The Phantom Princess

A Power Rangers In Space Fic

By: Malaizjan P.J. Shultz

***Since I normally write Batman Beyond and Young Justice fics, I had this fic collecting dust in a notebook. When my fellow DC co-author Reina Grayson decided to re-write her PR fic, I decided to take a break as well and get my own PR fic out. And she has helped me improve a few parts so it's way better than what I wrote WAAAAAAYYY back in 2000... I don't own Power Rangers or any of its seasons because if I did…it would have had at least a PG13 and above rating…As such, my fic is rated teen. ***

Space.

The final frontier.

These are the voyages-uh, oops…sorry. Too much Earth Sci-Fi.

My name is Cerina. (not to be confused with the actress that played Maya in PR Lost Galaxy). Cerina of Eltar.

For the last 5 years, I've been hunted down by assassin-robots called Mercerites. No teammates, no friends, no family contact. I made a mistake when I went to Earth 4 years ago to seek out help from my dad, Zordon. Yes, he's my dad. Anyway, I got…interested in this peace conference that I kinda crash. The Mercerites crashed it too-and bombed its locale. I woke up with Trini Kwan next to me, my Omega Ship leaving Earth's orbit. Trini saved my life. I found later that she was the original Yellow Ranger, and that she, Zach Taylor, the original Black Ranger and Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger were at the peace conference.

I felt guilty. I must've been drawn there, sensing my dad's energy pattern. Instead, I got a lot of innocent humans hurt. I can never alleviate that guilt no matter what.

So for the last 4 years, I've showed Trini the universe. I even used my own connection to the Morphin Grid (by the way, mine's weak compared to my dad's) to pull out and restore Trini's Yellow Ranger powers, as in the Thunder mode and her Griffin Zord…fully enhanced.

So now, we're running from the Mercerites. Trini had thought about returning home, but she's been afraid thinking that the Mercerites would come after her and her family. In four years, she cut off ties to her own planet to protect them.

I had to do the same. As I sat at the helm of Omega's master control console, I thought of my own friends, my own team. I'm not the only Space Ranger. In the beginning, there was Andros from KO-35, he was the Red Space Ranger and Zhane, also from KO-35 and my betrothed, who was the Silver Space Ranger. Then my older brother Shadow, who was the Phantom Ranger. And my cousin, Lord Trey of Triforia, who is the Gold Ranger. We were a time; a team I had to save when the Mercerites first appeared. I faked my death to save them. And they live.

But they believe I died.

If I knew now what I knew then…I would have let myself be killed.

**play PRiSpace theme**

On Earth…

In Angel Grove, Justin Stewart was sound asleep.

A glacial blue light brightened his room before disappearing just as fast. Left behind was a young woman in a gray and cream colored gown with a high slit on one side. Her long hair was twisted on top of her head and a crown held the twists of hair on her head in place.

She walked over to the bed and she reached out to shake Justin's shoulder. "Justin? Please wake up. There's not much time..."

"Just five more minutes, dad." Justin rolled over.

"My brave young knight, I need you awake," she said softly...

Justin groaned.

"Please, the world needs the Blue Turbo ranger once more." She sighed when he snored. She opened the window and looked outside. "Ok Storm Blaster."

Outside, Storm Blaster started to honk away.

That woke Justin up. He jumped up in his bed, only to see a woman there by his window. "No way..."

There was a girl...in his room.

A real girl!

"Justin...good, you're awake. I need your help."

"I'm not a ranger anymore," he said automatically.

"I don't necessarily need a ranger. I need my knight."

"Huh?"

"I'm Queen Cerina of Eltar. I'm from 20 years in the future."

Justin folded his arms.

"You've met people from other planets, and you doubt time travel?" she asked.

"Then you knew Zordon."

"He was my dad."

"WHAT!?" he cried. "Zordon had kids?"

"Lots of them...most I never met... Please, I need your help."

"I...I can't..."

"Justin, the future is in trouble. In my time, when you turned 18, after graduating, you became a ranger again. You saved my life. So you became my protector, Captain of my Guard."

"Ok..." Justin said slowly.

"The Gold Ranger in my time has turned on the Rangers and has taken most of them down. He recently captured you. For what, I don't know."

"Why would he do that?!" Justin cried.

"I think...it was something some machine did to the Gold Ranger powers. In fact, we don't know who is using those powers or how the Gold Ranger became evil."

"Ok...So why are you here?" Justin asked.

"I need you to find my younger self. The Gold Ranger in my time sent robot assassins called Mercerites after me in this time. He believes if I die now, then the universe is his. Find me, take me to Eltar and have myself, my brother Shadow and my brother Fadus to reform the Sword of Power. Take that to KO-35, to the abandoned castle near the Posiplys Lake. Stab it into the throne there. It will unleash a time wave that will weaken the Gold Ranger in my time so my forces can amount an attack."

"Why there?" Justin asked.

"Because that is his base of operations. With King Gasket and Queen Archerina of the Machine Empire helping him, we can't get through the shield. The Sword of Power is my only chance."

"Why can't you form it in your time?"

"My brothers were killed by the Gold Ranger. In fact, only 6 rangers remain, myself included."

"Can't the Blue Senturion help?"

Queen Cerina's eyes grew sad. "The Gold Ranger took him out first. Right now this is my best shot. And because...you're the only one that can wield the Sword of Power. That's why you will be Captain of my Guard."

Justin took a breath and let it out slowly. "How do I know this isn't some trick to get at the Rangers after Zordon's sacrifice saved the universe?"

Queen Cerina sat on his bed and leaned forward so they touched forehead to forehead. She opened her mind to him.

Justin saw everything. All that she said was true. He wasn't sure why he was so special...but he would help. "How...how do I find you?"

"At this time, I was traveling with Trini, the original yellow ranger. She bonded with a Space motorcycle called Wind Rider. Wind Rider can be tracked by Storm Blaster. He can help."

"What do I tell my dad?"

"He's going to be called away on business in about an hour. It'll be sudden. You get the house to yourself. As long as you take his calls, you'll have the whole weekend to find me."

"Wait...I have to complete this whole thing in 2 days?!" he cried.

"I know you can do it ,my young knight," Cerina said with a smile.

"The things I do for a queen..." Justin mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Um, nothing!"

Cerina giggled. "If you just find me, the Space Rangers can probably help. But you're the critical piece, Justin."

"Ok..."

Cerina kissed Justin on the check. "Be careful, Justin." She stood up.

"You need to be careful too..."

"If I'm here that means I'm still alive in your time," Cerina said with a smile. "Maybe the rangers can find Gasket and Archerina in this time too..."

"Something just dawned on me...how is it that Gasket and Archerina are still around? I thought Zordon's energy took out ALL the evil in the universe?

"They found something that made them immune to my father's power. And if I knew what it was, I'd already deactivate them."

"Oh….alright. When I find your younger self and get you to Andros and the space rangers...I'll tell them about Gasket and Archerina," Justin said with a smile.

Cerina started to glow. "Thanks Justin. You're still my amazing Knight." With that, she was gone.

Justin sighed. The saying was true...Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.

In the vastness of space…on an unknown planet…

Trini and Cerina pulled on their camping gear and Trini hit the orange button to open the ramp to the outside.

All that could be seen was sand and a few curvy trees with pink-gray foliage.

"This place is...colorful," Trini commented.

"And we're the first people to ever explore it. So...walk or hover boards?"

Trini grinned. "Walk." Trini hopped onto the sand from the edge of the ramp. "So...think Zhane will be here?" Trini teased.

Cerina blushed. "Stop that!" She walked past her shaking her head.

"C'mon! Beta said you were having a dream last night. So...tell me?"

"It's my usual: assassins vaporizing me. Drop it!" Cerina pulled out a tracker and did a slow sweep of their surroundings.

"C'mon Cerina…Don't you miss him?"

"As much as I miss a toothache!" Cerina then saw a blip on her screen. "Found water! This way!" Cerina made her way over a sand dune.

Trini sighed. At times like this, she missed Billy. And Zach. In fact, she missed her family and friends on Earth. She followed Cerina over the sand dune and paused.

A water oasis…With thick trees to block most of the sun.

The water was green…but a clear green color. Cerina had tossed her camping bag aside and was taking off her leggings, boots and belt. She tore off her gray jacket and was ready to take off her shirt. "Don't just stand there! Jump in! It's safe!" Cerina then threw off her clothes and ran into the water, laughing happily.

Trini smiled. "What the hell?" Trini followed suit and ran in minutes later.

The two rangers enjoyed the water, enjoyed their swim.

And the water was truly safe.

Trini knew they needed this; a chance to relax in a universe gone insane.

Robot assassins were after Cerina. She got caught in the crossfire and to save her life, Trini took Cerina to her ship, the Omega Zord, and got her treated. The sad news was that in four years, Trini hadn't been home. She missed home. But to leave Cerina all alone in the universe didn't sit well with her. But being in space, she got her morphin powers restored, and a space vehicle too. And she met people and seen all sorts of space phenomenon that she would have missed out on if she hadn't met Cerina on Earth…

But no ranger powers alive could help battle home-sickness…