Chapter 2

"Dammit! We're losing her!" exclaimed a medic as he watched Empress Selene's failing vital signs on the bioscan. Though her wound was dressed and treated, the gunshot had severed a main artery. As strong as she was with her Holy-element Senshi powers, she failed to stop her own internal bleeding. There was little the medics could do.

Princess Serenity was led into the infirmary where her mother lay. When the Empress saw her, she was overjoyed to the point of her pain temporarily disappearing. She wanted to get up to embrace daughter one last time, but the medics urged her to stay put.

"Mother! What happened?" Serenity asked in shock.

"She's been shot by enemy soldiers." The senior medic answered for her. Selene struggled to find her voice and said, "I could have her that myself, thank you… Serenity, I'm not going to be able to hold on for much longer… when I'm gone, the burden I once bore will fall upon your shoulders… I expect great thing from you… Serenity… do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother!" replied Serenity with tears welling up in her eyes. Selene gently ran her fingers across her daughter's cheeks, wiping away the tears the rolled down them.

"Be Brave… Be strong… Lead our people to victory and prosperity once more…" With those final words and a grunt of pain, Selene's body relaxed and in moments, breathed her last. The nearest medic pulled the sheets over the dead woman's body only to have them fall flat moments later as her body disappeared, which the bodies of all Senshi have a tendency to do when they die. Serenity wept harder than she ever had as far back as she could remember.

The responsibility to lead was hers now. She gradually stopped crying as she boldly took up her mother's burden. She knew what she must do. "Assemble everyone on this ship on the main deck and open communication links to the other ships. My mother deserves a proper funeral service." was her first order as leader of the Freejian Remnant. The two officers that led her into the infirmary saluted and carried out her order.

"… And in her memory, let us share a moment of silence." Serenity stated as she stood at the podium in front of a large holoprojector. Holocams drifted by on their grav-repulsors, broadcasting the event live to the other ships. Every head was bowed, every eye closed, every hat over its owner's heart. The room was as silent as the void of space itself.

Moments passed and Serenity's head was the first to rise. She broke the silence with a final statement, "and now, I leave you to your duties… Dismissed, carry on!"

As the crowd dispersed to their respective places throughout the Velocity, one among them remained. Replacing his uniform beret over his blonde hair, he approached Serenity saying, "Hey… I… I'm sorry to hear about what happened."

Serenity looked up at him, staring into his amber-coloured eyes. She shook her head slowly and replied, "Don't worry about it, Apollo." She began to walk off toward a nearby corridor when she stopped suddenly. Then, over her shoulder, she added, "Please accompany me to my quarters." Apollo nodded solemnly and followed close behind her.

A few moments passed without a word to break the silence. "So…. What is it you wanna talk about, Serenity?" asked Apollo nervously. They were now walking side-by-side.

Serenity held her silence for a moment, as if to think up something to say. Then she replied, "I want to talk about a promotion for you." She paused for a few seconds, sensing his excitement upon hearing those words, before adding, " You were very brave to put your own life on the line for me. You're a true friend, Apollo, and as a military officer, you should be rewarded for that bravery."

Apollo's pride was building up. Captain Apollo Solarum… he thought to himself, trying on the next rank in his mind. "Thank you." was his only verbal remark.

They entered Serenity's room, which oversaw the bridge of the ship. It was her mother's, but Selene's responsibilities were now hers, so Serenity took it upon herself to have what belongings she had onboard to be brought to this room from the one she formerly occupied down the corridor. She pulled up a chair and seated herself in front of a table with a small holoprojector in the centre, giving a hand gesture to Apollo to do the same.

The door opened again and two men entered. Admiral Poseidon was a middle-aged man with a strong build and the mind of a brilliant tactician. General Zeus was an older, taller, and more decorated man, with the demeanour of one who had seen many battles. They, too, took seats around the table. Serenity nodded in greeting.

"Excellent. Now then, the main issue we need to discuss is what we're to do next." Her sapphire-blue eyes glanced at each man. After a brief pause, Serenity continued. "We are in no way safe out here. For all we know, Shadow Galactica could well be following us. I don't mean to sound paranoid, but we shouldn't be so foolish as to rule out the possibility. Therefore, we need to find somewhere go. You three are the highest-ranking officers in our remaining forces. Captain Solarum has just now obtained his rank." She paused again for emphasis, gesturing to Apollo.

The other two officers glanced at Apollo expectantly. Feeling pressure, he spoke up first. "Well, first we need to find a safe port… any ideas?" His eyes met Serenity's, whose gaze was already on him. She nodded in agreement and turned her eyes to the other two men and listened to what they had to say.

"Captain Solarum and Her Highness bring up good points." Said General Zeus. "By now we should be just outside the Freejia system. Are there any nearby places we can go that aren't already occupied by Shadow Galactica?"

Admiral Poseidon activated the holoprojector, which was previously calibrated to mark their current co-ordinates and trajectory on the star map. "We are here." He said, pointing out a pulsating marker on the star map before continuing. "Now I suggest we hide our ships in this nebula until we can locate a safe port." He pointed to a nebula some light-years away. All nodded in assent.

Serenity called the Velocity's captain on her communicator and instructed him to prepare for another jump to hyperspace, uploading the co-ordinates to the ship's navicomputer. The captain then uploaded the co-ordinates to the other two ships, the Valkyrie and the Vigilant, awaiting instructions. Moments later, the ship's engines began to whine and the ship lurched forward suddenly. Outside the viewport, the stars became long streaks, which swirled into the blue-white vortex of hyperspace.

When the meeting was adjourned, Apollo remained with Serenity in her quarters. He hadn't been able to spend any personal time with her since their senior year in high school. He eased his way over to her side as she stood at the viewport, staring off into the swirling void. He could tell she was still a little depressed. "…So…" he began, not really knowing what to say. "…What do you want to do now?"

Serenity's eyes never strayed from the viewport; she didn't even blink. "Build a base somewhere far away and strengthen our forces… It's our only option." She answered. Her voice was hard and monotone, denoting her emotions, or lack thereof in this case.

Apollo couldn't help but look at her. She was a beautiful woman. He had dated her once before and part of him wanted desperately to do it again. They had been best friends for a long time, since their sophomore year, when his band, Millennium, was just starting out. She would see them perform in front of hundreds of their fellow students during lunch and watch them practice in Apollo's basement. She was even the first to purchase a copy of their two albums. Such fond memories made him smile. He loved her, but knew not how she felt about him, and was, for the moment, too afraid to ask her.

Finally she turned around to face him, her face still emotionless. Apollo could feel the tension on her mind. He couldn't bear to see her sad, so he got an idea.
"I saw Gemma onboard." he began. "More than likely she's in the mess hall. You wanna go se her? She'll make you something to cheer you up." Serenity's lips barely moved, but a smile did appear. She walked with Apollo down to E-deck, where the mess hall was.

In the past, Serenity would be the one to bring Apollo and his friends to Gemma's kitchen for a drink at the bar that connected the dining room to the kitchen. Gemma was almost like a second mother to Serenity. When her mother couldn't, Gemma would be the one to give advice, help with various things, and bring a smile to her face when she was feeling down.

Sure enough, Gemma was in the kitchen, preparing meals for the crew and passengers. She had just finished what she had been preoccupied with when she looked up to see Serenity and Apollo. She smiled and came out of the kitchen to meet them.

"Hey, you two!" she greeted. She gave Serenity a warm embrace, like two good friends would after being apart for ages. "I'm so happy you're safe!" Apollo just stood there watching them.

When Gemma finally let go of Serenity, she gestured toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I just baked some galaxy-rolls." Apollo and Serenity both had a fondness for Gemma's masterful cooking. They both nodded like two youngsters would after being offered milk and cookies. Gemma smiled and brought out a whole sheet of galaxy-rolls, set them down at a table, and all three started eating.

Apollo licked the sugar off of his fingers and said, "I told you that Gemma works miracles." Gemma blushed and laughed modestly. Serenity just smiled and continued eating.

"So, Princess... what's the matter? Are you still down because of your mother?" Gemma asked, using her finger to pick up little grains of sugar that fell off of a galaxy-roll. Serenity nodded slowly. "Hey, your mother was a great woman! You probably don't even know how great. She was kind, strong, wise, and just... I dare say she rivaled Sailor Freejia herself!"

"Well, our family line is descended from Sailor Freejia. Her blood runs in my veins..." Serenity trailed off. She finished the last bits of her roll and swallowed. Gemma's cooking was indeed the best. "But that's not all I'm worried about." she added.

"You're nervous, I can tell." Gemma noticed. "You're not sure if you're up to the challenge of being the guardian of our way of life. I appologise for putting the pressure on you, but wake up Serenity! It is the Galactic Year 3043! Your mother would expect you to do a better job than she did. Make her proud!"

Serenity felt a little embarrassed, especially since Apollo was listening to every word being spoken. Looking over at him, he didn't appear to be paying much attention, playing his guitar but with the power switched off, so the only noise made was the quiet twanging of the strings without amplification. Hearing the conversation suddenly go silent, he felt awkward and his eyes met Serenity's. He smiled and continued playing.

Serenity, in an attempt to advert Gemma's attention from her, reached over and flipped the power switch on Apollo's guitar and the electronic riffs issued forth from the built-in amplifiers on the instrument's body. Apollo jumped with a start and gave his friend an irritated glare.

"What the hell?" Apollo interjected.

Both women laughed and shared a high-five over Serenity's prank. Apollo quickly got over his anger and chuckled. "Good one... but if you want to hear a song, why don't you just ask?"

Serenity raised an eyebrow and got an idea. "I think that's just what we need to boost the people's morale. Apollo, why don't you hold a concert on the main deck?" she suggested.

"I saw your other friends on the ship and, if my memory doesn't deceive me, they all have their instruments with them." Gemma added. "You should get everyone together. It wouldn't be the same with out the whole band."

Apollo smiled nodded his approval. He stood and went to gather his comrades. After a half an hour of searching the ship, all four band members were reunited. Apollo: Human guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist; Calliope: Zhellone keyboardist and assistant lyricist; Eurydice: Human backup vocalist and drummer; Orpheus: Human bassist. Together they were the popular rock band Millennium. The better part of the population of the ship turned out to see them perform. Holocams drifted around the deck to allow for the people on the other ships to see the show. Beginning with a screeching pick slide, they started their first song.

Serenity and Gemma sat together at a table watching the show, drinking a greenish, caffeine-loaded, carbonated drink known commonly on Freejia as "Spaz-Juice". Serenity didn't derive a sudden burst of energy from caffeine, like most people, but rather a relaxing sensation similar to a sleep medicine.

"Tell me honestly, Serenity. What do you think of him?" Gemma asked. Serenity blushed and couldn't bring herself to look Gemma in the eye.

"I...Ah...Well, he's..." she stuttered. She remembered the dance they went to together. She remembered being happy, happier than she had been in a long time. What was it about this man that made her feel this way? She never really thought of Apollo as more than a good friend.

Serenity said nothing more and Gemma apparently grew impatient. "Come on, Serenity! Tell me... You like him, don't you?" She prompted with a smile.

"Alright! You want the truth?" Serenity answered. "He's a great guy. He really is. He's talented, smart... attractive..." Hearing the confession, Gemma's eyes went wide and her smile grew bigger. Just then, Apollo finished his song and the whole crowd erupted in applause. Serenity and Gemma joined in, too.

"I see... so, when are you going to tell him that?" Gemma asked when the noise level died down. "I'm sure he'd like to know what you really think of him. I'll tell you a secret: he likes you, too." Serenity gave her an unsure look. Another song was beginning, a slower one. It brought back more memories of their teenage years. Gemma's suggestions were starting to sound like a good idea.

While Apollo was singing, he got to a part of the song that brought forth good, memories for both he and Serenity. Apollo had been watching her the whole time, and when her eyes met his, they both smiled.