"All clear so far," Ezra reported, as he, Tayisa and Capricorn ran down a curving, uneven passage. It looked like it had been widened just as much as was absolutely necessary to fit someone the size of a Zodiac Emperor. Something glinted ahead in the darkness, and Ezra raised one of his guns.
The shot illuminated Jewel Golems with bodies of amethyst standing in the hall. They lumbered towards the pair, and a metallic whirling sound filled the air. More blasts from the Hex Rider showed that they were spinning some kind of bola-like weapon—a chain with a jewel carved into a fish on either end. One foot soldier let fly, but the intruders ducked the projectile. It took a chunk out of the wall, sending flecks of stone in every direction.
"I'll take care of them," Capricorn said. "You get the prisoners out."
"Right." Tayisa looked to Ezra. "Time for our upgrades."
"Finally!" Ezra drew a blue-and-gold amulet from his belt, and raised it. "Hex Rider, Luck Form!"
Blue light enveloped him, and the Jewel Golems all began to target him. They bounced off the energy flowing around Ezra. It flashed, forming blue armor trimmed with gold stars. The antenna-like noseguard of his visor had forked now, and the hexagons covering his suit had become septagons.
"Dreamcatcher Chakram!" He shouted. A blue-and-gold disc appeared in his hand, several curved blades dangling from one side. He hurled it at the foot soldiers; it left a glowing gash wherever it struck. The Jewel Golems staggered back. As the passage opened up, the two Riders dashed down it.
"Scorpion Form!" Red light blasted outward from Tayisa's transformation.
As the Jewel Golems, began to follow, two massive hands clamped down on their heads. Capricorn hauled the foot soldiers into the air, and squeezed. Bits of purple began to rain down from his clenched fists.
oZo
Super ZeoZord III's fingers punched through the hull of the Equinox, sending debris showering down on the ship's bridge. It was empty now, its computers dead and silent. The fingers tightened, denting the metal, and began to pull. Slowly but surely, all the old seams and mismatched patches began to give.
From the new control center, the hangar the Zodiac Emperors had been using as a teleportation base, Pisces tracked the battles. Some of his Jewel Golems manned the other consoles. Their bolas were wrapped around their waists, and clinked at each movement.
The ship shook, and down Super ZeoZord III's arm dashed the Blue Ranger, armed and ready. She glanced around the console room and kept going. One of the Jewel Golems activated the door controls, but the Blue Ranger was able to leap through just in time.
Pisces' hand slammed down on the Jewel Golem's. "Don't. I want to face her."
The Jewel Golem nodded and went back to work. Leaving them, Pisces headed into the passageway. It was dimly lit, but wide enough to give even the massive Zodiac Emperor room to maneuver. The door closed behind him, sealing the controls away from the impending fight. Silently, he folded his arms and waited.
Zeo Blue's footsteps carried down the passage, slowing from a run to a walk. She appeared, carrying her Zeo Pistol Powered Up. At the sight of Pisces she paused, and then began to walk again.
"I want my memories back."
"Impossible."
The Blue Ranger raised her gun. "Not going to accept that answer."
"Look it up. You can't go back."
The Blue Ranger halted, five strides from the Zodiac Emperor. Her gun was leveled at his face. "Most of the time, killing the one who did the spell breaks it."
Pisces sighed in exasperation. "Why do you care so much about a past you can't even remember? It's the past. It doesn't matter anymore."
"If you think that, why are you even fighting this war? You were an Emperor in the past."
"I'm fighting for my future."
"Same here, fishface."
"Then stop talking and fight!" Pisces smacked the gun aside and punched her in the chest.
oZo
Casey's Zord rolled in the water, slamming her headfirst into her console. Her face hit the front of her visor, and she clutched at it. Around she rolled, back hitting the glass. Aquarius's face flashed past in the midst of the water.
"Ow, my nose!" She cried, her voice muffled.
Her Zord jolted again, tossing her around like a small child on a crowded trampoline. She bounced off the back wall this time with an oof, landing draped across her sideways chair. The Zord shuddered, and she scrambled for the controls.
"Why doesn't this thing have a seatbelt?"
She finally got a good look at the screen. The Zord's diagnoistics were going crazy—it was starting to sink into the ground. Alarmed, Casey fired up the boot thrusters, but the water quickly doused them. Aquarius's bubbling laugh surrounded the cockpit.
"I take back what I said—this is fun!"
The controls told the Yellow Ranger that the water pressure around the cockpit had just gone way up. The hull was holding, for now, but of course the Rangers' Zords had been breached before. Casey hit the comms.
"Uh, guys, I hate to be a bother but—"
"Oh, don't worry, your boyfriend is trying his darndest to get you out. See?"
Through her sideways windshield, the Yellow Ranger glimpsed a silver-and-green figure. The muddy water made it hard to make out, but it had to be Lidian's Zord. It was struggling, trying to swim or possibly fight, but without its thrusters or solid ground there wasn't much it could do. As Casey watched, a clean ribbon of water streaked around Super ZeoZord IV, and drew its Hatchets. It swung one, slicing into the Zord's hull with a green flash.
"Stop it!" Casey yelled. Bracing herself on the console, she began typing in a series of new commands.
Outside, Aquarius kept hacking at the Green Ranger's Zord. He seemed to have enough control to steer a little, but kept getting hit. Aquarius giggled every time she got in a blow. Slowly, she drove Super ZeoZord IV towards the muddy surface.
"Got it!" Casey hit a final button. Her Zord's thrusters fired again—but instead of shooting outward, it just heated up. The water around the Zord began to bubble as the hull heated. The mud holding it down began to harden. Aquarius didn't even notice. She'd just driven the Green Ranger's Zord flat on its back. It rolled with a rumble, avoiding her next blow. The hatchet sank into the mud. More of Aquarius's body formed as she tried to pull it out. This gave Lidian time to try to free his Zord, but a tentacle of water snaked through the muck and caught it by the arm.
By now the water around Casey was white with bubbles. That finally did get Aquarius's attention. Her eyes flashed closer.
"What are you—yaagh that's hot!" She recoiled.
Yellow lasers flashed through the water, and Aquarius let out another yell of pain. Through the muddy water, the Red Battlezord was briefly visible, already turning back towards its other opponents. The water level began to go down. Aquarius vanished into the muddy water, and Lidian's Zord retrieved its hatchet.
As the water oozed away, the rest of the fight spread out before Casey's eyes. The Red Battlezord was flying around Sagittarius, trying to draw his fire while not getting hit. A few arrow shafts stuck out of the metal, and the Zord's path seemed wobbly. Off to one side, Super ZeoZord I grappled with Cancer.
"Hang on, guys! I'm coming!" The Yellow Ranger called.
Unfortunately, it seemed that her offer was too hastily given. As she tried to force her Zord free, its engine overloaded. There was a bang that shook the entire robot, and smoke began to fill the interior. Casey punched the console, then quickly patted it.
"Sorry, sorry, not your fault, I overloaded your circuitry with that trick. It's okay, I'll just call in backup. Alpha—can I have my plain old ZeoZord?"
The comms crackled with static. Casey sighed. "Well, that's just great. Guess I'll have to go next door and borrow someone else's comm."
That was when the giant arrow smashed through the hatch.
oZo
Beneath the Moon's surface, the Riders smashed open the last of the cell doors, and herded humans into the packed passageway. Bits of Jewel Golems crunched underfoot. Most of them were dirty, their clothes worn, but in decent shape otherwise. The Zodiac Emperors weren't stupid enough to starve their would-be army. Turning, the Scarab Rider began making her way around the crowd. Hex took up the rear. As she reached the front, the Scarab Rider raised her voice.
"Everyone, follow me! Keep together and don't let anyone fall behind or get trampled!" She shouted over the rumble of voices.
Back up the passage she went, the rescued civilians running after her. Nobody was talking anymore; the only noises were thudding footsteps and rapid breathing. They rounded the bend, following the slanting tunnel up towards the surface. The passage narrowed, and Tayisa slowed down. As those behind her did, four or five in the crowd stopped entirely. The ones behind them couldn't stop in time and tripped. The tunnel started to bottleneck.
"What's—"
"Keep going!"
"Get out of the way!"
A number of other, less polite exclamations filled the air as Tayisa turned back. She waded into the crowd, gaze fixed on the nearest of the ones who'd stopped. It was a tall, rather androgynous man with very pale hair and electric blue eyes. He looked towards her, and throughout the group, the others did the same.
"Everyone down!" Tayisa shouted, drawing back her Scorpion Club. The civilians tried, but the tunnel was packed tight. As the confused shouts turned into screams, Tayisa lunged at the standing man. Her Scorpion Club passed right through his body, the end covered in white goop. He flashed a brief grin at her, and collapsed into a puddle, dragging her down with him. As Tayisa struggled to free her weapon, one of the other plants caught her in a headlock.
"Let go of her!" Ezra shouted. He pushed through the crowd, but the Gemini duplicates—what else could they have been?—were much quicker. Squeezing unnaturally to fit, they formed a barrier between him and the Scarab Rider. As he raised his chakram, they simply plucked civilians out of the crowd, forming a human shield. With an exasperated sigh, the Hex Rider holstered the guns again.
"Fine. Guess I'll have to do this the indirect way." He stepped back and raised his voice. "Hey, you! All of you!"
The shouting died down a little as the civilians turned their attention on the Hex Rider. "I know these Zodiac Emperors and their goons have been pushing you around, roughing you up, keeping you prisoners. But they've also been training you to fight, right? So fight." He gestured to the Gemini duplicates. "There's your enemy. You outnumber him. Show him what it feels like."
The Gemini duplicates looked a little less sure of themselves now. The civilians around them were looking around a little, making eye contact with each other, some nodding. Then, those closest to the ones Tayisa was being strangled by leaped on the duplicate. That was apparently the starting gun; with loud battle cries all of the former prisoners swarmed the Gemini duplicates. Ezra folded his arms, chuckling darkly.
oZo
Pisces' fist dented the wall where the Blue Ranger's head had been. Somersaulting, she came up in a low crouch, then lashed out with one of her axes. Her Zeo Laser Pistol Powered Up lay out of reach, where it had been knocked by the Zodiac Emperor. The two circled, both breathing hard and sweating.
"You're strong," Pisces said, with an approving nod.
"I've spent the last few years doing nothing but combat training," Zeo Blue replied flatly. She stopped in front of the blast doors, and flexed her fingers on the hilts of her axes. "What were you expecting?"
"Nothing less." Pisces unclipped a bolas from his belt and began spinning it. The blue-violet, razor-edged fish on either end glinted in the faint light. "But you're not strong enough. I never train my Guard to that level."
"Well, good thing I'm not just another Andromeda Guard, then."
The Blue Ranger raised her axes, spun them, and then spun and slashed them across the doors. Sparks flew, and she struck it again, cutting through the locks. Pisces attacked, and she ducked just a little too slowly. One of the fish bolas slashed her across the shoulder, cutting right through her suit and drawing blood. The weapon hit the doors and smashed through, forcing them open. Before Pisces could draw it back, the Blue Ranger was up and leaping through the gap. One hurled axe struck the biggest console, which sparked and whined.
As the Blue Ranger took aim again, the bolas spun through the doorway and wrapped around her ankles. She pitched forward and fell flat on her stomach with a grunt. She tried to free her legs, but the chain was barbed and had already punctured her boots. As she struggled with the barbs, the Jewel Golems surrounded her, Pisces joining them.
"Looks like you are just another Andromeda Guard."
The Blue Ranger sat up, and glanced around at the group. "Really? I thought after Aquarius's last little attack you people remembered the whole mermaid thing I apparently used to do."
She lashed out with both feet, striking Pisces's knees. He stumbled back, giving her enough time to flip onto her feet and seize a Jewel Golem. It brought its arm up, enabling her to slam her bound feet into the one next to it. Recovering, Pisces snatched the bolas from one of the other Jewel Golems and threw it at the Blue Ranger. She let go of the Jewel Golem, which took the blow instead. It shattered as she rolled under the console. Springing up again, she yanked her axe out of the controls and threw it again—this time at the generator powering all of the consoles. She hit the deck as it exploded.
oZo
"If you're going to tell me I'm wasting my talents again, don't. I've heard it plenty of times," Sabrina snapped, as she brought her Zord's fist down in a hammer punch. Cancer's pincer snapped shut on it, catching it halfway. He tightened his grip as she struggled to free herself.
"Not this time. I just want you to take a look around."
The Pink Ranger did, but quickly, in case Cancer was trying to distract her. The Red Battlezord crashed to the ground, trailing smoke. It struggled to its feet as Aries advanced on it, catching the Zodiac Emperor's first punch. The blow still sent the Zord skidding back across the battlefield. Nearby, Super ZeoZord II lay prone, half-sunk in mud and completely inactive. Super ZeoZord IV was trying to keep Sagittarius away, but only getting more and more arrows through its own hull for its pains. Super ZeoZord III stood silent and empty beside the Equinox.
"You're losing this battle—and a lot of your arsenal, if not your teammates. If you want to win this war, it seems wiser to withdraw and save what you can than go out in a blaze of glory like those fools."
Super ZeoZord I jerked the Zodiac Emperor closer. Inside the cockpit, Sabrina glared down at the monster. "Why do you people keep trying to give me advice?"
"Because, like it or not, you have much more in common with us than with them," Cancer retorted. He released the Zord with a shove that sent it stumbling back. It quickly righted itself with its thrusters, coming down in a crouch. Cancer didn't move, and neither did the Zord.
With a crash, Super ZeoZord IV fell. The engine overloaded and exploded, tearing through the back of the hull and flinging the Zord into a spin. It rolled until it hit Super ZeoZord II, and the two lay in a smoking heap. Lowering his bow, Sagittarius advanced on them. Aries planted a hoof on Red Battlezord's chest and reached down. His fingers puncture the metal hull as if it was aluminum foil, and sparks made his fur stand on end. From the direction the Riders had gone came a deep, ominous rumble.
Sabrina faced Cancer again as he spoke. "You're going to lose. Better to retreat and try again some other time, while you still have the chance. You've always been a better independent fighter anyway."
Sabrina drew in a slow breath. "I've grown up since then."
Super ZeoZord I leaped—not at Cancer, towards Sagittarius. He was just rearing back, hooves poised to crush both Zords. Super ZeoZord I struck him against his horse shoulder, knocking him sideways. He overbalanced and fell, legs twisting beneath him. There was an audible crack, and he let out an inhuman scream. He started to shrink down, no longer able to maintain his giant form.
Cancer moved sideways with surprising speed, cutting off Super ZeoZord I. Sabrina sprang back, but one of the Zodiac Emperor's pincers snared her foot. The metal twisted and tore in his crushing grip. The thruster in the Zord's foot blew out with a boom.
Super ZeoZord IV's hatchet slammed against the inside joint of Cancer's leg. The crab lost his balance, and before he could recover, Super ZeoZord I punched him in the mandibles. He let go and stumbled back. Struggling upright, and wobbling once it was there, Super ZeoZord IV swung sideways at the Zodiac Emperor's bad leg again, severing it. There wasn't any blood, but Cancer let out an insectoid screech. He began to shrink down again. Once he was near normal size, Sabrina stomped down with her Zord's bad foot. There was a crackle of energy at the blow, and the Zord's leg folded. It fell flat on its face with a crash.
Nearby, Aries had just managed to grab the Red Ranger and lift him right out of the cockpit. As he prepared to crush the much smaller Ranger, Super ZeoZord III's axe slammed into the back of his head with a thunk. Irritated, he turned around—only for the move to help the Blue Ranger's Zord remove his cape fully and toss it aside. The ram monster stiffened, let out a choked noise, and began to fall. Diving forward, the Blue Zord caught his wrist and pried his grip loose. The Red Ranger just managed to seize the Zord's fingers as Aries fell backwards, already shrinking down.
One last explosion from the dying Aries, and the Moon fell silent. Super ZeoZord III strode over to the other downed Zords to check on their pilots. The quiet didn't last long; a faint rumble rose from the Moon's surface. Up from a crater raced the Riders on their motorcycles, followed by the civilians they'd just released and Capricorn bringing up the rear. Gemini was nowhere to be seen, but a number of the civilians were splattered with white gooey stuff. They seemed very pleased with themselves. Spotting the Rangers, they charged past the two Riders, breaking into cheers.
By now the Rangers had dismounted from their Zords and gathered on the ground. David tapped into the comms.
"Alpha? I think we're going to need some transportation."
"I'm readying the teleporters now." The robot hadn't sounded so proud in a long time. "Well done, Rangers!"
oZo
Trivia: The Jewel Golems' weapons, and of course Pisces' version, are based on the actual design of the constellation, and the original myth; two fish joined by a chain or cord. Myths vary; sometimes the two fish are Aphrodite and Cupid, sometimes they just helped Aphrodite.