THE PRICE OF FREEDOM,
Part Eleven: "The Fall of an Empire"
By Bill K.
"Mercury?" Neptune asked, her voice a timid, pleading shell of the normally confident even tone it used to be. "How is she?"
"The ice is having some effect," Mercury told her, the woman's concentration locked on her patient. "If she can just hang on until her vitals get within acceptable parameters, she'll make it."
"Maybe I can help, huh?" Sailor Juno offered. She held out her hands. "Aqua Initiation."
Before everyone, a cloud began to form over Sailor Saturn. Though the others were amazed, Mercury rightly concluded that Juno was collecting the water vapor in the air. When the cloud reached a certain size, it began dropping a soft mist of rain onto Saturn.
"Yes, that should help," Mercury nodded, keeping track of the readings her visor was giving her.
"That was a good idea, Juno," Jupiter told her. Juno flashed her a grateful smile, then returned to worrying about Saturn.
Though the others seemed oblivious to it, Venus and Vesta noticed they were drawing an audience. From the nearby cave dwellings, some of the mine slaves had ventured out and were watching what was happening with amazement.
"You know, that's the first emotion I think I've seen on any of them," Venus commented, "besides fear." She glanced over at Vesta. "It's sort of been the same with you."
Vesta bristled for a moment, then caught herself and hung her head.
"Look, you made a huge mistake," Venus said. "Then you overreacted in the opposite direction and became gun-shy. I hope Mercury hasn't been telling you not to get mad in those sessions of hers."
"No," Vesta shook her head. "It's just - - you know."
"You're scared it'll happen again. So are a lot of other people. But you're not worth anything to anybody living life scared, least of all yourself. I guess what I'm saying is it's OK to get angry. You just can't live your life angry, you know? You have to try for that happy medium. Try to be take-no-stuff angry instead of lose-your-head angry. That make any sense?"
Vesta nodded.
"And," Venus continued, her chagrin and embarrassment showing, "sorry for giving you the, um, the cold shoulder. You were in a rough way and, well, I, um, didn't make it better. Guess I lost my head, huh?"
"Thank you, Sensei Venus-sama," Vesta whispered hopefully.
"You know, that's kind of formal," Venus grimaced. "How about you just make it 'Venus' from now on?"
"Really?" gasped Vesta happily.
"Unless you'd prefer saying 'Beautiful and Talented One'."
Vesta grinned and it made Venus feel warm.
"Mercury?" Neptune asked again.
Mercury reached over to Saturn. "Her vitals are in acceptable range. I don't see any signs of damage from the hyperactivity. Saturn?" She gently shook the girl. Saturn seemed to stir some. "Saturn, can you hear me?"
"C-Cold," she heard Saturn faintly whisper.
Instantly Mercury and Juno leaned in and pulled Saturn from the ice surrounding her. Then Neptune shoved in and pulled Saturn from Mercury's grasp. The woman cradled the slight young senshi against her barely clad body. Mercury was about to object, but decided it was probably what Saturn needed.
"Let me warm you, Hotaru," Neptune said, cradling Saturn against her. She kissed the girl's forehead tenderly.
"Mama?" Saturn whispered.
"I'm here, Hotaru," Neptune told her, caressing the side of her head.
"Mama, you're all right."
"Thanks to you," Neptune told her. "Please don't ever do anything like that again. Please don't force me to think I might lose you."
Saturn snuggled in against Neptune's breast. Her mouth curled into a tiny smile.
Sailor Jupiter watched the tableau unfold with a warm smile of her own. Seeing Neptune cradle Saturn like that brought back memories of the way she once cradled her own long departed children centuries ago. She liked Neptune this way. The woman had always kept her guard up around everybody - - Ami had once explained it as a defense mechanism to prevent perceived loss of situational control. It was too bad, because she liked this particular side of Neptune a lot.
A hand closed on her shoulder and shook Jupiter out of her reverie.
"Jupe," Venus whispered. "Head's up." Jupiter turned and found more guards approaching. The slaves backed warily into their cave dwellings.
"Look!" Vesta gasped, pointing up at the cave dwellings.
Everyone looked, even some of the guards. They saw the collars and chains dissolve from the mine slaves shrinking away from the scene. A ripple of astonishment passed through everyone in the area, from slave to guard to senshi.
"Figure its Serenity?" Venus asked.
"Who else?" chuckled Jupiter.
Astonishment seemed to breed panic in the guards - - several of them aimed weapons at the group. Venus and Jupiter tensed to strike first. Then another ripple passed through everyone and their weapons vanished from their hands and their belts just as the chains and collars had.
"The Queen's working overtime!" marveled Vesta.
There were a few moments of awkwardness between the two groups where neither seemed to know what to do next. Then Jupiter stepped forward.
"Look," she said to the squadron of guards. "We don't want any more trouble. If you leave everyone alone, we'll leave you alone. But if you try something," and her lightning rod in her tiara began to crackle, "we'll stop you and it won't be pleasant."
The guards looked to their squadron leader. Everyone recognized her as the one they'd first confronted, the one who'd escorted Serenity and the others to Cloud City. She didn't look like she wanted to back down. Jupiter saw the tension in her body language and knew she wanted to attack them, even if it was with her bare hands. She silently communicated to the woman that she was ready for anything the woman might try.
And out of nowhere a rock sailed through the air and struck one of the guards in the side. Vesta immediately looked to Pallas, but Venus pointed them in a different direction. From out of the concealment of a rock formation, Kameral was angrily throwing rocks at the unarmed guards. Her collection of six freed slaves watched her in amazement, having never seen such open resistance of Royal Guards before. Heedless of her own safety, Kameral flung stones at the guards, allowing years of fear and frustration and hatred to wash over her until she drowned in it. One of the freed women then imitated Kameral, picking up a rock and flinging it at the guards. Another imitated her and in seconds five of the six were joining their leader in their assault on their former captors. Only Veda stood and stared, mystified by what she saw.
"That's it!" screamed the squadron leader, her anger reaching a boiling point. "After them!" she roared, pointing at the women. "Weapons or no, we don't have to take that from a bunch of green hairs!"
And the guards charged the refugees.
- - -
Sailor Moon and Sailor Ceres raced down the hall of the palace, hoping to head off the execution of Sailor Mars.
"Do you know where we're going?" Ceres asked.
"No!" Sailor Moon told her. "This is the way they came. If we hit a branch corridor, we'll just have to guess." Suddenly she stopped. "Somebody's coming. Get ready!" Sailor Moon summoned the Crescent Moon Wand.
The clack, clack, clack of shoes on tile grew nearer and nearer. But it turned out to be Sailor Mars.
"Mars! You're alive!" cried Sailor Moon.
"Thanks to your mom busting us all loose," Mars said. "Where is she? Is she all right?"
"She's back in the throne room cleaning up. We've got to find Haruka-san, first."
The trio headed for the harem slaves quarters. When they arrived, they found broken doors and several freed slaves cowering in the corner.
"Looks like someone else has been doing some busting," Ceres said.
"Probably Haruka," nodded Mars.
"Where do you suppose she'd go?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Knowing Haruka? She'd head straight for Queen Desiree to settle up. Let's go. She'll probably beat us to Serenity."
Sailor Uranus cautiously entered the throne room, ready for any opposition. She found several ex-slaves on one side of the room, some of whom she recognized from Desiree's harem, and several more black uniformed guards on the other. In between them was Serenity. She turned as if sensing Uranus and smiled.
"Uranus," she said, coming up to her.
"Where's Desiree?" frowned Sailor Uranus.
"Gone," Serenity replied as if it was inconsequential.
"We've got to find her."
"Let her go. We need to help you first."
"I'm fine," grunted Uranus.
"No you're not," Serenity said, caressing the senshi's cheek with her hand. "I know what happened to you. Perhaps not in detail, but I know you're hurt. I can help you if you'd like."
"TO HELL WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!" snapped Uranus. "We have to find that bitch!"
"Uranus," pleaded Serenity.
"SERENITY, SHE MURDERED MICHIRU!"
Uranus saw Serenity's eyes widen with surprise, then begin to water with overwhelming sympathy.
"No she didn't," Serenity said softly, soothingly, caressing the woman's cheek again. "Michiru's alive."
"W-What?" Uranus gulped out. Not a nerve in her body could work suddenly.
"She's on the planet's surface," cooed Serenity. "She's alive, Haruka. I can feel her."
The senshi's face twisted as a tidal wave of pent up emotion flooded over her.
"She's alive?" Uranus asked.
The strength went out of her legs and Serenity had to catch her and ease her to her knees. Her hands folded over one another and pressed to her chest. Uranus began sobbing openly. Serenity held her as she cried helplessly. Mars, Ceres and Sailor Moon entered and witnessed the scene. They looked to each other with confusion.
"Thank you," Uranus whimpered, shuddering with sobs as Serenity held her. "Whoever gave her back to me - - thank you!" Serenity cradled the bigger woman as she continued to weep uncontrollably.
And from off to the side of the door, where she had stopped after following Sailor Uranus, Vontrell watched. The woman was still processing all that she had seen and heard, for she had witnessed the depths of her fellow former captive's love and grief. She'd also learned that "Me-Che-Ru" wasn't male.
"Desiree?" Mars asked, coming up softly to Serenity.
"Gone," Serenity shrugged. She continued to hold Uranus.
"All this time," sobbed Uranus, "I thought she was dead! I thought - - that damn collar didn't have to sap my will. When Desiree told me she was dead, I didn't have any will left to sap!" She turned to Serenity suddenly and grasped her arms desperately. "Is she all right? Is she hurt? What did they do to her?"
"I don't know," Serenity tried to reassure her. "Let's go find her."
"I think I can find our way back to the elevators," Ceres offered.
"That won't be necessary," Serenity said, rising to her feet.
"I know that look!" Mars reacted warily. "What are you planning now?"
"Well if I tell you, you won't be surprised," Serenity said, flashing an impish grin because she knew it would irritate Mars no end. She wasn't wrong.
Letting her head ease back, Serenity closed her eyes and spread out her arms. Her twin trails of hair began to rustle out from her, caught in a breeze only she felt. Serenity took on a silvery glow and everyone could feel through some sixth sense they couldn't name that reality was shifting.
"What's the queen doing?" Ceres asked Sailor Moon.
"I don't know. She never tells me anything."
"Princess? How do you suppose Sailor Uranus and Neptune ended up here?"
"Maybe they crashed. Maybe they landed here and were jumped."
"Their craft was brought down," Vontrell said. The two young senshi turned to the milky-skinned beauty inquiringly. "Queen Desiree had a hunger for exotic beauty. When she could no longer satisfy herself with women from this planet, her scientists developed a photon cannon that downed passing spacecraft. I was shot down in such a manner and enslaved for her pleasure."
"Couldn't she find a guy she liked?" Ceres scowled.
"There are no males on this planet," Vontrell told her. "Ravenheim evolved as a single sex society. They reproduce asexually." Vontrell looked down. "I watched my pilot be savagely beaten to death at our crash site because they thought him inhuman and unworthy of life."
Sailor Moon and Ceres exchanged horrified looks.
- - -
"Beautiful Incantation!"
The charging guards slammed face first into an invisible barrier and fell back. Gathering their wits, they stared at nothing uncomprehendingly. The fugitives and Kameral stared in confusion, too.
"Now you stop that!" demanded Sailor Pallas. "Miss Jupiter Ma'am told you all to be nice! And you better do it or Pallas is going to punish you!"
Jupiter glanced at Venus with a wry grin. Venus was almost doubled over with laughter. And Vesta smiled proudly.
"Have we fallen so low?" the squadron leader roared impotently. "Now children mock us? What god have we offended?"
"Every god in the pantheon!" bellowed Kameral. "And praise be to them that I lived long enough to see you HUMBLED! I only pray I live long enough to see Desiree wearing the same chains I tore from the necks and limbs of these women!"
"Stinking green hair!" snarled the leader, throwing herself up against the barrier Pallas had made.
To her surprise, it was gone, for Pallas had dropped it not knowing it was still needed. The ex-slaves around Kameral drew back several steps. Kameral held her ground as the squadron leader grinned and tensed to lunge.
"You don't seem to get it," they heard Sailor Jupiter say. Turning, they both saw her walking toward the squadron leader at a deliberate pace. "You're not in charge anymore and I'm NOT going to put up with you attacking anyone."
"You think you can take me?" the woman asked, rising to the challenge as she regained her feet. "You don't even have black hair, half-breed."
"I still owe you people for what you were going to do to Mercury," Jupiter said, getting nearer to her opponent with every step. "Now I owe you for that, too."
"Shouldn't we stop them, Sensei Venus-sama?" Juno whispered to Venus.
"I've seen Jupe when she's like this," Venus replied. "You're welcomed to try, but I won't be responsible for any limbs you lose." Juno gulped.
"But," Vesta asked, "you're always telling us to keep our heads?"
"She hasn't lost her head," Venus told her. "Jupe knows exactly what she's doing."
When Jupiter got within reach of the squad leader, the woman lashed out with a lightning-quick right hand. Jupiter evaded it just as quickly, but didn't see the woman spin and launch a kick at her head until the last moment. Barely evading it, Jupiter was more ready for the follow-up kick. She shoved her opponent aside and launched a kick of her own. The woman blocked it and parried several thrusts Jupiter made. She countered when she could, blows Jupiter blocked or evaded. After a flurry from both combatants, they each hopped back and assessed the other.
"Not so confident now?" the squad leader smiled. "Where are your grand pronouncements?"
"I do my bragging after I win," Jupiter replied grimly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Venus noticed one of the other guards grasping a rock with intent to throw it at Jupiter and throw the contest to their leader.
"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted. The golden energy beam lanced out and shot the rock from the woman's hand. She looked at Venus with surprise. Venus stared solemnly back and wagged her finger at the woman. The event didn't go unnoticed by the combatants.
The squad leader growled and launched herself at Jupiter, peppering her with punches and kicks. It was a strange fighting style, like nothing she'd ever seen on Earth and Jupiter found herself being pressed back by the flurry. She landed several blows in between defending herself, but took several as well. Her opponent was strong and skilled, and her aggressive style seemed born of equal parts confidence and anger. Though Jupiter could launch an electrical attack and probably fell the woman, she didn't. That wasn't done in an honorable contest.
Tiring of sparring, the squad leader ended her assault and focused her strength on a single blow. It sprang at Jupiter with the speed and deadliness of a cobra strike. Everyone watching thought the blow might fell Jupiter if it landed.
It didn't land. Amazingly, Jupiter executed a phenomenal back flip. Her legs flipped up into the air in such an arc that her heels had to be eleven feet off the ground. Her face seemed to hover just over the fist as it sailed toward where she had been. Her opponent's face registered surprise as the hairs of Jupiter's ponytail brushed her opponent's forearm. Jupiter looked like an ice skater as she pirouetted in midair, her feet finishing a perfect arc and landing with a grace that belied the senshi's large frame.
The squad leader turned back toward her foe just in time to get Jupiter's heel across her face, courtesy of the senshi's spinning roundhouse kick. The woman was forcefully spun to the ground.
She looked up, her hand on her jaw. Jupiter stood over her, ready to accept her surrender, but willing to fight again if necessary.
But the decision was taken out of her hands. Rocks began to rain down on her, on Jupiter, and on the squadron of guards nearby. Everyone looked up and saw the cave dwellers were responsible. No longer afraid of the black uniforms, they hurled whatever rock or stone they could lay hands on down on their former tormentors. Taking up the fight again, Kameral and most of her band began hurling rocks, too. Jupiter quickly retreated for her own safety.
"We need to stop this," Mercury said, looking on from nearby. Neptune and Saturn watched behind her. "This could erupt into a full scale riot very quickly - - possibly even a lynching!"
"Let them," Neptune whispered bitterly.
"Neptune," Mercury began to protest.
"Let every one of them die," Neptune reiterated. Saturn said nothing. She just watched the scene intently.
The ex-slave girl Veda suddenly pointed up into the sky. Several people looked up and gasped. That drew more stares and with that more gasps. The rock throwing began to dissipate as more and more people looked up to see what was happening above.
"It's the end of the world!" one of the guards softly cried.
For them it truly was, for Cloud City was falling.
Concluded in Chapter twelve
Part Eleven: "The Fall of an Empire"
By Bill K.
"Mercury?" Neptune asked, her voice a timid, pleading shell of the normally confident even tone it used to be. "How is she?"
"The ice is having some effect," Mercury told her, the woman's concentration locked on her patient. "If she can just hang on until her vitals get within acceptable parameters, she'll make it."
"Maybe I can help, huh?" Sailor Juno offered. She held out her hands. "Aqua Initiation."
Before everyone, a cloud began to form over Sailor Saturn. Though the others were amazed, Mercury rightly concluded that Juno was collecting the water vapor in the air. When the cloud reached a certain size, it began dropping a soft mist of rain onto Saturn.
"Yes, that should help," Mercury nodded, keeping track of the readings her visor was giving her.
"That was a good idea, Juno," Jupiter told her. Juno flashed her a grateful smile, then returned to worrying about Saturn.
Though the others seemed oblivious to it, Venus and Vesta noticed they were drawing an audience. From the nearby cave dwellings, some of the mine slaves had ventured out and were watching what was happening with amazement.
"You know, that's the first emotion I think I've seen on any of them," Venus commented, "besides fear." She glanced over at Vesta. "It's sort of been the same with you."
Vesta bristled for a moment, then caught herself and hung her head.
"Look, you made a huge mistake," Venus said. "Then you overreacted in the opposite direction and became gun-shy. I hope Mercury hasn't been telling you not to get mad in those sessions of hers."
"No," Vesta shook her head. "It's just - - you know."
"You're scared it'll happen again. So are a lot of other people. But you're not worth anything to anybody living life scared, least of all yourself. I guess what I'm saying is it's OK to get angry. You just can't live your life angry, you know? You have to try for that happy medium. Try to be take-no-stuff angry instead of lose-your-head angry. That make any sense?"
Vesta nodded.
"And," Venus continued, her chagrin and embarrassment showing, "sorry for giving you the, um, the cold shoulder. You were in a rough way and, well, I, um, didn't make it better. Guess I lost my head, huh?"
"Thank you, Sensei Venus-sama," Vesta whispered hopefully.
"You know, that's kind of formal," Venus grimaced. "How about you just make it 'Venus' from now on?"
"Really?" gasped Vesta happily.
"Unless you'd prefer saying 'Beautiful and Talented One'."
Vesta grinned and it made Venus feel warm.
"Mercury?" Neptune asked again.
Mercury reached over to Saturn. "Her vitals are in acceptable range. I don't see any signs of damage from the hyperactivity. Saturn?" She gently shook the girl. Saturn seemed to stir some. "Saturn, can you hear me?"
"C-Cold," she heard Saturn faintly whisper.
Instantly Mercury and Juno leaned in and pulled Saturn from the ice surrounding her. Then Neptune shoved in and pulled Saturn from Mercury's grasp. The woman cradled the slight young senshi against her barely clad body. Mercury was about to object, but decided it was probably what Saturn needed.
"Let me warm you, Hotaru," Neptune said, cradling Saturn against her. She kissed the girl's forehead tenderly.
"Mama?" Saturn whispered.
"I'm here, Hotaru," Neptune told her, caressing the side of her head.
"Mama, you're all right."
"Thanks to you," Neptune told her. "Please don't ever do anything like that again. Please don't force me to think I might lose you."
Saturn snuggled in against Neptune's breast. Her mouth curled into a tiny smile.
Sailor Jupiter watched the tableau unfold with a warm smile of her own. Seeing Neptune cradle Saturn like that brought back memories of the way she once cradled her own long departed children centuries ago. She liked Neptune this way. The woman had always kept her guard up around everybody - - Ami had once explained it as a defense mechanism to prevent perceived loss of situational control. It was too bad, because she liked this particular side of Neptune a lot.
A hand closed on her shoulder and shook Jupiter out of her reverie.
"Jupe," Venus whispered. "Head's up." Jupiter turned and found more guards approaching. The slaves backed warily into their cave dwellings.
"Look!" Vesta gasped, pointing up at the cave dwellings.
Everyone looked, even some of the guards. They saw the collars and chains dissolve from the mine slaves shrinking away from the scene. A ripple of astonishment passed through everyone in the area, from slave to guard to senshi.
"Figure its Serenity?" Venus asked.
"Who else?" chuckled Jupiter.
Astonishment seemed to breed panic in the guards - - several of them aimed weapons at the group. Venus and Jupiter tensed to strike first. Then another ripple passed through everyone and their weapons vanished from their hands and their belts just as the chains and collars had.
"The Queen's working overtime!" marveled Vesta.
There were a few moments of awkwardness between the two groups where neither seemed to know what to do next. Then Jupiter stepped forward.
"Look," she said to the squadron of guards. "We don't want any more trouble. If you leave everyone alone, we'll leave you alone. But if you try something," and her lightning rod in her tiara began to crackle, "we'll stop you and it won't be pleasant."
The guards looked to their squadron leader. Everyone recognized her as the one they'd first confronted, the one who'd escorted Serenity and the others to Cloud City. She didn't look like she wanted to back down. Jupiter saw the tension in her body language and knew she wanted to attack them, even if it was with her bare hands. She silently communicated to the woman that she was ready for anything the woman might try.
And out of nowhere a rock sailed through the air and struck one of the guards in the side. Vesta immediately looked to Pallas, but Venus pointed them in a different direction. From out of the concealment of a rock formation, Kameral was angrily throwing rocks at the unarmed guards. Her collection of six freed slaves watched her in amazement, having never seen such open resistance of Royal Guards before. Heedless of her own safety, Kameral flung stones at the guards, allowing years of fear and frustration and hatred to wash over her until she drowned in it. One of the freed women then imitated Kameral, picking up a rock and flinging it at the guards. Another imitated her and in seconds five of the six were joining their leader in their assault on their former captors. Only Veda stood and stared, mystified by what she saw.
"That's it!" screamed the squadron leader, her anger reaching a boiling point. "After them!" she roared, pointing at the women. "Weapons or no, we don't have to take that from a bunch of green hairs!"
And the guards charged the refugees.
- - -
Sailor Moon and Sailor Ceres raced down the hall of the palace, hoping to head off the execution of Sailor Mars.
"Do you know where we're going?" Ceres asked.
"No!" Sailor Moon told her. "This is the way they came. If we hit a branch corridor, we'll just have to guess." Suddenly she stopped. "Somebody's coming. Get ready!" Sailor Moon summoned the Crescent Moon Wand.
The clack, clack, clack of shoes on tile grew nearer and nearer. But it turned out to be Sailor Mars.
"Mars! You're alive!" cried Sailor Moon.
"Thanks to your mom busting us all loose," Mars said. "Where is she? Is she all right?"
"She's back in the throne room cleaning up. We've got to find Haruka-san, first."
The trio headed for the harem slaves quarters. When they arrived, they found broken doors and several freed slaves cowering in the corner.
"Looks like someone else has been doing some busting," Ceres said.
"Probably Haruka," nodded Mars.
"Where do you suppose she'd go?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Knowing Haruka? She'd head straight for Queen Desiree to settle up. Let's go. She'll probably beat us to Serenity."
Sailor Uranus cautiously entered the throne room, ready for any opposition. She found several ex-slaves on one side of the room, some of whom she recognized from Desiree's harem, and several more black uniformed guards on the other. In between them was Serenity. She turned as if sensing Uranus and smiled.
"Uranus," she said, coming up to her.
"Where's Desiree?" frowned Sailor Uranus.
"Gone," Serenity replied as if it was inconsequential.
"We've got to find her."
"Let her go. We need to help you first."
"I'm fine," grunted Uranus.
"No you're not," Serenity said, caressing the senshi's cheek with her hand. "I know what happened to you. Perhaps not in detail, but I know you're hurt. I can help you if you'd like."
"TO HELL WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!" snapped Uranus. "We have to find that bitch!"
"Uranus," pleaded Serenity.
"SERENITY, SHE MURDERED MICHIRU!"
Uranus saw Serenity's eyes widen with surprise, then begin to water with overwhelming sympathy.
"No she didn't," Serenity said softly, soothingly, caressing the woman's cheek again. "Michiru's alive."
"W-What?" Uranus gulped out. Not a nerve in her body could work suddenly.
"She's on the planet's surface," cooed Serenity. "She's alive, Haruka. I can feel her."
The senshi's face twisted as a tidal wave of pent up emotion flooded over her.
"She's alive?" Uranus asked.
The strength went out of her legs and Serenity had to catch her and ease her to her knees. Her hands folded over one another and pressed to her chest. Uranus began sobbing openly. Serenity held her as she cried helplessly. Mars, Ceres and Sailor Moon entered and witnessed the scene. They looked to each other with confusion.
"Thank you," Uranus whimpered, shuddering with sobs as Serenity held her. "Whoever gave her back to me - - thank you!" Serenity cradled the bigger woman as she continued to weep uncontrollably.
And from off to the side of the door, where she had stopped after following Sailor Uranus, Vontrell watched. The woman was still processing all that she had seen and heard, for she had witnessed the depths of her fellow former captive's love and grief. She'd also learned that "Me-Che-Ru" wasn't male.
"Desiree?" Mars asked, coming up softly to Serenity.
"Gone," Serenity shrugged. She continued to hold Uranus.
"All this time," sobbed Uranus, "I thought she was dead! I thought - - that damn collar didn't have to sap my will. When Desiree told me she was dead, I didn't have any will left to sap!" She turned to Serenity suddenly and grasped her arms desperately. "Is she all right? Is she hurt? What did they do to her?"
"I don't know," Serenity tried to reassure her. "Let's go find her."
"I think I can find our way back to the elevators," Ceres offered.
"That won't be necessary," Serenity said, rising to her feet.
"I know that look!" Mars reacted warily. "What are you planning now?"
"Well if I tell you, you won't be surprised," Serenity said, flashing an impish grin because she knew it would irritate Mars no end. She wasn't wrong.
Letting her head ease back, Serenity closed her eyes and spread out her arms. Her twin trails of hair began to rustle out from her, caught in a breeze only she felt. Serenity took on a silvery glow and everyone could feel through some sixth sense they couldn't name that reality was shifting.
"What's the queen doing?" Ceres asked Sailor Moon.
"I don't know. She never tells me anything."
"Princess? How do you suppose Sailor Uranus and Neptune ended up here?"
"Maybe they crashed. Maybe they landed here and were jumped."
"Their craft was brought down," Vontrell said. The two young senshi turned to the milky-skinned beauty inquiringly. "Queen Desiree had a hunger for exotic beauty. When she could no longer satisfy herself with women from this planet, her scientists developed a photon cannon that downed passing spacecraft. I was shot down in such a manner and enslaved for her pleasure."
"Couldn't she find a guy she liked?" Ceres scowled.
"There are no males on this planet," Vontrell told her. "Ravenheim evolved as a single sex society. They reproduce asexually." Vontrell looked down. "I watched my pilot be savagely beaten to death at our crash site because they thought him inhuman and unworthy of life."
Sailor Moon and Ceres exchanged horrified looks.
- - -
"Beautiful Incantation!"
The charging guards slammed face first into an invisible barrier and fell back. Gathering their wits, they stared at nothing uncomprehendingly. The fugitives and Kameral stared in confusion, too.
"Now you stop that!" demanded Sailor Pallas. "Miss Jupiter Ma'am told you all to be nice! And you better do it or Pallas is going to punish you!"
Jupiter glanced at Venus with a wry grin. Venus was almost doubled over with laughter. And Vesta smiled proudly.
"Have we fallen so low?" the squadron leader roared impotently. "Now children mock us? What god have we offended?"
"Every god in the pantheon!" bellowed Kameral. "And praise be to them that I lived long enough to see you HUMBLED! I only pray I live long enough to see Desiree wearing the same chains I tore from the necks and limbs of these women!"
"Stinking green hair!" snarled the leader, throwing herself up against the barrier Pallas had made.
To her surprise, it was gone, for Pallas had dropped it not knowing it was still needed. The ex-slaves around Kameral drew back several steps. Kameral held her ground as the squadron leader grinned and tensed to lunge.
"You don't seem to get it," they heard Sailor Jupiter say. Turning, they both saw her walking toward the squadron leader at a deliberate pace. "You're not in charge anymore and I'm NOT going to put up with you attacking anyone."
"You think you can take me?" the woman asked, rising to the challenge as she regained her feet. "You don't even have black hair, half-breed."
"I still owe you people for what you were going to do to Mercury," Jupiter said, getting nearer to her opponent with every step. "Now I owe you for that, too."
"Shouldn't we stop them, Sensei Venus-sama?" Juno whispered to Venus.
"I've seen Jupe when she's like this," Venus replied. "You're welcomed to try, but I won't be responsible for any limbs you lose." Juno gulped.
"But," Vesta asked, "you're always telling us to keep our heads?"
"She hasn't lost her head," Venus told her. "Jupe knows exactly what she's doing."
When Jupiter got within reach of the squad leader, the woman lashed out with a lightning-quick right hand. Jupiter evaded it just as quickly, but didn't see the woman spin and launch a kick at her head until the last moment. Barely evading it, Jupiter was more ready for the follow-up kick. She shoved her opponent aside and launched a kick of her own. The woman blocked it and parried several thrusts Jupiter made. She countered when she could, blows Jupiter blocked or evaded. After a flurry from both combatants, they each hopped back and assessed the other.
"Not so confident now?" the squad leader smiled. "Where are your grand pronouncements?"
"I do my bragging after I win," Jupiter replied grimly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Venus noticed one of the other guards grasping a rock with intent to throw it at Jupiter and throw the contest to their leader.
"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted. The golden energy beam lanced out and shot the rock from the woman's hand. She looked at Venus with surprise. Venus stared solemnly back and wagged her finger at the woman. The event didn't go unnoticed by the combatants.
The squad leader growled and launched herself at Jupiter, peppering her with punches and kicks. It was a strange fighting style, like nothing she'd ever seen on Earth and Jupiter found herself being pressed back by the flurry. She landed several blows in between defending herself, but took several as well. Her opponent was strong and skilled, and her aggressive style seemed born of equal parts confidence and anger. Though Jupiter could launch an electrical attack and probably fell the woman, she didn't. That wasn't done in an honorable contest.
Tiring of sparring, the squad leader ended her assault and focused her strength on a single blow. It sprang at Jupiter with the speed and deadliness of a cobra strike. Everyone watching thought the blow might fell Jupiter if it landed.
It didn't land. Amazingly, Jupiter executed a phenomenal back flip. Her legs flipped up into the air in such an arc that her heels had to be eleven feet off the ground. Her face seemed to hover just over the fist as it sailed toward where she had been. Her opponent's face registered surprise as the hairs of Jupiter's ponytail brushed her opponent's forearm. Jupiter looked like an ice skater as she pirouetted in midair, her feet finishing a perfect arc and landing with a grace that belied the senshi's large frame.
The squad leader turned back toward her foe just in time to get Jupiter's heel across her face, courtesy of the senshi's spinning roundhouse kick. The woman was forcefully spun to the ground.
She looked up, her hand on her jaw. Jupiter stood over her, ready to accept her surrender, but willing to fight again if necessary.
But the decision was taken out of her hands. Rocks began to rain down on her, on Jupiter, and on the squadron of guards nearby. Everyone looked up and saw the cave dwellers were responsible. No longer afraid of the black uniforms, they hurled whatever rock or stone they could lay hands on down on their former tormentors. Taking up the fight again, Kameral and most of her band began hurling rocks, too. Jupiter quickly retreated for her own safety.
"We need to stop this," Mercury said, looking on from nearby. Neptune and Saturn watched behind her. "This could erupt into a full scale riot very quickly - - possibly even a lynching!"
"Let them," Neptune whispered bitterly.
"Neptune," Mercury began to protest.
"Let every one of them die," Neptune reiterated. Saturn said nothing. She just watched the scene intently.
The ex-slave girl Veda suddenly pointed up into the sky. Several people looked up and gasped. That drew more stares and with that more gasps. The rock throwing began to dissipate as more and more people looked up to see what was happening above.
"It's the end of the world!" one of the guards softly cried.
For them it truly was, for Cloud City was falling.
Concluded in Chapter twelve