Heir to the Empire
By Ozzallos
A Fukufics (dotcom) Production
“You
know, one of these days we’re gonna look back on this and just laugh.”
Queen Serenity, ruler of one of the most powerful empire in the universe
pointed out as another burst of white energy flew from her hand, carving into
the ranks of power armor pressing toward her. The black shaded combat armors
withstood the beam’s enormous potential momentarily before being cut down into
a glowing molten slag. Her white formal dress was easily at odds with the
raging warfare surrounding them
“Over sake and moon cakes, your Highness?” Sailor Pluto spun
around, unleashing a Dead Scream into another platoon of the bulky combat units
encroaching on their left flank. The ball of pink death plowed through several
ranks before detonating deep inside their formation.
“Yeah, something like that.” Serenity paused, affecting a
wistful look before lashing out at one of the larger four legged armors as it
spat plasma at her from one of its many turrets. Three legs came off as the
line of energy intersected with them, sending the lumbering armor to the earth.
“But I was thinking something more along the lines of Mercury fire wine and
crackers.”
Pluto scoffed at the suggestion as another half dozen mecha
evaporated under her assault. “Light weight.”
“Push over.” Serenity retorted. “So when are those girls of
yours going to get her?” A plume of fire accompanied the question, sending a
magical white hot mushroom into the dusk sky ...In addition to a few hundred
tons of atomized reactive plating.
“Dropping in fifty seconds, your highness.” Sailor Pluto
reported and returned to her negotiations, taking a out a mech that had strayed
to close to their position with a Chronos Typhoon. The time storm tore through
its armor like tissue paper, rendering it an impotent heap. Yeah, the
negotiations were going really swell. At least they had been up until
fifteen minutes ago, where upon a state visit to negotiate the Hyrdri Cluster’s
territorial annexation had turned into an ambush. Serenity improvised point
defense as a trio of fighter-bombers streaked over head. Guided beams flashed out
from the Queen, eviscerating the fragile aircraft as they blew overhead.
Damn she hated assassination attempts.
Well that’s what you get for trying to bring a backward sector
of the galaxy out of the dark ages, Pluto thought sarcastically. No good deed ever
goes unpunished, and Serenity chan had been doing her share of those lately…
Sometimes at gunpoint. The Senshi counted down the remaining time.
Reinforcements oughta be arriving right about…
“SPACE SWORD BLASTER!”
“DEEP SUBMERGE!”
…Now. Pluto smiled as two women in skin tight body suits
descended from the on high, riding their attacks home in a spectacular display
of chaotic destruction. The pair of newcomers tore into the rear enemy lines
with feral intensity, and anything that wasn’t washed away by an elemental
flood was quickly sliced apart by the flashing energy blade.
Queen Serenity took a break from her workout, watching the two
take their enemy apart from behind. Serenity arched an eyebrow. “Energetic,
aren’t they, Set-chan?”
“Eager to please.” Setsuna corrected as a large blocky drop
ship rumbled overhead. “Royal marines in thirty seconds. Orders?”
The Queen surveyed the destruction wrought around them, and
spared a moment to watch Sailors Uranus and Neptune clean up the last of the
shattered strike force with a sigh. Well, she had given them the easy way out
and they passed it up. “The hard way it is, then.”
Sailor Pluto nodded, her face taking a mask of seriousness. She
motioned the disembarking commander of the royal marines over, who stepped up
to them sharply. Silver plated troops bearing heavy weaponry flowed around
their position, forming a defensive ring around the ladies. “Take the planet
apart, Commander. Quarter to any who ask it.”
The commander snapped smartly into a half bow. “Your will,
m’lady, your Highness.” Serenity nodded and the officer produced a sharp about
face. She turned her eyes to the sky and found more of the bulbous ships making
their orbit to atmosphere decent. Pluto secreted a sidelong glance to her
friend and monarch, who stared into the darkening sky. She didn’t like this
part. Sure, Utada Minor and the surrounding cluster of stars would be a better
place when they were done, but in the mean time they’d have to settle for
copious amounts of destruction. Hopefully the local government would have the
common sense to not put up a big fuss. If they did, their forces would have to
get serious and the Queen wasn’t exactly the most social when she was serious.
As if hearing her thoughts, Queen Serenity’s eyes broke from
their stargazing. Her face mirrored Pluto’s serious mask. “Let’s go, Set-chan.
Time to finish this.”
Usagi Tsukino, last heir to the throne of the
Silver Millennium began her day as she began many—Half asleep and stumbling
into the bathroom. It was crime, her fog filled brain thought, that a soldier
for love and justice still had to go to school. Her squinting eyes slapped the
side of the wall once or twice before finding the light switch, flipping it on
and turning her retinas to jelly in one fluid motion. Having experienced this
condition many times, Usagi ignored the needling pain in her eyeballs and slid
out of her oversized pajama shirt. She started the shower up with a
half-hearted swat at the facet and paused before stepping into the steam filled
compartment. She was forgetting something… What was it? Did she have a test?
Some meeting? Her eyes suddenly widened.
“EEEEIIIIiiIiiiGGGGHHHHHH!” Kenji Tsukino choked on his
coffee, spitting into the paper he had been reading while his wife Ikuko pause
in her breakfast preparation, cocking her head curiously.
“Itsgoneitsgoneitsgoneitsgone!”
Usagi blew into kitchen, flailing wildly and the pink towel she
was wrapped in threatened to come off any minute. She looked around frantically
and the two parents stared at her with mounting curiosity. “What’s gone,
honey?”
The blonde stopped her flailing immedietly, eyes widening. “Uh…
heheh heheh… Nothing!”
Her mother took a step toward the frozen girl. “Are
you sure? You’re not sick, are you?”
“Nope! Just fine!” Usagi forced a smile, backing into the
hallway and out of sight. As soon as she was gone from view, the parents heard
more frantic footsteps followed by the crash of several clattering items. Both
parents looked at one another and minutes later, a blond clad in the usual
school uniform blew by, yelling a hurried “bye!” before the door slammed closed
behind her.
A half an hour later and nine Senshi later, an adrenaline
seized Usagi had gathered her friends at the
“It’s GONE!”
Setsuna merely arched an eyebrow and the more awake attendees
looked at her with quizzled expressions on their faces. Minako snored soundly.
“What,” Haruka stressed with annoyance. “is
missing?”
“The Ginzuishou!” Moon proclaimed with wide eyes, jolting any
fatigue lingering around out of the remaining Senshi.
“YOU LOST THE GINZUISHOU!” Minako bolted upright from sleeping
stupor. It was an action mirrored by most of the Senshi, who now crowded around
the panicked blond.
“Um, how can you lose the last, most powerful artifact
of the Silver Millennium, Usagi?” Ami twitched and summoned the Mercury
computer out of ether.
Rei gaped at the magnitude of the disaster. “That’s what I
would like to know, Meatball head!”
“I don’t know!” Usagi pleaded as the others badgered her. “I
just woke up this morning and it was gone!”
“From where?” Setsuna asked perhaps one of the more useful
questions of the morning. “Did you anchor it to your soul like I taught you?”
“Uh-huh!” Moon shook her head sharply. “And it
wasn’t there when I woke up!”
Setsuna nodded calmly, as if the information hadn’t been nearly
as disturbing at the others were taking it. “The stone is keyed to the Serenity
bloodline, which means we should have plenty of time before whoever took it can
actually use it.” She paused, and a slightly evil smile crossed her face. “And
with any luck, it’ll cause them severe pain in the process. The Ginzuishou
doesn’t take kindly to usurpers of its power.”
“Ok, then we have some time to look for it.” Usagi nodded,
calming slightly. Still the thought of having lost such a powerful artifact and
her mother’s only heirloom weighed heavily on her mind. Her spirits perked up
suddenly. “Oh darn, looks like we’ll have to miss school to search for it.”
“You sure you didn’t lose it on purpose, bubblehead?” Haruka
leaned in skeptically and received a rude tongue in her direction.
Setsuna would have smiled a bit more had the threat of the Ginzuishou
falling into the wrong hands not been so high, and the fact that their opponent
had been able to graft it from the Princesses very soul spoke volumes about the
potential threat they faced.
No, the Guardian of Time wasn’t looking forward to that confrontation
at all.
Nabiki Tendo lounged on her bed in a light blue
tank top and shorts, studying her accounting logs with interest. She flipped a
pencil through her fingers and brought the eraser down onto t a hapless entry,
removing it and penciling in a correction. The correction elicited a slight
smile from the girl before lapsing back into concentration. She fingered a
page, preparing to turn it when a knock at the bedroom door interrupted her
thoughts.
“Go away.”
Click.
Nabiki’s face scrunched with irritation as the door opened
anyway, revealing one well built black haired martial artist named Ranma
Saotome. She shook her head at having been interrupted, but managed to console
herself with the fact that her favorite income source had come to her instead
of her wasting the effort to track him down.
“Hey Nabs, whatcha doing?” he peered on to the bed she was now
sitting up on and she affected her icy mask, closing the books from his prying
eyes.
“Entertaining clueless martial artists, apparently.” She quipped,
gathering the logs and depositing them into a nearby dresser drawer. “Time is
money, Saotome.”
Ranma nodded, well versed with this particular aspect of the
middle Tendo. “Need your help.”
Nabiki smiled. It wasn’t a warm, inviting one. “Of course you do.
The usual fee.”
“I’ll take your usual fee outta the damages to my mom’s place.”
Nabiki blinked as the usually guiless face dropped any pretense
of the clueless martial artist she knew so well, settling into a serious
expression of stone. Not only was it a sharp departure from Ranma’s usual
behavior, it was one of the few, if only times he had her dead to rights. The
damage to his mother’s place during the wedding party a week ago had been quite
extensive, and a majority of it could be traced either directly or indirectly
back to her. Sure, she was extracting her portion of the payment from the other
fiancées and various combatants, but it wasn’t the money Ranma was using as
leverage. He was calling in a marker. Even so, she hadn’t been expected him to
realize he even had one until much later, where upon she could play down its
significance.
She sighed. “Alright, let's get this over with then. What do
you need?”
Ranma dug into his pocket, pulling out a medium sized silk
pouch bound by a simple drawstring. “Need you to find out what this is.”
He tossed the brown pouch to her and she looked at him
curiously, and loosened the string, dumping the contents into her hand. Her
eyes instantly widened as it fell into her hand. “Saotome, where in the hell
did you get this?” She held the large faceted crystalline stone up to
the room light above, and marveled at its flawless beauty. No way was it glass.
Not a chance.
“Don’t worry about it.” He brushed past the question. “I just
need to know what it is.”
“One mother of a diamond by the looks of it.” She breathed,
rotating it in the light. Light refracted though it, creating a beautiful
kaleidoscope of color. She pulled it back down and walked over to her desk,
pulling a small box from the top right drawer. From the box, she retrieved a
small eyepiece and wedged it into her left eye peering at the crystal intently.
It only took a minute for her to confirm what her informal appraisal had told
her. “Absolutely flawless. Saotome, you just made us very, very rich.”
“No I haven’t.” Nabiki’s head snapped up off the treasure and
onto him. It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. “In fact, you aren’t gonna
breath a word about this.”
Nabiki’s expression soured. He had just shown her one of the
biggest, most absolutely flawless diamonds in the world and he wasn’t going to
turn it around for a profit? No marker was going to get him out of this. “And
what makes you think I’ll do that, Saotome?”
“That’s the rock that saved your sister.”
Few things would have swayed Nabiki from her quest to make
money off the martial artist, let alone one in possession of such a priceless
treasure. She nearly dropped it as he uttered the words. “This thing… saved…?”
Ranma nodded, relaxing somewhat now that he had successfully communicated
the fact that it wasn’t for sale. “What else can you tell me about it?”
Nabiki cast a piercing stare into Ranma, considering his words.
He couldn’t lie to save his life, and she was convinced that he was telling her
the truth, which also meant that he was asking her more than just the value of
one of the largest diamonds she had ever seen. Just her luck that it would be
cursed or something. “Well, aside from the fact that it’s one of the largest,
most flawless diamonds I’ve ever laid eyes on, it’s too perfect.”
“What do ya mean, ‘too perfect’?”
Nabiki donned the jewelers' eyepiece once again, squinting into
the crystal. “Well first of all, it’s abnormally large. Diamonds just don’t
grow this large without incurring stress fractures. Not only is this thing huge
for a diamond, it’s absolutely perfect.” She took the eyepiece out, and
examined it normally. “Every diamond is flawed, though some are so minute as
not to matter. This one has none.”
“Fake diamond then?” Ranma asked, wondering if it was one of
those cubic zirconium things.
“Not a chance.” Nabiki shook her head, staring into the stone
longingly. “This baby is one hundred percent all natural. If you don’t want to
part with this one, mind telling me where its friends are?”
“I don’t think there’s another one like it.” Ranma voice
lowered thoughtfully, causing Nabiki to look at him funny.
She handed the bare stone back to the distracted boy, pressing
it into hand. “Ok, Saotome, what aren’t you telling me?” As soon as the crystal
touched his palm, silver tendrils snaked out from it, flowing along his body
with bright light and processing the change from he to she. Nabiki snatched her
own hand back in shock. “What the hell?”
Ranma tore her eyes off the stone to find Nabiki staring at him
incredulously. Her eyes fell back to the stone. “Ya shouldn’t have done that,
Nabs.”
“Done what? What the hell just happened?”
“I put it in the bag for a reason….” Her voice dropped to a
whisper, and he found himself being drawn into its crystalline folds. Ranma’s
thumb caressed the surface, and she absently turned toward the door. “Thanks
for your help, Nabs…”
Nabiki watched as the pig-tailed girl depart from her room,
staring at the small fortune in her hands as if it were the only thing in the
universe that mattered.
Ranma Saotome floated in the Hiyru Shoten Ha
born tempest, his body wounded and layered in frost. In his hands was a
miniature dehydrated Akane Tendo, rendered such by the being now hovering
before him… Saffron. There would only be one last chance to defeat the winged
megalomaniac, while Ranma himself barely had enough left to take advantage of
that last chance as the winged freak began to tap into his vast energy
reserves, powering up for a final attack. It was going to be tight. Very—
“Tenka Shunmetsu Koukyuu Dan!”
Saffron’s final attack roared in on them, denying Ranma those
precious few second to formulate a last ditch defense to keep them both alive.
Freezing himself with the Gekkaja had been scrapping the bottom of the barrel
and he’d have the scar from that if he survived the giant fireball raging
toward them, which he wouldn’t. Oh sure, he’d go down fighting, but…
A tug at his chest.
Akane was airborne.
The doll-like body flew out ahead, cutting a hole through
Saffron’s final attack. Ranma watched as horror filtered through his psyche
once again. If there was nothing left, Akane would either die in the godling’s
fires or fall to the earth and certain death. No. Not today. Too many people
had already died on his watch. Another was sacrificing herself. He couldn’t let
it happen. Power bubbled up from the core of his being and he eagerly accepted
the offering.
Never again.
Ranma rode the power spike to its fullest potential and sighted
down the window Akane Tendo created for him. There he was... The winged
bastard. Ready to cut her down.
Not in this lifetime.
Or any other.
“HIRYU HYOU-TOPPA!”
The horizontal tornado carved through Akane’s opening,
breaching the
But there was no time to consider that now, as Akane Tendo fell
to Earth, her life force stretched well beyond her endurance. The fact that she
had survived this long had been a miracle in itself, but she was faltering.
Even if she did survive the drop, her lifespan was being measured in seconds,
and Ranma plunged after her. First the water.
“Hiryu Gyoten Haaa!”
The tornado fist severed the dragon spout, beheading the stone
monument as the falling martial artist gathered Akane into his arms. The neck
shattered and the head spun impossibly around, crashing down into the stump as
water tore skyward from its mouth. Akane rehydrated as the shower met the sky
born couple, but her life force continued to leak away even as the curse
redhead touched down. Water rained down around them and Ranma searched
frantically for a pulse. The finger on her neck told Ranma what Akane’s aura
already had… She was dying.
No. Ranma tensed as the possibility entered her mind. No. Not
again. Too many… There had to be something to bring her back from the brink…
Something. But what? She wasn’t a god. She didn’t have the power to resurrect
people. She didn’t… wait. There was something. She couldn’t do it, but
something could. But what? The redheaded martial artist clutched her head,
wracking her brain. She knew of something, and it was right on the edge of her
memories… What?
Akane coughed. Ranma instinctively knew it would be her last.
NO! What was it! All she had to do was call it… Reach for it…
Being her last hope of salvation, Ranma reached out with her minds eye. IT came
into focus… A crystal… A soft glow surrounded the martial artist and she felt
the weight in her hand. There it was, her mind’s eye manifest. Her next actions
were entire instinctual as she fed power into the relic, focusing on the
youngest Tendo and feeding life energy back into her. Ranma pulled back from
the link and staunched the flow. What the hell was she even doing? Would she
live? Die? Ranma Saotome stared down at the limp girl in her arms…
Only time would tell.
“…can you believe it?” Akane growled, and buried her chopsticks back into the noodles,
picking out a shrimp. Silence greeted her question, and the youngest sister
looked up from her dish, mildly annoyed that no response was forth coming.
There were several things she expected to see from Ranma Saotome, the top of
that list being a stuffed face full of food. Failing that, she was sure to see
him engaging his father in chopstick-fu.
Surprisingly, she found neither of those.
What she did find, however, was the redhead staring vacantly
into space. “Ranma?” No response. She leaned over and nudged him with an elbow.
“Raaaaannmmmmaaaaa?”
Ranma blinked several times before returning to the world
around her, finding all eyes riveted to her person. “Uh… heh… Got something on
my face?”
“You zoned out there, Saotome.” Nabiki commented with a mask of
neutrality. Kasumi nodded in affirmation.
“Not sick, are you boy?” Genma leaned forward, staring at his
son intently. After all, it wasn’t often that the boy in question allowed his
plate to be swept clean of food these days. Likewise, Nodoka radiated concern
for her only son.
Ranma’s eyes flicked back and forth with apprehension. “Uh, no.
Not sick. Thanks for askin’.”
Genma’s eyebrow immediately arched as his mind replayed the
impossible words. Thanks for asking?
Nabiki’s mindset immediately dropped into DEFCON one. Ranma
didn’t give apologies. If he did, they were normally terse and only under
extreme duress. Neither condition existed here, so what the hell? Several
elements clicked into place for the middle sister and her gaze narrowed sharply
on the girl. She was all but certain that the glittering object lay somewhere
on her person.
“You’re still a girl, Saotome.” She observed pointedly and for
a nearly imperceptible moment, Ranma ceased all movement.
“Drop it, Nabs.” Ranma grumbled and picked at her remaining
food with deliberate precision, not looking up. Anybody who failed to notice
anything out of the ordinary before now directed their undivided attention onto
the red head. Kasumi and Soun may have been content to simply watch the
incident unfold, his father however was not.
“Why haven’t you changed back, boy?” Genma Saotome menaced, a
sentiment echoed by his wife.
“Indeed, it isn’t very manly to stay in your girl form.” Nodoka
echoed with a frown.
Her reply was the soft click of chopsticks as Ranma set them
down on the unfinished plate. She cast a sharp glance over at Nabiki before
rising from the table. Akane wanted to join the inquision but held her peace.
She already knew that dispatching Saffron hadn’t sat well with Ranma and for
once was more than willing to give her the space to wrestle with whatever ghost
was haunting her at the moment.
Ranma turned to Kasumi with a warm smile. “Thanks for the meal,
Kas-chan.”
With that, Ranma was gone into the night before more questions
arose.
“Got it.” Ami confirmed, tapping at the Mercury
link with precise key strokes.
“The Ginzuishou?” Usagi leaned forward with interest, prompting
the Senshi of Mercury to shake her head.
“Not exactly,” She clarified. “But I am picking up minute
bursts of Silver Millennium energy north of here, about eight kilometers. Can’t
think of anything else it might be.”
Michiru looked at her blonde partner. “Shall we go in force and
liberate it?”
Before Haruka could formulate a reply, Setsuna stepped in.
“No.” She had everybody’s complete attention now. “Ami, what is the location?”
“Mmmm…” The cobalt blue haired girl converted the coordinates.
“Nerima district.”
“That’s what I thought.” Setsuna pursed her lips. “We wait.”
“Wait?” Usagi echoed, not sure she just heard what she thought
she heard. They had a lead on an artifact that they were to retrieve at all
costs and she had just said they were going to wait? The blond wasn’t the only
one with those thoughts.
“It’s been a week now. Surely we’ve got to grab the Ginzuishou
as soon as possible?” Haruka forwarded what she thought was the most logical
solution to the problem they all faced.
Setsuna shook her head. “Not according to my future self. In
fact, I’ve been told to stay away from Nerima until we’re invited.”
“Invited… to retrieve the Ginzuishou?” Usagi tried to wrap her
brain around what she was being told. It was theirs. They didn’t need an
invitation…. Did they?
The green haired Senshi of Time paused, frowning slightly. “I
realize that the message is remarkably… vague, but I’m sure there is a good
reason behind it.” There had to be, she thought silently. I’m the one giving
myself the advice, right?
“Ok, so what do we do in the mean time?” Moon was clearly
unhappy with the proposition, but willing to go along with the plan for now.
“You…” Setsuna pointed at the blonde for dramatic effect. “Get
to go school.”
Usagi scowled. “Rats!”
“There’s definitely something wrong with him.”
Akane whispered, motioning to the fence-borne martial artist, who still
happened to be a she at the moment. Nabiki knew exactly what she meant. Ranma
didn’t spend any more time in his female body than he absolutely had to, and
even then, only if the situation was directly advantageous to him as a result.
For her part, Nabiki knew exactly what was wrong, if not the mechanics behind
it. So far, she had spent all last night and started the day out as a girl.
Akane leaned into her again, stealing another glance up at Ranma, who appeared
to be keeping pace ten feet ahead of them. Her section of fence ended and she
hopped down, waiting for the sisters to catch up. “He’s not actually going to
go to school like that, is he?”
It was a largely rhetorical question to Nabiki, since it
certainly looked like that was going to be the case. They closed on her, and
Ranma offered them both a friendly smile, which in turn weirded Nabiki out to
no end. Ranma didn’t just hand out warm, friendly smiles. Oh sure, she did
smile a lot… But they were overconfident smirks, for the most part. They joined
up and continued their walk together, chit chatting about the math test today
and other mundane events, when Akane found she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Let’s swing by Tofu’s and get some hot water.” The youngest
Tendo probed only to find Ranma dismissing the suggestion outright.
“Nah, it’s okay, Akane.” She smiled. “I’m good.”
Nabiki decided to capitalize on Akane’s opening. “Where’s the
rock, Saotome?”
Ranma’s pleasant demeanor chilled somewhat with the question.
“Nabs….”
“You’ve got it on you right now, don’t you?” Nabiki pressed.
Akane watched the pair carefully, trying to discern a conversation she was
totally in the dark about.
“None of your business, Nabiki.” The pleasantness had all but
evaporated from the redhead’s voice now.
“It’s worth a fortune, saved my sister here and is making you
act really, really strange.” Nabiki ticked off the points. “I’m making it my
business.” She paused, then added. “It locks your curse, doesn’t it?”
Ranma stopped, and a thoughtful expression spread across her
face, as if realizing something. “That’s why it was in the bag…”
“What rock? Ranma’s locked? Somebody better tell me what the
heck is going on!” Akane’s ire rose sharply, having been left out of crucial
details as to Ranma strange behavior.
“Better show her, Saotome.” The suggestion was greeted by a
weary sigh, and Ranma pulled the sparkling crystal from his pocket. Morning
sunlight refracted brilliantly throughout its structure and once again, Nabiki
was filled with the burning desire at auction it off to the highest bidder.
Akane gaped, and for the first time in her life, was afflicted
with her sister’s avarice. “That can’t be… My God, it’s worth a fortune!”
“Among other things,” Nabiki stared, half mesmerized. “That and
it’s magical, if not cursed.”
“No…” Ranma started, feeling the warmth in his hands. It was
utterly addictive. “Not cursed. That much I’m certain of.”
“It locks your girl-type.” Nabiki retorted. “Last you
mentioned, anything that does that is a curse in and of itself.”
“So I was wrong. Sue me.”
Both stared at Ranma with those last words. Something was
definitely wrong. She treated her female form like a throwaway convenience,
nothing more. Beyond being useful from time to time it wasn't everyday wear for
the martial artist.
Nabiki came to a decisive conclusion first. "Lose the
rock, Saotome."
Ranma stopped short and stared at the middle Tendo as if she
was speaking an alien language. "Huh?"
Akane stepped up next to her sister. "We think it's making
you act weird, Ranma."
"Hmmf." Ranma rolled her eyes. "Says you."
"Seriously," Nabiki put her hands to her hips staring
down Ranma with her best business mask. "I saw it lock your curse. That
doesn't mean anything to you?"
"Look, whatever." Ranma shook her head and turned
back down the road to school. "It ain't for sale, so back off."
Both sisters watched Ranma chuckle to herself and continue down
the road alone. Akane stared after her form a moment before turning back to
Nabiki with a worried, yet determined look. "We need to talk. Now."
Nabiki nodded. It was definitely time to talk about Ranma… And
how to liberate that damn stone from his person for all their mutual benefit.
The RSN Agamemnon was a silver jewel in the night,
easily eclipsing its brethren warships that held in loose formation around it.
She was a curved stiletto with an hour glass figure that spanned no less than
six kilometers in length, her drive ring another kilometer and a half, floating
along the hull's narrowest span free of support. It was a sharp contrast to the
next ship down the line, a Harbinger class heavy cruiser. It was only two and a
half kilometers in length and far less imposing. Of course, few things were
more imposing than five hundred and eighty million tons of super dreadnaught
falling in system at three quarters the speed of light, annihilating everything
in its path as if the forces arrayed against it were nothing more than wet
tissue paper. In all, thirty ships of various type were assembled in formation
around the Agamemnon for this particular operation, which itself was
culmination of a brutal two year campaign flung across fourteen star systems
and several million light years.
Normally a ship as formidable as the Agamemnon wouldn't be
present for something simple as penetrating the enemies last line of defense,
save for the fact this was the last of the enemy, their last system and their
last, final line of defense. It was an event that warranted the presence of the
fleet's only Hyperion class heavy dreadnaught and Queen Serenity's flagship.
A light squadron of six enemy cruisers and four battleships
accelerated out from behind the second moon of one of the systems more
inconsequential planets and painted the Queen's Fifth Battle Group with their
attack sensors. All in all it was a rather successful surprise attack, if not
utterly and completely futile in nature given the disparity in mass and numbers
against the opponent they faced. The launch of their first guided weapons
marked their deaths, as thirty warships brought their own weapons to bear. Even
as the enemies fire ablated against the fleets combined point defense, the
queen's sword roared in like a tidal wave. One instant the short squadron was
there, the next it ceased to exist, as Elerium fury tore the space around them
apart.
Princess Pluto arched an eyebrow as the giant tactical screen
in front of her erupted into white-hot fire. "Apparently they had a few
hold outs in-system." Queen Serenity nodded at the green hair woman
standing next to her from her command chair.
A middle aged officer dressed stepped up to the pair, his
immaculate white uniform marred only by the numerous combat decorations that
covered his right breast, many of which she had personnally awarded.
"Hiding in the second moon's magnetic shadow." He supplied.
"They should be the last of our surprises until we hit Geidi Prime, ETA
three hours, twenty eight minutes."
"The Second?" Princess Serenity asked, stroking a
silver lock of hair.
"The Second Battle Group has successfully penetrated the
system's southern plane and is hold position as per your orders."
"Any attempts to reinforce the home world?" Pluto
asked, and the officer shook his head.
"A few." The officer replied, keeping an even
expression. "The Second has dealt with those attempts."
Pluto smiled. It was a grim one. In other words, those attempts
at reinforcing the home world they were now assaulting had ended in the
decomposition of their component matter by violent means. Geidi was well and
truly cut off from all outside support. "Time to make the call, Serenity-chan."
She whispered softly.
Queen Serenity only nodded silently and stood up from her
command couch, smoothing out her flowing white robe. "Open a com, wide
spectrum. I want everybody to hear this." The captain of the Agamemnon
turned to the communications officer across the bridge and nodded. Seconds
later they were broadcasting across the EM spectrum and into open space.
"This is Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium Empire. Your government
is hereby ordered to stand down and surrender its authority. Resistance will be
met with overwhelming and lethal force. Serenity clear."
The channel closed with a slight beep and Serenity deflated
with a sigh. "That was certainly terse, your Highness." Pluto noted
with a trace of humor.
"A mere formality," The monarch waved the observation
aside. "We both know The Emblem won't surrender their power."
Both turned away from the main viewer, Pluto following her
friend's lead as they walked to the rear of the bridge and the armored hatch
that represented the primary exit. "Of course, you realize where this will
lead…?"
Serenity nodded, seemingly without emotion as the hatch hissed
open, admitting them into the jet way. The door closed and she spoke into air.
"Royal One." The only sign that the computer had obeyed her command
was the slight compression of gforce as the lift dropped and navigated its way
to her stated destination. She turned back to Princess Pluto, frowning.
"Of course. But if you can find me another alternative to dealing with a
government that traffics in demonic powers and has turned their entire world
into a gate to the dark plane, I'm all ears."
Setsuna remained silent for a moment. "Political fallout
will be--"
"--negligible." She finished Pluto's thought.
"I'll just remind them who it was that glassed Cambriea and
Meridian."
Pluto remained silent, if only for the fact that she couldn't
find any fault in Serenity's reasoning. The Emblem had taken Serenity's
galactic expansion to xenophobic levels, refusing any and all negotiation
towards a peaceful coexistence. In the end, they had opted to drawing on
demonic energies to augment their forces and saturated two of the Kingdom's
worlds with nukes. Cambriea had been a gas giant mining facility. It was now a
micro nova with a lifespan of a few hundred years. Meridian was… A different
story entirely. The vibrant blue world had been a population center of twenty
three billion before Emblem forces swept in like a tidal wave and dropped
nearly fifty gigaton-range nuclear weapons into the atmosphere. All that remained
of the outer rim trade world now was blackened crystal memorial.
Negotiations died that day and Serenity retooled her empire for
war.
The lift door slid open silently and the pair stepped out onto
the Royal Deck. Two guards in full battle plate and field automatic plasma
rifles snapped to attention, and Serenity acknowledged their presence. Setsuna
had been there in the hour her friend received the news. She had been calm at
first, asking for a moment alone within her chambers. Everybody was ushered out,
even her Alpha Guard. What followed next was a display of violence that Setsuna
herself would have been hard pressed to duplicated. An hour later, she emerged
from the smoke filled shell that used to be her residence and called for an
emergency council.
It was a war to the knife.
"I'm going to my chambers to meditate." Serenity said
as they found her room, which had another pair of Alpha's standing watch
outside. Instead of the field automatics, this pair wielded crescent moon
staves, with a bladed ring on the opposite end. They too snapped to attention
and her door opened on sensing her presence. "Let me know the moment we're
in range."
The Princess of Pluto nodded silently and Serenity disappeared
behind the door. Meditation. That was one word for it. In reality, the Senshi
knew what that meditation involved. It involved the crystal. She had been
repairing it, perfecting that blackened crystalline cinder that was once part
of Meridian with her formidable magic. The last time she laid eyes on it had
shown a startling enough transformation. When Serenity had personally set foot
on the world and retrieved it, it was black. Scarred. Pluto had caught a
glimpse of it three months ago and saw how half the crystal had been purified.
It was still scarred, but light was actually passing through it. It was
simultaneously the queen's guilt and hope for a people who had long since
passed out of the realm of the living.
With Pluto gone, Serenity's eyes fell on the clouded crystal
floating over the pulse grav plate in the center of her room. It had been a
permanent fixture since taking up residence on the Agamemnon and she kneeled
before it, focusing, straining to find the point where she left off.
There. The crack down the left hemisphere. The Queen pooled her
power and focused on the crack. Time slowed to molasses.
Beep!
Serenity blinked.
Beep!
Her eyes came back into focus and off the crystal in front of
her. The crack she had been focused on was all but gone now. "Yes?"
"Time minus ten, Your Highness." Pluto's voice echoed
over the room com.
"On the way."
Queen Serenity stepped out off the lift and the command deck
instantly snapped to attention. "Serenity on the bridge!"
"As you were." She stated, her tone all business. She
stepped up to Pluto and the Captain, who were conversing with one another.
"Status?"
"The Fifth is decelerating and will anchor just beyond the
range of their orbital defense platforms." The Captain detailed,
"Make it minus seven. The Xianghua, Arclight, Damascus, Resolute and
Arcadia are running ahead on point."
"I've taken the liberty of rearranging our
formation." Pluto stepped in, smoothly taking over the report. "I
don't expect much more in the way of resistance, but you can never be too
prepared."
Serenity nodded, taking her command chair. "Any word from
The Emblem?"
"None, Your Majesty." Setsuna frowned. "We've
been broadcasting every fifteen minutes for the last hour."
"We should consider fractional-cee bombardment of the
orbital platforms before taking up fixed positions over the planet." The
captain advised and Serenity simply stared straight ahead. "From there, it
should be trivial to--"
"We won't be landing troops on this world, Jonathan."
Serenity's voice held an edge of steel and the Captain of the Agamemnon froze
as the Queen used his first name. He knew that was a bad sign, and not for him.
She glanced at the chronometer counting down their arrival time. Four minutes.
The advanced screening elements on point should have cleared away any unwanted
guests by now, opening the path to Geidi Prime itself.
"Then your orders, my Queen?"
Serenity closed her blue eyes and folded her hands at her chin.
After a minute of silent contemplation, she opened them, staring straight ahead
and into the viewer that held an angry red world on display. "Ready Z90
Point Singularity Weapons." Then she added as an after thought. "How
many will it take to destroy Geidi Prime?"
The captain recovered from his shock. "Four, your
Majesty."
"Allocate six ."
"Y-Yes, your Majesty." It was rare that his monarch
displayed this level of feral ruthlessness. Thus far, she had spared all of the
Emblem peripheral systems, opting to land troops instead. Today, he almost
pitied the enemy… almost.
"Open a channel." Another moment and a small flashing
light on her armrest indicated the active frequency. "Emblem forces. This
is your final opportunity to surrender. Failure to do so will result in the
removal of your home world from this existence. You have…" Serenity
glanced at her armrest once more. "Ten minutes. Serenity clear."
"The Fifth has arrived on station, Serenity-chan."
Pluto reported from her perpetual position next to her Queen's command couch.
Small flashes lit around the planets orbital shell as its defensive platforms
died by fire. "Our attack corridor is clear."
"Now we see--"
"Tactical alert!" An officer called from across the
bridge. "Picking up multiple surface launches! Reading them as long range
ballistics, AR-303 types. Point defense has a solid lock on all inbounds,
estimate three hundred with more clearing their silos."
"Bring us to condition one, Commander!" The captain
bellowed, and his subordinate began barking orders to the bridge personal. A
claxon sounded, and the main bridge lighting faded to an ominous red.
"Battle formation Echo-six, layer our point defense for maximum
yield."
"Echo-Six established." The Commander reported.
"Tactical, seed decoys and light up the ECM arrays."
Pluto sighed wearily. "I guess that's the answer."
"Indeed." Serenity agreed in a dead tone.
"Captain, slave release of all Z90s to my board."
"Rerouting fire protocols." The Captain managed after
a moment of pause. "Release on your mark, your Highness." And ominous
red button blinked to life on her left armrest and a finger caressed it
lightly. "Give us some room." He ordered and the helm officer
silently relayed the command to move the fleet back and away from the doomed
world even as their last gasp streaked toward them. It would be a largely
ineffective last gasp as most of the Emblem weaponry would be dead long before
it reached the fleet and what did would die under the curtain defensive missile
and energy fire.
Pluto knew what she was doing. Knew her like the sister she
virtually was. Some would view her need to push that button personally as some
megalomaniacal need for vengeance. Of course, vengeance was a component part of
her action, but not the sum total. She knew the Queen and it was personal
responsibility that drove her now. If she was going to order the annihilation
of an enemy home world, there would only be one person that responsibility and
guilt would fall upon at the end of the day.
Beep.
"Reading weapons release." The tactical officer
reported. "Six Z90s down and running. Minus twelve seconds to impact."
The Z90 Point Singularity Weapon was the pinnacle in Silver
Millennium strategic weaponry and six of those torpedoes descended into the
Geidi Prime's gravity well at half the speed of light. Each warhead contained
not only the planet crushing micro singularity itself, but a full suite of ECM
and active beam weaponry to ensure the elongated oval would reach its target
unmolested. Without orbital platforms to intercept the weapons, it was up to
home world's surface batteries to intercept the lethal devices, but even this
was a largely futile effort, unless the defenders had a few light years to
spare. They didn't. Even if their efforts managed to penetrate the Z90's potent
ECM suite, active beam defense and energy shielding, it still would have only destroyed
delivery system, not the singularity itself, and planets weren't well known for
their evasive abilities.
At eight seconds from impact, they separated, breaking
formation and pursuing the most optimal route to detonation assigned to them
before beginning their terminal dive.
"Units have armed, minus two." Tactical reported and
suddenly, the planet darkened visibly. "Impact on all weapons."
The seat of The Emblem seemed untouched at first, nothing
noticeable beyond the darkened hue that now surrounded it. Then it happened.
Six Gaping holes began to mar the surface of Geidi Prime, sucking down the
surrounding atmosphere and surface matter into a maw of unimaginable
gravimetric pressure. Four of these singularities would have prolonged the
planet's life another three minutes. As it was, a world that took millions of
years to form would disappear in under a minute. With the surface matter and
atmosphere sucked away, Geidi Prime faded into a featureless black sphere whose
diameter steadily shrank as the micro black holes turned on one another from
within.
The remaining mass coalesced to a pinpoint and hung in space a
few more moments before destabilizing, streaming hard radiation into space in
the form of a blinding point of light. What had once been the mass of six micro
black holes and one category C8 planet with a population of thirty two billion
was now loosed into the void as pure, white energy. The cosmic pyre lasted five
more minutes before what remained of The Emblem home world flickered out
entirely.
Silence hung across the bridge of the Agamemnon until Serenity
broke it with a long, weary sigh. "Captain, take us home. I'll be in my
quarters."
Getting drunk, Princess Pluto mentally appended, knowing her
best friend all too well.
"Ah! My Pigtailed Goddess!" Ranma
twitched as the words hit her ears. If there were two things she could count on
during her lunch hour at school, it was fiancées and Kunos. "A word with
you!"
Ranma stopped having yet to touch her own lunch from under a
nearby tree. One lunch in peace wasn't too much to ask, was it? She stared at
the Kuno rushing for her and sighed. Evidentially it was. Might as well get
whatever it was out of the way.
"Whaddya want, Kuno?"
"The Saotome's schemes are most foul this day!" He
blustered, drawing his bokken and whipping his head around, presumably looking
for the aforementioned Saotome. "It is said that he has ensnared you once
more!"
Ranma shook her head. "And this is news… how, again?"
"My sources say he hath gifted you with a cursed
stone!" Ranma froze as he continued his rant. "I must ask you to give
up this wretched artifact or thou shall be his slave for all of eternity! I
cannot allow this!"
Soul of Ice, Soul of Ice, Soul of Ice… Ranma thought at the
upperclassman in front of her. She was going to have to have some words
with a certain Tendo. "Look, Kuno… Don't know what Nabs has been--"
"Ran-chan!" Ranma blinked, and turned from the
kendoist. Ukyo? "Are you alright!"
Ranma looked from Ukyo, to Kuno and back. The big idiot wasn't that
much trouble. "Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I hear you stumbled across a magic crystal!" Ranma
rolled her eyes, annoyance spreading across her face. "It steals souls,
Sugar!"
"Indeed, the Saotome's designs are more wicked then I
first imagined!" Kuno latched onto her statement. "You must surrender
the stone, pigtailed girl!"
"Look, both of you really need--"
"Aiya!" A red bicycle seemed to drop out of nowhere
and skidded to a halt next to the tree, allowing an incredibly cute
purple-haired Amazon girl to dismount. "Shampoo come as soon as she
hear!"
Ranma closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Heard what,
Shampoo?"
Not that he really needed to ask at this point. "Airen
find ancient Amazonian artifact! Locks Jusenkyo curse!"
Ukyo looked stricken, as if the stealing souls part hadn't been
enough. "Ran-chan's locked!"
Shampoo nodded and Kuno chimed in. "We must remove it from
her person!"
Ranma ground down her teeth. "Ain't nobody--"
"Damn you, Saotome!" Ranma blinked, his mouth hanging
open as a white robbed figure bounded up to the group and past them, settling
in front of the tree. "Trying to enslave my Shampoo with a mind control
rock! I won't allow it!"
"Stupid Mousse talk to tree again." Shampoo chided in
an annoyed tone, prompting the Amazon boy to don his glasses, after which he
quickly found the redhead.
"I'll take that rock from you, Saotome!"
Ranma began to crack her knuckles. "If that's the way you
want--"
"Boy, give it up!" Now she was gaping as his and
Akane's father leapt over the school wall, finding the growing spectacle.
"It's making you act like a girl!"
"And you will marry my Akane!" Soun added.
"The schools must be joined!" Genma nodded his firm agreement.
The redhead was gaping now. What the hell was going--
"That diamond could pay for our entire yearly
budget!" Ranma's head swung around to find a mob of lab coat clad student
converging on their position.
"And ours!" Another mob proclaimed, this one wielding
various types of sports implements menacingly.
"Ooooh Hoooo hoo!" Black petals fluttered in
the breeze and Kodachi Kuno landed lightly on a branch. "An engagement
present for my Ranma-Sama, no doubt? I think not!"
"Ranma, m'boy!" A small old man bounced in, taking a
puff of his pipe. "I hear you found a treasure for your master!"
Ranma took another deep breath and clenched his fist.
"AIN'T NOBODY GETTIN' THE ROCK, SO BACK OFF!"
"It's making you act strange, Ranma." She swung
around to find Akane and Nabiki at his back. "Anything that locks your
girl-type can't be good for you."
"Hand it over, Saotome." Nabiki held out her waiting
hand. "You know it's cursed. Even so, I can still make us all very
rich--"
"It's not cursed, and I ain't givin' it up." Ranma's
blue eyes sparkled despite the flat, no nonsense tone of her voice. She dug the
sparkling diamond out of her pocket and stared into it. "Nobody touches
it. Period."
"That's it?" Nabiki inquired with a mischievous
smile. Ranma simply glared back at her. "Looks like there's only one
choice left." The conclusion hung in the air until Kuno latched onto it,
setting the ball rolling as she knew he would.
"I shall free you, pigtailed girl!"
"Stay still, Ran-chan! This won't hurt a bit!"
"Shampoo rid Airen of curse!"
"For Shampoo, you Enemy of women!"
"Shampoo no need help, stupid Mousse!"
"Back off Sugar! I'll be the one to help Ranma!"
"Take the Boy!"
"Get over here, Son!"
"I'll teach you not to disrespect your elders, Ranma!"
"Wretched peasant-girl!"
"For the Science club!"
"Take him!"
The threat was clear and Ranma Saotome was already on the move
as upwards of one hundred of Furikan's finest reached in to liberate the
glistening stone from the redhead's person. Shampoo came in with a pair of Bon
Bori and the martial artist sidestepped, only to leap over an inbound combat
spatula, two hockey sticks and a tennis racket as she flowed through the
combination. Genma stepped through the melee, and she found one of the few
targets he could hammer without guilt. The father and his partner, Soun Tendo
rushed in and the girl was engaged on two fronts as she pitched and weaved
through their attacks, only to have another front opened when Mousse descended
from on high, two claymores whistling from his sleeves. The pigtailed girl slid
left and the long swords buried themselves into the earth she had just vacated.
Her father loomed large and she engaged him with five fisted dragon chop
combination, sending him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Soun stepped up
to take his place, only to be swatted down by Tatewake Kuno's bokken as the boy
rushed in.
Ranma caught the whistling bokken between his hands twisted it
sideways and snapped it in two before continuing through the movement and into
the deranged kendoist, applying a well received foot to his face. The martial
artist used the upperclassman's face as a spring board to escape the melee only
to have three chained maces twist around his legs, yanking him rudely back to
the earth. Ranma landed gracefully despite the entanglement, dodged another
round of spatula shirukens from Ukyo and turned to his tormenter, the white
robbed Amazon. She ducked as Mousse loosed a salvo of daggers into his general
vicinity, taking out another group of students with flesh wounds. The redhead
went low and gathered the chains, spun around and stepped back as Shampoo's bon
bori crashed in, pulverizing the links. Ranma was about to clean up with the
myopic Amazon when his priorities changed and three bombs settled around her
person, fuses sizzling down.
"Moko Takabisha!"
Instead of at anybody, the ki burst slammed into the ground under
her, blowing the bombs and several combatants away. Three flashes of light and
the high explosives reserved for her exploded over a few more wayward students.
Ranma didn't have time to congratulate herself as the perverted master blurred
in, causing her to take the troll's pipe hand to hand. Another strike came in
and Ranma disengaged as Ukyo and Shampoo found him near simultaneously, their
own weapons picking up where Happosai's pipe left off. Ukyo's combat spatula
arched in and Ranma hopped onto its flat as Mousses next round of chains
blurred for her. The martial artist was airborne cleanly this time and the
chains found Ukyo's spatula. A sharp tug later and the Okanomiyaki master was
promptly disarmed. Ranma landed in a semi clear section of the mob and looked
for an out. High power techniques were out of the question at this point as
most of the combatants- while annoying -we're nowhere near his level. Happosai,
his father and maybe Shampoo on a good day, but the rest… Half the mob was
fighting one another now, but enough retained some sense of their goal to seek
him out, and Ranma was quickly surrounded once again. They closed in and---
Whip-SNAP!
A pink ribbon wrapped around the wrist and hand that held the
jewel and Ranma strained against it, following it back to the source. "I
have you now, little wretch!" Ranma strained and found his hand beginning
to bleed. A closer look at her snare found the ribbon leveraged against several
branches of the tree Kodachi now balanced atop, magnifying the potency of the
entanglement. It didn't help that the ribbon itself was titanium impregnated.
Kodachi gave the ribbon a tug and Ranma strained against it some more. "I
shall present Ranma-Sama with the gift of your love!"
Ranma growled and fire ignited in her eyes. "NOBODY…"
"Give up the wretched artifact, Pigtailed Goddess!"
"Nobody enslaves my Shampoo, you Enemy of Women!"
"TOUCHES…"
"It's for your own good, Sugar!"
"Airen let stone go!"
"THE…"
"Stop acting like a girl, Boy!"
"Give up the Precious, Ranma m'boy!"
"...ROCK!"
Ranma's body erupted in a flash of light, and a pressure wave
washed over the mob encroaching on the martial artist, blowing all but the
sturdiest to the ground. Kodachi's ribbon instantly evaporated from her wrist
and the insane girl tumbled from the tree. When their collective vision
cleared, only gasps filled the air. Ranma stood bathed in a soft white glow,
her red and black silks washed out to nearly white themselves. The crystal
floated freely in on hand and her pigtail drifted on an ethereal breeze.
Her silver pigtail.
Akane took another look, disbelieving her initial impression of
the transformed martial artist. While the aura she projected was out of the
ordinary, the completely silver crop of hair had her undivided attention. Ranma
had everybody's undivided attention in fact, as the power now emanating from
her was simply staggering, like tangible waves of pressure flowing out from
her.
The fury died from her eyes and was replaced by steel. She took
a deep, calming breath, her baleful gaze sweeping across every one of the
former combatants. "Now let me make myself absolutely clear… None
of you are even worthy to look upon this thing, let alone touch
it." The fact that the thing in question was now floating an inch above
her palm was apparently missed by Ranma. "Does everybody--"
"My Silver-haired pigtailed gi--!"
PHHOOMP!
A white sphere swirled in her free hand suddenly, and she
brought it to bear on the leaping Kendoist. The ball inflated to the size of a
small compact car and left her at height speed, plowing into the Kuno, who in
turn plowed across the sports field as the energy sphere persisted, continuing
five hundred meters down range where it promptly exploded in a flashed of
pressure and light. Ranma chuckled silently as a small mushroom cloud of dust
formed along the horizon. That had been a flash-bang. Great for blinding,
deafening and stunning perverts, like that one while back… What was his name…
Eddie? Edy? Eisen? The former redhead frowned as she neither knew an Eddie or
used that attack before. Hell, it wasn't even ki based, of that she was
certain. She stored that mystery away for later. First, it was time to wrap
things up here.
"As I was saying…" She resumed with divine authority,
"Do we have an understanding?" Nods all around. Nobody wanted an
angry white yugo sized energy ball to call their own. The displeasure in her
face disappeared and the glowing aura around her faded out, revealing Ranma's
traditional red and black garb, and more importantly, her natural hair color. The
crystal dropped and she snatched it from mid-air, pocketing it. Ranma cast one
last look at the cowed mob before turning on a heel and walking away.
A blonde odango-atama stepped out of the
convenience store with a plastic bag in and a smile on her face. Snacks were
always just the thing to lighten her mood and she was, of course, the official
Senshi snack bearer. Meetings meant Senshi and Senshi meant snacking. It was a
duty well suited to the girl alternately known as Sailor Moon, as eating was a
sport in and of itself to her. Her sisters in arms oft wondered where she got
her formidable appetite, to which she replied her mother.
The truth was often stranger than fiction.
From the bag she pulled a package of mochi and began munching
on the soft snack greedily. It was one of the reason she loved her duties so
much… It gave her first crack at the good stuff. She was about ready to down
the second gelatinous square when tshe froze, the sweet pausing before her
lips. The bag fell from her other hand as a spike of power rippled through her
being, causing her instant recognition. The Ginzuishou! Somebody had
just used the Ginzuishou! Usagi's features paled as realization hit her in its
entirety. Whoever had stolen the heirloom from her was now using it, and rather
successfully by the wave of power she just felt.
The bag at her feet forgotten, Usagi Tsukino found the nearest
back ally and initiated the transformation into her Moon aspect. Warnings from
the future be damned, she thought to herself as she took to the rooftops.
…She had just been invited to Nerima.
Author's Notes--
Now this is fun. Serious fun for me. Yes, I should be working on the
epilogues to tBoT and you'll be happy to know that the second is
complete, but I seriously got hook in writing this particular crossover,
especially since it's a road you don't see often taken. It started out as a
third epilogue to tBoT, believe it or not, but after bouncing the idea
around, it was decided that there was more than enough backstory here to
warrant its own series and way too much for a simple epilogue.
The Silver Millenium Empire; The "Silver Millenium" is
gernerally viewed as a time period, not an actually thing. Since I had nothing
better to call Serenity's kingdom, I imaginitively tacked the
"empire" part on for lack of anything better. Moon Kingdom is a US
only translastion, therefor is not universally binding here. That and the SME
sounds far more mencaing. Works for me.
Serenity & the SME; What little we see of her in the series is
portrayed as kind and gentle, but this fic takes a slightly different view of
the queen. Consider for a moment, that the woman built an empire. The size and
scope of it can be debated, but canon easily indicates that other worlds were
involved beyond that of this solar system, and you generally don't wield that
sort of authority without, at some point, kicking ass and taking names. To that
end, I gave her the temperment and the tools with which to carve out that
empire.
Z90 PSW; Don't even start on theoretical black hole physics. I already
got the earful :p
Special thanks to Fukufics and DCG especially for
some fine suggestions, as well as Gaijin for some excellent writing
pointers.