-Episode Three: Showdown in Space-
(Editor's Note: Hey, guys, sorry about the long wait for the new episode. It took a lot longer than expected to film it, due to scheduling conflicts and the loss of a couple of our actors. But Star Squad will go on, and we appreciate your patience! Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming!)
It had been just under a week since Nebulord's defeat at the hands of the Power Rangers, and no new sightings of Malix's forces had occurred. Things seemed to be calm, and back to normal, in Arbor Bay. It was Saturday, now, and weather was ripe for a trip to the beach. In the midst of this lovely weather, Hairo was rushing through town to Jax and Tenshi's houses for just such a trip.
Jackson approached his door as he heard several loud knocks. Quizzically, he peered through the peephole. "Huh? Oh it's Hairo." Opening the door, Jackson waved. "Yo, Hairo, what's up?"
"I'm heading to the beach so I was wondering if you and Tenshi were interested," Hairo replied.
"Oh, yeah I guess so. I haven't been down to the beach in a while. I'll get my stuff ready."
"Nice, next stop is Tenshi's place then."
It didn't take long for Jackson to gather his stuff and get ready, as his house was as organized as can be due to his clean freak nature. "Okay, I'm done," he said to Hairo as he walked back down. "Yo, you want a soda or something?"
"Nah, I'm good! Now let's get moving to Tenshi's!" Hairo exclaimed, heading off.
"Ok. I'll just grab a couple anyway." Jackson did so before following Hairo out.
In Ken's mind, a perfect day for the beach was a perfect day to hide in his room. The way he saw it, why should he waste his time in some sand getting sunburned when he could be playing video games with snacks and air-conditioning? Just as Ken was getting settled in to play his video games, though, his morpher began to beep. "Huh? Aw man, on a Saturday?" Ken whined before whipping out his morpher to answer.
Malix's voice sounded through the comm. "Green Ranger! Report to me at once! I have a job for you, one that should end the Power Rangers forever!" Malix let out a malicious laugh afterwards.
Ken slowly stood up, activating his morpher and transforming before arriving on the ship in a flash of lightning.
On the ship, Malix sat on his throne, a monster standing nearby, looking like an oversized remote with a head, arms, and legs. "Green Ranger... This is Mindwipe... I am sending you, Mindwipe, and some Galactibots to retrieve something very important..."
Ken nodded, looking at the oversized remote. "Something important? You mean the Morphers?"
Malix let out a malicious laugh, then shook his head. "Not this time... What you are going to retrieve is on another planet... But it will help us crush the Rangers once and for all, and finally claim their morphers!"
"Another planet? What is it?"
Malix laughed. "You'll take your Dragon Starzord to the planet of..." As Malix continued to speak, the scene faded to black.
Once Hairo and Jax got to Tenshi's house, Hairo moved to knock on the door.
Tenshi heard the knocking on the door, and looked through the peephole to see who it was before opening the door. "Hey Hairo, Jax."
"We're going to the beach, wanna come?" Hairo asked.
"Yeah, I've got some extra towels and stuff if you need 'em," Jax supplied.
"Sure why not? Give me a minute." He walked back into his house and gathered the necessary things. He walked back out to the duo afterwards. "We ready?"
"Yep! Let's head out!" Hairo said enthusiastically, heading off to the beach.
"Yep, let's roll," Jackson added, following.
"Alright then." Tenshi began to follow the other two.
With the plan hashed out, Ken was returned to the planet to call for the Dragon Starzord, Mindwipe beside him. "So, uh, Boss... Can I call ya Boss? Are you sure this plan's gonna work, Boss? Cause I don't wanna get dead because we failed, Boss..."
"Don't woooorry Wipe, this plan is fool-proof. And I mean, I've failed twice and I'm fine. So you should be good." Ken dismissed Mindwipe's concerns.
Mindwipe nodded. "Then I'm ready, Boss. How, uh... How we gonna get there?"
"I uh...No clue actually." Ken raised up his hand. "Um...He said Dragon Starzord or something sooo, I guess I summon that somehow? Arise Dragon Starzord?" Ken said hopefully.
As Ken raised his hand to the sky and said this, the stars in space which form the constellation Draco shone bright green. This bright green light launched down towards the earth, slowing down a bit as it drew closer before slamming onto the ground in front of Ken and Mindwipe as a giant mechanical dragon, letting out a loud cry.
Mindwipe stood in awe, watching as the Dragon Starzord appeared, before jumping up into the zord with Ken. "Then let's go, Boss!"
"Okay, giant robot, nice." Ken started screwing around with the controls, trying to test out moving with the thing a bit "Now then, how do I get this thing going back to space..." he mumbles.
As the Dragon Starzord lurched into the sky, Mindwipe fell backwards onto his butt. "Gyah! Boss, what're ya doin'?! Keep 'er straight, Boss!"
"I'm trying man, this is my first time piloting a giant robot dragon."
Mindwipe let out a groan, fighting to his feet and poking at the controls, leveling out the flying dragon mech. "There. Now just... don't mess with anything, Boss. Except the steering." He let out a sigh, and soon, the Dragon Starzord was in space, on its way to its destination...
As the trio arrived at the beach, the sun beat down on them, and the sounds of laughter and children playing could be heard.
Hairo took in a deep breath. "Ahhhh you can just feel the fun!"
"Whew, yeah, but I'm glad I've got sunscreen on. It is hot out here." Jax was panting slightly from the heat as he spoke.
"It sure is lively, but what did I expect from a beach," Tenshi added in thought. It was then, of course, that their morphers began to beep.
Jackson looked down at his morpher. "Guess we weren't the only ones wanting to have fun today.."
"If last time is anything to go by this isn't good." Tenshi seemed to tense up.
"Well either way, the beach will have to wait then," Hairo said with a sigh.
"Uhh, let's move away from the open real quick." Jackson pointed to somewhere out of the way.
"Right." Hairo moved in that direction, finding somewhere out of sight to duck into, with Jackson and Tenshi following closely behind.
As the rangers finally answered, Marshal's voice came through, panicked. "Rangers! Get to the ship, immediately! The Green Ranger's summoned his Dragon Starzord and left the planet's atmosphere! Whatever his reasons, they can't be good... We have to find out what he's up to!"
"Alright, you got it captain," Tenshi replied.
"Whoa! Ten-Four, Cap!" Jax exclaimed.
"Roger!" Hairo shouted.
As the rangers arrived at the crashed spaceship, the door opened, Marshal standing at it, waiting. "Come quickly, Rangers, we don't have much time. I'm following the Dragon Starzord's trajectory, and it appears to be on a course for Mirinoi."
"Who, what, and/or where, is Mirinoi?" Tenshi inquired.
"It's probably an alien planet," Hairo said, matter-of-factly.
Marshal nodded, closing the door behind the rangers as they boarded the ship. "Mirinoi is a planet. It, too, bears human life. A fair bit more primitve, but..."
"But?" Hairo asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Marshal sighed, motioning the rangers each to a position on the bridge as he started firing up the ship's navigational systems. "Mirinoi is notable for one outstanding feature: it's home to the Quasar Sabers, and the Galactabeasts."
Jackson moved to his spot and spoke up, "Whoa, those sound awesome."
Tenshi took his assigned seat. "And they sound kinda like our zords, the Galactabeasts at least."
Marshal nodded at Tenshi as the spaceship took off, shooting into the sky. "You'd be correct. The Galactabeasts are the zords which, when combined, form the Galaxy Megazord."
Hairo took his seat. "Galaxy Megazord? Is that some kind of super version of the Megazord we made?"
Marshal shook his head once the ship had cleared the atmosphere, setting a course to chase after the Dragon Starzord. "No. The Galaxy Megazord was the megazord of the Galaxy Rangers. The Star Squad is not the only set of Power Rangers in space. I'm just glad we didn't have to go to Aquitar..." Marshal shuddered.
"What's on Aquitar?" Hairo wondered.
Marshal Starr (Kota1908)07/19/2018
Marshal let out a sigh. "Aquitar is a planet which is aptly named; it's completely covered in water. The locals are friendly, but... I'm not a huge fan of being underwater."
"Oh. Wow." Jax seemed slightly stunned. "Wait...WE'RE IN SPACE!"
"Don't get too excited! We have a mission to do," Hairo reminded him.
"Oh, right, ahem...we're in space," Jax repeated more quietly.
"Says Mr. Yell-Every-Other-Sentence," Tenshi pointed out.
Marshal sighed. "You can get excited all you want, for now. We can't do anything now but wait until we catch up... But at our fastest flight speed, I'm certain they'll still reach Mirinoi before we do."
"Guess we'll just have to ready up. Hey, is Mini-Mirinoi's atmosphere breathable?" Jackson asked Marshal.
"He said that humans live there, so I would assume," Tenshi responded.
Marshal nodded. "It's much like Earth. You'll be fine to breathe on Mirinoi."
"Okay, gotcha." Jackson let out a sigh of relief.
After several hours of space-flight, the Dragon Starzord was drawing closer to the planet Mirinoi...
"Is that it?" Ken asked for the billionth time, like he had every other time he spotted another planet.
Mindwipe nodded, after studying it for a long moment. "Yeah, that's Mirinoi, Boss. Ya sure you're ready for this, Boss?"
"Of course I am. I've got faith you can get the job done." Ken said with a thumbs-up as the Dragon Starzord flew towards the planet full-speed ahead.
Following quickly on their heels, a spaceship with the Star Squad emblem was finally catching up. "Be ready, Rangers, we don't know what we'll encounter here," Marshal ordered.
"Roger that sir!" Hairo replied.
"Always," Jax added.
"Aye, aye, cap'n." Tenshi watched the screens intensely.
It wouldn't be long before the two vehicles landed on Mirinoi. As soon as the Dragon Starzord hit the planet, Mindwipe bailed. "I'll be back with it in no time, Boss!"
"Alright man, you've got this!" Ken shouted, taking the time to do several tests with his new zord, like punching at the air. "Woosh, boom, pow," he mumbled to himself as he did so.
As the Star Squad's spaceship landed, Marshal jolted in his seat, grabbing at his bad leg. "Gyah! I... Rangers, you have to stop the Green Ranger's plan... Go... I'll catch up..."
"You got it sir! Ready guys?" Hairo asked the others.
"Right. Yep." Tenshi nodded.
"Let's kick it!" Jax proclaimed.
"Then let's go!" Hairo said as he headed out.
Mirinoi was a lush, jungle-like planet, and the copious amounts of greenery made it difficult to see past a few feet. Hairo looked around in awe at the lush greenery.
Tenshi looked around at all the trees. "This is my kind of place."
"There better not be giant mosquitoes here..." Jax warned.
"I'd be more afraid of giant ants," Hairo stated, with a shrug.
"...Oh no." Jackson seemed a bit worried at that.
"Don't make me think about being eaten by giant insects, please," Tenshi requested.
"Sorry." Hairo trudged onwards.
As the Rangers conversed, the roar of the Dragon Starzord could be heard in the distance as Ken continued to practice with his zord. "Yeah, alright, let's get going. I don't want to get stomped by a giant dragon robot," Tenshi said with a shudder.
"Agreed!" Hairo exclaimed.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Jackson almost shouted.
"Woooo!" Ken shouted, slamming down a few trees with the tail of his Zord.
"Hey uh...how are we supposed to find these guys in this jungle?" Jackson asked the others.
"That's a good question." Tenshi seemed to consider the question.
"I guess just... head in a direction and hope?" Hairo offered.
"Right, on the trail we blaze!" Tenshi shouted.
"Guess that's all we really can do," Jax said with a shrug.
"Then let's head... this way!" Hairo walked in a random direction, leading the others.
"Hehe, alright." Tenshi began to follow Hairo, with Jackson following them closely, keeping an eye out for any weird bugs.
As the Rangers drew nearer, an alert came across Ken's console as a radar popped up, showing 3 blips heading in his direction.
"Hey Galactibot guys, go check that out," Ken said before immediately going back to messing around.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of 18 Galactibots appear surrounding the Rangers."Well, not what I expected when we went for a stroll in the jungle." Tenshi stated
As if on cue, Marshal caught up, limping slightly. "The Dragon Starzord is just ahead, Rangers. Go! I'll take care of these overgrown lugnuts!"
"These guys popped up like daisies. Huh? Are you sure you can handle these guys, Marshal?" Jax asked in concern.
Marshal nodded. "Go! Keep the Dragon Starzord at bay! I'll handle these guys."
"Marshal's right! We have a bigger fish- dragon to fry!" Hairo shouted.
"Aye, aye, captain!" Tenshi said with a salute.
Marshal brought his left hand up to his right shoulder, smirking. "It's time, Rangers. Ready?"
"Yes sir!" Hairo replied, mimicking Marshal's pose.
"Yes, Cap'n!" Tenshi added, doing the same.
"Hoorah!" Jax whooped, adopting the same pose.
Marshal quickly brought his right arm up to his left shoulder, crossing over his left. "Star Squad!" With a sudden motion, his elbows pulled out to his sides, his right hand alighted on the morpher on his left wrist, and he pressed the button that would allow him to morph. "Power Up!"
"Star squad! Power up!" Tenshi pressed the button on his morpher, mimicking the same motions.
Jackson posed similarly to Marshal and pressed his morpher. "Star Squad! Power up! Hah!"
Hairo activated his morpher in similar fashion. "STAR SQUAD! POWER UP!"
Marshal, now transformed, held up a thumbs-up and smirked under his helmet. "Power Rangers Star Squad! On the job!"
"Woo! Alright guys, lets split!" Jax yelled out.
As the other rangers ran off, Marshal turned to face the Galactibots alone. "Star Knucklers!" As he said that, a pair of oversized shield-like claws appeared in his hands, and he rushed in at the Galactibots. "It's time to send you back to the scrap heap!"
The Galactibots let loose, firing their lasers as Marshal charged in at them, knocking several laser beams aside with his Star Knucklers and managing to take down 4 of the the Galactibots with his charge alone. As the remaining Galactibots surrounded him, he put out a challenge to them. "If you idiots think you can take me... then come and take me!"
No later had Marshal issued the challenge than all 14 swung in at him with their various melee weapons. Marshal leapt into the air, spinning around as he flipped, knocking all of them back and taking out half of the remaining Galactibots. "Pathetic!"
With only 7 remaining, Marshal turned towards them, blocking their attempts to swing at him as he swiped the claws on his Star Knucklers through 5 of them, leaving only 2 remaining. "Heh... Too easy."
As the remaining 2 Galactibots rushed at Marshal, he reached up with his Star Knucklers, bashing the remaining bots' heads together and dropping them. As the last of the Galactibots hit the ground, the entire group vanished into thin air.
Hairo left the Galactibots to Marshal, running past before summoning the Lion Starzord "Roar on in, Lion Starzord!"
"Come to me, Eagle Starzord!" The Aquila constellation shone, and the Zord appeared from the purple light.
Jackson rushed out of the area, holding his hand high. "Upwards and onwards, Pega Starzord!" he called out as its constellation shone high above, and his zord rocketed down in front of him.
Ken looked up from his controls when he spotted the three Zords come down from the sky. "An eagle and a lion? Laaaaame!" he said.
"ALL RIGHT GUYS!" Hairo shouted. "Let's do this!"
"Right!" Tenshi agreed.
"Wooo!" Jackson whooped again.
Ken had the Dragon Starzord point over at the other three. "Ready for this? I'm gonna take you down with uh..." Ken looked down at the assortment of controls. "Give me a sec, I gotta find out how this thing attacks."
"WHATEVER YOU THROW AT US WE CAN MEET WITH EQUAL FORCE!" Hairo shouted confidently.
"But Red, that doesn't-nevermind, it sounded cool...carry on." Jax seemed to sigh.
Hairo directed the Lion Starzord to rush at the Dragon Starzord before leaping up into the air to pounce.
Jackson's Pegazord soared high and came diving down to strike the Dragon Starzord.
The Dragon Starzord charged at the Lion Starzord, clawing it down to the ground and bending over it while the head turns 180 degrees, biting up at the Pegasus Starzord. Before its mouth could open however, it was smashed by the attack.
The Eagle Starzord swooped in to hit the Dragon Starzord with a wing, but missed as the Dragon Starzord attacked the other two zords.
The Dragon Starzord roared as it backed up, getting hit a few times by the Eagle and Pegasus Starzords. Ken rapidly pressed buttons. "Alright! This and that...And THAT!" Ken smashed down his fist into a big button. The Dragon Starzord's legs started changing slightly as it pushed up, standing on two legs now instead of all four. It's giant wings broke apart, launching around the body. Some of it shaped into long blades for claws while the rest of the pieces formed into tons of small guns. The knees, the chest, the arms... The entire thing was now covered with small cannons. The head turned to face forward again "Alright! Now it's time to face my real dragon! The Dragon Star Megazord!" Hahaaa...I'm so cool. Ken though, blushing with a smile under his helmet.
"The dragon becomes a megazord! THAT'S SO COOL!" Hairo was super impressed.
"Uuuuhhh, not for us though, Red," Jax pointed out.
"Of course not for us, but that doesn't mean this maneuver by our opponent wasn't impressive. Either way the heat has been cranked up," Hairo stated.
A loud roar could be heard from nearby, and before anyone else can react, a red lion the size of a zord rushed in, attacking the Lion Starzord with its fangs.
As the Lion Starzord got hit, Hairo looked at the lion, confused. "Wh-what?!"
The Dragon Star Megazord prepares to launch out tons of missiles, before the Eagle Starzord swooped in with its talon, knocking the Dragon Star Megazord back.
The newly appeared red lion attacked Hairo's zord again, swiping at it with a paw and letting out a roar.
Hairo's zord let out sparks as it got hit. "Where did this new member to the pride get here?!"
Jackson, sort of bewildered by the sudden strike of a new enemy and the new Megazord on the field, he quickly got on the defensive, having his Pegazord spread its wings and close them around himself. "Guys?! What's going on? Is that...another lion? Red, what's going on over there?" Jackson asked over the comms, hoping things didn't get any worse. "Black, how are you holding up?"
"I'm in the middle of a lion vs. lion battle right now, nothing much!" Hairo replied, casually.
"Pretty good, if I do say so myself, don't think Eagle's too bad off." Tenshi didn't sound particularly confident in his assumption, though...
"Dang. Ok, Black, we might need to put the pressure on ol' Greenie. How about we show him some aerial maneuvers he'll never forget?" Jax suggested.
While the Rangers talked, the Dragon Star Megazord launched out several bursts of missiles while the mouth opened, launching a blast of green energy all directed at the Eagle Starzord.
"I'm still holding up after that blast, so yeah, let's put the pressure on Green." Tenshi agreed.
Hairo had his Lion Starzord swipe its claws at the other lion zord, even as it was being hit by the other lion zord.
As the Lion Starzord and the new red lion swiped at each other, the unnamed red lion zord let out a roar.
"Hey, dragonfruit!" Jackson shouted as his zord zoomed by the Dragon Star Megazord. "Do you know why pastures are so green?"
"Because the don't wanna be something lame like blue?" Ken quipped.
Jackson swiftly changed course, swerving in and out of the Megazord's view. "IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE GROWN WITH COW SHI-"
Marshal, having finished his fight with the Galactibots, turned to look at the ongoing fight. "Rangers! That new lion is a Ranger's zord! That's the Red Lion Galactabeast! They've turned it against us!"
"Oh! That's where this came from!" Hairo exclaimed.
Marshal raised his hand towards the sky. "Barrel down from above! Bear Starzord!" As the stars of Ursa Major appeared in the sky, glowing brighter white, the image of the bear ripped away from the constellation, charging down to earth as Marshal leapt inside it. "I'm coming to deal with the Red Lion Galactabeast. The rest of you, form the Star Squad Megazord and take down the Dragon Star Megazord!"
"You heard the boss! Let's kick it guys!" Jax shouted.
"Right!" Hairo agreed.
"Understood!" Tenshi complied.
Hairo directed the Lion Starzord jump up into the air to form the body and arms of the megazord, while the head popped up. Meanwhile, Jax commanded his zord to split apart with crackling, blue electricity, forming the legs of the megazord. Tenshi had the Eagle Starzord attach to the back of the Lion Starzord, the Eagle Starzord's head attaching to the megazord's head, while the rest of it formed the wings.
"Prepare for the real fight!" Hairo instructed the others.
"Woohoo!" Jackson whooped again in excitement.
"You better be ready!" Tenshi shouted.
"At least mine doesn't need two others to become a cool giant robot." Ken said, continuing to mash random buttons on the controls as he talked. After a few more buttons were pressed, Ken's Dragon Star Megazord began launching missiles out of the different compartments on it at the Star Squad Megazord.
The Star Squad Megazord activated its flame sword, taking damage from the missiles before slashing at Ken's megazord.
As the Red Lion Galactabeast, under the control of Mindwipe, leapt at the megazord, swiping it with a claw and sending sparks flying, the Bear Starzord, under Marshal's command, threw itself into the air with a mighty effort, knocking the Red Lion Galactabeast off-course and sending both zords careening to the ground.
"Agh, this is gonna be more difficult than I expected," Jackson groaned.
"We must persevere!" Hairo shouted, determined to win.
The Dragon Star Megazord started prepping its weapons for another barrage as the Star Squad Megazord rushed in, quickly slashing at the Dragon Star Megazord. The Dragon Star Megazord was knocked back a bit by the slash before stumbling forward, leaving itself open for another strike.
Off to the side, the Bear Starzord charged at the Red Lion Galactabeast, which leapt over the oncoming assault, biting into the Bear Starzord's back.
The Star Squad Megazord followed up its previous strike with a second one.
As the two megazords continued to battle, the Bear Starzord failed yet again to land a blow on the Red Lion Galactabeast, and Mindwipe, giggling insanely, commanded the Galactabeast to attack again, sparks flying off of the white bear zord. It seemed as though the Bear Starzord was no match for the Red Lion Galactabeast, as Marshal's zord had not landed a hit since catching the enemy off-guard...
The Star Squad Megazord launched another fearsome slash upon the Dragon Star Megazord. Sparks flew out of the Dragon Star Megazord as it was struck again and again.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Ken said, rapidly bashing buttons as his Zord was constantly hit. "Uh Wipe, their robot's really puttin' mine to shame. I don't know how much more it can take."
The Star Squad Megazord landed another clean hit upon the Dragon Star Megazord. "Take this!"
Marshal was rocked by another solid hit by the Red Lion Galactabeast, after yet another clean miss. "Guys, Mindwipe is really strong. I don't know if I can do this alone."
Ken's Dragon Star Megazord managed to get out a few missiles, striking at the Star Squad Megazord.
The Star Squad Megazord turned to Mindwipe and slashed at him, and the Red Lion Galactabeast, to help Marshal. "Boss you ok?" Tenshi inquired.
"Yeah, who is this guy?" Jax spoke up.
As the Star Squad Megazord knocked the Red Lion Galactabeast back, the Bear Starzord leapt at it, doing even more damage with a vicious bite. Marshal's voice over the comms seemed to be breathless. "Mindwipe seems to have the ability to control the minds of living creatures. The Galactabeasts may be zords, but they are also alive."
"Galactabeasts, huh? Guess we better wrap this up quick somehow." Jax said with a tinge of hope.
The Star Squad Megazord slashed at Mindwipe, cleaving down from above.
As the slash connected with the Red Lion Galactabeast, the Dragon Star Megazord fired its missiles at the Star Squad Megazord, landing a solid hit. As soon as the missiles landed, the Dragon Star Megazord rushed in at the Star Squad Megazord, punching it in the face.
As the two megazords continued to clash, the Bear Starzord and the Red Lion Galactabeast leapt at each other again. This time, Marshal got the upper hand. "There we go!"
"Sounds like Marshal is having better luck than us, huh?" Jackson asked the others.
The Star Squad Megazord turned around and lunged forward with its sword, landing a solid blow upon the Dragon Star Megazord.
As the Dragon Star Megazord stumbled back from the blow, Ken let out an "ooph", before calling out to the rangers. "Green is still better than that lame color, blue!" He knew he couldn't fail Malix again... But he was starting to worry about his chances here.
"I think we're winning! Hey, blue will always be better than green!" Jax cried triumphantly.
As the Red Lion Galactabeast, carrying Mindwipe, rushed towards Marshal's Bear Starzord, Marshal careened out of the way, kicking a back leg into the side of the Red Lion Galactabeast, causing sparks to fly off the sides. Marshal came in over the comms. "Rangers, I think it's time to finish this up. You should be able to hit both Mindwipe and the Dragon Star Megazord with your finishing move... But try to be careful not to harm the Red Lion Galactabeast."
"You guys heard the man, lets finish it!" Jackson shouted to the others.
"Understood captain, time for a finisher!" Tenshi replied.
Hairo nodded, giving the others a thumbs-up. "THEN LET'S DO IT, GUYS!" As the Star Squad Megazord leapt forward, Hairo pointed at the two enemies in front of the group. "YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG RANGERS! LET'S END THIS, ONCE AND FOR ALL, GUYS!" An aura of flames erupted around the blade as the megazord began to swing, the rangers' arms moving in sync with their megazord. "SHOOTING...!"
Jackson continued the ritual chant. "STAR..!"
Tenshi finished the chant decisively. "SLASH!" As the blade sliced through the air, it knocked Mindwipe clean off of the Red Lion Galactabeast, who instantly came to its senses and bounded off, after bowing to the megazord, and sliced right through the Dragon Star Megazord, which sparked and fell over. Dropped from morph by the blast, and out of options, Ken began to climb out of the damaged zord...
"Yes! We did it guys!" Jax shouted out, high-fiving his teammates.
Marshal leapt out of his zord, nodding. "You did an outstanding job, Rangers. Let's claim the Dragon Star Morpher before our enemies can flee."
"We're coming for you, now, Greenie," Jackson said.
"Yes Sir!" Hairo replied, exiting the megazord quickly, rushing ahead of the group to find Ken.
Jax also exited the Megazord in a flashy fashion, trying to keep up with Hairo. "Hey, wait up, Hairo!" Tenshi exited the megazord, running behind Jax and Hairo.
Even as Marshal followed after the other rangers, he tried to call out for Hairo. "W-wait! Stay with the-!" But it was too late. The Dragon Star Megazord, in an effort to repair itself, had begun to shift back into the Dragon Starzord, and Hairo, now on top of the zord, found himself falling between the cracks as the zord lifted off the ground. A loud scream of pain could be heard from somewhere inside the workings of the zord, but it was promptly cut off. Blood dripped out of the zord as it began to fly off. Ken, however, was thrown to the ground, unconscious, by the shifting of the Dragon Starzord.
Jax stopped in his tracks after witnessing the atrocity that had just occurred. "No... nonono.."
Tenshi retched at the sight of what he had just witnessed.
As the Dragon Starzord began to fly off, a few more objects began to fall out of them before the Dragon Starzord vanished completely. The first was Hairo's crumpled helmet, the second was a shredded boot, and the third was his morpher... Marshal drooped his head, unable to stand what he had just seen. "I... I got him killed..."
Jax sprinted off in Ken's direction. His usually calm mind was clouded with emotions. Anguish, anger, frustration, and now a fractured spirit. He sprinted towards Ken, tackling his unconscious form, and socking him in his jaw while screaming out, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
The unconscious figure of Ken did not answer Jax, barely managing a sound in response to the punch to the jaw.
Tenshi slightly recovered from his nausea "...Jax, he's gone."
Marshal ran up to Jax, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The young man didn't do this. This was the Dragon Starzord's own doing... It was simply leaving to heal itself... Hairo was in the wrong place at the wrong time.. I tried to warn him... But I failed to do so in time... If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Jax was about to throw another punch when Marshal caught up to him. Jax solemnly stood up and turned to face Marshal. His helmet scarcely protecting his pride as he shed a few tears for his fallen comrade. "...Just...take us home."
Marshal nodded, taking the morpher from Ken's wrist, and motioning to Tenshi to grab the other morpher before leaning down to pick up Ken's limp frame, hauling the unconscious teen back towards the ship...
On the next episode of Power Rangers: Star Squad! The rangers, now down a team member, will have to deal with the aftermath of their battle with Mindwipe, and find a new ranger, while trying to keep their families, and their secret identities, safe!Top of Form
