The Warrior Dome ship, newly repaired and upgraded, bore down and pushed through the asteroid belt separating Mars from Jupiter. It had taken them quite some time to consolidate their position and resources enough to come back, even with the generosity of their mysterious new benefactor.
When the asteroid hit, they had been left with a crippled shift with most of the systems failing some way from Earth. It was a miracle anyone survived at all, not least because Odious who had been standing outside the ship at the time had taken the full brunt of the blast full-on. Of course, she was not just a manipulator. Her magic was a lot more than just parlour tricks and mind manipulation, even if she did prefer to let others take the risks and do the heavy lifting.
Coming to on a crippled ship with only a few dozen survivors and some kudabots was not the ideal situation, and it got even less so when she found herself coming face to face with a reanimated Sledge. She had to give Wrench credit for that gambit, it was a desperate ploy indeed for him to bring back his feared former employer, but he hadn't banked on the fact Sledge was at heart, first and foremost, a businessman. But the real boon had been the arrival of her mysterious new benefactor.
She had no idea who Lord Draven was or where he had come from, much less what he wanted, but since at the time he arrived she was standing on a ship that was only marginally better off than being held together with duct tape, facing off against the most fearsome bounty hunter that ever lived, injured and with only a handful of warriors in any state to fight, she was in no position to argue when he offered to repair her ship, help her rebuild her forces and even, in a roundabout way, took Sledge off her hands by hiring him for a mysterious "project" he had mentioned.
Odious had been a manipulator and back-stabber long enough to know that there were few who were so generous without seeking much greater returns on their investment, but since he had given her the means to continue her pursuit of the Ninja Nexus Prism, she figured she could worry about whatever payment he sought at a later date. For now, she was glad to be free of Sledge, and in charge of her own vessel. Now, she was the undisputed ruler on the ship. No one dared stand against her, knowing how dispassionately she had orchestrated Galvanax's demise and the power she wielded. Cosmo whined a little about his precious show, but when she assured him she would put it back on the air, more because it would provide her a way to attract new warriors to her cause than anything else, he had slunk back into his office without any real protest.
Madame Odious glared out of the glass towards the pitiful blue marble that stood between her and total conquest, but as she did, she saw her reflection, seeing the deep gouge running through her mask, straight through where one of her eyes had been. In a snarl of rage, she lashed out, striking the glass with her fist, cracking it.
"Be careful my mistress!" Badonna, Odious' latest minion said in a panic. Badonna was just one of the latest changes around the Warrior Dome. She had arrived with Draven as part of his crew. He had sort of 'gifted' her to Odious along with the manpower and means to get her kudabot production up and running and her ship repaired. She wouldn't say she liked Badonna, but she had already started to sense a kinship with her. Badonna was ambitious, ruthless, and cunning and clearly her talents were wasted with Draven. Her keen mind and advice had already been incredibly helpful, and while Odious was always wary of a double-cross, hell, she'd almost be disappointed in her lack of vision if she DIDN'T try to back-stab her at some point, she almost felt like she was looking on a younger version of herself when she looked at Badonna. "You might survive the decompression in here, but you don't want to lose any resources!"
"No, you're right, that was…uncalled for!" She stated, pointing to a kudabot. "You, get Wrench! He can fix it!"
The Kudabot nodded and ran to fetch their chief engineer. Badonna took her place at Odious' right hand.
"You were thinking about the humans again weren't you?" She asked. Odious snorted in disgust.
"I can't believe that my downfall was caused by…by…THEM!" She said, her rage causing her voice to break as she once again saw the scar, an embarrassing reminder of the final battle. While she wasn't vain enough to care particularly much about the scar in and of itself, since it only acted as a reminder to anyone seeking to challenge her rule she had been hit full-on with an asteroid and survived with only minimal injuries, it did provide her with a constant reminder of her most embarrassing oversight.
"They are humans, they are nothing!" Badonna reassured her. "Back where I come from, they are barely even considered worthy of being slaves. They are amusing little toys to break for amusement."
"Oh, make no mistake about it, I WILL break them!" Odious told her. "Once I have the Ninja Nexus Prism and the Rangers lie dead at my feet, I will have all the time I need to ensure that…"
She pulled up a still image of the ship's broadcast equipment on the object of her burning hatred.
"…Victor and Monty!" She announced. "Go and get Cosmo. Tell him we're making another broadcast!"
"As you wish." Badonna declared with a wry smirk. She'd taken a liking to her position as Odious' new right-hand. In particular, she had taken to Odious' favourite pastime of tormenting the underlings, especially Wrench, with relish. As she left, Odious stared back out towards the Earth and grinned.
Back in the new Command Centre in Dane's workshop, Mick was just finishing changing into something a little more familiar and comfortable, his beloved coveralls! He had missed them as much as anything else when he was gone. Calvin was inspecting his helmet while Mick was stretching off and easing his muscles.
"Man, that armour is not comfortable!" He said as he rolled up his sleeves. "It's almost as uncomfortable as riding around in space taxis."
"Space taxis?" Preston asked. "Is that a thing?"
"It's really great to see you back Mick!" Hayley gushed. "We all really missed you."
"I really missed you guys too." Mick answered.
"So what's with the getup?" Calvin asked him, trying on the helmet. "I thought you were an engineer not a soldier."
"Uh…yeah, that's a long story…kind of a funny one actually." Mick told them, before taking a deep breath. "Long story short…we won."
"What?" Brody exclaimed excitedly. "Are you serious? You won? That's amazing!"
"Well, we had some help from some nearby Rangers, Miranoi and Aquitar aren't too far from our borders, but really what swung it was Viera's escape. It turns out a lot more people liked the ideas of peace and co-operation she was pushing than anyone realised and more importantly were willing to fight so that their kids wouldn't have to. We ended up storming the palace, Viera's back on the throne, the last of the opposition is either defecting or in retreat and yours truly here was awarded a medal of valour!" Mick declared proudly, beaming brightly. "Oh…Viera says hi by the way. Oh, and she sent a message on a holo recorder."
He put down a disk, at which it projected an image. It was Viera, but unlike the last time they had seen her, she wasn't wearing her Lion Fire Armour or any of the clothes Sarah had lent her when she was on Earth posing as her "cousin", but a beautiful, regal gown, made of fine red material and intricately embroidered. She wore only a simple circlet on her head, instead of a large and ornate crown. She smiled.
"Greetings Rangers, my friends, I've asked Mick to bring you this message of thanks. My territory is now at peace for the most part. While there are some who still resist the new ways, we are hoping that in time they will see the benefit of peace." She told them. "I am sorry to say though that not all the news is good. I received some grave news of a looming threat in your area. Sadly, the reformation demands my attention and so while I would like to return to help, I am needed here. I have allowed Mick to return to assist you. He has brought with him a gift from me to you. The Lion Fire Armour Star and the Lion Fire Zord Star. May they serve you as well as they have served me. Consider this a token of my gratitude for all you have done for me. I wish you all well Rangers. I hope to hear glad tidings from you."
As the message ended, Mick presented the Lion Fire Armour Star and the Lion Fire Zord Star to them. Brody took them gratefully.
"Well, at least we have something with a little more kick than our standard gear now." He stated. "If anything bigger than Psycho Green had shown up, we'd pretty much be sucking wind."
"What did she mean about a grave threat?" Levi asked. "Psycho Green and Drakkon only just showed up again."
"I'm afraid that isn't all you have to worry about. The hit Galactic TV show 'Galaxy Warriors…is back on the air!" He told them. "Well, not quite, but…they're putting out a major casting call."
"Galaxy Warriors?" Sarah asked. "But…how? Monty destroyed their ship!"
"Yeah…it seems not quite." Mick told them. "It's probably best if I show you."
He pressed a few buttons on the holo projector at which an image appeared. Sure enough, they saw the all too familiar sight of the Galaxy Warriors stage.
Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo stood on the edge of the stage, waiting while the wind-up act, some comedian they had picked up, finished his act. His jokes and his silly antics were not entertaining the audience in the slightest, but when Cosmo started up the stage's booby traps, sending all sorts of lethal explosives and swinging maces his way, the audience were lapping it up as he dived and screamed for his life.
"Now THAT'S entertainment!" Cosmo declared as Wrench arrived, carrying a tablet. He presented it to Cosmo.
"We've picked up some new prospects for the show, but that still leaves us with only a fraction of the roster you used to have!" Wrench complained. "Those that weren't killed when the asteroid hit either left if they were powerful enough to escape or were too weak to get out and will be no match for the Rangers!"
"You always need a few wind-up acts to whet the audience's appetite." Cosmo reminded him as he took a drag from a cigar. "We're still waiting to hear from the real talent."
"What are you two snivelling about?" Madame Odious demanded as she and Badonna arrived. Since Galvanax had been destroyed, Odious was now the most powerful one left on the ship. She had taken de facto control over the entire operation by intimidation. Those that were left did not dare to stand against her. Not only had she survived, albeit at the cost of her eye and with a noticeable crack down her mask, but she had made some powerful and scary allies. "Are you ready to start broadcasting?"
"It won't be much longer, we just need to wait on the warm-up act ending." Cosmo told her.
"When will that be?" Badonna asked. There was a spine-chilling scream and a loud crash, at which Cosmo smiled.
"I believe that would be our cue!" He replied as he strode out onto the stage, dancing out into the centre while some Kudabots came out with mops to clear up what was left of the warm-up act.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, who do you love?" Cosmo asked, cupping his ear with his hand.
"Cosmo!" The audience called back.
"I can't hear you…who do you l…"
He was cut off as Madame Odious snatched the microphone from him and shoved him away unceremoniously.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Galaxy Warriors is now under NEW management and we are taking it in a NEW creative direction!" She announced. "This is going to be the greatest season EVER!"
The crowd cheered, but the Rangers watched on, considerably less enthusiastic about her announcement.
"Once more we shall be returning to Earth to seize the most powerful prize in the universe, the fabled Ninja Nexus Prism and the Super Ninja Steel!" She continued. "However, with such a lucrative and powerful prize on offer, we can no longer just give you the run-of-the-mill monsters you've been seeing, which is why all of our contracts have been voided and we are putting out an open casting to the entire universe!"
"The contracts have been cancelled?" Calvin asked. "Doesn't that mean they have no monsters?"
"I think it's more likely their monsters were either destroyed or laid low." Levi stated. "Which is why they're opening up entry to everyone."
"With the Ninja Nexus Prism and its limitless power, no prize will be too great, no riches too outlandish, no desire too wild to be fulfilled!" Madame Odious continued with her speech. "This year's champion need only name his or her own prize and it will be theirs!"
Back on Earth, Mick shut off the advert. He looked to the Rangers hesitantly.
"Oh great, that's just what we need on top of everything else!" Hayley complained. "No prize too great? The Champion can name their own prize no matter what it is? She's going to have every super-powered sicko in existence climbing over each other to knock down her door and take that prize!"
"Is anyone else starting to miss Galvanax?" Preston asked. They all just stared at him. "It was just a question."
"OK, this is bad, but we've got the team back together which means we're at full strength!" Brody announced.
"Full-strength?" Calvin asked. "Are you missing the part where all we have is our Power Stars and the Lion Fire Armour and Lion Fire Megazord stars?"
"A ninja is a weapon. Their wits, their instincts and their will make them the most dangerous weapon in existence." Brody reminded them. "Anything else is a bonus."
"I know I'd like a few bonuses right about now." Levi sighed, sitting down as they all waited for Sarah to complete the scans. They could only hope that with so many foes, they weren't already playing catch-up.
Over at Summer Cove Police Station, Trevor and Spike headed in to follow up on some reports. Ellie was at her desk, finishing up a phone call as they arrived. She looked to Trevor a little sympathetically.
"Trevor, I wasn't expecting to see you today." She replied honestly. "Is Laura OK?"
"She's fine, I'm just waiting on the call to tell me she's ready to be released." He answered.
"Well, you know where we are if…"
"Yeah, I appreciate that." Trevor told her. "Look, can you excuse me? I just need to use the rest room."
As he left, Spike sat on the edge of her desk.
"Poor guy, he worships Laura and Hayley." Ellie commented as she watched him head into the mens' room. "Surely the department could give him a few days or…"
"It's not like they can MAKE him take personal time if he doesn't want to." Spike responded. "Lord knows if they could, I'd seriously considering asking the Captain to make it happen. I've spent most of the morning trying to find a path that takes us away from anything remotely stressful."
"Is it really that bad?" Ellie asked him. Spike looked around cautiously.
"Has some guy named Keith been in?" He asked her.
"Oh, you mean 'Mood Killer Keith' the office manager?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "Laura's talked about him a few times. Let me tell you, he's no more pleasant in person than she describes. He was whining about some files. I gave him the forms to sign and told him we'd send them on if they weren't needed."
"Well, he turned up at Trevor's front door." Spike told her.
"He mentioned Trevor, he wasn't too complimentary either." Ellie replied. "I took my time finding those forms I can tell you. I told him I'd be right back and went on my lunch break. He wasn't too happy about the forty five minute wait, but I won't have my friends being talked about like…"
"Ellie, when I got there, Trevor was…it…it looked like Trevor was about to do something really stupid." Spike told her. Ellie just stared at him.
"Really?" She asked. "That…that doesn't sound like him at all!"
"No, it really doesn't! I could barely get him to let go!" Spike told her. "I think it's only the fact that Trevor's neighbours think too much of him to stand as witnesses that stopped him ending up in front of the Captain."
"It's terrible, he's obviously upset about what happened to Laura." Ellie answered. "Do you think he would talk to you?"
"You have…MET Trevor, right?" Spike said a little dejectedly. "I'm just going to keep him away from any of the trouble spots until the hospital calls and hope for the best."
"You're a good friend Spike." Ellie answered. He just shrugged.
"Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be there." He answered.
In the Mens' room, Trevor was just finishing up and went to the sink to clean up afterwards. He pumped some soap from the dispenser into his hand and started the water running, scrubbing his hands before looking up to the mirror. He jumped with a start when he thought he saw Psycho Green standing behind him. He spun around, but found no one there. His heart racing, struggling to catch his breath, he turned back to the mirror.
"What…what's happening to me?" He whispered, looking to the mirror. He stared down at his hands, which now looked like they were covered with blood. In a panic, he ran them under the tap, but the crimson fluid just seemed to keep coming no matter what he did. He scrubbed and scrubbed in a panic, but now it seemed like the blood was going everywhere! It was in his clothes, all over the counter, across the floor…he jumped again when he heard a loud bang, looking towards the door. He almost felt like his heart was about to give out when he saw Grace Sterling standing before him.
"Marx!" She stated gruffly. She beckoned him with one finger. "My office, now!"
Trevor blinked, unable to comprehend what had happened. She hadn't said a word about…
He looked around, and now there wasn't a drop of blood to be seen anywhere. He stared back into the mirror and Psycho Green was gone. He snatched some paper towels, drying off his hands, before following Grace towards her office.