Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers; only the plot and the events in this series.
Author's Note: Just quick little note. In the first chapter of the Kerovian Chronicles I had Andros slightly younger than Karone even though I knew he was actually older. Well, it was too weird for me to have him younger, so I swapped his and Karone's age so Karone is now slightly younger than him. So when you read the first chapter, just ignore what I wrote about him being younger. Sorry about that. Anyway, this is number two in the series The Kerovian Chronicles. Enjoy.
The Rise of the Astros
by: Jeni
Tammon held up one finger and continued his pacing. "Agility." he ticked off another finger. Still studying the ranger trainees, he paced. "Perseverance. And wits." He tapped the side of his head and abandoned his pacing, swiveling to face his students. "Those are the four key elements to success as rangers. You must be quicker than your opponents, smarter than your opponents, more flexible, and most important, smarter. Many of Dark Spectre's lackeys lack brains."
The six ranger trainees chuckled.
Tammon ignored them. "Therefore, his lackeys' lackeys lack even more brains."
All six ranger trainees laughed outright and even Tammon smiled. The smile vanished as soon as the laughing had died down, however, and he instructed, "Tsarmina, Desira, and Zyle begin practicing your flips and handsprings. Be careful, and take turns spotting each other. Tyline, Andros, begin sparring. Zhane, I want you to come here."
The ranger trainees went their separate ways, the two females cheerfully dragging Zyle to the gymnastic mats. Tammon smiled. Zyle was most likely going to enjoy today's practice session, as he would be with the two girls the entire time.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" The young voice drew Tammon's attention to the boy in front of him.
"Er, uh. yes." Tammon cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, yes, lad, I did." He gestured to the benches on the side of the gym. "Please, sit down."
Zhane did so.
"Now, Zhane, I have a few questions to ask you." Tammon saw a confused look cloud the boy's eyes before he managed to hide it. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.
"I received a copy of your grades yesterday, and I must say I was very surprised." From his pocket he produced a single slip of paper. Zhane's eyes grew wide and Tammon slipped the paper back in his pocket. He sighed and leaned forward until he was nearly touching Zhane's forehead.
"Your grades have greatly improved," Tammon continued. "And that is good. But would you care to tell me why they suddenly improved now, when you are busier than when your grades were low?" The ranger trainer watched the boy fidget, knowing instantly that the question had made the silver ranger uncomfortable.
Squirming and not meeting Tammon's eyes, Zhane muttered, "It's actually interesting stuff now. Before it was boring." he was about to continue when Tammon snorted.
"Bolder dash!" he smacked his hand on his knee to emphasize his point. "You're studying the same material now as two weeks ago! Now tell me the truth."
Zhane hesitated and glanced back to where Andros was sparring Tyline. The red ranger had just managed to flip the older boy to the ground. Zhane returned his gaze to Tammon, who met it unblinking.
"It's because it gives you something to do. Something to keep your mind off what happened." It was a statement, not a question.
Zhane nodded.
Tammon exhaled loudly, leaning back against the bleachers. "I thought as much. Tell me, Zhane. How is Andros doing?"
Zhane shrugged. "He's doing better now, sir, since he has started ranger training back up."
Tammon nodded, shifting his gaze once again in time to see Tyline knock Andros to the floor. "He, more than anyone of us, deserves to be a power ranger. He understands what fate awaits the universe if we fail."
Zhane blinked. "He has a goal, sir."
"Yes." Tammon agreed, still watching Andros. The boy had managed to avoid Tylihn's heel kick to his head and was scrambling away from the larger teenager. "As do we all."
~*~
"Ecliptor." she spoke her protector's name softly, not allowing even the slightest tremble to leak through. She was becoming better at hiding her emotions, for which she was proud.
It had been two days since Ecliptor had rescued her; two days since her brother and his friend's death. The memory of her brother tugged her brain, encouraging her to remember him, and she frowned. She still loved her brother, even though he was dead, but his friend Zhane she had hardly known.
She had hardly known Zhane, but she had talked with him briefly when he came over to play with Andros, and somehow.
Somehow Zhane's death had affected her almost as deeply as her brother's.
She felt her lips twitch downward in the beginning of a frown and she curved them upward to neutralize her expression. No expression, no feeling, she reminded herself. Show no weakness. people will take advantage of you. Portray a heartless woman and no one will dare betray you. Ecliptor's instruction's fixed firmly in her mind, she dismissed all thoughts of Zhane and her brother. They would only hurt her.
"Yes, my Princess?" the gravely voice of her protector sounded from the corridor before her.
"Where are you?" Karone asked irritably. He was supposed to be her protector, yet it had taken this long for him to answer her call. "I can't see you."
The shadows before her began to swirl. With a startled squeak she stumbled away from the churning mass of darkness, clutching her head.
"No expression, no expression," she cried. Her focus remained on her mentor's instructions as she desperately sought control over herself once again.
Darkness. her mind wailed tearfully. Memories of her brother and his friend sprang forward once again, grasping her mind with startling force. Darkness stole your brother, and your friend. It shall steal you away, too. Snatch you away from where you stand, faster than a Sk'lan. ".capturing it's prey and devouring it!" Zhane's hand shot out to grasp her middle and she shrieked. His face split into a lopsided grin. He was enjoying tickling her, and she knew it.
"Stop, Zhane- Aack!" Her squeals rang loudly in the night, echoing until it was nearly impossible to determine where one scream ended and the other one began.
Zhane tipped his head so he was in her sight. "The Sk'lan stops for no one," he hissed in wicked delight through his giggles. "You will be no exception!"
Her breath came in quick gasps as he continued to tickle her. She squirmed, trying to move close enough to her `attacker' to elude his grasp.
But he recognized her plan immediately and redoubled his efforts. She doubled over from lack of breath and kicked her legs. She hadn't realized just how close to Zhane she was until it was too late. Her leg snapped out, connecting with something solid, and Zhane yelped, grabbing his nose and backing away in pain.
"Zhane?" Karone propped herself up on her elbows. "Are you okay?"
Zhane nodded his head but didn't look at her. Moving forward quickly, Karone grasped his hand and moved away from his face to reveal his nose. It was slightly crooked and bloody. Looking around wildly in panic Karone dropped Zhane's hand.
"Andros!" she cried. "Andros, where are you?" She was slightly younger than him, and had not yet grasped the art of healing. Andros, however, had.
The tent flap ruffled slightly before parting to reveal her twin brother. In the dim light of the moon his face appeared shadowed and dark. She shivered. She hated the dark.
"Karone?" Andros' voice calmed her. "You okay?"
"I am." She tilted her head in Zhane's direction. "But Zhane's hurt."
The air whispered at Andros' movement toward her. He reached her, pausing long enough to squeeze her shoulder in adult reassurance, and knelt down beside Zhane.
"Let me see it, Zhane." Andros commanded softly. Karone had to crane her neck to see Zhane slowly lower his hand. She watched, transfixed, as a gentle glow began to form in her brother's palm.
The glow grew brighter, a shining gold trinket in liquid form, pulsing as Andros' palm touched Zhane's nose. The blood shriveled up and disappeared, the crooked angle of the nose straightened until it reached its normal tilt.
And then Andros was removing his hand from his best friend's face, the glow vanishing as he did so. Shifting positions he crouched halfway between Karone and Zhane. His eyes roamed around the tent once as if looking for signs of a fight. Then his gaze met hers and he commanded, "Karone. Wait outside the tent for me."
Karone nodded. She was consumed with curiosity of what he would do to Zhane. Even though the incident was mostly her fault, she knew Andros would most likely scold Zhane as well as her. She reached out and brushed the tent flap out from her path and stepped into the dark.
The sounds of the night filled her ears. Crickets chirped from somewhere in the trees. The soft cries of the night owl, rumored to be good luck, originated from the depths in the forest across the tent.
She breathed deeply, closing her eyes and drinking in the smell of freshly wet grass. The dew drops glistened in the moonlight from where they perched on the small blades of grass, giving the appearance of delicate diamonds.
Turning, Karone felt her face bathed in the gentle kiss of the moon's gold light. She smiled, raising her arms in welcoming. She didn't know how long she stood there, listening to the cries of the owl and realizing what a beautiful world to which she belonged. All she knew was her sense of security was both deepened and shattered when her brother's hand clasped her shoulder.
She lowered her arms but made no move to shift from her current location. Beside her Andros stared into the moon's bright light, not seeming to notice his hand on her shoulder or even her.
They stood like that for several moments, side by side, bonding together in ways understandable only to twins. Finally, Karone turned to face her brother.
"How is he?"
But Andros appeared not to have heard. He continued staring at the moon. Concerned, Karone tapped his shoulder. "Are you all right?" her eye twitched, and she frowned.
Inhaling deeply, Andros nodded. "I am." he replied but remained gazing at the moon.
"Are you sure?" Karone heard the doubt tinge her voice. She watched as Andros started suddenly, as if waking from a dream, and he turned to face her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And so is Zhane. Are you okay?"
Karone stared at him in shock. She wished she knew what Andros was thinking behind his impassive face. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked in pure amusement.
Andros folded his arms across his chest. "You didn't answer the question."
Her eyes widened until she thought they would fall off her face. She didn't know what he was hinting or what he thought, but if she didn't reply he would probably assume she meant `no.'
"I'm fine, Andros. Why wouldn't I be?"
She watched, confused, as Andros shrugged and turned away from her once again. "You felt different." he said simply. "Somewhat weaker, somewhat." he looked up to meet her gaze. "Lightheaded." his sentence ended in a whisper.
Her stomach dropped. Stumbling back two feet she asked, "What do you mean?" Her voice trembled slightly and she frowned at her lack of control.
Andros shrugged again. It was nerve-rattling, the way he just stood there watching her, as if he knew something about her that she herself did not. "I don't know." he said. "You tell me."
Karone nodded slowly. She panned her head across the horizon, gazing, not at the trees or stars, but at few memories she had of Zhane. Of Zhane sitting in class next to her with his head on his desk sleeping, of Zhane sparring Andros at ranger training, of Zhane scrunching his face in concentration as he helped Andros lift her by way of telekinesis, only to drop her in the pond, of Zhane's laughing blue eyes staring into her own blue eyes and seeing straight into her soul.
Blue eyes.She gasped, swirling to face Andros. He reached out, grabbing her arm and steadying her. "I- I love him." she murmured.
Andros nodded, eyes seeing into her heart and soul. "I know.
"My Princess!" the voice was unfamiliar; it was low, gravely and strange. "My Princess, are you all right?"
She frowned in confusion. The voice wasn't completely unfamiliar. There was a strange sense of knowing whomever was speaking, accompanied by an equally powerful sense of lingering fear and sorrow in the back of her mind.
"Listen to me, my Princess. You must open your eyes. You must open your eyes now!"
Who was speaking? The voice was so familiar, yet she could not remember! "Open your eyes, my Princess. You must. open." she strained to hear. What was the voice saying? Something about eyes, and opening.
"Please listen to me. Open your eyes. You must!"
Open her eyes? Of course she could do that! Slowly, cautiously, she raised one eyelid and then the other. She was instantly blinded by a bright light shining in her eyes. Jerking her head away she squeezed her eyes shut.
Even through her closed eyelids she could tell when the light suddenly disappeared. She began to frown but abandoned the movement before it had fully began. She wasn't supposed to frown. That much she remembered.
"My Princess, are you all right?"
She opened her eyes again, shocked to see herself lying on the ground with her head pillowed in some mystical creature's lap.
"E-ecliptor?" she gasped out. Her mind was a muddled shadow with so many names and faces swirling before her it was hard to concentrate properly.
"Yes, my Princess." The black and green beast replied.
Karone squinted up at her rescuer. "What. am I doing here? What's going on?" She thought Ecliptor looked somewhat ashamed.
"I am afraid that is my fault, my Princess, and for that I am sorry. Do you remember when you entered that corridor?" Ecliptor raised her gently up with one arm so she could see where he was pointing with the other.
She vaguely did. "Yes."
Ecliptor sighed as he lowered her gently back to the ground. "I'm afraid I did not realize the affect it would have on humans," he admitted, somewhat ruefully. "It seems that when stepping through the doorway it gave you a slight electric shock, alternating your brain patterns temporarily and causing you to relive a memory. For a short while, you were the memory."
"Oh." was all she could think of to say. Her mind was too clouded, too foggy for her to fully understand. "Am I normal now?"
"Mostly. You will still have a few flashbacks every now and then, but that shouldn't last longer than a week. But we don't have time to discuss this now. We must meet Dark Spectre."
"Who's Dark Spectre?" Karone asked. Ecliptor slowly raised her off the ground and onto her feet. Once certain she could stand on her own, he removed his arm from her waist and pushed himself to his feet.
"Dark Spectre," Ecliptor began in his deep voice, "is my master, and therefore your master as well. He is the one who sent me to rescue you."
Karone paused. "So what if Dark Spectre hadn't sent you?" From his position ahead of her Ecliptor hesitated.
"My Princess?"
Karone sighed, glancing down at her black boots. "I mean, if Dark Spectre hadn't sent you, would you still have. rescued me?"
Ecliptor cupped her face gently in his hand. "I would have, My Princess." He turned away again. "But we must go. Dark Spectre does not like to be kept waiting."
~*~
". the five jars were transported to a cave a few miles east of here." KO-35's only female high school teacher, Ms. Codi, pointed in the direction mentioned. She lowered her arm. "Legend has it when our ancestors first came here they encountered. Mr. Tyline, are you paying attention?"
Twenty-three grinning faces shifted to regard the blue ranger who was oblivious to everything save Kura, a shy red haired girl who had not turned at the question.
"Tyline!"
The blue ranger jumped and nearly fell out his chair.
Raising her voice above her class's laughter, Codi demanded, "Well?"
Tyline regarded his angry teacher carefully. He had been listening a few minutes at the beginning of her lecture, enough to know she was discussing the Entrapment of the Five Demons. He straightened his shoulders slowly, doing his best to ignore Zhane's snickering.
"Yes, Ms. Codi?" he asked calmly. "Did you want something?"
His infuriated teacher stared at him and he met her eye to eye, not backing down. By now the whole class was snickering, with the exception of Kura and Andros.
"Because if you did," he continued smoothly, "I await your word's of wisdom." he bit his lip in effort to contain his grin.
Codi stood leaning against her desk, tapping her pencil against her teeth with a look on her face to freeze a Sk'lan's joints. He sat there calmly with a slight smile on his face. This wasn't the first time he had gotten her mad at him, and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.
Finally she straightened. "Very well," she said, her tone flat in open disapproval, and he sighed. He knew that tone of voice. She was going to hold him after class and inform him, for at least the hundredth time, how everyone else in the class looked up to him, and how he should be a good role model for everyone, rangers and non rangers alike.
"You teach the class." He felt his jaw drop at his teacher's command. All around him, the entire class had erupted in laughter. Even Kura and Andros were laughing. Glancing over at his teammate, and then at Kura, he sat up straight and said with no small amount of dignity, "As you wish."
Conscious of everyone watching him, he stood up and walked to the front of the room. Standing in front of Kura, he smiled down at her. "I'm afraid I'll need a few volunteers," he said apologetically. "Come on up."
He positioned her next to him. "I need six more volunteers." Twenty- three pairs of hands shot up in the air. He took his time, inspecting each candidate before choosing. "Nomista, Lilith, Camilla." the three girls grinned and went to stand beside Kura.
"Uh, let's see." Tyline crossed his arms across his chest in feigned importance. "Zyle, come on up." The black ranger shook his head in an overly exaggerated gesture of reluctance, and Tyline smirked. He knew the black ranger was pleased he had been chosen, but he also knew that Zyle was acting reluctant to impress the girls- Desira and Tsarmina, more specifically. And, as Tyline knew, there was nothing they found more heroic than a person doing a favor for their friend.
"Two more." Tyline muttered. "Need two more volunteers. ah, what the heck. Dalphia, come on up. I'll be the sixth volunteer."
He positioned the volunteers in a semi circle around him, then turned to face the rest of the class. "As you all know, when humans first came to KO-35 they had no idea what to expect." He glanced at Ms. Codi, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"They developed a system. Dividing into groups, they split the labor according to the crew's preferences. One group gathered food, one group began building shelter, and one group went exploring." Tyline moved to stand behind the small cluster of volunteers.
"Everything was going well until one day, one of the exploration groups, consisting of about six people, discovered a cave. They entered it, thinking maybe it was an animal dwelling or a growth site for food, but instead they found themselves standing before five jars."
Striding over to the chalkboard, Tyline quickly drew four identical jars. The fifth one was a little taller than the others.
"Naturally, they were curious. The leader of the party, whom I shall take the liberty of playing, instructed the others to remove the jars from their perch."
By now the class was staring in rapture at the story. Even Ms. Codi seemed impressed, as she no longer looked the least bit angry.
"The group did as they were told-all but one. Kura shall represent Cla'toria, the one person in the group who sensed an event of upcoming disaster. She tried to reason with the leader but he paid no attention to her. She was, after all, supposed to have been a quiet woman."
A hand shot up in the back of the room. "Yes?" Tyline gestured for his classmate to speak.
"If she was so quiet than why didn't the leader listen to her?" Enda, a fifteen year old boy, asked. "Shouldn't that have warned him that something was wrong?"
"It should have," Tyline agreed with a nod. "And normally, he would have listened to her. Especially because she was a psychic. Her mind was stronger than anyone else's in the group. And that was the problem."
"What do you mean?" another classmate yelled out. "That should have warned everyone that they shouldn't touch the jars."
"Yeah," a sixteen year old girl agreed, "they should have gotten out of there."
Tyline raised his hands to placate the class. "As I said, normally they would have left the cave immediately. Cla'toria was well- respected. She had never been wrong in her readings." He paused, taking a deep breath. "But as I said, that was the problem. No one else's mind was as controlled or strong as hers. They were more susceptible to spells and being controlled by unnatural forces. It was the demons in the jars that she had sensed, and they were the ones responsible for the group's disregarding her warning.
"You see," he continued, "as soon as the group had walked into the cave the demons sensed them. They were strong demons with very powerful magic. Slowly, so the group wouldn't feel a thing, they each chose a member of the group and entered their mind. Cla'toria was spared because of her mind powers. Had they tried entering her mind, she would have sensed it immediately and destroyed them."
He took a deep breath and touched Lilith's shoulder. "Sonja was the first to take hold a jar. She took the jar which held the demon controlling her mind. The lid was on tight. She knew that must have meant something special was in the jar, but she didn't know what. She started to take the lid of the bottle but the demon stopped her. It wasn't time. If she opened it before its fellow demons were free they'd remain trapped."
Tyline shook his head. "Cla'toria still felt something was wrong but she said nothing. She sensed the teams' minds were not their own, and felt it best to avoid them until she knew more about the situation. So she watched as the rest of the group took the bottles off the ledge. The leader took the larger, slightly different bottle. Once they had gotten the bottles, they each opened theirs. Immediately a loud clash of thunder was heard, and the cave erupted in color. Red, blue, yellow, pink, purple and orange- the colors flashed wildly, and then something erupted from each jar, racing to the ceiling of the cave and bouncing off it and into the group's eyes."
Tyline crossed his arms. "The cave quieted then, and the group turned to look at Cla'toria. What she saw scared her half to death. Their eyes were a burning pool of color. They were possessed. Whatever had captured them was ruthless. She knew her only hope was to get out of there fast, so she did. She ran, and they followed. She barely made it back to the camp, which is now known as the old ruins in the forest. No one knows why, but the demons could not pursue her there. The rest of the humans were safe as long as they stayed within their makeshift building. But they couldn't do that. The demons blockaded them, and slowly the humans began to starve. Finally, Cla'toria developed a plan to entrap the demons back in the cave. No one knows what the plan was, or if it worked, but it is thought to have succeeded. The demons are now trapped in the same cave, with a magical force field around the jars. No one without magical powers can lower the force field. And that is the story of the Entrapment of the Demons."
The shrill shriek of the bell made the class jump. Looking at the clock, Tyline was surprise to see his story had taken over a half an hour over to tell. Grabbing his backpack, he went to join the students filtering out the door when Ms. Codi stopped him.
Her eyes no longer flashed with anger, and the expression on her face was of wonder. "Where did you hear that story before?" she asked.
Asked, not demanded, which told him she was in one of the best moods of her life, and Tyline shrugged.
"My mother used to tell it to me all the time," he replied. "She thought it was important to know our history."
"And indeed it is," Ms. Codi agreed. "Now tell me, do you know why the records of the demons' defeat were lost?"
Tyline nodded. "I think so. Supposedly the demons were able to destroy the secret to defeating them. They hope to escape once again, and when they do, they want to ensure they won't be trapped again."
"Which is why it is so important everyone learned about them. About their lures, about their history."
Tyline nodded. "I suppose so," he stepped away from the door to allow a student to leave. "But it's also really fascinating to know our ancestor's once defeated a great evil. Kind of gives us hope for our situation, with the upcoming war and all. If they could defeat the five demons, then maybe we can defeat Dark Spectre and his army. We don't have Cla'toria to help us, of course, which is a shame, but we do have Eltar and Zordon, and the Power Rangers."
Ms. Codi smiled, the first smile he could ever recall being on her face, and she said, "You have an optimism that's contagious. And an enthusiasm that you pass on to your listeners when you speak. You can do a lot of good with that. Why don't you concentrate on teaching instead of being the class clown? The students listened to you with no side conversations. They gave you your complete attention."
"I don't think I'd make a very good teacher," Tyline confessed.
"No," Ms. Codi said sharply. "Don't say that. You're a natural teacher."
Tyline smiled. Shouldering his backpack, he glanced past his teacher's shoulder to see the other rangers waiting for him by his locker. "Thanks," he said, and gently brushed past her and into the hallway.
* * *
"Astronema." The monarch known as Dark Spectre rumbled in what Ecliptor hoped was approval. But Ecliptor was careful to keep his voice expressionless when he spoke. It wouldn't do to let the other know he was already fond of the girl.
"Yes, master," he growled. "I have taken the liberty of renaming her Astronema. I trust you don't mind."
Dark Spectre shook his head, large ears flapping stiffly. "Astronema was a good choice," he complimented, for which Ecliptor was instantly on guard. Dark Spectre never complimented anyone-he ordered. Trying to hide the worry in his body language, Ecliptor bowed respectfully.
"Now," Dark Spectre began, seeming not to notice when Ecliptor jerked upward. "Bring me the girl."
"The girl?" Ecliptor sputtered. "But, your majesty-"
"I said, bring me the girl!" the other roared, cutting Ecliptor off without a second thought.
"Uh, yes, your majesty. Of course." Stiffly, Ecliptor moved to the door and opened it. Poking his head inside, he quickly located the yellow-clad Kerovian sitting in the hallway.
"Astronema," he rumbled. He watched as the girl scrambled to her feet with little to no dignity, and he sighed in silent dismay. It would take a lot of work to transform her into the Princess she was destined to be. Which was understandable, he mused thoughtfully as she approached him. She had, after all, been raised with her twin brother. It was just natural for her to have picked up some boyish habits from him.
"Yes, Ecliptor?" the girl straightened her shoulders proudly, and Ecliptor would have smiled, if possible. The girl was trying to be brave and act fearless. She was doing a fairly good job of it, too.
"Dark Spectre awaits," he gestured to were the evil monarch stood waiting.
The girl peeked past his shoulder, took a deep breath, and nodded. "I am ready." she answered.
"Very well." He backed away from the door. "Enter. I shall be right outside."
The girl blinked at him, obviously surprised at her intended solo entrance, then moved into the room, closing the door softly and blocking Ecliptor's view of the room. The cubicle being sighed, and sank to the floor. It was impossible. What Dark Spectre was trying to achieve . it wouldn't work. The girl wouldn't fight for the side of evil, not after what had been done to her brother. She wouldn't attack helpless people for remembrance of her own pain.
He raised his red eyes and glared at the wall opposite side him. If only her brother was still alive. With him converted it would have made the job so much easier, for she had obviously looked up to him.
He sighed again, feeling the strange pain emitting from his chest for the second time that day. He hardly knew anything about the attack on her family; he knew what Dark Spectre had told him and nothing else. He was not meant to know more. But her brother hadn't deserved to die. That much, at least, he knew. And the thought saddened him, because he could do nothing about it. Not when his own pain was still strong in his heart.
* * *
Karone swallowed nervously. Dark Spectre was even more horrible looking than she had imagined. He was a large chunk of lava that had been given shape and form, and possibly, a soul. Though she found it hard to believe a creature so hideous could possess a soul.
The creature caught site of her, and she gulped involuntarily. It rasped a command to her, but she barely heard it. Her ears were roaring, her blood pounding .
The creature's mouth moved again, revealing his large, jagged teeth, and she thought it told her to stand before him. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Karone straightened her shoulders and moved forward in the graceful posture Ecliptor had shown her.
She reached the creature and immediately bowed. One of Ecliptor's instructions had been to bow when reaching Dark Spectre and to bow before leaving him. Ruefully, she thought if Dark Spectre told her to bow, she would. And if he told her to jump up and down like a toad, she'd do that, too. She wasn't about to get this beast angry with her. "Ah, Astronema," the creature rumbled. "I see Ecliptor has been instructing you." It was a statement, with a tinge of expectance.
"Um. yes, Your Highness, he has." Karone bowed again.
"He has done well," Dark Spectre commented. Still the strange tone remained in his raspy voice, and she felt sweat forming on her palms. What was he waiting for? What was she supposed to do? The creature was staring at her, and had been since she had first walked in the door.
"Ecliptor is a very good teacher," she managed to stutter, in response to Dark Spectre's comment.
Dark Spectre bobbed his head in a nod. "That he is," he agreed, "which is why you shall be in his care until he has taught you everything you need to know, and maybe even after that."
Karone swallowed, and offered timidly, "I. I would like that, Your Highness."
Dark Spectre nodded. "I have a story to tell you," he rumbled. The announcement was so off topic that she blinked. "Would you like to hear it?"
"Y-yes," she said. "I would."
Dark Spectre began, "I once had a brother. He was younger than me, and he was called Maligore. He had been trapped in a volcano for thousands of years, as I was trapped in another galaxy, and unable to help him. But one person could. Divatox, a pirate queen, journeyed to the lost island in which he was trapped to release him. She reached the volcano and freed him, but then the power rangers showed up." Dark Spectre snarled, baring his teeth angrily. Karone gulped. She could guess what was coming.
"They forced Maligore into a fight and destroyed him. They never even gave him a chance."
"What about Divatox? Did they destroy her, too?" Karone noticed Dark Spectre's angry glare as he remembered the day he had lost his brother. She knew she should be frightened, but she found it hard to believe the monster would harm her, not with what they held in common.
"Divatox is a fool." Dark Spectre hissed. "She knew the Power Rangers were following her, and she did nothing. She thought Maligore would destroy them." His lava seemed to burn brighter as his anger grew. "Had he had a chance to recover, and he would have. But what she was expecting was impossible, and my brother paid for it with his life." Karone looked at her feet. From what Ecliptor and Dark Spectre had told her, she gathered the power rangers killed many innocent people a day. And that had to stop. But how? She couldn't kill them. They had families. But. she looked up at Dark Spectre, an idea forming in the back of her head. She wouldn't kill them, no, but she could-and would- take away their powers. That would put a stop to their madness. Meeting Dark Spectre's stare, she offered, "I have a plan, your majesty."
"Indeed." The ground shook slightly as Dark Spectre shifted positions. "And what does your plan involve?"
Licking her lips nervously, Karone proceeded to explain. Dark Spectre listened intently, and in the back of her mind she wondered how quickly events had changed. She had gone from a future ranger to a ranger destroyer. It seemed more than a little strange planning against them in such a fashion, but she would do what she had to do. She had to prevent more bloodshed.
* * *
"Well, today's the day. We're testing to become rangers. And you know what the best part of being a ranger will be?" Zhane slapped Andros' shoulder cheerfully. "Soon the galaxy will have heard of each and everyone of us. We'll be famous! And think of all the girls!!" he grinned. "Chicks dig famous guys."
"You mean chicks dig cute famous guys," Zyle piped up from his position next to Tsarmina. "Unfortunately, you're neither, so you'll just have to stay single." Both Tsarmina and Zyle burst out laughing as Zhane whirled on them, an expression of mock hurt plastered on his face.
"Hey!" he cried dramatically. "How can you be so cruel? To dash my hopes without a single concern for my feelings! I am too cute!" he looked to Tyline. "Back me up here!"
Tyline stopped his walking and turned to face Zhane. Crossing his arms across his chest, he studied the other ranger carefully. Finally, he resumed his walking and called behind him, "Sorry, Zhane. I can't lie."
Zhane threw his arms up in disgust. "That's it," he cried over his snickering teammates. "I give up! Not one of you can see my hopelessly dashing young looks."
The rangers burst into outright laughter. Zhane continued, "One of these days I'm going to be famous, and every girl in the galaxy will want me."
The laughter turned slightly hysterical. Zhane shook his head, amused. He knew he wasn't particularly `good-looking,' but he also knew he wasn't ugly. But he was fifteen, and just now becoming more interested in girls in a way he'd never been in before. The other rangers knew that, and all were older than he, with the exception of Andros, who was thirteen, and still a little young to be interested in girls that way. But the other rangers thought it highly amusing that Zhane now constantly worried about his looks and talked about girls.
"Hey, look! There's Tammon!" The rangers turned to Desira, who was pointing to their training facilities. Zhane squinted. There was someone standing next to the main entrance. Even at the great distance Zhane could make out Tammon standing there with a hard expression on his face.
Andros frowned, and Zhane realized the other boy must of noticed the same thing he had. "What's he doing out here? He almost never leaves the building."
Tyline glanced sideways at the younger boy. I don't know," he said, "but I think we'd better find out. Let's go!" He took of running toward the middle aged instructor, leaving the others to follow on their own accord.
Zhane looked at the other rangers, shrugged, and ran off in the same direction Tyline had, somehow knowing the other rangers were right behind him.
He reached Tammon a few seconds later, and stopped. The run hadn't left him the least bit tired, and his chest swelled up proudly. He could remember the first day of ranger training, when he had been instructed to run half the length of what he had just done, and it had left him exhausted. But now, he was barely even breathing hard.
"What's wrong, Tammon?" Zhane asked worriedly. Behind him, Desira, Andros, Tsarmina, and Zyle leaned forward to hear their instructor speak.
"A lot of things," Tammon replied. "Their was an attack on the city today."
Zhane felt as if he'd been slapped. "An attack on the city?" he asked breathlessly. The other rangers looked just as stunned as he. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No," Tammon replied gravely. "But we were lucky. Next time we might not be as lucky. Our planet needs its rangers."
"What. what are you saying Tammon?" Desira asked.
Tammon sighed. "I'm saying your tests are canceled." Zhane opened his mouth to speak, but Tammon rushed on. "Your training is complete, and the war is coming. We can't afford to take the time for your tests before you come into power." His eyes bore into each ranger individually, and Zhane shivered.
"Your ceremony is tonight. You shall get your powers then. Be ready." He paused, glancing at his feet before raising his eyes to meet those of the rangers once again. "I'm afraid I can no longer help you. I will miss you. You were all great students, and I wish you the best of luck in protecting our planet." He raised his hand to his temple in a salute. "Make me proud."
~*~
Tykwa stood next to Kinwon at the ceremony. The rangers were on a raised platform so everyone could see them. Each wore their respected colors: Zhane wore silver, Desira pink, Tsarmina yellow, Andros red, Zyle black, and Tyline blue. She felt her throat constrict at the sight of them standing side by side, expressions stern. They were so young.
She sniffed, blinking back tears. They were so young, and yet they were KO-35's sole hope for survival.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and she glanced at the sky. Dark clouds had formed above the rangers, but they didn't move. A tongue of lightning flashed, answered by a ear-splitting crack of thunder, and she ducked instinctively, aware of half the audience doing the same.
And then the rangers moved. As one they extended their left arms to the sky, heads craned back, and lightning flashed toward them faster than the eye could follow.
Tykwa caught her breath in amazement. The rangers' arms were still extended, head still tilted back, and their eyes were closed. The lighting flashed again, and this time Tykwa could see the power run through the rangers' bodies, giving them strength and charging their morphers.
And then the lightning vanished, and the rangers lowered their arms and gazed out across the audience. Tyline, who was slightly in front of the others, called out, "Ready?"
As far away from the platforms on which they stood, Tykwa could still clearly hear the others' loud reply of, "Ready!"
As one the rangers' arms shot out, then drew back, and with a cry of, "Let's Rocket!" there was a flashing light. The light faded instantly, and standing in place of the teenagers were six power rangers. The crowd erupted into cheers, and Tykwa found herself applauding enthusiastically.
Dark Spectre might defeat them one day, she thought as she cheered, but they would give him one heck of a fight.
Well, this is the end of The Rise of the Astros, and part two of the Kerovian Chronicles. Email me what you think!!