Episode 11 - Night of loneliness! Calcite and Tektites reunion.

"You have your orders," a tired voice commanded.

"We shall find the Yoakezuishou!" Tektites and Rhodonite said in unison as they bowed before their lavender-haired empress. She gave them permission to leave and the two exited the dark throne room.

Calcite was staring out onto the city from a high window. Her eyes were still adjusting to the brightness of the land. From every direction she could see the civilians of Tokyo beginning to recover from the enemy's attacks. There was lots of commotion as people hammered away rebuilding the city. Everyone was working together harder than they had ever done before. Calcite turned her attention away from the window and to the sound of someone entering the room behind her. The sailor soldiers of Earth had all gathered for a meeting and were awaiting only the Queen. Now that she had come it was time for the orange haired woman to speak.

As Neo-Queen Serenity sat, Calcite began, "After my defection, the enemy has surely shifted their plans from destroying planets to the seeking out of the Yoakezuishou. For those in the room who have not heard of it, it is the Dawn Crystal, held by the Queen of the Planet Delos, Eos-sama."

"What difference would it make if you were with them or not?" Sailor Jupiter questioned.

"Not just me, but all three of the soldiers who serve Eos-sama have been lost to Empress Opalite and she is now at a disadvantage. What she desires above all else it to destroy the universe, she wishes to silence it forever, but for what reason I do not know for sure. Her motivation is unknown to me. With us she was hoping to draw out our Queen and steal the Yoakezuishou with us as bait. While it does not hold the same type of power as the Silver Crystal or the Golden Crystal it has the power to bring light to the universe, even where there was once none. If it is destroyed light will become dark indefinitely."

"What good will it do the enemy to seek out the Yoakezuishou, Calcite?" the angry voice of Sailor Tyr growled. "It was you who made that impossible, right? It was your hand that slaughtered our Queen." She was screaming in a cracked voice by the time she finished her sentence.

Calcite's eyes widened for a moment in surprise from the other woman's outburst, though she knew in her heart that she was guilty of what she was accused. She had murdered their queen. She tried to ignore the outburst and continue, "Empress Opalite believes otherwise. She needs this important piece of the puzzle to complete her mission."

"And now you're going to be the one to help stop her?" Sailor Ran spat.

Calcite's shoulders lowered as she let out a deep sigh of exasperation. She did not know what to say to them, make them understand her. What she had done was truly unforgivable, but now was not the time to be fighting amongst each other. Before she could say anything, the moon princess spoke up. "We really need to be sticking together right now, everyone. It's the future we need to look at right now, not the past."

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" the dark-skinned soldier said as she turned her head away in anger. Both of the alien soldiers stood to their feet and exited the room, not allowing any of the others in the room any time to stop them.

When Serenity looked back, she noticed Calcite's face had fallen. When the orange-haired woman noticed she was being watched she shook her emotions off. "Well, back to important matters."

"Yes," Mercury agreed. "First, what about all the people who have been attacked by your peopl-- the enemy? Is there any way to revive them?"

"No," Calcite answered gravely. "Their sylphs have been stolen. There is no way to awaken them unless you stop Opalite and reverse her Black Hole. That would be the only way to release their stolen lives."

"What are these 'sylphs' anyway?" Mars asked jumping in to the conversation.

"They are the light within a person and is what gives them power to live, their life force. For the chosen, that light is most important. That light shines within their Sailor Crystal. Without it there is no will to live, yet there is no way to die either. They are trapped without light of life, blanketed within a dark slumber."

Mercury sighed, "So these people will all remain comatose unless..." she trailed off realizing the horrible extent of damage the enemy had actually caused to their world.

Calcite turned away for a moment, her eyes held a distant look. She eventually came back to herself and began to speak again. "Even though I can't help the fallen I can help those who are still standing. I have a wide knowledge of the enemy and can give you an advantage over them."

It was well into the night when the soldiers' meeting was adjourned. Much had been learned, though most assumed that Calcite was holding more back than she let on. There was something to her that wasn't quite right though no one said anything. They silently decided to wait and see what would happen.

Princess Serenity and her comrades were the first to leave. The followed her down the long hall that led from the command center. No one spoke for a long time, but they watched their princess closely. She was troubled. When they were far away from the ears of possible eavesdroppers Sailor Ceres finally called to her leader. "Serenity, what's wrong?"

The princess hesitated before she began. "I don't understand them. If they were separated for so long and are finally reunited why do they fight?"

Ceres was about to speak but another voice stole away her chance. "You are naive, Princess." The five soldiers looked behind them to find Ran leaning against a large white pillar. They hadn't seen her before in the shadows. When they looked closer they found Tyr was with her.

"What do you mean?" Serenity questioned.

"It's not as easy as you think. That woman is not worthy of the title she was blessed with. She is not fit to be a Sailor Soldier. She's tarnished her name," Ran said.

"But she's helping all of us now! Doesn't that count for something?!" Vesta said, her voice becoming a little agitated.

"Hmph! Coming forward now doesn't change the fact that she betrayed us. She turned her back on our Queen, our world. Could you forgive someone who murdered your princess? Could you? I'd like to see you forgive someone who could do something like that!"

The sound of footsteps were heard, then nothing. Juno looked past the grouped of women to find Calcite had stopped dead in her tracks. She was staring at all of them. Her expression showed that she had heard everything, or what counted at least. Everyone had been too busy fighting to hear her walking down the hall. Juno put her hand on Vesta's shoulder, silencing her boisterous yelling. Once Vesta had quieted the others looked to see what had caused this. They all finally saw and a dark air fell over them. Only Sailor Ran and Sailor Tyr remained angry. Ran shouted out, "You heard, didn't you?"

Calcite did not answer. Instead she turned to walk away. Tyr's face was angry but a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Turning your back from us once again? Coward!"

"I don't want to fight with you anymore. You're too predictable. It's boring," Calcite stated coldly.

"What?!" an enraged Tyr yelled.

The two soldiers were making ready to attack the dark clad woman, but the Sailor Quartetto held them back. They fidgeted with anger, it was creeping through their limbs like a virus, though they finally managed to control themselves and walked off. When they were far from sight Calcite still stood where she had been before though she was facing away from the soldiers. The Princess approached the woman. She was much taller than her and noticed her gentle beauty shinning through her dark aura. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that, especially when you have been so kind to us."

"No, they've got every right to be angry at me," the woman said shaking her head. She left before any more could be spoken.

Calcite walked long through the palace. She took in all the beauty of the shining white crystal walls. They looked almost blue to her except in places where glowing orbs lit them up like mother-of-pearl. After her aimless walk she found herself outside in a beautiful garden. A mix of white and red roses bloomed all around her. The night sky was lit with hundreds-of-thousands of twinkling stars. Calcite found herself staring up at them so intensely she was forgetting herself. Her senses were encompassed by all the life around her and she was drowning willingly in it. "Still," she thought, "even surrounded by all this beauty I wish I could hide away in the darkness, I wish I could bury myself in Opalite's dark veil. At least there I was not suffering with these feelings. Living with this sin, facing those who know of it... I hate it!"