Michiru ignored Tobias’ first remark and considered what to tell the Saiyan. She preferred to keep information in minimum, they couldn’t stay here for long, and Gochi could fill in the details for her brother if she wanted to.

“Taran’s use her as an energy supply.” she answered shortly and glanced at Gochi to sign she knew about as much as she and Haruka did. The reason why Tarans had decided to capture Sailor senshi still made Michiru’s skin crawl in a mix of detest and worry. Togarishii and Mamoru hadn’t had time to tell them everything they wanted to know before their departure, and the questions gnawed at her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise coming from the hallway. She glanced at the door hurriedly only to spot Gochi signing them she would take care of the intruder. She moved on to the side, readying herself for an attack just in case.

Michiru didn’t know what to make of the scene currently playing out before her eyes. In one moment, their group had been on their toes, prepared to attack or flee would the situation call for it, and in the next Gochi had attacked the intruder who turned out to be no one else than Mamoru. She was grateful they didn’t have to go search for him to free Mars, and hoped he wasn’t badly hurt from the Vegetan’s attack.

Only a minute later Makoto joined their group, soon followed by two more familiar senshi in diguises – Venus and Saturn.

Michiru couldn’t help the small wave of relief that washed over her when she saw Hotaru unharmed. She walked few steps forward to join the bigger part of their group and gave Hotaru a quick smile as she bent down on her level, whispering, “I’m glad you’re all right.” before taking a stand beside her. That much she could allow to lower her guard in this situation.

Her attention was then drawn by Venus’ exclaim. While every senshi’s bond was different and incomparable, she could understand what it felt like to see your dear partners in such a state – locked in a container, powers drained – for she had witnessed it earlier. It was a shock, a horrible one at that.

“We’ll get her out, without fail.” she assured her, hoping her words would offer at least a little bit comfort.

Mamoru's legs collapsed beneath him painfully, and as he fell, the jacket of his mechanic's uniform was grabbed and pulled into the room. Scowling, he prepared to fight back, his heart racing, panic at being caught ramping up his adrenaline, warm energy gathering in his palm -- and then he realized who had his shirt. He released the energy immediately, his scowl turning into one of slight annoyance as his hand extended to support his weight against the floor. Makoto entered behind him in the interim; he didn't say anything, just got his feet beneath him and stood up with as much grace as he could muster.

He looked around and saw the male in their presence - they must've found Gochi's brother - and the senshi in the tube. His heartbeat slowed - Mars. She was the last; now that they had her, they just needed to find Usako and figure out a way to save the Earth civilians and get home. Makoto entered behind him, and he turned just in time to see Hotaru enter and close the door behind her, offering her suggestion just moments before Minako's outburst. 

Mamoru headed to the control panel quickly, and started punching in the commands to set Mars free.  

OOC Information wrote:

Groups have merged:


Gochi, Tobias, Michiru, Haruka, Mamoru, Makoto, Hotaru, Minako and Rei are together near the front of the ship.


Ami and Setsuna have set several senshi free, and should direct them to help each other to the cargo bay to see if they could find containment for any civilians from their planets. Trusting the Solar System Senshi to handle the Tarans, they leave them, and Ami and Setsuna make their way to reconvene with the rest of the group. They'll meet up in like... a little bit. =] After they find out they've left the Solar System (which'll be soon). 

As they wake Rei up Mamoru'll attempt to answer questions so everyone is on the same page and whatnot. ^^' if anyone wanted to ask any questions or whatnot.

Sailor Saturn

It pained her to see the raw emotions of the others, but she kept that to herself. The Prince was capable, as always, working hard to free their trapped companion. Soon they would all be together... except the one they missed the most: the Princess. It was still their mission to find her. They could not rest until she was among them again. Hotaru was sure that the others felt that loss of light and warmth as acutely as did she.

"What now?" she asked the Prince, her cool violet eyes focused on him. As always, she trusted that he would lead them.

As Setsuna had suggested, the other senshi in their small group were split off. Several went off to go locate some means of transporting the civilians, though with a warning from the blue haired senshi not to try to start or pilot any of the devices yet. The last thing they needed right now was to raise any alarms, not until everyone was free, especially not until Usagi was free. Ami could imagine what Mamoru must be feeling right now. She felt a pang of guilt so strong that it felt as if her herart hurt just thinking of how they had all failed to protect her. She took a deep breath. Allowing herself to feel emotions right now could be counter productive if not dangerous. She needed a clear head.

She moved to the panels to illustrate to the few senshi left behind how to free a senshi from the capsules. It was not overly complicated, though not necessarily intuitive without being taught how. Ami was beginning to feel a bit jumpy about the amount of time spent in the room. She spoke with quick hushed tones as she indicated what to do to disconnect the wires and expunge the green fluid, feeling that any second they would be intruded on. One part of her mind scrambled for a medically related excuse for their presence should they be interrogated.

She found her mind drifting towards chess as she demonstrated the process. Almost any situation could be at least somewhat related to the strategy of chess. It was always a help in clearing her thoughts. But in this case, Ami was having trouble making the parallel. In chess, you have to be willing to lose pieces to win the game. No game was ever won with all pieces intact, in fact some of the best strategies were done with deliberate sacrifice. Not in this case….the blue haired senshi knew they could not lose anyone. If one of them should be re-captured, she knew the others would not stop trying to find that person, even if they should become captured themselves. She knew Usagi would not leave them behind, and that could mean that any one of them to be captured would become a big liability to the others.

No this is a game Ami would have to try to win without losing so much as a pawn. And if it happened beyond their control, if it came to tough decisions…Ami hoped she would never have to make that call.

OOC:

Mamoru's hands flew across the panel, inserting commands that would release Mars from the chamber, Hotaru's question simmering in the back of his mind. His plan had always been the same - find Usako, find their friends, find a way to save their people, and get back to Earth. So far, they had found all of their friends, but there was still no sign of Usako, and they had found no way to save their people without the Tarans noticing their efforts. While he had attempted to think up ways to free everyone back in containment in the cargo area, he had come up with nothing, inevitably returning to the original goal of saving Usako. If they could find her, somehow he knew everything would work out. If they could just --

Suddenly the panel lit up in red beneath his fingers and he froze as displays changed their readings and the lights around Mars's containment started to glow; his eyes widened as the container itself backlit in red and a low but loud humming started from the machinery beside the green-ooze-filled capsule. Mars seemed to float in a sea of black, her raven-colored hair almost disappearing in the new filter, until a violent burst of electricity flew through the chamber. The connectors sparked, and Mars was illuminated in her planetary red, her body defending itself from the attack in her unconscious state. Her face winced, her eyes squeezing shut, her body seemed to brace itself as though in pain rather than sleep. 

They were using the battery.

As the realization hit, Mamoru ran to the wall panel where EARTH was displayed and tried tapping to show what system Mars was being used to reinforce, but knowing her powers and her duty, he had a feeling... and as the Taran language flashed across the small input screen, he found his hunch correct. "They've activated their offensive system; they're attacking, using Mars to fuel their technology," he announced calmly and clearly, trying to set the standard for the others. Venus was distraught, but he needed them all to be on point now - there was no time for panicking. They needed to figure out what was going on, but he was afraid now to activate any system, including the door, less it alert the operators that had called upon Mars that something could be wrong with her chamber. They were stuck where they were. "Nobody touch anything; using Mars, they might have sensors set to go off if anything unusual happens in this room so long as she is activated." He looked to Gochi and Makoto, near the door, "Don't even open the door. We'll just wait it out, then deactivate Mars and get out of here."

Realizing he hadn't answered Hotaru's question, he found her and added, "Then we find Usagi and figure out a way to get home with our people, hopefully before we leave the Solar System, and without the Taran's notice."

Sailor Saturn

Witnessing the use of Mars' powers against her will was painful to watch. It flashed back memories for Hotaru--memories of her time as hoste for Mistress 9. She would never have wished that kind of experience on any of her friends and allies. Mamoru mentioned his suspicions considering the battery system and the use of Mars to power the offensive weapons and then followed up with an answer to her earlier query. She remained quiet for a few moments, musing over the information, her violet eyes cast down.

When she raised them to his and addressed the Prince again, she kept her voice calm and the tone neutral.

"The Princess has the brightest starseed in the universe, and she has been unbeatable against the forces of Chaos. They must be keeping someone so valuable in a well-guarded place where they can best access or try to access her power."

Hopefully they could find where that place was, soon. Surely there must be one among them more familiar with the ship's layout.

OOC:

Ami finished the demonstration, making sure the small group of senshi still remaining with them would be proficient enough. It was alien technology, and the formerly blue haired senshi wondered if the terminal could be used to perform more functions such as searching out other batteries. But she dared not try yet. With her limited knowledge of the system, she feared she might set off an alarm of some sort. Removing her hands from the keys she found they felt suddenly empty and crammed them into her pockets.

Ami felt restless suddenly. Not having something to occupy her hands and mind had kept the worries and guilty feelings at bay. She glanced at Setsuna, finding relief in the senshi of time's calming presence. She wondered if Setsuna had any access to her time senshi connections in civilian form. Could she see how this would play out or was she as blind as everyone else right now? Even if she could see, there were certain things that Setsuna could not reveal, so Ami decided not to press her.

She spoke in an almost whisper, "Setsuna-chan, should we try to free a few more or meet back up with the others? What do you think?"

Minako felt her heart plummet to the floor as Mars's body was surrounded by red light. She knew instantly that those monsters were using her best friend's powers - what else would give Mars that expression and cause her body to react this way? Minako started to panic, looking at Mamoru to yell for him to get Mars out. But seeing the look on his face, Minako knew it was no use. Getting Mars out now would alert the enemy of their presence, and then it would be all over.

Mars wouldn't want that.

And so all Minako could do was stand by and watch as tears rolled down her cheeks for her best friend.

Mamoru agreed with Hotaru, as much as he did not want it to be true. The Tarans had somehow found a way to match each senshi with their strengths - if they knew what Usako was capable of, they would take no chances with her confinement. Watching the red light glow behind Mars, he wondered briefly to the system they had attached her to; her strength was in fighting for what was right, but the silver crystal's powers could easily be turned to destruction. They had to get her out before she was any part of their plans. 

Seconds stretched to minutes and still Mars was lit; Mamoru's nerves were on end. Something was wrong. "What could they be attacking?" Mamoru finally quietly asked aloud, a rhetorical question as there was no way any of them should know, but as the words left his lips the light faded, and then went out. Whatever they had been fighting, they had finished. As they had not been rocked, his only guess was that the Tarans had won, and --

but they were still in the Solar System. 

His stomach dropped and his hands flew across the controls to release Mars; what kind of threat had they been attacking while still within their system's bounds? Unless it wasn't an enemy they were attacking at all. His hands fumbled on the controls but he regained his adroit movements in a flurry of quick corrections, and quickly the liquid drained, the battery compartment released, and Mars was released. The moment his job was compete, Mamoru was across the room, heading to the door, needing to see if his suspicions were correct, hoping against hope that they were not.

"Fill her in, get her detransformed and changed - go for Ranker wife," he instructed as he quickly slipped beside Gochi, "I'll be back," he said as he opened the door and quietly slipped through, telling them that he would return so they would not rush after him; he had to find a window. He wanted to run. He wanted to push the people aside, to sprint through the hallways, but he dared not alert anyone to his being different. He had to settle for long strides and looking busy, not panicked. Down a side-corridor beside theirs he finally found what he needed, and his heart sank to his shoes as faint rocky objects floated by in the darkness.

They had been attacking Oort cloud objects to clear a path for their ship to make it through. 

They weren't in the Solar System anymore. 

How would they make it home?

OOC:

Sailor Saturn

She did not like that the Prince had left them so suddenly. Hotaru knew he was a strong and capable man, but she felt a duty to his protection because of how dearly the Princess loved him. If something were to happen to him, away from the others, it would be catastrophic. The violet-eyed teenager knew that he would be the first thing the blonde would seek the moment she was recovered. He had to be there for her.

But she could not question his decisions. He was leading this group, and had been doing as fine a job as expected from such a man.

Hotaru knew that she had to focus her attention here, on the situation at hand with Sailor Mars. She knew that the other guardian sailor soldiers, like Minako would want to be the first to speak to and explain things to their comrade in red. Hotaru stationed herself near the door, keeping alert for any threats that might try to interrupt this important moment. She could provide additional information to their regained team member if needed.

The group had grown in size over the last few minutes as the majority of them regrouped in a central location. The risk of being caught also grew as each person entered the room and, for once, this was a fact that both Gochi and Makoto could agree upon. They stood at either side of the door and listened for any sign that something was about to go wrong.

Makoto watched anxiously as Sailor Mars was slowly released from her containment. Then, her worst fears became realized as colors flashed in the tube, electricity flashed, and Sailor Mars grimaced in pain. She cried out in shock at her friend's pain and the sudden hitch in their plan, but she quickly grasped her hand over her mouth to muffle her cry. Mamoru explained the situation calmly and his tone of voice eased Makoto's fears somewhat, but if anything there were now more questions left unanswered.

Gochi nodded in affirmation at Mamoru's command to keep the door closed while he worked at freeing Sailor Mars, but she did inch closer to the door. She was on the front side of the door, so if anyone opened it to check on the battery's health during an attack, her fist would be the first thing they saw. Tobias inched forward to peer over Mamoru's shoulder from a distance at the screen that displayed any alerts or messages.

"If this ship draws on this," he motioned to the tube that was draining, "to attack... won't they notice they don't have as much power if they do it again?" But, Mamoru had no time for Tobias' question as the human quickly left the room.

Gochi stepped aside as Mamoru left, positioning herself further down the wall so she would not be seen by passersby, and resumed her position once the door had closed. She caught Tobias' eyes from across the room and frowned. Out of all of the people in the room, Gochi assumed she and her brother had the most likely chance of knowing who 'owned' which parts of the surrounding galaxies. But, neither of them had any idea where this ship was.

There were all sorts of rulers vying for territory and control. If the Tarans had traveled to somewhere they weren't wanted, well...

When Hotaru approached the door, Makoto gave her a grateful smile. With Hotaru offering to guard one side of the door and Gochi positioned on the other side, Makoto relinquished her position by the door and quickly rushed to Rei's side. She wanted to be there when her friend woke up.

Her whole body hurt and she felt exhausted.  It was like she had been fighting for hours, had she won?  Mars eyes fluttered open as she became aware of the space around her.  Her legs felt weak and she slowly allowed herself to sink to a crouch on the ground.  She heard moving and shuffling, Mars opened her eyes to find some familiar faces before her.  For a moment she felt relief, her friends were here and safe (for the moment), until a wave of dread washed over her when she found some faces missing.  Movement beside her, she turned and found Makoto,  "What happe-" her voice cracked.  Clearing her throat she tried again, "What happened and where are the others?" Although she wanted to immediately jump up and take hold of the situation, she still felt very drained.

OOC:

At first, all seemed well. Mamoru was inserting commands to release Mars, until suddenly, the machinery hummed to life. The room’s atmosphere changed in a moment, a sudden burst of electricity in the chamber illuminating everything. Watching Mars in pain while her body tried to defend herself from the bolt of electricity made Michiru's chest heel heavy. So this was the method they used to obtain senshi’s energy and use it against their will.

Michiru found herself agreeing with Mamoru. As scarce as their time was, they could not risk setting off an alarm. Still, it didn’t make the sight in front of her less painful. A new worry emerged to the front of her mind as she waited: How long would it take for Mars to recover from this?

Finally, the lights returned to normal, and Mamoru was able to continue his task of freeing Mars. But once finished, he seemed to be in a hurry. In just one moment, he had given instructions to them and disappeared into the corridor.

She frowned, but trusted his words. He would be back.

Michiru turned her attention to the younger senshi, watching them from a distance. She didn't want to disrupt their moment, for they needed it. Instead, she walked to the bags they had been carrying and started sifting through them, looking for clothing similar to hers and Hotaru’s. It took a while to find a complete attire that resembled that of a “Ranker wife”, but the result was decent.

The clothes piled up in her arms, she made her way to Mars and her friends.

“How are you feeling?” Michiru first asked, not wanting to rush her too much.

“When you have regained some of your strength, we need you to change into these to disguise yourself.”

Hotaru kept her gaze focused on the door as Michiru prepared to outfit Rei in the necessary disguise. Like herself, the dark-haired priestess already possessed enough of the Taran look to avoid some of the more involved making up needed by their friends. Hotaru wasn't sure that she was the right choice to reveal the seriousness of this situation to their newly rejoined friend. Hopefully she could be fully informed of their current situation quickly, before the disturbance would be noted. The Prince had not yet returned, and it was his instructions Hotaru was waiting for. There were plenty of capable others in this room, but as long as the Prince was with them, she would be respecting his command.

Mars was many things, exhausted, in pain, anxious, concerned, worried, and she wanted to jump into things.  She knew something was wrong, several of friends were not with her in this strange place.  There were people she didn't recognize and her chest ached for the knowledge that the others were safe, that she hadn't failed without even knowing how or why.  She wanted to demand answers from those who seemed like they were waiting to say anything at all.  But Michiru was calm and giving direction, and Mars allowed herself to be directed, at least until she knew more.  Her voice was more firm now as she answered the query of health, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me."  She gave her friend a reassuring grin, then squeezed Makoto's shoulder before standing up.  She detransformed and changed into the clothing Michiru had collected for her.  Rei did her best to hide the twinges of pain that zapped through her body as she moved, it would do no good to show them.

As Sailor Mars awoke to unfamiliar surroundings, Makoto did her best to make sure the first face her raven-haired friend saw was a familiar one. Hoping Sailor Mars wouldn't move too quickly upon first awaking, Makoto leaned forward with a gentle hand to try to restrain her. But, of course, the fiery senshi would not rest and she stood up after reassuring Makoto with a gentle squeeze of the shoulder.

“I’m your friend. It’s my job to worry about you when you won’t.” The brunette smiled.

Michiru provided a disguise to Sailor Mars and a brief explanation of why the clothing was needed. While Sailor Mars took the offered clothing, Makoto grinned softly and plucked at her own uniform as if to illustrate Michiru’s point. “Your clothing means you are higher up on the food chain then me. Act like a diva and you’ll be fine,” she joked good-naturedly.

As Rei dressed in the typical dress of a Ranker wife, Makoto stood up and did her best to explain the situation at hand.

“We’ve been captured, but we’ve reunited most of our group and gained some new… acquaintances,” she began. Makoto paused as she gestured to Gochi and Tobias, because she did not know what to call them. She didn’t trust the brother and sister, and she suspected the feeling was mutual.

“We are going to meet up with Setsuna and Ami, find Usagi, and free all the prisoners we can before we go home.” She looked toward the door and wondered when Mamoru would be returning. “We just need to wait for Mamoru to return.”

Rei felt some relief as Makoto explained some of the situation to her.  Knowledge was power, knowing as much as she could helped to take away some of the anxiety that had plagued her since she awoke.  From Makoto said, it sounded like the others were somewhat safe, barring the fact that they were on an enemy ship.  The only one they need to rescue was Usagi.  Why was she last, why couldn't she have been first? More than anything she hoped that she wasn't suffering because they had been unable to protect her.  It seemed that there were others that had been captured who had joined their rebel group.  Although from Makoto's tone it sounded like they weren't exactly trusted, she made a mental note not to turn her back on them.  

It sounded like there was a plan, she really hoped there was a plan.  Although she was still in battle mode, Rei had calmed down now that she had a moment to process things.  Her face softened as she looked to Makoto, a word of thanks on her lips.  "So do we have a way of this ship then?"