The Longest Day

by Wolfgang Amadeus

Endymion and his generals find themselves bound to a bruising fight to the finish, to defend the kingdom that they cherish and the way of life they've always known. What started out as a normal day became the longest day of their lives.

1. The Longest Day

The Longest Day

Kunzite carefully perused the day's military actions and then closed his eyes in exhaustion. Dusk began to creep through the windows, throwing long shadows across the room. Had he been more superstitious, he might have thought it an ill omen, but Kunzite simply viewed them as an annoyance.

As if on cue, a young lieutenant made his way into the room, lighting torches across the walls to shed more light. The general was a hard worker, rising with dawn and working until dusk most days. One might have called him a perfectionist. He simply thought it necessary to get the job done.

And indeed the magnitude of the job was immense. The elder king had been a rabid expansionist, gobbling up smaller neighbors and waging wars against larger ones for many years. It had been effective to some extent in expanding the Kingdom's influence, but had torn out the core of its able officers and veterans while creating a unstable state of different races and competing nationalities. An unwieldy construct at best, a potential boiler pot of corruption and discontent at worst.

'That doddering old fool! We'll be feeling the repercussions for years, even after all that we have accomplished.'

He supposed, though, that he could not blame him completely. After all, the elder Endymion had produced an elegant and articulate son, far more suited to rule than his aggressive father. Endymion the younger preferred diplomacy to war, a welcome change for a country weary of continual conflict. Moreover, he recognized the importance of a strong defense force, if not one capable of conquering surrounding kingdoms.

Endymion's boyish good looks had more than once saved his kingdom from shattering into warring factions and now there seemed to be a bit of hope at the end of the tunnel. He had begun to take the reins of power from his aging father, starting first with the military. The prince was an able ruler, and he longed for the day when he would actually begin to guide the Kingdom.

'One can only hope.' Kunzite wrote a few more things down before drying the tip of his feathered pen and laying it on the desk. While he waited for the ink to dry on his document, Kunzite retrieved his uniform coat from across the room. He had dinner plans within the hour. It would not do to be late.

--------------------

The skirmishers broke off from the main group and charged the dummies at the far end of the field. They advanced in straight lines, stopping at predetermined intervals demarcated with bright orange banners. It was a nice sight to behold, the even rows of troops attacking forward, but absolutely useless in actual combat. Jadeite half expected the rows of dummies that they attacked to knock them over and rout the rest of the attacking force.

In a way, he wished they had. It would have been a more amusing use of the day.

To the eyes of a veteran, it was exquisite pain itself. Jadeite rubbed his eyes tiredly and motioned for the captain to regain control of his troops. For Jadeite, veteran of the frontier wars and victor of more battles than he could remember, it was painful for him to see how far the army he had shed blood for had fallen in the intervening years.

Recently promoted to the Council of Four, his experiences as a divisional commander had proven been favorable to his appointment. A growing military reform movement had captured the attention of the monarchial bureaucracy and his promotion had been the most current manifestation of the momentum of their efforts. He had preferred sharing the dangers of combat with his troops and through that had earned their unmitigated loyalty. To add to his credibility were his impeccable family credentials. He was the scion of one of the oldest noble families of the realm, with the wealth and power to match.

It meant that when Jadeite spoke, people of all sorts listened, and he could deal with that.

Possibly the most imaginative commander of the Four, Jadeite conducted his affairs with smooth competence and ruthless efficiency. He had already moved his veteran skirmishing divisions to bases seven miles to the east, closer to the capital city, to prove as an example to lazier troops.

He half smiled. At the very least, it would ruffle some feathers, which was really the entire point of it all, right?

An orderly approached him from behind, holding his horse by the reins.

"General, you requested your horse?"

"Yes, thank you lieutenant."

Jadeite grabbed the leather reins and, with a little help, hoisted himself onto the horse. He spurred the horse gently and rode down towards the capital city and the palace within.

--------------------

Nephrite folded his fingers together and carefully sifted through the information in front of him. His office was wedged in the back of the palace, as unobtrusive as the general himself. He was an unremarkable man, whose only distinctive characteristic was his long, luxurious brown hair, pulled back behind his shoulders. Scattered star charts haphazardly lay across the room, a tribute to Nephrite's obsession with astrology.

It was a strange strategy for an intelligence officer and one that puzzled many of his colleagues. However, even his greatest skeptics could not fault the uncanny accuracy with which Nephrite's stars foretold the future. In fact, the Four had come to rely upon his revolutionary predictions for guidance.

In addition to his stars, he also used many more conventional intelligence techniques, and worked closely with Zoisite's spies to gain a better appreciation of the various forces which might oppose them in the future. At this point, it wasn't external forces which worried him, but the fractures within the kingdom. He suspected that the corruption within the army was more widespread than he had originally anticipated, but he could not pin down its source. A disturbingly large portion of the captains and lieutenants were suspected of taking bribes, especially around the capital, but without significant proof to indict them.

And no matter what he wished, his sovereign would not violate the rule of law to solve the problem. That would make him a dictator and the younger Endymion would not go down in history as a tyrant.

It exasperated him to no reasonable end, but he suspected that with the new Council in place, such things would disappear with time. He sighed and carefully organized the various papers on his desk.

"Nephrite." A voice called at him from the entrance to his study.

He looked up to see the blond haired general Jadeite, leaning easily on the doorframe. Nephrite grinned at his friend. "Why Jadeite, what brings you to my neck of the proverbial woods?"

"A mission of mercy. The sun is beginning to set and I came to remind you that we have a small engagement to go to, as you are quite prone to forgetting such things."

Nephrite chuckled and placed the documents he was reading in a locked drawer that fit into the bottom of his desk. "Thanks for reminding me. I needed a reason to escape my work."

He twirled the key in the lock and then stuffed it into an inside pocket. Jadeite gestured towards the locked drawer. "What were you reading?"

"Backgrounds of potential wives for the prince," Nephrite's voice indicated that he would much rather be doing something else. "Not my fault, direct orders from the king himself."

"Riveting." Jadeite laughed at his own joke.

"Boring indeed, but it could be worse. You once told me that it is better to have things boring than interesting. Interesting means something is going wrong."

--------------------

The final general, Zoisite, was outside of the office, taking a brisk walk through the flower gardens. The flowers of the prince's gardens were nowhere near as impressive as those on the moon, he had heard, but he still enjoyed the wonderful scents that emanated from the prince's rose beds.

They were also a wonderful place for meeting people and securing dead drops. Zoisite strolled casually towards one of the far beds and knelt, as if to pick up one of the roses. In a smooth maneuver, he pulled the dead drop package from its hidden position underneath a rock and secreted it in his vest, while retrieving a single rose to sniff on his way back to his quarters.

Not trusting even the seclusion of his office, Zoisite preferred to conduct important business where he knew spies dared not go. Smiling to several passersby, the general casually made his way back to his quarters, before locking and deadbolting them in order to get at his package.

He slit open the thick paper with a knife and read over the contents of the message inside, before folding it up and placing it in his vest. Nephrite had wanted to know any information he had on a relatively constant basis, Zoisite would oblige him.

He didn't much care for the dark haired general, but acknowledged that he did do his job exceedingly well. 'Such is my life.'

Zoisite giggled in spite of himself and looked out the window at the setting sun. Time for dinner.

--------------------

Jadeite leaned against the wall, in the pose of a man far too lazy to support his own weight. As always, he was dressed a little more casually than the rest, eschewing the epaulets which some of the others favored. In his current position, he looked lazy, even slovenly, contrasting greatly with the typical image of a put together and active general. It was deceptive, as each of the generals was far more overworked than any of them would have liked to admit.

But, Nephrite reflected with a cool smile, Jadeite enjoyed tiny ruses like that. It made it rather easy to underestimate the blond general and, if the stories were true, many had done so to their permanent detriment. Jadeite gazed at the position of the sun and sighed, obviously exasperated at the lateness of their two colleagues.

Nephrite did not blame him. They had a special supper that night, hosted by Prince Endymion himself. He did not know what the prince wanted them for, but he had an inkling it might have something to do with the ball later that night. His lip curled into a half sneer. Although he enjoyed the things, Nephrite would have preferred to spend the time doing work. There was much to be done.

In the distance, Nephrite caught the faintest glance of billowing clouds of dust shooting into the air in a thin trail, sure sign that a horse was coming at full gallop.

Jadeite hardly moved from his position. "Bet you it is Kunzite."

"No bet." Nephrite fixed the collar of his uniform and cape.

As Kunzite approached, a couple of stable boys caught his horse to steady it as he dismounted.

Casually, Jadeite said. "You're late."

"I'm always late, Jadeite. But...I am not the last one here."

"Of course, not. That honor is reserved for our esteemed colleague, Zoisite."

A voice called out from around the corner. "Do I detect somebody talking about me? Lies and slander, all!"

Nephrite rolled his eyes as Zoisite appeared, as put together as usual. He handed Nephrite a slip of paper. "You wanted to see these as quickly as possible."

"Thanks," Nephrite smiled generously and placed the paper in an inside pocket, before gesturing to the palace at the center of the city. "Shall we?"

Kunzite took the lead, with Nephrite and Jadeite flanking on one side and Zoisite on the other. They cut an impressive sight and they knew it. People whispered and pointed, with not a few admiring giggles from the feminine members of their audience

Jadeite, ever the populist, waved to several of his adoring fans and winked at a couple more, while still keeping in military formation.

Kunzite muttered through clenched teeth. "Looking for companionship tonight?"

The General of the Far East grinned. "Hardly. Just connecting with the common people. We ask them to fight and die for us, I think it's only right to occasionally smile at them."

Zoisite snickered. "You were always attached to your troops, Jadeite."

"I take that as a compliment, my friend."

--------------------

The cold sound of their booted feet rang through the hallways as they marched in military formation to the prince's private dining room. A small mob of attendants waited outside to greet the Four, as well as check any miscellaneous items or weapons before seeing the prince. It was an indignity that they had protested initially, but slowly became accustomed to it as standard procedure. They, as Endymion's military advisers, appreciated the need for safety.

The generals handed over their personal weapons, and Jadeite leaned over to pull a dagger out of his boot, an old habit from his military past.

The brawny attendant guarding the door patted each man down before unlocking the door and pushing it open. Kunzite nodded brusquely and pushed his way into the room, the other generals in tow.

The room was a large one, with hundreds of books filling the shelves that covered the side. With each book meticulously copied by hand, Endymion's collection was a veritable fortune in knowledge and in truth. At the far end, a small observatory had been set up, with an excellent telescope pointing up at the night sky. A couple of weapons lay in a rack, pragmatically arranged for their user's convenience. Although the prince was reputed to be an able swordsman, the majority of his battles were now fought with the quill pen and paper.

A young man sat at the edge of a long table. Ebony black hair fell easily around his classically handsome face as he slowly perused a scroll on the table. His face, in another time, might have seemed effeminate, yet he wore masculinity easily and without shame. His eyes were of the deepest blue, cold and foreboding as he focused on the tasks at hand. Yet, with the twitch of an eyebrow and a debonair curve of the lip, they could become ever empathetic, the kindly eyes of a healer or a doctor of physic. Endymion was an unfairly good looking young man, with a fan base that any man in the kingdom would kill to have.

As he looked up and recognized his visitors, a wide smile came over his face and he gestured casually to the seats at the side. His gaze turned from that of a cold leader to that of a friend, for he considered the Council of Four his closest friends in the world.

Indeed, they were as close as they got. Zoisite was the closest in age, a mere four years older than Endymion, and a playmate since childhood. Jadeite was the next closest, a treasured fencing tutor while Endymion had been but a teenager and he an up and coming captain in the Guard. Nephrite and Kunzite had met the prince later as a matter of royal court procedure, but found Endymion a charming and endearing young man.

'Certainly smarter than his father.' Jadeite thought to himself with a smile.

"My liege." Kunzite uttered softly as he, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite knelt to the floor.

"My friends," Endymion's rich voice filled the room with warmth. "How many times have I told you, that you do not need to bow in this private place? We are very nearly family, after all."

They rose off the floor and Zoisite giggled softly. "Old habits die hard, my prince. Besides, if the rumors are true, you are to be king soon enough and then we must bow, regardless of your wishes."

The prince sighed and shook his head. "Such traditions are a waste of time and energy. A king has more important things to do. Like run his kingdom." His words trailed off a little bitterly.

He was well aware of the damage his father had done and possessed within him the burning desire to right the wrongs of decades past. Endymion was not a stupid man. He, more than any other, knew the sacred duty that had fallen upon his shoulders. He shrugged those heavy thoughts off easily and gestured to the four seats at the side of the long table. "Gentleman, enough of these pressing affairs of state! I'm quite hungry and we have much to talk about. I wish to hear your reports. Jadeite, you first. How are the troops?"

Sardonically, "Would you like to know the absolute truth?"

"That bad, is it?"

Jadeite poured himself a generous glass of wine. "It would worry me less, if those were not the forces in charge of the defense of Your Majesty's capital."

Endymion chuckled. "Well, I suppose then, that I am thankful that we are not currently at war. The nearest border is only ten miles away."

"I have moved my own border division to a new base within defensive reach of the capital. I am hoping that they might serve as an example to others. It was a quick fix, but the only one that I am capable of at this juncture."

"We thank you for your work, Jadeite. I am certain that you will be able to get our forces up to speed quickly.

Kunzite coughed. "I would caution the prince to remember that in this age, war is quite easy to wage. The nearest border you refer to is an old enemy of ours, still smarting from the defeats which your father inflicted upon them. The land this castle sits on has been traditionally theirs. War may be closer than any of us can anticipate."

"I shall keep that sobering news in mind, Kunzite. But I am told that we have forces enough in the area to withstand an assault?"

Nephrite nodded. "That is correct, my prince. My riders tell me that there are no more than five divisions on the border separating us, while we have twelve here at our disposal. And forgive me for sounding arrogant, but our quality of generalship is far higher than theirs. If they attack, it will be their heads not ours."

Endymion picked up a glass of wine. "Then I shall drink to that!"

Zoisite raised his glass and clinked it against the prince's. "Indeed!"

They all laughed heartily and downed their glasses of wine. A door near the back of the room swung open and a trusted steward pushed a cart filled with all the delicacies of Endymion's kingdom. Savory ground truffles from the south, excellent acorn fed pork from the east, fish from the vast ocean that bordered the western provinces and more wine, this time cooled in ice provided by riders from the north.

It was a wonderful meal, made even more so by the genuine warmth which filled every corner of the room. As the meal progressed, their talk eventually strayed from business to more personal topics.

Jadeite delicately chewed on a piece of fish and swallowed. "So tell me about this ball you are having tonight. I, like the others, got the invitation rather late and did not have the time to read over the guest list."

Endymion blushed slightly. "It is for the emissaries of the Moon Kingdom."

Nephrite grinned. "Ah." The prince's romantic inclinations towards the Moon Princess were something of an open secret among his friends. It was not the most polite subject to bring up with company. Lunarians were perceived as overly sensitive aesthetes, without any consideration of real life. There existed a great xenophobia between the two bodies, and no self-respecting nobleman would ever consider marrying a moon child, as they were called.

Mixed in with that dislike was a healthy dose of fear. The Lunarians were a race of master magicians and technologists, having managed to expand their civilization to all the corners of the solar system through their open policies of acceptance and change. By contrast, Earth had forcibly suppressed magic in its infancy, as opportunists had preyed upon the typical human fear of the unknown. What mages had existed on Earth had been killed long ago and magic was only used in the deepest darkest research halls of the most powerful nations on the planet. Compared to the moon, the Earth was a violent backwater, filled with feudal societies and primitive conflict.

However, even the most prejudicial human would agree that the Lunarians were the most beautiful of any race imaginable, and a liaison was quite within the realm of acceptability. Yet, the way that Endymion talked about the girl, it was clear that he was considering marrying her, something that would cause widespread discontent within the kingdom. Even his closest friends would confess to some mixed feelings on the issue.

Endymion, dismayed by the silence which had fallen over the room, spoke sternly. "I know what you are thinking, because I have had those same thoughts running through my mind. But let us face facts. We cannot remain backwards forever. It is best that change is inevitable and be the first ones to profit from it. As you know, I have already authorized the construction of one of the Lunarian's ubiquitous magical transport portals with their help. It will allow us to have direct contact with Queen Serenity, something I hope that no one in this room is averse to.

"Come now, Jadeite, you've been to the moon before. Is it not worth it?"

Jadeite inclined his head. "You know that I support your endeavors without reservations. I believe that an arms race is coming, and whoever gains the edge on magic first will win it."

The others nodded grimly. It was the inevitable war that they had on their minds instead of the possibilities of peace. Endymion sighed and threw his hands into the air. "Gentlemen, please! It is not war that I am thinking of. Can you not think of the social good which might result from this peaceful transfer? I am envisioning a society much like that of the moon, a harmonious relationship which can only mean increases in societal welfare and standards of living. Did you know that the average Lunarian lives a full twenty years longer than our downtrodden people? How can we deny them the opportunities out there?"

He was young and because of that they excused him his idealism. But even in their hard hearts, they acknowledged what their prince was trying to do. It was a sobering realization, being inadequate, but one that they took more as a challenge than anything else. Zoisite was the first to break the cold silence with a small joke. "However, I think we can all agree that it was not only in the interests of this kingdom which Endymion called this soiree together."

Endymion blushed deeply this time, an uncommon occurrence with the stolid prince. He was about to defend himself when Nephrite chimed in mischievously. "Come now, Endymion. As you have said many times, we are among friends. You should be completely open with us."

Jadeite coughed, hiding his laughter, and even Kunzite betrayed a quiet smile. Endymion looked at the bottom of the glass, seeking some way out of their penetrating questions. Finally, he gulped down the rest of it and laughed. "Perhaps my intentions were not completely pure."

Kunzite refilled Endymion's glass with wine. "None of ours really are. But it is always good to be young and in love. I would think that the women of the kingdom would be heartbroken. Especially your long time admirer, Lady Beryl."

Jadeite groaned and slapped his head. "Beryl is going to be torn apart. I feel sorry for her. She was so set on marrying you. Off the record of course, I believe that you two might have made a good pair. But as they say, true love cannot be denied."

Endymion chuckled and placed his glass aside. "Perhaps. But I expect all of you to be the party with me. It will not do if my four closest advisers are not there to share my pleasures and pains."

His generals stopped speaking all together. Nephrite looked faintly pained and started to get up, as if to make an excuse to get out of it. Endymion simply dressed him down with a withering stare. The brown haired general laughed nervously and then slumped back into his chair. Endymion cast his gaze across the table. "As I see there are no objections, I expect to see you all in dress uniform at my chambers within the hour. Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure." Endymion stood up and exited the room quickly.

Jadeite surreptitiously elbowed Nephrite in the stomach. "Nice spine, General."

"I did not see you standing up and objecting, General." He stressed the last word into an insult, causing Jadeite to smile in spite of himself.

Kunzite shot a foreboding glare at the two. "Stop it, you two. We've got to prepare to meet our guests. I suggest that you go back to your quarters and get ready to receive them."

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "I've got an hour. I'll manage."

"That goes for the rest of you, too." Kunzite relished his role as leader a little too much for the other independent minded generals. He took things a little too seriously, didn't loosen up quite as much as the others. Jadeite and Nephrite's little feuds were like those between brothers, yet Kunzite could never see the latent humor underneath those sibling rivalries. Yet, he commanded their respect, which was his aim all along.

He, like Jadeite, commanded his own division of heavy assault troops, but had never tested them in battle. A logistician rather than a tactician, he simply made sure that they had the adequate training, equipment, and leadership. He was a material strategist rather than a inspired tactical leader. His troops would never hold him with the same regard that Jadeite's held him in, but they acknowledged his efforts to keep them the best supplied units in the military.

A commander. That's what he was, not quite the leader he envisioned himself as. But as with many things, it would not matter until it was too late at all.

--------------------

Beryl intercepted the blond haired general as he made his way back to his quarters. "Hey, handsome!"

Jadeite grinned rakishly and stopped to let the red haired fireball catch up with him. Beryl was a relatively recent edition to the palace court, a welcome one in Jadeite's eyes. The child of a low ranking but financially powerful family, she had been sent by her now deceased parents to learn the ways of the royal court. An object of ridicule to some of the older families of the court, she shrugged off all the negative press around her to carve her own cult of personality. Her beauty won her many admirers and she used it to her advantage, promoting herself within the court as a lady of manners, elegance, and background.

He had befriended her when he was a young and upcoming captain of the guard; she, a lady in waiting for the now deceased queen. They had been strolling in the rose gardens during one of those endlessly dull social mixers, when she had impulsively declared that she despised these things. He had agreed whole heartedly, and from that had sprung a fast friendship. At one point, there had been the expectation that they might marry some day, but speculation about that dropped away quickly as it was clear that they would always be, and never would progress further than being good friends.

Perhaps her only weakness was the source of her greatest strength, her blinding ambition. Beryl's rise had made her quite a few enemies in the court, people she had brushed away with less concern than she would an errant grain of sand. To accompany that, Jadeite sensed that the impulsive young woman's moral compass occasionally strayed from the rigid code of ethics which governed kingdom life.

'Be that as it may, she is an interesting, vibrant, and ever amusing, if unpredictable, friend.'

"Good evening, milady. How are you doing this fine night?"

Beryl giggled like a woman much younger and threaded her arm through his. "I'm doing quite alright, General. It's much better, of course, now that I have you to share my interesting day with."

"I take it, it was a productive one?"

"Most. That annoying young lady from the West gave me a bit of trouble, but I gave her a bit of something to chew on."

Jadeite sighed. "Why do I distrust that tone? What did you do?"

"I have no idea why, my friend. As to your second question, I revealed a small romantic tryst she once had with a somewhat unsavory character. In public."

The general squeezed his eyes shut. "Beryl, you can't do things like that! Even if you dislike the person, it is not prudent to take revenge so swiftly."

"I have a name to protect, Jadeite! My parents, bless their souls, did not send me here to simply become one of those forgettable tarts who flash a breast whenever a soldier comes by!"

Jadeite chuckled. "My dear friend, you are far from forgettable, as you know by now. I know you have your sights set high."

"The highest. The prince himself. Rumor has it that you two are rather close these days."

"I am an adviser, nothing more."

"My Jadeite? Simply an adviser? I do not believe it. In fact, I prefer to believe the scuttlebutt. You are his trusted advisor and friend, one of four very special generals. You are privy to his deepest feelings and thoughts."

Jadeite shrugged and Beryl laughed. "Come on, Jadeite, you're my friend!"

"Hey, if you want him, you're on your own, lady."

"Aww, you're no fun," Beryl pretended to pout. "Fine, fine. We'll just figure out what's on his mind tonight at this ball he's holding." She tapped Jadeite lightly on the shoulder and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You'll be there, right?"

Dryly, "As if I had a real choice in the matter."

"Great! I'd hate to face this alone."

--------------------

It was more like thirty minutes, but all four generals were there, in impressive dress uniform. Even Jadeite had donned a formal cape, a concession to the prince's wish to impress his esteemed guests. The nattily dressed Zoisite eyed the blond general over with a complimentary gaze. He whistled low and Jadeite rolled his eyes while making a threatening gesture towards Zoi.

"My, my, it looks almost as if you were meeting someone here tonight."

"Orders, remember? And I always carry out my orders." He wrinkled his nose down at this clothing, "No matter how uncomfortable and unflattering they may be."

Nephrite chuckled. "Jadeite, for someone who cares very little about his looks and indeed does not mind rolling around in the mud with his soldiers, you are awfully conscious tonight. I tend to agree with Zoisite. You must be meeting someone."

Kunzite's eyes flashed with vacant amusement. "Jadeite did go to the moon once, as an attache under my orders. I wonder if he might have met someone there."

Jadeite shot a betrayed look at the normally neutral Kunzite, "I went to the balls, as instructed by you, General, and I did make a couple of friends. I hope to see them tonight."

Before the discussion could dissolve into more bickering, Endymion swept in, looking as elegant as ever. The black cape with red lining complemented the almost spartan formal wear of an Earth prince. Developed in a time when princes were neither meant to be seen nor heard, the formal jacket and black pants imparted a palpable elegance onto the tall, lean figure of the prince. Then, quite out of character, he reddened and asked softly. "How do I look?"

Zoisite answered quickly, "Handsome, as always my prince. You will sweep her off her feet."

Endymion glanced at a miniaturized, hand held Lunarian time piece. Even something as mundane as a clock exhibited Lunarian technical prowess. Compared to the unwieldy water clocks and primitive mechanical clocks of Earth, the lunar time piece used a complex spring mechanism to keep time with considerable accuracy. "Gentlemen, we are late. We must hurry to the portal room if we are to meet our guests there."

Endymion brushed past the Four and they fell into immediate lock step behind him. The portal itself was technically a secret, although there were many rumors of its existence. A few choice members of the royal bureaucracy had been notified of its existence through private communique. That meant that confirmation of its existence would trickle down to the populace slowly, allowing them time to get used to the idea of a portal to another planet within a royal palace. It was located in a most inconvenient part of the palace, underneath many layers of locked doors and dead end hallways.

A single guard watched over the portal itself, a Moon Guard soldier trained in the arts of magic. It was upon his shoulders that operation of the Terran end of the portal lay and with him resided the key to its permanent destruction. The Lunarians were not jealous guardians of their treasures, but did not wish anyone to misuse the powers which they could impart.

The guard nodded to Prince Endymion. "Your highness."

Endymion nodded back politely. "Are we too late?"

"Just on time, sir. If you would be so kind as to take a step back..." The soldier closed his eyes and began to chant words which Endymion did not understand, but recognized as Old Lunarian. It was a powerful language, filled with descriptors and adjectives which no Earth language could compare. Efforts had been made to adapt Terran languages to the arduous task of spellweaving with some limited successes. But the most ancient and powerful magicks would always have to be woven in a language specifically designed for it.

A shimmering light filled the room, forcing him to shield his eyes. Slowly, the light faded and in their place stood five feminine figures.

The Moon Princess's warm voice filled the room. "My prince, it is wonderful to see you again."

Decorum prevented him from rushing to her arms, and he instead opted for a chaste kiss to the hand. "My princess, the pleasure is all mine. Might I introduce my advisors to you? Generals Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite."

The princess bowed slowly, "I believe that I have already met the esteemed General Jadeite on his last visit to the moon. It is good to see you again General."

"And you, princess. I am only gratified that you honor us by visiting our home as you were so generous in inviting me to yours."

Lady Mars rolled her eyes slightly at his almost obsequious words and spoke softly. "The general is too kind. We enjoyed hosting him, and would do so again. If the good prince would be so kind as to release the general from his duties for a week or two, we might be able to show him activities beyond the business he was tied to when he visited there first."

The Moon Princess smiled. "You are all welcome to the Moon, of course. We would be honored to host you."

Endymion beamed. "I am certain that can be arranged in the near future. But, where are my manners?" He offered his arm to the beautiful Serenity, who took it without so much as a blush on her face, "Shall we?"

Each of the Generals moved to predetermined positions, acting as escorts for respective senshi. Nephrite, originally assigned as Mars's escort, shot Jadeite a quick smile and moved to kiss Sailor Jupiter's outstretched hand. Her eyes opened a little wider, but her worry was defused by a slightly mischievous smile from the General. That smile reflected onto Zoisite, who had on his arm the diminutive senshi of water.

Lady Mars gazed at Nephrite with faint amusement and then offered her arm to Jadeite. His eyebrows rose slightly and then he grasped her hand gently and raised it to his lips.

Almost tauntingly, "When did you become such a gentleman?"

"I always have been. You just abuse me, regardless of what I do."

Mars laughed. "That I do. I have missed you, my friend. Life on the Moon has become rather boring without your sordid view on things."

He offered his arm to her and she threaded her hand through it. "I am told that we are to attend a ball tonight. "

"Indeed? I suppose we should make an appearance." She sounded disappointed. "Perhaps a nice long walk afterwards is in order."

"As the lady commands, but obligations first." Jadeite led her along behind the rest of the small troupe advancing towards the great hall, where festivities were to be held.

--------------------

Kunzite spent most of his time getting acquainted with the young lady who called herself leader of the Sailor Senshi. He had been a little skeptical at first of the almost waifish blond at his side. Yet, the cool competence with which she held herself intrigued him. She did not look the part of a warrior, yet was reputed to be one of the strongest ever known. She smiled at him easily. "General, you have a confused look on your face. Might I be of some assistance?"

"No, " he muttered softly. "I am curious. What precisely is the role of the Sailor Senshi on the Moon? I have been informed that you have a Moon Guard, much like our own forces, so I am not certain what your role might be in the defense of the Moon Kingdom."

Venus smiled, as though she had heard the question a million times and relished telling him all the reasons why the Sailor Senshi existed. "I liken it to the system you have on Earth, with your Council of Four. The Sailor Senshi are advisers to the queen and her daughter on all issues of war, social welfare, and matters of state."

Kunzite raised a finger. "But that does not explain your designation as Senshi. Forgive my ignorance, but does that word not imply warrior?"

"It does and we are. Like your General Jadeite, we prefer to share the terrors and trials of our soldiers. Morale benefits from it greatly and I personally believe it is our duty, as those born of privilege, to share their pains."

"How egalitarian of you," Kunzite laughed. "Perhaps that is a lesson we of Earth might best learn."

Their voices trailed off as their eyes moved towards the dance floor, where an orchestra played a fast cheerful tune to the great delight of the dignitaries, Lunar and Terran alike.

--------------------

Nephrite casually gestured towards the center of the room. "Princess Jupiter, might I tempt you out for a dance? It seems only fair, for I deprived you of your original escort for the night."

Jupiter laughed joyfully and replied. "Think nothing of it. It is not often that a handsome, young general willingly chooses to escort me. Even if his motives are somewhat suspect."

He chuckled. "I thought the good General Jadeite might want a little alone time with Lady Mars."

Jupiter raised her hands in a casual dance maneuver. "You see the chemistry too?"

"An inkling. I have known Jadeite for quite some time now, as a fellow soldier and a friend. He is a most interesting character study. I have never known him to be enamored of anyone as Princess Mars."

"Would you believe that he did not know how to dance when he came? Mars offered to teach him."

Nephrite giggled in a most immature voice. "Private lessons?"

"She monopolized his time, except during official business. We barely saw him."

He sounded almost disappointed. "He never told me about that! He has some explaining to do. After tonight of course."

"Of course." Jupiter swung out of his embrace, letting her long dress billow underneath her as he stepped in time with the music. "You are an excellent dancer."

Nephrite grinned and winked at her. "Not my first time. It is a pleasure that I do not get to indulge in all that often, I'm afraid."

"That is a tragedy. Perhaps you ought to come to the moon some time. We have far too many balls there, and far too few young men who are capable of dancing."

"I would like that, assuming I can get a temporary leave from my duties, of course."

"I believe I might be able to get that for you. Your prince seems quite enamored of my princess."

"Ah yes, the other couple of the night." Nephrite smiled warmly. "Would an offer of marriage be received well on your side?"

Jupiter nodded slowly. "There are the usual suspicions, but the princess is very well loved of her people. If she makes it known that she had chosen the marriage herself, I believe that criticism will be rather muted. And your side?"

He grimaced, an ugly expression which marred his handsome face. "I am not certain. As you no doubt know, there are many more questions to be answered on our side. There is mounting pressure, especially from affluent circles, for the prince to marry within the kingdom itself in order to cement the divisions that are erupting. I can't say that I am completely against such thoughts."

"Do you support it?"

"I have sworn my loyalty my prince. I will always work towards his happiness."

Jupiter laughed quietly. "How appropriately vague. Is that a yes or a no?"

He pretended to be insulted. "If it is what he chooses, I will not, cannot stand in his way."

The orchestra finished their set, drawing applause from the crowd. Jupiter curtsied deeply to the long haired general, who returned the favor with a bow. He offered his arm to her again, and they chatted casually as they made their way back to their table at the front of the room.

--------------------

One of the generals and his senshi charge were conspicuously absent from the dance floor. Zoisite fidgeted a little bit, palpably uncomfortable with his assigned date for the evening. Princess Mercury favored him with an easy smile. "If you wish, please do go out and have fun. Don't let me drag you down. I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer."

Zoisite smiled. "Why not?"

"I never had the time to learn. I sort of wish I had. It would make functions like this much more bearable."

"If that is your problem," Zoisite stood up and offered his hand to her. "I would be honored to teach you."

A blush touched her cheeks. "No, it is quite all right. I don't want to burden you unnecessarily."

"There is little chance of that. It is my duty...and would be my pleasure to teach you." Zoisite's long fingers reached out to pull a protesting Mercury out of her seat.

"But what if--?"

"We embarrass ourselves? That is the point of these public gatherings. The real question is if we can get away with it. I wager that we can."

Mercury looked shocked and amused at the same time as Zoisite ignored her feeble protests and nudged her feet into dancing positions. He maneuvered her left hand to his shoulder and snaked his own around her waist. He moved closer, so that his words would need not travel far for her to hear. He whispered instructions to her, and she followed them automatically, having fun in spite of herself.

They danced a couple of sets, when Zoisite clutched at his chest. "My lady, you are far too energetic for me."

Mercury laughed. "Then I shall grant you your leave, and we can sit."

"You are most generous, princess." Zoisite laughed, then trailed off. Mercury looked at him curiously, then followed his gaze to another couple at the head of the room.

--------------------

"Lady Mars, may I introduce you to a good friend of mine? This is Lady Beryl."

The red haired lady curtsied gracefully. "A pleasure. Any friend of Jadeite's is a friend of mine."

Mars returned the gesture. "It is a pleasure meeting you finally. Jadeite had told me much about you."

"Did he now?" Beryl took the time to mock glower at the blond general. "Much flattery I hope?"

Jadeite's lip curled up into a half grimace. "I always talk of you on completely complimentary terms. I am scared that I might not live to see the next day if I do not."

Mars laughed softly. "You have him trained well."

Beryl raised her crystalline wine glass in thanks. "Would you mind terribly if I stole Jadeite away from you for a moment? I promise to return him."

The senshi nodded and replied humorously. "I know when another woman has staked her claim. The gardens in an hour, Jadeite?"

"You can bet on it."

"She's very pretty Jadeite. You should be proud."

"I am. What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"The prince. I can't believe that he allows himself to be taken in by that Moon whore."

"Come now, don't you think you're being a little prejudicial? She seems like a nice enough lady to me."

Beryl turned to regard him with blazing eyes. "That is not the point! Endymion has obligations to this kingdom. He simply cannot go gallivanting off to bed some girl from the Moon."

Icily, "Be quiet, Beryl. You are treading on very thin ice, here. I may be your friend, but my loyalty is ultimately to my prince. I will not tolerate slander."

"Do your loyalties include the destruction of this kingdom?" The hint of a threat boiled over into her voice.

Jadeite filed away that tidbit of information in the back of his mind. "My loyalties are to my prince's wishes. My opinions on such are irrelevant."

Her voice dropped a decibel, a sure sign of her rising anger. "Do you support him in this?"

Jadeite stared at her, but did not answer immediately. This was a Beryl that he had never encountered before. Jadeite had heard tales of her legendary tantrums, but had fortunately or unfortunately never been a target of them. And so, he was faced with an interesting quandary, whether to tell the truth or seek to mollify her.

Coldly, "It is said that some men would give up all their worldly possessions to taste the sweet nectar of love. Do you truly wish to test his resolve? Can you honestly say that you love him with the same fervor that she does?"

Beryl glared at him. "I wish I could believe that sentiment, Jadeite. But you and I both know, that there is no love, no sentimental affection. There is only unrequited, unrelinquished power. You know it as well as I. The kingdom is in danger of fracture, and the only way to save it is through marrying within the kingdom itself."

"I believe you are exaggerating your claims, Beryl. But, if you are truly willing to tempt those feelings, I urge you to go up and ask him yourself. He will give you a far more definitive answer than I."

Her eyes blazed with unrestrained hatred. "I think I will. Thank you."

Jadeite turned his gaze to the front of the room. Endymion and Serenity looked as if they were engrossed in deep conversation. He learned a bit closer to whisper something into her ear and Serenity recoiled suddenly and slapped him on the shoulder playfully. He leaned forward more and she smiled widely.

And as if to answer Jadeite's challenge, Serenity thrust her head forward suddenly and kissed the prince on the lips. It was but a brief touch, and only those that were looking for it would have seen it. Endymion's face broke out into a wide smile and he seemed to breath a sigh of relief, that she could harbor feelings similar to his.

Beryl went sheet white.

And Jadeite winced. He harbored no ill feelings for his friend, but knew that she was simply out of her league. Almost idly, he wondered what repercussions might result from it.

--------------------

Zoisite looked around and took a sip of wine. "Where's Lady Beryl? I thought she would definitely attend Endymion's ball."

Nephrite looked around quickly and frowned. "That is curious. Did you see her earlier?"

"I did not, but she never liked me very much."

"Maybe Jadeite knows." Nephrite waved over the blond general, who was in deep conversation with a white haired Silver Millennium official, who had arrived late to the scene. Jadeite smiled, made his excuses and apologies, and quickly made his way over to the other two.

"You called, dear sirs?"

"Have you seen Beryl? I thought she would have made it to this little soirée. A chance to impress our young prince, perhaps?"

Jadeite's face twisted into a grimace. "She caught a glimpse of our charges smooching and left very quickly. She had a lot banking on it. She's been gone for almost an hour now."

Kunzite smiled wryly. "I would not worry too much about it. She's pretty enough to find someone else."

Zoisite laughed loudly. "But knowing Beryl, there will be hell to pay. Are you ready for that my friend?"

Jadeite coughed. "Do I have much of a choice?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Endymion's appearance. "Gentlemen, why are you not out having fun?"

"Tired feet." Nephrite laughed. "The senshi are tireless. We can't keep up."

"Oh that is a poor excuse. Come join the festivities, Generals. I see some lovely ladies in need of partners. I can make that an order."

Jadeite coughed and reddened noticeably. "Actually, I have a rendezvous I need to make."

"Then you are relieved of your duties, temporarily." Endymion winked. "I should not be the only one to find companionship tonight."

Jadeite bowed his gratitude and glided out of the room. Nephrite chuckled heartily, "Lucky stiff."

--------------------

As promised, she waited for him in the gardens. Sardonically, "You are late."

"I know, I apologize."

Mars giggled, "I forgive you!"

The moon lay high in the sky, sending white beams of light onto the gardens of Earth. The coolness of the night air had just begun to condense the humidity in the air into shining dewdrops on every leaf and petal. Yet, the wonderful scents of the garden had not diminished. The two walked in silence for a moment, allowing the beauty of their surroundings to get in an a word or two before they disturbed its stillness.

Jadeite awkwardly walked along side her, feeling like a lumbering ox next to Mars's tiptoed grace. Self doubt began to invade his thoughts and he shied away from her, sensing that he was merely a clumsy, military clod next to her royal bearing. She looked at him, faintly distressed by his unwillingness to touch her. And then, in a surprisingly indecorous movement, she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him closer.

There ensued a strange power struggle as Jadeite tried to pull away and Mars strived to bring him nearer. Finally, she let him go and stopped and glared at him. "Do you have a problem with touching me?"

"What--? No, of course not."

"Then what is it?" Her stance conveyed that she would brook no excuses.

He blurted out uneasily. "I don't want to trample you."

She laughed and covered her mouth with a gloved hand. "I am a hardy person, Jadeite. And you are hardly a two ton behemoth yourself." Mars reached out and took his hand into her own.

All the tension left him in a moment and, against all his instincts, he pulled her closer to him. His breath caught in his throat as the words struggled to make their way out. "Would you mind terribly if I kissed you?"

She laughed musically. "I would like nothing more in the world."

They shared a chaste, but passionate kiss and giggled like two teenagers after a first date. Jadeite leaned over one of the flower beds and carefully stripped a lily from its mother plant. With a cautious smile, he offered it to her. "My lady, for you."

Mars took it and leaned forward to embrace him. They stood there for a while, simply reveling in each other's presence. Jadeite's body stiffened suddenly. "What's wrong?"

"Something over there in the darkness." Jadeite's voice trailed off, his soldier's instincts peaking. He moved silently, with a grace that came with the perception of danger. He crept over to one of the shadows of a great coniferous tree and reached out softly.

His bare hand touched the rough cloth of a uniform and Jadeite pulled the body out of the darkness into the full, bright moonlight. A blank stare looked back up at him, a trail of blood marking the corpse's passage across the grass. It was a young soldier of Endymion's guard, very likely the guard who watched over this section of the palace at night. The general felt for a pulse, instinctively knowing that there would be none there. A single arrow had pierced the soldier's heart, causing a silent, painless death.

Mars walked over with obvious trepidation and her mouth twisted into an ugly expression. "So much for a romantic evening."

"Indeed." Jadeite looked around the shadows, but detected no other intruders. "Could you please go get Zoisite here? We may have a situation on our hands."

Mars disappeared into the castle quickly and returned with Zoisite and Nephrite, bearing a torch. Zoisite immediately rushed to Jadeite's side. "How long?"

"I am not certain. It is likely he was dead when we got here."

The effeminate general dipped his hands in the blood that clung to the wet grass and rubbed it between his finger. "The blood has not congealed yet. Could you shed some light from your torch, Nephrite?"

The other general moved the flame closer and Zoisite peered at the dead soldier's face. "And there is still blood in his face. This attack happened not twenty minutes ago."

Nephrite's voice was grim. "Then we may have an intruder in the palace."

Jadeite grasped Lady Mars's hand. "Perhaps you ought to head back to the ballroom."

Mars's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Don't patronize me, General. I am well versed in battle and death. Do not seek to shield me from it."

"Not my intention at all. However, I have suspicions that there might be a plot directed at your princess and my prince, especially with their choice of night. I believe that they would be safer with your presence."

Mars stared at him, then nodded her assent. "I will do as requested."

Nephrite turned to Zoisite. "Will you be all right out here? Shall I send for a guard unit?"

"No," the general shook his head emphatically. "That would cause too much of a commotion. The enemy might slip away. I shall collect what information I need and then head back to the ballroom. It would be best not to let this get too out of hand."

"In that case, Jadeite and I shall patrol the hallways to see what might turn up."

The four parted quickly, grim professionalism taking over for the fairy tale ambiance of previous hours.

--------------------

Zoisite returned to the ballroom, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hands drenched in blood, to the faint horror of those who saw him. He walked briskly to the front of the room and said simply. "Kunzite, we may have a problem."

Kunzite pulled away from his conversation. "I take it that it has something to do with the blood dripping from your hands."

"A bit. Jadeite found a dead guard in the garden. He was killed less than thirty minutes ago. We may have an intruder in the area. The other two are patrolling the halls."

Kunzite's breath hissed out his teeth. "This can't be a coincidence. Both the Prince and the Princess are here..."

"But the Princess's personal guardians are here as well as you and I. It will be difficult to accomplish anything without our noticing and taking objection to it."

The taller general looked around apprehensively. "Your suggestion, General?"

"Let Jadeite and Nephrite handle it. They are quite capable of taking care of themselves. Keep close to our targets. There is no reason to worry our guests. Yet."

Kunzite nodded. "Then in that case, I suggest you wash your hands. People are looking."

Zoisite laughed and looked down at his hands. "As you command."

--------------------

They found a second body in the stairwell. A puddle of melted wax marked where the girl had dropped her candle. The flame had not gone out yet, filling the enclosed area with the smoky scent of burnt tallow. Its owner was nearby, a young serving girl whose last expression was one of abject terror. She was a pretty, young thing, probably the offspring of a poor peasant family who had aspired to more for her than their lot in life. There was little doubt that she would have attracted a rising young soldier and been lifted out of the poverty that her family had known.

But for chance, she might have had many children, bounced grandchildren on her knees.

Nephrite sympathetically closed her eyes then examined the body with a coroner's eye. "Clean slit across the throat. Probably died without a sound. But there is no doubt she saw something. I wonder what it was."

Jadeite peered up the darkness of the stairwell. "Whatever she saw, we are dealing with very skilled men. It is surprising that nobody has noticed yet. We need to arm ourselves. I would not like to find something without a weapon in my hands."

The brunette general nodded. "Agreed. One floor up, I believe that there is a weapons closet. We may need to break and enter."

Jadeite nodded and motioned for Nephrite to follow him. The two ran quietly up the stairs, listening for anything outside of the natural sounds of a castle at night.

They made it to the next floor without any significant mishaps, although Nephrite nearly killed himself by tripping and falling down the stairs. Jadeite shot him a look of annoyance then neared the door that separated stairwell from second floor hall. He pushed open the door slightly, so that not a living soul could notice his peering into the hallway.

As he expected, it was completely empty and the blond motioned for Nephrite to follow his lead. The other general did not move with the same grace, creating unnecessary noise with his dress boots.

Counting down silently with his fingers, Jadeite moved through the door, then shut it silently behind Nephrite. Communicating entirely with motions, Nephrite explained that the closet was hidden behind a large tapestry that draped across one of the walls. He disappeared underneath the layer of dense cloth, while Jadeite crouched low and kept at eye on the surroundings.

It was especially spooky at night. There were few torches in this portion of the castle, a rather unfortunate oversight at that juncture. The few torches that were there, destroyed his night vision, forcing him to squint while looking. He would have preferred only starlight, for the human eye adjusts well to low light conditions. The burning flames tore that comfort away, making things terribly creepy, especially for an unarmed man in pursuit of other far more dangerous men.

He waited for a moment, hearing the scraping sounds of Nephrite struggling with the lock. A sickening snap echoed through the hallway and Nephrite swore feelingly. The pounding sounds of feet far less careful than his own sounded through the halls and a scuffle of movement broke out at the end.

Two young men in the uniform of Endymion's guard rounded the corner. Jadeite raised his hand to wave them down, then withdrew it quickly as a thrown knife scythed down towards him. He jumped to the side, as the dagger buried itself into the stone next to his head. Jadeite scampered down to find better cover, a vain hope at best in the bare hallway. He weaved to the side, but a crossbow bolt skimmed his arm, knocking him over in a spurt of blood and a suddenly yelp.

Then, as suddenly as the fight started, it ended. Nephrite, from his position behind the draperies, hurled a devastatingly accurate javelin at the knife thrower, pinning him to the wooden wall behind him. The bowman retreated down the hall, his booted feet sounding through the corridors.

Nephrite rushed to his friend's side. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Fine. Just a flesh wound."

"Lucky you." Nephrite slashed off part of his own sleeve and fashioned a makeshift tourniquet to tied around the wound. He tightened it until Jadeite grunted in pain. "Can you fight?"

Jadeite flashed Nephrite a Cheshire Cat grin. "You better believe it."

Nephrite nodded and handed him the curved cavalry type saber he favored. Jadeite hefted it carefully, mainly to test the flexibility of his arm, then smiled rakishly. "Let's do this."

They moved down the hall, wary of any other enemies. As they neared the corner, Jadeite poked his head around to check if it was safe, then motioned for Nephrite to move. Nephrite shook his head and moved over to the speared knife attacker. He pushed the young man over with his toe and pulled the javelin from his chest.

Squinting at the figure's face, a grim expression passed over his face. "I know this kid."

Jadeite looked back in surprise. "You do?"

"A lieutenant in one of the defense divisions. I saw him once at a briefing."

The blond's eyes narrowed. "An insider then."

"A traitor. We may have a larger situation that originally anticipated." Nephrite's mouth creased into an ugly expression.

"Let us deal with one problem at a time. We still have at least one more soldier to deal with."

"When this is over, someone will die for this. I guarantee that."

With the usefulness of stealth severely limited, the two generals sprinted down after the last one with murder in their eyes. The soldier spun suddenly and fired a crossbow bolt down at the two. It was too fast to be dodged, but Jadeite moved quickly to the side and slashed it out of the air, before it impacted. It twirled away from him and the soldier began to run again.

With each breath, Jadeite's chest burned, but he pushed himself faster. Nephrite hurled the javelin again, but it went wild.

They rounded another bend, but the soldier had disappeared. Nephrite muttered a curse, then spoke quietly. "I know this place. This is near the King's quarters!"

A terrible premonition overcame the two and they ran harder. They found two more guards outside of the King's inner sanctum, slumped over in a position now familiar to the two generals. There were no revealing marks, but it seemed all too obvious that their end had not been a natural one. Nephrite futilely felt for a pulse, then felt his fingers clench into a fist of rage. Jadeite nodded and kicked the door open, prepared to fight.

But neither of them was prepared for the horror which confronted them. A misshapen creature crouched over the limp body of the king. The creature was vaguely humanoid, but no human of natural birth could compare to the proportions and unnatural look of this demon. It towered over both of the Generals, a monster one and a half times their size. Rock hard muscles bulged out from its beefy arms and chest, with hands that could engulf either man in a single swipe. A brown, leathery hide covered its entire body, supplemented only by a loincloth which imparted a bit of modesty onto the otherwise nude figure. Finally, a shock of blue hair decorated a surprisingly cruel face, whose dark eyes seemed to only know hatred and suffering and pain.

Nephrite did not hesitate. His hand moved back like lightning, throwing the weighted metal rod with terrible accuracy. It pierced the creature's hide, spilling greenish blood onto the floor. It turned in a quick movement, letting loose a terrible, bone chilling battle roar. It was at that instant that they knew this had to be dark magic at work, creating a creature that nature would have rejected.

The creature sprung into action, lifting up a nearby chair and hurling it with brutal force at its antagonist. Nephrite leapt, barely dodging the smashing blow. He landed nimbly, down to his final spear

Jadeite lifted his sword and took a quick step forward to drive the creature back a step. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Nephrite circled the creature slowly, twirling the spear in his hands. "I'm not getting much penetration."

"Great," Jadeite growled out the last words. "So what do we do now?"

The monster in front of them took that decision out of their hands as it hurled itself at Jadeite. The blond general fell back under the assault, parrying the heavy handed blows of a creature much larger than he. One of the most accomplished fencers of his time, he distinguished himself from his peers by his extensive experiences on the battlefield. While most were simply noble dilettantes who dabbled in swordplay as a pastime, Jadeite knew what it was like to plant his feet in front of an enemy army and fight to the death.

He used his opponent's weight against it, continually allowing it to overextend its reach. At times, it seemed as if he toyed with his attacker, allowing him to recover from falls and misjudgments. But Nephrite knew that this, like with most things, was the result of a carefully contemplated choice, rather than mere caprice.

Jadeite's aim was to wear his enemy out, to make a dangerous enemy less dangerous through ruse and trickery. But it was a thin line he danced around, as the monster came dangerously close to taking his head off in a single swipe.

Sensing his chance, the blond general ducked underneath the blow and leaped to the side, slashing his blade across the monster's vulnerable belly. He kept moving, to dodge the quickly spreading puddle of green blood which exploded out of the monster's gut. Jadeite whirled around, ready to fend off another attack, but it was a wasted gesture. The monster tried to choke out another gurgling roar, but collapsed before it could summon up the strength.

Nephrite sighed and walked over solemnly to the King's bed. He winced and then shook his head. "We're too late. He's dead."

"What was that creature doing?" Jadeite murmured, referring to the now disintegrating body of the monster. "The king doesn't have a mark on him."

"This does not bode well, my friend."

Boots sounds outside and Kunzite rushed into the room with four soldiers. "We heard a terrible scream downstairs. What happened here?"

The two other generals looked at each other, deciding whether to answer or let Nephrite figure out for himself.

"The King has been assassinated." Jadeite shook free some of the green blood which clung to the tip of his blade. "Nephrite suspects that dark magic was at work."

"Who did it?"

Jadeite pointed lazily to the over sized creature that had almost completely evaporated. "Someone is using magic outside of our purvey. There isn't a mark on the guard outside." He hesitated and spoke directly to the soldiers who had come with the general. "Might I speak with General Kunzite alone, gentlemen? It will only take a moment."

The captain of the guard bowed perfunctorily. "By your order."

Jadeite stared until the door closed behind them and then nodded to Nephrite. The brown haired general nodded back. "Kunzite, there are traitors in the palace."

"Does this have anything to do with the soldier a couple of corners back, speared with what looks like the javelin you hold in your hand?"

"That's it. We were attacked while following the trail of bodies. He had an accomplice that took a chunk out of Jadeite, before he escaped."

Kunzite sighed. "This is not good. I should let you know that Zoisite had come to similar conclusions. He examined the arrow that killed that soldier you found in the garden, Jadeite. It is stamped with the insignia of the royal guard. They have infiltrated as deeply as Endymion's personal bodyguards. And now with this assassination, I have no doubt that they may try for Endymion next."

"I trust the senshi far more than I trust the royal guard right now. Are they with him?"

Kunzite nodded. "He and the princess have been taken to a saferoom in the palace. I have asked the senshi and Zoisite to keep watch over them for the time being. But it will not help if the entire guard rises up against us, no matter how good they are."

Nephrite nodded perfunctorily. "The only army units I trust right now are Jadeite's skirmisher divisions, because they have only moved to the capital recently and also because of their extraordinary loyalty to him."

"Jadeite, you are wounded, but can you ride out and rally your troops to the palace? I want to be absolutely certain that all precautions are taken to protect the prince.

Jadeite laughed and disappeared out the door. "This is simply a flesh wound. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Kunzite sighed. "Nephrite, do you have any intelligence on this?"

"I do. It is under lock and key in my office however. If it's all the same to you, I would rather not go alone. There is still at least one more traitor lurking around here. I'd much rather not face him without back up."

--------------------

The wound had stopped bleeding and Jadeite tossed away the bandage. To be sure, it hurt, but the adrenaline still running through his veins staved off his thoughts on the subject. The stable master came up to him, a black stallion on hand. "General, my fastest horse. The only horse I know of to beat Endymion's own in dead sprint."

"Thanks, stable master." Jadeite grabbed the reins and the old stableman hoisted him up onto the saddle. "I will return him in a couple of hours."

"Good luck on your journey, general."

Jadeite spurred the horse on, riding off into the quietness of the surrounding town. A few torches blazed, even at the late hour which he set off. But aside from the occasional drunken yell from a tavern, the night was still. In five minutes, his horse had left the capital behind, and the only sounds he could hear were that of pounding hooves and his own ragged breathing.

Normally, he might have stopped to take in the wonderful scenery around him. Jadeite loved the open air, the soft earth that sank underneath the weight of a horse at stand still. On a wet day, a horse might skid one the grass, leaving a long streak of red mud in its wake. But the darkness that had seemed so peaceful and romantic not hours before, seemed to possess demons of its own.

As a warrior, he much preferred simple, clean conflict. Even if he did not agree with the soldier opposing him, he could respect him, for fighting for a cause, for preferring to face him in a fair fight, rather than simply stab him in the back. Quick, easy, and honorable.

But already Jadeite understood that this was a new beast, a dirty war on proportions he had never seen before. The willingness for soldiers in the service of a sovereign to betray their leader, to kill their king, to summon inhuman creatures to do their fighting...

He forced his mind away from such thoughts and concentrated on riding. The night was clear and every hillock seemed aglow with the cleansing light of the moon. Not a soul in sight.

Except... Jadeite's eyes strained but he slowly made out a glow of artificial light coming from behind another hill. His forehead furrowed slightly. 'Campfires, but why? And so many? There are no army units in this vicinity...'

He tugged on the reins and headed for higher ground. Right before he crested the ridge, he dismounted, tying the stallion's reins to a nearby tree. Jadeite continued on foot and finally reached the top of the hill. It was a short climb, but by the time he reached the top, he was bathed in sweat.

The sight made him shiver, in spite of the relative warmth of the night and the heat that had built up from his climb.

His eyes squinted, fighting against the thousand lights of the campfires, making out the colors of ten divisional commands.

Jadeite recognized the insignia of only one of them, a veteran division he knew only as the Dervishes. He had encountered them only once before, in a terrible game of cat and mouse that had marked the final days of the last wars of expansion. His own skirmishing division had blazed a swath of destruction across the supply lines of the neighboring nation, to relieve the tired front line that was threatened with rupture.

The Dervishes had been detached from the front lines to pursue his division and, for a couple of months, they had played a tense game of running battles and light assaults. But eventually, the Dervishes had pinned his own forces down into an inconclusive battle, a meat grinder of a day that had consumed nearly forty percent of the men on both sides.

Jadeite's mind raced, wondering if he had accidentally crossed over into enemy territory. But that did not square with the facts. He had traveled less than twenty minutes. Which meant that an invasion was underway.

He did not have time to complete that thought as his ears picked up on the sound of crunching leaves and twigs less than twenty yards away. Jadeite took another look at the assembled forces, then sprinted back to his horse down the path.

As soon as he moved, he heard shouts in another language and the whistle of arrows through the air. He untied the stallion from the tree and mounted it instantly. "Hyah!"

--------------------

Nephrite pressed his ear against the door then whispered. "There's someone inside."

Kunzite's strong features tightened. "Were you expecting visitors?"

"Not in my private office." Nephrite stopped. "He's picking a lock in my desk. I am not sure which one."

"What did you have in there?"

"Everything. Troop locations, intelligence reports. I wonder what this one is after."

"Let's find out. Keep listening. Wait until he finds what he is looking for."

Suddenly, the quiet sounds stopped, replaced with the sound of a drawer being withdrawn from the desk and being placed on the top with a muted thunk. Kunzite nodded and kicked the door open with a grunt of effort. Nephrite raced in right in front of him, the javelin held in front of him like a spear.

The soldier jumped approximately a foot into the air and scampered to the side of the room to retrieve his loaded crossbow. Kunzite, anticipating the move, preempted him and had his sword extended to quell any other thoughts of escape. "Hands up, my friend. You've a bit of explaining to do."

The soldier froze, his eyes darting about the room, seeking salvation. But Kunzite, having enough of the charade, took one step forward and smashed the soldier in the face with a heavy handed punch, knocking him out to the world.

"Was that completely necessary?" Nephrite looked up from the stacks of paper that had been rifled through.

"Just working off a little stress. Why, do you care for his welfare?"

"No, I just don't want to carry him back."

Kunzite rolled his eyes. "What was he after?"

Nephrite's brow furrowed a bit. "Strange, he was going through my background files on Endymion's potential wives."

"What?"

"A project that the elder King had ordered me to undertake. He wanted me to ensure the safety of his son in marriage. Sensitive information, but not something that would merit an assassination and dabbling with dark magic."

"Indeed." Kunzite tapped a finger on his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Or perhaps it might, at least in the eyes of those. Take those papers along. We need to get through them tonight. Perhaps we'll have potential suspects then."

--------------------

Zoisite squeezed the leather of the armchair until it made a strangling sound in the near silence of the room. "This is taking too long. Something has gone wrong."

Mars sighed from her position, lounging on another chair. "I think we knew that something was going wrong when Kunzite ushered us into a saferoom. Or perhaps when the scream reached the ballroom."

The general laughed quietly. "It has been an eventful night, has it not?"

"It certainly has. Not in a good way either."

"I second that appraisal." A knock came at the door and Zoisite drew his sword before speaking. "Challenge?"

"Drip."

The general pulled the dead bolt back and Kunzite pushed his way in, dragging an unconscious soldier behind him. Nephrite followed with a stack of papers. "I need a desk and a chair."

"What's going on?"

Nephrite explained the situation to him quickly and succinctly while skimming through stacks of dossiers.

Mars rose from her seat. "Wait, Jadeite is gone?"

Kunzite dropped the soldier's legs on the floor. "He's rallying his division to the castle. I expect him back by daybreak. Until then, we must occupy ourselves with other things. Such as the interrogation of this one."

Zoisite nodded. "I'll set up a room for it."

The two generals opened the deadbolted door again and carried the comatose soldier out of the room.

Mars looked at Nephrite. "Interrogation?"

The brown haired general smirked down at his papers. "You don't want to know."

--------------------

Jadeite had taken a discursive route to his destination to ensure that no one could follow his path. He was adept at escape and evasion, but sensed that he had managed to lose the enemy riders pursuing him. What had promised to be a short, easy ride had turned into a dangerous gape into the void.

But now, it seemed as though he was in the clear. Jadeite's horse galloped towards the encampment at full speed. A sentryman pulled up next to him, bearing a sword and bow. "Halt, who goes there!"

The general turned to allow the soldier to get a full look at his profile in the full moonlight.

The sentry immediately saluted. "General! We were not informed of your arrival."

"You were not supposed to be. Get everybody up. We need to move this division quickly."

"Yes sir." The sentry unstrapped a bugle at his side and blew a loud blast through it, the at ready reveille.

Tired troops began to spill out of their barracks, struggling to pull on their breeches and grab their personal weapons. A cantankerous brigadier stepped out of more private residence and began yelling to regain order among his troops. "Alright you sons of dogs! Form up immediately!"

In less than ten minutes, the entire complement of six thousand troops had dressed and armed themselves. The three brigadiers marched in order to Jadeite. "General, this division is at your command."

"Thank you, gentlemen."

The commander of the first brigade smiled and saluted. "The troops await your address."

Jadeite shook his head. "There is no time for that. I want each of you to get your troops into marching order. We have seven miles to cover as quickly as possible. This is a short range march. Weapons and canteens only."

"What is happening, General?"

"There is a crisis brewing near the capital. We are needed immediately."

There were no more questions. They knew that their leader would not have bothered them had it not been an emergency of the highest proportions.

Jadeite sat on his borrowed horse, watching as his troops prepared for departure. He took a deep breath, struggling to let out the tension.

--------------------

The soldier slowly came to. His hands were bound to the chair behind him and a large bruise had sprouted suddenly on his face. Zoisite sat patiently on a table off to the side. Kunzite shot a look at his compatriot, who grinned back mirthlessly.

Cheerily, "Good morning, sunshine."

"Where am I? I am a member of Endymion's guard. You have no right..." His voice trailed off as he saw Kunzite.

Kunzite began. "Please don't insult my intelligence, Lieutenant. Now, I could read you a list of charges, but we've all got better things we can do with our time, right?

"We don't want to hurt you."

The soldier cracked a smile that was seventy percent bravado. "Then let me go."

"I'm afraid we cannot do that. We have plenty of evidence here to order your execution. But I have seen enough death today."

Zoisite smiled, belying the dark threats hidden beneath his words. "I haven't. Lieutenant, how long have you been taking bribes?"

"I will not answer that question."

Kunzite spoke quietly. "I wouldn't get him angry, not if I could help it."

Zoisite shot an angry look at Kunzite, who seemed to withdraw a little underneath the shorter man's withering stare. "Lieutenant, please. We know all about your special arrangements, we're just trying to get a better picture of it all. Tell me, who is paying you off?"

"And if I don't? Your friend over there said that there would be no more death today. There is little worse that you could do to me." The soldier seemed to gain strength from those words.

Zoisite giggled malevolently. "Trust me it can get far worse. Now normally we wait until a little later in the process to do this, but if you insist." He crossed back around to a box that lay on the other side of the table. Zoisite lazily flipped it open and withdrew a large knife which he glanced at with a casual grin. It was blackened along the length of the blade, but the very edge still gleamed with a mirror finish.

Kunzite spoke out warningly. "Zoisite, what are you doing?"

"Well, as the soldier said, he's not saying anything. Might as well have some fun in the process." Zoisite reached out almost delicately to unbutton the soldier's pants.

"Zoisite--"

"Shut up, Kunzite. This is going to be fun. And it's not like this murdering son of a dog is going to matter to anybody."

The soldier turned an ashen white. "You can't-"

"Can't I?" Zoisite undid the last button, as delicately as he would a lover's jacket.

Kunzite turned his attention to the soldier, his face getting increasingly pale. "Look, I don't know what you know, but I suggest you speak quickly. I can't control him when he gets like this."

"Aw look, it's just a little thing!" Zoisite reached in, gripping the soldier tightly, and whispered softly. "This will be easy. Just a little flick of the wrist."

The soldier's eyes bugged out. "It was Beryl!"

Zoisite smiled again, never letting the knife waver. "Continue."

The lieutenant spilled everything he knew, from the dates of his payments to what he knew of a larger plan. It was a small windfall, but a worthwhile one.

"Why were you after the marriage files?"

"I don't know, it was just an order."

Zoisite lifted the blade threateningly and the soldier shook his head violently. "I swear! I don't know what it was for!"

Kunzite placed a restraining hand on Zoisite's shoulder, and the shorter general tossed the knife to the side. "Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant. Your manhood remains intact."

--------------------

The pounding came on the door and Nephrite's hand immediately went to the sword which Kunzite had thoughtfully placed on his desk. "Challenge?"

Kunzite's voice came through clearly. "Drip."

The brown haired general apprehensively pulled the deadbolt out of the lock position and opened the door. "Anything?"

"Plenty. Get me every file you have on Lady Beryl."

Nephrite gave Kunzite a skeptical look. "Beryl? What does she have to do with this?"

"The lieutenant said Beryl was behind this."

"And you believe him? She's a rather unlikely candidate."

Kunzite shot back irritably. "Do you have a better suspect?"

"I don't have any suspects. If I did I would have told you." Nephrite scowled at the other general. It was getting late in the night, and fatigue had begun to hammer at the back of his eyes. He blinked and yawned, before rifling through some papers and shoving a stack of them to Kunzite.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Lady Venus appeared, distinct worry on her face.

"No, milady." Kunzite bowed perfunctorily, and Nephrite nodded to her. "How are the Prince and the Princess doing?"

Wryly, "Enjoying each other's company very much. How is the situation?"

"Fairly good." Nephrite rose and stretched. "I can say with reasonable certainty that the remainder of Endymion's guard is free from any bribery or scandal."

Kunzite looked at him with surprise. "When did you establish that?"

"Just before you got back, I called in some informants, read some files. It seems that most everyone in the palace is clean."

"Did you read any of the marriage files?"

"No."

The white haired general looked almost betrayed. "Then what have you been doing this entire time?"

"Clearing the palace staff of wrong doing. I postulated that whoever assassinated the elder king would have a reasonable bit of knowledge about who had hired him and for what reason. The question then becomes, why would such an assassin go through the marriage files in my desk? They're hardly good reading. I came to the conclusion that the assassin was hired by someone who had a vested interest in making sure that our intelligence files were never read." A sinister smile touched Nephrite's face. "I know, perhaps even better than you, of Zoisite's rather effective interrogation style. He's used it to my benefit quite a few times. Why waste time finding out something he could wring out of someone much faster? I thought it a better use of my time to free us for other duties than babysitting the Prince. It appears that the bribery in this case was limited to those we have found."

Kunzite chuckled. "My apologies, Nephrite, your motives are sound as usual."

Venus tapped her finger pensively on her chin. "Does that mean it is safe to leave this suite?"

Nephrite nodded. "I have called for a section of the Prince's Guard to escort them at all times. It has been a late night. I believe that the worst is over. Perhaps you ladies would like to catch a few hours of sleep before dawn? I can call some attendants to set up a suite of guest rooms."

"Thank you, General. I shall confer with the others, but I believe we may take you up on your offer."

"Excellent!" The two generals waited until Lady Venus had left the room before resuming conversation.

Kunzite tapped his finger on the table. "If possible, I would like a section to be sent to take the lieutenant that Zoisite is looking over into custody."

"Already done. I figured that Zoisite might want to be freed up for other duties." The intelligence officer offered up a cheerful grin. "It could have been worse."

"Indeed, it could have. Now, all we need to do is wait for Jadeite to come back. Then we can plot our next moves, get a good night's sleep, and find out Beryl's role in all this."

--------------------

What made the night march more harrowing was Jadeite's expectation of battle at any moment. He still sat on his horse, at the head of his three brigades. They had covered six miles in the past two hours, a tribute to their hardiness and the quality of their leadership. Jadeite, himself, had ridden by straggling formations, exhorting the men to push themselves faster and harder than before.

Still, it was not fast enough for him. With every yard closer, he half expected to see the palace consumed in flame. What made it worse was the fact that the terrain around the palace was hilly compared to the plains surrounding it, preventing one from seeing the capital until one was right on top of it.

As long as one controlled those hilltops, an invading army would have a devilish time trying to force their way to the city gates. Such things had been tried in the past, at a ghastly cost in men and material.

That reverie was broken by rapid approach of a group of cavalrymen. Jadeite's personal guard mobilized themselves quickly, with three of them riding ahead to intercept the intruders, while the others huddled around their target in a protective maneuver.

To that day, it still annoyed him terribly that they did so. Jadeite waved them away and spurred his stallion to catch up with the advance group. As the intruders approached, one raised a white banner, signifying a truce.

And that fact unnerved him. Jadeite's hand tightened around the sword at his side. His other hand pulled the reins back, slowing the black stallion to a halt.

"Ho, General Jadeite!"

Jadeite eyed the speaker, a young man just having left behind his teenage years. He did not recall his name, but knew the face. The insignia on his sleeve indicated a rank of captain. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Captain?"

The young man saluted crisply. "A message from Lady Beryl, General."

Jadeite's eyebrow rose slightly in a characteristic move of surprise. His voice hardened. "Really. Might I inquire how she knew that I was out here?"

"We have our methods, General. Please read the letter and give us your response. You have ten minutes." The captain extended a scroll held in his palm.

Jadeite seemed taken aback by the captain's disrespectful tone and he motioned for one of his guards to retrieve the note. A terse silence fell as the guard returned and handed Jadeite the note. A guard offered him a torch, shedding an eerie light onto the words printed onto the page.

The paper was heavy and stiff; the words seemed burned into the paper rather than written. His fingers ran over the words, feeling the fine grittiness of ash. Jadeite's eyes narrowed and then focused on the words of the paper itself.

It only took a moment, before the general folded it carefully and placed it in his pocket. His tone was dangerously soft. "I am afraid that I cannot condone this. Captain, I refuse. May the heavens have mercy on your soul."

The captain nodded. "Lady Beryl said that you might resist." His hand went to his side and began to pull his sword from his scabbard, "I apologize, General, but we are ordered to take cus--"

The last word was cut off by an expertly thrown dagger that had appeared out of Jadeite's boot. "I do not barter with traitors."

The captain tried to gurgle out a reply and clawed pitifully at his throat before slumping over in his saddle. His companions looked at him in horror, for a moment too long, and then tried to draw their weapons. But Jadeite and his cavalrymen had already drawn theirs, ready to slice up the formation at the slightest provocation.

One of the captain's soldiers lifted his halberd with a terrible battle cry and rushed the general's horse. Jadeite tugged on the reins expertly and his horse took three graceful steps back. The general channeled the initial crushing swipe over his head and then switched hands to slash across the attacker's back, bisecting the soldier in a quick blow.

Jadeite's voice was strong and clear. "Return my message to Beryl. We continue the march."

The intruders retreated, and the general returned to the safety of his own lines. "Soldiers, double time march! Our deadline has been pushed up!"

--------------------

Nephrite rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned in spite of himself. According to the stars it was approximately two hours from dawn. An aide placed a teapot behind him with cups and a dish of white cherry preserves. Nephrite nodded his thanks and poured himself a cup of the boiling hot tea.

"Any word?"

The general stood up suddenly. "Lady Mars! I did not expect you. I thought you were sleeping."

Mars crossed the room silently. "I am still quite highly strung from the events of the night. I thought it better to wander the castle."

"Then can I, at the very least, offer you a cup of tea? I was about to partake myself."

She laughed. "Does Earth have good teas?"

"The very best. And a bewildering array of customs and traditions to accompany them."

"How interesting! Are they difficult?"

"Hardly." Nephrite deftly poured two cups of tea and then offered one to Mars.

Mars took a sip, then blinked suddenly, "Bitter. Do you have any sugar or honey?"

"Sugar? Bah! That's what the cherry preserves are for." The general plucked a cherry from the dish and popped it into his mouth, before taking a deep sip of tea. "See?"

Mars followed suit then giggled, spilling a bit of tea on the table. "This is a most unusual way of drinking tea."

"Indeed. But do tell, why are you up here? Waiting for the good General Jadeite?"

She blushed. "When is he due?"

"He should actually be here by now. I cannot fathom what might be keeping him."

"Do I detect a hint of worry in that tone?"

Nephrite chuckled. "Jadeite is a grown man. He certainly can take care of himself. In many things. He is actually quite fond of you."

"I know. I am quite fond of him."

The general peered out the window at a small cloud of dust, betraying the advance of a group of cavalry. "And I believe that is him right there. I shall be heading down to meet him."

"Would you be so kind as to direct him to my room afterwards? We have much to discuss."

Nephrite grinned mischievously. "As the lady commands."

--------------------

Jadeite dismounted quickly and handed the steed off to an orderly. His back hurt and his arm wound had begun to bleed again, but he could not rest yet. He had ordered his brigade commanders to establish defensive position on the crests of individual hills overlooking the capital. They were each the best commanders he could find in the army and would carry out their orders quickly and competently.

It would be his duty to rally what loyal troops there were left to fight the inevitable battle. He sighed. The night was definitely ruined.

"Jadeite!" A familiar voice called out from the door of the palace and he looked up to see a long haired man waving at him. "We have our suspect!"

"Beryl, I know. We also have larger problems on our hands."

"What's wrong?" Nephrite's tone turned to concern as soon as he saw his friend's face.

Jadeite pulled the note from his pocket and handed it to Nephrite. "Beryl has planted her seeds well. We can assume that most of the local defense divisions are under her control at this point. Additionally on my way to the division, I saw that there are foreign forces of ten divisions at least two miles within our borders. I am beginning to believe that these events are linked. My division has taken up defensive positions on the hills surrounding the city, but we need more men. Time is of the essence."

Nephrite's face aged ten years in an instant. "Serves me right for thinking we were safe. I shall alert the others." He paused for a moment. "Kunzite's divisions are probably our best bet. My intelligence indicates that bribery among them is the least widespread."

"Perhaps you ought to get Kunzite to ride out to them. I shall accompany him if he wishes, but they are his forces."

The brown haired general nodded and then sprinted into the castle. Jadeite let loose an exasperated sigh then followed him in.

--------------------

Kunzite rubbed his eyes and took a sip of water. "Repeat that, Jadeite."

"You have heard every word that has left my lips. We need to rally whatever troops we can to fight off the threat. We may be facing as many as eighteen divisions tomorrow, and my men, however good they may be, simply cannot do it alone."

The general blinked his eyes then nodded. "Okay. I shall ride out with a small detachment of troops. Jadeite, you and Nephrite stay here and brief Zoisite. Prepare the city for siege."

Nephrite coughed. "Kunzite, I propose we brief the senshi as well. Everything indicates that this is their fight as well."

Kunzite looked at Jadeite. "And do you concur, General?"

"I do. I can see no motive for this coup, except for the liaison of Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. We should, at the very least, inform them of the proceedings."

The white haired general sighed. "Right. Gentlemen, let's do this then. I shall be back within the hour. I expect a plan of action on my return."

"Yes, Kunzite." Jadeite saluted crisply as Kunzite left the room. Nephrite shot him a look of amusement which transformed quickly into worry.

"You are the tactician, Jadeite. I suggest that you begin drafting war plans. I shall gather what intelligence I have on our own divisions and those of the enemy. I also will send out riders to get as much current information as I can."

Jadeite nodded and walked over to a side table and began to pull out maps and pens. "As ordered. Get me whatever information you can and quickly. And send a messenger up for the senshi. They ought to see this."

Nephrite nodded and disappeared out the door, leaving Jadeite to his contemplative silence. The blonde general traced his fingers along the curves of the map's terrain.

Never had he been thrust into such a position. His expertise was concerned with the offense, quick, brutal assaults where snap judgments of generalship were as important as carefully planned advances and retreats. It was in the first where his talents as a tactician lay, the inspired commands which turned the tide of battles and saved the lives of men. Perhaps it was the opposite that his weakness lay, the inability to grasp the larger vision of things.

But now, he was forced to transcend those failings and push himself in a direction he had never been before. He grasped the quill pen tightly until it snapped in his hands. Jadeite sighed and tossed it to the side, picking out another pen and dipping it briefly in the inkwell. He scratched out the positions of his own troops occupying the three main hills facing the enemy encampments.

From his own limited knowledge, he suspected that their forces would come straight on, trusting superior numbers to overwhelm a mostly unready opposition. Such tactics would likely work, given their overwhelming weight in numbers. The defensive situation meant extraordinary casualties for the attacker, but eventual defeat for the defenders.

He considered pulling all forces back to the city walls, but they would be useless against any dedicated siege force. The palace and city surrounding it had been constructed with aesthetics in mind rather than defense. It had always been assumed that the defense divisions surrounding the capital would easily stop any incursion before it placed the capital in danger.

'A slight oversight that will need to be remedied in the future. Assuming there is a future.'

He was so consumed with his thoughts that he did not notice a slight figure entering the room. Zoisite tossed a small packet of papers onto the map table.

Jadeite grunted his thanks and said wryly. "Ah, the messenger comes bearing gifts."

"It is the least I could do. Nephrite asked me to bring these troop deployment papers to you." The general sighed and yawned. "This has been a most eventful day."

Jadeite motioned to the teapot on the side. "Help yourself. It's not very hot anymore, but it's strong enough to wake the dead."

"Thanks." Zoisite let loose another yawn and moved to pour the tea. "What are we facing?"

Jadeite stared down at the map. "At least eleven divisions, more likely around eighteen or nineteen. We have one, perhaps, two at our disposal. The odds do not look good."

The other general moved closer to Jadeite, peering at the map with visibly dismay. "What are our advantages, then?"

Air left his lungs in a huff. "We have the high ground under our control and I believe that we are more skilled on the offensive than they. Which does not help matters, as we are fighting a defensive battle. It is looking increasingly hopeless."

"Does it?" Zoisite traced his fingers along the contours of the map. "I'm not much of a tactician, but there may be no need to grind away in a defensive battle."

"What do you mean?"

Zoisite shrugged. "We don't actually need to win tomorrow. All we need to do is inflict enough casualties to make them pause and reevaluate their fight."

Jadeite's look betrayed a bit of confusion and Zoisite began explain. "You as a battlefield commander know that any attacking force has inherent limits on the amount of casualties it can take. Usually that amount is far lower than what any defender can take. As you have said, this is a battle we cannot win. All we need to do is make the attackers question their will to fight. If we can convince enough of our own troops to stand down and defend the kingdom, our crisis is over. I believe that an aggressive stance will achieve those goals faster than simply standing fast on the hilltops."

The blond general blinked, glanced down at the paper and then back at Zoisite. "You know, your talents are wasted in espionage. Perhaps you would like to take command of one of my brigades tomorrow?"

Zoisite stretched out like a cat. "You know as well as I that your brigadiers will do a better job on the battlefield than I ever could. I am simply an intelligence officer. I write memoranda, read a debriefing or two, and play mind games with the rest of you."

"You know about motivations and psychological weakness. You would be a far better battle commander than you might think."

"I shall take the compliment in the spirit it was offered."

Jadeite smiled weakly and spread a few wargame pieces onto the board, mirroring the positions his men and the enemy held. It would have to do.

--------------------

As Kunzite approached the military base, it seemed oddly busy for the predawn hour. Torches burned brightly and his troops seemed to already be in battle formation. As he drew nearer, he noticed that their formations had surrounded a single building, a tall lumber walled barracks, that towered over the rest of the camp. It was a formidable construct, made of thick wood walls nearly impervious to battering rams with firing slits and trap doors to allow it to withstand siege.

Those fire slits launched streams of arrows and splatters of boiling oil against their surroundings. His assault division expertly took refuge in the buildings surrounding it, but seemed clueless as how to deal with the threat.

Kunzite spurred his horse on and motioned for his guard to do the same. The approach of his horsemen instigated even more activity as soldiers prepared themselves for a cavalry assault. Fearlessly, he pushed forward, inspired by a greater fear than that of his soldiers mistaking him for an enemy.

Crossbows trained on his little group, only letting up when a captain in his guard waved his hands frantically at him. "General Kunzite!"

The troops who had pointed their crossbows at him raised their voices in a cheer. It took him a moment to realize that they were cheering for him. A smile touched his lips and he dismounted easily. He had never quite understood the loyalty that Jadeite talked about so frequently until he saw the hope with which his men looked at him. Kunzite nodded and waved, then grabbed the captain who had singled him out.

"Captain, who is in charge here?"

The man, no more than a boy really, looked around nervously. "I suppose I am, general."

Kunzite, not unkindly, spoke gruffly, "Then tell me what happened?"

There was blood streaking his face from a small wound on his forehead. The captain's voice took on an angry note. "Those traitorous sons of dogs. It was treason, general. They infiltrated our army, turned against our leaders. Junior officers all of them, lieutenants and captains like me. They stormed the senior officer quarters, killed your executive officer by pushing him out the window."

"But not all the officers?"

The captain bared his teeth in a predatory grin. "No! There are still loyalists in this army. The men followed our orders and we beat them back into the barracks. We have them surrounded now, although we don't have any siege weaponry to take the building."

"Good work, Captain. I am glad of your loyalty, because such loyalty will be needed in the coming fight. This phenomenon is widespread. Your division and the division of General Jadeite are the only ones who have remained loyal to our Prince Endymion. We need to get to the capital immediately."

"And leave these traitors to our camp?"

Kunzite stared at the wooden citadel and then smiled easily. "Get out all the rags and oil you can find. Light that cursed thing on fire. Burn it to the ground."

The captain's face drained of a little color. "But sir, the fire will spread to our camp."

"I am counting on it. Captain, when this day is over, we shall build a bigger and better camp than before. But now, time is of the essence and I will not let these bandits survive this night."

The officer saluted quickly and began to yell at the others to get moving. Within moments, Kunzite watched as waves of flaming arrows perforated the wooden barracks with streams of yellow and red. The boiling oil which the defenders had used to their advantage now turned against them, as it provided ample starter for the burning arrows to cling to. A brisk wind had picked up, spreading the fire to wooden buildings surrounding it.

The scent of burning lumber filled the air and the general smiled.

--------------------

"Thank you, ladies. First, I want to apologize for waking you." Jadeite rubbed his eyes. "It has not been the most idyllic night and we would not have woken you if it were not absolutely necessary."

Mars replied wryly. "Were the circumstances different, I don't think I personally would have minded nearly as much."

The general nodded slightly. "I think that is a sentiment that we all share. Local units of the royal army have risen up against us. We have sent for reinforcements, but do not expect them to arrive on time.

"Our hypothesis is that the local rebellion is the result of an opportunistic grab for power. It is likely that it has something to do with your presence here."

Jupiter sighed. "Would it help if we left?"

Zoisite shook his head. "I doubt it. If this is indeed a grab for power as we suspect, and then your departure would not aid the problem. We are going to stand and fight."

Venus peered at the wargame map. "What are the odds?"

Nephrite pointed at positions marked in black ink. "If General Kunzite returns with his forces intact, it will be one heavy division and one veteran light against twenty divisions of variable strength. We will be outnumbered heavily at every clash we participate in."

Jadeite nodded. "Our strategy is relatively simple. The heavies will stay put on the hills, and fight a defensive battle for as long as necessary. I shall accompany the skirmishing divisions to raid behind enemy lines. With a bit of luck, I can pull some of their frontline divisions off their backs."

Princess Mercury stared at him intently. "Won't that be dangerous?"

The general shrugged. "It is a task that I have performed many times in the past. I don't expect this time to be particularly different."

Nephrite grinned rakishly. "He is quite good at it too. I would worry about Jadeite the least of any of us. He has survived situations more harrowing than this."

Jadeite fixed Nephrite with a cynical glare. "I can only hope it is enough. Princesses, I want you to know right now that this is not your battle. In fact, I would suggest that you and the Moon Princess retreat through the portal. The outcome of the battle here is in doubt."

Princess Venus nodded softly. "Thank you for the information, generals. We shall return to you our answers in a moment."

The four filed out of the room silently. After they left, Nephrite smacked Jadeite on the arm. "It isn't their fight? Of course it's their fight! We need their help!"

Zoisite smiled. "Wait for results, Nephrite."

The princesses reentered, this time in short skirted battle uniforms that were to become famous in later years. Sailor Venus stood tall, meeting Jadeite's eyes with measured confidence. "General Jadeite, we have unanimously decided that this is every bit as much our fight as it is yours. As our hosts, you took an immeasurable risk in inviting us here. It would be remiss of us to not to return the favor and fight this battle which we started.

"General, if it is all right with you, I would like one of my senshi to accompany you on your battle. Sailor Mars, you will be assisting the general."

Jadeite shifted uneasily. "It really is okay. It will be exceptionally dangerous and I would not want to put any of you in a position of considerable risk."

"General." Sailor Mars's voice shot back softly. "I asked you once not to patronize me. I am a warrior, General. I am skilled in escape and evasion, and am proficient in the use of the magic. I will be an unequivocal asset to your corps, Jadeite."

His eyes creased with worry, but it was sublimated by the acknowledgment that he needed as much help as he could get. "Accepted."

Sailor Mercury lifted a gloved hand in the air. "If it is all the same, I believe my skills would be best employed back here at the castle."

Nephrite nodded to the blue clad senshi. "Then you will be working with me."

Venus nodded to him, then turned her attention to the rest of those assembled. "Of course, the rest of us will be at your disposal in whatever way we can."

Zoisite nodded. "We appreciate all that you can offer us. Which leaves us only one more issue at hand."

Sailor Jupiter, impressive in green, rolled her eyes slightly. "What do we tell Endymion and Serenity?"

The room fell silent of discussion and they grimaced. Endymion and Serenity had thus far been shielded from the true depth of the problems facing their defenders, but they could not be held ignorant forever. Sooner or later, the truth would have to be revealed, but not a single one of them relished that task.

Nephrite raised his hand regretfully. "I shall inform the Prince and the Princess of the proceedings immediately. It is better that they know the full import of our situation, so that they can make informed moves."

Mercury nodded. "I concur. If you need reinforcements, I would be happy to oblige."

Suddenly, the door burst open, and all of the generals drew their personal weapons. Kunzite chuckled tiredly. "Gentlemen, ladies, I apologize for startling you. My division had some last minute problems to clean up, but they are en route to the capital now."

Zoisite nodded to Kunzite. "We have a plan of action. Jadeite will go over the particulars with you. Nephrite has some last minute details to clean up and I am off to help outfit the senshi for battle."

"Excellent, but before everyone departs, I want the Four to meet one more time. At dawn, we march."

"And so my forces will be limited to a defensive role? Isn't that a bit inflexible?"

Jadeite grimaced. "We are limited by our need to defend the capital itself. If I could, I would have liked your forces conducting hit and run attacks against the enemy flank. But we simply don't have that luxury anymore."

"Right." Kunzite sounded unconvinced, but it was a moot point. There were few options left to them at that juncture. He sneered and nodded quickly. "Okay, then. I shall order my troops to replace yours at the line."

"Excellent." Jadeite rubbed his bleary eyes. "I feel that there is something fundamentally wrong with going into battle with eight hours of sleep in the past two days."

"It has not been a good time for sleep, my friend. And if we do our job right, there will be no sleep for quite some time."

The blond general blinked and drew himself up slowly. "I sincerely hope so. What is important is that our men have had some time to rest. They will need the energy for later in the day."

Kunzite looked at him skeptically. "Jadeite, are you sure that you feel well enough to lead an assault behind enemy lines?"

Jadeite's eyes flashed with anger. "Do we have a choice in the matter? I know full well that I am the best commander for this mission. You need me to pull as many divisions away from you as possible so that you can defeat them in detail. I can do that and more. Feeling well be damned."

Kunzite shook his head and glanced out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise in the east, slowly turning the midnight blue sky into various shades of red and purple and orange. The final members of the Four were due in a moment, and he bowed his head to offer a quick battle prayer to a favored god.

Nephrite and Zoisite arrived in a matter of minutes, the grimness of their expressions clear in the pale predawn light. Kunzite nodded to them. "How is Endymion?"

"Better than I expected." Nephrite's gritty tone of voice betrayed that it still was not good. "He refuses to evacuate. Some foolish idea about staying with his people through their time of need. At least I convinced him not to take the front line with us. We have enough problems as is without having to shepherd him through this."

"And the senshi?"

Zoisite shifted his weight to one foot then the other. "They are doing fine. The stable master is getting them horses and saddles. If their magic is as powerful as I expect it will be, then there will be little need for them to arm themselves."

"Good. We have two full divisions and the powers of the senshi at our disposal. We may yet win this day."

Jadeite shook his head. "You make it sound easy, when we all know that it is far from it."

Kunzite nodded. "I do not deny it will be hard, Jadeite. But we have all the essential ingredients for battle. We have the material, the manpower, and the leadership to bring this day to a head.

"You are the finest commanders that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. If we cannot triumph, then there are none who will be able to. Gentlemen, this is OUR day of destiny. If we fail, we shall go down in history as those who were willing to throw the dice against impossible odds. There is no shame in that.

"If we succeed, we showed we could win against those odds, and I have good reason to believe that we will, and will be hailed as the most talented leaders in the history of the Earth.

"Either way, we shall not be forgotten. Gentlemen, the eyes of history are upon us. Let's not let them down."

--------------------

The dawn sun rose, betraying the surrounding landscape in blazes of cleansing white light. The enemy troops had bedded down for the night, preparing to rise in the morning to wage a short, but bloody battle to gain control of the capital. For each, there were different motives.

The foreign forces of the neighboring nation had been promised much for their services, including a huge chunk of land. They had taken the savvy young lady who had contacted them as a godsend, to avenge the wrongs which had been inflicted upon them many years ago. They were all too willing to enter into the unholy alliance which had allowed them to regain land and wealth at the expense of another. They were a mere three miles from the capital itself, in army strength. It was only a matter of time.

The home defense divisions had a different view on things. They were motivated by love of country to their treason. To marry to a Moon child would defile the very basis which the kingdom rested upon. Those loyal to Endymion had been purged in the previous night. The fiery rhetoric of Beryl had put into action a carefully tuned machine, greased with bribes and intolerance, that would fight for her ascension to the highest throne of the land.

But their motives were unimportant, as the first battle of the day was instigated by the other side.

Jadeite's forces approached silently, with nary the glitter of armor to betray their movement. The dawn had just broken, and the enemy would likely not be ready to do battle in the next hour.

In fact, he counted on it. He needed to break out of the loose perimeter that had been formed in the previous night, and this looked like an excellent spot to do it.

"Fire when ready."

Thousands of arrows soared high into the air, turning over in beautiful ballistic arcs before accelerating with terrible speed back towards the ground. Some of them were tipped with burning rags, while most retained the steel heads which made them so feared, against armored footsoldier and animal alike.

The first shower of arrows tore through the enemy encampment, perforating those who had taken refuge in cloth tents or slept on the ground. An alarm was raised, rousing weary men from their comfortable beds to get their armor and weapons on before another barrage slammed them. Another shower of metal rain claimed a few more of them, a body blow that stunned the encampment into inaction. It was a tribute to their commanders,that they managed to keep control of their troops.

But instead of following up the assault, Jadeite's fast movers instead opted to bypass their stunned enemy. They would do more damage by avoiding a pitched battle than engaging in one. Futilely, the opposing forces struggled to close the gap opened by the skirmishers, but were too late to begin anything but a running battle.

It was in such an anticlimactic way the first major blows of the war were exchanged.

Kunzite observed the consternation in the enemy lines caused by Jadeite's whirlwind assault through a looking glass generously donated by the Moon Kingdom. It was an extraordinary instrument, able to magnify the landscape by four or ten times, allowing him to see things many miles away. From his vantage point atop the hill, he noted the flashes metal which marked the rousing of a large army to the day at hand. In a way, he almost felt sorry that Jadeite had woken them unnecessarily. He almost pitied them, having been forced to rise from comfortable beds to face a body of troops infinitely more prepared for the indelicate arts of war than they.

Almost. Kunzite smiled as it appeared as though General Jadeite's troops had pierced the outer perimeter and broken out to the open country behind it. The blond general would be in his element there, tearing apart the unguarded supply trains and performing dangerous flanking assaults to relieve pressure on the capital defense forces.

He sighed and lowered the glass before handing it to Sailor Venus. "Jadeite has probably broken through."

"You did say he was the most talented tactician you had."

Kunzite chuckled. "His experiences are unparalleled in this sort of warfare. And he has never been beaten before. I have full faith that he and Sailor Mars will emerge from this absolutely unscathed. I am more worried for us than I am for them."

Venus laughed too. "General, there is little you can do right now. You have put your best commanders out in the field. You have placed your troops in an advantageous position."

"Well, Zoisite wasn't too happy about being put in charge of the other hilltop, but Jadeite recommended him highly as a natural commander. I hope that he is right. Zoisite does not have much experience as a soldier."

"Zoisite knows what he must do. As do you." Venus looked through the glass and her expression froze for a moment. "They are moving. I spot elements of six divisions moving towards us. It seems that they are starting early today."

"As expected." Kunzite raised his voice. "Soldiers! Prepare for contact! Shields at ready!"

The divisional banners fluttered in the morning light, betraying the advance of forces towards the capital. Their tactics would be simple, due to the leadership problems following the purging of many of the senior officers and staffers loyal to Endymion. First, a volley of arrows to douse any resistance, then advancement up the hills to engage the defenders in hand to hand combat. Straightforward, uninspired, but an easy battle plan to follow.

Kunzite had anticipated such tactics and was prepared to weather any arrow barrages with minimal casualties. The painted wooden and metal shields of his forces would be good enough to deflect any arrows that might come their way. Kunzite, himself, hefted a steel barrier which he and Venus would take cover underneath. It would not do to take hits having not even seen the enemy face to face.

As expected, torrents of arrows came down, bouncing off the upright shields, like hail off a timber roof. There was a terrible clattering and then all fell silent. Kunzite peeked out from behind the shield then yelled suddenly. "Another volley! Keep your heads down!"

A few screams of pain down the line told him that not everyone had heard his warning and he gritted his teeth. The arrows stopped again and Kunzite poked his head around the shield. Enemy cavalry had formed up for a shock assault at the base of the incline and began to charge up towards the bottom of his lines. "Crossbows!"

The rows of shields dropped and crossbows came up, ready to fire down at the charging cavalrymen, before Kunzite bellowed. "Hold your fire!"

Venus grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy?"

Kunzite shrugged her off, a sinister smile crossing his face. "Wait and watch, milady."

The cavalrymen raced at them, taking advantage of the obvious reluctance of their enemies to fire upon them. One hundred yards, then seventy five, then thirty-

"Fire!" Sprays of crossbow bolts reached out across the expanse in an instant, to touch the cavalry troopers that charged towards them. The first line seemed to melt away underneath the withering barrage that impaled horse and soldier alike. The sturdy plate mail of the men was no great asset as the heavy crossbow bolts that erupted from Kunzite's lines tore through them like so much thick paper.

The cavalry attack, presumably undertaken as a shock tactic, stumbled over itself as back lines tried to spur their horses to jump over their fallen comrades. But the attack inevitably bogged down, unable to maintain its momentum underneath the onslaught.

To their credit, they continued their hazardous charge, despite the dense hail of bolts that confronted them. The lucky few that managed to reach the front lines unscathed were pushed back by a thicket of long pikes that rendered any continued movement absolutely suicidal.

But still they charged, and man and horse screamed as they were pierced by the rows of thrusting pikes.

By the end, there was little left in front of Kunzite's divisions save the dead and dying. Over a thousand men had fallen before them.

--------------------

Jadeite lifted his sword and spurred his horse on. "Charge!"

The skirmishers rose as one, echoing their leader's cry, flashing their swords in the air. Even Sailor Mars repeated the battle yell, followed by a, "Mars Fire Soul!"

The general watched in amazement as a blaze of fire erupted from her hands and immolated some of the frontline defenders opposing them. A raucous cheer rose from the skirmishers they engaged the enemy in brutal hand to hand combat. Jadeite dismounted from his horse and flung himself into the fray. A young man, clad in the uniform of Endymion's guard came at him, sword held high.

Jadeite shook his head and parried away the slash before burying his own sword deep into the young man's heart. He whirled to clash with another, who wore heavy plate mail armor. The soldier cut an impressive sight and would be a dangerous enemy to contend with.

Yet Jadeite did so gladly, dancing nimbly around the armored figure's attacks. However, the armor provided a large obstacle for him to penetrate as his stabs and slashes bounced off his enemy. Jadeite backed off for a moment, not willing to chip his sword against the steel armor which encased his opponent. His curved sword rewarded slashing techniques, most of which were useless against an armored enemy.

And he could already tell that his enemy was quite skilled. The armor proved to be a weak handicap, made to maximize the flexibility and protection of the warrior it encased. It was increasingly looked unfavorably upon with the advent of newer and vastly improved crossbowmen, but rare was the kingdom that did not have a small reserve of armored men to fight for it. They were devastating in close range combat, a maneuverable and easily underestimated foe.

But Jadeite was far more skilled than the one he faced, easily remaining outside the range of the knight's swipes and stabs. Then, just for a moment, the knight stabbed at him, overextending his reach.

The general grabbed the armored gauntlet and spun inside the knight's reach, dropping his sword to the ground and pulling out a stout dagger to pierce the flexible and weakly armored underarm. Jadeite dropped to the ground, rolled quickly and retrieved his sword, ready to parry aside any blows that came his way.

But the armored figure frantically tried to staunch the blood spewing from his armpit and Jadeite allowed his attention to be drawn to somewhere else. The battle line had moved beyond him and he found himself alone with Sailor Mars. A childish grin touched her face. "This is a rush."

"I know." Jadeite grinned back. "That's some trick you have with the magic."

"Thank you, kind sir. It is our way of making war."

"And with luck, it will be ours as well."

"Someday, General. Your hands are some of the few which I would trust these powers in."

Jadeite inclined his head gracefully. The battle was nearly over, with the remaining defenders fleeing to the safety of other lines, leaving Jadeite's skirmishers in control of a large portion of the siege weapons and supply train that would be necessary to the capture of the capital city. His men had already begun to burn whatever they could get their hands on, a quick measure to destroy what they could so that they could flee to a safer location.

Once news of the supply train's destruction reached their enemies, it would only be a matter of time before hunter-killer units would be sent to stop their rampage. The thought of that brought a smile to Jadeite's face.

His soldiers had performed magnificently, taking casualties twenty times smaller than those they had inflicted. Indeed, it seemed as though his earlier pessimism might have been unfounded and that this day might come to a victorious end.

He was shaken from his reverie by the approach of two of his brigade commanders. Jadeite saluted each of them quickly. "Our battle has gone well thus far, thanks to your efforts. Your reports?"

"The commander of the third fell in the last counter assault by enemy forces."

Jadeite shook his head regretfully. "A waste. He was a good man. Tonight we shall raise a toast in his name. But for now we must keep moving."

"General!" A soldier wearing the uniform of one of his scouts galloped towards him on a white stallion. "General, we have enemy forces less than a mile from our positions! Initial reconnaissance identifies them as the Dervishes!"

The general cursed then pointed to his brigadiers. "Gentleman, we shall split up from here. Cause as much damage as you can. Stand and fight only when you are assured of causing the most casualties at the least cost to you. I shall take charge of the third brigade. I shall see you when this day is done, my friends."

As the two left, Jadeite spared a glance over at Sailor Mars. She smiled fetchingly. "You are quite good as this you know."

"I am the best there is, Princess."

"No false modesty here."

"Modesty is overrated, milady. But at this point I have a battle to run. Shall we be off?"

--------------------

Their overconfidence was completely forgivable, for by the end of the morning, the combined forces still loyal to Endymion had inflicted over four thousand casualties at the cost of less than three hundred of their own. Moreover, their troops had the psychological initiative, the all encompassing intangible of war. If such brutal math continued, victory would be assured to those brilliant generals who had waged battle so well.

But now, the element of surprise that had created such unequal kill ratios before would no longer be a factor. Although tactical surprise attacks might still be possible, the strategic surprise on which such sweeping attacks relied upon was forever gone. They had done exceptionally well. But not nearly well enough.

They had been transformed from the hunters to the hunted and the cost in life of such a switch would be immense. Already four divisions had moved into position to annihilate the skirmishers that had caused so much damage behind the lines, one of which was as elite and well led as the skirmishers themselves. In a sense, Jadeite's forces had accomplished their goal. They had pulled off a significant portion of line forces from attacking the capital themselves. But it was too little, too late.

The initial cavalry charge which Kunzite's heavy assault troops had brushed aside so easily had been followed with successively heavier waves of troops, often focusing on one hill to the exclusion of the other. His soldiers performed magnificently, beating back the attacking infantrymen in brutal hand to hand combat.

--------------------

"General, there is movement on the other hill."

Zoisite nodded his thanks to the captain and walked briskly to see what was happening. Jupiter was already there, peeking at the events through a looking glass. When she saw him, she nodded respectfully and handed it to him. He watched with strained eyes.

The attack had renewed itself, with the enemy rotating fresh divisions to face Kunzite's battered men. A wave of crossbow bolts shattered the forward ranks of the attackers, but they continued inexorably marching towards the lines. A blaze of searing light, which Sailor Jupiter had described as a Venus Crescent Beam. It lessened the odds against the weary troops, but still more divisions poured into the attack.

His orders were to stay put, to occupy the top of the hill and prevent an enemy from taking it. But his troops had not had contact all day. And the way it looked, they would not have contact until he was isolated.

His knuckles tightened about the glass and he smashed it on the ground in a sudden effort. He would not sit around and let this farce of a battle continue. Jupiter muttered softly. "This attack is their final one. This will be the one to destroy them."

Zoisite grinned fiercely. "Not if I can help it." He raised his voice to a deafening yell, "Men, out of your entrenchments! It is far past time. If the enemy will not come to us, we shall go to the enemy! Prepare for war march!"

Half of his troop of five thousand stood up, ready to attack the overwhelming enemy forces surrounding the neighboring hill. Zoisite spoke quickly to one of his subcommanders. "I want constant arrow fire right until we make contact. We need to lessen the odds against us and them as much as possible."

"Yes sir."

Zoisite turned to senshi at his side. "Lady Jupiter, normally chivalry would impel to me ask you to stay. But the situation is far too dire for that. I need the magic that you have at your disposal on our side."

Jupiter nodded. "My friend is in that beleaguered encampment. You could not prevent me from coming if you tried."

--------------------

Kunzite stabbed an enemy infantryman who had come too close and pushed his body away. The situation had gone from bad to worse in the span of a couple of hours. His forces had been reduced by half by the unrelenting assaults and his men were slowly becoming exhausted from the attacks. Even the vaunted Sailor Venus could not keep up with the constant spells demanded of her.

She gasped out another Crescent Beam, then collapsed to the floor from exhaustion. Kunzite moved quickly to catch her. He lowered her gently, then moved to rejoin the defense.

His sword flashed in the hot noon light, taking life after life with it. But it seemed as though it would not be enough, as his forces were pushed back even further.

"General, look!"

Kunzite snapped his head around to see a titanic spark of electricity sear through the very rear of the enemy ranks, jumping from soldier to soldier like lightning would clouds. And then, through the gap that opened up between enemy lines, thousands of soldiers loyal to Endymion poured through, engaging the surprised traitors in vicious hand to hand combat. Their leader led the charge, heroically carving his way through trooper after trooper to close the distance.

Kunzite roared. "Men, we have our salvation. Counter attack and let's get out of this death trap!"

His men obliged, pressing in a valiant counter attack that managed to meet the forward elements of Zoisite's charging divisions. Kunzite scooped up the exhausted senshi into his arms and slowly moved to evacuate her from the fray.

His fellow general met him, grasping his arm in a manner that only those who had suffered together could understand. Sailor Jupiter was at his side, yelling out taunts to the enemy interspersed with orders for her own troops to maintain the perimeters.

"Zoisite..."

The short general grinned. "Yes, Kunzite?"

Kunzite hesitated. "You disobeyed orders."

"Of course I did. Now let's get you and Venus out of here so that I can stop disobeying."

"Agreed." Kunzite handed off the senshi of love to Jupiter. "Take care of her. We shall follow you."

Jupiter nodded and departed quickly to usher her dearest friend back to the relative safety of allied lines. Zoisite sighed. "So what do we do now? I do not want to concede the hill, but it looks as if we may not have a choice."

"I am not sure, my friend. What is certain is that we should discuss this in the safety of our own lines."

"Agreed. I--" Zoisite never got to finish his sentence as part of the perimeter which guarded them from outside incursions imploded inwards. Bodies sailed past the two as they turned to face something that seemed to be drawn from their deepest nightmares.

It was a monster, cut from the same mold as the one that Jadeite and Nephrite had fought only a handful of hours before. Yet this one was bigger, uglier, carrying itself with a malevolent grace. It locked its dark gaze on the two generals, a faint strain of recognition going through its eyes.

Zoisite leapt like a cat, his sword flashing in the strong light. His face was serene, his eyes intent on the kill. Indeed, even a roguish smile had touched his lips, so confident was he of his victory. The monster batted him away as one might a gnat, flinging him twelve feet away in a crumpled heap. Zoisite let out a gasp of pain, then fell silent. Even for a swordsman as accomplished as Jadeite, such a monster would be a more than formidable match. And Zoisite was no Jadeite.

Kunzite spared a look at the other general, then regretfully drew his sword again. The collapse of the perimeter heartened those seeking to exterminate it and the soldiers pressed home their assaults even harder. And with his men dying all around him, the general lifted his blade and prepared to do battle once again.

He never stood a chance.

The monster, faster than any being its size had any right to be, unleashed a flurry of blows with it fists. Kunzite parried them away desperately. He barely dodged a swipe aimed at his head, then jumped backwards a few steps to put distance between himself and the monster. Another large paw came at him, and Kunzite swung at it victoriously, taking the arm off at the elbow.

But he did not have enough time to gloat over his victory as the monster's other hand swung around and grabbed him by the neck.

Its hands were like a vise, iron hard fingers closing on his neck. Kunzite coughed and weakly kicked the creature in the stomach. With each passing moment his blood deprived brain screamed for oxygen, but there was none to be had. The last thing he saw was the pure blue of the sky and then all fell into blackness.

--------------------

Jadeite massaged his ankle slightly and gingerly tested his weight on it. Mars looked at him with a slight expression of worry. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and stood up before jumping up and down a couple of times. "Much better, thank you."

His horse had been shot out from underneath him and he had managed to strain his ankle slightly before limping to the safety of a nearby forest. His army, loyal as they were, had followed him there to better defend him. Unfortunately, it also meant that pursuing forces had been finally able to close the gap between them by early afternoon. His men had kept up a running arrow fight from just inside the tree perimeter, but had confirmed that they were now completely surrounded.

Jadeite sighed. It could have been worse, but not much. Reports had stated that the enemy was already entrenching, marshaling their forces for forays to clear out the forest.

They were indeed his old adversaries, the Dervishes, and Jadeite was genuinely afraid of them. They would take no chances in the coming battle, especially not against one who had fought the elite division to a standstill.

He needed to preserve his men, and from the way that the Dervishes had established their perimeter, a breakout assault was out of the question. He simply needed to wait for a chink in their strategies and plots to break free from their trap.

"Walk with me, Sailor Mars." Jadeite trotted briskly, testing his ankle for flexibility and impact.

Mars nodded and followed him, matching his fast pace to the edge of the forest and the outer limits of his lines. Jadeite hid behind a tree and strained to see what the enemy forces were up to.

A crossbow bolt made a thwip sound in the air before impacting the tree he had taken refuge behind with a loud twang. Jadeite shook his head. "We may have to wait this one out for a couple of hours. I think that when they send patrols through the woods and weaken their perimeters in order to do so, it will be our time to strike."

Mars looked pensive. "What if they order reinforcements?"

"I do not think they will. Lest we forget, my other two brigades are lurking around somewhere, making themselves nuisances, and Kunzite's heavies are probably giving the others stomachaches. I think that time is on our side."

She nodded. "I hope you are right."

A rakish smile touched his face. "I do too."

Mars chuckled and touched him lightly on the shoulder. She was beginning to warm up to the man, even more than as a simple lover. They were attracted to each other, there was little question about that. He had energy, passion, and verve, unlike so many men she had known. But now, she had begun to admire him beyond those carnal qualities, as a soldier and a leader. He was coolheaded and logical, even under fire, and commanded the unmitigated loyalty of all those who served under him.

'He might even make a good partner some day.' She smiled privately at that thought, but was jolted out of it by the casual calling out of the name of the man who dominated her thoughts.

"JADEITE!" The saccharine sweet voice of a woman called out his name from across the battlefield.

The general turned, his face paling slightly. He recognized the voice calling out to him and grimaced.

Mars grabbed his arm. "Jadeite, what's going on?"

"She's here." Jadeite pulled his sword out.

"Who? What are you talking about?"

Jadeite ignored her for a moment and yelled out. "How did you know I was here?"

A faint trickle of laughter reached his ears. "I have my methods. Come from your hiding spot, Jadeite. I wish to parley with you. Halfway between your lines and mine. No soldiers. Simply two friends having a chat."

Darkly, "Do I have much of a choice in the matter?"

The voice turned to steel. "Of course you do. You can choose to die with your men, huddling in that forest or you can choose to talk to me."

The general straightened, his face contorted with a terrible pain that he felt deep in his heart. He resheathed his sword and slowly walked out into the bright sunlight twenty feet in front of his most forward positions.

The forest was surrounded by a large, featureless plain. His tactician's eyes took notice of the expert dispositions of the enemy, acknowledging the skill which had gone into preventing his men from escaping. Entrenchments had been dug along with individual strong points to channel attacks into attack pits able to be covered with hundreds of crossbows at a time. His earlier assessment had been spot on. An attack into such would be suicidal.

A tall woman sprang up from the lines, helped up by a soldier who had spotted him as he had emerged. She was wearing an evening dress and fashionable boots. Her red hair billowed behind her in the slight wind and she trotted out carefully. The ground was uneven, but she held herself with composure and the air of someone who had already won.

Beryl smiled sweetly. "Good afternoon, Jadeite. How are--"

His voice dropped to a whisper. "How could you? How could you do this?"

"I thought you might best be the one to understand what I have done."

Jadeite's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Beryl gestured expansively. "Surely you have seen it, Jadeite. The fact that we are friends was an unlikely event. You are the offspring of one of the oldest families in our land. My ranking in this perverted social order is far below yours. And I am one of the luckier ones. Our peasants writhe underneath the ironfisted rule of societal mores and are aching to be free.

"This is not right. We must have a society which rewards the most intelligent, the most talented, and the most willing. It is only through this way that the kingdom that we love will survive.

"Help me, Jadeite. I know deep within your heart what you know and feel. You are a rare nobleman who knows the power of progress. The way you lead your division is a tribute to the egalitarian ideals you know are right. I want you to help me spread those ideals to every corner of this kingdom."

Jadeite spoke slowly, suspiciously. "I understand your concerns, Beryl. This kingdom does require change. But I am still curious why you chose to fight Endymion over it. He is the greatest progressive leader that I know of."

Beryl's nostrils flared. "He is the root of the problem! He may have started with worthy ideals, but he was willing to toss them all away for the disgusting elitism of that moon slut! Endymion shirked his duty to his kingdom, by allowing himself to be taken in. He is tacitly consenting to the system by marrying royalty not even from this planet!"

Softly, "Who should he have married then?"

"Someone who could have held this kingdom together, someone lower ranking than him--"

"Someone like you?" Jadeite chuckled ironically. "I think I see how it works now. This was never about him or her, was it? This is all about power, your power. Let me guess, it was you who unleashed those dark magicks we faced back in the palace."

"How could I not? There was so much power there to grasp. So much power to be used by whomever mustered the courage to grasp it."

He drew his sword instantly, letting it stop right next to her neck. "You treasonous bitch!"

Beryl smiled faintly, almost satisfactorily. "You know me too well. Be that as it may, my offer still stands. Help me. For friendship."

He muttered. "You cannot convince me to barter away my honor like last season's fashions. I stand by my brothers in this fight. In fact, I should strike you down where you stand."

"I would like to see you try." She stared at him intently, her mocking smile daring him to strike down an old friend.

Jadeite trembled, then resheathed his sword and stiffly marched back towards his men. Beryl laughed derisively. "You cannot even bring yourself to strike your enemy. Your 'brothers' are dead. I saw to that. You are alone in this fight now."

The general stiffened even more and turned his head mechanically to that he looked into her eyes. "I will kill you, Beryl. I promise you that."

Jadeite ran the last fifty feet, clutching the handle of his sword with a white knuckled grip. His eyes blazed with a new fury. Mars came up to him. "What did she want?"

He ignored her, feeling a dark pain inhabit his heart. Then the general, as if in deep anguish, moved to address his soldiers. "We cannot stay here. There are enemy reinforcements on the way."

She spoke softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jadeite moodily stared off into the distance then bowed his head. "She said that she killed them."

"The other generals? They are hardier souls than that. She is probably trying to mess with your tactical senses. A little mental warfare if you will." Sailor Mars's mouth creased into a smile. "Nonetheless, it is imperative that we get out of this trap. I took the liberty of talking to your officers. They believe that a breakout is possible."

Jadeite shook his head. "I saw the lines. They are almost impregnable."

"Or so you would think. Your captains disagree. They believe that they have identified a chink in that vaunted defense that can be exploited." She paused. "They are ready to go whether or not you order it."

The general coughed and smiled. "Those are my men for you. Okay, let's do this."

--------------------

Surprisingly, an attack boiled out of the forest, preceded by a lightning barrage of arrows. The front elements of the skirmishers jumped into the trenches, engaging in hand to hand combat. They fought with the fury of maniacs, dishing out casualties at the same rate which they accepted them. The line parted quickly, unable to maintain cohesion underneath the weight of the attack.

Yet the Dervishes, surprised though they were, reacted with devastating speed, turning their heavy crossbows inwards to perforate the lightly armored skirmishers. But through the gap shot a single horse. Sailor Mars guided it expertly, jumping it over the dead bodies, and charging it through the fighting lines. Jadeite held on to her waist with a single arm, his other sweeping a sword through his enemies, its razor edge finding little resistance from cloth, bone, or flesh.

And suddenly, they were free. Enemy mobile units struggled to close with them but would not do so in time. The lone horse galloped away.

"Wait, we need to go back for my men."

Mars's muscles tensed slightly. "That's not part of the plan."

The general craned his neck to look around at her. "What the devil are you talking about?"

"My job is to get you out of here. Your men can take care of themselves."

"They're dying! I must lead my men out of there!" Jadeite made a motion as if to leap off the horse.

The senshi grabbed his arm in a strong grip, wrenching his hand around to the front of her body. Her finger drove itself into a pressure point and Jadeite gasped with pain. "Listen to me, General. I will not lose you today. Your men knew how important you are to the defense of this kingdom. They willingly sacrificed themselves so that you might live. Do not make their sacrifice in vain."

The general strained against her deceptively strong frame, but Sailor Mars merely twisted his arm a little more, nearly to the breaking point. "You tricked me!"

"I did, because I know that you would not have left your men without the hope that they would get out with you."

"Damn you!"

Mars shook her head slowly. "Damn me if you must. But there is a higher goal at stake. You must live to fight another day, Jadeite. If indeed your brothers are dead, then your survival is paramount. The defense of this kingdom rests in your hands."

"But my men--"

"Will praise your name with their dying breath so long as you ensure that their lives have not been spent in vain."

Jadeite lowered his head and leaned on her back. Sailor Mars released his arm and threaded her fingers through his.

It was silent for the rest of the ride.

--------------------

He paced along the city wall.

Two of his friends confirmed dead by midday and the heavy assault divisions had taken more than seventy percent casualties in their desperate defense of the hills. Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter had directed the harried withdrawal and now, Nephrite could see the cooking fires on top of those cursed hills as the enemy bedded down for its midday meal. It meant a small respite from the attack, which was cold comfort on that sunny midafternoon.

To further worsen matters, Sailor Mars and Jadeite were still missing. Nephrite had hoped earlier that the blond general would managed to pull off some stunning tactical victory that would consume several enemy divisions at small cost. But as the day wore on, Nephrite gradually lost hope that there would be a panacea victory to end their troubles. And then less than an hour before, the remnants of one of Jadeite's brigades had arrived with no word of the blond general.

And so, Nephrite paced the city walls, overseeing the last ditch defense of the city itself. Over fifty-five thousand men had been transformed into casualties that day, with more expected in the ensuing fight. To make matters even more dangerous, Prince Endymion had refused to be evacuated, citing something about not being chased out from his home. The general had again barely managed to convince Endymion not to participate on the frontline battle itself. For a prince he was endearing, but sometimes he would not listen to common sense.

"General!" A sentry ran towards him. "I see a horse coming in, galloping at full speed! It may be the scouting arm of another attack."

Nephrite grinned fiercely. "Okay, then. If he gets too close, take him down. Crossbowmen, ready arms!"

The general grinned and yelled out. "Take aim."

Nephrite squinted through the field glass inherited from the now dead Kunzite. The horse appeared to have two riders on it and he suddenly started. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Open the gates!"

The bowmen stared at him in confusion as Nephrite scampered down the stairs to order open the hinged gate which defended them.

The horse galloped in quickly and soldiers closed the gate behind it. Jadeite launched himself off the horse and moved to embrace Nephrite in a bear hug. Neither of them spoke for a moment, before Nephrite pushed Jadeite away. "I thought you were lost for sure."

The haggard general nodded back. "I thought I was too. Sailor Mars managed to pull me out and we thought it best to return as quickly as possible."

"I am glad that you have returned. And especially glad that Lady Mars decided to bring you back to us. My thanks, milady."

Sailor Mars dismounted the horse gracefully. "The good general overestimates my role. But I am glad to see that you are still as hale and hearty as ever, General Nephrite."

"I was one of the luckier ones. General Zoisite and General Kunzite fell on the hills before us. Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter managed to lead the troops back to us, and we have been holed up here ever since."

Jadeite shook his head regretfully. "And my division?"

"Half a brigade managed to extract themselves and rejoin us here. I believe we have to make a stand at the capital. I am glad that you are here, my friend. I trust your tactical skills more than my own."

Jadeite nodded. It would have to do.

--------------------

The attack began again in earnest in the late afternoon hours. The most damaging rays of the sun had finally dropped away, instead bathing the battlefield with a ruddy, unflattering light. The forces of Endymion were heavily weighted with missile weapons, long bows, and crossbows alike, to their advantage in a defensive fight. The casualties that they could inflict at range were tremendous. And they planned to do so as much as they possibly could.

Yet that fact could not shield them from the unalterable fact that their numbers had been reduced by nearly three quarters over the period of the day. There were more wounded than able bodied men and their moans of pain filled the city. The townspeople reacted admirably, bringing food and water to the soldiers knowing what was at stake should the enemy break through the thin line of defenders that stood guard.

Siege weaponry pummeled at the town walls, smashing down isolated sections to allow enemy foot soldiers to exploit the gaps. Jadeite directed his men to repel each attack in melee combat. One attack, two attacks, three in the span of less than an hour.

The men performed brilliantly, breaking up each assault formation with a hail of arrows before descending to fight them in vicious hand to hand combat combat. But Jadeite sensed that the exhaustion tactics employed by the enemy were beginning to take their toll on his men. The final time, he had been forced to lead the counter attack himself to ensure that Beryl's forces did not gain a foothold in the city.

But the end was drawing inevitably closer, for eventually there would be too many weak points to defend, and too few forces to cover them all.

--------------------

"My lord." Nephrite bowed low and knelt to the ground.

Endymion stared out the window worriedly. "What is the situation, Nephrite?"

"Not good, my prince." Nephrite rose. "General Jadeite has stated his belief that the walls will fall before dusk."

The handsome prince stared at him, disbelievingly. "He is rather pessimistic is he not? After all, are not we holding them back right now?"

"We are, my prince, but that is a temporary solution. I trust Jadeite's counsel more than I would any others. He is the best commander we have."

"True enough." The prince hammered his fist on the arm of his throne, then stood up suddenly. "How did we let it get to this point?"

"I am not sure, my prince." Nephrite breathed out heavily. "We do have a good idea of how it happened though. Lady Beryl used the financial resources of her family to purchase as many captains and lieutenants as she could in the royal army."

"But that would have bankrupted her! She could not hold that up forever."

"But she did not need to. And what is money to those playing for the highest stakes of all? The night of your ball with the Moon Princess, she found out that she had lost an opportunity to rule this kingdom at your side and also a plausible reason to rile the popular passions of soldiers and officers alike against your supposed tryst with a Lunarian. In their minds, they are serving you and the kingdom by saving you from yourself. Those who protested against the attacks were killed outright, leaving those beholden to Beryl in charge. It is through this way that they waged war upon us."

Endymion shook his head. "And the assassination of my father? How does that play into this?"

"Simply a distraction, my prince, to confuse those nearest to you so that she could do her nefarious work without scrutiny. The old king was simply a convenient tool to use against us. The delay worked. We might have been able to preempt some of the divisional coups if we had acted earlier."

"This is no time for self recrimination, General. Now I want your advice on a course of action."

Nephrite looked at him clearly in the eye. "Begin evacuation of the town and ask the Moon Princess if her kingdom would be willing to take them as refugees. Evacuate yourself along with them."

"What about you and Jadeite and my soldiers?"

"We will maintain the perimeter for as long as possible. We are expendable, but will try to escape after you."

Endymion shook his head. "I have already lost two friends today. I will not leave this kingdom unless both of you are at my side. But I shall order the escape of the people. There is no need for them to suffer any more."

Nephrite bowed slowly, regretfully. "As you wish, my prince."

--------------------

"They have broken through the walls. Send reinforcements!"

Jadeite looked around. The last time he had heard such a cry, he had thrown together a scratch force of fifty men and counter attacked, driving the attackers back to the outside. But now there were no more men to be used as reserves and he bellowed, "Begin withdrawal!"

His troops had inflicted fifteen thousand more casualties upon the attackers and delayed the inevitable for another hour. Their numbers had dwindled to less than a thousand able bodied men. Those still able, fought rearguard actions to cover the civilians that now flooded into the refuge of the palace walls. Jadeite was exhausted but still hurled himself at fresh enemy after fresh enemy, even as his forces were compressed into an ever smaller space.

The general thrust his sword straight through an attacker's neck and tore it free, letting a spray of blood fill the air He spun to clash with yet another, trapping this one's sword before hacking away at his face with a dagger.

The senshi had provided excellent point defense from the palace turrets and now turned their magic to cover the retreat of his men.

The palace doors opened up, welcoming him. Jadeite, tired though he was, ran through them, just before they slammed shut behind him. The frantic beating on the door told him that others had not been quite as lucky as he, but it was no longer his concern. He lay on the red rug that covered the entryway to the palace, gasping for breath.

A soldier limped over and handed him a canteen, which Jadeite used to douse the sweat that had formed on his brow. He pushed himself up tiredly. Civilians lay huddled on the ground and in various corners. The general spoke softly, but so that all in the room could hear him. "Prepare this room for defense. Make a barricade at the far end and arm everyone with crossbows and bows. I know there is a ballista in this palace somewhere. I want that wheeled out and trained on the door. It would be a mistake to believe that that door can hold them back for more than ten minutes.

"Anyone who does not want to be caught in the crossfire, I beg you to go deeper into the palace. I am told that there is an evacuation plan which will take you all to safety."

Jadeite breathed heavily, then grabbed a teenager who passed him by the sleeve. "I have a special assignment for you. Find General Nephrite. Tell him to get down here as quickly as he can with all the men he can find. We need to hold this spot as long as possible."

The ballista arrived before Nephrite did and Jadeite had it aimed at the door. To the man who manned it he said. "You wait until you see something big and ugly come through the door and then you shoot."

Nephrite arrived with a spear and a crossbow along with fifty more men. "This is all the men we can spare. The rest are keeping order with the evacuees. We've run into a small hitch there. The portal can only handle about twenty at a time, some sort of failsafe against using it as an invasion tool."

"Sensible of them. Just not great right now."

"Tell me about it. They say that with the thousands of evacuees they have now, it will take over an hour and a half to transport all of them. To make matters even better, our prince has decreed that he will not seek an escape until we join him." Nephrite's sarcasm brought a smile to the face of Jadeite.

"Making sure that he has a best man at his wedding?" Jadeite picked up a crossbow at his side and checked that it was loaded. "Did you make sure that he was in the portal room at all times? So we can make a quick escape if it comes to that."

"I did. I also ordered his guard to force him through if neither of us gets back."

"Good man." Jadeite was silenced by a heavy pounding on the door, which suddenly turned into a splintering crack. "Men, hold your fire until I give the word."

Silence reigned for another moment, then the door imploded inwards, a gargantuan monster, twice the size of any man, smashing it into shards of wood. Jadeite cried out, "Ballista, aim for the chest!"

The ballista rang out with a muted twang and a three foot long metal dart buried itself deep into the monster's chest. No creature alive, magical or not, could survive such a hit and it knocked it over without a sound. But still more monsters and soldiers boiled up behind it like a swarm of angry hornets and rushed through the gap with murder on their eyes.

"Fire!"

A deluge of crossbow bolts shattered the first line, piling up bodies by the doorway in ever increasing numbers. But those soldiers who did survive the volley returned fire, slicing through the weak barriers which Jadeite's troops had sheltered themselves behind. A soldier next to Jadeite fell without a word, a bolt having cut straight through his neck.

And then they were on them. A monster hurled himself over the barricade, aiming at the annoying general who had led such a valiant defense that day. Jadeite lifted an arm to block him, but was saved from a disadvantageous close range battle by Nephrite's carefully aimed spear. The long haired general intercepted the monster half way, twisting his weapon to get underneath the natural armor which the ribcage provided. The monster, deflected from his prey, fell dead with a drawn out scream.

Jadeite nodded his thanks and turned to cut down a human soldier running towards him with an axe. But soon it was abundantly clear to him that his troops were at a severe disadvantage. The weakness of the barricade provided no safety from missile weapons and the overwhelming strength of the monsters which aided the other side, prevented an effective melee defense.

The way things were going, the battle would be over in less than thirty minutes, not nearly enough time to secure an evacuation for all those in the castle. "Begin withdrawal!"

His troops, confused by the sudden change in orders, reacted to it slowly, falling back underneath the weight of the assaults that continued to lash them. Jadeite fixed his eye on Nephrite. "The left flank is under your command, my friend. Guard Endymion well."

Nephrite stared at him curiously, but was cut off by Jadeite speaking again, who bellowed so that all could hear him. "Right flank follow me! We shall defend Endymion to the death!"

The right flank fell back further as Jadeite directed them towards the corridors and living quarters on the right side of the entryway...in the exact opposite direction from where the portal room lay.

'That crazy fool!' Nephrite roared and charged towards the enemy, but was cut off by surging enemy forces before he could make contact.

--------------------

Every turn, ever corner or room was a chance for an ambush against Beryl's soldiers. Jadeite's men fought as hard as they had ever before, transforming each room and hallway into a deathtrap for the attackers. Like he had intended, he had drawn the vast majority of enemy troops from their main targets and would make them pay dearly for that mistake.

Even when enemy forces managed to pinch off a small portion of Endymion's troops, they could not isolate and destroy the fanatical defenders. Each troop transformed themselves into a nest of vipers, aggressive and merciless, struggling to buy more time for their people's escape. Although possessing the overwhelming advantage in numbers and weaponry, Beryl's men faced an enemy that mounted local lightning strikes to unbalance their attempts at reaching a conclusive battle. Even when they shattered the defenders into three separate groups, they fought on with reckless abandon, determined to take as many as they could to hell with them.

As with other times of great peril, men found within themselves qualities and strengths which they had not known before. A younger soldier successfully took on a monster by himself, leaping up an incredible height to hack off its head. The great feats of strength and courage that were exhibited that day inspired poets many generations later to write of them. "Many have done well, but you have exceeded all."

But even the most inspired defense must come to an end against such odds. To a man, they fell in service of their prince.

--------------------

Nephrite's job was far more harried The last hundred refugees had just entered the small portal room and his troops had held the perimeter outside the multitude of locked doors. The senshi stood by, refusing to leave until the last civilian entered the safety of the Moon Kingdom.

In another five minutes, he would be safely on another planet. The portal would be sealed by the mage who was responsible for it and this chapter of his life would come to a close.

Yet, amidst that, he felt a terrible melancholy come over him. He knew, deep in his heart, that his friend Jadeite was no longer among the living, unfair dues for his valiant struggle.

Sailor Mars looked despondent, likely coming to the same conclusions that he had. Nephrite grieved for her. It was a match made in heaven, and it was terrible that she, at such a young age, be afflicted with the loss of one she loved. But, he rationalized, it was in her defense that he died. There were few nobler things than that.

Suddenly, the mage beckoned to him. The last group of civilians had gone through the portal and now it was time for the senshi, Endymion, and the last remnants of his guard to go. Then the mage would transport himself and seal the portal from the other side.

Nephrite nodded back and moved to join them. He was halfway there, when the door smashed inwards and monsters and soldiers began to pour in. Without hesitating, he hurled himself at the nearest monster, pinning him to the ground with his spear. Not bothering to retrieve it, he drew his sword and interposed himself between the enemy and his friends.

To the mage, he yelled. "Get them out of here!"

"No!" Endymion tried to rush at Nephrite. Nephrite clashed with a soldier before kicking him in the stomach and taking him out of the fight. "Guards, hold him! Get him out of here!"

"No!" The prince struggled against the strong grip of his bodyguards. "Nephrite!"

The general carved his away into another attacker, then managed to find the time to spin and flash him a smile. "You have my blessings, my friend. Have many children."

Endymion writhed futilely and then let loose another anguished cry, before disappearing with a pop of displaced air.

Nephrite moved quickly to engage the next monster, but was smashed across the room with a massive blow. He vomited up blood over his uniform. It meant extensive internal bleeding but Nephrite forced himself up, unsteadily. He turned his attention to the mage. "Close the portal. Save your kingdom, though we could not save mine."

The mage nodded, then whispered his words calmly as another monster came towards him. It might have made it too, had Nephrite not tackled it to the floor. The mage disappeared too and the general smiled. The monster smashed him in the jaw with a savage backfist, sending him careening into the wall again. Nephrite tried to struggle up again, but found that his legs would no longer support him.

The room darkened slowly, betraying the arrival of dusk over the land.

The general closed his eyes.