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 16
Meanwhile, Kira was taken aback as she noticed how colder the air around her was. She was about to say something when Sisko touches her shoulder. Kira turns towards Sisko with a questioning look, while Sisko responds with a shaking of his head, indicating that he did not want her to interfere.
"Commander?" Bashir asked.
"Do not do anything," Sisko said, remembering what he read about his counselor's file on the matter of extraordinary abilities…
Meanwhile, Usagi walks up to Shel-La.
"Shel-La?" Usagi said. "May I have a word with you?"
Shel-La and Nima both turned towards Usagi, noticing the apparent change in demeanor in her.
"What do you want?" Shel-La asked gruffly.
"I want you to turn over authority of your group to me," Usagi said.
"Pfft," Shel-La said. "And why should I do that?"
"If you do not, you will know true terror."
"Get lost, little girl."
As Nima laughed, Usagi suddenly grabs both Shel-La and Nima by the frock of their respective clothing, and tosses them behind her.
"Ooof!" Shel-La and Nima said in unison, causing the others in the group to bear arms.
As Usagi turned towards the Ennis, the words of Raoh came to mind.
Love can conquer the loyalty of men, but fear can conquer the hearts of men…
"What is going on?" Shel-La said.
"You learn that there are worse things in life than the curse of immortality," Usagi said, as her aura began to glow. "Your move."
"What are you playing at, Sisko?" Shel-La demanded while keeping an eye on Usagi.
"My counselor is acting on her own, Mr. Shel-La," Sisko said. "Of course, I will report her for violating several protocols and directives…"
"Not good enough! After we deal with her, we'll deal with you and the others!"
"Get her!" Nima yells.
All at once, the Ennis began to charge forward with their weapons.
Inwardly, Usagi wept, as she embraced her role as the spear tip of her master, teacher and lover, Raoh, the self-proclaimed "King of the Hokuto no Ken" once again. She never told Ranma exactly what was done to her to become Raoh's heir, mainly because she was afraid that he would have gotten killed if he had ever faced Raoh in battle. And it was that reason, the lack of confidence in Ranma's ability to overcome any obstacle that made Usagi ashamed for being Ranma's wife.
But outwardly, Usagi steeled herself.
"Witness my fist, Crescent of the Hokuto no Ken!" Usagi said, she slides her left feet first and stomps forward while punching the air with her right.
Immediately, the ground shook, while the combatants that were going after her felt unbelievable amounts of pain, as blood from their bodies were first forced out of them through the pores of the exposed part of their bodies, before being thrown back to the walls of the cave. A collective scream could be heard from Usagi's victims upon the execution of Usagi's counterattack.
At the same time, Bashir, out of curiosity, was using her Tricorder readings to examine Usagi.
"My god!" Bashir said in shock. "Do you the amount of bio-energy the counselor is giving out?"
Bashir then adjusted his scans to read the damage that was inflicted by Usagi's attack.
"Ah!" Bashir yelled.
"What is it?" Sisko asked.
"In one stroke, Counselor Tsukino pulped her attackers' internal organs," Bashir said, before noticing something. "Wait, that it!"
"What is?" Kira asked.
"I know I know what this curse of immortality is…and how to neutralize it…"
Bashir had noticed the activity of nano-probes, after Usagi had inflicted massive damage to her attackers. In fact, so active were nano-probes, that probes' siphoning of their hosts bio-electrical systems had increased to dangerous levels. In fact, the probes were going to kill their hosts in an effort to save them.
"So, this entire moon is permeated with nano-probes?" Sisko asked.
"Yes," Bashir replied. "I could have initially detected them because of the dampening field placed on this moon."
"It's the same field that cut off the energy output from the warp core to the nacelles," Kira said.
"Correct. But thank to Usagi's actions, the probes activities are high enough to be detected through this dampening field. But even so, if Usagi's attacks continue, not even the probes can save these people's lives."
"Then we have our opening," Sisko said. He then turned towards Opaka.
"Are you satisfied, Your Eminence?"
"I am," Opaka replied.
Sisko nods his head, and then stands tall. He turns towards Usag.
"Counselor, stand down!" Sisko said.
Usagi stops in her tracks, even as she was about to pounce on their 'hosts'.
"What do you want?" Shel-La said in fear.
"If you listen to reason, we can end this conflict between you and your rivals," Sisko said.
"Anything, but get this monster to stop her attacks!"
"Counselor?"
Like a marionette that had its strings cut, Usagi simply collapses onto the ground into a lotus position in front of Shel-La and Nima.
"What is she doing?" Kira asked.
"The Moon Princess is dealing with the darkness within her," Opaka said. She then began to quote the Book of Akorem.
"'And lo, the eclipse of the Moon will signify that the road towards the redemption of Bajor is paved not in gold but in the shed tears of blood by the sacrificed Hare'," Opaka said. "I came to Counselor Tsukino because I knew that in order for this moment to occur, she would have to embrace that part of herself that she fears the most…"
Pause.
"But the Moon Princess' willingness to reopen 'old wounds' is the benchmark that will usher in Bajor's new era, and that is something that is worth a lot more than a hurt ego."
Kira nods her head, even as she glances over towards the meditating Moon Princess. She now realized that Counselor Tsukino's antics on DS9 were her need to distance herself from what she could become: a creature of darkness and tyranny. After all, if she could humble a rag-tag group of fighters on this misbegotten world, the counselor certainly could do that to Bajor, and maybe the rest of the Alpha Quadrant itself…
"I will listen to what you have to say, Sisko," She-La said, as he kept an eye on Usagi. "But the No-Ennis will need to be convinced that peace is the way forward between our two camps."
"I'm sure that my counselor will help in that regard…"
True to his words, Usagi demonstrated to the Nol-Ennis that pursuing peace was a better option that constant warfare, as attest to the brutal beating that the leader of the Nol-Ennis, Zlangco, felt at Usagi's hands. Eventually, Science Office Jadzia Dax and Chief Petty Officer O'Brien arrived to the penal colony, but not before circumventing the satellite systems that kept the power dampening field in place. Thus, after telling Kira of her last will as the Kai of Bajor, Opaka bid Sisko and everyone else a fond farewell. Eventually, she did succumb to her wounds and became immortal. However, it was the price she gladly paid to allow her beloved Bajor a chance to achieve the dream of becoming a paradise for her people. In the meantime, she had much work to do in establishing a workable society for the Ennis and the Nol-Ennis to exist as one people.
It must be noted that Opaka Sulan, former Kai of Bajor, would indeed succeed in uniting the Ennis and Nol-Ennis, and when that happened, it would be the future "Warrior of the Prophets", Commodore Ranma Saotome, the commander of the United Federation of Planets station DS9, successor of Commodore Benjamin Sisko, who would bring Opaka home, in time for a ceremony signifying the full admittance of Bajor into the ranks of the Federation…
Meanwhile, a few days later, life seems to return to normal at present day DS9. Well, things have returned to normalcy mostly.
"How is she?" Dax asked, as she sees Usagi sitting in her spot at "Quark's", while reading non-classified reports over lunch. "She's been quiet ever since O'Brien and I picked you guys up from that moon in the Gamma Quadrant."
"I'm not sure," Bashir said, as he and Dax sat at the bar while Bashir sipped his coffee. "She's probably trying to return to her routine."
"Not really," Quark said, as he leans over the bar.
"What do you mean by that, Quark?" Dax asked.
"I've been trying to get her on the latest action, but she's all but rebuff them."
"I could say the same about my line of work, where the counselor is concerned," said Garak the Tailor, as he takes a bite of his sandwich. "And let's just say that certain associates of mine need her…'blessing' on a matter of mine soon."
"Maybe Usagi needs someone with a normal perspective to talk to, for a change?" Kira said, as she turns to face Usagi, who paid no attention to the attention she was getting.
"That is very insightful of you, Major," Bashir said.
"It's actually experience, doctor," Kira said. "I remember when I had to do things I didn't want to do during the Cardassian Occupation, and felt…alone, like no one could understand where my head was."
"Apparently, you do," Dax said. "Why don't you go over and…have lunch with her?"
"Me? But…we have nothing in common."
"Well, you did just say that you know where the counselor's mind is at presently," Garak said. "I say, that's a good start."
Kira nods her head, and then turns towards Quark.
"Quark, bring my lunch to the counselor's table," Kira said, as she gets up from her seat.
"Of course," Quark replied with a wiry smile. "And don't worry; it's on the house."
"Well, that's nice of you, Quark," Kira said, before going to Usagi's table.
"Okay, so what's the catch?" Dax said.
"No catch. But if the Major can help the counselor get out of her 'funk', I can continue my money-making ventures."
"Wow, that's really…insightful of you, Quark," Bashir said.
"Hey, I AM Ferengi, after all…"
A week later, life on DS9 does return to normal. However, the work for Counselor Tsukino does not end. Using her role as a resident diplomat, Usagi was overseeing the negotiations between two Bajoran "prefectures": Paqu and Navot. During the Cardassian Occupation, the Cardassians, for the sake of mining operations, had diverted a river, the Glyrhond River, had previously separated the two territories evenly. As a result of the Cardassians' actions, the Paqu gained a larger share of Navot land. Now that the occupation was no longer present, the Navot were demanding the land back, even to the point of starting a conflict with the Paqu territory. Complicating things was the fact that the leader of the Paqu, the "tetrarch" was an inexperienced fifteen year-old Bajoran girl; her parents had been killed just before the Cardassians left the Bajoran sector at the end of the occupation. And now, it was up to Usagi to deal with this crisis…
"…And, I am authorized by my government to make an offer of a compensation package for your people, Mr. Woban," Usagi said, as Quark sat by her side. Quark the 'money manager' for the Bajoran Benevolent Trust Fund, a trust that was set up to allow the Federation to deal with an actual currency system, since the Federation was on a credit-based system. In actuality, Usagi was allowed to utilize the fund for the sake of the Federation in lieu of not being charged with acts of unbecoming of a Starfleet officer, and having a side business while a Starfleet officer was considered to be in very poor taste. Although Usagi scoffed at this, she did comply with Starfleet Command's wishes of not openly engaging in capitalism, in exchange for undertaking special assignments for the Federation…
"And thanks to Miss Varis here, my associate to my side, Mr. Quark, is ready to give your people exclusive trade agreements that should increase your stock."
"Just what we need, more alien interference," Woban (balding, husky) said. "That land has been sacred to us for thousands of cycles. We fought against the Cardassians so that we could get our land back."
"And so you would be willing to shed the blood of fellow Bajorans?"
"We just don't want to sell out our principles; that's all I'm saying."
"I understand that," Usagi said, as she glanced at the girl, Varis Sul, who was trying to maintain a calm demeanor. However, she knew from personal experience that Sul was thinking that she was in over head, but that her desire to please her parents' memory took precedence over her doubts of success.
"But I also understand that life is about adapting to new situations. I was reading your perspective histories, and learned that the founders of your prefectures were brothers who inherited the land from their father. However, because they could not get along, they split the land in two, thus forming the Paqu and Navot dichotomy."
"What are you saying?" Woban said.
"I'm saying that it's long past time to grow beyond this 'family dispute', and think what's best for your people. As I said before, Miss Varis will allow you access to the disputed territory as an exclusive trade zone, with Mr. Quark's assistance, in exchange for dropping claims for the land."
"I assure you that you will become a wealthy man when all is said and done," Quark replied.
"I do admit that my people need access to capital," Woban said, as he noticeably softens his stance. However, I will need to consult with the elders."
"Of course," Usagi said. "We can adjourn this meeting for now…"
After Woban and Quark leave the conference room, Sul turns towards Usagi.
"Thank you for helping me in this," the girl said. "And thank you for introducing me to Jake and Nog."
"You're welcome," Usagi said with a smile, as she gathers her documentation. "I figured that you can use someone your age with the similar experience of losing a parent to talk to, although, I have to admit, I never thought those two would be the ones to suggest such an idea setting up an exclusive free trade zone."
"I was surprised about that, too," Sul said. "Well, thank you again for your help."
"Likewise…"
After Sul leaves, Usagi receives an emergency hail from Bajor.
"Tsukino: speaking," Usagi said. "What's wrong?"
"Usagi, we have a crisis on Bajor, at the Sidau Village in Hedrikspool Province," O'Brien said in a hurry. "There's this 'cloud monster' that pops up at every harvest, and the village elder that deals with the creature, a storyteller called the Sirah, is incapacitated."
"Where's Dr. Bashir?" Usagi asked.
"He's treating the Sirah, but the monster keeps coming back. And since you tend to be experienced in dealing with these sorts of things…"
"I got it," Usagi said. "I'm on my way."
"Really?"
"Really. If I can negotiate between two factions, I can certainly try to negotiate terms with a monster."
And, with that, Usagi was on her way. It turned out that the 'cloud monster' was a MacGuffin, created by the first Sirah from a fragment from one of the Orbs of the Prophets, to unite a people. Thus, it was all an illusion. However, with the present Sirah dying, the Sirah needed to build the confidence of his successor, Ke Hovath, to the point of using Starfleeters as the means of doing so. That was why O'Brien was requested to escort Bashir to Sidau. Unfortunately, the plan failed and the so-called 'cloud monster' became real, prompting O'Brien to call in assistance. How that fiasco turned out, is a story for another day.
Tbc.
Addendum Note: Check out "FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: KEN'S RAGE - RAOH'S GAMEPLAY" (.com/watch?v=t4OKhATntM4) for a sample of Usagi's "Hokuto no Ken" style. Also, check out "FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: KEN'S RAGE – KENSHIRO'S GAMEPLAY" (.com/watch?v=Du3ujnPTG9Y) for a sample of Ranma's "Hotuko no Ken". Of course, in my series, these two would go on to learn other martial arts styles…
Next Time: "Progress" (Usagi stands up for a man's right to choose where he lives), "If Wishes were Horses (Usagi's imagination runs wild), "The Forsaken" (Usagi's participation in a diplomatic venture turns disastrous), and "Dramatis Personae" (it's Usagi versus everyone). See you next time…