S2
Sailor Moon Defenders
By AmandaDoE
Chapter Two: Wind of Change
Juban
A huge ball of flame flew straight from her hands, the mystical globe speeding toward her foes.
Twenty pale enemies stood their ground, firing their lasers at her mass of red. They seemed to believe that they could blow it away. Big mistake, Rei thought as she watched.
Her shot struck the ground where the pale men stood, its burst launching all of them into the sky. Four seconds later, they hit the white street. Rei could sense that they'd been defeated.
Then she froze. Her shoulders stiffened. She felt another enemy approaching her — someone who'd crept entirely too close. She turned in place, and saw him near, his golden rifle pointing right at her chest. Rei knew exactly what the weapon could do — that was the kind that turned people to stone, the kind that had helped them conquer the world. It was more effective than a normal ray. It didn't stun you, it took you out. Immediately. Guaranteed. Many of Hadea's former foes were stone; others were reduced to dust on the ground.
Rei instinctively covered herself, hoping to deflect the beam somehow.
Moments before her opponent could fire, a huge glowing crescent enveloped his frame, flying down on him diagonally.
The man's eyes bulged. He faded away, his body consumed by the energy.
Rei looked up at the roof of a building. She saw Usagi. Sailor Moon.
Her friend leapt down and joined her on the street, her powerful wand nestled in her fist. "Can you feel it?" Usagi asked, her blue eyes narrow as she looked around.
Rei took a moment to study the girl. Everything about her was so familiar — the thin white shirt, the big red ribbon, the strands of hair that surrounded her frame — but she'd grown radically different too. She was quite bolder than she used to be. The struggle had taken its effect on her.
Rei missed the girl she used to know. She couldn't help wishing that Usagi would laugh, that she'd make a joke at the worst of times. Rei needed something to be normal again.
"Yeah," she answered, looking away, casting her gaze on the thick storm clouds. She could sense an energy approaching Earth — something strange and powerful.
Why did it have to be arriving now — right before they could attack the queen? According to what Artemis had learned, Hadea would appear for a meeting today. This was their best chance to take her down.
Usagi squinted, gripping her wand. "You think it's an ally of Queen Hadea's?"
Rei scoffed a bit. "I'm pretty sure the queen doesn't need any help." Hadea was the strongest enemy they'd faced. She had the whole galaxy at her feet, where it would remain for a while to come — unless they could manage to stop her now. "Come on," she muttered, eyeing the road. "We've got to make sure we arrive on time." They had separated from their four teammates, a means of surrounding the temple ahead.
Time to converge on the spot of attack. Time to confront the Golden Queen.
Skybrook City
April landed her space cruiser — right in the woods outside of town. The cockpit opened. She hopped outside, her boots touching down on the pale white grass. The trees around her were a grotesque gray. She saw what appeared to be castles ahead.
She hadn't been on Earth for about three years. It wasn't the world that she used to know. The changes were worse than she'd heard they were.
She threw another glance at her tracking device. The reading told her that she'd arrived on site.
April felt a tremble. She stepped backward.
What looked like a phone booth rose from the ground, but it had more of a conical shape. Small lights were twinkling along the sides.
She entered the booth, and it carried her down. Moments later, she was in a huge room. The walls were orange. The floor was gray. Weapons and computers were everywhere.
April looked forward. She wasn't alone. Her father and seven other people were here.
Flash stepped forth with a very proud smile. "Welcome to New Monitor," he said, pulling her into a tender hug.
She closed her eyes. "Thanks, Dad," she whispered. They hadn't seen each other in person for years, not since her mother was laid to rest. She'd stayed for days after Dale was buried, then returned to her academy — a famed space station where soldiers trained. She'd found it hard to leave Flash and Rick, but needed to hone all her combat skills. She wanted to help in the fight with Ming.
Now she'd returned, and was ready for action, right when they had a new enemy.
She opened her eyes and saw Rick approach. "Hey, sis." He grinned.
"Hey yourself."
They hugged and faced one another again. April had always envisioned this day, the day she could tell Rick that she was his equal. It wasn't as thrilling as she used to imagine. They were in the midst of a worldwide crisis.
Flash eyed the others. "Let me introduce you to the team again."
April had met each of them before, and she'd read their files in the years since then. She was very pleased to be joining their unit. This was the finest super team on Earth. She knew that the Defenders could save the world — and maybe April Gordon could help with that.
"I found them," she affirmed, facing the crew. "I have Zorelda's molecules." She'd traveled to Mongo and tracked them down, with a little help from Prince Krotan. April hadn't liked teaming up with him; he was from her family's opposing clan. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
Flash stepped forth with a handheld gadget. "The new moleculizer can bring her back. We've modified this over the past few weeks."
April pulled a vial from her leather coat. She placed it on the floor, and stepped away.
Jedda squinted. "I can feel the power coming from that thing. I felt it before you even reached the Earth. Zorelda is strong…very strong."
"…Good," Flash said, tentatively. "She'll need to be strong to defeat Hadea."
Jedda frowned a bit as she eyed the group. "I'm not sure that this is a good idea. We still don't know if we can trust the witch."
Mandrake sighed. "Unfortunately, we have to risk it. We need to throw all that we have at Hadea." He eyed the boys. "Weapons at the ready, gentlemen."
LJ and Rick held plasma rifles. Class T4. April could tell. She'd seen her share at the academy.
Flash aimed the gadget at the little container. "Everyone back." He fired a beam.
The pink shot hit. The vial exploded. A large cloud of light spread across the room. Everyone trembled, shielding their eyes.
The white cloud faded, shrinking a bit. April saw a humanoid figure within, a dark silhouette in the shining mass.
The light disappeared, and a woman was there, cloaked in green, with long red locks. She smirked a little as she eyed the team. "The Defenders of the Earth."
Jedda was shaking. She still felt the power of this woman, it seemed.
April balled her fists and began to shiver. What had she unleashed on the world today?
Mandrake stepped forward and lifted a palm. "Peace, Zorelda. We seek no quarrel."
She was still grinning. "Then you should tell the young ones to lower their weapons. I assure you, those will have no effect."
LJ and Rick were both aiming at her.
"Weapons down," Mandrake said.
The boys complied.
Mandrake continued. "We've brought you back because we need your help."
Flash chimed in. "Listen, lady. A queen named Hadea has conquered the world. She's actually conquered the galaxy. That includes Mongo, and neighboring planets. All of the places you care about. You can save your world by helping us save ours. Help us take Queen Hadea down."
Zorelda paused. "I know precisely who Hadea is. I monitored her youth in the Netherworld. I always sensed she had greater ambitions…"
April eyed the group, then watched Zorelda. What was this woman about to do?
"I will stop her, and I will do so alone. Then I shall conquer the galaxy." The witch teleported in a burst of light.
April flinched, utterly stunned. She'd rarely seen a feat like that before.
Lothar sighed, touching his hips. "That didn't exactly work out as planned."
Kshin spoke up. "If Zorelda gets the necklace…can we defeat her?"
"Over here," Rick suddenly said, sitting at one of the larger screens. "I'm putting Juban on the monitor. That's where Hadea's supposed to be."
April saw a view of the Juban sky. Zorelda appeared in the grayish clouds. How had she even known where to go? Perhaps she'd detected the queen somehow — sort of like Jedda had detected the witch. The very thought of that made April squirm. All of this magical stuff was weird. She knew about weapons and physical force, but had much to learn of the mystical arts.
She brushed a strand of her ponytail back, clearing her view of the scene out there.
Zorelda looked down on a building below, a long, rectangular, golden one.
"That's where Chancellor Landis lives," the Phantom said. "Hadea is apparently meeting him."
Zorelda reached up, lifting both hands. A strange-looking sphere appeared over her head, a ball of lightning-like energy. It was enormous. It was huge. It was much bigger than Zorelda's frame.
Flash shook a tad. "She's gonna blast the building and the crowd down there."
There were several people walking through the street, humans and natives of the Netherworld — forced to share the surface, as April had heard. They noticed Zorelda, and fled in panic.
The witch flung the ball toward the golden building.
All of a sudden, Hadea appeared, flashing on the scene like Zorelda had, floating right in front of the speeding ball. The Necklace of Oros twinkled on her chest. Her gold curls fluttered beneath her crown. A huge burst erupted from the palm she'd raised, its white mass immediately destroying the ball.
The blast didn't stop when it hit the sphere; it carried right on until it reached the witch.
April trembled while beholding the sight. The last thing she noticed on Zorelda's face was a look of stark shock — and then she was gone, utterly consumed by the beam of white.
A number of sparkles appeared in the sky, the beam dissipating as it started to shrink. There was no sign of Zorelda at all.
"Look down there!" Kshin exclaimed.
Five young women had appeared on the scene, along with a girl who had long pink hair. The teens were focused on Queen Hadea.
The girl with blue hair swung her arms about. A liquid-like mass shot up toward the queen. The brown-haired girl pointed her hands up. Another electrical burst screamed forth. A girl in orange garb was the next to attack; her energy looked like a long gold chain. The girl wearing red seemed the boldest of all; she swung her fist out and threw a ball of fire. Finally, the girl in white, yellow and blue stepped up. A crescent-shaped energy emerged from her wand.
All of the attacks flew at Queen Hadea — and all of them stopped just short of her. A white force field had surrounded the queen, apparently summoned as she waved her hands. Each of the shots rocked Hadea a bit; she shook in place as she held them off.
"The Sailor Guardians," Rick uttered in awe.
April tensed. The Sailors had failed. They would be in trouble if they didn't depart.
A black sky cruiser swung down on the scene — a compact craft quicker than most jets. The cockpit opened. The girls got in. Moments later, they made their escape, the vehicle flying away in haste.
Queen Hadea left the sky slowly, warping herself out of sight again.
LJ sighed. "Looks like the girls had a getaway plan."
Jedda spoke up. "I wonder who was piloting that craft of theirs."
"In any event," Flash quietly said, "it's about time that we meet this team."
April turned away from the screen and sat. She'd been a Defender for about one hour. It felt like she'd gone through a lot already. Was every day going to be like this?
Jedda walked up to Hadea's throne, sporting a dress just like the queen's, a little tiara nestled in her head. Her feet were as bare as the woman's own. She dropped to her knees, then lay on her stomach, inching her arms toward the galaxy's ruler, quietly declaring her loyalty.
"Rise, daughter," Hadea said. "Come and lay your head upon my lap."
Jedda did just as she'd been told, smiling as her cheek touched Hadea's legs. "Welcome home," Hadea whispered. She ran her fingers through Jedda's hair.
Jedda shook.
"You okay?"
She looked up and saw Rick holding her. She rose on the couch, stroking her temple. "Just a dream I've been having lately."
Author's Note: This chapter was co-written by fellow DoE fan-fiction writer James. Thanks for the help.
Scene Commentary:
Rei knew exactly what the weapon could do — that was the kind that turned people to stone, the kind that had helped them conquer the world. It was more effective than a normal ray. It didn't stun you, it took you out. Immediately. Guaranteed. Many of Hadea's former foes were stone; others were reduced to dust on the ground.
This is pretty good description here. Great foreshadowing of what's to come in the near future in the big battle.
Flash chimed in. "Listen, lady. A queen named Hadea has conquered the world. She's actually conquered the galaxy. That includes Mongo, and neighboring planets. All of the places you care about. You can save your world by helping us save ours. Help us take Queen Hadea down."
Zorelda paused. "I know precisely who Hadea is. I monitored her youth in the Netherworld. I always sensed she had greater ambitions…"
This was interesting that Zorelda would be brought back to try to take down Hadea. I did plan to have her as a big bad for a later time though.
"I will stop her, and I will do so alone. Then I shall conquer the galaxy." The witch teleported in a burst of light.
Zorelda is someone that the Defenders cannot trust, and this proves it. Imagine if she was the threat.
Finally, the girl in white, yellow and blue stepped up.
I tried describing Sailor Moon's outfit without giving out too much detail as this series had been set post Super S, alternate universe. Her skirt is long white with yellow and blue stripes while Sailor Chibi Moon's skirt would be white with yellow and pink. The rest stayed the same color pretty much, albeit they had some changes in their outfits as well when they became Super Sailor Guardians. The same applies for the Outer Sailor Guardians when we see them within the next one to two to three chapters.
Jedda walked up to Hadea's throne, sporting a dress just like the queen's, a little tiara nestled in her head. Her feet were as bare as the woman's own. She dropped to her knees, then lay on her stomach, inching her arms toward the galaxy's ruler, quietly declaring her loyalty.
"Rise, daughter," Hadea said. "Come and lay your head upon my lap."
Jedda did just as she'd been told, smiling as her cheek touched Hadea's legs. "Welcome home," Hadea whispered. She ran her fingers through Jedda's hair.
I like this interaction between Hadea and Jedda, even if this was in Jedda's dream. Jedda knows that Hadea wants her for a daughter while wanting Phantom as a mate and this is a sweet little scene.
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Chapters
Volume One
Using the power of the Necklace of Oros, Queen Hadea conquers the galaxy. The Defenders seek help from a group called the Sailor Guardians.
Rei notices the effects of battle on Usagi. Meanwhile, both teams make desperate efforts to end the clash. The Sailors approach Hadea's temple, and Flash's daughter returns to lend her aid.
Each side becomes more powerful.
Issues in Jedda's past and present lead to a monumental decision.
Princess Jedda begins embracing Hadea's cause. Ami and Rick continue to bond.
Members of the Sailor Outer Senshi join the battle. Princess Jedda is faced with a decision as a ruler. Later, she explores a startling possibility.
Now divided, the teams fend attacks off while struggling to reach Hadea.
As Rick and the princess finally reunite, a climactic showdown with Hadea begins.
The Guardians and Defenders continue their clash against the queen.
In the aftermath, revelations emerge and choices are made.
Volume Two
The younger team members begin adjusting to the changes. Others strive to fit back into normal society.
As his companions reflect, Mandrake begins to sense a mystical disturbance.
Mandrake is reacquainted with a major figure in his life.
Ming returns.
The group scrambles to counter Ming, who is aided by Krotan.
16: The First Abductions: LJ and Mars
Once again, Krotan makes his move on Jedda.
17: Closure For Rick and Mercury
The groups scurry to save their friends. Ami and Rick have a personal discussion.
As Minako and Jedda connect, Krotan continues closing in on members of the group.
Krotan has an enticing proposition.
The Defenders and Guardians make their stand against Krotan.
Volume Three
Rick's dreams signal a great change in his life. Mysterious figures begin moving behind the scenes.
Rei and Rick sense more darkness on the horizon.
Ming and Galaxia engage in discussions.
An unexpected battle occurs at a concert.
Rick considers the effects of his transformation.
The team has a confrontation with a group knows as the Three Lights.
Rick's abilities make him a target.
As Rick continues healing, the Sailors assess the situation with the Starlights.
Rick is targeted by the Sailor Animamates.
The team searches for Rick, along with information on their new opponents.
Volume Four
As the struggle against Galaxia continues, Hadea and Jedda discuss the Netherworld's future. Meanwhile, Usagi's power grows.
Cathleen initiates her effort to control Rick.
The team manages to locate Rick and his manipulator.
Rick frets over his mutation while others seek to reverse it.
The Sailors and their allies face a new threat in Tin Nyanko.
Nyanko becomes the latest to seek Rick's power.
As Rick's humanity begins slipping away, his friends continue their quest to cure him.
Rick runs amok, and a massive battle against Nyanko begins.
The Sailors make a stunning discovery.
Jedda and Rick take a huge step forward.
Volume Five
Rick and Jedda begin their new lives.
A girl arrives to meet Mandrake.
The group begins getting to know the newcomer.
Rick is visited by a servant who gives him access to valuable information.
Amy's special abilities are revealed.
Rick learns more about his power, and how it might relate to the current events. Hadea attempts to console him later.
The group endeavors to rescue Mamoru from a mystical prison.
Usagi and her friends confront Mamoru's captor.
The battle in the dream realm reaches a conclusion.
The aftermath of the dream clash brings several people closer.
Volume Six
Rick senses that the Netherworld could face an imminent attack.
The groups begin learning more about the Kings.
Hadea and her companions take preemptive measures against Zorelda.
Hadea and Phantom explore their bond, as do several others throughout the day. First appearance of Tori Gordon.
Rick and Jedda work to resolve recent issues. Minako explores life in the Netherworld.
Ming reenters the fray as the Kings converse with Zorelda.
The groups decide that it's time for the confrontation.
The Guardians and Defenders engage the Kings in the Netherworld.
The Kings begin to realize the truth.
With Zorelda seemingly thwarted, the groups begin moving on. A woman named Rachel arrives at Monitor.
Everyone begins learning more about Rachel.
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