Epic 10: A Duel with Trump Cards

Aboard the Gokai Galleon the crew were playing a game of cards, save Nicole who looking over her Ranger Keys.

"Why don't you join us," Joe wonders as Marvelous lays out his cards.

"One Pair," Marvelous' card were the 6 and 9 of hearts, 7 of clubs, and the Jacks of diamonds and hearts.

"Don't know how to play, besides need to come up with a strategy for our next engagement, the next few are pretty rough."

Ahim was next to lay out her hand, "I have a two pair."

"Three cards," Luka said casually as she laid out hers.

Marvelous stared wide eyed at Luka with surprise just before Doc declared, "There! Four cards! Looks like I win this time."

Joe smirked as he laid down his cards, "Sorry, but..." it was all spades from 10 to Ace causing all the Gokaigers to lean in in shock.

"Royal Straight Flush of Spades," Nicole said knowingly with a smirk, "I remember this episode. All the more reason not to play, I have an unfair advantage."

Doc looks at the hand before looking back to Nicole, "I've never seen a hand like that before. Have you?"

She shakes her head, "I don't play, remember."

"Joe wins again!"

With growing irritation Marvelous collects and spreads the cards, "One more time."

"Not gonna help Marvelous," Nicole smirks, "It's all in the cards. Isn't that right Joe?" She pauses a moment in thought, "Oh right next you comment, 'If Luka was serious you could never beat her.' when everyone starts praising your skill."

Joe is about to comments but just nods, Nicole smirks, "Luka cheats you know."

"Ah mou!" Luka says in irritation, "don't make me look so dishonest!"

"Ah but your cheating is what's going to us get the Gigarollum out of Yokubareed hands when he comes here to blow up Earth."

Suddenly she now had the attention of every Gokaiger, especially Joe, "The Special Destruction Unit is here?"

Nicole looks up from her keys tossing them back in the box, "I suggest we get Gokai Oh ready, Zangyack is about to start an attack run on the city. I'd like to cut them off at the pass before any lives are lost."

Marvelous nods as the crew head to their Darins and form Gokai Oh with Spoiler's parrot. Just as some ships enter the atmosphere. Red bringing up a screen with the Gigante Horse and Gokai Oh starts tearing through the forces, "You need to get up pretty early to cause our little Spoiler off guard."

"Don't shoot the Green one!" blue warns.

"Eh?" Yellow wonders but the crew still follow his advice.

"I've never seen a green one before," Green comments.

"That's the Special Destruction Force flagship." Blue and Spoiler say together.

Aboard the flagship Yokubareed shuffles a deck of cards, "Those pirates are better then I was told...I would like the bounty but..." Handing the card to one of his Gormin crew the green ship starts to vanish as Gokai Oh drives off the Zangyack fleet.

Aboard the Gigante Horse Warz Gil slams his fists into his station, "That girl again! Those damn cheeky pirates! I want them gone! Gone! GONE!" He turns to Insarn with an angry howl, "What are you doing about them?"

"I am working on a new weapon Gil-sama," she purrs, wrapping her hands around one of his arms seductively, "I just need a little more time."

Before he can respond however the screen comes to life again, Spoiler wants to talk.

"I will go down and see what she wants," Insarn offers.

Incensed Warz Gil slams his fists, "No! I will go down there myself!"

"Sir!" Damaras starts to object.

But Gil cuts him off storming off, "Barizorg come with me!"

"Yes, boss."

On the ground not much later Nicole sits at a table in the part, a grocery bag at her feet, as Warz Gil arrives, along with Barizorg, she gasps and stands.

"Well I didn't expect the Emperor's own son to show, I thought I'd get Insarn again...I hope this means you're willing to listen to reason." She says wit ha cordial bow.

Gil huffs as he storms over, "What do you want! You side with the Pirates but keep meeting with my lieutenants. What do you want to stop ruining my plans!"

She motions to the table, "Have a seat, I brought a lunch."

Barizorg looks around the area before bowing slightly, "There is no immediate threat, boss."

With a huff Gil takes a seat, Barizorg standing guard as Nicole sits opposite him and takes a couple of foam boxes with curry, rice, and noodles for each of them, "Local cuisine. I'm actually glad I got to speak to you in person. It makes my pitch more meaningful now...by the way did you enjoy my Chocolate Heart Attack. It's one of my specialties."

Gil remains indigent but with a low whisper responds, "Yes."

Nicole smiles as she hands some plastic utensils to Gil and starts on her own meal, "I take it by now I have proven my skills at precognition. So will you take it with some gravity now that I tell you, again, you are going to loose. And you are going to die. It is this latter fact alone why I have been using DekaRanger's powers to end the battles. Your Action Commanders may being tried for their numerous crimes but at least their alive." there was a shot of venom in her next statement though, "a luxury your men seem ill disposed toward extending to the people of Earth."

"If they stand against Zangyack then they deserve no mercy!"

Nicole shoot up, slapping her hands on the table, "They are unarmed civilians! Earth for the most part doesn't even know what Zangyack is as your cut them down in cold blood!"

Barizorg draws his sword at the outburst and Gil himself flinches but Nicole quickly regains her composite and sits back down.

"What do you want," Gil demands as he has some of the food. "Mmmmm."

"I want you to stop this foolish invasion, all it's going to cost you is resources, men, and ultimately your life. Besides don't you think your acting a bit rash. You called in Yokubareed to destroy Earth. How is destroying the first planet your father has sent you out to conqueror going to look to him. It doesn't sent a very good image when your sent to seize a planet and destroy it instead."

Gil looks as if struck by a mortal wound.

Nicole smirks, "I thought as much. And did I mention that your father is also killed by the time this is all over. Think about it. Your obsession with Earth not only costs you the lives of numerous Action Commanders, Insarn, Damaras, AND Barizorg, but also the life of yourself AND your father. And you still never get Earth. Is Earth really worth enough to give you and your father's lives in vain?"

Gil looked paler then normal.

"You have seen my handiwork first hand, you know I speak the truth. Go on try to deny it."

"Earth will belong to Zangyack!" Gil asserts.

"Earth will be the death of Zangyack," Nicole counters, "And if you look deep inside you will know I speak the truth."

A pregnant pause hung in the air before Gil spoke again, this time his voice was soft and low, "Father would never go for retreat. He would destroy Earth himself first."

"He tries that, does some horrific collateral damage. Calls in the fleet from the depths of space and he still fails." She pauses for effect, "And our crew isn't even full yet. Before the end we gain another comrade. If you think we're tough imagine us when we are seven strong. Heck the 7th Gokaiger has powers you can't even imagine compared to mine."

Gil huffs and stands, having finish his meal, "Barizorg we are leaving."

Tear were forming at the edge of Nicole's eyes, "Your death comes soon...I will do my best to make sure it is reduced to confinement instead but I can't promise anything."

Gil huffs and turns away tossing a roll of bills on the table, "I thank you for your advice and the meal. But I will not cave to you're ill fated prophecies. I will take Earth!"

Just then the green ship that was in low orbit exploded, Nicole smirked, "That would be my comrades Taking the Gigarollum and engaging Yokubareed. They win and you're going to loose a large number of your fleet in about ten minutes or so."

"Preposterous!" Gil objects as Nicole reaches into her bag and pulls out a homemade pie.

"Stay for a slice, and see if I'm right or not."

Gil fumes but resumes his seat, "I only do this to see the look on your face when my men destroy your comrades without you there to aid them."

Nicole smirks knowingly as she cuts two slices, "It's called Chocolate Peanut-butter Cheesecake Pie, with a gram-cracker crust."

Taking a forkful once more Gil has that shocked flinch followed by a look of pure content. Nicole smiles.

"Your attempts at bribery will not sway me!"

An explosion overhead in the sky undercuts his position as Gil sees several of his ships explode.

"See," Nicole smirks, "They don't need me to kick your ass. Is it becoming clear now?"

Gil stands, snatching up the rest of the pie in one hand and his original slice in the other as he storms of, "Barizorg!"

"Yes, boss."

And in moments they are gone. Leaving Nicole to enjoy her lone slice, smiling all the while, 'I think I'm getting through to him. Maybe this war can end amicably for all parties involved.'

As she eats she counts the bills, which number a decent amount of Zagins, until the rest of the team show up behind her. Luka looking part hurt, part suspicious at the money, "Where were you."

"I won't lie." Nicole opens, "I've been trying diplomacy and get Zangyack to back down. It hasn't worked yet."

Luka looked angry, Joe was impossible to read, Doc was confused, and Marvelous just smirked, but Ahim she placed a hand on Nicole's shoulder, "Zangyack is impossible to reason with, you are just deluding yourself." Such words with such coldness coming from Ahim caught Nicole off guard.

"A-Ahim-san..."

Before she could compose a response Joe took the money, "What did sell them?" Looking bit suspicious.

Nicole motioned to the dirty plates and utensil, "I brought lunch, the rep," she was wise enough to recognize not to mention she met with the Warz Gil himself, "insisted on reimbursement to remove any allusions of bribing him with food." she paused as ten eyes peered into her soul as Ahim wiped away some of the tears on Nicole's face. "I think I'm reaching them. They are starting to take my predictions seriously."

"What did you tell them!" Joe said suddenly shaking her.

"J-just that they would loose. No details of how. Except for what you were doing with Gigarollum and Yokubareed just after you blew up his ship. Things I couldn't possibly know without seeing it before hand since neither of us were at the site of conflict."

"I don't like you meeting with Zangyack," Marvelous injects, "You're putting yourself at a needless risk."

Nicole sighs and looks away, "I-I know...but I have to try...Earth doesn't deserve to be used like this. And if they understand they are only choreographing their own deaths maybe they will pull back out of self preservation."

It was Joe's turn to put a hand on Nicole shoulder, as painful memories surfaced, "You can not change them. They would slaughter children if they got in their way..." quickly adding, "don't you remember when you arrived?"

"You least of all Joe," she injected, "You least of all I expected to be so willing to kill them. You were one of them for Sentai's sake! And you changed. They can two, if only there was someone...like Sid-Senpai to show them the way."

Joe looked as if hit by a mortal strike as he remembered his mentor, the resolve in his voice faltering, "M..Maybe..." but quickly recovers his cool, "but they choose their path when they killed their first innocent. The difference was Sid-Senpai and I never did. We knew that was wrong!"

Now the other 4 Gokaigers were splitting their attention between the two. Numerous Questions running through their heads that non dared ask.

Nicole lowered her head as she began to clean up, her voice low, "Everyone deserves a chance to atone."

Finally it was Marvelous who spoke, "They will get that. Irregardless of if they deserve it, thanks to DekaRanger's modifications."

"And they will pay for their past crimes as well." Doc adds in.

Nicole's voice trembles, "I just..."

One my one the crew planted a hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"We know," Luka says softly.

"And we will do our best to help you grab onto your dream." Marvelous adds.

Joe smirked, "After all, that's what it means to be a pirate."

Nicole smiles, "Thanks guys."