Chapter 2: The Siege

Jacey crept around the Moon Kingdom Palace looking for a friendly face.  Apollo and Athena were asleep back in their abandoned wing, the wing that Jacey was forbidden to leave.
As she walked by her old room in the Earth wing she remembered how it all began.
***
"Jacey, you cannot fight in the war!" Serenity said embracing the girl.  Her eyes began to tear up, "I cannot send the girl that I revere as my second daughter into battle as I cannot send my own daughter."  
"Jacey," Darien said hugging Jacey, "I love you too much to let any harm come to you.  That is why I proposed that you did not take the powers."
"But I want to!  I will not be hurt, I promise."  She walked over to Serena.  "All that I want is to protect my family and my people, and if this is what it takes, so be it!"
“It is out of the question.  I absolutely forbid it,” Queen Jennifer choked out.  “You are my only daughter, and I love you so much.  I would have been so proud to have seen you standing there receiving the powers of Sailor Earth, but I would rather have you rule by my side and after my passing than to see you getting killed in battle.”  At that, she broke down into tears.  Jacey ran to her mother and held her in her arms as she used to do to Jacey when she was upset as a child.
Seeing her mother in such a state, mascara running and choking on her own tears, Jacey had only one thing to say, “If it means that much to everyone, I will not fight.”  Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.  Jacey looked forlornedly at Serena, who could only look helplessly back.
***
Jacey walked out into the gardens to look at the war-torn Earth.  “Why us?”  She thought to herself.  “What has the Earth done to Beryl!  All we ever wanted was peace, and now look.”  Jacey’s eyes welled up with tears, but she wouldn’t permit herself to cry.  It was crying, and not helping, that got her into this mess in the first place.
***
Jacey became so miserable after that day in the tactics room on the Moon.  No one could stand her wailing anymore.  “Jacey, please, I cannot think with you whining like that!” King Jamin said to his tear soaked daughter.  “Why do you not go and help prepare the Scouts for the eminent battle?  It would be good to see all of your friends again!”
“NO!” she shouted in retaliation.  “I do not want to train them, I want to be one of them!”
King Jamin rose out of his chair and approached Jacey, his face growing a shade redder with each step.  “This is supposed to be a future queen?”  he roared.  “You, who would do anything to help your people only two weeks ago!  I thought you were being noble, like a true queen is supposed to be.  But no, you just wanted to be like your friends!”  Jacey shrank into the corner, sniffling and choking, she tried to tell him he was wrong, but no words would come out.
“Father,” Darien said standing in the doorway.  “I have received word that the Negaforce is rapidly approaching Mars.”
Jacey bolted up.  “I must leave then, Queen Serenity wanted me to go to the Moon as soon as Beryl reached Mars.”  She started to move to the door, but her mother stopped her.
“My dear, how could you leave your people in a time like this?  They need your support and morale right now.  What will they think if you leave?  There will be widespread panic.  I am sorry, I know Serenity wanted you there, away from harm, but I cannot let you go.  It is an honor to die for your people.”  Queen Jennifer said hugging her.
At the word ‘die’, Jacey turned a pale whitish-green.  “Mother, I do not feel so well.  I think I must lie down in my room for a while.  Then I will go speak to the people.”  Her mother nodded and kissed Jacey on the cheek.  She received a kiss on the top of her head from her father and a bow from her brother.  She then threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.  “In case I do not see you before the siege,” she whispered in his ear, “I love you, big brother.”
She slowly climbed the stairs to her bedroom; Apollo and Athena joined her at the top of the stairs.  “We heard everything,” Athena said rubbing up against Jacey’s leg.
Apollo jumped onto her shoulder.  “We’re so sorry.  If it were up to us, you would have been on the Moon when Beryl reached Saturn.” He said wiping a tear from her eye.
“Well,” Jacey said scratching under his chin, “We are going to the Moon.  After I give my address to the people of the kingdom, the three of us will leave.  Serenity will take us in, I know it.”  Jacey went into her room to call Serena, knowing it might be the last time they would talk in a long time.
***
Serena saw something soar overhead.  “It is the Negaforce!” she thought immediately.  As it approached the Palace, Jacey realized it was her brother. “He is alive!” she rejoiced to herself.  She and Serena had begged Darien not to fight, for his own safety.  But the stubborn 18 year old was determined to fight for Earth, and then for the Moon.
Jacey wanted so badly to run to him, but she knew she couldn’t, he thought she was dead.  “Darien,” she whispered, “If you can hear me, I love you!”  She knew he couldn’t though, just like he couldn’t hear her when Beryl struck.
***
“People of the Earth!” Jacey began.  “Speaking as your future queen, I say we can send Beryl back to the black hole she came from!”  The crowd began to cheer wildly, raising their arms in unity.  “I have complete confidence in our armies.  And not only them, we have the Sailor Scouts to protect us.  They are waiting on the Moon to come and fight for us when the time comes!”  Jacey saw Darien on the street below her podium where she was delivering her address.  She waved at him and smiled.  “We need everyone’s cooperation on this, though.  The army is going to need food, and clothing, and maybe even homes to be quartered in.  If you have anything to spare, please bring it to any of your local grocery stores.  Every little bit . . .”
Then there was a huge bag off in the distance followed by a giant mushroom cloud of smoke.  “We are under attack!” A guard holding an intercom screamed.  The crowd began to scream and panic.
“Please, please calm down and go to the underground shelters!” Jacey shouted into the microphone.  But no one seemed to hear her.  She spun around to the guard.  “Call out the army and get the Scouts out here now!  I am going to find my family!” 
She jumped into the crowd and Apollo and Athena, who had been standing beside her on the podium, jumped in along side of her.  Jacey quickly caught sight of Darien.  “Darien!  Darien!” she screamed, but he didn’t hear her.  She was practically trampled in the crowd, so she decided to find her mother and father.
“This is it darling,” Queen Jennifer said to her husband.  Jacey entered the room to find her parents hugging.  “Sweetheart!” her mother called to her when she saw her enter.  “Come here, I want us to be together.”
“No mother, we must escape!  Go to the Moon, quickly!”  she said running to her parents’ side.
“We told you before darling, it is an honor to die for your people.  We all must stay.” King Jamin said smoothing out Jacey’s hair.
“Then I must go find Darien!” she said dashing out of the room.  She turned around as she got to the door.  “I love you both so much.”  Jacey picked up her skirts and dashed off.  She quickly turned the corner, but then heard the voices of a man and a woman.  Peering around the corner, she saw Zoicite and Malachite, two of Beryl’s generals. 
“Now you get yours Jennifer!” Zoicite shouted disappearing into the room Jacey had only moments before left.  She heard her mother scream then hit the floor.  Jacey covered her mouth to avoid being sick.  Then she heard her father hit Zoicite and she went flying out the door.
“Zoicite!” Malachite shouted.  “You’re next old man!”  Jacey heard another body hit the floor. 
Panic stricken, she ran down the hallway as fast as she could.  She ran into Apollo and Athena as she turned down another hall.  “We must leave for the Moon now!” Apollo said.  “Concentrate, Jacey, we know you can do it!”
Jacey picked up the cats and closed her eyes.  A blue green aura surrounded them; she opened her eyes and shouted “Earth Teleport!”
Moments later, Jacey was in her room in the Moon Kingdom Palace.  “Apollo, Athena,” she said, her voice cracking.  “Go find Queen Serenity and bring her here.  And do not let anyone see you or they will know I am here.”
“Right!” they said in unison.  They turned on their heels and were gone.
Jacey paced back and forth, feeling like a coward and a deserter.  “How could I just leave my people like that!  In their darkest hour, I just abandoned them.  What kind of princess am I?” she thought to herself.
As a tear began to form in her eye, Serenity burst into the room.  “Jacey!  You are alive and well!”  They threw their arms around each other and Jacey began to cry hysterically.  “What is wrong my child?”
“I deserted my people!  The Negaforce attacked and I fled!” she sobbed.  Jacey proceeded to tell Serenity about the attack and her parents.  “Have the Scouts been sent to defend Earth yet?” she asked calming herself down.
Serenity bit her lip.  “To tell you the truth, the siege is over.  The Negaforce won.  We got a transmission, only minutes before Apollo and Athena found me, that said you and your parents had been killed.  They had not found your body, but some said you were trampled in the crowd after your address.”  Jacey gasped and put her hands over her mouth.  “I am sorry dear,” Serenity said putting her hand on Jacey’s shoulder.  “It is all over.”
***
Queen Serenity decided to hide Jacey.  She knew the overly suspicious guards would throw her out on the street or kill her.  Hiding the poor frightened girl was the only option. 
“Jacey!” Serenity called softly down the old abandoned Lithena corridor.  Lithena was the tenth planet in the solar system, between Jupiter and Mars, which was shattered into the asteroid belt by Queen Beryl’s forces only a generation before.  “I have some supper for you!  And a clean dress.”
The dirt streaked pale face of the heiress to Earth poked out from around a corner.  “I am down here.” She waved.  “What kind of food did you bring?” Jacey asked as Serenity approached.  “I am so hungry!”
Serenity smiled and handed Jacey the tray.  “Its your favorite, leg of lamb with steamed broccoli.  Its not a big portion, but it should satisfy you.”
Jacey’s face lit up and she ran into the room and put the tray down on a table. She looked up at Serenity and realized she was in her best ball gown.  “What is going on tonight?  Is there a party?”
Serenity walked in and laid the new dress on the bed.  “Yes, there is a ball,” Jacey’s face lit up again.  “I am sorry, but you cannot come.  It would be too dangerous,” Jacey’s face fell, but she knew she could not argue with the fair queen.
“You should get going then.  I’ll be fine,” Jacey said.  Serenity nodded and hugged her.  She patted Jacey on the head then walked out of the room and down the hall.  Jacey watched her go and turn the corner.  As Serenity’s footsteps disappeared, Jacey slammed her head against the door-frame and began to cry without any signs of letting up.