In the last chapter of the Cosmic Defenders, the Rangers took on Gingaku's strongest warrior Aporioshi and defeated him. Following this, they made their way into the palace's top level to confront Gingaku and rescue Proton's friend Corvin. However, Yuri, Proton, Cobras and Myron were separated from the others. And then they discovered that Corvin was actually Gingaku. What will happen next? Find out here.

In the corridor outside the antechamber, the remaining 8 Rangers were facing down Cha-ChaMari and a group of Detainers. "Give it up, you rebel scum.", Cha-ChaMari said mockingly. "My father will deal with your friends while I destroy you."

"Don't be so sure.", Drago said. "Today will be the day we end you, and free the universe from your control. Isn't that right, Rangers?"

"You know it, Commander.", Mila nodded. "Let's take these freaks out." The Rangers then engaged the Detainers in battle, making short work of them with a few punches and kicks. "Alright, now let's make things harder for the princess here."

Everyone pulled out their Cosmo Spheres and summoned their Morphers. They then inserted the Spheres into their Morphers. "Cosmic Energy, Unleash!" They pushed their Spheres forward and pushed the button on the gauntlet handle. In a series of flashes, they were morphed into into their Ranger forms.

"Roar of the Dragon!"

"Howl of the Bear!"

"Stealth of the Chameleon!"

"Blade of the Swordfish!"

"Strength of the Bull!"

"Claw of the Wolf!"

"The Balance between Good and Evil!"

"Agility of the Eagle!"

"Power Rangers Cosmic Defenders!"

Cha-ChaMari scoffed at this. "How long did that take to choreograph?"

"Longer than its gonna take to defeat you.", Slash answered her. "Now let's go."

The 8 Rangers ran towards Cha-ChaMari and began using their go-to techniques against her. However, Cha-ChaMari was able to ignore the swings of Slash's Cosmo Dagger and Jiro's Cosmo Claw. She also caught Tarrant's Cosmo Axe mid-swing, pulling it out of his hands and using it to knock Winda down as she jumped out the hole in the wall to try and shoot at her from the air. "She's too slippery.", Barry pointed out. "I'd better hold her down." He threw his scarf at the opponent.

"Nice try, kid.", Cha-ChaMari mocked as she jumped out of the way, causing the scarf to grab onto Scales and cause him to shoot wildly, hitting several of the Rangers.

"Let's just get this over with.", Mila said, inserting her Cosmo Sphere onto her Cosmo Blade. "Cosmic Energy Strike!" The Blade extended, reaching towards Cha-ChaMari…

…who caught the blade before it could make contact. "Did you really expect me not to see that coming?", she asked. "You're way too predictable." She threw the blade - and its holder - out of the hole in the wall. "Two down, six to go." She turned to face the remaining Rangers, who were still reeling from Scales' shooting.

But before she could begin to attack, she was hit from behind by Mila, who'd used her Blade as a grappling hook to return to the upper levels. "I had no idea if that would work.", she commented. "Never done anything like that before." She then rejoined the battle.

On the ground, Winda regained consciousness. "That was strange.", she said. "Normally, my flying strikes can't be anticipated, at least not by a non-Octupeye." She then saw someone else rising from the rubble. "Hey!", she called out.

But much to her shock, the figure she saw emerging was Dark Soul. "It takes more than that to stop me.", he wheezed. He then saw Winda standing nearby. "Oh, you're that robot with the Power Rangers. Where are they?"

"I'm not going to tell you.", Winda insisted. "I know you're going to try and destroy my friend again. Just know that I was knocked away from the others when Cha-ChaMari blocked my attack."

Dark Soul laughed at her. "That'll be the new anticipation engine she had inserted into her brain. Every move you Rangers have ever made against us in battle, she has an appropriate counter for."

"That's it.", Winda realised. "You've helped me more than I can ever thank you for." She began running towards the top levels, trying to avoid getting caught by Cha-ChaMari.

"As have you.", Dark Soul commented, as he began to follow her.

In the antechamber, the other 4 looked at the figure of Gingaku standing before them. "You swine! Where's the real Corvin?", Proton demanded.

Gingaku laughed at this. "You fool. I am the real Corvin. Or rather, I'm using his body."

"In that case.", Myron pulled out the Split Emission Blaster he had used for a while. "I just need to separate you two." He fired the weapon at Gingaku, after inserting the Purity-60 Sphere. However, it had no effect. "It's not working. The two personalities should be separated."

"Unless there's only one personality left.", Gingaku said, grabbing the weapon and shattering it in his hand. "Perhaps is should tell you how I survived our final encounter, Kyle. During that battle, part of my body lodged itself into your friend. Small, but enough for my species to revive by taking over a host, namely Corvin. It lay dormant for a while, before taking over as he was about to hide the final Cosmo Sphere that would lead to you. I found a geneticist to help discover the capabilities of my new body. One I'm sure Myron here is all too familiar with."

"Dr. Cerebron.", Myron said bitterly.

"He proved to be useful as an ally. Useful enough that after you tried to burn him to a crisp, I salvaged his head and revived it. But I digress. With the full knowledge of my new body's capabilities, I was able to face the previous Gingaku in battle and defeat him, taking his place for my own. I then spent years masterminding my control of the universe, even ordering the creation of the Terrorvore to feed that last Cosmo Sphere to it, where it would hopefully remain forever."

"Too bad Squideyasu had to bring it out against us during his endgame.", Cobras commented. "That must've spoiled things."

"Oh not at all.", Gingaku insisted. "By then, you Rangers had arrived on the scene, with access to phenomenal cosmic energy within you. I knew that if I could acquire that power, then I'd become the ultimate ruler. This form you see before you is a result of the power I took from you Cobras, during your stint as the Void Ranger. If you'd stayed on my team, I'd have drained you dry and then moved on to the others."

"Well that's not gonna happen.", Yuri said. "Because we're going to take you down here and now. Isn't that right guys?"

"Yeah!", the other three all fist-pumped.

Yuri then pulled out his Cosmo Sphere, which everyone else joined him in doing. "Then I guess it's Morphing Time!"

Proton nodded, holding his arm out. "Galaxy Saber!" His Morpher appeared in his hand, into which he inserted his Cosmo Sphere. "Set!"

The other three did likewise with their Morphers. "Cosmic Energy, Unleash!"

"Rise! Change!"

In a flash, the 4 were morphed into their Ranger forms. "That won't help you fools.", Gingaku declared as he fired a beam of dark energy at Proton, which Yuri deflected into the ceiling, causing rubble to fall.

"It's time to end this, once and for all.", Yuri said as he ran towards Gingaku with his Cosmo Saber outstretched, followed by Proton. Yuri fired several beams at Gingaku, who deflected them, before meeting their blades with his own, smaller swords.

"Not with my power.", Gingaku declared as he knocked Proton away, before fighting with Yuri. "Even with the power of Astral Leo within you, you can't hope to beat me." Proton then rejoined the fight, only to be blocked by his enemy. "Can you really hope to defeat me?", he asked as he punched Proton back.

Yuri then swung his sword forward, being blocked by Gingaku's. "Of course we can. It's our destiny to defeat you. Side by side, standing tall, we're going to free the universe from your rule."

"You fool.", Gingaku stated as he knocked Yuri back. "Legends and truth are often mixed together. Very few have ever lived up to such legends." He slashed Yuri several times, before knocking him down. "Now, it's time to end your story on a happy note. For me, I mean. Not for you." He summoned up a large energy sphere, with the image of a crow, surrounding the 4 Rangers.

They found themselves in a dark void, the other Rangers lying on the floor. "What happened?", Yuri asked. "We just left them, they can't have been defeated already."

"This is the Power I have received from the body of this being.", Gingaku's voice echoed. "I can use the power of the Crow-46 Cosmo Sphere to show you the future. A future I will create personally."

"It's not real.", Myron stated. "Crow-46 is said to have the power to create illusions of despair. Like the Gaku Zone we've faced several times. We've broken out of situations like this before, we can do so again."

"Can you really?", Gingaku asked. The dead Rangers rose up and began grabbing at the 4. "And how can you do that, may I ask?"

"We simply have to defy despair.", Cobras answered. "Not give in to it. We can break free of this. Together."

The Rangers all focused their energy, dispersing the zombies and shattering the void, returning them to the antechamber. The Crow-46 Sphere fell to the floor, where Myron picked it up. "Now, we'll show you our full power." Yuri said, as he pulled out his Big Bang Sphere, activating it and inserting it into his Morpher. "Big Bang Energy, Unleash!"

Cobras pulled out his Void Sphere. "You wanted my power so badly? I'll give it to you." He inserted it into his Morpher, pushing it forward. "Dark Energy, Unleash!"

Yuri and Cobras were subsequently transformed into their powered up forms. "The Warrior of the Light, Big Bang Ranger!"

"Venom of the Scorpion! Orange Ranger!"

"Envoy of the Dark, Silver Ranger: Void Mode!"

"The Burning Challenger! Fire Knight!"

"Bringing the universe together, Power Rangers Cosmic Defenders!" The 4 all posted as their logo appeared behind them.

Gingaku tutted at this. "Same old lines. I'll still beat you."

The 4 Rangers charged at Gingaku, but were unsuccessful in hitting him with their own weapons. "How about we swap things up?", Yuri said, summoning the weapons of the other Rangers.

"Sure." Myron and Cobras threw their weapons at Gingaku, before taking up the summoned ones. "Cosmo Saber!" Myron swung Yuri's regular weapon at Gingaku, slashing him. He then picked up Drago's Dragon Staff, using it to lock blades with his opponent, before shooting with it. "Dragon Break!"

Gingaku then felt himself being shot - by Cobras wielding Scales' Cosmo Rifle. "I've always wanted to try this.", he said to Myron.

"This isn't my first rodeo like this.", Myron stated as he ran forward with Mila's Cosmo Blade. The other Rangers ran forward, except for Proton, who felt a pain in the point where Gingaku had stabbed him earlier. He quickly recovered and pressed on.

The Rangers all slashed at Gingaku with their weapons, as he pulled out and pressed a button. "You won't be making it out alive, even if you win.", he stated, pressing the button, causing the chamber to rumble.

"We can still finish you off.", Proton said as the 4 Rangers ran forward with their regular weapons. "Ultimate Energy Attack!" They hit Gingaku in his chest, buffeting him and causing him to fall backwards.

"No! NOOOOOO!" Gingaku crackled with energy as his body exploded.

"And that's all she wrote.", Proton commented. "Now that was hot."

But before anything else could be said, the room continued to shake. "We need to get out of here.", Myron urged. "Now!"

Everyone made for the exit, with Proton using his sword to cut through the closed door. However, Yuri was less successful than the others, being caught off guard by falling rubble and trapped in the room as the others made it out the door. "Don't worry about me.", he called out to them. "I just got knocked down to the lower levels. Send someone to come and get me."

"Will do.", Myron said as he ran towards the other two. "Mila and Scales are the best choice for a rescue mission. For now, we need to find the ." The others nodded as they ran towards the others.

Elsewhere, the other Rangers were still fighting a losing battle against Cha-ChaMari. Drago tried to thrust towards her with his cane, intending to push her back as he once did to her clone. However, she dodged out of the way and shot at him with her arm cannon. "Haven't you figured it out yet?", she asked them. "The eight of you can't hope to defeat me."

"How about eleven of us?" Cha-ChaMari found herself facing attacks from Myron, Cobras (who had reverted to his normal form) and Proton, narrowly dodging all of them. "Good news, we managed to destroy Gingaku once and for all.", Myron relayed to the others, who pumped their fists in celebration.

"What?", Cha-ChaMari said with some slight anger. "No!"

"The bad news is that we weren't able to save my friend Corvin.", Proton said sadly. "That and Yuri is trapped on the lower levels. He requested Mila and Scales go to rescue him."

"Well, the man asked for our help.", Scales said, going over to Mila. "Shall we go?"

"We might as well.", Mila said, leading Scales in taking off for their rescue operation. "You guys can take care of Cha-ChaMari."

And talking of Cha-ChaMari, her eyes were now seething with rage. "You may have defeated my father, but you won't defeat me.", she stated. "As of right now I am Gingaku's new empress. Yes, Empress Cha-ChaMari does have a nice ring to it. And to mark my coronation, I will decorate my carpet with your blood." She ran forward, aiming to attack them.

However, she was disrupted by the arrival of Winda. "Good luck with that. Not only do I not possess any blood, but I know that you're reliant on your anticipation engine to counter our moves."

The other Rangers all gasped at this. "So that's how she knew what we were going to do.", Jiro realised.

"It's also how Mila's manoeuvre managed to hurt her.", Drago realised. "It wasn't in her database since Mila never performed it before."

"So, you discovered my secret.", Cha-ChaMari noted. "Presumably from that cretin Dark Soul. He'll be dealt with once I'm secure in my power. But know that that won't help you defeat me." She fired her miniature explosives at Winda.

"Oh really?" Winda pulled out a Cosmo Axe, using it to knock the explosives away. She then went over to Cha-ChaMari and hit her with the axe, knocking her back. "What does your database say about that?"

"It's… it's not in my database.", Cha-ChaMari said with shock. "You've never used that move before."

"That's your weakness.", Drago realised. "We need to switch up our tactics and become totally random." He grabbed the shield portion of Proton's Galaxy Saber, dropping his Dragon Staff and proceeding to beat Cha-ChaMari over the head with it.

"Sounds simple enough.", Jiro said as he folded his Cosmo Claw into a Cosmo Rifle, with Slash removing his blade portion to create a Cosmo Rifle. The two then began to fire on Cha-ChaMari, who could do nothing to respond with.

Tarrant ran forward to join the fight, only for Myron to stop him. "This could be our last chance to secure Dr. Cerebron's research. Are you in?"

"You know it.", Tarrant replied as the two headed off.

On the lower levels, Yuri regained consciousness, pushing the rubble off of himself. He was now demorphed. "I guess Astral Leo comes with his own advantages." He held up the Leo-77 Sphere. "Am I right?"

"You are correct.", Astral Leo's voice came from the Sphere. "I would not rest yet, Yuri. There are still threats at hand. Gingaku May have been defeated, but his forces still persist to target you."

As if on cue, the door was opened to reveal Dark Soul. "Ah, so I was correct to expect that explosion was your doing, Yuri. So, what have you done to inconvenience Lord Gingaku this time?"

"I inconvenienced him by destroying him for good.", Yuri boasted. "The Gingaku Clan's rule over the universe is over. You don't have any cause to follow anymore."

"You are wrong.", Dark Soul informed him. He took off his mask and smashed it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. "I still have one cause. Namely, eliminating you. I'm shrouding myself in the darkness of the night." He transformed once more into Yamashi. "Now, let's go for it."

Yuri sighed. "I've tried reasoning with you, but it's clear that's not going to work." He pulled out Lion-01 and inserted it into his Morpher. "Cosmic Energy, Unleash!" He pulled out his Cosmo Saber and charged at Yamashi, who summoned Coiloga's sword to clash with it. He two engaged in a sword fight, with Yuri finding himself on the losing end of a beatdown.

Then Mila and Scales showed up, blasting Yamashi back with their Morphers. "You called upon us to rescue you, but I thought it was from rubble.", Mila commented. "Not from this guy."

"Well, I'm glad to see you anyway.", Yuri replied to her. "And this is my old friend Dark Soul. He's made some improvements since I fought him on Tategami."

"'Improvements' is underselling my new powers.", Yamashi stated. "I am now on par with your Big Bang Power." He summoned up Crosslice's blades onto his arms and slashed at the two newcomers.

"You may have all of Gingaku's powers at your disposal.", Scales commented. "But bear in mind that we've defeated all of those creeps before." He pulled out his Cosmo Rifle and began firing.

Yamashi deflected this with Abomiknight's icicle chains, before delivering a shot to the robot with Metaro's staff. "Ah yes, you're one of their mechanical members. I know just how to deal with you." He summoned up Mothimor's scales onto his arms, causing Scales to erratically shoot at his allies. "Namely, make you do two thirds of my work for me."

"You dirty slime.", Mila said as she leapt towards Yamashi, knocking him back with her Cosmo Blade, before Yuri leapt towards him in Pegasus mode, knocking him back and releasing his hold over Scales.

"Ah yes, the ninja. I know just the power to face off against you." He manifested Darneko's claws and disappeared into the shadows. "Try to deal with this."

"No trouble.", Yuri said, pulling out the Dual Sphere and inserting the Sun side into his Morpher. "Hyper Plus Up!" He pushed forward, transforming into the Solar Red Ranger. He then pressed the button on top, dispersing the shadows with light and supercharging Scales.

"Thanks for the boost, Yuri.", Scales called out. "Now I can do some fly swatting." He went over to Yamashi and began engaging him in a brawl.

In another part of the complex, Myron and Tarrant had found Dr. Cerebron's lab and were looking around. "Look at some of this stuff.", Myron said. "I knew Cerebron was nuts, but this is taking it to a whole new level. This is the original gene code for the Terrorvores. Their programmed instincts are 'Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!'."

"That's not the only thing.", Tarrant replied. "The same command is written into the control program for the Neo-Bullroids. This guy really wants a destructive machine."

"And then there's this." Myron opened a barrel, to reveal it was full of a glowing purple liquid. "This is the Power that was extracted from those legendary Rangers. One group had a dumb-sounding name for it. But this stuff's been corrupted using the corrupted cosmic energy Gingaku was powering himself with. But what's it for?"

"What is any scientific endeavour for?" Both Rangers turned around to see Dr. Cerebron enter, flanked by a Neo-Bullroid. "To find new and more creative ways to cause destruction."

"I see you've got a new body.", Myron commented. "It perfectly reflects your mind, Cerebron. Ugly."

"How dare you.", Cerebron stated. "I wouldn't have to rely on this crude existence if it wasn't for you. I came back here to recover my gains and make my escape. But since you're both here, I'll erase the two biggest thorns in my side while I'm here." He ejected his organic remains, now encased in a plastic cylinder containing a golden sphere with a silver cross at 4 points that created two rings around the container, decorated with red and blue markings, and had the Neo-Bullroid housing them put the Sphere down. "Now, destroy them!" The two Neo-Bullroids charged at Myron and Tarrant, who began fighting them in hand to hand. However, neither Ranger was able to get the advantage against their opponents. As this battle went on, Cerebron began zapping the contents of the lab with a beam, which caused all of them to disappear. As the two Rangers pulled out their Cosmo Spheres and morphed, Cerebron called out to his robots. "We're done. Let's go." One of the two picked up the container and teleported out. The other stayed behind to continue the fight.

"Darn. We couldn't get Cerebron.", Tarrant lamented.

"True.", Myron responded. "But we can take out one of his puppets." The two put their Cosmo Spheres onto their weapons and swung them at the Neo-Bullroid, destroying it. "Now, let's go. The others are gonna need us."

Down on the lower levels, Yamashi had begun to gain the upper hand over the three Rangers, even with Yuri having assumed his Big Bang Form. "Give it up.", he snarled, firing at them with Squideyasu's blaster. "As I am now, none of you can hope to hold a candle to me."

As the three writhed on the ground, Yuri could only whisper one thing to himself. "I'm sorry, Pamela… I failed."

Yamashi heard him. "Pam? She's still alive?"

"Yeah.", Yuri said, pulling himself up. "She was hoping that I'd find you out in space and bring you home. Evidently, I was wasting my time listening to her."

"In that case," Yamashi turned away from Yuri, turning back into his human appearance. "I have other business to attend to." He turned around and walked away. "We'll finish this later."

The other two Rangers got up off the floor. "What was he talking about when he mentioned other business?", Scales asked.

"I don't know," Mila answered him "but it can't be anything good."

Elsewhere, the Rangers were still delivering a beatdown to Cha-ChaMari, with Proton shooting her using the Dragon Staff. "I could get used to this.", he commented.

It was at this point that Myron and Tarrant rejoined the group. "I see we've missed out on some fun.", the former commented.

"Lie, you wouldn't believe.", Barry responded. "We've been fighting off Cha-ChaMari using tactics that we've never tried before. But I'm not sure what to do myself, other than using the Cosmo Claw."

"I have an idea.", Myron said, pulling out his stinger tail and wrapping it around Barry. "You're going to find out what it's like to be a spinning top." He sent Barry towards Cha-ChaMari, an opportunity he used to deliver several scratches to her, knocking her down.

"Alright, forget the battle computer.", Cha-ChaMari declared. "I'll take you on with my skill as a warrior alone."

"Wishful thinking.", Proton said as everyone received their normal weapons back. "You've been weakened significantly as a result of our attacks. And that means we can defeat you." He inserted his Galaxy Saber into his shield as the other Rangers prepped their own Morphers.

"Ultimate Galaxy Attack!" The 9 Rangers fired their beams at Cha-ChaMari, knocking her out of the window and causing her to explode.

However, a growth implant within her body activated, restoring her as a giant. "How do you like me now, small fries?", she shouted. "Now I can make a big impact on the universe as its new empress."

From the ground, Dr. Cerebron watched Cha-ChaMari grandstand as he loaded his ship. "Look at her, grandstanding. She thinks being Gingaku's daughter entitles her to bragging."

"Let her be.", Dark Soul said as he approached. "This planet is lost to us. The Rangers will defeat her and while that happens, we'll make our getaway to a new planet."

"A good idea.", Cerebron said. "Do you have any planets in mind."

"Just one.", Dark Soul answered him. "One where I've got some unfinished business."

The 9 Rangers combined all their powers. "Zodiac Megazord, ready!"

"Like that going to impress me.", Cha-ChaMari mocked. She then released black ink at the Megazord, blocking everyone's view. "Here, boy." She then clicked her fingers, summoning a cloned Terrorvore from the ground to wrap itself around the Zodiac Megazord.

"What the?", Proton said as his cockpit began to shake.

"I've been saving my pet for your destruction.", Cha-ChaMari stated. She then fired her cannon at the Rangers, buffeting them all.

It was at this point that Yuri's trio found their way to a damaged part of the building, observing the battle. "They need our help.", he stated.

"You're right.", Scales stated.

"Let's get in there.", Mila prepped her Morpher.

"Let's go.", Cha-ChaMari stated as she began swinging her whip.

"Indeed.", Proton said as he pressed his lever forward. The Zodiac Megazord broke free of the Terrorvore's grip, knocking it into its owner. "Now we can keep attacking them."

"Way ahead of you." The Orion Zord, detached from the Shooting Star Ship, appeared and fired at the two enemies, knocking them back. "We're here to help out.", Yuri radioed.

He then combined with the main ship, while the other two went into their usual cockpits. "Shooting Star Megazord, ready!"

"Why you!", Cha-ChaMari stated as she and her pet ran towards their two opponents. The self-proclaimed empress faced down the Shooting Star, while the Terrorvore went for the Zodiac. However, neither villain was able to overpower their opponent.

Proton activated the Zodiac Megazord's final attack. "Thruster Back-blast!" The energy zapped the Terrorvore, weakening it, but not killing it.

"How dare you!", Cha-ChaMari shouted as she fired purple lasers from her chest. Yuri merely beat this back with his club arm and then knocked her to the ground, alongside her pet. "How dare you strike your new empress!"

"Well, your majesty, we're about to dethrone you.", Yuri stated. He then teleported into the Zodiac Megazord as the Shooting Star assumed its Big Bang Cannon formation.

"I don't believe this.", Cha-ChaMari said as she and her pet got up.

"Ultimate Galaxy Blast!" The Zodiac Megazord channelled it's energies into the cannon and fired at the two enemies, critically wounding them.

"I don't believe this.", Cha-ChaMari stated. "I was supposed to be the ruler." And then she and her Terrorvore breathed for the final time as their bodies went up in flames with their ambitions.

"This Universe is ours." The twelve Rangers all declared.

The Shooting Star Ship.

The Rangers took off from the planet as Gingaku's self destruct mechanism went off. And due to the energy that Aporioshi had absorbed from the planet core earlier, the explosion ended up tearing the planet apart with it. "We really did it.", Drago stated. "After 5 years of pain for the universe, Gingaku is gone."

"Not quite.", Myron informed him. "Dr. Cerebron got away with his research. And Yuri tells me that Dark Soul is still out there. Plus, we still have some remnants to mop up."

"Oh we can get around to mopping up remnants in due time.", Heath assured him. "Even after all this time, you choose to sweat the details."

"Yeah, I guess you're right.", Myron shrugged. "For now, we should celebrate our victory. Gingaku's remnants are too small and fractured to pose any current threat."

And within a few minutes, the Rangers had a large spread layer out in front of them, courtesy of Slash. "Everybody dig in.", he said with an unusual smile on his face. "We've got a lot to celebrate today, so I made a large spread."

"Yeah, I haven't eaten like this in decades.", Proton said. He looked out the porthole of the ship, seeing a ghostly vision of his friend Corvin give him a wave, before fading away. "Perhaps I could share some of my adventures with you.", he suggested.

And so, the Rangers celebrated for several hours, knowing that while a threat would rear its ugly head in time, for now they were at peace. As was the whole universe for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.