"I don't like it," Mars grumbled from the doorway.

Venus paused and examined her second's reflection through her mirror. She noted the crossed arms and scowl, but thankfully the Senshi of Fire was on the right side of her closed door. "It doesn't matter if we like it or not," she reprimanded the Martian as she went back to adjusting her hair. "Our duty is to protect the Princess first and foremost, and besides," she went on with a smirk, "this is based on your plan."

That got a proper reaction out of the irritable Martian. "Excuse me?" she snarled while stalking closer to the Senshi of Venus' vanity table. "In what plan have I ever used one of us as bait? You're posing as the princess to draw out her enemies to attack you!" Mars continued in a building tirade. "How are we supposed to protect you if you won't let us come near you until after the enemy strikes?"

"You regularly use yourself as bait," the Venusian cut back coldly with steel in her gaze. "I was inspired by your little stunt with getting Jupiter and I to destroy our own flag in training a few months ago," she continued with a slight blush. "Whenever you need bait for one of your plans you always find something of your own to sacrifice or turn yourself into a target." Venus finished off the bun and stood to face the shocked Martian who had been looming behind her. "This is no different from that except that unlike you I am actually disposable to both my people and to the Moon Kingdom!" she stated coldly.

"You're not," Mars creaked out in a strained voice.

"I have multiple siblings and every Venusian can feel others' emotions. My connection to the Venus Crystal just makes me more sensitive than most. Any of my sisters could step in to take my place," Venus continued barreling over her second's protest. "You however have no blood relatives to inherit the Mars Crystal and are one of only a handful of seers in the Moon Kingdom. Yet you risk parts of yourself to win training exercises," she scolded. "How will you protect our princess if you kill yourself a piece at a time fighting me in a Jovian storm or in one of the scorched zones of Mercury?"

The Martian clenched her fists in an effort to control her temper at her leader's words. "I am the Senshi of War and Passion," she growled. "If I don't throw everything into what we do daily how will I know my limits when the princess' life is actually at stake? And how dare you claim to be less important than me!" Mars continued voice rising, "The Martian royal family has its own safeguards. Just because my siblings were brought into the family doesn't mean they can't keep the kingdom safe until a new Sailor Mars is born." Her normally alabaster skin had grown even more white with rage as she continued in an angry snarl, "And the difference with what I do in training and what you are planning to do tonight Venus is that I always have back up and a way to get home." Sailor Mars stalked towards her leader as she continued, "I know one of you will be there to provide back up when we're on a training mission. This however is you going in alone, blind, and with no immediate way out! So tell me Mina," she questioned stopping just a step away from the blonde, "Why are you throwing away Serenity's most capable guardian and my best friend without even trying to make a safety net?"

Venus' expression softened at the Martian's last words. "I'm not," she responded with less ice in her tone. "You know I'm the best body double for Serenity, and if any of you are in sight it will risk the whole plan. We need to know who she's been meeting on Earth and determine their intentions."

"Then at least take Artemis with you," Mars countered with a note of pleading creeping into her voice. "His job is to help you as leader of the Senshi."

"His job is to advise me Reiko," Venus parried while she began to smile at the absurd idea, "and he can't defend himself if we're attacked."

"Maybe, but he can call for help if you need it and few outside the palace know he is more than a cat," the Martian argued.

Venus paused as she took in the worry shining though in Mars' eyes. With a sigh she conceded, "Only if Mercury can increase the range on our communicators. I won't have all of you lurking about prepared to whisk me away like some sort of gallant thieves."*

Relief washed over Mars face and she almost sagged in relief. "She's already working on it."

Venus questioned her second in ill concealed surprise, "You got her working on the communicators before you got my approval to come to Earth with me?"

Mars rolled her eyes at the obvious. "Of course. She's your friend too, and besides" she continued with a grin, "we needed a serious boost to their range if we were going to drop in and abduct the "Moon Princess" like space pirates from a heavily cloaked light assault ship from the Horse-head Nebula."

Venus starred in horrified fascination at the all to serious eyes of Mars' laughing face. "You can't be serious," she choked out struggling to calculate all the potential for such a plan to backfire.

The Senshi of Passion began to answer only to be interrupted by another voice coming from both of their communicators. "She absolutely is," Mercury lectured through the speakers. "and now that you've finally started to let us help you will you please get all of these low orbital drop suits out of my lab so I can set up proper tests without having to hack into your communicators just to use the palace walls as signal interference barriers?"

Both the senshi in the room blushed at the exasperation laden tone. "On the way," Mars replied with a hint of chagrin.