Sailor Moon: A Call to Arms

Part One: The Coward

Chapter One
Falling Free

"Wake up, Scout Jirghy." Pethospoe Jirghy slowly opened his eyes. "Scout Jirghy," the feminine computer voice repeated, "you will enter the intended planet's atmosphere in two ch'leks. Your chute is secured. Now is the time to divert course if needed. Are your sword and locket properly secured?"

"Yeah." Pethospoe's voice was groggy from six weeks in suspended animation. Even after two years, it still amazed him how just a smidgen of magic could nearly undo the false sleep. And speaking of magic, secured simply meant magically infused into his flesh along with his Scout suit, able to be summoned or dismissed with a mere thought. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"It is my program."

Why was he thanking it? It was Klijargan! "So, how does it feel to know you're gonna be disintegrated in about, oh... four ch'leks?"

"My programming is not advanced enough to feel emotions or think logically. This was an automated response."

Pethospoe sighed. Now he was talking to it. The suspended animation must have addled his mind a tad. "So long then, you Klijargan hunk 'o junk. Speak only if there's an emergency." Pethospoe felt his pod start to vibrate as it hit the Earth's atmosphere, a mix of fear and joy going through him. Here I am, twelve groh'leks away from the Klijargan advance corridor, and knowing them, they'll ignore this planet, being so overpopulated and all, and that's if they even bother with this rural area of the galaxy. They don't even know I have their precious Sword of Klijarga, thanks to those Melorian replicators, and they think I'm dead from that escape pod explosion. They'll never come to me here. I'm finally free!

He was free. He was actually free! He had to chant a quick mantra to magically suppress his emotions to keep himself from crying tears of joy as he still had to survive landing, but he had actually made it! The zealots who had taken everything from him and forced him to be some sort of prophesized messiah would never find him on the third planet in a nine-plus planet system that had so many sizable free-floaters that could also be called planets, depending on individual interpretation. He smirked at the thought. Had there been only eight definite planets, four solid and then four gaseous, the Klijargans would have had him lead the invasion of their so called promised land. But there were many solid rocks big enough to be planets beyond the fourth gaseous planet as well as a very sizable sphere that may or may not be simply the largest member of the asteroid belt as the definition of a planet wasn't intergalactically agreed upon. Well, now they would have to find a new messiah, forever ignorant of his final insults and desecrations to their relics and their unwritten final legacy.

I'm doing it again. He shook his head to stop his mental tangent and focus on the here and now. Sweat started to bead on his brow as the internal temperature of the pod increased from the friction with the Earth's atmosphere. He awaited the computer's final remark. "Separation in five, four, three, two, one..."

Crud...

Pethospoe squeezed his eyes shut as the world around him exploded with the rush of the Earth's atmosphere as the escape pod split open, allowing him to free fall most of the way to the ground until he opened his chute. The safe feeling of artificial gravity was gone and he felt the horrifying sensation of weightlessness as he was hurled at a more than fatal velocity to the ground below. He chanted the mantra of courage and got it right by the third try, allowing himself to focus on what he had to do to not become a splat on the ground. It would be rather silly to panic and die when he was so close to his goal.

He looked through the computer visor on his helmet-mask and the altimeter told him 10,000 tellos which meant he still had a good while until the 100 tello mark where he would open his chute. Although the atmosphere was still thin that high up, the oxygen pack on his hip would feed him enough air until he was on the ground. He arched his body so he could see up as his escape pod self-disintegrated itself to hide his presence. As he looked at the giant world around him, he realized it was almost dawn.

Goddess damned piece of crap miscalculated! It should be night! He looked down and saw city lights below him. Using his visor, he found a small body of water to land in. Great. I'm right in the middle of a big city. I guess I'd better not open my chute until I'm only 50 tellos up to reduce visibility. The pod should have guided Pethospoe to an area of light population or farmland further up north. Instead, he was right over possibly the largest city on the planet with a population of nearly 15 million when including all of its many, many suburbs.

Maybe it was for the best. He looked like what the people of Earth called a 'Caucasian' but they did not congregate en masse on the island nation he was falling towards. Just why he had picked it, he did not know. It just felt right for some reason, but the new development was probably for the best as he wouldn't stick out as bad in a city of millions.

5,000 tellos were left on the visor and they were dropping fast. Pethospoe clenched his teeth and straightened his body into an arrow, falling as fast as he possibly could by lowering the surface area of his body and increasing his terminal velocity. His visor told him 2,500 tellos to the ground. He strained to keep his eyes open rather than shut them, appeasing his instinctual desires to feel a false sense of safety while rocketing towards his death if something went wrong with the chute. After all, magic mantras only went so far and only lasted so long...

You can do this! You're almost there. Stay focused, and a new life will finally be yours!

After two years of traveling with the Klijargans, Pethospoe was able to fake his own death and steal the Klijargan's most precious artifact after replicating it and putting the replica in its place. The only other possession of his was a locket with a picture of his mother that played music. 500 tellos were left. Pethospoe spread his body out to reduce his terminal velocity, allowing him to slow down a bit. 200 tellos.

I gotta time this one just right! As the visor hit 60, Pethospoe pulled the ripcord and the first chute opened at 53, slowing him even more and allowing the main chute to open at 30. He unleashed himself from his chute in mid air at 5 tellos and splashed into the lake his visor had targeted earlier. He didn't bother looking up to see his chute automatically disintegrate itself. He swam to where he could wade and started to run out of the small lake.

"Anata wa dare desu ka?"

Pethospoe turned to a demanding voice. Staring at him was a tall, young woman wearing very short, loose reflective pants and a tight fitting, sleeveless shirt that left her midriff exposed. Due to a multitude of circumstances, he didn't have time to admire her beauty. She spoke again as he stood motionless while his mouthpiece filtered out the water so he'd be able to breath uninhibited.

Crap...

*.*.*

"I said who are you?" Makoto Kino, the Senshi of Jupiter and the master of nature and electricity, demanded of the figure that fell from the sky. Its dress was a black body suit but the arrangement of what appeared to be buttons on the vest got her attention as they reminded her strongly of the uniform of the Generals of Queen Beryl. "Answer me!" After a moment of staring back at her in silence, the figure spun around and darted off without a word, prompting Makoto to gave chase. "Oi! Get back here!"

What luck! She grinned a huntresses grin as she was able to keep up with the figure who just happened to be bee lining right for the Hikawa Shrine. Good thing she was already warmed up... "Guys, wake-up! Wake-up! A strange person fell out of the sky. When I tried to talk to him, he just ran away from me. I'm keeping up with him and he's headed right for the Shrine! Come to the man gate!" There was a slight pause as silence was her only reply. "Dam it! Are any of you awake?!"

"What is it, Mako-chan," a groggy Minako Aino asked, her tiny features blurred in the two-way video communicator. "Who fell out of the... sky? Are you sure you..."

"Just shut up and transform and meet me at the gate. Get the others. Make sure you're all transformed! This is serious! I'm on my way and we're coming in hot!"

"Wha?!" Her image shook its tiny head and she nodded. "Um... right! Hey guys!"

Makoto yelled at the figure again. "I'm not your enemy! Why are you running from me?" She saw from the streets they were running through that they were almost within site of the Shrine's gate. Makoto prayed that the others would hurry. She wasn't looking for a fight, and maybe a show of force would make sure the idea never crossed the stranger's thoughts.

"Damn it, STOP!" The figure stopped dead in its tracks and turned around. Makoto slowed to a stop and put her hands on her hips, displaying her annoyance of having to wait for the stranger to finally comply as she was barely even winded. Well, maybe just a little bit winded. "That's better. Now, if you'd…" She stared in a slight state of shock as the character materialized a reddish blade in its hand and pointed it at her. It was the red blade from Rei's dream! Upon further inspection, the figure did seem somewhat shadowy…

*.*.*

Pethospoe knew that talking would be useless because he hadn't absorbed the local language yet. He had no choice but to brandish his blade while screaming like a moopawak at the girl who had somehow managed to keep up with him as he ran. Had he not been so full of adrenaline and winded from the fruitless sprint, he'd be embarrassed by the sounds he made after it went through his voice filter. Moopawaks sounded even sillier than normal with a metallic voice…

The girl slowly backed away and Pethospoe started backing away himself in the other direction. I need to get out of here! The locals will be stirring. Pethospoe turned around and stopped at the sight. He saw before him four late teen-aged females in similar uniforms standing in defiant stances. He knew they were there to oppose him, and someone who dressed that ridiculously must be very skilled in her vocation. He stared at them and they stared back for a moment before the one in front with long blond hair tied into two long tails starting at two buns spoke. "Watashi wa Seeraa Muun."

"Seeraa Makuyuri," said the one with short blue hair.

"Seeraa Venusu," said the one with long, flowing blond hair.

"Seeraa Marusu," said the one with long, dark hair.

"Seeraa Jupputa," a voice from behind said. Pethospoe glanced back to see another similarly uniformed girl behind him. I'm trapped! Pethospoe put his back to a fence and faced perpendicularly to the line between the four Seeraas and the lone one so to be able to see an attack from any angle. He thought about simply surrendering. Whatever they would do to him was better than being a slave of Klijarga.

No… He couldn't simply surrender. All he would be able to do is suffer incarceration or execution, or even become an enslaved soldier to them instead. As much as he hated to admit it, the Klijargans had trained him well. All he had to do was break past Jupputa and he would eventually be able to lose his pursuers. Besides, he was the only one with a weapon and he doubted they had any place on such skimpy outfits to hide any weapons...

"Watashitachi wa," the group said, snapping him back to the present, "Seeraa Senshi!" The quartet did an odd group pose and the fifth warrior joined them. Relief and confusion flooded through him as he pondered what had just happened. That tall girl must be stupid. She just forfeited her group's tactical advantage. And no true warrior would ever use such a foolish pose in battle. I'm dealing with cute, scantily clad clowns! Wait… where'd that girl who was chasing me go…

"Nihon o hanishimasu ka?" said the one named Makuyuri. Pethospoe merely stood and stared through his helmet. The way she carried herself meant she was trying to diffuse the situation. If only he had been given a chance to learn their tongue… He dematerialized his sword as a show of good intent. Maybe he could work out something without having to flee after all, but then the one named Marusu stepped forward and spoke.

"I arrive," she said in Klijargan.

*.*.*

The masked figure stepped back in awe as Rei spoke. "Dosh theita," she said again.

"Shybolia!" The figure's voice was cold and metallic as if there was a synthesizer to block his or her true voice. The figure charged right at Rei with such speed that she only had time to brace for the impact. The figure rammed its head into her gut, causing her to double over in pain. Rei saw the ground come right at her face followed by blurred stars upon crashing into the ground face-first before pleasant darkness.

*.*.*

Emulators. I knew it! Many planets with large populations used emulators as soldiers because of their ability to literally learn things such as language, knowledge or magic through osmosis. Klijargan emulators in particular could even steal abilities through physical contact. Pethospoe kept running from his adversaries. One thing he knew was that an individual emulator by herself could be trusted on a case-by-case basis. But in a group, they turned into pecking avians who preyed on lone bucks, and he was a very lone young buck. His sixth sense told him to jump and he did.

"Suparukurin waido puresha!" Pethospoe jumped over a compact lighting ball that slammed into a lamppost in front of him, sending small bolts and little chunks of the lamppost in all directions. The pieces of shrapnel only bounced off of his suit, but the electric bolts shocked him, causing him to trip as his leg spasmed. He rolled up onto his feet and faced his enemies, materializing his sword in his left hand. The one in red whom he had rammed was not standing. That's one less pursuer.

"Lavu mi chen!" cried Venusu.

"Shabon supure furezin!" yelled the two-faced Makuyuri who almost had him fooled before Marusu blew their cover. Emulators weren't always the brightest, after all. Venusu's attack was a chain-like whip that whirled towards Pethospoe. He knocked the chain away with his sword but Makuyuri's attack was a mist that froze him in his place. He was paralyzed, totally unable to move!

*.*.*

Usagi aimed her hands at the stranger and screamed her attack. "Moon Princess Halation!" A flurry of sparkling bits of powerful light spiraled at the masked stranger and impacted with its sword. The blast of the attack knocked away the sword but it also freed the stranger from the area of Mercury's Shabbon Freezing Spray. "Oops! Sorry!"

Makoto snarled but said nothing. First day back on the job and she's already screwing up. That's our Usagi-chan...

"Wait," Ami said. "It dropped its sword!" The group's optimism was struck down when the stranger opened its palm and the sword flew back to its waiting hand. How was he able to do that?! The figure stood for a split second before he punched at the thin air. An almost invisible shockwave hit the four standing Senshi, throwing them to the ground as the figure started to run again.

Sailor Jupiter jumped to her feet and sprinted after the masked figure. Wouldn't be the first time I've soloed a bad guy! With her Senshi powers, she was much faster and stronger than when she was merely Makoto Kino, making it no challenge to keep up with the strange character and even start closing distance. She observed that the figure seemed to be limping slightly. Apparently Usagi's blast hadn't totally hit the sword.

Way to go, Usagi-chan! It was foolish of me to doubt you...

It is always foolish to doubt her...

Makoto wondered about the gender of the figure. It seemed to have a masculine attitude but feminine grace and flexibility. Of course, after taking a full Princess Halation hit, the figure's grace was now a painful sprinting limp. Makoto would catch up before the next intersection.

"You're mine!" Makoto saw the figure turn around and bear its sword at her. She looked around and spotted a large metal bar in a garbage can. Very convenient for her, and very bad for the poor whelp who had interrupted her morning workout! A normal person would not be able to swing around a heavy steel bar like a light staff, but she was Sailor Jupiter! She grabbed the rod and pointed it at the figure. "This is your last chance. Give up. Now!"

*.*.*

"YAAAA!" Pethospoe jumped into the air and slashed his sword down with the blunt side towards his opponent. He wasn't trying to kill, after all. He knew if he did, her friends would hunt him down and exact revenge. Jupputa placed her rod in both hands, blocked the sword and pushed her arms and the rod forward, throwing Pethospoe high into the air. As he landed, his injured knee gave way and he had to roll back once to regain a standing position. The girl swung the rod like a sword and as fast as one too. Pethospoe's block was barely effective as he was thrown to the ground again by the sheer momentum of his enemy's weapon. I'm not fighting a girl, I'm fighting a cute ogre! Pethospoe slashed at his enemy's shins but she reacted with lighting speed and swung the rod down to block. The sword came to a sudden halt, hitting the metal rod with a loud clang and sending a painful vibration through his hands and wrists.

Pethospoe rolled back and onto his feet again and stood up in time to see the rod connect with the part of his helmet covering his mouth. His chin and lips felt the cool breeze of the Earth and Pethospoe knew that the girl had seen his stubble from lack of shaving. His enemies knew his gender. It mattered not, though. They had not seen his eyes. After slamming into the ground again, he shut his helmet. He knew he'd be feeling the impact later, but the overload of adrenaline kept the sensation of pain on the backburner of his mind.

He rolled backwards once again and instinctively blocked the expected attack. The hit pushed him back and his sword was locked with Jupputa's rod. It was now a strength match and Pethospoe was losing horribly. He quickly switched his stance in an effort to throw Jupputa off balance, but she quickly reacted and continued to push Pethospoe back even further. Jupputa let go of the rod with one hand and she was still winning. She punched Pethospoe's mask repeatedly and rapidly with her free hand. One hit dislodged the lower part again, once again revealing his lips and chin.

It then occurred to him that his enemy, although strong and quick, had very little mental discipline due to her joining her group during that odd pose. In a last-ditch effort to throw her, he leaned in quickly, kissed her and forced his tongue into her mouth. The girl had a look of surprise on her face and Pethospoe cut to the right, sending Jupputa forward. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of her neck.

Jupputa let out a cry and fell to the ground. I'll kill you! Barely aware of himself as his instincts and brutal training took over, Pethospoe rolled her over and straddled her with his knees pinning her arms to the ground. He put his sword to her neck for a killing blow and stopped himself. What am I doing?! He was an efficient killer, but not a totally mindless one.

Barely conscious, Jupputa still struggled, even with a sharp sword on her throat. A pang of pity tore through Pethospoe's heart. Pity for a bested foe. I remember it. So the monster in me is finally dying. It really is possible for me to change. He shook his head and lifted the blade. Standing, he closed his helmet for a second time and limp-sprinted away. I'm so sorry. I'll make amends when I absorb your language. I swear it.

*.*.*

*.*.*

*.*.*

Ugh...what do I call it?

I picked Invasion so it'd look like Sailor Moon: I. Um...I, Sailor Moon? With robots who are self-aware and Will Smith playing Will Smith? I guess Kristen Bell could play Usagi, but then CW would cancel it halfway through production when Sailor Moon kept crying out of sheer happiness every time someone was talking about a character from the Goonies... Google it. If you still don't get the joke, you can PM me.

A Call to Arms... not exactly poetic, but it's definitely off of the main Sailor Moon beat. You see, I always wanted to see how she would handle things not in her normal repartee. That is such a funny word, but moving on... Oh, it's not the right word. Crap.

You see, I always wanted to see how she would handle things not in her normal order of business. Normally, she does something silly and funny, she rescues the guest of the day and slays the monster of the day, and the overall plot line may or may not advance. Roll the credits.

Nah, man. Sustained conflict, both internal and external. How do they all deal with these new and different inputs? Instead of some evil or misguided or possessed entity that wants to conquer/destroy Earth or capture the power of the Silver Crystal or exact revenge on the Moon Princess, you have a race of driven zealots bent on turning Earth into their promised land by christening it with the blood of Sailor Moon. They are not insane, possessed, or by their beliefs, evil. You see, in the Old Testament, it was commanded that the Israelites exterminate every last man, woman, child, and livestock in a certain city during Saul's reign. So according to that, the actions of ancient Israel was divine mandate, and the evil act that got punished was when Saul took prisoners and war spoils in the way of livestock.

Pretty heavy stuff, but I'm not here to argue religion. The overall point is that good and evil aren't absolute. They're just another interpretation from a different point of view. Closer to home, Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru saw the act of saving Hotaru's life as evil while Usagi saw the act of killing her to stop the Silence as evil. Both had valid points. Had Usagi failed, Earth would have been wiped out entirely. Had the Outer Senshi succeeded, an innocent girl would have died as the price to save Earth. According to the lore and teachings of the antagonists in A Call to Arms, their actions are not evil. The people of Tokyo, Saitama and Chiba, on the other hand, would beg to differ...

Um, I'm surprised my eyes aren't bleeding looking over the ANCIENT texts. Tetsu Journ. Tetsu isn't even a Japanese name. Tetsuo or Tetsuya. And Journ...that's like naming someone Apple. Not Applegate or Applebee, just Apple. Or App... I compensated my ignorance and stupidity well with my confidence. Ignorance was so blissful. I charged ahead and wrote out over 100 pages over summer break between Junior and Senior year. Heck, I never got through the Hitoshi Doi transcripts. I stopped before Fisheye, Tigereye and Snakeeyes...I mean Hawkeye were sent to the dream world by Helios.

SuperS was awful. Why do you think Chibi-Usa disappeared after the first six episodes of Stars? I mean, the ending was ultra-badass with Usagi just jumping after Chibi-Usa. But, ugh...what a trek just to get there.

Part One: The Coward. Chapter One: Falling Free. I almost called this chapter Shooting Star and the entire Part Falling Free, but it's better this way. He's literally falling out of the sky with nothing but a locket, sword and magically/technologically advanced suit graphed onto his body. But he's free! He's finally free of his captors who enslaved him and he's going to start a new life without ever having to worry about them ever again...

...

...

And Part One is called The Coward because, well, I'm introducing the new guy. And while he can be forced into heroic acts or noble causes, he's scared, hurt and desperately seeking something worth living for. And yes, he's my alter ego in a way. Who wouldn't want to fight alongside the Sailor Senshi? Hot chicks in mini-skirts saving the planet.

Well, after having experienced a drawn out situation where someone was doing their best to kill me, it kinda makes me realize that in real life, I would not be too pleased about it at all. Here I am with these incredible powers, and people are trying to kill me. They're also trying to kill my friends. Who wants to watch a friend die? That would suck! And that is how I'm rewriting my character. He's not happy to be fighting, he's not happy that his friends are in harm's way, and he's hardly fearless. He's a coward, and it's that cowardice that keeps him from running away because as much as he values his own life, he would rather die than lose another friend. And yes, The Doctor is a HUGE inspiration for this new definition of a heroic coward.

And just to clear things up, I've never been in actual combat so far, just in the general vicinity of indirect mortar fire. I've also been fortunate enough to not lose anyone I knew to enemy action. Like I said in the last section, there are things about Tetsuya that have absolutely nothing to do with me or my life. It's a piece of fiction, after all. Make believe. Back on the trolley!

Well, fall from the sky, meet the Senshi under poor pretenses, scuffle scene, a dash of drama, a splash of humor, commercial break!

And now Davey has to go to work. Davey no like...

:(

*.*.*

This was pre-written before posting. It's now Friday evening. Take it away, Rebecca!

Now shut up. I wish I had the luxury of sleeping in until 7 A.M...

*.*.*

And now that I have abandoned deviantArt, my author's notes are here. It's 9 PM on a Monday!