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Chapter Nine- The Ceremony of Blades

The Ninjetti Sentinels stood before the Monolith, dressed in their ceremonial gi. The air was slightly cold, the earth warmed by the Power that blazed within the Monolith. A great bonfire was set in the wide marble bowl placed before the stone steps leading up to the Monolith itself. The long pools carved into the ground gently rolled against the sides, creating a comforting sound.

Dulcea entered, moving in from the shadows, her Singing Staff in one had. She was dressed in flowing green robes, the edges in gold and white. The circlet on her forehead, gleamed, the emerald catching the light of the fire. She stood before the fire, her green eyes gazing from one figure to the other.

"It has been long centuries since the last Ninjetti passed unto these steps, ready for war and battle. You have all been trained in the now Ancient arts of the Ninjetti, learning to be skilled warriors and fierce protectors. The end of your training has come. Tonight, with the blessing of the Spirits, you will take your place among the Ninjetti ranks. To do so, you must each call your Blades from their resting place." The Master Warrior told them, the light flickering across her face.

They had been taught how to call each of their Blades but from what they knew, it was more difficult to do then simply calling them.

Standing straight, each of the Sentinels bowed their heads, raising their arms before them and shaped their hands into the form of a triangle. Each then began to focus their thoughts and Power into spheres of glowing rotating light.

Will thought even deeper, searching for that calm meditation he had entered when he had trained with Dulcea and Ninjor. Beneath the chaotic flow of his mind, he searched. Then with a burst of suddenness, he found it. The presence of the Wolf was there, a lurking shadow in his thoughts.

Why have you searched for me, young cub? The white Wolf asked him, the amber eyes calmly staring at him.

I call for the Blades.

You call for the silent Blades. The Wolf moved to its feet, the large white ears flicking forward. And what makes you think that you are worthy of the honor of carrying them? You were once the Grey Ranger, evil servant of the witch Rita Repulsa.

That is not who I am, revered One.

It has made you who you are now. The Wolf moved closer, its paws softly landing in the ground of the forest. The Blades have not been called for in a long time, cub. Even now, they rest in the forge of Ninjor, waiting for their next master. One may not come, one may. Why you?The Wolf repeated.

Will began to panic. The Wolf was rejecting him, judging him not worthy to carry the Blades of the Sentinels. His team would leave without him, possibly to face the mission without him. He couldn't do this to them. I do this to guard my pack. I will not let them enter the battle against the darkness without me. I will not let them face this alone. My friends and mate need me.

The Wolf suddenly snarled, amber eyes flashing as the great white animal pounced on him slamming into his chest and sending him back onto the floor. The paws of his Spirit Animal were on his chest, the great head high above him. He could see the teeth of the Wolf beneath the upper lip. You would guard them with your life? You would lie down before Death to protect them?

If I have to fight for them, I would. But I would not lie before Death for I will fight him for all our lives. My blood will be shed before theirs. My life will be placed on the line before theirs; my body will fight before theirs for their life, their innocence is more important to me than my own. I once may have been the Grey Ranger, forced to hurt, to kill, to torture but I have never done so of my own free will. I chose my own path, my own destiny. I am a fighter, and I will fight with all that I am against those who do wrong against others.

The Wolf moved his head closer, the jaws getting closer and closer to Will's exposed neck. Then so be it, Sentinel of Courage, chosen Commander of the Ninjetti Sentinels. The Wolf dug his claws into Will's chest as the jaws closed around his neck, the skin tearing and breaking apart as the blood oozed up. But Will didn't feel the pain. He didn't fight against what the Wolf was doing. Instead, he welcomed it, embracing his Animal Spirit. He gasped, back arching as the Wolf seemed to enter him, joining with him on all levels. The Call has been sent forth. Re-forge the silent Blades, sound the deadly Call. Sentinels of the Ninjetti AWAKE! With one last howl of triumph, the Wolf fully melded into Will, the cuts instantly healing as if they were never made.

Will opened his eyes which now were an electric blue. The pendant on his neck glowed brightly, the Blue and Black swirling around it like it were alive. His blood pounded through his body, adrenaline coursing like liquid fire. Will then realized he was breathing heavily, ready for battle. He turned to look at the others and saw them all in a similar state. At the smallest movement, he felt something on his back. Reaching up and over he could feel the hilt of a long blade. Dropping it, he searched at his waist. His fingers curled around the hilt of what seemed like a dagger. It was the Blades. They had come at his call.

"Shit." Mark gasped as he unclenched his hands.

"Dulcea?" Toni asked, looking shocked.

"William, walk forward to me." The Sentinel Commander moved forward, kneeling at Dulcea's feet. Ninjor appeared at his sister's side, holding a tray and a ceremonial sword. "You have endured many trials, Blue Wolf Ninjetti; the death of your innocence, the imprisonment under Rita's hands, the agony and guilt of hurting your friends and family. Through all of this, you have endured. You chose to still walk the path and you have let yourself accept the care and friendship of your new Pack. Because of this, the Wolf has accepted you as his cub." Dulcea pulled the sword from its scabbard on the tray and laid it gently on Will's right shoulder. "Courage, Faith, Fortitude, Friendship, Honor, Hope, Justice, Love, Loyalty, Sincerity, Wisdom." With each word, she moved the sword to each shoulder. "These are the Crests held in high regard of the Ninjetti. May you follow each of them well." She sheathed the sword again. The Master Warrior then dipped her pointer and middle finger in the bowl filled with ash and wine. "May the Spirits guide you on whatever path you choose, Wolf Sentinel." With quick precise strokes, she marked Will's forehead with the sign of the Zodiac. "Rise and take your place."

Will stood before her and bowed to each of the Masters. With three steps he took the opposite of Dulcea. He watched as the Master Warrior called each of the Sentinels to her, performing the ceremony with them. Finally, with Gabriel's done, Dulcea walked forward, her robes swirling around her feet. She took the opposite of the stone basin.

"You are now Ninjetti, warriors of an ancient race long forgotten. You are the protectors of the beacons of light and hope for many. You are the warrior that protects and defends for you realize the value of all life, knowing they are individuals unto themselves. It is your Duty to ensure their safety and lives. Look beside you; eleven warriors; eleven friends; eleven brothers and sisters of the Ninjetti. No matter what happens from this day unto the ending of the world, you are the Guardians in the night."

With a final roar, the bonfire shot up and the sky then exploded outward, the swirls of flame dissipating. The Temple went silent, the light of the moons softly landing within the stones.

Will walked forward, hand caressing the Blades on his waist. "Dulcea, we have a mission don't we?"

The Master Warrior gave a smile. "Yes, you do William. Unfortunately, time is against us. You will spend the night before departing tomorrow after I give you all I know on the mission. May each of you rest well." Before anybody could say anything, she turned into the Snowy Owl and flew off, singing her night song.

"The more she acts like that, the scarier the mission seems." Scott said.

"Too cliché." Ryan commented. "You'd think she has better tricks."

(VvVvVvVvV)

The air inside Dead Reckoning was still, charged with tension. Inside the War Room, located behind and beneath the Commander's Deck, sat a large circular oak desk, the surface polished, able to seat around 50 comfortably, and as big as a corporate office table. On one end, a straight space was sliced into the table itself, creating room so anyone could walk inside of the table as there was a large whole cut out in it to make a place where anyone outside of the Sentinels could talk. Set in the center of the circle in the ground was a 4-inch glass window, the projector for KEYA, the onboard artificial intelligence central processing unit. A thin laser circled the room, six feet above the ground and laid into the wall itself, more projectors with more hidden in the walls themselves, all run by KEYA.

At the moment, Dulcea was in the center, drawing all of the attention of the Sentinels. "Your first mission will be to the planet Bremen where the tyrant Adrianna Zero rules with an iron fist. You must use extreme caution with her as she has been known to use many men to satisfy her insatiable sexual hunger and blood. Adrianna is also a witch with incredible power, possibly hereditary from her great great-grandmother Rita Repulsa." All of the Sentinels eyes were drawn to Will whose face was suddenly covered with an expressionless mask. "She believes it is her right to rule Bremen and will do anything to keep it. From what we have learned given to us by the rebellion, Adrianna has built a starship capable of destroying major cities on Bremen's sister planet, Romaine. The control room is on the surface of Bremen within Adrianna's palace."

"So we are going to have to infiltrate her house and hopefully get to the control room before she gets there." Ryan said tapping his fingers against the table. "That's not in our favor."

"Unless she acts like her grandmother." Joseph muttered.

"From what I hear, she's very dangerous." Kayla frowned. "Dulcea, do you think Adrianna will let us take her in custody to await trial?"

"She will try to kill you all before she dies." Dulcea replied with a grim expression. "Reports also make me believe that she might possibly know of her grandmother's recent attempts to take over Earth and of the Grey Ranger."

"I shouldn't let her see my scar then?"

"That would be advisable, William. If she sees the scar, then she will go after you." Dulcea turned to the others. "She will assume that you are untrained and not ready for battle. She will try to over tax you all."

"Wouldn't she know that we've been trained for two years?" Jessie asked the Master Warrior.

"Yes but the Great Power has many abilities which the enemies of the Ninjetti do not know."

"Which would be?" Mark inquired.

"With the help of the Gods and Spirits I can warp time surrounding Phaedos. Though you have been on Phaedos for over two years, on Earth and in the rest of the universe, it has only been two days since your arrival."

The Sentinels looked at her. "Two days?" Dayleen repeated.

"Two days."

"Forty-eight hours." Dayleen repeated to herself. "Right; so that makes me still sixteen."

"In body as the Great Power has halted your aging for the training but your soul is now two years older."

"We'll deal with this later, guys. We need to get back to the issue." Dayleen settled in her chair, shaking her head at the revelation. "So it's been two days which makes Adrianna believe we only got our Crests and Blades. This works in our favor."

"She might send only her wet-behind-the-ear recruits or she'll send her elite guard to wipe us out before we even get to the outer walls."

"Don't be so cynical, Mark." Beck admonished. "It could work."

"I think infiltration would be our best bet. A distraction could draw forces away from her palace." Will tapped a finger on the table. "Of course, we are going to have to talk to the rebel army before we do anything."

"When will the attack take place, Dulcea." Ryan asked.

"According to our sources, in three days as the engines onboard are very slow. It will be aiming for one of the major capital cities of the continent of Benito."

"How many?"

"The city contains a population of over a million inhabitants and is where the government body is located."

"Destroy that and the entire continent falls apart." Will said.

"You will meet up with the rebel army at this given coordinates. May the Spirits watch over you." Dulcea teleported back to her private chambers where Will had set up a communications device that was directly linked up with the onboard computers of Dead Reckoning.

"Here we go." Gabe said.

"Here we go. Take up your positions." Will softly ordered. The Sentinels moved out of the Briefing room, heading for the Bridge. Will took his seat at the Commander's Console, watching as the rest took their seats. "Kayla, bring the sub-light engines on line."

"Sub-light engines on line. Bay doors are opening." They could see the dust falling as the large metal doors above them were opening. Slowly, the battle cruiser lifted, the plumes of smoke and wind turbulence blew around in the hanger bay. The top edge of the hanger passed beneath, the desert beach stretching away from them. They could see the plateau where the Ancient Ninjetti Ruins stood to the left of the deploying cruiser.

"Heading out." Kayla reported as the battle cruiser picked up speed, heading straight into outer space.

"Get ready to bring the hyper-drive engines on line." The blue sky of Phaedos began to darken, the gases in the atmosphere striking the ship causing a layer of heated gas to form around them. Five minutes later, outer space was in front of them. "Engage hyper-drive."

"Engaging hyper-drive engines." The light humming of the sub-light engines died, to only by replaced by the deep thrumming of the hyper-drive engines. The star field seemed to warp, a bright white light flashing, then the bright purple of hyper space.

"What's the destination time?"

"Approximately twelve hours."

"We should get some sleep." Will said.

"I don't anyone going to sleep." Mark muttered.

"We can at least try. I don't we'll get any once we are on the planet." Toni said as she ushered him out. The rest of the Sentinels filed out, heading to their respective quarters.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Beck asked.

Will nodded. "I'll meet you there in about an hour."

"Okay. Don't be late or I'll hunt you down." Beck said as she gave him a kiss. The moment they left, the Blue Wolf Ninjetti headed up into the Commander's Deck. Will sat on the window sill under the medium-sized window, staring out at subspace as the ship sped on its way to Amana. The engines were working perfectly but on the inside, Will's stomach was twisting itself in knots.

What were the odds that the great granddaughter of the person most hated in his life was the tyrant on the planet that asked for the Sentinels help on their first mission? Fate must be having a laugh at his expense. And what was he going to do? Kayla was hoping they would turn Adrianna over to the Inter-Galactic Police Force so she wouldn't be killed outright by the people she had terrorized. Some dark thought that hid in the back of his mind wanted to kill her outright.

No son of mine would be evil enough to torture their own friends and family.

Will groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head hit the glass pane.

If only the material would break so he would be sucked out into the empty void on the other side of the force-field. Yeah, like that was going to happen. He had built the cruiser to withstand a great amount of damage.

"Dude, are you okay?" Mark asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the Commander's Deck across from where Will was.

"Just thinking." Will muttered, eyes still closed.

"About the mission." Mark placed his feet on another chair, laying back. "We'll make it."

"How can you be so sure?' Will sat up to face him. "We'll be going against an evil tyrant who takes after her grandmother."

"Do you want to know why I'm so sure?" Mark waited until Will nodded. "It's because of you. You know the dangers of what and who we are. You know what can happen out there. And as you went through all of that shit under Rita's hands, you will make sure that we never go through what you went through. You will make sure we all survive or die trying." Mark stated firmly, belief ringing true.

Will looked at him, seeing the stern expression of the Panther Ninjetti's face. "Thanks."

"Hey, we're friends after all." Mark looked out the window. "Kind of cool that we're flying in a space ship."

"I've always wanted to know how it was like to be up here." Will said softly. "As a science geek, I was always into anything scientific. Sometimes I would spend nights up on the roof my house in Chicago with my mom, looking up at the stars."

"She sounds cool. If I ever wondered more than a few houses from my house, my mom would freak." Mark chuckled. He then sobered. "Does your mom know about you?"

Barely concealed grief flew over Will's face at the mention of his mom. "No. She's been dead since I was eight years old. Car accident."

Mark made a face. "Sorry, man."

"It's in the past." Will leaned back against the wall. "So how's it with Toni?"

Mark blushed at the mention of the Badger Ninjetti. "Ah, well. . . ." He ruffled his hair.

"You're mates, huh?"

"Yeah." The light-haired teen blushed.

"When did you guys accept it?"

"Uh, like about two weeks ago. Unlike you and Beck, we've been taking it slow."

"Unlike me and Beck? We are still virgins, thank you very much." Will sarcastically said. "And we didn't go that fast."

"According to Scott, he and Kayla caught you in a compromising position."

"We weren't doing anything. She kissed me right before Scott opened the door."

"So, she jumped your bones."

"Yeah." Mark stared at him with one eye. "I'm serious. If Scott had been one second earlier, he would have seen that we weren't kissing."

"Okay, I believe you."

Will shook his head. Suddenly he got up and started to pace around the Deck. "I can't stop thinking about the mission."

"Do you want to go down to the gym and spar?" Mark asked.

"I guess. Maybe I'll be able to sleep after." The two headed to the gyms, traveling through the Sentinel Quarters. Opening the bulkhead door, the two stepped into the lockers set before the gyms. They quickly changed into their practice gear which consisted of loose secondary color pants and cropped shirts and their primary-color belts. They also wrapped strips of primary-color cloth over their hands like a boxer's.

Mark and Will faced off, focusing their minds on each other. Without warning, Mark threw a punch at Will's head. Will raised his arm, blocking the blow from his friend and sparring partner. Dropping into a crouch, he spun around, hooking Mark's leg. With a shout, Mark fell backwards, landing with a loud thump on the mats below. Will quickly raised his fist and aimed for the Panther Ninjetti's neck but Mark quickly rolled away, leaping to his feet a good distance away.

Sweat trickled down their faces, their breaths coming in short gasps. Muscles ached as they pushed their bodies beyond their limits underneath the harsh glare of the LED lights above them. Finally, the match came to an end as Mark threw a punch, extending beyond his limit. Will quickly came up and around, securing his arm around Mark's neck in a stranglehold. Mark struggled trying to get his only free arm up around Will but the Wolf Ninjetti fell down into a sitting position and captured the free limb with his left leg, Mark's right arm caught by Will's right.

"You win, Will." Mark gasped, giving in. The vice-like grip on his throat disappeared. Mark gave a cough as Will helped back to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mark rubbed at his throat.

Will went over to the bench where they had placed their towels and pitchers of water. "Here." Will poured two cups of water and handed one to Mark. "This might help."

"Dang, we've been at it for over an hour." Mark commented, checking the clock on the wall.

"And you told me that you'd be back within the hour." Beck said as she entered the gym. "Toni's been looking for you, Mark."

"Ah crap. I completely forgot!" Mark groaned, remembering that he had promised to be back in ten minutes. He quickly grabbed at his towel. "See you guys later!"

"I think he's in trouble." Beck chuckled. "Toni seemed kind of mad that Mark didn't show up."

"So much of the Sentinel of Honor." Will picked up his towel and pitcher. "I'm going to the lockers to change. I'll be out in ten minutes." Will entered the male locker room, placing the pitcher in the sink there. Grabbing new clothes, he quickly took a shower. Slipping on his shirt, he walked outside.

"What did you and Mark talk about?" Beck asked as they headed back to the Sentinel Quarters.

"A couple of things. We're not the only couple anymore."

"Toni and Mark. The Panther and the Badger. Nice combination." Beck commented. "Just like us." She slipped her hand into his.

"Oh, and apparently Scott may have told everyone about the time you kissed me in front of him and Kayla the day after we got together. Mark thought we moved a little further along."

"WHAT?" Beck was blushing at the thought that Scott could think such a thing.

"I told him we were still virgins."

"I'm going to kill Scott."

"Maybe I should have kept that to myself." They entered Beck's quarters. "Did you set off the alarm for ten hours?"

"Yeah." The two slipped under the covers. Will wrapped his arms around Beck. "We're going to be fine, Will." The Wolf Ninjetti only placed his head on top of hers. After a while, her breathing evened out into a deep sleep. He followed soon after, a heavy feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

Spyridon- Here's Chapter Nine of EV. Next, up their first mission against Adrianna Zero, the granddaughter of Rita Repulsa. . . .