In her apartment on Coruscant, Rei jolted up from her sleep, so suddenly and heavily, that she woke up Yuichiro as well.
"What is it, Rei?" Her boyfriend asked worryingly, he knew that she had either sensed something or had a vision.
"I'm sorry. I-I need a moment. Sleep more." She said as she got up, putting on a yukata, and while trying her best to keep her emotions in check.
He looked at her in surprise but decided to not push it. Her sixth sense sometimes was a burden and he knew her long enough that some of her visions and perceptions were hard to bear for her. Yuichiro knew she would talk with him if she needed, and wanted, to.
Rei went into the bathroom and walked to the luxurious sink, where she turned on the faucet and began to pour cold water in her face.
The psychic had felt the demise of millions of souls. And in the midst of it, a flash of SunTzu's aura, more powerful than ever. And tormented, enraged and determined.
She stopped the water from running when she was halfway able to think clear again, she immediately had to call Usagi.
SunTzu had seen what the Force could do first hand a few times but still there were times it still astounded him what it really was able to do.
It felt like a dream as he traveled through the Galaxy, through it's Core, even the huge black hole in it's absolute center. He was not sure how long the travel actually had lasted as he found himself materializing again at this beacon of the Force.
As he opened his eyes he realized he was now in front of the New Jedi Temple on Coruscant and in front of him more than a dozen Jedi had left the temple to meet him here. He recognized that in midst of the Jedi Masters in his front their Leader was staring at him, even the always so wise and all-knowing seeming Grandmaster with amazement in his eyes.
SunTzu collapsed to his knees, he had drawn so much energy from the Force but his actions had drained almost all of it from him. And it had exhausted him immensely.
He looked up to the First of the New Jedi Order.
"Grandmaster Skywalker, I think I made a mistake."
And then he passed out.
Rei dialed up Usagi, the young queen took the call almost instantly.
"Rei, I was waiting for your call."
"So you felt it too."
"Yes, Mamoru is on his phone, trying to contact Michiru right now. And Chibiusa just came into the room as well. Rei, it felt like the souls of a whole planet died."
"Usagi, that's not all. Before these souls vanished, I could feel SunTzu's aura in an outburst of energy."
"Wait, are you telling me… No, Rei. That can't be… he would never…"
"I felt his pain and his anger."
"You think Chaos turned him?"
"I-i don't know, but…" Rei abruptely stopped mid sentence.
"Rei? Rei what's wrong?"
"He's here! SunTzu is here on Coruscant. He just appeared out of nowhere."
"Okay, Rei. Don't do anything! Just wait where you are, we're on our way to Coruscant."
Hotaru had felt it as well and had been startled from her sleep. Although it wasn't as intense as Rei had felt it, she also sensed that before so many lives just had vanished from the Galaxy there was an outburst of power of the Force in SunTzu.
While she still tried to think what that meant, her mind racing to come up with a different explanation than that SunTzu just had committed genocide, her cell phone rang. It was AICA.
She immediately took it.
"AICA, what happened?"
"How do you know? Your psychic powers?"
Hotaru frowned, AICA could do much but she definitely couldn't sense fading life energy.
"What do you mean?"
"Linta. The system just went up in a supernova. Everything in there is lost. SunTzu is lost."
Hotaru had heard stories about machines capable of Force-Sensitivity and she had even seen SunTzu use the Force to power up AICA but she wouldn't have thought that a machine could seriously be this worried and in despair.
"No, he's not. I sensed him afterwards."
In that moment her door flew open and her adoptive mother, already transformed, appeared in it.
"Transform, we're leaving immediately."
Rei came back from the balcony, she had needed that cigarette to calm herself down.
Yuichiro had joined her, he had seen she was troubled but after telling him that she felt millions of lives vanish and also SunTzu's aura in a spike of power she had asked him to leave her alone with her thoughts for a moment.
And although he wasn't happy about the news he was considerate enough to give her time to think.
Outside sunrise would begin soon as she reentered her living room.
"I expected you to come with the others." She told the two shadows standing there in the middle of the room.
"We thought it would be better to come here immediately." Sailor Pluto replied, her voice strained with exhaustion.
What she didn't see was how Rei lifted her eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Onee-Chan." Sailor Saturn chimed in and draw herself onto Rei.
Rei hugged the teenager back, the Senshi of Fire was sure that Hotaru had felt the same as she had. It must have been horrible for the younger Senshi as well.
Rei gently stroked over Hotaru's head and in this moment Yuichiro, dressed in a Yukata, also appeared in the room, surprised to find the two Sailor Senshi in the apartment. He greeted them with a bow before he hastily left for the bedroom again, probably to get dressed properly. Rei's gaze followed his department before her head turned back again.
"We still have at least one and a half hours until the others arrive at Coruscant. Who wants a gallon of coffee as well?"
Two hours later, the sun was still slowly rising up onto Coruscant's sky, the Guardian of Space and Time was tirelessly walking up and down in Rei's living room, in front of the duraglass door to the balcony.
Yuichiro, accompanied by a completely introvert acting Sailor Saturn, had left for the closest space port over one hour ago but because of the security measures everywhere, now even more enhanced, it had taken the Royal Yacht longer to get through traffic above Coruscant.
Hotaru had told Rei about the supernova and soon after their arrival the first news stations had began to report about the sudden supernova and that the Fleet had sent out ships to scout the area. Such a sudden supernova was a very, very rare phenomen.
The three Senshi were sure that it wasn't probably an act of nature while the news stations still only could estimate the causes.
Rei had observed Setsuna for more than a minute now and she began to worry that the older Senshi would strut a hole into her living room floor. This was very unusual behavior for the ever so content oldest of the Senshi. This event was so serious that it even brought down Setsuna's guard.
"Sets, are you nervous?"
The emerald-haired stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards the raven-haired.
"You sensed him as well, did you? Or did Hotaru tell you?" Rei continued, knowing the answer but still being surprised to find out how much Setsuna was aligned to SunTzu.
"I sensed it. And I was surprised to do so. As Keeper of the Underworld sensing the death of millions is just natural. But sensing his aura so far away, empowered or not..." She put one of her hands on her face. "What if we lost him, Rei? What if he killed all this people in cold blood?"
"Setsuna, are you afraid we lost him or is it because you're afraid that you lost him?"
The older Senshi thought about the question before she honestly answered. Rei knew, ever since that ball in the White House. "I… I don't know. But how can I feel for someone that maybe killed millions of individuals?"
"This is not proven yet. Don't forget the amount of lives his actions saved."
Rei sighed, Setsuna was just as conflicted as her and Hotaru were. Everyone of them probably. "This might be not the time for it, but could it be that after over two thousand years you're still afraid of genuine love?
"The last man I opened up to after fell because Chaos as well, Rei."
Rei fell silent, she knew that Setsuna was right.
"I'll call Yuichiro and see if they have any updates about our friends finally arriving."
Rei was almost out of the door when Sailor Pluto stopped her.
"Rei. Isn't all this horrible for you as well?"
"It is. But being a diplomat was the thing which finally taught me that sometimes you just need to have patience." Nonetheless Rei had problems keeping her emotions in check as well. "I finally made my peace that he had became War personified, although we both know I needed my distance to do so, and then this happens. But I refuse to believe he's a cold blooded mass murderer. There is an explanation to this. There just has to be."
After passing out, SunTzu had been brought to the Medical Station of the Jedi Temple, closely watched by Master Cilghal and with several Jedi, including Master Durron, standing guard.
Cilghal found fresh injuries, signs of dehydration and other medical issues on SunTzu, obviously caused by torture, and he was beyond being completely exhausted. She treated him as best as she could without making him wake up. The wales on his back would need Bacta or skin transplantation to heal though.
Maybe out of fear what would happen if he would wake up, Master Cilghal, as highest ranking healer of the Order had decided to give him time to rest and let him sleep as long as he needed to.
Of course the Jedi had sensed the death of over three million souls and the outburst of sheer Force Power from SunTzu. The more powerful Jedi even had sensed the outcry of her pain when SunTzu broke Abeloth's hold on his connection to the Force.
Grandmaster Skywalker and several Jedi Masters of the Jedi High Council were discussing possible development of the destruction of a whole system through the Man of the Prophecy at the very moment. It wouldn't be long until the Alliance and Sith would want to see SunTzu as well. But first of all they had to find out if the Pilot had been turned and had joined the Forces of Chaos.
A couple of hours later the Senshi were assembled in Rei's dining room on Coruscant.
The traffic over and around Coruscant had almost grinded to a halt as the Galaxy still tried to figure out what had caused the supernova in the Linta System and because of this, it had taken two hours since arriving in system for even the Royal Yacht to land.
Yuichiro had treated Hotaru to breakfast at the spaceport, sweet pastry and fresh juice but she didn't open up to him. She wasn't necessarily impolite but she stayed quiet and her answers were monosyllabic. The Shinto Priest could see that the girl was completely besides herself.
Even after the rest of the Senshi had arrived she had stayed like that. On the ride back she had been sitting between Michiru and Chibiusa. Michiru had an arm around her and Chibiusa had been holding hands with her, while the raven-haired teenager just had stared out of the window of the repulsor shuttle.
Haruka, sitting next to Michiru, had done the same the whole ride, stony-faced she had stared out of the window.
Queen and King were sitting at the top and bottom of the table, seven Senshi and Yuichiro were cramped in between them. Sailor Saturn and Sailor Chibi-Moon had both voluntarily taken over guard duty, Chibiusa had followed Hotaru out of the room, as she announced she would stand guard.
Everybody knew that the Senshi of Rebirth wanted to get away from the discussion at the table.
Also at the table was a holo-projector as Artemis from Bestine and Luna and Naru from Earth were joining the meeting via holo.
"I guess I speak for all of us, when I say I cannot imagine that SunTzu did this out of cold blood. He was dating the princess of that planet. And I'm pretty sure that Rei, or others, would have sensed a fall to Chaos."
Rei cleared her throat. "Well… I didn't sense a fall to Chaos but I did have a vision once that showed him looking at what appeared to be a supernova. But I… i can't imagine he would do something like... like this." The last part of the sentence she began to gesture with her hands, not being able to speak it out in front of her friends.
Heads stayed fixed on her and Rei was waiting for the first one to ask her why she didn't told someone about this vision.
"I have to admit that I also had a vision of SunTzu surrounded by fire with the Deep Aqua Mirror before." Michiru chimed in before anyone could scold Rei.
"He requested the use of nuclear weapons at Rago." Artemis stated and the rest of the participants fell silent. "Maybe this time he just went further."
"Quick to judge, aren't we?" Haruka replied in an ironic tone. "You all forgetting how many people he saved? How many times he saved us?"
"You know about the Prophecy, Captain. If you become War, you become it fully." Artemis in turn replied, his voice sharp as a razor's edge.
"That's enough you two. Just sitting here and assuming things won't bring us any further." All heads turned to the Neo Queen as she spoke. "Rei, Michiru, you should have told us about the visions, although I have to admit I for myself still cannot believe a second that SunTzu turned into someone willingly committing genocide. Rei, you said he's here on Coruscant, so we need to find out where exactly he is."
"I'll contact Ada. If anybody knows something about his whereabouts then it's her."
"Very good, thank you Ami."
"There is something else I found out yesterday. There hadn't been a single ship going out from or to Linta that wasn't Lintan. This is very unusual."
Lieutant Colonel Ada Wong, Galactic Intelligence Service was having a terrible headache and one of the worst mornings of her life, and this meant quite something giving her position and the ongoing Shadow War. When she had been awoken by the news of the destruction of the Linta System she knew Ami had been right when she had called yesterday night and told her something was wrong with the system. And probably it had something to do with SunTzu not being available.
I should have been more cautious. More skeptical. At least he's still alive.
Ami had called almost immediately after Ada had received the news. At least they had sensed that SunTzu was still alive. Everything would have been over with his demise. But what if he had fallen?
The sound of an incoming holo call brought her out of her thoughts and she took the call.
"Good morning, you wanted to talk to me."
"Good morning Yumeko, I need you to come here. I need your help with an investigation."
While the first rumors and suggestions of a superweapon began to circulate Yumeko arrived at Ada's office.
Every military installation, unit and ship of the Galactic Alliance had been put on high alert, meanwhile SunTzu was still sleeping sound in his locked room in the Jedi Temple and when it came to Cilghal and the other healers it still would take hours until he would wake up again. His body had been at it's limit and his Force-abilities even behind.
Knowing this the Jedi High Council decided to inform the Chief of State about SunTzu's location and status. Leia Organa-Solo, in midst of an emergency meeting because the destruction of Linta, paused the meeting after C3-PO had broke her the news.
Even before she called her twin brother, to ask him about details, she sent a message to Agent Wong and let her know about SunTzu's location. She trusted her to carry the news to the places it needed to be known at.
A minute later Ada was on the phone with Ami and told her about the location of SunTzu.
The restless Senshi got back at the table. It was clear that someone should be visit their friend as soon as possible, while the Neo Queen would meet with the Chief of State. The only question was, who.
"I'll go, I have the fitting authority. I'm the Senator of Earth and therefore it's highest diplomat."
"And also you're his ex-girlfriend. They will immediately imply bias. And I need you to gather support for us, Rei. For him. There certainly will be an investigation."
"Then I'll go, I'm the Head of Intelligence. It's only right as part of our own investigations."
"If someone's going, then it should be me. He's my wingman."
"Bias again. I'll go, I'm part of the military but not his immediate comrade."
"I am part of the military as well. And I could use my medical background."
"You're not even an officer yet."
"Girls." Mamoru tried to calm the Senshi down as a heated discussion began on who should go.
Finally Sailor Pluto, who had been quiet and unreadable the whole time, stood up and took the word, her voice loud and stern.
"I'll go!"
Heads turned to her.
"Sorry, I think I should go. I have met some of the Jedi as emissary before. And I'm the only one that is able to get to him, even if we won't be allowed to see him."
"Thats… a good idea. Sailor Pluto is a doctor and high-ranking officer." Mamoru agreed after a brief moment where the whole table had felt silent after Setsuna's outburst.
"I think so as well. So be it. I'll contact the Jedi."
Within one hour Sailor Pluto, or rather Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Setsuna Meiou, thank Chronos that Usagi had her disguise pen with her, was inside the Jedi Temple.
Master Kyp Durron personally received her at the main entrance.
"Lady Pluto, I wish we could meet for a more joyful occasion." The Jedi Master bowed down politely.
"I would have preferred so as well."
Setsuna replied with a bow as greeting in return. "Can I see him?" She asked afterwards.
After taking a glimpse at the austere look of her face, the Jedi Master decided that this really was not the time for small talk.
"If you'd follow me, I'll take you to him."
Setsuna nodded and fell in step behind the dark brown haired man, the first streaks of grey visible in his hair.
When they passed the large door into the temple the doctor removed her officer's hat, which was the same light grey as her uniform, from her head, her long emerald hair tied into a large bun on the back.
In silence they walked further into the temple, the mysterious women in the uniform of the Galactic Alliance's Forces Medical Corps drawing attention from the various Jedi inside the temple. Apart from a medical officer visiting the temple, the power she emitted sparked their interest. And they noticed that she was able to shield her emotions and thoughts from them.
After a few moments of silence she asked the Jedi, who also once had destroyed a whole System when under the control of the ancient Sith Exar Kun, a question.
"How is he?"
"He's asleep. Master Cilghal said that he's beyond exhaustions. He's also injured."
"Combat wounds?"
"She said the injuries stem from torture."
Durron could sense concern from the Senshi for the fracture of a second.
And unseen by him, for a millisecond Setsuna had stopped in her tracks before she immediately fell back in step behind the Jedi Master.
"Is he… did he fall to chaos?" She asked a moment, her voice having troubles to keep up his firmness.
"Both Master Cilghal and Grandmaster Skywalker probed him. They couldn't find anything telling that would tell that he succumbed to Chaos." Durron reported and Setsuna, who had been staring at him while waiting for the answer let out a big breather, hoping the Jedi wouldn't notice.
"He's still at his body's limits though and the healers said he will probably will be asleep for at least a few more hours. Only when he's awake we can tell for sure."
The rest of the way the Senshi and the Jedi Master spent quiet walking next to each other.
Several Jedi, among them Master Kam Solusar, stood guard around the infirmary.
In front of a door, four more Jedi at post around it, the Mon Calamari Cilghal already waited.
She and Setsuna greeted each other with a bow.
"Doctor Meiou."
"Master Cilghal."
The Mon Calamari led the Senshi and her fellow Jedi Master inside the patient room.
Inside, in the middle of the room, turned to his right side, lay a deeply sleeping SunTzu . Around the bed were various medical machines and he also had been attached to an IV.
Cilghal stopped a few meters in front of the bed and watched how Setsuna took a glance at her fellow Earthling.
"How's his condition?" Setsuna asked quietly and the Jedi Healer took a datapad from a nearby table and handed it to her.
"We found signs of torture, physically applied. Mostly electro shocks as it appears but there were different physical injuries done to him as well. Also there are signs of dehydration and physical exhaustion."
Setsuna looked up as she scrolled through SunTzu's medical data on the data pad.
"Any cardiac disrhytmia?"
"Negative. But we supplemented him with extra electrolytes and are monitoring him all the time. Also we did apply Bacta intravenous to help his organs heal, they showed symptoms of various stages of burns. Furthermore we applied Bacta to the external burns."
Setsuna handed the data pad back to Cilghal, took a look at the ECG and grabbed a pair of disposable medical gloves from box on a table and put them on. And then she walked around the bed and leaned over SunTzu's back.
"SunTzu also was tortured with lashing. We applied local anesthesia but I'd like to apply a special course of Bacta. He has to be awake for this though." Cilghal warned Setsuna and the emerald haired briefly looked at her and nodded. Gentle and soft she then pulled up his patient's gown shirt but paused immediately when she saw the thick and red striae.
Kyp observed Setsuna from a few meters afar, as she leaned over SunTzu to examine him and noticed something.
The twitch of her fingers. This wasn't because of the wounds, he knew she was a medical professional. It seemed rather like someone shocked to see a person exceptionally close to them being hurt in such a horrendous way.
Setsuna's lips twitched when she finally, with the most gentle of touches, to not hurt or wake SunTzu, began to inspect the wounds on his back. Over the millennia she had seen plenty of victims of the whip, SunTzu being on the worse half of them.
At least he was in care now, infections would have made the healing take way longer. Nonetheless he would need a proper Bacta cure or other means to treat the scars that definitely would stay behind otherwise.
Her gaze stopped at one of his older scars, she had seen it back at his medical checkup a few months ago. Back then he had told her, that he hadn't treated them as Bacta was too rare to be used on a guy like him. Her gaze fell on his head when she thought about that he probably would say the same this time.
Some things never change.
After examining the wounds caused by whipping, Setsuna next examined the burns on his extremities, caused by electricity as well as some of the larger bruises all over his face and body. When she finished she gently pulled his shirt back down and got up again.
The Guardian of Time took a last look at the Senshi's sleeping protector and than turned around to Cilghal and Kyp and nodded without saying a word. She was done here. At least until SunTzu would wake up and regarding from what she had seen, he definitely needed more time to recover. She probably would have put him in a Bacta Tank already, but she understood the Jedi's hesitation. The way the War was going wasting Bacta on a potential enemy wasn't logistically intelligent.
Kyp Durron accompanied Setsuna back out of the Temple.
He bid her goodbye and promised her to let the Inner Court of Crystal Tokyo know when SunTzu would wake up.
A repulsor cab brought her back to Rei's apartment.
The remaining Senshi, Venus and Jupiter had accompanied the Royal Couple to the Chief of State and Rei had gone to the Senate, had eagerly been waiting for her return.
Of course Hotaru was in front, the rest behind her, and even Ami seemed to be less of her usual objective persona today.
"How is he?" Hotaru asked, not even greeting her mother.
Setsuna let her gaze wonder over the five girls in front of her before she answered.
"Maybe we should sit down."
In the course of the next twenty minutes Setsuna told them all that she had learned, which apart form his medical status wasn't much. She also explained which dangers still were lingering around for his health.
Two hours later the Neo Queen and the King came back from their meeting with the Chief of State.
They had waited most of the time as the Chief of State had still been in the emergency meeting which had been scheduled immediately after the destruction of the Linta-System.
Leia Organa-Solo hadn't said much in the short time they spoke. Only that there definitely would be an investigation and that they had to wait until SunTzu would be awake again to be questioned.
It was late evening when SunTzu finally awoke again.
Cilghal had been the first to be there and before anything else questioned him about his condition.
In short sentences he answered her questions about his medical status. Right now his mental health felt even worse than his physical health but that was one thing he didn't tell. But he didn't need to, Cilghal knew anyways.
Nevertheless she immediately reported his waking to the High Council, after making sure he wasn't feeling anything she should urgently examine or treat.
Grandmaster Skywalker, Masters Durron, Sebatyne and the two Solusars had entered the room.
Luke Skywalker walked up to SunTzu's bed.
"SunTzu, how do you feel?"
"I've been better before, Grandmaster Skywalker."
Slowly the Jedi nodded, he could imagine that.
"Do you mind?" Luke asked then and SunTzu knew what he meant, so he shook his head.
Luke put a hand on SunTzu's temple and probed his mind and his connection to the Force.
After a moment Skywalker nodded again, he couldn't find any indication that SunTzu had fallen, neither to the Dark Side nor to Chaos. But the Jedi Grandmaster could sense a lot of guilt and sorrow in the man the Prophecy had deemed Personified War.
SunTzu had become this, the Essence of War, Destruction, Grandmaster Skywalker thought to himself.
Skywalker had sensed it, it had been SunTzu who was responsible for the destruction of the Linta System. But he also had sensed there was more to it, yet alone the signs of torture gave this away.
"Captain SunTzu, are you willing to tell us what happened at Linta?"
This time, after a few moments of hesitation, it was SunTzu who nodded slowly.
SunTzu told the assembled Jedi Masters everything that happened since the moment he had left Woostri until he had arrived at the steps of the Jedi Temple.
"So, yes. It was me who destroyed the Linta-System. And eradicated more than three million souls, including my girlfriend." SunTzu ended his account.
"But you were tortured and the inhabitants of Linta had been turned into mindless slaves to the enemy."
Kyp immediately chimed in, in defense of his former protégé. Durron had trained SunTzu and had acted as his mentor when SunTzu went to training almost a year ago.
"We have heard this from the Captain already as well, Master Durron." Luke Skywalker replied.
And then the Grandmaster turned around and all the Jedi except Cilghal followed him outside.
Cilghal told SunTzu about further medical procedures while the Jedi High Council came together to discuss SunTzu's narration.
As expected SunTzu told Cilghal to only apply emergency medication and leave the scars.
"I think I need a reminder of what I did." SunTzu said absently and then he looked Cilghal dead in the eyes. "Master, if you don't mind. I would like to be alone for a moment."
Cilghal nodded, SunTzu was under surveillance and there were Jedi on guard outside should some need to engage arise.
And she respected him also enough to grant him the wish, as he probably had to gather himself.
"I'll make sure your treatment will start soon." She said as she left the room.
And as soon as she told the other Jedi Healer what to do she went to the Council Chamber as well.
The Forces were still on high alert as the convoy of the Chief of State , a dozen vehicles, including armored repulsor vehicles and accompanied by an aerial escort, stopped in front of the Jedi Temple.
It was the middle of the night as the Chief of State, accompanied by her twin brother, left the temple again.
Both were silent and their goodbye consisted of just a few gestures, very uncommon between the two of them.
But the current situation was very serious, it had been twenty seven years since the last time a single individual had destroyed a star system.
As Leon, acting as head of protection of the Chief of State, opened the door of the governmental repulsor limousine for her, Leia turned around to Luke one more time.
"And remember Luke, no visitors except Jedi."
Luke bowed down again in a gesture of obedience.
As Leia was getting in she held in for a moment and looked at Leon.
"Tell your girlfriend to meet me in my office as soon as she can."
And then she vanished inside the luxurious repulsorcraft.
Ami had stayed at Rei's apartment and had occupied the guest room, while the rest of the Senshi moved to a nearby hotel.
It was early morning February twelfth when the blunette was awoken from her phone.
Within seconds she attended the call.
"Ada! Please tell me something pleasant."
It took a moment for the higher ranking GAIS member to answer.
"He's awake. The Jedi already talked with him. And the Chief of State is on her way back from meeting him."
"Did he do it?" Ami asked, her voice giving away her nervousness.
"She didn't tell me. She scheduled a meeting with me. But I think it would be a good idea if you get someone over to the temple and ask him yourself."
Thirty minutes later Rei and Ami were on their way to the hotel the other Senshi stayed while Setsuna was on her way to the Jedi Temple again. The oldest of the Senshi had immediately agreed to visit the temple again.
When Setsuna arrived at the temple again, the Guards let her back inside but she had to wait for someone to attend her. A few minutes later, Jedi Master Kyp Durron appeared and both greeted each other with a formal bow.
"Master Durron, thank you for receiving me at this late hour again."
"Lady Pluto. It's my pleasure."
"I am here under orders from Neo Queen Serenity to talk to SunTzu."
"I'm afraid that is not possible."
Pluto's eyebrows furrowed. "Pardon me, Master Durron. Why would that be?"
"Orders from the Grandmaster and the Chief of State. Nobody except the Chief of State or from outside the Jedi Temple is allowed to see him."
He couldn't meet her eyes, as if he wasn't too fond about it as well. "I am sorry, Lady Pluto."
"I… I don't understand. Why are we not allowed to see him?"
"Lady Pluto, I think it's better we talk inside. Over a cup of tea."
Setsuna nodded slowly, still trying to figure out what the Chief of State and Grandmaster Skywalker aimed to achieve with this, maybe Durron could provide more answers in private.
Wordless they marched to a small lounge and Durron motioned Setsuna to sit down. The tall woman took a look around, from here the entrance of the Temple's Library was visible. The Library of course was just a trickle compared to the Library of the old Jedi Temple but for a moment the one question if SunTzu had succumbed to the Dark was almost replaced with a spark of interest, as the Jedi's archives were one of the few things Setsuna hadn't had access to in her lifetime yet.
She was taken out of her thoughts by Kyp placing a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her.
"Here you go."
"Thank you Master."
Durron sat down and glanced at Setsuna who smelled at her tea and then took a small sip.
"I both know you're not here for smalltalk nor do we have much time." He declared, looking at her.
"You are right." She looked at him, her face made out of stone and then the Senshi of Time and Space came straight to the point. "Did he do it Master Durron?"
"Yes and no. I will tell you everything as he told me." He made a motion for her to wait for his explanation.
"His girl... former girlfriend, the Princess of Linta, was secretly a follower of Chaos, according to SunTzu she was also the lover of what she had called the Herald of Chaos." Setsuna's eyes widened at the mention of their main enemy.
"She had killed her parents and assembled a large fleet in the system, her plan was to turn the system in a huge shipyard to build an armada for Chaos's Forces. The people of Linta all had been turned into these black vessels the enemy used on it's attack against Coruscant a few months ago. These vessels were planned as working staff for the shipyard and as crews for the warships. The enemy in the Linta System also had access to superweapons. Resonance Torpedoes. I assume you know about my personal story."
Setsuna nodded slowly.
"The Force sometimes sure can be ironic." Kyp snorted absently before he continued.
"In the end, after being tortured for days, he used the Torpedoes the enemy had developed against them, obliterating the system and the enemy fleet. So, so to say, yes he did it." Durron took a deep breather. "Although not all my fellow Jedi would say so as well, but in my honest opinion he didn't do it in cold blood. He told that he wanted to save the Alliance. And Earth."
"But he did it?"
Kyp closed his eyes and nodded, not even the Jedi Master knowing how the Senshi meant this sentence.
"Why are we not allowed to see him? I speak for my Queen when I say she is not amused by neglecting our right to see the First Knight of Crystal Tokyo."
Kyp looked to the side and stared at the entrance to the library for a moment.
"I wish I could tell you why the Chief of State and the Grandmaster decided to prohibit visitors but unfortunately I can't, I dont know either."
Setsuna had her Ice Queen Face on as she stared at Kyp. "Can you at least tell me if he fell to Chaos?"
"From all what I sensed, heard and saw from him. No. He told he used a special version of a Force Ability called Similfuturus to kill his guards and the crew of the ship he was on. Similfuturus is the ability to duplicate one's copy as perfect illusion, a doppelgänger so to say. The Force Entity Abeloth was cutting his Force Connection but when he finally snapped after all the torture he endured, he turned the tables and draw energy from her. He not only created doppelgänger, those copies were able to physically harm his enemies. For this he draw energy both from the Light and the Dark, as he drew it from Abeloth herself. We have probed him various times. Neither did he succumb to the Dark Side nor to Chaos." Kyp paused for a moment and took a sip of tea before he continued. "He just did what was necessary to protect the Galaxy. Although the resorted to radical measures."
Setsuna took another sip of her tea as well.
Although the Jedi couldn't read her, she saw that at least a part of her began to ease down.
"There's something else Lady Pluto. In three days he will be relocated to a Galactic Alliance Military Prison near the Imperial Palace. A few more days afterwards a trial will be held. A number of factions will decide his fate. The accusation is Genocide. I think you know the punishment for it."
For the briefest of moments Kyp thought he saw fear flashing in her ruby eyes before she resorted back to her ice cold demeanor.
"I guess then I shall return to my Sovereign and discuss our further approach of this situation." She emptied her cup and gently put it back on the table. "The tea was excellent, thank you Master Durron."
Kyp got up as well. "I will accompany you outside, Lady Pluto."
Again wordlessly, they walked back to the entrance of the temple, where they said their goodbyes in form of a polite bow again.
"I wish I had better news." Kyp announced.
"He didn't fall." A pause. "This is at least something." Setsuna said and then turned around and began to walk down the stairs of the temple.
Back at the hotel another emergency meeting of the Inner Court followed.
While Setsuna had been on her way back, Ada had called Ami and had given her news after her brief meeting with the Chief of State.
The factions that would decide over SunTzu's faith were the Senate, as voice of the Galactic Sectors, the Jedi, the Military High Command and the Chief of State herself. It was a democratic decision and each of them had one vote.
Since SunTzu already had confessed that he used Resonance Torpedoes to destroy the Linta System the only decision that was in question was his death penalty or his acquittal.
After the news from Ami and Setsuna the mood in the group was abysmal.
Rei had excused herself for a cigarette and Haruka and Michiru had both followed her.
Hotaru had left as well, Chibiusa following her as she went to the hotel's landing platform where she informed AICA about the newest developments.
Chibiusa could have sworn that the mood from both AI and her best friend were on a same level all-time-low.
Two of Coruscant four moons were still visible when Neo Queen Serenity assembled her court again after a break, and after she had taken minutes just staring at those two moons.
Although it was only two and a half hours to the Sol System the young monarch felt more far from home than ever before.
But she had made her decisions.
When everyone was either sitting back at the table in the hotel room, this table way bigger than the one in Rei's apartment, or on holo, her gaze wandered through the tired faces of her close friends.
"We can't let him get executed." She began, her voice unsteady. And then she cleared her throat again, while her husband on her left took her hand in his to reassure her.
"He did it to save the Galaxy. The people of Linta unfortunately and irrevocably had been all turned into our enemies. He did what he had to do, these people were doomed before he even got to Linta." Neo Queen Serenity exchanged a glance with King Endymion before he rose to speak. Both spouses shared the same opinion.
"As you all know I dismissed his request at Rago harshly although one could argue it's basically the same thing here. But these people on Linta all had been turned into Daimons. Daimons the enemy used against us. I'm with Serenity here, we can't let him get executed."
"I think we all share this opinion. Or does anybody thinks different?" Minako replied and let her gaze wander over the assembled people and the holo images. Nobody, not even Setsuna or Artemis, although usually his harshest critics, disagreed.
Minako and Serenity shared a look and nodded at each other, before the Neo Queen took the word again.
"Good. Rei, I need you at the Senate. Do what you can. Turn in favors, use your status, whatever. We need as much support there as we can get."
"I'll do anything I can but I can tell you already that winning the whole Senate over will be almost impossible."
"I know, you'll still do your best."
The Queen's hand reached forward past Minako on her right and found Rei's hand, both squeezing the other's for reassurance for a second.
"Michiru, Haruka. You take the High Command. Make them understand that we cannot execute our War Heroes."
"I'll use all my charms. For him." Michiru answered and even Haruka had to nod.
"I'll head to the Imperial Remnant and talk with the Moffs directly. They have a big word in both the Fleet and the Senate. And then I'll travel further to win the Chiss as well." Mamoru declared and Usagi nodded thankfully.
"Me and AICA can fly you, your Majesty. It's way faster than the Shuttle." Hotaru suggested.
"Permitted. We will leave as soon as possible, Hotaru." Mamoru replied.
"Artemis, bring the Far Side over to Coruscant as soon as you can." Serenity then continued and nodded at the Admiral who was overwatching the repairs and modification of the Taskforce's ships on Bestine.
"Affirmative. I'll let you know, when we can leave. Be warned we might not be at full readiness though."
"Don't worry, we'll just need a place where we can be on our own and confer on our terms with our allies."
"I can schedule training for an extraction mission with all three commando teams immediately. We might have to reflect to drastic measures depending on the outcome of the trial." Makoto chimed in then and heads turned her way.
"No. We cannot go and get him out of there with force."
For a moment Makoto just looked at Usagi and then shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Acknowledged." Of course she and her soldiers would still train for a rescue mission, just not that obvious.
"Chibiusa, you will head back to Earth. Luna and Naru will act as your advisers before our return."
"Mina-Chan you stay by my side. I will talk with the Chief of State again. And I plan to do so publicly and with being seen."
Both blonde leaders exchanged glances with each other and nodded.
"Setsuna?"
The emerald haired jolted up, since ever she had come back from the temple she had been in deep thoughts, Serenity noticed. "Your Majesty?"
"You'll stay our emissary to the Jedi. Maybe we can still find a way to talk to SunTzu."
Setsuna nodded in acknowledgment.
"As you wish, your Majesty."
A last time Serenity let her gaze glide over her friends.
"Good, we all have our tasks. Let's get going."
It was the next evening and SunTzu was fit enough to get up again. Today only Master Cilghal had visited him, probed him and even tried to talk with him, try to see how his psychological condition was.
But he wasn't in a mood to talk about his being and so the Jedi Healer had left after a short exchange, kept short by SunTzu. Of course it was abysmal. The woman that he thought would help him to get finally fully back on his feet was a traitor to the Galaxy and had even tortured him. He had made millions of souls vanish, enemy or not. And he was pretty sure that his execution was already decided upon.
And there was more that was heavy on his mind, what would his friends think about him? What would Rei think about him? What would Hotaru think about him?
A knock on his door made him turn around from the wall he had been staring upon lost in thoughts for the best of the last hour.
He took a big breather, probably it was one of the healers trying to make him open up about his mental condition again. As if it would change anything. In a week or so he probably would be dead anyways. If he would have at least died in battle.
The door opened and his old mentor Kyp Durron walked in.
"Greetings, SunTzu."
"Master Durron." SunTzu nodded with a deadpan. "What can I do for you?"
"Kyp, I think after almost one year we can skip the formalities finally." The Jedi Master said with a smile.
"Kyp then. What brings you here?"
"Can I not visit my old protégé?"
"I'm sorry but I'm not exactly in a mood for conversation right now."
"I know. As you know I've been in a similar situation as you were. Although I killed the fully living, breathing and thinking inhabitants of a whole system, being under the influence of the spirit of an ancient Sith or not. Which makes you already less of a monster than I am."
SunTzu visibly thought about the words of Master Durron.
"Listen, there's two things I want to tell you. First of all, I still say that if someone, Jedi or not, is willing to participate in a war then he should do everything he can do to win this war. And second, there's no need to feel responsible for the death of people that already were dead."
SunTzu wanted to reply but Kyp cut him short.
"I am fully aware that most Jedi wouldn't talk like that, argue but there wrongness already, but keeping a soul forcefully away from joining the Force to use it for war is the crime, not releasing it from it's forceful bound. Think about these words."
SunTzu fell silent and Kyp could see that his former student needed time to process the words of his former master.
"It's getting late SunTzu and you're still not completely healed. You should get some rest."
SunTzu nodded slowly.
"You're probably right."
With a friendly bow both men said their goodbyes.
Kyp was already at the door of the room, when SunTzu spoke again.
"Kyp?"
The older man turned around again.
"Thank you."
With the hint of a smile Kyp nodded. "You're welcome , that's what friends are here for."
SunTzu spent most of the next day avoiding the Jedi Healer's approaches to talk with him. Sure, he and Cilghal were kind of friends but it wasn't like she was close to him. He wasn't in a mood to talk about his state of mind.
And he was doing better anyways, after thinking half of the night about Kyp's words. It was war after all, the people of Linta had all been dead or had joined the enemy. And Anniten would have killed everybody he loved without double-thinking. Nevertheless you don't destroy a whole solar system in a few minutes and make over three million sentient beings meet their maker.
But this seemed to be the essence of war, all-destroying and all-killing as it was. And he had become his embodiment to save his friends and the place he called home. Or rather had called home. Nonetheless it would always be the place he would protect. Just as he would always protect his friends of the Inner Circle of the Crystal Kingdom. A sting accompanied this thought, he wished he could have talk to one of them, but he knew he wasn't allowed. If they would talk to him ever after that was, he didn't had any idea what they knew. Hell, the whole Galaxy could have marked him as maniacal destroyer of star systems and he wouldn't even have known.
It was early night time in the Senate District when it knocked at his door and although his connection to the Force was still dulled after his outburst he could sense his visitor from the other side of the door.
"Grandmaster Skywalker, please come in." He told the man outside the door and the man in his late fifties entered the patient room, he was carrying a small black wooden box in both his hands.
"SunTzu, I hope you don't mind my late visit." The First of the new Jedi greeted the First Knight of Crystal Tokyo.
"As long you don't mind me being rather uncommunicative."
A faint smile appeared on Luke's face. "Reflecting your deeds. That's a good sign."
"I don't know about the general consensus about me but I'm not a bloodmongering maniac."
Luke put down the box on a table in the middle of the room, the black wood contrasting with the white of the table and the room overall.
"I guess you have been talking with Kyp about this situation." Skywalker said as he looked back up to SunTzu who was walking to the table.
"I have been."
"But back then things were different and although Master Durron thought he acted in best interest for the Galaxy, the influence of that Sith Lord clouded his mind." He stared into SunTzu's face. "While you actually broke the bond Abeloth had on you on your own."
"As I told. I wasn't acting in cold blood lust but in concern for my friends and the Galaxy."
"And still over three million souls vanished. And let's not forget the tens if not hundreds of thousand crew members on the enemy's ships."
"And the woman I was feeling for. Are you here to make me feel more regret Grandmaster? Make me feel even worse? Maybe so I would willingly agree to get executed for my actions as I should be too ashamed to live on."
"SunTzu, do you know how many people were on the First Death Star?"
SunTzu's face tilted slightly to the side, maybe Skywalker wasn't her to make him regret his actions.
"1.2 Million. And not all of them were Imperials. I'm not here to make you feel regret, as long as you don't fall to Chaos or the Dark Side, I'm not here to tell you what or how you have to feel. But I want you to know, that sometimes even the most drastic of measures can be forgiven. Especially in trying times."
Both men shared a long glance and then nodded to each other, SunTzu had understood.
If I somehow won't be getting executed, I have to work on my redemption. And the Force know I will.
"Oh, and why I'm also here. I think it's about time you construct your own light saber. Given that you already used Force Abilities worthy of a Jedi Master. Involuntarily or not."
Luke began to open the black box and gently laid out various colored gems, an elongated metallic piece in the colors of AICA's paint job and various smaller pieces of metal.
SunTzu took a look at the assembled parts.
"Master Skywalker, I'm sorry but I don't know if I am able to construct a light saber. I read the notices for construction in my training but it's been almost a year. And also my connection to the Force is still severely numbed down after my outburst."
Luke just smiled at SunTzu.
"You always marked me as a man of action and not of words. I guess I've been mistaken then. But maybe you would at least let me know which color you would have gone for."
The Grandmaster moved his open palms over the gems in various colors.
SunTzu took a good look at the six gems, their colors range being blue, green, orange, white, purple and yellow.
"This color. I'd go for purple." SunTzu finally pointed to the purple gem, making Luke grin.
"The color the sword of my wife has as well." Luke nodded in understanding, purple bladed lightsabers were somehow often associated with Force-users that redeemed themselves or have been walking on the edge of the Dark Side. Just as he had expected.
"Take it. Have a closer look." He urged SunTzu and after a shrug SunTzu grabbed the stone and took a good look at it.
And while he examined it, something happened. It was like the Crystal was calling to him, telling him to built a light saber.
Luke noticed SunTzu's surprised expression.
"What's the matter?"
"It's… it's like the stone is calling me to built a light saber around it. And the Force as well."
Luke nodded with a smile. "Maybe then you should do so."
For a moment SunTzu looked at the Jedi Grandmaster and thought about it. "I can try… but I'm not sure if I can."
"Have trust in the Force, SunTzu."
The German placed the stone on the table again and examined the hilt.
"As tradition it is pretty similar to Master Durron's but we decided to color yours in the same scheme your ship is."
SunTzu nodded in acknowledgment, as expected the decision to built a lightsaber had already been made on the Jedi's side.
He took a deep breather and tried to remember how a lightsaber was built before he assembled the parts after the point of time they would be used in the construction of the weapon.
Two enduring hours later, SunTzu, sweating from concentration and from using what little he could draw from the Force, was looking at his newly constructed, personal light saber.
The assembly had at some points been hard but somehow, and against his expectations, he had managed to put everything together.
And now it was the moment of truth, SunTzu would try out if the light saber would work.
He firmly took the hilt in two hands while he made sure Grandmaster Skywalker, who was behind him, and all pieces of furniture were out of range.
He breathed in deeply, concentrated in the Force, which only slowly was coming back to him, and then activated the lightsaber.
With the typical sound the blade awoke to life and purple light emerged from the hull, until it was more than one meter long.
SunTzu's first thought was that he was glad that the saber didn't explode, although he wasn't sure it would, and then he began to grin broadly and he turned his head around to the Jedi.
"It worked. It worked!
Luke replied with a smile and an acknowledging smile.
SunTzu made some moves with the saber, trying to get a feeling for the weapon.
This went on for a few minutes under the close supervision of Luke Skywalker, who also gave him some tips how to improve, before SunTzu finally turned off the blade. With a bow he handed the weapon over to the waiting Jedi Grandmaster who took it.
"Depending on how things will turn out, you might get the chance to use it again."
SunTzu's reply was just a nod. They would see how the Galaxy would decide about his faith.
While the Senshi and the Inner Circle, along with their friends and close allies tried their best to turn the outcome of the trial into SunTzu, and theirs, favor, the third day went by and by evening SunTzu, escorted by Jedi Master Durron and Cilghal as well as four other Jedi, was lead outside of the New Jedi Temple and brought to an armored repulsorcraft, accompanied by four armed speeders and a patrol craft. Fully armored CSF-Forces had swarmed out and a Major of the CSF took SunTzu over from the Jedi.
SunTzu took a deep breather and then looked back to Master Durron, both man nodded at each other, hoping to see each other again after the next week.
Two of the Jedi, the CSF Major and four CSF Troopers sat down with SunTzu in the back of the repulsorcraft and the small convoy left the temple for a prison, mainly used for high-priority and VIP prisoners near the Imperial Palace.
Five minutes later, it was getting dark on this part of Coruscant, on a nearby flat roof, two pairs of eyes were observing the incoming convoy.
"We'll stick to the plan. I'm going to distract them and you get him out of there. You'll probably need one of your attacks to blow up the hatch of that APC."
"Don't worry, I'll use Sea Serpent Strangle."
"Been a while since you used that one but I know you can pull it. Fine, we'll move out in thirty seconds, when that convoy is close by."
Suddenly the sound of heels landing on the dura concrete of the roof could be heard.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
The two lovers turned around and Haruka was the first one to speak. She glared at the other Senshi, standing opposite of her and Sailor Neptune.
"There won't be any better chance to free him until the trial."
"Which doesn't mean you should try to free him, Haruka."
"Listen, Ancient One, I'm not gonna stand back and watch how one of us will be punished for saving the Galaxy. If Hotaru would be here, she would say the same."
"And what do you think will the Neo Queen have to say about this? Do you have any idea how irreparable the damage to our reputation and standing will be? Something we all worked so hard for? Something that is as equally important as him?"
Haruka clenched her teeth in anger and looked away.
Michiru had observed Setsuna calmly, reading her body language and although the older Senshi had the Garnet Rod held up in front of her she sensed that the fourth Outer was far from ready to attack her two Outer Planetary Sisters. And although Michiru feared for SunTzu's life as well and would definitely had preferred to see him back at the Far Side with his friends, Sailor Pluto had more than a point.
"You know that our duty lies with the Crown and the Royal Family. Even if it means that we have to forsake…" Sailor Pluto continued.
"Don't… finish this sentence." Haruka crankily responded.
The blonde Senshi closed her eyes and took a deep breather before she opened them again.
"Fine. But if they will kill him I will never forgive you that."
That said she took off to a running start and jumped to the next roof, away from the street and towards the hotel the Royals and the Senshi were quartered in.
Sailor Pluto's gaze followed Sailor Uranus's departure.
"She's really afraid to loose him." The Senshi of Time stated without taking her glance off.
Sailor Neptune appeared next to her, also observing her girlfriend.
"Don't tell me you aren't." Michiru replied, making Setsuna glance at her for a moment before she wordlessly turned her eyes back to Haruka, who already was two roofs further.
"Let's get back to the Hotel."