Standard Questionably Useful Disclaimer:
Sailor Moon and all related characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi;
and are copyright to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, DIC and whoever
else.
Star Trek The Next Generation was created by the late Great Bird of the
Galaxy, Gene Roddenberry; and is owned and copyrighted by Paramount
Pictures. Based upon Star Trek, also created by Gene Roddenberry.
This story (such as it is) is MINE!!!
This fanfic is intended solely for entertainment purposes and no
violation of said copyrights is intended or implied. Permission granted
to copy this to other web pages as long as this disclaimer is attached,
and the text of the story is unmodified.
Prologue:
The small planet orbited its sun, the inhabitants blissfully
unaware of the menace that threatened their world. This was
understandable, as their technology was only just entering the
equivalent of Earth in the nineteenth century. So they continued on
with their lives, ignorant of the large cube shaped spacecraft
approaching their world.
The ship entered into a high orbit of the world and began its
silent probing. It was large enough that the inhabitants could see it
silhouetted against the sky. Many of them debated about the nature of
the mysterious object and what it portended for their future. As is
natural when facing the unknown, debate turned into panic as the
residents fled, convinced that this heralded the end of their world.
Ignorant of the havoc it was causing, the large craft remained up
there, silently probing.
Fortunately for them, their level of technology was too low to be
if any real interest to the aliens. It turned and left the system as
enigmatically silent as it had entered. Slowly the lives of those below
returned to normal as they realized that Armageddon would not come this
day.
Yes, the world was too primitive to be of use. But another reason
the ship had left was because it had detected a subspace energy surge
several light years away of a type which indicated an unknown, yet
advanced, type of spacecraft.
Advanced enough for them to use. To assimilate.
And if they should resist assimilation? Irrelevant. Resistance
was futile. They would be assimilated. They would become one with the
Borg.
All would eventually become one with the Borg.
The spacecraft that drew the interest of the Borg drifted slowly,
the facets of its crystalline surfaces blackened and cracked. The lone
occupant was in similarly bad shape. He groaned, slowly regaining
consciousness, then looked dazedly about before asking the obvious
questions, "What happened? Where am I?"
Slowly his memory of recent events returned and he clenched his
fists in rage. He had captured the Sailor Scouts. The only one who
could still fight him was Sailor Moon, and she was helpless before his
power. It would have only been a matter of time before he had defeated
her as well. If it hadn't been for that... that... that little, pink
haired *brat*... Somehow she had damaged the main power system, causing
a massive power feedback that had damaged virtually every system and
ending in that explosion...
The thought of that sobered him. How was it he was still alive?
When the main power blew, the ship should have been utterly destroyed
and him along with it.
No matter. He could answer that question later. First he had to
see to repairing his ship, then he could begin plotting his revenge.
Against those that had abandoned him. Those that had betrayed him.
Against those Sailor Scouts.
Especially Sailor Moon. And that caped fool as well.
His brooding was interrupted by the appearance of a figure nearby.
It looked very odd to him, seeming to be a strange mixture of man and
machine with a whitish pallor to its skin. It moved about the area,
scanning constantly. Yet it seemed to have no interest in him, only in
the ship. As it conducted its examination it moved by him several times
and never gave him a second glance, ignoring him utterly. He finally
could not tolerate this any longer. "What are you doing here?" he
demanded.
The creature ignored him still, and continued to examine the
interior of his ship.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rubeus!" He hurled a blast of
energy at the intruder, creating a large hole in its chest and it fell
limply to the ground.
Before he could gloat too long, another intruder appeared and
picked up where its predecessor had left off. Rubeus was about to deal
with this one in a similar manner when he felt himself being forcibly
teleported off his ship. He looked around and discovered that he was in
a large open area. From where he was, he could see dozens, hundreds,
perhaps thousands of the man-machine aliens.
From nowhere and everywhere a voice resounded, "We have evaluated
your ship as technologically inferior and too damaged to resist us. You
will remain where you are for assimilation. If you resist, you will be
destroyed."
Rubeus shuddered inwardly. It sounded as if thousands of cold and
mechanical voices were speaking as one. Still, he refused to be
intimidated. "Assimilation?!? You creatures have a lot to learn about
me. I'm more powerful than I appear."
"Power is irrelevant. You will comply."
"Who are you?"
"We are the Borg. Your existence as you have known it has ended.
We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our
own. You will be assimilated."
"Resistance is futile."
Rubeus grinned in spite of himself. "We'll see about that!"
Space -- The final frontier.
These are the voyages of the starship, Enterprise.
It's continuing mission -
to explore strange new worlds...
to seek out new life and new civilizations...
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Sailor Trek: The Next Generation
"A Borg to Remember..."
by Bill Harris (soton@aol.com)
Chapter 1 - The Sailor Scouts Drop In
Serena sat fuming at her desk. `Sometimes life was just so totally
unfair!' She hadn't even been two minutes late that morning, and Ms. H
still slapped her with detention. `Her boyfriend probably canceled out
on a date.'
She glanced eagerly at the clock. Not much longer, and she'd be
able to go. If she hurried, she might not be too late for her date with
Darien. Oh, wait a minute... She jut remembered that the Scouts were
supposed to be meeting at the temple first. She grimaced at the thought
of enduring another one of Raye's tirades about punctuality.
Finally, after waiting for the time to pass all too slowly, Ms
Haruna finally gave her permission to leave. "Thanks, Ms. H. I won't
be late again, I promise! Bye!" she said as she sped out the door.
Suddenly there was a flash of light accompanied by a rippling sound
effect and Serena vanished without a trace.
Haruna got up and looked around then checked the hallway, but
Serena wasn't anywhere to be seen. `It finally happened,' she thought.
'That girl is starting to give me hallucinations.'
"Huh?" Serena looked wildly around the room. This wasn't the
school hallway. As a matter of fact, she had never seen this place
before in her life. Most of the furnishings seemed like the type you'd
see in a typical hotel suite, but some of the artifacts in here seemed
so... alien.
The statue on the table, for instance. It consisted of two figures
wrestling, but the faces didn't seem human.
And then there were the weapons hanging on the wall. At least she
assumed they were weapon. The blades were razor sharp, but curved in a
way she had never seen with any sword or other edged weapon she had ever
seen. She'd never seen any of the Negacreeps use anything *this* weird.
The same went for those Immortals.
She prowled around silently for a while, then belatedly decided
that she should check if anyone was present. "Hello?" She heard a
whooshing sound from behind her, then felt the impact as she collided
with someone. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't..." Her voice trailed off as
she got a good look at the man she had bumped into. He was tall, well
over six feet, with very dark skin. He was dressed in a gold and black
uniform of some type that seemed oddly familiar to her, with a large
heavy looking metallic sash. But that wasn't what gave her pause.
It was those ridges on his forehead. Just like the statue.
He scowled at her, apparently just controlling his temper. "What
are you doing here?" he demanded in a loud, deep voice. "How did you
get into my quarters?"
"Um...I...um," she stammered, feeling panic slowly rise up in her.
"Who are you?" she finally managed to ask.
"I am Lieutenant Worf. Now, answer my question. What are you
doing in my quarters?"
"I DON'T KNOW!!" Serena exclaimed at the top of her lungs. "WHAT
IS THIS PLACE?!? I WANT TO GO HOME!! WAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The Klingon officer winced visibly as she let out an ear-splitting
wail. Then clamped his hands over his ears.
Amy looked around the room. There was something oddly familiar
about this place, even if she had no idea on how she gotten here.
Still, the first step in determining that was establishing her current
location. Now if only she could remember why this room was giving her
such a sense of deja vu...
Wait a minute. She *had* been in this room before... or at least
one very much like it. This was similar to the sickbay of the
Enterprise, only it seemed much more advanced. She found what looked
like a computer terminal in nearby room and sat down in front of it.
She pressed what she hoped was the power switch and was rewarded when
the screen lit up, but the words on the screen caught her eye before she
did anything.
"USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D," she read. She sat silently for a
moment, digesting this latest bit of information. "This must be a
Starfleet vessel, only from a later time than Captain Kirk's Enterprise.
But how much later? Computer, what is the current stardate?" she asked.
"Stardate 45237.4," it responded.
She idly noted the much smoother voice of the computer, as she did
some fast calculations in her head. "Over one hundred years later," she
said. That would account for the technological advances she's seen.
"But how did I get here?"
"I could ask you the same question," said a voice from the door.
Startled, Amy looked up and saw an attractive red haired woman standing
there. She was apparently in her late thirties or early forties and
dressed in a blue/black uniform similar to what Spock and McCoy had
worn, but she also had a blue smock on as well. "I'm not used to having
strangers wandering around my sickbay. Who are you?"
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding," Amy said in an apologetic manner,
"but I really have no idea on how I got here. One moment I was in
Tokyo, the next I was here. My name is Amy Mizuno."
"I'm Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer," she responded.
"Let's see if we can figure how you arrived."
Raye fumed silently as she tended the sacred fire. It was bad
enough that Serena was late, but by now that was to be expected of her.
But where were the others? It wasn't like them to not be on time, or at
least let her know they would be late. Amy especially.
She closed her eyes to meditate and calm herself. In an instant,
the comforting heat of the fire vanished. She opened her eyes and
started. She obviously wasn't at the temple. All around her were a
wide variety of plants with a dirt pathway weaving amongst them. While
she was no botanist, some of the plants had a distinctly alien feel to
them. She got up and began to wander around, trying to find a clue to
her location. She guessed immediately that she was in some sort of
building.
After a moment of wandering, she came upon a bank of windows.
Hoping for some answers, she approached them and looked outside.
Instead, she simply found more questions. Outside she saw only
blackness, with thousands of stars visible. And some of them were only
visible as streaks of light, as if she was moving at an impossibly fast
speed. "I'm on a spaceship," she breathed.
"Excuse me." Raye turned towards the voice. It was an attractive
woman, about thirty, with long black hair about the same length as
Lita's.
But her eyes...
Her eyes have no discernible irises, only deep blackness.
"My name is Deanna Troi, Ship's Counselor. I'm sensing a great
deal of confusion in you. Is something wrong?"
"You could say that," Raye replied.
Guinan looked uneasily around Ten Forward. She sensed that
something was amiss, something involving *him*. The distinctive flash
she knew too well drew her attention to one of the large windows,
announcing the appearance of a tall, brown haired girl. Guinan guessed
that she was roughly the same age as Wesley Crusher.
Of course, appearances could be deceiving when *they* were
involved. She watched the girl intently for a moment. No, she was
definitely human... but no ordinary human. There was something more
about her.
Guinan shook her head. Just what was that mischievous entity
playing at this time?
Lita looked around in bewilderment. The last thing she remembered,
she was just getting to the temple. The next thing she knew she was
here... wherever `here' was. By the looks of it, this was some sort of
lounge. Several of the people around her were giving her odd looks.
Evidently, her being here was as much a mystery to them as it was to
her.
Now that she thought about it, there was something oddly familiar
with their clothing... Obviously uniforms of some type, but where had
she seen them before?
Hoping to find some clue to her current location she peered out the
large window nearby and was astonished by the view. Stars, thousands of
them all around. Several were streaking by her at a rapid pace.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Startled, Lita whirled, ready for a fight. The woman who had come
up to her silently was evidently no threat though. She relaxed a bit.
"No. No, I'm not. I don't even know where `here' is."
She smiled and nodded. "I thought as much. People aren't usually
in the habit of appearing out of thin air, even on this ship."
Lita looked back outside. "This is some sort of spaceship, isn't
it?"
"A starship, but you've got the basic idea. What's your name?
"Lita. Lita Kino."
"Hello, Lita. My name's Guinan. I tend the bar, and generally
look after things around here. Can I get you something?"
Lita gave a short laugh. "How about a trip home?"
Geordi looked up from the diagnostic panel. He could have sworn he
had heard something. He walked into the warp core chamber and couldn't
believe what his visor was showing him. Standing there was a young,
blonde haired girl, about fifteen or so. She was examining some of the
engineering readout panels. "Hey, don't touch that!"
The girl jumped at the sound of his voice, and her hand brushed
against the panel. Geordi rushed over there at the sound of the alarm,
and quickly reset the system. He glared at her through his visor. "Who
are you?" he asked. "And what are you doing here?"
"My name's Mina Aino." She looked around Engineering. "Um...could
you tell me where `here' is? And who you are?"
"I'm Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge. And you're in Main
Engineering." The puzzled look on her face only got deeper. He tried
something more general. "The starship Enterprise."
"Enterprise!" She looked around the area again. "But all this
looks way more advanced than the last time I was here." To emphasize
her point, she pointed at the panels.
She was a little overzealous in making the point, and she made
contact with the controls again. As before, the warning alarm chimed
and this time the computer added its two cents worth. "Warning:
Antimatter containment systems failing. A warp core breach will occur
in thirty seconds."
Geordi shoved her roughly aside and began frantically working the
controls. Fortunately, they weren't too badly misaligned, and he was
able to get things quickly under control.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. What had just
happened was impossible, he told himself. There were supposed to be
safety interlocks to prevent accidental touches on the control pads from
causing system failures like these.
Nevertheless, he had just witnessed it happen. Twice.
"Do me a favor, OK?" he said to her. "Just don't touch anything
*else* in here."
Mina glared at him, silently fuming.
Artemis prowled around the room for what seemed like the thousandth
time. Other than the one door, there didn't seem to be anyway out. And
that way was apparently locked. It didn't help his temperament any that
the other occupant here, a female cat, was constantly meowing and
rubbing up against him.
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh, great," he muttered.
"Just my luck." The other cat was in heat.
Luna was going to kill him.
Data entered his quarters, and was taken aback by what he saw. He
had taken several precautions against Spot escaping from his quarters,
with some degree of success. Yet despite his efforts another cat
(apparently a male) had somehow entered his quarters. Spot was avidly
attempting to mate with the other feline.
Given her current condition, this was not surprising.
What was surprising was that the white male was just as avidly
trying to avoid Spot. If fact, it executed a rather astounding leap and
perched itself on his shoulders.
"You should not be in this room when Spot is in her current
condition." The white feline cast a flustered eye at him, as if to say
`You're telling me?'
Data eyed the intruder critically. "There are currently twenty
three other felines on board, eleven of them male. I do not recall one
matching your description being on board the Enterprise."
When he said "Enterprise", the cat's eyes bulged out, as if in
astonishment. The android frowned. This was a definite indication of a
level of intelligence beyond ordinary felines. Of course, it was
possible this was a trained response to an audio stimuli, but he deemed
that unlikely. Data opened his tricorder and examined the strange cat
carefully. It seemed to be in all respects an ordinary feline, except
for that strange marking on its forehead. A crescent moon symbol, with
the points facing up. And the expression on its face almost
suggested... intelligence.
Could it also denote sentience?
The android pondered this. He had seen that symbol before, in
connotation with sentient felines. He accessed his internal memory and
recalled the reference picoseconds later - the ship's logs of the USS
Enterprise.
Could it be that this was one of the two felines encountered? He
sat down at his computer terminal. "Computer, access log entries of the
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701. Stardate 5046.7. Begin playback, maximum
speed."
He stopped the playback after a few minutes, then accessed some of
the more appropriate entries. A few manipulations of the controls
brought up the picture he required. He examined it carefully, comparing
it with the white cat he was holding. Less than 0.005 percent
variation.
"Hello, Artemis. I am Lieutenant Commander Data."
`It's turning out to be one of those shifts,' thought Riker.
Several reports had been coming in from various parts of the ship of
people appearing out of thin air. So far all of them had been female
teenagers. At least, he thought Worf had said his encounter was with a
girl. He really couldn't be sure over all that noise.
Nevertheless, it was time to bring the Captain up to date. Thus
far the visitors didn't seem to present any threat, but that could
change quickly. He was on his way over to the Ready Room door when he
heard a sound he had grown to hate over the years. The sound of a Q
teleportation.
A young man in his early twenties now stood in between the conn and
ops stations. He didn't look particularly threatening, but Riker had
learned by now to not judge by appearances. The cost for that
particular lesson had very nearly been Geordi's life. "Security to the
Bridge, intruder alert." He took a couple of steps towards the stranger
and demanded, "Who the hell are you?"
Before he could answer, the turbolift snapped open and two security
guards came out, phasers drawn. He put his hands up in a defensive
gesture, "Whoa, take it easy. I'm don't know how I got here, but I'm
not going to hurt anybody."
"Glad to hear it," Riker answered. "But I hope you don't mind if
we take precautions until we can verify that. Now, who are you?"
"Darien," he answered. "Darien Chiba. This may sound like a
stupid question, but... where am I?"
Picard stared at his desk. The black cat that had just appeared
there stared back at him. "Now, how the devil did you get here?"
`Believe me, I wish I knew,' Luna thought. She glanced about the
room. It was comfortably furnished, but had an office feel to it.
Definitely an area were work was done.
A chime sounded from the door. "Come," said Picard.
Riker entered the room, but stopped short when he saw the cat. "A
cat, sir? I don't think the fish are going to like that."
Luna shot him a dirty look. `Oh, please!'
"It wasn't my choice, Number One," Picard replied. "She just
appeared here out of nowhere."
Riker looked uneasy. "That's becoming a common occurrence. We
just had this young man appear on the Bridge." He indicated Darien
still standing near the ops station. Two security personnel stood
nearby, keeping a wary eye on him. Luna jumped off the desk and ran
over to Darien, who picked her up.
"Luna! What are you doing here? How did you get here?"
"I imagine the same way you did," she whispered, keeping her voice
too low for the guards to hear. "Though I haven't a clue where `here'
is."
Picard walked over to Darien. "She seems to know you, Mr...?"
"Chiba. Darien Chiba. This is Luna."
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Is she your cat?"
"No," Darien answered. "She belongs to my girlfriend, Serena."
Picard decided to put this to one side for the moment and turned to
his first officer. "You implied that there have been other appearances,
Number One."
Riker nodded. "Yes sir. We've gotten several reports of others
appearing all over the ship. Sickbay, the Arboretum, Ten Forward,
Engineering. And... I think Worf reported one in his quarters."
"Think?"
Riker shrugged. "There was something making an incredibly loud
noise at the other end. I'm having them taken to Ten Forward for now."
"Sounds like Serena," Darien said softly.
Luna sighed in acknowledgment as she looked around the Bridge.
There was a dedication plaque to the right of the viewscreen that caught
her eye. She peered at it and examined it closely.
`No, it couldn't be...'
Picard asked, "Do we have any idea on how these people have gotten
on board the ..."
"ENTERPRISE!" shouted Luna.
"Luna!" said a startled Darien. Picard and Riker also stared in
amazement at the cat, though for altogether different reasons.
"Oh, not again," Luna said in a much softer tone.
Chapter 2 - A Tale of Two Meetings
Riker found his voice first. "Again? I don't recall ever seeing a
talking cat before."
"Not this ship," replied the cat. "Another one of the same name."
This rang a bell in Picard's mind, but he couldn't quite bring it
to the forefront. "Who was commanding officer?" he asked.
"The captain's name was James Kirk."
The two officers exchanged glances. "James Kirk," said Picard. He
nodded now, the memory surfacing.
"I remember now," Riker remarked. "From the logs of the original
Enterprise. You're Luna, aren't you?" After Luna nodded in reply, "But
that was over a hundred years ago. How could they be here, now?"
"A good question, Number One."
Their musings were interrupted by the intercom. "Data to Captain
Picard."
"Picard here. Go ahead Mr. Data."
"Sir, have there been any reports of people mysteriously appearing
on the ship? Specifically teenage females?"
Picard looked puzzled. "Yes, Mr. Data. How did you know about
this?"
"I have had a discussion with one of our... guests. I believe they
are of no threat to the ship."
"Prepare to brief the senior staff. Picard out." He turned to his
first officer. "Number one, assemble the senior staff in ten minutes."
"Yes sir." Riker gave Luna another look, then moved to comply.
Picard gestured to the guards. "Escort Mr. Chiba and Luna to Ten
Forward."
"Darien!" Luna barely had time to escape from Darien's arms before
the blonde tornado struck. "OneminuteIwasatschoolthenextIwas
hereandlookingatthiguywithareallyuglyforeheadand--"
"Whoa, Serena, slow down." He tried to calm her down before she
could draw her next breath. "You don't have to give me the whole thing
in one blast."
"Yeah, you might want to at least give him a chance to breathe,"
Raye remarked.
Amy interrupted before another Serena could retort. "I've been
accessing the ship's computer, as well as talking with Doctor Crusher.
I believe I know where we are."
"Yes, Darien and I got some indication from the Captain, also,"
Luna said. She paused and sniffed at Artemis, then scowled at the white
cat. "Is that another cat I smell? A FEMALE cat?!?"
"Um..." Artemis stammered.
"Artemis, you rogue!" Mina scolded him.
"Yeah, shame on you," Serena joined in. "Two timing on Luna like
that!"
Artemis began sputtering denials, but Luna never gave him the
chance to finish. "SERENA!"
"Ah Luna, you know it's just a matter of time."
The Klingon security chief was in a foul mood. Worse than usual,
that is.
On the other hand, Riker seemed to be enjoying himself. "You're
kidding." His smile, indicating he found the situation somewhat
amusing, only served to make Worf's mood all the more sour. "She really
said you had an ugly forehead?"
"From what I could understand." Worf paused, gritting his teeth.
"Her *wailing* was so loud, I'm surprised the entire ship didn't hear
her."
Geordi chuckled. "Don't feel bad, Worf. At least Serena didn't
almost blow up the ship." He held up a hand at looks of alarm around the
table. "Don't worry, I was able to get things under control quick
enough... or we wouldn't be here talking about it. But somehow Mina
caused the antimatter containment field to begin to deteriorate... and
all she did was accidentally hit a couple of controls!"
Riker looked skeptical, as did the others. "Geordi, that's
impossible."
"I know, Commander. And if I hadn't seen it happen, I'd have just
as many doubts as you do. But that's what happened. All I can say is
that we shouldn't let Mina near any vital systems. If she could do this
to the warp engines, I'd hate to see what would happen if she got near
the controls to, say, life support. And I doubt any of them have had
any experience with extraterrestrials either."
"That is not entirely correct, Geordi."
"How so, Data?"
"I have had an extensive conversation with Artemis--"
"Artemis?" inquired Dr. Crusher. "The white cat?"
"Once you've seen one talking cat, Doctor, it's not much of a
stretch to accept that another one can," said Picard. "Continue, Mr.
Data."
"Yes, sir. The young women in question are a group known in their
reality as the Sailor Scouts. They possess extraordinary powers, and
are engaged in defending their Earth from extradimensional threat from
what they call the Negaverse."
"I remember," said Riker. "If I recall, they were battling someone
named Queen... Boral, was it?"
"Queen Beryl, sir," Data corrected. "According to Artemis, that
situation has been resolved."
"You mean they're from the same Federation as Kirk, Spock, and
McCoy?" Serena asked.
Amy nodded. "Yes. That's correct."
"I'll have to take your word for it," Darien said. "My memory of
that time is a little vague."
"Well, you were a little bit brainwashed," Lita teased him.
Mina frowned. "But it's only been little more than a year for us.
How can it be more than a hundred years for them?"
"More importantly," added Raye, "how did we get here?"
"I am unable to account for the temporal discontinuity, Commander."
"Assuming they are the same ones encountered by Kirk's Enterprise,
then the operative question is: how did they get here?" asked Geordi.
"We're nowhere near the quantum flux they encountered."
"I don't know," said Amy.
"But Amy, you're supposed to know everything!" Serena whined.
"Ease off, Serena," said Raye. "Not even a genius can know
everything!"
"Yeah, alright. Sorry Amy."
"Don't worry about it. Somehow I think the people here are as
mystified about it as we are."
"I'm not sure if this means anything," said Lita, "but I was
talking with Guinan before you guys got here, and she seemed to think
someone named `Q' was responsible."
"Q?" asked Darien. "What's a Q?"
"A letter of the alphabet?"
"Q," Worf spat the name out as if the mere mention of it were
poisonous. It certainly did nothing to improve his mood.
"I had a feeling he was involved. I was hoping I was wrong," said
Riker. He looked almost as disgusted by the possible involvement of
that mischievous entity as Worf. "Life in the continuum must be boring
for him again."
Troi shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense. When Q creates
situation, he usually wastes no time in taking credit for it."
"That's true, Counselor," answered Picard. "However, Guinan was
quite sure she sensed his presence just before Lita appeared in Ten
Forward."
"Which leads us back to the same question," said Crusher. "Why are
they here? Q doesn't do anything without some sort of reason."
Riker turned to the Security Chief, "Mr. Worf, have the sensors
detected anything unusual?"
Amy looked up from her computer. "I've interfaced my computer with
the ship's computer system. It's conducting a sensor sweep of the area
now."
"That didn't take long to set up," said Mina.
"The technology may be more advanced, but the protocols are
essentially the same as when Mr. Spock helped me interface with the
computer on the other Enterprise." The computer beeped at her and she
paused to examine the results. "There are indications of Negaverse
energy in the background dechyon field."
"In plain English, Amy?" Serena asked.
"I think she mean that there are indications that something from
the Negaverse entered this universe," Darien answered. Amy nodded in
confirmation.
"Maybe this Q person brought us here to help the Enterprise face
it," suggested Mina.
"I doubt it," said Guinan. She and another hostess began setting
down drinks and other items in front of each of them. "Past experience
has taught me that he doesn't exactly have a helpful nature."
Serena's eyes widened as Guinan set a large chocolate sundae in
front of her and she immediately dug in. As always ever practical, Amy
spoke up, "I'm not sure how we're going to pay for all this."
Guinan smiled slightly. If she had any doubt about them not being
natives of the twenty-fourth century, this erased them. "Don't worry
about it. We don't use money."
Darien looked perplexed. "Huh? Not for anything?"
"Some races, such as the Ferengi, still do. But as a whole, the
Federation doesn't."
Serena was ecstatic. "Free food? I love this place!" She dug
into the sundae with renewed vigor.
Raye stiffened. "I sense something." She got up and walked over
to the window. She closed her eyes in deep concentration.
All thought of free cuisine were suddenly lost for Serena. "Raye?"
she asked in a concerned voice. "You OK? What's wrong?"
"I'm sensing some great evil nearby." She paused for a moment,
trying to get a further sense of the threat. Eventually, she opened her
eyes and shook her head. "I can't say what it is for sure, but
something about it seems familiar."
Serena tried to show more confidence than she felt. "Don't worry,
Raye. We've handled everything the Negaverse has thrown our way so far.
We'll handle this too."
"I hope you're right."
Ro's voice came over the comm system, interrupting the meeting.
"Bridge to Captain Picard."
"Picard here."
"Sir, sensors have detected a vessel moving towards us at high
warp, apparently on an intercept course."
At a nod from Picard, the senior officers got up and headed for the
door to the Bridge. "We're on our way, Ensign."
"Mr. Worf, see if can you identify the vessel."
"Aye, sir," the Klingon officer replied as he resumed his station
at tactical. He focused the sensors at the approaching ship, comparing
its configuration to known ship types. "No match found in Federation
records. But it is definitely on an intercept course, moving at warp
nine point three."
Riker frowned. "Whoever they are, they're in one hell of a hurry
to get here."
Data's hands moved quickly over the ops station controls.
"Captain, based on an analysis of the vessel's power curve, I believe
that there is a high degree of probability that it is a Borg ship."
The Captain and First Officer exchanged an uncertain look. "Data,
how can that be? Borg ships have a very distinctive shape. Worf's scan
should have ID it right away."
"I am aware of that, Commander. Nevertheless, that is what my
analysis indicates."
"This may be a new type of Borg ship, Number One."
Riker looked somewhat apprehensive at this prospect. "I hope not.
Their other type is hard enough to deal with." Picard didn't reply, but
nodded in grim agreement.
"Now entering visual range," Worf announced.
"On screen," ordered the Captain. The viewer flickered and the
distant form of another ship appeared. "Magnify." Again the screen
flickered and the image of the approaching ship filled the screen.
Riker vocalized the puzzlement they all felt. "What the hell?" All
along the ship there were projections of some crystalline substance.
But the core of the ship, in the form of a cube, was very distinctive.
All present recognized it immediately.
"The Borg." Picard stared at the screen, a sense of dread filling
him. It had been over a year since they had faced one of these ships,
but he still had the occasional nightmare about it. Sensing his
apprehension, Troi glanced over at him, concern evident on her face.
"Highly modified, but it's definitely a Borg ship," he continued, his
voice barely above a whisper. He shook himself, trying to shed his
doubts and fears over the coming confrontation. No matter what his
personal feelings, he was the Captain and his crew was counting on him
to see them safely through this situation. When next he spoke, his
voice had a more assertive tone to it. "Number One, take us to battle
stations."
"Red alert!" Riker cried out. "All hands to battle stations!"
The Scouts started as the alert klaxons started blaring in Ten
Forward. Around them, the crewmembers present got up and headed for the
exit, racing for their respective duty stations. "I remember that
sound," Mina said. "They've sounded a red alert."
"I wonder why?" Lita wondered.
Amy tapped the tiny keyboard of her computer. "I've accessed the
main viewscreen," she said. "We should be able to see what's on it."
They all crowded around her, including Guinan. She showed no outward
reaction to the display, but stared intently at the image. Inwardly she
felt a surge of fear... and hate.
Raye felt Guinan's reaction more than she noticed it. "What's
wrong?" she asked.
"It's a Borg vessel. But it's been modified in some way. It's not
like any Borg ship I've ever seen." She fell silent, preferring not to
share her previous experience with the Borg with them. They didn't need
to know how the Borg had invaded and destroyed her homeworld.
"You know," said Artemis, "those projections seem familiar."
Luna nodded. "You're right. They almost look like part of Rubeus'
spaceship."
"Impossible," Lita said sharply, "that blew up!"
"Captain, we are being hailed," said Worf.
"On screen." Picard stared patiently at the screen as Worf
transferred the signal there.
The Scout's collective jaws dropped when they saw the image.
"Rubeus!"
Picard frowned at the image on the viewscreen. He had been
expecting the typical wide angle view of the interior of a Borg ship or
perhaps another individual that the collective had assimilated to use as
their spokesman.
But such was not the case. The individual displayed seemed a
fairly typical red haired humanoid male, but with a couple of minor
exceptions. The first was that he had a Borg cybernetic device
implanted on the left side of his head. This wasn't unusual, since he
was on a Borg ship. What made it unusual was that it was the only
implant visible and his skin wasn't the pasty white color so typical of
the Borg.
But this wasn't what sent a cold shiver down Picard's spine. That
was caused by the second distinguishing mark he had: a crescent moon
symbol imprinted on his forehead. It was similar to those that Luna and
Artemis had; but whereas theirs was gold colored with the points
upwards, his was black as night and was pointing down.
Combined with the look of individuality in his eyes, it gave Picard
a very bad feeling indeed.
He cleared his throat. "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of -"
"-the Federation starship Enterprise. Yes, I'm aware of that," he
said. His smile only increased Picard's sense of apprehension. "Allow
me to introduce myself. I am Rubeus... of Borg."
Chapter 3 - Enter... the Borg
Those in Ten Forward watched the initial wordplay between Picard
and Rubeus in silence. Finally Guinan shook her head, "Something's very
wrong here."
"I'll say there's something wrong!" exclaimed Raye. "This creep
should be dead!"
"Maybe, but that's not what I'm talking about. He's not behaving
like a typical Borg. Almost as if he's an individual."
"That's unusual?" Mina inquired.
"There *are* no Borg individuals. Only the collective," Guinan
insisted. "They're mindless drones, whose only purpose is absorbing
other races and cultures." She paused, "At least that used to be true.
I didn't think any being short of a Q could handle the Borg alone, but
if he's capable of taking over a Borg ship..." Her voice trailed off.
"In that case you should all transform and get to the Bridge!" Luna
said urgently. "They're going to need your help against Rubeus!"
"Right, Luna!" Serena said emphatically. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"
"MARS STAR POWER!"
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"
"VENUS STAR POWER!"
Guinan watched with a sense of awe as the girls and Darien all went
through their transformations. With a cry of "Let's go!" from Sailor
Moon, they and the cats raced out of Ten Forward.
Guinan smiled ironically as the doors closed behind them. It was
good to know that the universe could still the occasional curve her way,
even after more than five hundred years. "Good luck." She looked out
the large windows mounted in the starship's leading edge, where the
altered form of the Borg ship was now plainly visible and her expression
sobered. "You're going to need it."
Rubeus was evidently amused by Picard's pronouncement. "I really
don't care if my ship is violating your precious territory, Captain.
The Borg have never bothered to respect political boundaries, and I have
no use for them either."
"I? My?" Troi whispered to herself. Leaning over to Picard,
"Captain, he's not only behaving as an individual, he feels like one
too. Much more than yo-- Locutus did."
Picard nodded, ignoring the Counselor's slight misstep. This was
in accord with what he had noticed from Rubeus, based on his firsthand
knowledge of the Borg. "What is your purpose in Federation space?"
"Simple question, meriting a simple answer. I have taken over this
ship, and I intend to use it to build up a large force capable of
destroying my enemies. Then I will return to my homeworld and exact my
revenge on those who have wronged me. Using my new... `friends', you
and your crew will be the first to be assimilated into my army." He
paused, then smiled evilly. "Time to join *my* collective... Locutus."
"Like hell it is," rasped Picard. At that moment, the deck lurched
beneath their feet.
"The Borg have locked onto us with their tractor beam," reported
Worf. "Shields are being drained. Ninety percent... now eighty..."
"Modulating shield nutation," Geordi said from the engineering
station.
"Close channel, Mr. Worf, and return fire with all weapons," Picard
ordered.
The Klingon didn't reply, but moved rapidly to comply. Rubeus'
image disappeared from the screen, replaced with a view of his ship.
Several phaser beams and photon torpedoes could be seen impacting on it.
"No damage. Shields now at sixty percent... fifty..."
"Fire at will."
LaForge shook his head, "Shield modulation isn't having any effect.
They'll only last a few more seconds."
"Data, get that beam off of us!" Riker ordered. The android's
hands moved rapidly over his controls, quickly altering the phaser
frequency with each burst fired at the tractor beam emitter. They could
see the color of the beam alter, shifting around from yellow to red,
blue, green, among others. Seconds later, a bright flash announced his
success.
"Borg tractor beam terminated."
Unfortunately, his success came a few seconds too late. "Shields
have failed," Worf announced just as several Borg materialized on the
bridge. The Security Chief reacted first, readying his phaser and
firing at a Borg in one smooth motion. It collapsed immediately amid a
shower of sparks, its implants still twitching. The others fired almost
immediately afterwards, and the first wave of the Borg were quickly
dispatched. But as soon as the last fell, the second wave arrived.
Worf and Data fired simultaneously. The beams hit, but did little more
than spark a bit. Worf readjusted his phaser and fired twice more with
similar results, before saying the obvious, "They've adapted to the
random phasers!"
Speculation on how that feat had been accomplished had to wait as
the Borg drones moved on each crewmember and the scene quickly
degenerated into hand to hand combat. Using his rather impressive
strength, Data was able to dispatch two rather quickly. He was moving
to assist his crewmates when he found himself surrounded by a rather
powerful forcefield.
At the tactical station, Worf drew a traditional Klingon melee
weapon, a mekh'leth, from beneath his sash and took a powerful swipe at
the nearest of the drones. It collapsed and he moved on to attack
another. It grasped his arm and he found himself locked in a struggle
with it. Each of the others found themselves in similar struggles.
What the Borg lacked in agility they more than made for in strength and
persistence.
Data was attempting to disrupt the forcefield with his phaser when
he saw two talon-like devices emerge from the back of a Borg's hand and
inject themselves into Ensign Harris, who had been stationed at Science
One. She gasped, then collapsed and the Borg moved on to find another
target. He could see other Borg attempt similar moves on the others,
but they managed to avoid them for the moment.
"Hold it right there!" All eyes moved to the now open doors of the
turbolift in the front of the Bridge. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood
there, with the other Scouts flanking them.
Rubeus had been watching the battle through the eyes of the drones.
His eyes snapped open and his expression shifted from gloating to
bewilderment. "It can't be!"
"I am the champion of love and justice Sailor Moon! I may not know
how we got here, but I've gotten to like this place. Even if that one
guy back there has a really ugly forehead!" Despite his struggle Worf
glared momentarily at her, while Luna groaned softly. "Anyway, if you
half-mechanical creeps work for Rubeus, you must be the bad guys! In
the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
Rubeus groaned. "It's her, alright. I'd recognize those
insufferable speeches anywhere!" He paused, pondering this development.
Maybe it wasn't all bad. In fact... Yes, Sailor Moon's appearance here
could be a fortuitous event after all. He might not need to spend time
developing a base of power.
He sent a mental signal to the drones on the Enterprise. "There's
been a slight change of plans, my friends."
The Borg grappling with Ro and Troi released them and began moving
on the Scouts. For their part, they where rushing to assist the
Enterprise crew.
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" The golden energy band wrapped itself
around the Borg grappling with Geordi, which immediately let go of him
and tried to break free. She gave the chain a good yank, throwing the
Borg into the one on Worf. It staggered, also releasing it's hold on
the Klingon.
Worf snarled and was about to slash them with his weapon, but
Jupiter was faster. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" The electrical blast
slammed into both Borg, and they stopped moving after emitting a shower
of sparks. Worf nodded approvingly.
"Nice shot."
Mars moved forward to meet the two approaching Borg. She easily
evaded their initial attacks, then lashed out with her own power, "MARS
CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" The bands of fire encircled the Borg, the
bright light of the attack hiding them from sight. When it faded, there
was little left of the Borg except ashes and melted cybernetic parts.
"MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!" A wave of cold energy froze the Borg
in its tracks. Beverly gave it a good solid kick she recently learned
from Worf's self-defense course, and it fell over, shattering upon
impact. She said a quick "Thank you" to the blue haired Scout before
rushing over to the injured ensign.
Sailor Moon took aim at the one holding Picard, leveling her
scepter at it. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The energy beam lanced out,
and exploded the chest of the Borg that had been throttling the Captain.
Tuxedo Mask followed with a volley of roses that hit the few remaining
Borg. "Well, that was easy!"
"That's what I wanted you to think, Sailor Moon!" came an all to
familiar voice from behind her. "My real target is you!" He gestured,
sending one of his trademark dark globes into the center of the Bridge,
stunning all present with the exception of Data.
And Rubeus, of course.
Darien looked up shakily and saw Rubeus lifting Sailor Moon's still
form off the deck. With a wordless cry, he leapt at him, trying
desperately to drive him away from her. Unfortunately, his efforts were
in vain, for Rubeus vanished from the Bridge, taking Sailor Moon with
him. Around the Bridge, the Borg corpses disintegrated, leaving behind
only slight char markings on the carpet.
"SERENA!!"
Worf was one of the first of the crew to recover. He glanced up at
the screen and saw that the Borg ship was receding in the distance. The
forcefield around Data faded at that moment. "The Borg ship is
disengaging, moving off." Worf quickly checked the tactical board.
"Speed: warp nine point three... Accelerating to warp nine point six."
"They've got Sailor Moon!" cried Tuxedo Mask. The anguish in his
voice was clearly evident to all of them. "We have to go after them!"
Data sat back down at his station and rapidly entered in a series
of commands. "Laying in pursuit course, and engaging." The ship
accelerated past the speed of light and sped off in pursuit of the Borg
ship.
Picard staggered up to his feet. "Get us to within transporter
range, Mr. Data," he said as he painfully sat down in his command chair.
"Then match velocities." Without a word, Data entered the commands into
his console. "Any casualties, Doctor?"
"Just Ensign Harris here," she replied while scanning her with a
tricorder. "Crusher to Transporter Room Three. Medical emergency. Two
to beam directly to Sickbay."
"Energizing," O'Brien's voice answered and they disappeared in a
blue haze.
Riker swung his gaze around the Bridge, checking the crew. With
the exception of the luckless ensign, there were no casualties and the
ship appeared to be in relatively good condition. "All in all, I think
we got off lucky, Captain."
"Fortunately for us, they were here to help," Picard replied,
indicating the Scouts. "Thank you." They nodded wordlessly in
acknowledgment, each of them too worried about Sailor Moon to say
anything. All of them simply watched the image of the Borg ship on the
screen, with the exception of Mercury. She was furiously working on her
computer.
"I don't get it," said Riker. "They had us on the ropes then, all
of the sudden, they just grab Sailor Moon and run."
"She has the Silver Crystal," Venus answered him, as if that would
explain everything.
Evidently it didn't. "Silver Crystal?"
"The Silver Crystal is an artifact from the Moon Kingdom of immense
power, Commander," Data replied. "In their previous encounter with
Captain Kirk, Sailor Moon used it to destroy a alien spacecraft that was
about to destroy the Enterprise. It had proven relatively immune to
phaser and photon torpedoes to that point. The Enterprise logs indicate
that the forces of Queen Beryl went to great lengths to obtain the
Crystal from Sailor Moon. It would seem that Rubeus also places a high
value on its acquisition."
"He does," Mars said.
Darien was about to explode with worry. "We have to get her off
that ship!"
"I agree," said Picard. "Mr. Data, can you get a sensor lock her
location?"
The android consulted the sensor readouts, then shook his head,
frowning, "The Borg are generating substantial sensor interference. I
cannot get a fix on her position."
"Can you locate her, Sailor Mercury?" asked Venus.
She heaved a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "No. I've been
trying to, but somehow they're scrambling my scans as well."
"When you were on board the original Enterprise, you were able to
increase your scanner range and power by interfacing with the main
computer," Data suggested. "Perhaps if we tried that--"
"I'm afraid not. My own scans were proving too limited, so that's
what I was doing." She blushed slightly in mild embarrassment at the
looks she got from Picard and Riker. "I'm sorry. I should have asked,
but there didn't seem to be any time."
"No harm done," said the Captain. "But in the future, at least
tell us what you're doing." She nodded in assent.
"I can find her myself once we're there," said Tuxedo Mask.
"If that's true, we could send over an away team," Riker suggested.
"Negative, Commander," said Data. "The Borg EM field is still
adapted to prevent transporter function."
"We could try the Sailor Teleport," Luna suggested.
This got her several puzzled looks from the Enterprise crew. "The
what?" said Riker.
"No," Mercury answered her. "I'm not sure how, but they're also
generating an energy pattern that will prevent us from teleporting on
board."
"So there's nothing we can do," Darien said bitterly. Frustrated,
he slammed his fist against the Bridge wall.
Picard frowned as he considered the situation. Though he didn't
show it, inwardly he was just as frustrated by the situation as Tuxedo
Mask. Rubeus and his Borg had effectively cut off all means of them
boarding the ship and attempting a rescue. The only other option;
namely, using a shuttle to penetrate their EM field as was done at Wolf
359; was out of the question while they were traveling at these speeds.
It seemed that they would have to wait until the Borg ship arrived at
its intended destination before they could attempt anything. Speaking
of which... "Mr. Worf, what is the course of the Borg ship?"
The Security Chief consulted the tactical readout. "Zero two five,
mark six."
Riker frowned, puzzled. He may not have Data's computing power,
but if he remembered his astrogation correctly, that wasn't a course for
Earth... or for that matter, any other of the major Federation
homeworlds. "Ensign Ro, what systems lie along that course?"
The Bajoran ensign consulted the star maps of the area and
extrapolated the course of the Borg ship through it. "No star systems
lie along the course of the Borg vessel, Commander."
"Then where the hell are they going?"
"I don't know," she answered. "However, it will take us through
the Romulan Neutral Zone in about two and a half hours."
"Two hours, twenty five minutes, three seconds," Data said,
supplementing her report.
"Great." The First Officer's expression clearly indicated that he
thought otherwise.
"Maintain pursuit," Picard ordered. "In the meantime, Mr. LaForge,
see if you can find a way around the Borg EM field. Work with Chief
O'Brien. Data, I want you to analyze the Borg course. See if you can
find out where they're going."
"Yes, sir," the two officers answered.
Picard stood up and addressed the Scouts. "While we wait, you can
tell me everything you know about this Rubeus. Number One, you have the
bridge." With that, he and the Scouts entered his ready room. Luna and
Artemis exchanged a look, and she followed the Scouts in while the white
cat hopped onto the Bridge railing. Darien also remained on the Bridge,
his gaze fixed on the screen.
"We'll get you back, Serena. I swear it."
Sailor Moon woke with a start. Her hands and feet were shackled to
a table of some sort. Looking around wildly, she asked the obvious
question, "Where am I?"
Rubeus came from around a corner. "Greetings, Sailor Moon.
Welcome to my ship."
"Rubeus!" Memories of recent events came flooding back to her.
Appearing on the Enterprise, meeting the others in Ten Forward, the
battle on the Bridge, a dim memory of Rubeus grabbing her, and finally
the sickening lurch of teleporting. "What am I doing here?"
"I should think the answer to that should be obvious. You know
that I've been after the Silver Crystal. And now I have it, and you, in
my possession."
"It won't do you any good. We defeated the Wiseman. Crystal Tokyo
is safe."
Rubeus regarded her dubiously. Could this girl have defeated the
Wiseman *and* the forces of the Black Moon? Well, even if it was true,
it didn't matter. He would still have his revenge on those that
remained. "That remains to be seen."
She tried a different approach. "Hey, how come you're still alive?
Your ship blew up!"
"Almost, but not quite. What you thought what my ship exploding,
was really an energy discharge from the time warp machinery engaging in
an uncontrolled manner. It should have destroyed the ship, but somehow
I was transported to this universe. My ship was heavily damaged
however." He made a sweeping gesture to the ship and the Borg around
him. "This ship found me, and approached with the intent of
assimilating it... of making me serve them." He bent over her, looking
her in the eye. "Now they serve me. As will your crystal."
"I'll never let you have the Crystal."
"As my Borg servants are known to say: `resistance is futile',
Sailor Moon. I will control the Silver Crystal. And you."
Picard motioned to the two chairs and the small sofa in the Ready
Room. "Please, have a seat." Silently, the Scouts did as he requested,
Mercury and Mars taking the chairs. Luna, on the other hand, jumped up
onto the desk. The Captain walked over to the replicator. "Would you
like anything?"
"No, thank you," Mercury replied, the others indicating likewise.
Picard nodded. "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." There was a slight hum as
the requested beverage came into being. Picard took the cup as soon as
it finished materializing and sat down at his desk, though he did a
double take on seeing Luna once more perched there.
Mars was glaring at him, obviously impatient. "I thought you
wanted to talk about Rubeus, not have a tea social."
"Please be patient, Raye," Luna said. "I'm sure the Captain
realizes the seriousness of the situation."
"You're quite right," he responded evenly. "I realize that you're
anxious to help rescue your friend. And let me assure you that I and my
crew will do everything in our power to do that. But first, I need to
know what I'm dealing with. I know the Borg, having had some..." He
paused momentarily, memories of the last encounter with the Borg running
through his mind. "...dealings with them in the past. However, I have
absolutely no idea what to expect from this Rubeus... other than the
fact that if he can take over a Borg ship he must be very powerful
indeed."
"So you want us to fill in the gaps, and together we'll figure out
a way to kick his butt, right?" Jupiter asked.
Picard smiled. "I wouldn't quite phrase it so colorfully, but
yes... that is essentially the idea."
Data turned to Commander Riker. "Commander, I believe I have
determined the destination of the Borg ship." He touched a few controls
on the ops. panel, and the image of the Borg ship was replaced by a star
chart. The course of the Borg ship was overlaid on it, with Data's
estimate of their destination highlighted, a point in space not too far
from the Romulan Neutral Zone.
"Data, are you sure?" After a look from the android, the First
Officer added, "Never mind."
Artemis peered at the screen from his vantage point atop the
tactical station. "What's so special about that area?"
"It is the location of the quantum flux connecting our respective
universes," the android responded.
"You mean the way the first Enterprise got to our world?" The cat
thought this over for a moment. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh is right," Riker replied. "Captain Picard, to the Bridge."
A few seconds later, the door opened and Picard emerged from his
ready room, followed by the Scouts and Luna. Seeing Artemis perched
atop tactical just behind the command chair brought him up short. Worf
obviously didn't find anything amusing about it, though. Every few
seconds he glared at the white feline. "Report."
"Data's figured out where they're going." He gestured towards the
plot on the screen.
"The quantum flux," Picard said softly. The implications hit him
right away. "Of course..."
"Oh, no..." The same thought occurred to Sailor Mercury.
"What? What is it?" asked Jupiter.
"The Borg have the ability to assimilate entire worlds. Now, I
doubt that even the Borg could assimilate Crystal Tokyo, but if they
have the power of the Silver Crystal behind them..." the Captain's
voice trailed off.
It was beginning to dawn on Sailor Venus. "You don't mean...?"
"Yes. Rubeus is going to use the Borg to assimilate your Earth.
Either before the creation of Crystal Tokyo or by traveling back to his
own time." Picard stared at the screen. "Somehow we've got to find a
way to prevent that from happening."
"How do we stop them?" asked Artemis. "As it stands tight now, we
can't even get on their ship."
"But there might be a way to prevent them from entering your
universe." Picard looked to his operations officer. "Data, is there a
way to seal a quantum flux?"
Data looked thoughtful for a moment. "Theoretically. If we
detonate a photon torpedo inside the flux, it should collapse it. But
it would require modifying the torpedo to emit a warp field of the
proper frequency to enter the flux, and to generate the proper temporal
variance field to collapse it."
"How long would that take?"
"Approximately one hour."
Riker looked doubtful. "That's cutting it a bit close, Data.
We're just about an hour away from the flux."
"I am aware of that, sir."
"Make it so. With dispatch, Mr. Data." Data rose from his station
and headed for the turbolift.
"Captain, even we can seal the flux, how will we get to it before
the Borg do?" Riker asked. "We know from past experience that we can't
outrun one of their ships."
Picard shrugged. "We'll just have to be creative. Make an
opportunity to deploy the torpedo."
"You don't sound too hopeful," Mars observed.
"We're all too familiar with the Borg," Troi told her. "They can
be... formidable adversaries."
"Yeah, he told us about them," Jupiter said. "They sound nasty."
Venus smiled ironically. "Well, at least the situation can't get
any worse."
"Captain," said Ro, "we've just entered the Romulan Neutral Zone."
"You were saying?" quipped Artemis. "OW!" Venus glared at him
while he rubbed his now sore nose.
"What's the `Romulan Neutral Zone' anyway?" asked Jupiter.
Mercury answered her, "It's a buffer zone set up between the
Federation and the Romulan Empire. Incursions into this area can be
considered an act of war by the intruding party." After an inquiring
look from Riker, she held up her computer. "I just accessed the
appropriate files in your computer."
"Mr. Worf, are there any signs of Romulan vessels?"
Worf check the sensors. "I'm picking up several subspace
anomalies, which could be cloaked Romulan vessels," he reported. "They
are on an parallel course with the Borg ship, but are not approaching."
"Just keeping an eye on things," Jupiter observed.
Worf nodded, as that was his assessment as well. His attention was
drawn to another alert sounding on his board. "Captain, we're receiving
an incoming message from Starfleet Command. Priority One."
Riker and Picard looked at each other. "Now what?" Riker asked.
Picard shrugged. There was only one way to find out. "What's the
message, Mr. Worf?"
"It is a sector wide red alert," he answered. "Long range sensors
from Deep Space Seven have detected *two* Borg ships entering Federation
space, on course for this region. They are apparently on an intercept
course with Rubeus' ship."
Picard had a sudden sinking feeling. "Ensign Ro, can you confirm
that?"
Ro took a moment to plot out the courses of the ships in question
before answering. "Yes, sir. They will intercept this ship in
approximately one hour at the coordinates listed for the quantum flux."
"This just gets better and better," said Riker.
"Well, you know what they say, `It never rains, it just comes down
cats and dogs.'" Luna glared at her, whereas Artemis merely sighed and
shook his head.
Chapter 4 - Q's and Answers
Silence reigned on the Bridge as Worf's news sank in. Finally
Jupiter gave voice to her frustration. "Great! So Serena is going to
be in the middle of the crossfire when they attack that thing!"
Riker took a step closer to Picard. "We could just about handle
one Borg ship," he observed quietly. "How are we supposed to take on
three of them, close off the quantum flux AND rescue Sailor Moon at the
same time?"
Picard didn't reply to Riker's question. At the moment, he didn't
have a clue as to what he was going to do. "Merde," he said quietly.
The two Borg ships were waiting for them when they dropped out of
warp. Picard shuddered inwardly at the sight on the viewscreen.
As Riker had observed, a single Borg ship had been hard enough to
handle. Starfleet had thrown a fleet of forty starships at one at Wolf
359... and lost thirty-nine of them. It was only by sheer luck that the
Enterprise had been able to stop them at Earth.
But three? This was the stuff that nightmares were made of.
The two unblemished cubes took flanking positions of Rubeus' ship.
The three large vessels came to a halt, seemingly staring each other
down. "Keep us out of the line of fire, Ensign," he ordered.
"Aye, sir."
"The Borg are signaling Rubeus," Worf reported.
"Let's listen in, Mr. Worf," said Picard.
The Klingon touched a control, and the Borg signal sounded over the
speakers. Picard noted sympathetically that the Scouts shuddered at
hearing that cold, mechanical voice. He had a similar reaction when he
had first heard it, nearly three years previously.
And he still heard it in his nightmares.
"We are the Borg. Your attempt to break with the collective will
not succeed. You are to be reassimilated immediately. Your biological
and technological distinctiveness will once more be added to our own.
Failure to comply will result in your destruction. Resistance is
futile."
Silence fell over the Bridge as they all awaited Rubeus' reply. "I
think not."
Immediately, the two Borg ships began to fire upon the renegade,
the energy discharge of the Borg weaponry playing out along its hull.
Several of their tractor beam weapons could be seen trying to latch
themselves to the surface of the renegade.
"Here's where it gets interesting," commented Riker. Several
cutting beams lanced out, gouging long swathes in the hull.
"Why aren't they doing something?" Jupiter asked. Rubeus' ship
seemed to ignoring its attackers, despite the damage it was taking.
Then it began to glow... faintly at first, then a bright white.
"Energy readings are going off the scale," reported Lieutenant
Ramirez, who had taken Data's place at ops. The glow became intense,
causing all on the Bridge to shield their eyes from the glare. When it
seemed it couldn't get any brighter, a blinding beam of energy came from
Rubeus' ship and struck a Borg ship dead center. An even brighter flash
temporarily overloaded the viewscreen. When it cleared, all that was
remained of the Borg ship was an expanding cloud of debris.
"My God!" Troi said.
"What the hell was that?" asked Riker.
Worf checked the sensors. "They are employing an energy weapon of
immense power. Type unknown." The remaining ship continued to fire,
but with greater intensity. "I am reading extensive damage to the outer
hull of Rubeus' ship, but not enough to disable it."
"A weapon that could destroy a Borg ship with one blast. It's
almost beyond belief," Picard observed in a low voice. Rubeus' ship
again began to glow, evidently preparing to fire another blast. "Picard
to Data. Is the modified torpedo ready?"
"Very nearly, sir. I estimate another five minutes."
"We may not have that long, Mr. Data. Time is of the essence."
"Understood," came the android's calm reply.
The light from the screen began building to a blinding intensity
again. Outside, the remaining Borg ship started, incredibly, to
withdraw, only to be seized by a tractor beam from the renegade Borg
ship.
"I don't believe it," Mercury gasped when her analysis of the new
weapon was complete. "That energy pulse!" she exclaimed. "It's from
the Silver Crystal! Somehow they've managed to use it as a weapon!"
"Impossible!" Luna stated firmly. "They can't be able to use it
while..." her voice trailed off.
"She's alive Luna," Darien told her, no doubt whatsoever present in
his voice. Still, his expression was one of deep concern. How was
Rubeus able to use the Silver Crystal as a weapon? Serena would never
give it to him, not as long as she lived. And as long as she lived, he
would never be able to control it. So how was he doing it?
He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.
The screen flared white again, and the other Borg vessel was
reduced to a cloud of gas and debris. Moving away from the wreckage,
the renegade Borg ship began to approach the Enterprise, a white glow
surrounding it and building in intensity.
"I think we're in trouble," Venus decidedly understated.
"Captain," Worf exclaimed, "they're locking weapons on us!"
"Yep, we're definitely in trouble."
Picard was about to order evasive maneuvers when Data's voice came
over the comm. system, "Sir, the torpedo is loaded and ready."
An wild idea came to Picard, as desperation fueled his need. "Get
a sensor bearing on the quantum flux," he ordered.
"Bearing two four seven mark five," Ro answered. "Distance, one
hundred thousand kilometers."
"Set course two four seven, mark five, speed at warp nine. I want
us to come out of warp at point blank range to the flux."
Riker looked at his captain. "The Picard Maneuver?"
"A variation of it, Number One," the Captain acknowledged.
Ro nodded. "Ready, sir." On the screen, the Borg ship was glowing
brightly.
Picard brought his left hand forward. "Stand by torpedo. Engage."
An outside observer would have been impressed. The warp engines
propelled the ship forward rapidly, so fast it seemed to vanish for a
brief second. At the same moment, the Borg ship unleashed its weapon at
where the Enterprise had been. Then, impossibly, it curved, following
and striking the starship just as it came out of warp. There was a
massive burst of light, and the Enterprise was gone.
"Excellent." Rubeus watched with satisfaction. Unlike the Borg
ships, it seemed that the destruction of the Enterprise hadn't even left
the smallest bit of debris. His new weapon had utterly removed it from
existence.
Pity. He would have liked to have had a trophy from it, to remind
himself of his triumph over the Scouts. Tuxedo Mask's hat, for
instance.
After a few moments more of gloating, he got back to the business
at hand. First he had to traverse the quantum flux to his native
universe. Then it was on to Crystal Tokyo.
No one, not even Queen Serenity herself, was going to stand in his
way this time.
On some unknown plane of existence, a watching, omnipotent entity
was chuckling. Rubeus was such an arrogant fool. Even Worf had more
sense than him.
There was a blinding flash of light on the Bridge, followed by the
deck pitching violently. Ro and Ramirez clung to their station for dear
life while the others were tossed about like rag dolls as the artificial
gravity went wild. All over the Bridge, panels exploded and the lights
fluctuated, then dimmed to emergency levels.
Finally, as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
Picard heard several groans on the darkened bridge, as he picked
himself off the deck. He winced at the various bruises he himself had
received, but tried instead to concentrate on the status of his crew
first. "Is everyone alright?"
"More or less," Mars answered him, holding her left shoulder. She
flexed the limb experimentally. It hurt, but seemed more or less
functional. Whatever injury she had, it could wait.
Mercury activated her visor and began a sweep of the Bridge. On
her visor, each individual was highlighted in turn and a quick diagnosis
of their conditions was made. "Bumps and bruises for the most part,
though Commander Riker has a broken wrist. And --"
Venus' anguished voice interrupted her, "Artemis!" She carefully
picked up the white cat.
"It's... just a broken leg, Mina," he painfully reassured her.
"Nothing too serious."
"Fortunately it's a clean break," Mercury said, doing a detailed
scan. "It should heal naturally once it's been set."
"We can do better than that," Picard answered her. "Bridge to
Sickbay." Silence answered him. "Bridge to Engineering." After
waiting a few moments, "The comm. system must be down. Ensign Ro, head
for Engineering. Get me a damage report."
"Aye, sir," the Bajoran replied, already heading for the Jeffries
tubes. Anticipating the Captain's next order, Ramirez was already
breaking out the emergency medical kit stored in the forward part of the
Bridge.
Picard nodded approvingly. The next step was ascertaining the
condition of the ship. It would take Ro a while to make her way to
Engineering, but fortunately he had an alternative to waiting. Not that
he was any position to do anything with the information, but it was
better than doing nothing. "Mercury, can you get a detailed scan of the
rest of the ship?"
"I think so," she replied and set out to do so. She reset the
focus of her scan, looking beyond the Bridge and checking out the other
parts of the ship.
While she was doing so, Ramirez did what he could to tend to the
injured. In short order, he used the bone knitters in the medkit to
mend Riker's broken wrist and Artemis' leg (after having Worf set the
injured limb).
"Your main power is off-line, as are the auxiliary systems,"
Mercury reported. "Life support is drawing off emergency power. But
the structure seems intact, and I'm getting life readings all through
it."
"What about the Borg?"
She shook her head. "I'm not detecting them." Then she frowned,
"As a matter of fact, I'm not detecting anything outside the ship."
"Mr. Worf, can we get the main viewscreen back on-line?"
Worf went over to the ops console and tried to work the controls.
"Negative, sir. We only have emergency power available. All the Bridge
consoles are off-line."
"There's one way we can check what's outside," Riker said, going
into the Conference Room. As the others followed him in, they heard him
say, "What the hell?"
The assemblage of Sailor Scouts and Starfleet personnel stared out
the Conference Room windows. Outside they saw not the star speckled
blackness of space but only a formless, gray haze. It was as if the
Enterprise was encompassed in a massive fogbank.
Venus was the first to find her voice. "What happened? Are we
dead?"
"I don't feel dead," replied Sailor Mars.
"Well, then how come we weren't destroyed?" Jupiter asked. "I
thought those Borg cubes were supposed to be a lot tougher than this
ship."
"Don't look a gift horse in the eye."
Riker gave Venus an uncertain look, then whispered to Mercury, "Is
she always doing that?" Slightly embarrassed, she nodded while Artemis
sighed.
Worf brought out a tricorder. "The tricorder is not registering
anything outside of the ship. It is as if the universe outside the
Enterprise does not exist."
"I'm not detecting anything either," Mercury put in. She still had
her visor deployed and was supplementing it with her computer. "All my
space-time readings show zero."
"Are you saying we're nowhere, Mercury?" asked Tuxedo Mask.
"An appropriate choice of words," said an invisible voice. Riker
groaned, for it was all too familiar to the crew. Amid a flash of
light, Q appeared in the Conference Room, lounging in Picard's usual
seat at the head of the table. "Let's just say you're outside the
normal bounds of space and time. At least as far as your limited minds
can understand them." The Scouts stared at him, unsure who or what he
was.
Picard knew exactly who he was dealing with. "Q. It's about time
you showed your face."
The entity got up and approached the Captain, looking somewhat
aggrieved. "I would have expected a little more gratitude from you,
Jean-Luc. After all, I just saved your precious ship and crew from a
rather ignominious fate by plucking it out of space and time just before
it exploded."
"But not before the ship was badly damaged and many of my crew were
injured."
"Oh, posh," Q shrugged it off. "There's no damage that can't be
fixed and be rest assured that none of your little trained minions were
badly hurt."
"You set up this entire situation, didn't you?" Riker accused.
The mischievous entity shrugged. "If by that you mean, did I bring
Sailor Wailing Moon and her fellow Scouts, along with the caped crusader
and their talkative feline companions here, then the answer would be
yes." He glanced over at the Security Chief. "Oh, by the way, has your
hearing recovered yet, Microbrain?" Showing remarkable restraint, Worf
stared stoically at him, his anger only visible in his eyes. After
chuckling for a second, Q looked at Picard with a more serious
expression. "However, I had nothing to do with Rubeus getting here. He
did that strictly on his own."
"So why'd you bring us here?" demanded Jupiter.
"I thought that would have been obvious, even to someone of your
limited intellect," Q quipped. Jupiter glared at him, and took a
threatening step in his direction.
Venus put a restraining hold on her friend. "Easy, Jupiter. He's
just trying to bait you."
"It's not very difficult either," Q smirked. "Really Worf, you
should get to know her better. She's just perfect for you. And vice
versa. After all, to her every male looks like her old boyfriend."
That did it. This creep had definitely crossed the line. Lita
gathered up her power, intent on blasting Q into next week. "JUPITER
THUNDERCLAP..."
"Lita, no!" cried out Luna.
It was like watching an old fashioned gunfight. The enraged Scout
stood at one end of the conference table, ready to hurl her attack,
while Q merely stood there at the other end with a huge grin on his
face.
"ZAP!"
The disk of electrical energy flew over the table and struck Q dead
center with the stereotypical sound of an electrical discharge. Picard
could swear that he saw a skeleton figure where Q was standing amid the
storm of electricity. When it cleared, Q was still standing there
grinning, his hair comically standing on end. "Shocking!" He snapped
his fingers and his hair resumed its normal state. He held his hand
palm upward and a little ball of electricity danced over it. Tossing it
idly about as if it were a baseball he asked, "Think you can take the
same?"
The Captain interposed himself between Jupiter and malicious
entity. "Q."
"Oh, don't worry Picard. I'm willing to let her vent her
emotions." Q made a waving motion with his hand and the lightning ball
vanished. Looking at Jupiter, his voice took on a harder edge, "This
time."
The tall Scout wasn't about to back down, though. "Why you..."
Mars and Venus both moved to restrain their friend. "Not now,
Jupiter. We can't help Sailor Moon if we let this creep zap us," the
blonde reminded her.
"Creep?" Q sniffed. "That's a fine thing coming from someone who
can't even get a boyfriend." Venus glared at him, and Mars found
herself in the somewhat unusual position of trying to calm someone else
down. Usually she was the one with the raging temper.
Artemis leapt onto the table. "You know, Guinan is absolutely
right about you. You're absolutely contemptible, with no redeeming
features whatsoever."
The entity must have been feeling decidedly petulant. "And for a
small cat, you certainly have a big mouth... not to mention a surly
attitude. Maybe this will help you relax," Q said and snapped his
fingers. The white cat vanished.
"ARTEMIS!!" Luna exclaimed.
Venus barged past Mars (who didn't even try to stop her) and
stormed up to Q. "What have you done with him?!? Bring him back!" she
demanded, leveling a finger at his face.
"You know, it's really cute the way your nostrils flare when you're
angry."
"Where is he?" Luna demanded.
"Oh, he's quite safe," he reassured her. "And he's still on the
ship, too. Deck five, room three four seven to be exact."
Riker looked puzzled. "Data's quarters? But why --"
"Oh, no," Troi interrupted him. "It's Spot. She's in heat."
An uneasy silence descended on the room. Finally Darien asked,
"Who's Spot?"
"She's... Data's cat," Riker answered. An unrepentant Q smirked
under their glares, while Luna and Venus each looked mad enough to kill.
"Bring him back, or I'll --"
"Or you'll what? Bind me with that gold chain of yours?" Q was
obviously enjoying himself. "That I'd like to see."
Picard could see that the situation was rapidly spiraling out of
control and stepped in before Q pushed the Scouts too far. "We're
through playing your games, Q," he said. "If you came here for a
reason, I suggest you get to the point. And bring Artemis back here at
once!"
"Oh, very well," he said with a sigh and snapped his fingers. A
slightly disheveled Artemis reappeared on the table.
Amy tried to get the conversation back on track. "You brought us
here to help the Enterprise face Rubeus, didn't you?"
"Yes!" He walked over to Mercury, a smile beaming on his face.
"It's so nice to have someone of high intellect around here." Glancing
at Riker and Worf he added, "It makes for a nice change."
Mercury frowned at him. She had only been around Q for a few
minutes, but already she could see why Guinan and the other Enterprise
crewmembers thought so little of him. "I'm not sure that's a
compliment, coming from you."
An expression of shock crossed his face. "How rude! Well, to
answer your question, yes, that's why I transported the lot of you here.
I knew that Picard and his merry band really didn't have any chance
against a group of Borg reinforced by Rubeus' power. However, I didn't
count on Sailor Moon being taken prisoner... or on Picard almost letting
his precious ship get blown to smithereens. Really, Jean-Luc, that was
very sloppy of you."
"Why save us at all, Q?" asked Picard.
"A weakness on my part, Jean-Luc. I found that I couldn't bear the
thought of a universe without Worf to antagonize." The Klingon officer
didn't deign to comment. After all, there was no honor in allowing Q to
antagonize him.
"OK, but why bring the ship here?" Tuxedo Masked asked, indicating
the formless void outside. "Why didn't you simply protect the ship and
leave us where we were."
"The answer to that, cape boy, is that I could see that you simply
weren't ready handle Rubeus and his merry band. You need time to plan,
to prepare. So you're getting it, courtesy of little moi. When you're
ready, I'll transport you to the sight of the battle." Picard watched Q
carefully. Something about his reply didn't quite ring true, but he
wasn't about to question it at the moment. There would be time enough
for that later.
"And if the Borg use the Silver Crystal on us again?" asked Troi.
Q made a dismissive gesture. "They will try, but it will be
ineffective."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Mars.
"Simple, firebug," Mars glared at that, "If I could protect you
once, I can do it again. And again if necessary. But I'm afraid, aside
from some helpful tidbits of information, that this is the limit of my
aid. Others," he glared momentarily at the ceiling, "have placed...
restrictions on my actions."
"You're going to help us?" asked a disbelieving Tuxedo Mask.
"Believe it or not, yes!" Q snapped. "And here's my first tidbit
of advice: When the Borg ship emerges from the flux, their power systems
will be temporarily depleted from the passage. You won't be under that
handicap. It will be possible to beam over, and rescue your beloved.
Though why you would want to is beyond me."
Picard ignored Q's sarcastic commentary and focused on the
essential information he had given them. "Depleted?" A possible
strategy came to mind, and he turned to Riker. "The main deflector
dish."
The First Officer looked uncertain. "It didn't work too well last
time."
"But that ship was prepared for it, and at nearly full power as
well. This ship will have its power reserves drained." If we can
believe Q, he added silently, "It may well work this time around. We
should have LaForge begin work on it immediately after repairs to ship's
systems are completed." As if on cue, the main lighting came back on,
accompanied by the chime of the comm. system.
"LaForge to Captain Picard."
"Picard here. What's our status, Commander?"
"We just got auxiliary power back on-line, sir, and main power
should be available soon. I'm not sure how, but whatever hit us, all it
did was blow circuit breakers all over the ship. We've been busy
resetting them. That's it, other than some minor hull damage."
Q smirked. "I told you so."
Picard glared momentarily at him. "Geordi, once you've completed
that, I want to begin modifying the main deflector dish just as you did
against the Borg the last time. Commander Riker will give you the
details."
LaForge's voice sounded uncertain. "Aye, sir."
"What should we do in the meantime?" asked Venus.
"You could go shopping on the holodeck," Q suggested, earning him a
glare from all the Scouts. Picard briefly raised his eyes heavenward.
It seemed Q was in rare form on this particular visit. Once again
Picard wished he would make himself rarer still. Go away and never
return, for instance.
"I hate to say it, but the holodeck might not be such a bad idea.
We could program a series of simulations," Riker suggested. "Get them
used to working with us, and with what they'll see on a Borg ship."
Picard nodded approvingly. "A good idea, Number One. Worf, Data,
and I will work with them, while you plan the tactics for the ship to
ship part of the confrontation." He started to walk to the door,
ignoring the look of surprise on Riker's and Troi's faces.
"Sir?" Riker asked uncertainly.
Picard stopped and looked back at the First Officer. "I'll be
leading the away team, Number One."
Q beamed with delight. "Oh, this should be fun."
Chapter 5 - Rescue Mission
"Captain, could I have a word with you?" Riker inquired. Glancing
at the others he added, "In private."
Picard nodded, having a good idea what the First Officer wanted to
discuss. "If you'll excuse us?" Acceding to his request, the others
made their way back onto the Bridge. As the Security Chief was leaving
he said, "Mr. Worf, escort the Scouts to Holodeck Two, and begin working
with them and Mr. Data. I'll be joining you shortly." Riker remained
silent, but his face had a "We'll-see-about-this" expression.
"Aye, sir."
Picard was about to address his first officer when he realized that
Q was still present. "You also, Q. *Out.*"
"Well, I know where I'm not wanted," the entity grumbled and
promptly vanished.
"That'll be the day," Picard observed softly.
After the door had closed behind them, Mars asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's... unusual for a captain to lead an away mission," Troi
answered hesitantly. "Typically the First Officer does while the
Captain remains on the ship."
Jupiter frowned and observed, "Gee, it wasn't like that for Captain
Kirk."
Q chose that moment to reappear, startling the two Moon cats.
"Times change," he stated. "And not always for the better."
"Shut up, Q!" several voices exclaimed in unison.
"With all due respect, sir," Riker said sharply as soon as Q had
vanished, "Have you lost your mind?"
Picard regarded him with a slightly amused expression. "Don't you
think you're overreacting, Will?"
"No, sir, I don't," he responded. "As First Officer, it's my duty
to handle the away missions to keep the Captain out of unnecessary
danger. And in my book... hell in anyone's book... leading a rescue
mission onto a Borg ship definitely qualifies." He took a step closer
to Picard. "Sir, why are you so intent on leading this away team?"
Picard sighed and sat down. "I have my reasons, Will. Firstly, I
know my way around a Borg ship. I know the Borg."
"True," Riker conceded. "But I've been on a Borg ship as well, and
I've had experience in dealing with them."
"I think we can agree that my experiences were of a more...
intimate nature," Picard countered.
Riker grimaced. He had no real counter to that argument. Picard's
time as Locutus had given him an insight into the Borg that no one else
could match. "I can't argue with that. But I still believe that this
is a totally unacceptable risk you're taking."
"It is a risk, Number One, but it's one worth taking." Picard
paused, trying to find the proper phrasing. "It is likely... no,
inevitable, that we will have future encounters with the Borg. When
that happens, I have to be able to confront the Borg face to face. And
it's not something I can do from the Bridge."
Riker looked thoughtful as he considered the Captain's reasoning.
"Sir, these aren't the usual type of Borg we'll be facing. They may
react entirely differently to what you're used..."
"Be that as it may, I'm going, Commander," Picard interrupted his
first officer, his voice a little harder than he wanted. Then in a
quieter tone, he added, "This is something I have to do, Will."
Darien and the Scouts looked around as they entered Holodeck Two.
It was a featureless room, the all black save for a gold colored grid
adorning the walls, ceiling and floor. "This is a holodeck?" Venus
wondered. "It doesn't look like much."
"That is because we have not created the program for it to run,"
Data responded. He had met them at the entrance, waiting patiently for
them to arrive. "Computer: access log records and recreate the interior
of a Borg ship." Instantly the room vanished and they stood inside a
Borg ship.
The five newcomers marveled at the realism of the simulation.
"Wow," Jupiter commented. "You guys have the technology to do this?"
"The holodeck can create virtually any environment that is needed,"
Worf answered. "They are used both for recreation and for training
simulations."
"This may not be an entirely accurate simulation as Rubeus has
undoubtedly made alterations to the Borg craft," Data said.
"Nevertheless, it should provide us an opportunity to work with you."
"The Captain wanted us to begin at once," Worf informed the
android. "He will join us later."
"I see."
"You don't seem too surprised that Captain Picard will be going
with us," Mars commented.
"As I am an android, I am incapable of expressing, or experiencing,
emotions such as surprise."
Tuxedo Mask frowned. "Android?"
"He's a synthetic life form. He was created, not born," Mercury
answered.
Venus stared at Data. "You mean he's a robot?"
"Android. Not a robot," Data corrected her. "Computer: Load Borg
combat training simulation alpha and begin program." The two Starfleet
officers drew their weapons and readied themselves. Simultaneously,
several of the Borg simulacrums moved out of their slots and moved
towards them.
Before either could fire, Mars cried out, "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE
SURROUND!"
Several ringlets of fire struck an approaching Borg, while a thrown
rose struck another. Both began flickering on and off, and the computer
announced, "Program error."
"Interesting," Data commented as he put away his phaser.
"Computer: Freeze program." The other Borg in sight froze in their
tracks.
Worf eyed the still flickering Borg. "What happened?"
"Don't blame me," Mars said defensively. "I did what I would do
over there."
"I did not blame you."
"Computer: Arch." Data examined the readouts on the holodeck
controls. "The computer was not able to accurately interpret the
effects of Sailor Mars' attack, nor was it able to handle Tuxedo Mask's.
I surmise it will be necessary to examine the various attack modes of
each of the Scouts and have the computer analyze them in turn."
"Then let's get started," Jupiter said. "We're wasting time."
Picard entered Sickbay and, after pausing a moment to locate her,
went over to Dr. Crusher. He had been on his way to the holodeck when
Beverly had called and asked him to make the detour here. He fervently
hoped that Riker hadn't enlisted her help in trying to dissuade him from
leading the away mission. He didn't feel like fighting that battle
again. "You wanted to see me, Beverly?"
She looked up from her patient, worry evident on her face. "Yes,
Jean-Luc. It's about Ensign Harris."
Picard looked down at the biobed and was stunned. He remembered
greeting her less than a week before when she had first reported for
bridge duty. She had been an attractive young woman, not even a year
out of the Academy. Now, her skin had taken on the tone of chalk and
her expression was dull and lifeless as she stared at the ceiling. But
worst of all, on the right side of her face was obviously a Borg implant
of some sort.
He knew at once that Ensign Kristin Harris was no more. Only a
Borg drone remained.
"How...?"
Beverly shook her head. "I'm not completely certain, but I believe
that the Borg injected a series of nanoprobes into her. Once inside,
they began replicating themselves and making alterations in her
biochemistry -- even down to her DNA. They've also constructed a series
of implants which I think serve to connect her to the Borg collective."
"That would explain her inactivity at the present time. Since Q
has removed us from normal space and time, there's no connection to be
made with the collective." Picard paused for a moment. "Can you treat
her? Can you remove the implants from her as you did... as you did with
me?"
Crusher hesitated before replying, "Not at the moment, no. Your
assimilation involved a simple series of cybernetic implants, which I
was easily able to remove. But for her, I would have to somehow remove
millions, if not billions by now, of these nanoprobes. And the way
they've hooked themselves up to her cellular structure, not even the
transporter biofilters can separate them out." The two were silent for
a time. "Captain, I believe that your assimilation used a unique
method, for one reason or another. This seems to be their standard
method of assimilation. Anyone who undergoes this process may be
lost... permanently."
Picard looked up sharply and stared at her for a moment. He then
turned and strode determinedly out of Sickbay, leaving the doctor with
her patient.
His thoughts still in turmoil over what he had seen in sickbay,
Picard walked onto the holodeck without looking ahead and stopped short.
He had been expecting to walk into the middle of a simulation of the
interior of a Borg ship, but instead he saw the familiar sight of the
holodeck grid. At the far side of the room he could discern several of
the transporter test objects.
Or at least that's what they used to be. Several of the them were
charred, melted and blackened in some manner, and one had somehow become
encased in ice.
As he was taking this in, Data looked up from where he was placing
another test object in the center of the room. Anticipating his
captain's question, he explained, "We have been analyzing each of the
Scouts' attack powers. Since their powers do not adhere to the laws of
physics as we understand them, the computer was unable to correctly
interact them with the holographic simulation."
"I see," Picard said, looking over the results. "How long until we
can begin the training exercise?"
"We're nearly finished," answered Mercury from behind him. He
turned and saw the Scouts clustered around the arch, Tuxedo Mask
standing in front. Worf was standing to one side, an expression of
impatience written on his face. Mercury was standing by the arch
controls and was also holding her palmtop. She evidently had been
assisting Data in analysis of their powers.
"Only Tuxedo Mask remains to have his powers analyzed," Data said,
rejoining them.
"Proceed," Picard said, briefly wondering how a thrown rose could
cause the computer problems. His question was answered when the rose
struck the test object and deeply embedded itself in it. Picard walked
up to it and examined it with a growing sense of awe. The test object
was composed mainly of duranium, a very hard substance used extensively
for starship hulls, and yet the rose had penetrated it easily. "Most
impressive," he said, managing to keep his voice sounding nonchalant.
"Though I would be careful about throwing those through the hull, if I
were you."
Crusher entered the conference room, and found Riker seated at one
end of the long table. Seated atop the table were the two cats, in a
deep discussion with the First Officer. Crusher mentally shook her head
and approached the trio. The concept of talking felines was still
something she was getting used to. "You wanted to see me, Will?"
"Yes," Riker acknowledged, gesturing to a seat. As she sat down,
"We've been planing a strategy for our next meeting with Rubeus." The
doctor immediately had a skeptical look on her face which said 'You're
discussing starship tactics with a couple of *cats*?', to which Riker
responded, "I know what you're thinking Beverly. But while they don't
have any knowledge about the Borg..."
"...we do know Rubeus," Artemis concluded.
"That's certainly true," Beverly admitted.
Riker handed her the PADD he'd been working on. "The basics of
what we've come up with are outlined here."
Crusher studied the PADD's contents for a moment and frowned.
"Will, this looks very similar to the strategy you used against the Borg
at Wolf 359."
Riker nodded. "We've made some alterations, such as using the
deflector dish, but you're right. The core strategy is still the same."
Beverly looked puzzled. "Won't the Borg be ready for that?"
"You have to remember, it's more than the Borg you're dealing with
here," Luna reminded her. "Rubeus is controlling that ship now. It's
him we have to outthink."
Artemis continued, "His weakness is his own arrogance. If he
thinks that you're just using a strategy that worked before..."
"...he won't bother looking for anything else." She nodded and put
down the PADD. "So what do you need me for?"
"I want you to command the saucer section," Riker answered.
"Will, I'm a doctor... not a command line officer," she immediately
objected.
"You're a senior officer, Beverly, and you've been bridge
qualified. Worf and Data are accompanying the Captain and I need Geordi
in engineering. And I don't want to hand this over to a junior officer.
Simply put, you're it."
Several hours later, a very tired Geordi LaForge emerged from the
bridge turbolift. He stopped short at the sight of Q lounging there...
in mid-air. He quickly recovered and went over to report to Riker.
"We're in business. I've got the main deflector rigged to emit the high
energy burst. All the phaser banks have been rigged to vary their
firing frequencies automatically and I've remodulated the shield
nutations of both sections. All other ship systems are repaired and
operational. We're as ready as we're gonna get."
"Well it's about time. All this waiting around is getting boring."
Riker made it a point to ignore Q. "Well done, Geordi. Riker to
Picard."
"Picard here. What is it, Number One?"
"We're all set up here. Ready whenever you are."
"Very well." A loud crash in the background interrupted him.
Riker heard someone yell, "Watch where you're aiming that thing!" then
heard the Captain sigh.
"Is everything OK, sir?"
"Just a... minor disagreement between Worf and Sailor Mars," the
Captain replied, sounding very tired. "One of a number of that we've
had over the last few hours." Unconsciously echoing the Chief Engineer,
he added, "We're about as ready as we'll ever be. Considering our
current location, we can afford to have just Mr. Data on duty. That
will give everyone else a chance to get some rest before we proceed."
The chime from the door startled Darien out of his reverie. "Yes?"
The door opened, allowing Troi to enter. "Something I can do for you,
Counselor?"
"Actually, I came to see if there was something I could do for
you," she answered. "I could sense your frustration from the other side
of the ship. Do you want to talk about it?"
He returned his gaze to the gray nothingness outside the ship.
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine."
Troi briefly considered her options. Ordinarily she'd leave it at
that, letting him decide on his own when, or if, he wanted her help.
But the current situation didn't allow for that. Very shortly he'd be
accompanying the Captain on a dangerous away mission. There was no real
choice except to force the issue. "Sure you are," she said, putting a
patronizing tone to her voice. "You're just radiating more anger than
I've felt in Worf for an entire year because everything's just fine." An
exaggeration, to be sure, but one that was warranted.
He whirled at her, "What do you want me to say? Yes, I'm angry!
Angry at myself, because I couldn't protect Serena, that I couldn't stop
Rubeus from kidnapping her! Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Partially," she admitted, "But there's more to it, isn't there?"
He glared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Yes," he replied, his
voice calmer. "Usually I can get a sense of her, how she's doing. But
ever since Q put us here, I've felt *nothing*."
"Since Q has removed us from normal space, that's understandable."
"I know... but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with."
"But you're going to have to try," Deanna said. "In a few hours,
the Captain and the Scouts are going to be counting on you when you go
onto that ship. You owe it to them, and to Serena, to be ready. So
stop your brooding and get some sleep."
"Is that an order, Counselor?" he asked, a slight smile showing.
"Yes," she said, returning the smile. "If necessary, I could have
Dr. Crusher give you a sedative."
"It's not," he replied, heading for the bedroom. Deanna turned and
headed for the door. Not a textbook job of counseling, but then this
wasn't exactly a textbook case. She paused in the corridor, trying to
sense the emotional state of the Enterprise's other guests. She felt
only the normal emotions associated with dreaming, though two of them
seemed rather... erotic. If she read them right, both involved in one
way or another...
She smiled, laughing softly to herself. If they were on board for
any length of time, Will was going to have a rough time of it. Well,
there was no need to mention that to him. At least not right away.
She was about to return to her own quarters when she winced,
hearing some rather unladylike thoughts echo in her mind. Which was
odd, since she normally only felt emotions, being half Betazoid. It
took a full telepath, such as her mother, to communicate with her in
this manner.
She pressed the call button and the door opened in response,
allowing her to enter. Dressed in the robes of a Shinto priestess, Raye
stood up from where she had been kneeling in the center of the room.
Deanna could see a large fire blazing there, but could tell from the
lack of heat that it was holographic in nature. "Shouldn't you be
sleeping?" the Sailor Scout asked.
"Well, I was on my way to my quarters, when I heard some rather...
strong thoughts." She took a couple of steps into the room. "I can
guess at the source of your frustration, but I don't think the Captain
would appreciate it if you did *that* to the ship's computer."
"It's just that I can't read anything from *this*!" she exclaimed,
viciously snapping off the hologram. "And that damned computer won't
allow a real one in here." She glared at where the holographic fire had
been for a moment before what Deanna had said sunk in. "Wait a
minute... You *heard* my thoughts?!? I thought you were only an
empath."
"With other nontelepaths, that's true," Troi admitted. "But you
seem to have a higher psionic potential than other humans." She paused
and sent, *Can you hear this?*
Raye started. "Yes, I did."
*Try sending to me.*
*You mean like this?*
Deanna nodded.
"Wow."
It was nearly eight hours later when Riker entered the fully manned
battle bridge. It seemed odd to be embarking into battle without either
Worf or Data there, but he had full confidence that their replacements
could handle their posts. In fact, Chief O'Brien had served as a
tactical officer before, on the Rutledge during the Cardassian
conflicts. "Are we all set, Chief?"
"Yes, sir," O'Brien replied.
"Good." Riker moved to the center seat and realized that it was
already occupied by a white feline. "No offense Artemis... but I
believe you're in my chair."
"Sorry," the cat easily replied. "It's just the best place to stay
out of everyone's way... or at least it was." He jumped out of the
chair and vaulted himself onto the Bridge railing.
Riker was sitting himself down in the command chair as Q appeared.
"Oh, good. We're finally getting this little show on the road."
Riker thought it best for all concerned to ignore the entity's
usual sarcastic commentary. He may not like it, but Q's presence was a
necessary evil for this to have any chance of working. "Q, can you
protect the stardrive and saucer sections simultaneously?"
"Of course," he replied with his typical smugness. "It's as easy
as," and snapped his fingers.
Crusher looked up from the command chair as Q materialized on the
Main Bridge. He smiled and bowed melodramatically. "At your service,
Madame Capitan."
Luna, seated in the First Officer's chair, shook her head.
Riker nodded. "Good. Whenever you're ready, Q."
"Your wish is my command," Q answered. Deciding to take the
opportunity to needle Riker a little, he added, "Number two." As Riker
glared at Q, he snapped his fingers. Smoothly, the viewscreen shifted
to show the normal starfield it usually did.
"We're in the Terran system," Ro reported, "fifty thousand
kilometers outward from lunar orbit."
"Red alert," Riker ordered. As the alert klaxons were sounding, he
added, "Riker to Crusher. Stand by."
"Standing by," the doctor answered over the intercom.
"Picking up a tachyon surge," O'Brien said. Ahead of them space
seemed to ripple and flow, and Rubeus' Borg ship appeared.
"Right on cue," Riker said. Q glanced at him with an uncertain
look.
"Borg power levels are low. Their EM field is low enough to permit
transport," said O'Brien.
"Didn't I say so earlier?" Q snapped irritably.
"Riker to Picard. Our guests have arrived. Stand by for
transport."
"We'll be waiting for your signal. Picard out." The Captain looked
over the assemblage of Starfleet officers and Sailor Scouts. Worf and
Data were waiting patiently for the signal to beam over, whereas their
allies where practically champing at the bit to various degrees. Only
Mercury seemed at all at ease, but that was because she was distracting
herself with her computer.
"Why don't we just beam over now?" Tuxedo Mask finally asked.
"It's all part of the plan," Picard reminded him. "The Enterprise
sections are to provide a distraction by creating the impression that
we're trying to sneak a shuttle inside their EM field. Rubeus may not
know that it's currently too low to be effective, so hopefully we may be
able to remain unopposed for a time." This seemed to mollify them to a
degree.
"Don't worry Darien. We'll be there soon enough," Venus said,
patting the tuxedo clad warrior on the shoulder. "As they say: `They
also serve who stand at the plate.'"
"They also serve who stand and wait," Data quickly corrected her.
"Whatever," she growled.
Rubeus stared at the monitor incredulously. "Impossible! They
should have been destroyed! How did they survive?!? And how did they
end up here?"
"Riker to Crusher. Engage autoseperation sequence."
Beverly touched a control on the command console. "Autosep
sequence engaged." The was a faint clanging sound as the saucer
separated from the stardrive section. It accelerated to full impulse
and banked to port as it cleared from the other half of the Enterprise.
"Commence fire."
"The saucer section is now five hundred meters distant."
Riker nodded while noting that the saucer had opened fire with both
of its phaser banks. So far, so good. "Engage warp engines. Put us on
the far side of the Borg cube Ensign."
The warp engines surged, propelling the stardrive section faster
than light for a brief second. Unlike the Picard maneuver; which would
put the ship nose to... side with the cube; it came out of warp at
roughly the same distance that it started, only now it was at the far
side of the enemy vessel.
"Open fire, Chief," Riker ordered. "All weapons."
Ro turned the ship to allow O'Brien to utilize as many of the
ship's phasers at once as he could. In rapid succession, the chief
unleashed a barrage from five of the stardrive's phaser banks, and he
threw in a constant volley of photon torpedoes for good measure. "No
discernible damage to the Borg vessel," said O'Brien.
Riker nodded. That was to be expected when dealing with the Borg.
"Helm, evasive pattern omega."
Rubeus watched the battle on the monitors and chuckled gleefully as
the Enterprise continued to fire. "Use all your phasers and photons!
You can't possible harm this ship! But I can harm you." He mentally
directed the defense systems to concentrate on the stardrive section.
The stardrive section shuddered. "They've locked onto us with a
tractor beam!" O'Brien yelled as he redirected the phasers to target the
source. "Shields are being drained."
"Bridge to engineering..."
"I'm on it!" LaForge quickly answered. "Attempting to remodulate
shield nutation."
Luna glanced at the panel readouts. "The stardrive section is in
trouble. I think we're going to have to accelerate the plan to phase
two."
"Agreed," Beverly answered. "Mr. Steiner, fire antimatter spread."
"Aye, sir." Ensign Steiner activated a control on the tactical
grid which released magnetic containers of antimatter attached at
various points to the saucer. They shot out at and around the Borg ship
in a dizzying display of pyrotechnics.
`Now for the next step,' Crusher thought. "Launch the shuttle.
Helm, evasive pattern delta four."
Rubeus found his attention drawn to the saucer section. "So,
you're hoping to sneak a team here, hoping to rescue Sailor Moon, hmm?
Fools!" Deciding to preempt that strategy, Rubeus shifted the weapons
system to concentrate on the saucer, and intensified scans for a
shuttle.
A bright flash announced the severing of the tractor beam. "We've
terminated the tractor beam. Rubeus seems to be shifting his attention
to the saucer section."
"Well, he's going according to script so far," Artemis commented.
"He's expecting the shuttle to have the away team on it."
"Let's not disappoint him, at least as far as the away team goes."
He took a deep breath before saying, "Riker to Picard. It's time,
Captain. Good luck."
"Hey, we'll tell you all about it when we get back from trashing
that creep!" Jupiter's voice answered. Several enthusiastic cheers
followed. Riker couldn't help but smile himself.
"I'll echo those sentiments, Number One. Picard out."
"I just hope there is a later," Riker said to himself. "Chief,
drop the shields and beam them over."
*Good luck, Raye. I hope you can get her back.*
*Thanks, Deanna,* came the reply. Then more forcefully, *We will.*
The away team materialized inside the Borg ship; Picard, Data, and
Worf all with their phasers drawn. The Scouts paused for a moment to
take in their surroundings, then Mercury got busy scanning with her
visor, while Data was utilized his tricorder. Venus shuddered inwardly.
It was eerily like the simulations they had run earlier. "Gee, those
holodecks are good!"
"They do have their uses," Picard responded. "But not entirely
accurate." He pointed to a nearby power distribution node which had a
large crystal embedded in it. Other nearby ones were also similarly
modified.
"Interesting," Data said. "It would seem that the Borg power
system has been modified. But I am uncertain as to why."
"I think I know," Mercury answered. "It's to make it compatible
with technology used in Rubeus' original ship."
"Thereby allowing them to fully integrate his ship into the cube,"
Picard said. He looked around. "As interesting as this is, we better
get moving. Data, Mercury... are you getting any readings?"
"Tricorder readings are limited. I am unable to get a fix on
Sailor Moon."
"Same here," Mercury said.
Tuxedo Mask had been looking around through all this, as if he were
listening to a distant voice. "It's there, but very faint," he said,
his voice just above a whisper. He motioned them down a corridor.
"This way. Hurry!"
They followed him further into the Borg ship. "How does he know
that?" Picard asked Sailor Mars. "He wasn't doing this on the
holodeck."
"Serena wasn't on the holodeck, either," she answered. "He's
always been able to get to her whenever she's in danger. There's some
sort of psychic link between the two of them."
"Well, well," Rubeus remarked. "We have guests." He watched them
make their way through the ship, unopposed for now. Other monitors show
the two sections of the Enterprise still firing, but now at a more
frantic pace and the stardrive section had also unleashed its own
antimatter barrage. He chose to let the automatic systems handle them,
preferring instead to concentrate on the new arrivals.
"So, they came all this way to get to Sailor Moon. It'd be a shame
to disappoint them. But I should prepare a proper welcome for them."
Roaming through the Borg ship was just as disturbing now as it been
before. Everywhere they turned, other Borg were moving, performing
various maintenance tasks or were lodged in their individualized slots.
But so far, they made no move to impair the progress of the away team.
Picard knew that would change before long.
Tuxedo Mask stopped, and looked around. "She's close. Very
close."
"I am still not getting any other readings," said Data.
"Me neither," added Mercury. "Wait a minute! I've got a large
number of Borg closing on our location. All sides!" As she said this,
several Borg came into view, advancing on the away team.
"Looks like the free ride is over," Jupiter commented as she
summoned her power. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" Her attack struck two
Borg and they collapsed amid a shower of sparks.
Picard tapped his comm. badge, "Picard to Enterprise. Encountering
resistance." When there was no response, he tapped it again.
"Enterprise, come in!"
"The Borg have started jamming communications with the away team,"
Steiner reported. "And I've lost the transporter locks on them as well.
Communication with the stardrive section are unaffected for now."
Beverly nodded. "Status of the shuttle?"
"It's almost in position," Luna answered.
Troi had a faraway look in her eyes as she listened to a voice only
she could hear. "The Borg are trying to stop them, but their fighting
their way through," she said.
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" An thick blanket of fog descended in the
corridors hiding them from view of the Borg. Simultaneously, Mars cried
out, "MARS FIRE IGNITE" and a wave of fire cleared an escape path for
them, which they eagerly followed.
They actually continued to move unimpeded for a while. Then two
Borg tried to block their way. This time Venus took the initiative.
"VENUS METEOR SHOWER!" The wide beam of light struck the Borg,
rendering them inoperable. They pushed onward, only to be blocked by
more Borg. The Starfleet officers fired as one, temporarily clearing
the way.
"I've got the power signature of the Silver Crystal!" Mercury
exclaimed.
"Yes, she's in here!" Heedless of the danger to himself, Tuxedo
Mask raced into an adjoining chamber but stopped short when he saw what
was in there. "No..." he whispered, horrified. The Scouts likewise
halted, aghast at the sight before them.
Only Mars was able to find her voice. "Serena, what have they done
to you?" she whispered.
On the Main Bridge, Troi stiffened as she heard Raye's thoughts and
softly said, "Oh no!"
"What is it?" Luna asked.
"Serena. She's..."
The Starfleet officers stood silent behind the Scouts. Worf and
Data had seen this before.
Picard had been it before.
This was what he had feared they would find, but had hoped not to.
Sailor Moon stood before them, having been implanted with Borg
cybernetic devices much as Picard had been over a year before.
Serena had been assimilated.
Rubeus entered the room, and stood by Sailor Moon. "Greetings,
I've been expecting you. Allow me to introduce you to... Sailor Borg."
Chapter 6 - "In the name of the Moon..."
The watcher leaned on her staff as she closely monitored the time
flow. Now that the battle had been resumed in her universe, she could
observe events directly instead of having to rely on Q for information.
Which was just as well, for the crucial moment was fast
approaching...
They stood there, frozen in shock by the sight of the assimilated
Sailor Moon.
Then Tuxedo Mask went ballistic. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!!" he
roared at Rubeus. He followed this up with a barrage of roses, then
leapt at him. Rubeus blocked the floral attack with a series of
forcefields and hurled an energy blast at Tuxedo Mask. The tuxedo clad
warrior hit the wall hard, and stood there for a moment, dazed.
This galvanized the Scouts into action. The room echoed with their
attack cries as they each hurled their most powerful attacks at Rubeus
while the three Starfleet officers added their phasers to the fray.
Their efforts came for naught, for each attack was blocked by a
forcefield.
Rubeus stood grinning at the futility of their efforts, "Resistance
is futile!" As if they had been waiting for this signal, Borg drones
came from every entrance onto the chamber and advanced on the away team.
Through it all, Sailor Moon remained where she was, silent and as
expressionless as any of the Borg around her... except for a single tear
running down her cheek.
"Troi to Riker."
Riker involuntarily sat straighter in his chair. For her to
contact him directly, rather than going through Beverly, whatever she
had to say must be important indeed. "Go ahead, Deanna."
"Will, I've just received a telepathic report from Sailor Mars."
Troi looked over at Luna. "According to her, Sailor Moon has been
assimilated."
Artemis didn't immediately understand what she meant by that, but
knew instantly that it wasn't good. Both O'Brien and Ro had tensed up
when Troi made her announcement, and Riker had a grim look on his face.
"What does that mean?" he heard Luna ask, her voice sounding
puzzled.
On the Main Bridge Troi and Crusher exchanged a look, each
obviously reluctant to elaborate. Hearing a pause over the comm., Riker
took it upon himself to say, "It means that she is a Borg now."
It took Luna a moment to comprehend but when she did, she uttered a
loud cry of anguish. She turned to face Q, her expression clearly one
of anger. For his part, Q merely looked bored. "Q!! It's your fault
she's in this predicament! Get her off of there and back to normal!
NOW!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that," the entity replied, for some reason
choosing to do so from the stardrive section. "I have my instructions
to the contrary."
On the Battle Bridge, Riker shot Q a sharp look. "From who?"
"That, as they say, is for me to know and you to find out."
Luna gathered herself, preparing to attack Q no matter the
consequences. But before she could, she felt a restraining hand on her.
"It won't accomplish anything," Beverly told her. "Besides, if the away
team can get her back, I should be able restore her." `I hope,' she
added silently. "Now, what's the position of the shuttle?"
Luna forced her attention back to the tactical display she had been
monitoring. "It's... it's maneuvering into position, using thrusters
only." The saucer trembled under the impact of weapons fire as she was
giving this report.
Riker saw the saucer take the hit. "Beverly, what's your status?"
Crusher's voice sounded strained when she responded a moment later.
"We've lost shields, and impulse engine one. But we still have
phasers."
Riker nodded just as the stardrive section itself shook from
incoming fire. "You've done all you can, Beverly. Withdraw the saucer
section to a safe distance. It's up to us now."
There was a momentary pause from the other end. "Understood. Good
luck, Will." The saucer banked as it began limping from the battle.
"Shield strength is down to seventy-five percent," reported
O'Brien. He checked the sensor readouts, and reported more bad news.
"The Borg just reestablished their EM field. Transporter use is
impossible. Their shield strength is increasing, too."
Riker nodded grimly. It was getting time to play their trump
cards... and hope that Rubeus hadn't stacked the deck against them.
"Begin charging the deflector, Chief. Stand by to fire on my mark."
Inside the battle was over. Each member of the away team was held
firmly by a Borg, save for Jupiter and Worf, who were struggling
mightily against the hold two Borg held on each of them. Even then, it
looked as if either one could break free if the Borg were any weaker.
Scattered all around the floor were the bodies of Borg drones that had
fallen in the struggle and the motionless form of Data.
It had been a near thing, Picard reflected as he watched Rubeus
gloat. It had merely amounted to a matter of numbers. There had simply
been too many Borg for them to fight off.
They had adapted to the phasers quickly enough, forcing the
Enterprise crewmembers to resort to melee combat. This was fine for
Data and Worf, but Picard quickly found himself immobilized. Worf was
using his mekh'leth to good effect, but soon found himself grappled by
two Borg drones that moved in on him while he was dealing with a third.
The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask fared better. Rubeus not withstanding,
the Borg were still, for whatever reason, unable to adapt to their
powers and they took full advantage of this. But more kept coming
despite the casualties they were taking, and one by one the Scouts were
quelled.
Even so they might have had a chance had Data not been deactivated.
The android was moving to liberate Mercury, reasoning that her fog
ability would enable him to free several of the others without hindrance
and give them a chance to turn the tide. A Borg intercepted him,
distracting him for a brief second. In that time, Rubeus teleported
behind him and pressed a certain spot in the small of his back. Data
had collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut. The Captain grimaced
as he realized how Rubeus must have known how to deactivate Data.
Picard had known the location of the android's off switch and therefore,
by virtue of his assimilation into the collective, so did the Borg. And
that evidently extended to Rubeus as well.
Picard involuntarily flinched as another Borg approached him and
two talons extended from the back of its hand. He pushed down the
terror that arose at the thought of being assimilated again.
He was momentarily spared that fate. "Not yet, my friends," Rubeus
said. The Borg moved off. "There'll be time enough for that later.
But first..." Two panels behind him shimmered and showed views of the
two sections of the Enterprise. The stardrive was still firing
constantly, but the saucer was evidently withdrawing from the battle.
"Before you rejoin the collective, Picard, I'd thought I would show you
the destruction of your pitiful starship." Before anyone else could say
anything, he turned to Sailor Moon. "Sailor Borg..." Tuxedo Mask
growled at that. "...destroy the Enterprise. Start with the saucer
section first."
She made no reply, but a glow came from the broach containing the
Silver Crystal which intensified quickly. A beam emerged and struck the
crystal projection on a nearby power distribution node causing it and
others like it to glow as well.
Mercury watched through her visor, which was still deployed,
collecting data. The beam was running through the Borg power system,
using the entire ship as a conduit for the weapon. Also, she could tell
that the Silver Crystal was not drawing upon Sailor Moon's life energy,
but instead was drawing upon the entire Borg collective, taking a
minuscule bit from each until it added up into a massive amount.
Riker stared at the screen as the Borg ship pulsated with that
white glow again. Before he could give any orders, the intense beam of
energy shot out from it, striking the saucer. When the main screen
cleared, he was somewhat amazed that it was still there. "Riker to
Crusher, report!"
"We're alright, Will," the doctor answered. "Q protected us, just
like he said he would."
"Would I lie?" Q's voice came over the comm. channel.
Riker frowned and glanced over at Q standing beside him. Q
returned the look with his usual smug look. "What's the matter, Riker?
Can't believe I can be in two places at once?" As he said this the Borg
struck again, this time at the stardrive section, also with no effect.
"Oh, give it up already!" Q demanded irritably.
Rubeus stared at the viewers in a nearly apoplectic rage. His
ultimate weapon had fired twice and had hit both sections of the
starship. Yet somehow, inexplicably, both remained in existence. "How
can this be?" he muttered.
"Having problems, Rubeus?" Picard inquired, his voice holding a
hint of amusement... When he saw both sections emerge unscathed from
the attack, he felt his spirits rise a little. Perhaps there was still
a chance after all. If not for them, then at least for his ship and
crew.
For his part, Rubeus was struggling to control his anger. Both
sections of that starship should be dust now... even less than dust!
There was no way this was possible, unless... He nodded. Yes, that
must be the reason. Somehow, some way, a small part of Sailor Moon must
be resisting his control over her.
He took a moment to contemplate what to do about that. After all,
it wouldn't do for the key to his triumphant return to resist him every
step of the way. He had to have total control over her, body and mind.
Her will to resist, her spirit, would have to be broken beyond repair.
And he knew just how to do it. He turned to Sailor Borg and gave her a
silent command through the collective.
Mars watched Serena turn slowly and walk over to Tuxedo Mask, who
remained silent himself as this grotesque parody of the woman he loved
approached. She swore to herself the different kinds of hell she was
going to visit on Rubeus for this atrocity. In her mind she felt Deanna
council her to remain calm, but she ignored this advice, choosing
instead to focus on breaking loose from the grip of the Borg holding
her. Unfortunately she wasn't having any better luck than the others in
that department.
She froze momentarily, all thought of escape forgotten when she saw
what Rubeus intended. Sailor Moon had stopped in front of Tuxedo Mask
and her right hand shot out, gripping him by the throat and closing her
hand. Rubeus was forcing Serena to kill Darien. "NO! Serena, don't!!"
"You've got to break free, Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cried. Mercury
and Venus also added their pleas.
*Deanna, you've got to help me reach her!* Raye cried out mentally.
*Please!*
*I'll try, Raye,* the Counselor sent back. She wasn't too
confident she could reach her with her own limited psi abilities, but
she nonetheless sent, *Sailor Moon! Listen to me!*
"It really doesn't matter if your ship is destroyed or not," Rubeus
said in a conversational tone. He might have been discussing the
weather, as opposed to gloating over having one of his enemies throttle
the other. "Soon this ship will leave, and the Enterprise won't be able
to follow."
"Where are you going?" Picard asked.
"Not a place, Picard, but a time."
Mercury stopped her entreaties to Sailor Moon for a moment.
"You're taking this ship to Crystal Tokyo. To your own time."
"Correct. My own ship's time travel capabilities were destroyed
when I crossed over to Picard's universe, but the Borg have their own
method which is much more efficient."
Picard felt a cold lump form in his chest. "The Borg have time
travel capabilities?" he breathed. In retrospect, he should have
expected that. Sometimes it seemed as if there wasn't anything beyond
the Borg.
"Oh, yes, Picard," Rubeus laughed evilly. "We do..."
"Sir, the Borg cube is emitting chronometric particles," O'Brien
reported. "It's forming a temporal vortex."
"Time travel," Riker said to no one in particular. He hadn't
counted on the Borg having that ability. They'd have to work fast to
stop them before it was too late. He looked over to Artemis. The white
cat had been assigned a vacant station on the Battle Bridge and had been
feeding Riker the same tactical information that Luna had been providing
Crusher. "The shuttle...?"
"In position!" the cat informed him.
"Then proceed, Artemis." Time to play their first trump card.
"Detonate the shuttle."
"With pleasure." Artemis stabbed a control with his paw that sent
out a signal to the shuttle, now positioned less than ten meters from
the hull of the cube. On board the unmanned craft, ironically enough
named "Einstein", a series of overrides were engaged and the containment
fields for the ship's small warp core were disengaged. Simultaneously,
magnetic fields separating a large quantity of antimatter from its
matter counterpart suddenly deteriorated and a series of explosive
charges went off, forcing the two to mingle, causing a massive and
uncontrolled matter/antimatter reaction. The resulting annihilation of
tens of kilograms of antimatter and matter caused an explosion much
larger than any photon torpedo... but one more akin to a warp core
breach.
The main viewscreen darkened as the computer automatically
compensated for the sudden appearance of a small sun on the hull of the
cube.
The Borg ship rocked violently. "No!" cried out Rubeus, damage
assessments from the collective flooding into his mind. The foremost of
these was that the time warp ability had been damaged, and the time
shift had to be aborted. "This can't be!" He glared at the Enterprise
stardrive section on the main viewer. Its weapons couldn't have caused
this, so what had happened? He focused his attention on directing the
drones to begin repairs to the cube. Once they were complete, he would
crush that insignificant starship like a bug.
Picard flicked his eyes back and forth between Rubeus and Sailor
Moon. If there was a chance of reaching her, of her being able to break
out from the control Rubeus had over her, now was the time. "Fight,
Sailor Moon," he quietly urged her. "Don't let Rubeus control you.
Fight against the hold he has on you. You can break through the control
the Borg collective has on you. I've been able to do it, so can you!"
Deanna closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to reach
Serena's suppressed personality. Unfortunately, she wasn't having much
luck. Her own psi abilities were just too weak to pierce the Borg
control.
She felt a small form jump into her lap. "You're trying to reach
Serena telepathically, aren't you Counselor?"
"Yes, but I'm not having much luck."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance." The crescent moon symbol on her
forehead began glowing. "I can add my psi abilities to yours, and maybe
together we can reach her." A beam lanced out and touched Troi's head,
forging the link.
The combined consciousness called out, *Serena!* At first they
only perceived the cacophony of a multitude of voices echoing through
the Borg collective. But beneath it they dimly heard a small voice.
*Help me!*
*We're here, Serena. Fight through the Borg unimind.*
*Luna? Is that you?*
*Yes, Serena. And Counselor Troi as well.*
*Help me,* she cried out desperately. *He's making me kill Darien.
I can't stop him!*
*Yes you can,* the two responded, reassuring her. *We'll guide
you, but you have to have the will to break through. If not for
yourself, then for Darien.*
The Scouts added their voices to Picard's, calling out even more
urgently for Serena to resist. Picard stopped in midword. He wasn't
sure, but he thought he had seen her grip loosen slightly... and was
that a hint of awareness he saw in her eyes? Was she beginning to break
the hold over her?
Darien felt himself able to take a breath. Was her grip loosening?
He looked in her eyes, and saw awareness flooding back into them.
She blinked. "Darien?"
"Fight it, Serena. Fight the Borg! Break free!"
"Silence, all of you!" Rubeus had become aware of their actions.
"She's completely under my control. Sailor Borg, I command you: kill
Tuxedo Mask!"
She blinked, and her grip relaxed visibly. Then, in a barely
audible voice, she said one word, "No."
"I think that got their attention," Riker noted with grim
satisfaction. The matter/antimatter explosion had gouged a large hole
in the side of the Borg ship. Several of the crystal spires on that
side had been destroyed as well.
"Very impressive," Q observed, not sounding particularly so.
"What's your next trick going to be?"
"Just you watch. Chief...?"
O'Brien nodded. "Almost ready, sir. The deflector will be fully
charged in a moment."
The watcher nodded to herself. The critical moment was now. All
would be won or lost depending on the outcome of the next few minutes.
Sailor Moon cried out as Rubeus brought the full weight of the Borg
unimind to bear on her. She fought against being submerged again, but
the sheer weight of the collective was simply too much for anyone.
*YOU WILL DESTROY HIM, SAILOR BORG!*
*No!* she cried out mentally. *I won't! I am Sailor Moon!*
The others called out encouragement to Sailor Moon which was all
they could really do, held as tightly as they were by the Borg.
Suddenly, Picard realized that the grip of the Borg holding him had
loosened. If he wanted, he could easily break free. But as far as he
could tell, this didn't apply to the others. There wasn't much he could
do alone. The Borg had already adapted to his phaser, but maybe if he
could reach Worf's mekh'leth...
*Locutus.*
He started. Had he heard that inside his head? Yes, there was
something there, almost a soft murmur in the back of his mind.
Then all at once the realization struck him. Somehow, he *knew*
that some part of the collective was still resisting Rubeus' control.
And it was this part that was giving him the chance to get free, to do
something. But what? Unbidden, an image appeared in his mind.
Picard didn't bother to reason where this new information came
from. He chose instead to act on it and twisted loose from his captor
and took two quick strides towards Rubeus.
Rubeus turned, briefly distracted. "What are you doing, Picard?!?"
"This." The Captain swung with all his might and punched Rubeus
right in the nose, staggering him. It didn't really hurt him, but had
the desired effect nevertheless.
Sailor Moon gasped as the pressure Rubeus had been bringing on her
suddenly eased. "My name is *not* Sailor Borg!" Her hand reached for
the Silver Crystal.
"MOON CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!"
The watcher allowed herself a slight smile. Unless something
happened to disrupt the time flow, all should proceed smoothly now.
Q didn't think she could break free of the collective. It would
take him a while to pay off that bet.
"Mr. O'Brien, fi--" Riker's voice trailed off in confusion. "What
the hell?!?" The reason for his puzzlement was clear. The Borg ship
had been surrounded by a white, diffuse aura. It was similar to the
glow that had been seen before the super weapon had fired, but this
seemed to have a softer, almost healing quality to it. A tendril of the
energy emerged from the light and headed for the saucer.
"Evasive!" Crusher ordered, seeing the wisp of energy approach.
"Belay that!" Beverly looked sharply at the Counselor. Both she
and Luna looked worn from their mind meld, but her eyes were clear.
"It's not an attack, Beverly. In fact, I think it's going to be of
great help to one of your patients."
The doctor looked back at the screen. The energy tendril was
nearly on top of them. "I hope you're right, Deanna." Instinctively
she braced herself for the impact, but there was no shock from it. It
simply passed right through the hull.
Nurse Ogawa gasped and took a step backwards as a white glow
emerged from the ceiling and enveloped Ensign Harris. The glow hid her
from view for several moments but when it faded, her skin had resumed
its normal color, and there was no sign of the Borg implants.
Ogawa immediately opened a medical tricorder and scanned her. "I
don't believe it," she muttered, tapping her comm. badge. "Ogawa to Dr.
Crusher."
"Go ahead, Alyssa."
"Doctor, I'm not sure how, but all evidence of the Borg nanoprobes
have been purged from Ensign Harris' body. She's completely back to
normal."
On the Bridge, Luna nodded in satisfaction. "You did it, Serena."
Picard squinted from the light emanating from Sailor Moon as he
felt his way towards Data. The others were also trying to shield their
eyes from the glare but could do little more as they were still on the
grip of the Borg save for Rubeus, who was staring at Sailor Moon in
utter disbelief. Finally making his was to the insensate android,
Picard pressed the activation switch, and Data immediately sat up.
At that moment the light faded, and a voice proudly proclaimed, "I
am Sailor Moon!" The Scouts cheered while Picard noted with some
amazement that her skin color had resumed its normal hue and that there
was no sign of the Borg implants that she had moments before.
"Interesting," Data remarked. "It would seem that events have
proceeded apace during my deactivation." He turned to his captain with
a quizzical look. "Are we winning?"
Silence reigned on the Battle Bridge as the crew stared at the Borg
cube. All the various crystalline projections had been eliminated by
the energy wave. It now looked like the typical Borg ship they had
gotten used too, albeit with a large hole in one side.
O'Brien found his voice first. "What the bloody hell was that?"
"Offhand, I'd say that Sailor Moon just broke loose," Q remarked.
"Probably that `Moon Healing' something or other."
"How about that... He does have a brain!"
Q shot a glare at Artemis and snarled, "How would you like to visit
Spot again, cat?"
"Not now, Q," Riker said. "If they've been able to free Sailor
Moon, then it's time to pull our people out of there. Chief, can you
get a lock on the away team?"
O'Brien checked the tactical board. "No, sir. The Borg EM field
is still up. Wait a minute... I'm picking up a signal."
Riker frowned. "Let's hear it."
They heard once more that cold, toneless, many-as-one voice. "We
are the Borg."
"Uh, oh," Artemis remarked.
"Yeah," O'Brien absently agreed. "They almost sound angry."
The same voice echoed through the confines of the cube. "You will
be assimilated. We will add your biological and technological
distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."
Picard and Data didn't wait to hear the end of the Borg litany, nor
for Rubeus' ranting protestations that followed. The Captain grabbed
Worf's mekh'leth from the floor and raced to free the Sailor Scout
nearest him, in this case Jupiter. While not as skilled as Worf with
the weapon, he did have some slight ability in handling it and was able
to quickly dispatch one Borg holding her. His second slash with the
weapon was halted by the other Borg that grabbed his arm and held it
fast. He struggled to free his sword arm in vain and saw the Borg raise
its other arm, talons extended.
Suddenly the Borg flailed about as it found itself being lifted up
by Jupiter. Giving a wordless cry, the tall Scout heaved the Borg over
her head and threw it with all her might, sending it crashing into the
Borg holding Venus.
Meanwhile, Data moved with android speed to liberate Mercury,
intent on completing what he intended to do just before being
deactivated. The Borg moved to stop him, but despite being much
stronger than any organic being, it was no match for his android
strength and was quickly dispatched.
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"
Rubeus peered through the now fog-enshrouded room. While he
couldn't see anything, he was able to hear Venus give her attack cry (no
doubt freeing Mars) to be joined seconds later by the other Scouts. Of
course, thanks to Sailor Moon, he had no way of monitoring the battle,
since his link to the Borg had been destroyed. But it was safe to
assume that they all were free by now. "Damn you, Sailor Moon!"
"Speak for yourself, Rubeus." He whirled to face the source of the
voice. The fog was lifting, allowing him to see an outline of Sailor
Moon. "You used me to try to kill my friends, to kill the man I love.
And for that, you will *pay*."
"We'll see about that," he snarled, taking a step in her direction.
Before he could anything else though, he found his path blocked by red
rose.
"Yes, we will see," Tuxedo Mask said while moving next to Sailor
Moon. Picard moved up on her other side, while the others lined up
behind them.
"It's over, Rubeus," Picard said.
"Yeah, you're finished!" Mars added.
"Do you think I fear you?" Rubeus ranted. "I was able to handle
all the Scouts before. And even without the Borg, I still can --"
"Oh, *shut up*," Picard said and fired his phaser at him. No
forcefield blocked the beam this time, but it still did little more than
stagger him.
"I like your style, Captain," Tuxedo Mask said. "I think it's time
to get rid of the garbage, right Sailor Moon?"
"Right!" she agreed, producing her Moon Scepter. "You've caused us
enough trouble, Rubeus! In the name of the Moon..."
"...Mercury..."
"...Venus..."
"...Mars..."
"...and Jupiter..."
"...and the starship Enterprise," Data put in, getting into the
spirit of things and drawing an odd look from Worf. Picard smiled
slightly.
"...we'll punish you!" they finished in unison.
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The white beam lanced out at Rubeus,
obscuring him. When it cleared, he was gone.
"Did you forget I could teleport?" cam a voice from behind them.
Spinning around, they saw Rubeus standing there, black energy crackling
around his hand. "Any last words?"
"Yes," Data answered. "Look behind you."
"Android, that's the oldest trick in the book. Do you really think
I'm going to fall for tha- gak!" Rubeus grimaced as a cybernetic hand
gripped his shoulder. It released him seconds later, giving one brief
moment where he thought he was safe. Then he felt the nanoprobes surge
through his system, altering his biochemistry, and he collapsed. He was
being assimilated. "NO! This can't be happening! I am Rubeus!!"
Several Borg moved past him, advancing on the Scouts, and the voice
of the Borg collective spoke again, "Rubeus is irrelevant."
"For once I agree with the Borg," Picard said.
"Yeah, but we still got our work cut out for us," Venus said.
"Then let's get to it," Sailor Moon said and the attack cries of
the Scouts echoed through the area, along with a flurry of roses.
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!"
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
"MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!"
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!"
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"
The stardrive trembled as the Borg resumed their attack on the ship
as well. "They've locked a tractor beam on us. Shields are being
drained," O'Brien cried out.
"Let 'em have it, Chief," Riker responded. It was now time to play
their ultimate trump card. "FIRE!"
Geordi watched the warp core with concern as the flow of matter and
antimatter into it accelerated, generating power well beyond its
designed specifications. All of this energy was then funneled to the
main deflector dish.
"Here goes nothing..."
Riker held his breath as he waited for the deflector energy
discharge to begin. The last time they had tried this, the Borg had
already prepared themselves for the high frequency EM blast and it
simply bounced off their shields. There was little reason to think that
this ship was any less prepared for it, but there was a slight hope that
they weren't able to absorb it as they had before.
But if they did have the power to deflect the beam... Riker
squelched that thought. If they were able to deflect it, it was very
likely he wouldn't have to worry about it for very long.
The beam emerged from the deflector and struck the cube in the
center of the crater created by the shuttle explosion. For a brief
second, it coruscated off a forcefield. But the Borg were depleted in
energy reserves by the transit between the two universes and by the
battle with the Enterprise, and the forcefield soon collapsed. The beam
cut deep into the cube and Riker could see secondary explosions occur
all along the facets of the cube.
Inside the cube, things were rather chaotic. The ship was shaking
violently, making it hard for them, with the exception of Data, to stay
on their feet. About the only good thing was that the Borg had backed
off, suddenly more concerned with repairing the ship. Picard watched
without sympathy as the now assimilated Rubeus moved off to do the will
of the collective. "What's happening?" Jupiter cried out.
"I would surmise that the Enterprise has opened fire with the main
deflector," Data responded as calm as ever.
Mercury peered through her visor. "He's right. The power systems
are going wild." This wasn't hard to believe, as all around them the
power conduits and distribution nodes were exploding as they overloaded
from the Enterprise's attack. "It's going to explode any minute!"
"It would appear that it's time to leave," Picard noted, tapping
his comm. badge. "Picard to Enterprise." The ship gave a particularly
violent lurch at that point and he would have been sent sprawling to the
deck if Venus and Mars hadn't helped steady him. To one side, Jupiter
was helping Worf in a similar manner. The Scouts were still able to
retain some measure of footing, thanks to their greater strengths.
Not sure if he missed the reply, Picard tried again. "Picard to
Enterprise." No response came. "Something's interfering with
communications!"
Mercury made a quick mental adjustment to her visor. "The Borg are
still jamming communications. Their EM field is also blocking
transporter function as well."
"Merde," said Picard. The shocked look he got from Sailor Venus
indicated that she understood what he had said. "We have to get off
this ship. Any suggestions?"
"What about the Sailor Teleport?" asked Venus.
Mercury nodded. "Yes. The energy jamming it must have been coming
from the modifications Rubeus made to the ship, and Sailor Moon
destroyed those."
Jupiter looked concernedly around them. Their previous uses of the
Sailor Teleport had been with only one extra person at most. This time
they had Data, Worf, and Picard to account for as well. "Can we take
everyone with us?"
"No choice," said Sailor Moon. "We have to try." The Scouts
formed a circle, with the others standing in the center. Picard felt
the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he hung to Data, trying to
remain more or less on his feet.
"I'm reading massive fluctuations in the Borg power generation
grid," O'Brien reported. That was an understatement. The surface of
the cube was alive with energy as random discharges skittered along the
facets and several explosions could be seen as well. "It's going to
blow any second, Commander."
"Can you get a lock on the away team?" Riker asked again.
"No, sir. That damned EM field is still there. But even if it
wasn't, there's so many energy discharges that I'd doubt we'd be able to
cut through all the interference."
Riker didn't even bother asking Q. He had made it perfectly clear
earlier that his only actions her would be protecting the Enterprise.
He could try badgering the entity into helping, but right now he hadn't
the time. His first priority was to see to the safety of the ship.
"Cease fire. Ensign, bring us about and proceed away from the Borg ship
at best possible speed."
"Aye, sir," Ro and O'Brien responded after a brief moment of
hesitation.
Guinan stood by the large windows in Ten Forward. Being a
civilian, she of course had no battle station. In fact, she really
should be in her quarters now, like the rest of the Enterprise's
civilian population. But she had never been one to remain there even
during the fiercest fighting the ship had seen, and she wasn't about to
start now.
Besides, the battle was over for the most part. The saucer had
long since withdrawn from the battle and she gazed in the general
direction of where she thought the stardrive section was still
confronting the Borg. Since they were far outside visual range, she
could only guess what was happening out there.
She turned suddenly and looked around the room, sensing something.
Even so, she was still startled from the pulse of light. Nine people
had instantly appeared in Ten Forward.
The Scouts staggered, panting as if out of breath. "Whoa! That
teleport really took it out of me!" Jupiter said in between breaths.
Venus nodded. "Well... we never had to transport so many people
before."
"That was an interesting mode of travel," Picard observed. "Though
I will stick to using the transporter, if you don't mind."
The stardrive section raced away from the doomed ship, trying to
put as much distance from it as possible. Since the main deflector had
been burned out by the beam, it was restricted to running at impulse
power, and even then it couldn't run anywhere near its maximum speed.
All too soon, cracks appeared all along the cube's surfaces and, with a
mighty flash, the once mighty Borg vessel exploded.
Crusher looked up at the sound of the forward turbolift doors
opening and noted with relief that Data, Worf, and Picard seemed none
the worse for wear. But before she could say anything to them, the rear
turbolift doors opened, revealing...
"SERENA!" came Luna's joyful exclamation at seeing her unharmed.
She vaulted onto the Bridge railing and covered the distance between
them in a rather prodigious leap.
Sailor Moon gave her a gentle hug. "I'm OK, Luna."
Picard turned to the viewscreen. He could see that the shockwave
had already impacted with the stardrive sections, but was easily
absorbed by its shields. Still, it was continuing its inexorable march
towards them. "Shields status?"
"They're out," Crusher answered. Then over the shipwide intercom,
"All hands, brace for impact!" Seconds later, they felt the deck pitch
violently when the shockwave hit the saucer section.
"Didn't we just go through this?" Jupiter grumbled, picking herself
off the deck.
"Well, she did warn you," Mars pointed out, having grabbed onto the
bridge railing herself.
"Damage report!" Crusher ordered.
"Both impulse engines are down now, and we've got an outer hull
breach on decks twelve and thirteen," Steiner reported. "Contained with
forcefields. We can still maneuver with thrusters."
"Sounds like we were lucky," Picard remarked.
"Very," Crusher replied. She got up from the command chair. "It's
all yours again, Jean-Luc. I better go down and check on Sickbay."
"Not so fast, Doctor. That can wait until we've put the ship back
together."
She smiled, "Well, if you insist, *sir*," and sat back down.
"Helm, maneuver us to rendezvous with the stardrive section."
"So it's over?" asked Sailor Mars.
"The Borg ship destroyed and Rubeus along with it," he answered.
"I'd say that qualifies as over." He glanced over at the Scouts and saw
the looks of relief and joy in their faces. Even Sailor Moon was
smiling as she and Tuxedo Mask embraced one another.
Troi watched, concerned. She could sense that all wasn't quite
right with Sailor Moon. She eyed the girl again, and this time saw the
haunted look in her eyes. The Counselor sighed inwardly. She had seen
the same look in the Captain's eyes just over a year ago.
It wasn't quite over just yet...
Chapter 7 - Recovery
The entity looked idly about the nexus, in his own way admiring the
flow of time around him. Still, he was anything but pleased as he
turned to his companion. "I still think I should just send them back
right now," Q said, sounding a bit petulant. The figure next to him
shook her head, stirring her long, green tinged hair.
"That would not be a good idea. Sailor Moon needs time to
adequately recover from her recent ordeal... which you bear some
responsibility for, by the way." Q snorted disbelievingly. "Besides,
they've earned a brief respite with all they've been through the
previous two years."
Q glowered at her and stifled the urge to transform her into a
cartoonish dog. He had tried that once with her before, only to learn
just how powerful she was in this domain. Of course, the fact that she
had other friends within the Q Continuum didn't help matters either. It
had been that incident that had led to his brief existence as a human.
"Very well, Pluto. We'll do it your way."
"Captain's Log, Stardate 45239.8: The Enterprise remains in the
Scout's universe, albeit one hundred years in their future, and has
limped into orbit around the Jovian moon Europa while Commander LaForge
completes repairs to the ship. He estimates that it will be at least
one week before repairs are complete enough for the ship to travel at
warp speeds."
"Counselor's Personal Log, Stardate 45239.9: Beverly has completed
an examination of Serena and has told me that she found that all Borg
implants in her were purged by the Silver Crystal, and that she has
completely recovered... at least physically."
"However, I am afraid that other aspects of her recovery will take
much longer."
"I just don't know what to do," Darien said.
Troi watched the young man pace in her office. Even if he hadn't
had a worried expression on his face, she could have been able to tell
he was troubled, for it was radiating from him like a supernova. It had
nearly been a full day since they had managed to extract Serena from the
Borg ship. At first she had seemed fine, but since then she had become
withdrawn, nearly locking herself in her quarters.
Still, his pacing was starting to get on her nerves, and a
counselor couldn't afford that. "Darien, sit down." After he
hesitated a moment, she added an emphatic, "Please!"
He finally took a seat opposite from her. "Sorry. It's just
that..."
Deanna nodded. "I understand. You love her very much."
"Yes," he replied shakily. "She's everything to me."
"And yet, not long ago you broke up with her."
He looked at her sharply. "You know about that?"
"Yes," the counselor affirmed. "I've been talking with both Raye
and Luna. I needed to know about her past if I was going to help her
deal with what she's gone through." She gave him a moment to digest
this information. "Why did you break up with her?"
"Didn't Raye or Luna tell you?"
"Yes," she acknowledged. "But I'd like to hear it from you."
He took a deep breath. "OK. In a nutshell, I was having these
dreams, night after night. They kept telling me that unless I stayed
away from her, Serena would be hurt... maybe even killed."
"And so you broke up with her based on a dream?" Troi asked
skeptically.
He got up and began pacing again, much to her displeasure. "You
don't understand. I couldn't take the chance that she'd die. I'd do
anything to prevent that. Even if it meant losing her."
"Don't you think she feels the same?"
Darien stopped his pacing. "What do you mean?"
She got up and face him. "Think about it, Darien. Over the past
few days, she was captured and assimilated by the Borg. Then she was
forced by Rubeus, through the Borg, to try to destroy this ship, along
with her friends, the other Scouts. Finally she was used by Rubeus to
try to kill you. And given the love the two of you feel for each other,
that has to have a devastating effect on her emotionally."
"But it was Rubeus that was trying to kill me, not..." he objected.
"I know," Troi interrupted him. "And on an intellectual level, so
does she. But it's going to take some time for her to accept that on an
emotional level." She paused for a moment to let him think this over.
"Don't try to force the issue, Darien. When she's ready, she'll come to
you."
The sound of the Ten Forward doors opening attracted Guinan's
attention. This was one of those `dead hours' in the lounge, in the
middle of the night shift, and it was nearly deserted. The vast
majority of crew not on duty at this hour were in their quarters,
sleeping. Of course, there were those in the crew that swore that she
was always on duty, but that was utter nonsense.
She was simply there when she was needed.
She looked over to see who was entering at this time of night, but
saw no one there. After a moment, the doors closed, as if on their own
accord. She frowned, puzzled by the door's mysterious behavior.
A glimpse of movement along the floor of the darkened lounge caught
her eye. Looking in that direction, she spotted Luna moving towards the
large windows lining the lounge. She nodded to herself, satisfied she
had an explanation for the door opening.
Luna jumped up onto the sill, and sat down, gazing silently at
Europa spinning below the ship. Guinan watched her for several minutes,
then moved over to join her. "Hello, Luna."
The cat started when she spoke. "Oh. Good evening, Guinan."
"Actually, it's very early in the morning."
She looked startled. "Is it? I must have lost track of the time."
"Being lost in your own thoughts will do that," the bartender
answered. "Can I get you something? Some milk, perhaps?"
"No, thank you." The cat returned her gaze outside, watching
Europa spin slowly five hundred kilometers below them. Jupiter was just
now rising above the horizon. It was a spectacular sight. The Red Spot
was just over the terminator in daylight, and there where hundreds of
storms below giving off lightning on the night side, as well as the
auroras glowing in the upper layers. In short, a sight any astronomer
would die for.
Guinan ignored this and regarded the feline thoughtfully. "You're
worried about Serena."
The cat was silent for a time, but eventually nodded. "Yes. I've
seen her go through a lot in the last two years, but I've never seen her
like this." Luna was silent for a moment. "It's as if she's trying to
distance herself as far from the rest of us as she can."
"In a way, she is," Guinan acknowledged. "Part of her blames
herself for what she did while she was assimilated by the Borg."
Luna snorted. "Ridiculous! She had absolutely no control over
that!"
"You're right. She couldn't control it. And that will be the
hardest thing for her to accept."
Luna sighed. "We had an argument earlier," she admitted. "She
accused me of not understanding what she's gone through, before she
tossed me out of the room. And she's right. Much as I want to, I can't
really understand what she's going through. I don't believe anyone
really can."
"Actually," Guinan observed ruefully, "There is someone who can."
Locutus of Borg walked down the corridor of the Borg ship, then
turned to face the communications monitor. At a mental command the
screen flickered, showing the several of the commanding officers of the
starships confronting the Borg. "Resistance is futile. You will
deactivate your weapons and escort us to sector zero zero one. If you
attempt to intervene... we will destroy you."
"All ships, attack pattern alpha. Commence fire," ordered
commanding officer of the fleet, Admiral Hansen. Locutus idly noted
that he was known to Picard, who considered him a close friend. It
didn't matter one way or another to Locutus. Friendship was irrelevant.
Several starships raced in at maximum impulse and fired off volleys
of phasers and photon torpedoes. Locutus directed the weapons at the
nearest, the USS Melbourne. In a matter of seconds, its shields were
drained and the forward half of the primary hull had evaporated.
Powerless, the hulk of the once proud starship drifted dead in space,
its crew dead or trying desperately to escape in lifepods.
Ignoring the dead ship, Locutus turned his attention to the other
ships in the fleet.
And destroyed ship...
...after ship...
...after ship...
"NOO!!"
Picard bolted upright in his bed, sweat streaming down his face.
He glanced around quickly before ascertaining that he was still in his
quarters... still on the Enterprise. "A nightmare." And one about Wolf
359 at that. He hadn't had one of those in quite some time. Still, one
didn't have to be a trained psychologist like Counselor Troi to realize
what had triggered it. Recent events had come a little to close to home
for his taste. Especially when the voice from the collective had echoed
in his mind. He still wasn't sure how that had happened. Was he still
connected in some way to the collective? Could they use that against
him? Or could he turn the tables and use this link against them?
Those were questions for a later time. "Computer," he said, his
voice raspy, "what is the time?"
"Oh four twenty seven hours."
Picard sighed. It was only another hour before it was time for him
to get up. Deciding that he might as well get a head start on the day,
he got out of bed, intending to head for the shower. But first... "Tea,
Earl Grey, hot."
In another part of the Enterprise, someone else had also just woken
up from a nightmare. Serena sat up in the bed shivering, not from cold,
but from sheer terror. It was several moments before she realized just
where she was and her pulse soon slow down to a more normal pace.
She got out of bed and moved to the window, staring morosely out
into space. The magnificent sight of Jupiter through the window did
nothing to lighten her mood. Indeed, she wasn't really looking at the
large gas giant at all. Instead, her thoughts were firmly rooted in
recent events. `I should have been able to stop them,' she thought. `I
should have kept them from using the Silver Crystal as a weapon, from
making me try to kill...' The memory overcame her and she began crying
softly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I hate this place."
A few hours later, the door opened and to admit someone into the
room. Mina peered through the darkened room, `Now, how do you turn on
the lights around here?' After a moment it came to her. "Computer,
lights on." Obediently, the computer turn the room lights to full
illumination. She smiled and mentally congratulated herself on figuring
that out.
"Huh?" Seated by the room window, Serena blinked at the sudden
change in the light level.
Mina smiled and crossed over to her. "Serena, what are you doing
sitting in the dark?"
She shrugged and returned her gaze outside the window. "Nothing.
Just thinking?"
"Are you serious? Come on, girlfriend, this isn't the time for
serious thinking. We just beat Rubeus and the Borg! This is a time to
celebrate. And there's a big, wide starship to do it in out there."
When she didn't reply Mina continued, "Come on, Serena. We're going to
check out that holodeck thing and see what it can really do! Why don't
you come with us?"
Her reply was muffled. "You guys go ahead without me."
"Serena..."
"I said no!" she suddenly shouted, startling Mina with the
vehemence of her reply. "Just go away and leave me alone!!"
For the first time in a long while, Mina found herself at a loss
for words. Finally she just nodded and left the room.
The others met Mina outside. "Any luck?" Lita asked. Mina shook
her head in response.
They were silent for a moment. Finally Amy said, "I don't like
this. The only time I can remember seeing her this bad was when Darien
was kidnapped by the Negaverse."
"You got that right," Raye murmured absently. Then in a louder
tone, "Why don't you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."
"Where are you going?" Mina inquired.
"To talk to Deanna. Maybe she can give us some advice about how to
handle Serena." With that Raye headed down the corridor.
"Come on you two," Lita urged. She started for the turbolift. "I
don't know about you, but I've got a sudden craving to bust something
up."
"Like what?" Mina asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we'll just run that Borg scenario, but this
time put Rubeus' face on all the Borg."
The three girls continued the rest of the way in silence, only
pausing long enough for the doors to the holodeck to open sufficiently.
They all stopped shortly after entering. They had expected to see the
normal grid associated with a deactivated holodeck. But this scene was
vastly different, telling them that the area was in use.
The three girls looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"
Lita asked. The scene before them was of a swampland and the air had a
humid feel, with a low mist hanging. "I thought we had the holodeck
reserved!"
A look of consternation crossed Mina's face. "Ooops..."
Lita turned to the blonde. "Mina, don't tell me you forgot?!?"
"Er... Um..." she stammered. "Sorry..."
"I'm sure there are other holodecks we could use," Amy suggested.
"After all, it is still early in the day."
"Yeah, you're right, Amy," Lita acquiesced, though she still
sounded annoyed.
Before any of them could move or call for the exit, a loud cry
echoed through the area and a large form burst from the nearby bushes.
It plowed right into Mina and Amy, knocking the two of them into a
nearby pond.
Lita instinctively readied herself as the creature charged at her.
The tall girl deftly blocked its attack, and she retaliated quickly,
striking two quick blows to its head before dealing it a sharp spin
kick. The creature fell to the ground and didn't move. She was just
starting to relax when a sound from behind her caused her to spin
around. Worf stood there with Darien beside him, each holding a large
curved weapon and looking as if they had been fighting creatures of this
type for some time. "What are you doing here?" the Klingon demanded.
"Sorry," Lita said. "We didn't know the holodeck was in use."
"You should have checked the indicators before you entered," Worf
said in an accusing tone.
"Well, excuse us!" Mina groused as she and Amy tried futilely to
wring their clothes out. "What kind of program do you call this
anyway?"
"According to Worf, this is his idea of morning calisthenics,"
Darien answered her.
"Calisthenics?!?" Amy said in a shocked voice. Mina stared at the
Security Chief while Lita began looking around the room thoughtfully.
Worf's ever present frowned deepened. He had known he was going to
regret doing Deanna a favor and inviting Darien to join him this
morning. Very few humans could appreciate a Klingon exercise program.
Before he could say anything though Lita spoke up, "I don't know. I
kinda like it."
Worf instantly regarded the tall girl in a new light. If he didn't
know better, he'd have said she had some Klingon blood in her.
Deanna was looking over her schedule when the door chime sounded.
*Come in, Raye.*
In answer to her silent call, the door opened to admit the raven
haired Sailor Scout. "How did you know..." Her voice trailed off as
Troi looked up at her. "Never mind. I can guess how."
Deanna smiled. "What's on your mind, Raye?"
"Serena."
"I had a feeling you wanted to talk about that," the Counselor
replied, her smile fading. "Have a seat." As Raye was doing so she
continued, "I had a similar conversation with Darien last night.
Afterwards I had an impromptu session with Serena."
"And?"
"She's erected a rather formidable emotional wall around herself.
She feels a great sense of guilt over what she was forced to do by the
Collective."
"That sounds like the Meatball Head," Raye muttered. "Feeling
guilty over what she couldn't control."
"Yes, but it's understandable," Troi replied. "She loves Darien
intensely, and she feels similarly about the rest of the Sailor
Scouts... and especially about you, Raye."
"Give me a break, Deanna!" she retorted. "All we ever do is fight
with each other!"
"Raye, after talking to both of you, I've found you to be the
closest thing to sisters without being blood relatives," Deanna said
gently.
"The only thing that matters right now is trying to get her of this
shell she's put herself in," Raye replied, trying to avoid the issue.
"Any ideas?"
"I've got a couple," she answered. "First and foremost I think we
should get her to talk with Captain Picard."
"Huh? Why?"
"About a year ago, he went through a similar experience," Troi
explained. "He was captured by the Borg, and assimilated into the
collective. Eventually we were able to recover him..." She paused.
"But not before the Borg used him to destroy a fleet of Federation
starships."
"Wow." Raye pondered this information. "OK, so when's this gonna
happen?"
"Soon, I hope." Seeing Raye's expression she elaborated, "Captain
Picard is a very private man. He's not one to open up to people...
especially about this."
"I don't care!" Raye exclaimed, suddenly standing up. "If his
talking with Serena is going to help her, then he's going to do it.
I'll go right up to the Bridge and convince him myself if I have to!"
Deanna sat back and regarded her thoughtfully. "Perhaps you
should..."
"As far as we can tell, Earth has no idea we're here," Riker said.
Picard nodded as he sat down and looked over the desk at his first
officer. "But the Earth here is in its late twenty-first century, and
hasn't had its technological development halted by a devastating World
War as ours was. They must have some idea that something went on."
"I don't see how they could miss it," Riker admitted. "There was a
lot of fire being exchanged, not to mention the explosion of Rubeus'
ship. Fortunately their bases on the Moon and Mars were out of position
to effectively witness the battle, so that would leave ground or
satellite based observations. With luck all they caught was a glimpse
of us."
"Well, the best thing for now would be to remain out of sight until
Commander LaForge can get us ready to return home," Picard said. "Earth
or no, the Prime Directive is in full effect here."
"Agreed," Riker replied. "But I still would like to recommend..."
His recommendation was interrupted by the Ready Room doors opening
and Raye marching in. "I'd like to talk to you, Captain." She fixed a
steely gaze on Riker, "Alone."
Displeasure at this intrusion showed on the Captain's face, but all
he said was, "That will be all, Number One." The Commander nodded and
left the room. His voice deceptively calm, Picard said, "Now, Miss
Hino, please have a seat and tell me what's on your mind."
"I can answer that in one word: Serena."
Picard's expression shifted to puzzlement. "I don't believe I
understand."
"I think you do. She's just been through hell, and you owe it to
her to help her."
"I see," Picard replied. "I'm sure Counselor Troi will do
everything she can to aide in her recovery, but I..."
"No, *you* owe her," Raye snapped. She leaned over the desk and
leveled a finger at him. "If it wasn't for her, you'd be doing another
tour of duty as Locutus!"
The Captain blanched slightly, telling Raye that her remark had hit
home. Still, his voice remained even, "What would you suggest?"
"Talk to her. You went through something similar. You should be
able to help her get through this."
"Very well, Miss Hino. I'll speak with her later this
afternoon..."
"*Now*," Raye insisted.
Picard had a feeling that he was being neatly maneuvered. "You're
not going to leave here until I agree, are you?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
They stared determinedly at each other for several moments.
Finally, "Very well, Miss Hino. I will contact Counselor Troi and have
her bring Serena up as soon as possible." Immediately, the door slid
open to admit Deanna and Serena into the Ready Room. Picard's eyes
flicked from Raye to Troi as he belatedly realized that the two of them
had conspired in this.
Raye shrugged unabashedly. "Thanks, Captain. If you'll excuse me,
I've got an appointment on Holodeck Three." She turned to exit, pausing
to say, "Hi, Serena."
"Hi, Raye," she murmured, not bringing her eyes up to look at her.
Raye looked like she was going to say something else for a moment, but
she simply looked back to Picard, her eyes taking on a pleading look.
Sensing that the only thing she wanted was to help her friend,
Picard's expression softened and he gave a slight nod to her. "Thank
you, Counselor. That will be all." Raye and Deanna left, leaving the
two of them together.
Unsure were to begin, Picard cleared his throat uncomfortably and
walked over to the replicator. "Would you like something to drink? Tea,
perhaps?"
She shrugged, not really caring one way or another. "Sure."
"Tea, Earl Grey, hot. For two." The replicator hummed and the
requested mugs materialized in short order. Picard handed one to
Serena, and motioned her to a seat. "Please, sit down." The blonde
girl sat down, and stared expressionlessly out the window. Picard
returned to his seat and considered her for a moment, trying to
determine the best way to proceed. "As hard as it is to believe, I know
what you're going through, Serena."
She looked sharply at him, showing real emotion for the first time
since she entered. Rage. "Everyone keeps saying that! Well, how could
you? How could anyone?!? I was the one they took over!" Tears welled
up in her eyes, but she continued, "I almost killed the best friends
I've ever had, the man I love! They..."
She stopped her tirade, but Picard picked up where she left off.
"They took all that you are; your powers, abilities, and memories." He
paused, memories flooding back of his time as a Borg. "They used you to
kill, to destroy. You fought them as hard as you could, but you
couldn't stop them. And yet, you feel you should have been able to stop
them, somehow."
She stared at him, some of the anger fading from her face. "How
could you know..." she began, then her voice trailed off. She paused,
suddenly remembering something from during her time as Sailor Borg. A
memory from the Borg Collective consciousness.
A face.
Picard's face.
No, not him, precisely, but with cybernetic implants, like she had.
A name surfaced to go along with it. "Locutus," she whispered.
Picard nodded. "Yes. I was Locutus."
"Then the same thing happened to you..."
"A little over a year ago," he acknowledged. "A single Borg vessel
invaded Federation space, and sought me out as their `spokesman'. I was
kidnapped, and assimilated, much as you were." His voice dropped to
nearly a whisper as he recalled those brief, but horrible days. "They
took my knowledge of Starfleet tactics and defenses and used it to
destroy thirty-nine starships at Wolf 359, killing thousands of
Starfleet personnel. Some of them were friends that I had known for
years." He paused and looked intently at Serena. "You did better than
I did. At the critical time, you were able to overcome the Borg
Collective in your mind and regain control of yourself. The most I was
able to do was give Data a one word message."
"I was only able to do that because Rubeus was distracted by the
Enterprise firing that energy weapon at the ship. If it hadn't I would
have killed..." Her voice choked of at the memory of what she had
almost been forced to do.
"No," Picard insisted firmly. "Not you. Rubeus did, through the
Borg. They used you..." He paused for a moment. "Used *us* to do
those deeds. The blame for those actions rests entirely with them. It
is something we both need to understand." He smiled slightly. "We both
need to be able to forgive ourselves."
Serena considered his words for several moments. Finally she said,
"How do you deal with it?"
"It's a day to day thing," he admitted. "The support of my family
and friends is what helped me. It will also help you. And, like all
nightmares, it will fade with the passage of time."
"I can't exactly tell my family about this. They don't even know
I'm a Sailor Scout."
"True," he agreed. "But there are others you can rely on. Luna...
the other Scouts... and Darien."
"Yeah."
"They're concerned about you. It may not be my place to suggest
this, but I think you should go to them and talk with them. Let them
help you. And if you'd like, I'd be happy to have further conversations
with you."
After a minute, "Do... do you know where Darien is?"
"That should be easy enough to find out," he answered. "Computer,
location of Darien Chiba."
"Darien Chiba is located on Holodeck Three," responded the
computer.
"Thanks," she said. Then, "Hey, wait a minute... Raye said she was
going there! What's she doing down there with *my* Darien?!?" Before
Picard do so much as suggest that they weren't alone, she turned and
headed for the door, then hesitated there. "Um, how do you get to
Holodeck Three?"
Picard smiled. "I'll have someone escort you there." He got up
and walked onto the Bridge. "Number One, would you escort Serena to
Holodeck Three?"
"Of course, sir," responded the First Officer. "If you'll come
this way?"
Picard watched them enter the turbolift, then returned to his desk
to go through the various repair reports. `Yes, we must forgive
ourselves,' he thought. `But I will never forgive the Borg for their
actions. One day I will make them *pay* for what they've done.'
As always, the door vanished behind them as they entered the
holodeck. Riker looked around the scene that had been created,
apparently an urban area of some sort. "I wonder what place this is
supposed to be."
"Juuban," Serena answered. "It's where we live, on the outskirts
of Tokyo."
"Hmmm... that's interesting. I wonder why..." Riker spotted a
familiar figure nearby, and walked up to him. "New program, Mr. Worf?"
"No quite, Commander. It's a variation of..." He broke off as
another figure approached the three of them. Riker recognized him
instantly, Lt. Reginald Barclay, a first rate diagnostic engineer and an
even better holodeck programmer.
"Th-the holomatrix seems to be stable this time, sir," he told
Worf, then nodded to the First Officer. "Commander." He looked
uncertainly Serena.
Riker quickly said, "Lt. Barclay, this is Serena."
"Hi," she said, looking around the area. "I thought the computer
said Darien was here."
"Oh, he is," Barclay responded and gestured behind him. "He's
somewhere over there." He looked at her closely. "You wouldn't happen
to be Sailor Moon, would you?"
She hesitated a moment before answering. There wasn't much use
trying to keep it a secret on this ship now. "Yeah. Why?"
"Oh, good." He began typing on the PADD he was holding. "I'd like
to --"
A crash from a nearby building interrupted him. A nearby window
shattered, and Tuxedo Mask came flying out. He hit a nearby wall, and
lay there stunned. Another figure appeared in the shattered remains of
the window and hovered there and shouted, "I'm going to get you, cape
boy!"
Serena gasped. `Zoisite! But how...?' It didn't matter, she was
getting ready to attack Darien, and he was still trying to gather his
wits. She had to act now! "You're gonna be sorry you tangled with us
again, Zoisite!" she shouted. Barclay looked up at her in alarm.
Riker tried to stop her. "Wait a minute, Serena, it's just..."
Too late. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" This was the first time the three
Starfleet officers had seen any of the Scouts transform and they stood
transfixed by the sight. Before anyone could react, she leapt forward,
landing in front of Tuxedo Mask, Moon Scepter at the ready. "Tangling
with us before wasn't lesson enough for you Zoisite? In case you've
forgotten, I'm the champion of love and justice Sailor Moon! I right
wrongs and triumph over evil! And that most definitely means you!"
The hovering blonde laughed evilly. "Well, if it isn't the Moon
brat. Is that your rattle?"
Sailor Moon gritted her teeth. "I'll rattle you!"
"Wait! Stop!" Barclay cried.
Too late as it turned out. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The white
energy beam lanced out and struck Zoisite. The Negaverse General
flickered for a second, then froze. "Huh?"
"Program error," announced the computer.
"Well, so much for the stability of the holomatrix," Barclay
sighed.
Sailor Moon didn't seem to hear him. "Program error? What does
that mean?!?"
Malachite appeared in the window. His expression tightened into
one of rage when he saw Zoisite frozen in front of Sailor Moon. "You'll
pay for that, Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon gaped at him. "First Rubeus, then Zoisite, and now
you! What is this, return of the dead guys week?"
"Computer, freeze program," Worf said. Malachite froze in middle
of hurling an energy blast at Sailor Moon.
Luna came out of the building and looked at Worf. "What happened?"
"Sailor Moon," Worf responded. "We hadn't put the parameters in
her attack into the computer. It was unable to accurately process it
into the program, and caused an error."
"I was just about to do that, so fortunately the scanners were
operating at maximum," Barclay put in. "They probably got enough
information on her attack that we can run a computer analysis on it and
reset the program to handle it. Computer: arch." The arch control
panel appeared nearby and the engineer began working on the controls.
"You mean this is one big computer game?" asked Sailor Moon,
looking around. "Cool!"
"This is not a game!" Worf responded sharply. Serena instinctively
flinched from his tone of voice. "This is a training simulation." After
in inquiring look from Riker, he continued in a calmer tone, "Luna asked
me to devise a program to help the Scouts in their training. Since our
security needs in this universe are minimal, I agreed. Commander
LaForge recommended that we make use of Mr. Barclay's... expertise in
this area."
Sailor Moon had stopped listening to them, as she had gone over to
Tuxedo Mask and was helping him to his feet. "Are you OK?" she asked.
Before he replied, Darien glanced over at Riker, who caught the
hint and nodded. After a quiet word to Worf and Barclay, the three
officers left the holodeck. "I think I should be asking you that."
Serena averted his gaze, and turned away. "I... I'm surprised you
even want to talk with me."
"Serena..."
"I tried to kill you!" The tears began to flow once more.
"Serena," he said again. Gently, he placed his hand beneath her
chin and turned her to face him. With his free hand, he removed the
mask from his face and gazed into her eyes. "Rubeus tried to kill me.
Not you. You stopped him in the end. You saved me... You saved all of
us. THAT is what matters." They gazed at each other for a silent
moment, then, as if by mutual agreement, they tightly embraced each
other. "I love you, Serena. I always have, and always will. No matter
what."
Luna was watching this with a sense of satisfaction when she sensed
someone behind her. She turned and saw the other Scouts standing
silently, the smiles of happiness on their faces telling her that they
were equally delighted by this turn of events.
The cat returned her gaze forward and nodded to herself. It would
be a long hard road ahead, but she was certain that Serena was well on
the way to a complete recovery.
Epilogue
"Captain's Log, Stardate 45242.5: Commander LaForge has repaired
the ship with his customary efficiency. However, I have decide to forgo
returning to our own universe for the time being. Firstly, on
recommendation of my first officer, it is to take advantage of this
unique opportunity to explore the immediate vicinity of Earth in this
alternate universe. Secondly, and more importantly, it will afford
Serena adequate time to make a sufficient recovery.
"We owe her that much at least."
"First Officer's Personal Log, Stardate 45290.3: Deanna has
informed the Captain that Serena has made enough progress over the last
month that she can return home. Q will return them home sometime
tomorrow and so the ship is now on a return course for Earth.
"I think I'll survive until then..."
The main computer of a Galaxy class starship was not supposed to be
prone to mistakes, but an observer near Ten Forward might have presumed
that it made one this time as the nearby turbolift doors opened and no
one stepped out. Eventually though, Riker emerged from it hesitantly
and cautiously glanced up and down the corridor. Breathing a sigh of
relief, he hefted his trombone case and made his way to the Ten Forward
entrance.
He had only a few steps when, "Hello, Will."
The First Officer started slightly before he realized who it was.
"Counselor."
"My, aren't we jumpy," Deanna commented. "In fact, I don't think
I've seen you this nervous since we first met on Betazed."
"It's been a rather... strenuous month."
"Has it?" Troi asked, putting a naive tone in her voice. "I admit
I've been rather busy with Serena, but I haven't noticed anything else
out of the ordinary."
Riker shot her a pained look, which only made her smile broader.
She knew perfectly well what Riker had been talking about and he knew
it. "It's easy for you to joke about. You're not the target of
their... affections."
"I don't believe this," she said with a laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"You!" His expression made her laugh again. "I can't believe that
you, Will Riker, who's had relationships with women all over the
Federation..."
"Deanna!" he protested. "They're half my age!"
"...is frightened by the advances of two teenagers!" she continued.
"You could handle the Borg, the Ferengi, Q... even my mother, but you
can't handle Lita and Mina." She entered the lounge, still chuckling.
After moment, Riker followed her in, "It's nice to know I can count
on your support, Imzadi."
To say the least, it had been an odd month even for the Sailor
Scouts, Darien decided as he approached Serena's quarters. But it had
not been an altogether unpleasant one. In fact, the Enterprise crew had
gone out of their way to make it pleasant, from Riker teaching them to
play Parisi's Squares to Chief O'Brien taking him kayaking on the
holodeck yesterday. He was still sore from the experience, though
O'Brien had fared worse with a separated shoulder. From the way Dr.
Crusher was talking, it wasn't the first time this had happened either.
She had made no bones about the fact that a man who had just become a
father should be more careful.
Of course, what had made it truly pleasant was that Serena was
making good... no, excellent progress. After almost daily sessions with
Counselor Troi, and frequent talks with Captain Picard, she had nearly
fully recovered from this latest ordeal.
He was about to touch the control for the door chime when suddenly
opened. "Darien! Is something wrong?"
He blinked, sure he was going to have to get her to hurry and get
ready. "Nothing, Serena. I'm... just surprised you're ready to go."
"Hey!" she protested. "It's not like I'm late *all* the time you
know!"
"Just most of the time," a voice from behind her said. Mina exited
the room. "But not when someone is here to get her moving."
"Thanks a lot, Mina."
"No prob'," the blonde replied, ignoring the icy stare Serena was
giving her. "I'll you two alone for now. If I hurry, I still might be
able to catch Will alone in Ten Forward." With that she gave them a
wave and hurried for the turbolift.
"We're leaving today and she still hasn't given up on a romance
with Riker?" Darien asked.
"Nope. Neither's Lita," she answered, eliciting a groan. "Is
there any reason they should?"
He decided that any comment he could make would probably get him in
trouble with her. "Shall we get going?" he asked offering her his arm.
"After all, the guests of honor shouldn't be too late."
Ten Forward was a little more crowded than usual, Picard reflected,
but there was ample reason for that. After all, these eight and rather
unique individuals were leaving the ship in a few hours, after having
had been the ship for quite some time. It was only natural that many
friendships had been formed between them and the crew.
Still there was a slight sense of apprehension in the air, though
maybe that was only his imagination. But that seemed to be the standard
when Q was involved in anything. Fortunately he had limited his...
visits to merely dropping in, usually at rather inconvenient time, and
demanding to know when the Sailor Scouts were going to be ready to be
sent home.
It was a bit of a mystery why he simply hadn't done so on his own.
It wasn't like he needed their approval to do anything. Not that he
usually bothered to ask anyway.
Picard approached the bar and looked at Guinan, who anticipated his
question. "He's nearby," she said, "but not exactly in the immediate
vicinity... not yet anyway."
"The day's still young," the Captain observed wryly. "Ah, I see
our guests of honor have arrived." Indeed, at that moment Darien and
Serena had entered the lounge, followed shortly by Dr. Crusher. The
Captain noted that young couple was slightly red-faced for some reason,
while Beverly was sporting a slight "I've-got-a-secret" smile.
"Doctor."
"Captain," she replied as she strode up to the bar. Behind her,
Serena and Darien met up with three of the other Scouts. Lita was still
absent for some reason.
"Is it a secret, Beverly, or can you share it with the rest of us?"
"What do you mean, Jean-Luc?"
"You look like the cat that swallowed the proverbial canary,"
Picard replied.
She hesitated before answering, "Let's just say that I walked in
on our two lovebirds." Picard raised an eyebrow at this, prompting her
to nudge him softly. "Don't get any ideas, Jean-Luc! They weren't
doing anything more than kissing."
The waiter, Ben, came up to the bar, but Guinan spoke first, "Don't
tell me. One triple hot fudge sundae, right?"
The younger man chuckled. "You're turning into a mind reader,
Guinan."
The bartender shook her head. "No, it's just the same thing
Serena's been ordering every time she's in here."
"Sometime's two or three a night," Ben replied.
"Good Lord," Beverly said, astonished. "How does she do that and
not gain weight?"
"I'm not sure," Ben said, "But whatever her secret is, I bet Deanna
would like to know."
"So would I," the Doctor agreed.
Lita took a look at the time and shook her head. That side trip to
Sickbay had taken a little longer than she would've liked. "Great, I'm
running late. I'm getting worse than Serena," she muttered while
heading for the door. As always, the door opened automatically when she
approached it and she moved rapidly through it.
Or she would have, if Worf hadn't been standing there, and she ran
right smack into him. Evidently the Security Chief had just arrived
outside her door.
Fortunately she wasn't going too fast, so all she did was knock the
Klingon backwards a few steps. "I'm sorry! Are you OK, Worf?"
"I am undamaged," he said while straightening out his sash. "I
trust you have fully recovered as well?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean my arm!" Unconsciously she rubbed her left
forearm. It had been injured during a particularly rough episode in
Worf's calisthenics program that morning. Her trip to Sickbay was the
main reason she was running late. "Yeah, Dr. Crusher fixed it up, no
problem. But she did give me a hard time about the fact we were running
the program at level five."
"Good," he answered. "May we speak privately?"
Lita frowned. She wanted to get to the party going on in Ten
Forward, but if she learned one thing this past month is that Worf was
not one for making idle requests. If he wanted to talk with her in
private, it must be of some importance to him. Besides, she was curious
about what was in that large case he was carrying. Well, there was only
one way to find out. "Sure," she said and led the way back into her
quarters.
Worf followed her in and placed the case on the table but he didn't
say anything at first. Instead he seemed to fidget as if he wasn't sure
how to begin. She wasn't sure even after being around him for a month
(he was an alien after all) but it seemed to her that Worf was nervous
about something. What was he up to?
"Well, Worf?" she prodded.
Worf began, "As I understand it, Q will be transporting you and the
others back to you own place and time."
"Yeah. It's about time we got back. I mean, I like it here, but
we can't stay forever." She glanced around the room, then glared at the
replicator. "Still, that's not one thing I'll miss! I've barely been
able to practice my cooking skills since we got here!" She gave the
offending device another glare, then looked back to Worf. "Anyway,
what's up? And what's in the case?"
"A gift," he answered. He placed the case on the table and opened
it, taking out a bat'leth. "From one warrior, to another."
She stared at the weapon, unsure what to make of it. "Why?"
"While we are both orphans, as I understand it you have no real
family outside of the Sailor Scouts." At her nod, he continued, "I do
have family, but most of them reside within the Empire... except for my
son, Alexander, who lives with my human parents on Earth."
"I'm not sure where this is going, Worf," Lita said, confusion
showing on her face.
"Allow me to finish. During the fight on the Borg ship, you saved
my life on more than one occasion."
"Well, you did the same for me... and the others too. There were a
lot of drones to fight."
"Yes," the Klingon rumbled, "Since that first battle on the Bridge,
I have come to respect the Sailor Scout's skills as warriors... but you
in particular possess a warrior's spirit."
"Thanks, Worf," she said adding a mental 'I think'.
"It is a compliment," he told her, as if reading her mind. "Since
the battle, I have felt that there was a bond between us... as warriors.
And I would like you to accept this bat'leth as a symbol that, even
though we are not blood related, we share a bond as strong as family."
He handed her the Klingon weapon, "Lita, the House of Mogh would be
honored to count you among us as a warrior... and as a sister."
All eyes turned to greet the latecomers. Lita and Worf entered the
lounge, each trying to appear relaxed despite being the center of
attention. "It's about time you guys got here!" Mina said.
"Sorry we're late," Lita tried to explain, placing a large meter
long case on the floor, "It's just that we..."
"I think we can guess what you two were doing," Raye put in,
interrupting her.
Serena looked up sharply at this. "You mean he looks like you old
boyfriend?" Warming up his trombone, Riker caught this statement and
started, causing a couple of very sour notes to emerge from his
instrument. Smiling, he shrugged apologetically to the other band
members.
"I guess this means that Mina has a clear shot at Commander Riker,"
Amy calmly stated. Mina perked up at this thought and looked to the
band, smiling at the First Officer who now paled visibly.
Meanwhile both Lita and Worf were offering very vocal denials,
which appeared to be having little effect. "I didn't know you went for
younger women, Worf," Beverly said, getting into the spirit.
"That is not the case, Doctor," he informed her with a glare.
Fortunately the two latecomers were spared further embarrassment by
the timely intervention of Data. "I think it highly unlikely that they
were involved in any sexual activities," the android said.
"Uh, why do you say that?" Raye asked. Beverly could see that they
were showing sudden signs of discomfort at the turn the conversation was
taking. Or at least the overt way the android was willing to discuss
it.
Oblivious to this, Data continued, "I have made an extensive study
of the sexual practices of a variety of races, including Klingons. Sex
among Klingons tends to be very... physical in nature, often causing a
variety of injuries to the participants." Seeing the girls turn redder,
Beverly decided to move in before Data could expound any further.
Knowing the android as she did, he could go on for hours. And he did go
on, saying, "Indeed, it is considered a sign of good fortune to fracture
a clavicle on the wedding night. And..."
She took the android by the arm and forcefully steered him to the
bar. "Come on, Data. I'll buy you a drink."
Data frowned, puzzled. "But... I already have a drink, Doctor." He
indicated a nearly full glass.
"Then I'll buy you another."
The band was still playing, which was a tribute to their stamina as
they were well into their third hour... or was it the fourth? Troi
shook her head. No doubt Data could inform how long the party had been
going on down the nearest second, but mere humanoids tend to lose track
of time at events such as this. It was just as well that the strongest
thing served were synthahol based beverages.
Sensing someone approach, she turned to face Raye. "How does he do
it?" she asked, indicating Riker. "Every time there's a break, both
Lita and Mina are occupied by someone talking to them."
"Starfleet officers are trained to have good timing," Deanna said
with a smile. "And I believe he recruited some accomplices, most
notably Geordi and Worf, to help shield him at those times. Why, were
you hoping to see some fireworks?"
"I was just curious," she replied defensively, then added, "Why
didn't he get you to help? After all, I thought you two were...
involved at one point."
"We were. But Will knows me better than to ask. I'd just tell
him, `You're a big boy, Will. You can handle yourself against two
teenagers.'" Besides, she found his discomfiture at their advances
amusing.
She picked up a sense of worry from the raven haired Scout.
Glancing over, she saw her watching Serena at the bar, where she and
Darien were talking with Captain Picard. "You're still worried about
her."
Raye started, "Yeah. I mean, she seems normal now... for her,
anyway." Deanna raised an eyebrow at the last, but forebode commenting.
She knew that Raye only said that for appearances sake. And she knew
that she knew. "But she's been through a lot."
"True," Troi agreed. "She's made enough progress for her to
continue without my supervision, but it will take a long time for her to
completely put the experience completely behind her. For now, the best
thing to do is let her take it at her own pace. Don't try to force the
issue. If she wants to talk to you about it, she'll say so. Otherwise,
just treat her as you normally would."
Before Raye could reply, Artemis' voice came from beneath a nearby
table. "I don't think you really want that to happen, Counselor."
He *almost* succeeded in dodging Raye's kick.
Mina frowned slightly and glanced across the room. She thought she
had heard Artemis yelp, but all she saw in that general direction was
Raye talking with Troi. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the
conversation with Geordi.
The engineer was saying "...if she had kept that up, we might have
found out if it's possible to drain a ship's power supply by overusing a
replicator." He looked back at Mina. "Then again, I didn't think it
was possible for someone to almost trigger a core breach just by hitting
a couple of buttons."
"Hey, I said I was sorry!"
"Take it easy," he said with an apologetic laugh in his voice. "I
was just kidding."
"You had better be!" she fumed. Then her mood suddenly changed as
she got a looked at the band. "Oh, Commander Riker's done playing.
Excuse me."
She began to move in his direction, but Data intercepted her first.
"Excuse me, but I am curious. Why are you and Lita so... aggressive in
your pursuit of Commander Riker?"
She gaped at him. "Are you kidding? He's a major hunk, that's
why!"
A puzzled expression formed on Data's face. "Major hunk?"
Geordi chuckled. For all his work at becoming more human, Data
still didn't have a firm grip on slang. "She mean's he's good looking,
Data."
"That's what I said."
"Ah." Data nodded, apparently satisfied. "That does seem to be
the opinion of a majority of women."
Mina froze in her tracks. "Huh?"
"I have observed that Commander Riker seems to enjoy a great deal
of success in matters of a romantic nature."
Now it was Mina's turn to look puzzled. "How could you know
anything about that? I thought you don't have emotions."
"True," Data acknowledged. "I am not capable of feeling emotions
themselves. However, I have had some experience in these areas."
"My experiment in romance took place approximately three months
ago. My previous sexual encounter was four years, three months, seven
days, twelve hours, ten minutes and forty seven seconds ago."
Mina reddened slightly and she spluttered "But... you're just a
machine! How can you...?"
When she didn't finish, Data asked, "How can I what?"
"You know."
"I think she means sex, Data," Geordi interpreted.
"I see. You believe that I am incapable of performing sexually.
However you are mistaken." Shocked, Mina stared, caught in the process
of taking a sip. Oblivious to her discomfiture, Data continued on, "I
am fully functional, programmed in a multiple variety of pleasuring
techniques."
Geordi later reflected that it was simply bad luck she had been
looking in his direction at the moment... and that her drink ended up
being sprayed all over him.
Amy looked up from the PADD she was studying in the direction of
the choking sounds. After satisfying herself that Mina was OK (and that
Geordi and Data had the situation in hand), she returned her attention
to the PADD.
Or rather, she tried to. A hand reached down and snatched it out
of her grasp. Beverly Crusher examined the contents of the screen,
ignoring Amy's cries of protest. "Just as I thought. Though I couldn't
believe it when Lita pointed it out to me." Shaking her head, she sat
down next to the blue haired girl. "Here we are, in the middle of a
party, and you're studying?!?"
"We've been gone for a month. It'll take me a while to catch up."
"And I thought Wesley was bad," Beverly said with a sigh. "From
what I've heard, Amy, you're usually far ahead of your class. Besides,
you've been taking classes here on the Enterprise, so there won't be
that much for you to catch up on. You're awfully young to be this
driven." As soon as she said this, she was struck by a powerful sense
of deja vu. How many times had she found herself in a similar position
with Wesley?
"I have to work hard. You know I'm planning on becoming a doctor
one day."
"Well, I can't say I disapprove of your choice of profession,"
Beverly admitted. "But you should still take time out to relax and
enjoy yourself, especially at this stage of your life. You're only
young once. Besides, I believe you'll find that not much time has
passed when you return home."
Amy looked puzzled. "How can you be sure?"
"Previous experiences with Q. And the first one was one too many."
Beverly glanced around the room, but the entity had yet to make an
appearance. Before she could say anything further to Amy, a loud splash
resounded from the direction of the bar, accompanied by a distinctly
feline yell.
"Artemis!"
A few moments earlier, Geordi was approaching the bar, wiping at
his uniform without much success. "Here, Commander. You look like you
could use this."
He looked up and gratefully accepted the proffered towel. "Thanks,
Reg." He sat down next to the diagnostic engineer and began cleaning
his shirt as best as he could. As he did so, he idly noted that Luna
was lying on the bar next to Barclay, looking very contented as the
engineer scratched her back. "I didn't know you were a cat person."
"Oh, I've always like cats, sir."
"And he knows just where to scratch us, too," Luna put in between
purrs.
Geordi smiled. Leave it to Barclay to be able to get along well
with cats, when not long ago he was barely able to talk with his
crewmates. While he would never be called gregarious, he was much
better than when he first came aboard. And he was a fine engineer.
Speaking of which... "Hey Reg, I've been meaning to ask, how's the
repair coming along on Holodeck Two?"
"Oh, fine, sir. We've replaced almost half the blown isolinear
chips." Barclay frowned and indicated Mina still having an animated
discussion with Data. "Is it true she shorted out the control circuits
by simply trying to alter the program parameters?"
"That's what I've been told."
"I don't understand. That... just can't happen," Barclay insisted.
"You don't know Mina too well," another voice said. Luna opened
one eye and saw that Artemis had hopped onto the bar.
"I thought you were going to talk with Counselor Troi."
He hesitated a moment, then cast a quick glance where Troi was
still sitting with Raye before answering. "It was getting a little
dangerous over there." The white cat winced slightly as he sat down
next to Luna. "Ah, Commander Riker," he said, acknowledging the
approaching first officer. "Did you decide it was safe to emerge from
the band?"
Riker checked around before answering. Data and Worf were keeping
his would-be suitors busy. "For the moment. Safer than it's been at
the poker table lately."
"Poker?" Luna perked up at this, and she gave the Commander a
disapproving look. "You haven't been playing poker with them, have
you?"
"Not them," Riker reassured her. He pointed to Artemis, who was
now looking quite satisfied with himself. "Him. He's been cleaning
up." He signaled Guinan for a drink.
Luna sat up suddenly and stared at Artemis, shocked. "Artemis!"
"Relax, Luna. It's only a game."
The black cat fumed silently for a moment. "Perhaps it's just as
well Q is sending us back today."
Artemis grimaced. "You had to mention that twit, didn't you."
"I'd be careful what you say about him. Remember what happened the
last time you insulted him?"
"Hah!" Artemis said smugly. "I checked with Data. Spot's not in
heat anymore, and neither are any of the other female cats on this ship.
And I doubt he can come up with anything more original either."
Geordi and Riker both looked doubtful but before either could say
anything, Guinan jumped as if she had been hit with a Klingon pain
stick. She swung her head towards Artemis, "Look out!"
"Huh?" Before the white feline could say anything more, a large
globe of water formed over his head. It impossibly hovered over him for
a second, and a disembodied voice could be heard saying, "Oh, really?
Well, chill out, cat."
The water then fell down upon Artemis with a loud splash.
There was a moment of stunned silence as those present gawked at
the sight of the now soggy cat. He stood on the bar, shivering, his
color slowly changing to a pale blue. "THAT'S C-C-COLD!!"
Picard eyed the commotion with a concerned expression. Not that
there was much else he could do at the moment. Mina and Guinan were
busy toweling the unfortunate Artemis off, while Beverly and Amy were
checking his physical state with a tricorder and computer, respectively.
"It would appear that Q has made his presence felt."
"Great," Serena muttered. "That creep certainly knows how to ruin
a party."
Picard nodded ruefully. "Agreed. Unfortunately Serena, there's
not much we can do about him. After all, it's not as if we can lock an
omnipotent being in the Brig."
"Yeah," she agreed. "It doesn't help that he's all powerful too."
Picard briefly considered, then rejected, the idea of telling her
that was what he had said. In its place he continued, "Still, there was
this one time I was able to put him in his place."
That piqued their curiosity. "Oh?" Darien said. "How so?"
"It was about... oh, nearly two years ago now. Q had appeared on
the Bridge as is his wont..." He decided to gloss over the fact that Q
had appeared on the Bridge stark naked. "...claiming that his
compatriots in the Q Continuum had stripped him of his powers.
Naturally, we were all reluctant to believe him. Finally he yelled out
`What must I do to convince you people?' Worf gave a very...
appropriate answer." He paused, deliberately stringing the story out.
"What'd he say?" Serena asked.
Picard deepened his voice in a reasonable imitation of his security
chief, "`Die.'" It had the desired effect. Both Serena and Darien
smiled, and she added a small laugh as well. "Well, to make a long
story short, since he apparently had no powers at the time, I decided to
repay him for the trouble he had caused us over the years. I had Worf
throw him in the Brig."
"Oh, very droll, Jean-Luc," a disembodied voice said just before
resolving itself into Q.
"Speak of the devil."
Q didn't look amused, which pleased Picard to no end. "Here I go
saving you and your precious ship and how do you repay me? By
besmirching my good name."
"For me to do that, Q, you must first *have* a good name," Picard
retorted.
"You cut me to the quick, mon Capitaine. And you didn't even have
the courtesy to invite me to the festivities." He gave the Captain a
pained look. "Jean-Luc, I'm hurt."
"You'll get over it."
"Yes, I suppose so." The entity scanned over the room, "Well, I
guess I should dress for the occasion."
Picard frowned as Q snapped his fingers. Q had shown up in his
usual garb, a Starfleet uniform with the rank (undeserved, of course) of
captain. As everyone else was in either casual attire or their
uniforms, he wasn't quite sure what to make of Q's comment. But he got
a very good idea once the usual flare around Q faded.
Q had shifted his attire from its usual mode to a tuxedo and was
wearing a mask. Now that he reflected on it, it was identical to
Darien's outfit in his transformed state, a fact that wasn't lost on the
Sailor Scouts. They were staring at him in wide eyed astonishment,
Serena most of all. Darien had been shocked for a moment, but was now
glaring at Q.
"Tuxedo Q, at your service," he declared taking off his hat and
bowing deeply to Serena. "Shall we dance?"
Darien stepped between them. "I don't think so."
The two of them stared eye to eye for several seconds, the tension
between them palpable. Finally Serena spoke up, "Give it up, Q.
Besides, that outfit looks way better on Darien."
"That's for sure," Lita agreed as she approached with Worf.
"Yes, it is outside my usual motif," Q agreed, shifting back to a
Starfleet uniform. "Yes, that's much better. That tuxedo was just too
stiff for someone of my nature... definitely fits his attitude better."
Before Darien could respond, he added, "Tell me, do you always go into
battle in formal wear?" Darien looked as if he was going to say
something, but Serena took his arm first and pulled him towards the bar,
but not before giving Q an icy glare. "My, she seems none too pleased
with me. Was it something I said?" he asked Picard.
"I would think it has something to do with being assimilated, Q,"
the Captain answered.
"Oh really, Jean-Luc! I had nothing to do with it. All I did was
bring them here."
"Yeah, but you didn't exactly warn us about what was to happen
either," Lita accused.
"Do you expect me to lead you by the hand for the entirety of your
existence?" Q retorted. "You humans keep crowing about learning by
discovery, but when it comes down to it, you just want someone to hand
you the answers on a platter."
He was answered by a loud sneeze coming from the vicinity of the
bar. Seeing Mina busy toweling Artemis off, Q sauntered over and
remarked, "Ah, and I see someone dragged in a wet cat."
"Very funny," came Artemis' muffled voice. He poked his head out
from under the towel and scowled at the entity.
Mina leveled an equally intense glower at the entity. "I hope
you're satisfied, Q. Artemis could catch his death of cold from this."
"Oh, I'm sure that won't happen," Q blithely reassured her. "After
all, you'll be there to nurse him back to health. Correct?"
"Well, of course," she answered.
Picard and Guinan shared a look, each sure there was something more
to this exchange. Firstly because Q was not in the habit of saying
anything nice about anyone. Secondly, the Sailor Scouts, and to a
lesser extent Darien, were wide eyed in shock.
Artemis' eyes had also grown wide, but his expression was more one
of horror. "I'm doomed," he moaned in a soft voice. Mina snapped her
gaze from Q to the drenched feline.
"Artemis!"
Q smiled, allowing the current emotions roiling in the room to
linger for a moment. "Well, let it never be said I wasn't magnanimous,"
he proclaimed and snapped his fingers. "There you are, Artemis... all
dried off and any physical ailments attended to."
Artemis found himself feeling warm and dry, and he shrugged himself
out from under the towel. "Ah, much better."
"I... wouldn't thank him just yet, Artemis," Mina said.
"Why not?"
She pointed. "Um... your fur?"
Artemis twisted himself as best he could and looked where Mina
pointed, then gasped. His fur looked as if someone had dumped him into
a dryer set on the fluff cycle. "Q!!!" For his part, Q was looking
insufferably smug. More so than usual, that is.
"Is he always this annoying?" Lita asked while the entity was
enjoying himself.
Worf glanced at Q with a look of revulsion. "Yes."
Q put an expression of shock on his face. "How rude of you,
Microbrain! It appears you're just as sour as your prune juice."
Lita looked doubtfully at Worf. "Prune juice?" She transferred the
look to the glass Worf was holding. She had thought that it was some
sort of Klingon beverage.
"A warriors' drink," Worf said defensively.
"Well," Q exclaimed at the sight of Lita and Worf standing
together, "It looks like you two have hit it off. The Amazon and the
Microbrain. Tell me Worf, am I invited to the wedding?"
Worf glared at Q, refusing to be baited by him. Lita, on the other
hand, was more demonstrative. "Let me zap him again!" She reached for
her transformation pen, but Worf put a restraining arm on her.
"Oh, let go of her, Microbrain. Let her try and `zap' me with that
pet dragon of hers."
"Much as I'd like to see that happen, I'm afraid it wouldn't do any
good," Riker commented. "He'll just keep popping up, like the
proverbial bad penny."
Q humphed. "I'm afraid you just don't appreciate my value here,
Riker. Without me to spice up your life once in a while, the biggest
thrill in your pitiful existence would be trying to get Microbrain here
to smile." He turned to the Klingon. "What do you say, Worf? One
smile, for little old moi?" Worf's only response was to snarl at Q.
Picard decided it was time to intervene and try to put some
restraints on Q before someone really lost their temper. And if it
turned out to be one of the Scouts, that could cause serious damage in
the lounge. "Q..." he said warningly. "...that's enough."
Q heaved a frustrated sigh. Picard was always trying to curtail
his entertainment. "Oh, very well, mon Capitaine. But I'm afraid you
are becoming rather stodgy in your old age." Ignoring the look Picard
was giving him, he continued, "The Q Express is here, everyone! Say
your good-byes while your able!"
There was a bit of commotion as the Scouts made their farewells to
the Enterprise crew. Finally, Serena came up to Picard. "Thanks,
Captain. For everything." Impulsively, she gave the Captain a quick
hug, much to his embarrassment.
Darien settled for shaking his hand. "That goes for me too."
Q appeared behind Picard and whispered conspiratorially in his ear,
"Isn't she a bit young for you, mon Capitaine?"
Picard did his best to ignore the impish entity. "My best to you
both. Good luck in whatever adventures lie ahead."
"And what interesting adventures they are, too," Q pronounced.
"What do you mean by that?!?" Lita challenged.
"That, as they say, is for me to know and you to find out." Q
gestured imperiously around the room. "All right, Sailor Scouts, time
to go back home!" They were able to manage a last wave before Q snapped
his fingers and they all vanished from Ten Forward. Continuing with his
showmanship attitude, Q said, "Now, for my next trick..."
"Save it, Q," Picard interrupted. "We'll get home our own way."
"We have entered the Terran system, Captain," said Data. "Our
approach vector should make it difficult for Earth to detect us until we
reach the flux."
Picard nodded as he resumed his seat. The party had broken up only
a few moments after the departure of their guests, and the ship was now
settling back into a more normal routine. Still, there was something
missing now that the Scouts had departed, Picard reflected. It was a
similar to the feeling he would get the few time he had returned to his
ancestral home, the feeling of the empty house. Which was an odd
feeling to have on a ship with over a thousand people on board. "Slow
to impulse, Ensign Ro."
"Are the warp engines ready, Geordi?" asked Riker.
"Yes sir," the engineer reported. "I've got them set to emit a
warp field at the proper frequency the moment we contact the flux. That
ought to send us straight home."
Q looked somewhat piqued. "Waste of time. I could send you home
much faster."
Riker made it a point to ignore Q for now. Maybe if he did it long
enough, he'd go away. No, he couldn't get that lucky. He glanced around
the Bridge, then said to the Captain, "You know, I'd gotten used to
having them around. Somehow the ship seems emptier." Picard nodded in
agreement.
"You miss your girlfriends already?" Q quipped. "Well, if you're
feeling lonely Riker, I could arrange for them to visit every now and
then." Deanna tried, and didn't entirely succeed, to contain a chuckle
at the look on the First Officer's face. He transferred the glare from
Q to her.
"I've notice the same thing," Picard said, trying not to notice
Riker's consternation. "They did have a way of making life...
interesting."
Q got a baffled look on his face. "Aren't we being needlessly
maudlin here?" he observed
The stillness of the temple was disturbed by a ripple of sound and
six tall columns of light, accompanied by two smaller ones, that quickly
resolved themselves into the Scouts, Darien, and their feline companions.
They looked around, verifying their location. That is, the humans
looked around. Artemis immediately got to work on smoothing out his
fluffed fur, while Luna helped. To their immense relief, they saw that
they were in the temple courtyard. As promised, Q had sent them home.
"That's a relief," Mina said. She looked around once more. "It
doesn't look like much has changed. I wonder how long we've been gone?"
Amy had already produced her computer and was using it to determine
the local time. "It's the same day as it was when we left," she
announced.
"What?" Raye exclaimed and they crowded around Amy. Their
collective jaws dropped when they saw the screen. "We've only been gone
a couple of MINUTES?!?"
"What the... we were on the Enterprise for over a month!" Lita
asserted.
"I should have guessed. We've already seen that Q can easily
manipulate time and space," Amy said. "It's not that surprising that he
could put us here right after we left."
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Raye looked over to Serena. "But I
bet even Q couldn't make Serena get anywhere on time."
A keen observer could tell that she wasn't really serious by the
gleam in her eyes, that she was only teasing the leader of the Sailor
Scouts. Unfortunately, Serena wasn't feeling particularly observant at
the moment, and she turned from Darien, bristling at this comment. "I
can get anywhere I want on time, Raye! Quit bugging me!"
"HAH! You were late for the meeting we were going to have last
month... er, today! Like always!"
"I was late because I had detention!"
Raye felt her own temper flare, and she instinctively settled into
old habits. "Probably because you were late for school again, Meatball
Head!"
"OOH... stop calling me Meatball Head, you, you... Pyro!"
Luna sighed as the name calling war raged on. "Well, I see things
are getting back to normal around here."
"You got that right," said Artemis, still working on his fur.
"Thbbbb!!" Both girls stuck out their tongues simultaneously, and
the tongue war was on.
"We're approaching the coordinates of the flux," Ro announced.
"Still no indications that we have been detected," Data added.
Picard nodded. It looked like they would get through this and
cause only minimal disturbance to this Earth. "Reduce speed to one half
impulse, Ensign. Steady as she goes."
The Bajoran ensign nodded and made the necessary adjustments to the
helm to guide the Enterprise forward into the flux. "Warp engines
coming on-line," Geordi said. "We're moving through the flux. Power
drain is occurring as predicted." As if emphasizing this point, the
Bridge lights flickered around them, as did the main viewscreen, during
the transition between the two universes. But the ship soon emerged
from the spatial anomaly and the systems steadied themselves.
"All stop," ordered Riker, once they were clear.
"Helm is answering all stop."
Data did a quick scan of the area. "Sensors confirm that we are
back in our own universe, sir."
"The shipwide drain on all power systems was substantial, but all
systems should be returning to normal shortly," reported Geordi. "The
adjustments I made to the shields protected us from the worst of it."
"Good," said Picard. He glanced over at Riker and gave a quick
nod. It was time to implement the plan they had laid out.
"Mr. Worf, stand by the modified torpedo."
Q looked utterly astonished. "What?"
"We're going to seal the quantum flux," explained Picard.
"Interdimensional anomalies in space and time are very tricky
things to be playing with, Jean-Luc. Especially if you don't fully
understand their nature... which you don't. I wouldn't do this if I
were you."
Picard looked up at Q. "Well, I'm not you."
"All the more reason you should listen to me," he insisted. "What
possessed you to come up with this hare-brained scheme?"
The Captain endeavored to explain, "It's necessary, Q. We have to
prevent the possibility of anyone from this universe, such as the Borg
or the Romulans, from interfering in the affairs of that one."
"Noble as always, mon Capitaine," Q conceded. "But grossly
misguided. Might I suggest you take some time to think this over? Say,
a century of two so you can bone up on your interdimensional physics?"
"Thank you for your advice," Picard answered dryly. "But no."
Q threw his hands up in resignation. "Fine, all right, go ahead.
Be a stubborn fool. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Fire." The torpedo shot out of the aft tube, and soon entered the
flux. There was a brief flare when it detonated.
Data watched the sensor readings. "The flux is sealed, sir."
Pluto started. Something was forming in the timestream, something
that should not be. She was going to have to plan quickly to prevent
the damage to reality from becoming permanent. An idea came quickly to
mind. Yes, perhaps they could be of some help.
She shook her head, her long green tinged hair flowing in the
breezes caused by the gateway. She was going to have to have a long
talk with Q when this was resolved.
Riker looked at Q, "I don't feel any different, Q." There was a
mild gloating tone in his voice.
For his part Q looked deadly serious. "The consequences from this
action will take a while to catch up with you, Riker. And you won't be
the only ones who feel them." He turned to Picard. "You'll regret you
didn't listen to me, mon Capitaine... mark my words." With that, he
vanished in his usual manner, but not before muttering, "She's not going
to like this."
"She?" Geordi asked. "Who's she?"
Data shook his head. "I do not know." From the looks of it, no
one else had any idea either.
Picard uneasily watched the space where Q had stood a moment
before. "Why do I have the feeling that he's right?" Perhaps he had
dismissed the entity's warning too easily. He quickly shook off his
misgivings. What was done was done. If Q was right, then they would
face the consequences when they revealed themselves. "Ensign, set
course for Starbase 215, Warp Six."
"Course set."
Picard brought his hand forward in that familiar chopping gesture.
"Engage."
END.
Notes:
As before, thanks to Gene Roddenberry and Naoko Takeuchi, for
creating their respective genres.
The threads left hanging aren't a slip-up on my part... but a
direct tie-in to the next chapter of the "Sailor Trek Saga", the DS9
story. There's also a couple of things that will be touched upon in the
Voyager story as well
Hey, I've got to entice you to read them somehow...
Oh, if anyone's wondering, the relationship between Q and Pluto
will be explained a little more there as well.
According to my notes, I started work on the outline of this story
early November '96, about five months after I started work on "Sailor
Trek", though the ideas for it were starting to putter around my head
for a while before that. The basics pretty much stayed the same
throughout:
A villain from the Sailor Moon universe, one presumed dead, gets
transported into the Trek universe during the time of TNG and promptly
takes over a Borg ship and causes a lot of trouble for the crew of the
Enterprise D. And the story evolved from there.
If anyone is wondering why I picked Rubeus, well as I said, I
wanted a villain presumed dead in the Sailor Moon universe. And as all
I know is the NA dub, that limits the choices drastically. Jadeite's
return has been done too many times in other fanfics, the other
Negaverse Generals were pretty well killed outright and ditto for Beryl,
Al and Ann just went off to a new home, and the Four Sisters were
healed. That leaves Rubeus, and I believe the explanation I gave for
his entry into the trek universe doesn't violate Sailor Moon continuity
too much.
However, I must admit to an error in regards to TNG continuity. I
had thought I picked stardates in between two episodes, but
unfortunately the ones I selected put this story right smack in the
middle of the season 5 two parter, "Unification", which guest starred
Leonard Nimoy as Spock. By the time I caught the error, part 1 (where
Amy asks the computer for the current stardate) had already been out for
some time. So I was pretty much stuck with it. For purposes of TNG
continuity, just consider this story as taking place shortly after the
events depicted in the episode "Disaster" (two episodes prior to
"Unification"), stardates notwithstanding.
Or maybe I should just blame it all on Q. Hmmmm....
Q: Don't even think it, my dear author. Unless you want to spend
some time as a tribble... on the Klingon homeworld!
Next up for the Sailor Trek Saga: Sailor Trek: Deep Space Nine -
"A Sailor Paradox" It started out as a mission to investigate odd
behavior by the wormhole. Now they're in another universe and faced
with an impossible task: save Earth from being overrun by the forces of
the Negaverse.
Look on the bright side, Captain Sisko... at least the Dominion
isn't involved.
Or is it?
Preview Snippet:
Sisko turned to face the unfamiliar voice and stopped short. The
wormhole aliens usually appear to be people he was familiar with, his
coworkers on the station: Kira, Dax, Worf, Odo, Jake... even Quark. But
he was completely unfamiliar with the person he was facing now, though
there was something oddly familiar with her outfit. She was dressed in
a odd version of a sailor outfit: white leotard, miniskirt, bows on the
front and back all dark colored. She was carrying a staff that faintly
resembled a key of some sort.
And her hair... long, dark colored as well, but tinged with green.
Sisko didn't think he would easily forget someone with hair matching
that description. "Who are you?"
Chapter One coming NLT October 13. (I hope)
Planned:
Sailor Trek - Voyager: Fate intertwines the two universe yet again as
the Scouts meet up with the crew of the starship Voyager.
Highlander Moon - The Scouts have an encounter with Duncan MacLeod of
the clan MacLeod.
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