Five months ago, a team of senshi were sent to a remote planet to answer a cry for help that had been addressed to the senshi of the Solar System. Once there, they found themselves trapped in a metallic maze, pitted against robotic creatures to save a young woman they were never completely sure was on their side. The trial left them drained and unsure, but they survived it nonetheless, with one of their captors dead - killed by the mastermind of the trap - and the other left supposedly stranded on the planet. The girl they went to save planted herself with them, and gave them information about the man in charge. 
She described him as devilishly handsome, and incredibly intelligent.

As they escaped that cursed planet, Sailor Achelois felt a disturbance within her heart - someone, or something, was attacking her homeworld. She left immediately to face the threat, and the rest of the team split - roughly half following her to help if they could, while the other half headed back for the Solar System. 
On planet Achelois, Sailor Achelois was able to find and defeat the threat with relative ease based on her role as the planet's goddess and the immense wealth of power she had while connected to her star; the culprit had been a seed. This seed had sprouted its roots in her planet, blackening anything it came in contact with. While Achelois was able to reverse the process, she was startled with how quickly it had grown. 

The teams met up again just outside the Solar System, which was now encased in a shell of garnet-colored energy - a force-field had been erected to keep everyone out of the Solar System. Finding entrance on the dwarf-planet Pluto, the team met Guardian Pluto, and from her learned that all of the Solar System's defenses had been enacted - protections from Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus were in place to guard against any and all outsiders. No one was allowed to enter the Solar System. Through communications between Castle Charon and Earth, they were able to connect with Sailor Jupiter whom, along with King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity, were alone with the people of Earth, the other senshi being out in the galaxy to fight against the rise in Chaos. From Jupiter they learned they had been presumed dead, for what was only days to them had been five months in real time. During those five months, Chaos had risen, his agents attacking planets all throughout the galaxy. Their leader had yet to emerge, but they alone were enough trouble. Senshi had gathered to fight off this threat, and as soon as one case was quelled, several more popped up in their stead.

They were overextended. They needed help. Many of the team were going to volunteer to help where they could, when all of the sudden two of their own announced that their planets were under attack, chaos spreading in the same way it had on Achelois. Ribbon, the girl they saved from the planet, revealed that their planets could be attacked out of revenge for foiling her ex-master's plot - the maze planet they had been stuck in had been meant for the Solar System Senshi, and had those senshi appeared this galaxy-wide takeover would have happened quickly and quietly. He saw it as their fault his plans did not go so smoothly.

Both Sailor Leviathan and Sailor Andromeda felt Chaos's presence on their planets, and announced it to the rest of the group. As they discussed what course of action they would take - which planet to clear first before heading to the other, Leviathan, unable to wait, took off for her planet and her people; Shadow followed after. The rest of them decided to clear Andromeda first, and then take the battle to planet Leviathan. As they prepared to leave for Andromeda, Sailor Enyalius, too, felt the disturbance, but did not mention it. 

Upon arriving on Andomeda, the group came to the scene of an angry mob attacking the Royal Palace; shortly thereafter they reunited with Sailor Andromeda, who had been trying to calm the people and protect her family, and then time stopped. The group was met by an old woman who appeared from nowhere and gave them gifts, though treated the exchange as a delivery of paid-for goods. She was criptic and judgemental in the way that crotchety tired old ladies could be, and with a warning and some hints about the true nature of the situation, she left. 

The team made for a newly formed structure in the middle of a hurricane that was engulfing the small planet Andromeda; once there, they worked together (mostly?) to combat the threat within and, with Andromeda's power magnified by her planet, were able to destroy the chaos seed that was taking hold within the Andromeda Spire. 

Their task complete, they turn to Leviathan.

Upon Leviathan they were met with a new type of challenge, more political in nature than the Andromeda task had been, as residents of Leviathan's home planet included an intelligent race of dragons that inhabited the flip-side of the coin-like core that was known as Pearl City. With conflict among them, they encountered one of these dragons and, with Leviathan throwing full force into her words, did not attack it, rather heard its story and immobalized it before moving on to face the two threats present in the mountainous world. Throughout their encounters with other dragons after a rockslide took out two of their group, they found that the Dragons were being used against their will to support the protection of the Chaos Seed, their families and young being held as collateral against their behavior. The group split, half going to help the dragons, half going after the Seed, and in the end, were successful in each endeavor, though the fight to save the dragon kin seemed the harsher of the two fights. 

Just as the Chaos Agent known as the Clam attempted to get away, Sailor Enyalius unleashed her attack to pull it to the ground with consequences different from before, the attack acting on everyone, rather than just their enemy. With a greater connection opened to her planet, where the Chaos Seed had grown and matured unchecked, Sailor Enyalius transformed into a darker version of herself, tainted by Chaos, and disappeared.

Now they must attempt to stop her before she unleashes her abilities for Chaos; whether that means finding a way to return her to the side of good, or killing her.

This event is a Hardcore Event. 

Hardcore Events wrote:

 Hardcore Events  
Hardcore events are a sampling of all the Roleplaying Section has to offer: profile approvals, live-chat sessions, dungeon crawler game elements, and a one-month time limit to complete the story or get a bad ending.

1. Duration:
    One month exactly, unless a problem arises with the host, in which case the event will be extended for the number of days the host was absent. 
    If the storyline is not resolved within a month's time, the mission fails. 
   
2. General Rules:
    All roleplay rules and gc rules apply
    Activity Rule: Participants are required to post within 24-48 hours or will be removed from the event (their characters will either be lost or replaced).
          Random Events may be introduced into the story if all players are active within the OOC chat or on the boards; Random Events are storyline plot events in which players will have a limited time to respond before consequences are enacted; each will come with a caveat in that if you cannot respond within the given time-frame, you may request another player's character take your character with them (if movement is required).
    Consistency Rule: All players are held to the understanding that they will pay attention to the story flow, taking note of roleplay elements (situational - who's talking to who, where people are located, etc) and event elements (their HP, MP, the placement of others on the map, etc.). If a player derails the event with inconsistencies, consequences will occur. 
   
3. Requirements:
    Character Profile - Participants are required to have their character's profile submitted and approved before the event begins. *Advanced Hardcore Events require advanced character profiles.
    Word Requirement - Advanced Hardcore Events require minimum 100-word posts.
   
4. Additional Elements:
    Live Chat - some Hardcore Events will have live-chat sessions to start, end, or move the story along. Participants are required to have a skype account for these live-chat events if they don't want their character NPC'd through those instances.
    Dungeon Crawler - some Hardcore Events will have dungeon-crawler game elements to them, wherein players will need to distribute attribute points to reflect their characters strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities, and will need to prescribe MP requirements to attacks. During these events, they will be at the mercy of random number generators (digital Dungeons and Dragons style die) for attacks and defense rolls to minimize godmodding and/or powerplaying.
    Certain Events officially happen within the Galaxy Cauldron's Crystal Tokyo Timeline and so can be added to character's histories, instead of just their Storyline Information sections. Participating in these events, whether playing an original character or a canon character, can have consequences within this timeline we're creating together - characters can become famous, can make enemies and allies, and can, through storyline events, grow and develop as characters and let that development follow them through the overarching plot. The current Otaku-inclusive event train is as follows:
   
   The Collector -> Decay -> Return to Zenar -> Remnants -> Andromeda Spire -> Leviathan Core -> ???
   

   Note, therefore, that choices have consequences in these games. Characters can die in these events if their HP goes less than 0 (in some circumstances), and therefore will not be allowed back into the chain after that event, and players who set stories in their character's 'future' may stipulate that a 'dead' character not participate because in their character's canon, that character is dead. This does not happen often. 
   

   On Character Knock-Out:

   On Character Death:

   
   

Specific Rules for FoE:

• Up to ten Specific Otaku Senshi will be allowed to join this event. See above for character stipulations; first come, first served; characters may be requested to stay behind by Achelois (played by Anait Zelliere) if past altercations with Enyalius have occurred (she's trying not to provide Enya with a tempting target to hurt) *Accepted Otaku Senshi are senshi who have had their profiles approved by a Roleplay Administrator in the Otaku-Crossover Characters board; for help on accomplishing this task, see this thread for the application and contact any of our Roleplay Moderators (or me!). The profile could be advanced or relaxed for this event. Need ideas for a senshi? Why not visit Character Adoption?
  
• This event is considered both Relaxed and Advanced. You need not follow the 100-word post count requirements of an Advanced board (though attempting proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are necessary), but your character profile needs to be approved as Advanced for this event. When tallying posts during this event, your post will be counted as either relaxed or advanced based on word count, rather than on profile category. As profiles are required, posts are tallied in the full fashion, rather than the usual 1/2 count for non-profile-required events.
  
• This Event is Roleplay Section Multifaceted: There will be elements from all sections of our roleplay boards within it; it will last for exactly one month (Event), requires a profile approval (Profiles), posts can be counted towards the month's challenge or contest (Challege), and will involve Dungeon Crawler Elements (Games) as well as live-events over Skype (Live-Chat RPs). More on the Game elements later. Being such, participating actively in this event can really pull in the RP points ^^
  
• An Activity Rule is in effect. By signing up below, you agree to follow all GC and RP Rules alongside the following activity rule: At least one post is required every 48 hours. Failure to post at least once within those 48 hours will result in your character disappearing mysteriously, to be recovered by the remaining heroes at the end of the roleplay. (They won't die, but I won't let their unresponsiveness slow down the game). If you have an unexpected (but announced) LOA during this event that lasts less than 3 days, your character will be carried with the team. If the LOA lasts more than 3 days, the normal disappearance protocol will go into effect. Additional Note: characters have up to 48 hours to reply to a post directed to them; if a player is taking a while to respond, their character is not to be negatively affected - no powerplaying will be allowed, and this includes having a character remark or notice that the other has not responded, as that manipulates a character's personality traits (refusing to recognize someone is a negative quality and only that character's player may determine how long they took to respond to a question). 
  
• Random Events may occur. 
  
• Skype use is highly recommended. For the game elements in this roleplay, a quick question/answer method is best and Skype is the preferred chat system. Skype is free and doesn't require personal information to use. Once the event gets underway I create a Skype group to be used as the OOC thread for the event; add me to your contacts with your GC name and I'll add you to the group. There will be a forum-based OOC board for this event (once sign-ups are closed, this board becomes the OOC), so while it is highly recommended, if you are uncomfortable with using skype information will still be handed out through this board if necessary. My skype username is Kyralih
  

This event takes place in the Galaxy Cauldron Crystal Tokyo "Canon", which means it can be added to Otaku Character Profiles as an official part of their history. That being said,

1. The setting is several hundred years after Crystal Tokyo was formed. Chibi Usa is now known as "Lady Serenity" (or Young Lady) and has taken on the mantle of Sailor Moon, and the Quartet have awakened as her guardian Senshi. Earth is open to visiting senshi from other systems; once they arrive they go through a little ceremony that walks them through the do's and don't's of staying on Earth and such. If your Otaku Senshi lives on Earth (or another planet) during another time period, you need to include a reason for them being this far in the future somewhere in your profile in order to ease this story into theirs.
   
2. No "parallel" or A.U. Characters will be allowed in this roleplay. Examples of such characters would be a character from an alternate timeline where the Silver Millennium thrived and did not expire, or the love-child of one of the canon senshi that has taken over her place as Sailor Chibi ______, etc., as that would alter the "canon" Crystal Tokyo that we have been working off of. 
   

Known By Your Character wrote:

In this Canon, the following events have transpired. Click on the links to learn more (if you want), but as players you do not need to be 100% familiar with these past events, but your character should have heard of these events if they have been on Earth for any period of time:

1. The Collector - Nearly a year ago (in universe and in board), during a welcoming ceremony the Crystal Tokyo Court were taken from before an audience, spirited away by a strong, neutral-evil character called The Collector. A rag-tag team of extra-solar senshi followed after the trail of dust that followed in the Court's wake, and found themselves in an ancient Globular Cluster on the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy, wherein they fought ancient foes from a creepy living-dead museum and eventually faced off against The Collector himself, armed with weapons gifted to them by senshi who had long since died. In his defeat, the Crystal Tokyo Court was saved, and the group was given the Silver Crescent Award for their bravery.
   
2. Decay - Months after that, a tiny visitor came to Crystal Tokyo pleading for help for her planet: her Queen had been kidnapped, and a great evil was spreading throughout their home. Neo Queen Serenity requested volunteers to go to the planet Zenar and help the fairies find their lost Queen, and while there make sure the planet, which had no senshi of its own, was not being secretly taken by Chaos to be used as a base. Upon landing on the planet, the team was given a guide, Mossen, to help them through the dense, maze-like forest in an attempt to get to the castle in time. Ultimately they failed, as by the time they reached the castle, the Fairy Queen was corrupted, and the world began to decay around them. They managed to save much of the fairy populace and relocate them to another planet for the time, but that still meant that Zenar was corrupted by chaos, and would need to be cured...
   
3. Return to Zenar- After the failure of the first attempt at clearing Zenar of evil, another team of volunteers were prepared to face the task, studying all they could about what they would soon face. They learned more of the Queen, and her daughter who had been corrupted before her. They learned of the past of the planet, how it had once been home to humans who had all perished in a nuclear war, leaving angry spirits to populate the planet, giving Chaos a cozy place to settle. Once on the planet they flew directly into the castle, and fought many enemies to finally make it to their goals. They defeated the Chaotic Agent that was running the place, and saved the Fairy Princess, but the Queen died in the process. The Princess awakened as Sailor Zenar, and when all was said and done, she led her people back to the planet and fights diligently to reclaim and purify their home.
   
4. Remnants- No one outside the group of senshi who were involved should know anything about the events that transpired during this adventure.
   MEANWHILE: The Milky Way is in chaos, and all senshi are aware of the peril and what is at stake. We are in the midst of another Sailor War, though no senshi have been converted to Chaos's side at this point. Worlds are under attack as minor Chaos Agents, all at once, started their invasions of occupied planets across the galaxy. Senshi have risen up to combat these threats, on their own world and elsewhere. Crystal Tokyo has taken it upon itself as a powerful governing faction to organize efforts; the powerful Solar System Senshi have been dispatched to lead groups of senshi to clear planets who are in danger, and then move on to the next. Think of the Chaos Agents in charge of these planets to be on the level of Chaos generals - the Kaolinites, Shitennou, Amazon Trio, etc., rather than manifestations of Chaos itself (Metalia, Death Phantom, etc.). While difficult to destroy all of the monsters these chaos agents summon, the agents themselves are not impossible to defeat. It's time consuming and stressful more than anything else; butif a planet falls to them it is difficult to rescue it. 
   
5. Andromeda Spire - No one outside the group of senshi who were involved should know anything about the events that transpired during this adventure.
   
6. Leviathan Core - No one outside the group of senshi who were involved should know anything specific about the events that transpired during this adventure beyond that it seemingly resulted in a Sailor Senshi being corrupted.
   No one other than those involved in Remnants, Andromeda Spire, or Leviathan Core know specifics about the Chaos Seeds or the male leader Ribbon described.
   

• The dungeon crawler aspects of the game are all over the place! That means we'll be using maps, as well as HP and MP counters, as well as Strength, Dexterity, Mind, and Perception skill points! See this for an Example (don't worry, lol, everything on page two and three of that document was all at the end of the game
  
• Characters who have already made and used their profiles in past events may make small edits in their point distribution (remember to add the events you played in to your character profile to unlock more character building points!) and any changes to magic skill costs as necessary; skype me to make changes!
  
• New players (ilu come play!) will need to build their character from scratch; we'll start the process together when you sign up with your approved profile! Skype me!
  
• Big Game Rule: You will be held to your accepted profile. If you use any item during the game that was not listed in your profile, I'm throwing a red flag and having you rework that post. Do not "find" anything I have not told you (over skype or PM) that you have found. Stuff's important in here, and I'm keeping a tight reign on it XD. Battle wounds and such will be decided by roll via me, so no fake wounds or overdramatizing attacks and whatnot. Attacks will follow the same rule - I roll for everything. Everything. Using random rolls makes Godmodding and Powerplaying nearly impossible, so that's why I do it the way I do ^^
  
• Rules for items purchased at The Fate Exchange will follow the rules outlined in that OSA-P Store.
  

  Game Mechanics:

It had been a little over four days since planet Leviathan had been purged of its Chaotic influence, and the senshi who had worked hard to cleanse the evil took their well-earned rest, some with heavier hearts than others. In the process of saving this planet, one of their own was lost; it hadn't been any of their faults - she had chosen to keep information to herself rather than share it, and choosing not to reveal her secret had cost her her freedom of will, as she was taken over by Chaos, and would now need to be stopped before her powers were used against them in the Sailor War. 

Several had wanted to follow her immediately, but others had been running for nearly a week on little to no sleep, and even senshi had their limits. They accepted Sailor Leviathan's invitation to stay on in Pearl City, resting and recuperating as her fish people went to work repairing the damage the earthquakes had caused. 

On the fifth day since leaving Charon Castle, Achelois stated she would be leaving, intending to follow Enyalius and turn her back to their side... or kill her if that proved impossible. 

Those who would be coming with them readied themselves; additional senshi from Andromeda, and others who had answered the call, had appeared within the last day, and now were waiting for the moment to leave. It was clear who was in charge this time - Enyalius's lover, the one who had sworn to change her or kill her: Achelois. 

---

Achelois stared off into the distance, the underwater structures never even catching her attention.  Her mind was entirely elsewhere, her body was limp, unaware of the people gathered around her.  All she could think about Enya, worried, frustrated, miserable, she was a swirling mix of emotions that even she had a hard time sorting out.  Movement and shuffling drew her attention back to the outside world.  It was time to go… but…
“Please, elder! I need your help! How do I save Enya and her planet?”  The tense blonde found herself suddenly yelling with all her might, desperation filled the tone of her voice.  Maybe there were better questions to ask, but this weighed on her heart more than anything else.

---

 Nocturnus remained silent and at a respectful distance, yet clearing staying within Achelois' orbit. Although she still considered herself Ribbon's protector, right now her thoughts stayed focused on what she had been told and what might await them. When Achelois cried out, the smallest sailor soldier-in-training pressed her lips even tighter together. There was nothing she could do to help...but she was prepared to do everything she possibly could.

---

Sedna wanted to go to Achelois during their brief rest to comfort the other senshi but held herself back, feeing it was not her place to do so. To be faced with this kind of decision, to potentially have to kill your lover, Eshana couldn't imagine what kind of pain she was going through. All they could do was accompany the other woman to Enya's planet and try their best to help.

---

There wasn't much to do when none of those women could be called friends. Allies, yes, but he wasn't their friends and there weren't any words in his language or theirs that would fit what needed to be conveyed.

---

 Sailor Leviathan had a rather sour look on her face. She was already told, well forced, not to go on this mission, but she figured it was a good thing. Already, her planet was just recovering and she needed to stay and help her people recover. She also didn't feel like risking her life for Sailor Enyalius's sake and subconsciously pushed away any guilt about it.

"Well, at least I've got Shadow and Enoch to help me keep this planet safe," she said. "Why don't you dorks leave already? Leave before I get emotional or something. People get emotional when the people who helped saved their planet leave, right?"

---

Sailor Panzer stayed back from these people, all so strange and foreign to her. Yet she felt no resentment at having her own path intercepted by this clear cry for help. This need was immediate, based on what had been explained to her. The pained voice of the blonde woman that all the other eyes looked to made clear the significance of what she had chosen to join.
She didn't fully understand the tone of the sailor soldier of this underwater planet, but she agreed that they needed to leave—and soon. But she could not be the first to second it.

---

She stayed away from the group for one day, and this happened.

Andromeda could hardly believe it when Achelois gave her the news of what happened to Enya. Corrupted by Chaos? That seemed impossible. She understood how it happened; Enya had ignored her planet's corruption until it was too late, and she also understood it wasn't out of selflessness; she had heard the true story about Enya and her planet. But to let this happen... did she not know it would hurt her too? And Achelois? Andromeda's heart broke for Achelois, the most gentle senshi she knew. She didn't deserve it.

Enya, how could you be so stupid?

---

 Enoch, recently revealed to be Azazel Knight, stood off at a distance and watched the group carefully. He seemed to be listening to every word that they spoke. It was apparent that this young soldier was much more perceptive than his counterpart in Sailor Leviathan. He had less to do with Enyalius's strife than Sailor Leviathan, but it was clear he was empathetic to their plight.

---

Callisto wasn't entirely sure how to react to recent events, but watching Achelois suffer over the last few days was enough for her to solidify her resolve. Regardless of their past interactions, Callisto would help save Enyalius. Trying to comfort anyone was pointless now, as only action could do anything to fix this tragedy, or at least assure that Enyalius was freed of Chaos before she died. She waited patiently behind Achelois, allowing her to fully take the lead.

---

"Hey, where's Ribbon anyway?" Sailor Leviathan said with a deep frown. "I hope she took that gift seriously. It wasn't cheap, you know?"

---

"Right," Ribbon agreed softly, coming up behind Leviathan gently, her eyes moving from the fish-girl with the coral hair to the blonde who screamed at the sky; she guessed Achelois was trying to call the old lady, for some reason - just with the 'ancient one' comment - but, as interesting as that seemed, she wasn't going with them on this adventure; she wasn't even going to listen to what happened. She just wanted to see them off and wish them luck before they went their separate ways. 

She couldn't even look at Nocturnus; she had told everyone that she would pilot her ship back to Charon Castle, and while she was an excellent actress and a beautifully convincing liar, she couldn't look the younger girl in the eye about it - not casually, at least. Not by her choice.

---

Shaking her head, Sednda decided to approach Achelois. Quietly approaching her side, she stood beside the other senshi in silent support for several seconds. "We'll get her back," she said quietly. Somehow, someway, they had to save Enyalius.

---

"H-h-hey!" Leviathan said nervously. She waved to Ribbon with a stupid grin on her face, trying to give off the best impression of a friend as she could. She wanted to be friends with Ribbon; she just didn't understand how.

---

Seeing Sedna take a step forward was all the push Sailor Nocturnus needed to follow suit. She quietly padded up alongside the nature goddess that she revered, and looked up with dark and deep eyes.
She said nothing, but slowly reached up a black-gloved hand to slip into that of Achelois.

---

Nix didn't know any of these people very well, having just met them four days ago, but she had grown to respect them, especially the one she had considered their leader. It became clear, then, that she should go with them in an attempt to save Sailor Enyalius. This was becoming personal for her, too.

---

A ball of energy burst into being before Achelois, wavering in the loose circle the others had made around her. It hovered, or, rather floated in the depths for a moment, its soft white glow periodically interrupted by burst of blues and pinks - the colors of a stellar nursery, crackling with energy and light and the stuff that made life. In a near-blinding flash, the orb disappeared, and left an old woman in its place, her wrinkled face and hooked nose seeming disparate from the startlingly young and vibrant eyes that focused, for the moment, on only Achelois. She wore robes of wine red, her stooped shoulders and back leaning over on a cane that floated as she did, though apparently rested on nothing; at her waist hung a large pouch supported by a rope belt. Achelois had summoned the Crone. 

She was silent and unmoving.

---

Ribbon returned Leviathan's smile, her expression easier than Leviathan's had been; as the light burst into being, she stayed still and watched what would happen.

---

 Sailor Leviathan grinned again at Ribbon. Her eyes then went wide with surprise at the Crone's sudden appearance.

"Who said you could come to my planet! I was kind enough to let these morons camp here! Off my planet, lady! Get! Get! Get-"

The princess was smacked over the head by a tiny Guardian Leviathan.

---

 Sailor Panzer's eyes widened at the sight of the strange old woman, appearing from nothing. "Good Panzer!" she invoked. The princess's reaction seemed extremely strange; what was going on?

---

Distant conversations mumbled in the background as Achelois waited for some response.  If she could just see the elder, they would leave right after.  A statement from behind her caught her attention and she turned her bright green eyes to look at their face. She mustered a twinge at the edge of her lips in appreciation for the resolve she could see.  Only moments later she found that Nocturnus had come closer and slipped her hand into her own.  Tears moistened Achelois’s eyes as she gripped the smaller hand tightly.  Suddenly there was some cluster of energy in front of her, moving around brightly flashing its colored waves.  Then the energy had effortlessly transformed into the crone.  She was here.
Achelois looked into the eyes of the elder one, her own wide and pleading.  “Please,” this time her voice was barely above a whisper.  “Please, how do I save her, how do I stop this, all of this Chaos?”  She didn’t release her grip of Nocturnus’s hand, using it as her grounding.

---

The crone stared back, her eyes sad but resolute. "It may not be possible to bring her back to Cosmos; her crystal has been corrupted from its core."

---

 "Then how do I uncorrupt it? I'll do whatever it takes." Her voice was a little more firm now, she wouldn't let go of even the slightest bit of hope.

---

 Callisto grit her teeth at the Old Crone's words, but said nothing. Were they already destined to be executioners? Was Enyalius just something to put out of her misery now? it didn't sit well with her.

---

"Can we not use our own Sailor energies to cleanse hers?" Sedna asked, her voice questioning, but respectful.

---

  Nocturnus kept quiet and close to Achelois. Her gaze up at the Crone seemed almost not to see the old woman, although her ears listened intently to the conversation.

---

So, executioners? He hoped not. Murder for the sake of the universe wasn't something someone as young as Nocturnus should be faced with.

---

Listening to The Crone's words made Andromeda's blood run cold. Was there really no chance to save Enya? No. She couldn't accept that. She doubted she would ever be okay with that. This woman wasn't the authority on everything in the universe, right?

---

The crone shook her head, almost imperceptibly, her eyes heavy on Achelois. She was silent until Sedna asked her question, to which she answered gravely, "If she had aligned herself with a Princess that might have been possible, but that senshi had made no such allegiances of heart." She paused, as though reluctant to continue.

---

 Sedna raised her eyebrow at the Crone's words. Not all planets or even systems had a Princess to be able to pledged their loyalty to. It was a mark of luck that her own had such a powerful one.

---

It was at the Crone's answer that Enoch started to step closer to the group. He seemed tense and nervous. His yellow, pupil-less eyes stared out at the Crone.

"What do you mean a 'princess'? You don't mean Crystal Tokyo, do you? Then if something like this were to happen to Sailor Leviathan... like it almost had... does that mean...?"

"I won't pledge myself to that light!" Leviathan interrupted, now looking extremely disstressed.

---

Achelois’s heart fell as the elder one delivered her answer.  But she seemed like there could be more to the story…
“Go on,” she pleaded.  Anything, she would take anything.

---

 Sailor Panzer felt thoroughly confused by this entire conversation, but it was clear that the others felt passionately about the words offered by this visitor—and they all trusted her enough to not consider the Crone a threat. Now, with all this talk of a "Princess," she could only reflect again on how strange this place seemed.

---

The crone turned her neck to look at the pair of fish people as she replied, "The Queen of Crystal Tokyo is among the most powerful Princesses, but she is not the only one." She quirked a brow, seeming a little more like herself as she looked Leviathan up and down and quipped, "If she had been turned she'd be in the same boat, but if you had, lad... things could have turned out differently." 

Without another word of explanation, seeming to turn her head away with some finality, she looked back to Achelois, her mood turning grave yet again. "If she is to return to our side, it will be of her own accord, and even such an attempt may not end in success if the darkness has taken true hold." Her long, grey browed knitted together as she looked down at the young-looking woman, and earnestly continued, "The chances are not high."

---

"So what if she didn't pledge her heart to a Princess? Achelois is practically the goddess of her planet, isn't she?" Andromeda asked. "Why couldn't that be good enough?" If love wasn't enough, what would be?

---

  Did a senshi really have to have a princess to be able to be purified? Callisto had never heard of such a hard rule, but then again, she had no experience with this kind of dilemma. She had always had a connection, so it just never occurred to her what it would mean if she had no alignment. How unlucky... 

"Surely one strong bond with another senshi would help to a degree... Is there really no way she could be influenced?"

---

“Any chance is enough,” She appreciated hearing Andromeda’s and others voicing their own questions, but this one was the most important to her.

---

 Nocturnus fidgeted nervously with all this talk of Princesses. She wasn't anything like what the Crone spoke of. She wasn't the right kind of anything. She couldn't help with this at all.

---

"What if we fail?" He agreed with Achelois, but they had to know what could happen anyway. "What if we are not enough to stop her or change her or even kill her?" He asked to the Crone.

---

 " The planet will die," Enoch found himself saying, but he wasn't sure why.
Guardian Leviathan looked at the knight nervously, but chose to hover by the Princess.

---

"Certainly, but what of the fight, or the war, or whatever you people call it here? Does Enyalius life or death change the sake of that?"

---

Not only would her planet die, but she would be an agent of Chaos and a powerful one. The effects of having to fight against another senshi...the consequences were enormous

---

"A Princess's powers are different; they can accept the energies of those senshi pledged to her, and has some hold over the fate of those crystals - she could be beneficial in turning away the darkness by using that bond between senshi and Princess. Love is..." she paused, finally looking Achelois in the eye, "Love is a powerful force; it could be used to work towards the same goal, but there is no guarantee."

To Sailor Oberon's question, adding to Enoch's answer, she replied, "The senshi must be stopped, if not by you, than by others. She has tipped the balance in Chaos's favor, and so long as she is living, Chaos will have the upper hand in all conflicts across the galaxy. She must not be allowed to survive any longer than she already has." She paused for gravity, "Lives have already been lost, both as a direct result of her and an indirect result. Chaos across the galaxy is turning back the tide and overpowering our forces. This must not be allowed to continue."

---

 "But there is a chance using Achelois and Enya's love for each other?" Sedna pressed.

---

Chaos...
Sailor Panzer thought of her home, of the darkness deep within the heart of Sonne, blotting out the life-giving light. No, she could not let Chaos continue to dominate. She would do her part to end this—no matter what.

---

He bowed his head in thanks, having had the answer he wanted in this and having no part of the other conversation. His soul suffered for Achelois and he would follow her lead, but he hoped others would take their place quickly if they were to fail in rescuing her lover.

---

The Crone closed her eyes, "It is small."

---

"How can this be done?" she asked.

---

 DUH, BY KISSING, Sailor Leviathan wanted to say, but didn't. Even she knew there was a time and a place.

---

 It could work.  That was enough for her.  “Thank you elder one, if I cannot bring her back,” she paused.  Her green eyes closed for a moment but quickly fluttered open.  “Then I will be the one to deal with her, I will stop her, no matter what.”  There would be many obstacles in their path before they even reached Enya.  “Have you any suggestions for her planet or what to watch out for?”  It was time to get focused, that would be the only way she could save her.

---

 "It would probably benefit you to know if Sailor Enyalius has any new abilities since her downfall," Enoch continued, being ever the voice of reason.

"What he said," Sailor Leviathain said with a smug smile, trying to seem smart.

---

Senda barely managed to repress the urge to roll her eyes at Leviathan. Remember what Father taught you.

---

The Crone did not answer Sedna's question; why, though, was not readily apparent. Sometimes she refused to answer what they asked, but she had been straightforward on this topic so far...

"I trust that you will do your part to return balance to this galaxy," she replied, before stepping back and looking higher, addressing them all clearly, waiting for Enoch's question before she answered, a scowl pulling at her lips, her voice a little closer to its usual snippiness. "The planet Enyalius has long been war-torn, but since the senshi's return it has become evermore so. Her new alignment has granted her new dominion over the spirits of those killed in war, and as she has been directly responsible for hundreds of deaths within the past few days, she has no shortage of fodder for her abilities." Sharp eyes returned to Achelois almost accusatory, "She must see the harm in what she has done if she is to return. She must repent if she is to be saved."

"Take these," she said at once, reaching into her bag and hobbled around, handing out various items to those who had intended to accompany Achelois; among these items was a small scrap of bark with something scribbled into the flesh. "She has allied with her three Fates; if you carry these talismans they will be unable to scry you - that should at least give you the benefit of not being spied upon."  The items dispersed, she stood back, "I'm needed elsewhere."

---

  "Her three fates?" Sedna asked, looking towards Achelois to see if she knew anything about them.

---

 It seemed they could beg no more from the elder one.  Eternally grateful for all that has been given, Achelois bowed her limber frame in half before her.  Upon returning to a standing position she voiced her gratitude, "Thank you for everything you have done, you have been truly kind."  She tucked the bark into the fabric of her tunic.

---

"Wow," Sailor Leviathan said with wide eyes. "Zombies, eh? That's pretty bad! Good thing we're not going then. Right, Enoch? Right Ribbon?"

 Enoch smiled nervously at the Princess. He looked terribly afraid and stared out at the group, as though he was sure they were all going straight to their deaths.

---

The situation wasn't looking good. Nix knew that in the event of a lost cause, very few of these senshi would be alright with the result or able to accept it. So she decided to be the one to ask the question before The Crone left. "What are we to do with her planet if we end up having to... eliminate the threat?"

---

Killed in war...? Did that mean that Enyalius controlled the dead now? Fighting a powerful senshi was one thing, but battling a hoard of zombies and souls alongside her was another level of difficult. Callisto was starting to wonder how out of their depth they really were, but they couldn't just turn back at the last moment.

---

"Right," Ribbon smiled again, this time falsely. Her stomach was churning. He had that kind of power? Was she... She steeled her nerves, looking at them all. She was doing the right thing.

---

Sailor Nocturnus felt numb, listening to the Crone's ominous words. Her mind was filled with memories of Enyalius, bronze-armored and dark-haired, leaping valiantly into battle. Eliminate... her? Her throat was too dry to swallow.

---

The Crone looked to Nix, "If the senshi is killed, her Crystal will return to the cauldron to be purified and reformed; her planet will continue. You may need to cleanse it of those Chaotic spirits, but that might best be left to the new senshi when she is born in a few centuries time." She didn't look too concerned about the fate of the planet, so long as Sailor Enyalius was dealt with.

---

 "I see now how lucky we were that you were spared this fate, Princess," Guardian Leviathan spoke in her small voice. "If a non-magic user such as Sailor Enyalius could summon the dead with the influence of Chaos, I hate to think what would have happened to us if you were set upon us."

"I'm trash," she whispered with a frown. "I'm nothing like Brains for Brawns. You would have been fine."

"I doubt that," the spirit said omniously, not able to keep from glancing at Enoch as she said this.

---

Sedna frowned. They could save her Sailor Crystal by killing Enyalius but they may not be able to save the woman herself. This situation wasn't looking well. She wished her mother or father was around to offer advice about the situation.

---

  Sailor Panzer understood the gravity, but felt none of the emotional toil. This wasn't war, but it was what precedes it. And that was something she understood.

---

 Achelois listened, she was not afraid, she would stop Chaos, whatever it took.  Though she did pick up what the elder woman was saying.  The resolve in her heart was hardening, she softened her grip on Nocturnus's hand but did not let go just yet.

---

 "But that sailor soldier, whoever they are, they wouldn't be Sailor Enyalius, would they?" Sailor Leviathan asked ignorantly.

---

He clearly wasn't given all the fine prints when his planet decided to spit his soul in the universe as a sailor senshi.

---

No, she would not be," Callisto said, no emotion in her voice. The cauldron was truly a fresh start. At the cost of what made Enyalius herself, her crystal would be given a new body. There was no way back from that.

---

"She might be Sailor Enyalius, but she would not be... Liera," Andromeda whispered to herself, remembering the name Enya had once told her as her birth name. She wouldn't be the Enya that Achelois loved. Just like Kira was not Nerida.

---

The crone's brow twitched, "They would be Sailor Enyalius," she answered, her voice almost confused by the question, until Callisto answered and she understood what Leviathan had truly meant. "The woman would  be gone, yes."

"I am needed," she repeated, with a touch more urgency. She floated higher, looking down on them, her face both stern and crotchety, "Good luck. I'll try to find you when it's all over."

And with that, she was gone, disappearing into a point of light, and vanishing.

---

"Well," Sailor Leviathan said with her hands on her hips. "What are you guys waiting for? You've got to clean up Sailor Enyalius's mess for sake of the galaxy apparently."

Guardian Leviathan shot the Princess a glare, which straightned up the ignorant soldier.

"Er, I mean. Thanks for helping us and all. I'd hate to have turned into a Zombie Leader myself... Errr, I mean. I... Thanks for, you know, what you did here."

---

Nocturnus felt her stomach twist up into an even more knotted pretzel at Leviathen's comment about Enyalius's "mess". She couldn't think of anything to say. Her fingers tightened slightly around Achelois's.

---

Achelois took a deep breath.  It was time.  She moved, squeezing the small hand that filled her own, to pick up the shield that was resting up against a rock near the group.  "Alright, Leviathan is right, it's time," She turned to face the host senshi of the planet.  "Thank you for allowing us to rest here."  Looking back out of the group, "The journey will be difficult, if you want to stay here or return home I understand, for those who will come with me, thank you." A smile felt foreign now, but smile she did.  She wouldn't give up now.

---

 Enoch stepped forward, looking quite galant in the light of the lumen jellies that surrounded the ocean of the planet. Even as a fish person, he looked somewhat regal. He looked to the others with a serious frown.

"I don't think Neo Queen Serenity is the only one among us who can make miracles happen. Beat the odds. You can do it."

---

"Good luck," Ribbon intoned, the sentiment sounding empty, but it was the best she could come up with.

---

Sailor Nocturnus turned to look at Ribbon, feeling like there was something strange about what the young woman had said. Her dark eyes seemed too dark, lacking the usual reflections. She was glad that Ribbon would be safe, because she wasn't coming with, but she also felt very lonely.
"Thank you," she managed, her voice too soft and dry.

---

Callisto nodded once at Achelois's words, already determined to go. Her grip on her buckler tightened, and she was pleased that the final bits of blood had been washed off with the combination of seawater and her own scrubbing. She felt more confident than before. They would save Enyalius one way or another, even if the only way left was death.

---

Sailor Panzer stepped forward, still feeling the awkward outsider among these other sailor soldiers. She brushed back a heavy lock of red hair, squaring her shoulders. "I am ready when you are," she addressed the leader, the blonde, with a respectful nod of her head.

---

"Thank you for your hospitality. I wish you well." He said towards Leviathan, her Guardian and Knight, touching his heart, then his lips before making a round gesture towards them three in a way that for his people could as much mean: 'Goodbye person I will never meet again' than 'Since we probably will never meet again, may your life be blessed.' His wings unfolded, starting to beat quickly while he simply kept floating some inch above ground, waiting for departure.

---

Deciding that remaining silent was the best course of action, Sedna summoned her wings for flight, ready to depart.

---

"And here for you." He said with a shrug and a small smile, sending small floating lights towards his to-be companions and leaving enough behind in case the others were interested. "If you ever need a safe haven, my people will let you rest. Those lights have no magic in them, but they will guide you to Oberon and they will grant you safe passage." He didn't add: in case I don't make it and cannot invite you afterwards.

---

Sailor Leviathan blinked at Oberon's farewell message. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she understood that it was done out of consideration for her and her companions. She sighed and waved back.

"If being a Princess means something," she said as they departed, "then I give you all my blessing. The storms of Leviathan will seem like a mist to you as you leave. It's a pretty cool feature of my planet, I must admit."

She smirked smugly, thinking her planet was so cool.

"Don't hesitate to come back if you need to. I guess I owe you guys a lot more than I'll ever be able to give. When I'm stronger, when I can protect this planet on my own, you'll be able to count on me more. I promise."

She waved to them as their wings carried them through the waters to the skies beyond. The young soldier had grown so much since the others first met her. Already, she was becoming someone they could rely on. 

Meanwhile, Enoch watched silently as the others departed. He was neither happy or sad. He seemed... contemplative.

---

 Achelois looked around at the others, her chest swelling with gratitude.  Though the future weighed heavy on her, she would keep moving forward… for now.  She summoned her wings, thankful for the familiar feeling again and began flapping them, hovering now.  She turned to Nocturnus, meeting the young girls dark eyes, her own full of affection for the younger senshi.   She smiled and squeezed the girl’s hand with both of her own before finally releasing it.  Achelois accepted the light from Oberon, and nodded her head in gratitude.  “Let’s be off then.”  She clutched the shield to her chest, turned and face towards the great dark space before them and took off.

---

And so they left, and made their way through space towards the planet Enyalius.

The End.

3 mp wide for Callisto, Andromeda, and Nikos; 1mp heal for Callisto as well

Sailor Nocturnus uses Ecliptic Rotation on Zombie 5.

5&6 are close to Sedna but I'm not sure which one Aurae is aiming for so whatever one is free and in Sedna's line of sight or closer whatever xD Pick one for me DM-sempai!