Venus sighed, the ever so pleasant Earth representatives (and she was being sarcastic) following close behind her. They showed no emotion or even made an effort to engage in any type of conversation which made her greatly uncomfortable. A nagging thought she had constantly forced to the back of her mind kept bothering her without end, tempting her to just abandon the happy lot and leave them to their own accord. However, the pleadings of her Queen were difficult to ignore, the young enigmatic blonde begging her to show the Peacecrafts and their accompaniments every stretch of each planet's kingdom. Though Venus herself doubted it would make a difference in how they viewed the Silver Alliance, she still pushed forward.
Mercury was first to receive the excitable crew, the planets cool surroundings (despite its close proximity to the sun) aiding in soothing Venus' silent discontent with her assignment. Since Mercury herself was preoccupied with the reconstruction of the Moon kingdom, Venus had to give the best tour she could of the technologically advanced kingdom. To be honest, she disliked coming to Mercury. The feeling of disconnect to civilization and human contact seemed to resonate clearly through its confines, Venus' naturally exuberant personality often encompassed by an invisible wall of solitude. Though her blue-haired friend was a very personable character, Venus had felt that she was beginning to retreat further and further into herself, her appearance rarely made as she locked herself in her laboratory doing heaven knows what. It was a troubling observation but Venus had chosen to ignore it until it became a more prominent issue. After all, it wasn't as though she really had too much free time to implore her blue-haired comrade's worrisome behavior.
After the grueling time spent showing Mercury's complex infrastructure, Venus took them to her own planet. The array of gold lighting excited her mood, the familiar air around her hastily rushing into her lungs. It was a haven for her to finally return, the long strenuous hours spent on the Moon immediately fleeting as she fell into her home. The presence of the boorish crowd behind her seemed irrelevant, a bright smile upturning her deepest frown. Light was everywhere, just as she always liked it to be, the draperies and colors shining magnificently through the halls. Her troubles were lifted and she even felt more motivation to spark conversation. To her luck, so did everyone else.
"You have a beautiful kingdom," Relena commented. "Very vibrant and…happy."
"Thank you," Venus chimed with a broad smile. "You'll find that our planets tend to reflect our own personalities."
"Really?" the blond man name Quatre questioned.
"Mmhmm," Venus nodded.
"It makes sense," he nodded again observing Venus' castle.
"Then what does Jupiter look like?" Milliardo queried, his crystal blue eyes watching cautiously for an answer.
Jupiter was the center for all the Silver Alliance soldiers, its planet having the most space and since it was in the "center" of the Silver Alliance, it served as a happy medium for travel. Uranus and Jupiter worked together to train men and women as Mars manned the more critical aspects of the army. So because of the heavy concentration of soldiers on Jupiter, she often had to spend time "taming" the people when egos had bolstered and ruptured in mutiny. It was a sad fact one that had earned Jupiter and Uranus both reputations of brute extremities when in reality they were far from it.
"It's green," Venus replied. "Filled with trees and grass, the landscape is absolutely breathtaking."
A scoff was heard from the unruly haired brunette, which disturbed Venus. Surely they believed her to be telling the truth!
"I heard the princess of Jupiter was a ruthless tyrant. Grassy planes and fields of trees are hardly descriptions befitting of her personality."
Venus' lips pursed into a frown as she looked to Mr. Yuy.
"Jupiter is a gentle lady, she just happens to be physically apt."
"So then are you saying that your army is weak?" Milliardo asked.
"I never said such a thing," she replied.
"But you say Jupiter is a gentle lady. Does her personality not affect the way she trains the army?"
"She's not a weakling," Venus was uncomfortable. "By far she is no one to take lightly."
"Then she is ruthless."
"No!" Venus' cheeks burned with bright pink, as she was unfairly cornered by both Milliardo and Heero's circle of assumptions.
"Hn," Heero grunted. Being the analyzing mind that he was, he wanted to see Jupiter for himself and evaluate how much of a threat they had truly posed. By the looks of bewilderment from the princess of Venus, it appeared that he may actually get his wish.
Venus was strangely appalled. She knew that they had no knowledge about the true nature of each princess, but hearing them voice their impressions of Jupiter unnerved her. She now wondered what their initial thoughts of her were. Hopefully though, the little time spent amidst her was influential…
Her thoughts were now jumbled. Originally she was going to keep them away from Jupiter for safety purposes but now she wanted nothing more than to take them there immediately. Jupiter had reported earlier last night that her planet was now in order, so Venus made a quick decision and led the way to the overbearing planet instead of setting course for Mars (not that she thought Mars would mind anyways).
Jupiter's mass was intimidating as they approached and Venus laughed to herself when she noticed the stern looks on each of Earth's faces, their cheeks paling as they considered the number of people that must have occupied that spacious planet.
The Peacecrafts and their three bodyguards exited the ship cautiously, the quiet overbearing halls of Jupiter haunting them in a way that Venus was blind to. She smirked in their direction as they proceeded in a strange formation and shook her head.
"I hope they don't think we plan to ambush them here!" She laughed quietly to herself, walking ahead with little attention to their slow pace. They seemed piqued by her swift movement and quickly matched her speed as if she was trying to escape them so that their plan could take motion.
Catching on to their unmentioned suspicions, Venus slowed, her cerulean hues sparkling with amusement.
"No need to worry," she smiled. "We won't spring anything on you that you can't handle."
With a mischievous wink she proceeded onwards, the looks she had received further supporting her giddiness. Along the halls she could hear voices, the two distinct sounds growing louder as they progressed.
"You're gonna pay for that Jupiter! I swear you will!"
"Hah, I doubt it Uranus. You're too slow for me; you really don't stand a chance!"
"What the hell? My left hook never fails me!"
"Apparently, it does today!"
Venus smiled coyly to herself, the familiar voices bouncing through the Jovian halls. Uranus and Jupiter met often to practice they're combat skills and it was no surprise that she would arrive in the middle of one of their impromptu training sessions.
"Uranus and Jupiter spend much time together sparring," she explained proudly to the group following her. "They're both very strong with their hand-to-hand combat as you might have already known."
As they neared the room, grunts and groans of frustration grew louder, a serious battle sure to be waging. Venus hesitated before she carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open; her body nearly planting itself face first to the floor in pure shock.
A 46" plasma screen TV hung securely on the wall, the two royals rapidly jamming buttons on their controllers. Two characters danced across the screen throwing kicks and punches all the while, Jupiter and Uranus worked determinedly on their combos.
"You're cheating!" The brunette wearing a plain green t-shirt and tan thigh-length shorts cried out. Her long legs were endless, her well-toned calf muscles flexing as she tiptoed with anticipation.
"Pfft, I'm not cheating!" The blond dressed in khaki slacks and a white button up long sleeve scrunched to her elbows with a single button fastened, her flat stomach and black lace bra on clear display, protested. She was on the edge of her seat, ready to spring up at any given moment.
"AAH!" They both yelled in unison, throwing their controllers and shaking their heads in detestation as the word "DRAW" scrolled across the screen. "This game is rigged!"
Ahem Venus cleared her throat causing Jupiter and Uranus to hastily shut off the TV and turn with perfect posture to face her.
"Venus!" The auburn haired woman was first to speak. "What a pleasant surprise! And I see you've brought company!"
"Not just company, Jupiter, the Earth's own royals," the blonde commented, her dark navy blue eyes observing each of them. "Never expected to see any of you so far from home."
"I've been showing them the inner planetary kingdoms," Venus informed, her mind still trained on the activity they had just been engaged in. "This is our last stop before we head to the outer planets…"
"May I ask what it is exactly you two have been doing?" Venus raised an eyebrow, her eyes glancing as a hint in the direction of the TV.
"Oh that," Jupiter laughed nervously. "Uranus and I were merely testing a new fight simulator to determine if it would be a useful tool for training purposes."
"Ah," said Venus coolly, her hands finding a case on a nearby table. "Senshi Wars 2," she read. "Sounds promising." A smirk was hard to hide on her peach lips as she queried further. "What conclusion have you reached?"
"It's terribly inaccurate," Uranus said with utmost seriousness. "They've matched the strength of Jupiter and Uranus. Clearly they were subjected to high doses of insanity because Uranus is far more superior."
Jupiter's eyebrow rose, her emeralds glancing at Uranus with a scoff. "If I may interject," she said. "They over exaggerated Uranus' power. Jupiter should be able to pummel her without difficulty." The two glared at each other, a silent staring contest taking place. With a knowing laugh, Venus decided to step in before the competition between the two escalated.
"I think it would be safe to say that your results were inconclusive," Venus stated.
Breaking from the staring contest, Jupiter nodded towards the long-haired blonde in compliance. "I concur," she said. "Can you agree, Uranus that the simulation is still in need of further testing?"
"I can agree with that," the sandy blonde muttered trying hard to hide a grin. "Shall we reschedule another test run?"
"Yes, that would be—"
"I think," Venus quickly intervened. "The two of you should put the tests to rest and focus your attention on the actual physical involvement of training. I would hate to see the both of you lose your talent in that area…"
Uranus smirked, her head bobbing. "Very wise suggestion," she said. "I will be sure not to allow Jupiter to again distract me with these pointless fight simulators. I had told her countless times before it was a waste; I only wish she would have listened to me."
Jupiter's eyes rolled. "If I remember correctly, Uranus, it was you that brought the 'fight simulator' in the first place."
Before Uranus could put in another word, Venus spoke. "Perhaps the two of you can settle this at another time. If you had not noticed, we are still in the presence of our honored guests."
A blush warmed Jupiter's cheeks as she again recognized the Earth's ambassadors. Uranus, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.
"I apologize," Jupiter stated, bowing curtly towards them.
With hands hanging loosely in her pockets, Uranus too took a small bow and straightened herself up.
"Well, I should probably be getting back to Uranus," the sandy blonde said running a hand through her hair. "Wouldn't want the people rallying while I'm away."
"Oh, how is that by the way?" Venus asked. "If I remember correctly, both of you requested leave from yesterday's meeting so you could tend to the needs of your people."
Jupiter scoffed in Uranus' direction, her smile earning a glare from the sandy blonde.
"Well," she started. "Jupiter was much easier to tame than previous times. Seems it was a group of young teenagers making riots. I'm only glad we were able to calm them without too much force. I was, however, unaware that Uranus was having trouble with unruly citizens as well…"
Venus appeared entertained, her eyes resting on the brooding princess of Uranus. The sandy blonde shrugged her shoulders, her hands brushing through her short cropped mane nonchalantly.
"So I lied," she admitted carelessly. "I didn't feel like traveling across the universe to come to a ten minute meeting and go back."
Venus looked surprised by her blatant honesty, which in reality shouldn't have been so unexpected except that the leaders of Earth were standing directly behind her most likely judging Haruka by her words. Venus thought for sure the sandy blonde woman would at least consider what she chose to admit in their presence but it seemed that was not the case. Jupiter too could be seen with a raised eyebrow at Uranus' antics but quickly shrugged it off.
"Yeah, maybe it would be good if you went back to your planet," Jupiter mumbled, shaking her head.
"Glad you finally agree," she smirked.
Before further protests could be made, Uranus had already left the room. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, Venus finally found the voice to continue her introductions.
"Well Queen Relena, Prince Milliardo, Mr. Winner, Mr. Yuy and Mr. Barton this is Jupiter," she said pointing to Makoto with a smile. "Jupiter this is Queen Relena, Prince Milliardo, Mr. Winner, Mr. Yuy and Mr. Barton."
Jupiter nodded towards all of them, the Earth court also mimicking her movement. It was quite shocking for them to see Jupiter, or any Silver Moon Alliance member, so casual in appearance. Had they not known any better, they would have perceived Jupiter to be no different from the average girl from Earth.
"It's a pleasure to meet each of you," Jupiter feigned a smile. Her socked feet fidgeted nervously as she stood there amidst their judging eyes. She would have been angered by their gazes had it not been due to the fact that she was caught in a somewhat unfavorable situation.
"Ah, Jupiter," Venus spoke up again ignoring the presence of their guest. "You're arm looks better!"
She touched the once injured shoulder gingerly.
"Mercury's medicine works pretty fast."
"I'll say," Jupiter agreed. "I could barely feel the pain after she gave it to me."
For the first time, Relena's group had noticed Jupiter's bulking shoulder, hints of bandages flashing through her sleeve. Curiously they wondered who was responsible for the injury.
"That's good," Venus muttered. "Mars and Serenity were worried about you since, you know you had to come back here to ease the people with a severe injury."
Jupiter shrugged, "I didn't have to use force, just a lot of talking, or yelling rather," she laughed.
A sharp ringing sprang from the pocket of Prince Milliardo, his hand hastily jutting for the object as he politely dismissed himself. Everyone's eyes seemed to follow him as he walked out, the inhabitants of the room standing in awkward silence waiting for him to return. A few minutes passed before he reentered, a stern look splayed across his features.
Relena looked at him expectantly at which he nodded in recognition.
"Preparations are complete, they're ready as soon as we are."
Relena bobbed her head and turned to Venus who looked perturbed by their vague expulsions.
"Venus, I appreciate the time you've taken to show us the Silver Alliance. Although I would like nothing more than to finish our tour of your planets, I must ask that we return to the Moon as soon as possible."
For a while Venus stood with hands on her hips exchanging glances with the princess of Jupiter who merely shrugged.
"As you wish," was Venus' hesitant reply.
They returned to the ship, the Earth representatives quickly fastened in their positions. Disturbed by the abrupt change of plans, Venus frowned towards Jupiter who put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You tried your best," the brunette said. "It's not our fault they're tight-a$$3$."
Venus smirked at her friend's words, finally feeling a bit better about the situation.
"Thanks Jupiter," she grinned. "Be ready to head to the Moon, I have a feeling there might be a meeting later on tonight. Can you tell the outers?"
"Sure," Jupiter replied.
The two parted, the ships doors shutting behind Venus. With a sigh she patted her pilot on the back, the ship suddenly roaring to life. In her seat, she observed each of the passengers. Relena, Milliardo, Quatre, Heero and Trowa were quiet like always, their faces molded in a lifeless rendition of humans. Her heart sank. This tour had done nothing. Now all that awaited were the decisions they had managed to make without even involving her or any other member of the Alliance. Hopefully, this meeting wouldn't be as tense as the last.
Serenity paced uneasily in the meeting room, her glistening gold pigtails trailing gracefully behind her. Venus had informed her that Relena and her men were returning with what seemed to be a final decision about their collaboration efforts. Though they had stated before they would help the Silver Alliance and accept help, she still felt as though the deal had the potential of falling through. Her cerulean hues flit with anxiety, her lithe frame finally taking a seat at the table. She buried her head in her hands, her ears perking as she heard the soft turning of the knob.
"Serenity," the newcomer said, a voice that was all too familiar. "What're you doing in here?"
Serenity lifted her head, her troubled gaze captivating her friend's concern.
"Just thinking," she sighed.
The raven-haired princess smirked, a light scoff sounding from her stance.
"Don't think too hard," she teased. "We all know how much it hurts your head when you do."
Serenity laughed lightly, her heart still unable to lighten. She jumped when she felt Mars' arm wrap around her shoulder.
"Everything will be fine," she reassured. "Have a little faith Serenity."
The said woman stared wearily back at Mars.
"Do you think they can learn to trust us?" She asked, pain mingling with her tone.
"I don't know," Mars admitted. "But whether they do or don't, we'll figure this out Usagi-chan, I promise."
The Queen of the Moon started to tear, the droplets slowly gliding down her cream skin. The mention of her name seemed to pique an unmentioned desire that pierced her soul without end. She was quickly reminded of her identity and all who knew of it, the princess of Mars being amongst those. She never knew just how important her name was until now, the loss of personality capitalized by the title she was now known as. Queen Serenity was an entity designed to lead the Silver Alliance, an entity that she had grown nearly loathsome of. These days, all she wanted was to be Usagi once more, but she knew better than to wish for things that could never happen.
"Thanks Rei," she murmured, her head resting on her friend's shoulder as she was pulled into a comforting hug.
"No problem," Rei mumbled, her eyes staring blankly off into space.
Their situation was slowly breaking each of them, a fact that she tried so hard to disprove. The ban from Earth hurt more than she had anticipated their histories quickly vanishing in the single act. Though she hated the idea of working with the very people that were the cause of all this inner turmoil, she knew that it was for the better and for that, she would do her best to make this collaboration work.
The meeting room was filled, each member of the Silver Alliance finally in attendance, their attire matching royalty dress code. Instead of setting across from Earth on a long rectangular table, a new oval shaped table was positioned in the center of the room, Earth now feeling surrounded by the princesses. At the head of the table, Serenity sat with Endymion to her right while at the other head, Relena sat with Milliardo on her right. Trowa was seated next to him with Uranus beside him, her silky navy blue gown contrasting brightly with the attire she had been seen in earlier. On the other side of Relena, sat Heero and Quatre, the princess of Saturn directly beside them, her deep indigo eyes observing them carefully in her first meeting. The inner princesses sat nearby Serenity, Venus being the one directly to her left. As they each settled comfortably, or as comfortably as they could manage, Serenity gave the floor to Relena.
"I think it would be best if we just skipped right to the point," Relena spoke earning nods of agreement from everyone. "Preparations have been made and three Gundams are ready to be sent as soon as we send word."
Tremors could be seen across the table, the senshi not quite sure they liked the idea of harboring not one but three Gundams in their Queen's castle.
"Three is a bit extensive, don't you think?" Venus asked, concern marring her pale features.
At this Relena looked over each of them, their eyes trained on her for an answer to which Milliardo spoke.
"We decided three since there are nine inhabited atmospheres in your alliance that need protection. That makes three for each one Gundam. They don't all have to be on the Moon."
Silence ensued, the princesses still uneasy about the idea. The more Gundams present, the more energy they would have to spend watching them. They were not ready to so easily trust Earth.
"Okay," Serenity spoke decisively.
At this, Uranus' fists clenched but with difficulty withheld her objection as her lover's hand gently squeezed her knee beneath the table. The table of women lowered their heads, their own thoughts on the matter inhibited as they allowed Serenity to choose as she would. They all knew that if they gave too many objections Earth might pull back and stop working with them altogether, something they did not want. So, clinging to the idea of hopefully being able to sway Earth in this one time opportunity to collaborate, they became completely submissive to Serenity's will.
By the lack of opposition, Relena felt relieved, her shoulders easing slightly in her seat.
"Then we will send them tonight," she said. "Our plans are to depart here by morning with the aid that you plan to send on our ship with us."
"How much help do you think you will need?" Serenity asked, her court anxiously awaiting her answer.
"Seeing as how space feet are banned from Earth," Relena started. "We cannot return home with more passengers than when we left. So we only have room for two."
"Then two I will send," Serenity replied, the princesses tensing as they anticipated which two would be chosen to leave. "Did you have anyone in particular that you wanted to aid you?"
For a brief moment, Relena's eyes inexplicably flashed in Mars' direction the fiery princess catching her gaze in that instant. Why she had looked, she was uncertain as Mars was obviously a vile force of which she imagined her brother and the pilots would have difficulty honing but the power that rippled through her proud physique boasted as one that was practically invincible. Surely, she would want no one but the strongest to defend her home from this unknown new enemy.
"No," Relena finally voiced. "I have no preferences. The decision will be in your hands entirely."
"They'll be ready by morning," Serenity assured.
Soon after, the meeting was adjourned, the princesses lingering behind as Earth parted to prepare to leave. Serenity's court was patient as she skimmed each of them to decide which two would be best suited to leave. She had noticed Relena glance in Mars' direction, a choice that she was rather shocked about. However, Serenity didn't want to disappoint Relena by not sending her so Mars would have to go. Yet, Mars' temper could be their undoing so someone who could keep her from doing anything regretful would have to go with her.
Serenity's mind ached as she ran through each of the senshi. Venus was capable but she couldn't bring herself to sending her since the princess was so deeply involved in the inner workings of the entire kingdom in its stretch from the Moon to Pluto. Neptune seemed to have great influence over Mars but Uranus would not like the idea that she was so far from her especially since it was Earth. Saturn herself was still a bit unstable and Pluto was needed to help keep her in control of her abilities. Mercury wouldn't leave because she was in the middle of reconstruction, which left only one candidate.
"Uranus," Serenity said catching the sandy blonde by surprise.
"Serenity?"
"Would you say you could handle both Jupiter and your home planet if necessary?"
The sandy blonde raised an eyebrow.
"It would be difficult, but I'm sure I could find a way."
"I cold help her as well, Serenity," Neptune chimed in. "Since my planet is so mild-mannered I find I often have too much time on my hands."
Serenity nodded with approval.
"Then it's settled," she said. "Jupiter and Mars will part with Earth in the morning."
"Who do you think we should leave behind?" Relena asked, Milliardo sitting quietly in a chair of the lobby.
"It is up to you," he murmured. "They're each equally skilled. But who would you want on Earth to keep an eye on the two that will be joining us?"
The question was well thought out, a subject that she had failed to recognize quickly coming into view. Her mind immediately screamed two names, her decision fast and painless.
"Quatre and Trowa will stay here. Have Wufei bring the Gundams."
Bobbing his head, Milliardo rose from his seat to make the call. The temporary alliance with the Moon was now set in motion.
Hmm…well there's that. Special thanks for the reviews (Lita of Jupiter, Fatal Mars, IkariPanda)! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading!
JPandS