Recap: Ranma Saotome now Taya is Sailor Sol he gained the memories and abilities from an alternate version of himself that had been born female and was subsequently killed by an evil Queen Serenity.
Beryl is now Sailor Terra she gained the powers of the Earth princess from her generals and the Earth itself when she realized that she wanted to do good and be good like the person she had grown to love Ranma.
Hotaru Tomoe is Sailor Saturn. Ranma and Beryl helped her destroy Mistress 9 and later on she came and saved them from a somewhat maniacal Sailor Pluto.
The three gained the enmity of the ancient Witch Baba Yaga and thus her curse when they shattered the Time Gate in order to prevent her from gaining its use. When they shattered the Time Gate the three were sent into an entirely different world. One in which Sky Net was trying to destroy humanity. Soon enough they realized that they would have to go back in time to defeat Sky Net, but when they did so they were met by an evil Demon named Gusoin. Gusoin was fulfilling a debt he held to Baba Yaga and he tried to destroy the three with some Terminator units that he modified using magic in addition to a warped and twisted person that he made by fusing a male and female together in order to try and locate the gender changing Ranma.
Somewhere along the line Ranma and his two companions consummated their relationship and then it all came to a head at the Cheyenne mountain complex where Ranma and his allies defeated Gusoin, but they ended up being thrown into yet another universe…
Baba Yaga's Curse: Star Gate or Time Gate
Chapter 1
Ranma, Hotaru and Beryl stepped out of the gate only to be met by a veritable army of U.S. marines standing in front of them with guns at the ready. Given Ranma's most recent experiences with the military he could probably be forgiven for what happened next.
The boy jumped high into the air and sent vacuum blades all over the room quickly and efficiently targeting each gun and slicing them to bits, then he waded into melee with the girls not two steps behind him. The three high powered martial artists quickly incapacitated the people in their way, but were unable to get to a large metal blast door before it closed.
Left in the room the three quickly incapacitated any of the remaining marines. Then, they looked towards the gate that they had arrived by. Ranma said, "Okay let's get out of here."
He concentrated on making the time gate appear, but nothing happened. He sighed and said, "All together, come on."
As the three concentrated on trying to make the portal reappear a soft hissing sound could be heard throughout the room. Ranma silently cursed to himself and continued to concentrate.
He woke up some time later in a small cell. A voice outside the cell said, "I'm going to come in now, please don't make us sedate you again."
"Right come on in then." Ranma said, and then sighed as he realized he had been in a situation that was eerily similar to this one and with the U.S. government as well. He checked his pockets and realized that these people had indeed taken everything including his transformation pen.
As a man with sandy brown hair and wearing glasses walked into the room Ranma decided that his next task would be learning Mousse's hidden weapons technique. He finished that thought just as the brown haired man closed the door behind him, then held out a hand, and said, "Hi I'm Daniel Jackson."
Ranma took the proffered hand and said, "Ranma Taya, I'd say that I am pleased to meet you…" The young martial artist gave Daniel a wry grin and then continued, "But, considering the fact that we were attacked when we arrived and my current situation well…"
Ranma shrugged and Daniel nodded to him saying, "About that, well from our point of view you guys broke in here. What were we to think when that happened?"
Ranma nodded at that, then Daniel continued saying, "But, you guys only fought to disable. Men with guns and you didn't kill a single one of them so General Hammond is rethinking the situation."
Rethinking was good in Ranma's book it meant that there might be a possibility of being freed. Still the girls were nowhere to be seen so he said, "What about my friends where are they at?"
Daniel knew he would have asked the same question and the information was allowed so he said, "One of them is currently sedated and the other is nearby, but I don't think we can let you together just yet."
Ranma sighed and looked around the room noting the positions of the cameras and the air vents. He realized that these people wanted something so he just came out and said, "So, you what exactly do you want from me?"
The brown haired man said simply, "Information, like about how you overrode the iris on the gate and why. We'd also like to know if you know anything about another girl we have here named Reece."
The name meant nothing to Ranma so he shrugged and said, "Reece? No, I don't think I know her and as for the Iris, I'll take a guess and assume that it is the metallic wall thing you guys had set up on your gate right?"
Daniel nodded and Ranma would have answered the question, but he suddenly realized that he had absolutely no idea as to how the Time Gate had opened the Iris. Some sort of technical computer thing he was sure, but that wasn't his area of expertise, Beryl or Hotaru might know, but even with their memories the Time Gate was a sophisticated magical and technological device. As he mused he noticed that Daniel was waiting for an answer and so he said, "Mostly by magic really."
"Magic?" The sandy brown haired man looked a bit annoyed and said, "Come on now, you can't seriously expect us to believe that you used magic can you?"
A standard answer and Ranma had heard it before right up until he splashed himself with cold water so he said, "I suppose you don't believe in magic, well then would you like to see some?"
Daniel knew that the young man in front of him had been searched for weapons and yet he was a bit nervous as he said, "What kind of magic?"
Ranma smiled enigmatically and said, "How about a cup of water?"
Daniel was confused by Ranma's answer drawing out the first word in his answer as he said, "Suure we can do that." he walked over to the door and tapped on it. A few moments later someone came to the door wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform. The person spoke with Daniel for a few seconds and then the door was closed.
Daniel waited at the door and after a short wait it was opened and he was given a glass of water. He brought it to the desk that Ranma was sitting and handed it to the young man. Ranma smiled, took the water in his hand and dumped it over his head.
Ranma's transformation into a tall red haired elfin girl astonished Daniel, but it was possible that the girl was even more astonished when she could not even feel where her transformation pen might be. She groused to herself about it for a moment and then decided to try talking her way into getting the pen from this guy and if that didn't work there were always the Umisenken arts.
Ranma was just about to figure out a way to ask Daniel for the pen without arousing his suspicion when an airman opened the door and said, "Dr. Jackson, Colonel O'Neill is back and your presence is requested in Major Carter's laboratory."
Daniel was silent for a moment as his mind attempted to understand Ranma's transformation, but he realized that this new situation must be important so he looked at the girl in front of him and said, "I need to go do this, but I'd like to have the doctor look at you okay?"
Ranma nodded and Daniel left the room. Moments later a few airmen came in with weapons drawn. She allowed them to put cuffs on her and lead her to the infirmary, hoping that she might sense her pen or the other girls on her way, or at the very least determine the layout of the place.
Ranma walked back into the more public examination area and her guards seemed to sigh with relief that nothing had happened in the private area. She took a seat and sat at an examination table while an older red haired woman said, "Well those are your vitals in this form or as best as we can do without a really full gynecological exam from an Obstetrician," Ranma shuddered at the idea and the woman continued by saying, "Well I don't think that's necessary at this time. I'm satisfied that you are fully female and near human."
She finished writing a few more notes and then said, "Now for the second part. You said that you turn into a male with hot water right?"
Ranma nodded and held out her hand as the doctor gave her a cup of hot water. As she poured the water on her head she said, "Yeah Dr. Frasier, I used to think of it as a curse, now I guess it's just me."
The doctor looked wide eyed as the pointy eared, red haired girl turned into a black haired boy with rounded ears. He smiled at her and said, "I guess that might seem pretty amazing."
Dr. Frasier was still a bit shocked and said, "Well, I've seen quite a bit around here, but this one is even strange for the SGC. Now why don't we see how deep the transformation is?" She then started a full physical exam of the young man in front of her.
As the examination proceeded Ranma was rather sure that he was in Cheyenne Mountain, but this area had not been on the plans in the world he had recently come from. His concerns had now become twofold. First he had yet to think of a way to ask about his transformation pen and second was the possibility that Skynet might exist in this world.
Ranma's thoughts continued trying to figure out a solution and then, just as the exam was concluding Daniel Jackson came into the infirmary to be treated for a head injury. Dr. Frasier excused herself saying, "We're almost done, but stay here I want to see a few results and check one or two more things."
Ranma nodded and sat where he was watching the doctor work. He hardly paid any attention to the two guards near him as he continued to figure out exactly what his next move should be.
As Dr. Frasier was tending Daniel's injury a silver haired man with Colonel's stripes came in the room with two other people. A woman with a Major's stripe and a tall black skinned man with some type of gold device emblazoned on his forehead. The Colonel spoke to Daniel with sarcasm evident in his voice. "That went well."
The blond girl with a Major's stripe who had come in with the Colonel looked over to Ranma for a moment as if she wanted to ask him some questions, but instead she added to the conversation at Daniel's bed. "Maybe she has some sort of programming that prevents her from acknowledging she's anything but human."
The Colonel looked unconvinced and said, "Robot denial?"
Daniel seemed to be trying to mollify the Colonel and said, "Maybe Jack, it looks that way."
The silver haired man frowned and then said, "Has it occurred to anyone that this thing may have been lying around that planet for, oh, quite some time and that maybe it's broken? Or perhaps it never worked right in the first place?"
The major looked concerned and said, "Do you think we should shut her down sir?"
The man looked sardonic. "Oh, I don't know, let's ask the man who just had his head cracked open."
Daniel still seemed to be trying to placate the man as he said, "I don't think she meant to hurt me. I just don't think she liked what I was saying."
With a bit of frustration the silver haired man said, "Look Daniel, I don't like most of what you say. I try to resist the urge to shove you through a wall."
The blond girl said, "I don't know Colonel, but somehow Reece managed to survive a massive attack from Replicators. There has to be more that we can learn from her, Sir."
The Colonel sighed, saw Ranma watching the entire scene and said, "Fine, but first I'm going to go talk to our other guest over there maybe he or she will be less frustrating."
The man walked over to where Ranma was sitting and held out a hand, "Colonel O'Neill, U.S. air force. Pleased to meet you uh…Ramen was it?"
Ranma saw something familiar about the man's demeanor as he took his hand and said, "Ran-ma, I'm Ranma Taya. I don't suppose you're just going to let me and my friends go?"
O'Neill shook his head and said, "Sorry no can do right now. You guys broke in and all that and while we are really happy that no one was hurt, we still need to know how you did it."
Ranma pointed over to Daniel's bed and said, "Just like I told him it was magic."
Sam had been going over the test results with Dr. Frasier and she walked over just in time to hear Ranma say it was magic. The blond woman said, "Like the way you transform?"
Ranma shook his head, "No that's a completely different type of magic. You know my friends and I could show you if you wanted."
Daniel had gotten out of bed by then and approached the group next to Ranma's bed with Teal'c and said, "Why don't we do this later guys? First maybe we should talk to Reece."
Ranma who had heard the conversation between Daniel and Jack said, "Is she the Robot who tried to put you through a wall?"
Daniel didn't answer, but Ranma thought that this might be a good point to warn them saying, "My friends and I happen to have some experience with robots all of it bad. The world we came from was almost destroyed by some. Why don't you let me come with you to see if she's anything like the ones that attacked us?"
The Colonel looked interested in the idea, but shook his head and said, "Sorry no can do on that one, but I'll check with the General and see what he says. I'll have an airman escort you to the room where your friends are and you can stay there. I'll have someone come by with a picture and some information and you can tell them okay?"
Ranma shrugged and then said, "Well if I have to be in jail can't you at least give me my pen back. My friends and I like to draw…"
O'Neill looked to Sam and said, "Anything come back from the tests?"
The major shook her head and said, "They look like regular pens sir."
The colonel nodded and said, "Alright I'll give you your pens, but none of your other stuff?"
Ranma just nodded an allowed his guards to escort him out.
Some time later and to Ranma's delight the pens had not been deemed dangerous and so he had been given his pen and the other girl's pens before being escorted to their room. When he entered he was greeted with hugs and kisses from Hotaru and Beryl. Then, when he distributed the transformation pens he was greeted with more.
When the general happiness quieted down he spoke in whispered Japanese, "Okay here's the deal. We are in Cheyenne Mountain or at list an alternate version of it. The people here seem to be having some sort of problem with a robot girl"
Beryl interjected, "I do not trust robots at all."
Hotaru shook her head and said, "I do not trust them either. We should tell these people the danger that robots can pose."
Ranma nodded and said, "I told them that they were dangerous so someone will come down to talk with us later. Until then we're stuck here because I'm not planning on breaking out right now."
The two girls agreed with him and so all three waited in the room for quite some time. Then Ranma spoke in Japanese again, "Maybe we should try getting the gate open in here just to talk to it? Maybe get some information about the area, because someone was supposed to come down and it's been nearly an hour."
Beryl nodded her assent and said, "Yes it seems likely that something has gone wrong with that robot. They wouldn't have left us this long if things were going well."
The three tried to concentrate on bringing up a connection to the Gate, but nothing happened. Beryl said, "Perhaps we need to be closer to the gate that we arrived through?"
Just as Ranma was about to answer an alarm went off in the facility. He sighed and said, "Looks like we need to get out of this room sooner than we thought."
He stood up, grabbed his pen and transformed. She listened to the door for a moment, then it and kicked it. The large metallic door was blown its hinges and out into the corridor.
Before walking out Sailor Sol disguised her wings and made herself look as much like Ranma's female form as possible. Sailor Terra and Saturn followed suit and walked out with her. In the hallway they saw a large number of scurrying mechanical bugs.
Ranma pointed a hand at one and blasted it with a bolt of super heated plasma or at least that's what she tried to do. Unfortunately the bolt had as much power as a regular flame thrower and the mechanical creature was not harmed.
It turned towards her as did a number of its allies and they attacked. Ranma cursed as she dodged the attacks and smashed a few of the attackers into rubble as they jumped at her. Ranma's immediate switch from magical attacks to her martial skills was a resounding success. Beryl and Saturn had also tried their magical attacks with about as much success as Ranma had gotten and so they too switched to their magically enhanced martial abilities.
As the group destroyed the small robots Hotaru said, "Ranma the gate we originally came through. One of the people questioning us asked us what world we came from, so it makes sense to think it can be used to access other worlds, do you think these creatures might be trying to do that?"
Ranma shrugged and said, "I don't know and it's not like these spider robots are talking."
Beryl said, "Still, it does give us an idea of where we should go, plus we might be able to access the gate and use it to determine why our powers…" She paused and then cursed loudly a few times.
"What is it Beryl?" Ranma and Hotaru said at the same time.
The pink haired girl looked grim and said, "The gate, remember when it was telling us about the protocols it said that Recovery protocol 1 had been initiated and that until it was complete we would be able to access only the most minor powers and defenses of our transformations in the interim."
Ranma's visage showed his clear annoyance as he said, "Just great, stinkin great!"
Hotaru touched Ranma's shoulder and said, "Perhaps if we can get to its physical location we can communicate with it and convince it to give us our full powers?"
Ranma nodded and said, "Right, this way then. I think…"
The three set off towards the gate room and after a few wrong turns, plus judicious use of the Umi Sen Ken to avoid encounters with U.S. Air Force personnel, they finally arrived in a hallway that was next to the gate room. There they saw Daniel, O'Neil, the large black skinned man with the golden symbol on his head, Sam, and a man with clear General's markings on his outfit with some other Air Force personnel.
They were being harried by the tiny robot creatures and so Ranma dropped in and used multiple Vacuum blades to destroy the Replicators in the area. The other two girls with him appeared from nowhere at her side in defensive positions as she smiled at the group and said, "We thought you guys might like our help."
The Air Force Personnel pointed their guns at the new comer, but the General said, "At ease, if she wanted to escape or kill us she already would have."
Sam who was standing at the door to the gate room said, "Reece has sealed herself in the Gate room. She's got a lot of Replicators with her."
O'Neill looked at the damage Ranma had done to the Replicators compared to their weapons and said, "Hey, here's a plan. You guys go in the Gate room, destroy her and the Replicators and then we send you home."
The general seemed inclined to agree and Ranma nodded as she started to step to the door, but Daniel said, "Wait, I'd like to try and stop her first."
O'Neill looked at him and said with obvious annoyance, "How?"
Daniel shrugged and said calmly, "Maybe, get her trust back."
Frustration showed on the Colonel's face as he said, "Then what?"
Daniel responded, "Then, then, then.." He paused, shrugged and admitted, "I don't know. I'm just making this up as I go."
The blonde woman said, "Perhaps if you could somehow manage to get close enough to her, you might be able to remove her power chip."
The man with a golden symbol looked at her calmly and stated simply, "What of the Replicators?"
Sam looked confident as she said, "Teal'c these aren't the same Replicators that we're used to dealing with. Right now, she's controlling them. If Daniel can shut her down, the Replicators might just cease to operate. Look, they exist to protect Reece. If she's eliminated, they have no protocol upon which to act."
The man frowned slightly and said with some conviction, "Indeed, but they may attack Daniel Jackson in order to exact revenge and to restore their leader to power."
Daniel motioned to the entire group and said, "Yeah, well that's where you guys will come in."
The balding General had listened to the entire exchange obviously taking in the information as he made his decision, "Very well, I'm authorizing it. I'm willing to give you a chance, Dr Jackson."
The silver haired man frowned and said, "General, with all due respect, I think it's a bad idea. I think we should just let Ranma and his friends go in there and use whatever it is they just used to destroy all the critters in there and call it a day."
Hammond just shook his head and said, "Let's try it this way first."
Ranma smiled and said, "We'll have your back."
Daniel looked at a monitor that showed him a young girl in the gate room. He said, "Reece, please let me in, I just want to talk to you."
The door opened and as Daniel walked into the Gate room Ranma and her two allies faded from view and followed him. The door closed behind them just O'Neill could be heard saying, "I want one of whatever they are using."
Daniel slowly moved forward and attempted to convince Reece that he was her friend and not a threat while Ranma, Beryl and Hotaru watched. Daniel promised that no harm would come to the Robot girl and she walked closer to him.
That was when Daniel tried to reach the power pack at the side of her neck, but Reece was too fast for him. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it, causing him to cry out in pain, before collapsing on the floor. That's when Ranma dropped the Umi Sen Ken and rushed the robot girl skillfully breaking her grip on Daniel's arm.
The action was fast and when it was over Ranma held Reece's hand in her own and slowly overpowered her putting the girl's arm in a painful lock. Reece shrieked and said, "Please don't hurt me."
As the girl cried out in pain the Replicators stared to rush towards her, but Beryl and Hotaru were able to smash them before they could get there. The destruction of the creatures affects the girl as she stares at the remains with some amount of sadness. Ranma twists her arm slightly as some out in the corridor and throughout the base start coming towards the room. Hearing the commotion Ranma is about to press her switch when Daniel cries out, "Wait, please she can stop them."
Ranma let up on her grip a bit as Daniel walked close enough to touch the girl and said, "Reece, please listen to me."
Reece stares at Daniel and sees Beryl and Hotaru destroying more of the Replicators that have arrived in a large swarm in the room. Clearly indicating the maddened Replicators she says, "Make them stop!"
Daniel shakes his head and says, "I can't. You can."
Reece looks back at Ranma who is still holding her arm in a lock and says, "No! She'll kill me."
Daniel uses a soothing voice to say, "No, no-one wants that. We just don't want you to destroy our world the way you destroyed yours. You created these Replicators, you told them to replicate at all costs. They destroyed your world and you let them."
The girl looked panicked and said, "No, it wasn't my fault! My father he knew the ancients and he gave me their programming."
Daniel pleaded with the girl some more saying, "I know you didn't want to destroy your world and I know you don't want to destroy mine. That's why you have to stop now. No one will hurt you. We may be able to fix you."
The robot girl looked scared and said, "How?"
In a comforting voice Daniel said, "Shut off your toys, go to sleep. We'll find a way. I will wake you up myself, I promise. I'm your friend. I don't want you to die."
Reece looks at Daniel and then behind her at the girl who could have easily destroyed her by now, then she collapses into Ranma's arms. Ranma picks her up in her arms and Daniel moves next to Ranma and touches her on the shoulder. He looks down at the sleeping Robot and says, "Thank you."
Beryl and Hotaru approach as well and Beryl says, "We may need to use the gate and go now Ranma."
Ranma nods, but Daniel stops by saying, "Wait, maybe we could use more of your help?"
Ranma frowns and says, "My friends and I have been given the chance to leave. I think we should have that conversation with the General or someone at a later time, but not until we speak with that gate."
She looks to Beryl and Hotaru and says, "Vents?"
By the time she speaks the other two girls are already coming back from making a circuit around the Gate room. They nod to her and she smiles back at them, "Good."
The three begin to concentrate on the gates and at that moment an airman finishes cutting a hole in the Gate room door. O'Neil runs in, and sees that the Robot is asleep in Daniel's arms and that at least part of the situation is taken care of. Outside in the corridor, the Replicators have already disintegrated and O'Neil speaks into a radio saying, "The robot has been neutralized."
Moments afterward the Stargate spins around and opens with a kerwoosh sound and then settles. Ranma and her allies step through and wave.
The Colonel walks over to Daniel and says, "I hope you have the gate address."
Daniel just looks at Jack as if he's a total moron and then nods.
Author's Notes: I rewrote this chapter because I was just having a hard time getting to the next plot point. I think the changes I made will allow me to continue on further and get more of this story written.
Q