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Silver Alliance	By : lynnwood84 Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 8546 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
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Chapter Fourteen

Restoring Pluto

~~*~~

Three and a half months later . . . .

�� Here boy,
you�ll catch your death.�

Nephrite
glanced up from where he�d been staring pensively into the flames of the camp
fire in front of him to see Theseus standing above him, a heavy fur dangling
from his big fist and a similar one wrapped around his own massive shoulders.
They and the rest of Endymion�s army were currently camped out on the outskirts
of the Plutonian Grand Palace, the Negaverse�s last major stronghold on this
small, cold little planet. Their combined forces had swept across the surface
of Saturn like an unstoppable tide, and in a month�s time they had completely eradicated
the Youma from that world. A contingent of warriors had been left there to
maintain the defenses, but the bulk of the force pressed on to Pluto.

They
had been deadlocked here on this dark world for the past two and a half months,
however. The Youma had been able to carve out a more permanent foot hold on
this planet, after all. And to Neprhite�s thinking, the monsters seemed just a little
more determined to hold their ground here�more desperate than they had been on
Saturn�though he couldn�t say yet precisely why that was. It was just a feeling
he had, though over the years he had learned well to trust his instincts in
these matters. It was this that was currently troubling his thoughts, making
him ignore all else�including the bone-deep chill that had pervaded the
surrounding air.

Nephrite
gave a half-sheepish grin up at Lita�s father and took the fur, thanking him
before wrapping it around his shoulders, immediately warmed and far more
comfortable than he had been. Theseus just grunted in response before setting
his battle axe near and then settling himself near-by with a loud sigh. He was
an intimidating old bear, especially when you first got to know him, but after
a while Nephrite had found that beneath all the gruff bluster Theseus was a big
softie. He was also a very honorable and extremely capable warrior, and a great
leader of men. They had become good friends over the months, and Nephrite would
count himself lucky to continue to gain from the former monarch�s experience
and knowledge.

Theseus
had professed to him a few weeks ago that a large part of him was almost
grateful that this had all come about. That there was a part of him that was
just too tired to continue maintaining the rule of his planet alone. �I�m an
old man, Nephrite,� he�d heaved softly, �and these warring times are the
province of men much younger than I. And I have seen your mettle, boy. I doubt
there is a warrior on my planet who could best you, and you might even give me
�a good run,� he added with a boastful grin, causing Nephrite to chuckle in
answer. �For all that you are an Earthling, there are few better that I might
have hoped could take my place, or lead my people,� he finished then,
uncommonly solemn.

Nephrite
had been touched, and strangely heart-heavy. For most of his life he�d grown up
hating the Silver Alliance and what they�d done to his home, his family.
Somewhere in that hatred he�d forgotten that the members of the Alliance were
flesh and blood people too, and that�maybe somewhere in the seeming
cold-hearted choice that they�d made and the horrible repercussions it had
caused�they might have had their own reasons for doing what they�d done, that
went beyond simple prejudice and spite.

�You�re
certainly just the sort to take my damned daughter under firm rein,� he�d
grumbled afterward, immediately making Nephrite even more uncomfortable. He�d
even felt his face warm with it. Theseus just continued to grouse, oblivious. �That
absolutely maddening girl-child has grown absolutely wild,� he�d complained in exasperation,
though with an unmistakable undercurrent of affection in his tone. �While its
true she can damn near best most of my warriors in combat�and while a father
might be pleased and proud with that fact as well as reassured with the
knowledge that his little girl can protect herself from most dangers�I
sometimes wish she would stop trying so hard to act like she isn�t a female. I
fear she�s missed out on much that womenfolk are supposed to do and know.�
Theseus had sighed then, his great shoulders drooping with a sudden weight. �No
doubt it�s all my fault. If only her mother had lived . . . .�

The
giant of a man had trailed off at that, staring off into the distance, the wind
tugging at his long tail of silver-streaked hair. Nephrite hadn�t pressed him,
keeping silent. In time, Theseus had offered up the information on his own.

�Arianne
was the most beautiful woman you would have ever seen,� he whispered suddenly,
tone hoarse with memories and his normally hard dark eyes soft and shining with
them, his expression unguarded. �Hair like living fire and eyes as green as the
forest just after a summer storm. She was Venusian, you see,� he had announced
then. �I had met her while visiting that world, while settling some trade
agreement or other. Arianne was serving as one of Psyche�s attendants.� Here he
grinned slightly. �I remember, she had laughed and told me later that she had
never seen a man so big as me before, and that that curiosity was the reason
she�d originally accepted my suit. I was no fool. I married her as soon as she
would let me, and made her my Queen. Lita was our first, soon after, and then
Aden four years after that.� Theseus had hesitated again for a moment, then
sighed, glancing down at the ground at his feet.

�Arianne
was forever venturing down to the ground level and exploring. She wasn�t from
my world after all, she didn�t understand the dangers like the rest of us did.
She had wanted to find a basketful of the Canya water lilies that day, that
grew in the marsh. She took the boy with her for an adventure, he had just
turned three . . . .� Nephrite had watched his face go dark then, and felt his
gut twist, unfortunately having guessed what was coming next. �The storm came
on us suddenly, as it can so often do on my homeworld. There was a flood, they
were caught out in the middle of it. When the storm passed, there was nothing
left of them.� Theseus had swallowed with difficulty then, expression ravaged.
�We didn�t find their bodies until nearly a week later.�

�Gods,�
Nephrite had whispered then, horrified. �I am so sorry.� Theseus had shook
himself at that, and shook his head, then flashed him a tight smile.

�It
was a long time ago, boy.� Nephrite didn�t buy it.

�And
yet the pain doesn�t ever seem to ease,� he�d murmured softly, earning a wince
from the larger man, �does it.� He gave his own sad smile then. �It is strange
indeed, how no matter how many years pass by, you can still feel the pain of
their passing as if they had left you only yesterday.�

Theseus
nodded silently to that, then sighed. �You�ve lost loved ones in this war, then?�
Nephrite had nodded tightly.

�My
father, and both of my younger brothers. They were only fifteen and twelve.�
Theseus had growled under his breath, in a somewhat touching show of
sympathetic anger, causing Nephrite to smile. It had faded again when the large
man suddenly continued with,

�So
that is the reason Lita acts as she does,� he�d shared. �I sometimes think she
tries so hard to be like a boy, as if trying to replace her brother�who was to
be my heir, as is our custom, being male. So, while I do hope you are able to
make her more fully appreciate being a woman, not a man . . . I do hope you�ll
keep this in mind,� he finished quickly, gruffly, �and not treat her too
harshly should she try your patience. And if I know my daughter, that is almost
an inescapable given.�

That
made Nephrite think back on his ill-fated wedding night, now as well as then.
He sighed slightly, drawing the fur more closely in around himself. It wouldn�t
be the first time he�d thought on his infuriatingly hard-headed, beautiful wife
these long months past. Lita had sent her father several messages over the
weeks, inquiring after his health and how the battle fared. Not surprisingly,
she hadn�t bothered sending him any. And when Theseus had noticed his
disgruntlement at that�and laughingly suggested he send her a
missive�his damnable temper had moved him to send only one simple line ;

�Sorry
love, not dead yet.�

He
winced in remembering it, rolling his eyes at the childish spite, then shook
his head again. There wasn�t much he could do about Lita until after this war
was won, and he settled himself in his new home and Kingdom. Then there would
be time aplenty to gently tame his stubborn wife, and�as her father put
it�convince her that she was a woman, and to be glad for that difference.

~~*~~

�� Come on
lads!� Romulus yelled, motioning with his blood-soaked falchion to the force of
men behind him. �A few more yards and victory will be upon us!�

His
battle cry inspired the otherwise bone-tired and weary warriors to rally behind
him, roaring out their renewed battle-cries. Romulus led a good portion of the
Martian flank forward, cutting a bloody swath through the ranks of the Youma
hoard before them. After two long months of never-ending battles, Romulus could
feel the end nearing. Perhaps a little over-eager for it, he rushed head-long
into the fray, his deadly scimitar slashing foes left and right.

He
never saw the talons descending for the back of his head.

That
is until a, Rom! Look out! roared in his head. Romulus ducked and rolled
out of the way just in time to avoid the vicious downward swipe of the Youma
that had snuck up behind him. Before he could even think to get to his feet and
recover, Jadeite suddenly appeared between him and the monster. His tanned face
was fixed into a hard snarl, his dark blue eyes spitting hell fire, death in
their depths. The younger warrior had the beast dead within moments, then
turned back to him. Romulus was once again stunned at how easily and quickly
Jadeite�s demeanor could change, going at once from the powerful warrior to a
light-hearted boy, complete with playful grin on his face.

Careful
old man, he teased with a laugh. I
can�t always be around to keep saving you like this.

This
wasn�t the first time that the young warrior had come to his aide in the past
months. Romulus let out a mocking growl of his own, though he accepted
Jadeite�s hand-up just the same. Watch it with the �old man� comment, pup.

Jadeite
just laughed, then suddenly hovered back into the air�levitating himself with
just the power of his mind, as incredible as that was.

Romulus
had been very skeptical at first, at allowing this Earthling upstart to marry
his daughter, let alone take over his entire Kingdom. Yet Delphi had soothed
him, murmuring that she had seen a vision�one that had given her great hope�and
hinted that this unlikely boy was the answer to more than one problem that had
plagued Raye and their people in the past. Though hard for him to believe,
Romulus had learned well over the years to trust his wife�s judgment. She had
never led him astray, and the former King was to find that she was right in
this instance as well.

Jadeite
was a wonder. A chaotic mix of playful boy and powerful man, one who had
charmed and fully earned his way into the loyalties of Romulus� men. Both with
his easily approachable manner as well as his steadfast courage and willingness
to put himself in the path of danger for any one of them, no matter their rank
or station. This behavior had also soon won over Romulus himself. He had begun
to think that, yet again, Delphi had known exactly what she was doing when she
prompted him to accept Jadeite�s suit for Raye�s hand. His only child could be
a stubborn, hellacious bundle of temper when she didn�t get her way�which was
probably all his fault, spoiling her as he had.

Yet
Jadeite seemed just the sort to take her in hand. Out of anyone that he might
have chosen on their own homeworld and beyond, Jadeite suited his little girl
more than any of them. When he looked at it that way�as well as all the
incredible things that Endymion and his warriors had done and accomplished for
them�Romulus couldn�t remain bitter at the way it had all come about.

The
fighting pressed onward, to the very gates of the palace and then beyond it.
The different prongs of warriors all met in the main courtyard for what would
become the final battle.

Endymion
led a force of Earthling and Lunaran warriors straight up the middle, his
incredible earthquake abilities spear-heading the force. To the left was
Malachite leading a mixture of Earthling and Venusian warriors, his glittering
diamond sword flashing with bursts of light that seemed to instantly
disintegrate the Youma on contact. Also on the left flank were Nephrite,
Theseus and a battalion of Jovian warriors, arcs of black lightening streaking
across the battlefield in their wake.

And
then Jorowyn and his two Generals�Thorne and Sharpe�stood with Princess Amara
and her legion of Uranian female amazons. The Phaetonian Prince wore no armor,
only the tunic and pants he normally favored. Yet now he had two katana blades
fashioned entirely of green Phaetonian crystal in both hands, impossibly sharp
and lighter than air. The slender man whirled and twisted around in a deadly
flurry of motion, betraying his common fa�ade of drunken stupor to reveal the
very deadly warrior he could be�and was. The female Sharpe stood at his side,
her wings fully flared with both fists sporting three-foot long cat claws made
of crystal as well. And slightly behind them stood Thorne, having fashioned a
bow of the deadly material and shooting an unaccounted number of beasts with
his never-ending supply of crystal arrows.

Romulus
and Jadeite led their warriors down the right side, with columns of blue fire
generated by their leader bursting this way and that. Also taking up position
beside them was Oceanus and his contingent of Neptunian fighters. And then to
their rear, Zoisite directed the squad of Mercurian warriors armed with
arm-mounted laser cannons. While few, their deadly technological fire-power
well made up for their lack of numbers.

This
sea of warriors clashed in the courtyard, the ground shaking with the sheer
amount of bodies as well as the power being released. The fight was long and
tiring, but finally�in the end�the humans counted themselves the victor. The
clamor that went up could be heard all the way back in Lunara Romulus would
wager.

It
was almost surreal, to think that they had finally won the day. Yet as he and
the other leaders converged after several hours of clean up and routing, it was
to see Endymion�s face furrowed with worry. The young Praetorian shook his head
at their questions with a sigh.

�It
just seems too easy,� he heaved. Amara scoffed, favoring a wounded leg wrapped
in bloody linen.

�You
call that easy?� she demanded incredulously.

Endymion
shook his head, then murmured, �I don�t know, perhaps I�m just being paranoid.
Yet I cannot help but feel as though we have not seen their full muster yet. It�s
almost if they let us win.�

�And
if that is the case, there�s nothing we can do about it,� Zoisite suddenly cut
in, clapping the younger man on the shoulder. He too was wounded, dried blood
crusted down the left side of his face and neck from a wound on his head that
he�d apparently forgotten about. �Sitting here brooding on it will do nothing
but give you a migraine.�

�What
is our next move, then?� Oceanus demanded, and it was Malachite who responded
with,

�We
should withdraw for now. Fortify our defenses against whatever the Negaverse
might be planning.�

Nods
of agreement were shared all around at that.

Then
Jorowyn suddenly appeared from inside the palace, his expression grim. �Endy,
come. There�s something you should see. The rest of you as well.�

The
others all turned to follow the Phaetonian into the bowels of the Plutonian
palace. In due time Jorowyn had led them into the inner sanctum, where a
massive warded door stood closed. It was marked with ancient binding
runes�meant to keep all those without royal Plutonian blood out. It was heavily
scoured now, gouged and beaten . . . as if something had been working very hard
to get through regardless of the protections.

�Was
this what they were after, then?� Amara questioned softly, and Jorowyn nodded.

�That
would be my guess.� He reached out and ran his fingers down one of an
especially large gouge, what looked to be claw marks. �Behind these doors rests
the Time Gate.�

�Stars,
if the Negaverse had gotten control of it . . .� Zoisite whispered, tone soft
with horror, an emotion shared by many of the others.

�What
could they want with it though?� Nephrite questioned, but Jorowyn shook his
head with a sneer.

�We�ll
never be able to know for sure. Except one way.�

He
suddenly stepped over to the battered globe near-by and put his open palm over
the surface. Immediately it activated, glowing a pulsing red and green. Romulus
gaped.

�I
thought only the royalty of Pluto could open the Inner Sanctum.�

�Jorowyn�s
mother was the younger sister of the King of Pluto,� Zoisite supplied
helpfully. �He and the Princess are first cousins.�

Romulus
blew out a low whistle. �That would mean that he is the heir to the throne.�
That caused Zoisite to smile.

�Don�t
remind him of that. Endymion�s been pestering Jory for a month now to
assume the throne and oversee the Plutonians� defenses.� Rom turned to the
younger man, eyebrow raised, while the massive doors in front of them slowly
started to open.

�What
was his response?�

�I
believe his exact words were, �drop dead.��

Romulus
snorted.

Meanwhile
the portal in front of them had opened up to show a blinding white light,
making anything difficult to discern. Suddenly a figure stepped up to the
opening, and then out. Romulus gasped. The last time he�d seen Trista, she�d
been a girl no older than ten or twelve years, and that had only been six or
seven years ago. Yet now here stood a woman as old as he was�with dark green
hair falling down to the backs of her calves and glinting garnet-red eyes. Robed
in the smoky charcoal robes of her station, the princess bowed before them.

�Thank
you, Men of Earth, for liberating my home and saving that of the entire Silver
Alliance. Mere words cannot express my gratitude.�

�Yah,
it�s a helluva lot more than you did for us,� Jorowyn spat. Trista straightened
at that, and turned to him with a stiff look. For a moment the cynical veneer
was stripped away, to show a glimpse of the ravaged, enraged young man that lay
beneath the surface. �You knew what was coming. You could have stopped it, and yet
you sat and did nothing. They were your family, and you let them
die like animals!�

�You
know I am not allowed to reveal what the Gates show me, Jory,� she murmured,
voice soft with ache.

�And
I also know that sometimes you have to say to hell with the rules, and do what�s
right!� he snarled back.

�I
did what I was trained to do, what I thought was right,� she responded, and
though her voice was clogged with tears of regret, her face shone with quiet
dignity. �Then as well as now.� She suddenly turned from locking gazes with her
embittered cousin to stare at Endymion instead. ��Ware, Men of Earth. The Fates
have placed in your care gems of unimaginable value, of which you are
not the only ones eager to possess. Hold fast to them, or all is lost.�

And
then before anyone could say or do anything else, Trista suddenly turned on her
heel and disappeared back into the light. The doors sealed shut behind her with
a soft thud. Jorowyn made a noise of disgust.

�Half-truths
and vague half-assed descriptions, just like always. It would�ve been a bigger
help if you�d just kept your mouth shut!� he yelled somewhat ineffectually then,
before reaching into his tunic and suddenly producing that silver flask of his,
taking a long and vengeful pull of it.

�So
what now?� Jadeite demanded.

�While
unclear,� Romulus murmured, �the words of a Time Priest should never be cast
aside lightly,� he advised, and everyone ignored Jorowyn�s rude snort beyond.

�We
return to our Kingdoms,� Endymion announced firmly. �Do everything you can to
mount your defenses. We will heed the Priestess� advice, and guard well ourselves
and our possessions. Hopefully we won�t ever have to find out just what she
meant by that.�

Romulus
sighed however, somehow doubting that that would occur. The universe just never
seemed to work out near that easily.
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Silver Alliance