"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke
Serena blinked. "Huh?"
"I get it!" Raye exclaimed. "Serena is part of the Traconian Royal Family!" Conrad nodded.
"And undoubtably, is the only one of Royal Blood not in Cryo," He replied. Serena looked at everyone, unable to ignore the twisting of her stomach.
"Not quite," Takki said. "There is one other."
"I don't think I'm going to like this," Mina said softly.
"The other one is the official I spoke of. The one who administered the virus. Elurius, King Symodina's unacknowledged brother."
"Nope. I don't like it."
"So what do we do?" Amy asked.
"If Serena is descended from Royal Blood, then she could take the throne back and use the Imperium Silver Crystal to heal the Royalty," Rose mused
"Yeah! Lita exclaimed. "Then they can kick Elurius's ass back to whatever hole he crawled out of!"
"But he's four thousand years old," Raye pointed out. "He's had millennia to get in place. There's only eight of us."
"Nine," Takki said.
"Ten," Everyone looked at Yaten, who was sitting up, and looking at them. "I'm in too."
"Then its settled," Conrad said, looking out the window towards the huge tower that was the palace. "We arrest the Lord Regent for High Treason and replace him with Serena."
"Sounds like a plan," Amy said with a grin. "We storm the place, wake up the Royalty, have 'em toss Elurius out an airlock." She rubbed her hands together briskly and flexed her fingers. "and have it all wrapped up in time for lunch."
Strange how plans rarely survive contact with the people who are to carry them out.
"I don't like this. One screw up and we're all gonna die."
"Since when did you become a pessimist?"
"Since we embarked on this loony mission." Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter were crouched in the shadows of a motor pool. Just a few yards away, a fleet of limos waited, shined and polished. Mercury was busy with the security system while Jupiter and Uranus stood watch.
"What's taking so long?" Uranus asked after a few more minutes ticked by.
"You wanna do this?" Mercury asked.
"No. That's why we brought you," Uranus replied.
"Then shaddup."
"How long has she been like that?" Uranus asked, leaning closer to Jupiter and speaking in a whisper. The Outer Senshi didn't really have much contact with the Inner Senshi and it sometimes caused personality conflicts when a new facet of someone's personality was revealed.
"Since we got sent to Crystal Tokyo. But its only really become apparent after David got killed." Jupiter whispered back. "Truth be told, I'm worried that those injuries have affected her more then we thought."
The plan, on paper, was simple; since the only way to the Moonbase was a portal, and a review of the defenses and security measures had proven a frontal assault was suicide, it had been decided to try subterfuge instead. Serena would disguise herself, and two or three Senshi as a member of the Nobility and her attendants and aides. The others would pretend to be her bodyguards. Then they would bluff their way in and try to get close to the transport station. But in order to create an effective disguise, they needed a limo.
Since Chris and Conrad had taken an instant dislike to each other, and Chris was needed to drive the limo, Mercury was sent to handle the technical aspects of stealing it, as well as to preclude the possibility of an argument.
"Damn! Shit! Fuck! Stupid Alien Hardware!" Jupiter was jolted out of her reverie by Mercury's swearing. The Senshi of Thunder felt her cheeks redden as Mercury continued to swear, using oaths Jupiter hadn't heard since her childhood as she listed the probable ancestry of whoever had designed the security system and exactly why they possessed that particular person or thing or animal in said ancestry.
"Uh Mercury?" Mina's voice said over the com.
"...And that's why you look like a-huh?"
"Something wrong?"
"Hell yeah. This stupid excuse for a computer is refusing me access! Me!" With that, Mercury launched full bore into another round of swearing, this time, directed at the security system. Finally, running out of oaths, or perhaps needing to catch her breath. Mercury cocked her fist and slammed it against the interface terminal. There was a noise like an electronic burp and the gate slid open. The three Senshi looked at each other and then ran inside.
"Which one?"
"That one!" Jupiter shouted, pointing at a sleek black number that was off by itself.
"Yeeha!" Mercury shouted, vaulting over the hood of a car that was in the way and going to work on the lock.
By the time the other two had arrived, Mercury had the passenger side open.
"Ladies," She said, bowing.
"Thank you," Uranus said, diving through the open door, followed closely by Jupiter.
"Keys, keys, this thing has gotta have some kind of keys," Uranus muttered as she looked around the compartment.
"How about pressing that button marked power?" Mercury said acidly as she climbed in.
"Oh." Uranus reached over and pressed the button, causing a deep throated hum to fill the interior of the vehicle. Under her helmet, a big grin spread across her face.
"Oh yeah."
By the time the trio had returned with the limo, Mina and Mars were making the final adjustments to Serena's dress.
"I still think we should use the Luna pen," Serena grumbled as Mina snipped off some stray threads.
"The 'Luna Pen', as you call it, has its limits," Takki said. "It can only disguise the user as something the user is familiar with."
"And you're not familiar with Traconian fashion." Mars put in as she and Mina stood back to admire their handiwork.
"Besides," Conrad put in, "Takki said that the Palace security systems can pick up the energy the pen uses."
"Not bad." Yaten said, standing up and walking around Serena. "It should work." He looked at his brother. "Where did you get the pattern?"
"I have some friends in the fashion industry." Was the reply. Yaten shook his head.
"Where don't you have friends?"
"Where you do," Takki replied.
Elurius, High Regent of the Star Kingdom of Traconus, was not a very physically imposing man. He was tall, slim in an athletic sort of way. His face seemed almost disjointed, as though he had been put a together wrong. But his eyes were his most striking feature. They were bright, with the burning zeal that marks a fanatic.
At the moment, those eyes were focused on the court functionary who stood before him.
"What?" He asked quietly. The functionary swallowed.
"We've detected the presence of intruders and one of them . . ." The functionary took a deep breath. "One of them possesses the genes of the Royal Bloodline."
"So Calthar has returned."
"No."
"No?"
"Its a young female Lord Elurius, and the gene is, as far as we can tell without a blood sample, is mixed with Alien DNA."
"How intriguing. Find her and bring her to me, alive."
"Yes Lord Elurius!" The functionary shouted and bolted.
They marched through the Grand Hallway. Yaten and Takki, in the green and black of the Tracionian Royal Gaurd in front with Jupiter between them, just in case. The rest of the Senshi marched in two lines of three apiece. Between them, Serena in her gown followed by Mina, who was dressed as an aide. The Crystal Knight brought up the rear.
All in all, they made an impressive sight as they moved. Various dignitaries, servants, and other such ilk that infest places of goverment throught the civilized galaxy moved aside as they drew near, whispering speculation as to who this mystery woman was that her bodygaurds were not only two members of the royal gaurd, but six members of The Royal Army who were in full armor and one of the Elite Star Knights.
When they reached the lift tube, they closed ranks, allowing for a quick briefing by Takki.
"When we reach the top, we exit and turn right. Straight ahead and to the right is another lift tube. It will be gaurded and the gaurds will ask for Identification, which Mina is carrying. If all goes well, we'll be passed through into the palace proper. If they question the ID, Mina will attempt to bluff our way past, if that fails, we shall resort to violence."
"Right," The Senshi said, entering the lift tube. The ride was short and as one, they exited and turned right. To their left was a huge picture window that ran floor to ceiling along the length of the wall, offering a veiw of the towers with their rooftop parks, gardens and catwalks between them that made up the huge city that was Draxanar.
"Nice Veiw," Mercury said blandly as they neared the gaurd station.
"ID please," The gaurd said. Mina stepped forward with the bundle of papers that was the ID Takki and Conrad had hastily forged not two hours ago.
"Lady Summaro, aide, and bodygaurds."
"Bisnuess?"
"Personal," Mina responded, giving her words just the right mixture of authority and boredom. The gaurd hmphed and began inputing the information into the computer.
Seconds later, they heard a scream. Turning to find the source, they saw the other gaurd, his arm pinned to the wall by an ice shard, his twitching fingers next to a red button.
Yaten reached over the console and grabbed the other gaurd.
"What's the big idea?" He demanded.
"Lord Elurius saw right through your disguises." The gaurd sneered. "You're all under arrest."
"Oh joy," Mercury said acidly as she turned and began erecting a floor to ceiling ice wall.
"If we are exposed, there is little point in hiding," Takki said, taking out his own transformation wand as Yaten did the same. "Undoubtably, all lifts are booby trapped. As the saying goes, 'the jig is up'."
"Maybe not," Mercury was staring out the window at the towering shadow of the palace. "I don't about the rest of you, but I'm not about to commit sucide." Quickly, she covered the lift door in ice before doing the same to the window.
"What's the plan Mercury?"
"Go skating. ICE SPEAR!" The window shattered, ushering in cold air.
"Have you gone mad?" Jupiter shouted.
"Look at it this way," Mercury said, backing up across the hallway. "We have the powers to survive going out this window and taking our chances out there. If this Elurius character's troops get their hands on us, we have no chance. Especially when you consider our armor is eight thousand years old by Traconian standards." With that, she sprinted the short distance across the hallway, springing out the hole and falling down out of sight.
"I must be insane," Mina muttered as she jumped onto the knight's back. "Let's go."
Serena blinked. "Huh?"
"I get it!" Raye exclaimed. "Serena is part of the Traconian Royal Family!" Conrad nodded.
"And undoubtably, is the only one of Royal Blood not in Cryo," He replied. Serena looked at everyone, unable to ignore the twisting of her stomach.
"Not quite," Takki said. "There is one other."
"I don't think I'm going to like this," Mina said softly.
"The other one is the official I spoke of. The one who administered the virus. Elurius, King Symodina's unacknowledged brother."
"Nope. I don't like it."
"So what do we do?" Amy asked.
"If Serena is descended from Royal Blood, then she could take the throne back and use the Imperium Silver Crystal to heal the Royalty," Rose mused
"Yeah! Lita exclaimed. "Then they can kick Elurius's ass back to whatever hole he crawled out of!"
"But he's four thousand years old," Raye pointed out. "He's had millennia to get in place. There's only eight of us."
"Nine," Takki said.
"Ten," Everyone looked at Yaten, who was sitting up, and looking at them. "I'm in too."
"Then its settled," Conrad said, looking out the window towards the huge tower that was the palace. "We arrest the Lord Regent for High Treason and replace him with Serena."
"Sounds like a plan," Amy said with a grin. "We storm the place, wake up the Royalty, have 'em toss Elurius out an airlock." She rubbed her hands together briskly and flexed her fingers. "and have it all wrapped up in time for lunch."
Strange how plans rarely survive contact with the people who are to carry them out.
"I don't like this. One screw up and we're all gonna die."
"Since when did you become a pessimist?"
"Since we embarked on this loony mission." Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter were crouched in the shadows of a motor pool. Just a few yards away, a fleet of limos waited, shined and polished. Mercury was busy with the security system while Jupiter and Uranus stood watch.
"What's taking so long?" Uranus asked after a few more minutes ticked by.
"You wanna do this?" Mercury asked.
"No. That's why we brought you," Uranus replied.
"Then shaddup."
"How long has she been like that?" Uranus asked, leaning closer to Jupiter and speaking in a whisper. The Outer Senshi didn't really have much contact with the Inner Senshi and it sometimes caused personality conflicts when a new facet of someone's personality was revealed.
"Since we got sent to Crystal Tokyo. But its only really become apparent after David got killed." Jupiter whispered back. "Truth be told, I'm worried that those injuries have affected her more then we thought."
The plan, on paper, was simple; since the only way to the Moonbase was a portal, and a review of the defenses and security measures had proven a frontal assault was suicide, it had been decided to try subterfuge instead. Serena would disguise herself, and two or three Senshi as a member of the Nobility and her attendants and aides. The others would pretend to be her bodyguards. Then they would bluff their way in and try to get close to the transport station. But in order to create an effective disguise, they needed a limo.
Since Chris and Conrad had taken an instant dislike to each other, and Chris was needed to drive the limo, Mercury was sent to handle the technical aspects of stealing it, as well as to preclude the possibility of an argument.
"Damn! Shit! Fuck! Stupid Alien Hardware!" Jupiter was jolted out of her reverie by Mercury's swearing. The Senshi of Thunder felt her cheeks redden as Mercury continued to swear, using oaths Jupiter hadn't heard since her childhood as she listed the probable ancestry of whoever had designed the security system and exactly why they possessed that particular person or thing or animal in said ancestry.
"Uh Mercury?" Mina's voice said over the com.
"...And that's why you look like a-huh?"
"Something wrong?"
"Hell yeah. This stupid excuse for a computer is refusing me access! Me!" With that, Mercury launched full bore into another round of swearing, this time, directed at the security system. Finally, running out of oaths, or perhaps needing to catch her breath. Mercury cocked her fist and slammed it against the interface terminal. There was a noise like an electronic burp and the gate slid open. The three Senshi looked at each other and then ran inside.
"Which one?"
"That one!" Jupiter shouted, pointing at a sleek black number that was off by itself.
"Yeeha!" Mercury shouted, vaulting over the hood of a car that was in the way and going to work on the lock.
By the time the other two had arrived, Mercury had the passenger side open.
"Ladies," She said, bowing.
"Thank you," Uranus said, diving through the open door, followed closely by Jupiter.
"Keys, keys, this thing has gotta have some kind of keys," Uranus muttered as she looked around the compartment.
"How about pressing that button marked power?" Mercury said acidly as she climbed in.
"Oh." Uranus reached over and pressed the button, causing a deep throated hum to fill the interior of the vehicle. Under her helmet, a big grin spread across her face.
"Oh yeah."
By the time the trio had returned with the limo, Mina and Mars were making the final adjustments to Serena's dress.
"I still think we should use the Luna pen," Serena grumbled as Mina snipped off some stray threads.
"The 'Luna Pen', as you call it, has its limits," Takki said. "It can only disguise the user as something the user is familiar with."
"And you're not familiar with Traconian fashion." Mars put in as she and Mina stood back to admire their handiwork.
"Besides," Conrad put in, "Takki said that the Palace security systems can pick up the energy the pen uses."
"Not bad." Yaten said, standing up and walking around Serena. "It should work." He looked at his brother. "Where did you get the pattern?"
"I have some friends in the fashion industry." Was the reply. Yaten shook his head.
"Where don't you have friends?"
"Where you do," Takki replied.
Elurius, High Regent of the Star Kingdom of Traconus, was not a very physically imposing man. He was tall, slim in an athletic sort of way. His face seemed almost disjointed, as though he had been put a together wrong. But his eyes were his most striking feature. They were bright, with the burning zeal that marks a fanatic.
At the moment, those eyes were focused on the court functionary who stood before him.
"What?" He asked quietly. The functionary swallowed.
"We've detected the presence of intruders and one of them . . ." The functionary took a deep breath. "One of them possesses the genes of the Royal Bloodline."
"So Calthar has returned."
"No."
"No?"
"Its a young female Lord Elurius, and the gene is, as far as we can tell without a blood sample, is mixed with Alien DNA."
"How intriguing. Find her and bring her to me, alive."
"Yes Lord Elurius!" The functionary shouted and bolted.
They marched through the Grand Hallway. Yaten and Takki, in the green and black of the Tracionian Royal Gaurd in front with Jupiter between them, just in case. The rest of the Senshi marched in two lines of three apiece. Between them, Serena in her gown followed by Mina, who was dressed as an aide. The Crystal Knight brought up the rear.
All in all, they made an impressive sight as they moved. Various dignitaries, servants, and other such ilk that infest places of goverment throught the civilized galaxy moved aside as they drew near, whispering speculation as to who this mystery woman was that her bodygaurds were not only two members of the royal gaurd, but six members of The Royal Army who were in full armor and one of the Elite Star Knights.
When they reached the lift tube, they closed ranks, allowing for a quick briefing by Takki.
"When we reach the top, we exit and turn right. Straight ahead and to the right is another lift tube. It will be gaurded and the gaurds will ask for Identification, which Mina is carrying. If all goes well, we'll be passed through into the palace proper. If they question the ID, Mina will attempt to bluff our way past, if that fails, we shall resort to violence."
"Right," The Senshi said, entering the lift tube. The ride was short and as one, they exited and turned right. To their left was a huge picture window that ran floor to ceiling along the length of the wall, offering a veiw of the towers with their rooftop parks, gardens and catwalks between them that made up the huge city that was Draxanar.
"Nice Veiw," Mercury said blandly as they neared the gaurd station.
"ID please," The gaurd said. Mina stepped forward with the bundle of papers that was the ID Takki and Conrad had hastily forged not two hours ago.
"Lady Summaro, aide, and bodygaurds."
"Bisnuess?"
"Personal," Mina responded, giving her words just the right mixture of authority and boredom. The gaurd hmphed and began inputing the information into the computer.
Seconds later, they heard a scream. Turning to find the source, they saw the other gaurd, his arm pinned to the wall by an ice shard, his twitching fingers next to a red button.
Yaten reached over the console and grabbed the other gaurd.
"What's the big idea?" He demanded.
"Lord Elurius saw right through your disguises." The gaurd sneered. "You're all under arrest."
"Oh joy," Mercury said acidly as she turned and began erecting a floor to ceiling ice wall.
"If we are exposed, there is little point in hiding," Takki said, taking out his own transformation wand as Yaten did the same. "Undoubtably, all lifts are booby trapped. As the saying goes, 'the jig is up'."
"Maybe not," Mercury was staring out the window at the towering shadow of the palace. "I don't about the rest of you, but I'm not about to commit sucide." Quickly, she covered the lift door in ice before doing the same to the window.
"What's the plan Mercury?"
"Go skating. ICE SPEAR!" The window shattered, ushering in cold air.
"Have you gone mad?" Jupiter shouted.
"Look at it this way," Mercury said, backing up across the hallway. "We have the powers to survive going out this window and taking our chances out there. If this Elurius character's troops get their hands on us, we have no chance. Especially when you consider our armor is eight thousand years old by Traconian standards." With that, she sprinted the short distance across the hallway, springing out the hole and falling down out of sight.
"I must be insane," Mina muttered as she jumped onto the knight's back. "Let's go."