Sailor Iris ♥ Ellie Spectre

The Beginning:

When Ellie Spectre was 15 years old, she was walking to school one day and found some odd looking pen.  Not thinking anything of it, she took the pen, stuffing it in her backpack.  Little did she know that single action would change her life forever.  It was several days later when she went to watch a drag race that an odd oil-monster attacked.  A random Sailor Senshi appeared and began to battle.  While the Senshi battled, a strange talking cat gave Ellie some specific instructions about taking out the pen she had found and shouting out "IRIS POWER, MAKEUP!"  In that moment, she transformed from Ellie Spectre to Sailor Iris, Senshi of Rainbows.  With their combined strength, the pair of Senshi were able to defeat the monster.  The new Sailor Iris was left to her own devices, and though she could have chosen to never power up again, Sailor Iris was a good kid and felt it was a duty of sorts to continue to try to fight against evil in her city.

It did not take Sailor Iris much time to rank up from Sailor Senshi to a Super Sailor Senshi, growing stronger with the new rank.  It was shortly after that upgrade that she encountered a different talking cat that went by the name of Hebe.  This tailless cat was far different, much more personable, and seemed to have an agenda in mind.  She claimed that Sailor Iris was one of her girls and that she needed to help her locate all the rest of her Senshi.  It was quite a long list, but Iris did luck out with one of the names being quite familiar already: a blind girl named Lilith that transformed into Sailor Metis.  The remaining list consisted of Parthenope, Irene, Hygiea, Egeria, Eunomia, and Victoria.  Slowly, progress was made.  They located Sailor Parthenope, a somewhat rebellious young man named Waylon who was the Senshi of Tar.  Next was Sailor Irene, a cheery girl named Lydia who was the Senshi of Peace.  After Irene was Sailor Chibi Hygiea, a much younger girl named Ridley who loved cats passionately who turned out to be the Senshi of Herbs.  In such a short period of time, Sailor Iris had managed to rank up again from Super Sailor Senshi to Eternal Sailor Senshi, growing even stronger still.

After locating the majority of the team, a meeting was held to try and figure out who would take charge of the still-growing team that Hebe had assembled.  Though Sailor Iris did not volunteer for the job, it was a nearly unanimous vote that Iris become the Captain of the team.  Grudgingly, Iris accepted the job, and set up some basic rules for the team to abide by.  1) Nobody can patrol alone.  2) If trouble occurs, call for backup and do not engage the situation alone.  3) No killing the enemy (monsters being the exception).

Shortly after, another teammate was discovered, Sailor Chibi Egeria, a younger girl called Lissy who appropriately embodied her powers of Mischief.  Next was Sailor Eunomia, a relatively staunch young lady named Evelyn (who Iris could not tolerate very well) was the Senshi of Order.  It was around this time that Sailor Iris began to retroactively break the first rule she set up for the team, and she was caught by her youngest teammate, Sailor Hygiea.  Word got around to her other teammates, and Iris obstinately continued to break the very rule she set up.

Around this time, Iris had began to encounter a man who went by Labyrinthite, who was involved in unleashing the various monsters upon the city.  Though Iris was generally cautious when it came to agents of Chaos, Labyrinthite was still able to figure out a secret about Iris that she generally kept hidden: She was afraid of heights.  Utilizing this fear, Labyrinthite was able to teleport Iris mid-fight onto the top of a building and pushed her off of it.  Her life was flashing before her eyes as she plummeted off the edge, but thanks to a passing Senshi who was able to help, Iris survived the fall.

Iris sustained a major injury, and to ensure that Iris could not fight while in such a condition, Hebe took away her Henshin Pen, leaving the girl as plain old Ellie Spectre once more.  It was hard for Ellie to watch the world go by and not be able to help out when monsters appeared.  However, the experience humbled her into being a far more considerate Captain to the team.  She attempted to help her teammates work on bolstering up their fighting skills.  Amidst all this time, the final member of the team had been located, Sailor Victoria, an intelligent skater boy named Feliks turned out to be the Senshi of Glory.  With Hebe's team of Senshi now complete and Ellie's injuries on the mend, Hebe returned Iris' Henshin Pen.

The timing was fortunate, because shortly after Iris' recovery, the park was swarmed with extremely strong monsters that were preying upon a vast crowd of concert-goers.  The team did the best they could to take down the monsters (who oddly had strangely similar skills to the team), but they found that they were outclassed.  In an attempt to allow the rest of her team a chance to escape, Iris instructed her team to hide behind her as she attempted a final attack upon the hoard of monsters.  She knew the risk of possibly being killed, but in the face of danger she was determined to protect her team to the best of her ability.  It was her tenacity that unlocked a hidden power within the Senshi.  Before her team, her fuku glowed a hot white and grew into a full length gown, and a pair of sandy colored wings sprouted from her shoulders.  She had become Princess Iris, and with her magic, she was able to not only defeat the monsters, but offer relief to her teammates' injuries.

The Missing One:

With the new powers she gained as a Princess, Sailor Iris was able to retrieve her memories of another lifetime many years ago.  She had lived upon the Asteroid World of Iris, an odd desert world with no natural source of water.  The people were rugged survivors with many strange customs.  They relied upon trade to ensure their own survival.  Within her previous lifetime, she had known all of her current team and performed in a traveling show, exploring the vast universe.  She had died young, but ultimately she had lived for her people, the Iridians.

With these memories now weighing upon her, Sailor Iris had unlocked a strange secret that she could not share with anybody, not even Hebe.  Iris bided her time, continuing to patrol in a standard fashion.  Iris was able to confront Labyrinthite about their previous encounter, defeating him in battle and leaving him nearly incapacitated.

As low key as Sailor Iris was about her newfound powers as a royal, a massive ambush by the agents of Chaos forced her hand into revealing her powers to the masses of Senshi in the city.  Though a mysterious force had intervened to rescue the forces of Order from Chaos, Iris' title as a Princess was now quite exposed.  Iris attempted to continue life as usual, but many of the lesser experienced Senshi tended to look to her for guidance, something that was not really in her nature to do.

An odd world-hopping being called Kurma had been assisting the senshi, and Iris found herself confiding in him that her memories of her past had led to a discovery that she wanted to share with her teammates.  Through their conversation, Iris decided she needed to confront Hebe in the near future about the subject.

Yet before Iris had the opportunity to confront Hebe about the past, Hebe came to Iris to discuss an issue of the present: Hebe had come into contact with a Senshi corrupted by Chaos who went by the name of Nickeline.  The manx pleaded for Iris to try and purify her, removing all of the chaos that was blackening Nickeline's soul.  Purification had been a subject that was highly debated amongst the Senshi of the city at the time, and though Iris made no promises for success, she did promise that she would give it a shot, just for Hebe.

The next time Iris saw Hebe, the cat had been attacked by Nickeline.  And though the corrupted Senshi would have easily been able to extinguish Hebe's life, she instead opted to try and end her own by removing her own starseed to smash it.  Hebe had seen the intention in Nickeline's looks and instead snatched up the starseed, only to experience a huge backlash of chaotic energy and pain.  The cat was protecting this corrupted soul's life, even at the potential cost of her own.  Despite Iris' pleas, Hebe was determined to protect Nickeline, and that the only way Iris could save Hebe was to save Nickeline first.  Iris mustered up all of her strength, transforming to her winged Princess form, and focused all of her energy into her Iridian Crystal.  Her Crystal's simple form splintered into a far grander appearance and began eminating a potent energy that was able to banish away the chaos within Nickeline.  The corrupted Senshi's true identity was revealed as Sailor Psyche, the Senshi of Breath.  Iris immediately recognized this Senshi, for this had been the strange secret that the Princess had wanted to confront Hebe about: there had been a 9th member to the team that had never been accounted for prior to this moment.

Though Psyche's soul had been saved from the Chaos and her life was no longer in danger, there were still some problems that arose.  The Senshi had originated from Greece and had lost all of her memories, including her grasp of the English language.  She had no family to turn to, and could not communicate by traditional methods.  The only saving grace was that Sailor Irene was well-versed in Greek.  With Irene's assistance, the team was able to hobble together a new start for Sailor Psyche.  Once the situation seemed to be resolved, Iris finally confided in Hebe all of the memories she had stored away, if only to possibly prevent any sort of future scenario like this again.

The Shade Queen and The Golden Warrior:

With Psyche now adjusting to her new life (as Anemone "Annie" Gray), life seemed to have settled down.  Yet new surprises were popping up all the time.  A new talking cat with curly dark fur and silver paws had been found by Ellie, who was immediately brought home to Annie and Hebe.  The new cat's name was Thetis and he had been Psyche's cat in another lifetime and this one.  However, Thetis and Psyche had been long separated all this time due to Chaos interloping to create Nickeline.  Annie, however, did not seem too convinced that Thetis was her cat, now clinging to the idea that Hebe was her cat.  Fortunately, Thetis was willing to stick with the team.

Around this time, a Lunar Eclipse had occurred.  The city was all abuzz, holding a large party for many people to celebrate the unique occasion.  The moment the eclipse had occurred, strange little rabbit-like creatures with butterfly wings appeared, briefly interacting with a party participant before vanishing.  Within a few days, a new sort of enemy had appeared, unlike any encountered before.  Ellie got to encounter one with her coworker from the garage.  It was an enemy that looked identical to her coworker, except he was strictly in grayscale.  Since her coworker was not a strong man, the "Shade" (as they were dubbed) was not very strong either.  However, it seemed to only have one objective: destroy the original.  Ellie easily defeated her coworker's shade, but the problem did not end there.

Many Shades that began to appear were taking form of the Senshi in the City.  All of them as strong as the originals and all of them aiming to obliterate the original. Hebe had encountered and been attacked by her own Shade, but in the midst of being attacked, Hebe had also encountered something far more frightening: a Shade of Princess Iris.  The manx rushed back to Iris to report, but continued to be pummeled by her own shade until Iris defeated Hebe's Shade.  Hebe was able to warn Iris of her own Shade, which led to Iris organizing an attack against it.  Iris would serve as the bait for the Shade while the willing volunteers attacked it.  Iris' only goal was to serve as bait and restrain the Shade as necessary.  It was a difficult battle, but with the volunteers that came to assist, they were able to defeat Iris' Shade.  To show her favor to those who had been willing to help her out, Iris gave out odd coppery coins with a star shape cut out of them.  Those coins symbolized a promise for a favor (that was within her power).

Shortly after the defeat of Iris' Shade, the leader of the Shades made her appearance.  The Queen Finsternis had used her Shades to gather energy and now planned to conquer the world.  The Queen stole powers and weaponry, making monochromatic clones of the originals.  It was a gruesome battle, with many Senshi and Agents of Chaos giving it their all.  Iris was no exception, utilizing her Winged Princess form, drawing herself closer to the Queen than most dared to go.  Amidst the battle, she had become (briefly) acquainted with an Agent of Chaos called Realgar.  In the short period, she found there was something relatable about him.  As Queen Finsternis' demise became evident, she revealed that her efforts for overtaking the Earth was out of a desire to find a place to call home, to no longer have to wander the universe for a place to settle down.  Though Iris was fierce, she did feel a sort of sympathy for the Shade Queen.  Yet, with her own home at stake, Iris could not put down her arms.  The battle against Queen Finsternis was won with the combined power of many, eliminating another threat to the Earth.

Once the City had calmed down again, Realgar located Iris to speak upon a subject she was not expecting: Purification.  It seemed as if Realgar also wanted to give up the life of an Agent of Chaos.  In his quest to find a way out, he had been steered by a comrade of Order towards Iris.  The Senshi attempted to explain her knowledge and experience upon the subject matter, but no matter the drawbacks, Realgar was not deterred in the slightest.  It was decided that on New Year's Day, she would attempt to purify him.

When the day arrived, Iris was accompanied by Sailor Irene, while Realgar was accompanied by an odd girl named Zia who also had an alternate form much like a Mauvian.  In that form, Zia went by the name of Zirconia.  As Zirconia, their location was compromised and with some "debating," the group was able to "persuade" Zirconia to return to being Zia.  Summoning forth her Iridian Crystal and taking on the Winged Princess form, once more Iris was able to eliminate the darkness from another soul.  No longer clouded with Chaos, Realgar's true form was revealed as Kairatos, a warrior of Mars (which Iris had known in her past life).  Having expended a vast amount of energy, Iris fainted, powering down the instant she went unconscious.  Irene took to her duties quite well, carting Ellie's unconscious self to safety.

Once she had some bedrest and was able to take a visitor, the new Kairatos arrived to thank Ellie.  However, the ordeal wasn't quite over yet, since now this man needed a new civilian name.  Digging through her memories of her past life, she was able to offer a name that had served him many years before he was born.  Xanthus Goldman was the new warrior's name when he was out of uniform.  It was a new life for a new year!

The Ruination and The Revival:

As things began to settle in the new year, things seemed as if they were getting back to normal.  Some of Iris' teammates were getting close to graduating from school.  However, one night she found Waylon on the street with a suitcase.  She told him he was going home with her so he wasn't on the street, but also demanded he complete a senshi favor for her.  He graciously took the offer, even if he was completely unaware that the senshi favor was something she would demand he participate in the next morning around 6:30 am.  Once Ellie managed to get Waylon awake and ready, she told him to henshin up.  Iris had a clear goal in mind for Parthenope: to teach him how to travel back to his home world of the Asteroid of Parthenope.  The land which they found themselves in was long extinct, with tar running across the landscape much like rivers.  In an effort to possibly shake a few memories loose for Parthenope from his lifetime in the Silver Millennium, Iris challenged her teammate to a sparring match.  At first things went as usual, the pair exchanging blows.  Yet at one point, Parthenope was overwhelmed by the memory he managed to find amidst his experiences in the previous lifetime, cutting the sparring match short.  Iris attempted to find out what Parthenope had experienced, but he was reluctant, only wanting to return back to Earth.  The pair returned, and within a few days Waylon had left Ellie's home.

Though the team had rules about patrolling, it didn't stop some teammates from occasionally breaking the set guidelines.  One instance of such nearly cost Sailor Parthenope and Sailor Iris their lives.  Despite the warnings about Labyrinthite, a slightly unhinged Parthenope pursued the agent of Chaos in an attempt to get vengeance for Iris.  However, Parthenope's efforts were easily overshadowed by Labyrinthite's strength and experience, Parthenope taking hit after hit despite his own training.  Just before a lethal blow, Iris arrived on the scene and momentarily disarmed Labyrinthite.  Though Labyrinthite was unarmed, and Parthenope had widened the gap between the two in a moment, the agent of Chaos was still determined to end Parthenope's life and soon lashed out at him again.  In a split second, Iris summoned up her strength to take on her Winged Princess form and attempt to purify Labyrinthite.  The easiest way to defeat the enemy is to make the enemy no longer your enemy.  Yet, despite completing two purifications successfully before, the Chaos that infected Labyrinthite did not dampen (though the agent of Chaos did seem to suffer extreme pain from the exposure to the Iridian Crystal).  With all of her energy used up, Iris was left defenseless and barely able to hold up her henshin.  After Iris' efforts with her crystal, Labyrinthite's sights were now set on her.  The man slowly made his way towards Iris, his movements pained, but Parthenope found just enough strength to kick Labyrinthite down.  Within moments, Sailor Irene and Sailor Psyche appeared to the scene, attracted by the sudden energy unleashed by the Iridian Crystal.  Seeing he was outnumbered, Labyrinthite teleported away.  Within moments, Iris powered down to Ellie, fainting from exhaustion.

While Ellie was recuperating from exhaustion, Hebe and Lydia had begun to theorize that purification could only be done upon the willing.  Prior to Labyrinthite, the individuals wanted to cleanse themselves of Chaos.  It only stood to logic that because Labyrinthite never expressed any desires to change, his own negative feelings still lingered and fed that Chaos within his body, giving him a sort of (pained) resistance to the Iridian Crystal.  It was decided by Ellie that even though this information was quite vital, that it should be kept close like a secret.  With Chaos seeming to overtake the City, the last thing her allies needed was a kick to the gut about what an uphill struggle it was to convert the agents of Chaos back to Order. 

With the recent events ultimately starting with Parthenope's carelessness, Iris set out to reprimand her teammate once she had recovered.  The two had been prone to sparing before, since both had fighting experience prior to becoming Senshi.  Yet in this particular meet-up, Iris was determined to show Parthenope how much he underestimated Labyrinthite's strength by relentlessly (and effortlessly) pummeling him herself.  After demonstrating how wide the gap had been between Parthenope and Labyrinthite by explaining how Iris and Labyrinthite were equals in regards to physical strength.  Though Iris beat Parthenope in a fight, she was not done yet, dealing out a punishment as well: Parthenope was not allowed to transform or patrol until he was able to unlock the strength of a Super Senshi. 

The next time that Iris heard from Waylon, he had sent her a hurried text requesting that she bring Hebe with her.  Thinking nothing of it, Iris brought the cat with her to meet with Waylon.  He was on edge and explained that since his visit to his asteroid, he had felt as if something had followed him back to Earth.  A sort of monster that lurked in his dreams, trying to eat him at any chance it got.  Iris assessed the description, giving her teammate Hebe to hold onto before telling him that his punishment was temporarily suspended.  He needed to transform into Sailor Parthenope so he could take this challenge on directly.  Only once he had transformed did Iris offer an explanation: Parthenope was more than likely remembering his past death from the Silver Millennium, an accident involving the mistaken revival of an ancient beast that lashed out and devoured his former self.  The information unhinged Parthenope further, leading to many new questions and drawing out the beast of memory yet again.  The only advice Iris could offer for for Parthenope to live and not let a death of a previous lifetime control his current life.  After a bit of struggle, Parthenope found the true answer for defeating his personal demon: to not be afraid of it.  His new courage to face the beast of memory enabled Hebe to strengthen Parthenope so he could reach a new level of power, the power of a Super Senshi.  No longer plagued by an imaginary beast, and reaching the level of Super Senshi, Parthenope's suspension of duty ended.

The Decayed One:

Sometimes even the simplest of inconveniences could be caused directly by the agents of Chaos.  A power outage in the City had actually been sourced by a large gathering a Chaos, and with a bit of coaxing, Hebe was able to convince Iris and Psyche to investigate, with Metis eventually meeting up with the group.  An eventual agent of Chaos was spotted, and Hebe decided to remain behind in case any other teammates showed up, leaving Iris, Psyche, and Metis to give chase.  Thetis joined the trio of senshi, while Hebe was eventually able to join up with Irene.  While Iris' group was giving chase, a minotaur styled monster showed up, but was quickly taken down in an effort to continue her pursuit to a large abandoned warehouse.  A gathering of Chaos' obedient servants were there including a mix of corrupt senshi and agents.  As the group began to brawl a fire broke out in the warehouse, filling the area with smoke.  Psyche got separated from Iris, Metis, and Thetis, choosing to take the stairs rather than the elevator down the warehouse.  Iris was momentarily delayed by a woman agent who went by Schorl who had launched a surprise attack from the ceiling.  After bucking the woman off of her and Metis temporarily blinding Schorl, the group rushed forward.  After escaping Schorl and regrouping completely with her teammates (including a labored Irene who was having major issues breathing), Iris was able to take her Winged Princess form to unleash some damage to the allies of Chaos and some relief for the allies of Order.  Hebe had taken on a new and strange form that was much like a Senshi, calling herself Sailor H.  As Sailor H, she was able to protect Princess Iris from an attack by arrow.  Once the energy in the Iridian Crystal was used up, Princess Iris remained to protect and fight as best as she could.  One long-haired Senshi called Athene had been captured by the corrupted Sailor Ate.  The corrupted Senshi removed Athene's starseed, but with some quick teamwork, Iris was able to retrieve the starseed, and Metis was able to return the starseed to Athene.  The warehouse by this time was so thoroughly engulfed by flames that the team had to evacuate before becoming casualties themselves.  It was only after things had settled a bit that Metis and Thetis shared something they had witnessed: one of the agents of Chaos had been fused to a monster.

As the City seemingly began to become saturated with Chaos influencing many aspects of life, Iris began to gain a sort of reputation as a hope for Order to prevail.  Perhaps it was because Iris was bold enough to try seemingly impossible tasks with her Iridian Crystal, or perhaps it was just a case of the results speaking for themselves.  Either way, it seemed that when someone wanted assistance with any sort of purification, many would go to Iris for assistance.  However, Iris would always be wary whenever dealing with her Iridian Crystal, not wanting any sort of vulnerability after she had finished her work, much like when she had attempted Labyrinthite's purification.  Iris would generally speak with the parties involved, try to judge their resolve by just having a conversation about their motivations and aspirations.  Yet there were even some tasks that were too much for Iris.

An ally of the Cosmos called Hvergelmir had come to beg for Iris to try to remove the Chaos from the agent who had been fused to the monster in the warehouse (called Bischofite).  Iris was extremely wary of the situation, simply because Bischofite had not come to her directly.  It also didn't help that attempting a purification on any sort of monster, whether full or partial, was uncharted territory.  However, it was Hvergelmir's absolute blind faith that had given Iris enough confidence to attempt such a feat.  When the evening arrived, Iris brought Irene and Psyche as back up, as well as Hebe in an effort to dampen the energies that would soon be lighting up the sky.  Taking on her Winged Princess form, Iris asked Bischofite directly if he had indeed wanted to be purified.  His answer was a puzzling one, stating it was not what he wanted, but what he needed.  Though Iris was not sold on this response (since in her opinion all agents of Chaos needed this treatment), she still completed her end of the deal, summoning her crystal and unleashing its energy upon Bischofite.  It became obvious quite quickly that the simple raw power of the Iridian Crystal was not enough to alleviate the ailment of the fused monster.  Psyche whisked Iris away before she could faint from exhaustion, and Irene remained behind with Hebe to ensure none would follow.  As a direct result of the failed purification, one of Bischofite's allies saw it fit to put the ailed man out of his misery, but was quickly stopped by Hvergelmir.  Hebe instructed Bischofite to lay the blame for his condition upon the Senshi, instructing him to call it an ambush so that his superiors did not think anything of his possible betrayal to Chaos.

The Hidden Secrets:

Iris had long learned about her life during the Silver Millennium, but not all of her teammates were as fortunate in that area.  Psyche, due to her blank-slate condition after purification, easily took to remembering the life she had during the Silver Millennium, embracing every little aspect with her whole heart.  Irene took to exploring her asteroid and discovered the native plant called the Peaceblossom, which she eventually utilized with her fuku due to the positive air-purifying effects of the plant.  Parthenope was rather hesitant to return back to his asteroid due to his only visit leaving him rather shaken up, yet he showed interest in eventually returning, even asking Iris for more information about the Silver Millennium.  Iris, knowing her place in all of this, frequently would try to give hints, but rarely gave direct answers unless heavily pressured for such information.  It was not her place to tell key personal information about her teammates and their past lives.

Upon Hebe's insistance, Iris was ushered to meet up with Zia who apparently needed a favor from the Senshi.  Zia needed Iris to accompany her on a journey to the Moon Kingdom to possibly unlock a particular room in the castle protected by a strong barrier.  Iris was reluctant, namely because Zia was involved, but also with a mindset that the room had been sealed off for a reason.  Yet, with much coaxing, Iris took on her Winged Princess form and countered the energy of the barrier with her own energy.  Zia, taking on the form of Zirconia, managed to slip into the room, then unseal a large Mirror that had been the source of the barrier's energy.  Upon unsealing the Mirror, a sort of communication portal was opened into a dimension parallel to their own.  Zirconia was initially hesitant to communicate with the alternate dimension, but eventually opened up the communications with the Priestess of Nightmares, Cassandra.  The conversation was tense as Zirconia shared important information about Cassandra's allies whom had fallen during their stay in their dimension.  Key information began to trickle to the surface, but Zia's motivation for the journey to the Moon became clear as day: she wanted the soul of Zirconia to return back to the parallel dimension.  Cassandra, seeing Zirconia as unfit to return, denied her passage back before severing the communications entirely between the two dimensions.  Upset with the outcome of her journey, Zirconia decided she was going to take the mirror back to Earth with her to see if she could unlock the puzzle between the dimensions.  Iris vocalized her disapproval, since she still felt the room had been sealed off for a reason.  Iris also made certain that Zirconia knew that if anything went wrong, that Iris would be holding Zirconia accountable.

It  was discovered early that the Princess Iris was the newly born Senshi  of the Iridian asteroid due to the destined symbol appearing upon her  forehead at various points in her early childhood.  The King and Queen  of the world were essentially responsible for overseeing all of the  foreign exchange on the asteroid Iris, which required them to remain in  the Port City.  They were not a part of the nomadic "Clan System,"  keeping out of the local politics in order to keep the foreign exchange  alive.

When the princess had reached five years in age, the King Scepiet and Queen Mariengeld summoned the elder of the most successful clan.  The young princess was  given to this clan so she could become a member of their society until  she had fully awakened as a Senshi.  It was believed that living in the  Grand Hall in the Port City would not give the unawakened senshi the  experiences she would need to serve her people.  Until her powers  awakened, she lived in a clan originally led by a woman named Marjah.   While she lived in the clan, it was expected that the Princess would  learn skills to allow her to survive in the harsh desert environment as  well as a trade.  She showed a passion for the construction of the  covered wagons which the clans relied on for shelter.  She worked with  one of the family groups that specialized in such a craft, and if she  had stayed in the Clan system, constructing wagons would have become her  trade.

During her time with the Clan, the Princess was expected  to live with Marjah, since she was the clan’s elder.  The elder was  essentially expected to serve as a parental figure to the Princess, and  was responsible for teaching the various skills the girl would need in  the future.  When the Princess was seven years old, Marjah passed away,   leading to the next eldest member of the clan taking over her role.   The new elder’s name was Babba, and prior to her new status, she had  been a  mirror maker.  From the age of seven years to twelve years, the  Princess lived with Babba, until the Princess’ powers as Sailor Iris had  awakened.  Upon her powers awakening, she was ejected from the "Clan  System."  Sailor Iris was dropped off at the Port City and was summoned   by the King and Queen.  Before parting ways, Sailor Iris received a  gift from the Clan, a young white desert Llama-like creature.  He was  named Aque and had only recently grown large enough to serve as a beast  of burden.

After Sailor Iris was reunited with her parents, she  was introduced to the Mauvian, Hebe, who would be serving as the adviser  for her Senshi duties.  While they were in the Port City, Iris stayed  at the Grand Hall  only at night, spending much of the day working to  make her own wagon so she could travel her asteroid once again.  Iris  also had to balance her time so she could train and learn with Hebe.    The cat taught the senshi about her duties to her asteroid home, and  spoke of her duties to the rest of the asteroids her home was allied  with.  Hebe also seemed to have it in her mind that the Princess had  some sort of talents in dance that had not been tapped into yet and  insisted on working with the new senshi on developing these skills  beyond the required religious dances.  It took about three months for  the senshi to build herself a solidly functioning wagon, but the moment  she had finished, she, Aque, and Hebe went to tend to the main duty she  had to the asteroid: the Sacred Lands.

Though she had learned  skills in navigating the desert with the clans, she still had much to  learn about surviving.  The trio had to rely on encountering other clans  and bartering away Iris’  skills with wagons for the essentials to  survive.  Many times she would need to construct spare wheels, but on a  few rare occasions a new bed to the wagon would need to be made.  It  took about two months for the Senshi to finally make it to the base of  the Sacred Lands.  Though Hebe had prepared the girl to the best of her  abilities, it took the child another three days to summon up the courage  to start her journey.  Due to her age, the child brought many things to  ensure her survival in the harshest of environments during her journey.   It took Sailor Iris three days to make it to the temple, and after  completing her task it took another two days to make it back to the  bottom again.  She had run out of supplies during this journey and was  on the verge of death by the  time she had returned to her cart.   Fortunately, Babba’s clan had made their way as close to the Sacred  Lands as they were permitted and were there to essentially nurse the  child back to good health.

It took about two and half weeks for  the senshi to make a full recovery, and when she did, she made her way  back to the Port with Hebe and Aque.   From the Port, the trio traveled  to Metis, Parthenope, Irene, Hygiea, Egeria, Eunomia, Victoria, and  Psyche upon Hebe’s advisement.  During the lengthy travels to the  various asteroids, Iris had more time to train with Hebe in regards to  dance, which the senshi was growing increasingly more interested in.   With each stop, Hebe insisted that Iris locate the senshi of that  particular asteroid.  On Irene, Hygiea  and Egeria the senshi for those  worlds had yet to have their powers awakened, but the rest had a senshi  that had their powers awakened.   Though Hebe was friendly and insisted  on making nice with the various senshi, the first visits were simply  formal business.  Iris’ focus was merely on learning more about the  different worlds through actual experience.  She attempted to live in  each world anywhere from 2-4 weeks after meeting the world’s senshi,  most times living with each senshi.   She tried to assimilate into the  various societies, which many times proved to be difficult or sometimes  even impossible.  After her stay, she would move onto the next world  until she had checked in with each of the allied asteroids.  After that,  she needed to return home to tend to her duties yet again to her own  home world.

Another two years passed, and Iris continued to tend  to her duties as usual, spending approximately two months on her own  world and the rest of the year with the other worlds, frequently acting  as the negotiator for foreign exchange (in the place of her parents).   During that time, she developed closer relationships with the various  senshi, and a new senshi was awakened on Irene.  Hebe continued to train  Iris in dance, incorporating the use of Iris’ Rainbow Ribbon, but also  began to work with the other senshi from the other asteroids in regards  to possible talents she noticed.  Hebe frequently would make her own  journeys, independent of Iris, so she could help the other allied  senshi.

When Iris turned fifteen years old, she had discovered  that this regiment of duties and scheduled travel no longer seemed to  satisfy her need to wander.  She sought council with Hebe, and after  several conversations, they decided to approach the other senshi about  starting up a traveling show.  It took a lot of persuasion on Hebe’s  part, but eventually they formed a small circus group.  They traveled  not only to their allied asteroids,  but to asteroids outside of Iris’  usual travels in an effort to introduce something new and exciting to  her life.  Hebe functioned as the ringleader and organized everything,  all while remaining a cute little cat.

For another three years,  they continued to travel,  but eventually returned to both Hygiea and  Egeria once they had heard news of the senshi on those asteroids finally  awakening.  These two senshi were the youngest members, but seemed  quite eager to join the rest.  Every year Iris would return back to her  home to tend to her  duties and briefly visit her parents.  The allied  territories remained  neutral during the war times and did not fight any  battles, though as with every world in the Silver Millenium, the war  caught up with them, eventually ending everything.

Due to how  necessary trade was for the survival of the asteroid of Iris, when one  of the two opposing sides in the war decided to enforce an embargo, it  practically ensured the end of the desert world.  Sailor Iris did as  much as she could to help  the people of her world, but they were far  too stubborn to change their ways, deciding it would be better to perish  holding firmly to their beliefs than to move away.  The senshi  practically ran herself ragged in her final days, trying to bring as  much water as she could to the others of her world.  She eventually met  her end amidst the vast desert, and after several days, Aque perished as  well, though it was his own choice since he merely refused to eat.   Princess Iris had lived and died  for her people.

The world of Iris was a dark-sanded desert world.  It had been rumored that  at one point the world had water.  However, as long as any Iridian could remember, there had never been any natural source of water on the asteroid.

Iridian Landmarks:

• The Port City - The Iridian world literally only had one city.  It was not a lavish  place, the buildings being carved of pale stone.  It was the place where foreigners started and ended their journeys on this world.  The city was essentially treated by the natives as a sort of tourist trap, due to the vast amount of foreigners that sought out "good deals" in bartering.  The most skilled Iridian traders lived here.  It was rare for non-natives to be seen anywhere outside of the Port City.
• The Vast Desert - Welcome to the rest of the world!  Aside from the Port City, the rest of the Iridian world was literally a desert.  The world was covered with a substance that seemed similar to black sand and seemingly nothing  else.  The majority of native Iridians could be found traveling the Vast Desert in their Nomadic Clans.  There were very few native species of flora and fauna to the asteroid of Iris due to the lack of any natural  source of water.
  
• The Edge - One section of the world underwent strange seasonal patterns during the year.  This area had such a strange shape to it that it did not get any sunshine during the winter, and received constant sunshine at all hours of the day during summer. During spring and fall, it got varying amounts of sunlight, depending on how close it is to the next season.  Clans frequently traveled this area since it did cover a decent span of the Vast Desert.
• The Sacred Lands - The northern-most point was the brightest part of the asteroid, though it was assumed that might not have always been the case in the long  distant past.  There were several structures that were made and located in the Sacred Lands with no logical explanation.  It was like the Earth equivalent to any inexplicable ancient structures, essentially remaining an eternal mystery.  At the "Gateway" to the Sacred Lands, there was a  large pale archway, seemingly made of pale stone or ivory.  It led to a mountain that seemed to be made out of black stone that held a rainbow-sheen to it.  The land itself held the most drastic heat and light, and if not properly prepared, an individual could have easily met their end in the Sacred Lands.  At the top of the mountain, a matching  archway stood, as well as a simplistic well-like structure made of the same material.  The only person permitted to go to the Sacred Lands was the world's senshi, and the general population fiercely protected such a sacred tradition.  Any stray foreigners that tried to find their way to the Sacred Lands would be greeted by very unfriendly Iridians.
  

The Native Iridians:

An actual look at the population of the asteroid reveals that a vast majority of the natives had darker skin, due to the extreme temperatures/amount of sunlight they were exposed to.  However, any sort of hair color was found native to Iris. Just as many people had blonde hair as they did dark hair. There were fair skinned people in the population, and in this world they were rare, essentially being viewed by the people as exotic.  Overall, they were seen as a very energetic race of people who prided themselves on hard work.

A general  observation that was made, but could never really scientifically be explained was the fact that all natives of Iris had excellent color perception. This might not seem like something amazing, but with their bartering system, it was quite helpful in distinguishing whether something was the "real deal" (gold) versus a "cheap imitation" (some other lesser metal).  It did take some training to teach the differences, but even with the most minimal training, an Iridian could see the differences upon a casual glance.

Social Hierarchy:

• Senshi - Responsible for maintaining various sacred duties as well as maintaining good relations with the allied Asteroid worlds.  Occasionally would receive direct orders from Royalty and was expected to follow through with any orders given.  Functions outside of the Clan system and is deemed as a higher importance than even Royalty.
• Royalty - Responsible for maintaining Foreign Exchange and Affairs.  Due to the vast amount of foreign exchange the royals were expected to watch over,  it left little to no room for managing local politics.  Royalty was respected due to the vast amount of dedication it took to keep their world alive via foreign exchange.  An individual could either be born into royalty or married into royalty.  A married royal was expected to take on the same amount of responsibility as a born royal.
  
• Clan Elder - The political leaders of the world.  They were the eldest members of a family group and made all of the decisions for their Clan.  The Clans themselves would be named after the respective Elder.  The elder made all of the decisions for the group, their rulings never being questioned within the Clan itself.  The elders were responsible for ensuring their Clan had enough necessities to survive during their travels, would lead the groups to finding any of the scant natural resources available, and if their water supplies ran low, lead their Clan back to the Port City.   Most times the politics came across as personal squabbles between individual Clan Elders.
• Clan - A vast  majority of the society lived in nomadic family groups.  These individuals lived in covered carts and wagons with their immediate  family.  They all were expected to have a trade which they specialized in, usually separated by the different immediate families.  All members of a Clan were expected to work hard to ensure the survival of the whole group.  It was very rare to find a lazy Iridian.
  
• Port Traders - These were the individuals that for one reason or another decided to settle down in the Port City.  They were considered the bottom of the social hierarchy due to their lack of family ties.  Most Port Traders had no families, were unkempt, and were seen as the most cut-throat of  traders in the society.  They thrived off of trading with foreigners, essentially acting like vendors in a "tourist trap."

Intergalactic Politics:  The Iridians greatly prided themselves upon being a neutral territory.   Save for their alliances within the Asteroid belt, they were very  careful about their interactions with other worlds.  They would openly trade with all worlds, but outside of trade they were wary of any other sort of alliance.  Such caution led to the asteroid declining the station of knights from Earth upon their world.  All peoples were welcome to visit and trade, but the Iridians preferred the old ways, and in a sense were afraid of the change any sort of alliance outside of the traditional Asteroid alliance would cause.

The Economy:  There was no real currency on Iris. Everything was done on a barter system. Every family group usually had some sort of craft or trade they  were masters of, with the adults training the children in these crafts/trades. Sometimes these trades would even be simple as a performance skill (juggling, acrobatics, etc.).  There was relatively little problem when it came to trades between two natives. If a non-native was present, many times they could get caught if they were frauds. The only place where non-natives could be found frequently was in the Port.  It was actually considered in bad taste to have more than one needed (to hoard). Most times, natives felt it would slow the individual and the family down if they kept more than they needed to  just get by. It was rare for those who lived on Iris to hoard any wealth, since people felt it was a sign of weakness. The only individuals in the society who could potentially hoard were the Port  Traders.

Exports:

• Paint - The sands of asteroid Iris held their own secrets, allowing the natives of Iris to make the most complete spectrum of paint colors.  The secret to the craft of making paint was held dear to all natives and heavily  guarded.  It was essentially the world's bread-and-butter, opening trade with many different worlds.
• Nickel-Iron Metals - Considering how much of this there was on the surface of the asteroid,  it generally makes sense for this to be something the asteroid specializes in. Most times it would be exported as the unrefined metal,  but occasionally it would be refined/crafted and exported as well. It was not a very strong metal in comparison to others available.
  
• Sand Crunchers & Sand Munchers - Two beasts of burden native to the asteroid of Iris, meant for heavy pulling and lifting. The natives most commonly referred to the beasts of burden as Crunchers and Munchers. They  were also relatively easy to take care of, for they ate different types of sands and dirt (depending on the surrounding) and did not require any water. Both species were domesticated by the Iridians. Where as the two species were commonly found together, the two species were not  compatible when it came to breeding. Both Munchers and Crunchers usually  produce 1 calf per breeding, though sometimes they would rarely produce  2 calves. Any more per breeding would be a great stress upon the mother.  Crunchers had a very Camel-like appearance. They  lacked actual ears, but had horns similar to giraffes. They had scruffy  fur on several areas, including under the chin, behind the horns and along the shoulders. The scruff on the shoulder helped a passenger hold on while riding. Crunchers also had horse-like tails, which could be trimmed to make brushes. Unlike Camels from earth, Crunchers always had one hump of fat (never two). They averaged 9'6" in height and weigh approximately 1500 lbs. Crunchers were the louder eaters and the sturdier of the two species.  Munchers were more Llama-like in appearance. They had significantly longer ears compared to the llamas from earth (an adaptation to the heat). They had strong prehensile tails and used this to help them pull things along that weighed much more than themselves. Munchers were smaller in stature compared to the Crunchers. They averaged 9'0" in height and weighed approximately 500 lbs. It is said that Munchers had a friendlier disposition. Munchers were considered more valuable since they had wool which was sheared and used to make a durable cloth.
• Wool - As a result of the Sand Munchers being native to Iris, their wool was also a natural resource of sorts for the asteroid. The Munchers were sheared, and the wool was used to make all sorts of cloth. The cloth was very durable and frequently used to cover the carts the natives lived  in. It was not used for clothing so much, but for protective wraps. The wool could be sent as a raw material to places with extreme cold or warm temperatures.
  
• Brushes - Various  brushes could be made from the tail hair of the Sand Crunchers. The hair was very stiff, but soft.  Brushes for hair were common, but the most common practice was to pair paint brushes with the paint they bartered  away.
• Sand Root - A plant native to Asteroid Iris. Its claim to fame was the fact that it did not need any water and got the nutrients it needed via the sand and the sunlight.  It was in season all year round, but would only grow in areas that had sunlight. Above ground, one could spot a patch of Sand Root by the dark silk (similar to cornsilk) in the sand. The root itself was edible and red-brown in color.  Since it did not need any water, the edible portion of the plant was very tough, similar in quality to dried out meats.  The flavor of the root was like a strange combination of vegetable jerky and sand. Though the flavor might not have been the most desirable, Sand Root was considered a staple food on the asteroid due to how nutrient-rich it was. It was customary for any clan, if they encountered a patch of Sand Root, to harvest the plant, but to replant a few smaller portions so that they would grow again. This was a natural resource that many clans would potentially fight over.

Imports:

• Water - Asteroid Iris was a desert. Deserts lack in the water department.  It was a precious resource that was worth a great amount.  Many clans stocked up on water at the Port city before resuming their travels.  In general, they would take imports of water from any of the asteroids, but Egeria was the main supplier for Iris due to the abundance of water on the Egerian Asteroid.
  
• Oil - Import from the asteroid of Parthenope.  Good for lighting fires during cold nights in the desert.
• Ivory - Import from the asteroid of Parthenope.  Could be used for crafting. Many times it was seen in jewelry and some structures in the Port City. Also a very important product used in the process of making paint.
  
• Natural items - This is a rather open category of imports.  Pretty much any natural item of an interesting color was a good import for Iridians. These items could then be used to make paint, which then could be bartered away for much rarer items. Plants, animal fur, stones, precious metals, all could  easily be used to make paint and were valued as imports.