Typical Header Stuff:  

     Even though most of these give you about as much coverage
as a g-string on a stripper, I'm going to play it safe and include
it anyway...

     Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within
this work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation,
Kodansya, DiC, and probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting.
I am using them without permission, but suing me because of it would
be futile as I have nothing.  Also Certain characters mentioned
in the prologue are the copyrighted property of John De Chance.
Any characters that are not copyrighted by other people are my own 
creation, and therefore copyrighted by myself...  which means that
if for some REALLY weird reason you decided you wanted to use them,
(and why would you decide that?!?!?!?) you need to write me for 
permission.

Comments, Criticisms, and flames welcome...  Starrngr@aol.com
However, due to a large amount of spam I have received in the past,
I have blocked off mail from some domains.  Sorry if your one of 
them.  And don't expect me to reply to mail that's nothing but 
Flames!

See the Character Bio for information on key people to this Fic....



----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Wanderer:  Wandering Moon:  Episode 7:  Alliances and Enemies


     Juuban district was held in a grip of fear.  For the past two 
weeks, cases of the dreaded Juuban syndrome had been popping up left
and right, every other day or so.  There seemed to be no rhyme or 
reason to the cases either.  Medical doctors hunted for a common
denominator in all the cases but found none.  The only thing victims
had in common were being in a particular place, and that place and 
time changed from outbreak to outbreak.  Many people began to stay
at home as much as possible.  Some, who could afford it, looked into
moving away.  Still others decided that they were not going to let 
fear affect their life and carried on as normal.

     Gathered that Friday afternoon at the Cherry Hill Temple, (As it
was popularly known, for some reason.  Its real name was the Hikawa
Shrine) were another group who knew exactly what was going on.  The
purpose of the meeting was to decide what to do about it.  To a 
casual observer, it would seem strange that such a task fell to five
young teenage girls.  To those who knew the whole truth (of which
there were seven...  the same seven present at this meeting),
the item of paramount concern was that they had been unable to stop
the attacks before the attackers had come and gone.

     "There has to be a way to counteract these latest attacks,"
declared Luna.  "I suppose it was inevitable that our enemies would
change their strategy, but its most distressing that they finally
did so."

     "I agree that the timing is inconvenient at best", concurred
Artemis, "but what did you expect?  For them to just blindly attack
only during times when we were able to stop them?"

     "Why they changed their patterns isn't important," declared
Lita Kino thumping the low table with her fist, "what's important
is finding a way to stop them!"

     "Which is why we are here," Luna reminded everyone.

     "About the best thing I've come up with so far is for the girls
to come down with something nasty and contagious," observed Artemis.

     "There isn't any way we could pull that off," noted Amy.  "We 
would have to bring our parents in on our secret.  There is no way we
could pretend to be sick for a week or more without the school 
telling our parents about it anyway."

     "Ugh.  I don't even want to think about what my folks would say
about that!"  noted Serena.  "Especially since I failed another
test today.  Dad would probably ground me for a year," she sighed.

     "And that would put a serious crimp in your ability to conduct
sailor business," added Luna.

     "Another test?"  questioned Mina. "I thought Thunders-sensei
gave you some drills to help you with your problems."

     "That assumes odango-atama here remembers to do them,"  snorted
Raye in reply.

     "That's not true," countered Amy.  "Serena does remember to do 
her drills, because I help her with them.  But you can't expect 
miracles so soon.  If for no other reason, she has a bit of 
background to catch up on, that she learned incorrectly in the first
place."

     "And Serena's learning disabilities are not the topic of this
meeting," Luna chided primly.  "We still need a way to be able to 
counter this new attack pattern."

     "Maybe if everyone took a turn at being sick?"  wondered 
Artemis, still trying to come up with a decent plan.  "It wouldn't
be quite as noticeable."

     "It would still require parental notes for those days," Mina 
responded.  "And it wouldn't work for very long, cause the school
administrators would get curious about a student who is always absent
one day a week."

     "I think it would be rather too dangerous, anyway," Amy noted.
"They have had several successful attacks with which to gain energy.
That would make the youma that much stronger and more dangerous.
A lone scout trying to fight one of them could get seriously hurt,
or even killed."

     "But it wouldn't have to be for too long," objected Raye.  "Just
long enough to let the rest of us know where they are so we can help
out."

     "That's assuming we can sneak out of class, too." noted Lita.
"A few lengthy 'potty' breaks and I doubt the teachers would let us 
out of their sight!"

     "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll close the schools," bubbled
Serena.  "An extended vacation would just be so cool!"

     "I don't know about that, Serena," noted Amy.  "It could have
an adverse affect on our grades."

     "I don't see how it could make Serena's grades any worse than
they are", observed Raye.

     "Hey!  I am trying.  And those drills Thunders-sensei
gave me are helping.  Just not enough yet," replied Serena in a 
wavering tone, clearly about to burst into tears.

     "Its a nice thought, but we cant count on it happening,"
declared Luna.  "We need some sort of plan to handle this in case 
they don't."

     "You know, suddenly I'm not feeling to well," commented Lita 
with a grin.  "You don't suppose its a case of Juuban syndrome?
One that might take a week or more to get over?"

     Amy looked up and nodded in agreement with what Lita was 
suggesting.  "I think she has a point," she decided.  "Of all of us,
she would have the least trouble pulling  it off.  After all..."
Any further comment Amy might have made was silenced by a discreet
jab to the ribs by Mina.

     "After all," Mina picked up, to divert the conversation
away from Lita's dead parents,  "Lita is the strongest fighter of all
of us.  She would have the best chance of slowing these creeps down
until the rest of us arrive and Serena can moondust em without 
getting hurt."

     "I don't really like this,"  Serena objected.  "Amy just said
it could be dangerous, and I don't think I could live with myself
if Lita got hurt doing this."

     "If you have a better idea, lets hear it," replied Luna.  Serena
thought for a long moment and then hung her head, admitting defeat.
"I don't like it that much either, Serena," she continued, "but for
now its the only plan we have.  You're going to have to accept the 
fact that sometimes people you care about must go in harm's way."

     "That doesn't mean I have to like it," grumbled Serena.  Then
an idea struck and her normal exuberant personality re-emerged.
"Hey, why don't we go out and catch a movie together then?  It would
be just the thing to get our minds off this problem.  I hear they 
have a new movie from America opening tonight."

     "How can you think of something like that at a time like this?"
Demanded Raye.

     "Actually, its a very good idea." countered Amy.  "It would give
Lita a valid excuse for having come down with Juuban syndrome."
Raye glared at Amy for a moment, and then hung her head in defeat.

     "GREAT!"  exulted Serena.  "This is going to be fun!"

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Cabelite sat back in the room he used as an office and smiled.
For a cripple, the Tinkerer had been amazingly perceptive.  Over the
past two weeks, he had been able to raid for energy almost at will.
This had increased the power of his forces to an acceptable level.
In fact, he would have been quite near having enough energy to awaken
his queen's precious Negaforce.  Not that the Negaforce had been that
much use against these scouts anyway, according to Tinkerer.  In 
that, Cabelite had no faith in his partner.  How could that man know
what had happened unless he was there?  At any rate, Cabelite rather
didn't care.  The Negaverse was closed to him, an appearance
there little better than a death sentence.  Beryl had a long memory,
after all, and he doubted even bringing her a copious amount of 
energy would appease her.  Of course, if Tinkerer was right, Beryl
didn't exist anymore.  Cabelite was here, in this place, and he had
a plan.  This was good enough for him.

     Their plans were proceeding forward, with little hitches along
the way.  Aside from the Super Youma project, the Tinkerer was trying
to train youma in the use of simple technology.  The only success
in that area to date had been in arming Youma, but was mixed at best.
Most were capable of summoning a blast attack as it was, and so 
didn't care, and those who couldn't did not seem to comprehend
the idea of pointing the weapon at the ENEMY.  Undaunted, Tinkerer
was trying something new.  A number of spyders had been converted
to act as remote units.  These spyders were more heavily armed 
because most of their internal processing and sensors had been 
removed.  Instead, they would be controlled by youma using various
verbal commands and a set of strange gloves and goggles.  In 
practice, this seemed to be working, unless the youma got excited
An excited youma tended to trash the control units.  Tonight they 
would put this new possibility to the test.
     
     Cabelite saw this test as a perfect chance to eliminate one or 
both of those that opposed him.  He would attack tonight, out of 
pattern, at a place with most people he could find.  This would be 
sure to attract either the scouts or the Star Ranger.  If the Star
Ranger appeared, the youma would strike from hiding and destroy
him.  But if the Scouts appeared instead, the spyders would be sent
in to destroy them while his youma remained safe.  It was, he felt,
his most diabolical plan since he had arrived in this place.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Micheal Thunders stopped for a moment in his preparations
for going out and looked at the display on the screen.  On one side
was a picture of Serena Tsukino, and the other a digitally enhanced
picture of Sailor Moon.  While the facial features were not very 
clear, FRED felt it was obvious from everything else.

     "OK, I'll admit that they do look awful alike.  That doesn't
prove a darn thing FRED.  There must be thousands of girls in this
town who would match up."  He decided, then returned his attention
to getting dressed.

     "Maybe, but the biggest clue is her hairstyle.  I've taken a 
sample.  I've monitored every crowd shot in print and on television
for the past two weeks.  I've sampled over ten thousand different
people.  No one but Serena Tsukino and Sailor Moon wear their hair
like that.  No one."

     "A sample does not always represent the entire population
FRED," Micheal retorted.

     "Its close enough for statistical modeling, and you know it. No
one else in Tokyo wears their hair like that,"  FRED replied, 
continuing to try and drive the point home.

     "Oh come on FRED.  Your sample must be skewed somehow.  The odds
of only one person in Tokyo wearing her hair that way is ridiculous.
And the odds of that person also being one of the two students
I work most closely with..."

     "Are a lot less than you think,"  FRED interrupted.  "One of the
other things I have found out while I was investigating was that odds
here are much different.  Its taken a while, but I think I know why.
Apparently, when Queen Serenity banished the Negaverse after the 
destruction of the Moon Kingdom, she sealed up this planets magic
sources.  There is a huge one here, under Juuban, and after all these
years the pressure on the seal is causing it to start to leak.  And
that leak has created a zone of skewed probabilities.  This means
that if anything weird is going to happen, its generally happen here,
in Tokyo in general and in Juuban in specific," FRED claimed.

     Micheal looked at Fred's apartment terminal, his tolerance
for acceptance clearly exceeded.  "Well, congratulations
FRED.  You've just figured out why Godzilla always flattens Tokyo.
I am going to go and pick up Patricia, and we are going to go out,
and I don't want to hear a word about this for the rest of the 
weekend, GOT IT?"  Fred's response was a silent acceptance.
"Good."  The way Micheal slammed the door, FRED decided this was 
going to take yet a bit more convincing.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Patricia snuggled into Micheal's arm.  Granted, this American
movie wasn't quite up to her standards for a romantic evening,
still, Micheal seemed to be enjoying a taste of his homeland.
Most people clung to the myth of "Juuban Syndrome."  She knew better,
having been attacked herself several times in the past.  Still, one
didn't admit to such a thing in public if you didn't want a long stay
in a room with padded walls.  She had been nervous for a moment at 
first, because of the size of the crowds, but she told herself she 
was just being foolish.  The creatures that were attacking Juuban
now were making their attacks during the day, not at night.

     Micheal had waited until the end of the credits before heading
for the exit.  The only other people in the theater were a group of 
five girls, arguing loudly as they made their way out of the theater.
Patricia recognized one voice in particular and winced.

     Micheal noticed it to, obviously, because he rolled his eyes at
the ceiling and muttered something about Godzilla.  "Good evening,
Ms. Tsukino, ladies," he commented as they caught up with the slow
moving girls.

     "Eep," was Serena's first comment as she realized who was behind
them.  "Good evening Thunders-sensei!" she stammered, sweatdropping
as she worried what she was going to say when he asked about her 
homework.

     Fortunately, he turned his attention to Amy, instead.  "I see 
Ms. Tsukino finally got you to relax a bit, Ms. Mizuno," Micheal
noted.

     "It wasn't easy," Lita broke in.  "I had to hide the book she 
brought with her."  At this comment, Amy began blushing furiously.
Micheal only noticed this peripherally, as his attention turned 
instead to the feeling of a steady glare, coming from the raven 
haired girl with a decided preference for red.  It only took a moment
to recognize her as well.

     "Ms. Hino, isn't it?  I believe you answered my questions
at the shrine a few weeks ago?"  Raye acknowledged this with a curt
nod.  As Micheal began to turn his attention to the other blonde
in the group, the sound of screaming began to drift in from the 
lobby.  "Uh oh...  that does NOT sound good," he declared out loud
and began shepherding everyone towards a emergency exit.  The five
scouts looked at each other, but allowed themselves to be herded
out the emergency exit  rather than jeopardize their scout 
identities.  

     After reaching the outside, and relative safety, Micheal pointed
the direction to the bus stop to the girls, while he lead Patricia
in the other direction.  Once out of sight of each other, the scouts
transformed and leapt to the roof of the theater.  After a moment,
Micheal sent Patricia ahead to his car, while he ducked back around
a corner, claming to want to make sure the girls got to safety.
Instead, he shimmered into his Star Ranger form and snack through
the deserted theater towards the lobby.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     A roof access hatch allowed the scouts to quickly make their
way down into the projection booth, and from there into the lobby.
No-one was surprised by the discovery of a group of youma surrounding
a large group of people, obviously taking their time about draining
them, enjoying the look of panic on the faces of their victims.
So intent were they on their task, they didn't notice the scouts
until they had leapt to the top of the refreshment counter.

     "The theater is a place to forget the real world's problems!"
shouted Sailor Moon.  "For denying these people that escape I will
not forgive you.  In the name of the Moon..."

     "With the fire of Mars..."

     "The storms of Jupiter..."

     "The ice of Mercury..."

     "And of light of Venus..."

     "WE Will Punish you!!!" the scouts concluded as one, to a lobby
suddenly empty of youma.

     "HUH????" wondered a very puzzled Sailor Moon.

     "This is not good," declared Venus.

     "I have a very bad feeling about this", concurred Jupiter,
unintentionally mimicking a line from the movie they had just seen.

     Mercury didn't bother commenting, instead activating her visor
to find the trap that was surely here.  A trap which closed itself
even before she could begin to interpret the results of her scan.
>From above them came metallic skittering noises and energy blasts
began raining down at the scouts.

      "Scatter!" urged Mars, as the scouts leapt away a split second
before the blasts tore into the refreshments counter in a huge 
explosion of popcorn and boxed candies.

     "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury commanded at the top of her 
leap, filling the lobby with magical mist and covering the scouts
landings.  Energy bolts continued to blast through the mists, seeking
but not finding the scouts.  Something for which to be grateful,
as both Sailor's Venus and Moon slipped while landing on the 
refreshment strewn floor.  Sailor Moon appeared upset over the wanton
distruction of food, while Venus was more unhappy about it getting
all over her.  Mercury continued to scan their opponents while the 
scouts gathered by her to discuss their strategy.

     "Trouble," she warned the gathered group.

     "Spyders?" Mars asked, based on a bad feeling she had.  Mercury
nodded in affirmation.

     "I'm really starting to hate those spyders", grumbled Jupiter.

     "They've moved to take up positions in front of all the doors,"
Mercury warned.  "As soon as the fog gives out we'll be caught in a 
cross-fire."

     "What if we pick the door with the least defenders and hit it 
with everything at once?"  suggested Jupiter.

     "It wont work," decided Mercury.  "These things are designed
to be able to withstand our powers."

     "This is definitely NOT good," grumbled Mina.

     Sailor Moon tried to put up a brave outer face, but inside,
she worried.  'Tuxedo Mask, My love...  Where are you?  We need you!'

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Star Ranger moved quickly thought the darkened theater, his 
night vision system making the dim light as clear as noon.  
Approaching the lobby doors, he cranked up his hearing to maximum,
and noted the metallic skittering noises associated with Tinkerer's
spyders.

     <<Activate full sensor sweep.  Locate targets and Identify.>>

     >>All sensors on-line.  Multiple detection's.<<
     >>Target match:  Spyders.  Threat: Moderate.<<
     >>!!!WARNING!!!  MAJOR THREAT DETECTED BEARING 210r!!!<<

     A barrage of roses flew at Star Ranger.  He dove out of the way,
but was not fast enough to avoid them all.  Three of the thrown 
flowers struck his right arm and penetrated his armored hide, much
to his amazement.  Anticipating a second barrage, Star Ranger dove
into the cover of the theater seats.  "Star Shield Summons," he 
whispered, shocked at how easily Tuxedo Mask's roses could penetrate
armor that easily turned aside fifty caliber machine gun shells.
He plucked the roses out, even as a fresh warning blazed through
his head.

     >>!!! Threat Axis now 160r !!!<<

     Star Ranger leapt again, in a turning twisting motion that 
brought the Star Shield between he and Tuxedo Mask.  This time it was
Tuxedo Mask's turn to be surprised, as the Star Shield deflected
the barrage of roses with a chorus of sharp pings.  "Hold, Endymiond
of Earth," Star Ranger shouted, hoping desperately to startle the man
enough to parlay.

     Tuxedo Mask was indeed startled at hearing his name from the 
Silver Millennium.  He readied another barrage of roses, but spoke
instead of attacking.  "How do you know that name?" he demanded
suspiciously.

     "Because I come as an ally, not an enemy!  The one who brought
me here told me about you so I could help!"

     "And why should I trust you?" retorted a still suspicious
Tuxedo Mask.

     "Because I didn't kill you last time I met you for one, and I 
haven't attacked you yet this time for another!"  Star Ranger 
parlayed desperately.  "Dammit, we don't have time for an extended
negotiation, man.  Even as we speak your beloved is under attack
by the forces I was brought here to stop!  Another moment could mean
her life!"  Star made one last desperate gamble, in turning away from
Tuxedo Mask and racing for the lobby doors, hoping FRED was right
about longshot odds in this place.  When Tuxedo Mask joined him at 
the doors rather than attack, Star decided that maybe FRED was on to
something.

     "They are called Spyders," Star advised as they took up 
positions.  "Aim for the eye like things or their leg joints.  Its 
their weakest points."

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Cabelite eyed the thinning mist and smiled.  'Soon, I will be 
rid of these meddling girls.  Then I can dispose of the cripple,
and the world will be mine.'  He turned to his waiting minions.
"When I give the signal, I want half of you to fire at the scouts,
and the other half to fire over their heads a second later.  They 
will leap to avoid the first attack and the second will eliminate
them."  Already he could see dark shapes at the center of the mist,
and forced himself to wait a few more long seconds before commanding
"NOW!"

     Even as the word flew from his lips, things went drastically
wrong.  At that same moment, one of the lobby doors burst open 
revealing two more combatants.  "StarShieldSoar!" one gushed, and a 
golden streak flew from his arm across the lobby, intercepting
the second blast, which was right on target to seriously harm the 
scouts.  The battle quickly devolved into a state of confusion,
as several of the spyders were suddenly thrown across the  lobby and
exploded in a shower of sparks.

     "NO!" Cabelite stormed.  "Keep firing," he commanded of his 
troops with functioning spyders.  "Kill them," he ordered the 
warriors who had their spyders destroyed.  Instantly, they obeyed,
leaping snarling at their opponents who had joined forces near one 
end of the lobby.

     "Uglies at 2 o'clock," warned Star Ranger.  "You handle them,
I'll finish the spyders!"

     "Right" agreed Sailor Moon without even thinking about it.  The
scouts went one way and Star Ranger went another, deflecting
spyder blasts with the Star Shield while his own weapons took them
out one by one.  To the scouts surprise, the youma attacking them 
were much weaker than they expected, falling to the individual
attacks rather than requiring Sailor Moon's Moon Scepter Elimination
attack, though a few were eliminated that way as well.

     Cabelite was paralyzed by shock as his carefully prepared
attack was eliminated to the last man.  "NO!!!!" he screamed in 
outrage.  "You may have won this battle, but I will emerge 
victorious!!"

     "Not if I can help it, Pilgrim", Star Ranger retorted in a 
perfect John Wayne imitation.

     "Then you will be the first to die, Tin Man," Cabelite screamed,
and started blasting poorly aimed energy blasts in Star Ranger's
general direction.

     "Ray's gone bye bye.  What do you have left Egon?" Star Ranger
taunted Cabelite with Bill Murray's voice as he effortlessly
parried the few blasts that came close with the Star Shield.

"Die, Damn you!!" Cabelite sobbed, almost intelligibly, his insanity
showing in his voice, not noticing the scouts preparing a combined
attack off to one side.

     "PLANET POWER" the scouts shouted as they unleashed their joint
attack on the raving General.  Something deep inside Cabelite warned
him of the grave danger he was in, and the General gestured and a 
field of dark energy appeared between he and the scouts.  The Planet
attack slammed into the shield and everyone was blinded for a moment.
When the glare faded, Cabelite still stood.  He was covered in soot
and his dark hair was in total disarray, but he still stood.

     "Anyone for diced scouts?" Cabelite mused as a large sword 
appeared in his grasp.

     "Ahh, I don't think so," Star interjected with Jimmy Stewart's
voice.  "Star Shield Soar!" he commanded as he made a throwing
motion with his left arm.  The black and gold circular shield flew
from his arm, becoming a gold streak that headed away from Cabelite
at an angle.

     "HA!!  You ..."  whatever it was Cabelite was about to say was
lost when the Star Shield rebounded out of the far corner of the 
lobby and struck the back of his head with a gonging sound.  
Cabelite's eyes rolled up in his head and he pitched forward.  Just
as he was about to hit the ground, though, a shimmering circle 
appeared on the floor and the unconscious general tumbled through
it.

     "Th th the, th th the, that's all folks," Star Porky Pigged
as the Star Shield bounced off the ceiling and returned to his 
upraised arm, leaving the scouts victorious on the field of battle.
With the menace gone, the scouts turned their attention to their 
rescuers.

     "I knew you would save me!" exulted Sailor Moon as she darted
into Tuxedo Mask's arms.

     "Where did he go?" worried a puzzled Mercury.

     "I think I know, but I'm not sure," Star commented dejectedly.

     "Who are you really and why are you helping us?" demanded
an irritated Mars.

     "An ally, brought here to help you against those, Princess
Rei of Mars," Star Ranger replied, indicating the shattered hulks
of the spyders.

     "Why, and how do you know so much about us?" Raye responded,
slightly shocked to hear the mention of her Silver Millennium
name.

     "A long story, and one there is no time for now," Star noted.
"I must return to my companion before she grows suspicious about my 
absence.  Meet me tommorow at 11am in the grove behind the shrine
where we first met, and I will tell you what I know."

     "And why should we trust you?" Raye snapped, irritated by Star
Ranger's condescending tone.

     "Because," Star Ranger replied, "If I were going to betray you
I would have done it by now."  With that, he passed through the doors
to the theater and was gone.

---------------------

Ah, the joys of Writers Block.  Well, lets hope things pick up 
writing wise.

Coming when I can finish it:  Episode 8: Title to be determined.