Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

         Demand sat upon his throne and thought.  Things were going 
poorly.   Esmeraude was dead.  There was still hope to defeat the 
Juraiians, but...he could feel a black mood coming upon him.  We 
moved too soon, he thought.  Every time something can go 
Serenity's way, it has.  And still I have not made her mine!

          Wiseman appeared quietly, along with a tall pink-haired 
woman in a black dress.  Her red eyes were a little creepy, even to 
one such as Demand who had seen much worse.  "Wiseman, who is 
this?"

         "This is the new Queen of the Dark Moon,"  Wiseman said, 
sounding pleased.

         He stared at the woman, and suddenly, he knew her.  The 
'rabbit', the daughter of Queen Serenity.  Aged to maturity, no doubt 
by the Wiseman's power.  She was quite lovely, but still not the one 
whose love he sought.  "Interesting."

        "You must take her into the past with you to destroy the 
Senshi when they are young and weak.  The moment for action is 
upon us.  Her power combined with yours can destroy them.  I go 
now to prepare the way."

         The woman smiled faintly, but a little mockingly at Demand.  
She nodded, then vanished with Wiseman.

         Demand frowned, then nodded.  "Yes, it makes sense," he said.  
"The time for vengeance is now!"

         He had not realized Saffir was present.  "I do not trust 
Wiseman and his new ally any more than I did his old one.  Don't 
forget what he did to Esmeraude!  He turned her into a monster."

         "He has greatly aided us; our nation would not exist without 
him.  We would have been left to Endymion's mercies.  He can open 
the road of time for us once more.  We will find the senshi, find 
Endymion...and then we will crush him.  Perhaps time itself will be 
righted, and Endymion will vanish like the nightmare he is."

        Saffir sighed.  He will use us up and throw us away, he 
thought.  And that's if we're lucky.

******************

Black Moon Rising

Chapter 10:  The Black Crystal

By John Biles

******************

Somewhere, 100 BC...200 BC...300 BC...

        Mihoshi let out a howl that would have shook the heavens if 
she hadn't been travelling through time.  "I don't know how to stop!"

        Everyone else was clinging to her desperately as she ran on 
the treadmill.  It was going faster and faster, all of space simply a 
blur around them as they sped forward, surrounded by a 
phantasmagoria of light and sound.  Kiyone was up on Mihoshi's 
shoulders with an Angel on each shoulder of hers; it wasn't much 
fun for any of them.  Kiyone shouted, "You could try STOPPING 
MOVING YOUR LEGS!"

         "But I'll fall down!"

         "Just slow down, then!"

         "But...when I try to slow down, it starts to pull my feet out 
from under me!"

         "How about if we shoot you then?"  Kei shouted.  Mihoshi 
began to cry.

         "If I end up as my own grandmother, I'm gonna be pissed,"  
Yuri said.  "But at least we know we have to stop eventually."

          "When Mihoshi gets tired?"  Kei asked.

          "When we reach the beginning of time."

           "I should have known you two caused the Big Bang,"  Kiyone 
muttered.

           "IT WAS NOT OUR FAULT!"

****************

Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

          Ryu felt a little better, looking at the small army that had 
gathered at the Juraiian embassy.  He was extremely glad to have 
his wife Nene back, and he was quite sure his other wife was safe 
far away.  Having two of the best martial artists in the solar 
system, Ranma and Ukyou, was also a relief.  In addition, he had his 
old friend Noa Izumi, Noa's daughter, Moemi Shinohara, a 
superspeedster named Jenni Ognatz, Ken Asagiri-McNichols, Ken's 
girlfriend--Hikaru Hiyama-Quest, Sailors Uranus and Neptune, a 
psychic named Imra, and a small squad of Juraiian marines and 
barrel warriors.  Oh, and he had Dan Hibiki, for whatever he was worth.

       Hopefully, he wouldn't need the army.  Pluto had said that 
things would be over soon, although she wouldn't say exactly how 
soon.  Still, it was best to be sure.  They could relax while the Dune 
Shield held up, but how long the converter box would endure...that 
was another question.  It kept sparking and threatening to explode.

        For the moment, though, he sat on a couch with his Left-Hand 
Wife (the wife in charge of his personal security, whereas the 
Right-Hand Wife was in charge of political espionage and 
etiquette) Nene, just relaxing.  "So how was the future?"

         "Wretched."  She sighed.  "Crystal Tokyo was a ruins, 
devastated by some war.  The galaxy was in anarchy and...Now I 
know why Pluto never takes anyone for time travel jaunts for fun."

         "It's best to just take the future as we find it.  Either it's 
fixed, so we can't change it, or it's not fixed, so there's no point in 
seeing what MIGHT be," he said.  "And too much time travel is 
probably what destroyed the Sidar, anyway."

         "The what?"  Hikaru asked from the adjacent couch where she 
had been snuggled up to Ken.

          "The Sidar.  They're an ancient race that achieved greatness 
when humans were still banging rocks together.  Maybe when fish 
were still debating the value of trying out this 'land' thing.  No one 
knows for sure WHEN they actually originated because of all the 
time travel.  For all we know for sure, they might actually be from 
the future.  They went running around the galaxy, in fact probably 
several galaxies, tampering and experimenting and building weird 
things.  But then there was some sort of catastrophe, and they 
went poof."  

         "Oh."

         "They build gates for space travel, but the gates also let you 
time travel.  Some faeries claim that what actually happened was 
that the Sidar evolved to a higher level and became the faeries, but 
then faeries also like to claim that the Earth used to be shaped like 
a donut."  Ryu shrugged.  "Wasyuu claims she's actually met Sidar, 
but I dunno if I'd believe her either.  She once claimed that the 
first Pope gave her a permanent indulgence for all her sins, but 
since she would have been locked away in Kagato's ship at the 
time..."

        Ranma came over.  "So when do we kick ass?"

        "Ideally, we don't,"  Ryu said.

        "Man, you're no fun."

*****************

        "You're going to WHAT?"  Michael asked.

        "Let you go," Endymion's astral form said.  "Wiseman took your 
friend."  He pointed to a small crystal on the shelf by them.  "That 
should help you find her, assuming Baldric got the right crystal."

         "Of course not,"  Blackadder said.  "Baldric couldn't get the 
right crystal if it was the only crystal in the universe and was 
surrounded for ninety miles by 400 yard long arrows pointing 
directly to it.  The one he brought was an air freshener."  He pointed 
to another crystal now faintly glowing on the floor near the door.  
"I went and got that one myself."

         "But...I mean...you want us to find her?"  Uriel asked.  "What's 
the catch?"

        "She helped us after my wife was injured.  The war is nearly 
over, and neither of us believes in holding grudges.  Wiseman and 
Demand are not long for this world."

         "You can't know that!"  Raphaelle shouted.

          "You know about your agents in the past, don't you?"

          "I'd heard rumors,"  Raphaelle said.

          "A thousand years ago, Wiseman and Demand died.  Wiseman 
slew Demand, then we slew him.  I was there."

           "You're lying!"  Raphaelle said, taking a swing at his ghostly 
form.

           Uriel shook his head.  "He's telling the truth.  He could have 
killed us if he wanted us dead, and I can't sense Gabrielle 
anywhere.  Wiseman's done something with her."

         Raphaelle frowned, and Michael nodded, then took the crystal 
off the shelf.  "And what happens when we find her?"

          "I don't know.  By that time, the remainder of your fleet will 
likely have been destroyed and we'll have to decide what to do with 
anyone left from the Black Moon here.  Time will tell."

******************

Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD (-997 SY, 2746 Years after the founding of 
Rome, Juraiian Year 22159, Federal Year -1991)

        "You already know too much about your future.  It would be bad 
to know anymore."  The words lingered in Sailor Moon's mind as she 
and her friends stepped out of the Time Gate, having returned to 
the past.  Pluto had said that, and told them that Wiseman had 
taken Chibi-Usa back to the present.  Well, their present.  All this 
time travel was making her head hurt.

         It was night, here in Tokyo, and the moon hung full over the 
city.  Sailor Moon looked up at the moon, trying to somehow see the 
palace where she had been born a good twenty five thousand years 
ago.  All she could see was Chibi's face superimposed on the moon.  
I can't believe I'm worried about that brat, she thought.  But I am.  I 
wonder if Mom feels like this sometimes...

*********

        The Black Crystal dominated the skyline when Tokyo awoke 
the next morning.  It was a huge jagged spire reaching into the sky, 
studded with black protusions, shrouded in a nimbus of darkness 
that somehow shone blackly.  The sky was covered with clouds, and 
every so often, a bolt of lightning would strike the tower from one.  

          Work was paralyzed and many businesses had closed for the 
day; no one could come downtown if they wanted to live, it was 
draining the life of the city, feeding on its heart, growing ever 
stronger.

        Both nearby and far away, inside the Crystal, but also beyond 
it in ways hard to explain to readers who are not fifth dimensional 
beings, Wiseman sat, talking to himself.  In addition to this being 
an occupational hazard of beings such as himself, he was trying to 
get the voice harassing him to shut up by explaining to it how 
everything was NOT going to fail.

          "Soon, the world will be plunged into darkness, just as I have 
planned.  We will open the Black Gate and free the way for the 
Death Phantom to enter this world."  But in this time, he isn't the 
Death Phantom yet, the voice said.  And he won't recognize you 
either.  Plus, if you succeed, you'll never...

          SHUT UP!  he shouted mentally at the voice, so distracted he 
didn't notice Saffir lurking in the shadows.  "It does not matter.  He 
will be freed."  Demand will figure out you are using him and will 
stop you, the voice taunted him.  "Demand and the rest of the Dark 
Moon are just pawns!  They will be sacrificed when the time is 
right!  My plan is flawless!"  Your stupidity is flawless anyway, it 
whispered.

          Wiseman felt a presence besides himself and the voice 
inside his head.  A living presence.  Saffir.  I will have to deal with 
him, he thought.  

         Go ahead and get yourself destroyed attacking Demand's 
brother, the voice said.  See if I care.

         Saffir scampered away as Wiseman thundered at the voice.  
"Even if he forces me to discorporate, I cannot die!  Not while all 
the bonds I have forged to the world still stand.  Not while those I 
have touched still live.  I have three anchors now, not one, you fool, 
and so even if Demand tries to kill me, he will fail.  For he will 
never find the third one, and if he does...he will regret it."  

          Not as much as you will.  So what would you like for an 
epitaph?  The voice laughed mockingly at him.

          "Shut up!"

          Interesting choice, the voice said.

**********

Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

         "I still think this is a trap,"  Raphaelle said as she and her 
friends tromped through the streets of Crystal Tokyo, following 
the gem given them by Endymion.

           "HOW?"  Uriel asked.  "He had us captive and unconscious.  He 
could have hollowed out our skulls and drunk from them if he had 
felt like it."

          "No one in their right mind just lets prisoners go."

          "They do things differently here,"  Uriel said.  "It's like 
some kind of dream world."

          Michael nodded.  "I keep wondering if I'm going to wake up 
back on Nemesis."

         They could hear voices in the distance now, so they shifted to 
being more stealthy, dropping low to slink across a street, then 
moving forward pressed up against a building on its shady side.  
Finally, Michael peered around a corner.  "Hey, it's part of our army!  
And...I can see the Juraiian embassy in the distance; there's 
something glowing around it.  They must be getting ready to attack 
it."

         The others relaxed and all three stepped out in the open, 
hands up in the air, trying to make sure their Black Moon signs 
could be seen.  They could see the leader of the squadron now, clad 
in a long black and red tunic and black tights, with short wavy 
brown hair and bright green eyes.  There was a golden tiara upon 
her brow, with a black opal set in it.  It was Gabrielle.

          "Gabrielle!"  Uriel shouted, running towards her, relieved 
that his lover was alive.

          She turned and stared, her face mostly blank, but her eyes 
pits of rage.  "TRAITOR!  YOU ALL LEFT ME TO DIE!  Droids!  Warriors!  
BRING ME THEIR HEADS!"

          Uriel stopped running.  "Gabrielle!  We...we didn't know what 
happened to you!  We were captured by Serenity's forces and..."

          The droids and warriors were turning to face them, and 
sizing up the little trio.  Gabrielle said, "And now you've joined her!  

You have to die!"  There was a pause.  "Actually, capture Uriel alive.  
I want to keep him as a love slave.  But kill the other two!"

        "Which one is which, Nemesis-sama?"  one of the Droids, who 
looked like she had been built from cupholders and those big nerf 
hand glove things you only see at football games.  

         "The tall one with black hair."

         "Nemesis-sama?"  Raphaelle asked.  "Since when was your 
name..."

         "Wiseman has unlocked my true power!  I have become what I 
was meant to be.  I will use Serenity's Power to destroy her!"  She 
raised a short rod made of onyx, tipped with a crystal skull.  
"NEMESIS POWER, TRANSFORM!"

           Every shadow, every bit of black, even the coloring of 
Uriel's hair suddenly began to spiral inwards towards Gabrielle, 
who rose into the air, caught in the middle of what became a huge 
black rose.  Winds roared inward, forming a great cyclone around 
her.  Her clothing ripped away, though shadow concealed from view 
the flesh that would otherwise have been exposed, and shadow 
infused into it.  First the black leotard with red trim formed, then 
the black skirt fringed with red and blue at the bottom.  Gloves of 
pure ebony with a blood red band around the opening covered her 
hands, and blood red boots formed on her feet.  Even her hair 
became darker, brown fading to black with red highlights.   

            She posed, the darkness merging with the wind to form a 
strange naginata of air glowing black in her hands.  "I AM SAILOR 
NEMESIS, AND I HAVE COME TO BRING DOOM TO CRYSTAL TOKYO!"

            Half the droids swooned and most of the warriors wobbled.  
Raphaelle, Michael, and Uriel felt weak as well.  Raphaelle 
screamed, "I won't let you kill me!  At least I'll die fighting!  FIRES 
OF RAGE!"  She gestured at Sailor Nemesis.  Nothing happened.

          Michael frowned, and tapped the ground, focusing his power.  
Nothing happened.  He looked over at Uriel, and he understood.  
"She's stolen our powers!"

          "Shit,"  Uriel said.  "C'mon Gabrielle!  You know we're your 
friends!  Don't you remember all the times I...I told you I loved 
you?"  He stepped forward, desperate and pleading.
                              
          She hesitated for a moment.  "That's...that's why I'm going to 
let you live.  Yes.  That's why."  She pointed the naginata at Michael.  
"You always were too smart for your own good.  Now you die.  You 
and your annoying sister.  VOLCANO BURST!"  The naginata whirled 
around and a huge gout of lava flew straight towards them.

           Raphaelle dived for the ground, which wouldn't help.  All 
Michael could do was stare in horror.  It was a combined attack 
that he and his sister had developed, using her fire to superheat 
the raw rock he could conjure.  There were a million ways to stop 
it...IF she had her powers.

          "ICE STORM!"  someone shouted, and a hail of ice balls the 
size of golfballs rained down on the lava, freezing it, and knocking 
it apart into bits.  A second later, a woman in a red bodysuit 
appeared, grabbing Raphaelle and vanishing with her.  Two seconds 
later, two spatulas struck Nemesis' naginata.  They would have 
disarmed her if they hadn't crumbled to dust when they hit the 
naginata.  

          Michael turned to stare, only to feel two strong hands around 
his waist and a pair of breasts pressed into his back.  And then the 
world went swirly around him.

           Uriel, however, could see the woman and man who had 
confronted Nemesis.  The man had long brown hair, unruly in front, 
though held somewhat in check by a bandana, and wore a red and 
green tunic with black tights and black slippers, belted at the 
waist with a blue belt.  He wore a bandolier of...spatulas?  Also, he 
carried the most humongous metal spatula that Uriel had ever seen.  
He stood in a ready position, his face blank.  Probably zen combat 
technique, Uriel guessed.

         Next to him was a perky woman with short pink hair and a 
long green scarf around her neck.  One of the skinniest women he 
had ever seen, she wore a simple pale green blouse and blue slacks, 
with a crystal sword hanging from her belt.  Her hands were 
glowing a faint blue.  "You won't fool me dressing up as a sailor!  
I've been working for them for years!"

        "I bet you're the one who trashed my store!"  the man 
proclaimed.

        "Imperial Wave!"  Nemesis shouted, not being one for small 
talk.  A wave of water erupted from the naginata.  This time, the 
woman was too slow to stop it, and she and the man got slammed 
into the air, down the street, then into the ground.  "Store?"  She 
paused, confused.  "Who the hell are you?"

         "I'm your worst nightmare!  I'm...uh..."

         The woman rolled her eyes.  "Don't tell me you forgot!"

          "Oh yeah!  I'm Tsubasa Kuonji!  Now gimme my secret sauce 
back!"

          Nemesis stared at him.  "What the hell are you talking 
about?"

          "Gabrielle!  This isn't making any sense!"  Uriel tried one 
more appeal to reason.  "Please...let me explain to you what 
happened!"

          "You betrayed me!  Running off with that Mercury woman!"

           Please tell me she doesn't mean the six year old, Uriel 
thought.  "I did not!  Wiseman lied to you!"

           "You're the liar!  DROIDS!  TAKE THEM!"  

           The horde of droids and warriors poured forward, then two 
arms wrapped around Uriel and the world went swirly.

**********

Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD (-997 SY, 2746 Years after the founding of 
Rome, Juraiian Year 22159, Federal Year -1991)


          In the abandoned streets of Shinjuku district, normally the 
financial heart of Japan, but now the heart of a zone of energy 
drain, fled by even the most determined predator of finance, a fight 
was in progress.

         Saffir had been trying to get to Demand and had been chased 
by Black Lady and Wiseman through the streets of the city.   The 
Sailors had come to his aid at the request of the Weird Sisters, one 
of whom, Petz, had long loved him. 

          Things weren't going too well.  Sailor Moon, Mercury, and 
Venus were trapped in a dome of energy, and Jupiter and Mars had 
taken quite a beating.  Wiseman hadn't arrived yet, but Black Lady 
was slapping them all around quite well by herself.
 
          It was at that moment that Demand arrived, floating above 
the battle.  "Why have you betrayed us, brother?"

         Saffir ran to him.  "Brother, Wiseman has betrayed us!  He 
plans to destroy everything, to sacrifice us to the Death Phantom 
he serves!"

          Demand listened as Black Lady trapped Mars and Jupiter in 
another energy cage.  She turned to Demand, about to speak, only to 
have the 'racquet' she was holding (which she had used to lob 
badminton birdies which turned into cages) knocked out of her 
hands, pinned to a tree by a rose.  The two cages shattered.

          Tuxedo Kamen had arrived.  "You've got to listen to him!  He's 

telling the truth!  We shouldn't have to be enemies!"

          Demand listened and turned to Saffir, clearly uncertain as to 
what was going on.  Seconds later, a blast of dark energy flung 
Saffir to the ground, and he howled.  Demand turned and saw 
Wiseman hovering nearby.  "This is the price of treason!"  Wiseman 
shouted.  "He has betrayed us!"

        Everyone stared in shock, except for Saffir, who staggered to 
his knees.  Then the second blast hit.  "DIE!"  Saffir fell, a charred 
mass of flesh, dropping a small crystal.  

         "SAFFIR!"  Horror overwhelmed Demand as it had everyone, 
and he knelt by his brother, doing nothing as Wiseman scooped up 
the crystal.  

        "He can't sabotage the Dark Crystal without this.  Foolish 
Saffir was deceived by the Sailor Warriors and betrayed us."  His 
voice was smooth, icy calm now.  He gestured to Black Lady and she 
ran over to him.  They vanished together.

          Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon rushed over to Demand and 
Saffir, whose eyes slowly opened.  He looked up at his brother and 
whispered something that only Demand could hear, and then the 
bandage wrapped around his head unraveled.  His Black Moon 
insignia had vanished from his brow, and now the light vanished 
from his eyes.  

        "No!  Don't die!"  Sailor Moon screamed.  "You've got to live for 

Petz!  She loves you!  You..."  

         It was too late.  Demand stood slowly, holding Saffir, his 
face a mask of frozen rage.  "Wiseman," he said, his voice a vehicle 
for venom.  And then he vanished as if he had never been.

******************

In the Orbit of Mars, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding 
of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

        Twenty five Crystal Cruisers had joined the Juraiian fleet 
when they reached the orbit of Mars, a ramshackle fleet thrown 
together by the Governor of Mars over the last day.  Most of them 
were civilian vehicles with a few bolt generators strapped on, 
except for five which had been used by the Terran Space Police for 
dealing with space pirates.  It was, however, better than nothing.

         Captain John Carter, whose subordinates were now referring 
to as the 'Warlord of Mars', was in command of the 'fleet', and he 
had put his ships at the disposal of Commander Daley.  He was a 
tall brown haired man with bright blue eyes and sharp features, 
skinny and clean cut.  He had joined Celia, Daley, and M'Gah D'kor, 
the blue and green Mi-Go liason, in a strategy conference about 
Daley's flagship, the Blue Angel.

         The conference room was like most conference rooms; it had 
a big round table, comfortable chairs, a chalkboard, and various 
audiovisual equipment.   M'Gah simply sat on the table; the chairs 
were not really built correctly for mottled blue and green pseudo-
crustaceans with huge porous wings and segmented claws.  

         "The Black Moon Fleet seems to have dispersed,"  John 
reported.  "Our scouts say it has scattered to hit the major cities 
along the Pacific rim, especially the ones with military bases.  
There's only a token force of about twenty five ships at Crystal 
Tokyo.  We can easily crush them and liberate the city."

         "I think we should find their hive and kill their Qu...King,"  
M'gah said.  "Kill the leader and they will turn on each other to see 
who will become the new Hive-Ruler.  That could take days or 
months, making them easy to destroy."

         "If we actually had some clue where to find their King, that 
might work,"  Celia said.  "But we don't.  I'd challenge him to single 
combat if I thought he would accept, but given how he's operated, I 
don't think he's likely to go for that."

        "I thought you always said duels were stupid,"  Daley said.

        "I never said I'd play fair,"  Celia said.  "This is a war, not a 
game with rules.  Fairness is for friends and those who mean you 
no harm.  The man's a maniac who bombed an entire city full of 
perhaps the most harmless humans who have ever lived.  He'd best 
hope he doesn't live long enough for me to get my hands on him."  
Her voice was calm, but there was steel in it, and it scared Daley a 
little; she was mad, he knew the signs, and when Celia got angry, 
bad things happened to the people who made her mad.

         "My own suggestion is to have Carter's men draw the Black 
Moon Fleet into the upper atmosphere, then destroy them with the 
combined Second Mi-Go Fleet and the Lightning Squadron.  Then 
Carter's men can harass any ground forces the Black Mooners have 
landed in the city, while we start moving against the Black Moon 
forces before they can unite."  Daley called up a hologram display 
to illustrate his idea.  In theory, the final decision was his; he was 
the ranking officer here.  In practice, Celia was in charge, since 
she would be an Empress one day.

         Celia thought for a moment.  "How watertight are your 
vessels, M'Gah?"

         "We can arrange that," he said.  To be more precise, the 
electronic voice synthesizer that hung from his neck said it; like 
most Mi-Go, he had no vocal cords and normally communicated by 
flashing colored lights on his head.  Only Celia understood that 
language, however, and not very well, so he used the EVS.  

          "Good.  Now here's the plan."

*************

Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

        "My name is Sylvie Hakubi," the spikey haired woman in a red 
and black bodysuit said to Raphaelle, Michael, and Uriel.  "And this 
is Tsubasa Kuonji and Minki Matsuura.  We were out scouting, 
hoping we could withdraw the rest of our forces to the Juraiian 
embassy, since we couldn't get through the forcefield to the 
palace, and then we spotted you."

         "You...you're the mayor of Crystal Tokyo?"  Raphaelle asked.

         Sylvie smiled, a warm and pleasant smile, and they all 
instinctively relaxed.  It was hard not to like her, though they 
barely knew her, and even though she was one of the leaders of the 
nation they had been raised to hate.  "I know I shouldn't be out 
mixing it up, but...simply put, I'm damn hard to kill.  Tougher than 
most of the survivors we're trying to get to safety."

         "My name is Uriel,"  Uriel said.  "Endymion sent us with this," 
he held up the crystal, "to find Gabrielle, who Wiseman has turned 
into Sailor Nemesis."  

         Raphaelle started chewing on her nails.

         "Tainted by darkness?  That explains that weird thing we 
saw,"  Minki said.  "I can try to purify her, but...it won't be easy.  Do 
any of you know how to do any healing or spirit magic?"

         "I used to,"  Uriel said.  "But she's absorbed our powers."

         Michael looked over at Raphaelle, who shrugged at him.  "I 
take it you need more power to do it?"

        "Yes."

         "The Juraiian embassy sits on a node.  I know a spell for 
creating...leylines between people.  You could use each of us a sort 
of mobile tap...even if we can't use our powers, we can still serve 
as a filter for magic, I think.  Then you could draw the power from 
the node through us, and boost your magic."

          "Yeah!"  Minki said.  "That's a great idea.  Tsubasa, 
Sylvie...you'll have to get her away from that army...we can't fight 
her and them at the same time."

         Sylvie teleported a few feet.  "No problem."

         "Right!  Let's kick some butt!"  Tsubasa said.  "Who are we 
gonna fight?"

        Minki screamed.  Tension breaker.  Had to be done.
         
******************

Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD (-997 SY, 2746 Years after the founding of 
Rome, Juraiian Year 22159, Federal Year -1991)

        Sailor Moon landed on her head.  The Senshi had gone into the 
Dark Crystal, trying to find Tuxedo Kamen, who hadn't come back 
from his scouting mission into it.  Unfortunately, the place was a 
maze, and a trapped maze at that.  Now she had been dumped down a 
shaft into another room, cut off from her friends.

            "Where am I?"

            "Right at the place that destiny has prepared for you,"  
Demand said.

             Sailor Moon started and stared at him, not sure if he had 
always been there or had just arrived.  "Destiny?"

            "We both wear the sign of the Crescent Moon.  We were born 
for each other, the Dark and the Light Moon, to be joined as one."  
His voice was soothing and hypnotic, and upon his brow, the black 
moon became a third eye, stark and commanding.  Light shone from 
it upon Sailor Moon.  "We were made to love one another."

         Sailor Moon's eyes glazed over, a deep blue, as the power bore 
into her mind.  "Yes, we were made to love one another.  It is 
destiny."  A tiny part of her mind screamed.

        He smiled and stepped forward impatiently to kiss her.  As he 
leaned down to deliver it, a tear ran down her cheek.  "Mamo-
chan..."

        Rage took him; even at this age Endymion had cast his evil 
spell over her.  She would be his; she had to be.  That was why he 
had been born.  The goddess of the Moon and the prince of the Earth 
would join as one and bring about a new age of prosperity.  "I will 
make you MINE!" he shouted, shaking her in his anger.

        The trance broke, and she said, "You can't MAKE someone love 
you!"

         He tried using his powers again, desperate now, but she 
averted her eyes.  "Even if you succeed, it won't be true love," she 
said, but he was sliding into madness in his desperation.  He had to 
have her, or his life was meaningless dust.  Pouring even more 
power into it, he put her into a trance once more.

        "Swear loyalty to me," he said.

         Once again, he failed.  Her soul was stronger than his power, 
and the memories of her friends and loved ones shattered the spell.  
She stood, her eyes clear, and gazed at him sadly.  He stared back, 
his third eye fading as his will wavered.  "Why do you want to 
destroy everything?" she asked sadly.

        "We only wanted to live on the Earth, but we were driven from 
it!  Deprived of our rightful inheritance!  Our people could not co-
exist with Endymion's followers, who sought to take away 
everything we had."   His voice was angry and bitter.

        "That's not true!" she said, certain that there must have been 
some misunderstanding.

        "Wiseman told us the truth, showed us how..."  he trailed off, 
suddenly remembering how Saffir had never trusted Wiseman, how 
he had tried to tell him something about Wiseman before he 
died...before Wiseman killed him.  Killed him to keep him silent, 
Demand suddenly realized.  

        I have been such a fool, he realized.  The only evidence I ever 
had that she would be my bride was the prophecy...Wiseman's 
prophecy.  He turned to Sailor Moon and prepared to speak, but then 
Wiseman appeared.

         "You must kill her!"  Wiseman shouted.

         "I know the truth!"  he said, calling up a shield against the 
attack he knew would come.

          Wiseman struck, but the blast merely skidded off the 
surface of the shield.  Whatever I truly am, I still wield great 
power, Demand thought.  He made me what I am, and I shall make 
the most of it that I can.  

        What followed was a spectacular fight, a duel of two masters 
of mystic combat, which Sailor Moon tried to watch, but couldn't 
completely follow.  They teleported every few seconds, appearing 
behind each other and hurling blasts, using the pillars of the room 
as cover, blasting great holes in the floor.

       And then it ended, when Wiseman appeared before Sailor Moon 
and said, "You too must die!" and fired a blast at her.  She panicked, 
unable to move, watching the energy close in.  But Demand 
teleported into the path of the blast, falling to his knees.  Wiseman 
sneered at him as she ran over to him, but he staggered to his feet 
just as Sailor Moon arrived by his side.

         "You don't have the power to finish this!"  Wiseman 
pronounced, firing another blast.

          He was wrong, as a bolt from Demand pierced his blast, 
scattering it, and struck him, blowing him to tiny bits.  His cloak 
settled to the ground, along with his orb.  There wasn't even any 
dust left of Wiseman.  

        Demand collapsed now, and Sailor Moon knelt by him, her eyes 
tearing up.  "The Dark Moon family has come to an end because I 
couldn't see through Wiseman's lies."  He was on the verge of tears 
himself; only the pain held them off, strangely enough.  It hurt too 
much to cry.  The fleet in the future...they would never even know 
how he died.  He wondered what would happen to them.

         "You've got to live!  Catse and Petz and everyone...they need 
you,"  Sailor Moon said, fearing this would not work any better than 
it had with Saffir.

          Unobserved, a skull face flashed on Wiseman's Time Orb and 
it rose into the air.

           Demand smiled.  "Take care of them, Sailor Moon."  He 
brushed her face with his hand, and did his best to smile at her.

         "I will!"  Tears began to flow down her face as he settled 
back, and died.  "DEMAND!"  She hadn't been able to save him either, 
and she felt horrible about it.

         Then Wiseman's hands tightened around her throat.  "Give me 
the Silver Crystal!"

          "NO!  TUXEDO KAMEN!!!!"  She struggled and wrenched free, 
wobbling to her feet.

            Wiseman laughed, and gestured.  An image appeared before 
her, one of Mamoru and Chibi-Usa taking each other's hand, smiling 
at one another and turning their backs on her.  Then they strode off 
into the sunset.  "Mamoru has given his heart to the child.  There is 
no room for you."

         Sailor Moon began to cry, and she fell to her knees, but deep 
down, she knew better.  She had seen what listening to Wiseman 
had done to Demand and the Black Moon Family, and she would not 
fall for it.  Not now, and not ever.

         But then it got a little more plausible, for the Chibi of the 
image became Black Lady, and the two of them kissed.  Mamoru 
wouldn't really leave for a child, but for an adult...one as gracious 
and beautiful as Black Lady...Sailor Moon's heart wavered, for 
hearts are home to both hope and fear.

         "Tuxedo Kamen has abandoned you for Black Lady."  Wiseman's 
voice was hypnotic, soothing, convincing.  "The only way to stop 
them is to smite her down!  Focus your hate into the Ginzinshou and 
fill the world with darkness!"

          She might have fallen, but then she saw Chibi-Usa in her 
mind, begging her to save her mother.  Her wavering determination 
firmed and she stood up.  "They would NEVER betray me!  She's my 
daughter and he's her FATHER!"

           "Then DIE!"  Wiseman unleashed another bolt of dark energy 
directly at her.  

           It never arrived, for a rose slashed through it, dispelling it 

to nothingness.  "A evil that uses magic to confuse the minds of 
innocent girls. I will not forgive you."  Tuxedo Kamen had appeared, 
and the rest of the Sailor Senshi were with him.

         Wiseman laughed.  "It's too late.  It's time to open the Black 
Gate."  The Dark Crystal surged with power, and he vanished.

          "We have to seal the gate!"  Tuxedo Kamen said, and they all 
ran out to try to find it.

******************

Altair system, Near Altair XI, Juraiian Year 23224  (3060 AD, 3811 
Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year -926)

     Wasyuu frowned as she stood before Emperor Tenchi.  "The 
Planet-Smasher has been reduced to rubble.  But I haven't found a 
single trace of Mihoshi, Kiyone, or the Dirty Pair.  I can't even tell 
if they died or got away, although we haven't heard from them, 
which inclines me to think the worst."  Her voice was sombre.  
"They may have bought Jurai's safety at the price of their lives."  

       "They're not dead,"  Linna said.  "I checked.  Whatever has 
happened to them, they're beyond the ken of even Heaven.  Even if 
demons had dragged them off to Hell, the Dir...the Lovely Angels 
should have been locatable.  But they're just...gone."

       "Maybe the explosion blew them into subspace,"  Ryoko 
suggested.

          Tenchi nodded.  "Or some sort of time travel."

          Wasyuu nodded.  "I intend to travel to Earth and consult the 
person most likely to know, if anyone.  Assuming she doesn't decide 
to pointlessly insult me again."

          "Calling her a green haired bimbo was probably not the best 
greeting last time,"  Anri offered quietly.

          "The woman desperately needs a sense of humor,"  Wasyuu 
said.  "But if anyone will know where they are, or where to start 
looking, it would be Pluto."

         "Good luck,"  Tenchi said.  "Let us know if you find them, and 
please keep us up to date on what's going on on Earth.

         "We will,"  Linna said.  She and the others turned and 
departed, stepping through a doorway which hadn't existed before 
they came, and which now closed up on itself and vanished.

          Tenchi turned to Aeka.  "What do you think?"

          "Mihoshi's too lucky to die like that, so they must be alive 
somewhere.  We haven't seen the last of them.  Now, the next thing 
we need to do is to decide what to do about House Flaem.  I got a 
report sent to Celia by Lord Rodrigo..."

******************

Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD (-997 SY, 2746 Years after the founding of 
Rome, Juraiian Year 22159, Federal Year -1991)

        Black Lady floated above the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, who 
stood on a platform at the peak of the Black Crystal.  They could 
see all of Tokyo spread out around them, but they had other things 
on their mind.

         "Now I will open the Black Gate and cast the world into 
Darkness!"  Black Lady shouted, laughing.

        "Don't do it, Chibi-Usa!"  Mars begged.

        "You'll destroy the world!"  Mercury asserted.

         Sailor Moon was crying.  "If you accept the power of the Black 
Crystal, you'll die!"

         "You don't understand me!"  She fired a powerful energy blast 
at them, knocking them all down.  Sailor Moon could hardly believe 
that Black Lady could be so powerful; she didn't know if all of them 
together could stop her.  It hardly seemed possible that this had 
once been Chibi-Usa.  

          "I will kill you all, starting with Sailor Moon!"  This time, 
the entire blast was focused at Sailor Moon, who could only stare 
in horror.  But it was not time for her to die; Tuxedo Kamen threw 
himself in front of it, then collapsed, clearly in agony.  

         Black Lady stared in shock.  "How...how can you do that?  How 
can you sacrifice yourself for someone else?"

         Sailor Moon held Tuxedo Kamen close to her, trying to ease 
his pain as best she could.  "Chibi-Usa-chan, that's what you do for 
someone who is important to you."

         "Chibi-Usa-chan,"  Mars said, "You're important to us."

          "You're our friend,  Chibi-Usa-chan,"  Venus said.  "Please 
come back to us."

           A tear began to form in the corner of each of Black Lady's 
eyes, and they could see they were starting to get through to her; 
she was still Chibi deep inside.  

       However, they were not left to their pleas.  Wiseman appeared, 
saying, "Don't believe them!  They're the ones who left you alone to 
suffer!"  Dark power flowed into her from him, and her face 
hardened.  

          Tuxedo Kamen staggered to his feet and held out a hand.  
"Please, Chibi-Usa-chan, let us help you."

          "You're trying to trick me!  You all left me on my own!  You 
weren't there when I needed you!  Now you're all going to die!"  
Torrents of Black Power erupted from her hands, knocking them all 
down.  

         They tried to move, but the agony was too great.  Yet, there 
was something greater than their agony.  As one, Tuxedo Kamen and 
Sailor Moon remembered what King Endymion had told them.  'You 
will face troubles much more difficult than what you have endured 
in the past.  If your love is not strong enough, you will not win.'

          Tuxedo Kamen turned to Sailor Moon and smiled feebly at 
her, the act requiring a supreme effort of will.  He held out a hand 
and she took it, smiling back as she stood, helping him up.  

         Holding the Ginzinshou aloft, she shouted, "MOON CRYSTAL 
POWER!"

        Light erupted from the Silver Crystal, devouring the darkness 
and blinding everyone, even Wiseman.  From the cocoon of light, 
Neo-Queen Serenity, Sailor Moon's highest self, emerged, King 
Endymion by her side, the transfigured Tuxedo Kamen.  One day they 
would wear these forms forever in glory, but for now, they had 
taken up the form to summon their future child back to her past 
self.

        "Chibi-Usa-chan, it is time to remember your childhood," the 
melodious voice of Neo-Queen Serenity proclaimed, and the 
crescent moon upon her brow began to glow.  

       But Wiseman would not take this lying down.  He gathered his 
energy, and now the sky around him, Black Lady, Neo-Queen 
Serenity and Tuxedo Kamen surged with a chaotic mass of Dark and 
Silver Power.  "We are born alone and die alone!"  he shouted.

        Black Lady answered, "That's right, I was alone in the 
Darkness. I won't let you deceive me."  Dark Power surged from her 
hands, once again striking Serenity and Tuxedo Kamen.  

       And yet, Serenity smiled.  "You must leave this place before it 
is too late!  It's hurting not just your body, but also your mind."  
Her voice was urgent.

        "It's more dangerous for you!"  Black Lady shouted, keeping up 
the barrage of darkness.

         "I don't care for my own life,"  Serenity said, raising the 
ginzinshou.  "I love you, and I want you to be safe."  The Silver 
Power erupted from the ginzinshou, and with it came memories, 
memories Wiseman had cut from Black Lady's memories.  The good 
times that had been buried by the pain returned to her, memories of 
eating ice cream with Ami, working out with Rei, getting a piggy 
back ride from Mamoru, eating a handmade lunch made just for her 
by Makoto, and playing nurse with Minako.  "Everyone suffers 
hardships; we have all known pain,"  Serenity said.  "And that is 
when we most need our memories of the good times we have also 
known."

         The memories made Black Lady feel warm inside, feel a joy 
she had forgotten.  "The warmth you feel is the love we have for 
you,"  Serenity said.

         I'm not alone, Black Lady realized.  I've never been alone, for 

they're always thinking of me.  And the ice that held her broke.  The 
Dark Power howled, but it had lost her grip on her.  There was a 
final surge, then light banished darkness.

         When it cleared away, everyone could see  Serenity holding 
Chibi-Usa in the air, with Tuxedo Kamen by their side.  As they 
floated down to rejoin their friends, Serenity reverted to Sailor 
Moon; the strain had been as much as she could bear for now.  

       Indeed, she collapsed as she landed and everyone gathered 
around her and Chibi-Usa, who awoke and thanked them for 
remembering her.  But the crisis was not yet over.

        "It is too late!"  the Wiseman shouted.  "The Black Gate is 
open, and now this world WILL DIE!"  Dark energy was erupting 
through it, preparing the way for the Death Phantom to emerge and 
devastate it.  Using his Time Orb, he gathered some of the power 
and scattered the senshi like bowling pens with a single stroke.  

       For a moment, they all struggled feebly under the assault, but 
then Sailor Moon rose, holding the Silver Crystal aloft.  Silver 
Power swept away the Dark Power once more.  "I won't let 
everyone die.  The world will not be destroyed," she said, then 
began to walk towards the Wiseman, her eyes set firmly upon him.

         "Don't do it!"  Sailor Jupiter shouted.  "If you use the full 
power of the Silver Crystal, you'll die!"

          The Wiseman chose to not take any chances and drew upon 
even more of his master's power, hurling it down upon her.  For a 
moment, he thought she had been destroyed as the darkness 
consumed her.  But then light burned away the darkness, and Neo-
Queen Serenity once more stood before him.  Deep in his mind, a 
tiny voice began to laugh.  This is where it ends, 'Wiseman'.  Beat 
her and you die.  Lose to her and you die.  You cannot win.

         Shut up, he shouted to himself.  I will triumph!  I am the 
chosen one of the Death Phantom!  I am power incarnate!  I defeated 
you and I will CRUSH HER!

         Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes, formerly closed, now flicked 
open.  The air between herself and Wiseman filled with power, 
surging back and forth.  But he had the edge, or at least so he 
believed.  "With the Black Gate open, you cannot defeat me!  Soon, I 
will Silence this world and with the power of the screams of the 
dying, I will unleash my master, that we might ravage all the 
worlds!  Your crystal cannot hope to stop me!"

        Chibi-Usa clung to Tuxedo Kamen, who stood helplessly 
nearby.  Chibi-Usa started crying "It's all my fault. It's my fault. 
Now because of me, Usagi..." One of her tears glowed as it fell, 
transforming into an exact copy of the Silver Crystal.  No, not a 
copy, but the ginzinshou of the future itself.  "The Silver Crystal!  
I...I had it all the time!  I can use it to save Sailor Moon!"

        Tuxedo's eyes widened.  "But it will likely kill you."

        "I don't care.  This is all my fault.  I have to help her!"

        "We'll all help you as best we can,"  Tuxedo Kamen said.  The 
Sailors chimed in their agreement.  "We can't lose.  Everyone's 
future is depending on this."

        Wiseman stared in shock.  Two ginzinshous.  Which means 
there's almost certainly one in...He ground his teeth.  Two 
ginzinshous within his grasp and he had missed BOTH of them.  
Three if you counted the one that he was now certain rested within 
the slumbering failsafe he had left in the future.  

        Chibi-Usa had transformed, sort of, or at least was now 
wearing a dress that matched Serenity's, and the two of them 
floated in the air, invoking the power that flowed within them.  
And deep inside Wiseman's mind, mocking laughter grew louder and 
louder.  He turned his attention to it, shoving it down just for a 
moment.

         Just for the wrong moment.  He would likely have fallen 
anyway, but now he left himself open to the assault of two Silver 
Crystals, and few things in Heaven and Earth could stand before 
that.  The blast of Silver Power shattered the Time Orb, shattered 
his physical form, almost shattered his mind.  And for a time, he 
knew only darkness.  But only for a time, for it is not easy to slay 
the dead.

*************

Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

       Light shone forth from the crystal which encased Neo-Queen 
Serenity.  With a great crack, it shattered, and she rose from the 
dais upon which she had laid.  She smiled at her husband, whose 
astral form stood nearby.  "It's over.  There remains only to repair 
the city when Chibi returns with the crystal."

        The Junior Pluto appeared, shaking her head.  "It's not so 
simple."

        Neo-queen Serenity blinked.  "What?"

        "The Black Moon Fleet still has to be defeated.  They don't 
know Prince Demand is dead and have no way of finding out they 
will trust.  But that's not the worst of it."

        "What is the worst of it?"  Endymion asked.

        "Wiseman isn't dead."

        "WHAT?"  Serenity stared at her in shock.  "But I killed him...a 
thousand years ago!"

        "The dead don't die easily.  He was nothing but a ghost, though 
one of the strongest ghosts ever to walk the Earth, for at his core 
was some of the power of KALI.  Pluto and I felt his spirit, drawn 
back through time to his rightful time and place, here, when you 
defeated him in the past.  He will likely try some desperate gamble 
now.  I must go and find Sailor Mars now.  She can help me find 
Wiseman and deal with him while Pluto tries to find Arcadia."

         Serenity frowned.  "She's missing?"

         "Missing, and worse, Pluto cannot see her with her timesight, 
which makes searching for her difficult."

         "Why don't you search for her?"  Endymion asked.  "Or can you 
not see her either?"

         "All the futures in which I find her, Pluto finds her first 
anyway.  Perhaps it is fate," she sighed.  "There's going to be an 
attack by Black Moon forces concealed in the city the second the 
Juraiian Embassy's Dune Shield goes down.  Which it will fairly 
soon; I'd suggest doing something about it."  She bowed to them.  
"Saturn will arrive soon; she is with the fleet, my king.  She should 
be able to heal your injuries."

          "I'll be fine.  It will be a reminder to me to not go off on my 
own just because I get angry."  He sighed.  "Thank you, junior Pluto."

          "Thanks, Hime-chan,"  Serenity said.

          The junior Pluto laughed.  "I think I'll go make sure my 
husband didn't do anything too crazy while I'm at it...'Hime-chan, I 
only tried to fight FOUR of them by myself.  I'm just fine.'"

           They all laughed, and then she vanished.  Serenity turned to 
Endymion.  "After all this is done..."

          "Yes?"

           "Let's go to an ice cream shop with 32 flavors.  I feel like 
seeing if this time I can eat them ALL without getting sick."

           He laughed.  "Queen of Crystal Tokyo dies of excessive sugar.  

Film at eleven."

           "That's how I want to die."  She laughed, then got off the 
dais and strode out into the halls.  There was work to be done.

******************

Somewhere, 1 Billion BC...1.1 Billion BC....1.2 BIllion BC

         Time and space blurred by, stars moving fast enough to be 
seen, sometimes too fast, galaxies moving in the distance, Kiyone, 
Mihoshi, Kei, and Yuri all screaming at the top of their lungs.

          They were going faster and faster, further and further into 
the past, and further and further through space.  Everything was 
going backwards, and all the galaxies were ever so slowly closing 
in on them.  "Mihoshi!  You've got to stop!  We're going to end up in 
the middle of the Big Bang and get fried to a crisp!"  Kiyone 
shouted.

         "I can't stop!"  Mihoshi was crying.  "It'll pull me under and 
eat me!"  She was getting hysterical; it was not one of her more 
shining moments.  

         "I've got an idea,"  Yuri said.

          "What?  What?"  Kei asked frantically.

          "Kei and I can hear your confessions before you die, so you'll 
know all your sins are forgiven when you burn to a crisp."

          It will be left as an exercise for the theologians among the 
audience as to how many years in Purgatory were earned due to the 
resulting beating.
         
******************

Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the 
founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

        Raphaelle and Michael had been sent to their posts.  Sylvie 
was about to go grab Sailor Nemesis, and Tsubasa was ready for 
battle, standing in position to guard Minki.  Uriel stood by her, 
linked to Minki by a spell.  "You have the hardest job,"  Minki said.  
"It's very hard to purge anyone of dark energy unless they either 
were possessed against their will, or unless they choose to reject 
it.  You've got to make her want to turn back to the light."

         To the light, he thought.  We've walked in darkness for 
long...can I save her?  Should I?  I don't trust Wiseman, but...If she 
can beat Serenity...He realized at that moment that he didn't give a 
damn about beating Serenity.  This whole war had just been a 
mistake.  Three hundred years of vengeance...when they could have 
been making Nemesis worth living on, they'd all wasted their time 
starting a pointless war for an Earth they no longer understood or 
knew how to live on.  All he cared about, was to get the woman he 
loved back.  

        Wiseman was using her, had used them all.  His mind suddenly 
felt so clear, and at first he couldn't understand why.  But he knew 
now...he'd been purged of the dark energy that had been influencing 
him.  They'd always laughed at Serenity's moralizing, the way the 
Earth people worried about Dark Power, but...they'd been right.  
Whatever else the others chose, he wasn't going to go back to it.

         "I'll do what I have to," Uriel said.  "I love Gabrielle and 
I'll save her even if I have to die myself."  He clenched his fists.  "I've 
had enough of Wiseman's plots."

         "Become the Angel of Death in truth, eh?"  Minki said softly.  
"I hope not."

          "The what?"  Angel of Death?

          "Uriel is the Angel of Death.  Gabriel is God's Herald, Michael 
commands his armies, and Raphael is the Angel of the Dawn.  
They're also called the Angels of the Four Corners."

          "So what does Uriel do?"

          "Collects the souls of the fallen and takes them up to 
Heaven."  

          "Time to see if I can live up to my namesake, then," he said.  "Let's go."

********************

           Commander Ruby had been put in charge of the decoy force 
over Crystal Tokyo.  He paced back and forth fretting.  The Juraiian 
fleet had headed off into the South Pacific for no apparent reason.  
They were up to something.  

         "Anything, Topaz?"  

         "Not in the last three seconds, sir."  

         The comscreen crackled to life.  "INCOMING!" shouted Captain 
Thrombolite, a purplehaired short muscular man, commander of the 
Onyx.  He was stationed near Tokyo Bay.  "They're coming out of the 
bay."

         "Give us a visual!"

          The commander vanished, and now he could see Tokyo Bay.  
Coming in low at sea level was a swarm of Juraiian warships, so 
low they didn't show up on the radar.  The dockers had launched 
their Fireflies, giant insects controlled by crystals, capable of not 
just glowing, but firing lasers.  A smaller number of Crystal 
Stingers, glowing crystal wedges piloted by crack Juraiian pilots 
were accompanying them.

          At least the Mi-Go weren't with them, Commander Ruby 
thought.  We can be killed by men instead of monsters.  "Send for 
reinforcements!  ALL FORCES FALL BACK!"

         He only lost half his ships in the first two minutes.  Two 
minutes, however, was long enough to send out the signal.  Help 
was on the way.  The last field battle of the Black Moon War had 
begun.  

******************

Somewhere in the Solar System, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after 
the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926)

         Killing the dead is not easy.  Sure, you can shred their ghostly 
body with magical energy or the right kinds of mundane energy, but 
all that normally does is to hand them over to their dark side, their 
shadow, to be tormented for a few hours, then they wake up at one 
of their fetters, the mundane objects which symbolize the ties 
that bind them to the world.  A ghost who loses all of his or her 
fetters still is not destroyed, but he is cut off from being able to 
touch the mortal world at all unless he finds a medium willing to 
assist him.  

         Thus, the wise wraith hides his fetters well so they will not 
be destroyed, and if he can, he learns certain arts which enable him 
to create new fetters.  The wisest wraiths warn against this, for 
too many ties to the mundane world make it impossible to ever 
pass on to their eternal rest.  But wise people very rarely become 
ghosts, and it is the nature of ghosts to cling to the world they 
should have already left behind.

          The most precious of Wiseman's fetters was destroyed, and 
the second one he had created had been purged of darkness, but two 
fetters remained, hidden away and waiting for him, one living and 
one dead.   They drew him through time, enabled to do so by the link 
between past and future the Black Crystal had created, saving him 
from becoming a helplessly trapped ghost in the time before he 
was even born.  It was time for his final gamble.  

         His patience was shot by the time he emerged from his 
slumber, the sleep in which his soul had forged itself a new body.  
He had spent it being tortured by his light side, which annoyed him 
to no end.  Spectres weren't supposed to have a light side, normally 
they only gained control by slowly wearing away at and devouring 
their light side, but somehow his had survived.

         And it was getting stronger as he once had waxed in power 
and overcome it.  He crushed the tiny tendrils of fear that 
sometimes ran through him.  The Earth could not be crushed.  So be 
it.  But the Black Moon...they had betrayed him.  He would destroy 
them.  And he had the perfect tool for the job.  Her hatred for the 
Black Moon had delivered her into his hands, delivered her into his 
power.  

         She slept now, lying before him in a trance, but with a word, 
he could awaken her, turn her loose upon the Black Moon's 
survivors, to annihilate them all.  And from their death, he would 
fashion a sacrifice, a great holocaust for his master, which would 
open the Black Gate on their world; any world would do in the end, 
to unleash the Death Phantom upon the world.  

         His more cautious side wondered if he had erred in saving her 
in reserve, but he had believed the younger child would be easier to 
control.  That had proven a mistake, and now he had to pray the 
seeds of darkness within this one were stronger than the light he 
knew she was capable of wielding.

         If anything went wrong, this would likely be the end.  When 
the Silver Crystal had emerged OUT of Chibi-Usa, it had confirmed 
his suspicion and his fear.  The Crystal could dwell inside someone, 
giving them vast power.  That was how Black Lady had been so 
strong.  And this one...she too bore a Silver Crystal inside her.

         While he had not been able to test his theory, he was quite 
sure that was what had happened to the Silver Crystal of the 
Future when it disappeared in the reign of Serenity X.  It had hidden 
itself away in a series of people, waiting for the day when it 
would be needed.  It was that power which had enabled her to use 
the Time Key, the combination of the blood of Serenity and the 
Crystal hidden within her, hiding itself and her from easy 
detection by those who preferred preternatural senses to natural 
ones.  

         But at the same time, there was great darkness within her, a 
keenly forged hate for the Black Moon Family, who had wrecked her 
home, slain her friends, and destroyed her innocence.  Cynicism, 
fear, and despair were the children of the nightmare her life had 
become.  Even when she ceased to be powerless, her power had not 
been enough to get her what she wanted...revenge on the people who 
had smashed her life to splinters.

         She would have that power, he would make sure of it.  And 
her vengeance would open the way for far more destruction than 
she had ever intended.   It was far easier to nudge someone along 
the road they already intended to travel than to push the truly 
innocent into darkness, he had learned.  

          "Let she who hunts monsters beware," he murmured.  "For 
when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you."  He smiled 
and placed a hand on her shoulder.  "Angel of Vengeance, awaken."

          Shaking her purple hair, the Angel of Vengeance awoke, and 
stood, and gazed across the cosmos at the hidden world Nemesis.  
Then she gazed upon the Black Moon Fleet, scattered across the 
Pacific, but closing in on Crystal Tokyo.  She smiled.  The only 
question was who to kill first.

         With a shout, great black wings sprouted from her back and 
she took to the air, calling forth a scythe of darkness.  Ignoring 
Wiseman completely, Arcadia set out to get even.

**********