It was a peaceful sight: a beautiful couple, husband and wife, asleep in a comfortable bedroom in a modest house. You never would have guessed by looking at them that the man had once held a significant portion of the galaxy in a iron grip, or that the woman had battled for thousands of years against the greatest champion the Light had ever known. Rita and Zedd had definetely changed.

It had not been an easy transition. The guilt over their actions had nearly destroyed them; it was what Tommy Oliver went through a thousand times over. Despite their conversion, few were willing to trust them. Finally, it was neccessary to flee their past simply to survive.

They chose an out-of-the-way farming planet neither of them had ever heard of, changing their identies and living quietly on their small farm. It was a far cry from holding the fate of the galaxy in their hands, but they found it a refreshing change to create life instead of taking it. They were content.

But as they were about to learn, you can't run away from your problems.

A golden flash appeared and faded in the darkened room. Goldar stared for a moment at his former masters. Even though Donovan had forewarned him, it was still a shock to see them like this. Back before his death, he'd thought more than once that he wouldn't mind seeing them cut down to size. But now that they had been, it was just... disturbing.

Goldar was sorely tempted to wake them up and see their reaction to him being alive again, but Donovan had firmly vetoed that idea. His friend had long argued that a villian's greatest weakness was arrogance, and since they were now carrying out HIS plan, he would tolerate none of it. Goldar had to admit that he'd made the mistake of gloating prematurely several times, and lived to regret it.

This time, they were going to do it right.

So he simply cast a sleep spell on Zedd and Rita, deepening their slumber to the point were they wouldn't wake up if he tap-danced on their heads. Then the golden flames took all three of them away.

---

Divatox had fared far better in her post-evil life than Zedd and Rita. She'd found a field of work were they didn't care about her past, only her talent: clothing design. In her millenias as a pirate, she'd seen--and worn--- just about every piece of clothing money could buy. Even then she had a discerning eye (on a galactic level, of course; the Turbo Rangers and other Earthers had found her fashion sense deplorable by their standards) and the "good Divatox" had quickly found her niche.

Of all the former villians, Divatox had probably changed the least. While she no longer killed people or looted planets, she still enjoyed money and everything it could buy. Being the top fashion designer in the galaxy provided her with plenty of money. All in all, she was very happy.

She was hard at work in her expansive office, working late into the night as she often did. A knock at the door interrupted her. "Finally!" she grumbled. She'd ordered the coffee fifteen minutes ago. She'd become addicted to the stuff during her year on Earth, and that had survived Zordon's Wave as well.

Walking to the door, she opened it and immediately noticed that 1) the woman on the other side didn't have her coffee, and 2) she was wearing a functional green jumpsuit.

"Honey, you SO need my help!" Divatox exclaimed, shaking her head.

Ice's response was a high kick to Divatox's forehead, carefully calculated to merely knock her unconscious rather than rip her head clean off, which Ice was also capable of doing.

Carefully picking the limp form of of the ex-pirate, Ice stepped into the swirling blue portal that formed behind her.

---

Karone studied herself in the mirror, turning to one side to view her profile. No, her figure still hadn't changed in the two months she'd been pregnant. Of course, that would change rather drastically. Not that she was vain (at least, not since she stopped being Astronema), but she had the feeling she was not going to like being fat.

But it was all going to be worth it. A son. She'd never thought she'd see the day when she'd be so happy. Or that she would feel so guilt-free about it.

Like all the ex-villians, she'd struggled long and hard over the guilt she felt over her evil acts. Unlike them, she had a brother, the man she loved, and four best friends to help her though it. It had been neither easy nor short, but she'd conquered her regrets. When Zhane finally asked her to marry him two years after the Countdown, she'd said yes without hesitation.

Things were...almost perfect.

There was one fly in the ointment. Lerigoti, one of the greatest champions of the Light, had been found murdered (along with his wife) on their home planet five days ago. A shocked planetary government asked Andros and Zhane to investigate, as KO-35 was only two days away by hyper-rush. No one knew what to think of the murders. Was it a random act, or was something darker involved? That last possibility was the reason for involving Rangers.

They'd all done their best to minimize their concerns, but Karone had seen the shadows in the Red and Silver Astro Rangers' eyes. They'd all hoped and prayed that the period of darkness was behind them, but who else besides a villian would even want to kill someone like Lerigoti?

Well, it was none of Karone's concern. She was going anywhere near anything REMOTELY dangerous until her baby was born, and hopefully long after. "I'll take good care of you," she whispered, putting her hands on her stomach.

A new figure joined her reflection in the mirror, eyes glowing blue. "But who will take care of YOU, Princess?" he asked softly.

Even with all her experience, all the combat training drilled into her by Ecliptor, the sight was so unexpected that she froze completely. "You..you're dead!" she stammered in disbelief.

Blue light lashed out from Donovan's raised hand, engulfing Karone. He caught her as she crumpled. "And you're unconscious," he replied simply, teleporting away.

---

Back on the Skybase, the trio of villians studied their captives. Each of them were confined in a stasis tube mounted on an antigravity plate, floating in the air. They were totally unaware of what was happening. Donovan had learned from the mistakes of the past. There would be no last-minute escapes, no talking to each other to boost each other's morale. The villains were taking no chances.

"Phase One is complete," Donovan stated with satisfaction. "Phase Two will begin in two days. That should be long enough for the Astro Rangers to reassemble and begin looking for Karone."

"I wish I could be with you, my friend," Goldar growled. "You should not have to face the Earth Rangers alone."

"Ice will assist me, Goldar. And as I told you, I need you to transport the tubes to their destination. Additionally, while the Rangers know you, Ice and I will be completely unfamiliar to them. Not to mention the many surprises I have in store for them. I'm not claiming we'll beat them--they ARE the Earth Rangers--we'll give them a fight to remember. If it makes you feel any better, YOU are the key player. We're merely the distraction."

---

Two days later, Goldar bid his comrades farewell and stepped through Donovan's portal. After he left, Donovan and Ice settled themselves in a certain control room. "Have you figured out the controls, Ice?"

"Yes. They are relatively simple."

"Zords usually are, despite their power."

"If Goldar can do it, I can do it better."

"No backstabbing, Ice," Donovan reprimanded gently. "We're all in this together. Is the Power Core charged?'

"Charging complete."

"Launch!"

With a flash of red eyes and a roar that could seemingly almost be heard even in the vacuum of space, Serpentera came to life.

---

Next chapter: Phase two begins--and the Rangers are in for the fight of their lives. Too bad they don't know that's not what's important!