Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 3: Crystal City.
Act 1: Generations.
Episode 14: Monsters who hunt monsters.
By Razor Knight
Last update: August 14, 2019
"You look good for your age."
Alma looked up from the book she was reading. "If I had known you had your father's sense of humor..."
Takamaru smiled. "You keep saying that, but we've been married for half a century now."
Alma hated to admit it, but he was right. Immortality, or at least not growing old, had not been a thing she wanted at first, but... When their son Shiki was born, she had given it some thought. Shortly after Shiki started going to school, she had asked Serenity to let her be with them for as long as they lived.
She couldn't forget her past, but she was not letting it tie her down. She had even helped the Senshi a few times, but enemies showed up less and less each decade. As for her job, she had been Serenity's rival for decades now. She had found she liked writing, the money was just a bonus.
One of Alma's best friends was not as happy, at least not at the moment. She had gone to the shopping mall with her family, but a group of criminals had decided to ruin her fun by locking down the place and taking everyone hostage. She didn't know if they were targeting a single shop, or all of them, but frankly, she didn't care. "Maki, stay here. Your dad and I will take care of those evil men."
Her daughter looked at her and smiled. "Go get them, Sailor Jupiter."
Mai looked at her husband as her clothes were replaced by her Senshi suit. "Let's go."
Fubuki smiled as his hands shone with magic. "Try to leave some for me."
The leader of the gang saw two people calmly walking to them. He instantly recognized the woman's suit. "Sailor Jupiter? Fuck, just our luck. Don't move a muscle, bitch, or we'll kill these hostages."
Jupiter gave the man a rather unfriendly smile. "Okay."
Just as she was done saying that, all of the gang was hit. Most of them had electric arcs shoot out from under them, knocking them out, while the others had their hands and legs encased in stone. "What the hell... What are you?"
"A woman trying to enjoy the weekend with her loved ones," Jupiter said.
Fubuki smiled. "I'll tell the chief we did his work for him again."
Jupiter nodded. "Tell him I said hi."
After graduating from college, Serenity herself had asked Mai if she wanted to move to Crystal Tokyo. She had declined. She was still eager to help defend the planet, but she liked the city she has grown in more. She still visited her friends once in a while, but she was one of few Senshi who felt out of place in that place most Senshi called home.
"Grandma, will I be a Senshi?"
Hotaru looked at the young girl. To a casual observer, Hotaru would have looked too young to be a grandmother, but nobody in Crystal Tokyo would be surprised about her being one. Still, Junko was already five, and obviously interested in following her parents' steps. "I'm sure you will." Junko was like her mother in more ways than one. Another triple Senshi, with the powers of Moon, Lilith and Nemesis. Her magic was yet to awaken, but it was just a matter of time until it did.
Usagi saw Kyouko was looking out the window. "You miss her, huh?"
"Always, but I'm not about to tell her to not go. She's never gone for long, anyways."
Usagi smiled. Tsuki had become an astronomer, although the way she went about observation made her also an astronaut. She had been close to all planets except Nemesis (for obvious reasons,) and had even landed in a few of them, to gather samples. Senshi could survive in deep space, but a Holy Senshi like her would even survive being in Pluto's surface for a few minutes.
Of course, she was the first human - as far as their civilization went - to set foot in all those planets and satellites. That had earned her some enemies, but she was not one to be intimidated by that - after all, she was older than most of those who called her a 'cheater.'
Hikaru looked at the screen and sighed. "Good news, 'Captain Stratus 3' is selling as well as the prequels."
Hisako leaned back in her chair. "A joke. The first game of that saga was a joke. I just wanted to make fun of all the silly things older games did."
Her wife smiled. "I'm sure most of those playing them know. They'll get tired of them eventually."
"We just need to do something different. Else we'll end up being like some other companies..."
Hikaru shrugged. "I know what you mean, but then again, Dynasty Warriors 22 was good."
"... I would like to disagree, and I hate that I can't."
Right then, Kyouko appeared in the room. "Hi girls. Sorry to interrupt your fun, but... It may be time to save the world."
"Okay, but... 'May?'"
"Come to the War Room, we'll explain it to everyone."
"Been a while," Mako commented.
Serenity saw the last few Senshi arrive, and looked at them all. "I may be worrying about nothing, but... Earlier today, I sensed a spaceship heading this way. I sensed no evil intents in it, so I was about to just call a few of us here, but then... Tsuki appeared near me, and told me about a warship incoming."
Tsuki nodded. "Huge warship. I was trying to get some good images of the stars from Neptune's orbit, and I saw it."
"It's the same ship I sensed," Serenity explained.
"But if you sensed no evil-"
"It was far enough away the first time for me to doubt my senses... And I can't sense anything now."
"So they're blocking you?"
Serenity nodded at Naru. "Which means my sensing 'no evil' at first might have been just that they were shielding from me all along."
Aiko was looking up. "It's not just you. I have tried to scan that ship with every kind of sensor I can think of. No readings. If I wasn't looking at it, I would think it doesn't exist."
Kyouko looked at her mother. "Ever heard about this?"
Usagi nodded slowly. "I did, and yet I didn't."
"Ugh, that duality again," Hotaru said.
Serenity saw many of her friends were confused. "I guess we should have told everyone, back then." She looked at Kyouko. "But you knew?"
"Mom told me after I decided to become a teacher."
Usagi nodded. "I guess I'll explain. When Kyouko first mentioned her career choice, I could remember a teacher I liked in high school, one 'Kyouko Nanashi.' I knew that was my daughter. But I also remembered never meeting her."
Ami didn't need to think about it much to figure it out. "So you see both memories from the future you came from, and what the future 'you' will go through in our current reality?"
"That's our guess. Not even Pluto knows why."
Serenity sighed. "Back to the issue of that warship, we don't know-"
Usagi chuckled softly. "They're not hostile."
"Are you sure?"
"I figured out if I focus enough, I can 'see' the memories of this reality's future me. And yes, I know that's a weird phrase. Anyhow, I remember reading about these guys. They weren't hostile, just stupidly advanced."
"So they block us because they're scared?"
"Let's ask them about it when they come," Aiko said. "At their current speed, they'll be here in three hours."
The Senshi had decided to only have a small group welcoming their visitors this time. If they were scared, it was better to not have an army waiting for them.
The spaceship stood hovering over the forest surrounding the city, but the few people there didn't move, waiting as a part of the hull slid aside. The ship was large enough to fit thousands of beings, and it had very visible cannons to its sides. As a group of creatures started leaping out from the open 'hatch,' the Senshi realized the ship could fit millions of them.
Mercury heard one of the creatures speak and used her power to understand, then smiled. "We know you come in peace. Welcome to Earth." She was mentally updating a certain device as she spoke, a prototype that was only available to Senshi at the moment. An universal translator, based in her own abilities.
The small, bird-like creature looked up at her. "I am sorry, but my people has ancient records of beings like you. Violent giants with no beaks or wings. They destroyed themselves a very long time ago, before our race gained sentience."
Serenity looked at the creatures. They were small, not bigger than a small dog. They had arms and legs, but their 'hands' and 'feet' were birdlike, and they were covered in feathers. Their faces were also very bird-like. "I see... Our planet... Our species has been to space before, millions of years ago. Not sure you know what years-"
"We inherited many words from those 'giants,'" the creature said. "Years, rotations of your planet around your local star.
Serenity sighed. "We humans can be violent at times, mostly when threatened. The city you see in the distance is one where the strongest warriors of our race live. Crystal Tokyo."
"Then you three are-"
Mercury nodded. "We are warriors who defend our world from evil. But we can also enjoy peaceful times."
Moon had been silent so far, but smiled. "Good to see my prediction was right. You're not here to wage war."
The creature looked up at her. "Wage war? If the warriors in that city are as powerful as what we sensed in you-"
Serenity nodded. "Just like you have your way of shielding your ship, we have a skill that lets us cloak our power. What you're sensing from me is only one percent of my real power."
Another creature gasped and took a step back. "You are that strong?"
"Those who come to attack our world aren't usually weak. We need to be this strong to make sure mankind doesn't fall again."
"... Again?"
Mercury nodded. "Our race went nearly extinct thanks to a very powerful creature. It was killed, but our ancestors had to start again from nearly nothing. The second era of mankind ended thanks to a race of aliens with technology far more advanced than ours. And the third time around... One of our own, who wanted to rule us all, allied herself with an evil being and nearly succeeded in bringing an end to mankind."
"As you see," Moon said, "we have reasons to be wary when a warship shows up and we cannot scan those inside."
"I apologize for that," the creature said. "We are the last of the Avionne, our star went into its death spasms far earlier than we anticipated. This was the only ship that survived that disaster. It's been thousands of generations since then."
"You could-"
"Stay here? No. We mean no disrespect, human warriors, but we cannot stay. We are looking for a home we can claim as our own, to start over."
Serenity nodded. "I understand."
"Why approach our world at all?" Moon asked.
"Curiosity. As we said, you look like those giants of legend, maybe because those may have been 'humans' too."
One of the creatures looked at Serenity. "And since we're sating our curiosity, I have to ask... We think we saw one of you, out there. In space, but wearing that same outfit two of you wear."
"These outfits are a part of why we can go to space," Mercury explained. "Our magic does the rest."
"Magic?"
"You can measure it, so I thought you knew..."
"We can scan many forms of energy, but we can't use most of them, even with our tools."
Moon chuckled as a dozen balls of light started floating around her. "Our race can manipulate mana, often called 'magic' by most. Our group, the Senshi, are the strongest mana users."
"Senshi? Our legends mention that word. If I recall correctly, it was a group who tried to stop the war that destroyed them all, but failed."
Serenity smiled sadly. "We've heard tales of Senshi who had tragic lives, even in our world. I hope you find a world for your race."
"It probably won't be in my lifetime, but thanks, didn't think there were friendly races in our galaxy."
"We've also found few friendly visitors," Serenity admitted, "but that makes these encounters much more valuable."
Stories had told her about how immortality - when imagined by those who had no such 'blessing' - could make decades breeze by. But Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo could not agree with that anymore, even though at first it had seemed accurate. Time did not speed up for them, and she had definitely not become bored of the peaceful era they were living in. A century of life was a lot to look back to, and she was curious to know what else would happen in the future.
Of course, the 'peace' was only partial for a long time. While no aliens had shown up after those bird-like explorers, five decades ago, the world was still a bit messy. Thanks to the efforts of Haruka and Michiru, wars and armed conflicts had been less usual than in the past. And when a certain young Serenity decided to actively hunt down those who instigated wars and revolts, things had been more peaceful than ever. Junko was almost vicious in her hunt, even though she had not killed anyone. Those attacking her usually realized how futile it was to try to fight her, very quickly.
Magic had rapidly replaced other weaponry, even in war. Ami and Terry had been the first to see the potential - back in their teen years - of fusing magic and technology. Of course "Magitec" had harmful uses, but Serenity was against the idea of it being evil just because a handful of humans used it to harm others. Even a twig could be used as a deadly weapon if one had the right set of skills.
Of course, some corporations had fought against it. Mana-fueled vehicles had been resisted in some countries, but even the tricks used by those corporations in the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century had lost against them. Fake data, modified images and videos, and other underhanded tactics were easily dealt with - Aiko made a fool of those who tried, as a part of her mind was always 'online' and she could find and destroy those files moments after they were created.
As far as war went, there had been some very dangerous weapons created - even one that could do almost as much damage as a Guardian Senshi could, over a very large area. Junko had described it as a "magical nuke," and Serenity was glad they were never mass-produced.
Magic wasn't good or evil, it was a matter of what you used it for. And the Senshi were there to make sure those who used it to hurt and destroy were dealt with.
Junko looked at the group who had surrounded her. Their magic was weak, but she knew magic was not everything in a fight. Her mothers and even her grandmothers had taught her that, through their hellish training. "So, who are you lot? I'm not signing any autographs."
"Get off your high horse, Senshi bitch," one of them, a woman, said. "We are tired of being hunted by those like you. Why give the world magic if you're going to make all the fun things we can do with it illegal?"
Junko smiled. "Why are you asking me that? I am only a kid compared to those who decided that. I do agree with them, though."
One of the men chuckled. "Miss, you may look like you're twenty, but your real age is no secret."
Their target frowned. "Joking aside, 'fun' things? If your idea of fun involves hurting, killing or manipulating, then I thank you for gathering in one place. You made my job easier."
"You think you're so powerful, bitch? We are powerful too!"
Junko had to admit that they were no weaklings, if that woman's fire blast was their average. Maybe back when she was twelve, she could have lost in a fight against them. But they were thirty years too late for that. "Not bad, girl. If I was just a normal human, that flare would have killed me on the spot. But Younger Mars helped me train, and her fire? If she gets serious enough, she could incinerate a whole city."
"What the hell... How can you be that strong?"
"Strong? As I said before, I'm just a kid by my group's standards, and not just in age. Queen Serenity? Her power can make me feel weak. Be glad it's me chasing you instead of her. Anyhow, if you play with fire, you will burn."
The whole area around them suddenly burst aflame, and most of Junko's foes fell to their knees, some screaming in pain. "This is... You can use fire?" The woman who had first spoken asked.
"That is not real fire. It will not burn you, or the buildings around us. But I am Younger Lilith, illusions are my favorite weapon. This fire doesn't burn or harm physically, but I can make it so your mind feels all the pain real fire would cause."
"I see... Stopwatch, we do it your way."
"Wha-"
A young woman walked to Junko as everything around them stopped moving. Even the fire was immobile. "I told them you would be strong, I tried to warn them. But all that magic means nothing when facing me, Stopwatch, the Master of Time."
Junko blinked at that and turned to look at her. "Really, 'Stopwatch.' That is your villain name? Also, why the fuck are you monologuing if you think nobody is listening?"
The girl backed away. She was planning to find a way to kill her while she stopped time, but... She knew she had no chance to win a fight against this woman. Time stopping was her only skill. "How can you... Nobody can move when I do this! Time stops! You cheater!"
"Cheater? Not really. See, stopping time uses a lot of mana, and you only affect a small area, but it is quite a broken power. I suppose this is how you kill your marks. However, there are those in my group who can also use this type of magic. 'Master of Time' you said? This trick of yours is just a cheap knockoff. Sailor Pluto, the Senshi of Time, once moved an entire alien invasion fleet into the Sun. She can move back and forwards in time. And to answer your question, she helped Mercury develop a gadget that can break through time stopping magic, just in case we fought someone with your power. We all have one."
"I didn't... Please... Don't kill me."
Junko saw the girl was in tears. It was pathetic to see how quickly these cold-blooded murderers changed their tune when they realized it was over. "Kill you? Your magic is dangerous, and I admit killing you would stop you from using it again, but... I am no murderer. And besides, death would be the easy way out for most criminals. I already called someone who can give you a fitting punishment."
The girl saw another woman appear. Every human on Earth would recognize her. Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo. "You..."
"Hello, my name is Usagi Tsukino. I would say 'nice to meet you' but you were using a very dangerous kind of magic to try and kill my granddaughter, so..."
"What will you do-" The girl stopped and looked around. Things were moving again, and her allies were all looked around confusedly. "You stopped my spell?"
Serenity smiled at her. "No, I simply took away your ability to use magic, as I did with all your allies. From your face right now, you can already feel it. None of you is a threat to anyone anymore, at least not a magical threat."
"You monster!" One of the men shouted and rushed at Serenity. She simply caught his foot as he tried to kick her. "What are you?"
"A 'monster,' you said it yourself. But not all monsters are evil. Junko is a monster who hunts monsters, and I will gladly help her with that when she asks me to."
"So what now, you send us to jail?"
Junko chuckled at that. "I never believed that kind of 'punishment' helped society at all. It's just a waste of resources and money. Punishing people by giving them free housing and free food? That sounds like a reward to me. No, you are free to go, but we will make your identities public. The families of those you killed, of those you hurt, they will know who you are. What they decide to do with that information is not our problem."
"But... Aren't you heroes? The good guys? What if someone tries to kill one of us, now that we are powerless?"
Junko looked at Serenity, who smiled sadly at her, then looked back at the man. "Then you'll finally know how your victims felt. We Senshi... We try to not kill humans if we can help it, but... To quote an old movie, I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you."
And the two Senshi left the area, not bothering with whatever else these ex-magicians had to say.
A/N: I don't think Serenity and Junko were being cruel in that last scene, but then again, I like the 'the wolf becomes the sheep' kind of punishment.
Also, if the 'Serenity' family tree keeps mixing things up, I may end up with a 'Sailor Solar System' at some point. For now, at least, triple powers are the limit.
As to why Junko is a triple Senshi and not a 'quintuple' as I hinted at before: I decided to go with some "magical genetics" fun. Let's say what makes Kyouko Sailor Earth and Sailor Saturn is 'skipping' a generation or five. The same could happen in other families.
