Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars "Together Once More" by: Andre Garde (veritech@cryogen.com) Part Seven: Master of Puppets Three guardians of the stars, on a mission to find the one with the purest star seed. "Penetrating the darkness of night..." "Running atmosphere of freedom..." "Three saint comets..." Three guardians of the stars, cursed upon by darkness and forced to live in two very different realms. "Who are you!?" Nyanko began prematurely. Siren tried to stop her, but she had to know. "Sailor Star Fighter!" "Sailor Star Maker!" "Sailor Star Healer!" Three guardians of the stars, on a mission to find the one who could defeat evil itself. "Sailor Starlights, unite!" The three soldiers of the stars made their appearance. All the cards were on the table, save one. Sailor Uranus gritted her teeth and took a fighting position, until Neptune laid a hand on her shoulder. The Starlights ran towards the Sailor Senshi, facing off against the anima-mates on the other side of the hall. "Need a hand, girls?" Sailor Star Fighter asked. Eternal Sailor Moon Moon was about to reply, when she was cut off by Uranus. "Don't get in our way," she said coldly. Fighter smiled. "Us? Now why would we want to do a thing like that? Come on, we're Sailor Senshi. Let's stick together, ne?" Sailor Moon and the Inner Senshi nodded. The rest of the Outer Senshi showed no sign of support either way. Tension rose, until Venus broke the oncoming silence. "You can fight along side us. Just watch your back." She turned to do battle with the anima-mates, when Fighter's voice froze her in her tracks. "STAR... SERIOUS... LASER!!!" Uranus cursed herself. "Venus, watch out! It's a doublecross!" She sped towards the leader of the Sailor Team. She stopped short when she saw the laser blast come into contact with a similar one that came from Sailor Lead Crow. "It might be a good idea if you would watch your own back," Sailor Star Healer said. She had an amused look on her face. "Let's go!" She rushed towards the four anima-mates, who were maintaining their position against the twelve senshi. "It doesn't look good, Crow-san," Sailor Aluminum Siren began. Lead Crow looked before her. Tin Nyanko and Iron Mouse were using their combined powers to keep the twelve at bay, but it became apparent that the line would be broken soon. Retreat was in order. But Death may be lying in wait, Crow thought. Nevertheless, she made her decision. "Get the booths ready while I help out Lazarus and the rookie over there. We're outta here." She ran up behind the two other anima-mates and added her powers to the fray. Aluminum Siren silently willed the London- style telephone booths to appear. In a single flash of golden light, two phone booths materialized in front of her. She stepped towards them, when a streak of red flew by her, causing her to duck sharply. When she saw the rose petals, she knew that there was going to be trouble. True to form, Tuxedo Kamen always came in at the nick of time. "Keep them away from the booth," he said to himself, wielding his cane and pre- paring to go at it hand-to-hand with Siren. Mars and Jupiter backed him up with their powers, coming at the anima-mates from behind. Venus and Pluto immediately seized the situation -- no one was left to guard the telephone booths. They turned to Uranus and Mercury. "Do what you have to do," they said in unison. They ran off to support the rest of the Sailor Team. Mercury turned and nodded to Uranus, who acknowledged it. They sprinted towards the twin booths, Mercury summoning the power of her mini-computer, while Uranus covered her back. Mercury has having a hard time trying to keep up with Uranus, who didn't even look like she was running at full speed. "Still not up to speed, eh?" Uranus said, amused. "No, , but I've gotten better since the last time we did this." Uranus thought back to the events with Nephrenia. The Inner and Outer Senshi were split up into pairs, making for unorthodox teams. Both sets of soldiers could never really work well together, but in that experience, they all had learned something about each other. Despite their differences, they could get along and get the job done. Sort of. Almost. "Maybe it was luck," Mercury said to herself. She grinned. She knew better. "So far, so good," Uranus thought. The anima-mates hadn't noticed the two as of yet. She hoped Mercury could analyze the booths in time, so that they could at least teleport to wherever the anima-mates were headed. Mercury touched her earring, producing the translucent wraparound visor. She scanned every inch of either booth, collecting and amassing data, typing it all in furiously on her computer. Excitement rose in her mind, until Uranus shouted the warning to her. "We've been spotted. Stop typing and give me a hand." "But I still need to--" "I need your help!" "Come on, you're Sailor Uranus! I thought the Outer Senshi didn't--" "PLEASE!" Reluctantly, Mercury saved all the data, powering down her computer. If Sailor Uranus needed help, there was definitely a problem. She noticed that Uranus had her eyes fixed on Sailor Lead Crow, who looked like she was massing her powers for an attack. The initial, orange, glow, of a World Shaking attack was emanating from Uranus' right fist. Sailor Mercury would contribute with her super attack, but Lead Crow began ahead of her. "GALACTICA..." The two Sailor Senshi began in unison. "MERCURY... AQUA..." "WORLD..." "TSUNAMI!!!" "RHAPSODY!!!" "SHAKING!!!" The ensuing explosion rocked the hallways, sending friend and foe alike to the ground. The blast defeaned the ears of the Sailor Team, even the Starlights looked dazed. It was the anima-mates who recovered first. Lead Crow ordered them to hustle into the booths. She wasted no time in scurrying with Aluminum Siren towards one of them. She had almost made it, when Sailor Uranus' hand grabbed her ankle, twisting it, and tripping her to the floor. "I won't let you get away that easily," Uranus said, determined as ever. Siren kicked away the grip on her partner's ankle, grabbing Lead Crow's wrist and running into a booth. They weren't prepared for Sailor Mercury, who ran full throttle into the booth, forcing the two anima-mates against the glass. "Everybody in the booths, now!" she yelled. Uranus was surprised, as she saw that Mercury was doing an excellent job of pinning the two anima-mates. She seconded her idea. "You heard, her, let's go!" "What!?" Sailor Mars yelled. "We won't all fit in there!" Pluto answered for her. "We don't have a choice. It don't suppose Mercury would ask us to get in if she hadn't finished her scanning." Pluto ran off, full tilt, jamming Iron Mouse and Tin Nyanko in the other booth with her Time Key. Venus and the others followed suit, cramming themselves into the confined space of each booth. Soon, only Moon and Mars had yet to choose a booth. Mars cursed under her breath. "Sailor Moon," she began, "...all I have to say is, is that I sincerely hope you haven't been eating too many snacks lately." Eternal Sailor Moon laughed nervously. "Well, I *did* have something to eat before we got here." Mars groaned, and threw herself into the booth with Nyanko and Iron Mouse. Sailor Moon went into the other booth with Siren and Crow, just as the teleportation began to take place. The golden light had started to surround the telephone booths, until they were engulfed completely by it. Amidst the ruckus, and the uncomfortable feelings, Sailor Tin Nyanko recalled what she had said earlier in the day. "If I get stuck with the little pipsqueak, I'm going to have a very, bad, day." Sailor Iron Mouse was smiling up at her, her body currently being entangled with the other senshi in the booth. "I'll scream if you say anything," Nyanko said to Iron Mouse. "Well, it's not so bad, I mean, yeah, we're being crushed to death by the Sailor Senshi, but I mean..." Sailor Iron Mouse babbled for what seemed to be an eternity. Meanwhile, the stress and anger began to rise in Sailor Tin Nyanko, until she could take no more. She had to let it out, and she did just that... ...in the form of a high-pitched wail, similar in volume and magnitude to a wail from Usagi Tsukino -- "Little Miss Decibel" -- herself. Lead Crow was hysterical. Not only was she cramped against the panes of glass, she began to her Tin Nyanko screaming at the top of her lungs. "What is that idiot doing!? She'll drive us nuts!" Nyanko's wailing also had an effect on the Sailor Team. Venus wondered if she was in any way related to Esmeraude. Before Lead Crow could provide further insight into the stupidity of Tin Nyanko, the booths stopped moving. They had arrived at their destination, the Ginga Television station. "Let me out, I can't breathe!" "Get off my face, dummy!" "Calm down! I'm sure if we just..." "Shut up! Hey, could someone twist my arm back where it's supposed to be?" "Stop yelling, I can't think!" "You could, if you could just move your knee out of my face you moron!" "Girls, this is getting us nowhere!" "Help!" "Hey, that was a guy's voice! Are you somewhere in here, Tuxedo Kamen?" Nyanko continued to scream. "That's it," Lead Crow said angrily. "GALACTICA..." Just then, the doors to both telephone booths opened instantly, spilling the Sailor Senshi, the Starlights, and the anima-mates onto the floor. It took them some time to regain their composure, but eventually, battle started again, until the anima-mates were forced to retreat to where the elevator was. The elevator to Galaxia's throne room. The anima-mates dodged both Jupiter's and Neptune's attacks, until they sealed themselves in the elevator, doors closing protectively. They retreated back to their master, like dogs ceasing to lick their wounds. It gave the Sailor Team and the Starlights a chance to catch their breath as well. "Boy, that was an experience," Sailor Moon said innocently. Tuxedo Kamen nodded his head from side to side, repeatedly. "Never again," he muttered, "...never again." "Where is this place?" Venus began. Sailor Saturn checked the desks and general office space around her. On a wall, she noticed a plaque with an engraving on it. She read it aloud. "Ginga Television. Honoured with the Silver River Award for fifty years of outstanding service and quality entertainment." "Ginga TV..." Mars said. "So this is Galaxia's hideout?" "Not likely," Mercury replied. "However, I am getting strange readings from that elevator the anima-mates took." "Bingo," Neptune said simply. "How much do you want to bet that's where the big 'G' herself is?" "Well," Sailor Star Maker began, "...we're going after Galaxia. Are you going to help us or what?" "Of course! This is our planet, after all!" Sailor Moon's cheery attitude did not sit well with Sailor Uranus, who considered it her duty to look out for Sailor Moon's well-being, and that of Usagi Tsukino's as well. She didn't completely trust the Starlights. In the back of her mind, she compared them to how she didn't initially trust the Three Lights. But Uranus put the thought aside and concentrated on the mission. Now was not the time for anything other than the task at hand. "Well," Pluto said, "...shall we?" A silence came over the soldiers gathered together. No one spoke. They knew what had to be done about Galaxia. Senshi looked to Senshi, Starlight to Starlight, and nodded. They entered the elevator, not saying a word to each other. When the doors closed, the lights went out. They would continue the ride to Galaxia's lair in darkness. The slow torture of a lengthy elevator journey did not come, as the ride was short. The elevator doors slowly opened, as the Sailor Team steeled themselves for conflict. The ominous red glare of Galaxia's lair cast shadows everywhere. As the Sailor Team fanned out into position, Galaxia's throne could be seen in the shadows. The red light's intensity increased, revealing an amused Galaxia sitting on her throne. A large portal appeared behind her, swirling in a myriad of colour. Every soldier tensed for battle, until more light came on, and they saw the bodies of the anima-mates lying on the floor. Sailor Moon gasped. They were missing their bracelets. She remembered what had happened to Iron Mouse the first time she had tested Galaxia's patience. Eternal Sailor Moon went forward, but was stopped by Sailor Pluto. "Toys," she said simply. "Puppets. That's how Galaxia used them. It is best not to think about it." Sailor Moon wasn't one to challenge Sailor Pluto's wisdom, so she held her peace. Still, anyone, even an enemy, used in the form the anima-mates had, deserved much better than this. Usagi had never changed since becoming Sailor Moon and the Princess. She would never cease to care about anyone. Uranus looked Galaxia square in the eye, Venus and Neptune right beside. "What is it that you want, Galaxia?" Sailor Star Healer cut her off. "It's all about Star Seeds. With them, she'll have enough power that she can open a type of portal, like a black hole, which has the power to consume entire planets. With an entire galaxy devoid of life, she can then create her own, new galaxy, with her own life forms." She motioned towards the anima-mates. "It looks like they were just test subjects. We're here to make sure the galaxy doesn't see any more of them." Sailor Star Maker continued. "If we don't stop her from attaining enough Star Seeds, she'll be able to open the portal. We Starlights protect the galaxy, and can't allow this to happen." "We're here to put her out of commission -- permanently." Sailor Star Fighter finished. "My, my," Galaxia laughed. "I see you've been keeping tabs on my current events. Still keeping track of the 'old score'?" Star Fighter became angry. "You bet we have..." The Starlights took fighting stances. Off to the side, Mars began chanting the words for her super attack. "Spare me," Galaxia said. "You haven't a prayer in stopping me." "Wanna bet?" Sailor Moon replied, hands on her hips. When the Sailor Team gave her questioning looks, she began to get nervous. "You of all people, Moon Child," Galaxia began. "I hate you most of all since..." she cut herself off, shaking her head. "No matter, I'll have my revenge on you all, especially you." "Revenge? Me?" Sailor Moon asked herself. "What could she possibly want revenge for because of me?" She paused to think on it, as Saturn began conversing with Galaxia. Until, however, she noticed that Mars was whispering something behind her back. Somehow, she hadn't observed Mars positioning herself behind Moon, out of Galaxia's view. "Usagi," she said quietly, "...don't move until I tell you to." "Wha--" "Don't." Sailor Moon held firm, sweat running down her forehead. She flapped her wings to cool herself off. She noticed it was getting hotter for some strange reason. Then, she sensed the glow coming from behind her. It was red, so she immediately thought it was the red glow from the throne room rising in intensity. It might just be a red spotlight turning on, focusing on the Sailor Senshi. Or, it could be just her anxiety, or the nervous feeling within her... ...or the glow coming from a Flame Sniper arrow. Sailor Moon could her anger in Galaxia's voice. She was shouting back and forth with Venus and the Outer Senshi. Sailor Moon heard Mars' faded whisper. "Usagi..." "H-h... hai..." "Duck." Eternal Sailor Moon thrust herself downward, lying on the ground with her hands crossed over her head. Mars' Flame Sniper shot past the Sailor Senshi and the Starlights, striking Galaxia dead center in the chest. It didn't penetrate her armour, but it startled her enough to give the Senshi time. Time, to start the secondary attacks. The Sailor Senshi began pouring it on. Uranus employed her Space Sword Blaster attack. Similarly, Neptune used her talisman, the Deep Aqua Mirror, and attacked with a Submarine Reflection. Galaxia rose off her throne, but every time, she was beaten back by an attack. Soon, she was down on her knees, and the Senshi held back, victorious. For the moment. Galaxia recovered her breath from her kneeling position. Her eyebrows arched to give her a menacing look. Eyes glittering like golden treasure, lips curled in a ferocious snarl that bore her teeth. Her fists clenched in anger and hate, she rose slowly to her feet. To her surprise, the Sailor Senshi stood there, motionless. "Fools," Galaxia thought to herself. "You haven't won yet. Not by a longshot." She threw them her most vicious smile, and with a single wave of her hand, blasted them all to the floor. Galaxia laughed mockingly, as the Sailor Senshi and the Sailor Starlights lay dazed and scattered. She walked amongst the Senshi triumphantly with a sway in her gait. On the ground, Sailor Moon noticed that Galaxia's movements were similar to the ones she gave when she walked away from Seiya in the park. It was as if she was walking in Galaxia's place. She had no time to think further as Galaxia started speaking. "So, you thought you could best me with your pitiful little powers?" Galaxia stood over a weakened Sailor Mercury and kicked her hard in the stomach, making her scream out in pain as she clutched her midsection. The rest of the Senshi groaned weakly in response, yet in their eyes, flashes of anger arose. Galaxia continued on, until she came to Sailor Uranus, who could barely keep her head up. Galaxia reached down and grabbed Uranus' chin in her hand, forcing Uranus to look up at her. "The great Sailor Senshi, known for their honour and fighting prowess," she began. Galaxia's expression turned to darkness once again. She slapped Uranus violently to the floor. "Pathetic." She continued on her rampage, extracting vengeance on each of the Senshi. "Weaklings, fools, idiots... PATHETIC! ALL OF YOU!" she howled in rage. Until at last, she came to Eternal Sailor Moon. "And you..." Galaxia said slowly. "How could I ever forget you?" Galaxia took a step forward, forcing Sailor Moon to retreat backwards, but there was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to run even if she had the strength to. Galaxia's expression softened. "It's not your time yet. I'll kill you later. But first," she turned towards the Starlights. "It's time for a little fun." Sailor Star Fighter's eyes widened in response. -- End of Part Seven No, I am not a Metallica fan. Andre Garde (a.k.a. Veritech) | Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Team HQ! veritech@cryogen.com | http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/5991 "Sailor Moon" character names et. al. are Copyright (C) Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, and Kodansha. In other words, companies with big wallets and a collection of high-priced lawyers who aren't to be trifled with. The story is MINE, Copyright (C) 1996 ME, but everything else (the characters, the names) is theirs, theirs, theirs. Please don't sue me.