Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

Author's Note: Sorry to all Karone/Zhane fans. I do ship them myself, but they didn't fit very well in this chapter, sorry. But this chapter is six pages long so I hope you find something you enjoy. Just a note, there are two chapters left after this one so I hope you're ready for the end.

Author's Note 2: Okay, I suck. Back in chapter four I mentioned that Cassie was working in a place called Sarris' Pub. Sarris is a character in one of my all time favorite movies, ever. Now if any of you can figure out who he is I will be very proud. No, Sarris never makes an appearance in this story, I was just looking for someone to name the pub after and I had seen the movie the night before or something. But I would still be very impressed if any of you knew who he was, the movie was very underrated. Anyway, on to the story!

Author's Note 3: The idea that Rangers are dependant on their colors and need to wear clothes of their color or suffer dire consequences comes from Starhawk's wonderful series of stories. I recommend them to anyone. Oh, and I didn't ask if I could use the idea so if you're reading this: sorry Starhawk!

When It Rains…

Chapter 14 - Relations

"How much longer?" Ch'heeka asked, bending down to look into the access tube.

"Not much," T.J. grunted, his voice echoing off the walls of the tube. "This," he said between turns of a wrench, "would be a lot faster if Jeff were here. He is very good at fixing mechanical things. He and Ashley are a lot alike that way." He slowly pulled himself out of the tube to avoid a head injury. "Hand me that calibrator," he said, sliding that panel back into place.

"Where is this Jeff person?" Ch'heeka gave him the device and T.J. couldn't help but notice the bandages around her wrist.

"He's another Ranger. He's staying on Earth. We don't want to have to ask the other superheroes to fill in for us again and Jeff can handle things for a while.

"Everything looks fine," T.J. said after a minute. "T.J. to Andros."

"Andros here," the Red Ranger's voice came over the speakers.

"The shields are ready, we can enter the Cerxus Galaxy without Zordon being detected."

"Great job T.J. Everyone," his voice could be heard on speakers throughout the ship, "prepare to enter the wormhole. We'll be in there for a while, so get anything you need from the computers now."

"I still don't understand," Carlos said, ordering a great deal of food from the synthetron, "why can't we use the computer?"

"Wormhole travel isn't an exact science," Karone said, clearing tools off the table. "Only vital systems such as life support can remain on or they may interact badly with the wormhole's energy fields, causing, at best, damage to the system."

"And at worst?"

"The complete and total destruction of the ship."

"Ah, now I see."

There was a loud rushing sound as every set of doors on the ship suddenly opened.

"Even doors are too much?" Carlos asked.

"And lights," Zhane said, walking in just as the lights dimmed. "No morphing by the way."

"What about Zordon?"

"When Zordon was brought on board T.J. put him in the cryo room to help him recover from the draining of his powers. Now Zordon's tube is self-sustaining. The same forces that keep him alive in it will keep it from interacting with anything outside of it."


"We had to stop milord," Mondo said, appearing before Dark Specter.

"Why? She is a Ranger, she should be able to take the pain."

"Yes, but her morpher is gone and she is not wearing anything of her color. She has been cut off from the morphin grid. Usually, a Ranger's life force feeds into the grid and energy is fed back into the Ranger, but now her energy is going in, but not coming out. She is dying."

"Keep her alive as long as possible, but try not to make her too comfortable. The Rangers will no doubt launch a rescue, and I want Phantom to see her in person when she dies."


"I'm sorry," T.J. said suddenly. He and Ch'heeka were sitting against opposite walls in the engine room.

"For what?"

"Your wrist. I'm sorry I hurt you, I didn't know who you were."

"That's okay," the alien responded lightly, "I probably shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

"So, how did you get involved in this?"

"Well, I was investigating one of Dark Specter's compounds when I saw Phantom."

"He didn't have his invisibility on?"

"I guess he was trying to conserve energy or something. Anyway, I thought he was evil and I jumped on his back. He let me think I had him for a few minutes before throwing me off. He's an amazing warrior."

"Yeah, he is. I guess that's why they call him a living legend. But that doesn't explain why you were fighting Dark Specter. I thought most people in your galaxy just rolled over when he showed up."

"Most did, but my people didn't. For that our home world was bombed repeatedly. It's nothing but rock now, no life left. What's left of my people have mostly gone into hiding."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," T.J. said certainly. "I was the Red Ranger of Earth. It was my job to stop the vast majority of Dark Specter's followers, and I failed. My entire team lost their powers and our only option was to convince our government that we now needed their help, without worrying them of course, so that we could get a space shuttle and head into space. Do you have any idea how limited Earth's space technology is? The odds of us getting anywhere were so small…. One of my team stayed behind, gave up the fight. But then I always thought he was too young. I had inherited him from the old Red Ranger, he had been a Ranger almost from the beginning and I couldn't just kick the boy off the team when someone that experienced had accepted him. And then we got out here, on this ship, and I became the Blue Ranger."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The Blue Ranger is traditionally the second in command. It was like a slap in the face, to go from Red to Blue. Like the universe was punishing me for my mistakes."

The engine room was silent for a few moments. "What mistakes?"

"What?"

"You lead a team of what are regarded as young people into space and managed to get in a better position to fight your enemies than you had before. You got rid of the annoying boy without even trying. You even managed to adapt to technology that your society is not yet familiar with. You have done amazing things. And," she added wryly, "you managed to hold your own against one of the greatest warriors in the Cerxus Galaxy."

"Hold my own? I think I did more than that."

"Really? I seem to recall you being thrown into a tree."

"I don't. But I do remember landing a punch or two."

"Like a silly little Terran boy could."

"I'll show you 'silly little Terran boy,'" T.J. challenged.

"Now?" Ch'heeka countered.

"Now. There's plenty of room in the observatory."

"Let's go."

The two warriors quickly moved down the hall and to the open elevator shaft at the end of the hall, climbing up the ladder at the side of the shaft.

Zordon chuckled from the cryo room, having heard the exchange. "YOUNG LOVE, I HAVE MISSED IT."


"Ashley?" Andros asked gently, moving some stray locks of hair away from her face.

"Hmm?" Ashley asked. The two were lying on their backs in the observatory, enjoying the quiet that came from being at the top level of the ship.

"You need to not be asleep for this."

"For what? It's just the same kaleidoscope of colors has been going past for the last half hour."

"Not that, what I'm about to tell you."

Ashley's eyes shot open, a frightened expression on her face. "We are not breaking up," she said firmly.

"But—"

"I don't care what you have to say. The bottom line is that we're not breaking up. That is final."

"Okay," Andros said slowly. "I was just going to ask how you got out of the room in Garthon's temple—why did you think we were going to break up?"

Ashley grinned sheepishly. "The last time you were all mind-altered you ended up thinking we couldn't be together."

"Yes, and you told me that we could. I believe you, I always will."

"Good, even though you did avoid me for months afterward." Ashley sighed, making herself comfortable in Andros' arms again.

"Ashley," Andros sighed sternly, "you still have to tell me how you got out of the room. It was locked from the outside."

"I used telekinesis," Ashley said smugly.

"Really?" Andros asked, his voice high with child-like giddiness.

"Yes, now lay back down. I want to take a nap before we take on Dark Specter."

"Fine," Andros said. "But once this is over you're going to practice more."

"Yes mother," Ashley said sarcastically.

"So, I guess there isn't a lot of room in the observatory," Ch'heeka's voice came from the doorway, startling the two Rangers.

"Hi," Ashley said, rubbing her head. Andros had stood up at record speed, leaving her to fall back onto the floor.

"Sorry," Andros whispered.

"We're sorry," T.J. said, "we just wanted to spar."

"Now?" Ashley asked. "We're about to fight like a million Quatrons."

The two both became very sheepish suddenly and Ashley grinned.

"Just go get some rest like everyone else," Andros ordered, sitting back down.

"They like each other," Ashley proclaimed once she was sure they were out of earshot.

"I know, let's just hope they realize it without an alternate reality."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed, looking up at the kaleidoscope of color.


"It took you long enough," Phantom said before DECA could even announce his communication.

"Sorry," Andros said, "we had to make some modifications to the ship."

"What kind of modifications?" Phantom asked and Ashley couldn't help but notice how tired he sounded. She thought back to how little she had slept while Andros was missing only a few days earlier.

"Zordon insisted on coming," T.J. said.

"Oh," Phantom said quietly. "Does anyone have a plan?"

The Rangers all looked at each other, they had expected him to have one.

"Actually," Karone said, "I do."