Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 10: Space Invaders.
Episode 131: First contact.

By Razor Knight
Last update: March 5, 2017
Last edited: June 16, 2017

Usagi phased inside the base, quite unhappy about the weather. "One minute it's sunny, the next it's pouring. What's with that-" she stopped as she looked at Aiko. Her body language made it quite obvious she was worried about something. Scared, even. "Aiko, are you okay?"

"Oh, hi Usagi. Sorry I didn't sense you, but I'm trying to find my parents."

"What you mean find them?"

"They're gone. I know dad was going to test a teleporter prototype but then... He and mom vanished."

Usagi knew it could have seemed wrong to an outsider to see Aiko speak so calmly about something like that. But Usagi knew her, just like Ami, Aiko was keeping her feelings to herself by focusing on something else. "Aiko..."

Aiko idly noticed Usagi walking to her. "Sorry, I need to keep searching, I-" She stopped as Usagi hugged her. "Damn, can't fool you, can I?"

Usagi smiled knowingly. "Don't keep it inside, it will only hurt more and more."

Aiko sat down and sighed. "I- I'm scared. I don't know where they are, I don't even know if they're alive, I just-"

Usagi grimaced. It was the first time she saw Aiko cry. She was worried, too, but- She looked to the side and noticed two more persons were there, and one of them had a face full of regret. "Hi. I'll give you the short version, Ami and Terry are missing."

Aiko looked up and glared at one of the girls. "You knew about this."

ChibiUsa met Aiko's glare with an apologetic smile. "I knew what would happen, but not when. You may hate me for saying this but I don't think stopping it from happening would have been a good idea."

"Well screw you," Aiko snapped, then shook her head. "Sorry, I just- Do you know where they are?"

"Out there," ChibiUsa said, "in some random reality. The storm started shortly before they tried those teleporters, and a lightning bolt hitting the mansion messed them up. That's all I know."

Aiko sighed. "Damn it, this is... Will they be back?"

"The version of their journey I know about was one where I wasn't around, so I don't know if things will be the same this time. I hope they are okay. Sorry."

Aiko was about to say something else, when someone appeared near them. Aiko's expression darkened as she glared at the woman. "You. Asshole!"

Usagi couldn't react in time, and a part of her mind told her she didn't want to stop Aiko. The newcomer was none other than Pluto, and Aiko was furiously trying to beat her senseless. It was clear Pluto was out of her league, but Usagi saw Pluto's face, and understood why she was letting her hit her. "Setsuna, why are you-"

Pluto saw Aiko fall to her knees, sobbing. "I'm here because, as much as I regret not warning those two, there's more urgent matters we need to deal with."

"What the hell's that supposes to mean, oh mighty Time Lady?"

Pluto ignored Aiko's tone. "You are distracted, and I don't think anyone could blame you for that. But here's what happening right now."

Usagi looked at the image that had appeared on the wall. A huge spaceship flying right by the Moon. "What the heck is that?"

"Kh'Sun?"

Usagi looked at ChibiUsa, she remembered hearing Ami mention those aliens, but how- "How do you know about them?"

ChibiUsa looked at Pluto, who nodded. "A few years after Crystal Tokyo was founded, a Kh'Sun mothership appeared, and was easily defeated by the Senshi," ChibiUsa said. "That was ancient history for me. Heard about it from school."

Pluto nodded. "There were three motherships, one of which was destroyed by the first Serenity of our era. Metallia was originally one of them."

"So this is the second ship?"

Pluto shook her head. "That is just a carrier. Their mothership is several magnitudes bigger. And the original ship, the one Sailor Galaxia herself destroyed, was as large as the biggest gas giants."

"So they like big ships."

"Hotaru, I know it may be hard to see the whole picture, but this is no laughing matter. Even in that smaller ship, there's a few millions of soldiers. Millions of one-man ships, too. This won't be like any other war you've fought before."

"I don't like this. I trust all my friends but Ami isn't here-"

"So what?" ChibiUsa said, interrupting her mother. "Aiko is smart and can think up plans as well as her mother, if not better. Sure, two less Senshi will make things harder when dealing with an army that large, but..."

Usagi smiled. "Thanks. You're right, we can win this. We have to keep this world in one piece while our friends are away."

"I've already called the others," Aiko said, then looked up, "but they can't miss that."

Usagi looked at the screen. The ship was hovering over Tokyo, and covered the whole city. "Damn..."

"People's already panicking," Aiko noted, "this will make evacuating them hard."

Pluto nodded. "The army and the Demon Hunters will take care of that."

Just then, the rest of the Senshi, along with most of their allies, appeared inside the base. "That's one hell of a big ship, Aiko." Karin said. "How the heck did it get past your sensors until now?"

"I know why," Nova said. "I can't sense Terry or Ami."

"Yes. I'm sorry I'm not an emotionless AI anymore, but I hope you can understand why I was having a hard time focusing today."

Karin flinched. "Shit, I'm sorry, I- Where are they?"

"Somewhere in the multiverse," Aiko said. "I'll tell you the details later, right now we all need to focus on-" Aiko looked up and frowned. "Heh. Assholes."

"What do you mean?"

Aiko shrugged. "There's a message being broadcast on every possible radio frequency, in every language, and even interrupting television broadcasts. Listen to this..."

A male, deep voice could be heard from the computer console. "People of the Earth, the time has come for your world to join the invincible Kh'Sun Empire. We only ask that you let us relieve you of your planet's resources. As a compensation, those of you we deem worth saving will join us in our journey through the stars."

"In short," ChibiUsa said as the message ended, "they'll kill anyone who resists, take most of us as slaves, and leave the rest in the dried up rock the Earth will be once they're done 'harvesting.'"

Usagi looked at Pluto. "Setsuna, I want you to answer something. No riddles or half-truths."

Pluto smiled. "I will answer as well as I can."

"I only know what I heard from Ami about these aliens. Can they be saved?"

"If you mean making them stop what they do, then no. They have been around for millions of years. They have been doing what they intend to do to our world for most of that time, even though their methods changed thanks to Galaxia."

"Changed? How?"

"With their original ship, they could very literally swallow worlds whole, surround them with ships and simply destroy all life before draining the planet's resources. But there is one thing you have to know: The carriers like the one above Tokyo are mostly filled with slaves. The Kh'Sun rarely take on the battlefield."

Usagi frowned. "So to get to the real threat..."

"We will most likely have to kill many of their slaves."

Usagi walked to the screen and sighed. "I... What about their main ship? Can't we go there and stop them?"

"If you go right now, you won't return," Pluto said, and her tone made it clear it wasn't just a guess. "And you won't be able to destroy their ship, either."

"So we just sit around and let them win?"

Pluto turned to Rei. "It's not... Damn it. You aren't making this easy for me. There's a reason I am telling you not to go, and yes, innocents will die, and our city might get a bit roughed up. I know you still think I enjoy keeping things from you, but I've seen it. If I tell you why you must wait, you'll take victory for granted, and fall. And the Earth will fall with you."

Usagi frowned. "Back when we were fighting youma, I didn't know better, but now... I can't be okay with this."

"Usagi, I'm asking you to trust me. I know you rarely see me outside our battles, but I've grown to respect you, to care about you and all your friends. Think about Ami and Terry. Would you like them to come back and find out we're all gone? To finally find their way back only to have to fight a war they can't win?"

"I..." Usagi suddenly gasped. Of course, that's what she meant. "I will... We will fight them here, on Earth."

"Usagi, what the hell-"

Usagi walked to Mako. "Only once have I given a direct order before, and I want that to be a one-time thing. So if any of you are against killing those the Kh'Sun send against us, then I won't force you to do it. I will fight them on my own if I have to."

Mako groaned but then laughed. "Like hell I'll let you have all the fun."

ChibiUsa had been trying to decide if she should speak her mind, but finally decided to do it. "Mom, those slaves, Setsuna says there's millions of them in that ship out there."

"And only a few thousand Kh'sun to keep them under control."

ChibiUsa nodded at Pluto's words, she had guessed that already. "So they could at least try to rebel. Numbers can be as important as power. But they are just doing as told, helping their masters take over planets just to keep living."

Hotaru frowned at that. "A hopeless life like that... They may be wishing for it to end."

Usagi smiled sadly. "Sometimes I can be too idealistic for my own good."

"And we love you just the way you are," Rei said.

Aiko cursed under her breath. "Guys, not to ruin the mood or anything, but the aliens have decided to come out to play."

Usagi was about to say something, but someone appeared near her, someone she thought would never dare get too close to her base. "Cuprite?"

"I know you personally won't mind the help, but my people are a bit... Uneasy coming to Earth in large numbers. It will take years at best for them to understand that you won't fry them as long as they behave."

"You came here to ask for my permission to help?"

"I won't be able to make youma come here unless I have your word that-"

"I already said youma could come to Earth whenever they wanted as long as they didn't try to harm any human. Tell them I hate to repeat myself, and that I know plenty of them already decided to come to Earth."

"... You do?"

"I can see through their disguises, Cuprite. One of my favorite clothing stores is run by a youma. I remember how scared she looked first time she saw me walk into her store..."

"Usagi, with all due respect," Aiko interrupted, "leave the chitchat for later."

"Uh, right. Cuprite, I don't mind youma helping us. Specially when we are as outnumbered as we will be out there. Bring as many of your people as you can."

Cuprite nodded. "I will. They will not try anything, they already know how much stronger you are now compared to when you fought Beryl's brats."

Usagi saw Cuprite vanish and sighed. "Okay, time to go meet our unfriendly visitors."

A few universes away, a certain black-haired Senshi was staring at the landscape. It was unlikely they would attack them, but they couldn't afford to lower their guard.

"All quiet?"

"Yeah. Are you done yet?"

"Building a teleporter and adapting it to jump to another reality isn't as easy as one would think."

"Sarcasm never suited you, Ami."

"I know, sorry. If everything works as I hope, the devices should be ready in a few days."

"You're the brains of this team, so I shouldn't ask, but... Any clue how to find the reality they came from?"

"No. But don't worry, we can backtrack if we miss it. Though I've been thinking, Rei... Why not look for another reality, one without Senshi, without wars..."

"Because we've been running away and hiding like cowards for months. Usagi would hate what we've become."

"Thanks. I needed to hear that from someone else, to get that stupid idea off my mind."

"You're welcome. Go back to work on that thing, I'll keep an eye on the city."

A/N: Writing this arc again feels nice. Hope I can make it more of a fun ride than it was in Cyber Moon.