Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, places, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.
Rating: T – There will be some mild adult themes and language.
A/N: New episodes are beginning at the end of August...the hiatus is ALMOST over! Before then, I'll also be heading on a trip to a certain con! In the meantime, hope you enjoy this little story I've come up with to bridge the gap.
Another day had come; another problem had seemingly arisen for the Rangers. Well, no one was entirely sure it was a problem, but it was certainly something that they really didn't understand.
Everyone knew that Orion experienced visions of the past 6th Rangers though his morpher. It was something he had told them when he first came to them. It was a little like how Troy had experienced dreams of a war to come, of a great battle in which an army of Rangers faced off against The Armada. In Orion's case though, it seemed like the connection ran much deeper. The Rangers came to him in these visions, and lent him their strength, their knowledge, their experience. He had even talked about training with them back on his home planet. Over time though, he seemed to have less contact with them. He still got messages from them when he prayed, but having now joined up with the team and started training with them, it seemed like they were spending less time teaching him their ways. Like most of them, he had been a loner at first, and it seemed an important part of his development as a Ranger was becoming a part of the team.
The team already had a lot of adjustments to get used to as a result of their most recent battle. They had faced Lafitte, the deadly and infamous space pirate numerous times in their battles to retrieve the Ranger Keys. He had been obsessed with harnessing their power, of creating an army of Rangers for himself in his pursuit of plunder. In the end, after being only moments from defeating them, after taking them to the very limit of their endurance, he had finally been defeated, ridding them of a powerful foe, but not without a heavy price. As a result of the battle, Troy had lost his right leg beneath the knee.
Everyone understood why he opted to remain behind in Briarwood, to spend time dealing with the changes he'd have to make to his life. He didn't want to be a burden to the team, to hold them back in their battles. He had said that he couldn't live with himself if the team had to put themselves in any more danger than was necessary in order to cover for his limitations, and so until he felt like he was able to pull his weight, he had opted to leave the team. It was a difficult decision, and one that had left them all disheartened. Emma especially, knowing that she had to leave the man she loved behind.
However, that wasn't what had them worried right now. Now, for the first time, one of the Rangers other than Orion had experienced visions. Emma was sitting in the room the Rangers had designated their infirmary while Noah, Tensou and Jordan ran some tests. Jordan's return had been another unexpected development. He had broken free of The Library to seek out the Rangers, to help them in their time of need, but in doing so had also paid a price. Vrak had attacked him shortly after he got back to Earth, and had stolen the Robo Knight armour from him. They still didn't know why, but they doubted he wanted it as a souvenir. While he wanted to bring the Robo Knight back where it belonged, he had agreed to bolster the Ranger's ranks. It wasn't the same, but at least they had a Red Ranger.
Emma was more than a little freaked out by the visions. She was sitting on a bench with Gia, who had her arm wrapped around her, trying to keep her calm. While her first vision, seeing herself as the original Pink Ranger Kimberly, celebrating with her team wasn't so bad, the next one was a lot less pleasant. She had been transported into the body of the Pink Galaxy Ranger, Kendrix, moments before her death destroying the Savage Sword. It was several minutes before her heart didn't feel like it was going to explode it was pumping so hard. She still couldn't bring herself to hold her morpher, which was sitting across the room on a bench.
"How long is this going to take?" Gia asked. "How hard can it be Jordan, you designed the damn things!"
"Yeah, because his designs always work out so well." Tensou said sarcastically. "That's why you've spent all hear smacking me over the head."
"How many times do I have to apologise for that?" Jordan grumbled. Tensou just looked to him.
"How about 16?" Tensou asked him. "That's how many times one of my friends had to hit me to kick start your stupid tracking program." Jordan just shook his head, getting his mind back onto the current issue.
"Right, you all know there's an element of memory transference using the Ranger Keys." He reminded them. "Using the morphers, you get the appropriate memories needed to know how to use their weapons, their powers and abilities."
"Yeah, we all know about that." Jake stated. "But that still doesn't explain why Orion had conversations and flashbacks of them."
"Or why Emma's just now waking up screaming the ship down because she finds herself re-living a Ranger's agonisingly painful death!" Gia added. Jordan just threw his hands up.
"I don't know!" He admitted. "I mean, I thought before it might have something to do with Orion's physiology, like it might be something in his DNA that we'd missed that explained the difference in how he experiences these memories, but...well...now Emma's experienced it..."
"We could all find ourselves dropping in on our predecessors randomly." Jake muttered. "OK, I don't know about any of you, but while seeing some of the stuff they did might be cool, I'd really rather not go on a serious trip in the middle of a battle!"
Noah looked away for a second, a curious look crossing his face.
"What?" Jake asked.
"Um...I just...I wanted to check something." Noah stated. "It's probably nothing..."
"So, are you feeling any better now?" Gia asked. Emma just nodded.
"I'm not sure I'll be sleeping again anytime soon." She muttered. "I really just wish I knew what was happening to me. This really freaked me out, but...a part of me is glad this happened too."
"Glad?" Gia asked. "Emma, you practically had a heart attack."
"I know that particular memory was rough, but...you don't know what it was like." Emma stated. "It wasn't just a case of having the memory of their equipment, it's like I got to see them, BE another Ranger. To feel and experience what they did."
"Yeah, I kind of got that part." Gia said with a shudder.
"No, you don't get it. I didn't just get the practical stuff; I got to see into their hearts, their minds. I got to feel what made them such great Rangers in the first place." She explained. "I saw their hopes and dreams, all the things that gave them their strength. It's like...I was finally able to see why they were chosen. They were all more than just their powers."
"Emma..."
"I guess seeing what they were made of first hand, it made me feel like I'm part of something huge, I feel like I'm part of an amazing legacy." Emma told her. Gia smiled.
"Well, as long as you don't go having any more panic attacks I'll be happy." Gia told her. "You know what I get like when I'm tired, and my room IS right next to yours."
"Yeah...you mentioned that before." Emma said with a slight blush. She HAD been sharing that room with Troy, and Gia had mentioned to her quietly to bear that in mind one night when she heard a little more than she was comfortable hearing. "I'm sorry; I'll try to keep the screaming to a minimum from now on."
"Well, these tests are going to take a while." Noah announced sadly. "Until then, there's really not much more we can do."
"Well, after this I doubt any of us are going to be sleeping tonight." Gia answered. "Come on Emma, get your camera. If we're lucky we can get some good night shots or...something."
Gia took Emma to get her camera, while Jake just looked to the others.
"Is anyone else hungry?" Jake asked. "I think there's some fruit salad in the fridge..."
"Thanks, but I'm going to my room." Orion answered them. "Maybe if I rest up for a while, I can get back to sleep."
"Well, you know where we are if you change your mind." Jake told him. Noah just looked to the others, before transferring some data to his tablet.
"I think I'm going to study this in private for a while." Noah stated. "Tensou, would you mind coming with me?"
"Sure." Tensou replied, flying after him, but taking care to fly close enough to Jordan that he had to duck. Jake noticed Jordan sighing deeply as he straightened up, watching them go.
"Tensou really isn't letting this go is he?" Jake asked. Jordan just shook his head.
"I guess I can't be too surprised." Jordan responded. "It's not as if I've been covering myself in glory in the whole 'mentor' thing have I?"
"Jordan, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself." Jake told him. "It's not like you were given much preparation for the role or anything. No one's good at anything the first time! The first time I tried to hit a free-kick in practice, the whole team ended up standing IN the goal. It was the only place they knew they wouldn't get hit."
"Jake, it's not exactly the same thing." Jordan stated.
"Dude, I broke Noah's glasses." Jake chuckled. "He wasn't even in the stands...he was on the other side of the playground!"
"Jake, I...wow, the other side of the playground...you really DID suck!" Jordan replied. Jake shrugged.
"Hey, no one from Harwood can kick a dead ball like I can." Jake answered. "But like all the greats, it took a lot of practice. I don't think I could begin to imagine how long I spent practicing free kicks until I got it down."
"That's all well and good Jake, but it's not the same thing." Jordan reiterated. "Tensou...he's just one in a long line of epic fails."
"Jordan..."
"I mean, when I programmed those Ranger Keys...they scattered! Hell, some of them didn't even end up on Earth!" He reminded him. "Tensou's spent the year getting hammered...LITERALLY, and then..."
He breathed a sigh.
"I come to help you, and I end up losing the Robo Knight." He told him. Jake just returned to him, placing down a banana split. Jordan looked to him. "Um...that doesn't look much like a fruit salad."
"Yeah, but we didn't have much ice cream." Jake told him. "I figured fruit salad wouldn't be as appealing an option. Besides, there's fruit in there...see the bananas and the cherries?"
Jordan just shrugged and accepted it as Jake sat with him, placing another in front of himself and took a bite.
"It's like, every time I try and help, I just end up making things worse." Jordan told him. "Maybe dad didn't put me in The Library to prepare me for some great role in the war. Maybe he just figured that was the only place I couldn't do any more harm."
"Jordan, he let you create our new powers. You created all our weapons...and in case you forgot, you are sitting in one of your own Zords as we speak." Jake assured him.
"I guess..."
"Jordan, you're not the only one who screws up. Do you remember how many times we thrashed your dad's stuff?" Jake said in a small laugh. "Your stuff's stood up to the task pretty well, and believe me...we've put it to the test more than a few times!"
"So the weapons might have held up." Jordan stated. "That doesn't help with the small matter of...well...let's just say my career hasn't exactly been stellar. I just don't want to screw things up any more for the team now you actually have to rely on me in battle."
"You didn't do too badly as the Robo Knight." Jake complimented him. "You were a pretty good fighter in your own right."
"But I was never the Red guy!" Jordan reminded him.
"Well, Gia's taken the lead if you remember, so that's a little pressure off." Jake said as he took another large mouthful. "You were always pretty good in a fight."
"I know it's just...its Troy's morpher." Jordan answered. "I just have some pretty big shoes to fill."
Jake just stopped eating and looked at him. Jordan suddenly realised what he had said.
"And...That's exactly the kind of thing I do." Jordan muttered. "I didn't..."
"I know what you meant." Jake replied. "I'm not sure Emma would have appreciated hearing that, but I know what you meant."
"I just don't know how I'm going to replace Troy." Jordan admitted. Jake just shrugged.
"You don't." Jake told him. "You just need to be a different kind of Red."
"Thanks man." Jordan said with a small smile. "I have missed this."
"Hey, it's good seeing you too." Jake answered. As Jordan was about to take a bite, Jake grabbed the back of his head, and shoved his face into the banana split. Jordan just glared at him.
"Really?" He asked. "I didn't mean anything..."
"Oh, that wasn't for the Troy thing." Jake answered. "I just haven't had the opportunity to get you back for the Green thing yet."
Jordan just laughed and shook his head, wiping himself off, before returning to his dessert. He had missed the team dreadfully, and even things like this reminded him how much. His return might not have been the most graceful, but he was determined to make sure that he did as much as he could to help.
In another part of the ship, Noah approached Orion's room, and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. It took a while, but the team knew that was sometimes the case. Orion often used the privacy of his room to pray, and observe some of his rituals. While he had explained some of his beliefs to them, and Emma in particular had read up on his faith, identifying with the way it was tied intrinsically to the planet and its respect for its gifts, they knew that while he wasn't exactly hiding his faith, his rituals were something that were of great personal importance to him.
Orion eventually answered the door. The room was largely in darkness, with only a slightly orange glow flickering in the background. Noah looked to him.
"Hi, um...I wanted to ask you about something." Noah began nervously.
"Can it wait?" He asked. "I was just in the middle of a Communing Ritual..."
"A Communing Ritual?" Noah asked him. Orion just smiled.
"Yes." He answered. "I was going to ask the Earth Gods for guidance, to see if they could tell me what happened to Emma."
"Well, do you mind if I join you?" Noah asked him. Orion just looked to him curiously.
"Why?" He asked. Noah tried to look for an explanation. While he was never disrespectful of other people's beliefs, and admired the strength people took from religion, he had never been convinced by it himself. The way he saw it, the pursuit of Faith was a lot like the pursuit of science, in that it was people's way of looking for answers to the big questions in life, their way of understanding things that were beyond simple explanations. While he used science for that, he didn't see any reason to disparage anyone that sought another path.
He had never been much for ritual or prayer. He had politely refused when Jake offered to take him to the Synagogue as a kid, and he couldn't count the number of flyers he had been offered on the streets of Harwood when he was going about his business.
"I was just...curious." Noah told him. "Emma talked a lot about your beliefs, and a lot of it sounded interesting."
"You've never shown an interest before." Orion told him. Noah just sighed.
"Yeah, I guess I'm sorry about that." Noah told him. "It's just...I've always heard you can only understand so much from books. I was wondering if you would mind me sitting in on it. You know, to see what it's like first hand."
Orion just stood for a moment, before showing him inside. The room was lit only by a few candles, and he could see that Orion had set up a small burner in the middle of the floor, on which a tea pot was sitting. Orion looked out a second cup.
"Sorry, I thought I'd be alone for this." He told him. "It's been a long time since I've taken part in one of these ceremonies with anyone else."
"I'm honoured you'd let me sit in." Noah answered as he saw Orion sit on a cushion on the floor. He did likewise, sitting opposite Orion.
"OK, the main thing about this is to clear your mind, to relax and just...let the Earth Gods in." Orion told him. Noah just started to relax, looking around at the room. The glow from the candles created a warm and comforting feeling. As Orion poured him some tea, he offered it to Noah.
"Drink it." Orion told him. Noah just looked to the cup. "It's an offering, an invite to the Earth Gods."
Noah took a small sip, but as he did so, he spilled a little on his shirt. He looked over to Orion as he finished his cup.
"You need to be completely relaxed." Orion told him, gesturing to the cup. "Go on."
Noah finished the rest of his cup, before watching as Orion started to slow his breathing.
"Now, just concentrate on your breathing and let them come to you." He told him. "Just relax and..."
His words tailed off as he was disturbed by a bright glow. He looked to Noah, realising that it was coming from his morpher, which he had clipped to his belt. Noah took in a deep, sharp breath, before collapsing on the floor.