This is the sequel to my earlier work, "Mars Fire Ignite". If you haven't read 
that one, you probably should. Some parts of this come from my first work. 
Also, if you are wondering where this fits in in the Sailor Moon timeline, 
don't. It doesn't fit anywhere in that universe. The Inner Scouts are around 17 
years old right now, some two to three years after "Mars Fire Ignite". 
Disclaimer-wise, Sailor Moon and her friends are the property of Naoko Takeuchi, 
and they're copyrighted by her, and to a lesser extent, DiC (those manglers!). 
Most of the other things spawned from my own imagination, so I'd like credit for 
such. Enjoy! 
Comments, criticisms, compliments to meech@mindspring.com 
------------------------------------- 
Quest for the Silver Imperium Crystal
by Soumitra Choudhury
Prologue
------------------------------------- 
"Finally!" Rei exclaimed, as she placed the jade circlet she had been studying 
within the crystal box. By some whim of magic, the circlet floated in the 
center, rotating slowly around its center axis. "Finished!" 
Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, Rei stood straight, stretching out the 
kinks of kneeling before a display pedestal for several hours. She glanced 
around in admiration, proud of herself for the time she had spent completing her 
little "museum". 
The chamber resembled a hallway of finery nearly matching the stateliness of 
famed archives of ancient works, such as the Louvre in Paris. The walls, floor 
and ceiling of black marble scintillated in the soft glow of light that shone 
from the numerous lanterns lining the walls. Even with the light, the display 
room seemed shrouded in twilight. 
Along each wall, display cases were set up upon marble pedestals, each a crystal 
box of appropriate length, width and depth to contain its particular treasure. 
Even in the dim lighting of the 'treasure room', each case illuminated its 
contents with an inner glow, precisely setting off the contours and brilliance 
of each object. 
At the end of the hallway, within a pit of marble some five feet deep and in 
radius, lay the more mundane trinkets of wealth that she had acquired: gold and 
silver coins and bars, various items of jewelry, gems, both cut and uncut, 
large, small and gorgeous, and for the civilization of modern times, carefully 
packed wads of paper money in yen, dollars, and other worldwide currencies. 
For the better part of the last three years, she and the rest of the girls had 
categorized, researched and returned those valuables that had been wrongfully 
stolen (always in the guise of the Sailor Scouts, of course). Having reached a 
lull in the action, for they had managed to avoid the gaze of any evil 
monstrosities for quite some time, traveling around the world to return stolen 
items from different countries was a welcome change. 
As they returned the long lost artifacts and wealth to their rightful owners, 
the Scouts had found themselves being showered with honors and status they had 
never dreamed of existed. International heroes, they were called, and with the 
publicity, they quickly gained the international recognition that was due them 
for so long. 
Luckily, even with all of their newly acquired publicity, the Sailor Scouts 
remained an anonymous group of teenage super-heroines that battled the evil 
forces threatening, of all places, Japan. No country could locate these 
beautiful girls, though not for a lack of trying. Occasionally, Tokyo would be 
bombarded with a rash of reporters from other nations, searching desperately for 
the girls. The disguise magic never gave, however, nor did Rei's control over 
her magic, which she was required to use at various times. 
And now, after a few years of publicity, the scouts had finally returned to the 
lives of seventeen year old teenagers... well, almost. Being a Sailor Scout 
definitely did NOT fit in as a life of a teenager. 
Flipping a stray strand of midnight out of her face, Rei considered the last 
object she needed to return, glinting magnificently in the eldritch glow of the 
crystal box it floated in. It was, perhaps, the finest sword she had ever seen: 
the Silver Katana of the Nakimura Clan. 
Nearly a decade ago, the blade had been lost when, then, an unknown 
assassin-thief had stolen into the Nakimura clan's sacred grounds in Hokkaido, 
quietly murdered over half the members of said clan, and then had escaped, 
carrying away their most holy relic. The next morning, a nearly equal number of 
members had perished, though by their own hands this time. The loss of such a 
symbol of the Clan's power meant a devastating loss of honor, something the clan 
members would rather die than to undergo. They couldn't know that there was 
precious little they could do to stop the Grell, a supernaturally deadly 
opponent. 
Rei hadn't known too much about the situation back then. Afterall, she had only 
been five or six. Her world had consisted of kindly parents, laughing, and 
discovering the power to make little things happen by focusing on it. Even back 
then, her powers manifested themselves, though in more childish manners: 
floating a ball in mid-air, dolls dancing by themselves, the cookie jar finding 
its way into Rei's room. 
After an incident where she lost control of her powers, resulting in the death 
of her parents, she vowed never to use them again, and effectively locked them 
away within her mind. 
Ironically, those same powers helped her to recover the katana. 
Cole had volunteered his private plane for the trip to Hokkaido, just as he had 
volunteered it whenever her trips required her to leave the general vicinity of 
Tokyo. He wouldn't have it any other way. 
Having a wealthy boyfriend who accepted your role as Sailor Mars AND a sorceress 
of great power definitely had its perks. 
Another thing the Scouts had had to get used to was the emergence of the Outer 
Sailor Scouts, and Serena and Darien's future daughter, Reenie. THAT had been a 
turbulent time, to say the least. The Black Moon Family, the Wiseman, Esmeraude, 
etc., etc. It was a wonder the Scouts had managed to get through it all, 
relatively unscathed. 
The Outer Sailor Scouts were an interesting matter on their own, considering it 
had been Sailor Pluto who had been the one to challenge her back when she had 
the power trip problem. Pluto still didn't quite trust the beautiful sorceress, 
and Rei didn't much enjoy the company of the woman who tried to kill her once 
upon a time. 
Uranus and Neptune were entities on their own, choosing to do things their own 
way rather than collaborating with the Inner Scouts, so the two groups rarely 
joined forces. Only when the opponents required so, such as the incident with 
the alien Ice Queen. Only Hotaru and Reenie seemed to get along all members of 
both groups, the only glue that truly linked the two together. 
Rei sighed softly and headed for the door-like portal. 'Perhaps after we return 
this last relic, we can have a long chat,' she thought, considering the 
implication of having a fully unified force of Sailor Scouts. As she commanded 
the extra-dimensional room shut behind her, Rei raised that to the top of her 
list of priorities for when they get back from Hokkaido. 
*****
Within the shadow-choked realm of a far off plane, saturated by the racing 
thunderheads of a thousand thousand storms, a staggering fortress floated 
defiantly in the wake of Chaos. Out of the nightmares of the maddest of minds, 
the necropolis spanned the length and breadth of a desolate city, barren with 
death, choked in the dust of millenia. Hundreds of crooked spires rose from the 
ashes, fractured, cracked, and dilapidated with age, though some retained the 
onion-topped minarets of tarnished silver and gold. Not a soul traveled anywhere 
on the dingy, suspended island, for who could survive such destructive power? 
Towering thousands of feet over the dead city stood an eroding pyramid, hundreds 
of stories high. Upon each of its four mammoth faces was etched a symbol: the 
infinity sign crumbling to dust. Until the last few moments, the symbols had 
been dark, corroding as everything else did. 
Now, a pale azure glow emerged from within the geometric figure's depths, 
illuminating the symbols until they glowed with a searing brilliance. Cracks 
crawled along the walls, creating a spidery web of light. 
Quite suddenly, the pyramid shattered with a roar nearly overheard above the 
cacophony of the surroundings. A rain of debris swept over the city, demolishing 
those stubborn towers that had not yet fallen. When the dust and smoke cleared 
(it didn't take long in this gale) the structure was no more. 
Hovering above the rubble-strewn foundation was a being fifteen feet in height. 
Fully clad in polished gold plate armor that encompassed head to foot, it 
gleamed in the occasional flash of lightning. Spikes spouted from elbows and 
knees in murderous danger, barbed and deadly. The collar,likewise, was hooked 
with razors. A helm, two giant horns gracing each side and sweeping high, 
obscured a face, though a slit cut across the otherwise featureless visor. 
Spiked and clawed gauntlets that looked sharp enough to rip through the fabric 
of reality clenched resolutely at its sides. Within one of the claws, the being 
held a smooth jewelry box, large enough to fit in the palm of its hand. A 
billowing cloak of blood red fluttered calmly behind him, unmindful of the 
raging winds swirling about. 
As the being surveyed its surroundings with languid indifference, the blazing 
symbol of the crumbling infinity appeared upon its breastplate. Apparently 
satisfied, the creature raised its free claw, and slashed down before it. Where 
the claw cut, the fabric of reality did indeed slice open, creating a rift that 
allowed the being to step through. The slit sealed shut behind it. 
*****
In a hidden valley nestled deep and high in the mountain ranges of the 
Himalayas, an ethereally beautiful maiden strolled listlessly among the tropical 
foliage. By some stint of magic, not only was the valley hidden from the eyes of 
humankind, but the valley remained a perpetual tropical paradise, sheltered 
among the tallest mountains of the world. 
Upon the brow of the nymph-like woman, an elegant rune of rosy purple began to 
glow after being dark for nearly three thousand years. 
Fear emerged from the maiden's eyes. "No," she choked in a half-sob. "I am still 
young." 
No one answered her plea. 
A few moments later, she composed herself, brushed away imaginary dust from her 
gauzy dress of snow white cloth, brushed back her white locks, and raised a 
delicate finger to the air before her. With graceful skill, she traced a complex 
sigil, lighting it with her arcane knowledge. It floated before her, then began 
to grow until it was as large as she. With a look of infinite sadness in her 
liquid eyes of violet, she stepped into the rune, and disappeared. 
*****
The plane ride back from Hokkaido began uneventful. 
The Inner Scouts, minus Reenie, who had opted to stay with her best friend 
Hotaru and the Outer Scouts, lounged comfortably in the private plane, though 
Lita looked a bit pale. It didn't seem she would ever get over her fear of 
flying, though with her parents having died in one, she could hardly be faulted. 

Serena and Mina had promptly fallen asleep, while Ami had curled up to a 
suspenseful chapter of Microbiology. Rei stared disinterestedly out the window 
beside her, hand clasped firmly with the owner of the plane, Cole Gishumi, who 
was speaking softly into a cellular phone to some businessman. 
The return of the Silver Katana had been an extremely formal affair, with a 
great deal of bowing, a profusion of gratitude, a huge amount of honor, ending 
in the rewarding of a rather hefty check of one million dollars. 
All in all, Rei was rather bored with the entire ordeal. She was already wealthy 
beyond her wildest dreams. For that matter, the rest of the Inner Scouts were 
wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. She had ended up splitting most of the 
money into equal accounts for each of her friends, and Darien (the Outer Scouts 
were already rich, and didn't need anymore). The rest she set aside for 
emergency Scout business. 
"Lita, you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked in concern for perhaps the 
tenth time in the last hour. 
It took a considerable effort from her, but the brunette managed a smile, and 
nodded carefully, though her knuckles were white from gripping the armrests so 
tightly. Her smile immediately faded, though, as if the effort took away from 
her concentration. 
The intercom toned to life. "We'll be landing in Tokyo shortly," said the 
fatherly voice of William, Cole's butler, mentor, friend, and pilot. 
*****
In the cold expanse of space, above the blue-green gem that was Earth, the 
fabric of reality rent apart, and the gold knight stepped out of the rift. It 
stared down at the planet as the tear closed shut. 
After a moment's ease, it opened the box it held, exposing the eight fist-sized 
rough gems, all dirty green like a darkened forest. At some silent command, the 
gems burst forward, flying away in different directions around the world, though 
none entered Earth's atmosphere. 
The gems slowed to a halt at certain places around the Earth, and when they did, 
a pencil thin beam of green shot of one, located another, and then another, 
until the eight gems formed the vertices of a geometric figure surrounding the 
planet. One gem floated above the North Pole while another below Antarctica. The 
remaining six formed a circle around the equator. Once the cage was complete, 
the beams of light shifted in hue to ruby. 
The golden knight, apparently satisfied with its handiwork, began its descent 
upon the surface, heading for an island called Japan. 
*****
Serena stirred in her sleep, then groaned, and finally shot up out of her 
slumber, panic in her eyes. "What's going on?!" 
Everyone stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean 'what's going on'? We're 
in a plane, and we're getting ready to land in Tokyo," Rei answered, slightly 
scoffish. "Surely you're not THAT forgetful." 
Serena ignored her, reaching into her pocket for her transformation brooch. As 
she pulled it out, her eyes widened, as did everyone else's. 
The Silver Imperium Crystal's inner light was fading to darkness. 
"What's going on?!" Serena repeated. 
Suddenly, the plane was caught in an epileptic seizure, bouncing to and fro in 
magnificent turbulence. A shadow flickered past all the windows on the port 
side. 
Serena and Mina began to scream. Lita whimpered at the shaking. Only Rei, Cole 
and Ami seemed in control of their fear. 
Over the intercom, William squawked, "Something big just flew by us really 
close! I'm trying to get control back!" 
Cole, with an amazing display of balance, removed his seat belt and ran to the 
cockpit to see what he could do. 
The girls remained in their seats, hoping desperately that they would survive. 
As much as they were the Sailor Scouts, all of them knew that even their powers 
would not save them from a crash. 
Or would they? 
Rei glanced at the others, then out the window. The plane was nose diving down 
at increasing speeds, if the whine of the engines was any indicator. They were 
in the midst of clouds, which meant land would soon follow. 
Gathering her will, Rei sent out her magic to grab hold of the plane. It should 
have been an easy thing for her to do, but, for some reason, something inhibited 
her from using her Art. Straining, a semblance of panic taking root, Rei pressed 
harder, gasping at the effort. It was like pushing through thick mud, a feeling 
she had never encountered before. Something strong was holding her magic back. 
Sweat streamed down her forehead before the magic broke through whatever morass 
was holding it back. Slowly, the force leveled out the plane, slowing it down 
enough so that William could gain control back. The plane shuddered slightly, 
then regained its smooth passage as it had for most of the trip. Rei slumped 
into her seat, exhaustion draining her. Something was definitely wrong. 
"Are you alright?" Ami asked worriedly after undoing her seat belt to check on 
her. 
The sorceress nodded. "Yeah, but it shouldn't have been that difficult." Rei 
returned Ami's look of worry. "Something's wrong with my magic." 
Ami, not knowing what to say, patted her hand comfortingly, then went to calm 
down a still screaming Serena. 
*****
As soon as Cole's plane came to a halt, the golden knight stepped out from 
behind a hangar and stomped forward, crimson cloak billowing behind it. A few 
workers who saw it ran away in terror or gawked in confusion. Still, the hangar 
was some several hundred yards away from the small plane. 
The first thing William saw was the knight coming towards their plane as he 
opened the side hatch door. "What the hell?!" he hissed, hopping out. 
Cole and Rei were next to come out, and Cole immediately stepped in front of 
Rei, though he visibly paled in fear. The other Scouts remained at the doorway, 
gazing at the giant form heading for them. 
"Quick! We've got to make a run for it!" yelled Mina as she grabbed Serena's arm 
and pulled her out. "We need to find some cover so we can transform!" 
As the giant strode forward, one index finger flipped up. A flash of light 
burned atop the digit, and was replaced with a razor sharp throwing star the 
size of a car tire, balancing smoothly on the clawed finger. The throwing star 
spun, glowing brighter as it whirled faster, then shot through the air with a 
thin WHOOSH! 
William and Cole dove out of the way as the girls sprinted off just as the 
spinning blade slashed into the hatch and exploded out the far side of the 
plane, ripping through the metal as if it were paper. The blade then rose into 
the air and circled back, landing upon the point of the finger once again. 
Rei turned around just in time to see the blade return to the creature. She 
hesitated in her steps when she saw how vulnerable Cole and William were, but 
discarded it when she saw the knight veer towards them. Gulping slightly, she 
hastened away. 
Ami caught the glint of light as the blade came flying once again. "Scatter!" 
she screamed and dove to the right. The Scouts split into every direction, 
tumbling around to the ground. The blade barely missed taking off Serena's head 
as she fell to the ground. 
The blade would have returned to the gold knight, but it was blown to bits by 
the strike of ... 
"Deep Submerge!" 
The giant knight stopped in mid-stride and turned to the three new Scouts 
showing their faces. Off to its right, Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto stood 
in defensive stances, the latter brandishing her Time Staff. The girls used the 
distraction to sprint the final few feet to the shelter of the hangar they were 
heading for. 
"Who are you?" growled a furious Uranus, taking a step forward to shake her fist 
menacingly. 
In response, a long pole of glinting metal appeared in the hands of the knight, 
a full twenty feet in length. The new weapon ended in a halberd-like blade of 
flaming red steel, nearly five feet in length itself. Twirling the polearm in 
its hands with considerable skill, the gold giant strode forward once again. 
"World Shaking!" 
The globe of amber energy erupted from the ground, streaking towards the 
creature, promising maddening destruction. Uranus sneered contemptuously, 
expecting a satisfying outcome. 
Instead, the halberd swung about until the fiery head intercepted Uranus' 
attack. The flames lashed out at the sphere, engulfed it, and swirled into the 
amber hue of her attack. Moments later, the flames returned to the color of 
sunset. The giant continued forward. 
Growling in irritation, Uranus backed up, taking up the defensive. Neptune and 
Pluto spread out flanking the creature, but staying well out of reach of the 
formidable weapon. "Hit it when I do!" Neptune yelled over to Pluto, then raised 
her hand. 
"Deep Submerge!" 
Taking the cue, Pluto clenched her staff. 
"Dead Scream." 
Twin globes of energy, one lavender and the other cerulean, shrieked for the 
creature. Bending at the knees, the giant leaped up with incredible agility and 
speed for something so huge, swinging its weapon all the while. At the top of 
its jump, the halberd parried Neptune's blast, absorbing it as her lover's. 
Still, it was not fast enough to avoid Pluto's attack, which caught the being on 
the chest. The temporal energy crackled over the golden armor, then quietly 
sluiced away. 
The shock Pluto felt nearly distracted her from the descending creature, halberd 
held high and in striking position. She leaped away just as the gargantuan 
polearm slammed into the ground where she had stood, shockwaves of force 
cracking the concrete and asphalt to so much powder. 
Pluto landed in a heap several feet away, groaning slightly at the impact. She 
grabbed her forehead, a pounding headache pummeling her as the shockwaves passed 
her by. 
"Pluto!!" 
The green-haired woman glanced up in time to catch the butt end of the halberd 
swinging around. She raised her own staff in a half-hearted attempt to block the 
strike. Nevertheless, the hammer-like blow threw her away as a ragdoll, crashing 
her into the unyielding walls of the nearby hangar. Hungering darkness overtook 
her. 
Hissing in rage, Uranus let go another attack, Neptune quickly following suit. 
The balls of force raced towards the monster, but veered off course and merged 
into the flaming head of the halberd. As the giant stood up again, it twisted 
indifferently to the two warriors and stared down at them. Suddenly, a rumbling 
voice like shifting earth spoke to them. 
"Where is the Essence and the Stone?" 
Neptune and Uranus paused, stunned that the creature could speak, though it 
hadn't before. "The Essence and the Stone?" the turquoise-haired woman 
questioned. 
The golden knight kneeled down upon one knee, gazing at them. The symbol on its 
chest flared to bluish life, bathing them in an eldritch haze. After a minute, 
the light vanished, and the giant stood up once again. 
"You are not the ones," it grated, turning around and striding away. 
Uranus meant to blast the thing in the back, but Neptune put a hand on the 
blonde's arm. "Pluto," she whispered softly, motioning for the downed Scout. 
"What about-" 
The Scout of Water indicated quiet, watching the knight stalk off in the 
direction of the Inner Scouts. "We have to check on Setsuna first, then we'll 
help them." She didn't add that she didn't think they would do any good. This 
was a foe that was more powerful than the run-of-the-mill demons that had 
plagued them before. 
Neither of them mentioned the fact that both were more drained than they should 
have been when they transformed and attacked the creature. The effort told in 
their pale faces. 
Uranus pulled out her communicator and notified the others of the approaching 
danger. 
*****
Somewhere five hangars down, the Inner Scouts caught their breaths after their 
own transformations. 
"Why was it so hard to transform?" gasped out Sailor Moon. 
No one answered, but Mercury had her computer out in no time, punching away in a 
hurry. 
Jupiter clicked off the communicator she had out and repeated Uranus' warning. 
"It's time to kick some butt! The thing is headed our way!" The green-eyed 
warrior tended to get a bit overzealous in times of battle. 
Venus shook her head, bent over to catch her breath. "How are we going to fight 
it? I barely have enough in me to throw one chain." 
The Scout of Flames shrugged away the question. "It doesn't matter. We fight 
because we have to, no matter how tired we are, so stop complaining. Maybe this 
walking tin man can tell us why we're so tired." 
Venus was about to retort indignantly when the concrete and wooden wall they had 
been sheltering behind quite suddenly burst into explosive shards, a gleaming 
fist emerging from the other side. As the Scouts dove for cover from the painful 
rain of debris, they all wondered how the creature had managed to sneak up on 
them so quietly. 
As the girls picked themselves off the ground, unconsciously taking a stand 
around their illustrious leader, the gold knight continued to smash its way 
through the wall. 
"Get back, Sailor Moon!" cried Mars, winding up to throw her attack. She was 
joined by Jupiter and Mercury. 
"Flame Sniper!" 
"Aqua Rhapsody!" 
"Oak Evolution!" 
A triple burst of primary colors slashed unerringly at the creature. It parried 
Mars' flaming attack, but Mercury's and Jupiter's attack were just too numerous 
to dodge them all. Bursts of blues and greens showered into sparks as they 
slammed into the metallic armor. The creature staggered back a step, then 
renewed its forward progress, kicking away the remnants of the wall separating 
the opponents. 
Meanwhile, Mercury dropped to her knees, waves of fatigue swarming over her. 
Through great gasps of breath, she noticed that her two offensive companions had 
acquired the same blast of exhaustion, though Mars seemed to be weathering it a 
bit better than the rest. 
"What's happened? We shouldn't be so damn tired after one attack!" hissed 
Jupiter as Moon came to check on her, keeping one eye on the knight. Likewise, 
Venus helped Mercury to her feet. 
Mars, through her superior mental training, managed to fight off the weariness. 
She didn't know why their powers were so exhausting, but they were going to be 
in big trouble if they didn't manage to turn the tide soon. "Fall back, Scouts!" 
she yelled, "I'm going to buy us some time!" 
As Moon and Venus helped Mercury and Jupiter back, Mars concentrated, crossing 
her arms before her. Fighting with her powerful will, she pulled the magic from 
the weave, wove it to her whim, and released its potency. When she opened her 
eyes again, she grinned maliciously at the result. 
The ground beneath the giant knight sprouted great earthen tentacles that 
swiftly wrapped around the creature's massive legs. Vainly it tried to move, 
pulling with vast strength, but the tentacles held... for the moment. 
A second later, the physical drain hit Sailor Mars like a bullet train, and she 
collapsed under the strain. Feebly, she tried to fight off the blinking lights 
wandering in her vision, darkness threatening to overtake her. 
Instantly, Moon was at her side. "Mars! Are you okay?! Come on! We've got to get 
out of here!" She grabbed the dark-haired beauty by the arms and hauled her to 
her feet, an amazing feat in Mars' mind. 
Suddenly, the knight stopped its struggles and gazed calmly at the Scouts. 
"Where is the Essence and the Stone?" 
So surprised at the rumbling voice were they that they froze. Once again the 
rune upon its breastplate glowed brightly, bathing them in the light. This time, 
though, Sailor Moon's brooch snapped open, revealing the Silver Imperium Crystal 
matching the radiance of the crumbling infinity. 
"Give me the Stone," said the giant, still motionless. 
"The Stone?" Moon asked quizzically, then glanced down at the Crystal. "Oh, you 
mean the Silver Imperium Crystal. Well, you can't have it! I am Sailor Moon, 
champion of Love and Justice, and it's my duty to mmf, mmmfffmmm mmmfff!" Mars' 
hand over her mouth was a sure deterrent from listening to THAT speech again. 
"You know very well that you can't have the Crystal," Mars told the giant 
calmly. "Who are you and why do you attack us?" 
A slight shift of the head, and the knight stared at the Scout of Flame. "I know 
you, Archmagi," it spoke blandly. "You aided in my imprisonment those four 
millenia ago. I have taken precautions that Nym is not taken again." 
Mars blinked. "You must be mistaken. I wasn't alive four thousand years ago." 
"Be that as it may, an Archmagi was present at my imprisonment." 
"So, why did you attack us?" inquired Venus, her curiosity at this intelligent 
being overriding her danger sense. 
The knight turned to the beautiful blonde. "I will destroy the Essence and the 
Stone so that I am never imprisoned again." 
"Fat chance. You're going to have to destroy us all if you want the Crystal," 
retorted Jupiter hotly. 
"If you so choose." Its razor claws slashed several times, and the tentacles 
broke apart, reduced to clods of earth. The halberd came swinging around, 
whistling through the air as it sought the cleave any Scout in two. 
The Scouts leaped out of the way, much as the Outer Scouts had, quickly dodging 
aside. Just before the blade sank into the ground, bloodless, Nym twisted its 
wrist and changed the direction of the swing so that it swung parallel to the 
ground, blunt side forward. Just as Mars landed from her previous dive, a 
sledgehammer force smashed into her side. Fireworks of agony burst in her mind, 
and she distantly heard the shattering of ribs. Quite suddenly it became 
difficult to breath as blood flooded into her lungs from numerous punctures. It 
wasn't until she landed floppily upon the unforgiving ground and rolled more 
than a few times that Mars realized she had been flying through the air from the 
impact. The darkness that had fought for her before engulfed her thoroughly, 
rich red blood dripping out of her mouth. 
Utter shock settled over the battlefield as the Scouts watched Mars get tossed 
away, her side nearly caved in. Nym took advantage of the momentary distraction 
and grabbed Sailor Moon. 
"You killed her!" Moon screamed into the face of the knight as he raised her to 
his visor. Tears of rage and grief fell from her eyes. "Let go of me! You killed 
her!" Sobs began to wrack her suddenly frail body. She sucked in a great gulp of 
air and screamed, "MARS!!!" 
Meanwhile, the other Scouts didn't know what to do. The creature had struck so 
quickly, they didn't know whether to cry or to rage. Grief, concern, anger, all 
these fought for control, even in the normally rational Mercury. 
"Give me the Stone and no one else will be harmed by my hand," Nym said stonily. 

None noticed the faint shimmering in the air nearby the fallen sorceress. The 
bare outline of a nymph-like woman appeared, kneeling over Mars. "I have arrived 
just in time, it would seem, Archmagi," a breeze whispered quietly into the 
body. Invisibly, a finger reached out and traced a delicate rune of whorls, 
softly illuminating Mars' forehead in emerald green. 
"What will it be, bearer of the Stone?" asked Nym, unmindful of the intruder who 
hovered over the fallen Scout. 
Sailor Moon sobbed loudly, not quite able to answer. Sailors Neptune and Uranus 
ran up at that time, sliding to a halt when they noticed the predicament. "Let 
her go!" hissed the volatile Uranus. 
Nym ignored her. "I know your whim, little one," he rumbled, almost kindly, to 
his prisoner. Moon slowly raised her head. "I know you can return the life of 
you friend if you have the power of the Stone. I have suppressed that power, 
however, as you most probably realize." 
The knight paused. "I will strike a deal with you. I will allow you to return 
your friend's life by dropping the magic barrier. In return, you will hand over 
the Stone when you have finished." 
The invisible woman stiffened, but continued to listen. 
Moon stared at the helmet emanating the voice in mixed shock, hope, and fear. 
"Why... why would you bother?" 
"Because, I know how much you friend means to you. I would not see you grieve as 
you would assuredly do." 
The compassion in the voice stirred the naivete in Sailor Moon's soul. In fact, 
so reassuring was the voice, the rest of the Scouts believed him also. Though 
silent, they secretly hoped Moon would accept the deal, for the sake of Rei. 
Mentally snorting at the minor charming spell Nym was using, the intruding 
female silently maneuvered to a more advantageous position. 
The blonde leader's tears stopped. "If it will bring back Mars, then... then, 
yes, I will give you the Crystal when I have revived her." 'That wasn't so 
hard,' she thought. 'He's really a nice guy. Just a misunderstanding, that's 
all.' 
The same thought swept through the remaining Scouts. 
"Good," Nym purred, gently putting down his prisoner upon the ground. He raised 
one clawed hand to the skies and sent out a silent command. 
Miles up in space, the gemstones surrounding the Earth flickered, and the 
connecting beams of light died away. 
Instantly, the Silver Imperium Crystal flared to life, and all the Scouts felt a 
renewed vigor, a rejuvenation, as the barrier hampering their powers 
disappeared. 
So too, did the invisible woman vanish, momentarily. She returned not more than 
a few seconds later, this time for everyone to see. Many gasps of surprise 
followed her entrance as she stood before Rei's prone form. 
She wasn't more than five feet in height, no more than eighty pounds in weight. 
Ephemeral, ethereal, the newcomer seemed more an apparition than a flesh and 
blood entity. Petite, lithe, and graceful beyond compare, she covered herself in 
a willowy dress of snow white, sleeveless and clinched at the waist by a simple 
gold cord. The dress matched her tawny long hair, as white as the dress that 
clad her, reaching about her in a wild flaring nimbus. Her skin, a porcelain 
delicacy that no human could match, begged to be caressed with gentle care. 
Beautiful was a word that crashed maddeningly short of its target when 
describing the woman before them. 
Upon her brow, glowing with the pulsing beat of a heart, was a rune of violet 
hue, the only mark that marred her godlike beauty. Stern purple eyes glared at 
the golden knight beneath that rune. She turned her gaze at the approaching 
Scouts. "You cannot use the Stone upon this child, Sailor Moon," she said in a 
voice at once lilting with melody and dark with foreboding. 
Sailor Moon halted, took in the intruder, and then glared back in anger. "I can 
do what I want! Get out of my way!" She stepped forward, but the wisp of a girl 
did not move. 
Behind them, the gold knight stirred, a jarring hiss escaping from its armor. 
"You have come. You are the Essence I search for." 
The woman nodded. "I am. You have tricked these young girls enough, 
Nymshaloctorax. Return now to your prison, or I will force you myself." Her 
command crackled in the air. 
Nym snarled, and raised a hand to skies. When nothing occurred, he snapped a 
gaze upon her. "What have you done?!" he roared. 
The woman reached into a pocket and removed an object: a rough-cut gemstone, one 
of the same that floated about the Earth. "Resorting to petty manipulation, I 
see," she remarked slyly, then traced a small sigil upon the stone. Instantly, 
it disintegrated to dust. "Now, you'll have to make another." She added an 
innocent smile to her repertoire of disdain. "How long did it take to design 
that anti-magic field? Two millenia? Three?" 
Meanwhile, the Scouts shook their heads, unable to focus properly. When their 
wits recovered, Sailor Moon whirled on the gold knight. "You tricked me! Why did 
you pretend to be our friend?" 
"Because it would have been the easiest way to get you to use the Stone at full 
potential," replied the woman behind her softly. Moon turned around, her silent 
gaze commanding her to continue. 
Nym, however, had other plans. Swinging his towering halberd, he leaped into the 
air to smite the newcomer. The woman quickly traced a black rune in the air, 
which shot forward and struck the creature in the chest, knocking him off 
balance to crash to the ground with jarring force. 
"Quickly, Sailor Scouts, hammer him!" she cried, raising her own hands to traced 
the destructive sigils. Sailor Moon, feeling that she could trust this newcomer 
more than the knight, aimed her Scepter at Nym. Likewise, the other Scouts drew 
upon their own powers. This time, there was nothing to hamper them. 
As a barrage of devastating magic descended upon the knight, he struggled to 
whip the weapon around in an effort to parry as many as possible. Neptune's and 
Uranus' attacks never reached their mark, but the others sidled through, 
pounding the gleaming armor mercilessly. Still, the might was not strong enough 
to cause significant harm, as Nym merely shrugged off the bolts of force. "I am 
much stronger than you can realize, fools. If you do not desist, I will be 
forced to destroy all of you." 
"No, Nymshaloctorax, I exist for the sole purpose of imprisoning you. I am as 
ancient as you are. Do not make the mistake of underestimating me." With that, 
she released another rune that encased him in a globe of shadows. Rays of black 
shot out from the globe, twisting and tearing at the knight. After a moment, the 
spell collapsed, leaving the giant to stagger in confusion. 
Wildly, he swung half-heartedly at the nearest Scout, who happened to be Venus. 
With a slight jump, the flaxen-haired warrior carried herself out of the way, 
then launched a blast of energy that rattled the metallic armor. 
As Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Venus and Uranus hampered the powerful foe, the 
woman strode up to Sailor Moon. "Your friends will not be able to hold that up 
forever. The only true harm can come from us." 
"How?" inquired the younger girl. 
"Any use of the Stone will draw his attention, and he will be able to feed off 
its power, gaining in strength. Still, it is possible to overload him with too 
much, thus weakening him for my own... strike." The woman's command seemed stern 
and disciplined, but a hint of sadness touched her luminous eyes, too subtle for 
Sailor Moon to pick up. 
"Who are you?" she whispered, getting the foreboding feeling that something 
grand was about to happen. 
The woman's purple eyes should have reflected the world around them, so large 
and polished they were, but nothing emerged. They drew in the surrounding light 
and held on tenaciously. "I am the Essence of Old, the Balance created ages ago 
to keep the Being before you from dropping the scales away to oblivion. I-" At 
this point, she shook her head, sighing softly. "It is best you do not know of 
me or Nymshaloctorax." 
A crushing blow hammered the ground as Nym attempted to pound Uranus flat with a 
spiked gauntlet, missing by the barest of margins. 
"We don't have much time!" the woman warned, foregoing the interrogative look 
Moon was giving her. "Get ready!" 
Moon grabbed her arm firmly. "What about Mars?" 
Softly, almost a whisper, the woman replied, "It is Nymshaloctorax's fault." She 
shrugged out of Sailor Moon's grasp and stepped aside to allow her a clear path 
to her target. 
Serena gaped at the nymph for a moment, tears threatening to flood, but then she 
twisted a hate-filled gaze at the gold knight. Her brooch popped open, and she 
released the Crystal from its housing. Gripping it tightly, painfully, she 
yelled out, "Scouts! Out of the way!" 
All heads turned to the sudden command, including a surprised Nym. Thin silver 
beams gathered into the Crystal from the air around them, a mass of cosmic 
energy forming. 
Just as the Scouts dove for cover, Sailor Moon released the colossal gout of 
purity from the Crystal, smashing into the giant gold knight with a sonic boom. 
The crumbling infinity blazed to life, shining like a star. "Yeeeessss...." 
moaned the voice of their opponent, swaying to the fill of strength he felt 
entering him. He seemed to be enjoying the blast so much, Sailor Moon was forced 
to throw an alarmed look at the woman, who merely shook her head. 
The remaining Scouts ran over to join their leader. By silent consensus, they 
added their own strength to the magnificent flow. The shaft of light grew 
brighter, more pure, if that was possible. 
Still, Nym seemed to be enjoying it. 
The woman turned her gaze from the knight to the group of Scouts, and then to 
the body of Mars beyond. A single drop of saline fell from her eyes before she 
traced a star-shaped rune of gold into the air and flung it at Sailor Moon. Like 
the flutter of a leaf, it gently rested upon the blonde's brow, linking itself 
with the crescent moon symbol. 
With a triumphant shriek, she threw herself into the beam of silver and 
incinerated into thousands of motes of emerald. 
"Noooo!" screamed Sailor Moon, trying to stop the flow, but something held her 
back. Something prevented her from turning off the Crystal's power, as much as 
she fought against it. On her forehead, the star-shaped rune glowed fiercely. 
The pinpricks of green traveled along the shaft of light, and burst into sparks 
as they crashed over Nym, who roared in pain. Wherever the motes struck, the 
golden armor seared open, like acid. From these wounds, a foul yellowish green 
gas streamed out, dissipating into the air with a noxious smell. 
"I... will not... go!" he screamed, swiping his weapon about, but hitting 
nothing. 
Suddenly, the halberd disappeared, and Nym raised out both his battered arms 
towards the Scouts. Crackling red lightning slashed out of the fingers, and the 
warriors leaped out of range, breaking their connection with Sailor Moon, who 
simply stepped back a step and dropped into a crouch, assuming the attack was 
against her. 
The red lightning shot at her, then wrapped around the Crystal. With a tug, Nym 
pulled the Crystal from her grasp and closed his fist over it as it flew to him. 
The destructive beam collapsed, as did the stream of the Essence, leaving a 
horrendously battered knight in steaming and tarnished armor, cracked holes 
dotting the suit. Nym fell to one knee, raising the Crystal in bitter triumph. 
"What will you do now?" he gasped out, gathering himself together. "The only 
thing that can harm me is mine now! Ha Ha!" 
From the air above his head, a web of delicate jade enchantment materialized and 
descended with fluttering grace over the giant. Crawling over the web were more 
of the emerald motes that had harmed him early, and they did their job perfectly 
now. With a note of surprise, Nym screeched in awesome pain, trying vainly to 
rid himself of the encompassing death, but the web stuck to him like glue. The 
motes once again exploded over his once gleaming armor. 
"HOW!?!" he screamed, struggling desperately. 
The Scouts looked at each other, no one understanding what had just transpired, 
until a voice yelled out from behind the prisoner. 
"I did this, you son of a bitch," Mars hissed, her forehead glowing with the 
green rune emblazoned there, her hands directing the spellweb. Other than the 
blood covering her sailor fuku, she looked whole and uninjured, though she 
seemed to be favoring her right side slightly. Her eyes, pearl white, glared 
furiously at the knight. 
As one of Nym's arms disintegrated to scrap, he raised the other, still 
clutching the Silver Imperium Crystal. "Very well then," he sighed sadly, 
apparently resigned to his defeat, "but know this: you will not have the 
Crystal!" He threw the Crystal with fantastic might, and focused the rest of his 
arcane energy into accelerating the artifact away. Like a comet, the gemstone 
soared at blinding speed into the sky, quickly disappearing from sight. 
Shock was written on everyone's face, even Mars', so no one saw the final demise 
of Nymshaloctorax as his armor fell away to the acidic death, and the foul gas 
dissipated from within. In the end, nothing was left of the giant gold knight. 
The spellweb quietly vanished, its work complete. 
The green rune upon Mars' brow, and the gold one upon Sailor Moon's also faded 
away. 
"Mars!" the princess cried, shaking off the shock and tackling the Archmagi in a 
crushing hug. "We thought you were dead!" Mercury, Jupiter and Venus joined in, 
forming a group hug that nearly squashed Mars . 
Smiling a bit wearily, the priestess pointed to her forehead. "I don't quite 
remember, but there was something here that told me how to help defeat that 
thing." She slipped a bit, caught by her friends before she could fully 
collapse. "I don't think I'm quite well yet, though," she added with a sheepish 
grin. 
Mercury began scanning her, falling into the roll of group medic, while Uranus 
and Neptune strolled over. "Where's Pluto?" inquired Venus. "I thought she was 
with you?" 
Neptune looked worried, but Uranus shrugged. "She'll be okay. She got in the way 
of one of Tin Man's weapon strikes, but she wasn't hurt too seriously. I called 
Hotaru to look after her." 
"Pluto was struck by him and wasn't hurt seriously?" Mars gawked, flabbergasted. 
"How in hell did she pull that off?" 
Uranus was about to answer, but Neptune interrupted. "I don't mean to be rude, 
but what happened to the Silver Imperium Crystal?" 
Silence snapped its jaws over the group, and all eyes turned to the skies. 
"Mercury, can you scan for it?" Moon asked quietly. 
The Ice Scout nodded. "Yes, but it is going to take some time. I need to 
configure it for the Imperium Crystal's energy signature." A flurry of concern 
passed over her face. "To hazard a guess, though, if the Silver Imperium Crystal 
was not destroyed, it's going to be very far away from here." 
"Why do you say that?" Neptune asked softly. 
"Well, Nym flung it pretty hard and fast. No one could have done that without 
aid." 
Sailor Moon shook her head. "Well, we'll bother about it later. Right now, I 
want to get Mars back, and I also want to check up on Pluto." She pursed her 
lips together, deep in thought, then added, "I'll have to call Darien in China 
and talk to him about this also." Darien had gone to China for a study abroad 
course that would take the semester. 
With no bubbles or giddiness, no klutzing or ditzy comments, Moon gathered up 
her guardians and coordinated their next moves. It impressed the girls 
tremendously that their princess voluntarily took charge of the situation, 
especially Mars, who had spent the better part of the last four years trying to 
push her to be the best leader she could be. 
For her part, Serena felt a great burden drop upon her shoulders, much greater 
than before, and that was why she dropped her airhead attitude. 
The loss of the Silver Imperium Crystal meant that the Earth was going to be 
terribly unprotected from the elements of evil, a notion that scared her to the 
core.