Adam Allgood pianodrums@aol.com I have noticed that other authors post disclaimers before their stories. Here's one. Sailor Moon, and all related characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha, Bandai, Dic, etc. Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, and all of it's related characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Any other characters were created by me. Star Trek: Sailor Moon Mutual Dilemma Chapter 6 "I can't believe he's gone!" Serena must have muttered that a hundred times. Mina regarded her sadly. Everyone was upset over the disappearance of Tuxedo Mask, but poor Serena took the loss of her love the hardest. It has been two days since the end of the battle with the creatures called the Borg. Police had found the war zone in the alley after hearing reports of noise from pedestrians. They brought the unconscious Sailors, and the Star Fleet troops to the hospital. Luckily, they did not see any Borg. For some reason, when the police arrived, no Borg were to be found. There sure was a lot of ash, however. The mystery of their disappearance was cracked by the Star Fleet officers, when they told the scouts that a dead Borg self-destructs. What strange creatures these Borg are, taking people to assimilate, but wasting so many of their own! Rei, Lita, and Ami were meeting with the Star Fleet officers to discuss their plans. However, now Mina's attention needed to be on her friend. Serena had not eaten since the battle. She slept a lot, but her sleep was troubled by terrible nightmares of Borg soldiers vivisecting Darien. "I can't believe he's gone! Everything was so perfect!" Serena began to choke, hot tears running from her face. "I can't seem to ever be able to keep him! For so many months, he was a complete stranger to me. Now, when everything was so perfect...." Serena began to sob. "Don't worry, Serena." Mina smiled softly, trying to cheer her friend. "Darien didn't die. He isn't going to die. We're going to rescue him from the Borg, and we're going to bring him back!" Mina tactfully left out the fact that Darien may actually be a Borg. "He was my rock, my strength. Without him, I have no drive to go on." Serena looked down, away from Mina's eyes. "He is your rock, he is your strength. He has saved your life many times. Now, his is in danger, and you must help him back." Mina lay a supporting hand on Serena's back. "I don't know how I can keep fighting, when every time I do, I lose him!" Mina's comforting coaxed more tears from Serena's eyes. Her words filled her with guilt. Darien always saved Serena from her enemies, but she had failed to save him from his. "I let them take him! How can he ever forgive me after I let them take him away?" "He knows that you tried with all of your might. He is in no way angry with you." "But I didn't save him." "Well, you can save him now. We can help battle the Borg along-side the Enterprise." Mina drew Serena very close, her lips almost touching Serena's ear. "He is resisting them with all of his strength, Serena. We will need to resist them with all of our strength. We cannot do that unless our leader is strong." Mina held Serena's hand, and squeezed it tight. Serena sniffled. "I'll try to be strong." "For him." "For him." "So, do you trust us?" Riker smiled, recalling their past tiffs with the formidable Sailor Scouts. "Oh, yes. We are really, really sorry for accosting you like that." Rei looked totally flushed. She hated ending up on the defensive. "That's quite all right. Boy, we must have really took you by surprise!" Riker was in total control, and he wanted to take advantage of it for every second that he had. "Tell us about your 'Prime Directive.' " Amy looked first towards Riker, then shyly at Data. "I find the concept to be quite fascinating, and very logical." "Indeed," began Data. (Riker appeared to be gearing up for something, but the poor girls did not know what) "The Prime Directive is a policy embraced by the Federation, and other space-faring organizations that engage in contact with younger races. The Directive clearly describes the moral repercussions of unlimited interaction with species that are less technologically advanced. The prime rule is a proclamation of non-interference with these species. Any hindrance to the natural evolution of a form of life is punishable, by Federation law, with imprisonment. Case studies which confirm the validity of our doctrine include the loss of the U.S.S. Horizon in the year 2168. Crew members of that vessel left a book entitled Chicago Mobs of the Twenties on the surface of planet Sigma lotia II, and the inhabitants' culture was altered due to the..." "Okay, Mr. Data, I think you have succeeded in sedating our guests." (indeed, everyone but Amy seemed a little more sleepy) Commander Riker smiled at the android. "Its all right, Mr. Data, I was just teasing you." "It seems that I am unable to understand your humor when my emotional chip is not functioning. Perhaps I should activate it." Data closed his eyes, then opened them. Commander Riker began to smile uncomfortably, especially when Data shot him an angered look. "That was not funny, sir." "Thank you very much, Mr. Data," said Amy, smiling. Commander Data smiled back. The scouts were astonished. This gold faced 'robot' seemed to be able to activate emotional responses at a whim. They never encountered individuals like these men before. Everyone turned to look as two cats entered the room. The tomcat was white, with an odd crescent on his forehead. The female was just like the male, only black. What an odd pair! This situation gets weirder and weirder. Thought commander Riker. He had absolutely no idea how weird this situation was about to get. The five girls looked at the two cats in anticipation; like they were going to say something. A cat that talks! That would be the day! Riker thought. "Well, I believe its time we met." said the black cat named Luna. Commander Riker's mouth dropped. Data gasped, and made a noise that seemed to be a mixture between a laugh, and a cry of alarm. How was this possible? Every ounce of sense in the Star Fleet officers' brains, told them that: Cats = mammals that cannot speak! How, then, could this marvel of a hairball be talking? "Hello, are you there?" The white cat gazed at the two men in curiosity. Riker realized that he and Data had been sitting there, without responding. "How? Uh... how can... these.... these cats... be...be talking?" Riker stammered. "Well, how do you think?" replied the black cat. "The air goes from our lungs, across the vocal chords, and out our mouths!" The girls laughed at the joke. The two Star Fleet officers were to surprised at the talking cats to even close their mouths. "You guys aren't going to faint on us, are you?" asked Raye, still smiling. "Uh, I guess not." muttered Riker. He stuck an arm out towards the white cat, Artemis, and exclaimed "Who are these cats?" "My name is Artemis, and this is Luna." said the white puff. "We protect the Sailor Scouts." Riker's mouth dropped even farther. Data picked up on the dialogue. "You protect these girls? I must request an inquiry. I have two questions. How? and From what!?" Data leaned forward in deep interest. "You have told us your story; about the great spaceships in the sky, and the terrible Borg. Would you like to hear our story?" Luna asked. "Please, I'm all ears." Riker finally said. "Okay. Long, long ago, in what we believe to be thousands of years, there was a great kingdom in the cosmos. There was peace, and harmony throughout the solar system. The great silver palace was located on the Moon, where there was a great royal family. The kingdom was named the Silver Millennium, and was ruled by Queen Serenity. Artemis and I were the queen's aides. Now, this queen had a daughter, named Princess Serena. Serena had a court of princesses who originated from the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. It was a tranquil existence on the Moon and throughout the Millennium. Princess Serena, now, fell in love with the prince of Earth: Prince Darien. Darien and Serena lived happily on the Moon, and one day, they decided to marry. However, the day of the marriage, the Earth moved between the Moon and the Sun, cutting us temporarily off from the Light. The altered existence allowed a different dimension to leak into the dark side of Earth. Terrible warriors, ruled by Beryl the Evil, were unleashed onto the poor communities on Earth. The planet fell within a few hours. Beryl and her dimension, called the Negaverse, expanded from Earth, and moved towards the Moon. The invincible shadow of the Negaverse loomed over the palace, and the mighty walls fell. Prince Darien, in an attempt to protect his love, fell under the sword of the shadow warrior. Serena died as well. Terribly upset by this, Queen Serenity decided that she must sacrifice the Moon to prevent the Negaverse from conquering the Universe. She unleashed the power of the Moon, the Imperiam Silver Crystal, onto the battle. The Negaforce, and the inhabitants of the moon were trapped in the power. The entire moon was laid waste from the battle. Even the atmosphere dissipated into space. Queen Serenity decided to send Serena and her court to Earth, where they would relive peaceful lives. However, the wise queen equipped the court, and Serena, with the ability to defend themselves. Artemis and I were sent to train the court, should the Negaforce strike again. The preparations were needed. Beryl again unleashed the Negaverse into the Universe. Prince Darien, who was also brought to Earth, assumed the form of the warrior Tuxedo Mask. He protected Sailor Moon, Princess Serena, from Beryl. Finally, in one terrible battle, the four scouts plus Darien died. Sailor Moon unleashed the power of the Moon, the Imperiam Silver Crystal, onto Beryl. She was completely destroyed. The energy re-released the Sailor powers onto the human forms of the Court. They prevented two aliens from taking over the Earth. Now, you have arrived, and we must fight again. Now, Tuxedo Mask, or Darien, has been taken by these Borg." Luna took a few breaths after her long tale. Commander Riker looked at Data, then at the cat. "That's some story! It's hard to believe!" Riker seemed skeptical. "Almost as unbelievable as the fact that there are cybernetic gremlins out to conquer us." put in Lita. "You have a point." said Riker. At that moment, there was a sound of footfalls behind the door. Raye stood to open it. Mina and Serena walked in. Mina appeared to be in relatively good spirits, but Serena looked positively depressed. "Hi, everyone." said Mina, her beautiful blonde hair flowing around. "Hi." said Serena, and nothing more. "Would you like something to eat?" asked Amy. The blue haired girl hoped that Serena's weakness, food, would break up some of her sadness. "Thanks." said Serena. She moved over to the table, and took some of the cookies. The scouts always had cookies during their meetings, but no one had touched them until now. Mina smiled timidly at Riker, and then took a seat a little away from him. She hoped that he wouldn't be retaining anger from their initial confrontation. She did tackle him to the ground, and she did sit on him with all of her weight for a long time. The Star Fleet officer offered no hard feelings, however. He smiled at her as she went past him. "That was some show you put on against the Borg!" said Riker, conversationally. It had grown quiet since Serena walked in. "You have to teach me to do all of those things with your fingers!" "It's not to hard," said Lita, "If you can just transfer your inner energy onto your fingertips." "Do each of your weapons represent a power from your respective planets?" Data inquired. Mina looked at him. "You know about our past?" "We were filled in by your lovely 'pets,' " said Riker, casting another quick glance at the talking animals. Data, meanwhile, contemplated introducing them to his own cat, Spot. Would Luna and Artemis be able to teach Spot to speak? Cats normally would be incapable of producing many English sounds, but with some work, it's possible. "Answering your question," said Raye, "Yes, our weapons originate from our planets. Sailor Venus uses the power of Venus to create a beam of double crescent moons. I use the power of Mars to create fire. Amy, who is Sailor Mercury, uses her power to create an array of blinding bubbles. Sailor Jupiter creates a lightning bolt with her planet's power." "Interesting," said Data. "May I scan the power in use?" "I don't think you can." said Amy. "We also have some other variations on our powers." said Raye. "I think you may be able to help us out," said Riker. The scouts immediately snapped to attention. People usually said that before requesting something big. Riker continued: "My captain would like you to come aboard our ship to meet him personally. We can leave whenever you are ready, but we would like it to be soon." "Why can't your captain come down here?" said Lita, growing faintly suspicious. "We have equipment up there that may aid us in the recovery of your comrade." said Riker. Serena immediately snapped to attention. The mention of her love being rescued greatly appealed to her. The other scouts also seemed more willing, because they too were worried about the cute man who always rescues them. They turned to Serena, and then gasped in surprise. Every single cookie on the table was gone! Serena put her hand to her mouth, and stifled a burp. "Sorry," was all she said. The four girls didn't seem to surprised at this, but the Star Fleet officers marveled at how such a girl could eat so much, and stay so thin. "Will you come with us?" asked Riker. "How can we be totally sure that you, or anyone in space will not betray us?" asked Raye. "We'll show you how much trust we put in you by allowing you to surround us when we beam up. Arm those fingers of yours, and if anyone on our ship threatens you, you can hold us hostage." That is trust for you. "How safe are those beamers of yours?" asked Lita. "Very safe. Safer than any of your current public transportation." "All right, we'll go." said Amy. The two men stood, and motioned the girls to come near. They surrounded the two Star Fleet officers. "Enterprise, seven to..." Riker was interrupted by a female voice. The black cat jumped under the nearest scout's feet. The white one followed suit. "What about us?" "Okay." said Riker. "Enterprise, seven humanoids, and two cats to beam up." We are the Borg. You are the Borg. There is no difference between us. We are the collective, and you are the collective. You are the voice to the humans. You are the voice of Roshalon. Rosholon of Borg. The voices echoed in Darien's head. All that was left were his thoughts. He could hear the Borg, the Borg were inside him. When the collective said move, his body moved. Darien looked for his body. He couldn't see with his eyes. He saw what Rosholon saw. He saw what every Borg saw. Only it wasn't every Borg, it was the Borg. His body had been invaded by all sorts of implants. At first, they hurt. Now, he couldn't feel a thing. He could feel what Rosholon felt. Pain was irrelevant. Rosholon was Darien, and Darien was Rosholon. The unity was forced, like a rape, but now they were joined, and Darien was forced to comply with the Borg. "We are the Borg." Said Rosholon NOOOO! screamed the mind of Darien. "Resistance is Futile. The humans, and the newly discovered females with the unknown technology will be assimilated." Darien felt the Borg reach into his mind and access information on the Sailor Scouts. Their weaknesses were known by the Borg. I'm sorry cried the mind of Darien, as it slipped behind Rosholon into the darkness. As soon as Riker finished his words, a hum gradually crescendoed into a vibrating whine. The sound was so loud, that the scouts' chests vibrated and tingled from the noise. However, the tingling increased, and spread about their whole bodies. Their vision was blocked by an increasing shower of energy particles. The room began to fade behind them. Nobody ever remembered the exact moment of transportation. Since your body is completely non-corporeal, you have no senses, and no memories. You simply see the room you were in fade out, and the new one fade in. That is precisely what the five girls, two cats, and two men experienced. The temple disappeared from view, and soon, a new room appeared. The room was small. Next to the door, there was a panel with a man standing at it. The room was divided by a glass panel, with the scouts on one side, standing on some kind of pad, and the panel on the other. The noise and the tingling gradually eased. Mobility came back. The scouts sighed deeply. The roller coaster was over. Their bodies were full of adrenaline, because of the new frontier. The door opened, and a man walked in. He was a strong man, with piercing blue eyes, and a bright red collar stood out behind a gray uniform. What surprised the girls a little, was the radiance of the light that was reflected from the man's head. He was bald! "Welcome to the Enterprise," he said. "I am Captain Jean Luc Picard."