Chapter One
The Mysterious Young Woman
Centuries ago during the Silver Millennium during the reign of Queen Serenity and before the fall of the Moon Kingdom - Deep in Inner-Space…
"Have you ANY idea where we're GOING?" grumbled one of the two Lunarian men who sat in the cockpit of the scouting-vessel – his name was Kelem and he and his companion, the pilot of this ship, were both deeply bored as they slid smoothly through space in the sleek, shimmering and utterly sophisticated spacecraft made in the Moon Kingdom.
"Hey look, do YOU want to do this Kel?" asked the leaner of the two, a man named Taur, keeping his eyes ahead – his voice was exasperated as he worked at the control-panel that determined the course of their ship
"Not especially."
"Then why don't you belt up and let ME do it?"
Straight ahead of the two was – everything.
Space – the celestial sea, the infinity of potential that served, as the canvas of creation, the source of endless possibilities throughout its boundless reaches. An endless expanse of stars, suns, entire worlds that were slowly being born and dying, receiving the gift of existence and ceasing to exist with every passing moment…just as life passed through the bodies of every living man and woman who dwelt in it.
"God…I am SO bored." Muttered Taur as he and his companion travelled between the jewels of the cosmos, their current status: LOST.
"Where do you think we ARE anyway?" Kelem asked as he stared blankly at the utterly unfamiliar constellations that lay ahead.
"I have no idea – maybe somewhere in the Horse-Head Nebula?"
Kelem looked at the pilot of the scouting-vessel, a stunned look on his face. "But isn't THAT…?" he stammered – his exclamation was interrupted mid-surge as the control-panel suddenly began to resonate a deep and echoing sound that certainly didn't sound good.
Taur stared at the information that was frantically flashing across the screen mounted just under his nose – when he looked up Kelem was instantly chagrined by the look of apprehension on his face. "This area…it's, it's absolutely FLOWING with negative-energy waves!" he said, urgency edging into his voice. "The ship…the controls have locked in place! I – I can't alter our course Kel!!"
The ship continued lifelessly on it's way into the sector that seemed to be totally empty of anything other than stars.
"Strange – where's it COMING from?" Taur wondered as he checked the readings on his control-panel and then looked up at his excellent view of what seemed to be absolutely nothing unusual up ahead. "What's the SOURCE of the interference?"
"Taur…" stammered Kelem, his fearful voice chilling the blood of the pilot before he even looked at him – the Lunarian was staring at the screen which had just registered a new development. "…I REALLY think you should take a look at THIS!"
The level of the negative-energy that had stunned the online-system of the craft was slowly increasing – as they went further and further into this sector.
Taur stared at the wildly groaning device in shock and then his gaze shot back to the window – he and his companion were both just in time to catch the amazing spectacle that took place right in front of their eyes. The stars ahead rippled and then they all seemed to rush outward in every direction, disappearing from sight completely – an illusory-wall that they had just passed through.
The two from the Moon Kingdom would have been shocked, stunned by what they had just witnessed which was beyond anything that either had ever experienced in all of their years of experience as scouts of Inner space…however what lay beyond the fake view of seething stars and cold oblivion instantly filled their minds with such terror that neither was now capable of rational thought sufficient enough to register amazement.
Darkness – not the emptiness of space but the cold shadow of a place that had never known light, where warmth had never existed. Coldness engulfed the two men in the cockpit and they both felt that they had strayed over the brink of the universe and into pure oblivion.
This seemingly endless and empty void had swallowed them up as they'd unwittingly and helplessly wandered right into it and…
The almost silky blackness ahead of the scouting-vessel was broken – two points of red light opened up in the near distance, both blazing with flame and HUGE. Two cavities of scarlet, glaring light rivalling the heart of a pair of blood ruby's held up in front of the harshest sunlight.
Two great empty eye-sockets transfixed the inhabitants of the lifeless spacecraft – as a high-pitched and soul-piercing screech filled the cockpit, followed closely by another a monstrous, cavernous mouth ripped open beneath the baleful, malevolent eyes.
It was only as a hideous and inhuman laughed grated from the skull of darkness, the guardian of the Dark Kingdom whose illusory wall of defence their ship had breached, rushed up towards them that the two men from the Moon realised that the screams had been their own.
…No way out.
~*~*~
Elsewhere…
The flames roared high crackling and spitting rivalling the twin suns of Yura in their brilliance. The campfire was medium sized but in the centre of the clearing amidst the logs that had been chopped down to be used as seats it served its purpose well.
The fire gave heat to the clearing and also more importantly burned intensely enough to roast meat upon. There was plenty of fresh red meat for cooking that day and a large skeleton lay forgotten a short distance away from the camp-site its picked bones reflecting the light of the fire.
The dead beast had once possessed a pair of vicious tusks that were now gone taken by the one who had slain it and had wandered Yura in search of its prey on six legs...but not anymore.
The skeleton of the dead Gru had been picked clean and the Star Raiders were feasting well tonight on its flesh which they were becoming crispy on their fire at this very moment.
"Ahhh! Nothing like red roasted meat freshly caught!" sighed a muscular Raider in a pair of shorts made from the black leathery hide of some beast or other he had killed as he took a break from the handful of carcass he was eating.
"Mmm roast Gru!! Nice n'crispy!! I want the rare piece!!" crooned another Raider as he picked at the meat he had extracted from the back of the Gru's neck – his world-worn body was wiry yet possessed startling strength and for a moment his scowling face which was patterned with angry red scars screwed up in pleasure as he chewed up the meat.
The two members of the group of hunters known throughout the universe as the Star Raiders who had spoken went by the names Kirin and Dirk and they were well satisfied by the meat which filled their palate that evening.
A Star Raider whose left eye was covered by a leather eye patch and had a prosthetic metal arm grafted in place of his original organic appendage which he had lost during a fight one year ago ago sat back on another log separate from Kirin and Dirk and chewed in silence. His name was Grift and he was the most cheerful and high spirited of the Star Raiders who was always ready with a joke or a long and humorous tale to entertain his fellow Raiders despite his striking mutilations.
"That's nothing." Grift informed the others as he pointed a mechanical finger at the bare skeleton of the Gru. "You ought to see the other bloke!"
There was a ripple of merriment from the feasting Raiders as they tucked into the meat while it was still fresh.
The Star Raiders had been formed eighteen years ago when a travelling hunter by the name of Steel Eye had met up with Grift on his journey. Back then Grift had only just begun his own travels and as such he had still had his eye and arm intact and the two had struck a mutual partnership. From that day on they had travelled the universe together and as time had passed many other travellers had joined them until there were eighteen members of the group.
The people of the universe had dubbed these wandering hunters the 'Star Raiders' and old Steel-Eye had been their leader. Fate had struck however and one year ago when the group had visited the planet Earth in the inner solar system. While the Raiders had been attacking a Temple of heathens who had been terrorising the people who dwelt in the surrounding forests Steel-Eye had been taken by surprise by the High Priest who had slashed his arm with a pair of blades that had been steeped in a fast-acting and deadly venom.
The poison had ravaged the old hunters body quickly and as Steel-Eye had lain dying he had used his final breath to name the one he wanted to take his place when he was gone. Minutes later Steel-Eye had died dead and with respect for the old traveller and hunter, leader of the Raiders Grift had given him a funeral pyre fit for a king...which was what he had been to the men he had trained, travelled with and fought alongside.
The new leader of the Star Raiders had been a great surprise for the group however...
As Grift thought about all of this his sole eye wandered over to the new leader of the group. Rula sat apart from the other Raiders on a log of her own. She was the leader of the group and its most remarkable member in that she was the only female in it.
Rula was breathtakingly beautiful but her beauty was on the wild side. Her face was streaked with the dirt of this planet's earth and her hair that was bound up in dreadlocks was dipped with the blood of creatures from every reach of the galaxy. Only that day had Rula added Gru blood to a lock of her hair and its original colour was impossible to guess. Rula was wearing a short-cropped top made from brown fur which left her cleavage and whole stomach exposed and a short skirt made from the red fur of another different beast. The huntress's feet were clad in a pair of knee-length boots that were made from dark leather. Her belly button had been pierced when she'd been very young and the silver ring that had been slid into it flashed brilliantly whenever it caught the orange glow of the fire.
Rula's eyes were a colour of brown that Grift had never seen before anywhere else in the universe. The young huntresses eyes seemed to be alive with an energy that rivalled the light of the stars themselves in it's brilliance and the rippling streams of crystal clear water on this planet. Whenever the red flames caught the light of her eyes they would sparkle in the bright glow dazzling any who were looking directly into her eyes.
Rula's hand rested on the metal edge of a large sharp bladed spear that she had claimed for herself on the day two years ago when it had been found simply drifting along on an endless journey through the cold void of outer space in some sector that Grift couldn't recall the name of. Nobody knew who had made the spear or where it had come from but as soon as her eyes had fallen on it after the Raiders had retrieved it Rula had known that it was for her. With the spear that was named 'Gafgarion' (Its name was engraved on the side of the handle.) in her hand she could decimate just about anything she came up against. The skull of the Gru lying several feet away from its actual neck told testimony to this.
Rula's strength and tactical mind were what made her the ideal choice for the leader of the Star Raiders and there were even murmurs among the group that she was actually superior to Steel Eye. Grift was loyal to the first leader but there were times lately when he watched Rula in battle that he felt his resolve twitching. This and...there was something unusual about Rula.
Something mysterious and somehow out of place here in this group.
Grift didn't know if anyone else had noticed apart from him but he'd always felt sure that Rula was different from the rest of them…special in some way.
But how…?
Unconscious of the mutilated Raiders thoughts Rula took a great big bite out of the raw Gru leg she had secured from the spit before the others had lit the fire. "Not bad." she muttered thoughtfully to herself as she chewed. "Maybe next time I'll cook it though."
~*~*~
Meanwhile in the Moon Kingdom…
Queen Serenity was at peace.
A universal prosperity seemed to have spread throughout the galaxy during the days after the end of the Great War between Pluto and Palazea and now peace had come to reign between the many peoples of the planets.
Trade was beneficial to all and economy flourished. Very little seemed to be going on at court at the moment and so Queen Serenity had a rarely lengthy amount of time for her own thoughts.
As she sat on the edge of the great beautifully carved marble fountain in the centre of the courtyard watching the tranquil flow of the water which sparkled in the light of the stars shining down on it from the sky Serenity knew that she had a lot to be thankful for. As she watched the pure water which made a quiet tinkling like many small bells of silver Serenity felt peaceful and for the first time in a while free of care. And it was this that was faintly nagging her from the back of her mind.
She knew that she ought to feel relieved and happy that the time was so pleasant and easy but for some reason she could not quite silence that tiny worry that lurked at the back of her thoughts. To her the great peace felt like the calm before the storm...
With a sigh Serenity tried to dismiss these thoughts from her mind - after all it was probably merely that she was being paranoid.
"Your majesty." a light voice spoke from behind her causing Serenity to break off from her deep thoughtful reverie.
The Queen of the Moon Kingdom turned to see Xizor, her Ambassador whom she would often dispatch to gather news from all the distant planets of the universe.
Xizor was short and tubby and had the cheerful kind of air and charm that went with it. He was dressed in bright colours and his clothing looked almost frayed but comfortable and easy to wear which was all that really mattered to him – his head of greying hair was partially covered by a hat with square edges that was constantly sliding off and needing to be repositioned whenever he turned his head very quickly.
"Be at ease." Serenity told him as he dropped down to his knee and bowed his head - she wondered if any of them realised just how tiresome this routine had become over the years. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?" she asked wondering if her worries a moment ago had been well founded after all. "Has anything happened?"
"Oh no, not at all your majesty. The great peace still prospers." Xizor assured her as he rose to his feet. "But there is something which has come to my attention that I think you should know about."
"Oh?" Serenity was interested but wary.
Xizor cleared his throat. "Queen Serenity have you ever heard of a group called the Star Raiders?" he asked her.
Queen Serenity wrinkled her brow surprised at such an unexpected question. "What an unusual question! Yes I have known for some time of the group of itinerant hunter gatherers who migrate from planet to planet." she replied. "But so far I have never had any reason to be concerned about them. Why do you ask me about the Star Raiders?"
"Well the truth was your majesty that I wasn't so much thinking about the actual group itself but more of a certain member. Among there number there is a young woman who has caught my interest."
"Go on." Serenity prompted him.
"This morning one of my information gatherers came to me with news that this young woman, this Star Raider seems to possess mysterious and unique powers. But it was not just that which interested me." he paused before continuing. "My source told me that her power seems to be identical to that possessed by our Princesses!"
Serenity blinked and gasped in surprise at this unexpected news. "Are you sure about this?" she asked regaining her composure. "After all it is a rumour and such power can only belong to one of Royal Blood."
"That is what surprised me your majesty. But my source seemed to be positive that he was right and he has always been reliable." Xizor blustered.
Serenity was silent and thoughtful for the next few moments as she thought about this. It was unheard of for just anyone to have use of the power of the royal families...in fact it should have been impossible.
If this young woman existed then could it be that she was of noble blood?
A Princess?
It was probably nonsense but something about this about this girl fascinated Serenity. "I would like to meet her very much indeed." Serenity declared as she made up her mind. "Xizor have you any idea about which planet the Star Raiders are currently settled on?"
The Ambassador thought for a moment and then replied. "Yes. They are on Yura at the moment. But it should be about time for them to move on now your majesty."
Serenity nodded. "Very well. Would you please go and have my personal spacecraft readied for departure? And also please try to find out where the Star Raiders may be heading when they leave Yura. I will visit them and personally see if there is any truth in what you have told me."
"As you wish my Queen." Xizor bowed before her once more before turning and setting off for the Royal palace to begin making preparations for Queen Serenity's journey to the Horse-head Nebula in search of the Star Raiders.
Thinking hard about all that she had heard Serenity wondered as she gazed into the shimmering mirror-like surface of the water if a Princess could really be born among those who were not of noble blood.
Did this mysterious young woman really exist?
Soon she would know for sure.
The Queen felt herself shudder and for no reason at all she glanced quickly over her shoulder – shaking her head she returned her gaze to the shimmering water, a tiny frown on her face.
It was strange – just for a brief second she had felt certain that somebody had been watching her.
~*~*~
At that very moment in the observatory tower of the Imperial Castle of planet Earth…
Acheton the Imperial Arch-Mage and chief scientist of the Earthern Empire was literally trembling with awe as he stood on his rickety wooden chair with his eye firmly glued to the lens of his telescope.
The clunking monstrosity was the chief Scientists proudest creation – created by screwing together many rusting pieces of several different machines it was the most powerful telescope in the entire universe…although this had been a serious problem since the first time he had focused the lens Acheton had directed the machine at the sun, hence the black patch that covered his left eye-socket. The telescope was currently pointed up at the sky from the window of his lab as if trying to snatch the very stars down from the heavens and Acheton's mouth had fallen open, as he had dared to gaze through it for the second time since its construction.
A drop of saliva dangled from the tip of his tongue for what he had momentarily glimpsed before he had knocked the telescope in his surprise had filled him with wonder and amazement. "It's true…it's really true!" the wizened old man breathed in a thrilled whisper of awe as he stepped back from the astrological apparatus and clutched the edge of his workbench for support. "She does exist! I must take this incredible news directly to the Emperor!"
As he ran from his lab (Where he was given to spend entire weeks trying to turn lead into gold and sows ears into ducks and other such mind-bogglingly fruitless endeavours…) Acheton cackled crazily to himself and gloated over his triumph – his few remaining colleagues had mocked him but now at last after endless years of sleepless nights spent chalking up numerical calculations on his blackboard he believed that he had proved every last pessimist wrong. This would be his hour – his moment to stand up triumphant and deliver the news to the scientific world that he had been right and everybody else had been wrong.
The old man barged into the throne room before the idle guards could try to stop him, eager to present himself to his liege and inform him of the fantastic discovery he had just made. Emperor Mu, supreme ruler of Earth gave the bedraggled old man standing before him an irate but also surprised look.
The ancient scientist and wizards long white beard was disgustingly ruffled having been slept on many times and his grey robe was stained and singed as a result of his many catastrophic experiments. "Oh…you." The golden-haired Emperor grunted as he took a sip from his wineglass. "We hadn't heard from you for over a decade so everybody thought that you'd killed yourself in that last explosion. Well what is it?"
Mu's mood seemed to be none too amiable just then since he had actually been right in the middle of something that had been interrupted by the arrival of the crazed old scholar. A young woman who was dressed in a humiliating silk outfit was sitting just by the Emperor's side – as it happened he had procured her from a nearby peasant village while disguised as a bandit during his recent raid. The woman herself was quite thankful for Acheton's intervention since she had heard about what Mu did with his 'pets' once he tired of them and wasn't that keen to get acquainted with him just yet.
"I saw her!" Acheton exclaimed throwing his arms out in excitement. "I saw the woman on the moon! My liege there really is a woman on the moon!"
Emperor Mu glanced over to where his younger brother Prince Darien sat by his other side and rolled his eyes sarcastically. Uncomfortable though he was because of the presence of the scantily clad woman whom he sensed wasn't here of her own free will Darien cracked a smile. Everyone knew that the crazed old scientist and wizard lived in a world of his own, cut off from the rest of mankind. Acheton had to be the only person in the universe who still hadn't heard that there had been people living on the Moon for centuries.
In fact the mere mention of the Moon Kingdom would probably have given him a heart attack…
Mu transferred his attention back to the woman and gave a sigh of resignation. "Ten to one she's married." he remarked sarcastically as the unfortunate girl blushed crimson and his brother the dark-haired Prince averted his eyes and cringed…
~*~*~
The next day – early evening on the jungle planet Min…
The air pulsated with the sounds and aromas of the natural paradise of Min.
The shrieks of the savage yet majestic birds of prey which screamed before swooping down from the sky to claim their wretched prey were constant and the shadows of the areas of thick and close trees were filled with predatory beasts lying waiting for one weaker than itself to come past. Some even waited especially for one stronger than itself to come by.
But there was beauty on Min also. The sky a mix of glorious blue and purple had a sun which shone not too brightly and was neither too hot and waterfalls and rivers of crystal clear water could be found all over the planet.
Visitors on Min were rare but today there was a large group of people here - the Star Raiders had come to Min.
As it happened there was also to be another arrival on the planet that day. There was a roar of engines as a spaceship appeared in the atmosphere. It was pure silver and shone brilliantly in the sunlight as it came to rest on the rocky bank of a huge river.
There was a pause and then the door on the side of the ship opened with a mechanical whirr.
The metal steps were lowered to the ground and several figures appeared in the wide doorway. Queen Serenity looked out at Min as she and the others stepped down to the ground - as she stood in the sun she was uncomfortably aware of the heat she was so unaccustomed to.
Turning her head she looked up at Xizor who was clambering down along with her royal Guards. "Are you sure that this is the right planet?" Serenity asked. "I can't see any sign of the Star Raiders at all."
"Ah that is because they are expert in the art of hiding themselves from view behind the undergrowth your majesty." Xizor explained. "Trust me - the Star Raiders are in their element here."
"So then how do you propose that we find them?"
"It looks like we don't your majesty. All we can do is wait for them to find us."
~*~*~
"Right. So you're all ready then?" Rula demanded as she slipped her spear from its leather holder on her back.
"Yep." came a chorus of voices from the large amount of Star Raiders crouched next to her behind the thick bracken.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"Nah." most of the Raiders chorused.
"Yeh." a few squeaks filtered through from the back of the group.
"Not nervous enough then. I saw them make monster-mince-meat out of those lizards." Rula warned.
A short way off from their hiding place a group of Horned Minian Beasts were feasting on the remains of a small group of Pygmy Lizards.
The Horned Beasts of Min were massive humanoid brutes standing over ten feet tall dwarfing the Star Raiders. Their bodies were almost weighed down by their sticking out overdeveloped muscles and their feet were cloven hooves. Their heads resembled those of wild bulls complete with curved horns and metal rings running through their nostrils.
The group of these formidable creatures consisted of five and from their grinning leering faces and squinting eyes it was plain for all to see that they were a set of bloodthirsty brutes who killed more out of a sense of please rather than the need to eat. The beasts had killed a small group of Pygmy Lizards which they had chased here from the stream a short way away. The Lizards were (or rather had been) reptilian creatures whose bodies were covered with golden scales which shimmered in the light of the sun when wet and fetched quite a high price in the intergalactic market although this was not the reason why the Beasts had killed them.
The Horned Beasts motive for the wholesale slaughter of the reptiles was simply that they had been alive...and that was not tolerable.
At the moment the group of Horned Beasts were sitting in a circle as they stuffed their faces on the remains of the unfortunate reptiles biting their heads off like they were drumsticks. They were making a raucous row and belching and swearing at each other for grabbing pieces that the other had wanted for himself that they had if they had only realised it created the perfect set-up for them to be ambushed.
The were five of them and they were tough looking brutes (Horned Beasts being one of the dominant species on Min) but Rula was confident that the Star Raiders were large enough in number to take them down.
"Okay then!" Rula hissed back of the hidden group. "This is the plan of attack: I'll walk out into the middle of the circle and when I'm attacked you guys will have the chance to surprise them from behind. Got it?"
"Gottit boss!"
"You're playing with my life here so try and get it right the first time you idiots."
"We will."
"Then let's rock!" Rula announced coolly as she raised Gafgarion so that its metal blade pointed towards the beasts in a killer arc and made to walk out from behind the bracken.
"Wait!"
Rula stopped and turned back as a voice cried out abruptly - there was a scowl on her face was Grift stood behind her with a concerned look on his face. "What do you want Grift?" she snapped tersely.
"This is way too dangerous. Let me..."
"No way." Rula cut off the mutilated Raider before he could even get started. "The leader is obliged to take the greatest risk. And that's me so learn to like it Grift!"
Grift waved his metal finger at her. "Let me ask you one thing Rula. Who got you your first pair of shoes? Who taught you how to read and write?" he asked plaintively.
"Well I don't know! Who? It sure wasn't you Grift!"
"Fair enough." Grift realised that his finger was serving no purpose and stopped and put it back where it belonged - he'd only just greased the mechanism and didn't want to get it all gritted up again so soon.
This sorted out Rula made to leave the bracken - she was interrupted again.
"Boss! Look!" Kirin hissed grabbing her shoulder and dragging her back down beside him.
Rula quivered in frustration and followed the direction of his finger. She stopped realising that there was something going on.
Another Beast had arrived and was saying something in the leader of the Beast's ear. Rula tried to understand what was said but he was whispering and the wind covered it up.
Then the leader spoke to another of the Beasts and then he and that Beast got up and followed the newcomer away into the undergrowth. "Hello, hello, hello! What's the crack there?" Grift frowned suspiciously after the departed Beasts.
"That's what I'd like to know." Rula rose to her feet. "You guys take care of the three that are here while I follow them."
"What?!!" Grift jumped to his feet. "Let me come!"
"Forget it." Rula snapped.
"There are three of them. I have to..."
"I thought I said 'forget it'. Stay here and help the others. Okay?!!"
Not giving them another chance to call after her Rula turned and dashed speedily into the undergrowth. As the huntress followed the Beasts she had an eruption of war-cries of warriors from every corner of the universe as the Star Raiders attacked the Beasts who snarled as they prepared to do battle...
~*~*~
"By the heavens!!! What in the galaxy are they?!!"
The six Elite Royal Guards were staring with horrified eyes as they leapt to their feet.
Queen Serenity was also staring in alarm. The party from the Moon Kingdom had decided to rest for a while during their search for the Star Raiders when one of them had cried out in terror and pointed at something in the distance.
Bounding through the undergrowth there came thundering the three Horned Beasts who had left their group to find the people that they had learned had come to Min. The ugly savage brutes grinned slathering as they neared the terrified guards the worried Serenity and the palpitating Xizor.
As the three monsters approached the group the three monsters snarled among themselves. "There! You see the mice?" the informer Beast who had led the other two here spat.
"Saaaaaahhh!!!!" the leader Beast snarled. "These mice small!"
"Mice! Love em! Just love em!" the leader's right hand Beast grinned slathering.
Licking their lips in anticipation of the meal ahead the Beasts bounded faster towards the group. Seeing this the guards pulled themselves together and also around Queen Serenity protectively.
Serenity could not help but wonder who they expected to protect them! "Stay away from the Queen vile Beasts!" one of the guards bellowed putting all his years of courage and faithful service into his manly roar.
However the effect was somewhat marred by the waver in his voice.
"Mmm-mmm-mmm!!! We have a Queen! Wonder I do if the blue blood makes the mouse taste better!" the leader of the Beasts grinned.
Blackabar looked over and gave the guard a withering 'What did you say that for you idiot?' look. Xizor remembered that he had once been told that the Horned Beasts of Min did not eat cold corpses.
Seizing this he flung himself to the ground. "Don't eat me!!! Don't eat me!!!" he bleated over his shoulder at the approaching monsters. "I'm DEAD! See? Dead! DEAD!!!!"
Knowing that it was all up to her Serenity breathed deeply as she prepared to use her power to protect herself and her escort from the approaching monsters…though it had been a considerable while since she had last needed to do something like this she was surprised to realise that she was actually quite exhilarated by the prospect…
However it turned out to be unnecessary for her to intervene… "Freeze!"
The Beasts scudded to a halt as a voice hailed them from above. They searched the area for the one who had called to them.
Serenity had already seen the one who had shouted at the Beasts and she purposely avoided her with her eyes.
Suddenly one of the Beasts roared and pointed up. The three Beasts gathered around a tree glaring up at a girl with dreadlocks coated in dry blood who wore the briefest of tops and a short red skirt who held a long metal spear in her hand crouched on a branch.
Rula looked down grimly at the Beasts. "Up until now you've destroyed everything in your paths! Now you threaten innocent travellers! Now my spear will cleanse this planet of you all!" the huntress declared.
The Beasts howled with coarse laughter thinking this to be the most ridiculous and unpractical threat they had ever heard.
Regardless of this Rula stepped off the edge of the branch and landed right in the middle of the Beasts - watching from a distance the guards Guards goggled in disbelief.
What was she doing?
Serenity had guessed Rula's identity long ago and so she did not worry about the huntress's safety but instead watched on in interest...
Growling and snarling the Beasts circled Rula who stood completely still holding her spear ready for them in a deadly arc ready to cleave.
"Saaaaah!!! We have a female mouse here!"
"Saaaaaahhh!!!"
"saaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!" The leader of the Beasts made a lunge at Rula lowering his horns to skewer her through the heart killing her instantly.
Rula had sensed his approach however and stepped neatly out of his destructive path - As he passed her cleaving nothing but air Rula raised her hand and scratched the beast's side drawing blood.
The Beast sniggered at what he assumed was the huntress's pathetic attempt to hurt him. "The mouse nips! Hee hee hee!!!!" he laughed and made the other two guffaw.
"Hee hee hee!!! Mouse that nips make a very good dish!"
Laugh now buffalo boy! Rula thought with a mysterious smile as she leapt backwards through the air turning over and over like a spry fox - as she did she started to spin Gafgarion around in her hand at an incredible speed.
And as Rula passed one of the beasts she drove her spear in his direction - the brute's eyes bulged in astonished shock as the blade sliced his body cleanly in two.
The monster fell to the grass in two halves gushing blood before he could even scream.
The Guard watched bewildered...Rula had moved so fast they had hardly seen it!
Blackabar chuckled quietly. Now there's a trick I've never seen Princess Charon do! He thought.
The other two Beasts watched the huntress warily. "Mmm-mmm-mmm! A fiery mouse!"
"Fiery mouse! Let me get my bib!"
Then they circled her with confusing speed so that she had to keep glancing around quickly to keep them in sight. The right-hand Beast made his move when he was behind Rula and lunged at her back horns first.
But as with the informant Rula knew he was there and whirled around and slashed quickly in his direction. The unlucky monster came to a halt as he watched blankly as the spear passed smoothly through his arm as if it were made of butter. His severed appendage fell to the grass gushing blood.
Although she'd injured her attacker Rula swore silently. Shit...I missed his throat! She snarled to herself.
Slinging her spear into the leather strap on her back Rula right over the agonised and lurching Beasts head and as she landed on the other side of him she grabbed his neck in both her arms and with a strength that belied the litheness of her body she pulled his head back sharply…Crack!
The Beast collapsed his neck broken and now tired from the strain of the effort she'd just made Rula drew her spear again as she and the final surviving Horned Beast stood at a face-off.
"Grr! Shall spread the Queen mouse's blood over fiery mouse for seasoning!" he growled uneasily as he cautiously eyed the warrior who had killed his two companions.
Rula's eyes narrowed as she faced the hulking monster that towered over her. "This fight's already over." She replied in such a firm tone that the guards stared blankly at her. "I might be exhausted but you're finished as well…just a little longer and then you're through."
The beast threw back his head and guffawed at what he saw as the pitiful final squeaking of his next meal…and then his veins erupted.
The Beasts face contorted in agony as his body was wracked with burning pain - gurgling pathetically he fell to the earth where he thrashed violently for a few seconds and then was lifeless, the poison that Rula had covered her fingernails with having been too much for him.
The leader of the Horned Beasts of Min was vanquished at Rula's hand - When the news of his death got around the clan of cowardly beasts would more than likely split up and head for the hills rather than face the one who had slain their leader.
After many centuries the planet Min was once again free from the scourge of the Horned Beasts!
Rula gave a sigh of relief as she slid Gafgarion back into the leather strap. Good job, she thanked it silently. Turning away from the blood drenched grass the huntress walked over to the group standing in the clearing.
The Guards watched her approach warily worried that Rula may have only saved them to have the fun of killing them all to herself. Queen Serenity watched in fascination as Rula neared them swaying her hips gracefully as if nothing had happened.
Realising that her presence was worrying the strange group Rula stopped and stood several paces away from them. "Are you people alright?" she asked.
"Yes." Serenity nodded with a grateful smile adorning her face. "We thank you for your help. You saved our lives!"
Rula turned to gaze at her – her eyes widened a touch. Oh my god…beautiful! She thought in awe though she didn't let it show on her face. Serenity's flawless face and lilac eyes enchanted her – male masculinity didn't impress her since she had grown up among men but the beauty of a woman was something that Rula deeply appreciated since she had rarely seen many women in her life.
Though she made sure that her face stayed cocky her heart was actually pounding as she stood looking deeply into the Lunarians lovely eyes. "Not at all. I'm sure your men would have been able to handle them." Rula replied not very sincerely. "Well now...farewell!"
"Wait!" Serenity exclaimed as the huntress turned and started to walk away. "What is your name? Are you a Star Raider?"
Rula turned back in surprise. "Yeah but how did you know that?" she asked confused.
"I have come here to find someone. I believe that you are she." Serenity explained stepping nearer to the huntress.
"Oh really? Well that must be me 'cuz I'm the only girl in my group!" Rula remarked. "I'm Rula. And you are...?"
"I am Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon Kingdom." Serenity introduced herself. "These men of honour are my royal Guards."
"Whose first duty is to guard themselves? Who's the fella sunbathing on his stomach?" Rula asked with a smile.
Everyone looked over at Xizor who still lay shivering on the ground with covered ears.
"He is Xizor, an Ambassador of my Kingdom." Serenity made the introduction on Xizor's behalf. "I am sorry but his courage seems to be somewhat amiss at the moment."
Xizor noticed the absence of the roars and on covering his ears he peeked cautiously over his shoulder - He felt incredibly embarrassed when he met the eyes of Queen Serenity, the Guards and the unfamiliar strange looking girl with dreadlocks. "Ah! Ah!...ah well! Ah!" Xizor gasped clambering to his feet and dusting himself off. "I am relieved to see that all of you are well! I'm afraid that the roaring of those monsters disorientated me. In my stupor I became convinced that I was an abject coward."
Serenity only smiled and told him to be quiet. "I have come a long way to meet you Rula." she told the huntress.
Rula would have opened her mouth to ask why but at that moment the other Star Raiders arrived.
Grift was breathless as she rushed up. "Ooookay Rula we're here!" he declared. "Just point us at those..." The mutilated Raider trailed off as he saw the sliced and diced remains of the Beasts lying fermenting sadly in the bloody grass. "Oh..." he concluded as he deflated. "...good job."
Xizor suddenly felt very sorry for the Beasts...it would probably make things a lot less complicated.
"What happened to the last one?" Blackabar was asking Rula. "He dropped dead but you never even touched him!"
"Yes I did!" Rula disagreed. "Didn't you notice? I scratched him and he was killed by the venom I dipped my nails in."
Xizor's eyes widened. "You put POISON on your fingernails?!!" he squeaked disbelievingly.
"Certainly do." Rula folded her arms and smiled charmingly.
"What if you scratched your leg and accidentally drew blood?" he demanded.
"Accident? ME???" Rula's voice was disbelieving.
Xizor decided to let it drop – the expression on Rula's face told him that it would really be the wisest thing to do.
Queen Serenity was gazing at the huntress in wonder - she could not approve of the use of poison but after all it had saved their lives.
As she looked at Rula Serenity knew that that their conversation would be interesting...
~*~*~
"Your Majesty I insist that we leave this accursed planet as soon as possible!" Blackabar exclaimed, as he stood alone with Queen Serenity who sat demurely on a mossy log in the shade. "There could be more of those monsters lurking anywhere and I fear for your safety…please let us return home as soon as preparations are completed!"
Serenity sighed. "I never get to have any fun." She murmured with a tiny smile of amusement on her face.
"Your Majesty?"
"Never mind." The Queen smiled as she thought the situation over - her escort were shaken by what had happened and wanted to leave Min as soon as possible and though she secretly believed that most of her guards were more concerned about their personal safety than her own she agreed whole-heartedly.
Serenity would have been relieved as the rest of them to leave this planet far behind but on the other hand she felt reluctant to go just yet…Rula fascinated her from her dark, secretive eyes right down to the way she talked – yet still she had no idea whether or not she was the girl Xizor had told her about. Rula's fighting skill and natural grace were breath taking in themselves but that could simply mean that she was an exceptionally talented huntress…
Making her mind up she rose to her feet and addressed the captain of her guard again. "Very well – prepare for departure. In the meantime I would like to speak to Rula."
"Shall I accompany you?"
Serenity shook her head. "No thank you – I would like to speak with her alone." She fended off his offer of escort firmly and before he could insist that he went with her she turned and walked away - There was only one way that she could determine whether or not Rula was what Xizor thought she was – Queen Serenity was determined to find out if she had the powers of a real Princess…
Left alone by her Majesty the Captain sighed – his attempt to persuade Serenity to let him take her to safety had brought back the memory of how he had first come to be in the service of the Lunarian Royal Family many years ago.
Back when he'd been young he'd worked in the country as assistant to a blacksmith and it had been the day that he'd been sent to return a repaired sword to that Generation's Captain of the Royal Guard that he'd received his chance to show his true mettle – as he'd neared the City the young lad had witnessed a young girl in a green hood and cloak being waylaid by a pair of country hoodlums and without hesitation he'd immediately run to her aid, the long blade of the sword he'd been charged with bouncing up and down as he'd held the hilt on one hand.
The two blackguards hadn't been that difficult to see off, both being more used to bothering lone passers-by of a peaceful disposition and not young men who carried swords that they looked like they were more than capable of using to inflict serious bodily harm – still the more braver of the yellow pair tried to persuade Blackabar into backing off with a wooden staff but the youth's flailing with the far-too-heavy sword resulted in the hoodlum's weapon being broken in two and his subsequent flight. Emboldened by his success Blackabar had then turned to face the second of the hooligans who, strangely, had not moved an inch during the youth's confrontation with his friend – instead he'd been standing, staring at the girl with his hands down by his sides. As Blackabar had approached him grimly however the bemused fellow had seemed to jolt back to his senses and the sight of the blade had been enough to send him stumbling into the undergrowth along with his friend – back to where they had both come from.
When Blackabar had asked her if she was all right the girl had seemed calm and collected as though she'd been in no more trouble than if her cloak had been caught in a thorn- bush – as they'd walked back to the Royal City she'd thanked him graciously for coming to help her and then asked him who he was and what he was, reacting with surprised when told that he was an assistant-blacksmith and NOT a roving warrior after the way she'd seen him handle the two who had accosted her.
Once they reached the gates of the City the girl had left him with a wave and a smile, disappearing into the crowds of people in the marketplace and out of his sight much like a dream – especially as he later realised, on his way home after delivering the sword to the Captain of the Guard, since he didn't even know her name.
And so he'd returned to the country and continued working – until, a week later, he was summoned back to the City and this time taken to the Palace. There, to his amazement, he was recruited into the Royal Guard on a strong recommendation from the Princess – and when he'd met the heiress to the Moon Kingdom the girl he had helped that day, Serenity, had just laughed and told him that NOW he was in the right career for him.
Blackabar sighed as his hand ran down to the sword-hilt at his belt – one thing had led to another and eventually he'd been selected by the Captain of the Guard to take over his position after he had retired, presented with the sword that was now at his side.
The very same sword that had led to him becoming who and what he was today – it had always served him well.
Blackabar's black-bearded face creased as he smiled ironically – it was still strange to be working for Serenity and seeing the crafty girl he'd first met out in the wild after she'd snuck out of the Palace to be by herself as the benevolent and wise Queen of the Moon.
Forty-Two years… thought Blackabar as he turned, bereft of a Queen to protect, and walked over to the spacecraft where Xizor and Grift were talking. …Where HAS the time gone? And just how much do I have left…?
"Of course it was on Earth that she took the old guy's place as leader." The one-eyed Raider was saying to Xizor who had engaged him in conversation about the girl who had saved their lives earlier. "And it was then that…well…" he patted his artificial arm meaningfully and said no more.
Xizor stared blankly at him. "Well…" he patted his own arm mimicking what Grift had done. "…what?"
"Well I lost my arm didn't I?" Grift exclaimed.
Xizor stared at him in silence for a moment and then looked at the arm – of course since the one-eyed hunter was carrying a bag slung over it the ambassador could not see that his limb was a metal replacement. "Er…oh dear. How sad!" Xizor said in as sympathetic voice as he could manage.
"You're a veteran then?" Blackabar inquired as he walked up.
"No way!!" Grift spluttered, outraged as his pride was wounded to the quick. "I'm always in the thick of the action! Someone else looks after the horses…"
The Mysterious Young Woman
Centuries ago during the Silver Millennium during the reign of Queen Serenity and before the fall of the Moon Kingdom - Deep in Inner-Space…
"Have you ANY idea where we're GOING?" grumbled one of the two Lunarian men who sat in the cockpit of the scouting-vessel – his name was Kelem and he and his companion, the pilot of this ship, were both deeply bored as they slid smoothly through space in the sleek, shimmering and utterly sophisticated spacecraft made in the Moon Kingdom.
"Hey look, do YOU want to do this Kel?" asked the leaner of the two, a man named Taur, keeping his eyes ahead – his voice was exasperated as he worked at the control-panel that determined the course of their ship
"Not especially."
"Then why don't you belt up and let ME do it?"
Straight ahead of the two was – everything.
Space – the celestial sea, the infinity of potential that served, as the canvas of creation, the source of endless possibilities throughout its boundless reaches. An endless expanse of stars, suns, entire worlds that were slowly being born and dying, receiving the gift of existence and ceasing to exist with every passing moment…just as life passed through the bodies of every living man and woman who dwelt in it.
"God…I am SO bored." Muttered Taur as he and his companion travelled between the jewels of the cosmos, their current status: LOST.
"Where do you think we ARE anyway?" Kelem asked as he stared blankly at the utterly unfamiliar constellations that lay ahead.
"I have no idea – maybe somewhere in the Horse-Head Nebula?"
Kelem looked at the pilot of the scouting-vessel, a stunned look on his face. "But isn't THAT…?" he stammered – his exclamation was interrupted mid-surge as the control-panel suddenly began to resonate a deep and echoing sound that certainly didn't sound good.
Taur stared at the information that was frantically flashing across the screen mounted just under his nose – when he looked up Kelem was instantly chagrined by the look of apprehension on his face. "This area…it's, it's absolutely FLOWING with negative-energy waves!" he said, urgency edging into his voice. "The ship…the controls have locked in place! I – I can't alter our course Kel!!"
The ship continued lifelessly on it's way into the sector that seemed to be totally empty of anything other than stars.
"Strange – where's it COMING from?" Taur wondered as he checked the readings on his control-panel and then looked up at his excellent view of what seemed to be absolutely nothing unusual up ahead. "What's the SOURCE of the interference?"
"Taur…" stammered Kelem, his fearful voice chilling the blood of the pilot before he even looked at him – the Lunarian was staring at the screen which had just registered a new development. "…I REALLY think you should take a look at THIS!"
The level of the negative-energy that had stunned the online-system of the craft was slowly increasing – as they went further and further into this sector.
Taur stared at the wildly groaning device in shock and then his gaze shot back to the window – he and his companion were both just in time to catch the amazing spectacle that took place right in front of their eyes. The stars ahead rippled and then they all seemed to rush outward in every direction, disappearing from sight completely – an illusory-wall that they had just passed through.
The two from the Moon Kingdom would have been shocked, stunned by what they had just witnessed which was beyond anything that either had ever experienced in all of their years of experience as scouts of Inner space…however what lay beyond the fake view of seething stars and cold oblivion instantly filled their minds with such terror that neither was now capable of rational thought sufficient enough to register amazement.
Darkness – not the emptiness of space but the cold shadow of a place that had never known light, where warmth had never existed. Coldness engulfed the two men in the cockpit and they both felt that they had strayed over the brink of the universe and into pure oblivion.
This seemingly endless and empty void had swallowed them up as they'd unwittingly and helplessly wandered right into it and…
The almost silky blackness ahead of the scouting-vessel was broken – two points of red light opened up in the near distance, both blazing with flame and HUGE. Two cavities of scarlet, glaring light rivalling the heart of a pair of blood ruby's held up in front of the harshest sunlight.
Two great empty eye-sockets transfixed the inhabitants of the lifeless spacecraft – as a high-pitched and soul-piercing screech filled the cockpit, followed closely by another a monstrous, cavernous mouth ripped open beneath the baleful, malevolent eyes.
It was only as a hideous and inhuman laughed grated from the skull of darkness, the guardian of the Dark Kingdom whose illusory wall of defence their ship had breached, rushed up towards them that the two men from the Moon realised that the screams had been their own.
…No way out.
~*~*~
Elsewhere…
The flames roared high crackling and spitting rivalling the twin suns of Yura in their brilliance. The campfire was medium sized but in the centre of the clearing amidst the logs that had been chopped down to be used as seats it served its purpose well.
The fire gave heat to the clearing and also more importantly burned intensely enough to roast meat upon. There was plenty of fresh red meat for cooking that day and a large skeleton lay forgotten a short distance away from the camp-site its picked bones reflecting the light of the fire.
The dead beast had once possessed a pair of vicious tusks that were now gone taken by the one who had slain it and had wandered Yura in search of its prey on six legs...but not anymore.
The skeleton of the dead Gru had been picked clean and the Star Raiders were feasting well tonight on its flesh which they were becoming crispy on their fire at this very moment.
"Ahhh! Nothing like red roasted meat freshly caught!" sighed a muscular Raider in a pair of shorts made from the black leathery hide of some beast or other he had killed as he took a break from the handful of carcass he was eating.
"Mmm roast Gru!! Nice n'crispy!! I want the rare piece!!" crooned another Raider as he picked at the meat he had extracted from the back of the Gru's neck – his world-worn body was wiry yet possessed startling strength and for a moment his scowling face which was patterned with angry red scars screwed up in pleasure as he chewed up the meat.
The two members of the group of hunters known throughout the universe as the Star Raiders who had spoken went by the names Kirin and Dirk and they were well satisfied by the meat which filled their palate that evening.
A Star Raider whose left eye was covered by a leather eye patch and had a prosthetic metal arm grafted in place of his original organic appendage which he had lost during a fight one year ago ago sat back on another log separate from Kirin and Dirk and chewed in silence. His name was Grift and he was the most cheerful and high spirited of the Star Raiders who was always ready with a joke or a long and humorous tale to entertain his fellow Raiders despite his striking mutilations.
"That's nothing." Grift informed the others as he pointed a mechanical finger at the bare skeleton of the Gru. "You ought to see the other bloke!"
There was a ripple of merriment from the feasting Raiders as they tucked into the meat while it was still fresh.
The Star Raiders had been formed eighteen years ago when a travelling hunter by the name of Steel Eye had met up with Grift on his journey. Back then Grift had only just begun his own travels and as such he had still had his eye and arm intact and the two had struck a mutual partnership. From that day on they had travelled the universe together and as time had passed many other travellers had joined them until there were eighteen members of the group.
The people of the universe had dubbed these wandering hunters the 'Star Raiders' and old Steel-Eye had been their leader. Fate had struck however and one year ago when the group had visited the planet Earth in the inner solar system. While the Raiders had been attacking a Temple of heathens who had been terrorising the people who dwelt in the surrounding forests Steel-Eye had been taken by surprise by the High Priest who had slashed his arm with a pair of blades that had been steeped in a fast-acting and deadly venom.
The poison had ravaged the old hunters body quickly and as Steel-Eye had lain dying he had used his final breath to name the one he wanted to take his place when he was gone. Minutes later Steel-Eye had died dead and with respect for the old traveller and hunter, leader of the Raiders Grift had given him a funeral pyre fit for a king...which was what he had been to the men he had trained, travelled with and fought alongside.
The new leader of the Star Raiders had been a great surprise for the group however...
As Grift thought about all of this his sole eye wandered over to the new leader of the group. Rula sat apart from the other Raiders on a log of her own. She was the leader of the group and its most remarkable member in that she was the only female in it.
Rula was breathtakingly beautiful but her beauty was on the wild side. Her face was streaked with the dirt of this planet's earth and her hair that was bound up in dreadlocks was dipped with the blood of creatures from every reach of the galaxy. Only that day had Rula added Gru blood to a lock of her hair and its original colour was impossible to guess. Rula was wearing a short-cropped top made from brown fur which left her cleavage and whole stomach exposed and a short skirt made from the red fur of another different beast. The huntress's feet were clad in a pair of knee-length boots that were made from dark leather. Her belly button had been pierced when she'd been very young and the silver ring that had been slid into it flashed brilliantly whenever it caught the orange glow of the fire.
Rula's eyes were a colour of brown that Grift had never seen before anywhere else in the universe. The young huntresses eyes seemed to be alive with an energy that rivalled the light of the stars themselves in it's brilliance and the rippling streams of crystal clear water on this planet. Whenever the red flames caught the light of her eyes they would sparkle in the bright glow dazzling any who were looking directly into her eyes.
Rula's hand rested on the metal edge of a large sharp bladed spear that she had claimed for herself on the day two years ago when it had been found simply drifting along on an endless journey through the cold void of outer space in some sector that Grift couldn't recall the name of. Nobody knew who had made the spear or where it had come from but as soon as her eyes had fallen on it after the Raiders had retrieved it Rula had known that it was for her. With the spear that was named 'Gafgarion' (Its name was engraved on the side of the handle.) in her hand she could decimate just about anything she came up against. The skull of the Gru lying several feet away from its actual neck told testimony to this.
Rula's strength and tactical mind were what made her the ideal choice for the leader of the Star Raiders and there were even murmurs among the group that she was actually superior to Steel Eye. Grift was loyal to the first leader but there were times lately when he watched Rula in battle that he felt his resolve twitching. This and...there was something unusual about Rula.
Something mysterious and somehow out of place here in this group.
Grift didn't know if anyone else had noticed apart from him but he'd always felt sure that Rula was different from the rest of them…special in some way.
But how…?
Unconscious of the mutilated Raiders thoughts Rula took a great big bite out of the raw Gru leg she had secured from the spit before the others had lit the fire. "Not bad." she muttered thoughtfully to herself as she chewed. "Maybe next time I'll cook it though."
~*~*~
Meanwhile in the Moon Kingdom…
Queen Serenity was at peace.
A universal prosperity seemed to have spread throughout the galaxy during the days after the end of the Great War between Pluto and Palazea and now peace had come to reign between the many peoples of the planets.
Trade was beneficial to all and economy flourished. Very little seemed to be going on at court at the moment and so Queen Serenity had a rarely lengthy amount of time for her own thoughts.
As she sat on the edge of the great beautifully carved marble fountain in the centre of the courtyard watching the tranquil flow of the water which sparkled in the light of the stars shining down on it from the sky Serenity knew that she had a lot to be thankful for. As she watched the pure water which made a quiet tinkling like many small bells of silver Serenity felt peaceful and for the first time in a while free of care. And it was this that was faintly nagging her from the back of her mind.
She knew that she ought to feel relieved and happy that the time was so pleasant and easy but for some reason she could not quite silence that tiny worry that lurked at the back of her thoughts. To her the great peace felt like the calm before the storm...
With a sigh Serenity tried to dismiss these thoughts from her mind - after all it was probably merely that she was being paranoid.
"Your majesty." a light voice spoke from behind her causing Serenity to break off from her deep thoughtful reverie.
The Queen of the Moon Kingdom turned to see Xizor, her Ambassador whom she would often dispatch to gather news from all the distant planets of the universe.
Xizor was short and tubby and had the cheerful kind of air and charm that went with it. He was dressed in bright colours and his clothing looked almost frayed but comfortable and easy to wear which was all that really mattered to him – his head of greying hair was partially covered by a hat with square edges that was constantly sliding off and needing to be repositioned whenever he turned his head very quickly.
"Be at ease." Serenity told him as he dropped down to his knee and bowed his head - she wondered if any of them realised just how tiresome this routine had become over the years. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?" she asked wondering if her worries a moment ago had been well founded after all. "Has anything happened?"
"Oh no, not at all your majesty. The great peace still prospers." Xizor assured her as he rose to his feet. "But there is something which has come to my attention that I think you should know about."
"Oh?" Serenity was interested but wary.
Xizor cleared his throat. "Queen Serenity have you ever heard of a group called the Star Raiders?" he asked her.
Queen Serenity wrinkled her brow surprised at such an unexpected question. "What an unusual question! Yes I have known for some time of the group of itinerant hunter gatherers who migrate from planet to planet." she replied. "But so far I have never had any reason to be concerned about them. Why do you ask me about the Star Raiders?"
"Well the truth was your majesty that I wasn't so much thinking about the actual group itself but more of a certain member. Among there number there is a young woman who has caught my interest."
"Go on." Serenity prompted him.
"This morning one of my information gatherers came to me with news that this young woman, this Star Raider seems to possess mysterious and unique powers. But it was not just that which interested me." he paused before continuing. "My source told me that her power seems to be identical to that possessed by our Princesses!"
Serenity blinked and gasped in surprise at this unexpected news. "Are you sure about this?" she asked regaining her composure. "After all it is a rumour and such power can only belong to one of Royal Blood."
"That is what surprised me your majesty. But my source seemed to be positive that he was right and he has always been reliable." Xizor blustered.
Serenity was silent and thoughtful for the next few moments as she thought about this. It was unheard of for just anyone to have use of the power of the royal families...in fact it should have been impossible.
If this young woman existed then could it be that she was of noble blood?
A Princess?
It was probably nonsense but something about this about this girl fascinated Serenity. "I would like to meet her very much indeed." Serenity declared as she made up her mind. "Xizor have you any idea about which planet the Star Raiders are currently settled on?"
The Ambassador thought for a moment and then replied. "Yes. They are on Yura at the moment. But it should be about time for them to move on now your majesty."
Serenity nodded. "Very well. Would you please go and have my personal spacecraft readied for departure? And also please try to find out where the Star Raiders may be heading when they leave Yura. I will visit them and personally see if there is any truth in what you have told me."
"As you wish my Queen." Xizor bowed before her once more before turning and setting off for the Royal palace to begin making preparations for Queen Serenity's journey to the Horse-head Nebula in search of the Star Raiders.
Thinking hard about all that she had heard Serenity wondered as she gazed into the shimmering mirror-like surface of the water if a Princess could really be born among those who were not of noble blood.
Did this mysterious young woman really exist?
Soon she would know for sure.
The Queen felt herself shudder and for no reason at all she glanced quickly over her shoulder – shaking her head she returned her gaze to the shimmering water, a tiny frown on her face.
It was strange – just for a brief second she had felt certain that somebody had been watching her.
~*~*~
At that very moment in the observatory tower of the Imperial Castle of planet Earth…
Acheton the Imperial Arch-Mage and chief scientist of the Earthern Empire was literally trembling with awe as he stood on his rickety wooden chair with his eye firmly glued to the lens of his telescope.
The clunking monstrosity was the chief Scientists proudest creation – created by screwing together many rusting pieces of several different machines it was the most powerful telescope in the entire universe…although this had been a serious problem since the first time he had focused the lens Acheton had directed the machine at the sun, hence the black patch that covered his left eye-socket. The telescope was currently pointed up at the sky from the window of his lab as if trying to snatch the very stars down from the heavens and Acheton's mouth had fallen open, as he had dared to gaze through it for the second time since its construction.
A drop of saliva dangled from the tip of his tongue for what he had momentarily glimpsed before he had knocked the telescope in his surprise had filled him with wonder and amazement. "It's true…it's really true!" the wizened old man breathed in a thrilled whisper of awe as he stepped back from the astrological apparatus and clutched the edge of his workbench for support. "She does exist! I must take this incredible news directly to the Emperor!"
As he ran from his lab (Where he was given to spend entire weeks trying to turn lead into gold and sows ears into ducks and other such mind-bogglingly fruitless endeavours…) Acheton cackled crazily to himself and gloated over his triumph – his few remaining colleagues had mocked him but now at last after endless years of sleepless nights spent chalking up numerical calculations on his blackboard he believed that he had proved every last pessimist wrong. This would be his hour – his moment to stand up triumphant and deliver the news to the scientific world that he had been right and everybody else had been wrong.
The old man barged into the throne room before the idle guards could try to stop him, eager to present himself to his liege and inform him of the fantastic discovery he had just made. Emperor Mu, supreme ruler of Earth gave the bedraggled old man standing before him an irate but also surprised look.
The ancient scientist and wizards long white beard was disgustingly ruffled having been slept on many times and his grey robe was stained and singed as a result of his many catastrophic experiments. "Oh…you." The golden-haired Emperor grunted as he took a sip from his wineglass. "We hadn't heard from you for over a decade so everybody thought that you'd killed yourself in that last explosion. Well what is it?"
Mu's mood seemed to be none too amiable just then since he had actually been right in the middle of something that had been interrupted by the arrival of the crazed old scholar. A young woman who was dressed in a humiliating silk outfit was sitting just by the Emperor's side – as it happened he had procured her from a nearby peasant village while disguised as a bandit during his recent raid. The woman herself was quite thankful for Acheton's intervention since she had heard about what Mu did with his 'pets' once he tired of them and wasn't that keen to get acquainted with him just yet.
"I saw her!" Acheton exclaimed throwing his arms out in excitement. "I saw the woman on the moon! My liege there really is a woman on the moon!"
Emperor Mu glanced over to where his younger brother Prince Darien sat by his other side and rolled his eyes sarcastically. Uncomfortable though he was because of the presence of the scantily clad woman whom he sensed wasn't here of her own free will Darien cracked a smile. Everyone knew that the crazed old scientist and wizard lived in a world of his own, cut off from the rest of mankind. Acheton had to be the only person in the universe who still hadn't heard that there had been people living on the Moon for centuries.
In fact the mere mention of the Moon Kingdom would probably have given him a heart attack…
Mu transferred his attention back to the woman and gave a sigh of resignation. "Ten to one she's married." he remarked sarcastically as the unfortunate girl blushed crimson and his brother the dark-haired Prince averted his eyes and cringed…
~*~*~
The next day – early evening on the jungle planet Min…
The air pulsated with the sounds and aromas of the natural paradise of Min.
The shrieks of the savage yet majestic birds of prey which screamed before swooping down from the sky to claim their wretched prey were constant and the shadows of the areas of thick and close trees were filled with predatory beasts lying waiting for one weaker than itself to come past. Some even waited especially for one stronger than itself to come by.
But there was beauty on Min also. The sky a mix of glorious blue and purple had a sun which shone not too brightly and was neither too hot and waterfalls and rivers of crystal clear water could be found all over the planet.
Visitors on Min were rare but today there was a large group of people here - the Star Raiders had come to Min.
As it happened there was also to be another arrival on the planet that day. There was a roar of engines as a spaceship appeared in the atmosphere. It was pure silver and shone brilliantly in the sunlight as it came to rest on the rocky bank of a huge river.
There was a pause and then the door on the side of the ship opened with a mechanical whirr.
The metal steps were lowered to the ground and several figures appeared in the wide doorway. Queen Serenity looked out at Min as she and the others stepped down to the ground - as she stood in the sun she was uncomfortably aware of the heat she was so unaccustomed to.
Turning her head she looked up at Xizor who was clambering down along with her royal Guards. "Are you sure that this is the right planet?" Serenity asked. "I can't see any sign of the Star Raiders at all."
"Ah that is because they are expert in the art of hiding themselves from view behind the undergrowth your majesty." Xizor explained. "Trust me - the Star Raiders are in their element here."
"So then how do you propose that we find them?"
"It looks like we don't your majesty. All we can do is wait for them to find us."
~*~*~
"Right. So you're all ready then?" Rula demanded as she slipped her spear from its leather holder on her back.
"Yep." came a chorus of voices from the large amount of Star Raiders crouched next to her behind the thick bracken.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"Nah." most of the Raiders chorused.
"Yeh." a few squeaks filtered through from the back of the group.
"Not nervous enough then. I saw them make monster-mince-meat out of those lizards." Rula warned.
A short way off from their hiding place a group of Horned Minian Beasts were feasting on the remains of a small group of Pygmy Lizards.
The Horned Beasts of Min were massive humanoid brutes standing over ten feet tall dwarfing the Star Raiders. Their bodies were almost weighed down by their sticking out overdeveloped muscles and their feet were cloven hooves. Their heads resembled those of wild bulls complete with curved horns and metal rings running through their nostrils.
The group of these formidable creatures consisted of five and from their grinning leering faces and squinting eyes it was plain for all to see that they were a set of bloodthirsty brutes who killed more out of a sense of please rather than the need to eat. The beasts had killed a small group of Pygmy Lizards which they had chased here from the stream a short way away. The Lizards were (or rather had been) reptilian creatures whose bodies were covered with golden scales which shimmered in the light of the sun when wet and fetched quite a high price in the intergalactic market although this was not the reason why the Beasts had killed them.
The Horned Beasts motive for the wholesale slaughter of the reptiles was simply that they had been alive...and that was not tolerable.
At the moment the group of Horned Beasts were sitting in a circle as they stuffed their faces on the remains of the unfortunate reptiles biting their heads off like they were drumsticks. They were making a raucous row and belching and swearing at each other for grabbing pieces that the other had wanted for himself that they had if they had only realised it created the perfect set-up for them to be ambushed.
The were five of them and they were tough looking brutes (Horned Beasts being one of the dominant species on Min) but Rula was confident that the Star Raiders were large enough in number to take them down.
"Okay then!" Rula hissed back of the hidden group. "This is the plan of attack: I'll walk out into the middle of the circle and when I'm attacked you guys will have the chance to surprise them from behind. Got it?"
"Gottit boss!"
"You're playing with my life here so try and get it right the first time you idiots."
"We will."
"Then let's rock!" Rula announced coolly as she raised Gafgarion so that its metal blade pointed towards the beasts in a killer arc and made to walk out from behind the bracken.
"Wait!"
Rula stopped and turned back as a voice cried out abruptly - there was a scowl on her face was Grift stood behind her with a concerned look on his face. "What do you want Grift?" she snapped tersely.
"This is way too dangerous. Let me..."
"No way." Rula cut off the mutilated Raider before he could even get started. "The leader is obliged to take the greatest risk. And that's me so learn to like it Grift!"
Grift waved his metal finger at her. "Let me ask you one thing Rula. Who got you your first pair of shoes? Who taught you how to read and write?" he asked plaintively.
"Well I don't know! Who? It sure wasn't you Grift!"
"Fair enough." Grift realised that his finger was serving no purpose and stopped and put it back where it belonged - he'd only just greased the mechanism and didn't want to get it all gritted up again so soon.
This sorted out Rula made to leave the bracken - she was interrupted again.
"Boss! Look!" Kirin hissed grabbing her shoulder and dragging her back down beside him.
Rula quivered in frustration and followed the direction of his finger. She stopped realising that there was something going on.
Another Beast had arrived and was saying something in the leader of the Beast's ear. Rula tried to understand what was said but he was whispering and the wind covered it up.
Then the leader spoke to another of the Beasts and then he and that Beast got up and followed the newcomer away into the undergrowth. "Hello, hello, hello! What's the crack there?" Grift frowned suspiciously after the departed Beasts.
"That's what I'd like to know." Rula rose to her feet. "You guys take care of the three that are here while I follow them."
"What?!!" Grift jumped to his feet. "Let me come!"
"Forget it." Rula snapped.
"There are three of them. I have to..."
"I thought I said 'forget it'. Stay here and help the others. Okay?!!"
Not giving them another chance to call after her Rula turned and dashed speedily into the undergrowth. As the huntress followed the Beasts she had an eruption of war-cries of warriors from every corner of the universe as the Star Raiders attacked the Beasts who snarled as they prepared to do battle...
~*~*~
"By the heavens!!! What in the galaxy are they?!!"
The six Elite Royal Guards were staring with horrified eyes as they leapt to their feet.
Queen Serenity was also staring in alarm. The party from the Moon Kingdom had decided to rest for a while during their search for the Star Raiders when one of them had cried out in terror and pointed at something in the distance.
Bounding through the undergrowth there came thundering the three Horned Beasts who had left their group to find the people that they had learned had come to Min. The ugly savage brutes grinned slathering as they neared the terrified guards the worried Serenity and the palpitating Xizor.
As the three monsters approached the group the three monsters snarled among themselves. "There! You see the mice?" the informer Beast who had led the other two here spat.
"Saaaaaahhh!!!!" the leader Beast snarled. "These mice small!"
"Mice! Love em! Just love em!" the leader's right hand Beast grinned slathering.
Licking their lips in anticipation of the meal ahead the Beasts bounded faster towards the group. Seeing this the guards pulled themselves together and also around Queen Serenity protectively.
Serenity could not help but wonder who they expected to protect them! "Stay away from the Queen vile Beasts!" one of the guards bellowed putting all his years of courage and faithful service into his manly roar.
However the effect was somewhat marred by the waver in his voice.
"Mmm-mmm-mmm!!! We have a Queen! Wonder I do if the blue blood makes the mouse taste better!" the leader of the Beasts grinned.
Blackabar looked over and gave the guard a withering 'What did you say that for you idiot?' look. Xizor remembered that he had once been told that the Horned Beasts of Min did not eat cold corpses.
Seizing this he flung himself to the ground. "Don't eat me!!! Don't eat me!!!" he bleated over his shoulder at the approaching monsters. "I'm DEAD! See? Dead! DEAD!!!!"
Knowing that it was all up to her Serenity breathed deeply as she prepared to use her power to protect herself and her escort from the approaching monsters…though it had been a considerable while since she had last needed to do something like this she was surprised to realise that she was actually quite exhilarated by the prospect…
However it turned out to be unnecessary for her to intervene… "Freeze!"
The Beasts scudded to a halt as a voice hailed them from above. They searched the area for the one who had called to them.
Serenity had already seen the one who had shouted at the Beasts and she purposely avoided her with her eyes.
Suddenly one of the Beasts roared and pointed up. The three Beasts gathered around a tree glaring up at a girl with dreadlocks coated in dry blood who wore the briefest of tops and a short red skirt who held a long metal spear in her hand crouched on a branch.
Rula looked down grimly at the Beasts. "Up until now you've destroyed everything in your paths! Now you threaten innocent travellers! Now my spear will cleanse this planet of you all!" the huntress declared.
The Beasts howled with coarse laughter thinking this to be the most ridiculous and unpractical threat they had ever heard.
Regardless of this Rula stepped off the edge of the branch and landed right in the middle of the Beasts - watching from a distance the guards Guards goggled in disbelief.
What was she doing?
Serenity had guessed Rula's identity long ago and so she did not worry about the huntress's safety but instead watched on in interest...
Growling and snarling the Beasts circled Rula who stood completely still holding her spear ready for them in a deadly arc ready to cleave.
"Saaaaah!!! We have a female mouse here!"
"Saaaaaahhh!!!"
"saaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!" The leader of the Beasts made a lunge at Rula lowering his horns to skewer her through the heart killing her instantly.
Rula had sensed his approach however and stepped neatly out of his destructive path - As he passed her cleaving nothing but air Rula raised her hand and scratched the beast's side drawing blood.
The Beast sniggered at what he assumed was the huntress's pathetic attempt to hurt him. "The mouse nips! Hee hee hee!!!!" he laughed and made the other two guffaw.
"Hee hee hee!!! Mouse that nips make a very good dish!"
Laugh now buffalo boy! Rula thought with a mysterious smile as she leapt backwards through the air turning over and over like a spry fox - as she did she started to spin Gafgarion around in her hand at an incredible speed.
And as Rula passed one of the beasts she drove her spear in his direction - the brute's eyes bulged in astonished shock as the blade sliced his body cleanly in two.
The monster fell to the grass in two halves gushing blood before he could even scream.
The Guard watched bewildered...Rula had moved so fast they had hardly seen it!
Blackabar chuckled quietly. Now there's a trick I've never seen Princess Charon do! He thought.
The other two Beasts watched the huntress warily. "Mmm-mmm-mmm! A fiery mouse!"
"Fiery mouse! Let me get my bib!"
Then they circled her with confusing speed so that she had to keep glancing around quickly to keep them in sight. The right-hand Beast made his move when he was behind Rula and lunged at her back horns first.
But as with the informant Rula knew he was there and whirled around and slashed quickly in his direction. The unlucky monster came to a halt as he watched blankly as the spear passed smoothly through his arm as if it were made of butter. His severed appendage fell to the grass gushing blood.
Although she'd injured her attacker Rula swore silently. Shit...I missed his throat! She snarled to herself.
Slinging her spear into the leather strap on her back Rula right over the agonised and lurching Beasts head and as she landed on the other side of him she grabbed his neck in both her arms and with a strength that belied the litheness of her body she pulled his head back sharply…Crack!
The Beast collapsed his neck broken and now tired from the strain of the effort she'd just made Rula drew her spear again as she and the final surviving Horned Beast stood at a face-off.
"Grr! Shall spread the Queen mouse's blood over fiery mouse for seasoning!" he growled uneasily as he cautiously eyed the warrior who had killed his two companions.
Rula's eyes narrowed as she faced the hulking monster that towered over her. "This fight's already over." She replied in such a firm tone that the guards stared blankly at her. "I might be exhausted but you're finished as well…just a little longer and then you're through."
The beast threw back his head and guffawed at what he saw as the pitiful final squeaking of his next meal…and then his veins erupted.
The Beasts face contorted in agony as his body was wracked with burning pain - gurgling pathetically he fell to the earth where he thrashed violently for a few seconds and then was lifeless, the poison that Rula had covered her fingernails with having been too much for him.
The leader of the Horned Beasts of Min was vanquished at Rula's hand - When the news of his death got around the clan of cowardly beasts would more than likely split up and head for the hills rather than face the one who had slain their leader.
After many centuries the planet Min was once again free from the scourge of the Horned Beasts!
Rula gave a sigh of relief as she slid Gafgarion back into the leather strap. Good job, she thanked it silently. Turning away from the blood drenched grass the huntress walked over to the group standing in the clearing.
The Guards watched her approach warily worried that Rula may have only saved them to have the fun of killing them all to herself. Queen Serenity watched in fascination as Rula neared them swaying her hips gracefully as if nothing had happened.
Realising that her presence was worrying the strange group Rula stopped and stood several paces away from them. "Are you people alright?" she asked.
"Yes." Serenity nodded with a grateful smile adorning her face. "We thank you for your help. You saved our lives!"
Rula turned to gaze at her – her eyes widened a touch. Oh my god…beautiful! She thought in awe though she didn't let it show on her face. Serenity's flawless face and lilac eyes enchanted her – male masculinity didn't impress her since she had grown up among men but the beauty of a woman was something that Rula deeply appreciated since she had rarely seen many women in her life.
Though she made sure that her face stayed cocky her heart was actually pounding as she stood looking deeply into the Lunarians lovely eyes. "Not at all. I'm sure your men would have been able to handle them." Rula replied not very sincerely. "Well now...farewell!"
"Wait!" Serenity exclaimed as the huntress turned and started to walk away. "What is your name? Are you a Star Raider?"
Rula turned back in surprise. "Yeah but how did you know that?" she asked confused.
"I have come here to find someone. I believe that you are she." Serenity explained stepping nearer to the huntress.
"Oh really? Well that must be me 'cuz I'm the only girl in my group!" Rula remarked. "I'm Rula. And you are...?"
"I am Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon Kingdom." Serenity introduced herself. "These men of honour are my royal Guards."
"Whose first duty is to guard themselves? Who's the fella sunbathing on his stomach?" Rula asked with a smile.
Everyone looked over at Xizor who still lay shivering on the ground with covered ears.
"He is Xizor, an Ambassador of my Kingdom." Serenity made the introduction on Xizor's behalf. "I am sorry but his courage seems to be somewhat amiss at the moment."
Xizor noticed the absence of the roars and on covering his ears he peeked cautiously over his shoulder - He felt incredibly embarrassed when he met the eyes of Queen Serenity, the Guards and the unfamiliar strange looking girl with dreadlocks. "Ah! Ah!...ah well! Ah!" Xizor gasped clambering to his feet and dusting himself off. "I am relieved to see that all of you are well! I'm afraid that the roaring of those monsters disorientated me. In my stupor I became convinced that I was an abject coward."
Serenity only smiled and told him to be quiet. "I have come a long way to meet you Rula." she told the huntress.
Rula would have opened her mouth to ask why but at that moment the other Star Raiders arrived.
Grift was breathless as she rushed up. "Ooookay Rula we're here!" he declared. "Just point us at those..." The mutilated Raider trailed off as he saw the sliced and diced remains of the Beasts lying fermenting sadly in the bloody grass. "Oh..." he concluded as he deflated. "...good job."
Xizor suddenly felt very sorry for the Beasts...it would probably make things a lot less complicated.
"What happened to the last one?" Blackabar was asking Rula. "He dropped dead but you never even touched him!"
"Yes I did!" Rula disagreed. "Didn't you notice? I scratched him and he was killed by the venom I dipped my nails in."
Xizor's eyes widened. "You put POISON on your fingernails?!!" he squeaked disbelievingly.
"Certainly do." Rula folded her arms and smiled charmingly.
"What if you scratched your leg and accidentally drew blood?" he demanded.
"Accident? ME???" Rula's voice was disbelieving.
Xizor decided to let it drop – the expression on Rula's face told him that it would really be the wisest thing to do.
Queen Serenity was gazing at the huntress in wonder - she could not approve of the use of poison but after all it had saved their lives.
As she looked at Rula Serenity knew that that their conversation would be interesting...
~*~*~
"Your Majesty I insist that we leave this accursed planet as soon as possible!" Blackabar exclaimed, as he stood alone with Queen Serenity who sat demurely on a mossy log in the shade. "There could be more of those monsters lurking anywhere and I fear for your safety…please let us return home as soon as preparations are completed!"
Serenity sighed. "I never get to have any fun." She murmured with a tiny smile of amusement on her face.
"Your Majesty?"
"Never mind." The Queen smiled as she thought the situation over - her escort were shaken by what had happened and wanted to leave Min as soon as possible and though she secretly believed that most of her guards were more concerned about their personal safety than her own she agreed whole-heartedly.
Serenity would have been relieved as the rest of them to leave this planet far behind but on the other hand she felt reluctant to go just yet…Rula fascinated her from her dark, secretive eyes right down to the way she talked – yet still she had no idea whether or not she was the girl Xizor had told her about. Rula's fighting skill and natural grace were breath taking in themselves but that could simply mean that she was an exceptionally talented huntress…
Making her mind up she rose to her feet and addressed the captain of her guard again. "Very well – prepare for departure. In the meantime I would like to speak to Rula."
"Shall I accompany you?"
Serenity shook her head. "No thank you – I would like to speak with her alone." She fended off his offer of escort firmly and before he could insist that he went with her she turned and walked away - There was only one way that she could determine whether or not Rula was what Xizor thought she was – Queen Serenity was determined to find out if she had the powers of a real Princess…
Left alone by her Majesty the Captain sighed – his attempt to persuade Serenity to let him take her to safety had brought back the memory of how he had first come to be in the service of the Lunarian Royal Family many years ago.
Back when he'd been young he'd worked in the country as assistant to a blacksmith and it had been the day that he'd been sent to return a repaired sword to that Generation's Captain of the Royal Guard that he'd received his chance to show his true mettle – as he'd neared the City the young lad had witnessed a young girl in a green hood and cloak being waylaid by a pair of country hoodlums and without hesitation he'd immediately run to her aid, the long blade of the sword he'd been charged with bouncing up and down as he'd held the hilt on one hand.
The two blackguards hadn't been that difficult to see off, both being more used to bothering lone passers-by of a peaceful disposition and not young men who carried swords that they looked like they were more than capable of using to inflict serious bodily harm – still the more braver of the yellow pair tried to persuade Blackabar into backing off with a wooden staff but the youth's flailing with the far-too-heavy sword resulted in the hoodlum's weapon being broken in two and his subsequent flight. Emboldened by his success Blackabar had then turned to face the second of the hooligans who, strangely, had not moved an inch during the youth's confrontation with his friend – instead he'd been standing, staring at the girl with his hands down by his sides. As Blackabar had approached him grimly however the bemused fellow had seemed to jolt back to his senses and the sight of the blade had been enough to send him stumbling into the undergrowth along with his friend – back to where they had both come from.
When Blackabar had asked her if she was all right the girl had seemed calm and collected as though she'd been in no more trouble than if her cloak had been caught in a thorn- bush – as they'd walked back to the Royal City she'd thanked him graciously for coming to help her and then asked him who he was and what he was, reacting with surprised when told that he was an assistant-blacksmith and NOT a roving warrior after the way she'd seen him handle the two who had accosted her.
Once they reached the gates of the City the girl had left him with a wave and a smile, disappearing into the crowds of people in the marketplace and out of his sight much like a dream – especially as he later realised, on his way home after delivering the sword to the Captain of the Guard, since he didn't even know her name.
And so he'd returned to the country and continued working – until, a week later, he was summoned back to the City and this time taken to the Palace. There, to his amazement, he was recruited into the Royal Guard on a strong recommendation from the Princess – and when he'd met the heiress to the Moon Kingdom the girl he had helped that day, Serenity, had just laughed and told him that NOW he was in the right career for him.
Blackabar sighed as his hand ran down to the sword-hilt at his belt – one thing had led to another and eventually he'd been selected by the Captain of the Guard to take over his position after he had retired, presented with the sword that was now at his side.
The very same sword that had led to him becoming who and what he was today – it had always served him well.
Blackabar's black-bearded face creased as he smiled ironically – it was still strange to be working for Serenity and seeing the crafty girl he'd first met out in the wild after she'd snuck out of the Palace to be by herself as the benevolent and wise Queen of the Moon.
Forty-Two years… thought Blackabar as he turned, bereft of a Queen to protect, and walked over to the spacecraft where Xizor and Grift were talking. …Where HAS the time gone? And just how much do I have left…?
"Of course it was on Earth that she took the old guy's place as leader." The one-eyed Raider was saying to Xizor who had engaged him in conversation about the girl who had saved their lives earlier. "And it was then that…well…" he patted his artificial arm meaningfully and said no more.
Xizor stared blankly at him. "Well…" he patted his own arm mimicking what Grift had done. "…what?"
"Well I lost my arm didn't I?" Grift exclaimed.
Xizor stared at him in silence for a moment and then looked at the arm – of course since the one-eyed hunter was carrying a bag slung over it the ambassador could not see that his limb was a metal replacement. "Er…oh dear. How sad!" Xizor said in as sympathetic voice as he could manage.
"You're a veteran then?" Blackabar inquired as he walked up.
"No way!!" Grift spluttered, outraged as his pride was wounded to the quick. "I'm always in the thick of the action! Someone else looks after the horses…"