Chapter Two – Mau
The next day, Papillon stepped out of her room feeling rather refreshed. It was almost like the previous days battle was nothing but a bad dream and now she had a new life to look forward to. Her good day faded when she was greeted by Sailor Buttress who had come to tell her about what job she would be placed in.
"What do you mean a soul hunter?" Papillon asked after having it explained to her.
"You will watch the graveyard and collect any remnants or lost souls. I thought it was fitting for you since the last remnants of souls are various colored butterflies." Buttress almost grinned as if it were her idea in the first place. Actually it was Galaxia's, but no one else would know the wiser.
"But being around all that death..."
"It's not like you have much of a choice, you can either do it or quit Galaxia's services, which I assure you will not end well for you. Besides, eventually you may get promoted and as of right now you were placed in a higher position than Pewter Fox and Kerokko, who are also Sailor Animamates."
Papillon felt defeated but it was true, she could not protest much against Galaxia who had shown full well the extent of her power. "Very well, show me where to go." Buttress nodded and walked off in the other direction.
---
On the distant planet of Mau a young cat watches the sky. She smiles for a moment after spotting a shooting star. Maybe she could have a wish granted to her. A rustling sound to her left startled her and she quickly turned to come face to face with a cat-like woman. She had golden hair and eyes to match, and a tail that flicked side to side. The woman brought out a jewel and held it up at the young cat. In a flash a woman sat in the cat's place, she seemed spooked for a moment but quickly settled down.
"Jaguar! You know that's illegal to do here," the cat-now-human spoke as she glanced around rather nerviously.
"Oh lighten up Nyanko, no one will catch us, besides, you should come to Bast where you can be like this all the time. I don't know why your guardian is the only one allowed to have a human form." Jaguar shrugged and sat down beside Nyanko.
"I suppose that's why are planets have a shakey treaty. But I don't want to talk about that. I was thinking a lot about Earth today."
"Earth? Isn't that where those two ambassidors went?" Jaguar brought a hand to her face as she drifted off a bit in thought.
"Well, it was to Earth's moon and their princess. She is supposedly glorious. I wouldn't know though since I've never been off planet."
"Pff, you should be an explorer like me!" Jaguar proclaimed proudly.
"I don't see what's so great, and why they anyone would just abandon their home planet for another." Nyanko folded her arms across her chest. "It makes me hate Earth for taking some of our people away."
"Whoa, do you really believe that?" Jaguar tilted her head to the side. "I mean, they had to have had a reason for leaving right?"
"To serve another princess, they abanded us and our princess. I would do something about it if I could. It just isn't fair."
Jaguar giggled. "Oh, I'm meeting Anubis later. He said he had something to tell me." Her eyes lit up and she let out a sigh.
"Does that mean what I think it means?"
"I hope so, but I need to go get ready. Oh, but before I do." She flashed her jewel and Nyanko turned back into a cat. "I'll catch you later, I'll be sure to tell you all the juicy details." Jaguar turned and jumped away, disappearing into the night.
"I can't wait."
Nyanko smirked and turned back to the sky before she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking to it she could see Sailor Mau in all her glory. She was in a fighting stance against some monster. Nyanko was envious of her and her power. Why couldn't she be like that? Why was it against their rules to be human? She wondered if the ambassadors had a better life. Part of her hated them for it. They were free and able to live their lives away from the planet, but they also were traitors in her mind for leaving. If she ever left would she be a traitor too? Sailor Mau defeated the monster with ease and glanced over at Nyanko before smiling. She brought her hand up to give a wave and then simply vanished. Nyanko hated that as well.
"I know how you can gain that power." Came a voice from behind.
"Jaguar I thought--" She turned to come see a woman dressed in silver, though she had ears like Jaguar and Mau did her appearance also seemed different. She wasn't from around here. "Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sailor Pewter Fox." She bowed.
"Sailor? You're a Sailor Soldier?"
Pewter Fox didn't respond to the comment, she just smiled, though it was a bit more of a smirk than anything else. "Do you wish to be one as well? I know how you can obtain your own star like that of a Sailor Soldier."
"How?" Nyanko was suspicious, but this woman was a Sailor Soldier, she had the outfit of one at least. "Tell, me how do you gain such power?"
"Swear an oath to Sailor Galaxia, the greatest Sailor Soldier in existence. She can give you the power to defeat those who stand in your way, your enemies, those who turned traitors."
"Take me to this Galaxia."
---
"So you wish to become a Sailor Soldier." The woman in gold – Sailor Galaxia looked down upon Nyanko from her throne. "But such a little cat cannot become one."
"Please Madam! I want to have power. I want to be great. I swear I will do whatever you say." Her words seemed to please Galaxia, but soon that faded as she brought up a hand. "Did I say something wrong?" She didn't have time to react as golden energy poured out and slammed into Nyanko's body. She screamed in pain and for a moment everything went black. When she came to she was once again in human form, the only difference was two golden bracelets on her wrists and and overwhelming sense of power, strength. So this was what it was like to be a Sailor Soldier. Nyanko grinned, she could get used to this.
"Now, about your oath to me and your duty." The Golden Queen peered at Nyanko and simply smirked. "I have a mission for you."
---
Back on Planet Mau, Nyanko pouted a bit about her mission. Sailor Titan Kerokko stood there with her and she was equally an odd looking woman adorned in green. Nyanko admitted that the woman looked almost frog like in appearance, much like her name gave way. She wondered what planet she came from but didn't get a chance to ask before they were both sent back to Mau. Nyanko just wanted to be a Sailor Soldier, she didn't want to be here and do this. Kerokko seemed to sense her regret because she rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Come on, you're one of us now, a Sailor Animamate! This is what we do?" Kerokko exclaimed.
"We're murderers?" Nyanko folded her arms across her chest.
"No, we are going to make the galaxy a better place. One without wars and useless rules. You didn't have to join us you know."
"I know I know, but then I probably would have ended up dead, who knows."
Kerokko just shrugged in response.
"But anyway I—Jaguar?" Nyanko cut herself off as another figure approached them. "What are you doing here?"
"Whoa, love the new look. But how did you get to this form without a transformation stone and whose your friend? Wow, I'm not being pushed out of the friendship ring am I?"
"Jaguar, we—This is Sailor Titan Kerokko. I have joined up with the service of Sailor Galaxia."
"Kerokko, Galaxia, what? A Sailor Soldier? Speaking of which, your outfit kind of looks like Sailor Mau. Getting design techniques from her?"
"That's because she is one of us now, she is Sailor Tin Nyanko." Kerokko looked proud to say the name and Nyanko smiled. "You must be a friend of hers?"
"Sailor? How?" She shook her head for a moment. "Yeah, my name is Jaguar, I just came to find her to talk about another friend of ours. I was actually kind of upset about it but after seeing you it kind of distracted me. I'm not as upset as I thought I was, I guess I was kind of expecting it."
"What happened Jaguar?" Nyanko stepped in ignoring Kerokko and her mission for the time being.
"He, he has become her guard." Jaguar stumbled upon the words a bit losing her calmness from before.
"What? Anubis?"
"Yeah, that's what he wanted to tell me. He doesn't even realize how I feel and now I'll hardly get to see him. I hate her. I hate her for picking him." Jaguar rushed into Nyanko's arms and started sobbing.
"You know, as touching as it is. I'd hate to get the brunt of Madam Galaxia's annoyance when she finds out that we still haven't completed our mission. You know, just saying."
"She's right, I have to go." N yanko pulled Jaguar from her and looked into her eyes. "We'll talk about this later."
"No, I'll go with you." Jaguar didn't want to be alone at the moment and Nyanko couldn't really blame her. She just nodded and all three of them were off.
---
Sailor Mau wondered where these monsters kept on coming from. The planet was never this bad, even with the mini wars that kept on popping up here and there. Most of the people blamed it on the disrespect that Planet Bast had for the traditions of Mau. Their influence was causing dastardly things to happen. Mau didn't believe that of course, but that didn't mean she could change the minds of her people. Drop kicking the monster into the side of a building she stopped to catch her breath for a moment. The monster got back up and was about to attack again.
"Galactica Cry!" The monster barely had time to respond when the energy that seemingly came out of no where ripped him to shreads.
"What?" Sailor Mau turned to see three figures, one dressed in black, another dressed in red and one dressed in green.
"Greetings Sailor Mau." The one in green spoke first. "I am Sailor Titan Kerokko. We have come to ask for your surrender."
"Surrender?"
"That's right." Nyanko approached. "If you swear an oath to Sailor Galaxia, she may forgive you."
"What are you talking about?" Sailor Mau got into a defensive position, but a blast from Kerokko's bracelets almost knocked her off her feet.
"Sailor Tin Nyanko, it's your moment, end this now." Kerokko spoke and held Jaguar back from making anymore. "If she doesn't do this, she will die." It was given as a fair warning.
"I always envied you." Nyanko spoke harshly as she stepped forward. "I wanted to be just like you, but Mau always had so many rules. We even went against our own sister planet just because they thought differently than us. We are traitors to ourselves."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Sailor Mau spoke back though it was clear she was confused by why one of her own people would turn on her.
"Get on with it Tin Nyanko, we don't have time for this." Kerokko said with a harsh tone as she was clearly getting annoyed by this point.
Jaguar gasped as Nyanko rushed forward and grabbed Mau by the throat. Bringing her hands up she covered her eyes, but she still heard the screams, it was something that would haunt her forever. Pulling her hands from her eyes she saw Nyanko standing over a pill of ash and holding a glowing crystal in her hand. "It is done," she heard her speak in a low voice before turning to the two.
"Finally," said Kerokko. "Now lets go see if they've finished the job on planet Bast.
"What? This is going on there too?" Jaguar looked between the two. "We have to go now then!"
"Look, we should have killed you for being here in the first place. Unless you plan on joining Galaxia that is."
Nyanko gave Jaguar a look and she just nodded. She really had no other choice at the moment.
---
When they reach the Planet of Bast there is already a large battle taking place. Bodies are thrown about everywhere and the ground was stained with red. Tears welded in Jaguar's eyes at the sight. She couldn't believe this was happening on her world. What was going on? She had to find some way to stop it. But then there was Nyanko, had she really joined these people. She was her friend and she couldn't turn her back at her becacause that wouldn't be right either. For now she went along.
Traveling up the steps to the palace they come across Phi, Chi and Theta engaging Sailor Bast in a fight. Bast appeared to be tiring out though she was holding her own against all three of them at once. Jaguar continued to watch until she was shoved forward by Kerokko.
"Go on go get to it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Go help them kill her. You want to join us right?" Kerokko smirked and folded her arms across her chest. Nyanko just stood silently.
"I can't do that, she's my princess."
"Then you will be destroyed," Kerokko brought up a bracelet but was stopped by Nyanko.
"Don't, please." Nyanko was scoffed at but Kerokko brought down her arm for the moment.
Another voice distracted the group. "So I see where you allegiances really lie. I'm surprised at you Jaguar, I never thought you would do something like this. To think I trusted you." The man was tall and wore a silver color that matched nicely against his black hair. "You lead them right to us, didn't you? Was this a plan of Mau's all along?"
"Anubis?! No, it wasn't Mau. I didn't have anything to do with this." Jaguar was frantic as she tried to explain, but here she was traveling with two who had come to destroy everything.
"Just stop it. I knew you were upset before when I told you of my new position but I never thought it'd come to this." Anubis drew his sword and looked at the group. "I will defend my princess to the end. He lunged at the group who all scattered. Kerokko managed to kick his sword away but that didn't seem to stop him. He turned towards Nyanko, the one from Mau, he would end it for her first.
Jaguar didn't know what she was doing when she picked up the sword. She didn't remember jumping in front of her friend or slicing the blade through her love's skin. She just knew when it was over she saw his body crumpled at her feet. Sailor Bast had also fallen finally being defeated by the three.
"I'm impressed." Kerokko spoke with no hint of malice in her voice, she was actually surprised at the girl. "Maybe Madam Galaxia will have use for you yet."
Tears streamed down Jaguar's cheeks. She had betrayed everything she knew, everything she loved, for what? For a friend? She didn't know. Time went by slowly almost as if it was not moving at all. She barely even noticed when they made it to the throne room at the Shadow Galactica castle. She didn't even seem to notice the blood still stained on her clothing. She only saw the golden woman sitting on the throne itself with a gaze that could burn a person's soul.
"Welcome to the Shadow Galactica empire."