Disclaimer: "Ranma ½", "Sailor Moon", "Star Trek" and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 70
2253 CE: Starbase One (Earth Sector).
"Okay," began Captain Christopher Pike, commanding officer of the Federation starship Enterprise. "I would like to introduce you to our newest additions to the Enterprise crew. This is Science Officer Spock of Vulcan, Security Specialist Ranma Saotome, and Operation Specialist Usagi Tsukino. Treat them as a valued member, since Starfleet Command has spent a lot of money in their training."
"Aye!" said the assembled command.
"Thank you," Spock says.
"It will be an honor to serve this crew," Ranma says with a bow.
"Likewise," said Usagi. "Oh! Here is a gift for you guys."
"'Cookies'?" asked Number One. "What interesting…confection you got there."
"Yep, I baked them myself."
"Don't mind if I helped myself to two of them," said Dr. Bryce, Chief Medical Officer.
"Well, if you are done, we do have a ship to run. Ensign Tsukino, I take it that you have been undated in all of your previous military occupational skills?"
"Yes, sir. I still have a Level 3 rating in Medicine, Engineering, Botany and Communications, with a Level 4 rating in Piloting. And that one was the result of years of space exploration, most of which I was on my own."
"And what about your civilian background?"
"I have a Level 5 in Diplomacy from when I was with the Federation Diplomatic Corp."
"I see."
"Ensign," began Number One, "Why did you return to Starfleet? I know from our records that you served Starfleet since even before the founding of the Federation."
"Hell, I knew you when I was a graduate back at Starfleet Medical, when you gave a commencement address," said Bryce. "And that was thirty years ago!"
"Hey, I age very well. It has something to do with my genetic structure and such. But to answer your question, Number One, I wanted to update my skills. Plus, it does help when to serve under a captain who has seen more exploits out in deep space than anyone alive."
"Why, thank you. All right, we'll continue this discussion later. Number One, take our newest additions to where they need to go. Dismissed."
"Aye, aye, Captain," said Number One, Spock, Ranma and Usagi in unison.
"Interesting girl, Captain."
"You said it, Doctor."
The weeks rolled on, Usagi and Ranma re-familiarized herself with ship operations, while showing Spock his station. Usagi, ever the people-person, she wanted to get to know her new friend better.
"So you are half-human?" asked Usagi, as she was supervising the installation of an updated astrometric console. "I'm surprised, since Vulcans aren't know to fraternize with humans very well."
"Indeed. My parents are true believers in 'Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations'."
"Oh. Hey, here you go. Try this."
"Thanks," replied the Vulcan, as he accepted the tool from his shipmate.
"Spock?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to have dinner with Ranma and I? I make a mean vegetarian dish."
"Well, I am not sure that it would be appropriate for us to fraternize, considering..."
"If you're worried about Ranma, I'm sure he doesn't mind. Hey Ranma?"
Ranma turns from his monitoring station.
"What?"
"Can I invite Spock to dinner?"
"Whatever."
"See?"
"Very well, then. I shall be at your quarters at the appropriate time."
"Excellent!"
After dinner…
"You seem taken by Spock," Ranma said, as he begins to undress in his room.
"He's…interesting, Ranma," Usagi said, as she gets into bed. "You're not…jealous, are you?"
"I'm not jealous!"
"I bet you are."
"Whatever," Ranma says, as he gets into bed. "GOOD-night."
"'Night, Ranma," Usagi said, as she turns over to go to sleep. "Night, Thumper!"
"Th-ow," the cabbit replied sleepily, from his basket.
Six months later (Earth's time): An unknown planet.
"Spock-kun, are you alright?" Usagi asked, as she props the Vulcan on her lap. Usagi, who was wear skins and furs, had found her friend in some cave in the mountains. Spock, unfortunately, was being racked with the dreaded "pon far"
"Please, Usagi, just leave me…" Spock manages to say.
Usagi, Spock and a few crewmembers were selected to perform a survey mission on some uncharted system. Since the Enterprise would be needed to escort a diplomatic team to an important site, the survey team would be using a shuttle for their mission. Usagi was selected to go since she was an experienced pilot. Thinking that survey mission would be a routine, Usagi left her pet cabbit Thumper in the care of Dr. Bryce. Unfortunately, the shuttle's sensors did not detect some debris of dark matter within the system. Had it not been for Usagi's Jedi training, the impact with dark matter would have destroyed the ship upon impact.
"Usagi, we've ruptured a fuel cell. Power will fade within a matter of minutes."
Usagi extended her senses around the ship, and began to "will" the shuttle to be steady in its descent. But what infuriated her was why she didn't detect this particular problem before the mission began. Her temporal senses should have warned her of this disaster.
"Here we go. Hold on to something!"
"WAAAAAAHHH!"
"There, there. Usagi, it will all right."
"But…but it's been forever since we got here!"
Usagi was indeed successful in landing the craft safely, though not without a few scrapes. Unfortunately, it had been six years since that fateful day. Since then, Usagi has been trying to contact either Ranma or her pet Thumper, vis-à-vis their psychic link, since the power cells of their shuttle is down. The landing party had lost three crewmates from everything to wild animals to alien viruses. Thankfully, the crewmates were able protect themselves, and set up a camp of sorts. As time went on, both supplies and equipment dwindled, prompting the crew to develop more rustic means for survival. Now, everyone was wearing materials made out of some cotton-like clothing that was found in the area. Usagi, having been to a few medieval worlds, knew how to adapt better than most. But still, she did prefer "modern" comforts.
"Don't worry, will get through this, Ensign Tsukino."
"Yeah, I know. Hey, have you seen Spock, Mr. Mathers?" Like most days, Usagi tends to sleep late. After all, there were few things to do these days.
"As a matter of fact, I haven't seen him all day."
"Oh. Did he say anything before leaving?"
"Mr. Spock said he was going to meditate in the Eastern Mountains."
"Well, I'll get him then. You are in charge while I'm gone."
"Yes, ma'am."
Putting on her long cloak, Usagi trekked her way up the winding path with her canteen, rations, staff and weapon of choice. It wasn't the first time she had gone up these particular mountains, since she routinely meditates and trains in martial arts. Only she and Spock knew of this special place, ever since they crash-landed on the planet. On a normal pace, it typically took a few hours on foot to reach the Eastern Mountains.
During her trek, Usagi's senses warned her of danger. Suddenly, a wolf-like creature leaped at her. Deftly, Usagi leaped higher than the creature's pounce, drew her staff and whacked the creature's head. The creature was now down, which enabled Usagi to kick it off her path. Down it rolled, until it stopped near a brook. Satisfied that the creature was still alive, Usagi continued her journey.
"Spock-kun?" asked Usagi, as she entered the mouth of a cave. The cave, which served as a refuge, was spacious. Because of the reflective material embedded within and along the walls, natural light could be harnessed for most indoor use.
Once Usagi was fully inside, she took off first her cloak and then her daypack. Setting them aside, Usagi went further in…and saw a man shivering while in a fetal position.
"Spock?" Damn, Usagi thought to her self. She had hoped that the meditation techniques that she suggested to her friend would stave off the effects of "pon far", the Vulcan mating drive. Instead, the techniques were masking the emotional turmoil from Usagi's passive probing. Having studied under various masters of the mental arts, including those on Vulcan, Usagi had picked up the first few signs of pon far a few years after being stuck on their present port of call. With grace and wisdom, Usagi approached her friend, and told her close friend that she was there to help him in his time of need…including the one solution that would cost Usagi dearly.
Unfortunately, Spock was suffering at this present point in time. No amount of meditation would stem the effects of his "natural inclinations" like pon far. If Usagi didn't think of something soon, Spock could very well die.
"Spock?"
"U…Usagi?" said a stammering Vulcan, as he became more lucid. "I…I did not know that you were coming…"
"Spock, you and I both know why I would follow you here, especially when you make an unscheduled trip up."
"I did not want to burden you with my problem…"
"Spock, you have never been a burden. I know that if I am ever in trouble, you'll do the same for me. Now, just rest. We'll see this thing through together."
About an hour later, Usagi was still sitting on her rock in front of the opening of the cave.
"Selma?"
"Yes, Captain?" said a holographic image of her friend Neru. "Selma" is a tiny computer that looks exactly like her old Driver's License from one her more recent attempts to find her way home.
Before returning to Starfleet, after her experiences on Chikyuu (but before she had her first child with Ranma), Usagi was able to integrate herself into that society, Usagi decided to become a UN Federal Marshal. She never thought of becoming a cop before, but felt that after her experience with Riddick, there should be someone out there who was a straight-lace law enforcer. So while Ranma kept watch over the Tendo Dojo as its caretaker, Usagi signed up. Along the way, Usagi had become interested in the works of Dr. Sambi, a noted temporal scientist. Unfortunately, thanks to using criminals to fund his experiments, he ended up escaping to that Earth's past before Usagi was able to approach him. Her old mentor, Captain Darien Lambert (who strangely reminded Usagi of Ranma), was selected to retrieve both Sambi and the criminals he helped.
However, after it became apparent that Lambert would need help in this endeavor, the Agency sent others into the past as well, including Lambert's protégé Usagi.
"You want to send me into the past?" asked then Lt. Usagi Tsukino.
"Yes," replied her superior. "You have been selected to assist Captain Lambert in his endeavors as an independent agent. Of course, this will mean a promotion and a mobile computer for your use."
"Alright…"
"Excellent. Now, if you submit a picture a person whose image you wish your computer to have, we can get started."
"Would a drawing do? I don't have a photograph, but I am a good sketch artist."
"May I ask why?"
"I would like to honor a special friend…a friend who means a lot to me."
"Oh, I'm sure that it'll be fine."
Later…
"Good morning, Captain Tsukino!" said a redheaded girl. She wore a school uniform, had a cheery disposition and possessed a Brooklyn accent.
"Good morning, SELMA." How did she get a Brooklyn accent? Usagi thought.
"We are going to be excellent friends!"
"I'm sure we will be."
After being sent to the past (circa the late 20th century), Usagi and her computerized partner scoured the globe in search for Dr. Sambi and the criminals he helped. Most were captured and sent back to the future, where others were let go. Along the way, she met many interesting people. In one incident, Usagi saved a couple named Duncan and Amanda from this crazed criminal, who was part of Selma's wanted files, who claimed to be some sort of "Watcher". In another incident, Usagi teamed up with this Shaolin monk named Kwai Chang Cain in order to stop Usagi perpetrator from helping his ancestor win in a gang war among the Triads of Seacouver, when she was just visiting her new friend Duncan. Another incident, in which Usagi actually had to become Sailor Moon, was an incident involving a vampire cult in Vancouver…only it turned out that there really were vampires. Incidentally, Usagi had to save a vampire-turned-cop named Detective Nick Knight from another criminal from the future, who wanted to erase Captain Darien Lambert from existence; it turned out that Nick Knight would become the ancestor of Darien Lambert. In the end, whether or not she was going to go after criminals from the future, Usagi would end up in some very strange places, like Wolf Lake, Oregon, Twins Peak, Idaho or Sicily, Alaska. In those cases, she turned to both her Senshi powers and experience to deal with the crisis.
Thanks to her rank and function, Usagi had special powers that allowed her to make on the spot decision. In essence, Usagi was part cop, part judge and definitely part executioner. After ever case, Usagi would file her report vis-à-vis the classified ads within the Washington Post. Later, after an incident with Sambi, the method of sending reports electronically through the time-stream. Furthermore, all of the SELMA units were integrated into a circular network, thus allowing each agent to access the data of the other. Eventually, a final showdown was involving the temporal agents and Dr. Sambi occurred, nearly killing everyone involved.
"Darien!" Usagi cried, as she knelt down to a mortally wounded Lambert. Containing the temporal wake drained much of her energy.
"Did…we get Sambi?"
"Yes, yes we did."
"Good. I need for you to take him back to the future, and tell…everyone what had happened here today."
"Yes, yes I will."
"Usagi…why didn't you tell me you were Sailor Moon?"
"I-"
"But it doesn't matter. Usagi…tell Agent Knox that I'm sorry for standing her up for our date. And…tell her that I loved-"
And thus Captain Lambert dies.
In the end, Usagi took Dr. Sambi back to the future, along with the data of the other SELMA unit that was transferred to Usagi's unit. Thus, after Dr. Sambi was convicted for his crimes, Usagi retired from the Agency to work on Dr. Sambi's "Time TRAX" program, though not without making deals with the Agency as a means of securing the use of her SELMA unit. It took Usagi a year before she cracked Sambi's program, after which she submitted her final report. She never told Ranma what she did specifically, since her mission was classified. It was only recently that Ranma did learn of this, which would end up straining their relationship in the matters of trust.
"SELMA, you don't have to call me 'Captain' anymore," said Usagi.
"I know, but it's something out of habit."
"Still, we must keep our standards," said another holographic image, this time resembling the character "Mary Poppins".
"Oh stop being such a kill-joy!" said another holographic image, this time resembling an extractive blond model. "We're not part of the Agency anymore, okay?"
"Alright, that's enough," said Usagi. She didn't want all twelve SELMAs, which were integrated from her eleven colleagues' units, to get in an argument over how to address her. "What I need right now is advice."
"Well," began the matronly SELMA, "You have known that Mr. Spock's condition is worsening, but are prepared to handle it discreetly."
"Forget that!" said the blond SELMA. "This is your chance to bag a total babe without guilt."
"Eww!" said the Naru Selma. "How can you be so cavalier about sex? Sex should be special."
"Hey, if the Captain here is willing to learn, I can teach her a few things that will make her time with Spock 'special'."
"Anyway," interjected Usagi, "I've made up my mind. I just needed some feed back."
"I appreciate you thinking highly of us," said the matronly SELMA.
"Me, too!" said the Neru SELMA.
"And if you need some advice-"
"I know who to call. Thanks guys. SELMA, voice mode."
With that the images disappeared.
Usagi made her way back to where Spock was sleeping. She then knelt down, and gently shook her old friend.
"Spock, wake up."
"Usagi-?"
"Shhh. I know that you don't want to do this, but I'm sure your fiancée T'Pring will understand." With that, Usagi took the initiative to help her friend see his pain through.
I'm sorry…Ranchan, thought Usagi, as she shed a tear.
About a week later, the Enterprise was able to rescue the stranded crew, thanks to the insistence of Usagi's pet Thumper, who had indeed received Usagi's psychic summons. Unfortunately, as Usagi had earlier confirmed, only a week had passed since Usagi and her crewmates had left the Enterprise, but seven years had gone by for Usagi and her crewmates. Apparently, the entire system was out of synch with normal time, thanks to all the dark matter that was in and around that particular star system. Captain Pike was amazed to learn that he beamed back a crew with families. However, the biggest surprised came when two of his senior officers came back with a baby. A tuft of blond hair and pointy ears told Pike and Number who the child's parents were.
"Wow. It seems that I deserve a story from you two, Ensign Spock, Ensign Tsukino."
Just then, Ranma comes running through the doors of the transporter room.
"Usagi! I-"
And that's when he sees the bundle that Usagi was holding.
"You have some explaining to do, Usagi," Ranma says flatly.
A week later, the Enterprise is orbiting the planet Vulcan. As per Usagi's request, she will take her baby, named T'Sara with her to live with Spock's parents.
"Usagi, I'm sorry for over-reacting," Ranma says, as he sees his wife packing her things.
"Ranma, if I didn't have that spell ready, you could have killed him," Usagi replied.
"Okay, fine. But do you have to go?"
Usagi looks at her husband.
"This place is no place to raise a baby. And I need to go where T'Sara can be looked after properly. She's both Vulcan AND Human, so her needs should be taken care of…on Vulcan."
"But you know how I feel about that place!"
"I know, my darling."
With that, Usagi kisses Ranma.
"I always have, and always will, love you, Ranchan. Just…promise to be cordial to Spock while I am away."
"I…I will, Usako."
Just then, the retainers from Spock's parents enter. As it was customary, Usagi was properly covered up, with baby bundle in hand, and led out of Ranma's room. Since Usagi gave birth to Spock's child, she was now part of the House of Sarek, and must abide by the wishes of the head of the household if T'Sara is properly recognized as a kin. Only when the child is of age, has Usagi fulfilled her duties as her mother.
Ranma sighs, as he sits alone. It will be a while before he can trust himself to trust Usagi again.
Fin.
Next time: We jump to the Kirk era, where we get to meet a foe whose madness will span generations. See you next time!