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Disclaimer: None of the principal characters from "Sailor Moon" and other genres does not belong to me.
Note: This is a continuation crossover fan-fiction story.
Special note: This story is a crossover between this story and "Ranma the Adventurer."
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"And the Band Played On…"
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Hundreds of years ago, in India…Voormas looked at his mother's dying body, as he tried to cover her up with his blanket.
"Mommy, it will be okay," Voormas said, as he knelt by his mother's side.
The recent plague has been tough on the villages along the Tigress River, more so than in recent memory. Everyday, the smell of death waft through the land, as the songs of sadness played on. Every family was touched by Kali, the Bringer of Death, and her mate Shiva the Destroyer, yet everyone accepted their place in the universe as natural.
However, Voormas could not accept this order…WOULD not accept this order.
"Mother, no matter what, you will be avenged!"
A year ago, in Bangladesh…
BOOM!
At the request of the "Euthanatos", a factions of "death-mages", who usually call South Asia home, the Sakura Society, among other cabals, were brought in to deal with the problems caused by an ancient vampire. "Ravanos" was a vampire god who specializes in the art of illusions, as did his entire bloodline. Ravanos, being both ancient and powerful, could literally warp reality. As a result, the "membrane" that separated the Nine Realms has been ruptured, causing all kinds of havoc. Hence, the Council of the Nine Traditions (or simply, "The Traditions"), a confederacy of independent-minded magi, who possess a variety of magical styles, has called upon their ranks to stop Ravnos, as well as contain the damage that the vampire god was causing.
Unfortunately, Ravnos was not the only problem to deal with.
The ordered minded Technocratic Union (or simply, "The Technocracy"), who believe in "hyper-science" as the only magic that humankind should have dependence on, have sent their agents and soldiers to squash all "reality deviants", which included non-aligned magi, vampires, demons, ghosts, werewolves, etc., besides Ravanos himself. Luckily, the monsters within the war zone are numerous enough to keep the Technocrats busy to allow the Traditions to do their job.
"I'm reading heavy ectoplasmic activity in sector 7-G, 4-E and 9-A!" Nabiki called out, as her techno-geek partner Tama ("Laughing Star") Nihau relayed the coordinates. As long as the two maintained their position's defenses, they can prevent Ravanos from spotting their potential offensive. So far, they have lost ten mages to that monster, while it continued to feed upon anything that moved, which includes any other so-called "denizen of the Dark".
"Got it!" Tama said, as he adjusted the barriers. "Man, I wish Kira, for ONCE would turn down our retainer!"
"I know what you mean," Nabiki replied, as she sipped her coffee from a canteen can. "I'm a hacker…an information broker, not a field operative."
"Most of us aren't, Nabs," Tama replied. Both Tama and Nabiki were in fatigues, and were dirty and tired from three days of blood, sweat and tears. "I tell you what, though. As soon as we're back in Tokyo, I'm going to go club hopping."
"Perhaps," Nabiki replied, as she wiped the grime from her forehead. She looked up at the stormy, darkened skies. From what was gathered, this storm was NOT natural. "Hold on second. I'm getting some incoming data…"
Then, Nabiki's eyes widened.
"What's wrong-" Tama began.
"Trouble! Switching to all secured frequencies!"
That's when Tama's sensor's picked up something big.
"ATTENTION!" Nabiki began. "The Technocrats have launched FOUR Neutron bombs! They're going to nuke the site from ORBIT!"
"Move it!" Tama yelled, as the various acolytes and technicians ducked for cover. "Nabs, can't we teleport people to safety?"
"Negative! There is too much supernatural interference!"
Nabiki could hear the roar of the incoming onslaught, as she gathered her data pack.
"Nabiki, come on!" yelled Tama, as he made the final run into the shelter.
Nabiki managed to make one final adjustment in her rote. As a Virtual Adept, Nabiki Tendo could manipulate space and information. She was now trying to shunt as much of the potential damage that will be caused by the Technocrats bombs into virtual space. The act will cause a white out of computer information on the web in that part of the world, but it is better than frying to death.
Nabiki was able to get to her shelter, just as the bomb was about to detonate. And she did what she hadn't done in years.
She prayed.
"Kami, if I make it out of here alive, I'll be less mercenary to my friends and family…"
And then, there was white-out….
BOOM!
A few hours later, Nabiki crawled out of her hole in a state of shock. The sun had finally risen in that part of the world, revealing a devastating carnage. Nabiki would later learn that the Technocracy would both their Neutron bombs and a concentrated dose of sunlight to eliminate Ravnos. Score one for the Union.
As Nabiki wandered aimlessly, she couldn't help but notice a clocked Indian man. Casually, the man bent over the various remains, such as they were, gathering their spiritual energy. He then turned to face Nabiki.
Nabiki felt like her own life was wavering a bit…
"Nabs?"
Nabiki turned to see her pal Tama.
"Nabiki, are you okay?"
"Tama, do you see that man?"
"What man?"
Nabiki looked back to where she saw the Indian.
He wasn't there.
"Oh…" Nabiki said, as she began to feint.
"Nabs? Nabiki!" Tama cried, as he caught his friend.
Later, she and the other survivors of the Bangladesh incident would receive treatment for spiritual taint, but Nabiki would never forget the Indian man.
Three month ago, in the court of the Heavenly Imperial Court…
Over in the High Realm, Ranma Saotome (of the Tradition "Akashic Brotherhood") and Usagi ("Sailor Moon") Tsukino (of the Tradition "Sons of Ether") were visiting the Jade Emperor. As an Akashic Brother, Ranma has had the opportunity to continue his martial arts training while studying Japanese-style magic. However, his magical style was geared towards his martial arts, and rarely on actual spell casting. Still, the adventures he has faced during his training period among the Akashic, which is why Kami-sama has allowed Ranma to remain on Earth, as given him an insight what was truly evil in the world.
Recently, Ranma had learned that as long as he had a godly aspect, he was a target by dark forces. After all, he was the Norn goddess of Time and Chaos, which is anathema to the "Nephandi". The Nephandi, a confederation of mages of serve "Those-Whom-Man-Should-Not-Know", and who hopes to permanently do away with all of Creation, wants to make sure that the Cosmic Wheel, the idea of universal cycles, is permanently destroyed. By doing so, there can not be life or change in nature. Ranma's godly aspect is the living embodiment of this, so that makes Ranma a potential target. So far, none of his friends and family has been caught up in the Traditions' war against Nephandi, but it is only a matter of time before one of these dark magi to try to use, for example, his fiancée Akane Tendo for BAIT. Ranma had hoped that the Jade Emperor could help him in his need to divest himself of his inner goddess, but…
"Sir, can you-"
"No, young Ranma. Your curse is part of who you are," the Emperor replied. "Besides, you are too much a part of The Way to leave your destiny to chance."
As the two left the Court, Usagi tried to cheer her friend up. She had met him while she played the role of the superheroine "Sailor Moon", Tokyo's champion of love and justice.
"Don't worry, Ranchan. I'm sure we will find a way. The Umbra is a big place."
"I guess so. Say, you're going to go to school overseas?"
"Yeah. I wanted to wait until I got the scholarship together before taking the offer to attend the university in Montreal."
At the University of Montreal, the Royal Ethernautical Society holds a program to train members of the Sons of Ether to be "Ethernauts" (i.e. space adventurers).
"Well, it's been a pleasure being your partner, Usagi."
"Me, too, Ranma."
As the two teleported out of the realm, they didn't notice a swarthy Indian man in robes.
"Finally, I have found my foe," said the Heckler of Skulls. "Once I have control over my Tradition's realm, I can control universal ENTROPY itself. And once I achieved that…all that remains is to destroy Chaos itself, and that includes the embodiment of Chaos herself."
Voormas calmly puts the hood of his robe back on his head, vowing to destroy Ranma Saotome, as well as the Moon Princess. After all, the Ether-witch is destined to bring order to a chaotic universe; if that is going to happen, it might as well be HIM.
Then he, too, teleported; however, he did not notice that the Senshi of Time was observing the man.
"And I will make sure that the Moon Princess will be ready."
And then she disappeared as well.
A week ago, at the Hermetic College Covenant of Mus, on Umbral-Mercury…
Usagi Tsukino wanted to get the chance to fly solo in one of the lightweight Ether-crafts, ever since she began her pilot's training. Ether-crafts were designed to travel in both "the Universe" (i.e. conventional space) and in "the Umbra" (i.e. the immaterial planes). She was really looking forward to her first solo trip.
It's too bad that her first outing was a rescue mission. It's even worse that the rescue mission involved the universal-destroying Nephandi.
While on her routine flight with her flight instructor, Usagi received a distress signal from Mercury. Now, at that point in time, the entire planet was over-run by dark forces, so the place was generally off-limits. Apparently, that was not the case any more, because a cabal of mages from the Tradition known as the "Order of Hermes", a society of mages dedicated to classical, European-style magic, was sent in to retrieve some valuable documents. Later, Usagi would learn that this particular cabal was chosen for their mission because they once attended the college there, back when Mercury was a stronghold of the Hermetics. At any rate, as part of a mutual-defense agreement between the Order of Hermes and the Sons of Ether, Usagi and her co-pilot, John ("Lance") Armstrong, were obligated to mount a rescue. And now…
"Come on!" Usagi cried, as she used her cosmic rod to scorch the dozen of demons who were converging at the drop zone. She was sorely tempted to use her Sailor Senshi abilities, but she was advised not to. Apparently, word got out about her destiny, so both the Nephandi AND the Technocracy wanted her, not to mention the chaos magi known as "The Marauders", who seek to do away order, in any form, completely. "We are leaving!"
The surviving Hermetic cabal piled into the craft, as the Nephandi and their minions converge on their site. Unfortunately, there were too many people on board for safe lift off.
"Usagi, you take the controls!" John said, as he got out of the cockpit.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to jury-rig the thrust for maximum yield. It'll burn out the cells, but we have a good chance of making it back to Victoria Station!"
"Victoria Station" was the chief port for the Ethernauts, which exists on both sides of "the Gauntlet" the epidermis that separates the Universe from the Umbra. Its design is based upon the old Victorian era, when traveling through space, time and otherwise was a gentlemen's pursuit. Like all mage constructs, its purpose was hidden from "the Sleepers", a term used for those people who did not believe in "magic", which includes both mysticism and hyper-science.
"John, you're crazy! We'll never launch in time!"
"We got to take a chance, Usagi! If what these people say is true, then my life is forfeit!"
Usagi looked at her mentor and nodded. She then prepped for take-off. As she did, she notice that one of the spare fusion cells were mission from the rack.
"Prepping for take off!" Usagi called.
Lance immediately got to the under belly of the Ether-craft and began to change the safety settings. Once done, he banged the carriage, and leapt out of the way…
WHOOM!
As the Ether-craft took off, John turned his attention to the incoming danger.
"For Ether Science!" John cried, as he activated the fusion cell…
"ROAR-!"
BOOM!
Usagi's craft sped out, as the section of the old college blew up. Usagi had heard that the college was once a beautiful place for learning. It's too bad that it's a den of evil these days.
"I won't let you down, Lance," Usagi said tearfully. "I'll make you proud of me…"
The present, Los Angeles, California…
"Are you sure we did the right thing, Ranma?" Nabiki said, as she and the rest of the Sakura Society appeared outside of a recently renovated theatre, the Belasco. It was located in the decrepit section of the city.
"You and I both know that neither one of us could afford to normal lives anymore."
"Yeah…"
"Okay, people," Kirayoshi Yahata, the Go Kamisori Gama ninja began. "We are about to attend a top-level meeting with the Council of the Nine Traditions, so I want you all to be on your best behavior."
"So that we can get some money of them?" Suki ("Sal") Sumitomo replied dryly. As a Miao Guan mage, he uses money as a focus for his magic.
"No," Kira replied.
"At least, not YET," Tama muttered underneath his breath.
"I HEARD that!"
"Thank you for those herbs, Mei," Dr. Fukikage, a life magus, said, as he spoke with the renegade Wu Keng Mei Ling. It still creeped Ranma out that Mei was once a youma worshiper, and that "she" was still a cross-dresser. Then again HE wasn't one to talk about weird lifestyles.
"The pleasure is all mine, doctor," Mei replied. Thanks to the rescue network that was arranged for renegade Wu Keng, who no longer want to worship youmas as their master, those freed Wu Keng have returned to their roots as herbalist and spiritualist. "I just hope to prove my worth to you as a member of the group."
"I'm sure you will, Mei."
After going through some security checks, the group made their way to their seats. There, on the stage, was the gathered Council of Nine.
However, that's not what caught Ranma's eye.
There, with the Sons of Ether, sat an old friend.
"Usagi…" Ranma muttered.
Tbc.