Missing In Action

“Priire’s gone insane.”

Considering the source, everyone turned to the cat. Schylar’s pied face was set in a scowl, differing only slightly from her normal expression. The calico paced on the table in front of the Senshi. Almost everyone was gathered in the Room Behind the Waterfall, worried. One of their own was gone, kidnapped by Sailor Sith Eimin — Emi. Somehow, Schylar’s simple proclamation deepened their worry.

“Where is she?” Ippin asked, looking around. Priire was one of about eight Sailors who weren’t at the table. “Uh oh.”

The cat nodded as Solai jumped up beside her. “Baby, we have some big problems. Her ship is so not there.”

Shikuku looked surprised. “What? She told me that the Black Fire Dreamer was out of commission for a few days. We were going to rewire the navicomp’s interface...”

“Well, beautiful, the Dreamer is outta commission. Her Black Fire Talon on the other hand..."

Shock filtered over the face of the newest senshi, Minae. “She lied?”

“From a certain point of view,” Annika said seriously. “But where would she go?”

Another sailor shook her head. “Where do you think?”

“Are you complaining?” Priire asked sweetly.

Miharu shook his head violently. “Not in the slightest. Nope, not me.” He gripped the back of the seat with whitened knuckles.

A grin flittered over the helmeted pilot’s face. Priire refrained from another high-speed maneuver designed to annoy the man behind her. “Poor Miharu.”

“Hey!”

Priire cocked her head to the side, scanning the readouts in front of her. Being a starfighter, the Black Fire Talon had readouts that were more complicated than any other kind of ship. Each one told her something different about the ship, the space around her, and the things inside her. All showed acceptable readings. “Tell me about this place again. And why I shouldn’t just run in with all lasers blasting.”

“Small planet, densely populated, moderate to cold temperature...” Miharu read form the screen in front of him. “And because they hate women.”

“This is a reason for me to not blow them up?”

The black haired man laughed. “We want to save Chrone, not get killed. Which they will do.”

Sighing, Priire ran her gloved fingers over the controls.

“Women have to wear a hooded cape that covers their entire body; they must never show any skin. They must be in the company of a man at all times and never talk unless spoken too. Women must obey all men. They can’t be rebellious, or defiant.” He smirked. “I guess you’ll have to...” He yelped as the annoyed girl executed a sharp turn. She had just exited hyperspace in the system.

“Let me go!” Chrone yelled. “Ouch!”

The cat girl struggled against the bonds that were wrapped around her hands. It seemed that there was a yalsamari somewhere around, because Chrone couldn’t access the Force. Well, she was a still a Jedi and a Sailor, even if she couldn’t transform.

“Emi,” she snarled, baring her teeth at the Sith. “What do you want with me?”

“You, my pet, are only bait for a trap.” The Sailor Sith laughed. “When the others come... well, suffice to say the Queen Mistique has something planned!”

“Ooo! When I get my claws on you!”

Emi laughed again. “Baaaad kitty.”

The Senshi let out a collective sigh. “This is not working.” Ippin stared at the computer with malice in her eyes. “Come on, Priire! Answer the comm!”

“She...” Solai dashed in and debated answering when he saw the look on Ippin’s face. He spat out the communicator he had been holding his mouth and Ippin snatched it up.

“The little sneak!”

Annika put her hand on Ippin’s arm. “Calm down. Just call the Black Fire Talon. Won’t that work?”

Walking in from other parts of the ship, Kousotsu shook his head. “No.”

All eyes turned on him, and he smiled as he explained. “She has the ship set to a different channel. And they won’t respond to anything you send, anyway.”

Kyoko shook her head. “It’s nice of Priire to want to help Chrone, but she has got to learn to go through the channels. She is going to get hurt one of these days and we’re not going...” she paused. “Did you say they?”

He nodded. “She wasn’t dumb enough to go alone.”

“Yes she was. Who did she go with?” Ippin said, getting very, very tired of this.

“Miharu.”

Annika frowned. “Like he’ll be any help!”

The pair was silent as they walked down the street. Both were in the garb native to the world they were on, with a few exceptions. The woman’s clothes were traditional, a long and thick black robe covering her entire body with a hood throwing her face into a deep shadow. Even when she moved, the robe followed her. No part of her body was allowed to be seen, so she stayed hidden.

Sith robe.

A smile danced over the man’s handsome features. He wore fawn-colored pants tucked into brown boots. His shirt was long-sleeved, white, and open a little at the top. The cap on his head was rakishly tilted to the left and gave him the air of a rogue. The traditional sword by his side added to the effect.

Now who’s complaining?

One of the additions to the outfits was a pair of communicators. They were the girl’s, and like all of her things very high tech and almost invisible. They could pick up the smallest sound, making them perfect for undercover communications.

Shut up, Miharu, the girl said, a frown in her voice.

The man shook his head. Now, now. What did I tell you about being rebellious?

Rebellious this, she said, nonchalantly jabbing the business end of her hidden blaster in his side. No one else on the street noticed anything except Miharu’s face blanching.

He moved over a little. All right, Priire! All right! I get the message. Defiant female.

A muted chuckle came over the commlink. You think you’re funny...

The two kept walking down the street, Priire to Miharu’s left. They were looking for a cantina. The information Priire had on the missing Sailor Senshi suggested that there would be more clues there.

“I’m really not sure that this is really a really good idea.” Chrone gulped as she finished her sentence. “Really. Okay, Emi... really this is bad. Emi, put the scissors down... please?”

The Sailor Sith calmly sharpened the scissors in her hand and stared at the girl. Emi herself was just outside of the range of the yalsmari and so wasn’t affected by the null area it projected.

“What do you want?” Chrone said, exasperated. “I mean, what is it?”

Emi looked at her. “It’s not what I want with you, it’s what she wants with you.”

Chrone didn’t want to look. She really had enough problems without turning around to see who she was.

As it turned out, the cat girl didn’t have to look.

“Why, hello Sailor.”

“Mistique! You evil Sith!”

The shapeshifter smiled with deepening malice. “That’s Queen Evil Sith, to you.”

Chrone fumed. Neither of the Sith would come into the room, which meant she had no chance of getting her claws on their necks. Even though she really wanted to. “When the others get here, they’ll show you!”

“What makes you think they’re coming?”

For a moment, the Catharian Sailor was quiet. She had just started to speak whenever Mistique spoke again.

“And if they do, just think what I have planned.” A cruel laugh finished the sentence. “I can’t wait!”

“Two things. First, we have to rescue Chrone. Second, we have to clean up whatever mess Miharu and Priire have created,” Ippin said, with a sigh.

Oola held up her hand. “I’ll go. I haven’t gotten out of this room for a while.”

“Me too!” Cammy said. “It’d be nice to see another planet. Maybe take down a few Sailor Sith too!”

Kyoko held up her hand. “What do we know about this planet?” she asked. There was an undercurrent in her voice that spoke of the many times she’d tried to insert that comment into the discussion.

“Gee, nothing.”

“Exactly,” Kyoko smiled. “Let’s find out about it first.”

The computer’s answer was less than pleasing to most of the senshi.

“Excuse me?! This is insane. They treat women like second-class citizens!” Mara protested. “Let me at them!”

A calm smile crossed Kirin’s face. “Mara, we know how you feel about standing up for women... but not now.”

Mara grinned. “Can’t help it.”

“Which means that only the guys can go there with any ease.”

Some of the female senshi sighed. “So that means we can’t go?” Oola asked, annoyed.

Kyoko shook her head. “It’s best that the guys try to handle this one.”

The cantina was crowded; almost all the tables were filled with people. Priire and Miharu sat down at one of the tables at the back. A waiter took their order and soon delivered the drinks. It took Priire a few minutes to figure out hoe she was supposed to drink without showing her face, but she managed it. Well, this is less than fun.

Miharu leaned back in his chair and watched the people, not bothering to respond to Priire’s statement. His blue eyes scanned the crowd in front of him, purposefully. A familiar being made him tip his chair forward so that it was on all four legs. Akki.

This is not good. The understatement from Priire sounded unhappy. Where he is, I’m sure Mistique will follow. She was about to suggest that they either leave or confront him, but the Sith Lord’s actions forced their hand.

The Sith’s cruel laughter grated harshly on the nerves of the senshi and the knight. Akki brought his first down sharply on the bar, demanding something. Priire and Miharu couldn’t quite make the words out. Whatever it was, the Sith was not getting it. And he was not happy about that.

Priire, I’m going in.

No...!

Somehow she knew he’d go anyway. Giving him a glare that she’d learned from Nom, Priire settled back into her seat.

Unhappily, Chrone walked beside Mistique. The Catharian knew she was bait for a trap she hoped no one would fall into. Natural insecurity made the redhead wonder for a moment if anyone really would come for her. She was only one cat, after all. But the senshi had come for Priire when she was in trouble. Another thought made her fur bristle. What if she wasn’t important? Priire was important because she was a Guardian, and she was the best pilot. Her hair scattered as Chrone shook her head to rid herself of the notion. Of course she was important. And if Mistique hadn’t taken her henshin necklace, she would have shown just how important she was!

According to the shapeshifter, the group was going to a small cantina. Chrone was in a heavy robe, disguising her. Mistique had shapeshifted into a male, letting her walk freely around.

Chrone was not happy. She could feel a familiar presence in the cantina. Whether that was because she and her master had visited the planet before or if the Senshi were in there, she didn’t know. She only knew that the trap was going to be sprung. And soon.

Kousotsu had one leg propped up on the edge of a control panel watching the stars fly past the viewpoint. “Kami, something’s coming in.”

The second youngest of the knights in the Black Fire Clone was concentrating on landing the shuttle. He was only a little nervous, and that was only because Kousotsu had threatened Kami’s life if he even scratched the ship.

Sitting closest to the comm system, Souru answered it. “Kyoko?”

The red-eyed visage was very obviously not that of the gentle leader of the senshi. “No, stupid. This is Ariel.”

Fumetsu poked his head from the back. “How’d she get the number??”

“Does it matter, bantha brain? If you want any help from me, I’d lay off.” The woman’s eyes flashed.

Shoving his way through, Kousotsu glared at the woman. “We don’t need your help.”

“Oh yes you do. Or don’t you want to know what your little girlfriend’s gotten herself into?” Ariel smirked. “Or how to get her out of it? I can tell you exactly where she is... if I want to.”

“Let’s hear her out,” Fumetsu suggested. “Can it hurt?”

“Yes,” all the men said. But they listened, worried, to the Alpha Sith. The trouble she told them about was very disturbing. Within minutes, the knights were on their way to the cantina.

Priire didn’t move. She knew that calling attention to herself would be the worst thing she could do. Well, she tried not to move. When two more people walked into the cantina, she gulped and sank down in her seat. Despite the disguise, she knew that it was Chrone. And the figure with the cat could only be Mistique.

We have problems.

He didn’t answer Priire because he was embroiled in a discussion with the Sith Lord. A discussion that was coming dangerously close to getting violent.

The robed figure and her escort moved over to where the two were talking. Now Priire was sure that it was Mistique and Chrone.

A white rose sprung in to existence between the two men. “Look, Wayland, if you really don’t want any trouble, then back off.”

The Sith knight stepped back from the Shiroi Knight. He only moved far enough to swing his Glaive at the man.

As the Shiroi Knight leapt backwards, Mistique shoved Chrone into a corner and changed into a Sith Lord. Because females weren’t respected, she appeared to be male.

Priire sank lower in her seat. This was not happening. This could not be happening!

When she looked back up there was a new light in her eyes. Now that could be happening! The figures she saw standing in the doorway and backlit by the sun made her grin. It looked like the tide was going to be turned in their favor!

Apparently, Sailor Sith Vortex and Sith Knight Wayland had a problem with losing. Priire didn’t know why; they seemed to do it enough to get used to the idea. Instead of creating their boltholes and fleeing, Vortex turned her powers on the people in the cantina.

Sithspit, Priire cursed. All the cantina-goers were turning on the knights. Guys, get out of here!

They didn’t. Multicolored roses flew from their hands as the men centered on the turned beings. Tuxedo Jedi tripped one of them as the Corellian Knight knocked another off his feet and into a table.

Vortex had faded from her disguise into her normal outfit. She laughed and leaned on Wayland’s shoulder. “Anyone want some popcorn?” she offered with an evil smile.

“Do you know how sick and tired I am of all this?” Priire growled. With an elegant motion she threw off her cumbersome robe and transformed. “Starfire... Surround!”

Sailor Asteroid threw the double handful of stars at the two Sith. Vortex was knocked back and something blue flew out of her hands. Chrone threw off her cloak and grabbed the necklace. “All right!”

With a flick of her golden tail, Sailor Cathar posed. “I’m the senshi of animals and forests, they protect me when I fight for them! If you mess with me, you’ve gotten more than you can handle! Oof!” she yelped as Wayland’s Force lightning shoved her backwards.

A white rose positioned itself on the Sith Knight’s hand. “It’s not nice to hit ladies,” the Shiroi Knight warned.

“Try this,” the Sith growled as he zapped Asteroid and Cathar with the Force lightning. An evil cackle escaped him as they withered in pain.

Cathar closed her eyes, curled into a ball, and groaned, “Help.”

She was floating in some kind of cloudy place. Chrone opened her eyes and looked around. “Where... where am I?”

A voice came from out of nowhere and spoke to her. “That is not important. What is important is that you save your friends.”

“Okay, that’s easy. How?”

The voice was sadder when it spoke next. “By dying for them.”

“Do what?” Chrone said. “But I... I have to protect my planet! Will I come back to life or something?”

Again, the voice was sad as it spoke. “I am sorry, Chrone. But you must make the decision to save them, or watch them die.”

Sailor Cathar looked around. Asteroid was lying in a disheveled heap next to Tuxedo Jedi. The four other men were strewn across the room like dolls. She seemed to be the only one who was conscious. She looked down with tears in her eyes. When she did, she saw that there was a strange rod in her hand. It was made of polished wood with a living vine wrapped around it. On the top was a pair of wings and a blue gem that glowed faintly.

“Oh no,” she muttered as she gripped the rod tighter. The two Sith seemed to be moving in for the kill. Their transformed lackeys had gathered around like vultures. “Here...here goes nothing,” she stuttered.

Standing on her feet, shakily, Sailor Cathar held up the wand. “Cathar Eternal Protection!” she shouted.

A shower of green leaves swirled around the felinoid. When the flurry stopped she was entirely different. Instead of being a cat, she was human. Human with huge white wings extending out from under a mass of red hair. The green leaves swirled around her booted feet and shot towards the Sith and the people.

When the leaves reached the transformed people, they turned into a green mist that surrounded them. They collapsed to the floor as the Sith’s power over them was broken.

The leaves that came to the Sith turned into pulsing green light that battered them until they escaped through boltholes.

“What?” Asteroid said as she sat up. “Ow!” Her complaint was sparked by a gash on her arm. “Where’s Cathar?”

The Coruscant Knight pointed to a redheaded girl on the floor. “I think that’s her.”

As fast as she could, Asteroid ran over to her fallen friend. “Chrone,” she said, close to tears. “Chrone, get up.”

The woman opened her eyes to look at her starbred friend. “I can’t. I think I’m dying.”

“That’s not funny.”

“No, it’s true.” The redhead shifted. “Please, don’t... don’t... forget me.”

Sailor Asteroid dropped her head as Sailor Cathar faded to her non-eternal senshi form, then to her normal self. Lingering there for a moment, she smiled at the other girl. Then she faded all together.

Priire stared at the stars. “It’s strange. She’s not coming back.”

The only thing that Chrone had left behind was the strange wand. It was what had turned her into an Eternal and given her the power to defeat the combined power of two Sith. The repayment for the monumental feat was her life.

After a moment, the blonde turned back to the wand. That was when she noticed it was glowing. “What the Sith!” Priire cursed.

Her twin ran in the room, yelling. “Aster! Someone’s opening the Time/Space Gates... and it isn’t me!”

Quickly, Priire transformed. Standing together the Twin Guardians faced the slowly opening gate. Asteroid almost hoped that it would be a Sith. She could take out her anger and frustration on it...

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!” a girl yelled as she tumbled out of the gate. “Oof. I really have got to work on my landings.”

“And you are...?” Asteroid growled.

The girl stood up and seemed surprised to find that both of the Sailors she faced were taller than she was. Receiving, she brushed off the green skirt of her outfit and straightened her green collar. “My name is Kaedama Chrone. I’m Sailor Cathar!”

“I don’t think so. She’s got fur.”

Asteroid’s harsh words didn’t even faze the other girl. She flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulder with a blue topped white glove and smiled. “I was sent from the future to protect Cathar in the past. See, there’s something really bad that’s going to happen to my planet if I don’t stop it!”

Still not impressed, Asteroid glared at her. “Catharians are felinoids.”

“Look, Asteroid! I’m from the Imperial times, there aren’t very many cats left! And none that are as Force-sensitive as they need to be!”

“How do you know her name?” Yavin countered.

The other blonde shrugged. “We’re friends in my time period. You helped me fix my ship once. Let me prove it to you!”

The girl reached for the winged wand. Grasping it in her right hand, she held it to her chest. “Eternal Cathar Transform!” In a swirl of green leaves, the girl became a blonde version of the Eternal Cathar that Asteroid remembered.

“Sith.”

Yavin watched her sister stalk out of the room and sighed. “Blondes.”

“Hey!”

The redhead smiled. “Sorry. I guess this is ‘welcome to the club’. Don’t mind her, she’s still upset about her friend dying.”

The newest sailor hung her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”

“Like I said, ignore her! We all do!”

The two laughed.

“How did they know!” Mistique fumed. “Who told them my plan! Now we have another Eternal Sailor brat!”

Emi and Geri sat in their seats watching Mistique pace. Ariel had her feet propped up on a table and was filing her nails nonchalantly.

“It was you, wasn’t it, Ariel?”

Pausing in her activity, Ariel turned her odd eyes on the Sith Queen. Only one being had ever stared the Alpha Sith down. After a few moments, Mistique turned away. She was almost shaken by the utter disregard Ariel's eyes held.

Someday, Mistique promised herself. Someday you’ll be the one flinching!