SMST: Deep Space Moon! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special Note: This story takes place during Seasons 1 through 3 of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". "The Ranma Trek Chronicles" takes place during Seasons 4 through 7.
Author's Note: This story is designed to be short, and will focus mostly on Sailor Moon, though Ranma Saotome (of "Ranma ½") will make a cameo from time-to-time. As always, C&C are welcomed.
Part 12
It's been a few weeks since the Q incident. Since then, an incident involving a Kobliad's attempt to steal a shipment of deuridium, a vital mineral that can be processed to prevent cellular decay of the Kobliad species, resulting in Counselor Usagi Tsukino, Science Officer Jadzia Dax and Dr. Bashir discovering synthetic means of staving off the decay, thereby reducing the value of the mineral, and thereby ending the piracy of the mineral. The first to receive the new treatment was Rao Vantika, a Kobliad criminal scientist who had first tried to take over to Dr. Bashir's body, after his original body had expired, in order to steal the deuridium, which had been mined in the Gamma Quadrant. Usagi, being a Counselor, spotted this, but had to have help from others to prove her case. In the end, Vantika, who wanted to prolong his life, had been turned into hologram, after his consciousness was transferred into the holographic matrix, and after he agreed to do so when Usagi agreed to help find a synthetic means to help Vantika's people.
Of course, Vantika had to face the authorities on his homeworld, but didn't mind doing so since he, according to him, did his criminality for his people's sake, since his homeworld's government no longer had a monopoly over the cure.
But it wasn't the only thing that had happened.
Since then, they had been visited by the Wadi, a humanoid, Gamma Quadrant species who believed in games of chance. After clearing Quark of his coffers, Quark attempted to cheat the Wadi, but was caught. Reluctantly, Quark groveled to make amends, so the Wadi double-downed by turning the entire Deep Space Nine space station into one big board game, with the command crew as the pieces...
"This is ridiculous," said Major Kira Nerys, as she surveyed the room. The room was filled with triangular tiles on the floor.
Kira turns towards Commander Benjamin L. Sisko.
"Can't we just…blast are way out of here?"
"We do not know where 'here' is," Sisko said.
"I'm not picking up anything, Benjamin," Lt. Jadzia Dax said, as she scanned the room with her Tricorder. "The readings are weird- wait a minute. I'm picking up life signs on approach."
"Where?" Sisko asked.
"The source is coming from this wall-"
Suddenly, part of the wall depresses and exposes what appeared to be a shoot of some kind. And then-
"Ahhhhh!" Dr. Bashir said, as he falls unto the floor, followed by Usagi.
"Oof!"
"Hu-rah!" Usagi said, as she lands on her feet. "That was fun!"
"At least someone is," Kira replied sarcastically.
"Are we in some sort of nightmare?" Dr. Bashir asked.
Usagi pinches Bashir.
"Ow!" Bashir said. "What the heck was that for?
"Checking to see if we were in a dream," Usagi said with a mischievous grin.
And then, one of the doors slid open, revealing Chief O'Brien.
"Chief," Sisko said.
"I heard someone screaming," O'Brien said, as he surveyed the room.
"That would be the doctor," Sisko said. "So, we're here, but what purpose."
Suddenly, an image of the head of the Wadi delegation appears. He had a mullet, a mustache and a blue tattoo on his forehead.
"Mr. Falow," Usagi said.
"Move along, move along, move along home!" Falow said, before disappearing.
"Dax?" Sisko asked.
"I'm not sure," Dax said. "These readings are strange."
"Maybe this is a test of some kind?"
"What kind of test?" Kira asked suspiciously.
"Behavioral, perhaps?"
"Now, wait a minute!"
"I'm sure it's harmless," Dax said. "We don't appear to be in an immediate danger…"
"And I'm sure that this is all fascinating to you Starfleet explorers, but I am a Bajoran administrator. This is NOT what I signed up for!"
"I don't find this fascinating either, but we should take Mr. Falow's advice, and find our way home," Sisko replied, as he turns towards Usagi. "Counselor?"
"Well, since you've been putting me in charge of the local diplomatic stuff, including 'first contact' protocols, I did manage to read up on…this game of theirs."
"All this is a game?" O'Brien said.
"So, you knew what they could do?" Kira asked.
"I haven't completed my research on Wadi culture yet, Kira," Usagi said defensively. "And I haven't read anything about the 'Chula Challenge'."
"Explain," Sisko asked.
Usagi quickly explains what the Chula Challenge was. Essentially, it was a role-playing game in which players consists the main player making wagers on the action of his or her partners, who would be making the decision. The object of the game is essentially going pass a gauntlet of challenges, until one player reaches the exit, thus winning the game for the entire team.
"From my initial reading, I thought that the Chula Challenge was simply a holodeck simulation," Usagi said. "But this is a lot more sophisticated just some holodeck."
"But why would the Wadi put us into this predicament?" O'Brien asked.
"Wait, the counselor said that the main player would be making a wager on our actions," Dax said.
"Quark," Kira said through gritted teeth. "Somehow, he is involved in all this."
"Involved or not, we have to get out of here," Sisko said. He then turns to the counselor.
"Do you know anything else about this game?"
"There are nine floors with the rooms equaling the numbers of floors in descending order," Usagi said. "Each floor can be arranged into a maze or not, but only one room has the means to get to the next descending floor."
Pause.
"And each room potentially is a death trap."
"What?" Bashir replied.
"Well, that's the thing. I haven't read further than that part of the text, before I went to sleep."
"Okay, then why not just use your 'special talents' to get us out of here, then?" Kira said.
"Because, I don't know what would happen if I do," Usagi said. "And certainly, cheating could make matters worse, and I'm not just talking from a diplomatic front. Ultimately, the Chula Challenge is about testing our ability to think, based upon our experience and education."
Usagi then turns towards Sisko.
"Sir, if you want out of the game, I'll think of a way out, but I think this exercise should be taken seriously."
Sisko mulls over Usagi's words, before turning towards his XO.
"Kira?" Sisko said. "Thoughts."
"I want out, but I will cooperate with your wishes," Kira replied.
"Then, we have a game to complete, and to win," Sisko said, as he scans the face of his senior staff. "Let's do this…"
Over the course of the experience, the crew of DS9 succeeded in defeating the challenges set forth by the Wadi, most consisting of brain teasers. Upon taking a literal leap of faith, they returned unharmed, and into Quark's bar. Naturally, Sisko was furious with what had happened.
"You put us in mortal danger, Mr. Falow!" Sisko yelled.
"But you weren't in mortal danger, Commander," Mr. Falow said. "We use these games to test other species, as a means of getting to know the true people. And besides, it was the Ferengi who forced our hand…"
All eyes turned to Quark, who was counting his winnings (rare, precious Wadi gems).
"What?" Quark said, with feign innocence.
"Be as it may, testing us without permission is not conducive to establishing normal relations," Usagi said.
"Oh, come now, my dear. Based your record, you of all people know that Starfleet is all about taking chances, given the fact that you were once part of the NCC-1701 USS 'Enterprise'."
"Wait, Counselor Tsukino was under the command of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk?" Bashir said with astonishment.
"Um, well," Usagi stammered.
"That is beside the point, Mr. Falow," Sisko said.
"It's actually 'Ambassador Falow', Commander Sisko," Falow said, as he gives Sisko a small, marble idol. "Consider this a token of friendship, between the Wadi and the Federation."
"Charmed," Sisko said, as he accepts the idol.
After that encounter, Grand Nagus Zek, supreme leader of the Ferengi Alliance, comes to visit DS9 to take care of some business of importance. Meanwhile, with Keiko O'Brien, wife of Chief O'Brien, taking a sick day off, O'Brien did his best to fill in for his wife. However, when it became apparent that he was over his head, he called in for some help…
"…And so the Excalibians were able to read our collective minds, and create the conditions for their 'test'," Usagi said, as she sat in front of the class. She had been telling stories of her time as a member of the legendary Federation starship, USS 'Enterprise'. So far, the class has been paying apt attention…
"So, this sentient species were telepathic?" Jake Sisko, son of Commander Sisko, asked.
"Of course they were," said Nog, nephew of Quark. "The counselor just said so."
"I was just asking for clarification, you know!"
"Well, the Excalibian are natural telepaths, but there are other species who have to utilizes devices in order to create the illusion of telepathy," Usagi said with a smile.
"So what happened?" asked Molly O'Brien. Molly was the great-granddaughter of Usagi's husband Ranma, by way of Ranma's son Ranmak of Amerindia Prime (a planet where Earth's Native American community was moved to by the preservers) and Demora Sulu (daughter of the famous Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS "Excelsior"). And, in spite of her young age, she was already at a genius level…for a three year-old.
"Well, the Excalibans, using their telepathy and apparent shape-shifting abilities utilized our thoughts on people whom we had an affinity for," Usagi continued. "In my case, I had to deal with a representation of Tuxedo Mask, a hero from Earth, and Queen Beryl, a villain from Earth."
"I never heard of these people," Jake said.
"They were from an age long since dead, Jake," Usagi said with a sigh. "You see, I used to live in the 20th century, when all this had happened, but outlived them all."
"So, you're old?" Nog asked.
"I guess I am," Usagi said with another sigh. "But not physically. At any rate, Tuxedo Mask was to protect me from Queen Beryl, while I and my crewmates, led by Captain James Kirk, were trying to figure out what the Excalibians were up to. Ultimately, the Excalibians wanted to test the moral fiber of representatives of the Federation, by creating a contest between good and evil, so that they know for sure which moral fiber was stronger."
"So, what happened?" Molly asked.
"Well, we won the contest, and were let go," Usagi said. "As a result of the USS Enterprise's encounter with the Excalbians, the planet of Excalbia was placed off limits by the United Federation of Planets. By 2285, the Excalbians once again conducted their experiments into good and evil, this time involving the entire Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Organians, enforcers of the peace treaty between our two powers, intervened, seeking to prevent an all-out war. This led to the Excalbians battling against the Organians and the disappearance of both races from the material plane. As a result of this encounter, the 'Organian Peace Treaty' ended due to the Organians being not present to enforce it."
Pause.
"Although, I have a feeling the Lorien the First, may have had something to do with it, when it become apparent that both the Organians and the Excalibians had outgrown their purpose."
"This was because of the 'Shadow War'?" Jake Sisko asked.
"Indeed. Most of the older races by then were forced to leave for 'Beyond the Rim' by Lorien, a place that is outside of normal space and time, and very few beings has had the means of returning."
Pause.
"Nevertheless, there will always be instances where any number of you will meet people with different ethical codes, but the dangers of this are outweighed by the benefits of any 'first contact' situation. Ultimately, it's up to you to find common ground by, as the ancient Earth proverb once said, 'Let's reason together'."
"So, how did the Federation and the Klingons find common ground to create an alliance?" Nog asked.
"By being reasonable together," Usagi replied. "And believe me, this is not an easy thing to do."
"Oh, I see…"
Tbc.