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Chapter 32 – Adaptive Capacity
Steaks of coloured light burst into existence and streaked downwards, illuminating the pale, yellowish sky of the world of Prosperity which was now smudged and streaked with rising pillars and clouds of acrid black smoke as the battle for the Alliances' latest settlement raged.
"Take 'em out!" Mercy ordered as the Aegis Rangers materialised in the midst of a pitched battle, the chaos leaving few if any safer options; the rushing air that accompanied their teleportation halting the head of a squad of green-skinned aliens whose compound eyes widened at the sight of this new threat; the Dark Empire soldier quickly raised their weapon and fired only for the bolt of searing light that it vomited forth to be deflected harmlessly by the flat of the Red Ranger's crimson-bladed katana before Mercy launched a carefully measured spinning-heel kick to the aliens' skull to leave them crumpled on the ground.
"We can't afford to be gentle" Rensa hissed as the rest of the downed Dark Empire soldiers' squad barrelled around the nearest corner, their weapons fitted with broad cleaver-like blades that vibrated at an ultrasonic frequency in place of a more conventional bayonet.
"I know" Mercy ground out "But it doesn't feel right" in her mind using her abilities as a Power Ranger against a woefully unequipped enemy infantryman was hardly any different to the military attacking civilians, such was the scope of the difference in their lethality; the choice was taken from her however as the first salvo impacted against her armour, bolts of searing, poisonous green light that lacked the capacity to do anything more than leave faintly discoloured scorch marks on the Rangers' armour.
"So be it!" Aslaug barked and charged forwards to meet the enemy head on, though in a display of restraint the Yellow Ranger elected not to manifest her battle axe; Mercy chewed her lip nervously beneath her helmet for a moment before nodding and giving an order
"Let's go!" with nothing left to discuss the six Rangers sprinted into the aliens, all of whom wore the ragged red robes of what Zebidiah had called the 'Cult of the Eternal Devourer' over their cheap, mass produced and entirely ineffectual armour and though the Dark Empire's footsoldiers attempted to bring their melee weapons to bear against the Rangers it was a fruitless endeavour, within moments the green-skinned creatures were piled, unconscious on the ground.
"Mercy to Mission Control" the Red Ranger breathed out "We were intercepted on arrival but we're ready to engage priority target, send coordinates" the familiar clinical jargon was enough to soothe Mercy's nerves a little, though that peace was quickly taken from her by Corcus's irritable tone
"Your hesitation will see lives lost Red Ranger….be mindful that your kindness doesn't become a weakness for the enemy to exploit" Mercy's teeth ground together as she fought back a vicious retort and took a single slow breath; she knew that the former Aquitian Ranger would not accept any answers predicated on her own conscience and so instead she offered an answer that was coldly logical.
"We have prisoners to teleport to a secure location, they might have useful intel"
"It's unlikely they'll part with it without the use of methods that we would rather not employ" Zebidiah's voice chimed in darkly "A wise decision however, better than stooping to butchery" the barb at Corcus's approach was plain to see yet before anything more could be said Kimberley joined the conversation and, taking command of the situation and keeping both the Rangers and Mission Control focused on the task at hand.
"Coordinates are being sent to you now" her words were followed by each of the Rangers receiving a new alert, displayed on their visors "Silver Guardian units were attempting to pin the target but are currently pulling out, both Alliance and Empire forces are using heavy assets….this could get messy Rangers"
"Also be aware that the Prosperity Colony Ship has had its' atmospheric dome removed due to the planets' air being breathable….meaning that Dark Empire ships-"
"Can air strike or grow Squid-Worse" Mercy grimaced "Understood" without waiting a moment longer the Red Ranger led her team towards where they knew their target to be.
Sprinting through the streets at inhuman speeds allowed the Rangers their first real look at Prosperity, despite its' alien sky the Colony Ship was largely similar to Promethea One; its' architecture designed to mimic that found in any American city, that familiarity providing a deadly advantage to the Alliances' soldiers as they took sniping positions atop apartment blocks and cut down entire squads of the Dark Empire's infantry until the streets ran with alien blood though it was far from a one sided affair; Mercy's scream of warning came a moment too late as a group of human soldiers she saw hurling grenades were consumed in a lance of violet light a moment later, the blast leaving nothing in its' wake and throwing the Rangers' to the ground as its' concussive force shook everything around them
"Heavy assets" Panthera grumbled as she sprung to her feet "They brought more dakka" the Rangers hastily righted themselves around her and were confronted with the machine responsible for the blast.
A Dark Empire tank.
The thing hovered several feet above the ground and was formed of a main body which could most easily be described as a jagged and angular crescent, its' points facing forwards with a cockpit nestled between them whilst a large turret sat atop it, boasting a weapon whose barrel was large enough for a person sit inside and gave off a sinister purple glow as it swept towards the Rangers.
"I've got it!" Kay rushed forwards, emerald light coalescing in their palms as they planted themselves between their team-mates and the Dark Empires' war machine; both the tank and the Green Ranger fired and streams of coloured light collided with each other in an aurora of destruction, Kay sliding back as they held the blast at bay. Time seemed to move in slow motion for Panthera as the Pink Ranger manifested her twin blades and combined them, hurling the resulting weapon in what had come to be regarded as one of her signature moves; sending it tearing through the air and the hull of the hovering vehicle which quickly came crashing to the ground as its' power supply was destroyed, sparks and small explosions issuing from within it.
"Thank-"
"We've gotta keep moving" she cut through Kay's somewhat bashful thanks and prepared to take off again.
"Those soldiers, they-" Tempestus turned to the others and they could tell that beneath his helmet the Blue Ranger was horrified
"We can't think about that now" Mercy urged "We do our job and as few people get hurt as possible" with that the six Ranger burst into motion once again, surging through emptied streets towards an open park which had served as the Dark Empire's staging area where the abhorrent creature leading the attack waited for them.
"GET DOWN!" Mercy leapt aside as six, rubbery grey tentacle-arms ripped though the air before being retracted backwards; displaying the tremendous reach the Acheron hybrid possessed as it laughed at them in a watery, burbling voice.
"Rangers" the monster sneered "Don't attempt to surrender, your terms will be rejected. Today you will die and your bodies be broken and used to spawn more Acheron warriors"
"You make me sick" Mercy spat as she lunged back to her feet, katana in hand as those Rangers who had not manifested their weapons yet did so. This was what the Red Ranger had prepared for, defeating this kind of foe was what it meant to be a Power Ranger and she braced herself as everything around her seemed to fade away into a peaceful stillness.
Then the Rangers and the monster both charged.
Paradoxa adjusted her position and made herself comfortable in her throne aboard the Heliothis, relishing the feeling of power and control that had returned to her now that Lord Zedd was absent and that she was enacting her own plans, rather than acting as the simple servant and administrator that she had been reduced to since the warlords' arrival. The insectoid hybrid could have attended to her schemes from the comfort of her own hive-like and festering chambers to ensure that no record of what transpired remained, however the urge to believe herself to be powerful had been too great and she had simply ordered the crew of her Command Bridge to vacate the vessel and committed herself to scrubbing and modifying all records of incoming communications from other vessels within the Vanguard Fleet to remove any and all evidence of anything untoward. Presently she was notified of such an incoming transmission and promptly brought it on screen.
"Lady Paradoxa" somehow the machinery of Jin-Zhao's own Command Bridge transformed the monstrous hybrids' smokey yet distinctly synthetic and solely psychic voice into something audible, recreating the sound that Paradoxa had heard within her own mind perfectly.
"How goes the mission?" she enquired eagerly, taking a moment to examine the image being displayed across the panoramic viewing screen of the Heliothis. The bridge of the Predator was distinct to say the least, its' walls comprised of stone and stained glass whilst the various stations were draped with scrolls, trinkets and iconography and behind the vessels' Captain an ancient tapestry depicting an apocalyptic battle in which the Acheron people consumed all before them was displayed with pride; the resultant feeling being one of some abominable and technological monastery. In addition to the overtly symbolic décor each and every member of the Predators' bridge crew was swaddled in the arterial spray coloured robes of their fanatical order, those who were not Acheron Hybrids having sought to replicate their overlords' gift of adaption through surgical modifications to their own bodies, new limbs had been grafted to bodies whilst body parts which were deemed unnecessary to their allotted role had been amputated.
"The mission goes well" Jin-Zhao assured her, snapping Paradoxa's attention back to the matter at hand "My Arch-Apostle leads the devotees as we speak, enemies of Acheron will be cut down by the thousand whilst the spoils of their colony are being taken for our own as we speak, weapons and fuel are being given priority as you specified my lady"
"Resistance?"
"Mounting steadily as the Alliance teleports more soldiers" Jin-Zhao admitted "Nothing more than a further opportunity to display our superiority" Paradoxa allowed herself a small smirk at that, apparently the fanatic could be tolerable after all
"And what of the Power Rangers?" this question caused a psychic snarl of displeasure to escape the monstrous cultist whilst the bulging muscles of her neck and lower jaw writhed and coiled in agitation, giving only the merest hints of what lay beneath her scaly flesh.
"They are present Lady Paradoxa" Jin-Zhao admitted "My Arch-Apostle has engaged them directly, I will be entering the field of battle shortly; I plan to deliver a killing blow to the colony in its' entirety"
"See that it is done" Paradoxa nodded solemnly "Lord Zedd will expect no less"
"Yes Lady Paradoxa" with that the screen blackened and Paradoxa allowed herself a moment to compose herself, keeping her pale green face from morphing into a twisted smirk of victorious smugness and focusing on what was yet to be done; within seconds she had entered a series of commands into her throne and the Command Bridges' viewing screen came into life once more.
"This is-"
"Be silent and listen" the Captain of the warship Orpheus fell silent as Paradoxa quickly cut across them
"From this point forwards I will be assuming direct control of your vessel" the insectoid hybrid stated flatly "I am sending you the coordinates of the Predator and the frequency at which its' cloaking field is operating; you are to lock on and maintain total silence regardless of interference. On my order you will transfer the contents of its' hold to your own ship and fire on its' propulsion systems. Am I understood"
"Yes Lady Paradoxa"
"Good" the insectoid tyrant was unable to keep the smile from her face this time, the thrill of power was far too intoxicating and she had been denied it for far too long.
A tense silence hung over the Command Centre, the air charged and heavy as though a thunderstorm were evident as aides and technicians along with a dozen other specialists employed by Lightspeed whilst the quartet of uniquely experienced individuals who formed the core of Mission Control watched with baited breath as the Aegis Rangers did battle with the Dark Empire's latest warrior.
The Rangers were struggling.
The Arch-Apostle's choice to remain in the open park that the Dark Empire's forces had teleported into had proven itself to be a sound tactical decision rather than simple cowardice; the lack of cover or notable terrain gave a tremendous advantage to the six-armed horror whose writhing, boneless limbs could stretch to several times their apparent length, the rubbery grey skin that coated them becoming translucent as it strained whilst the monsters' hands were enhanced by the squid-like suction cups lining the underside of each arm, giving them a grip strong enough to lift and throw a Ranger with each flailing appendage.
"Billy, any idea of how to deal with that thing?" Kimberley demanded
"Negative" Billy shook his head, brow furrowed and mind clearly racing as he stared intently at the Ranger's foe; studying every inch of its' anatomy and making what inferences he reasonably could, though those were few and far between owing to the mutability of Acheron genetics.
"These are the kind of opponents your Rangers face?" Corcus whispered, eyes wide "How does one fight a creature like that? I've never encountered the like of it-"
"We have more pressing matters" Zebidiah's voice issuing from the tube which currently housed his consciousness caused the other members of Mission Control to turn and face him, each of them realising that the sorcerers' essence had returned from elsewhere.
"I had to consult my texts….I had no particular fondness for the Cult of the Eternal Devourer in my time as Lord Zedd" the former Acheron admitted "But something is amiss, the monster the Rangers are fighting is an Arch-Apostle, the markings on the robe and the way its' worn tell me as much….they have a leader, where are they?"
As if summoned by his words an alarm began to blare.
"We're getting a red alert from the Prosperity Colonies' Power station!" one of the Command Centres' aides called out frantically "They're under attack, brining it on screen now!" each member of Mission Control seemed to know exactly what was to come, even if they lacked the specifics and were soon left horrified by the sight of a monster that could be described as a muscular, bipedal tiger with a glossy black and scaly hide decorated with milky white stripes.
The entirety of the Command Centre watched in horror, unable to look away as the viewing glove showed a digitally enhanced image created from a composite of the power stations' camera feeds which showed every grisly detail as a team of lightly armed and armoured security guards attempted to halt Jin-Zhao's advance only for the Acheron hybrid to unleash her hidden weapon; the bloated, swollen mass of flesh and muscle beneath jaw opened, splitting her mandible with it and as her entire neck and chin separated a pair of tongues reached out from her gaping maw, turquoise in colour and coated in a viscous glowing slime each tongue was as thick as a mans' arm and several feet in length, ending in a series of hooked barbs resembling atrophied and vestigial claws.
The sound of retching and horrified gasps could be heard as the guards fanned out and aimed their weapons; their bullets pattering harmlessly from Jin-Zhao's armoured hide before her tongues seized the skulls of the guards and those who weren't crushed in showers of exploding gore were dashed against the walls until their bodies were left as crumpled, pulverised husks. As she strode forward the monster manifested a pair of curved and broad but short bladed cleaver like weapons in bursts of light, glancing directly at the cameras and destroying them before presumably continuing her onslaught.
"Teleport me to that beasts' location, immediately!" Corcus barked
"Belay that order!" Kimberley countered, voice dropping to a furious whisper as she rounded on the Aquitian Blademaster "What the hell are you doing?"
"My duty" he answered coldly
"You'll die!" the former Pink Ranger exclaimed
"A sacrifice I am entirely willing to make"
"It's not a sacrifice if it achieves nothing" Billy interrupted, causing the Aquitian to turn and face him with a furious expression "If you still had your Power Coin or we had a Morpher we could allow you to use I would agree with you, the colony is powered by a Horusite reactor and if its' damaged it could wipe out the entire colony and kill everyone on board….but you can't Morph and you can't hope to beat that monster alone without your powers"
"I-" Corcus fell silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone hushed and his fists clenched "We must act!"
"Send the Rangers" Zebidiah suggested "Have them split their forces
"Against two Acheron hybrids?" Kimberley raised an eyebrow
"Answer me one simple question" the former Lord Zedd demanded "Have the Aegis Rangers ever failed us before?"
With the facts of the matter laid out so bluntly before them Mission Control shared worried glances and were forced to conclude that there was only one course of action that could be taken.
"Perish!" the Arch-Apostle's burbling war-cry filled the air as Mercy's momentum was robbed from her, her attempt to charge at the repugnant creature halted as they flung all six of their arms forward, crossing the dozen feet between them to unleash a maelstrom of blows which the Red Ranger frantically struggled to defend against with a flurry of slashing attacks; the grassy ground beneath her being cratered slightly by the force of the barrage.
Then a streak of golden yellow announced Aslaug's intervention as the Yellow Ranger thundered towards the monster from its' left hand side, axe at the ready in an attempt to hack through its' many limbs only to be halted as the Arch-Apostle split their attention, three limbs continuing their onslaught against Mercy whilst Aslaug was apprehended by the remaining three; one flying out to grab the shaft of her weapon and attempt to wrestle for control of it whilst two limbs seized the Yellow Ranger and hoisted her into the air before slamming her down onto the ground with earthshaking force, cracking the visor of her helmet and knocking the wind from her before hurling her several dozen feet away seemingly effortlessly
"ASLAUG!" the panicked cry escaped Mercy's lips yet she found herself powerless to act on it as all six of the monsters' arms struck her in perfect unison, sending her hurtling backwards and bouncing across the ground before painfully rolling to a stop.
As she struggled to rise, limbs shaking and chest muscles screaming in protest at every attempt to breathe the Red Ranger saw that the Arch-Apostle had failed to buy themselves even a moments' respite as the Aegis Rangers continued their attack; though it was clear that their opponent was more than capable of meeting their efforts.
"Pitiful" the monster chuckled cruelly as they plucked Panthera's bladed weapon out of the air and crushed it into a thousand luminous magenta fragments which flared and flickered out of existence like embers before preparing to retaliate only for a beam of emerald light to blast them back a pace and leave sizzling flesh and boiling blood in its' wake as it struck their flesh. Kay rushed forwards, Dragon Blade in hand yet as they drew close the monster shifted their weight, still in their odd squatting position and leapt high into the air, each of their six arms shooting downwards and sinking into the ground to surround the Green Ranger and anchor the Arch-Apostle before the monster retracted its' limbs and rocketed downwards, a shock-wave rushing out from the point of impact as they landed on Kay's chest, the Green Ranger laying and the epicentre of a crater with cracks running along the surface of the shield that covered their chest.
Panthera leapt into the fray and managed to land a vicious knee strike to the monsters' face as she weaved between their limbs, forcing off the Green Ranger whom she quickly helped to their feet.
"Thanks, again-"
"Look out!" with the split second of warning Kay saw that the Arch-Apostle had recovered and had brought their six arms snaking around to attack from all sides and promptly tackled Panthera to the ground before taking the brunt of the blow themselves
"Kay!" Panthera' voice came as ragged scream as sparks jetted from the Green Ranger's armour, each blow leaving them reeling and dazed before they finally collapsed to the ground and the Pink Ranger was forced to rush in as the monsters' tentacle-arms raised overhead, poised to strike like stingers and she narrowly managed to pull her ally free a moment before the blows landed.
"Thanks….a-"
"Don't say it, idiot" she snapped as she pulled them to their feet again.
"Is this all!" the Arch-Apostle demanded, their voice a fierce challenge part mockery and part naked hate-filled rage "Is this all that the Power Rangers, enemies of the Eternal Devourer have to offer! I WILL FEAST ON YOUR-"
Tempestus silenced them by swinging his staff at their face like a baseball bat as he and Rensa went on the offensive.
Blood spurted from the monsters' neck and left their crimson robes sodden as the Black Ranger leapt onto their back and plunged his daggers downwards, ripping into his enemies' collarbones in an attempt to either end the monster completely or at the very least disable some of its' arms; the effort was unsuccessful however and the Arch-Apostle reached over their back and clutched Rensa's helmet in a single palm before hurling him through the and smashing his body into the floor, only to seize him by the leg with another limb as he attempted to rise and repeat the action before finally picking the struggling Black Ranger up with four tentacles, each grasping an arm or leg as they hoisted him into the air before delivering a crushing blow to his chest with their final two limbs.
"I haven't forgotten about you" the Arch-Apostle assured Tempestus as he discarded Rensa and rounded on the Blue Ranger who managed to leap over a low sweep of a tentacle aimed at his legs with his typical grace and fluidity only to be swatted aside by a follow up blow. Tempestus slid backwards in a one-kneed crouch and forced himself to not consider the pain in his side as a deluge of blows rained down on him and he surged upwards to meet them, rising to his feet and becoming a blue of motion; his staff twirling and lashing out to beat back the six tentacles the jabbed and slashed at him from all angles until eventually the Arch-Apostle managed to get the better of him; a single limb grasping at the Blue Ranger's ankle and forcing him off balance whilst a further two struck from the sides and clasped at his helmets, squeezing and crushing until a web of fractures began to spread across its' surface and warnings began to flash across Tempestus's visor.
Then the Arch-Apostle let out a howl of pain.
Glancing down Tempestus saw Mercy, katana outstretched and clasped in two hands after the Red Ranger had charged and stabbed; piercing one of the arms which held the Blue Ranger in place. The monster thrashed and pulled their limbs back to them only for another scream of pain to be torn from their lips and leave Tempestus's stomach roiling as he saw one of Rensa's daggers buried in one of the foul creatures' large and watery eyes.
With a howl of pure hatred the Arch-Apostle flung all six of their limbs forwards in a single attack only to strike nothing at all; time seemed to slow to a crawl as Aslaug rushed forwards and used the flat of her axes' blade to parry a blow aimed for Mercy whilst Panthera came rushing from behind Tempestus, leaping over the Blue Ranger and landing on the tentacle aimed for him; pinning it to the ground whilst the Green Ranger took advantage of the sudden opening and sprinted forwards, emerald light coalescing around their hands once more as they delivered a double palm strike to the monsters' emaciated midsection and folded their husk of a body nearly entirely in half as they were thrown back by the force of the blow.
"Okay Rangers, we can do this" Mercy panted out despite her obvious pain and exhaustion as the Rangers formed up behind her, weapons at the ready and each of them watching intently as the bloodied and battered Arch-Apostle dragged themselves to their feet, spitting out a mouthful of slick, oily blood and tearing Rensa's dagger from their ruptured left eye before crushing it in their palm
Then Mercy heard the subtle static roughness of a comm channel opening
"We have a problem" Kimberley's voice warned her
"Wouldn't happen to have six arms and be a real pain in the ass would it?" the Red Ranger replied despite the seriousness of the situation, her deep brown eyes narrowed beneath her helmet as the watched their enemy splay its' limbs out around itself; bracing itself for another attack.
"The monster you're fighting is a distraction" at the former Pink Ranger's words Mercy felt as though her blood had frozen in her veins "An Acheron hybrid, high ranking in some death-cult in their society just attacked the colonies' power station; there's nobody left to defend it" the unspoken implication in that statement horrified the Red Ranger yet she forced her emotions aside and desperately tried to reduce the situation to a purely tactical one
"Send the coordinates" she answered simply, quickly making an analysis of what would be needed to fight this unknown second threat; an attack on a power station would require technical skill and likely involve fighting in close quarters whilst also needing considerable power to defeat such a dangerous foe.
"Tempestus, take Kay and Panthera" she instructed "Whatever the Dark Empire are planning at the power station you need to stop it, we'll handle this"
"We'll handle it" the Blue Ranger assured her before quickly bolting in the direction of his new priority, the Pink and Green Rangers close behind him though Mercy could pay no attention to them as the Arch-Apostle rose themselves up on their serpentine limbs and began scuttling about the open field in a manner reminiscent of a spider, seeking some opening.
"Can the three of us win this battle?" Aslaug asked seriously, Mercy shifted her weight and prepared to shrug as she gave the only answer she could
"Do we have a choice?"
Jin-Zhao was far from the lumbering brute or single-minded warrior or fanatic that many within the Dark Empire made the mistake of assuming her to be. As a devotee of the Cult of the Eternal Devourer her it was her sworn and divine duty to become the most relentless, effective and all consuming weapon of the Dark Empire's manifest destiny and unbound wrath she could possibly be; she had spent years earning her position within both the cult and within the Acheron war machine; mastering her craft not only as a warrior, a tactician and a zealot but also in a dozen other fields such as engineering where she gained knowledge she had learned to employ in her war against all life that existed outside of the Empire's ever expanding grasp.
Which was why she had waited until her Arch-Apostle had engaged the Power Rangers and then promptly begun her lonely assault of the power station of Prosperities' colony city. After studying what designs and schematics that the Dark Empire had managed to reverse engineer or extrapolate from observation Jin-Zhao hand learned that the Alliances' Colony Ships were an effort largely made by the people of Earth who had at first scavenged and repurposed what remains they could from the initial attacks on their world; their designs steadily improving as they joined the Alliance and technology and scientific understanding was shared between its' disparate civilisations. More importantly the Acheron hybrid had learned that each colony ship was powered by a pair of gargantuan reactors; one of which was a Horusite based system intended to supply the entirety of their domed cities and the second of which relied on a more primitive human system and powered the vast engines which carried the Colony Ship on its' voyage through space. The two power supplies were connected however, each capable of backing up the other. Prosperity had landed and the vast inverted spire which formed the bulk of the colonies' mass had separated from the city landing in the distance where it could be seen looming in the skyline, still connected to the city and this was the reason for the cruel smile Jin-Zhao wore as she made her way through the colonies' power station, her task completed and wiping blood from her maw. Prosperity would be sacked and at her command it would be destroyed in a single blow; killing every inhabitant and every warrior that the Alliance had sent to defend it.
She walked through narrow corridors leading away from control rooms whose gleaming and minimalist décor was a feeble attempt to make them less claustrophobic before reaching a vast viewing platform positioned over an even larger reactor hall, the platform being almost the size of a sports stadium and lit from below by the soft orange glow of the refined but still volatile and highly explosive Horusite that powered the city and as she came to a stop the hybrids' smile widened and she planted her clawed feet in a wide stance as she readied her curved cleavers.
There were three Power Rangers waiting for her.
"Let's not waste time with words" Jin-Zhao's psychic voice had a mocking edge to it as she spoke directly into the minds of the Blue, Pink and Green Rangers before lunging forwards in a near invisible blur of motion; her bladed weapons being crossed over her chest and brought outwards in twin arcing slashes intended to cleave the Blue Ranger in half.
She missed.
Tempestus threw himself into a backflip, the monsters' blades coming within a hairs' breadth of his armour before he kicked out and landed a punishing blow on her chin which he used to launch himself backwards, landing in a crouch and springing forwards again.
Jin-Zhao was prevented from giving chase by Panthera and Kay who attacked as one, the Pink Ranger attacking from her left with a vicious kick that crumpled and buckled the monsters' knee whilst the Green Ranger delivered a blow to her face before spinning aside from her first wild, retaliatory slash and promptly bringing the Dragon Blade to bear, the glowing gladius holding both of the monsters' weapons at bay whilst Panthera delivered a blow to the back of Jin-Zhao's head which sent her face crashing into the floor with enough force to make the entirety of the platform shudder.
Tempestus rushed forwards and prepared to unleash a devastating flying kick to her face and leapt into the air at the exact moment Panthera and Kay moved aside; only for Jin-Zhao to unhinge her maw and unleash her twin, barbed tongues which promptly caught the Blue Ranger and hurled him through the air before he came skidding to a halt perilously close to the edge of the platform.
"Did you truly think it would be so easy?" with no verbal response to her challenge Kay and Panthera rushed into once again, hoping to maintain what momentum they had managed to build only for the monsters' eyes in their odd triangular arrangement to glow with ethereal and electric blue light as Jin-Zhao launched a psychic shock-wave which flung them both backwards and tumbling to the ground, ears ringing, vision swimming and blood dripping from their noses within their helmets as they struggled to stand with each of their nerves and muscles seemingly operating independently with no cohesion.
Jin-Zhao charged with her cleavers at the ready, only to be halted as their blades were parried by the Blue Ranger's staff.
"Whatever you're planning" Tempestus forced out through clenched teeth, being forced to give ground inch by torturous inch as he was overpowered "It stops here"
"Planning?" Jin-Zhao's voice echoed in his mind as she kicked him in the chest and sent him staggering backwards "Do you truly think you still have a chance Ranger? I've already completed the task I came here for, you're too late"
"Go" Panthera's voice alerted Tempestus to the fact that his fellow Rangers had risen to their feet behind him "We'll handle this" Tempestus nodded and without a word the three Rangers charged forwards on some unseen signal. Jin-Zhao charged to meet them and opened her grotesque jaws wide to unleash her prehensile tongues for another attack whilst the Blue Ranger slid beneath them and under the monster, righting himself and breaking into a full sprint in the direction that the monster had come from whilst behind the sounds of a raging battle continued; with Kay and Panthera evidently being forced onto the defensive.
The only twisted mercy to be found in the situation was that it was easy to see where Jin-Zhao had been, the trail of blood, bodies and bullet holes where she had rampaged through the power stations' guards creating a clear path for the Blue Ranger to follow which he did so whilst trying to pay as little attention to the carnage as possible; nothing in his safe life on Aquitar having adequately prepared him for the realities of being a Power Ranger which tormented him even now and with a steady stream of wheezed and gasped prayers for the fallen spilling from his lips as he raced towards his goal; finding it in the form of a control room whose armoured door had been ripped away and quickly making his way inside.
The control room was utter carnage and it became immediately clear what Jin-Zhao had done; every single control panel had been torn asunder with debris littering the floor whilst sparks and smoke issued from their gutted remains yet the screens of the various consoles remained entirely untouched, presumably so that the Acheron hybrid could take a twisted sense of glee from knowing that whoever attempted to undo her work would see the dire warnings those screens displayed and be overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation.
Before destroying the consoles the power stations' self destruct sequence had been initiated and Tempestus realised with a sinking feeling of dread that he had no idea how to stop it.
Authors Notes:
So two of four chapters done for this arc, how're we feeling about it so far?
This chapter was a little shorter than what it feels like my average has been lately but that's because those chapters have been getting steadily longer.
In keeping with the naming convention for this arc "Adaptive Capacity" is a sociology term, defined as: 'The capacity of systems, institutions, humans and other organisms to adjust to potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities, or to respond to consequences'
The UK is now in a 3 week lock-down due to the Corona Virus and whilst I doubt it will increase my productivity as there's only so much I can write in a week anyway, I just want to give my full support to anyone else dealing with similar conditions across the world….we'll get through this.
But anyway, on a less morbid note let's summarise shall we?
Not to get too Adi Shankar but how would the Rangers function as part of an actual military operation?
I feel that Mercy, as much as she was trained to be a soldier doesn't like the idea of using her abilities as a Power Ranger in that kind of battle, even Aslaug didn't use her axe because hacking infantry apart like that would have just been overkill, these aren't Putties.
'Blademaster' Corcus has definitely been battle hardened to the point where he would have killed those soldiers.
The dome that the colony had is missing…..because in fights inside of a colony ship I'm having to create new contrivances to allow the Dark Empire to fire a mutagenic grenade in without ripping through the dome and sucking the colonies' atmosphere out, although it wouldn't have actually been a problem here.
"More dakka" call back to arc 01 when Panthera pulled out the alien mini-gun; and yes the Dark Empire just pulled out a tank….they have tactics other than "Drown them in bodies".
Kay and Panthera saving each others' asses so many times this chapter was great.
'Staging area' or 'Why the fights in Power Rangers always happen in the same park or quarry' obviously they only have so many locations that they film at, but as an in universe explanation I'm using the excuse of the villains needing an open area to teleport so many of their footsoldiers without risking them getting teleported into a wall.
Extendable arms….six of 'em; enjoy.
Getting comfortable in that throne and thinking about having it all to herself again.
Okay the fact I'm a fan of Warhammer 40k was entirely out on display when I described the bridge and crew of Jin-Zhao's ship; just a body horror, diesel-punk, grim-dark temple.
And Paradoxa's backstabbing plans are in full effect.
Good to see Corcus get bitch-slapped in he face by reality.
Zebidiah basically invoked Murphy's Law…..not exactly but close enough.
I told you last chapter that Jin-Zhao's mouth had a hidden weapon; there it is double murder-tongue.
You might dislike Corcus but at least he's willing to put his money where his mouth is and throw down.
Horusite….you know, the volatile stuff that Paradoxa tried to steal and that the Rangers turned into a bomb to blow up one of her ships.
The idea of Zebidiah having the most faith in the Rangers is one that just works for me, everyone else still sees them as kids despite being Rangers themselves at the same age; to him a Ranger's a Ranger.
I hope you appreciate the fight scene with the Arch-Apostle because figuring out how six people would fight something with six arms and stupid reach was tricky.
But also if you're imagining the Kenshiro "Atatatata" when the Arch-Apostle unloaded on Mercy then you're entirely valid.
Sorry, Panthera's signature move can't work all the time.
Yes, that was the ultimate drop-kick.
"Don't say it, idiot"….Oh my God she's a Tsundere.
Bat to the face, chat shit get banged.
Rensa is a vicious little bastard.
Yes he was going to implode Tempestus's skull; he's the bad guy he plays dirty.
That six on one combo beating was just enough to force him back a touch.
Mercy you gremlin now is not the time for jokes.
Mercy didn't just pick three at random….but also I would have split the teams that way even without the distraction.
Trying to find an interior picture of a Power Station that I could use as a basis for this area was more difficult than it needed to be, luckily I can hand wave and say "Sci-Fi"
Okay here's a thought…..look at Terra Venture, look at how much stuff there is under the actual city and tell me how that thing lands.
"Let's not waste time with words" neither monster of the week was playing today, they just got straight to it.
Green and Pink combo moves, gotta love 'em.
I actually only initially gave Jin-Zhao a psychic voice so that she could still talk and have that mouth weapon but then I realised that it made sense for her to have a Psychic EMP as well.
Jin-Zhao went full Ozymandias at the end of Watchmen on 'em.
And there's the action movie cliché cliffhanger we were waiting for….because I wanted Tempestus to have some focus this arc so I put him in a place where his skills shine right after shaking his confidence.
Thank you to Blue Legends for their reply on the last chapter.
Odd to see that someone likes Corcus.
I have Rensa stuff planned for Arc 09….No spoilers.
I'm glad the character interactions and dynamics are going over well because at the end of the story is driven by and only as good as its' characters.
Gotta have a crazy death-cult in your evil empire or what's the point.
Of course she's in over her head, the two-faced henchman is always in over their head lol.
No, no love potions….here at FandomPariah Inc we take a dim view of anyone, even our villains using what are effectively date-rape drugs for any reason.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
