Striker - thanks for the review, man :). When I was sitting down, last year, trying to figure out who to write a point-of-view story for next, I kept thinking, well, wouldn't it be interesting to get inside Zordon's head? I mean, he's the central character for the whole show - twenty years later, we're still talking about Zordon and his legacy. I know that he's trapped inside the Command Centre, but I kept thinking, what would he do all day? And then I started throwing in as much from the PRU as I could, and thirty pages later, here we are :).


5:14 AM

"The tests are all complete Zordon," Alpha announced. "Everything is working as it should be."

"Excellent," I said. We spend the first hour of every day performing system checks in a well-practiced routine. Our most pressing task is to make sure all our weaponry and zords are fully operational, and can be summoned urgently if needed. After that, we check the monitoring systems within the Command Centre, before making sure the teleportation-network is online. We run a diagnostic scan of our connection to the Morphin' Grid, before a sweep over various global hotspots. Finally, we scan the lunar surface to ensure no trouble from Zedd. Today's sweep picked up no surges of intense magical energy. "Let's move on to the messages," I continued.

Alpha stepped over to a different computer and began typing. Every morning, streams of data from all over the galaxy arrive in the Command Centre, all of which need to be reviewed and sorted.

"All the major space transit routes are free of trouble," Alpha began, reading from the glowing computer monitor. "There have been several clashes on the planet Morlock along disputed borders. And aye-yi-yi Zordon, several long-distance teleportation devices were stolen last night from a laboratory on the planet Techthon."

My brow fell. "That could be trouble," I said. "Very few non-magical entities have ever mastered long-distance teleportation. What else?"

A report printed out, and Alpha tore the sheet away. "This just came in, Zordon. One of our operatives on the planet Euclid was investigating unusual electromagnetic phenomena, and tracked it to one of the slum cities. Apparently only one person was present during every incident. We don't have a name, but a composite picture."

"Put it up on the viewing screen."

"You got it," and Alpha returned to his computer. After a few seconds, a face was staring back at us from the viewing screen.

"Alpha," I began slowly, "I think I recognise him. Look at the scar. That's Skansan, from the city of Devryn on Lomerius."

"Zordon, I don't remember him."

"He was a simple thief with delusions of grandeur," I recalled. "He somehow acquired powerful weapons technology, and planned to sell it to the highest bidder. But working with the security force of Devryn, we found him, regained the weapons and thwarted his plans. This was on the same day as the Terror Toad incident here on Earth."

"That's right Zordon! But he escaped, didn't he?"

I nodded. "Not before swearing vengeance against myself and the city of Devryn, like they always do," I replied. "I only wish we'd learned how he was able to steal that technology in the first place."

"If he's making plans, we have to warn the city's high chancellor!"

"Absolutely," I replied. "Alpha, contact him at once."

As Alpha typed, the viewing screen cut to the planet Lomerius, floating in the great vacuum of space, before descending towards the mining city of Devryn, sitting on an arid desert plain and ringed by sandy mountains. Devryn is a sprawling industrial centre behind high stone walls. The city's natural riches mean that Devryn is well protected, and the city's high chancellor is a wealthy and powerful man. The sun was just setting, and framed in the fading light were four giant stone figures, carved onto the side of a nearby cliff-face, their faces twisted with rage. According to local legend, they weren't carvings but actual monstrous giants who once tried to destroy the city. I know there's more to those legends than just a story, mostly because I was there at the time.

Alpha patched us through to the secretary of the city's chancellor, who promised to alert the chancellor immediately. They must've been annoyed at the intrusion, though, and we had to wait another fifteen minutes. After all these years, diplomacy is still a game I have trouble playing. It's all about finding that careful balance between what someone wants to hear but needs to know. Everyone has their own agenda, and rarely is it obvious.

"Thank you for the warning," the chancellor replied curtly, once Alpha and I had passed on most of the information we had. "We will inform our security forces to be on guard. Good day Zordon of Earth." The screen went blank.

"Alpha," I began, turning back to my robot assistant. "Run a check on all of Skansan's previous allies."

"Already done," Alpha replied, and I could hear the pride in his voice. "Most of Skansan's criminal gang have been either captured or destroyed. The one person I couldn't find was Guptus the wizard."

I smiled. "Ah, poor Guptus. He was a petty magician who always considered himself the equal of Zedd or Rita, but nobody ever had the heart to tell him otherwise. Still, we need to get the word out to all our agents. If Skansan is resurfacing, he obviously has a goal in mind."

"Right away Zordon," Alpha said. Once the message had been sent out, we turned back to the newsfeed, and continued.

To be continued.