Legal: I do not own Power Rangers, or the associated names, places, characters etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

Rating: T – May be some mild adult themes and language.

A/N: Just a short story to round out some things from my Megaforce stories, and to pass some time until the new season starts and I get enough episodes to start on the new team. Hopefully you enjoy it.

There was a distinct chill in the air, given the time of year. Players on the soccer team were running through a practice match, ahead of the new season in the Summer. It was a college team, and while a good number of the players would be graduating and moving on to new things at the end of the semester in a couple of months, they were doing what they could to pass on their experience to the players that would be left behind, the ones that would soon be expected to prepare the new students arriving at the beginning of the following year.

Unusually though, they had one new player on the field. It wasn't common that they had new arrivals at this time of year; late entries into the college weren't normally encouraged. Indeed, such was their reputation for academic excellence that they often didn't accept late entries due to the risk of lowering their standards and disrupting the class schedules. However, in this case they made an exception.

Jake hadn't officially been enrolled in the college. With hard work, and some help studying from Gia and Noah, he had passed his High School Equivalency exam with some impressive grades. He'd always planned to look for a soccer scholarship, but his results had surprised even him, and he found that the level of choice he had in colleges was a lot broader than he expected. The fact that he was sure a lot of teams would love to boast having a former Power Ranger on their team, coupled with a glowing reference from Conner McKnight, one of them most successful players and coaches in the state's history really didn't hurt. He was allowed to attend college as an observer, getting a feel for the classes to help him make his choices of classes when the new semester began on the understanding that he wasn't to participate and disrupt classes. Since he wasn't officially a student yet, and the teams had been set for the season, he couldn't actually JOIN the team, but there was nothing in the rules to stop him training with them to ensure he stayed in shape for the coming season.

The coach smiled as he saw Jake dancing around the defence, leaving three of them completely flat-footed. Before anyone knew what had happened, he sent a cannon of a shot flying through the air, whistling past the goalie's outstretched fingers with ease. His team mates let out a whoop of delight as he was hugged on all sides by the players on his side of the practice field.

"Holy shit Hollings! That's some of the finest attacking I've ever seen!" The coach blurted out enthusiastically. "I've never seen anything like it! Where did you learn that?"

"Playing Frakkushia with Orion." He said with a smile. The coach and the other players just looked at him. "He was..."

"The Silver Ranger, the alien on your team." One of the other players interrupted him. Jake didn't really need to explain who he was, anyone with an internet connection, a television or access to a newsagent knew who the Rangers were. "Frakkushia, isn't that the crazy game they play...?"

"Yeah, it's a little like soccer, but tackles, throws and take-downs are all legal." Jake chuckled. "Believe me, it makes you pretty good at dodging when you know there's a two hundred plus pound Andresian bearing down on you that can legally slam your head into the turf!"

"Well, as long as you don't break those golden legs of yours, I say keep it up if it makes you play like that." The coach complimented him. "Alright guys, hit the showers!"

As they turned to run off the field, Jake smiled as he saw Cat and Gia walking along nearby. Gia's results from her High School Equivalency exam had been unsurprisingly very impressive. They were so impressive in fact, that within weeks, she had been able to convince the college to let her enrol in a few classes. She very quickly caught up, but she was only really biding her time until the following semester, when she would be able to enrol in a full-time course along with Cat. As he saw them, walking arm-in-arm, taking in the campus, he approached them with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey there!" He greeted them.

"Hey!" Cat responded enthusiastically. "How are the team treating you?"

"They did spend a while asking for photos and autographs." He conceded, with a weary sigh. Things were STARTING to die down for the Rangers, but the fact was that they were still real-life super heroes, whose identities were now in the public domain, and whose faces were now known the world over. They still had the odd pushy fan approach them when they really just wanted to be left alone. "But once I gave them what they wanted, they let me play with them for a bit. They seem like a pretty cool bunch of guys, it's a shame so many of them are graduating soon, but the ones that are staying are pretty solid."

"Well we're having a whale of a time." Gia told him. "How much do I LOVE this campus! They have everything here! The gym, the pool, the library, the food court...it's just..."

"It definitely seems a million miles from High School." Jake added. "So, are you signed up for student accommodation?"

Although the college was in Harwood, and within reasonable commuting distance of their homes, Jake had already decided that after living so long on the ship, away from his parents, he wasn't prepared to just head back into the nest. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to be back in town and catch up with his parents, it was just that now he was used to living on his own terms, and having his own place.

"Actually, we've managed to get an apartment just off campus." Cat informed him with a little smile.

"Really?" Jake said with a knowing smirk. Gia just rolled her eyes. "That sounds rather cosy."

"Not that cosy, Emma's moving in too." Gia told him. "We all just figured that if we got part-time jobs, we could end up with something a little more up-market than student flats."

"Translation, Eric wasn't fond of the idea of us living on campus." Cat said, pulling in closer to Jake. "He was a little critical of the security system on the residential block."

"Anyway, are you at least ready for the rehearsal dinner?" Gia asked him. Jake just shrugged.

"I will be once I shower and change." He told them. "If you hang around a few minutes, I can always go with you."

"If you'd like." Cat replied.

"Just don't take too long." Gia told him. "We're meeting up for drinks in the hotel lobby."

"I'll just be a few minutes." Jake assured them as he started to make his way towards the showers, leaving them together. Cat just looked to Emma.

"So, are we picking up Emma from the apartment?" She asked. Gia shook her head.

"She's meeting us there." Gia told her.

"Really?" Cat asked. "Where is she?"

"Where do you think?" Gia asked with a smile.

Meanwhile, on the road out of town, Emma was driving her dad's car, heading to the reservation. Gosei had rescued the last surviving Andresians from a forge world operated by The Armada, and brought them to Earth, arranging with President Taylor that they would be found a new home. True to his word, after being signed back in by popular demand despite his critics after revealing himself as a Ranger, Zack had instituted a plan to turn an old mining town a few miles out from Harwood into a reservation for the Andresians who chose to stay. While there were some that chose to seek new lives elsewhere, heading to other cities, those that wanted to try and rebuild their old way of life had taken the opportunity to do so gratefully. The mines had been abandoned for more lucrative businesses, but they hadn't yet run dry, which allowed the Andresians to return to a familiar way of life. The climate in California was warmer than Andresia, but they seemed to quickly adapt to it.

As she pulled in, she smiled to see that the once crumbling ghost town was now once again full of life. The Andresians never asked for much in the way of charity, being an industrious and proud people, they much preferred simply the materials and opportunity to build up their own community. While they were still working on turning it into something special, they had very quickly turned it into an impressive working town. They had already gotten a mill, a foundry, a forge, the mine, and a few farm yards back into working condition. Traders were opening shops, and people who had been refugees were starting to build new lives for themselves.

Emma parked the car just at the edge of the town, and headed into the town. She greeted a few people as she passed, finding them quite welcoming. She had been accepted to a photography course at college beginning the next semester, but in the meantime, she was working to improve her craft, and earn some money on the side by selling pictures to various magazines as a freelance photographer. While most of her work was nature photography, she was fascinated by the historical context of a new civilisation, and the parallels it had to some of the frontiersmen that had shaped her own people. It seemed that she wasn't the only one, as magazines were clamouring to buy the pictures she took at the reservation. She was no stranger to the citizens of Khreeholl, the name they had chosen for their new town. Orion had explained that it had been the name of his home village back home. She had been around many times, and so they knew her well. Greeting another shop keeper in Andresian, she approached him.

"Here again Emma?" He asked. "Do you need more pictures?"

"No, no pictures today, I just came to pick up Orion." She told him. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's taking a class." He informed her, gesturing to the woods. Orion had returned to his studies as a preacher. Emma knew enough of his faith to know that the Andresians didn't really build churches. Their faith was so heavily tied to the Earth and its gifts, that they held their prayers and ceremonies outdoors. They usually built stone circles or grew special gardens that served the purpose of a church or synagogue. She had been to the one they had built here. "He's with the young ones."

"Thank you." She replied, making her way out into the woods.

By the time she arrived at the grove, she found a group of young children, sitting around. They all looked to be around five to eight years of age, and were all sitting around, listening to Orion telling them a story. There was a senior preacher next to him, marked by his long, ornate robes. Centuri was a lot older than Orion, old enough at least to be his father. He had been the village preacher back in Orion's old village, and held an important role in Orion's life. As much as he was a mentor, a teacher to Orion, guiding him in his studies to become a preacher himself, he had for a long time served as a father figure to Orion. He had lost his parents at a young age, and so Orion had been largely raised by the man. He listened intently to Orion as he took his class.

"And so, Skeltox fell to the power of the combined might of all the Sixth Rangers." Orion concluded his story as the children listened with awe. "In the same way as the Earth Goddess Orelia taught us about alloys, the sum of the parts is stronger than any individual component. Always remember that. Always remember to treat others with the respect you would like to receive, and in times of trouble, pull together, like the carbon and iron that makes steel, people are stronger as one than as many."

He gestured to the kids to get up, standing himself.

"Now, you may go and play. Enjoy the life you have been gifted, and remember to treat each other well." He concluded. As they all left, Emma kept her distance, seeing Centuri approaching him. She didn't want to interrupt any of his lessons. She respected his faith too much to do so.

"That was an interesting lesson Orion." Centuri said as he approached him. "It was...unusual...but it did get the message across."

"I learned from my time here, sometimes ancient stories are not always the best way to get the attention of the listener." Orion answered. "Sometimes, stories closer to their own time, their own experience gain their attention."

"I suppose the fact that the story you chose involves you as a superhero doesn't hurt." Centuri chuckled as he looked to him. "I am not averse to incorporating modern practices; just...do not forget your roots when you do."

"I won't sir." Orion replied. As Emma came forward, he smiled seeing her.

"Emma!" Orion called out as he saw her, approaching her.

"Always a pleasure Centuri." Emma greeted the old preacher.

"Likewise." He answered, beginning to gather his books. "Orion, I guess you lost track of time?"

"It's...oh jeez, Emma I was meant to...I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry; I have your bag in the car." Emma told him. "You can change at the hotel."

"Ah, your trip, I almost forgot about that Orion." Centuri said as he looked around. "Cassiopeia, would you mind coming here please?"

Emma looked a little confused as a young woman, around her age stepped forward. She was a little shorter than Emma, and looked quite skinny, bordering on unhealthily so. She had very pale flesh, and shoulder-length blonde hair like the rest of her kind. Andresians, because of the low strength of their sun had naturally evolved to have virtually no melanin in their skin and hair, having no need of the protection from the sun. While some were darker than others, they were, almost exclusively, blonde and fair-skinned. The young woman had a smooth, soft complexion, one that suggested she wasn't used to working outdoors, and steely grey eyes. She was wearing plain white robes. Centuri guided her towards them.

"Hi." Emma said, looking to her, and offering a hand. Cassiopeia accepted the handshake without a word. "Um...I'm Emma. And you are...?"

"She's my neophyte." Orion informed her. While Orion hadn't completed his studies as a full preacher, he was far enough along that he led many ceremonies. His training had reached the point that in order to progress, he was expected to begin teaching younger students in the scriptures. Taking on a neophyte was pretty much the penultimate stage in his training. If his student graduated into becoming a lay-preacher, then Orion would be ordained and acknowledged as a full preacher. It was not a step to be undertaken lightly. As soon as a neophyte was sworn in, their every action was taken as a direct reflection on their mentor. Their successes, their failures and even their crimes were taken as being as much the responsibility of the mentor as the neophyte. "Cassiopeia, is there something I can do for you before I go?"

"It was a favour for me actually." Centuri replied. "I was hoping you could take her with you."

"Centuri?" Orion asked. "Um...with all due respect, I'm going to attend a wedding..."

"That's just perfect!" Centuri replied. "Cassiopeia has not learned a great deal beyond the village. She was young when she was taken, and has seen a lot of brutality in the forge world. This would be a good opportunity for her to learn of her new world."

"But this is meant to be a family occasion." Orion told him. "I was invited as a friend of the bride and groom's family..."

"And as your sworn-in neophyte, she is your family." Centuri reminded him. He looked to Emma. "I'm sure you could accommodate one more guest couldn't you?"

"Uh...I...guess." Emma stammered. She didn't really want to call out Centuri in front of Orion, but she wasn't entirely sure about just inviting another guest to her father's wedding.

"Splendid, then it's settled!" Centuri replied as he clapped his hands. "Now, I understand you don't have time to wait on Cassiopeia packing, but I imagine she could procure suitable clothing when you get there. Learn all you can from your mentor young neophyte."

As he left, Orion just sighed and looked to Emma.

"I'm sorry about that." He told her. "Um...I guess..."

"No, we promised we'd take her." Emma answered. "I guess I'll talk to dad. Um...Cassiopeia? Do you speak English?"

"I have studied extensively." She replied. She then looked to Orion. "I will do as you ask mentor."

"Then just...come with us." He sighed. "The car's this way."

As they left, Centuri watched them go and smiled.