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).

Comments?  Questions?  You want to praise me or curse me out?  I'm at

jnkryo@yahoo.com

Daughters of Destiny

Part 15

by: Johnny Ng

            "C'mon!" Mars said, "Let's get this bucket in gear and go!"

            Uranus ignored the fire scout and concentrated on the control panel

in front of her.  She hadn't been flying this thing for long, but managed to

figure out what most of the indicators were telling her, and right now they

were telling her that the shuttle was primed and ready.  She touched a

button that she hoped was for the retro-rockets.

            The shuttle gave a low roar and started to shake.

            Venus looked out one of the portals and reported, "That's it, were

starting to move!"

            "Wait!"

            Everyone turned at Rhea's cry.  The mage was still by the open hatch. 

"We have to wait for my grandfather!"

            Sailor Moon turned to Mercury.  "How much time do we have left?"

            "Less than two minutes."

            The scout leader nodded.  "We'll wait for as long as we can.  Uranus,

keep the engines on for a quick escape."

            Then they all waited.  Distant explosions rocked the _Wrath_ and

caused their shuttle to shudder sickeningly.  The seconds ticked by slowly

and Sailor Moon was about to order the retreat when Rhea suddenly shouted.

            "He's coming!"

            Sure enough, the translucent figure of Inverna's greatest hero was

approaching the hatch quickly.  Just then the force fields holding the

shuttle in place winked out and it began to slip slowly out into the vacuum

of space.  The deck plates began to buckle and give way as well. 

            Aiden managed to steady himself on the churning deck and launched

himself at the shuttle hatch.  It looked as though he would make it when a

loose bulkhead tore free from the _Wrath's_ hull and slammed into the

shuttle.  That caused the craft to be knocked out Aiden's path.  Everyone

watched helplessly as the spirit tumbled past them.

            "No!" Rhea cried.

            "Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

            A gleaming length of chain spiraled out and lassoed Aiden around the

waist.

            Sailor Venus jerked the chain taut.  "A little help would be greatly

appreciated," she grunted.

            Rhea and Jupiter were by her side immediately and the three of them

managed to haul the wayward spirit inside the shuttle.  Sailor Mars closed

the hatch as soon as Aiden cleared it.

            "We got him!" the fire scout yelled, "Punch it!"

            Uranus didn't need to be told anything.  As soon as the display

showed that the hatch had sealed, she had activated the shuttle's thrusters

and angled the craft away from the larger ship.

            Mercury had her computer out and it displayed the time left until the

_Wrath's_ power core self-destructed.  "We have less than twenty seconds!"

            Uranus grunted and put her hand on the throttle.  "Hang on

everybody!"  She pushed the throttle switch as far as it would go.

            The hum of the shuttle's engines grew to a dull whine as they labored

to propel the craft forward.  Unfortunately, it wasn't going as fast as they

would have liked.

            "It's no good," Mercury said.  "At this speed we're going to be

caught in the explosion!"

            "This shuttle wasn't built for speed," Uranus said.  "This is as fast

as this tub's gonna go!"

            Tuxedo Mask suddenly thought of something.  "Doesn't this ship have

shields?"

            "Maybe, I didn't have time to find out where they were."

            Everyone quickly began to examine the controls for the shield

generators.

            "Five seconds!" Mercury shouted, sounding like a harbinger of doom.

            The search became more frantic.

            "Four.  Three."

            Sailor Moon spun around to look at the control panel on her left and

caught her foot on the carpeting.

            "Two."

            The scout leader fell forward and her hand brushed against the

console accidentally flipping a number of switches.  The shield indicators

which been dark a moment before, suddenly lit up as an envelope of protective

energy surrounded the shuttle.

            "On--"

            The _Wrath_ suddenly chose that time to self-destruct, spoiling

Mercury's predictions.  Great sheets of iridescent energy tore through the

ship's midsection and radiated outward.  The shattered hull began to bulge as

more runaway energy sought escape.  For an instant the _Wrath_ looked like an

overripe melon, but only for a moment.  It exploded in a huge ball of

white-hot magical energy and jagged bits of wreckage.

            The shuttle was just caught in the outer edge of the explosion but it

was still thrown for a ride.  Angry currents of energy lashed at the ship's

fragile shields as it was tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane.

            Inside the craft was not much better.  The first shockwave from the

explosion threw everyone who was standing to the floor.  After that, it

became a little crazy.  Alarms were going off all around them and the shield

indicators went from a steady green to a flashing red.

            "The shields are failing!" Mercury shouted over the tumult.  "But

we're almost clear of the blast radius!"

            Neptune was about to tell Uranus to keep the speed up when she saw

that her partner had slumped over the controls.  There was a large gash over

her right eye and blood covered that part of her face. 

            A small gasp escaped the aqua scout's lips, but she steeled herself

and managed to reach over and kept pressure on the small ship's throttle.

            The shuttle's thrusters coughed and sputtered before reluctantly

catching fire again.  Neptune glanced at the engine displays and cursed under

her breath.  "The engines have been damaged!" she shouted over her shoulder.  

"They won't last for long!"

            "Just a little longer!" Mercury shouted back.  She was over by the

shield generator console that Sailor Moon found accidentally and was working

feverishly to try and coax some more power to the ship's shields.  However,

virtually every system on board had been disabled or destroyed, including the

power generators.

            Rhea made her way unsteadily over to the blue-haired scout.  "Maybe I

could summon a barrier around the shuttle."

            "I don't think you can," the scout said, "the _Wrath's_ explosion is

releasing enormous amounts of wild magical energy.  Any spell you cast now

would most likely fizzle at best...or you might lose control of it at worst."

            The shuttle's thrusters began to rumble noisily for a moment before

they died altogether.

            "We've just lost our engines," Neptune said.  "We even lost our

maneuvering jets.  There's no way to steer this thing now."

            Mercury glanced down at her computer screen.  "It should be enough. 

We're coasting at a pretty good speed.  We should clear the blast zone soo--"

            A shrill alarm suddenly went off in the shuttle.

            Neptune looked at the flashing monitor next to her.  "That's the

proximity alarm.  Something's going to hit us!"

            As soon as the aqua scout finished speaking, a blackened and charred

piece of the _Wrath's_ hull suddenly sliced through the weakened shields and

punctured the ship's side.  Precious oxygen began to rush out the jagged

hole.

            Sailor Venus had seen enough sci-fi movies to know what was

happening.  "We've gotta get that hole patched up or we'll suffocate!"

            "I believe I saw a maintenance locker towards the rear of the

shuttle," Pluto said.  "There should be something there that might seal up

the breach."

            Tuxedo Mask took off his cape and bunched it up.  He shoved the

bundle into the hole and shouted, "You go find the locker.  I'll try and keep

this plugged up."

            The two scouts nodded and headed aft.

            Mercury had abandoned the shield monitoring station and was now

working on the repair station.  She finished inputting a series of commands

and sighed with relief as they began to work.  She yelled across the ship to

Neptune.  "You should have some control over the thrusters now.  It was the

best I could do!"

            The aqua scout was cradling Uranus's head in her lap when she heard

Mercury's report.  She immediately looked at the engine displays and smiled. 

They showed that the thrusters were only operating at ten percent but the

main thing was that they were working.  She began to ease the throttle up

slowly.

            Back towards the rear of the ship, Tux's hands were starting to go

numb from the cold when he finally saw Pluto and Venus emerge from the aft

section with a large crate held between them.

            The two scouts had succeeded in locating the maintenance locker and

were going to use a small section of metal plating they had found there as a

temporary seal.  Venus waited until Tuxedo Mask removed his hands before the

slammed the plate over the hole.  Pluto took out a laser welder they had also

found in the locker and welded the plate in place.  When the job was finished

the air leaking out went from a torrent to a trickle.

            "How much longer till we're clear, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked.

            "It shouldn't be long now."  The scout grabbed hold of the console's

edge as the shuttle rocked from a particularly strong shockwave.  "But I

don't know how much more of those this ship can take.  The shields have

nearly failed."

            The proximity alarms suddenly sounded again and Neptune shouted back

to the others, "The sensors are reading several large pieces of wreckage on a

direct collision course with us."

            "Can you dodge them?" Sailor Mars asked.

            "I'll try."

            Neptune concentrated on the sensor screen in front of her and banked

the shuttle hard to the right.  The thrusters protested loudly but the craft

turned.

            Rhea was looking out the port viewport and saw a crumpled piece of

destroyed machinery race past.  She sighed and felt the shuttle turn left. 

She looked across the ship to the starboard viewport as a twisted section of

hull plating floated past.

            The scout at the pilot's controls was sweating now.  Neptune had

managed to nurse the engines well enough to dodge the first two pieces of

flotsam, but she cursed at what the sensors were showing her now.  "The last

piece is too large and coming up too fast; there's no way I can avoid it,"

she told the others.

            Mercury spoke up. "We should be free of the blast radius in a few

seconds, and the wild magic field is getting weaker."  She turned to Rhea. 

"You still think you can raise a barrier around the shuttle?"

            Rhea nodded.  "Just tell me when."

            "Three seconds till impact!" Neptune called out.

            Mercury was watching her computer's screen and saw that it said they

were free of the wild magic.  She waited a heartbeat more then shouted,

"Now!"

            The mage wove her spell quickly and threw out her hands.  Outside the

ship, a shimmering sphere appeared around the ship, but it began to writhe

and pulse as the wild magic started to affect it.  Beads of sweat collected

on Rhea's forehead as she fought to keep control of her barrier.

            Aiden was by Rhea's side in an instant.  He placed his ghostly hands

on her shoulders and channeled his energy through her.  The spirit felt his

granddaughter relax and the barrier strengthening.

            A moment later, the last piece of floating debris struck.

            The barrier buckled and Rhea grunted and collapsed.  Aiden hissed as

the wild magic twisted his own and he was thrown to the floor as well.

            Neptune shouted from the pilot's station, "We're clear!"

            Daniel was beside his daughter in an instant.  "Rhea, are you

alright?"

            Rhea groaned and shook her head to clear the cobwebs.  "Ugh...did I

do it.  What happened to grandfather?"

            Aiden got up and grimaced slightly.  "I am well, child, but I fear

that my power has been rendered untrustworthy.  The wild magic contaminated

me.  I will need rest to cleanse myself."

            Mercury nodded gravely.  "That is one of the dangers of wild magic,

but if it is any comfort, you have saved the ship."  She turned to Sailor

Moon.  "I'm going to help Neptune plot a course back to Earth."

            "You mean we're going home?" Sailor Moon asked hopefully.

            "Well we're certainly going to try.  This shuttle has been through a

lot, though."

            The scout leader put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.  "I

know you can do it, Amy."

            Mercury nodded and went up to the navigational console.  She jacked

in her minicomputer and her hands fairly flew over the keys.  "Neptune, I'm

feeding you the coordinates for Neflyte's base."

            The aqua scout watched the numbers appear on the screen.  "I got

them.  Imputing them...now."  Neptune entered the last digit and engaged the

shuttle's piloting computer.  The ship responded by firing its engines and

turning towards Earth.

            Mercury sighed.  "Well, that's it.  As soon as we pass the Moon,

we'll be on our way home."

            Sailor Moon looked out the viewport and saw the Earth's lone natural

satellite and gasped.  She had seen the Moon up-close before, but it never

ceased to amaze her. 

            The Earth was just rising over the Moon's horizon and the lunar

surface gleamed with reflected light.

            "It's beautiful..." she whispered.

            Tuxedo Mask came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her

shoulders.  "It is."

            The shuttle began to dip as it passed by the Moon and was affected by

its gravity.  Neptune nudged the thrusters up a notch and the engines

responded by rumbling louder.  The scout frowned and checked the displays. 

She then asked Mercury to have a look as well.  The two water scouts

discussed the situation for a moment before trying to manipulate the controls

in front of them. 

            After a few minutes of this, Mercury stood up and walked resignedly

back to the others.  "The engines are failing again, this time for good."

            Venus was puzzled.  "But we already cleared the blast radius, right? 

Couldn't we just coast back to Earth?"

            Mercury shook her head.  "Normally we could, but with the Moon right

next to us, its gravitational pull is dragging us down."  She looked at each

of them.  "The shuttle is going to crash into the Moon."

            There were startled gasps from everyone.  "We have to get out of

here!" Sailor Moon said.

            "Thanks for stating the obvious!" Mars retorted, "Now do you have any

ideas how?"

            "What about a Sailor Teleport?" Jupiter volunteered.

            Mercury looked around.  "I'm not sure if that'll work.  Uranus and

Saturn are in no condition to help and we'll have to take Rhea and the others

with us."

            Rhea interrupted, "I can teleport by myself."

            "Are you sure about that?" Trent asked.  "What's the farthest that

you have ever teleported?"

            "A couple of miles..."

            "We're probably 200,000 miles from Earth--"

            "238,857 actually," Mercury informed them.

            Trent continued, "None of us can teleport that far."  He saw his

niece's face crumble and added, "But it was a nice idea, though."

            Saturn spoke up.  "What about your portals, Pluto?"

            "It would be unwise to use them," the time scout said.  "The

explosion of the _Wrath_ caused major disruptions in the flow of space-time

and the temporal portals."

            "Well we have to do something!" Sailor Moon said.

            "We are," Pluto said.  "Out of all of us, you and Prince Endymion

must survive.  You can perform a teleport with the Inners and save

yourselves."

            "But what about Trent and Rhea and you guys?" Venus asked.

            The time scout hesitated before answering.  "If it is necessary, we

will chance using one of my time portals.  Now you must act quickly," she

looked out the viewport and saw the sphere of the Moon looming closer. 

"There isn't much time."

            The five inner scouts moved reluctantly into position.  They linked

hands and formed a circle with Tuxedo Mask in the middle.  The scouts each

closed their eyes and began to power up.

            Suddenly, a white beam lanced out from the Moon's surface and struck

the shuttle.  The ship rocked gently as the beam engulfed it.

            "What's happening?" Rhea asked as she looked out the viewport.

            Sailor Moon gasped as the Silver Crystal floated free of her broach

and Queen Serenity's voice spoke to everyone.

            Do not be afraid.  Your ship will be brought down safely on the

Moon.  I would like to speak with you all.

            The Crystal sparkled for a moment longer before growing silent and

returning to the broach.

            Everyone was silent for a moment before Sailor Jupiter spoke up.  "I

guess that's that.  Anyone got anything to do in the meantime?"

            The shuttle landed on the lunar surface in a relatively short period

of time.  The white beam winked out and left the ship standing alone on a

cratered field.

            Inside, Mercury had her computer jacked into the shuttle's sensors

and was scanning the outside.

            "I can't find the source of the tractor beam, if that was what that

was, but the sensors say that there is a breathable atmosphere outside."

            Sailor Venus looked at Mercury in surprise.  "How is that possible...

unless..."

            The blue-haired scout looked up from her computer and nodded.  "We're

in the ruins of the Moon Kingdom.  This is the same place that Queen Serenity

brought us when we fought Malachite."

            Tuxedo Mask was already at the hatch.  "C'mon," he called back, "it

wouldn't do to keep the Queen waiting."  He triggered the release mechanism

and walked outside.  The others soon followed with Pluto and Neptune

supporting an unconscious Uranus between them.

            Everything was just the same as it was last time.  The stars sparkled

overhead and the air was slightly stale and cold.  Broken pillars and

shattered blocks dotted landscape giving mute testament to the one-time

splendor of the Moon Kingdom, and to the awesome power it took to destroy it

all.

            Sailor Moon looked around sadly.  "Mother, mother where are you?"

            I am here, daughter.

            She turned her head and saw a miniature hologram of Queen Serenity

standing on a marble slab, the same hologram from before.

            "Hello, mother."

            Aiden made his way over to the tiny queen.  "You're looking a bit

shorter than the last time I saw you, Serenity."

            The hologram smiled.  Using the Silver Crystal to project my image

is very tiring and the holographic systems here were still functional.

            The spirit nodded.  "Alright, what did you want to speak to us

about?"

            Serenity looked directly at her daughter.  What do you know of the

future?

            Sailor Moon looked back at Sailor Pluto and answered, "Only what I

have seen when I went there, mother...and the little tidbits I have picked up

from Reenie and Pluto."

            The queen nodded.  You know of Crystal Tokyo, but do you know of

the Great Darkness that came before it?

            The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask gasped.  The blond scout leader blinked. 

She had heard of something like that, but never paid it much mind.  "What are

you saying, mother?"

            "She is saying that the Great Darkness is coming, Princess," Sailor

Pluto said.

            Neptune, who had propped Uranus up against the base of a pillar,

gasped and whirled around.  "So that's what I saw in my mirror.  You knew

this was going to happen.  That's why you didn't want us to stop Trent at

Devil's Tower."

            "Yes, we were there to simply observe the events as they occurred. 

Trent was supposed to open the mana wells, Bane was supposed to take the

Earth's magic, and the Darkness is supposed to occur."

            "Why?!" Tuxedo Mask shouted.  "Why are you allowing the Earth to

suffer through another dark age?"

            Serenity looked at the tuxedo-clad hero sadly.  I am truly sorry,

Endymion, but it is necessary.  The Earth must be cleansed and out of the

ashes, Crystal Tokyo shall emerge and shine like a beacon onto others.  I

have spoken about this with Gaia, the goddess of Earth, and she agrees that

this must occur.

            "Oh my god!" Rhea screamed, "Gaia!  The magic, it's gone!  The

Earth's magic is gone!"  She fell to her knees and began to cry.

            Venus went over to comfort the grieving mage while Mercury and Mars

attempted to scan for the stolen magic in their own different ways.  After a

while, Mercury dissolved her visor and closed her computer and Mars came out

of her trance.

            "She's right," the fire scout said.  "I'm sensing the magic, but it

is spread out very thin."

            Mercury nodded.  "After the explosion of the _Wrath_, the Earth's

magic was flung into space.  It is too diffuse to collect."

            "You mean the magic is just lost, then?" Venus asked.

            "No, not really.  It is even now returning to Earth, but it will just

be added to the background magical radiation.  Magic levels on Earth will be

raised dramatically."

            Sailor Moon looked concerned.  "That won't hurt the people, would

it?"

            Trent spoke up.  "No, it won't, not really."  He saw the question

brewing on the blond's lips and continued.  "What I mean is that if the

magical levels increase as much as Mercury says it will, then there might be

a lot more mages being discovered than before."

            "Trent's right," Daniel said.  "There are many on Earth who are

latent magic users, those that have the ability to become mages, but whose

power is dormant.  This rise in the magic level might be what it takes to

awaken them."

            While everyone was trying to absorb this information, Aiden went over

to the where Mercury and Mars was standing. 

            "Did you get any sense of Bane?  If he's alive or not?" the spirit

asked them.

            "No, he's gone," the fire scout spat out, "and I'm glad he is."

            Mercury, though, wasn't so sure.  "There is a lot of interference out

there, so I can't be sure, but chances are..."

            Aiden nodded slowly.  He looked back and saw that Jupiter was saying

something.

            "Ok," the tall brunette said, "preserving the future and Crystal

Tokyo is great, but the fact remains that the Earth's magic has been mostly

drained.  Now, I'm no expert on magic, but I think that that is a bad thing."

            It is, Queen Serenity answered, The Earth and Gaia may be able

to restore the magic, but it is unlikely.  That is why I am afraid you must

use the Silver Crystal to replenish the magic.

            While everyone else was about to protest this, Sailor Moon didn't

even hesitate.  "I will do it.  Tell me how, mother."

            The hologram smiled.  Do not be so hasty, daughter, it is not as

easy as you might think.  However, Serenity saw the concern in the faces of

the scouts and Tuxedo Mask, you may not be alone in this venture. 

            The queen summoned the scouts and the Earth Prince to her.  When they

gathered, she saw Neptune supporting a still unconscious Uranus.  Serenity

looked up and saw the silent plea in the aqua-haired scout's eyes and nodded. 

She waved her hand over the injured scout's head and a gentle light washed

over her face.

            Uranus blinked her eyes and groaned.  "What hit me?"  Her eyes

finally focused and saw Neptune's face.  "At least I'm waking up to your

pretty face."

            Welcome back to the land of the conscious, Sailor Uranus.

            The scout's head snapped around and saw Serenity's hologram.  "Mm...

my Queen!"

            Time enough for formalities later.  For now, you must hear what I

have to tell you.  Serenity looked at each of the scouts gravely. 

            What my daughter has chosen to do will tax her strength greatly. 

It would certainly kill her if she were to do it alone.  I may be the queen,

but you are my daughter's court.  I cannot order you to help her and I know

that neither will she.  This must be of your own free choice, but I warn you,

there will be a sacrifice--

            Sailor Mars held up her hand and interrupted the queen.  "Your

Majesty, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we will do

anything to protect the Princess, sacrifices be damned!"

            Serenity smiled.  I expected as much.  Here is what you must

do...

            The holographic Moon queen called everyone around her and outlined

the plan to save the Earth.  When she was finished, there was total silence

as everyone tried to come to grips with it.

            "Does it have to be this way, mother?" Sailor Moon asked quietly.

            I am afraid it does, the Earth and Gaia are extremely weak.

            "But five hundred years?"

            You do not need to do this immediately.  Sailor Pluto will know

when.  She looked at the time scout who nodded.

            Sailor Moon sighed.  "I understand, mother."  She tried to put on a

brave face, but it started to crumble and she began to sob.  "But everyone

will be gone!  My parents, Sammy, Molly..."  She looked at the scouts. 

"...and all of your loved ones as well..."

            Mars walked up to the grieving blond and wrapped her up in a hug. 

"Sailor Moon...Serena, we understood that we had to make a sacrifice if we

chose to do this--"

            "But...your grandfather..."

            The fire scout's eyes misted as she thought of the short, balding,

lecherous old man that had raised her from the time she was a toddler.  "I

will miss him, Serena, but if we lost you..."  Mars was suddenly overcome

with emotion as tears began to work their way down her face.  "Besides, it

might be years before it is time."

            Sailor Moon looked into her friend's eyes and gently wiped away the

tears.  "I will never leave you,"  She looked up at the others.  "...any of

you."  She freed herself from Mars's embrace and turned to the queen.  "I'm

ready, Mother."

            Very well, gather around and I will use the Crystal to send you

home.

            Everybody did so and the holographic queen summoned the Crystal from

Sailor Moon's broach.  The gem floated to Serenity and she held it between

her tiny, translucent hands.  She closed her eyes and a bright glow emanated

from the Crystal.

            Good-bye, daughter, and good luck.

End Part 15