Chapter 9
"Zordon," Jason said, "Tommy has some questions."
Tommy sighed when everyone turned to him. He hated being the center of attention. Nothing good ever came of it, just like nothing good ever came of questioning adults. But he was a Ranger now, co-leader of the team, and it was obvious the others didn't even realize the questions existed. It was just another aspect of what he accepted along with this Power. "What can you tell us about the dark man, the one they called their lord?"
Zordon said, "He is Lord Zedd of Nim. The Dark Emperor. Lord and master of Rita and her minions."
"You mean there's someone worse than Rita?" Kim questioned, incredulous.
"Will we be able to defeat him, Zordon?" Trini asked.
Tommy rolled his eyes but didn't comment.
"I'm afraid he is much worse than Rita could ever be, my Rangers," Zordon said. "Lord Zedd's power is unmatched by anything you have seen before. I do not know how you will fare against him."
"We wont lose," Jason stated, sure. "We're the Power Rangers."
Tommy groaned at this. When everyone turned to him again, he said, "We're still human, Jason. These Powers don't make us gods, they just give us a fighting chance. No one's 'undefeatable'. Not us and not them. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Arrogance," he added, looking Jason in the eyes, "is a weakness." Tommy then turned to Zordon. "Do you have any useful information on him? What are his specific strengths and weaknesses?"
Zordon said, "Lord Zedd has ruled the dark Empire for many eons. He has led many campaigns, destroyed and enslaved many worlds. He has never been defeated. In the last millennia or so, no force has stood against him longer than one Earth year. Many worlds have fallen in less than a week."
The five original Rangers stared at Zordon in shock and fear. Tommy watched their reactions and commented with hint of derision, "So one strength is he has all of you so afraid of him he doesn't have to do anything. That'll be a weakness for him when we refuse to cower in fear of him like you do."
"Arrogance is a weakness," Zordon returned Tommy's words to him.
"Cowardice is the greatest weakness," Tommy shot back. "And fearing something you don't know simply because others fear it is nothing but cowardice. Allowing that fear to defeat you without even once facing it is cowardice. You can hide from your fears all you want, Zordon, but I am not a coward. I don't know what you had in mind when you asked me to be a Ranger but when I accepted it, I accepted that I'll fight whatever comes, whatever the odds. I'll fight. I don't do things halfway, as long as there's life in me I'll fight. -- All you have to do is tell us what you actually know about them."
The fear faded from the others and they cheered their newest member as his words inspired them. Zordon watched this and decided it best not to comment on Tommy's less than respectful words. Once the cheer died down a bit he told them, "I am afraid there is little else I could tell you of Lord Zedd."
Tommy met his eyes for a long moment in silence then nodded slightly. "Then we'll have to get information from another source."
"What other source?" Trini asked. "No one on Earth would know anything."
"Not on Earth." Tommy smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "But there is knowledge on the subject as close as the moon."
Jason turned to him in shock. "We can't go to the moon! That's their base."
"Where better to gather information on your enemies than in their stronghold?"
"If we're caught --"
"I have no intention of being caught," Tommy returned. He was already planning his infiltration of the palace. Not only could he learn about their enemies while there, it was a chance to learn about their ally from a different view. And maybe, just maybe he'd come across information that would tell him why the war came to Earth.
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Continued -- Review and let me know what you think.
