A/N: See Chs. 1, 15, 16 and 27 for that which does not belong to me.

Ch. 28-Celebration Continues, Zedd Not Dead

Sunday, June 8, 1997

8:00 a.m.

Underground Power Base

Angel Grove, CA

The Rangers looked on in stunned silence with their friends before them. Just 24 hours earlier, they'd launched a major surprise attack on Lord Zedd's plan.

Now, they were the ones getting a surprise...in a huge way.

"Coach Schmidt?" gasped Kimberly. "Not possible."

"Angela?" said Zack. "How the hell is this possible?"

"Shawna?" muttered Aisha as her eyes fell on her longtime friend. "Indescribable."

"Em?" muttered Jason, as the look confirmed on his face that the former biker punk was indeed standing before him.

"Ernie and Lt. Stone? This cannot be real," muttered Tommy as he just simply stood in shocked amazement. "How did ALL of you get in here? I'd have expected it from the Angel Grove High faculty, but not from the rest of you!"

"Your mentor was kind enough to bring us here before the battle with that disgusting serpent last night," said Lt. Stone. "He thought it would be better if at least some of the Rangers' friends survived a potentially destructive battle. In some cases, your parents had already been killed, and he didn't feel it would be any harm to have at least some survivors. We couldn't have been more shocked to find out that you guys were the Rangers."

"We'd always suspected something about you guys," said Ernie, "but geez, we could never have imagined..."

"We've been working on this little celebration since last night," said Ms. Appleby, "and we hope that it will rightfully commemorate your biggest triumph since the Rangers first showed up here."

With that, the Rangers looked at the massive table of breakfast food that was spread out before them. Everything that could have been imagined for breakfast food...pancakes, breakfast tacos, eggs of varied kinds, sausage, bacon, french toast and fruit were spread out before them.

"It's all yours, guys," said Ernie. "Most of us already had our food this morning.".

Across the room, Sabrina was in a conversation with her father.

"Do you have their gifts ready?" whispered Zordon.

"I do indeed, Daddy," muttered Sabrina. "Their gifts will not only serve as terrific keepsakes, but will serve as a powerful force against Dark Specter."

"OK, guys," said Tommy. "let's dig in. Remember to thank our friends, as they were kind enough to put this together for us."

"Now Rocky," Aisha said, "be nice and save some for everyone else."

Rocky slapped Aisha on the arm as the group of teenagers, having been rejoined by Sabrina moments later, lined up to get their food.

Lunar Palace

Unknown Time

And speaking of Dark Specter...

He had called a meeting amongst all the evil minions currently in the vicinity of the Moon Palace, including his own that were on the Dark Fortress.

As Specter's henchmen filed into the room, Rita did not recoginze several of the beings with him.

She was smart enough to remember Astronema, the future Queen of Evil, and Specter's supreme fighters, Ecliptor and Darkonda. She recognized the Machine Empire, who had been rebuilt and reinstated into the UAE at Dark Specter's orders.

She even recognized the Wizard of Deception, and she was also surprised to see Divatox's mother, Mama D, and brother, General Havoc, who had both come at Specter's request.

Two more figures filed in...one was a figure Rita was familiar with and ecstatic to see, and the other she didn't recognize at all.

One seemed to be a recreated Scorpina...almost like a doppelganger of who Scorpina had once been. The other was a definite female, in yellow armor, who looked like someone born on Earth.

"ATTENTION!" Specter suddenly bellowed, and the henchmen all took a seat. With that, Specter began.

"Greetings to all of you, and thank you especially to Rita Repulsa and Master Vile for making us all feel comfortable," said Specter.

Most nodded assent, and Specter continued.

"I was summoned here at Master Vile's request," said Specter, "and because of some unfortunate events that took place around here just hours ago."

Specter then went through the sequence of events that had happened, noting the defections of some former Alliance members, as well as Zedd's divorce without documents.

"So, how does this relate to us?" said King Mondo.

"Yeah, Daddy's right. What have we got to do with anything?" piped out Prince Sprocket.

"With your help," said Dark Specter, "I plan to capture Zordon, take the Ninjetti Powers for my own, and seize control of Earth, as well as the entire universe."

"But first," Specter said, "we must make sure Lord Zedd is out of our way. He has chosen to defy us one and all, and I'll show him what it means to mess with my alliance."

"My lord," the recreated Scorpina said, "hasn't Lord Zedd already left Earth's atmosphere?"

"No," said Master Vile. "His ship was badly damaged in that fight with the Rangers. It will take him forever and a day for him to leave this area."

"Correct, Master Vile," said Dark Specter.

Without warning, the palace began to shake.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" bellowed Divatox.

"Take cover!" shouted Mondo.

Before anyone could go anywhere, however, a huge ship flew by the palace, resembling a serpent. It was also visibly damaged.

"There it is!" said Master Vile.

"Good catch, Vile," said Specter. "Mondo, get your Quadrafighters ready! Astronema, Ecliptor, take the Dark Fortress and prepare the Velocifighters! We're going to destroy Zedd right here and right now!"

Serpentera

Same Time

As he finally flew up and away from a planet he was beginning to absolutely despise with every fiber of his being, Lord Zedd, Emperor of all Evil, could not have felt more depressed.

His plan had been perfect...or so he thought.

This should have been the day of his greatest triumph...a triumph that he'd worked two to three hard years for.

He'd seemingly had things set up for certain victory, but the Rangers jumped him, and then defeated him later in battle that night, led by two beings who had made his blood boil.

Worse yet, one of those key cogs within the victorious Ranger team was a damned Eltarian...one of Zordon's bloodline in fact, and was a woman he perceived as weak-minded.

'She is still weak,' thought Zedd. 'She had a damned CRUSH on that pathetic Earthling for a Black Ranger (obviously referring to Korea native Adam Park) and he's probably kissing her senseless right now! This SHOULD NOT be happening! How could that softie Eltarian continue to absolutely defy me?'

The other was his arch-arch-nemesis, Tommy Oliver, a 17 year old TEENAGER who had defied Zedd's every attack, and Rita before him. Zedd had years and years of experience compared to the noted karate expert, Phoenix native and leader of Earth's Power Rangers.

And yet the battle-tested White Ranger had one-upped him. Every single time. The two words Tommy Oliver literally made his blood pressure rise.

Suddenly, the communication channel roared to life, which roused Goldar.

"Master!" said Goldar. "There's a communication coming in!"

"Well, what are you waiting for, fur-brain?" roared Zedd. "Patch it in, now!"

Goldar grumbled as he did what his emperor ordered, and soon the face of Dark Specter appeared. Zedd groaned.

As if his day couldn't get any worse, it was obvious Specter had arrived at the Moon Palace at some point while the Rangers were fighting his battle machine, and had been told of what happened.

"Greetings, my lord," Zedd said. "Why the transmission?"

"BECAUSE YOU HAVE DEFIED MY WISHES, BRAIN-FACE!" roared Specter. "How DARE you try and take the Pink Crane for yourself when I had PLANS for her? BIG PLANS! Lady Chaos' plan was PERFECT, and you RUINED it!"

Zedd shook his head. It was obvious to him that, despite the fact that Specter rain the entire alliance of evil, Specter didn't have a clue of the one Ninjetti secret that he, and he alone, knew.

"Y-you...had plans? What could you possibly have done?" said Zedd, stupefied.

"You FOOL!" roared Specter. "I was planning on turning her, as well as all the former Ninjetti, into my own team of warriors to do my bidding! And you betrayed your WIFE, and let a GREAT female warrior in Scorpina turn good and leave unharmed!" shouted Specter. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Zedd laughed. He knew now that Specter really didn't have a clue...at least not in his mind.

"You know what, heat-breath? I really don't care WHAT you have to say anymore!" said Zedd. "For being a monarch of evil, I would have expected better! You obviously don't know of the Ninjetti rule that binds the Falcon and Crane together! With Kimberly as my newly crowned bride and Empress of Evil, I would have effectively destroyed most of the Ninjetti Powers once and for all. That's called taking out ONE WHOLE TEAM, on the spot, immediately! Your plan will never work...the best way is to destroy them outright!"

As for Rita and her family," Zedd continued, "there is a reason I put her in the dumpster before, and there was no way I was going to let a worthless being like Master Vile rampage around MY palace! Besides, Scorpina is a mentally weak warrior, always was and always will be! Now, I'd like to see what YOU have to say for YOURSELF, fire head!"

On the other end of the transmission, Specter was positively shaking with fury. Not only had Lord Zedd absolutely defied plans of his 'cohorts,' he'd effectively dismissed the head monarch of all evil as a has-been. He'd also called Rita Repulsa and her father, Master Vile, worthless despite the fact that they were two of the most hands-on villains within the whole alliance and, for the most part, had better plans than most of Zedd's. Once the Rangers had adjusted to Zedd's power, they'd thwarted his efforts easily. He'd also called Scorpina weak when she'd given the Rangers trouble most often.

Specter tried to hold his fury inside him as he said, "Um, didn't that 'weak warrior' just kick your butt? I have pictures of your recent battle, and it seems to me she kicked your ass all over the battlefield."

"I DON'T CARE!" roared Zedd. "You might think highly of her, but I do not feel the same way you do. She had a damned pathetic crush on that Black Ranger, which caused her dismissal from my ranks! You have become extremely soft, Specter, as Rita and her sorry family deserve ZERO sympathy from me. You will not destroy the Rangers in the future, heat-breath! I will!"

Dark Fortress

Specter, deciding he'd heard enough, terminated the transmission.

"So, he still has dreams of destroying the Rangers, does he? Well, I'll fix that in a jiffy!" said Specter as he put a transmission out to the Machine King. "Mondo, are your Quadrafighters ready?"

"Ready and primed, Monarch of Evil," came the voice of the royal robot from the Machine Skybase.

"Then when I give the order, fire at will!" said Specter.

Specter didn't wait long.

Serpentera

Zedd, feeling awfully satisfied with himself, sat in his chair glad that he got his opinion out.

But his smile faded as Goldar gave a report.

"Master, we're under attack!"

"Oh, damn it all to hell!" shouted Zedd, as he looked out the window and saw the Quadrafighters, the Dark Fortress and the Velocifighters take aim and fire.

As Serpentera came under attack one final time, Zedd knew that his ship was not salvageable.

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" shouted Zedd.

Sunday, June 7

8:20 a.m.

Undeground Power Base

Angel Grove, CA

"Gads," said Kimberly, as she stuffed a peach into her mouth. "This is some kind of party, all right!"

"We should feel very fortunate," said Tanya. "If what our friends say is true, they probably stayed up all night preparing for this."

"Not necessarily, Tanya," said Mr. Kaplan. "Ms. Appleby and I had already bought most of the supplies necessary. We'd been planning this for a couple weeks in advance."

"We just needed a few more supplies," said Ms. Appleby.

"Like fresh oranges from Tampa," said Coach Schmidt.

"Or my mother's cinnamon roll recipe," said Shawna. Aisha gasped. The team hadn't even gone to the cinnamon rolls yet, and she knew as much as anyone how good Shawna's family's cinnamon rolls were.

"Or my smoothie stuff for later," said Ernie.

"Or the dozens of sourdough bread we have," said Emily. "Being from Sacramento, I've made dozens of trips to San Francisco, and I know how good San Fran sourdough bread is. We have a ton of it. You'll see it later."

"Only took us a couple hours to make this, what with 15 of us or so, it was pretty easy," said Justin.

10 minutes later, the team had finished the 'first course' of this five-star meal, and were heading to the tables for Round Two.

At that point, coach and athlete managed to seek each other out.

"I can't even begin to express," said Coach Schmidt, "how sorry I am. Had I known you were a Power Ranger, I'd have never allowed you inside Florida state lines. I'm sorry I ever tried to hurt you, or Tommy."

"What matters is that you're all right," said Kim, "and that we're all still standing here today. We've had that happen to us many times. Tommy got his start as a Ranger because of our first enemy, Rita Repulsa. Heck, I've even been under evil's influence for the last month and a half. It's not fun. Say, are you still the coach?"

"Unfortunately, he isn't, Pink Crane," said the female voice of Dulcea. "He was released from his spell two days after you were captured, and resigned the very next day in shame."

"She actually managed to find me at my resigning press conference," said Coach Schmidt, "and granted me a place of safety, which I readily took. Being that I was a famous coach, I don't have time for a wife, so it was no hassle."

"We'll talk more later. Right now, I'm going to get some more food," said Kimberly.

Once everyone had claimed their second round, the chatter ultimately started up again.

"Zack," said Angela, "it still ultimately amazes me that all of you guys have been Rangers for this long. I don't know how you guys do it!"

"Ang, it's not easy," said Zack. "We've had to do some sneak-jobs several times to be able to save the world but still cover our asses. Being a Power Ranger is not all games, Angela. It takes a lot of self-sacrifice and a lot of honor. I've had to leave you a couple times because my friends were getting pounded and needed my help."

"Who do you think's been toughest on you guys?" said Ernie.

"Rita," said Kim. "No question...though Rita and Zedd together were awfully tough. But Zedd alone never stood a chance against us. Rita was and is one of the most hands-on villains we've ever faced next to Master Vile. Her only problem was that Finster's monsters were really pathetic. But Rita and her father together...gives me the creeps."

"Your toughest battle?" said Ms. Appleby.

"Green Ranger fight, no question," said Jason. "That was our initiation into what it takes to be a Ranger. We'd had some battles before, but Rita's monsters were weak in most of those fights. The Green Ranger fight tested everything we had, and everything we ever hoped to be."

"I've been wanting to hear why that was such a difficult fight for all of you," said Ninjor. "Why couldn't you handle Tommy at first, or realize that he was the one doing all the damage?"

"Because Rita took us by surprise," said Trini. "Her previous attacks were kinda careless. This one wasn't. She was trying to keep it a mystery for as long as possible. We didn't see Tommy get taken by Rita's Putties, and when he attacked the Command Center, we had no idea that the Green Power Coin even EXISTED."

"Oh, I see," said Ninjor, pounding his head softly as he did so.

"Sabrina," said Shawna, taking a bite of her cinnamon roll, "Having heard about your heritage, I'd like to know more about your planet, and I'm sure those actually on the team would too. I hope you don't get too annoyed by that request."

"Not annoyed at all," said the Gold Ninjetti, "and by the way, you were right. These rolls ARE very good."

Shawna smiled at that as the Gold Ninjetti continued.

"My home planet has become very similar to Earth in many ways, though it has its differences. We don't celebrate certain holidays like you do on this planet, but we are a peaceful planet of artisans and scholars. We also have many of the same food and drink that you do here, and like you, we are tolerant to many different types of beliefs. We do have many more magicians or sorceresses, like myself. You'd find the landscape pretty too. We have a king, Daran, but he's no tyrant."

That question got Sabrina thinking on an idea, but she decided to save it for later.

Eventually, after much chatter and about three rounds of food, the team and their closest friends were able to get the kitchen cleaned up.

As they were getting cleaned up, Lt. Stone asked Tommy, "I have to ask you guys...How in the world did you guys ever put up with Bulkmeier and Skullovitch?"

"Let me tell you, it wasn't easy," said Tommy. "They were always on our backs about the secret identity thing, particularly after Zedd took over from Rita. One instance with Bulk and Skull stands out in particular. It was about two to three months after I first became the Green Ranger. Kimberly was not having one of her better days and the two bullies were trying to pick on her. I bailed her out though, even in her worst of times. I've always said that Kimberly's worst day is almost always better than Bulk and Skull's best. Say, where's our good New York friend?"

"Over there, making smoothies," said Lt. Stone, pointing to his left. "They will be your delight for the afternoon...we'll have another big meal at dinnertime."

"I'm sure that won't upset Rocky any," said Tommy. "That guy's got a bottomless pit in his stomach."

"Hi, Tommy," said a female voice coming from behind him.

Tommy turned behind him and to his left to find Shawna.

"Shawna. Fancy finding you here," said Tommy.

"Thank your mentor for that," said Shawna. "I came to say thank you to a great leader."

"For what?" said Tommy.

"For getting myself and Kimberly out of that creepy cave when you guys were fighting Zedd. You'll forever have a place in my heart for that."

"I typically don't ask for any thank-yous in return for deeds like that, but you're welcome anyway," said Tommy. "We do this because we feel it's the right thing to do."

"I can see why Kimberly is attracted to you so much, Tommy," said Shawna. "Kim and I lived next to each other while training for Pan-Globals, and she talked endlessly about you. You are everything she said you to be, and more. You care deeply for others, you have a great sense of honor, and your teammates respond to you. That's what makes a great leader. Kim is very lucky to have you, Tommy. I have but one thing to say to you."

"And, that is..." said Tommy.

"Never let your princess out of your sight," Shawna said. "You and Kim were made for each other. Never, EVER let her out of your sight. I'm no expert on love, but I did date a guy for two years right before I went to Pan-Globals. I took for granted that we'd be able to keep in touch despite our long distance. Don't make that same mistake."

Somewhere in outer space...

Unknown Time

As Serpentera exploded and Lord Zedd and Goldar flew through space away from the exploding ship, it seemed like their fate was sealed.

Dark Specter had just destroyed Lord Zedd's flagship with the help of his Velocifighters and King Mondo's Quadrafighters, and didn't appear to want to let up any time soon.

And that left Lord Zedd and his trusted henchmen as sitting ducks.

Then, all of a sudden, the blasts around Lord Zedd ceased. Zedd and Goldar tried to look around to see what was happening, but before they could, a tractor beam shot out from a passing vessel and enveloped them. With that, Zedd and Goldar disappeared.

Seconds later, the two appeared on board a boa-like vessel, much like Zedd's was a serpent.

"Oh, my aching head," grumbled Zedd. "Does anyone have any medication for my damned head?"

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right, Lord Zedd!" said a voice.

Zedd turned his head, and began to smile.

He was turning to face an obviously evil, but otherwise beautiful woman wearing a red halter top, combined with a black skirt. Her dark-colored eyes radiated coldness and hatred towards all that was good. Her weapon was much like Zedd's, as it had the letter 'Z' on top of it. The one exception was that this weapon was a sword, not a staff.

"Empress Zera, my dear elder sister!" cried Zedd in hope. "Is that you? I haven't seen you in many a year!"

"It is me, my dear brother," said Zera, as she embraced the Lord of Evil. "I see you still have Goldar. Such a reliable warrior."

"He's been without question a valuable ally for me," said Zedd. "Thank goodness you were coming by, or I would have been space dust!"

"I noticed that!" said Zera. "I saw this big fireball go up, and when my readings showed me it was Serpentera, I knew I had to hurry. What the hell happened to you that Specter is trying to destroy your ship?"

"It's a long story," said Zedd. "I don't know if I care to tell the story right now."

"That's not like you," said Zera. "Wait-wait a minute...DON'T tell me you're STILL having trouble with Zordon's disgusting teenaged brats!"

"I am, Zera! That's the worst part of it! I can't beat a bunch of damned teenagers, and now Specter's trying to destroy me for taking advantage of a law that few know!"

Zera could obviously see that her brother was getting frustrated, so she made a proposition.

"Why don't I take you back to my empire? You can tell me your story on the way there," said Zera. "You can, of course, bring Goldar with you. He's always welcome. It's obvious you need some help against Zordon's teenagers, and I've been wanting my shot at them for a long time."

"That sounds fine. Besides, I need to get away for a while," said Zedd.

"Then away we go!" said Zera as her ship flew up and away from Earth and its moon.

Their departure did not go unnoticed.

Sunday, April 8

2 p.m.

Underground Power Base

Angel Grove, CA

At Mr. Kaplan's summons, all the Rangers were gathered once again in the dining room. This time, it was not for a meal, but to officially receive their diplomas. Billy was obviously an exception, so he stood off to the side.

"I am pleased," said Mr. Kaplan, "with the approval of our superintendent, to present to you ten of the finest teenagers...that Angel Grove has ever seen. And with this being my last act as Angel Grove's principal, I wish to say that these ten teenagers, also known as ten of Earth's Power Rangers, have lived up to the necessary responsibility that comes with that moniker."

With that, the small audience of allies and friends clapped in unison.

"My last act as principal of Angel Grove High is to give you these diplomas...so that some day when your Ranger careers are finished, you may go to college, get jobs and live normal lives."

"Line up here, guys," said Mr. Kaplan, "and I will call you in alphabetical order so that all of you may receive your diplomas."

He called each of them one-by-one, and all of the battle-tested Rangers went up to receive their diplomas. Even Kimberly went up to get one, as she had continuously worked on her classes while in Florida up until she'd been captured.

After all the Rangers had received their diplomas, Mr. Kaplan said, "So, do any of you have anything to say?"

All the Rangers went to go sit down, except Tommy.

"You would like to say something, Tommy?" said Ms. Appleby.

"I would, if I could have the mic, please," said Tommy.

When Tommy had the mic, he stepped to the podium and addressed the small crowd.

"I...I can't tell you how touched I am with all of your support," said Tommy. "You've probably noticed before...we typically ask for nothing in return for what we do. We defend this town, and the Earth because we feel it's what needs to be done, and because the Powers chose us to do so. We are fighters without pay."

"In the wake of our parents' deaths," said Tommy, "your support has been positively uplifting and overwhelming. This kind of support reminds us that we can't do it all alone. We need your help, and I'm glad we have it. You all may not be Rangers, but believe you me, you all are in our hearts, or have been at one point or another during battle."

"We look forward to your continued support," finished Tommy, "and continued friendship with all of you. Thank you."

4 hours later...

It was getting late in the day, and the Rangers, no longer having to keep their secrets around these particular friends, had spent their entire day telling stories of Ranger lore.

"I will never forget the time you guys went on national television," said Ms. Appleby. "It was incredible to see."

"Adam was scared to death," said Aisha. "That boy hated cameras."

"Unfortunately, Zedd had to spoil the party," said Tommy. "But all's well that ends well."

"What was it like when Rita came back and allied with Zedd?" said Shawna. "If I'm not mistaken, that was not long after I met Kimberly."

"Scary," said Tommy. "We all knew we could handle Zedd, but we also knew that Rita and Zedd would be tough to handle...and they were a load to handle."

"I'm surprised they broke up. They were...god, I can't bear saying it...a great team of evil working together," said Emily.

"Well, Em," said Jason. "You have to understand Zedd's been after Kim. Always has been. At first I simply thought he had a gross fascination, but he's just trying to destroy us through another way."

About 7 p.m. local time, the Rangers walked into the dining room for the second time that day. Before them was another feast...yet, this was dinner instead of breakfast.

Amongst the items on the menu were hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, pasta, seafood (in particular for Kimberly, since she'd grown used to seafood while on the Florida coastline), corn on the cob, tortilla and potato chips, and chip dip to go with it. Desserts also waited backstage.

"My God," said Rocky, who happened to be on his FOURTH smoothie of this day alone, "the George Foreman grills are out in full force!"

"We had the feeling that there would be a time when we'd have a serious need for the Foreman grills," said Ernie, "and that time is now."

"Chow time, baby," said Adam, licking his lips hungrily. "I haven't had a thing to eat in 12 hours."

"Chill, sweetheart," whispered Sabrina. "I don't want you developing any of Rocky's bad habits...namely, his habit for an appetite."

"Hey, I heard that!" said Rocky.

"Don't worry about Rocky," said Adam. "He always gets sensitive when we talk about his eating. He was bad at Stone Canyon too."

"I remember that from Florida. Sha would tease him about his eating and I'd just laugh my butt off."

The Rangers then silently lined up for their food, eager to dig into their second major meal of the day.

And as they took their food, and their seats, several people silently walked into the room, unbeknownst to the Rangers.

Several minutes later, annoyed and bemused by the fact that the group was being ignored, one of the group, a mildly annoyed teenaged girl, said,

"Hey, can we get a little respect here?"

The Rangers and their friends turned to see the group.

Four of the people in the group were teenagers the Rangers recognized from Angel Grove High...underclassmen, if you will.

A fifth person was there also...a crass-looking Caucasian clad in red, who was noticeably hanging all over the teenager in yellow.

The sixth...was David's biological father...and Tommy's as well.

"Funny seeing you here, Andros," said Sabrina.

"Well, I could say the same about you," joked the red-clad being as he lightly punched the Gold Ninjetti in the back.

"Sabrina, who is that?" said Tommy.

"Rangers of Earth," said Sabrina, "allow me to introduce Andros, a warrior from KO-35 who has spent years battling evil, and searching for his sister. Would you like the floor, Andros?"

"I would, and thank you for giving me the floor, Sabrina," said Andros, as he stepped forward. "I would first like to congratulate you, Sabrina, on returning to your true roots. I knew, that as Zordon's most heralded child, you wouldn't stay that vile creature Scorpina forever. I would also like to congratulate the Power Rangers of Earth on a spectacular victory over Lady Chaos and Lord Zedd. We have followed the battle for the last couple of weeks, and that was a tremendous victory for all of you."

"Now, to more pressing business," Andros continued. "These four, with me, are my team of Rangers...the Astro Rangers. I am the Red Astro Ranger, and have been searching for four more people to take the other four Astro Morphers. I searched many people on several planets, but none fit the mold. I recently got lucky in trying these four a few weeks ago. The Astro Powers bonded to them perfectly, and so I recruited them to be Power Rangers in case there was a desperate situation where Rangers would be needed."

"To my left, is Cassie Chan," said Andros. "She is the Pink Astro Ranger. In front of me is my own beloved Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Astro Ranger, who I quickly drew close to after I recruited her. Carlos Valerte, here, is the Black Astro Ranger, and T.J. Johnson is the Blue Astro Ranger."

"It's nice to know you finally found someone to take the Astro Powers," said Sabrina.

"Let me tell you, it wasn't easy," said Andros. "Anyways, I come with even more pressing news. I'm almost afraid of what I'm about to say."

"Don't be," said Jason. "Telling the truth will no doubt help you get the pressure out."

"All right, all right," said Andros. "It seems that Lord Zedd is still alive."

At this statement, several sets of mouths dropped open in shock.

"How can that possibly be?" said Tommy. "We damaged his ship beyond repair!"

"Serpentera is dead, White Ranger," said Andros. "Lord Zedd is not. He was rescued before Specter could destroy him...by Empress Zera."

Sabrina's face immediately went pale, her breath went out of her, and she would have fainted had Adam not been sitting to her right, ready for a situation such as this.

"Empress Who?" said Rocky.

"Zera," said Sabrina, shuddering at the thought. "Zedd's elder sister. Think of her as Zedd, but with far more intelligence and patience than Zedd has. Her main weapon, though, is seduction. She will try to seduce men and make them fall in love with her to accomplish her goals."

The news that Specter was out there, as well as Zedd's rescue by such a dangerous opponent, quickly put a damper on the rest of the meal.

Those in attendance ate their servings in shocked silence. While Andros and his crew helped the majority of the party-planners clean up and prepare for dessert, Tommy looked at the Gold Ninjetti, could see that she needed their attention, and said, "Guys, can we have some time with Sabrina outside? This is serious Ranger business that needs to be discussed amongst our team."

"Go for it," said Ernie.

"Thanks for planning this for us. We truly appreciate it," said Kim.

"You're welcome, Kim," said Ernie. "It's just too bad that news had to put a damper on the night."

Before the Rangers left, however, Tommy and Kim were confronted by David and Sam Trueheart.

"It is with great honor," said Sam, " to finally meet the one woman who has taught the White Falcon to soar as he has never done so before."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," said Kim. "But in all honesty, Tommy has taught me to do things I thought I could never do."

"And that's why you can soar as high as he can, with him, forever, if you know what you have and don't abuse it," said Sam. "This is no honeymoon anymore, White Falcon, and the same goes for you, Pink Crane. Your 'honeymoon' was rudely disturbed by the princess of chaos, as well as the master of evil, corruption, hate and agony. Next time, you would be wise to be on your guard. Every being of evil is going to try to take away what you have."

8:00 p.m.

By this time, all the Rangers were gathered in the huge lounging room on Floor Four.

Tommy and Jason were watching the NBA Finals wrapup show on CNBC, while Kat and Tanya were watching shopping channels. Adam was watching a movie, while Kimberly was looking over pictures from Florida.

When everything was set, the televisions went off, and Sabrina's gifts to the Rangers were brought to the forefront.

"OK," said the Gold Ninjetti. Immediately, all eyes snapped towards the beautiful Eltarian, who was dressed in a gold halter top, complete with a golden skirt Adam had bought for her just a few days before.

"We have a couple of things to talk about. First off, this Dark Specter and Zedd business. Ninja Rangers, especially, need to listen to this one," said Sabrina. "With the knowledge that Zedd is still around, and that Dark Specter is threatening to attack, I don't think that it's safe for any of you to be in Angel Grove, or on Earth, at least for the time being."

"Well then, if not Earth, then where the hell can we run to?" said Tommy. "I'm not sure how long we can last on Aquitar, and going to Triforia right behind Trey may cause suspicion."

"I know," said Sabrina. "How would you six like a little Eltarian hospitality?"

"You mean, you want to take us to Eltar?" said Aisha, softly.

"Yes, Aisha, I do," said the gold-clad Eltarian. "I'd feel more secure about all of you if you were around Zordon and myself. I don't doubt Trey, or the Rangers of Aquitar, but I'd feel safer if you were around myself and my father."

"Oh, we'd be glad to come," said Tommy. "I just can't believe you're INVITING us! Zordon is obviously close with us, but I don't know about the rest of Eltar. They don't know us from Adam!"

"We aren't naive, Tommy," said Sabrina, as she shot him a grin. "You'd most definitely be welcome on my planet. As Zordon's chosen, you'd be treated like royalty, as you should."

"OK, we'll go," said Kim. "How do we get there, though?"

"I considered the Astro Megaship, which is the ship Andros and his Rangers travel on," said Sabrina, "but Zedd and Specter know of that ship. They don't know of mine...and besides, my ship has plenty of amenities."

"OK, then we'll go on yours," said Tommy. The only person who wasn't noticeably sure about the decision was Billy.

"The second thing is," said Sabrina, "is that I have gifts for all of you. As I said, you guys are the best teammates I have ever had, on any planet, anywhere. You made me feel welcome when lesser beings would have cast me out. We won this battle as a team, and as a token of my appreciation, I offer these."

The 12 Rangers received their gifts, ripped them open, and gasped, in unison, in shocked silence.

They were holding 12 beautiful necklaces, with very large jewel-like structures ringing them, and all of them were noticeably color coded. They were made from the finest jewels, rubies, and metals that were found on Eltar, and they all seemed to be somewhat pulsating.

"My God...these are gorgeous!" said Kim.

"I second that," said Trini. "This is a trememdous keepsake."

"Ahhh, but they are more than a keepsake," said Sabrina, grinning devilishly. "Press the bottom left jewel, and see what happens."

Tommy did so, and could instantly hear a conversation...between voices of villains he recognized.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" said Tommy.

"Mmmm-hm," said the Gold Ninjetti. "Press that button, and the one above it, and you will always be able to hear conversations between villains, no matter where you may be."

"And they can do much more," she added. "If you so desire, you can dispatch your communicators once you have learned how to use these. The communicators you wear helped inspire my work on these, and these are specially designed for you to be able to speak with multiple teammates at once."

"In addition," she continued, "these 'necklaces' are fully sentient, like Alpha 5 and Tommy's Saba. Even now, they are bonding with you. You will always be able to consult them for advice if necessary."

"This is awesome!" said Rocky. "What inspired this?"

"It was Aisha's fight with the Hate Master, and the necklace that helped her survive it," said Sabrina. "I watched that battle from Eltar, and I was so impressed with how a necklace could mean so much to one person."

"It's a great idea, and I'm glad that my greatest feat inspired it," said Aisha. "Thank you, friend."

"These are great," said Tommy. "Are we dismissed?"

"Yes. Dismissed," said the Gold Ninjetti. "Let's go enjoy dessert...as a team."

As the team left the room, Sabrina got a tap on the shoulder, and turned around to see Billy.

"Oh, hi, Billy," she said. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"I did," said the Blue Ranger. "First off, I think these necklaces are a genius idea. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"There's something else you want to talk to me about, isn't there?" she said.

"Y-yes. It's Katherine," said Billy.

"I can tell where this is going," said the Gold Ninjetti. "You love her, and you'd miss her dearly on different planets."

"You're incredible, you know that?" said Billy. "Damn, we can't get anything past you."

She smiled, and said, "You know, you really should talk to her. I know how it feels to know that someone loves you, but he or she can't say it. It's frustrating. Don't subject Kat to that frustration, Billy. If you love her, she needs to know it. That's why I keep telling Adam I love him, because I don't want him being subjected to that frustration. You know how Tommy and Kim danced around one another for a long time till Tommy asked her to that dance shortly after the Candle incident."

"You're right, but I've always been shy," said Billy. "Let's go have dessert. The guys are going to be wondering where we are, and Adam's going to kill me for leaving you with me."

TBC...