Chapter 3

Bastion of Strength; Golden Destiny

Bastion had been the small alcove that the few survivors of the Balien invasion had fled to when they realized that their homes and cities were no longer places they could live. The alcove had grown into an entire cavern system inside of a mountain located near the outskirts of Backwater City. Where there had once been lush vegetation there was only barren rocks and burnt wood, serving as solemn mementos of what had once been. The rebels living in the caverns lived off what little livestock and produce was salvaged from the countryside and city, and what could be grown on the cavern walls. On occasion, a rebel patrol had the good fortune to come across a poorly guarded Balien supply caravan that could be ambushed and taken back to Bastion. But, for the most part, the humans living in Bastion were scraping by with less and less food everyday.

Even the conditions of Bastion were not overly conducive to survival. The dankness of the caverns and tunnels did little for both the physical and mental states of the rebels that called Bastion home. The air was almost at a stale point due to the fact that Bastion did not nearly have the ventilation it needed; every opening had to be guarded in some way, after all.

The council that controlled the rebels, as well as the non-combatants living in Bastion, had often discussed storming one of the Balien camps and relocating their base of operations there. Unfortunately, the logistics just didn't work; there were far too few humans to storm a camp and live through the assault. What the council didn't know, however, was the fact that the Power Rangers were now part of their resistance.

Essentially, and for simplicity of this description, there were three modules to Bastion; a residential area, a gathering area and a military quarters. The gathering area was the most accessible of the three areas, as practically every outside tunnel lead to it in one way or another. The gathering area was large enough to accommodate every resident of Bastion, as all general meetings were held in this area. It was also the area in which children were allowed to run about and play, as all the adults had agreed to try to keep things as 'normal' as possible to avoid bringing any more trauma on the children that had already come to pass. The next level to Bastion was the military quarters, where the rebels were trained to fight by those who already knew how, as well as the rebels on active duty resided while they completed their shifts. The quarters were rather meager…the rebels slept on wooden cots that were only softened by the material on their bodies, as the comfortable mattresses were reserved for the civilians living in the residential area. There was an allotted storage area where any surplus weapons would be kept, but due to their rather paltry weapon supply the storage area was used as a hideaway for those that wanted to catch some extra sleep while on shift.

"Ah it's good to be home," Chris said as he took a deep breath. Stone, who was still unused to the rather…unique…odour of Bastion couldn't really see what Chris found so enticing about taking breaths any deeper than absolutely necessary. From the look on Johnny's face, Stone surmised that the young boy felt the same way. "If you boys will excuse me, I have a date that I can ill afford to break," Chris commented as he headed to the passageway that lead to the living quarters.

"Not only do I know that you are going directly to sleep, but we do have to report back to the council that we're still alive and that we have a new resident that will be drawing food from the storehouse," Stone said as he placed a hand on Chris' shoulder to hold him back. Stone felt Chris' shoulders drop in apparent defeat; Chris treasured his sleep almost as much as he treasured his life. It was still a mystery to Stone as to how he got Chris out of bed for the operation itself. Although they could not see Chris' face, both Stone and Johnny were quite sure that the blue Ranger was rolling his eyes at the prospect of standing before the council and giving a report. The unfortunate fact that the council slept in shifts meant that the council would indeed be available for their report even at this hour.

"Alright fine, but we've got to agree on a few things first…simply so I can get my skinny ass into bed as soon as bloody possible. First, we obviously leave out the part that we're Power Rangers…we can mention that we think we saw figures that looked like Power Rangers but we can't say that we are the Power Rangers; that whole secret identity thing. Secondly, we don't offer anymore than the basics. If the council wants to know details we'll answer them on a need to answer basis. Thirdly: Johnny, you're new, so just follow our lead…only speak when directed to or spoken to. Let's go before I change my mind," Chris mumbled as he led the way into the council chamber.

The council chamber was in a small area that was accessed via a small passage from the gathering area. There wasn't a door separating any of the areas, but it was common knowledge for the people of Bastion that one did not enter the area unless they had direct business relating to the council. As the three approached the chamber, they slowed their pace to listen in on the conversation that was already taking place inside.

"With all due respect Councilor, I must disagree. Chris and Stone left over an hour ago on a mission that everyone here believed was suicide anyways. There is no way that they survived! Similarly, there is no reason for their names not to be struck from the residency list and their possessions and lodgings redistributed," the first voice spoke, clearly upset with the council's proceedings thus far. Stone and Chris recognized the man's voice as that of Lieutenant Pine, a tough-as-nails military man that had been part of the armed forces even before the Balien invasion. Chris was ready to rush in and tear Pine a new blowhole when Stone restrained him, signing for him to wait a few more minutes. Johnny simply held back and listened to the proceedings with interest, wondering where all of this would go and how it would affect him, if at all.

"Fortunately, Lieutenant Pine, the decision is not up to you, nor will it ever be should your behaviour continue to be seen in this manner!" one of the councilors fired back. Stone mouthed the word 'Striker' to Chris, who smiled and nodded. Johnny assumed that this Striker was a councilor on their side.

"See kid, there are essentially two kinds of people in this place. The good, the bad, and the ugly…wait that's three…never mind. Basically there are people like ol' Pine in there who would do anything for their own personal gain and just want to make their bed softer and his stomach fuller. Then there are people like Striker, who actually care about what happens to the people of this place…do yourself and us a favour; be like Striker," Chris said as he tuned back in to the conversation in the chamber. Before Johnny could make a passing comment that he would never be like Pine, Stone had marched into the chamber, interrupting Pine's tirade.

"How dare you say that to me you…"

"Say what? That you shouldn't 'redistribute' the property of those still living? Sorry old Pine but I'm with Striker on this one, as usual. As much as it would bring a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart seeing you in my bed with all my gear, I'm going to have to be the stick in the mud and insist that my stuff remains mine until I'm six feet below," Stone called as he strode into the chamber, rather casually after being called dead.

"Now, you can call us greedy there Pine, but I'm kinda attached to my stuff and how it's…well…mine and all," Chris said with a smirk on his face. Johnny walked into behind the other two Rangers, trying to be as small as possible until he was 'officially' acknowledged by the council. He didn't want to start trouble within his first 10 minutes of being in Bastion.

"What! How in the hell are you two still drawing breath? There was no way that you two could have survived…two of you against an entire Balien camp and Delta at that! Did you two even reach Delta or did you chicken out?" Pine snarled, accusing the two of blatant cowardice.

"Why you ugly, pig-faced, fart breathing…" Chris began as he started to walk towards Pine, wanting to punch his face in.

"Hold yourself Chris!" Councilor Faymore ordered, rising out of his seat. "Striking another, especially whilst you are in this chamber, is a clear breach of Bastion law."

"Lucky bastard," Chris growled at Pine.

It was only now that the group noticed that the chamber only housed the two councilors, Striker and Faymore, as well as the Rangers and Pine. This, even at this hour, was by far the most desolate that both Chris and Stone had seen the council chamber. Their voices echoed and resonated easily in the hollowness of the chamber, making the Rangers think that anything said above a whisper would likely be heard in the gathering area, if not the entirety of Bastion. Striker, after clearing his throat, rose from his chair to his full height.

"Lieutenant Pine, you have our leave to remove yourself from these chambers until such a time when you have a valid opinion that can be presented in a manner that befits your presence in this chamber," Striker said as a fuming Pine stormed out of the chamber, narrowly missing a collision with Johnny on his exit.

"Funny…is it just me or does it smell better in here now that he's gone?" Chris cracked just in time for Pine to hear it before he left. Now that the argument was over, the flickering light in the council chamber illuminated the councilor's features. Although there was electricity powering most of Bastion, the current was intermittent at best.

Faymore had once been the mayor of Backwater…a good natured man that was always the first to laugh at himself and the mistakes that he made. He had been born and raised through Backwater and he was the first mayor to ever be voted in unanimously; not a single vote had been cast for his competitor any year that he had ran for mayor. His once blond hair was now completely silver (he would never say it was gray as he wasn't that old) and his once smiling face was now weathered and leathery from the constant stress of his position. It was unfortunate that Faymore held a position of such responsibility and was as old as he was; Stone thought that he would have made an excellent Ranger…his fighting spirit was just as large as his sense of humour. Faymore, from what he could gather and what he had been told, had actually been the first leader that the survivors had seen…he had been the one to lead them to Bastion and establish it as a human fortress. It had been suggested more than once that Faymore lead Bastion in its entirety and the council be only for advisory purposes. Faymore, however, always refused saying that it would take far more intelligence than he had to run the place.

Contrastingly, Striker was younger than Faymore yet older than Stone and Chris. Most people figured he was in his late thirties to early forties and had once been a mechanic. That being said, the same people wondered how on Earth a man like Striker had managed to be elected to the council. Most people figured that it was his skills putting machines, cars, and anything else mechanical back together or building them from scratch. Put simply, without Striker Bastion wouldn't run. Striker had created the electric lines that kept Bastion running in addition to the cars he had repaired for patrol use. His stone gray eyes and raven hair were rather unique, as was his height. Striker stood at six foot six and often had to duck while he walked down Bastion's many passages.

"Well, now that the upstart is gone, I believe that you came here for a purpose gentlemen?" Striker said as he sat back down and rested his feet on the table that ran the length of the chamber to be used by councilors.

"Yes, please do go on gentlemen. Sadly, like Lt. Pine indicated, most of us did indeed figure that you two had passed on. But, I am overjoyed at the return of two of Bastion's favoured sons…or so the ladies tell me," Faymore said with a wink, "Now, if you boys aren't too tired I'd like to hear your story including the part how you came back with one extra."

Stone stepped forward to begin the report; it had been his operation after all…it was his responsibility to deliver the primary report on the operation. As he opened his mouth to speak, Stone suddenly sensed that something was wrong…very wrong…within Bastion. That feeling, however, would have to wait. The Rangers might believe his intuitions, but the council wouldn't.

"Yes Councilor. As you know, Chris and I left Bastion shortly before midnight bound for Camp Delta, where I had been a prisoner and was rescued by Chris and his group. We successfully reached Delta shortly before midnight after avoiding a Skyclaw patrol on our way across the old field," Stone relayed, glancing back at Chris who knew full well that he was not even hinting at the Cavern's existence, "Although we entered Delta successfully, we were aided by an unknown party in our raid."

This brought bewildered and rather concerned looks to the faces of the Councilors. The only people that had known about the raid were Chris, Stone, and the Council. No one other than them should have known about the raid.

"This third party…did they help or hinder your efforts?" Striker inquired.

"Councilors believe me when I say that without the help of the third party we would not have been even remotely successful in penetrating the interior defenses of Delta. These other fighters reminded me of…well they reminded me of Power Rangers," Stone said, trying not to smile as he continued, "They wore suits and had helmets and bore weapons the likes I had never seen. They did things that I could only imagine of doing. They told Chris and I about the changes the Baliens had made to the camp since I had escaped which was instrumental in rescuing Johnny here. After realizing that it was hopeless to save anyone else tonight, we escaped, once again, with the aid of the Rangers. At long last, Councilors, it would seem that we are not fighting this battle alone."

"And if I may, Councilors, I would like to add that the Baliens consistently smell worse every time I'm graced with their presence," Chris said, mustering laughs from the others.

"So, this young one's name is Johnny is it? Well Johnny, welcome to Bastion. I'm sure you'll excuse us if we don't offer the five star service you may have been accustomed to but it's warm, dry, and more importantly, it's safe," Striker said, welcoming the boy in his own way.

"Don't worry, uh…sir…it's a five star establishment compared to Delta," Johnny said as he stepped forward, unaccustomed to talking to authority figures.

Get ready to be shocked, Stone said to Chris via thought.

"Councilors, I hate to break up the welcome party but there's something of greater concern that we need to discuss. When we reached the slave domicile area of Delta the only slave left in one area was Johnny…everyone else had been sent off to Omega to be what Johnny had said were 'subjects'. This has got to be serious, whatever it is, as over 100 slaves have been sent off to Omega. There are only 150 slaves left in Delta by my estimates. That means that over half of the slaves have indeed been sent off to Omega. We've never seen this kind of behaviour from the Baliens before," Stone said as he glanced to Chris who had his mouth gaping open in shock despite his mental warning.

"Subjects you say? Johnny what did you hear while you were at Delta?" Faymore asked.

"Well…uh Councilor I guess it is huh? Every few hours ever since Stone escaped they would collect humans to be sent off to Omega to be subjects…the slaves that were left figured that we were being sent off to be used in some Balien experiment. What that experiment is, if there is one at all, we don't know, but that would explain the whole subject part. The other disturbing part was that any slave sent off to Omega never came back. I don't know why they never chose me, but in the end I'm really glad they didn't. I figure that after the attack and the whole Ranger bit the rest of the slaves will be shipped off today," Johnny said, lowering his head as he realized the gravity of what that meant.

"That is likely the worst news I've heard in a long time…no offence kid I know it isn't your fault…we asked and you reported. I'm sure you'll fit in here just fine. But the following matter is to be discussed by the adults in the room…you're far too young to be sent on a mission…" Striker said as he began to dismiss Johnny. With a nudge from Stone, Chris piped up.

"Actually sir if it wasn't for Johnny the three of us wouldn't be sitting here. On our way out a Balien saw us despite the Power Rangers best efforts. He fought with a ferocity I've never seen before. And frankly, with all due respect Councilors, if he doesn't go, I don't go," Chris said, putting his arm around Johnny.

"I never got that kinda treatment…" Stone cracked, breaking the silence.

"Well then I guess that's settled," Striker said as he sat up in his chair, preparing to get into the details of the meeting. "If what Johnny says is true we must be quick to act. We have little time to decide our course of action…a full council hearing is out of the question. We must decide here and now. It is indeed likely that the Baliens will transport the rest of the slaves to Omega today since their defenses have been compromised. Although you two were rather lucky in the fact that you made it to Delta and back unscathed, I sincerely doubt that even the three of you could do much to slow the slave exodus from Delta. You would need a full…" Striker began to explain, outlining his plan. He wasn't halfway through when Faymore interjected.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you Striker," Faymore said, "The only thing a full force would accomplish would be greater casualties and mission failure. Although I do agree with you in the fact that it will take more than three, I think a force of only six or so would have a far greater chance of success. Besides, the fewer men there are, the fewer targets there are for the Baliens to shoot at."

"Wouldn't that mean that there are more guns firing at fewer people?" Chris said, alarmed by Faymore's logic.

Faymore grinned at Chris' comment. The light seemed to glare of the whiteness of his teeth, yet Faymore seemed weathered, beaten…simply tired. Stone had never noticed before, but he assumed now that the invasion and fighting had taken more out of Faymore than he had ever let on. He would have to keep an eye on the Councilor as time progressed – it was possible some of Stone's limited medical skills may be able to aid Faymore if he fell ill.

"Maybe you're right…but what we still lack is any idea as to how we're going to pull this off. Now, there are currently three of you for this operation and we figure you need six. You'll need a commanding officer to lead the mission as well as two other soldiers…any requests?" Striker said as he prepared to write down the soldiers that would be sent on the mission along with the Rangers.

"If it's all the same to you, Councilors, I would like to see how these two survived the first time," a voice said from the passageway. The Rangers spun around to see who had been monitoring their conversation. Not to their surprise it was Lt. Pine skulking about in the shadows leading to the chamber. Everyone had just assumed that Pine had stalked of back to the military level or even his living quarters. Apparently, they had been wrong.

"Lt. Pine I find it rather disturbing that you would be eavesdropping outside the council chamber…especially considering the fact that you had been dismissed," Striker snarled, rising to his feet.

"My apologies Councilor, but in my defense I did indeed return to the military but returned to apologize for my previous behaviour," Pine said, brown-nosing as far as his pointed nose would go.

"A likely story Lieutenant; make no mistake in thinking that I will blindly accept your explanation," Striker said, openly displeased at Striker's presence in the chamber. What made it worse was the smirk that was displayed on Pine's face…he knew that the Councilors could not turn down his request without cause and personal reasons were not justifiable cause to refuse his request. Both Striker and Faymore knew the soldiers that Pine would take along with him…they were lapdogs that ate out of Pine's hand.

"I request my two sergeants to round out the strike force Councilors," Pine said, making the Councilor's worst fears a reality. Everyone in the room knew that when push came to shove Pine and his sergeants, Briggs and Rathburn, had their lives in danger they would stop at nothing to escape the predicament, regardless of the cost. If saving themselves meant that others died, that was perfectly acceptable to the trio. If Bastion could afford to exile people from its walls those three would have been the first to be sent packing. Unfortunately, the resistance needed every hand they could get…even ones that did more harm than good at times.

"The Council accepts your requests and will acknowledge your position on the mission," Faymore said, watching the smile on Pine's face increase. "However, Lieutenant, we will unfortunately not be making you the commanding officer."

Pine's smile dropped like a 300 pound anchor to the sea floor. His facial expression wavered somewhere between disappointment and all out rage. On one hand, the Council was playing into his hands by allowing him to attend the mission and giving him his preferred squadron, yet on the other they were ignoring his authority by not recognizing him as commanding officer. But if he wasn't the commanding officer, then who would be? He was the highest ranked on the mission…

"With all due respect, Councilors, I am the highest ranked soldier on the mission."

"Not anymore Lieutenant. Barring any objections from Councilor Striker, I hereby promote Derek Stone to the rank of Captain. Go ahead and argue Pine, but every argument you have has been covered. As you said he survived a mission that no one thought he would and there are two people here that can stand witness to his deeds. Captain Stone will be the commanding officer on this operation and you and your sergeants will follow his orders. Should this not be to your satisfaction and I am told that you and your sergeants disobey orders, I give Captain Stone and his team permission to use whatever measures necessary to ensure mission success – even if that includes stripping you of your rank and weapons and leaving you where you stand. Are we clear?" Faymore concluded, trying to hold back the smile that wanted to mark his face at the expression on Lt. Pine's face.

"Crystal clear, Councilor. I will inform sergeants Briggs and Rathburn of the mission and will await Captain Stone and the rest of his team at the main gate," Pine said as he saluted and left.

"Councilors, I would to thank you for this sign of faith. I promise I will not fail you," Stone said, bowing to the Council. A few days ago Stone had entered Bastion for the first time and wondered where his life would take him. A few hours ago he had become the leader of the next generation of Power Rangers. Now, he was a Captain of the Bastion Guard and leading a group back to Delta once again to save the last of the humans. Striker smiled and brought up a map of Delta and the surrounding area that lead to Omega.

"I'm sure Councilor Faymore's faith is well invested. Now, to the mission details… I would suggest that you send part of your team to the outskirts of Delta to report on the activities inside the camp. Should the slaves still be inside the camp, the forward task force will move into the compound to initiate the rescue with the rear guard arriving to aid as soon as possible. If the slave caravan has moved out of Delta it will be the forward forces' task to locate the caravan and transmit it's location to the rear guard, co-coordinating a combined strike. The only question is if you can trust Pine and his flunkies," Striker said, calling up a map of Delta and its outlying territories and tracing the points along the computer generated display. Chris and Johnny both examined the map, memorizing the areas that would likely serve as good ambush points.

"Councilors, I'd like to suggest that the Baliens will move the humans at first light, which is only a few hours off. But I've noticed that there is really only one possible route to Omega that the Baliens could take without going completely out of their way," Chris said as me moved towards the map. "As you all know, well except for Johnny, Omega is located at the base of the Northlake Mountains. The only route between Omega and Delta is logically along the foothills leading into the mountains, passing by Northlake itself and traversing the old farm country. Now, I realize that they could go around, but after the attack the Baliens are going to want to get the humans to Omega as fast as possible and I'm sure they aren't going to think that we know about this. I say that the first squad waits in the foothills while the next waits at Northlake itself. We'll catch the caravan between a hammer and an anvil…they won't have anywhere to go."

Chris' plan was solid; the squads would be within eyesight of each other at all times should anything go wrong. The only problem was the Rangers couldn't morph whilst Pine and his sergeants were around; they would have to find a way to morph while out of sight. Glancing around, Chris realized that the other Rangers realized this as well. This would definitely make things rather interesting for the mission. Even Pine would realize that if Stone, Chris and Johnny disappeared and the Rangers showed up that the Rangers were the rebels themselves. They could only hope they wouldn't need to morph.

"If it's all the same to everyone, I've like to be in the Northlake squad. My parents had a cottage on Northlake so I know the area like the back of my hand. And who knows; maybe the Power Rangers will show up to give us a hand again and I can tell them where to go," Johnny said, moving closer to the Councilors. For a teenager of only sixteen, he had a rather large sense of responsibility. He simply accepted what had happened, and had now moved on to do what he could to make the situation better for everyone else. Johnny still remembered where he had been when the Baliens first showed up. He had been in Mrs. Wallace's biology class learning about the nervous system. He had never been one for biology, but he needed the class so he could progress into university in his desired field; life was funny like that. He remembered very little between seeing the initial assaults and seeing the Baliens run through the school taking prisoners and destroying all who stood in their way. He figured he had been knocked out in one of the blasts or that his mind had blocked out the section of his life for the better. Johnny had never been one to give up, but after weeks of toiling away at Delta even he had figured that his days were severely numbered. He didn't have his driver's license but he had watched people die. The smell of their corpses lying out in the summer sun would never escape his memory, no matter how hard he tried. It was hard to remember that everything that was now barren had once been lush forest, green pasture, or bustling city. Everything had been running like normal on the day that it all fell apart. But now, he was part of something greater, and this was his chance to but his experience to use.

"Your request, young one, is granted. But I would not be one to count on the aid of the Power Rangers, if those actually were Rangers and not just some costumed hooligans. But, be that as it may. If they decide to show up I'm not going to reject a helping hand especially in our time of greatest need. Now, since Johnny is going to be part of the Northlake team, who else is going to join him Stone?" Faymore said in a rather official manner despite the late hour.

"Although I'd normally split up Pine and his band of brown-nosers I think that wouldn't serve our best interests in this case. The Northlake squad will be composed of myself, Chris and Johnny. The foothill squad will be Pine, Briggs and Rathburn. They will serve as the rear guard and prevent the caravan from escaping our assault. Should they fail in their task, I will personally remove Pine and sergeants of their weapons and their rank and leave them where they stand. The lives of those humans are far more important than any grudge that Pine had his lackeys have towards me," Stone proclaimed, his decision made. Stone, like everyone else, knew that if they failed the lives of over a hundred humans ended one way or another. Put simply, failure was not an option.

Be careful Rangers, Rion said through thought, I sense danger greater than you could imagine awaits you.

"Then it's settled. We will inform Lt. Pine of the arrangements and brief him for you. As for you three," Faymore said, adjusting himself in his councilor's chair, "You three need that little sleep you'll get between now and first light."

With that, the Rangers saluted and left the council chamber to head to the living quarters. They discussed what Rion had warned them of, and what it could possibly mean. They were, after all, the ones doing the ambushing. The Rangers were fully aware that they were going to have to fight the Baliens that were guarding the caravan and that was danger enough even with their powers. They entertained the idea of teleporting to the Cavern, but decided against it, as they had barely enough energy to fall into bed, let alone stand and have a conversation with Rion about hypothetical dangers. For now, they decided, they would sleep.

Rion knew full well that the Rangers would not heed his warning; after all he had been a Ranger once as well. He could have teleported them to the Cavern of Power if he had set his mind to it, but he knew that the Rangers would be even more useless against the threat they would face if they were too tired to lift their weapons. What worried him the most was that this threat would be the Johnny's first test as a Ranger. He would be the first to admit that the teenager had spirit, and had one hell of a rebel attitude. Teenagers with attitude often made the best Power Rangers, as he had seen countless times.

The Protector knew that the Rangers would likely be successful in saving the human slaves being transported, but he had a dark, foreboding feeling that it would come at a great cost. He remembered that when he had been a Ranger that the Protector of that time, whose name eluded Rion at the moment except for the fact that it began with a Z, had used a sixth Ranger power to help them defeat the Gigan the Baliens had summoned the last invasion. What had been the Protector's name? Zoltar…Zaltan…Zordack…? Zordon…it had been Zordon.

Rion remembered fighting the Gigan well; it had almost destroyed them all after all. No matter how hard they fought or the wounds they inflicted the Gigan brushed off the damage as if being bitten by a mosquito. The Rangers had been all but defeated; lying on the ground, trying to tend to their numerous wounds, they waited for the blows that would destroy them. Then, it had happened.

Start Flashback

"Stand and face your doom you pitiful Rangers! Now you see that not even you can stand against the might of a Gigan," it bellowed, raising its weapon in challenge.

"At least we won't have anymore taxes where we're going," Kolthor joked, although it did little at alleviating the situation. The Rangers looked around at their surroundings, as it would likely be their last remembrance of life on Earth. The leaves on the trees that hadn't been destroyed were gold and crimson as autumn had taken its toll. The grass was swaying in the gentle breeze that swept across the field that had served as a battleground this last time. Rays of sunlight poured onto the field, warming the Ranger's faces, one last time. Rion hadn't been afraid of death; none of the Rangers had been. They had cheated death enough times to know that sooner or later their dance with the reaper wouldn't be put off any longer. It had been Terra who had first noticed it.

"Look…at the sun…there's something there…" Terra, the pink ranger, said softly.

The Rangers glanced towards the sun, searching for whatever Terra had seen that had alarmed her enough to make her speak in such a dire situation. Looking at the sun, just as they knew, was a rather blinding experience, and they couldn't really make anything out against the glare of the sun. Finally, however, they saw it. A golden dragon, complete with rider wielding a saber, was flying right towards them. The Gigan had noticed it too, for he had halted his advance towards the Rangers to deal their death blows.

"They might not be able to," the figure called down, "but I can!"

With a deafening roar, the dragon swooped down clawing the Gigan and exhaling his fiery breath over him. Finally, the Gigan had suffered some injury…unfortunately at this point the Rangers were in absolutely no shape to fight. The rider vaulted off the dragon's back and brought his blade down, slashing the Gigan's chest and leaving a deep gash.

"Who in the blazes of Bali are you!" the Gigan growled, making reference to the Balien's home planet.

The Ranger's eyes were still adjusting to the light, as they were no longer looking at the sun. They, however, would soon have their answer even without being able to see the figure.

"I, you ugly Gigan bastard, am the gold Ranger", the figure said; brandishing his saber before him, ready to meet the Gigan in combat. "Don't worry Rangers; I've got this one."

The Rangers watched in awe as this gold Ranger made short work of the Gigan that had given them so much trouble over the weeks. More than once the Gigan had nearly destroyed every one of the Rangers at some point, or even all of them together. This new Ranger made the Gigan seem like a normal Balien that the Rangers could dispatch at any given time. Almost before it had started, the battle was over and the Gigan had been all but destroyed. As the gold Ranger moved forward to finish the Gigan with one saber stroke, he simply kicked the Gigan in the gut again.

"You tell Auron this Gigan; you tell him that there's a new Ranger around that can make you useless. You tell him that he and his Balien bastards are going to lose this war once and for all. And most importantly, you tell him that his days are numbered, that I'm coming for him," the gold Ranger growled into the Gigan's ear, just loud enough for the Gigan to pick up. The Gigan snarled at the gold Ranger and drew itself to its feet and ran off into the forest.

The gold Ranger walked over to the downed Rangers and waved his saber over them, instantly washing away their fatigue, pain, and healing their wounds. The Rangers got back to their feet, thanked their golden saviour, yet were still wary of him. They had been told, after all, that there were only five power gems. Where did this sixth Ranger come from?

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, as to who I am and how there is indeed a sixth Ranger. I assure you I will answer them all in time, for now, however, just be satisfied with this," the gold Ranger said as he began to remove his helmet. The five Rangers waited with baited breath as the Ranger's head was freed from the encasing helmet. There was a collective gasp as the Ranger's identity was revealed, but it was Rion who spoke first.

"You! But how…"

End Flashback

The explanation that the gold Ranger had offered was absolutely astounding. The Protector had safeguarded the sixth Ranger power from the Rangers without them even knowing that there was something being safeguarded. In fact, Rion had done the same thing to the current generation of Rangers, not only because it had to be done, but because if they had the choice they would all likely want to be the sixth Ranger since the golden powers were the strongest of all the Ranger powers. Wielding the mighty Dragonsaber and controlling the Dragon were powers that a rookie just could not control. They had to be unlocked by the Protector; only then would a normal Ranger be able to use them. Where they were located was one of the few secrets that had to be kept by the Protector. Rion knew that Stone had noticed the fact that he always stood over the circular design within the Cavern of Power. What Stone didn't know was why. In truth, behind the wall of statues was another hidden alcove where the sixth Ranger powers rested. They could only be accessed by the Protector standing on the circular floor crest and needing the powers. Rion had never had to use them before so he was quite unsure as to how the whole process worked. He knew, however, that he had to find a way to use them.

Standing on the circular crest, he raised his staff. "By the powers of the ancients I call forth the dragon!"