Chapter 7
"So that's the plan we had in mind. Does anyone object or have any suggestions?" Endymion asked, facing each of them in turn, his gaze landing on Rei last. "Oh and that reminds me, what could you find out about our enemy Rei?" She sighed and crossed her arms, looking frustrated.
"Not much to be honest. Only that there are six of them with a lot of power. Everything else was shrouded in darkness. Also" she turned to face Ami with a look of grave concern "I saw darkness surrounding you, Ami-chan. Please, during the battle, keep Oakley close. He can help protect you." The blue haired woman nodded.
"I'll keep your advice in mind, thank you Rei-chan."
"That is unfortunate that we couldn't find out more about our enemy, but we still have a plan. Unless anyone has objections." Everyone around the room silently shook their heads. "Alright, let's round up the troops. Ami, you link up with the Control Room remotely with your visor and hand held, and keep your battalion on reserve. We'll probably need you, and some of your troops to act as field medics. Mina, don't jump the gun, wait for your chance to strike. Makoto and Rei, you two will be the workhorses in this operation so don't tire yourselves out too fast, rely on your battalions for support." Without saying another word, the Senshi and Sol all stood and departed the control, each with their own role to fulfill.
-/-*-\-
"Sir, the engines can't take much more, we'll be ripped apart if this keeps up!" A panicked voice from the engine room informed Ganymede.
"Cut power to the engines until after we enter the atmosphere. We'll need all the reverse thrusters operational to land safely on Earth." They were close now, so close that he could see the blue planet through the view port windows. It was beautiful, just like the stories said. The sun was so bright, brighter than anything he could have every imagined. Our victory is at hand.
"Sir we're being hailed by one of our sister ships." The pilot said with some concern.
"Put it through." A small monitor in front of Ganymede burst to life with static, a muffled voice coming through.
"...Can't keep...Going...Inevitable... An honor... I'm sorry" Was all he heard before the screen went blank. He could put the pieces together. They're crashing. These ships took too much of a beating from us while attempting to take off so long ago. Every ship in the fleet was having trouble, it seemed. The weightlessness in the vast emptiness of space had little to no effect on the damages, but the gravity of planets and stars pulled the ships to their extremes. He looked out the starboard side view port, one of the ships breaking away from formation as a huge fire erupted from inside, burning a giant hole through the hull. It slowly descended closer to Earth on too sharp of an angle. Ganymede turned away from the horrific site, bowing his head and closing his eyes. I'm sorry my brothers and sister. At least you were able to gaze on this blue planet once before your tragic demise.
"Let Earth's gravity pull us in. Inform all other ships to do the same." Ganymede choked out.
"Aye sir."
-/-*-\-
Sol stood shoulder to shoulder with Veronika, just behind Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars. The two battalions of Rolling Thunder and The Priesthood awaited their enemy. The night sky was still dark with the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon. Suddenly, a fireball crashed into the atmosphere and hurtled towards Earth at incredible speed. Everyone watched as it crashed down silently, too far away to be heard, most likely into the ocean. Maybe we won't have to fight at all. Sol thought hopefully.
He could hear rustling of feet behind him and knew everyone was anxious. Waiting was wearing on them, making them doubt their skills. Three more ships appeared in the dim sky, much slower than the first. This time Sol heard whispers and murmurs, and began to get a little anxious himself. He peered over at Veronika who seemed unfazed by the events unfolding before her. Her short frame stood straight and proud, wearing a long dark red jacket with a crescent moon over her heart. She held a long spear that ended with a blade almost a foot long. Most people who were much taller than she was couldn't handle a weapon of that length, but she did so effortlessly. Sol felt sorry for anyone who would face her on the battle field.
One ship broke ranks from the others and seemed to be landing a little further off from the other two, probably in an open space not far from the Palace complex. The other two, which were massive, came down not far away from where everyone stood. This is it Sol thought nervously, the landing gear extended to the ground as its thrusters roared, fighting the gravity pulling them down. Finally they settled down on solid land, everyone waited for what seemed like an eternity before a large door opened and a ramp extended down. Sol didn't know what to expect, but he didn't expect these mech warrior looking soldiers emerging from the ship in perfect ranks. They marched in perfect unison, the sound of their footsteps unsettling him even further.
-/-*-\-
"They aren't human" Sailor Mercury informed the other Senshi over their communicators. "I'm scanning them with my visor and there are no signs of life. It looks like if you sever the head or destroy the dark crystal in their chest, you'll render them inoperable."
"How did they acquire so many?" Sailor Mars asked through the small communicator.
"They must have stolen them from The Dark Moon Clan." Sailor Mercury theorized. Something else was bothering her about this. Why would they send out these drones to fight? Obviously these robots didn't fare well against our enemy, so why have them fight with us? Unless... "Everyone, I think we need to-" The clear signal she was sending and receiving suddenly turned to static. The enemy must have intercepted their transmission and was now jamming the signal. But how would they know the frequency? Sailor Mercury didn't have time to waste on the how right now. She turned to one of her subordinates and he addressed her with a salute.
"Hurry to the front and tell Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars to hold back while fighting. I believe the enemy is using these droids to judge our abilities." The soldier nodded and hurried off. The rest of The Mercs were well back from the front, acting as medics first and a last line of defence if necessary. Still scanning through her visor, it suddenly picked up a disturbance to her right. Sailor Mercury turned, expecting to see enemies approaching from that side as well, but only saw Oakley, standing tall and silent. She noticed something about him she had never seen before. He looked excited, with a small smile on his face. Sailor Mercury looked at his hands and saw him squeezing the handle of his huge axe so hard his knuckles were turning white. This isn't the Oakley I know.
"Oakley, are you alright? You look different." She asked the giant of a man. He stiffened almost immediately, but just as quickly seemed to regain his composer, turning back to his usual timid self. He slowly lowered his axe to the ground, looking at her with calm eyes and nodded that everything was ok. But for an instant, Sailor Mercury saw something in those eyes she had never seen before. Was it malicious intent? She didn't have time to contemplate the idea as the marching of the droids increased to a sprint. Now the droids were hastening the battle. The messenger won't get to Jupiter and Mars in time now!
-/-*-\-
The charge has begun and Sailor Jupiter wasted no time in meeting the enemy head on. Leading her troops with Sailor Mars right beside her, she rushed into battle. The leading droid lifted his arm and aimed at her, firing some kind of dark energy in her direction. Instinctively, she ducked and rolled, knowing Sol was right behind her. As she rolled, she watched him deflect the attack with his katana. Knowing the enemy would try and take advantage of her being off balance; she quickly planted her feet and pushed herself high into the air, watching as another attack landed harmlessly where she had just been. She somersaulted through the air towards the first attacker, landing on its shoulders in a hand stand position. She kicked her legs out and twisted her hips, wrenching the droids head from its body as she finished the somersault, landing back on her feet as it fell to the ground. The first casualty.
Many more droids were barreling down on them, some with their own bladed weapons, others firing dark energy blasts into the crowd of soldiers advancing. Still holding the droids head, she charged it with Jupiter's Lightning and threw it into the ranks of the enemy. An explosion fired as it connected with something, whether it be the ground or another droid didn't matter much to her, as long as it destroyed some of these war machines.
"Lightning Accel!" Sailor Jupiter called out, her body suddenly engulfed in electricity. The battle around her seemed to stop, everything frozen in an instant. She lashed out with punches and kicks, the enemy droids breaking apart wherever she struck. Not wanting to drain all of her power right away, she let herself dropout of Lightning Accel, time reverting back to normal as dozens of droids around her exploded or collapsed simultaneously.
She heard a clang of metal on metal right behind her and turned to see that Sol had blocked an attack from a droid she must have missed. He kicked the metal being back and swung his katana at its throat, severing the head from the body. He peered over his shoulder, grinning back at her. She couldn't help herself and grinned back, the two lovers plunging themselves further into the enemy ranks.
-/-*-\-
Right before Sailor Mars met the enemy head on, she forged a sword made from fire in her hand. The blades and weapons fused with the power of the Silver Crystal were powerful, but not as powerful as her flaming sword. Combined with her clairvoyance, the enemy stood little chance before her. Her fiery blade swung and danced among the droids, where she went, the enemy fell, carving out a wedge. Veronika was close behind, and behind her were the rest of The Priesthood, hacking and slashing down droids. She felt more than saw in her mind's eye that a strike was coming from behind. Arching backwards, the sword swung inches above her face. She didn't bother to strike the robot down, knowing Veronika would deal with it. Driving forward, she spun and swung, deflecting attacks and cutting the enemy down effortlessly.
Suddenly, she pushed more Mars Flame into the sword, the blade extending twenty feet long, She let it fly, ripping through steel like a hot knife through butter. Veronika and the rest of her battalion knew this was the signal to retreat to a safe distance. Now with an open space and a little time, she ran to the center of downed droids she had just created. Twirling the flaming sword in one hand like a baton, she bent down to one knee, thrusting the red hot blade into the ground.
"Crimson-" Fire began to spread out in eight different directions from sword embedded in the ground, quickly.
"Column-" Each of the eight tendrils formed a small circle, creating a fifty foot diameter around Sailor Mars. The fire on the ground intensified, the air wavering from the heat. Droids inside the diameter scanned the sudden appearance of the ever growing flame, unsure of its origins.
"Burning!" Each of the eight circles lit up even brighter, flame shooting towards the sky as the quickly grew in size, encircling everyone inside. They continued to grow inwards, burning and melting everything they came into contact with. The roar of the inferno was deafening to anyone on the battlefield. If one could withstand the intense light and heat coming off this blazing column, shooting into the sky, reaching for the heavens, they would see one figure among all the flame, black hair swirling from the powerful currents of fire. Sailor Mars.
The tower of fire died down, wisps of flame dancing in the air. Sailor Mars walked forward, feet kicking up ashes of what once were functioning droids. Nothing remained of the raw materials now, only dust. The sword she had before sprang back to life in her hand as the roar of the advancing Priesthood thundered down from behind. Sailor Mars' battalion had finally seen her true power and were rallying behind their leader, ready to win this battle.
-/-*-\-
Sailor Mercury continued to scan droids as the battle raged on. Trickles of wounded came to the back end, where she was stationed. Not many wounded and no casualties yet. But as she continued to scan, abnormalities were beginning to show. Some of the droids were developing self contained shields that protected against all attacks from the weapons fused with The Silver Crystal. This basically made them invincible against everyone except the Senshi. Other droids were gaining and learning skills as the battle waged on. In short, they were adapting. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the tides of battle shifted in the enemies favour.
-/-*-\-
Sailor Venus and The Cutie Raiders had taken up position behind the droids, hiding amongst the buildings of the complex. She could tell they all waited anxiously, ready to jump into the fray at any moment. When the battle had started, she had begun to wonder if her battalion was even needed, but something had changed in the droids. The charge led by Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars was turning in favour of the droids. Her and her troops were to act as the hammer, with Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars the anvil. But if they were getting pushed back, the anvil would be rendered useless. That left her with no other choice.
"Give the signal Brook, we're going in. Remember, charge in after I attack." The tall man nodded and waved his hand to another soldier behind, informing them it was time. The message would spread quickly down the ranks and Sailor Venus wasted no time. She channeled the power of Venus into her body, letting it fill her body. A soft golden light began to emit from her, a side effect from drawing in so much power.
"Goddess'-" She reached up slowly with her right hand, palm facing the sky as she pulled in more of Venus' Love.
"Passionate-" Closing her fist, she focused on where to attack. Too far towards the front line and she would be taking friendly fire, too far to the back and she wouldn't get maximum casualties. Her arm stiffened, like she was trying to pull the stars from the sky where she stood. Slowly, her arm began to come down with a lot of effort.
"Embrace!" Her arm came down at full speed now, a giant ball of golden energy appearing seemingly out of nowhere above the droids. It shot down like a bullet, crushing anything underneath before coming into contact with the ground. I huge explosion rocked the battlefield in the middle of the enemies ranks, sending dust and debris in every direction. Even where Sailor Venus stood, the shockwave was enough to knock the wind out of her. Maybe a little too much power. The cloud of dust kicked up gave them the perfect cover to begin their assault. With a roar The Cutie raiders leapt forward, blades unsheathed and ready for action.
Sailor Venus led the charge, a narrow bladed rapier in hand. She wasn't as skilled with her hands as Sailor Jupiter and hadn't learned to focus her power into a single point like Sailor Mars so she had requested a weapon. Having little experience with a sword, she figured the small light blade of a rapier would be perfect in battle. She could see the backs of the droids now, closing in fast. Kid Brooklyn rushed by her side, his double edged long sword in hand, as they crashed into the enemy at full speed. Sailor Venus put her left hand into the chest of the first droid she encountered, quickly channeling more of Venus' Love
"Love Cannon!" She yelled as the droid was thrown back with incredible force, a hole in its chest where her hand had been a second ago. Another droid quickly took its place, a long blade where its hand should have been slashed out at her. She blocked with the rapier but misjudged the angle, and her weapon was sent flying from her hand, clattering to the ground not far off. Before she had time to react, the droid in front of her was cut almost in half from behind by none other than Kid Brooklyn.
"Now isn't the time to learn how to use a new weapon. Fight with what you know!" He barked as he turned to face another enemy, quickly disposing of it. He cut down three more before she realized what he was trying to tell her.
"Venus Love Me Chain!" A golden chain of heart links appeared in her hands. She swung the chain from side to side, gaining momentum before smashing it down into the first droid that appeared before her, the magical energy of the chain cutting into the droid effortlessly. The thing fell in a heap of useless metal as The Cutie Raiders pushed themselves into the backs of the droids. Now the enemy had nowhere to run with their flank cut off. The hammer has arrived she thought was she wiped the chain around another droids neck, pulling it to the ground. She wrenched the chain back severing the head from the body before continuing deeper into the enemy ranks.
-/-*-\-
Spear from the left Sailor Mars thought, moving slightly so the spear missed her heart by inches. Veronika's long bladed spear thrust forward from over her shoulder, plunging into the droids mechanical head. It's almost as if she can read my mind. The two women had worked in perfect unison, creating a wedge that cut deeper and deeper into the enemy ranks. Sometimes the two of them would slow down their advance, even coming to a stop once to let the other soldiers catch up.
"Where they dance, the enemy falls!" Sailor Mars had heard more than once already and it had become the battle call of The Priesthood. Her flaming sword whooshed through the air, cutting down four droids at almost the same time. Her clairvoyance made it impossible for the enemy to land a successful blow. She was mid swing, about to dispatch another droid when a vision hit her. It came with such force that she stopped completely. If Veronika hadn't been by her side, the droid would have struck her down where she stood.
"Sailor Mars, is something wrong?" She heard the familiar voice of her Field Commander, but her eye sight had gone completely to her third eye, her 'seeing' eye. She saw darkness descending from the heavens with a terrible wrath. The vision seemed to play itself in reverse as she saw bodies piled up, covered in ash, mixed with the twisted metal of the droids. How can this be? It continued on in reverse, all while Veronika stood her ground, facing off against the droids that would see them both dead. Sailor Mars saw a bolt of dark energy come from above followed by a massive explosion. Is this was settles the battle? She wondered. Her vision went even further back and she saw Sailor Mercury, fighting alongside Sailor Jupiter when she was suddenly impaled. She felt her breath catch upon seeing her friend about to die. She forced herself to see who had committed the act and felt her breath catch again before she was pulled back to the present. Blinking her eyes against the sudden change, she stood, fist engulfed in flame.
"Dazzling Blaze!" She yelled, punching her fists together in front of her chest. A jet of fire erupted from her clenched fists, burning through everything it touched. Now that she had bought herself some time, she turned to Veronika.
"Go to Sailor Mercury, she's in danger Veronika! Whatever happens, don't leave her side, do you understand?!" Sailor Mars heard the desperation in her voice, the pleading with her Field Commander. She searched her friend's eyes for any sign of disobeying, but instead she bowed deeply and replied.
"Understood" without another word she turned and ran toward the back of the battle where Sailor Mercury waited. Hurry Veronika. You're the only one that can save her now.
-/-*-\-
Sailor Mercury had seen enough, it was time to act. She gathered fifty other soldiers to accompany her into battle while the rest remained as medics. Together the small group ran towards the battle raging on just in front of them. A bolt of lightning announced Sailor Jupiter's presence nearby, so she informed them to head in that direction. They were close enough now that she could make out individuals battling with droids. A select droids had become almost unstoppable against the soldiers of Rolling Thunder and Sailor Jupiter was trying to track them all down. But Sailor Mercury knew using Lightning Accel took its toll on her.
"Split up and lend a hand wherever you're needed, Oakley you come with me!" she had to yell to be heard over the clash of battle. The small group dispersed in different directions with Oakley following her. Finally, she caught site of sailor Jupiter, bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. A droid was closing in on her from behind, but she hadn't noticed yet. Sailor Mercury was about to call on her Water when Sol appeared behind the droid, cutting it down with a single stroke. He stayed by her side, defeating any droid that dared venture toward them as Sailor Mercury and Oakley finally came running up.
"You're too tired to continue like this Mako-chan!" Sailor Mercury yelled at her friend.
"This is nothing." Her green eyed friend replied. Sailor Mercury barely heard the response over the clatter of battle all around them.
"Let me help you! Take a break while I handle things here for the time being!" Sailor Jupiter lifted her head to protest, but Sailor Mercury was hearing none of it right now. "Doctors orders!" Without waiting for a reply, she stepped past the tired Sailor Jupiter and addressed Sol. "You stay be her side and make sure she's safe." The tall Irish man nodded. Sailor Mercury readied herself, feeling the moisture in the air. It won't be enough she thought calling on the Water of Mercury. She spread her legs for better balance and held her hands out in front of her, palms facing together like she was holding a small ball.
"Torrential-" A mist began to appear on the battlefield around her as she located the droids who had adapted, feeling for them with moisture in the air. The roar of the battle prevented her from hearing Veronika screaming her name. She focused the water vapour on the droids, single them out. She had never done a precision attack like this before and her attention to the task at hand was so focused, she never heard the wailing screams of Veronika. Only a few more to locate. Concentrating, she found the last droid who had adapted and pulled more power in, ready to unleash it on the enemy. Suddenly, she was hit from behind, hard enough to send her flying forward. As she was thrown to the ground she heard the sick sound of metal tearing through flesh.
Turning to see what happened she saw Veronika standing where she had been just a moment ago, blood oozing from her mouth. Sailor Mercury's eyes went wide with horror as her gaze instinctively sought out what was the cause. I large spike was protruding from her midsection, blood pouring forth. She moaned in pain as she was slowly lifted from her feet by a large figure standing behind. She followed the handle of the battle axe, held up by one arm. Blood dripped from Veronika's feet as she hovered above the ground before her assailant effortlessly hoisted the large axe with its spike over his shoulder, sending her falling back to the ground with a thud. The menacing smile of Oakley stared back at Sailor Mercury.
"Finally" His deep voiced boomed for the first time. "The charade is over. I can finally let loose on you Senshi." The word was venom on his lips, Sailor Mercury couldn't believe what she was seeing, couldn't grasp what was happening right in front of her. No she thought helplessly this can't be happening. Oakley is... Oakley is on our side. "Now Sailor Mercury, feel the wrath of Ganymede!" He shouted taking a step forward, both hands on his giant axe.
A/N: Happy holidays everyone! I know it's a little late to say that, but I hope everyone's Christmas and New Year were filled with joy and wonder! Myself, I enjoyed taking a break from it all and spending time with family. But enough of that, I hope you like this chapter, it seemed to take forever to write.
