SMST: Deep Space Moon! – By Ocramed
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special Note: This story takes place during Seasons 1 through 3 of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". "The Ranma Trek Chronicles" takes place during Seasons 4 through 7.
Author's Note: This story is designed to be short, and will focus mostly on Sailor Moon, though Ranma Saotome (of "Ranma ½") will make a cameo from time-to-time. As always, C&C are welcomed.
Part 21
Later, in the O'Brien Residence, Ranma was enjoying his time with his great-great-granddaughter Molly O'Brien.
"Okay, kiddo!" Ranma said with glee, as he pretended to use his knee as a galloping horse for Molly. "Hang on!"
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Molly said with glee, as she held onto Ranma's knees with her legs, while Ranma (called "Pappy" by his great-great granddaughter) held onto her shirt for safety.
"Giddy-up!" Molly yelled.
"I'm really glad great-grandpa is spending time with us," said Keiko O'Brien, as she was clearing her work from the dining room table. She was getting ready for the next day's lesson plan for the local school, aboard DS9, where she was the primary instructor.
"Him being here is helping me a lot."
"Not that he had much of a choice, considering what is happening of late," Miles said, as he glanced over towards his old friend, former commanding officer and present family member. He had known Ranma for years, stemming from their days during the Federation-Cardassian War, where the pair conducted special operations. In fact, Ranma was Miles' flight instructor during his initial enlistment into Starfleet…
Later, when he and Ranma served aboard the Enterprise-D together, Ranma gave his permission to Miles for Molly's hand in marriage, making them family.
"I guess so," Keiko sighed. Keiko was the grand-daughter of Ranmak (son of Ranma and the Amerind princess Miranamee) and Demora Sulu (daughter Hikaru Sulu and the famed anthropologist Susan Ling). While Keiko was proud to have a stellar heritage, she was concerned about her great-grandfather Ranma's reputation of being too fond of the female gender. In fact, unless non-humanoid, there is no planet in the Alpha Quadrant that does not have someone not related to her in some way because of her great-grandfather "socializing"…
"I just wish that Usagi could be here with us."
"I'm sure it'll happen before Ranma returns to the Enterprise-D," O'Brien said, as he looked at the clock on the far wall. "Huh."
"What is it, Miles?" Keiko asked.
"It looks like it's getting late," Miles said, as he turns towards his wife. "You better get Molly ready for bed. I'll take care of the rest of the dishes and stuff."
"Okay, thanks," Keiko said, as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Miles asked jokingly.
"Oh, just because," Keiko replied with a mischievous. "And there might be more where that kiss came from."
"Um, with Ranma around?"
"Like I care about what you two do at night," Ranma said, as he covered Molly's ears.
"Great-grandfather!" Keiko said with a blush.
"Heh," Ranma said, as he lets go of Molly, so that she could be put to bed.
"Say goodnight, Molly," Keiko said, as she picks up her daughter.
"'Night, Pappy!" Molly said, as she looked at Ranma.
"'Night, kiddo," Ranma said, as he stands up.
"I'll be back shortly," Keiko said, as she takes Molly to Molly's bedroom…
"You know, Miles, experiencing all this that reminds me of the price you and I paid to create a sense of paradise within the Federation," Ranma said with a sigh. "I just hope that Keiko and Molly will never know what we did in order to create that paradise…"
"You're being too hard on yourself, sir," Miles said, as he finishes clearing the table, and putting away the dishes for cleaning. "Brandy or wine?"
"What kind of wine?"
"Rice and plum. The replicators haven't gotten the full menu items in yet…"
"Sake, will do."
"Right," Miles said, as he prepares his order. "Anyway, we have done good, and that which was necessary in order to achieve peace."
"Well, word on the street is that ever since the Bajoran wormhole was discovered, the Cardassian Union has been looking for a way to influence the situation."
"You don't think they would try to retake the station, right?" Miles said, as he gives a cup of sake to his long time friend.
"Right now, no, because their resources are already stretched thin, and the fact that the Cardassians are in the middle of some tough negotiations concerning a permanent border between us and THEM. No, right now, everything is in a holding pattern."
"Well, until things change, let's drink to the future," Miles said, as he raised his own glass of wine towards Ranma. "The life, to hope and to happiness."
"And to health," Ranma said, as he and Miles tapped their respective glasses together in a toast. Upon drinking their respective beverages, Miles set down his glass upon seeing Keiko seeing him drink.
"Miles, I thought we agreed to not drink alcoholic beverages when you are home," Keiko said.
"You know that synthohol is technically non-alcoholic, Keiko," Miles said.
"Keiko, I requested the drink," Ranma said. "I apologize for corrupting your husband."
"Oh, great-grandfather," Keiko said, as she shook her head. "You can be SO incorrigible."
"I know," Ranma said with a grin. "And don't worry; I know that you are being totally holistic and all, so I promise not to get Miles into trouble."
"Okay, but I am holding you to your promise, great-grandfather," Keiko said. She then turned towards Miles. "I'll get the bedroom ready while you and great-grandfather do your 'guy' thing."
"Okay," Miles said with a quick nod.
Keiko takes one last look at her husband and then at Ranma, before heading into the master bedroom.
"I think I am in trouble," Miles said. "But thanks for the save."
"Any time, Miles," Ranma said. "You know, I wouldn't worry about Keiko."
"No?"
"No. I remember my first wife…Akane."
"Do you mean the legendary Admiral Akane Tendo?" Miles asked. "You were married to her?"
"Yep," Ranma replied wistfully. "I'm surprised you didn't know that."
"Well, her exploits were two hundred years old," Miles replied. The only thing I know about her was that she was part of the group that made 'first contact' with the Vulcans, and was instrumental in getting humanity back into space. But I also know that her last days were sketchy, since there was no way that she could have been active from the days of first contact to the founding of the Federation. Up until I had gotten to know you better from our Enterprise-D days, I just assumed that there were others who went by the name 'Akane Tendo'."
"Well, Akane was like me: a high-powered martial artist who perfected her chi to the point of not aging as normal as other people," Ranma said.
"She's that good?"
"Yep."
"As good as you?"
"Ha! No, but she was good enough to be a respectfully fighter…"
Pause.
"But I guess that she had gotten serious enough to become self-disciplined," Ranma replied. "Back when I first met her, Akane was stubborn, abusive and wouldn't take no for an answer. But…she had heart, and it was because of that aspect of her personality that I…well…"
"You fell in love, huh?" Miles said with a grin.
"I wouldn't put it like that, but…yeah, I did…"
Pause.
"And I do miss her sometimes…"
"You seem happy to me, though."
"Yeah, well, I've long since moved on."
"Apparently, since I hear you have an alien woman living with you on the Enterprise-D," Miles replied.
"Hey, one, Lianna is not just some 'alien woman'; she is a member of a near-immortal race who job is to protect the Universe from the denizens of the Anti-verse, and, two, she is my 'boss'."
"And you're sleeping with her."
"You know, I think I know when I am not wanted," Ranma said. "Tell Keiko I'll see her tomorrow, when I give my presentation from a segment on the History of Federation tomorrow-"
Just then, Molly enters the living room from her bedroom.
"Daddy!" Molly said. "Pappy!"
"What is it, Molly?" Miles said, as he goes over to his daughter. Meanwhile, Ranma senses something off in the immediate area…
"Molly?" Keiko said, as she entered the living room, having been eaves dropping on Pappy's conversation with Miles. "What is it?"
"There's a man in my room!" Molly said, as she clutched her parents.
"This isn't a nightmare?" Miles asked. "No monster in the bed?"
"No, there really IS a man in my room, Daddy! He told me he wants me to go with him!"
Keiko turns to her husband in concern.
"I'll check it out," Miles said, as he hands Molly over to Keiko. "It's probably nothing-"
Suddenly, the bell to the suite rings.
"Odd," Keiko said. "We weren't expecting anyone tonight."
"No," Ranma said, as he focused his thoughts, as he slowly walks up to the front door. "This is impossible…"
Ranma activates the sliding mechanism, revealing a ghost from the past…
"THERE you are," Akane Tendo said, as she crossed her arms. She appeared to be dressed in a typical Japanese high school outfit.
"I bet you're responsible for me being in a place like this, you jerk!"
"Then he must be the one to speak to," said a dwarf, as he stepped out of Molly's room. He was dressed in medieval garb.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Miles asked, as he motions his wife and daughter away. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he would be damned if he let someone harm his family.
"Who do you THINK I am, Miles O'Brien?" the dwarf said in a Celtic lilt. "I mean, you've been reading stories about the little man who spins straw into gold to your child for quite a while now."
"…"
All throughout the station, figures from within the minds of various crewmates and station personnel appeared, prompting an immediate response…
"So, this is the guy who ends up marrying my Usagi," said Tuxedo Mask, as he eyes Ranma.
"So?" Ranma replied, as he continued his work at his station on Ops. He and some of the others were working on solving the mystery as to why all these figures appeared. It was thought that the Bajoran Wormhole might have something to do about this mysterious phenomenon…
"You weren't around, so I moved on it-"
WHACK!
"Ow," Ranma replied, as he removed Mallet-sama from his head. He then turned towards the source of the irritation.
"What the hell was that for?" Ranma asked Akane.
"You were acting like a jerk, that's what," Akane said, as she returned her attention back to the other source of her irritation.
"So, you're with Ranma," Akane said in a terse manner.
"Yes, I am," Usagi replied. Due to the nature of the situation, Commander Sisko allowed her to assume her duties, thanks to her considerable experience in strange phenomenon.
"And how long have you and that jerk been together?"
"Married or otherwise?"
"You slept with this guy before you got married?" Tuxedo Mask said in a shocked manner.
"Mamoru, I slept with Ranma after my first husband died," Usagi replied. "Afterwards, I felt that it didn't matter, since my children at the time were grown and gone, and I was a lonely widow; same with Ranma. And long after that, after we both lived our own lives, we finally had gotten married…"
Pause.
"It's not a big deal, you know."
"NOT a big deal?" Akane said. She then turned towards Ranma.
"So, who was YOUR first wife? Some floozy?"
"You know, I think I know what's going on," Ranma said. He then turned towards Commander Sisko, who was talking to his idol, Mid-21st century Kings Pitcher Buck Bokai.
"Commander, I think I know what's going on."
"Oh?" Sisko asked.
"What did you find, Ranma?" asked Jadzia Dax, as her doppelganger was flaunting herself onto a blushing Doctor Bashir.
"It would be possible that all these people are illusions. However, in order for all of us to see each others' illusions, it would take a massive power source to pull it off."
"That would mean that there has to be an intelligent mind behind this," said Kira, who was standing next to her mother Meru.
"Right. We haven't detected the power source because there isn't one."
"What do you mean?" Miles asked.
Ranma turns towards Meru.
"I know the Kira family very well, including Kira Meru, from my days when I first visited Bajor. And yet, you haven't reacted to my presence at all."
"That's right," Kira said, as she turned towards "Meru". "Before my mother died, she gave Ranma a message to give to me."
"I...well," Meru said, as she looked away.
"And Akane," Ranma said, as he turned towards Akane, who now seemed nervous. "You act like the Akane I know and love, but you are not the Akane that died in my arms. You're my Akane."
"But I am every bit as her as I can be," Akane replied, before realizing her mistake. "Oops."
"Of course you can," Ranma said. "But you only 'copied' my idealized version of my first…love."
"Of course," Usagi said, as she slapped herself on the forehead. "When I was mad at Ranma for being mean to me, I was thinking about Mamoru."
"Um, well," Tuxedo Mask said.
"Okay, who are you all?" Sisko said, as he stepped back to eye the strangers. He then turned towards Buck. "Well?"
"We apologize for this intrusion," Buck said. "Like you, we are explorers. However, in order for us to get to know a species, we feel that using your imaginations to assume corporeal form is the way forward."
"So, you are energy beings?" Dr. Bashir asked.
"In a manner of speaking," said Tuxedo Mask.
"You could have just asked, instead of scaring children," Miles said with annoyance.
"No harm was intended," said the dwarf known as Rumpelstiltskin. "We just wanted to get to know you all."
"And the verdict?" Kira asked.
"You are a young species, but a promising one," Akane said, as she turned towards Ranma. "These people are lucky to have you here, Ranma Saotome."
"Thanks, I think…"
"Well, we're done here," Buck said. He then turned towards Sisko.
"Take care of yourself, Ben."
And, with that, all the doppelgangers disappeared.
"Depressing," Odo said with a sigh. "And here I thought MY version of Quark was the real one…"
Odo was referring to the fact that there was a second Ferengi named Quark, this one locked away in a holding cell.
"Yeah," Usagi said, as she picked up a red rose from where Tuxedo Mask once stood. "Don't we all…"
Tbc.