Hikawa Shrine

Rei sighed as she shut the door of Grandpa's room. It had been a struggle to get him to go back to bed to rest. At least he's lying down. Not that it'll last. She knew the moment he thought she was gone, he would be tending to the shrine again.

Loud cawing outside interrupted her thoughts. Frowning and feeling uneasy, she stepped outside where Phobos and Deimos were both glaring at the sky, screeching angrily.

Rei looked up, but the sky was clear of all but a few puffy white clouds. "What's gotten into you two?" she asked, walking to them.

Both fluttered up to land on each of her shoulders, seeming even more agitated than before. Rei glanced between the two of them. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

A blast of wind almost knocked Rei over, but she managed to spread her feet out and lower her center of gravity. She felt Phobos and Deimos gripping her shirt more tightly with their talons to avoid being blown away. She grabbed both of them and held them in her arms, turning her back to protect them from the howling wind.

All around her she could hear the cracking of tree branches as they were torn off and thrown into the courtyard. Leaves and small twigs pelted her relentlessly and every breath caused her to choke from the dust being whipped up.

Through the wind ripping around her, grabbing at anything exposed and roaring in her ears like an angry youma, she could hear something thrumming above her. The sound became stronger for several seconds before maxing out. Slowly, it died away with the wind.

Rei opened her eyes and turned around. She gasped, arms falling to her sides. Phobos and Deimos squawked in indignation, taking flight as she dropped them. Her hand reached into her pocket, gripping her Transformation Wand as her gaze was fixed on the object in front of her.

Sitting at the center of the courtyard was a small hexagonal ship, slightly larger in diameter than a semi-truck's trailer. From every other side, what looked antennae stuck out. The bottom was the lowest part, flaring out and up to the sides. The whole ship glittered, its silver surface reflecting a murky image of the sun, while the underbelly was filled with blue lights set in elegant patterns.

Part of the underbelly folded down into a ramp and Rei could see several figures moving in the dark. She pulled out her Transformation Wand and raised it above her head.

"Mars, Crystal Power. . . MAKE UP!"

She was engulfed with a blast of flames that swirled around her. In less than a second, the flames died and Sailor Mars prepared herself to fight whatever came off the ship.

In twos, the figures marched off the ship and into the courtyard. Mars' first impression was of their sheer size. Even the shortest would have topped Darien's height by at least a foot, and each one was as broad as two of her side-by-side. Silently, she berated herself for leaving her communicator in her room. The one time I forget it. . .

Sailor Mars glared defiantly up at the figures as they wordlessly formed two rows of three. Up close, she could see more details. It wasn't encouraging.

Almost every inch of the figures, except the human-like jaw, was covered by thick, green armor with a scale-like texture. Their hands had three thick fingers that, spread out, could have covered an entire dinner plate. What little skin that could be seen was a dark green. Their helmets were rounded with two red visors, one over each eye.

She watched them warily, preparing herself to dodge and attack the intruders. As she waited for them to make the first move, a seventh, distinguishable from the others only by its silvery helmet stepped out of the ship as its lights flickered and went dark.

"What do you want?" Mars snapped, not used to waiting for an enemy to do something.

The silver-helmeted one approached her, moving slowly and making a wheezing sound. She glared up into the visor covered eyes, waiting for it to respond.

The figure's voice came out as a deep hiss. "Forgive me, the gravity of your world is greater than anticipated." It wheezed for a moment before continuing. "Are you the descendant of Princess Mars?"

Taken by surprise, Mars stared up at the figure in confusion. "Am I. . . what?"

"The descendant of Princess Mars," the figure repeated. "Are you her?"

Mars felt uneasy. "Why do you care?"

The figure tilted its head slightly. "We are her people. The throne has stood empty too long. We seek Princess Mars to name her Queen."

"Why should I trust you? What is it you want from me?"

"So you are the descendant of Princess Mars," the figure stated.

Oops. Mars scowled at her unintentional slip. "Who are you anyway?"

The figure clasped its right fist over the left shoulder and bowed its head. "Captain Ta'Xaddir. You may trust us for we are your people, sworn to serve you. We wish for you to lead us as Queen as is your birthright. We shall return you home immediately."

As Mars began to reply, the other scouts, Tuxedo Mask and Charlotte charged up the last few stairs and across the courtyard to join her. The Ice Warriors glanced at them, but made no move to stop them.

"Thanks for waiting," Jupiter said, preparing to attack. "I was worried you'd finish them off before we got here."

"How did you know?"

Luna panted. "We picked up their ship heading here on sensors. We got here as soon as we could."

"You're welcome, Mars," Sailor Moon commented dryly. "Once again we come in to save you."

"I could have taken care of it myself," Mars replied. "Besides, they aren't attacking."

The other Scouts seemed confused. Ta'Xaddir made a coughing sound as he politely inclined his head to them. "Princess Mars is accurate," his voice rumbled and hissed. "We have come to return her to her home and name her Queen."

Charlotte looked over the assembled Ice Warriors. "I thought all of you had gone to New Mars?"

Ta'Xaddir's head shifted back slightly and his tone was one of surprise. "Most of my kin reside on New Mars. Few of us remain, for Mars is our home and shall be always."

Jupiter took a step towards the Ice Warrior. "What are you doing on Earth then?" she demanded.

"To return to Mars the descendent of our Princess. Too long we have been without a Queen. Is it not clear to you? Is the translator faulty?" Ta'Xaddir pulled on a small rectangular badge-like piece on his armor. "Hm. It appears operational."

Sailor Mars felt uneasy, though she wasn't sure why. "If you were looking for me, why wait until now?"

Ta'Xaddir turned his massive frame to face her. "Forgive us, princess. We have been unable to seek for you. Since Mars' second desolation, we have struggled to survive. Now we are better off, it is time for you to take your place as our Queen."

Mars crossed her arms. "I don't trust you. You drop out of the sky, tell me you want me as Queen, then expect me to go with you? It's not going to happen."

Ta'Xaddir bowed his head slightly. "As you wish. Tell me what will earn us your trust and it will be done."

The scouts formed a circle and spoke in low, hushed voices.

"What do you think?" Jupiter asked. "I'm not sure we can trust them. I say we blast them back to Mars while we have a chance."

Sailor Moon shook her head. "They seem honest enough about it. If they were up to something, they could have easily grabbed Mars before we got here."

Mars scowled slightly. "What do you think Char? Any information that can help us?"

Charlotte nodded. "Ice Warriors have lived on Mars for millions of years and it is probable that some remain there. They are capable of deceit, but they consider it taboo except in extreme circumstances. However, withholding information or indirectly lying are not."

"I say we give them a chance," Sailor Venus commented. "As long as they're not hurting anyone or anything, why not? They may be telling the truth."

"We should be cautious," Tuxedo Mask advised. "They could be telling us only what they think we want or need to hear."

"I agree with Tuxedo Mask and Venus," Mercury said. "We should give them a chance, but keep an eye on them."

Sailor Moon looked at Mars. "It's up to you. If they're telling the truth and they are your subjects, maybe you could get them to do my chores for me."

Sailor Mars rolled her eyes. "You can do your own chores, meatball head. But I think we can give them a chance. I don't completely trust them, but if they cause any trouble, we're more than capable of dealing with them."

"I still think we should get rid of them before they cause trouble," Jupiter grumbled as the scouts turned back to the Ice Warriors.

Mars approached Ta'Xaddir. "You can stay," she said flatly. "But we'll be keeping an eye on you. The first sign that you're here to cause trouble and we'll blast you back to Mars, got it?"

"I understand," Ta'Xaddir replied, seeming unphased by Mars' declaration. "Until a test of loyalty is determined, we shall attend to your every need as is our duty."