Sgt. Clarissa Lewis waved her squad back as they marveled at the appearance of five actual Power Rangers. Each Nova Ranger wore a flexible suit made from an alloy of dark metallic nano fibers. Over the base suit, sleek lightweight steel in five different colors adorned each Ranger like futuristic half-plate armor. Along the edges of the armor, corresponding lines of colored neon light glowed gently, giving the advanced suits an even cleaner and more vibrant aesthetic. As light from the sun above glinted off the Rangers' shield shaped visors the Xeno field commander paused in momentary uncertainty. True to their name, these Rangers were indeed new brilliant heroes whose powers originated from technology beyond the stars.

"Whoah… I can't believe it worked," Erin exclaimed as she admired the yellow color of her suit.

Erik took a moment to look over his new blue colored combat suit and clench a fist, "This is just what we need."

Ella turned to her comrades and couldn't help but smile, "Dr. Beckett was right… this isn't spandex… it's way better!"

Martin almost thought he could hear Lucy grinding her teeth on the other end of the comm before he moved to confront the Xeno menace, "Let's focus people. The battle's not over yet."

He tapped a button on his morpher and the others watched as a Nova Blaster pistol was instantly transported to his hand.

Lucy spoke again, "Rangers, your morphers are directly linked to the Orbital Relay. With it, we'll be able to transport your battle gear in an instant."

"Thanks Dr. B. What are we waiting for?" Bharata grinned while reaching for his morpher, "Let's kick some ass!"

As the other Rangers called on their blasters and vibroblades, the Xeno battery monster stomped forward and fired off a writhing mass of cables and plugs from its arms to try and tangle the humans with artificial tentacles. The squad broke their huddle and rolled away while using their weapons to fend off the attacks.

Erik and Ella nimbly hacked apart several of the cables with their glowing energy blades while Martin, Bara, and Erin shot other cable tentacles to pieces with well placed blaster shots. As the Xeno commander retracted its cable fingers, it seemed to switch modes and activate two shoulder mounted cannons that swiveled into place.

"Damn... that thing is like some kinda freaky Transformer," Erin called as the monster fired its guns and the Rangers dove away to safety. The blast of the shoulder cannons rocked the city square and left a wide swath of melted steel and concrete from where it had struck. As the Rangers took cover, Erik turned to the Red Ranger, "What now, sir?"

Martin paused and thought furiously for a new tactic before he decided to try something new. He turned to the Green Ranger, "Bharata, you're the intel guy. Scan that monster and look for some kind of weakness we can exploit."

The Green Ranger blinked in surprise before nodding and turning toward the alien. Using the advanced sensors and HUD built into his helmet, Bharata noted that the shoulder cannons were still overheated and was drawing a lot of power from the rest of the alien's body.

He turned back to the others and waved them on, "That monster's guns are still recharging. If we're going to strike, now's our chance!"

Martin nodded and signaled the others, "Okay Rangers... let's blitz this guy. Combined arms... by twos."

Everyone nodded and burst from cover setting up for an all out attack on the vulnerable alien. As they crouched, the Green and Yellow Nova Rangers fired a barrage of blaster fire to clear the way as Erik and Ella charged with their Nova Strikers. The alien reeled from the blaster shots and only had enough time to raise its coiled arms up to shield itself from the incoming melee weapons. The Blue and Pink Rangers gave a shout as they brought their weapons down in a powerful combined strike to sever both the monsters arms in a cloud of sparks, oil, and shrapnel. As Erik and Ella pivoted away, the armless Xeno warrior staggered backwards drunkenly, right into the sights of the Red Nova Ranger.

Martin switched the mode of his blaster to overcharge and pointed it directly at the damaged monster. As the charge built up into a brilliant vibrating light in the barrel of the pistol, Martin leveled the weapon directly on the monster's center of mass, "This is for Alpha Squad."

He pulled the trigger and fired the overcharged laser blast at the Xeno. The bolt struck the commander's torso and blew a hole clean through its armored body. As the sudden system shock went through the dying cybernetic commander, the rows of smaller batteries that ran along its sides exploded, engulfing the alien in a large violent fireball.

The others Rangers gathered around as Martin twirled the pistol and quickly holstered it.

"Uh… wow. Nice shot sir," Bharata said as he took one more glance at the smoldering ruins of the monster they had destroyed.

Before anyone else could speak, Lucy's voice cut in over the comm, "Rangers…we have a problem. The power from the Paris generator is dropping off. The Xenos must have infiltrated the building and tampered with the systems beforehand. If we don't get that power back to the cannons soon, the fleet may be in jeopardy."

"Understood Lucy," Martin replied before turning toward the Pink Ranger, "Catalano, you're up. We need you to get the generator's systems up and running again. Think you can do it?"

Ella swallowed nervously for a moment before nodding and following the others inside the large evacuated building. After rushing through the ruined front lobby and pushing through a few doors, the Rangers all took a stairwell down to the underground bunker where the generator systems were located. As they reached the central room, they saw in horror that some of the consoles had indeed been blown apart and tampered with by the enemy. Ella hurried over to the nearest console and began punching in computer codes to gain access.

The others couldn't help but stand back and watch as she furiously worked the keyboard and muttered to herself, "Che palle! (what a pain in the ass) Okay Ella, just stay calm… the survival of the whole fleet is up to you… no pressure, right?"

Finally, the screen changed and strings of code appeared which Ella began to manipulate. The Pink Ranger gave a nervous cheer as she continued to work, "Ok Lucy, I'm in. Looks like the Xenos screwed this up but they did a shoddy job. I'm rerouting all primary control functions to Atlantis Base remotely so that you guys can keep the generator's systems regulated. Transmitting now."

She hit the enter key and the Rangers watched as the chaos of the control room stabilized and the whirring sounds of the generators evened out.

"Nice job Ella! You did it!" Erik cheered while she pulled her pink helmet off and moved quickly for the door.

"Captain… excuse me… now that the world is safe, I think I'd like to go throw up now."

The others stared in bewildered shock as Ella hurried out of the room before Martin shook his head gently. While no one could see behind the visor of his helmet, a small relieved smile of amusement pulled at the corner of his lips before he radioed in to base, "Atlantis Base, this is Captain Sterling. The generator is secured. Mission accomplished."

A short time later the Nova Rangers powered down and left the generator complex, stepping back onto the ruined streets of downtown Paris. They were greeted by the sights of damaged buildings, bodies of Xenos of civilians littering the ground, and small fires burning while firemen and EMTs scrambled to respond.

Erik rolled up his sleeves and turned to the Red Ranger, "Sir, with permission I'd like to try and help some of the wounded here."

Martin nodded before turning to Bharata, "Timothy, I want you to go back and check on Catalano. Make sure she's okay and keep a sharp eye out for any enemy stragglers."

The Green Nova Ranger nodded as both he and the Blue Ranger hurried off to their tasks.

As Martin turned around, he glanced over to where Erin had wandered near a downed Xeno foot soldier. The younger Yellow Ranger stood in shock as she saw the alien had removed its helmet revealing startlingly human features. The warrior lay bleeding out from a few holes where las-rifle shots had punched through his armor and off-color bluish red blood pooled under him. He struggled to move and gurgled something as Erin stepped closer and knelt down over him. She frowned, recognizing some of the familiar language's sounds. She cleared her throat and spoke in Adventi, "Hold still... we'll get you help."

The warrior dragged himself closer and reached for something concealed under his side but he never got the chance to remove it as Martin quickly drew his pistol and strode up, putting two shots right into the alien's chest to kill it.

At the sudden sharp cracks of the laser pistol, Erin jumped up in surprise and anger as the alien slumped over dead. She whirled on her commander with a look of outrage, "I… sir… with respect, what the hell? It looks like a human! We could've taken him prisoner! It looked like he might have wanted to surrender."

Martin pushed past Erin and lightly kicked the dead Xeno trooper over revealing that it had been reaching for a combat knife at its belt.

"It looks like he might have wanted to kill you Lieutenant," the Red Ranger replied coldly while holstering his gun, "I don't know what these freaks are but they aren't human."

"You didn't have to do that sir," Erin argued, "You basically executed him in cold blood right here."

The Red Ranger turned and snapped back sharply, "Don't be so naïve Lieutenant. You think the Xenos care? You actually think they're going to show you any mercy? We have to kill them before they kill us… it's as simple as that."

The Yellow Ranger took several breaths to restrain her emotions before looking again to the dead alien trooper, "I'm sorry sir… it just doesn't seem right."

Martin softened his expression and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "My job is to keep all of you Rangers alive… if that means having to kill every last one of these abominations, then so help me God, I'll do it."

Erin stopped and looked in surprise as Martin removed his hand and walked away from the scene in silence. The Yellow Ranger glanced at her morpher and then to the hazy skies. A new vicious war with the Xenos had just begun and Erin Reilly was now feeling like she was in way over her head. The fighting had died down in Paris and she welcomed this brief moment of calm in the streets. As she looked to the skies, she could only wonder if the fleet was faring any better above the planet.

Her thoughts were interrupted once more as she heard Erik calling out to her. He was kneeling over an injured civilian and trying to staunch a bleeding wound in the victim's side. "Erin... I think you probably speak better French than I do. Can I get some help here?"

She nodded and walked over, hoping that busying herself like this would keep her focused and brave. Right now, she had to be.

Meanwhile, up above the planet, a fierce battle continued to rage as the Xeno Machina warships pressed their attack, even in the face of stubborn fire from the remaining Terran ships. Captain Arthur Hood braced himself as his frigate shook again from the impact of an enemy shot. Turning to look out his portside window, he saw another UN corvette explode into a fiery ball of shrapnel. Things were getting desperate now. The Terran fleet had been decimated and they were about to be overrun.

The British starship captain had a plan to try and cripple the Xeno flagship, but he needed all the orbital guns back online and he was running out of time. The ship shook with another impact as one of his bridge officers called, "Sir, shields are down to 10 percent. We can't take much more of this."

Hood grimaced and clutched his seat. They just needed to hold out a little longer. He needed to trust that his old friend General Caldwell would come through for him. That was when he heard the familiar voice of his Canadian colleague on the radio, "Captain Hood, the Nova Rangers have secured the Paris Generator. All orbital guns are standing by for maximum yield fire."

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that Marcus," Hood replied while turning back to the Xeno flagship ahead of him. "To think… that Project Nova you were pushing so hard for might have just saved us all."

Caldwell's voice faltered, "There has to be another way Arthur. You shouldn't have to do this."

Hood shook his head and began tapping commands on his console, "We're soldiers Marcus. We both know what has to be done. Just have those guns ready to fire on my mark… and thank those Rangers of yours for me."

"I will… give them hell Art," Caldwell answered over the radio.

"Goodbye old friend," Hood smiled as he cut the channel and turned to his crew, "Miranda... everyone... this will be my final order… all hands abandon ship."

Soon enough, escape pods began to drop away from the battered frigate Exeter leaving its captain by himself on the bridge. As he typed in a last command code, he powered the engines and opened a channel, "Attention all UNAF forces, this is Captain Arthur Hood of the Exeter. I need all remaining ships and gun emplacements to focus fire toward the Xeno flagship's power grid. I'm sending targeting info now."

The few remaining Earth ships maneuvered and began to open fire on the Xeno flagship, clearing the way for Exeter. As the frigate surged forward, the planet's orbital guns fired a blistering concentrated salvo that tore through the Xeno vessels' shields and allowed the Exeter to power ahead for a point blank kamikaze attack.

From the bridge of the Xeno flagship, Warmaster Hellspont cried out in alarm as he saw the suicidal Terran frigate break through and ram itself into their starboard aft. Amid the great explosion that resulted, the alien flagship was shaken to its core and turned away from the battle.

The wounded flagship limped and tried to maneuver, but Hellspont growled as he saw the lights flicker and the power levels of the ship fluctuate. "What happened? What have those damned Terrans done?"

One of the drones on the bridge replied in a monotone voice, "Severe damage registered to the ships power generators. Unable to compensate for fluctuations. Several primary system failures eminent."

The Warmaster tightened his fist in fury as he slammed the nearest console, "We'll have to withdraw and repair our power cores. Call off the fleet and take us out toward the far side of the Earth's moon. We'll land there and set up our new forward base in the meantime."

To the amazement of the remaining Terran fleet and observers on Earth, the enemy fire died off and the Xeno fleet turned and withdrew off toward the safety of the moon's dark side. From his observation post back in Atlantis Base, General Caldwell stood silent while the other people of the base erupted into loud cheers and giddy handshakes. Although the mood in the tower was temporarily jubilant, his heart still felt very heavy for the loss of his old friend and the crews of the other ships that had been destroyed in battle.

He glanced over toward Lucy who sat back from her own console and removed her headset. The young woman looked completely drained, having been stressed with the battle and worrying about the lives and equipment of the Rangers in their first major action. She looked to him and he gave a small reassuring smile, "You did great work today Dr. Beckett. You should be very proud."

"Thank you General," she sighed as he walked over.

"What of the Nova Rangers?"

Lucy tapped her screen and typed in a few key commands, "They're on their way home. They wanted to check on the civilians before getting back to the nearest relay beacon."

Caldwell gave a long sigh and nodded, "Very good Dr. Beckett. When they get back, let them know I'd like to debrief them personally."

After the events of the harrowing battle above the planet and the fierce skirmishes that had erupted to fight off the first alien landing parties, life had almost begun to return to some state of normalcy, given the heightened tension that the Xeno Machina threat had returned to menace Earth. For the newly christened Nova Rangers, the following two days were spent getting debriefed, preparing after action reports, and getting checked by doctors for any adverse effects of using the new Ranger morphers.

While the team enjoyed the relatively peaceful lull in the action, they were told that the alien armada had retreated to the dark side of the moon and had begun setting up a temporary base there. With the alien flagship heavily crippled and the UN space fleet too weak to launch any sort of counterattack, both sides were forced to settle into an uneasy stalemate for now. Despite the circumstances, the people of Earth had a lot to be proud of. They had put up a much better defense and succeeded at turning back a great enemy force, albeit at great cost. Now with alien enemies based on the moon and the emergence of new Power Rangers to confront them, the outcome of this global conflict would be one that no one could be able to predict.

Late that afternoon, Captain Martin Sterling sat in the largely empty mess hall of Atlantis Base. A few people who had straggled in from their work shifts were still finishing their lunch while Martin sat alone at a table looking out over blue oceans. He held a cup of coffee and took a long drink reflecting on the events of the last few days and of what challenges were yet to come. He had spent the last five years fighting and clawing back from his injuries and traumatic near death experience and even now, he wasn't sure what to make of everything. Earth had changed, he had changed, and so had the enemy. If there was any constant, it was going to be his decision that he wouldn't let what happened to him happen to this new team of Rangers. He wasn't certain about them yet, but if General Caldwell believed in them, then he would have to do the same.

This thoughts were interrupted as he saw four familiar figures approach the table. Standing before him were his new teammates. Erik Dobermann cleared his throat and stood straight, "Sorry to disturb you Captain... uh, do you mind if we join you?"

Martin looked in surprise and saw that they all had trays with bowls of dessert. He gestured to the open chairs and scratched his neck, "I'm sorry... I thought you guys ate already. I really wasn't expecting any company."

"Well sir, all of us were talking and we decided that you shouldn't always have to sit here alone," Bharata chimed in.

Erin cleared her own throat and nodded, "You helped lead us to a major victory in Paris a few days ago Captain. We just want you to know that even if we aren't elite soldiers just yet, you can still count on us."

The Red Ranger studied everyone carefully for a long moment before giving a sigh, "Thank you everyone... to be honest, I'm not quite sure what to say right now."

Ella gave a cheerful smile and passed him a small bowl of red colored Jello, "How about just starting by having dessert with us? Try the Jello, sir... it really is wunderbar."

Martin glanced toward Erik and the big German airman couldn't help but shrug and laugh. The Red Ranger picked up a spoon and took a bite while everyone watched in silence. After a long moment, Martin swallowed and the smallest hint of a smile formed at the corner of his lips, "Well, what are you all waiting for? This great dessert isn't going to eat itself."

As the whole squad continued to sit together for the first time over their meal, Martin listened as the rest of the squad began to laugh out loud before they started cracking jokes of their own. He hadn't been around this kind of banter or laughter for five years, but he was surprised at how much he enjoyed it... at how much he had missed it. As he sat among his lively teammates he decided to himself that he wouldn't let the Xeno Machina win. He had a planet to fight for, a team to protect, and moments like this to savor.

A/N:
There we have it. I hope you enjoyed the start of this somewhat darker edgier story as the introduction here kind of sets the overall tone. It's a little different and experimental, but I enjoy taking risks and challenges when writing. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a break from this series and go back to writing some other lighter happier stories for a while. Thanks for reading!