Star Trek: Ranma's Story32 – By DS Wynne

Disclaimer: "Ranma ½", "Sailor Moon", "Star Trek" and other genres belong to their respective owners.

Note: This is multi-epic story with many elements to it.

Special note: While this is a spin-off story to "Sailor Moon ST", you don't have to read that one to enjoy this one.

Author's note: This chapter ties INDIRECTLY to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "All Good Things...", the final show of season 7. Enjoy!

Part 32

Spring, 2398: China, Earth.

Having survived Earth's "Second Dark Age", the Chinese Amazons, called "Joketsu", have survived well into the 24th century. With the fall of the Chinese Communists, many of the traditional elements of the so-called "Middle Kingdom" developed their own prosperous societies. The Joketsu is such a society, though they have continued to nurture their martial spirit. That is why they continually to hold martial arts tournaments on their lands, though, thankfully, their laws regarding "outsiders" have been reformed to meet the needs of a paradise like Earth.

During this time of year, the Joketsu hold their tournaments, so it's not surprising to have visitors.

"Captain Picard, we're almost there," said Geordie LaForge, as he piloted the shuttle pod to a designated port. LaForge, who has long since retired from Starfleet to become a writer, turned to see the aged Picard, who was suffering from a neurological disease known as "Irumonic Syndrome", partially asleep. He then turned to his old friend Dr. Data Soongh, who was now a professor (with tenure) at Cambridge University in England.

"Data, is he…?"

"He is resting," Data replies. "This is no doubt due to his neurological condition-"

"Wha-?" Picard said, as he suddenly woke up. "Oh. I'm back in the future. Or the present."

Data and LaForge looks at each other. Then LaForge turns to Picard.

"Sir, assuming that you are indeed traveling through time, there isn't a reason for us to be here," LaForge says.

"Damn it, Geordie!" Picard explodes. He was tired of other people thinking that he was going senile. "We are here for a reason."

"Captain, we will look at all options," Data said with assurance. "Besides, it will be good to see 'the missus' and our child in their natural element."

A short time later…

CLANG!

Two of the top female warriors clashed for dominance. One warrior was the Amazon named "Pert", the great, grand-daughter of the present Amazon matriarch. Her opponent was Maya Soongh, the cybernetic daughter of Professor Data and-

"You can do it, Maya!" yelled Tasha Yar-Soongh, who was providing moral support. She had to reduce her youngest daughter's physical capabilities to that of a normal human in order to compete in the tournament.

Maya, unlike her order sister Lal, was the complete synthesis of the human and the android, thanks to an old friend. It took some doing to enable Tasha and Data to be TRULY compatible. It was a gift from their mutual friend that allowed them to have a family of their own. Twenty years later, Maya, on Spring Break from Starfleet Academy, is following her mother's footsteps as a competitor in the Joketsu tournament.

Meanwhile, Maya takes a feint from Pert, who then changes, at the last minute, her counter.

POW!

Maya sails off the tournament log, and fell to the ground.

"YAY!" roared the crowd.

The Amazon Matriarch rises from her place of authority.

"It has been decided," said Shampoo, who had succeeded her great, grand-mother Cologne as "matriarch". Cologne had died during the upheaval of the Second Dark Age, when the Communist Chinese had sought to expand its influence by force. Like Cologne, Shampoo was in her youthful phase, which belies her experience and considerable wisdom.

Not to mention that Shampoo was a potent martial arts mistress in her own right.

"All hail Pert!" Shampoo says.

"HOORAY!"

Tasha goes to her daughter, who is feeling dejected.

"You did great, kid!" Tasha says.

"But Mother, I didn't win!"

"Hey, you got this far, and Pert had the advantage of having more training."

"Really?"

"Really. Besides, once Pert enrolls into the Starfleet Academy this Fall, she'll have the same disadvantage that you do."

Maya smiles at the thought.

"How's my little girl?" said a voice from behind.

Tasha and Maya turn to see Data, Picard and LaForge approaching them.

"Daddy!" Maya said, as she ran into her father's arms. "I'm glad that you made it."

"Well, amazingly enough, an old friend wanted to come here."

Maya looks at Picard, and nods. She was sort of "miffed" that her father's old friend had prevented him from attending the tournament from the get-go.

"Captain, how are you feeling?" Tasha asked eveningly.

"I am doing fine for now," Picard replies. "I am here to see Ranma."

Tasha looks at Picard with a hint of nervousness.

"I really don't think-"

"Please, Tasha. I need his help."

"If that's the case, then we need Lady Shampoo's permission, since she is…Ranma's care-taker now."

The next day, Picard and company make their way to grassy field, which over-looks the Phoenix Mountain in the distance. Shampoo had sent Pert to supervise the situation.

"Wow," LaForge says. "It's hard to believe that Ranma chose to live out here."

"Well, it was out of necessity," Tasha replies. "Ever since Usagi died, he wasn't the same. The only reason why Starfleet has been unable to retrieve him was due to Lady Shampoo's political influence, which is why Ranma came here."

The group saw the cottage, where they were met by Ranma's personal attendant.

"Lady Pert, Lady Tasha, I have been expecting you," said the attendant. "Lady Ranma is in the garden in the back."

"Thank you, Xian," Pert says.

"Allow me to talk with Ranma," Picard interjected. "Alone."

Pert simply looks at Picard.

"Please."

Pert sighs.

"Very well."

Picard makes his way to back. As he did so, he could hear a pleasant tune being hummed. Slowly, he could see a woman attending her garden. She wore the traditional Chinese field hat (the one made from straw), and looked like a peasant in a skirt. Her red-hair was tied in a long braid, which appears to go the length of the small of her back. As far as Picard was concerned, it was hard to believe that this "peasant" was once his "sensei", the great Ranma Saotome.

Picard looked around, and saw a pair of plant cutters. He then picked the cutters from the ground, and handed to Ranma.

"You dropped this," Picard said.

The woman looked up at Picard, and then at the cutters.

"Thanks," Ranma replied, as she took the cutters, which were soon placed inside her basket. "Why are you here?"

"I need help in solving a riddle," Picard replies.

"Then get Data's help. I've sacrificed enough for Starfleet, remember?"

Picard knelt down.

"Ranma, Usagi made that choice, not you."

Ranma stood up angrily.

"I was Usagi 'knight', damn it!" Ranma said, as she pulled off her garden gloves, and tossed them into the basket. "I was suppose to prevent her from having to MAKE that decision!"

Ranma then picks up her basket of flowers, and stormed off towards her cottage. Picard follows.

"And how would Usagi feel about not willing to help a friend?"

Ranma turned towards Picard.

"So…this is not an official mission?"

"No. I'm here, as your friend and former student, for your help. This has nothing to do with Starfleet, and everything to do with saving the universe."

Picard extends his hand.

"Please."

Ranma looks at Picard, and then at his hand. Using her spare hand, Ranma shook hands with Picard.

"Count me in, then."

FLASH!

Ranma suddenly found herself…no, himself, somewhere else. He looked about, and could see that he was back aboard the Enterprise. That is to say, based upon his uniform, he on the original Enterprise, during the command of Captain James T. Kirk. Apparently, he was thrown back in time somehow.

"Chief, can you give me a hand with this?" said a voice.

Ranma suddenly turned around, and saw someone VERY familiar.

"Well?" asked Lt. Commander Usagi Tsukino, Ship's Operations Officer. "I need for you to help me do this inventory-"

Ranma immediately rushed towards Usagi, and hugged her.

"Whoa!" Usagi said, as she was being carried about. "I know we're friends, but you're being WAY to familiar."

Ranma had to remember that he wasn't married to Usagi in this era.

"Uh, sorry…Commander," Ranma said with a nervous laugh.

"Apology accepted. Now-"

BEEP-BEEP!

"Chief Saotome, please report to the Bridge," said Uhura over the PA system.

Ranma tapped his…his…

"What are you doing?" asked Usagi.

I got to remember that com-badges don't exist in this era, either, Ranma thought.

"Uh, nothing. Just a little sore from training."

"I see."

Ranma went over to the intercom, and gingerly pressed the button.

"Saotome, here. I'm on my way-"

FLASH!

"I'm sure we all are, Yeoman Saotome," said Captain Kirk, as he sat down in his seat.

Ranma quickly looked around. Apparently, he was on the refitted Enterprise, just after the incident involving "V'Ger". The fact that he and the other crew-members were dressed in gray "pajamas" indicated as much.

Ranma looked over to where Usagi was sitting. She was manning Navigations, ever since the Deltan Ilyia disappeared with Captain Decker.

"Yeoman, where should we go from here?"

"Well, after we visit Vulcan-"

FLASH!

"Why should we visit Vulcan, Commander?"

Ranma quickly deduced that he was on the Enterprise-A, shortly after his fight with the advanced Klingon "bird of prey" at Khitomer. He was instrumental in defeating the vessel, with the help of the Excelsior, while Kirk protected Azetbur, the daughter of the Klingon chancellor.

"Um, as part of our last tour, perhaps?" Ranma offered.

"I suppose so. Captain Spock?"

"It would be good to see family, again," Spock replied.

"Sir, may I be excused?" Ranma asked.

"Sure. I wouldn't want the 'hero of hour' to be detained."

"Thanks."

And with that, Ranma left the bridge.

"I wonder what's up with him?" Uhura asked.

"Beats me," Usagi replied. Strangely, she detected a weird aura around him.

Meanwhile, Ranma began to pace around the turbo-lift.

"Something is REALLY strange," Ranma said to himself. When the turbo lift's doors opened, he stepped out-

And into a white room.

"I KNEW it!" Ranma said, as soon as he recovered from his shock. "Alright, Q, show yourself!"

"Hello, Ranma," said a voice from behind.

Ranma turned to see a member of the Q Continuum standing there. Only, it was not the Q he was looking for.

"Amanda? Amanda Rogers?"

Amanda Rogers was the daughter of two renegade members of the Q Continuum, who sought to live a human existence. They were punish for their crimes, and, as a result left Amanda an orphan. It was during her internship aboard the Enterprise-D that revealed her true heritage, and it was because of Ranma and Usagi who convinced the Q to allow her to have a full, mortal life before rejoining the fold. Actually, it was Usagi challenging Q, and Ranma participating in the challenge, that led to Amanda's freedom.

Amanda went over to Ranma, and hugged him.

"It's good to see you again, as you are now."

"Just a second, are you responsible for my jumps?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, I am."

"But why?"

Amanda looks away for the moment.

"The Q Continuum has decided to test humanity, by testing Picard…and Picard alone. If he fails, then all of human existence, as YOU know, it will cease to exist."

"Then how am I involved? I'll do what I can to help him, but…why are you here?"

"We were able to use Picard's hops to make contact. You, being a chaos bringer, took advantage of the hops unconsciously. We simply steered you to THIS place."

Amanda then touches Ranma's left cheek.

"Ranma, I need to tell you the truth about all this…about why you came to this temporal juncture in the first place. And it wasn't by accident either."

"Huh?"

Amanda begins to explain that the Q entity that Picard has called "Q" was a friend of an ancient Moon queen named "Serenity". In fact, she and Q were-

"LOVERS?"

"That is correct, Ranma. As you know, Usagi Tsukino is the reincarnation of Queen Serenity's daughter 'Serena', and it would be her destiny to become the ruler of the Universe."

Amanda sighs before laying down her bombshell.

"Ranma, there are many entities in this reality that want to prevent that, including those within the Q Continuum. Tell me, what do you remember about that accident during the Hansen expedition.?"

"All I can recall was that there was a slight variance in the…in the…

Pain began to wrack through his head, as if a memory was trying to come out. Amanda quickly eased Ranma's pain.

"I…I remember! It wasn't my fault! The shielding ratio was correct!"

"Indeed it was. A member of the Q had deliberately exposed 'the Raven' to the Borg, in hopes that you would be destroyed. And, adding insult to injury, you were manipulated into allowing your daughter Aiko to die, therebydestroying your relationshipwith your then-wife Usagi. If it hadn't been for myself and my allies, you would have gone back home sooner, though it would have meant Usagi death…permanently."

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

Amanda waved her hands.

FLASH!

Ranma looks around to see Rivendall, the home of Lord Elrond. Specifically, he was in the room where Usagi was suffering from clinical depression.

"Why am I here?" Ranma asked.

"You are about to witness a tragedy. We can't be seen normally."

Lying in a great bed, an emaciated Usagi lies.

"Is there nothing we can do?" asked King Aragorn of Gandor. He and his wife Queen Arwen made a special trip to visit their dying friend.

"There is nothingneither Inor anyone can do," Lord Elrond says. "Had we have known sooner, we could have taken her directly to the Western Lands. Now…"

"Arwen…"

Arwen steps forward, and holds her friend's hand.

"Yes?"

"Take care of…Titania for me," Usagi says.

"I will, you have my promise."

Usagi manages to struggle a bit, as she leaned back. Tears began to steam down her cheeks.

"Momaru…Ranma…I'm…sorry…"

And with that, Usagi passes away. Slowly, she begins to fade from view, as her essence is scattered to the four winds.

"No! Not again!" Ranma cried.

"It happened because you weren't there for her," Amanda replies.

"But…we did get to Usagi!"

"That, you did, though, as I have stated before, originally you didn't."

Then, Amanda and Ranma appeared to be in some sort of holographic chamber.

"The timeline is neither dynamic nor static. It ever changing between Wyld and Weaver. Think of it as an organic mechanism that is switching railway tracks, but at regular intervals."

Amanda points to one segment of the timeline.

"Thanks to Q, Picard is hopping at different points in time, and is about to cause a paradox effect that could destroy reality itself. Already, temporal paradoxes are springing up all over the place."

"Like what?"

"In one time line, you never left your original time. In another, when you and Usagi journeyed back into the past, it was the year 50the century BCE, not 21st century CE. All this was the result of tricking Picard into making the original paradox. We tried to contain the damage, by permanently incorporating the effects in a uniform timeline. After all, how can "Lord Ranshin", the 'you' who journeyed to the ancient past, and you, the 'you' who would journey distant past, co-exist?"

"Man, I think I'm getting a headache," Ranma muttered.

"Tell me about it. At any rate, these paradoxes will create "anti-time", which will create "the Wyrm", which will consume all of time…all of REALITY. However, from this new primordial ooze, a new reality will be produced."

Amanda looks at Ranma.

"It is the Q's hope that when this new reality begins again, it will not include Usagi Tsukino at all."

"We got to do something!" Ranma yelled.

"Don't worry. Picard and his crew will do something about it, and save the day."

"Are you sure?" Ranma asks.

"Yes, she is," said a voice from behind.

Ranma turns to face…RANMA?

"Who are you?"

"Why, I'm you. Or, at least, a possible 'you' who would evolve into a Q."

Ranma looks at this other Ranma. He was dressed in khaki slacks, black, semi-dressed shoes, and a rolled-up white shirt. Other than that, he looked youthful.

"Come again?"

"Ranma, I had died fighting 'the Terror', along with my allies. We were not prepared to deal with them, and we failed to protect Usagi…our Moon Princess."

"If you had died, why are you here?"

"Thank my wife Amanda here," Q says. "It was she who made the request to allow us to join the Q's ranks."

"And…what happened to Usagi?"

"Without your influence, Usagi became Neo-Queen Serenity, the Shogun of Japan."

"'Shogun'?"

Q/Ranma opens another holographic window. The Shogun Neo-Queen Serenity oozed power and authority. Then, Ranma sees something wrapped around her waist.

"Wait...is that a tail?" Ranma asks.

"Indeed, Ranma," Amanda replies. "You recall that Dr. Bulma Brief's 'special booster' shot, right?"

"Yes," Ranma replies. "Usagi told me that she and Bulma wanted to prepare for the arrival of the Saiyajins on Chikyuu, and used an experimental drug to act like a steroid. Thing was, it mutated Usagi's bio-chemesitry due to its adaptive nature. In effect, she became part Sayajin."

"Exactly," Q/Ranma replied. "Unfortunately, when you...I...died facing the terror, whatever was left of the original booster altered her form further. That, coupled with the power of her Starseed and Silver Millennium Crystal,made her into a full Saiyajin-Lunarian hybrid. It got even worse when she defeated thephoenix god Saffron, andabsorbed him and his power."

"My god," Ranma exclaims.

"Thus, drunk with rage and power, she became a dictator bent on taking over the Earth, circa early 21st century. It hadn't been for Son Goku-"

"Goku? How is he involved?"

"We asked him to get involved, and fight against Usagi, since he doesn't have the same restrictions that I do."

"Oh."

"Ranma, everything is up to you now. Don't worry about me, and anything that you have learned today. Just make sure that Usagi survives 'the first contact'. Otherwise, you won't be prepared for 'the terror'. After all, no matter the timeline, the terror will be released. In one timeline, you and Usagi weren't there to stop him. In that time line, where Picard tries to retrieve you from the Amazons, the terror would awaken in a few years without you to 'greet' it. In another, I wasn't strong enough to stop the terror, which resulted in the despotic rule of the Neo-Queen. Maybe, just maybe, you'll succeed where I and you failed."

"I'll do my best."

"Ranma, when Picard succeeds in stopping the affects of anti-time, only you and he will remember this experience," Amanda says.

"Why?"

"Let's just say that you have friends in high places."

"Good luck, Solar Knight," said Q/Ranma.

FLASH!

Ranma found herself back in Amazon territory.

"Ranma?" Picard asks.

Ranma smiles.

"Don't we have a universe to save?" Ranma says. "Let's do this!"

Meanwhile, back in null space…

"Thank you for your helps," said Amanda.

Standing with Amanda and Q/Ranma was the Emissary-turned-Prophet Benjamin Sisko and "the Guardian of Time" Sailor Pluto.

"We do as we must," said Sisko. "Besides, the Solar Knight-and-Scout is a good man who deserves happiness."

"Indeed," said Sailor Pluto, as she tapped her Time-Key staff onto the ground. "He has made the Moon Princess happy, and has protected her much better than the future Earth King."

"So you think Prince Endymeon will not marry Usagi then?"

"I see many possibilities, Lord Ranshin. In one timeline, Mamoru Chiba dies during the Second Dark Age before he and Usagi consummate. It is then that Ranma Saotome, after the untimely death of his wife Akane, and she renewed their relationship. And it is then that the House of Serenity is reborn. However, as I have said, that possible timeline is one of many."

"Hmmmm…" Ranma said, thinking of the possibilities.

WAP!

"Hey!"

"We are still a couple, jerk!"

"Hey, just because Akane is one of your past lives, that doesn't mean that you have to act like her! Sheesh!"

"Ranma…" Amanda warns.

"Okay! Okay! First Eowyn Rohan, then Akane Tendo, and now you…why am I stuck with tomboys? And especially since first two of your past lives are really YOU?"

"Ranma, you jerk!" Amanda says, as she takes out a cosmic level mallet, and began to chase Ranma.

"Biiiii!" Ranma said, as he runs away..

"Hey, did I hear violence?" asked Son Goku, who pops his head into the null zone. Goku, having merged with the dragon-god Shenlong long ago, was given special consideration on matters of importance.

"No," Sailor Pluto sighed.

"Oh," Goku says with disappointment.

"Ben," said another voice.

Benjamin Sisko turned to see Princess Serena, who was the latest incarnation of Usagi Tsukino from an alternate timeline. When Usagi had evolved into theShogun Neo-Queen, it took Goku, who was adopted by Usagi during her early dimensional travels, to stop his foster mother. Now, having been reborn, it was Goku to be there for Usagi, who is now Serena. At least, as far as teaching her to fight is concerned,leaving the others of their special clique to raise Serena back to adult-hood.

"Yes, Serena?"

"Nyres asked me to ask you if we are still on for some Louisiana-style gumbo tonight."

Ben smiles. Ever since the Bajoran Kira Nyres was promoted to Prophet status, Ben had someone normal to talk to. The Prophets, although they were masters of Time, could be alien even to HIM.

"Sure."

As Sailor Pluto finds herself alone, she wonders if the knight-scout of the Sun will be strong enough to face "the Terror".

Only time will tell.

And with that, everything fades.

Spring, 2373.

With the "anti-time" crisis over, life aboard the Enterprise-D was normal again. Commander Ranma Saotome (CONN officer) did not tell Picard that he, too, had experienced the same thing that Picard did, for fear of alerting those who would want to see Usagi and himself harmed. Now that he knows what might happen, Ranma vowed to ensure that Usagi did not die in the future.

In the mean time, it was time to forge HIS own destiny.

Down in Commander Riker's quarters…

"Okay," Data says, as he began to deal out the cards. "Deus' wild."

"Really, how can Riker win every hand?" LaForge says, as he picks up his cards.

"Tell me about it," Worf says. "Commander Saotome, can you loan me some chips?"

"Okay, but you know the rules," replied Ranma, as he doled out some his poker chips to Worf.

"I know. I loose your cut, I have to train in…'fan dancing'."

"How could you do that to Worf, uncle?" Troi asks.

"Hey, it's still training," Ranma replies. "Besides, Tasha did it."

"Not by choice I did," Tasha replies.

"Hey!"

"Guys, why do you think the Captain told us his experience?" asked Dr. Crusher.

"Yes, wouldn't that be a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive?" asked Ensign Wesley Crusher, as he took a peek at his hand. He was on board as part of his "field studies" program as a science officer.

"I suppose that Picard feels that it's better to know about the future, if only to prevent certain mistakes," Riker says, as he looks at Worf knowingly.

"Agreed," Worf smiles.

Just then, Captain Picard comes in.

"Am I late?" Picard asks.

"Course not," said Ranma.

"Pull up a seat," Riker says, as he and the others made room.

"You know, I was a bit of card shark back in the Academy," Picard says.

"Really?" Wesley says, as he looks Ranma.

"Yep, he was," Ranma replies. "And he got into trouble for it."

"If I recall, you used that disciplinary action as an excuse to further my training…with the Musk Dynasty."

"I know," Ranma smiles.

As Picard receives his 'hand', he looks around the table. And then he thought about Usagi, his former crewmember.

Maybe I should talk to her about coming back, Picard thought.

"I should have done this a long time ago," Picard said out loud.

"You were always welcomed, Captain," Troi says.

And with that, the command crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D sails off into the proverbial sunset.

END OF BOOK III.

Addendum: Just to be clear, Q/Amanda Rogers is indeed the reincarnated Akane Tendo, who is the reincarnation of Princess Eowyn of Rohan from "Lord of the Rings". And as Pluto had indicated, there are many possibilities in store for Ranma; and as Ranma indicated, he'll forge his own destiny. He might become a Q, he might not. Heck, he might give up his manhood, and live with the Amazons for a while anyway. Bottom line, Ranma is a believer in the concept of "No Fate", and that's how I'm going to write him. At least, he'll be prepared for the coming of "the Terror", so stay tuned!