Chapter 1
The Future
3207 A.D.
Night quickly settled across the lone planet's violet sky, and immediately, the stars above shone and twinkled down. But yet they didn't seem to notice the death and destruction that plagued the surface of the planet they were watching over. Large black spaceships moved and spread across the endless sky, nearly blocking the light from the stars to the land below. They were so many, the fleet was almost innumerable. The ships were triangular in shape, and looked to be made of black crystals. Spotlights glared and shone down from the bottom of the ships, lighting the ground that they came across. Suddenly, a large massive beam shot out from one of the immense ships and scorched over a thousand acres of forest beneath it, rendering it to ashes. Screams of the dying filled the night air as the few survivors from the destroyed city nearby whom fled into the forest died mercilessly, their flesh burning off their bodies. From the bridge of one of the destroyer ships, the captain smiled in satisfaction.
His green, reptilian face turned serene as he stood at attention and watched the forest burn to the ground on the large view screen before his crew. It was so easy defeating them. After coming into the system undetected, and after three weeks of attacking, the invasion and destruction of this one planet was going so well. All resistance that dared defy them was crushed with the speed of their invasion. The Queen of this planet herself never even had a chance to use Star Stone to defend her planet. But he still had yet to find her. He had done his research, and he knew she was the most powerful obstacle to his plan. He would have her powerful Star Stone soon, and with her out of the way, there would be nothing to stop him. Captain Sha'Krani knew that the people wouldn't survive long unless they surrendered, and he smiled at that thought.
A lizard-like humanoid race from the Shi-rukri galaxy, the Vishtri traveled billions of miles across the galaxies to find the infamous Star Stones, whose powers were well known, even in their section of the universe. They have already conquered and destroyed hundreds of planets in their galaxy, why not this one? They would easily fall just like the others. The captain's long red forked tongue flicked out, and a hiss came out of his scaly throat, resembling a sinister laugh. Then a disturbing thought cut his laugh off. In order to get to the place called, "The Solar System", they knew they must first subdue this system and capture the Star Stone that resides here. But there were rumors of warriors there, who made it their life's mission to defend their home. But no matter, he would deal with them soon enough. The captain knew it would not be easy, but it would be done, no matter what. The Solar System is the key to bringing this galaxy down. Another laugh rumbled in his throat, and the tongue flicked out again past the rows of tiny, razor-sharp teeth, tasting the humid air.
"Stupid warm-blooded humans!" he said to himself. "You'd think they'd come up with a better name to call their system than "Solar..." Before he could continue though, the door to the bridge slid open from the side, and a young Vishtri cadet walked in, his long tail swaying behind him. He stood before the captain, hissed, flicked out his long forked and red tongue, and bowed, as customary.
"Captain! We have managed to capture the King of this planet as he was trying to lead some survivors away through the forest. There were some casualties on our side due to his fighting and power, but we managed to subdue him. We still have not been able to locate the Queen and their offspring among the dead or survivors." The young Vishtri saluted and clicked his boots as customary in their military.
"Fool!" the lizard alien captain shouted. "The Queen and her little brat must still be in the palace somewhere. The King wouldn't risk taking them with him. They must be in hiding. Go back to the palace and search everywhere and everyone. Find them! FIND THEM NOW!" Fury blazed within Sha'Krani's narrowed red eyes. The young cadet bowed again, shuddering just slightly, then quickly left the bridge. Captain Sha'Krani turned back to the large view screen and smiled once more as another large beam shot down from one of the other ships and destroyed hundreds of buildings around the palace in the city. The captain hissed low in his voice in satisfaction. Yes, this was going so well now, nothing would stop them.
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The Silver Palace:
"Hurry sweetheart! HURRY!" gasped the young-looking Queen as she continued to hold the small hand of her daughter. They both ran across the palace's large halls, trying to make it outside to safety. The plan to disguise themselves as one of the palace servants and flee past the alien soldiers unfortunately didn't work. One of the patrol soldiers that were rounding up survivors in the castle saw and recognized them within seconds, and the Queen could do nothing but run for her and her daughter's lives as tears streamed down her face. She hated to run from a fight....ever since her youth, but she had no choice now; she had her child to think of. Another sudden blast to the palace nearly made the two lose their balance, but the Queen kept on running, pulling the little girl along quickly behind her.
"Mo...mommy, Please! I..I can't run anymore!" gasped the little 5 year old princess. Her tiny chest heaved as she was desperately trying to catch her breath. Her mother stopped suddenly, and the child collapsed limply in her arms, panting heavily. Just then, she looked up at her mother, her face fearful.
"Mama, where's Papa? I want Papa! Please tell me what happened to Papa!" Tears were streaming down her small, innocent face as she looked into her mother's soft eyes. The child had no clue as to what was going on, and she was scared, oh so very scared. Everyone kept screaming, and there was so much noise! What was happening? All she wanted was her father...her strong, brave Papa to make everything better like he always does. She wanted him here to make all the badness stop and to sing her to sleep and make her feel safe, just like so many times before. But one look in her mother's eyes told the child that it was not to be. Something was wrong, and it had to do with her Papa. The little girl blinked and pleaded with her eyes to know where her father was.
"I don't know, Baby.." said the Queen, tears pooling in her own eyes as she picked the child up and gently held her in her arms. "But remember what Papa said, we have to keep going, no matter what. We can't let the bad people get us." Another rumble suddenly shook the palace, followed by a loud boom. The Queen gently stood the small princess to her feet, crouched down to her eye level, and took the girl's small hands in her own.
"Papa...had to leave us for a while, Little One. He..he went to help some people escape. We couldn't go because we might get captured with him if we went, and you wouldn't want that, right?" The Queen looked sadly at the child. With her eyes wide, the little girl shook her head "no".
"Alright, so that's why we have to keep going until we find someplace safe, and..."
But before the Queen finished, a loud shout echoed in the dark and immense hall. "You! Stop right there!" Two Vishtri patrols with stun guns shining in their hands raced towards the mother and daughter.
With a gasp, the mother quickly got up, and taking her daughter in her strong arms, ran high speed away from the advancing aliens. It was a good thing the Queen knew the layout and plans of the palace much better than the aliens did, and turning and twisting in corners no one else knew, she soon lost the two soldiers. Another blast shook the large palace, and pieces of the ceiling fell off in large chunks and smashed heavily onto the marble floor in front of the Queen, some barely missing her. With a frightened cry, the woman expertly dashed out of the way and rushed past the craters that were caused by the impact of the falling pieces. In her arms, the child screamed in fright.
At last, they reached the outside in the back gardens, where roses and tulips from Earth once grew. Now it was all in shambles. Breathing hard and sweat pouring down her face, the Queen put the tiny child down to stand. She then closed her eyes and concentrated, holding out her arms before her. Although she tried not to show it, the woman's heart was beating wildly in her chest, fearing for her life and the life of her young daughter. Please! she thought desperately, Please let this work!
Suddenly, a glowing appeared on her chest as she turned semi-transparent, and after a moment, a large green jewel emerged from her body and floated into her waiting hands. The glowing dissipated, and her body was once more solid. The woman held the jewel high above her, her eyes still closed, and whispered a few inaudible words.
A small black and blue cloud immediately formed a little above her, lightning crackling out of it. It grew larger and larger, until finally the cloud itself disappeared and white light shone from the small vortex opening that formed. The Queen opened her eyes again a moment later and looked down at the small princess, who was looking up at her in wonder.
"Darling, Mommy's going to send you somewhere where you'll be safe, okay? Don't be afraid. You'll have to be brave for your Papa and me." The woman smiled gently, but sadness still shone through her eyes; eyes that held a wisdom gained from the many years of living and as a warrior of a distant planet called Earth, and from being Queen here on this beautiful world. There was so much she wanted to tell her little girl then, so much she still wanted to do with her that she never had a chance to. The woman wanted nothing more than to hold her precious treasure to her forever right then, but she knew it was impossible now. She wanted to tell her that where she was going to send the child was a safe place, a good place, a place where the woman had fond memories of when she was young and happy with no responsibilities except for school. But time was running out, and the Queen had to act fast.
Fear at the thought of leaving her mother wrapped around the child's heart in an icy grip. "NO! I'm staying with you Mommy! I don't want to go, please!" The little girl ran up to her mother and wrapped her arms around her the woman's waist as the tears spilled over once again. Bringing her arms down, the Queen held the glowing jewel before her again and concentrated some more. The jewel grew brighter, and then, it suddenly split into two. The second one was only a little smaller than the first, but other than that, it was identical. Looking up in astonishment, the child let go of her mother's waist and watched as the smaller jewel of the pair gently floated down to her. Almost as though it had a mind of its own, the smaller green emerald jewel traveled towards the little girl's body. It flashed brightly, then softly absorbed into her body.
A moment later, the wind began to pick up, and the princess began to lift away from the ground towards the open vortex above them. "No! Please don't make me go! Mommy!" the girl screamed, stretching out her small arms desperately towards her mother. "I want to stay, Mommy! Please! Don't send me away! Mommy! MOOOOOOMMYYYYY!" With that one last scream, the child disappeared into the vortex, and immediately, it shrank smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared. The jewel in front of the Queen stopped glowing and reabsorbed back into the young-looking woman's body. For a few moments, all was quiet in the dark night air, the stars still twinkling above. Then with a painful, heart-wrenching sob, the Queen fell slowly to her knees on the cold garden ground.
"My baby girl. My beautiful baby girl! I'm so sorry. I love you..." she whispered sadly, tears falling endlessly down her cheeks as her heart broke in two. She wasn't even sure if the child would end up where she was suppose to. The night air was filled with heart-wrenching sobs for what seemed like eternity to the Queen. But suddenly, a tiny spark of hope filled the woman's heart then, hope that even though all might be lost for her and the man she loved, at least their precious child of love might have a chance for a peaceful future...with the help of the Sailor Senshi of the past at least...
But whatever more thoughts the woman had about her child was interrupted, as footsteps were suddenly heard running up to her. "Hold it right there! We've got you right now!" a gravelly voice hissed out. Before the Queen could even react, she was knocked out cold by the stun gun one of them carried. Her body fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. Seeing the woman laying before as though dead, the Vishtri warriors laughed, their tongues flicking out before them. None of them noticed one last tear squeezing out from her closed eyelid.
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Present Day:
Late August
Tanya Cambridge excitedly stepped through the gate doorway of Flight 223 in the Tokyo New International Airport arrival building and looked expectedly in the crowded waiting area for a familiar face. After a few moments, she set down her carry on bag and crossed her arms over her full, ample chest. "That's funny, I was sure I wrote everyone that I was coming today." Tanya said softly to herself. She looked nervously down and straightened the soft white dress that perfectly framed the curves in her body. The nearly 2 years spent in America have certainly done her good; her figure was now rounder and fuller than before, and her jet black hair, slightly past her waist now, shone in the late morning sunlight like a flowing black river. Her face, though still young looking, now held a maturity that was unmistakable. Her dark fudge brown skin was as flawless as ever, and her brown-hazel eyes shined brightly.
A moment later, she turned to her right when she heard her name, and she saw her father waving at her through the crowd. Smiling in relief, she picked up her bag and made her way past the crowd towards her father. The two wrapped each other in a big hug when they came together, and kissed cheeks. After so long of not seeing each other...as her father visited her only twice when she was in America, they now cherished the few moments they had together.
"I'm so glad to see you Daddy!" whispered Tanya as she hugged him, happiness in her voice to see her dear father.
"As am I, Little Star!" the older man said. His eyes misted over as he then leaned away from the hug and looked her over. "You've grown so much!
"Daaad! I'm a big girl now! You don't have to call me "Little Star" anymore," Tanya said, feigning anger. The two then chuckled and headed toward the baggage claim. After they got Tanya's luggage, they headed to towards the animals claim to pick up a sulking looking Marco in his cage carrier.
"Hey there buddy! How's it hanging?" Tanya smiled, trying out the many new expressions she learned in America. The golden-furred dog blinked and sulked more, then turned his head away in the cage.
"Awww, cheer up, we're home!" Tanya giggled and reached into the cage to pet the dog's head, but the Golden Retriever merely gave his own version of a sigh.
When they got settled in their car, Tanya gave her father a sad look. "Dad, did...did you see any of my friends in the airport?" I thought they knew I was coming today."
"Oh, don't worry about it sweetheart. I'm sure they'll be over to see you soon!" A twinkle appeared in Dr. Cambridge's eyes. Tanya looked at him suspiciously, but decided to stay quiet about the subject. The ride home was full of questions, answers, and lots of catching up about what the two did while they were apart from one another. Tanya listened in rapt attention as she listened to her father's adventures in India and the thousands he had helped with his church and converting others to Christianity.
When they finally pulled up to their house about half an hour later, Tanya had to smile at the familiar structure of their home. So many nights she dreamed of being back in her old room, dreaming of her future and talking with her friends from Japan.
She got out the jeep and walked up the pathway to the door, bags in her hands. She settled the bags down and was about to open the door when it was suddenly yanked opened. "SURPRISE!" yelled out many voices.
Confetti and noisemakers filled the air as Tanya looked in astonishment at her friends; Usagi, Minako, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Mamoru were all smiling and laughing at the look on Tanya's face. The dark-skinned girl placed her hands to her cheeks, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Awww, you guys! You DID get my letter! You didn't forget..." she whispered happily, truly relieved to see them all.
"Of course we knew you were coming today!" giggled Usagi. "We've been planning this for a week! Well, don't just stand there with your mouth hanging open, come on in!" The blonde girl laughed out her trademark laugh as she grabbed Tanya's arms and pulled her inside the house. Like the rest of the girls, starting their last year of high school in about a month, time has also matured Usagi, but not as much as the other girls would have like. She still had her "ditz" moments! Looking back, Tanya saw that her father was already unloading the rest of her baggage, and saw he didn't need help. He looked at her and winked, letting her know that she should go on with her friends.
As soon as they reached inside and Tanya's father safely out of ear-shot, the girls quickly told Tanya of their victory over Chaos and healing Sailor Galaxia, and sending all the stolen Star Seeds back to their planets. Tanya listened with interest, and when they finished, she told her own story of her own battle against the vengeful King Meerages and Valera, with her cousin Sailor Polaris by her side. Everyone nodded and smiled when she told them about Anna, whom they all fondly remembered from her own time of living in Japan a few months before Tanya first came. When she finished, everyone congratulated her on her victory.
"But..where is Haruka onee-san, Michiru, and Hotaru?" Tanya asked as she looked around and noticed the missing Sailor Senshi of the Outer System.
"They were in Europe for a while for Michiru's violin concert tour. They were supposed to be here by now, but I guess they must have gotten held up," said Rei, a few inches taller than what Tanya remembered.
"Come on, come on, it's presents time!" shouted out Minako and Usagi at the same time, and jumping up excitedly. Mamoru and the rest of the girls groaned at the childish behavior, then chuckled.
"Well, I'll go first, since I didn't get to know you as well." smiled Mamoru as he handed her a small package wrapped in white paper and red ribbons.
"Arrigato, Mamoru-san!" Tanya smiled back at the tall black-haired man, who was now a senior in the world famous Tokyo Medical School. She opened the present and smiled at the beautiful embroidered music box. When the top opened, it gently played a soft tune. "It's beautiful!" the dark-skinned girl breathed out.
For the next hour or so, everyone laughed and talked as they passed on gifts to her. Tanya opened gifts from them all and gasped in admiration at the wonderful presents she received. Tanya opened a gift from Ami last, and sweat dropped when she held up a book on Advanced Calculus. "Well, it'll help you when you get into college next year!" said Ami, sweat dropping along with everyone else and blushing. The genius girl, already accepted to Tokyo University when she graduates Juuban High School, now had shoulder length blue hair. She finally allowed it to grow over time since Tanya was in America. The group of young people chuckled, then talked for a while more about the things they were up to since Tanya left, and what school would be like this Fall term...until Usagi got restless.
"You know, there's still a while before Fall term starts, and it's early in the day. What say we go to the beach for a little bit?" asked Usagi hopefully. "Besides, it's SO hot outside!"
The group looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, why not? We don't have much else to do, right?" said Makoto, who now wore her hair loose instead of her trademark ponytail. It fell down her back in shining brown waves to her waist.
Tanya nodded in agreement, and they all headed out a moment later. Having explained to her father where they were going, Tanya happily took out a bathing suit, then hurried out the front door to catch up with them.
They walked a few blocks down from the house, laughing and joking with one another in the unusually warm late Summer air. Minako then smiled and showed them her new pictures that were tucked away in her purse. "Guys, guess what? I've got an audition for a movie in two weeks! Can you believe it?" The buxom blonde laughed merrily as she proudly showed off the pictures. For the past year, Minako was finally making her dream of becoming an idol pay off, and she was already getting famous for the small roles she was doing in big budject films, commericals, and plays.
"Is that what all those pictures for? So you can sell them off with your autograph?" Tanya asked teasingly. The others laughed in amusement when Minako pouted. She was about to tease the blonde some more when suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew across them. A large black and blue cloud formed and swirled above the large street to the side, lightning flashing out of it.
"N...Nani kore?" shouted out Usagi as her hair whipped about her wildly.
The cloud disappeared, and light shone from the vortex that opened. The girls turned away from the light with a gasp, the bright light almost blinding them for a moment. Then a scream was heard, and suddenly, a small body of a young child, unseen by them, fell out of the large hole. She fell down heavily on the street before them with a loud thud. The light dissipated seconds later, and the group turned back to look at the street. They gasped and stared in surprise at the child who seemed to come from nowhere. Sniffling, the little girl..looking to be about five or six years old, painfully got up and looked around in confusion. She had dark brown skin, and her glossy, jet black hair was cut into a small bang across her small dark forehead and a bob in the back that was to her shoulders. She was wearing a plain white dress that indicated a servant of some sort. Cuts and scraps covered her entire body, and most were bleeding.
A car suddenly came speeding forward before anyone could say anything, and the little girl looked at it in fright. She gave a small frightened gasp, and with a tear trickling down her cheek, fainted away.
"OH NO!" screamed out Tanya, frightened beyond belief for the little girl that was about to die if something didn't happen.
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To Be Continued.
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