Commander Galos SAILOR JOURNEYS: SECRETS OF AN UNKNOWN PAST Chapter 2: First Encounters Tokyo, 2:00 A.M.... Rei woke up, startled. 'What was that?' She was suddenly sweating. 'I could swear that someone screamed someone's name! I wonder who could have been?' She stood immobile for a few minutes, the crickets the only sound discernible. Since the "scream" drove away all her sleep, she decided to step out of her bed, donned her robe and began to walk towards the room where the Sacred Fire was burning. "Well, it's better to be sure what was all that about. I certainly hope it's not a new enemy. We all need a rest after that Gallagher affair!" Immediately, she sat in front of the fire, entered a meditative state, and concentrated in search for an answer. Soon enough, an image began to form in the fire. 'What the...' thought Rei. 'What in God's name is that!?!' An image of a strange looking craft was standing in the middle of the flames. Then the image shifted to a scene of what seemed to be the control room. A figure wearing what looked like a suit of armor was sprawled on the ground, and the voice she heard before was coming from it! 'That's weird. It doesn't seem to be no one else inside; however, there's a voice calling for someone to wake up.' Right after she saw the last image, the fire returned to its normal behavior. "I'll call everyone first thing in the morning. It seems that we have a situation on our hands." And since she didn't feel anything evil emanating from the ship nor it's occupant, and because the meditation left her a little tired, she went back to sleep. Meanwhile... Usagi and Chibi-Usa were sleeping peacefully, Luna having some rest while slumbering at the girls' feet. Suddenly, Usagi woke up, drawing a deep breath at the same moment she stood up all of a sudden. Luna found herself in the not enviable situation of being kicked out of the bed, and coming to a sudden stop after having an intimate encounter with the floor. "Usagi, what happened? A nightmare?" asked Luna. It's needless to mention that she was not happy of being so rudely awaken. She was having an interesting dream concerning herself, Artemis, and a big bowl of cream (Don't ask.) "I... I don't know, Luna. All of a sudden, I thought I heard someone calling for help. It was a woman's voice, and was calling someone named 'John' or 'Jake' or something like that to please wake up. It was too weird." 'Poor Usagi. She still has bad dreams about her adventure with Gallagher.' Thought Luna. It was only 3 weeks since she recalled her whole ordeal against Gallagher and the Prime. All the Sailors were still trying to help her get over the emotional stress that adventure tolled on her. "It was only a bad dream. Go back to sleep. I'll watch over you and in the morning, you'll remember nothing of this." "Mmmm.... Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked, eyes heavy with sleep. "It's nothing, dear. Go back to sleep. Everything is okay." Promptly answered Usagi. Since everything seemed to be all right, Chibi-Usa went back to sleep, immediately having sweet dreams of sweets, milk shakes and all kind of treats. "Good night, Luna. And thank you." With that, Usagi went back to sleep too. Soon enough, she went back to dream of her sweet Mamoru. "Mmmm... ooh, Mamoru...." Luna, still rattled because of the fall, decided to watch Usagi's sleep from a safe distance. 'Poor kid,' thought Luna. 'She's been through so much, and every time she emerged victorious. I certainly hope this was only a nightmare...' At the same time... Everything was quiet inside Setsuna's mansion. Haruka and Michiru were peacefully sleeping, each one in the other's embrace. Inside another room, Robin Redwing was equally sleeping, having moved there after Gallagher destroyed her apartment. All was quiet, silence being the only sound around. All of a sudden, Michiru and Robin woke up, startled. Michiru opened her eyes, sleep out of her mind. 'Who said that?' she wondered. She looked to Haruka's sleeping figure, her face peacefully relaxed and with a faint smile on her red lips. 'No, it wasn't her. Perhaps it was Robin. I better check her out.' Carefully moving away from Haruka's arms, she stepped out of their bed, donned her robe and went to Robin's bedroom. Robin was awake as well, her eyes wide open. "Who is Yohann?" she muttered. "There's no one with that name here, or even at school. Perhaps it was all a dream. Geez, perhaps Usagi and the rest of the gang are right. I better find a boyfriend soon, being gorgeous and all alone is bad for my health!" There was a soft knock on her door. "Robin? Is everything fine in there?" came Michiru's soft voice from the hall. "Yes, Michiru. Come in." Michiru entered her room, carefully closing the door behind her. "Robin, are you sure everything is all right? I thought I heard you calling someone." 'What??' thought a suddenly alert Robin. "It wasn't me. I thought it was one of you, or perhaps I was having a dream. Hey, wait a minute, if it wasn't me, or neither of you, and it wasn't a dream, then who was screaming? Did Haruka heard that scream too?" "No, she's still asleep. It seems that only you and me were the only ones who heard it." "That's strange. Do you think it has something to do with our new Senshi powers?" Michiru pondered the question for a moment. "Perhaps. I'm not sure. We better go back to sleep. We'll check it out in the morning." "Ok. It's too early, and I have to go to school a little late, anyway. If it's a new enemy, we better be fresh and ready." "Correct. Good night, Robin." "Good night, Michiru." * * * * 5 hours later... "Usagi, wake up!" "Hmmm, just five more minutes, Luna. I'm tired." "Mommy, there's a situation here. Wake up!!" Added Chibi-Usa. Those words made the trick. "Uh? What...? What are you talking about?" "Rei called a few minutes ago," started Luna. "It seems that your nightmare was no nightmare at all. At the same time you woke up, Rei, Michiru and Robin heard the same thing you heard. Rei asked the Sacred Fire and she received something important. There will be a meeting at the temple in ten minutes. Get up and dress immediately. Everyone will be reunited to discuss what to do. Chibi-Usa will call your brother and then we all will go to the meeting." "All right, Luna. Don't rush me!" answered Usagi. "I'll help you, mommy. Don't worry, we'll be ready in no time at all!" "Thank you, honey." * * * * Later, at Rei's temple.... "All right, everyone," Began Luna. Rei, Amy, Makoto, Usagi, Chibi-Usa, Laurella, Haruka, Michiru, Robin, Mamoru and Shingo were together at Rei's room. "It seems that there is something strange going on. Apparently, at 2:00 A.M. this morning, something crash-landed in the woodland area west of here. After it crashed, it sent some sort of distress signal that only Rei, Usagi, Michiru and Robin were able to receive. No one else seems to have heard it." "Wait a minute, Luna," asked Mamoru. "How is it that only they were able to receive that message? I don't get it. From Rei, I understand, but why didn't Shingo received that message as well?" "I was going to ask the same question," added Laurella. She was holding Shingo's arm in what looked a vicious grasp. Although Shingo didn't mind it. "I mean, we all have special abilities, but Shingo is something special among us. Why didn't he received it?" To mark her point, she gave a long, lovely look at Shingo. He only smiled in response, giving the same look at Laurella. "I'm not so sure why, Laurella. It seems that Rei received it because of her Shinto training. The only reason I could think of why the rest of us didn't received the message, is that it has something to do with their new Senshi status. That should give them some higher sensitivity to mental messages." Answered Luna. "However, the real issue here is not HOW we knew about it; we have to think what to DO about it. It seems that someone is in need of help, and is our duty to help whoever is calling for it." "I'm not so sure about it, Luna. And what if this is a new enemy, trying to sneak on us and destroy us?" remarked Haruka. "We can't let our guards down because someone called for help. What if this is a trap?" "We'll have to take the risk, Haruka. And since Mina is still at the hospital, and all of you girls have classes to attend," that comment obtained a collective groan from everyone, especially Usagi, "we'll have to decide whom are going to investigate this ship. Amy, do you have an approximate location of that ship?" "Yes, Luna. I ran a scan of the general area, and I located a strange energy emission 20 miles west of Setsuna's mansion." That information called the immediate attention of Robin, Haruka and Michiru. "It hasn't moved since the moment I registered it. Here, let me show you the location." Amy opened her portable computer, and after stroking a few keys at her usual speed, an image appeared on the screen. "There is a road that leads to only a few yards from the crash site. Although it's a little difficult to reach, since the topography is a little rough. However, I don't foresee any difficulty to reach it." "Since we are going to be home anyway, I suggest that Haruka and I go and check that place. Besides, if there is something wrong with it, we are the strongest ones that can deal with it," mentioned Michiru. Haruka nodded in agreement. "I don't know, Michiru. It could be dangerous. You should take someone else with you." Added Luna. "In that case, I'll go with them." Said Mamoru. "Besides, I don't have classes early in the morning." "No way! I'm going with them!" interceded Robin. "If this is a trap, what good do you think you will do if they use magical attacks? You could dodge it, but nothing more. Besides, having a team of 2 Senshis instead of one Senshi will even the odds even more." "Forget it, kiddo. You are still too inexperienced against different enemies. It doesn't matter if Technuma teached you everything you know, you still lack the experience." Replied Mamoru. "And how do you suppose I'm going to learn if I run and hide each time? Besides, I've already proven to you that I'm very capable of defending myself!" retorted Robin. "She's right." Said Usagi. Everybody turned to look at her. "She's got a point there. Besides, if this call was meant to be received by us, it only makes sense that the ones that received it should go and find out. Unfortunately, neither Rei nor I can go, so it will have to be the three of you. Even more, Robin has no classes early in the morning. She has more freedom in that respect." "Thank you, Usagi. You aces!" And with that, Robin gave Usagi what could only be described a pro-wrestling bear hug. There was a sound of something cracking under the pressure. Everyone else had huge sweat drops behind their heads. "Don't... mention... it... Robin! Now... would you... mind... lettin'... me ... go??" asked a blue-faced Usagi. "What? Oh, sorry." As soon as Robin let her go, Usagi gave long, deep breaths. "Ok, now that everything is settled, let's move!" said Robin, sprinting in direction of Haruka's car. "Sometimes, I think that girl is a little too enthusiastic." Muttered Luna, shaking her head. And since the meeting was over, everyone proceeded to their classes. After all, it was not as if school would be cancelled if there were an emergency. * * * * "Wow, what is this thing??" asked an awed Sailor Saturn a few minutes later. It was an uneventful trip to the crash site. Shortly after arrival, the girls transformed and approached the crashed Leviathan with extreme caution. After surveying the surrounding area, and making sure there were no hidden surprises, they approached the downed ship. "I don't know. But it certainly doesn't look of this planet. I wonder how are we going to get inside?" said Sailor Uranus. She was admiring the soft lines of the Leviathan. As a professional car driver, she had the instinct to recognize an elegant machine when she saw one. "I don't know either. And I don't think whoever is inside will take kindly if we blow a hole on it just to find out what's going on in there," added Sailor Neptune. "I know it's a crazy idea, but what if we just knock on it?" said Sailor Saturn. "I don't think it's a good idea, Saturn. After all, we don't know what are their intentions..." began to say Sailor Uranus, but while she was talking, Sailor Saturn was standing near the hull and knocked on it with her Glaive! "HELLO?? IS ANYONE HOME? WE CAME TO HELP!! WE RECEIVED YOUR MESSAGE!!" screamed Sailor Saturn at the top of her lungs. "Saturn!!!" screamed Sailor Neptune. Sailor Uranus ran to Saturn's side and grabbed her hand. "What do you think are you doing?!?! It could be dangerous! This has to be the most insensate, reckless, stupid action I've...!" but before she could finish, a door opened next to them. "You were saying?" said a satisfied Sailor Saturn, a big smile all over her face. "Never mind," grumbled Sailor Uranus. Sailor Neptune just chuckled under her breath. With that settled, the three girls entered the Leviathan. Right behind them, the door closed, hiding a strange event. At the moment the door closed, an object dropped from the side of the Leviathan. It was a strange looking sword, made of a black material. After hitting the floor, it glowed for a brief instant, and then vanished in thin air. * * * * A few minutes earlier, inside the Leviathan... Alex was coursing for the thousandth time the fact that she was only an Artificial Intelligence, with no physical body of her own. After her scream, she noticed that they were still linked to the Leviathan's main computer, and immediately disconnected the link. After that, there was nothing else for her to do to but to watch Lieutenant Yohann's condition. "Oh, baby. I wish I could do something else. I don't think you'll be seriously hurt after this, but I wish I could remove your armor. At least you could breathe easier!" At that same moment, the ship's external sensors showed that something was approaching. Immediately, Alex linked again to the computer, and activated the external view. Three young women were approaching the Leviathan, but they were dressed rather strange. One of them was dressed with some strange sailor suit, and the other two were dressed with tight fitting one-piece suits. "Strange. How did they find us? I'm certain that the cloaking devices were functioning before we crashed! Wait a minute, there's something familiar about them..." Right on, Alex accessed the files on the main computer, and began to compare them with the images of the three girls outside the Leviathan, along with her own internal data banks. "Searching... collating images... comparing with known data... search complete." Alex gasped at the results of the search. "Of course! They are the Sailor Scouts! There is no doubt that the one with the ridiculous sailor suit is Sailor Uranus, but who are the rest of them? This is going to take some serious computing... Accessing data files of alternate universe profiles... searching... collating data... comparing... But of course! How could I miss such a basic fact! On this universe, the Sailor scouts are in the middle of gaining what is known as "Soul Power"! Therefore, the one with the trident must be Sailor Neptune! But I don't recognize the one with the Glaive, although that weapon looks familiar... Searching weapons data... comparing... Wait! That looks like Sailor Saturn's weapon! But who's the bimbo holding it?? They seem to be discussing something. Activating audio..." Immediately, their voices were carried by the external microphones and relayed to the ship's speakers. - "... certainly doesn't look of this planet. I wonder how are we going to get inside?" 'Do'h! What gave her the first clue? Besides, what's the matter with her? Doesn't she know the meaning of "private property"?' - "I don't know either. And I don't think whoever is inside will take kindly if we blow a hole on it just to find out what's going on in there." 'Just try to scratch my sweetbuns' ship, and I'll use all the weaponry we have to make sure you'll be sorry for the rest of your life... the whole 2 seconds of it!' - "I know it's a crazy idea, but what if we just knock on it?" 'Well, at last, someone with a little common sense.' - "HELLO?? IS ANYONE HOME? WE CAME TO HELP!! WE RECEIVED YOUR MESSAGE!!" 'What? What does she mean with help? And who does she think she is knocking my baby's ship with that thing?? And what message she's talking ab... oh, no... that only means that I transmitted while I was still linked earlier with the computer! Yohann's not going to like this! What am I going to do now?' - "Saturn!!!" " What do you think are you doing?!?! It could be dangerous! This has to be the most insensate, reckless, stupid action I've...!" 'Oh, yeah? At least, this Saturn character had the decency to knock! This will teach you a lesson!' "Opening external hatch" 'There! What do you think of this, you amazon?' - "You were saying?" 'You tell her, sister!' - "Never mind." 'Ha! Now, I hope I'm not making a mistake with all of this! Oh, Yohann, why did you have to lost your senses? I could really use your help now!' * * * * "Well, what now?" asked Sailor Saturn. "Since we're already in, why don't we search for whoever called for help?" retorted Sailor Uranus. "Don't be so rash on her, Uranus. Besides, her strategy worked, didn't it?" said Sailor Neptune. "Ok. Everybody, stand back!" With that, Sailor Uranus pressed a pad located right of the internal hatch, a sharp hissing sound was heard, and the door slide inside the wall. Nothing else happened, and the three girls entered the access hub of the Leviathan. "Ok, now we're in. where to now, oh fearless leader?" said Sailor Saturn, not bothering to hide the sarcasm on her voice. Sailor Uranus just sneered at her, leaving Sailor Neptune to answer. "Well, judging from the position of the door, and the direction we are facing now, I'd say we should go right. I think that's the direction to the control room of this ship." "That's absolutely correct! And the lady wins a teddy bear! Do you want to keep it, or do you want to change it for what's behind door number 2?" said a voice apparently from everywhere at the same time. The Scout and Senshis immediately assumed a fighting stance. "Who are you? Present yourself at once!" screamed Sailor Uranus. "Well, that's going to be a little difficult, since I don't have a body I can call my own. But we can discuss my intimate life later. Right now, I need your assistance with a little problem I have in my hands. Besides, who do you think you're yelling at?!?" "Wait a minute!", said Robin all of a sudden. "That voice! You're the one who screamed calling someone to wake up! What was the name? John? Jake? Jimmy?..." "Cut that out!" answered the voice. "Who do you think he is? Rumpelstilkin? And aren't you supposed to be here to help?" "That's right. Would you be so kind to tell us how to get to this person you're talking about?" said Sailor Neptune. "Well, at least you have some manners. I'll tell you. Take the door to your right, follow the hall to the next door and enter. You'll find us there. Now, isn't it nice to be polite? You can get better results with that attitude, unlike someone I don't want to mention..." said the voice. With that, everything was silent again. "I wonder who's she referring to?" said Sailor Saturn after a brief pause. "Never mind that. Let's go!!" promptly answered Sailor Uranus. Somehow, she had the feeling that the voice was referring to her... A few moments later, the girls entered the Leviathan's Control Room. They were greeted with the sight of an unconscious man dressed with a suit of armor lying on the floor. "Good grief! What happened to him?" said Sailor Saturn, hurrying to his side. She attempted to remove the helmet of the armor, but it seemed to be welded to the rest of the suit. "Let's just said that we had a wild party during our journey here," answered the voice. This time, the voice seemed to come from the armor. "Never mind that. I'll explain later. For the moment, let's take him out of here. He only needs to rest, but he can't do that inside his armor." "Wait a minute! How do we know it's not a trap?" said Sailor Uranus. "Do you doubt of my word? Besides, if this were a trap, don't you think you would be already fighting by now, Sailor Uranus?" answered the voice. "WHAT?? How do you know my name?" Immediately, Sailor Uranus assumed her fighting stance, moving next to the door. "Cut that out! All right, to prove you my good will, allow me to introduce myself. My name is A.L.E.X. that means Analogic Logistic Expert Xperimental. I'm and Artificial Intelligence Program, and my top priority right now is not to be involved in the 'highlights of society', but to help my Lieutenant!" "All right, Alex. We get the idea. What can we do to help?" said Sailor Neptune. She put her hand on Sailor Uranus' shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Ok. First thing on the agenda... you have to turn him over his back." "All right, let's do it!" said Sailor Saturn. She immediately grabbed Yohann's arm, and tried to move him... to no avail. "Geez! He must weight a ton! I can't move him an inch! Girls, give me a hand!" With their combined strength, they were capable to turn him around. "Phew! I don't want to think how are we going to take him out of here!" said Sailor Neptune. "At least, while he's using that armor. Alex, he's on his back now, what now?" "All right. Pay attention. Do you see a blue jewel on his waist?" "I see it." Said Sailor Saturn. "Ok. Now, touch it, and say the words 'armor out', and stand back." "Very well. Here goes nothing... armor out!" said Sailor Saturn, and quickly stood back. Immediately, the armor began to fold on itself, and after a few moments, it was back on the belt, revealing Lieutenant Yohann Starr to the Sailors for the first time. He was dressed with a tight black jumpsuit, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. The three girls were a little startled at first, but it was Sailor Saturn who found her voice first. "Wow! What a hunk!" were her first words "What's his name? And, does he has a girlfriend already?". Neptune and Uranus just looked at her with a puzzled expression on their faces. 'What's wrong with her?' wondered Neptune. "Never mind that!" said Alex. "Right now, you must take him out of here. But before you attempt to move him, I have to do something else." And with that, Alex sent a series of beeps that were answered by the Leviathan's computer. After a few seconds, everything was quiet again. "All right, all set. Let's go!" "Wait a minute!" said Sailor Uranus. "What was all that about?" "Oh, that? You'll see as soon as we get out of here. Now, would you be so kind to get Lieutenant Starr out of here... Pleaaaaaaseeee!?!" Said Alex. "Geez, are you always that dense??" "Shut up, will ya?!" was Sailor Uranus' reply. "Ok, I'll grab him by the armpits, each one of you grab a leg." Neptune and Saturn agreed, and soon enough, they were in front of the external hatch. After they exited the Leviathan, Sailor Saturn noticed something about the ship's external appearance. "Hey, look at that! Where's the ship?" said in a startled tone. Soon enough, all of them turned around, only to look at a wall of bushes and rocks, with no sign of the Leviathan on sight. "That's what I was doing inside, girls." Said Alex. "I activated the holographic projector, so now there will be no danger of someone else stumbling with the ship. Now, would you mind moving your legs and get out of here? And Saturn?" "Yes?" "Would you mind keeping your hands bellow my Lieutenant's knee?? Thank you!!" And with that last remark, two Senshis, one Scout and one bad tempered AI began their journey back to the city, carrying an unconscious Lieutenant with them. * * * * That afternoon, at Rei's temple... Everyone was reunited on Rei's room. Starr was resting on one of the empty rooms of the temple. After a few minutes, Rei entered the room, after checking their guest's condition. "What is your opinion, Amy?", asked Rei. Earlier, She made a reading in front of the Sacred Fire, but there was no luck so far. "Well, he's not giving any readings of any kind of negative energy, but he's a little dehydrated and shows all signs of exhaustion. Besides, all my scans indicate that he's human in all aspects," said Amy. "Are you sure about that, Amy?" Said Robin, a strange glint in her eyes. "One hundred percent, Robin. Why do you ask?' said Amy, puzzled. "oh, for nothing. Never mind." "Anyway, There seems to be nothing wrong with him, at least, nothing a little rest can't fix, but his belt is another matter entirely. There's something strange with it," said Amy. Everyone looked at the belt, placed in the middle of the table. "Strange? What do you mean?" asked Mamoru, at the same time reaching for the belt. "It looks like a regular belt to me." "If you lay a hand on me, you are going to regret it, pretty boy!" a voice said, emanating from the belt. Immediately, Mamoru put his hand away, and everyone took a step back, except for Amy. "For starters, that's one thing," said Amy. "According to my scans, this belt is not what it seems." "You can say that again! Alex was driving me crazy!" prompted Haruka, giving a dirty look at the belt. "She was complaining about my driving all the time! That I was driving too fast, that I was intentionally hitting every bump on the road, that I should have my license revoked!" "Alex? That's its name? How do you know that?" Usagi wondered, still looking at the belt with suspicion. She was grabbing Mamoru's arm almost to the brink of cutting all his circulation. "Usagi, would you mind releasing my arm? I want to use it for a while." Said Mamoru. Usagi blushed, and released her grip on his arm. Mamoru sighed, grateful. "Can I continue? Thank you," pointed Ami. "Now, as I was saying, this belt is no belt at all. It seems to be made of some kind of living metal. It is in reality a suit of armor of sorts, equipped with all kind of electronics embedded on it. The trigger mechanism is the jewel you can see here, on the middle of the buckle. When you press it, and in addition of a verbal command, it either deploys itself or retracts to its actual condition." At this point, everyone facevaulted. "And that's not all." "Do you mean there's more to this thing?" Said Makoto. She was wondering what kind of place could produce something like this strange piece of equipment, but even more, what kind of place could that be to have such a gorgeous pilot! 'He looks like my old boyfriend!' thought when she looked at him before the meeting began. "Of course. It seems that it has incorporated some sort of Artificial Intelligence program, with a female personality. When I was scanning it, it suddenly linked with my compact! It began to read my programs and almost overrode all my security codes!" "Well, what do you expected? I was curious. Besides, I was getting bored!" responded Alex. "Are you always this obnoxious?" said Laurella. 'Geez, if I were her owner, I'd dump her in no time flat!' "It depends on your point of view, girl." At this moment, Usagi made her contribution to the conversation. "Excuse me, but do you mind telling us who are you and what are you doing here? After all, we are friends here. We only want to help." Alex just sighed, but decided to tell them all she could do, without revealing too much. "All right, blondie. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is A.L.E.X. That means Analogic Logistical Expert Xperimental. I'm the most advanced program of my kind. My partner is the Lieutenant Yohann Starr, pilot of the starship Leviathan Mark I." 'I hope they're buying this!' thought Alex. "We were transporting some cargo to the nearest base on another star system, when something hit our ship. At the same time, a sudden solar wind hit out ship, and we lost all our navigation systems. Our trajectory brought us to the site where you found us." "And what are you going to do now?" asked Usagi. "Well, as soon as my Lieutenant is ready, we'll be back to our ship and return to our original mission. I thank you all for all the help, but we really should be on our way here." "Hey, no prob!" said Robin. "And while you all sort things around here, I'll go and check how's our guest faring!" "Hold it right there, bimbo!" replied Alex. "You are not going to get near him without me! And let me remind you one single rule: Hands off him!" "All right, all right! Geez, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you two are married or something!" And with that, Robin grabbed Alex and went to Starr's room. "Err... if you don't mind, I have some soup in your stove, Rei. I'll go and check if it's ready," said Makoto, blushing a fade pink. "Soup? Great, I'm hungry!" said Usagi, already drooling at the mention of food. "Stuff it, meatball head! Makoto made that soup for our guest, not for you! Besides, you already had lunch before coming here!" retorted Rei. "But I'm hungryyyy!!" said Usagi. "Don't worry, dear. I'll buy you something as soon as we finish here." Added Mamoru. Usagi smiled at him lovingly, all thoughts of a fight with Rei forgotten. "Ok, let's review what we have here," said Shingo. "We have some sort of freight cargo pilot unconscious on the next room, a belt that's not a belt but an intelligent armor, a ship that can camouflage itself like anything it likes, and some mysterious cargo locked inside. Am I missing anything?" "No, it seems to be the sum of what we all know so far." "Wrong. There's more to it that you can imagine," said a voice from the doorframe. "Setsuna!" cried Michiru. "What do you mean? And where were you in the morning?" "That's not important. What really matters is that we have to help Lieutenant Starr with his mission. He doesn't know it, but he's an integral part to preserve the continuity of our time line." TO BE CONTINUED...