Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Earth Scout Chronicles - Season One ❯ The Calm Before the Storm ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

Queen Beryl was not pleased. Her four Generals should have seized control
of the Earth Palace by now. Instead, they were wasting their time playing with those
worthless humans. Not only was she growing impatient, but they were also wasting
precious energy.

“So, Jadeite,” Queen Beryl said in a quiet, menacing tone. “You have
managed to lose a great number of my warriors to those humans. Even though you
have destroyed a larger number of the humans, this loss is unacceptable.”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” Jadeite said, bowing deeply.

“And you, Nephrite,” she continued. “You lost all of your beasts. That kind of
failure will not be tolerated in the future. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” Nephrite answered, also bowing deeply.

“As for you two,” she added, turning to Zoisite and Kunzite. “Turning the
humans into warriors loyal only to the Dark Kingdom is a brilliant strategy, but you
are using too much energy! We need to collect energy, not spend it! Our Master,
Queen Metallia, has yet to be awakened!”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” Zoisite and Kunzite both replied and bowed.

Queen Beryl looked over each of her four Generals for a moment. She then
moved her floating crystal ball out of the way and rose to her feet. “Wait here,” was
all she said to her Generals as she headed into another room.

After hearing their reports, she decided that more drastic measures needed
to be taken. That poor excuse for a queen, Serenity, was building up the Moon
Palace’s defenses. If she didn’t hurry, taking over the Moon Kingdom and the
universe would become considerably harder than she preferred. She hated wasting
her time.

There were some things of interest in the reports, though; namely, the two
princes – Prince Ryoku of Jupiter and Prince Endymion of Earth. From what she
had heard, they both had considerable fighting abilities. Perhaps they could be
persuaded to join her side….

Queen Beryl was now in the room that harnessed the essence of her Master,
Queen Metallia, a dark wraith-like creature. Queen Beryl knelt before the apparition.

“Oh, great Master,” Beryl intoned, “I require your aid in destroying the forces
of the Moon Kingdom. Grant me what I need!” The darkness in front of her pulsated
as her master answered her in an ominous voice that filled the room.

“SO, BERYL, YOU WERE UNABLE TO DEFEAT MEAGER HUMANS?
YOU DISAPPOINT ME. I SUPPOSE YOU COULD HAVE DONE WORSE. NOW,
HOW MUCH ENERGY HAVE YOU GATHERED?”

Beryl gathered all the energy that her Generals had gathered throughout their
assault and presented it to Metallia. “Here, my Master.”

“I AM SURPRISED, BERYL. I GUESS YOU AREN’T AS BIG A FAILURE
AS I FIRST THOUGHT. THIS IS ALMOST WHAT I NEED TO FINALLY FREE
MYSELF. VERY WELL, I SHALL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED. I SHALL SEND
TO YOU THE SEVEN SHADOWS.”

Beryl looked up in surprise. “The Seven Shadows? Our best warriors....” A
small wicked grin slowly grew across her face. “Yes, that will be perfect.”

As she rose to her feet, she started laughing. ‘Yes indeed, that would be
perfect. With the Seven Shadows, nothing will stand in my way. First, the Earth will
fall, then the Moon, and finally, the universe will be mine.’ Still laughing, Queen Beryl
left the room.

By the time she returned to her waiting Generals, she had ceased laughing,
but she was still smiling. “There will be a slight change in plan,” Beryl said to her four
Generals, as she sat back down on her dark throne. Her crystal immediately floated
back to its usual position. “I want the four of you to wait here for the time being. You
will prepare for the next stage in the overall plan.”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” Kunzite replied. “We shall begin at once.”

“Very good. Now, go.” At once, the four Generals disappeared. “Now for next
second part of my plan. Major Quartzite, come here at once!”

A red-haired man appeared at her summons. Quartzite wore the same
uniform as the other Generals, but was not yet a General. As the commander of the
Dark Kingdom’s army, he had a high standing with Queen Beryl, but not as high as
the four Generals. “You called, my queen?” Quartzite answered, bowing respectfully
to his queen.

“Yes, Quartzite,” Beryl replied. “I have a job for you. I need you to take over
command of the Earth invasion forces.”

Quartzite grinned at the news. “Yes, Queen Beryl,” he said enthusiastically, “I
won’t fail you. I shall have the humans begging for mercy in no time.” ‘Finally,’ he
thought, ‘a chance to prove myself and become a General.’

“You are welcome to try, Quartzite,” Beryl said condescendingly, “but that is
not necessary.”

“What do you mean, Queen Beryl?” he asked, confounded.

“You and your forces are simply a distraction. I am sending the Seven
Shadows against the humans.”

“Th-the Seven Shadows?” he said in astonishment. “Isn’t that being a little
excessive? After all, they’re only humans. Such a force is unnecessary.”

“Silence!” Beryl roared angrily. “How dare you question me?!?”

“Please forgive me, Queen Beryl. I did not mean to question your wisdom,”
Quartzite said, cringing. “I was only curious as to the reason why.”

“You do not need to know why, Quartzite,” Beryl answered. “You are to follow
my orders, no matter the reason. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” he answered.

“Now, go to your troops. I shall give you the order to attack, myself.”

“As you wish, my queen,” Quartzite answered and vanished.

Now that everything was in place, Queen Beryl began summoning the Seven
Shadows. It would take some time, but the outcome would definitely be worth the
effort.

She could feel it. The end was drawing near. The final victory would be hers!






It was full dark on the Moon. In the Moon Palace, almost everyone was
asleep, including the Sailor Scouts. Some of the palace guards were patrolling the
grounds, but since most of the populace was unaware of the imminent threat from
the Earth, the guards on duty were a bare minimum. They were mostly assigned to
the exterior, since it was highly unlikely that any threat would come from inside. This
was an important fact to Naru, who was now sneaking her way to the throne room.

She was slowly and quietly making her way to the throne room, hoping she
wouldn’t be seen. She didn’t want to have to explain what she was doing here at this
time of night. Luckily, there were no guards posted at the throne room entrance. She
took a deep breath, glanced around, and opened the doors just enough to let her slip
inside. When she was inside, she closed the doors behind her.

It was pitch black inside the throne room. As she removed the cover on the
lantern she had brought with her, its faint illuminating glow formed a small bubble of
light around her.

She looked around the dark room. The feeling of safety she had felt yesterday
was gone now, replaced by a feeling of dread mixed with guilt. She was beginning to
feel a little scared, too. She slowly made her way to the door to the right of Queen
Serenity’s throne, the glowing sphere of light moving with her. When she reached
the door, she paused, uncertainty beginning to take over.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she said to herself quietly. “ Why am I doing this?” She
slowly recalled the series of events that led to her being here now....






After bringing Prince Ryoku and Princess Ami to Queen Serenity the day
before yesterday, Naru had left the room so as to not be a disturbance. Still, she
was curious about what was going on and why the five of them were called to the
throne room. She could guess as to the reason why Prince Ryoku was there, but
the reason for the four princesses was a mystery. She decided to leave the door
open a crack and observe whatever was being discussed.

She found that she was right about Prince Ryoku. He was going to assist
Prince Endymion on Earth. The news of reinforcements was also expected. What
she was surprised to hear was that fact that the four princesses were being called
upon to assume the roles of the Sailor Scouts. The same Sailor Scouts of legend.
But, weren’t there five...?

Naru watched in awe as the four princesses changed before her eyes.
Princess Ami became Sailor Mercury, Princess Rei became Sailor Mars, Princess
Makoto became Sailor Jupiter, and Princess Minako became Sailor Venus.

After several moments of waiting, Naru realized that there wasn’t going to be
a fifth Sailor Scout. Why? The legends spoke of a Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and
Venus, but there was a Sailor Earth as well. How come they hadn’t revived Sailor
Earth?

As Naru was pondering the reasons for that oversight, she had almost failed
to notice that the newly formed Scouts were beginning to leave. Not wanting to be
caught snooping, she quickly closed the door and ran down the hallway. After
running a short distance, she stopped, turned around and started walking back to
the throne room. She still had business with Queen Serenity.

The four Scouts passed by her and continued down the hall with the two cat
advisors, Luna and Artemis. When she reached the door, she almost bumped into
Prince Ryoku, who was on his way out. After excusing herself, she entered the
throne room.

“Hello again, Naru,” Queen Serenity said. “Is there something I can do for
you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Naru replied, bowing, “I do have a favor to request of
you.”

“What is it you want?” Queen Serenity said gently.

“Well, Your Majesty, it’s not safe back on Earth, and...,” she began.

“You want to stay here, right?” Queen Serenity finished for her. Naru simply
nodded her head. “I don’t have any problems with that. You are welcome to stay for
as long as you want, Naru.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she answered happily. She bowed again and
left.

The next day, she decided to watch the Sailor Scouts as they were training
in using their new powers. There were several close calls at first, as she had to
dodge the occasional fireball or lightning bolt or energy beam that had accidentally
went astray. Fortunately, for her health’s sake, they were learning fast.

As she watched the Scouts, she remembered the question that had been
nagging her since the day before. Why wasn’t there a Sailor Earth? She decided to
see if Luna and Artemis knew the answer.

“Sailor Earth?” Artemis replied. “We had already thought of that, Naru.”

“Unfortunately,” Luna added, “we can’t revive Sailor Earth.”

“Why?” Naru asked.

“The Sailor Scouts are usually the princesses of their respective planets,”
Luna explained. “Since Prince Endymion has no sisters, we can’t revive Sailor
Earth that way.”

“When you said ‘usually’, do you mean that someone else can become
Sailor Earth?” Naru inquired.

“Well, yes,” Artemis admitted. “But, the transformation pens don’t work for
anyone. Only those in any of the royal families can use them, and only females.”

“Oh,” Naru said, her enthusiasm deflated a little. “Well, can’t Princess
Serenity use the transformation pen to become Sailor Earth?”

“No, she can’t,” Luna answered.

“Why not?” Naru asked.

“Because, she already has another power greater than the transformation
pens,” Luna replied. “The ability to use the Silver Crystal.”

“Only the royal family of the Moon can use it,” Artemis added.

“Why don’t they use it to save the Earth, then?” Naru asked.

“It’s not that simple, Naru,” Artemis continued. “You see, the Moon is
dependent on it. It’s what allows us to live here on the Moon. If either Queen
Serenity or Princess Serenity was to use the power of the crystal....”

“It might destroy the Moon Palace,” Naru said.

“Exactly,” Artemis confirmed.

“I see...,” Naru said disappointedly. “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Where did you get those transformation pens from, anyway?”

“They were kept in the room behind the throne room. That is where the
transformation pens, the Crescent Moon Wand, and the Silver Crystal are all kept.”






And now, Naru was here, standing in front of the door leading to the Earth
transformation pen.

“I know Luna and Artemis said that I couldn’t use the transformation pen, but
I have to see for myself. I have to try. I want to help Prince Endymion and Queen
Serenity. They’ve been so kind to me, especially Queen Serenity. I owe them so
much....” Finally making up her mind, she opened the door and entered.

To her surprise, the room was already illuminated. The light seemed to be
emanating from a small silver crystal that was floating above a pedestal. “That must
be the Silver Crystal,” she said reverently.

She put down her lantern and turned to look at the other pedestal in the room.
This pedestal was larger than the one that held the crystal. On the top of the
pedestal, in the center, was a small wand. It had a pink handle with a large yellow
crescent moon at the end. “And that must be the Crescent Moon Wand,” she said.
That, however, was not what had caught her attention.

Surrounding the Crescent Moon Wand was five circles, each with a different
symbol engraved inside. At the top was the symbol for Earth, then Mars, Venus,
Jupiter and Mercury, in clockwise order. Only the circle with the symbol of Earth
wasn’t empty.

“Ah, here it is,” she said picking up the transformation pen. “Now, how does
this thing work again?” She quickly recalled how the princesses each held their
transformation pens in the air and called on their powers. “Hopefully, it will work for
me as it worked for them. I may not be a princess, but perhaps the power would be
willing to work for someone who wants to help.” She slowly raised the transformation
pen into the air. “Well, I guess it’s time to find out. I hope this works.” She took a
deep breath and called upon the powers of Sailor Earth. “Earth power, make up!”

Nothing happened.

Naru sighed in disappointment and replaced the transformation pen. “It looks
like the cats were right. Oh, well. I tried.” She picked up her lantern and turned to
leave the room. “I’d better get back before I get in trouble.” She quietly left the room
and closed the door behind her.

After Naru left, the Silver Crystal grew brighter for a few seconds and then
dimmed back down to normal.






After training for the entire day yesterday, the Sailor Scouts were exhausted,
but thanks to a good night’s rest they felt rejuvenated and ready for action. They felt
fully confident in their abilities and ready for anything.

“Well, Luna,” Sailor Mars asked the black cat, “do you and Artemis think
we’re ready, yet?”

“You girls have definitely improved greatly since you started your training,”
Luna said proudly. “Artemis and I think you’re all more than ready to face anything
Queen Beryl may send against you.”

“Hopefully, it’s not too late for you to make a difference down there,” Artemis
added.

Suddenly, a dark, ominous presence washed over the entire room. Each of
the Scouts and the two cat advisors all looked around the room, as if they could see
what had caused the foreboding sensation they had each felt.

“Did you feel that?” Sailor Mercury asked.

“Yeah,” Sailor Jupiter answered. “Me, too.”

“What was that?” Sailor Venus asked.

“Whatever it was,” Sailor Mars said seriously, “I bet it means trouble.”

“You may be right, Sailor Mars,” Artemis said. “I think it’s best that the four of
you should go down to Earth right away. Prince Endymion and Prince Ryoku may
need your help very soon.”

“We’re on our way,” Sailor Jupiter said, as the four Sailor Scouts left for
Earth.

“Be careful, Scouts,” Luna said.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Luna,” Artemis said, after the Scouts had
left.

“Me, too, Artemis. Unfortunately, there’s nothing more we can do about it.”






Endymion was alone in the throne room of the Earth Palace, thinking about
the events of the past two days. He had been staring at the Moon for a long time last
night. This morning he needed time to think, to plan.

Most of the injured soldiers from two days ago had recovered somewhat and
were ready to fight again, along with some of the soldiers from yesterday who had
received lesser injuries. Even with the added support, he still worried. He was sure
that Queen Beryl would try to send more powerful soldiers and monsters against
them. As things stood now, they wouldn’t have much of a chance of winning. Until
the Sailor Scouts could come to their aid, then they would have to fend for
themselves. They had no alternative.

His thoughts came back to Serenity, as they always seemed to do as of late.
He regretted not telling her about the emergency back at home. She was probably
wondering why her betrothed had left the ball so abruptly the day before yesterday.
He wondered if her mother had told her about the Earth invasion yet.

It was only a few weeks until his wedding with Serenity. It didn’t seem fair.
One moment, he was the happiest man in the Moon Kingdom; the next moment, he
has an invasion to deal with. Why did this have to happen now? Couldn’t it have
waited until next year?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Even though he needed time to
think, he shouldn’t let his thoughts wander like that. A knock on the door interrupted
his thoughts.

“Endymion?” a voice called from the other side of the door. It was Ryoku.

“Come in,” he replied.

Ryoku opened the door enough to let himself in, then he closed behind him. “I
wasn’t sure if you wanted to be alone or not,” he said. “You usually come here and
shut the door behind you when you do.”

“I just needed a place to think in quiet, that’s all,” Endymion replied. He
noticed that Ryoku was now wearing a second sword in addition to the one he
usually wore. “That sword...,” he said, pointing to the now familiar sword at Ryoku’s
side, “wasn’t that Sakurada’s sword?”

Ryoku’s expression grew somber as he looked at the sword in question. “Yes,
it is,” he answered quietly. “It was her last wish for me to use it on her behalf to
assist you in Earth’s defense.”

“I see,” Endymion said, after a short pause. “She was a great General and a
good friend.”

“I know,” Ryoku replied. “She was my friend, too.”

“I’ve already lost two of my best Generals. First Nagashima, then Sakurada.”
He shook his head sadly. “How long is this going to last, Ryoku? How long until I
lose either Akiyama, or... you? As far as we know, I may be the next one to go.”

“Don’t say that, Endymion,” Ryoku said indignantly. “You need to stay alive. If
not for your sake, then for Serenity’s. I don’t want to be the one to tell her that her
beloved has died.

“And as for myself or anyone else dying, don’t worry so much about it. We
know the risks of fighting a war include the possibility of dying. We’re all prepared for
that.”

“Even you, Ryoku?” Endymion asked.

“Well, yes,” Ryoku answered, “but I have no intention of dying before my
time.”

Endymion smiled at the remark. “Neither do I,” he added.

“Good, then it’s settled. Neither one of us is going to die until this is over with,
agreed?” Ryoku asked, extending his hand.

“Agreed,” Endymion said, laughing as he clasped his hand with Ryoku’s and
shook it.

Suddenly, a dark, ominous presence washed over the entire room. Both
Ryoku and Endymion looked around the room, as if they could see what had caused
the foreboding sensation they had each felt.

“Did you feel that?” Ryoku asked worriedly.

“Yes, I think we’d better alert the troops,” Endymion replied. “We should
hurry. I have the feeling the worst has yet to come.”

“At this point,” Ryoku added sardonically, “I wouldn’t be surprised.”






Queen Beryl had just finished summoning the last of the Seven Shadows.
Now she was ready to begin the final phase in this part of her plan.

Her four Generals had already finished making their preparations. As soon as
the Earth was hers, it would be a matter of moments until she would be ready to
implement the final part of her plan.

“Major Quartzite, report!” Beryl shouted.

“Yes, my Queen. What are your orders?” Quartzite answered telepathically.

“It is time,” Beryl said. “I have finished summoning the Seven Shadows.
When they reach your position, you are to begin the final attack.”

“Yes, Queen Beryl. It shall be done as you ordered,” Quartzite replied.

“Good. Do not fail me, Quartzite.”

“I shall not fail, Queen Beryl. You shall see.”

“Indeed, I shall, Quartzite,” Beryl said with an insidious grin. “Indeed, I shall.”


Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs
to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC,
Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I
would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.

Thank you.

Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku:
Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.