“Good thing, too,” Togarishi commented, “You probably won’t get your powers back for a good couple of hours, if that. Now… how the heck am I going to disguise you?”

Mamoru knew what she meant. Jupiter’s disguise would take more than just a borrowed jumpsuit, and as their party grew they would need to change their story - Togarishi wouldn’t be training so many at once. Perhaps they would eventually need to split up… but that would be dangerous for the group without the Taran to cover for them. And she had said that she needed to leave eventually; where would they be then?

“Hmm… I have an idea,” Serisii said at last, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Wait,” she turned and looked back at Jupiter, “How are your friends in relation to your size? Taller?”

Togarishi explained to Sailor Jupiter that her senshi powers would not likely return for several hours. Worry crossed over her features for a moment, but then she dismissed her worry with a wave of her hand. "I'm capable of protecting myself without my senshi powers. I'm not delicate."

Then, Togarishi took an appraisal of Sailor Jupiter's figure. A light blush graced Sailor Jupiter's cheeks. She had always been inconspicuous, especially because of her height and demeanor. "I can try to blend in?" She offered.

Gochi shook her head as Togarishi started to walk away. "No, you can't." Sailor Jupiter looked slightly offended, but didn't have the chance to say anything. "You look too different." Gochi explained. Sailor Jupiter closed her mouth and sighed. She'd heard that before.

Then, Togarishi asked a question. Sailor Jupiter thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "I'm the tallest, but I think Sailor Uranus is my height."

Gochi knew very little about the group she had recently joined. She knew that there would be more people joining them. But how many? She was beginning to wonder about the possible complications. Sure, she had agreed to help these people, but she would rather throw them into the fire than sacrifice the safety of her and Tobias. "How many people are you guys rescuing?"

Togarishi nodded after Jupiter’s response and made for the door, but stopped as if waiting for an answer to Gochi’s question.

Mamoru took the question, looking Gochi straight on, expecting some sort of scoff at the large party size he intended to liberate. “There are ten of us,” he stated flatly, making any question of leaving someone behind an impossibility with the intonation of his voice. There was no way they would leave anyone; no senshi they come across would be left to rot here in this ship to be used as nothing more than a cheap source of energy. In fact, if he knew how to completely destroy the technology they developed, he would; but he knew that even if they broke every machine on this ship, it would do nothing in the long run. The technology would still exist on Taran and on any other ship in the area. It might take a miracle to make this alien race switch to an alternative form of energy. Look at Earth – everyone knows that using Fossil Fuels is ecologically irresponsible, but even with new forms of clean and renewable resources available to be researched and put into play, societies still cling to oil and coal to solve their energy needs. If they couldn’t change, what would make the Tarans?

If only there was an easier way for the Tarans to harvest energy, one with an impact so huge and with benefits so massive that this terrible technique would be abolished in favor of it.

---
Togarishi left as soon as she got the number, mentally planning to grab a knapsack or two on the way to the laundry. She would need some sort of dye for their hair; the eyes might be explained – she would procure lower status uniforms for those senshi without blue eyes. Let’s see… Mechanics – she and Hero boy, maybe two more after she left to create a small team. She’d tell them about basic services that had a habit of breaking down and show one of them how to jump into the mainframe to adjust settings to make it seem like there was a problem that their team had been contacted to fix; Custodians – Gochi, maybe three others there, blondes preferably. As she turned the corner down to a main hall she mentally reprimanded herself for not requesting after hair colors – she wouldn’t have to nick so much black dye if she knew how many blondes were with them. Those would be so easy to hide – the place closer to the middle and front of the ship had quite a number of Kersa servants that they would easily blend into. Hmm… maybe instead of making them custodians, making them straight-up servants… there were bound to be more revealing outfits around somewhere. So custodians – maybe she could just pull another story like the one she made for Gochi? A team of attitude misfits, daughters of captains that were a little too mouthy. Okay, so 11 fugitives altogether, so far: 3 would be mechanics, 3 custodians, 2-3 Kersa – the Kersa would need owners, maybe 2 rankers? Ranker wives – they’d just need to act ruthless and bubble-headed. What other positions would go relatively unnoticed? … doctors? Medical. Done. She’d just grab two or three medical uniforms and be done with it.

So Serisii started “shopping,” hoping that this plan ended better than statistically possible.

Sailor Jupiter never doubted for a moment that Mamoru planned on saving every sailor senshi in their group. Likely, he would try to save every innocent, as well. If he did not, Sailor Moon would certainly convince him otherwise or do so herself. Sailor Jupiter would support her princess and her decisions.

Gochi scoffed lightly and quirked her mouth when Mamoru said they would be rescuing a large group. A large group would attract more attention and lessen their chances of a successful escape. Well, as soon as she found Tobias, which hopefully would be sooner rather than later, they would ditch the group. The sooner the better, especially before the group got too large.

"Do we know where the others are?" Sailor Jupiter asked eagerly.

Gochi shook her head, because she didn't even know who the others were, much less where they were located. She looked toward Mamoru, though she doubt he knew either. Togarishi might or at least where they were most likely to be kept. "We know where one person is, but he isn't in your group."

"We'll find them," Sailor Jupiter said.

Gochi did not feel comfortable leaving Tobias alone for very long. She did not know what kind of situation he was in, although he likely could take care of himself just fine. Although she was willing to stay with this group for a little while and let them save their friends, her patience was running thin. He was the only thing she had in this world and she needed to know that he was safe.

Sailor Jupiter felt similarily about her close group of friends. She felt guilty that she had not protected them and that they all had ended up in a precarious situation that threatened their lives and the Earth. The brunette could only wonder about what condition her home was now in. She looked towards Gochi, but blanched when the other woman noticed.

Avoiding a confrontation, Sailor Jupiter walked closer toward Mamoru. "Who is she?" She whispered, leaning inward toward his ear as she spoke. Of course, she had been there for the introduction, but she still was not sure what this other woman's story was or why Mamoru felt that he could trust her.

“Who is she?” Jupiter asked in hushed tones, glancing back towards Gochi uncertainly. He wished he had a more complete answer for her, but, despite how much he enjoyed having her with him, he didn’t have a more fleshed-out explanation for the woman across from them.

“I’m afraid I still don’t know much about her. We found her first – she was hooked into one of their attack systems – and I couldn’t just leave her there. She’s a sailor senshi, just like you, but she seems to detest being called ‘Sailor Vegeta,’ for whatever reason. She’s a bit volatile,” he offered almost apologetically, as if that might put Jupiter off of her, “but she seems trustworthy enough, so long as there’s something in it for her. They have her twin brother somewhere in here; Togarishi think she might be able to locate the exact room, but is pretty sure he’s closer to the front of the ship. She thinks they might be using him as a pet.” He spat the last term out distastefully; that, along with the Taran’s obvious treatment of a subrace – the Kersa – and their own treatment made the race on whole rather unpalatable.

Part of him wished that they could do something permanently to stunt whatever plans these people had, but he didn’t know how they could manage that, especially with the technology these beings had under their control.

“She’ll stay for as long as she cares to,” he finished, glancing back over at the foreign senshi, “But for now she’s an ally, and we need all that we can get.”

Although she avoided eye contact, Gochi knew that the Mamoru and Sailor Jupiter were talking about her. Considering her background, she was pretty damn used to being talked about behind her back. Sailor Vegeta was an unusual figure, who inspired a lot of gossip. She used to encourage it as a means to show her strength, but now she ignored it. Nothing would quell the masses. With a sniff, she turned her head away from the couple.

Mamoru, unfortunately, knew very little about Gochi, so Sailor Jupiter did not find out much more information on the newcomer. But, if Mamoru trusted her, then Sailor Jupiter could, too. It was useful to know that Gochi was also a sailor scout, even if she apparently did not like being a sailor senshi. Based upon her build, Gochi was at least as strong as Sailor Jupiter, which counted for something. Although, she couldn't help but be a little suspicious.

"A pet?" She questioned. Then, her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. "That's awful," Sailor Jupiter whispered. She couldn't hide the pity in her eyes. Gochi couldn't help but notice. The saiyan hissed a crude expletive. Sailor Jupiter's mouth dropped open, then closed in a grimace. "Why I ought to!" She started, then huffed as she scolded herself to control her temper. Gochi, apparently self-satisfied that Sailor Jupiter wouldn't try anything, looked smug and self-assured at Sailor Jupiter's reaction.

"Where's the other girl?" Sailor Jupiter muttered darkly.

At that moment the door opened and closed, quickly admitting Togarishii into the room. The mechanic approached the pair and dropped her over-stuffed bags to the floor with soft thunks. She crouched by one and opened its top, flipping back the cover and loosening the straps before digging around a moment. “All right,” she began, pulling out a canister of black-looking ooze and glancing from Mamoru to Sailor Jupiter, “Here’s the plan.”

Mamoru glanced over to Gochi and motioned her over – she might not be from the same place, or after the same end, but they were a team and they would work and plan together.

The mechanic glanced at their "maintenance worker" and shrugged, turning back to look Jupiter in the eye critically. Twisting open the lid of the can to reveal a black sludge, she continued. “Right, okay. So you,” she fumbled for a name, “Green girl,” she improvised, “Power down; we’re going to dye your hair black with this boot polish."

ooc:

It was not long after the brief altercation between Gochi and Sailor Jupiter that Togarishii stepped back into the room with several large bags. Sailor Jupiter crouched down next to Togarashii in order to hear her plan. She looked curious when she was given a chance to look at the contents inside of the bag. Togarishii then motioned for Gochi to join the group. The female saiyan raised her eyebrow at the gesture, but joined the group. She did not crouch down like Sailor Jupiter had done, but rather stood above the group with her arms crossed over her chest.

The action of Togarishii opening the canister to reveal a thick black sludge did nothing to quell Sailor Jupiter's curiosity. Togarishii fumbled for a name. "Sailor Jupiter," the brunette kindly offered. Togarishii suggested that Sailor Jupiter power down. The brunette agreed and the sailor senshi uniform faded to reveal the same girl clad in a civilian outfit of pants and a blouse. "But you can call me Makoto when I'm like this." Her face paled at Togarishii's next suggestion. "W-what?" She stammered.

Gochi, taking a small amount of pleasure in Makoto's reaction, snickered under her breath. Makoto, having heard Gochi, glared in the other woman's direction. Makoto clutched her hair protectively in one hand and considered the consequences of dying her beautiful brunette hair. Her hair was a woman's trademark. Makoto's hair was one of the few pieces of her outward appearance that clearly defined her femininity. Her hair had always been precious and she had always prided herself on its clean, feminine appearance.

"Is it permanent?" She asked Togarishii hesitantly.

"It'll grow out eventually," Gochi said.

"I know that!" Makoto snapped.

"Or you could cut it afterwards. I'll even help," Gochi 'helpfully' suggested. The look on Makoto's face clearly told Gochi that the female saiyan would never get close enough to lay a hand on her hair. She stuck her hand in the black gunk, took her hand out, and sighed deeply. With a pained look on her face, she took up a piece of hair with the other hand and smeared the black gunk on her beautiful, brunette hair. "This sucks," she muttered under her breath.

OOC:

Togarishi glanced up with a raised brow at Gochi's prodding of the new girl - Makoto - and dipped her fingers into the gushy substance. "It's just boot-polish; it's soluble so it'll probably come out in a couple of washes. Less if you use shampoo," she assured her in a manner that suggested the Taran disliked assuring people of anything. "I brought a cap for you to wear, so we won't have to worry much about the top of your head, but your bangs and ponytail have got to be covered - I'm assuming you don't want to cut your ponytail off, is that right?"

She paused, waiting for the inevitable answer, then nodded and continued, holding her goopy hand out ready to cover the girl's long ponytail as soon as it was handed over, leaving the canister open in case the girl wanted to help out. "I figure we'll stick you in Blues like Gochi there - you both look like you've got muscle definition and that would be out of place with anything but a mechanic or a maintenance worker, so we're going maintenance with the pair of you to make things less suspicious." As they worked on her disguise, she continued, "Just remember to mind your 'Sir's and you should be set. Gochi's story was that she's in this as a character building exercise; we'll use the same excuse with you. Just look pissed off and it'll come off with the ring of truth. As maintenance, or custodians, your official jobs are to just keep the place clean, so if we're ever out in the open, look around grudgingly, as if you're working but you're not working, got it?"

Once the mess that was on her hands was now thoroughly through the girl's hair, turning the brown hanging locks to black (and a little wet), Togarishii wiped her hands off on her pants and reached into the first of the sacks to pull out a one-piece uniform identical to Gochi's and handed it to Makoto. "Change," she directed, nodding over to a corner of the room behind the panel, "And toss those clothes in the trash; you won't need them anymore."

"Are there enough disguises in there for everyone?" Mamoru asked with interest, eyeing the small amount of polish left in the container warily; of them all, only he, Rei, Hotaru, and maybe Setsuna had the natural hair color to pull this off.

"Yeah," the mechanic replied, following his eyes and unzipping a compartment on the bag to reveal a few other cans of shoe polish, "But we're not dying the blondes, if you have any and if we can help it. Are any as strong-looking as Makoto there?"

Mamoru answered without pause, "Sailor Uranus; she's tall, strong, and often masquerades as a man; she's blonde, but her hair is practically as short as mine."

Togarishii exhaled through only one side of her mouth, ruffling the bangs under her cap, "Okay, she'll be our third mechanic then." She stood and glanced over to Makoto to see if she had finished changing, "Any questions?"

OOC:

Makoto was not sure if she felt better or worse knowing not all of her hair would have to be covered in the black shoe-polish. For one, two different hair colors would look weird and not at all attractive. At least it wouldn't be permanent. She sighed again in defeat as Togarishii helped dye Makoto's hair to a darker color. Makoto spread the rest of the shoe polish onto her hair and tried to wipe the excess off on the uniform she had been given. A mechanic or maintenance worker would probably have grease on them, anyway.

Makoto listened to the explanation, nodded, and hoped she had enough acting skills to not make her look suspicious. She picked up the uniform and knelt behind the panel, which would hopefully provide enough cover. Once dressed, she put her old clothes into the garbage. Well, she tore up enough of her clothes as a sailor senshi, anyway. What was another pair of clothes in the garbage?

She walked back over to the group and waited for what came next. "Ready."

"Excellent." Togarishi walked over to the wall panel and typed in a few things, supposedly alerting the system that this room was properly closed and that none need enter after them.

As she worked, Mamoru glanced over Makoto, his brows furrowing as he looked at her hair. "You look strange," he commented, adding quickly, "Not bad, just strange. To me, anyway; the polish looks natural enough. Might want to put this on, though," he bent to pull a blue cap out of the bag and handed it over.

"Right," Togarishii replied curtly, returning to them. "Let's go." Mamoru pulled a bag onto his shoulders and joined the bagless Togarishii at the door. "We're heading left; follow in four seconds," the Taran instructed, then she and Mamoru ducked out of the room.


The hallway was just like any other, but the traffic in the hall had visibly increased, men in military uniforms and people in verious shades of jumpsuits going about, keeping mainly to their own groups as they walked. Only a few actually looked at Mamoru and Togarishii, but mainly their eyes flashed over him and landed on her with a questioning, almost unbelieving look. The mechanic rolled her eyes and kept walking with a more purposeful gait.

In the guise of checking one of the straps on his bag, Mamoru glanced back to see if Makoto and Gochi were following and were being left alone.

ooc:

Makoto reached up to feel her head for the missing cap, but stopped short when she remembered the shoe polish. "Oops," she said with a smile, grabbing the cap from Mamoru's outstretched hands. "Thanks, I must have forgot."

Mamoru and Togarishii walked ahead after giving the two women instructions to follow to the left after waiting a few seconds. The two women did not look at each other, but both followed obediently after four seconds had passed.

It was not hard for either Gochi or Makoto to look visibly upset. Anger was one of Gochi's most prominent emotions and she was even more upset than usual without her twin brother by her side. She hoped that they would find him soon, if anything just to settle her mind. That and she wanted to give him a thump upside the head for letting himself be in this mess. Makoto still felt upset that her hair had been violated. She prided herself on her beautiful, feminine hair. At least the shoe polish wasn't permanent.

Gochi and Makoto shuffled a little ways behind Mamoru and Togarishii. Neither really knew what to do, except follow the other two in the lead. Togarishii was the only one who knew the lay out of the ship. Although, once Gochi got her hands on a map she would likely memorize it quickly. After several minutes of walking, Mamoru and Togarishii ducked into another room. Gochi and Makoto followed.

The pair of them seemed okay; no one paid them much attention at all. He wondered with no small amount of worry what they would do if the two were hassled, or the others when they found them. He glanced back again, trying to imagine what choice he’d have to make if Makoto was hauled away as a pretender: did he go back and save her immediately? That was the gut reaction, but that would only get them both caught and would sacrifice the freedom of everyone else, his friends and the people they had trapped back in the holding area. He’d have to… he shook his head with new resolve: he’d just have to make sure they weren’t caught.

He heard a sharp hiss and turned around as something grabbed his shirt and pulled hard. He turned to his left to see Togarishii scowling at him. “Pay attention!” she whispered harshly, then turned on her heel, her brown hair bobbing beneath her baseball cap, and continued down the smaller corridor. He followed on her heels, refocused on following her though the maze of hallways, careful not to lose her. After another turn down a dark, deserted hallway, she stopped in front of a door and waited for it to open.

Nothing happened.

The Taran sighed audibly, reaching to her tool belt to bring out a small card she then used to open the door via a keypad to the side. She glanced back at him, her blue eyes sharp, “Good news is it’s already been shut down; that means that any other remote battery stations are also down by now, so we won’t have to deal with personnel.”

“And the bad news?” he prompted, sensing there was another half to her statement just as he sensed Gochi and Makoto joining them in the hall.

She smirked as the door opened, “Bad news is that if we don’t do this right, they’ll know someone’s in here and will come to investigate. I’ll show you how to get around the system.” She stepped through the door and he followed after carefully, pausing inside and to the left of the door as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness ; in the room, the only light came from the yellow string lights along the baseboards… and the eerie green light emanating from the capsule. Within, floating serenely, was Sailor Neptune, the ribbons of her eternal fuku swirling around her legs as her weightless sea-blue hair wafted in the small currents in the suspension water.

“That your girl?” Togarishi asked from somewhere farther along the wall.

“No.” he replied, “but she’s a friend.”

“Great. Get over here and watch me do this then,” she insisted impatiently.

He joined her and watched as she typed a few phrases into the screen; he didn’t understand it completely, but he could understand that she was lightly hacking the system. After a few steps, he moved over to the panel and deactivated the system, noting the new plaque beside the machine reading “Neptune”. “Makoto,” he warned as he hit the final release, the liquid draining from Michiru’s capsule before it cracked open and the Senshi of Oceans fell forward.

Gochi wondered about the state of security within the ship if she and the group were able to move around undetected and tamper with the computer systems. If anything, it wouldn't be long until the group's activities were discovered. Hopefully, they still had time, but... it appeared that a lot of people needed to be rescued. As soon as they found her brother, they were out of here. The sooner she ditched the group, the better her chances were.

After following Togarishii and Mamoru, Gochi and Makoto stopped short behind them. Gochi surreptitiously peered over Togarishii's shoulder in order to see what she was doing. Perhaps the motions and codes she used would be useful information for the future. Then she moved toward another machine in order to release the person inside the container. Gochi did not get to see all of what actions and codes were used to do that job. Hopefully, she knew enough if worse came to worse.

Makoto felt relieved when she saw Sailor Neptune in the container. Although they didn't know where the others were, yet, she felt relieved knowing that one of their own had been found. Surely, they would rescue everyone. Then, Mamoru called her name and indicated toward Neptune's container. Makoto nodded and positioned herself to catch the sailor senshi once the tank emptied itself of its fluids.

The tank fully emptied, opened, and Makoto held her arms open. "Gotcha," she whispered, gently catching the older woman and lowering her to the ground. Remembering her own frightful awakening to an unfamiliar face, Makoto stayed by Sailor Neptune's side until she woke up from her dreary drug-induced sleep/haze. Gochi stood nearby. She sort of hoped that this Sailor Neptune woman would go ballistic, just like Sailor Jupiter had when Gochi had been the first, unfamiliar face she had seen when she first woke up.

They had caught her in a blink of an eye. Damn it! If only she hadn't been on her computer system desperately trying to contact the other Outers to come up with a new plan to defend their Solar System she would've had a chance to fight. But she didn't. She had managed to shoot only one attack, not even her strongest but the weakest one, toward them before some of them had made a direct hit and captured her.

She had fought against the Tarans in their ship but her powers were already weakened and her strength was gone so she had no chance to show her real fighting skills, nor the power of Oceans she possessed, to them. Despite how weak she was back then she had still managed to wound some of the Tarans before her mind went blank. When she lost her consciousness and was locked in the tank there was still one face and voice echoing deep down in her head. The only thing which had stayed in her mind despite she was unconscious and powerless... Her last word before fainting "Haruka…"

_____

In a few seconds Neptune woke up from her dreary blank sleep. The first thing she felt was Uranus' presence. Was she captured, as well? Then she felt two more familiar powers close-by, Jupiter and Mamoru. It couldn't be... Were the Tarans captured them in here, too?

Neptune opened her eyes only to see a black haired girl dressed in the working uniform of Tarans but she didn’t notice Jupiter who was beside her nor the others in the room. She jumped up and began to share her kicks and punches toward the stranger.

Somehow she felt that her senshi powers were gone right now and that she couldn’t fight using them but no matter how dizzy she felt nobody could take her fighting movements, which she had used when fighting alongside her lover, away from her. She wasn’t as strong as Uranus or Jupiter but she had a lot of experience and she was fast. Her eyes storming furiously with anger she glared the stranger in front of her: “You will regret you ever invaded our Solar System and captured us here!” she yelled her hair still flowing from her sudden movements.

ooc:

Although she had been prepared for a hostile and confused awakening from Sailor Neptune, Makoto had been caught off-guard when Sailor Neptune lunged for Gochi. "Wait, Neptune!" She called, standing up and lunging for Sailor Neptune hopefully before Gochi could revert to more drastic measures. Makoto had been on the receiving end of Gochi's fighting skills and knew Sailor Neptune would stand no chance in her current, drained state. "She's not the enemy!"

Gochi laughed loudly as Sailor Neptune lunged for her, calling the female saiyan an invader. "Yes, prove your worth as a fighter!" She bellowed, dodging Sailor Neptune's attacks with the relative ease of a born fighter, bred and raised from since she was a toddler to be a warrior in Vegeta's army.

Raising back her leg, Gochi prepared a low punch to Sailor Neptune's stomach. With another cry for Gochi to stop, Makoto dashed forward and caught Gochi's punch. With a loud grunt and a whoosh of air, Makoto was pushed backwards from the force of the other's strength. "Listen, dammit!"

Gochi cursed loudly as her punch was intercepted. "I only acted in defense!" She spat, wrenching her hand from Makoto's grasp. This other fighter, Sailor Neptune, was weakened from her stay in the container. With luck, she'd improve with rest and time. She did have guts if she thought she could challenge a saiyan.

Rather than challenge Gochi on the matter, Makoto shook her head at Gochi in disgust and turned to Sailor Neptune to offer her help.

As Neptune unleashed her fury on the unsuspecting Gochi, not realizing that they all wore the disguises of the Tarans, Mamoru hurried to make the final shut down procedures else face a possible alarm. His long fingers flew at the controls, running through commands Togarishi had taught him at Jupiter’s station. “Neptune, hold on!” he attempted, trying to call off the aquatic soldier’s melee attack on Gochi, fearing for his friend more than the newly acquired ally, but as Togarishi had backed completely away from the panels and into the shadows, probably attempting to escape Neptune’s notice as she was the only real Taran here, he knew that if he didn’t shut it down they’d be noticed in seconds. “Neptune! Gochi!” he tried again with the hint of a command, not daring to truly raise his voice while anywhere in the enemy’s ship; however, his warning fell on apparently deaf ears as Jupiter had to step between them, taking Gochi’s punch to save the weakened Neptune. Growling, he punched the final button and practically flew around to the dueling pair, putting an arm out across Gochi to keep the Vegetan at bay as Jupiter turned to Neptune.

He turned slightly to the experienced fighter, looking over his shoulder and down a bit to look Gochi in the eye. “If you can attack in defense surely you have the skill to dodge the advances of a weakened opponent,” he commented, expressing his disapproval. Whether she cared that he disapproved or not was unknown, but he thought it needed to be said. “In the future, I would appreciate it if you dodged.”

He looked back to Neptune, wondering what she thought of the situation; there they were, dressed as the enemy, and he was apparently defending or holding back someone she thought to have captured them. He hoped Togarishi had the sense to keep back for now; who knew what Neptune’s fight was like and whether she could overcome the malice she held towards the extraterrestrial race to even accept the help of one of their own. “Makoto,” he nodded approvingly, “thank you. Are you hurt?”

Neptune felt her anger growing even more when she heard the woman’s bellow. She was provoking her to fight and was surely a warrior herself. She was weakened from her stay in the capsule but didn’t have other choices than to fight if she were ever going to get out with her fellow senshi. Then she heard Jupiter’s voice and was about to turn over when she had to dodge the invader’s attack. Then she saw a familiar girl covering for her as the woman she had fought against punched her to her stomach. Neptune recognized the tall woman as she received the intruder’s punch. “Jupiter!” she cried out. She looked at her fellow senshi eyeing her clothes and hair. She wore the Taran uniform and had colored her hair black. Was she disguising herself as a Taran and trying to search for the others? Had the Tarans caught every single Solar System senshi? What had happened to Earth and to her fellow senshi? Her head began to fill with questions and she had to hold it with her hands to get rid of her thoughts. Now wasn’t the right time to think about all those things. She felt Uranus’ presence close to her and felt restless and worried just to be there doing nothing helpful when who knows how many senshi and other people were on the ship, inside those horrible containers.

Neptune felt Mamoru was in the room and as she turned around she saw him walking to the unknown warrior and criticizing her actions. He, too, was dressed like the enemies and seemed to be comfortable with his role in their group. Neptune felt confused; all her comrades were in the Taran uniforms and were holding back an enemy warrior. What on Earth was this all about? Are you all right?” Neptune’s worry about the senshi of thunder was clearly heard when she turned to her and Neptune asked her condition. As Mamoru turned to Jupiter Neptune felt it was time for her to know how things were. “What’s going on here? Are you disguising yourselves to move around without being caught? And who exactly is that woman with you?” she asked trying to ask as less questions as she could.

“ What’s going on here? Are you disguising yourselves to move around without being caught? And who exactly is that woman with you?”

Intuitive as ever. Mamoru nodded, “It is as you suggest – we’re under cover, moving practically invisibly through the Taran’s ship using the guise of maintenance workers, both mechanical and custodial, to find all captured senshi on the ship and free them.” He paused, “They’re leaving the Solar system, Neptune; we don’t have time to waste. I trust them.” he let his final words hang on the air, his eyes intent on Michiru’s, compelling her to believe him and trust his allies as he did.

After a beat, he nodded his head towards his companion. “This is Gochi, Senshi of planet Vegeta. I found her before we found Jupiter, and now we’ve found you.” He hoped his wording of her Sailor status did not irritate Gochi as much as her official title had before; he also wondered how much he needed to tell Michiru about the workings of the Tarans. Did she need to know all the details, or would the suggestion that everyone was in danger enough?

Although Gochi had heard the cries from the other members of her impromptu group, she had not wished to stop until Makoto had physically intervened. The clash of warriors caused her blood to stir. Besides, the worth of their newest member had to be tested. Now, Gochi had an idea of Sailor Neptune's skills and abilities, which was crucial in the event of an attack. Mamoru confronted Gochi, who simply smirked proudly and dismissively. She made no comment or retort, but she obviously appeared smug.

Although she felt sore and would have a large bruise by tomorrow, Makoto nodded and assured Mamoru that she was fine. She was more worried about Sailor Neptune, who was likely weakened by her stay in the container. The brunette carefully checked Sailor Neptune and did her best to explain the situation at hand. "We're here for you, Sailor Neptune. Take it easy. Your stay in the container drained your energy, but you'll feel better in an hour or so." She smiled reassuringly. "The same happened to me, but I'm fine now."

Mamoru introduced their new companion, Gochi, to Sailor Neptune. Gochi stood off to the side and viewed the proceedings with a neutral look on her face. She said nothing to Sailor Neptune and she did not look away. She did, however, send Mamoru a short glare when he mentioned her title. Makoto grimaced and whispered to Sailor Neptune, "she's very confrontational. I hope they offer anger-management classes on her home planet."

OCC:

Neptune turned to Jupiter and gave her a slight smile: “Thank you Jupiter, I’m fine and feel much better already. She didn’t want Jupiter to worry about her for nothing since she felt her powers were returning to her body slowly but surely. Neptune couldn’t help it but to think about Uranus. She was worried about all the captured people plus about the people who would be caught next but her deepest worries were on her lover. “Haruka I’ll release you soon… please wait for me!” she thought in grieve.

Neptune looked straight at Mamoru when he told her they were already outside the Solar System and that he trusted them. How long had they been in the containers already? When Mamoru introduced Gochi Neptune realized the unfamiliar power she felt belonging to Gochi’s Sailor Crystal. Her deep strong eyes gave a neutral look to the Vegeta’s Senshi. She was more like a normal warrior than a Sailor Senshi, she didn’t have the same pride the Solar System Senshi had and she didn’t deserve a slight bit of respect from her. Provoking another Sailor Soldier to fight and not even wanting her Senshi status to be said… no, this senshi didn’t get respect from her, no matter how good fighter she was. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t work with them, Neptune was ready to fight with them to save all captured senshi and to beat the Tarans. Neptune smirked a bit at Jupiter’s words. Gochi couldn’t keep her head cool, just like Neptune had thought. Then she nodded to Mamoru: “You’re right, we have absolutely no time to waste. I feel Uranus is very close to us; she’s with some other senshi we don’t know” Neptune said her eyes closed, sensing the energy of her lover.

“But I want you to tell everything to me Mamoru” she continued. She felt Mamoru also had some other concerns than the Tarans, he knew something the others didn’t. Neptune wanted to know everything, her senses never lied to her. She needed to speak with Mamoru alone without having others around them. “But to be able to move here, to know the systems and to get the disguises you must have a Taran with you” Neptune said turning her eyes to the shadows Togarishi was hiding in. She didn’t like the idea that they had to trust a Taran to save the Senshi and move around at all, but knowing they had no other choice she accepted the fact with reluctance. “I can feel your power and would like to see your face before we move on” she spoke to the shadows.

Neptune was nothing if not insightful. He wondered what had tipped her off about the second worry slowly churning in the back of his mind, but decided that now, perhaps, was not the time. They had to keep moving, to make the best use of their time and the traffic flow of the ship. They could talk together later; he suspected that at some point their group must splinter, and having Neptune and Uranus in charge of a second group might be the plan, especially if another could be trained to turn off the systems. They could rendezvous at a later point, once they found a physical map of the ship or learn the keystrokes to pull up a map… but it would be risky, with only Togarishi knowing the ropes, the techniques, the paths, the people…

He turned slightly, opening himself to Togarishi as a sign that things were alright; the way she sauntered forward, her cap back on her head and her chin tilted upward, it seemed she didn’t need any of his support. She stopped, put her left hand on her hip, and looked pointedly at Neptune, the corner of her lip raising sardonically, “Good enough?” she commented deadpan as she took in the new senshi with a measuring gaze. Her free hand, fingers curled, touched her lip as she considered, staring longest at Neptune’s hair and general bearing, and finally nodding to herself, completely ignoring anything Neptune said in the meantime.

She motioned for one of the bags, which Mamoru handed to her without question, and she bent down and rummaged through, looking for the perfect disguise for their new member. “Gochi, would you mind listening at the door for any nosy-Nates? Thanks. And Hero, why don’t you go and tell the main computer that this room is still sleeping?” She absentmindedly handed a new can of boot polish to Jupiter, pointing to Neptune as she continued to rummage; her silent message was clear, if a little demanding: she wanted Jupiter to explain the general scenario to Neptune and help turn the aqua/teal hair black as she continued moving clothing around. “On the panel, look for symbols that look like a pyramid with a line through it – that’s the function screen. Type the first, third, fourth, seventh, and third keys along the second-to-top row to log in – it’s my user preferences…” as she spoke, Mamoru moved, following her instructions to the letter as she busied herself emptying bags and creating some sort of outfit, much different than the jumpsuits the rest of their party wore…

ooc:

Makoto was relieved to know that Sailor Neptune had not sustained any significant injuries from the brief fight with Gochi. Despite Sailor Neptune's reassurances, Makoto continued her inspection until she felt assured of her friend's good health. Then, she backed off and listened to Neptune's concerns. She felt relieved when Sailor Neptune announced the nearness of other solar sailor senshi and felt her curiosity peaked when Sailor Neptune mentioned other, unknown sailor senshi.

Then, Sailor Neptune verbally challenged the other member of their newly formed team, Togarishii. Thankfully, there was no confrontation, although Togarishii was not all too welcoming. The Taran tossed Makoto a can of shoe polish. Makoto grimaced, but knew what she had to do.

"You should probably detransform and wear this uniform," she started, then she held up the can of shoe polish. "We have to disguise ourselves and... none of the natives on this ship have our hair color," she continued, pointing to her own temporarily dyed hair. "But it'll wash out, eventually," Makoto added helpfully.

Given an order, Gochi complied and stood next to the door to listen for unwelcome visitors.

Neptune saw the Taran stepping out from the shadows. She spoke sardonically and seemed as short-tempered as the Vegetan senshi. “Better than good” Neptune answered in a bit coldly showing Togarishi that she didn’t care about her voice tone. While Togarishi measure her with her gaze Neptune gave Mamoru a quick look as a sign that they would talk later.

Then she turned to Jupiter as she explained to her what she needed to do next. She had always been so proud of her shiny and soft teal hair and now she had to dye it with shoe polish? But she knew she didn’t have other choice if she wanted to move around without being noticed. “At least it’ll wash out…” she sighed deeply as she began to smear the black polish on her soft wavy hair. What would she look like after the black color had permeated in her hair? She tried to ignore her thoughts as she smeared her last tresses.

Neptune detransformed back to her civilian form and ran her fingers through her hair to brush it smoother after the shoe polish. She wore a blue summer dress and had a narrow belt on her waist. She looked stunning and beautiful as always despite her now black hair. “Are we ready to move forward soon?” she asked thinking about her lover. She didn’t want to leave any senshi in the containers but couldn’t help herself for worrying about her soul mate. “Uranus, please be okay… If something happened to you and I was just here…” she prayed in her mind.

OOC:

“Eh,” Togarishi commented, looking down at a small pile of garments on the floor, “That should be okay… Here,” scooping them up, still kneeling, she offered the garb to Neptune. When she looked up and saw Michiru with her black hair, teal eyes, and wearing that calm, summery dress, she quirked a brow. “You know, if we were on a vacationing trip to one of the Aguadi worlds, you’d almost fit in without changing. But while on interstellar travelling days the Wives tend to wear slinky, metallic outfits, so change into this. The small metallic chains are worn as a decoration across your chest, mimicking Rankers’ sashes while drawing attention to your curves. If you need help call me over. Otherwise you’re on your own. Just leave those somewhere behind the desk back there; by the time people find it you should be long gone.” She paused, considering, “Or we’ll all be dead or imprisoned. Whichever.”

Michiru’s outfit:

Mamoru, meanwhile, had just finished the codes that told the computer, and the rest of the ship, that Togarishii had just secured this room and nothing had touched the panels. As the screen returned to normal, he paused, wondering how much trouble their guide would be in once all of this was over. Perhaps he should offer that she join them on Earth; it was really the least he could do, given the situation and all the help she had been. Honestly, without her, he doubted he would have gotten this far. If they survived… they all owed her their lives.

ooc:

Makoto understood the pride a woman had in her hair, but, as a sailor senshi, she also understood duty and obligation. She grabbed a glop of shoe polish and helped Sailor Neptune cover her beautiful teal hair in black, temporary gunk. When they were both finished, she wiped her hands on her uniform.

Sailor Neptune detransformed before asking if they were ready. Makoto looked toward Togarishii for the answer. The Taran instead provided Michiru with a rather unique looking outfit. Even Gochi, as she watched from her post across the room, looked mildly surprised. Makoto had to stifle a giggle, even though she knew Michiru was the type to pull off any outfit flawlessly. Michiru was probably the only person she knew that would not look like a disco ball in that outfit.

Gochi motioned with her hand and said, "Hurry up. The activity outside is increasing."

OOC:

Togarishi offered Michiru her new outfit and Michiru took the golden garb in her hands without giving much note to the Taran's words. Then her eyes went on Mamoru " Can we..." she began only to hear Gochi's voice over hers telling to hurry up. "I guess we need to talk a bit later" she said and walked to change her clothes behind the control paneling. The garb Michiru had to wear wasn't her style but for her it was much better choice than the uniforms the other group members wore. The cut of the garb was actually very similar to her senshi fuku which made her quite pleased since when it came to fighting and battles, Michiru was used to fight in her senshi costume which allowed her to move just like she wanted to.

Quickly changing her clothes Michiru attached the metallic chains across her chest and made sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The gown was a bit loose on her waist but she ignored it and put the shoes in her feet. Then she stepped back to the middle of the room, away from the shadows of the controlling panel and left her belongings behind the desk. Michiru couldn't push away her worries about her lover and in her mind she was already searching for Uranus in this ship. She stood on her place, putting her hand on her slight waist and looked at the other members of the new group. "Are we ready to go now?" she asked.

They were, and with a few quick instructions from Togarishi on Michiru's behavior, they set off. This time, as last, Mamoru went with Togarishi and Michiru led Makoto and Gochi - "Mechanics often travel in teams," Togarishi had said before they set out, "But never more than three at a time. Custodians usually travel alone, but if it's a big mess they'll pair up, too. That's the story should anyone stop you three."

The farther they walked, the more crowded the place became. At first Mamoru was nervous; Michiru's outfit was outrageously noticable - they were bound to be stopped, but as he covertly turned to check on the rear team, the groups surrounding them ignored them for the most part; other would approach and ask something of Michiru, but the woman seemed to have taken Togarishi's advise to heart. "Neptune, Ranker Wives are the cream of the crop in this part of the ship. Their husbands are all important people working in the forward sections and can grant favors to other members, promotions and the like; their wives, who are a little more accessible to the common person, are often whom people go to in order to ask for or secure those favors. This power over the common person has given most of them a big head. They spend most of their time shopping - shopping for gems, for outfits, for pets, new slaves, anything. They run their estates, and often act like they have better places to be when dealing with us common folk. They're short on patience and even shorter with kind words - they want things done right and they want them done fast, and if either isn't the case, someone is dismissed.

"If anyone stops you, never look them in the eye unless they're wearing more than three golden stars - if they don't, you're a higher rank then they and don't need to show them any respect. Answer with as much distaste in your voice as you can and just wave them off. Remember, you're better and busier than anyone on this side of the ship. If a higher-ranking officer stops and asks you about your errand, tell them you only came down here because the Custodial Staff was too slow to come to you and you have an emergency situation in your rooms that needs immediate attention. They'll find that amusing. Be charming towards them, but act like you'd like to leave as soon as possible. That'll do it."

"Hero," Togarishi hissed, calling his attention. Mamoru turned to find she was turning down another passage, and he quickly followed. Here they slowed their pace as they walked; Togarishi pulled a panel off the wall and started writing on it - it was a tablet of some kind, but it was also a distraction. As soon as Michiru, Gochi and Makoto made it around the corner, she attached it to the wall again and kept moving, turning another corner. "Those are available on every corridor; just pull it off and start striking keys. Mechanics are always checking systems; it'll be a good delay for you to keep track of them."

He nodded, they turned again; this time they didn't wait; here the crowd was small enough that they didn't need to worry if the others had seen which corridor they turned down. It was almost a maze, but soon they stopped before another door and Togarishi was walking him through the locking systems, how to identify himself as a mechanic and get through the locks. She locked him out and had him to do it himself; by the time he got it open the trio had caught up and they all stepped through together.

Within was a growingly-familiar chamber, but as the doors closed behind them the room went black. "Hero," Togarishii called from somewhere to his left.

"Coming," he called, reaching out to brush the wall so he wouldn't get lost in the dark. Soon a hand hit his chest and he stopped. Again Togarishi walked him through the process that turned on the lights, and in moments they came on to reveal a room much bigger than the last. And appropriately so. As he turned the light revealed not one battery capsule, but two, one of which held a familiar young woman. "Pluto first," he instructed, telling the three by the door his intentions. He moved seamlessly towards the console now, Togarishi a shadow behind him as he went through to release Pluto first, then the new senshi. Beside him were two plaques on the wall, one reading "SATURN", the designation for where they found Sailor Pluto; the other read "METIS."

Her mind felt muddled and heavy, but she knew she couldn't waste any time and that it was important that she be on guard. Every movement felt sluggish and slow but she had to ignore that.

Pluto forced her eyes open and took in the sight of her surroundings, struggling to sit up. She reached for the solid reassurance of her Garnet Rod, but it was nowhere to be found. It felt wrong to be without it, and it suddenly felt her feeling more weak than she already felt.

The large room looked strange to her eyes, but she didn't pay it much mind as she saw someone that she recognized.

"Mamoru?" she questioned. They were not alone, however, and Pluto did not recognize the woman who was standing near him, and she was instantly on guard. With all of the people she loved recently under attack, there was no reason to trust anyone.

"Who is this woman?" Pluto found her footing and stood up tall. "Where are we?"

She didn't recognize anything around them. Weird blinking machines and behind her was the capsule that their attacks had put her in. This was what had drained her, though she could not guess to what end. There was another capsule in the room, though it had yet to be opened.

The plaque read "Metis" but it meant nothing to her. The plaque that hung in front of the one that was opened, the one that had recently held her captive, read "Saturn".

Flashes of memories came back in a sudden rush and Pluto turned her eyes back to her prince, ignoring the strange woman for now. "Hotaru. Haruka. Are they okay?" She paused for a moment before adding in a quieter voice, "Usagi?"

OOC: