Thank you soooo much to those of you that have reviewed and are still around to read this story! I really appreciate it, and it makes me happy to know I haven't lost all of you. As promised, here is the next chapter to this story. I got it out a little later than anticipated, but more family came in this weekend for the holidays, and I was tied up with them. This chapter is not nearly as long as the previous one, but I think it has a good stoping point. The next chapter will definitely be longer.

Translation to the chapter title is: Soldier

As the story turns...

Chapter 9: Ask'ersu

"Moon Cosmic Celestial Power!" Serenity screamed out, and in a flurry of flashes, she once again stood in her true form.

Spock could only blink. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, standing right before him was a girl that looked nothing like the girl he knew from his past. Her eyes were silver along with her hair, which was now even longer than before. Her skin now pale and flawless. She was beautiful to the eye, but her aura lacked the warmth it once had. What was she?

Serenity knew that there would be questions to answer later, but for now she had Mitchell to deal with. She stood between him and the crew of the Enterprise. Mitchell could only smirk at her. "Should have killed me when you had the chance, Cosmos." He lifted up his hand and slammed her into the wall using his mind.

Before she could respond, Mitchell had already blasted through the wall to make his escape. Serenity turned to Spock and Kirk. "You need to get back to the Enterprise. I will handle Mitchell."

"Wait a second." Kirk began to protest, but Serenity cut him off. "No Jim, believe me, I can handle this."

"It was my fault for not killing Mitchell when I had the chance, so I should take care of the situation. I can't let someone else do the dirty work when I should have protected my ship." Kirk argued.

"The Captain is right." Spock added. "This is not your fight." He would think about what she was later. At this point in time, it was more important that she stayed alive so he could question her.

"You are foolish if you think you can take him on now." Serenity all but yelled. "You will be killed, and I won't lose anymore people who are important to me." Her eyes locked with Spock's for what seemed like ages. After this was finished, after Mitchell was taken care of, it would be then when she would have her answer on whether or not he could accept her.

Spock could only stare at her. Was he reading her right? Was she trying to tell him something? Before he could even ask her, she began to make her way towards the hole that Mitchell blew through the wall.

"We don't have time for this. Every second that passes Mitchell grows stronger." She sighed as she walked away from the two. "If you have not received a signal from me within twelve hours, you need to proceed at maximum warp to the nearest Earth base with my recommendation that this entire planet be subjected to a lethal concentration of neutron radiation."

"I will not allow you to do this!" Kirk yelled at her. She turned back with a sad smile on her face. "You have no choice." She held up her hand as a long white staff appeared. Before the two could blink, a blinding light engulfed them. When they finally could see their surroundings, they were no longer on Delta Vega, but back on the Enterprise in the transporter room.

"No." Spock whispered.

"Scotty, get us back down there!" Kirk demanded as he positioned himself on the transporter pad. "I can't Captain." The engineer informed him. "Something is blocking our transporter."

Spock tried to make sense of the situation. Since when had she developed power like that? He knew she was blocking the transporter. As he thought more on the situation, the more he began to wonder if she was really who he thought she was, or if she was some enemy that had filtrated her way on the ship.

Come to think of it, it was rather convenient she was found where their ship was taken leave. That she looked like someone from Spock's past, immediately catching his attention and soon earning the trust of everyone on the ship. Now, it appeared as if she remembered him and her past life. She had to, or else she would not know what to recommend should she fail to control Mitchell.

What did she mean by important people? Spock could only shake his head as he left the transporter room, unwilling to discuss the situation with anyone.

"Elizabeth, I know you're there." Called out Mitchell.

Dehner rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the self-declared god. "You see differently now, do you not?" Mitchell questioned. The psychologist's eyes rose up to meet his face, and it was then that he finally saw the silver in her eyes. She nodded at his question. "It only took a little longer for me to change."

"Look around." Mitchell gestured to the land around them. "Look at the beginning of our new kingdom."

Dehner smiled. "It will take a miracle to survive here."

"Then I shall make one." Mitchell held up his hand, and almost immediately a paradise was formed in front of them.

"It is beautiful." Dehner breathed out.

"An illusion made by a corrupted man." Cosmos stated as she came into view. Mitchell looked slightly shocked at her sudden appearance. "What?" She questioned. "Was the all powerful god not expecting the warrior?" She turned her attention back to Dehner. "A corrupt man who needs you now, but what will he do with you when he no longer needs you?"

"Don't listen to her Elizabeth." Mitchell protested. "We will become gods of this new world, together."

"So he says now Dr. Dehner, but think about his behavior as of late. Think how quickly he turned against his friend of many years, James Kirk." Cosmos countered. Dehner looked confused as to who to believe. Cosmos pleaded with her. "Please, reach into your humanity. You know how dangerous he is to the human race. For goodness sakes, you study psychiatry!" Dehner still made no move. "If you will not look into your humanity, think of this situation another way. He needs you now because of me. He is aware he cannot win this fight alone."

"How dare you speak of me that way!" Mitchell sent Cosmos flying into the mountain that was before them. Before she could even stand, he had an electric current flowing through her system causing her immense pain. He was more powerful than she expected.

She finally managed to stand up and placed a force field around her to block out his power. Mitchell, however, did not give up. He continued to allow his power to beat against the force field, chipping away at Saturn's wall slowly.

"Mitchell, I do not want to fight you." Cosmos said as she held up the barrier. "I want to help you. You are no longer yourself."

"No! You want to take away my sight, my power." Mitchell argue, his power getting even stronger.

Cosmos knew she could fight him, she knew she could hit him hard, but to kill a man who was innocent. He didn't ask for this to happen to him.

"Do not pity me Cosmic warrior!" He declared as the barrier chipped away even more. He began to smile, thinking his victory was at hand, that was until he was blown off his feet. He turned his head to face Dehner only to get hit with an electric current very similar to his own. As his wits returned to him, he began to fire back at Dehner.

"No, Dr. Dehner!" Cosmos shouted as she brought down her barrier and ran to Dehner's side, but it was too late. Dehner sent the last of her energy flying towards Mitchell, thowing him back hard into the ground.

"Elizabeth, why did you do that? I could have handled it." Cosmos argued with the woman, tears forming in her eyes.

"You were right, and I couldn't let him hurt you. I know you are trying to help him, and perhaps with him weakened now, you can save him."

The tears began to fall down Cosmos's cheeks. Dehner had sacrificed herself so that Mitchell could be saved.

"Your time is limited." Dehner stated in a weak voice. "Please, save him." Her eyes closed as her spirit left her body. Cosmos leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I will not fail you."

She stood up and faced Mitchell. He was finally standing after the blow that Dehner delivered. The silver from his eyes had vanished, but he still held anger in his heart. He lunged at Cosmos, but she dodged him smoothly, knocking him with her staff. Before he could move to attack again, she held up her hand and said, "Freeze."

Ice shot from her fingertips as it engulf Mitchell, freezing him into place. Cosmos took a deep breath. She called upon the crystal inside of her.

"Silver Crystal, right what has been wronged. Open this man's eyes to who he truly is. Rid him of the poison in his mind and heart." Light surrounded the area as it filled Mitchell's veins. Cosmos could only pray that her power would work.

Spock had been continuously pacing his study. Time was almost up, and she had yet to reappear or try to contact the ship. The transporter was still being blocked. There was no way to know if she had failed or succeeded.

He couldn't believe he was worrying this much about it. He had long convinced himself that she was an enemy. She was not the girl he knew. There was no way she could be. No, the girl he knew was gone. The sooner he accepted that, the sooner he could regain his logical mind and start thinking clearly about the situation.

But what if she is the same girl? His mind questioned.

"Shut up." Spock could only say in response. He didn't know exactly when he started talking to himself, but he knew it was a problem that he would not seek McCoy's help for.

Still though, the small hope that she was the girl he knew before would not leave him. His recent dream of her didn't help matters at all.

Spock wandered around a dark destroyed world. Ruins of a fallen kingdom were all around him, but it was not ruins he recognized. As he looked out into the night sky, he could see the Earth. It was then, judging by the distance, that he realized he was standing on Earth's Moon. Before he could make any sense of the situation, a voice called out to him.

"Spock." The voice was like a melody, and quite familiar.

"Who are you?" He asked the darkness.

"You know who I am." She replied with a slight giggle. Oh, how he missed that sound, but he could not focus on it.

"No, I do not know who you are." He answered.

"I suppose your right." She responded. "There is so much about me you don't know." Spock continued to walk around the ruins, trying to find the source of the voice. "My life is that of a tragic story, one that I never wish to burden you with."

"Always riddles with you." He stated in exasperation.

She laughed. "You know that was a quality you always liked about me, even if you were too proud to admit it." Before he could even ask how she knew that, she answered simply, "your eyes tell many things, Spock."

Her voice took on a serious tone. "I know you doubt me, but know this, deep down, I am that girl you once knew on Vulcan. You must trust me. I have and always will love you."

Spock's breath quickened. "Why is it no one remembers you?" He questioned. Keeping the conversation going as he continued to explore the area.

"Because my destiny was not in your world."

"Your destiny? If that is the case, then why do I remember you?" Spock questioned, ignoring the fact that she only added more questions to his list.

"You know the answer to this. We are connected. How else could you explain this dream you are having?" She answered.

As Spock dug his way through debris, his eyes finally settled on the figure of a woman. She was facing away from him, her hair long and white. Her body was clothed in yards of white silk. The wind moved around her, giving her the illusion of being an angel. Perhaps she was one.

"You have to trust me Spock, open up to me. Share your pain with me, for it is the pain I too have felt. Only then can we move forward." The woman's face turned to him. While she was mainly covered in shadows, her face gave off a brilliant light. "Only then can we finally be one."

Spock was drawn from his thoughts by a voice that was calling out to him. It was the Captain contacting him through the intercom in the room.

"Spock, she's back." The Vulcan stiffened. "Meet me in Medical Bay."

Spock soon found his feet walking automatically to the hospital wing, still quite unsure as to what awaited him. As he walked through the doors, he couldn't believe his eyes. Mitchell was lying on a bed being examined by McCoy.

Spock's eyes found Kirk's. "She brought back Mitchell with her." He answered to the Vulcan's unspoken questioned. "Don't worry, it appears as if he is no longer a threat."

"Can we know that for sure?" Spock questioned.

"He is back to normal, Spock." His eyes finally found the person that had been plaguing his thoughts. She was no longer in the strange outfit he last saw her in. She appeared as a normal girl before him. This only heightened his suspicion.

"How can we be sure that you are telling the truth?" Serenity looked slightly hurt by his question, but Spock didn't stop there. "Who are you? What are you?"

"I thought you said you trusted me?" She questioned him, the pain evident in her voice.

"I foolishly responded to that questioned." He snapped back at her. "I was not thinking logically."

"Logic." She spoke through gritted teeth. "It's always logic with you Spock!" Her pain turning into anger towards the Vulcan.

"Captain, I suggest we put her into our holding cells. We cannot trust her now that we know she is not who she claims to be."

"Spock, do you really think that is necessary? I mean, she did save Mitchell." Kirk responded.

"Yes, but how did she save Mitchell and why?" The Vulcan questioned.

"Can you even hear yourself?" Serenity questioned. "I saved him because he was a friend of yours and an innocent man. He didn't ask for what happened to him."

"You still failed to answer the question on how you saved him." Spock retorted.

Serenity bit her lip. "That is a very long and hard story Spock."

"That answer is not sufficient." Spock turned back to the Captain. "Until we can figure out who or what she is, she is a threat to this ship. You saw the power that she demonstrated on the planet, and even now she will not explain herself. She lied about her identity. From where I am standing, she is as much of a threat as Mitchell was. Do not allow your emotions to threaten this ship again."

Kirk's back stiffened at Spock's last statement. He looked towards Serenity, his expression saddened. "The Commander has a point. Forgive me Serenity, but I cannot jeopardize this ship's safety again. I will not maroon you on Delta Vega, but I will have to keep you in the holding cells until we get some answers."

Serenity nodded. She understood why the Captain was doing this, but she had expected more of Spock. "I will go with you willingly. You will have no trouble from me. I understand your need to protect those under you." Two security guards came up beside her. As they lead her gently out of Medical Bay, she turned back to the Vulcan.

"I remember everything Spock. The night you kissed me, my mind was awakened. Do you honestly think you are the only one that suffered from our separation?" Spock's eyes did not meet hers, but his hands clenched at her words. "I had thought, after everything we had been through, you would have had more faith in me. You know who I am Spock. Your logic be damned. Your heart knows me; your heart calls for me." Spock's nails were biting into the palms of his hands.

"I guess I am just as much to blame." She said with a sigh. "Even after I remembered, I refused to communicate with you. I did not want to burden you with my past, and I also feared your rejection of me should you learn the truth. It appears I was right." Tears formed in her eyes, and she could speak no longer. Without another word, she was lead out of Medical Bay, leaving Spock to contemplate the words she had just uttered.

Another, sort of, cliffhanger. Not as bad as the one before. I know they are still not at peace with one another, but I'm trying to move at a believable pace. I mean, we are dealing with a Vulcan here. I hope you enjoyed it, and I will be trying to type up the next chapter and get it out to you some time soon. PLEASE REVIEW!

-Lizzy