Rated PG-13

Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and everything affiliated with her are the property

of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansha, and DiC.  They are not mine, I

am only borrowing them for a little while.  Any other characters are mine. 

If anyone wishes to use them, please notify me first.

Just a bit of clarification: 

            the * * signify a person's thoughts

            the ***** before a section signify either a memory or a shift into

the mindscape or dreamscape (don't worry, this will make sense eventually, I

hope). 

Please email me with your questions, comments, and/or criticisms at

jnkryo@yahoo.com.  Heck, flame me if you want to.  I'd like any

feedback I can get.  Enjoy the story!

Daughters of Destiny

Part 3

by: Johnny Ng

            The morning sun filtered into Rhea's room and into her eyes.  She

groaned and turned over, but it was too late, she was awake.  Getting up, she

rubbed the sand out of her eyes.  She didn't recognize her surroundings at

first, but then she remembered.  She remembered everything: her mother dying,

running away, seeing her father's...ghost, meeting her uncle, Trent, the

magic... 

            She started.  *The magic!*  Rhea moved her hands in the correct

gestures for the cantrip and she was rewarded when three glowing balls

appeared in front of her.  She smiled and mentally nudged them and they flew

around the room.

            "Rhea, are you awake?" Ikuko called out.

            She concentrated and dispelled her cantrip.  "Yes, Mrs. Tsukino."

            "Well, breakfast will be ready soon."

            Rhea's stomach rumbled at the mention of food.  "Ok, I'll be right

down."

            Ikuko Tsukino looked up as she heard the sound of footsteps coming

down the stairs.  Moments later, Rhea appeared and sat down at the table.

            The older woman smiled.  "Good morning, Rhea.  You seem to be the

first one up."  Ikuko took a long look at the girl.  "How are you feeling

today?"

            Rhea thought back to what happened last night when she and Serena got

home.  There had been lots of shouting and crying, mostly from Mrs. Tsukino. 

When asked where she had been, Rhea had merely said that she needed some time

alone to think.  This seemed to satisfy the police, but apparently not

Serena's parents.  However, they did not pursue the subject.  They were just

glad to have her home.  She looked up and replied, "I'm fine now, Mrs.

Tsukino."

            Ikuko nodded.  "Good."  She placed a plate laden with pancakes in

front of her.  "Here you go, eat up."

            "Mom, are you cooking pancakes?" Serena yelled from her room.

            "Yes, dear."  She winked at Rhea.  "You'd better hurry, they're

almost gone."

            "What?!"  There were sounds of a body hitting the floor and a muffled

cry.  A few minutes later, a thoroughly disheveled-looking Serena stumbled

down the stairs.  "Where's the food?"

            Ikuko grinned.  "Good morning to you too, dear."

            "Oh, sorry, mom."  Serena looked around the kitchen.  "So where's

the..."  She spied the large stack of pancakes on the counter.  "Mom!  I

thought you said they were almost gone!"

            A grin.  "I had to get you out of bed somehow."

            "Are you sure you want to go to school, after what happened

yesterday?" Serena asked leaving the house.

            Rhea nodded.  "I've been over this with your mother.  I'll be okay,

and it all wasn't that bad.  My mom's gone, but I found I had an uncle...and

I can do magic."

            "Well, if you say so."

            The school day seemed to drag on longer than usual for Rhea and when

the final bell rang, she fairly ran out the door.  Seeing Mina, she ran up to

them.  "Mina!  Have you seen Trent?"

            The blond grinned.  "Well, he was supposed to pick me up and head to

the arcade..."

            "And here I am," Trent said popping into existence behind the two

girls and causing them to jump.

            Mina punched him in the shoulder.  "Don't do that!"

            Trent smiled.  "Sorry, but I felt like surprising you."  He turned to

his niece.  "You ready to go someplace special to discuss your training."

            Rhea's eyes lit up and Mina grinned.  "I suppose that's more fun than

the arcade."

            Just then, Mina saw Serena walking dejectedly out the main doors with

Amy and Lita trying to cheer her up.  She waved them over.  "What's the

matter, Serena?"

            "It was totally unfair," she whined, "I almost got detention just for

eating lunch."

            Lita laughed.  "But it was during class, Serena."

            "Well...I was hungry."

            Rhea shook her head.  "Anyway, Trent was going to take me to do some

more training, you want to come along?"

            Amy and Serena declined, the former saying she had to do homework,

the latter saying that she was still hungry.  Lita, though, decided to go. 

            "So where's your car?" the brunette asked.

            Trent was insulted.  "What do I need with a car?  I'm the world's

most powerful mage--"

            "He's the world's only mage," Mina whispered to Rhea.

            The mage ignored that remark.  "-the world's most powerful mage.  I

can go anywhere and do anything I want!"  He smirked.  "Besides, my car's

being detailed."

            The air in the middle of a clearing shimmered and four figures

materialized.

            Rhea blinked and looked around.  All she saw were trees and a cave in

a cliff.  She turned to her three companions.  "Where are we?"

            Mina and Lita recognized their surroundings and assumed somber

expressions and Trent had on a sad smile.

            "What is it?" Rhea asked, puzzled.

            "This is a special place, Rhea," Trent said putting his hand on her

shoulder.  "Come, there's something I want to show you."

            Trent led his niece into the cave.  It was a moment before Rhea's

eyes could adjust to the dimness, but when they did, she stopped cold.  In

the middle of the cave was a crystal coffin.  Rhea moved closer to the coffin

and peered into the clear cover and gasped.  Inside the coffin was the body

of Daniel Takazawa.

            "This is your father's tomb, Rhea," Trent said walking up next to the

girl.

            Rhea looked around.  "It's beautiful...and so peaceful."

            Trent sighed.  "I wanted it to be this way.  It was my last gift to

him."  He stepped back.  "Take your time, Rhea.  I'll be waiting for you

outside."  He saw his niece nod and walked back to the cave opening,

rejoining the girls outside.

            "It was nice of you to show her this place," Lita said to Trent as he

walked up to them.

            "She has as much right to this place as I have...perhaps more."

            "So what do we do now?" Mina asked.

            Trent sat down and urged the girls to do the same.  "We wait for

Rhea."

            It was nearly an hour before Rhea emerged from the tomb.  Trent stood

up and watched his niece walk over to him.  She stopped in front of him with

her head bowed.  "I'm ready."

            The diamond-shaped form of the _Wrath_ glided past the orbit of Mars.

            "The third planet--Earth--is now in visual range, sir."

            Captain Raze sat up.  "Let's see it, and someone contact Master B-"

            A robed figure materialized next to the captain's chair.  "No need,

Raze."  A holographic image appeared in the air above them.  "Ah, a beautiful

planet."

            Raze turned to the person operating the science station.  "Getting

anything from the sensors?"

            "Nothing yet, sir."  The operator frowned.  "At least nothing

definite.  It seems as though the entire planet is blanketed by some sort of

low-level magical field.  Unless someone really expends a great deal of

magical energy, then the field will effectively mask it."

            "Your science officer is right, Raze," Bane said.

            "So what do we do now?"

            "Now," Bane said, sitting down on his throne, "we wait."

            Trent and Rhea stood in the center of the field; Mina and Lita stood

off to the side.

            The mage began, "The first thing you need if you are going to be a

mage is a spellbook."

            "But you don't use a spellbook, Trent," Mina called out.

            Trent, annoyed by the outburst, nevertheless smiled.  "True.  I don't

use a spellbook because I don't have too.  All my spells have been seared

into my mind."

            Rhea winced.  "That sounds painful."

            "Yes it was, though it was not of my own free choice," Trent said

remembering his previous life.  "Nevertheless, even though I don't use a

spellbook doesn't mean I don't have one."  He held out his hand and his

spellbook appeared.

            Everyone except Trent blinked.  "What kind of spellbook is that?"

Rhea asked.

            He laughed.  "What?  You expected some dusty, leather-bound tome with

magical runes engraved on its surface?"  In his hand he held a palmtop

computer.

            Rhea shrugged.  "Well...yeah."

            "Ok, once upon a time in my previous life I did have an actual book. 

When I remembered about it I summoned it, but it was huge and disorganized. 

So, a few weeks ago, I bought this palmtop and asked Amy to help me scan my

entire spellbook into it.  Now, I can look up any spell I want, but like I

said, I don't have to."  Trent turned to his niece.  "I would like you to

have this, Rhea."  He held out the computer to her.

            "Th-thank you," Rhea said, almost too awed to speak as she gingerly

handled the palmtop.

            "Go ahead, open it."

            She flipped open the top and was about to touch the keys when her

fingers met a shimmering barrier.  "Um, there's something wrong with your

computer, Trent."

            The mage smacked his forehead.  "That's right.  I forgot to change

the safeguards.  Computer, voice check."

            "Confirmed.  User Trent Powers," the palmtop said in a mechanized

voice.

            Trent winked at the dubious look that his niece as giving him.  "I

asked Amy to do a little more than just scan my spells.  Computer, transfer

all command codes and protocols to new user, Rhea Shidou."

            "Voice print required."

            Trent nudged Rhea.  "Say something," he whispered.

            The girl was a bit flabbergasted.  "Uh...hello, computer."

            Stifled giggles could be heard from Mina and Lita as the computer

continued, "Voice print confirmed.  Transfer of command codes and protocols

complete."

            Trent smiled.  "Now try it, Rhea."

            Hesitantly, Rhea touched the keyboard...and nothing happened.

            "You don't really need to use the keyboard, you can use the voice

interface like I did," Trent told her.

            Rhea nodded.  "Computer...uh...um..."  She looked at her uncle. 

"What do I do?"

            "Well, since you are an apprentice mage, have it display the

apprentice spells."

            "Ok.  Computer, display apprentice spells."  The screen flickered and

a list of spells scrolled down.  "Cool."  Rhea did a quick scan of the

spells.  "Hey," she said indignantly, "these spells are...are..."

            "Are what?" the mage asked, smiling.

            "Boring!" Rhea finished.  "I mean, most of them seem to be little

more than illusions that any stage magician can do."

             Trent chuckled.  "These spells may seem like they can be performed

by a simple magician, but they can't.  Magicians use sleight of hand and

other tricks.  What we do is real magic."

            "But where are the fireballs, lightning bolts, and creature

summonings"

            "Those spells are more advanced.  You just don't have the power yet

to cast them, but you will soon.  However, until you are ready, those spells

will not be available to you."

            "Can I at least look at them?"

            "Not until you're ready, and that means not until you've mastered the

apprentice level spells."

            Rhea sighed.  "All right."  She read the spell list again.  "I guess

some of these spells are pretty interesting."

            The mage smiled.  "Good, let's get started."

            On the _Wrath_ an alarm went off at the sensor station.  The crewer

on duty checked on it and reported his findings to the captain.  "Sir,

sensors have detected possible magical activity.

            Captain Raze frowned.  *The sensors should be more precise than

that.*  He turned towards the crewer.  "Possible?  Explain."

            The sensor operator fidgeted uneasily.  "Well, sir, the level of

activity is pretty low.  The sensors say it could be a weak magic-user or a

random build up of the latent magical field of the planet."

            Raze's frown deepened.  He disliked mysteries.  He would have tried

to use his own abilities to try and sense this activity himself, but he knew

the ship's scans were more powerful.  "Display location of the activity."

            The holo-image of the Earth stopped rotating and a blinking red dot

appeared.

            Raze saw that the location was on an island.  He highlighted the

island and the computer displayed the information on it.  *Hmm, Japan.*  He

turned to his science officer.  "Send down a scout to check this out and keep

me informed."

            "Yes, sir."

            Rhea was sweating profusely.  She had been training with her uncle

now for several hours and had gone through nearly all the apprentice level

spells.

            "Are you sure you want to keep going, Rhea?" Trent asked his

exhausted niece, "We can continue this next time."

            "No," Rhea managed, "I'm all right.  What's the next spell?"

            Trent shook his head.  *So stubborn, just like your father.* 

Suddenly, a warning went off in his head.  Someone had tripped the wards he

had set up around the clearing and the tomb.  He looked and saw that Mina and

Lita were still here so they couldn't have done it.  *Then who?*

            "Is something wrong, Trent?" Rhea asked noticing a shift in his mood.

            The mage turned to his apprentice.  "I think we're going to have

company."

            Jorum was not happy.  He had been rudely awakened by his commander

and been told to investigate an anomaly on this dirtball of a planet.  His

scoutship was cloaked and parked a few miles away in the forest.  He had been

hacking his way towards the location of the anomaly for nearly an hour and he

wasn't getting anywhere fast. 

            He grunted in frustration and dispelled the energy sword he was

using.  Gathering up his energy, he launched a plasma bolt at the plantlife

blocking his way and saw with satisfaction as a tree toppled.  He smiled. 

*This is much better.*  He continued blasting his way through the forest. 

The beeping from his scanner was lost to the sounds of burning and exploding

foliage.

            With a final blast, Jorum was free of the forest.  He walked into a

clearing, the bright sunlight temporarily blinding him.  He blinked away the

spots and saw two figures and froze.  *What the--why didn't my scanner go

off?*  He glanced at the device and his shoulders slumped.  It was blinking

an urgent message: Power Levels Low.  Shutting Down For Recharge.

            He looked up again.  They were still there, a young man and a girl,

but that wasn't all, off to the side were two other girls.  He sighed and his

military training took over.

            "Hello," the stranger said pleasantly.

            *And he was pleasant,* Trent thought.  *If I hadn't seen him blow

away that tree, I might have thought he was just a hiker.*  "Hello," the mage

replied guardedly, "Do you need any help?"

            Jorum knew he had screwed up.  A scout was supposed to be careful,

silent...not blundering in an attempt to gather information.  He tried to

salvage the situation, though.  "No, I was just out for a nature walk."

            "Oh," Trent said walking over to the fallen tree.  "Does that walk

include knocking over trees with a plasma bolt?"

            *Plasma bolt?  How does he...?*  The scout extended his magical

senses and found his answer.  "You're a magic-user!"

            Trent walked closer.  "Yes, I am.  And you are?"

            Frantic thoughts ran through Jorum's mind.  The master's mission was

supposed to be kept secret, but this secrecy had been compromised through his

carelessness.  Well, he would just have to correct that.  He grinned evilly

at the mage.  "I'm afraid that I am the person who's going to have to kill

you."

            Before Trent could respond, Jorum leaped high into the air and

launched a plasma bolt at the mage.

            Almost unconsciously, Trent threw up a barrier around him and Rhea

and deflected the bolt.  "Run, everyone!"

            "But what about you?" Rhea cried.

            "Don't worry about me.  I'll be all right."  Another bolt struck the

shield and pushed the mage back.  "Go!" he grunted struggling to keep the

barrier up.  "Find Mina and Lita.  They'll protect you."

            Rhea hesitated for a moment then ran into the forest where she last

saw the older girls.  Once in the forest, though, she lost all sense of

direction.  "Mina!  Lita!  Where are you?"  Her foot snagged on a protruding

tree root and she pitched forward.  Rhea braced herself for a hard impact,

but she felt strong arms steady her.

            "Whoa, careful there, Rhea," Lita said.

            Rhea grabbed onto the brunette's arm and steadied herself.  She

looked over Lita's shoulder and saw Mina.  "You've got to do something. 

Trent's back there fighting that guy!"

            Mina grinned.  "Don't worry, I don't intend for my boyfriend to fight

alone."  She turned to Lita.  "Stay here and protect Rhea.  I'm going to help

Trent."

            "Why do you get to have all the fun?" the tall girl complained.

            "Well, Trent is my boyfriend, and..." Mina took off into the woods. 

"...I'm faster than you!" she yelled back over her shoulder.

            "Why you little..."  Lita tried to grab her blond friend, but it was

too late and she watched Mina flit between the trees.  "Well, I'm not just

going to wait here.  C'mon Rhea."

            "Where are we going Lita?  And how's Mina going to help Trent?" the

girl asked.

            "We're going back to the clearing, so why don't you see for

yourself."

            After seeing Rhea run into the woods (and hopefully to safety) Trent

was able to concentrate his attention solely on defeating his opponent.  He

took down the magical barrier and stood in the opening defenseless.

            Jorum, thinking that his opponent had exhausted his powers, let loose

a barrage of lightning and plasma bolts.  When they hit, a great cloud of

dirt was thrown into the air and when it settled, all that was left was a

fair sized crater.  The scout smiled triumphantly.  *I guess the sensors were

right, he was pretty weak.*  He was about to communicate with the _Wrath_

when he felt someone tap his shoulder.  He gasped and turned around.

            There was Trent hovering in the air next to him.

            "Miss me?"

            Jorum backed away furiously.  "How?  You couldn't have survived. 

Your defenses were down.  You should've been vaporized!"

            "Simple teleportation trick," Trent answered.

            "Teleportation?  But the computer says you're only a weak

magic-user."

            In the blink of an eye, Trent was face to face with the scout.  "Do I

look weak to you?"

            Jorum gulped and tentatively extended his magical sense again, and

his face drained of color.  He knew he couldn't stand up to power like that.

            There was a sound of rustling leaves and Mina burst into the

clearing.  "Trent?  Where are you?"

            Trent saw the scout's eyes light on Mina and he realized what he was

going to do.  "Mina!  Run!" he shouted and lunged at Jorum, but the scout was

faster, launching a plasma bolt right at the mage's chest.

            Trent was forced to erect a shield to block the attack and Jorum used

the distraction to teleport next to Mina and grab her.  He summoned his sword

and held it next to her throat.  'Come any closer and she dies!"

            Trent hovered in the air unsure of what to do.

            Mina, though, smiled.  "You messed with the wrong girl, buster!"  In

an instant, her transformation wand was in her hand.  "Venus Crystal Power!"

            Jorum looked at his hostage strangely.  *What is she do-*  He was

suddenly blinded and thrown away from Mina by a bright flash of orange light. 

*She's a magic-user, too!*

            Lita and Rhea had made it to the edge of the clearing and saw Mina

transform into Sailor Venus.  Rhea's mouth hung open.  "Mina's a Sailor

Scout?"

            Lita smiled.  "Not just her.  Jupiter Crystal Power!"

            As Rhea watched, Lita transformed into Sailor Jupiter.  "Stay here,

Rhea," the Sailor Scout said, "This'll be over in a minute."  She winked and

jumped into the fight.

            Jorum sat up and shook his head.  This was definitely not his day. 

When his eyes finally refocused, he saw he was surrounded by the mage he was

fighting and two female magic-users.  He tried to think of a way to escape,

but his power was almost gone.  He started to edge away slowly.

            "Not so fast," Sailor Venus said.

            "Wh-what do you want of me?" the scout stammered.

            Trent bent down.  "Just answer my questions.  Who are you?  Who sent

you?"

            Jorum's training came to him again.  "I won't talk."

            Trent and the Scouts were puzzled.  They looked at each other and the

same thought ran through their minds.  *What do we do now?*

            When Jorum saw his captors turn away from him, he resumed trying to

crawl away.

            Rhea saw this and shouted, "Hey, he's trying to get away!"

            A desperate plan formed in Jorum's mind.  With the last of his power

he resummoned his sword and made a dash for the girl.

            Trent turned to try and stop him, but he saw he that he wouldn't be

in time.  "Rhea!"

            Rhea saw the scout running towards her.  She tried to think of a

spell to cast, but they all kept slipping out of her mind.  Finally she

latched onto one and cast it.

            Jorum was almost there.  He was pretty sure that this girl was

ordinary.  He would grab her and hold her hostage until he could get out of

here.  When he was a stride away from her, he leapt at her...and was struck

in the face by three glowing orbs.

            Rhea fell back shaken.  The cantrip spell was the only she could

think of and when she cast it, she threw the balls at her attacker's face. 

When they struck, they popped and set his hair on fire.

            As Jorum writhed on the ground trying to smother the flames, Rhea ran

to her uncle and the Scouts.

            Trent embraced his niece.  "Rhea are you all right?"  The girl nod

and he relaxed.

            Venus smiled.  "That was quick thinking, Rhea."

            "But it's not over yet," Jupiter cautioned seeing Jorum slowly get

up.

            "Rhea," Trent said, "cast a 'detect magic' spell on out friend."

            His apprentice nodded and performed the spell and smiled.  "He's

totally drained of power."

            Trent nodded and raised his voice.  "Do you hear that?  You're

powerless.  If you surrender, we won't harm you."

            Jorum slowly got up and chuckled.  "Surrender?  Why, so you can

interrogate me?  I don't think so."  He reached into his pocket and pulled

out a device.  "I'd rather die than surrender."  He pressed a button and

screamed as his body began to dissolve away.  A few miles away in the forest

there was a large explosion signaling the destruction of his scoutship. 

Jorum grit his teeth against the pain.  "You'll never know about us until

it's too late."  Then he was gone, the wind whipping his ashes away.

            It was a while before anyone was able to speak, then Trent looked at

everyone.  "I think our magic lesson is over for today.  We'd better contact

the others."

            "Captain," the _Wrath's_ science officer said, "sensors have

indicated that scout Jorum has terminated."

            "He activated his failsafe?" Raze asked and he saw his subordinate

nod.  "That would mean his ship self-destructed.  Can the inhabitants of the

planet learn anything from its debris?"

            "No, sir.  All our ships are magitech ships, ships created from a

fusion of magic and science.  Unless the inhabitants of the planet possess a

device that can analyze both physical and magical properties at the same

time, the debris will just appear to be pieces of scrap metal."

            "You'd better be right.  Send me all the information that Jorum

collected.  I'll inform Master Bane of what has occurred.  *Like he doesn't

know already.*

            "What have you got, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked.

            All the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask had gathered in the clearing and had

been told of the battle by Trent.  Sailor Mercury immediately took out her

minicomputer and began to take readings.

            The blue-haired scout typed furiously for a few more seconds before

sighing and turning to Sailor Moon.  "I'm afraid there's nothing left.  All I

can detect is the residual magic of the battle."  She looked at Trent. 

"Maybe you should take me to the site of the explosion you saw."

            The mage nodded.  "Follow me."

            The entire group trekked through the forest until they came upon a

small glade.  Well, a glade that looked like a bomb exploded in the middle of

it, which was what technically happened.  The grass and ground were scorched,

the surrounding trees were blackened, and pieces of melted metal littered the

area.

            Sailor Mars looked around in dismay.  "We're supposed to find

something useful in this mess?"

            Mercury didn't bother to respond.  She already had her computer out

and was walking to the largest piece of debris in the field.  "Strange.  This

material is like nothing I've ever seen before.  My scans show that it has

characteristics similar to that of most metals, but it's this other reading

that puzzles me.  My computer says that it's also detecting a magical

signature emanating from this debris.

            "I'm not sure yet, but I do know one thing."  Mercury gestured to

the debris around her.  "This metal is not man-made.  Magical properties

aside, our technology isn't advanced enough to even produce this material."

            "So you're saying that the person we were fighting was an alien?"

Sailor Jupiter asked.

            "He looked human to me," Rhea said.

            Trent spoke up.  "Alien or not, this thing's not over yet.  Just

before he died, our friend implied that he wasn't alone."  His expression

grew serious.  "We may have a fight on our hands."

            Captain Raze neared Bane's private quarters.  He had reviewed the

data from the doomed scouting attempt and was going to report the findings.  

The doors automatically opened when he got to them and he entered the

chambers.

            The interior was lit only by the starlight coming through the

windows.  Raze moved slowly towards his master's throne that he knew was at

the far end of the room, hoping that he wouldn't bump into anything.

            "It's all right, Captain, there's nothing in your way."

            Bane's voice both alarmed and reassured the captain.  Nevertheless,

he picked up his pace and made his way to the foot of the throne.  The

datapad in his hand suddenly felt heavier.  "Master, I have news from the

planet."

            "What is it?"

            Raze was surprised.  "Excuse me, sir?"  *He doesn't know yet?*

            Bane chuckled, his eye glowing brightly.  "I may know many things,

Captain, but I am far from omniscient.  I believe that datapad in your hand

has the information?"

            "Uh...yes, sir."  Raze hastily handed over the pad.

            The sorcerer scrolled through the contents quickly.  "Hmm, it seems

like we've found our target."  He activated a switch on the pad and it

produced an image of Trent Powers.

End Part 3