Striking the faces the pictures

You say "oh I remember"

But then I don't cause I smile

The smile a thousand times over

-Girl in a Coma (Road to Home)

~REI~

The ship was being fueled and the family, that had agreed to take her to Mars, was sightseeing for a bit. Rei wandered around the capital city. She was gathering intel of what had been going on.

Neptune and Uranus was united under the rule of a "true" heir. She gave no further thought on the subject.

The Neptunian uprising was dealt with and all persons involved had been imprisoned or executed. There was no response from Neptune.

Civil unrest was overtaking the Lunarian controlled planets. She saw that coming.

She wandered into a tavern called the Dragon's Lair. It was a fairly quaint establishment as well as sparsely attended. The barkeep stood behind the bar cleaning glasses.

He glanced at her then went back to cleaning the glass he was holding. The barkeep was fairly tall, muscular build, had short light brown hair, and was dressed in mercenary greys.

She approached the bar and the keep gave her attention.

"What'll'i be?" the barkeep asked.

"Straight whiskey," Rei said. She watched as he poured her drink. "You don't look like a Jovian." Quickly she downed her shot.

He nodded. "Y'seem ta be from Mars," he said as he poured her another round.

"I guess I am," Rei said. The burn of the alcohol gave her a rush. "Give me another."

"Drownin' yer sorrow?" he asked. He poured her more.

"I've been on the brink of death but this hurts more," Rei said. Minako haunted her mind ever since she left Pluto.

"Love is somethin' else," he said. He poured her a few more shots. "Fer war or fightin' ye could train to take the pain, but love, there ain't nothin' ye could do to ease the pain o' heartbreak."

She drank in silence.

"You look like the daughter of Ares," he said.

"Why cause I'm Martian?" Her face was red and everything was going blurry. "M-my lineage is a bunch of bullsh-"

She passed out.

The fires rose to the sky as she walked through the battlefield. Soldiers fought and died for nothing.

A voice said look and she looked. She beheld the personage of a man dressed in dark blue armor running to the castle. He embraced a woman, fair and beautiful. The flames devoured the couple.

The voice called out and she looked in the direction of the voice. On the ground lay Jaxon with a self-inflicted wound. She looked closer and beheld the sight of herself on the ground.

Taking a step back she felt the pull of chains dragging her down. The weight of the chain was heavy. She couldn't stand anymore.

She was screaming as she sat up. Her head pounded as if it were being crushed.

Glancing around she noticed she was no longer in the tavern. The room she was in was dark and the decor was simplistic Uranian. It was as if she were back on Uranus.

Nearby sat a man in dark blue robes. Before she could say a thing he stood up and turned to her. It wasn't a man but instead it was Haruka.

"I need your help," Haruka said.

"Am I?" Rei asked.

"No," Haruka said. She looked to the window. "A Saturnian told me that I needed to be here."

"Why?" Rei asked.

"Changelings," Haruka said.

Rei sat in silence.

"I didn't believe her at first but she revealed something from my past," Haruka held out a sword. "This is for you. The Saturnian said this is the sword meant for you."

Rei took the sword and she was overwhelmed by a strange power coursing through her body. Whispers called to her telling her the story of her heritage. Then a flame emblazoned its image on her left arm. It was like a serpent.

"Camulus," Rei said. She held the sword up and examined it. "I thought you destroyed it."

"That's what I thought but the Saturnian informed me that the Elders of Saturn restored it to the former glory," Haruka said.

"You said something about changelings," Rei said.

Haruka nodded. "There is a changeling commander that we need to find," she explained.