Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Chapter 10-2I

The young, redheaded girl checked her status and examined her surroundings. She considered it best if she were to not deactivate her second and a half-level Sailor Senshi transformation for the moment.

Yeah, darn the weak thing to heck!

Hey, it worked for a while…

Yeah, it beat the tar out of those pesky Asteroid Senshi!

But I could've done that by myself!

Not without attracting suspicion…

Terra sighed. Actually, the main reason for remaining as Chibimoon was that the man, Giles, had recognized her as one; and if it were a positive thing for him, it would be beneficial for her survival.

Oh, you just want to look pretty for him, that's all!

…

Do not!

Though you have to admit, the second level and up Super Senshi outfit is a nice improvement over the earlier versions. We DO look quite good in it, even for a ten-year-old human.

…

The ex-galactic destroyer turned her attention to the room she was in. First of all, the crystalline starship was of a very advanced design— even better than what her Knight in Shining Armor had been developing on Earth. Its weapons had been sufficient to penetrate the barriers Neherenia had placed around the comet, and was fast enough to get away from the comet's self-destruct shockwave.

*Siiiiigh*Giggle*Sigh!*

Giles took me up in his big arms and carried me away from that eeeeeevil comet!

How dreamy!

*SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!*

Yeah, he came in and beat the flippin' crap outta that bucket of a queen, and her minions, too!

Hoo-yeah, baby! That was cool!

…

Am I the only one here that DOESN'T think this 'Giles' person is the best thing since hypernova blastwaves?

…?

Yup, 'fraid so.

Uh huh.

Quite right.

I really, REALLY like him!

You would!

And, by corollary, so do you!

…

Terra continued to examine the room, a half-dazed smile crossing her lips. She noticed that the lavish room on the crystalline starship had just about every luxury imaginable.

A liquor bar, a bed with an oh-so-soft-and-comfy mattress…

A replicator, a wash room…

And a set of really big, shiny magical swords! Cool!

Any idea who this guy might be?

Who knows? Who cares?

*Sighhh*Giggle!*

He'll tell us soon enough.

The white-crystal door slid open, allowing the tall, handsome, muscular, blond mystery man to enter.

Kneeling down by her side, Giles let out a sad sigh. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. Queen Neherenia had a few more traps that we had to evade."

Terra nodded. Yes, that was a rather bumpy ride out, wasn't it? Aloud, she continued, "It's no problem," and had about five hundred inner voices that silently added, …handsome!

"I am afraid that nor have we any medic to help you recover."

"That's okay," Terra replied. She closed her eyes and turned to one side. "I don't need one."

Giles cocked a smile at her. "You are very brave, young Sailor, especially for someone your age."

Terra smiled at her rescuer. "I try. I really do."

Eh, well, when someone gets to be my age, I can't imagine them being afraid of much of anything.

Heh. Yeah!

What about the clowns?

C-c-c-clowns?!

T-t-they're different!

Right, right…

"Thanks," the redhead whispered.

"What is your name, child?"

Terra paused. Umm… do we tell 'em?

Sure!

But… can he pronounce it?

Just use the pseudonym!

Oh, right! the girl concluded to herself, then looked up at Giles and answered, "Call me Terra."

Giles pulled up a padded chair and sat down beside the bed. "Ah, then perhaps you can tell me, Terra, what were you doing fighting off little miss Queen of Darkness alone back there?"

"Well," Terra began, struggling to refrain from blushing and to keep her eyes in focus, "They kidnapped me, but I was strong enough to fight back."

Giles nodded. "Indeed you must be, for Neherenia is not one to be taken lightly. She and her family have always been very strong when it comes to magical prowess." The man shook his head. "They also have a history of insurrection that goes back several generations. I would imagine that fighting was in her blood, so to speak."

Terra nodded in agreement.

Well, that makes sense. I mean, people don't just get up one morning, yawn and stretch, then say, 'Hmm, the Sun's nice and bright. The birds are chirping. I think today I'll generate enough power to vaporize that galactic destroyer they've got on the Moon.'

Yeah, that's in agreement with what Catseye and Jares knew. It was planned.

Catseye and the crew didn't do it too well, did they?

No, they did not.

"Fortunately," Giles added, pointing at the fading red lines on the girl's shoulder, "it would seem that they did not harm you that badly."

"I'll be fine." Terra looked at where the golems had scratched her. The previously rended flesh was almost fully healed. She felt along her back where the slashes had been torn in her outfit. Upon touching it, her soft skin demonstrated no sign of scarring or residual injury whatsoever.

Oh yeah, THAT'S easy stuff to fix. Take one cell, say, 'HEY! take these proteins and make a duplicate of yourself, right by that other one', and do that on a large scale…

On the other hand, my REAL self's recovery has just been set back another five years.

Yeah, that HURT like nothing else…

Darn energy disruption.

Meaning that NOW I'll have to wait for the better part of a decade to resume the process of universal devastation.

A short time, by my standards.

True, but it's the waiting around that gets to me…

"Yeah," Terra again agreed, looking up at the man. "Eh heh… good thing they didn't hurt me too bad, huh?"

"Had you been fighting for a long time before I and my vessel arrived?"

"No," the girl replied, "not really."

Not considering that the longest sustained all-out battle I've ever fought lasted just a hair over one hundred million years.

Still haven't figured out what that thing's name was, either.

"How about you?" Terra asked, deciding that it was her turn to begin the interrogation. "Have you fought in many battles?"

Giles sighed in an exhausted manner. "Child, there has not been a single week in the past five years that I have not had to unsheathe my sword in the defense of myself or others."

That seemed to please Terra.

*Giggle*

I like this guy. He's dedicated.

He's cute!

Will we PLEASE stop saying that?!

…

Well, he is!

"You are strangely dressed for a Sailor Senshi of this solar system," Giles added, tapping her undamaged shoulder guard.

Oh, yes, it's great, innit?

Terra looked proud. Heh. I doubt anyone here has ever seen a Super Senshi before.

You're right, they haven't.

Say, any progress made on turning it off?

Almost………… Got it! Do we want it off now?

No, let's wait a few more minutes.

Okay…

"The form is familiar," Giles whispered, "but there appear to have been many, shall we say, clever additions."

"Do you like it?" Terra asked.

The ultra-handsome blond nodded slowly. "Very ingenious." He tilted his head at her. "Tell me, are you from this solar system?"

"Hmmm," Terra hummed, considering her reply. Not technically, but…

I think he's trying to ask what planet we live on.

Oh, that.

"Yes," Terra replied with a nod.

"That would explain it," Giles continued. "When I approached this solar system— for the first time in many years, I felt a strange power, like a desperate call for help." He smiled. "I gave heed to your plea, young one. That is why I came."

Terra considered that.

The prism was broadcasting a distress call and I didn't know about it?!

Well, looking back over the data, there was a distinct signal being sent, but only another Lunar Senshi or Queen Serenity should have been able to pick it up.

Unless one knew what one was looking for.

True, true…

"You could sense me?" the girl asked.

The man nodded. "From a great distance away." His smile became lopsided. "We completely burned out an ancient and irreplaceable hyperdrive getting to you in time, so I sincerely hope you are grateful."

"Really?" Terra asked, her voice full of concern. "I'll get a new one for you, then."

A better one— a faster one— a bigger one!

One that can get from here to Andromeda and back in eight point two nanoseconds!

*Siiiiiiiiigh*

Anything for Giles!

Giles smiled, a happy tear in his eye. He laughed in a beautiful, melodious tenor. "Do not worry about that, small lady. I am certain that it will not be necessary. For when this vessel reaches its destination, there it shall stay."

"Ah, okay. You're coming home from a long trip?"

Giles nodded. "Yes."

"Where are you from?"

"How about you first, so I may return you to your home before going to mine. Where do you live?"

"Third rock from the Sun."

"The Earth?" Giles looked rather surprised. "Are you Sailor Earth? There has not been a female heir in that kingdom for ages." He frowned. "And I do not recall his majesty Kull having a daughter. Convincing him to marry and sire that waif of a prince was difficult all by itself."

"No, not Earth," Terra interjected.

"Then where?"

"I live in the Moon Kingdom."

Giles froze and looked downward, his expression growing worried. "The Moon Kingdom?" He held a hand to his chin. "Who is she that you call Mother?"

"Well, the one I've been calling Mother is Queen Serenity."

The concern in the handsome man's expression deepened. "Have I truly been gone that long?" He looked into Terra's eyes. "Have you a sister? Has she been faring well?"

Terra stared back into the man's liquid blue eyes, but what she really wanted to do was dive inside them and swim around for a few hours. "Yup, sure do! Sis! That's Princess Serenity. She's been doing fine, near as I can tell."

*GIGGLE!*

I just LOVE his eyes!

What…?!

"Where are you from?"

"I?" Giles asked, looking back at the girl. "I come from the Moon Kingdom as well, m'love."

Terra's eyes widened slightly at this new information. "Hmm, really?"

*Giggle!*

Wow, like, we have so much in common, you darling beefcake of a studmuffin, you!

I can't trace the accent, but it just gives me goosebumps!

Tee-hee! He called me "m'love!"

It's a general term… isn't it?

…?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Since when am I attracted to big… hunky… blond…?

*SIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGH!*

…

Oh no, not a crush! Not now!

All right, somebody please trace that personality quirk.

Yeah, and hang it out to dry with Catseye's junk!

Why? *Giggle!* I kind of like it…

You would!

*Roar* The ship shook as it touched lightly against something solid.

*Bling* At that moment, the intercom chimed and an officer's voice came on. [Lord Tranquility, we have arrived.]

"Prepare to disembark," Giles called into the air, then focused back on Terra. "Are you feeling up to a short walk, small lady?"

The girl checked her knee. The ligaments and other tissues had mostly rejoined in their proper order. It would still sting a little, but that wasn't such a big deal; the nerves could be ignored. She looked up at Giles and nodded.

"Then let us sort this out together."

A fine mist swirled around the dimly lit lakeshore overlooking the palace courtyard. In the middle of the central plaza rested a gigantic crystalline spacecraft. The craft consisted of a multifaceted dome at the top, partly covered at seven points evenly spaced around the rim by sharp upward juts of sapphire that curved their way inward towards each other. On the lower section, similar crystalline blades splayed out and curved downward, ending a scant few feet off of the ground.

The craft hummed as it settled down, its long-abused magical intergalactic propulsion stones forcing out their last whisper of a once mighty power. Once it landed, the engines let out a slow, relieved sigh, finally having been allowed to grow dark after what seemed to be an eternal quest.

A light steam whiffed off of the sturdy hull to blend in with the rest of the fog. Soft lights slowly faded in and out at points along the edges in the crystal.

Lunar Guards stood at attention, lining the edges of the walkways, their clothing clean and their boots and armor polished to a fine sheen. The men wore their hair short and the women had theirs tied neatly back three inches below the shoulder line, as protocol demanded.

As the crystal ship's landing platform descended, the royal musicians strummed a few soft, low notes, starting to play the piece that they had been practicing for ages.

Mist obscured those who had just disembarked. All that could be told was that one tall, over six feet in height, and the other was just over four.

The musicians brought trumpets into play, slow enough to avoid sounding forced while heightening the dramatic feeling.

The tall silhouette stepped forward, the fog departing from him as he advanced toward the entourage. When they saw his face, many breathed controlled sighs of relief and admiration.

"It's you," the closest guard, a gray-bearded fellow, whispered with great care and respect.

Giles smiled slightly and nodded at him as he passed.

More than one tear was shed by the soldiers as the man passed them. However, their training allowed them to stay still as the welcoming ceremony proceeded.

The new arrival climbed the steps of the stone palace and when as he reached the top, he turned to face those present.

Unable to contain herself, a recently trained soldier raised up her hands as if holding a medium-sized string instrument, her left palm closed and facing upward while her other hand moved diagonally, as if playing the imaginary instrument.

Soon, the other guards copied the gesture.

Giles looked them over, pleased at having been honored as such. He repeated the playing motion and held up his right hand, two fingers in a V-shape. "Be," he said, "excellent to each other."

The Honor Guard applauded and cheered, calling out the man's name. "Hail, Lord Giles Tranquility! Long Live the King!"

While the others cheered, Queen Serenity exited from the palace's main doorway. She was in her best long white gown with a pair of transparent gossamer wings spread out behind her. The white-blonde woman drew near to the King. Her gaze locked with his.

"Hail Queen Serenity!" the uniformed party exclaimed. "Long Live the Queen!"

"Giles," Serenity whispered, eyes glistening with tears.

"I've returned, my one and only true love," Lord Tranquility whispered back.

Queen Serenity swooned into the man's arms and the two shared a long-awaited, deep and passionate kiss.

Those present in the plaza below applauded and cheered. The musicians played joyful music while others, farther away, set off fireworks.

The many fountains lining the large pond sprang activated in just the right sequence to properly reflect the bright tones of the artificial lights in the sky.

The embrace was broken after a few minutes and Queen Serenity cast her gaze downward. "It is truly a miracle to be able to see you again, my beloved husband, but this meeting is rather bittersweet."

Concern highlighted Giles's expression. "What do you mean?"

"Some terrible things have happened while you've been gone."

"Oh?"

"A year and a half ago, all of us were nearly destroyed. Since then, we have been weakened against attackers from outside the solar system. The Outer Senshi, even with the aid of Earth's finest warriors, have barely been able to keep up."

"And the Inner Senshi?"

"The Elder Inner Senshi have never quite been able to recover from their wounds from the Great Battle with the beast. To make matters worse, the Asteroid Kingdoms have started a rebellion, claiming that it is Neherenia's right to rule over us. Two of the Asteroid Kingdoms, Akis and Jares, have cast an evil curse upon all that live in this solar system." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And yesterday, a child under my protection was taken by them, and most likely killed!"

"That is indeed a great deal to be concerned about."

Serenity shivered, wracked by guilt. "I took her in as my own, Giles. There were many who sought her life, and in a moment of carelessness, I failed to protect her! Now, everyone is in danger because I chose not to take any action against Neherenia or her followers."

Giles thought about what his wife was saying and started to put the pieces together. "Hmm, would this girl you took in happen to have powers as a Sailor Senshi and be named Terra?"

Queen Serenity looked at him. "Why, yes. How did you know?" She looked over the man's shoulder to see the girl in question slowly approach them with a slight limp in her step.

"Hi, Mom!" Terra greeted and waved. "Singed, but still alive and kicking!"

"Terra!" the Queen exclaimed, barely able to believe it. She hitched up her skirts and rushed over to kneel by her adopted daughter, showering her with hugs and kisses. "Are you all right? They haven't harmed you, have they? How did you get away from them?"

"Sort of, a whole bunch, and Giles," she paused to blush slightly and giggle faintly, "came in and beat the livin' crud out've 'em all with his bare hands!" She frowned at the attention her mother was giving to her. "Okay, you can stop now— enough kisses and all that."

"I am very, very glad to see you," Serenity whispered. "Your sister and I were greatly worried about you. Your friends were sorry for leaving you, too." The Queen looked happy, but still concerned about something else. "Are you hurt? Would you like me to heal you with the Ginzuishou?"

"NO!" Terra shot back immediately. She thought about how her response sounded and added, "Er, no, I mean, but I could sure use a nap. I'm tired."

Serenity nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course. I nearly forgot about that." She looked off toward the palace. Terra's two personal assistants rushed out of the palace doorway, half tripping over each other.

"Terra!" the two girls cried. Once again stumbling over each other, they hurried to Terra's side, helped her up and escorted her into the palace. "How are you? We were so worried about you! Neat outfit! It looks almost like you're a Sailor Senshi!"

The excitement of the moment calming down, Queen Serenity returned to stand with her husband. Arm in arm, they followed the girls inside. "Come, Giles, we have much to discuss."

The doors slid quietly shut.

Out of an older guard's armor popped a small, green and white seal-like creature, which fluttered over to perch on a fountain, using its tail like a hummingbird wing. "Alroight, lads, that doez it for ta'day. See ya next month. Gotta get back ta th' lab on Merc'ya'ry before anyone notices."

"Bye, Arby!" replied everyone in a manner that suggested they had done it many times before.

The ArbyFish saluted and fluttered off.

A few talked among themselves. "Hey, now that the King's back, does that mean the Queen isn't as important now?"

"Not a chance. The Queen's always been more important than the King. Tougher, too. She could beat the snot out of 'em, if it came down to a contest."

"You're right, you're right."

Kull the Conqueror, the King of Earth, greeted the two newcomers to the meeting. "Serenity, hi, glad you're back— What took you so long? This is important," he paused, looking at the tall, muscular blond man that came in behind the Lunar Queen, "and Giles, you don't mean to tell me you're still alive?"

Lord Tranquility folded his arms. "Delighted to see you as well, old friend."

"You picked one hell of a time to come back home, you know," Kull added. "On Earth, we've had three major rebellions to put down in the past year alone."

"Perhaps you should treat your subjects with more kindness," Giles suggested.

"Maybe you should try harder to keep the sorcerers and the mass-brainwashers from coming to my planet! You're the ones with the all-powerful magic, remember?"

"You have a fleet of starships and several empowered guardians, do you not? Use those."

"The fleet's in shambles and the Guardians are a mess. In case you didn't know, a year and a half ago, most of our forces got blown apart while tying to defend your world from this huge monster from who-knows-where!"

"Indeed?" Giles looked at his wife, who nodded.

"'Hold the Line' was the motto for the week," Serenity recalled. "They fought very bravely for our sake. They also lasted a great deal longer than they should have against a force like that." She looked between the two. "Do not argue. This meeting is very important for us all."

"Works for me," Kull said.

"For me as well," Giles agreed.

Everyone sat down around the Royal Conference Table.

"Okay, back to business," Kull said. He turned to a man in a grey uniform at his left. "Nephrite, it's time to show them what Akis and Jares' curse is doing."

"Right," the brown-haired Terran Guardian affirmed. He held his hands together and closed his eyes. Someone dimmed the lights, allowing an image of the solar system to appear above the table. "This isn't to scale," he added.

"Get on with it," Kull commanded.

"Right, so you see that blue-green sphere? That's the Earth, and the reddish sphere is Mars. The banded thing with the spots is Jupiter."

"Most of us spend time traveling between worlds," Giles noted. "I believe we know what are the main features of the solar system."

Nephrite paused with a sheepish grin. "Y-y-yes, Majesty."

"You're on my payroll, star-boy," Kull deadpanned. "Call him Lord Tranquility."

"Do not bully your guardians," Serenity warned.

The King of Earth sighed. "Okay, whatever. Just tell them."

"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted," Nephrite continued, glaring at the two kings, "I was about to explain how the curse of the two Asteroid Kingdoms was to evolve."

"You're starting to sound like Jadeite before he went AWOL," Kull quipped.

"SHHHH!" Queen Serenity put a finger to her lips.

A red sphere appeared in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, slowly spreading outward. "That's the curse," Nephrite said. "At noon yesterday, the kingdoms of Akis and Jares— they're not really kingdoms, you see; having only a few thousand inhabitants each and mostly bred from the same stock, so to speak, they're really oligarchies, but to blend in with the rest of the solar system, they prefer to be called 'kingdoms.'"

"Inbred, huh?" Kull muttered. "That explains a lot, like the pointed ears, the midgets and all that."

"We are aware of that, Nephrite," Serenity noted. "Please explain the spell's intended effects."

"Its name is Oblivion's Kiss— a horrible and violent affliction that eats living souls and turns them into a nihilistic scourge upon creation. It turns men into demons, and demons into sludge."

Kull winced. "Ow. That’s harsh, isn't it?"

"How quickly will it advance?" Giles asked.

Nephrite cleared his throat. "It spreads geometrically; the more people it effects, the more people it can effect. Distance soon becomes irrelevant after it reaches a threshold of accursed, around six thousand people, then it bridges space to all nearby worlds and infects any inhabitants there as well."

Giles was frowning and shaking his head. "I come back to my kingdom only to find it afflicted by another plague…"

"I am afraid it gets worse, my love," Queen Serenity commented to her husband and turned toward the Terran Guardian. "Tell them how much time we have left before it reaches us."

"A few hours ago, the curse began to spread across space. The people of the Asteroids Kingdoms of Akis and Jares have been utterly consumed. It has not affected any other worlds so far, but in perhaps a day, the expanding wave will reach Earth, then the Moon, then Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Once it takes hold, it will be nigh-impossible to remove."

Giles slammed his fist down on the table. "In the minds of what sort of people could such madness be spawned?!"

Nephrite shook his head. "We don't know. Someone on Akis or Jares could be serving an upper-class demon lord."

The King of Earth laughed wryly. "That, or they're really, really stupid."

"Surely there must be a way to stop it," Lord Tranquility whispered. "I will not have returned only to see my friends and family transformed so." He turned to look into his wife's eyes and placed his hands on hers.

"There's only two ways we could think of to stop it," Kull added. "It'd have to be, like, in forty minutes or less for the curse to end, and we'd have to either kill everyone that's been affected so far— every man, woman, and child— burn their ashes, drink from the skull of one of their leaders and completely vaporize those two asteroids." He took a breath to let everyone soak up the implications of his statement. "Or Queen Serenity could take her big, powerful crystal over to the edge of the curse's affect area and use your Bone Healing Hip Gyration or whatever it is you call it."

"Moon Healing Escalation," Serenity corrected, "and anything less than full power would be unable to stop the foul magic."

"At full power?" Giles asked incredulously. "But all that have used the Ginzuishou at that level have perished!"

Serenity nodded. "However, it is the only way we can possibly save our worlds, Giles, aside from ordering our men to go in and commit some horrible abomination, and possibly succumbing themselves to this travesty. There simply is not enough time to carry it out!"

"I see. Then I shall take the Crystal and perform the action myself."

"I am afraid that you are not strong enough to wield it."

"My love for you will give me the strength. I spent the last few years battling my way across the universe to stop that which would have destroyed us. It was nothing more than how thoroughly I care for you that enabled me to return once more."

Queen Serenity waved down her husband's protest. "We cannot risk it. Only I am qualified. I have already agreed to it; I was merely negotiating with the King of Earth for the care and safe keeping of my— our two daughters. Fortunately, with your arrival I may pass away knowing that they will be well cared for."

"Do not carve your gravestone yet, my love. I have grown stronger as time has passed." Giles drew closer to the Queen. "If this is the only way, I will be with you. Combining our power, you may yet survive."

"Or you might die as well," Serenity postulated and shook her head. "No, I must do this alone."

"Daddy!" a ten-year-old girl's voice rang out from down the hallway. Everyone turned to see Princess Serenity running in and leaping forward to hug Lord Giles Tranquility around the neck. "You're back! Why'd you take so long?"

"Ah, that is a very long story, Junior," Giles said, returning his daughter's embrace. "How about I tell you tonight before you go to bed?"

"Yes! I'd like that very much!" the Moon Princess exclaimed, dropping down to assume the refined stance that her protocol classes had been trying to teach to her for years, feet together and her hands crossed in front just above waist level.

"My, how you've grown," Giles added.

Princess Terrifying walked in, wearing her finest green gown and flanked by her two assistants. "So you're telling me that Lord Giles Tranquility is already married?"

"To your mother," the girl to Terra's left added.

The girl to Terra's right sighed. "What a lucky goiyle."

"So that means he's my father," Terra whispered to herself. She snapped her fingers, obviously disappointed. "Darn." She looked up to Lord Tranquility and Queen Serenity. "Hi!" She waved.

"Hello there, small lady," Giles replied.

"I am glad to see you are all right, my daughter," Serenity breathed.

"Hey," Princess Serenity whispered, "what am I? Diced bovine innards? And why does she get two servants and I don't get any?"

"She needs more reassurance and help than you do," the Queen whispered back to her true daughter.

The Princess blinked. "Oh… okay…"

The Queen took the Princess by both hands. "Serenity, soon I am going to be leaving for a very long time. I want you to take good care of your father for me, okay?"

The blonde princess frowned. "Why?"

"Because—"

*BEEEEEP!* An urgent chime came from a device on Kull's belt.

The King of Earth picked it up, checked it, and turned to the others. "I just got an urgent message from one of my starship captains. It's not coded, so it's not that kind of message. Can I put it on in here?"

Queen Serenity nodded. "Go ahead." She motioned for one of the guards to tune in one of the crystal walls to the signal.

*Blink!*KSSSH!* It was obviously a Terran broadcast, since static hissed around on the council room's telecommunications screen. Normal magical signals were much more clear, even from the start.

"Hello there, all you great and noble Lunatics, you!" a man's rugged, uncultured voice came through on the magical voice boxes.

"Captain StarKnight," Kull replied, "glad to hear from you. What's your report on the deal with that ol' bag, Pluto?"

"Ehhh, went okay. We'll get all the 'tech we wanted, but I think this is the last time we'll be making any deals. 'Preserve the timeline' and all that. You know how it goes. But there's something I want to show you first."

"Sure, but your picture's not coming in clear."

"What? Oh, nearly forgot about that. My communications officer went on extended leave. Weeeeeeellllll, to tell the truth I had to jettison my entire crew into the cold darkness of space since they mutinied when they heard my last order."

"I hate it when that happens…"

"Yeah. They're in stasis, crammed into some escape pods back near Neptune. I'll swing around and tractor 'em in, if you like; or better yet, have them killed."

"I hate rebels and mutineers… Pick 'em up later. We'll hold a trial, humiliate 'em and THEN we'll kill 'em."

"Heh, speaking of trials…"

The viewscreen cleared to reveal a black-haired man in green royal-Terran-style camouflage armor reclining in the captain's chair of a refitted metallic Earth vessel. He had on a pair of darkened sunglasses, his feet were propped up on a stack of red cushions, and he was idly sipping a piña colada through a straw from someone's blackened, decapitated skull. The straw had an accordion-style bend and the drink had a little paper umbrella in it.

"I ought to be executed for what I just did!" Captain StarKnight exclaimed with great delight, pausing to take another sip.

The jaws of Giles and the Queen dropped. Serenity quickly snapped her hand over her daughter's eyes.

"Hey, what're you doing that for?" the Moon Princess asked, trying to pry the fingers off her face.

Terra frowned. "Starlight, what the heck are you doing?!" she whispered to herself.

"What did you just do, Captain?" Kull asked, not losing his cool. "Say, whose skull is that?"

The captain lifted the skull to stare into its upside-down eye sockets. "Alas, poor Jares. I knew her well."

"You killed Sailor Jares?"

StarKnight tossed aside the now-empty cranial cavity and crossed his arms. "Oh, yes. It was quite a showdown. She did not die slowly or painlessly, I can assure you. Neither did Sailor Akis. I had her pleading for mercy for hours. Her lungs were one of the last things I slashed apart." He held his right hand out in a claw and slowly closed his fingers in a crushing motion. "You should have heard her SCREEEAMS, echoing throughout her—"

Giles cupped his hands over Princess Serenity's ears. "Captain, there are children listening!"

"Let 'em listen!" the green-armored man shouted, looking right at Terra. "You like that, 'Princess'?! Huh?! I did exactly like you told me. I violently slaughtered those two circus midgets and eeeeveryone that might have been involved. The ones that surrendered got a quick death. The ones that didn't found an entirely new definition of pain and suffering as I reconfigured their innards to leave every single nerve ending in their bodies exposed to—"

"Shut UP, Starlight," Terra whispered through clenched teeth.

Kull whistled. "Was there anything left of 'em afterwards?"

StarKnight shook his head. "No. After I was done dicing and vivisecting every last soul on the two asteroids, I boarded my vessel and repeatedly fired all my weapons, literally atomizing everything." He pointed to where he threw the skull. "That's all that'll ever be left to let the universe know that those two places even existed."

*BLAM!* The captain whipped out his sidearm, aimed and fired. The skull fragmented into randomly scattered bits of charcoal.

"Oops," StarKnight said, placing a mocking hand to his mouth, "looks like there's nothing left of any of it NOW. BWAHAA HAA!"

"Let me get this straight," Kull cut in, waving a hand, "in just a few hours, you managed to single-handedly kill EVERYONE on Asteroids Akis and Jares, burn the remains, drink from Jares' skull, and vaporize both worlds?"

"Yes, and it took forty-seven minutes, eighteen seconds. There were only about sixteen thousand of 'em. I was surprised it took me so long; it was like they were possessed or something. Really tough little buggers, relatively speaking. I was almost impressed: some actually fought for a while after I bisected and decapitated them."

"And Terra told you to do it?!" Queen Serenity asked, her mouth agape.

Captain StarKnight stood and held his arms wide, the cheerful expression never leaving his face. "Guilty, as charged! We did it!"

Nephrite quickly checked his model of the solar system and soon discovered that the Oblivion's Kiss curse had stopped its expansion and was rapidly vanishing. He looked at his King and nodded.

"Yes, you did," King Kull cheered, a smile coming to his lips. "Great work, ‘Tim. Didn't think you had it in you. Couldn't have done better myself. Getting rid of all those demonically-transformed elves and midgets…"

Giles half-smiled. "I, for one, will not miss any of them."

Nephrite breathed a sigh of relief. "That was impressive, to say the least. And timely, I might add."

Queen Serenity pulled Terra closer and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She breathed a relieved sigh. "Good job, Terra. Good job."

StarKnight's expression fell. He froze, gawking at the Terran King, as did Terra at her adopted mother.

"IT WAS?!" both captain and princess asked incredulously in linked unison.

Queen Serenity nodded. "It was indeed. This will be a day long remembered. Thank you, ‘Timothy. You are truly as great a hero as my daughter insists."

"B-b-but," the captain protested, "for what— I— should—" He stopped, straightening his posture. "Your Majesty, I protest. I demand to be charged, convicted and sentenced in accordance with my crime!"

"Okay," Kull replied with a shrug, standing. He casually waved his hand in the air. "Captain ‘Timothy StarKnight, I do hereby find you guilty of performing above and beyond the call of duty in taking care of that doomsday curse, having the gumption to respond and do whatever it took to stop it."

The Queen nodded along with the verdict. "Though your methods were unorthodox and extreme, I believe they were necessary. You have performed a miracle today."

Kull cleared his throat. "You are hereby sentenced to immediate promotion to Chief Fleet Admiral, commander of Earth's intrastellar forces, and in charge of all technological developments and shipyards thereof."

Timothy StarKnight blinked. "Um…"

"And may Gaia have mercy on your soul," Kull finished.

"Err…" Terra and ‘Timothy said together. "Thanks?"

Princess Serenity and the Younger Inner Senshi enjoyed a nice, calm, starlit day in the Lunar Palace courtyard.

"So your Pop got back," Iolanthe commented to Serenity. "That’s cool. How long was he gone?"

"I don't remember," the ponytailed blonde replied. "But it was a very, very long time."

"It certainly would be nice to have both parents at home," mentioned Hermione, tapping away on her palmtop computer, reviewing a few references to notable historical figures, "Mother has gone on another long voyage to research nearby pulsars. I love my father, but he simply is not scientifically minded. I spend most of my time with the royal professors."

"Mine rarely leave Mars," Pyra admitted. "Sometimes, I wish they would; maybe that would stop them from fighting so much."

"But now he's back," Serenity sighed, looking up and smiling. "I'm glad."

"I remember when my daddy got back from a long trip," Althea added. "He was in intense rehab for months! He kept talking about how huge the mushrooms were, and how flammable the rope got, and how sweet the pixies were. Then there was all the dragon-dancing." She looked wistfully off into the sunset, which was going to be around for another few days. "Someday, I wanna go where he went."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the Venusian Princess. "I hope never to go near that."

"The hottest spot on Venus, a magical far-away place where the sun's always shining and the air smells like warm root beer, and the towels are oh-so-fluffy," recited Iolanthe. "Sounds like fun. How do they get the sun to shine all the time?"

The blue-haired Mercurian Princess sighed and shook her head. "It is not very difficult, considering that the Venusian day lasts over a year."

"The clouds help keep the temperature even," insisted Althea. "Some spots are hotter than others, though. But the hottest spot, that's where all the good stuff is."

"Let's visit your planet next time," suggested Princess Serenity.

"Hmmm," considered Althea, "I don't know if my Mommy'll let me have any friends over. Something about everyone else being uncultured twits that can't hold their licker." She tilted her head at the others. "You don't have any problems keeping your tongue in check or have the habit of sucking on anything, do you?"

Serenity shrugged, as did Iolanthe. Pyra and Hermione, who knew what that meant, winced.

Princess Terrifying knelt in the grass a few meters away from the other group, holding up a dandelion seed-puffball and blowing on it, mimicking the way the solar wind brushes off vaporized planets and asteroids. She held a conversation with the different bits of her consciousness. You tried to commit suicide, didn't you, Knight?

We did.

Why? What made you do it?

I lost someone important to me.

Still upset about how Sailor Pluto kicked you out?

Because of a frivolous decision on our part.

We thought we were going to die.

Understood.

Have we gotten over it?

Yes.

Do you still have feelings for her?

Yes.

Will this affect your judgment in the future?

Never, ever, ever ask me to kill her again.

No guarantees. There will be alternatives in the future, but in the end, she and everyone else in this solar system must go.

…Right.

Glad we got that cleared up.

Will she ever trust me again?

Perhaps in a few hundred years she'll calm down.

What to do until then…?

Find someone new, and keep our mind on destroying all these annoying things that keep trying to kill us.

Hey, yeah! She'll get over it, if I play my part.

Don't forget your mission.

Right, right. I'm our 'vent'. Since I'm the head of Earth's fleet, I can make bigger, better ways to destroy things!

And if you still need that idiotic physical relationship, Neptune's princess is of age and isn't technically married yet.

…She doesn't like men.

So? You like a challenge, don't you?

Well, yeah, but NOT when it comes to—

AHEM!

Errrrrrrrrrrrr… Okay, what do I do?

Analyze the pattern, find the weakness, and attack. We should not have to explain this to ourself.

I'll try that. Could take years, though.

That'll be fine. Now, no more sneaky insurrection schemes, get it?

Got it.

Good.

Princess Terrifying sighed, reclining back against the grass, her green gown blending in well with the vegetation.

"Terra," Iolanthe called over to the redhead, "what's your home planet like?"

"Shh!" Pyra shushed the Jovian Princess.

Iolanthe blinked. "What?"

"It was obliterated ages ago by a supermassive comet," Terra replied, clenching her teeth and forcing her eyelids shut, "and THANK you for bringing up such a painful memory! While you're at it, why don't you all just gang up on me and start beating on me with your dinky little magical attacks… Oh, wait, you already did!"

"Terra," Princess Serenity complained, "don't be so mean!"

"Her home was destroyed and her family killed," Hermione reminded Iolanthe. "As one might imagine, she is very sensitive about it. That is why she was adopted, remember?"

"Oh! Right," Iolanthe whispered, blushing. "Sorry!" she called over to the adopted Moon Princess.

Terra took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, sure, don't worry about it," she replied, and softly whispered, "…yet."

Watching them all from the balcony were Terra's two personal assistants. They were both about eleven years old and wore plain, serviceable white dresses and discussed their slightly younger charge.

"Should we let her do that, Huggyn?" asked the purple-haired girl. "She could wrinkle her dress."

"She'll be fine, Kissyn; she just needs to relax," replied the brunette. "She's had a very long past couple of days, and soon it will be time for them to take the Oath of the Sailor Soldier."

"Oath of the Sailor Soldier?"

"They've proven themselves in real combat, but they had to run because they were overpowered. Taking the Oath will allow them to more freely improve their abilities."

"Wow, you're so smart! Using such big words!"

"Hmm, I am, aren't I?" Huggyn replied. "Ah, yes. Lately, the Sailor Senshi have not been very powerful, but with this much cooperation, I'm sure that they'll be the best ever!"

Kissyn clapped her hands together. "Ooh, and Terra's already a Super Senshi; she fought Queen Neherenia and a couple of Asteroid Senshi three-on-one!"

"Chibimoon, one of the legendary Super Senshi," Huggyn whispered to herself before giving a sigh of joy. "I'm sure glad our Terra is the first one to do that!"

"How do you think the Oath will affect her?"

"I wonder, could there be a level beyond a Super Senshi?"

"I can't wait to find out!"

The glow in the courtyard subsided as the four Sailor Chibiscouts watched Princess Terra transform into her Super Senshi outfit. Actually, they just got to see the end due to Terra insisting that they turn around and cover their eyes. It is, however, the thought that counts.

"Neat!" exclaimed Chibijupiter, picking up and examining the semitransparent edge of one of Terra's ribbons.

"Like it?" Terra asked.

"Yeah! This is, like, so cool!"

"So," whispered Chibivenus, "the pseudo-princess has become a legendary Super Senshi. Never thought I'd see the day…"

"I thought we'd made up with her," Chibimercury whispered back.

"We have," the Venusian Chibiscout replied, "but I wanted to become a Super Senshi before anyone else. Why did it have to be Chibimoon first?! She's supposed to be the weakest of the bunch!"

"The weak can become very strong quite quickly," noted Chibimars.

"Just how powerful are you?" Chibijupiter asked.

A gleam came to Terra's eye. "Wanna see?"

The brunette nodded emphatically. "Sure do!"

The temporarily defused redheaded galactic destroyer glanced around for an appropriate test subject. The Lunar Palace courtyard was astonishingly clean; all polished granite and marble paths and several patches of green grass with a few stone benches here and there; it was the perfect spot for a little mayhem… but what to get first?

A few guards caught Terra's interest, but she decided against using them after a few seconds. Finally, she caught sight of a large rock she didn't particularly like which didn't look like it fit in. "There! Come on!"

Terra dragged Sailor Chibijupiter halfway across the courtyard to where the rock lay. Curious about what was going to happen, the other three followed them.

"Okay, everyone!" Terra raised a hand. "Do you see this rock?"

"Yes!" all four replied in unison.

"Mercury, what is its composition?"

Chibimercury tapped her earring, causing her visor to appear. She plunked away at her palmtop, scanning the object. "It is a conglomerate mix of quartz and other semi-crystalline compounds, also known as granite. There also appears to be a—"

"Thanks," the Super Senshi replied and turned to the others. "So, who here's tough enough to break this rock?" She knocked on the stone as if to guarantee its solidity.

The four looked at each other, then back at Terra. "I could do that!" Chibijupiter announced.

Terra motioned for the girl to come forward. "All right, Iolanthe. Think you're hot stuff? Hit it."

*Whump!* "MMMMHH!" Sailor Chibijupiter drew back her small fist and thrust it at the rock. The impact didn't do anything at all to the boulder. "Owwww!" She held her hand.

"Okay, kick it."

*Thud!* Iolanthe swung her foot at the object and in the next instant fell back, rubbing her toes through the thin material of her short boot. "Aaaaah!"

"Blast it!"

Chibijupiter stood back up and crossed her fingers together as tightly as she could, a small lightning rod extending from the gem of her tiara. "Grrrr… LIGHTSPARK SHOCK!!!"

*Bzrrr-zrrr-zrrr!* The lightning glanced off the rock without doing any damage whatsoever.

"Yell at it!"

The brunette clenched her teeth and balled up her fists. "GRRR! BREAK ALREADY, @@$&! YOU @$^@@!# ROCK!!!"

The other Chibiscouts gasped at Iolanthe's outburst.

Chibijupiter blushed. "Errrr, 'Oh, darn', I mean."

"That was nice," Terra said without really meaning it, "now stand back." She pulled out the Pink Sugar Heart Wand and pointed it at the rock. "This is a regular-level attack."

*Bweow-bweow-bweow!* A stream of hearts shot out from the wand's gem, chipping away at the hard granite.

"This isn’t," Terra continued, holding her wand horizontally. The handle extended a good four feet and the wings on top grew into a pair of feathery blades. She held it up. "CHAAAAAAAAAAAAI," she vocalized in a penetrating vibrato and swung the staff down upon the rock, "HA!"

*BLAAAAAM!!!* The granite rock instantly exploded, scattering into thousands of itty-bitty fragments that flew every which way.

The four Chibiscouts coughed, covering their eyes and mouth.

When the dust cleared, it became apparent that the boulder had vanished, leaving a beautifully blackened pothole marring the small grassy field.

Terra blew the smoke off the tip of her glaive before allowing it to retract into its smaller shape and putting it away. "How was that?"

The guards ran up to them, weapons drawn and their gaze shifting around in search of their newly-arrived foe.

Terra waved at them. "Oh, that was me! Don't worry about it."

"Sailor Chibimoon?" one of the guards began. "What in blazes were you doing?!"

"Just a demonstration," the redhead replied, "nothing to see here." She waved them off. "Move along, move along."

Red in the face, the chief guard looked down at the hole, then back at the girl. "Selene's name, child! You've just destroyed the Runestone!"

Sailor Chibimercury gasped. "It was the Runestone?"

"Not the Runestone!" the other three Younger Senshi exclaimed in shock.

Terra frowned. "Oh, was it something important? Terribly sorry about that."

"Uhmmmmmmmm," Chibivenus hummed nervously, "does that mean the Orcs win?" The others looked at her. "I hate it when that happens."

"Do you know what this means?!" an elder guard cried.

"No," all five girls replied at once.

"It means that… that… that… that…!!! It was created to contain an outflowing of demons from a horrid chaos dimension ten thousand years ago!"

Chibimars covered her mouth. "Then that means…"

"It means," the guard continued, "that in forty thousand years, the Great Forbidding will fall and chaos will reign unless a Great Warrior comes to destroy the Demon Lord and free us all from his foul clutches!"

"Oh no!"

"This is terrible!"

"What have we done?!"

"'WE?' It was Chibimoon!"

Everyone glared at Terra.

"Wait a second," the adopted princess started, "how long did you say it would take?"

"Forty thousand years!"

Little by little, everyone relaxed.

Chibijupiter folded her arms. "Forty thousand years, eh?"

Chibivenus glanced at her wrist. "I guess that means we have time for lunch…"

The guards' shoulders collectively slumped.

"But the solar system is doomed," the chief guard complained. "Oh, fine!" He walked off to sulk and the rest returned to their stations.

Terra shrugged. "C'est la vie," she said in a funky Martian dialect. "That's life," she repeated in the local language.

Chibivenus looked at the redhead. "What?"

"Nothing."

Queen Serenity and Lord Tranquility exited the palace through the front doors, several guards and servants bowing as they passed.

Sailor Chibivenus gasped as she saw them approach. "They're coming! Quick, form up!" She ran over to a designated spot on the courtyard's main walkway and stood at attention, head up, chest out, feet together and held her hands together in front. The other three Chibiscouts also took a few startled breaths and rushed to stand beside their leader.

Terra lagged behind, a frown forming on her face as she decoded another set of Queen Serenity's older memories.

Does this remind anyone of anything?

Not really, since we've never had those other princesses over before.

Okay, why not?

Usually, they'd be home, training under their parents or an assigned tutor. Training can take years—

Often, the first stage of Senshi training is potty training…

But this group seems to have only just started about two years ago. The Inner regimes appear to have grown mostly apathetic in this respect as of late.

Pyra was trained by her mother, but the rest were not.

And this is relevant because…?

This scenario here looks a lot like when the current Elder Senshi graduated from Younger levels to regular standards.

Oh, so their powers are going to be unlocked and they'll be given permission to practice their abilities a lot more frequently?

And at such a young age… The last batch didn't move up until they were about sixteen!

Why boost them so soon, then?

Historically, they only do that when a crisis is passed or anticipated, thus saith the memory of Queen Serenity.

Wait, we are currently numbered among the Younger Senshi here. That means we're supposed to be boosted as well.

Cool!

Hold on there! The method of 'promotion' is carried out in a three step process.

So?

Step one: A Sailor Senshi proves herself in combat.

Done.

Step two: She takes an oath to serve the current rulers, so long as they're considered just. A hidden bonding magic boosts the loyalty factor— no big deal, since one of the primary duties of the Sailor Senshi is to defend the King, Queen, Princess or Prince of the dominant kingdom, so they've decided to do that anyway, and everyone that's decided against it has long since abandoned even the Younger Senshi power…

Yeah, so? Something like that should be easily blocked.

But not step three, which is to engulf the candidate in a supercharged energy field generated by the Ginzuishou, melting internal barriers to the Real power and eliminating a nominal amount of impure thoughts and desires, though they can be regenerated later if the recipient so desires.

Doesn't sound so bad…

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, yes it does.

Why?

Remember what nearly killed us when we arrived?

Yeah, a pretty simple and straightforward last-ditch lashing out of the Ginzuishou's energy; even this low-level magic engulfing entirely— Oh my!

Terra's human heart started beating a little faster as she took up a position behind the Venusian Senshi. She held a hand to her sternum, almost as if she were worried that if she didn't, her heart would pound its way out of her chest.

Queen Serenity smiled down upon all five girls. "I am very proud of all of you," she began, "especially you, Terra. You've become a Super Senshi!"

The girl in the Super Senshi outfit grinned sheepishly. "Uh, yeah… Thanks, Mother…" She edged backward.

"No one," Giles Tranquility added, "especially not a Younger Senshi, has ever reached your level, my adopted child. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Yeah, proud," Terra parroted, quivering and looking almost frantically to her left and her right. "Thanks, Daddy."

"The rest of you have been very brave," Serenity continued. "You have practiced, trained, and a short while ago, you have fought for a just cause. When a friend was in danger, you acted quickly to help her. Even though your enemy was too strong for you to defeat, you fought and only retreated when you had tried out all of your other choices. Well done, young soldiers. Well done."

"Awww," Chibijupiter gushed, blushing. The other three did likewise.

"Therefore," Lord Tranquility continued, "you shall now be sworn in as full-fledged Sailor Senshi; true soldiers without that troublesome 'Chibi' epithet to bother you." He stood up tall. "Sailor Venus, when my wife gives the word, please lead your friends in the Oath of the Sailor Soldier."

Chibivenus nodded dutifully.

Queen Serenity held her hands together. "Now, if there be any one of you that does not wish to take the Oath, speak now—"

Terra's hand shot up. "ME!"

Everyone choked and practically fell over. Straightening her posture, Queen Serenity took a breath and asked, "Ah, Sailor Chibimoon, why ever not?"

"Yeah," muttered Chibivenus, "got something against defending Home, King and Country?! It's kinda basic, y'know…"

Terra frowned, tears forming in her eyes. She grasped the brooch on her chest and tore it off, instantly ending her transformation in a flurry of pink ribbons. She threw down the prism and ran off, weeping, "I just can't do it!"

"Oh dear," Serenity whispered, holding a hand to her mouth. She turned to her husband. "Please watch after the girls for a moment." She took hold of her skirt and hurried after her adopted daughter. "Terra! Wait!"

"Whatever prompted this?" Giles asked rhetorically. He turned to Sailor Chibivenus. "Althea, please lead the others in the Oath. We shall return momentarily."

Lord Tranquility went off in pursuit of his wife.

The Chibiscout leader stared after the two running adults. After a moment, she shrugged and faced her teammates. "Okay, everybody, feet together, eyes forward. Raise your right hand to the square and repeat after me."

Mars, Jupiter and Mercury raised their right hand and fixed their gaze firmly on their leader. Mars crossed the fingers of her left hand behind her back.

Chibivenus cleared her throat and looked upward. "I comma square bracket new Senshi's name square bracket comma do solemnly promise by square bracket Senshi's planetary guardian square bracket—"

"I, Crown Princess Hermione," Chibimercury tried to follow along as best she could, "do solemnly promise—"

"I, Pyra, promise by that guy—"

"I comma square bracket," Chibijupiter repeated haltingly, "new Senshi's name square bracket—"

"—to uphold the Laws and Ordinances of the Silver Millennium Planetary Alliance and bracket current dominant world bracket comma defend Prince stroke Princess bracket current heir to dominant world bracket—"

"—defend Princess Serenity—"

"—oooh, Prince Endymion—"

"—Prince stroke Princess bracket current heir to—"

"—comma serve the public trust comma and defend the subjects of His stroke and stroke or stroke Her bracket delete whichever is inappropriate bracket Majest parentheses ee stroke iies bracket name of reigning monarch bracket—"

"—defend the subjects of His and Her Majesties Queen Serenity and Lord Tranquility—"

"-defend all the dumb servants that live here and—"

"—comma serve the public trust comma and defend the subjects of His stroke and stroke or stroke Her bracket—"

Tears started to form in Chibivenus' eyes. She obviously took her words very seriously. "—without fear comma favor comma or thought of personal safety semi-colon to pursue evil-doers and protect the innocent comma—"

"—without fear, favor or thought of personal safety; to—"

"—not being scared or anything like that—"

"—fear comma favor or thought of personal safety semi-colon—"

Streams poured out of the blonde's eyes and she began having difficulty speaking. "—laying down my life if necessary in the cause of said duty comma so help me bracket aforesaid planetary guardian bracket full stop—"

"—cause of said duty, so help me Mercury."

"—I might think of it, so help me that guy."

"—duty comma so help me bracket aforesaid planetary guardian—"

Chibivenus put her right hand to her chest. "Gods Save the King stroke and stoke or stroke Queen bracket delete whichever is inappropriate bracket full stop!"

"—Save the King and Queen!"

"—yeah, save them."

"—delete whichever is inappropriate bracket full stop!"

Sailors Chibivenus and Chibijupiter collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

When Serenity and Tranquility finally caught up with Terra, they had a long talk with her. It became apparent to them and all that asked afterward that the poor girl had been too traumatized from her near-death experience with Neherenia and the Asteroid Senshi to possibly consider going into battle again.

The King and Queen were disappointed, but after much discussion, they finally accepted her decision. It was really too bad, they reasoned, since she had been until then the only one to achieve such power as a Sailor Senshi. Terra never wielded her powers as Sailor Chibimoon again.

Nevertheless, this did not discourage the two rulers from going on a fantastic two-month second honeymoon to celebrate their having reunited.

Admiral StarKnight became one of the most fearsome forces in the solar system not too many years afterward and eventually, he did remarry.

And though her sister did tend to get pampered a lot more than she, Princess Serenity never did grow jealous; actually, she was glad. Glad, glad, glad, glad and happy for her. So there.

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: January 7, 2006