REAL-LIFE INTRUSION: So...I've been gone since November! (I think that's the opposite of the Wyclef song...) Truth is, I've been dealing with some serious health issues while trying to keep plowing forward with the PhD work. So, life hasn't been pretty on my side. Not to mention that my (and Hotaru Tomoe's - it's canon!) 40th birthday - 6 January 2021 - was...interesting, to say the least! Anyway, I am finally feeling better, and I've been able to chip away at this half-act for the past few weeks. No promises on when I'll get the next half out, but I am not feeling as bad as I was in Nov, Dec, and the first part of Jan. I said a long time ago that I really like what I have planned for this story, and I meant it. I really want to keep pressing forward even if I have a few delays here and there. I appreciate your patience and support.
(But...this may be the perfect day for this particular arc to begin!)
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi, Viz Media, Toei Animation. I'm just a fan showing my appreciation for the work.
REFERENCES: For new readers, references to Book 1 will be added at the end of each chapter. Please read them to get more background on the story. However, first time readers may be confused by the strange (unexpected) character names. I will give you a quick (rough) translation of the names here. Please see the references at the end of the chapter for more info on where to find more detail on the character:
Tuxedo Mask/Olugbeja Aiye = "Earth Protector" in Yoruba
Sailor Mercury/Galing Budhu = "Water Star" in Wiradjuri (Australian Aboriginal)
Sailor Mars/Wicapiwakan Pheta = "Holy Star Fire" in Sioux
Sailor Jupiter/Madeira Força = "Strong Wood" in Brazilian Portuguese
Sailor Venus/Etoiledor Beauté = "Golden Star Beauty" in French
The Four Kings (Shitennou) were not originally given human names (save aliases), so I took some liberties.
Additionally, each Act title references a song title (full playlist on YouTube - "Etoiledor's Playlist" [can't link from FF]) and the song is referenced somewhere in the Act. Try to find it!
START OF "LIGHT OF VENUS" ARC
Act XVI: Fragile
What an awful way to end my birthday! Just after the clock struck midnight, Queen Beryl appeared with all four of her kings back under her control! And, worst of all? She even has...my...Tuxedo Mask! And he's calling himself Endymion again! I guess it's time to fight...but...can I transform? And if I can't, can the girls protect me? Or will Endymion take Imperium from me? What is Queen Beryl after anyway? What is her master plan? And how will we strike back? It's time for some leadership! I hope Sailor Venus is ready! I mean she always is, right? Um...right? In the name of the moon, it's time to find out!
Part 1
His attentive eyes surveyed every detail of the scene: the orange and white light streaming from the tower, glistening as it reflected off of the gold and jeweled decor of the pins; the pins' wielders, dressed in their celebratory attire, staring in anxious anticipation of his next move; the four men directly beside him, swooping, ready to strike. For a split second, his attention was drawn to the figure in the middle: a slender young woman with twin blonde ponytails...who seemed to tear up when he looked in her direction.
"...why?" The owner of the ponytails, clutching her purse and the full-face mask recently tossed to her, stared sadly at the approaching dark-skinned man. The bright eyes that were so full of life, jokes, mischief, and heroism, were still as quick and cunning as they had always been, but...now...they seemed strangely...empty. The joy of life was gone, replaced by something cold...alien. Her eyes once again found the woman perched at the top of the Tokyo Tower observation deck. That heinous red hair, that evil staff, those cruel red eyes, that satisfied smile. Tears of sadness and rage welled. What had Queen Beryl done to her Olugbeja? To her...to Sailor Moon's...Tuxedo Mask? Why was he now answering to his...ancient name? "...En...Endymion?"
"USAGI! Transform or get out of here!" A fellow blonde ordered without taking her baby-blue eyes off of the quickly approaching quintet.
Usagi just shook her head slowly. She didn't even try to take her brooch - now with Imperium embedded within it - out and try. She simply knew that it was a moot point. "I...I can't."
The raven-haired beauty huffed. "We don't have time for this, Etoiledor! If she can't do it, she can't do it!" She gripped her red pin tighter. "I'm ready!"
"I'm with Wika," the towering, brunette said. Her green eyes met Wika's violet-lavenders and they nodded in unison.
"After we transform, what's our strategy, Madi? Just punch away?" The tan-skinned, curly-haired member asked with her quiet Aussie accent.
"If you sense any water around here, Galing, you can give us some cover," Etoiledor answered. "But right now…" She held her orange pin to the sky. Three of her companions did the same.
"Mercury power…"
"Mars power…"
"Jupiter power…"
"Venus power…"
"MAKE…UP!"
Shimmering blue bubbles, sparkling red flames, vivid green electricity, and twinkling golden ribbons coalesced into one remarkably bright flash of multicolored light. Once it subsided, the gloves, footwear, bows, and sailor fukus were on full display. The Sailor Senshi had arrived.
"FINALLY!" The bellow came from the brown-haired man diving towards them. "I've been waiting for this rematch!"
An antenna extended from above the green jewel in Sailor Jupiter's gold tiara. "Fine!" she growled. "Let's-"
"No!" Sailor Venus barked. "We have to protect Usagi and get her to safety!"
As soon as Sailor Venus had finished uttering those words, a spray of sharp, icy peacock feathers embedded themselves in the ground at their feet. As the rest of the team backed up, Sailor Mars stepped forward, locking eyes with the smirking blonde responsible for the barrage.
"Mars, we have to-"
"You can't take a shot from that paralyzing attack!" Mars countered, cutting off Venus' objection. "Find a-"
"Watch it!" Sailor Mercury's panicked cry caused the group to look towards her. Within the newly formed barrier of fog, a strange, tentacled, globular glow could be seen...almost like a plasma globe.
"What the hell is that?" Jupiter asked?
"The result of cutting-edge research on high-voltage plasmas, robotics, and microplastics," the skinny man with the long, blonde rat-to-ponytail answered with pride. "With real-time measurements of the humidity and conductivity of the air-"
"Sorry I...asked!" Jupiter responded, punctuating her words with a lightning bolt in the braggart's direction.
Mercury gasped. "Madi, no!"
"NOW, Zoisite!" came the order from the white-haired man in the cape. Activating the contraption on his arm, Zoisite redirected the lighting attack into Sailor Mercury's fog, supercharging the glowing filaments and causing a huge flash-bang.
The light and sound did its job at disorienting Sailor Venus, but not enough to make her lose her grip on Usagi. However, when her senses fully returned, she was met with an unnerving scene: Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter were being driven away from the courtyard by various attacks, leaving only herself to defend Usagi from two men, both with swords drawn: her (once again) stolen lover Kunzite, and the seemingly brainwashed Endymion.
"Sailor Mercury! Mars! Jupiter! I need you!" She yelled at the top of her lungs to no avail. They had now all disappeared from view. Either they couldn't hear her, or their individual battles weren't allowing them to make it back over to Usagi. Venus pulled her chain off of her waist. She felt Usagi clutch the sides of her fuku tightly.
"Wha...what are we gonna do?"
As Kunzite and Endymion approached, Sailor Venus gritted her teeth. "Merd!"
Sailor Mercury's sparkling blue boots squished in the damp mud along the creek's banks. Even though her element was right there at her side, she was still very off-balance. This wasn't a video game. She didn't like 1-on-1 battles. She locked eyes with the approaching tech mogul, taking careful note of the devices on his arms. Due to the discharge she had just seen, she had an idea of how they worked, but she still wasn't sure about an effective counter strategy. Fortunately, this man was not the type to be bashful about his intentions.
"I see that you're once again going by 'Zoisite?'"
"I see that you're fascinated by my invention," Zoisite answered with his slightly effeminate voice. "Have you figured out how it works yet?"
"You mentioned high-voltage plasma, humidity, conductivity...I assume those things do some sort of ionizing trick?"
Zoisite nodded. "Not bad, doctor! These gauntlets ionize the gases in the air, allowing me to make globules of high-density plasma, held together by lattices of micro-plastics. And depending on the state of the air - humidity, etc. - I can induce a powerful current between the globules for disorientation, or direct electric shock!" With a menacing grin, he pointed a hand towards Sailor Mercury. She responded by summoning a ball of water from the nearby creek. "The most impressive thing about this? I was able to figure out how to set the ionization to induce a charge with no electrical resistance!"
Mercury thought for a second. "Zero-ohm...induction?"
"Zoi!"
The Senshi of Intelligence returned a disgusted glare. "Oh, you are so up yourself!"
Quick feet and sharp reflexes were all that were keeping Sailor Mars from an uncomfortable run-in with her opponent's icy barrage. Annoyed that he had successfully guided her to the parking lot area on the reverse side of the tower, Mars took advantage of a small pause in his attack to draw a circle of flame with her finger.
"Burning...mandala!"
The Senshi of Passion brought her hands together, set her feet, and shot rings of fire towards her target. With a smile, the dark-skinned man made a similar circular motion, punctuated with a flare of his hands. The fiery buzzsaws clashed with the shield of ice, weakening it, but not breaking it. Shaking his head, he turned a gaze of admiration on Sailor Mars.
"Wonderful! Harnessing your spirit with such control, and in such a short time! I am truly impressed!" He took a few steps towards her. "But...you know that you could do so much more! If only you'd give yourself to my-"
"Jadeite, shut the f- up!" Mars yelled.
Jadeite sighed in annoyance. "Why do you reject the opportunity to grow?"
"Why did you go back on your renunciation? You apologized to your followers for misleading them, and now you're back on the same path?" Mars pulled out an ofuda. "How did she capture you again? What power does this 'Great Ruler' have over you? Tell me!"
"Well...sometimes we forget our destiny…" Within his grip, a spear of ice formed. "...and need to be reminded." He flashed a wicked smile in her direction. "Your spirit escaped its destiny at the tip of Vel Murugan once...care to test your luck again?"
The ofuda in Sailor Mars' hand burst into blue flame as Jadeite approached.
Sailor Jupiter dropped to one knee. That shot to her solar plexus left her in a lot of pain. It had been a long time since she had dealt with his speed...and strength. Overflowing with cockiness, her attacker strutted around her. "You couldn't beat me without your gang, and now, by yourself, no match for me!"
"Nephrite...you are a-" In an instant, Nephrite's foot caught Jupiter square in the cheek, drawing blood and knocking her on her back.
"As I said...no match!" He looked with disdain at his downed opponent. "Do you know what you cost me?"
Sailor Jupiter stifled a cough. "We...we freed you! She had you...all of you...trapped as her slaves. She-"
Before she could continue, Nephrite's hand was around her throat. "I had everything that I wanted!" he yelled. "The money, the fame, the acclaim...and the respect!" Violently, he pulled the Senshi of Courage up by her neck and slammed her head into the ground repeatedly to punctuate his final points. "Then you came in! Destroyed my gym! Embarrassed my name! All that I worked for, gone!" He threw the battered warrior down and stood over her. "Do you know how that feels?"
"Like...a...kick in the balls?" With her own swift movement, Sailor Jupiter's boot connected with Nephrite's nether regions, causing him to double over and stagger backwards. Jupiter quickly found her way to her feet and readied her fists. "I don't know what happened to you. But if you won't talk, I'm not gonna hold back any more!"
Sailor Venus was having a difficult time fending off Kunzite's relentless onslaught. Thus far, she had managed to stop every sword swing with her chain...but slicing her wasn't his goal. She knew that he knew that she'd be able to block every blow. However, she wouldn't be able to stand against his power for much longer. And, if he could get her off-balance, he could get her out of the way...with no one else left to guard Usagi. Panting, she took a look at the silent second member of the current party. His sword was drawn, but he stood there in silence. He hadn't even attempted to approach Usagi during the fight. Was he waiting for an ideal moment to jump into the fray? Or was he waiting for Kunzite to triumph and take Usagi with no resistance? Either way, she couldn't afford to find out.
As Kunzite readied another blow, Sailor Venus readied for the impact...but at the last moment, she fell backwards to the ground. Kunzite, expecting contact, lost his balance for a split second. Exploiting the opening, the Senshi of Beauty lunged along the ground and swept Kunzite's feet out from under him. Falling forward, he dropped his sword in order to brace himself. The instant that his hands hit the pavement, his wrists were wrapped by Venus' chain. A quick jerk and flip, and Kunzite was on his back being straddled by Sailor Venus.
Kunzite chuckled. "How long can you keep me like this?"
"I'll worry about that later!" she retorted. Quickly, she examined her surroundings: the other girls were still out of her line of sight, though she could hear them; Endymion was still standing there, unmoving; likewise, Queen Beryl maintained her position on top of the observation deck; and Usagi was still there, with no clear path of escape.
"You know that there's no way out. Give up!"
In response, Sailor Venus yanked harder on her chain. Staring into Kunzite's eyes, she didn't see the usual silver of his irises. A slight tremble came to her hands, she tried to keep her voice from breaking. "What's happened to you?"
"I have a clear mission," Kunzite said. "And I'm fulfilling it."
Venus shook her head slowly. "No...you were meant to fight evil. You were always meant to fight evil. How did she take you away from...from…" Venus set her jaw, refusing to let a sob or a tear escape.
"Didn't I tell you that I'm fulfilling it?" Kunzite said sharply. He turned his eyes towards the cowering Usagi. "Imperium...the Legendary Silver Crystal...whatever you want to call it. Queen Beryl needs it. The Earth is under her protection. There is no greater good than that."
"That's insane!" Venus replied, finding her voice. "Whatever she wants, it's not for good!" She turned to Usagi. "Get ready to move! I'm getting you out of here!"
"You?" Kunzite scoffed. "If I've been told correctly, Jadeite laid you out with his spiritual freeze, Nephrite literally KO'ed you, and you were the first to fall into Zoisite's mind games." He looked into Venus' eyes. "You're not an anchor for this team...you're a weight"
Sailor Venus' breathing rate increased as her mind began to grow fuzzy. "Wh...what…"
"Starting to remember?" Kunzite teased. "You've been failing at this job for a very long time. Ancient days on the moon? Watching your friends fall beside you? And all in defense of an enemy of Earth." He shifted his weight. "You swore your allegiance to an illegitimate ruler on a rogue rock. You had one job: keep her offspring safe. And you couldn't even do that. But now you think that you could make up for that failure?"
The hurtful visions that Kunzite spoke of swirled in Venus' head as she tried to stay in the moment. Just as she realized the familiarity of the feeling, she could feel Kunzite shift his weight again, but she just couldn't respond in time. With a powerful thrust of the hips, Kunzite launched Sailor Venus in the air. Then, yanking the chain around his wrists downward, he slammed Venus against the ground. While she was still dazed, he leapt in and grabbed her by the front of her outfit. Vaulting away, he yelled: "Now, Endymion!"
Frozen in fear, Usagi locked eyes with Endymion. She couldn't move a leg. She couldn't call for help. She couldn't relinquish her death grip on her purse or the mask. Menacingly, Endymion, flashed his sword in her direction. Usagi felt the blood drain from her face...then, he…
...sheathed it.
This didn't really calm Usagi, but it did confuse her. Why would he-
Before she had a moment to think about it, Endymion lunged at her. With a frightened squeak, Usagi, shut her eyes and covered her face. She felt his strength overtake her. Now that she was pinned to the ground, with none of her friends near her, Imperium was now lost. Shivering, she slowly lowered her hands below her eyes…
...to find that she wasn't pinned on the ground. She was being cradled in Endymion's arms. While knowing she was still in the midst of deep danger, there was still...something...that allowed her to calm herself, just a bit...even though as she looked up...those eyes were still not the man that she knew.
Nevertheless, Endymion gently set Usagi back on her feet. The two stared at each other as their teams continued the raging battles around them. After a moment, Endymion finally spoke.
"Please."
Usagi's lip quivered. "P-please, what?"
Endymion's gaze never wavered. "I will not take Imperium from you by force. Please give it to me."
"B-but...why are...Endymion?! That was your old name! That's not-"
"That is the name that my queen wants me to use." He tapped her purse. "And that is what my queen needs. Please give it to me, Usagi."
"No…" she answered faintly. Her attitude changed. Her voice became more defiant. "No!" She moved her body between her and her purse. "This does not belong to her! And you know that!" She shoved the full-face mask in Endymion's face. "He knows that! We have fought her together so many times!"
Unmoved, Endymion answered. "Yes we have. And now is a new time." He extended his hand. "If you still have the will to fight, come with me...serve the queen."
Usagi looked incredulous. "What?!"
"Come with me. Bring Imperium to her. Pledge yourself to her service. Take her mercy."
Usagi couldn't make sense of any of this! He wouldn't attack her, he had virtually zero emotion, he wouldn't even respond to what she said, and now he wanted her to simply walk over and join with the woman who wanted her head not-too-long-ago? It just...how could…
"I...what…what are you asking…?"
"She won't stop."
The finality in those words hit Usagi like a brick. She looked directly into Endymion's dead eyes. He continued:
"Just give in to her."
With her fear-turned-to-anger now turning to sadness and concern, Usagi coaxed a very scary question out of her throat:
"...why did you give in?"
The moment that passed felt like an eternity.
"...protection"
"Protection from wha-"
Before Usagi could finish her question, Endymion once again lunged at her, shoving her three meters away. But before a shocked Usagi could react, Nephrite landed, flat on his back, exactly where she had been standing. Not a second later, Sailor Jupiter landed in the opening between Endymion and Usagi. Antenna extended, electricity arcing, the brawny brawler stared down the erstwhile prince. She then took a deep breath and bellowed:
"EVERYBODY GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE NOW!"
Almost immediately, Sailor Venus was able to use her chain as a whip on a nearby tree to swing out of danger and move quickly back to Usagi's side. A few seconds later, a loud explosion on the backside of the tower was followed by Sailor Mars leaping away from an icy attack. Within a minute, Sailor Mercury too was able to escape her battle with the help of a well-placed jet of water. The four fighting senshi looked battered and tired, but had managed to find their way back to Usagi. Hands clasped, they formed a human barrier as Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite closed in on them again.
"STAND DOWN!"
Kunzite looked up in disbelief. "My...my queen?"
"That was an order."
The four attackers scrambled back to where Endymion was standing. In unison, they all turned towards Queen Beryl and genuflected.
Stepping off of the edge of the observation deck, Queen Beryl floated down to the battlefield, her pale skin reflecting the moonlight. As she reached the ground, her purple stilettos tapped with impatience. She turned a fiery gaze to Usagi and the senshi.
"For all those born beneath an angry star...I am the only protection!" She pointed her staff at the girls. "Listen very carefully! Your families are of Earth, so their safety is my responsibility. I am a merciful queen. But...YOU...had better be careful!" Her eyes darkened. "I am willing to make sacrifices!"
Her eyes found their way to the young woman in the middle of the human shield. "Child...that stone will be mine. The quicker you give it to me, the easier it will be for everyone around you. Continue to hesitate, and see how many will suffer for it!"
Beryl threw her hand to the side, opening a portal. "Guardians, you will engage my Four Kings and Endymion again very soon. For now, rest, and contemplate my words. And consider a quick surrender the next time that we meet!"
With those words, the Four Kings got to their feet and walked through the portal. Just as Endymion was about to enter, Usagi prepared to call out...but...she didn't know what to say...or, what to call him. Sadly, while watching him enter, a tiny sound escaped her lips…
"...Mamo…"
Her heart jumped as for a split second it appeared that his eyes had darted towards her in the millisecond between that utterance and his immersion into the portal. He was immediately followed by a disgusted looking Queen Beryl. The moment that she passed through, the portal closed. The lights on the Tokyo Tower flashed off for a couple of seconds, then flashed back on along with all of the electricity in the Juban district.
Still breathing hard, Sailor Mars looked around. "Was that it?"
"I think so," Mercury answered. "I'm beginning to hear voices."
"GIRLS! E.B.!" ARE YOU OK!?"
"Whoa! I hear voices too!" Jupiter said, winching from the volume in the now active comm link in her ear.
"Artemis, comms were down."
"Yes, Etoiledor, we know," Luna answered. "I assume that you had a very bad run-in? Is everyone alright?"
"All in one piece," Mars answered, "but definitely not ok."
"Usagi?"
"I'm...I'm here Luna," Usagi answered listlessly.
Venus sighed. "Guys, let's detransform and head over. It's gonna be a long night."
"...and all I could sense from them was evil! Like...there was nothing else! It was a complete takeover!" Wicapiwakan had not stopped pacing since she and the others had returned to the command center in the basement of Game Center Crown. Her breathless rant did nothing to dissipate her nervous energy.
"That's illogical," Galing answered quietly, sitting at the nearby lab table. "If there were nothing else, you're proposing some kind of a hive mind. But they each acted with their own personalities. They are still in there...somewhere."
Artemis' green feline eyes looked over into the corner where Etoiledor sat quietly with her forehead in her hands. He sighed and turned to the tallest member standing in the other corner. "Madi, what do you think?"
"I think I found a new cure for hangovers! That transformation sobered me right up!" The silence let her know that the joke fell flat. "Nephrite was the same asshole that he always was. I'm just afraid that she got him again."
Luna, sitting on the arm of the couch, bristled her black fur. "She's trapped them before. It's very possible for her to do it again. They each have their own connection to her, and she's a master manipulator."
"But how?" Madeira asked.
"Attack their vulnerabilities," Wika answered. "Her connections to them, just like Luna said."
"Well, we know what Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite's connections were," Galing said. "And we know that she was able to land a glancing blow on Kunzite once upon a time." She sighed. "That leaves…"
Sitting next to Luna, Usagi felt all eyes turn to her. She knew that this conversation was coming (and that it wouldn't be comfortable), but...that wasn't really what was bothering her right now. Fighting back the tears, she instead replayed Endymion's previous word to her:
"Protection."
What did he mean? What did he need that woman's protection for? That didn't make sense! Nothing that Usagi had seen in him told her that he was in need of anyone's protection. So...what could he-
"Look, Usagi," Wika began, cutting off her train of thought, "Olugbeja knew about their connections to Beryl the whole time, and he fought to bring them all together-"
"No!" Usagi cut her off in return. "He didn't know about Beryl until…"
…"until when?" Artemis asked.
"Until...until she...KUNZITE!" The exclamation caused Etoiledor's head to snap up. "When Kunzite took us to that dream world, he showed us Olugbeja's past! But he couldn't even see Beryl until…until...our..." A tear fell. Luna reached out to wipe it away.
"Usagi. It sounds like you have something very important to tell us. Can you?"
Taking a deep breath, Usagi nodded. She continued: "When we relived our...deaths...in Silver Millennium, that was when he could first sense Queen Beryl. Before that, he only knew that those other four were some kind of link to his past. That's why he was so desperate to find them."
"So, unlike the others, she never made contact with him?" Galing asked.
"She did," Usagi answered. "She visited him and gave him…" she gasped and suddenly held the item in her hand out at arm's length. "...the MASK!"
The team stared at the full-face mask with its African tribal patterns and small red jewel under the left eye. "So...all this time, when Olugbeja has been 'Tuxedo Mask,' he's been wearing an accessory given to him from Queen Beryl?" Madi asked.
Ignoring the fashion ramifications, Artemis jumped to action. "Usagi, put that mask under the microscope, focus it on the jewel. Galing, set the database to do a deep search through minerals, including archaic names of compounds." The group fell silent as Artemis and Galing went to work. As the white cat examined the crystalline structure of the jewel, Galing searched frantically for a match. After a few moments, there was a chime.
"Well...I think that we should have searched for this first," Galing said.
"What is it?" Luna asked.
Artemis sighed. "This jewel has the same structure as the Yamana Ruby." He looked up. "Remember that, Usagi?"
"Furthermore," Galing continued, "this crystal does have a very old name...berylite."
The mention of that name sent shivers down everyone's spine.
Luna shook herself. "Artemis...I have a bad feeling...but...could you check-"
"Way ahead of you! E.B.?" Etoiledor walked over and moved the mask over to a pad near the control panel. Moving away, she pressed a set of buttons, activating lights on the pad. She looked back to Artemis and nodded. He sighed. "The signature is there. So subtle that even you or Wika couldn't pick up on it, but that evil energy has been there the whole time!"
"Fantastic!" Wika exclaimed sarcastically. "We have one ally outside of here and he's been controlled by Queen Beryl the whole time!"
"NO!" Usagi countered! "There's no way!"
"I don't think that he was," Etoiledor answered in a much calmer tone. "Think: Jet, Nefrit, and Rubioro were completely subservient to Beryl. Jawhrat escaped her, but still had to fight against her influence for two years. Olugbeja fought with us. Even using her gift as part of his costume."
Madi scratched her head. "Yeah, but he also always knew where to be. Like he was tracking us! Were those her powers too?"
"And did that stone protect him from attacks?" Galing asked "He did show resistance to many of them."
"Those might have been some side effects," Artemis said, "but based on what Usagi just said, I think that the main point of the mask was to influence him." He turned back to Usagi. "Didn't he mention dreams?"
Usagi nodded. "His bad dreams started when Queen Beryl gave him the mask."
"And he never put two and two together and got rid of the damn thing?" Wika muttered under her breath.
"This was definitely part of Queen Beryl's plan to get Imperium out in the open," Artemis surmised. "Somehow she knew that she had a connection to all of these men, and she figured out a way to use each of them...but she used Mr. Aiye in a much different way. Like she wanted to…"
"...to track him?" Luna finished. "Perhaps the mask served as a beacon, so that when she was ready, she knew where to find him. And maybe that's why she captured him when he gathered all of his friends."
"Wait! All of her power and she can't track a guy without some weird contraption?" Wika asked with skepticism.
Artemis shrugged. "Honestly, we don't know much about how her power works yet."
"We don't know about her power, we don't know what she did to Olug...well...Endymion, now. And if he wanted to take Imperium, he could have!" Wika threw her hands up in disgust. "We could have lost it all tonight! In 10 minutes!" She folded her arms and shook her head. Her frustration was loud and demonstrative, but it reflected the mood of the room. She turned to the cats. "You told us that we've got to protect Imperium. We failed today. So, how do we keep this from happening again?"
Wordlessly, Luna and Artemis looked at each other. Slowly, their heads turned towards the control panel. Usagi, with a hopeful expression, was the first to follow their gaze. Madi and Galing eventually looked that way too. Wika didn't turn her head much, but she cut her eyes in that direction.
With the room focused on her, Etoiledor looked up. The pressure of the six pairs of eyes caused her to silently look away. An uncomfortable stillness gripped the room.
Luna looked back to Artemis. She frowned. She had never seen him look so sad.
Grab a snack! The Radiant Sailor Moon - Reign of Beryl will be back after these messages!
REFERENCES:
This chapter heavily references the fights that the senshi had with the Four Kings/Shitennou:
v. Jadeite: Circle of Hands - Parts 1 and 2 (Book 1, Chapters 25 and 26)
v. Nephrite: Gonna Make You Sweat - Parts 1 and 2 (Book 1, Chapters 27 and 28)
v. Zoisite: Mastermind - Parts 1 and 2 (Book 1, Chapters 29 and 30)
v. Kunzite: Visions - Parts 1 and 2 (Book 1, Chapters 31 and 32)
New readers (and returning readers!) may want to read the backstory of the senshi (and Tuxedo Mask):
Tuxedo Mask: ABUJA, NIGERIA - One Year Ago (Book 1, Chapter 4)
Sailor Mercury: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Nine Months Ago (Book 1, Chapter 7)
Sailor Mars: NORTH DAKOTA, USA - Six Months Ago (Book 1, Chapter 12)
Sailor Jupiter: SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Three Months Ago (Book 1, Chapter 17)
Sailor Venus: PARIS, FRANCE - One Month Ago (Book 1, Chapter 22) [BONUS: Visions - Part 1 (Book 1, Chapter 31)]
Act title: Fragile - Sting: Song about the fragility of life and meaningless of war and conflict
First description of Olugbeja's mask was in Child of the Moon - Part 2 (Book 1, Chapter 3)
Usagi's new transformation brooch was revealed in New Moon ni Koishite (Book 1, Chapter 36)
Imperium (the Legendary Silver Crystal) is first mentioned in ABUJA, NIGERIA - One Year Ago (Book 1, Chapter 4). It then becomes a running element.
Game Center Crown (as the command center) first appears in On Mercury - Part 2 (Book 1, Chapter 9)
Olugbeja's knowledge of King's connection to Beryl clarified in New Moon ni Koishite (Book 1, Chapter 36)
The "dream world" that Kunzite sent Olugbeja and Usagi into (past lives; dreams; "Mamo") occurred in Memory Lane - Part 1 (Book 1, Chapter 34)
The Yamana Ruby calls back to Sailor Moon's first adventure in Child of the Moon - Parts 1 and 2 (Book 1, Chapters 2 and 3)