And we'll love
And we'll hate
And we'll die
All to no avail
-Muse, "Stockholm Syndrome"


The Queen.

The elation that she felt at hearing Rei say what she had to her was quick to be replaced by a sensation she couldn't rightly describe. Part of her almost wished that the Martian hadn't said such a declaration to her, more so if this feeling, this notion, of more questions arising were going to diminish it in the manner that it rapidly was. Another part of her wanted to just ignore that Rei hadn't followed with anything else and just live in the moment that existed prior to it all going to just shit.

It was dread, save it was more than that. It was a realization that everything and more was wrong, that nothing made any sense, that the things she knew to be true were really nothing more than lies. Her honor, her devotion, her loyalty … oh how it wavered being battered from all directions. She felt her shoulders slump and her hands loosen in their grip they had while the rain continued to beat out a song against the walls.

Now the thunder joined in again, punctuating the fact that things were falling apart around her, and perhaps for once, she wasn't quite willing to frantically grasp after the pieces to keep them together. It probably did not help that she had such a fear of thunder in the first place, unconsciously startling as a loud, booming rumble shook the Palace. Wide eyes went to the shuttered windows, swallowing awkwardly as she stared unseeing at it.

A hand at her shoulder caused her head to turn; the look she received from Rei told her right away at everything was bare and out in the open. Those fears and insecurities, the doubts and uncertainties. It wasn't something she wanted to share, at least not yet. Not here and really, not now. Forcing it all back to be held by the crumbling defenses it was turning out to be, she tried a fake smile that lasted until the next cracking boom.

She yelped.

Goddess save her, now she was feeling embarrassed. Her. Embarrassed. Fucking hell that was not an emotion she had known for seemingly ages and here she was, blushing for reasons she didn't like.

Oh how she abhorred thunderstorms.

To make matters worse, Rei was about to say something to her. Dear Goddess no not here, not now, not this. Please let it be anything else; an attack, the ceiling collapsing, fuck even the Terrans could come spilling into the room. Anything would be better than Rei offering her sympathy or whatever it was going to be for the moment.

Perhaps her Goddess was listening, seeing as how the door opened. It wasn't Terrans though, damn, instead Luna stepped into the dimly lit room. It gave her the opportunity to collect her hands from Rei's own; she liked the feeling but right now she needed to collect herself first and foremost before confessing to such things as fears. Instead she busied her hands behind her back, guilty as charged but it was better than wringing her hands in despair like she was about to do.

She knew Rei was frowning at her, a huff of breath reminded her of times on Mars, when all she was was just an irritation that disrupted the normalcy of the Priestess' life. That was calming somehow, pointedly not looking at the Martian. If it was for her sake or the others she didn't know, finding it easier, wiser, to acknowledge the change of subject so graciously offered.

She'd need to thank her Goddess for the boon, save it would work better with Rei, and the likelihood of finding privacy in the baths again without some work seemed close to nil. Another thought for later.

"Is she still asleep?"

In normal conditions, they would never be this civil to each other. She had made it too well known since her arrival to the Moon that she didn't like Luna, barely tolerating Artemis over her and by now, just about everyone knew how well they got along. The woman knew that and had treated her with such respects in mind. To this though, when it came to the Princess' wellbeing, they made exceptions.

So very many exceptions.

"She hasn't woken up yet, but it took her awhile to finally settle down enough to. The storm isn't helping matters." Sleep probably would elude her as well if she tried.

The Mau sighed, looking to them both, taking in Rei's standoffish attitude and her own barely held together one. Opting to sit on a chair she held that prim and properness too well. A guise, a shield. They had similarities after all, qualities that could be equally admired and despised.

"Do … do either of you know why they came here?"

Her companion remained silent; mentally she knew that shutting her out wasn't wise despite the circumstances. It was going to be a long night. Shrugging her shoulders she idly gestured with her hands, "I've a few ideas but nothing that pans out enough. Their ship couldn't survive the way back, so they'd need to commandeer one of ours, they'd need her alive for that of course. They knew, or suspected, that she'd be out when she was, so they just had to wait for the chance. They might have had help, someone to tell them where to be and when. It was fortunate that Ami and Makoto were out when they were." Or the Mau would be dead, the Princess kidnapped, and the rest of them giving chase.

Her words had the reaction she wasn't expecting. Luna looked down at her hands, almost as though she was ashamed or hiding something. Her own features moved to a frown, pressing for more. "What is it."

Oh Rei influenced her in ways she hadn't imagined.

"The … Princess has…" Luna started with, stopping rather quickly though to swallow a hiccuping sigh. It was too close to a sob, and as her gaze narrowed she confirmed it to be so.

"The Princess has done what."

Luna held it together though, she would give her that. The woman rose, a look given to the sleeping problem they endured before looking back to them. From the folds of her dress she produced a sheet of parchment, offering it to her to take.

So much apprehension.

She refrained from snatching it however, her eyes scanning over the letters in the dim light. Common, a not quite refined style of handwriting, and damning implications. Looking up sharply she passed the letter to Rei, ignoring how it hung unclaimed in the air for seconds too long before it was taken. She didn't care, she couldn't, not right now.

Not with this.

"How long has this been going on." Oh how she was amazed that her voice was still so level, so calm, when all she wanted to do was scream. Long and loud and if it woke up that spoiled brat of a Princess, she wouldn't care.

"I can't read this; it's too sloppy." Rei announced, deadpanned.

"The Princess has been writing to the fucking Terran Prince for apparently months now, if the letter gives anything away. She told him to meet her here, that all she would have for company was just the Mau. We wouldn't be present, like last time." Calm yet scathing. It was like someone defined what a woman was at her angeriest and here she was, issuing her words in the same way.

"You… you can't be-" The Martian looked from her to Luna, seeking confirmation. It arrived in the form of a sorrowful nod. "We … we all came here, fought and bled and nearly died for her! All so she could fuck the damn Terran?!"

Rei was a complex woman, perhaps it was why she fell so for her and so hard. Aloof, caring, determined, and Goddess how passionate she could be about something she felt so strongly about. There was nothing about her that was simple to explain, save the heat of her rage. The room felt beyond uncomfortable as no one said anything. Really, what could be said anyway?

"How long have you known." The anger was redirecting, honing in on Luna as the Martian prepared to go to battle then and there.

"I only found out after getting her to bed, by Serenity I swear it. We knew nothing about it."

"He could be here, waiting for … for something." They had too many things to ask about, and while each question they could ask was important, their safety she felt was more important than anything else. "Did he respond to her at all?" She interrupted Rei's tirade and felt the glare levied at her, but right now … right now was not the time. Terrans could be planning an attack after all, and if there was a response, it would tell her how many more were crawling over the Lunar surface.

Another letter was produced and handed to her. She felt her eyebrow raise; really? Just hand her all of the fucking letters for Goddess sake. This was stupid. It took longer to read this one, not due to the fact that it wasn't the Princess' scrawling excuse for handwriting, but because the script was an unfamiliar one. Turning she walked to a nearby candle, peering at the letter with better light before her sigh of relief nearly extinguished it completely. "The ones we killed were all that were sent. I'm surprised he didn't send one of his higher up lackeys along with them. He's probably expecting a response though, likely her physical presence if not a comm link once they were on the shuttle."

She offered the letter to Rei who snorted it away. The gesture wasn't missed by Luna and she wanted to scowl all the more at her. Yes there was 'trouble in paradise,' thanks. Shaking her head she merely folded the two letters together, shuffling them into a pouch at her belt. The room was too much, this was too much.

Here she was though, all the same. Collecting her thoughts along with her helmet, she turned to head out of the room for more reasons than just air. No one said anything in the time it took for her to step back out into the hallway, and perhaps that was a good enough thing for the here and now. Feeling her shoulders square themselves she strode onward, ignoring the looks and whispers that clung to her wake.

Some part of her, the part she was willing to admit to, wanted to chuck her helmet at something. It wouldn't do any good beyond being a temporary relief, an outlet of how she was feeling at the moment. Maybe she should though, just to feel better, but she knew she ought not to. Still it was temptation in mind as she opened one of the heavy, white oak doors to the lackluster sanctuary.

Closing the door was another story, as a hand all but yanked both wooden structure and nearly fleshy limb from her body. Rei stalked in after her, the barrier now giving a resounding boom as it slammed shut, the Martian continuing to her own room where a similar fate befell that particular door.

Her fingers lost their sense of touch, of holding onto things seemingly all at once. She was surprised that the rest of her body wasn't doing the same, that it hadn't just lost all structural integrity and could not longer support its own self up as it deteriorated. Her helmet fell to the flooring in a jarring, metallic attempt to match the ferocity of the sounds already made, body falling back to land against the door with another muted thud.

It seemed to match the wide eyes looks of Ami and Makoto, the former who was holding up some sort of electronic device and the later who barely managed to hold onto the apparent roast she pulled from the confines of the oven.

She knew, she knew, that the look in her face said it all. Her eyes gave it away, shattered expectations, hopes, and dreams. It took a moment before she managed to draw in a breath, a hard, tugging pull that resonated the ache that consumed her. But she did it anyway, leaving the helmet where it laid as Ami guided her to the table to sit, followed shortly by Makoto despite the warm oven mitts. She hadn't even noticed them coming forward, much less peeling her from the doorway.

A close of her eyes and they opened anew, another breath and she could do this. It was a familiar lie she told herself to believe in, akin to she'd rest soon enough.

"The Princess told the Prince she would just be in the company of Luna and Artemis today. She wrote to him, asking him to come for her, that they might return to Earth and be wed."

"What?" Oh it was so simple a word and yet could convey so very much at the same time. A look passed between the Mercurian and Jovian and who was she to blame them for it? She would have done the exact same thing.

"She wrote to him, Goddess knows how many times." From the pouch at her belt she produced the two damning pieces of evidence, handing them off to Ami. Her hand was not long to remain empty though, as a shot of something was pressed to it. Right. Calm and collected. She downed it with a cough or three, her throat burning in response to it, but how her nerves calmed. That was worth nodding her thanks to Makoto for providing the salve it was going to be. "He responded in turn. Luna has no idea how long its been going on, or how she managed to hide it in front of her nose. It was only because she was helping the Princess to bed that anything was found."

"Was she gonna tell us? Princess' been out now for a few hours. We all came back together, then the baths, then you left and eventually Attitude Walkin' went after you. Roast took some time but…" Makoto trailed off, mentally calculating it all out, "it's been three or four hours prolly. The hell she been doin' in that time?"

"I don't know." Words she never liked to say. That was some honesty she could afford herself right now.

"It could be that she is covering for the Princess, but what does she have to gain by doing so? The letters, while quite incriminating, made no mention of sparing either of the Mau. The fact that Luna was injured in the process does not match a prior agreement made if the Mau were to be rewarded for their deception. Either the Princess is callous and cares not for anyone, save herself, or the Terrans were not informed and saw her as merely an obstacle. Or, perhaps it is all an act, take an injury to show your devotion while practicing deceit."

She could not have said it better, and at the moment, she was glad it was Ami who had said it. While having no issue with taking blame, sometimes it was truly easier to have someone else point the fingers instead. Like any bandwagon approach. Accusations worked better like that, after all.

"You should eat somethin' 'least, both of you should. Fuckin' Attitude can piss off right now, we got work to do." She could see why, at times, Ami and Makoto were in the relationship that they were in and got along so well. Both spoke their mind, one perhaps more analytically than the other, but that wasn't to say that Ami ever lagged behind in that. There was a lot of value in what they said, in their presence, and she found herself offering a small smile. Food was truly the last thing from her mind; really the thought was adding to her already churning stomach as a catalyst for ill things to come. There was too much truth in it; they had a lot to do, too much to do, that faltering for something as simple as lack of food was foolish. "Good, now both of you sit and I'll fix us up somethin.' Was jus' about done anyway. Ames, read me what they both wrote."

Nicknames. Pet names. Names she didn't have.

The letter retrieved, the Mercurian cleared her throat for a moment, scanning it over; the Princess did have atorious handwriting after all, before she began. "My dearest Endymion. Oh how your words made me smile! I don't know what came over my guards when we arrived, all I knew was they were in an awfully bad hurry to leave. I tried explaining to them, on our way to see you, that their presence was so silly. There's peace, so why do I need guards anyway? Mother had no explanation, well she did but it was something about they wanted to be here. I don't understand, wouldn't they be happier at their homes? I don't understand why they would want to be here. I like them, I guess, but when I suggested that maybe they could marry each of your Generals, I felt so scared at the looks they gave me."

There was a pause. Glasses of water were set on the table by the Jovian who looked slightly perturbed at the notion of the letter contents before she went back to the meal she was preparing. To be honest it didn't matter what it was; rare were times she'd ever turn down something the Jovian made.

"Rei is so mean, all she does is glower when she's not following Minako around like a love-sick puppy. She seems pretty but she acts like such a bitch when she talks to me. Why Mother insisted on a backwater war monger, I'll never know. Ami says too many big words for me to understand, and I know she does it on purpose. She's acting like she's so smart but everyone in court talks about how boring Mercury is with all of its machines. They can't even make a faster ship like what you gave us. Ami crashed that and it made me so sad. I even told them that Mother got us a new ship and she still ruined it. Then there's Makoto, who is probably the nicest of them all but she's still so scary and tall. She makes the flowers bloom so pretty here, but I'm scared of her too. Everyone says she's stupid because everyone knows people from Jupiter are."

Ami paused, looking at Makoto then back at her with an inquiring look. She knew the reason why but nodded all the same. Even if it was a small nod. There was no reason to hide the rest, not if everyone else was getting lambasted by a spoiled brat.

A look of understanding, maybe sympathy, given before she started to read again. "Minako is the worst. She's so fake. She acts like she's happy, that she knows what love is, while all she's doing is fooling everyone. I think she's really a whore, all the guards here say that she's slept with them at least once. I'm sorry My Prince, I don't mean to vent to you but I just don't understand them! They really need to go away. But there is good news in this, I promise! I'll be with Luna and Artemis only for the rest of the week while Mother is away. Neither of them will mind if you come here and then you can save me. Please, save me my love. Save me from these walls and the chains that hold me down. I long for your touch, your lips, and your smile. Oh how I can't wait to see you again, that we might we wed and we can run far, far, far away from all of this. All my love, until I see you again, Serenity."

Silence followed, just for a moment. The words sank in, taking hold and damaging as they latched onto things that were not so easy to explain, but mattered so dearly to them. The silence didn't have a chance to turn awkward at least, for it was broken by another voice.

"I'm going to kill her."

Two heads and her own lifted, turned, and did what was necessary to focus on the speaker. The reactions they gave, however, were similar enough in nature that nothing could be so mistaken. Barely controlled judgment cast itself upon the Martian who stood off to the side. There was fire in her gaze, like she was the one most slighted. That was her emotions talking though; any of their feelings would have done the same thing as damage control for a fragile, wounded ego. Rei had walked out though, slamming the door in their faces while they remained. Here she was though, apparently here for part of it. At what point though she had arrived didn't really matter.

Ok it did but it also didn't. The damage control was working on her pride at the moment.

Ami dropped the letter on the table, rising. "We're going to need something stronger than water for this. I don't think I can read his response without it first."

Makoto turned back to finishing the meal, the roast sliced into steaming, neat slices of flavor on the serving platter. A bowl of whipped potatoes and a tray of butter was carried back to the table, followed by bowls of salad; three she counted. Additional bowls of vegetables followed, then plates, then the roast that took the center stage. Ami set down three short glasses and a bottle of a light amber hued liquid she brought with her from Mercury. Surprising that, but then again, hard liquor was for serious things and this was a most serious thing.

She wasn't done though, turning to look at Rei. "You have a dumb Jovian, an arrogant Mercurian, and a Venusian Whore. Tell me, Martian War Monger, why is your desire any better than ours? Why is your vengeance so much greater?"

Makoto paused and she felt herself doing the same, sharing a look of surprise as Ami said what she had. Slowly, she noted, that their eyes went to Rei who remained standing there. Seething sure, but standing there all the same.

A shake of raven hair and the woman was looking right at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't handle that right." Her gaze turned to Makoto next. "Sorry too… yeah. We talked about things like this before." Finally though it went to rest on Ami, walking forward slowly with her hand outstretched, opened to reveal a small device. "My mother sent this, well, my father did on her behest. There's information on it that will be helpful."

The silence followed again. They were probably all digesting what had been said. Maybe that's why it wasn't so surprising after all when Ami slowly collected the device with a nod and a smile. Maybe it wasn't so surprising when Makoto's hand clapped Rei on the shoulder, gesturing for her to take a seat as she came back with an additional plate.

Maybe it wasn't so surprising after all as Rei met her gaze with hope in her eyes.

Or that she nodded slowly in return.

They sat across from one another, the conversation kept to a minimum as they ate instead. Perhaps it was just time that helped but slowly the tension in the air lightened to allow actual laughter and meant conversation. They talked of things not important but so bleedingly so, moments in their life, places of their homes prior to this. They shared triumphs and failures, like the time Ami knocked out the power to half of Mercury and turning her hair white at a miscalculation of converting an energy source to something else.

They laughed with her when she, herself, knocked off her sword instructor's wig in public while partially showing off. No one knew he was bald, and it just figured that her mother and half the court was in attendance. Apparently he was trying to court one of the ladies in attendance, just to make matters worse.

Makoto shared times of a failed hunt that worked out in the end, when two large stags came crashing through a ceremony and knocked aside countless religious artifacts, breaking most. She said it was alright though, since they took it as a sign from their Gods to end with some traditions and take up new ones instead.

Finally Rei spoke of those few, fleeting moments of peace when Phobos, Deimos, and her would arrive in an outskirt village. How she would play with the children for bits here and there as her two friends would be pulled in as well.

The meal found itself finished along with a few glasses apiece of that smoothly drunk liquor. The plates cleared with intentions to address later, they sat at the table still, lost to thoughts before she spoke. "The Princess doesn't know that we know. For the time being, neither does the Prince. We do know however that they were planning on stealing a craft here as it would be the only way back. We have a small, very definitative time remaining before Terra is going to wonder what went wrong."

"What should we do next with that in mind? There is a communication route apparently between here and there. To think that the Terrans constructed such a vessel in the first place is disheartening, given the embargos and dislike everyone has for them." Ami set her glass down and aside, signalling that she was done drinking.

That was answered for them with a knock at the door. Their eyes met and perhaps, for once, they all rose together as she answered it.

On the other side stood an almost distraught looking Artemis. Maybe distraught was the wrong word. Worried though certainly. Troubled. Concerned but in that dreadful sort of way. Without preamble or greeting, looked at them all. "The Prince of Earth wants to talk to you all. He's videoed in to the comm room."

She bit back the laugh that looked to escape, letting her eyebrow raise instead. This was all too perfect, so very many things falling into place. Her head tilted slightly to the side before she spoke around a smirk, "Far be it for us to keep His Highness waiting. Ladies, if you'd accompany me, we'll hear what Princey-boy has to say to us mere annoyances."

Too much. She didn't care.

She ignored the look Artemis gave her to turn instead to watch as jackets were recollected to their uniforms and donned. Straightening her own out she paid no conscious mind to the fact she was still armed, still armored for that matter, merely collecting her helmet to hold instead. It was a ploy, a Venusian court trick she grasped onto immediately once it had been shown to her. Fidgeting hands gave unwanted signs, and a person must always be in control outwardly when internally, they were not.

A handful of minutes later and they left the room, the other three following behind her. Artemis made motions to say something, perhaps to inquire the sudden shift in their dispositions. Stopping she turned to look at him squarely, "We all know she's been writing to him. I'm tired of living in the dark of this elaborate hoax."

They left him there.

The comm room was not a place she frequented too many times in the past. After failing a handful of tries to get a communication link back with her home she wrote the place off as useless and far too under the Queen's control. It was likely why the personnel looked up sharply as they entered the otherwise dark room, illuminated by computer monitors and screens.

"The Prince of Earth is expecting our call." A wave of her hand flippantly gave directions, the other holding to the inside of her helmet. She stood facing the main screen, aware of the others behind her. Too much of an audience, but it wasn't like she could find it in her to care about that.

The technicians passed looks between them before nodding, the main screen coming to life with a static scrawl, the image sharpening to reveal the Terran Prince and his Four Generals.

Her eyes picked out the details; they were in a similar room. Interesting that. The fact that the feed came through in color was something as well. Terra must not be as backwater as they were lead to believe.

She waited patiently, daring the other to break face first and do more than mutually display impassive stoicism. It didn't take long as the Prince finally said something after two or three minutes of silence. "You killed my men."

"They shouldn't have been there." A casual shrug with the reply. If he meant on Earth or on the Moon, he'd really do better to specify instead of thinking she was going to guess.

"The Princess gave me, and by proxy them, clearance."

"The Princess failed to follow standard procedures and therefore, standard actions were taken. Is this going to be the basis of your call? If so I will spare us both the collective effort with this summary: your forces attacked Lunar citizens and were properly reprimanded for the fact."

He laughed.

She didn't like him any more than before the break in regular, diplomatic mannerisms. Not that she liked him before but he really wasn't doing anything to endear her to whatever the nature of his call was for.

"Oh she is so very right about you and likely the rest of you as well. I fear I've been betraying my upbringing and haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Endymion, Prince of Earth. These are my Generals."

One by one they announced themselves, placing names to faces they had seen amid the chaos and strange powers they were able to summon at the tips of their fingers. "Jadeite, General of the West." The punk with the bow, the short haired blond. She really didn't like this one in the least, but those were for personal reasons.

"Nepherite, General of the East." The brown haired one with the axe. He looked rather bored to be there.

"Zoisite, General of the North." The man she mistook as a woman at first, the one with the mace. Shoulder length blond hair and a pretty face.

"Kunzite, General of the South." The silver haired one, likely their leader if the slightly different uniform gave anything away.

She wasn't impressed, but she was a product of Venusian courts and heritage. "Minako, Princess of Venus."

"Ami, Princess of Mercury." She heard the voice at her left.

"Makoto, Princess of Jupiter." The towering Jovian at her right.

"Rei, Princess of Mars." She caught the slight hesitation in the words, they didn't sit right with her and likely never would. Her voice though told her that she was slightly behind her and to her immediate right. It must mean that Makoto was standing behind both of them.

She was partially surprised to see that they bowed at the end. It was not a particularly deep bow, but it was still more than a mere inclination of the head. Rather begrudgingly they did the same, though she doubted Rei did anything more than glower. They might as well have manners and display them.

"Such a lovely group of women. Tell me, are you happy on the Moon?" The brown haired one spoke with a smooth voice, probably a lady's man if she had to peg him for anything.

"The Princess has expressed how sorrowful you all are on the Lunar surface. She has pled to her mother, the Queen, to release your from your servitude, if that is what it is. It sounds more like slavery, demanding that you leave your homes and families." That short shit Jadeite, but she bit her tongue to keep from saying anything.

"There's so much more that Earth could offer you, among the bountiful nature the ability to go home as you please."

"Our Prince does not require us to shadow him day in and day out. He understands that we have lives of our own, things we wish to do. Our time is ours to see to our duties, our leisures, our pleasures." The silver haired one finished off, standing suspiciously close to the effeminate man that she immediately began to think that they were a couple.

Making a show of it, she turned to look at her three conspirators in this before she turned back to the video screen with a dazzling smile. "Do tell."

This was all just an act.

The Terrans were planning this, it was apparent in their choice of words, but that they seemingly were going along with this deflection so easily was not what they were expecting. Hurried looks were exchanged and she knew she caught sight of at least one frantic hand gesture. It was likely because she was looking for it was the only reason she saw it, but manners of court were her arena. Or they were, but she could hold her own against them she confidently believed.

"We … we offer many opportunities in our technological fields. Our advances are bounding each day in all manners of mechanical, production, and medicine, to name a few. I'm sure that with your knowledge that we'll surpass all current levels that exist within this System and then, set a new standard that all others will be jealous of. Earth will not be the lessort trade partner ever again." The Prince took the lead for speaking, first trying to cement a reason to Ami.

He was met with silence but he filled it with more propositions, "We have numerous wild life as well, from fauna to animals. Numerous tracks of land have yet to fully be discovered, and at best we have but folk tales and rumors to go on, yet all of them speak of fantastical beasts and plants completely unheard of."

Right…

He was starting to stumble with coming up for valid reasons, but Kunzite chimed in for him, "Our planet is not completely peaceful, not yet. There are still some outlying territories that need to be brought to heel." Oh, so Rei must be a war monger after all. She kept her thoughts from reminding her of the time after dinner with Artemis, before the shitstorm happened. Rei was a conqueror but she doubted that it was not quite the definition that the Terrans had.

The silence though was there, growing thick and awkward enough that she finally took pity on it with a fake smile. "And what about me?"

"Y-you?" Which one said he she didn't really know or care at this point. She rendered them all, which told confirmed countless.

"Well yes. It seems you intend to work the Princess of Mercury more hours than there are in a day to advance your technology. Then you spoke of wildlife for the Princess of Jupiter to go learn about and perhaps die from, followed by tales of glory that our dear Princess of Mars could soak your planet fully in blood to fulfill. What of me, hmm?"

The looks they exchanged were priceless. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"I'm sure that you could attract quite the harem… Someone probably wants to fuck a Venusian..." That brown haired one, Nepherite, trailed off with uncertainty. She felt Rei stiffen behind her; capturing her hand she gave it a squeeze before releasing, in time for the Prince to try his hand at damage control. "What he means is that there's countless that would love to-"

"I don't care what he means, for all you've proven is that you're just as ignorant and bigoted as anyone else. Set foot on the Moon again, and you'll be leaving as a corpse."

"You can't do that! You're just a Venusian whore! You hold no command!" There went that punk ass bitch Jadeite again, but she waved it away with her free hand.

"You really should consider a muzzle for him, for the manner of his outbursts are truly a detriment to diplomatic talks of any sort."

"Why I ought to-"

The Prince cut him off, fixing them with a look but the words were more directed to his Generals. "Enough. They don't know the truth. They speak with ignorance, as the Venusian Princess puts it." The men took a step back with a bow of difference towards their Prince, placated perhaps, or to let him have the rest of the call without interruption by them. "You are all being used, so I will overlook your declaration of assault to our persons. I will also forgive your transgressions against killing my men."

"Your men were weak." Unable to help it, Rei snapped back. She felt fairly bristling, and the contained emotions of the room were slashing away at her ability to not be influenced by them. This needed to end, ideally now.

"That's why I shot her with an arrow. You're not as invincible as you think you are." If she ever saw this Terran, she hoped she would be afforded more than a few minutes into granting his death.

"Jadeite, enough."

"Your Queen is using you. It's in your best interest to leave her servitude before it's too late. Beryl will not spare you. She will not spare anyone who follows your Queen. Can your honor, if not very conscious, condemn thousands to their deaths? You are all royalty of your planets; you have the choice and the power to save them all by simply leaving your Queen to take judgment for her crimes without interference and swear allegiance to Earth."

Nothing was said. There was some shifting on feet sure, but not a word followed.

"You're all smart, however you were fooled into whatever she has promised you. It is not meant to be, merely fool's gold in place of real. Here you will be respected, here your knowledge and skills can be used for good. There is no shame in admitting you chose to follow the wrong liege for we are offering you the chance to repent for your decision and follow the truly good side. Your Queen is lying to you, your families, and the rest of the System. She seeks only to turn this, if not more, under her iron fisted rule. Make no mistake, Beryl will stop her and eradicate all life from the Lunar surface. My Generals will ensure you are respectable and help cement an alliance to Earth with your planets through marriage and-"

She cut him off. "Tell Beryl we'll be waiting for her on the battlefield." Her hand rose, signalling the call to end. Outbursts were cut off as at least the technician was paying attention, the video ending at once until all that remained was a single, white dot against a black screen that faded after a few more seconds.

Blessed silence before the storm.