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Chapter 70 – Valkyrie

The air shook with the sound of a thousand storms condensed to a single, deafening cataclysm as Goldar met the Green and Pink Rangers in the centre of their impromptu battleground the shock-wave that exploded outwards from their contact was a physical thing that warped the air itself as it pushed back the debris and smouldering wreckage that filled the place in the wake of the titans' onslaught, creating a makeshift and roughly circular arena or gladiatorial pit; the metallic floor creaking and groaning beneath them as it was bent and forced into an almost perfectly concave shape.

Yet the fighters themselves remained unharmed, despite their best efforts bring an end to one another.

Goldar let out a bellowing roar as he braced for the latest challenge and exchange of blows, arcane flames spewing from his fanged maw and liquid metal dripping from between the feathers of his vast wings as he did so; the human woman who was not a power Ranger had been forgotten entirely, injured and hiding somewhere amongst the remains of the hangar after being disregarded as the inconsequential weakling she was by the alien warrior whilst the Power Rangers had taken great care to keep her out the reach of their various assaults; the latest of which was being unleashed at that very moment. The attack came from all sides at once, a blur of motion to the left came hurtling into the edge of Goldar's field of vision and before it could come any closer he proved himself to far more agile and nimble than his hulking form would suggest; turning and dropping into a spinning, crouch slash wherein the tip of his blade raked through the projectile that had been hurled at him and broke it on half. It was as expected a ruse however and as the Pink Ranger's twin, curved blades broke apart the young woman herself rushed in from the right which was now behind Goldar to claim them by leaping onto his back and using a punishing back-flip to launch her self into the air and catch her weapons before falling back towards him, blades poised to tear into the point where his wings met his back.

She was halted.

In a whirling blur of attack Goldar thrust out with his sword, its' blade sinking into the curve of the Pink Ranger's weapons and holding her at bay before his wing, with molten metal still glowing lashed out and swatted at her with enough force to disorient her and leave scorch marks across the surface of her armour; still defiant Panthera attempted to swing her legs upwards and wrap them around Goldar's sword arm so that she could use her leverage and notably underhanded fighting style to break the limb only to be denied as the armoured warrior lashed out with his free hand, the heel of his palm striking her with bone-rattling force and sending her skidding and bouncing across the floor before she finally forced herself to a stop and landed in a crouch; her fear and apprehension clear in single amber and slitted eye that was visible through the damage to her helmet and its' visor.

The the Green Ranger struck head on with the force of a comet and Goldar rejoiced

"YES! THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD END! HOW IT SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ENDED!" he roared, his fury tinged inhuman and unhinged laughter as the two of them traded blows with sparks and magical fire erupting with each clash of their swords. Despite his massive size and monstrous strength Goldar found himself unable simply overwhelm this new Green Ranger though this only made him relish the battle even more; where Tommy Oliver would have been a whirling and yelling avalanche of spinning kicks and artistic combinations of blows Kay, the genetic legacy of Lord Zedd was simply as immovable as their bloodline would suggest; blocking, parrying and countering with preternatural skill. Goldar hacked at the dragon shield which had come to symbolise that which he hated most and the Green Ranger blocked before lunging forwards and allowing his arm to buckle enough to drive his elbow into Goldar's chest and then follow up with a swift turning kick that landed just below the ribs before pulling their blade back and dragging it across golden armour in a reverse slash. With the sting of armour that was now melded with flesh until they were one and the same being sundered and magma-like blood spilling over its' surface before cooling and hardening in an instant Goldar found his fury pushed to a new plateau yet at the same moment coalesced and refined, his bloodlust honed to an even greater killing edge than before and he barrelled forwards without hesitation, wings crossing over his chest before unfurling outwards with gale force winds that managed to force the Green Ranger off balance at least enough to stagger them and Goldar struck without mercy, his sword arcing towards their neck.

Yet he received a fresh wave of pain in place of vindication.

Kay was every bit as agile as their predecessor and weaved under the slash whilst dragging their own blade across Goldar's thigh which prompted the golden titan to whirl around to face them as they attempted to roll behind him and in the same moment unleash another blast of concussive force from his wings, dazing Kay enough to deliver a backhand that almost sent them sprawling followed a knee to the gut as they tried to regain their footing and then a kick that sent them crashing to the ground.

"STAND AND FIGHT!" he roared, the Green Ranger proved themselves a worthy opponent by doing so and with a murderous howl Goldar sent himself rocketing towards them with a flap of his wings and his sword thrusting forwards to pierce the centre of the Dragon Shield in a final act of retribution.

Then the Pink Ranger interfered.

If he were calm or coherent enough to do so Goldar might have been faintly amused at the situation, laughing at his inability to predict the most obvious turn of events imaginable; instead however he was cut utterly unaware and blind-sided when Panthera, who had clearly worked her way around the edge of their impromptu arena leapt onto his blade and used his own momentum against him whilst delivering a vicious knee strike to his face before performing an acrobatic aerial rolling manoeuvrer that saw her curved blade hook around the back of his neck which the Pink Ranger followed up by kicking at Goldar's ankle, forcing him down to one knee.

"KAY! NOW!" she all but screamed and without hesitation the Green Ranger dissipated their sword into glowing embers before holding their hands to the side, level with their hips and bracing themselves as a swirling nexus and corona of ephemeral green light filled the space between their hands.

Then the Green Ranger unleashed their might and Goldar was sent hurtling away with their armour glowing from the heat and sheer force of the attack.

"Are you okay?" Kay asked gently as they rushed over to Panthera, all of their usual joking and playful bickering about who had saved whose life the most times left by the wayside in the face of this opponents' wrath; Panthera for her part used the hard edge of the shield covering Kay's torso to pull herself to her feet and forced herself to stop trembling as she answered

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay….that was closer than it needed to be"

"It's not over" Kay answered forlornly "That didn't stop him"

"Then we've gotta pull back, we can't stop this guy on our own" Panthera reasoned, her fear pushed aside and her opinion being one of simple rationale

"I think you're right" Kay nodded, though their tone made it clear that a disagreement was to follow "I think you should take Charlie and head out of here-"

"Don't be stupid!" Panthera snapped

"I'm not, listen this makes sense" Kay urged her "He's focused on me, I've never met this creature before but he really doesn't seem to like me….you've seen what he can do, we can't let him into the rest of the base so I'll keep him distracted here while you get the others" Panthera fell still and silent and Kay watched through cracks and breaks in her helmet until the exact moment she relented and acquiesced

"Fine, but I'm coming back for you"

"Wouldn't have it any other way"

"And if you die I'm gonna kick your ass-"

"Again with my ass?" Kay snorted before Panthera pulled them into a crushing hug, the two of them falling silent but needing no words as they shared a single moment that stretched out for far longer before finally the Pink Ranger broke away and departed in search of the ally that they had rescued, the Green Ranger watching her go until she was out of view before manifesting their sword once again and mentally preparing themselves for the inevitable.

It came almost a moment later.

Goldar came hurtling down from above, shadow falling over Kay like a bleak omen and leaving them only a fraction of a second to leap aside before the armoured warrior struck the ground, the concussive blast of force throwing Kay through the air and before they could have any hope of righting themselves Goldar fell upon them, clawed digits sinking into the surface of the Dragon Shield in showers of emerald sparks before slammed the Green Ranger down and used their body to tear a trench into the floor of the hangar.

From there Kay exploded upwards in retaliation, first kicking at Goldar's elbow and then launching into a flurry of twisting, writhing motion; sweeping at each of his legs in turn and then throwing himself into a leaping, spinning heel kick to his opponents' face followed by a stabbing attack aimed squarely at the heart of the monster.

Goldar blocked it with ease; their swords clanging together with a reverberating impact.

"I will have my vindication Green Ranger" he snarled, eyes glowing with baleful light as he spoke, a physical manifestation of age old hatred before he began his counter-attack; beginning with a wide and arcing slash to force their blades apart and throw Kay massively off balance then as the Green Ranger staggered backwards following with a brutish and savage open palmed blow that rattled his enemies' skull and sent fractures across the surface of their helmet as it ripped them from their feet, this blow was then in turn followed by a spinning kick that landed firmly on the surface of Kay's shield, warping a cracking its' surface as the Green Ranger was sent crashing to the ground several dozen feet away yet even here Goldar refused to relent, his wings wrapping around him and a wordless scream escaping him as he unleashed another of his concussive shock-waves; though this time when he unfurled his massive feathered wings the liquid metal that flowed along their surfaces was fired as blazing projectiles which exploded all around Kay like a score of dying stars and blasted them from their feet once again.

They tried to resist but it was a futile effort, seeming to do nothing but fuel Goldar's bottomless rage.

A beam of green light was sent lancing out of the flames and devastation yet Goldar dodged it with ease before surging into battle on their wings and striking Kay with the force of a falling comet, tackling them without guile of finesse and simply pinning their arms to their side and rising high into the air, towards the uppermost levels of the hangar before driving their horned skull into Kay's helmet with a crushing headbutt and then hurling them downwards with all their might. The ground shook as the Green Ranger struck it, breath forced from their lungs and vision swimming as their heavily damaged helmet displayed a dozen or more warnings yet before Kay had any chance to react Goldar launched a follow up blow.

It was catastrophic.

Kay's helmet shattered under Goldar's taloned foot as he swooped down and simply stomped on the Green Ranger's skull; leaving blood pouring from the nose gashed face and staining the teeth of the human Acheron hybrid as their body became numb and cold, vision darkening around the edges and their morphed state flickering and failing despite their best efforts to cling to consciousness.

"And now you die Green Ranger!" Goldar's declaration of victory sounded distant, unimportant and inevitable as Kay began to slip away until a streak of magenta light struck the titan looming over them and sent him staggering back.

Panthera had come back for him, alone and Kay's final thoughts before slipping into darkness were of helping her before all was lost.


For Mercy the tension in the Zord hangar had steadily grown unbearable.

"Any progress?" she demanded as she stood at Justin's side, voice wavering with near desperation at the situation they had found themselves in, beneath her helmet her gaze darted around the hangar and she felt sickened to realise that the colossal forms of the Zords surrounding them no longer gave her a sense of comfort and security and were instead simply massive pieces of terrain that any assassins the Dark Empire had sent could hide behind.

"Not yet kid" Justin answered tersely from his position standing at one of the many computer terminals within the Zord hangar, this one having access to the control system of the asteroid bases' teleporters at least in theory, thus far his attempts to take back control and both prevent more waves of attackers from arriving and allowing the rebel forces to escape had been unsuccessful. Before Mercy could question further, her need to do anything at all growing more intense with every moment of cowering inaction her thoughts were derailed by two sounds coming from different directions in the same instant.

The first was that of the defences of the hangar and the total lock-down it had been placed in being lowered once again; an occurrence which steadily repeated itself as more and more groups of rebels fell back and fought their way here and added themselves to increasing crowds filling the place and reporting to one another as they did so, telling tales of the horrors being committed across the base including the detaching of at least one of the many asteroids that formed the base, consigning all those still within to a bleak end. Aslaug stood at the door at the ready with her axe in hand and a group of fighters at her back in case of a sudden ambush; such defences were not required however and both Aslaug and Mercy were amongst those who let out sighs of relief when Tempestus and Marigold stepped into the hangar in the Ranger armour with Cestria close behind them leading a procession of the injured.

The second sound was far more concerning

"They're coming through the walls!" Rensa snarled from where he had been keeping watch as a metallic panel, located a few feet above the ground began to rattle as it was loosened and finally detached entirely; the Black Ranger's daggers were in his hands in an instant and in short order the Red, Blue, Yellow, Black and Gold Aegis Rangers stood at the ready only for the entire gesture to be rendered moot as the identity of the newcomers was revealed

"Father? Father you're hurt!" Tempestus gasped, discarding his staff and helping a blood-soaked and clearly injured Billy out of what seemed to be a hidden tunnel made specifically for such entrances, Zhane and Karone emerging shortly after though their presence went ignored for a few moments as Cestria rushed over and tenderly cupped her husbands' face, using her healing magic despite her exhaustion to stem the bleeding from the ragged slashes torn into his face and shoulder; the wounds would scar but the former Blue Ranger was much less likely to bleed to death or develop infections now"

"Okay fall in, we need a plan….It's time to hit back; that's the only way we're getting out of here" Karone ordered, just enough compassion in her tone for those who heard her to conclude that she was still herself and had not become the frenzied and tyrannical warrior that she had once been; though she was still truly incandescent with rage and as she removed her helmet that fury was etched plainly into every line of her face. At her words the Rangers, the five of the seven that were present gathered around the computer terminal Justin was working at to form a grim parody of the usual organisation of Mission Control whilst Billy, still tended to by Cestria whilst clutching the armoured briefcase containing the latest series of Morphers to his body joined them along with Zhane and Karone who both scanned the crowd of wounded, beleaguered and traumatised rebels who had made it to the hangar thus far; with the first question coming from Zhane

"Mercy where are the rest of your team?"

"Charlie's team needed back up, they were on the way to assist" Mercy answered confidently; certain that the Green and Pink Aegis Rangers were more than capable of handling whatever was thrown as them especially if joined by the ever-ruthless Charlie, beneath her helmet however her expression became one of sudden dread as her attempts to raise either Ranger on comms went ignored with nothing but silence and static greeting her.

"That's where Goldar was" Zhane whispered to Karone, leaving Mercy even more discouraged; almost certain for a moment that she had misheard as there was no way that Goldar could have returned from the dead, yet seeing the Silver Astro Ranger's statement go unchallenged left stunned into silence.

"We need to-"

"I understand that you want to go after your team-mates Specialist Jackson" Karone interjected "But there are too many lives and too many high priority objectives at risk here….Justin, are we any closer to having our teleporters under control?"

"Not exactly" Justin admitted through clenched teeth "I can't override the Empires' controls, but I've been trying to track where the control has been moved to….It's somewhere on the base-"

"Goldar?" Mercy demanded, suddenly spurred to action and this time neither Karone nor Zhane made any effort to intercede though the Red Ranger's sudden burst of energy was left to deflate as Justin shook his head slowly and wore a thoughtful expression

"No" he murmured slowly, dragging the word out as he entered a fresh set of keystrokes and commands before hissing out a curse as comprehension dawned on him

"What is it?" Karone asked tonelessly, bracing herself for the worst

"Whoever it is they're heading toward the Inner Sanctum, Karone if they get in there-"

"Then all of our cells and all of our plans are at risk" she finished "Access the camera feed if you can" in a few moments he managed to do so, showing all present the identity of the true ringleader of this attack; the one serving as the brains and finesse to balance out Goldar's pure might and in doing so drawing a gasp of surprise from Mercy

"She's a pirate, she was on Furrous!" she exclaimed at the unmistakable sight of Canis skulking though the corridors of the base alone and with a bulky device affixed to her arm which could only be that which had seized control of the bases' teleporters.

"Well it seems her standing with Lord Zedd has improved….this is of course why the Empire has been attacking pirates" Karone noted coldly and with her helmet removed the calculating look that formed on her features was unmissable

"What're you thinking?" Zhane asked almost hesitantly, as if the answer might scare him.

"The base is lost" Karone answered simply and without preamble "The Empire knows we're here and knows that we're a central hub….even if we're victorious today they'll keep coming until they take this base and the information in the Inner Sanctum. We should trigger a self destruct, the future of the entire rebellion depends on it"

"And what about the rest of the people here?" Zhane asked carefully "I'm not saying you're wrong….but they're lives aren't ours to spend, not like that"

"No" Karone admitted "Then you and I will take care of this pirate and when Justin and Billy have restored the teleporters to allow our forces to escape then I will detonate-"

"But you'll die" the interruption came from Mercy and all eyes shifted to the Red Aegis Ranger "You're the head of this rebellion, the person everybody looks to….the reason Empire worlds think they can be more; you can't throw yourself away like this"

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Karone asked, the former Princess of Evil surprising her charge by not simply overruling her and suddenly Mercy was aware that every pair of eyes in the hangar was now fixed on her and the Pink Astro Ranger, the space between them seeming almost agonisingly symbolic and the young woman who had destined for the task of being a leader and a Power Ranger since before her very birth racked her brains, desperate to find another way and absolute in her convictions that there was an answer.

In a moment of clarity she found it.

"The Zords" she said simply

"Explain?" Karone cocked her head, clearly intrigued and if she were entirely honest hopeful for an idea that might see her live to see another day.

"Okay so for this to work we still need you and Zhane to take out Canis, or at the very least break that thing on her arm" Mercy began

"We can do that" Zhane assured her

"Okay so when the teleporters are under our control again Justin you teleport everyone onto the ships and then get the ships as far away as possible, teleport them directly means that there's no chance for Empire forces to target ones that haven't already been damaged"

"We don't have the power to teleport the Zords as well as the ships in the various hangars" Billy pointed out, joining the conversation despite his injuries

"You don't have to, once everyone's out of the hangar we can deploy straight out of the bottom of the Zord hangar" Mercy gestured to the ground beneath her

"You don't have the power to teleport the Zords and get everyone to safety and the Zords will attract attention wherever they appear….but we can still operate in space, once everyone is evacuated we can be the ones to detonate the base, we can blow it up from the outside and nobody needs to sacrifice themselves" as Mercy stopped speaking she became aware of the profound silence that had filled the hangar as all present, every soldier, spy, saboteur and civilian lending their services to Karone's rebellion took in her words whilst Karone herself folded her arms over her chest as she quietly considered before turning to Justin

"Is this logistically feasible?"

"It might need some tweaking but I can handle that" the former Turbo Ranger assured her "But you need to go handle Canis before she can take what she came for and leave"

"Agreed" Karone nodded before turning back to Mercy "Are you certain you can achieve this?"

"I mean…." she trailed off before turning to those of her team who were gathered behind her, her voice seeming small and timid as she asked "I've got you guys with me right?"

"To the end, whatever end that is" unsurprisingly it was Aslaug who answered first and most vocally though Tempestus, Rensa and Marigold all silently nodded and gave other gestures of agreement

"We can do it" Mercy answered finally "We will do it"

"Then we have a plan" Karone said bluntly "Let's begin enacting it; Justin, Billy begin preparations, identify which ships are capable and set a course for Alliance space...it's time we returned home. Rangers, to your Zords and prepare for departure, Zhane with me and the rest of you stand ready and make sure that no Empire forces breach this hangar, the fate of the resistance, no, the fate of the galaxy depends on it!" hearing their commander speak with such conviction sent waves of cheers through the previously beaten rebels and Mercy removed her helmet for a moment so that she could speak with the Pink Astro Ranger truly face to face, filled with fresh courage and hope as she flashed her a smile of pure, unshakeable confidence and said simply

"May the Power protect you"


"Well, this is certainly strange" the fact that the voice which spoke to Kay was entirely disembodied served only to lend weight to the declaration.

The Green Ranger looked around only to find that their was nothing to see, simply an endless expanse of nothingness more empty than the void of space though they did not seem to be floating and indeed upon looking down they saw that they were stood on a floor of some kind although its' surface remained entirely unseen, merging with the nothingness around them and it was at that point Kay noted that their surroundings couldn't accurately be called dark, true there was no source of light to be found yet upon looking down and seeing their own, unmorphed body they realised that their vision was unimpaired. The Green Ranger forced their curiosities and utter confusion aside to focus on the matter at hand, wherever they were and whatever this place was it was simply not where Kay needed to be; Panthera was certainly facing off against Goldar even now and they could not afford to be trapped in this void with nothing but a disembodied voice.

A voice which Kay realised with a start was familiar to them.

"Grandfather?" they called out, noting that their voice didn't echo as they though it might in the expanse and being rewarded a moment later when some part of the nothingness became almost solid, tangible enough that it could be pulled back like a curtain and allow a figure to step forth from behind it; that figure being the unmistakable form of Zebidiah Lord, bearded and clad in his usual robes yet appearing younger and fitter than Kay had seen them

"I presume that your studies of not gone so well that you can enter the astral plane for a friendly visit….which would imply that things have gone wrong somehow" his voice was exactly as Kay remembered and something that left the Green Ranger's eyes stinging as they realised how much they had missed it, dull, vaguely mocking and disinterested yet with a clear warmth hidden beneath it.

"How are you here? Where is here, what's going on?" Kay choked out, suddenly overcome.

"The astral plane….Or at least some manifestation thereof" Zebidiah answered simply, pulling himself into a sitting position and levitating cross-legged as he often hand in his physical form before continuing "At first I thought I was trapped in my own mind and was mildly disappointed at how empty it was, upon realising that was not the case I had almost hoped that I would find some remnant of Zordon here in this great beyond and have some final reckoning or justification; alas that was not to be….We are alive Kay, but our consciousnesses are not within our bodies; something those us of us touched by the winds of magic and gifted with knowledge of the arts can use in times of crisis; I believe being impaled by my son and using much of my remaining strength to open a portal across the galaxy would explain my own being here but to see you, well I must repeat myself and say that things have gone wrong somehow"

"They have" Kay admitted, words pouring from them like water from a burst damn "Karone's base has been overrun, Empire forces used our own teleportation system against us to attack and they managed to take the hangars to cut off any escape, Panthera and I tried to help retake them but the monster leading them; they call themselves Goldar and I can't stop them-"

"I saw Goldar fall, I saw his body turned to dust" Zebidiah, the once Lord Zedd noted "For him to be back….My son has used some truly dark arts and likely he will have made Goldar even more formidable, truly I didn't realise he was so sentimental as to revive my old Champion; Thrax perhaps-"

"You have to help me!" Kay pleaded "Panthera is trying to fight him now, I saw her come back for me right before….before I ended up here; he'll kill her, she's amazing but she can't fight that thing!"

"And what exactly is it you think I could do?"

"He's you Champion! You just said!" Kay exclaimed "Come back with me, inhabit my body if you have to and have Goldar stand down"

"Even if the idea of possessing you like some ghoul were not utterly repellent to me your plan would not work" Zebidiah shook his head gently as he dashed Kay's hopes "I am no longer Lord Zedd, not in any way that Goldar would recognise or respect, I cannot order him to do anything any more….Although"

"What, what are you thinking?" Kay urged

"Returning from this place takes magical focus and an anchoring point, a point to return to; with my body so heavily wounded it's not safe for me to do so, I would likely die in the attempt….You however are both seemingly still living and have a Power Coin, an immensely powerful artefact at your disposal" Zebidiah stroked his beard as he continued to levitate "Your magic has grown from sparks to a raging fire Kay, I can sense your growth and I'm deeply proud of you….but alone you lack the sheer power to force your body out of what is essentially a coma-"

"So I'm stranded?" Kay's entire body seemed to crumple, their next words leaving them as a terrified whisper "There's nothing I can do to save-"

"Only if you act alone and when has a Power Ranger ever succeeded by doing that?" the amused and teasing edge returned to Zebidiah's voice for a moment, seeming wholly at odds with the situation before he added "I will lend my power to yours….I can't leave this place but I can still put my magic to use"

Hearing this Kay fell still and silent, their mind racing faster than their ability to articulate their thoughts which built towards a steady crescendo of hope as they realised that there was a flickering beacon of hope in the darkness, there was a chance that Kay could save Panthera and all of their friends.

"What do I do?" they asked.

"Meditate" Zebidiah said simply "Focus everything, every ounce of your power on the Dragon Coin; not your friends, not Goldar, not the Pink Ranger. The Coin and nothing but the Coin, when you are ready I will begin adding my own magic to yours….I do not imagine it will be pleasant"

"I understand" Kay breathed out, some semblance of their confidence returning as they took a kneeling position and centred themselves with their hands falling to their lap, right hand resting on where their Morpher would sit upon their left arm whilst the image of the Dragon Coin that should have been there filled their thoughts.

Slowly ghostly and intangible wisps of green smoke began to rise from Kay's form as their body began to glow with inner light and as their consciousness retreated inwards they were entirely unaware of Zebidiah's presence as the former Lord Zedd moved behind them and placed his hands on their shoulders.

Then the influx of power came.

It was unspeakable in the most base way, a rush of force that simply could not be put into words; the crackling, charged quality of the air breaking out into thunderbolts of raw arcane power and the wisps of smoke rising from Kay being replaced by blazing ephemeral flames of pure jade though Kay saw none of it, instead keeping the image of the Dragon Coin fixed in their mind as the object of their focus and the only respite from the agony as every nerve in their body was set ablaze and their accelerated healing did nothing to aid them, the air was forced from their lungs and their bones felt as though they might shatter under the weight of magic that had crushed and sundered entirely star systems being channelled through them.

And then it stopped.

It took every ounce of control Kay had to remain centred and keep their eyes from flying open in shock as the power flooded out of their body like a receding tide, being rewarded for their focus a moment later as the image of the Dragon Coin in their mind changed seemingly of its' own accord, being writhed in green flames whilst burning heat spread along their left arm and emanated outwards in waves from where they knew their Morpher to be, a signal that Kay's mind was pulling back from the astral plane.

"This will not by the last time we speak, but not know that I am proud of you and that I love you Grandchild" Zebidiah's words filled Kay's thoughts and then without warning it ended. The power flooded through the Green Ranger and into the Power Coin which reacted in some unknowable way that seemed to twist and writhe something in Kay's soul before everything faded to cold, numb nothingness.

When Kay's eyes opened they were no longer in the astral plane.


Canis had been entrusted with a vital task by Lord Zedd and was in all honesty utterly furious that there was no real chance for her to betray the galactic tyrant, which was of course the reason she had been trusted in the first place.

She had betrayed her oaths and the codes of honour upheld by even the foulest pirates and bandits to roam the stars and had turned on her fellow criminals in service of one the larger powers that claimed control over an area of space, the Dark Empire in fact one the largest and easily the most brutal meaning that Canis would find no peace or kinship at any pirate port she dared travel to if she were to flee. Beyond that she had no hope of reaching Alliance space and so her only chance of finding protection with the enemies of the Empire would be to surrender herself to the leader of the very base she was taking part in attacking, none other than Karone; formerly Astronema the Princess of Evil and whilst Lord Zedd had briefed her on her mission the warlord had taken care to explain to her that the rebel leader did not share the same niceties and beliefs about prisoners and second chances as the Power Rangers in her service.

Thus convinced that her continued loyalty to the Empire was her only option and with the punishments that awaited those who betrayed Lord Zedd stressed once again Canis had been commanded to enter the base, hidden within an incomplete and abandoned asteroid mining colony within a largely forgotten sector of Empire space after Goldar had led the main forces and act alone to avoid detection as she sought out whatever command centre of central communications hubs she could find any and all available information regarding the scores, if not hundreds of cells that acted independently of but also in frightening tandem with one another along with the identities and positions of those traitors within the infrastructure of the Empire that aided them and any plans that they sought to enact.

Canis was cunning and after diligent work she had found her target.

Or at the very least she could safely say that she was on the right track, she was both cunning and experienced after all and had lain in wait; observing the progression of the many pitched battles and taking care to not only pay attention to where the defenders fell back to and what they fought the hardest to defend but also what they made concerted yet subtle efforts to draw the Empires' forces away from and comparing that with what she knew of the intended original layout for the mining colony until she had gathered what she deemed to be enough information and set off through corridors and tunnels lit by emergency lighting, her sword at the ready and the blood of a dozen foes who had been silently executed before they could alert anyone to her presence staining its' blade whilst the device strapped to her left forearm, covering the scar left by her brief encounter with the Red Aegis Ranger remained at the ready; remotely overriding the controls of this bases' teleporters which would allow her a speedy escape when her task was complete.

Yet as Canis allowed herself a smug smile upon seeing a reinforced doorway that could only lead to her prize that completion was snatched away from her as her sensitive, canine ears pricked up at the sound of swift footsteps and the ozone stench of a weapon priming assaulted her nostrils; prompting her to throw herself to the side the moment before a streak of silver light ripped through the space she had occupied to carve a glowing wound into the surface of the doorway to the rebel command centre, landing in a low spinning crouch with her weapon ready Canis was confronted with the sight of the Pink and Silver Astro Rangers.

"Pity….I was hoping to settle a grudge with red" the scaly yet clearly canine alien growled, forcing as much confidence as she could into her doberman like features and hoping that the bravado masked at least some of her misgivings.

"Put your weapon on the ground and take that device off of your arm" it was the Pink Ranger, Karone; the former tyrant herself who spoke whilst her right hand and partner the Silver Ranger lowered his own unique weapon though it was far from a platitude or peaceful gesture as when the blaster was lowered its' forward facing blade extended out towards the ground and Canis glared from the weapon to Karone and made no effort to release her grip on her sword.

"Surrender? To you of all people….not a chance" and with that she was in motion, vaulting off of the wall and unleashing a volley of spinning kicks at Karone's skull before bringing the cutlass that her ancestral sword had been remade into down in a vicious chopping motion as she landed only for a metallic clang to fill the narrow corridor as Zhane appeared between them and used his own blade to block the attack. Canis was no Acheron hybrid or genetic horror made by a flesh-crafter of the Empire and whilst skilled the idea of a simple pirate holding her own against two Power Rangers who were both veteran and accomplished warriors was laughable and so it came no surprise to her that she was rapidly forced on the defensive as the Silver Ranger simply overpowered her by flinging his arm out to the side with enough force to untangle their blades and send her crashing to the ground; Canis quickly attempted to answer with a leg sweep which served to give her enough of an opening to leap aside and narrowly avoid a following slash to her face.

Then Karone sent her sailing through the air and thudding into the still sealed door of the inner sanctum.

Canis wheezed and sucked in a lungful of air that sent lances of agony through her now broken ribs, she had not seen the flying roundhouse kick coming before it had ripped her from her feet and even if she had it would have made little difference, she was outnumbered and outclassed yet still she tried to reach for the sword that she had dropped, only to help and yowl in pain as two bolts of searing magenta light ripped through her shoulder and bicep, leaving her cradling her ruined right arm to her chest when Karone fired her own weapon from the hip

"I told you to surrender….and if I wasn't still the best version of myself you would not be getting another chance to do so" hearing the resolute, icy tone from the rebel leader that promise nothing but certain death Canis was forced to consider her options and make an educated guess on what offered the best possible chance of survival; the destruction of this base was assured and only a fool would suggest otherwise, the could either continue to fight and die, allow herself to be taken prisoner by the rebellion and hope that she wasn't killed out of retribution or that Goldar didn't liberate her and then present her to Lord Zedd to answer for her failures or she could simply run now and begin weaving her own narrative and version of events.

She chose the latter

"As generous as you are, I prefer not to parley from a position of weakness" she managed to bite out, chuckling bitterly through clenched teeth before forcing her shredded left arm to move despite the pain and pressing a single button on the device mounted on her wrist; she vanished in a flash of shrieking light a fraction of a second before a bolt of light from Karone's weapon could strike her between the eyes and left her sword, a relic from a culture and a home-world that had been lost to her behind.

"She escaped!" Zhane exclaimed furiously "Now what?" Karone paused before answering, sweeping their surroundings to make sure that their opponent had not simply teleported behind them or into a shadowy corner before lowering her pistol and letting out a sigh

"If she's gone then Justin and Billy should be able to take back control of our teleportation systems….Meaning that our evacuation plan can proceed" she shook her head and gave a bitter laugh of her "That's our victory for today, even if it doesn't feel like it"


Panthera had gotten Charlie to relative safety before disregarding the hasty plan she and Kay had agreed upon to aid them in their battle against Goldar, a battle which she now fought alone and had already been made painfully aware of the futility of as the armoured behemoth of a warrior simply overwhelmed her at every turn.

The metallic floor of the hangar, already warped and twisted into a crater like arena like space with the debris and wreckage around them pushed back was misshapen further as the Pink Ranger struck it, her body limp and immobile as waves of pain crashed over her and her armour blackened and visibly damaged in countless places.

"And now it ends" Goldar snarled as he loomed over Panthera's prone form, his sword held at the ready "I only wish that this Green Ranger was awake to watch their Pink Ranger die; history repeats itself but the wrongs will be corrected this-" the armoured monster was silenced as Panthera launched herself up into a handstand and drove her foot into his windpipe in a sudden burst of power and motion before flipping back onto her feet and launching a lightning paced attack with all the strength she had left and ruthless precision; left jab, right hook a right elbow delivered with blinding speed and instantly followed by a turning kick from her left leg and the moment the limb was pulled back her leading leg was launched into a sweep which in turn set up a crescent kick, creating an opening for a powerful elbow strike. Goldar blocked with his own elbow, the impact sounding like thunder with his grunt of pain and the creak and snap of living metal armour being rent clearly audible under it as the joint and limb were ruined though Panthera's momentum was still robbed from her all the same and her helmet was reduced to a barely cohesive web of cracks and fissures which threatened to collapse at any minute, her visor shattering under the force of the golden titans' backhand, using the pommel of his sword as a blunt weapon which he followed by driving his heel into the Pink Ranger's solar plexus and sending her flying backwards and rolling to a stop, her armour and morphed state flickering around her as her strength began to fail; pained choking and retching sounds escaping her as she struggled to rise or even breathe.

Hope seemed lost as Goldar's heavy footsteps drew closer, the sword of his sword grating against the metallic ground as its' blade trailed behind him assaulting Panthera's nerves until he lifted the sword overhead whilst she continued to try and force herself to her feet, a kick flying out in a golden blur ended those efforts and the titanic warrior left out a low, guttural chuckle

"Goodbye Pink Ran-"

Everything was hidden from view as the entire hangar was filled with emerald green light.

A wave of crackling and pulsing energy struck Goldar's sword and Panthera saw its' blade shatter into countless pieces whilst the hand that held it was superheated, blood and the molten metal of Goldar's new armoured form becoming one and the same before the blast intensified and he was flung backward, wings and claws doing nothing to help him until finally the light receded and coalesced, with Panthera turning her head, the only part of her body that would obey her commands without question towards the source of the attack.

Kay was on their feet and they had changed.

The Green Ranger was still in their morphed state though the armour was clearly different now and to Panthera's mind at least, somewhat resembled the 'Serpenterror Zord' form that Zebidiah Lord had taken on when using the Dragon Coin. The twin black capes which hung from the Green Ranger's waist were missing and instead their hands and forearms, the left normally white whilst the left was black up to the silver bracers that decorated them were now encased in slightly oversized gauntlets that evoked the claws of the Dragonzord and were seemingly made from green and golden fire which had been solidified into some sort of crystalline form where the two colours intertwined. The Dragon Shield had remained in place in this form however and had in fact been expanded, the dark silver shield with upturned edges at the shoulders which Kay normally wore developing an armoured collar around the neck and being bolstered as it expanded outwards with what appeared to be another Dragon Shield appearing beneath it, this shield being the bright gold of that worn by the original Green Power Ranger and retaining the original and iconic shape. Kay's helmet changed slightly, with the swept back horn of the Dragonzord that trailed behind their head angling upwards slightly whilst the golden whiskers of Serpenterror formed and lay along the flame-shaped visor of the helmet whilst the pink colour of the Dragonzord's eyes shone brightly. Most noticeable of all however was the fact that every green surface of the Green Ranger's armour now blazed with some arcane inner light and with every step forwards they took they left an after image in their wake. A snarl of rage indicated that Goldar had seen his preferred enemy had returned to the battle and that the titan would fall upon them again in an instant yet Kay's only answer was delivered with haunting and unnerving calm.

"You will not hurt her. You will not hurt anyone else"

"GREEN RANGER!" Panthera heard Goldar's murderous roar, followed by the sounds of wings beating and his massive form hurtling towards them yet in a flash of light Kay had vanished and reappeared, placing themselves between her and the oncoming threat before responding with a seemingly effortless show of force, the Green Ranger's usual immovable fighting style only enhanced by this new form. Goldar's first attack was a savage swipe of his now half-melted right hand whilst still in the air which Kay answered with a high and wide block, their forearm striking the limb aside before their new armoured gauntlet was sent crashing into Goldar's shoulder and collarbone with enough force to smash them to the ground; from there the armoured warrior attempted to thrust their partially mangled left arm forwards only for it too to be batted aside before Kay delivered a kick to the gut that sent Goldar to his knees with a pained wheeze yet he refused to be bested, his wings flashing out to the sides before being brought swiftly closer, wrapping around the titan defensively whilst the bladed tips of their feathers were aimed at the Green Ranger's armour; Kay leaned backwards and allowed the attack to narrowly miss them which their enemy used as an opening, unfurling their wings again and unleashing missiles of golden light formed from the molten metal that ran through their feathers only for the Green Ranger to extend their dragon claw gauntlets and unleash a similar salvo, each of Goldar's attacks being torn from the air by a beam of green light that impacted against it and from there Kay's counter attack began.

"DIE!" Goldar screamed in incomprehensible rage as he attempted to lunge at his hated enemy, not even making it fully to his feet before Kay's armoured left fist struck his skull and was quickly followed by a boot to the face, as Goldar collapsed he felt the Green Ranger's right hand close around one of the horns that grew from armour that was now one from his body and had only a moment to brace himself before the horn was ripped away in a single jerking motion with an uppercut following an instant later and knocking him back to his feet; Goldar intended to retaliate and fight to the end yet before he could even truly stand and orient himself the Green Ranger had struck again, hands held to their side in the familiar cupping motion that preceded one of their energy attacks yet now, with their gauntlets covering their forearms and with the immense power of the new higher morphed state they had achieved coursing through them the blast was amplified by orders of magnitude.

The pain was immense.

Goldar was not even fully aware of being blasted from his feet, his mind consumed by the agony of the entirety of his golden form being reduced to glowing, molten slag as armour that had once protected him was revealed to be nothing but a hindrance followed by a fresh wave of pain as his wings and back struck the very same forcefield that the human he had fought before the Rangers had been attempting to interfere with, the sensation like that of being electrocuted; eventually he regained enough of his senses to realise that his wings, damaged though his body was had carried him into the air and he was now looking down on the Green Ranger who continued to defend their injured partner some distance away; bringing Goldar's fury to the surface was again.

Only for it to be replaced by first confusion and then icy dread.

Multiple streams of light, impossibly vast things filled the hangar; outshone the flames that danced and raged across it and pierced the smoke and gloom with ease and after a moment of stunned bafflement which Goldar took no pleasure in seeing that his enemies shared it became obvious that these were teleportation streams, massive ones at that which left the alien warrior bracing himself for an incoming assault of horrific proportions yet when the light faded away the sight that greeted him was perhaps an even worse fate. Every starship and vessel that had remained undamaged or at least functional within the hangar had teleported away.

Which meant that the Alliance had control of their teleporters again.

Goldar's mind raced, strategy and logic trying to impose themselves over his bloodlust as he realised that if the ships in this hangar were gone then it was likely that those in every hangar within this base would have likewise begun evacuating; leaving the Empires' forces as the sole occupant of the base and now trapped as Canis had either failed or abandoned them and it became painfully, chillingly clear to the recently revived warrior that his fate was sealed and that he would once again be returning to what lay beyond, if the Alliance had abandoned their base and deliberately allowed their attackers to remain aboard it was because they had no plans of allowing those attackers to leave.

With that in mind he bellowed out a final challenge, hoping to at the very least take the Green Ranger with him this time.

Yet before he could dive and launch one last charge and meet his end like a warrior his world became a firestorm of pain once again as an explosion struck from behind, from beyond the forcefield that kept the hangars' atmosphere in place and then suddenly everything was cold.


"Direct hit!" Mercy called to her fellow Rangers over the comms, satisfied that this minor detour and deviation from her own plan had been both necessary and worthwhile.

Those taking refuge in the Zord Hangar had received word from Zhane and Karone that Canis had not been defeated or detained but had nonetheless fled the battle, leaving the now thoroughly ravaged asteroid base now firmly back under the rebellions' control, teleporters and all and therefore leaving the plan that those defending it had concocted free to proceed.

All across the base the defending forces had simply vanished, leaving their attackers confused as their adrenaline addled minds tried to peace together what this deviation from their own plan could mean; the rebels themselves along with all their allies however were quickly teleported onto those ships that remained and were in a suitable condition to handle the task now demanded of them with those ships in turn being teleported in unison shortly thereafter, straining the teleporters and the power supply of the base as a whole as millions of tons of material and easily thousands of living beings were broken apart on the most base level to be reconstructed countless light-years away.

Leaving the base abandoned save for its' attackers and the Aegis Rangers free to act.

With the Zord Hangar emptied its' floor had began to unfurl and open, massive sheets of metal rotating, sliding and repositioning themselves to reveal the void of space outside, the semi-solid protective barrier that had been in place keeping the atmosphere and gravity within the hangar at survivable levels for the benefit of any individuals remaining behind, though with the hangar evacuated it was a moot point and the Zords had simply been dropped, their massive mechas own systems coming online as dozens of cables, clamps and support scaffolds holding them in place being disengaged and with the teleporter being rendered inactive after enabling the mass exodus from the base the Zords had simply plummeted downwards and then simply away as concepts such as up and down ceased to matter in the void.

It was then that Mercy had chosen to make a slight change to the plan upon seeing the actions of the Dragonzord.

Without the presence of their pilots the colossal war-machines piloted by the Pink and Green Aegis Rangers had behaved in markedly different ways; the Sabre Zord was completely motionless and inert without Panthera in its' cockpit and upon exiting the hangar had simply drifted through space until Aslaug, Rensa and Tempestus had used their own Zords to course correct and stabilise it as gently as they could, striving not to damage the mecha as they had their own take hold of it or in Tempestus's case simply nudge it along. The Dragonzord however possessed an AI of its' own, a bestial and savage thing integrated and devised by Lord Zedd himself to help his Green Ranger overcome the strain of piloting such a massive machine without a team of networked consciousnesses that had sent the machine streaking ahead, letting out silent screams of fury and Mercy quickly realised that it was searching for Kay, with she and Marigold quickly following after it.

Which had led to the Red Ranger opening fire.

The Dragonzord had raced towards the hangar that Mercy realised that Kay and Panthera must still by facing off against the revived Goldar in and she had quickly urged the Hawk Zord to move faster, streaking through the darkness and putting her own Zord in front of the savage monstrosity that her self-proclaimed cousin called their own and prepared to take action, realising that if her team-mates were preoccupied with Goldar she would have no chance to warn them of the incoming Dragonzord and would have to act fast; with that in mind she had targeted the generators which provided the protective shielding to the hangar and opened fire with a volley of missiles.

"Holy crap you did it" Marigold murmured upon hearing Mercy's exclamation, bringing the Winged Lion Zord into a roll to avoid mountains of scrap that were quickly sucked out into the vacuum "Nice shooting"

"I think I have eyes on Goldar!" Mercy yelled into an open comms channel, rapidly willing the Hawk Zord to prepare another salvo whilst willing her friends to take action as fear of the legendary monster who had been instrumental in Rita Repulsa's reign of terror took hold. Such fear and such actions were quickly proven to be unnecessary however as she locked onto the hurtling golden figure that had been pulled out into space; Goldar's armour was a ruined and twisted mass and the inner light that blazed from within his body flickered and guttered whilst the magma that dripped from his form in place of blood instantly froze in the vacuum and his fearsome face contorted into an expression of agony as he struggled to suck in air that was no longer there.

Then the Dragonzord moved.

The colossal mecha, larger than all of the other Zords tore through the wreckage and detritus that had once been the gantries of the hangar and several small spaceships and opened its' mouth wide, a nexus of green light building and swirling within and then, in the blink of an eye it took Goldar in its' jaws and snapped them shut, the light flashing outwards with a shock-wave like a dying star and obliterating the once feared warrior entirely.

Goldar was gone.

"Kay!" Mercy called out as she opened comms channels to her two absent team-mates "Panthera? Can you hear me"

"I can" Kay's voice, weary and hoarse answered her and as she brought her Zord lower, positioning it directly in front of the now destroyed entrance to the hangar the sight that greeted Mercy left her gobsmacked; the Green Ranger's armour glowed with the raw power of a new form that they had taken on and they stood rooted to the ground with a sphere of pulsating light around them as the cradled Panthera to their armoured chest, a shield powered by the Green Ranger's own magic and the Morphing Grid acting in unison to keep them from the effects of the void. A moment later Mercy was forced to pull back to allow the Dragonzord to thrust its' snarling cranium into what remained of the hangar, its' primal AI seeking out its' pilot though before she did so the Red Ranger addressed her team as a whole

"Come on team, this isn't over yet….we've got one last job to do here"

Authors' Notes:

So, three quarters of the through arc sixteen and things have taken another massive turn.
But what if I told you that the big plot twist is gonna come next chapter.
Arc seventeen is the penultimate arc and this is gonna set things up for the end of the story nicely.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Demolish everything until you've got a nice open area to fight in; if you're not using the scenery as a set piece then get it out of the way.
Sorry but Charlie is not in the same league as a Power Ranger, she had to go.
That attack from both sides at once form Panthera looked great in my head.
I had to highlight the difference in how Kay and Tommy fight there.
Yeah, Goldar really should have seen the Pink Ranger backing the Green Ranger up coming; it's kinda predictable.
Goldar came back into that fight exactly the way you'd expect him to.
The plan to split up makes at least a little sense and it gets Charlie out of the way when the big finish happens but at the same time Panthera was never gonna abandon Kay.
That last combo from Goldar though, ending with the helmet breaking stomp to the head; that's that brutal shit.
Mercy is the sort of person who needs to be doing something during a crisis, she's got that main character syndrome where she thinks it's all on her.
The Rangers getting paranoid and scared was a touch I think needed to be added.
But now we have our big meetup.
Mercy had absolute faith in Kay and Panthera….but against Goldar? That's different.
I told you there was somebody unaccounted for last chapter, Canis has been here all along; Lord Zedd sent her on a retrieval mission just like he did on Furrous.
Karone was ready to just go and blow up the main reactor, take out the entire base and deny Lord Zedd a win that way; Mercy looked at all the moving pieces and came up with a better plan.
Of course we have an astral plane scene between Kay and Zebidiah, would it be a science fantasy/sci-fi story if I didn't?
The visuals were based loosely on the scene with Harry and Dumbledore in the last Harry Potter book.
Zebidiah was peak Zebidiah in this scene and it was fun to write….Interesting that he was hoping for a final meeting with Zordon.
Also, not that Zebidiah straight up said Lord Zedd is not sentimental enough to bring Goldar back just for the hell of it, which means there's a plan.
"Only if you act alone and when has a Power Ranger ever succeeded by doing that?" - words of wisdom.
So Zebidiah can't come back to the material plane because of his body being so damaged, which Grace is working on fixing but he can give Kay a power boost and Kay can return by effectively using the Dragon Coin as a beacon, forcing both of their magic through it.
Canis is still not onboard with being the Dark Empires' loyal soldier.
She really does not have the best of luck, twice we've seen her get stopped literally right as she's about to open a door and get the win.
So, Mercy and Canis now obviously have to meet again before this ends.
Yeah there's no big dramatic showdown here, one pirate against two Rangers is one sided.
Quick bit of calculation from Canis and she's out of there….with a fresh set of injuries, this time it's the other arm.
That combo from Panthera looked great in my head, outside turning kicks are great for following up a sweep if they stay on their feet.
Of course he got blasted before he could finish it off, what do you think this is.
Surprise! You thought Mercy would be the next Ranger to get a Battleizer/Upgrade form but nope, Kay now has a version of the Green Ranger armour that's a combination of their usual form, Zebidiah's Green Ranger form and the original Green Ranger….which works as a mirror to Goldar's new form which is also based on three different versions of the character.
That was an absolute smack-down.
Canis is gone, which means that the plan is in motion and everyone is leaving; Goldar has enough common sense to realise what's happening….But no final one on one charge between him and the Green Ranger though, because as Zebidiah said earlier; when do Rangers work alone?
So I've realised that starting with a line of dialogue as an opener in the present and then backtracking and going over the events that lead up to it is probably one of my trademarks, especially with this kind of action scene.
The Dragonzord has its' own AI that Kay has been grappling with since its' first appearance, now it comes in useful.
Mercy effectively just did what Charlie was trying to do but from the other side of the barrier and hoped for the best.
And there's the end of Goldar, he was obviously dead from the minute he got sucked out into space but the Dragonzord just made it official.
Mercy seeing that she's been surpassed by another Ranger is something that she's gonna need to unpack.
But yeah, time to go blow up the asteroid base.

Thank you to Blue Legends for their review on the last chapter.
Glad you enjoyed it.

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