Renard D'Or

by Jade Daniels

In this universe, Andros and Zhane are gone, Karone is evil, so who's left to save the world? *COMPLETE!*

6. Thoughts and Revelations

Author's Notes: Power Ranger's don't belong to me. The characters Marie Fox and Cyndra both belong to Greeneyes, so don't use without permission.

Thoughts and Revelations

By: Jade Daniels

Divatox had to ask herself, what was the point of her mission? It wasn't as if she had the entire Eltarian army after her. Couldn't Dark Specter simply keep Zordon with himself? After all, the leader of the Alliance of Evil certainly had enough power himself to take on whatever may come his way, even without the extra boost he was getting from Zordon. The Pirate Queen knew that he didn't need her to be doing this, especially when all of the planets of the Alliance of Good were being distracted by other villains from around the galaxy.

The mission was boring. No matter how important it was to Dark Specter, in the end, it was simply boring. The only exciting thing that had happened was when the Silver Ranger - Billy Cranston - had tried to stop them a few months ago. Divatox still wondered how the hell he had managed to escape her ship. She had been having so much fun with him.......

She sighed quietly so as not to be heard by any of the Piranatrons that surrounded her. Once, she had been feared as the Pirate Queen of the Galaxy. She hadn't held any allegiance to anyone, least of all Dark Specter. In fact, she had planned to marry his brother, Malicore, once she had awakened him from his slumber. She had been feared throughout the galaxy. Everyone had cringed at the very thought of her. That of course, had all been before the Power Rangers.

Divatox's eye glowed crimson at the thought of the pesky brats that had so often thwarted her plans for the domination of Earth. She had thought to have her revenge on the planet that had housed the heros. Unfortunately, that plan had led to her downfall. Time after time, she had lost to the Turbo Rangers, finding herself deeper and deeper in debt as she continued to bring in monster after monster to try and destroy her enemies.

In the end Dark Specter had been her savior with the offer for her to join the Alliance of Evil. She hadn't had any choice, and they had both known it. It had been with his help that she had managed to scrape together enough resources to finally take down the Power Ranger's home base. But that had been the catalyst that had brought her to her current dilemma.

Dammit, she was a pirate!! The Pirate Queen of Space!! It wasn't her in her job description to be toting around a prisoner like cargo, and not even getting a worthwhile pay! Zordon may have been one of the great Morphin' Masters of old, but now he was getting weaker, Dark Specter was making sure of that.

In a strange way, Divatox almost wished for the days when she was constantly battling the Turbo Rangers. At least then, she had had something to do, even if it had been losing all the time. She brought her eyes towards one of the many windows that were built into her ship. Looking at the stars that occupied the universe, she wondered if she would ever get her life back.

I hope that this war ends soon, then I will get my life back.

Someone else was having similar thoughts down in the cargo bay of Divatox's space ship. In one hidden corner, there was a large cylinder with a blue light glowing from it. From the outside, all one could see was a giant head, surrounded by fog. Inside though, there stood what appeared to be a weak old man, standing within a swirling mist. He was Zordon, an Eltarian Wizard, a Morphin Master, and the founder of one of the greatest Power Ranger teams in galactic history.

Right now though, he hardly felt worthy of any of those titles. He had spent over ten thousand years trapped in a time warp before. When he had been freed almost three years ago, he had never thought he would be trapped within one of these things again. It just goes to show how stupid I was, and how so damned sure that I could never fall into one of Dark Specter's traps! And here I am, once again confined in one of these insidious time warps.

Not for the first time, he wondered where Alpha 5 was at the moment. The robot had been with him for so long, it was strange to find himself without his assistant. In the attack by Dark Specter's forces on Eltar, Zordon and Alpha had become separated. Afterwards, he and his life energy had been contained in the cylinder prison, while Alpha had simply vanished. Zordon could only hope that the little robot was still alive somewhere in the galaxy.

Alpha 5 wasn't Zordon's only concern. There were others who's whereabouts were unknown. Dimitria and the Blue Senturion, who had been on their way from Earth to Eltar, had also disappeared. Whether they had been killed or captured, Zordon didn't know. Yet, having received no news about them, he could only hope that they too were still alive and well.

I pray that I will not lose any more friends before this war is over.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Hey, do you want to talk?" Andros looked up to see Carlos standing over him. How the Black Ranger had managed to find him, he didn't question. Even after the few months that he had been with the Astro Rangers, he had found that Carlos had an uncanny ability to find things that he wanted. Without waiting for an answer, Carlos sat down beside him on the sidewalk bench. Both Rangers were silent for a few minutes before Carlos spoke again.

"You knew how he felt." It was more of a statement than a question.

Andros didn't look at him, but simply answered, "Yes."

He couldn't say that he hadn't known. On top of being telepathic and telekenetic, he was also empathic. A triple gift, one that had allowed him to feel TJ's jealousy and love the moment he had stepped aboard the Astro Megaship. Feelings that intense were hard to mask, especially in an untrained mind. It was one of the reasons that Andros had avoided Cassie those first few days. He had wanted to give her time to decide who she wanted, even if it had meant losing her. It hadn't occurred to him though that Cassie hadn't known of TJ's feelings.

Carlos sighed, and in that one expression, Andros felt the pain and worry that the Black Ranger had been experiencing over the past month. He couldn't blame him; everyone's emotions had been tense since TJ's breakdown. Even now, the Blue Ranger hadn't recovered and was still confined to the Medical Bay. Alpha and DECA had yet to find a cause or cure for the ailing Ranger. Because of that, Carlos had taken over as leader of the team.

To make things worse, Cassie had been avoiding him. He could understand why she was. She was feeling guilt over TJ's condition, and being around him was making things worse. If TJ, one of her best friends, had to suffer, then she would have to suffer too, especially since she considered herself the cause. But understanding it and being happy about were not the same thing, and Andros was as unhappy as everyone else was about the whole situation.

He had talked with Marie about it a few days ago. Unfortunately, she hadn't had any better ideas about what to do than he had. But she had promised him that she would talk with Cassie. He hoped that the Gold Ranger would be able to convince Cassie to come and talk to him. They had to find a way to resolve this and soon.

Not that Astronema or Cyndra had been much help lately by giving them any sort of rest. The past month had been plagued by attacks from different monsters, mutants, robots as well as the Red and Yellow Astro Rangers. None of the attacks seemed to have been connected with one another. It was as if the villains had taken to blowing up things up randomly for fun.

Which may be exactly what they're trying to do.

"No matter who you are, love is never easy," Carlos suddenly broke into Andros' thoughts. "I ought to know." The Black Ranger looked at him, laughter in his brown eyes. "You wouldn't believe how many trials I had to go through before I finally got my w... uh, girlfriend to even go out with me." He patted Andros on the shoulder. "Believe me though, it really is worth it in the end."

"I hope you're right Carlos," replied Andros, "I hope you're right."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

They were a perfectly matched set. Male and female humans. Red and Yellow Astro Rangers. After a little fiddling, even their looks were similar. They both now had long black hair, slicked away from their pale faces. Ebony eyes gazed out unseeing, but shone with a hidden intelligence. Both were clothed in their respective Ranger colors. He was wearing an all leather outfit, consisting of a red vest, tight black pants and black boots. She was garbed in a body forming black halter top with spaghetti straps, mustard-colored hip huggers and shiny black boots.

Cyndra smiled as she looked at them through her brilliant sapphire eyes. She herself was lounged on the makeshift throne she had the Quantrons construct on the bridge of the Dark Fortress. She was dressed in one of her favorite black spider-silk dresses that blended in perfectly with the ebony of the throne. Her golden hair had been carefully cultivated into delicate waves which now hung over her shoulder, creating a bright contrast between her hair and the dress. A black rose, held between two perfectly manicured fingers, trailed gently along her body.

In one swift move, she vanished away the black rose, calling in five colored computer cards to her hand. With a smile, she ran a finger delicately over the edge, chuckling in delight at the power she could feel beneath the cool metal. From the moment that Cyndra had laid her eyes upon the Psycho Cards, she had known that they would become a valuable tool in destroying the Power Rangers.

With the Psycho Cards, not only would she be giving her Rangers the knowledge of the Astro Rangers' battle techniques, her control over them would become absolute. Astronema's control over the Red Ranger had just been through the morpher she had given him when he had first been captured. That way had been inefficient, and ultimately ineffective, as events had proved. Cyndra's control was through the actual person as she twisted their minds to her own purpose. With the spell that she had placed upon the Psycho Cards, they would augment the mind control and the Psycho Rangers would know only one master: her.

During the past month, she had been making random attacks all over Angel Grove and its surrounding areas. From the records of those battles, she had begun to identify each of the Ranger's personal fighting styles. From there, those fighting styles were being imputed into the Psycho Cards. There would be only five Rangers to deal with now, since the Blue Ranger had been knocked out of commission. Five Astro Rangers versus her five Psycho Rangers. Perfect. It would only be a matter of time before she had all the information necessary to finish off her plan.

Then I'll finally be able to eliminate the Astro Rangers. And with them gone, taking over this putrid little planet will be very easy. Once I've accomplished that, Dark Specter will surely see how right I am to become the heir to his empire.

Her eyes looked upon her Rangers once more. They stood as still as statues, awaiting her next command. She supposed that she could have given them a little more independence, but why bother? With them like this, she was able to make sure that they would do exactly as she commanded. It would only be in battle when they would gain some autonomy. Though, even like this, at their current fighting level, they were more useful than Quantrons.

Unlike some soldiers I know. Her focused shifted to Ecliptor, who had ended up in the storage rooms where Quantrons were stored when not in use. Stripped of his memories and independence, he was little better than one of the metallic warriors now. Anytime Cyndra had tried to give him some sort of freedom, his loyalty had automatically shifted to Astronema and she couldn't understand why.

The thought of the traitor brought Cyndra's attention to a current problem: Astronema was still alive down on Earth. In her haste to get rid of her rival, Cyndra had inadvertently sent Astronema to Angel Grove with all of her magic intact. She had thought at first that the Rangers would take care of the problem for her, but soon remembered that the Rangers had a ridiculous code of honor that wouldn't allow them to destroy Astronema.

Well, it's a problem I intend to rectify immediately as soon as I can find the little bitch.

Somehow, Astronema had managed to vanish off of Cyndra's radar. Whether it had been by magic or just plain luck, at the moment Cyndra had no idea, because she had no way of tracking down her adversary. And she knew that Astronema hadn't been sitting by idly. While Cyndra had been making her random attacks on Angel Grove, she could tell that the Rangers had been getting some extra help. It hadn't take her long to realize just who was behind the help.

But it was of no matter now. Cyndra was almost finished. Soon enough, she would have five Psycho Rangers at her command, ready to destroy the Power Rangers, Astronema, and anyone else who dared to get in her way.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Marie eyed the concoction that had been placed in front of her. Billy had called it 'ice cream'. It wasn't the first new thing he had introduced to her. Over the past few months, she had tried a variety of Earth foods, finding quite a few that were similar to Kerovian dishes. With some trepidation, she scooped up a little of the ice cream into her spoon. She let her lips slide over the cool, creamy confection, marveling at the taste on her tongue.

"Well?" asked Billy, watching her from across the table. They were both at one a local ice cream parlor that was near Angel Grove beach, treating themselves after a long bout of training on the Simudeck.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Smiling, she said, "This is good! I've never actually tasted anything like this before."

Billy laughed, "Well, I was hoping you hadn't."

Marie chuckled as she put another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. It was good to hear Billy laughing. It was a sound that hadn't been heard among the Rangers for awhile now.

"So, how are things between Cassie and Andros?" asked Billy, breaking the silence between them.

Marie sighed, "About the same as ever. Andros has tried talking to Cassie, but she won't go anywhere near him. I've tried talking to her, but that hasn't accomplished anything. She just keeps feeling guilty over what's happened to TJ."

"Seems everyone is unlucky in love lately," murmured Billy with a frown.

"Huh?" asked Marie, looking at him curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," replied Billy, twirling his spoon around in his ice cream, "A couple of friends of mine have broken up over the past few months. I don't know if it was inevitable, but still.... it's disappointing all the same. Sometimes it makes you wonder if it's all worthwhile."

"Of course it is!" Marie was surprised that Billy would even think otherwise. "Love is one of the strongest things in the universe! And if a relationship fails, it only means that a better one is along the way." She caught Billy's surprised look and smiled sheepishly. "Odd of me to be saying that, huh?"

Billy shrugged, "Well, considering what you've been through......" He shrugged.

Marie bit her lip, "I.... I don't think that I ever really gave up on love, not really. I was just blinded by vengeance for a long while, wanting only to make Dark Specter pay for what he had done to my family, friends and world. Everything else just got shoved into the background. It was more like I hadn't anyone to love. But, now that I have you.... guys with me, I can appreciate loving again."

Billy lay his hand on hers, "I'm glad that you can."

A flush of red colored her cheeks. "Thanks." She looked down at their joined hands, watching as his thumb traced light circles over her skin. It was these small contacts with Billy that she was enjoying lately: the brush of their skin against one another, their hands almost touching, but never quite and now, this.

Yes, I can definitely appreciate loving again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Your drink, as ordered Mistress."

With slim fingers, she picked up the crystal glass from the tray in the waiter's outstretched hand. She took a small sip, letting the flavor of the drink roll around on her tongue. Satisfied, she ordered the human away, shutting the door behind him with a wave of her hand.

Well Astronema, you certainly know how to turn things around for the better, don't you? The thought brought a smile to the Princess of Evil's face. Yes, she was doing well for herself, despite all odds, wasn't she? Here she was, living in the lap of luxury with humans waiting on her hand and foot, and it had only cost her a small of amount of magic to boot!

She had been living here for almost a month now. After Cyndra had thrown her out of the Dark Fortress, Astronema knew that she would have to find a way to survive long enough to get her revenge on Dark Specter's granddaughter. It hadn't taken her long to find something in which the Earthers called a 'hotel'. She had seen other places like it on other worlds, so it hadn't been completely unfamiliar to her. With a little magic and mind control, she had made her way to the best room in the hotel. The penthouse suite, she thought it was called.

It was a situation perfectly suitable for her. All she had to do was keep a few people convinced that she was a paying guest, and no one else would be bothering her. A little techno-magery, something she usually didn't excel at, created a shield from scanners and magic so that she would be protected from all her enemies.

Once her own protections had been in place, she had begun her revenge on Cyndra. At the moment, all that she had accomplished was some sabotage of the monster attacks on Angel Grove. A little energy blast here, a few traps there, and the scales easily tipped to the Rangers' side of the fight.

The only thing that concerned her though, was the complete lack of focus in the attacks. They were all over the place. Astronema knew that Cyndra was an insane bitch, but even these attacks went beyond logical thought of any kind. Astronema knew that could only mean one thing: that these attacks were leading up to something big. How big, she wished she knew. Hopefully, it wouldn't be out of her scope to sabotage it.

And after I've finished with Cyndra, then what?

It wasn't the first time Astronema had asked herself that question, not since Cyndra had opened up her mind to her past. I could almost thank her for that. Astronema still felt that her identity was uncertain, at least, the one of the person she was supposed to have been: Karone. Just who was that? Some little girl who had been taken away before she could become truly anyone. So, where did that leave her?

I'm not Karone. At least, not the little-girl Karone. But, I'm the Princess Astronema either. Hell, am I even human anymore? I don't know, I suppose that just means I'm just me now. Plain old Astronema. I've got no one to look out for but myself.

Her fingers touched the locket around her neck.

But what about this.... Andros, my brother? Is he even still alive? Something is telling me, yes, that he is. Do I want to find him though? Would he even be looking for me? Would he want to know me after knowing who and what I am?

But those weren't questions Astronema wanted answered now. No, all she needed to do now was focus on the systematic destruction of Cyndra. She raised her glass in a mocking toast to her enemy. "Look out Cyndra, because Astronema is ready to take you out."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

On the bridge of the Astro Megaship, a girl in a pink shipboard uniform sat in front of a console with a brooding expression. Her head was propped up by her two hands with her entire body slouched forward. Her eyes gazed at the screen in front her but never really looking at what came up.

Sometimes Cassie wished that she had never come to Angel Grove. She already had had enough problems with her family without having to add being a Ranger to her list. With my parents being gone six days a week and me growing up with babysitters, is it any wonder that I have problems? No, not coming to Angel Grove wouldn't have helped. If I had gone somewhere else, I probably would have managed to complicate things elsewhere too.

And if I hadn't come to Angel Grove, I would never have met Andros. Cassie sighed, realizing immediately where her thoughts were going. This was the same cycle of moping she had been indulging in for the past month, ever since TJ had been put into the Medical Bay. If I keep this up much longer I'm going to start crying... again.

Cassie knew that she had shed enough tears this past month. She had been causing herself too much pain by avoiding Andros. It's just that, I still feel so damned guilty about what happened to TJ!!

But, should she be feeling guilty? It was a question that had come up recently in a talk with Marie.

*Flashback*

"You know that you can't control who you love. You told me as much yourself," Marie was saying. Cassie and her were walking through the one of Angel Grove's many malls that day, hoping that a little shopping would help to cheer them up. "So why do you feel like you had a hand in how TJ feels for you? It's not like you led him on or anything. And, I think he knew how you felt about him, otherwise, I think he would have said something much sooner."

"Then why is this happening now?!?" demanded Cassie, crossing her arms in frustration. "If he could have spoken up sooner, why didn't he?"

"You're right," agreed Marie, "It does seem strange. From what I know of TJ, this isn't at all like him."

"Maybe it's because Andros and I are finally together," whispered Cassie, her eyes dropping to the floor, "And that, has somehow just totally done something to him. And if that is the case, then I am responsible for what has happened to him."

"Cassie, you've got to stop blaming yourself for this!" Marie took the Pink Ranger's hand, "What has happened to TJ is not your fault. You have got to believe that."

*End Flashback*

Is Marie right? Do I really have no reason to be feeling guilty about this? But, I can't help thinking that maybe if I had done something differently, then TJ wouldn't be lying restrained in the Medical Bay right now. I wish I knew just what the answer to all this was. If only there was some way to make everyone happy....

A sharp beeping broke into Cassie's thoughts. Startled, she looked at her console. It indicated that there was a message coming in. Immediately she brought the information about the message onto the screen. Her eyes went wide as she read just where the message had come from. I don't believe it.... The origin of the message was the Dark Fortress.

Automatically, Cassie's fingers pressed the 'play' button. The screen went dark for a few moments before a face was shown. It was of a beautiful woman, with striking sapphire eyes and long blonde hair. Her ruby lips formed a cruel smirk as she stared towards the camera.

"Hello Astro Rangers," her melodic voice purred. "By now, you must know who I am. But, if you don't, I'll oblige you with an introduction." A black rose materialized in her hand. "I am Lady Cyndra, High Mage of E.V.I.L., and granddaughter of Dark Specter. I have taken over the Dark Fortress and am now the commander of everything and everyone inside. Astronema is no more."

Cassie gasped, wondering how this woman had managed to destroy one of their enemies, and why.

"Over the past month, you'll have noticed that I have been making random attacks all over Angel Grove and its surrounding cities," continued Cyndra, trailing the rose along her collarbone. "While I admit it has been an amusing diversion, it hasn't helped that you keep destroying my minions. Frankly, I don't need to be losing anymore of my resources."

Cyndra stepped away from view, revealing the Red and Yellow Rangers behind her, fully morphed. "You want these two. I want the Earth," Cyndra's voice came from somewhere off-screen, "Thus, I propose a final battle. Whoever wins, gets their prize. Of course, one of us will most likely be destroyed by the time everything is over anyway."

The mage laughed as she stepped back into view, "I am giving you one chance, and one chance only to end all this endless fighting. I do suggest that you take me up on my offer. Otherwise...." Cyndra left the threat dangling. "I expect to hear from you within one hour." With those parting words, the screen became blank.

Cassie knew immediately what she had to do. Pressing the 'all call' button on her communicator, she said, "Guys, get to the bridge now! There's something that you have got to see!!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"One final battle," mused Cyndra as she sent off her message, "One final battle is all that it will take to collect enough information on them to finally set my Psycho Rangers free! Then, yes then will it be the final days for the Power Rangers."

She looked at her two Rangers standing side by side. She had had them remove their helmets after the message had been sent. Their lifeless black eyes stared out, matching the rather dull-witted expression that was on their faces. Cyndra trailed a finger down Ashley's face as she considered the thought.

"Hmmm, I suppose I will have to do something about that," she said, "Not that the Rangers will be able to see you under those helmets.... But I really don't like the idea of having my soldiers as stupid as stone." She waved to the Quantrons, "I already have enough of that as is."

Cyndra made a small gesture in front of her Rangers' faces. There was a flash of black light, followed by the sound of a small explosion. When it was over with, the dullness within the Rangers' black eyes had gone. The two of them looked at their Mistress intelligently and she could see a hunger for battle within those eyes that didn't bode well for her enemies.

She smiled, "Soon enough will you get to appease that hunger my Rangers. Soon enough."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"There's no way that we're agreeing to this," Marie said vehemently, as she paced up and down along the floor of the bridge, "It's a trap!"

The other Astro Rangers had just finished watching the message from Cyndra. With forty-five minutes left, they were now discussing what to do about Cyndra's offer.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Carlos with a frown. He was leaning against the middle section of consoles. "Who knows? Cyndra could actually want this."

"Yeah right!" scoffed Marie, coming to a halt, "Like the granddaughter of Dark Specter would really be that honorable! I wouldn't believe one word that came out of her mouth!"

"But, we've got to take the opportunity if it comes, don't we?" asked Cassie from her seat by the console.

Andros ran a hand through his striped hair. "Cassie's right. This isn't an opportunity that we can pass up lightly."

"But that's why Cyndra made the offer in the first place!" exclaimed Marie, her green eyes blazing, "This is too damned good an offer! She knows that we wouldn't be able to turn it down easily." She sat down in a chair with an audible thump. Her eyes fixed on each one of the Rangers', "It's a trap and we all know it."

Billy's hands came down upon her shoulders. "And because we know it is a trap, we can be prepared." His voice was soft, but it carried to everyone in the room.

"I wish TJ was here," Carlos muttered under his breath.

Even knowing that he hadn't meant to be heard, Carlos' words cut through to Cassie's heart. With a muffled sob, she pressed a hand to her lips. Andros came beside her, enfolding her into his embrace. With a stern look at Carlos, he said, "But he isn't, so we'll have to make do without him." His eyes then fell on Marie. "You know what we have to do, don't you?"

Marie lay one of her hands on Billy's and nodded. "Yeah, I do," she replied with a sigh of resignation.

Carlos, looking slightly ashamed, nodded his head. "Alright, so are we all agreed then? We will meet with Cyndra's troops for a final battle?" He received a nod from each of the Rangers. "Okay, so then let's contact Dark Specter's granddaughter."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The Rangers teleported to the battle sight first, only to find themselves alone. It had been agreed that the location of the fight would be on the outskirts of town, in the desert region where nothing could be hurt except the sand and rocks. Each of the Rangers searched with their scanners for any signs of life, only to find none.

"I don't like this," said Marie as she looked around, "Where is she?"

The question was answered by an energy blast that landed a few feet away from the Rangers. They all turned to see Cyndra standing atop a small rise above them. Instead of her black dress, she had dressed in shiny black armor. Beside her were the Red and Yellow Rangers. Behind the three of them stood a monster and a small army of Quantrons.

"Were you looking for me Gold Ranger?" laughed Cyndra, "Well, here I am!"

"Well why don't you come down here so that you can get a proper introduction from my Solar Sais?" hissed Marie, holding out her weapons.

Cyndra laughed again. "Oh, I don't think so Ranger." She pointed her finger towards the Rangers and turned towards her soldiers. "Go." At her command, the Quantrons surged forward, their Q-blades at the ready. The sound of clashing metal soon sounded in the air as the Rangers battled against the foot soldiers.

"Yes, perfect!" murmured Cyndra. She snapped her fingers, materializing a floating recorder. "Start recording," she commanded. The machine obliged, floating above the battle, recording all of the fighting.

"Mistress, when will we get a chance at them?" asked the Red Ranger, obviously itching to do some fighting. He kept shifting his weight back and forth, his Spiral Saber glinting in the sunlight.

"Yes Lady, when will we get to have our fun?" asked Katiss, the monster Cyndra had commissioned.

"Soon," answered Cyndra with a small chuckle, "Don't be so impatient."

The Red Ranger grunted an unintelligible answer.

Hidden nearby, a pair of blue eyes watched the battle while she awaited her chance to join in. Her eyes narrowed when she didn't see one particular soldier. Her hand pounded against the sand in frustration. "Dammit!" she muttered, "She didn't bring him along!"

Out here in the desert was the last place Astronema had expected a battle today. It didn't matter now though. A fight was a fight and Astronema wasn't about to be left out, especially when this particular fight had Cyndra in it. Even without the chance to regain Ecliptor, it wouldn't hurt for her to have a little fun, now would it? With a small smile, Astronema continued to watch the battle, waiting for her chance to strike.

Meanwhile, Carlos struck his Lunar Lance in a circle around him, knocking out all the Quantrons that were in his way. A few more well placed kicks and punches soon created a path amongst the foot soldiers leading him directly towards Cyndra. The villainess only looked amused as she watched her robotic minions fall at the Rangers' feet.

As Carlos continued to make his way towards Cyndra, she suddenly struck out her hand. Before he could blink, a ball of blue magefire appeared in her hand. With a single word, Cyndra shot it directly at Carlos. It caught the Black Ranger in the chest, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into the sand, raising up a cloud of dust.

Some nearby Quantrons immediately took advantage of this and made their way towards Carlos. But the Black Ranger easily saw them coming. He somersaulted away from the Quantrons, landing on his feet. With his blaster, he knocked them out of his way.

Nearby, Cassie was holding her own against the Quantrons. "Satellite Stunner, Booster Mode!" she shouted, joining her pink weapon to her blaster. Wielding it in an arc in front of her, the Pink Ranger soon had the Quantrons cowering away in fear.

Suddenly, she was hit from behind. Cassie found herself on the ground with the wind knocked out of her and the Stunner too far away to reach. She looked up to see a Quantron standing over her, its Q-blade at the ready. As the blade came down, it was suddenly blocked by a red sword. A strong kick was delivered by a foot encased in black boots. The blow sent the Quantron staggering away.

"Are you alright?" asked a very worried Andros. He held out his hand to her.

Blushing under her helmet, she nodded and took his hand. "Yes, thank you Andros."

Billy's Super Silverizer was being put to good use as he plowed through a set of Quantrons with practiced ease. He looked over his shoulder to see Marie doing the same with her Solar Sais. She was making short work of each of the Quantrons that she could get her hands on.

"Billy, behind you!" someone shouted. Immediately, he turned around, stopping a Q-blade just inches from his head with his Super Silverizer.

"Now, that's not nice!" he grunted, throwing the Quantron off of him with a quick kick to its chest. Billy followed up with a strike to the neck, taking off the metal soldier's head.

Just as the number of Quantrons began to dwindle, Cyndra unleashed her monster, Katiss, upon the Rangers. Katiss was unlike anything that any of the Rangers had seen before. It looked like a strange mix of snake and cat. The head and torso were mostly reptilian, but the arms, legs and tail were covered with feline fur.

"Didn't we face against a snake thing a few months ago?" asked Cassie as she dodged a blow from a swiping claw.

"Yeah, but that one didn't have fur," Marie replied, managing to land a kick on the thing's tail and being rewarded with a deafening howl.

"Battle Blade!" shouted Carlos, leaping up. His right arm began to glow with blue energy. With a swiping motion, his arm came down upon Katiss' chest, throwing back a few feet.

"Why didn't you send us?" demanded Ashley.

"Because I wanted Katiss to soften the Rangers up a bit first," answered Cyndra.

"We do not need some monster to soften them up for us!" hissed the Red Ranger, "We can take them down easily without that thing's help!"

"I know you can, but not with your current powers," said Cyndra soothingly, "Do remember, this is all going to be recorded for my plan. Katiss is expendable, you are not." She continued to watch as the Rangers soon had the advantage over Katiss. Cyndra knew that her monster would soon be destroyed. "Very well my Rangers, now you may go."

That was all Ashley and the Red Ranger needed as they shot down towards the battle. Unleashing the Star Slinger and Spiral Saber respectively, they quickly began randomly attacking the Rangers. But it wasn't long before they began focusing on one particular Ranger each. Ashley concentrated her attacks on Carlos while Marie was being used as target practice for the Red Ranger. This left Cassie, Andros and Billy against Katiss.

A sudden blast of purple energy emerged, hitting Katiss squarely in the chest. The monster went down unceremoniously, much to the surprise of everyone else around it. For a moment, everything stopped and all was silent.

"What was that?" Cassie's voice broke through the silence.

Cyndra's eyes narrowed, "I'd know that energy blast anywhere." She raised her voice, "Astronema! Come out, come out, wherever you are!! There's no use hiding. I know that you're here."

Astronema left her covering to face Cyndra, her glowing Wrath Staff in her hands. She was dressed in her usual attire of silver and black armor, heavy makeup and green colored hair. Her eyes gazed upon the Quantrons, the Red and Yellow Rangers and Katiss before making their way to Cyndra. "I never thought you'd come down to do your own dirty work Cyndra."

"And miss the chance to finally destroy you, Karone?" retorted Cyndra, her hands on her hips. "I never thought you'd be fool enough to attack me. Are all the people from your planet really this stupid?"

Andros' head whipped around to look at Astronema. He could feel Marie' confusion and shock, echoing his own. *What is going on?* His thought went directly to the Gold Ranger. *Did Cyndra really just call her... Karone?*

*You and I both heard it,* Marie answered, *Is it really her?*

*I.... I don't know,* Andros said, his eyes still gazing at Astronema, *I just don't know.*

"Why don't we find out?" Astronema challenged.

With her Wrath Staff, she sent out an energy blast of purple in a wide arc. Cyndra immediately countered with a ball of blue magefire. The two blasts ricocheted off one another with a huge explosion. Everyone was knocked down, but Cyndra was soon back on her feet.

The mage quickly sent out another ball of fire at Astronema. This one was knocked out of the way by Astronema's staff towards Katiss. The monster didn't have time to do anything before the magefire engulfed it. The power proved to be too much for it and it was immediately incinerated. Billy, Andros and Cassie looked on in shock as the monster was turned into dust.

"Argh!" screamed Cyndra, potent fury in her eyes.

Astronema laughed. "Guess they don't make monsters the way they used to, huh Cyndra?"

"I've had enough of this!" growled Cyndra. With a wave of her hand, she vanished.

Ashley and the Red Ranger looked at the spot where their Mistress had vanished before looking back at the Astro Rangers. Ashley tilted her head, "Well Rangers, shall we continue where we left off?"

Carlos and Cassie stepped forward, ready to do battle again to try and reclaim their lost friend. Billy followed them, knowing the pain one experienced when faced with an adversary who was a friend. Andros and Marie stayed behind, not knowing what to do. They realized that they had to support their teammates in trying to help Ashley, but what about Astronema? Were they just going to let the key to Andros' search just vanish?

*Go to her,* Marie's voice was suddenly in Andros' mind.

*What?* he asked, shocked at the suggestion.

*We can take care of Ashley and the Red Ranger. I can explain things to the others.* Marie replied, *You need to talk to Astronema.*

He put his hand on her shoulder and nodded. *Thank you.* It was all that needed to be said before he ran up to the former Princess of Evil.

She backed away as he approached, the tip of her Wrath Staff pointed directly at him. "Stay away from me!" she snarled.

Andros held up his hands in defense. "I just want to talk, that's all." He tried to keep his voice calm. "I want to know, was Cyndra telling the truth when she called you Karone?"

The tip of the staff lowered a bit. Astronema's eyes showed her puzzlement. "Yes," she answered slowly, "I was once known as Karone."

He could feel the excitement building up inside of him. "From KO-35?"

She looked at him in shock, "What?"

"KO-35," he repeated, desperate to get her answer, "Are you from the planet KO-35?"

"T..That's what I was told," she replied, looking at him strangely, "I was a child there, before.... before....."

"Before you were captured and taken away from your family," he said softly, stepping slowly towards her.

This time, Astronema didn't back away. "What? How...how did you know that?"

In answer, Andros demorphed. Astronema's eyes widened as she looked upon his striped hair. Her mouth opened and closed for a few moments before her voice worked again. "That hair....." She looked him in the eyes, "Who are you?"

"My name is Andros."

The blood drained from Astronema's face. "Andros?" she whispered. Her fingers immediately flew to the locket around her neck. "Andros?" she repeated. She opened the silver locket, looking at the two pictures that were inside.

Noticing what she did, Andros pulled out his own locket and opened it, revealing his own two pictures, identical to hers. Tears in his eyes, he whispered, "It really is you!!"

Before she could respond, there was a sudden explosion that knocked them off of their feet. In unison, they turned to see that something had happened in the Astros' battle against Ashley and the Red Ranger. The Yellow Ranger had been thrown up into the air, landing a few feet away, barely conscious. The Astros themselves hadn't fared much better, each with their uniforms singed and smoking.

But it was the Red Ranger who apparently took the worst of the explosion. Andros saw him land on the ground hard enough that he was forcibly demorphed. Andros was shocked for the second time that day as the Red Ranger raised himself to his feet. It didn't take more than a fleeting glance for Andros to recognize the face, even with the black hair and eyes.

*Oh Gods!!* Marie's mind voice was like a shout in his head, before dying down to a whisper. *I can't believe it....*

The Red Ranger was someone that they both recognized all too well. It was someone that both had thought to be dead for almost four years ago. He had been the laughing personality of the Kerovian Rangers and Andros' best friend.

The Red Ranger was none other than the former Kerovian Silver Ranger, Zhane.