The black A-Wing fell out of Hyperspace in between a Star Galleon and a medical frigate, right behind him was a fleet tender.
The ship's pilot immediately activated the ship's sensors, weapons and shields.
SunTzu didn't need the Info AICA's super computers projected on his head-up display, the large globe covered from the side by a crescent let him know immediately that the Star Galleon in front of his snub was one of the two that were part of Taskforce Sol.
Up ahead the GA's warships were engaged in a middle-sized space battles with two enemy flotillas, three Enforcer-Frigates with their TIE and I-7 Howlrunner complement on the one flank and two Munificent Frigates and their droid fighters on the other.
AICA's sensors also sensed two Yuuzhan Vong Ro'ik chuun m'arh frigate analogues on the other side of the planet, being engaged with a large Star Frigate or small Star Destroyer of the GA.
SunTzu immediately sped up and locked on a flight of four of the fast I-7 Howlrunners, which tried to sneak their way through the combat zone and engage the service ships in the back. AICA wasn't loaded with multi-lock-missiles but the new faster, rotating missile loading system he had procured would be sufficient.
A pair of anti-fighter concussion missiles of the newest generation shot out from AICA's frame and a few seconds later was followed by another pair.
Within a few moments the four Howlrunners had been turned to stardust as they weren't expecting such an attack from this angle.
A moment later SunTzu entered the line of friendly warships. The first ship in the back was a completely modified CR-90 Corvette, the frame greatly enlarged and built into a small assault carrier.
SunTzu let out a small whistle when his HUD told him the ID of the ship.
"Holy shit, AICA! They upgraded the Starstruck!" SunTzu let out in surprise as they shot past the ship and draw level with a MC30e Frigate, which was pumping out salvos after salvos of proton torpedoes, aimed at one of the Munificent Frigates.
A bunch of dark green A-Wings, regular ones, and therefore a little bit smaller than AICA, was seen around the Munificent, hunting down it's fighter droids.
AICA and SunTzu shot past the Mon Calamari ship and passed an old Carrack-Class that moved in to attack the Munificents as well.
Before them now lay three more Capital Ships, a MC-60 going one on one with one of the Enforcer Star Destroyers, a Dornean Gunship keeping smaller craft at bay and a familiar Gladiator-Class Star Destroyer. SunTzu was surprised to see the Gladiator use megamasers from where there used to be turbolaser batteries before.
Guess they decided to not only repair the Far Side.
The yellow colored maser bolts of the Star Destroyer hammered down onto one of the Enforcers, who already had lost it's shields.
Between the capital ships, older Imperial-Design fighters were targets of Z-95s, E-Wings and X-Wings.
On his way towards the enemy capital ships, rushing past the Far Side, SunTzu blew away a Heavy-TIE-Bomber with another missile before he began a dogfight with a pair of TIE-Interceptors.
A familiar voice came in over the headset in his pilot helmet, as he was playing a deadly game of tag with the two fast and agile TIEs.
"SunTz… Warlord. Didn't expect you at this party. Glad to have you around though."
The corner of SunTzu's mouth curled up after hearing Captain Santos. But he was missing one if not two certain starfighters around, especially after seeing Terra reaping death with their Headhunters on a squadron of TIE Bombers.
"Copy, happy to help. Captain, Interrogative. Where's the Voyager?"
"The Voyager is currently… wait one." For a moment the line was quiet before Artemis came back on.
"Warlord, the Senshi and the King are currently engaged on the planet. They just requested for danger close air support. We got Codes Merida and Dull Saber, all our craft are engaged in space. Can you…"
SunTzu cut the Captain off mid-sentence, the Queen herself was engaged in combat and in possibility to get overrun, he didn't need to hear more, they needed help asap.
"Copy Sol, Warlord going in."
"Thank you, SunTzu. We're patching you through to a JTAC next to the King on Usk Peth 1138."
SunTzu didn't even listen, while the Far Side sent over the data.
"Sorry guys, but we have to end our little game here." He said at the two Tie Interceptors.
A small yellow glow appeared for a millisecond on AICA's shields before SunTzu's hands flew over AICA's controls and joystick. With a swift move he got behind the first TIE and using the rotatable cannons of the advanced A-Wing, shot a laser salvo with pinpoint accuracy throng the Interceptor's cockpit.
Within another second AICA's front went up and SunTzu maneuvered her into a Cobra until the second TIE shot past him. He didn't even waited for the confirmation of the lock but shot a concussion missile and curved away before the missile had even hit the TIE and made it blow up in a bright explosion.
SunTzu put all he had into the engines and shot past the enemy capital ships towards the planet.
Four Howlrunners tried to follow him but had to jink away after two Z-95s opened fire on them.
"SunTzu, go and save the Queen and the Senshi, we keep them busy up here." The voice of Odegana came in as SunTzu entered the top layer of the planet's atmosphere.
"Terra, open up a path for Triton Squadron to attack the enemy capital ships." She ordered her squadron while SunTzu rocketed towards the planet.
Usk Peth 1138 was not a large planet. Or one of much significance. It was also the only inhabited planet in it's system of one sun and three planets. The system was located between Rago and Kril'Dor.
The small planet of Usk Peth 1138 contained a mostly temperate continent surrounded by a sea.
It wasn't a rich planet and only had one small spaceport, located at the planet's capital, which lay on the southern coast of the planet. Around five million people lived on the Usk Peth.
The planet actually had been inhabited by humans before it's discovery a few years ago, but these humans were on a state of technology comparable to Earth's 17th Century. And now the planet was still mostly looking like people from the 17th Century were inhabiting it, except the spaceport and a few blasters.
And a planet with such state of technology was in no way able to defend itself against the invasion it now got hit with.
Taskforce Sol had been tasked with escort and patrol duties for the hasty defense of the Wild Space after another huge enemy attack wave, when the planet sent an distress call to any station listening in.
Taskforce Sol, the service ships escorted by them and some ships from the Third Reserve Fleet were the ones that had answered the call.
The first to attack the system were ships of the rogue Yuuzhan Vong Domain of Shai, and since the only space defense of the planet was a lonely IPV it hadn't took long and the first transporters full of Chazrach Warriors and their Yuuzhan Vong superiors had been on their way to the planet's surface. And soon more waves of attackers had followed.
When the Taskforce had arrived, parts of it moved into position to attack the Vong ships, while the first transports left the Far Side and the other ships, bringing personnel and material to defend the planet down to it.
Needless to say, that one of the first ships, one of the Lambda-Shuttles and piloted by Captain Tanaka, contained the Sailor Senshi and King Endymion.
The brunt of the forces had been sent over to the south, to the capital and it's surroundings, helping the small local armed forces in it's defense. These forces were made up of most of the Commandos, Crystal Tokyo's new Master of Knights and several heavy armored platoons of regular troopers.
But the Senshi all had been inserted near a small town with maybe two thousand inhabitants. Located behind the settlement was a large lake, surrounding parts of the town.
Somehow a large enemy force was making it's way towards the town and attempts to stop them by a company of the local forces had been futile and the whole company had been wiped out by the onmarching Chazrach.
A group of military engineers and Inhabitants of the city had hastily dug out fortifications and had halfway finished their work when the enemy began their assault on the town and the engineers had abandoned their work to put up fighting positions in the way of the marching enemy army, only to be obliatered by sheer mass. Still some inhabitants of the town hadn't had the chance to evacuate yet, so the members of Sol had taken position in the makeshift fortifications and would try to hold the enemy off.
And now King Endymion, husband of the Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo, lay behind one of this fortifications, a small man-made berm on the left of the town, with the lake right behind them. Because the enemy Enforcer-Frigates had showed up, sending more reinforcements from space had been stalled and now they were with their backs against the wall against a huge army of blood-thirsty enemies.
To Endymion's left was his wife, now in her Eternal Sailor Moon form, with her Inner Senshi to her left, Minako being the one next to her. To his right was a Royal Guard, having a large backpack-based radio on him, used for the communication with the starships in space.
The Inners had lured the enemy to the left side of the city but even with their powers they had to fall back to this last position, the flood of the short, stocky reptilians with snubbed snouts that the Chazrach were just hadn't stopped and had almost overwhelmed them.
On the opposite bank of the lake a mortar battery from Sol had taken position.
The mortars already had shot all their regular ammunition onto the advancing enemy and the only thing that they had left now as the enemy began the attack on the city had been smoke rounds which they still had used and now a dense white fog billowed over the battlefield of town and fortifications, giving the whole scenery a ghastly appearance. The Chazrach, as slave species of the Yuuzhan Vong, used biotechnical weapons just as their master race, and so, when the local troops and armed civilians in the outskirts of the town, some of them armed with what could be described as muskets, had been wiped out an eerie silence had fallen over the area.
Because of the smoke rounds, Endymion and the Senshi were only able to see a few dozen meters, except for Sailor Mercury, who was using her googles and could make out another huge amount of enemy troops slowly moving forward towards their cover. The Senshi were already exhausted and things were looking dire, they just had repelled another wave of at least one hundred enemies, when Endymion told the radio operator next to him to immediately ask for reinforcements, stating both the code for being in danger of overrun, as they couldn't back up anymore, and the one saying that the Queen was in combat.
The radio message had just been sent out when Sailor Mercury, on the far left, next to Sailor Jupiter, who in turn was next to Sailor Mars, turned to her right.
"They're coming, at least a hundred again. Slowly marching here from the front." She let the others know with an arid look on her face.
The Senshi had not time to properly catch their breath, and even if they had, a hundred or more were just too much for five Senshi, Endymion and a Royal Guard with his last magazine in his assault rifle.
All eyes were on the Royal Couple, when suddenly the Guardist with the radio turned to Endymion, he had been on the radio all the time, trying desperately to get help.
"Your Majesty, there's a single pilot on the line, he says he's on the way and that he wants to talk to you directly. His callsign is Warlord."
Immediately almost all gazes turned exclusively to the King, except for one. She had already sensed him but she had not believed in his presence until now.
King Endymion took the hand remote speaker from the young Corporal.
"SunTzu, is that you?"
"Solid copy on that, my king. We have your location and will be there in a few seconds. I'm approaching from the East, over a lake. Keep your heads down."
In the distance the distinct rumbling of the engines of a certain black A-Wing became audible, it was closing in fast. Because it was cloudy and the low-hanging clouds they couldn't see the starfighter yet.
Apparently the Earthlings hadn't been the only one that heard the ship though, as the Chazrach now stopped marching but instead began to ran, Sailor Mercury noticed with clenched teeths through her googles.
The noise of the enemy attack wave was audible by now.
"SunTzu, you better hurry, we got a lot of mean, large Reptilians running towards us." Endymion let SunTzu knew over the radio.
In AICA, SunTzu grabbed a few magazines from a compartment and his HK Rifle and made it ready to shoot with one hand, while he used the other to steer AICA, as fast as she could fly in atmosphere, towards his friends.
When they shot past over the friendly mortar position, he opened his seatbelt.
"We swoop in and hit them with everything they have."
"Get down!" Sailor Moon and Endymion both yelled out at the same time as the first Chazrach stormed through the cloud of smoke.
AICA's noise was ear-splitting loud as she came in with velocity a more than three times faster than the speed of sound.
And then it suddenly fell silent as the first enemies raised their weapons, simple spears and axes, the blades looking like they've been made from coral and stormed towards the fortification where the Senshi and the two men laid in cover.
It was like time had slowed down when the first enemy warrior, a huge two meter high, broad-shouldered and muscular, green-scaled monster baring his sharp fangs, just had prepared to leap over the berm and something glowing red hit him hard from above and launched him back, large parts of the middle of his body blackened now.
AICA dropped from the sky, only hovering on her repulsors, maybe a meter above the berm and began to blast out with everything she had. At the same time, her canopy opened and SunTzu shot up, rifle raised and immediately starting to shoot as well.
After taking out the enemies at the front AICA began to sweep from left to right with her lasers and her blaster while SunTzu sweeped from right to left. He emptied two magazines in full auto as AICA spat red fire into the thick white smoke in front of them.
White smoke was now emitting from the barrel of his rifle while he dropped the empty magazine into the cockpit.
After a deep breather, that had been really last-minute, he swiftly took off his pilot helmet and grabbed his plate carrier and threw it on in a fluid motion. He jumped out the cockpit, right into the berm and then dropped in between Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon.
All gazes were on him and he looked to his left, past Sailor Venus, to give Sailor Mars a wink before he turned around again.
For a moment Rei's mouth stood open, what an entrance that had been. And Yomi, she had forgotten how hot he was in his flight suit.
For weeks he's gone completely missing from the face of the Galaxy and then he appears again as the white knight saving the princesses and looking like a snack. Top Gun, you smug motherfucker!
Meanwhile AICA had lifted off again, she would now attack the rear of the enemy's army.
SunTzu had turned to his Queen.
"Your Majesty." He greeted her with a small nod. Next to her Endymion was busy on the radio getting more reinforcements in under his direct orders.
"I see you answered the call, Lancelot." She let out with a strained look on her face.
"As vowed and promised. The Captain told me all Senshi are here, where's the Princess and the Outers?"
"Chibi-Moon and Saturn are safe on the other side of the Lake."
"And the Outers?"
Neo-Queen Serenity took a look at the part of the fog of war which covered the town before she answered. Through the smoke the sound of angered and charging Chazrach was to be heard. "They're inside the town."
"That's... not a good place to be right now."
"No. It's not." Sailor Moon replied to SunTzu's comment.
SunTzu took a quick look to where Serenity had gazed before he turned around to his back, leaning against the berm and pulled out a new magazine, which he slammed into his compact assault rifle, before he cocked the gun.
"Guess I'm gonna do some dumb stuff then. Maybe you guys could give me some cover from here while I go search for the Outers, tho you all seem pretty exhausted."
That said he got up, jumped over the berm and raised his rifle, ready to shoot whatever came through the fog.
For a second Sailor Moon's gaze followed him before she turned to her Senshi.
"Ladies, you heard the man! We cover him while he tries to catch up with the others."
Nods and confirmations followed, as the Inner Senshi got ready.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" King Endymion fell in as well, firing his attack.
The attacks hurled forward, past SunTzu and hit powerful somewhere into the thick white mist of the battlefield.
A moment later SunTzu had vanished into the smoke.
Weapon at the ready SunTzu walked through the smoke, as carefully as it was possible without loosing too much speed. In between the impact points of the mortar rounds some patches free of smoke were located and SunTzu just had reached one. Nonetheless his view was less than two meters. And he could hear them incoming.
A second later the first Chazrach came running trough the smoke and hurled himself at SunTzu.
SunTzu let out a salvo killed the reptilian. From his side another Chazrach ran towards him only to be gunned down as well. A third from, the the front again. A fourth, a fifth and a sixth. Good thing these creatures were senseable in the Force, SunTzu thought as he had to switch from his empty rifle to his pistol and killed eight and nine.
Ten to twelve came in cumulated and as his guns were empty SunTzu had to switch to his light saber as fastert option than reloading. Three seconds later all the creatures laid, some with limbs missing, on the floor.
SunTzu decided to get moving again before he got overrun and began to move again. Running towards the city he vanished in the smoke again.
But only for a few meters before his face crashed into something very, very hard. Or rather something crashed very, very hard into this face. He fell to his back and lost his light saber, which deactivated.
He was dazed from the impact and needed a moment.
In this moment a very pale, very huge and very muscular Yuuzhan Vong, in an almost black armor with lots of spikes around it, stepped forward and towered over him. A lipless mouth was devilishly smiling at him as the Yuuzhan Vong officer pulled out his coufee dagger to finish the human he just had knocked down with his fist.
The Vong put two hands around the knife and raised it over his head. SunTzu still was too stunned from the punch but even in this state he understood that this was it, he was done for.
And then suddenly everything above the Outergalactical Warrior's chest bursted into flames and burned the Vong down to his bones.
The Yuuzhan Vong fell backwards still smoking from his charred upper body and a pair of shoes appeared next to SunTzu's face.
Red high heels, trailing up into a pair of long, incredibly shapely legs. Legs he used to slowly kiss up all the way to where they ended.
Sailor Mars. Galactic Senator Rei Hino. Piece of Art, Goddess of War and former Fire of his Loins. Guess you're not that much of a piece of shit you always think you are, when even your Ex-Girlfriend saves your life.
He shook his head to clear it and looked into Rei's face. The Senshi of Fire shot him a complacent wink.
"Guess we're even now." She commented his rescue through her and extended an arm to him.
SunTzu took it and got up.
For a moment they stood close in front of each other, looking into each other's eyes, and then both blushed and looked away. Only to be surprised by a Chazrach that ran trough the smoke towards them, followed by another one.
While Rei hit one with a Fire Soul, SunTzu used the Force to retrieve his light saber back into his hand and ignited it.
A third Chazrach, armed with a club came running in, only to get another ball of Fire into his face, while SunTzu cut the second Reptilian down.
Sounds of more incoming enemies came in and both ex-lovers got ready again, SunTzu getting into a sword fighting stance and Rei producing another Fire Soul in her hand, letting it hover over her palm until suddenly the buzzing sound of electricity was to be heard and it got quiet again.
"Me and Sailor Jupiter decided to defend from the front and use the smoke as cover after you thinned them out." Sailor Mars stated as SunTzu glanced over to her.
"Sailor Mars doesn't…"
"…run away from a fight. Yeah."
Rei shot him a glance as well and both smiled. "You should get going TopGun, we keep them busy here until reinforcements arrive."
SunTzu nodded to her.
"You guys take care."
"Dito. Find the Outers."
That said she jumped away towards where the sound of Jupiter's attack had been coming from.
SunTzu shot her a last glance, his eyes on her legs.
I might have fallen for Setsuna now but damn, those legs are still a sight to behold…
A second later he snapped out of it and began to run towards the town again. Behind him he could hear Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter cast attacks.
While running SunTzu deactivated his sword quickly and reloaded his weapons.
Just in time to stumble over a Chazrach. Two shots into the dark brown reptilian's face later SunTzu run past the falling corpse and a few seconds later he was able to make out the first outlines of the town through the smoke.
As the smoke began to clear up around him he entered the town and noticed that the entrance was guarded by a group of Chazrach.
He immediately gunned down two of them armed with ranged weapons while the other five of them began to charge at him, only to be stopped by gunfire as well. He moved on, reloading his rifle, grimacing as he loaded his second last magazine for the 416C.
He moved through the first rows of houses, old fashioned, pitched roofs, some of them build out of bricks. The pilot snorted, these could have been the historic center of a Middle European Town as well.
Suddenly the Force warned him of incoming danger and he brought his rifle up.
Drawn by his gunfire another group of Chazrach, lead by a Yuuzhan Vong, was storming towards him, out of a side alley close by, yelling out war cries.
SunTzu aimed his rifle and shot the first three attackers, the third corpse sliding up to his feet before he had to draw his light saber.
He cut down a Chazrach armed with a coral axe and then parried another attacker who had a large knife in his hands.
Three more Chazrach closed in while the Yuuzhan Vong shouted orders and readied his amphistaff.
SunTzu kicked the attacker with the knife into his middle section, the Force-powered kick making some room for him to take a step back and ready his defenses while the four Chazrach and the Vong took a moment to line up, to start a combined attack. This would be a though one.
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
The two spheres combined into one bright shining globe of light and crashed into the enemy group, exploding on impact and ripping the warriors into pieces while Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus observed from the roof of the building, on the left side of the alley, they were standing on.
SunTzu took a deep breather while the two Senshi jumped from the roof and landed behind him.
"I had this."
"Sure you did."
After Haruka's reply, she was apparently panting, he turned around and as soon as he faced the couple they all fell into a hug, the two women on each of an arm.
"Didn't expect you cunt to show up here." Haruka told when they finished the hug after a moment.
SunTzu shot her a smirk. "I was told my wards needed help."
The blonde tomboy grinned back. Suddenly a fist hit SunTzu's shoulder from the other side.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Michiru looked at him with a pout.
"That was for leaving my Birthday Concert early." And then her facial expression turned into a disarming smile.
"You know I'd just would've drunk French 75s with Haruka afterwards until we both would have fallen asleep at the bar if I would have stayed. I don't know if this would have made your birthday evening so I decided to dip."
With a smile Michiru shook her head. While she did SunTzu noticed that both of them showed signs of exhaustion. Strained locks of Michiru's teal hair standing off, sweat on Haruka's face.
"Anyways, you guys should get back to the others, more reinforcements for a proper counter offensive are coming." SunTzu pulled his rifle sling over his head and then offered his weapon to Haruka and with a quiet nod she took it. Using the rifle she didn't need to rely on her and Michiru's exhausted powers.
Haruka quickly checked the magazine and then draw the last spare magazine from SunTzu's plate carrier.
Michiru, having covered the scene while Haruka took the gun, turned to SunTzu again.
"Find Pluto. She's been heading to the other side of the town."
That said she and Haruka left and a white glove briefly touched his shoulder before they were gone and SunTzu moved on as well.
Pistol in one hand and ignited light saber in the other he crossed the settlement, some smoke clouds still wafting through it, giving it just a mysterious and somewhat creepy atmosphere as the fortifications he had passed.
"If Silent Hill played in the fucking Age of Discovery." SunTzu told to himself, reaching out with the Force but not sensing anything.
From time to time he could hear AICA in the sky, her laser fire, shots and explosions from outside the city but inside it was eerily quiet.
Pluto will be alright, right? I mean she's a Demi-Goddess…
He crossed the town square and decided to head for the fortifications on the right over a paved road, outgoing from the main town road and a few meters in after he sensed beings.
And not only a few.
One of the auras of them was familiar and his heart jumped when he felt it. Sailor Pluto.
SunTzu began to run towards her, there must have been dozens of Chazrach around her.
Within seconds he had closed up to a huge mob of Chazrach that were apparently trying to attack something, or someone, right next to the end of the settlement.
SunTzu deactivated his sword and brought his pistol up.
Force flowing through him he began to aim and every pull of the trigger put down a Chazrach with a point blank headshot.
After the first three had been hit within eyeblink between each other, the reptilians turned around.
Within a few seconds 17 dead Chazrach lay on the floor and with a quick movement he holstered the pistol and draw his light saber again.
SunTzu activated the purple blade and immediately swung it to cut down the line of enemies and push through them.
And then he behold her.
He was facing her back and another eight dead Chazrach already lay dead to her feet, their skulls crushed in, not to mention the remains of uncountable numbers of their comrades which got hit by energy attacks.
With a sickening sound the Garnet Rod crushed head number nine in as SunTzu made his way to her.
Sailor Pluto and her weapon swung around and the Garnet Rod stopped a few centimeters away from SunTzu's forehead.
For a second she froze and SunTzu saw genuine surprise in her face. He immediately noticed that she was sweating as well, she must have been exhausted also. But he also noticed that she seemed to be completely unharmed, superior warrior through and through.
And then suddenly energy began to collect itself around the Garnet Orb on top of her weapon.
"Dead Scream." She whispered and a ball of energy shot closely past SunTzu and made large parts of the upper body of a Chazrach vanish into a purple explosion.
Now the reptilians came pouring in from all sides again and Setsuna grabbed SunTzu's hand and pulled him closer to her while she turned around, so now the Senshi and the Force-Wielder were back to back.
"Remember our training?"
SunTzu nodded, how could he have forgotten he thought, while he still could feel her hand next to his, somehow making him more nervous than the inevitable and deadly fight that would happen any moment now.
"I do."
And then the enemy stormed towards them, armed with coufees, knifes, axes and clubs. Still back to back the two Guardians parried and swung back with their weapons, keeping close together. After the first four attackers they had found their trained rhythm again and what happened now looked like a choreography, albeit a deadly one. Their motions became fluent with the movement of the other, one blocked a blow, the other delivered the counter.
Setsuna rolled over SunTzu's back and lashed out at two enemies at once, while SunTzu stabbed an enemy that had swung his club right to where Sailor Pluto just had been. The Pilot drove the purple blade right between the reptilian's eyes while Setsuna finished her two opponents. And then she pulled her arms around him and used him to swing around, kicking another foe into the face with her heeled boots.
While the two Guardians fought for their survival SunTzu still couldn't help but to notice how close they were next to each other.
He could smell her scent, traces of her perfume, feel her breath when her face was next to his. And if that wasn't enough there was her touch when she used him to built momentum in their deadly dance, firm and gentle at the same time.
His heart was beating like a drum and not only because of the exhausting fight.
SunTzu ducked again and Sailor Pluto rolled over his back another time, kicking a Chazrach in the face as she jumped off and from his lowered position SunTzu darted forward with his blade and stabbed another Chazrach in the chest.
Setsuna finished the Chazrach she just had knocked to the floor with her kick with breaking his neck, the tattered Chazrach's head between her boots while she twisted them with force, sparking a loud cracking noise.
And as she took a step backward and SunTzu pulled out his blade out of his adversary they noticed they had killed all of the enemies around them.
Like they still were drawn to each other both took another step back until they were back to back again and SunTzu could feel that Setsuna leaned her head back, letting it rest on the nape of his neck.
He could hear her trying to catch her breath and felt her fingers close to his again.
"I'm getting too old for this." She panted out and both began to laugh. Every move of her as she tried to catch her breath now sent spikes of endorphins through his body.
"Why did you split up with the others?" SunTzu asked after a moment, after deactivating his sword, it seemed the coast was clear here.
He felt how she stiffened up and he immediately understood why.
"Hotaru." SunTzu let out in shocked surprise.
"And Chibiusa."
"But aren't they supposed to be on the other side of that lake?"
"They were but I could sense them and I catched a glimpse of them leading out a group of townsfolk chased by this group of opponents." She explained, still breathing heavily. "We have to get to them." She deemed out with a strained voice.
For a moment SunTzu draw in breath and concentrated into the Force, new energy flowing into him while he also searched for the two Senshi. He found them quickly because of their auras. "I'll go, you catch back up with the others."
She was about to protest but she knew he was right, she had been exhausted before, but now she fully could feel the effects of being strained.
"Fine." She finally agreed after a second.
"Might want to take the upper way back, just in case there's still angry lizard people in the town. Can you make it up or you need help?"
"I'm good." She replied and for the briefest of moments he could feel her fingers around his wrist. "Get them back."
And then he heard her taking off with a jump and as he turned around she was already in the air, jumping up to the nearest roof, using the Garnet Rod for extra stability while landing. He could see she needed a moment after the landing but then she turned around and glanced down to him.
Their gazes met and SunTzu nodded.
Knowing that she was completely exhausted but still looking all the grace and beauty while she stood up there straight and majestic, SunTzu couldn't help but to marvel at her for the blink of a second.
She truly is a goddess…
And then, knowing she would get angry if he wouldn't haul ass now he turned around and jogged out of the city, reloading his pistol with the last magazine.
It didn't took long after crossing into the fortifications on this side of the town, here almost no smoke was billowing around, until he could hear them.
Gunfire from a fast shooting sub machine gun, people screaming, war cries of Chazrach. And he also noticed that the hadn't heard AICA's engine since quite some time, maybe she had been needed in space. Or back with the Inners, but he was too busy to check on her right now.
SunTzu jumped over a foxhole and broke through the smoke, and then he recognized them a hundred or so meters away.
He saw the long-pink-haired silhouette of Sailor Chibi Moon hurrying up a train of people, among them elderly and children, to hurry through the trenches and over the berms. A few meters away, covering them, was Sailor Saturn. SunZu only saw her back, her hair had grown down to the middle of her back by now. That girl's hair growth sure made others jealous. He spotted that she was wearing something over her Fuku, probably a chest rig or plate carrier and her Kriss Vektor hung from her side on a sling.
SunTzu closed up to Chibi Moon and for a change she wasn't surprised to see him.
"Princess." He greeted her, while he quickly assessed the amount of civilian she was herding.
"I'll lead these people into safety, help Sailor Saturn to cover us." The teenage princess ordered him in an authoritative and adult way he hadn't expected from her and SunTzu immediately headed out. It seemed the Princess was on a good way becoming what she had to become sooner or later.
Hotaru was standing on top of a berm and was engaging enemies down the other side of it with her Silence Glaive when SunTzu arrived next to her, his light saber drawn and ignited.
He sensed four more active enemies down the berm and one on the brink of dying.
SunTzu jumped past her, blade held backwards over his head.
"Counter-attack?", was all the pilot asked his former protégé before he slashed forward and split most parts of the upper body of a Chazrach into half.
"I thought you'd never ask." The Senshi of Death and Rebirth answered with a wry smile and followed her former trainer into combat down the berm.
Within a few seconds the two pilots had finished the enemies down the berm. SunTzu took a look around the dead enemies when Saturn nudged him in the ribs.
He glanced over to her and her motioned to the front.
SunTzu looked up and his face got grim.
At least a whole platoon of Chazrach including a Yuuzhan Vong leading them, were heading their way, or rather towards the fleeing civilians.
SunTzu deactivated his light saber and put it back on his belt, before he pulled out his Glock.
"Last mag." He stated while the enemy horde began to run towards them as fast as they could.
Sailor Saturn brought up her Vektor Submachinegun. "Same."
"Make it count then", her former superior told her and she began to smile while she switched the fire selector of her gun from full auto to it's two-shot-salvo-mode.
"Tally ho." The teenager replied dryly and trained her weapon on the closest enemy, maybe thirty meters away by now.
"After you, Firefly." SunTzu commented and a second later the first two bullets left Saturn's gun, finding their target precisely in the forehead of a Chazrach.
SunTzu aimed his pistol as well and the next Chazrach fell down with an expanding bullet penetrating his skull.
The gunfire drove the Chazrach and their Vong Master only more into a frenzy and they rushed on as fast as they could, weapons ready to strike towards the two humans.
But the two Guardians did make every bullet count and when their guns had been shot empty in less than a minute, more than half of the enemy laid dead on the ground.
Unfortunately, there were still more than enough of the attackers left and with a swift and elegant move Sailor Saturn pulled her Silence Glaive out of it's holding on the back of the compact chest rig she was wearing and within the same fluent motion she incapacitated a reptilian.
In the same moment and in one swift movement as well, SunTzu holstered his pistol and draw his light saber, cutting the weapon hand of a Chazrach clean off behind it's wrist and drove the blade further up into the lower side of his face.
"You know we really could use AICA right now."
"Well about that..." Sailor Saturn replied, while she cut down the next enemy.
"Hotaru?" SunTzu asked for more information, a tone of irritation in his voice, as this hadn't sound good at all.
"She's grounded! Later, let's finish up here first!" She came back, smacking one enemy behind her in the head with the lower end of the Silence Glaive and then cutting up the throat of another one in with the weapon's blade in front.
SunTzu rolled his eyes while he dodged an enemy attack.
We really have to work on that growing attitude of her… wait, what?!
SunTzu finished off the enemy and launched forward swinging, making some room with cutting down two Chazrach.
He had time to turn around and take a look at his former protégé. And he froze.
Sailor Saturn was completely in her element, while he had cut through three enemy she had cut down through five. She was rolling, dodging, blocking, stabbing, punching, kicking and slashing. She was slaying down the Chazrach with incredible speed and agility.
Little Miss Reaper, Fairy of Death.
SunTzu casually drove his blade into a brown colored, smaller-built Chazrach's chest while he watched on, he definitely could see that Hotaru and her mother shared similarities in their fighting style. But Hotaru could have been an even better fighter as Setsuna, just in the art and effectivity of the way she cut down the enemy.
The Yuuzhan Vong Officer with his partially ripped away lips took an obscene smile as he began to encircle Hotaru, finally he had found a worthy opponent and he thanked the Yun-Yammka for it.
SunTzu saw him approaching the Outer Senshi and the to pilot took off to rush over, fearing that the huge warrior might be a bit too much to take on for Hotaru. Ducking low he passed a Chazrach and slashed his blade through the alien's upper body while doing so.
But the Vong wasn't any match for the Senshi of Death and Rebirth. Kicking into the Chazrach's body which she just had stabbed the Glaive's blade into to free her weapon, she began to spiral and swung the blade around in an wide arc.
The Vong's lower jaw was still down in surprise when the Silence Glaive cut straight through everything above it.
With an thunk the upper half landed on the ground before the body followed.
Hotaru didn't pause and immediately attacked the next opponents in range.
By the time SunTzu got to her, having cut down two more enemies in the process as well, Hotaru was already standing still, scanning the surroundings, Glaive held up straight and firm in her right hand, around her the slain corpses of her enemies.
Sailor Saturn and SunTzu had defeated all the attackers.
"Looks like we did it. Phew… that sure was something."
Hotaru didn't answer, but she glanced at him for a second. SunTzu could have sworn to have seen a small purple glow in her eyes before she turned around and got into her standing guard posture again.
Just like back when I just had joined the Taskforce…
The question how many times she had fought against odds like that before shot into SunTzu's mind and left a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked away for a moment and noticed the people from the town and Chibiusa far away, running along the bank of the lake.
He closed his eyes and took a breather before he looked back to the still quietly guard-standing Hotaru. To break the silence he asked her something.
"Firefly, you said, AICA is grounded. What did you mean?"
The mention of AICA made her turn around again but just as she was about to answer, the sound of fast moving snubs came in and K-Wing Assault Starfighters, escorted by the Z-95 of Terra Squadron rushed over them and both Guardians turned to look up to them.
In some distance behind the starfighters a Lambda-Shuttle followed, heading towards the other side of the town.
Around thirty minutes later SunTzu was back at the fortified field on the other side of the town. All the smoke had cleared by now and the field was fully visible, including where the Senshi and SunTzu had felled the attackers.
After the reinforcements had come in, Hotaru had told him why AICA was grounded and now he was standing on top of his ship's frame and examined the whole mess.
A large arrow from a ballista-like weapon had hit AICA right in the port engine stabilizers and got stuck. Flying any maneuvers was out of the question now, too high was the risk of not being able to properly steer the A-Wing anymore, as it would cause problems with the exhaust and the danger of aerodynamic failures.
SunTzu took another look at that dreaded arrow made out of a coral-like tip and wood similar to bamboo and shook his head. A million dollar hit. Because the arrow had already been beginning to loose velocity again, it had been able to bypass AICA's shields although it still had been heavy enough to got stuck.
And now both were grounded as SunTzu couldn't leave the planet without his starfighter.
AICA had partially shut down, to use all her competency for damage assessment and running check-ups, so SunTzu was pretty much alone as he kneeled between her fins and took another look. Not that around him the field bustled with activity.
More and more troops had been brought in, right around the position of the Royals.
In the distance Hotaru silently stood guard again, again as she used to do after battles, when SunTzu first met her. He didn't had any idea where the other Senshi were.
"Is she okay?"
SunTzu, his pilot suit pulled down and revealing his t-shirt, stood up and turned around, surprised that Sailor Mars would seek them out.
"She took an arrow to her engine. And that fucked up thing is stuck in there."
"Serious?" Rei asked, her honest concern audible.
"It's not that much of work to get it out, but It needs someone knowing what he's doing to get her fixed and before that we can't safely fly." SunTzu explained and earned a sympathetic nod from Rei. She knew how much he hated not being able to fly and his habit to stay mobile probably made things worse for him.
While a gloomy looking SunTzu took off his pilot gloves, he had donned them to see if he could at least dislodge that damn arrow, Rei pulled a small etui from behind her bow and opened it. She opened it and offered a cigarette to SunTzu.
"Want a smoke?"
SunTzu looked up and a small grin on his face began to show.
"That's kind but I'm trying to smoke less. Have to get back to my old form." He declined politely and it earned him a surprised but acknowledging look from his former girlfriend.
Rei took a cigarette herself, stored the etui again and then lighted the cigarette with a flame coming from her finger.
She took a draw and exhaled into the air before she looked back to SunTzu.
"What are you going to do now?"
SunTzu looked around for a second and then shrugged.
"Guess I'm grounded as well. I was thinking to talk to Karlena if she and her gang can fix AICA. Would mean she's in good hands at least."
Rei took another draw of her cigarette, using the time to prepare herself for what she was about to say.
"Maybe it's the Universe's way to tell you that you should stay around… at least around Karlena."
Before the dazzled SunTzu could answer the sound of two incoming Lartys in the sky coming in made both look up.
"That's the last flight from the capitol. Yuichiro's on board." Rei told SunTzu and then looked back at him. "Guess I should receive him."
SunTzu nodded at her with the hint of a smile and she shot him a brief smile back.
As she began to walk away, SunTzu turned back to AICA's tail.
"Oh and TopGun." Rei had turned around and looked at him again and SunTzu also turned to her again. "You should really think about sticking around again. If only for AICA's sake." She motioned with her head to think about it.
SunTzu's facial expression told her that it and it took a moment before he answered.
"I'll think about it."
"Do so. I mean, it's me telling you." She told him, putting meaning behind it.
"I'll do Rei, I really will."
Rei nodded approvingly, although she wasn't completely convinced that SunTzu would really do so and then she walked away.
SunTzu's gaze followed Sailor Mars as she headed towards the spot where the two LAAT/is just had landed.
"You two seem to get along with each other again."
SunTzu turned around and looked the person that just had spoken.
"Your Majesty." SunTzu greeted the Royal with a small bow and he noticed that Sailor Pluto was two steps behind her King. "We do."
The pilot's eyes glanced over to Setsuna, she wasn't looking at him, just stoically looking to the front, as if she was concentrating on something.
"I heard AICA has been damaged." The voice of Endymion interrupted his thoughts.
"Unfortunately. To a degree where flying would be too dangerous."
Endymion's eyes wandered over AICA's frame. "That's not a problem. I'll have the ground crew fix her. Of course you can stay with us until then." This sparked the briefest of glances from Setsuna at SunTzu.
"Actually you can stay as long as you want." Sailor Moon's voice came in and the three of them turned around. The Neo Queen was walking towards them, coming from the lake nearby, her daughter a step in front of her. Judging from Sailor Chibi Moon's facial expression she just had gotten into some real trouble.
After the two Royals had closed up, Sailor Moon spoke again.
"Mamoru, you might want to join me in escorting our daughter back to her quarter, where she can think about disobeying strict instructions for the next few days, as she won't be allowed to leave the quarters."
Serenity's run down must had been quite something as the usually never stumped pink-haired princess did not even say a word of protest, and that although though she and Sailor Saturn had rescued a group of civilians while they had stolen themselves away from the mortar's position to help the other Senshi.
While Serenity and Endymion looked at each other, SunTzu shot Chibiusa an sympathetic look and Sailor Pluto glanced over to her as well, her facial expression unreadable though.
"You heard your mother, young lady. We're off to the Eternal."
Eternal? What's that?
"Excuse me your Majesty. What's the Eternal?" SunTzu asked Endymion with a questioning look on his face.
"Oh, you haven't heard it yet? We augmented the Taskforce. Just a moment."
Endymion grabbed into his uniform's jacket and pulled out a pocket watch at which he took a glimpse at.
In this moment the distinct sound of a very large starship descending from the sky was carried over.
Endymion began to smile as he put the watch back in his jacket. "Right on time."
And in this moment a huge starship broke through the clouds above the lake, a few rays of light shining through the clouds onto the lake and the ship. It was around 750 meters long and looked a bit like an Acclamator-Class with design elements of a Mandator- or Executor-class like the elongated tail. Apart from being longer than the Far Side it also was broader and taller, sporting four large lateral hangars. And more weapons, SunTzu noticed as well.
SunTzu's jaw dropped, this was a brand-new looking Proclamator-Class Star Frigate, the predecessor-class to the Clone Wars-Era Acclamators and just like those specifically designed for planetary assaults.
"SunTzu, this is the Eternal, our new flagship."
The warship descended further as it got ready to land, next to the fortifications on this side of the town.
"Let's go, Chibiusa." King Endymion told his daughter before he turned to SunTzu again. "I'll have AICA brought onboard."
"And we'll find a place for you to stay as well." His wife continued.
SunTzu bowed down slightly and the three members of the Royal Family walked away, followed by Sailor Pluto.
SunTzu looked after them for a while, before he turned to watch the descent of the Eternal in curiosity, inspecting the ship, it even sparked more interest than the woman he had fallen for right now.
A few minutes later he was sitting on one of the wings of AICA and watched how troops and vehicles began to disembark out of the now landed Proclamator.
Behind and unseen by him, Sailor Pluto came back.
"It seemed that Sailor Mars and you are getting along well again." She remarked, a hint of involuntary snappishness audible, and SunTzu turned around to her.
"And you're following the King around again, I see." Came his reply, Rei had told him once that the girls thought that Sailor Pluto probably had a crush on Endymion years, or rather timelines, away.
Touché.
He got up and walked over to the other wing and when he got there, for a moment both looked at each other, the tall, still tanned Senshi with the long emerald hair and the pilot, with his brown hair slightly tousled from wearing his pilot helmet and the fighting before.
Setsuna was the first to break the eye contact as she looked over to the stoic guard standing Hotaru.
SunTzu followed her gaze and he briefly thought about that the stance of the two women pretty much was always the same.
"Sailor Mercury asked me to join her in accompanying a troop of US-American soldiers for a special mission to the next town, she said Sailor Saturn might want to join as well. I thought since you're grounded and AICA will get brought back into the Eternal, you might want to join in too. Catch up with the two girls. She's waiting at the Eternal."
It took a moment, as the German briefly thought about it before he answered.
"Yeah, sure. Beats standing around while AICA gets picked up."
A few more minutes later, a member of the ground crew had taken over from SunTzu and he had said his goodbye to AICA. Sailor Saturn accompanied them with pleasure, her stoic demeanor almost instantly brightening up into joy when she heard that SunTzu would not only accompany them on the mission now but also stay a bit with the Taskforce for at least until AICA could safely fly again, making her even forget the small rundown she had gotten from two of her mothers for stealing away from a safe position earlier on.
Columns of vehicles and soldiers marched past them and the trio walked over to the Eternal. Troops were now all over the place.
Setsuna walked in front while the two pilots behind her were already deep into talking shop about AICA's damage.
For a moment the tall Senshi lips curled up as they made their way.
With the right person around, Hotaru could be like a completely different person, especially after seeing her quietly and saturnine standing guard on a battlefield.
The three guardians arrived near one of the ramps which had been lowered from the hangars on the right side of the Proclamator-Class and were used for troopers to disembark.
Sailor Mercury watched as a small group of soldiers, dressed in olive-colored uniforms, left the Eternal.
The Senshi of Water nodded a greeting to her fellow Senshi and SunTzu and then fell in step with the troop.
On the way Sailor Mercury and Sailor Pluto both discussed something incredibly complex sounding about quantum physics and related scientific objects with a middle-aged blonde female from the US-troops, a Lieutenant Colonel.
The group of soldiers, or rather airmen, were from a secret special unit of the US Airforce, therefore the different uniforms. SunTzu also noticed that they were armed with P90 PDWs, not the regular issue of the Airforce as well. The unit's mission was top secret and also it was exceptional that an US-Unit was with the Taskforce, so SunTzu didn't even bother to get more info. Instead him, Hotaru and a member of the unit, an ex-pilot turned operator, talked about dogfighting, forming the tail of the group.
The group traveled on foot to the next town and, around one hour after marchign off, had arrived at a building a bit afar from the settlement, very much looking like a larg chapel, except that it had six smaller towers and not one single bigger one.
Over the entrance hung a huge window made out of colored glass, in different shades of blue, somehow reminding SunTzu on a portal and apparently this got the US-Americans quite excited.
In front of the church a squad of soldiers from the Taskforce, dressed in woodland combat clothes, stood guard and their small off-road vehicles were parked near the building's entrance.
The Taskforce's soldiers told Sailor Mercury that the area was safe and the group entered the chapel.
Inside were wooden banks and the usual interior for secular places, like artistically crafted candlesticks and the like.
Different than usual secular places in the front of the rows of benches wasn't an altar but a large ring made out of some kind of metal though. Strange hieroglyphics were written on the ring and the US-Airmen seemed to be very content with the finding.
A few of them immediately began to inspect the ring and it's surroundings.
Since the area was clear, SunTzu and Hotaru sat down in the last row of the benches and silently observed the Americans' doings. For some minutes Sailor Mercury and Sailor Pluto stood near the ring as well, inspecting the device and chatting with the allied troops.
Apparently the airmen needed more equipment so radio calls were made and a part of them sat down at the first row of benches.
Sailor Pluto walked back to her adoptive daughter and SunTzu and Sailor Saturn, who had been sitting on the outside, got up and let her sit inside, before they sat down again as well.
All three of them were exhausted and sleepy from the heavy fighting before and so, after sitting down next to her mother, and after suppressing a yawn, Sailor Saturn asked if it was okay for her to lay down.
Her mother, looking tired as well, nodded with sympathy and looked at SunTzu who understood and slid over once more so Hotaru could lay down. Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto both let their weapons disappear, reminding SunTzu that one day he really had to find out how they were doing this, and then the teenager bedded her head on her mother's lap and almost immediately after fell asleep.
Both Setsuna and SunTzu looked at her with a warm smile and their gazes met and their smiles got a tiny hint bigger. Sailor Mercury appeared at the bank and silently sat down next to SunTzu after seeing that Saturn was sleeping.
She took a glance at the teenager and leaned back as well and soon her eyes fell shut as well, and her head fell onto SunTzu' shoulder.
Setsuna, her hands fondling her daughter's head, and SunTzu glanced at each other again, thinking that they probably should get some rest as well. Both nodded tiredly at each other and leaned back also.
The last thing that SunTzu vaguely noticed before he drifted into slumber was that his and Pluto's finger tips touched. He wasn't sure if he dreamt it but he also thought that both of their hands then intertwined and that she also put her head on his shoulders.
SunTzu had the best sleep he ever had had since, well, since Setsuna had slept next to him the last time.
But the four present Guardians of Crystal Tokyo were all rudely awakened by a loud sound and immediately the Senshi jumped up and got into a fighting stance, Mercury and Pluto standing on the bench and Saturn on the corridor, both Pluto and Saturn their weapons up at the ready, just like SunTzu, who had his pistol drawn and was aiming at to where the sound came from.
The US-Troops turned around towards the Guardians in surprise, while the members of Sol had taken some rest, they had gotten more equipment and a supply of electricity to activate the gate over and now the three Senshi and SunTzu were looking into a blue colored warp gate.
At least for a few seconds and then the warp gate vanished, sparking some remarks from the Americans, apparently this warp gate was broken.
SunTzu had heard about other means to travel the universe and he had not only seen Sailor Pluto travel trough space and time firsthand but also having done the same from Linta to Coruscant, so he was only partly surprised to find that the US-Government was interested in these means of transportation.
He holstered his pistol again and the two Outers lowered their weapons as well. Setsuna then got off from the bench and walked up front to the gate, beginning a conversation with the blonde officer she and Ami had talked to before. Ami followed her suit and joined into the conversation while Hotaru and SunTzu sat down again and shifted back into their quiet observer roles.
Suddenly Hotaru's stomach growled and the older pilot looked over to his former pupil.
"I'll see if i can organize something to eat for us."
Ami was listening as Setsuna and the US Lieutenant Colonel talked about the potential dangers of space-time-travel when she noticed that SunTzu left the building.
She excused herself and followed the pilot outside.
SunTzu left the building and asked one of the Taskforce's troopers if they had any supplies with them, the young Private First Class motioned to one of the MRZRs they used. In it's back a box of compact rations, meant for the first strike into enemy territory, able to be eaten on the move, and a box of bottled water was stowed in.
SunTzu was searching through the rations when Sailor Mercury appeared next to him.
"Hey Ames. I'm in search of some nutrition for us."
She looked around and made sure they were out of earshot before she asked him.
"Can we talk?"
Inside the chapel Sailor Saturn stretched her neck briefly before she got up again from the bench and walked towards that warp gate.
Her mother just had finished her conversation with the blonde US-American officer, both had been very absorbed into their talk.
Sailor Pluto, the Garnet Rod back in her hand, met halfway with her daughter.
"SunTzu's outside trying to organize something to eat for us. Sailor Mercury went outside as well."
Setsuna glanced at the chapel's door for a moment. Ami had told her to not let him know but she had wanted to talk with him and the mission to this place seemed like a good opportunity for it.
"Saturn to Pluto. Are you there, Mom?" Hotaru asked her mother and the tall, emerald-haired woman looked back at her adoptive daughter.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about something."
Hotaru suppressed a grin, she knew her mother was thinking about something SunTzu-related.
"If it gets him extra points, he's not only trying to provide food for your daughter right now but also I seem to have no nightmares with him around, even when sleeping after battles."
Setsuna's eyes showed surprise as she looked at her daughter.
Outside Ami looked at SunTzu while he shrugged, it was a friendly, inviting gesture.
"Sure, what's up?"
"How are you feeling? And I mean how you really are. No funny excuses, no talking it down."
SunTzu froze, his hands stopped pulling water bottles from the carton. It took a moment before he looked at Ami.
"I… I guess I'm thankful. The Chief of State gave me a second chance. And I got a lot of love from my friends lately." He nodded at his blue haired confidant. "But the whole Linta-thing still hurts."
SunTzu paused for a moment and his eyes wandered briefly up in the sky as if he was searching for something. Or someone.
"In her last moments Anniten came to her senses." He shrugged again and he seheezed. "Lots of my nights still are bad. I can see their faces. Marvin, Gistess, Anniten, all these people we lost. The friends I lost." Ami pressed her lips together while shooting him a sympathetic look. "Is there something I can do?" She asked him.
SunTzu sighed and looked to the ground for a moment before his gaze fell onto the door of the chapel.
"I actually hate to admit it, but with certain people around, certain people from this Taskforce and Crystal Tokyo, I don't have this nightmares, or at least not as bad."
Ami's eyes fixed him firmly before she gave a reply.
"Maybe you should take the time AICA can not fly and you need to stay with the Taskforce anyways to adjust back to staying with us."
SunTzu wheezed and and shook his head with a wry grin.
"You know, if I wouldn't know better, I'd think AICA's damage was just the Galaxy telling me to stay. But.. you know... I'm a problem to keep around. I attract danger and you all are to important to me to bring you into danger."
"Danger? SunTzu, we've been in danger and fighting to defend the Earth since ever we were teenagers. As far as I remember and I have a photogenic memory, from early on you actually saved us."
SunTzu turned his head back to Ami and she continued with a chuckle.
"Although I'm pretty sure that either Rei or Makoto would have gotten so angry because we had been put in the defensive that they would have pulled us out of it, doing something crazy."
SunTzu had to chuckle too, that probably would have been what happened. "Yeah, probably."
"Anyways, have you ever thought that YOU need us as well? A bird told me that a certain someone saved you on the battlefield as well."
"A bird?" SunTzu smiled. "You know Ami sometimes it's borderline creepy that there's nothing you don't know about. Like, how the hell can you know that AICA will get fixed by the Taskforce. I think most of the ground crew doesn't know that."
Now Ami was the one shrugging her shoulders. "I just happen to know a lot of things." Ami turned over to him and pulled a water out of the carton in the vehicle SunTzu was standing over and then glanced at the rations. "Now, are there any sandwiches in these?"
SunTzu and Ami went back into the chapel and together with the other two Senshi ate their way through the rations. Especially Hotaru seemed to be a fan of these particular rations, as the mixture of junk food, energy bars, sandwiches and beef jerky sounded way to good to sustain energy to the teenager. Her mother was less euphoric about it though.
It turned out that the warp gate was more broken than expected and engineers were called to the location, to carefully pack and move the gate-like structure. The Airmen and their freight would then take the Moon's Bounty, one of the Taskforce's Star Galleons, back to Earth and examine the artifact thoroughly. Since it became clear that they were done here and reports came in that the enemy presence on Usk Peth 1138 had been completely obliterated and the planet had been saved, first preparations to ship out again were already on the way. The second Star Galleon of Crystal Tokyo's Expeditionary Force, the Moon's Benefit, was already on the way to land at the capital, packed with 80.000 tons of relieve goods, for the settlements which had been affected by the attack.
Evening was approaching when the four Guardians got ready to move back to the Eternal while the Far Side and Starstruck, along with the other GA ships, patrolled in space.
SunTzu was sitting next to Sailor Mercury in one of the MZRZs.
He was glancing into the back of a Humvee i front of them, the vehicle being a troop transport version with a seat bench in it's back and a high canvas cover. On the outer-facing seats the two Outer Senshi were sitting. They had again been engaged with Mercury in a conversation about physics before and SunTzu had secretly been a bit embarrassed that he seemed to be the only non-genius between them, before they had boarded, and now he wondered what Mother and Daughter were talking about as Hotaru was hanging on the mouth of her mother, looking content. And her mother seemed content that her daughter was listening to her tellings.
Looking at these two, SunTzu couldn't help but to think that there maybe was more than fighting in life. And maybe having a home again wouldn't be the worst.
Sailor Mercury leaned over to him.
"Think about what I told you."
SunTzu briefly glanced back at her and then began to smile while he let his gaze wander over his surroundings, the sunset was setting in and it had been a while since he had seen such a beautiful one.
Maybe I really will do so…