By Angel Mouse
Phaedos
The seven rangers sat around the fire that was crackling away merrily. A small stand had been set up where Merrick had brewed the tea they were all now drinking and was off to one side. While they had waited for Dulcea and Zaron to recover from the effort to bring them to Phaedos, the Rangers had chatted a little bit and discussed each other's strengths and specialties. It was quickly apparent that all of them were happy to have Andros, as the lone Red Ranger, to be their leader while on this mission. They all became silent and sat down, watching avidly as they the two elders approached them. Dulcea ended up standing behind Zaron, who had sat down in front of the rangers, looking around at each and everyone of them, studying them a moment. Dulcea spoke softly, her voice carrying over the deserted Ninjetti Temple, but they all listened with avid attention to what she had to say.
"Thousand of years ago, you few were responsible were defending your planets, your homes, the universe in some cases, against evil incarnate. As have all the Power Rangers that have come after you have. But about a thousand years ago, Power Rangers no longer became needed. The universe was peaceful, safe, and tranquil. There was no need any more for the legendary protectors that the Power Rangers had become. So, the Power in all it's various forms and types was retired. Power Rangers became myth and legends and soon fled from all knowledge." Zaron took up the narrative now.
"About three hundred years ago, darkness began to creep back into the universe. We don't know much about them except that they go by the name of Shackra. Apparently, that's their leader's name, their planet's name, everything is called Shackra." Zaron swallowed and continued. "Eventually, they wiped out numerous races and planets that were the centre of goodness, including Eltare. I am the last of my people; we fought against it but to no avail. And then in the ruins of our most ancient library, I found some of Zordon's old records and a copy of a partial extract of an Ancient Prophecy. It said that the heroes of the past would re-emerge with the help of the Master Warrior and that they would defeat the darkness. Phaedos is the only planet in the universe unaffected by the Darkness, as the presence of Dulcea and the Great Power protect it. Unfortunately I can't tell you what else it says, as I was only able to salvage that much of it. And so I began a long journey from Eltare to here, and now, here you are." Dulcea then took the narrative again, her voice strong but soft.
"Even though I am unable to leave Phaedos, I am not unawares of the universe's plight. As Billy knows, for Ninjetti, nothing is impossible. I was made aware of the Prophecy that speaks of bringing you Rangers to here about a hundred or so years ago and have been preparing for this ever since. But like Zaron, I do not know the extent of the Prophecy as the person who informed me of its existence was unable to tell me more than that you would be appearing here. And that you would be facing an evil that would be hard to defeat but it that you would prevail in the end." Dulcea gifted them all with a smile. "And trust me when I say, it is nothing that I do not think you can not handle. We have faith in you."
Silence stretched out for a few minutes and then Billy, who leaned forward slightly from where he was sitting next to Merrick broke it.
"So, just exactly what do you want us to do Zaron?" Zaron gave a frustrated sigh and ran his hands over his baldhead.
"That's just it Billy, I'm not sure what to do. We need to defeat this evil but I have no idea where to start." The assembled rangers exchanged concerned glances and then Zhane suddenly grinned, holding Andros's gaze, his eyes full of shared memories.
"This sounds right up your alley Andros." Andros snorted softly and the two long time rangers shared a wry smile.
"Unfortunately it does." Andros turned to Zaron.
"Zaron, what sort of assets do you have?"
"Assets Andros? What do you mean?" Zaron sounded confused.
"Weapons. Zords, bases, supplies, allies that sort of thing. Do you have any of that?" Zaron sighed and shook his head.
"The sum total of my allies are sitting in front of me and standing behind me. Supplies are non-existent. Bases, I assume we can use Phaedos. As for weapons and zords, I have none of those things." This caused all of the rangers to wince, especially Billy and Cam. The two smartest rangers exchanged glances that said it all. They both knew that the responsibility of building those weapons and zords would fall upon their shoulders. Andros saw the look and managed a tiny smile. Their earlier conversations plus his future knowledge of meeting Billy and knowing Billy's abilities as he did, he knew that it was challenge that they would both be up to.
"Billy, Cam. I know what you're thinking and yes, we will need you two to become extremely inventive and good really fast." Cam gave a wry smile.
"Hey, if five of the most destructive Ninja Rangers I've ever meet can trash five zords in the space of five minutes and expect me to repair them in less than that, I reckon I can handle building something from scratch. You up to that Billy?" Billy grinned at them both, the expression on his face making him look younger than he did normally.
"You bet. Trust me; you haven't seen anything until you've seen Tommy trash his zord. Man, I swear I spend most of my free time repairing the damage he does." They all shared a laugh, as they had all had their fair share of zord trashing. Merrick spoke softly from his position next to Billy, speaking for the first time voluntarily in a long time.
"We shouldn't stay here as our base. If this is the last place of goodness in the universe, then our enemies will know where to find us once they know we are here. Being predictable gets you killed all that much more quickly." That thought caused them to think hard a moment and suddenly Zhane clicked his fingers.
"I've got it." He turned to Zaron. "KO35, is that still standing?"
"No, it was among one of the last to fall though." The three Kerovan's managed a small smile for each other.
"At least we know things haven't changed that much."
"What are you thinking Zhane?" Zhane winked at Karone and then looked at Andros.
"When I was hiding with our people while we were fighting against Dark Spectre, we had a few caches around the universe in various locations. We hid weapons, supplies, parts, and things like that, just in case. We could go and see if any of those are still standing and able to be used. Then these two can go to town I believe the earth phrase is." Ashley laughed along with the other earth-based rangers. Cam nodded in agreement.
"Sounds workable." Merrick thought a moment and then spoke softly.
"We'd have to be careful though. We don't want to tip the enemy off that there's Rangers back in town." Andros nodded.
"True. So, to start with, we go and see if we can find supplies and a base of operations. Zhane, you'll have to lead us to those locations, as you'll know where they are." Billy grinned slightly.
"Ah, slight problem their Andros. Just how are we going to get there?" Andros frowned and Zhane laughed, along with the two girls.
"Well, Zhane, Ashley and I can use our galaxy gliders. We can carry one of you all each with us."
"Dibs on Karone!" Zhane's quick-fired words caused them all to laugh heartily and Karone smiled warmly at him as she shook her head.
"I've just had a bad thought. Are our powers going to work this far into the future? And what about mine especially. I put my Kendrix's quasar sabre back on Miranoi." Karone looked up at Dulcea. "Will we be able to use our powers?" Dulcea smiled warmly at her and looked at all of them.
"Your powers will work in this time frame, as you haven't lost them or passed them on to others. As for you Karone, if you find that if you concentrate, you can call your sabre to you." Dulcea looked at them all and smiled. "In fact, if you are unsure, you can morph and begin your quest right now." Andros looked at the others and shrugged.
"Why not, we can get started searching straight away." The other rangers exchanged glances and they all stood up. Karone held out her hands and frowned, closing her eyes she concentrated hard and suddenly with a pink sparkle, a sabre appeared in her hands and a morpher on her wrist. She laughed softly and smiled at them all. Andros gave her a hug, as did Zhane.
"It's nice to have you back Karone."
"Thank you Andros. It will be nice to fight alongside with my brother and my boyfriend." The three kerovan's laughed and Andros looked at the others.
"Let's do this." They all nodded and as one-stepped forward. Billy reached around his back and grabbed his morpher, bringing it forward and calling out.
"Blue Ranger Power!" There was a flash of blue light and he was standing before them, morphed into his ranger suit. Andros, Ashley and Zhane called out in unison.
"Let's Rocket!" With a flash of silver, yellow and red light, the three Astro rangers were standing side by side, in their red, yellow and silver uniforms. Karone raised her sabre to the sky and called out next.
"Go Galactic!" Pink light enveloped her and moments later she was standing next to them, her bright pink and white uniform blending in well with theirs. Merrick raised his growl phone and called out in his distinctive growl.
"Wild Access!" With a flash, he was standing there in his silver and blue uniform, a nice contrast to Billy and Zhane. And then finally Cam took a hold of the amulet around his neck and it pulsed into a round morpher and holding it in front of him he called out as well.
"Samurai Storm, Ranger form!" With a flash of green he was standing with them as well. Zaron smiled widely at the array of the morphed Rangers before him.
"I'm amazed, I truly am. Never in my wildest hopes did I imagine that I would be able to bring you here and see you all. Thank you." Andros nodded and glanced at the line of rangers either side of him. Beneath his helmet he was grinning and he knew that Zhane was as well. It felt good to get back into the action again and even better to have his best friend, his sister and his wife by his side.
"Okay Zhane, where do you think we should try first?"
"Home first and then we'll see."
"Okay. Merrick, you come with me. Cam, you will go with Ashley and Billy, you can go with Zhane and Karone. Zhane's glider is slightly bigger than ours is, so you'll have no trouble fitting the three of you on it. It will take about two hours or so to get to KO35 at the gliders top speed." They all nodded in agreement and the three Astro rangers stepped forward, arms flung out.
"Galaxy Gliders, hang ten!" Suddenly, with a burst of light and power, three gliders roared down from the sky and stopped in front of them. With practiced ease the three Astro rangers leapt up onto them. Andros held his hand out to Merrick who leapt nimbly up behind him. Ashley steadied Cam as he climbed aboard and he held on tight, not to sure about this mode of transport. Zhane had finished helping Karone on board in front of him and Billy quickly held on behind him. Andros glanced around.
"We ready everyone?" They all nodded and Andros grinned even though the others couldn't see it. "Let's go." Dulcea and Zaron watched them go. Dulcea put her hand on his shoulder.
"Do not worry Zaron. They will return and then you can truly begin to lead them in this fight against Shackra." Zaron just nodded, not saying anything, his eyes fixed on the sky.
The trip had been spent in mostly silence; occasionally one of the Astro rangers would suggest a detour so that they could avoid detection by enemy forces. But at just over two hours, they finally came upon KO35. The three Kerovan's were stunned but not as much as they should be. For Andros and Zhane, this was nothing they hadn't witnessed before. Zhane turned his head slightly to look over at Andros.
"We should try the capital first."
"I know. When we left to go back to Earth they were talking of building underground storage bunkers by the west side for emergencies. We should see if they still exist."
"Good idea." Karone moved her head slightly, staring down at her home planet.
"Was it like this... you know, when it happened before?" They were entering the planets atmosphere now and quickly descending to the planet's surface. Both knew what they meant and Andros finally answered.
"Yes. Although this looks a lot worse than the day Dark Spectre invaded us. At least this time…" Andros trailed off and turned slightly to look at Zhane, only to find his best friend was already looking over at him. Zhane finished off Andros's thought for him.
"At least this time I won't be killed." The other three Rangers gasped at this and Billy looked at Zhane, his hands not lessening their grip as the gliders came down to a ruined city. The gliders slowed to a halt and they began to get off them.
"What do you mean killed?" Zhane helped Karone off the glider and looked at Billy. Suddenly, he de-morphed almost at the same time as Andros did. The other rangers quickly followed suit and Zhane sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"The attack was bad, really bad. Andros and I were helping evacuate the last of the civilians when Andros got knocked down by a monster. I rushed in and took the blow that was meant to kill him. I was hurt so badly I died for all intensive purposes." Zhane swallowed hard and Andros came over and stood beside his friend.
"I put Zhane into a hyper sleep capsule. It would heal him from his injuries over time and then he would eventually wake up." The three other Rangers looked stunned and finally Cam broke the silence.
"How long where you in it for?" Zhane winced, it still caused bad memories but he had dealt with them a long time ago.
"Two years." They shook their heads and suddenly Ashley spoke.
"That's neither here nor there right now. Right now we have a mission. Let's get on with it shall we and not dwell in the past." Her bright and cheery manner, as well as the way she said that caused both Cam and Billy to laugh. Billy grinned at her.
"Considering that all of us are from the past, that's a really apt right now Ashley. Alright then. Let's get this show on the road." The seven rangers just laughed, shaking their heads and followed Andros and Zhane as they led the way through the ruins of what was once their home. Sure, they were all from different time periods, different backgrounds and had different powers. But one thing they all had in common was the belief in that they were doing the right thing and that together, they would prevail.
tbc.. In the next chapter, the Rangers make a discovery that has both good and bad consequences…