Chapter #02:The Fall of the Silver Millennium
"Now," Started Amalia, "It was around the middle of the eighth millennium and unknown to us at the time dark and malevolent forces were on the move; at the time, my fellow Senshi and I had firm beliefs that the supposed the peace that we had gained would do us well and would be eternal. We were wrong, as representatives and dignitaries from throughout the system had all managed to convene at the decree of Queen Bendis Serenity the 33rd, a noble from Earth had been conveniently overlooked. Queen Bendis knew this, she this for she had planned for it to happen that way. The reason was this was to be the night that Prince Endymion would be forced to marry her daughter.
Her daughter was one Princess Celine Serenity, and this night was to be her sixteenth birthday. Now many would find it strange that this supposedly happy young woman, who spent her days amongst her people, being kind to all and aiding others, would have anything to do with sinister political plots that would result in the Terran Kingdom of Earth being annexed into the Lunarian Empire. When in fact it was her idea to blackmail the Prince of Earth into marrying her, and getting him away from the Princess of Pluto, she also knew… though incorrectly… that there was a noble down on Earth who wanted the Prince for her own.
Now this noble that I've mentioned twice was none other than a Council Woman named Lady Aradia Beryl from the house of Nemesis. She was a descendant from one of the survivors that had escaped the sinking of Atlantis… Yes love that Atlantis!" Amalia states before Ranma could interrupt. "Now Beryl may have had a rather unhealthy fixation on Endymion, but there was a reason for that, he was in fact her cousin. As it turned out Endymion was the sol heir to the Earth Kingdoms throne, his mother was Beryl's elder sister, Elfleda.
And Beryl saw Endymion as a great hero, ever since he had save her from a rather nasty little dog, which with a little embellishment became a rather ravenous and blood thirsty beast. Now Beryl having correctly figured that her cousin was in trouble acted in hast with the good intentions of saving her dear cousin, however we all know how badly good intentions can go awry. In her noble quest to save her cousin, Beryl had inadvertently stumbled upon the being Amatsu-Mikaboshi who after a few thousand years had decided to go with the female persona of Queen Metalia, who we later learned was a rather weakened Energy-based life form.
Well Queen Bendis, with a few suggestions from her daughter, had barred Beryl from attending for the added security of keeping the wedding of her daughter and her prospective new son-in-law on track. However in their disregarding of Lady Beryl, neither one knew that in her desperation that Lady Beryl would be tricked into freeing the now Queen Metalia but also have her feelings become so completely twisted that Beryl would now believe exactly what Princess Celine had thought of her relation to her cousin Endymion, in other words that she was desperately in love and that her man was being stolen as they manipulated his mind.
However, in neglecting to invite Lady Beryl, the Queen had unwittingly started the rapid plummet of her once proud Empire. For you see when Lady Beryl had found out that not only was she not invited to the ball that was to celebrate the Lunar Princess's birthday, but she was also losing the only man to whom she had pledged her all to. Now with new mindset and her access to vary ancient and incredibly dark powers, Beryl had unleashed a legion of daemons, which had killed off a large portion of the Earths' population in the summoning alone, upon the Sol system.
Now Queen Bendis had informed all of the systems guardians to attend that night's activities, consisting of a ball for her daughters' birthday and subsequent marriage to Endymion. The only ones who were not attending were guardian's Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto for obvious reasons, as they were this systems first line of defense form attacks located outside the realm. And yet there was one guardian that was unable to tear herself away from what she was doing… that guardian was me, and what I was doing at the time was hooking my latest endeavor up to the Eternity Main System.
My endeavor as I call it was nothing more than a set of highly advanced cryo-stasis chambers, designed to keep a body in suspended animation until such a time came that who or whatever was inside was needed once more. I had just finished calibrating the two smaller chambers for the palaces Mau advisors… Luna and Artemis, when I took a swig my own personal stash of Mercurian Fire Wine… vintage 9,564bc it was a very good year as I recall, heh-heh-heh. I had just sat down, next to the last remaining chamber that needed to be fine-tuned a bit more, as I let the fire-wine seep into my nerves allowing my sleep deprived nerves to relax a bit.
However, when I went to get back to work instead getting some much needed sleep, an explosion had suddenly rocked across the surface of the Moon and shook the room I was in. Which in turned caused a swing arm to hit me and sent me flying back into the cryo-chamber and effectively sealing me in as it activated. My last thoughts before I had lost consciousness were 'Oh shit! I miscalculated the other chambers… and did I remember to turn my palmtop off?' Rather mundane mind you but at the time it was all I could think of as my body quickly succumbed to the sleeping gas before I was flash frozen.
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Outside the palace, the few guardians that had been attending were now on the battlefield that was Mare Imbrium, they were supporting the Lunarian Imperial fleet but their numbers were too few where as the enemies were simply too vast. The many ships that dotted the sky were quickly becoming flaming trails of wreckage as they plummeted towards the lunar surface. As they fought on each of the guardians had felt the distress of their planet, especially when their enemy started using planet killers to destroy the magical umbrella that helped their planet to sustain life. The slight shock of feeling their planets pain had given the enemy all the opportunity they needed.
Jupiter was the first to fall as the daemons had brutally torn her right arm off only to have it rammed through the center ribcage out through back while severing her spine. Mars was next as one of the monsters had forged arm into a club and used it to cave in the back of her skull. Venus was the last as the sword that she was wielding was torn from her grasp and was used to disembowel her before one of them had reached in and tore out her still beating heart. Not far away the Princess was kneeling next to still form of Endymion, who was killed when the sword Venus had died by was casually thrown away only to unexpectedly land in Endymion's back.
Of Neptune and Uranus, both had died as the fires from the planet killers had quickly overcame them, searing their flesh while the shockwave had finished them by blasting the flesh and muscles from off their bones, all while they screamed from the pain.
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Explosions rocked throughout the palace as the remaining guards scrambled to reinforce the barriers, as bits and pieces of marble ceiling continued to rain down over the throne rooms' floor while the enemy forces continued to drive on in hopes of killing off the royal family. A palace guard ran across the throne room, that just hours earlier had held the celebratory ball for the Princess, as another set of explosions had forced him to brace himself against pole-arm of his naginata, he manages to catch site of his queens long platinum white hair.
"Your Highness," the guard yells out "you have to leave now! The dark army has breached the palace walls and will be here within moments." Crack-Boom, a distant explosion roars though closer than the last. The Queen looks at her guard and sees his left arm is coated crimson while the naginata in his right is bathed in the dark green of the enemy's blood. "I cannot leave, my place… is here!" "Your Highness you must, without you the empire will fall!" Crack-KaBOOM! Suddenly the two heavily reinforced ornate French doors that had barricaded the way into the palaces throne room were blasted off their hinges.
Embedding each one in a broken and twisted heap on either side of the throne itself! In front of both the queen and the palaces now sole remaining guard stood the now self-appointed Queen of the Dark Kingdom… Lady Aradia Beryl. "Well, well, well… if it isn't the lady peace herself," Beryl sneers, in an overly condescending tone "Queen Bendis Serenity. My, you really to do go all out when you throw one of these little balls of yours don't you? But of course you never did learn to how they say… raise the roof. I will see you bow before me before this night is through.
Serenity who had been sitting on her throne not only listening but also silently observing the way Beryl was conducting herself, it was quite clear to her at least that the now former council woman had apparently sold her soul to some malevolent being. Her normally long chestnut-brown hair had become more of a dark blood red; she was currently wearing a long violet colored dress, with two black crescent moons inside covering the swell of her bosom. Behind her were the four guards of Prince Endymion, the light from their eyes was no more as they looked on with hatred and malice, instead of the love and warmth that was once there.
'Now this is interesting,' Bendis thought 'she must have somehow found out what my daughter and I were planning to do tonight and in turn lost what little mind she had!' As she had finished her thought she noticed something else, most of the planetary guardians that had attended were being held by their faces… their bodies were limp and their fuku's were stained red. She barely took note of Jupiter with her right arm relocated to the center of her chest; or the back of Mars' hair and its goopy wetness, or even poor Venus who held by the back of her hair while trailing her intestines.
The only one of the guardians that was not present had been Mercury… that alone made her smile inwardly as she thought that the young guardian might be laying in wait for her chance to strike. How little she knew. Though the sight before her that filled the once proud Queen with the pains of loss and an insurmountable feeling of pure rage, was the sight of her only daughter's corps strung up to a set of posts with the Holy Blade was still plunged deep into her heart. The surrounding area of Mare Serenitatis was quite rapidly bathed in a fearfully bright light.
Less than a second later, if one were to find themselves still standing at the Southeastern border of both Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis, one would see a brightly shining star emanating from the location of the Palace. Just before being introduced to the concept behind the reasons for the naming of Mare Crisium and why it had been deemed so appropriate at the time before the construction of Luna City began. However, this event happened so fast that the only event in recorded history that would even begin to match it would happen several millenniums later over a place on Earth called Tunguska in Siberia Russia.
The only beings left standing after that were Queen Serenity, the enemy Queen Beryl and the guard, who survived by hiding behind the throne, who was now quite certain that his late wife's saying of Hell having no fury like that of a truly pissed off mother, being an absolute truth. For now only the two woman of such awesome power stood before him as apposed to the impossible odds of over twenty-thousand Yoma's, Monsters and daemons that had been there mere moments before, riveting his attention to his Queen he bore witness as his queen had upped her power so much it was as though she shad became a living silver flame.
Her once immaculate white dress that she wore daily seemed to flicker briefly only to be replaced by a suit of armor that offered a full range of motion, and was decorated in blue with golden trim and a single golden crescent moon over her right breast and a broadsword slung on her left hip. Nevertheless, the most impressive sight before his eyes were the pristinely white, angelic wings that simply shown with power now on his Queens back. However, faster than he could blink his queen had vanished along with the naginata he had held in his right hand.
With her wings spread, weapon in hand and one goal on her mind, Queen Bendis Serenity had launched herself towards the Dark Queen, Aradia Beryl with a cry of truly righteous womanly fury. And just like an avenging angel, this Valkyries decent was both graceful and deadly, bringing the naginata down alone upon her enemy with enough force to render even a miner deity in two. Unfortunately, Beryl had been empowered by Metalia. Thus, Beryl's own staff, which held a black crystal ball that helped tie the essence of her master to her, not only prevented her demise but also caused the very floor beneath them to concave and the naginata's blade to shatter.
Without missing a beat Serenity had leapt back and brought forth her broadsword, its handle, guard and pommel were plated in the finest of silver with highlights of the finest gold, while the double-edged blade was said to have been forged by the Galactic Cauldron itself, for those who wield the Imperium Silver Crystal in the house of Serenity. Beryl growls in a rage as she instantly recognizes weapon in Serenity's hands for what it truly is, "The Sword of Kusanagi! How is it that a bitch like you is able to wield let alone possess a weapon such as that?"
Giving satisfying smirk Serenity replies, "By knowing how to use it and what it is to be used for! Now Beryl for the sins of your actions this day… Prepare to Die!" Thus began the true battle between the two of them, a battle between good and evil, of the light and the darkness, order and chaos began. Charging forward again Serenity feinted with a punch to the temple, a kick to the back while simultaneously plunging her sword deep into the left side of Beryl's hips. Though a little staggered, Beryl just smirks and unleashes a bolt of black lightning into Serenity throwing her halfway across the now demolished throne room.
"Not bad Bendis but not good enough, it will take far more than that to bring me to my knees." Coughing from the sheer amount of power that had been forced through her, getting to her knee Serenity holds the broadsword in her left hand while her right clutches her chest from the feeling of having such malevolent power ark throughout her body. Getting back to her feet Bendis wipes a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth, and with sword in hand leapt back into the fight without another word spoken. Serenity's Sword of Kusanagi clashed heavily against Beryl's dark crystal staff again and again, swinging her sword left, right, up, down, side-to-side.
All blocked and in return Beryl would merely send a blast of dark power coursing throughout Serenity's body, Bendis would clench her teeth as her body screamed in pain from the amount of the unholy power that was sent coursing through her very nerves upon every blow she had attempted to deliver. Knowing her time was fast approaching Bendis summoned the last of her strength and pulled together the last remainders of her powers, while infusing that with all that remained of her life-force for several spells that were needed now to ensure her victory.
The first was a mass-relocation spell for all those who had died while under her rule, to be sent into the future in order to live again. The second was for the creation of a tear into a sub-dimension that was ruled by the darkened forces of chaos. For the third and final spell she had to cast, Bendis needed to ensure that all of Beryl's followers; save the seven strongest Yoma whom she could now see coming into view, would be roped into following her as soon as she had firmly kicked Beryl's scrawny arse into that dark dimension. After quickly placing all the spells in place and casting them, Bendis knew she only had mere moments left to live in order to finish what she had started.
Giving one last charge towards Beryl, Bendis added a bit more speed than before by forcing her wings to pump twice as hard while simultaneously losing feather along the way, so as when she slammed into Beryl… no matter the amount of power she used to shield herself, Beryl would be forcibly launched into the hell that had been created just for her. Beryl having seen the charge raised her shield once more, though not as strong as before, for she believed that this would be Serenity's final act of defiance.
However, when Bendis had managed to shoulder-slam Beryl with more force than was expected of her, Beryl's shield had shattered spectacularly effectively launching her away at a high rate of speed into the dimensional tear. As soon as she had seen Beryl disappear, Bendis raised her sword one last time and closed the tear. Dropping the sword while falling to her knees, the armor she wore dissolved leaving her once again in her royal gown as she came to rest upon one of the Crystal columns that had lined her throne room majestically.
The darkness was now encroaching upon her vision, with the Silver Crystal in hand she had managed to seal the remaining Yoma into the crystal and cast it into the future. Serenity gave a silent prayer to her daughter and her people. 'May you all find happiness in the distant future, for where you go I… cannot follow, but know that my love goes with you all!' As her vision was slowly fading into obscurity, Bendis gave her final command to the soul remaining guard as the life she held in her eyes went out for the last time. As the light had left her eyes, she could hear a soothing yet booming voice speak out to her "You have done well Bendis; it is time now to come home."
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As the sole remaining guard traversed the desolate remains of the palaces once, majestic hallway he replayed the final moments of his Queens' life as he held her as she died in his arms. 'Calhoun, I ask of thee, take this blade and see to it… see to it that it is placed next to the Eternity Main System for I entrust it… to the… one… who now sleeps… through time. In…inform Pluto… not to… get into… histories… way.' And with that said, his Queens body shimmered and dissolved into motes of light as he cried for the loss of the one he had been sworn to serve.
Calhoun continued his walk slowly but purposely down the corridors, his arms laden with a cloth bound broadsword as he headed towards the Eternity Main System. Turning down the corridor that held the entrance to the palace's main computer system, Calhoun was surprised but pleased to see the Outer Guardian Pluto… that is until she spoke. "You there, what is your name and rank?" Mentally berating himself for forgetting just how cold the Senshi of Pluto's demeanor is, he answered as his thoughts had started to run with 'This girl seriously needs to get laid!'
"Names Calhoun ma'am sole surviving member of the palace guard and I'm just following the final orders given to me by my Queen, orders are as given; place Sword of Kusanagi next to the Eternity Main System for she who now sleeps through time. Also to inform the Guardian Pluto of her final orders until the Princess is reborn, her orders are as stated; stand guard and do not get into histories way." Pluto stood there, her face was an unreadable mask, no emotions… not even a contemplative gesture, and in short, it was really beginning to grate upon Calhoun's nerve as to how someone could be so damned cold like that.
With a swift movement the Senshi of Pluto turned around and stated, "Orders received and understood." With that, Pluto retreated back to the Gates of Eternity. For Calhoun his hopes of completing his task nearly died in vain, as when he approached the entrance to the palaces lower levels he found, much to his dismay, a large slab of marble ceiling lying on top of the door that led to the lower levels that housed not only the Main System, but also the old dungeons. After muttering a few choice curses, Calhoun started to look around for something he could use to break away the obstructive piece of debris.
As soon as Calhoun had moved away from the marble slab, he heard a faint cry a second before the sudden appearance of a long, shallow trench had appeared and subsequently obliterated the slab in the process. Taking a nervous glance behind him from where the blast had come from, the color immediately drained from his face as he saw her. The Princess of Silence herself… Sailor Saturn! "Thank…" his voice squeaked, "cough Thank you Saturn, I am in your debt." A slight nod was her answer, as she walked closer towards him only to stand before him.
The glaive she wielded looked as imposing as ever while it stood at an impressive 6'5" long, compared to its wielders' was only 5'2" tall. Quickly regaining his composure, Calhoun carefully approached the Senshi of Saturn, "My lady, would thou like to accompany me on mine task?" Lightly placing her hand within his and slightly bowing her head in an attempt to hide her blush, she gave him her reply. "I would be honored to accompany you Sir Calhoun." Lifting the now exposed entrance door to the lower levels, both Calhoun and Saturn descended the stairs.
As the two descended into the lower levels, Calhoun could no longer contain the question that was nibbling at the edge of his brain. "Forgive me for prying milady but I do not believe that I have the honor of knowing your name, and I do believe it would be far more considerate to address you accordingly than merely by your Guardian title." "My name is Tacita Diane, a name of irony if there ever was one. For it literally means the 'Silent Celestial Hunter'. From what Pluto has told me it is apparently from a language that has yet to be spoken down on Earth." "Fascinating, my name subsequently mean 'Warrior' which comes from something called Gaelic I do believe, Lady Diane."
A light giggle had filled the air as Lady Diane had taken note of the current situation "The Hunter and the Warrior arm in arm traversing the Palace undergrounds… how romantic." As both Tacita and Calhoun conversed to each other neither really noticed that their expedition to the E. M. system had taken relatively shorter than expected. They had been brought out of their musings when the two of them came to a set of large double doors at the end of the corridor. On the doors, which was conveniently placed, had been an engraved plaque with the inscription reading: Eternity Main System Operations.
Walking up to them, Calhoun and Tacita both gave a hard push and to their relief both doors began to open, and before long, the two individuals were through the doorway and looking into the room that greeted them. To say they were surprised would have been like saying that Sol was just a wee bit hot. The room they were standing in was huge, of course a room being huge did not necessarily mean anything grand or special, no it was not the size of the room that caused them to stare. It was the computer that they were both staring at, for something that was several of thousands of years old it seemed take on a life of its own with the amount of space it took up.
Computer screens seemed to litter the area while data charts, diagnostic programs of various types continuously ran. The protective covers for keyboards were still open awaiting the return of the one who would once again input a command into its interface. As Calhoun's eyes swept over the room, he could make out a name engraved on the side: Eternity Main Systems. This was apparently, what the computer itself was called when the first settlers had arrived from beyond the Kuiper belt and preceded to Terra-form the surrounding planets.
Looking over to his right Calhoun blinked, and the he blinked again, as where the Senshi of Silence had been standing, now stood a very regal looking young woman in her early to mid-twenties with long violet hair, a slender build while maintaining her curves in all the right proportions. 'Damn, Tacita is… absolutely… gorgeous.' Giving his head a firm shake Calhoun proceeded on with his task, as he and Tacita approached the three cryo-tubes they were both surprised and pleased to see that both the Queens advisors were already asleep within their stasis pods. While the larger stasis pod held the last Mercurian Princess, Lady Amalia Hisakawa.
Her face was turned to the left, while her blue tresses were draped across her right shoulder in a rather stylish braid. The mini-skirt of her uniform was practically indecent, while a sense of modesty was practically non-existent with how the body stocking of her uniform clung so tightly to her body as to leave nothing to the imagination. The blue bow upon her chest somehow managed to add a slight hint of modesty, no matter how slight it may have been, that bow had to have saved her from embarrassment time and again whenever it was not only cold outside but also when her mind tended to wander towards things not exactly becoming of a warrior princess.
Calhoun closed his eyes and sighed looking up he looked about to find the Princess's palmtop sitting open upon one of the few workbenches. While familiar, himself with Mercurian tech it took Calhoun a few moments to find the program that would allow him to record a message for Princess Hisakawa. After getting that taken care of Calhoun turned to Princess Diane as she had finished up her part of the message and shutting it down, and took a moment to steel his nerves, looking her in eye and found he could loose himself within those strangely beautiful violet colored eyes asked.
"Princess Diane, I would be honored if you would join me in relocating Planet side down on Earth. Due to Beryl's actions, the Silver Millennium is now over and I could not find myself sharing what else may come with anyone but you at my side. Would you my dear huntress, join with me in possible wedded bliss?" To say she was shocked was like asking her if she liked to breath, which of course she did. "Calhoun I… I don't know what to say! I mean… in all my time as the guardian of Saturn nobody has ever showed any interest in me at all! But… yes, sigh, yes I would love to marry you Sir Calhoun."
And so, Calhoun and Lady Tacita Diane of the house of Saturn and the twenty-forth to hold the station of guardian, settled down upon Earth, upon a stretch of land called Japan in the terrene year 7,069bc of the Jomon Period, where their descendants continued on for the millenniums to come. Though, not one of their descendents would be able to wield their heritage for a long time to come as the planet Saturn took it time to heal itself.