This will be the first chapter-like section of a potential twenty or so
sections, more or less, for A Rather Hostile Takeover, people. In the
last adventure for several of the Moon Kingdom's known Sailor Scouts,
they often did a great deal of training with each other elsewhere on
the Moon. And things were still reasonably good for them in their
lives, whenever possible. However, things are about to change for them,
very soon, most likely, and not necessarily for the better, when they
do so.
Their Negaverse enemies will most certainly start to turn the tide of battle against them in this adventure, starting sometime in the near future, though. Just how they might, readers, it remains to be seen, in fact. For I have several more chapter-like sections to put up for this fourth volume of The Chrysanthemum Chronicles. Rest assured, though, that what is yet to come for them and others that they'll eventually meet in the course of this particular adventure of theirs will be quite unlike what they have faced to date in their lives.
Now, without any further ado here, I suppose I should get on with the first part of this fourth story, in rather short order, people. The standard disclaimers will apply for this story, as well, of course. I claim nothing for my own that isn't actually of my own creation here, obviously enough, everyone. If you like what you see well enough here, then I'm sure that you should know what to do by now, as well. I await your reviews and other similar comments about this story and each and every one of its various parts, in fact.
A Rather Hostile Takeover A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Inside Serena's Chambers In The Imperial Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
January 29, 987
Serena Moon was in her Imperial Palace chambers with a number of her fellow Moon Kingdom Princesses, just killing some time with them, between some meetings that she'd had to attend with her parents, at least. If not also with the rest of her current royal Court. Now in her Imperial Palace chambers with her were Amy Anderson, Raye Hino, Lita McKinley, Mina Abernathy, Destiny Moon, and Bethany Moon. And two girls now with her were her younger twin sisters. Those younger twin sisters of hers were Destiny and Bethany. Destiny was the older twin, while Bethany was the younger twin. Both her twin sisters were about three years younger than she was. For Serena was about five months short of her eleventh birthday, as Terrans might reckon her in their years. That was due to the simple fact that she'd been born on June 30, 976, on the Crystal Palace's grounds elsewhere on the Moon.
Serena was the oldest daughter of her parents in the Moon Kingdom. And she'd been born to Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel many long years before. She'd been their only child until her twin sisters had been born almost three years after her own birth. She'd spent nearly three years as an only child before her twin sisters' births in the palace that she was now in.
Before she became an older sister to her twin sisters, she'd met a number of Princesses from other worlds in the Moon Kingdom. And she'd met them on her first birthday. After which she'd begun to develop a rather close relationship with them in her life. Those Princesses, as a matter of fact, had been Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. And they'd been introduced to her by a certain Terran Prince from Japan on Earth, a rather handsome and rather young Prince named Prince Darien. Ever since, they'd all begun to become rather close friends of each other. And they often hoped that they'd always be rather close friends to each other, for at least as long as they lived in God's very own Universe. And now, they were rather close to each other, in terms of their relationships with each other in all of their lives. Even after Serena's twin sisters had been born, they still had all often gotten much closer to each other in each of their lives on the Moon.
Amy Anderson had been a Moon Kingdom Princess from Mercury. While Mina Abernathy had come from Venus, Raye Hino had come from Mars, and Lita McKinley had come from Jupiter. Other Princesses eventually joined their little social circle that they'd begun to develop from a very young age, as they grew up together on the Moon, at least most of the time, if not all of it. Since first meeting up with Serena, all four of those Princesses had rarely, if ever, actually been able to go back to their native worlds for a long enough time. For the distances and the time that'd likely be required normally made rather frequent returns to their respective home planets impossible, quite obviously.
Serena had, at first, not liked losing her status as an only child for her parents. But in the past seven or so years, that'd rarely been the case. For she'd really enjoyed being with Destiny and Bethany quite often in her life since they'd become part of it. And she now often helped Destiny and Bethany out whenever she could, in her life. Mainly because Destiny was completely blind normally, and Bethany was completely deaf normally. Of course, her rather frequent helping of them was often appreciated by her sisters and her parents, who by now were expecting to have several more children in the very near future. God willing, of course. Possibly as many as five, if things worked out well enough in the next few months or so.
Currently, Serena was talking to her current companions in her chambers about at least one friend of theirs from Terra, if not more than one. She asked Raye, "Do you think that we'll see Sylvia Wakefield again in the very near future?"
"I'm hoping so, Serena. But you must remember that she's not been here on the Moon with us since January 10, 987, which was about three weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes, I do. I think of our Terran Israelite friend Princess Sylvia Wakefield quite often, as a matter of fact."
"And I suppose you're wondering how things will go for her and Prince Rolando Volois of Scotland on Earth?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, Raye, I am. But I still would rather be with Prince Darien, if at all possible, sometime soon, of course."
"Well, you know Darien still has a lot of things he normally has to do whenever he's on Earth,
and he's working on our joint project with his Terran nation."
"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I don't really miss him all that much, of course, Raye." Raye began to get rather upset with Serena. For Serena often got rather animated whenever Darien came up in chats the Princesses now with Serena quite often had with her in their lives, as Serena had just begun to do in her own chambers.
"I understand that, Meatball Head, but he can't always be with you here on the Moon with us,
and most especially with you, Serena!"
"Maybe so, Mars Girl, but I often wish that he was!"
"Well, would you rather have the Negaverse wipe us all out, and not allow any of us to possibly survive their invasion of our dear Moon Kingdom, Serena?" asked Raye.
"No! Of course not! But I want to be with Darien as much as I possibly can be, whenever I can be, no matter what the cost, I think!"
"Even if you somehow manage to get yourself or any of the rest of us killed in the process?"
"Even if that happens, Raye, I want to be with him as much as I possibly can be with him in my life!"
"And by doing so, don't you realize that you might be signing our Moon Kingdom's own death warrant?" asked Raye, currently quite upset with Serena.
"Maybe so, but if our first battle with beings from the Negaverse is any indication, our Moon Kingdom is likely still doomed. For I don't think that we can somehow manage to change the ways that our military personnel do things in and around our own Moon Kingdom. Nearly a millennium of relative peace has left us rather weak militarily. And I don't think that we'll be able to stop them easily enough, if and when they ever decide to invade us, Raye. We may try, but I don't think that we'll succeed. You already know of numerous visions and/or dreams that many of our people have had for many years. People that include me, Mother, and Darien, at least, if not any of the rest of us, of course. Raye, our Silver Millennium will end in the next three or four years, it seems, whether we like it or not. And if it's not happened by the time it does, we'll soon afterward be invaded by our enemy, I think. And when they do, Dad may or may not still be around. Though not for long, I think, when they do, if he's still around when they finally begin invading our Moon Kingdom."
At least a few months before, Serena and a number of other people had found themselves on a world in another galaxy of the Universe. Eventually Serena and others with her had met up with two other Terrans on that world besides Darien, who'd been brought to that world from the Moon, which he'd earlier been visiting some time before. Those Terrans had been Sylvia and Rolando, who'd first met up with Darien, then with Serena and her current companions after they'd all fought against beings from another part of the Universe entirely. Those beings that Serena and others had fought against on that world had been from the Negaverse. And they'd eventually come to conquer and/or destroy all the inhabited places in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible. That was supposing the visions and/or dreams that many people had been having for a substantial number of years were sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, in fact. Serena and a number of people from the Moon Kingdom had been whisked away to that world in a strange galaxy. And they'd found another adventure for themselves, which had been their second adventure together as members of a certain group of Moon Kingdom citizens.
This group was called "The Sailor Scouts." And a considerable number of Moon Kingdom Princesses were rather secretly members of it. Those same Princesses included Serena, Amy, Raye, Mina, Lita, Destiny, and Bethany. Not to mention at least a few other Princesses from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom, which consisted basically of all the worlds other than Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system. Later on, after the main part, if not all, of their second adventure together with each other, and after they'd met up with Sylvia and Rolando during it, Sylvia had also become a Sailor Scout. Even though she wasn't actually from one of the current worlds of the Moon Kingdom. Other Sailor Scouts included Queen Serenity, who'd been a Sailor Scout for many years already in her own life, as well as several other Scouts from other worlds in the Moon Kingdom.
Besides Queen Serenity, Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, and Sylvia, some,
if not all, of the other Moon Kingdom royals who were also secretly Sailor Scouts were the Moon Kingdom Princesses Chloe Anderson, Aurora Abernathy, Bridget Hino, Beatrice Kirby, Hannah Tompkins, Alexis Herschel, Michelle Gallenski, and Susan Meyers. Not to mention as well, Hannah's sisters Jackie and Estella, Alexis's sisters Ariel and Gwendolyn, who was often referred to or called "Winnie," Michelle's sisters Poruzuka and Dorothy, and Susan's sisters Deborah and Tracy.
Queen Serenity usually served as a Scout in her rather secret identity of Royal Sailor Serenity. But at least every once in a while, she'd power up into her second-power phase as Sentinel Serenity, in which she was also often referred to as, "The Queen of the Sailor Scouts." Her oldest daughter Serena was currently the Junior Sailor Scout called "Junior Sailor Moon," at least most of the time, whenever she was in her Scout state of being. While her twin girls, whenever they were each in their own Sailor Scout states of being, were normally called either "Corona," or "Eclipse," as the case might be for each of them, instead of being called Destiny or Bethany, in their lives.
As for Amy, she was secretly Junior Sailor Mercury, at least right now in her life. While her sister Chloe was, at least as of the current time in her own, secretly Junior Sailor Mercury Beta. Though that might change, of course, if and whenever Chloe got another identity she could use instead of that one later on in her life.
Mina was, at least right now, secretly Junior Sailor Venus as well in her life. While her sister Aurora was also secretly Junior Sailor Venus Beta at the current time in her own life, Mina was often glad that she was Junior Sailor Venus right now in the Moon Kingdom. Unlike Amy and Mina, at least, if not other Moon Kingdom Princesses as well, though, and like Chloe and a number of other Princesses from there, Mina's sister Aurora might become known by a different basic Sailor Scout identity. Even though she was also from Venus, just like Mina was.
Raye would always have the basic Sailor Scout identity of Sailor Mars. Even though she wasn't yet a full Sailor Scout. While her sister would likely someday become Sailor Blossom, Raye would likely someday become Sailor Mars in the future. God willing, of course. Unlike Raye,
though, Bridget wouldn't likely keep her basic Sailor Scout identity of Mars Beta. But she'd become Sailor Blossom, if she somehow survived long enough to do so in the future.
As for Lita McKinley and Beatrice Kirby, they weren't sisters to each other, but cousins to each other. Lita was secretly Junior Sailor Jupiter, at least as of the current time. While her cousin Beatrice was secretly Junior Sailor Jupiter Beta, as of that time in both their lives. Lita would likely someday become Sailor Jupiter in the future. While her cousin, if she also somehow survived for a long enough time into the future, might eventually become Sailor Daphne, and not Sailor Jupiter Beta.
Hannah Tompkins was currently also Junior Sailor Saturn Beta. But eventually, given the right circumstances, she might eventually become Sailor Saturn. While her older sister Jackie would possibly become Sailor Megaringa. And her younger sister Estella would possibly become Sailor Florence. Supposing that either or both of them somehow survived long enough into the future. Unlike the Scouts from inside her planet's orbit, she'd be considered an Outer Sailor Scout. Just as any Scouts from her planet and from planets outside its orbit would be considered as such. While all the other Scouts from moons, space stations, and/or planets that were actually inside Saturn's orbit would normally be considered to be Inner Scouts, no matter what their world of origin anywhere in the Moon Kingdom.
Of course, not only Hannah, Jackie, and Estella Tompkins were considered to be Outer Sailor Scouts, simply because of that fact. Also considered to be Outer Sailor Scouts were the three Herschel girls from Uranus, the three Gallenski girls from Neptune, and the three Meyers girls from Pluto, simply because of that fact.
Jackie might later change her basic Sailor Scout identity from Junior Sailor Saturn Alpha to Sailor Megaringa, instead of becoming Sailor Saturn Alpha, or she might not. Only time would ever tell if she would do so in the future. While her sister Estella might become Sailor Florence instead of Sailor Saturn Gamma, as well.
As for the three mentioned Herschel girls from Uranus, they might become the Sailor Scouts called, "Sailor Herschelata," "Sailor Uranus," and "Sailor Portia," respectively. With Ariel Herschel becoming Sailor Herschelata, Alexis Herschel becoming Sailor Uranus, and Winnie Herschel becoming Sailor Portia. But they'd likely not become known by each of those identities for at least a little while yet. They'd still likely be referred to as the Junior Sailor Scouts called "Junior Sailor Uranus Alpha," "Junior Sailor Uranus Beta," and "Junior Sailor Uranus Gamma," who were also Ariel, Alexis, and Winnie, respectively.
The three Gallenski girls from Neptune were Poruzuka, Michelle, and Dorothy, who was often called, "D.C.," by a number of her friends and relatives. Poruzuka was secretly also "Junior Sailor Neptune Alpha" as a Sailor Scout. While her aforementioned sisters were secretly also either "Junior Sailor Neptune Beta," or "Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma," as the case might be for either of them. Her sister Michelle was secretly also Junior Sailor Neptune Beta at the current time, while at the same time, D.C. was secretly also Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma. However, it was suspected that if any or all of the three Gallenski girls ever became a full-fledged Sailor Scout, they'd all eventually become the Sailor Scouts known as "Sailor Dolphina," "Sailor Neptune," and "Sailor Katrina." With Poruzuka becoming Sailor Dolphina, Michelle becoming Sailor Neptune, and D.C. becoming Sailor Katrina. But even that wasn't yet a certainty in any of their three lives in their part of God's very own Universe, if it'd ever be someday yet in the future.
As for all three of the young Meyers ladies, who were Deborah, Susan, and Tracy, they were secretly also the Junior Sailor Scouts who were now known as "Junior Sailor Pluto Alpha," "Junior Sailor Pluto Beta," and "Junior Sailor Pluto Gamma," respectively. However, at some later date, Deborah might actually become "Sailor Cometa," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Alpha," in actual reality. While her sister Susan might actually become "Sailor Pluto," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Beta," in like manner. And her sister Tracy might actually become "Sailor Trammeyna," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Gamma," in like manner. But as with all the other Sailor Scouts, of course, that still wasn't yet confirmed beyond the shadow of any doubt for any or all of them, if it'd ever be, in each of their own lives in God's very own Universe.
Destiny said, then, "Serena, Dad may be gone by the time they come, or he may not, as you often say. But I don't think we need to talk about it so much, if we don't have to. You know that it often gets Bethany and me upset whenever you say that might happen to Dad in the future."
"Well, Destiny, I'm really sorry if it bothers you both whenever I say that about Dad. But it may very well happen. For as we may already know, from our first battle with them so long ago, that Negaversers who fight against us in battle won't likely ever give any of their enemies in it any mercy at all. Didn't you see how they took down a lot of people in the Ozotov solar system of the Cassini Galaxy quite some length of time ago?"
"Come to think of it, I believe I did," answered Destiny, a few moments later, after she remembered being on Ozotov IV with Serena and a number of other people in her own life.
"Then you should know by now that anyone who faces them in battle will have to fight for their lives against them, if they want to survive to live at least one more day in each of them, Destiny. And I think that'll include us, of course. I hope it doesn't, of course. But I think that it will. I often see rather disturbing visions, as you know. And I at least sometimes have at least a few bad dreams like those visions. I'm really afraid that they'll possibly kill most, if not all, of us when they come here to our Moon Kingdom, and maybe even to the Moon itself. You all know about many, if not all, of those visions and/or dreams of mine. As do my parents, of course."
"Even you, probably," said Raye, in quite a perturbed manner here.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I may be, as you say, Raye, 'Signing our Moon Kingdom's own death warrant.' But I'd rather be with Darien, if at all possible, than to be ruling the Moon Kingdom in the future, if I absolutely had to choose. At least that's how I feel right now about him in my life. Sure, being the Moon Princess is nice. But where's the fun in being at so many trade conferences and boring speeches and other dull functions? Not much fun to me, as you girls should all know well enough by now."
"You really mean that you'd rather be just a normal girl, if at all possible, Serena?" asked Raye.
"If I could be with Darien, sure. I feel very strongly for him, as you all know by now, I'm sure."
"Serena, what'd your likely abdication of your Moon Kingdom duties possibly suggest to numerous others in our Moon Kingdom?"
"I don't know, Amy."
"I think that they'd quite possibly suggest to the Moon Kingdom's numerous people that you don't really care all that much for the Moon Kingdom at all."
"I'd hope not, Amy."
"Well, we know that you care for it very much, Serena. But I'd be willing to guess that at least eighty percent of our people don't know that, if not more."
"What do they know?" asked Serena of Amy.
"They know what they hear, and what they see, Serena. And because they do know what they see and hear, Serena, it could bring more trouble to us and our fellow leaders in the Moon Kingdom than we really need, if it hasn't already begun to do so, in our own Moon Kingdom."
"It's not being the Moon Princess that gets me down so much about my life, Amy. It's mainly often being forced to attend various official functions that I don't really like attending most, if not all, of the time. Sure, being the Moon Princess is nice to a point. But where's the fun in quite often having to boss many other people around, if I don't really want to?"
"You'd rather be just like the rest of us Princesses, often?" asked Lita, now rather curious. Because Serena didn't always seem to suggest that was true for her in her life.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, if I could quit being the Moon Princess, I'd likely consider doing so. But it's not, I believe, a position I can quit from at all, or at least not very easily, Lita. I think that, for at least as long as both Mom and I are still alive, I won't likely be able to quit from that position, if ever. I'd probably consider also quitting the Sailor Scouts, if it weren't for our foes who are likely going to invade our Moon Kingdom, and come here to the Moon, when we won't want them to do that. But I'm not going to quit as a Sailor Scout at least as long as I'm still able to fight against our foes, if at all possible. You have my word on that, girls. I'm going to stick with all of you girls for as long as I can, and whenever I can, no matter what the cost. Even with my twin sisters, of course."
"Even if Darien is around?" asked Mina.
"Yes, if I can, I'll do that, Mina. Of course, you might be somewhere I can't be with you in. And I may have to be with Darien instead. I'm afraid that by the time Darien and I likely get zapped by Queen Beryl, though, you girls might all be dead or asleep already. And I won't know it at all, before I then somehow find myself with Darien in the sky above the Imperial Palace."
"And then your mother will try to save as many of us as she can, if she can't save us all?"
asked Mina.
"Of course, Mina. I believe that Luna and Artemis might then try to talk her out of it. But you know how Mom often is when she's really set her mind on doing something major in her life. She won't let them convince her not to use her Imperium Silver Crystal and her Crescent Moon Wand together. Even if it may mean her death, she won't. For she'll care for us all too much to let our futures vanish without her trying to do something about it, so that we don't lose them at all, if at all possible."
Then Serena spent at least a little more time with her sisters and friends. And she and Raye began calming down again around each other, at least until she heard two cats calling to her from the nearby hall outside her Imperial chambers, if they'd not already done so all the way. One of those cats was Luna, and the other was Artemis. Those cats were Queen Serenity's cats, and Luna was mostly black, while Artemis was mostly white.
One of the cats said, "Serena, your presence is requested in the main ballroom again within the next ten or so minutes. Your Mom thinks you need to attend to three canisters that just came here for you within the last hour or two, by then, if at all possible."
"Three canisters for me? From where?"
"Take a guess, Serena."
"Earth, Luna?"
"Yes, Serena. Your uncle Prince Raphael's guarding them all now. And your mother wants you to come and get them, before everyone else who's also here in this palace with us now somehow starts finding out about them at all. People are asking her what's in each of those three canisters for you. And they're also doing the same for your father and your uncle."
"I'll be right there. Should the girls come with me?"
"I'd not recommend it. For Prince Caliterios has just been trying to stir up some major trouble of late here in the Moon Kingdom, whenever possible. Especially in any number of our Moon Kingdom's palaces here on the Moon. Even this one, for the simple reason that we're currently here in this particular palace on the Moon."
Prince Caliterios was a known enemy of Raye and her family from Mars. And he was almost always trying to work against Queen Serenity and her loyal subjects, whenever he possibly could do so, if not all the time, in his very own life. Like Raye and her sister Bridget, he was from the Martian mini-system. Particularly from Mars in it, just as they were. Raye and her family were loyal to Queen Serenity. And Caliterios and his family were not generally loyal to her, whenever they possibly could be disloyal to her and to her Moon Kingdom.
"Caliterios is involved in this matter?" asked Raye.
Luna, the mostly black female cat, said, "Yes, Raye, he is. That's why I don't think that you should go with Serena to the main ballroom right now. I suspect that if you girls besides Serena do that, then something might happen to you all, at least, if you're not careful enough."
"Well, if trouble may be arising in the main ballroom, then we've got to stop it, if at all possible, Luna."
Luna said, "Raye, please don't leave this part of the palace with Serena. I just experienced a rather strange vision last night that seemed to suggest that if you girls did so, several of you Moon Kingdom people might be whisked away to some other place in the Universe."
"And that we can't afford right now?" asked Raye.
"No, of course not, Raye, if it can possibly be avoided at all," said Artemis, a mostly white male cat.
"Are you sure that if she goes to the main ballroom alone, she'll be safe enough, Artemis?" This was also a question from Raye, of course.
"As sure as Luna and I can be, we're sure. Serena's parents and her uncle Prince Raphael feel essentially the same way, Raye."
"What if we go there as the Sailor Scouts, Luna?"
"You'll have to do it quickly, and get in and out very quickly, before Caliterios can stop you,
Raye."
Serena thought for a second, then said, "Luna, tell Mom to expect a page from me momentarily in the pattern called 'Cosmic Quilter Zeta.' And when she does, for her to make sure as much as she can that nobody hears me page her or talk to her easily enough. When she hears me page her, she's to await further instructions from me. Where exactly in the main ballroom is Uncle Raph right now?"
"Near one of the middle balconies in it, I believe. Possibly the most middle one in it, if I'm not mistaken, Serena," answered Luna, a few seconds later.
"I'll then likely tell Mom to have Dad tell Uncle Raph to bring the canisters to the nearest balcony. And then to have Uncle Raph touch his sword, so that we can lock onto his position. When Uncle Raph touches his sword, we'll likely be able to lock onto it. When we do, I'll then notify Mom. And she'll have to do what I tell her to do within twenty to thirty seconds of me telling her to do something else, so that Uncle Raph will hopefully be safe from harm from our likely enemies here in the Moon Kingdom. If she does what I tell her quickly enough, I should be able to make sure that those who aren't against us in the main ballroom won't have to worry about getting hurt by our likely enemies in it."
"Understood, Serena. However, if you're all going to come to the main ballroom in your Sailor Scout states, you'd all better make as sure as you possibly can that nobody who's likely against us in the Moon Kingdom knows that you girls are all doing so then, of course, Serena."
"Agreed, Luna. Remember, Mother's to expect me to page her shortly in the pattern called 'Cosmic Quilter Zeta,' and then to wait for me to give her any further instructions from me. Are Hannah, Alexis, Susan, and Michelle, at least, also in the main ballroom right now?"
"Yes. They're near Prince Daniel at the moment, often chatting with him and Queen Serenity."
"Tell them all to go to the Hebron Garden, as quickly as they can get there, immediately upon your meeting of them in the main ballroom. Don't allow them to question you about why I want them to do that. Tell them that Serena's ordering them to do so, by her authority as the current Moon Princess. If you see Chloe and the rest of my Court, tell them that Amy and the rest of us are attending to an emergency that we just learned about elsewhere on the Moon, that requires the attention of us all. Tell them to go to the Imperial Palace's main stable area as soon as possible. And tell each of them to saddle up one horse apiece, just as soon as they can each get away from the main ballroom easily enough. They're each to go to Crescent's Double Earth Palace on the Moon by as many different routes as they can each possibly take to there. And then they're to wait for further instructions from Mom, Dad, or Uncle Raph, as the case might be then for them all. All the Princesses who aren't here with me that I just named aren't to say a single word to you or to anyone else, if at all possible, at least until further notice. After you attend to all the required Princesses in the main ballroom, tell Mom and Dad to await further orders from me, if I've not yet given them both enough of them while we're handling this particular manner."
Luna and Artemis then agreed to do as Serena told them both to do. Then they hurried to the main ballroom as quickly, yet as casually, as they could, so as not to suggest that they'd been told what to do by anyone in the Imperial Palace who was currently loyal to Queen Serenity and her people in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible.
Serena waited for about five more minutes or so, just so that both cats would hopefully have enough of a chance to tell her Mom and all the other necessary people what to do, before she'd page her Mom again with her power locket. Just before that roughly five minutes was up, Serena then said, "Girls, I think we should now transform, and prepare to use our Sailor Teleport Power to get in and out of the main ballroom as quickly as we possibly can."
So all six of her current companions did as she suggested, after she herself began to transform herself into Junior Sailor Moon. After Junior Sailor Moon was sure that her current companions had all transformed well enough into each of their respective Sailor Scout states, she then paged her mother in the necessary manner. After her mother received that page, Moon then told her mother what to do. And her mother did that, of course. Moon soon located her uncle, and she had each of her current companions gather around her rather closely, of course. That done, Moon told her mother to draw the curtain in front of the balcony that her uncle was now on, by secretly using a remote control of some sort that her mother often kept hidden behind a cushion on her usual chair in that ballroom. As soon as her mother told her that she'd used that particular remote control, and it was likely safe enough for them to do so, Moon and her fellow Scouts then teleported onto that balcony for a few seconds. They teleported directly to where her uncle Raphael was now waiting on that balcony. And then they gathered right around him and the three canisters that'd just come from Earth for Serena. That done, Moon had her uncle get in the middle of their seven-Scout circle, near the canisters for Serena. Then Moon began the teleportation process again with her fellow Scouts' help, of course. A few seconds later, before Prince Caliterios and several other people could actually get past that curtain in front of the balcony currently in question well enough, if at all, all eight Moon Kingdom royals then quickly left it. And they all teleported to a rather secret underground cavern under the Imperial Palace of Moon City.
After Moon was sure that they'd all come there safely enough, she soon said, after she'd also said at least a few other things to Prince Raphael, "Uncle Raph, I want you in Crescent until further notice. I want you to stay there with several other Scouts until Mom or I tell you otherwise, if at all possible. As for us, we'll need to briefly go back to our Imperial Palace chambers to get the necessary things, after we meet up with several other Princesses. Mom and Dad should meet us in the Hebron Garden as soon as they possibly can get away from everyone else in the main ballroom. And they're planning to do so already. So you won't need to tell them why I need them there, for they know what I'm planning to do now already. Go right to your chambers, and get only what you can bring with you easily enough to Crescent without arousing our many enemies' suspicions here in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible, Uncle Raph. You should use the secret passageway in your chambers to get to the Imperial Palace's main stable area. And then saddle up one of your horses as quickly as you can. As soon as you can, then, leave that stable area as safely as you can. And try to make sure that nobody else sees you leave it, for elsewhere on the Moon. Then take the Sulosuki Highway out of the Moon City area, and go to Crescent as safely and as quickly as you possibly can, Uncle Raph. If you don't hear from Mom, Dad, or any of the rest of us, stay there until you do. Or at least for a month or two, if you don't hear from us by the time that Mom's most likely due to have her new babies somewhere on the Moon, if at all possible, for her, and for you, if not also the rest of us. After at least a month or two passes for you, and after Mom's likely due to have her babies here on the Moon, if at all possible for her, go to Rainbow Springs with the rest of the Scouts that've been with you in Crescent's Double Earth Palace. Then I want you to begin training them as Sailor Scouts, in the Rainbow Springs Training Center. Just in case we all don't somehow manage to return very soon to you and others anywhere on the Moon, or we all don't somehow manage to contact you by then. You do know about it well enough, don't you?"
"Yes, Moon, I do."
"Then tell me back everything I just told you." Her uncle did so. And then Moon said, "Good luck, then, Uncle Raph, with the other Scouts that you'll likely be training, if we don't somehow return to you, or manage to contact you, in the very near future. If anything major happens to any or all of us, you'll eventually find out somehow, I think. Even if God has to be the one to let you know of such things in your life."
"And if you all never return to us in the Moon Kingdom?"
"Then I want you to do the best that you possibly can against our enemies' forces, no matter what the cost. If any of us never return to you, or contact you, at all, then you're to do whatever you possibly can do to protect our dear Moon Kingdom. If they come to invade us, then give no mercy to our enemies at all. For they'll not give any of our people any mercy at all if and when they ever come to conquer or destroy our dear Moon Kingdom, Uncle Raph. Even if you have to sacrifice all our inhabited places, you must do whatever you can to save our people, if at all possible, somehow, no matter what it might ever be. You must never let them completely destroy us, if you can possibly keep them from doing that at all. Even if you have to sacrifice our Moon Kingdom, you must not let them wipe us out completely, if you can possibly prevent it. You're to save as many of our people as you possibly can, if we never return in time, and our enemies come to wipe us out to the best of their abilities to do so, no matter what the cost, Uncle Raph, if you have the ability to do so at all."
Moments later, then, he said his farewells to all of the Scouts now present with him in the cavern that they were now in under the Imperial Palace's grounds in the Moon's Moon City local area. He left them only after he was absolutely sure of what she'd just told him to do, if he never heard from or saw them or anyone else who was close enough to any or all of them in their respective lives again.
Then, after he'd left them all for a long enough time, they all went to where the canisters that'd recently come for Serena were now resting in that cavern under the Imperial Palace. Moon had her fellow Junior Sailor Scouts each stand near one of the underground tunnels that led to that rather secret underground cavern. She did this so that if anyone else came through any of them, they'd be able to monitor the resulting situation, and act as that resulting situation would require them to act. God willing, of course. She had them do so, while she attended to each of those canisters in turn. One of the canisters was from Darien, of course. While the other two were from Rolando and Sylvia, who'd each sent them from their own main places of residence on Earth. Darien said that Serena and her crowd shouldn't likely expect him back on the Moon for at least a little while longer, if not a long time longer. It seemed that many Hiroshima-area people back in Japan were trying to cause major delays in the deliveries of certain required items for their peoples' joint project together. And Darien was now trying to find alternate sources for such items. That was just in case the needed items couldn't be gotten from the usual sources any longer, for use on their joint project. Darien was increasingly afraid that such delays in the delivery of such items might cause serious, if not grave harm, to the plans to complete that certain project as much as possible, if not entirely, by the time that the Negaverse would likely begin its invasion of the Moon Kingdom. Or by the time that they began threatening the very existence of people anywhere at all on the Moon, later on, after they'd likely wiped out most, if not all, of the populations of all the other places in the Moon Kingdom that were currently populated in it, as of the current time, in each of their own mortal lives. Of course, Darien did send Serena at least one rose from at least one garden, if not more than one, on the Imperial Palace's grounds in Kyoto, Japan, back on Earth. Prince Darien's message to her was rather long, and eventually, Moon finished reading it. After she read it, she then opened the other two in turn, with her opening Sylvia's canister first.
Sylvia said that she wasn't planning on coming back to the Moon anytime soon, either. But that she hoped that she'd somehow be able to within the next few weeks or months. Whether or not it was with or it was without her siblings. She told Serena that she really missed her and the rest of Serena's crowd. And that she hoped that things were all going rather well for them all on the Moon.
Rolando's canister had at least one message in it that said basically the same thing to her, at least as it related to him possibly coming back to the Moon for at least a little while. He also told her that he missed her and her crowd on the Moon. And that he hoped that she and all the other members of her crowd were doing rather well during his current absence from the Moon. He didn't know when he'd again be able to be on the Moon. But he naturally hoped that it'd be some time in the next few weeks or months. Even though he also realized that might not be possible for him at all. Or at least not as soon as he might prefer it to be possible for him.
Eventually, then, Moon had examined all the things that'd been in all three canisters. And she soon said, just after she finished doing so, "Girls, the canisters were from Darien, Sylvia, and Rolando, of course. It seems Darien won't likely be with us back on the Moon for a while. Same thing for Sylvia and Rolando, I think."
"What did they all send you?"
She told them what she'd just received from their three Terran friends. And after she was done doing so, Mercury said, "I suppose that a lot of people don't like the idea of our two societies working together on a joint project. Both on Terra, and also here in the Moon Kingdom."
"And unfortunately, the Martian Prince Caliterios appears to be among them," commented Mars.
"I wish that either he and all his kind were locked away forever where they can no longer do any harm to our Moon Kingdom, or I wish that they were dead. Probably the former here, though I don't really care which. For he's definitely against Queen Serenity, whenever he can possibly be, in our Moon Kingdom. He's an enemy to my family on Mars, girls, and we'll never consider him our friend."
"Just how much of an enemy, Mars?" asked Jupiter.
"You could possibly say a mortal enemy, eventually, Jupiter. But right now, probably not. But if he does anything else that endangers any of our people on Mars or here on the Moon, at least,
that might eventually change, if it hasn't already."
"And if you had to, do you really think you or any of your friends and/or relatives would mind killing him, if you possibly could?"
"If it was a matter of life and death, I don't think we would mind doing so, if we had to, and we could do so. Granted, violence isn't always a good thing, if it ever is. And it's generally to be avoided, whenever possible. But there are some times when it's truly necessary to fight. And with people like him, you may not often have the ability to keep from ever fighting them in your life. Sure, I may come from the planet named for a mythological god of war named Mars. But that doesn't mean that war's always necessary against other people. I may fight a lot in my life, even with Serena. But at least I know that Serena's loyal enough to me not to totally abandon me when the chips are down. Or at least I believe that I'll somehow know that eventually, if I don't already know it in my life."
Moon then talked for a little while longer with all six Scouts who were now with her in the underground cavern. And then she went briefly to a nearby nook to get a cart for her to put her three canisters on for a while. She soon returned with that cart. And then she had Mars and Jupiter help her put her canisters on it as quickly and as securely as the three of them could do so here. After she, Mars, and Jupiter did that, she said, "Girls, we have to meet Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan just as soon as we can in the Hebron Garden. By now, if they all did what Luna and Artemis should've told them to do by now, they should be waiting for us there. Mom and Dad might be there with them too, of course. Let's get there as quickly as we can, girls."
The girls all agreed to do so. And then Moon led the way out of the underground cavern through one of the nearby tunnels. Eventually, they all came to a large boulder that currently blocked them off from the Hebron Garden. Moon then paged Alexis and Michelle in a certain pattern. And they came to the other side of the boulder, and they soon moved it to one side with Susan's help, of course. Eventually, then, Moon exited that tunnel with Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Corona, and Eclipse right behind her, of course. After she and the rest of her fellow Sailor Scouts did so, they then had Alexis, Michelle, and Susan return the boulder to its normal position. Which was actually in front of that very same tunnel between the underground cavern and the Hebron Garden on the Imperial Palace's grounds in Moon City.
Moments later, Moon and the rest of her fellow Sailor Scouts had all transformed out of their respective Sailor Scout states for a while. And they took seats on nearby benches in it, so that they could talk to their fellow Princesses for at least a few minutes.
Wherever possible, then, Serena and her fellow Princesses who were also secretly Inner Sailor Scouts told their fellow Princesses whatever they could tell them about certain things in their lives. And they told their fellow Princesses that they suspected another adventure would be coming their ways in the very near future, if not in the next few hours, days, or weeks. Possibly sooner than later, as a matter of fact.
Eventually, Susan asked Serena, "Serena, where might we all find this adventure, then?"
"It could be on Earth, it could be here on the Moon, or it could be elsewhere in the known Universe. I think that it'll be somewhere on Earth, though, Susan."
"Where, then, do you think it might be?" asked Michelle.
"A nation that we might eventually refer to as 'Peru', on Earth, I think. Of course, I could be wrong. If you'd have told me a year ago that we'd have been on a planet in a solar system from another galaxy, I'd have said that you were crazy, most likely, Michelle."
"And yet, we all ended up somehow on Ozotov IV," commented Susan.
"Yes, Susan, we did. And that was where we eventually did meet up with Sylvia and Rolando, of course."
"Not to mention Darien, Serena, of course."
"Yes, you could say that, Susan."
"Are you really going to marry him in the future, Serena?"
"I fully intend to, Alexis, if I possibly can do so. You can be sure of that, at least, about me and him. That's if it's at all possible for us both."
"Even if he calls you some name you don't often like?" asked Michelle.
"Yes, even if he calls me a 'Meatball Head', I fully intend to marry him, if I possibly can.
Michelle. And I intend to win him over all other girls who might be chasing him then, if I possibly can. Nothing personal against them, at least for some of them. But I don't ever want to lose him to another girl if I can possibly avoid doing so. Even if they're among my closest friends in my life."
"Even Raye?" asked Hannah.
"Even Raye. Raye knows that already. At least I believe she can still remember me telling her that at least once. Don't get me wrong, Hannah, I feel very strongly for Raye in my life, of course. But I never intend to lose Darien to her at all, if I can possibly avoid it. I care very much for her in my life. But there are certain things or people that I won't let Raye get away from me at all, if I can possibly keep her from getting them away from me. And Darien is one of those very people, Hannah. Nothing personal against her. But I consider him to be mine, even if he's not exactly mine right now. For I intend to win his heart eventually, if I don't already have it. At least, I don't think that I have it yet, if I ever will."
Eventually, after a bit more chatting with Susan, Alexis, Michelle, and Hannah, Serena said,
"Outer Princesses, we Inner Princesses all have things we need to do now. So we'll all have to catch you later. Be in my chambers by this time tomorrow, if at all possible. I think we'll be about to find our next adventure coming our way, if it's not already done so, by then."
Then Serena soon dismissed the Outer Princesses from the Hebron Garden. Which then left her there with only six of the Inner Princesses for company, of course. They all sat on benches there, generally in relative silence, at least until Serena's parents eventually found them all there in that garden.
After her parents found them there, Serena and her fellow Princesses then spent at least the next hour with her parents discussing several different things of varying importance to any or all nine of them, if not even longer than that. Eventually, then, Queen Serenity said, "I'm thinking of cancelling tonight's ball and fireworks show, if it's not already too late to do so."
"That's fine with us, Queen Serenity. Are you going to need any of us for the rest of the day or night, whichever it may be?" asked Raye.
"No, Raye. After the canisters came for Serena, I soon postponed the remaining meetings for Serena and the rest of you girls, if I didn't cancel them entirely, Raye. Your schedules are clear of those meetings for at least the next week or two, if not longer than that, girls."
"Thanks, Mom. You know how I often feel about boring meetings, I'm sure. But eventually,
if at all possible, then I'll have to deal with them later, no doubt."
"I'm afraid so, Serena."
"What if we all find ourselves off the Moon again for quite a long time, Mom?"
"Then I suppose we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Serena. Why do you ask?"
"Mom, I have this very strange feeling that our next adventure's about to come our way. And that we'll find ourselves off the Moon again at least once more during it. I don't think that Dad will be with us, if we are. But I think that you and at least four to six others will be with me, and my six main Inner Scouts on it."
"You're meaning Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan, at least, if not also Luna and Artemis as well?"
"Yes. And maybe even Rolando, Darien, and Sylvia too."
"I see. And how long might this adventure of ours take?"
"I don't know. It could take days, or it could take forever. I'm not really sure. However, if it does take a long time, Uncle Raph knows what to do with everyone else who's currently known to be sufficiently loyal to us in the Moon Kingdom. And what he might have to do with those people who are known to not be so loyal to us."
"I see. So you reminded him of what'd likely need to be done if he didn't either see or hear from us anytime in the near future. Supposing, of course, that we somehow actually ended up somewhere else entirely in God's very own Universe, Serena."
"Yes. He agreed to do the best that he could for our people, if we were never able to get back to him and the rest of our people in time."
Soon afterward, her Mom said, "I have to see if it's too late to drop the ball and fireworks show tonight. If I can, I'll drop them, I think. If I do, I'll let you all know through either one of my cats or one of my maidservants, if I can. If I don't, then you should all expect that they're still on as originally scheduled. I'll try to let you all know no later than an hour before Earthrise if they're on or not, girls."
"Understood, Mom," answered Serena, both for herself and the rest of her current Princess-
rank companions, seconds later.
"In the meantime, go ahead and do what you were planning to do before we showed up here."
So Serena soon escorted everyone except her parents out of the Hebron Garden. And they then eventually split up, so that they could each return to their respective Imperial Palace chambers for a while. Serena was last with Raye, before Raye left her alone again outside Serena's chambers there. Raye saw Serena into her chambers. And she then left Serena alone again in them, so that she herself could return to her own Imperial Palace chambers for a while. Serena soon decided to take a short nap in her own bed. And she did so, at least for an hour or two, before she again left her bed in them, for any reason whatsoever.
A Rather Hostile Takeover will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will then start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, people. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!
Their Negaverse enemies will most certainly start to turn the tide of battle against them in this adventure, starting sometime in the near future, though. Just how they might, readers, it remains to be seen, in fact. For I have several more chapter-like sections to put up for this fourth volume of The Chrysanthemum Chronicles. Rest assured, though, that what is yet to come for them and others that they'll eventually meet in the course of this particular adventure of theirs will be quite unlike what they have faced to date in their lives.
Now, without any further ado here, I suppose I should get on with the first part of this fourth story, in rather short order, people. The standard disclaimers will apply for this story, as well, of course. I claim nothing for my own that isn't actually of my own creation here, obviously enough, everyone. If you like what you see well enough here, then I'm sure that you should know what to do by now, as well. I await your reviews and other similar comments about this story and each and every one of its various parts, in fact.
A Rather Hostile Takeover A The Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story
Inside Serena's Chambers In The Imperial Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
January 29, 987
Serena Moon was in her Imperial Palace chambers with a number of her fellow Moon Kingdom Princesses, just killing some time with them, between some meetings that she'd had to attend with her parents, at least. If not also with the rest of her current royal Court. Now in her Imperial Palace chambers with her were Amy Anderson, Raye Hino, Lita McKinley, Mina Abernathy, Destiny Moon, and Bethany Moon. And two girls now with her were her younger twin sisters. Those younger twin sisters of hers were Destiny and Bethany. Destiny was the older twin, while Bethany was the younger twin. Both her twin sisters were about three years younger than she was. For Serena was about five months short of her eleventh birthday, as Terrans might reckon her in their years. That was due to the simple fact that she'd been born on June 30, 976, on the Crystal Palace's grounds elsewhere on the Moon.
Serena was the oldest daughter of her parents in the Moon Kingdom. And she'd been born to Queen Serenity and Prince Daniel many long years before. She'd been their only child until her twin sisters had been born almost three years after her own birth. She'd spent nearly three years as an only child before her twin sisters' births in the palace that she was now in.
Before she became an older sister to her twin sisters, she'd met a number of Princesses from other worlds in the Moon Kingdom. And she'd met them on her first birthday. After which she'd begun to develop a rather close relationship with them in her life. Those Princesses, as a matter of fact, had been Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. And they'd been introduced to her by a certain Terran Prince from Japan on Earth, a rather handsome and rather young Prince named Prince Darien. Ever since, they'd all begun to become rather close friends of each other. And they often hoped that they'd always be rather close friends to each other, for at least as long as they lived in God's very own Universe. And now, they were rather close to each other, in terms of their relationships with each other in all of their lives. Even after Serena's twin sisters had been born, they still had all often gotten much closer to each other in each of their lives on the Moon.
Amy Anderson had been a Moon Kingdom Princess from Mercury. While Mina Abernathy had come from Venus, Raye Hino had come from Mars, and Lita McKinley had come from Jupiter. Other Princesses eventually joined their little social circle that they'd begun to develop from a very young age, as they grew up together on the Moon, at least most of the time, if not all of it. Since first meeting up with Serena, all four of those Princesses had rarely, if ever, actually been able to go back to their native worlds for a long enough time. For the distances and the time that'd likely be required normally made rather frequent returns to their respective home planets impossible, quite obviously.
Serena had, at first, not liked losing her status as an only child for her parents. But in the past seven or so years, that'd rarely been the case. For she'd really enjoyed being with Destiny and Bethany quite often in her life since they'd become part of it. And she now often helped Destiny and Bethany out whenever she could, in her life. Mainly because Destiny was completely blind normally, and Bethany was completely deaf normally. Of course, her rather frequent helping of them was often appreciated by her sisters and her parents, who by now were expecting to have several more children in the very near future. God willing, of course. Possibly as many as five, if things worked out well enough in the next few months or so.
Currently, Serena was talking to her current companions in her chambers about at least one friend of theirs from Terra, if not more than one. She asked Raye, "Do you think that we'll see Sylvia Wakefield again in the very near future?"
"I'm hoping so, Serena. But you must remember that she's not been here on the Moon with us since January 10, 987, which was about three weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes, I do. I think of our Terran Israelite friend Princess Sylvia Wakefield quite often, as a matter of fact."
"And I suppose you're wondering how things will go for her and Prince Rolando Volois of Scotland on Earth?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, Raye, I am. But I still would rather be with Prince Darien, if at all possible, sometime soon, of course."
"Well, you know Darien still has a lot of things he normally has to do whenever he's on Earth,
and he's working on our joint project with his Terran nation."
"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I don't really miss him all that much, of course, Raye." Raye began to get rather upset with Serena. For Serena often got rather animated whenever Darien came up in chats the Princesses now with Serena quite often had with her in their lives, as Serena had just begun to do in her own chambers.
"I understand that, Meatball Head, but he can't always be with you here on the Moon with us,
and most especially with you, Serena!"
"Maybe so, Mars Girl, but I often wish that he was!"
"Well, would you rather have the Negaverse wipe us all out, and not allow any of us to possibly survive their invasion of our dear Moon Kingdom, Serena?" asked Raye.
"No! Of course not! But I want to be with Darien as much as I possibly can be, whenever I can be, no matter what the cost, I think!"
"Even if you somehow manage to get yourself or any of the rest of us killed in the process?"
"Even if that happens, Raye, I want to be with him as much as I possibly can be with him in my life!"
"And by doing so, don't you realize that you might be signing our Moon Kingdom's own death warrant?" asked Raye, currently quite upset with Serena.
"Maybe so, but if our first battle with beings from the Negaverse is any indication, our Moon Kingdom is likely still doomed. For I don't think that we can somehow manage to change the ways that our military personnel do things in and around our own Moon Kingdom. Nearly a millennium of relative peace has left us rather weak militarily. And I don't think that we'll be able to stop them easily enough, if and when they ever decide to invade us, Raye. We may try, but I don't think that we'll succeed. You already know of numerous visions and/or dreams that many of our people have had for many years. People that include me, Mother, and Darien, at least, if not any of the rest of us, of course. Raye, our Silver Millennium will end in the next three or four years, it seems, whether we like it or not. And if it's not happened by the time it does, we'll soon afterward be invaded by our enemy, I think. And when they do, Dad may or may not still be around. Though not for long, I think, when they do, if he's still around when they finally begin invading our Moon Kingdom."
At least a few months before, Serena and a number of other people had found themselves on a world in another galaxy of the Universe. Eventually Serena and others with her had met up with two other Terrans on that world besides Darien, who'd been brought to that world from the Moon, which he'd earlier been visiting some time before. Those Terrans had been Sylvia and Rolando, who'd first met up with Darien, then with Serena and her current companions after they'd all fought against beings from another part of the Universe entirely. Those beings that Serena and others had fought against on that world had been from the Negaverse. And they'd eventually come to conquer and/or destroy all the inhabited places in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible. That was supposing the visions and/or dreams that many people had been having for a substantial number of years were sufficiently accurate in their respective natures, in fact. Serena and a number of people from the Moon Kingdom had been whisked away to that world in a strange galaxy. And they'd found another adventure for themselves, which had been their second adventure together as members of a certain group of Moon Kingdom citizens.
This group was called "The Sailor Scouts." And a considerable number of Moon Kingdom Princesses were rather secretly members of it. Those same Princesses included Serena, Amy, Raye, Mina, Lita, Destiny, and Bethany. Not to mention at least a few other Princesses from anywhere in the Moon Kingdom, which consisted basically of all the worlds other than Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system. Later on, after the main part, if not all, of their second adventure together with each other, and after they'd met up with Sylvia and Rolando during it, Sylvia had also become a Sailor Scout. Even though she wasn't actually from one of the current worlds of the Moon Kingdom. Other Sailor Scouts included Queen Serenity, who'd been a Sailor Scout for many years already in her own life, as well as several other Scouts from other worlds in the Moon Kingdom.
Besides Queen Serenity, Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Destiny, Bethany, and Sylvia, some,
if not all, of the other Moon Kingdom royals who were also secretly Sailor Scouts were the Moon Kingdom Princesses Chloe Anderson, Aurora Abernathy, Bridget Hino, Beatrice Kirby, Hannah Tompkins, Alexis Herschel, Michelle Gallenski, and Susan Meyers. Not to mention as well, Hannah's sisters Jackie and Estella, Alexis's sisters Ariel and Gwendolyn, who was often referred to or called "Winnie," Michelle's sisters Poruzuka and Dorothy, and Susan's sisters Deborah and Tracy.
Queen Serenity usually served as a Scout in her rather secret identity of Royal Sailor Serenity. But at least every once in a while, she'd power up into her second-power phase as Sentinel Serenity, in which she was also often referred to as, "The Queen of the Sailor Scouts." Her oldest daughter Serena was currently the Junior Sailor Scout called "Junior Sailor Moon," at least most of the time, whenever she was in her Scout state of being. While her twin girls, whenever they were each in their own Sailor Scout states of being, were normally called either "Corona," or "Eclipse," as the case might be for each of them, instead of being called Destiny or Bethany, in their lives.
As for Amy, she was secretly Junior Sailor Mercury, at least right now in her life. While her sister Chloe was, at least as of the current time in her own, secretly Junior Sailor Mercury Beta. Though that might change, of course, if and whenever Chloe got another identity she could use instead of that one later on in her life.
Mina was, at least right now, secretly Junior Sailor Venus as well in her life. While her sister Aurora was also secretly Junior Sailor Venus Beta at the current time in her own life, Mina was often glad that she was Junior Sailor Venus right now in the Moon Kingdom. Unlike Amy and Mina, at least, if not other Moon Kingdom Princesses as well, though, and like Chloe and a number of other Princesses from there, Mina's sister Aurora might become known by a different basic Sailor Scout identity. Even though she was also from Venus, just like Mina was.
Raye would always have the basic Sailor Scout identity of Sailor Mars. Even though she wasn't yet a full Sailor Scout. While her sister would likely someday become Sailor Blossom, Raye would likely someday become Sailor Mars in the future. God willing, of course. Unlike Raye,
though, Bridget wouldn't likely keep her basic Sailor Scout identity of Mars Beta. But she'd become Sailor Blossom, if she somehow survived long enough to do so in the future.
As for Lita McKinley and Beatrice Kirby, they weren't sisters to each other, but cousins to each other. Lita was secretly Junior Sailor Jupiter, at least as of the current time. While her cousin Beatrice was secretly Junior Sailor Jupiter Beta, as of that time in both their lives. Lita would likely someday become Sailor Jupiter in the future. While her cousin, if she also somehow survived for a long enough time into the future, might eventually become Sailor Daphne, and not Sailor Jupiter Beta.
Hannah Tompkins was currently also Junior Sailor Saturn Beta. But eventually, given the right circumstances, she might eventually become Sailor Saturn. While her older sister Jackie would possibly become Sailor Megaringa. And her younger sister Estella would possibly become Sailor Florence. Supposing that either or both of them somehow survived long enough into the future. Unlike the Scouts from inside her planet's orbit, she'd be considered an Outer Sailor Scout. Just as any Scouts from her planet and from planets outside its orbit would be considered as such. While all the other Scouts from moons, space stations, and/or planets that were actually inside Saturn's orbit would normally be considered to be Inner Scouts, no matter what their world of origin anywhere in the Moon Kingdom.
Of course, not only Hannah, Jackie, and Estella Tompkins were considered to be Outer Sailor Scouts, simply because of that fact. Also considered to be Outer Sailor Scouts were the three Herschel girls from Uranus, the three Gallenski girls from Neptune, and the three Meyers girls from Pluto, simply because of that fact.
Jackie might later change her basic Sailor Scout identity from Junior Sailor Saturn Alpha to Sailor Megaringa, instead of becoming Sailor Saturn Alpha, or she might not. Only time would ever tell if she would do so in the future. While her sister Estella might become Sailor Florence instead of Sailor Saturn Gamma, as well.
As for the three mentioned Herschel girls from Uranus, they might become the Sailor Scouts called, "Sailor Herschelata," "Sailor Uranus," and "Sailor Portia," respectively. With Ariel Herschel becoming Sailor Herschelata, Alexis Herschel becoming Sailor Uranus, and Winnie Herschel becoming Sailor Portia. But they'd likely not become known by each of those identities for at least a little while yet. They'd still likely be referred to as the Junior Sailor Scouts called "Junior Sailor Uranus Alpha," "Junior Sailor Uranus Beta," and "Junior Sailor Uranus Gamma," who were also Ariel, Alexis, and Winnie, respectively.
The three Gallenski girls from Neptune were Poruzuka, Michelle, and Dorothy, who was often called, "D.C.," by a number of her friends and relatives. Poruzuka was secretly also "Junior Sailor Neptune Alpha" as a Sailor Scout. While her aforementioned sisters were secretly also either "Junior Sailor Neptune Beta," or "Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma," as the case might be for either of them. Her sister Michelle was secretly also Junior Sailor Neptune Beta at the current time, while at the same time, D.C. was secretly also Junior Sailor Neptune Gamma. However, it was suspected that if any or all of the three Gallenski girls ever became a full-fledged Sailor Scout, they'd all eventually become the Sailor Scouts known as "Sailor Dolphina," "Sailor Neptune," and "Sailor Katrina." With Poruzuka becoming Sailor Dolphina, Michelle becoming Sailor Neptune, and D.C. becoming Sailor Katrina. But even that wasn't yet a certainty in any of their three lives in their part of God's very own Universe, if it'd ever be someday yet in the future.
As for all three of the young Meyers ladies, who were Deborah, Susan, and Tracy, they were secretly also the Junior Sailor Scouts who were now known as "Junior Sailor Pluto Alpha," "Junior Sailor Pluto Beta," and "Junior Sailor Pluto Gamma," respectively. However, at some later date, Deborah might actually become "Sailor Cometa," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Alpha," in actual reality. While her sister Susan might actually become "Sailor Pluto," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Beta," in like manner. And her sister Tracy might actually become "Sailor Trammeyna," instead of becoming "Sailor Pluto Gamma," in like manner. But as with all the other Sailor Scouts, of course, that still wasn't yet confirmed beyond the shadow of any doubt for any or all of them, if it'd ever be, in each of their own lives in God's very own Universe.
Destiny said, then, "Serena, Dad may be gone by the time they come, or he may not, as you often say. But I don't think we need to talk about it so much, if we don't have to. You know that it often gets Bethany and me upset whenever you say that might happen to Dad in the future."
"Well, Destiny, I'm really sorry if it bothers you both whenever I say that about Dad. But it may very well happen. For as we may already know, from our first battle with them so long ago, that Negaversers who fight against us in battle won't likely ever give any of their enemies in it any mercy at all. Didn't you see how they took down a lot of people in the Ozotov solar system of the Cassini Galaxy quite some length of time ago?"
"Come to think of it, I believe I did," answered Destiny, a few moments later, after she remembered being on Ozotov IV with Serena and a number of other people in her own life.
"Then you should know by now that anyone who faces them in battle will have to fight for their lives against them, if they want to survive to live at least one more day in each of them, Destiny. And I think that'll include us, of course. I hope it doesn't, of course. But I think that it will. I often see rather disturbing visions, as you know. And I at least sometimes have at least a few bad dreams like those visions. I'm really afraid that they'll possibly kill most, if not all, of us when they come here to our Moon Kingdom, and maybe even to the Moon itself. You all know about many, if not all, of those visions and/or dreams of mine. As do my parents, of course."
"Even you, probably," said Raye, in quite a perturbed manner here.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I may be, as you say, Raye, 'Signing our Moon Kingdom's own death warrant.' But I'd rather be with Darien, if at all possible, than to be ruling the Moon Kingdom in the future, if I absolutely had to choose. At least that's how I feel right now about him in my life. Sure, being the Moon Princess is nice. But where's the fun in being at so many trade conferences and boring speeches and other dull functions? Not much fun to me, as you girls should all know well enough by now."
"You really mean that you'd rather be just a normal girl, if at all possible, Serena?" asked Raye.
"If I could be with Darien, sure. I feel very strongly for him, as you all know by now, I'm sure."
"Serena, what'd your likely abdication of your Moon Kingdom duties possibly suggest to numerous others in our Moon Kingdom?"
"I don't know, Amy."
"I think that they'd quite possibly suggest to the Moon Kingdom's numerous people that you don't really care all that much for the Moon Kingdom at all."
"I'd hope not, Amy."
"Well, we know that you care for it very much, Serena. But I'd be willing to guess that at least eighty percent of our people don't know that, if not more."
"What do they know?" asked Serena of Amy.
"They know what they hear, and what they see, Serena. And because they do know what they see and hear, Serena, it could bring more trouble to us and our fellow leaders in the Moon Kingdom than we really need, if it hasn't already begun to do so, in our own Moon Kingdom."
"It's not being the Moon Princess that gets me down so much about my life, Amy. It's mainly often being forced to attend various official functions that I don't really like attending most, if not all, of the time. Sure, being the Moon Princess is nice to a point. But where's the fun in quite often having to boss many other people around, if I don't really want to?"
"You'd rather be just like the rest of us Princesses, often?" asked Lita, now rather curious. Because Serena didn't always seem to suggest that was true for her in her life.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, if I could quit being the Moon Princess, I'd likely consider doing so. But it's not, I believe, a position I can quit from at all, or at least not very easily, Lita. I think that, for at least as long as both Mom and I are still alive, I won't likely be able to quit from that position, if ever. I'd probably consider also quitting the Sailor Scouts, if it weren't for our foes who are likely going to invade our Moon Kingdom, and come here to the Moon, when we won't want them to do that. But I'm not going to quit as a Sailor Scout at least as long as I'm still able to fight against our foes, if at all possible. You have my word on that, girls. I'm going to stick with all of you girls for as long as I can, and whenever I can, no matter what the cost. Even with my twin sisters, of course."
"Even if Darien is around?" asked Mina.
"Yes, if I can, I'll do that, Mina. Of course, you might be somewhere I can't be with you in. And I may have to be with Darien instead. I'm afraid that by the time Darien and I likely get zapped by Queen Beryl, though, you girls might all be dead or asleep already. And I won't know it at all, before I then somehow find myself with Darien in the sky above the Imperial Palace."
"And then your mother will try to save as many of us as she can, if she can't save us all?"
asked Mina.
"Of course, Mina. I believe that Luna and Artemis might then try to talk her out of it. But you know how Mom often is when she's really set her mind on doing something major in her life. She won't let them convince her not to use her Imperium Silver Crystal and her Crescent Moon Wand together. Even if it may mean her death, she won't. For she'll care for us all too much to let our futures vanish without her trying to do something about it, so that we don't lose them at all, if at all possible."
Then Serena spent at least a little more time with her sisters and friends. And she and Raye began calming down again around each other, at least until she heard two cats calling to her from the nearby hall outside her Imperial chambers, if they'd not already done so all the way. One of those cats was Luna, and the other was Artemis. Those cats were Queen Serenity's cats, and Luna was mostly black, while Artemis was mostly white.
One of the cats said, "Serena, your presence is requested in the main ballroom again within the next ten or so minutes. Your Mom thinks you need to attend to three canisters that just came here for you within the last hour or two, by then, if at all possible."
"Three canisters for me? From where?"
"Take a guess, Serena."
"Earth, Luna?"
"Yes, Serena. Your uncle Prince Raphael's guarding them all now. And your mother wants you to come and get them, before everyone else who's also here in this palace with us now somehow starts finding out about them at all. People are asking her what's in each of those three canisters for you. And they're also doing the same for your father and your uncle."
"I'll be right there. Should the girls come with me?"
"I'd not recommend it. For Prince Caliterios has just been trying to stir up some major trouble of late here in the Moon Kingdom, whenever possible. Especially in any number of our Moon Kingdom's palaces here on the Moon. Even this one, for the simple reason that we're currently here in this particular palace on the Moon."
Prince Caliterios was a known enemy of Raye and her family from Mars. And he was almost always trying to work against Queen Serenity and her loyal subjects, whenever he possibly could do so, if not all the time, in his very own life. Like Raye and her sister Bridget, he was from the Martian mini-system. Particularly from Mars in it, just as they were. Raye and her family were loyal to Queen Serenity. And Caliterios and his family were not generally loyal to her, whenever they possibly could be disloyal to her and to her Moon Kingdom.
"Caliterios is involved in this matter?" asked Raye.
Luna, the mostly black female cat, said, "Yes, Raye, he is. That's why I don't think that you should go with Serena to the main ballroom right now. I suspect that if you girls besides Serena do that, then something might happen to you all, at least, if you're not careful enough."
"Well, if trouble may be arising in the main ballroom, then we've got to stop it, if at all possible, Luna."
Luna said, "Raye, please don't leave this part of the palace with Serena. I just experienced a rather strange vision last night that seemed to suggest that if you girls did so, several of you Moon Kingdom people might be whisked away to some other place in the Universe."
"And that we can't afford right now?" asked Raye.
"No, of course not, Raye, if it can possibly be avoided at all," said Artemis, a mostly white male cat.
"Are you sure that if she goes to the main ballroom alone, she'll be safe enough, Artemis?" This was also a question from Raye, of course.
"As sure as Luna and I can be, we're sure. Serena's parents and her uncle Prince Raphael feel essentially the same way, Raye."
"What if we go there as the Sailor Scouts, Luna?"
"You'll have to do it quickly, and get in and out very quickly, before Caliterios can stop you,
Raye."
Serena thought for a second, then said, "Luna, tell Mom to expect a page from me momentarily in the pattern called 'Cosmic Quilter Zeta.' And when she does, for her to make sure as much as she can that nobody hears me page her or talk to her easily enough. When she hears me page her, she's to await further instructions from me. Where exactly in the main ballroom is Uncle Raph right now?"
"Near one of the middle balconies in it, I believe. Possibly the most middle one in it, if I'm not mistaken, Serena," answered Luna, a few seconds later.
"I'll then likely tell Mom to have Dad tell Uncle Raph to bring the canisters to the nearest balcony. And then to have Uncle Raph touch his sword, so that we can lock onto his position. When Uncle Raph touches his sword, we'll likely be able to lock onto it. When we do, I'll then notify Mom. And she'll have to do what I tell her to do within twenty to thirty seconds of me telling her to do something else, so that Uncle Raph will hopefully be safe from harm from our likely enemies here in the Moon Kingdom. If she does what I tell her quickly enough, I should be able to make sure that those who aren't against us in the main ballroom won't have to worry about getting hurt by our likely enemies in it."
"Understood, Serena. However, if you're all going to come to the main ballroom in your Sailor Scout states, you'd all better make as sure as you possibly can that nobody who's likely against us in the Moon Kingdom knows that you girls are all doing so then, of course, Serena."
"Agreed, Luna. Remember, Mother's to expect me to page her shortly in the pattern called 'Cosmic Quilter Zeta,' and then to wait for me to give her any further instructions from me. Are Hannah, Alexis, Susan, and Michelle, at least, also in the main ballroom right now?"
"Yes. They're near Prince Daniel at the moment, often chatting with him and Queen Serenity."
"Tell them all to go to the Hebron Garden, as quickly as they can get there, immediately upon your meeting of them in the main ballroom. Don't allow them to question you about why I want them to do that. Tell them that Serena's ordering them to do so, by her authority as the current Moon Princess. If you see Chloe and the rest of my Court, tell them that Amy and the rest of us are attending to an emergency that we just learned about elsewhere on the Moon, that requires the attention of us all. Tell them to go to the Imperial Palace's main stable area as soon as possible. And tell each of them to saddle up one horse apiece, just as soon as they can each get away from the main ballroom easily enough. They're each to go to Crescent's Double Earth Palace on the Moon by as many different routes as they can each possibly take to there. And then they're to wait for further instructions from Mom, Dad, or Uncle Raph, as the case might be then for them all. All the Princesses who aren't here with me that I just named aren't to say a single word to you or to anyone else, if at all possible, at least until further notice. After you attend to all the required Princesses in the main ballroom, tell Mom and Dad to await further orders from me, if I've not yet given them both enough of them while we're handling this particular manner."
Luna and Artemis then agreed to do as Serena told them both to do. Then they hurried to the main ballroom as quickly, yet as casually, as they could, so as not to suggest that they'd been told what to do by anyone in the Imperial Palace who was currently loyal to Queen Serenity and her people in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible.
Serena waited for about five more minutes or so, just so that both cats would hopefully have enough of a chance to tell her Mom and all the other necessary people what to do, before she'd page her Mom again with her power locket. Just before that roughly five minutes was up, Serena then said, "Girls, I think we should now transform, and prepare to use our Sailor Teleport Power to get in and out of the main ballroom as quickly as we possibly can."
So all six of her current companions did as she suggested, after she herself began to transform herself into Junior Sailor Moon. After Junior Sailor Moon was sure that her current companions had all transformed well enough into each of their respective Sailor Scout states, she then paged her mother in the necessary manner. After her mother received that page, Moon then told her mother what to do. And her mother did that, of course. Moon soon located her uncle, and she had each of her current companions gather around her rather closely, of course. That done, Moon told her mother to draw the curtain in front of the balcony that her uncle was now on, by secretly using a remote control of some sort that her mother often kept hidden behind a cushion on her usual chair in that ballroom. As soon as her mother told her that she'd used that particular remote control, and it was likely safe enough for them to do so, Moon and her fellow Scouts then teleported onto that balcony for a few seconds. They teleported directly to where her uncle Raphael was now waiting on that balcony. And then they gathered right around him and the three canisters that'd just come from Earth for Serena. That done, Moon had her uncle get in the middle of their seven-Scout circle, near the canisters for Serena. Then Moon began the teleportation process again with her fellow Scouts' help, of course. A few seconds later, before Prince Caliterios and several other people could actually get past that curtain in front of the balcony currently in question well enough, if at all, all eight Moon Kingdom royals then quickly left it. And they all teleported to a rather secret underground cavern under the Imperial Palace of Moon City.
After Moon was sure that they'd all come there safely enough, she soon said, after she'd also said at least a few other things to Prince Raphael, "Uncle Raph, I want you in Crescent until further notice. I want you to stay there with several other Scouts until Mom or I tell you otherwise, if at all possible. As for us, we'll need to briefly go back to our Imperial Palace chambers to get the necessary things, after we meet up with several other Princesses. Mom and Dad should meet us in the Hebron Garden as soon as they possibly can get away from everyone else in the main ballroom. And they're planning to do so already. So you won't need to tell them why I need them there, for they know what I'm planning to do now already. Go right to your chambers, and get only what you can bring with you easily enough to Crescent without arousing our many enemies' suspicions here in the Moon Kingdom, if at all possible, Uncle Raph. You should use the secret passageway in your chambers to get to the Imperial Palace's main stable area. And then saddle up one of your horses as quickly as you can. As soon as you can, then, leave that stable area as safely as you can. And try to make sure that nobody else sees you leave it, for elsewhere on the Moon. Then take the Sulosuki Highway out of the Moon City area, and go to Crescent as safely and as quickly as you possibly can, Uncle Raph. If you don't hear from Mom, Dad, or any of the rest of us, stay there until you do. Or at least for a month or two, if you don't hear from us by the time that Mom's most likely due to have her new babies somewhere on the Moon, if at all possible, for her, and for you, if not also the rest of us. After at least a month or two passes for you, and after Mom's likely due to have her babies here on the Moon, if at all possible for her, go to Rainbow Springs with the rest of the Scouts that've been with you in Crescent's Double Earth Palace. Then I want you to begin training them as Sailor Scouts, in the Rainbow Springs Training Center. Just in case we all don't somehow manage to return very soon to you and others anywhere on the Moon, or we all don't somehow manage to contact you by then. You do know about it well enough, don't you?"
"Yes, Moon, I do."
"Then tell me back everything I just told you." Her uncle did so. And then Moon said, "Good luck, then, Uncle Raph, with the other Scouts that you'll likely be training, if we don't somehow return to you, or manage to contact you, in the very near future. If anything major happens to any or all of us, you'll eventually find out somehow, I think. Even if God has to be the one to let you know of such things in your life."
"And if you all never return to us in the Moon Kingdom?"
"Then I want you to do the best that you possibly can against our enemies' forces, no matter what the cost. If any of us never return to you, or contact you, at all, then you're to do whatever you possibly can do to protect our dear Moon Kingdom. If they come to invade us, then give no mercy to our enemies at all. For they'll not give any of our people any mercy at all if and when they ever come to conquer or destroy our dear Moon Kingdom, Uncle Raph. Even if you have to sacrifice all our inhabited places, you must do whatever you can to save our people, if at all possible, somehow, no matter what it might ever be. You must never let them completely destroy us, if you can possibly keep them from doing that at all. Even if you have to sacrifice our Moon Kingdom, you must not let them wipe us out completely, if you can possibly prevent it. You're to save as many of our people as you possibly can, if we never return in time, and our enemies come to wipe us out to the best of their abilities to do so, no matter what the cost, Uncle Raph, if you have the ability to do so at all."
Moments later, then, he said his farewells to all of the Scouts now present with him in the cavern that they were now in under the Imperial Palace's grounds in the Moon's Moon City local area. He left them only after he was absolutely sure of what she'd just told him to do, if he never heard from or saw them or anyone else who was close enough to any or all of them in their respective lives again.
Then, after he'd left them all for a long enough time, they all went to where the canisters that'd recently come for Serena were now resting in that cavern under the Imperial Palace. Moon had her fellow Junior Sailor Scouts each stand near one of the underground tunnels that led to that rather secret underground cavern. She did this so that if anyone else came through any of them, they'd be able to monitor the resulting situation, and act as that resulting situation would require them to act. God willing, of course. She had them do so, while she attended to each of those canisters in turn. One of the canisters was from Darien, of course. While the other two were from Rolando and Sylvia, who'd each sent them from their own main places of residence on Earth. Darien said that Serena and her crowd shouldn't likely expect him back on the Moon for at least a little while longer, if not a long time longer. It seemed that many Hiroshima-area people back in Japan were trying to cause major delays in the deliveries of certain required items for their peoples' joint project together. And Darien was now trying to find alternate sources for such items. That was just in case the needed items couldn't be gotten from the usual sources any longer, for use on their joint project. Darien was increasingly afraid that such delays in the delivery of such items might cause serious, if not grave harm, to the plans to complete that certain project as much as possible, if not entirely, by the time that the Negaverse would likely begin its invasion of the Moon Kingdom. Or by the time that they began threatening the very existence of people anywhere at all on the Moon, later on, after they'd likely wiped out most, if not all, of the populations of all the other places in the Moon Kingdom that were currently populated in it, as of the current time, in each of their own mortal lives. Of course, Darien did send Serena at least one rose from at least one garden, if not more than one, on the Imperial Palace's grounds in Kyoto, Japan, back on Earth. Prince Darien's message to her was rather long, and eventually, Moon finished reading it. After she read it, she then opened the other two in turn, with her opening Sylvia's canister first.
Sylvia said that she wasn't planning on coming back to the Moon anytime soon, either. But that she hoped that she'd somehow be able to within the next few weeks or months. Whether or not it was with or it was without her siblings. She told Serena that she really missed her and the rest of Serena's crowd. And that she hoped that things were all going rather well for them all on the Moon.
Rolando's canister had at least one message in it that said basically the same thing to her, at least as it related to him possibly coming back to the Moon for at least a little while. He also told her that he missed her and her crowd on the Moon. And that he hoped that she and all the other members of her crowd were doing rather well during his current absence from the Moon. He didn't know when he'd again be able to be on the Moon. But he naturally hoped that it'd be some time in the next few weeks or months. Even though he also realized that might not be possible for him at all. Or at least not as soon as he might prefer it to be possible for him.
Eventually, then, Moon had examined all the things that'd been in all three canisters. And she soon said, just after she finished doing so, "Girls, the canisters were from Darien, Sylvia, and Rolando, of course. It seems Darien won't likely be with us back on the Moon for a while. Same thing for Sylvia and Rolando, I think."
"What did they all send you?"
She told them what she'd just received from their three Terran friends. And after she was done doing so, Mercury said, "I suppose that a lot of people don't like the idea of our two societies working together on a joint project. Both on Terra, and also here in the Moon Kingdom."
"And unfortunately, the Martian Prince Caliterios appears to be among them," commented Mars.
"I wish that either he and all his kind were locked away forever where they can no longer do any harm to our Moon Kingdom, or I wish that they were dead. Probably the former here, though I don't really care which. For he's definitely against Queen Serenity, whenever he can possibly be, in our Moon Kingdom. He's an enemy to my family on Mars, girls, and we'll never consider him our friend."
"Just how much of an enemy, Mars?" asked Jupiter.
"You could possibly say a mortal enemy, eventually, Jupiter. But right now, probably not. But if he does anything else that endangers any of our people on Mars or here on the Moon, at least,
that might eventually change, if it hasn't already."
"And if you had to, do you really think you or any of your friends and/or relatives would mind killing him, if you possibly could?"
"If it was a matter of life and death, I don't think we would mind doing so, if we had to, and we could do so. Granted, violence isn't always a good thing, if it ever is. And it's generally to be avoided, whenever possible. But there are some times when it's truly necessary to fight. And with people like him, you may not often have the ability to keep from ever fighting them in your life. Sure, I may come from the planet named for a mythological god of war named Mars. But that doesn't mean that war's always necessary against other people. I may fight a lot in my life, even with Serena. But at least I know that Serena's loyal enough to me not to totally abandon me when the chips are down. Or at least I believe that I'll somehow know that eventually, if I don't already know it in my life."
Moon then talked for a little while longer with all six Scouts who were now with her in the underground cavern. And then she went briefly to a nearby nook to get a cart for her to put her three canisters on for a while. She soon returned with that cart. And then she had Mars and Jupiter help her put her canisters on it as quickly and as securely as the three of them could do so here. After she, Mars, and Jupiter did that, she said, "Girls, we have to meet Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan just as soon as we can in the Hebron Garden. By now, if they all did what Luna and Artemis should've told them to do by now, they should be waiting for us there. Mom and Dad might be there with them too, of course. Let's get there as quickly as we can, girls."
The girls all agreed to do so. And then Moon led the way out of the underground cavern through one of the nearby tunnels. Eventually, they all came to a large boulder that currently blocked them off from the Hebron Garden. Moon then paged Alexis and Michelle in a certain pattern. And they came to the other side of the boulder, and they soon moved it to one side with Susan's help, of course. Eventually, then, Moon exited that tunnel with Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Corona, and Eclipse right behind her, of course. After she and the rest of her fellow Sailor Scouts did so, they then had Alexis, Michelle, and Susan return the boulder to its normal position. Which was actually in front of that very same tunnel between the underground cavern and the Hebron Garden on the Imperial Palace's grounds in Moon City.
Moments later, Moon and the rest of her fellow Sailor Scouts had all transformed out of their respective Sailor Scout states for a while. And they took seats on nearby benches in it, so that they could talk to their fellow Princesses for at least a few minutes.
Wherever possible, then, Serena and her fellow Princesses who were also secretly Inner Sailor Scouts told their fellow Princesses whatever they could tell them about certain things in their lives. And they told their fellow Princesses that they suspected another adventure would be coming their ways in the very near future, if not in the next few hours, days, or weeks. Possibly sooner than later, as a matter of fact.
Eventually, Susan asked Serena, "Serena, where might we all find this adventure, then?"
"It could be on Earth, it could be here on the Moon, or it could be elsewhere in the known Universe. I think that it'll be somewhere on Earth, though, Susan."
"Where, then, do you think it might be?" asked Michelle.
"A nation that we might eventually refer to as 'Peru', on Earth, I think. Of course, I could be wrong. If you'd have told me a year ago that we'd have been on a planet in a solar system from another galaxy, I'd have said that you were crazy, most likely, Michelle."
"And yet, we all ended up somehow on Ozotov IV," commented Susan.
"Yes, Susan, we did. And that was where we eventually did meet up with Sylvia and Rolando, of course."
"Not to mention Darien, Serena, of course."
"Yes, you could say that, Susan."
"Are you really going to marry him in the future, Serena?"
"I fully intend to, Alexis, if I possibly can do so. You can be sure of that, at least, about me and him. That's if it's at all possible for us both."
"Even if he calls you some name you don't often like?" asked Michelle.
"Yes, even if he calls me a 'Meatball Head', I fully intend to marry him, if I possibly can.
Michelle. And I intend to win him over all other girls who might be chasing him then, if I possibly can. Nothing personal against them, at least for some of them. But I don't ever want to lose him to another girl if I can possibly avoid doing so. Even if they're among my closest friends in my life."
"Even Raye?" asked Hannah.
"Even Raye. Raye knows that already. At least I believe she can still remember me telling her that at least once. Don't get me wrong, Hannah, I feel very strongly for Raye in my life, of course. But I never intend to lose Darien to her at all, if I can possibly avoid it. I care very much for her in my life. But there are certain things or people that I won't let Raye get away from me at all, if I can possibly keep her from getting them away from me. And Darien is one of those very people, Hannah. Nothing personal against her. But I consider him to be mine, even if he's not exactly mine right now. For I intend to win his heart eventually, if I don't already have it. At least, I don't think that I have it yet, if I ever will."
Eventually, after a bit more chatting with Susan, Alexis, Michelle, and Hannah, Serena said,
"Outer Princesses, we Inner Princesses all have things we need to do now. So we'll all have to catch you later. Be in my chambers by this time tomorrow, if at all possible. I think we'll be about to find our next adventure coming our way, if it's not already done so, by then."
Then Serena soon dismissed the Outer Princesses from the Hebron Garden. Which then left her there with only six of the Inner Princesses for company, of course. They all sat on benches there, generally in relative silence, at least until Serena's parents eventually found them all there in that garden.
After her parents found them there, Serena and her fellow Princesses then spent at least the next hour with her parents discussing several different things of varying importance to any or all nine of them, if not even longer than that. Eventually, then, Queen Serenity said, "I'm thinking of cancelling tonight's ball and fireworks show, if it's not already too late to do so."
"That's fine with us, Queen Serenity. Are you going to need any of us for the rest of the day or night, whichever it may be?" asked Raye.
"No, Raye. After the canisters came for Serena, I soon postponed the remaining meetings for Serena and the rest of you girls, if I didn't cancel them entirely, Raye. Your schedules are clear of those meetings for at least the next week or two, if not longer than that, girls."
"Thanks, Mom. You know how I often feel about boring meetings, I'm sure. But eventually,
if at all possible, then I'll have to deal with them later, no doubt."
"I'm afraid so, Serena."
"What if we all find ourselves off the Moon again for quite a long time, Mom?"
"Then I suppose we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Serena. Why do you ask?"
"Mom, I have this very strange feeling that our next adventure's about to come our way. And that we'll find ourselves off the Moon again at least once more during it. I don't think that Dad will be with us, if we are. But I think that you and at least four to six others will be with me, and my six main Inner Scouts on it."
"You're meaning Hannah, Alexis, Michelle, and Susan, at least, if not also Luna and Artemis as well?"
"Yes. And maybe even Rolando, Darien, and Sylvia too."
"I see. And how long might this adventure of ours take?"
"I don't know. It could take days, or it could take forever. I'm not really sure. However, if it does take a long time, Uncle Raph knows what to do with everyone else who's currently known to be sufficiently loyal to us in the Moon Kingdom. And what he might have to do with those people who are known to not be so loyal to us."
"I see. So you reminded him of what'd likely need to be done if he didn't either see or hear from us anytime in the near future. Supposing, of course, that we somehow actually ended up somewhere else entirely in God's very own Universe, Serena."
"Yes. He agreed to do the best that he could for our people, if we were never able to get back to him and the rest of our people in time."
Soon afterward, her Mom said, "I have to see if it's too late to drop the ball and fireworks show tonight. If I can, I'll drop them, I think. If I do, I'll let you all know through either one of my cats or one of my maidservants, if I can. If I don't, then you should all expect that they're still on as originally scheduled. I'll try to let you all know no later than an hour before Earthrise if they're on or not, girls."
"Understood, Mom," answered Serena, both for herself and the rest of her current Princess-
rank companions, seconds later.
"In the meantime, go ahead and do what you were planning to do before we showed up here."
So Serena soon escorted everyone except her parents out of the Hebron Garden. And they then eventually split up, so that they could each return to their respective Imperial Palace chambers for a while. Serena was last with Raye, before Raye left her alone again outside Serena's chambers there. Raye saw Serena into her chambers. And she then left Serena alone again in them, so that she herself could return to her own Imperial Palace chambers for a while. Serena soon decided to take a short nap in her own bed. And she did so, at least for an hour or two, before she again left her bed in them, for any reason whatsoever.
A Rather Hostile Takeover will still take at least some time to put up here, just the same,
readers. For I have not yet completed the series, even though I've written at least partly into the seventh volume of this series, if not totally into it. Six volumes are complete. The seventh volume in this series is in progress, as of the current time. And the Moon Kingdom hasn't yet fallen at the point that I am now at in its series. When I finish getting the first six volumes of this story series up, I will then start to upload the seventh one. And then we can go from there, once you have seen all that I'll have by that time for "The Chrysanthemum Chronicles" story series, readers. I don't expect to be able to start uploading the seventh volume in the series for at least a few weeks or months, though, people. For each volume in this particular story series of mine here is generally of good size, whenever possible, in fact, readers. There are many more things yet to come in this series. But if I say too much more than that right now and right here, you might choose not to continue reading this series, I think. For I might then be spoiling it for you all here, obviously enough, of course. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!