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Sailor Trek: The Next Generation
Chapter 7 - Recovery
The entity looked idly about the nexus, in his own way admiring
the flow of time around him. Still, he was anything but pleased as he
turned to his companion. "I still think I should just send them back
right now," Q said, sounding a bit petulant. The figure next to him
shook her head, stirring her long, green tinged hair.
"That would not be a good idea. Sailor Moon needs time to
adequately recover from her recent ordeal... which you bear some
responsibility for, by the way." Q snorted disbelievingly. "Besides,
they've earned a brief respite with all they've been through the previous
two years."
Q glowered at her and stifled the urge to transform her into a
cartoonish dog. He had tried that once with her before, only to learn
just how powerful she was in this domain. Of course, the fact that she
had other friends within the Q Continuum didn't help matters either. It
had been that incident that had led to his brief existence as a human.
"Very well, Pluto. We'll do it your way."
"Captain's Log, Stardate 45239.8: The Enterprise remains in the
Scout's universe, albeit one hundred years in their future, and has
limped into orbit around the Jovian moon Europa while Commander LaForge
completes repairs to the ship. He estimates that it will be at least one
week before repairs are complete enough for the ship to travel at warp
speeds."
"Counselor's Personal Log, Stardate 45239.9: Beverly has completed
an examination of Serena and has told me that she found that all Borg
implants in her were purged by the Silver Crystal, and that she has
completely recovered... at least physically.
"However, I am afraid that other aspects of her recovery will take
much longer."
"I just don't know what to do," Darien said.
Troi watched the young man pace in her office. Even if he hadn't
had a worried expression on his face, she could have been able to tell
he was troubled, for it was radiating from him like a supernova. It had
nearly been a full day since they had managed to extract Serena from the
Borg ship. At first she had seemed fine, but since then she had become
withdrawn, nearly locking herself in her quarters.
Still, his pacing was starting to get on her nerves, and a
counselor couldn't afford that. "Darien, sit down." After he hesitated
a moment, she added an emphatic "Please!"
He finally took a seat opposite from her. "Sorry. It's just
that..."
Deanna nodded. "I understand. You love her very much."
"Yes," he replied shakily. "She's everything to me."
"And yet, not long ago you broke up with her."
He looked at her sharply. "You know about that?"
"Yes," the counselor affirmed. "I've been talking with both Raye
and Luna. I needed to know about her past if I was going to help her
deal with what she's gone through." She gave him a moment to digest
this information. "Why did you break up with her?"
"Didn't Raye or Luna tell you?"
"Yes," she acknowledged. "But I'd like to hear it from you."
He took a deep breath. "OK. In a nutshell, I was having these
dreams, night after night. They kept telling me that unless I stayed
away from her, Serena would be hurt... maybe even killed."
"And so you broke up with her based on a dream?" Troi asked
skeptically.
He got up and began pacing again, much to her displeasure. "You
don't understand. I couldn't take the chance that she'd die. I'd do
anything to prevent that. Even if it meant losing her."
"Don't you think she feels the same?"
Darien stopped his pacing. "What do you mean?"
She got up and face him. "Think about it, Darien. Over the past
few days, she was captured and assimilated by the Borg. Then she was
forced by Rubeus, through the Borg, to try to destroy this ship, along
with her friends, the other Scouts. Finally she was used by Rubeus to
try to kill you. And given the love the two of you feel for each other,
that has to have a devastating effect on her emotionally."
"But it was Rubeus that was trying to kill me, not..." he objected.
"I know," Troi interrupted him. "And on an intellectual level, so
does she. But it's going to take some time for her to accept that on an
emotional level." She paused for a moment to let him think this over.
"Don't try to force the issue, Darien. When she's ready, she'll come to
you."
The sound of the Ten Forward doors opening attracted Guinan's
attention. This was one of those 'dead hours' in the lounge, in the
middle of the night shift, and it was nearly deserted. The vast majority
of crew not on duty at this hour were in their quarters, sleeping. Of
course, there were those in the crew that swore that she was always on
duty, but that was utter nonsense.
She was simply there when she was needed.
She looked over to see who was entering at this time of night, but
saw no one there. After a moment, the doors closed, as if on their own
accord. She frowned, puzzled by the door's mysterious behavior.
A glimpse of movement along the floor of the darkened lounge caught
her eye. Looking in that direction, she spotted Luna moving towards the
large windows lining the lounge. She nodded to herself, satisfied she
had an explanation for the door opening.
Luna jumped up onto the sill, and sat down, gazing silently at
Europa spinning below the ship. Guinan watched her for several minutes,
then moved over to join her. "Hello, Luna."
The cat started when she spoke. "Oh. Good evening, Guinan."
"Actually, it's very early in the morning."
She looked startled. "Is it? I must have lost track of the
time."
"Being lost in your own thoughts will do that," the bartender
answered. "Can I get you something? Some milk, perhaps?"
"No, thank you." The cat returned her gaze outside, watching
Europa spin slowly five hundred kilometers below them. Jupiter was
just now rising above the horizon. It was a spectacular sight. The Red
Spot was just over the terminator in daylight, and there where hundreds
of storms below giving off lightning on the night side, as well as the
auroras glowing in the upper layers. In short, a sight any astronomer
would die for.
Guinan ignored this and regarded the feline thoughtfully.
"You're worried about Serena."
The cat was silent for a time, but eventually nodded. "Yes. I've
seen her go through a lot in the last two years, but I've never seen her
like this." Luna was silent for a moment. "It's as if she's trying to
distance herself as far from the rest of us as she can."
"In a way, she is," Guinan acknowledged. "Part of her blames
herself for what she did while she was assimilated by the Borg."
Luna snorted. "Ridiculous! She had absolutely no control over
that!"
"You're right. She couldn't control it. And that will be the
hardest thing for her to accept."
Luna sighed. "We had an argument earlier," she admitted. "She
accused me of not understanding what she's gone through, before she
tossed me out of the room. And she's right. Much as I want to, I can't
really understand what she's going through. I don't believe anyone
really can."
"Actually," Guinan observed ruefully, "There is someone who can."
Locutus of Borg walked down the corridor of the Borg ship, then
turned to face the communications monitor. At a mental command the
screen flickered, showing the several of the commanding officers of the
starships confronting the Borg. "Resistance is futile. You will
deactivate your weapons and escort us to sector zero zero one. If you
attempt to intervene... we will destroy you."
"All ships, attack pattern alpha. Commence fire," ordered
commanding officer of the fleet, Admiral Hansen. Locutus idly noted
that he was known to Picard, who considered him a close friend. It
didn't matter one way or another to Locutus. Friendship was irrelevant.
Several starships raced in at maximum impulse and fired off volleys
of phasers and photon torpedoes. Locutus directed the weapons at the
nearest, the USS Melbourne. In a matter of seconds, it's shields were
drained and the forward half of the primary hull had evaporated.
Powerless, the hulk of the once proud starship drifted dead in space,
it's crew dead or trying desperately to escape in lifepods.
Ignoring the dead ship, Locutus turned his attention to the other
ships in the fleet.
And destroyed ship...
...after ship...
...after ship...
"NOO!!"
Picard bolted upright in his bed, sweat streaming down his face.
He glanced around quickly before ascertaining that he was still in his
quarters... still on the Enterprise. "A nightmare." And one about Wolf
359 at that. He hadn't had one of those in quite some time. Still, one
didn't have to be a trained psychologist like Counselor Troi to realize
what had triggered it. Recent events had come a little to close to home
for his taste. Especially when the voice from the collective had echoed
in his mind. He still wasn't sure how that had happened. Was he still
connected in some way to the collective? Could they use that against
him? Or could he turn the tables and use this link against them?
Those were questions for a later time. "Computer," he said, his
voice raspy, "what is the time?"
"Oh four twenty seven hours."
Picard sighed. It was only another hour before it was time for him
to get up. Deciding that he might as well get a head start on the day,
he got out of bed, intending to head for the shower. But first... "Tea,
Earl Grey, Hot."
In another part of the Enterprise, someone else had also just
woken up from a nightmare. Serena sat up in the bed shivering, not from
cold, but from sheer terror. It was several moments before she realized
just where she was and her pulse soon slow down to a more normal pace.
She got out of bed and moved to the window, staring morosely out
into space. The magnificent sight of Jupiter through the window did
nothing to lighten her mood. Indeed, she wasn't really looking at the
large gas giant at all. Instead, her thoughts were firmly rooted in
recent events. 'I should have been able to stop them,' she thought.
'I should have kept them from using the Silver Crystal as a weapon, from
making me try to kill...' The memory overcame her and she began crying
softly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I hate this place."
A few hours later, the door opened and to admit someone into the
room. Mina peered through the darkened room, 'Now, how do you turn on
the lights around here?' After a moment it came to her. "Computer,
lights on." Obediently, the computer turn the room lights to full
illumination. She smiled and mentally congratulated herself on figuring
that out.
"Huh?" Seated by the room window, Serena blinked at the sudden
change in the light level.
Mina smiled and crossed over to her. "Serena, what are you doing
sitting in the dark?"
She shrugged and returned her gaze outside the window. "Nothing.
Just thinking?"
"Are you serious? Come on, girlfriend, this isn't the time for
serious thinking. We just beat Rubeus and the Borg! This is a time to
celebrate. And there's a big, wide starship to do it in out there."
When she didn't reply Mina continued, "Come on, Serena. We're going to
check out that holodeck thing and see what it can really do! Why don't
you come with us?"
Her reply was muffled. "You guys go ahead without me."
"Serena..."
"I said no!" she suddenly shouted, startling Mina with the
vehemence of her reply. "Just go away and leave me alone!!"
For the first time in a long while, Mina found herself at a loss
for words. Finally she just nodded and left the room.
The others met Mina outside. "Any luck?" Lita asked. Mina shook
her head in response.
They were silent for a moment. Finally Amy said, "I don't like
this. The only time I can remember seeing her this bad was when Darien
was kidnapped by the Negaverse."
"You got that right," Raye murmured absently. Then in a louder
tone, "Why don't you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."
"Where are you going?" Mina inquired.
"To talk to Deanna. Maybe she can give us some advice about how
to handle Serena." With that Raye headed down the corridor.
"Come on you two," Lita urged. She started for the turbolift.
"I don't know about you, but I've got a sudden craving to bust something
up."
"Like what?" Mina asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we'll just run that Borg scenario, but this
time put Rubeus' face on all the Borg."
The three girls continued the rest of the way in silence, only
pausing long enough for the doors to the holodeck to open sufficiently.
They all stopped shortly after entering. They had expected to see the
normal grid associated with a deactivated holodeck. But this scene was
vastly different, telling them that the area was in use.
The three girls looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"
Lita asked. The scene before them was of a swampland and the air had a
humid feel, with a low mist hanging. "I thought we had the holodeck
reserved!"
A look of consternation crossed Mina's face. "Ooops..."
Lita turned to the blonde. "Mina, don't tell me you forgot?!?"
"Er... Um..." she stammered. "Sorry..."
"I'm sure there are other holodecks we could use," Amy suggested.
"After all, it is still early in the day."
"Yeah, you're right, Amy," Lita acquiesced, though she still
sounded annoyed.
Before any of them could move or call for the exit, a loud cry
echoed through the area and a large form burst from the nearby bushes.
It plowed right into Mina and Amy, knocking the two of them into a
nearby pond.
Lita instinctively readied herself as the creature charged at her.
The tall girl deftly blocked it's attack, and she retaliated quickly,
striking two quick blows to it's head before dealing it a sharp spin
kick. The creature fell to the ground and didn't move. She was just
starting to relax when a sound from behind her caused her to spin around.
Worf stood there with Darien beside him, each holding a large curved
weapon and looking as if they had been fighting creatures of this type
for some time. "What are you doing here?" the Klingon demanded.
"Sorry," Lita said. "We didn't know the holodeck was in use."
"You should have checked the indicators before you entered," Worf
said in an accusing tone.
"Well, excuse us!" Mina groused as she and Amy tried futilely to
wring their clothes out. "What kind of program do you call this anyway?"
"According to Worf, this is his idea of morning calisthenics,"
Darien answered her.
"Calisthenics?!?" Amy said in a shocked voice. Mina stared at
the security chief while Lita began looking around the room thoughtfully.
Worf's ever present frowned deepened. He had known he was going to
regret doing Deanna a favor and inviting Darien to join him this morning.
Very few humans could appreciate a Klingon exercise program. Before he
could say anything though Lita spoke up, "I don't know. I kinda like
it."
Worf instantly regarded the tall girl in a new light. If he didn't
know better, he'd have said she had some Klingon blood in her.
Deanna was looking over her schedule when the door chime sounded.
*Come in, Raye.*
In answer to her silent call, the door opened to admit the raven
haired Sailor Scout. "How did you know..." Her voice trailed off as
Troi looked up at her. "Never mind. I can guess how."
Deanna smiled. "What's on your mind, Raye?"
"Serena."
"I had a feeling you wanted to talk about that," the counselor
replied, her smile fading. "Have a seat." As Raye was doing so she
continued, "I had a similar conversation with Darien last night.
Afterwards I had an impromptu session with Serena."
"And?"
"She's erected a rather formidable emotional wall around herself.
She feels a great sense of guilt over what she was forced to do by the
Collective."
"That sounds like the meatballhead," Raye muttered. "Feeling
guilty over what she couldn't control."
"Yes, but it's understandable," Troi replied. "She loves Darien
intensely, and she feels similarly about the rest of the Sailor Scouts...
and especially about you, Raye."
"Give me a break, Deanna!" she retorted. "All we ever do is fight
with each other!"
"Raye, after talking to both of you, I've found you to be the
closest thing to sisters without being blood relatives," Deanna said
gently.
"The only thing that matters right now is trying to get her of this
shell she's put herself in," Raye replied, trying to avoid the issue.
"Any ideas?"
"I've got a couple," she answered. "First and foremost I think we
should get her to talk with Captain Picard."
"Huh? Why?"
"About a year ago, he went through a similar experience," Troi
explained. "He was captured by the Borg, and assimilated into the
collective. Eventually we were able to recover him..." She paused.
"But not before the Borg used him to destroy a fleet of Federation
starships."
"Wow." Raye pondered this information. "OK, so when's this gonna
happen?"
"Soon, I hope." Seeing Raye's expression she elaborated, "Captain
Picard is a very private man. He's not one to open up to people...
especially about this."
"I don't care!" Raye exclaimed, suddenly standing up. "If his
talking with Serena is going to help her, then he's going to do it.
I'll go right up to the bridge and convince him myself if I have to!"
Deanna sat back and regarded her thoughtfully. "Perhaps you
should..."
"As far as we can tell, Earth has no idea we're here," Riker said.
Picard nodded as he sat down and looked over the desk at his first
officer. "But the Earth here is in it's late twenty first century, and
hasn't had it's technological development halted by a devastating World
War as ours was. They must have some idea that something went on."
"I don't see how they could miss it," Riker admitted. "There was a
lot of fire being exchanged, not to mention the explosion of Rubeus'
ship. Fortunately their bases on the Moon and Mars were out of position
to effectively witness the battle, so that would leave ground or
satellite based observations. With luck all they caught was a glimpse
of us."
"Well, the best thing for now would be to remain out of sight until
Commander LaForge can get us ready to return home," Picard said. "Earth
or no, the Prime Directive is in full effect here."
"Agreed," Riker replied. "But I still would like to recommend..."
His recommendation was interrupted by the ready room doors opening
and Raye marching in. "I'd like to talk to you, Captain." She fixed a
steely gaze on Riker, "Alone."
Displeasure at this intrusion showed on the captain's face, but all
he said was, "That will be all, Number One." The commander nodded and
left the room. His voice deceptively calm, Picard said, "Now, Miss
Hino, please have a seat and tell me what's on your mind."
"I can answer that in one word: Serena."
Picard's expression shifted to puzzlement. "I don't believe I
understand."
"I think you do. She's just been through hell, and you owe it to
her to help her."
"I see," Picard replied. "I'm sure Counselor Troi will do
everything she can to aide in her recovery, but I..."
"No, *you* owe her," Raye snapped. She leaned over the desk and
leveled a finger at him. "If it wasn't for her, you'd be doing another
tour of duty as Locutus!"
The captain blanched slightly, telling Raye that her remark had hit
home. Still, his voice remained even. "What would you suggest?"
"Talk to her. You went through something similar. You should be
able to help her get through this."
"Very well, Miss Hino. I'll speak with her later this afternoon..."
"*Now,*" Raye insisted.
Picard had a feeling that he was being neatly maneuvered. "You're
not going to leave here until I agree, are you?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
They stared determinedly at each other for several moment.
Finally, "Very well, Miss Hino. I will contact Counselor Troi and have
her bring Serena up as soon as possible." Immediately, the door slid
open to admit Deanna and Serena into the ready room. Picard's eyes
flicked from Raye to Troi as he belatedly realized that the two of them
had conspired in this.
Raye shrugged unabashedly. "Thanks, Captain. If you'll excuse me,
I've got an appointment on Holodeck Three." She turned to exit, pausing
to say, "Hi, Serena."
"Hi, Raye," she murmured, not bringing her eyes up to look at her.
Raye looked like she was going to say something else for a moment, but
she simply looked back to Picard, her eyes taking on a pleading look.
Sensing that the only thing she wanted was to help her friend,
Picard's expression softened and he gave a slight nod to her. "Thank
you, Counselor. That will be all." Raye and Deanna left, leaving the
two of them together.
Unsure were to begin, Picard cleared his throat uncomfortably and
walked over to the replicator. "Would you like something to drink?
Tea, perhaps?"
She shrugged, not really caring one way or another. "Sure."
"Tea, Earl Grey, hot. For two." The replicator hummed and the
requested mugs materialized in short order. Picard handed one to Serena,
and motioned her to a seat. "Please, sit down." The blonde girl sat
down, and stared expressionlessly out the window. Picard returned to his
seat and considered her for a moment, trying to determine the best way to
proceed. "As hard as it is to believe, I know what you're going through,
Serena."
She looked sharply at him, showing real emotion for the first time
since she entered. Rage. "Everyone keeps saying that! Well, how could
you? How could anyone?!? I was the one they took over!" Tears welled
up in her eyes, but she continued. "I almost killed the best friends
I've ever had, the man I love! They..."
She stopped her tirade, but Picard picked up where she left off.
"They took all that you are; your powers, abilities and memories." He
paused, memories flooding back of his time as a Borg. "They used you to
kill, to destroy. You fought them as hard as you could, but you couldn't
stop them. And yet, you feel you should have been able to stop them,
somehow."
She stared at him, some of the anger fading from her face. "How
could you know..." she began, then her voice trailed off. She paused,
suddenly remembering something from during her time as Sailor Borg. A
memory from the Borg collective consciousness.
A face.
Picard's face.
No, not him, precisely, but with cybernetic implants, like she had.
A name surfaced to go along with it. "Locutus," she whispered.
Picard nodded. "Yes. I was Locutus."
"Then the same thing happened to you..."
"A little over a year ago," he acknowledged. "A single Borg vessel
invaded Federation space, and sought me out as their 'spokesman'. I was
kidnapped, and assimilated, much as you were." His voice dropped to
nearly a whisper as he recalled those brief, but horrible days. "They
took my knowledge of Starfleet tactics and defenses and used it to
destroy thirty nine starships at Wolf 359, killing thousands of
Starfleet personnel. Some of them were friends that I had known for
years." He paused and looked intently at Serena. "You did better than
I did. At the critical time, you were able to overcome the Borg
collective in your mind and regain control of yourself. The most I was
able to do was give Data a one word message."
"I was only able to do that because Rubeus was distracted by the
Enterprise firing that energy weapon at the ship. If it hadn't I would
have killed..." Her voice choked of at the memory of what she had almost
been forced to do.
"No," Picard insisted firmly. "Not you. Rubeus did, through the
Borg. They used you..." He paused for a moment. "Used *us* to do those
deeds. The blame for those actions rests entirely with them. It is
something we both need to understand." He smiled slightly. "We both need
to be able to forgive ourselves."
Serena considered his words for several moments. Finally she said,
"How do you deal with it?"
"It's a day to day thing," he admitted. "The support of my family
and friends is what helped me. It will also help you. And, like all
nightmares, it will fade with the passage of time."
"I can't exactly tell my family about this. They don't even know
I'm a Sailor Scout."
"True," he agreed. "But there are others you can rely on. Luna...
the other Scouts... and Darien."
"Yeah."
"They're concerned about you. It may not be my place to suggest
this, but I think you should go to them and talk with them. Let them
help you. And if you'd like, I'd be happy to have further conversations
with you."
After a minute, "Do... do you know where Darien is?"
"That should be easy enough to find out," he answered. "Computer,
location of Darien Chiba."
"Darien Chiba is located on Holodeck Three," responded the computer.
"Thanks," she said. Then, "Hey, wait a minute... Raye said she was
going there! What's she doing down there with *my* Darien?!?" Before
Picard do so much as suggest that they weren't alone, she turned and
headed for the door, then hesitated there. "Um, how do you get to
Holodeck Three?"
Picard smiled. "I'll have someone escort you there." He got up
and walked onto the bridge. "Number One, would you escort Serena to
Holodeck Three?"
"Of course, sir," responded the first officer. "If you'll come
this way?"
Picard watched them enter the turbolift, then returned to his desk
to go through the various repair reports. 'Yes, we must forgive
ourselves,' he thought. 'But I will never forgive the Borg for their
actions. One day I will make them *pay* for what they've done.'
As always, the door vanished behind them as they entered the
holodeck. Riker looked around the scene that had been created,
apparently an urban area of some sort. "I wonder what place this is
supposed to be."
"Juban," Serena answered. "It's where we live, on the outskirts of
Tokyo."
"Hmmm... that's interesting. I wonder why..." Riker spotted a
familiar figure nearby, and walked up to him. "New program, Mr.
Worf?"
"No quite, Commander. It's a variation of..." He broke off as
another figure approached the three of them. Riker recognized him
instantly, Lt. Reginald Barclay, a first rate diagnostic engineer and an
even better holodeck programmer.
"Th-the holomatrix seems to be stable this time, sir," he told Worf,
then nodded to the first officer. "Commander." He looked uncertainly
Serena.
Riker quickly said, "Lt. Barclay, this is Serena."
"Hi," she said, looking around the area. "I thought the computer
said Darien was here."
"Oh, he is," Barclay responded and gestured behind him. "He's
somewhere over there." He looked at her closely. "You wouldn't happen
to be Sailor Moon, would you?"
She hesitated a moment before answering. There wasn't much use
trying to keep it a secret on this ship now. "Yeah. Why?"
"Oh, good." He began typing on the padd he was holding. "I'd like
to --"
A crash from a nearby building interrupted him. A nearby window
shattered, and Tuxedo Mask came flying out. He hit a nearby wall, and
lay there stunned. Another figure appeared in the shattered remains of
the window and hovered there and shouted,"I'm going to get you,
cape boy!"
Serena gasped. Zoisite! But how...? It didn't matter, she was
getting ready to attack Darien, and he was still trying to gather his
wits. She had to act now! "You're gonna be sorry you tangled with us
again, Zoisite!" she shouted. Barclay looked up at her in alarm.
Riker tried to stop her. "Wait a minute, Serena, it's just..."
Too late. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" This was the first time the
three Starfleet officers had seen any of the Scouts transform and they
stood transfixed by the sight. Before anyone could react, she leapt
forward, landing in front of Tuxedo Mask, Moon Scepter at the ready.
"Tangling with us before wasn't lesson enough for you Zoisite? In case
you've forgotten, I'm the champion of love and justice Sailor Moon!
I right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that most definitely means
you!"
The hovering blonde laughed evilly. "Well, if it isn't the moon
brat. Is that your rattle?"
Sailor Moon gritted her teeth. "I'll rattle you!"
"Wait! Stop!" Barclay cried.
Too late as it turned out. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The white
energy beam lanced out and struck Zoisite. The Negaverse General
flickered for a second, then froze. "Huh?"
"Program error," announced the computer.
"Well, so much for the stability of the holomatrix," Barclay sighed.
Sailor Moon didn't seem to hear him. "Program error? What does
that mean?!?"
Malachite appeared in the window. His expression tightened into
one of rage when he saw Zoisite frozen in front of Sailor Moon. "You'll
pay for that, Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon gaped at him. "First Rubeus, then Zoisite, and now you!
What is this, return of the dead guys week?"
"Computer, freeze program," Worf said. Malachite froze in middle
of hurling an energy blast at Sailor Moon.
Luna came out of the building and looked at Worf. "What happened?"
"Sailor Moon," Worf responded. "We hadn't put the parameters in
her attack into the computer. It was unable to accurately process it
into the program, and caused an error."
"I was just about to do that, so fortunately the scanners were
operating at maximum," Barclay put in. "They probably got enough
information on her attack that we can run a computer analysis on it and
reset the program to handle it. Computer: arch." The arch control
panel appeared nearby and the engineer began working on the controls.
"You mean this is one big computer game?" asked Sailor Moon,
looking around. "Cool!"
"This is not a game!" Worf responded sharply. Serena instinctively
flinched from his tone of voice. "This is a training simulation."
After in inquiring look from Riker, he continued in a calmer tone.
"Luna asked me to devise a program to help the Scouts in their training.
Since our security needs in this universe are minimal, I agreed.
Commander LaForge recommended that we make use of Mr. Barclay's...
expertise in this area."
Sailor Moon had stopped listening to them, as she had gone over to
Tuxedo Mask and was helping him to his feet. "Are you OK?" she asked.
Before he replied, Darien glanced over at Riker, who caught the
hint and nodded. After a quiet word to Worf and Barclay, the three
officers left the holodeck. "I think I should be asking you that."
Serena averted his gaze, and turned away. "I... I'm surprised you
even want to talk with me."
"Serena..."
"I tried to kill you!" The tears began to flow once more.
"Serena," he said again. Gently, he placed his hand beneath her
chin and tuned her to face him. With his free hand, he removed the
mask from his face and gazed into her eyes. "Rubeus tried to kill me.
Not you. You stopped him in the end. You saved me... You saved all of
us. THAT is what matters." They gazed at each other for a silent
moment, then, as if by mutual agreement, they tightly embraced each
other. "I love you, Serena. I always have, and always will. No matter
what."
Luna was watching this with a sense of satisfaction when she sensed
someone behind her. She turned and saw the other Scouts standing
silently, the smiles of happiness on their faces telling her that they
were equally delighted by this turn of events.
The cat returned her gaze forward and nodded to herself. It would
be a long hard road ahead, but she was certain that Serena was well on the
way to a complete recovery.
Next time: You are cordially invited to a farewell party for the Sailor
Scouts in Ten Forward. Q is not invited, but will likely show up anyway.
Note: Picard's dream is based upon the Wolf 359 sequence shown in the
beginning of "Emissary", the premiere episode of "Star Trek - Deep
Space 9".
Sailor Trek: The Next Generation
Chapter 7 - Recovery
The entity looked idly about the nexus, in his own way admiring
the flow of time around him. Still, he was anything but pleased as he
turned to his companion. "I still think I should just send them back
right now," Q said, sounding a bit petulant. The figure next to him
shook her head, stirring her long, green tinged hair.
"That would not be a good idea. Sailor Moon needs time to
adequately recover from her recent ordeal... which you bear some
responsibility for, by the way." Q snorted disbelievingly. "Besides,
they've earned a brief respite with all they've been through the previous
two years."
Q glowered at her and stifled the urge to transform her into a
cartoonish dog. He had tried that once with her before, only to learn
just how powerful she was in this domain. Of course, the fact that she
had other friends within the Q Continuum didn't help matters either. It
had been that incident that had led to his brief existence as a human.
"Very well, Pluto. We'll do it your way."
"Captain's Log, Stardate 45239.8: The Enterprise remains in the
Scout's universe, albeit one hundred years in their future, and has
limped into orbit around the Jovian moon Europa while Commander LaForge
completes repairs to the ship. He estimates that it will be at least one
week before repairs are complete enough for the ship to travel at warp
speeds."
"Counselor's Personal Log, Stardate 45239.9: Beverly has completed
an examination of Serena and has told me that she found that all Borg
implants in her were purged by the Silver Crystal, and that she has
completely recovered... at least physically.
"However, I am afraid that other aspects of her recovery will take
much longer."
"I just don't know what to do," Darien said.
Troi watched the young man pace in her office. Even if he hadn't
had a worried expression on his face, she could have been able to tell
he was troubled, for it was radiating from him like a supernova. It had
nearly been a full day since they had managed to extract Serena from the
Borg ship. At first she had seemed fine, but since then she had become
withdrawn, nearly locking herself in her quarters.
Still, his pacing was starting to get on her nerves, and a
counselor couldn't afford that. "Darien, sit down." After he hesitated
a moment, she added an emphatic "Please!"
He finally took a seat opposite from her. "Sorry. It's just
that..."
Deanna nodded. "I understand. You love her very much."
"Yes," he replied shakily. "She's everything to me."
"And yet, not long ago you broke up with her."
He looked at her sharply. "You know about that?"
"Yes," the counselor affirmed. "I've been talking with both Raye
and Luna. I needed to know about her past if I was going to help her
deal with what she's gone through." She gave him a moment to digest
this information. "Why did you break up with her?"
"Didn't Raye or Luna tell you?"
"Yes," she acknowledged. "But I'd like to hear it from you."
He took a deep breath. "OK. In a nutshell, I was having these
dreams, night after night. They kept telling me that unless I stayed
away from her, Serena would be hurt... maybe even killed."
"And so you broke up with her based on a dream?" Troi asked
skeptically.
He got up and began pacing again, much to her displeasure. "You
don't understand. I couldn't take the chance that she'd die. I'd do
anything to prevent that. Even if it meant losing her."
"Don't you think she feels the same?"
Darien stopped his pacing. "What do you mean?"
She got up and face him. "Think about it, Darien. Over the past
few days, she was captured and assimilated by the Borg. Then she was
forced by Rubeus, through the Borg, to try to destroy this ship, along
with her friends, the other Scouts. Finally she was used by Rubeus to
try to kill you. And given the love the two of you feel for each other,
that has to have a devastating effect on her emotionally."
"But it was Rubeus that was trying to kill me, not..." he objected.
"I know," Troi interrupted him. "And on an intellectual level, so
does she. But it's going to take some time for her to accept that on an
emotional level." She paused for a moment to let him think this over.
"Don't try to force the issue, Darien. When she's ready, she'll come to
you."
The sound of the Ten Forward doors opening attracted Guinan's
attention. This was one of those 'dead hours' in the lounge, in the
middle of the night shift, and it was nearly deserted. The vast majority
of crew not on duty at this hour were in their quarters, sleeping. Of
course, there were those in the crew that swore that she was always on
duty, but that was utter nonsense.
She was simply there when she was needed.
She looked over to see who was entering at this time of night, but
saw no one there. After a moment, the doors closed, as if on their own
accord. She frowned, puzzled by the door's mysterious behavior.
A glimpse of movement along the floor of the darkened lounge caught
her eye. Looking in that direction, she spotted Luna moving towards the
large windows lining the lounge. She nodded to herself, satisfied she
had an explanation for the door opening.
Luna jumped up onto the sill, and sat down, gazing silently at
Europa spinning below the ship. Guinan watched her for several minutes,
then moved over to join her. "Hello, Luna."
The cat started when she spoke. "Oh. Good evening, Guinan."
"Actually, it's very early in the morning."
She looked startled. "Is it? I must have lost track of the
time."
"Being lost in your own thoughts will do that," the bartender
answered. "Can I get you something? Some milk, perhaps?"
"No, thank you." The cat returned her gaze outside, watching
Europa spin slowly five hundred kilometers below them. Jupiter was
just now rising above the horizon. It was a spectacular sight. The Red
Spot was just over the terminator in daylight, and there where hundreds
of storms below giving off lightning on the night side, as well as the
auroras glowing in the upper layers. In short, a sight any astronomer
would die for.
Guinan ignored this and regarded the feline thoughtfully.
"You're worried about Serena."
The cat was silent for a time, but eventually nodded. "Yes. I've
seen her go through a lot in the last two years, but I've never seen her
like this." Luna was silent for a moment. "It's as if she's trying to
distance herself as far from the rest of us as she can."
"In a way, she is," Guinan acknowledged. "Part of her blames
herself for what she did while she was assimilated by the Borg."
Luna snorted. "Ridiculous! She had absolutely no control over
that!"
"You're right. She couldn't control it. And that will be the
hardest thing for her to accept."
Luna sighed. "We had an argument earlier," she admitted. "She
accused me of not understanding what she's gone through, before she
tossed me out of the room. And she's right. Much as I want to, I can't
really understand what she's going through. I don't believe anyone
really can."
"Actually," Guinan observed ruefully, "There is someone who can."
Locutus of Borg walked down the corridor of the Borg ship, then
turned to face the communications monitor. At a mental command the
screen flickered, showing the several of the commanding officers of the
starships confronting the Borg. "Resistance is futile. You will
deactivate your weapons and escort us to sector zero zero one. If you
attempt to intervene... we will destroy you."
"All ships, attack pattern alpha. Commence fire," ordered
commanding officer of the fleet, Admiral Hansen. Locutus idly noted
that he was known to Picard, who considered him a close friend. It
didn't matter one way or another to Locutus. Friendship was irrelevant.
Several starships raced in at maximum impulse and fired off volleys
of phasers and photon torpedoes. Locutus directed the weapons at the
nearest, the USS Melbourne. In a matter of seconds, it's shields were
drained and the forward half of the primary hull had evaporated.
Powerless, the hulk of the once proud starship drifted dead in space,
it's crew dead or trying desperately to escape in lifepods.
Ignoring the dead ship, Locutus turned his attention to the other
ships in the fleet.
And destroyed ship...
...after ship...
...after ship...
"NOO!!"
Picard bolted upright in his bed, sweat streaming down his face.
He glanced around quickly before ascertaining that he was still in his
quarters... still on the Enterprise. "A nightmare." And one about Wolf
359 at that. He hadn't had one of those in quite some time. Still, one
didn't have to be a trained psychologist like Counselor Troi to realize
what had triggered it. Recent events had come a little to close to home
for his taste. Especially when the voice from the collective had echoed
in his mind. He still wasn't sure how that had happened. Was he still
connected in some way to the collective? Could they use that against
him? Or could he turn the tables and use this link against them?
Those were questions for a later time. "Computer," he said, his
voice raspy, "what is the time?"
"Oh four twenty seven hours."
Picard sighed. It was only another hour before it was time for him
to get up. Deciding that he might as well get a head start on the day,
he got out of bed, intending to head for the shower. But first... "Tea,
Earl Grey, Hot."
In another part of the Enterprise, someone else had also just
woken up from a nightmare. Serena sat up in the bed shivering, not from
cold, but from sheer terror. It was several moments before she realized
just where she was and her pulse soon slow down to a more normal pace.
She got out of bed and moved to the window, staring morosely out
into space. The magnificent sight of Jupiter through the window did
nothing to lighten her mood. Indeed, she wasn't really looking at the
large gas giant at all. Instead, her thoughts were firmly rooted in
recent events. 'I should have been able to stop them,' she thought.
'I should have kept them from using the Silver Crystal as a weapon, from
making me try to kill...' The memory overcame her and she began crying
softly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I hate this place."
A few hours later, the door opened and to admit someone into the
room. Mina peered through the darkened room, 'Now, how do you turn on
the lights around here?' After a moment it came to her. "Computer,
lights on." Obediently, the computer turn the room lights to full
illumination. She smiled and mentally congratulated herself on figuring
that out.
"Huh?" Seated by the room window, Serena blinked at the sudden
change in the light level.
Mina smiled and crossed over to her. "Serena, what are you doing
sitting in the dark?"
She shrugged and returned her gaze outside the window. "Nothing.
Just thinking?"
"Are you serious? Come on, girlfriend, this isn't the time for
serious thinking. We just beat Rubeus and the Borg! This is a time to
celebrate. And there's a big, wide starship to do it in out there."
When she didn't reply Mina continued, "Come on, Serena. We're going to
check out that holodeck thing and see what it can really do! Why don't
you come with us?"
Her reply was muffled. "You guys go ahead without me."
"Serena..."
"I said no!" she suddenly shouted, startling Mina with the
vehemence of her reply. "Just go away and leave me alone!!"
For the first time in a long while, Mina found herself at a loss
for words. Finally she just nodded and left the room.
The others met Mina outside. "Any luck?" Lita asked. Mina shook
her head in response.
They were silent for a moment. Finally Amy said, "I don't like
this. The only time I can remember seeing her this bad was when Darien
was kidnapped by the Negaverse."
"You got that right," Raye murmured absently. Then in a louder
tone, "Why don't you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."
"Where are you going?" Mina inquired.
"To talk to Deanna. Maybe she can give us some advice about how
to handle Serena." With that Raye headed down the corridor.
"Come on you two," Lita urged. She started for the turbolift.
"I don't know about you, but I've got a sudden craving to bust something
up."
"Like what?" Mina asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we'll just run that Borg scenario, but this
time put Rubeus' face on all the Borg."
The three girls continued the rest of the way in silence, only
pausing long enough for the doors to the holodeck to open sufficiently.
They all stopped shortly after entering. They had expected to see the
normal grid associated with a deactivated holodeck. But this scene was
vastly different, telling them that the area was in use.
The three girls looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"
Lita asked. The scene before them was of a swampland and the air had a
humid feel, with a low mist hanging. "I thought we had the holodeck
reserved!"
A look of consternation crossed Mina's face. "Ooops..."
Lita turned to the blonde. "Mina, don't tell me you forgot?!?"
"Er... Um..." she stammered. "Sorry..."
"I'm sure there are other holodecks we could use," Amy suggested.
"After all, it is still early in the day."
"Yeah, you're right, Amy," Lita acquiesced, though she still
sounded annoyed.
Before any of them could move or call for the exit, a loud cry
echoed through the area and a large form burst from the nearby bushes.
It plowed right into Mina and Amy, knocking the two of them into a
nearby pond.
Lita instinctively readied herself as the creature charged at her.
The tall girl deftly blocked it's attack, and she retaliated quickly,
striking two quick blows to it's head before dealing it a sharp spin
kick. The creature fell to the ground and didn't move. She was just
starting to relax when a sound from behind her caused her to spin around.
Worf stood there with Darien beside him, each holding a large curved
weapon and looking as if they had been fighting creatures of this type
for some time. "What are you doing here?" the Klingon demanded.
"Sorry," Lita said. "We didn't know the holodeck was in use."
"You should have checked the indicators before you entered," Worf
said in an accusing tone.
"Well, excuse us!" Mina groused as she and Amy tried futilely to
wring their clothes out. "What kind of program do you call this anyway?"
"According to Worf, this is his idea of morning calisthenics,"
Darien answered her.
"Calisthenics?!?" Amy said in a shocked voice. Mina stared at
the security chief while Lita began looking around the room thoughtfully.
Worf's ever present frowned deepened. He had known he was going to
regret doing Deanna a favor and inviting Darien to join him this morning.
Very few humans could appreciate a Klingon exercise program. Before he
could say anything though Lita spoke up, "I don't know. I kinda like
it."
Worf instantly regarded the tall girl in a new light. If he didn't
know better, he'd have said she had some Klingon blood in her.
Deanna was looking over her schedule when the door chime sounded.
*Come in, Raye.*
In answer to her silent call, the door opened to admit the raven
haired Sailor Scout. "How did you know..." Her voice trailed off as
Troi looked up at her. "Never mind. I can guess how."
Deanna smiled. "What's on your mind, Raye?"
"Serena."
"I had a feeling you wanted to talk about that," the counselor
replied, her smile fading. "Have a seat." As Raye was doing so she
continued, "I had a similar conversation with Darien last night.
Afterwards I had an impromptu session with Serena."
"And?"
"She's erected a rather formidable emotional wall around herself.
She feels a great sense of guilt over what she was forced to do by the
Collective."
"That sounds like the meatballhead," Raye muttered. "Feeling
guilty over what she couldn't control."
"Yes, but it's understandable," Troi replied. "She loves Darien
intensely, and she feels similarly about the rest of the Sailor Scouts...
and especially about you, Raye."
"Give me a break, Deanna!" she retorted. "All we ever do is fight
with each other!"
"Raye, after talking to both of you, I've found you to be the
closest thing to sisters without being blood relatives," Deanna said
gently.
"The only thing that matters right now is trying to get her of this
shell she's put herself in," Raye replied, trying to avoid the issue.
"Any ideas?"
"I've got a couple," she answered. "First and foremost I think we
should get her to talk with Captain Picard."
"Huh? Why?"
"About a year ago, he went through a similar experience," Troi
explained. "He was captured by the Borg, and assimilated into the
collective. Eventually we were able to recover him..." She paused.
"But not before the Borg used him to destroy a fleet of Federation
starships."
"Wow." Raye pondered this information. "OK, so when's this gonna
happen?"
"Soon, I hope." Seeing Raye's expression she elaborated, "Captain
Picard is a very private man. He's not one to open up to people...
especially about this."
"I don't care!" Raye exclaimed, suddenly standing up. "If his
talking with Serena is going to help her, then he's going to do it.
I'll go right up to the bridge and convince him myself if I have to!"
Deanna sat back and regarded her thoughtfully. "Perhaps you
should..."
"As far as we can tell, Earth has no idea we're here," Riker said.
Picard nodded as he sat down and looked over the desk at his first
officer. "But the Earth here is in it's late twenty first century, and
hasn't had it's technological development halted by a devastating World
War as ours was. They must have some idea that something went on."
"I don't see how they could miss it," Riker admitted. "There was a
lot of fire being exchanged, not to mention the explosion of Rubeus'
ship. Fortunately their bases on the Moon and Mars were out of position
to effectively witness the battle, so that would leave ground or
satellite based observations. With luck all they caught was a glimpse
of us."
"Well, the best thing for now would be to remain out of sight until
Commander LaForge can get us ready to return home," Picard said. "Earth
or no, the Prime Directive is in full effect here."
"Agreed," Riker replied. "But I still would like to recommend..."
His recommendation was interrupted by the ready room doors opening
and Raye marching in. "I'd like to talk to you, Captain." She fixed a
steely gaze on Riker, "Alone."
Displeasure at this intrusion showed on the captain's face, but all
he said was, "That will be all, Number One." The commander nodded and
left the room. His voice deceptively calm, Picard said, "Now, Miss
Hino, please have a seat and tell me what's on your mind."
"I can answer that in one word: Serena."
Picard's expression shifted to puzzlement. "I don't believe I
understand."
"I think you do. She's just been through hell, and you owe it to
her to help her."
"I see," Picard replied. "I'm sure Counselor Troi will do
everything she can to aide in her recovery, but I..."
"No, *you* owe her," Raye snapped. She leaned over the desk and
leveled a finger at him. "If it wasn't for her, you'd be doing another
tour of duty as Locutus!"
The captain blanched slightly, telling Raye that her remark had hit
home. Still, his voice remained even. "What would you suggest?"
"Talk to her. You went through something similar. You should be
able to help her get through this."
"Very well, Miss Hino. I'll speak with her later this afternoon..."
"*Now,*" Raye insisted.
Picard had a feeling that he was being neatly maneuvered. "You're
not going to leave here until I agree, are you?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
They stared determinedly at each other for several moment.
Finally, "Very well, Miss Hino. I will contact Counselor Troi and have
her bring Serena up as soon as possible." Immediately, the door slid
open to admit Deanna and Serena into the ready room. Picard's eyes
flicked from Raye to Troi as he belatedly realized that the two of them
had conspired in this.
Raye shrugged unabashedly. "Thanks, Captain. If you'll excuse me,
I've got an appointment on Holodeck Three." She turned to exit, pausing
to say, "Hi, Serena."
"Hi, Raye," she murmured, not bringing her eyes up to look at her.
Raye looked like she was going to say something else for a moment, but
she simply looked back to Picard, her eyes taking on a pleading look.
Sensing that the only thing she wanted was to help her friend,
Picard's expression softened and he gave a slight nod to her. "Thank
you, Counselor. That will be all." Raye and Deanna left, leaving the
two of them together.
Unsure were to begin, Picard cleared his throat uncomfortably and
walked over to the replicator. "Would you like something to drink?
Tea, perhaps?"
She shrugged, not really caring one way or another. "Sure."
"Tea, Earl Grey, hot. For two." The replicator hummed and the
requested mugs materialized in short order. Picard handed one to Serena,
and motioned her to a seat. "Please, sit down." The blonde girl sat
down, and stared expressionlessly out the window. Picard returned to his
seat and considered her for a moment, trying to determine the best way to
proceed. "As hard as it is to believe, I know what you're going through,
Serena."
She looked sharply at him, showing real emotion for the first time
since she entered. Rage. "Everyone keeps saying that! Well, how could
you? How could anyone?!? I was the one they took over!" Tears welled
up in her eyes, but she continued. "I almost killed the best friends
I've ever had, the man I love! They..."
She stopped her tirade, but Picard picked up where she left off.
"They took all that you are; your powers, abilities and memories." He
paused, memories flooding back of his time as a Borg. "They used you to
kill, to destroy. You fought them as hard as you could, but you couldn't
stop them. And yet, you feel you should have been able to stop them,
somehow."
She stared at him, some of the anger fading from her face. "How
could you know..." she began, then her voice trailed off. She paused,
suddenly remembering something from during her time as Sailor Borg. A
memory from the Borg collective consciousness.
A face.
Picard's face.
No, not him, precisely, but with cybernetic implants, like she had.
A name surfaced to go along with it. "Locutus," she whispered.
Picard nodded. "Yes. I was Locutus."
"Then the same thing happened to you..."
"A little over a year ago," he acknowledged. "A single Borg vessel
invaded Federation space, and sought me out as their 'spokesman'. I was
kidnapped, and assimilated, much as you were." His voice dropped to
nearly a whisper as he recalled those brief, but horrible days. "They
took my knowledge of Starfleet tactics and defenses and used it to
destroy thirty nine starships at Wolf 359, killing thousands of
Starfleet personnel. Some of them were friends that I had known for
years." He paused and looked intently at Serena. "You did better than
I did. At the critical time, you were able to overcome the Borg
collective in your mind and regain control of yourself. The most I was
able to do was give Data a one word message."
"I was only able to do that because Rubeus was distracted by the
Enterprise firing that energy weapon at the ship. If it hadn't I would
have killed..." Her voice choked of at the memory of what she had almost
been forced to do.
"No," Picard insisted firmly. "Not you. Rubeus did, through the
Borg. They used you..." He paused for a moment. "Used *us* to do those
deeds. The blame for those actions rests entirely with them. It is
something we both need to understand." He smiled slightly. "We both need
to be able to forgive ourselves."
Serena considered his words for several moments. Finally she said,
"How do you deal with it?"
"It's a day to day thing," he admitted. "The support of my family
and friends is what helped me. It will also help you. And, like all
nightmares, it will fade with the passage of time."
"I can't exactly tell my family about this. They don't even know
I'm a Sailor Scout."
"True," he agreed. "But there are others you can rely on. Luna...
the other Scouts... and Darien."
"Yeah."
"They're concerned about you. It may not be my place to suggest
this, but I think you should go to them and talk with them. Let them
help you. And if you'd like, I'd be happy to have further conversations
with you."
After a minute, "Do... do you know where Darien is?"
"That should be easy enough to find out," he answered. "Computer,
location of Darien Chiba."
"Darien Chiba is located on Holodeck Three," responded the computer.
"Thanks," she said. Then, "Hey, wait a minute... Raye said she was
going there! What's she doing down there with *my* Darien?!?" Before
Picard do so much as suggest that they weren't alone, she turned and
headed for the door, then hesitated there. "Um, how do you get to
Holodeck Three?"
Picard smiled. "I'll have someone escort you there." He got up
and walked onto the bridge. "Number One, would you escort Serena to
Holodeck Three?"
"Of course, sir," responded the first officer. "If you'll come
this way?"
Picard watched them enter the turbolift, then returned to his desk
to go through the various repair reports. 'Yes, we must forgive
ourselves,' he thought. 'But I will never forgive the Borg for their
actions. One day I will make them *pay* for what they've done.'
As always, the door vanished behind them as they entered the
holodeck. Riker looked around the scene that had been created,
apparently an urban area of some sort. "I wonder what place this is
supposed to be."
"Juban," Serena answered. "It's where we live, on the outskirts of
Tokyo."
"Hmmm... that's interesting. I wonder why..." Riker spotted a
familiar figure nearby, and walked up to him. "New program, Mr.
Worf?"
"No quite, Commander. It's a variation of..." He broke off as
another figure approached the three of them. Riker recognized him
instantly, Lt. Reginald Barclay, a first rate diagnostic engineer and an
even better holodeck programmer.
"Th-the holomatrix seems to be stable this time, sir," he told Worf,
then nodded to the first officer. "Commander." He looked uncertainly
Serena.
Riker quickly said, "Lt. Barclay, this is Serena."
"Hi," she said, looking around the area. "I thought the computer
said Darien was here."
"Oh, he is," Barclay responded and gestured behind him. "He's
somewhere over there." He looked at her closely. "You wouldn't happen
to be Sailor Moon, would you?"
She hesitated a moment before answering. There wasn't much use
trying to keep it a secret on this ship now. "Yeah. Why?"
"Oh, good." He began typing on the padd he was holding. "I'd like
to --"
A crash from a nearby building interrupted him. A nearby window
shattered, and Tuxedo Mask came flying out. He hit a nearby wall, and
lay there stunned. Another figure appeared in the shattered remains of
the window and hovered there and shouted,"I'm going to get you,
cape boy!"
Serena gasped. Zoisite! But how...? It didn't matter, she was
getting ready to attack Darien, and he was still trying to gather his
wits. She had to act now! "You're gonna be sorry you tangled with us
again, Zoisite!" she shouted. Barclay looked up at her in alarm.
Riker tried to stop her. "Wait a minute, Serena, it's just..."
Too late. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" This was the first time the
three Starfleet officers had seen any of the Scouts transform and they
stood transfixed by the sight. Before anyone could react, she leapt
forward, landing in front of Tuxedo Mask, Moon Scepter at the ready.
"Tangling with us before wasn't lesson enough for you Zoisite? In case
you've forgotten, I'm the champion of love and justice Sailor Moon!
I right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that most definitely means
you!"
The hovering blonde laughed evilly. "Well, if it isn't the moon
brat. Is that your rattle?"
Sailor Moon gritted her teeth. "I'll rattle you!"
"Wait! Stop!" Barclay cried.
Too late as it turned out. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The white
energy beam lanced out and struck Zoisite. The Negaverse General
flickered for a second, then froze. "Huh?"
"Program error," announced the computer.
"Well, so much for the stability of the holomatrix," Barclay sighed.
Sailor Moon didn't seem to hear him. "Program error? What does
that mean?!?"
Malachite appeared in the window. His expression tightened into
one of rage when he saw Zoisite frozen in front of Sailor Moon. "You'll
pay for that, Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon gaped at him. "First Rubeus, then Zoisite, and now you!
What is this, return of the dead guys week?"
"Computer, freeze program," Worf said. Malachite froze in middle
of hurling an energy blast at Sailor Moon.
Luna came out of the building and looked at Worf. "What happened?"
"Sailor Moon," Worf responded. "We hadn't put the parameters in
her attack into the computer. It was unable to accurately process it
into the program, and caused an error."
"I was just about to do that, so fortunately the scanners were
operating at maximum," Barclay put in. "They probably got enough
information on her attack that we can run a computer analysis on it and
reset the program to handle it. Computer: arch." The arch control
panel appeared nearby and the engineer began working on the controls.
"You mean this is one big computer game?" asked Sailor Moon,
looking around. "Cool!"
"This is not a game!" Worf responded sharply. Serena instinctively
flinched from his tone of voice. "This is a training simulation."
After in inquiring look from Riker, he continued in a calmer tone.
"Luna asked me to devise a program to help the Scouts in their training.
Since our security needs in this universe are minimal, I agreed.
Commander LaForge recommended that we make use of Mr. Barclay's...
expertise in this area."
Sailor Moon had stopped listening to them, as she had gone over to
Tuxedo Mask and was helping him to his feet. "Are you OK?" she asked.
Before he replied, Darien glanced over at Riker, who caught the
hint and nodded. After a quiet word to Worf and Barclay, the three
officers left the holodeck. "I think I should be asking you that."
Serena averted his gaze, and turned away. "I... I'm surprised you
even want to talk with me."
"Serena..."
"I tried to kill you!" The tears began to flow once more.
"Serena," he said again. Gently, he placed his hand beneath her
chin and tuned her to face him. With his free hand, he removed the
mask from his face and gazed into her eyes. "Rubeus tried to kill me.
Not you. You stopped him in the end. You saved me... You saved all of
us. THAT is what matters." They gazed at each other for a silent
moment, then, as if by mutual agreement, they tightly embraced each
other. "I love you, Serena. I always have, and always will. No matter
what."
Luna was watching this with a sense of satisfaction when she sensed
someone behind her. She turned and saw the other Scouts standing
silently, the smiles of happiness on their faces telling her that they
were equally delighted by this turn of events.
The cat returned her gaze forward and nodded to herself. It would
be a long hard road ahead, but she was certain that Serena was well on the
way to a complete recovery.
Next time: You are cordially invited to a farewell party for the Sailor
Scouts in Ten Forward. Q is not invited, but will likely show up anyway.
Note: Picard's dream is based upon the Wolf 359 sequence shown in the
beginning of "Emissary", the premiere episode of "Star Trek - Deep
Space 9".