"Here it is!"exclaimed Amaterasu. "It's so much closer."she said, as they approached a large field on the third estate they visited.
Knowing that perhaps they might meet the enemy any minute, everyone was transformed. Amaterasu stood out from the rest in her amethyst skirt, unlike the ones the solar scouts wore, which came down to her knees, in layers, and her blouse had no front bow, it was covered in embroidery. Her earrings resembled bolts of lightning reaching the ground, and glowed and crackled. She approached the field, and suddenly stopped. Everything on Solaria is ornamental, she said. I suppose that is why my uniform is as well. Function is at the bottom of the list, everything must be pleasant, she told them. Instead of a pen, she had used her ring.
"I've never actually walked into where they grow and harvest the crops. Only around. I don't think it's-"she had been about to say allowed.
"Allowed?"
"No, it would be allowed. Everything is allowed for a Solarian. It's just that…it's like seeing. It simply isn't done. It isn't…possible."
"I don't see anything blocking the way."said Lita. "Do you?"
"No, I will summon them."
As soon as she finished her sentence, they all dropped their tools, and walked towards them.
"I will never get used this."said Mina.
They stood in front of them, their heads bowed, except for one.
"Why aren't you bowing to a Solarian?"Guardian demanded, looking at the one.
"Where did this one come from, Guardian?"Amaterasu asaked.
Guardian seemed to be analyzing it.
"I think it came from the planet…I believe, Isis."
"Send it back."she turned to the others. "We will go to my estate now. I would like to speak to you."
"Will it go to Aurora or Isis?"asked Guardian.
"It's…both. The body came from Isis, but the mind was invaded by the Aurorans. We will send this disgraceful thing back to them! It doesn't seem strong. It's small. It only attacked two individuals. Both workers."said Amaterasu as she scanned through its memories.
"They are worth very little!"it said.
"Of course they are! The workers don't have pure hearts. They are simply robots."
"Robots!"everyone exclaimed.
Amaterasu turned to them.
"Well, yes, what did you think they were? They were once humans, I think. But they are connected to the Solarian who supervises them. We once used robots on Solaria, but robots were forbidden throughout the Galaxy. People feared them. Only us Solarians didn't. We liked them because they gave us freedom. The freedom to not see. Once they were banned, we hid underground and worked to solve our problems. You see, we were determined to remain ourselves at all costs, and hoped that over time we would be forgotten, while we gathered others from other worlds, and alter ourselves so we could become the most skilled telepaths in the Galaxy. Then we could control them as they wer robots. We could convince ourselves as they were robots."she hesitated. "It looks different to you, doesn't it?"
They looked at it. They saw a young girl, about 18 years old, with thick curly honey colored hair, and eyes. She wore a hat to keep the sun out of her face while she worked.
"Different?"
"You see, to any Solarian, they still look like robots. We could not allow ourselves to see them as humans because…that would be enough to activate our…psychosis."she said in distaste. "I say psychosis because I have witnessed how different your minds are to mine."
The girl looked furiously at Amaterasu.
"You mean these are robots?"
"Yes. They have been controlled to think that way. There is nothing that will not give in to a good persistent education. That is how they were educated. They were chosen among others for their remarkable genetic make up. Of course, theirs is nothing similar to ours."
"You Solarians will pay for this humiliation!"it said.
"Mistress 9!"exclaimed Sailor Moon.
"Not you again! The stupid girl wouldn't allow herself to be possessed! I had to fight, and she ended by driving me out! But this planet will be made another Tai Ceti, and then we will take Earth."
"You will never take Solaria!"said Sailor Solaria with more emotion than any of the other girls had ever seen her express. "Solaria is my home! And we won't let you!"
"And who will help you? None of the others can stand your presence!"
"We can!"said Sailor Venus.
"You couldn't defeat me the last time! It had to be the other one who send me and Master Pharoah 90 away."
"We will send you back! Solaria will not tolerate you! There will be nothing for you here! You have no pure hearts! There are none. The only pure hearts on the entire planet are inside the Solarians, who would see you for what you are the minute they set eyes on you! You could never fool them!"Sailor Solaria told her. "You are no robot! A robot's behavior is governed. You are alien. That must be why you had to hide yourself among the workers. They were never seen, and they were never seen! By anyone, except themselves, and they could never know!"
Suddenly, the rest of the workers collapsed onto the ground.
"What happened to them?"asked Sailor Jupiter.
"They will not awaken! None of them will. Only I can give them their energy. All Solarians can use telepathy, but only I can transduct the energy. There is nothing for you here."
"But if they go back, they will return again and again."
"No."Sailor Solaria said. "I can transduct the energy. I can use the energy to perform any task. The task can be performed by cooling Solaria's interior or Solaria's star. It can shorten the life of the planet or star, but not enough that to make up a significant change. Mistress 9 is still connected to her own master, just as all the workers are connected to us. Through her portal, I can drain enough heat from the Tai Ceti star, and Aurora that she will not be able to return to him. She is so weak, anyways."
"I can return to Tai!"she screamed, as a dark portal opened in the sky.
"No, I will not allow you to harm me again! Solaria Force Depletion!"she went after Mistress 9 as she tried to go back in the portal.
"Solaria!"
Despite the high wind that began, the temperature rose significantly. Even though they were out in a field, it felt like the inside of a furnace, even the ornamental pond began to evaporate.
"We should help her!"
"But we can't attack, what if we hit her as well!"
I need more power they heard her voice say.
"If she can transduct, perhaps she could use our attacks to help her. Especially Mars'. Heat is energy."Mercury said.
Mars used her Flame Sniper. All they could see was the flame going into the portal. Everyone was blinded by a flash of light, and they almost felt as though they were evaporating.
When they woke up, the temperature was back to normal, and even the stream was running again. Everyone was lying on the ground.
"I thought we would die in that desert."said Jupiter.
"We would've have, I think. My transducers hurt."said Solaria, holding her hands to her temples. "They'll be back to normal in a little while."she told herself.
Mistress 9's body was next to her.
"I have decided to make this one my new personal robot."she told the others. "Although what it deserves is to be out in the fields. But I'd like to keep an eye on it. When I searched its memories, it seems that Pharoah 90 can't leave the Tai Ceti system without Mistress 9's opening a portal for him. She is sent by him to collect the crystals. That is the purpose of her."
"Well, here she'll have another purpose, then."Venus said.
"Why, yes, I believe she will."
Back on Amaterasu's estate, they stood in the teleportation room.
"I'd never thought I'd say this to anyone, but I will miss you."
Everyone smiled. Mistress 9, or rather, YQ7391, the serial number she was now known by, entered the room. And handed Amaterasu a bouquet of flowers.
"I know you have much lovelier flowers on Earth, but I'd like each of you to have one of these. It makes me sad that you are leaving. When I first heard Guardian say that they had attacked Earth first, I know it's odd, but…I was…happy. I had never really felt happy. It was always an ambition of mine, I know it is odd to think that a person such as myself could possibly aspire anything, since I have everything, but it was an ambition of mine to meet the Solar Sailor Scouts! I'm sorry. I have asked you to come to Solaria, when I could have…"she stopped, and looked at them. "no, I don't think I could have. I couldn't have done it myself. I see that now. I spent years maturing and training, and with my genetic make up no one would ever have thought me capable of failure. But I see that genes aren't everything. I said that the workers were robots. We are as well. We have no emotions. Emotions limit freedom. You mustn't let your emotions take control of you, there's nothing that give in to a good, persistent education. That's what I was taught. How wrong we all were! I never thought that I would want a friend! Friends imposed their wills on you, and limited your freedom! Oh!"she startled as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
She felt them surprised.
"It's all right, Amaterasu."said Bunny.
Amaterasu wiped them away, and laughed.
"I cry?"she asked. "I never cried before. I read in books that people did. But I thought they were simply exotic metaphors."
"You've never cried?"asked Mina.
She shook her head.
"There is nothing to cry for. Yet I cry because…I am lonely. I see that I have always been lonely. My life on Solaria was not a happy one, but it was the only life I knew! Until I felt happy, I saw just how unhappily I had lived before. How unhappily everyone on Solaria had lived."
Without thinking she went up and hugged them in turn.
"Thank you. Thank you so much for showing me the truth about friendship! Without you, I would have died, like perhaps Solarians often do. Never knowing."
"What will happen to you now?"asked Mina.
Amaterasu wiped her eyes.
"I will stay here. In my mansion. It is my duty. If only…we are at the end of our inviolable estates. No one will ever consent to seeing. I wish they would experience it, as I did on Earth, They could experience how…good it can feel to care someone. What love and friendship truly are. How you can be more free by making someone happy. By caring about them."
"Perhaps with your example they will learn."said Bunny.
"You can't lose hope."said Lita.
"I won't."she looked around. "Someday, this estate will go to someone else. I have no clue who will be chosen out of the thousands of embryos, that would have the most remarkable genetic make up. But they should not be as lonely as I ever was here. Perhaps…deep in their minds, other Solarians too, wish for friendship."
Bunny looked sadly at her.
"Being alone is sad."she said. "That's why I have so many friends."
"I'm sure some do."Rei said.
"Hopefully."Amaterasu confirmed. "It is time for you to go. Perhaps we could view one another, but I wouldn't wish it. I don't want to go back to viewing someone I've seen. I couldn't stand it."she said, looking at Darien sadly.
"Well, like you said, perhaps other Solarians might want your friendship as well."said Mina.
"Perhaps."
She looked sadly as she in the blink of an eye, the spots where they had stood were empty. Looking out the window, she thought, I want to see roses. Lots of roses when I look out my windows. They would be planted at once.
"Guardian, did you see to what I told you?"she asked.
"Yes."
She smiled.
When they arrived, everyone noticed a package they had not seen. Darien read the note.
"It says it's supposed to be a wedding present."he said. "But the wedding's not till-"
"But let's open it now!"Bunny exclaimed.
"Wouldn't it be better to wait?"
"Who's it from?"
"Amaterasu."
"She won't mind."said Bunny, pouting.
While staring at all the gifts in front of them, the girls insisted on Bunny opening the one from Amaterasu first. It contained a large painting, of a single red rose in the moonlight framed in a silver frame. Among the rose's petals, were Bunny and Darien.
"Oh, it's so beautiful."
"It looks almost real."
"I guess she must have painted it herself."
"We'll value it the more for that."