad it is. He is relieved: it was not so deep a cut as he thought, but had it been any deeper, Tuxedo Mask would be seeing his rib cage, & possibly, his heart.

Kunzite laughs as he stands over his fallen foe, now with both energy blades in hand, pointing one at Tux.

"It would seem the tables have turned once again, eh, Mamoru?", he gloats. "You never really were any match for me!"

"It's not over yet, Kunzite!", Tuxedo Mask says, clutching his wound.

"It will be, for you, & the Earth! Even if the Sailor Soldiers manage to wipe out all the aliens aboard that station—which I doubt—Queen Beryl can teleport the alien queen to the planet with ease, where she'll begin to lay eggs & breed at an accelerated rate, just as they did up there!"

"The Sailor Soldiers…"

"…are dead, Mamoru! Whether killed by the aliens or by Beryl, they are no longer a concern of yours! That's why we had them sent up there—to die!" Kunzite raises his right arm, energy blade in hand. "Now it's your turn!"

"The hell it is!"

Kunzite & Mamoru turn to whoever shouted & see a metal grid come crashing down near the two combatants, followed by two cats—one black, the other white, both with yellow crescent moons placed on their foreheads—that jump from a ventilation shaft & leap right for Kunzite at full speed, their front paws & claws extended, baring their teeth.

"What…?", Kunzite started to say, when it got cut short when Luna & Artemis landed on the man's face & began biting & scratching like crazy. Despite their high fear of Kunzite, the two felines were sworn to protect Mamoru, like they discussed earlier. Another reason is for revenge: since their last encounter at the North Pole during their quest in finding the Dark Kingdom's entrance, Luna & Artemis were itching for payback against him for his sneaky attack on them.

Now is that time: they continue their assault on the evil warrior, causing his face to bleed even worse than Mamoru's attack on it with the roses, unleashing all their pent-up anger on him. Kunzite is equally angry—he recognizes the two cats, & realizes he should've finished them off when he had the chance at the North Pole. If not for the Sailor Soldiers, he would've done exactly that.

But with Mamoru injured & none of the girls present, it was Kunzite's chance: he grabs both cats by the backs with his hands & squeezes, forcing them to release their hold on him. With a hard yank, he throws the two felines down to the floor, the force causing both cats to break their hind leg, landing three feet away from Mamoru.

"Luna! Artemis!", he bellows.

The two felines try to get up, but their broken legs can't support their weight, & the pain is making their vision blurry. They can no longer continue their assault, much less stand.

Mamoru stares coldly at Kunzite. "That was low, Kunzite…even for someone like you!"

"It serves them right!", he growls. "They're just as annoying as their Sailor Soldier friends & yourself! Now they get to share their fate…& yours!"

Kunzite raises his right hand again, ready to deliver the blow that will definitely kill Mamoru for certain: with Luna & Artemis incapacitated due to their broken legs & the Sailor Soldiers nowhere in sight, Mamoru was done for, & he knows it. In his weakened condition, he has not a snowball's chance in Hell of stopping Kunzite's fatal strike.

Kunzite grins from ear to ear.

The evil warrior from the Dark Kingdom yells out, but not in triumph. It was in anguish: a thin yellow beam of energy erupts from behind & hits his hand in the back, piercing it & drawing blood. Kunzite drops both his energy blades & clutches his bleeding hand, gritting his teeth. He turns his head to see who was foolish enough to attempt a sneak attack on him, & his eyes go wide.

I-Impossible!, he says to himself, his eyes disbelieving him.

It was the Sailor Soldiers, all alive & well: from Sailor Moon & her four original teammates to the Outer Sailors to the Sailor Starlights, they stood at the large opening near the right corner of the room. Sailor Venus took point, being the one who shot Kunzite's hand, similar to when she grazed it to make him lose control of his dark dome when he trapped Sailor Moon, Mercury, & the others in at the docks. Only now her attack on his hand was more severe, rather than a simple flesh wound.

"Get away from him, Kunzite, or my next shot goes through your heart!", Sailor Venus snaps at him, her index finger still trained on him at that very spot.

"Do it!", barked Sailor Uranus, pointing her sword.

Scowling, Kunzite reluctantly does as instructed, taking slow steps back away from Mamoru, Luna, & Artemis. When he was a good distance from his victims, Sailor Uranus gets in front of him & places her sword at his throat, the tip only a quarter inch away. With Kunzite kept at bay, the other Sailors rush over to their three wounded friends.

"Luna!", cried Sailor Mercury.

"Artemis!", cried Sailor Venus.

Sailor Mercury activates her VR goggles to assess the damage done to the two cats, giving both a full skeletal scan.

"How bad are they, Mercury?", asked Sailor Star Maker.

"The bones in both their left hind legs are torn at the knee, where the ligament tissue is", she confirms. "Fortunately, it's nothing too serious."

The Sailors turn to Kunzite with a loatheful look.

"You're lucky, Kunzite!", spat Sailor Mars.

"And you better pray that Mamo-chan is the same!", Sailor Moon said in a similar tone.

"I-I'm all right!", said Mamoru.

"Are you sure? That's quite a nasty cut he gave you."

"Yes. It's not deep, or I'd really be in trouble."

"That's a relief."

Both Sailor Moon & Mamoru look at each other passionately, having lived through a terrifying ordeal, in space & here on Earth. It lasted for several moments until Kunzite breaks in.

"How in hell did you all manage to survive the alien swarm & make it back here?", he growled. "Queen Beryl & I made sure that such a thing wasn't possible for you!"

"As Beryl did, you underestimated us!", Sailor Jupiter says. "Like the great Harry Houdini proved, there's always a way out of every trap, even from one that reeks of death!"

"Queen Beryl learned that too late, & now she's been destroyed along with the Tanaka & all of those alien nightmares on board!", said Sailor Pluto.

"You're lying!", snapped Kunzite.

Sailor Star Healer smirks at the evil warrior. "Fine! If you don't believe us, just go out in the vacuum of space & see for yourself what remains of the floating station! My only regret is that you weren't up there when it blew!"

Kunzite couldn't believe it: he & Queen Beryl had this invasion planned for more than a year. Their goal was to get the Sailor Soldiers up to the Tanaka, where they had planted the acid-blooded aliens to eradicate them, along with the one-thousand plus personell stationed aboard the space vessel. All escape routes have been cut off, as Queen Beryl saw to: there was no way for them to get back down to Earth without teleporting themselves, using their 'Sailor Teleport' method, which used up a good portion of their energy. Using the rest, they would not have enough to make a safe trip back, & yet here they are in all their glory, suffering only minor bruises. Kunzite surmised that there had to be someone who aided their escape from right under his & Beryl's nose, & he has a very good idea of who that someone is.

Once he takes care of the Sailor Soldiers, he'll take care of that one individual—with a vengeance.

"Damn you all!", he says. "I thought we'd finally gotten rid of you in one fell swoop! Now it looks like I'll personally have to settle the score with you girls myself!"

"Wrong, Kunzite!", Sailor Moon said firmly. "You need to pay for all the lives you & Beryl destroyed for your sick ambitions!"

Kunzite grins wickedly. "Statistics matter not to me! I'd kill an infinite amount of people if it means seeing your demise, Sailor Moon—or should I say, Usagi Tsukino!"

That piece of trivia put the girls in a dormant state for a second or two, hearing Kunzite call Sailor Moon by her real name. It was more than the Dark Kingdom warrior needed. In the blink of an eye, Kunzite snatched Uranus' sword from her hand with his left. Using his right, bleeding as it may be, he grabs the golden-haired Sailor by the neck & pulls her toward him, putting her sword to her own throat, the blade pressed against her Adam's apple.

The tables have now turned—Sailor Uranus is now a hostage.

"Uranus!", shouted Sailor Neptune.

The Sailor Soldiers start after Kunzite, but he issues a clear warning, stopping them in their tracks.

"Don't any of you move!", he barks." Sailor Uranus & I are going to share some quality time together! If any of you does anything to impede our progress, I will slit her throat here & now!"

"He'll kill me anyway!", Shouts Uranus. "Nail him!"

"Shut up!"

He punctuates his threat by pressing her sword tighter against her throat, making a tiny cut which bleeds very thinly.

"You don't really believe we're just going to let you walk out of here with one of our own, do you?", said Sailor Star Fighter, in more a statement than a question.

"Unless you wish to be responsible for your friend's death—yes!", Kunzite states.

While Fighter & the other two Starlights had irreconceivable differences when last they saw each other during Galaxia's visit to Earth, in the final battle, they had developed a respect for the Outer Sailors, if not more or less a grudgingly one. In the fight against the aliens & Queen Beryl aboard the Tanaka, that respect had grown, & part of why it did was because of the younger Sailors respect for the Starlights. They vividly remember them sacrificing themselves for their well-being, having Galaxia take their Star Seeds instead of the Starlight's own. No one has ever done such a heroic effort for them in the past, & the Starlights could do no less for the Sailor Soldiers of this solar system.

For Uranus' own well-being, neither Fighter, Maker, nor Healer do anything to put her life in any more jeopardy.

But in hostage situations, waiting & doing nothing has great risks all its own. They know Kunzite will eventually kill her, & they need to act before his intentions get homicidal.

It was now the time to act, while he was still in their sights.

With her hands, Sailor Mars forms her bow of flame, along with an arrow of red energy. She points it at their fleeing foe, who starts backing up & heading towards the opening near the right corner, where the girls appeared from after escaping death from space.

"Kunzite! Even though you hold one of us hostage, I will fire my weapon if you do not release her this instant!"

The warrior chuckles. "You're joking, right? You'd actually take a chance in hitting—and possibly killing—your own team member? I'd like to see that!"

"I've been in this type of situation before!", Mars informs him. "Don't think I won't do it!"

"Ha! It's hard to tell if you're brave or foolish! If you end up killing your comrade, you'll be deemed by your friends as ruthless as I am! Do you think they can look you straight in the eye again, knowing you murdered one of your own?"

"We've wiped out hordes of those aliens aboard the Tanaka!", said Sailor Star Healer. "Do you really believe we wouldn't have the gall to do the same to you, if it means the survival of the Earth & everyone on it?"

"Killing animalistic aliens is one thing! Humans are an entirely different story!"

"You don't even qualify as human, & I can't spot any difference between you & those monsters, Kunzite!", says Sailor Star Maker.

Kunzite reaches the opening & starts to disappear into it, like a ninja vanishing into the shadows to escape his enemies. This was the girl's last chance to stop him before he takes off with Sailor Uranus to God-knows-where, & carry out his threat. Uranus tries to get loose by struggling, but his strength is more than a match for her own, & it's not because of her sex.

"Don't struggle with me, Uranus!", Kunzite growls in her ear. "If you do, I'll make your death slow & torturous! Promise me you'll come quietly, & I'll see to it that you die quick & without any pain!"

Uranus' answer to his request is nothing short of a rebuke.

"Blow me, Kunzite!", she spat.

He snarled. "Wrong answer! You had your chance, so don't say that I didn't warn…"

At that moment, Sailor Uranus felt Kunzite's grip on her slacken & she took advantage of it to break free from his hold on her. She retakes her sword in her right hand & faces her alleged kidnapper to square off with him, but Kunzite just stands there, not even trying to put up a fight.

He doesn't do much of anything, & Uranus can see why: from Kunzite's nostrils, blood runs down into his mouth & down his chin. Just two seconds ago, the Dark Kingdom warrior felt a quick, stabbing pain in the rear of his head. Putting his hand there & drawing it back, he can see his blood, along with a tiny piece of bone. Something—or someone—had executed a sneak attack on him, & on all accounts, it was successful. The area where Kunzite was hit at is a fatal blow, & both he & Uranus knew it.

Kunzite's mouth now started to dribble blood like a running faucet, spilling onto the floor. A moment later, he fell like a timbering tree & landed with a thud. In the back, Uranus can see clearly the mortal wound which took Kunzite's life, bleeding heavily. Soon, the man's body began glittering all over & the particles started rising skyward like shiny bubbles.

In no time, Kunzite was dead & gone—again, just like Queen Beryl herself.

What the hell…?, Sailor Uranus started to say to herself, when she heard a sound of heavy breathing from in front of her, not that far off as to where Kunzite was before. The sound began getting closer to her, & Uranus retreated to where the others are, weapon at the ready.

"What is it, Uranus?", asked Sailor Mercury, holding Luna in her arms.

"Our mission isn't over yet!", she said, plain & simple. "Prepare yourselves!"

One of them was about to ask Uranus what the trouble is, but it was unnecessary: the sound of heavy breathing became audible to the rest of them. Even Luna & Artemis beame aware of the sound once their senses got back to normal after receiving the pain in their legs from their brawl with Kunzite. Seeing the evil warrior gone, they concluded he must've been defeated again, which is fortunate, because right now they've got an even bigger problem than Kunzite; 'bigger' being the operative term.

It was a sound that chilled the bones & blood of the girls: there was only one living creature they know of which makes that kind of sound, & they couldn't believe it was even possible to be hearing it now, but just because something seems impossible doesn't always mean that it is.

In this world, anything can happen.

Sure enough, what they dreaded most has come true—the alien queen shows her toothy maw through the opening the girls had emerged from, where Kunzite held Sailor Uranus hostage only moments ago. As roomy as the opening was, it became a rather tight fit for the queen, but was easily rectified by smashing through the wall, taking down a portion of it in a landslide of debris. The Sailor Soldiers, Luna, Artemis, & even Mamoru stare in disbelief at the gargantuan monster in the room with them, standing on her hind legs. Even as the place was bigger than she, the queen was still a sight to behold; she may not be the size of a T-Rex, but she's no rhino, either. Earlier when Mamoru was viewing the footage of the Tanaka to discover what happened aboard it which caused all of the malfunctioning, he recalls seeing a dark area which made viewing difficult, but remembers the sound of heavy breathing within it, & just as well with the two felines, the answer now stands directly ahead of them. The Sailor Soldiers deduced that just before the Tanaka reached its final seconds until detonation, the queen must've squeezed herself into the teleoprter unit & hitched a ride to Earth as they did.

Now she resides on the planet the girls have all sworn to protect, & if she lays even one of her eggs anywhere, it's all over.

They have to make sure she never gets the chance.

If they weren't frozen in shock, they'd be attacking the alien bitch right this instant. But each one of them stood dumbfounded & disbelieving at the queen's presence on Earth, & that makes them all vulnerable; the queen can easily wipe them out with ease if she wanted (& she probably does), but for some strange reason, she doesn't. Instead of attacking, the queen moves her head slightly from side-to-side & tilts it the same way, almost like she's searching for something.

In reality, the queen is actually sensing something, & to her, it doesn't feel right.

That's when it hit them: both Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter were impregnated with two of her 'children', the former bearing a queen within her. The full-grown queen was sure that her hatchlings would've emerged from their hosts at this point by now, but they both remain very much alive, & she cannot sense any trace of her children anywhere, inside or out. Sailor Moon & Fighter surmised this themselves, as it was them the queen was squarely looking at; they know once she discovers her unborn brood are deceased, she will get pissed to the extreme & all hell will break loose.

And pissed is exactly what she gets—the queen bellows an ear-splitting screech, snapping the girls back to the here & now. They need to put the queen down fast & hard, with no chance of escape: either she dies or Earth does.

"Kill that thing—quick!", shouted Luna.

They waste no time carrying out her order.

"Space Sword Blaster!", Sailor Uranus calls out.

"Crescent…Beam!", Sailor Venus calls out, pointing her right index finger.

"Dead Scream!", Sailor Pluto calls out, pointing her Garnet Rod.

"Star Sensitive…Inferno!", Sailor Star Healer calls out, aiming her star brooch at the horror before her & the rest.

The alien queen became wise to the girl's attacks since their raid on her egg chamber on the Tanaka, & this time she was prepared for it. With the speed of a striking snake, she does a full 360 degree turn & swipes her long segmented tail at the attacking Sailors. The tail whips the girls hard in their abdomens, sending them flying back crashing into their friends & causing them to fire their weapons at the ceiling above them. Their misdirected shots hit the ceiling with tremendous force that brings down a ton of debris with high velocity. Like giant slabs of hail from the sky during a snowfall, the debris rains upon the Sailor Soldiers & covers them all in a pile of rubble. Sailor Moon herself would've been buried along with her friends, had it not been for the timely intervention of Sailor Star Fighter, who dove at the Moon Princess & tackled her like a football player would do.

"Everyone!", both surviving Sailors shouted, seeing the rubble pile where their friends were just seconds ago. With no more interference, the queen sets her sights on the two former bearers of her brood. She unleashes another high-pitched screech in anger, echoing the room & beyond.

With Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter no longer implanted, there wasn't any reason for the queen to kill them without a second thought, & the two Sailors are in no position to dispute the matter, because they can tell the queen has every intention of doing exactly that.

"Run, Dumpling!", Fighter shouted, & both Sailors bolt for the door & exit. The alien queen races after them, achieving a speed that would be impossible for anything of that size to reach. She bashes her way through the wall, almost burying the two girls in rubble like their friends are. The queen pursues Sailor Moon & Fighter down the hallway at top speed, smashing against the walls on both sides & showering the floor with debris. Even though it was a bit of a tight squeeze for the queen, she manages to maneuver through & keep up with the two fleeing Sailor Soldiers easily. Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter can barely stay ahead of the pursuing monster, racing down the wide hall, being very careful not to trip & fall: if they do, they could be as good as dead.

But they know they cannot run from the queen forever. They must find a way to finish her off before one egg gets laid by her, & they feel the deed should be done while inside the Authority Center; it would be a bad idea if the alien bitch left the confined area, where there's a whole world for her to breed her children. This building is their best chance to waste the queen & save the planet from sharing the fate of other worlds she & her brood have destroyed.

Sailor Moon & Fighter only wish they knew how to do it. Keeping her confined in one space has its drawbacks: there may not be enough room to maneuver around to attack the queen & avoid her own on them, & because the girls don't know the Center inside & out like the technicians do, one wrong move or turn on their part will be their last.

The fleeing Sailors reach the intersection of the main floor where Usagi & her friends came in earlier, when a female technician with rectangular spectacles & short, dark brown hair appear in the hallway parallel to where they were, dead ahead.

Sailor Moon knows who this person is.

Kumi!, she said to herself, wondering what she was still doing inside the place, with a ton of Hell roaming the grounds & right on their tails.

"Both of you—come with me, quick!", Kumi shouted urgingly.

Having no other options currently available, Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter agree. Whatever Kumi has in mind, the girls hope it will help bring an end to the alien queen before the worst can occur.

With Kumi taking lead, she enters a door as the two Sailors just barely make it through with the queen slamming her head into the opening & extending her inner jaws. The mouth misses the girls by only inches, but the queen continues to try & force her way through the smaller opening, frantically eager to tear the two heroines apart, screeching her protest. Pieces of wood & brick begin to give way with every effort the queen makes to reach her prey.

"Come on!", said Kumi. "That entranceway won't hold up for long, the way that monster keeps slamming into it!"

"Not for long!", said Sailor Star Fighter, pointing her star brooch at the alien bitch, seeing a perfect opportunity to end her life.

"Wait!", Kumi says, placing her arm down. "That might only wound the thing! If you don't kill it thoroughly, it'll be more dangerous than ever!"

Sailor Star Fighter may not be from Earth any more than the queen trying to kill her, but she knows the golden rule of hunting wild animals: when you hunt dangerous game, you better make sure whatever you hunt is totally dead, because there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.

The queen, alien or not, is no different.

Fighter nods. "You have a more permanent solution?"

"Yes! Come down with me, & I'll explain it!", Kumi says.

"We'd better do it, Fighter!", said Sailor Moon.

"All right!", she says. "Take point, & we'll follow you!"

Kumi nods & takes the girls down a stairwell, one that goes quite deep beneath the Center itself.

"What is that creature?", asked Kumi. "It's even bigger than the ones we all saw from the video footage of what went on aboard the Tanaka!"

"That's because it's the queen!", said Sailor Moon.

"You mean that thing breeded the others?"

"Yes!", said Sailor Star Fighter. "She's the one who lays the eggs so that these spider-like creatures within them can attack themselves to their victims & implant an embryo! After a period of time, an alien hatchling bursts from its host's chest & gets full-grown at a speeded rate!"

"It would be a disaster if she started doing that here on the planet!"

"That's why we need to finish her off as soon as we can, before she gets the chance of laying even one egg!", said Sailor Moon.

"Luckily, I have just the strategy to do that, & here we are!"

Kumi & the two Sailor Soldiers reach the bottom of the steps to a secluded door with an electrical, numeric lock on its left side. The female technician starts pressing buttons on the lock to get the door open, becoming curious about her new guests.

"Pardon me if I'm wrong, but you are Sailor Moon, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am", she replies. "This is Sailor Star Fighter."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss…", Fighter began, not knowing her name.

"Kumi Sekizawa. Pleased to meet you. Sailor Moon, I have a daughter at home named Naoko. She's five years old, & she simply adores you & your friends. Like myself, she feels very safe & secure, knowing you defend our planet from anything that would threaten it or its populace. I want you to know now that I'm so grateful you girls are here for us, even if you don't expose yourselves to the public all that much."

"We're happy to hear that, Kumi", said Fighter.

"Yes. Coming from you, that means a lot, if not everything", said Sailor Moon.

It does mean a lot to Sailor Moon, more than even she realizes. Only last summer on her birthday after the unexpected & vicious battle with the Predators, Sailor Moon had the irresistible urge to assist those who were wounded in the aftermath, but Sailor Mercury & Sailor Mars told her that showing themselves to the open public more than needed would only complicate matters, much to Sailor Moon's dismay. It hurt her, but she knew her two friends were right: there are things about them all that the public must never know of them, let alone any of their immediate families/friends. But hearing from Kumi just now that she's totally aware of her & the others are watching over them, that little factor doesn't bother her as much as it did.

In fact, it more or less relieved her in an enormous way.

From above the stairs, the queen screeches angrily as Kumi gets the door unlocked.

"Got it! Both of you, get inside!", she says, opening the door for the two Sailors to enter, followed by Kumi herself. The place they enter into is a large area, reaching a height similar to the main communications room topside. Tall, eight-foot & six-foot long pieces of machinery were all lined in a row on both the left & right sides, being parallel with one another. On the far end of the room was an elecrical generator, with a circular rotating mechanism in the middle, spinning as fast as any wheel on a racing car, humming while it supplies its power to the building.

"You supply your own power to run this building?", asked Sailor Moon.

"Yes", said Kumi. "When they started construction on this place in 1957, the designers felt it best to gve its own power supply, to take off some of the burden of the city's power station. Tokyo is a very large metropolitan area, after all."

"That was pretty clever of them to come up with that idea."

Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter look at each other, suddenly realizing what Kumi has in store for the alien menace above them, smiling & nodding their approval, turning to her.

"Kumi, you plan on electrocuting the queen to death, am I right?", asked Sailor Star Fighter.

"Yes", she says. "All I need to do is rearrange some wiring at the control booth a the back of the room, & then we're all set."

"How long will that take you?"

"About three minutes. All you need to do is lure her down & keep her here until I throw the switch."

"How will we attempt that?", asked Sailor Moon. "She may not fit through the stairway, & we don't even know if she's still in the building."

"Oh, I'm sure she is, Sailor Moon", said Fighter. "Trust me, she won't be so eager as to give up on us on account that we…"

A sound of something crashing & shattering was heard & felt by Kumi & the two Sailor Soldiers, telling them time was short to put their plan into motion.

"Kumi, if we're ever gonna do this, now's the time to get started!", said Fighter.

"Right!", Kumi said, issuing the girls a warning before she takes off. "Just remember this: in three minutes from now, when I throw the switch, a very strong electric current will cover the entire room & turn it into an oven at its highest, & then some! Make sure neither of you are in this room at that time, or you'll both be roasted alive along with her!"

"Understood!", both Sailors said in unison.

Kumi nods & races off for the door at the end of the room, which will take her to the control booth. Without warning, the alien queen crashes through the ceiling & lands on the floor of the generator room, raining down dust & debris on the very spot she came down at, which also covers the door they entered in, sealing them from that angle. Sailor Star Fighter & Sailor Moon dove out of the queen's descent just in time, avoiding being crushed from above by the creature, the debris, or possibly even both. The two Sailors took cover behind the closest console to the right as the alien queen rises to her feet, almost immediately. Sailor Star Fighter was right on all counts: the queen is still here in the building, & she isn't going to give up on either of them, not after performing their alien abortion of her two children. Only when she kills them will she cease her hunt for them, with revenge consuming her body & soul. The same can be said for Sailor Moon & Fighter: they got impregnated by this alien bitch, nearly killing them. She also buried their friends underneath tons of rubble in the communications room from above. Neither Sailor knows if they're even alive or not, & they would love nothing better than to finish her off, right here & now. But they trust Kumi's idea to the fullest, & will follow it through to the end.

Revenge can be & is sweet to experience, but it's also equally important to keep a clear head about it.

Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter remain hidden behind the metal structure, daring not to even breathe, while the queen's can be heard over the humming of the generator. She moves her head back & forth, searching for any sign of her human foes, taking leisurely steps & looking like a giant flesh-eating dinosaur in search of its next meal.

Getting close to each other, Fighter whispers very softly to Sailor Moon.

"Dumpling, now would be a good time to get up that hole & leave the queen here."

"That might be harder than it sounds", Sailor Moon softly whispers back. "Surely we'll make some kind of noise in the attempt & get her attention. We can't afford that."

"Not if we do it fast enough so that she won't notice. Once we're topside again, we'll be sure the queen stays put so that only she gets fried when Kumi throws the switch. Don't worry: I'd never suggest such a drastic & dangerous move if I didn't think we could do it. "Sailor Star Fighter smiles at her. "You do trust me, don't you?"

Sailor Moon smiles back. "Of course I do."

"Good girl."

With her reassurance, Fighter stealthily & silently dares a peek from behind their hiding place to see if the queen has her sights set elsewhere…

CRASH!

The queen rams her tail into the side of the tall console, denting the thick metal & throwing the Starlight off-balance, almost taking her head off with the tail's razor-sharp tip.

So much for stealth.

"Fighter!", Sailor Moon cries.

"Run, Sailor Moon!", shouts Fighter.

With no time to argue, Sailor Moon does as she's told, especially when she sees the queen from behind her, her breathing being a dead giveaway. The alien queen screeches in contempt as one of her prey flees, heading for the hole in the ceiling & hoping she can get up to & through it if she can jump high & hard enough. Unfortunately, the queen suspected as much from her, & quickly blocks her escape with impossible speed. She got there so fast, Sailor Moon nearly got killed when the queen lashed out at her with her inner jaws, diving out of its path & missing her forehead by an inch; any slower, & Sailor Moon would've joined Queen Beryl in the same manner.

That's when the queen caught sight of Sailor Star Fighter, & roars angrily at her second prey, temporarily forgetting about Sailor Moon. Fighter, however, is anything but a pushover: with a mighty kick, she whacks the queen with her right foot, smacking her in the jaw & knocking out a tooth. Temporarily stunned, the queen takes a step back & screeches in anger & pain. This gives Fighter the chance to escape with Sailor Moon by jumping up together throughthe hole the queen had made, & leave her to get fried once Kumi sets it all up.

For both Sailors, three minutes can't come fast enough.

Dammit, Kumi, hurry it up!, Fighter said to herself, more in desperation than frustration. Without a word, she takes Sailor Moon by the arm & prepares to jump up, putting all her effort into the attempt that will put them out of harm's way—and the queen's reach.

"Hold on!", said Fighter.

"Right!", replied Sailor Moon.

Using all their might, both girls leap up & see the rim of the hole as it gets within reach. Just a few more feet, & they'll be home free.

Not if the alien queen can help it: the creature snatches the girls in flight by their ankles & yank them down like a child pulling on the string of his/her kite or helium balloon. Sailor Moon & Fighter hit the floor hard, making them numb all over from the impact like their whole bodies were injected with novocaine. The queen tosses Fighter aside & slams her into one of the tall consoles, causing it to dent & spark. With the wind knocked out of her, the Starlight was out of commission, leaving the alien monstrosity to deal with Sailor Moon. Grabbing her with both hands, the queen slams the Moon Princess against the other tall consoles, creating the same damage to them when Fighter was thrown at one. The queen does this to Sailor Moon repeatedly, smashing her into one console after another, bringing great damage to each one & bleeding cuts & bruises on her victim's body; Sailor Moon can neither get out of the queen's grip, nor could she attack her, & even if she could do the latter, she would most likely be splashed with her acidic blood, killing her as the deadly fluid eats her flesh & bone. But if Sailor Moon doesn't do something & soon, both her, Sailor Star Fighter, & the alien queen will all die simultaneously once Kumi gets her plan to electrocute the queen in motion.

The plan was to only fry the queen, & not her or Fighter.

But at the rate things are going, they may all very well end up roasted alive.

Seeing Sailor Moon battered, bloodied, & seemingly beaten, the queen holds her up in front of her with the utmost contempt & loathing. This human & her companion have caused the alien queen the greatest pain she can ever endure—having her children killed, whether in infancy or not. She would've rejoiced at the birth of a new queen embedded from within Sailor Moon only a short while ago, with the added bonus of another warrior to add to her hive, but because of these humans & all their friends, that can never be now. Topside, the queen has buried & allegedly killed all their comrades underneath tons of burly rubble.

Now it was time for Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter to join them, starting with the helpless Moon Princess.

The alien queen opens her toothy maw at its widest, just as Sailor Moon opens her eyes to bear witness to the inner jaws that are about to strike her, literally head-on. As weak as she is from getting pummeled by the alien creature, Sailor Moon refuses to yield to this emotionless monster which pillages, plunders, & marauds other planets with her ruthless children. If there's even the smallest spark of life within her, Sailor Moon will do whatever it takes to prevent the queen from causing those atrocious actions on Earth—to her last dying breath.

She stares down the jaws of death as they strike forward, aimed straight at her forehead.

"Go to Hell, you bitch!", Sailor Moon angrily screams.

The queen's inner jaws only go half the distance to her prey's forehead.

The crescent moon upon Sailor Moon's forehead lights up & shines a tremendously bright light that blinds the queen, causing her to screech out in torment & drop her intended victim. The light's intensity, while warm to most, burns the alien queen beyond anything she's ever felt before in her life. Her vision stinging, the giant creature staggers backwards on her hind legs, being unable to stop herself.

She heads directly for the main generator at the back of the room.

Sailor Moon drops to the floor & lands right beside Sailor Star Fighter, who now regains consciousness. Both Sailor Soldiers are drained of their energy, especially Sailor Moon after her brief but powerful light show. Through partially blurry eyes, the two heroines can see the queen heading for the generator at a great speed. The humming of the hefty machine becomes louder & sparks of electricity start spurting, indicating that Kumi has finally thrown the switch.

The three minutes are up.

But now they face a new problem: Kumi explained that once she got her plan going, the two of them need to be vacant from the room, so as not to be caught in the trap meant strictly for the alien queen herself. Unfortunately, neither Sailor is able to presently move, let alone escape out of the trap they themselves helped Kumi with in disposing of the alien beast, even though their ticket out is simply above them through the hole the queen made.

If only they can get to it, but can't.

The alien queen makes contact with the sparking generator.

Like a freak lightning storm, the entire room roars to energetic life as white hot bolts blanket the place in high heat, cooking everything inside the room's length, raising the temperature to unbearable levels of humidity, a level nothing can thrive in. Not even the alien queen can endure the torturous temperature, screeching maniacally as she gets barbequed alive, her acidic blood boiling from within & her near-steel-hard skin blistering & smoking, the stench filling & mixing in with the godawful heat emitting all over. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of excrutiating pain for the queen, the electrical surge ceases & halts sooner than it started, & the queen falls like a boulder to the floor, dead before she crashes to it. Her skin still smokes in many places, & the smell of burned flesh & acid still lingers around her & most of the room.

Sailor Moon & Sailor Star Fighter can feel the immense heat of the room upon their skins, but strangely enough, neither of them are suffering from it. It does, however, wake them up & get more aware of their situation & surroundings. Each of them was surprised to see themselves up on the floor where the queen made her grand entrance through. Even more astonishing is the sight of Sailor Saturn & the other Sailors, including Maker & Healer, at their sides.

It explains why they're still alive, especially when they see Sailor Venus with her yellow, heart-linked chain in her hands still wrapped around their wrists.

"Everyone", Sailor Moon says softly, regaining her strength. "You're all okay."

"You can thank Saturn for that", said Sailor Mars. "She activated her 'Silence Wall' dome just in the nick of time before the debris that fell could crush us underneath."

"What about Mamo-chan? Is he…"

"He's fine", Sailor Mercury quickly chimed in. "We escorted him out to Haruka's car once we cleared ourselves from the rubble. That's why we were late, & we apologize for being so."

"But you did rather good on your own for the most part, Sailor Moon", said Sailor Jupiter. "It seems you took care of the alien queen before the worst-case scenario could happen."

Sailor Moon looks at Fighter, who smiles. "I had a very good ally & friend by my side the whole time. That's why I was successful."

"No, Dumpling", said Fighter. "It was your own courage that made you triumph over that alien bitch, just as you did with Queen Beryl when you threw yourself into harm's way to stop her from destroying our only ticket home."

Sailor Moon nods. "You're right. But having friends like all of you with me when the going gets tough doesn't hurt either."

A smile was plastered on each one of the Sailor Soldier's faces.

"True", Sailor Venus commented, retracting her magical chain.

Sailor Star Fighter gets to her feet, doing so amazingly quickly, considering the lumps she's received from the queen. "Hey young ones, why don't you help Sailor Moon to where Mamoru is, & we'll join you shortly?"

The young Sailors look at each other in confusement, but Maker, Healer, the Outer Sailors know what Fighter has in mind, & Sailor Neptune puts them at ease.

"It's all right", she says. "We just need to make sure that the queen is truly dead, & not playing possum on us."

Sailor Venus nods. "We understand, & it is best to see that she's the former, not the latter."

With a quick nod, the young Sailor Soldiers help Sailor Moon to her feet & take her to join Mamoru in Haruka's vehicle, while the Starlights & Outer Sailors take a cautious leap down the gaping hole in the floor & land in the generator room below. Small sparks lit up a mostly dark area, but was more than enough for the adult Sailors to see. The room still had the stench of heat & acidic smoke, but it didn't bother the girls all that much, as they ignored it for the most part. The band of heroines cautiously walk up to the alien queen, lying motionless on the floor, her hide still hot from the immense heat that was used to cook her otherworldly body. Even as a corpse, the queen was such a hideous & eerie sight for anyone to behold. The Starlights & Outer Sailors get a chill up their spine, seeing this large alien creature. They stop when they get within ten feet of her as Sailor Neptune uses her mirror to determine whether or not the queen really is dead or playing possum, like she mentioned before.

If the electrical current didn't finish the job of killing the queen, they will.

But Sailor Neptune's mirror finds no trace of life in the monster before them, coming to a safe & satisfying conclusion.

"We can all relax—she really is dead", she states.

The other girls breathe a sigh or relief, pleased to be spared another brutal conflict with the creature that almost killed two of their best friends.

"God bless you & Sailor Moon, Fighter! You've done it!", said Sailor Star Healer, with high amazement in her voice.

"Thanks, but Dumpling deserves the praise more", said Fighter. "She was the one who delivered the final blow, while I was down & nearly out. I must say, it isn't wise to misjudge her."

Sailor Uranus lets out a sharp laugh. "That's our Princess—sweet & innocent, until you rub her the wrong way. Just ask Queen Beryl."

Sailor Star Maker laughs softly. "I don't think she's in any position to disagree with you, Uranus."

The Outer Sailor Soldier smiles at Maker, this time in high respect. "I suppose not."

Sailor Star Fighter approaches the dead queen & takes out her star brooch. The other Starlights join her, all pulling out their own, puzzling the Outer Sailors.

"Starlights, why are you drawing your weapons?", Sailor Pluto wonders. "Neptune gave us a confirmation of the queen's condition. The electric current that coursed through her is likely to kill anything it touches—even her."

The Starlights turn to Pluto & her group as Fighter explains. "Not that we doubt you, but we feel it's best to make sure." They turn back to the deceased queen. "Besides, we've got big plans for her!"

"You got that right!", said Sailor Star Healer.

All at once, the Starlights aim their brooches at three different areas of the queen's cooked corpse: Sailor Star Maker at the rear, Sailor Star Healer at the midsection, & Sailor Star Fighter at the neck. This little scenario swiftly made it clear to the Outer Sailors of their intention with the alien queen, & it was such a good, pleasant one; their only regret was that they'd wish they thought of it themselves.

"Everyone ready?", asked Sailor Star Maker.

"Yes", Healer & Fighter said simultaneously.

That said, the Starlights get down to it.

EPILOGUE

The threat of the aliens has passed, but the situation concerning the Tanaka's destruction is anything but. Kumi Sekizawa—wife of the secretly year-long deceased Hoshino—is scheduled to face the Space Science Administration on account of the station's demise, along with the brutal death of technician Koji Suzuki. In no more than seven days, she will explain the crisis in her own words as to why the station was destroyed, & one of her own staff was killed. Kumi hates to need to give the horrid details about the crisis, but given the circumstances, & considering that the Cabinet of NASA from America is an associate of the Tanaka, she doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Over at his apartment, Mamoru is dealing with his own pain: the cut across his chest that Kunzite gave him itched like hell, due to the fact that it's healing. Usagi comes over to ease his suffering as best she can, whether physical or emotional. With the chance to relax, Usagi explains to Mamoru about what occurred aboard the Tanaka, from their run-ins with the vicious aliens & Queen Beryl, to their meeting of the Sailor Starlights, Shindo's untimely death, her & Fighter's impregnation of an alien infant inside their chests & how they overcame & lived through it, to Beryl's defeat & their escape from the Tanaka just before detonation. After Usagi told her side of the story, it became Mamoru's turn to swap one with her: he explained to her that Queen Beryl had resurrected Kunzite from the grave, & that he had the real Hoshino Sekizawa murdered, masquerading as his one-time teacher for a little more than a year from right under everyone's noses, including the man's own wife & daughter; he gave her the details on how he was determined on bringing the aliens to Earth, forcing Kumi & the rest of her staff to prepare a shuttle to transport them, but not before killing Koji Suzuki, a longtime associate of the Space Science Authority Center. Further explanations were not necessary, for they both deduced from both ends of this alien infestation to be a plot for the two Dark Kingdom warriors to exact vengeance on them & Usagi, Mamoru, nor any of the Sailor Soldiers can figure out just how Queen Beryl or Kunzite survived their ordeal or came back from the grip of the grim reaper.

It's a mystery that remains one.

Now it's six days later since that terrible tragedy happened, & in the glowing light of a street lamp that shines on a walkway at a seemingly empty Sankaku Park (the very same park where Nephrite was killed at after rescuing Naru Osaka from Zoisite's minions), Usagi Tsukino—dressed in her light blue jacket on this cool evening—stands underneath its luminous light. She isn't alone on this night, either: standing ten feet away is a woman dressed in a light brown jacket, with rectangular spectacles over her eyes.

Usagi knew it was Kumi Sekizawa; what she doesn't know is why Hoshino's widow would have her come to this area at 11:00 at night, where most good residents are turning in.

"Usagi, thank you for coming tonight", Kumi began. "I know it's unusual to have to ask you to be here at this hour, but…"

"Not at all, Kumi", Usagi replied kindly. "How goes the situation over at the Space Science Authority? Nothing serious, I hope."

Kumi lets out a sigh. "We're all coping as best we can, although it will be a while before we get things fully operational again: the attack by the madman posing as my husband & the alien queen had caused a great amount of damage to the building, & our systems. Physically, it's nothing we can't fix. The emotional damage, however, that's another story. Just about everyone aboard the Tanaka had families, & next of kins. We're still passing out names of those who perished to their loved ones."

Now it's Usagi who lets out a sorrowful sigh. "I take it they didn't take the news of their deaths lightly?"

Kumi shook her head. "They took it very hard, not that I blame them, since I myself suffered a loss—one that was secretly kept from me for over a year."

"Kumi, you know you have my deepest sympathies—and that of all my friends as well."

"Thank you. I only hope those at the Space Science Administration show the same kind of clemency, as it was I who caused the Tanaka's demise by activating the self-destrct device from the Center here on Earth."

Her words cinched Usagi's suspicions. When she & her Sailor Soldier friends saw the teleporter unit activate out of the blue despite the damage Queen Beryl caused to its control console aboard the space station, she suspected that either Kumi or even her Mamoru had done so from a console at the Center itself, allowing safe passage for them all to Earth, along with detonating the station itself. She also surmised that Kumi had planned a hidden control panel for the unit unknown from her husband that would serve as a backup in case something went awry, or if her husband by chance went rogue. It turned out she was half right—her husband did go rogue, but only because Kunzite had murdered & then masqueraded as him.

In any case, it was a smart decision on Kumi's part, & it's the reason why she & her friends are still alive now.

If only Usagi could mention that part to her.

Usagi thought fast to keep Kumi from getting too suspicious of her identity. "Try not to worry too much about it, Kumi. Considering what happened aboard the Tanaka, I'm sure you won't be facing serious charges. Personally, you did it for the good of mankind. Surely that will account for something at this hearing."

"I'm sure you're right, but I'll need more than my word to support my claims, such as video evidence of those monsters."

"Didn't Mamo-chan help you download the footage from the Tanaka to your consoles at the Center to find out what happened up there?"

"That he did, but during the battle between your boyfriend & that maniac who called himself Kunzite, a lot of damage was caused to our equipment, so it's unknown as to whether or not any of the footage is salvageable, but I'll make a thorough inspection for it. With any luck, there'll be a rough copy of it somewhere."

"I'm sure you'll find it, but what do you mean by the battle between Mamo-chan &…"

Kumi lets out a soft laugh. "You heard me. Let's not pretend anymore, Usagi Tsukino…or should I say, Sailor Moon."

Usagi can stop pretending, for she knew the jig was up, & she surrenders. "How did you find out, Kumi?"

"Would you believe it was by accident? After Mamoru came back as Tuxedo Mask & saved us from Kunzite, I secretly hung around, curious as to why my husband wasn't himself—demanding we bring the aliens to Earth, pulling a gun on me & my staff & killing a member. These are things my husband would never do intentionally, so I had the distinct feeling that whoever did all those horrible things wasn't really him. From there, I learned the whole, awful truth."

Usagi stays silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say at first. "So now you know the whole truth: you know who I, & possibly my friends, really am."

"Usagi, you make it sound like it's a bad thing. Do you really believe I would think any less of you, knowing your secret?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

Kumi walks up to Usagi & places her hands gently on her shoulders, smiling. "Usagi, whether you're Sailor Moon or yourself, you're a good friend to the people because you have such a heart of gold, & you listen to it to do the right thing. Because of your good judgement, both you & your friend Sailor Star Fighter cooperated with me in defeating the alien queen."

"That's true. Despite the difficulties, we all defeated her & saved the Earth from a living nightmare. Thank you for assisting us in that."

"No, thank you for trusting me to help you."

"You're more than welcome, Kumi. I pray that all goes well at the hearing, & that you won't end up with jail time for your actions."

"Don't worry, Usagi—I'll make sure it doesn't come to that. I know the evidence of the Tanaka footage is somewhere safe. I just need to find it."

"You will. Good night, Kumi. Give my love to your daughter, won't you?"

"I'll be sure to do that. Good night, Usagi. And thanks again."

Just before she finished speaking, Kumi starts heading back to her car—a black Mazda—as she waves to Usagi, with her returning the gesture & watching her take off in her vehicle. Unseen & unknown to Usagi, the Outer Sailors (Haruka, Michiru, & Setsuna) & the Sailor Starlights (Taiki, Yaten, & Seiya) have followed the gold-hearted Sailor to the park, dressed in light long-sleeved shirts & pants, & observe her from a distance, listening in on their conversation & sharing their opinions of it.

"Kumi Sekizawa knows of our secret", said Haruka.

"I wouldn't worry about it", said Michiru. "Usagi trusts her to keep it. Plus, she has a daughter who adores her alter-ego. Truth be told, I trust her myself."

Haruka smiles. "Then I guess there's nothing more to debate about it. If you say you trust Kumi with our secret like Dumpling does, it has to be safe with her." The golden-haired woman turns to Yaten & her group. "So, Starlights, now that the danger of the aliens has passed, what will you three do? Head back home with your trophies?"

"Why do you ask?", said Taiki,smirking. "Are you that eager to be rid of us?"

Setsuna gives a reassuring smile to the group. "You misunderstand, Taiki. Haruka, Michiru, & myself are simply curious, that's all. You three are welcome to remain on Earth to recouperate from our struggle with those creatures. It's the least we could do for you in return for assisting us, & Usagi & her group would be delighted if you did."

Yaten let out a small guffaw. "I'm sure they would, at that. Actually, we do plan on staying on Earth for a while, but not just because of your generous invitation."

"What do you mean, Yaten?", asked Michiru.

"It's like this: the tragedy of the Tanaka put a rather big hurt on the families of those who died there, as well as the agencies who contributed all their hard work putting the station together & trying to make this world a better place."

"You've been watching the news broadcasts on television?", asked Setsuna.

Seiya nods. "Yes. The three of us feel terrible about seeing those suffer from it, that we've decided to begin performing again as Three Lights in an attempt to raise money & help those most affected by this tragedy."

"So, Three Lights are making a comeback?", asked Haruka.

"A charitable comeback, but you got the assumption right", said Taiki. "Anyway, I have to confess that I miss performing on stage & singing my heart out, even though last time was solely for our Princess to hear. This time, however, it's for the people of Earth."

"That's very generous of you three to do that", said Michiru. "How soon will you get started?"

"Right away, as soon as I can get in touch with musical producer Takuya Moroboshi, but I don't think that will be too difficult", said Yaten.

"You're in luck—Takuya is organizing a caravan of artists to do the same thing you three wish to. So far he's rounded up half a dozen, & from what I hear, he wishes to add you three into the foray, saying that your appearance will help to raise a vast fortune in charity funds. All you need to do is contact him through the internet, & you're bought."

"Thanks for the advice", says Taiki. "We'll do that first thing in the morning. Right now, we should head back to our rooms at the hotel. It is getting late, & we're still very tired from the fight with the aliens."

Yaten & Seiya nod as the latter speaks. "Would you be so kind as to give Dumpling a lift back to her home?"

"Leave that to us", said Haruka. "It's time we did the same thing ourselves."

"One more thing", Yaten says. "Michiru, would you do a violin solo with us if we become part of Moroboshi's caravan?"

"For old time's sake?", she asks with a pinch of sarcasm.

"Something like that."

"I'd be delighted. Call me if you've cemented anything with Takuya, & it's a done deal."

Haruka & Michiru start taking off into the night, with Setsuna joining them, but she issues her final words to the guys for the evening. "Good night, gentlemen. And good luck."

"Thank you", said the trio in unison.

The Outer Sailors walk over to Usagi & give their generous offer of driving her home. In a nod, the Moon Princess happily agrees, just as they knew she would. The Three Lights watch them escort Usagi to Haruka's car & drive off, leaving the three men alone in the park. Watching & admiring the beauty of their immediate surroundings & the city lights, the otherwordly Sailor Soldiers all feel glad they helped Sailor Moon & her band save the Earth, rather than desert it when Galaxia invaded with her rogue band of Sailor Soldiers like they did their own homeworld.

Now they've done it twice, & are no less happier about it than before.

What's more, they get the chance to help the people of Earth even further by doing charity performances—a task they all look forward to, once the right contacts were made. With their star status, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to join Takuya Moroboshi's bandwagon.

After several moments more of enjoying the scenery, the trio head home themselves.

Tomorrow begins a big day for them, one that will possibly be the first of many rigorous & backbreaking performances in front of hundreds of screaming fans.

They wouldn't want it any other way.

MEMORIALS

2002 Memorials:

Richard A. Conti, The Father of My Friend Tony, 60 (1941-2002)

Kim Hunter, Actress, Played Zira in 'Planet of the Apes', 79 (1923-2002)

Lionel Hampton, Jazz Legend, 93 or 94 (1908 or 1909-2002)

J. Lee Thompson, Movie Director, 88 (1914-2002)

Helen Giuliani, Mother of Rudolph Giuliani, 92 (1909-2002)

LaWanda Page, 'Sanford & Son' Actress, 81 (1921-2002)

James Gregory, Character Actor, 90 (1921-2002)

Bruce Paltrow, 'St. Elsewhere' Producer, Father of Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, 58 (1944-2002)

Whitney Blake, 'Hazel' Actress, 76 (1926-2002)

Teresa Graves, Television-Movie Actress, 54 (1948-2002)

Buddy Lester, Comedian, 86 (1916-2002)

Ray Conniff, Pioneering Big Band Leader, 85 (1916-2002)

Richard Harris, Actor, 72 (1930-2002)

Darrell Porter, St. Louis Cardinal, 50 (1952-2002)

Chuck Rayner, Goalie for New York Rangers, 82 (1920-2002)

Jam Master Jay, Member of Rap Group Run-DMC, 37 (1965-2002)

Joe Strummer, Singer-Songwriter for The Clash, 50 (1952-2002)

Kenneth Tobey, Actor, 85 (1917-2002)

2007 Memorials:

Tommy Newson, Played In Band for 'The Tonight Show', 78 (1929-2007)

Kevin Mitchell, Former NFL Linebacker, 36 (1971-2007)

Bill Forester, Green Bay Packer, 74 (1933-2007)

Tom Poston, Actor & Comedian, Played Handyman on 'Newhart', 85 (1922-2007)

Margo Esslinger, TV News Producer, 50 (1957-2007)

Perry Quick, Economist for Jimmy Carter & Ronald Reagan, 61 (1946-2007)

Stanley McDonald, Father of Broadway Star Audra, 62 (1945-2007)

Gordon Scott, Played Tarzan in 1950s, 80 (1926-2007)

Zola Taylor, Sang With 1950s Group The Platters, 69 (1938-2007)

Alvin Batiste, Jazz Clarinet Icon (age not known—sources say he was in his seventies)

William Becker, Motel 6 Co-Founder, 85 (1922-2007)

Bernard Gordon, Screenwriter, 88 (1918-2007)

Jerry Falwell, Reverend & Author, 73 (1933-2007)

Gomer Hodge, Baseball Player for Cleveland Indians, 63 (1944-2007)

Lauren Terrazzano, Reporter for Newsday, 39 (1968-2007)

Yolanda King, Daughter of Martin Luther King, 51 (1956-2007)

Louise Merrim, Artist & Theatrical Actress, 82 (1925-2007)

Howard Porter, Villanova Hoops Star for NCAA, 58 (1949-2007)

Gretchen Wyler, Actress & Activist, 75 (1932-2007)

Charles Nelson Reilly, Actor & TV Personality, 76 (1931-2007)

Dave Balon, Played for New York Rangers, 68 (1939-2007)

Wallace Seawell, Hollywood Photog, 90 (1916-2007)

Edwin Traisman, Food Scientist, Helped Develop 'Cheez Whiz', 91 (1916-2007)

Freddie Scott, Soul Singer, Best Known for Hit Song 'Hey,Girl' in 1963, 74 (1933-2007)

Ray Mears, Basketball Coach, 80 (1927-2007)

Frankie Abernathy, TV Personality, Starred in MTV's 'The Real World', 25 (1982-2007)

Don Herbert, Television's 'Mr. Wizard', 89 (1918-2007)

Tito Gomez, Fronted Top Salsa Bands, 59 (1948-2007)

Ruth Graham, Wife of Evangelist Billy Graham, 87 (1920-2007)

Augusta Harrison, Model, 84 (1923-2007)

Ed Friendly, Producer of 'Little House' & 'Laugh-In', 85 (1924-2007)

J. B. Handelsman, Cartoonist & Illustrator, 85 (1922-2007)

Donna King Conkling, Member of Singing King Sisters, 88 (1918-2007)

Liz Claiborne, Fashion Designer, 78 (1929-2007)

William Hutt, Classical Actor, 87 (1920-2007)

Art Stevens, Animated Several Disney Classics, 92 (1915-2007)

Joel Siegel, Award-Winning Movie Critic, 63 (1943-2007)

Beverly Sills, Opera Star, 78 (1929-2007)

Boots Randolph, 'Yakety Sax' Player, 80 (1927-2007)

Rev. Melvin C. Walker, Gospel Radio Host, 70 (1937-2007)

George Melly, Jazz Singer, 80 (1927-2007)

Bill Pinkney, Last Original Member of The Drifters, 81 (1926-2007)

Kenneth A. MacAfee, Played for NY Giants, 77 (1930-2007)

Doug Marlette, Former Newsday Cartoonist, 57 (1950-2007)

Charles Lane, Profilic Character Actor, 102 (1905-2007)

Lady Bird Johnson, Former First Lady & Environmentalist, 94 (1912-2007)

Joseph Basso, Marine Hero in World War II, 85 (1922-2007)

Francis 'Bucko' Kilroy, Former New England Patriots Executive, 86 (1921-2007)

Toshio Shiozawa, Famed Japanese Actress, 79 (1928-2007)

Jim Mitchell, Adult Film Producer, 63 (1944-2007)

Tammy Faye Messner, Evangelist, 65 (1942-2007)

Laszlo Kovacs, Cinematographer for 'Easy Rider' & Others, 74 (1933-2007)

Frank 'Sonny' Dallas, Jazz Bassist & Teacher, 75 (1932-2007)

Bill Flemming, Sports Broadcaster, 80 (1927-2007)

Ingmar Bergman, Legendary Filmmaker, 89 (1918-2007)

Tom Snyder, Famed TV Anchor & Talk Show Host, 71 (1936-2007)

Bill Walsh, Legendary Football Coach, 75 (1931-2007)

Tommy Makem, Irish Folk Singer, 74 (1933-2007)

Lee Hazelwood, Singer-Songwriter, Wrote Songs for Nancy Sinatra, 78 (1929-2007)

Melville 'Mel' Shavelson, Movie Director, 90 (1917-2007)

Art Davis, Renowned Double Bassist, 73 (1933-2007)

Merv Griffin, Entertainment Mogul, 82 (1925-2007)

Brooke Astor, Philanthropist & Socialite, 105 (1902-2007)

Phil Rizzuto, Legendary Baseball Affiliate, 89 (1917-2007)

Jean Hogan Hickey, Former Manhattan/Broadway Dancer, 84 (1923-2007)

Sam Pollock, Hockey Executive for NHL, 81 (1926-2007)

Max Roach, Master Jazz Drummer, Played With Many Musical Greats, 83 (1924-2007)

Michael K. Deaver, Key Adviser To President Ronald Reagan, 69 (1938-2007)

Liz Callan, Producer for 'The NewsHour' on PBS, 57 (1950-2007)

R. Todd Williams, Older Brother of Comedian Robin Williams, 69 (1938-2007)

Dr. Leslie Lukash, Medical Examiner, 86 (1921-2007)

Walter Wegner, Broadway Flutist, 87 (1920-2007)

Leona Helmsley, Hotel Queen, 87 (1920-2007)

Butch van Breda Kolff, Basketball Coach at Hofstra & in NBA, 84 (1923-2007)

Jerry Ito, Famed Gaijin Actor, Played Clark Nelson in 1961's 'Mothra', 79 (1927-2007)

Kyoji Kobayashi, Famed Japanese Radio & Voice Actor, 75 (1932-2007)

Eiji Funakoshi, Famed Japanese Actor, Played in 1965's 'Daikaiju Gamera', 84 (1923-2007)

Gay Brewer, Professional Golfer, 75 (1932-2007)