A.N.: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I hope this does them justice.
Once a Ranger
Chapter 1: Changing Destinies
By Daylight
In an austere, golden-brown valley of rock and sand where only a simple red flower endured, shadows were lengthening. The rotation of the planet Rashon persisted as it made its path around the lone, yellow sun, the light burning one side in crimson before it passed into darkness, a final illumination for the sole occupants of the deserted planet. They stood in stillness at the base of the serrated peaks. Nine, when there should have been ten.
Dust stirred up from their final confrontation with the psycho rangers had already settled, but they remained. Some failed to move as their minds and hearts struggled to process the sudden absence. Others circled around the survivor as she kneeled on the sandy ground her morpher cradled in her hands as she ignored inquiries into her well-being. There were words of comfort to be given, but they seemed too empty.
Andros rested a hand on the pink ranger's shoulder noting the glassy look of shock. A commanding nod to TJ and Ashley was all they needed, and together, they helped Cassie to her feet. It was then Andros who was the first one to turn around and start on the journey back. Maybe because he knew he had to be the one to lead. Maybe because he had already been through this before.
The others slowly followed, the pink ranger supported between her teammates, her feet dragging in her dazed and weary state. Leo was the last. After he stood from his examination of Cassie, he had looked back and was unable to tear his gaze away for the hope he might catch another glimmer of what had been left of Kendrix. Maya gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her but couldn't bare the mirrored grief in her eyes. His head hung low as she led him away.
The rangers left in silence. There was nothing to say, nothing left to bury or to mourn over.
ooooo
Somehow, the metal, grey corridors of the Megaship seemed even more dull and hollow than usual as Leo trudged the empty passages in search of his fellow red ranger. He found his eyes drawn to the normally unseen details of the walls unwilling to let his mind wander to other things. A few hours had passed since they had left Rashon and still it didn't seem real. The Space Rangers had waited wanting Cassie to get some rest, recover from her ordeal before they began their journey home, but as Leo had last seen, Cassie lay on the bed in the medical bay her eyes open in a blank stare. Power Rangers seldom had the luxury of time to recover. They had to move on.
The sound of a heightened discussion drew him in the direction of the bridge.
"So not only did you get the brilliant idea that you should go in on your own, but you decided it was best not to tell anyone what was going on!"
"I didn't want anyone to worry."
"I was worried."
"To worry more then."
Andros was seated in the centre chair at the front of the bridge as he tried to placate the woman whose visage took up the main viewscreen. The young woman, who stood arms crossed against a backdrop of complex machinery, had the same brilliant hair and smile as Kendrix, but was missing the familiar angular face and dark eyes. She had child-like features with expressive eyes that were currently narrowed in a fierce stare in the direction of the Red Astro Ranger.
"Besides," Andros pleaded his case. "You would have wanted to come along."
"So!"
Leo leaned against the entranceway hesitant to interrupt the conversation, but the Kerovian ranger sensed his presence anyway. Turning round, Andros beaconed him forward. The Red Galaxy Ranger slowly moved so he was now visible to the person on the other end of the transmission.
"Leo, I'd like you to meet my sister, Karone."
"Hey," was Leo's unenthusiastic response.
Karone's whole face transformed as her expression changed to one of sympathy. "I'm so sorry about what happened."
"Thanks," replied Leo, his lips barely lifting in a smile of appreciation. He turned to Andros. "Your teammates are ready to leave."
Andros acknowledged with a nod. "Karone, could you tell Zhane what happened?"
"Sure, if I can drag him away from that secret project you guys have been working on."
Andros' eyes rolled at the insinuation. "Take care of yourself."
"You too. Send my best wishes to Cassie." Karone shifted her gaze to Leo. "Good luck." Reaching in front of her, she disconnected, her face immediately vanishing to be replaced by the normal star-field. Andros continued to gaze for a moment wondering at the last thoughtful look he'd caught on his sister's face before she ended the transmission. Unable to come up with an explanation he liked, he moved his attention to his sullen companion.
"How are you doing?"
"What do you expect?" Letting out a deep breath, Leo closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. "I'm sorry. It's just…."
Looking over the Red Galaxy Ranger, Andros noted the familiar pained expression. "Have you heard the story of what happened to my sister?"
Leo shook his head.
"When she was only seven, a bounty hunter kidnapped her right in front of me." Andros pushed back against his own painful memories threatening to surface. "That's how she became Astronema. And I spent almost my entire life blaming myself for what happened."
"But there was nothing you could have done. You were only a child."
"That didn't stop me from feeling responsible. Just like Cassie does now and so do you."
"You're right." Leo sighed again. "I just wish… We don't even know for sure if she's dead or still alive."
"I understand. I've lost a lot of people… and it's always hardest when you don't know."
Andros placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Come on. The others are waiting for us."
Nodding, Leo led the way off the bridge.
"You know if there was any way we could stay and help…"
Walking side by side along the Megaship corridor, Leo reached over and patted Andros on the back. "I know."
ooooo
In the space between galaxies, the only stars are at a distance strung together in ellipses and spirals. They become mere pinpricks of brightness, their luminosity not enough to see by, making the beams from the galaxy gliders the only rays to illuminate the rangers as they sped home.
The helmet of the yellow ranger turned slightly in the direction of the pink ranger as Ashley cast a concerned glance at her silent, best friend.
"I've got a great idea. How 'bout we grab a plate of Adelle's famous fries before we get stuck back into work."
"Sounds good," replied TJ. He smiled beneath his helmet. "Maybe we can actually convince Adelle to let us pay for the food this time." The proprietor of the Surf Spot was one of the people who were well aware of the rangers' identities and no matter their protests always refused to charge them for their beloved burgers and fries.
The black ranger gave Ashley a thumbs-up and even Andros nodded, but still no response came from Cassie.
Ashley tried again. "So what do you think Captain Mitch…"
A loud blare heard through their helmets' communication systems interrupted, causing the rangers to pull to a stop in surprise.
"What the…?"
Andros summoned his Amscanner from its dimensional pocket quickly taking readings. The others formed a circle around him. "It's an intergalactic distress call."
Carlos cocked his head. "I didn't know our morphers were programmed to pick those up."
"They're not." The Kerovian continued adjusting the scanner trying to locate the source of the signal. "The distress call is coming from a planet in one of the outer galaxies. It was sent along the same frequency as our morphers' communication systems."
"Who would be that familiar with our morphers?" Carlos questioned.
"I can think of several people. The signal's automatic and doesn't contain an identification code so there's no way of knowing for sure."
TJ frowned beneath his visor. "So, whoever it was, they were trying to contact us?"
"Most likely."
Taking the scanner, Carlos looked over the readings. "Who would even know we're out here?"
"It doesn't matter," Ashley contended. "Whoever it is obviously needs our help."
The former Red Turbo Ranger couldn't help pointing out their other priorities. "What about Earth?"
"They can survive without us for a little while longer." The others turned to stare at Cassie as she spoke for the first time since they set out. Breaking from the circle, she made ready to leave. "Let's go."
An exchange of glances and a nodding of heads was all they needed before they sped away.
The Astro Rangers had a new mission.
Next:Chapter 2: Death and Destruction
The rangers arrive at a world shrouded in darkness where they are greeted by several surprises.