Maya locked the door to the rooms she had shared with Kendrix and huddled on the couch, unable to cry and unable to move. Kendrix was gone, sacrificing herself in a blaze of glory. Maya had never pictured Kendrix to be the first to fall. Leo had been her pick; the charming young man had hidden madness underneath. She had pictured it a thousand times, had prepared herself for losing him. Kai had been her next choice. The methodical blue ranger was the one most likely to charge after someone or other. It would be easy to see him fall. Damon, oh she knew Damon, he would go down trying to prevent some engineering catastrophe, or been just a fraction too slow when he played bait for some trap. Maya had even expected to die herself; knowing that only time would could say when her rage and grief would overwhelm her and, in a single moment of madness, she would end it all, she had prepared herself for death. Not Kendrix, though, never Kendrix. Maya had known that Kendrix would die in bed, old and surrounded by her family. Kendrix was safe because nobody held a personal grudge against her. Maya had opened herself to Kendrix's cheer and friendship because she couldn't imagine losing her to Scorpious. It wasn't possible.
Yellow sparkles entered the room, becoming a tall column before sinking to the floor and revealing Ashley. Maya glared at the other yellow, angry at her solitude being so disrupted. Ashley smiled slightly back at her, stepped forward, sat beside her on the couch and put her hand on Maya's shoulder. Like a dam, Maya's tears began to fall, with a wail of despair; she threw herself onto Ashley, who held her. Like Kendrix had done, Ashley's arms held her, creating a cage of warmth that she was aware of through her sobbing. Words joined Ashley's arms, words that Maya couldn't understand but felt, like she heard the GalactaBeasts. Maya knew Ashley felt her sorrow, maybe not as keenly, but it was there. Like a drowning man clings to a raft, so Maya clung to Ashley.
Finally, the tears ran out. Finally, Maya was able to just rest her head on Ashley's soggy shirt. In the end, she sat back and looked at Ashley, "Sorry," she said in a voice hoarse from tears and disuse.
"It's ok," Ashley replied, she held out her hand and a box of tissues floated over to her. "It's hard to cry alone. Feeling a little better?"
"Yes," Maya replied, "Ashley, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Ashley replied, "I don't know what to tell you, Maya. Andros…Andros lost teammates, before we became the Astros, and it was something I helped him accept, but, I don't know what to tell you."
"Is Cassie all right?" Maya asked. Kendrix had been her teammate, but she died to stop the Savage Sword from drawing the Power through Cassie.
"She's surviving," Ashley replied. "I'll help her through this." She put her hand on Maya's, "We can't stay much longer, Maya. There's a lot to do, between representing Earth and KO-35 and everything. I'll help you as much as I can, that's what we Healers and Yellows do."
The door chimed, causing Maya to jump, "Who is it?" She tried to say, but her throat closed up.
"That's Leo, Mike, Damon and Kai," Ashley told her softly. "They've been worried about you."
Maya went still for a moment then turned her head towards the door, "Come in!" She called, managing to elevate her voice enough to remotely unlock the door. Sure enough, the four other Galaxy Rangers appeared, looking worried.
"Will you be all right?" Ashley asked softly.
"Yes," Maya said as Leo approached them, Kai and Damon right behind. Mike stepped just inside the doorway and let it close. "You can leave if you want."
"Call me if you need me," Ashley replied, standing up. She nodded slightly to Leo before keying something into her morpher and vanishing into another column of yellow sparkles.
"Maya?" Leo asked.
Maya stood and stepped towards Leo, "It'll be all right," she said, simply. Leo opened his arms in invitation, and Maya let herself be hugged. More hands, and then a second body hugging her was Damon; Kai followed shortly. Even Mike reached a hand in to clasp her shoulder. Maya buried her face in Leo's shoulder, and murmured, "It'll be all right."
They spent the night on the floor in Maya's room, fully clothes save their boots, and more like puppies in a basket than anything else. Except Mike. Maya woke up to find Mike sleeping on the couch. Maya smiled and slipped from the sprawl to head into the kitchen. There wasn't much food, she'd been shopping when the Psychos… Maya stopped that trail of thought, instead, she dug out the pancake mix she'd hidden from Kendrix and began to cook. Kendrix had believed that pancakes were edible only when made from scratch. Leo had taught Maya about pancake mix.
Maya had finished her third pancake when Mike woke up, "Morning," Mike said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Good morning," Maya said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough," Mike replied, contemplating his mug. "Are you feeling better?"
Maya gave him a trembling smile, "I'm moving, Mike. Like after Mirinoi, I can't stop, because when I do, I'm not sure I'll be able to start moving again."
"I have to work," Mike said, he glanced at the pile on the floor, "Kai's got a day or so, though." He turned back and put his hand on Maya's shoulder, "They'll need distracting Maya."
Maya nodded, "I have just the thing." She thought of her dreams of Kendrix and the message within. Mike smiled and kissed her cheek before he left, Maya blinked, her fingers lifting to touch where he'd kissed her. Quickly, she turned back to breakfast, reminding herself that she would probably never understand these Earthians.
Finding Kendrix's Quasar Saber was just the distraction that her team needed, Maya realized, especially when Karone had told her about Kendrix's blessing. Poor Commander Stanton, though. He had no clue how to deal with another non-Earthian to show up, let alone one as well known as Karone. In the end, Karone joined Maya and Leo in their 'public relations' job, handling everything from working with the self defense classes to question and answer sessions for small groups to air their fears and curiosity. Although one particularly crass question resulted in a firm reminder of just why Karone had been called the Princess of Evil for ten years.
Maya struggled but she took the steps needed to help Karone settle in, starting from the beginning. "I would offer you a place in my rooms," she told Karone on their journey from Onyx.
"Are you sure?" Karone asked.
"Yes," Maya replied. "Not that the boys," she smiled, remembering the hundreds of times Kendrix had said that, in tones ranging from fondness to anger, "don't come and go all the time, I find that I am accustomed to sharing. Kendrix…it was her rooms first, but, I do not think she will begrudge you a place."
"Thank you," Karone said, "I was sort of planning to just use my old room here on the Megaship."
"Old room?" Maya asked, curious.
Karone smiled, "Yes, after Zordon's wave, I moved onto the Megaship to be with Andros and the Astros. Besides, the Dark Fortress was creepy without Ecliptor and the Quantrons to make noise."
Maya frowned, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about. I heard some stories, but not that many."
"Oh," Karone grinned, "That's all right. The Astros tend to not tell many stories, people remember, and not all of the memories are good ones." She glanced around the Bridge for a moment, "I was kidnapped by a creature named Darkonda when I was very young. Earth's Senior Yellow says that I've suppressed the memories due to trauma, but I don't really remember much about my home on KO-35, or how I started in the United Alliance of Evil. My first strong memories are with Ecliptor, on a planet Dark Specter controlled. I went to a school there and a Sorcerer lived next door. I spent my mornings learning read, writing and such, and my afternoons learning magic."
"You know magic?" Maya asked.
"Some," Karone replied, "most of it I can't use anymore. Sorcerers need something to channel the magic through to do real damage. I could, say, block a few levinbolts or throw a few on my own if I was pressured, but without my old Staff, I can't do more. I could make a new one, but I have chosen to abstain from magic. I was ten when I got the Wraith Staff, and my first command. Dark Specter was not known for his patience, so Ecliptor taught me command through experience. First in controlling worlds already subjugated, then in worlds newly conquered. I was fifteen when I was sent after my first Ranger team. I had always been told that Rangers had killed my family, so I went after Rangers in return. Six months after that first team, KO-35 fell. I wasn't part of that assault, actually. I think it's easier for Andros and me that way, I wasn't responsible for killing his teammates. In fact, Andros and I didn't even meet until two years later, when he sneaked into a meeting of the UAE and got caught because he wouldn't drink lava juice. I could have told him that it was just cranberry juice." Karone giggled, "Dark Specter liked cranberry juice. He used to put jalapeños in the glasses of the minions he liked the least."
"Really?" Maya said, "I find it hard to believe." She remembered jalapenos from her teammates' attempts to introduce her to cultural foods from Earth. Kai was obsessive about cranberry juice too, she never understood that either.
"I know," Karone said, "most people can hardly believe it, but it's true. That's why they called it lava juice. Well, I didn't actually meet Andros that day, but it was the first time I'd seen him in person. Usually I was on my ship, ordering Quantrons and fighters to destroy him. It wasn't until we realized that we both had necklaces that we even considered peace. Then Dark Specter used a mind control device on me and I almost took over the universe. If it weren't for Zordon, I probably would have."
"Who is Zordon?" Maya asked.
"Who?" Karone stared at her, blue eyes wide, "Zordon was a great warrior and wizard, from Eltare. Ten thousand years ago, he was trapped in a time warp by Rita Repulsa, who was then placed in a temporal prison. Because Zordon no longer actually lived on our plane, he went to Earth, to look after its various unique properties. When Rita was freed, he summoned humans to fight her, making the first Ranger team. He looked out for the team for four years before he was able to go back to Eltare. Zordon was a legend even before he died, because of his sacrifices and his skill as a mentor. When he realized that there was no other way, he convinced Andros to shatter his tube. That released all of his magic, which he had concentrated, and he took out most of the UAE, which has been the organization for Evil for nearly a hundred thousand years. Some of us, like Rita, her husband Zedd, Divatox, myself, he brought us back to the light. Others, he turned to sand because there was nothing to redeem. Like Ecliptor."
Karone actually looked sad, prompting Maya to put her hand on Karone's arm, "It's ok," she murmured.
"I know," Karone said. "It's just, Ecliptor raised me. I won't say he was like my father, but favored uncle wouldn't be too far off the mark. He was loyal too, he was the only person in the UAE I ever trusted, because he proved himself."
"And now?" Maya asked, prompted by an inner instinct.
"Now I have the Astros," Karone said.
"Now you have me," Maya replied. "Leo and Damon too, I would imagine. Kai will need time, and Mike. You are Karone of KO-35, and you are our Galaxy Pink Ranger. I do not pretend to think that it will be easy, but I know that if you will work with me, I will strive to do the same."
"Thank you." Karone murmured.
Maya remembers the day that Karone really became one of them. It was so simple it was almost unnoticeable, unless you knew Kai. Kai could cook, and was very good at it. He preferred cooking and the boys' room was the preferred place for dinner. The day he asked Karone to teach him a Kerovan dessert, when he, Kai, let no one in his kitchen, Maya knew that the final shadows were finally being chased away. Of course, the Flour Incident (And Maya's favorite memory of Kai, covered in white flour, utterly confused, "It's flour, how did you end up blowing up half the kitchen?") meant that Karone was now banned from all kitchens, but the Kerovan cake had been excellent.
The real, defining moment was when Kai asked Karone what she wanted for dinner. Inviting Karone to join the traditional dinner debate was the closest Kai would ever come to saying she was one of them. Karone joined the debate with a wistful smile, but was soon arguing with Damon over the properties of mashed potatoes.
There were still moments when Maya would awaken and turn to speak to Kendrix, only to see Karone looking at her. Moments when one of them would call for Kendrix in battle, only to have Karone respond. Maya thought Karone was remarkable understanding of their mistakes. In return, however, Maya never told anyone about Karone's nightmares about Ecliptor and Darkonda, or the one, scary night, when Karone had slept and become Astronema, plotting to kill the red ranger and his yellow bodyguard. No one talked about when Karone blasted a stingwinger with magic, or shielded from an energy blast. And nobody mentioned the Silver Astro Ranger after Karone had spent an afternoon blowing up pinecones in the forest dome after the blond haired charmer had appeared, flirted with Maya and then vanished. There was a lot that the rangers didn't mention, and Maya could feel that they were healing, even if imperfectly.
When it was over, and Kendrix came back to them, Maya was torn, she didn't know which pink was better. Kendrix, who had drawn the sword and was now back amongst them or Karone, who had helped defeat Trakheena in the last battle. After watching them both, Maya decided it didn't matter, because they were both there and both worthy of the title. Even when Karone left with Zhane, hanging onto the back of his glider and laughing, Maya knew her friend was aware of the home she had here. In the mean time, Maya had Kendrix back, and Mirinoi, and nobody was making her choose anything.