Special Thanks: "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl for editing, good ideas and comments, and providing me with Sailor Moon stories to enjoy! Thanks Will! Doug Helm, for coming up with Venus' new attack! That Senshi had me stumped, until Doug's excellent suggestion. Thank you Doug! Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi and all terms, names etc associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. The Guardians and everything pertaining to the Star Kingdoms are MINE! Sailor Moon: Guardians of the Star Chapter 12 Love and Thunder: Children of the Storm Jupiter stood on the tarmac, tapping her foot impatiently. The Airport was so large, and so busy, that they were forced to split up to cover it. They were looking for anything out of the ordinary. Despite the fact that their enhanced gems gave them the ability to See things others did not, she had found nothing the slightest bit out of place. They had agreed to meet near the runways and she was obviously the first to arrive. She hoped the others would hurry. The deafening sounds of jet aircraft taking off and landing, were giving her a headache. "Hey, Jupiter!" a voice called. She turned and saw Venus and Jadeite approaching from across the tarmac. She was still surprised by Jadeite's appearance. Expecting to see him in the familiar gray uniform when he changed, he had shocked them all when he appeared in dark gray armor and cape. It was very much like Endymion's, which stood to reason since Jadeite HAD been one of his Generals. Venus, however, had gone all starry eyed when she had first seen him in his armor. "I hope you remembered what you were supposed to look for," Jupiter remarked dryly with a knowing look at the two of them. Venus blushed furiously while Jadeite just grinned. "Despite the fact that I had a lovely little distraction with me, I DID manage to keep my eyes open," he returned in exactly the same tone. Venus flushed even more at his sally. At Jupiter's questioning look, Jadeite shook his head. "I found nothing unusual, I'm afraid." "Nor did we!" They turned as Kreigh and Galen approached. "Are you sure we have the right place?" Jupiter asked worriedly. Galen nodded. "The location on Mercury's computer was DEFINITELY the Airport," Galen answered firmly. Kreigh walked a slight distance from the others as they discussed what to do next. The bright red ponytail emerging from the opening in the back of her war helm brushed her shoulders as she looked around, warily. She sensed something. Something here was not right. After another look around, it finally caught her eye. On the far side of the runways, sat one of those strange airships that flew in and out of this place. "Jupiter?" she called softly. Jupiter looked up at her call and came over to her, the others following. "What's wrong, Kreigh?" Jupiter asked, putting a hand on Kreigh's armored shoulder. "Is it normal for one of those airships to sit so far from this `airport' place?" Kreigh responded curiously. The others turned to look. Jupiter's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That's a cargo plane," she said flatly, "It should be either at the unloading docks or in the hanger." Galen turned his Sight on it and stiffened. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he reported, "We have found what we were looking for! That aircraft is SHIELDED!" They walked past the runways, watching warily for approaching aircraft, until they stood at the edge of the shield. "Hmmmm... Interesting," Galen commented as he gave the shield a careful scrutiny, "We can pass through the shield. However, it will warn its caster when we do. I think he will then increase the shield's power, trapping us inside!" "Do we have any other choice?" Jupiter demanded. Galen shook his head. "Not that I can see, no." They passed through the shield, feeling a tingling sensation as they did. Kreigh immediately turned and reached out a tentative hand. It met an invisible barrier. "You were right, Galen," she remarked. When she received no answer, she turned to regard the others who were staring with stupefied expressions at where the cargo plane should have been, and wasn't. Kreigh's eyes widened incredulously. She was seeing something she hadn't seen since the second Doom War, and it was an impossibility. Where the cargo aircraft had stood was a low slung cradle, on which rested an ominous black vessel. Three masts rose, with black sails unfurled. On the middle sail of the center mast, was the red star sigil of the Dark Empire. The vessel was almost as large as a 747 with a black hull that, in shape, resembled that of a terrestrial battleship. Long black wings jutted out from the hull near the back, while shorter ones emerged from near the front. Where the gun turrets of a battleship would normally sit were odd looking things that slightly resembled turrets. They were obviously weapons of some kind. "What is that thing?" Venus whispered. Kreigh turned from the menacing vessel. "It's an impossibility, that's what it is!" she snapped. Seeing Venus' confusion at her harsh reply, Kreigh relented. "I'm sorry, Venus, but THAT," she said, jerking her thumb at the imposing ship, "is NOT supposed to exist! All the Empire's warships were destroyed in the battle of Taxis Reach! It's a battlecruiser of the `Reaver' class, and I KNOW that both of them were destroyed!" "Are you sure you aren't mistaken, Kreigh?" Jupiter asked her doubtfully, "I mean, that ship doesn't look very destroyed to me!" Kreigh's eyes narrowed. She didn't like being doubted. Someone was going to pay for this! She approached the ship and raised her glowing hands. "By the powers of Earth," she snarled through clenched teeth, "I command thee to show us thy TRUE appearance! I banish the illusions which doth shield this vessel. Let us see thee as thou art, and let Illusion trouble us NO MORE!!" At her fierce command, the ship wavered uncertainly, as if fighting her order. Kreigh clenched her raised fists and they glowed brighter. The wavering of the ship increased and finally, the illusion collapsed. Kreigh lowered her hands. "Whoever, or whatever is behind this, is very strong!" she panted, "That was tough!" The sight revealed by the breaking of the illusion, was of a wreck. A `Reaver' class battlecruiser still, but one that was closer to Kreigh's description of `destroyed' then it was before. The aft mast leaned crookedly against the middle mast. The sails hung in tattered shreds. One of the large aft wings was sheared off and both fore wings were bent and broken. The hull was pitted and scarred, as if seared by hellfire. A great dent was gouged down one side. The weapons emplacements were piles of twisted wreckage, and the superstructure was not in much better shape. Jupiter whistled in awe. "Now THAT looks destroyed!" she gasped, "I'd hate to see the other guy!" Kreigh grinned, her good humor restored. "You would!" she chuckled wryly, "The Astara looked almost as bad as this when their fight was over! Still, we didn't do too badly. We lost half the Fleet, but THEY lost everything!" "Sounds like there was more going on than our mission to Dark Spire," Venus said, subdued. Kreigh nodded. "There was indeed," she affirmed, "Battles on land, sea, AND in space! Our defeat of the Dark One was the blow that told. Without guidance from Dark Spire, the Empire was doomed. But, that's not important now! We need to get to the deck of yon ship. Ideas?" Jadeite used his powers to levitate to the deck. "Galen can shift to Kin form to fly up here and I'll bring the others up," he called down. Galen quickly shifted to his natural form and joined Jadeite on deck. First Kreigh, then Jupiter, and finally Venus floated up to join them. When Venus reached the deck, Jadeite placed his hands about her waist and gently set her on the deck. He kept his hands at her waist as they stared, mesmerized, into each other's eyes. "AHEM!" They turned quickly. Jupiter stood there with a knowing expression on her face. "The mission, remember?" Jadeite grinned back at her, unabashed. Venus, however, flushed as red as a rose and Jupiter was hard pressed not to laugh. "Why did they cloak this wreck in that illusion, I wonder?" Venus asked absently as she stared around the wreckage strewn deck. Jadeite frowned thoughtfully. "Which would you say looked more intimidating: The wreck? Or the undamaged battlecruiser?" Venus grimaced. "Point taken. Now what?" The deck shook violently and everyone grabbed hold of something, to keep from being tossed to the deck. The ship began to rise, and lurched abruptly to port. "What are those fools doing?!" Kreigh cried angrily, "With the portside aft wing gone, the stability of this ship is severely compromised!" Galen used his Sight to examine the ship, as his claws dug into the wooden deck to hold himself in place. "The air retaining spells are still in effect!" he reported, "Could the ship's power source have survived that battle as well?" "What difference does THAT make?" she returned, "This is a warship, but it's also an aether sailor! This universe has void in space, instead of aether! I don't know what the effect will BE on this wreck!" They held on and waited as the violently shuddering vessel rose towards the edge of the atmosphere. When it reached the very threshold of space, it came to a stop and drifted in place. Kreigh looked grim at the occasional groan from the ship's hull. "This wreck is barely holding together!" she said softly, "They must want us BADLY to take such a risk!" "Then let's find them and make them wish they'd never started this mess!" Jupiter snarled, her green eyes furious. "Where does one find the largest room on one of these vessels?" Galen asked Kreigh. She frowned in thought as she tried to recall the plans she had seen of the Reaver class. "If I remember correctly," she replied slowly, "The room which contains the Power Core, is the largest by far." Galen nodded. "Let's go then. You lead, Kreigh." He shifted to his human form as she nodded and led them into the ship. As they traveled cautiously down a dimly lit passageway, Venus looked curiously around the badly damaged interior. "Why is almost everything here made of wood?" she asked. "The amount of iron needed to make a ship of THIS size would require much magic," Kreigh answered her, "Except for a few iron fittings, the entire ship is constructed out of wood. Even the hull. Iron is also too heavy. Much MORE magic would be needed to lift the thing. Aether Sailors are expensive enough when made of wood. Use iron, and no one could afford to build one!" Venus nodded in understanding. Rounding a corner, they came to a junction between two corridors, about half-way to their destination. They came to an abrupt halt at sight of what was blocking the junction. "Uh Oh," Venus called back to the others, "A welcoming committee!" The others moved up quickly on her flanks. Facing them was a twenty foot Dark Kindred, a squad of four Killanki and three Shadow Demons. The Dark Kindred eyed them hungrily. "The blond hatchling is MINE! Destroy the others." It whispered to the other creatures. With hoarse cries and guttural snarls, the Killanki and Shadow Demons attacked. Venus never even noticed when her friends were forced back by the swirl of battle. She was locked in a contest of wills with the Dark Kindred, Nightshadow. <> her thoughts whispered in Venus' mind as Venus struggled to break the mental bonds Nightshadow had imposed on her. She knew, without asking, that Nightshadow was the Dark Kindred version of a Shell Twin. Ebonar never had powers like this! She struggled desperately, as Nightshadow continued to taunt her. Kreigh and Jadeite laid about them with their swords, trying to clear the way to Venus. Kreigh snarled and thrust out a glowing hand. Spikes erupted from the wooden walls and impaled two Killanki, who turned to dust without a sound. Jadeite smiled grimly. he thought. Concentrating, he levitated two jagged bits of wood and they flew at the two remaining Killanki. His aim was true and they exploded into dust with hoarse cries. Galen's flame, while not as powerful in his human form, disposed of one Shadow Demon, while Jupiter's Thunder Javelin destroyed another. "JUPITER THUNDER JAVELIN IMPALE!!" She threw the bolt at the last Demon as Galen wrapped the bolt with his fire. The Demon shrieked as the fire encased bolt slammed into him and exploded him into flaming ashes. Jadeite looked up in horror to see Venus walking closer to Nightshadow. "MINAKO-CHAN!!" he cried desperately, "FIGHT HER! YOU CAN DO IT!!" He ran towards her, the others at his heels. Venus fought furiously to raise her hand as knowledge entered her mind. Nightshadow briefly glanced up as the others approached. They halted abruptly as her mind seized them as well. Jadeite fought to free himself, and being no slouch at mental combat himself. Nightshadow had to devote much of her effort to holding him immobile. As the Dark Kindred's hold on Venus' mind lessened, her hand rose jerkily. Sweat streamed down her face as she raised it bit by bit. "VENUS!" Her right hand began to glow with a bright yellow light. "SUNSHINE!" She held her right hand, palm up, in front of her. "KISS!!" She blew across her palm and the glow left her hand to form a blazing ball of energy that flew at her enemy. Nightshadow saw the attack too late to dodge it. She shrieked as it struck. "NOOOOO!!" She exploded into dust. "Holy cow!" Jupiter whispered, stunned. Venus collapsed, exhausted, as Jadeite, freed from Nightshadow's hold, went to his knees beside her, and took her exhausted form into his arms. He simply held her tightly as the others kept watch against further attacks. That had been TOO close! "She almost had me," Venus whispered, her face hidden against his neck. "Are you alright, Minako-chan?" he asked, desperately concerned. She nodded. She suddenly realized what he had called her and looked up slowly, a question in her tear filled blue eyes. He had no trouble answering it as he leaned down and kissed her gently on her mouth. He raised his head and looked into her shining eyes with a gentle smile. "Now I know why Usagi always looked so spaced out after Mamoru-san kissed her," she whispered. He choked off a laugh at that. "Maybe so," he returned with a grin, "But you're MY princess!" He helped her to her feet. "Is she alright, Jadeite?" Jupiter asked worriedly. "I'm fine, Jupiter," Venus answered as she smiled at Jadeite. Venus was on Cloud Nine. Jupiter looked back and forth between them and grinned. "Yes, I guess you are, aren't you?" Venus felt her cheeks flush and raised her chin, as if daring it to go further. "We have a mission to complete, I believe." Jupiter hid a smile and nodded to Kreigh to continue. They moved carefully through the corridors of the ship until they stopped at a large set of doors. "The Power Core should be beyond those doors!" Kreigh warned them. "It is!" Galen answered tensely, "I can FEEL it!" Kreigh put a hand on one door while Jupiter grabbed the other. At Galen's terse nod, they yanked them open and everyone ran through. A large room lay beyond the doors. In the center, was a column in which a large crystal was suspended. The crystal pulsated with power. The damage throughout the ship didn't seem to have reached this room. To everyone's surprise, only a single female Dark Elf awaited them. Venus shuddered at the look of madness in the amber eyes. Kreigh stepped forward and raised a glowing hand. "Let the illusions end, NOW," she stated without ceremony. The Dark Elf wavered and a twenty foot Dark Kindred stood there. The look of madness in her burning red eyes, however, did NOT change. Jupiter's eyes, however, were drawn to a shielded cage. "Shinozaki!" she cried, and looking into his eyes, she knew that he knew who she was. She moved unobtrusively towards her friend's cage. "I am Nightshade," the Dark Kindred whispered, "You have slain my twin sister. For that, you will pay most dearly." She closed her eyes in concentration and the great crystal began to pulsate. The ship began to shake violently. "She's going to shake the ship apart!!" Kreigh cried. Venus looked aghast. "But she'll die too!" Kreigh grabbed the door as the shaking intensified. "She doesn't care!" Kreigh answered grimly, "Shell twins are linked and she was driven mad when her twin died!" "We gotta stop her! VENUS SUNSHINE KISS!!" Her attack flew at Nightshade, and was absorbed by the glowing shield that suddenly appeared around her. "She's united her powers with the Crystal!", Kreigh gasped in shock. She drew her sword and filled it with most of the power she had left. "NOW, STRIKE MY SWORD WITH YOUR POWERS!! EVERYONE!!" she cried as she threw her sword at Nightshade. "VENUS SUNSHINE KISS!!" "JUPITER THUNDER JAVELIN IMPALE!!" The two Senshi attacks struck the hurtling sword and were absorbed, as was Jadeite's psionic bolt and Galen's flame. The sword ripped through the shield and buried itself to the hilt in Nightshade's chest. She cried out in agony and despair as she disintegrated. With her death, the crystal began to pulsate irregularly, faster and faster. The ship's shuddering grew more violent by the minute. "Oh no! The core is destabilizing! WE GOTTA GOT OUT OF HERE!!" Kreigh cried, "Jupiter? Jupiter! Come on! You can kiss him later!" Everyone crowded around as Jupiter and Shinozaki came up. "Join hands! Shinozaki, in the middle!" Kreigh commanded, "OK, Venus, Jupiter, draw on the power we have left and get us to the shrine, before this wreck becomes our tomb!" They nodded and everyone joined hands. "SAILOR TELEPORT!!" they cried, and they wavered and vanished. The glowing Crystal was now incandescent as it pulsated so fast, it was almost constant. The wrecked cruiser floated in orbit, shudders wracking its length. A sudden silent eruption of savage white light. When the light faded, the ship was gone as if it had never been. End of Chapter 12 NEXT: Chapter 13 Moon times Two: Crescent Power Starlight Tower, Morgoth knows more than he should, Sailor Moon is VERY angry! BE THERE!!