Author's Notes: I wrote this story as part of the "What If? Collaboration" organized by Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps. If you haven't read it yet, the basic concept is an anthology of short stories (a few chapters each), most of which feature AU versions of Judy and Nick via the magic of a virtual-reality system (the "PIXAR machine"). There are more notes at the end of this chapter as well.


Once again in Fitwick's Arcade, Nick sat on the padded seat with the PIXAR helmet resting in his lap. He slowly drummed his fingers on the helmet-first his left paw, then his right, then his left, then his right. Next to him, Judy stared at the display, slowly scrolling through the menu of options.

He sighed loudly and continued drumming his fingers on the helmet.

He rolled his eyes and sighed again. "Whenever you're ready, Carrots."

"Don't rush me, Nick. It's been a while. They've added a lot of new programs since-Oh, Nebula Nine! Nick, we've gotta do that one!"

He stared at her blankly. After a few seconds, he finally spoke. "You're joking, right? That show was horrible. It lasted... what, ten episodes before it was cancelled?"

"Twelve, actually. I thought you'd be a fan. You do like sci-fi, right?"

"Good sci-fi, sure. Star Boars, Cattlestar, that Hoss Whinnidon show. But Nebula Nine? It was lame even back then, just phony melodrama and wooden acting."

Judy huffed. "Nick, it wasn't that bad."

"Really?" The fox raised his right paw, placed his left paw on his chest, and then spoke slowly and dramatically. "'Fear, treachery, bloodlust. The forces of death and destruction have-'" He lowered his paw. His gaze softened as he continued gently. "That inspired your Carrot Days stage play when you were a kit, didn't it?"

Judy slowly exhaled. "Maybe?" She looked away and continued, "Okay, so it might have been a stupid show. I mean, a pawful of cadets on a training mission, and suddenly, they're all alone, seventy light years from home? I don't blame you for hating it."

"But you're going to choose it anyway, right?"

The bunny smiled sadly. "Nick, I loved Lieutenant Chloe. My whole family, my friends, everyone I knew was telling me I could never be a cop, but she was a bunny, and a security officer on a starship, and a real bad aaa-and a real tough fighter. And she didn't let anyone tell her she couldn't do something just because she was a bunny. I saw her and I knew… I knew I could be anything. I could be a cop."

Nick raised his eyebrows. "I bet your legs will look great in that uniform, too."

"Nick!"

"C'mon, Carrots. You sold me. Let's get on with it. To infinity and beyond!"

"Seriously, Nick? You can quote Captain Max's 'fear, treachery, bloodlust' speech, but then you quote Buck Lightdeer as if he has anything to do with Nebula Nine?"

"Please, Carrots? Just push the button already."


The airlock door opened with a hiss. A black ewe wearing an immaculate cadet uniform quickly stepped through. Several other mammals in cadet uniforms followed her. Each set a standard Space Fleet duffle bag on the floor, then stood at attention.

Two officers, a gray bunny and a red fox, stood before them. "At ease," the bunny said. The cadets complied.

"Welcome aboard the ZSS Wilbur," the bunny continued. "I am Lieutenant Junior Grade Hopps, and this is Lieutenant Junior Grade Wilde. You'll find your assigned quarters down the corridor to your left. You'll have about an hour to settle in before your tour of the ship. Any questions?"

After a moment, the fox spoke. "If there are no questions, then we'll see you again at fourteen-hundred hours. Dismissed."

The cadets picked up their duffle bags and started down the corridor. The black ewe and the gray bunny exchanged knowing smiles, then the ewe caught up with the other cadets.

The pair of officers watched the cadets depart. The fox spoke quietly. "A friend of yours?"

"That's Sharla. We grew up together in Bunnyburrow. She always wanted to be an astronaut, which is what inspired me to apply to Space Fleet."

Nick smiled. "Interesting. You never mentioned that before. Anyway, you do realize that you don't have to say 'junior grade' all the time, right? Most mammals just say 'lieutenant'."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's still kinda new. And I don't want the cadets to think I'm a full lieutenant. After all, we were just like them a year ago."

"Speak for yourself, Carrots. I was never that green."

"Yeah, yeah. Does Mr. 'I left a lucrative career to join Space Fleet' want me to remind him about the time-"

"No," Nick cut in. "No, he does not."

Judy smiled up at Nick. "I didn't think so. Anyway, here comes another batch."

The airlock door opened with a hiss. Several Space Fleet cadets stepped through, set down their duffle bags, and stood at attention.

"At ease," Judy said.


"That concludes your tour of the ZSS Wilbur," Judy announced. "Does anyone have any questions?" She smiled at the cadets, who seemed impossibly young. Were they really only a year younger than her?

Sharla asked, "Is this ship named after Wilbur Arable, the pig who invented the airplane with his brother Orville?"

"Yes," Nick replied. "Yes, it is."

One of the two young beavers raised his paw. "What's it like being the first fox in Space Fleet?"

Nick paused a moment before replying. "Have I ever had a better job than serving in Space Fleet? No, no I have not."

"Ooh ooh!" A female fawn waved her hoof in the air. "Can we play now?"

The jaguar cub next to her didn't wait for an answer. He simply jumped into the air and floated weightlessly to the ceiling, then pushed off and floated down the corridor.

"Hey, wait for me!" a cougar cub shouted. A moment later, he was floating down the corridor after his friend.

"Yeah!" The black ewe lamb followed close behind, twirling as she floated weightlessly. "Wheeeeee!"

Soon the corridor was full of young mammals in cadet uniforms, floating, bouncing off the walls and ceiling, and laughing joyfully. Judy watched a fox kit with bright green eyes smile at her as he floated past. "Nick?"

EEEEE! EEEEE! EEEEE!

Suddenly, the other mammals vanished, and Judy was alone, floating in the empty corridor.

EEEEE! EEEEE! EEEEE!

Judy's arm flailed about in a futile attempt to silence her alarm clock. The rest of her body rotated slowly in the opposite direction.

EEEEE! EEEEE! EEEEE!


Author's Notes: When I saw the "What If? Collaboration", my first thought was that "Zootopia That Was" (my Firefly-Zootopia crossover story) could be an AU within the collaboration. Later, I decided that it would work better to base my "What If?" contribution on the Castle episode "The Final Frontier", where we learned that Beckett loved the short-lived sci-fi series Nebula Nine. This is the result. I hope you enjoy it.

Many thanks to Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for allowing me to participate in the "What If? Collaboration", and for editing this story.