A New Order
Book Two of the Consequences Series
By: Sean Wright
Rated: PG-13...R
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon; I'm just a fan.
Just so you know:
Haruka Tenou- Atalanta, Queen of Uranus and Senshi of Uranus
Michiru Kaioh- Lady Xanthe of Aglaia, Senshi of Neptune

********************
Prologue
********************

They had been on the run since that damn militant group came from underground started recruiting people in its quest to take over Terra.  One the run and hiding like criminals when the true threat to the world was being hailed like a conquering hero of yore.

Haruka Tenou slammed down the latest copy of the L. A. Times and swore.
          
“What is it, Ruka?” her partner asked as she came into the front room of their tiny three-room apartment.

Haruka growled, wanting desperately to smash something, preferably the handsome face of that pretender who called himself King Endymion. It still puzzled her how quickly the people of Terra had accepted him as their lord and master.  Pluto had had told them that it would take a deep sleep to purify the minds of terrans and erase the hatred in their hearts before they, the Senshi moved their Princess into power as Queen of Terra. But this unknown man had literally come out of nowhere and accomplished it in less than a year what Pluto said would it take thousands and he was declared ruler of all Terra at his first appearance before a summit of world leaders.

To Haruka, it made absolutely no sense.  How could the terrans be so ignorant? Were they under a spell or did they simply not care that their was being taken over by this—this charlatan?  She just did not get it.

“It’s been a year since the fall of the Dark Kingdom,” Michiru Kaioh mused. “Since then, we have heard nothing from Pluto. Do you think this pretender has somehow managed to capture her as well as the others?” 

Haruka snorted contemptuously. “No, Pluto is not like the Inners, she’d have more sense in her not to be captured.”

Michiru nodded, but she lacked Haruka’s conviction in the older Senshi’s skills. There was just something wrong with this entire situation and she was more worried about Pluto’s silence than she had let on. She felt another headache coming on. The muscles in her neck and shoulders tensed. She thought back to their mission, the last thing Pluto had told them before she left them in Hong Kong.

“The Inners have betrayed our Princess and have gone to the side of the Pretender. He in his treachery has in turned destroyed them as well our future Queen.”

Haruka had turned away, tears were streaming openly down her face.

Michiru touched a hand to her own heart as the news became real to her. “He has killed our Princess?” She asked thickly.

Pluto nodded. “But do not concern yourselves with it. The Princess will be reborn as it is her destiny to rule this planet.”

 “And what shall we do?”

“We are to kill the Pretender.” Pluto said gravely. “We are to avenge our Princess and prepare this planet for her return.”

How were they to accomplish this with every law agency in the world looking for them? Michiru wondered. Endymion’s coronation was a month away and she doubted that she and Haruka would live that long.

Haruka had killed four policemen in Kurdistan while they were trying to cross the border. Thus Endymion had given his people orders to shoot them on sight or if they resisted capture. What had happened in Kurdistan had been an accident. Haruka had only though to slow the police vehicle down but ended up destroying the first jeep and the second one rear-ended it and it went up in with a terrific explosion. But after Endymion’s edict, Haruka became reckless. She raised hell throughout the Middle East, she did openly provoke and attack the police and soldiers no matter where they went and several times they were almost captured because of Haruka’s temper flares. Michiru was finally able to reason with her partner. They had been chased to Marrakesh, the King of Morocco had promised Endymion their heads on a silver platter. Haruka wanted to go up to the Royal Palace and take the King’s head from his shoulders and put it on a platter, but Michiru begged her off. She pleaded with her for hours, saying that they had to leave. They had to run. Endymion was not coming to Morocco or North Africa soon. They had to run, they had to fly. She begged and finally Haruka came with her and they left Africa, escaping to Lisbon before they left Europe and went to South America and come North with the hopes of evading the terrans and learning more about the man who already called himself King and who would undoubtly be the King of Terra.

Michiru picked up the paper and studied the photo of the soon to be crowned King and once again the sense of something familiar. “I wish we had more information about this Endymion. Who is he and where did he come from?”
          
In a wave of rage, Haruka turned over the kitchen table and kicked the chairs out of the way, frightening the aqua-haired girl.  “I don’t care who he is!” she roared, “All I know is that he is evil.  This place was the birthplace of our Princess.  It was to be our Kingdom.  The Silver Millennium was to be reborn on this planet.”
          
“The Terrans have chosen their leader,” Michiru reminded her. “We cannot force them to accept anything else.”

“They did not choose anything!” Haruka whirled on her.  Michiru took a small step back. “This planet was our destiny!  We were finally going to have peace and live with our Princess, but we are outcast, hunted by this pretender who has killed our future Queen—”

“Ruka, we have no proof the Princess and Inner Senshi are dead.”
          
“Then where are they?” she demanded. “After that Endymion person destroyed the Delta, what happened to the Senshi?”
         
When Michiru did not answer, Haruka swung away.

“He killed them.” She said coldly. “Pluto told us that he did. He worked for Beryl for the love—“

Michiru started to go to her, but the sound of approaching sirens filled the air.  Horror showed in her sea green eyes as she turned back to her lover. “They have found us again.”

Haruka swore. Things were getting bad now.  They had only been in this place two weeks.

“C’mon, Ruka.” Michiru cried as she tossed Haruka her bag and jacket. “Let’s go.”

Five minutes later, two women, one with bobbed black hair and the other with long curly red hair, walked out of the building.  Both wore black leather jackets and sunglasses on their faces. They half walked, half ran to a red sports car and got in. As they pulled off, police cars surrounded the building.  They had escaped once more, but the Terrans were getting closer and locating them faster than before.

“We have to make it to Santa Barbara,” Michiru said once they were on the freeway.

“Do you think his grandmother is still there?” Haruka asked.

“We can only hope. But it doesn’t matter. The newspapers say that’s where he’s from. There have to be records about him or more information.”

“I just wish we could get to Scotland and that school.” Her companion growled. The school was wrapped up mystery and hidden by lies. The general public did not know about the place and it wasn’t on any registry. Pluto had told them world leaders and the wealthiest and most influential people had attended to this school and through their efforts the place remained hidden until now.

They knew that they were running out of places to hide.  If only they had gone to their Princess, she might still be alive and none of this would have ever happened.

********************
Chapter One
********************

How could he deny the truth?  Reports were coming in from around the globe: everyone loved Endymion.  He had the fairy-tale appeal, with his classical features and tall, dark, handsome looks that caught the eye.  His ability to charm anyone and everything most definitely won over even the most critical individual.

So why was it so hard for him to get the Princess of Silver Millennium to accept his suit? After what had happened on the North Pole, when she kissed him and called him Endy, he though everything was going be as it was before their deaths. But no, was that ever the case when it came to women and their fricking hormonal problems and PMS.

That was yet to stand in the way of his perusal of the fair and rare lovely who just happened to be the Princess of the Moon.

“You know, Umino, Keats said it best ‘There is a space of in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided the was of life uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted…’”

“You are paraphrasing, Sire.”

“I believe he was describing that witch, the pale Queen of the Silver Millennium.”

“It was in the preface of Keats’ Endymion.” Umino told him. “And I do believe the poet was making a reference from a boy to a man and how the youth is caught up in passionate revolutions of the spirit and mind as he tries to find himself in the chaos that his life is before he becomes a man.”

“And I believe that you have spent too much time looking up sonnets to woo Naru with.” Endy smirked as a faint blush appeared on the younger youth’s cheeks.

“She likes them,” the boy said haughtily, although his face was still aflame.

Endy laughed, “Don’t get defensive on me, kid. You are my only contact with Serenity that she hasn’t trashed. By the way, did she like the mangas I sent?”

“She thinks something is wrong with me.” Umino reached into his back pocket and removed a hastily scrawled note. “She’s sent a list of the ones she wanted this time.”

Endy took the list and glanced over it before sitting it aside. “I don’t get it. She’s heir of the Solar System, future Queen, who should be studying and learning social and political protocol, but she’s wasting her time reading comic books and playing video games.”

“Sire, you play video games.”

“Kingdom Hearts is a good game.”

“You were suppose to give it to the Princess?”

“She’s a girl, what does she need a fighting game for?”

“You told her about it in your last letter. By the way, Naru is getting jealous. She thinks I’m flirting with the princess.”

“I’m not flirting.”

“Then what are you doing?”

“Nothing. It’s all good. I’m very PG when I write to Serenity, I am nothing but her friend, I am you.”

Umino did not believe that but he couldn’t come out and call his king a liar either. So he let the matter drop, for the moment.

“Has Kris returned from the Moon?” Endy asked after a short silence.

“An hour ago, Sire. He went to make his reports to Lord Artemis and Terran.”

“You know Terran has a title now.”

“He said you did that only to annoy him.”

“And he was right.” Endy grinned. “I’ll make it a royal command.”

“Please don’t.”

“I need my fun.”

“We try to accommodate you as best as we can.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Damned little secretary. I’ll show you.”

“I am not playing anymore video games.” He was not a secretary, damn it. He was the King’s personal assistant and envoy; he was not a secretary!

“Then get your sword, kid. Artemis said you need to practice.”  

Umino sighed in defeat. “Sire, Lord Artemis says that Terran needs to practice.”

Endy shrugged. He was getting bored. Artemis had him on house arrest, with Uranus and Neptune still running about trying to kill him and Pluto on the loose. Endy was not worried about his personal safety, he wanted the three witches to come after him, and it was just he did not want his people to die needlessly. And that they would do in order to protect him, the King.

Endy snorted contemptuously at the idea, but Artemis had a valid point. Endy did not want to start an intergalactic incident on his planet. Nor did he want to look like a bloodthirsty tyrant (that would come out later.) For right now he was focused on bringing universal peace to his people and rebuilding the Golden Kingdom.

“The final reports came in today.” Umino pointed to a satellite photograph on Endy’s desk. The king picked it up and the studied the image closely. All the seers say that you will be able to raise Atlantis in three weeks.”

“And with the work crews going twenty-fours for a week, I will be crowned in the Golden Palace.” He put the photograph aside; he leaned back in his chair and stared up ceiling.

Atlantis. The Golden Palace. His friends, his family, his father, his mother…His mother. His mother had been the last ruler of the unified terran kingdom; she died at the hands of Beryl and Metallia trying to protect her world.

Did he really want to bring the fabled kingdom back to light? Was he strong enough to so if he chose to?

Endy had no doubt in his strength. The real question was did he want to see what was there?

“Endy, where are you, kid?”

He lowered his eyes just as his brother pushed open his office door. A full fledge smile made it’s way to his face. “How is the intrepid Commander of the Imperial Forces of the Golden Kingdom?”

Kris snorted, “With nothing better to do, you start making up fancy titles, little brother?”

“Artemis won’t let me out of the house.” Endy told him. “He thinks I’ll get a booboo if a blade of grass hits me in the face.”

“Well, we got something here that will shake you from your gloomy mood.” He nodded to Umino as he dropped down into a chair. Kris tossed a CD case onto Endy’s desk. His brother glanced at him and the disk questioningly. “Troy was going to bring this to you, but I was already on my way up.”

Endy’s left brow rose slightly. “What is this?”

“This has just come in from the California Bureau of Investigations and the FBI.”  He placed a portfolio and a CD case on the crowded surface. “Sailors Uranus and Neptune were located in Los Angeles, California three hours ago.”

The King’s blue eyes went hard. “So they escaped once more?”

Kris nodded.

“Did they contact anyone?”

“Only a pawn shop dealer on Hollywood Boulevard,” Kris reported. “Apparently, Neptune sold a violin.”

“I want that instrument brought in for analysis.”  Endy rose abruptly and stalked over to one of the many windows that overlooked the gardens.

Kris and Umino exchanged a look. “Drew is en route to fetch the violin and he’s going to go over the surveillance evidence more thoroughly when he gets there.” Kris moved into Endy’s chair and loaded the disk into his computer. “This new detection system Princess Athena Diana and Troy developed is amazing. It works faster than a physic and is 75% more accurate.” He was looking at a digital copy of the pawnshop security tape. A woman of average height with short black hair with a violin case appeared. Kris could not see her face; sunglasses obscured half of her face. There was nothing about her that really stood out.  She looked average and plain but what gave her away was her stance. Her back was straight; her head was held high and proud with a haughty, regal manner that reminded him of Eros. (God, he missed her already.) He pulled his thoughts away from the Venusian Queen and focused his attention on the woman on the screen.  Everything about the woman screamed wealth and social privilege.  Her movements were refined and graceful, like a dancer. She could have been a terran born society princess who had fallen on hard times or an alien.  No one would have really known just by looking at this recording.  That was why they had the detection device.

“It works really well, sir,” Umino chimed in. He had been apart of the team that brought the Mercurian technology to Terra and had been one of the trainers to task force assigned to finding the two Senshi. “Lord Zoisite was certain that our agents in the area were able to locate them faster this time and they had a better lock on their energy patterns than with the method of using our psychics.  With the data picked up on the scanners, we can feed the information into our home systems and store it in the satellite memories.  We can now track them anywhere in the world!”

“And the beauty of this, the non-terran would never sense this system was locked on to them.” Kris glanced at his brother to see if he was paying attention.

“That’s true, my Lord.” Umino shook his head. “The scans are being run from satellites positioned all around Terra. It was designed upon the principles of GPS systems but tracks non-terran energy and picks up the Senshi planetary signatures.  Princess Athena Diana of Mercury assured us that a Senshi would never notice the scans while she or he were on Terra.”

“That’s good to know,” Kris murmured, “Just by looking at this security image, I can’t tell if this woman is terran or not.  Endy, you want to take a look at this?”

Silently, Endy joined his brother. He peered into the screen and frowned. Even through her disguise, Endy could see the woman’s true form.  “I don’t know what you are talking about, but I can see her just fine.”

“So can we.”  Kris was exasperated.  “I meant without the scanners, we wouldn’t be able to tell if she was terran or not.”

But that was not what he meant. Endy looked at his brother sharply. “Wait a minute. You can’t see what I see?”

A worried frown marred Kris’ brow. “What is it that you can see? Maybe I’m missing something?”

He pointed at the monitor.  “Her.  The condensation follows her like a vapor trail. The way the water in those fish tanks—even the liquid lapping at the edges of his coffee cup—all responds to her presence.  I’d wager she doesn’t even know she’s doing it.”

Kris studied the monitor for a moment and turned to his brother. “You can see all of that?” he asked skeptically. “But how?”

Endy looked like the cat that caught the canary. “It must have happened when Serenity did whatever it was that she did in the North Pole.”  He nodded to himself.

“You mean when she turned her hair white?”

“Yeah.”  He pushed Kris aside and clicked on an icon at the bottom of the screen to display a chart.  “Something happened to me as well that day.  I just haven’t shared it with anyone.”

Kris surged to his feet; his pale eyes were blazing with barely contained rage.  “It’s been over a year since that day!” he exploded. “What the hell were you thinking, Endymion?  What if you were exposed to an alien virus? Damn it, you could be dying right now—”

Endy gave him a long-suffering look. “Shut the hell up,” he snapped, “No one yells at me, not even my mother.  She knows, like everyone else, I’d knock the hell out of her and you are no exception, Kris. Now sit your tall ass down and look at the chart.  Sheesh, you son of a bitch.”  With a sudden snarl, Endy kicked over his wastebasket and started yelling.  “Goddamn it, mother fucker, why the hell can’t they just get the hell off my planet and leave me the fuck alone?”

“Endy,” Kris snapped.

“What?”  He was just getting himself worked up into a good lather and didn’t welcome the interruption.

Kris ignored the surly tone. “I’m going to tell Artemis that you need be checked out.”

“I’m fine, damn it.”

“No, you’re crazy,” Kris said mildly.

Endy shot him a withering glare.

“We aren’t talking about your mental status, little brother.”  Standing up, he picked up the portfolio and the information he had printed out. “From your own observations, your personal changes raises some questions and we might have better insight into what’s going on with Uranus and Neptune by finding out what’s going on with you.”

And here Endy was ready to tell Kris to go do naughty things to himself.  It was never fun when someone said something that made complete sense after a personal insult. Sulking, Endy dropped down into his now vacated chair and pouted. 

“I don’t care what has to be done.  I want every law agency on Terra equipped with this new technology.  I want those two rogue Senshi found before my coronation.  My people don’t need to witness their King beheading two psychos on television.”

“It takes a nut to know another,” Kris muttered.

“What was that?” Endy snapped.

Umino turned away to hide the grin on his face.

“Stop snickering, Umino,” the mentally unstable King growled. “Go do what you were told, you whipped little monkey.”

Umino stopped laughing, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “I am on it, Sire,” Umino said, bowing.

“Oh, Umino, has there been any news about concerning temporal disturbances?” Kris asked the youth before he left.

Umino was halfway out the door, but he turned back, shaking his head. “No, sir. The shield the King created with the Golden Crystal has not been disrupted and the psychic monitors have not felt anything connected to the Planet Pluto.”

Endy swore, “So the bitch is still out there, somewhere?”

“Our Lunar contacts have also come up negative as well, your Majesty,” Umino reminded him. “Queen Serenity’s search of the rogue Senshi is ten times more aggressive than Terra’s, but she has still come up empty-handed.”

“Who is the Lead Psychic on Silver Millennium?” Endy asked.

“Princess Bellona of Mars, Sire.”

Endy frowned, “I thought she had suffered a mental collapse due to a soul poisoning by Pluto.”

Kris nodded, “She did but is now recovering.  Mentally, Bellona is at 100% .  The damage done to her body is taking longer to heal.  Jamie’s been bringing back reports of her recovery when he come back from his visits.”

“In the past, she and Jade were married, and they worked well together back —” Endy said softly, almost to himself.  “I wonder if Ares would allow her to come to Terra and work with our people?”

“I’m afraid that is not a possibility at present, Sire,” Umino said.  Endy gave him a questioning look.  “Princess Bellona has been taken to Mars for another round of treatment…”

“Damn.” He switched back to the security image of Sailor Neptune. “I have to do something that will draw those two out.”

“Endy, we can’t risk having a repeat of what happened in the Middle East in one of the most populated cities in the world.” Kris warned.

Endy looked away, out at the vast forest and mountains that hid he and his followers from the world. Ancient magics were at work here, magic that was older than his grandfather’s kingdom. The house was built directly on top of an ancient ruin and the land was guarded by eight megaliths from all sides. Here, amongst all of this magic and the ancient spells, he was safe and protected. Yet outside these mystical borders, his people were at the mercy of two madwomen. Two powerful, confused women who could appear anywhere in the world and level a city of any size before defenders could be put in place.

Tiredly, Endy rubbed at his eyes. He wanted to rant and yell at everyone. He did not need this kind of aggravation. Not now. Not when he was on the verge of claiming his birthright.

He slammed a fist down on his desk, hard. The old wood underneath whined in protest.

“Endy?” Kris asked worriedly.

Endy had lowered his hand from his face. He still faced the window, giving his brother a view of his sharp profile. Hard, sapphire eyes, lightly tinted with lavender stared unblinking at the forest beyond the mansion stonewalls.

“I will not allow my people to suffer needlessly.” His voice shook with barely controlled fury. “I don’t know why Pluto has decided to target me. I don’t know what she has to gain by bringing this star system war, but she will not take Terra from me. Umino.” He barked.

The younger youth raced forward, “Yes, sire?”

“I want you to send a message to the Moon Kingdom, directly to Queen Serenity. “In this message tell the Queen Serenity that I am going to find those two witches. They will be tried by a terran court and then executed.”

“Endy, are you mad?” Kris cried out in horror.

A sly smirk turned up the corners of the terran King’s lips. “I’m setting a trap.”

“But this,” Kris went on, “This almost affront to the most powerful monarch in the Solar System. The Queen may see this as an informal declaration of war. You cannot send something like that to Moon Kingdom.”

Endy waved his brother’s concerns away. “The Queen asks that Eros and Nike be allowed to come to Terra and assist with the investigation. I have been delayed in my response, but now, I am going to tell her Majesty to go straight to hell."

 “Endy—” Kris growled menacingly.

 “Careful, brother, I could take your attitude as a sign of disrespect.”  Endy flashed him a smug grin.

Kris glared at him.  “Forgive me, your Majesty, I was not thinking at the moment,” he sneered.

 “Believe me, Kris. I know what I am doing. I will never endanger Terra or my people in a fit of pride.” Endy turned back to Umino. “Could you clean that up a bit?  I don’t want either the Queen or her council to think I’m being disrespectful.”

“You don’t want the Princess to think that, you arrogant, selfish little bastard,” Kris muttered.

Endy shot him a look.  “I heard that.”

Kris feigned astonishment.  “Really, Endy? I didn’t think you would.”

 “Your mother is coming in tomorrow and she’s bringing a few of her friends and their daughters.”

Endy winced. “Oh hell no.”

Kris chuckled as they left the young king to his misery. “If I were you, Endy, I'd prepare for a fight on all fronts.”

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

It was a year since Pluto walked into the Gates of Time and sealed them. Queen Serenity of the Silver Millennium was at a loss as to how they would ever find the rogue Senshi who could move through time and dimensions. Of course, she was able to seal the power of Pluto’s garnet orb, but that was not enough. Over the centuries, Pluto had mastered the time streams and could move through them at will. Most likely she was hidden within the past.  At least, it was the only explanation the Moon Queen could come up with it.

Serenity tried to release the tension building within her.  The Outer Senshi were needed to track Pluto, they were the only ones who were capable of such a task besides Eros. She was not about to send her Supreme Military commander in the vortex of time and risk losing her.  The people of Venus would never forgive her, nor would she be able to forgive herself. She refused to put any of the Senshi in that sort of danger, which meant for the moment, Persephone was standing at the Gates.  She had been there as sentinel since the return of the Silver Palace and would remain until Pluto’s return.  Persephone would execute her on the spot.

“My Queen?”

Serenity looked up as the door of her private chambers opened.  Athena Diana entered and bowed.

Straightening in her chair, the silver-haired Queen forced a smile to her face.  “What is the news from Terra now?”

Athena Diana placed the transcribed message on her desk. “King Endymion refuses to have more Senshi on Terra yet he does thank you for the offer of assistance.  He believes that this is a terran issue and will not involve the rest of Solar System in this conflict.  He says that the Senshi of Neptune and Uranus will stand trial for crimes committed against the planet and its people.”

Serenity nodded. “And yet, he asks for my daughter to return to his planet and be his Queen when in the same breath he promises death to her people.” She sighed wearily. “What type of game are you playing at Endymion?”

 “Will there be a message in response to this development, my Queen?” Athena Diana asked respectfully.

Serenity drew herself up regally. “Yes. Tell the pompous little jackanapes that his suit for my daughter’s hand has hereby been formally rejected by me, the Queen of the Silver Millennium, etc, etc.”  A cruel smile pulled at her lips as she thought of his screams. “Then we’ll see if he refuses my will.”

Athena Diana fought back the smile. “I shall relay the message immediately.”

“Please do.” The Queen replied back to the Mercurian Crowned Princess. Her attention wondered to her daughter. “Oh, and Athena, please send the Princess to me if you happen to come upon her.”

“I take it that the Princess is not pleased with the latest changes to her schedule?” she asked with a wry smile.

“No, she is not.” She glanced back the other tall, slender girl with a wryer smile. “Her tutors are adamant that Serenity should build her own court and I am in favor of it as well.  In the past, Serenity enjoyed court life and mingling amongst the courtiers. But now she treats it all as if it were a chore.  She doesn’t even try to hide her contempt for the court and is short with many of the young men who could become her suitors. And outside of the Senshi, she is not trying to make any friends.”

“Shall I talk to her, your Majesty?”

The Mercurian Princess did not miss the sudden look of hope in the Queen’s worried lavender-gray eyes. “Could you, Athena Diana?”

“I will do my best, your Majesty.”  Athena Diana bowed low at the waist with her right arm crossing her heart.

She was taken completely off guard when the Queen threw her arms about her. “Oh, thank you. If you manage to get Serenity interested in the court, I will be most pleased.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” Athena Diana said stiffly as she disengaged herself from the Queen.  She bowed to her again and then quickly left to start on her task.  Handing the message off to one of her assistants, Athena Diana returned to her suite near the east tower.  Along the way, she exchanged pleasantries with the a few people and waved to her distant cousin from Saturn.  She cut around the immaculate spring garden, where a group of young Venusian ladies were laughing and singing with a few handsome young men in the Imperial livery of the Queen.

This was truly a different world from the one she had known on Terra when she was little Mizuno Ami.  Pausing a moment to look at Terra rising in the horizon, she refocused her sight until she could see Japan, then Tokyo, and finally Juuban.  Marie Mizuno was still there.  She had forgotten about her daughter and the ex-husband who used to come around.  Moving on with her life, Marie was completely focused on her work and research and she was finally happy.  Athena Diana did not begrudge her for being happiest this way.  At peace with herself and her life, Athena Diana was happier too.  She was with her father, the man who, in her past life, was her only parent because her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her.  She had her kingdom.  Athena Diana loved her home world and her subjects.  In return, the people of Mercury welcomed back their Princess with warm and joyful hearts.  She had her friends.  Being a Senshi was the most important thing to her, next to becoming Queen in her own right someday.  More so, she had Troy in her life.

She couldn’t help but smile as she remembered their latest rendezvous on her world. He was everything Athena Diana remembered him to be and more.  He had hinted at marriage and to her surprise, the subject did not put her off.  Of course, they were putting the matter aside because of the current events on Terra.  The rebuilding of the Golden Kingdom, among other things, had to be considered before they could start shopping for rings.  However, it was nice to know that she and Troy were on the same wavelength.

With a happy and very contented sigh, Athena Diana hurried to her tower. Stepping through the portal that concealed the entrance, she stopped abruptly at a noise emanating from deep inside.  She drew her bow and notched two arrows as she proceeded forward.  Frowning, she concentrated on the sound when she heard it again.  The noise was coming from her salon.  She paused and listened again.  Smiling, Athena Diana put her weapon away as she went to see what her soul sister had gotten into this time.

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

Princess Serenity was in the east tower to escape her chaperone and her court. Her etiquette classes, music practices and dancing lessons were driving her up the wall but the rest was just making her crazy.  She was expected to be graceful all the time.  That was easy since she was no longer competing with Terra’s gravity to stay upright.  She was to be soft-spoken, elegant in her speech and manners and nice to everyone, even if they were getting on her nerves.  She was learning politics, something she had never enjoyed in any lifetime, and the endless royal protocols required for one of her distinguished station.  It all succeeded in making her one very bored Princess.

That was why she was in Athena Diana’s apartments.  She was hiding from herself and everything else by trying to be Bunny for a little while longer.  One way was reading her mangas, which were shipped to her by Umino every two months.  They weren’t safe in her rooms, especially since Patricia retained complete access at all times. Her former teacher was now one of her tutors.  Being Ms. Haruna, she believed that her Royal Highness’ time was better spent reading the old histories of the Silver Millennium and the Philosophies of Selene instead of reading mangas.

Athena smiled down at the diamond-white head of her best friend before tapping her between the pale buns.

Serena’s mask of annoyance was quickly replaced with a happy smile as she bounced up and embraced her friend.

“Hello, Serenity,” Athena greeted as she returned her hug. “Your mother is looking for you.”

“Athena, when did you return?” Serena asked, launching into a thousand questions. For the moment, she chose to forget about her mother as she sat back on the mound of cushions covering the floor. “How was Mercury?”

“Fine,” Athena said, taking a seat beside her.  She picked up one of the discarded mangas and flipped through it. “My father has done so much to revive the culture of our world and the people are pleased with his endeavors.”

“And what about you?” Serenity asked. “Before you left, you said Lord Zoicite would join you?”

Athena Diana nodded. “He did,” she replied evenly. “And Troy and I had fun together.”

Serena smiled gently as she took her friend’s bluish-tinged hands, “Do you think it is love?”

Athena laughed. “There is something between us.  I don’t want it to be a carryover from our past and I think he feels the same--”

“So you are taking it slow, to see if it’s real or not?” Serenity said insightfully.

Athena looked at her and nodded, “Yes. That’s what we are doing.”

The white-haired girl sighed wistfully. “I wish Endymion were half as generous and attentive towards me as Troy is to you.”

Athena could say nothing.  King Endymion was turning out to be a callous bastard in many ways.  He walked roughshod over his advisors, treating them all like they never had an original thought.  He was just as callous towards those who were supposed to be his closest friends.  Surprisingly, the people of Terra accepted the tyrannical young King and let him have his way.  Athena was more than halfway convinced that the bastard got by on his damned looks with his own people.  His complete lack of respect for her Queen and Princess made her and her sister Senshi want to go to Terra and beat him within an inch of his life.

While on Mercury, Athena had heard of his extravagant gifts to the Princess while ordering the Queen away from his planet at the same time.  This thing with the Neptune and Uranus was just going to make things worse.  Troy had confided to her that Endymion was going to execute the two Senshi.  If he did so, Endymion was asking to start a war in the Solar System.  The Kingdom of Uranus would want retribution on behalf of their Queen and Styx of Neptune would not sit idly by if something were to happen to her niece.  With Uranus and Neptune demanding action, Queen Serenity would have no choice but go to war against Endymion.  No one wanted to see that happen but, with Endymion’s behavior, war was looming on the horizon.

The Senshi had to be on Terra.  Besides stopping the imminent war, they had to learn more of Pluto’s betrayal.

Before he destroyed the spirit of Rei, King Ares had encountered a complicated bit of brainwashing in the girl.  Implanted deep within her soul, it was encrypted and set to trigger in case events deviated from Pluto’s original plans.  If she had been left unchecked, Rei would have reacted to what had happened in some way.  Thank the Goddess, they never found out how.

Lying down, Serenity rested her head on Athena’s right leg as she read her manga. Athena looked down at her Princess and had a thought.

“Serenity, how would you like to go to Terra?”
            
“I wouldn’t mind,” the Princess said absently.  “I would like to purchase my own mangas because Umino hasn’t been sending me any interesting ones.  And I would do just about anything to get out of the palace.  Ms. H and company are killing me with all this pointless work they call royal education.  But I can’t go, Mama wants me to stay away from Terra until Endy stops being a pompous ass.”

Athena couldn’t help but smile at her Princess’ simple but accurate description of the Terran King.  Curiosity got the better of the Princess.  Rolling onto her back, she looked up at her sister.  “Why should I go to Terra, Athena?”

A serious expression appeared on the Mercurian’s face. “We have a situation with the Outer Senshi,” she said gravely.  “We fear that Pluto has brainwashed Queen Atalanta of Uranus and Lady Xanthe of Aglaia, Senshi of Neptune.”

Serenity frowned.  “I don’t truly remember Lady Xanthe. I thought only the heirs were the Planetary Senshi.”

“This is why you should pay attention to your linage tutor as well as history, Serenity,” Athena scolded gently.  “You must know the royal lineage of all the planets and Neptune is the most complex.  Xanthe’s mother was the twelfth daughter of the King Okeanos and Queen Tethys of Neptune. Their eldest daughter, Styx, inherited the throne, but she was not a Senshi.  Her youngest sister, Princess Kalypso, was revealed to have a Sailor Crystal.  Therefore, she became the Senshi of Neptune.  Lady Xanthe is her daughter.”

“But the ruler is meant to be the most powerful on their home worlds,” Serenity insisted.

Athena shook her head.  “The people of Neptune have learned to live without that.  Besides, it frees the ruler and allows him or her to focus solely on their planet. The same is done on Pluto and a few of Jupiter’s moons. Pluto is a republic and it’s guardians descend from the former royal line, but the monarchy was abolished before the second Great War in this system.”

Serenity thought about it for a moment before nodding to indicate her understanding.  “Alright, Atalanta and Xanthe are on Terra, possibly behaving under the influence of Pluto?  Why not let the terrans capture them and then send them here?”

   “Endymion wants to kill them.”  She watched the horrified look spread on her Princess’ face. “If he were to do that, it will be considered acts of war by their home worlds.  Also, they are our only hope of finding Pluto before she attacks.”

“Are you sure that Pluto will attack us?” Serenity asked, a look of sadness appearing in her blue-gray eyes.

Athena smiled sadly at her friend and brushed Serenity’s bangs from her eyes. Eyes, once the colour of the richest sapphires, were now sleet-colored gray slowly fading to silver. Her once silvery-blonde locks were as white as the Lunar surface and her complexion was just as pale. Even Serenity’s features had changed, but then so had everyone else’s since the migration.

Serenity sat up abruptly, the silk of her gown rustling slightly as she folded her legs under herself.  “We have to save them.”

Athena nodded. “Endymion will not allow us on Terra—”

Serenity stood up, forgetting her mangas as she started for the door.  “We will go to Terra and save them.  And we will stop this foolishness.  The Universe will not go to war, because we will find our sisters and bring them home.  Endymion would never deny me, especially if I give him what he wants most in this universe.”

Athena’s eyes went wide as her Princess’ statement registered in her mind. “Serenity, are you mad?” she demanded incredulously.

********************
Chapter Two
********************

“I will not allow it.” Queen Serenity’s ringing voice could be heard throughout the entire office of administration. Irritation and disbelief shown on the powerful monarch’s features as she regarded her daughter sitting across from her desk.

Serena looked her mother, pleading. “They are alone on a foreign world, Mama.” For the last hour she had been trying almost in vain to have her mother agree to sending her to Terra. “Please, Mama. Neptune and Uranus do not deserve this sort of treatment…”

“I never said they did,” the Queen retorted, sounding more than hurt that her daughter would accuse of her willfully causing another pain. “But Serenity, you do not understand that Endymion has demanded a price for our presence on Terra.”

Serena smiled sadly. “I know what Endymion wants, Mama, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring them home, alive.” She said gravely, “Mama, do you honestly believe that the Silver Millennium can suffer the consequences of not aiding the Queen of Uranus and one of Styx’s nieces? We cannot afford to not intervene, Mama. Our kingdom is still too weak and our sovereignty is in question by members of the Alliance. We must do whatever it takes to prevent a war in the solar system.”

“Do you think to tell me my duties, daughter?” Serenity said coldly. “I am aware of the opinions of the high council. Yet I am still the High Queen. My word is still law in this Star System.”

Serena lowered her head humbly. “Forgive me, your Majesty. It was not my wish to offend her Majesty nor question her wisdom. It is only my personal desire to be of an assistance to her Majesty and her Kingdom. I would to do anything to prevent a war between the Silver Alliance and Terra, Mama. Pluto has sorely misused Uranus and Neptune and she left them there to die. And I feel deeply for them both. They are confused and feel threatened—“

“Which they should be with Endymion threatening to kill any Senshi found on his planet.” The Queen said tartly.

Serena frowned, “Mama, you’re not helping.”

“Bunny, I only have your best interest at heart.” Serenity reached for her daughter’s hands and held them to her heart. “Endymion is not to be trusted…”

“He will never hurt me.” Serena insisted.

“And how can you be so sure, chérie?” her mother asked softly.

“I need you, Serena,” he spoke directly into her mind.

Her mind raced, along with her pulse. Magic was flowing to her and coming out of her. Endymion was doing this to her, drawing on her Silver Crystal and feeding her the power of his Golden Crystal. It was too much for her to handle.  She screamed out in pain as her knees buckled beneath the onslaught of their combined power.

Serena looked away. Ever since she and Endymion shared their power to defeat Metallia, she had always felt him. She couldn’t explain it and it bothered and frustrated her to no end. “I just know.” she turned back to her and met her gaze firmly. “Just as I know that this is an action I must take to rescue Neptune and Uranus and protect the Silver Alliance.”

“Bunny, we can try something else. I will deal with the High Council of Uranus and Styx. I am sure I can prevent the planets from going to war as well as save Atalanta and Xanthe. However, I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself.” Serenity declared impassionedly. “If you go to Terra, I am afraid that you would never survive it. And I cannot bear that thought, Serenity.”

“We don’t know that,” Serena said. “Mama, I am willing to take on any risk to save them, I will give up my freedom.” Then she smiled, “Don’t worry, Mama, it’s not like I am going there to marry him, I’m just going for visit, with my attendants and Royal guards of course.”

Serenity was still reluctant to agree, but she gave consent.

Serena rushed off to tell Mercury, but there was going to be a change of who was going.

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*
                                                           
“You want Saturn to join us?” Eros asked.  She was not very confident about her Princess’ plan, but it could be modified before they left for Terra.

Serena nodded thoughtfully. “I know this will take her away from her duty of waiting for Pluto. But I honestly believe that she will be an asset to us while we are on Terra. If Atalanta and Xanthe were to see both of you then maybe they would believe that Pluto has gone traitor…”

“Or maybe they will believe that Persephone has betrayed them as well and we have all joined Endymion.” Nike suggested as she sat down on Athena’s floor.

Serena pursed her lips in deep thought. “That’s a risk we have to be willing to take.” She told them. She laid down, resting her head on Athena’s legs. “But we can’t go there looking like we are trying to find the Outers and escape with them.”

Eros nodded, “So, who else do you want to take besides Persephone?”

Serena looked at Nike apologetically. “Eros and Athena.” She said. Nike looked away sadly, but Serena sat up quickly and reached for her hands. “Nike, I am not trying to exclude you, there are the reasons I chose them that makes sense. Eros is my chief guardian and protector. Everyone knows that Athena is my confidante and best friend. And Persephone was my first lady-in-waiting since she is my closest kinswoman as well as second in command of the Senshi.”

“This is simply a recon mission,” Eros interrupted her. She turned to Nike fully, her amber eyes alight with the prospect of chaos and destruction if the terrans tried to cross them. “We will need you and Bellona here as backup incase something fails. With us on Terra, I will take control of the Outers, Athena can disable the Terrans technology in case we need to escape quickly and Persephone will be our assurance to the Outers. You are to stay and monitor all activities and make sure that when we are ready to leave, we can leave Terra without losing the Princess.”

“Our primary duties are to make contact with the Uranus and Neptune and to get them out.” Serena told them. “And then you all.”

“No,” Athena said sharply. “Our duty is to get you out. Once Uranus and Neptune understand the situation it will be a race for us to get off Terra.”

Serena frowned. “I can teleport us all from Terra’s surface, so don’t worry about me. My crystal will protect me and I can protect myself.”

Athena started to protest, but Eros laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. She was already formulating their escape, so the Princess was in no danger from Endymion or anyone else. Their only problem now lay in getting there.

“Anyone has a suggestion short of us just sneaking onto Terra and having Endymion hunt us down?” Eros asked.

Serena laid down again and closed her eyes, “I can always finagle an invitation out of Endy.” She told her.

“Your highness must have forgotten that the terran King is not overly partial to having Senshi on his planet.”

“Which is a huge contradiction since he is the Senshi of Terra..” Nike pointed out.

“I know,” Eros rolled her eyes. “Why can’t this man be reasonable?”

“Maybe because we are not thinking of Endymion as man.” Athena looked about at the uncomprehending faces. “You know, he’s a man, Eros. A MAN.” She stressed the word.

It took the Queen of Venus a moment and then she slapped her brow. “How could I’ve been so stupid.”

Nike and Serena were exchanging looks, then the Queen of Jupiter said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“We have been going about this terran rat the wrong way.” Eros stood up and started pacing, “We need to be subtle in handling Endymion. He is a wary bastard and cagey to boot, so whatever we do, it must be direct or he will become suspicious. Yet we must keep in mind that Endymion is just a man, and he has all the masculine weaknesses. Your highness, you are his greatest weakness.” Eros dropped down before the Princess and grabbed her shoulders. The girl squeaked when she saw the fanatical look in the Venusian’s eyes. “You are the perfect bait.”

“Bait?” The Princess yelped.

 “Oh, yes. Bait.” She stood up and jerked the girl to her feet. “You are to exploit your feminine wiles. Use everything you can on this rat and bring him down. But first, we need to do something about this gown and maybe your hair, I think.” She pulled the frantic girl along with her as she hurried from Athena’s chamber. “Come along, Senshi, we have a battle to plan for and win.”

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

 Endy was seriously contemplating matronicide as he stalked out of the house and into the gardens. It was late, he was tired, agitated and just this side of angry; However, his thickheaded mother could not seem to grasp that fact and continued to harass him until he reached the point were he wanted to strangle her.

Caroline St. Michaels was a pain in her Royal son’s backside and forehead. She was like arthritis or a bad toothache, the type of pain that just would not go way unless you had it removed permanently.

She was a redheaded shrew, who lived by the social registry and only associated with those with the proper pedigree. Which was why she left Endy’s dad and abandoned him to marry Kris’ father. The only good thing that came out of that was Endy getting Kris as his brother. Still, it failed to endear Caroline to him. And her actions a few years later destroyed any chance of the two ever having any sort of relationship.

Endy groaned as he rubbed viciously at the headache over his eyes. Dark sapphire eyes bleed out to a dark lavender as the pain almost became too much for him to bear. It was becoming harder to him to maintain his illusions especially when he was under extreme stress. And right now, he was swimming in it. Endy stumbled through his rose garden to a pathway marked by two ancient oak trees that served as the gates. He hurried to the two trees and stepped into darkness.

With sound of relief, he allowed the illusion to fall and he entered Elysium. 

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~* 

 It was the supper hour and Kris had yet to find his brother.  It was not like his brother to run from anything. The boy overly confident in himself and his abilities. It took a lot to cause a slight panic in Endy, which never lasted long. It was Kris and the others who did the worrying and fearing. Like right now. Where the hell was Endy?

Kris stormed outside and scoured all of Endy’s usual hiding places. His horse was in the stable, his motorcycle was in the garage, and Endy did not drive. Kris checked the barracks, his friends hadn’t seen the young king, and they were looking for Jamie who had stolen some game. That was Endy’s MO. Kris told them the game was Endy’s quarters and he would have Umino return it. Speaking of the kid, Umino had been trying to locate his brother as well. Artemis wanted him in the planning room; he had checked the gardens but came up empty. Which meant that the teleporting brat could have been anywhere on Terra.

 “Where’s Endy?” Artemis asked Kris the moment as he entered the dinning room. Artemis sat at the head of the table. He wore reading glasses as he read a report in his hand. He was looking expectantly at Kris but the young warrior shrugged.

“I don’t know, Artemis.” He took his seat next to Endy’s empty one. “The last time I saw him, Endy was cursing Caroline and that was two hours ago.”

“We should really do something about that woman.” Terran said from the other end of the table. He was cutting to what could have only been the side of a steer dosed in steak sauce. “She came here with a group of desperate little girls and their equally desperate mothers just she could play lady of the manor. What that woman has done is disruptive to staff. She’s making demands on everyone and she pissing people off.”

“I know that.” Artemis said with a hint of frustration. “That woman has tried my patience as well. She has seemed to have forgotten that this is a school as well as a military installation. We are not here to have parties or cater to the whims of bored and jaded socialites. Nor can we allow her to disrupt Endy’s schedule. He has to be prepared for his tour.”

“You want to ship her off?” Kris asked hopefully.

“Ship whom off?” Mike asked as he and the other stragglers trooped inside.

“Caroline and her plague.” Kris told him as he started to fill his plate. “By the way, have either of you guys seen Endy?”

All eyes turned to Jamie. The blond general looked around at all the expectant face and he asked, “What?”

“James, where is Endymion?” Artemis asked with a hint of impatience.

“Elysium.” He said sourly. “Where else can he run to escape his mother?”

Kris shook his head, “Should have known.”

“He’s been doing that a lot these days.” Troy said worriedly.

“I’m trying not to read too much into it.” Artemis told them, “However, this is the fifth time he has disappeared this week. Terran, can you not talk to Endymion and find out what is troubling him?”

 Terran swallowed a mouthful of his steak as he cut off another chunk. “I’ve been trying, but you how Endy has been avoiding direct personal questions since he discovered hair growing on other parts of his body other than his head.”

“Yes, the King is overly fond of secrets. And I feel he is hiding something rather important from us.” Artemis said quietly. “Kristopher, I want you to—“

“His energy transference with the Princess did something to him.” Kris ran a hand through his short silvery hair and scrubbed his face. “That’s what Endy has been hiding.”

“And you are just saying something about this now?” Artemis said coolly.

Kris looked up at his mentor, “Endy has kept this from me as well. Only today did he choose to fill me in.”

“What’s so special about today?” Terran asked him.

   “Nothing really. We were just watching the surveillance video of Sailor Neptune when Endy announced that can see a Senshi’s true form.” Kris told him. The others were looking at him blankly, only Artemis seemed to understand to what he was referring, and the white haired instructor bade him on. “While looking at the tape, I told Umino and Endy that it was impossible to know if the girl was terran or not. Endy came over, took one look at the screen and said with conviction that the girl was indeed the Senshi of Neptune.”

“Endymion recognized Xanthe of Aglaia?” Artemis sounded skeptical.

 Kris shook his head. “I think he knew her.”

“Kris, you just said…” Jamie started to interrupt, but Kris cut him off.

“She could have been anyone,” the stony eyed youth said, “And for second, I though Endy was trying to be a wise ass. Until he started pointing out a few things that no one really would have noticed even if they had not been paying attention—I take that back, there were a lot things that Endy saw that no one, could have noticed with the naked eye.”

“Such as?” Artemis asked.

Kris raised his eyes to the ceiling as he ticked the things off. “Endy saw the water moving towards Neptune. He said that the coffee in store keeper’s cup and the water in the fish tanks was responding to her presence.”

“Did he say more?” Terran asked.

Kris nodded, “Endy seems to believe that Neptune is unaware of her new found abilities.”

“And he is correct.” Artemis told them.

“Why do you say that?” Troy asked curiously.

A facial muscle was moving wildly in Artemis’ right cheek. Terran knew how his friend felt at this moment. Artemis was conflicted by his loyalties to the Senshi, each he had personally trained and cared for as if they were his own. Then there was his pledge to Endymion and Terra. Artemis might have felt like he was betraying one for the other, but Terran suffered from no such problems. His loyalty belonged solely to Endymion.

  “You can’t put a Senshi in his or her element and not expect the element to respond.” Terran told them. “Neptune is water, 100% and all water, no matter it’s form it is drawn to her like a magnet. It’s the main reason you would never want to face she and Athena Diana together in battle. They could draw on each other’s magic for Daghda knows how long and survive to destroy their enemy. That was one of the main reason those two were never partnered up in Silver Millennium, Right, Art?”

“It was more to it than that.” Artemis told him. “Aphrodite knew the two could be a powerful and deadly force by working together. My Queen wanted to make them stronger through independent means therefore she encouraged the two to cultivate natural partnerships with the other Senshi.”

“Yeah, but I never got the hang of that natural partners theory.” Terran told him.

“It works on the same principles of a soul mate.” Kris answered for him. “But instead of being in love with the person you are working with, the relationship becomes one like that of a very close relative.”

“My girls thinks of each other as sisters.” Artemis smiled faintly. “We encouraged them to see one another as family and develop those types of bonds.”

“Why would you all go through something like that?” Troy asked.

“Because of the old saying.” Mike answered for him. “Blood is thicker than water. They are extremely close to one another and would die for each other.”

“So how did Pluto fall out of this loop?” Jamie asked him

Grief clouded Artemis blue eyes, “Until recently, we did not know Pluto had abandoned her partnership with Saturn…”

“Maybe it could explain why she went rouge?” Troy said.

Mike agreed, “Is it possible that something went wrong in their relationship that could have caused Pluto to snap?”

Artemis shrugged, “Anything is possible, but we will not know until we talk to Persephone herself, for only she could give us some insight into Ananke’s discontent.”

“We should have that chance very soon.” Kris told him.

“How so?”

“Endy plans to have the Senshi come to Terra.”

“Endymion is stubborn, but he is no fool.” Artemis said confidently. “I know that if either Terran or myself were to approach him with this subject and show it from all possible points of views he will agree—“

Just then the dining room door was thrown open and red faced, profusely sweating soldier came in. “My lord Artemis, sir. There is an urgent transmission coming from the Lunar Palace.”

 *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

He marched into his private chambers and closed the door after giving the order that he did not want to be disturbed for any reason unless it was the Moon ( which he had intended as a joke,) only to find himself fifteen minutes later in the communications room with Troy, a sleepy looking Jamie, Mike, and a pissed off Kris. Umino shoved a cup of coffee into his hand along with printed copy of the Lunar Queen’s latest transmission.

A second one without waiting for a reply aroused everyone’s suspicion.

“Satellite imaging coming in.” A technician reported. “We have established communications.”

“Proceed.” Endy took a head set Umino held for him. He was not in the mood to deal with one of Queen Serenity's flunkies or her, Endy muttered to himself. If this wasn’t an emergency or something, that lackey was going to get to hear about it. How dare that moon twit summon him. He was already pissed off because of the crap his mother was trying to pull; he did not need his future mother-in-law adding to his already foul mood.

Static appeared on the screen. Endy assumed his posture of superiority

“What do you think they want?” he heard Mike ask Kris.

His brother shook his head.

Endy tuned everyone and everything else out as he focused his attention on the screen as it cleared and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He, like all the others in the communications room, had been expecting an emissary or someone other low ranking official to appear with message from the Queen, Endy was completely taken off guard as he openly gawked at the vision of ethereal loveliness on the screen.

   “Endy?” Serena’s expression was slightly puzzled as she looked at the dark haired king. “Oh, I assumed that I would be talking to Umino or your brother. What are you doing there?”

Damn. This was low. He knew what they doing, he amazed that the moon folk was would go so low as to tempt him with this—this…

Kris glanced back his brother and swore. “Aww, hell, we just lost, Endy.” He muttered.

Umino looked worriedly at his king. “Sire?”

 Her long hair hung about her in shimmering waves of pale silk, just like her dress, if it could have been called that. What that dress was was short, a tiny sheer little thing in the front that was showing more leg than he had ever seen on her outside of a surveillance photo. His eyes honed in on her chest and stayed there until part of her messages got through his lust-hazed brain—He started to tell her about all the naughty thoughts that were dancing about in his head, but he remembered himself before the embarrassing words slipped out. (Okay, he would not have been embarrassed.)  “Where else would I be, Princess? This is my planet.” He managed to say after he reluctantly drew his eyes away from the more interesting parts of her body.

She looked as if she wanted to roll her eyes. It was only her training and sense of propriety that stopped her from doing that and saying much worst. Serena forced herself to smile at the snide little…

“Endy,” she said sweetly. “I was just informed by the Secretary of Intergalactic Affairs that I am to go on a goodwill tour of our solar system.”

His right brow rose questioningly. “What’s this got to do with me?”

To answer him, Serena played a dirty trick on him that shut down Endy’s brain for a good two minutes which was all the time she needed. When Endy finally came back to his senses, the Princess was asking him “…can I come?”

Endy blinked incredulously. Come? He was more than willing to make her come as many times as she liked—Whoa! His mind left his personal gutter, kicking and screaming. “You want to come to Terra?” He demanded warily. What was that little strumpet—in that delectable, gossamer gown that showed her rosy tipped…Uh, what did she want again?

Serena had a vapid smile on her face as she prattled on. “Patricia suggested it and thinks it is a wonderful idea. To have you formally welcome me…”

Endy’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to the screen. “And while you here, promoting yourself, you get to sneak off with your rogue Senshi?” She looked so soft and inviting with all her glorious hair falling about her…Down boy. Focus. He ordered himself.

Her smile back brittle around the edges, but Serena refused to be baited. She was going to finagle an invitation from that weasel even if it was the last thing she would ever do. “Endy, be reasonable.” She told him. “By allowing me on Terra, you will be showing the other rulers of the universe—“

   “Spare me that bull, my dear,” he said cutting her off and another vivid image in his head.  He wondered if someone spiked his coffee. His eyes narrowed, or maybe it was just her. Damned little witch was trying to seduce him mentally. Well ha the joke was on her. The lunar Queen and damned people had played straight into his hand. Getting to ogle his Princess was just a bonus. Endy just stood back and let her continue to try to talk him into letting she and her Senshi come to Terra.  Endy fought hard to keep the sardonic grin off his face as he threw in for good measure.. “I’m sure you moon folk and the rest really do want to establish some type of peace between the Silver Alliance and Terra, however, my love, the answer is no.” She was not stepping one delicate little foot on Terra until she agreed to become his wife.

Serena stared at him in open mouth astonishment before shrieking, “What?”

  “You heard me,” he told her. “I said—“

  “I know what you said,” she retorted hotly, “You have just told me, ME, the supposed love of your life, no I can’t come to see you.”

“I may love you, but I am not stupid, Serenity.” He told her. “If you think for one moment that I—“

“Endy,” Terran shouted from outside the room, “Get out here now, before I kill your damned mother…”

For a moment, Endy just stood there, staring at the door with a look of pure horror on his face, like a deer caught in the headlights. His mother was going to make him do something he was going to regret for the rest of his life. Well maybe not for the rest of life, maybe for a couple minutes, but he would get over as long as it meant she was out of his hair.

He was tempted to just let Terran kill her. Then he remembered the woman had given birth to him; that alone should have been points in her favour.

“Endymion?” His mother called in her sickening sweet, singsong voice.

Then again…

“Endy?” Serena asked in a heartbroken, little voice, “Who was that?”

His head whipped from the door to the screen so fast it was wonder he did not have whiplash. He looked at Serena, the though of his mother and her friends an idea popped up in his devious little mind and he smiled. A cruel, malicious grin that could scare a holy man suddenly became charming and amicable.

“Love, I would be honored if you were to grace this savage planet with your divine presence.” He said smoothly.

Serena’s left brow went up at his rapid change of moods. “Huh?”

“Darling, my angel, love of my life, my Princess…”

“Endy, you’re scaring me—“ Serena said shakily. In their past life, when ever he started on his praises, that usually meant he wanted something. The rat bastard!

  “Come to Terra.” He told her. “You’re right. I need to be concerned about Terra’s standing in the intergalactic community. Therefore, we will be honored to receive you…”

Fear vanished, but doubt was still there. “What’s the catch?” She demanded quickly. He was giving in way to quickly.

Prince Charming just vanished and the cynical King returned, “Look. You called me asking to come to my planet and I just said you could.” He almost yelled at her. “What the hell more do you want from me? A fucking engraved invitation? That is not going happen. Come if you want, damn it. I don’t care, but it just better be you, your goddamned ladies and two guards. Nothing else, Serenity, or I swear to God…”

She began to wonder if saving Uranus and Neptune was really worth this. But she pushed that out her mind. Yes, they were worth it. She was their Princess and it was time for her to be serious, Endy be damned.

“Thank you,” she chirped, “The girls and I will be there in the morning.”

“Girls?” He demanded, “I’m serious, Serenity. No fuc…” But the transmission was cut off.

From the back, Kris cleared his throat. Endy turned around to face his smirking friends. “Well, Endy, I guess the Senshi are coming to Terra.”

Endy shook his head in disbelief. “How did she do it?” He was a bit awe-stuck. “How did I lose control of my game?“

“Look at it this way, Endy.” Jamie threw a companionable about his king’s shoulders. “You are getting what you wanted without appearing weak.”

“Yeah,” Troy muttered, “But at what cost?”

Endy was incensed, he knew who to blame. The doors to the communication room were thrown open and he smiled maliciously. And there was his victim. Caroline stood in the door with her hands on her hips as she glared down at him. He suddenly had a picture of Beryl in his mind and was itching to summon his crystal and just take his mother out.

“Endymion Alexander Darien Shields—“ she began.

“Caroline Joanna Elizabeth Shields-St. Michaels,” he countered. “You have just ruined my life.”

She froze, stopping in mid rant as she meet the enraged look on her son’s face. She wondered what had she done to deserve his ungrateful behavior this time?

********************
Chapter Three
********************

They were running out of places to hide. The Terrans were always one step behind them and were getting closer with each second.

Haruka fell down on the bed beside the fast asleep Michiru and closed her tired eyes, hoping for one moment that she would be able to truly. They were posing as sisters now, both had dyed their hair to warm sunny blonde, Haruka had grown out her hair over the year and fleshed out to appear more feminine and dressed that way. Michiru had cut her hair off to just below her ears and straighten it.

They were in London, had been for three days and everyday, they had found it more difficult to avoid local and international law enforcement.  Their faces were on the front page of every newspaper and every news program.  She did not understand how the police had managed to track them.

Haruka was surprised that she and Michiru had made it this far. They had managed to evade capture at both LAX and Heathrow.  They had taken separate airlines, Haruka took connections, and at each different airport from California to New York, she managed to lift some unsuspecting person’s ticket before purchasing her own ticket with fake id. That was the easy part.  Now they were close to the pretender. He was held up somewhere in the Scottish highlands with army of his most devoted and loyal followers to protect him. Furthermore, all of Scotland Yard, the British Military, and Special Forces units stood in the two Senshi’s way.  

Kami, Haruka wished she knew how that man was tracking them? As she was led to believe neither Endymion or his followers possessed no magic. She  had rationalized the near captures in her mind believing that it was pure luck and his unlimited resources that allowed the terrans to stay so close to them.  She only said it aloud that he used magic to persuade the Terrans to make him king, but only in a fit of anger. Pluto had once told them after she had waked them that the Terrans did not have magic. Terra was the seat of life within this universe and did not need the power of instruments such as the Silver Crystal to support its life force.

Pluto went on to explain that the Silver Imperial Crystal was the key to all the power within the Universe. The crystal held all the power of the solar system within its grasp and supported every planet in the solar system. It was most likely the reason Endymion had killed their Princess and the others. He craved the power of the crystal and the universe for himself.

She remembered the last time she saw another Senshi other than Pluto. It had been Venus, leader of the Inners. She had challenged Endymion back in the Delta. Pluto had said that the Inners were always a rash, stupid bunch, and Venus just proved that brilliantly when she attempted to challenge that madman before he blew up the Mugen Delta. Haruka never got to see what happened next, another explosion had rocked the area and by the time the fire was cleared, Endymion and Venus were gone.

Haruka rolled onto her side and drew herself into a tight ball as waves of guilt washed over her. She had failed her Princess by staying away, she had failed their new home by letting that bastard come to power, but she would not fail to free Terra from his merciless grip. She would kill Endymion for the honor of her Princess’ memory. She would stand over him with her Space Sword and release her power in a full blow and wipe that bastard off the face of Terra.

Pluto had promised that the Princess could be revived and once she had come to her full powers, Terra would become the new Silver Millennium and they would finally have peace.

“Peace,” Haruka whispered, “We will finally have peace.”

 *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

The Uranian Royal Regent and Grand High Council were demanding some form of military action be taken against Terra if something were to befall Queen Atalanta and the Neptunian Ambassador had said that his Queen desired the same.

Queen Serenity had spoken with Styx earlier in the week and she could understand the predicament the Neptunian ruler faced. Neptune and Uranus had been united through marriage and had recently adopted the same stance towards the Terrans current policy concerning Atalanta and Xanthe.

She was tired. Serenity allowed her stiff posture to bend and her indomitable façade to fall. Her rule before the Fall had never been so difficult. Then, she had the full respect of her peers and trust of her friends. They had all come to power roughly about the same time. They had been young, bold, and fearless, and she was in the center of their ideas for their new utopia.

However, times had changed and the solar system had not been immune to it. Nearly all of Serenity’s contemporaries lay in the royal crypts of the home worlds they hadn’t the change to see when they were reborn. Her kingdom was struggling to regain it’s place as the shining center of the Silver Alliance and she, it’s Queen, was fighting to regain the respect that was once hers.

The planets had forgiven her for being duped by Pluto and her false prophesy; Yet they were not so inclined to forget that Serenity had willingly chosen to accept that path and plunge their Universe into chaos and darkness. Venus and Jupiter blamed her for their rulers deaths and for abuse it’s heirs faced. Uranus High Council had declared behind closed doors that she was unfit to rule. They were waiting for an event to use against her and to prove their case. Which was why everyone was watching the situation on Terra so closely. 

The scrutiny of her actions would have been enough to drive a lesser person mad. But she was used to it. She had dealt with far worst critics when she lived in Tokyo. It was hard enough to be taken serious as romance novelist, but a fantasy/romance/horror novelist had critics condemning her before any of them read a single page. Strangely enough, she would have preferred to listen to ten of her most rabid critics tear her latest novels to shreds instead of going through this.

She looked about the fantastic white room. The priceless art from all the planets. The delicate looking furnishings, the crystal pillars that provided light and the shelves of books and countless documents, each which required her immediate attention. Serenity longed for the days when she was simply Ilene Tsukino and her only worries dealt with her publisher’s deadline. Yet it was not to be. She was the Queen of the Moon Kingdom and until the time came; She was the ruler of the Solar System. She would not surrender either throne until death pried her away from her body.

Still…

Her eyes rested on the blue planet as it rose over her kingdom. Silently, the Queen prayed to her goddess to protect her own little girl. This plan the girls had come up with was reckless and very dangerous. She believed that they were the ones capable of pulling it off.

Artemis stood near the teleportation pads, yawning slightly because he had been up all night preparing for the arrival of the four solar Princesses.

Endy was lounging nearby in a chair, his feet propped up on a control panel and his head bent forward and his arms crossed over his chest, he was fast asleep with his glasses sliding down his nose. Erebus lay at his side, protecting the exhausted youth and Terran was close to the young king, making sure that no one came close to him and disturbed his rest.

Endy had been up longer than Artemis, trying to hammer out some kind of peace agreement within two warring nations and head off talks off a religious war that was brewing in North America of all place. Moreover, Endy had to deal with his mother, who decided that she wanted a palace built for herself in the middle of Paris. The woman was demanding and crazy. Endy had once told Terran that all his mother cared about was society. She had left him and his father when she met Kris’ dad who was wealthier than Edward Shields and who had an impressive title when Edward did not being that he was an American just as she was. Caroline never had any use for Endy and he had none for her, which was most likely why he was so desperate to have the Princess Serenity once more. Even since Endy got his memories back of the Silver Millennium, he lived for the day that he would be reunited with his Princess. In their union, Endy had confessed that he hoped to find the love and security that he had to live without for so long. Love and security of family, something that Pluto had ripped from Endymion when she sent the car with his father, and pregnant stepmother over the side of the ravine in the attempt to make her version of Destiny came true.

The monitors began to sound as a shimmering light filled the room. Terran stood up and tapped Endy on the shoulder, lightly. The King opened his eyes immediately and he stood up, stretching briefly before righting his attire. Terran helped Endy into his long black coat as Endy brushed his hair out of his eyes. At the last moment he removed his glasses. He was going to have stop napping with those things on.

Artemis glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the transporter.

There was a brief flare and once the light dimmed, in the transporter there stood the Supreme Princess and her court.

The young women looked as if they had stepped out of the annuals of history. Their clothes were styled after the Romans,

Persephone was the first to leave the pad. She was small, about the same height as Athena Diana with dark violet hair about the same length as Athena that she wore in a single braid down her back. Dark eyes focused on the group, in a chilling way that instinctively made one want to step back from in fear. There was an air of coldness that surrounded her and an overwhelming sense of death that seemed to follow life as a shadow.

Artemis came forward and bowed low to the Senshi of Death and Destruction. “Your Majesty, it is a honour to have you here.” He murmured as he rose.

A brief smile touched Persephone’s lips as she held out her hands to her former mentor and friend. “Artemis,” her delicate voice seemed out of character for a Goddess of Death. “Please, you knew me when I was still in napkins and from what I recall, you changed more than one for me. I would never feel comfortable with such a formal address from you.”

Smiling, Artemis took her hands and carried them both to his lips. “Ahh, Kore, if I were but a millennium or two younger…”

“You would still be too old for her,” Eros said as she rushed to them.

Artemis turned quickly and caught the girl who came flying into his arms. “My little girl.” He cried happily as he embraced Eros tightly.

Eros returned his hug enthusiastically. He was like a second father to her in the Silver Millennium, as Royal Champion of Venus and trainer of the Imperial Senshi, Artemis was always a major part of her life. “By Cupid, I’ve missed you.” She said as she hugged him tight.

Athena and Serena followed slowly. Athena greeted Artemis just as warmly, for she had been trained beneath him as well. Serena hung back a little, although she was cordial to him, she was in awe of the great man as much as she had been in the Silver Millennium.

Endy, who was tired of being ignored, cleared his throat loudly to break up the reunion. All eyes of course swung in his direction and the King went forward to make his greetings.

Five minutes later, the girls were escorted to their rooms. Endy wished them all good mornings before he headed to his chambers for along overdue rest.

 *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

Twenty minutes into their stay, they all met in the Princess' room to plan their strategy. Athena disabled all bugs, Serena swore she would never feel safe on Terra after what had happened in Tokyo. Once the cameras and hidden microphones were cleared, the planning started.

Serena could sense the auras and she felt the corruption deep within their souls.

“This is not good,” she told the others. “They are close, I sense the desperation within them. They have orders from Pluto to strike at Endymion at anytime. All they have lacked is opportunity.”

A dark look crossed Eros face, “Pluto has over stepped her boundaries, and she has challenged my authority.”

Persephone rose and went to a window that over looked the lush green valley below. “From what I remember, Ananke would repeatedly tell us about the Silver Millennium. Of course her version was never true, she had convinced Atalanta and Xanthe that we were on our home worlds when Beryl struck. At the time, I did know how I remembered the truth or why they could not. She seemed so desperate for us to see what she believed almost like she was trying to forget a past wrong—“

“It’s like she is trying to deny her own involvement with the Fall,” Athena guessed.

Persephone nodded, “She was under my command at the time, I called her from the Time Gates to escort the Queen and Princess to Triton Castle when the first wave hit.”

Serena stood up and walked over to her bed. “We all know that Pluto went traitor and tried to brainwash all of us into taking over Terra.” She sat down and put her arms on her knees. “But this goes too far. She has planned to assassinate Endymion and myself this time in order to follow this twisted path she’s created.”

“And she doesn’t care about the risk.” Eros said quietly. “If a Senshi is involved with the assassination of Endymion, Terra will declare war on the Moon Kingdom and it wouldn’t matter if the Princess died here as well.”

“Ananke has willingly consigned the universe to hell.” Persephone turned back to them. “We can not allow this to happen, Eros. We need to find Atalanta and Xanthe immediately.”

 *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*
                                               
In the communications room, Troy and Umino were listening to the women’s conversation. Endy’s suspicious mind had been correct, they had come to rescue their sister Senshi. They had been on the planet less than three hours and had already decided their next course of action. Which was a good thing since Endy really wanted the two confused Senshi off Terra and possibly do something about that Plutonian warrior.

Now they were going to wait for them to bring out the Outer two and the plan was to wait for the Guardian of Pluto to arrive and then the trap was going to close.

When Endy awoke later that day he t found a small stack reports and transcripts waiting for his attention. Terran informed him that Serena and her court had gone out for a shopping trip after a run in with his mother, which was not what he wanted to hear. He could deal with Queen Serenity and justify his actions, but his mother was an out and out snob who was so arrogant and blindly stupid that she could start an Intergalactic Incident just by opening her damned mouth.

Reports came from Mike in the field, Uranus and Neptune were on the British Isle. They were in London at present and were not moving. Serena and her Senshi were in Edinburgh or that’s were they were two hours ago.

He felt their energy signatures jump from Scotland to Paris as he walked down to the control room.

He found Troy ensconced in his favorite seat, watching all the monitors as reports came in.

Troy was just confirming the Princesses presences in the City of Lights, before they jumped, half way around the world to LA. Before confirmation could be made, they moved again, Endy felt them in Tokyo, then Bangkok, the Peking, New York, Anchorage, and New Hope, before the energy fields just blurred together and he could feel them no more.

“Damn it!” He shouted, startling everyone in the room.

Troy looked at his Liege and worried when he saw the harried look in Endy’s eyes. “What is it?” He asked, concerned when Endy slumped down in a chair, holding his head.

“They’re moving all around, distorting fields—“ Endy ground out painfully.

Troy was alarmed, “Pull you mind out before you get lost—“

Endy nodded, “I can’t focus—Got—to—“ And just like that, Endy slipped in a trance to save his mind.

 *~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

The Sailor Senshi were moving as fast as they could, setting off the planet’s alarms and causing enough damage to keep the Order busy until they left Terra. Athena had pinpointed their location when they arrived in South London with a bang.

Serena smirked, “That’s sure to knock, Endy out for a while.”

Eros and Athena were scanning the rundown apartment building searching for Uranus and Neptune Senshi signatures.

Persephone turned sharply to the left looking towards an alley, her senses picking up on the energies of Terrans. They weren’t ordinary Terrans, she felt the power of the Golden Crystal and swore.

“Eros, we’ve got company,” she said quietly.

Her leader nodded her head once and then all hell broke loose.

"World Shaking!” A voice called out of the shadows.

The Senshi took to the air, but the attack was not aimed at them. But at the entrance of the alley. Coming out in full battle armor, were the Terrain soldiers. Mike was at the helm and all his soldiers were aiming at the doorway.

Eros swore. “Damn it, what have they done?”

*~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~*

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