In Harm's Way

(Port of Sadiz, Caspian Sea... )

The Legionnaire stood on the deck of his person cargo ship, as the massive vessel entered the unfinished resort city of Sadiz. Below him on a small helipad, a group of men were busy getting his personal Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter ready for his flight into Sedaristan, where he would "talk" to that country's leader about the well overdue gold shipment that he had promised over a month ago. The was that Sedar would provide the Legionnaire with a certain amount of gold and Sedaristan would not be appropriated as collateral. But with no gold in hand and his field commanders becoming a bit wary of their promised "salary", the Legionnaire now had no choice but to "appropriate" Sedaristan for himself and take any gold that he found. Taking over the tiny Eastern European Country should not be too difficult, especially since his contacts within the Sedaristani military had said that Sedar was not very popular among his troops and that they were already planning a coup to over throw the dictator. Getting to Sedar should not be too hard and when he did get to Sedar, well... lets just sat it wound not end well for him.

But he would have to work fast if he were to get to Sedar, for there was a possible US special forces team that was in the country and they were more than likely going after Sedar for themselves. If that were the case, then he would have to make sure that he got to the dictator before those blasted Americans did. But he didn't worry too much, for he had his men surround the presidents mansion and he doubted that the Americans would be able to defeat his mercenary army. But there was another bit of news that really had the normally confident merc worried. His 2IC had informed him that the same group of solders had come in to contact and possession of an item of immense power source. The same power source that she promised that would be his and could make his army invincible. What would happen if the Americans got there hands on it, he did not want to think about it. It could be very bad for business, indeed. But he his worry soon faded when he remembered that his 2IC had sent one of their new "D-Units" to retrieve said item and from what he had seen in the test videos, those Americans did not stand a chance in hell.

As he stood their overlooking his personal ship as it got ready to ease into port, he felt a presence behind him...

"I wish you wouldn't do that." he said flatly, as he turned to face his second in command. "I am sorry, my commander. But I have some very unfortunate news." she replied, with a bit of regret in her voice. The Legionnaire crocked an eye brow at her statement, it was not always that his very capable 2IC came to him with bad news...

"What is it?" he asked her. " It is our D-unit... It... has been destroyed." she said with her head down.

"How is that even possible? I thought you said that they are next to impossible to destroy?" the Legionnaire said in a tone. But if one would listen closely, they could easily tell that there was a hit of disapproval and anger in his voice.

" They are! It was those solders that used the power source in their possession, to destroy my creation." she said in a defensive tone. " Apparently, they were a lot more intelligent than I though. Not only do they have our prize, but now know how to use it."

The Legionnaire advanced on her and looked directly into her golden eyes, "I do not tolerate failure in my ranks. Especially from my second!" he said as he towered over her, " You promised me an item of immense power for my personal use and I expect to my 2IC to deliver what was promised to me!"

"Yes, I am sorry my commander." she said apologetically, "But do not worry, I have one of our other D-units waiting for them and I promise you, It shall not fail us this time."

"I hope for your sake, that you are right. But if you fail me this time... lets just say that I will no longer be in need of your services." He said, as he turned away from her and returned his focus on the ship's crew prepping his helicopter. His 2IC just nodded as she remembered to breath again. All she could at that moment, was nod in agreement and head back inside the vessel.

'How dare he talks to me like that!' she thought, as she made her back to her personal quarters... 'If it wasn't for me, his little private army would not have even survived the war for this long! It is just like being with the professor all over again!' She continued to fume, as she entered her room onboard the ship.

The room itself was very luxurious considering that it was located on a old converted oil tanker. It was very spacious and had everything that a person would need if they were planning to live there for a while. Located in the corner of said room, was a Queen sized bed that had pink and gold trim and next to it was a dresser that had a large mirror in the center of it, as well as a number of various tabloid magazines from various part of the world. One of the few perks that came from being a globe trotting mercenary. But one other thing that made this room so unique, was the fact that there was a state of the art lab that was in the center of the room. There , surrounded by a white curtain that was suspended from the overhead bulkhead, was a small but very capable lab that she had constructed not to long after her employment with the Legionnaire and his army. From here, she had created a number of items and equipment that benefited his privatized army. From ammunition rounds that could be used in a number of different weapons, to body armor that could take a hit from a shot gun from point blank range. All of these advances and more had made the Legionnaire's already deadly army, even more so. But it was one weapon that she had created that had cemented her place and title of being the second in command of the deadliest army in the world.

The were called "D-units" and they were developed from the research that her former employer done, before she ended up in the company of the Legionnaire. The D-units themselves were created when the Legionnaire wanted proof that she was worth his time and money and when it came time to prove her worth, she did not fail to impress. Using an old BMD-3 hull and a human test subject who was "Volunteered", the new D-unit managed to wipe out and entire Russian army while the Legionnaire's army was in the employment of another country. Needless to say, it was that event alone that not only cemented her place as his new 2IC, but it was also why the Russians decided to seek his services when the war began. The only draw back to these units, was that they were not as strong as her former employer's creations, nor they were as stream lined and unlike the originals, the D-units were made to rage war and currently, there were 7 D-units that were in the field and they were all disguised as normal military vehicles. Well... there were now 6 of them in the field now, as seeing that one of them had been destroyed by a combination of both American made fire power and the combined power of 3 Sailor Shenshi.

This was not good. It was one thing to create man made monsters for a mercenary army, it was another thing to have the same people that you brought to this world for your personal interest to not only destroy it, but to team up with a US army Special Ops team and be protected by them. This was 1 equation that she did not plan for and what was worse, her new employer was starting to become a bit anxious and was now threatening to have her "replaced." and that did not sound like a good thing considering that she had used his former 2IC to create their first D-unit. But no matter, she would only have to deal with her current employer just until she could she got a hold of Sailor Moon and her Crystal and when she did … she would be able to get the one thing that she so desired.

She began to move towards a large device that kind of looked like a small microwave oven and flipped a small switch. Then, the "microwave" began to rumble as a bright flash shown through its small view point , but what was really strange, was the fact that a growl could be heard coming from the inside. With in a few moments, the glow faded and the machine's door opened downwards to reveal a black bullet that had the symbol of the Legionnaire's army, as well as a star engraved into the side of it. Then using a pair of gloves, she removed said bullet from the small tray that it was resting on and loaded it into a HIGHLY modified IMI Desert Eagle hand gun that had 2 cylinder like attachments sticking out each side of the firing chamber. She then walked up to a near by port hold and fired the "weapon" through it, sending the entire projectile ( Shell casing and every thing) into the air and on its way to activate the second D-unit at her disposal, capture Sailor Moon and bring the shenshi back to her.

When she was done with that, she went back over to her bed where she proceeded to flop down on to it and read one of the many magazines that she had and began to read. As she feasted on a box of chocolates that she had hidden under her bed. Even though Sailor Moon may have had the protection of the those solders, she doubted that even they could even be able to fend of or expect this new D-unit.

They would not even stand a chance...

(Sedaristan, Eastern Europe... )

Sailor Moon sat quietly inside the familiar interior of the Russian made, American appropriated BMD-3, as it and its occupants tore across the massive golf course that was constructed and owned by Sedaristan's ruler, Zavimir Sedar. Next to her was Sailor Mercury who had her mini computer connected to one of the radios that she had picked up at an Russian supply depot where just minutes before, she long with her shenshi and their new friends, a group of American solders had successfully raided. Thanks to Mercury using her "Shabo Spray Freezing!" , a large number of the depot's personnel were frozen in place before they could even react and those that were not frozen, were taken out by both the Americans and the Shenshi sneaking up on them in the fog and knocking them out. When the base was secured, the solders then proceeded to resupply themselves with grenades, ammunition and what ever they could get their hands on while destroying what they couldn't take. While this was going on, the shenshi set about the task of rounding up and securing the Russian prisoners and make sure that they wound not be able to alert their comrades when they were gone. After a few minutes, the shenshi and Bad Company linked back up and were back on their way to their next objective. Thanks to Sailor Mercury placing tracking beacons in their communicators, they were able to locate 2 more of there fellow team mates that were well on the other side on this massive golf course. Moon could not help but to wonder just why any on would want a massive golf course all for them selves.

But they still had the problem of communicating with their team mates. Ever since their arrival in this place, they had been unable to contact each other and after Mercury ran a diagnostic on their communicators, it turned out that someone or some thing had managed to lock on and disrupt the exact frequency that the Shenshi used to communicate with each other. Then if that were the case, then that Yoma attack back home was not a random event, that attack... was a trap and they walked right into it. That Yoma was sent to attract and capture them for some unknown purpose. But why they were sent into a war zone, they still did not know. The only saving grace right now, was the fact that the Shenshi were still able to track one another. But as she sat there, Moon could not help but to wonder if her Shenshi were able to track each other, then who else?

As Sailor Moon looked around, she saw that all her Shenshi were keeping busy as best they could. Mercury was busy trying to re establish contact with every one else, while Saturn was lost in her own thoughts, worried about her adoptive parents. Across from her, Jupiter had her eyes closed and was meditating, while Venus was looking at Marlowe with a dreamy expression on her face. 'I wonder if she remembers that she has a boyfriend now?' Moon thought , as she looked at her "love struck" friend. The American solders on the other hand, all looked calm and cool. Proof that they were battled hardened warriors and were used being in highly stressful situations. But moon had to wonder if these men were only calm because they were solders, or were they just being calm for her and her shenshi.

"Anything yet, Ami?" Moon asked her friend. "Still nothing." the blue hair shenshi replied, as her visor retracted back into her tiare. " I still can't get a signal through without alerting the Russians." Mercury was trying to see if she could send a signal through by "hot wiring" a Russian com radio to work on their communicators. But unfortunately, if she were to do this, The Russians would be able to ease drop and possibly, track them as well. Even Sailor Moon knew that was a bad thing. But Mercury was able to find a way to track the movements of any and all Russian forces in the area and as a result, 4 T-90's fell victim to a JDAM strike.

About 15 minutes later, the APC came to a halt at an bridge that crossed a VERY deep gorge at the very edge of the golf course. Quickly, Redford along with Sweetwater and Haggard, exited the the "tank" , while Marlowe stayed inside and covered them with the BMD's 30mm cannon.

" What are they doing?" Venus asked her new crush, as she battered her eyes at him. Marlowe for his part, did not notice the young girls advances as he replied, " They are scouting the bridge to see if it has any booby traps or explosives that the enemy might have placed."

Still looking through the cannon's gun sight, the young army private watched as his squad leader and his 2 fellow solders walked onto and looked around the bridge. Then, the Sarge waved to Marlowe that the bridge was safe to cross, but as he was about to move forward, Saturn got a look horror on her face and rushed at Marlowe... " STOP!... STOP... TANK!" she yelled in broken English.

"Hotaru... Whats wrong?" Jupiter asked, as she moved over to the young shenshi. But before Saturn could answer, they were all jolted by a series of loud explosions as the APC began to shake. Outsind on the bridge, Redford, Haggard and Sweetwater were also jolted by the explosions as the bridge shook violently and when they looked, they saw to their horror the entire sections of said bridge were exploding and the explosions were heading there way!. "RUN!" Redford roared, as he and his men ran as fast as they could towards safety. The men just barely made it off , as the last section of the bridge exploded and was sent plummeting into the gorge below. The only thing that was left of said bridge, was the metal frame that had once supported the now destroyed road way.

"That... that was... too close." Sweetwater panted, as he tried to regain his breath. Apparently, the Russians had planned to destroy the bridge as the Americans were crossing over but foe some reason, the detonated the charges too early and the Americans were spared.

"How... How did she know that was going to happen?" Marlowe asked breathlessly, as he just stared at the young shenshi that had quite possibly saved his as well as every one else lives. The Senshi just stared at their youngest member as well and wondered just how she was able to detect the threat as well. Although Hotaru (Saturn) was a full fledged shenshi, there were still a few things about her powers that the rest of the team did not know. Seeing that she herself was still trying to figure out her capabilities as well. If this was an ability that she had all along or that this was something that Sailor Saturn always had, they did not know. But what ever it was, it had just saved them from a unfortunate demise.

The shenshi along with Marlowe exited the APC and just looked at what was left. They all began to wonder just how they were going to make it to the other side, but then Redford spoke up and said, " Looks like were going to have to walk across." the Shenshi all wonder just how they were going to do just that, but Redford pointed out that there was a service walk way that was possibly used by the bridge's maintenance crew to do repairs, that was still intact. The walk way it self was narrow and was exposed to the elements, but with no other alternative the Shenshi just nodded in agreement and with the solders in the lead, proceeded to advance across. But no sooner did they began to cross, did a bulllet strike the concrete tower behind Sailor Moon. Causing her to scream a bit, as pieces of concrete flew out. "Sniper!" Marlowe yelled out, as every one hit the metal deck. Just seconds later, another round struck the area where just moments ago, Redford was standing. Seconds later, another round struck the metal superstructure where Venus was taking cover, causing her to wince a bit. The shenshi and the solders were now at the mercy of a Russian sniper and if they did not fast, it would only be a matter of time before he got a lucky shot. Mercury could have used her "Shabo Spray!" and conceal their movements, but the wind had began to pick up. Rendering the "Attack" useless at that point.

"What do we do?" Venus asked, as she covered head as another round struck behind her. "Can't you like shot back?"

"We can't," Sweetwater replied, " He's too far out of range for us to shot back." another bullet struck near his position. Venus began to think a bit and she soon got an idea...

" Do you know where he is hiding?" Venus asked them. Marlowe raised his head to locate the position of the offending sniper. As he looked, he saw a flash in the window of a small building that was on the other side and seconds later, another round just narrowly missed him as it struck the support beam for the hand rails, in front of him.

"That building, in the window. 2-300 meters ahead." Marlowe told her. " Can you give me covering fire? I have a plan."

" What are planning , Venus- chan?" Moon asked from her position on the ground. Before she could get an answer, the solders got up from their positions and began to fire with their respective weapons at the wooden structure. The rounds from the combination from the assault rifles, machine gun and Haggard's rocket launcher, all found their mark and did their job of preventing the sniper from returning fire. The shenshi took this opportunity to move forward and find better places to take cover. All that is except for Venus, who stayed with the solders. "Venus! What are you doing?" Sailor moon called out, as she and her other shenshi looked on in horror as Venus got up from her hiding place and walked up to the edge of the walk way. Then, she kissed her right index finger before she extended her arm out and yelled... "Crescent Beam!". Then, a golden beam of energy shot out from her finger, shot across the gorge and towards it's target. A few seconds later, the beam entered the building at the exact point where the Sniper was hiding and after a few minutes of waiting, it was clear that the beam had found it's mark and the sniper was no more.

With the sniper out of the way, the 2 teams were able to advance forward and except for a few stragglers that were on the bridge itself, they were no match for the combined power of the American solders and the Sailor shenshi and were easily swept aside. The only real threat came from one of the last Russian solders that was manning a heavy machine gun that was protected by sand bags. But still it was no match as Jupiter used "Supreme Thunder Dragon!" on him and the end result was the the ammunition that was stored inside the weapon exploded in as a result of all that electricity moving through it. After a few minutes, the teams made it to the other side and when they did, they heard the sounds of a massive battle that was taking place, as well as some one yelling over a loud speaker in with some kind of Slavic dialect.

"What's going on up there?" Jupiter asked, "And who's that on the loud Speaker?"

"That's Zavimir Sedar." Redford replied. " Zaver-who?" Sailor Moon said...

" Zavimir Sedar..." Sweetwater replied with a thick Slavic accent of his own. " Local dictator and all around creep. He is the reason why we are in this country in the first first place."

" What is he saying?" Venus asked him. " Apparently there was a coup and he is being held hostage in his own mansion. He is calling for his people to save him."

" So I'm guessing that the sounds are that of his people trying to save him?" Saturn said,as she held on to her Glaive a little more tightly.

"I guess there is only one way to find out! Lock and Load!" Redford ordered, as he and the rest of his men began to advance up the incline towards Sedar's palace.

"Wait a minute guys." Mercury said, as the Shenshi was about to advance as well. "What is it, Ami?" Moon asked. Mercury had her computer out and showed the screen to them. As the Shenshi looked, they saw a number of red icons that were moving across the screen. As well as 4 blue icons in approaching behind them, possibly Redford as his men. But it were the 2 icons that were at the top of the screen that really got their attention. Moving around on the screen, was the image of a eye mask and a semi-circle with a arrow on the top it, and ever so often, a group of the red icons would vanish off the screen. When the Shenshi saw this, they all got smiles on their faces...

"It's..." Sailor Moon trailed off. "Yep! It is them ." Mercury said with a small smile of her own.

"Well it looks like they have everything under control here!" Venus said , with a amused tone in her voice.

"Well what are we waiting on? Let's go help them!" Sailor Moon declared, as she began to run up the incline her self. The Senshi were all taken aback by their leader's actions, which were way out of character for the normally "Ditzi" and "Clumsy" blond. But they all just guessed that their leader and friend was beginning to show signs of maturity and the queen that she was destined to become was finally starting to emerge from within her.

With looks of determinations on their faces, the rest of the Shenshi began to follow their friend and future queen into battle. A task, that they all gladly did...

For their Leader, Princess, future Queen... and Friend...