Authors note: It has been nearly a year since my last update and for that I must apologise. Basically I went to university and combined with real life and others interests this project got lost in the shuffle. Before I begin writing again I must say that I am currently on a writing corse and as such my style may have changed a little, maybe even improved. Also I will do my best to get back into a swing of the things but much like Chris Claremont going back to X-Men I will have to do lots of research to get myself back in the mindset I was a year ago. At any rate. Enjoy this very long and hopefully eagerly awaited chapter.

"War Part 1."

Jason looked out as the transporter effect dissolved. They were standing on some sort of metal flooring, covered with a strip of red carpet. The walls were also metallic and glowing much like those of the Command Centre's. As the ten young adults turned their heads towards the windows the strange nature of the mysterious coordinates became clear. They were in space, hovering high above the Earth. Most of them reacted at once by running towards the windows and looking out. The Thunder team had never been in space before and their wonder over took them as the original team were simply curious.

"Billy my friend. I am so glad you typed in those numbers and not me" Zack shook his head.

"Tell me about it. One wrong number and we would have been spaced big time" added Joey as he looking out through the oval portal to the glowing blue orb below, their home. Jason had stood back and looked up. They were on what appeared to the main level with a circled corridor going on for miles in both ends, above them was a walkway that was a part of a second floor.

"What is this place?" Adam let out in wonder as he joined Jason.

"Site B" Jason said frankly and looked at him.

Suddenly behind them a screen went from schematics and icons to the face of their leader.

"Rangers! Finally you have found me!" His voice boomed as all fell silent and looked over at the screen.

"Sorry we are late, a lot has happened" Billy replied.

"Indeed. But we have no time for it now. Please meet me in the Operations Centre, Level 1. You can take the elevator to your right to get there."

"Right" Jason responded with a nod as all looked over as a grey metal door pulled back.

The elevator held each of them as it whisked them past many glowing lights to the very top of the station.

As they stepped out each looked around the high tech chamber before them. Like the Commander Centre but looking far more suited for battle. Glowing encased blue and green lights running in hexagonal tubes up the walls to meet at the centre of the roof in a pulsing disc shaped light. From it a holographic projection of Zordon formed down in tube like form at the centre of a large tactical and operations table that the ten teens stood around as commanded. Around them in the background were various other consoles obviously to be used for various things at a later date.

"You timing as always my Rangers is impeccable. Welcome to the Power Chamber on the Eltar Station. I and Alpha have been working on this for nearly thirty of your years, it was our hope we would never need it. This facility is designed for full scale combat the likes of which you are about to encounter. Also I have been monitoring your situation through news and computer link ups and it would seem that being Earth based is no longer an option" Zordon spoke.

"So…what's the emergency boss?" Kim asked.

"Yeah you mentioned something about a full scale attack in that speech of yours" Adam added.

"Not any attack my young friends. Lord Zedd has been able to amass the full force of the Empire into one giant Armada. News traffic I have picked up from interstellar channels mentions something of a marriage to Bandora, daughter of the royal like powers in Zedd's Empire. He now has the forces off both and I fear it will be too much even for us."
"Oh great…from hope to certain death and the end of the world in 30 seconds" Joey rolls his eyes with a sigh.

"I'm afraid it gets worse. News also has it that King Mondo of the Machine Empire has learned of your power and also wants it for his own. If my intelligence is correct he has an armada not far behind Zedd's."

"Wait wait wait! Machine Empire? More Bad guys?" Zack exasperates.

"Fan-bloody-tastic" Kat kicks the desk.

Jason looks down at the desk, leaning on it, for a moment as most of the others continue to freak out around him before speaking again "I don't if this will help but we found the temple and the other coins."

"Not to mention people to use them" adds Rocky.

"Some sort of tribe that worships them and passed them down over generations from the originals. They didn't have the communication devices to come here but…yeah we have some more back up for all the good it will do" continues Jason.

"Then our chances of saving your planet have improved" Zordon replies "they have 'Zords'?"

"Yup" Rocky nods "don't know if they work but they have 'em."

"Then Jason it will be your responsibly to plan the defense of your planet. I cannot do anymore than guide your decisions. Your are the chosen leader and it is your army to lead into battle."

Rocky looks over at Jason and back to Zordon, his face that of built up negative feelings about this and finally decides to speak up.

"Zordon! Sir. With all due respect, what right do you have to make that decision? You didn't even create the power, you just found it. We were chosen by one of the original creators, who your teams got killed by the way. If anyone should lead it should be us."

"And whose station is this? Who started saving the world first? I didn't see you fighting off the first wave of attacks!" Jason yells back.

"Yeah and covering your coin in blood while you're at it!" Rocky snarls as Katherine moves in to try and calm him down, placing a hand on his shoulder which he quickly knocks off "get off me!"

"Rocky. I do not know what decision Kaku would come to on leadership but no matter what lead to it, he is dead. As such I am the keeper of the power. Even so can you truly say that you would be objective and your team would not be completely focused on revenge? You are not the only one who has lost. In fact your comrades have lost people far closer to them, they have sacrificed everything for this war. Can you say the same?"

Rocky looked up at the holographic face with narrowed eyes for a moment before finally responding quietly "no."

"Then Jason shall lead."

It had been hours as Jason, Rocky and, now with her team having joined them, Diana stood around the table talking the plans out, using recommendations from each and advice from their mentor to plan their tactics for the upcoming battle. Finally after all coming to agreement all fifteen now stood in the Power Chamber to hear the plan of attack.

"There is three teams of us so we will operate in three waves. Alpha team will be the Dinosaur Rangers whose main focus will be engage the Zedorian fleet and hopefully do as much damage as possible. Our goal will be to cripple the invasion and hopefully take out Zedd's flag ship Serpentera" Jason spoke in a now all too natural commanding voice "Beta team will be the Thunder Rangers who will remain on and around Earth to be our main line of defense if and when any get through us. Gamma team will be the Ninjetti who will go through the worm hole and either find a way to close it or engage the Machine fleet. But not matter what they cannot come through to make this a three way battle that will do more damage to Earth than a nuclear fallout."

He presses a button on the console and the holographic display beside him that was illustrating this fades to nothing as he turns to the other two leaders "Rocky."

"Right. Well…I haven't got much to say to you all. You already know what's riding on this and you know that failure is not an option. We hold the line and we accomplish our goals no matter the cost" he steps back and gestures to Diana "your turn Princess."

"This has been a hard adjustment to my people as much if not more so as it has been the rest of you. We have gone from tribal life, to man's world to now this. But my tribe was trained for this since our birth and we swear to you on the blood of our ancestors that no matter the cost we shall not fail, the Machines will not reach this collection of stars."

"All right" Jason steps up "let's move out."

"One more thing Jason" Zordon speaks up "another has just arrived that will be aiding you."

The group turns as the far double doors pull back and a white armored Ranger walks in. The trimming of his costume are gold and black and the designs let all know that he is part of the Thunder Squad.

"This is Master Kaku's…how your say…'ace in the hole'" Zordon tells them "may I introduce the White Thunder Ranger."

The figure steps forward and silently nods.

"We met" replied Rocky "so…who are you? And don't just say a friend."
"For reasons that you cannot know Rangers the White Thunder Ranger's identity must remain a secret" Zordon tells them.

"Oh…bullshit!" Adam blurts out.

"I am sorry. But it is for the best. You must trust me."

Jason sighs, looking at the others and then to Zordon.

"You have never given us a reason not to."

Lord Zedd looks out as the stars before him slow from streaks to their normal dotted places, new stars, the stars of the Sol System. Ahead of them on the main screen are Neptune and Uranus and beyond it…Earth.

As he sits in his throne around him his officers work on preparations, Bandora directing as the second in command. She sends one of the last officers about his duties and then looks up, advancing up the stairs towards her fiancée.
"You are quiet" she smiles at him.

"I am contemplating. Many hundreds of these insects' years I have waited for this day and failure after failure has followed as the power has just been out my grasp. But today I shall finally win. I shall finally take the power for my own and I use it to conquer our enemies and bring my order to our galaxy and beyond" he speaks without looking at her, his obsession with this power overtaking his very sanity. She notices.

"Very well" she nods as she stares at him "I will leave you be."

She moves away and steps down the steps as Zedd finally speaks to the Command Deck for the first time in hours.

"All ships, battle formation!" His growling, booming voice commands.

Jason stands now, in a darkened and empty part of the station, looking out of a large portal at the Earth below. His mind on how he of all people is now somehow responsible for it all and how preposterous that notion was. He stares out in deep thought, his mind running faster than any light speed drive.

Behind him Kimberly quietly approaches and speaks.

"Hey…" she says softly as she comes up behind him "Zack said you were up here. What you doin'?"

"Thinking" he replies without looking at her.

"What about?"

"Everything" he turns around toward to face her "Kimberly why us? Why me? Two years ago I was a normal kid, a kid! Now I am some real life superhero making decisions that determine the fate of the entire world. Why? What makes us special? What make me special?"

"Maybe you just said it" she moves closer to him "fate. At least that's what Diana believes. Her faith in you is absolute."
"Because of who she thinks I should be."

"Because of who you are. Because of who you were meant to be. You. I don't exactly get it either and day doesn't go by that I don't want out of this, that I want my life back, but that can't happen. We can't go back and whether we like it or not we have this power, this responsibly."
Jason smiles and lowers his head.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I was just wondering; when did you get so…thoughtful? Seems you were busy with other parts of your body lately" his tone turns serious.

"I'm sorry Jason" she swallows "for everything. For hurting you, for…everything. I'm not making much sense am I?"

"Yeah, just enough" he laughs.

"It just that when Tommy died after only such a short time with him I dunno…I lashed out. I guess in my mind I blamed all of this for my pain. I guess I resented you, maybe even I dunno…blamed you."

She now is standing next to him looking of the window herself.

"Kim I…"

"It's ok. I'm really am sorry" she looks at him.

Before she can say another word he brings down his hand and grabs her head, bringing it up and letting their lips touch for the first time. The moment seems to last forever, time stopping and the world in perfect harmony as they embrace in a deep and passionate kiss. They let out breaths now as they bring up their arms and grab each other, falling back into the wall in passion. Then suddenly alarms sound.

"Rangers. To your Zords!" Zordon's voice booms.

They break and chuckle at each other as they stare into each other eyes, cursing the timing, Jason slamming the wall with his fist.

"I just thought. We could die today and I wanted to…you know. No regrets" Jason speaks.

"I know. It gives us something to survive for. We will pick this up, you aren't getting out of it that easy."
Zordon's voice message repeats.

"Come on. Let's save the world" Jason smiles to her.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Sabretooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"White Tiger!"

"Red Dragon!"

"The Lion!"

"The Unicorn!"

"The Griffin!"

"The Phoenix!"

"The Wolf!"
"The Bear!"

"The Ape!"

"The Frog!"

"The Falcon!"

Three large space station doors open and from them emerge sixteen incredible vehicles that had been recalled their hours earlier, now launching into battle. Each representing their pilot's animals and each powering up their weapons as they turn towards battle and break off into three groups, the Thunder group heading back for Earth and the two others continuing on. In the distance silhouetted on the sun as it rises above the Earth's horizon is the dark shadows of a massive fleet. In a few moments the two with collide.