TRTSS5: Spatial Loss! - DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 26
Meanwhile…
"Hey, Usagi," Ranma says, as he walks into the galley.
Usagi looks up from munching on her popcorn.
"Hmmm?"
"Usagi, do you have a…sense of déjà vu or something?"
Usagi swallows.
"You know, I thought I was going through one my 'quiet' moments again, but now that you mention it…I think I've been having a weird déjà vu myself."
Ranma sighs. In mage lexicon, a mystic who goes into a state of 'quiet' borders on the verge of insanity. This condition is also known as the 'Don Quixote Complex', named after the legendary figure that fought a windmill while thinking it was a dragon. And there are ten known levels of quiet, and Usagi has the milder form of the condition. Beyond the tenth level of quiet, there is the madness of the Marauders. Marauders, known as "the Mad Ones" were a loose fraternity of mystics and hyper-scientists who seek to bring universal chaos with their reality warping insanity. The Marauders are less annoying than the reality-destroying Nephandi, but no less dangerous. Nevertheless, Ranma has to make sure that Usagi takes a prescription from the mystically inclined physician Dr. Bombay at least once a month, due to the fact that Usagi's various transformations and evolutions have put a strain on her mind over the years…
"Well, I'm SURE it's just déjà vu-" Ranma began to say.
"Ranma, Usagi?" Maureen says, as she enters the galley.
Ranma and Usagi turn to face the matriarch of the Robinson family.
"What's up?"
"Have Will and Penny got back yet?" Maureen asked. "It's almost lunch time."
"That's odd," Ranma says. "He and the others should have returned by now."
"Oh, I DO hoped they didn't get in trouble."
"If they were trouble, then they would have radioed back for help," Usagi says.
"Unless something is stopping them," Ranma says, as he begins to leave. "Maureen, Usagi and I will be right back. Appraise Don of our situation."
"Do be careful," Maureen says, as she looks on.
"Hey, if life was 'careful', we couldn't have our latest 'What-has-Doctor-Smith-done-THIS-time?' adventures, now would we?" Usagi says with a wink.
"I would wish you wouldn't say things like that…"
Meanwhile…
"So, it looks like I'm ALL set," says Counselor Dax, as she sat down in Dr. Roger's office.
"What are you yammering about?" Amanda says with annoyance, as she performed research on one of her present medical cases.
"Well, you know how Usagi likes to greet me in her own special way?"
"I can I forget?" Amanda says tersely. "The last time she made her arrival, she beamed herself into your lap…during your evaluation from the Federation Association of Psychology and Physiology here at the station."
"Well, THIS time I'm ready. I got Quark on look out, I got Wesley monitoring sub-space for ANY variance in the space-time continuum, and Commander Zelda, whom you know as Usagi's "First Officer", has kept me apprise of Usagi's activities at all cost. The moment Usagi will make her move, I'll be ready."
"Oh, really?" says a disembodied voice.
"Wait," Amanda says. "That sounds like Usagi's voice."
"Impossible," Dax says, as she looks about the room wildly. "I was SURE that every eventuality was taken into account-"
SLLLLUUUURRRRRP!
Dax's clothes suddenly dissolve and form into a familiar body.
"Hey, Dax," Usagi says as she snuggled her old friend. "Miss me?"
"Hey, Usagi," Dax says with an exasperated look.
"How did you get here?" Amanda asked. After all these years of knowing Usagi, she has long since given up acting incredulous over Usagi's antics…
"I was here a few days early—after placing a holographic emitter in my place, and disguised myself as Dax's clothes-"
SHOOMP!
"Dr. Rogers," Kira says, as she enters the Sick Bay, "I need you to perform a full medical examination on some recent arrivals-"
Kira stops in mid-sentence, upon seeing a nude Usagi and an equally nude Dax.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Kira asked.
"No, Usagi was just saying hello…in typical fashion," Amanda says with a smirk.
"Captain, I can explain-" Dax says,as she begins to protest.
"Never mind," Kira replied. "Just get dressed, so I can use your and Dr. Rogers expertise-"
Kira frowns a bit, as she turns to look at Usagi.
"Are you…purring?"
"I'm just so happy to see Dax again," Usagi replied. "I can be like this ALL day."
"I hope not," Dax replied.
A few minutes later…
"So you're sure that the Enterprise-E had nothing to do with the arrival of these people?" Kira asked.
"No," Usagi says, as she observed the actions of these strangers from another room, while Dax interviewed them. "All systems were clear before and during the trip here."
"Captain," Kiimi says, as she entered the room. "I was able to make a call Starfleet's resources to help in identifying these people-"
"And?"
"Well, the records in the late 20th century, after the Eugenics War, are sketchy, but we have a match."
Kiimi patches the acquired information onto a wall screen. A graphic of the symbol of the Jupiter Mission is displayed.
"In 1997, a top secret project, 'Project: Jupiter', was launch to begin preparations for full colonization efforts."
"Why top secret?" Kira asked.
"Information was sketchy, but the years following the Eugenics War were volatile. There was sporadic fighting amongst several paramilitary groups, as well as amongst small nations, in the years since that war. Most likely it was a competitive motive that was at play."
"Okay…"
"As for the identities of these people, I believe, well…"
"Spit it out, Kiimi."
"The boy's name is William Robinson, who was essentially in robotic technology during Earth's first 'Robotech War'. More than that, he is the ancestor of Queen R'maind'r IV of Tamaran. His older sister, Penny Robinson, is a trained zoologist, but her military career would take precedence."
"Meaning?"
"She would become a key component to the end of Zentraedi's 'Malcontent Uprising' in 2015 CE, on Earth."
"I'm not familiar with this…uprising," Usagi says.
"Long story short, giant non-humans attack Earth, Earth defeats attackers, prejudice spikes between the races, rebellion ensues…and rebellion is squashed."
"Oh."
"Miss Robinson would be one of the highest, decorated officers during that war."
"Are you sure?" Usagi asked. "She seems so…nice."
"War tends to change people," Kiimi says.
"Tell me about it," Kira says. "And the older male?"
"I couldn't find ANY record of this…Dr. Smith," Kiimi says. "Then again, the records were sketchy at best."
"And the…robot and monkey?"
"According to Wesley, the robot is a primitive environmental robot, while the simian is of an unknown type."
"Interesting…"
"Hey, guys, it looks like Dax is done interviewing the group," Usagi says.
"Good, maybe we can know WHY they happen to be HERE," Kira says.
A minute later…
"Well, from what I can gather, I believe that they are telling the truth," Dax says.
"Okay, about what?"
"According to William, they were searching for mineral samples on this planet named 'Priplanus', when they came upon a Tauron trans-matter device."
"Tauron…you know, if I recall, transporter technology was based on non-human technology," Usagi says.
"How would you know?" Kira asked.
"I happen to have an Engineering Certificate, Kira. As such, I'm supposed to know these things."
"…"
"You CAN find my paper on 'molecular cohesion' you know."
"Find. Dax, what else?"
"Through some mishap, they activated the machine, and somehow made it here."
"Wait, but if they are originally from the 20th century, how could they end up here?" Kiimi asked.
"Wait, I got it," Usagi says. "Ranma told me about how an old friend of ours was able to store his pattern within a beaming stream that continually cycled. That's how he was able to survive eighty years of being stuck on this Dyson Sphere."
"I think Usagi could be right," Dax says, having accessed her past memories. "The physically laws of the Universe still apply. It could be conceivable that their energy patterns managed to travel across the vastness of space over a course of nearly four hundred years. For them, no time would past."
"But why here?" Kira asked.
"Either by coincidence, or because of the proximity of the Bajoran wormhole."
"Alright. Anything else?"
"Yes," Dax says, as she turns to face Usagi. "You and Ranma were specifically mentioned by name."
"Me?" Usagi says.
"Yes, especially the one called 'Smith'. He went on to tell me about you being his jailer."
"Usagi, is there something that you need to tell us?" Kira asked.
"No. In fact, I don't know ANY of those people."
"Then we better get in contact with Admiral Saotome then," Kira says. "He was going to stop by here for a routine meeting, but, in light of this, I think he should be here sooner."
"Right," Usagi says, as she stares at the view screen. "Why and how would they know me and Ranma…?"
Tbc.