AN: Italics = telepathic thoughts
Chapter 4: Black Thoughts
Well, it was cosy…and that was about it.
The room was about as spacious as a large closet with a smaller adjoining room that served as a bathroom. Amusingly, he didn't see any sort of toilet facilities; just a simple hand-held shower unit and a mirror. The rest of the room wasn't much different. A terminal was set into the right wall with a roll-out seat, next to a small circular window that overlooked the defences outside. It was kind of strange how he had never noticed the large turrets pointing outward when he had landed…or maybe he had and they were the ones that were blasting the strange sonic energy at him. The mob of protesters, picketers or random Hurans was still there, their shouts and screams either too distant to be heard or rendered silent by the window. Xristi had left him alone after he had settled in but the Green Ranger had told him not to be too judgemental with Zriac and her lineage. He thought it was kind of cute how hard she blushed when asked about the lack of toilet facilities as he had no idea Hurans could turn that red. He had actually debated on asking her to show him how any such facility was used…but that would have probably been pressing his luck a bit too far.
The lack of space meant there was no bed or cot that could fit in the space. Instead, there was a strange sack that hung from the ceiling. It certainly seemed to be comfortable enough and, either by a combination of magic or magnets, gave the feeling of lying down in a bed. Of course, he had to zip it up to ensure he didn't fall out and had almost fallen asleep in it then and there…if he hadn't had other things on his mind. The question of what he was doing on Huran was the most prevalent as he was in no shape to be helping any sort of Rangers with anything. Hell, he had even turned down the suggestions that the others had thrown at him to get him to stay. While the thought of the Crystal Rangers and Ranger Sentinels stripping and holding him down with their bodies was sorely tempting, his problem was that he wouldn't be able to get any serious thinking done. Of course, in a strange roundabout fashion, that was his problem now as well, except this time it was a combination of the Huran Rangers and Zriac's father. Zriac, herself, was also a bit of a distraction as the Black Ranger was rather pretty for an alien. Resting his forehead on the glass, he hoped that the mind-reading abilities of the room weren't so prevalent.
"No such luck, young Ranger."
He closed his eyes in exasperation and tried to wipe all thoughts from his mind, something that lasted all of five seconds. Lips curling up into a half-smile, he chuckled under his breath and thought about asking who the strange voice was. He stayed his tongue, however, as he didn't want to offend whoever it was behind the 'wall' and risk being thrown out into the unfamiliar environment. Pushing himself away from the window, he pulled out the chair in front of the terminal and sat down. The room was almost like living in a cubicle and that was an image he wanted to erase from his mind as, well, it brought up everything that had happened the day before. Christ on a stick, was it only a day ago that everything had taken a nosedive into a wood chipper? It seemed like a lifetime ago and nothing much had happened in between either…except for his rather unexpected diversion. Yet, here he was on an alien planet, surrounded by beings who bore familiarity to Jabarkas and whose Black Ranger either wanted to kill him or kiss him. Add to that some sort of mind reading computer system and a so-called Elder that didn't seem that old and…well, he didn't want to finish that thought. So, why did the question of who the voice in the walls was keep popping into his mind?
"It is rather all right. I have had long enough to come to terms with my situation. If I could walk amongst my people, I would be called an Elder for that is the highest rank a non-Royal Huran can attain. Well, not that there are any more Royals left with our last King killing himself before the end of the Xon'ixia debacle…"
He felt the hairs on his neck stand on end at the mention of that name. He had heard it before…but where? Shaking off the strangeness, he motioned for the voice to continue.
"Anyways, I would be known as Elder Green. My name is Muiesaf and I am Muitime's sister. My sister and I served on the team that repelled the attack as the Green Ranger; however, victory came at a great cost. Our Red Ranger was forced to make a terrible choice that sealed his fate from us and removed him from the Power completely. In that battle, I received grievous wounds that forced me to live out my days in a Healing Tube. Unfortunately, advances in technology and healing made the technology the tube was made of obsolete over a very short period of time…which meant there was no one on hand that knew how to fix things when they broke. Needless to say, my situation became untenable sooner than I would have liked."
Weihan nodded, internally wincing as he imagined the fear and psychological horror that would have happened to the Ranger. Unable to move, what thoughts would have gone through her mind as her 'expiry date' drew closer? Swallowing hard, he struggled to wipe those thoughts from his mind. He doubted Muiesaf would want to relive those months of uncertainty.
"So, what did you do?"
A heavy sigh…or a synthesised version, he wasn't sure which.
"I was forcibly melded into the Planetary Processing Core. Well, that is to say, the Core was built around me. Soon, it became the hub for all Ranger-centric activity. However, during the construction and the melding of my body, there was an unforseen complication. I am unsure about how much you know of Jabarkas' history…"
She trailed off and he furrowed his forehead. What did he really know about Jabarkas other than the fact he wanted all Rangers dead and, according to Zordon, had once slain a Karmic Dragon in single combat? The fact of the matter was, he didn't want to know anything about the Huran warrior's past. Of course, with Zriac's bombshell having been dropped on his head…he supposed he had to know about his past sooner or later. As he opened his mouth to speak, she began talking once more…apparently having pulled the answer out of his thoughts.
"Jabarkas was the Captain of the Guard and our Red Ranger. He was also very passionate about defending the planet from the evils in space. Our fiercest fighter, he was the one who finally convinced all twelve of us to fight as a team and not individuals. I suppose it was only natural that he and I would have fallen into a whirlwind relationship. Over time, we grew closer and I think, if Xon'ixia hadn't come, I would have settled down with him. Muitime knew and approved of our relations and she knew whenever we were…intimate. With nothing but a flimsy partition separating our rooms, it's a wonder the whole planet didn't know."
Shoving away the mental image of Jabarkas having sex out of his brain, the Orange Ranger looked out the window once more as the first of the binary suns began to set. An errant thought made its way across the front of his mind of what it would actually feel like and if it was the same 'across the board'. His eyes widened in horror as he frantically tried to scrub the thought from his mind before any stable mental images were conjured up. The last thing he needed was to be thinking about sex with a Huran like Xristi or even Zriac. Amusingly, he was more disturbed by the thought of the Huran warrior with a female of his species than the other bombshell of him being a Ranger – a Red Ranger at that. Steadying himself with a breath, he nodded once to show he was ready for her to continue.
"Yeah, I'm guessing you didn't need to know that. Continuing on, the unforseen obstacle in my complete fusion with the Planetary Processing Core was the discovery of an under-developed foetus, safe from all of the beams and blasts that had changed my physiology. The best surgeons were employed to transfer it out of my body and into a surrogate womb but there was a catch. It could only be safely carried to term in a womb that had the same DNA as my own. Muitime never complained once as she saw it to be a 'last wish' of sorts. However, there were complications in the birth and the baby was placed into a miniature Healing Tube until around seventeen of your Earth years ago."
Absently nodding, he shifted in the chair just as the first sun vanished behind the horizon completely. The level of light outside dropped significantly and he could even see the crowd of Hurans disassembling slowly. He had no doubt they would be back though, the only question was when. Her words washed across his mind a second time and he frowned. She had mentioned there being twelve Rangers 'back in the day', but apparently that number had dwindled down to seven for reasons unknown. What had happened for the other five to be dropped from the roster? Opening his mouth to ask, he was rather unsurprised when the Elder answered.
"Yes, it is correct that there were twelve Rangers in the old days. The Mighty Weapons, we were called by the enemies we fought against. When the call was set out for a new team to be assembled, the former Grey Ranger devised eight new Power Braces as those were the only Power Cores still intact from Xon'ixia's attack. Our enemies are after the jewels of the Crown of the Gods; why they think those are here is beyond our understanding. Before you ask again, I said eight Power Braces…although seven Rangers are remaining. Our Cyan Ranger left shortly after Zriac was chosen as Leader, claiming we had overstepped our boundaries. His whereabouts are unknown, though there have been stirrings in the more remote areas."
He nodded, filing the information away in the back of his mind. Knowing his luck, everything that happened here would send his life spiralling into even more chaos than before. He opened his mouth to ask another question, when a rap at the door silenced him. Not knowing who would be visiting so soon, he summoned his Laser to him and slowly stood up. Making his way to the door, he began formulating strategies on what he would do if there had been a breach. Slipping the weapon into its holster, he tensed his body and opened the door…only to blink in shock at the figure on the other side.
"What…what are you doing here?"
TBC…
