Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Chapter 6: Excelsior
New Tech City…
A series of explosions rang out across a large downtown plaza, blasting several parked cars apart and sending dozens of civilians running frantically for cover. Fireballs blasted up into the air, adding to the mayhem.
Morgana laughed, flinging out another arc of purple energy that sheared through a parked motorcycle, tearing it in half. "So pathetic," she giggled. "The screaming never gets old, though."
"No kidding," Goldar growled in agreement, snorting and baring his fangs as he tossed another fireball into a nearby storefront. "But this is getting boring. They should be here by now!"
"Relax, big guy," Morgana drawled, ignoring the alien warrior's irritated snarl as she glanced up and down the street. "All we have to do is keep causing random destruction like this, and they'll come running right to –"
"Hold it right there!" a voice yelled out from behind her, accompanied by the blaring of a siren.
"And speak of the devil!" Morgana quipped, smirking as she turned towards the speaker: Sam, lights flashing on either side of his helmet, with the five Legacy Rangers approaching down the street behind him, already transformed. "Well, well, what do we have here?"
"Stand down, Morgana!" Sam snapped, slowing down a little so his new teammates could catch up to him as he advanced towards the pair of villains. "You're under arrest!"
"I mean, unless you want us to beat you up first," Kira quipped as she stepped up next to him. "Because if you'd rather go that route, that works fine for me."
"Same here," Tori chuckled as she stopped alongside the Yellow Dino Ranger.
"Plus, six of us versus two of you?" Jen shrugged. "Doesn't really seem like a fair fight."
"You know what?" Morgana grinned, exchanging a glance with Goldar. "You're right. That doesn't seem like a fair fight. Let's fix that, shall we?" On cue, she and Goldar each produced a pair of tennis-ball-sized metal spheres, black with silver highlights, and tossed them high into the air. All four spheres burst apart and expanded outwards into the rapidly-growing forms of several dozen black-clad Krybots, which landed in a rough circle around the six Rangers, completely surrounding them. A chorus of loud, monotonous dings echoed from the Troobian foot-soldiers' silver-masked heads as they prepared to charge.
Jen snorted under her helmet. "Oh, wow, a bunch of mindless robots. How scary."
Tori echoed the snort. "Tell me about it. You'd think they'd have some different tricks."
"Well, whatever year it is, seems like the bad guys never change," Tommy remarked dryly as he took a step out in front of the others. "You guys ready?"
"You know it," Kira agreed, her tone making it easy to tell that she was grinning under her mask.
Goldar scowled. "Enough of this!" he roared. "Attack!"
The Krybots surged forwards as one, and the Rangers leapt to meet them.
Tommy and Kira, the two Legacy Rangers who'd actually been on the same Ranger team before, instinctively stuck together as a result. They tore through the Krybots side-by-side, Tommy's broadsword and Kira's daggerlike Ptera-Grips slashing in every direction as they whirled through the robots, slicing through cloth and metal without much effort. Tommy in particular made it look as easy as breathing, hacking his way through the robots with an effortless grace that spoke to his many years of combat experience. Kira didn't have as much experience, but she'd still spent the better part of a year taking down foot-soldiers who hadn't been too different from the Krybots, so it was easy enough for her to handle these ones.
Cole and Jen had also teamed up, although their fighting styles were entirely different: Cole fought with a fluid, almost animalistic style, thanks to the animal spirit which gave him his powers and the many years that he'd spent growing up in the jungle as a child, while Jen moved with a precise, focused intensity that spoke of her past military training as a member of Time Force. As different as their styles were, they were equally unstoppable, with Krybots tumbling around them like falling leaves in a gale.
Sam tore through the robots with the casual ease of someone who'd been training against them for decades (which, of course, he had), using the various different settings of his Morpher to their full capacity and hurling his opponents back in ever-greater numbers. "Omega Morpher: Hyper Mode!" he yelled, his arm dissolving into a rapid-fire blur as a volley of punches sent half a dozen Krybots flying.
Tori, meanwhile, was a blur, flashing back and forth across the plaza, her sword carving effortlessly through every Krybot that came her way. "Sonic Fin!" she called out as she dove under a robot's swinging arm, plucking her secondary weapon from her belt. Holding up the fin-shaped sonic blaster, she pulled the trigger and unleashed a blast of high-frequency soundwaves that hurled that group of Krybots to the ground, overloading their circuits in an instant.
Morgana and Goldar were observing the battle with increasing annoyance as it became more and more one-sided, but the two villains' attention was drawn to a more immediate problem when Tommy and Kira broke through the line of Krybots and raced towards them. Morgana scowled, her own battle helmet snapping into place around her head and her wrist-blades deploying as she intercepted Kira, while Goldar roared and charged straight for Tommy, blocking the Green Ranger's first strike with his own sword.
"You'll regret not destroying me when you were younger, Tommy," he spat, his red eyes blazing with hatred. "I promise you that!"
"Like I already don't?" Tommy shot back with a grin, before throwing a side-kick into Goldar's chest and knocking him backwards. Goldar growled and struck back as Tommy leapt after him, their blades clashing repeatedly, but Tommy was gaining the upper hand and slowly drove the monster back across the plaza.
Kira, however, was having more trouble with Morgana. The villainess was a highly-skilled combatant, and her energized wrist-blades enabled her to counter everything that Kira's Ptera-Grips could dish out. Kira tried swapping one blade out for her blaster, snapping off a few rapid-fire shots, but Morgana's blades blurred into motion as she deflected each bolt. "Nice try, Ranger," she quipped, chuckling as both blades suddenly lit up with purple electricity. "My turn!" Before Kira could dodge, she flung her arms out, the blades launching an X-shaped blast of purple energy that slammed into Kira and detonated on impact, knocking the Yellow Ranger flat on her back with smoke trailing from her suit.
Ow… Kira groaned and rolled over, pushing herself up onto one knee. "Okay, not bad," she muttered.
"Wish I could say the same," Morgana mocked as she stalked towards Kira. "C'mon, you've got more than that, don't you?"
Kira grinned breathlessly under her helmet. "Actually, yeah, I do." She rose back to her full height, crossing both arms over her chest with her fingers curved like claws and then pulling them down and out. "Super Dino Mode!" At the command, her suit lit up with a brilliant glow for a moment as the white patches on her yellow suit suddenly expanded outwards into solid armor plating, the ones on her arms and legs edged with sharp, pointed blades and spikes.
Morgana slowed down, sensing danger from this additional transformation, but she didn't react fast enough.
"Hyaaah!" Kira kicked off the ground and rocketed towards Morgana, moving much faster than she'd been before and aided by a glowing golden membrane that shimmered to life from the backs of her arms, trailing like a pair of artificial wings and carrying her swiftly through the air. Her Ptera-Grips flicked back out, and one of them slashed across Morgana's side as Kira shot past her, drawing a burst of sparks and a pained snarl. Morgana whirled around as Kira touched down behind her, but this time her own swings were easily blocked, and then Kira raked one blade-lined arm across her torso, slicing into Morgana's armor and producing another pained yell.
Tommy glanced over towards the other fight, nodding in approval when he noted Kira's powerup. Turning back to his own fight, he charged, hammering into Goldar with even greater intensity.
With Kira's transformation, the odds shifted: now Morgana and Goldar were firmly on the defensive, being steadily driven back by their respective opponents. The two villains were also being hemmed in and driven closer together, until both fights were happening side-by-side, just a couple of yards apart.
"Now!" Tommy yelled. He and Kira each dodged a swing from their opponents and struck out simultaneously, slamming a pair of kicks into Goldar and Morgana to knock them off-balance. In the next moment, Tommy and Kira leapt clear, as Cole and Sam – who had also broken free of the larger melee – came charging in to help, each readying an attack of their own. Almost as one, they each dropped to one knee and struck the ground in front of them with Cole's Crystal Saber and Sam's fist respectively, unleashing their attacks simultaneously.
"Spirit of the Earth!"
"Omega Morpher: Electro-Mode!"
Twin blasts erupted from the points where they'd struck the ground, Cole's chain of explosions and Sam's electric shockwave merging together as they raced towards the villainous pair, before detonating with a massive explosion that sent Morgana and Goldar tumbling through the air with twin screams of pain and anger.
As the two battered villains picked themselves up, they found themselves confronted by all four Rangers. Nearby, Tori and Jen were disposing of the last few Krybots, leaving Goldar and Morgana without any backup.
"So?" Tommy raised his sword, pointing it at them as the others stepped up to flank him. "How do you two want to do this?"
Goldar and Morgana exchanged a glance. Both villains were furious, but it was clear enough that they were at a serious disadvantage.
"This isn't over," Morgana warned. She flung one arm up into the air, and both villains vanished in a flash of purple light.
Space Patrol Delta base…
"So, you guys got your mystical dinosaur-powers from a bunch of rocks?" Jen questioned with a raised eyebrow and a faint smirk as the Legacy Rangers strolled down the hallway.
"Ancient magical gemstones, but… yeah, I guess," Kira quipped, exchanging an amused grin with Tommy. "I guess Ranger tech definitely gets more 'professional' in the future."
Jen snorted. "Eh, I wouldn't go that far. Time Force might pride itself on being a professional military organization, but they've got their ups and downs just like anybody else." She shrugged. "Different era, same problems, I guess." This got some quiet snickers out of the other Legacies, as they made their way into one of the off-duty lounges in the base and settled down on a pair of large couches.
Sam, meanwhile, was regarding Jen with a great deal of curiosity, enough that it was apparent even through his helmet. "Ah… Miss Jen?" he inquired. "Actually, about that, I was just wondering: you're from the future, but the Sentinel Knight said he recruited all of you guys from the past. So…" He trailed off, trying to figure out how best to phrase his question.
"So how can I be here, and why do you guys have records of me?" Jen chuckled in response to Sam's confirming nod. "It's kind of a long story, but I'll give you guys the short version. The organization that I used to work for, Time Force, is based in the year 3000: it's actually a distant descendant of S.P.D., if I remember my history lessons right, but we're mostly focused on threats involving time travel, not space travel." She considered for a moment, then grinned as she glanced back over to Sam. "Funny thing is… that change was actually inspired, at least in part, by you."
If Sam's eyes had been visible, they would undoubtedly have widened. "Wait… really?"
"Really!" Jen nodded in confirmation. "The S.P.D. Omega Ranger: the man who saved the Earth by going back in time to stop a Troobian conquest before it could happen. Your journey through time led to the foundation of Time Force, for two reasons." She held up one finger. "First: your success in stopping the Troobian invasion from succeeding showed the world that time travel could be a powerful force for good, if it were used for good reasons." She held up a second finger, her expression becoming more sober. "But second: because the discovery of time travel eventually led to some people trying to use it for, let's say… less noble reasons."
Most of the others winced as they quickly deduced what she meant. "People like the Mut-Orgs, or Ransik back when he was evil," Cole surmised. "Criminals and monsters, who wanted to rewrite the flow of time to benefit themselves rather than the people of Earth as a whole."
Jen nodded. "Exactly. That's the main reason why Time Force was established: to make sure that no evildoer would ever try to misuse the power of time travel for their own selfish gain." She glanced around to the others as she continued. "Which is where I come in. In the year 3000, a criminal mastermind named Ransik stole one of our time-ships and used it to transport a prison full of dangerous mutants to the beginning of the 21st century, planning to take over the world and create his own new future. My teammates and I chased Ransik back through time to try and stop him, but our Red Ranger, Alex Collins, was left behind in the future." She sighed. "Since our Morphers wouldn't work without the fifth member of our team, we sought out Wes Collins, one of Alex's ancestors, and I convinced him to join the team in Alex's place. We worked together with other heroes of that time period, including other Power Rangers at a couple of points, and we ultimately defeated Ransik and his followers before they could succeed in altering history too drastically. But, in the process…" A soft smile flickered across her face. "Wes and I fell in love."
Cole and Tommy didn't seem surprised – clearly they'd both heard this story before, or at least some of it – but the others were caught off-guard by this revelation. "Wait… isn't that a bad thing, though?" Tori questioned. "What with you guys being from different centuries and everything?"
"I thought so at first," Jen confirmed. "So when the crisis was over, I went home, back to my time, and tried to readjust to a life without Wes in it. I tried telling myself it was better that way, that he'd be better off continuing his life back in that time without any further interference from us… but a year later, I had to go back in time again, chasing a trio of mutant monsters that had traveled back to team up with Cole's enemies, the Orgs." She glanced over to the Red Wild Force Ranger, who returned her solemn nod as he remembered those battles. "When that happened, Wes and I reconnected, and I realized that I couldn't stay away from him any longer. So I checked with the Time Force databanks in the future, looking for any sign that my presence in Wes's life would cause problems… but I actually found the exact opposite."
Jen grinned again, a rush of warmth filling her mind as she recalled the memory. "I found out that Wes was supposed to get married eventually… but his wife's name was Jennifer. And when I looked into it further, I realized that Alex, my Time Force teammate, wasn't just Wes's descendant… he was my descendant, too. I was always supposed to go back in time and be with Wes." She shrugged. "So I did. Once I knew that going back in time for good wasn't going to break history or anything like that, I traveled back to the past for good. Wes and I set up a cover identity for me, and we've been together ever since. That's when the Sentinel Knight contacted me and asked for my help… and of course I wasn't gonna say no."
"So that's why these S.P.D. guys have your records and DNA and everything?" Kira finished. "Because you live in our time period now?"
"Yup." Jen made a popping sound with her lips on the "P" in that word, before shrugging and glancing around at the others. "So, anybody else got a story to tell?"
"Well, I was curious about one thing," Tori spoke up, turning to Cole with a curious expression. "Cole, while we were all getting ready to head to this time period, I think you mentioned something about needing to get permission to get your powers back? I didn't bother asking about it at the time, but…" She frowned. "I was a little confused." She indicated herself, Kira, and Tommy. "The Sentinel Knight had to 'recharge' the three of us with enough power to reactivate our Morphing abilities, and Jen still had hers so he didn't need to do anything for her, but… I didn't really understand what the deal was with yours."
"Oh, that?" Cole laughed, leaning back casually on the couch. "Well, it was pretty simple, actually. I didn't really lose my powers when I stopped being a Ranger: my teammates and I received our powers from our teacher, Princess Shayla, and once the Orgs were defeated, we gave those powers back to her. We didn't need them anymore, and that way she could keep them safe." He shrugged. "When the Sentinel Knight contacted me, I went back to her home, the Animarium island, to ask her if I could have my power crystal back temporarily for this mission. She agreed, and I got it back." He smiled and produced the crystal in question from his pocket, showing the image of a red lion inside it. "I'll give it back to her again once this crisis is over and we can go home."
"Which hopefully shouldn't take too long," Kira spoke up with a smile, nodding to Sam. "Hopefully we can help your friends get their powers back, and then we'll be able to take care of Thrax and his buddies in no time."
"We'll still have to be careful, though," Tommy interjected, drawing the immediate attention of all the others. "I dealt with Rita and Zedd a lot of times back in the day, and they were easily two of the worst villains that the Earth has ever had to face." He frowned. "From what the Sentinel Knight and Commander Cruger have told us, it seems like Thrax has inherited all of their worst parts. So he's not going to go down easily, that's for sure."
The group were silent and thoughtful for a few seconds, before Tori smiled. "Well, I for one feel good about our chances," she chimed in. "I haven't known most of you guys for very long, but…" She looked around their group, and her smile grew a little warmer. "I think we make a pretty good team." A chorus of acknowledgments echoed from the others, with all six Rangers exchanging smiles (or the impression of one, in Sam's case).
A series of footsteps at the entrance of the lounge drew the Rangers' attention, and they looked up to see Z, Syd and Bridge rounding the corner. The S.P.D. cadets were noticeably subdued, their expressions and attitudes more downcast than usual.
"Hey, guys!" Sam greeted them with a wave, beckoning the trio over to the couch next to him. "Where are Jack and Sky?"
"Probably still training," Z replied with a soft chuckle. "They might be different in a lot of ways, but they both absolutely hate getting stuck on the sidelines."
"No kidding," Sydney added with a quiet snicker. "Honestly, I feel like they're a lot more similar than either of them would ever wanna admit."
After a few more chuckles echoed through the room, the trio of cadets fell silent again, drawing sympathetic glances from the Legacy Rangers. "Are you guys… doing okay?" Tori spoke up, her voice soft and a little hesitant.
Bridge, Z and Syd all glanced at each other. "I… don't know," Bridge ultimately admitted, uncharacteristically somber considering his usually-relaxed attitude. "We've never really had anything like this happen to us before." He considered. "I mean, we have had our powers taken away once, back when we had to do some special training to earn our S.W.A.T. Mode, but back then it was temporary: we just had to give up our Morphers until the training was complete."
"Right," Syd agreed. "Back then, we got our powers back as soon as we finished the training and learned what we were supposed to. It didn't feel like…" She sighed, holding her empty hands out with a shrug. "…this."
"Hey." Cole's voice was quiet and reassuring, with the same mixture of kindness and confidence which had once made it obvious that he was destined to be the leader of the Wild Force team. "It's gonna be okay, guys. This isn't gonna be permanent. We aren't replacing you forever."
"Right!" Kira nodded in agreement, smiling at them. "We're just… filling in, y'know? Until you guys get your powers back."
"You mean if we get our powers back," Z replied, her soft chuckle sounding noticeably forced.
"No," Tommy replied, his voice calm but firm. "When. We're gonna figure out a way to fix this." He smiled warmly at the three cadets. "Trust me, okay? I've been through situations like this a couple of times before, and there's always a way to fix it. We'll find a way to repair the damage Thrax has done, and we'll get your powers back." The confidence in his voice was concrete and absolute: it sounded like he was stating a fact, not making an argument or attempting a reassurance.
"It's a shame that we don't actually have a way to interface with the Morphing Grid and fix the damage directly," Jen remarked thoughtfully. "That would make it a lot easier, but as far as I know, there's no human technology in this century that could do something like that."
"Plus, I dunno about you guys, but I'm not exactly a computer expert," Tori quipped, producing amused chuckles and nods from Kira and Cole.
Tommy, however, seemed to be thinking quite intently about something. "No human technology…" he murmured under his breath, so quietly that no one else heard him.
Kira frowned and glanced over to him, raising an eyebrow. "Uh… Dr. O?" she questioned. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm?" Tommy blinked and looked up. "Oh, yeah. Actually…" He smiled slowly. "I think I have an idea."
The Delta Base's gymnasium echoed with the sounds of high-speed combat, as Jack and Sky hammered away at each other's defenses in one of the sparring rings. They were using every trick in their arsenals, including their genetic powers: some of Jack's strikes rebounded off of Sky's crackling blue forcefields, while some of Sky's blows phased harmlessly through Jack's body as he flickered in and out of tangibility. They were seemingly dead-even, neither one able to gain a decisive advantage over the other.
Finally, their stalemate came to an abrupt end as they each landed a solid hit to the other's torso, knocking each other a few steps back. Breathing heavily, they both started to raise their guards again, before Jack held up one hand and chuckled. "Let's… take a minute," he panted.
Sky nodded wearily, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Sounds good," he agreed.
As they sat back against the wall of the gym, taking long drinks from the water bottles that they'd brought with them, Jack glanced over to Sky with a questioning expression. "You okay, man?" he inquired.
"I…" Sky stared straight ahead and sighed heavily. "I don't know." He shrugged. "We've almost never had to deal with something like this before, in all the time we've been Rangers. Powerless, helpless…" His eyes hardened and his lips curved in a scowl. "It feels like there's nothing I can do to help now; I just have to sit on the sidelines and let other people do the fighting for us. And I hate that."
Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get that. Same here." He shook his head. "But trust me, man: we're not done. We're gonna get our powers back, and as soon as we do we'll be right back in the fight."
At that moment, a flash of golden light illuminated the room, and the glowing form of the Sentinel Knight materialized before the two cadets, causing them to flinch back in surprise. "Well said, Jack Landors," he intoned. "I am glad to see that you have not given up hope. That determination is exactly the kind of thing that this world's defenders need."
Jack chuckled as his surprise faded. "Yeah, well, thanks." He leaned back against the wall, letting out a sigh.
"Thank you again for your help," Sky spoke up, looking up at the Knight. "We would've been finished if it wasn't for you rescuing us and restoring those other Rangers' powers."
"I am glad that I could be of assistance," the Knight replied solemnly. "I do apologize, however, for my inability to restore your powers as well. It may indeed be possible to restore them, but unfortunately such a thing is beyond my abilities with the Morphing Grid in its present condition. The damage that Thrax has done to its local integrity is quite severe, and I do not have the skill to restore it." He shook his head, his tone becoming more somber. "If only my former comrades were still present on this world: one of them might be able to repair the damage."
Sky and Jack exchanged a curious glance. "'Comrades'?" Jack repeated. "You mean, you were part of a team like us?"
"Indeed." The Sentinel Knight's voice softened. "Many years ago, I was part of a secret order comprised of the galaxy's greatest martial arts masters, which served as a predecessor to the Power Rangers. Some other members of that order are key figures in Ranger history: Ninjor, Dimitria, Zordon… and my own mentor, Dulcea."
"Dulcea?" Sky frowned. "I've heard of Ninjor, Dimitria, and Zordon: we learned about all three of them in Ranger History classes at the S.P.D. academy. But I don't remember anyone named Dulcea."
"Yes, that makes sense." The Knight nodded, and his voice gave the impression of a smile as he folded his translucent arms behind him. "Dulcea dwelled on a distant planet known as Phaedos. She was also known as the Warrior Goddess, due to her great skill and power; she was one of the greatest warriors in our order, and I was honored to train as her student. But unlike those other three that I mentioned, Dulcea never interacted with Earth's Power Rangers directly, so you would not know of her. However, her actions were directly responsible for one Ranger team's creation."
Jack's eyes widened. "Wait… she made a Ranger team?"
"Not exactly, but essentially, yes," the Knight confirmed. "Three thousand years ago, Dulcea and I defended the planet Mirinoi from evil forces, and succeeded in defeating those evildoers. But Dulcea foresaw that evil would threaten that world again someday, so she forged five great swords, known as the Quasar Sabers, and embedded them in a stone altar using powerful magic, to keep them there until five chosen warriors would one day find them." He chuckled softly. "As it turned out, those chosen warriors would turn out to be five young humans, who became the Power Rangers of the Lost Galaxy."
"Oh!" Sky's eyes widened in realization and amazement. "The Galaxy Rangers of the Terra Venture space colony… yes, that's right! We learned about them in school." His cheeks flushed a faint pink as he saw Jack's amused grin.
"That is correct, Sky Tate," the Sentinel Knight agreed. He tilted his head back slightly, gazing up at the ceiling as if his vision was piercing out through the building to the stars above. "Dulcea was the greatest warrior I have ever seen. Her skills, both in combat and in magic, far surpassed my own. She was not described as 'the Warrior Goddess' for no reason." His eyes dimmed slightly. "Sadly, she passed on many centuries ago, and now lies entombed on her home planet of Phaedos, along with her greatest weapon: the sword Excelsior, a weapon so deadly that it could destroy the very spirits of its victims. No other weapon I have ever seen could do that."
Sky was still amazed, but Jack's own eyes narrowed slowly as a thought began turning over in his mind. "Uh… Mr. Knight?" he spoke up, drawing the Knight's attention back to him. "Sorry, random question, but I was just thinking about something. Back when you rescued us, and Gruumm wanted to destroy you, Thrax said that they couldn't… but that he knew about something that could destroy you." His frown deepened. "And if that sword you mentioned could destroy a spirit…"
Sky got it first. His eyes widened a bit, and he frowned as he turned to Jack. "You think… Thrax might be planning to find that sword, and use it to destroy him?" he questioned, nodding to the Sentinel Knight.
The Knight's glowing green eyes widened as well. "I… had not considered that," he admitted. "But… it would make sense. Thrax's parents, Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, were well aware of our order's existence, so they would have known about Dulcea, and Thrax may have learned about it from them. After I sealed him away ten years ago, he and his allies would certainly have a vested interest in learning of ways to stop me from interfering in his plans again." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "And… it is true that if Thrax does seek to destroy me, Excelsior is the only weapon that I know of which could destroy a spirit."
"So… he could be going after it?" Jack pushed himself up to his feet, Sky doing the same. "If he is, we've gotta stop him, right? That guy's bad enough as it is: we don't need him getting his hands on a weapon that can kill anything."
"I agree," Sky followed up immediately, nodding firmly. "If Thrax is going after that sword, we have to do whatever we can to stop him. The only reason we're still alive is because you were able to help us. If Thrax plans to prevent that from happening again, we need to stop him."
"Calm yourselves," the Sentinel Knight urged, holding out his hands towards them. "If Thrax does intend to acquire Excelsior, I am quite certain that he will not succeed. He may be strong, but the defensive magics that Dulcea imbued into her tomb are extremely powerful. Even if Thrax were to reach her tomb, he would most likely not be able to remove Excelsior from it."
Jack and Sky met each other's gaze, their expressions firm… but after a moment, they both relaxed a bit as they turned back to the Knight. "Okay, yeah, you're probably right," Jack conceded.
"We should still tell the others and the Commander about this, though," Sky added. "Just to be safe." He shrugged. "Even if Thrax can't get to the sword, we should be ready in case he does try something like that."
The Sentinel Knight nodded slowly, not entirely trusting their sudden turnaround. "Very well," he replied. "In the meantime, I am still recovering my strength after having expended so much energy on recharging the Legacy Rangers' powers and transporting them across time. So for now, I must rest." With that, he faded away with a final flicker of golden light.
In the following silence, Jack and Sky remained quiet for a moment, before turning to each other again. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack inquired.
"We're going to Phaedos?" Sky assumed.
"Damn right." Jack grinned. "If Thrax is going after that sword, somebody's gotta make sure he doesn't get it. So let's tell the others and get going, before anybody else tries to stop us."
Without a backward glance, the two cadets hurried out of the gym, heading off to find the rest of their squad. There was no time to waste.
"You really think that this idea will work?" Kat questioned. She, Cruger, Sam, and the Legacy Rangers were in the Command Center, looking at a diagram on one of the computer screens.
"I'm sure of it," Tommy confirmed. "To restore your Rangers' powers, we'll have to repair the damage that Thrax has done to the Morphing Grid. The problem is, no human technology can interface directly with the Grid, even in this time period, so there's nothing we can do to fix it with the tech that you have here." He smiled. "But fortunately, I happen to have a particular piece of technology that can interface with the Grid… because it wasn't created by humans. It was left behind by my first mentor, Zordon, and he was able to use it to manipulate the Grid, so we should be able to do the same."
"And once we do that, we can fix the damage Thrax inflicted, and hopefully even strengthen the Grid's defenses so he can't pull off the same trick again," Jen finished.
"Right." Tommy nodded. "We just need to go find that piece of technology. Back in 2005, it was sealed in a secure storage facility, and since I don't think I would've removed it from that facility at any point since then, it should still be there. Once we retrieve it, we can get to work."
Cruger and Kat contemplated the idea for a moment, before the S.P.D. Commander nodded in agreement. "Very well," he replied. "You have my permission to carry out this plan. However, I think that Omega Ranger should stay here as a precaution, in case there are any further attacks while you are away."
Sam nodded. "Of course, sir! If Gruumm or Thrax try anything, I'll be ready."
Tommy echoed the nod. "Okay, then." He turned to his teammates. "C'mon, guys. We don't have much time, so let's get to it."
"Right!" the other Legacies chorused in agreement, before the five of them jogged out of the Command Center.
As they did so, Cruger frowned and turned to Kat and Sam. "Have either of you seen the B-Squad Rangers today?" he questioned.
"I saw them a couple of hours ago, but not since then," Sam replied with a shrug. "Jack said something about them going out and taking a bit of time off, since 'there isn't much they can do around here at the moment'."
"Hmmm…" Cruger's frown deepened, as an uneasy feeling rooted itself in his stomach. "If they check in with either of you, let me know," he instructed. "We can't afford to be lax at a time like this: there's no telling when Gruumm and Thrax may launch another assault."
Sam and Kat both nodded in agreement, before turning and heading out of the command center, leaving Cruger alone. The S.P.D. Commander's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and he adjusted the hilt of his Shadow Saber as he glanced around the room. Losing his Morphing powers had affected him too, making him feel less confident about their situation. For the moment, things appeared to be under control, thanks to the new Rangers and the Sentinel Knight's assistance.
But he couldn't help the feeling that something was wrong.
As their "borrowed" long-range S.P.D. spaceship left the Earth's atmosphere, the five members of B-Squad sat back in their chairs and readied themselves for the trip to Phaedos. Sure enough, it hadn't taken much effort for Jack and Sky to convince Bridge, Z and Syd that they should go to find Excelsior and prevent Thrax from getting his hands on it. Each of the five cadets had some misgivings about this journey, but their resolve overpowered their concerns. With or without their powers, they had to do something to help.
"All right, guys," Jack murmured as he and Sky adjusted the controls. "If anyone wants to turn back, now's your last chance." He glanced over his shoulder, his lips twitching into a smile when he saw that none of the others showed any signs of hesitating.
"Okay, then," Sky spoke up, his eyes fixed on the stars ahead. "Let's do this." He and Jack activated the controls, and their ship burst into motion, hurtling off towards their destination.
As the B-Squad cadets' ship blasted off into the cosmos, they had no idea that just a few light-years away, a second object was heading on a parallel trajectory: a crackling comet of black-and-white energy, lighting up the darkness of deep space as it hurtled across the galaxy.
Within that crackling aura, shielded from the vacuum by a protective capsule of magic, a pair of gleaming yellow eyes glared ahead towards their owner's destination, already dreaming of the vengeance that he would wreak upon his nemesis.
Just you wait, Sentinel Knight, Thrax thought to himself, his scowl deepening as he gripped his staff tightly with both hands and focused on maintaining both his protective shield and the transportation spell. Soon, I will have your mentor's greatest weapon in my possession, and I will be able to destroy you once and for all.
And then… there will be nothing that you, or anyone, can do to stop me.
The Moon…
In an age where space travel and contact with alien races had become the norm for the human race, it was hardly a surprise that humanity had also colonized the Moon. Numerous bases, both military and civilian in nature, were scattered across its surface, contained within protective domes that kept their inhabitants safe from the airless vacuum outside.
But there were also some areas of the Moon's surface that those lunar colonists deliberately avoided. Some of those were historical sites, such as the landing points of the various NASA lunar landings back in the 20th century… but one was not. Instead, it had been declared strictly off-limits by S.P.D., with the full support of the United States government, to hopefully prevent anyone from making use of any dangerous technology that might have been left behind there.
At the bottom of a vast, deep crater, a huge, dark castle crafted from black stone rose skyward, its structure covered in jutting spikes and jagged towers. Despite its foreboding appearance, the fortress was as empty and silent as a tomb, with no sign of its former owners. But the presence of an atmospheric dome around the castle, shimmering with a faint glow of magic, signified that the area was still habitable.
The palace of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd had fallen into disrepair in the years since their defeat. Its interior was coated with dust, and many of its towers and walls were cracked and crumbling. Due to its infamous reputation and the possibility of some nasty traps or dangerous tech left behind by the villainous pair, it had been left abandoned, although it was monitored by a nearby military base. But since it had been more than twenty-five years since this palace had last been occupied, and no one had attempted to approach it since then, the monitoring in question was not particularly rigorous.
Therefore, when Scorpina materialized at the entrance of the palace in a flash of golden light, her arrival went entirely unnoticed. She gazed up at the black lunar sky for a long moment and chuckled softly, before walking in through the broken front doors of the fortress. The palace's interior was dark and shadowy, but she had retraced this route plenty of times over the last two decades, and by this point she hardly even needed to see to know where she was going.
After navigating the complex maze of twisting corridors and halls that filled the palace, Scorpina finally arrived at her destination: the secure vault beneath the palace, where she, Goldar, and an infant Thrax had been able to survive the energy wave that had wiped out the Alliance of Evil. Imbued with the most powerful defensive spells that both Rita and Zedd's combined powers could generate, the vault was virtually impregnable… unless, of course, you were one of the few people who had been granted access by Rita and Zedd prior to their defeat.
Placing her hand on the stone door of the vault, Scorpina waited for a moment as the magical wards detected her presence, then lowered her arm and stepped back as the door glowed with a brief pulse of dark red energy and split vertically, both halves retracting into the walls. A brief surge of electricity crackled around her, sending a tingling sensation down her spine, but she shook it off and stepped inside.
Resting in the center of the vault was what looked, at first glance, like a giant egg, easily as tall as a grown man. It was a gleaming silver in color, with veins of dark blue laced through it; it was glowing faintly from within, and a sound almost like a heartbeat pulsed through the vault as something shifted beneath the egg's protective shell.
Scorpina smiled. "Excellent," she murmured. "It's ready."
Thrax had inherited both of his parents' talents for creating monstrous creatures, but he'd gone about it in a slightly different way. While Rita and Zedd had focused on building an army, creating as many monsters as they could and taking every opportunity to make new ones, Thrax had focused years of time and effort into crafting a single monster with power far exceeding anything that his parents had ever created. This creature possessed power that could tear these new Power Rangers apart, and bring all of Earth's defenses crashing down. And after years of preparation, it was finally fully-grown and ready to be unleashed.
Stepping up to a computer console next to the egg, Scorpina entered in a simple series of commands, initiating its final sequence. As a soft rumbling sound echoed from within the egg, she stepped back a few feet, drew her sword, and pointed it squarely at the egg. "Activate!" she called out as a stream of golden lightning poured from her sword and struck the egg, crackling over its surface and being absorbed into it. This energy transfer provided the final spark to trigger the egg's hatching.
Clouds of steam began to rise from the egg, its shell rapidly growing hotter and reacting with the cold air of the chamber. Scorpina kept up the energy transfer until a sharp crack echoed through the vault, at which point she cut off the lightning but kept her sword out as a precaution. Thrax had assured her that this creature would be controllable, but she didn't want to take any chances.
The egg began to lurch back and forth, trembling as jagged cracks spread quickly across its surface, light shining through from inside. Finally, a muffled roar rang out from within the eggshell, and it burst apart with a violent explosion, scattering pieces of broken eggshell across the room. Scorpina shielded her eyes with one hand against the flash of light, before lowering her hand as the light faded and her lips slowly curved in a satisfied grin.
"Hello, Volturus," she greeted the newborn monstrosity before her. "Welcome to the world."
Another savage and bestial roar answered her as arcs of blue lightning crackled through the air, scorching the walls and floor of the vault. The sound filled the room and rang out through the empty halls of the fortress above them, almost seeming to echo out across the entire Moon.
Scorpina nodded approvingly, her cruel smile growing wider. "Now, that's more like it."
Notes: And we're back! Sorry it took me a few months, but I was struggling with some writer's block for this story that made it hard to get this chapter done. Luckily, I've got the rest of the story all planned out: we're past the halfway mark now, and the remaining chapters of this tale should be a lot of fun.
In case anybody's wondering, I played a little with Power Rangers mythology when I was crafting the backstory for the Sentinel Knight and the origins of Excelsior in this story. In canon, Excelsior was just a mystical sword that belonged to a figure known as "the Warrior Goddess," but here I decided to tie it more into Ranger mythology and combined the Warrior Goddess from Operation Overdrive with Dulcea from the Mighty Morphin movie, which wasn't actually canon to the show but had some interesting stuff in it that I decided to adapt here. That also adds the Sentinel Knight and Dulcea to the ranks of mystical warriors/mentors from the classic Rangers series, such as Zordon, Ninjor from Mighty Morphin, and Dimitria from Turbo. I also came up with the idea of Dulcea being the one to leave the Quasar Sabers on Mirinoi, since as far as I know the identity of whoever left the sabers there in canon was never stated.
Shoutouts to SilverWolf1130, Guest, and RHatch89 for reviewing: you guys are awesome!
Next time, the B-Squad cadets travel to the planet Phaedos on their quest to retrieve the sword Excelsior, while the Legacy Rangers head to Angel Grove as part of Tommy's plan to restore the SPD Rangers' powers. Stay tuned!
Review Q&A
Q: Glad to see this story continue but I do have a question. How did Cole get his powers back? His powers weren't taken in the same way as Tommy's, Tori's and Kira's were.
A: Hopefully I did a decent job of explaining that in this chapter, but basically when the Sentinel Knight contacted Cole, he visited Princess Shayla and she agreed to return his powers temporarily for this mission.
Q: Will Thrax bring back past monsters that they fought?
A: Other than Goldar and Scorpina, plus the creation of Volturus, no, I don't have plans for Thrax to bring back any other previous monsters.
