"Okay, so now what do we do? We don't have our morphers anymore, and Astromena's forces are getting stronger by the moment," Tommy said as the five of them stood in the Power Chamber staring upwards at Zordon.
"All is not lost rangers. Now that the Great Sage has been rescued and the traitor has been revealed, we can proceed without Astromena knowing our plans," he told them.
It was Tanya who took a step forward. "But we don't have any plans. Even if we did, we'd have to way to fight Astromena, and without our morphers, it'll be impossible," she said.
"The five of you managed to rescue the Great Sage and escape from the moon base without your powers. When the time comes, you will be able to defeat her," Zordon mentioned.
"Hes right. Morphers or not, we're still rangers," Tanya said.
"Yeah, powerless rangers. You think they have a theme song for that?" Adam joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I may be able to access the computer systems onboard the ship Tanya commandeered, it may give us a clue to the where-abouts of the real Phantom Ranger and maybe get some information about the zeonizers as well," William said.
"In the meantime, we should…" Katherine was cut short.
"In the meantime, all of you should get some rest. You've done well, and all of you deserve some much needed rest," Zolara said as she walked into the room.
"I'll stay behind and work on the computers in the ship. I'll contact you guys if I find something," William said.
Tommy nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Either way, we'll meet back here in the morning," he said.
*-*
"Everything is going according to plan my Princess. The rangers have no powers, the Phantom Ranger is still in our grasps and now that the Great Sage has been rescued…" Ecliptor was cut short as Astromena raised her hand raised, motioning for him to stop.
"The Sage will lead us into the Temple of Light. Once we harness the power inside the temple, we will become unstoppable. The universe will bow before me," she said with a smile.
"But my Princess, what of the Astro rangers? They have defeated our forces on KO-35 and may make their way here," he mentioned.
"Let them come, all but one of the rangers have been destroyed. The red ranger is all alone now, and I hope he's foolish enough to come here by himself. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to destroy him myself," she said.
"As you wish my Princess," Ecliptor said as he bowed slightly, then walked out the room.
*-*
Zolara had been nice enough to give them quarters to rest in, and although Tommy was exhausted from the trip, he was wide-awake. He'd been lying next to Katherine for hours now, watching her as she slept.
'Shes so beautiful,' he thought to himself, cracking a smile.
Part of him was glad she was there. He didn't want to go half way across the galaxy and fight a hopeless battle, but he knew his chances were a lot better she was she with him. Then again, in her condition, he didn't want her rushing off into battle. He placed his hand on her stomach gently, rubbing it softly.
It was only a matter of time before the baby was born, and he knew that once it was, certain things in his life would have to change. 'No more powers, no more saving the city. I have to be a good father,' he told himself. For years now, he'd dedicated his life to protecting the innocent and saving lives; first as the green ranger, then as the white ranger with new powers, and even as the red Zeo ranger. He hadn't had time to adjust to his new Turbo powers before they were taken from him, and given to a new generation of rangers.
He was convinced after he gave his Morpher to TJ that things would be different for him; he'd have more time to spend with Katherine, more time to train and prepare for his unborn child. As fate would have it, Zordon had other plans for him. Once the war with Astronema was over, he planned on returning to Earth and dedicating his life to his girlfriend and his child.
'This is last time,' he sighed inwardly as he finally closed his eyes, drifting off the sleep.
*-*
"Alpha, take a look at this," William said as he sat in the cockpit on the ship, going over the system data. Alpha walked over to him, looking over his shoulder.
"What is it William?"
"According to this, Astromena is planning on entering the temple of light and gaining control of the Eltarian crystal," he said.
"If she got her hands on the crystal, no force in the universe would be able to stop her. Fortunately, only someone true of heart may able the temple doors," he said.
William paused. "Alpha, where is the Great Sage now?"
"In the infirmary receiving treatment until a transport can escort him back to the temple," he said.
"Why is he going to the temple?"
"It's the only place where he can truly be healed. His energy has been drained, and he needs the energy of the Eltarian crystal to replenish his life force," he said.
"What if Astromena let us rescue the Sage knowing that sooner or later, he'd have to go back to the temple?" he asked.
"But why?"
"Because once the doors are open…"
"… Astronema will be able to gain access to the temple, then steal the crystal," Alpha said.
"We have to stop her!" he snapped.
"That's why I will be accompanying the Sage to the temple," Zolara said as she walked into the cockpit as well.
"But it's a trap," William pointed out.
"Yes, it is, but Astromena doesn't know that we're aware of her plans. This could be the advantage we need to shift the balance of power in the war. In the Sage's weakened state, he won't be able to withstand an attack on the temple, and that's what Astromena is counting on. What she doesn't know is that we'll be waiting for her," she explained.
"Good plan, but we have no powers," he said.
"You won't need them. All we need to do is distract her long enough to get the Sage inside and close the doors. We'll stick close to him, make sure he's inside, and then we'll be clear," she said.
"Astronema will be no doubt come to Eltar in full force, we'll have to be ready," he said.
"The transport arrives in a few hours, that should be enough time to prepare the other rangers. I've also contacted Andros, now that KO-35 is safe from attack, he has agreed to aid us in our efforts," Zolara told him.
"I've heard of Andros, he's the red Astro ranger, right?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, the rest of his team was destroyed in an explosion on KO-35. He is the sole surviving Astro ranger," she said.
"What happened to them?"
"They were ambushed, set up by the handful of generals that remain of the Machine Empire. They never knew what happened," Zolara said.
"That's terrible,"
"Unless we do something soon, the same may happen to us. Awake the rangers and inform them of the plan," she said.
"Right away," Alpha said as he walked away.
*-*
"My Princess, the transport escorting the Great Sage to the Temple of Light is about to arrive," Ecliptor told her.
Astromena sat on her thrown, watching on the main view screen as a transport vehicle made its way towards the Power Chamber. She leaned back, crossing her legs as she smiled with approval.
"Excellent. Is everything in place?"
"Yes my Princess. The informant has given us all the information we need to achieve our objective," he told her.
"Dispatch another group of Quantrons just to be sure. A lot of planning has gone into this, and we can't afford for it to fail," she said.
"As you wish," he said as he bowed slightly, walking away.
"Its only a matter of time now. In a few moments, there will be nothing standing in-between me and universal domination," Astromena said.
"What about Dark Spector?" The Phantom Ranger asked as he walked into the room, standing next to her thrown.
"When the time comes, not even Dark Spector will be able to stop me," she sighed deviously.
*-*
Tommy and Adam helped the Great Sage as they made their way towards the transport vechile. William quickly opened the doors on the transport, allowing Adam and Tommy to place the Sage inside.
"He looks pretty bad," Adam noticed.
"That's why we have to get him in the temple. Zolara says that the crystal will be able to restore his power," William pointed out.
"And you guys are sure that Astronema is going to try an attack on the temple?" Tommy inquired.
"According the data I found on the ship, yes. Only someone true of heart can open the doors to the Temple of Light. Their plan is to allow the Sage to go through, then follow him in and acquire the Eltarian crystal before the doors are able to close. That's where we come in. Our job is to hold off Astronema's forces until the Sage and Zolara are safely inside," he explained.
"Tanya and Katherine will ride up front with the transport operator. William, you and Adam should sit in the back along with the Sage and Zolara. I'll follow behind you," Tommy explained.
"With what?"
"Zolara managed to get her hands on a damaged Velsofighter and repair it. I'll use it to stay behind you just in case," he said.
"Understood,"
"Alright guys, lets do it," Adam said.
~
"Do not worry Sage, we will arrive at the temple shortly," Zolara assured him.
The Sage, despite getting medical attention, still didn't appear to be in the best shape. His eyes were swollen, and he was slumped over, leaning up against Zolara.
"Thank you my child," he sighed.
"You know, I hate to see him like that," Katherine said as she and Tanya sat up front with the transport driver.
"Yeah, it's like seeing your God in pain. I don't think I could handle that," she sighed.
"So how is the crystal supposed to help him?"
"According to the Eltarian scrolls, he plans to use the crystal to open an entrance to the River of J'Than. The river is said to be where fallen Eltarians go to be at peace. Once he gets there, the water from the river should revive him," Tanya said.
"Since when you do all the Eltarian myths?"
"I wasn't very tired, so Alpha gave me some reading material. I thought I'd study up on Eltar, since we're going to be here for a while," she said.
"So what do you think? You think we'll be able to pull this off without our powers?" Katherine asked her.
"Honestly, I don't know. If we had our morphers, it would be a lot easier. This isn't the first time we haven't had our powers, and we always seem to manage," she said.
"Lets hope you're right,"
"We have arrived at the Temple of Light," the transport driver said.
~
The Temple of Light itself was a magnificent sight. The entire structure seemed to be emanating a beautiful white glow, surrounding the temple. On the door seemed to be cravings, engravings of some kind.
As Adam and William helped the Sage out the transport, it was Tanya who walked over to the door, getting a good look at it. Katherine walked up behind her.
"What is it?"
"It's a battle, the eternal struggle between good and evil," she sighed.
The Sage headed towards the door, holding up both hands. Suddenly, he began to glow as well, and the doors slowly began to open.
"Alright guys, stay alert. I will accompany the Sage inside," Zolara said, helping the Sage inside.
At that moment, Ecliptor and Darkonda materialized out of thin air, behind them an entire army of Quantrons.
"Stand aside rangers and no one has to be killed," Darkonda said.
Before the rangers could respond, there was an explosion. They turned around as Tommy's velcofighter exploded, taking down most of the Quantrons. The remaining Quantrons rushed at him, but Tommy jumped, landing on the shoulders of one of them, spinning around and snapping it's neck. As the Quantron fell to the ground, Tommy kicked another one, taking him down. The final two were able to grab him, but Adam and Tanya attacked them.
Darkonda turned around, kicking Adam and knocking him up against the transport vehicle. The impact was enough to shake the entire transport, and before Adam could move, Ecliptor knocked the transport over, trapping Adam underneath.
"Adam," Tanya screamed, running over to the transport.
William tried to lift the transport as well, but with no luck.
"So what will it be rangers? Save your friend, or stop us from destroying the temple and getting the crystal?" Ecliptor asked.
"That's not an option Ecliptor, look," Katherine said, motioning towards the temple.
He turned around in just enough time to see the doors closing. "You pathetic rangers will pay with your lives!" Darkonda screamed.
~
Inside the temple, Zolara helped the Sage towards the crystal. The two of them walked to the end of the room, where the crystal was sitting on a pedestal. The Sage inched his way towards the crystal, reaching out for it. Before he could grab it, Zolara picked it up, and without warning, hit the Sage over the head with it.
The Sage fell to the ground, and Zolara kicked the doors open, walking over to Ecliptor. "We have what we came for," she said.
"Zolara? What are you doing?" William asked.
"Ensuring the end of the legacy of the Power Rangers," she said with a devious smile as she, Darkonda and Ecliptor disappeared.
Tommy, Tanya and William finally managed to lift up the transport enough for Katherine to look underneath. "Adam is gone," she sighed.