Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Z Prelude by John Biles and Jeffrey Hosmer ***** The two lovers slipped away into the darkness of the gardens surrounding the palace. It should have been easy for them to be missed. The Grand Diamond Gala was a huge affair, with literally hundreds of guests, most of whom wanted to attract attention. There was the young woman clad in a shimmering gauze which changed hues to match her emotions, for instance. (It was currently a disdainful blue as an aging member of the armed forces tried to pick her up. He failed to take the all-too obvious hint.) In another part of the room, the officer's comrades loudly boasted of their efforts, real and imagined, in the border conflicts. Other guests, while dressed in full formal attire, wore masks as a token effort to hide their identities, so they could relax among their peers. Plausible deniablity at a social function. The maitre'd will disavow all knowledge of your actions. Then there were the other distractions. The fountains sparkled like silver and rainbows glittered in their spray. The silver and gold settings glinted in the light from floating globes and ice sculptures glistened as they melted. Food was heaped high on the buffet tables and a small band played ethereal music with instruments of silver and cerulean blue. But, even at a party such as this, there are some who are watched more than others, the truly important ones who stand apart, whether they wish it or not. As the music played on, one couple gathered all the attention to themselves. The man was clad in a simple, almost drab, grey uniform tunic. His long blond hair was bound in a simple pony-tail and shimmered like gold down his back. He was, as one admirer once said, beautiful, not handsome, with an effeminate quality that made even some of the ladies of the court jealous. His partner, in an off-the-shoulders ball gown of blue and white, created an intriguing contrast. With her short blue-black hair and slim, if most definitely feminine, body (which the gown made every effort to accentuate while still tantalizing with hints of more), she could almost be called boyish. The pair danced with grace and skill, moving in time with the music in a grand circle, their eyes only on each other and not listening to the appreciative murmurs from the crowd. Another young lady, with long blonde hair and clad in a orange, white, and blue gown of similar cut, met the lovers and shooed them on. "Mercury and Zoi have bought you some time," she whispered, "but you have to be back before the Queen and the Princess arrive. Hurry now!" She made a shooing motion with her hand, and the auburn-haired lady in the green and white gown and the man, clad in another grey tunic and with long brown hair, slipped away into the gardens. The blonde lady smiled to herself, and turned back to join hands with a flamboyant silver-haired young man wearing grey uniform, identical in cut to the others. He swept aside his white cape with a flourish to bow. Escorting her out to the dance floor, they joined in the dance. The two couples moved in time with the music and each other. Their intricate steps never faltered, even as they, to the appreciative laughter of the crowd, made a small alteration to the exchange of partners so that the two men danced away together in one direction, and the two women in the other. ***** The crystals vibrated softly in rhythm with the music that filled the room as two voices joined as one in an ancient song of the Moon Kingdom, "The Journey's End." The singers sat on a bench, their hands joined as their voices were joined, a man and a woman. The man had short blonde hair, while her hair was black and ran down to her waist. He was clad in grey, while she wore a white dress with red trim. They sang for themselves alone; no one else was present. "My road leads me far away. Though my heart tells me to stay, When my duty calls, I must go 'Twixt worlds of fire and worlds of snow." "The road I travel will be long To set things right, to end the wrongs. But this message will I send, Wait for me at Journey's End." "Do not forget the love we share Though I must leave, my heart will stay. Do not think I ceased to care When my duty took me away." "The road I travel will be long To set things right, to end the wrongs. But this message will I send, Wait for me at Journey's End." "I have only my heart to give For my life is not my own. It is for others that I must live But it is for you that I come home." "The road I travel will be long To set things right, to end the wrongs. But this message will I send, Wait for me at Journey's End." The music quietly faded away as the two voices sang the final line of the refrain. The man reached out to the nearby table and picked up a large blue crystal from a pile of similar stones, then handed it to the woman. "This is a memory crystal. I... borrowed it from the palace." The woman smiled and laughed faintly. "I'm sure Prince Endymion doesn't mind. Are they rare or something?" "They're very new, but they should soon be common, now that we know how to use them. I think I've attuned this one so that only the two of us can use it. They start out empty, but you can touch them and command them to start recording. Then they remember everything they hear and see until you tell them to stop. Actually, I guess this one is still recording..." He trailed off, looking faintly embarrassed. "We didn't really need to record my explanation on this... but we're still trying to figure out how much they can hold and..." The woman smiled. "Well, I have something to record then. I love you and I always will, until the four worlds themselves come to an end." The man smiled and put down the crystal, then leaned over to the woman he loved. "And I shall always love you, though heaven and hell stand against us. Though we be separated by fire and ice, though one of us may have to leave for ten thousand years, our love will not falter." Before he could say more, her lips met his and the gem recorded in silence for a very long time. ***** Queen Serenity was busy holding a private audience in her conference chamber. She sat in a high backed chair on one side of a small round golden table with her daughter, Princess Serenity, to her left, her old bodyguard and friend, the Elder Senshi Mars, to her right, and her ally, Prince Endymion, opposite her. A cat sat in her lap. The cat, who was a black-furred female with yellow eyes and white crescent moon on her forehead, was named Luna. The Queen tried to ignore the fact that her daughter was making googly eyes at Prince Endymion and continued her discussion with him. "So there have been more border raids from Atlantis?" Endymion nodded. "I think Beryl is probing our defenses. My father is preparing the army but it looks like war is imminent. I fear for what may leak through the Shield with Atlantis turning its attention to us. It may become the Dark Kingdom in truth if the seals break..." "Does this mean you'll be leaving us, Endy-chan?" Princess Serenity asked. Her mother sighed quietly inside her mind. "Don't call the prince Endy-chan," Luna said. "It violates protocol." "But he doesn't mind, do you, Endy-chan?" The Princess turned to gaze on her fiance. He blushed slightly. "I don't mind, but it would be better not to call me that in public. There is protocol and all that..." The Princess sighed. "I hate protocol. Why did I ever have to be born a princess anyway?" "It was your destiny. You should be proud to be the Moon Princess! The Moon has lead the four kingdoms for almost 1000 years now, since the days of the great Magi who drove out the Things from Beyond and established our realms. One day you will sit on the Silver Throne and men and nations will tremble at your command." And on that day, I am going to go hide for a very long time, if you don't change your ways, Luna thought. The elder Senshi Mars smiled quietly. Luna had been giving these speeches to princesses of the moon kingdom for longer than she could remember. How old was Luna, anyway? Venusian cats live ridiculously long.... she and Pluto had probably played Castles with the original Serenity. How old was Pluto, anyway? "I know. All that responsibility... it's scary. I hope I can be a good queen to both of our kingdoms, Endy-ch... Endymion. The next millennium is about to begin. I hope our reign together can mark the beginning of a Golden Millennium to follow the Silver one." For a moment, the princess looked very much like her mother. The prince smiled. "I know you will do your best, Serenity." He turned back to the Queen. "I will try to stay for all of the gala, your majesty, but I might have to leave before it ends. I suppose we should go now. The gala has begun and they expect us to make our grand entrance soon." "Indeed. Time for me to get into my full regalia. Come, Luna, I'll need to get you into your regalia as well." The Queen picked up Luna and vanished, quickly followed by Mars. Once they disappeared, Endymion turned to the Princess. "Luna has regalia? She's a cat." "She's not just any cat you know. Her family has served the royal family since the days of the first Queen Serenity. They're Venusian cats. I just wish she and Artemis were getting along better. Something happened and now she hates him, but she won't talk about it. I've even heard rumors he got her pregnant..." Endymion blinked. "I wouldn't have thought her capable of..." Serenity laughed. "She can be very formal, but she means well. And she's as hu... uh, she has needs too." Endymion laughed now. "I guess everyone makes mistakes sometimes." As they prepared to leave, they heard singing from the antechamber where their erstwhile bodyguards were waiting. "That sounds like Mars and Jadeite," Serenity said. "Yes, they're both wonderful singers. Sounds like Journey's end." Endymion smiled. When he had decided to break up with Mars, he hadn't been sure if giving Jadeite a little push in her direction was such a good idea. But it was clear now that Jadeite was better for her than he had ever been. They had both been much younger then... Well, maybe not that much younger. I'm only thirty, Endymion thought. I wonder if I was her first crush... probably not. Well, that's all over now anyway. Once he finished reminiscing, he noticed that Princess Serenity had one ear to the door. She whispered, "Sounds like they finished singing. Let's surprise them." They've probably lost track of time. Well, they're no later than we are, Endymion thought. "Okay." The Princess quietly flung open the doorknob and yelled, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be out at the Gala right this minute! Looks like you can't be trusted without a chaperon!" Mars and Jadeite froze in place locked in a reasonably passionate kiss. For a moment, the room was abjectly silent. "We'll be right there, Luna," Mars said and the Princess began to laugh. "Hey, I'm sure you've kissed be..." As Mars turned her head she saw Luna was nowhere to be seen, but rather a laughing Prince and Princess. Mars blushed as did Jadeite, who then began laughing himself. "You could knock next time, you know." Jadeite said. "I nearly had a heart attack... and we weren't even doing anything all that embarrassing." Mars glared at the Princess, who laughed again and said, "I don't even sound like Luna. But I guess I can do a good impression. Oh, the way you two froze up as if Luna had caught you stealing food in the kitchen again..." "I never stole food from the kitchen! You're the one who always got yelled at for that," Mars snapped, stealing a glance over at Prince Endymion, who was trying unsuccessfully to regain some vague semblance of dignity. Endymion said, "Knock? You knew we were in there! You're supposed to be watching for danger." "The only danger is of someone walking in on us at an embarrassing time. Besides with Elder Mars around, we're both about as useful as a butter knife, much as I hate to admit it." Jadeite stood up and picked up the recording crystal, trying to pass it unseen to Mars. Endymion pretended he didn't see anything and said, "Let's be on our way. Luna is probably tapping her feet right now, wondering where we are." Princess Serenity said, "Well, if we could all teleport like mother and the Elder Senshi do all the time..." Mars finally stood up. "Well, at least Luna can't stop us from dancing. Come, Jadeite." He smiled. "Your wish is my command." ***** The lovers sat together in the concealing shade of a large tree, its large sheltering boughs and gnarled trunk bespeaking great age. Just moving past its prime, it had seen many such meetings beneath its boughs, yet as its limbs moved in the breeze, it seemed to take especial interest in these two, as if trying to shelter them from the cares of the world. The man broke a lingering kiss and smiled softly, his teeth glinting in the faint light. "We need to get back, you know." The woman groaned quietly, trying to snuggle closer. "Can't we steal another few minutes...? The queen will still be in chambers with the Prince. We could do it again before they..." He chuckled now. "The stars know all," he murmured, leaning over to kiss her again, briefly, "and they are telling me we don't have much more time." His deep voice sounded strained as he said it, however much he tried to hide it. The woman sat up. "You know something, don't you?" He looked away. "What is it? Tell me, please!" "The stars point to a great conflict, dear one," he said. "We will all be called to fight in it before it ends." "But we will be together, afterwards, won't we?" "Of course! My comrades and I will never fail in our duties. The Prince knew that when he named us his Guardians. While we stand by him, no harm shall befall him... or you. I swear that." "I knew we should have gotten married already." "The Prince and Princess wanted to have us all share in the festivities of their wedding, to make it the grandest event our worlds have ever known. Would you deny them that?" "I told the Princess we should all just elope. She even considered it, I think." "The Princess?" The woman stood and looked up at the night sky, staring at the orb that hung low in the sky, as if seeking her answers there. "The Princess is human, too. I once heard her wish that she could be an ordinary girl, maybe even just one of the serving girls in the palace." "She is heir to a great line. The Kingdom needs her. And you. Just like my kingdom needs my Prince and the Guardians." She laid a hand alongside his cheek, stroking the strong lines of his jaw. "Whether we want it or not?" "The stars show us our destinies. We may not understand them, but there is little we can do to change them." She shivered in the night air at that, looking earnestly into his eyes. "You... you will come back to me, won't you?" "Why are you so worried this time? You know no one can stand before us." "I just... when you mentioned destiny, I felt as though something was just set into motion. Something terrible...." "Here, let me show you something." He moved around behind her. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to point to a place in the sky. "There, do you see that constellation? That's Sagittarius, the Archer. If, before we see each other again, you feel worried, just look at him. His arrows will lead me to you again. No matter what." He kissed her cheek, and she turned in his arms, meeting his kiss for several long minutes. When they broke, she began to straighten his collar, which had been knocked askew. "I want to give you something, my brave knight, before you go off into battle. Something to remember me by." "You have already given me something very precious." "This is even more so. I want to give you my name." "But I know..." "No, that's the name I was given when I was found to be... what I am. It was the name I was given when I began my training. But it's not the name my mother and father gave me when I was born. I want to give you that, and I want you to think of me like that." "Of course." "My true name... is Juno." "It's beautiful.... Juno." The kiss that followed was interrupted by a fanfare from the palace. The man cursed, a soldier's curse. "The Queen is arriving. We must go." "Go on. We shouldn't be seen returning together." The man hurried off. The woman paused to lean against the gnarled old tree. "Thank you, old friend," she whispers to it, a faint glow appearing around her hands. The tree seemed to straighten, throw off the weight of the years, becoming more like a tree in its prime. New growth sprouted from its branches, and the smell of blossoms of some sort filled the air. Then the lady turned back towards the palace. "Be careful, my Nephrite." ***** The clarion call of the trumpets rang out twice more, as tradition dictated. Then, Queen Serenity and her entourage entered the ballroom. In the 75th year of her reign, Queen Serenity seemed no older than a woman in her early thirties. She might have appeared younger than that were it not for the heavy weights of responsibility and duty that pulled at her. Even the long life granted by the Silver Crystal could do little against that. The path of a Queen is not an easy one, but Queen Serenity managed to walk it with dignity and grace. Beside her came the Royal Consort, a thin, unprepossessing, black-haired man in his forties who wore eyeglasses and seemed a bundle of nervous energy next to his Queen and wife. However, she calmed him merely by laying her hand on his arm. The story of how he, once a minor nobleman on Earth, had won the heart of the Queen of the most powerful of the Five Kingdoms had already been immortalized (and blown out of proportion) in ballads. Despite being uncomfortable with his meteoric rise, the Consort loved his wife and their daughter, and no one would question that. Behind the Royal Couple came two of the Elder Senshi, Mars and Venus, acting as bodyguards for the night. They wore simple gowns of red and orange, showing their typical disdain for the frippery worn by others. They were the Senshi, the protectors of the Royal House. They did not need to dress extravagantly. Prince Endymion, in his stark black garb, and Princess Serenity, in a simple silver gown, came next, followed by their protectors for the evening, Jadeite and the younger Senshi Mars. Like for Queen Serenity and her consort, songs were being written about the love the Prince and Princess had found. And strolling in front of them all, as if the entire affair was for her benefit, was Luna, the Queen's Advisor, wearing a beautiful diamond-studded collar. Her haughty demeanor was nearly perfect, marred only by a faint pause when she spotted a white cat with a crescent moon mark like her own sneaking in from the gardens. Then, with a sniff, she resumed her grand entrance. Queen Serenity walked up onto a small raised platform near the band, and began speaking to the already-silent crowd with the simplicity and earnestness that had long since earned her the love of her people. "Lords and Ladies, I thank you all for coming to attend this gala, a gala which marks more than just the anniversary of my taking the throne, or the passing of another year of peace and prosperity." A murmur ran through the crowd at this. "As many of you know, my daughter has come of age and has proven herself to be an able heir to the throne. As a Queen and as a mother I could not help but be proud of her." Behind her, the Queen could almost feel the heat from her daughter's cheeks. She hid a smile. "And so, I have a special gift, one I know she would have asked for, sooner or later. If they both agree to it, I grant her permission to marry Prince Endymion of the Crystal Kingdom." A round of thunderous applause broke out, led by the Senshi and other nobles. It seemed to grow even louder as the couple in question turned bright red in embarrassment. "And now, let the Gala officially begin!" Queen Serenity, once the laughter and applause died down, and the music began again. Taking her husband's hand, the Queen walked over with him to Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. "Surprised, darling?" the Queen asked. "M-Mother!" the Princess stammered. "How could you spring that on me and Endy-ch--Prince Endymion?" Her father smiled. "If we had waited for you to ask, you might never had married this young man." Prince Endymion looked distinctly uncomfortable at that. "I promise to take good care of your daughter, sir, your highness." he said to each of them. "Once I ask my parents..." "We already told them of our decision, and your father sent a message for you," the Consort said. "I believe it was, 'If that damn fool isn't smart enough to see a good thing when it comes to him, he doesn't deserve to be a Prince!'" He smiled. "I think we can take that as his blessing." Prince Endymion smiled at the gruff words of his father coming from such a mild man as the Consort. "Well, I think I shall take my father's advice. May I have this dance, Princess?" he asked, turning to the younger Serenity. Amidst many chuckles, the two young people made their way to the dance floor. ***** The dance swirled onward. Couples joined and danced and loved and parted and re-formed as the music changed. A young man in a page's uniform sat and quietly watched the couples swirl across the floor. His name was Turquoise, and he was one of Lady Patience's pages. Really, he was as old as her, but his family had traditionally served as pages to the ladies of the court for centuries. He sat now and watched the dance, in case she might need him. Lady Patience danced across the floor with Lord Forge of Mars, a visiting noble. She knew that he had his eye on her. A match with one of the ladies in waiting of Princess Serenity would bring him great honor... and somewhere to live once his father died and his older brother, the heir to their lands, kicked him out. He was a good dancer, and not bad as Martian nobles went, but he wasn't what she was looking for. Of course, if he knew who Lady Patience really was, he would have been twice as eager for the match. But no one knew her secret except for the Queen, a few trusted servants, and her closest friend, Princess Serenity. Even her pageboy did not suspect. She sighed. He was one of the few people she could ever talk to who saw her as a human being instead of as a title or a marriage prospect. Instead, she was besieged by self-worshipping land seekers like Forge. The one man she was most attracted to was already in love with someone else. She saw Nephrite through the crowd, dancing with Senshi Jupiter. How could I compete with a friend? Especially one as lovely as her. I wish my family hadn't died and our kingdom been destroyed. Then maybe I wouldn't have to live out my life pretending to be someone else... Will I ever really know love? The music ended and, suddenly, Lady Patience found herself without a partner. She sighed and headed over to Turquoise, who smiled and said, "I... you... No one wanted to dance with you?" She sat down beside him. "I think Forge is beginning to catch on that I find him a bore." "He is a bore. You deserve much better than a gold-digger like him." Turquoise's nervous voice steadied. "With your beauty, you should be able to have any man you want." She smiled faintly, turning her head, sending her wavy auburn hair cascading about. "They all just want me for what I am, not who I am. The only man I know who doesn't... is in love with someone else." She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I was..." "I... uh... I'm sure there is someone who loves you. Maybe they're just too shy. Or they know you love someone else. A fair number of people know you like Nephrite..." Turquoise nervously ran his fingers through his short light brown hair. "I should give up on him. I know he has eyes for no one but Jupiter. Who could blame him? She's so beautiful and strong, with power and kindness. I'm just a lowly lady in waiting. A practical old maid at my age. I'm such a fool." She turned and looked out into the crowd, just in time to see Jupiter and Nephrite kiss. The music changed again. Turquoise stood. "Would you... ah... like to dance?" "That's very kind of you, Turquoise, but I don't mind waiting..." "I'd really like to dance with you." He slowly held out his hand. She looked across the floor at Forge who was dancing with Lady Faith, another of the Princess' ladies in waiting. Turning to Turquoise, she said, "Let's dance. I guess we're both still too young to sit by the side and watch." They sailed out into the crowd and joined the promenade. ***** As the night progressed, the time came for one of the most famous dances of the Moon Kingdom, the Great Cross. Two lines of dancers formed across the ballroom from west to east, while two more lines intersected those, running north to south. As the music played, the lines began to rotate and the cross began turning round and round clockwise until it reached it's original point. Then the women led and the wheel turned counterclockwise to its starting point again. As the Cross turned, the dancers also moved down their lines, creating an intricate and beautiful pattern. The dance was difficult to master. A single mistake on the part of one couple could send the entire dance into confusion. But the dancers were skilled and made the entire performance seem flawless. Almost everyone joined this dance, except for the servants and a few foreigners who lacked partners or knowledge of the dance. And one man, who stood quietly on a balcony watching. He was not here to dance, but for other purposes entirely. Judging the pattern, he saw the stars had told true. She was below, dancing with the rest. This would require precise timing. Mars would probably sense what he was doing almost as soon as he had begun. A direct strike would be thwarted. But an accident... that would confuse them just long enough. The dance continued on as he kept his eyes on that one special dancer, soon to die. She came beneath the grand chandelier. He concentrated and the flames from its candles flared, searing the metal chain holding it up. It sagged... but the chain did not quite break. To be more precise, it did not break fast enough. The chandelier began to fall, but by that point, the dancers had rotated a quarter step. Mars and Elder Mars looked up at the same time. They knew someone had drawn on their element, fire, for some purpose. As the chandelier began to fall directly towards Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, they drew upon that element again. Senshi Mars yelled out the rote she had been taught as an aid for concentration, while the Elder Mars merely concentrated. Fire rushed in two great bolts over the crowd. As their flames struck the chandelier, Venus and the Elder Venus now took action, commanding the metal in the chandelier to break up into little bits, bits which soon charred to ash, ash which blew away in the winds summoned by Queen Serenity. The man swore quietly. I must have read my concordance incorrectly somehow, he thought. Well, time to make myself scarce. I wouldn't last five seconds against more than one of the Elder Senshi. Maybe not even against the younger ones. He threw a small gem to the ground and a pillar of flame sprung up. He stepped into it and vanished. Seconds later, Elder Mars appeared next to where the man had been standing. She swore quietly. He had escaped. Down below, the dance had broken up into a chaos of fleeing couples. The Princess shook quietly in the arms of Prince Endymion. "Don't worry," he said. "You're safe now. It must have been an accident." Mars strode up. "That was no accident. Someone with fire powers made that chandelier fall. We have an assassin at work." "But... why would anyone want to kill me?" Princess Serenity pulled herself together. "I'm only the heir to the throne... For that matter, why didn't they strike straight at me?" "That much power would have alerted Elder Mars and I. It would never have reached you. This on the other hand... was more subtle. Still, we'll have to be careful. Fortunately, no one was hurt." Soon, the dance started again, but a little more subdued this time. Lady Patience sat this one out. I could feel the power... I was right under that when it started to fall... If it had gone all the way, I might be dead. She shivered. Turquoise squeezed her hand hesitantly and smiled. "Don't worry, my lady. We're all safe with the Senshi here." "I certainly hope so..." Soon, all returned to a state of calm. The music played once more and the dances soon returned to their normal splendor. The Queen herself took to the floor, dancing the five-spoked wheel with her husband, her daughter, Prince Endymion, and their respective bodyguards. Across the floor they twirled in a graceful web of interlaced couples. As they approached the climax of the dance, the music abruptly stopped. Everyone turned and looked to the musicians. In their midst stood the stern, green-haired figure known to everyone as Senshi Pluto. Unlike the other senshi, she was neither Elder nor Younger, only Pluto. No one knew how old she was, but she had outlived all of the previous Elder Senshi and seemed quite ready to outlive the younger ones as well. She held a rod in her hand, tipped with an orb. She spoke with a clear, matter of fact voice, as if her announcement was no more than day-to-day gossip. "I come bearing bad news. The army of the Crystal Kingdom has been routed at Mu and the Armies of Atlantis march on Crystal City. The long feared war has come at last." She turned toward the royal couples. "Prince Endymion, your father needs you and your Guardians to return to the Crystal Kingdom before it is too late. Say your goodbyes, for it will be long indeed before some of us see each other again." Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity turned to each other and stared for a moment. "I'll miss you, Endy-chan," Serenity whispered to her fiancee. "And I'll miss you too, my dear Serenity." He leaned down and kissed her. For a moment they melted into each other's arms, then it was time to play their public role once more. Murmurs ran through the crowd. It had been a long time since any of the Five Kingdoms had seriously warred with one another. Coming so soon after the destruction of the Star Kingdom, this was a bad omen indeed. In the crowd of nobles, Senshi Jupiter turned to Nephrite. "This is the conflict you foresaw..." He nodded. "I think so. But do not fear. I shall return to you, though I know not the day or the time as of yet." "I'll miss you. It... It'll all be okay, won't it? I mean... surely we'll all be together like this again one day...." Jupiter shivered slightly. She wanted to believe, but she could feel a faint tinge of fear that wouldn't go away. Nephrite smiled and took Jupiter's hand. "Of course it will. I'll come back to you. We all will. There's a beautiful future in store for us. I can see it in the stars and the stars never lie." ***** Queen Serenity held the Silver Crystal in her hands. Nephrite's last words echoed through her mind, a memory taken from the fallen. The kingdom lay in ruins around her. All were dead or fled, save only herself, Luna, and Artemis. If the stars never lied, than they had been wrong indeed. The Crystal Kingdom was destroyed, the Moon Kingdom lay in ruins, and the Dark Kingdom was gone, banished into another world, beyond the Great Shield. Only the Mars Kingdom and the outworld colonies remained. They alone would not be able to stand against the Things from Beyond. The Silver Millennium was fallen. Only one task remained. It was time to send the souls of the fallen to Earth. It would remain habitable, even if its mighty civilizations had fallen. Perhaps, one day, the people of Earth might be able to restore some of the fallen glory of the Five Kingdoms. Crystal City might live again. The greatest age that humanity had ever known was over... but perhaps one day, a new star, a new age would dawn. And one day, the Dark Kingdom would return. The world would need defenders. Queen Serenity focused her will. She was the last of her line, but the old blood ran true. The Silver Crystal began to glow and her power rushed forth across the world.... ***** Thousands of years later, a woman sat in a room, slowly filling out spaces on a horoscope. She stared, making sure the conjunction she observed had truly come to pass. Pulling out an ancient worn tome, she consulted notes scribbled almost illegibly. The conjunction had come again. The Princess was reborn. The masters must know at once that the one for whom they had so long waited had returned. She must be prepared for the harvest to come... The Beginning... Authors' Notes: Jeff: OK, now some of you might be wondering, a la Commander Riker, what the hell is going on here. Well, blame it all on John, he started it. To be exact, he wrote his "Symphony of the Planets" stories about the Sailor Senshi (or Scouts if, like me, you know more about the series from the dub). I will admit freely here that I have fallen from grace and was seduced by Sailor Moon after the series appeared in the USA. (It must be the short skirts.) In any event, we began discussing the timeline and history of the story, and soon a whole series (which we call "Sailor Moon Z") came into being. Right off the bat, let me explain that this is not part of the standard Sailor Moon continuity, either anime or manga, because we have taken some elements from both. We're ignoring Sailor Moon SS, mainly because we have no reliable information on it. The events of Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, and Sailor Moon S happened pretty much as they appeared. The main reason we're setting this outside the continuity, however, is because we'd rather not let the facts get in the way of a good story. :) Call it creative license So, consider this an Elseworlds, an alternative Sailor Moon future. If we make a mistake, by all means tell us about it, but that doesn't mean we'll change how our story goes. What can you expect from this story? New villains, old villains, familiar faces and some of our own creation. A look at the history of the Silver Millennium. And quite a few surprises. Oh, and girls in short skirts defeating monsters, of course. :) Well, now to let my colleague have his say, before the flaming wombats come for me.... John: John: [relocks up the flaming wombats] Maybe later...Oh, the mike is on. Yeah, you can blame this story on me, like all my 1000000 other projects. Yes, this is how my family's tendency to overcommit itself manifests in me :) But I shall see this project through to the bitter end... well, unless I graduate first :) This story was inspired by a random comment someone made on some electronic forum where they asked, "What ever happened to the Star Crystal, anyway?" and also wondered why it kept finding Molly instead of what it was supposed to do...Of course, I don't call her Molly :) But it did plant the germ of an idea in my head. You will be seeing the Outer Senshi in this story, but the focus is on the Inner Senshi, because we know them better. Also, they took longer to return my phone calls...:) I hope you enjoy the stories to come! They start with Naru's birthday, the birthday of her 16th year... Naru: [pops up behind John.] And you're all invited to come to it in episode 1! We're gonna have a big party and cake and then go to the fortune-telling fair. Hopefully, it'll go better than the last time I went to a fortune-telling fair with Usagi... Usagi: They cut that episode from the North American Release, you know. Naru: What? ALL MY SUFFERING FOR NOTHING!? Usagi: Calm down, Naru-chan... Umino: Don't worry. I'll protect you this time, Naru-chan. Rei: [rolls her eyes] Well, that's reassuring. Not. Naru: Well, be there, or you'll regret it for a really long time! John: There you have it! Enjoy! ***** John Walter Biles : MA-History, Ph.D Wannabe at U. Kansas ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~ranma/falcon.html http://www.dhp.com/~wraven/john/index.html "Love is the image you place around your significant other, and how close it is to being true love depends on how closely he or she fits into the mold."--Orlando de La Cruz -- Jeffrey Paul Hosmer rogue1@netcom.com 4001 Old Quarry Terrace Alexandria, VA 22306