Episode 5:
True Nature
In the emptiness of space between the planets of Neptune and Pluto, a large ship hung, drifting aimlessly without care. It's quad engines glowed dimly, with relatively little power being emitted from them. A few dots of light shone along the gray hull, where the inhabitants could gaze out at the wondrous nothingness of the starfield, and lose themselves in it's beauty and vastness.
Through one such window, a man sat in a chair, turned away from his obsidian desk, gazing through inhuman gray eyes out at the faint image of Sol, the yellow star of this system, though at this distance it was hardly brighter than any other star. He wondered at the irony of such a common sun containing the brightest figure in the galaxy within it's embrace. Serenity. He thought to himself.
She was the object of several hundred years of searching, an itch in his mind that had pestered him every day since he had heard of Galaxia's. . .well, death was as good a word as any. To him she was dead forever, she who had shown him who he truly was, and what his destiny was to be. But that. . .woman had killed her, or at least the person Zeldelak remembered. Now Neo-Queen Serenity's name was sung on worlds across the galaxy as the savior of their existence. She had freed them of Galaxia's reign of slaughter. Fools, he thought with a smile. How quickly they forgot me. Me, the one who holds the true power.
The door to his room opened, admitting the corridor's light as well as the man who had opened it. He entered two steps and waited as the doors closed, shutting the light, before walking forward and standing just to the right of the swiveled chair.
After a moment, the intruder spoke. "Elethar has failed, my lord."
Zeldelak's face showed nothing. "I see. This Serenity destroyed him, then?"
"No. The Hunter caught up to him, and-"
"The Hunter!" Zeldelak hissed. Then composed himself again. "I was wondering when he would resurface again. I assume Elethar was no match for him."
That received a nod.
"Very well." Zeldelak looked up at his lieutenant. "Do you think this Serenity poses a threat to me, Turshin?"
Turshin hesitated. "I do not think so. Elethar defeated she and her senshi guardians easily. She did wound him, but he would have slain her if not for the Hunter's interference."
"Yet she defeated Galaxia."
"True. But Galaxia herself was no match for you, my lord. Your power far surpasses anything a senshi could summon."
"Perhaps." Zeldelak's eyes bored through the window at the faint sun. "It would not be honorable to claim vengeance upon a helpless enemy."
"No, my lord. But she does have the Hunter protecting her. That could hardly be called helpless. If anything, it could be a chance for us to destroy the Hunter, and if the queen just happens to be there-"
"You forget yourself, Turshin. Motive is the base of honor. I will not make excuses for killing a helpless child. Yet, I do not believe she is helpless. She has senshi around her, as well as that Silver Crystal. We would be wise to not underestimate her." His eyes narrowed as he made his decision. "Very well, recall Sailors Rigel and Denab. We will use them to lull Serenity into a false sense of security, them come out of seclusion. Then we will see how helpless she is."
"And the Hunter?"
Zeldelak's jaw clenched. "We will deal with him, as well. Our little private war has become very tiresome to me. It is time that it ended. Either way, his hunts end on the planet Earth."
***
Sailor Mars tapped a few buttons on her desktop computer, bringing up her itinerary for the day. Appointments. . .appointments. . .appointments. She sighed wearily. It was not going to be a fun day. She was not rested despite the seven hours sleep she'd had the night before, and her body felt a mental and physical fatigue that even her senshi powers could not fully dissipate.
After Michael's telling of his tale two nights ago, her sleeping hours had been plagued by dreams of the Moon Kingdom overlapping with present-day events, which in turn overlapped her memories of her turbulent adolescence. The result was that she was feeling more tiredness after waking up than before she went to sleep. So she had to assume her senshi form to stay awake, which in turn resulted in images flooding her mind and distracting her from any semblance of work. At least they're not so jumbled now.
And that was the truth. She was trying a new strategy of not fighting her. . .memories, and was now making a conscious effort to organize them, find a pattern in the chaos. It was helping, if only a little. She focused on memories involving Michael or Serenity, though there were few that involving either separately. That helped to build a point of reference from which to place the other images she knew. The Silver Palace. The Tranquil Gardens. The Mountains of Peace. She remembered them all. But the many faces she saw she could not put a name to, and that was the most frustrating part of all. She sighed. Perhaps in time. . .
There was a buzz outside her door; her newly rebuilt door, as Michael had destroyed the previous one. A glance at her monitor told her that Sailor Umbriel was her first appointment.
The young senshi strode into the room, the bounce and youth present in her step, something that had long been absent from Mars' experienced stride. Umbriel's long raven black hair was in a ponytail, yet it still cascaded down her back to waist-length. Many other senshi joked that it was only her European features that kept she and Mars from being twins. Mars did not care for the joke much.
The younger senshi sat down at attention, back straight, ankles crossed under the seat. "You asked to see me, sir?"
"Yes," Mars answered. After an uncomfortable silence, she tapped off her screen and looked Umbriel in the eyes. "I need you to do something for me. I don't think you'll mind much doing it, but I want you to know just how important it is."
Umbriel leaned forward attentively.
"I want you to go to Michael, and give a sort of interview."
Umbriel gave a hint of a smile, but quickly forced her face to an indifferent appearance. "What about, exactly?"
Mars hesitated a moment. Her eyes narrowed at her young pupil. She wanted more than an interview, the little. . .She stopped her train of thought, and wondered, with concern, what had brought it on. "Well, after his little tale the other day, her majesty has expressed some concern about his powers and where exactly they stem from. In other words, she doesn't want it getting around with the younger senshi that it's possible to harness anger and aggression into a strong magic. It's one thing to be two thousand years old and living with it. It's quite another to be an ambitious young woman, just testing her limits and abilities. She wants no dabbling in unknown areas of magic."
Umbriel swallowed hard. She understood the implications of that, being a student of magical theory. "I understand. But sir, if I may ask, I'm only nineteen, myself. A 'young' senshi, like you say. Wouldn't yourself or another planet senshi be more suitable for this?"
"Are you turning the assignment down?"
"No sir!" Umbriel replied quickly. "I'm just. . .curious about why you'd trust me over other younger senshi."
"Well, you're already a student of magical theory, so you'd probably understand what he said more than any other senshi. Also, his story involves us- the planet senshi -in a very personal way. He may know us better than we know ourselves. It's too much distraction, and some of us aren't taking it in good stride. I'm recommending to the queen that we take time to think awhile on this before we can confront him about it."
"I didn't realize that."
"Well, now you know. So are you up to it?"
"Yes sir! I'll prepare my questions now and do it later today." She stood at attention.
"Very good. Dismissed." As Umbriel reached the door, Mars added, "Lara, be careful. He may seem very kind and charming, but remember that he's lived through two thousand years of hell. We may not be able to see what's deep inside him, but be aware what's lurking down there. Okay?"
Umbriel swallowed hard again. "You don't trust him?"
Mars opened her mouth to reply, but stopped, putting a hand to her head to try and stop a fresh deluge of memories. "It's not that, we can trust him with our lives, I believe. But I don't know about trusting him with your heart."
Umbriel nodded and flushed slightly. "Okay. I'll be careful. Thank you, sir." And she turned and left.
After the door shut. Mars laughed aloud at herself. Was she actually feeling jealous? She couldn't understand it. He was tall and handsome of course, but she was not a little girl anymore. There was nothing to attract her to him besides things physical. And Mars was not given to little schoolgirl fancies anymore. Or at least she thought she wasn't. Those blasted images running through her brain didn't help either.
She sighed with resignation, and decided to concentrate on her work as best she could. Michael could wait for her until later.
***
From the forward window on his high perch, Zeldelak watched the starlines recede to their normal points as his startship decelerated. The ship rushed towards the blue sphere of Earth, but then veered slightly off to catch itself in the planet's gravity. It would be some moments before the ship found a speed and altitude where it could orbit without aid of the engines. That power would be needed to teleport the senshi here from Rigel.
He could vaguely feel the Hunter down there. . .somewhere. Of course, the fool would not sense him until Zeldelak was actually on the surface. They may have equal strength in Thalaxian Power, but Zeldelak had greater clarity of thought, allowing him to sense more, and be aware of his surroundings. He was well aware of the subdued rage contained in the Hunter's heart, and what its cause was. It was not that Zeldelak felt pity for him, but they were as close as two beings could be without being blood. He wanted the Hunter to be at his peak when they finally clashed for the last time. Then Zeldelak would prove his superiority, that he was indeed the strongest being in the universe. Nothing else mattered. Only that.
There was a beep, and Turshin's voice came through the intercom, "My lord, we have attained a powerless orbit, and we are awaiting your orders to bring the senshi aboard."
"Proceed," was his only reply.
There was a pause, the lights dimmed slightly from the power drain, and then there were two. . .no three new presences on board the ship. Zeldelak chuckled to himself. The third would be Sailor Sirius. Poor Turshin.
As they made their way to his chamber, he asked himself one last time if this was how he wished to approach Serenity. In all likelihood, he could just go to Serenity now and do away with her. No, she had the Hunter there with him, and although they were equal in strength, there were senshi all around her, and they combined with the Hunter could actually overwhelm him. Patience, he thought to himself, will bring honor, as well as vengeance.
The doors to his study opened, and six figures entered. Turshin, the brothers Arlec and Drellec, and the sailor senshi Denab, Rigel, and Sirius. Turshin was placing himself as close to the lovely Sirius as possible, and she was squirming away from him just as quickly. She stopped, however, when she noticed Zeldelak's dreadful gaze on her.
"So, Turshin," he said without taking his eyes off Sirius, "I see you're taking some initiative now."
He stopped in mid-stride toward Sirius, and shrank back, hanging his head low. Sirius looked at him with cold eyes, obviously just finding out that it was his idea she was there.
"No matter. We have no time for petty quarrels, as the time for our vengeance is upon us. Below us is Earth, the planet where Galaxia met her doom. You senshi have been on the run ever since her death. You served her loyally, as well as I, and now I give you the chance to avenge yourselves upon she who has destroyed our once great empire. Serenity."
Sailor Denab hissed, her purple shaded eyes growing dark under her short cropped brown hair. Her senshi color combination consisted primarily of blacks and greens, with a long forest green bow streaming down her back, denoting her as having super status. Rigel wore a sneer, marring her otherwise gorgeous face. She had long, honey-blond hair, cascading in waves around her face and down her back. She wore the traditional white bodice white a sky-blue skirt with gold trim around the base, a long bow on her back, and the same-shade of blue high heels. Her daughter, Sirius, did not have the same look of hate on her face, as she was born well after Galaxia's death, some twenty-five years ago. Her uniform was the color of shining silver, with a long, gleaming white bow down her back. Her hair was golden blond, and in a braid hanging down just passed her waist. Zeldelak could see why Turshin desired her.
But there would be none of that here. Not now. "Now, this is how we shall proceed." And he laid out his simple plan to draw out the queen, and deal with the senshi that protected her. The Hunter he would save for himself.
Zeldelak smiled cruelly at Turshin's scowl at the announcement that Sirius would be staying with him until further notice.
***
It was afternoon, the day was winding down, and Sailor Umbriel wandered down the main corridor of the western wing of the Crystal Palace, eyes downward in thought, reviewing the questions she would be asking Michael. She was very nervous, and wrung her hands and took deep breaths as she tried to relax herself. Sailor Mars had given her a warning about the big Thalaxian Knight, but she wasn't paying it much mind. He had saved her life twice, he was handsome, kind to his friends, strong. . .she smiled to herself as she realized she was making a list about him. Hardly proper behavior for a senshi, she thought to herself, and giggled.
She stopped, realizing she was already in front of his new quarters. The queen had requested of him- well, demanded really -that he reside with them at the palace. He had, of course, had the grace to accept, so now he resided in the west wing, near the center of the palace. Sailor Mars had been a little upset that he was so near the queen, but put up very little argument.
Umbriel ran her fingers through her hair, and ran her hands down her fuku. Not that it would ever wrinkle, but she was fidgety. She'd had only two boyfriends during her adolescence, and neither of them serious. Now her eyes were on a two-thousand year old man who was one of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy. She swallowed hard at that thought. After a couple minutes of staring at his door, ignoring the odd looks from passersby, she touching the door buzzer.
A nervous moment passed, and then his door opened, revealing his smiling face. He was wearing black, naturally, but this time did not have his sword on his back, or his cloak, and was a stark contrast to his white-blond hair. He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen, except for the queen's.
She pushed those thoughts aside and bowed. "Hi." Was all she could muster, and inwardly called herself some rather nasty names for it.
He grinned. "Hello, Sailor Umbriel. Mars called me and said you would be coming by and why."
She'd do anything just to talk to him, wouldn't she. She thought, but said aloud, "Well, then, why don't we get started?"
But instead of letting her in, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. "I've been cooped up in here all day. How about we take a walk while we talk?"
It was all she could do not to dance for joy. With all the control she could summon, she smiled her sweetest smile and replied, "That would be great. The palace gardens are gorgeous this time of day. How about that?" Was she coming on too strong?
"Perfect. Then let's get to it." And together, they strode down the corridor, an interesting pair with her raven black hair compared to his blond, as well as he being nearly a foot taller than she.
Umbriel took a silent deep breath. So far, so good.
***
"Come in, Mars," came the queen's reply to her pressing the door buzzer.
Mars walked into the large Queen's Room, the highest chamber in the Crystal Palace, where the queen sat on her luxurious sofa, watching a news report on the television. King Endymion sat on another sofa absently stroking Luna's belly on his lap as he watched from the other side of the room.
Serenity motioned Mars to her side, and then pointed at the TV. "Well, it's out. The press somehow got wind that there was a pitched battle in the palace. Somehow they have photos- photos! -from inside the palace showing some of the bodies left by Elethar. I've seen a dozen reports ranging from the death of the queen to dark senshi attacking the Earth."
"I'm sorry, Serenity. They must have taken those pictures during the chaos of the battle. It won't happen again."
Serenity smiled up at her. "Don't worry, I'm not worried about the pictures. I'm just a little irritated at the press. Sometimes I think they are the most powerful force on the planet." She waved her hand, and the TV shut off. "Now, what did you want to see me about?"
"Well," said Mars, "I was wondering what you planned to do about . . .him, and this threat that's supposedly coming. I'd like to prepare the palace and the city, but if you're going to take any action, I was hoping to know about it in advance."
"I have faith in you, Mars. I know you'll do the best job possible preparing for Zeldelak's arrival. For now, my main job is going to be making appearances to the public and reassuring them that all is well. Not a task I look forward to, considering everything is not all right." She sighed.
Mars nodded, but did not leave. "Serenity. . ."
"You're wondering what I think about our new visitor." Mars nodded gravely. "Well, he saved our lives. Yours twice. I think that at least he deserves our gratitude. However, Luna there tells me that he hasn't told the whole story, and that worries me." She threw a glare at Luna. "Of course, she won't tell me any details, saying 'It's his story, I'll let him tell it'."
Luna turned her head, and smiled with mock innocence at the queen, purring loudly as the King scratched behind her ears.
Serenity frowned, but then gave a little laugh. "Oh well, I suppose we can always move her litter box outside the palace if she won't tell me."
Luna's eyes shot wide open, looking with annoyance at the chuckling king. "My litter- ! Your majesty, you know very well that I don't use a-"
"Relax Luna," Serenity said. "I'm joking. We'll only move your food dish."
Luna stuck her tongue out at the queen of the Earth, and forced her head into the King's hand, who, still laughing, began scratching her ears again.
Then the queen's face grew serious. "Sailor Mars, this Michael may be our only weapon against men like Elethar. Whatever his past, we need him close by. I just hope his loyalties truly are with us, and he doesn't go insane when Zeldelak arrives."
Mars nodded, memories of Michael flooding through her mind. Memories of Michael that included the Princess of the Moon. She looked down at the queen, some of those memories were rather personal. Kisses, hugs, embraces with Michael, the Moon Queen, as well as the Moon Princess. Mars thought that rather odd.
***
The gardens of the Crystal Palace faced to the west, and at this time of day, with the sun's edge just brushing the horizon, gave spectacular view of the sunset. Especially on the uppermost level of the gardens- there were three -the orange and red light reflected beautifully off of the various fauna on the lower two.
It was upon this upper level that Umbriel talked with Michael, striding slowly along the guardrail, asking questions and admiring the view. The gardens were pleasant-looking, as well.
"I suppose it was possible in ancient times," replied Michael to Umbriel's latest question. "but I've never heard of a female Thalaxian Knight before. The gene is only present in males, as far as I know."
"Why?" she asked.
"I really don't know. I never was much of a geneticist, but I suppose I could reply by asking why there are no male senshi, either. I always just assumed they were sex-linked, like baldness or color-blindness."
"Sex-linked, huh?," she replied, trying to shake away the adolescent thoughts she was having surrounding the words 'sex-linked'. She decided to change the subject before she said something. . .inappropriate. "What exactly is a thalaxian capable of?"
He pursed his lips. "Well, that's kind of a difficult question for me. You see, Zeldelak and I are exceptions to all the rules. Normal thalaxians are given certain gifts and strengths. Some fight with raw energy, some with the elements- like Elethar -, and some had superhuman strength. With the two of us, since we are. . .different, we are strong in all aspects of our magic. I am just as strong with energy as I am with fire, as I am with lightning, and so on. When I fight a delthalaxi, though, I fight him on his own terms. Elethar, for example, was good with a sword and skilled with elemental powers. So that's how I fought him."
Umbriel frowned. "That's more of that honor stuff you talked about earlier, right?"
"Yeah."
"So you and Zeldelak go by the same honor code? How is that possible if you fight each other?"
Michael looked out at the half-set sun. "It's not the same code, anymore. For either of us. He has twisted it so that it is acceptable to murder and kill people in the name of power. Galaxia taught him that. For me, the code is all about justice, or perhaps vengeance. I made a vow to Queen Serenity a thousand years ago, and I have lived by it ever since. I mean to avenge she and the Elaru upon Zeldelak. He is a arrogant murderer, who must be eliminated if anyone is to be safe ever again."
He saw Umbriel's frown and said, "I know. It sounds very cold, but if you could see Elar still burning today, and the countless millions he has murdered, you would agree with me."
"So there's no hope of his turning back to good?"
Michael shook his head. "Once the Madness takes hold of a thalaxian, all his sense of right and wrong are gone. All that matters is the sense of satisfaction from the use of aggression. That aggression serves us well when we are in control, but when we turn Mad, it is the thing that controls us. It is a very, very dangerous thing." He pursed his lips in thought. "I suppose that 'Madness' is the wrong term to use in this language. Perhaps 'unbridled bloodlust' would be more appropriate."
Umbriel resisted the urge to step back from him. "You're. . .not. . .?"
Michael smiled sadly. "No, I've not been overtaken by the Madness. I've come close, too close, but never over the edge. I-"
Umbriel looked up at him from her gaze at the setting sun, and her heart dropped into her stomach. Michael's eyes, once calm and kind, were now cold as ice, and hard as diamonds. Blue lightning flashed in them, and the crystal blue iris' glowed bright blue, a second before they ignited into that blue glow. It was not like before at the Crystal Throne, because now they were like two blue suns, blazing bright.
She took two terrified steps back, horrified by his face which had become contorted with rage and a vicious snarl. That noise- like a lion growling overlapped by a human's snarl -emanated from deep within his throat. His hands gripped the crystal guardrail so that his knuckles were white, and the rail itself bent.
Then his eyes turned to her. She couldn't see the pupils, but she just knew they were boring through her like two drills. She wanted to run, screaming. This was no man, he was more animal then human; no human could have a spell like this. Any girlish thoughts she had about him were lost from her mind when she fell under his vengeful stare.
"They're here," he said with surprising calm, though it was through a clenched jaw.
"Who?" she asked in a weak voice. She wrung her hands, they were trembling violently.
"Zeldelak, Turshin, Arlec, and Drellec. They're all here on Earth, now. I just sensed them."
She turned away from his terrible gaze, and looked at where the sun had just disappeared from the sky. She no longer knew which caused her more terror, the thought of their enemies, or the thought of her new. . .friend.
***
Next time, we get back to the action, as Sailor Denab introduces herself to Serenity.
To go back to the fanfic library click here.
