SMST 5D: A Thanksgiving Carol! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Author's note: Yes, it's not Thanksgiving Day anymore, but this is the holiday season. Enjoy!
Part 3
Meanwhile…
"Wu-ha!" yells Cameron as he hops off his sofa. He and some of Ranma's colleagues from Stargate Command were invited to Ranma's party…
"Aw, come on!" Ranma complained. "He dropped the ball!"
"This is…football?" Keiichi Morisato says, as he snacked on nachos.
"Yes, I believe," says Tenchi.
"I thought football was when you kicked a black-and-white ball on a field with headgear."
"No, they call it 'soccer' in America."
"Oh."
"Well, thanks for inviting us over, Ranma," says Will, as he snacked on his popcorn.
"Yeah, well, I wished that Don could have come," Ranma says. "But he and Judy were going to spend Thanksgiving Day Dinner with Judy's parents on Alpha Centauri."
"Well, Penny wasn't too thrilled about losing that coin flip, which meant visiting the parents," says Will. "And besides, being here allows me to spend time with Ra'maind'r, since she wants to learn about human customs like 'Thanksgiving Day'."
"Well, it's always nice to spend time with my future son-in-law," Ranma says. "But I do hope that you are nice to her."
"You know I want hurt her in anyway."
"Good, because I would want you to be targeted for death by her MOTHER."
"…"
Meanwhile…
BONG! BONG!
Usagi woke up from her apparent nap.
"Huh," Usagi says. "How did I get here?"
Usagi looks around the room, wondering why her windows were covered up. Usually, she likes having the windows free of curtains, so that she gets the nice, warm breeze in at night…
And then, a strong breeze blows into hut, causing the curtains to flap. However, what got Usagi's attention was the light that was being shown in.
"Mother?" Usagi asked, as she goes to the door, before opening it. "Is that you-?"
"Actually, Usagi, it is only I," says a familiar voice.
Usagi focuses her vision, as the glare of the lights died down. All around her patio was a bounty of food, drink and treasure. However, it was the person standing in the center of this harvest that caught Usagi's attention.
"Master Kenobi?" Usagi says.
The Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled at his former "padawan". He appears as he was on the day he died at the hands of General Grievous on Utapau, when he took a deathblow meant for Usagi. Since that day, Usagi made a vow to be Jedi that Obi-Wan (or "Ben", as she sometimes called him informally) would want her to be, including becoming one of the greatest masters of the Jedi combat form, "Soresu". Commonly known as "Form III" amongst wielder of the "light-blade", a master of Soresu is like an eye of a storm: calm and collected with a masterful defense stratagem. While it is primarily a defensive form, it forces the opponent to expend a lot more energy while trying to break through a Soresu master's defenses. In fact, an overly aggressive opponent typically ends up losing a fight because of a Soresu's keen awareness of striking when it is least expected. And although Usagi would learn other combat forms, and even creating her own form—called the Usa-tao—Soresu has always been the default form of combat to use…
It must be noted that to be a Jedi Master, one must be able to develop a unique style, such as Ranma's 'Ran-tao", which is a related combat form of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu.
"It's been a long time since we were able to have a talk," Obi-Wan says.
"Of course it is," Usagi says with a perturbed look. "It's been, what, over a thousand years…from MY perspective?"
"My apologies, Usagi. It's just that I am forbidden from interfering in your life-line, until this moment."
"Humph!"
"But I must say that I am disappointed in you for some of your activities of late."
"Come again?"
"You have been behaving more as a Sith, than as a proper Jedi."
"What? Do you know what I had to go through in order to save the Universe?"
"Be as it may, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things for the better good of all."
"Whatever. So, what do you have to show me to prove that I should be thankful for my life?"
Obi-Wan offers his robe's sleeves.
"Take hold of my robe, Usagi."
"Um, okay," Usagi says, as she grabs Ben's sleeves. "Now what?"
"We begin our journey, of course."
"Um…Ben?"
"Yes?" Obi-Wan says tiredly.
"Can I keep all this bounty?"
"Usagi, this bounty is only a representation of the goodness that is humanity."
"I know, but I think I can put some of it on 'E-Bay'."
"…"
"Ben?"
"Let's go and complete this leg of your journey," Obi-Wan says, as he snaps his fingers.
SNAP!
Usagi sees herself sitting at the helm control station. She wore the insignia of the USS Farragut.
"Huh?" Usagi says.
"Usagi, is there something the matter?"
Usagi turns around to see Captain Kirk sitting in his command chair. He, too, was wearing the emblem of the USS Farragut…
"Um, I am at a lost as to why we are on the Farragut-"
Usagi sees a Klingon in a Science officer's uniform (blue), with a Klingon sash.
"And why there is a Klingon on board."
"Usagi, I know that you are sensitive to changes in the timeline, but, please, be a bit more professional…"
Usagi thinks for a moment, as her mind makes some adjustments.
"Oh, sorry," Usagi says, as she laughs off the situation. "Just a bit nervous. Korg, sorry."
The Klingon science officer nods his head, as he continues to feed his calculations into the navigation computer.
Lt. DeSalle turns his attention towards Usagi from his navigation station.
"If you want, I can take over the helm-"
"I got it," Usagi says. "After all, I got the better helm record."
"Yeah, but not by MUCH."
"Hater," Usagi says, as she begins to perform her calculations, while raising her scanner from within flight control and navigation station, so that she could plot her trans-atmospheric flight path down to the planet of the Guardian of Forever. Usagi then turns towards the captain.
"Sir, I'm ready to receive Korg's calculations," Usagi says.
"Good," Kirk says. "As soon as Mister Spock awakes the Guardian, proceed with the countdown."
"Aye, sir," Usagi says, as she stares into the scanner, after activating her tracking sensors…
Somehow, the timeline had been changed, when the Doomsday Machine destroyed the USS Enterprise, under Christopher Pike's command over a decade ago…with Ranma and Spock on board. This was not suppose to have happened, nor was there any indication that there was a second Doomsday Machine created. Soon after the destruction the Enterprise, the planetary weapon destroyed Vulcan. Thankfully, Usagi escaped that doomed world with her baby daughter and a handful of Vulcans. Since then, Usagi rejoined Starfleet with the express purpose of combating the self-replicating Doomsday Machines in the so-called "Doomsday War". However, it turned out that the war with the machines was not suppose to have happened…
"All systems are GO," Usagi says. "Ready for launch sequence on your mark, sir."
"Excellent," Kirk says. "Mister Spock?"
Down on the planet below, Mister Spock, who survived the changes of the timeline, looks up at the edifice of a much larger Guardian of Forever. It had been theorized that the Guardian of Forever was the planet it self, rather than the portals that presented themselves to the planet's visitors…
"Guardian!" Mister Spock says. "I would like-"
"A QUESTION!" the edifice boomed. "Long has it been that received a question…"
Meanwhile, Lt. Korg notices the activation of the Guardian on his sensors.
"Sir, the device has been activated," Korg says.
"Good, Usagi?" Kirk asked. "As soon Mister Spock relays his signal, on mark, proceed."
"Yes, sir," Usagi says, as she waited for Spock's signal. "Wait on mark…NOW!"
Usagi activated the main thrusters and began her descent.
Meanwhile, the larger edifice of the Guardian of Forever begins to go through the entirety of Earth's history. The trick was for the Farragut to enter the Guardian, so that it can arrive at the precise temporal zone where the Enterprise prematurely encounters the Doomsday Machine…
"Sir, I'm getting atmospheric buffeting," DeSalle says.
"Compensating," Usagi says. Ever since Ranma had died, Usagi strived to be the pilot that Ranma was. Silently, she prayed for Ranma's guidance, as she attempts the impossible: piloting a starship into the maw of the unknown.
"I'm getting some chop, but trans-atmospheric entry in five-by-five…"
Soon, the Farragut dips deep into the valley where the larger edifice of the Guardian of Forever was located. Supposedly, a lake had hidden it, until Federation scientists had drained it. The Spock of the true timeline had been on the planet when the timeline had changed. And because the planet of the Guardian of Forever straddled the space-time continuum, Spock was safe from the change. Unfortunately, the Spock of the new timeline had been killed by a second Doomsday Machine, which had appeared out of nowhere, thus starting the "Doomsday War"…
"Hang on!" Usagi yelled as she pilot the Farragu through the narrow canyon…and into the Guardian of Forever's large edifice.
BOOM!
"She did it," Spock says.
Sailor Pluto steps up from the shadows. Disguising herself as one of the Federation researchers was no small feat.
"She did, and it will be up to her and her crewmates to correct this flaw," Sailor Pluto says.
Spock turns to face the Senshi of Time.
"And had it been destroyed instead of simply removed from the space-time continuum, none of this would have happened," Spock says.
"I was already weakened from protecting the Time Gate during the fall of the Silver Millennium, so 'sue' me."
"Humph. So, what will happen now?"
"If things go right, then time will be as it was."
"Even if it means costing the livelihood of a good man?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Meanwhile, 14 years in the past…
"Sir, I am detecting an unusual reading," says Science Officer Spock, as he continued his scan.
Captain Christopher Pike, the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise, looks up from his signing of the day's log. The Enterprise was assigned to investigate massive energy readings, after Starfleet lost contact with one of its outposts along the Klingon Neutral Zone. Starfleet Command was concerned that the Klingon Empire was deploying a new weapon that could be used against the Federation soon.
"Is it related to readings you have determined earlier?" Pike asked.
"No, sir," Spock says, as he looks up to face Pike. "I'm detecting entirely new readings."
"Okay. Mister Saotome, prepare weapons battery. Number One, plot an intercept course with the anomaly."
"Aye, sir," Ranma and the mysterious woman known as "Number One" replied in unison.
"Engage."
As the Enterprise increased its speed, Number One turns to Ranma.
"So, I hear that you and Usagi are…getting back together?" Number One asked.
"Well, it's a bit complicated," says Ranma, as he glances over to Spock. "I'm having trouble getting permission for shore-leave, due to the political connection of you-know-who's parents."
"Ranma, it's not his fault or Usagi's."
"Yeah, well…it's still kind of hurt, you know."
"But Usagi did say that she hopes to return to duty next year. That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Number One?" Pike says. "Status."
"We should have visual range," Number One says.
"On screen."
Brrrring!
"Mister Spock?" Pike asked.
"It appears to be a Federation starship," Spock says. "But there is a temporal anomaly in place."
"Sir, from the markings and registry, it appears to be NCC-1647 USS 'Farragut'," Ranma says. "And…I'm detecting internal configurations that do not match the registry of the ship."
"What the blaze is Captain Garrovick doing in this sector?" Pike says.
"Sir?" says a communications officer. "We're being hailed."
"On screen…"
CHIRP!
"This Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Farragut, calling the Enterprise," says Kirk.
"This Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise," Pike says with suspicion. "And Steve Garrovick is the commanding officer of the Farragut, so who the blazes are YOU?"
"This…may sound strange, but…we need to talk."
"Oh?"
After some jockeying for position, Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Korg and Usagi beam over to the Enterprise, just as Pike, Number One, Dr. Bryce and Ranma enters the transporter room.
As soon as Usagi sees Ranma, who was the ship's security specialist-
GOOSH!
"Mmmmph!" Ranma says, as he and Usagi fell down on the floor.
BAM!
"Ranma…you're alive!" Usagi says, as she purrs contently, after administering a powerful glomp.
"Can't…breathe," Ranma manages to say.
"That answers one question," Pike says. "But you brought a Klingon with you-?"
"If you detected a temporal variance, then that should be proof that we are from the future."
"I can't stand this," Usagi says, as she gets up, and picks up Ranma in her arms. Having served on the Enterprise, under Pike, before, she knew the layout of the ship.
"Usagi, where are you going?" Kirk asked.
"Getting reacquainted with MY husband," Usagi says, as she slings Ranma over her shoulders. She was naturally stronger than him…
"Don't I get a say in this?" Ranma complained.
"No."
"Usagi, I…know that you want to get reacquainted with Ranma, but we really don't have time for this…thing," Kirk says.
"Dang," Usagi says with disappointment.
"Can I get let down, now?"
"Um, sure."
"Thank you," Ranma says, as he is let down. "Honestly…"
"Okay, say that I believe you," Pike says. "Why are you here?"
Kirk turns to Korg and then to Dr. McCoy. And then, he turns to face Pike.
"Let me tell you about the 'Doomsday Machine…'
Tbc.