Chapter 13

Enterprising Young Heroes

Admiral's Personal Log: Stardate 2258.77

They did it. They actually pulled it off. I have spent centuries looking for them after they failed to appear in the 20th century. And now... The Scouts have returned. Although things are different then they should be... I'm confident that they will be able to rise to any challenge.

I cannot fix the damage the Narada had caused back in 2233, and again when Vulcan was destroyed. In that aspect... I failed as a Guardian of Time. But Time... it seems... has a way of repairing some of the damage done by itself. One particular ship, with one particular crew... brought together in extraordinary circumstances to face a grave threat. And now... James T. Kirk will face many challenges to come. And he will not do so alone.

Beryl has been taken to a Maximum Security facility in Regulus Sector. Although I doubt we've seen the last of her... I pray that she remains locked up on that asteroid for eternity. There are other threats out there that the Federation is unprepared for... but then again... who is? In the Galactic Scale of Things... Starfleet is still young. Born in the 22nd century and... fresh out of its crib, challenged the local bullies in the Romulan Star Empire and won. Here in the 23rd... Starfleet is stretching its legs, and facing challenges from its neighbors. But that was to be expected. I know how history was supposed to proceed. I can only hope that out of all this... we may just come out better prepared for the darkness that is to come.

The threat from the distant Gamma Quadrant...

The merciless, emotionless darkness spawned from a planet of machines...

The chaos wrought by the Demons of Air and Darkness themselves...

But that is in the future. For now... more noble pursuits await us. The Federation stands as a beacon of light in the darkness. And it will be up to us all... to defend it from all threats.

I have finalized the transfers of Lts. Amanda Anderson, Lita Kino, Rene Hino, and Minako Aino to USS Enterprise. No point in breaking up the team now that they've discovered their strength. I still have to find Uranus, Neptune and Saturn... but for now... there is no hurry.

Besides... There are plenty of new worlds to see on the way.

Minako dipped her brush into the can as she put the finishing touches on the Artemis. She could have used the spray on stuff... but there was just something about doing it the old fashioned way that had a more... personal touch. A few more brush strokes and she pulled the stencil off the side of the shuttle and stepped back.

Now proudly displayed on the side of the Artemis was the registry number of her new assignment.

NCC-1701

"We're home Artemis..." Mina said with a smile. "We're home."

The smile grew a bit bigger as she looked at the name of the shuttle. Although it wasn't regulation to add nose art to shuttles, Mina took the liberty of adding a silver crescent moon under the shuttle's name. A little nod to the rest of the team. She was pretty sure Serena wouldn't mind. Or Captain Kirk for that matter.

Picking up the paint can and brush, Mina turned to leave the shuttlebay and head for her quarters.

"We gonna have some fun here..." she said.

She finished organizing the small armory next to the shuttlebay as Minako passed. Rene couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes. Although losing her friends on Starbase 24 hurt... she had a new place to call home, along with new friends.

Closing the cabinet where she stashed her Phaser Rifle, Rene ran a hand through her black hair before stepping out of the Armory and closing it up.

"KEENSER! GET DOWN!"

Lita was making herself at home in Engineering, even joining Scotty in yelling at Keenser whenever he climbed things. The Enterprise wasn't an Akula class... but it wasn't just the place that made a home, it was the people.

Rolling her eyes as Keenser refused yet again, the brunette just sighed and smiled as she went back to work on running a diagnostic on the EPS grid. Her hand brushed up against the pouch that held her Pen before returning to the console.

"Looks like everything's green across the board Mr. Scott," she said as the Scotsman approached.

"Aye..." Scotty replied. "Great work lass."
"Thanks Scotty."

She finally unpacked her things. Ami never thought the transfer would be permanent, but here she was, settling in aboard the Enterprise. Once the assignments were finalized, sleeping arrangements were reorganized to allow the Scouts to be in the same area. Ami was actually bunking out with Serena again, with Lita, Mina, and Rene next door.

Pulling out a picture frame, Ami smiled as she looked at it before placing it on the nightstand. It was a picture of her family, with her as a young child between her parents. Shortly after that, another picture was placed, this one showing Ami at the Academy alongside her friend Serena Pike.

Serena stepped onto the Bridge with PADD in hand. Things were getting back to normal. Or... at least as normal as they can be when you're aboard the Enterprise, especially when you're not exactly normal yourself. It was still hard to believe that she and her friends were supposed to be some kind of hero team or something like that. But... she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Walking passed Uhura, Serena made her way to the center of the Bridge. Chekov and Sulu looked back and gave her a friendly smile before returning their attention to their respective consoles. Spock was over at his usual station, running who knows how many scans and stuff on the surrounding sector. McCoy happened to be up here as well, pacing at the back of the Bridge with that slightly annoyed look he gets sometimes. And in the middle of it all... James T. Kirk.

"Latest reports sir," Serena said, presenting the PADD to the Captain.

"Thank you lieutenant," Kirk replied as he accepted the device. "Your friends settling in?"

"Yes sir."

"You did good Serena," Kirk said with a smile.

For a moment nobody said anything. Then... Kirk stood up and motioned towards The Chair.

"Take us out Ms. Pike," he said with that roguish smile.

Serena blinked in surprise. Now all eyes were on her. Kirk just offered her The Chair, even if only for a few minutes. After a minute, she took a step forward... and caught her foot on something. She would have fallen flat on her face if not for Kirk's quick reflexes. Apologizing for the screw up, Serena sat down in the Captain's Chair. Although nervous, sitting in The Chair... felt right. In a way... even if it wasn't going to last... she felt like she was sitting on some throne and ruled over a kingdom.

Sulu had a smile on his face as he watched all this. He had to admit, in a way, Serena Pike looked like royalty right now. Even if she was just the daughter of an Admiral.

"Course heading?" he asked, catching Serena off guard.

"Um..." Serena faltered. They didn't have any particular mission so it was pretty much an open galaxy. So much for feeling like a leader. Now she felt like a lost cadet again. Shaking her head, Serena just pointed out towards the viewscreen.

"Second star to the right," she said. "And straight on til morning. Lets just see what we find."

With a smile, Sulu turned around and plotted a course out into the unknown.

The Enterprise came around, light from the sun glistening off her white hull as the starship broke orbit from Earth. She glided past the moon before her nacelles lit up, and the Enterprise shot off to Warp for parts unknown.

Facility 4028

Regulus Sector

She fumed over her defeat. Not only had she been defeated by these Lunarian successors and their allies, she was beaten by senshi.

"Enjoy your victory for now Sailor Moon," Beryl growled. "We'll meet again. And next time... I will destroy you."

Starbase Frontier-17

"Thank you for your time Commodore Daniels," she said as she left the office. Daniels had his eye on Helios, a device created by T'mar and her father to try and help the Vulcans rebuild. He was hoping it would give Starfleet a tactical edge.

She didn't care about the man's ambitions.

She had her own.

If only he knew who he had been dealing with.

But now was not the time to reveal herself, in her gold armored glory. No... she would bide her time. Things still needed to fall into place before she could execute her plans for the galaxy.

Let them think their destiny was their own. When the time was right... she would prove them wrong. After all... patience was a virtue.

Tugging on her Admiral's uniform, she remembered a time when she was known for her strength. She was the most powerful of the senshi. Now... she had been forgotten. But soon... she would remind them.

But not yet. Events were set in motion, and she wanted to see how they played out. She had even heard of the exploits of one particular starship that might pose a threat to her plans.

As she stepped onto the transporter pad, she had a hint of a smile on her face.

"One to beam over to the Galactica," she told the operator.

Enjoy your victories Enterprise. She thought as her body dematerialized. I will be keeping an eye on you.

Author's Behind the Scenes: Not much to say about this one. The chapter title was inspired by the track Enterprising Young Men from the Star Trek soundtrack. Felt it fit. I also left it open for a possible sequel in the future.

And this is it. Moonrise is complete. I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I know I had fun writing it, and finally working up the courage to post it. What new adventures await? Well... maybe we'll find out. I currently have no plans as of now, but... I hope to revisit both Moonrise and Sierra Echo at some point when I figure out what to do.

Until the next adventure...

Rattler20200