DISCLAIMER: Many of the characters and situations described in the following fic are owned entirely by Takahashi Rumiko, a woman I have the greatest respect and admiration for. (In fact if she were willing, I would have her love child. A neat trick since I am a male kinda guy and not built to bear children.) Her creativity has even inspired the creation of a whole new branch of the Trek Universe. Therefore, any mentions of historical moment from Trek, Trek-Tech and characters and ships, which I shall endeavor to keep at a minimum, is entirely intentional. Within this story are characters who are from the Trek Universe, but not of Trek. These are my creations. All other characters that are integral to this story are her property, apart from the characters from AMG. This is a work intended to share a concept, and perhaps my story telling abilities. There is no money to be earned by me or by anyone else from this work. I might also add, Paladin, Team Paladin, the Starship Percheron and her crew, and Miss Kitty as she is here, ARE my property, and not to be used with out express consent from myself. I have worked hard to develop these characters and hope to use them in published works eventually. I choose to share them and their attitudes with you here. The character from OH! My Goddess belong to who ever owns them… sorry but my copies of this series (as well as Ranma ½) mysteriously disappeared during a move
I would also like to add the following. NO the character of Jerrod Randolph Macon, A.K.A. Paladin is in no way related to T.N.G.'s Silver Paladin. That character was little more than a pirate, my character is intended to embody the true spirit of the word paladin.
Also, for the Trek nitpickers out there. I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but. There is no such thing as a society that doesn't use some form of currency. Roddenberry's vision of the future is a wonderful vision, but impractical as far as money is concerned. It is a socialist utopia, and it cannot work. Any historian or economist can tell you that. Even the most primitive cultures on the planet barter with each other for goods and services, and that is the earliest form of currency. Let's face it, even the People's Republics around the world, (Read as oppressive communist governments, where if you speak out against anything, you wind up run over by a tank.) Even they have currencies that the civilian public uses for internal trade. It has been postulated that the Federation has solved the issues of limited resources thereby removing the need for any form of currency. I disagree with this. Not that the resource problem has been addressed, but that currency will be done away with.
In the Federation future, most of the actual trade where currency is used to make a purchase will be of the 'intellectual properties exchange' forum. The reason why currency will always exist is because of the inherent need of humans for an incentive to improve. It wouldn't be worth your time to be a clothing designer or civilian engineer if you weren't given concrete evidence of your value. Payment of some form of currency will be much easier to keep track of fifteen hundred credits than twenty goats and fifteen sheep and three chickens from the buyer in China who really loved the new spaghetti strap, plunging to the ankles neckline evening gown.
Capitalism may not be perfect, but it's better than anything else around is right now.
Most likely the currency used in the world of Trek is closely related to various forms used in much of Sci-Fi, a credit system, there may be no hard currency, but there is a form of monetary exchange.
Internally to this story, there are some glaring examples, (to some) of extreme OOC, as well as outright character revision. As this is intended to be an original telling with some new characters with a minor twist here and there to aid in making the whole thing insensible… inchoate? …to the world of Rumiko's vision. There has been some comment that her characters aren't the way I have them here. And why would Ranma have a crush on Nabiki?
Okay, think about this. You live in a house with three very pretty girls. One of them you can't bring yourself to look at in any way other than as a big sister/mother figure. Then there are the other two, the youngest that you happen to be engaged to is violent, quick tempered, never lets you answer any question be fore she belts you and you are forcing yourself to love her.
And there is the third one, she isn't very nice to you, but you think you know why. She was also the only one that seemed excited when you arrived, and she doesn't hit you, ever.
I'd have a minor crush on her myself if I were Ranma.
Let's face it, Nabs, if she were a real person, would be a major babe.
The timeline for this story is just about there. Meaning there aren't going to be any of the big events that occurred in the manga and anime. The story makes an assumption that events alter somewhat with each restart by the Norn. So Herb and Saffron may exist but won't be part of the story.
And finally, for convenience sake. ( ) author's commentary.
Sound effect
Chinese
Japanese usually spoken planetside
English generally spoken aboard ship
And now for sumpin' gnu.
On with the tale
PALADIN ½ - SHE'S THE ONE
Chapter 1 – You're What?
Orbiting above the fourth planet from it's primary in the system of Coriolis Major ninety-one parsecs from the system of Sol there was ship. This ship was of a very large size, being the third generation "Tihoe" class she was understandably massive. Her master actually owned this vessel, being the heir to a tremendous fortune by anyone's standards. The reason this vessel, known as Percheron, was in orbit was because her crew was currently assisting the people that had been shuttled to this system by the eight other smaller ships in orbit. Along with the various warp tugs and large capacity cargo containers that were in the process of being emptied.
What was truly most amazing about the entire process of these proceedings was that they were all here to establish a colony. This type of activity was fairly common where the ships originated. That the people and vessels involved were not really native to this particular part of the galaxy or even this universe was actually the astounding thing about this colony being established. These people were former citizens of the Federation and many had at one time served in that bodies scientific/exploratory/military force called Star Fleet. Just as the young man that was the captain of the Percheron had.
He'd been disheartened by the lack of hyper-band and subspace communications he had felt sure would be in this new universe. It looked more and more as if the reason he and his friends and employees had come here didn't exist.
They weren't able to return to the home reality either, not that most of them would have wanted to go back. But that avenue was closed, they had to make a life here anyway.
To be a captain at the tender age of twenty-six is a very unusual happening in the Federation. In fact it had never happened, because when he had left Star Fleet he had only attained the rank of Lieutenant. What was unusual about this was the age he had reached that rank, Paladin had made Lieutenant right out of the Academy, at the very young age of seventeen, not unprecedented by the standards of most races. Quite unusual for humans though.
Something else that had never happened before was for an unmarried, still virginal man to also be a father.
He had become a father in a most unusual way. It had happened somewhere between the 'home' universe and the 'new' universe they now occupied. It was extremely unusual that the man was also the eleventh generation descendant of a genetically enhanced human. There were times where Paladin thought it to be much more of a curse than anything else. And now after the arrival to this new reality, he was even more set apart from standard humans because of the alteration that had happened to him. He became more of what he already was physically, he had been faster stronger and more intellectually advanced to begin with, being close to five times Terran normal in strength, speed and stamina. They had arrived to this new universe a little more than two standard months earlier and after he woke from his short three-day coma he found that there were differences.
Now he was nearly eight times Terran normal, he'd even obtained extra mass and density somehow, giving him a level of invulnerability. How he became a father was more odd than that. Another one of those differences when he woke, was that he had been informed that he was now the father of a small framed, extremely cute and cuddly bipedal feline/human mix that had at one time been his little companion. Now she was his daughter and was at a loss about it. That he had immediately taken up the mantle of parent might have been surprising to anyone not of the Federation and her Allies, but Kitty did now have Macon family blood flowing in her veins and she was very young in human terms. For a cat she was an adult, but for a human, she was still a child, one that was mentally advanced beyond normal, but still a child.
And she deserved to be cared for just as any other sentient being does. The fact that her origin was very different from any other being didn't matter. If an android could achieve recognition as a self aware and sentient being, there should be no argument about Kitty. Not that the argument would ever arise, The Federation was on the other side of the dimensional barrier that separates each universe from the others in the multi-verse.
In some manner, his own body had generated some form of field that had encapsulated him and his cat. He seldom went anywhere aboard his ship without this cat, she was a crew favorite as well. Nearly everyone loved Kitty as much as their captain did, or so they thought. And then it happened, she was trapped in the field his body had created and there was a one way exchange of genetic material. The two screams of intense pain and sudden unconsciousness of the two beings had caught everyone on the bridge off guard. The feline rapidly changing before their eyes, while not extremely fast, it was measurable in real time.
And now these two were in their quarters onboard Percheron involved in something ridiculously domestic considering the people they were. He was being a father to his new daughter and she was doing homework. And Kitty was thinking hard about something that had very little to do with the history lesson she was learning. She was still paying very close attention to her Daddy and what he said, but like him, she could have many different thoughts and ideas at the same time and not be confused by them.
Kitty loved all the people on the ship and in the colony, but there were times she felt pretty lonely. Sure everyone would take a few minutes to play with her or teach her something new. But there was something she really thought she was missing out on.
Kitty could remember when she was a kitten, before the change that happened when she and her daddy and everyone else came to this reality.
When she was a kitten, her first memory was of mama. Mama hadn't been as smart as Kitty. The rest of the litter hadn't been as bright either. It can be supposed that being the smallest of the litter Kitty had gotten a gift to even it out. Her two sisters were faster and bigger, while her four brothers were much bigger and stronger. So Kitty was smarter, a fairly even trade.
One day while they had been moving to the new nest that mama had found for them a human had noticed them, more specifically he had noticed mama carrying k'RRbt, one of her brothers. The human had turned out to be very kind and compassionate, bringing out some warm milk and fish to give them. He had a very nice voice and spoke softly to her mama and all of the litter. His eyes lit up when he saw the kittens and he praised mama for bringing such pretty babies to the world.
While he knelt a little away from them he watched as they ate with abandon. He had brought them a lot to eat; giving the biggest piece of fish to mama, knowing the kittens might not be completely weaned. P'rRtat, as mama had named her had been the first of the litter weaned. Owing to the fact that P'rRtat was also the smallest of the litter as well as the smartest, mama made a decision to test the human out.
Mama stretched after she finished eating and washed herself while looking at the man. Knowing she was not the most intelligent of her kind, mama did know how to judge humans. It was best described by noticing how a human conducted himself near feline kind. This human seemed to know the right things to do, first he hadn't made the demand of petting or holding her or her young without permission, being content with providing food and watching the young wrestle and play fight over the food. This was the first test.
Second he had chosen to sit far enough away so they could eat without being interrupted and made no sudden motions. Only speaking softly and praising her over her young. Third he smelled like he was that rare thing, that special thing! A human that could be parent/sibling/playmate/pet of the first order, few humans were granted the right to be regarded as such. That decided mama walked to him and rubbed his leg with her whole body as part of the second test, where he petted would be an important factor on deciding the fate of one of her young.
The human reached down with one hand and scratched her in the best place a human can scratch a cat. While it is known that ALL cat kind love to be scratched behind their ears, only special humans know to also scratch under the jaw and base of the tail right on the spine. Mama was thrilled; he had passed two tests. The third test would make it certain, she walked back to her kittens and he didn't move.
He was the best choice, a perfect match for one of her young! It also happened to be the smallest of them; mama loved her young, but knew eventually they would all have to leave her so she could raise the next litter. Knowing this didn't make her any less sad that she had to give them up to the world, but she always did her best to make sure her young were in the best position they could possibly be when they were weaned.
P'rRtat was rolling around with one of her sisters playing with the stray piece of grass that had the smell of fish on it when mama called to her, she stopped playing with her sister and bounded to mama and touched noses. Mama then rubbed her face on the side of P'rRtats head and pushed her to follow her. She had been interested in playing with the human too, but mama had made them wait so she could approach him first. P'rRtat felt very special, she was going to get to play with the human before her siblings! She felt sleepy too, the fish and milk had filled her tummy and she had played hard for twenty minutes. But she was still excited to get to play with the human.
When they got near the human, mama touched noses with P'rRtat again, three times in succession. This confused the kitten a little, she thought her mama had loved her! But she felt something special about the human too. Mama wanted her to go and be with the human, to stay with him! P'rRtat always tried to do what mama wanted her to do, this time though mama was telling her to forget the family! To move on and be a companion to a human, she only wanted to play with him, not to be his cat! P'rRtat tried to fight this decision of mama, but it was no use, there was a light swat to her head and it was over.
Mama had completely rejected her.
P'rRtat had been caressed by mama, showing love, nipped by mama, showing time to leave, and pushed by mama toward the man, and then swatted. She was dejected; she wanted to stay with mama forever. She knew though that she had to leave someday, it was just that she hadn't expected it to be that soon. While her siblings continued to play and eventually fall asleep, P'rRtat went to the man and climbed into his lap, where he just looked at her and said, "Well, aren't you the prettiest little thing."
The man continued to sit and watch what they did, and seemed amused by the activities of all of them. He then seemed concerned when mama hit P'rRtat, he smelled very thoughtful when she climbed in his lap. To his mind it appeared that the calico mother had brought out her favorite kitten, the runt that was marked with wide patches of gray and swaths of white, little stripes of darker gray on the tail and body. A tiny white smeared "M" in the middle of the forehead. Little white feet that stayed white until it merged and blended with the gray on the upper part of the limbs.
This wasn't the last time she'd hear that she was a 'pretty little thing', nor would she ever get tired of it. Her new human was called Paladin, she later found out. As he scratched under her chin with the flat tips of his square fingers she purred and fell asleep.
The last thing she heard that day before falling asleep was from the man. "I suppose your mama wants you to have me as your person."
The next day P'rRtat had a new name from the human, it was Miss Kitty, usually just Kitty. Miss Kitty mostly when she had done something the human thought was naughty. He was never mean to her, and always told her exactly what he meant for her to do that wasn't naughty. By way of saying that something was naughty, he inferred that other things were good.
Naughty was going potty somewhere other that the box with potty sand in it. She only did that once. And her new human seemed to understand that she hadn't done it in the hall on purpose, she had just gotten so involved with playing with the mousy that she forgot.
After the first week with her human she had begun to think of him as something else. Not human, or her human and not even Paladin as all the other humans and other people that he talked to called him. But with the word the nice lady that smelled like flowers called him, her Daddy!
When Kitty had met 'smells like flowers' was the day her adventure really began. She was six years old now and everything rolled together in a big ball in her memories. Her early memories were clearly marked in her mind as 'Before Change' and 'After'. There had been so much that her Daddy had done when she wasn't there, that she could have no complete picture of it all.
In 'Before' she remembered the funny 'fleas all over' when they left Daddy's home and met 'growly no-hair human' called Captain! She liked him. But she couldn't tell how they got there. They had been in the big nest and then a different place with funny smells and bright light. There was also 'face-fur man' called Commander. He was always nice to her but distant.
Most of Kitty's memories of then were of the smaller nest she and her Daddy had. He didn't stay and play with her as much as he used to, but always played with her when he came back. There were a few times when he was gone for a very long time and 'smells like other cat' would come and feed her. This usually happened after 'long dark hair with smiling thought' would visit.
Then Daddy came back once and he was very sad. He talked to her like he always did. Like she knew what he was saying as she sat in his lap. She wanted to make Daddy feel better. He told her his mama and daddy and left. But he used a word she didn't know. He said they died.
This had been one of those times Kitty wished to herself that she could speak the way humans and the other people did. So she could tell her Daddy she loved him and felt sad for how he felt.
It was a long time before Daddy left again, and when he did it was for a pretty long time and then he carried her back to the bright room they had come to when they left home and Captain and Commander was there with most of her Daddy's friends. Commander patted her lightly on the head and said good-bye. Captain scratched her chin and said to be a good girl and not to play with any more Lionfish.
Then there was the feeling of fleas all over again.
Then there was another big room with bright light and more smells and more new people.
Then Daddy losing sleep and working hard, sometimes arguing with his friends! But always being a good Daddy. Kitty liked the new big nest they lived. She didn't have to stay at the small nest. She got to go where Daddy went! This was a lot more fun and all the new people played with her; some of them gave her good snacks to eat, or would hold her when Daddy was too busy to sit down long.
And then the "Different Day" came. She was on daddy's lap and he was excited! What she sensed was that possibly that she might get a mommy! This was a very exciting feeling to her. A Mommy is different than a mama. A mama only raises a kitten to the point of getting rid of the ones that take too much time to spend on them, and then find them a different home. A Mommy keeps her kittens near forever.
The excitement of Daddy was very different and suddenly Kitty's own full body inside and out pain covered up all the hopeful excitement. She felt like she was burning everywhere! It was worse than when a person stepped on her tail, because she couldn't move at all and get away from the hurt! The last thing she remembered was the look of pain and fear her Daddy had too! Then she passed out.
When she woke again 'smells like flowers' was beside her and seemed different. Her Daddy was on the other side holding her paw, but it wasn't a paw anymore! Kitty felt like she was bigger and shaped differently than 'Before'. She had always understood what the people around her said but now she felt like she could make the same kinds of sounds. She only had to learn how to make the right kinds of sounds herself!
That was two months ago, today she was home in the quarters she shared with her Daddy doing her homework. Daddy was taking the day off to spend with her and help her with her studies. He had just set down the tray of snacks with the plate of sardines in oil for her and a salad for him. When she looked up at the mirror on the bulkhead, between the two couches on the opposite wall from the table they were sitting at and had a sudden wish pop in her head.
"I wish I had a Mommy!" Carefully making sure she said it with the capital "M" it deserved.
Jerrod looked to his felinoid daughter and smiled sadly to himself about that wish. He was just about to console her when something fairly unusual happened. Now Jerrod had met the 'Q' before and wasn't that impressed. But they weren't where the 'Q' could show up anymore, this new development looked to be at least interesting.
No, this being didn't appear the way the 'Q' does. She, and it was most definitely a she, stuck her head out of the mirror. "Excuse me, but would you be able to place the mirror face up on the floor? It isn't big enough for me to step through."
Jerrod just looked at her a moment and calmly got up and did as he'd been asked. As he approached the mirror the woman said "Thank you. It will only be a moment, and then I'll put it back where it belongs." She then withdrew her head back into the depths of the mirror.
To be fair to Bell, she could easily have just floated through the mirror into the cabin that contained the adorable creature and her parent. However she didn't want to needlessly frighten them, not that they would have been frightened in any case, but why run the risk?
What Bell didn't understand yet was a former officer in Star Fleet and an accidentally real-time genetically mutated feline doesn't get frightened. They study the danger and act appropriately on threats.
After the mirror was placed on the floor face up, Bell slowly emerged from it. Showering the cabin interior with the brilliance of her smile and glow of her soft hair, and the bright glow of the Asgardian silk robes she wore. She was slightly disappointed that the man, Paladin, hadn't just stepped back, but had, in fact, just as calmly returned to his seat, his back to her as she emerged. The sheer poise and grace of the man made an impact on her, along with the strength of his movements hidden by the air of humor that radiated from him.
If she hadn't already been attached for eternity to Keichi, she might have begun lusting for this new mortal. But, being Belldandy, such thoughts were most improper, as it was she wondered why the room felt so warm. Shaking her head for a moment, she looked to Kitty and her smile brightened. "Little one, that is a very, Very good wish! Ordinarily I would just look you in the eye and say 'Wish Granted'. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, for in order to make that wish come true there is a bigger wish that must be granted. One that it is beyond my capabilities to make come true." At which point Bell looked to Paladin who just looked at her with a glimmer of humor in his eyes.
"That sounds pretty interesting. But Kitty has to finish her homework and get ready for bed. We're heading to Sol sector tomorrow and we need to get our rest." Paladin said. While what he said wasn't a lie, it wasn't strictly the truth either. They were going to head into the environs of earth to poke around for information about the goal that Paladin had set for himself prior to embarking on the trip to a new universe. He had the feeling that it was going to turn out to be a fool's errand though. Mara Keirsey probably didn't exist here, anymore than she did back home.
Bell looked to the man and weighed her own words carefully before speaking again. She'd never encountered a mortal that had as much humor in his eyes as this one. There were aspects of loneliness to him as well; he kept it in perspective with the rest of his life. He had his daughter that he was immensely proud of, his friends that he was loyal and compassionate to, with the feelings returned. To his mind all the people that had arrived in her multi-verse were more of an extended family than just friends were. They all knew when to be serious, and how to lighten the mood if needed. There was also a feeling of tolerance and indulgence for the strange emanating from him.
Bell wasn't sure if he would laugh at the offer, tell her to leave politely or accept the offer of alliance readily, or guardedly. This was a totally new experience for her. Her sister, Skuld, had been able to make the proper magical devices needed to read the surface thoughts and emotions of the new people. Skuld had even developed a system to read the stored information on the computers that the new people used.
This one new person remained a mystery and unreadable by any means than personal encounter. And even that wasn't to be relied on.
Sighing inwardly, Bell decided to just go ahead and begin. She opened her mouth to speak "…"
"You're pretty and smell nice. But you don't look like a 'Q'", Kitty observed, shaking her cute little head.
To which statement Paladin softly laughed in good humor while catching the eye of Bell. The look into the eyes allowed her to read something of the man. He was truly, Bell could see, a man of deep compassion and desire to help any who needed it. The look also told her to please not be offended by his daughter's innocent observations.
"Well, that is because I am a Norn. More accurately, my name is Belldandy, goddess first class unlimited." Bell got to say. "Please just call me Bell."
Noticing there was an opportunity to learn something about the new reality they had come to, Jerrod spoke. "Kitty, the homework will wait, it isn't due until two duty shifts from now anyway. We'll use the time to entertain our guest instead."
Happily bouncing up and down in her seat, Kitty closed down the terminal and put up her datapad. Paladin looked to Bell and asked, "Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink, tea, milk, coffee, fruit juice…frappacino?"
Bell smiled at the kind offers and evident humor and said "Thank you, what I have to tell you may take some time. Tea would be lovely."
Patiently smiling back, Jerrod went to retrieve the tea. Making an assumption that his guest, having a minor oriental appearance, as well as some influence from the Western European area of the earth, that she would prefer hot tea. So he brought back green tea in a pot with a cup already full, along with a small bowl of sugar.
While Paladin was being a good host, Kitty looked to Bell and with a very serious look in her childlike eyes, asked "Bell, what do I have to do to get a Mommy?" the hope clearly evident that Kitty wouldn't mind if Bell were going to be her mommy. Bell read that in the innocent thoughts of the accidental mix of human and feline and fought to keep the sadness from her voice. "Let us wait until your father can join us."
Setting the tray down, and handing Belldandy the cup of tea Jerrod asked the interest that any explorer from Star Fleet would exhibit. "What exactly are the 'Norn'?"
With most mortals this question wouldn't have been asked, as the phrase 'goddess first class, unlimited' had been used as well. Apparently this mortal didn't accept such statements at face value, and had in the past encountered other higher lifeforms such as the Norn. Bell then spoke to answer the question. "To answer that it would be easier to place the information into your mind, but my sisters and I aren't able to even peer into it to see what your most fervent desire is. So I will have to tell you the whole story…"
At that Bell began to tell of how her people had come to this universe. How millennia before in another universe altogether, the Norn and other races of exceptionally advanced peoples had to flee because of a creeping anti-life force that had swept in and begun to devour any and all life energy it encountered, destroying the realm her people had come from. The beings that weren't as far advanced fought to remain alive, but one by one, world by world they perished. The Norn, the Brothers and the Sisters of Three and a few other hyper-advanced beings managed to open a portal to this multi-verse just in time to save themselves and a few million of the various followers of the 'immortals'. The anti-life had been balked; for it could not follow them to the new place to feed.
What followed was a slow separation of the various beings that had come. The Norn as a civilization had decided to remain together and work toward the goal of causing the eventual Destined One to come into being. The Sisters of Three founded a race of new beings on the far side of the universe from them.
The Brothers chose to become Watchers, seldom interfering anywhere, and usually only speaking with their fellow 'immortals'. The Norn had a minor Civil War, causing the eventual division into the gods and goddesses and demons and demoness. More fighting ensued after awhile and the Parity System was established. This allowed that if one of the Norn died at the hand or order of another Norn another would die to keep things even. The Yggdrasil had been in existence from nearly since their arrival and this new programming into reality was added.