Chapter 09 - Dusk Before Dawn, Pt. 1

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Several days later...

The distant empty void that is space rarely gets disturbed more than once every few years. Especially around an atmosphere of a relatively primitive planet like Miranoi. It was a curious case then, when not one, but two comets, of a star's length and width, began to speed towards it. Their destinations were the same as they remained parallel of each other. One, a brilliant surge of crimson, the other a pure luster of gold. They spiraled between each other's path, each time missing each other by a hair's length.

Once they hit the atmosphere, they finally met in a giant explosion. Their energies mixed, one trying to out do the other. They hit the ground long before they stopped fighting. Breaking apart, they flew in opposite directions. The golden light shot towards the city, while the crimson one left towards the river. They created a linear path of cleared jungle, the remains of which were in ashes. The one in gold first made it to its destination first. It exploded into a white flash before disappearing completely...

The other one crashed into the river, plowing through the depths and, following the same fashion, exploded as it hit the bottom, causing the entire stream to erupt with white light...

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"What is this?" Celeste, who had witnessed the events that transpired only moments before, replayed the footage of the two entities entering the planet's atmosphere. She recognized the crimson one quite well, almost vividly. The golden one... made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't place exactly where she felt this kind of energy from, but it was definitely familiar.

"Could it be...?" she silently hoped that she was right. If he had returned, then this war would be speeding to a fast end. Behind her, the core of the star, which shone with the ferocity of the ranger powers, started to glow a faint gold.

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Back in the dwelling of River End, things were just as confusing. The explosion had caused quite a stir in and around the Tower. People had crowded around the perimeter, clearly worried about what had just happened, some even shouting it was the start of a nuclear attack... or something. Staring from outside the crowd, Byron and James just eyed the barrage of people. James was quick to comment.

"I'm kind of amazed those doors can hold them back. That's one big mob they got there." Byron nodded, kind of curious for a different reason.

"Although... I wonder what was that flash of light? If it was an enemy, I would think Celeste or Mike would've given us a heads up." James shrugged.

"I don't know. We'll slip in once everything's quiet. Can't do anything with them in the way." The two agreed and turned to leave when a bloodcurdling scream alerted them back to the front of the tower.

"What in the-" James and Byron were quick to draw their morphers, but they softened a bit when they saw who was the middle of the disturbance. Standing next to a dogpile of innocent bystanders (who were either very brave or very stupid) was the wild child and queen of all things jungle, Tacari. James tried to hide his face.

"Is it okay to be embarrassed for KNOWING her?"

"I'm not sure if that's embarrassment or you're just blushing." jabbed Byron playfully.

"If I wasn't so concentrated on figuring out why she's so pissed, I'd smack you right now!" snapped back James. The pair of rangers ran over to the young woman, who was shouting very profane words in her native tongue.

"J saews n'I hniog pt qir uuo suoy tenitsetni ena fvres neht pt fht tgod, voy tdratsab! MIKE! UEG OWOD FREH!" Her voice traveled over the entire distance of the tower. In order to avoid a public incident (at least not a bigger one), Mike opened the door quickly and grabbed her, shutting the doors before the crowd started to get up again. James and Byron made it to the door, entered the code and fought to close the door behind them, the sheer magnitude of people forcing their way in. Finally, the two managed to heave the door closed, engaging the locks.

"I'm going to guess this isn't a good day for Mike." Byron suggested. They heard the familiar shouting above them, only slightly less crazed then before.

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Above them, Mike had the difficult ordeal of calming her down. And boy was it difficult.

"An entire stretch of forest, from here to the southside of the river, gone!" She was furious. Mike was confused.
"I already stopped the contractors. No one's allowed to bring construction equipment out of the gate!" Tacari shook her head.

"This wasn't machinery! It was arson. Or a weapon of some kind. There is a line of smoking cinders and ashes trailing from this city... care to explain THAT?" Mike bit his lip. He really had no idea what Tacari was getting at, but he grabbed his communicator and said to her,

"... I'll call the other rangers, you guys can investigate it." Tacari wasn't exactly happy, but it was half-way satisfying to her.

"You do that..." Mike opened a line of communications and began to message the rangers...

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"I don't hear her screaming anymore... Mike must've calmed her down." commented James as the two rangers made their way up the stairs.

"Yeah..." Byron proceeded to climb the steps. His steps echoed through the Tower, each time they seemed to grow louder. The steps above him started to sway from side to side, making him a bit more dizzy.

"You okay?" James asked, concerned. Byron didn't answer. He started to wobble, his vision fading. James, thanks to his reflexes caught Byron as he fell backwards. "HEY! Byron! BYRON! Dammit! MIKE! TACARI!" James began to call for help as he hoisted Byron up the rest of the stairs. Byron couldn't answer, but he heard the faint sound of dozens of footsteps as he checked out.

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Meanwhile... the ship rocked and rolled through the water, being shaken by the impact of that comet. Reapus thundered from his room, pushing the drape aside.

"What in the name of wickedness was that?" Kalamax was laying on the floor, unconscious from the aftermath. Crescenda, as if she was bolted to the floor, didn't move. She continued to play her instrument without abandon. Reapus looked around. Nothing seemed out of place...

"Oh, Lucy; I'm HOME!" a shrill voice called out as Reapus shuddered.

"Ah, dammit..." In swaggered in another figure, one in golden heels and a swift cloak. His hair was shining silver and his face conformed to a mask-like entity, resembling a fish's front. At his shoulders were tough metallic decorative armor. Like Reapus, his eyes burned yellow. Waving the fan in his hand he walked over the limp form of Kalamax.

"Reappy-boy! It's been far too long!"

"I thought I threw you into the black hole back near Pluto. How the hell did you find your way back?" The effeminate general smirked as he continued,

"Tsk tsk. You amuse me, Reappy-boy. To think you could get rid of me that easily." Reapus groaned as his flamboyant friend went about the ship, inspecting it. Reapus reached for his sword, his irritation reaching new levels. Sensing the malice, he twirled backwards and held the sword back onto Reapus' back.

"Are we really going to play this game? I mean, I know I am gorgeous and all, but you're not my type." Reapus kicked him back.

"I told you I HATE that. If you want to live... leave me alone." He left for his room under the ship. Wondering aloud, he started to dance around, fully aware of his winning. Clutching his chin, he then whispered,

"Ah... so Reappy-boy's been in a battle. He would've hit me harder if he had the strength... What excellent luck! Oh, my darling Draxiussss!" On his right, a figure covered in royal blue leather-like skin materialized first. At the lining of the top, there was a trail of fur. On his head was placed a large mask that took nearly all of his upper face. His gloves and boots matched the mask in every way and color. He bowed.

"Yes, my lord?" The general wagged his finger and spoke quickly,

"No no no! What have I told you, hun? If you're going to use a formal title, refer to me as the lovely and majestic lord of all elegance and eloquence, the glamorous Shadius!" He struck a pose, as if to hammer the point home. The soldier bowed lower.

"Of course. Forgive me for the grave oversight, glamorous one." Shadius nodded in approval as he continued.

"Good. Now, onto my orders... I sense the Heart... use your Mirror of Depth and find it; it must be in my possession!" Draxius nodded and melted into the shadows, Leaving Shadius on the ship, Crescenda playing in the background. He finally paid mind to her.

"Dear... play something more upbeat to match the sexiness of my atmosphere!" Crescenda strummed twice by accident and looked up like he was insane. Shadius cooled himself with the fan, spinning around till he sat down on Reapus' seat. "IT'S SO GOOD TO BE HOME!"

Kalamax groaned, struggling to get up. Pretending he didn't notice him, Shadius placed his foot on his back and pushed down hard, the old squid's back creaking from the abuse. Crescenda gritted her teeth and muttered to herself,

"Tch... Why'd he have to come back?" Shadius began to hum a lively melody as he bobbed his head in rhythm. The tyrant in gold was having a grand time in his visit to the ship. He tapped the edges of the chair, in a circadian rhythm.

"And while I'm here... I suppose I should such destroy the rangers. Oh, yes... what an excellent idea!" Shadius thought of it, and began to contemplate other schemes...

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A flashing light brought Byron's consciousness back. Staring into the intense hospital lights, he tried to figure out just what was happening. He blinked a few times, his vision clearing from its blur. When he started to feel again, he started to hear voices. Looking from side to side, he noticed the figures by him. To his right, hanging over the bed, was James, his behind seated in a chair pushed to edge of the bed. Behind him was Jun, who was staring into space, but came to focus on Byron. Tacari was by the window, her face was solemn. Clearly it was not her day. Byron picked his hand up and rubbed his head.

"Any one get the license plate of that truck?" Byron smiled, trying to make a joke of it. The trio kept their silence and glances at each other. James finally said, after a few stares from Byron.

"... You gave us a bit of a scare, buddy. In more ways than one." Byron could tell there was something they weren't telling him, but what could it possibly have been? Jun got up from his chair and nodded to Byron.

"Nice to see you awake, Byron. I'll go let Mike know." He exited the room, a look of mixed relief and dread plastered on his face. Tacari opened the window as Byron turned to face her. She didn't say anything, but her look gave the message. It seemed to say,

"I'm sorry." Of course, she'd never say the words. So, that left the two rangers alone. Byron didn't say anything, even though he had millions of questions. James looked too pained to answer them. They sat in silence for awhile, neither of them having any kind of thing to say that would lighten the mood.

From out in the hallway, a figure stood by the door way, listening to the conversation... or lack thereof. He closed his eyes and left, his footsteps tapping lightly against the floor. When he passed by the window in the lobby, the sunlight shone off his jacket, making him glow slightly gold...

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Above the planet, meditating on her star, Celeste began to clear her mind in an effort to scan the planet's energies. She sat for quite some time, hoping to find a nugget of irregular activity, but to no avail. Opening her eyes, she stared at the planet in earnest.

"I know what I felt. If he is indeed on this planet, then even the arrival of that... scourge will affect the outcome." She was going to go back into her state when the globe to the farside of the room started to flash. She turned to see it and her eyes narrowed. Placing her hands to her temples, she began to think of her rangers, sending her voice to them.

"Rangers, there is a disturbance near the lake; Byron, James, Tacari, investigate. Jun and Hannah, I want you two to uncover the mystery of that explosion from earlier. Now, move out!" She could hear the thoughts of doubt and worry etched into their minds, but shoved them out of the way. "This is an order!" She exclaimed. Byron, through the resistence of James, got himself up and replied.

"You got it. C'mon, guys; the city needs us!" The team hesitantly agreed to this and left to their missions. Celeste smiled triumphantly, knowing that she could always count on Byron's unique purity and naivete. She settled on her crystal and continued to meditate.

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Smoke rose from the wall of the city, evidence of the earlier celestial body hitting it. There still was no sign of what had caused it, though. Walking along the top of the wall, Jun and Hannah surveyed the wreckage. Jun went into analysis mode, taking in every detail he could. Hannah wrote down everything as she saw it; observation, one of her key abilities.

"High-impact. Judging from the scorch marks on the wall, I'd say the object was traveling at least a few meters below the speed of light." Jun said, his rambling continuing as he moved along the wall. Hannah continued,

"There's also a line of destruction that reaches all the way to the lake. In fact... I think I can see it from here." Jun nodded as he noted it and continued. Little did they know that they were being watched by a familiar figure. He wasn't wearing his jacket, but his hair shined in the sunlight with golden grace. He observed them curiously, contemplating whether or not to go over and talk with them.

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The serene side of the lake, void of any kind of evil activity, was enjoying a slight breeze. Though the forest was decimated on one side, there was still plenty of arbor to feed. From a small crack in the lake, a red glow formed. It shot out of it, revealing the shape of Draxius who held up a mirror of some kind, circular with a baroque design. In its center was a seeing eye. He rubbed it wondering aloud,

"Hmmm... according to this... the Heart should be..." The mirror started to formulate the shadowy image of something. Draxius was pleased he would find it so soon...

"Kiya!" Draxius turned around, his attention drawn from the mirror. From behind him appeared the figure of Byron, several feet above him, with sword drawn. Closing the gap between them, Byron slashed downwards, pushing the monster back. Draxius threw a fist to him, which he dodged with ease, swinging with his backhand and slashing the monster in mid-spin. The monster rolled across the beach, coming to a halt, kneeling before him.

"How dare you! You won't live to see the light of another day!" The tengu-like monster reached for his mirror, but noticed it was gone. Holding the mirror in his right hand, Byron held it up.

"Looking for this, big boy?" Draxius flinched, his whole body turning rigid with anger as he saw the red ranger hold it up.

"Give it here, you red-spotted eye sore!" He took a step towards the red ranger, preparing to go on the offensive.

"Byron!" called the voice of James, The creature turned to face his new opponents. Coming from the side was James, Tacari at his flank. She looked from the monster to the forest and spoke forcibly.

"You!... Did you do this to the forest?" Draxius turned to her and smiled.

"In a manner of speaking..." That was all she needed. James held his sword in front of her, showing that Byron had his own question.

"Then... what are you after? You're not attacking the city. What's Reapus' game?" Draxius wagged his finger.

"Do you honestly think I'd be stupid enough to give you such valuable information? Now... be a good boy and return that to me!" He motioned to the mirror. James, not wasting time said quickly,

"Byron, smash it!"

"SILENCE!" cried out Draxius. Not heeding his warning, Byron threw the mirror into the air, his sword slicing through it like butter. Draxius moved towards the broken mirror, then looked at Byron, the bloodlust building in those crystal blue eyes. "Argh! How am I going to pinpoint the sacred Heart now?" Tacari looked down, muttering to no one,

"...sacred Heart?" James next to her gripped his sword, ready for combat. Draxius started to laugh, little bits at a time.

"Ha...haha...hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He poised himself for battle. "I'll just have to bring your heads on a platter as an apology to my lord! NEGATIVE TORNADO!" An outburst of gales started to swirl around the monster, catching the rangers in their mighty winds. Heaving them upwards, they flew around until the monster stopped the technique, throwing the rangers far from his location. Struggling to get themselves up, Byron spoke to James,

"We need Jun and Hannah. This guy's a cut above the others." James nodded as he began to open the communicator. Drawing his sword, Draxius charged them, preparing for close combat.

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"Blast radius-"

"3 dm. I think that's about it, Jun. We got all the info we need." Jun was satisfied. He picked himself up and walked over to Hannah.

"Good. Now we just need to bring this to the lab, do a cross-reference in the astronomical bank of the Tower's database, and bam! We'll know exactly the type of comet this was." The pair began to leave, their friend who was watching them close behind. A short beep caught Hannah's attention.

"Oh, wait... that's James!" She picked up the line answering him. "Hannah, here."

"Hannah! You and Jun have to get over here, NOW! We're getting our behinds handed to us!" shouted out a distressed James as he and Byron tried to parry the attacks of the monster. Tacari came into the fray, stabbing the monster once before he retaliated and slashed her back, knocking her onto her knees.

"Okay! Hannah!" Jun nodded. Leading the call, both of them called out,

"RIDETHE NOVA!" Instead of stepping off the comets, they rode them towards the forest, were the action was. The figure that was near them just stood by and casually observed. He began to walk down the wall's stairs, off towards the jungle.

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Draxius, standing above the shallowest part of a stream, called out, "NEGATIVE WILL O' WISP!" His eyes started flashing, shooting out dozens of little blue fireballs. As if honed onto them, the fireballs zipped in droves to the rangers. Batting the majority of them, the rangers suffered minor pain from them, Byron swatted a few of them away, running for Draxius head-on.

"You got guts, kid. WILL O' WISP!" Firing another round of fireballs, he shot them directly at Byron, who parried every single one of them. He raised his sword high, preparing to deliver a powerful slash.

"... N-no." Byron groaned as his vision became double. His sword faltered a fraction of a second, giving Draxius the moment he needed to escape the blow. Bowing in pain, still having a grip on his sword, Byron started to breathe heavily, trying to keep it together. Draxius pointed his sword at him.

"Ha! I sense the aura of a vicious toxin. Looks like your fate's already been sealed. Let's quicken the process!" He raised his sword and swung down, aiming to decapitate the red ranger.

"Not so fast!" Draxius stopped just before the neck as he jerked his head up, registering two swords coming at him from above. Jumping off their comets, Hannah and Jun slashed down, catching the monster off guard and throwing him backwards. Hannah retreated to Byron's side, helping him up.

"Are you okay, Byron?" Byron nodded. Jun said quickly,

"Sorry, we're late." Byron shook his head.

"It's okay. L-let's just finish this guy quick!" Hannah heard that stutter, and she began to worry. Tacari and James found their way up again as the team slid their star discs on their swords. They called out,

"Aurora Blades! Harmony Slash!" The team of five released their attacks at once, thinking for sure they had the creature. Draxius wasn't going down just yet. Crossing his fingers, he called out,

"NEGATIVE VORTEX!" A giant black hole appeared in front of him. The five energy attacks went flying into it, closing the portal. Before the team could process what just happened, the portal opened behind them.. and their attacks hit them dead from behind.

"AAAAAARRGGGGGHHH!" they cried as the blast knocked them forward, closer to the monster. Their uniforms were smoking, slightly singed from the attack. Draxius chuckled as he charged his sword.

"Thank you for this technique! NEGATIVE AURORA!" With a slash of his sword, another wave of the ranger's attack was shot at them, hitting and blasting them. Only this time, they were blasted backwards, their morphs becoming undone.

"Damn..." swore James, sitting up to face the monster. Tacari was saying other things in her native tongue, most of it profane.

"What're we going to do?" asked Hannah. This was the first time an enemy had trounced them this much. Jun was solemn and couldn't offer and answer. Byron, still seeing double, began to nod his head, his consciousness slipping away.

"Ahhhh... what a lovely sight. Now then, go and die like good little pests!" A brilliant flash of light blinded him for a moment. Draxius took a step back, stunned. "W-what is this trickery?" From out of the light appeared the strange figure in gold. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. The team was confused.

"Huh?"

"Who is that?"

"Like I know?"

"He's sparkly."

The mysterious man reached into his pocket and took out a sleek white phone and orange disc. Snapping the disc shut, he folded it onto the phone. He finally spoke for the first time.

"... Rangers... leave this one to me." He took the phone and performed a stroke forward, a golden light emanating from it. He shouted out,

"SUPERNOVA, RIDE ON!" In but an instant, he was covered in a warm and radiant light, A shooting star fell to the planet, striking him. In a flash, the energy around him burst forward, layering him in a fine glow. Over it, a ranger suit formulated, criss-crossing in a pattern of royal blue and gold. The star's core placed itself on his head, forging itself into his helmet. Stepping out of the light, he was now fully morphed.

"W-WHAT?" cried out a confused James.

"A sixth ranger?" Hannah muttered to no one.

"Celeste didn't say anything about this!" said Jun, clearly mirroring the feelings of the group. Byron didn't say anything. He was still struggling with seeing clearly. The monster was surprised, but it didn't bother him.

"Like that matters, Be there 5 or 20 of you, I will always have the upper hand. Come forth, my Grimlings!" Running from behind him arrived an army of dozens of the demonic henchmen. The figure in gold reached to his back and grabbed his sword, sheathe and all. As they attacked, he stood in place, not bothering to move. The Grimlings all charged him, their spears and swords set to pierce him into a bloody pulp. Mysteriously, however, the Grimlings began to fall one by one, small faint flashes of silver appearing before they fell backwards from the gold ranger, who seemingly wasn't moving.

"What is going on here?" demanded Draxius, seeing them getting beaten by a non-moving entity was vexing. The one in gold got up from his position and spoke slowly, so that everyone could hear him.

"I can draw and slash my sword at the speed of light. It looks like I wasn't moving, but I can assure you... I sliced through them 38 times." He said, sheathing his sword, which the others didn't even notice was drawn. Draxius wasn't happy. At all.

"You're all starting to irritate me. How about we turn the heat up a bit? NEGATIVE ENLARGE!" In a swirl of energy, the monster began to grow far beyond the trees. The one in gold turned to them and nodded, walking off.

"Wait!" called out Hannah, who was curious. "Who are you?" The figure turned his head for a moment, then said almost inaudibly,

"A friend." In a brilliant flash of golden light, he disappeared, teleporting to someplace else. Tacari bit her lip and brought their attention back to the fight.

"We can worry about him later. We have bigger problems right now." James agreed, turning to Byron.

"Yeah. Let's pluck this turkey! Byron?" Byron nodded and replied with a small amount of enthusiasm,

"Yep. Let's do it guys. ALPHA LION!"

"BETA DRAGON!"

"GAMMA TURTLE!"

"DELTA BEAR!"

"EPSILON MONKEY!"

"Zords Unite!" Byron shouted as he wrote the word "unite" in the air. All five zords reformed themselves and came together to form...

"STRIDER KING MEGAZORD!" They yelled confidently. The megazord drew its mighty sword and proceeded to waste no time in attacking the crafty monster. Draxius dodged the blade and laughed, mocking them.

"You haven't a chance! In my current form, my spells are a hundred times greater!" He drew his own sword and blocked the megazord's with ease. "Let me give you a small sample. NEGATIVE MIRAGE!" As if swallowed by the very air, the monster disappeared. The rangers looked around, trying to locate him.

"Where did he go?" cried out an exasperated James, his eyes jetting all around. Even Tacari, whose senses were a cut above the rest, couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was.

"He's probably invisible! Stay alert!" she told the rest of them. And that piece of insight would prove useful, since in the next moment, the megazord sparked on its chest, staggering backwards.

"We've been hit!" reported Hannah. Byron concentrated as best he could. He started to develop a pounding headache, but pushed it back as he said,

"Keep it together, guys! We can still win!" The monster laughed as his voice echoed around them.

"Win? Boy, you speak idealistically. Even the great Orion considered me a terrible threat thousands of years ago! Now... I am through playing with you. NEGATIVE AURORA!" Appearing behind them, he charged his sword and fired the penta-colored attack. The megazord was struck dead on with it and fell to the ground, the rangers being flung in cockpit. In another round of firing, the megazord split into the five star zords, leaving them all askew on the forest grounds. Draxius grinned madly as he marched forward, his sword raised, ready to finish them off...

TO BE CONTINUED...

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The rangers are in deep trouble! Can that mysterious golden stranger help them? Just who is he? Find out next time on Power Rangers Galaxy Striders!

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End of Act 9