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).

As always, my email is jnkryo@yahoo.com

Daughters of Destiny

Part 11

by: Johnny Ng

            Rhea was hanging alongside the scouts.  Energy rings had been placed

around her wrists and ankles.  She had been trying to break free but the

rings seemed indestructible.

            "Do not waste your strength, child," Bane said.  "It is quite

futile."

            Rhea glared at him.  She looked at her friends beside her.  "Why are

they still unconscious?"

            "Captain Raze may have went a bit overboard in capturing them.  I

assure you they will be fine."  The sorcerer paused and concentrated.  "I

cannot sense Trent's body anymore."

            "What does that mean?" Rhea asked worriedly.

            "I am afraid that Trent's body has been destroyed," Bane said

indifferently.

            Rhea gasped.  "No..."  She started to weep.

            *It's alright, Rhea,* Trent told his niece, *You did your best.*

            Bane gestured and the cube containing Trent's essence floated over to

him.  The sorcerer looked at the cube.  "With your body destroyed, I no

longer have any use for your friends."  A door on the far wall opened and

Jana Kavor walked in.  "Ah, doctor, I believe I have some new subjects for

you."

            Dr. Kavor looked over the scouts and Rhea.  "I suppose they are

acceptable, Master.  With your permission I would return with them to the

lab."

            The sorcerer nodded.  "You may also take Trent as you well."  The

cube floated over to the doctor.

            Kavor smiled wickedly.  "I am overwhelmed by your generosity,

Master."  She bowed and teleported away with her new acquisitions.

Within the folds of space-time, Daniel and the Outer Scouts watched

the proceedings.

            "No!" Daniel shouted.  He turned to his companions.  "We have to go,

now!"

            Pluto shook her head.  "We cannot face Bane yet.  The time is not

right.  We will, however, rescue the others."  With a thought she shifted the

view to the _Wrath's_ medical lab.

            All the captives were lying on bio tables.  The Scouts and Tuxedo

Mask were still comatose, but Rhea wasn't and she was cursing up a storm at

the doctor.

            Dr. Kavor just went about her business and ignored the mage's

colorful monologue.  However, a particularly scathing epitaph made her glance

at the restrained mage.  "I do believe the act you suggested that perform is

physically impossible.  You really should study up on you anatomy."  She

waved a hand at the moving forms of the scouts.  "Look, your tirade has

awoken your friends."

            Rhea turned her head.  "Everyone!  Are you alright?"

            Sailor Moon let out a long moan and Sailor Mars translated. "What our

meatball-headed leader was trying to say was that we feel as though our

bodies have been used as trampolines by a large group extremely overweight

people...who were riding elephants," the fire scout said groaning.

            "That sounds about right," Jupiter agreed.

            Sailor Venus cracked her eyes open and looked around.  "Wha-what

happened?  Where's Trent?"

            Kavor smirked.  "Are you possible referring to this?"  She held put

her hand and Trent's cube appeared.

            "Trent?  Is that you?"

            *Hello, Mina.  How're you feelin'?*

            "Like crap.  We've gotta find a better place to have our next date." 

She looked at the woman holding the cube.  "Who're you?"

            Dr. Kavor ignored the question.  "So, you're Mina, the girl that

spoiled my husband's brainwashing."

            Venus started.  "What?! Husband!"

            "It wasn't of his own free will, though," the doctor conceded, "but

we still shared quite a number of intimate moments.  Pity that we never got

to share them on the bed in our quarters."  She grinned viciously.  "I bet I

would have satisfied him better that you could ever have."

            The blond scout's original feeling of despair abruptly turned into

white-hot anger.  She raged against her restraints and shouted horrible

obscenities at the doctor while Trent tried to calm her down.

            Sailor Moon blanched at the words coming from her friend's mouth

while Jupiter smiled and cheered her on.

            Kavor shook her head.  "You should really compare notes with the

little mage over there.  Between the two of you, you might think of something

that could actually insult me."

            Venus glared murderously at the doctor before turning and smiling

wanly at Sailor Moon.  "I'm sorry about that," she apologized.

            "Oh, it's alright," Sailor Moon said quickly, "I'm just glad that I

didn't understand most of what you were saying."

            Dr. Kavor finished entering the final commands into her computer. 

"Alright everyone, time enough for chatting later...after I have reduced you

all to driveling idiots."

            "I think that's our cue," Sailor Uranus said, her eyes glinting.

            Pluto nodded.  "Be ready."  She opened the portal and Uranus jumped

through first.

            Kavor sensed the portal opening and turned around quickly.  "What

the--?"

            Uranus immediately drew her Space Sword and pounced at the doctor. 

"Don't even move, doc."  The tall scout held her sword pointed at Kavor's

neck.

            "Uranus!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

            She smiled.  "Hey, Odango."  Uranus plucked the cube from the

doctor's hand.  "I'll take that.  It's been a while, Trent."

            *Never mind me, you've got to free the others and stop Bane!*

            Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn emerged from the portal and were doing

just that, but weren't having much luck.

            "Perhaps I can help," Daniel said stepping out of the portal.

            Rhea gasped.  "Dad?"

            "And who are you?" Dr. Kavor asked calmly, at least as calmly as she

could with a glowing sword pointed at her.

            "I am Daniel Takazawa," the apparition said.  "Rhea's father and

Trent's brother."

            A shocked expression appeared on the doctor's face.  "Trent's

brother?!  That would make the girl...Oh no."  Kavor tried to teleport away

but found that she couldn't.

            "I'm afraid you're not going anywhere, doctor," Daniel told her as he

went around to each of the captives.  He waved his hand over their rings and

they disappeared.  "I've already created a jamming field around the lab so

you won't be able to warn your master, either."

            Rhea looked confused.  "Warn Bane about what?  Why's she so afraid?"

            "She's afraid of you, daughter, and so is Bane...or at least he will

be."

            The mage's confusion increased.  "What?"

            Sailor Pluto answered.  "Of all here, only you have the power and

ability to defeat Bane.  It was supposed to be your uncle, but he is unable

to do so in his condition and we don't have the time to reunite him with his

body.  As the next living descendant of Aiden, the task falls to you."

            Rhea looked around frantically.  "What are you talking about?  Who is

this Aiden?  Who are _you_ for that matter?"

            Sailor Moon went over to the mage to calm her down.  "This is Sailor

Pluto, Rhea.  She's the scout of time and the guardian of the Time Gates." 

She saw Dr. Kavor's eyes widen slightly at the mention of Pluto's titles. 

"I've never known her to give wrong counsel.  Believe what she says, Rhea."

            The mage thought it over for a while then sighed.  "Alright, if what

you say is true then how do I defeat Bane?  I mean he pretty much kicked my

butt pretty easily earlier."

            "Do not worry, you will know what to do when the time is right,"

Pluto told her.

            "Is she always like this?"

            The other scouts grinned.  "Pretty much," Mars said.

            Jana had enough.  She knew that if she didn't do something to stop

this then Bane would have her head.  She looked at Sailor Uranus standing in

front of her and concentrated her mental powers.

            Rhea's magical sense flared.  She turned and shouted a warning at

Uranus and at the same time cast a counterspell.  The counterspell struck the

doctor and nullified her mental powers.  "Not so fast."

            Jana growled and, before Uranus could react, knocked the Space Sword

aside and charged at Rhea.  She was about halfway there when she felt someone

tackle her.

            Sailor Venus had flung herself at the doctor and was now standing

above her.  "You're mine you bitch!"

            Kavor grinned.  "Very well, blondie," she said getting up.  "Let's

have it--"  Whatever else she might have said came out in a rush of air as

Venus socked her in the stomach.

            "That's for brainwashing Trent!" the blond scout yelled.  She punched

Kavor again in the stomach.  "That was for making him think that you were his

wife!"  Jana was nearly bent double and was gasping for breath, but Venus

grabbed a fistful of the doctor's hair and held her steady.  "And this is for

calling me blondie!"  Venus let fly with an uppercut that landed right on

Jana's chin and flung the doctor across the lab and onto an empty bio table.

            While everyone stood gaping at Venus's physical feat, Tuxedo Mask

went over to Dr. Kavor and looked her over.  "Well, it looks like we have a

winner by knockout," he said.  "Remind me to never call you blondie."

            Pluto interrupted the celebration before it could start.  "I'm afraid

we have to hurry, Bane has nearly completed draining the Earth's magic."

            "Ok," Uranus said, "Pluto, just teleport us to the bridge and well--"

            "I am afraid I can't do that.  There is a blocking field around the

entire bridge deck.  It is part of the ship's security.  The closest I can

send us is the deck below the bridge and we'll have to fight our way to get

to the bridge."

            "Can't we disable the ship's internal security," Mercury asked. 

"According to my computer, the security room is only two decks below us."

            "We cannot," Pluto said, "that room is also protected by a blocking

field and heavily guarded."

            "Well then," Jupiter said, cracking her knuckles, "it looks like

we're going to have to do this the direct way."

            Neptune spoke up.  "We could split up into two teams.  One team would

go someplace and cause a distraction to lure the crew there while the other

team goes with Rhea to confront Bane."

            "It's a good plan, " Daniel said.  "But what are the teams."

            There was a brief argument about that, but it was eventually decided

that the Outers would provide the distraction while the Inners would go with

Rhea and protect her.

            "I go with my daughter," Daniel said in a tone that brooked no

argument.

            "Alright," Uranus said finally.  "We'll go first.  I'll take the

point.  Saturn you'll be--"

            Pluto shook her head.  "Saturn will go with the others."

            "But we might need her."

            The young scout stepped forward.  "I'm sorry Uranus, but I have to go

with Rhea."

            The tall blond scout looked helplessly at the girl she had raised

with Michiru.  "Ok, just be careful."

            "Don't worry," Saturn glanced over at Sailor Pluto, "I know what I am

doing."

            Uranus frowned slightly but nodded.  She turned to the others.  "Give

us a few minutes to get started then go."  She grinned.  "If you hear alarms

going off that means we're doing ok."  She tossed Trent's cube to Venus.  "I

think this is yours."

            The three Outer Scouts opened the lab doors and proceeded out

cautiously.  About ten minutes later a loud, piercing klaxon sounded and red

warning lights started flashing.

            "I guess they've started the distraction," Sailor Moon observed.

            Mars snorted.  "What was your first clue?"

            Sailor Moon glared at the fire scout and was about to hurl an angry

retort when Tuxedo Mask interrupted, "There's no time for arguing.  The

Outers have bought us some time and hopefully a clear path to the bridge, so

we better hurry."

            Everyone nodded and headed out the doors slowly.  Mercury was in the

lead and acted as guide.  Mars and Venus flanked her on either side.  Tuxedo

Mask followed behind them with Sailor Moon next to him.  Rhea, Daniel,

Jupiter, and Saturn took up the rear.

            The group had gone perhaps fifteen minutes without encountering any

resistance.  "Looks like it's going to be smooth sailing, eh?" Venus

remarked.

            *Don't be so sure of that.  This has been going too easy.*

            "Your such a worrywart, Trent," Venus told her boyfriend.  "In fact I

don't think I want to talk to you, not after what you did with that...that...

doctor!"

            *You're never going to let me live that down, are you?*

            "Both of you, quiet!" Mars hissed at them.  "I think I sensed

something."  She called a halt and Sailor Moon stepped forward.

            "What is it?"

            "I sensed a presence ahead...no two.  They're both alert but

nervous."

            Mercury looked at her map.  "There's a turbolift ahead that leads to

the bridge level.  Maybe they're guarding it."

            "Are there any other ways to get to the bridge?" Rhea asked.

            Mercury glanced at her computer.  "There are other ways, they are

farther away and so will take longer to get there, and we are a little

pressed for time."

            "I guess we'll have to take them out," Jupiter said.

            "Are you sure we can be fast enough?" Tuxedo Mask asked.  "It'll only

take one of them to call for help."

            Venus suddenly had an idea.  "Sailor Moon, let me borrow your

Disguise Pen for a sec, ok?"

            The scout leader's eyes widened and she smiled as she took out the

pen.

            "Thanks, now all of you hide in this room.  I'll knock when the cost

is clear."  Venus ushered everyone into an empty storage room and the door

closed behind them.

            "What do you think she's doing?" Rhea asked.

            Jupiter sighed.  "I don't know, but I wouldn't leave that girl alone

with the Disguise Pen for too long."

            They stayed in the room for a few minutes before they heard a woman

yelling and the sound of two people running past the door.  A minute after

that, the door slid open.

            Rhea spat out a curse.  It was Dr. Kavor standing in the doorway. 

She quickly prepared a spell as the scouts behind her readied their attacks.

            The doctor's eyes widened and she said quickly, "Wait!  It's me,

Venus!"  She took out the Disguise Pen and the disguise magic dissipated,

revealing the blond scout.

            Rhea sighed and stopped her spell.  "Don't do that!"

            Venus smiled.  "Sorry, but I did get rid of the two guards.  You

wouldn't believe how scared they are of the doctor.  I just yelled at them to

run down the corridor and they went."

            "Well then. Let's go," Daniel said, "and Rhea, I'm going to have a

little talk with you about your language."

            The mage blushed as she followed the others out.  They all crammed

into the lift and headed up to the bridge deck.

            The three Outer Scouts were fighting a running battle.  They were

being chased by what seemed like the entire crew of the _Wrath_.

            "I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good plan after all,"

Neptune said dodging a plasma bolt.  She turned and launched a Deep Submerge

that temporarily forced their pursuers to fall back.

            Uranus was breathing hard.  "Can't help that now, we have to give

Rhea and the others enough time to defeat Bane."  She looked at Pluto.  "I

sure hope you know where we're going."

            The scout of time hadn't even broken a sweat.  "Yes, I do."

            "Good, because we can't keep this up.  We need a place to make a

stand."

            Pluto nodded.  "Follow me."  She led her two companions down the

corridor until they reached a large pair of doors.  "In here."

            They entered a cavernous room that housed a number of ships of

various sizes.

            "This place looks like a hanger," Neptune commented.

            "It is the _Wrath's_ ship storage bay," Pluto said.

            Uranus took a look around the bay.  "Well whatever it is, this place

is pretty defensible.  As far as I can see the only way in is the doors we

came through.  We can start barricading them now."  She went over to a large

stack of crates and pushed them over.  "I could use a little help, you know."

            It took only a few minutes for the three scouts to block the doors.

            "We should each take up separate positions facing the doors.  That

way we aren't all bunched up in one place while still being able to

concentrate our attacks," Sailor Neptune said.  The others agreed and each

headed to a different part of the storage bay and waited.

            They didn't have to wait long.  There was a loud banging on the doors

and muffled shouts from behind it.  Then all was quiet save for a low whine. 

The reason for the whine became apparent when the crates blocking the doors

began to glow orange and melt.

            "They're using a laser to force they're way in," Uranus told the

others through her communicator.  "Those crates aren't going to last for

long."

            Indeed they didn't.  Even before the final crate melted completely,

the ship's soldiers rushed into the bay...and were met head on by attacks

launched by the three hidden scouts.

            The soldiers that managed to avoid being hit all ran for cover and

began firing fireballs and energy bolts wildly.

            Uranus ducked as a fireball whizzed over her head.  *I hope Odango

and Rhea are doing better than we are.*

            "Well, here we are again," Tuxedo Mask said as they all stood in

front of the doors leading to the bridge.  "Let's just hope that this isn't a

trap like last time."

            "Okay, same as last time?" Venus asked and saw the scouts nod. 

"Alright, Mercury, you fog it up and the rest of us will pick off the bridge

crew."

            "But what if Bane's in there?" Sailor Moon asked.

            Rhea looked grim.  "All the better."

            Venus nodded and triggered the door release.  As the door opened,

Mercury let loose with her bubbles and a cloying mist billowed forth

blanketing the bridge and confusing the crew.  The other scouts and Tuxedo

Mask jumped onto the bridge and started to disable the bridge officers.

            When the last of the fighting stopped, Mercury summoned her visor and

scanned the bridge and announced that it was clear.  She dissipated the fog

and saw that all of the crew was bound by the same energy rings that

imprisoned them.

            Daniel smiled.  "I thought that they might need something stronger to

hold them than rope."

            Mercury nodded and headed for the bank of computers behind her.  She

took out her computer and plugged it into the terminal.  "Good, no one was

able to raise an alarm here."  She typed some more.  "This might take a

while, my computer is going to try and find a way to shut down the magical

drain."

            Sailor Jupiter walked over to the group of crewmembers and lifted one

up by his shirtfront.  "Maybe one of these people can be persuaded to lend us

a hand," she said menacingly.

            "We'll never help you!" the crewer Jupiter was holding yelled.  "Our

master would kill us if we did."

            "But Bane isn't here," the brunette said, "and I am."  Jupiter's hand

started to crackle with electricity.

            The crewer swallowed slowly but refused to say anything.

            Seeing that she wasn't going to be able to scare anything out of him,

the thunder scout tossed the crewer back with the other prisoners in disgust.

            "So how long is this going to take, Merc?" Venus asked after seeing

Jupiter's attempt at 'persuasion' failed.

            "Maybe a few minutes, maybe longer."

            Venus cursed under her breath.  She then told the other scouts to

guard the bridge doors.  When Sailor Moon asked which door she was going to

guard, Venus politely told her to stand off to one side.  "We're not going to

let you get hurt, Princess."

            "But--"

            The orange scout turned to Tuxedo Mask.  "You can keep her out of

trouble, can't you?"

            "I've been doing it ever since I met her."

            "But--"  Sailor Moon tried again to catch someone's attention, but

they were ignoring her.  She finally punched Tuxedo Mask in the arm.

            "Ow!  What is it?" Tux asked rubbing his arm.

            "Why am I just to stay out of the way?!" Sailor Moon asked.  "Am I

that useless?"

            "Of course not," Venus told her leader.  "It's just we don't want to

see you hurt."

            "I think I can make my own decisions about getting myself hurt or

not."

            Tuxedo Mask cupped Sailor Moon's chin and lifted her face.  "Of

course you can, but can't you do this...just for me?"  He bent his head and

kissed her gently.

            Sailor Moon's eyes immediately went glassy and she nodded.  Tux

turned and winked at Venus who stifled a giggle and walked away.

            *Darien's pretty smooth.*

            Venus reached into her subspace pocket and took out Trent's cube. 

"You could learn a lot from him."

            *Yeah, like how to make my girlfriend do something she doesn't want

to.*

            "Oh shut up, and I'm still not talking to you.

            A tense few minutes passed before Mercury finally announced that she

had found what she was looking for.  Daniel and Rhea went over to the

blue-haired scout.

            "What have you got?" the ghost asked.

            Mercury brought up the information on her computer screen.  "I have

to input this sequence of commands to shut down the magical drain."  Her

hands flew over the control panel.  When she typed in the last command,

though an error message appeared.

            "What happened?" Rhea asked.

            The bridge lights dimmed and Bane materialized on his throne.  "It's

really quite simple, my dear.  That command requires my authorization code...

and I am not authorizing it."

            As soon as the sorcerer appeared, Mars and Jupiter started moving in

behind him.  Bane moved his hand slightly and the two scouts found themselves

unable to move.  He gestured again and both of them floated over to stand

next to Rhea.

            Bane stood up and turned to the gathered group of heroes.  "Well, now

that we're all here I have say that I am disappointed to see all of you

again, though I see your number has grown.  Just who is this apparition that

is accompanying you?" 

            The sorcerer cocked his head to one side as he attempted to probe

Daniel with his mind.  "You are a strange one.  You possessed great power

when you were alive, equal to that of Trent."  Bane probed deeper and

abruptly pulled his mind back.  "You are a descendant of Aiden!"

            "That is correct," Daniel said, "and I know Aiden's destiny."

            "So, you seek to destroy me?  You are but a ghost."

            "No," Daniel said gravely, "not I, but my daughter."

            Rhea stepped forward and the sorcerer laughed.  "I should have known. 

I sensed something strange about you.  Well then, young mage, I wait for

you."

            Rhea took a deep breath.  "I am Rhea Shidou, descendant of Aiden.  I

would battle you in magical combat, foul sorcerer."  She recited the

traditional words of the magical challenge, as her father had instructed her

earlier.

            "It has been a while since I was formally challenged, but very well,"

Bane agreed.  "State your demands."

            Sailor Venus whispered to Trent, "What's going on?"

            *Rhea has just challenged Bane to magical combat.  According to the

rules, each combatant is entitled to demand a concession from his opponent. 

The loser of the match is compelled to grant the winner's demands.*

            "If I should prevail," Rhea stated, "you must return the Earth's

magic and release me and my companions."

            Bane made a show of thinking it over.  "Agreed, but if I should win

you shall all be my slaves."

            Rhea hesitated and looked at her friends.  She saw the confidence in

their faces and nodded.  "Agreed."

            The sorcerer entered a command into the panel next to him and the

bridge command stations retracted into the floor creating a level deck,

perfect for combat.  The two duelers went to opposite sides of the artificial

arena and stared at each other.  For a long moment nothing happened, then, as

if on an unseen signal, the two of them struck like lightning.

            Rhea had launched a fireball and barely had enough time to dodge

Bane's plasma bolt.  She glanced up and saw that the Bane had raised a shield

and deflected her shot.  She grit her teeth and spoke an incantation.  The

mage's form blurred and where there was one, there were now five.  Each of

charged at Bane and fired energy bolts all the way.

            Bane watched the bolts strike his shield and extended his arms.  A

flurry of tendrils shot out and swarmed towards the Rheas.  Four of them were

struck by the tendrils and disappeared, but the fifth danced out of the way

and summoned fire a sword.  The mage swept her blade at the tendrils and

shriveled a number of them.  She then continued her charge at Bane.

            The sorcerer waited patiently for Rhea to reach him.  He withdrew his

tendrils and held out his hand.  Once the mage swung her blade, Bane reacted

and whipped his hand forward and met her fire sword with an ice blade.

            The two of them stayed locked together for a moment before Bane

summoned a tendril and wrapped it around Rhea's legs, tripping her.  The mage

fell backwards, but before she hit the deck she disappeared.

            Bane looked around wildly for a second before he caught a warning

from his magical sense.  Rhea had performed a line-of-sight teleport and

materialized above him.  She fell towards Bane with her sword raised. 

            The sorcerer dodged out of the way, but was just a bit slow.  Rhea's

sword hacked through the trailing edge of Bane's billowing robes and the

tatters that were cut off burned to ashes.

            The sorcerer looked down at his singed robe.  "First blood is yours,

mage."

            "Shut up and fight," she said through gritted teeth.  Rhea swung her

sword and three fireballs blazed out.

            Bane batted them easily out of the air with his sword, but when he

returned his attention to Rhea, he found himself staring into the slavering

jaws of a fiery hellhound.

            Rhea had used her fireballs as a distraction and was able to quickly

sketch a magical circle in the air and summoned her monster hound.  Obeying

the mental commands of its master, the hellhound had attacked Bane. 

            The mage watched her hound spring on her opponent before collapsing

to one knee in exhaustion, her sword dissipating in the process.

            Bane was forced to drop his sword as he grappled with the demon dog. 

His hands gripped the animal's neck and he quickly mouthed a spell. 

Electricity coursed through the sorcerer's hands and into the dog's body. 

            The hound began to twitch and spasm before finally going limp.  Bane

tossed the carcass away and advanced on his fatigued opponent.  "Very clever,

mage, but I see that you are tired.  That summoning must have taken much out

of you.  Do not worry, I will end this quick."

            The mage struggled to her feet and raised a weak force shield in an

attempt to buy herself some time, but Bane easily broke through it.  His

tendrils streaked out and wrapped themselves around Rhea's legs.  They pulled

themselves taut and lifted the girl into the air.

            "What say you now, mage?" Bane asked his upside-down foe.  "Do you

yield?"

            Rhea tried to think, but with all the blood rushing to her head it

was proving kind of hard.  Summoning that hellhound had indeed drained her,

but she knew she had to do something.  She went through her repertoire of

spells, but most of them now were just too much for her to cast.  Suddenly, a

spell flashed across her mind and she latched onto it.  It was an old one,

but she really didn't have much to lose.  *And hey, it worked before.*

            Bane was growing impatient.  "Speak mage," he said threateningly as

one of his tendrils grew into a long blade, "or I shall make the decision for

you."

            "Alright," Rhea said softly, "I-I..."  The mage trailed off,

mumbling.

            Bane drew Rhea a little closer to him.  "What was that?"

            Rhea had completed the incantation and readied herself.  "I said, burn,

you bastard!"  She threw out her hand and released her spell.  Three small

glowing orbs appeared and sped towards Bane's head under the mage's command.

            The cantrip struck the sorcerer square in the face and his cowl

started to smoke and burn.  Bane's hands immediately went to his face and

tried to smother the flames.  The tendrils holding Rhea began to loosen and

thrash about wildly. 

            Rhea closed her eyes and tried to keep her stomach from doing

somersaults inside of her.  *Come on!  Let me go!*  Suddenly, the tendrils

slipped off her legs and the mage found herself flying across the room and

landing with a thud on the hard deck.  She took a moment to catch her breath

before opening her eyes and saw Bane stumble over the dead hellhound and land

on his back.  She spied in front of her the ice sword Bane had created. 

Heaving herself up, Rhea grasped the sword and staggered to the prone

sorcerer.

            Bane was momentarily stunned by the fall.  The fire, though, was out

and he was about to get up when he saw something pointed at him.

            Rhea was standing Bane and was breathing heavily, but she held the

ice sword steady.  "Now it's my turn, do you yield?"

            The sorcerer chuckled.  "Yield?"  His left arm extended.  "Never." 

He swept his arm and took the legs out from under his opponent.

            Rhea cried out and dropped her sword.  Unfortunately for Bane, the

ice blade was right over his eye.  He quickly summoned a shield and managed

to deflect most of the sword, but a sliver of ice squeezed through and

pierced his eye orb.

            Bane screamed.  It was a hideous noise.  He flailed his arms and

clawed at his face.  The sorcerer managed to dislodge the ice shard, but when

he did, his eye flared and green flame erupted from it.  He managed to get to

his feet, but he just an around wildly.  He began to tear at his robes,

ripping large portions of it off until he was nearly naked.

            Rhea tried to shut her eyes but she had already caught a glimpse of

the sorcerer's body.  He was an emaciated figure.  His skin was pale and hung

loosely from his bones.  When his hood was finally ripped off, the mage was

able see his face.  It was the same as the rest of his body, pale and

scrawny, but where on a human would have been two eyes, there was only one

socket, and in that socket Bane's eye orb still burned with its green flame.

            In a final attempt to ease his agony, the sorcerer lifted his bony

hands to his face and tried to cover his eye.  He ignored the flame searing

his hands and thrust them on his eye.  For a moment Bane's strategy seemed to

work, but he began to scream again as his hands began to catch fire and melt. 

The fire turned his hands to ashes and started to work they're way up his

arms.

            Bane staggered and managed to make it to his throne.  "Computer," he

rasped out, "begin...magical infusion...sequence."  He looked at Rhea and the

others.  "You...will not defeat me!  The magic...is mine!"  The throne began

to glow and the sorcerer laughed and continued to do so, until the fire

finally consumed him.  All that was left was a small pile of ashes and the

cracked eye orb.

            "It's over," Rhea said tiredly.

            "I'm afraid it isn't," Sailor Mercury said.  She took out her

computer and was scanning the information being displayed.  "The ship's

computer is still following the last command that Bane gave.  It's infusing

Bane with the magic that was drained from the Earth!"

            "But how is that possible?" Sailor Moon asked.  "Bane's just a pile

of dirt now."

            "I don't understand it, either, but it is happening.  Something on

the throne is absorbing the energy."

            Jupiter began striding towards the throne.  "Well, then, why don't I

just do a little dusting?"

            Mercury looked up.  "No, don't!"

            The tall brunette turned her head.  "What is it?"  She stuck her hand

out towards the throne.  "See, nothing's hap--"  Jupiter's hand suddenly

struck a shimmering barrier and an electric current jolted through her and

threw the scout backward.

            "Jupiter!" Sailor Moon cried running to the fallen scout.

            "Ughhhh," the thunder scout groaned, "what hit me?"  Jupiter saw the

worried expression on her leader's face.  "Don't worry.  I'm ok."  She got up

gingerly and headed over to Mercury.  "How did you know?"

            The blue-haired scout shook her head.  "I wasn't warning you about

the shield, it was about the magical infusion.  The whole throne area is

awash with magical energy.  If any of us entered that area, we would have

experienced an energy overload much like what happened to Rhea."

            "So what do we do?  Wait?" Mars asked.

            Mercury nodded.  "Right now, that is all we can do.  I can't return

the Earth's magic until Bane's command finishes."

            Tuxedo Mask spoke up.  "Can't we just destroy the throne?  That

should stop the infusion."

            "No.  If we do, the energy would then have nowhere to go and cause a

runaway chain-reaction that could destroy the ship."

            Sailor Moon had an idea.  "I know, I'll contact the Outers and check

how they're doing."  She activated her communicator and pressed the buttons

she wanted.

            Sailor Neptune had just released another Deep Submerge when she heard

her communicator beep at her.  She ducked into an alcove to avoid the

soldiers' return fire and flipped open her comm.

            "Hi," Sailor Moon said.  "Just wanted to know how you guys were

doing."

            Uranus's face appeared on the comm screen.  "We're still a little

busy right now, Sailor Moon, so if you don't mind..."

            Neptune nodded.  "We're still under heavy fire here.  I guess my plan

worked out better than I thought."

            Pluto then entered the conversation.  "Have you done it?  Did you

stop the magic drain and destroy Bane?"

            An uncertain look appeared on Sailor Moon's face.  "Well, sort of,"

she said hesitantly.  "The drain has stopped and Bane has been reduced to

dust...but--"  The screen suddenly went blank.

            "Sailor Moon!" Neptune yelled into her communicator, but it remained

blank.  She tried to reestablish contact, but still nothing.

            "What happened?!" Uranus asked.

            Pluto looked troubled.  "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about

this."

End Part 11