Author's Note: Well now, looks like I've got more free time on my hands than I expected. So I'm gonna see if I can get back on track. I've been reading some other stories and have gotten terribly inspired. Hope you guys like!

Chapter 3

With 17 hours left in their trip to Earth, Andros felt horribly trapped on his own ship. He didn't want to run into the terrans for fear of small talk. After finishing his food, Andros returned the plate to the sythetron and returned to his room. He figured he might pass the time by going over the latest rumors and information he collected on Karone's whereabouts. Andros poured over the star charts and data sheets over and over, and none of it seemed to yield any new or useful information. Frustrated to no end, and feeling entirely useless, he decided the best way to vent would be to run a training sim. Changing into his sweat suit, Andros made his way through the silent ship towards the Simudeck, but when he got there it was already in use.

Andros was startled by the fact that someone other than him would be training at this hour. He couldn't believe how many craterites the person was fighting. It took him a good five minutes of watching before he realized it was the girl Ashley fighting all these monsters, with no morph and no weapons, on top of the fact that she was still recovering. Andros was jerked out of his shock when he saw Ashley hit the floor and the craterites pile on top of her, "Stop simulation."

Ashley bolted upright and rounded on whoever had turned off the sim, "What are you doing?" She was incensed. How dare he turn off the sim in the middle of her training, she could handle herself perfectly fine.

Andros held his hands up in a defensive position, he'd never been scared of a girl before, but there was always a first time for everything, "I just thought I was helping. Besides you should be exerting yourself so much. You are still healing."

She marched up to him and got right in his face, "Did I fucking ask for your help? No, that's right. I'm a ranger too you know. I can handle myself. I'm not weak!" Ashley couldn't think straight, she wasn't even sure she was talking to Andros anymore. Hell, she couldn't even see Andros anymore, "I'm not some damsel waiting to be saved. I can save myself god damn it!"

Andros was stunned into silence for a good minute. He genuinely had no idea what to say to this girl. She was pissed, that was for sure, but he wasn't entirely sure she was completely pissed at him. He looked in her eyes, he saw fear and anger, to a depth that he couldn't fathom at the moment, "Look I'm sorry okay."

"Yeah well you should be. I'm going to my room, I was getting bored anyway." Ashley practically ran from the room, leaving a flabbergasted Andros in her wake.

Andros shook his head, "I wonder what the hell that was all about?"

"I believe Ashley is suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress." Deca answered promptly.

"Yeah I gathered that thanks." Andros did have eyes and a brain that worked, "How did she figure out how to use the Simudeck anyhow?" He looked at Deca, waiting for a response.

"She found the Simudeck and asked me what the room was. I told her. She asked what its purpose was and after I informed her of that, she asked to learn how to use it. I complied with that request as well." Deca said.

"Why? It's not her ship, nor should you be giving out that information to just anyone you know." Andros was not happy in the least.

"She insisted on training and after my objections on medical grounds, informed me she would figure it out with or without my help. Therefore I made an executive decision to save the console from being improperly used." Deca notified the Red Ranger, "She is a Ranger, and should have access to training facilities."

"We've had this discussion before. They're not Rangers anymore, they lost that title when they lost there morphers." Andros was not happy with the direction this conversation was going, "Besides, I need to focus on finding Karone, not wiping terran Ranger noses when they can't figure out something on the Megaship."

Deca's tone was more human than Andros had ever heard when she responded, "Andros, it is not logical that you should continue this search alone. Help is always a welcome prospect to any Ranger. Besides, as I stated previously they have proved themselves quite capable of problem solving when it comes to ship maintenance and management. I believe you've been alone far too long here, proper socialization is healthy."

Andros wondered where that sudden burst of maternal instinct came from, Deca was certainly a mentor to him, but she had never before sounded so much like his mother. He pushed the thought of his mother to the back of his mind, thinking about her would only make him sad, and he was not ready for that just yet. He thought hard for about five minutes about what giving the morphers to these fallen Rangers would mean for him. While he did have a friend, Zhane popped in and out between missions, this last stint had been about a year. While Deca was a constant presence, he admitted to himself that it was lonely on the Megaship by himself. While not a terribly social person like Zhane, who loved to be around people, he did like it when there were a few people around. "Fine, I'll give them the morphers, but I'm not telling them about Karone just yet, and neither are you."

"That is entirely your decision to make." Deca sounded very satisfied.

Andros decided to go to the bridge instead of training. He sat at the console, staring absently at it, trying to decide the best way to give them the morphers. As he thought it over, his mind went on auto-pilot. He began doing systems checks and taking note of all the things they needed to get fixed when they reached Earth. Andros also began fixing some of the minor damage that he could.

He was fiddling with some wire in one of the side consoles when Deca interrupted him, "We are three hours from Earth. I have alerted the other Rangers."

"Thanks Deca. Could you tell them to meet me on the bridge in 20 minutes please." Andros closed the console and headed to his room to change back into his flight suit and grab the other morphers from their hiding spot. He was ready for them when they arrived on the bridge.

"What's up? Deca said you wanted to talk to us about something important." TJ ask asked. He was genuinely confused, since the Red space Ranger had hardly said a word to any of them since they got on the ship.

"After a long consideration, I feel it the most beneficial to everyone involved, to give you these." Andros had the morphers in his out stretched hand, "And I'm sorry for the way I acted before, it's been a while since I've been in anyone's company beside my best friend."

Cassie was the first to step forward and grab her morpher, "Hey man, don't sweat it, we all get cranky sometimes."

"Yeah no worries man." Carlos took the black morpher.

TJ just smiled and took the blue morpher, and Ashley was last to take hers. She didn't say anything or even really look at Andros.

"So how do these things work?" Cassie asked as she strapped it on to her wrist.

"Well you say 'Let's Rocket!' and press 335." Andros said, then he showed them.

"Wicked cool." TJ was ready to give it a try.

All four of them yelled together, "Let's Rocket!" and the Power Rangers were back in business.

AN: Well there it is! Hope it was alright for not having written for a while. I hope to get more of it up soon, since I'm reinspired! Shiny Love!