From the shadows of the costume shop's window, a man observed the unfolding battle. He noted his prospective opponents' costumes, effects, and abilities. Tracing each detail and design with an experienced eye.
"They are not a unit." He mused, observing their tactics. How the one dressed Yellow rushed in as if expecting to her flanks. Which was in complete opposition to how the Pink one stood as if she were a part of a firing line. "Similar elites from differing military branches perhaps?"
That felt close, off but close. While their weapons and tactics were different there was still a uniformity. Their uniforms, not costumes, held a similar design to them. The Red one's in particular hinted to this. A band of colors ran across his chest, corresponding to those of his allies.
Black, Yellow, Red, Pink, Blue.
This would suggest that there would be multiple teams of similar coordination. Each a small group trained and equipped for specialized forms of combat or adversary. A unified force of diversified means.
Which explained how they, like himself, had so quickly found themselves with allies after their… unexpected arrival. If there was a unifying factor between them, as it seemed, it would make sense. They even appeared to have their own force users. Which in turn explained how they found the source of the occurrence so quickly.
Not as quickly as the Empire's best but commendable all the same.
"Oh?" He said, a faint of surprise worming its way into his voice. The minor planet shake was nothing more than a note in his mind. Another interesting piece of equipment they could capture. But the sudden transformations? Those could be useful.
One seemed to gain enhanced physical parameters. Three of the others spontaneously gained new and more powerful equipment. And the last one, the last one grew.
She grew and grew, becoming a mechanized giant of angular lines and deep blues. Taller than an AT-AT and magnitudes more dexterous.
"That is worrying." He reported. "Lord Vader may be in trouble."
"Really?" A weary voice asked and he gave the native man the courtesy of a glance. The man, for the most part, was uninjured largely in thanks to his cooperation. And his role in the night's events.
A translocation of minds, features, abilities, and even equipment? An intriguing and valuable ability, though intrusive.
The man was fortunate that the Emperor felt more of the former than the latter. Even going so far as to call the event "good practice". A statement he filed away for later consideration.
For the moment he observed both the battle and his Emperor. While Lord Vader was battling fairly animatedly the Emperor stood stock still.
He stood over the bust of a two faced humanoid. A deity according to the local element though not one he or many actively worshiped. With a thumb pressed against each of the effigies' foreheads the Emperor was calm, gleeful. There was a stirring in the air that his eyes could just make out.
A shimmer of heat, a tremor of struggle, a grab for power.
One his Majesty Palpatine seemed to be thriving in and even winning. Completely focused on his task yet aware, aware, and very much listening.
So it was to him that Grand Admiral Thrawn spoke. Not to the cowering man whose eyes seemed to spark in delight at the battle. Oddly it did not seem that he favored either side to win. He was reacting as if was watching a particularly interesting bit of theater.
A dangerous mindset. One he kept an eye in as he voiced his observations.
He announced what he observed of their tactics, their equipment, their strange abilities.
"Like turning into a bloody big robot." The local added, leaning forward for a better look of said giant attempting to stomp on Lord Vader. A futile gesture that sent them stumbling with a powerful push in the force.
"Quite." Thrawn said blandly, red eyes giving a brief look of distaste before. "For now I would say Lord Vader has our opponents distracted. May I ask, my Emperor, how much longer?"
A dark cackle filled the room. It was more of a chuckle but there was a tingling quality to it that stopped any other description than a cackle.
"So much power." He laughed. "Right at my fingertips, enough power to change a world. To bend reality and create anything I desire."
There was another shimmer in the air as the Emperor worked his power. The Emperor's laugh started to peter off. His smile becoming frustrated before settling into a displeased frown.
"Almost anything I desire… and not from nothing. An irritating distinction." He hummed, still frowning but pleased. Yellow eyes trailed towards Thrawn. "I do believe we will need transport, Grand Admiral. Take some of the paint there and mark one of those primitive transports with the Imperial symbol. The change should be instant."
"As you will."
-0-0-0-0-0-
Like an angry hive, the Black and Yellow Rangers swarmed around the Dark Lord. Weapons lashing out with enhanced power that made even the cyborg weary.
"Eiyah!" The Black one yelled, his strange weapon locking with Vader's saber in a shower of purple sparks. The Dark Lord let out a small, impressionable, grunt at the impact. His cybernetics suffered a slight strain that was negligible under his control of the force. Yet it was there.
The Yellow one was worse still by far, each of her strikes was like those of a charging Reek. Between the two of them damage had started to build up across his armor. Cuts did dents he had to take and weather through, even when they took fingers from his left hand.
His right hand was more than enough.
With a shift of his grip and a ripple in the Force Vader bared down on the Black Ranger. Locking their blades in place and trapping his adversary. For a few precious seconds Vader held him, gaining himself a human shield to regain his bearings. Even if it was only for a moment.
Seconds he used to probe at his opponent's mind. What he found gave him some surprise.
"There is a darkness within you, seared into your flesh." He said, eyes tracking towards his opponent's bicep." Bleached and faded but as deeply entrenched as it is ignored." So entrenched in fact that a few pushes from his master would bear them a new minion. "To push such power aside is a weakness"
"You are the last person I want to hear that from." The man gritted out, enhanced strength pushing against the red blade. "And you really shouldn't be focusing on one person in a group fight!"
The Yellow Ranger appeared in a blur. Electric yellow energy crackled along her saber as she swung down for a decisive strike.
"I wasn't."
His mangled hand already raised, three fingers splayed as telekinetic energy rushed forth. For all her forward momentum, for all she hung in the air as the rush of power met her, she was still taken by surprise. The tip of her blade skidded along the ground as she flew back. Devastating the primitive materials of the road and sidewalk.
Vader hadn't even turned from his first opponent as this happened, so the amusement he was reading was clear to him even before the Ranger japed.
"I wasn't talking about her."
The force, oddly slow on this primitive world, screamed at him just as the blow came. A metallic wing took him at the gut, lifting him off his feet as the jet of an oversized flight pack flared.
For a scant second the Red Ranger dragged him through the air, swerving away and dropping Vader with a complete lack of ceremony. Vader landed with a thud, meters away, damaged knees sparking as they bent from the impact. The mechanics audibly ground as he stood, extending slower than they should.
Slow enough for the Rangers to reset their footing and for a giant hand to come crashing down. Again. As before Vader surrounded himself in a bubble of power, catering the ground in a perfect circle as the blow came. With both arms raised he readied himself for the second swing before twisting around to narrowly avoid a stream of heavy laser fire. His cape didn't have the same luck, holes punching their way through the armored cloth.
He batted a few of the heavy blaster bolts back at the Pink Ranger only for her to cartwheel out of the way, still firing from her oversized blaster. Shots he was forced to let his armor take as Red menace launched another missile.
He redirected it towards the Blue giant, letting the explosion knock her back, storefronts shattering under her heels. Vader moved as the earth trembled.
Laser fire cut into his path while the Yellow and Black Rangers were hot on his tail. It didn't matter, he reached his target all the same.
The giant shrieked as his red saber skidded along the blue armor of her ankle. Sparks flew and nary a scratch appeared from where he struck. The giant still hopped back, clearing more space. The usual pair of menaces were closing in fast but Vader held no worry.
He had stalled long enough.
A burst of blaster fire rained down from above. Meticulously targeting the immediate threats, cratering what was left of the street. Even the Red one had to fly wide as a familiar Lambda Class Shuttle lowered itself behind him.
The lower wings never so much as scraped the ground as the ramp lowered. A familiar voice crackled from his helmet's comm. "Lord Vader, the Emperor has secured control of the artifact and is ordering for you to fall back."
Vader gave his adversaries one last glance. Observing how they cowered together in the face of proper Imperial firepower. He could sense the fear in them, fear hidden and drowned out by obnoxious determination. Like a rebel, before they were broken.
He gave an unseen scoff as he showed them his back. "Be grateful for this reprieve. There will not be another."
"Hey!" "You think you can just get away?!" "Someone stop him!" They all yelled, voices overlapping each other in an annoying rush. Meaningless shouts of defiance were thrown at his retreating back, even as blasters fired and ion engines whirled to life.
They broke atmosphere before the giant could even think of reaching them.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The ship streaked across the sky with the bright blue lights of the engines. Maddie reached out to grab it but came back with only air.
Andros sold past her outreached hand, thrusters burning as he sped into the sky. Further. Voices called out behind him but he was too far to hear. Friction fought against the protections of his suit, heating and sparking against the atmosphere as he climbed.
This was a bad idea, even with his Battlizer's powers he wasn't sure if he could take on a ship like that. Not if that monster was on board, and most definitely if he was not alone. But still, he gave chase. Anything that Maya called "more evil than the Psycho Rangers" deserved nothing less than his best efforts.
With a final push of his thrusters he broke through. He was in space.
The sensors in his helmet were ringing. Warnings of the atmosphere changes and radiation spikes. He ignored them. Confident in his empowered armor's ability to protect him as he followed the flight path of the shuttle.
He froze.
Andros managed to keep his voice steady as he pressed the side of his helmet. "This is Andros, can you read me?"
Static cane to his ear, smoothing out as two technologies translated each other. "We read you, Andros." Syd replied, " What's going on?"
"We have a problem."
In front of him, high above Earth's orbit, was a ship that dwarfed nearly every ship he had seen before. Like a dagger stabbed into the void it floated. Holding enough obvious firepower to raise half the surface of a planer with little effort.
And the evil they were fighting was flying right into its open hanger.
"They have a starship out here and it's massive." Andros paused, working his tongue to force out a question he was dreading. "How likely is it that they'd fire at the planet?"
There was a beat of silence followed by Syd's almost hesitant voice. "Dr. Oliver and Maddie are saying that it's very, like extremely, likely. You, uh, might want to get on that."
Andros took a second to look at the docking shuttle, "I don't think my Battlizer can take on something that size." As powerful as the armor was there were limits. The shuttle was something he could likely handle but it was far too late for that.
There was another pause on their end. "Dr. Oliver says your ship is in orbit and we're teleporting there now… wait, teleporting? You guys have working Eltarian tel-"
Syd cut off with a familiar rumble of thunder. Andros took a figurative look down, spotting four streams of color rushing away from the Earth. Rising from the planet and towards a familiar sight.
"The Megaship?" Or, more accurately, the Astro Megaship MK2. Big, blue, and boxy the ship was fresh from the production line of KO-35. Better than the original in nearly every way. Only the fact it wasn't the original made it inferior.
How was it here? Could a spell really drag not only himself but a whole spaceship across the galaxy?
He sped into the opening docking bay, his Battlizer dissipating as he entered the ship proper. Familiar halls greeted him as he raced towards the control room, as did a familiar voice.
"Welcome back, Andros." A feminine and electronic voice called out as he passed by a series of red eyed cameras.
"Thanks, DECA." He said, turning the last bend as the door opened and saw a flash of familiar colors. Yellow, Blue, Pink, Black. For a moment he thought it was his team. But the shades were off, each design different, even the ratio of earthlings to extraterrestrials had changed. All different. Even with the power-ups gone it was clear.
Maya ran a hand along a panel. "It looks just like the old one!"
Andros carefully didn't mention that she and her team had destroyed the old one. Instead, as the most experienced pilot in the room, he took control of the situation.
"We don't have much time. Everyone to a station!"
"Um, I've never piloted a spaceship before."
"You're a Ranger, it'll come to you." He said, taking his seat. The others followed. Their order felt wrong, the colors jumbling as they rushed to find seats. But there was no time to complain or to get sentimental.
Not when the other ship was powering up. While he wouldn't say the readings weren't off the charts they were worrying.
"Do you know any weaknesses to this thing?" He asked, looking at the two experts on the subject but both Black and Blue shook their heads.
"I'm not that much of a geek. I think it's called a Star Destroyer?" Maddie said while Tommy muttered. "I'm just glad it's not the Death Star."
Andros eyed the ship as it maneuvered to face them, a pair of turrets raising their barrels as if tasting the void. It was moving, slowly, slower than expected. Andros would take that, any edge was a weapon he could use.
Andros accelerated the Megaship, the dampeners negating most of the g-force as he aimed at the only obvious target. The bridge, sticking straight up from the figurative top of the ship and complete with expansive viewports.
Twin ion cannons fired, a smooth rumble across the ship as the sphere of energy jolted ahead. And splashed across a translucent shield, because of course it wouldn't be that easy.
"DECA, any readings on what type of shield that was?" He called out, diving under the ship and away from the aim turrets. Only to find more under the ship. "Tsk."
Spinning between a burst of green plasma the Megaship rolled out of the way, into relative safety. All the while DECA gave a bland monotone answer, "Unknown, analyzing."
"They're called deflector shields!" Maddie yelled from her station. "Does that help?"
"Extrapolating meaning… More data required."
"And how are we going to get more data exactly?"
Syd was the one who answered, "Duh, we shoot it more."
And shoot it more they did. Ion cannons and laser turrets gave fire as the Megaship weaved between plasma fire. The turrets were slow, unnecessarily and worryingly slow. Andros could only think of two reasons for this.
One, they were being lured into a trap of complacency.
Two, the other star craft wasn't fully manned.
But two couldn't be right, who would come to a star system without a full crew? … He did, and not just because of a spell. But they were here because of a spell, both of them. And if Andros didn't have his crew…
"DECA? Can our scans get through their shields?" He asked, acting on a hunch.
"One moment." The computer called, "Black Ranger, please cede control of your station."
Tommy raised his hands away from the computer, "Do what you have to do."
"Thank you." The next few moments were filled with evasive maneuvers and rapid fire blasts. "Scan complete. Four biological lifeforms."
Andros smiled.
"Things are starting to look up." He said and from the little cheers around him, his new group understood as well. "Any news on those shields DECA?"
"Only that we do not have sufficient power in the ship's current form." She hinted and Andros was more than happy to take it.
"Understood. Begin undocking procedures." The room started to shift and their chairs slid down a new opening. They glide smoothly into the docked shuttle to a chorus of "Whoas" as they launched.
A white shuttle, based on Earth's space programs, flew through the void. Spiraling as they raced forward, narrowly avoiding potshots. "I'm going to keep us steady. Are you guys ready?"
"What ARE we doing?" Maddie asked, as calm as he had ever heard her.
"We need Astro Megazord power to get through those shields." He explained. "And we're going to give it to them. Now, listen carefully." Andros gave out careful instructions to operators who were already doing exactly what he described. The Grid was at work but it paid to be careful.
Especially now.
Enemy fire was becoming more frequent, as if more hands were appearing aboard the enemy ship. For all he knew that was exactly what was happening. All the more reason to get this right.
Looping the ship around Andros guided them back to the MK2. The bulky blue ship was under fire as well, plasma buffing against its shields as it shifted. The rim unfurling into legs, arms unfolding from the underbelly, a bright red M visible on the revealed chest. A mechanical giant waiting for its helm.
So familiar and new, the MK2's first transformation.
Andros shifted the side stick, "Begin docking." He held his breath for a moment as the shuttle itself transformed, the viewport and wings rising as a giant face was revealed. The enemy continued to fire but the neck sank into place. A jolting sensation that lit up the controls with a new energy.
"Astro Megazord, online."
The zord went tumbling across the void. Control panels rang as Andros struggled to stabilize the giant. Thrusters flared and shields recharged as Andros regained control.
"What was that?"
"Wild guess? Giant space gun."
"Let's not get hit by that again." Syd said, eyes on the read out.
Andros ignored the conversation, going over damage reports fed to his screen from Syd. He agreed with her, that was a powerful blast. And, unfortunately, it wasn't from some main cannon. It was the turret like lasers near the bridge, all eight of them.
They had burst through the Astro Megazord's shields and the sheer concussive force knocked them back. Yeah, he wasn't planning on taking any more of those.
With a flick to the controls grids of energy formed around the mech's hands. White lines of energy shaping the outlines of impossibly large weapons. A silver sword and a round blue shield.
"Energizing the Astro Saber." Maya said, yellow pixels burst along the blade with a flip of a switch.
Andros flipped a switch and braced himself, "Energizing thrusters." The zord rumbled and space zoomed past them. Plasma flew at their approach, battering at their already depleted shields but no more than a singe in the face of the Astro Shield.
Within a second contact was made. An inaudible crash rang in the void as the Saber met the ship's shields, energy and matter both resisted.
"C'mon!" Someone yelled, it may have been Andros. He didn't know, his attention was too focused on bringing down more pressure.
Eventually, shortly in the grand scheme of things, the blade made it through. A gouge along the hull sparked fires and rumbled explosions. Yet the ship still stood, angling away from the strike even as it came.
More than a few of the others cursed.
"Prep for another pass." Andros said, keeping his frustration in check. One energized swing usually did the job. Not here apparently. Whoever built that ship had built it to last.
"We got incoming!" Maddie said, "They launched a fighter… A TIE fighter I think."
An image came to their view screen, a small spacecraft with two long panels on either side.
"It's him." Maya said, voice hard. "The man in the dark armor."
"He's not the only one coming." Maddie seemed to surprise herself as she brought a new image to the screen. Across Earth's orbit a series of missiles were launched by numerous satellites, even a few slower ones from the surface.
"Since when does Earth have all of that?" Andros asked, it would have been nice to see more than a few times during his time there. Even if they were simple nuclear explosives it would be a welcome distraction at the very least.
"Not until the 2020s… in my timeline." Syd implied, eyes forward. "We are in the fringes of the contingency plans here. I don't even remember those ones."
Well if that didn't sink Andros's stomach straight into orbit then nothing would. The good news was that whoever launched those missiles seemed to deem the Rangers the good guys and only targeted the other ship. The bad news, the 'TIE fighter' had already shot down half of them in flight.
It was an agile little craft with powerful laser cannons for its size. Something the Astro Megazord soon learned.
With shield raised, they swung with a precision that would have left many warriors of Earth green with envy. Still, they missed. The fighter weaved around the blade, lining the zord's body with laser fire that did little more than give a slight drain to their shields. Which may have been the whole point.
They may have been in trouble if the Star Destroyer wasn't busy fighting a whole planet.
Those missiles that Andros had so easily dismissed turned out to pack more of a punch than he was expecting. Spherical rends in space ate into the ship's shields and hull.
"That is not Earth tech."
It could have been him to say that, or maybe it was Syd or even Tommy. The source of the fact did not change that it was a fact. Earth did not have tech of that level, and shouldn't for another hundred years or so.
That, that was worrying.
And, something that Andros had to question, "Why didn't we pick up those readings?"
"You expect me to know how to use this low tech panel?" Syd defended herself.
"It's not-" Andros stopped himself, "Just listen to the Morphing Grid. It's guiding you, listen to it."
"You know that's not perfect, The Grid gives an instruction manual but-"
"Guys!" Tommy snapped at them, "Focus up. Debate all that later, we have a giant ship and its annoying little friend to take care of." His words were enough to snap the two out of bickering. Bickering Andros knew was unlike him but something he had to ignore when Maddie spoke.
"Do you guys see that?" She asked, Maya answered her immediately.
"I can feel that."
Each Ranger's visor turned forward, the viewport zooming with a tap, revealing something disturbing. Bit by bit, maybe even inch by inch, the enemy ship was healing. Repairing itself from unknown warheads and sword slashes alike.
"He's using the spell that brought us here." Maddie confided, "I don't know how but he's using it to repair the ship."
"This might take longer than usual."
"Then buckle in kids, this is going to be a tough fight."
Right. They had a fight to win, one that was likely going to go longer than most of them were used to. In an unfamiliar Megazord, in an unfamiliar environment.
Yet they would stand there and fight. Because they were Rangers. Until their zord and powers were destroyed, beyond that, they would fight.
With shield and sword, the Astro Megazord would battle the Star Destroyer.
Laser fire, strange missiles, and an energized sword would light up Earth's sky. A confused populace watched in horror and awe as grainy video gave some a clearer view of the battle. Of the mechanical giant that stood between them and a blast of burning plasma, its blue shield scorched as it raced forward.
"Damn it," Tommy cursed, the uncharacteristic word naturally slipping from his mouth. "Vader is peeling off, what's he after?"
"Looks like some sort of… space fighter jets? Five of them. Seriously, since when does Earth have this stuff?" No sooner did Maddie report this did one of them go up in a small ball of fire.
"Can we help them?"
"We have to."
The Rangers fought through the night, aided by a dwindling team of Earth's bravest pilots. They fought and fought against the massive self healing ship that seemed to become more operational as time went on. Against a TIE fighter that flew like the devil, reaping into the defenses the planet below offered.
For hours they fought. With damage building and eyes opening across the globe, the Rangers showed this world that there was more out there. More to be afraid of, more to hope for. In the shadow of the planet they shined bright.
It would have been poetic to say they fought until dawn, but that wasn't what happened. The alien ships and lost travelers had no way of knowing this, only a terrified and amused man would know. But he was not in the right state of mind to take notice. To see that their night was soon coming to an end.
Midnight had struck.
Halloween had ended.
It came with no great gong or chime, no great clock ticked, time marched on. And so the spell ended.
The Star Destroyer rippled, a wave of energy flowing over the hull and spreading. Out and out it went, washing over the racing fighters. One died mid flight, listing to the side as the last two of Earth's defenders continued to run, unaware of their newfound safety.
The Astro Megazord braced itself as the wave came, shield raised, then froze. The energy touched them and then rebounded. Crashing back inwards with such force that sent the new statue spinning away.
Further and further they floated away, dead in the void. Systems down, Rangers unconscious, and their enemies in similar straights.
The battle was over. For the night.
But, who knew what the morning would bring?