You probably wouldn't assume that someone who spent two years in cryosleep would also be extremely impatient. You'd be assuming wrong. I'm about to finish my book, one from my favorite series that'd come out when I was asleep, when Leo and Maya come speed-walking towards me.

"Thank God you guys got here when you did. I was about to go crazy." Damon pulls up next to us, stepping out of his ridiculously small car.

"What's the emergency?" Okay, what emergency?

"Maya thinks she heard something-"

"I did hear something!" What is with us and interrupting each other today? "Animals. They're in trouble." That does it. Hurt people, you get the Power Rangers. You hurt animals, you get the angrier Power Rangers.

"Is the Megaship ready to go?" Leo asks, and I raise an eyebrow.

"The Megaship? Sure the Megaship's ready, if you wanna get lost! The navigation systems are all down," Damon answers. In my weeks on Terra Venture, I'd been getting to know each of my fellow Rangers, and also spending way too much time with them, especially considering they're some of my only friends here. Damon was the one responsible for keeping the ship somewhat operative, and if it wasn't for him, the cryosleep probably couldn't have happened. So if he says something like this, he means it.

"I'll know how to get there," Maya assures. Also, I've learned not to mess with Maya once she's got her mind set on something. Somehow, she's even more stubborn than me.

"What do you have, a built-in compass?" Damon argues, "Let's say you can find it. I'm not even sure if the engines will come online. And what if there's a problem, you gonna get out and push?" A part of me wants to remind him of the Galaxy Gliders that would have, in fact, allowed any of us to 'get out and push', but then the memory fades. My time as a Space Ranger is no more, especially not with a broken morpher.

Now, I'm a Lost Galaxy Ranger, and I need to get my head back in the game.

"You can't just take off," Kai insists, and I mouth the words behind Maya's back, wrinkling my nose. Leave it to my brother to be a stick in the mud, "We've gotta get DECA's standard systems checked, we have to finish charging the hyper-accelerator-"

Leo shoots him a fiery look over the video communicator, and I shiver. If looks could kill, bye bye Blue Ranger. He's definitely a good successor for Andros. "There are procedures."

"He's right, Leo," Kendrix adds, and I frown.

"What's that? I can't hear you, you're breaking up. Sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying."

Damon emerges from the engine room, and I nod to him.

"You guys don't know how lucky you are to have me around," he jokes, and I raise an eyebrow, heading to my station.

"Don't forget, I literally ran these exact procedures almost every day. What am I, chopped liver?"

"Hyper-accelerators online," Damon announces, and I sigh, flipping the last switch on my console. Chopped liver it is.

"Engine ready to go at full power. Shields ready to go, too." The Green Ranger holds out a fist, and I grin, bumping it with my own. This is nothing like working the Megaship with Carlos, but it'll have to do.

"Good job, you two. Let's get out of here."

I take it back. This is a lot better than flying with my team. Damon knows way more about my ship than he likes to admit, apparently, since he takes over the controls, allowing me to head to my old room. It obviously has gone vacant over the years, but thanks to the museum workers, everything is still sparkling clean. (Maybe even cleaner than I would leave it sometimes, but let's not mention that again). Not even a single speck of dust coats my bed or desk, I realize, but when I open up my chest of drawers, there's things in there that I hadn't left.

The first thing I see is a brand new pair of headphones, no doubt from Cassie, who gets discounts at the music store she works at. The second is a sky blue flannel, one that Ashley had sewn for me once she saw how much I liked her yellow one. The third, Carlos' lucky hair tie. He'd wear it around his wrist when he played soccer. Next to it sits a folded sweatshirt, and I recognize it to be the one I'd begged TJ for when I saw him wearing it one night. The last is a postcard of a blazingly red sunset, the words Wish you were here! in tacky font. On the back, Andros had written: You really took one for the team with this one, Kara. I don't know what year it will be when you read this, but I want you to know that we're all still thinking of you. Thank you for everything. Tears fill my eyes, but I will them not to fall as I put the postcard back into the drawer.

The last item had sat atop the postcard before I moved it: a light blue hydrolily from KO-35. It can survive on water alone, and Zayne had shown me a picture of it when he was feeling homesick. A small note wraps around the stem, and I peer closer at it. For when my Sleeping Beauty awakens. Go kick some futuristic ass, princess. I love you.

An ugly sob rips through my body, and I clap a hand over my mouth as my tears fall. Three years, come and gone without my best friends. Three years that I could have spent with them, by their sides, just as I'd been doing before all of this. Three years, trapped in a godforsaken museum. My sobs melt into a shout as I pick up my pillow and hurl it against the wall, and after placing the flowerpot down, I collapse into bed, reminiscing on my past and grieving over what might have been.

Good morning, Kara. We've arrived. Sometimes I wish I could turn DECA off like an alarm clock. I mean, technically I can, I muse as I roll off of my bunk and fix my hair before heading to the bridge, it would just mean that I'd have to turn it off for everyone else, too.

"They're on that planet." I make it just in time to hear Maya's announcement, and I ignore the look of concern she shoots me as I stride up to the others. As the team member with "experience", I can't be going around crying like a baby.

"Really? You're sure," Damon asks.

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

"This thing needs some instructions." I peer over at the device in Damon's hands, but all the buttons and dials look way too confusing.

"The mechanic, confused by technology?

"Maybe if I..." At this rate, it just looks like he's pressing random buttons. His actions aren't giving me too much hope, since he's supposed to be the one who's good with technology and all, "hey, I think I've got something-"

"This way!" Hm. I glance up at Maya, then back down at Damon's device. She'd pointed us the exact way we were supposed to go, without seeing the screen.

"Ex...actly?"

"We've gotta hurry!"

I start off at a jog behind the Yellow Ranger, before spinning around to face the two boys with a shrug and a grin. "You heard the lady."

After a bit of running, the trees start to thin out, and I think it sounds like something is roaring in the distance. The four of us crouch behind a large boulder, peering towards the Stingwinger-surrounded enclosure.

"We've got to free them," Maya pleads, and the concern in her gaze sends a pang of pity through me.

"Maybe we should give this some thought," Damon counters, but it's less in an argumentative way, and more of a 'I'm scared we might die' way, "Whatever they are, they don't sound friendly."

"We need a distraction," Leo adds, and I nod.

"I'll draw them away, you go in and break the chains." If I'm being completely honest, this entire plan is so... thrown together. Judging by the sounds of lasers firing, the Stingflingers are armed. We're each risking ourselves to rescue something we don't even know for sure is friendly.

"Guys-"

"Wait!" Damon hisses, but Maya's already rushed off. It was never like this with my team. Andros, always the level-headed one, made sure none of us ever stumbled headfirst into danger like this. And when he couldn't keep his cool, TJ and I were there to make sure the team stayed steady. I doubt these new Rangers would even listen to a word I would say, "Man, that girl's crazy!"

"Yeah?"

"Leo-" I begin, already drumming up my third-in-command voice, but he merely shrugs at me.

"But so are we." To my irritation, he's off, and Damon and I exchange glances.

"It was easier when I was in space."

Maya's shout draws our enemies away quicker than I thought, so I follow Damon and Leo as we approach the enclosure. While Leo focuses on the unnaturally large chains, and Damon on the keypad, I keep a watchful eye out. Because of that, I'm shocked when I see Maya already emerging from the trees. She's fast, even without being morphed.

"I've lost them," she states. Not even out of breath, either. Dang. I don't even have the time to comment on her speed, since almost as soon as she speaks, explosions go off around us. One catches me in the shoulder, sending me stumbling to the floor. Ah, explosion wounds. An old friend.

As we get back to our feet, another monster materializes out of a purple vortex, and I squint. What even is that thing?

"Ahah, I've caught ya." Is it trying to do an... accent? "Nice try. But you four cool cats don't have what it takes to fool the super cool Radster." God, we need to take this thing out as soon as we can.

"Ready?" Leo shouts, and we respond in turn, lifting our left arms, "Go, Galactic!" The pain of my wounds fade as my aqua suit cloaks me, and I brace myself for the oncoming fight.

"Nice move, but let's see if you can dance around this." Radster may be a stupid name, and the monster that it belongs to might have a stupid accent, but its staff looks anything but stupid.

"Get down!" I order, but before it can fire, Kai and Kendrix leap into action, sending identical kicks into its chest, knocking it over.

"Thought you could use some help," my brother comments.

"We're fine, but these guys need some lessons in manners. Quasar Sabers!" As one, we reach for our weapons, unsheathing them in unison, "Let's do it!"

Two Stingflingers dash towards me, spindly arms outstretched, so I drop to my knees, using the momentum to slide beneath them, and pop back up, cutting them both down in one slice. The energy from my swing brings me around to face another opponent, and I raise my sword, block their punch, and kick them to the ground.

"We gotta cut the chains and free them!" Maya reminds.

"You go first!" Leo orders, and the brunette leaps into action, cutting through some of the chains. It's still not enough, though, so the Red Ranger slashes at it again, doing a bit more damage. My attention is sucked back to the fight at hand, though, when more Stingflingers begin to encircle me.

"Got me figured out, have you?" I taunt, keeping my saber up and high, just like Zayne had taught me, "What are you waiting for, beebrains?" Anyone else might think this tactic is absolutely crazy, but I've found that it works with mindless minions. One of said minions rushes forward, and I duck, grab at its helmet, and lift it in front of me. The other Stingflinger that'd been ready to jump me accidentally slams into its friend (can monsters have friends?), and I toss them both away.

"Kai, go!" Kendrix orders, and I watch as my brother takes a swing at the chains.

"Kendrix!" Damon yells.

"I've got it!"

"Last one!" Maya shouts, and with the final hit from the Green Ranger, the doors of the enclosures open wide. And so do my eyes, because out from the cages emerge giant animals.

I've only ever heard about these from Carlos, who'd heard about these from the previous Black Ranger Adam's experiences: animal Zords.

I wonder momentarily why Radster and his minions aren't attacking, and then realize that it's because they fled. Cowards.

"And don't come back!" Leo shouts after them, then turns to us, sheathing his saber, "Well, that takes care of them." No doubt we'll be seeing them again, though, considering we haven't permanently taken them down. But, who am I to crush these newbies' hopes? Especially not when we're meeting our new Zords. "I can't believe what I'm seeing," the Red Ranger breathes as we gaze upon the giant animals.

"Wow!" Kendrix exclaims.

"They're amazing," Kai whispers.

"Do you think they're gonna eat us?" Damon whimpers.

Maya chuckles, elbowing him in the stomach. Good, if she didn't, I would've. "Nothing to worry about."

"What Yellow said," I begin, "these guys are usually the friendlies."

One of them, the lion looking one, stomps its massive foot and lets out a roar that shakes the ground. "We know," Maya replies.

Replies. "You understand them?" Leo asks, incredulous. "What did he say?"

"Thanks for rescuing them! And someday, they'll return the favor." And I thought I've seen everything.

"Glad to have them on our side." I take one last, long look at the Zords, and in a flash of blue sparks, they're gone.

It'd be a flat out lie if I said I didn't miss the Ranger life. It'd also be a lie if I said I missed the utter pain that my body experienced after battles. The best analogy I can make is that it's like the hardest sports game you've ever played, then multiply it by fifty and add death. That, I don't miss. Between checking the engine, accelerators, and shields, I rub at my strained shoulder. Handling a sword instead of a blaster should get easier soon. (Right?)

"Alpha, how long until we reach Terra Venture?" Leo asks.

"We're still a long ways away," Alpha reports, and I sigh. That's another thing I wish our ship could do: go faster without literally going into hyperspeed. I'm snapped out of my contemplation as footage of Radster and Furio appear on our viewing screen. Kai steps over to the main console at the same time as Leo does, and when I spot both of their hands going for the controls, I get up, or try to, since they send the ship leaning to one side.

"Let... me handle this," Damon mutters, pushing between the two. Thankfully, he sets us back to an upright position, "Alpha, hyperaccelerators online."

"Please be careful with my ship." Both Kai and Leo glance at me, and I don't miss the slightly irritated looks they share, but quite frankly, I couldn't care less. I've helped to take this ship through space, much more space than anyone (besides Alpha) has traversed thus far. Makes me glad that I've got someone else on board, aka Damon, who understands just how important that is to me.

But that doesn't make me miss my team any less.

The situation back on Terra Venture is much, much worse than I thought. Buildings lay in ruins thanks to Radster's energy blasts, and a few soldiers even lay injured on the streets.

"The Power Rangers!" The scene in front of me fades into the background as I hear the cry of a civilian.

"They're real!" Her son adds, and I nod. Sometimes, actually, most of the time, I regret going into cryosleep. Deep down, I know that it was the logical decision, especially since we weren't sure when the distress call had been made. Hell, I could've been waiting until I was ninety, and the call might not have even come by then. But if I'd stayed awake, if we'd chanced it...

"We were wondering when you were going to join the party," Radster crows.

"Eh, I wouldn't consider this to be much of a party," I remark.

"Now get the Quasar Sabers and return to the ship," Furio orders, and disappears in a flash of red light.

"You don't belong in this galaxy, buddy!" Leo shouts down to the weird monster.

"Aw, but I got my hair done especially for you." He raises his staff, firing off a laser, but we're faster, leaping off the roof and down onto the street below. Thankfully, Radster isn't very agile, so I'm not needing to go on the defensive, instead focusing on putting all my power and speed into my own attacks. The barrage of punches and kicks we send its way have it pinned for a moment, but the second Kendrix breaks away, both Kai and Damon are overpowered.

"Aw, come on!" Radster beckons.

"After him!" Leo orders, and before any of us can stop, he's chasing after our foe.

"Leo!" Kai calls after him.

"Let's get moving, guys," I order, "He can't take Radster alone."

Or, maybe he can. Geez. Red Rangers and their stupidly powerful abilities. When the rest of us get there, Radster is down, smoke curling from his hairdo. He says something I can't decipher because of the weird accent, but then before my eyes, he starts gulping down some sort of green potion.

"What's he doing?" Kendrix asks, and I realize exactly what the liquid is about a second too late, since Radster's already grown to a giant size.

"That," I bite out. "And we'll need more power than we've got right now to take it down." Giant Radster stomps down a foot, and we dive out of the way just in time.

"What do we do now?" Maya's question is interrupted as Radster's lasers make contact, burning when they touch my skin, even with my suit.

"I'll show you!"

"Leo, no! You can't, not without the Zords!" The Red Ranger falls out of his high jump, knocked back to the ground before I can even warn him to not do that,

"Zords? What're-" Speak of the devil, or rather, angels, since at that moment, six different energy beams blast down from the sky and strike Radster down, interrupting Kai's inquiry. And when the smoke clears, there stands...

"The Galactabeasts!" The others let out cheers and whoops of joy, and a smile breaks over my face.

"I guess they're here to return that favor." Leo's words remind me of my doubt back on the other planet, and a small part of me regrets not trusting my new teammates. My regret only increases when the lion-looking Zord begins to step forward and growl a message, "Maya, what's he saying?"

"He's saying that if you combine powers, you can beat Radster. He wants you to jump on!"

"Who, me?" The lion roars once more, and I gesture towards it.

"I don't need to be able to communicate with animals to know the answer to that."

"Well then..." Leo leaps up, and I crane my neck back, peering into the sky to spot him high atop the lion's head. "Ready when you are!" Okay, as much as the Red Ranger has been getting on my nerves, that is pretty badass. Especially when fire begins to curl around Ranger and Zord alike.

"Leo, you're the man! Give 'em one for me!" Considering that Radster's currently distracted, I let myself shut my eyes for a moment. Damon's words and awestruck tone only served to remind me that these Rangers are so, so new to this. I need to step up. "Guys, what about you?"

"Of course. Take him down, Leo!" The Red Ranger must be hearing us, because as Radster attacks with its strongest laser blast yet, the lion Zord combats it with fire. The clash that the two energies unleash lights up the sky so bright that I almost turn and shield my eyes. Screw blindness. I don't want to miss a second of this.

It's finished in a matter of moments, the lion's fire burning Radster to a crisp, and the others cheer. This feeling's not entirely new for me, but it is for Maya, Kendrix, Kai, and Damon, and their joy is infectious, so I can't help but join in.

"Hey guys! I think we've made some new friends!" Leo's gaze falls to us, and I nod towards him. He may not be Andros, but he is doing a damn good job at being the Red Ranger.

Something hits me when I get back to our shared apartment, and it takes Kai accidentally smacking me over the head for it to happen.

When Zayne had awoken from his own cryosleep, his telepathic powers latched on to me, forging a bond. That bond had allowed us to pass emotions between each other, and even in our last few battles as Rangers, to communicate telepathically.

So now I sit on the couch, eyes closed and hands pressed together, reaching out for the Silver Ranger.

Z, are you there? It's Kara. I know we didn't think I'd have to wake up so soon, but I'm here now. Please, please reply if you can hear me. And just like the fourteen previous times I've tried it, there's no response on the other end. A frustrated groan escapes me, and both Kendrix and Maya glance towards me.

"You okay?" Maya asks, gaze filling with concern, "Is the cryosleep still affecting you?" I shake my head, a small, sad smile on my face.

"It's a long story. I guess... just missing my team is all."

"You couldn't find the queen of hearts if she was standing right in front of you!" Damon's exclamation stops either of them from saying anything, if they were going to at all, and the three of us exchange knowing glances. Boys.

"Wait a second." I can't help but lean in closer, watching as Leo reaches into Damon's pocket and produces... well, "is this it?" The look on the mechanic's face is enough to make us all laugh, "I guess that means you'll be doing dishes for a week." I push a plate (not mine, I'd already washed mine) towards him.

"What're you waiting for?" He rolls his eyes at me, but takes the plate anyway, and I stay at the table, words weighing on my chest. Before I can speak, though, my brother steals my chance.

"I just want to say that you made the right decision. Rescuing the Galactabeasts." Huh. A 180 switch from the way he'd questioned Leo earlier. I clear my throat, getting their attention.

"But we've got to talk about the decisions you made after that." Worry creases the Red Ranger's face, and I keep my serious expression for about a second longer, enjoying his momentary panic, "They were pretty smart, for a newbie." Leo visibly relaxes, shoulders dropping and muscles relaxing, and I chuckle. Definitely a newbie.

"Just lucky. And we all know that we can't do much of anything around here without your guidance and experience." Dang. Now it's my turn to feel embarrassed. His gaze suddenly feels too heavy, too respectful, almost. When we first met, Damon'd called me a legend. That's only partly true; I'm one of seven. So Leo's words carry a lot more weight than he thinks they do. Silence surrounds the table.

"Hey. How about a game of cards? Loser has to... vacuum for a week." Kai and I glance at each other, then back to Leo, and shake our heads.

"Absolutely not," we reply in unison, and the others crack up.

"Actually... I think you need a good card lesson. Deal."

"Yeah, no. I'm not risking that. Have fun, bro." The others burst into laughter again, and for the first time in a long, long time, I feel like I belong.