Chapter Twenty-Seven: Space - New Alliances
Commander Zedd elbowed Lord Zedd in the throat as the Monster kicked him away from him. Commander Zedd flew through the battleground, landing a few feet away from the parasite trying to take control of his body. Although the battle was occurring in his mind, he could swear the pain he was feeling in his ribcage was real.
"Give it up, Human." Lord Zedd said, cackling. He shot a bolt of electricity from his Z Staff. It hit Commander Zedd in the chest, causing him to fall to a knee. He could feel his body begin to fail him.
"It's almost done, Zedd. Soon, you will only be a memory, a footnote in my legacy!" Lord Zedd said. He was trying to demoralize his host, and it was working.
Commander Zedd shook his head. "Evil will never win. The day will come when you will be gone. I know it."
"Dream on." Lord Zedd said, walking over and kicking the commander in the face. He fell back, turning and falling onto his face.
If only I had the Z Staff, I could stand a better chance... Wait... that's it! Commander Zedd had an idea. He began lifting himself up.
"Give up! You can't win!" Lord Zedd shrieked.
Staggering to his two feet, Commander Zedd glared at the being who destroyed his life. "I will never give up. It's morphin' time! Silver Ranger power! Z Staff!"
As Lord Zedd watched the Silver Zeo Ranger appear before him, he saw an identical copy of the Z Staff appear in his hand. "What!? Impossible!"
"It's all happening in our mind, Dark Lord. So, yes... it is possible!" He shot out blasts of electricity at Lord Zedd. The Dark Lord lifted up his Z Staff and began blocking the blast, slowly adding his own blast. Soon, Lord Zedd's stream of electricity had stemmed out from his own Z Staff, meeting the Silver Ranger's stream at the halfway point between the two of them.
"I am stronger than you. Smarter. More powerful. You can't win!" Lord Zedd exclaimed.
The Silver Ranger focused hard. He tried exerting Zeo Energy into the blast, but found he could not. That's when he realized everything occurring was truly only in his mind. In his mind, he had no access to his Zeo Subcrystal just as much as the Dark Lord didn't, as well. He could then comprehend the energy he saw leaving each Z Staff was their own electrical impulses, coursing over the shared brain they possessed. Anyone looking at Lord Zedd's actual body, lying prone on the moon, would have been able to physically see these impulses dancing on Zedd's exposed cerebral surface.
"It's all about willpower from here on out, Dark Lord! Yaaaah!" Silver Ranger declared, rushing forward. He stopped his blast from his Z Staff, ducking Lord Zedd's electric ball. He then got up to his two feet and threw his staff, bladed tip first, at Lord Zedd like a harpoon. He heard a sickening sound as the staff lodged itself into Lord Zedd's chest where his heart should've been.
"No! Impossible!" Lord Zedd screamed. Red Energy coursed through and around him. He fell to his knees, screaming in a haunting mix of pain and frustration. He then exploded as Silver Ranger turned around, having his back to the parasite that wished to dominate him.
"I... I did it... I'm free!" Silver Ranger declared.
"Not so much, fool..." A voice said behind him, booming.
He turned to see the Dark Lord, as he was when they first "met" on Mirinoi. The membrane around the black, cloudy essence of the Dark Lord could hardly been identified, giving off small electric impulses. It just seemed to be a large, black cloud. The Silver Ranger knew better, though. He rushed forward to grab his Z Staff, but one of the Dark Lord's tendrils lashed out and batted him away. Two more black, tornado like tendrils appeared, gobbling up the two Z Staffs lying on the ground. The crunching of the metal the cloud made was horrifying to Silver Ranger's ears as he got back up onto his two feet.
What the Dark Lord did next shocked Silver Ranger. Tendrils shot out of the Dark Lord's cloud mass, grabbing Lord Zedd's body. It brought Lord Zedd up into the cloud. He could hear the cloud munching on Lord Zedd, absorbing it into himself.
If I cared enough I'd probably try and figure out the symbolism behind that... Silver Ranger thought.
"My power is intense." The Dark Lord stated. "You cannot wish to win, puny Human."
Silver Ranger laughed. "You would've had nothing without me. You need me to survive!"
"Hahaha! I need the body, not you. Now, prepare to perish..." The Dark Lord stated, shooting tendrils out. Silver Ranger tried to get out of the way, but he couldn't seem to dodge all of the tendrils. Before long, he was completely wrapped up, being pulled toward the Dark Lord's body.
"Goodbye. Thank you for the wonderful body." The Dark Lord stated, laughing as the Silver Ranger inched closer and closer to his end.
I have to get out of this! Silver Ranger thought. I need to find a way out!
Green Energy wrapped around Silver Ranger. It started searing off the tendrils, allowing him to jump out of the way of the cloud's ominous body. He rolled up and stared at the beast before him.
"You only delay the inevitable, puny Ranger." Dark Lord stated, anger showing in his voice.
"I will never surrender! AHHH!" Silver Ranger yelled. Suddenly, he felt his suit changing. He felt more power than he ever had. Although only in his mind, he was able to tap into the Silver Zeo Energy that flowed through his body. Disconnected from the Dark Lord, he was able to tap its full potential.
"Silver Zeo Ranger!" He yelled, becoming the ranger he had been destined to be. He looked down to see his silver suit had been replaced with a white one, and he now sported a shield, mostly silver in color, with diamonds imbedded on its surface. Satisfied with the power he could feel, he shot orbs of Silver Zeo Energy at his foe.
"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" The Dark Lord yelled, growing in size.
The Silver Ranger went into Shadow Mode, bouncing from tendril to tendril. Suddenly, they were no longer on the battlefield. Instead of a logical background, a mix of the Dark Lord and Zedd's memories played behind them as the evil beast attempted to capture the Zeo Ranger. With every swipe, Silver Ranger dodged and weaved. Unfortunately for the ranger, his mental stamina was weakening. He didn't know how much longer he could take this.
Suddenly, in the distance of the odd backdrop of memories and thoughts, the Silver Ranger could see his mind fortress. He was exhausted. He knew that, for the time being, he would be safe there. Using the last ounce of strength he had, he bounced off of one of the tendrils, sure to stay clear of the black hole that was the Dark Lord's body. He flew through the "air" and landed on the fortress. A force field of Green Energy appeared around it. Slowly, it turned into Violet Energy. The Dark Lord stared on, unable to break through.
"This is the end, Zedd." The Dark Lord said laughing. He slowly turned into Lord Zedd once again. "If you ever leave here, I will obliterate you. You are too weak to fight me!"
Commander Zedd, demorphed, fell to his knees. His vision blurred. He had exhausted himself. Before he knew it, he fell to his face, unconscious.
Pulling out his Z Staff, Lord Zedd pointed it at the bubble around Commander Zedd's mind fortress. Shooting currents of electricity around it, he connected the bubble to his staff. Focusing, he swung as hard as he could, sending the mind fortress deep into his brain. He then grabbed as many memories as he could, in the same manner in which he banished the mind fortress, and threw the memories down, burying the mind fortress under them.
On the moon, Lord Zedd slowly stood up. Red Energy crackled around him. Floating up to fly mid-air, he turned around. He saw the Moon Palace not too far off.
Ah... the place where I was born into this powerful form... the place where the Zeo Crystal is housed. I think it is only fitting if I... take it for myself!
Lord Zedd descended into the palace balcony. Rita looked over, shocked to see him.
"You again!? What are you doing here!?" She demanded.
"I'm taking this base for myself. Do you have any issue with that!?"
"You will pay for your insolence! Magical Source: Ultra Wave!" She announced, casting Blue Magic at Lord Zedd. He shot a bolt of Red Energy at the attack, dismissing it as he slowly walked toward her.
"Magical Source: Homing Laser!"
Lord Zedd put out a hand, feeling completely at one with his power now that he couldn't sense Commander Zedd's presence in him. The lasers hit his hand and dissipated as it did.
"Magical Source: Shockwave Pulsar!" Rita cried out, falling to her knees. Blood dripped from her nose as her head felt as if someone had hit her with a bag of bricks.
Lord Zedd, sensing the intense energy coming from the latest attack, flew backward and into space. As soon as he saw the attack relent, he rushed back into the main room. He walked over to Rita as she lay, near powerless. As he was about to strike her down, he saw Goldar and Scorpina come into the room.
"Who are you?!" Scorpina demanded.
"Zedd! I knew it wouldn't be long before you showed your face here!" Goldar screamed, producing his sword. Scorpina also produced her curved sword, ready to fight.
Zedd pointed at Rita. "She is your leader, is she not? She has fallen to me, the mighty Lord Zedd. I will spare your lives, if you pledge allegiance to me and be apart of my dark empire!" He thought of the possibilities, and how amazing it would be that the place that caused his to become this great terror would be the same place where his new army would be born.
Scorpina, only having allegiance with Dai Shi, quickly saw an opportunity to help Dai Shi be on good terms with "the new boss". "I pledge my allegiance,Lord Zedd."
She turned and pointed her sword at Goldar. Goldar was unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, Rita spoke up. "My father, Master Vile, will pay you handsomely if you let me live..."
"Hmm... Well, I have seen what you are capable of, Rita Repulsa. Your reputation is awful throughout the universe. How about this... You work for me, and I allow you to live. You don't work for me, and you end up being a bug at the bottom of my foot."
Goldar stood, staring on. He was still feeling at odds. If Rita was able to beat out Zedd, then he should not betray her now. If Zedd did end up gaining control here, he wanted to be in his favor, and not be seen as one of the warriors who opposed him initially.
"I am Master Vile's daughter!" Rita protested, attempting to stand.
"And you are now bowing before me, so that point is null and void." He bent down and slapped her across the face. Blood was left behind on the exoskeleton of his hand. "Is your life worth risking for a fight against me? Do you think you can honestly win? Where is your father, anyway? From what I have heard, ever since the Final Siege he's been walled up in his ship, doing nearly nothing. Do you think he will get here in time to save you from me? Hmm?"
"... Goldar... stand down. Zedd is in charge." Rita said, looking down in shame. She began thinking that eventually, she would have her revenge, but for now, she needed to be smart and not risk losing everything, including her life, in one fell swoop.
"Excellent..." Zedd said, looking at Goldar and Scorpina. Without taking his eyes off of them, he addressed Rita. "So, what have you planned for any recent domination prospects?"
Rita, still on all fours, looked and nodded at Goldar. Goldar straightened himself up and answered Zedd. "We are planning an all out strike against Triforia... your hideousness."
Zedd laughed at Goldar's odd attempt to honor him. "Ah, the home of the Gold Ranger. She and I have had many a squabble. This will be a good first impression to the universe of my newfound great power! Today begins a new dawn of evil! You two... what do you call yourselves!?"
"Goldar."
"Scorpina."
"Okay, then. Go and finish getting everything ready. We strike immediately. And Rita... you will be my head general. Come with us. We will need your... expertise in Magic."
"Yes... your worshipness."
Zedd turned around and looked upon Earth. He laughed. Soon, everything around him would belong to him, and he knew nothing would stand in his way.
. . .
As the Alliance Megazord flew off into space toward Bansheera's fortress, Commander Lovel sat in his study. A lot had happened over the past few days, and he was unsure if Burai had made the right choice in picking him to be the commander. Of course, he was still lower in rank than Rahp and Filcar when it came to commanders, but since they were gone so often, along with their general, Claire Risp, he felt that he had in essence gone from private to general. To him, it was a daunting assignment.
"Am I good enough?" He thought out loud, staring at the ceiling while seated at his desk. "Do I have what it takes to help the United Alliance be reformed?"
"No, you're not." Neo Maligore said, stepping out of the shadows. Before Lovel could reach for an alarm or scream, Darkonda thrust his blade into Lovel's back through the chair, while putting his hand around his mouth. After a few moments, Lovel fell silent.
"Good work, Darkonda. You are a valuable asset. Are Diabolico and Loki set?"
Darkonda nodded. "They should be attacking the prime generators now. What a shame the Alliance Rangers aren't here as well. It would have made all of this so much better."
Neo Maligore nodded and laughed. "I must say, Darkonda... You are a good fighter. I am impressed. I know you will end up being a great warrior in the fight for universal conquest. Anyone would be glad to have you by their side."
Darkonda knew not what to say. Bansheera's belittling of him had hurt him greatly, making him feel much the same way he felt his whole life: useless. Those remarks made Darkonda feel good, and feel a connection to Neo Maligore. Just as Neo Maligore had planned.
The Demons wrought destruction among those who were manning the War Star Armada ship. They ripped into every crevice of the vessel, ensuring they found everyone. Their mission wasn't to recruit new Demons: It was a mission of destruction. In less than ten minutes, the four Demons had destroyed everyone in the ship. As he finished his review of the damage, Darkonda noticed a sole monitor on, unbroken. On it flashed a message saying, "Incoming call from General Burai".
"Now the Alliance Power Rangers have nowhere to call home. This will surely send them the message we intended to give them personally." Diabolico said, nodding as he looked over his handiwork.
"Bansheera will be ecstatic!" Loki predicted.
Neo Maligore looked at what the four of them had accomplished and laughed. He figured now would be as good a time as ever. "Why should we waste this talent on her? She seems to get all of the credit for what we do. Why don't we... Venture out for ourselves?"
"Blasphemy!" Diabolico cried out.
"Maligore speaking against The Queen!? Now I know I've seen everything!" Loki said, astounded.
"He has a point..." Darkonda said to Neo Maligore's satisfaction.
"Join me and we will create an Alliance of Evil the likes of which the universe has never seen!" Neo Maligore enticed.
Diabolico backed away. He knew, even with Loki, he would be lucky to survive a fight with Maligore, let alone Maligore and Darkonda. He slowly backed away, motioning for Loki to follow suit.
"When The Queen hears of this..." Diabolico started.
"She'll whine and complain, I'm sure. Then she'll send you two out after me. The offer will always be on the table for whenever you want to be treated likereal generals."
Diabolico and Loki then teleported themselves onto the ship nearby, speeding off towards their base. Neo Maligore turned to Darkonda and laughed.
"I'm glad you joined me. Together, we will start an empire unlike anything before. Bansheera's reign is over." Neo Maligore said.
Darkonda nodded. "She did seem to be rather unstable and emotional... I don't know. There's something about you that I like and trust, Maligore. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
"My empire will be larger than hers, but I like the notion of working in secrecy. I think I will carry a bit of her tactics on to what I will do. The template seems to work. Setting things into motion like a game of chess. Hehe... I actually hope the forces of good have someone intelligent enough to give me a good game."
Darkonda thought for a moment. I will allow this golem to build up his empire. Then, when the time is right... He will fall by my blade. Then I will be the ruler of the universe!
To Neo Maligore, Darkonda said, "I pledge my services to you, mighty Maligore!"
"And on the subject of my name... I do not wish to be called by my slave name. I know you call yourself Darkonda to mean Dark Wave... Hmm... Since I will plan everything and set things into motion... I will go by the name Dark Specter."
. . .
Guy looked back as they left the Galleon behind. He fought back the urge to cry. The Galleon, he felt, was his last connection to the team of rangers he had grown to love as a family.
Noticing Guy's body language, Gerlit moved from his seat to the empty one next to Guy. They were on a speeder the Order of the Claw had loaned to them upon their arrival on Earth. They had loaded the Galleon up with the cruisers to get to the designated spot Gerlit had wished to deposit Maligore's sealed essence.
"Everything okay, Guy?"
"It's just that... It's all so hard. We're losing, aren't we?"
"I don't know. All I do know is that we have won a few battles, and so have they."
"Why did you pick this place?" Guy asked, wishing to change the subject.
"It's an old island with not a lot around it. I figured Muranthias would be the best place to cast the spell of the Nemesis Triangle because it is so 'out of the way'. I am grateful we had the Galleon with us. It will be the perfect vessel to protect the gateway to that island, should anyone ever need to go back there."
"Why Earth, though?"
"Long ago, a powerful group blessed Earth's waters to cause them to be poisonous to Demons. Any saltwater body, feeling a Demon enter it, would cause as much salt as it could to go to the Demon. Demons are allergic to salt. Seeing as Muranthias is surrounded by water... If Maligore by some weird miracle were to escape that pit in that volcano we placed him in, he would have a very difficult time leaving the island."
Guy nodded. "Makes sense... Oh, about the Ranger Keys for the Gokaigers... I can't get them to activate on that makeshift device you made. It's missing something I can't figure out."
Gerlit sighed. "I was afraid of that. We didn't get the straight source. We need the actual rangers to pass on their Grid tap. Well... I guess we can try to get the first functioning keys to be one of the current ranger teams. I will give Gosei these keys. Maybe he can hold onto them until we can find a way to fix them in the future."
"Sounds good. So who should we ask first?"
"We can ask Michael and his team. I'm sure he'll be more than glad to help. He may even have some good ideas for the security network the keys are supposed to have."
Guy nodded and looked back at the Galleon as it was getting smaller and smaller as the distance between them got greater. I will keep fighting for what's right. For the memory of my friends.
. . .
Marvelous screamed out in pain.
"What's happening!?" Luka demanded, looking to her teammates. They were on the moon of a random planet. They were having a difficult time finding Rashon and had stopped on the moon they were on to find their bearings. A little after they had landed, Marvelous started screaming in pain, falling to the ground.
"It's like something is burrowing into me! It hurts!" Marvelous screamed.
"We have to do something!" Miha screamed.
"We were warned..." Doc said, shaking his head.
Joe frowned. "Are you going to share with the rest of us, or are you going to keep your epiphany to yourself?"
Doc looked down. "It's the 'putrid energy' we were told about. Marvin is starting to absorb the universe's excess energy. We are all in danger of having this happen."
"Isn't this the first step... To Demonhood?" Marvelous asked, trying to stand up. Luka and Miha helped him up.
"Unfortunately... I think so." Doc said.
"We can fight this!" Joe demanded.
"We're going to have to... Or we'll end up making an alliance with the very things we vowed to fight against." Marvelous said ominously.
. . .
Beelzebub walked slowly down the unfamiliar corridor. Knowing the base was a base for Demon activity, he was not afraid of running into any Demon Traps. He also knew he was powerful enough to decimate anyone who he might cross paths with, so being covert wasn't on the top of his list of priorities anymore.
Suddenly, he heard a loud noise from behind a door. Opening it, he saw the Alliance Megazord smash into the Hangar Bay. It was swinging its swords around, destroying everything it could.
Beelzebub nodded in approval. "If you're gonna storm the castle, that definitely gets the job done."
He watched as lasers erupted from the megazord, destroying everything in its path. The Demons were not able to fight back, as they were unprepared. The Alliance Rangers had come prepared with their megazord coated in another thing the Demons were allergic to: iron.
Beelzebub could feel the iron. He closed the door and turned into his red cloud form, slipping back into the ventilation system. This should be interesting... Before I do anything, I'll see what the Power Rangers can do to Bansheera. Maybe they will rid me of her themselves! Then... Then I can swoop in and finish them off myself! So, Power Rangers... Our unspoken alliance begins now...
. . .
Kegler looked around the tavern of the unnamed planet as Villamax ordered them some juice. He didn't like being so far out in the universe that he was on a planet no one had bothered naming, but it was better than floating in space.
As Villamax sat, he laughed. "So now that I know your story and you know mine, how about the two of us stick together? You can keep track of science things and I can take care of... everything else."
Kegler shrugged. "I've lost everything else... I may as well, I suppose."
Suddenly, a burly man in a longcoat was thrown to the ground. Two bigger men laughed and walked away. The victim stood up, dusting himself off.
"Watch this, good doctor." Villamax said, standing up and walking over to the man. "What just happened?"
The man with green skin sighed. "I found some treasure and my crew betrayed me."
"Ah... A pirate. You know, I'm a pirate, too."
"Any credentials?"
"I was a general for Captain Mutiny for quite a while before I quit." He flashed the man a tattoo proving his claim.
"Wow! You must know how to run a good crew."
"I can teach you."
The man furrowed his brow. "What's the catch?"
"My partner and I join your crew and get a percentage of all profits. All the while, I train you into one of the best pirates this universe has ever seen!"
"Deal! I'll get my stuff and lead you to my ship immediately!"
"What's your name, by the way?"
"They call me Halfnose the Pirate!" He smiled and went to collect his belongings from the tavern lockers.
Turning to Kegler, Villamax bowed. "And that is how we get food and boarding."
Kegler sighed. "I hope you know what you're getting us into. You never know when we might hook up with some psychopath that will end up getting us destroyed..."
Villamax laughed. "I pick my students carefully. Even the Gokaigers didn't destroy me. Now, let's go. We have a pirate to train!"
. . .
The wizards walked by. Their sensors could feel the disturbance, but they saw nothing. After a few minutes of investigating, they shrugged it off and returned to the Magic Realm. What they failed to notice was the crack in the mountain side, glowing slightly.
The being who had come from the crack came out from the shadows. He was intrigued at Earth's newest residents. He wondered if they would prove useful enough to use in his plans. He laughed. He now knew his time in the Netherworld would not be indefinite.
I will now return, to finish my calculations. Soon, this planet will be torn in twain and I, Serrator , will cause the Sanzu River to overflow like it never has before! I will rule not only the Netherworld, but this world as well! The Alpha Nighlock thought as he dived back into the crack.
. . .
Burai walked back into the command room on Earth in the Magic Realm. He could see soldiers bustling about. The attacks were growing more and more dangerous, and the Order of the Claw was doing all they could to ensure they could meet the demand. He was ashamed to admit it, but he was glad he no longer had the responsibility of assigning and delegating.
"You need to come immediately, Burai." Zordon said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Burai nodded and went into a room. In the room was Gosei, Zordon, Tria, Trinity, and Dimitria on a monitor. Tria and Trinity were crying.
"What's happening!?" Burai demanded.
"It's Rita Repulsa." Zordon replied. Thinking of his former crush made Burai's stomach churn. "She's attacking Triforia. She said over a broadcast that it is her revenge for sneak attacking Goldar."
"Sneak attack? What is she talking about?" Burai asked.
Zordon shook his head. His blue hair flew about as he did. He slumped down into a chair. "It doesn't matter. She's attacking them and we need to go. We wanted to let you know before we left."
Burai laughed. "What? You're not going without me!"
"You didn't sign onto this. I wouldn't feel right dragging you into this." Tria said, shaking her head.
"I told you that I was joining the team, and I meant it. I'm not going to selectively pick and choose when I help out. I'm in this until the end, guys. Now, when do we leave?"
Trinity stood up and hugged Burai. "Thank you." She said sincerely.
As they left the room, Dimitria turned to Gosei. "How is the project coming along?"
Gosei shook his head. "It won't be done in time to help them on Triforia. He will be ready soon, though. You know, I never could have finished it without your input. Thank you, Dimitria."
"Not a problem. Anything to fight those who are threatening our peace."
"On another note... Even though the robot won't be ready to help Zordon on Triforia, I do have something else I'm almost finished with. It was stolen in a fight against King Sphinx, but it was broken. It's almost working, though. I'm sending it specifically for Tria soon. Here are the schematics." Gosei said, uploading to Dimitria's monitor the plans for his latest project.
"Great job, Gosei! I think Tria will love it!" Dimitria exclaimed, looking at it.
Gosei nodded. "I hope it will be enough. I have a bad feeling about this next mission. I sincerely hope everything goes right out there. Good luck, guys. May the Power protect you."