Someone Innocent

The quiet evening draped elegant shadows over the serene and barren landscape. The almost perfect silence didn’t, of course, last long. It never did with the Sailor Jedi around.

“I’m not sure we really should have let Priire near anything that required that much of a deposit. And the names of her next of kin.”

“Relax you must. If die she does, then more food there is for us at the banquet there is!” Numako speculated, drawing a half laugh from Annika.

Priire, the subject of the discussion, seemed out to prove everyone’s fears correct. She let out a wild yell from where she was perched on the seat of her swoop — a daredevil’s toy consisting of an engine with a seat and handlebars. Despite her risk-taking moves, even the most untrained eye could tell that Priire was far from a novice on the dangerous vehicle.

With a helmet under her arm, the newly arrived Zyta shook her head and commented, “Here’s trouble.” She spoke a little loud, partially from having to shout over the motors and partially shouting over the loud music in the background.

Confused looks met her statement.

“That’s the planetary champion in swoop racing suiting up now.” Zyta had taken an avid interest in the swoops because they were so much like her beloved motorcycle. “Of course, I’ve never seen him race... but most people say he has just enough talent not to get killed. No one’ll seriously race against him because he’s the Planetary Governor’s son.”

“Trouble,” Ippin agreed with a sigh.

Priire calmly sent her swoop barreling toward a set of three holes in a stone wall. She gauged the middle one to be ample for her swoop with the one on the left to be far too small for her and her swoop, and the hole on the right was larger than the left one, but barely.

Tucking her body down in the seat she dove for the hole only to be cut off by a blood red swoop. The other Sailors could hear her curse from across the desert. Kirin slapped her hands over Aisu’s ears.

Now the blonde pilot was faced with two choices; either she could run straight into the wall and become its latest decoration, or try the too-small hole on the left. She shifted her body weight to the right, sending her machine into a spin. Tucking her body even closer in, she dove for the hole. The non-senshi watching her flight started taking bets.

Still spinning, Priire shot through the hole, leaving a shower of sparks spewing out behind her to attest to the narrow fit. In the few seconds it took her to navigate the hole and right her swoop, the other flyer was far ahead. Her eyes narrowed in the blue helmet as she glared through the wing-shaped visor. If she had been traveling slow enough for anyone to get a good look at her, they would have noticed that the black area on her helmet was the silhouette of a woman with her hands above her head and wings — a variation of the Hawkbat’s patch.

“Oh no,” Kairiku muttered as she spotted a glint in Priire’s hand. “This is going to get messy!”

Priire closed the gap between the two swoops by her sharp flying, but she was still behind the other being. Her keen eyes judged the distance between them that she had to make up as they approached a rocky expanse of land. The swoop in front of her slowed to better navigate the huge rocks. Priire seemed to have little or no respect for the monoliths as she sped up her machine. The incredible speeds that she was traveling at left no room for a mistake.

Flying the swoop with one hand and sighting her blaster was difficult, but Priire managed it. The other swoop spun out of control and into the dirt as Priire painted it with laser light.

“Let’s see. Xarae, could you just give us some pointers on etiquette?” Kyoko suggested.

Ippin tossed in a comment before the graceful woman spoke. “First rule — shooting the son of the governor is a bad thing. Even when the blaster isn’t at full power.”

Priire looked up when she realized everyone was looking at her. She guiltily hid the blaster she’d been cleaning behind her back. “He asked for it!”

“What? Did he ask you to shoot him?” Nom questioned.

The blonde shook her head. “No... but you all saw how he was acting!”

No one sympathized verbally. “You shouldn’t let your emotions run away with you like that,” Kirin told her. “You could hurt someone.”

There seemed to be a protest on Priire’s lips, but she didn’t voice it. The girl shrugged easily. “Whatever.”

Tere were so many women in beautiful dresses. Priire rubbed her hand down her dress, brushing off invisible dirt. The man beside her leaned down a whispered in her ear. “You know, you’re going to brush the color off if you keep doing that.”

“Shut up, Tux.” The words were harsh, but there was a smile in her tone and on her face.

To protect the identities of the Sailor Jedi, each of them had on half masks. It was a strange mixture between being Priire and being Sailor Asteroid. She brushed her hand down the side of her dress again.

The dress itself was as black as midnight and straight, accenting her figure nicely. Around her waist there was a huge and lazy bow tied in a dark blue ribbon. The thin straps of the dress were perfect. Her mask was black, edged in dark blue. To prevent anyone from wondering about the likeness of the good Sailor to the evil Hawkbat, Priire’s hair was piled on top of her head and unbraided. That last part was the hardest for Priire to accept. She hated having her hair out of the braids; they were like a security blanket for her. But Ippin had pestered her with threats to tell some of her darkest secrets until the blonde reluctantly gave in.

Now, Priire’s hair was a masterpiece — someone else’s masterpiece owing to her great displeasure with it. Her golden blonde hair was piled up neatly on top of her head, studded with tiny, shimmering stones. Framing her face were a few braids, a perfect finish. Priire good-naturedly hated it. All in all, the mercenary-turned-Sailor looked like a lady.

“You’re worrying,” Kousotsu chided gently. “Enjoy this!”

“I am enjoying this.”

He gave her a look that told her he knew her much too well to fall for that line. The white mask that he wore only accented his playful blue eyes. Priire rolled her eyes at him.

Priire grinned at him as they walked into the building. She glanced down to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Shoes, blaster, gloves... the gloves were important. According to all her observations — and the books on the world — all the people wore gloves all the time. It was, oddly enough, a sign of trust. Priire smiled at the crowd who stopped talking to see the advent of the famed Sailor Jedi. Kyoko was leading the procession, elegant in her white-trimmed-with-blue dress. She waved an elegant white-gloved hand to the crowd and winked at them from behind her red mask. The other senshi waved or smiled as they saw fit. Each senshi or knight wore a mask in the color of their Sailor suit. Kirin was especially nice in a mask that matched her icy eyes. Mara’s mask was jade green, framing her perfect eyes. Other masked men and women walked in after them. Their masks were as different as the personalities; from muddy brown impishness to dark gray elegance, the Sailors were a wide cross section of the galaxy. No two were alike, and no one resisted the chance to talk to the other partygoers.

There was a flash of green and a loud sigh. “Are you okay?” someone asked Mika.

Mika looked up out of her gray-blue mask and rubbed her head. “Yesh. I jusht bit migh tounge. It hursh.”

Helping her up, Annika tried not to slip herself. Always helpful, Kumoko wiped up the spill. “Careful,” the auburn-haired girl grinned.

In other parts of the room, several Senshi were being less than good guests. Kairiku and Audra had convinced Sutaru, Neburaa, Aisu, and the rest of the younger senshi that the plants were meant to be hidden behind, the desert table was meant to be sneaked up on, and the sweets it held were for their consumption. Of course, they could have just walked up and taken whatever they wanted... but where was the fun in that?

“Kairi-chan?” Audra called softly.

The girl turned her sea-green-masked face towards Audra. “What?”

“Kairi-chan, you’re about to bump into...”

Two startled yelps made the other girls wince. Just like Audra had been about to warn her, Kairiku bumped into someone’s leg. Immediately, Kairiku pretended that she was looking for something that had fallen.

A curse peppered the man’s next statement. “What are you doing?” he growled.

The girls all stood up. Shorter than he was, Kairiku had to look up at him to give him a good glare. She’d learned it from Nom. “You shouldn’t talk like that with little kids around.”

Before the irritable man could curse again, an olive or some such thing bounced off his head. He turned in the direction that the projectile had come from. The mass of people made it impossible to tell who had launched it unless you knew who you were looking for. His distraction gave the girls time to escape.

“You shouldn’t have thrown that,” Kousotsu said with a smile. “But nice aim anyway.”

“Thanks. Give me my drink back.”

The man held it from her as Priire reached for it. She tripped, and he caught her. “Hah,” she grinned grabbing the pirated beverage.

“Imp.”

Another, louder crash caught the room’s attention. This time both Annika and Mika had fallen. The latter slid in a fallen desert, and the former tripped over her friend’s leg. Both of them were in a pile. “So we’re not graceful,” Annika grinned through her pink mask that framed her blue eyes. Some of the people around them laughed as they helped the two up.

The music turned quieter and more romantic. It had an elegant and free tone to it that Priire identified in Kousotsu’s ear as Alderaanian. He told her to be quiet and enjoy it. She agreed and rested her head on his shoulder as he held her tightly.

Several girls sat by the sidelines and nibbled on cookies or just watched. Annika had something in her hand that looked like the most fattening combination of fine chocolate and icing that could be found on the table. She wished that Obi-Wan could have come with them. Kairiku was smiling, but Annika would have put money on her missing Anakin as much as she missed Obi-Wan.

Even though she was just a little sad, she didn’t take the time to indulge her unhappier emotions. Instead, Annika watched the floor. It was beautiful with its almost living swirls of color. Slow movements made dress brush against legs and mingle with every other color on the floor. Some of the couples moved quicker than the others, cutting their way between slower people. Annika took a few moments to pick out people she knew. Kami and Kirin were dancing together, and Annika could see Mara watching them.

One of the other knights - Annika couldn’t tell which one - was dancing with Kyoko. The blue-haired girl was laughing at a joke that he’d apparently just told her. How cute!

Oola and Fumestu were dancing like they were perfect for each other. Annika grinned. That was so romantic! She only knew of one other couple like that... her eyes searched the floor for Priire and Kousotsu. She caught site of them just as Priire tripped someone. Another look told the white-haired girl that the blonde had tripped the governor’s son. Oh dear. He, apparently, didn’t realize she’d done it, as he kept dancing. That was one grudge Priire had been nursing for a while. Annika didn’t understand why she seemed so set on annoying the man. Maybe it was something in her past. Laughing, Annika dismissed the idea and got another cookie.

When the music stopped, couples drifted apart or together towards the main dinning hall. There, a feast of monumental proportions was laid out. Knights pulled out chairs for the lady Senshi, and it wasn’t long before everyone was seated. At the head of the table sat the governor, his wife, and their son. The governor stood up and proposed a toast. “To the protectors of our galaxy!”

“And to our gracious hosts,” Kyoko replied.

Talk was subdued at the table as everyone ate the delicious foods before them. It started with a salad that had various vegetables from all parts of the world and some from the oceans. Topped with a spicy dressing, it was one of the better salads the Senshi had every tasted. Even Kaedama Chrone, who usually avoided vegetables like the plague, liked it.

That was followed by a choice of either seafood soup or one made of a red vegetable. Both were proclaimed excellent. By the time the main course arrived, several people were in deep conversation.

“Have you ever been here before?” a man asked Priire.

“Once,” she replied, putting a piece of seafood in her mouth. “Mmm. This is great!”

The man looked interested. “Were you here before or after the present governor came into power?”

Without thinking, Priire answered him. “I hel...” she swallowed the words. “Excuse me. I think I had something caught in my throat.”

“Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I was trying to say that I was here when he ‘came into power’ as you put it.”

“Ah.”

Annoyed with herself, Priire put more soup in her mouth. She was too distracted, the girl decided. And she was saying stupid things. One slip-up could get her killed. Her irritation with herself and her past made Priire wish that she could go back in time and tell herself not to do such things or be such things. Wishing that made her remember the night before she met the man who, unbeknownst to him, set into motion the things that changed her younger self from a misguided runaway to a mercenary killer. It wasn’t the misguided runaway that was afraid of saying something that would get her hurt - it was the mercenary. The mercenary was the one who had been to the planet before. And the mercenary was the one who had helped stage the coup that led to the present governor’s place in government. She knew how corruptible he was and wondered two things. What he would do to them, if anything; and why she hadn’t warned any of the others.

After the meal was over and some senshi were still looking for one more rich desert, Priire was sitting outside. There was a large garden and plenty of benches. She didn’t have much desire to stay in the formal dress, but it was pretty out in the moonlight. And besides, alone suited her thoughts better than being with a group of people. Priire was wondering if maybe the governor had changed and wasn’t so corruptible. But, the other part of her mind argued, a beast like that couldn’t change its spots. Not in that short of time. Her guess was that he was going to privately request that a few of the Sailor Jedi stay behind and personally protect his planet.

Suddenly, a dark shape was silhouetted in the moonlight. Without thinking, Priire snatched out her blaster and held it on... Kousotsu?

“Hey. Weren’t you supposed to leave that in the ship?” he laughed.

Priire grinned sheepishly. “No... Coru told me to leave my blaster in the ship. This is my holdout.”

“Aren’t technicalities wonderful?”

She nodded in agreement. “I feel like going to a cantina.”

He gave her a funny look. “Any particular reason?”

Priire shrugged. “There’s a couple of good ones.”

She didn’t seem like she was going to give him any more information so the handsome man shrugged. “Let’s go.”

Black was Priire’s favorite color to wear. It was easy to blend into shadows or stand out in a crowd. And it looked very nice on her.

Kousotsu looked her over as she walked out of the ship. Priire was back in her normal wear - all black, with a blue and silver belt that held one blaster. Because her hair was still out of its normal braids, she had it in a low ponytail with a black hairpiece. Four little braids still framed her face, but now instead of looking elegant, they made her look like she was living up to her name - dangerous. She’d tied black beads onto the ends of them. “Looking good,” he commented.

“Thanks,” she grinned, taking his arm.

“Got a preference?”

She looked around. “That one.”

Walking in, the two noticed a thicker haze than usual and a mass of patrons around one table.

“Oh no, we’re leaving.”

“Not on your life,” Priire growled. She started walking toward where the governor’s son was sitting.

Kousotsu grabbed her arm and spun her around so that she faced him. “Priire. I love you, and if you really want to go thrash the son of someone powerful, I’ll back you and bail you out if you need it. But sometimes I want to know why I’m doing these things.”

With anyone else, Priire would have said something and gone on about her way. But this was different. She let him lead her over to a corner table and they sat down. “Really want to know?” she asked him quietly.

The dark-haired man nodded, watching her with crystal blue eyes.

“Then I’ll tell you. And trust me,” she said ironically, “this is the truth.”

Five beings dressed in black stood around a table. It could have been an informal business meeting except for the fact that each of the beings held in their appendages a weapon and had several many more strapped to their bodies within easy reach. Seated at the table were two humans. One was an older man and the other a young girl. The young girl obviously belonged to the ring of black-clad beings because of her dark clothes and abundance of weapons. The man across from her was uncomfortable around so much heavy armaments. He fidgeted and looked around at the people. “She’s your leader?” he asked incredulously. Women were not that highly respected in his household after his wife ran out on himself and his son.

The girl had on a blue and black mask that framed her angry green eyes. “You got it. They call me the Hawkbat.”

“John Kenar,” he introduced himself and held out his hand. She made no move to take it. He hadn’t really expected her too. She didn’t even wear gloves, the polite indication of trust in his society.

“All right, Mr. Kenar.” Her voice was business-like and abrupt. “You want to hire the Red Haze. We got your invitation-” She spat out the word. “-and we’re here. What do you want?”

John looked at all of them. “First, he demanded, “I want to know that you really are the Red Haze.”

One of the non-humans in the group shook his head. “Ooo, bad move.” He was a Twi’lek warrior, and that made John cringe. Warriors of the Ryloth culture were honorable and deadly foes. He wondered what a being of honor was doing with a killer like the Hawkbat.

For evidence, the girl turned her right shoulder to him. On her shoulder was a blue patch rimmed with black. In the center of the patch was a woman with upraised hands and two bat-like wings. Circling the woman’s body was a hazy ribbon of red. It was emblazoned with the words “HAWKBAT” and “THE RED HAZE”. The red ribbon was sparkling, a sign of the Hawkbat. All of the color drained from John Kenar’s face as he realized that he was indeed sitting in front of the famed and dreaded Hawkbat, mastermind planner and murder of countless systems. She was the perfect being — despite being a woman — to plan and lead the coup that would put him in the office he wanted.

A few hours later, the blonde let him leave. Then she turned to her companions. “What do you think?”

“For a billion?” the Twi’lek grinned. “Sith, I’d kill my own mother.”

The Hawkbat’s lips lifted in a sardonic smile. “We won’t get into that now. But let’s talk later.”

Everyone laughed.

“Really now. Why on Alderaan wouldn’t we take this one?” an Alderaanian man commented. “Seems easy enough.”

Shrugging, the masked woman stood up. “Then we’ll do it. I want two lists. No, three. One list of people that we’ll need to kill, one of people that we’ll need to ‘convince,’” she winked and everyone laughed again, “and lastly, a list of people that we have on our side.”

When she’d gotten nods from everyone, the Hawkbat continued. “After we have those lists, we’ll pair off an take care of it.” She gestured to the Twi’lek and an Aldivy girl. “You two will talk to those on our side.” The Alderanian man and a Tatooine girl were assigned to “convince” people, while she and a man from Coruscant were going to start killing people.

The next day they started. Convenient accidents took care of a few people, random muggings stopped others, and a very few people were outright murdered. John Kenar was elected to the office by a landslide.

For a week after he was in office, there was no sign of the Hawkbat or her crew. Then, without warning, she was in his office along with her group. “We’d like to be paid,” she said sweetly as the new governor walked in with his son. “Preferably in metals and gems; or a secure transfer of credits.

“Now.”

The man stumbled back a bit then recovered. “Of course. A half a billion.”

“Extra?” the girl smiled with no warmth. “Wonderful.”

The man shook his head. “No, of course not. Just a half billion.”

The Twi’lek smiled, showing pointed teeth. “Another mistake. Hey, Hawk. Are we playing ‘three strikes, you’re out’?”

Shaking her head the Hawkbat stood. “I think we’re playing ‘you annoy me, and you’re out’.”

“My favorite,” the Twi’lek smiled enthusiastically. “Can I kill him?”

“Sorry, that’s my prerogative.” She turned very slowly on the two men. “Are you going to pay me my billion or am I going to start taking little pieces of your flesh off?”

She let the younger man reach for his blaster and growl that she ought not to insult his father before she reached for hers. No one was quicker than the Hawkbat at a straight draw. The dark blaster was pointed at the boy’s head and ready to fire just as his cleared its holster. “You should be dead,” she told him quietly. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time or desire to kill you and then replace you right now. I have time to collect what’s due me, however. If you’re going to make it so that I have to kill you...” she shrugged. “What’s one more drop of blood on my hands?”

The Hawkbat knew that as soon as she turned her back to him he was going to shoot her. That was why she caught the eye of her trigger-happy Twi’lek mercenary. He grinned as she holstered her blaster. Waiting until the boy was tightening his finger around the trigger, aiming to put more than one world out of its misery by eliminating the Hawkbat, the Twi’lek threw a sharp dagger. It caught the boy across the cheek and sliced it open. The Hawkbat herself had ducked to the ground and threw a dagger of her own that pinned the new governor to the wall.

“What do you say you don’t make her any more angry?” the Alderaanian man asked. “She gets quite grumpy when she has to kill unnecessary people. No wait, she’s always grumpy.”

The Hawkbat glared at him. “Who says he walks home?”

The laughter that followed her statement sent shills down the governor’s spine. Credits were transferred by the governor with great speed. The boy that the Twi’lek’s dagger had sliced was only a little older than the Hawkbat, just old enough to be influenced by his father. The brown-haired boy knew that the ungrateful Hawkbat was only allowed to be here and not captured by police out of his father’s generosity. He hated her for that. An odd connection formed in his mind because of his experiences. Being convinced that she was pure evil wasn’t hard, and he believed she was evil because she was a girl without a home. Yes, tales swore that she came from various places, from Corellia to the Unknown Regions, but there was no place that the woman could call home. That was why she was so evil. Females, then, were not to be trusted or admitted to positions of authority. And this one was to be killed, if at all possible.

He was better than any woman was. It was, after all, a male Twi’lek who’d scarred him.

A foreign tear slipped down Priire’s cheek. It was foreign because Priire never cried. Almost never, at least. Kousotsu reached out and wiped it away.

“You know...” she said quietly. He looked at her and she caught his eye. “I always wondered if when you knew everything about me if you’d still love me.” It was a quiet cross between a heart-rending question and a gentle statement of trust.

Kousotsu reached over and put his hand on top of hers. “Yes.”

They sat there for a moment, quietly reflecting.

“Later,” Priire said, continuing her story, “the miners and I came to the planet. A comet had come into the system and left huge chunks of itself all over the place. Mineral-rich pieces that we could have made a lot of money on. I went down with Janson. The son kept bugging his father not to accept the contract.” Priire sighed. “They didn’t. As far as I know they’re still up there, doing nobody any good.”

Quiet fell over the table again and stayed until Kousotsu broke it.

“So...”

Priire looked up. “So...” She seemed like she was going to say more than that, but a louder voice cut off her words.

“You forced her into a wall?” The statement was followed by laughter. “What happened next?”

The two had been listening to the story for long enough to realize that the governor’s son was telling of the swoop race with Priire. The one that she had vaped him in. Obviously, it was a free retelling.

Looking at each other the couple decided to intervene. Priire stood up, deceptively lazily, and walked over to the group, with Kousotsu’s arm around her waist. She noticed that a few of the other senshi had walked into the cantina while she and Kousotsu had been talking. A few of them were close enough to hear what she was about to say. And none of them would like it.

Priire inserted herself into the crowd. “I know this story and the ending. May I offer a toast?”

The governor’s son smiled indulgently and waved his hand for her to offer the toast.

Making sure she had the attention of everyone in the room, Priire raised her glass. “To the greatest swoop pilot on the planet...” she said with a smile. Several of the senshi who had just entered took stock of the situation and dove for Priire, trying to silence her before she insulted anyone.

Before they could get to her, Priire finished the toast. “Me.” She and Kousotsu downed their drinks.

The governor’s son started to down his drink, but spat it out as he realized whom he was drinking to. “What did you just say?”

“I said,” Priire spoke quietly, “that I was the greatest swoop pilot on this planet. Unless, of course, someone I haven’t beaten has just landed.”

He shot her a look. “Pardon? I don’t recall being beaten by you.”

“Then finish the story. Tell them how the girl led you onto a rocky area then used it to her advantage, never slowing down like you did. Tell them how she caught up with you. Then tell them how she keyed her blaster down and painted your swoop with it. Tell them how you crashed and how she flew on.” Priire’s eyes lit. “Go on. Why don’t you tell them?”

Ippin shot her twin an evil look. And you promised to be good, the other girl sighed.

Priire shrugged. You wouldn’t understand. This time you really wouldn’t understand.

Before the other girl could say, Prove it, the governor’s son grabbed Priire’s arm. “Who are you?”

“Seijoutai Priire, pilot, fighter, and ace. This is Kousotsu Renjiro,” she said, pointing to the dark-haired man. Standing together the two looked very dangerous and not the sort that would give up easily.

“You’re letting a woman speak for you?”

See, this is why I don’t like him, Priire told her boyfriend silently.

Kousotsu smothered a smirk. “Not just any woman. One better than you.”

The insult was deep. Kousotsu had just implied that the governor’s son was a woman - an insult on almost any world.

“Gloves off,” the other man growled, saying that he did not trust either of the two people in front of him.

For Priire, that was fine. She didn’t trust him anyway. Tearing off her black gloves, she showed him exactly what she thought. It was after Kousotsu had his gloves off that the governor’s son took a good look at Priire’s hands.

“What the Sith happened to you?” he said, almost curious.

She shrugged. “Nothing that concerns you.” Priire tucked her gloves in one of her many pockets and stared at the man in front of her.

“You say you’re the best pilot, so I challenge you to a race. Anything you’ve got against my racing swoop.”

“Anything?” she purred.

He corrected himself. “Any swoop.”

Priire glanced at Kousotsu. He grinned at her. “You’re on."

In other, more respectable parts of the city, there was another meeting of importance taking place. Kyoko, now Sailor Naboo, was talking with the governor, John Kenar. She wasn’t the only Sailor in the room; Iridonia, Bakura, Tatooine, and Hoth were also there. But Naboo was doing all the talking. She was, after all, their leader.

“Explain to me again what you want,” the royal-blue-haired beauty requested.

The governor smiled and explained that he wished some of the Sailors would have an extended stay on his planet, seeing as they didn’t have a Sailor of their own. There would be a handsome fee for their services.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we can help you,” Naboo said, gently. “That’s not how we do things.”

“Go hire yourself some mercs,” Sailor Iridonia suggested. “They’d be more useful in this situation.”

John Kenar smiled at them. “I don’t think you understand.” He slowly pulled out a blaster. “I want Sailor Jedi to protect my planet.” As he pulled the weapon, a secretary dashed out of the room.

Sailor Bakura stood up from her chair. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting what I want,” the man growled.

“That’s not the way to do it,” Hoth told him. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

The man didn’t look impressed. “You just said you wouldn’t protect my planet.”

“No, we said that we can’t leave someone here. The Sailor Jedi protect all planets,” Tatooine told him.

He shook his head. “If all of your planets and mine were in danger, where would you send your Sailors first?”

Iridonia smiled ironically. “We’d send you Asteroid and Shooting Star.”

That was the kind of logic that was hard to argue with. Those two Sailors didn’t have an actual point-in-space to defend; they had phenomena. So instead of arguing, the governor raised his blaster and fired it.

The shot should have drilled a hole through Naboo’s gut, but an ice-cold attack froze it in place. The beam clattered to the floor and shattered. Bakura’s attack wrapped the man up so he couldn’t escape.

“What is this all about?” Iridonia demanded.

Because the man was tied up and had very angry Senshi staring at him, he had little choice but to answer the question. “The people are getting restless, demanding more protection than what I can give them. Sailor Jedi would be perfect. A bunch of mercenaries are too expensive.” He spat the last sentence out like it had a bad taste.

“Sounds like you’ve dealt with them before,” Bakura sympathized. Mercenaries had ravaged her homeworld more than once.

The man shook his head. “Not like that. They’ve helped me out before. But here’s a warning.” He looked at each of the girls. “Never shortchange the Red Haze. That lead girl isn’t a good one to negotiate with.”

Iridonia, Bakura, Tatooine, Hoth, and Naboo looked at each other. “Get Asteroid,” Naboo said.

Priire had on her helmet. It was her usual variation on the Hawkbat’s patch. This time she turned to the man she was flying against and let him have a good look at her before she fired up her swoop.

“Who are you?” he yelled again.

She didn’t answer because she was already flying. Priire’s swoop was accelerating into the first turn of the hastily-laid-out course. It was risky considering the unpredictable rock face of the wall. She didn’t seem to care that one wrong move would get her killed. The man flying against her took her recklessness as a challenge. His speed matched hers, running neck in neck with her. Priire was on the outside and she moved closer, forcing him towards the wall. Everyone cringed as metal scraped against rock.

Priire ground out a curse and sheered off from the race and headed in the wrong direction, back to the starting line. People started muttering to themselves unhappily. It was the height of bad grace to leave a contest before it got good and started.

“I’ve got to...” Priire started to yell to her friends. She was cut off by the other swoop. The governor’s son rammed her from behind. “Sith!” Priire growled. She slowed her swoop down, then slammed it into the side of her opponent. He spun out of control and jumped off barely in time.

“Kousotsu, keep him off my tail. Kyoko needs me!” Priire told them for explanation. The man nodded. With a snap-hiss, he ignited his lightsaber and blocked the governor’s son’s path.

Priire thumbed her commlink on. She’d tied it into her helmet’s communication systems so talking would be easy. “What’s up?” she asked, once she’d gotten hold of Sailor Naboo.

“It appears that the governor has ties to the Red Haze,” Naboo said, sounding like she was not happy. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

The blonde covered up her microphone, steering the swoop with one hand. “Sith.” Uncovering the microphone, she answered. “I didn’t...”

Naboo sighed. “Never mind. Next time, tell us everything.”

“Sure. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be there.”

Anyone watching would have done a double take. A black-suited figure sped up to the front of the government building and stopped on a decicredit. She did an easy double somersault off the front of the machine and landed in a half crouch. Instead of being a black-clad woman, she was a Sailor-suited warrior.

Pausing only to put her helmet on the seat of her ride, Sailor Asteroid ran into the building.

“I’m here,” she said, skidding to a stop. “What can I do?”

The other Sailors looked at her. Iridonia spoke first. “What was his connection with the Red Haze?”

Asteroid paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “The Red Haze hired out five mercenaries and the Hawkbat to John Kenar. They were to help him get elected. Payment was to be a billion credits.” The girl smirked. “As it turned out, the six got him elected, and then he decided their price was too high. After a bit of ‘negotiation,’ he paid them a billion and a half for their services.”

Everyone turned to the governor. “Is this true?”

The man nodded, grinding his teeth together.

“What are we going to do? I’m assuming he wanted some Sailor Jedi to protect the planet?” Asteroid sighed. When the others confirmed it, she glared at the governor. “I say we tell the people.”

“They won’t believe us,” Hoth argued. “We don’t have any proof.”

Iridonia sat at the computer. “That should be easy enough to get. I’ll just break into his files...”

“Everyone drop everything.”

The six Sailors turned to the door. Standing there was the son of the governor. He had a blaster trained on Asteroid. She had, after all, been giving orders.

“You females are not ruining my plans again.”

“What?”

The man waved his blaster at them. “Inferior beings. You think you’re wonderful just because you’re the great Sailor Jedi. I have news for you...” He gasped suddenly as lightning engulfed his body.

“Vjun!” Tatooine said happily. “Boy, we’re glad you’re here.”

The red-haired woman grinned. “Always here when you need me. And I brought some friends.”

The Sailor Jedi filled the room and spilled out into the hall. “What can we do to help?” was the question everyone posed.

Naboo started assigning jobs to everyone based on their strengths. It wasn’t long before they were ready.

There were people crowded in the streets. Most were not supporters of the present governor, but all wanted to see how the meeting with the Sailor Jedi would turn out. In the center of the square was a large holovid screen. Before long, Sailor Naboo’s face graced it.

“Some of you expected this day to bring news of a contract with the Sailor Jedi to personally protect your planet. That’s not how the Sailor Jedi operate. We protect everyone. Equally.

“Instead, it has come to our attention that the present governor has come to his position through murders and lies. Please take a moment to review what we’ve found and act accordingly.”

Asteroid took pleasure in posting the findings. She’d known where to look. Being the Hawkbat, she’d gotten into the computer system a few times and could easily access the “moles” she’d left in the system. She didn’t tell anyone how she’d gotten the information. Despite the fact that she knew none of them would leave her, Asteroid really didn’t want to press her luck. Trust was something she was learning, abeit slowly.

A cry went up from the people to bring out the governor. Sailor Dathomir smiled. After all, she was the senshi of justice. The Dathomiran Sailor spoke one of her Force spells and lifted the governor and his son and sent them flying out of the window. She didn’t let them drop to the ground, only sat them on the balcony.

“Suspicious I am,” Sailor Dagobah commented. “Seen no Sailor Sith we have, but feels this does like their work.”

Asteroid glanced at her from behind the computer. “Maybe that’s not a good thing to mention?”

The other Sailors glanced around. “I do not see anyone,” Chibi Dathomir said. “Maybe they did not know of this man’s corruptibility and they did not come here. Maybe it is not a trap. Maybe it is just one bad guy and no bad girls.”

Sailor Naboo looked out the window to make sure. “No Sailor Sith. I guess they didn’t want to show up.”

“Um... is this a bad time to mention the evil looking lady in hardly anything over there?”

Everyone turned to see what Sailor Centrali was pointing at. Or, rather who.

Sailor Sith Ayameru waved at the stunned girls. “Hi, I’m the resident evil.”

“Sorry, that job’s taken. Starfire... Surround!” Asteroid growled as she threw double handfuls of stars at the Sith.

“Oh. How pretty.” Ayameru raised a red-gloved hand and froze the stars in midair.

“What?” several senshi exclaimed. “She can’t do that!”

Dagobah stared at the Sith. “Stop telling her what can she do and hide we should.”

Laughing at them, Ayameru plucked one of the stars out of the air and threw it like an Earth-style ninja’s throwingstar at Dagobah’s head.

Sailor Asteroid reached out her arm to block it. When the star hit her black glove, it burst into a million points of light and dissipated. The Dark Sailor grinned. “I’m starbred,” she explained. “The stars can’t hurt me.”

“But they can hurt your friends,” Ayameru said, her eyes lighting up evilly as she flung the rest of the stars backwards at the rest of the Sailors.

“Advocate of jumping out the window I am! Yoda Levitation Attack!”

Changing the attack from hurtful to helpful, Dagobah sent all the fleeing Sailors drifting easily to the ground. “Thanks,” Naboo said. Then, with a sigh, she helped up Bakura and Yavin IV, both of whom had landed on their rears. “Are you okay?” she asked them.

Yavin IV nodded. “Anyone got a Band-Aid?”

“Cloud...” Sailor Bespin yelled.

“Starfire...” Sailor Asteroid echoed.

The attacks of the two Sailors spun out at the approaching Sailor Sith.

“Surround!”

The combined attacks should have gotten through to Ayameru, but they didn’t. She only laughed as they bounced off and back towards the Sailors.

“Golden Shield!” Chibi Bespin said, protecting the senshi from their own attacks. “This isn’t good! This is bad!”

“We know!” everyone shouted as Ayameru held up her hands.

The Sith was cracking her knuckles in preparation for an attack. “Now, watch carefully,” she said with an evil smile. “I don’t want to show you this twice.” Ayameru held up her hands and waved them around. “Black Fire...!” she purred.

“Myrkr Force Shield!” the brown-haired Sailor said, trying to stop the Sailor Sith from attacking her friends.

Ayameru rolled her eyes and used the Force to shove Myrkr backwards and broke her concentration.

“She can’t do that! Can she do that?” Sailor Cathar yelled. “I know she can’t do that!”

“Engulf!” Ayameru finished her attack with a growl.

“Ice Reflection Surround!” Hoth cried. She formed a wall of ice in front of the group of Sailors. The blue-haired girl nodded fiercely at the ice wall. “There! That’ll hold her!”

Gasping for breath from where they’d run behind the protection of the wall, some of the Sailors collapsed on the ground. With a smile, Sailor Naboo walked to the center of the group and started talking. “We’ll be safe for now. For some reason, Ayameru’s attacks and powers are much stronger than usual. She seems more evil as well. But I think if we combine our powers and work together...”

Not knowing it wasn’t the brightest of moves, Sailor Asteroid was leaning on the ice wall. Solai was sitting on her shoulder, licking the stray stardust from rebounded attacks off his coat and grumbling. “Baby, this is...”

The tabby cat didn’t have time to finish his sentence because while the Sailors had been talking and strategizing, Ayameru’s black fire attack had been chewing its way through the ice wall. At this point, the evil Sailor Sith’s fire accomplished its purpose and broke through the wall with incredible power. Asteroid — the only Sailor leaning on the wall — yelled in pain as the fire engulfed her body and started eating its way through her. She threw the cat off of her shoulder, trying to protect him as best she could. Solai hit the ground and rolled, putting the flames out. Yavin IV scooped him up and smoothed his fur back into place. Her talent with cats let her heal most of his minor burns.

Asteroid wasn’t near as lucky.

“Calamari Wave Engulf!” Sailor Calamari yelled, trying to use the water to put out the flames. It worked partially. Some of the flames sizzled out, while the rest were still blazing away.

Ayameru was standing in the space that the fire had eaten through the wall looking less than pleased. She cursed. “I’d hoped to get more of you. Well. This one will do. I can be flexible.” The Sith smiled. “I hope no one will miss her. She’s only a troublemaker anyway.”

“No!” Tuxedo Jedi shouted. He expertly aimed a lightsaber rose at the Sith. “I won’t let you!”

She rolled her eyes and brushed the rose away. “There’s not much you can do about it.” With a gesture of her hand, she lifted the still smoldering body of Sailor Asteroid and laughed. “You want her? Then come and get her!”

Sailor Yavin pushed other Sailors out of her way with her Time Staff. “We will, then,” she growled standing next to Tuxedo Jedi.

Sailor Asteroid jerked away from the Sith and stood up on her own. She leaned against the wall illuminated by the dark fires that burned around her. “Get out of here,” she said her voice weak. “Leave, please!”

“Not on your life,” Yavin growled.

“Maybe on yours,” Ayameru smiled, shooting a stream of black fire at the Time Guardian. Yavin blocked it with her staff, forcing the fire away from her. She could, however, only protect one person at a time. When Ayameru started literally firing at others, the senshi were forced back.

“Don’t, please,” Asteroid begged them again. “Don’t get killed on account of me. Please, I’ve... hurt...” Her voice started cracking, but she pressed on. “...too many of you... already.”

The Sailors shook their heads. “We can’t leave you,” Mrykr shouted. “It’s not right! There has to be another way...”

“You have to!” Asteroid pulled out her blaster and held it to her chest. “Go!”

“No!” Yavin and Tuxedo Jedi cried.

Asteroid closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. She brushed against her twin’s mind. Coru, please go! I love you, sister!

With close to the last of the strength she could muster, Asteroid reached out and brushed Tuxedo Jedi’s mind ever so gently. I love you, she told him, putting all the feeling she could behind it.

He fell to his knees on the burnt ground and reached out a hand. “No...”

The Coruscant Knight pulled him up and told the dark-haired man that they had to leave. Tuxedo Jedi didn’t respond; he kept his eyes on Sailor Asteroid. Even as the Sailors disappeared into the shadows and escaped, he watched her. He even watched her when she was too far away to see.

I didn’t really mean for you to leave me... but deep inside she wanted them alive more than herself. Tears weren’t her favorite mode of communication, but as she saw the senshi escaping in her Black Fire Dreamer, a tear escaped her green eyes. Just after the first time she’d met them, she’d faced death. This time she chose it. Asteroid clenched her eyes closed and drew her Force-sense as close in as she could. Then with hardly a tremble, she pulled the trigger.