Sailor Trek: The Dilithium Dilemma written by Bill Harris (Soton@aol.com) Chapter 3 - Welcome aboard, Sailor Scouts "Captain's log, supplemental. We have managed to retrieve one of the stolen crystals. We have also beamed up some rather... interesting guests who may have information vital to our search. Our questions will have to wait until they are treated for injuries received in the struggle to recover the first crystal." Sailor Mercury stood by the biobed that Sailor Mars lay on, with Sailor Moon's being right behind her. The medical personnel had quickly tended her wounds, spraying synthetic plaskin being sprayed over the burn and using what they called a tissue regenerator, deadening the pain to that of a mild sunburn. The technology present was beyond her grasp, but the readouts were still quite easy to read. Sailor Mars' and Sailor Moon's readouts were well within the norms indicated on the panels, so she wasn't too worried about their prognosis. She just wished she knew more about the conditions of Jupiter and Venus. She had checked her computer earlier and confirmed that this ship was the source of the energy readings she had detected in orbit. She still wasn't sure who they were, but they obviously had no connection with the Negaverse. Hopefully they were friendly. She heard someone approaching from behind her. Turning, she saw one of the men who had been in the park. Now he was dressed similarly to others she had seen here; boots, black pants and a blue shirt that had an arrow-like symbol over the left breast. But what really got her attention was his ears. They were pointed. "Greetings," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Spock, first officer of the Enterprise." "I'm Sailor Mercury." He raised one eyebrow. "Interesting. I noticed during the battle that some of your associates referred to each other by various astronomical appellations. Is that the case for the entire group?" "Yes," she answered with a nod. "We're the Sailor Scouts. That's Sailor Moon, and this is Sailor Mars." She looked around the room nervously. "I'm... not sure where Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus are." "Your other friends are currently in surgery," Spock told her. At her sudden look of concern he added, "I would not be too worried. Dr. McCoy and Dr. M'Benga are excellent surgeons, among the best in Starfleet. I am quite certain that Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus will make complete recoveries." "I hope you're right..." she said softly. After a moment, "If you will come with me, Captain Kirk would like to have a word with you." "I don't know..." She glanced over at the two unconscious Scouts. "There is nothing more you can do for your friends by remaining. Since we are obviously faced by a mutual opponent, logic dictates that we foment a rapid exchange of information so we can develop a mutual strategy." Seeing that she was still hesitant, he added, "If you wish, I can arrange for us to be notified upon any change to their conditions, no matter how slight." She nodded reluctantly and followed him. She knew in a way he was right but part of her didn't want to leave until she knew that they were all OK. As she followed Spock, another thought struck her. What had happened to Luna and Artemis? Luna touched the forcefield experimentally, and uttered a small yowl of pain. One of the guards outside looked down at her. "Be careful, kitty. Touching that force field could scorch your paws off." She shot him a dirty look, then retreated to the rear of the room where Artemis was sulking. "Well, what have you got to say for yourself?" she demanded in a low voice. "It's not my fault we're stuck here," he maintained in the same manner. "Not your fault?!? You nearly clawed that man's hand off!" Artemis motioned frantically for her to keep her voice down. The guard looked inside for a moment, then returned his attention to the hallway. "It wasn't that bad." "Bad enough that the guard shot you with that weapon of theirs. And they got me as well. It's lucky for us that we were only rendered unconscious for a while." She sighed, exasperated. "Did you have to go bezerk like that? We'd probably be in that 'sickbay' place they mentioned if you hadn't!" The white cat glared at her. "You heard what they were saying about us. They were about to 'beam' us down, which tells me we wouldn't be anywhere near them. And if it had been Serena injured like that and they had tried to keep you away, Luna, you'd have gone a little ballistic too." She nodded, conceding his point. "Perhaps you're right." Glancing about the room, she added, "On a brighter note, I don't think these people mean the Scouts any ill will. I'm not sensing anything evil about this place." Artemis came out of his brooding state long enough to glance around himself. "You're right. But there's a hint of malice, as if someone from the Negaverse was here for a brief time." "Yes," agreed Luna. "Malachite, perhaps. He probably stole that crystal from here. But where is here? And what was that crystal?" "Good questions," Artemis said. "We'll just have to wait for the answers." The medical technician ran the test one more time, and nodded in satisfaction. "No lasting injuries, sir," she told her captain, "but you're going to have a sore neck for a few days." "Better than being strangled," Kirk replied with a smile. "Thank you." He went into the door, where his first officer was patiently waiting with one of their guests. "I told the good doctor I was fine, but he still insists on being a mother hen." "A wise precaution, nonetheless. Dr. McCoy's dedication to the health of the crew is well noted," Spock stated. Kirk allowed himself a small grin. "You'd better not let Bones hear you talk like that. He'll accuse you of becoming more human." Spock raised an eyebrow, but made no other comment. "Captain, this is Sailor Mercury, of the Sailor Scouts." He extended a hand, "I'm Captain James T. Kirk, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Welcome aboard. I wish the circumstances were different." "Likewise." Her gaze flickered in the general direction of the surgery. At Kirk's unspoken question, Spock said, "Dr. McCoy and Dr. M'Benga are in surgery with the two more severely injured Sailor Scouts. The others have sustain relatively minor injuries and have been treated." "I see," Kirk mused. "And the felines we picked up?" "Secure." 'Felines? Secure?' Mercury perked up on hearing this. "One white, the other black, each with a crescent moon marking?" At Spock's nod, "They're with us. Are they here? On this ship?" "They are currently in the brig," Spock replied. "What?!?" Mercury was aghast by this development. "They're harmless!" "You may inform Chief Kyle of that fact," Spock replied evenly. "He sustained severe lacerations from the white feline." "Artemis," she said softly. "He's probably just worried about Sailor Venus. They've been together for some time." At their puzzled looks, she added, "I'll explain later. I know we've got a lot of things to talk about, but could they be brought here first? Or perhaps I could bring them myself? I could keep them from... overreacting." Kirk looked thoughtful. "I don't see why not. Mr. Spock, why don't you escort Sailor Mercury to the brig. In the meantime, I'm going to check on things on the bridge. Afterwards, we can try to sort this out." The guard came to attention as Spock came up to the brig entrance with Sailor Mercury beside him. "...so you're half human?" she was saying. "Correct. My mother is from Earth, and my father is from the planet Vulcan." To the guard he said, "Deactivate the forcefield." "Yes, sir." The guard snapped the controls to the 'off' position, and the forcefield barring the entrance shut down. Mercury entered the room, and Luna jumped into her arms. "I'm glad to see you, Amy," she whispered. "Same here," she whispered back. "Don't worry, I think we're among friends." "Where are the others?" "Sickbay. I'm taking you there. Mina and Lita are in surgery. Raye and Serena seem to be fine, more or less." She turned and handed the black feline to the Vulcan. "Could you carry Luna, while I carry Artemis? That way we don't have to worry about him scratching someone else." Artemis meowed in protest. "Of course," Spock responded with his customary calmness. Mercury handed Luna to him and bent down to pick Artemis up. Thus she missed the sudden expressions of shock on both Spock's and Luna's faces. Uttering a loud screech, the cat leapt out of his grasp and landed on the bench then turned to stare at Spock. "Huh?" Mercury looked between the two, confused as to what was going on. The guard also became more alert at these developments, and put a hand on his phaser. "Fascinating..." Spock turned to the crewman. "That will be all, ensign. Dismissed." The redshirt looked doubtful. "Sir, are you sure..." "I said dismissed, ensign!" the first officer said in a slightly louder tone. The guard nodded in acknowledgement and retreated down the corridor. Spock turned back to Mercury. "You did not say that these cats were sentient." Mercury gasped. "How did you..." "He's a telepath, Mercury," Luna responded. "I felt him touch my mind." "A touch telepath," Spock corrected. "Typically my psi shields keep out unwanted contacts during physical contact, but I did not anticipate a sentient mind in a feline form. Thus my shielding was not at the appropriate level. My apologies for the intrusion." "No harm done," responded the cat. "Shall we continue to sickbay?" "Of course," Spock replied. Steeling his defenses, he picked Luna up again. "Once we are there, we have much to discuss." Sailor Moon opened her eyes. "Whoa, that was one weird dream..." Her voice trailed off when she got a good look at her surroundings. It wasn't a dream, after all. "Raye! Are you OK? Where are the others? Where are we?" "Ask me again when the room stops spinning," she grumbled, slowly sitting up. "Oh, good, you're OK." Then she frowned, "But how'd you get hurt?" "You're head conked into mine when you fell down, that's how," Mars snapped. "Oh, yeah, that's right." She felt her head tentatively. "So how come my head doesn't hurt?" "Because there's nothing up there to damage?" Sailor Moon went through a sudden mood change and started snarling at Mars. "WHAT?!?" Further argument was forestalled by Mercury's arrival with Artemis. "Well, I see you two have recovered." "More or less," Mars answered. "Hey, where's Luna?" asked Sailor Moon. "She's having a discussion in private with Mr. Spock," Artemis replied. "Spock? That's a weird name," Mars said. "I doubt that's true for him. After all, he's not human," said Mercury. "Well, what did you want to talk about?" Luna sat upon the table in McCoy's office. Spock sat himself down in the chair facing her. "There is a great deal of information to exchange between the two of us. In the interests of expediency, I suggest the Vulcan Mind Meld." "What's that?" "It is a Vulcan telepathic technique. Utilizing my abilities, our minds will temporarily merge, becoming effectively one mind. Considering the vast area of information we have to exchange, it seems the most logical means to do so." "I agree," said Luna. "Please proceed." Spock folded his hands in front of his chest, beginning the mental preparations for the meld. After a moment, he placed both hands on opposite sides of Luna's head. Her head was too small for the usual contact points, so he improvised as best he could. "My mind to your mind," he intoned as he formed the link. "Your thoughts to my thoughts." The connection was forged, and the two minds became one. Images poured through the meld. Memories of the Silver Millennium, of the Moon Kingdom. The joy Luna felt watching the Scouts grow in power. Her friendship with the Princess. Watching her fall in love with Prince Darien. Other memories, these horrific. Beryl's attack on the Moon Kingdom. Watching as it is completely destroyed. The Scouts valiant, but futile struggle against the invader. Her sadness at seeing Darien and Serena killed by the Negaforce. Queen Serenity's use of the Silver Crystal and her ultimate sacrifice. The cold sleep capsule. Reawakening. Finding Serena, Sailor Moon. Searching for the other Scouts. Her frustration with Serena. Looking for the Princess reborn, never realizing that she was under her nose all along. Spock's memories flowed through the meld also. His struggle growing up on Vulcan. Joining Starfleet despite his father's wishes, and attending the Academy. The years of silence with his father, Sarek. The assignment to the Enterprise. His service under first Captain Pike and later, Captain Kirk. His reconciliation with Sarek. The travels and adventure of the Enterprise and her crew. The ship's transition to this universe. The theft of the crystals. Mutual memories of the recent battle were also exchanged. Luna's horror at watching the Scouts fall wounded one by one. Spock's concern for his captain and friend as Obsidian choked him. Their return to the Enterprise. After several minutes, Spock opened his eyes and released his hold on Luna. They regarded each other for several moments. "Fascinating." McCoy walked tiredly into his office, only to find Spock sitting there. The Vulcan rose as he entered. "My apologies for the intrusion, Doctor, but I required privacy." "Something wrong with your quarters?" McCoy grumbled, then waved him off. "Forget it. I'm too tired to argue right now, Spock." He glanced momentarily at the black cat in the office with them, but shook it off. "What are the current conditions of your patients?" McCoy sighed. "M'Benga completed work on the blonde just before I finished on the brunette. They're both in recovery right now. It'll be at least a week before they'll be able to leave here." "But they will make a complete recovery?" "Oh, no doubt about it." He could have sworn he heard a sigh of relief from the cat. Poppycock. "Though their constitutions are amazing. The injuries they sustained would have killed anyone else. Even you, Spock." The Vulcan ignored the half hearted barb. "Very well. I..." Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the sound of a loud argument. "Now what?" McCoy snapped, rushing out of his office. "Oh, no," Luna moaned, "here we go again." "Indeed," Spock answered, fully comprehending the source of her distress. Sailor Moon glared daggers at Mars. "You take that back!" "Just telling it like it is." "Why you --" "ENOUGH!" Shocked into silence, Mars and Moon gaped at McCoy, who returned their stares with eyes full of fury. "I don't know what you two are arguing about, but it will stop this instant! And you!" He pointed a finger at Mars, "You lie back down this instant, young lady! You're still recovering from a concussion." "I'm fine," insisted Sailor Mars, ignoring the fact that room was spinning. She tried to take a step, but immediately grabbed the bed for support. "Sure you are," said McCoy. "Now are you going to get back in that bed, or do I have to give you a sedative?" "I think you should do what he says, Mars," Sailor Moon suggested. "When did you become a doctor?" Sailor Moon bristled. "I may not be a doctor, but I know common sense when I hear it." "Come on," Mars retorted. "You and common sense..." "I said stop the bickering!" McCoy interrupted. "I don't have all day to stand around here constantly breaking up these skirmishes of yours. I'm a doctor, not a referee! Now if you two can't be quiet, I'll arrange a nice long nap." To emphasize his point, he pulled out a hypo. "He's right," Mercury put in. "Can't you keep from arguing for more than five minutes?" "Not likely," Artemis muttered. McCoy blinked, suddenly taken aback. Did he just hear that cat talk? His speculation was interrupted by the alert klaxon going off and Uhura's voice from the intercom. "Intruder alert, all decks! Security to main engineering!" Spock snapped open the intercom. "Spock here." "Spock, we've got multiple intruders reported in main engineering," Kirk's voice came over the intercom. "Meet me there as soon as possible." "Captain, if the intruders are similar to the creature we faced earlier, we may need the assistance of the Sailor Scouts to deal with them." Luna was already rushing out of the office. "Good idea. Bring as many of them as you can with you. Kirk out." Luna bounded up by Sailor Moon. "It's the Negaverse!" McCoy's jaw dropped. First teenage girls with superpowers, now a talking cat. What next? "They're attacking this ship. All of you need to get to the engineering section to help. And that includes Venus and Jupiter as well!" Mars groaned and tried to rise. "Now just a damned minute!" McCoy's voice rang out. OK, maybe there was a talking cat around here, but he was still the CMO of this ship. "Only you two," pointing to Sailor Moon and Mercury, "are cleared to leave. The others are confined to Sickbay." "Be that as it may, Doctor," Spock said, "We need them in engineering. Now." "Spock, you know as well as I do that's impossible." "Not quite doctor," the Vulcan insisted. "Sailor Moon can heal the others by utilizing the Moon Healing Power." "The what?!? How the blazes do you know that, Spock?" snapped McCoy. "As a result of a mind meld I conducted with Luna," Spock replied, indicating the black cat. McCoy glanced back and forth between the feline and the first officer. "You had a mind meld with a CAT!! Are you out of your Vulcan mind?" "I hope not," said Luna. "That could have serious repercussions for my mental stability." Artemis looked dumbfounded. "Luna!" McCoy stared speechlessly at the white cat. TWO talking cats? "Fascinating," Spock said. "I don't think I have ever seen the doctor at such a loss for words. Much as I would like to have a logical debate with you doctor, there isn't time." He turned to Sailor Moon. "The five of you are needed in engineering immediately. I suggest you heal you friends and make your way there posthaste." "Right!" she said as she pulled out the Crescent Moon Wand. Recovering slightly, McCoy eyed her skeptically. "And just what do you think that will do?" he asked. "Do you think you can wave your magic wand and make everyone better?" "Something like that," responded Sailor Moon as Spock raised one eyebrow. It would seem that Doctor McCoy would be in for another shock. "Just stay right there, and I'll show you!" "Och, not again!" Scotty snapped as he ducked down into cover, hoping that his precious engines wouldn't be too badly damaged. The security forces present had been able to prevent the creatures from damaging any critical systems, but it was too evenly matched to be sure as to the outcome. He heard the sound of the doors opening and sighed, relieved that reinforcements had finally arrived. "I am Sailor Moon!" a teenaged voice proclaimed. "The champion of justice! I right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that means you!" "It's the Sailor Scouts!" hissed a fear laden voice. "What the devil?" Scotty muttered. He risked a look into the combat zone and gasped. Five teenage girls stood in the door, confronting the monsters that had invaded the Enterprise engine room. "Are they out of their minds?" he wondered. "Those lasses have nae got a prayer!" "MERCURY BUBBLES... BLAST!" The engine room was suddenly filled with fog. "JUPITER THUNDER... CRASH!" "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM... SMASH!" "MARS FIRE... IGNITE!" Flashes of lightning, intense beams of light and balls of fire showered through the engine room, disintegrating most of the invaders. The last youma remaining looked around wildly before he heard "MOON TIARA.... MAGIC!" and was himself disintegrated. "Well, that was easy!" "Easy?" The security squad looked around in amazement as the fog cleared. These teenagers had mopped up a horde of creatures in a matter of seconds that they had been struggling just to contain for the last five minutes! "I dinna believe it," Scotty muttered as he came out of cover and walked up to the one that seemed to be the leader. "I dinna know who ye are, but thank ye all the same." The doors whooshed open as Kirk entered the engine room at this point, followed shortly by Spock. A quick glance of the Scouts standing in the room amid several piles of dust and ash told him that the situation was well in hand. "Thanks for your assistance." "No problem," said Sailor Moon, with Mercury and Mars concurring. "Piece of pie," Venus said with a wide grin and flashing a "V for Victory", drawing several incredulous looks from the engine room personnel. Jupiter said nothing, but was staring wide-eyed at Kirk. "Wow. He looks just like my old boyfriend." As one, the Scouts uttered a loud groan, while both of Spock's eyebrows went upward. "Um... thanks... I think," Kirk stammered. He quickly excused himself and went over to Scotty. Jupiter continued to stare at him. "How's it look, Scotty?" "I just managed to install the crystal before this bunch of wraiths appeared," Scotty said. He glanced at the engineering status board and nodded satisfactorily. "It does nae look like anything was damaged during the fight. Warp power is now available." "Good," Kirk responded. "Activate the cloaking device." "Captain, I would nae draw too much power from the mains," the scotsman cautioned, "not when we only have the one crystal available. Too much power through it and it'll blow for sure." "Leaving us right back were we started. Draw power from the warp engines for the cloaking device only. All other systems are to run off impulse." Nodding, Scotty leaned over activated several controls on the main board. "Cloaking device?" Venus said. "What's that?" "A device to render us invisible to most forms of detection," Spock responded. "Cool!" Jupiter cried. "A stealth starship!" "Colloquially expressed..." the Vulcan observed, "but essentially correct." Malachite frowned. The starship had faded from detection moments ago, but not in the way he had expected. "Malachite!" Beryl yelled. The general started. "Yes, my queen?" "I believe I had ordered you to supervise the collection of energy needed to release the Negaforce. Why have you not done so?" He bowed to her. "Forgive me, my queen, but I was taking steps to be sure the starship could not interfere. I..." Beryl snorted. "Even if they knew our exact plans, there is nothing they can do to hinder our plans! Supervise the collection of energy! All else is secondary!!" "Yes, my queen." Next time: The Scout have saved the ship from Malachite's latest attack, and the Enterprise is now safely hidden. But where do they go from here? Find out in chapter 4: "Strategy session"