Mission 6: Part 1

A calm ocean breeze blew across Atlantis Base as Erik Dobermann made his way up the stairs of the rooftops of the barracks. As he walked out into the cool evening air, he saw the person he was looking for at the far end of the rooftop. "Captain Sterling… there you are! I've been looking for you."

"Evening Lieutenant," Martin replied absently while he worked to set up a small amateur telescope, "Is something wrong?"

Erik walked over curiously and joined the Red Ranger, "No sir. I was just coming to see if you wanted to come to movie night with the others. I heard some old comedy called Ghostbusters was playing tonight."

"Maybe another time," Martin said, "I was thinking of doing some star gazing tonight."

Erik crossed his arms in mild amusement, "I didn't know you had any hobbies sir. Between putting the squad through its paces and training with the base's other fighter pilots, I thought you only had time to eat and sleep."

"Contrary to popular belief, I am in fact human Erik. I do have personal interests," Martin said patiently while making adjustments to the telescope.

"Huh... I never really pegged you as an astronomer. Is that why you joined the Air Force?" Erik asked as he sat down by his commander.

Martin shrugged, "Maybe a little. Something about the open skies just always drew my attention even as a kid. Although I'm not an astronaut or serving with the space fleet, studying the stars and planets was always something I liked."

"And you like doing this? Alone?"

"My old team and I would often do this and…" Martin trailed off at the casual mention of his previous Ranger team. He frowned and tried to banish the painful thoughts of the past as they all came flooding back.

"Sir?"

"It's nothing Lieutenant. I'm fine," Martin sighed as he continued to work on the telescope.

"Captain, you said your former team… the Alpha Rangers would go stargazing together," Erik prompted.

The Red Ranger looked up to the stars in the night sky and blew out a long breath, "It sounds kinda silly now… but after learning about the Adventi aliens... well, we'd all look up into the night skies and search for signs of other beings out there. We wondered if there was any other life in the galaxy and what they'd be like if we ever met them… I guess we got our wish, huh?"

Erik fell silent as Martin finished calibrating the telescope. After another solemn pause, the Red Ranger turned the scope up toward the starry heavens and gazed into the lens, "I guess now I'm just looking for something else up there… hoping maybe I'd find some kind of sign that one of the old Rangers might be waving back."

The Blue Ranger nodded with a sympathetic look before standing up, "Are you sure you don't want to join us downstairs sir? You don't have to be up here all by yourself tonight."

"I appreciate the offer Erik, but I'll be okay... really."

The Blue Ranger sighed and departed the rooftops leaving his CO alone with his thoughts and the twinkling stars above.

Meanwhile, on the dark Xeno Machina mothership, Warmaster Hellspont sat at his command chair gazing out over the quiet lunar landscape from the ship's forward viewport. The warlord had grown restless and he hated sitting idle knowing that several squads of foot soldiers who had snuck by to infiltrate planet Earth were busy paving the way for a greater assault in the coming weeks. While other lesser warriors and battle drone were content to train and perform routine battle drills, Hellspont was itching for a chance to flex his mechanically augmented muscles. He had been told that a special project he had commissioned his engineers to build would be ready very soon. He rose to head down to the engineering deck when he was stopped by one of the lesser bridge servitors. The cyborg shuffled forward and handed him a datapad while giving a bow, "The newest intelligence reports intercepted from the planet sir."

Hellspont breezed through the data until he stopped at a fascinating dispatch. After pondering it over a moment, he turned to the servitor, "Prepare a new strike team. We're going to assault a new target."

"Warmaster?"

Hellspont smiled and turned toward the windows, "We're going to strike an important Terran military depot. If we do that, we'll keep their space fleet delayed in rebuilding."

"Shall I give you a list of field commanders to lead the raid sir?"

Hellspont shook his head, "That may not be necessary. If my new war machine is ready, I think I might be able to lead this attack myself."

In a flash of light from the Earth's teleportation satellites, the Nova Rangers rematerialized and found themselves on the grassy grounds of a small UNAF military installation. The five stepped off the base's small outdoor transit platform as they were greeted by the base commander, a tall middle aged Hispanic man with short salt and pepper hair. The Rangers gave a salute to the senior officer as he smiled while returning the gesture, "Nova Rangers, welcome of Alaska Base. It's a privilege to finally meet you."

"The pleasure's ours Colonel Reyes," Martin answered as they fell in line behind the base commander. "General Caldwell spoke well of you in our mission briefing before coming here."

Col. Reyes grinned and gave a small chuckle, "I served under the General once when I was just a Captain. I always thought he was good guy."

As they walked, the Colonel gave them an informal tour of the small base which served as a munitions depot and resupply point for some of the larger command posts in the region. A few trucks with boxes and oil drums drove about while transport shuttles buzzed about on delivery runs. On one of the far runways, the Rangers also spotted two sleek Pegasus fighter jets sitting idle. To those in the Air Force, they somewhat resembled the old American F-22 Raptors, except these craft were heavily upgraded with Adventi weaponry and flight systems.

As he passed, Martin gave a sigh and shook his head to himself thinking what a waste it was to keep such an impressive aircraft grounded. While they walked, the Colonel continued to talk, "Again, I really appreciate you Rangers coming all the way out here to Anchorage to help. I know things look quiet around here, but one can never be too sure... especially considering the circumstances. The world has been a dangerous place lately."

As they continued on, the Rangers looked around at the surrounding area and took a moment to admire the scenic landscape of Alaska. In addition to some of the taller buildings of the small city of Anchorage, the five could see a chain of sleepy looking snow covered mountains along the distant horizon. It was early November and a chilly breeze blew in over the port city's waters signaling the start of winter. So far, no snow had fallen yet and the last bits of the green summer growing season clung stubbornly to the landscape.

The team followed the Colonel inside a two story concrete building to a modest command center. As they passed several subordinate soldiers and base personnel working at their stations, Reyes gestured to a communications console alongside a large map of the region. "I'm sure you already know that this supply depot is the final spot for those new starship power cores before they're shipped out to the fleet."

"It's a remote area and a good place to be moving that important stuff around quietly," Bharata noted while looking at the map.

Reyes grimaced slightly, "Yes. All the other components for the power cores have been delivered but we're still waiting on some fuel rods from Russia. It makes me concerned to have such vital equipment sitting in the storehouses while we wait for the fleet to get its act together."

Ella idly paced around the room and examined the base's computer consoles. They weren't as high tech as the ones at Atlantis Base, but they were still very serviceable, "Don't worry Colonel. I'm sure with the five of us here to beef up security, your engine cores should be safe."

"I hope you're right Lieutenant," Reyes sighed as he wrinkled his features in worry.

Before the Rangers could say anything else, they all heard a crackling transmission come in over the radio of the comm station. Erin immediately hurried over and filled in at the empty work station. She punched some keys and tried to put her communication officer skills to use. "Sir, this looks like it could be a distress signal. It's coming in over a UNAF frequency and it's using our pass codes."

"Can you clean up the transmission?" Reyes asked.

Erin quickly worked the keyboard and made some adjustments before a clearer signal began to come through. It sounded like a woman's voice which had recorded a message and was set to repeat itself. "Mayday, Mayday, this is the UNAF transport craft Pelican 3 en route to Alaska Base. Our aircraft's gone down. Cause unknown. Requesting immediate rescue."

"Pelican? That's the transport craft that's supposed to deliver the fuel rods!" Reyes gasped in horror.

"Pelican 3, this is Alaska Base. Please respond," Erin answered. She tried several more times without a response. Finally, the Yellow Ranger turned to the others and shrugged, "I'm guessing their radio equipment was damaged in the crash. I can't reach them, but if we triangulate the radio signals, I think we can get a fix on their general location."

Col. Reyes's features darkened and he turned to an aide in the room, "Go get a transport shuttle ready. Our top priority is recovering that crew and its cargo."

"Can't we just use the orbital relays to teleport there?" Ella asked in concern.

The older man shook his head, "Unlikely. Relay beacons are few and far between in these remote areas. If you did, you'd probably still have to hike several miles through rough terrain and wilderness. Trust me, it'd be faster to fly there."

"Colonel, with your permission, I'd like to volunteer to join the rescue team," Martin cut in, "I can double as a copilot if need be."

"Me too," Erik said as he stepped forward, "I'm a medical officer and if there are any injured crewmen, I think I can help."

Reyes considered it for a moment before giving a quick nod, "See to it Captain. Godspeed."

As he left, Martin turned to the rest of the team, "I want you three to stand guard here until Erik and I get back. Do what the Colonel says. Nothing reckless and nothing stupid. Got it?"

"Be careful sir. We'll keep the lights on for you when you get back," Bharata nodded.

The Red Ranger gave a satisfied nod and clapped his XO on the shoulder before heading outside, "Okay then. Let's go Erik! Those downed pilots aren't going to save themselves you know."

Some hundred miles elsewhere, the ruins of a crashed UNAF transport craft sat in a small wooded valley of Denali State Park. A small plume of smoke still hung over the coniferous tree lines and lingered from the gaping hole in the transport shuttle where it was hit by an alien missile. The Eidolon foot soldiers did one last sweep to secure the area before regrouping around the shuttle they had shot down. While they milled about, the Xeno Machina general Hellspont or rather, a remote controlled battle drone in his likeness stood scanning the area while admiring the sight of the majestic snow capped Mt. Denali in the distance. From the Xeno mothership, Warmaster Hellspont plugged in to a computer and exercised direct control over the advanced drone that had been crafted to resemble him. In a way, it was a chance for him to lead from the front without actually having to be there.

His attention was drawn away as he head one of his troops approach, "Warmaster, there's a transmission coming in. It's responding to this ship's distress signals. Should we reply?"

The Warmaster considered it before shaking his head. "No. The Terrans will surely send a rescue party here… maybe even the Nova Rangers. I want to lay a trap for them when they come."

"What about these cargo containers? They look like the fuel rods for the starship engine cores."

Hellspont took a few steps and continued surveying the area, "Hold on to them for now. I have a plan to use them for destroying that base."

The Xeno trooper nodded, "As you wish. And one other thing… our scouts found one human survivor from the crash. She was badly injured and we suspect she was the pilot. What should we do with the prisoner?"

"We're not going to take prisoners on this mission," Hellspont replied coldly, "I've no use for a cripple who will only slow us down."

The soldier nodded and charged his blaster staff before quickly heading off to the other side of camp. As the alien Warmaster cast his gaze back over the serene mountains again, he heard the sound of one Xeno blaster go off followed by silence. A pack of startled birds took off from the nearby treeline and as he watched them flee, Hellspont couldn't help but laugh.

Later that day, a small transport shuttle carrying Martin, Erik, and a pair of search and rescue specialists departed Alaska Base and cruised at low altitude over the wooded mountainous terrain. While they sat gazing out over the scenic landscape, the two Rangers idly chatted to pass the time. Erik sat back in his chair and adjusted his helmet, "So sir... have you looked over my recent proposals to improve the operations of the squad?"

Martin gave a mild chuckle of amusement, "Yeah, I was especially curious about those suggestions for when we actually morph into action. Is having a morphing call really necessary?"

"What's wrong with Energize?" Erik protested, "It's direct. It works. And it gets the point across."

"Okay, to be honest Energize sounds fine actually. I'm more concerned with the *ahem* battle stances and roll calls?"

Erik laughed, "Oh come on Captain! What kind of team of self respecting Power Rangers doesn't do that?"

Martin rolled his eyes gently, "Oh, I don't know... maybe one that doesn't want to get shot up by standing around in the open while flapping their gums?"

"Will you at least just think about it sir? It'll be good for team morale," the Blue Ranger insisted.

Before they could continue their banter, the aircraft was rocked from behind by a large blast and the sound of an explosion roared from one of the tail engines. The shuttle lurched sideways violently while several warning lights began to flash red and klaxons sounded.

"What the hell was that? What hit us?" Martin shouted while the others staggered to steady themselves. His stomach began to churn as he felt the shuttle lose altitude and descend quickly.

"I don't know sir! Something from the ridges just shot up and blew out our rear drive engine," the pilot called fearfully as he tried to regain some control of the vehicle.

"Enemy weapons fire? Could the Xenos be lurking around here?" Erik shouted above the wail of the warning sirens.

The shuttle rattled and shook again as the aircraft make a veering turn while falling. The pilot gripped the controls tightly and shouted, "Everyone! We're going to make a crash landing! Brace for impact!"

Everyone in the shuttle fearfully strapped in and held on for dear life as the damaged shuttle pod clipped the top of the Alaskan treeline and smashed through the cold woods leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. The impact shook the entire shuttle and stunned all the occupants as it skidded to a halt on the ground and finally stopped after a ways.

After what seemed like eternity, Martin shook the stars from his eyes and undid his safety harness. His whole body felt sore and bruised but it seemed he survived the crash. Smoke filled the cabin as the lights went out and a few flickering warning lights provided a little illumination. The Ranger rolled out of his seat and croaked, "Erik? Anyone? Are you there?"

"I'm here sir... barely," Erik groaned as the big German tried to get out of his seat. He took a few steps and immediately fell over in pain. "Gah! Scheisse! (Shit)"

"You okay big guy?" Martin asked as he stumbled over to aid his comrade.

"It's my leg... I think I hurt something in the crash... hell, I think I might have broken my ass too."

Martin nodded and got in position to haul his friend up and support his weight while the two made their escape from the crashed shuttle. As they headed for the door, they saw the pilot slumped over the controls face first and not moving. It seemed the same fate might have befallen the other UNAF trooper in the shuttle as she lay motionless. He would just have to go back and pull them out to see for certain if they were still alive, but it was hard to tell at the moment.

Martin grunted as he pulled Erik free of the wreckage and the two stumbled forward to try and keep their balance. "Geez buddy, I think you're going to have to lay off the sauerkraut and strudel. You're heavy."

"Coming from an American, I don't know if I should laugh or feel offended," Erik joked back grimly as they trudged several meters further.

As they came upon a fallen log to set Erik down and examine his leg, they heard their comms light up with frantic calls from both Lucy in Atlantis and Erin from Alaska Base. "Nova Red, Nova Blue, please respond. Captain Sterling? Lieutenant Dobermann?"

Before the two men could answer, Xeno blaster bolts erupted from some nearby trees and struck them full on. Instead of standard energy blasts, these ones were green in color and sent a paralyzing shock through the Rangers' bodies. Those weapons must have been switched to a low powered stun setting but it did the job. Both Martin and Erik toppled over in a heap and landed on the cold hard ground of the wild forest.

As they lay helplessly twitching and convulsing for a few moments, they saw several Eidolon soldiers emerge from the brush followed by their leader... a Xeno warrior wearing ornate dark colored power armor. He had a sinister conical helmet with glowing red eyes and Martin's heart stopped in terror as he saw the visage of the foe who had murdered his former squad and haunted his dreams for the last five years... the Xeno warrior known as Hellspont.

As if living in a waking nightmare, Martin feebly thrashed in the dirt as the malevolent commander loomed over him. One of the Eidolons called out in their language, "Warmaster... shall we execute these Terran survivors too?"

Hellspont raised a hand and silenced them speaking so that the Rangers could understand, "No. These humans are different. I know who they are. These two are Nova Rangers."

"Hellspont..." Martin groaned as he slowly fought to regain minor control of his body from the stun gun.

The general bent down and eyed the Ranger curiously, "Yes... you know me. I recognize you too Captain Martin Sterling. You were that Ranger from five years ago... the one wearing Silver."

The Xeno rose with a contemptuous snort, "You've changed your colors and you don't look like such a frightened little boy anymore. You almost look like a real fighter. That's good."

"You bastard..." Martin spat weakly, "You murdered them... my old team. I'll kill you."

The Warmaster replied with a cruel laugh, "I'm glad you remember that. I never did get a chance to finish the job that day... to finish you."

"What are you waiting for?" Martin croaked venomously as he continued to struggle against the paralysis, "Why don't you fight me?"

Hellspont shook his head, "You'll get your chance Ranger. Very soon."

At that moment, Erik thrashed on the ground nearby, trying to roll clear but an Eidolon stopped him. The Xeno pinned the Blue Ranger down with a firm boot to the ribs while fixing his blaster on the Ranger's head.

"No! Wait!" Martin cried out frantically, "I'm the squad commander. I'm the one you want. Spare him."

Hellspont studied the Red Ranger for a long moment before taking hold of a blaster staff. He aimed it idly at Erik and said calmly, "You feel compassion for your subordinates, don't you?"

The general quickly turned the blaster up on the trooper covering Erik and fired once. The energy bolt hit the enemy trooper at close range and blew a hole through his chest. The dead Eidolon collapsed while the others stood impassively, only turning their heads slightly when the weapon was discharged.

"Compassion only gets in the way and makes you a weak leader," Hellspont mused while tossing aside the blaster, "That is why you will lose this war Captain. Soon this entire planet will belong to us and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

The Warmaster flicked a wrist gesturing to his troops before walking off. Martin watched helplessly as two soldiers hauled Erik up to his feet and dragged him away. Before the Red Ranger could struggle any further, he saw the boot of an Eidolon trooper come crashing down on his head and cover his world in complete darkness.