The Ranma Trek Life & Times! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "Ranma ½", "Sailor Moon", "Star Trek" and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 52: "2008" (Act 22).
Meanwhile…
"Lepus to Orion," Sheppard said into his headset, as he piloted the so-called "puddle jumper" into the atmosphere of the ancient world of Kobol. "We're beginning our descent."
"Lepus" was the name of a rabbit that Orion the Hunter had caught.
"Sheppard, we read you loud and clear," Carter says, as she sat in the command deck. As much as she wanted to go down to the planet surface, standard protocol indicated that the most senior officer must allow for a complete inspection of any landing site
"Affirmative, Colonel," Sheppard says.
"So, what's the mission?" Dex asks.
"Simple," McKay begins. "We ascertain the status the Stargate in this…tomb Saotome keeps referring to-"
"'Tomb of Athena'," Ranma says.
"It's a tomb, right?"
"Just making sure YOU knew that."
"Anyway," McKay says, as he rolls his eyes. "We check out the 'Gate, and secure it."
"Do you think we'll run into a heavy opposition, Ranma?" Tayla asks.
"Last time I was here, a Cylon centurion detachment was waiting for us," Ranma says. "And we ran into a number of traps to boot, so we should be careful."
"Well, it sounds like we are going to have GOOD time," Sheppard says sarcastically.
"Look at it this way, John," Ranma says, as he plots the vector for their craft. "At least your insurance policies have been paid up."
"Oh, joy."
Meanwhile…
Usagi hugged her children tightly, as if she was afraid that if she lets go, she'd lose them forever. However, her senses immediately rang a familiar alarm….
SSSSSSSSSSSSS…
Usagi looks up, and scans the area. This did not go unnoticed.
"Mom?" Naruko says. "Is everything okay?"
"Of course, my son. I just…remembered something."
"Mommy?" Renata asks.
"It'll be okay. Besides, some of you have to get cleaned up. Phew!"
"Aw, I don't smell that bad!" Naruko says, as she sniffed her underarms. "Ugh, never mind!"
"Oh, and Natsume? Karumi? Congratulations on your match."
"Thank you, Usagi-mama," Natsume says with a nod.
"'Usagi-mama'?" Usagi asked.
"Oh, it's just what we call are other moms," Karumi says with a bubbly smile.
Usagi looked perplexed, and then turns to Akane.
"Don't look at me," Akane says. "Blame the jerk here."
"Hey, what did I do?" Ranma says.
"Oh nothing…if you call having an entire FAMILY with Ryouga 'nothing'!"
"Oh, god," Ryouko says, as she wanted to cover her face in embarrassment.
"Ranma, what does Akane mean by that?" Usagi asks.
"I…I learned that Naru is really me, and you know that about her and Ryouga-"
"Wait a second," Naruko says. "I'm confused!"
"I get it!" Renata says. "Beryl and Ryouko…are our sisters!"
Renata runs over to Ryouko.
"Oh, what a joyful day this is!" Renata says, as she squeezed Ryouko tightly. "I have another sister!"
"Er, yeah," replies Ryouko.
Akane narrowed her eyes, as she turns to look Ranma.
"Ranma…"
"Er, um, Akane," Ranma says, as he backed away slowly. He practically felt the menace emanating from his wife Akane.
"No, Akane, it's my fault," Usagi says.
"You?"
"Yes, me. And I'll explain later, because I need to see someone."
And with that, Usagi turns to leave.
"Momma…?" Renata says.
"Usagi-?" Ranma began.
"Later!"
And with that, Usagi was gone.
Naruko sees that her sister Renata was about to cry.
"Aw, don't worry about it," Naruko says. "It'll be okay."
Renata looks up.
"Really?" Renata asked, as she sniffs.
"Really."
Ranma was tempted to follow Usagi, but decided to respect her wishes-
"Ranma?"
Ranma turns to face Akane.
"Yes?"
"You want to go after her?"
"Naw," Ranma says, as he gathered his family around him. "Besides, we have to properly celebrate on you guys' victories in the preliminaries. Right?"
"Right!" Naruko says with enthusiasm.
"Mom?"
Ranma turns to Ryouko.
"Yes?"
"Am…am I invited as well?"
"Of course you are. We're family, right?"
Ryouko nods her head in appreciation for Ranma's assurance.
Meanwhile, Usagi goes behind the back-stage area of the Tokyo Dome. Spare equipment and similar items was strewn all about the place.
'Blast, where is that man?' Usagi thought to herself. 'I sensed him nearby-'
"Hello, my former student," says a deep and dark voice.
Usagi sighs, as she turns around to see-
"Akuma-sensei," Usagi says, as she bows her head slightly.
The dark master of Shotokan karate bows in reply.
"Am I speaking to 'Lune' or to her sickeningly sweet counterpart 'Bunny'?"
"Both," Usagi says. "It's been a while since you last interacted with my 'Lune' persona, but I am…complete now."
"How sad," Akuma says. "I had high hopes for you…"
Suddenly, Akuma attacked Usagi, with directed force and power that only a martial arts master of Akuma type could muster. Usagi used her palms to intercept the punches and kicks. Usagi then countered by taking a hold of one of Akuma's fists, and-
"Lunar Upper Cut!"
The attack was a modification of the "Dragon Upper Cut". It starts as a "Jump Upper Cut", but follow through with a chi-charged vertical crescent reverse kick that inflicts damage similar to a Dragon Upper Cut…while flipping over. However, instead of a flaming vertical upper cut, the "Lunar Upper Cut" produces a flaming kick. To the untrained eye, a crescent is seemingly formed from the after-effects of the attack. At any rate, upon impact, Akuma was engulfed in blue flames, but recovered enough to land on his feet. Usagi lands in a crouch, and then stands ready for more action.
"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Usagi says, as she stood ready for battle. She was ready for a "Demon Hell-Fire" attack, when Akuma burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What's so funny, Akuma-sensei?"
"I am proud that you have not forgotten the lessons I have taught," Akuma says as he relaxed. "When I had sensed your disappearance, I feared that everything that I have passed on to you was lost. Out of all my former students over the years, you have accepted my methodology without question."
"Thank my husband Ranma for being…open-minded about the use of martial arts," Usagi says. "Even as 'Lune', Ranma's influence has been…significant."
Usagi was referring to the time the time that Ranma had been "Mara Jade" of the Mirror-verse, and it was in that role that Ranma kept 'Darth Lune' somewhat sane. Lune would have been content to remain in the Mirror-verse, had HER Ranma not been killed by that Universe's Yuuzhan Vong. In a fit of grief, Lune left her paradise, in order to make her "good" counterpart as miserable as she was…but not without leaving behind a retro-virus that turned every female into her own clone. That is why the Mirror-verse's version of the Tendo sisters have been seeking Usagi out…in order to bring the former Sith Lord to justice. At any rate, Lune hooked up with Akuma as a means of preparing herself for her confrontation with 'Bunny'. In the end, Lune and Bunny met, fought, compromised and merged together as ONE.
"Then I should meet this…Ranma," Akuma says.
Usagi's eyes flashed with red.
"Don't you DARE!" Usagi yells. "He's…the only one in my life that keeps me from embracing Oblivion!"
"Humph," Akuma says, as he turns to leave. "I KNOW. And I'm sure that your enemies know this as well."
And, with that, Akuma fades from view.
"Do not let this 'Ranma' become your weakness, my student. You are MUCH stronger than that…"
Usagi sighs, as she straightens herself.
"Oh, darn!" Usagi says with disgust. "Now my kimono is torn!"
Meanwhile…
"Miss?"
Sally Sparrow looks up at the old woman. She had lost her best friend Catherine, and had lost a potential new friend in the form of the London Police's Detective Inspector Billy Shipton…after so-called "angels" got a hold of him. Something was odd, and she needed to know what this "Doctor" wanted him to do…
FLASHBACK!
At "Nightingale's", Sally, still upset over the possibility that her best friend Cathy had indeed gone into the past and lived out her life, ran into Cathy's brother Larry at his shop. Larry ran a video shop that specializes in rare video feeds, particularly DVDs. One such feed sparked his curiosity…
"Don't BLINK!" the man in the video says. "Don't blink, don't even turn your head, because the minute you do…you're DEAD. They already gotten Ranma and Usagi, and they are coming for the rest of us-"
"Do you know who that guy is?" Sally asks, as Larry stops the video.
"Let's see," Larry says, as he takes a look at his notes. "He's…the Doctor."
"Of what?"
"That's just it. He's the Doctor…and this is after piecing these seventeen 'Easter eggs' from 17 different videos."
"Easter eggs" were hidden video clips that typically had nothing to do with the main video. And then there's the Yale key that was found in the hand of what Sally had thought was an ordinary statue…
"Very odd."
"What's even odder was that he was insisting that the viewer finds someone claiming to be the Moon Princess. So, I looked up the information on 'Google', and came up with thousands of references, mostly fictional."
"I see…"
"I'll continue searching for more clues, from these vids," Larry says, as he gathers his notes.
"And I'll talk to the police, just in case there is a pattern to all this madness," Sally says before leaving the shop. She should have known that she was being followed by the Weeping Angels. If she did, Sally would not have gone to the police, and Police DI Billy Shipton would not have been "killed"…like her Cathy…
END FLASHBACK!
Now, Sally found herself in front of the Rantsu House, waiting for two people, and one of them has arrived.
"Oh, hi there," Sally says, as she stood up from the curb. "How are you?"
"I am fine, thank you," the old woman says.
"Sally!"
The old woman and Sally turn to see Larry running up.
"Larry, what's wrong?"
"People…have been asking questions about-"
Just then, a black sedan drives up.
"That's their car!" Larry yells.
The engine's motor shuts off. Sally expected to see these "spooks" pop up and take them all away. Instead, two women get out of the car.
"Rose, why did you let my house go to hell?" Cassandra asks, as she tied back her luscious locks of hair into a ponytail.
"Because, DAD, this place had been compromised by 'angels'," Rose says.
"Wait," Sally says. "You KNOW what's going on?"
Rose was about to respond, when she sees the old woman.
"Mum?" Rose says, as she goes up to the old woman. "Mum…is that you?"
Cassandra looks over towards the old woman.
"Jackie?"
Jackie looked at the young woman.
"Do I know you, Miss?"
"Of course you do! I'm your daughter…Rose!"
Cassandra goes over to Jackie with an examiner's eye.
"Yep," Cassandra says.
"What's going on?" Sally asks.
"Her entire lifetime was stolen from her," Cassandra says. "The Weeping Angels are the perfect assassins, since the victim is randomly deposited in the past."
"Where did they come from?" Larry asks.
"No one knows, but luckily, they are rare."
"If…those things are alive, then why do they appear like statues?" Sally asks.
"They exist in a constant state of quantum flux, which makes them fast. However, so fast they are that they need to be in the line of sight of their victim in order to act. As a result, they need to either be 'ON' or 'OFF'…no in between."
"Then, what's this thing about blinking, and why cover their eyes?"
"When they attack, they need to be absolutely sure of their target. And since they work in 'packs', they don't want to risk taking their buddies out."
"You seem to know a lot about them," Rose says. "And why is Mum alive still?"
"I know about these so-called 'Lonely Assassins' because they've been enemies of anyone who possesses 'super-speed'."
"Like that Flash bloke in America?" Larry replies.
"Yeah, that 'Flash bloke'. And Jackie is immortal, and stealing an immortal's lifetime is a tricky thing to do. It's still there.
"Oh. It's like draining a spring that is constantly replenishing itself."
"Good for you," Cassandra says, as she reached into her pocket and pulls out a bag of-
"Care for a 'Jelly Belly'?"
"Knock it of," Rose says. "What about Mum?"
"The only way I can help her is with the help of the Doctor," Cassandra says.
"That's what this key is for," Sally says, as she shows the key to the TARDIS. "It glows around this Blue Police Box."
"Then that means that the TARDIS is here…and so are the Weeping Angels. Man, does that sound like a cool name for a metal band."
"So, what are we going to do?"
"No doubt the angels are waiting for you to come with that key. But they neglected one small detail."
"And what's that?"
"Me."
Rose rolls her eyes.
"So, what are you saying?" Larry asks. "You—and the rest of us—are going to take on a bunch of creatures that move faster than the blink of an eye?"
"Yep."
"But the Doctor said that they have already 'taken out' two people: Ranma and Usagi…whoever they are."
"Most likely by surprise. Well, I can help Usagi here…"
Cassandra motions towards Jackie.
"But I wonder what happened to 'Ranma'."
"You're Ranma," Rose says.
"The other Ranma. But the strange thing is that I would have felt THAT Ranma die if he did die. I wonder what happened to him…
1990 CE.
Ranma Saotome was fast approaching his death, thanks to the attack inflicted upon him by the Weeping Angels. His potential life was drained, rendering him mortal…and practically ancient.
Usagi wept, as her husband was slowly fading away.
"No, I shall NOT leave you to die, my husband," Usagi says. "With the last bit of my strength, I shall make you reborn, but in a way so that Weeping Angels do not come after you…"
FLASH!
Satisfied with her work, she picked up the baby girl.
"I'll make sure that you have a proper home…"
She knew that she used the last of her energies, and that the ravages of time were fast approaching…
END FLASHBACK!
"So, what are we waiting for?" Cassandra we have people to rescue.
"Come on, Mum," Rose says.
"Where are we going?" Jackie says.
"We're getting you help."
"Well, I always wanted excitement," Larry says.
"You're the one who wanted to get involved," Sally says, as she followed her companions into the house.
Although they would be successful in their endeavors, there was something bothering Sally about the way this…temporal paradox is coming about…
A year later…"Sally, we have to move on," Larry says. He was trying to understand Sally's obsession with the Doctor, but still…
"Look, I have to get your notes to the Doctor," Sally says. "But thanks to what had happened this past year with this 'Saxon Affair', it's proven to be difficult to locate anyone."
"What about US?"
"What about?"
Just then, Sally sees the Doctor, who was running around with a black woman, and two Asians (though one was a blond).
"Doctor!" Sally says, as she ran out the door.
The Doctor and his companions turned around to see Sally.
"Do I know you?" the Doctor says.
"No…not yet." Sally says, as she stuck out her hand. "Hi, my name is Sally…Sally Sparrow."
The Doctor looks at Sally, and then at Ranma.
"She's one of yours?"
Usagi gets close to her husband.
"Ranma?"
"Why is it that when some girl comes around, I had something to do with it?" Ranma says under protest.
"Because more times than not it's true?" Martha says flatly.
"But I…am suppose to come with you and help you. I KNOW it."
The Doctor thinks for a moment.
"Ranma, Miss Sparrow is yours to look after. Let's go."
Sally nods her head, and runs back to Larry. She then hands Larry her keys.
"Take care of things for me," Sally says. "And thanks."
And with that, Sally disappears.
"Sally?" Larry says dumbfounded.
Just then, a light-skinned Black woman with sandy-blond, wavy hair comes up the Larry's shop.
"Excuse me?" the girl says.
Larry turns towards the girl, who strangely reminded him of Sally…
"Yes?"
"You said 'Sally'."
"Yes, I was just calling for my girl friend Sally Sparrow."
"What a coincidence. My grandmother's name was Sally Sparrow."
Then, something dawned on Larry.
"I'll be right back," Larry says, as he rushes back into his shop, and goes over some of his notes he still had left from the Weeping Angels Affair. He then pulls out one particular photograph. Sure enough, it was Sally…married to Billy Shipton, the missing police detective. Larry thought that it was strange that the Sally in the old photograph seemed so similar to HIS Sally. And, thus, she was the other victim of the Weeping Angels that the Doctor might have referred to.
"Of course!" Larry says. "That's what the Doctor meant by time NOT being linear, and that it was circular in a…wobbly way. It is the effect before the cause, and Sally was the last variable needed to put to rest the cause. That's why we couldn't…"
"Is everything okay?" the girl says, as she entered the shop.
Larry sets down the picture.
"It's okay," Larry says. I was…just saying good-bye."
Tbc.
Author's note: Just to clarify, Usagi was responsible for Naru's creation, in order to protect Ranma from the Weeping Angels, who did not exist in linear time. THAT Usagi is the Usagi from a year later…AFTER she had her sparring session with Akuma. And with Jackie restored, and Naru recovered (vis-à-vis knowing that she is Ranma), the temporal paradox has been fulfilled. Does that make any sense? Anyway, we'll take a break from Doctor Who a bit to wrap up the other parallel plot points (i.e. the Cylons, Black Mary Marvel, and Naruto) next time. And THEN we move on to finish this story arc with a two-part Doctor Who tie-in featuring the mysterious "Mr. Saxon", and how he's related to the Time-based entity known as "Wrinkle". See you next time!
