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Chapter 58 – All Along The Watchtower

The cargo hold of the vessel was illuminated by emergency lighting as it neared its final approach on its' destination and cast the Spartan metallic interior with a bloody crimson glow that flickered irregularly as those who inhabited the space were jolted and shaken by the forces involved in space travel; all in all it would be easy to find the affair unsettling or outright worrying yet Mercy Jackson, Red Aegis Ranger and graduate of the Silver Guardian training program even if her rank were no longer valid was entirely unbothered.

Casting her eyes around her she saw that she was not alone in her outward calmness; the guerrilla fighters and insurgents that formed Karone's resistance within the Dark Empire had limited access to teleporters and few, if any of the more reliable and longer ranged variety manufactured by the Alliance which had led to the Aegis Rangers being transported to their current destination alongside several trained fighters including veterans of the resistance campaign on KO Thirty-Five, a handful of fighters from the Prison World known as Dread that Rensa had been liberated from what felt like an age ago and a handful of others including several who were distinctly not human though this was of no concern to Mercy. Several of the self-styled freedom fighters were tense, though that was to be expected yet after several such journeys and being smuggled on and off of Empire controlled worlds in spaceships unsuited to combat many of them had simply grown accustomed to their lives being at risk in the gulf of space.

Seeking out her fellow Aegis Rangers amongst the crowd and masses of supplies around them revealed a wider variety of expressions however.

Rensa spoke with those from his home world in a series of barely discernable hisses and guttural snarls in a corner that seemed somehow darker and gloomier than the others, Marigold had gone through some of the same training as Mercy herself though to a lesser extent and seemed as comfortable as it was possible to be whilst Tempestus sat beside her with a constant stream of muttering escaping him as he listed the various tweaks and corrections that would need to be made to this repurposed ships' systems at the earliest convenience, Panthera in an almost mocking display that was almost to be expected considering her background had fallen asleep with her head on Kay's lap whilst the Green Ranger stroked her cheek idly and Aslaug was in her customary place beside Mercy, attempting to seem unbothered by the rattling around her despite her limited experience and distrust of space travel; Mercy gave a knowing smile and gently squeezed her partners' hand gently in a gesture that was gratefully returned though Aslaug remained silent and Mercy used that silence as an opportunity to reflect on recent events.

It had been several weeks since the Aegis Rangers had been rescued from Mercator by and subsequently joined the resistance movement led by Karone and her right hand Zhane and the Pink and Silver Astro Rangers had been unshakeable in their belief that the Aegis Rangers should not be immediately redeployed no matter how much they and Mercy in particular might want to be in the thick of things, in fact the decision had been made in no small part because of that desire which the more experienced Rangers could see for what it was.

Grief and guilt becoming recklessness as it sought an outlet.

The Aegis Rangers had instead spent weeks within the admittedly large hidden base located within an asteroid field first simply recovering from the injuries they had sustained on Mercator, processing their various traumas and becoming accustomed to idea of being part of the resistance movement and life within the hectic base and then steadily resuming their usual absurd training regimens as well as being educated on the activities and workings of Karone's forces as much as she and Zhane could allow, the two Astro Rangers deciding that keeping the Aegis Rangers in the dark about exactly what it was they had agreed to would be counterproductive; as the weeks went on the Aegis Rangers steadily began to integrate themselves into daily life within the base and grow acquainted with the various pilots, spies and officers that frequented it, all the while growing steadily more restless as the urge to be contributing and freeing those under the yoke of the Dark Empire became harder to ignore.

That wait had finally ended and the sound of Mercy's communicator bleeping informed her that her current journey would likely be coming to an end soon as well as it dragged her from her thoughts.

"This is Red One" Mercy answered, not giving her own name or announcing who she expected to be on the other end of the transmission despite the fact that her communicator was entirely secure, as she spoke she gestured for her fellow Rangers to gather round her which they promptly did, Kay giving Panthera a gentle kiss as they woke her up which did little to lessen her visible annoyance.

"Mercy this is Karone" the voice of the Pink Astro Ranger and former enemy of the Power Rangers announce, coinciding perfectly with a change in the motion of the repurposed cargo ship that the Aegis Rangers and their allies were travelling in, a sudden lurching and shaking.

"This ship is a gnarly ride" Tempestus noted dispassionately "It needs so much work"

"It's what they had…..and believe me there's worse" Panthera answered, suppressing a shudder at the thought of some of the ships she had travelled in over the years.

"You're about to land" Karone interjected, clearly receiving updates from the Captain as the situation developed

"It's time to give you a more detailed mission briefing….Zhane has been taking a small team of veterans from our home-world to organise and mobilise insurrections on industrial and garrison worlds within the area of Empire space that you're in now; this was to serve as a distraction and tie up their forces so that we can gain a foothold on Harrow Four, a world that the Empire uses entirely for agriculture"

"You intend to burn their crops?" Aslaug asked, openly repulsed by the idea

"No" Karone clarified "The world has a relatively low population, concentrated in a few large centres; a local resistance cell is hiding out in the jungles and have done enough to draw the attention of the planets' overseers….We're expecting a large scale attack, if we win we will be in a position to push back and take the world through overt and covert means"

"And what happens to the Empire citizens when we cut off their food supply?" Mercy asked cautiously, stomach clenched and dreading the answer

"We feed them" Karone answered simply "And news of us feeding them spreads through the Empire and Lord Zedd's grip becomes weaker on several worlds as more insurrections begin"

"That's….I understand" Mercy finally nodded, taking a moment to process that whilst she was still helping people and doing what it was she believed that Power Rangers were meant for she was no longer doing the right thing simply because it was right, but because it was a strategic choice.

"Good….when the ship lands you'll be reporting to the Commanding Officer on site; may the Power protect you Rangers" with that the communicator fell silent and Mercy stared at it silence before the shaking and trembling of the ship became more pronounced as it entered the atmosphere of the planet she now new to be Harrow Four, Aslaug gripped her hand tightly once again even as she struggled to keep her face stoic whilst Tempestus looked ill until finally with a dull, metallic thud which was felt throughout their entire bodies they landed.

"Okay let's move" Mercy instructed and without hesitation the Aegis Rangers departed.

After making their way out of the repurposed and almost certainly stolen cargo ship that they had arrived on, a process that took longer than expected owing to its' size and how cramped and crowded the vessel was the seven Rangers finally stepped off of one of its' many ramps and took their first look at the world of Harrow Four.

"Of course it's raining" Marigold sighed as sodden mud squelched underfoot. The skies of the world were a steely blue-grey and the air was filled with a fine drizzle that soaked into clothes almost instantly, the pattering of the steady downpour forming a background to noise caused by the activity around them. The Rangers collectively took in their surroundings and each of them were wide eyed as they realised that they had landed in a clearing within what Karone had described as a jungle; except it was no jungle at all.

It was a living scrapyard.

The vast, twisting spires of an Acheron city could be seen rising into the grey sky in the distance to denote one of the few dense population centres of the planet and beyond it Mercy was certain that they would find farms and processing plants stretching for countless hundreds of miles; what surrounded them now however was mounds of twisted and rusted debris that had once been machinery, vehicles ranging from small trucks up to ruined space craft that had been broken apart and yet very little of the actual metal was actually visible as it was lost beneath a tide of rippling greenery; the vast sea of industrial waste and machinery was being slowly submerged and consumed by thick ropey vines, moss and even trees that grew up through it and formed a sparse canopy overhead which Mercy could see both snipers and scouts and the wildlife of Harrow Four perched in.

"An entire ecosystem based around industrial waste" Tempestus murmured as he watched a creature that could best be described as a mix between a hummingbird and a centipede snake its' way through the twisted and jagged peaks of broken metal "Groovy"

"The Empire….tamed this?" Rensa asked in open disbelief

"That's why they farm here" Kay nodded, extrapolating what they could from the information that had been embedded in their mind "The local plant-life is so resilient and adaptable that it's almost impossible to over farm it; this is likely just a side-effect"

"They feed it scrap so it doesn't eat their city" Mercy mouthed slowly in realisation, before that fact could truly set in the sound of footsteps approaching through the mud and ruin announced a new arrival a moment before a familiar voice reached them.

"You figured it out pretty quick….It makes a good base of operations, the Empire really don't like coming into the jungle if they can help it" the Aegis Rangers turned as one and each of them scowled at the site of the speaker, though none more than Mercy who spoke through clenched teeth

"Charlie" she glared before realising with stunned incredulity "You're our Commanding Officer?" the former Silver Guardian was as imposing looking as ever, hair that had begun to regrow since being freed from prison had been kept short and she wore a set of black fatigues that highlighted just how much muscle mass she had managed to regain in a short period of time as she crossed bulky arms over her chest and matched Mercy's icy gaze.

"I am, Karone trusts me whether you do or not kid" her expression became a grimace as she added "We're expecting an attack in the next few days, we'll need heavy hitters then but in the meantime there's plenty of work to do; so let's get to it"


When Karone was not working alongside Zhane and Cullis aboard the Megalodon and taking the fight to the Dark Empire directly and in person she could often be found within the Inner Sanctum, her own personal Command Centre deep within the bowels of her resistances' hidden base that was quite possibly the equal of its' counterpart within the Promethea One base that the Aegis Rangers had operated from or Doggie Cruger's personal quarters within the Lightspeed Moonbase.

Which is where she currently was.

The room was kept dimly lit, the gloom adding to the foreboding atmosphere of the place that the woman who had once been Astronema felt was fitting; the weight of the decisions made in this room could not be overstated as each could save or cost countless lives from her own ranks of the civilian populace of the Empire and as such Karone felt that they should be made in a focused environment by the sharpest minds. The room itself was large, verging on vast and circular in shape with a round table in its' centre made of a polished silvery metal that could seat dozens if the situation called for it though more often than not it was Karone who mulled over the best course of action here, alone or with a handful of trusted confidants; several computer systems lined the walls and the lights that adorned them flashed and blinked rhythmically though the main source of light came from the centre of the table itself as it projected a vast hologram upwards, currently the image was a highly detailed star map in various shades of purple that displayed the most up to date model of the entire Dark Empire along with the location, condition and projected movements of various important fleets and forces across it including her own fighters, Lord Zedd's far larger war machine and small groups of pirates, raiders and others such criminals brave enough to risk the wrath of the tyrant.

"Zhane's methodology is interesting, but one can't argue with the results"

"You're hardly in a position to complain about being underhanded, none of us are" a younger sounding voice countered, the mostly good natured bickering was conducted in hushed murmurs though it was enough to cause Karone's eyes to peel away from the small silver arrow that indicated the whereabouts of the Megalodon and Zhane himself, a small and painfully insignificant sight against the sheer volume of the Dark Empire, thousands of worlds and hundreds of species enslaved, indoctrinated and weaponised against all in their path as the supreme ruler of Acheron sought to consume the galaxy. Karone pushed the thought from her head and managed a weak smile as she addressed Billy and Justin, the two former Blue Rangers both of them undisputed geniuses had found themselves welcomed into the Inner Sanctum where their opinions carried just as much weight as they once had within Project Lightspeed.

"I know how best to fight against a despot….I was one once and it will take more than teenagers with attitude, though they do help" Justin managed to match her weak smile at that whilst Billy simply appeared exhausted and it seemed that there would be respite for him for the foreseeable future as the star map flickered out of existence and was replaced with an equally brightly glowing notification that they were receiving a message on a trusted and heavily encrypted channel which Karone quickly answered, putting a facade of calmness in place as she did so.

"Zebidiah, Doctor Sterling….Blademaster Corcus" she nodded to each of them in turn, fighting the urge to give a cruel smirk much more in line with her former self to the Aquitian former Black Ranger as he visibly bristled

"Renegade…..I see you still wear your Morpher and haven't given into your obvious desire to take the Acheron Throne for yourself, Empress of-"

"That's enough Corcus" Zebidiah snarled; the sorcerer was once again projecting his psychic manifestation into one of the many stasis tubes available to him, suggesting that Grace Sterling's attempts to return him to a physical body continued to be unsuccessful. Karone had visibly bristled at the insinuations cast upon her and both she and Corcus continued to glare daggers at one another until Billy broke the silence before it could become too oppressive.

"I assume that you have requests?"

"Lightspeed has demands" Grace replied

"And no means by which to enforce them….therefore you have requests" Billy countered gently, to which Grace smiled and nodded

"You always were a bright one" she noted, eyes twinkling as she continued "And so I thought we'd get them out of the way and move on to more practical conversations….Lightspeed wants you and the Aegis Rangers to return to Promethea one, where you will almost certainly be court marshalled"

"Absolutely not" Justin snorted, Corcus looked ready to rage at the idea of disobedience of a calibre that would simply not be tolerated in Aquitian society though before he could Karone spoke

"The Aegis Rangers are no longer on site"

"May we ask where they are?" Zebidiah asked softly, he and Karone locking eyes and something passing silently between the two former tyrants

"Assisting the liberation efforts of Harrow Four"

"Attacking the Empire's food supply, which you will no doubt redistribute yourself in order to garner more support" the former Lord Zedd surmised with a knowing expression "TJ will appreciate the update on the situation and will likely approve of your methods though be careful of my sons' reprisals on worlds that give you aid….You're a capable leader Karone and though you would never have risen to power under me I would certainly not enjoyed the prospect of a war against you" Karone took a moment to turn the words over in her mind, seeing that there was a thinly veiled insult and chastising of her methods there along with the praise though she paid it no mind.

"Now that we're all being civil" she finally said "I would like to remind everyone here that we are all allies, we are all fighting against Lord Zedd and I would very much like for us to continue to work together, though it will be as equals….with the Empire forces having pulled out of Alliance space we are now the only ones taking risks in this conflict and we will not be handing control of our operations or assets over"

"A fair point" Grace nodded "And what would you propose?" Karone nodded to Billy, stepping aside so that the former Blue Ranger could speak

"Justin and I will work on any projects that Lightspeed and the Alliance require as we did before, though we will do so from our current location-"

"And in return?" Zebidiah questioned, arching an eyebrow and after a moment of silently communicating Billy and Justin turned their attention back to the holographic projection and it was the former Turbo Ranger who replied

"We know that we don't have the means to transport them directly to us right now….Ninjor was the only person who could channel the Morphing Grid like that and our teleporters have limits but….The Aegis Rangers are going to need their Zords eventually" Grace, Justin and Zebidiah all turned to face one another, a hundred unspoken conversations being compressed into the space of mere moments until the trio turned to face their counterparts in Karone's shadowy inner sanctum and it was surprisingly Corcus who finally spoke, the former Black Ranger nodding in approval at their request

"This is agreeable to us, though we will have to inform Lightspeed command"

"Good" Billy nodded before turning to Grace and Zebidiah "So….shall we advance science enough to make this arrangement possible in the meantime?"


Charlie had been as good as her word and the Aegis Rangers had been put to work preparing the resistance cell for the almost certainly imminent attack from the local Empire forces; the seven of them had been split into smaller groups and whilst Aslaug, Mercy, Kay and Panthera were all helping fortify their position as much as possible given the omnivorous nature of their surroundings, Rensa had been dispatched along with a group of scouts that included many natives of his own home-world deeper into the vast hills and canyons of detritus and the plant matter that grew and feasted upon it in an effort to prepare escape routes and supply lines to other locations should they become needed.

Tempestus and Marigold's task however had taken them to the edge of the loosely defined base of operations that Charlie had set up within what had been called a jungle; the various insurgent cells and uprisings that had been instigated and supported on the world of Harrow Four were converging on the jungle, fleeing the few cities on the planet for fear of reprisals as the regime they sought to overthrow tightened its' grip and responded with more extreme violence against them and bringing what little equipment and resources they could with them along with their families, each and every one of them understanding that innocents would be targeted by the Empire simply for their associations without hesitation or remorse; Tempestus had been tasked with taking stock of what resources were being added to their forces' inventory and repairing what he could with the tools at his disposal whilst Marigold was helping direct the new arrivals to safety, a friendly face to counteract the grim and stern demeanour of the veteran guerrilla fighters who were, admittedly understandably more concerned with ensuring that their security was not compromised by any possible double agents.

A job made more difficult by the fact that many of the local populace were not fitted with the sub-dermal translator chips that most of the galaxy's inhabitants owned, making communication between them almost impossible and causing tensions to raise even higher.

"No, put that down, don't point that thing at people….In fact go stand over there, all the way over there!" Marigold snapped as she seized the barrel of one of the guerilla fighters weapons that had been raised in response to some movements that were deemed too sudden. Ever the calming influence and voice of reason amongst her friends or frankly any group of people she was required to work with Marigold was well suited to the role of mediator and had thus-far kept the peace though not without great efforts and strain on her own part, which became painfully clear as she marched away from the soldier in question and let out a wordless groan of annoyance as she flopped down beside Tempestus who was working close-by on some machine or other that had failed.

"Is your day going any better than mine?" she asked wearily, the dark-skinned Aquitian didn't answer her immediately and instead continued working on what Mari now realised was an upturned anti-gravity hover-sled of some variety, an ideal vehicle for traversing the terrain which Mari noted was likely almost as inhospitable as the world she herself called home; eventually however Tempestus turned to face her and she saw that his own expression was as tired as hers, lined with fear and concern

"Karone thinks that if we can defeat the Empire forces that come to exterminate this resistance cell then our counter-attack could be enough tip the scales on Harrow Four…..But there are children and non-combatants here now, these vehicles would be the best way to get them to safety when the time comes but almost all of them are damaged or don't have enough fuel"

"Well maybe some of the stuff around here can still be used….We might be able to make a salad while we're at it" Mari managed a weak smile as she gestured at the creeping vines and greenery that grew threw the twisted metal all around them, only to falter at the sight of Tempestus's face which continued to be a picture of utter defeat

"Hey" she continued gently "You can do this, you always do….you're great"

"Me being great didn't help Rocky" the words were barely more than a whisper and they left his lips faster than he could stop them yet Mari heard them all the same, the Gold Ranger promptly placed her hands on his shoulders and turned his entire body to face him as she gave him a stern expression

"Do not blame yourself" she said bluntly in a tone that would brook no argument "You did everything you could, more than anybody else ever could have….Rocky, damn it Rocky made his own choice, a brave one for a good reason"

"Thank you" Tempestus finally managed to croak out, still not entirely able to meet Mari's eye "It….it means a lot"

"You're twice the Ranger I'll ever be" she replied, her own fears and insecurities rising to the surface entirely unbidden just as the Blue Ranger's had

"Nonsense" Tempestus replied without pause "You were given an impossible task and you've risen to it….You're one of us"

"Yeah well….I've come too far to quit now" Mari sighed

"Especially considering who's watching us" Tempestus noted with a wry smile as gestured to the incoming spies, saboteurs, their families and other assorted refugees that Mari had been attending to where Marigold was promptly treated to a sight that made her cover her mouth and her eyes become watery as a lump formed in her throat. Several of the children in the group, a collection of several species that had been brought to Harrow Four by the Empire for the purpose of working were gesturing animatedly at her and Tempestus whilst chattering in a variety of languages that whilst Mari had never heard before they seemed to understood perfectly and as they did so they performed several dramatic, if sloppy approximations of fighting stances whilst miming the same action several times before Mari realised what it was intended to be.

They were 'Morphing' and acting like Power Rangers as they played pretend.

"You're right" she eventually managed to choke out once she had regained some semblance of composure "We joined this resistance to free people and give the people the Dark Empire enslaved some hope….so let's start here"


Mercy let out a relieved sigh as she leaned back on her heels in a somewhat uncomfortable crouch with the sodden mud squelching beneath her and removing the safety goggles she had been wearing as she worked before pushing her rain slicked curls away from her face and allowing herself a moments' rest.

She, like her fellow Aegis Rangers along with each and every member of Karone's resistance and the members of the local populace that they had managed to recruit had been hard at work with the task of preparing for whatever assault the Empire sent at them requiring more than the simple might of a team of Power Rangers to overcome.

Her training as a Silver Guardian specialist had been extensive and thorough, affording Mercy the skills to take on a number of roles within any engagement long before she had become a Power Ranger despite her relatively young age although much of said skills and knowledge had remained largely theoretical until now and as such she had taken to the task of bolstering the existing fortifications of the insurgencies' base of operations with gusto, repurposing the vast amounts of foliage covered scrap metal to form barricades and narrow bottlenecks for enemy forces to be corralled and penned into with weapons emplacements already being set up to take full advantage of them in a way that was necessary, if neither fair nor particularly honourable.

She slowly cast her eyes around, her gaze travelling back towards the muddy open clearing that had been created in the midst of the vast jungle of discarded metal and omnivorous vegetation, serving as the landing zone for the ship they had arrived in and the central hub of the base itself it was there that she saw her team-mates still hard at work. Aslaug was helping to haul several undoubtedly heavy crates of supplies though she did it with almost laughable ease and the sight of her massive biceps and sculpted back muscles through a tank-top that was soaked and clinging to her body was enough to drive Mercy to distraction, if only for a moment before she caught sight of Panthera and Kay; the Pink and Green Rangers were working alongside a group of the local resistance, Panthera no doubt consulting with them and using the knowledge she gleaning in conjunction with her own experience of more underhanded forms of combat to develop new plans for the defences whilst Kay put those plans into practice and showed just how far they had progressed in their control of the innate magical abilities they wielded as a swirling vortex of light and rushing wind spread from their outstretched hands to several nearby pieces of equipment which were steadily lifted into place.

"Bad enough they're an Acheron hybrid but magic as well?" a sneering voice noted, contempt dripping from every syllable "Witches and wizards are freaks….they all give me the creeps" Mercy hadn't heard Charlie approach though she supposed that was to be expected considering who the former leader of Strike Squad Alpha was and the training she had undertaken, yet there could be no mistaking that smug, insufferable and outright hostile tone and the Red Aegis Ranger leapt to her feet as she turned to face her

"You've got a lot of nerve!" she snapped, voice echoing off of the countless metallic surfaces and reverberating around them as glared at Charlie who merely rolled her shoulders back and cocked her head to the side, the twisted smirk that had often adorned her features before her imprisonment firmly back in place now that she was in command of a group of dedicated and capable individuals once again.

"Why because they're a Ranger? Us mere mortals are supposed to sit back-"

"Kay is a thousand times the person you will ever be you evil bitch!" Mercy spat as she stepped into Charlie's space until there were mere inches between them, her knuckles cracking audibly as her fists clenched as her glare grew more furious with every syllable "You-"

"Everything I've done you're Green Ranger has done as well….they've killed people, people you knew so if I'm a monster to you then what are they?"

"The consequence of your actions and the best thing you've ever done" Mercy shot back, the reply being enough to confuse Charlie which the younger woman took a grim pleasure in before pouncing on the opening and continuing to unleash her ire and jab her finger into Charlie's chest as she spoke

"Kay, my cousin" she placed great emphasis on the word "Is the end result of Project Crucible being used by the Dark Empire; the same Project Crucible that your team stole and handed over to them and if Kay wasn't the good person that they are, a better person than you despite being made by Lord Zedd himself then you would have been the reason that the Empire had a Power Ranger in their ranks" Charlie's eyes widened at that and her next words came out in a hoarse whisper

"I….I didn't know. Ivan never told us what it was that we were recovering-"

"Do you think that matters?" Mercy demanded "You sold out the entire Alliance because you couldn't be-"

"I made a bargain to keep my team safe when the Alliance left us to die! Charlie barked back, being snapped from her stunned state at the previous revelation "If you wouldn't have done the same then I don't understand why your team follow you" at that the two of them stared daggers at each other with such tension and raw fury passing between them that in seemed inevitable that the confrontation would come to blows until a dull crack of thunder, sounding very much like an omen split the sky; a flash of lightning preceding the drizzle that soaked them beginning to grow to a full downpour as Mercy felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Aslaug there with Kay and Panthera close behind her; the resistance fighters that they had been working alongside clearly unwilling to involve themselves in the argument lest they become targets for either Mercy or Charlie's anger.

"Finish this job up. We'll be here when the Empire comes" Mercy growled as she turned away from Charlie and began to trudge away through the mud and detritus with her fellow Rangers

"I am your Commanding-"

"No, no you're not you're a traitor that I don't take orders from" Mercy stated flatly without breaking her stride. The four of them made their way back towards the same defences that Panthera and Kay had been working on and the Green Aegis Ranger used the same magical abilities that had made them the subject of Charlie's distaste as they went, heating and drying their sodden clothes slightly in a gesture that caught Mercy's attention a moment before their voice

"What was that about, it seemed serious?"

"It was…." Mercy trailed unsure of whether or not she wanted to repeat the argument, Kay had worked hard to overcome the guilt of what they had done and Panthera would almost certainly march back towards Charlie and begin a fresh conflict so instead the Red Ranger merely shook her head and sighed

"You're a good person" she managed a weak smile "All of you, you're the best team I could ever ask for and I love you all, just remember that okay"

One scathingly sarcastic retort from Panthera was all it took for a sense of normality to be put back in place as they continued their work.


Lord Carnifex of Wyvern, thirteenth of his name had continued the crusade that he had embarked upon to restore his honour as a warrior, a Knight and an Acheron General with renewed conviction and zeal ever since the Power Rangers, his hated enemies had escaped him on Mercator.

Unable to locate the Aegis Rangers themselves Carnifex had turned his attention towards the band of rebels and Alliance firebrands that instigated each act of defiance that he knew to be harbouring them, steadily depleting the resources and manpower and vital resources that his warship was being deliberately starved of as part of his penance and punishment for his failures in each bloody conflict as he responded to news of every cowardly attack, assassination attempt, uprising or other desperate ploy by those who would dare stand against the might of Lord Zedd and bathing his sword in the blood of his enemies until finally he had been rewarded with information.

A lone Power Ranger, not one of the those he had vowed to kill but instead the Silver Astro Ranger, believed to be one of the key figures in this so called insurgency had been sighted, reports from a number of worlds, outposts and recently attacked ships stated that Zhane, along with small groups of raiders and a ship thought t have belonged to a space pirate had orchestrated a string of assaults across a sector of Empire space.

All of which Carnifex had just finished relaying to Lord Zedd.

The communication had been unexpected, exiled as Carnifex was though the draconian hybrid had responded to his masters' summons with due haste and reverence, answering in his own private chambers and bowing so low as to completely abase himself before the flickering and translucent holographic image of Lord Zedd that loomed over him; the warlord himself was inscrutable beyond the aura of incomprehensible menace and silent power that radiated from even his digital projection, his face was hidden beneath his helm and the ragged, snarling breaths that issued from its' grill-like mouthpiece betrayed nothing, Carnifex took heart in the fact that his master was not incandescent with fury at the fact that the Rangers still lived and the network of spies and rebels within his Empire were not yet defeated however it was impossible to ignore the fact that he did not seem pleased at the progress that had been made either.

"Your diligence in the task you were assigned is notable" Lord Zedd rasped out, his voice a metallic snarl and before Carnifex could truly allow himself a moment of pride at the compliment it was undercut by the tyrants' next words "And yet your blindness continues to betray you, just as it did on Unus….That is why you continue to fail me"

"My Lord, on my honour and my life I will-"

"You have no honour" Lord Zedd interrupted, the carefully chosen insult feeling like a blade in Carnifex's soul as it confirmed his own darkest fears "And your life is worthless to me if you continue to fail"

"How may I serve" Carnifex said simply, golden and slitted eyes downcast and with none of the usual fire behind his erudite tone

"The Astro Ranger is a diversion you fool, one you continue to allow yourself to fall for. Stop chasing shadows in search of glory and do my bidding as you were commanded" arcane light crackled and flared beneath the visor of Lord Zedd's helmet at that, displaying the true rage behind his carefully measured facade before adding "Harrow Four is a world of importance in the sector that the Silver Ranger has been operating and yet he has purposefully overlooked it, even as the rebels on that world grow braver with each passing day….they think me a fool, they think that I cannot see their ruse for what it is. Go to Harrow Four, find my enemies there and lay them low to restore your honour and make yourself worthwhile"

"As you command my Lord" Carnifex answered, stooping even further into his bow until the hologram that towered over him flickered out of existence, leaving his private chambers illuminated only by the fiery glow emanating from the walls. Slowly the saurian rose to his feet and turned the entirety of his focus to the task he had been given, clawed mechanical fingers resting on the pommel of his sword and wings shifting and repositioning atop his shoulders as he marched out of his private chambers and addressed the pair of Knights of Wyvern that flanked the entrance with weapons held at the ready

"Come….It's time to end our crusade" he spoke firmly and with authority yet there was still a moment of pause, the briefest flicker of doubt that lasted less than a heartbeat where the pair of warriors whose loyalty had been pledged to the Acheron simply did not obey; Carnifex did not turn to face them, neither reprimanding or cutting them down yet still he saw the glances that passed between them out of the corner of his eye as he left his chambers, he saw the way their grip tightened on their weapons and he could almost feel the malevolence radiating out from them and realised suddenly that his status as a warrior without honour, combined with the utter ruthlessness that he had waged war with of late was beginning to have consequences that he had been a fool for not anticipating.

They would not attack him here, the Knights of Wyvern would not conduct themselves like cowards but it was clear that they meant to usurp him and that a challenge would likely come soon.

Meaning that he now had another reason to restore his honour by killing the Power Rangers.

Author's Notes:

So, welcome to the fourteenth arc of the story and this time with no week off between arcs because I'm trying to get my schedule back on track after the last few weeks knocked everything wonky.
This arc has the dubious honour of being set between the mid-season finale of the next arc and the big opening that was the last arc; which means it has to be the arc that establishes a sense of normalcy in a situation where nothing is normal and….Much like 2020 I'm not exactly sure how well it went.
Also, the naming convention for the chapters of this arc is "Protest songs" which seems fitting considering both the content and again 2020….But oddly enough I'm not sure that All Along the Watchtower actually was a protest song, it just feels like it has that connotation because it's a Jimi Hendrix song and the era I suppose.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?
Nothing like some mood lighting to start at chapter off with some atmosphere.
How the different Rangers react to space travel was interesting to write and of course big bad Aslaug was one of the most outwardly nervous.
So we've got a timescale and I'll admit I cheated and condensed development here, I could have wrote entire chapters of the Aegis Rangers on the resistance base and we'll definitely get interaction between them and the people there but at this point it would have just taken up space and not achieved much.
Of course her call-sign is Red One.
So that's the Ranger's main objective going into this arc, they were already expecting an attack even if its' not the one they end up getting and they're also planning to go on the attack to take over a food production world.
"Of course it's raining" has been a mood.
Planning out where exactly this arc would be taking place was a challenge for, I didn't want just another city and it was a food production world….I don't know where the idea of an Empire food supply being a plant so resilient it basically eats everything in its' path so it has to be fed the refuse from the nearby settlements came from, but I liked it.
I deliberately didn't mention Charlie being on the base, so who figured out that she was gonna be the Commanding Officer?
I don't know why, 'cos I know it's not what she looks like but I still keep imagining Charlie as being built like Abby from The Last of Us 2.
New base, new Command Centre…..with a cool ass star-map.
I feel like not enough is made of the fact that Karone used to be Astronema, like she is probably one of the most useful people that the Power Rangers and their allies have at their disposal in terms of the sheer information and understanding that she has at her disposal.
Corcus is just really easy to write as a bit of a dickhead; in his mind and in the section of Aquitian society he is from everything has a place and the fact that people aren't conforming to the roles that have been assigned to them bothers him.
"And no means by which to enforce them….therefore you have requests" admit it, Billy can be bad-ass.
Lord Zedd can figure out Astronema's plans; not because it's what he'd do but because it's what the current Lord Zedd would do, so the idea of him respecting Karone's abilities but not her methods makes sense.
And now another ticking time-bomb has been thrown into the mix….Can the two Command Centre teams work on a plan to get the Zords to the Rangers before they inevitably need them.
The resistance isn't getting ready for the usual one-and-done Ranger fight, they're digging in for a protracted siege and trench war.
Marigold is and will continue to be the Mum friend by virtue of being the one with the most normal upbringing.
Yeah Rocky's death was never gonna be easy to forget.
Tempestus blames himself for everything, Mari still doubts she's good enough and Mercy wants to take on the whole universe….someone get these kids therapy.
Admit it, the scene with the alien kids play-morphing and pretending to be Power Ranger got you.
I feel like Mercy is way more capable than people realise, she can't just fight, she has an understanding of strategy, some understanding of engineering, intergalactic politics, navigation, operational procedures aboard spaceships and all sorts of other stuff.
Aslaug is a tank, Panthera has seen enough war and dirty fighting first hand to have ideas and more notably Kay is getting way better at using their magic.
Look, humanity has latent magical abilities in this universe however Rita Repulsa was still a witch and I feel like magic is just as distrusted as aliens by a lot of people, if not more so.
And we're back to something I noted last chapter, why do Rangers never have to earn their forgiveness the way anybody else would?
Mercy makes a solid point, there could be no Kay with Charlie and her old team.
Juxtaposing Mercy and Charlie against each other is fun, especially now that the Aegis Rangers are operating largely outside of Alliance control; because they've both effectively gone rogue but for massively different reasons.
So Carnifex has spent a few weeks running himself ragged and getting his people killed in a "Death by a thousand cuts" way chasing Zhane's shadow; also worth noting that Zhane is still in the same region of space as the Aegis Rangers, but not the same system.
"Sucks to suck, get good scrub" Lord Zedd 2020, basically what he said right?
See Lord Zedd isn't dumb as fuck because he isn't a Saturday morning cartoon villain, he can see a distraction being waved in front of his face.
So….Carnifex's own people are starting to get sick of his shit, let's see how that blows up in everyone's faces shall we.

Thank you to Blue Legends for their review on the last chapter.
Glad you appreciate the design of the new base.
And here have some more Charlie and Mercy interaction.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review