The trio of girls walked alongside one another as they made their way to the school. There was a huge line of students at the main entrance waiting to get in.
"Now, this is odd," Usagi said. She scratched her meatball head and asked, "Are they serving a continental breakfast, you think?"
Makoto snorted. "Can you think of nothing but food, Usagi-chan?"
Usagi blushed. "But it's possible..." She said.
"No it isn't. But I wonder what this is all about," Makoto admitted as she tried to look towards the school.
Usagi nodded and looked over at her other friend. "What do you think, Ami-chan?"
Ami, who was reading a book since it was obvious they would be waiting for a while to get in school, looked up from her reading and smiled. "Maybe they are applying a vaccine or something of the sort."
Usagi whimpered at that thought. Shots!? Oh, how she hated needles!
"You're all wrong," Came a voice of one of the male students ahead of them.
The girls turned to the boy.
"Remember those alien soldiers on TV the other day? Well, apparently, they decided to make their rounds at our school." The boy pointed to a bit ahead when one of the Stormtroppers came into view.
Makoto was surprised by this. "You mean, they're looking for the son of the Emperor here?"
"That's right," The guy said. "And I hope it's not me."
Usagi blinked her eyes. "Wow... Someone here MIGHT be the head of this Empire thingy..."
"That is possible, but why are they searching among the girls as well?" Ami asked thoughtfully.
"I heard a rumor they're taking anyone if they trip that scale they keep with them," One boy said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I've heard a few students have already been taken from other schools.”
"What?" Usagi asked fearfully. "Why would they take someone?"
"Maybe they think it's the one they're looking for," Makoto suggested.
"Maybe... it's kinda hard to think they're bad." She looked over at one of the few Stormtroopers that were close enough to them. "Look at their armor. They don't look evil. They're all white and heroic-looking."
Makoto and Ami rolled their eyes and waited for their turn.
"...They don't..." Usagi said lamely.
Finally, after a long wait, the girls were making it up to the front of the line. They could see a majority of the Stormtroopers gathered. Most were holding rifles, but the one with the shoulder guard was holding some sort of device that looked something like a hole-puncher with a small video-screen.
Makoto smirked and couldn't help but joke a little. "Maybe I'm this new Empress they're looking for."
Usagi smiled. "Maybe." She teased. "I'm going to be a queen of something else, so I'm not the Empress."
"Miss," The Stormtrooper Captain called out. He motioned for Makoto to come forwards.
Makoto did as such and waited a little nervously.
"Name?" The Stormtrooper Captain asked.
"Makoto Kino," the girl said.
The Captain looked at another Stormtrooper with a small laptop that looked quite different from what they knew to be. When the Trooper nodded his head, the Captain asked, "Hold out your hand, Miss Kino."
Makoto did so and prepared herself for some pain. She was surprised when she felt none.
After the woman's finger had been pricked, the Captain looked at the readings on the monitor. "Move along."
Another Stormtrooper used a small capsule in his hand then. Pressing down on it, a small disinfectant spray went onto the needle. They didn't want to get any mixed results in this.
"Next!" The Stormtrooper Captain called out.
Makoto wasn't surprised, she was only joking anyway, and stepped forward to wait for Ami and Usagi.
Usagi bounded up. "Hai! Here!"
"Name?" The Captain asked.
"Usagi Tsukino!" Usagi said brightly.
The Stormtrooper with the laptop typed it in and after getting a result, nodded.
"Okay miss," The Captain said as he held the device. "Hold out your hand."
"Wait a minute," Usagi said. Gulping nervously, she asked, "Are you going to use a needle on me?"
"Yes," The Captain said.
"...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! I DON'T WANT NEEDLES!!" Usagi shouted, practically knocking the officer off of his feet.
"E-easy now," The Stormtrooper said as calmingly as he could.
"I don't want needles, I don't want needles, I don't want needles, I DON'T WANT NEEDLES!" The blonde-haired girl cried out as she shook her head.
"Miss, I assure you this won't hurt one-"
"NO WANNA!"
*Click*
"Done," The Stormtrooper Captain said.
Usagi blinked her eyes once...
Twice...
Thrice...
"Really?"
"Really..." The Stormtrooper Captain said in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, wow!" Usagi said in awe. "Why didn't you tell me that this wouldn't hurt before?"
"But I..." The Captain let out a sigh. "Just... Just move along."
"Okay!" Usagi said as she crossed through the gate and waited alongside Makoto. She blushed as the taller girl was smirking at her.
Ami placed her book away and stepped forward, then extended her hand. "Ami Mizuno," she said without being prompted.
The Stormtrooper with the small computer typed it in an nodded his head.
Satisfied with that, the Captain held out the device and pressed it down, it looked like it was pinching her, but Ami hardly felt a thing.
Boy, these Aliens sure had some advanced medical tools. She wondered if they would share any of their information with-
*Bing*!
"Eh?" The Stormtrooper Captain asked as he looked down at his monitor.
Ami blinked.
...
*Bing*!
...
*Bing*!
...
*Bing*!
"Is something wrong?" Ami asked a little worried.
The Stormtrooper didn't answer her right away. The Captain held up the device and brought it over to the table. Taking some sort of fiber-optic cord, they hooked the device up to the small computer.
About two more troopers gathered around the small screen, and there was hushed talk amongst them.
Usagi looked back and forth between the group gathered around the computer and Ami.
Ami exchanged worried glances with Makoto.
"Mako-chan?" Usagi asked. "What's a Mitochlorian?"
Makoto looked at Usagi in confusion. "A Mito-what?"
"One of the guys used that word," Usagi said. "Mitochlorian."
Makoto shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what this was all about. All she knew was that Ami somehow triggered their device.
After a long moment of pause, the Stormtrooper Captain walked up to Am. "Excuse me, Miss Mizuno?"
"Yes?" Ami asked trying to suppress the nervousness from her voice.
"We're going to have to ask you to come with us." He said seriously.
"What? Why?!" Ami asked losing her cool.
"That is not important," The Captain said seriously. "You're to stay here until we finish processing these students, then you're going through a more thorough test."
Ami nodded slowly, and a little fearfully, and turned to reassure her friends. "I'll be back as soon as we're done here."
Usagi frowned as she looked at what was going on. She didn't like this one bit.
"We'll wait for you here, Ami-chan. Don't worry," Makoto tried to reassure her friend.
"Here, Miss," The Captain said as he motioned to a chair that they head with the table they set up outside. "Have a seat until we're finished, okay?"
Ami nodded and walked to over to sit down. She didn't take her book out again, though. She was too nervous.
---
"DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!" Setsuna roared at the top of her lungs as she rushed across the room, lightsaber in hand and the right side of her face one huge swollen black and blue mark.
Vader dodged to the side and attacked down with his own lightsaber. "Focus your anger. Let it flow through you to obey your commands."
Setsuna swung the blue lightsaber in a wide Horizontal arc in an effort to hit the way the shadowed figure dodged. She wanted no more than to decapitate the prick.
Vader blocked with his own lightsaber and pushed Setsuna back. He was much stronger than she was, even though she was proving to be the faster of them both. The many years of training she'd received for combat were now showing their worth. He hardly had to coach her into lightsaber fighting.
Setsuna managed to stay on her feet this time as the larger man punched forward with a good deal of might. She could tell there was a fracture along her humerus, it hurt so badly. But she couldn't stop now. Stopping meant further pain and torture at the demon's hands. So with another roar of hatred, the green-haired woman lunged forward, her lightsaber held to skewer her opponent.
Vader deflected the blow and stopped himself from attacking her exposed side. As good as it would be to wound her so she learned never to lower her defenses, he didn't have the time or the patience to wait till she was healed.
The Senshi of Time moved in a flourish of movement, wanting to try to break through Vader's defenses. But each swing and movement, her ethereal blue clashed with Vader's brilliant red.
Once Vader tired of the game, for to him it was still just that, he used his right arm to deflect Setsuna's lightsaber to the side and thrust forward with his left one. Pretty soon Setsuna found her lightsaber useless as she was held aloft by her throat.
The woman gasped for air, she could feel her larynx being crushed in the inhumanly-possible grip. She kicked out at Vader, hitting him in his abdomen.
Same results as before. She only managed to hurt her leg. "You are unwise to lower your defenses," Vader lectured. "Fight with hatred, yes. But never let it make you reckless."
The woman grit her teeth as she glared at Vader with furious red eyes. She growled hatefully as she raised her hands to his single one, trying to break the vice-like hold it had on her neck.
Vader continued to choke the woman till he felt her start weakening before letting go. As Setsuna dropped to her knees, coughing violently, he willed her lightsaber to his hand and clipped it to his belt.
Setsuna gasped for breath, trying to keep from going to a coughing fit. She kept her gaze up at Vader.
"Your training is progressing well. Pretty soon you'll have what you want," Vader said before turning on his heels and walking over to his chamber.
Setsuna glared at the man's back as he left. She so hated that man and yet knew deep down this WAS making her stronger. She'd knew she'd have to repay him for his efforts by serving him his head on a silver platter.
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(Posted Sun, 15 May 2005 15:29)
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