soton@aol.com (Soton)

Sailor Trek DS9 - Part 1

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 Deep Space Nine was created by Rick Berman and Michael Pillar; 

and is owned and copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.

Based upon Star Trek, 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.



Timeline note: Takes place in the middle part of season four of "Star 

Trek: Deep Space Nine" (shortly after the episode "Paradise Lost"), and 

during season one of "Sailor Moon".



Prologue:

     Komentac'lan, the Jem'Hadar First for this attack ship, watched 

calmly as the Vorta, Fiden, glanced over the bridge, examining each 

station carefully.  He was confident that all was as it should be, but 

it was the role of the Vorta to command the Jem'Hadar.  This was as it 

should be, as it was ordained by the Founders.

     It was, after all, the order of things.

     And Fiden's excessive caution was warranted on this trip... 

considering who their passenger was.  The life of a Founder was not one 

to be trifled with.

     "What is our ETA to the nebula?" he asked of his Second, 

Boretkat'lyn.  As he understood it, they were to rendezvous with a 

freighter in the nebula and the Founder would transfer to it.  Where it 

would go after that he had no idea, nor was it his place to ask, but he 

supposed that it would be bound for the Alpha Quadrant.

     "We should get there within eighteen hours," Boretkat'lyn replied 

promptly.  Fiden nodded, apparently satisfied, but before he could add 

anything the ship trembled under them and the lights flickered 

momentarily.

     "Report!" snapped the First.

     "We seem to have encountered an unknown spatial phenomena," came 

the answer.  "One that affected all three ships of our group."

     "What kind of phenomena?" the Vorta asked.  "A wormhole?"

     "Possibly," the Second said, but his voice was doubtful.  "We seem 

to have shifted through space."

     The First concentrated on his viewer and looked around the ship.  

Outside he could see a blue-green world nearby, apparently inhabited.  

It's one visible moon could be seen in the distance.  As the nearest 

inhabited planet had been several light years from their location, there 

was no doubt they had moved a great distance through space.  It only 

remained a question of how far.  "What is our current location?"

     The navigator looked up from his console.  "The Terran system, sir."

     "We moved right into the heart of the Federation," Fiden commented, 

blatantly stating the obvious.  "If it's a stable wormhole, it could 

prove to be of immense use to us."

     The Second interrupted his musings.  "I'm not sure it was a 

wormhole."

     "Explain," the First ordered.

     "While we are in the Terran system, I can detect no signs of 

Federation installations.  No orbital stations, no lunar colonies, no 

shipyards of any type... no signs of inhabitation at all... except on 

Earth itself."

     The First digested this news silently, while Fiden closely examined 

the world below them in his own viewer.  "Then... where *are* we?"



     "Where *are* they?" the Klingon growled.

     Worf stood on the bridge of the Defiant, scowling as he peered over 

O'Brien's shoulder.  They had been monitoring the three Dominion ships 

for several hours when they had mysteriously vanished from their sensors.  

As there hadn't been any previous indication that the Dominion possessed 

cloaking technology, this was a cause for concern for the Klingon officer.  

If the Dominion had managed to salvage a cloaking device or two from the 

Cardassian/Romulan fleet they destroyed, then their one true advantage 

(however slim) they had over the Gamma Quadrant power could be gone.

     Eventually the Chief shook his head.  "It's no good, sir.  They've 

vanished into thin air."

     "Did they cloak?" Worf asked.

     "No sir," O'Brien replied emphatically.  "If they had, I would've 

seen a phase shift in their warp fields."  He paused and stared at the 

monitor.  "It's as if they just up and left the universe entirely."

     "Very well," the Klingon rumbled, obviously dissatisfied.  "Log all 

pertinent data and transmit it to the station for Commander Dax to 

analyze later."  He turned to the helmsman.  "Lay in a course for the 

wormhole."



     Fiden paced impatiently across the bridge.  For two hours now they, 

and the other two attack ships, had been trying to determine what had 

happened.  Unfortunately, while Jem'Hadar made excellent soldiers, they 

were not very good at scientific analysis.  That being the case, it came 

down to the Vorta to arrive at an answer.

     But the answers were not being very forthcoming.  This seemed to be 

Earth, but much more primitive than it should be.  It was possible that 

they had traveled through time as well, but there were several historical 

inconsistencies with their observations of Earth.

     It was as if they had moved to another reality altogether.  But 

that was impossible.

     Wasn't it?

     Komentac'lan stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop.  "It is 

time for the White," he insisted.

     Fiden frowned, quickly going over his options in his mind.  If they 

were stranded without any avenue of returning to the Dominion (and 

therefore of resupplying themselves with Ketracel White), then it was 

only a matter of time before their current supply ran out and his hold 

over the Jem'Hadar vanished.  But if he withheld what they needed, their 

performance would be impaired by withdrawal...  After a moment, he 

decided that it might be prudent to give them what they required now.  

He would decide on what course of action to take later.  "Of course."  

Opening the case that contained the White, he asked the ritual question: 

"First Komentac'lan, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?"

     As always, Komentac'lan responded, "We pledge ourselves to the 

Founders.  From now and until death."

     Fiden removed the required vials and handed them to Komentac'lan.  

"Then receive this gift of the Founders.  May it keep you strong."

     The First was still distributing the White to his unit when the 

Founder, having assumed a humanoid form, entered the room.  This was not 

too shocking to Fiden and the Jem'Hadar as the Founder could go where 

it willed, but the sight of another humanoid with him, one with long, 

reddish brown hair and dressed in an unfamiliar gray uniform, was not 

something they would expect.  Automatically, the Jem'Hadar readied their 

weapons, but any further action on their part was forestalled when the 

Founder raised a hand.  "There's no need for concern.  This one here is 

a friend."  The Changeling turned to the unknown alien.  "Isn't that 

right, Neflyte?"

     "Of course," the alien responded silkily.  The Changeling turned 

back to the Jem'Hadar soldiers and smiled benevolently at them.

     Komentac'lan had been alive for nearly seven years, two of them 

serving as First for his unit.  He was a veteran of countless campaigns 

in the service of the Founders and had battled on dozens of different 

worlds.  But seeing the Founders's eyes gleam red made him, for the first 

time in his life, know fear.



     Jeddite grimaced as he stood before Queen Beryl.  Yes, the monarch 

of the Negaverse was smiling, and yes, she was complimenting someone on 

a job well done.  But she wasn't addressing him.  Instead she was 

congratulating Neflyte on his capture of the Changeling and the Jem'Hadar 

soldiers.  He glared once more at his rival General.  It was only a 

matter of time before Queen Beryl turned her attention to his latest 

encounter with the Sailor Scouts.  And given the way things went at that 

amusement park, she wasn't going to be pleased with the results.

     "...and now, Jeddite..."

     He shuddered inwardly at the false pleasantry in her tone.  It was 

going to be worse than he feared.

     "Once again you've encountered the Sailor Scouts..."  Her tone 

became icy.  "... and failed miserably!  Can you give me a reason I 

shouldn't destroy you at once?"

     Jeddite bowed low, striving to give the appearance of calm.  "I 

apologize for my failings, Queen Beryl," he said, "But I do have a 

plan..."  His mind raced as he strove to come up with a plan, ANY plan, 

that would appease the Negaverse monarch.  "Which should result in the 

destruction of the Sailor Scouts."

     "Indeed," Beryl all but purred.  "You have made such claims in the 

past.  Why should this time be any different?"

     Jeddite saw a gloating look on Neflyte's face as Beryl spoke.  

Evidently the other General thought that whatever plan Jeddite came up 

with would be doomed to fail.  How he wished he could just wipe the 

smile of his rival's face...

     Inspiration struck him like a thunderbolt.  As calmly as he could 

he addressed Beryl, "Because this time we have the shapeshifter as an 

asset."  Jeddite's statement drew a sharp look from Neflyte, pleasing him 

to no end.  Evidently the other General had his own plans for the 

shapeshifter... plans which Jeddite had no qualms about upsetting.

     "I see."  Queen Beryl regarded him coolly for several moments.  

"Tell me more Jeddite.  If this plan has potential, you may yet redeem 

yourself."



     Pluto knew the instant she returned to the Gateway of Time that 

the situation had deteriorated.  Things were far worse than when she 

had first feared.  Of course there was no telling how long she had been 

gone.  Time had little meaning here, and even less so where she had 

been.

     There was a burst of light accompanied by a ripple of sound, and a 

slightly balding man in a Starfleet captain's uniform appeared next to 

her.  "I thought you weren't supposed to leave here."

     "That's not entirely true.  I can leave it unguarded for short 

periods.  Besides Q, the situation demanded it," she replied.  She 

returned her gaze to the area surrounding the Gateway.  "But I see that 

things have changed for the worse."

     "Yes, that's certainly true," the entity agreed, glancing around 

himself.  Sighing he added, "Well, I tried to warn them.  But trust 

Picard to be too stubborn to listen."

     "You've garnered a bad reputation among them, Q," said Pluto.  "If 

you would be more civil with them, they might heed your warnings more 

often."

     "Moi?  Civil?"  Q looked shocked. "That's no fun."  He shrugged 

after Pluto gave him a sardonic look.  "Well, enough frivolity.  You've 

a temporal tangle to unravel.  I suppose you have a plan to fix your 

precious timestream."

     "You know I have," she replied.  "And I've already spoken to others 

about putting it into motion.  Besides... if I didn't you wouldn't be 

able to have anymore fun with Picard."

     "Hmmm..."  Q considered this, then nodded.  "You've got a point.  

What good is a universe without Jean-Luc to pester?  Or Worf, for that 

matter."  Then what Pluto had said sunk in, and the looked puzzled. 

"Wait a minute... others?  Which others?"

     "The Bajorans call them the Prophets," she replied knowingly.

     Realization dawned on Q's face.  "Oh, the wormhole dwellers.  A 

rather boring bunch, if you ask me.  All they do is hide out in that 

space-time conduit, not even bothering to understand linear time."

     "Q..."  Pluto took a deep breath.  While Q's nature was by very 

definition irritating, there were times when he could be most 

exasperating.  "If you're not going to help, then I would appreciate it 

if you would keep your comments to yourself.  The rift in time is 

threatening two universes right now, and I'm going to need all the help 

I can get to correct it."

     A hurt expression briefly flickered over the entity's face.  "I'd 

help if I could.  But you are well aware of the... restrictions my 

fellow Q have placed on me.  Especially since they were placed on me 

after my thankfully brief stint as a human... which you played some 

part in."

     "I didn't have much choice in that, Q.  You were becoming too wild, 

too out of control."  Q snorted in response.  "Q was right.  You needed 

to learn restraint."

     "Well, I hope your pleased with the results," Q replied sullenly.  

"Before I could have helped rectify this situation with a wave of my 

hand.  Now I'm forced to go along with the will of the Continuum: 'Those 

corporeal beings caused it, and they'll have to be the ones to repair 

it.'"  He shot a scornful look skyward.

     Pluto stood contemplatively for a moment.  "I'm afraid the end of 

this conversation will have to wait until later.  Time," her lips curled 

upward slightly at the irony of her statement, "grows short.  In the 

meantime, could you do me a favor and keep on eye on things here while 

I'm away?"  Q nodded silently and with that, she vanished.

     Q watched the space where she had stood, his expression unreadable, 

then turned his attention to the temporal turmoil surrounding the 

Gateway.  "Good luck, Pluto.

     "You're going to need it."





Sailor Trek: Deep Space Nine

A Sailor Paradox

by Bill Harris

(soton@aol.com)



"I hate temporal mechanics..."

     -Chief Miles Edward O'Brien





Chapter 1 - The Call of the Prophets...

     Kira looked up from her station in Ops to the captain's office, 

concern evident on her face.  He had been in conference longer than she 

thought he would be.  Perhaps...

     She shook her head and tried to focus on her duties.  Sisko had 

shown many times that he was quite adept at handling...  Her train of 

thought was broken by the door opening.

     "...the answer is still no!" Sisko was saying loudly as he left 

his office.  Stormed out would be more like it.

     Quark followed him out.  "Why not?  Advertising is a perfectly 

legitimate business practice."

     "What would you know about legitimate business?" Kira remarked.  A 

part of her absently noted Dax entering the room and making her way over 

to the station's Strategic Operations Officer, Worf.

     Sisko broke in before Quark could retort.  "Those monitors are 

for official station use."

     The Ferengi raced around Sisko and stood in his path, forcing him 

to stop.  "They won't interfere with the official functions.  I'll only 

use the monitors in public places, such as the replimat, and then only 

during normal business hours."  When Sisko shook his head and tried to 

move past him he added, "If they're needed, the advertisements can be 

overridden so the monitors can be used for 'official' functions."

     Behind her, Kira could hear Dax talking to Worf about the three 

Dominion ships that had mysteriously vanished from the Defiant's sensors 

during it's last patrol in the Gamma Quadrant, noting that it bore a 

resemblance to a phenomena witnessed by the Enterprise D, Worf's 

previous posting, some four years previous.  Kira felt her indignation 

rising at the bartender for keeping her from hearing this information as 

soon as possible.  Anything new that the Dominion could do would be a 

serious threat to the security of Bajor.  And anything that threatened 

that was something she wanted to know about right away, not listen to 

some Ferengi toad ramble on about how he could increase his profits.

     Not that Quark needed to do much of anything to get her riled at 

him.  The Ferengi bartender really knew how to be a royal pain in the...  

She skewered the bartender with an intense glare and snapped, "Which 

part of 'no' don't you understand?"

     "The part that says I can't do this!" Quark replied indignantly.

     Kira was forming a sharp retort but it died aborning when a sensor 

alert sounded behind her.  Turning, she saw Dax looking up from her 

console with a worried expression.  "Benjamin, I'm reading massive 

emissions of neutrinos, tetryons and chronotons from the wormhole.  It 

looks like a subspace rift might be forming inside it."  She bent back 

to the science station, intent on analyzing the readings it was giving 

her.

     "Let's see it, Chief.  On screen," Sisko ordered.  The viewer 

flickered to show the wormhole wide open and apparently staying that way.  

But in this instance it had a shimmering look to it, as if they were 

viewing it through a heat distortion.  It's color was also different, 

for along with the normal blues and whites it was tinged with red, giving 

the wormhole a slightly demonic appearance.

     "It looks like it's... on fire," Kira remarked.  

     "I'm reading gravimetric distortions from it as well," O'Brien 

reported.

     "Confirmed," Dax added.  "It looks as if it's entering the first 

stages of a structural collapse.  But I don't know what could be causing 

it."

     A look of concern came over Quark's face, "Collapse?  That could 

really be bad for profits."  At Sisko's glare he added, "I can see you're 

busy.  We'll talk later."  He headed rapidly to the lift, muttering to 

himself as he went.

     Sisko put the bartender from his mind and returned his attention to 

Dax.  "Could this be caused artificially, Dax?"

     "You mean by something like the Dominion?" the Trill asked.  "It's 

possible.  But there's nothing on this side that could account for it, 

and the readings I'm getting from the Gamma Quadrant listening posts 

aren't indicating anything there either.  Ultimately, I can't be sure 

what *is* the cause without doing a detailed scan of the inside.  We'll 

have to launch a probe."

     "I wouldn't try it," O'Brien responded.  "Those gravimetric 

distortions inside the wormhole that are strong enough to tear apart any 

probe we send in.  A runabout might survive passage through it to the 

Gamma Quadrant... but I doubt it would make it back in one piece."

     Sisko eyed the ailing anomaly.  If a probe or a runabout couldn't 

survive passage through the wormhole, that left only one option for them.  

"What about the Defiant, Chief?"

     O'Brien glanced at the sensor readouts again, mentally comparing 

them to his knowledge of the Defiant's structure.  "I think so.  But 

we'll probably have to run the structural integrity field at maximum, 

and we may have to supplement it with power from the warp engines.  In 

any event, it's going to be a bumpy ride."

     "Then let's get moving people."  Sisko walked over to the lift, and 

the other members of the command staff followed him.  "Sisko to Odo.  

Meet us on the Defiant, Constable."



     Sisko glanced up as Odo made his way onto the bridge.  "Welcome 

aboard, Constable.  I hope we don't need your help, but if there's even 

the slightest possibility of Dominion involvement..."

     "...then you might need a Changeling along," Odo finished, making 

his way to the rear of the bridge.  "I understand.  I'm not sure how 

much help I can be, but I'll do whatever I can."

     "Thank you, Odo,"  Sisko said, taking a quick glance around the 

bridge.  "Status, Chief?"

     "All systems ready," reported O'Brien.

     "Ops has given us clearance for departure, Captain," Kira added.

     "Release docking latches," ordered Sisko.  "Take us out, old man."

     "Docking latches released," Dax confirmed.  "Thrusters back one 

quarter."  The station receded on the viewscreen as the Defiant backed 

slowly away from the station, slowing when it was one hundred meters 

off.  "We're clear of the station, sir."

     "Set course for the wormhole, maximum impulse," the captain ordered.  

"Engage!"

     Dax's hands played quickly over the helm console and the small 

starship responded, spinning on it's axis and moving for the wormhole, 

accelerating rapidly as it entered the spatial anomaly.  The ship 

buffeted as it moved through it, as the gravimetric distortions made for 

a much bumpier ride than usual.  Sisko kept his attention on the 

viewscreen and tried to focus on the incoming reports from his crew, 

when suddenly...

     ...it all vanished.



     "He is here."

     Sisko turned towards the source of the voice.  He appeared to be in 

Ops on the station, and the person speaking seemed to be Kira.  But he 

knew better from previous experience.

     He was speaking with the wormhole aliens.  With the prophets.

     But why?

     Quark was standing in front of him also, nodding.  "It is the Sisko."

     Sisko blinked as the scene suddenly shifted to the infirmary with 

Dr.Bashir.  "She said he would come."

     "She?" he asked, puzzled.  "Who is she?  And why am I here?"

     Again he shifted locations, this time to the security office.  

"Time has shifted," Odo replied, apparently ignoring his first question 

for the moment.  "What you call the past is now fluid.  It threatens us."

     "I'm not sure I follow," Sisko said.  "Are you saying that the 

wormhole is being destabilized in the past?"

     Suddenly he found himself standing on the Defiant.  "He does not 

understand," Worf said.

     "He is linear," reminded Dax.  "The anomaly does not appear to them 

as it does to us."

     "Anomaly?" Sisko echoed.

     Now he was standing in his quarters.  "It is of your own creation," 

Jake told him.  "She needs your help to correct it."

     "Who is this person you keep referring to?  And why?"  Sisko 

suddenly found himself back in Ops.

     "That would be me," came a voice from behind him.  "And they 

brought you here because I asked them to."

     Sisko turned to face the unfamiliar voice and stopped short.  The 

wormhole aliens usually appear to be people he was familiar with, his 

co-workers 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, dark 

miniskirt, bows on the front and back... also 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?"

     "I am Sailor Pluto," she answered.  "We will meet again, Captain 

Sisko.  Very soon."



     Sisko blinked, disoriented at suddenly finding himself back in his 

command chair, and tried to listen to the barrage of reports coming his 

way.

     Bashir was scanning the crew with his medical tricorder.  "Is 

everyone alright?  I felt dizzy for a second there."

     O'Brien chimed in, "There was a massive surge of chronoton radiation 

when we exited the wormhole."

     "We've lost communications with the station," reported Kira.

     Dax was doing a quick analysis of the navigational readouts.  

"According to the navigational sensors, we're nowhere near the Gamma 

Quadrant."

     "Where are we, Dax?" Sisko asked.

     "Earth," she answered, "We're in orbit.  But..."  She looked again 

at the sensor readout and shook her head.  "Wait a minute...  According 

to the astrometric sensors, the year... is 1992."

     Her sudden announcement stilled all activity on the bridge.  After 

a moment, Sisko was able to find his voice.  "1992?  You mean to say 

we've traveled back in time, old man?"

     Dax swiveled her seat to face him, a sad smile on her face.  "It 

certainly appears that way."

     "It... would explain the chronoton emissions," O'Brien hesitantly 

added.

     "Reverse course," Sisko ordered, without much hope.  "See if you 

can take us back through the wormhole."

     "It wouldn't matter, Benjamin," said Dax, shaking her head.  "It's 

vanished.  It's as if it was never there."

     Sisko grimaced, but decided to confront that later.  First he had 

to make sure that Earth of the past wouldn't be able to detect his ship.  

"Activate the cloak.  I don't want anyone down there picking us up."  

The bridge lights dimmed as the cloaking field activated.



     Beryl stared in her crystal ball as the unknown starship faded from 

view, then cursed loudly.  "Malachite!"

     The white haired general materialized nearby, "Yes, My Queen?"

     "A starship has been spotted near the anomaly.  I want you to prepare 

the alien warriors and their space craft.  If it reappears, or any other 

appears in the area, they are attack at once... and destroy them!  We 

can't afford to have anything go wrong now.  Not when we're so close!"

     Malachite bowed low.  "As you wish, Your Majesty."



     "What the hell is going on?" asked a frustrated Kira.

     Sisko could certainly understand the Major's feelings.  But unlike 

her, he did have some insight into who was behind the detour the wormhole 

had sent them on... though he was still in the dark as to the why.  

"Whatever it is Major, I think the Prophets wanted us to be here," he 

answered her.  In short order, he told the crew of his experience during 

the wormhole passage.  Worf and O'Brien exchanged uncertain looks as he 

described the meeting he had with 'Sailor Pluto'.

     "Sailor Pluto?" Worf asked after he finished. "Are you certain that 

is what she said, Captain?"

     Sisko spun his chair to face the Klingon.  "You have an idea who she 

was, Commander?"

     "The description of her outfit sounds familiar, and the name 

certainly fits," O'Brien answered before Worf could.  "But it doesn't 

match any of the Sailor Scouts we met on the Enterprise."

     "Sailor Scouts?" said Kira, her voice slightly disbelieving.  

"Sounds like some sort of kid's group."

     Worf scowled at her, clearly irritated.  "You would not say that if 

you had seen them fight the Borg."

     This jogged Sisko's memory, as he noted the look of respect that 

was now on Kira's face.  He recalled reading Picard's reports about the 

encounter the crew of the Enterprise D had with the Sailor Scouts, and 

the subsequent battle they had fought together against a Borg ship.  

However, he had been deeply immersed in the Defiant project at the time 

and had given the report only a cursory reading.  "Dax, gather all the 

sensor information you can about the area.  See if you can find any 

information about this anomaly the wormhole aliens referred to."  Sisko 

spun his command chair around to face the two officers that had once 

served on the now destroyed Enterprise D.  "Mr. Worf, Chief... I want 

you both to tell me all you can about these Sailor Scouts."



     Artemis paused before leaping onto Mina's bed.  He hated to wake 

her, given the series of tough battles they had fought over the last two 

weeks since joining up with the others, but what choice had he?  He 

placed a paw on her shoulder and shook the blonde.  "Mina!"

     The result wasn't exactly what he had in mind.  Instead of waking up 

and being instantly alert, she mumbled something incoherent and rolled 

over.  Artemis was hardpressed to avoid being pinned under her arm.  He 

took a moment to consider his options, then...

     "OW!!"  Mina bolted upright, instinctively throwing away what had 

pained her.  There was a muffled thud as Artemis hit the wall.  "Artemis!  

What are you doing?!"

     The white feline slid to the floor and shook his head in an effort 

to clear it.  "Waking you up.  And without causing myself a mortal wound 

in the process."  He took a moment to assess his own condition.  "And it 

seems I was successful."

     "Don't bet on it," she growled, examining the finger that Artemis 

had bit.  It was red, but the skin wasn't broken and the pain was already

diminishing.  "A bucket of cold water would've worked just as well, Artemis...

And it would've been less painful."

     Despite the limitations of his feline form, Artemis did a fairly 

convincing imitation of raising one eyebrow.  "And just how am I 

supposed to handle a bucket of water?"

     "Oh, right."  After a moment she asked, "So what's so important?"

     "I just got word from Luna.  She and Amy have located a portal to 

the Negaverse."

     "I see," she said.  After mulling this over she added, "What do you 

think our chances are, Artemis?"

     "Are you kidding?  You four will kick Beryl's butt," he answered 

more confidently than he felt.

     "That's a nice thought," Mina said with a smile.  "Now, what do you 

think our chances really are?"

     Artemis sighed.  He should've known by now that he couldn't fool 

her... at least not when it came to matters such as this.  They'd been 

working together for too long.  "I know it doesn't look good, Mina.  

After all, you'll probably be going up against both Malachite and Zoisite 

at the same time.  But what choice do we have?  We can't just sit here 

while Beryl unleashes the Negaforce."

     "Don't worry, Artemis. We'll find a way.  We always do, right?" she 

answered, some optimism returning to her voice.  Artemis nodded to 

himself, heartened by this.  This was more like the Mina he knew.  

"Anyway, it's time to contact Raye and Lita."



     "JUPITER POWER!"

     The magic enveloped Lita, giving that feeling of power as it 

transformed her into Sailor Jupiter.  She paused for a moment, savoring 

the sensation, then raced off to meet the others.

     A lot had happened since that fateful day she had become a Sailor 

Scout.  Or realized that she was one, depending on how you looked at it.  

Either way, she had been following that boy (What was his name?  So much 

had happened in the interim, she had forgotten it.) when Zoisite had 

attacked him, pulling the Rainbow crystal from him and transforming him 

that youma.  Mars and Mercury had happened upon them at that point, but 

the battle had been evenly matched until Luna had given her the 

transformation pen, and she was able to become Sailor Jupiter.

     They still hadn't been able to save him, though... or any of the 

other carriers of the Rainbow Crystals, for that matter.  Even with 

Neflyte's help, and with Tuxedo Mask cropping up again, they were only 

able to defeat the transformed humans by killing them.  Jupiter vowed 

silently to make Zoisite pay for each and every one of them.

     And Malachite as well.  He had set a trap for them a couple of 

weeks ago, one that had very nearly worked.  Thank's to Venus' timely 

arrival, they had gotten away, but not before Darien had been captured... 

and Neflyte was killed.

     Jupiter pushed aside her thoughts, trying instead to focus on the 

task at hand as she raced on into the night.



     Raye calmly returned the communicator to it's usual hiding place 

and regarded the sacred flame.  Given her abilities, she had felt that 

the pivotal battle with the Negaverse was fast approaching, but it had 

come much sooner than she had expected.  She wasn't far from the 

rendezvous point, so she decided to take a chance she could glean 

something useful from it. Concentrating her attention on the flame, she 

tried to make it give her the information they would need to triumph, 

once and for all, over Beryl and her minions.

     At first the flame held steady, reluctant to give her what she 

needed.  Then it yielded to her persistence,  revealing what it could in 

a flurry of images.  A spacecraft, compact yet seeming to radiate power.  

A black man, whose demeanor demanded respect.  A woman in a red uniform 

and a seemingly crinkled nose, who seemed as confident as the man.  A rush 

of other images in people in similar uniforms to the man, each seeming to 

be more or less human.  It ended in a glimpse of a man, who's face seemed 

to be unfinished in some way and in a uniform that seemed similar to the 

woman's.  She watched him for what seemed to be several seconds before 

his features blurred, shifting to some gelatinous state.

     Raye felt her hackles rise at this sight and a surge of adrenalin 

as well, causing the fire reading to be disrupted.  But she allowed 

herself no regret at this, for the information that one of these 

creatures would be seen again was very valuable to her.

    'So, Beryl was going to use another one of those... things against 

us,' she thought while transforming.  'Well, it won't work.  We'll handle 

whatever she throws at us.'  She rushed out of the temple, making for 

the restaurant where she would meet the others.  'This time we'll be 

ready for that creature, Beryl.  And we'll deal with that thing... and 

then you.'



     Amy stood just outside the darkened restaurant, waiting for the 

others.  It shouldn't be much longer before they arrived.  Once more she 

glanced at her computer, scanning for any sign of Negaverse activity.  So 

far it appeared they had managed to go undetected, but that wouldn't last 

for long.

     She grimaced.  They way things had gone lately, it wouldn't surprise 

her if Malachite appeared right in front of them the moment they entered 

the tunnel.

     "Amy?"

     Jumping slightly, the blue haired Scout looked down.  "Yes, Luna?"

     "Are you OK?" the feline asked, concern evident in her voice.

     "I'm fine.  I was just scanning to be sure we haven't been detected."

     "I don't think that was all.  You seemed very concerned about 

something."  Luna paused, trying to marshall her thought.  "I know the 

situation looks grim, but..."

     "Thirty two point seven percent."

     Luna blinked, surprised.  "What?"

     "Thirty two point seven percent," Amy repeated.  "Those are our 

chances of winning.  I've computed the odds."

     "Thirty two point..."  Luna's voice trailed off.  "Is that *all*?"

     "Do you want me to take you the whole series of calculations?" Amy 

asked.

     "No thank you," Luna replied.  They were silent again, waiting for 

the others.  Then, "Well, if it's that bad, then before we go, I should 

thank you."

     Amy looked down at her, mystified.  "Thank me?  For what?"

     "For taking me in.  I know I could have stayed at Serena's, but I 

just could bear to go back there.  Not after..."  Luna's voice trailed 

of again, this time choked with emotion.

     "I know," Amy said gently.  "I miss her too."

     Further discussion was interrupted by Jupiter's arrival, followed 

shortly by Venus.  "Sorry I took so long," Jupiter said.

     "Actually, you got here sooner than I expected," Amy replied, 

pulling out her transformation pen.  "MERCURY POWER!"

     "Well, as soon as Raye gets here, we can get going," Venus said 

after Amy had finished transforming into Sailor Mercury.  She looked 

around, puzzled.  "I wonder what's taking her so long?  She lives closer 

to here than me, so I'd thought she'd be here already."

     "I'm not that late," Mars answered rather testily, coming up behind 

the blonde.  "I just took a moment for a last minute fire reading."

     "Did you get anything useful out of it?" asked Artemis.

     "I'm not sure.  I got a series of images, but I'm not sure how to 

interpret them.  The only thing I really recognized a shapeshifter."

     "You mean...?" Mercury breathed.

     Mars nodded.  "Yep.  I think we'll be facing another one of those, 

Mercury."

     Jupiter and Venus shared a look.  Neither had been around when the 

other two had faced the creature Mars had described, but they had heard 

enough about it from them to know just how dangerous it could be.  "We'll 

just have to keep our eyes open," Venus said.  "Let's get going, people.  

Next stop: the Negaverse!"



     "You're right, Chief," Sisko said, examining again the visual record 

of the Sailor Scouts taken from logs of the Enterprise D.  The faces were 

blurred in some fashion, but their outfits on the other hand were clearly 

distinguishable.  Another visual record was shown beside it, this one of 

the Scouts in untransformed state in Ten Forward, giving a clear look at 

their faces.  "Whoever I saw during the wormhole passage, she wasn't one 

of these Scouts.  But from her name and style of dress, she must have some 

association with them."

     "As I remember, they did mention meeting a Sailor Pluto," said Worf.  

"Though I never did see a visual record of her.  Had she not given you 

her name, my best guess would have been that she was a Sailor Scout 

representing one of the outer planets of the solar system... Saturn, 

Uranus, Neptune... or Pluto."

     "Why not one for Earth?" asked Sisko.  "There's no mention of a 

Sailor Scout for that planet."

     "I asked Luna about that during her stay on the Enterprise," 

replied the Klingon.

     "That's the black feline?" Sisko asked, indicating the display.

     "Yes, sir.  For whatever reason, there was no Sailor Scout for 

Earth, though Darien, also known as Tuxedo Mask, could be considered the 

representative of Earth."

     Sisko nodded, and moved back towards the center of the bridge.  

"Anything new, Dax?"

     "Plenty," she replied.  "Though, I'm not sure if it's related to 

our situation... or what any of it means.  We're reading the buildup of 

a large negative energy field centered in the arctic regions."  The Trill 

touched a control and a graphic appeared on the main viewscreen, 

detailing the energy field she had mentioned.  "It's causing massive 

disruption throughout the system; earthquakes, unusual weather, even 

accelerated sunspot activity."

     O'Brien had been watching from his engineering station while Dax 

was gave her report.  He took a moment to access the computer then said, 

"It sounds like the conditions just before the Sailor Scouts had their 

final confrontation with Queen Beryl."

     "If that's the case, then it's probably not the anomaly the 

Prophets were referring to," Dax said.

     "How do you know that, Chief?" Sisko asked.

     "When they were on the Enterprise, Mercury downloaded a record of 

their activities into the Enterprise main computer.  As a precaution 

against accidental interference with their timeline from other starships."  

The Chief touch a control, bringing up another graphic on the main 

viewscreen beside the one Dax had displayed.  Sisko noted that it was 

similar, though not identical to the one already displayed. "I've 

extrapolated this from those records.  The energy field Dax has scanned 

is almost exactly like these conditions observed just before Beryl tried 

to release the Negaforce.  Except..."

     "Except what?"

     A look of frustration came across O'Brien's face.  "It's too bloody 

soon!  It's nearly a month till the Scouts go to the North Pole.  That 

energy field shouldn't be anywhere near as powerful as it is." 

     "Could this be some sort of alternate universe, Chief?" Dax asked.

     O'Brien shook his head.  "No, I already checked that.  The quantum 

signature of this universe matches the one visited by the Enterprise... 

Both of them, in fact.  It's the same universe alright."

     "Could our presence have caused a disruption on the timeline?" 

Sisko asked.

     "I don't see how, " Dax answered.  "We were only visible for a few 

moments."  A sensor alert sounded, prompting her to forgo any further 

speculation.  "Hold on a minute, Benjamin.  Sensors are picking up life 

forms in the arctic regions, near the source of the energy field."  She 

paused to check the readout on the type of lifeform detected.  When she 

spoke next, her voice sounded stunned, "They're Jem'Hadar."

     "Jem'Hadar?" Bashir exclaimed.  "What are they doing on Earth?  

Especially on an alternate version of it."

     "That's a good question, Doctor," Sisko answered.  "One that I'd 

like an answer to."

     "It's an answer that might have to wait, Captain," Odo said.  The 

Constable had occupied a station on the far side of the bridge and was 

monitoring communications.  "We're picking up a subspace signal... and 

it sounds like a distress call."  Odo touched a control and the signal 

came over the bridge speakers, heavily laced with static.

     "...Mayday... under attack.... This is the USS... immediate 

assistance..."  the signal terminated abruptly.

     "The signal source is just on the other side of Earth, sir.  Not 

far from the Moon," O'Brien reported.

     Sisko quickly considered his options.  The appearance of the 

Jem'Hadar on Earth still needed to be checked out, but he also had a 

responsibility to answer that distress call.  As much as he hated to do 

it, he saw no other option but to split his forces.  "Major, take an away 

team down there.  Be ready to handle a Jem'Hadar strike force.  I'll be 

taking the Defiant to check out this distress call, so you'll be on your 

own for a while."

     Kira nodded.  "We'll be ready."



     "There's an exit up ahead!" Luna exclaimed.

     "About time," Venus grumbled.  "I was beginning to think they would 

never end."  The others nodded in agreement.  They had been following 

the tunnels for what seemed like hours, but it looked like they had 

finally managed to find the exit.  The four girls and two cats stood 

breathlessly at the mouth of the tunnel and looked out over the arctic 

expanse.

     "Hey, what gives?  I though this was supposed to go right to the 

Negaverse," asked Jupiter.  Mercury frowned and activated her visor.

     "Maybe we took a wrong turn?"

     Venus scowled at her feline companion.  "There's nothing wrong with my

sense of direction!"

     "I didn't say there was," Artemis replied defensively.

    "Never mind that you two," Luna said.  "We have to hurry.  If we 

can get the Rainbow crystals before the Negaverse can use them to form the

Silver Crystal, we may still have a chance."

     Artemis snorted.  "If they haven't figured out how to form it by 

now, I don't think they ever will."

     "Can we afford to take that chance?"

     The white cat grimaced.  "Not really.  Especially when they're about 

to set the Negaforce loose."

     "I'm getting a signal," Mercury said.  "There's another portal, 

much bigger than the one we found in Tokyo.  It's that way!"  She 

pointed across the ice field.

     "What are we waiting for?  Let's go!"  With that Venus charged 

forward, followed shortly by her companions.



Next time:  The Defiant checks out the distress call, the Scouts battle 

the Jem'Hadar and Kira meets up with the Scouts.  Plus the Great Zoisite 

Gender Debate in Chapter 2, "D Point Revisited".



Notes: Quark's advertising scheme is a lead in to the trick he pulled in 

the beginning of a late fourth season episode, "The Quickening".


Bill Harris
Go Orioles!!! Umm... maybe next year?
Sci-Fi quote of the month:
"And then we'll make the Dominion sorry they ever set foot in the Alpha
 Quadrant!"
"Cadet, you took the words right out of my mouth." - Nog & Sisko in DS9's "Call
 to Arms"