Sanna stared at the magazine. So many shiny jewels. Her hands itched. She hadn't done any "Retrieval" in weeks. All this running around, finding true power, it was great, but she had to get back to basics. Sanna stood up. "Captain, I'm gonna go...do some personal stuff."
"Alright. Stay safe."
"Yes sir."
Sanna snuck away. Time for some action.
Joe frowned. "Captain, I would like to...go make sure she does not do anything too insane."
"Yeah. Go after her, Joe."
Joe followed after Sanna, a frown on his face.
POWER RANGERS! PIRATE SQUADRON!
Sailors of the Sea of Stars, Heroes from beyond Mars,
Time to unite! Time to fight! Time for heroes to take flight!
Rangers return! With power to burn!
Time for evil to learn!
Pirates never fall! Rangers save us all!
PIRATE SQUADRON!
Power Rangers never lose! This power that we choose!
Corsairs of the sky! Rangers do or die!
Joe found Sanna quickly. She was in a museum, staring at a diamond. A laser cutter was in her hand as she scanned the security system, trying to figure out how to best steal the rock.
"Sanna, stop." Joe pleaded.
"Come on, Joe, we haven't had any fun in ages."
"Sanna, this is not the time or the place."
"Well when will it be? I joined this team for one reason! For wealth, to never be hungry again! And we've been so busy doing...heroic stako, I haven't had time to do what I'm good at."
"Sanna, what's gotten into you? Is this really about money?"
"Yes! No! I don't know."
"What's going on?"
"I've just..." Sanna sighed. "You wouldn't get it, Joe. A man who's never been hungry won't understand a woman who has."
"Sanna." Joe put his hand on her shoulder. "I am not the man I was. I understand a lot more than I used to. You can talk to me. And if you are worried about money, you do not need to be. We have plenty. I have plenty. So tell me, please, why is the jewel so important to you."
Sanna was quiet, before finally speaking. "When I was a child, growing up in the hive slums of Corada, I was poor. Not just poor, Joe. We...me and the other hiver orphans... were starving, cold and afraid. Every day, not knowing where our next meal would come from. And while I was living like that, these nobles would come to the hives. They'd lord their jewels and clothes and power over us. Well, one day, this ganger named Tlax had an idea. He knew a chance to steal from a noble. A rare opportunity. But he needed someone small to get in. He chose me. I was quick and small enough to get into the ducts without being noticed. Light enough to make the least sound." Sanna's eyes burned, and her voice cracked, but she continued.
""I did it. I got in and stole the gem. You can't imagine the feeling. Finally reclaiming some pride and power from those smug squajs. We had food for months. And that became our partnership. Whenever we had a chance, we'd take their pretty shinies. Why not? They didn't need it, and we had to eat some way.
"But then...my friend...he died. I was young. Younger than Bones. Too young to have seen what I did. But...when you live like I lived, death comes young. And...and I swore that I would never let myself be put in that position again. To have my power stolen away." Sanna blinked away tears, now running down her cheeks. "Then, I got sloppy. Got caught. Crimzen saved me from the execution block...and I been sailing with him and stealing ever since."
"Sanna." Joe put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. "I understand. But...you don't need the money. Not anymore. We can keep you fed and clothed."
"You're not getting it. I want my power back. I want the control and security my wealth gives me. I want to take from those who have never had to shiver cold in an alley, who have never had to sleep with a knife." Sanna was shaking.
"Sanna, please." Joe's heart broke at the pain and fear in his teammate's voice.
"Don't make me feel weak, Joe. This is all I have." Sanna pushed his hands away and grabbed the jewel. Joe was about to follow her, but he stopped. He needed a moment to think.
The next morning, Sanna was eating breakfast when Joe appeared. She glared at him.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't know you had so much going on in your mind. I'm sorry."
"Don't patronize me." Sanna snarled.
"Sanna. I'm serious. I want to help you. I have an idea, but you might not like it."
"What?"
"Let us do a heist together. You and me, just for fun."
Sanna considered this. "And what do you get out of this?"
"We get closer as friends and teammates. And...if it's fun for me, maybe I'll join in more often."
"Alright. Where do you want to go?"
Joe pulled out a map. "I hear the Letha Diamond is on display."
"Joe," Sanna smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Meanwhile, in Zang space, Lykia was studying the plans.
"Muramassaca. We need a way to focus our Magna Cannons for more power." She looked over at the strongest swordsman in the universe. "I hear the Letha Diamond, a giant jewel, is on Earth right now. Our newest Cy-Born Commander, Jokerz, should have the skill to steal it. Take him and some Cy-Born and go to Earth."
"Yes ma'am." Muramassaca's eyes flared to life. "Jokerz! To the ship!"
"OK, let's review the plan." Sanna said.
"I've hacked the security system. Once I give the signal, I can shut off the lasers and alarms for five minutes."
"Plenty of time. And the guards?"
"Taken care of. The diamonds will be ripe for the plucking."
Sanna smiled. "Now that's what I like to hear. Let's get in there."
The two pirates snuck inside. Joe used his sword to slice the lock. The pair opened the door.
"OK. Time to take these jewels. I'll take the ones over there, you get the rest." Sanna grinned, already feeling the rush.
"Got it."
They began to collect their loot when a flash of purple lightning struck the museum. The pirates jumped, drawing their weapons.
Muramassaca entered, flanked by numerous Cy-Born and a Commander with a green body but wearing orange and black armor patterned after a Joker card . "Hello, Pirates. Surrender or be destroyed." Muramassaca said, the robotic whine of his voice betraying no emotion. "We have come for the jewel"
Joe's eyes darkened. "Hello, Sid."
"I do not recognize that name, little pirate."
"Of course not. You are a machine now." Joe looked at the cyborg. "Sid. Do not make me do this. Please."
"Joe, who is Sid?" Sanna whispered.
Joe cut his eyes to his partner for a second. "He was my brother. Sid Kassan. He taught me everything I knew about swordsmanship." Joe's eyes focused on Muramassaca. "And now he's this. They turned him into a weapon, a monster, Sanna."
"You can't let this get to you."
"He was the only family I had. He took care of me after the war. After my father died." Joe's hand shook. "And now..." He gripped his cutlass tighter.
"It's a shame, Sid." Joe said. "I'll never forgive them for what they've done."
"I do not recognize that name. There is only one thing left to say, little pirate. Surrender or die." Muramassaca charged, slashing. Sanna leaped back, and Joe blocked. Joe's face twisted with anger and hate, but his swordplay was not as sharp as usual. It was sloppy, and he left openings. Muramassaca exploited them, kicking Joe across the room.
Sanna leaped up and attacked Muramassaca. She was quicker and sharper than Joe. But Muramassaca was the greatest swordsman in the universe. He countered all of her blows and kicked her away.
Jokerz and the Cy-Born advanced.
"It's not looking good." Sanna groaned.
"Sid. Please." Joe begged.
Muramassaca's eyes lit up. "Surrender or be destroyed, Pirate."
Joe's hand trembled. He charged, reckless courage and heartbroken fury guiding his strikes.
Muramassaca fought back, and for just a second, Joe was able to match him strike for strike, block for block. Then Muramassaca landed a vicious slash on Joe's arm.
Joe fell back, and Sanna caught him.
Muramassaca advanced, his blade pointed at Joe. "Time to finish this, pirate." He rose his sword, but something stopped him. His eye narrowed. "I am...malfunctioning. Jokerz, finish this. I must seek repair." Muramassaca disappeared, leaving Jokerz and the Cy-born.
Jokerz turned to the pirates. "Give me the diamond and you can walk."
Sanna laughed. "Sorry, Joker, but that's not how things work."
"I'm sorry, too. Attack!" Jokerz yelled, and the Cy-Born swarmed forward. Sanna and Joe fought them off.
Jokerz sneaked around the fight and grabbed the diamond. "Goodbye, pirates!
Sanna saw him. "Joe!" She called, tossing her partner a key. "You take care of the Cy-Born! I'll stop him!" She raced after Jokerz, chasing him through the building.
"You're not getting away with this." She yelled.
"Oh yes, I am." Jokerz smirked. He turned, throwing a dozen cards at her, which exploded around Sanna. She flew back, stunned.
Jokerz continued running.
Sanna was angry. No one steals from her. She ran, following him.
She caught him as he was exiting. "You're not getting away."
Jokerz turned, a grin on his face. He threw cards at her. She dodged and slashed him with her sword.
Jokerz backed away.
"That's what you get."
"We're not done here, Yellow." Jokerz unvieled a bomb. "One step closer and..."
Shots rang out! The evil alien cyborg was sent flying. Sanna looked back. Crimzen, Allie, and Bones had appeared.
"So, that's where you two went." Crimzen's grin could be felt beneath his helmet. "Looks like you had some fun."
Sanna rolled her eyes.
Joe came up behind them.
"You were supposed to deal with the Cy-Born."
"I did." Joe sounded...emotionally exhausted. Sanna took a second to grip his hand, give it a squeeze.
"Jojo, can you please help us destroy this clown?"
"I'm a JOKER, not a clown!" Jokerz yelled. He threw cards at the Pirates, forcing them to scatter. But as he ran away, Bones tossed a tracker on him.
"He'll be heading for the quarry." Bones explained. "Less attention and better reception for him to be teleported back up. We can stop him there!"
Sanna and Joe nodded and the pirates took off after Jokerz.
As the Pirates reached the quarry, Jokerz was standing with the diamond.
"This is your last chance. Hand over the diamond or else!" Sanna snarled
"Or what? It's five against Thirty!" Jokerz snapped his fingers and more Cy-Born appeared.
"This should be fun." Allie smiled.
"I'll say. Let's go, Captain." Joe smirked. Allie and Bones tossed their Power Cutlasses into the air, Sanna and Joe doing the same with their Flintlock Blasters. Each pair caught the other's thrown weapon, allowing them to dual wield their preferred weapon.
The pirates charged forward, taking on the Cy-Born.
Joe took the lead. He blocked a strike from a Cyborn, bashing it in the chest with his twin hilts, before turning and slashing another in the chest, spinning on his heel to catch the strike of a third with one sword before slashing it with another. He stepped back and smiled. "Come on, all of you!" The Blue swordsman ran forward, spinning and slashing with his swords as a crowd of Cy-born fell before him.
Sanna was no less impressive. Spinning on her heels, she danced with the blades, slicing down enemies two at a time as they crowded her. A clever block led into a kick, which led into a slash, then she was away, attacking another opponent before they could land a blow. Sanna connected the two Power Cutlasses by their hilts, creating a double bladed weapon. Spinning it like an oar or a spear, she slashed down three more enemies before blocking a hit from a larger Cy-Born and running her blade through him
Bones hid in the tall grass, picking his shots. After shooting down three Cy-Born, the unfortunate foot soldiers searched for him. Bones popped out, still firing, with stalks of grass in his belt to help with his camoflague. His aim was deadly accurate. He fired again, the shot going through one Cy-Born and into another. Bones grinned and kept shooting, ducking back into the grass.
Allie was once more a machine of gun-kata style efficiency. Firing both blasters into a Cy-Born, she spun the blasters in her hand to fire behind her. She ducked under a blow, spinning away from it before kicking the assailant in the face. Two Cy-born attacked her from either side, but she slammed the Flintlock Blasters into their stomachs, doubling them over before wrapping her arms around them and using them as leverage to flip over them, before shooting both point blank and spinning on her heel, firing at the Cy-Born around her.
Crimzen, never one to let his teammates have all the fun, leaps over two Cy-Born and shoots them down with his Flintlock Blaster. Jokerz barely dodges the slash, but Crimzen is relentless. Jokerz barely dodges a point blank shit, only to lean into another slash by Crimzen. The Red Rogue lands a triple kick on the alien fiend, then a second slash sends Jokerz to the ground, tumbling away.
The Rangers stand as a team and look down at Jokerz.
Jokerz rises. "How about a new game? 52 PICKUP!" He threw all of his hards, a full deck swarming around the rangers, slashing and sending sparks everywhere. The Pirate Rangers tried to block, but even sending the cards crashing to the ground simply caused them to explode around the young corsairs.
Sanna and Joe nodded to each other. "Guys! Final Crash!"
The others nod. All five place keys in their weapons, Allie and Bones in their blasters, Sanna and Joe in their swords, and Crimzen in one apiece.
Allie and Bones fired their blasters, four shots smashing into Jokerz. Joe and Sanna followed up, swords burning with energy as they slash into Jokerz. And finally Crimzen fires his blaster, then swings his Power Cutlass, creating an energy wave that fuses with the blast. The combined blast slices through Jokerz, cutting him down and causing a massive explosion as the pirates turned away.
"Jokerz is destroyed." Lykia sighed, and turned to her assistant.
Prince Payne entered. "Lykia! If you're going to do things behind my back, have the common sense to WIN!" He snarled.
"I'm working on it." Lykia said, and activated the Magna Cannons. The beam blasted down towards the earth.
A massive purple beam landed, causing a large explosion and sending the pirate crew flying. Jokerz body was hit by the beam and grew, reviving him.
"...We really need to start seeing that coming." Crimzen remarked, calling the Galaxy Galleon. "Let's go Crazy."
The Megazord appeared.
"I've had enough." Jokerz roared.
"So have we," Crimzen called. The Pirate Megazord stood tall.
Jokerz laughed and tossed his exploding cards, barraging the Megazord. The Rangers felt their machine being hard pressed.
"Hey, Crimzen?" Sanna called. "Why don't we...go wild?"
"Like the way you think, Sanna!" Crimzen called out. The Pirate Rangers pulled out the Wild Force Ranger keys and inserted them. "Wild Access!"
The Red Lion Zord was summoned, racing through the city to the Rangers. The Pirate Megazord fused with it immediately. "Wild Pirate Megazord!"
They charged at Jokerz. "Mega Roar Slash!" The pirates yelled. A jet of fire streamed from the Lion's moth at the same time the main body fired two sword beams. The three attacks smashed into Jokerz, and like his cards, he folded. An explosion rang out and the rangers were finally victorious.
Sanna stared at the jewel she acquired. It felt right, having it in her hands. In fact, better than right. Was it just acquiring it? Or was it Joe's acceptance that made this conquest feel so much better?
Joe, who was now a man who understood the life she'd lived, the struggles she'd had. Who she could turn to when the nightmares struck.
Sanna smiled and put the jewel away. It was time to find Joe.
She found him where she expected him, in the training room, practicing like a man possessed.
"Joe." She called out.
Joe paused. "Sanna. Did you come to practice?"
"Yes, but also...I wanted to talk to you. About earlier. I'm sorry. For putting us in danger. You're right, we don't need the money anymore. So..." Sanna's cheeks colored. "Thank you. For listening."
"Of course. I understand now."
"What are you practicing?"
"An old trick Sid and I used to do. The Dual Dance of the Twin Blades." Joe took a stance, raising the cutlasses in an X, and began to dance, flowing from pose to pose with the grace of a master. "It is a dueling style. A dance of two, a conversation between blades." Joe smiled. "It was my father's. I used to watch him and Sid practice, and dream of the day I could join them."
"So...do you want me to try it with you?"
"I do not see why not. Come." Joe showed her how to hold the sword and take the stances. "It's a dance, Sanna. Move with your heart."
"OK." Sanna began the moves, but her movements were stiff, her form clumsy.
Joe stopped her. "Not bad, but let me help." He got behind her and placed his hands on her hips, helping her move. "It's not a fighting stance, it's a dance. Relax."
Sanna let her muscles relax.
"Good." Joe guided her. "Now, follow my lead."
Sanna moved, dancing with the swords, a smile forming on her face as she moved. She began to laugh as she flowed from pose to pose.
Joe joined her. The two flowed from pose to pose, step to step.
Sanna smiled more freely, her canines glinting. "Hey, Joe?"
"Yes?"
"You're using more contractions now. I think you're finally getting less formal around us."
"Am I? Hmmm."
The two continued dancing, their bodies and blades flowing, the conversation continuing, the two moving as one.
And for the first time in a long time, both Sanna and Joe were truly happy.
Bones looked up from his work on the Galleon Cannon. "Hey, Crimzen, I've been meaning to ask... Where's Adrian."
Crimzen looked around. Bones was right. The hotheaded Earther was nowhere to be seen.
A transmission came to the Pirates. It was Adrian!
"Guys! You won't believe where I am! Come to these coordinates!" He gave the coordinates.
Crimzen nodded. "We're on our way. Next Stop, Reefside California."
Ending theme:
I thought I heard the Old Man say:
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her."
Tomorrow ye will get your pay,
and its time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her.
Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
She shipped it green and none went by.
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her.
I hate to sail on this rotten tub.
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
No grog allowed and rotten grub.
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her.
We swear by rote for want of more.
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
But now were through so we'll go on shore.
And it's time for us to leave her