Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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In Kat's lab the rangers, Isinia and Kat all sat in stunned silence. Suddenly, Kat and Isinia bolted from the lab and headed for the command center where Commander Cruger had just been about to call them. Hot on their heels were the rangers. "I thought she was dead !" A terrified looking Isinia said as she strode quickly over to her furious looking husband.
"So did I," Doggie Cruger replied with a growl as he put his arm around his trembling wife.
"Who was that commander?" Sky said as he and a breathless B-squad ran up.
"Mirage, Grumm's right hand. Many of us who fought against them together had a suspicion that Mirage controlled Grumm. During the battle for Sirrius we managed to lure her and almost a thousand troobians into an abandoned mine complex. When they realized they had been tricked they shot at the roof in anger. The entire mine collapsed leading us believe she was dead. What I want to know is how she was able to tap our communication systems undetected!" Cruger said his voice rising with each sentence and his growl growing deeper as he looked at Kat.
"Anubis..." His wife said in a warning tone, "It's not Kat's fault. You told me yourself that the number of training cadets and extra personnel had nearly tripled. It could be anyone of them." As she started to calm down she pulled away from her husband to see his face more clearly.
"Your right," Cruger sighed as he rubbed his temple. "But just when we thought it was over this happens. Mirage doesn't lose her temper like Grumm and uses cunning instead of force. She is twice as deadly as Grumm."
"We can take her sir! We will not give up! She'll find out that we can't be pushed around!" Sky said as he stood in an attention stance and the other rangers cheered.
"Your right rangers," Cruger said firmly with a look of determination. "Start training on the simulator, prepare the C and D Squads for battle and start fortifying the base."
"Yes Sir," the rangers called out as they ran out of the command center.
"Kat I want you to trace that signal and find Mirage's ship. She has used cloaking technology before and might be using it now."
"Yes sir," Kat said as she started to leave the command center, then she turned, "Doggie? We'll stop her. I have faith in the rangers and in your leadership."
"Thank you Kat." Cruger said with a greatful look at his old friend as she exited the command center.
When the doors closed behind the scientist Isinia walked over to her husband, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head on his broad back. "She's right you know. The rangers are strong and they have an excellent red ranger plus, an experienced commander that knows what he's doing. Everything is going to be fine."
"I hope so," Cruger sighed as he turned around to embrace his wife. "I sincerely hope so."
"What a work out," An exhausted looking Syd said as she and the other tired rangers headed to the zord bay. Before they got there though they could hear someone speaking in a strange language. As the reached the door they could see that the strange language was spoken by a furious Kat Manx.
"Is everything ok Kat?" Bridge said looking concerned and a bit frightened. Kat jumped up and spun around. She had been so busy yelling that she hadn't heard them arrive.
"No, it's not fine! The runners are completely trashed and are going to have to be built from scratch, and the flyers are so heavily damaged that it might be easier just to scrap them and start all over as well!" When she saw the look of concern on the ranger's faces she sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that Mirage is known for her wait tactic. She sends a message like the one earlier today, then she waits. It's her way of unnerving her target. No one knows when she'll strike only that she will. I'm worried that I won't have the zords done before she feels we've sweated long enough."
Z walked over to Kat and put an arm around her shoulders. "It's o.k. Kat we have faith in you." Encouraged by the Feline's grateful smile she continued, "Most of us don't know how to build a zord and Commander Cruger is going to have us busy, but we'll help as much as we can. We can hand you tools or hold things in place, whatever you need." Z's words received nods from her teammates.
"Thanks rangers this means alot to me. Now I have to get back to work and you should get some rest, you never know what tommorow might bring." Kat said smiling warmly.
"Anytime Kat," Sky said as he and the others headed off to their quarters for a much deserved well nights rest.
On the other side of the base Commander Cruger had just reached his own quarters and paused before entering them. When he had found Isinia he had made a silent promise to her that she would always come first, no matter what. He sighed, that promise would be tested in the coming months. He opened the door and entered, locking them behind him. Isinia had been good to her word, everything was clean and he could smell grilled chicken. An odd animal he thought to himself, not very different from the corshes of his home planet. He found his wife sitting on the couch with a two glasses, and a bottle of dark red wine, his favourite. He, smiled she knew exactly what he needed to unwind. His smile began to fade when he noticed she hadn't acknowledged his presence. As he moved closer he found out why, she had fallen asleep. He wanted to hug her and scold her at the same time. The events of the day had pushed her already severely exhausted and healing body to it's limits, but she was determined to wait up for him. He moved towards the kitchen to make sure any food she had left out for him hadn't spoiled. She had made him an herb salad with grilled chicken. His smile returned as he identified some of the herbs. They were mainly used to help someone keep up their strength in preparation for a long and tireing journey. She was always to thoughtful in everything she did. He wondered what he had done to deserve her. He walked back over to the couch and eased down on it. As he sat he noticed a tendril of her hair had fallen onto her face while she slept. He reached over and tucked it behind one of her delicate ears. That was all it took to wake her.
"Doggie?" She asked sleepily as she lifted her head from the back of the couch where it had been resting. He groaned inwardly, he hadn't meant to wake her.
"Yes love, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He said as he shifted towards her so she could arrange her body so that it leaned close to his.
"It's ok, I wanted to talk to you about something before things got to hectic. I need you to help me find the Earth equivilant of the shade flower." When he didn't say anything she looked up to find that her husbands face had gone completely nuetral, while his thoughts raced. She wanted a shade flower. On Sirrius, this flower was ground into a fine powder and consumed by the females of his race to prevent pregnancy.
"Why?" He asked keeping his voice as nuetral as the look on his face.
"I visited Dr. Felix today so when he gets busy during the war I won't have to bother him. He told me my body was healing well and that in a few weeks I would be recovered from everything but exhaustion. When my body is finished healing I'll be able to conceive, and unless you want to wait fifty or sixty years until I pass child-bearing age to make love I have to have that flower." She smiled as she said it but he could hear the forced humor in her voice, and underneath that he could tell she was struggling to say those words.
"Have you decided you don't want children?" He asked quietly, his eyes downcast. She searched his face, startled by his question.
"No...its just...we didn't have children on Sirrius because...you wanted to make sure they would have a secure future...that our careers were solid...that we could support a family...then the war started...we didn't talk about it anymore...you're the commander now...you wouldn't have time for children..." She said in haltering speech. She looked at the floor. "I still want a family, but I wasn't sure you did." By the time she had finished he could see the tears falling from her face as she tried in vain to hold them back. He loved this woman more than anything in the universe, and he had almost lost her. He had let her down and now she was willing to make a deep, painful sacrafice for him. He put his hand under her chin and gently raised her head so he could gaze into her deep brown eyes. He claimed her mouth with a gentle, passionate kiss, conveying the love he couldn't begin to put into words. He ended the kiss after several long moments to wipe away the tears from her eyes.
"Isinia...when I found you I made a promise that you would always come first. It doesn't matter if I'm the commander or not, I'll always make time for us...for our family." She smiled at sadly at him.
"Anubis I can't have children if you don't want them. I...I can live without them..." He stopped her with another kiss.
"But I do want children of our own. I want a daughter that is just like her mother." He chuckled as her smile went from sad to joyful.
"Too bad," She said with a mischevous smile.
"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
"I want a son that is just like his father." She said as she leaned closer to him to give him a kiss.
"What are you doing?" She squeaked with surprise as he scooped her up and carried her to their bedroom.
"Starting our family." He said as he silenced her stuggle to free herself from him with another passionate kiss.
The next morning the rangers were going over the reports of yesterday's training schedules for C and D squads. "I think C squad shows great potential." Z said, trying to break the silence.
"Yes but D squad needs some work, their time on the simulator is horrible. And they didn't even complete it!" Sky said frustratedly as he looked over a report.
"Chill Sky, they just started their training." Syd admonished.
"I'm more interested in who Cruger is going to pick as the Green Ranger." Bridge said setting down the report he had been reviewing, and replacing it with a plate piled high with hot, buttery toast.
"Do you think they'll be from C squad?" Syd asked. "Their leader, uh, Cameron? Yea, Cameron has great potential I think."
"But their second in command, Martin has more experience." Sky pointed out.
"Whoever Cruger chooses will be qualified that's for sure." Z said as she watched her boyfriend dig into his toast. She'd have to talk to him about his toast eating.
"Speaking of Cruger has anyone else noticed how calm he is? I mean yesterday two cadets literally plowed into him as came around a corner at full speed because they were late for class, and all he said was to slow down and try not to be late for training next time. I mean he didn't even punish them!" Sky said.
"I know...what you...mean," Bridge said between mouthfuls of toast. "Yesterday...he punished...two cadets...with helping Kat...for something...he made me scrub...the entire zord bay for...when I was at their...level...of training." Suddenly the sirens went off.
"Rangers to the command center!" Kat's voice yelled over the intercom. The war had officialy begun.
To be continued...
Hope you like this chapter. Please review!! P.S. I know there hasn't been any fighting yet, but I'm working on it. I don't really know how to write a fight scene so if you have any advice please share!!