Issue One, Act One
Day of the Portal
Scene Three
Chessmaster
The viewing screen was then shut off as the Karovian turned his attention to the pressing matter at hand.
"It's showtime, Deca. Deploy the Cranial Drones from all five transport bays. Arm all lasers and wait for my order."
Five doors slid open with depressurizing hums. The drones, their rear thrusters firing off blue afterburners, their shiney white exterior reflecting a nearby star, lifted off into deep space. The drones, designed after Earthen shuttles, circled around the mammoth Astro Megaship.
"Lasers armed. Andros, consider the risks of this strike. His energy prison is unlike anything in my data banks. The Megaship's weapons will have little effect."
I don't need a mosquito in my ear, thought Andros.
"Channel seven Megaship plasma converters and tap them into the laser cannons. Have the drones target-lock all weapons on the prison's center. I'll fry his ass with everything I've got."
"Your thinking is not logical. Andros- "
Just then, Andros pressed the "mute" button on his control panel, leaving only the echo of silence to fill the air. Cold and sweet silence at last, he thought. Is ridding this universe of the Monarch ringleader so irrational? What the hell am I supposed to do? Should I pray for a miracle? Let the Chancellor get around to it in five years? He continued to enter course settings and scanned the area to ensure that only he and Unagi were currently present. The only two people I loved was taken by this monster, and I'm supposed to sing about it? What justice is that? Where is the justice promised by Drake? What the hell is he using Time Force for besides an elaborate penthouse to get laid in? We've had more than enough time and more than enough chances to destroy Unagi in the past, but Time Force did nothing. It's more concerned over elections and looking nice to interplanetary councils. I hope you're satisfied, Alex, I really do. You'd better be the one praying. After I'm through with Unagi, you've got some answers I've been dying to ask you.
There is was. The energy prison shielding Unagi was as crisp of an image as one could get, which was now zoomed in on the main view screen of the bridge. A collage of bright blues and greens lit up Andros' face.
"Unagi..."
Andros whispered to himself, starring into the depths of the blue and green spherical energy prison that lay afloat in this deeply hidden region of outer space.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Opening the door to the shuttle cockpit, he kept his hand on the handle as he absorbed the setting, staring coldly first at the view of deep space, and then at the control panel which he chose to man himself. With only brief hesitation, Andros let go of the handle and reached for his wrist- mounted Morpher, pressing open the hinged latch which carried the Karovian emblem. Beneath that latch were all the buttons he'd not used since the Karovian massacre two years ago, but it was the circuit underneath the sheet of buttons that interested him now. The sheet snapped off, and the Karovian had already disconnected the circuit by the time he sat in the gray cockpit chair.
"Deca, upload this power transfer. Charge the drones with the plasma energies from this circuit," explained Andros, having already inserted the chip into a hidden drive beneath the dark glass of the control panel. After encoding was complete seconds later, a set pattern of computer chimes signaled to him what he wanted.
"Engage accelerators of the lead drone towards the core of Unagi's energy prison. When it reaches 6,000 kilometers, re-route all its circuitry powers primarily to its shoulder cannons. That includes the backup generator."
Andros, his loose fist propped underneath his bottom lip, sat leaned against the front edge of the panel as he laid out his tactics to the onboard computer. He cursed himself for not seeing Unagi's face at this moment.
"Have drones IV and V meet I, and then circle them to the sides of the prison at the same altitude. II will position itself towards the front-top shortly. Has III been prepared as instructed?"
Andros flipped on a red switch on the panel which allowed the computer to speak again.
"Affirmative. But I should warn you, if-"
Andros flipped the voice back off. "Thank you," spoke Andros, nonchalantly. "The drones are set. Now, deploy the Mega Winger via the rear hatch. Unagi won't know what hit him."
"Mega Winger unable to comply," read an electronic message from Deca.
"He's already mounting a counter-strike. Damn it!" He slammed his hand through the glass of a control console. The deep cuts went ignored.
Now rechecking the vital statistics of the Winger, Andros' suspicions were confirmed. Unagi had telekinetically shut down Zhane's old Zord. A fiery spark lit in the commander's eyes.
"Nothing's going to stop him from cutting the power to the other Zords, Deca. If I don't strike now, I won't have another chance."
His hand squeezed a golden locket draped around his neck as tears began to trickle over his chiseled face.
"Deca..." he took in a deep breath and tried to refocus his thoughts, "Deca, initiate self destruction sequence of Mega Winger and Astro Megaship mark II; authentication: Commander Andros of Karova, 08-28-1993."
Andros' telekinetic pathways were alerting him. This wasn't the first time, but each time was weighing more and more on his shoulders.
"Alright, Deca. Engage drones I, VI and V, now!"
A laser barrage now followed. Deep space became littered with the spectral energies from the two drones on the prison sides. Andros alarmingly noted that when the rounds darted into the prison, there was never an impact. The blasts vanished into thin air after entering the prison.
"That's...great." Prying his eyes away from the viewing screen, Andros continued steering the ship's course."
A tentacle deriving from the energy prison shot out and penetrated the crystallized metals of Cranial Drone IV. The drone was then vastly thrown off orbit and drifted as the tentacle, having obviously broken through the life-force shield provided by the circuit from Andros' Morpher, drained what energy was left.
The drone's power was converted to crimson energy which traveled down the tentacle and into the core of the prison, which was thus far unfazed by the barrage. Then with unseen swiftness, the drone was hurled across space, the tentacle sliding out of its mechanical remains, until thrashed into Cranial Drone V. An immediate explosion followed which lit the dark pupils in Andros' eyes.
Scene Three
Chessmaster
The viewing screen was then shut off as the Karovian turned his attention to the pressing matter at hand.
"It's showtime, Deca. Deploy the Cranial Drones from all five transport bays. Arm all lasers and wait for my order."
Five doors slid open with depressurizing hums. The drones, their rear thrusters firing off blue afterburners, their shiney white exterior reflecting a nearby star, lifted off into deep space. The drones, designed after Earthen shuttles, circled around the mammoth Astro Megaship.
"Lasers armed. Andros, consider the risks of this strike. His energy prison is unlike anything in my data banks. The Megaship's weapons will have little effect."
I don't need a mosquito in my ear, thought Andros.
"Channel seven Megaship plasma converters and tap them into the laser cannons. Have the drones target-lock all weapons on the prison's center. I'll fry his ass with everything I've got."
"Your thinking is not logical. Andros- "
Just then, Andros pressed the "mute" button on his control panel, leaving only the echo of silence to fill the air. Cold and sweet silence at last, he thought. Is ridding this universe of the Monarch ringleader so irrational? What the hell am I supposed to do? Should I pray for a miracle? Let the Chancellor get around to it in five years? He continued to enter course settings and scanned the area to ensure that only he and Unagi were currently present. The only two people I loved was taken by this monster, and I'm supposed to sing about it? What justice is that? Where is the justice promised by Drake? What the hell is he using Time Force for besides an elaborate penthouse to get laid in? We've had more than enough time and more than enough chances to destroy Unagi in the past, but Time Force did nothing. It's more concerned over elections and looking nice to interplanetary councils. I hope you're satisfied, Alex, I really do. You'd better be the one praying. After I'm through with Unagi, you've got some answers I've been dying to ask you.
There is was. The energy prison shielding Unagi was as crisp of an image as one could get, which was now zoomed in on the main view screen of the bridge. A collage of bright blues and greens lit up Andros' face.
"Unagi..."
Andros whispered to himself, starring into the depths of the blue and green spherical energy prison that lay afloat in this deeply hidden region of outer space.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Opening the door to the shuttle cockpit, he kept his hand on the handle as he absorbed the setting, staring coldly first at the view of deep space, and then at the control panel which he chose to man himself. With only brief hesitation, Andros let go of the handle and reached for his wrist- mounted Morpher, pressing open the hinged latch which carried the Karovian emblem. Beneath that latch were all the buttons he'd not used since the Karovian massacre two years ago, but it was the circuit underneath the sheet of buttons that interested him now. The sheet snapped off, and the Karovian had already disconnected the circuit by the time he sat in the gray cockpit chair.
"Deca, upload this power transfer. Charge the drones with the plasma energies from this circuit," explained Andros, having already inserted the chip into a hidden drive beneath the dark glass of the control panel. After encoding was complete seconds later, a set pattern of computer chimes signaled to him what he wanted.
"Engage accelerators of the lead drone towards the core of Unagi's energy prison. When it reaches 6,000 kilometers, re-route all its circuitry powers primarily to its shoulder cannons. That includes the backup generator."
Andros, his loose fist propped underneath his bottom lip, sat leaned against the front edge of the panel as he laid out his tactics to the onboard computer. He cursed himself for not seeing Unagi's face at this moment.
"Have drones IV and V meet I, and then circle them to the sides of the prison at the same altitude. II will position itself towards the front-top shortly. Has III been prepared as instructed?"
Andros flipped on a red switch on the panel which allowed the computer to speak again.
"Affirmative. But I should warn you, if-"
Andros flipped the voice back off. "Thank you," spoke Andros, nonchalantly. "The drones are set. Now, deploy the Mega Winger via the rear hatch. Unagi won't know what hit him."
"Mega Winger unable to comply," read an electronic message from Deca.
"He's already mounting a counter-strike. Damn it!" He slammed his hand through the glass of a control console. The deep cuts went ignored.
Now rechecking the vital statistics of the Winger, Andros' suspicions were confirmed. Unagi had telekinetically shut down Zhane's old Zord. A fiery spark lit in the commander's eyes.
"Nothing's going to stop him from cutting the power to the other Zords, Deca. If I don't strike now, I won't have another chance."
His hand squeezed a golden locket draped around his neck as tears began to trickle over his chiseled face.
"Deca..." he took in a deep breath and tried to refocus his thoughts, "Deca, initiate self destruction sequence of Mega Winger and Astro Megaship mark II; authentication: Commander Andros of Karova, 08-28-1993."
Andros' telekinetic pathways were alerting him. This wasn't the first time, but each time was weighing more and more on his shoulders.
"Alright, Deca. Engage drones I, VI and V, now!"
A laser barrage now followed. Deep space became littered with the spectral energies from the two drones on the prison sides. Andros alarmingly noted that when the rounds darted into the prison, there was never an impact. The blasts vanished into thin air after entering the prison.
"That's...great." Prying his eyes away from the viewing screen, Andros continued steering the ship's course."
A tentacle deriving from the energy prison shot out and penetrated the crystallized metals of Cranial Drone IV. The drone was then vastly thrown off orbit and drifted as the tentacle, having obviously broken through the life-force shield provided by the circuit from Andros' Morpher, drained what energy was left.
The drone's power was converted to crimson energy which traveled down the tentacle and into the core of the prison, which was thus far unfazed by the barrage. Then with unseen swiftness, the drone was hurled across space, the tentacle sliding out of its mechanical remains, until thrashed into Cranial Drone V. An immediate explosion followed which lit the dark pupils in Andros' eyes.