She stood on the bridge of her small, cramped battle fortress, and gaped in disbelief at the view screen in front of her. The Quantrons (prototypical robotic foot soldiers that rarely knew enough not to walk into walls, let alone hold their own in serious combat) buzzed hypnotically as they occupied themselves with landing the ship on the planet.
"This… is the place?!" Her twelve-year old voice reached an unsettling pitch as she expressed her indignation.
"Barthos XVIII," Ecliptor confirmed, glancing down at his station. Then, as a gentle reminder: "As per Dark Specter's orders."
A barren planet stood before them, illuminating the view screen with its blinding white sands and cloudless atmosphere. Seventeen hours prior, as Astronema had been making her final preparations to compete in the United Alliance of Evil's great trials on Colonius VII, Ecliptor had interrupted her training with an urgent message from Dark Specter himself.
"'Report to Barthos XVIII at once! Do not question my orders; the reasons will become clear to you upon your arrival!'" Dark Specter had roared, and Astronema had hardly had time to wipe her brow before she was hustled aboard her private vessel and subsequently told, a number of times, that Dark Specter had honored her above all others by granting her the privilege of this mission.
"This can't be right!" she now spat, stalking around the bridge. Her gait was still very youthful, and a bit gawky. She had grown seven inches in less than a year, and adolescence was heavy upon the young princess. Human hormones, coupled with her obsessive desire to rise to be Dark Specter's second in command by the time she reached fourteen years, caused her to see the unpromising mission as an insult.
Her high heels clicked around the steel floor, and Ecliptor shook his head.
"My Princess-"
"What could POSSIBLY be on this wasteland of a planet that Dark Specter thinks is more important than my competing in the trials?!" She expelled a pouting breath, and turned her back to the screen. "Reverse course. I'm not going to waste my time with this! Dark Specter will thank me once he sees-"
"Astronema, this is Barthos XVIII," Ecliptor whispered. "Dark Specter's spies have confirmed that there are humans here, refugees from the Karova System."
"WHAT does that mean to me?!" Astronema snapped.
"As you know, the Karova System is the last known location of the Power Rangers. It is possible that they are among these human refugees, attempting to hide from Dark Specter's forces. Perhaps they are on the planet's surface, inciting some type of rebellion with the rest of the humans."
Her eyes widened, and a rush of anger flooded her small body.
"The Power Rangers…" she rasped.
"The ones responsible for destroying your family."
A stony glare came over her face, and she took a few tentative steps toward the view screen.
"The Power Rangers… on this planet?"
"Even if they are not, there are confirmed reports of humans. Humans who may well be Power Ranger sympathizers. You can not afford to allow them to live."
"No. Take us down!" she barked to a Quantron. The silver machine buzzed a reply, and, unbeknownst to the spellbound Princess, Ecliptor silently nodded to himself.
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The humans were pathetic. Pitiful, babbling, pink creatures, covered in dust and sweat, clothed in brown rags. Sleeping in the sand, walking in the sand, dying in the sand.
All dying for various reasons; some from the sun, lack of water, lack of food. Others from what was offhandedly referred to as a "broken heart", or death by sheer emotion, lack of will to live.
Still others had wounds. Battle wounds on some, life-wounds on others. The scarcity of food made those who were lucky enough to possess trace amounts victims. Looters came in packs at night, stealing away crumbs, killing those who stood in their way.
They had been on the surface of Barthos XVIII for three days, and half their complement had already succumbed to one ailment or another. Long-term survival was unlikely, short-term survival was an all-encompassing obsession.
The man and the woman were clearly in charge of the herd. He was tall, strong, and mostly whole. He had suffered some type of cut on his shoulder, which was not healing well, but which he was able enough to ignore. Three times a day, he ripped off a strip of cloth from his pants, exposed the deep, smiling gash to the air just long enough to remove the old "bandage", and tied the new cloth across his chest.
She was short, but solidly built, with thick, strong arms and legs, and a determined but compassionate demeanor. She had broken her hand, and it was just beginning to heal, albeit in an entirely useless, contorted position. Though it pained her constantly, she was active in scavenging for the group; going out in the morning and returning at nightfall with a tiny basket full of some type or other of small, dead animal.
They were mates. She often spoke of their children; now twelve and thirteen, somewhere out in the cosmos. It was probable that she would one day succumb to the "broken heart" ailment, her twisted, mangled hand cupped over her ample breast as the life-giving organ gave out at the thought of never again looking into the eyes of her son and daughter.
He didn't speak of anything except survival. His wound festered. It was unlikely that he would survive another two days.
And so the humans lived for three days on Barthos XVIII, until she arrived in their rudimentary camp.
Her blinding purple transportation pattern terrified them. They were all constantly on edge, mindful of predators and savage natives. The strong among them fumbled about for some type of weapon, the weak cried out, fell to their knees, tried to make themselves inconspicuous.
She was accompanied by seven Quantrons and a sadistic grin.
"Oh, please," she said in mock surprise, "Don't all get up on my account! I'm not interested in any of you."
She looked down at the ground, and then back up again.
"Unless, of course, you know where the Power Rangers are!"
The man and the woman had made their way to the front of the group, and Astronema let out a scornful laugh. Clearly, these two were the best the human refugees had to offer. They both looked as though a slight breeze would knock them over.
"Did you say… the Power Rangers?" the woman said. Her voice was husky with some inexplicable emotion, and she looked Astronema in the eye, something few of Astronema's victims had ever dared to do.
"That's exactly what I said. Give them to me, and I might be persuaded to spare the rest of your lives." She smirked. "For what good it will do you."
The woman glanced at her mate, and stepped forward. He reached out to stop her, but was suddenly overcome with a searing pain in his shoulder.
"Monnika, don't do it!" he groaned, grimacing in agony.
The woman, Monnika, stepped up to Astronema, raised her chin, and looked at the young girl with disdain.
"I was a Power Ranger," she said evenly. "My powers were destroyed during the attack on my home planet."
She held out her hand, and inside was a burned, warped, and clearly unusable Morpher.
Astronema's heart skipped a beat, and she stared at the woman. Hatred burned in her eyes, and she began to shake.
"If you have come for the Power Rangers, you have come for me," Monnika whispered.
Astronema suddenly let out a hysterical cry, and slashed at the woman with her Wrath Staff. She mostly missed, and fell to her knees. Her vision blurred with tears, and she began to hyperventilate.
This woman was a Power Ranger. She could have been single-handedly responsible for the death of Astronema's parents and brother.
Monnika looked down at Astronema with passive, half-dead eyes, and a small frown crossed her face.
"You're just a child," she said suddenly. "Just a little girl."
Astronema struggled to get her bearings back, and she furiously rubbed her eyes.
"You… tell me! What do you know of KO-35?!" she hissed as she stood back up.
The woman's expression didn't change.
"I know it well. I was a Power Ranger on KO-35."
Astronema's breathing slowed.
"Then… you…" she opened her mouth wide, desperately gulping oxygen. "You… killed my family."
"She didn't do any such thing!" the man gasped, standing up straight. "She's never killed anybody!"
"LIES!" Astronema screamed. "You killed my parents, you killed my brother!"
Monnika looked her over, and a flash of motherly compassion came over her face. She held her broken hand to her breast, and shook her head.
"Your whole family was killed? How did it happen?"
"You tell me!" Astronema cried.
"My… dear," Monnika whispered, with sudden understanding. "This… isn't the way. Oh, you poor child. How well I understand how you feel. I've lost both of my children, you see. I'll likely never see them again. Oh, but… this isn't the way."
She reached out to Astronema, and the stunned girl flinched, but allowed the woman's hand to touch her face.
"I… would have had a daughter about your age. This war has been…" she shook her head. "We've all lost somebody. I know. Everyone here has lost somebody. But revenge isn't the answer."
Astronema frowned. The concept of revenge not being the answer was one she had never considered. Had never been allowed to consider. Had never allowed herself to consider. Revenge was the only way she could atone for living while her family died.
"Dear, you're just a child. My god, how did you… what has happened to you to make you feel this way?"
The man suddenly staggered over to his wife, and impatiently swatted her hand away from Astronema's face. Monnika looked up at him with shock, and he shook his head.
"It's not a child, Monnika," he said coldly. "It's a monster created to look like one. They're clearly trying to fool us. God damn Dark Specter, god damn him."
He barged in front of Monnika, and held out his own hand. A similarly destroyed morpher shone in the blinding sunlight.
"I was a Power Ranger, too. As God is my witness, we never killed anybody on KO-35. It was our-"
Astronema let out a feral-sounding cry and slashed at him the way she had slashed at Monnika. This time, she connected with his flesh, and a spray of blood erupted from a fresh cut on his chest. He cried out and fell to his knees.
"Harke!" Monnika exclaimed, kneeling next to him. She turned to Astronema, tears in her eyes. "I beg of you, please, leave my husband alone. He tells the truth, we didn't kill your family. You've been deceived. Please, leave him alone-"
"You are human, and full of lies!" Astronema snapped. She looked up at the crowd. "Where are the rest of you?! Where are the rest of the Power Rangers?!"
"I swear to you, we're the only ones! The others were killed during the evacuation of the planet! We're the only ones left! I swear to you!"
Astronema shook her head. It was suddenly possible that the woman was telling the truth; that the Power Rangers who had killed her family weren't on the planet. It was possible that Dark Specter's forces had already eliminated them, and these people were innocent.
She closed her eyes.
The woman stood up, and gently approached Astronema.
"My dear," Monnika said, her voice a mellow, soothing whisper. "You're in such pain. You have to let your family rest. You have to let go of the anger."
She suddenly made a thoughtful little sound, and brushed Astronema's bangs off her forehead with her good hand.
"So beautiful. You almost remind me of-" she trailed off. "Well, you're beautiful. There's a better life for you than this. Believe me."
Astronema opened her eyes, and for a moment, looking into Monnika's face, it was just like looking at herself.
Monnika's gentle, motherly expression, her short, blonde hair making a sort of halo around her dusty, war-beaten but still nurturing face, stirred feelings in Astronema she hadn't felt in years.
She tightened her grip on her Wrath Staff, gave a brief, genuine smile, and drove the Staff directly into the woman's stomach.
Monnika's face immediately paled, her eyes filled with shock, and she looked down at where the tip of the Wrath Staff had pierced through her flesh. She looked back up at Astronema, a confused question on her lips.
Astronema's smile darkened, and she drove the tip in another few inches.
"There would have been a better life for me, but you took it away," Astronema said, withdrawing the staff.
Monnika collapsed to the ground, and Harke was screaming incoherently.
Astronema turned to him with a satisfied smirk.
"That's one down."
He pushed himself to his feet, and an expression of unbridled rage flared across his face.
"You—YOU!"
Astronema smiled, and suddenly, a series of bright green flashes engulfed the man, and he collapsed, shrieking in pain.
Without even turning around, she knew Ecliptor had taken care of the other former Power Ranger. She smirked, and glanced over her shoulder.
"What took you so long?" she asked.
"Forgive me, My Princess," he answered, taking her side. "I ran into some trouble."
"Well, don't run into any more."
She stepped over the bodies of Harke and Monnika, and strode into the midst of the group. The humans stared at her with large, round, disbelieving eyes.
"You saw their fate. The same awaits all of you, if you don't tell me the truth." She paused for effect. "Where are the other Power Rangers?"
"They already told you!" one woman shrieked. "They're all dead now!"
"Impossible," Ecliptor said. "When one falls, another rises to take his place. The Power Rangers live."
"Where are they?" Astronema demanded.
"We… we don't know!"
"You don't know." Astronema turned to Ecliptor. "They don't know."
"You're a monster!" another person screamed. "You're a monster!"
"And you are entirely useless to me. Quantrons, destroy them all," Astronema said, walking away. The Quantrons advanced on the group of humans, and Astronema transported out just as the screams began.