Chapter 15
A Wind of Jupiter

	In the Negaverse, Drokvart was conferring with Lord Anord.  
	"Based on the energy recovered from our most recent drone, I would 
estimate that we will need only the energy from two more augmented 
drones in order to begin to take the offensive."
	"I will deploy both at once, my Lord, we have seen before that this 
strategy works well"
	"That is good.  I am becoming impatient with how long this is taking.  
The sooner we can proceed with our real objective, the more pleased I 
will be with you."
	"That's just what I'll do then, my Lord." Drokvart affirmed.  He warped 
to the storage hall, and changed two new protodrones, a centipede and a 
carpenter ant, their previously black bodies becoming white, with light 
blue and green accents.  He wanted to be reasonably careful, so he put 
the ant at Camosun College, and the centipede in Tokyo, in a temple he 
found there, reasoning that those reborn from the Silver Millennium 
would probably be spiritual people.

	It was Thursday, and Raye was over in Victoria, visiting with her 
cousins Triese and Aidan.
	"It's so good to see you again, Little one." Aidan said, giving Raye a 
hug, "Where on Earth have you been?"
	"I'm not little anymore you know." Raye said sternly, then laughed.
	"Ah, but to me you will always be my little cousin with the fiery 
temper, who I kept entertained by making little plays in the fireplace."
	"Wow, I'd almost forgotten that.  I must have been only two or three, 
and you were my favourite babysitter."
	"You mean I was your only babysitter, even though I was just seven.  I 
was the only one who could keep you entertained.  That's when they 
decided that I should be your personal protector."
	"Now that I do remember." said Raye, "My constant companion on hikes 
and trips.  You even used to leave training early to practice with me."
	"Well, there was a perfectly good reason for that, namely, unless there 
was already a fire burning, he couldn't do much good without you." 
Triese pointed out.
	"You do have a point there." Raye agreed.
	"Now come on," Aidan protested, "you have to admit that's not entirely 
true, I am pretty good in hand-to-hand combat."

	"I said `much' Aidan, not `any'.  Besides, I know perfectly well how 
good you are at hand-to-hand; after all, I'm the one who taught you."
	"I'm impressed that Brenna missed you enough to hunt you down the way 
she did." said Raye, "You're very lucky to have her, coz, and I must 
admit I'm just a tiny bit jealous."
	"Triese told me about some boy at the temple named Chad, what about 
him?" Aidan asked.
	"Chad?!" Raye exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding me!  He's just a 
good friend, that's all."
	"If that's so, then why are you blushing?" Triese asked.
	"I am not blushing!" Raye objected, blushing even brighter, this time 
with anger instead of embarrassment.

	The augmented ant protodrone scouted carefully around, its waving 
antennae scenting for the pheromones which would indicate its victim.  
On a drift of air, it caught the faintest hint of the right scent, and 
hurried off in that direction.  It soon found its victim, a fairly short 
young woman with blueish-white hair tucked neatly into a bun at the nape 
of her neck.  The protodrone gnashed its chitinous mandibles in gleeful 
anticipation, climbed up over her shoe to the exposed flesh just above 
her sock, and bit down hard.

	Raye snapped to attention.  "Elwing, there's another of those new bugs 
at Camosun!"
	"I'm on it!" Elwing called back, and immediately transported all of 
them to Camosun.
	"Moon Crystal Power!", "Mercury Star Power!", "Mars Star Power!", 
"Jupiter Star Power!", "Venus Star Power!", Elwing Navigator Power!", 
"Vega Navigator Power!", "Polaris Navigator Power!", "Rigel Navigator 
Power!", "Altair Navigator Power!", "Alphecca Navigator Power!", "Alcor 
Navigator Power!", "Mizar Navigator Power!", "Anteres Navigator Power!", 
"Thuban Navigator Power!".  They all quickly transformed, and Sailor 
Altair levitated the giant nat off its victim and Sailor Alcor wrapped 
it in vines.  The ant ripped out of its prison and spit a streaming acid 
which solidified, wrapping around Sailor Mizar.
	"NO!" screamed Sailor Rigel.  She blazed with orange energy, and 
materialized a blazing orange sabre in her hand.  In two strides she had 
made it to her side and slashed open the crystalline cocoon which held 
the object of her love.  The fragments of cocoon shattered as they hit 
the ground, and Sailor Mizar collapsed among them.  Sailor Rigel then 
turned her attention to the drone, but it had filled its energy quota, 
and winked back to the Negaverse.

	In the Cherry Hill Temple, the millipede drone wandered around the 
woods, keeping its sensitive antennae to the ground in search of 
appetizing prey.  
	Humming a new song and carrying a broom, Chad was walking along one of 
the treed paths, heading to a gazebo to sweep up fallen petals.  
	As it came across the path Chad had trod, the millipede's sensitive 
antennae picked up the scent of its prey.  Its multitudinous tiny legs 
doubled their pace, and it crept after him.  It quickly caught up to 
him, crawled up his sandal to above his sock, and sank its mandibles 
into his calf.
	
	Back in Victoria, Sailor Mars went blank for a minute, then muttered 
under her breath "stupid Negaverse creeps!"  "Guys, we've got a 
problem." she said to the others, "There's another drone, and it's in 
Tokyo."
	"Well, obviously Sailor Rigel and Sailor Mizar can't go," Sailor Elwing 
said, "but all the rest of us should go, what do you think, Sailor 
Moon?"
	"We're wasting time, lets just go!" Sailor Mars urged.
	Sailor Moon glared at her, then nodded, "for once we agree on 
something; let's go!" she said,
	
	Sailor Elwing immediately transported all those who were going to the 
Cherry Hill Temple.
	"Oh no!" exclaimed Sailor Mars, "it must be Grandpa!"  She started into 
the temple, but Sailor Polaris stopped her.
	"Th' drone's no' in there." he said.  Sailor Elwing linked with Sailor 
Polaris and made another little jump to where Chad lay half-hidden 
beneath the bulk of a giant millipede drone.
	"What?!"exclaimed Sailor Mars incredulously, "I thought these new 
drones only drained those with memories of the Silver Millennium?"
	"Just attack it, I'll explain later." Elwing told her.  But it was too 
late; those few seconds of indecision were all the drone needed, and it 
filled its energy quotient and disappeared back to the Negaverse.
	"Chad!" Sailor Mars screamed, and ran to him. "We have to get Sailor 
Rigel!"

	Sailor Rigel herself was already quite busy with the two victims of the 
other drone.  
	"Oh, Sailor Mizar, why did you have to be the one to get hit?" Sailor 
Rigel moaned as she busily replenished his energy.
	"Ohhh..." Sailor Mizar groaned, "what was that?"
	"Thank all the powers you're awake!" she exclaimed, "you really scared 
me there!"  Sailor Mizar tried to sit up, but Sailor Rigel gently pushed 
him down, "oh no you don't, I'm not finished with you yet, but I have to 
go revive the other victim, I'll be right back."  She kissed her finger 
and touched it to his forehead, then went to see her other "patient".  
`She doesn't look to be too badly off' Sailor Rigel thought to herself.
	"Is everything alright over here?" Reyltain asked, having just warped 
to the scene.
	"I've got everything under control, or I will as soon as I wake this 
poor soul up.  By the way, meet our latest victim." she said, indicating 
the light-haired girl lying on the ground nearby.
	"Why am I not surprised?" Reyltain muttered.  "Well, you'd better wake 
her up, that's Sailor Deneb.  I'll get her powerstick..."
	Just then Sailor Elwing interrupted.  "Sailor Rigel I need you here 
NOW!"
	"But I haven't woken the latest victim yet, and she's Sailor Deneb."
	"Well, I'll just bring her too, the situation here's more critical."
	"Who's hurt?"
	"For the moment, only Chad, but Sailor Mars is right on the verge of 
toasting anything in sight."
	"Alright, just be sure to grab Sailor Mizar too."
	"Of course!" sent Sailor Elwing, "Would you think I might forget?" she 
asked Sailor Rigel as she arrived.

	The scene which greeted her eyes was one of chaos where before there 
had been peace and tranquillity.  Bushes were crushed on either side of 
the path, and Chad was lying in the middle of the path, drained almost 
completely.  Everyone except for Sailor Thuban had backed as far away 
from Sailor Mars as they could, and Sailor Thuban was physically 
restraining her to keep her form doing any of her attacks and trying to 
"talk her down".  
	"Thank goodness you're here!" he said to Sailor Rigel, "I don't think I 
can hold her much longer."
	"Don't worry, I'll fix it." she said.  Going over to Chad, she laid her 
hands over his heart and forehead.  "I'm going to need some help here," 
she said, "Sailor Mars, come help me."
	"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Sailor Thuban asked her.
	"Let me go!" Sailor Mars shrieked, I want to help!"  She raised her 
tearstained face, eyes blazing, "it's my fault he's this bad."
	Sailor Thuban slowly let her go, and she ran over to Sailor Rigel, 
where she was kneeling beside Chad. "What do you need?" she asked.
	"I need that anger of yours; it's powerful stuff. Just stay focussed."
	Sailor Mars nodded.  Sailor Rigel took her hands and put them beneath 
her own and focussed the energy.  Slowly the blood came back to Chad's 
face, and he began to wake up.
	"This should be interesting." Sailor Elwing whispered to Sailor 
Polaris.
	"Aye, if he's th' same way as Brenna was, an' remembers `bout th' old 
life back on th' Moon, it could be a bit've a shock f'r both a them." he 
grinned, "Ah well, it's `bout time they figur'd it out anyhow."
	Just then, Chad sighed and opened his eyes.  He saw Sailor Mars and 
frowned for a second.  "Princess...?" he asked, seemingly confused, then 
shook his head, "Why didn't I remember all this stuff before?"
	"Lie still!" Sailor Rigel told him irritably, "it's a very long story, 
and it can wait until you're better."  Another couple of minutes, and 
Sailor Rigel was confident that Chad was out of danger.  "I leave him in 
your capable hands." she told Sailor Mars, who shook off the trance she 
had entered to focus.
	"Chad, I'm sorry," Sailor Mars said, "this was all my fault, I..."
	"Princess, why are you apologizing to me?" asked Chad, confused, "the 
Princess of Mars never apologizes!"
	Sailor Mars looked startled.  "How do you know about that time?"
	"Uh... I don't know... I just... remembered, ya know?"
	"Hey, where am I?" asked the blue-haired drone victim as she woke up.
	"Well," said Reyltain, "that's kind of a long story.  You're in a 
Shinto Temple in Japan, and we've got some important things to tell you.  
First, though, why don't you take this powerstick from me."
	She turned to Sailor Altair, "Is that cat really talking?"
	"He certainly is, and I suggest you do as he says."
	She took the sky-blue stick topped with a grey puff of wind inside a 
crescent moon.
	"Alright, now say `Deneb navigator Power'"
	The girl shook her head resignedly, "well, I suppose it isn't any more 
insane than a talking cat, here goes: Deneb Navigator Power!"
	Abruptly a funnel cloud came down out of a suddenly overcast sky and 
surrounded her, gradually getting absorbed into her body, and leaving 
behind a grey sailor suit with sky-blue bows.  The last vestiges of the 
twister whipped around her forehead, leaving behind a silver tiara with 
a hematite puff of wind.
	"Alright, now some of it makes sense, but would someone please explain 
why it is that I'm in Japan?"
	"You're here because this is where I and the other Sailor Scouts were 
reborn." Sailor Jupiter explained.
	"Not to mention the fact," Sailor Mars added, "That Chad here was 
attacked just as you were, and we were needed here to try to defend 
him."
	"Oh, I see.  Well, that makes more sense now.  Has our little cousin 
been behaving herself?" Sailor Deneb asked Sailor Altair.
	"The perfect picture of restraint, dear coz." he replied.
	"Uh... what's going on?" asked Chad.  
	The Scouts and Navigators looked around at each other, rather 
abashedly.  "Looks like we just blew it." Groaned Sailor Moon.
	"Chad," Sailor Rigel asked, "Do you know who Sailor Mars is?"
	"She's the Princess of the planet Mars." he answered somewhat 
contritely.
	"Yes, but aside from that."
	Chad thought for a second, closed his eyes, then opened them again and 
looked at Sailor Mars, "She's... Raye... isn't she."  Gaining 
confidence, he looked around, "and that's... Serena, and Lita, and over 
there is Amy... You're all Raye's friends who are always coming to 
visit, aren't you!"
	Sailor Elwing sighed and nodded.
	"It looks as though we've been found out after all." Sailor Anteres 
said.
	"Well, if that's so, we may as well detransform," Sailor Thuban 
suggested, "Sailor Anteres is looking a little pale, and, cousin, you 
did give up a fair chunk of energy, anger-produced or not."
	They all detransformed.  "Man this is so weird!" said Chad.

	"Well, I suppose I should introduce myself," the detransformed Sailor 
Deneb suggested, "My name's Antonia and, well, I guess you all mostly 
know who I am."
	"And now that you're back, I'll be turning over guardianship of our 
favourite little cousin into your hands," Tair told her, "you always 
were better at it than me."
	"Isn't she just a little, well, short, to be guarding Lita?" Chad 
asked.  Everyone except Antonia and Lita burst into laughter.
	"I wouldn't suggest you make an issue of it." Raye advised him, "that 
is, if you're really attached to all of your limbs."
	"Uhhh... Never mind," Chad said to the two of them, "I don't really 
want to know."  This remark brought on even more laughter.  
	Antonia looked at her watch.  "Well, I hate to break up a great party, 
but I really have to go.  I have a class to get to."
	"Oh, wow, so do I!" exclaimed Tair, "You don't mind, do you Elwing?"
	"No, not at all."  She looked over at Triese, "don't you have class as 
well, I thought you were in the same class as Tair?"
	Triese looked up from where she was seated next to Artan.  "Oh, of 
course.  Do you feel alright now Artan?"
	"I'm fine, get to class.  After all, Chad was worse off than I was, and 
he's up and walking about."
	Oh, right, I forgot, I'll go then." she said, "But I'm checking up on 
you tomorrow.  Chad too, of course." she quickly added.
	Sailor Elwing teleported the three of them back to Camosun, then turned 
to the others.  "I think we should give Raye and Chad an opportunity to 
work some things out," she said, "so let's all go home."
	"Okay." they all agreed, and headed home.

FIN


