Insertion Part 8: Assault On Diamos by Sean D'Anna ===== Darkness, it was all that surrounded her as she glared into the shadows. Only the pale light of the tube of green liquid gave any indication that the entire room was not a black void of nothing. Several machines could be seen nearby, lit by the pale glow. Pluto floated inside the tube; her body curled up in a fetal position. Her eyes simply stared forward as she waited for her body to heal, a process that would take considerable time. Her arm was nothing more than a stump, and part of her right leg was missing, almost the entire length of her body was covered in burn scars from the massive blast that had consumed her. A dark rage boiled in her heart, hatred, anger. She knew all these things. Yet there was something more, a painful loss. Something long forgotten in the streams of time. The mere thought that he could hurt her at all was alien too her. Genaku was always a thorn at her side, an irritation that was to be disposed of. However, he had never once raised his hand against her. Now things had changed, somewhere deep in her heart, she thought that maybe he hadn't fallen to the darkness. Perhaps he managed to escape that fate, he was always strong. Beryl was too much though, there was no way he could have survived, or been reborn without her. Now, all that hope had been crushed, as tiny as it was to begin with. As it had always been, they were opposed. Now it was more than words and ideals, now, she had to destroy him. That was when she saw the two eyes staring back at her from outside the tank. She simply stared at them, an expression of any kind simply too painful to make. "You were defeated," said the voice from outside. Her body was hidden by the darkness. Pluto felt shame, shame that the other had to see her this way. Slowly, painfully, she nodded once. "That isn't acceptable," said the voice calmly. Pluto felt her heart jump, she was unable to move. If she could, she would have been banging against the glass of her healing tank, and screaming for her not to interfere. There was nothing she could do, she would not survive more than a few moments outside her self made prison at the moment. +++++++++++ "What the hell did you do, Ranma?" said Carrot in irritation as he sat down on the roof of the Tendo home. "This is more than a passing annoyance." "I didn't do nuthin!" said Ranma in retort. "Carrot is right," agreed Dan coolly. "This isn't some minor irritation we're dealing with. Those two were trying to kill us." "Yeah, but why?" said Carrot as he painfully tried to think of some reason for the woman's discomfort. "Well? Tell us brain boy," said Dan grumpily. "I haven't got a clue damn it! Why don't you ask Ranma? It was his stupid past life!" snorted Carrot. "I told you! I didn't do nuthin!" snapped Ranma irritably. "Look, if it wasn't us. It had to be Genaku, it's the only explanation for this. We need to figure out what he did, and maybe we'll be able to get out of this mess," said Dan. "We'll work it out later, it isn't save for us to hang around here at night," said Carrot with a small sigh. "Huh?" said Ranma. "The senshi have ways of finding us, we need to be gone at night," said Carrot. "This isn't good, maybe we should get the old man and take off on a training trip for a few years?" said Dan. "Genma might has well have cemented his ass in front of that Shogi table, he's not going anywhere without a fight," said Carrot. "Wait a minute? We're running from some stupid girls?" said Ranma angrily. "I don't run from nobody!" "That's why you're an idiot. I know when we're outclassed. We hit those girls with bullets, and it didn't take them down. I imagine that explosion did little more than piss them off," said Carrot with another nod. +++++++++++++ "My hair!" cried Minako as she stared at her reflection in the mirror sadly. "When I find that bastard...I'll..." she clenched her fists in frustration and glared at the reflective surface with hatred in her eyes. "Look what he did to my beautiful skin! I'm all red!" "You've got to calm down," pleaded Artemis as he hopped up on the dresser. "Calm down? Calm down?! Look at my complexion! I look like a lobster!" screamed the girl as she threw her hands into the air. Artemis backed away nervously from the ranting. "Please! We have to think of something! We can't just attack him head on, he's too strong for you by yourself!" Minako hung her head and sighed, "You're right, but what can I do?" "That's what we need a plan for," said Artemis calmly. "Any word about that other senshi?" said Minako as she suddenly became serious. She had a sort of sad look in her eyes. "The authorities didn't find anything according to the papers. If they did, they aren't saying anything. You weren't hurt, maybe she got away too?" "Not hurt?" said Minako with a slight growl. "Look! I had to cut my luxurious hair! It only goes to the middle of my back now!" screamed the girl as she stood up and pointed at the bottom of her long blonde locks. The base was cut even now, and ended just above the small of her back. "Heh, you could awaken the other senshi," said a new voice. Artemis and Minako whirled around and saw a strange figure standing in the window, staring at them. It was a girl about her own age. She had long violet hair that was tied up in a ponytail, her violet eyes were locked on the pair in a cold stare. Her clothes weren't unusual, a yellow turtleneck sweater, and a pleated skirt. "Who are you?" said Minako in shock. "I am Tsuki," replied the girl calmly as she leaned against the windowsill. "What do you want? What's this about other senshi?" "There are five inner senshi. One for each planet except for Earth of course, and one for the moon." "That's nine," said Artemis coolly as he walked up to the window. "The outer senshi are not of concern to you," said the girl calmly. "You only need to find Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter." "Who are you? What's your connection to this?" said Artemis as he narrowed his eyes at the girl and moved behind Minako's legs. "That's my business. Just go to Juban, and follow the rabbit," said the girl coldly as she jumped away and left them. "Wait!" cried Minako as she rushed up to the window. Predictably, the girl was gone. "Damn." Of course, neither her nor Artemis bothered to look down, where Tsuki was laying face down on the ground. She groaned painfully and did not move. After a moment Minako turned away from the window, and Tsuki picked up her head. "Damn. I forgot that was the second floor. Ite..." She slowly stood up and staggered into the streets. ++++++++++ Ryoga blinked and looked at the skinny looking bridge and then back to the old man again. "But, I don't want to cross the bridge of death. I'm trying to get to Nerima." "Just answer the questions," said the old man. "We want to cross the bridge of death though!" said the group of British knights that stood directly behind him. One of the nights stepped forward. "Ask your questions." "What is your name?" "Lancelot, knight of the round table!" "What is your quest?" "To find the Holy Grail!" "What is your favorite color?" "Blue." "All right, off you go then," said the old man. Ryoga hung his head. "I might as well," he sighed. "What is your name?" said the old man ominously. "Ryoga Hibiki." "What is your quest?" "To find Ranma Saotome, and finally defeat him!" "What is the value of Pi?" Ryoga blinked, and looked at the old man's leer for a moment. "To what decimal?" "Huh? I don't know that!" said the old man. He was promptly flung into the gorge by some unseen force, and was never heard from again. "How do you know these things?" said one of the knights to him. Ryoga stared at him for a moment. "I'm Asian, everyone knows we're good at math." "Oh, quite right," agreed the other knights as they moved across the bridge just in front of him. He stood aside and waited for them to pass. Ryoga stood and waited for them to pass and then stepped onto the bridge. He frowned as it creaked under his weight. "Oh, right. Jupiter," he muttered calmly. The boards under his feet gave way, and he plummeted into the pit below. ++++++++++++ "Her name is Minako, she's about five-four. She's got long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's also a bit boy crazy too," said Ranma as he looked at the group of teens. "Buddy, we're all lookin for that chick," said one of the boys with a rough snort. The boys around him chuckled in crude agreement and then turned back to their game. "What are we doing here?" said Ranma to himself as he turned away from the group, or rather the others in his head. "Trying to nip this in the butt, that's what," he told himself in reply. A group of girls walked by, giving him a wide area of clearance as he passed. He was wearing his coat and hat again, and had a pair of shades covering his eyes. +++++++++ "All right, hold it," said Ranma as he stopped their body and moved over to a quiet corner of the room. They were inside the arcade, asking around for any information on Minako they could get. "What's up?" said Carrot in confusion. "What's going on here? We're looking for trouble," said Ranma angrily. "We're trying to avoid it. As much as Dan would enjoy it, I'm sure the two of us don't want to end up running around shooting up half of Tokyo." "Right," agreed Ranma. "We're going to find Minako, and try to explain things. Maybe we can still talk our way out of this," said Carrot calmly. "Not after we blew up Pluto we can't," said Dan calmly. "Hey I had to do it! We didn't have a choice!" said Ranma defensively. "Besides, it wasn't the planet, it was one of the moons!" "I don't think he's talking about the fight earlier," commented Carrot. "Anyway, we need to find her soon, before she gets the others on us," said Carrot calmly. "There are nine senshi, we've only met two, and some of them are stronger than the pair we fought. Believe me Ranma, we don't want to fight these chicks." "Right," muttered Ranma irritably. "That doesn't explain why everyone is avoiding us." "Oh that, they think we're with the Yakuza, that's why," said Dan calmly. "What?" said Ranma in shock. "Enough about that, you remember something don't you?" said Carrot with a sly looking grin crossing their face for a moment. "No," said Ranma pointedly. "We're going to find out sooner or later," said Dan with a small sigh. "It's best not to worry about that now though." "Why is that?" asked Carrot. "Because we're about to get a visit from an old friend," said Dan with a small chuckle. ++++++++++++++ The wall of the arcade crashed in suddenly, revealing a familiar looking girl with a bonbori held out in front of her. "You! Is Captain Destructo! Where Ranma?" "Ack!" said Ranma in shocked surprise. "Shampoo, what are you doing here?" "Come to find girl, and kill!" said the Amazon bitterly. "You know I won't allow that," said Ranma coolly as he stared her down for a moment. "Why? Girl is Destructo airen?" said Shampoo with a smirk forming on her face. "Not really," said the boy with a small shrug. "Husband very bad run away, Shampoo," said the girl as she glared at him for a moment. "His wives in village very angry." That got the attention of the crowd of dumbstruck onlookers. One of the boys perked up suddenly and turned towards the black clad teen. "Wives?" "Heh, your laws don't apply to me. I thought I made that clear when we left," said Ranma coolly as he stared her down for a long moment. "I'll never be a second class citizen." "Showing such disrespect. I can't forgive that," said a new voice from the hole Shampoo had made her entrance through. A handsome looking Chinese boy stepped through, but placed a thick looking pair of glasses on his face as he entered. "For forcing Shampoo into your arms, and ignoring the laws of the Amazons, you must be punished." Ranma smirked at the boy. "Hello Mousse." "It's been a while," said the boy in reply with a small nod of his head. "You won't escape this time." "Escape? I've never been afraid of you two losers," said Ranma with a cruel sounding chuckle. "Besides, Shampoo came into my arms willingly as I recall." "What?" said Mousse in shock. He turned towards the girl and started to blubber. "Shampoo! You didn't!" The girl looked at Ranma for a moment with a rather blank expression. She knew it wasn't true, but... "Is Shampoo husband." She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Ranma again. "You come home to China with wife now." "Heh, make me," said Ranma with another chuckle. "If that way Destructo want it," said the girl as she grinned and prepared herself. Mousse charged in front of her. "Enemy to all women!" Various blades shot from his arms and into the crowd. Those who weren't smart enough to leave before this, now quickly vacated. Ranma smirked and sidestepped most of the attacks. "Come on then." "Stupid Mousse!" cried Shampoo as she backed away from the battle. Ranma spun around as Mousse sailed over his head, drawing the two silver weapons from behind his back. "Think you can take me sword boy?" "I will not be defeated!" cried Mousse as several more weapons shot from his sleeves. "Never bring a knife to a gunfight!" snapped Ranma as he ducked under the strikes and fired two clean shots. Mousse froze, he slumped down against one of the video games and shuddered, shock evident in his eyes. Two holes appeared on either side of his head, and his glasses fell away from his face from where they had broken on the edges of the frames. "Next time, I won't aim to miss," said Ranma as he twirled the weapons around on his fingers as he replaced them in their holsters. He ducked quickly, and the sound of metal being unsheathed filled the silence that had suddenly appeared in the room. Shampoo froze with her bonbori held over her head just behind him. The blade of a rather large knife was pointed at the nape of her neck. "Ah, ah, ah!" said Ranma as he wagged his finger at her playfully. The Amazon girl growled and slowly lowered her weapons. "I suggest you give up on me, there are forces at work that you can't hope to beat," said Ranma as he stepped away from the pair. "And I don't mean me." He calmly walked through the new entrance to the arcade that the two Chinese had made when they entered and vanished into the shadows. Both of the teens looked out the window at the flashing blue lights that quickly approached. "Mousse," snapped Shampoo as she left the room. The boy shook his head and tucked what remained of his glasses into his shirt. +++++++++++++++ "Are you sure this is wise with Shampoo running around?" said Dan. "Of course, I'd rather deal with her than those cops," said Carrot as he dumped a bucket of water over their head. "Great! What the hell are those two doing here?" snapped Ranma angrily. The whole group froze when they felt something poke at their back. ++++++++++ "Well, I had no idea we were looking for the same person, son in law," chuckled Cologne as she hopped back away from the redhead nimbly as the young girl spun around to face her. "Quite a fine specimen," commented the old woman as she poked her again. "Who are you?" said Ranma coolly as she backed away. "Me? No one in particular, we'll meet again. By then you'll be begging me to marry Shampoo," said the old woman as she hopped up onto the rooftops and vanished into the night. ++++++++++ "Who was that?" said Ranma angrily. "Cologne, Shampoo's great grandmother," said Carrot. "Shit," grumbled Dan irritably. "Well, now the fun really starts," said Carrot with a small chuckle. "Come on, let's go back." "Right," said Ranma with a sigh. They walked calmly into the growing crowd in front of the arcade and blended in, vanishing. +++++++++++ "Sir, Diamos, they're everywhere," said a small man dressed in a military uniform. He stood in front of the gigantic kilt clad general with a look of fear in his eyes. "Aye, I can see that lad," said Genaku as he looked at the display screen in front of him. They were standing on the deck of a large destroyer class ship. "Admiral Jadeite?" A man in a gray uniform frowned from a nearby chair and leaned in slightly. "Has the gate been compromised?" On a the huge screen a pair of small planetoids appeared on the screen. One a lush green moon, slightly smaller than the tiny white planet that it orbited. "We believe so, sir," said the reporting officer. "Not good," said Genaku as his scowl deepened. "How many civilians?" said the Admiral with a slight smirk forming on his face. "Diamos has no civilians living on it," replied Genaku with a chuckle. "'Tis a military moon, like Pluto. Only a few dignitaries an scientist are permitted on these planets. The Gates of Time and Space are too dangerous ta allow a population." "Admiral Jadeite?" said one of the techs as he looked at the man for a moment. "Prepare the cannons for a planetary razing," said Jadeite calmly. "Aye," agreed Genaku. "Prepare mah men, we're gonna unleash hell itself." He turned and walked towards the lift. "I'll see you when you return, general," said Jadeite with a slight nod. "Aye, that ye will," said Genaku as he continued to stroll away. ++++++++++ "The Gate of Space is ours," said one of the soldiers as he knelt before his master. "The last of the defenses have fallen." The man was dressed in a black uniform, with a bright yellow fist insignia on the right breast. "Excellent," said the armor-clad man who nodded to the man. He was wearing black European style armor, including the helmet that covered his head completely. A large black broadsword was in his grasp, and he casually sliced a prisoner that was held beside him by two more black clad soldiers. "Soon the Moon will fall, and the entire galaxy will be ours." "The fleet overhead is preparing their cannons to fire," said one of the nearby men. "Who is in command of the invading force?" said the armor-clad man calmly. "The defense shields will hold out as long as we need them too." "General Genaku," said the man calmly with a smirk on his face. "Excellent, aim all of the planetary defenses at Pluto," said the commander with a small chuckle. "He will bow to us before he lets us destroy the Senshi of Pluto and her planet." ++++++++++++ "Genaku, the planetary defenses are changing their target. They've targeted Pluto directly." Jadeite frowned deeply as he looked at the calm face of his old friend staring back at him. "Eh? So what?" snorted the man casually. "Pluto's defenses cannot hold out against an attack like that, it will be destroyed." "And he thinks he can persuade me not ta attack because of this?" said Genaku with a small snort. "Mah Marines can take down that fortress before they can destroy it. I assure ya, now proceed with the plan." "But the Senshi of Pluto is still..." "Very well aware of what's about ta happen. She is the Senshi of Time, ain't she?" said Genaku coldly. "Admiral, fire the cannons to clear our path for entry." "Yah here that men? All of Pluto is depending on us to win this battle! What have ya got ta say about that?" he roared over his shoulder. A roar of battle cries echoed throughout the ship, Jadeite could see the crowd behind Genaku raising their weapons into the air enthusiastically. He chuckled and turned towards the gunnery officer. "Fire at will Commander." ++++++++++++ "What the hell is he doing?" snapped Pluto as she stared into the screen. "This can't be!" said the scientist who stood next to her. "The Time Gate told us that he'd bow, and then the Martian forces would push them back! We'd have it all back within a month's time!" "Genaku!" snarled Pluto angrily. Her mind worked as she attempted to find some sort of reason. The Time Gate showed how to manipulate events, but Genaku somehow had the ability to change things to his own will. "How does he do this?" she snarled. "We could be destroyed!" cried another scientist. "Put me through to that moron!" snarled Pluto. "He's cut off communications from us," said another of the men in the room as he turned away from the console he was working at. "What?" said Pluto. "All we're getting is this," said the man as he moved aside to show her the screen. Pluto felt her blood run cold as she saw the screen staring back at her. It was a picture of Genaku's butt, mooning her. She put her hand to her head as an intense pain formed there, and screamed in rage. +++++++++++ The sky overhead was alight with flashes as the barrage from the fleet slammed into the shields that surrounded the small planetoid. Around twenty huge troop carriers maneuvered to the ground, unmolested by any attack. They landed in a swarm, great tan hulls that looked like pregnant aircraft, each holding hundreds of troops within. The armor-clad soldier stood in front of rows and rows of his men as the military drop ships landed in front of him. All of them were standing at attention, like some sort of massive military parade. The commander chuckled and cried out to the lead ship, which was no more than twenty feet in front of them. "Genaku! I have come to accept your surrender! Give up now, and Pluto and its Senshi will be spared. Perhaps your men would like to survive as well!" A roar of laughter erupted from the masses of soldiers behind him. "There is no one here to help you, and you have but five thousand men. I have twice that number, the battle is lost!" The door of the lead ship opened. Genaku calmly strolled out and stood in front of the opposing army, his sword sheathed at his side. "So, you accept my terms?" said the Commander calmly as he stepped forward. "Who are ye?" snapped Genaku. "I am Yumato, New General of Light, and soon to be ruler of all the galaxy," said the armor-clad man proudly. "The only thing ye'll be rulin is hell!" roared Genaku as he raised his sword into the air and charged forward. "What?" said Yumato in shock. His men stood in dumb surprise for a moment, scrambling to raise their weapons as men poured out of the ships behind Genaku, charging forward. They were firing into the rows of black clad soldiers as soon as their feet hit the surface of the planet, some before then. Yumato raised his sword and staggered back as Genaku slammed into him, hacking down. The armor-clad man was almost forced to his knees from the blow, and had to move his weapon madly in order to block the mad slashing of the General. "You're crazy!" "Pluto won't be destroyed, if ya cannot give the order ta destroy it!" roared Genaku as he continued to hack and forced the man back. His swings were wide, and many of the black clad soldiers fell around him as he pushed the armor-clad warrior further back. The forces of the Moon Kingdom were dressed in bulkily clad tan uniforms, shoulder pads and rifles were present on most of them as they continued to rush into the crowd. The initial barrage had sent the black clad warriors into a state of disarray. The first two rows of soldiers had fallen before they had even reached their front lines. Now, the Interplanetary Marine forces were fighting in close combat, against two to one odds. Several of the Marines slowly approached near the back of their ranks. They lifted large tube like cannons onto their shoulders and began to fire into the air. Balls of flaming energy soared into the air, and came down in the back of the ranks, exploding and taking out dozens of the soldiers with each blast. It also slowed the retreat of the enemy. Genaku was standing in the middle of the enemy soldier's ranks, fighting with their commander, and none of the black clad men had even tried to fire at him. The whole mass of men was in a panic, desperately trying to hold back the forces pushing into them. "Ha!" snarled Genaku as he slashed down, cutting a huge chunk of metal off the man's shoulder. "Damn you! Kill him you idiots!" snarled the man as he performed an upward slash that blocked a strike and forced the general to step back. Finally, one of the men seemed to snap out of his stupor and turned with a blaster in his hand. He fired at Genaku, who merely jumped back. One of the black clad soldiers fell on the other side of the clearing the men were giving. Genaku stabbed back with his sword without looking back, the strike cut deep into the man's chest, and he started after the enemy commander. The man had run away as soon as Genaku was forced to stop attacking him. His own forces seemed to surround him all at once, easily cutting the larger forces into sections as they fired their way through them. "Sir!" said one of the men who kneeled into a firing position next to him. "Did ya see which way that coward went?" said the general calmly as he used the hilt of his blade to slam into one of the enemy's face. The man dropped like a rock and did not move. "East sir, we're tracking him now. He's heading into one of the buildings with a few of his men. "The planetary defense controls," said Genaku with a small nod. "Where is the place?" he said calmly. "Over there," said the Marine as he pointed at a large set of buildings. "Where are the pounders?" said Genaku with a smirk forming on his face. "Still taking up the rear," said the soldier as he fired a few more shots into the quickly retreating crowd of black clad soldiers. +++++++++++++ "Sir!" said the officer in charge as Genaku approached the row of men armed with the long tube-like weapons. "See those buildings?" said Genaku as he pointed at them. "Yes sir," said the man with a grin forming on his face. "Aye, ye know what ta do," said the red-haired general as he strolled back to the battle. ++++++++++++++ Yumato stood in shocked silence as he stared at the smoking remains of the building in front of him. "No! It can't be!" He turned and growled angrily at the swarm of tan uniforms on the battlefield a few hundred yards away. The black uniforms no longer swallowed them up. "He blew up the command center!" "What are we going to do!?" said one of the nearby men in panic. Yumato hacked him in two in a fit of frustrated anger. "We're going to destroy him!" "How do ye plan to do that?" said a familiar voice. The small group of soldiers turned to see the intimidating and blood-soaked form of Genaku staring down at them from the top of a hill. "Kill him!" snarled Yumato bitterly. The men raised their rifles up and aimed at Genaku. Yumato headed towards a nearby building that was still mostly intact. Genaku moved unlike anything the men had ever seen. He dodged around their shots easily, hacking into them and quickly tearing through the men. Finally, three of them remained and stared at the man in horror. He looked like some sort of blood soaked god of death. They dropped their rifles and took off screaming in terror. "Feh, cowards," snorted the man casually. He followed Yumato into the building. Inside he found a long hallway with a row of lights overhead and no doors. "The fighting is over sir," said a voice from the small metal insignia on the scarf that ran across his shoulder. "Already?" snorted Genaku in what seemed to be disappointment. "The reinforcements are arriving from the south. We didn't even need them," said the voice on the other side of the line with a small chuckle. "Reinforcements?" said the black clad figure that stepped out into the middle of the hall. "Aye, I also brought ten thousand men with me," said Genaku as he stared the man down for a moment. "Unfortunately, yer men were no match fer five of mine. So they didn't get to join in. I had planned to flank ye." Yumato staggered back. "That's not possible! We never detected..." "Mercury has some amazing technology ya know, best in the entire solar system. 'Tis a wonder they never came up with a way to hide from the detection systems of a planet, is it not?" said Genaku with a small chuckle. "You're too late, I've opened a gateway to my home world. The Gate of Space will soon dump a million men onto this planet, and they will crush you and your forces. You've lost general." Yumato pointed at the man with his sword. Genaku narrowed his eyes at the man. His helmet hid his face, and he could not detect fear in his voice. "I'll just have ta make sure ya never get ta enjoy yer victory then," he said as he raised his sword. Yumato stepped back as the enraged general charged, hacking at him. They exchanged blows in the middle of the hallway and backed slowly into the main chamber that was at the end. Genaku frowned when he saw the large gateway, a glowing blue light had formed in its center. The man wasn't lying. He grunted with effort and hacked a huge gash into the man's side, cutting through the armor like it wasn't there. Yumato cried out in pain and fell down to his knees. Blood poured through the open wound and pooled on the floor around him. "Do ya feel it?" said Genaku as he stared down at her. "The boiling in your blood?" "I will destroy you!" snarled the man as he jumped to his feet and stabbed at Genaku. The man took a slash from blade in his belly and slammed the hilt of his own sword into the armored man's helmet. It flew off of Yumato's face and clattered across the ground. "Damn you," snapped a very different voice as the man stood up and glared at Genaku harshly. "A woman," said the general in shock. "I will be Empress of the Galaxy!" she snarled as she raised her sword again. Behind her, the shadowy figure of her reinforcements began to slowly materialize in the light of the Space Gate. "Yer wound is gone," noted Genaku calmly. "I cannot die!" she snarled as she charged forward while slashing wildly. Genaku calmly slammed her in the face with the hilt of his blade again sending her sprawling out on the floor again. "Hurts more without armor, eh?" He said with a small chuckle. "I cannot lose!" she gasped as she looked up at him hatefully, unable to move from the pain. "Ya already have," said Genaku calmly. "There can be only one." "What?" said the woman as her eyes went wide. The man had is sword raised over his head. The last thing she saw was the blade descending down on her. Genaku screamed as energy crackled across the room. Screens shattered and lights exploded as the woman's energy escaped her body all at once. He was lifted off the ground by the force of the power and was then thrown back down to the ground. He fell too his knees, gasping for breath as the energy slowly and painfully died down around him. Slowly, he staggered to his feet and looked up at the Space Gate. The first group of men was slowly walking through, glancing at his surroundings. Genaku readied his sword, and narrowed his eyes as dozens more came through behind the man. They saw him lying over the dead body of their commander, and began to raise their weapons. "Shit," he as he touched the communications device on his shoulder. "Back to the drop ships, evacuate the planet." "Sir?" said a questioning voice on the other side. "Do it," said Genaku sharply. The first shot passed by him harmlessly, and was quickly followed by others as still more men appeared in the room. His sword began to grow red as a magical power began to form inside the metal. "I'm afraid I'm gonna to ask ya to return home. Ya weren't invited!" He slashed down with the blade, sending a wide arc of energy slamming into the gate. The frame shook for a moment, and then cracked. Finally, the entire doorway shattered. The black clad men stood in shocked horror as they stared at the remains of the doorway for a moment. Then, the blue light that was once contained inside began to expand slowly. Genaku turned and started running out the hallway towards the door. ++++++++++++ Jadeite stared out into space, watching the growing light form on the surface of the planet. It slowly grew larger and larger, engulfing the surface as it slowly spread. The drop ships could be seen approaching the fleet at high speed and were being let back inside the bays. "Genaku, what have you done?" he said in horrified shock. Red lines began to spider web along the surface of the planet, slowly spreading across it. "Load those ships now! Get us the hell out of here!" he screamed onto the bridge. "Hurry it up! Do it now! As soon as the ships are loaded!" +++++++++++++ In the silence of space, the shattering explosion sent shock waves across the emptiness. Diamos shattered and was blown to oblivion in an instant as the ships moved away across the sea of stars. +++++++++++++ Pluto stared at the screen in horror as the moon exploded. Rage slowly built up inside her. She lifted her hands into the air and screamed. ++++++++++ "Ya said yourself that the Space Gate did not have its own Senshi, and was a liability. It had no defense against attacks other than the planetary defense. Now, it tis no longer a liability," said Genaku as he stood before Serenity. "He destroyed the Space Gate, and you rewarded him for it!" snarled Pluto bitterly. "He prevented an invasion, and saved countless lives," said the queen calmly. "The Space Gate also had no practical value. It was an open doorway for us to conquer with, and had no defensive value. Now the temptation will be gone for future rulers." Pluto's jaw dropped, her entire face turned completely red as rage boiled up inside her. Serenity gave a slight smile. "I realize that your duties have been cut in half, and I'm sure you can find ways to fill your time." Her smile spoke in volumes. Pluto went from an angry red, to a pale white in an instant. "What?" "Maybe it's time you started looking for a husband?" wondered the Queen out loud. Pluto knew what that meant, "Find a husband, or I'll do it for you." Genaku chuckled and shook his head. "I give ya my leave," he said with a low bow as he strolled out of the room. +++++++++ TBC... BTW. In case your interested, this was written to the Gladiator soundtrack. The battle in the beginning of the movie. Everyone kept asking me what Genaku did to get Pluto so pissed, well, this is part of it, and now you know. Next time, the Amazons.