The Moon Dragon's Lair

"Sailor Trek: Deep Space Nine" By Bill Harris

Sailor Trek: Deep Space 9
By Bill Harris
Chapter 7 - "No greater love than this..."
PG13

Author's note- With all these duplicate Sailors around, it's going to get a bit confusing. For clarity's sake, the Scouts from the alternate timeline will be referred to as simply "Mars" and "Mercury"; whereas the 'present day' versions will be referred to as "Sailor Mars" and "Sailor Mercury".

    Serena looked around wildly at the Jem'Hadar that had appeared around the crowd. "Who are these guys?!?" she wailed. "They've got GUNS!!"
    "Look again, meatballhead. Those aren't any type of guns I've ever seen," Raye snapped while eying the three aliens, noting to herself that Dax and her counterpart had made no mention at all about them.
    Serena went instantly from near terror to anger, and glowered at Raye, "Stop calling me MEATBALLHEAD!"
    Now unnoticed by the increasingly panicky crowd, the youma Rybite still stood atop the counter muttering incomprehensibly. But it seemed more irritated at the Jem'Hadar for interrupting it's operation than anything else.
    So intent was it at glaring at the warriors from the Dominion that it missed a figure in a red sailor outfit landing nearby on the countertop, followed by two others in blue. Mercury gave Rybite a solid
kick to it's midsection as she landed, sending the youma flying so that it landed in a sitting position atop the grill. The youma howled in pain as it tried franticly to scurry off. It's antics earned it contemptuous glares from the Jem'Hadar and the nearest one slammed the butt of its weapon into the youma's face, rendering it unconscious.
    Mars leveled an accusing finger at the alien soldiers. "This is a place for people to enjoy themselves, not for you to steal their energy! In the name of Mars..."
    "...and Mercury..." the other two cried out in unison.
    "...we'll punish you!" they finished together.
    "Huh?" Serena looked at the three Scouts, then at Raye standing beside her, then back again. "Another Sailor Mars? Two Sailor Mercuries? What's going on?!?" Then she realized, "And they're stealing my lines!"
    The Jem'Hadar didn't bother asking questions, as always preferring action instead. They aimed their weapons at the three Scouts and began firing. While they dodged the weapons fire, everyone in the crowd started running for cover. Raye took advantage of the tumult and grabbed Serena by the arm, dragging her around the corner where Luna joined them. "What's going on?" Serena demanded again.
    Raye ignored her question for the moment as she checked up on the battle. Her counterpart had already toasted one of the aliens that she and Dax had so conveniently not mentioned. Or it as more likely they didn't know they were going to show up, she mused. "I should have expected Amy's double would be here, too," she muttered. "There's no sign of that shapeshifter though."
    "What was that?" Serena asked. "Raye, do you know something I don't?"
    "A lot of things," she responded automatically. At Serena's glare she added, "But right now the important thing is that they need our help," pointing to the fight. Mars had already toasted the first
three Jem'Hadar, but more were appearing out of the woodwork. "There are more of those creeps."
    "Yes," Luna agreed. "Transform now! But be careful. You especially, Serena."
    "Huh?"
    Raye raised her transformation pen skyward. "MARS POWER!" When the transformation was complete, Sailor Mars looked at Serena. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
    "Stop giving me orders," she grumbled.
    "Serena!" Luna admonished her.
    "All right already... MOON PRISM POWER!"

    Sisko put a restraining hand on Kira, who had been getting ready to fire, "Not yet, Major." Over the comm he added, "Hold your fire everyone."
    "But sir!" Worf protested.
    "That's an order, Mr. Worf. We have to wait until the changeling reveals itself before we make our move. If we show ourselves too soon, the changeling will leave and we'll have no idea where or when it will strike next." He glanced over at the raging battle and grimaced. "I don't like it any more than you, but Mars and Mercury can take care of themselves. Besides," he nodded to a small dog that had taken position near the concession stand, "Odo can help them out in the meantime."
    Kira nodded, agreeing reluctantly as a rush of movement caught her eye. Sailor Moon now stood atop the counter, with another Sailor Mars beside her. "All right, I don't know who all the extra Sailor Scouts are, but I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice! I right wrongs and triumph over evil!" She pointed at the nearest Jem'Hadar. "And that means you... oofff!" The Jem'Hadar had not been not impressed with her entrance, and one of them was in the process of firing at her when Mars shoved the blonde Scout out of the way and she fell down behind the counter. The energy bolt impacted harmlessly above her. "Owie..."
    She got back to her feet, rubbing her head painfully and glared at both Sailor Scouts of the red planet. "Thanks a lot, Mars!"
    "Sure, blame me!" Sailor Mars retorted.
    "Excuse me, I was only SAVING YOUR LIFE!" Mars exclaimed in the same instant.
    Sailor Moon was framing a suitable response when she realized that the aliens had stopped firing. The became immediately obvious, for a tall, tuxedo clad figure was standing between her and the Jem'Hadar.
    "It's not nice to interrupt a lady," he admonished the aliens, who seemed uncertain now and were hesitantly retreating. Sailor Mars looked at Tuxedo Mask, but hesitated. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was giving her an odd feeling. Mars frowned. Tuxedo Mask hadn't shown up this early the last time. That could a result of the changes they'd made, but something didn't quite feel right.
    For her part, Sailor Moon was overjoyed. "Tuxedo Mask! You came!"
    He turned and gave her a dazzling smile. "Of course, Sailor Moon."
    He was just starting to reach in her direction when a small black dog jumped up and bit him on the hand. "Huh?"
    Sailor Moon was similarly surprised, perhaps even more so. She wasn't entirely sure, but it certainly appeared to be the same dog that they had left behind at the temple. But how could it be here? Raye had tied it up back there!
    Hadn't she?
    She put that aside for the moment, trying instead to concentrate on the events before her. "Bad dog!" she yelled, giving it a good solid swat on the rump. "Tuxedo Mask is our friend!" The dog didn't seem to react other than by biting down harder and perhaps glaring at her as well, but before she could do anything else there was a flash of red in front of her eyes. Sailor Moon jumped backwards a half step and gasped when she got a good look at the countertop.
    There was a red rose embedded in it.

    Sisko tensed as Odo moved in on Tuxedo Mask. He knew the Constable wouldn't make a move unless he sensed something. Perhaps...
    "Benjamin!" Dax called over the comm, "Look above you!"
    He glanced upward and immediately saw among the rafters what Dax was talking about.

    Sailor Moon looked upwards to where the rose had been thrown from and gaped. Standing on a girder, cape flowing behind him was Tuxedo Mask. Another one! She glanced back and forth between the two, now utterly confused. "Watch yourself, Sailor Moon! I don't know who that guy is, but he isn't me!"
    Odo chose that moment to morph, shifting back to his usual humanoid form. He had a hand firmly clenched around one of the fake Tuxedo Mask's wrists. "I would appreciate it if you didn't hit me again," he told her with out looking back. "I am trying to help." To the fake he added, "Both of you."
    "I don't need your help, Odo!" the changeling snarled. Then it said to the Jem'Hadar, "Kill them!"

    "The changeling's out of the bag. Move in!" Sisko ordered as more Jem'Hadar, nearly a dozen in all, appeared. Half of them fell as the Defiant crewmembers opened fire on them. For his part, Odo was now locked in a struggle with the changeling, their forms mingling as they fought.
    Nearby a Jem'Hadar appeared near Sailor Moon, his weapon aimed in her direction. But before he could take any action, O'Brien snapped off a shot from his position above and hit him squarely. Despite this, his weapon still discharged as he fell. A cry of pain was heard that clearly belonged to Sailor Moon.
    "NO!" Mars charged towards where Sailor Moon had fallen, but Bashir somehow beat her there and vaulted over the counter. Mars peered over it and saw that the blonde Scout was down on her knees, clutching her upper left arm.
    "Here, let me take a look at that," Bashir said to her, as he automatically began scanning with the medical tricorder. It confirmed his initial inspection of the wound. He looked up to Mars. "It's all right," he told the worried Scout. "It's only a graze." Mars sighed, clearly relieved.
    Kira joined them and moved behind the counter herself. "Go on. I've got them covered," she told Mars. Mars nodded and rejoined the fight.

    There is an old military adage that says that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, and that was certainly true in this case. Kira's plan had called for the Defiant crew members to fire on the Jem'Hadar from cover, with Mars and Mercury working in concert with the other Sailor Scouts. Surprise enabled this plan to work for all of five seconds, and nearly a dozen of the Dominion soldiers were strewn around the area, either killed by phaser beams or reduced to charcoal by Mars and her counterpart.
    But the Jem'Hadar were bred for battle, and thus they adjusted to the circumstances. After the initial barrage, the away team members found more Jem'Hadar appearing from out of their camouflage fields nearly on top of them and close order combat became the order of the day.

    Bashir rummaged in the medkit for the dermal regenerator, trying to ignore the sounds of combat around them. "Don't worry. It's not that bad," he reassured his patient. He took out the instrument from the kit, activated it and began running it over the wound. "Just a few minutes, and you'll be good as new."
    Sailor Moon smiled slightly as the pain ebbed, then her eyes widened in recognition. "You again?"
    Bashir smiled. "Yes, me again. Don't worry, I'm a doctor."
    Sailor Moon looked doubtful. "I've never seen a doctor use anything like that before!"
    He hesitated before answering. "It... is a rather long story."
    "You can tell it later, Doctor," Kira said, ducking from incoming fire. She got up to return fire but stopped as her target collapsed, a rose embedded in his throat.
    Sailor Moon eyed Kira closely while Bashir continued to work. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn't place her at the moment. "What happened to your nose?"
    Kira's had reflexively went to the patch she was wearing on her nose to cover her distinctively Bajoran nose ridges. "Um... I broke my nose," she said, wincing internally. You'd have thought by now I'd have a better excuse lined up, she thought.
    Sailor Moon frowned. "Hey, if you're such a good doctor, why don't you fix her nose?" she asked Bashir.
    "Well, I could..." Bashir began, but Kira interrupted him.
    "Doctor, you even touch my nose, I will break yours."
    "Understood, Major."
    "Gee, she's just as bad tempered as Mars," Sailor Moon observed.
    "I am not bad tempered!!" came two very loud responses from somewhere in the middle of the fighting.
    Sailor Moon reflexively winced under the verbal barrage. Getting yelled at by Mars was bad enough, but it was infinitely worse when it was in stereo.

    Luna looked on concernedly as Bashir worked on Sailor Moon and was soon aware that she wasn't alone. A golden haired cat had joined her vigil. In fact... "You again!"
    The other cat started then glared at her, "You were expecting someone else?"
    Luna blinked, startled to hear her own voice come from the other cat. However, she soon made a quick deduction. "You're my counterpart, aren't you?"
    "Yes," she replied. "I've been helping them keep an eye on Serena."
    "I can understand why. But what happened to your fur? Why change it to that color?"
    Her counterpart cringed slightly as she glanced again at her fur, but before she could answer Bashir spoke up. "Maybe she wanted to find out if it was true that blondes have more fun," he quipped while
examining his handiwork. He was nodding in satisfaction when a sudden stab of pain made him yelp and his hand went reflexively to his neck. It came away tinged with red from the scratches there.
    "Physician, heal thyself," the golden haired cat said while sheathing her claws.
    "Nicely done," Luna complimented her counterpart.

    Several meters above them, O'Brien aimed carefully once again and squeezed the trigger and another Jem'Hadar dropped. So far he had been successful in providing covering fire from his vantage point, but as the combat became more intermixed, he had to be exceedingly selective in his target selection. Since only the kill settings were effective against the Jem'Hadar, a friendly fire incident here would be disastrous.
    But it wasn't long before the Jem'Hadar became aware that there was a sniper among the girders. Three of them began firing in his direction, their weapons firing several energy pulses as they swept the area. O'Brien hunkered down as best he could, but the incoming fire somehow triggered a minor explosion that sent him flying off his perch. And it was a long way down.

    Sisko watched helplessly as O'Brien tumbled downward to what surely would be a fatal landing. When he had reached the halfway point, a black blur intercepted him in midair. The next thing Sisko knew, O'Brien had been returned safely to the ground by Tuxedo Mask.

    O'Brien blinked, amazed to still be alive. Tuxedo Mask stood next to him for a moment, then went wordlessly back into the fray. "Uh, thanks," the chief belatedly said, then went to find another spot to
fire from. This time, he told himself, he was keeping his feet on terra firma.

    "Ow!" Mars grimaced as a Jem'Hadar grabbed her long hair. Seeing her plight, Sisko charged into the Dominion soldier, using his shoulder to bowl him over as if he were trying to dislodge a catcher blocking home plate. The Jem'Hadar was forced to release his grip on Mars, but smoothly rolled back to his feet and aimed his weapon at the captain.
    "MARS FIRE IGNITE!" Sailor Mars cried out, sending a wash of flame at the Jem'Hadar and turning him into a pile of ash. But before any thanks could be exchanged, two more appeared in front of the three.
    "Where do these guys keep coming from?" Sailor Mars wondered.
    "They're all around us, just invisible," Mars explained to her younger self as the Jem'Hadar were suddenly knocked off their feet by Tuxedo Mask, who was using his cane to great effect. "Just remember, we have to keep them from harming Sailor Moon, no matter what!"

    Kira watched the battle unfold, firing whenever a Jem'Hadar got too close to her position. From what she could tell by half listening, Bashir had all but finished treating Sailor Moon. A part of her wished he would drag it out. Since her survival was pivotal to the timeline, it would be easier if she could be kept out of the fighting.
    She caught a flash of movement to her left out of the corner of her eye. Turning rapidly, she saw the youma Rybite staggering to it's feet. It saw her in the same instant and hissed something at her in it's
incomprehensible manner.
    Except that Kira seemed to understand it. Her eyes widened and she charged at the youma, vaulting back over the counter to do so. "You little..." Disregarding her weapon, she slammed the heel of her right palm into the youma's face and followed it up with a rapid series of blows that staggered it. Then she grabbed the youma by the hair and slammed it's head repeatedly against the countertop. After about the sixth or seventh blow, she let it go and it dropped to the ground and lay unmoving. "Shut up! Just SHUT UP!"
    Bashir and Sailor Moon peered over the counter and watched this wide eyed. "Kira, what did it say?" he asked. "And how did you understand it?"
    "It was speaking a very accented version of Cardassian," she explained, catching her breath. "And believe me, Doctor, you don't want to know what it said!"
    She gave the youma one more kick for good measure, then felt a surge of pain as a Jem'Hadar shot her from behind. Crying out, she fell forward from the impact of the blast in her shoulder.
    "Kira!" Bashir scrambled towards her, heedless of his own safety. Indeed, the Jem'Hadar that had shot Kira was now taking aim at him. However...
    "MOON TIARA MAGIC!"
    The energy discus flew over the doctor's head and sliced through the Jem'Hadar, leaving behind only a pile of dust. "You're moondust!"

    Worf grappled with one of the Jem'Hadar. As yet, neither warrior could gain the upper hand, resulting in a stalemate. "You are strong for a human," the Jem'Hadar conceded. Worf suppressed the automatic snarl at being mistaken for a human, trying instead to focus himself on the struggle. "But soon you will fall like the rest of your pathetic race. And the Negaverse will be triumphant!"
    "The Negaverse?" Worf asked tightly. "Don't you mean the Dominion?"
    The Jem'Hadar seemed startled, but that didn't affect his grip.
    "How do you know about that?"
    "I know many things," Worf snarled. "Among them... is that today is a good day to die!" As he spoke the last words, Worf brought his head snapping forward in a savage head butt. The Jem'Hadar was caught completely off guard and he reeled backwards, stunned.
    Worf was moving to finish him off when the Dominion soldier was struck down by a distant phaser blast. Worf nodded his thanks to O'Brien before retrieving his own weapon and searching for another
target.

    Dax fell to the ground, gasping in pain from the wound in her leg. Despite the agony, she could see the Jem'Hadar that had shot her lining up for another shot.
    One that it never got a chance at, for Mercury came into view at that moment and delivered a flying kick to it's head.
    Mercury grimaced as the Dominion warrior struggled back to it's feet. Pluto had admonished her and Mars against using their newer powers (except in case of a dire emergency) least the timeline be
disrupted further. But now Dax was badly wounded and immobile. She could only...
    "MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" Sailor Mercury cried out, shrouding the battlefield in a dense layer of fog. The Jem'Hadar looked around, suddenly unable to see anything around it. Mercury took advantage of the opportunity to deliver another flying kick, while her counterpart hit the alien low. The Jem'Hadar fell to the ground once again and was struck by a phaser blast as it struggled to rise. Mercury looked back and saw that Dax had managed to retrieve her weapon. Around them, the Defiant crew were taking advantage of the Jem'Hadar's sudden inability to see by phasering as many as they could, and each Sailors Mars did likewise.
    Mercury went over to Dax as soon as she could and scanned her, Sailor Mercury looking over her shoulder. "How is she?"
    "It could be better," Mercury admitted. "She's bleeding badly from the major artery in her leg."
    "You mean the femoral artery?"
    "She isn't human, so I don't think those terms apply," Mercury told Sailor Mercury, who acknowledged this with a nod. Mercury tapped on Dax's comm badge, "Mercury to Defiant, one to beam up, medical emergency." Seconds later, Dax vanished in the transporter beam.

    The fog dispersed as the weapons fire ceased. The Defiant away team and the Sailor Scouts looked around, but all that could be seen were the motionless forms of the Jem'Hadar soldiers that had fallen. Sisko judged that there had nearly been two dozen in all. They had been lucky to have only two of his people wounded. He wasn't sure about Dax's condition, but Kira was moving about again. Bashir had patched her shoulder somewhat, but the Major stubbornly resisted his requests that she return to the ship. He knew better than to try to convince her himself.
    Kira had good reason, as there was at least one aspect of the struggle that remained unresolved; namely Odo still struggling with the changeling. At this point it was nigh impossible to tell which one was which. Unable to do anything else, they watched as the two fought.
    Finally, there was a violent upheaval and the changelings separated. Odo took a moment and reformed into his normal humanoid shape.
    A few meters away, Odo reformed into his usual humanoid appearance. Mars glanced between the two. As far as anyone could see, they were identical. There was no visible means of discerning one from the other. "I see what Odo meant when he said it could be anyone."

    O'Brien looked at the two Odos from his vantage point and felt a sudden sense of deja vu. "Not again," he groaned. This was too much like the time in the Defiant's engine room for him. "I hate playing 'Choose the Changeling'!"

    Tuxedo Mask glanced between the two changelings. He had a rose at the ready, but wasn't sure which target to throw it at. "How do you tell them apart?"
    "We're still unable to tell whether or not someone is being impersonated by a changeling," Sisko admitted. "Let alone tell two of them apart."
    "Great."
    Odo glared at his counterpart. "I'm Odo, Captain. He's the changeling!"
    "Don't listen to him, Captain," Odo urged. "I'm Odo."
    Mars walked around the two of them, trying to discern anything distinctive about either changeling. Unfortunately, there was nothing about them that appeared different from the other. Neither her physical senses, nor her psychic ones could tell them apart. The changeling had successfully imitated Odo in every way. A glance at Sailor Mars told her that she wasn't having any better luck.
    Both Mercuries had deployed their visors and were busily scanning. "I'm picking up some minute differences between them," Sailor Mercury quietly told Mercury. "But I'm not sure how to determine which is which. I have no data to base a comparison on."
    "Don't worry," Mercury told her, smiling grimly. "I do." To herself she added a silent I hope. Several quick taps on the keypad accessed the data that she had accumulated in previous scans she had taken of Odo. She linked it with the data she was currently accumulating and did a quick comparison, hoping that whatever means the Negaverse was using to control the changeling would leave some discernable trace that she could use to distinguish Odo from the other changeling.
    The results weren't long in coming. After a moment, she pointed to the Odo on the right, "You! You're the imposter!"
    The changeling's form shifted as it tried to flee but Odo was ready for that, using his own shapeshifting abilities to first snare the changeling then merge with it. The changeling struggled mightily, but Odo held it fast, though his face showed the effort it was taking him.
    "Can you hold it, Odo?" Kira asked.
    "For a while," he answered, his voice strained. "We have to find a way to contain it before then."
    Sisko tapped on his comm badge. "Sisko to Defiant, lock onto the changeling and Odo. Beam them to a security cell."
    "We're trying, sir," came the reply moments later, "But we can't get a lock on either of them. Something's interfering with the targeting scanners."
    Sisko grimaced. There seemed to be only one way remaining to deal with the changeling. And it was something that Odo was not going to like. "Odo, when I give the word, I want you to release your hold on it. At the same time, everyone is to open fire."
    "Captain!" Odo protested, "There must be another way!"
    "There is." All eyes turned to Mars. "I think I can expel whatever the Negaverse is using to control the changeling from it."
    "Are you sure?" Sisko asked.
    "Only one way to find out." Mars approached the struggling changeling, readying a spirit ward. A part of her was telling her that she should use her flames and blast the changeling now, to not take the
chance on things going wrong again. However, Odo had saved her life twice before and it was important to him that they not kill the changeling. She owed it to him to at least make the attempt. She placed the ward on the amorphous mass, crying out, "EVIL SPIRIT BEGONE!"
    The results were immediate. The Founder uttered a loud, inhuman cry and an aura of dark energy surrounded it before leaving the changeling. However, it didn't flee to the air as Mars had anticipated, but instead traveled through the link to Odo. Now it was the Constable who cried out and he released his hold on the changeling, which collapsed into an insensate mass.
    "Odo!" Kira exclaimed as she went to her friend. Odo snarled and lashed out at her, knocking the Major backwards several meters. She grimaced in pain as she landed on her wounded shoulder.
    "No!" Odo exclaimed when he realized what he'd done. Mercury went over to Kira, who indicated that she was okay, though still shaken. She got unsteadily to her feet with Mercury's help. "Stay back, everyone, please... it's trying to make me kill you all. I'm resisting it... for now..."
    "This wasn't what I had in mind," Mars muttered. She leapt for Odo, trying to land behind him and plant another ward. However, the constable seemed to anticipate this, and he lashed out at her just before she landed. Mars impacted hard against a girder, and Sailor Moon went over to her immediately.
    "My turn," Sailor Mars said, readying her own ward. She tensed herself to race for the possessed changeling, but first... "Cover me, Mercury!"
    "Right!" both Mercuries responded. "MERCURY BUBBLES... BLAST!"
    Another layer of fog descended over the area, this one even denser than the first. Sailor Mars raced forward, taking advantage of the cover as she charged the ward. Leaping forward for the last few meters, she planted it firmly on Odo's forehead, "EVIL SPIRIT... BEGONE!"
    The Negaverse spirit screamed again as it found itself again forced from a host body. This time it lacked a conduit to escape through, and it formed overhead into a dark cloud that loomed menacingly over them all. "Now, Sailor Moon!" Luna cried.
    "Gotcha, Luna," she replied while reaching again for her tiara. "MOON TIARA... MAGIC!" There was one last cry of despair from the spirit as the energy disc cut through it, then silence as a pile of dust formed on the ground.
    Kira went over to Odo, who had fallen wearily to his knees. "Odo?"
    "I'm fine, Major." He hesitated for a moment, seemingly embarrassed. "I... hope I didn't injure you."
    "Forget it," she reassured him.
    Odo nodded, then turned his attention to Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon, "Thank you." Not waiting for their responses, he lastly addressed Mars. "And thank you. You didn't have to volunteer to try and save the changeling." He glanced at it where it still lay motionless. "But I am glad you did."
    "Believe me, part of me wanted to nothing more than blast it. But I owed you."
    "No," Odo corrected her. "Now I owe you."
    Sisko was surveying the area as Mercury's fog was lifting. There were the bodies of the fallen Jem'Hadar all over the place, but it seemed quiet for now. Perhaps it was over.
    The same thought was occurring to Mars. She looked again at the insensate Founder, then at Sailor Moon. "We did it," she said softly, feeling tears of joy forming. "It didn't kill her. She's alive."
    "Okay," Sailor Moon began, "Now that it seems like things are over, I want to know why there are two Sailor Mercuries, two Sailor Mars, why there were two Tuxedo Masks for a bit (not that I'm complaining about that) and just what they are," she point at Odo and the changeling, "and who you people are." She took a deep breath, "In short, will someone please tell me what's going on?!?"
    "It's a long story," Sisko answered trying not to smile too broadly, "But I'll tell you what I can..." He stopped, hearing a distinctive sound.
    The sound of a Jem'Hadar dropping his camouflage field.
    Hearing the sound as well, Sailor Moon turned to see the Jem'Hadar ripple into visibility not more than three meters away, knocking Worf to the ground in the process.
    Its weapon was aimed directly at her.

    Pluto stiffened, and grasped her staff tightly. In her mind's eye, she could see two possible outcomes. Either the future would be restored to it's previous state, or...
    She didn't want to think about the alternative.

    Sisko spun around to bring his weapon to bear, but he could see that the Jem'Hadar was already pressing the trigger of his weapon.

    "NO!" Odo yelled out. Given his recent exertions, there was little else he could do. He just hoped that it's genetically programmed obedience to changelings would enable him to stop it verbally. "Put
your weapon down!"
    It didn't.

    Kira aimed her weapon, but Sailor Moon was between herself and the Jem'Hadar. She moved as fast as she could, but it would be over before she could fire.

    Tuxedo Mask hurled the rose at the Jem'Hadar's weapon.

    Nearby, two Luna's leapt for the Dominion soldier in a desperate attempt to distract him.

    O'Brien saw the Jem'Hadar appear and instantly took aim. He had a clear shot, all he needed was...
    A figure in a security guard's uniform stepped in front of him.
    "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
    O'Brien swore violently as only an Irishman could and shoved him to the ground. "Get out of the way, you bloody idiot!" He brought the phaser rifle up again and was aiming when he saw that it was already too late. The barrel of his weapon lowered slowly. "Oh my God."

    Sailor Moon stumbled backwards, realizing belatedly that she hadn't been hit but that someone had interposed themselves between herself and the Jem'Hadar. Another moment later she realized who it was. "MARS!"
    Mars staggered from the impacts, having taken two blasts to her chest already, but was resolutely staying on her feet. But a third shot slammed into her and she finally fell just as two cats landed on the
Jem'Hadar's face. But even blinded, he got off another shot. By this time, Mercury had moved into the line of fire and she was hit in her side even as she tried to invoke her powers.
    The Jem'Hadar never got off another shot, for at that moment his weapon was hit by a thrown rose and he was hit by four phaser beams. He fell unmoving to the ground.
    Sailor Moon didn't see him fall, nor did she care if he was still fighting. The only thing she was aware of was that she held a critically injured Mars in her arms. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars moved to stand just behind her, each with a look of shock on their face.
    "Raye..." Sailor Moon whispered.
    Bashir knelt down by them, having already checked on Mercury. Though seriously wounded herself, she was stable at the moment. However, he didn't need his tricorder to see that the same couldn't be said for Mars. As he made the scan, his mind accelerated into high gear, going over several different avenues of treatment at once to determine the best one. Mars' eyes flutter open and he suppressed amazement that she was still conscious, let alone still alive.
    Mars looked up. When she saw Sailor Moon, she smiled despite the pain from her injuries. "Didn't.. hesitate... this time..." she managed to say. There was a hissing sound as Bashir administered a hypospray, and she felt the pain recede somewhat.
    "Why?" said Sailor Moon through her tears.
    "I saw you die once," Mars answered, able to talk easier. "That was enough..."
    "What do you mean?" Sailor Moon asked, confusion evident on her face.
    "I mean I'm from the future, Meatballhead," she snapped, almost sounding like herself. "One where you died. I couldn't let it let it happen again... No matter what..." Mars slumped as she finally lapsed
into unconsciousness.
    "Damn it!" Bashir swore as a low whine came from his tricorder. "We're losing her. I've got to get her back to the Defiant!"
    Sisko nodded and tried to pull Sailor Moon clear. She struggled and protested against this, but fortunately Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars were there to help him out.
    "Bashir to Defiant, medical emergency. Three.."
    "Make it four," a golden haired Luna said.
    "Er, four to beam directly to the medical bay." They vanished as the transporter energized.
    Sailor Moon watched the spot where they had been for several moments before turning to Sisko. From the way the doctor had spoken to him, it seemed evident that he was the leader of this group. "What's going on? Who are you people?" she asked tearfully.
    "Friends," Sisko said, trying to explain what he could. "From another world and another time."
    "You mean you're from the future? Like M- Mars said?"
    "That's right," Odo added. He had taken a position nearby the unmoving form of the changeling, watching it carefully. "Something happened which altered the way things were supposed to happen here, in such a way that it affected our world as well."
    Sisko opened his mouth to add something more, but a sudden sound made him, and everyone else, turn about suddenly, ready for more fighting. But this time there was no Jem'Hadar appearing out of nowhere. It was only the youma Rybite moving about, having regained consciousness.
    Kira took a threatening step towards it, looking as if she wanted to attack it again even with her injured shoulder. "Back for more?" The youma hissed at her and spat a corrosive glob. Kira dodge to the right so that it only hit the ground.
    Before anyone else could move, a loud cry of "MOON TIARA MAGIC" echoed through the area once again, leaving behind only a pile of dust in its wake.
    Sisko took another look around the area. There were no signs of any more Jem'Hadar (not that there ever were), and it looked like several authority type figures were arriving as well. He also noted that Tuxedo Mask had departed. He took that as a sign the danger was over. "I think that about wraps things up."
    "Hold on," Sailor Moon said. "Before you go, can you tell me if Raye will be okay or not?"
    "Excuse me, Sailor Moon, but I'm right here!" Sailor Mars exclaimed. Despite her words, Sisko could tell that she, and Sailor Mercury, was shaken by the recent events. It was understandable- you don't see yourself shot every day.
    "I'm not sure," he said, interposing himself verbally in hopes of avoiding another skirmish between them. "But Dr. Bashir is very skilled and will do all he can for her."
    "Sir, we should be going," Worf said.
    Sisko nodded. "I wish we could stay and explain more, but that's not possible. Good luck Sailor Moon. To all of you." He activate his comm badge. "Sisko to Defiant, beam up away team." They vanished in a dazzle of light, to be followed seconds later by the bodies of the Jem'Hadar as they also disappeared in a similar manner.

    Beryl tapped the armrest of her throne as she stared at Jedite. "So Jedite," she finally said, "Your vaunted plan has failed. And thus you have failed." She leaned forward. "Again."
    "Only because of the interference of that starship crew," he protested. "If Nephlyte had destroyed it as he should have, it wouldn't have been in position to do so. Or perhaps if he had informed us of the
Sailor Scouts that were on it and thwarted his plan!" He turned to glare at the other General.
    Nephlyte affected an innocent look. "What Sailor Scouts?"
    "Where else could they have come from, Nephlyte?" he demanded.
    "I have no idea what you're babbling about, Jedite."
    "You lying --"
    "Enough, both of you!" Beryl snapped. "I don't care what the cause of your failure was, Jedite. Only that it was a failure. Now, begone while I consider your fate."
    Not daring to say anything more, Jedite turned and stormed out of the throne room. Once outside, he clenched his fist and shook it at the air. "I hate those Sailor Scouts!"

    Pluto met Sisko just outside the medical bay. "You did well, Captain."
    "Oh?"
    "You were successful in preventing Sailor Moon's death. Thus the mission has been a complete success."
    "I had only a small part in preventing it," Sisko replied a little more harshly than he intended. "The person most responsible for our success is in there," he indicated to the medical bay door, "and is very possibly dying even as we speak. And that fact alone doesn't qualify it as a complete success in my book." He took a step forward and entered the medical bay. Pluto hesitated for a moment before following him in. Bashir, assisted by Nurse Reilly, was still working feverishly on Mars at one of the biobeds. Mercury was lying on the other, being looked after by Dax. The Trill's own wound had already been seen to, but she still favored the wounded leg whenever she walked.
    "If you'll excuse me, Captain, I'll meet you on the bridge," Pluto said softly and left the room. Sisko watched her go without comment. He wasn't entirely sure, but he though he saw a tear on her face as she exited.
    Perhaps he had been too harsh in his words of a few moments before.

    Pluto reentered the bridge, moving to stand by one of the rear stations.
    "Any word on Raye?" she heard someone ask. Kira, perhaps.
    "No. Dr. Bashir is still working on her," she replied automatically. But inwardly she already knew what would happen.

    Sisko moved to stand by Dax. "How's it going?" he softly asked her.
    She shook her head. "Not good, Benjamin," she whispered. "She's on full life support, but even with that..." Her voice trailed off.
    Sisko watched her carefully as she spoke. Knowing Dax as long as he had, first as Curzon then later as Jadzia, he had become somewhat able to read her expressions. And from he saw on her face, "Not good" seemed to be an understatement.

    "Doctor, her synaptic network is starting to break down."
    Bashir looked up from his attempts to repair the damage to Mars' cardiac system and saw that Reilly was correct. "Cordical stimulator," he said ordered, readying a hypo. Reilly placed the small devices onto Raye's forehead while Bashir pressed the hypo to her neck. "Now." Raye's body jumped under the stimulus. Bashir watched the monitor carefully. There was a brief surge of brain activity, but it had already started to decline. He made a quick adjustment to the stimulators. "Again," he ordered, and once more a pulse was directed into her brain with similar results. Bashir swore and checked the life support functions. They at least seemed to be functioning perfectly, taking over the role of her heart and lungs. The problem now was to keep her brain from failing. "Increase the power of the stimulators by fifty percent."
    "Doctor, we're already at the maximum safe level. If-"
    "I know that," he said tightly. "Just do it."
    "Yes, Doctor."

    Sisko and Dax kept silent as they watched Bashir work, struggling to revive her even long after it became apparent that it was a hopeless cause. Finally he sighed in resignation. "Note the time of death in the log," he told Reilly before heading over to the other bed. "I'm sorry. She's gone," he told her as he mechanically her began seeing to her wounds.
    Mercury didn't reply, but remained still and stared at Raye. Luna moved slightly and gave her a comforting nuzzle, to which Mercury scratched her ears absently. "Captain, did we...?"
    "Yes," Sisko replied. "Pluto tells me that the mission was a success. The timelines of both universes have been restored."
    She nodded. "That's something at least." Then a thought occurred to her, "But if that's true, then our past has been altered. So how can Luna and I still exist?"
    "We understand some things about temporal mechanics, but a lot of the more subtle aspects of it are still vague to us," Dax said. "At a guess, I'd say the Prophets shielded you from the changes, just as they protected us during the whole paradox situation."
    "That makes sense," Mercury agreed. "It looks as if we have no place to go, Luna."
    "Oh, we'll think of something," the cat tried to reassure her."
    "I can help you in that regard," Sisko said. "There's a place for both of you of Deep Space Nine. If you want it."
    They both looked up at him, surprised. "What?" Luna said.
    "You can come with us when we return home," Sisko explained. "And you're both welcome to stay on the station as long as you like. Or you can go anywhere in the Federation. Or Bajor. It's up to you."

    The others looked up expectedly as Sisko and Dax entered the bridge, save for Pluto. Kira asked the question they all wanted the answer to, "Raye?"
    Sisko shook his head. "She didn't make it," he replied in a subdued voice.
    The disappointment and sorrow they felt was evident in their varied reactions. Kira closed her eyes and began speaking softly to herself in Bajoran. Sisko could just about make out some of the words, but he heard enough to understand it as a prayer to the Prophets on behalf of the deceased.
    O'Brien had muttered something as well, but it hardly appeared to be polite. The chief had seen more than his fair share of death, going as far back as the Cardassian raids on Setlik Three.
    Worf was typically stoic, though he seemed contemplative. His human upbringing caused him to feel sadness at her death, but his Klingon heritage wished her spirit well for she had undoubtedly earned a place among the honored dead.
    As usual, Odo was the hardest to read and in fact seemed more withdrawn than was usual for him. His thoughts were laced with regret that he wasn't able help Mars at the last, even if it was no fault of his own. She had put aside her dislike of changelings, and help him save the Founder the Negaverse had been controlling. Now it seemed he would never be able to return the favor.
    Sisko turned to Sailor Pluto, noting that she hadn't reacted to the news... at least not in any obvious way. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take my people home."
    "Of course, Captain," she replied. "I take it Sailor Mercury and Luna will be accompanying you?"
    "That's right. Is that a problem?"
    "No. It's not." She smiled slightly, "In fact, you will find both of them a great asset in events to come."
    Sisko frowned. "Just what do you mean by that?"
    "Ah, that would be telling. Now, about the wormhole..." Her voice trailed off and she stared at the viewscreen.
    "Captain, sensors are detecting a neutrino surge," O'Brien called out.
    "On screen," Sisko ordered, looking to the viewscreen as well. On it they saw the wormhole opening up. Gone was the red haze that had dominated it's appearance the last time he saw it, replaced by the serene blues and whites that normally surrounded the spatial tunnel. He knew without any lingering doubts that the past of his universe, and that of the Sailor Scouts, had been fully restored. If at a high price.
    "This will take you back to Deep Space Nine moments after you left it," Pluto told him. "Once you have returned there, it will resume it's normal behavior."
    Sisko looked back at her. "What about the quantum flux? Should we leave it open to the Gamma Quadrant?"
    "I had a feeling you'd ask about that." She walked over to the weapons console, and rapidly entered a series of coordinates. "I took the liberty of having one of your quantum torpedoes modified while you were on Earth. If you fire it into the flux along this trajectory, it should redirect it away from the Gamma Quadrant."
    "And just what will happen then?" Sisko asked. "I don't want someone else to have to go through something like this again."
    Pluto arched an eyebrow. "I am... somewhat an expert in temporal matters, Captain. I assure you that nothing damaging to the timeline of either universe will occur. But there will be repercussions."
    "Such as?"
    "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss it. Simply consider it... history fulfilling itself."
    Sisko eyed her for a moment, trying to divine the meaning to her words. But there was really no choice. He didn't want to leave the flux in it's present position, for there was no doubt the Dominion
would send further ships to investigate. And who knew what would happen then. "Proceed, Mr. Worf." The Klingon officer nodded, and pressed the firing control. It streaked outward from the Defiant,
then vanished as it entered. Less than a second later, there was a flash from it's detonation inside the flux.
    Dax monitored the results, "It's gone. The flux has been redirected."
    "Good luck, Captain," Pluto said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check on something. But I'll be back shortly." With that she vanished.
    "What did she mean by that?" Odo asked.
    "I don't know," answered Sisko. "No doubt we'll find out soon enough."
    "So," Kira said after a moment. "We won. Everything's back the way it should be. Their history is back the way it should be, and so is ours." She glanced around the bridge at her fellow officers. "So
why doesn't it feel like we won?" she asked rhetorically in a voice tinged with sadness.
    No one spoke up to answer her. The reason was abundantly clear to all of them.
    Finally, Dax broke the silence. "Shall I lay in a course for the wormhole, Captain?"
    It suddenly occurred to Sisko just what Pluto meant about being back. "Not yet, old man," he replied. He turned to the viewscreen, still centered on the open wormhole. It was tempting to have the
Defiant proceed through it immediately, but... "There's still one more thing we need to do here."

Sailor Trek: Deep Space 9
By Bill Harris
Part Epilogue
PG13

    There was a brief shimmering in the air just before Pluto reappeared at the Gateway of Time. "I see that good old Ben and his merry band managed to pull it off," Q commented without turning.
    "Yes, they did," Pluto responded, adding solemnly, "All is as it was before."
    Q turned and regarded her with uncertainly, then sighed. "I should never have introduced you to the cosmic doughnut all those centuries ago. Now you're beginning to talk like that so called 'Guardian of Forever'."
    "Really, Q, you must work on your sense of humor," Pluto commented wryly.
    "Moi?" Q replied, seemingly shocked. "Work on my sense of humor? That's rich, coming from you. I've known you since well before the fall of the Silver Millennium and counting this you've cracked maybe a half dozen jokes."
    "I see you're working on your use of hyperbole," Pluto commented, arching an eyebrow.
    "Well... maybe a little," he admitted. He snapped his fingers, bringing up a view of the Defiant before him. "So, I see a Sailor Scout is coming over to my side of the fence. This could be interesting."
    Q sensed Pluto come up behind him, then felt her tap him on the shoulder. When he turned to face her, he instinctively drew back in surprise at seeing not only the anger in her expression, but the Garnet Orb looming menacingly in his face.
    "Leave her alone, Q. She's been through enough, due in no small part to you."
    "And what if I don't?" he retorted automatically.
    "Then I will be very... very... unhappy."
    The staring contest seemed to last an eternity (which is saying something in this case), but eventually Q sighed. "Oh, very well."
    "Thank you," Pluto said, relaxing somewhat.
    "But I think you're being somewhat unfair in saddling me with the blame for her plight. After all, I did warn Picard and Riker not to fire that torpedo."
    "If you hadn't brought the Sailor Scouts to the Enterprise, it never would have happened," Pluto countered.
    "And if you would keep your petty villains on your side of the cosmos, it never would have been necessary!" Q retorted.
    "That is not an area in which I am responsible for, Q. And you well know it."
    "You may be correct," Q admitted. "But you know as well as I that I had no choice in acting as I did. Otherwise, your precious Crystal Tokyo would be a Borg colony." Pluto didn't reply directly, but gave a slight nod in acknowledgement. "Now as much as I would like to continue this little debate, I must be going." Q smiled, attempting to lighten the mood somewhat. "Did you know that Jean-Luc has a brand new starship at his disposal? I'll have to give it a good look over... after I give him a good dose of 'I told you so!'."
    "Would you mind postponing that for a bit?" Pluto asked.
    "Why? Can't bear the thought of not having me around?"
    Pluto rolled her eyes. "Hardly. But I have some unfinished business to attend to... on the Defiant."
    Q sighed, acting as if this were a major inconvenience. In truth, he had expected Pluto to make this request. "Oh, very well."
    "Thank you," Pluto said and vanished.

    Odo entered the almost bare room, the forcefield at the entrance automatically engaging as soon as he stepped through the doorway. He regarded the one piece of furniture with some interest. "Are you comfortable?" he asked it.
    The chair flowed, becoming a gelatinous substance and finally settled into a humanoid form with roughly the same characteristics as Odo. "For the most part," the changeling said. "Though I find it
uncomfortable being confined like this."
    "A necessary precaution, I think you would agree," Odo said. "Especially given their previous encounters with changelings."
    It didn't bother to comment, but moved it's limbs about as if stretching them. "It feels good to be able control my shape once more and not to have to shift at the behest of that... whatever it was." It sighed. "I will need some time to recover from this experience, time I need within the Great Link." It looked at Odo, "Captain Sisko is going to return me to the Dominion?"
    "He said he would, after we return to the station," Odo replied, regarding the changeling with some disbelief. "You'll be ferried to the Gamma Quadrant, where we'll arrange to meet with a Dominion vessel."
    "Good," it said. It seemed to notice that Odo was still looking at it in disbelief. "Is something wrong?"
    "Yes, there is," Odo said. "You seem to have no regard for Sailor Mars' death."
    It shrugged. "They live and they die, Odo. Such is their lot."
    Odo snorted, and paced about the room. "I don't believe this," he muttered. He stopped and glared at the changeling. "You really don't care, do you? You don't care that two young girls were willing to
sacrifice themselves to set things right for us. That the one who did so, who may have suffered the most because of you, was willing to put her hatred aside long enough to save your life?"
    "Should it?" The changeling seemed mystified. "After all Odo, they're only solids."
    Odo stared at the changeling for several moments. Then, disgusted, he spun and headed for the door. He hesitated momentarily there, then turned back. "No," he said emphatically. "They're not just solids. And at times like these, I think they're more than we will ever be."

    Worf stood silently in the torpedo bay, maintaining his silent vigil over the casings containing the fallen Sailor Scouts. Behind him, he heard the door his open then felt someone approach and stand beside him. "Somehow I expected to find you here," Kira said. "It's called Ak'voh, right?"
    "Yes." Worf was mildly surprised that she knew this. It was an old tradition, where the companions to a fallen warrior kept watch over the body of a fallen comrade and kept away the predators until the spirit could make the journey to Sto'vo'kor. The custom was not that well known outside the Empire and one that was not widely observed these days. "You are well versed in Klingon traditions, Major."
    "I wasn't... at least not before the Klingon invasion of Cardassia. Since then, Jadzia has been helping me get up to speed on Klingon culture."
    "I see." Worf took the opportunity to glance in her direction, then faced forward once more. "How is the arm?"
    Kira looked down to her left arm, which was secured in a sling, and flexed her hand experimentally. "It's stiff and hurts like hell. But Dr. Bashir says it should be fine in a few days." Worf nodded noncommittally, but made no other comment. After a few silent minutes, Kira sighed. "You were right."
    "About what?"
    "When we first entered this universe, you told me that I wouldn't call them just a 'kids group' if I had seen them in action. Well, you were right."
    Worf didn't reply immediately. He had made a similar mistake himself upon his first meeting with the Scouts. Indeed, one could say his first encounter with Serena was less than pleasant.
    Kira spoke before he could say anything though. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here a bit." A small smile came to her face. "Help keep the predators at bay."
    "I don't mind, but... If I may ask... Why?"
    "Raye," she replied. "As I got to know her, I saw a lot of things in her that reminded me of myself."
"How so?"
    Kira paused, trying to put her feelings into words. "We had some things in common, for one. We both lost our mothers at an early age, both of us had to take up a fight against an alien invader on our
worlds. Plus we both had our spiritual beliefs."
    "And you are both short tempered," Worf said.
    "Look who's talking," Kira stated. After Worf chose not to reply, she continued, "But I think most of all, I saw in her qualities that could have been in my life, had it not been for the Cardassians... If
I hadn't been forced to join the Resistance."
    Worf nodded, "I think I understand."
    They heard the door hiss open behind them. "Uh... Commander, Major?" a voice said hesitantly. They turned to face O'Brien. "It's time."

    Raye sat down heavily on the temple steps, "This has been one helluva day, right from the get go." She heaved a sigh of frustration. "I'm glad all that's over. Ever since Dax and my counterpart came over, I've been looking all around for that changeling."
    "Oh, so that's why you've been acting so oddly today," Amy observed.
    "'Fraid so." Raye noticed Serena glaring at her. "What?"
    "You knew this was going to happen?" she said accusingly.
    "Well, not this exactly, but --"
    "AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!?"
    Raye's mouth moved several times, but she said nothing, so shocked she was by Serena's outburst. It was up to Luna to say, "Give her a chance to explain her side, Serena. I'm sure Raye had a very good reason for not saying anything."
    Serena switch her glare to the black cat. "And what's your story, Luna? You were acting odd the whole day as well."
    "I knew something odd was going on," Luna admitted. "After all, I did meet my double in the tree the night before. But with her disguise, I didn't it was anything more than another cat. All I had to go on was an odd feeling that something was amiss."
    "And in my case, I didn't meet my counterpart until a few minutes before things started happening," Amy said. "By that time, Luna and I had already separated from you two. The only thing I could do was try and get back to where you were."
    "All right," Serena said, returning her gaze to Raye, "But --"
    "But nothing!" Raye shot back. She stood up and looked Serena right in the eye. "I didn't say anything to anyone because they told me not to! Because they said if I did, if things didn't proceed almost exactly as they should, that changeling wouldn't be there. Then they wouldn't have any idea where or when it would strike next." Raye paused and took a deep breath. "Considering how well it imitated Tuxedo Mask, it could have tried posing as anyone next time. Maybe as me, or Amy, or
even your mother! And then it'd kill you, just like it did in the other Raye's past."
    "I... I hadn't thought of that," Serena stammered.
    "Just what were you thinking?" Raye demanded. "Did you think I didn't say anything because I didn't care if you get hurt? Or killed? Is that it? Just what kind of person do you think I am?"
    "Sorry..." Serena mumbled contritely.
    "You'd better be!" Raye continued angrily. "Despite the fact that you're a ditzy, clumsy brat, I don't want to see you hurt!"
    "Well, I... HEY!" Serena shifted emotional gears rapidly, going instantly to a fuming state. "You take that back!"
    "You can't take the truth back," Raye retorted.
    Luna sighed as the argument escalated. 'I suppose I'm going to have to break them up... Again.' Then she noticed that Amy seemed oblivious to the fight, for she had opened up her computer moments before and was staring intently at the screen. "What is it, Amy?"
    The blue haired girl jumped slightly, startled. "Oh, I got a message."
    "A message?" Luna frowned. Who could know to send a message to Amy over her computer? "Who from?"
    "My counterpart," she replied softly.
    Despite how low her voice was, it seemed to penetrate through the verbal barrage between Raye and Serena. They both turned, and gaped at her. "From your future self?" Serena asked.
    "What's it say, Amy?" Raye added.
    Amy began to read aloud:

    Amy,
    (It's really strange to be writing a message to myself!)
    I've programmed this to be downloaded into your computer if our mission was successful. Serena is safe, and you three can go on with your mission: seeking out the Moon Princess and battling the forces of the Negaverse.
    I calculated a high degree of probability that either Raye or myself, or both, may not survive this mission. If this is so, don't grieve for us. Success for us meant the utter destruction of the world we came from... And very probably we would cease to exist soon afterwards. That doesn't matter, for failure would carry too great a price for us: seeing Serena die again, and the world fall to the Negaverse without all the Sailor Scouts to battle them.
    There are many things I could tell you that would make your battle easier. Knowledge about other foes from the Negaverse, where you can find others to help you, among others. But I've been asked not to provide too much information to you. So I'm afraid you'll have to learn it the hard way. But I know you three will win out in the end.
    Best of Luck,
    Amy
    Sailor Mercury

    "Now, remember," Bashir was saying as he entered the bridge carrying Sailor Mercury, "You've just undergone surgery, so don't do anything to overexert yourself- like standing. After all, your insides are still being held together with microsutures."
    "Yes, Doctor," she answered. Satisfied, Bashir moved over to the Tactical One station and sat her down in the chair. Meanwhile Luna, her fur now back to it's normal black color, bounded over from her perch on one of Sisko's consoles and leapt into Mercury's arms. In an almost automatic response, she began scratching the cat behind her ears.
    Dax looked up from the helm. "We're in position, Benjamin. One AU from the Sun, directly opposite from Earth."
    "Very well, Dax," Sisko said. "Hold station here." Instead of sitting in the command chair, he was standing behind it. Lined up in flanking positions on both sides of him, the other members of the senior staff were likewise standing, with Bashir hovering near Mercury's chair like a worried mother hen. Only Dax was at her station and, after setting the helm to hold their current position, she got up as well and moved to one side of the bridge.
    "Shipwide speakers online, Captain," Kira said.
    Sisko nodded and prepared to speak, but felt and heard a slight ripple effect behind him. Looking backwards, he wasn't surprised to see Pluto standing in the bridge rear. She greeted him silently, but
otherwise didn't say or do anything else.
    Facing the viewscreen once more, Sisko took a deep breath, ordering his thoughts. Though necessary, this was one of the duties of command he hated the most. "We are gathered here today to pay our final respects to our honored dead," he began. "To those who have fallen in battle and have
given that last full measure of devotion."
`"Lita Kino, better known to us as Sailor Jupiter; Mina Aino, Sailor Venus, and Artemis. Most of us didn't get a chance to know them. Indeed, some of us barely met them before they died. But the fact that they fought to save their world, despite knowing the odds of success were slim, speaks well of them."
    "But it is a different case for Raye Hino, known also as Sailor Mars. We did get to know her over the last few days. Hot tempered, but with a passionate love for life... but more so for her friends. She willingly sacrificed herself to save Sailor Moon... and she wasn't the only one willing to make such a sacrifice." He took a surreptitious glance at Mercury out of the corner of his eye. Her face was expressionless, but the tears and the look in her eyes told her true feelings. Feelings that were mirrored in the expressions of Luna, and of the rest of the crew. "In doing so, she secured not only the future of her world, but the existence of our own. We can never truly repay the debt we owe her."
    Finished, Sisko nodded to Worf. The Klingon touched a control on the weapons panel, triggering the torpedo launch sequence and the three caskets bearing the bodies were launched from the torpedo tubes. Artemis and Venus were in the same casket, at Luna's insistence. As the caskets faded from view into the Sun's glare, Kira spoke, "We commit their bodies to the vastness of space and to the fires of their home star, in the hopes their spirits may find peace. May they walk with the Prophets." As she finished, the computer ran another preprogrammed sequence, firing several low power bursts from the pulse phasers.
    Twenty one in all.
    "As you where," Sisko said after several moments. As the crew went back to their stations while behind them, Pluto bade Mercury and Luna a silent farewell before vanishing herself.
    Sisko sat himself in his command chair then said, "Set course for the wormhole. One half impulse."
    "Course and speed set," Dax replied after making the necessary adjustments to the helm.
    Sisko paused before giving the order to engage and glanced over at Mercury. She and Luna hadn't moved yet, still watching the viewscreen. He hoped this would help them start the healing process, and they would be able to move on with their new lives on Deep Space Nine. But he knew from personal experience that it wouldn't be easy. It had taken him years to put Jennifer's death at Wolf 359 fully behind him. And was he doing them any favors by bringing them to DS9? After all, it was hardly a peaceful haven; with the problems he was having with the breakdown of the Klingon alliance, the Maquis, the constant and ever increasing threat of war with the Dominion and a host of others. Only the Prophets knew for certain what the future held. All he really knew was the he and his crew would do everything they could to help them make the adjustment.
    He turned back to the helm, where Dax was patiently awaiting his orders. "Take us home, old man," he said, his voice tired and somber.
    "Take us home."

End.

Notes: Comments, critiques and questions are welcome. Just email me at Soton@aol.com.

    As before, thanks to Gene Roddenberry and Naoko Takeuchi, for creating their respective genres. Additional thanks to Rick Berman and Micheal Piller for creating "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." I would also like to add a special thank you to Will Wolfshohl, who has provided a lot of critical commentary along the way (thus sparking an additional idea or two for me) and for patiently answering my questions regarding Sailor Pluto.

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