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Episode #113:  Enter Villain[ess] 
Reel 1 
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	Space is big.  Really really big.  I mean, you may think it's a long
way down to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.

	All Hitchhiker references aside, it is undeniable that space has a
lot of . . . well, space.  This is seldom ignored by those in a position to
do something with this space.  Take for example Queen Serenity I, ruler of
the Silver Millennium.  Noting the expansion opportunities in the Solar
System, she set about spreading her lunar civilization across all nine
planets of the system, and most of their Moons.  The expanded Silver
Millennium flourished until the rise of Queen Beryl, when it all came
crashing down.

	That has already been chronicled elsewhere. 

	What have not been chronicled, however, are Beryl's exploits.  After
all, she had just as much opportunity to expand into space.  In fact, she
had just begun building colonies near the Centauri group of stars when the
Beryl-Serenity wars ended.  After her apparent defeat, the colonies withered
without her support, as life on the other eight planets of the solar system
likewise disappeared.

	However, during Beryl's second rise to power she decided, unknown to
the senshi, to resume her explorations of deep space.  She got quite farther
this time, beginning several colonies quite a ways from Earth, including one
founded by a certain daughter whom she had good reasons for banishing to the
fringes of the galaxy.

	Then Serenity II came along, and a final end was put to Beryl.  She
would never come again, and neither, thought the senshi, would the Dark
Kingdom.  One extraordinary detail had gone unnoticed by them, however, a
detail they would know full well of in the early thirty-first century.

	Never is a very long time. 

***

	It was a typically boring day.  Pleiades was halfway between two
insignificant star systems, moving under conventional drive.  As usual, it
was more time- and fuel-efficient just to go sublight than use the Fold
generators.

	The fact that Folding gave Sailor Moon a tummy-ache might have had
something to do with it as well.

	"Damned Princess." 

	"What was that, sir?" 

	"Nothing," said Sailor Orion, a bit more loudly.  "Nothing at all."
She stood and wandered over to Vanessa's console.  "Anything interesting?"

	"Well, the helium count's up a few parts per trillion . . . ."  

	"Yeah, well I figured it would be something like that."  Orion
sighed at the total lack of things to do on the bridge.  Not that she didn't
have things to do; quite the contrary.  But the things that she wanted to
do, such as keep up her work on a doctorate, couldn't be done right there. 
She had to wait for Sailor Moon to relieve her, or else leave the bridge
without a senshi at midday.  And if HQ got word of *that*, there'd be hell
to pay.

	"Antares?"  

	"Yes?" 

	"Try me." 

	"Okay, um . . . okay, yeah, I got it.  Clearly outline the reasons
for the Albanian Succession of 2358.  You have five minutes . . . now."

*** 
	As Sailor Orion practiced defending theses before a review board,
Sailor Moon sat in the lounge staring into space.  It was a bit of a letdown
after all these years.  Back in the twentieth, her father had been a huge
Star Trek fan, though he had gone to extreme lengths to keep anyone from
finding out.  Fighting unearthly monsters was believable, but watching
people moralize in space was just stupid.

	In any case, she had had over nine hundred years to build up a
romantic notion of space travel, and now all those notions were being
shattered.  Streaking stars?  She was lucky to notice them moving at all. 
Spacious lounges?  The only real lounge on the ship was a converted cargo
bay with a window for a wall, and some furniture tossed around.  Friendly
computers?  Antares was anything but.  Kind yet strong commander?  She
wasn't even going to start on Sailor Orion.

	But despite all this, she still felt a strum of anticipation. 
Something was gong to happen, something big, and it wasn't the impromptu
piano recital scheduled for 15:00 that afternoon.

	Or maybe it was just indigestion.  

***  

	An unspecified number of light-years away, Queen Selenite sat upon
the throne of Hell.  Literally.  The Dark Kingdom scouts who had first
colonized this world had been outstandingly unimaginative when it came to
naming planets, and apparently Hell was the first name that sprang to mind.

	Selenite didn't spend much time thinking over such as that.  What
was more important was that Hell was the last Dark Kingdom colony left in
the universe.  Beryl's first defeat had brought all but a handful of colony
worlds to ruin, and her second defeat and annihilation had sent the
remaining ones into Dark Ages.

	Selenite had spent quite a bit of time and energy pulling
civilization on Hell up from its bootstraps, and during that time she had
built up quite a bit of anger towards Sailor Moon.  More specifically, she
had devoted the past couple hundred years to an elaborate plan for wiping
that bitch's atoms across the galaxy.  To accomplish this, she had had to
start launching raids on some of the outlying colonies of Sailor Moon's
kingdom.

	She thought back to the first time she had gotten confirmation that
the Moon Princess was still alive.  When her scout ships had quite by
accident picked up stray radio transmissions from an outlying colony, she
had only one thought: what if, against all odds, Beryl had come back and
dished out punishment to Sailor Moon before Selenite could?

	That was unbearable. 

	But then she had found out that it was Sailor Moon, now full-grown
as Neo-Queen Serenity, and she had to continue her plans for revenge.  It
was very elaborate, and designed to torture Serenity's soul.

	Simply put, she would wipe out all human life in the universe,
starting with the colonies and ending with Serenity herself.  It would take
awhile, and would be the first case of xenocide in the history of the
universe, but that was no matter.

	Selenite was quite patient.  That probably explained why she still
had her three generals.  If she had Beryl's temper, they would all be
executed by now.  She now spoke to her Number One.  He had forsaken any
other name ages ago.

	"You have confirmed that the intruding ship is of human origin?"  

	"Yes, my Queen."  

	"Very well, you may commence.  Eliminate them."' 

*** 

	Vanessa was at astrogation, and therefore the first to know. 
Despite this, she checked and rechecked the readings to make sure she was
correct before saying anything.

	"Sailor Orion, I'm picking up an unidentified vessel, bearing zero-
zero-zero mark zero-zero, range forty million kilometers." 

	"What?"  The bridge was instantly silent.  "Are you sure?" 

	"Yes, I checked it twice.  There's a large object out there, and it 
is definitely decelerating.  Sure sign of artificial propulsion." 

	"Of course."  She told herself to stay calm.  It was the first
situation of first contact in the history of mankind.  Beryl had been from
Earth, Ail and Ann shot first and then talked.  Same thing with the Dark
Moon, Nephrenia, and Galaxia.  Humans had never had the chance to have the
first word.

	But now they did. 

	"Communications, prepare a dispatch to be sent to Serenitatis
immediately.  Make use of position of contact and all other pertinent
information and stand by to send on my order." She stood.  "Open all
frequencies."

	"Aye, sir."  

	Broadcasting on every frequency Pleiades's radar dish could put out,
she spoke, being sure to enunciate slowly and clearly for the benefit of
alien linguists.  "This is Sailor Orion, Captain of Her Majesty's Starship
Pleiades.  We come in peace from the planet Earth.  In the name of Neo-
Queen Serenity, we are pleased to see you.  Would you please tell us about
yourself?"

	She turned to communications.  "End transmission.  Comm, have you 
sent that dispatch yet?" 

	"No, sir."  

	"Good.  I want it sent on a moment's notice, though, so stay on your
toes.  Sailor Moon, you're our royalty expert.  Any advice on first
contact?"

	Moon idly stroked a long pink ponytail and wiped the scowl from her
face.  "One thing I know Serenity wouldn't like.  Don't shoot.  *Ever*.  If
they're hostile, let them show it."

	Orion nodded.  "Those were my feelings too."  There was noting much
to do until the aliens managed a translation, so she decided to find out
some more.  "Vanessa, have you found out anything else about them?"

	"Um, the ship has a length of about seven hundred meters, is vaguely
cylindrical, with an average radius of four hundred meters.  Having
difficulty picking out life signs.  Hull temperature approximately ten
degrees Celsius, consistent with an interior temperature of twenty-four
degrees.  No identifiable shuttle bays, weapons, communication equipment,
anything."

	"Range?"  

	"Three million kilometers.  They've slowed, and are currently moving
at two hundred meters per second."
 
	"Great.  Good work with the sensors, Vanessa.  Comm, any response?"  

	Ensign Hanasu shook her head.  "No, sir.  Not even static."  

	"Humph."  She turned to look at the screen, where a computer-
enhanced picture of the vessel was sitting in a field of black.  A bright
spark appeared at one end, and a wide beam of yellow light arced out from
it.  The only thing Orion could think was that it had to be a particle beam. 
An electromagnetic beam would have traveled too fast for anyone to see.

	Sailor Moon managed to think more clearly. 

	"What the hell was that?" 

	"Unknown, sir," said Vanessa.  She looked over her shoulder at Kim,
who was already moving over to the tactical station.  It had more advanced
controls for the sensors, but it was rarely used since there was no need for
it.  "It might have been a highly focused beam of extremely high-energy
particles.  It missed us by about four thousand meters."

	"Confirmed," chimed in Kim from her new position.  "Estimate
strength of . . . several thousand exawatts!"

	"WHAT?"  Sailor Orion was aghast.  "How could they generate such
power?"

	"Sir, second shot coming in!" screamed Vanessa in an impossibly 
high shriek of terror.  The timbre alone told Orion that it was heading 
straight for them. 
 
	Orion didn't take time to think.  "Sound collision!"  

	Even as the bells rang through the ship, she knew it was too late.

*** 

	The beam of antiprotons covered the distance between the two ships
rapidly.  Due to the relative velocities of the two, it failed to score a
direct hit.  Rather, it struck the communications mast full on.

	The small forest of antennae and dishes focused thoughts from the
comm officer and sent them to the Earth, and vice versa.  But it was mere
tissue paper in the face of the beam, and disintegrated in a matter of
nanoseconds.  Before it went, however, a final, massive energy pulse was
sent down the leads to the bridge and the communications panel.

*** 

	On the bridge, Orion wondered at how loud the collision alarms were,
when the entire ship shuddered and then rolled over sickeningly.  In the two
seconds it took the inertial dampers to catch up with the sudden movement,
she and everyone else who weren't strapped down flew though the air.  Heads
and knees connected with computers, railings, and other heads and knees, and
it was not pretty.

	Orion rolled over from under the console she had been thrown
beneath. "Helm, evasive maneuvers!  Sound general quarters!" The rhythmic
pulsing of the GQ buzzer resounded satisfyingly in her ears as she got up.

	Looking around, she saw the now-enemy ship rolling around on the
screen as the helmsman frantically tried to make things harder for whoever
was doing the aiming.  Everywhere, crew were picking themselves up and going
to battle stations, and Orion berated herself for not holding a single
general quarters drill.

	"Everyone all right?"  

	She was greeted with a spine-numbing scream. 

	"Hanasu!"  Sailor Moon scrambled over to the communications officer,
who lay limp, still attached to her console by the wire.  Sailor Orion
didn't even look their way.

	"Damage report?"  

	As soon as Orion sounded general quarters, Pleiades was in a battle
situation.  As such, one person did the talking for all the reports and
alarms coming in from all the posts.  Otherwise, the bridge would have been
even more of a madhouse than it already was.  Sammy had immediately taken
over that post of talker, being closest to her panel.  "Reports still coming
in, sir!  A few bruises and a broken arm on deck five!  Engineering reports
all clear, no damage to reactors or propulsion!  Checking auxiliary systems
. . . sir, long-range communications array is gone!  Lookers say . . . my
God, the whole thing got blown clear off!"

	Orion tried not to panic.  She was the captain, and if the rest of
the bridge crew was as close to tears as Sammy sounded, she'd need to set an
example.  But if the array had been blasted while Hanasu was still plugged
into it . . . .  She glanced over at the communications panel to see Sailor
Moon kneeling by the ensign's inert form.

 	"Sammy, get a med crew to the bridge, stat!"  That taken care of, 
she had to see about the other ship.  She looked at one of the situation 
clocks that had started counting from the collision alarm, and saw that 
scarcely a minute had passed. 

	She sat in her chair and marshaled her thoughts rapidly.  "Position
of the enemy ship?"

	Sammy answered almost instantaneously, which was a good sign. 
"Position of unknown ship, designate target Sierra-1, bearing zero-eight-
zero mark five-zero and moving away, relative velocity four hundred meters
per second and accelerating at fifty gravities, range two point four million
kilometers."

	"Why are they waiting so long?" asked Orion.  

	"They said they're on their way," said Sammy.  

	"No, not the med team.  I meant them," she said, gesturing to the
screen.  "Why aren't they trying to finish us off?"

	"Sir, they've fired!"  

	"Evasive maneuvers!"  

	"Aye."  

	There was a moment where no-one breathed, and then it passed.  

	"They missed us, sir.  By three hundred meters."  

	"Great.  Tell engineering to prepare for procedure zero-zero-one."  

	"Zero-zero-one?"  

	"They'll know what it means.  And if they don't, tell them to read
the damned manual!  Now get to it!" 'Too overbearing?' Orion asked herself. 
Undoubtedly.  But now was not a time for half-measures.

	The main hatch to the bridge popped open, showing both the armed
sentry who was now standing guard over the entrance to the bridge, and four
medical personnel headed by Dr. Sampson.  "Where is she?" asked Sampson
briskly.

	"Right here," answered Moon, raising her hand.  The meds raced over,
and Orion gave them some room, settling into her seat.

	She spun the chair, facing Kim, who was doubling as short-range
communications using the emergency directional receiver, and astrogation.
"Any response yet?"

	"No, sir."  

	"Damn."  She reviewed the tactical situation.  Sierra-1 had ignored
all attempts at communication, unless they were meant to translate
antiparticle beams.  In addition, they had a beam of incredible power,
unknown range, and so far questionable accuracy.  Pleiades had a couple of
probes, a laser that couldn't hope to poke a hole across the distance
between the ships, and the Gertie.

	Great.  

	"ETA on zero-zero-one?"  

	"Just a moment, sir."  She pressed the earpiece closer; with a dozen
people reporting to her, it got very hard to sort out what was important. 
"Um, engineering reports that the fusion plants will be maxing out in twenty
seconds.  They can hold that for two minutes.  After that, they'll have to
cycle down."

	"Good enough."  She hadn't seriously expected much more.  Looking
over, she saw that the orderlies were assisting Hanasu to a stretcher.  One
problem gone.  Another presented itself, however.

	She flipped open the cover on her left armrest to reveal a mass of
buttons and switches.  "Damn." How could she have been so foolish as not to
review the procedures for using the bloody thing?

	She inspected it more closely, then found a small tag with tightly
packed kanji upon it.

	"Jen.  If you're reading this, things must be bad.  Just remember
that you can handle it.  You activate the device by inserting your right
finger into the hole that goes at a slant into the right armrest.  Then,
push the red and green buttons on the left console simultaneously.  After
that, instinct should just take over.  You're my favorite.  --Dad."

	"Oh dad," she whispered.  Then again, it was no time for
sentimentality.  Looking around, she found what she was looking for and
slipped a white-gloved finger into the appropriate hole.  Then she managed
to twist a couple of her left fingers to push the necessary buttons.  Now
came the hard part.

	She could feel it welling up inside her, like nausea and
anticipation.  Or were they the same thing?  She only knew that it had to be
released, and soon.

	Still standing by the communications console, Sailor Moon saw what 
Orion was going to do and shouted to the helm.  

	"Bring us about!  Point us to Sierra-1 dead on!"  

	"Aye, sir!"  

	"Do it, Orion!"  

	No more time for thought.  "Okay.  Orion Nebula . . . "  

*** 

	On the Dark Kingdom equivalent of the bridge, the ship's captain
chuckled to himself.  It had been too easy.  The first shot had apparently
crippled the human ship and a second shot, while close, had been telling. 
As the ship had made no moves to attempt a counterattack, it could safely be
assumed that they were defenseless.  'Now,' he thought, 'I simply move in
for the kill.'

	Or rather, that was his plan before everything around his ship went
hazy.

	"What's going on?" he demanded of his subordinates. For their part
they were still looking around, trying to find out what was going on as
well.

	"Some kind of gas cloud," said one.  "We're not sure." 

	It would very shortly cease to matter.  

***  

	Sailor Moon was rather disgusted with Orion's performance.  "That's
all?  Just a cloud?" She sighed, and began to reach for her ginzuishou. 
"Have to do everything myself."

	Orion ignored this; the sweat beading on her brow showed the
concentration she was putting forth.  It had to be at just the right moment
. . . now!

	" . . . COLLAPSE!"  She flopped back in her chair, and shouted a
final command.  "Full reverse flank!"
 
	On the screen, the cloud that enveloped Sierra-1 began to contract.
First slowly, and then so fast they could only catch the final result, which
was that a star was born.

	Literally.  

	Where the ship had once been, a new star burned.  It wasn't a very
big star, or a bright one; there wasn't that much gas to start with.  But it
was enough to do the job of incinerating the enemy ship, and as Pleiades
raced away there was nothing left but hydrogen and a bit of helium.  In a
couple decades, the star would burn out.  But until then, it would be a
testament to the victory of the Crystal Millennium.

***  

	From her throne room, Selenite watched the events dispassionately. 
"Number One," she said, "I do not need to tell you that I am displeased."

	He bowed in apology.  "Yes, my Queen.  My first choice made the 
mistake of underestimating the ship's power.  It will not happen again."  

	"See that it doesn't.  I heard enough of my mother's failures with
her generals.  I have no wish to see them repeated here."

	"Of course, my Queen.  I will make immediate preparations for 
another attack.  I will not fail."  

***  

	"So," said Sailor Orion, "final analyses?" 
 
	They sat in the conference room, which was still left over from the
pre-cruise briefing.

	"Sir, we were entirely too complacent," began Sailor Moon.  "From
the lack of training, to the absence of drills . . . we should be dead right
now.  The only thing that saved us was the enemy's overconfidence."

 	"True," Orion admitted.  If they had drilled, how much sooner could
things have been done?  But she *had* managed to destroy the bogey.  "Dr. 
Sampson, final casualty list?"

	"Thirty-two wounded, three seriously.  Any number of fractures and
broken bones, one extreme burn, one severe case of blood loss and trauma,
and one of the worst cases of neural shock I've ever seen." She whistled
slowly.  "Sir, I don't know if Hanasu will be able to perform higher brain
functions again, let alone telepath."

	"Great," said Kim.  "And she was the only 'path we had aboard." 

	"You mean there's *no-one* else aboard qualified, or even capable of
operating the long range communication systesm?" Moon was in a state of
disbelief.

	"Unfortunately, yes," said Orion.  "Well, folks, looks like no
letters home, no news, and no flash reports to headquarters at Mare
Serenitatis.  We're on our own out here."

	Next to her, Sailor Moon replaced her look of disgust with a broad 
smile.  

	"I wouldn't want it any other way."