Valhalla, The Third Heaven, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926), not that mortal Calendars have much relevance for them. Belldandy stepped into the nearby mirror and stepped out of the small mirror she had hung up in Keiichi's workspace for just this purpose. He was hard at work on a new motorcycle design. Most people couldn't have spent over a thousand years designing motorcycles and be happy, but there were always new improvements to be made. It wasn't the ONLY thing he ever did, anyway. He had reached the point where he could build motorcycles that could win races with starships. This wasn't one of those, however. Making them too fast led to problems anyway, since even in Heaven, people didn't have infinitely quick reaction time. This one, being made for one of his still earth-bound children, had to work under normal earthly conditions, which made it a real challenge. Imagine trying to build a computer that people living in the twelfth century could use and maintain. He looked up and smiled. "Good afternoon, dear." "No need to hurry on that." "Hmm?" "Most of our surviving children are under siege in Crystal Tokyo." He nodded. "I know. The Angel of Death dropped off a pair of professional cyclists right here in my lab. They told me everything. Well, that they knew, which wasn't much." She blinked. "He brought them HERE?" Almost all departed souls went to the first heaven, not the third, which was mostly full of kamis and their old followers. A few martyrs and especially blessed souls might start out higher, but they were rare. "Uriel was never much for explaining why he does things." Keiichi shrugged. "They really shouldn't have challenged Thor to a race." "He beat them?" Keiichi shook his head. "They won. Boar chariots can't keep up with my motorcycles. But with Thor...it's not a good idea to win against him." "Still fixing the damage?" "Even I can't fix a pile of ashes. They were nice cycles. I made sure to get the poor guys down to the first heaven while he was off ranting afterwards." She came over and leaned on him. "I'm worried about my sisters." "They'll be fine." "I just...I wish I knew why I couldn't go help them." Keiichi put an arm around her. "Maybe it's so you can test this new cycle for me. Let's take a ride. It'll get your mind off it." She smiled. "Just don't buzz Heimdall, okay?" ****************** Black Moon Rising Chapter 8: Expensive Victories By John Biles ****************** Jurai, Royal Palace, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year - 926) Celia blinked at the message from Empress Aeka. "I'm to join Daley and the Lightning Squad and go to Earth?" Aeka nodded at the other end of the interstellar holo connection. "We've got to make sure Ryu gets out alive, whatever else happens. And quickly. However, don't let Daley take any stupid risks. He can be as much of a nut as his parents at times." "But what about the spy network? I can't go to Earth and run it at the same time." "Have the main reports sent to me. This should only take a few days. They can contact you by interstellar holo if they have to. Use the Cigo code." Aeka smiled at Celia. "Think of this as that vacation you've been wanting." "Has Lord Rodrigo arrived?" "Yes. And the mission to deal with the planet- smasher is going well, although how we're going to pay for so many towing ships...well, we'll think of something." ********** Jurai, Royal Palace, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year - 926) "Hi, Aunt Celia," Commander Daley Asagiri- McNichols said. He had short, curly auburn hair which was probably the result of dyes, and a pleasant smile like his namesake (and his father). He was dressed formally, but that certainly wasn't the formal greeting her rank theoretically deserved. But they were in private, so it didn't matter too much. "We should jump in two hours." "Good," she said. "The faster the better." "Speed is what the Lightning Squad does best. That's why we'll jump in two hours instead of six." She frowned. "We can reach a safe distance in two hours?" "Define safe." Celia often wondered how anyone in the Asagiri or McNichols families had ever managed to live long enough to breed. ************** Subspace, Wasyuu's Laboratories, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year -926) Wasyuu had taken careful measures to make sure the next meeting wasn't a total disaster. The Dirty Pair and the other pair (Kiyone and Mihoshi) were present only as holograms, projected from from rooms devoid of all other objects but the holoprojectors. The Pair were sentient enough she didn't have to lock them in, but she'd made sure the room Mihoshi was in had no exits. "Okay, does everyone know the plan?" "We tie Mihoshi and Kiyone to the front of the bomb, then Yuri drives it to the Planet Eater, sets it to detonate, then Linna and Skuld pull us out." Kei laughed. Mihoshi howled loud enough to blow her hologram's linked speakers. She then began to try to plead like a mime. Kiyone scowled. "I don't think so." Skuld said, "That's mean!" Linna said, "I don't think so either." Wasyuu sighed. Why do I have to work with people crazier than me? "No, no, no. Ryoko scouts ahead and finds the Planet-Eater. Kiyone takes charge of the towing fleet. Yuri drives the Bomb while Kei coordinates with Kiyone. I follow in subspace with Skuld and we take readings on the Planet-Eater to find the best impact point. Linna stands by to pull Yuri and Kei away at the right moment. Any questions?" "Are you SURE we shouldn't strap them to the bomb?" Kei asked. "I can't let Mihoshi die until I finish studying her. And she has another job as well." Mihoshi mimed joy. "What?" Yuri asked. Wasyuu mimed an answer back at them, then grinned. "Hmm. Audio glitch. Let's get cracking. It's time to smash the Planet-Smasher! Avengers Assemble!" Everyone stared at her in confusion. She sighed. "Let's go, Joe?" "Who is this Joe guy?" Skuld asked. "Forget it. Let's kick some butt." "It has a butt?" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!" Wasyuu turned and ran right through the wall, leaving a Wasyuu- sized hole. **************** Earth, Geosynchronous Orbit Over Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) The Wiseman and his ally, the Saturn of the Future, sat around his orb in a circle of two, communing with their patron, the Death Phantom. It had been known by a thousand names over the years, identities both male and female. It was weaker now, for its last major defeat had been only sixty or so years earlier. And it was warier. It didn't want to extend itself too blatantly...yet. Tsunami's sacrifice had hurt it badly. Very badly. Very, very badly. It had never understood her true nature fully until that day, though it had hated her with a long burning passion. Thus, it could not sense the incoming visitors in time to warn its minions. Still, it was only Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, and the Junior Uranus. They were bugs before the power of its servants, it was quite sure. While no senshi is free of the urge to pose, these four were able to bring themselves to do their posing AFTER their first round of attacks. Wiseman and Saturn peeled themselves off the wall while the Outers obeyed their instinct to identify themselves to people who already knew them. "Fools. We will..." Wiseman began. He also had hard to deny instincts. "Destroy you. Blah. Blah. Blah. We've heard that speech about a thousand times," Uranus said. She lifted her Space Sword. "IMPERIAL EARTH ONSLAUGHT!" The floor ripped apart in a huge chasm, and Wiseman dropped down into a lower level, crashing into the midst of an array of scientific equipment. The other three fired attacks at Saturn, who casually parried the blasts with her Silence Glaive, twining the energies around it, then flinging them back at the trio. Arcadia went flying, crashing into the far wall, while Neptune staggered. Pluto blocked the counterassault with her staff, then began looking at her wrist as if she was wearing a watch. "Five." Wiseman rose up out of the hole in the floor. "Fools! You cannot hope to defeat us!" "Four." Uranus blasted him again. "Get off it, you old bastard! If I had a yen for every two bit idiot who told me that, I'd be rich!" "Three." Saturn unleashed a blast of black ribbons, which hogtied Arcadia and Neptune. Uranus managed to slice them all up with her sword as they approached her, but she was too busy to do anything else as a result. Then Wiseman blasted her with a bolt from his orb. She dropped her sword and the ribbons took her. He turned to Pluto. "Your turn." "Two." He blasted her with a bolt of pure darkness. She slid across the floor like a skater on a rink, pressed up against the wall by the continuing stream of energy. Her staff continued to deflect it, but now it was being forced towards her chest. "You are doomed, Pluto!" "One." For a moment, everyone paused, expecting something to happen. Deadly silence settled over the room. Then the Wiseman began to laugh. "Whatever you are relying on to save you has not come. This time, you will not..." "Zero. DEAD SCREAM!" It came not from in front of him, but from behind him. What usually was a whisper became a shout, and a blast of energy became a raging storm of purple destruction, flinging Wiseman into the wall. He turned involuntarily as he fell head over heels, and Saturn spun around too. Nene, Dan, Hikaru, Noa (in Alphonse, who barely fit in the room), Jenni, and the junior Pluto stood there. With a blur of motion, Jenni streaked across the room, taking the Orb and the Silence Glaive before their possessors could even blink. Then Noa put Alphonse's hands together and fired a beam of orange light that pushed Saturn through the wall, through another wall, and then out into deep space. Air began to rush out of the room, pulling Dan, Nene, Hikaru and Jenni across the floor, as well as all the unconscious people. "I guess this is where we all explode in deep vaccum?" Dan shouted as he clung to Alphonse's leg. Nene was able to resist the pull, but she grabbed ahold of Jenni, keeping her in place. Jenni lost her grip on the orb, which was sucked out the hole, and Wiseman charged after it. Hikaru stood, her brow furrowed deeply, unmoved by the winds. The far wall suddenly bent and warped, sealing off the hole. She fell to her knees. "That won't hold for very long. I've never done that before, and I doubt the patch is very strong." Its strength or weakness was soon rendered moot. The Wiseman and Saturn reappeared two seconds later and unleashed a tide of dark ribbons that soon tied up everyone except for Dan and Jenni, who Wiseman kept trying to blast. To his surprise, and then anger, they didn't even bother attacking him. While the others struggled futilely, his mind raced desperately. Normally, he would have run for his life, but he knew he was inside a hostile space ship in deep space, and running away wouldn't help. More importantly, his pride had finally been wounded too far, which isn't easy when it comes to Dan Hibiki. There remained only one option. He'd make them attack him. At least he could get in a few good insults before he died. "Wiseman, you lard-butted, robe-wearing, Mad Dog #9 swilling excuse for a supervillan! You're so pathetically weak you can't even hurt me with your stupid little orb! I bet you use it to go bowling on Fridays! Too bad you always lose!" Every invective he could imagine began to pour out of his mouth. Looking back on this, Dan would claim he had planned the results of this, but he was lying as usual. No one had ever taunted the Wiseman and lived more than three seconds. And if there was anything Dan Hibiki could do right, it was taunt people. The Wiseman ignored him for about twenty seconds, then he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and unleashed a powerful blast at Dan. Unfortunately, this freed Jenni from the duty of dodging being blown to powder, and she streaked across the room, carrying Dan to safety. And the taunts continued. "Are all of your clothes hand me downs from Death or did you steal some of them from a drunken bum in the gutter? I bet you replaced your brain with a speak and spell in order to lose weight! Your aim sucks! You couldn't blast me if I was tied to your nose! You couldn't blast me successfully if you shoved your orb up MY nose!" As if that wasn't enough, now the Wiseman could hear a tiny voice whispering in his mind. You're going to fail. He's right, you're incompetent. Serenity already crushed you and your master once. In fact, your entire history is nothing but failure. You can't even beat Serenity in the past, let alone the present or the future. You can't even kill this one man. The Wiseman abandoned all other thought but the annihilation of Dan. He focused every ounce of power he had, and fired it at Dan. As Jenni carried Dan across the room, he tracked them with the blast of power, feeding every droplet of energy he could dredge up into the shot. Then Jenni simply hit the deck, right in front of Saturn. Wiseman's shot struck Saturn full in the chest, burning away uniform and some of her flesh. She was flung through the walls again, and the air began to drain away. Enraged, Saturn now turned her energies on the Wiseman, who was blown out the other side of the now almost entirely wrecked ship. Their battle began to annihilate everything. Wiseman was outmatched. He realized to his horror that he had used up most of the energies he had stolen from this time's Sailor Saturn trying to kill the fool. Now, he would have to fight for his life. He'd been tricked into blasting her, but he knew Saturn--she wouldn't care. He had devoted some effort into insuring she was sufficiently whacked out to do what he wanted, but now he realized he'd done too good a job. Pluto gathered her friends and allies and fled to regroup and return once more of them were conscious and ready to deal with fighting in deep vacuum. ********** Aboard the Flagship of the Lightning Squad, The Vicinity of Jurai, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year -926) Celia gritted her teeth. She'd talked Daley into moving further out of the system before jumping, but she wasn't sure he had listened. A little part of her was insisting he would still do it too early, then claim there had been a failure of communications. She sat in her quarters and tried to make plans for their arrival on Earth. Unfortunately, since she had no real idea what conditions were like, this was an exercise in futility. All she could really do was to make herself tense. She tried again to contact the embassy on Earth via subspace radio. The result was that she started picking up a broadcast of 'Shaka and Kenyatta's Fishing Report' on a public-access channel somewhere in Africa. A weaker person would have smashed the radio to bits at that, but she wasn't weak. Instead, she rose and went to the firing range. The range soon reverberated with the phrase, 'Yellow Khund is about to die'. ********** Earth, Low Earth Orbit, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) Demand frowned. More bad news from Rubeus in the past. One of his assistants had defected to the senshi. The bad news just kept coming. Rubeus had been in the past for several weeks now (by his reckoning, not theirs), and everything was going horribly wrong. The assault on the central city of Crystal Tokyo had failed; the Senshi had projected some kind of force field over the area. Wiseman claimed he had agents inside the barrier, but no one had seen Wiseman in hours. Saffir walked in. "Bad news." More bad news. Oh joy, he thought. "What?" "Wiseman's ship has blown up, and there's some sort of massive battle going on. He's fighting some woman." Demand would have banged his head against the wall, except that it would have been undignified. ********** Earth, Geosynchronous Orbit Over Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) Wiseman and the Saturn of the Future took a few seconds from their duel to breathe hard. Both of them were starting to get totally worn out; they both had too much power for any one person, but even that power wasn't infinite. Thus when Pluto, the junior Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, Arcadia, Hikaru, Noa, and Nene arrived, neither Wiseman nor Saturn did anything for the first few seconds. Then they both opened up on the group. However, this time, they were ready for them. Nene couldn't really make the Radiant Hawk Wings. However, you can fake a lot of things with technology, especially with multiple beings of power backing you up. Wiseman and Saturn, however, had no way of knowing this, although they could tell the Senshi were reinforcing the Hawk Wings with their own power. Thus, they both felt a little nervous when the group began to slowly advance on them, pushing into the steady stream of their energy. They redoubled their efforts and thus failed to notice when Hikaru suddenly vanished. Saturn noticed very much when Hikaru suddenly slapped a small crystal tear onto her forehead after appearing behind her. Intense agony ran through her body; she felt like she was ripping apart. She began to glow, the light forming a ropy mass of white and black streamers. It was flowing out of her, and the energy she had been emitting at the approaching band of heroes winked out. It formed a huge swirling storm. Wiseman fled; whatever the woman had done to Saturn, he wanted no part of it. Hikaru was struck by the swirl of energy and passed out instantly. Noa pressed into the storm, protected by her armor, and managed to grab Hikaru and flee, although Alphonse was severely charred and desperately in need of repair afterwards. Nene was flung a few miles by the storm, which was more than her fake Hawk Wings could deal with, although her own armor protected her from harm. It too would need repairs. The senshi secured their friends and fled, or tried to. Pluto and the junior Pluto were focusing hard, but the explosion of Saturn's energies was making it nearly impossible for them to focus as it buffeted them. The entire group vanished from sight, but not from existence, thrown to the winds so to speak, by a mixture of Wiseman and Saturn's energies. In their absence, the storm of energies finished its task. Saturn's mortal host quietly vanished into the future, followed swiftly by the Saturn Force, which then sought out its next destined host. Perhaps there would be better luck next time. ************* Demand frowned. "So the Wiseman and his ally were defeated?" "Apparently his opponents died as well, or were cast into subspace, possibly. We're not sure, really; we're getting weird readings from the battle zone and anything that gets too close vanishes. We lost five more ships." Topaz sighed. "Sorry, sir." Topaz was a tall lanky redhead with a truly ugly face. His bashed in nose didn't help. There was only one thing to be done. Victory in the present seemed increasingly hopeless. The Crystal Millennium was rallying its forces; only success in the past could save them now. Especially if Wiseman was out of commission. "Bring me Esmeraude. I have a mission for her. Rubeus is taking too long." ************* Deep Space about ten light years from Jurai, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year -926) The first proton beam from the Planet Smasher was enough to mark the end of the towing fleet. Only a third of the fleet was obliterated, but that was enough to make it impossible to move Wasyuu's planet bomb fast enough to ever catch up with it. Wasyuu wanted to beat herself in the head for not thinking of this. Some genius scientist I am, she thought. The only way to get the Planet Bomb into the Planet Smasher was going to be to try to Jump directly into it, which would be incredibly tricky. Only an incredibly brilliant pilot or a fantastically lucky one would be able to do it. She and Skuld had gotten the readings she needed. There was a large hollow space inside the Planet Smasher where it ground up and reprocessed its 'food'. It would be perfect. The timing on this, though...it was going to have to be perfect if the pilot was to get out in time. "You gotta be crazy," Yuri said. "Even a goddess like me has limits. I mean...it can't kill me permanently, but being blown to bits hurts. A lot. I mean...I don't THINK it can kill me permanently, but..." "I'll do it," Mihoshi said. "I've had a long life. I can take the risk." "Mihoshi! I think the two unkillable 'goddesses' should do it," Kiyone said. "They're the experts at mass destruction." Kei frowned. "It wasn't EVER our fault!" Soon, a proper screaming match was in progress. No one noticed when Mihoshi quietly slipped out. *********** Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD Usagi was sitting in her backyard, reading manga. She knew she should be doing homework, but all this chasing after droids was just wearing her out. She didn't have time for homework; yeah, that worked. This was just a little break to help her relax. When deeply engrossed in a manga, Usagi was easily capable of not noticing things like dark swirling clouds overhead. Or a purple haired teenager falling out of them. When the purple haired teenager crashed headfirst into her, on the other hand, she noticed. Then she quietly passed out. ****************** Earth, Tokyo, 1987 AD Hikaru regained consciousness lying on the ground in front of the ABCB as she remembered it from her youth. She looked around in surprise. This doesn't look like deep space. Did we somehow get flung through time? I'm not powerful enough to jump that far myself. I don't think I am...well, I'm sure Pluto will find me soon; she'd never leave me here for fear I'd muck about with things. She went inside, for lack of a better idea. Better to wait with food than without. When she saw her younger self sitting at a table with Kyousuke, she almost walked back out, but since she couldn't remember her way around very well anymore, she decided to just stay and eat. The Master gave her an odd look. "Do I know you? You look familiar." She laughed. "I come here sometimes, but it's been a while. I'd like a sandwich and some coffee with a little sugar." He went to work, quickly fixing the food and coffee. "Nice weather we're having?" The younger Hikaru laughed in the background, then Kyousuke laughed. "We'll be together forever, won't we?" she asked him. Hikaru winced. She knew the true answer to that one. I was such a fool. And as long as he lived, I was, in part. She had never quite entirely gotten him out of her head, although she had loved her eventual husband, Jonny Quest, as much as she had loved Kyousuke. Some tiny, stupid part of her brain had simply never been willing to let go. Very softly, the Master said, "Don't mind them. Just a pair of silly teenagers. Bringing back bad memories?" "I was just like her when I was that age," Hikaru said, laughing a little. "Long, long ago." The Master looked her up and down. "Not that long ago, I think." "Perhaps it just seems that way." ************* Earth, Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) Mayor Sylvie Hakubi looked up from the mess of reports on her desk. Most of them were stolen from various ships of the Black Moon Fleet; she'd decided it was a better idea to gather some intelligence rather than start blowing the ships up herself; the big battle she had witnessed had convinced her the ground was safer than space for the moment. She had visitors, however. Minki Matsuura, the architect of the Crystal Palace and some strange fellow with a giant spatula. "Nice to see you, Minki. Who's your friend?" "This is Tsubasa Kuonji. His grandmother is one of Serenity's Troubleshooters. And he's a great cook, but his family line has problems with forgetting things. Tsubasa, this is Mayor Hakubi." "Nice to meet you." He frowned. "Are you sure this is the Crystal Palace? It doesn't look like it." Mayor Hakubi laughed. "It isn't. We're probably going to have to withdraw to the Palace soon, though. We've lost too much ground in the city. Once the army gets here, things will change, though. In forty-eight hours, this crisis will likely be over. We just have to hold the palace that long." "That won't be too hard," Tsubasa said. "These guys aren't too tough." "If the force field around the palace that the Senshi are generating runs out, they can vaporize the Palace from orbit in about twenty seconds," Sylvie said. "Ack." ************ Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD Arcadia woke up sprawled on top of Usagi, who herself was on top of a now busted lawn chair. They were in a walled back yard like the one she had had back on Sirius. Well, about 1/20th the size of her yard on Sirius, but the principle was the same. The little townhouse was a lot smaller than the one back on Sirius, as well. I must have been shunted through space, she thought. By whatever the hell Saturn did. She had seen Usagi before, but now she noticed Usagi again as she stood up. "Ack! Are you okay?" She pulled Usagi out of the wreckage and shook her gently. "Did I hurt you?" Everything seemed too serene for the middle of a war. I must have gone through time too, she thought. Probably this is after the Black Moon War is over. Well, if I did travel, Pluto will come get me. I hope. "Usagi?" Usagi shook her head, then blinked. "Do I know you?" Okay, before the war, but it can't be much before, Usagi looks to be almost the same age, Arcadia thought. Maybe a little younger. Yeah, I can see that now. "I'm Arcadia N'goya." She paused. "What year is this?" Usagi's eyes widened. "Are you from the future too?" This happens often? "Umm..yeah. I guess this is before I met you the first time. Wait...too? Someone else from the future is here?" Usagi blinked, clearly trying and failing to parse that statement. "Are you Chibi's big sister?" "The little pink haired kid? Queen Serenity's daughter?" "You know her? Are you one of the Sailor Senshi from the future?" How far in the past am I? Arcadia felt confused. All this time travelling was starting to make her head hurt. I thought Pluto sent Chibi farther into the past than this, she thought. Or is this one of Usagi's ancestors? Past life, maybe? "Umm...what year is this?" "1995 AD." Arcadia did the math in her head. At least a thousand years, she thought. Why is Usagi only a few years older a thousand years from now? "Umm...how long has Chibi been here?" "About a month." Usagi groaned. "Did her future mother send her here because she couldn't STAND her own child?" Arcadia shook her head. "Pluto sent her to get the Silver Crystal in this time to help save her mother, Neo- Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo. Those Black Moon bastards are trying to destroy it." What exactly happened to the crystal after I gave it up, anyway? Arcadia tried to remember, but she couldn't. "But I'm sure you know all that." "Chibi won't tell me anything. We knew she's looking for the crystal, but...Oh, I'm Usagi Tsukino. Are you Chibi's guardian or something?" "I'm...Sailor Uranus," Arcadia said. "Uranus' apprentice really. I got sent here by accident. Or something." Well, I did ask Pluto to send me before. "Take me to Chibi. I'll beat some sense into her." Her stomach grumbled. "I could use some food too." "Right. Food run," Usagi said. *************** Earth, Mega-Tokyo, 2040 AD Dan Hibiki found himself in the middle of a large arena. He knew it somehow. The King of Fighters' Tournament. That was it. Or maybe the World Champions Tournament. Or the Giant Wombat Cage match. They all blurred together in his mind, sometimes. Did I just hallucinate most of my life, he wondered. He remembered this tournament, remembered being knocked out by that loser Sakura in the first round. She was laughing at him, as usual. "Decided to pass out before I even hit you, Dan?" she asked. "Just to save time?" "I am the Great Dan Hibiki! You cannot hope to defeat me!" He rushed her and threw everything he had into a punch. Which was quite a bit. She went flying into the audience and the crowd went wild. This was a new experience for Dan. A GOOD experience. ************* Near the Moon, around 23,000 BC Pluto floated in space, looking down on the devastation of the Moon Kingdom. It was rare that anything had flung her so far through time, but such an event as she had just experienced was rare...no, unique in her experience. And that was a rare thing. She turned to gaze upon the Earth. It sat securely behind the Great Shield, protected from the Things which even now would be attacking and ravaging the other kingdoms of the system. She wished she could have found another way, but it had been the most she could do to save the Earth. And Mercury and Venus had been able to save themselves, along with Yuggoth. It was Mars and the outworld colonies which had had to be abandoned to die. Most people would have cried, but she had shed her tears for them long ago in the loneliness of the Time Tunnel. There had been centuries where all she really needed to do was cry. But there was much to do now. She would have to go round up all the people scattered across space and time, especially Arcadia, before she could further make a mess of what had to be. She thought she finally understood why Hime-chan could see Arcadia and she herself could not. Arcadia came from outside Pluto's lifetime, and now that Pluto lived inside time instead of out of it, she could no longer see beyond her own lifetime. Apparently that extended to things beyond that lifetime that came into it as well. Somehow. It didn't make much sense to Pluto, but it was an explanation. Clouds were gathering on the face of the Earth, vast clouds of dust kicked up by the aftershocks of Serenity's banishment of all of Atlantis to another dimension, which had triggered global earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters. The last ice age was about to begin, and glaciers would creep over the great cities and wipe out any evidence they had ever existed. It was time to go. She gestured, and the time gate appeared. She raised her staff and knocked upon it thrice. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. Knocking became pounding, but the gate sat silently, then began to fade away. "Don't! STOP!" she shouted, but the gate became mist and dissolved away. She was alone, floating in space over two devastated worlds twenty six thousand years from home. Then gravity noticed her. She began to plummet. In space, no one can hear you scream. ************ Earth, Tokyo, 2025 AD The junior Pluto looked up at the twin statues and shuddered. The statues were her husband, Daichi, and her old rival, Hikaru Hibino, standing hand in hand in imperial robes, with Daichi posed to kick the Earth like a soccer ball. They stood in the middle of a grand plaza that should have been the Imperial Gardens. Nearby, a tv billboard showed the World Cup of 2012 over and over, with more freeze frames of Daichi's winning goal than even the junior Pluto could stand. She sighed. This alternate timeline tended to be where she ended up whenever something went wrong with her powers. It was the universe's way of taunting her. She was used to it. I'll just summon the Gate of Time and get out. She raised her time staff, and the Gate appeared. But when it swung open, Hikaru Hibino, garbed as Pluto, stood inside. "I've finally caught you, you imposter!" she shouted. "You...you're a Pluto?" "Much as I love Daichi, even I have to admit it took some shoving to get this proper, glorious future to come into existence. I couldn't have done it without my powers as Pluto." The thought of Hikaru with Pluto powers horrified Himeko, who had only to look around to see how much of a mess the woman could make with them. Hikaru had grown up eventually, but it was clear this one hadn't. "Look, just let me out of here! You wanna rule this Earth with this Daichi, go right ahead." Pluto-Hikaru Hibino shook her head. "It'll be more fun if I have someone to gloat to. You have no power over this timeline and you can't get out because I control the Gate of Time! BWAHAHAHA!!! Better start running; the army has standing orders to capture anyone who looks like you. Ta ta." The Gate closed and she vanished. This can't get any worse, Himeko thought. Then the billboard stopped showing the World Cup and started showing Highlander 2. ********* Earth, Synchronous Orbit over Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) Wiseman finished gathering as much of the left over energies as he could once he recovered. At least I got that time portal stabilized before this happened, he thought. It should still be possible to win this battle in the past. Perhaps there we can gather enough energy to open the portal and let the Death Phantom through. Raising his orb, he gazed upon the tangled threads of time which lead away from the place of battle. The Plutos and all their friends had been hurled into time pockets, little universes created in subspace from a mixture of reality, hopes, fears, and dreams. Their own personal parallel timeline. The Plutos would likely escape first and rescue the others. If he had more power, he would have taken measures to stop them, but as it stood, he needed to conserve his power in order to make sure Esmeraude could be sent to the past to do what he wanted her to do. Next step, browbeat Demand into going along with this plan, he thought. ****************** Earth, Tokyo, 1995 AD Arcadia stuffed her third hamburger into her mouth. I am such a pig, she thought. But ever since I started doing all this magic, I just can't stop eating. Usagi was stuffing her face even faster. Arcadia couldn't even count how many burgers had gone down her apparently bottomless throat. "You are SUCH a pig," proclaimed a harsh voice near them. Arcadia turned and saw Rei. "Hi, Rei," she said, then remembered Rei probably hadn't met her yet either. Arcadia shrugged mentally. It was too late. She felt a little strange; it just all seemed unreal. Too many strange things in a row had happened to her, and it was starting to get hard to take it as seriously as she should. Rei blinked, narrowed her eyes, rubbed them, then said, "Do I know you?" "This is Arcadia N'goya," Usagi said, spewing crumbs. "She's from the future like Chibi. But much less annoying. She's Sailor Uranus." "So there ARE Sailors for all the planets," Rei said, sitting down by Usagi, who scooted over to make room for her. "So what's your power?" "There aren't Sailors for all the planets in this time?" Arcadia asked, then took a big gulp of Dr. Pepper. Whatever time this is, she thought. "Just Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter," Usagi said. "And I guess Tuxedo Kamen sort of stands for the Earth." She sighed. "I don't understand why he's avoiding me! I mean, he still comes and helps us when we fight, but..." She stared at her food and shoved it away. "Men are so weird." Sailor Moon? There's no Sailor Moon, Arcadia thought. I think. And who is Tuxedo Kamen? "You talking about Mamoru?" I think that was her boyfriend's name. Although... She looked around. Something really weird is going on, she thought. Or maybe I'm dreaming this. The idea made a certain amount of sense. No wonder it doesn't really make sense. I got knocked out, and now I'm having this weird dream. With Senshi who don't exist. Yes, of course! It all made sense now. This was just a dream about her two friends, caused by her worries about Chibi being sent to the past and everything. Well, I will just sit back and enjoy it then, she thought. Have a little fun. Give away everything in the future...it won't matter. "You know Mamoru?" Usagi asked. "I met you and Rei and Mamoru in the future. Don't worry, you got back together eventually." Arcadia smiled. This could be fun. I'm surprised Pluto can resist the temptation to tell everyone about everything. She fell down when Usagi leaned across the table and grabbed her shoulders. "Are you sure about that?" Usagi asked urgently. "Yeah, you sang a song together and everything. It was disgustingly romantic." Arcadia clambered back into her seat. "There's a Sailor Moon in this century?" Usagi looked confused. "You said you'd met me in the future." "Yeah." The connection hit her. "You're Sailor Moon?" "Yeah!" Usagi said. "And Rei is Sailor Mars!" Rei was looking a little suspiciously at Arcadia now, though she remained silent. Arcadia boggled. "You're Saint Rei?" None of the legends mentioned that Saint Rei was so young in the Crystal Millenium, she thought, but she looks the same, so it has to be the same Rei I met. This MUST be a dream, she thought. Because that couldn't have been Saint Rei I met. "SAINT Rei?" Rei asked, boggling back. "Hi," a gentle voice said quietly nearby. It was a short, cute girl with blue-black hair and a pleasant smile. She was carrying a bag full of books over one shoulder. "Can I squeeze in?" Arcadia squeezed over for her. "No problem." The girl looked somewhat familiar, but Arcadia couldn't quite place her. "I'm Arcadia. What's your name?" "Ami. Ami Mizuno." Arcadia knew that name. Although she had been younger in reality. "Are you dating a guy named Ryo Urawa?" Ami blinked, then blushed and stared at the table. "I...he..." "Well, if you had a fight or something, don't worry about it. You'll be married one day." She had a faint feeling of omniscience. It was a good feeling. Everyone stared at Arcadia, then Ami incredibly slowly and hesitantly said, "We will?" "Yeah. And your daughter is a holy terror. Oh, I'm from the future." Ami blinked. "Oh." Another thought struck Arcadia. The Queen's daughter is named Usagi. She must have named her daughter after Usagi. Now there's an honor. "So you're being attacked by the Black Moon Family?" Usagi nodded. "They're after the pink haired menace for some reason." "Pluto sent her back in time to get the Silver Crystal from this time after she..." Arcadia thought hard. What exactly HAD happened to the Silver Crystal of the future? Pluto had done something or another with it. "After the one in the future vanished. Or something. Anyway, I guess the Black Moonies think she has it. Or they may want to use her to blackmail Serenity since she is Serenity's daughter." "There's a Sailor Pluto?" Ami asked. "Arcadia is Sailor Uranus!" Usagi said a little too loudly. "Pluto is a meddling annoyance," Arcadia said. "And you can't trust her any further than you can throw her, but...she is on our side." Take that, wherever you are, Pluto, she thought. "She'll probably come lecture me for being flung through time by accident after she told me not to come here." Assuming this is real, she thought. Which I doubt, since it doesn't make sense. "Why did she tell you that?" "I have no clue. Sending Chibi by herself to find the crystal was completely insane. Sending an eight year old to a thousand years in the past to look for the Silver Crystal when it could be ANYWHERE. Although I suppose Serenity's past self probably has it." That makes no sense either, she thought. Maybe I dreamed that too. Surely Pluto has more sense. Usagi laughed. "I've got it." "You do? Well, if Chibi still has the time key, we can take it to the future and clean up this whole mess," Arcadia said. "Assuming it works. Those time keys tend to do what they want, not what you want." "She has it," Rei said. "She's tried to use it a few times." She looked at Usagi. "Where is Chibi?" "Doing homework or something," Usagi said, shrugging. "You left me to DIE!" Chibi shouted, leaping down onto Usagi from the back of the booth. They began to flail about, knocking Rei onto the floor. Minako, much younger than Arcadia remembered her, stood nearby, laughing. "Well, die of hunger, maybe. Unless you think Shingo was going to kill you," she said. Someone who looked like a younger Jupiter stood next to her. "Sorry about that, Usagi-chan. I tried to restrain her, but..." Usagi finally got the upper hand, just barely. "Someone save me!" "Small Lady, calm down," Arcadia said. Chibi-Usa stared across the table, "Arcadia?" "That's me," she said. "Now, you be a good girl and sit down." In an instant, Chibi-Usa sat down next to Usagi, the very picture of a well behaved child. "I want some food." Arcadia signaled the waitress. "I'll get you...oh wait, I don't have any money that would be any good in this time." She blushed. She tried dreaming the money into existence, but nothing happened. Not necessarily proof this was real, since she had often failed in efforts to control her own dreams, but... "Is Puu with you? Can I go home now? I can't find the crystal, and I'm sooo tired of missing my mommy," Chibi-Usa said softly. "I'll pay for it," Minako said, squeezing in. "Loan me a few hundred yen, will ya, Mako-can?" Makoto squeezed in next to Rei. "I'll cover both of you." "Woo woo!" Minako said, ordering a triple sundae. "As soon as we figure out how to use your time key, I can take you home," Arcadia said. "So you've been staying with Usagi?" Maybe Pluto did plan this out, she thought. "She's a meanie," Chibi-Usa sagely proclaimed, then ordered a double dip chocolate cone. "Hey, I didn't come in and mindcontrol everyone into thinking you were one of my relatives like YOU did," Usagi shouted. Several people turned and stared and she shrank in on herself. "Chibi! That wasn't very nice of you," Arcadia said. How on earth did Chibi mind control anyone? "I had to live somewhere. Puu forgot to give me any money," Chibi-usa said. "And now she won't give me the crystal. But I need it to get home to Mommy!" "Don't worry, we'll..." The wrist communicators all went off at once; it was like watching a group of businessmen at lunch. Luna was on there, "Hurry! Esmeraude is trying to infect this track meet with dark energy!" They all jumped to their feet. "Let's go!" *********** The Track Meet was a disaster zone, full of track stars turned into zombies, people passed out from energy loss, and a droid who looked like a big fat coach, complete with whistle and hat. In fact, Arcadia was only really sure it was a droid and not just a coach because it had a gem in its forehead. The most embarrassing part of it was that she and Ami and Minako and Makoto had all fallen prey to its powers and were now trying to run until they dropped. Part of her knew they had gotten snared, but the part of her brain that lived to produce speed lines was running the show and there was nothing she could do. Thoughts of this being a dream had faded as she was sucked into the simple logic of action. Chibi had gotten snared as well, but she had already passed out. On the other hand, Rei had managed to plug her ears, while Usagi... Coach Droid said, "All right, get down and give me twenty!" to Usagi, then blew his whistle. Usagi shook her head. "No one makes ME exercise!" Apparently his powers didn't work on true couch potatoes. Her hand went up to her transformation brooch. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" She transformed, becoming the sailor who Arcadia had never seen or heard of, Sailor Moon. Although something suddenly did ring a bell in Arcadia's head. Something from that history museum. She puzzled over it as Sailor Moon shouted, "SAILOR MOON KICK" and did a jump kick at the coach, causing it to swallow its whistle. While it was choking, Rei became Sailor Mars. "FIRE SOUL BIRD!" A huge bird of flame attacked the Coach droid, driving it back. It also broke the spells on the others, and to a plethora of shouts, they transformed. The droid soon found itself barraged by fire, ice, light, water, and earth. It quietly crumbled to a pile of dust with a red gem on top which swiftly turned black. Sailor Moon said, "And I'll fin...oh, it's dead." Esmeraude shouted from the stands, "Well, you killed my droid, but let's see you stop the fans!" She gestured and the several thousand people in the stands poured forward. "I may not be able to corrupt this crystal point, but once you're dead, you won't be able to save the others." Jupiter looked at the onrushing horde. "We can't blast them! They're just people." Sailor Moon gulped. "I don't think I can heal this many people." "The Silver Crystal," Uranus said. "We don't have a choice. Nothing else will do it." Moon nodded. As she reached for it, Esmeraude cackled from the stands. "Quivering in fear? There's no escape for you now! You will..." *THUNK!* She toppled off the edge of the stands into the onrushing crowd of zombies, along with the shotput that had just smacked her in the head. "You can do it, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen said from a pile of athletic equipment near the locker rooms as he hefted another shotput and a javelin. "I'll deal with Esmeraude." Sailor Moon nodded, and put her hand on her brooch. "Everyone help me!" They all nodded and put a hand on her shoulder as best they could with one hand, holding their transformation pens to use as a concentration focus with their other hand, while the zombies shambled on, and Tuxedo Kamen chased Esmeraude round and round, giving her an increasing number of interesting lumps. "Give me twenty laps!" he shouted as they ran. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" Sailor Moon shouted, and all the light in the universe rushed in upon her; she began to glow more brightly than Uranus could bear to look upon. The light suffused her clothing and absorbed it, transforming it into red ribbons which whipped about, enfolding the senshi in a network of red threads. Uranus felt a tug inside her, a bond, a link between herself and the strangely charming girl named Sailor Moon. For a moment, she was back in the garden, crying, the day she first met Usagi, who had instinctively tried to help a stranger. Uranus knew she couldn't have, wouldn't have done it herself; she would have left a crying stranger to their privacy. I wonder if I've changed history by coming here, Uranus thought. Now she's met me before she met me the first time. If it was the same Usagi...but she was sure it was. She cried for me, Uranus thought. As if I was her best friend in all the world. I wish...She looked at all of them. I was like them once, she thought. Less than a year ago, I didn't have a care in the world, it was so easy for me to care about people, to hope, to... She felt old and bitter and shamed. She felt Sailor Moon reach out and squeeze her shoulder with her free hand, and she realized she had been starting to cry herself. There was a smile, and a wink, and then ecstasy took Sailor Moon. That was the best way to describe it that Uranus could think of. Her face lit up and a yellow crescent moon burst forth upon her brow. The ribbons whipped back in and she transformed, becoming taller and older and more dignified, her clothing turning into a white dress with a highly embroidered top but no sleeves. She looked like a younger Serenity. Uranus' jaw nearly fell through the ground beneath her feet. She...SHE IS SERENITY? It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. She stared unable to move, to think, to do anything but feel a certainty drop away beneath her feet. An impulse took them all, and they shouted, "SAILOR PLANET HEALING!" She could feel the strength go out of her, out of all of them, and merge through Serenity, joining the great river of her power which flowed into the crystal and multiplied, becoming a wave of cleansing energy which flowed out across the mob. And across Uranus. She could feel it, trying to enter her. And it terrified her. It was trying to transform her, to reshape her, but she didn't know into what. It wasn't doing that to the others, or at least not in the same scale. It hurt. It was trying to burn something out of her, to remove something. But she couldn't tell what. What was she going to become? She didn't want to...to...she wasn't even sure of what she was afraid of. Had something gone wrong? Her forehead was starting to itch, and she felt like she was going to explode. It hadn't been like this before when she had used the crystal. Something was wrong. Wasn't it? The others seemed to be in the state of ecstasy, oblivious to anything, the whole world slowed down to a crawl as the power took its course. I have to get away, she thought. Before...before...she wasn't sure what she was fleeing, or if it was good or bad, but the Crystal was terrifying her. I HAVE TO GET AWAY! she shouted in her mind. The crystal pulsed, and all of reality ripped apart. And with that, her link to it snapped, and unconsciousness took her. ************* Deep Space about ten light years from Jurai, Juraiian Year 23224 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, SY 68, Federal Year -926) People often thought Mihoshi was stupid. They were right, but also wrong. Mihoshi took eidetic memory to new heights. People with photographic memory often were weak at analysis. Mihoshi had this problem greatly magnified. Mihoshi remembered everything she saw, heard, smelled, tasted, etc. There wasn't a whole lot of space in her brain for doing anything else. She constantly seemed distracted because she was. Nor was she capable of tuning down her senses, unlike most members of her race. It was an unfortunate mutation. But she also had a benevolent one. A large portion of her brain was constantly manipulating events around her at the quantum level to keep her alive. She had ridiculous amounts of luck. If she could actually focus on the game instead of the texture of the cards, she would have made a great poker player. As it was, she remembered every aspect of Wasyuu's plan, including where in the Planet Eater the bomb had to go. She was the only one who could do it. If the Dirty Pair tried, they'd probably just blow up the entire system. And she couldn't risk Kiyone. There wouldn't be anything for Kiyone to do but fret on this mission, anyway. And it was better that one of them live. And if things worked right, she'd get away too. She'd borrowed Wasyuu's exercise treadmill. She remembered what Professor Zoom had done, and she was pretty sure with her new speed, she could do the same thing. It wasn't even hard; you just ran in place. She settled down in front of the jump drive controls on the Planet Bomb, and started adjusting the coordinates Wasyuu had stated in the planning session to compensate for the Planet Smasher's movements. ********* "Are we all ready?" Wasyuu asked. "Are you sure this is survivable?" Yuri asked again. "You're a goddess. At worst, you'll be banished to Heaven for a while," Wasyuu said. "Are you the Kami of Cowardice or something?" "HEY!" Kiyone turned to Mihoshi. "Let's go and...hey!" Linna looked over there. "Where did Mihoshi go?" Wasyuu frowned. "Probably went looking for coffee or..." A sensor gave her a warning. "Something is activating the Jump Drive on the Planet Bomb!" Kiyone slapped her forehead. I knew I'd die like this, she thought. I knew it. "MIHOSHI!" *********** As the Planet Smasher moved, the necessary Jump coordinates kept changing, but Mihoshi was now fast enough to keep up with them. She had to keep punching in new coordinates as the Jump Engines whirred to life; normally this would have been incredibly dangerous, but she could handle it. She felt like a genius for the first time in her life. There was a flash of light, and in slow motion, Yuri, Kei, and a panicked Kiyone began to appear. By the time they finished, the Jump had begun. Mihoshi shouted, "No! Go Back! It's too dangerous!" Why is everyone so slow, she wondered, as they began to incredibly slowly mouth something at her, emitting incredibly low and dragged out sounds. Then she realized; her brain had gone into high gear, and she was going so fast it made them all really slow. She only had one choice; grab them all and try to take them with her on the treadmill. In a blur she had them, though she struggled to hold them; she couldn't keep it up long, but ideally, she wouldn't have to. The treadmill began to blur under her feet. Faster and faster and faster. Blue light limned her as she built up speed. Soon, she would hit the speed she needed. Assuming this worked. No time to back out now. ************ Wasyuu bit Skuld's nails. Skuld smacked her in the head. "Bite your own nails!" "I electrified my nails to stop myself from doing this when I got nervous. But I see you haven't electrified yours. That raspberry nail polish is pretty nasty tasting, though," Wasyuu said. Linna said, "I should have gone with them." "I just hope Ryoko can get the towing fleet out of the system before it blows up. Or fails to." The Planet Smasher rocked, then began to tumble end over end as enough smoke to shroud an entire planet erupted from its mouth. Its course towards Jurai ceased and it veered off towards the far distant empty space between galaxies. "Well, if the Pair were right about their method of transit, then they should all be fine," Wasyuu said. The idea of travelling between points where destruction was happening seemed a little too dangerous to Linna. "Is the Planet Smasher dead?" "It's at least disabled, and by the time Ryoko and I are done with it, it will be begging for death," Wasyuu said. "And when they all get back, we can just let the Pair wander through it. That could finish anything off." "If they're alive," Linna said. "They're alive," Wasyuu said. "It wasn't their day to die." "I hope you're right," Skuld said. "For once." "Hey!" Linna simply let them have it out and went to go contact Jurai and let them know the threat was over. ******************* Earth, Geosynchronous Orbit Over Crystal Tokyo, SY 68 (3060 AD, 3811 Years after the founding of Rome, Juraiian Year 23224, Federal Year -926) Wiseman floated quietly in his chambers, using his Orb to commune with his patron, the Death Phantom. "Will Esmeraude succeed or must I take other measures?" SHE FAILED. DEMAND WILL NOT LEARN THIS FOR HOURS, POSSIBLY DAYS, BUT I REMEMBER THE PAST AND I KNOW SHE FAILED. HOWEVER, THERE ARE TWO GOOD CANDIDATES TO TAKE HER PLACE IF USED PROPERLY. He nodded, listening quietly. THE FIRST IS THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER. YOU MUST FIND HER IN THE PAST. SHE BEARS VAST POWER, THOUGH I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. TURNED TO SERVE US, SHE COULD OPEN THE WAY, ONCE YOU ELIMINATE SAILOR MOON AND HER FRIENDS SO THEY CANNOT STOP YOU. "And the other?" YOU WILL FIND HER DRIFTING IN SPACE AT THIS LOCATION. An image appeared in the orb. WHILE SHE IS MORE SUITABLE FOR OUR PURPOSES THAN THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER, AS SHE IS ALREADY CLOSER TO US IN HOW SHE THINKS, SHE LACKS THE RAW POWER OF THE QUEEN'S DAUGHTER. BUT SHE HAS ALREADY DEMONSTRATED SHE CAN USE THE CRYSTAL. THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO. Hollow laughter soon echoed through the vast crystal chamber. ************* Demand frowned. Esmeraude kept holding out high hopes, but...nothing. Rubeus was dead. His four assistants had gone over to the enemy. Still, at least one annoyance could soon be removed. The Juraiian embassy's energy reserves were running out. It was time to prepare an assault to eliminate them. It would give them control of the last of the nodes external to the massive shield around the Palace. Perhaps by coordinating all that power, they could finally take down the shield. Or so he hoped. He thought a moment. "Saffir." His brother, who had been watching the viewscreen, which depicted scenes of fighting below in the city, started. "Yes?" "The Juraiian embassy should finally be vulnerable to assault. I want you to lead it. Try to capture the Crown Prince and his wife alive; they'll make better hostages than corpses. I have no grudge against Jurai." Saffir nodded. "Of course. I'll prepare the assault. I take it we've found a way to drop their shield?" "They should run out of energy. Don't even think of attacking unless the shield drops. We can't afford to waste a single life at this stage." Saffir stared at his brother, started to speak, then fell silent. Demand frowned. "What is it?" "Perhaps that was the whole idea." "What?" "I do not trust the Wiseman. I think he has brought us here to die. I think we will spend our strength in endless assaults that gain us nothing. A third of our forces have been destroyed one way or another, and we can't even capture Crystal Tokyo. How will we hold the Earth if we can't even hold one city?" "Once we control Crystal Tokyo, we will control everything, for I will finally be able to fulfil my destiny. Serenity will be freed from Endymion's spell and embrace her true destiny, with me." Demand's eyes flashed, and his voice became more excited. "He will die soon; I overcame him in the duel we fought. He changed the course of what must be, but I will right it. We will enjoy the world of our ancestors as is our right. And the Golden Age will truly begin." Saffir nodded quietly. He had learned that arguing with Demand when he got in one of these moods was simply impossible. You couldn't win. "I will prepare the assault." Demand gazed upon Crystal Tokyo and smiled. Victory comes. I shall sit upon the throne I was destined to hold, he thought. And then we shall come truly into our inheritance. ************