Chapter 11- The Staff of Conviction Part One
Cestria stood at the oval shaped window that over looked the shimmering Aquitian streets below. Her species dominated them, and she'd never saw so much excitement, they'd lined the sidewalks leading up to the great entrance barrier, in hope to take at the word that the Aquitian Rangers were returning. Cestria dreaded the thought, especially if it they were to find out about Astronema's visit, surely they would demand answers. She backed away from the window and wondered where she had gone wrong, but realized that she'd sacrificed so much in her life.
She'd left her family in the Alliance after discovering Dark Specter's ruthless plot of capturing a strong minded female child of the Kerovian race. Cestria had wondered if the plan had ever taken action, but dared not contact her family in fear that they discover her location, and Astronema's knowledge of her past scared Cestria. It was then that the Aquitian realized that although she'd sacrificed a lot in her life, she'd also struggled to the place that she was now, the highly trusted assistant to the Aquitian Rangers, and she wasn't willing to give that up.
Cestria's chain of thought was interrupted, and a holographic image of Astronema appeared over a crystal bailiwick, but her standard beauty was replaced by an indelicate fixture that triggered into Cestria's mind that the so-called air to the Empire had been through a scuffle. Her bright blonde hair was spread across her head, and she had dust marks under her eyes. It almost caused Cestria to laugh, she turned back towards the scene below, hoping that Astronema would leave her be, because deep inside Cestria longed to ignore the fatale, but she knew that she risked loosing her Aquitian repute.
Cestria took a sigh and turned to Astronema who was grumblingly attempting to attract Cestria towards her. "Why are you requesting I speak with you again?" the Aquitian cautiously asked.
Astronema growled. "I'd managed to capture a rogue Power Ranger, but she's wounded one of my henchmen and stolen one of my ships!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" asked Cestria.
"Can you possibly be that ignorant?" Astronema asked. "Use your brain alien! She's set a course for your dreaded water world, and I think I have a pretty good idea why,"
Cestria tightened her stance, and decided that she should stand up to her. "If she comes here, I will not interfere with her, she serves no threat to me, and no matter what she says, Billy won't leave me,"
Astronema laughed at the Aquitian's pathetic attempt at showing no fear, but she wasn't about to give up that easily, and knew that she would get her way with a hint of trickery. "Fine, let her contact him." Astronema said casually hiding her trickery. "Either way, you loose,"
"What do you mean?" Cestria asked.
"My sources tell me that this girl, and your little infatuation are the best of friends," Astronema responded. "Closer then you and he will ever be, and I'm sure he'll respond to Zordon's capture immediately. And then he'll find out about her message being blocked, and he'll trace it to you,"
"No," Cestria pleaded. "You're wrong, Billy will never leave me, the Aquitian Rangers will stop you!"
"The Aquitian Rangers?" Astronema laughed at the mention of their name. "They are committed to the search for Zordon, and are long from returning to Aquitar. Ignore the rumors fiend, and do as I say! Besides, even when those pathetic Aliens do return, Billy will still learn the truth. Like I said, you loose either way. Take the easy way out," Astronema said. "You'll thank me later,"
Astronema's image disappeared, as Cestria tightly clenched her fists. She didn't want to dig herself into the hole of trouble that she'd already gotten herself into, but she knew what she had to do.
The streets in Angel Grove had finally been wiped clean, and were now surprisingly quiet being a late night Saturday. The masses of teenagers out for a late night movie, the many elderly couples who cherished a moonlit dance on the docks at Angel Grove Lake were nowhere to be found, it was something that made Adam Park shiver as he walked through the empty city.
"I've got to find the others," Adam thought, referring to Tommy Oliver, Tanya Sloan, Katherine Hilliard, and Justin Stewart. He didn't know what to expect though, he couldn't get any of them on the phone, but he knew in his hear that they had escaped Zedd's purge. Adam took out his cell phone once again and dialed Tanya's number, praying to hear a voice on the other end.
"Hello?" came a voice that was barely audible.
"Tanya?" Adam asked, recognizing the voice of his ex-girlfriend. "Tanya are you okay?"
"Adam...." the voice whispered again. "I'm scarred,"
"Tanya...tell me what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"They've taken my parents.." she answered.
"Tanya, don't worry, I'm on my way over there," Adam said back into the phone. He could tell by her voice that what ever happened, it had terrified her in more ways than any monster she'd ever faced. It only made him wish more that the two of them were still together, and had kept their relationship in a fantasy world during their time as Rangers, but when they'd lost the power that the team had, their love died with it.
Kimberly felt safe in the stolen veloci-fighter that'd she'd stolen from the Dark Fortress, it wasn't any different then piloting the various zords she'd owned, and she'd gotten great experience when she single handedly landed an airplane when she was fifteen years old. Jason's words echoed throughout her mind as she sped onwards towards her mission.
"I love you,"
Kimberly couldn't believe he'd done that to her, and at the moment that she was prepared to embark on something that she'd never experienced before. She'd never truly loved anyone before, and as much as her brain longed for it, she knew that her heart never deeply loved Tommy. It was a hard fact to accept, but she came to the conclusion that he'd felt the same way, with the amount of time it took him to move on with Katherine.
The shimmering blue surface of Aquitar appeared in the distance, and it's beauty captured Kimberly in a gaze. She'd never seen a planet with an deeper intensity of blue then Earth, and she was amazed that the entire planet was submerged with water. As she flew deeper into the planet's atmosphere, a computer voice spoke through the ship's speakers.
"Activating Veloci-fighter mode Aqua," the voice spoke through the speakers.
Kimberly could feel the change from the vibrations that were occurring, and soon she was completely covered in darkness. A few seconds later, a screen arose from a hidden panel, giving her a view of orange skies. She was getting ready to submerge into the water, and hoped that the ship would take her to Billy.
Cestria glanced down at a staff she'd just retrieved. It was the staff of conviction, a two foot silver colored staff, with an emerald crystal placed at the base of its top. The Staff of Conviction was a weapon used by the United Alliance of Evil, and had been retrieved over ten- thousand years ago by Aquitian Elders during the war against good and evil. It was used against its victim to convince them into believing things. Cestria fondled it in her hands and made her way towards Billy's state room.
"It's time for us to elope my love," Cestria whispered to herself as she walked through the hallway. "If I believe that, then I know this staff will make you agree as well," Cestria's twisted smile appeared once again on her face. "And there's nothing you can do about it Kimberly,"
To Be Continued
Cestria stood at the oval shaped window that over looked the shimmering Aquitian streets below. Her species dominated them, and she'd never saw so much excitement, they'd lined the sidewalks leading up to the great entrance barrier, in hope to take at the word that the Aquitian Rangers were returning. Cestria dreaded the thought, especially if it they were to find out about Astronema's visit, surely they would demand answers. She backed away from the window and wondered where she had gone wrong, but realized that she'd sacrificed so much in her life.
She'd left her family in the Alliance after discovering Dark Specter's ruthless plot of capturing a strong minded female child of the Kerovian race. Cestria had wondered if the plan had ever taken action, but dared not contact her family in fear that they discover her location, and Astronema's knowledge of her past scared Cestria. It was then that the Aquitian realized that although she'd sacrificed a lot in her life, she'd also struggled to the place that she was now, the highly trusted assistant to the Aquitian Rangers, and she wasn't willing to give that up.
Cestria's chain of thought was interrupted, and a holographic image of Astronema appeared over a crystal bailiwick, but her standard beauty was replaced by an indelicate fixture that triggered into Cestria's mind that the so-called air to the Empire had been through a scuffle. Her bright blonde hair was spread across her head, and she had dust marks under her eyes. It almost caused Cestria to laugh, she turned back towards the scene below, hoping that Astronema would leave her be, because deep inside Cestria longed to ignore the fatale, but she knew that she risked loosing her Aquitian repute.
Cestria took a sigh and turned to Astronema who was grumblingly attempting to attract Cestria towards her. "Why are you requesting I speak with you again?" the Aquitian cautiously asked.
Astronema growled. "I'd managed to capture a rogue Power Ranger, but she's wounded one of my henchmen and stolen one of my ships!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" asked Cestria.
"Can you possibly be that ignorant?" Astronema asked. "Use your brain alien! She's set a course for your dreaded water world, and I think I have a pretty good idea why,"
Cestria tightened her stance, and decided that she should stand up to her. "If she comes here, I will not interfere with her, she serves no threat to me, and no matter what she says, Billy won't leave me,"
Astronema laughed at the Aquitian's pathetic attempt at showing no fear, but she wasn't about to give up that easily, and knew that she would get her way with a hint of trickery. "Fine, let her contact him." Astronema said casually hiding her trickery. "Either way, you loose,"
"What do you mean?" Cestria asked.
"My sources tell me that this girl, and your little infatuation are the best of friends," Astronema responded. "Closer then you and he will ever be, and I'm sure he'll respond to Zordon's capture immediately. And then he'll find out about her message being blocked, and he'll trace it to you,"
"No," Cestria pleaded. "You're wrong, Billy will never leave me, the Aquitian Rangers will stop you!"
"The Aquitian Rangers?" Astronema laughed at the mention of their name. "They are committed to the search for Zordon, and are long from returning to Aquitar. Ignore the rumors fiend, and do as I say! Besides, even when those pathetic Aliens do return, Billy will still learn the truth. Like I said, you loose either way. Take the easy way out," Astronema said. "You'll thank me later,"
Astronema's image disappeared, as Cestria tightly clenched her fists. She didn't want to dig herself into the hole of trouble that she'd already gotten herself into, but she knew what she had to do.
The streets in Angel Grove had finally been wiped clean, and were now surprisingly quiet being a late night Saturday. The masses of teenagers out for a late night movie, the many elderly couples who cherished a moonlit dance on the docks at Angel Grove Lake were nowhere to be found, it was something that made Adam Park shiver as he walked through the empty city.
"I've got to find the others," Adam thought, referring to Tommy Oliver, Tanya Sloan, Katherine Hilliard, and Justin Stewart. He didn't know what to expect though, he couldn't get any of them on the phone, but he knew in his hear that they had escaped Zedd's purge. Adam took out his cell phone once again and dialed Tanya's number, praying to hear a voice on the other end.
"Hello?" came a voice that was barely audible.
"Tanya?" Adam asked, recognizing the voice of his ex-girlfriend. "Tanya are you okay?"
"Adam...." the voice whispered again. "I'm scarred,"
"Tanya...tell me what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"They've taken my parents.." she answered.
"Tanya, don't worry, I'm on my way over there," Adam said back into the phone. He could tell by her voice that what ever happened, it had terrified her in more ways than any monster she'd ever faced. It only made him wish more that the two of them were still together, and had kept their relationship in a fantasy world during their time as Rangers, but when they'd lost the power that the team had, their love died with it.
Kimberly felt safe in the stolen veloci-fighter that'd she'd stolen from the Dark Fortress, it wasn't any different then piloting the various zords she'd owned, and she'd gotten great experience when she single handedly landed an airplane when she was fifteen years old. Jason's words echoed throughout her mind as she sped onwards towards her mission.
"I love you,"
Kimberly couldn't believe he'd done that to her, and at the moment that she was prepared to embark on something that she'd never experienced before. She'd never truly loved anyone before, and as much as her brain longed for it, she knew that her heart never deeply loved Tommy. It was a hard fact to accept, but she came to the conclusion that he'd felt the same way, with the amount of time it took him to move on with Katherine.
The shimmering blue surface of Aquitar appeared in the distance, and it's beauty captured Kimberly in a gaze. She'd never seen a planet with an deeper intensity of blue then Earth, and she was amazed that the entire planet was submerged with water. As she flew deeper into the planet's atmosphere, a computer voice spoke through the ship's speakers.
"Activating Veloci-fighter mode Aqua," the voice spoke through the speakers.
Kimberly could feel the change from the vibrations that were occurring, and soon she was completely covered in darkness. A few seconds later, a screen arose from a hidden panel, giving her a view of orange skies. She was getting ready to submerge into the water, and hoped that the ship would take her to Billy.
Cestria glanced down at a staff she'd just retrieved. It was the staff of conviction, a two foot silver colored staff, with an emerald crystal placed at the base of its top. The Staff of Conviction was a weapon used by the United Alliance of Evil, and had been retrieved over ten- thousand years ago by Aquitian Elders during the war against good and evil. It was used against its victim to convince them into believing things. Cestria fondled it in her hands and made her way towards Billy's state room.
"It's time for us to elope my love," Cestria whispered to herself as she walked through the hallway. "If I believe that, then I know this staff will make you agree as well," Cestria's twisted smile appeared once again on her face. "And there's nothing you can do about it Kimberly,"
To Be Continued