TRTSS3: In Search of a Paper Moon! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "SM", "R1/2", "ST" and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special note: This story takes place in the year 2360, eight months before Ranma and Usagi re-enters Starfleet (as Academy cadets).
Part 1
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding-!
Ranma looks up from his desk after the eleventh ding of his antique grandfather clock. He yawns, as he screw the top of his fountain pen back on.
"Ranma?"
Ranma looks up to see his some-time lover and long-time friend.
"Kathy, what are you still doing up?"
Katherine Janeway (Science Specialist, Lieutenant-Junior Grade), who was wearing only Ranma's nightshirt, enters his study.
"I could say the same thing," Kathy says, as she rounded Ranma's desk, and sat on his lap. "I mean, I WILL be shipping out on my new assignment tomorrow morning."
Ranma wrapped his arms around Kathy's waist.
"Sorry about spoiling your vacation," Ranma says.
"No, you didn't actually," Kathy says. "I wanted to visit my parents and my daughter, anyway, while I finish up my advanced studies here on Earth."
"Huh."
Silence.
"Kathy-"
"No, Ranma," Kathy says, as she gets up. "Not yet."
Ranma sighs. Ever since he had learned that Kathy's daughter Katrina was his, he has wanted to get to know the girl as her father. However, either because of pride or discretion, Kathy made Ranma promise to not let Katrina know of her true parentage…
"Fine."
"Good," Kathy says, as she goes by the door of Ranma's study. Casually, she allowed Ranma's nightshirt to slip off her body.
"Oops," Kathy says, as she heads for the upstairs room of the Tendo Compound, one of the few homes that survived the centuries of war and development. "I think I dropped something…"
Ranma smirks with a smile, as he rises from his desk. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of the picture of his wife…
"Damn it," Ranma says, as he takes the photograph and picture frame, and puts it into his desk drawer. Thus, with one last huff, Ranma follows Kathy to bed.
The next afternoon, before his private classes were set to begin, he receives a visitor.
"Hello?" Ranma says, as he catches a glimpse of a tall, buxom, purpled hair woman walking up the pathway of the Tendo Compound towards the house. He was putting out the Tendo Dojo sign, which is an indication that martial arts classes were in session.
The woman, dressed in a gray business "dress suit", looks around, as if she was trying to remember something…
"Miss?"
"Oh, my goodness," the woman says, as she takes off her sunglasses. "This place…"
"Yes, it's been in my care for a long time," Ranma says, as he sets the sign into place. Although many of his martial arts courses could be downloaded into a home holographic system, or even into a holodeck, Ranma still prefers to teach the old fashion way: in person.
"Ah, yes. Well, I noticed in the jobs listing that you were looking for an assistant instructor…?"
"Well, yes, actually," Ranma says. "I take business trips off world now and again, and I wanted to have someone who can teach basic self-defense. I have a guy that comes around to assist me, but still…"
"Say no more, Mister Saotome," the woman says. "I so happen to know basic self-defense…in the Musabestu Kakuto style."
Ranma folds his arms while raising an eyebrow.
"YOU know 'Anything Goes'?"
"Yes…"
"I don't remember teaching you my Art."
"No, but you have taught others, correct? Well, I learned my style from them."
For a moment, Ranma was suspicious of this woman's words. However, considering the fact that he has taught a lot of being over the past two hundred years, Ranma wouldn't be surprised if his knowledge had been passed along somehow.
"Okay, were you certified to teach?"
"Um, that's the problem," the woman says. "I never found the time to do so."
"Then why would I hire someone to be my teaching assistant?"
"You have a certification program for people to be instructors, correct?"
"Well…usually it's for people who have already mastered the tenets of my school, not someone who has had very little experience."
"All I ask is that you give me a chance," the woman says. "I really DO know how to fight."
"Hmmm…"
"At least, give me a chance to prove myself."
"Okay, then," Ranma says. "You're on."
"Really?"
"Yes. Follow me…"
Fifteen minutes later, the woman was standing before Ranma in a borrowed martial arts uniform, while the two were in the dojo.
"Are you SURE you…want looser clothes?" Ranma says, as he sweats slightly.
The woman finishes securing her belt, as she looks up. Her uniform was practically a second layer of skin.
"No, I'm okay. Besides, I like the way cotton feels on my body."
"Um, I guess so," Ranma swallowed. "So, are you ready?"
The woman slides into a loose fighting stance.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Ranma nods his head, and notices the trademarks of the Musabetsu Kakuto.
"Nice," Ranma turns slightly, as he looks up and down the woman's form-
Suddenly, Ranma struck first, though not at his usual speed.
The woman deftly deflected the blow, and followed the maneuver with a right knee strike. Ranma anticipated the move, and slide towards a side position. However, the woman sees this, and began to pivot on the ball of her left foot.
POW!
'Amazing,' Ranma says, as he blunted the blow with a cross arm-bar. 'She performed a one-inch leg strike. Not many can pull it off with any sort of power…'
The woman carried the strike through, followed by a left reverse leg upper strike. Ranma caught the leg, causing the woman to split her legs. Now, she was slightly suspended on her legs at an angle, like a solid beam.
"You're good, but you left yourself open."
"I know," the woman says with a smile, as she flipped over, and one-inch punched…Ranma's stomach. "But so are you."
"Oof!" Ranma says, as he lets go of the woman. The woman quickly recovered by performing somewhat handstand. She then twists her body, using the momentum of her legs, into a standing position.
"Is that proof that I can handle your program?" the woman says with a smile.
Ranma was about to say something, when he spotted something…distraction.
"Mister Saotome?"
"If you are going to train, I think that you should wear a t-shirt or sports bra underneath your uniform," Ranma managed to say.
"Huh?" the woman says, as she went to check on her person.
Her chest was exposed.
"I'm…sorry," the woman says, as she blushed while covering up. "I didn't think my test would be so strenuous."
"Well, the point of the 'Anything Goes' style is based upon being unpredictable."
"Er, right. Well, did I pass muster?"
"Hmmm," Ranma muses. "Whoever taught you your Art did a good job, I should meet that person."
The woman turns away sadly.
"Are you okay?"
"It's just that the person who taught me my Art was my husband, whom I haven't seen in years."
"He didn't abandon you, did he? Because if he did, I would have to speak to that guy in person about being a man."
"N-no, it's nothing like that," the woman says. "It was…not meant to be, I guess. I had to fulfill my own obligations to my family, while he had to follow his destiny. It just didn't work out."
Ranma observes to woman. She was indeed a mature woman with a youthful face, and innocent eyes. She wasn't old, but definitely appeared to be seasoned by life. And he sensed a bit of sadness and loneliness within her aura…
"Excuse me if I am over-stepping my boundaries, but no amount of 'destiny' is worth abandoning those you're suppose to care about."
The woman slightly tears up, as she smiles with mirth.
'I won't cry,' the woman thinks to herself. 'I…can't…for HIS sake…'
"At any rate, it will be a pleasure in training you to be an instructor, Missus…?"
"You can call me, 'Miko'," the woman says. "I use that my first name as my last name, too, these days. And I haven't been…married in ages."
"Very well, Miss Miko…I bid you welcome to my dojo," Ranma says with a bow.
"Thank you…'sensei'," Miko replied likewise.
Meanwhile in the ancient, distant past…
SPLOCH!
"Gaahhhh!" says a female ogre, as she clutches her abdomen. She growls, as looks up at her assailant. She had hoped that the night raid would have given them the advantage of plundering this elf kingdom. However, they did not expect to see that the "elf kingdom" was really a kingdom full of Drow elves. And, like the Night elves, the Drow elves were masters of fighting in the dark. However, unlike the Night elves, the Drow elves were potent and efficient killers…besides being superb warriors. This is especially true of one particular person…
"You and your kind were warned by our contacts not to enter these lands," says the female, as her eyes glowed red. In the pale of the full moonlight, the ogre could only see her assailant's silhouette.
"THIS isn't over, Princess!" the Ogre sneered. "My tribe has allies amongst the Orcs and the Urak-hai…and they will come. Count on that!"
The assailant squints her eyes.
"But for you…it is over. Count on THAT."
With that, the victor of this little battle raises her 'war scythe'…
SLICE!
With that, the ogre went down.
The Drow princess, "Lady Usagi-Lolith", also known as "The Sailor of the Moon", turns to face the moonlight, as she lowered her weapon behind her back. She was hoping to create a new way for her adopted people. But with Middle Earth and all the connecting ancient realms fading in the minds of Men, the old treaties and boundaries were becoming undone. Hence, that is why attacks on the Drow have become more frequent…
"My lady," says a Drow warrior, as he knelt before her.
Usagi turns to look at her 'general'.
"Yes?"
"The remaining ogres have been routed…some have escaped, however. What are you instructions?"
"Have the remaining bodies 'distilled' into their pure essences," Usagi says. "And see if they have anything of value on their person."
"Yes, Princess," the General says, as he rose to his feet. He then turns to his waiting warrior and, with just a few hand gestures, he commands his men to carry out Usagi's orders.
Usagi sighs. She was hoping to have returned home by now, but the Fates have not been kind to her of late…
Her trek home began simple enough.
After being "released" from her obligation towards the Romulan Star Empire, which was the result of helping to save the lives of the lost crew of the USS Enterprise-C, Usagi became a target of revenge, due to the fact that her husband was the hated Ranma Saotome. Over years, the Starfleeter has been the object of hate, due in part for his part in the Romulan's defeat at the conclusion of the "Earth-Romulan War" many years before. Such a humiliation warranted vengeance, and Usagi's departure would provide an opportunity. After all, transporter accidents happen all the time…
Too bad none knew that Usagi (and her husband Ranma, for that matter) knew two things: access to the space-time continuum (as a trained "Temporal Wizard"), thanks to her interaction with two aliens (Xerxes, as "Temporal Raider", and a man known only as "The Doctor"), and the "Instant Transmission" technique (from the inhabitants from the planet "Yardrat"). As soon as she felt her atoms being dispersed, Usagi instinctively leaped into the unknown…and ended up in the realm of a tribe of "Drow" elves.
Although Usagi were to be sacrificed to their goddess, the Moon Princess convinced them not to, by asking one question: Why would anyone follow a power deity that needed worshipers and sacrifices for sustenance? This was a similar strategy that her old friend and mentor, James Kirk, had once employed long ago against an entity with on a "power-trip".
Of course, the chief priestess did no like this turn of events, so she pleaded with her goddess to be the vessel of her vengeance.
Enter: Lolth, the Queen of Spiders, and dark goddess of the Drow.
Incidentally, Lolth, in her full glory, was terrifying sight...with her demi-spider form and all…
"SO, LITTLE GODDESS, YOU HAVE DECIDED TO CONFRONT ME?" Lolth clicked. "I WILL FEAST ON YOUR BONES!"
Usagi has never met Lolth, but has heard of her. Unfortunately for Lolth, she didn't know that the Usagi she was facing was not the Usagi that had already transverse these lands in recent memory…
"No one is going to feast on MY bones, witch," Usagi says, as she takes out her sword "Mars" and her Moon Sickle. "But for sake of diplomacy, I am asking you to stand down."
"NO ONE ASK ME TO DO ANYTHING!"
Usagi then gets into a ready stance.
"Then on behalf of the Moon…I SHALL PUNISH YOU!"
And thus, the fight was on.
While Usagi did achieve victory over Lolth, she did not leave the duel unscathed. Sure, she suffered cuts and bruises, but Lolth, in her pettiness, inflicted something on Usagi far, far worse.
"The end is here, Lolth, Queen of Spiders," Usagi says, as Lolth lies dying.
"Oh, no, Moon Princess," Lolth coughed. "I am a goddess, and I cannot die so easily. However, as this vessel of mine dies, I inflict you with this curse!"
With that, Lolth explodes. As Usagi feels the full effect of burst, she grabs her body, as if she was on fire.
"Arrrgh-!"
Usagi becomes…a Drow.
"From this day forth, you shall be my avatar," came a disembodied voice. "My thoughts, will be your thoughts, my flesh will be YOUR flesh…and my embrace for the Dark shall be yours. THIS…I COMMAND! HOHOHOHOHOHO-!"
And that was that.
The tribe of Drow that Usagi had freed took Usagi in. Due to her status as the avatar of Lolth, they made her into their liege. Usagi would come to accept the darkness into her life, except in one aspect:
She never gave up hope that Ranma, somehow, someway, would find her again…
"Ranma," Usagi says sadly, as she took one more look at the Moon, as the winds and wolves howled…
Tbc.