In the command center, Alpha worked frantically to establish visual contact with the viewing globe. "Aye aye aye aye aye! You must work computer! You must show us, my human friends!" the robot said as he pressed a combination of buttons.
"Calm down Apha," Zordon said in an attempt to calm his faithful assistant. "Reroute the viewing globe's visual and auditory circuits through the training room's environmental recreation unit."
"Yes!" Apha said excitedly, that bypassed the issue. Everyone, please follow me to the control room," Alpha said as he led the ranger's parents to the training room's control room. As they entered the room changed to a thick lush jungle. Heather Hillard let out a small gasp and squeezed her husband's hand as their daughter ran from a large pyramid now in the pink ranger suite, right beside the green ranger.
"Alright guys, you heard what Colonal Krix said. The Empire's forces will be coming from that way," Tommy said pointing out across a narrow valley in front of the Rebel base.
"Affirmative," Billy said with a nod, "On the far side of that rise is an old stone bridge The Empire will be coming from the other side."
Without another word, the six began running down the hill and across the valley. Several Rebels gave the rangers odd looks as they charged across the field. As they approached the bridge, a soldier raised his hand to stop them. "You guys must be the ones General Dodonna sent word about. No offense but, he said you guys kinda stick out"
"No offense taken," Jason said fighting back a laugh. All of the Rebels wore shades of green and brown acting as a form of camouflage. All of the ranger's suits did indeed stand out by comparison.
"Whose in charge here?" Zack asked.
"Uh well," the soldier began a bit uneasily.
"I'm Seargent Corris," a woman with long dark brown hair tucked under her helmet said as she jogged over to the rangers and the soldier that had stopped them.
"Are you the one in charge of holding the bridge?" Trini asked.
"I was, General Dodonna's orders were to turn over command to 'the ranger team' when they arrive."
"I guess that means you're the one in charge," Kat said looking at Tommy.
"Right," Tommy said before taking a deep breath and tapping into The Force. After a few seconds, the rangers felt a strange sensation.
"Uh.. Tommy, what are you doing?" Kat asked.
"Master Yoda called it 'battle meditation,'" Tommy answered.
"Hey, look," Zack said nudging Jason.
"The Rebels, they're... calming down?" Billy asked.
"Yeah," Jason said looking around at the soldiers. The pure nervousness was still there, but, not nearly as obvious as it had been. Instead, it was replaced by a more confident nervousness. It was a look and feeling Jason knew well. It was the same look he had seen on the faces of many people, including himself, before karate tournaments.
"Tommy, what does this 'battle meditation' do exactly?" Trini asked.
"It's a Jedi technique that dates back to The Old Republic. It calms the minds and bolsters the confidence of a Jedi's allies."
"That's incredible!" Jason said, his jaw hanging open wide in shock beneath his helmet.
"Can Vader or Sidious do that?" Billy asked.
"Possibly, Vader once was a Jedi after all, and Sidious wanted to know everything he could about The Force. However, I think it's unlikely that they will. Most likely, they'd use The Sith variant of the technique."
"What does that do?" Trini asked.
"It causes the aggression of their allies and strips their enemies of the will to fight."
"That's terrible," Zack said. "it's one thing to make your allies more calm and confident, but to turn them into bloodthirsty killers..."
"Yes," Tommy said as he brought himself fully out of his trance.
"Excuse me, sir," Seargent Corris said, "But, what's the plan?"
"Form a rallying point at the far side of the bridge, and a second one down the path, at the crest of the hill leading down into the valley. Those of us not manning one of these rally points are going across the bridge and meeting The Imperial landing forces."
"Right," the other rangers said in unison.
"Seargent, have two of your most experienced and capable men handle the creation of the rally points," Tommy said looking at Seargent Crorris.
"Yes, Sir," she answered saluting Tommy.
"Wait a second, Seargent, are there any demolitions experts here?" Tommy asked.
"A few sir yes."
"Good, have one or two of them rig the bridge to blow. If we lose the far side we'll blow it to slow their advance."
"A sound strategy sir," Seargent Corris said with a nod. "Although I'd rather not blow it up if you don't mind my saying so."
"I agree, it is an impressive structure, but we might not have a choice," Tommy said with a nod.
"Ready when you are, Tommy," Jason said placing his hand on Tommy's Dragon Shield.
"Let's go," Zack said clenching his fist.
"Easy Zack, don't be too eager," Kat said as the group began running across the bridge. As soon as they reached the far side, Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. He held his right arm out with his elbow bent ninety degrees with a closed fist held up. Seeing this those behind him came to a halt as well.
"Scatter for cover!" he yelled as he summoned his lightsaber to his hand. He activated it and moved it in front of his face just in time to deflect a laser bolt shot at his face.A second later, a large group of Stormtroopers rushed from the trees ahead.
"Where did they come from?" Trini asked as she and Billy fired their blade blasters at the advancing Imperials.
"Up there, look," Billy answered. At the top of a high hill, they could see a large Imperial landing craft. Some troops made their way down the winding path, others worked their way down the steep incline through the trees, and a third group comprised of mostly command staff stayed on top of the hill, however, Billy did not miss three small groups setting up what looked to be mortars. He went to call out to Tommy who was still standing out in the open deflecting and reflecting laser bolts with inhuman speed and accuracy.
"Mortars! Scatter and charge!" Tommy yelled as he began advancing. Without hesitation, the rangers followed their field leader in a charge towards the hill. "Jason, Zack, with me. Trini, Billy, and Kat circle up the path," Tommy said as he deflected a laser bolt into a Stormtrooper taking aim at one of the demolition experts, then a second into the Stormtrooper that had fired the two shots. He licked his left wrist sending a thermal detonator back through the air. It landed behind a boulder and an instant later three Stormtroopers with now blackened and mangled armor flew from behind it when the detonator exploded.
It was then that the mortar shells began landing, one of which took out a Rebel squad who had just made their way across the bridge. "Tommy we have got to get up the hill now bro!" Jason yelled as he used his Power Sword to cut down a Scouttrooper with a riot button, then shot a nearby Stormtrooper in the chest with his Blade Blaster.
"Yeah," Tommy agreed now calling the blaster General Reikeen had given him to his left hand and began using it in combination with his lightsaber to take down several Scout and Stormtroopers. They all heard a heavy metallic clanking shortly before Kat's voice came through Tommy's communicator.
"Tommy, do you copy?"
"I read you Kat, what's going on," Tommy answered after ducking behind a tree.
"We've got AT-STs on the path, four of them!" she shouted over the sound of a large explosion. "Whoa! That was close!"
"Hang on! We're coming!" he called into his communicator. "Jason! Zack! New plan! You guys join the others and try to hold off the AT-STs. I'm going to go up the hill and get behind them!"
"On your own?! No way man!" Zack protested.
"I don't like it either Zack, but, we need to trust Tommy on this one!" Jason said. Without another word, Jason and Zack ran through the trees to meet their friends on the winding path and Tommy continued his charge up the hill. The Imperials at first thought one of the strange new Rebel Soldiers on their own wouldn't be a problem, but it did not take long for panic to spread through their ranks. Tommy deflected every laser bolt that came at him sending them back at those that had fired them. The troopers that did not fall to their own reflected fire quickly fell to Tommy's laser fire, were cut down by his lightsaber, or taken out as if by magic when they went flying through the air.
"There you are," Tommy said only three minutes later as he cut down a Scouttrooper, the latest in a swath of Imperials that had tried to stop him. He ran alongside the At-ST at the rear of the formation and lept up onto it with ease since the two-legged walker was smaller than the tallest of their Zords. He took a moment to tap into The Force, seeking guidance on the wlaker's controls.
Using The Force, he opened the top hatch. "What the..." the driver called out as he and the gunner looked up in confusion. A second later, both men were ripped out of their seats and tossed to the ground below. Tommy dropped into the walker's cockpit, took aim at the nearest Walker, and used The Force to fire the guns. The head of the walker exploded when the heavy laser bolts struck home. In the confusion, Tommy managed to do the same to the second walker and managed to aim at the third before there was any reaction from The Imperials.
With the three other walkers destroyed The Rebel Advance began once more as Tommy turned the walker and used the much lighter repeating blasters as the side of the AT-ST to rake the command post The Imperials had set up with laser fire. One of the mortar teams managed to get off a shot before they were hit and sensing the danger Tommy letpt from the AT-ST before it was destroyed.
"That was awesome Tommy," Trini said as the six rangers regrouped.
"Thanks, Trini," he replied as they began charging back up the hill, meeting only minor resistance as they continued.
"Uh...What is That?" Billy asked having noticed a heavy transport rapidly descending from the sky. Beneath it was a massive walker with four legs that looked to be heavily armed and armored.
"Oh no!" one of the soldiers cried out.
"What?" Tommy asked as the craft landed.
"That is an AT-AT slower than the AT-ST but," the soldier was cut off by the sound of the new walker's chin-mounted heavy cannons firing. Tommy and the others watched in horror as the heavy bolts struck the rallying point on the near side of the bridge.
"Can that thing make it down this hill?" Tommy asked.
"Not on the Southern Face sir, but the Noth side is much less steep."
"Okay, they brought their heavy guns, let's show them ours," Tommy said as he pulled The Dragon Dagger from its sheath.
"We need Thunderzord Power now!" all the rangers said rasing their right hands into the air. Tommy then quickly brought the dagger to the molded lips of his helmet.
"Dragonzord Thunderzord Power!" he called out before playing the summoning tune on his dagger.
"Mastodon Lion Thunderzord Power!"
"Pterodactyl Firebird Thunderzord Power!"
"Triceratops Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"
"Sabertooth Tigeher Thunderzord Power!"
"Tyranosours Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!"
Instantly the six Zords appeared and the rangers lept aboard. The Rebels looked on in awe at the strange vehicles that appeared as if by magic. Each looked like some kind of mysterious creature. After taking control of his Zord, Tommy let loose a long stream of fire at the heavy walker. After flying past Jason let loose a blast of fire of his own as Tomy banked his Zord hard to the right coming around at the AT-AT's flank.
"Ma'am?" one of the Rebel Soldiers asked as they watched from below.
"Yes, Corporal?"
"The green and gold one, it's as large as an AT-AT, how is it flying like a fighter?"
The other rangers fired their Zord's weapons at the AT-AT causing significant exterior damage. Tommy picked up speed and pulled up sharply ramming the hind feet of his Zord into the side of the walker before launching skyward again.
"Sir, we're badly damaged! Armor down to thirty percent!" the co-pilot called out looking back at his commanding officer. A look of panic came over the normally smug face of the Imperial General.
"Bring them together guys," Tommy said as he shifted his Zord into warrior mod.
"Thunder Megazord Power!" the other rangers called out. The five other Zords came together and both summoned their swords. The Thunder Megazord used The Thunder Saber to cut off the waker's head at the neck tunnel, and Tommy used his sword to slice horizontally through the body Just above the top leg joint. The ground shook and dust flew into the air. Surrendering Imperial Soldiers began to file out of what was left of the walker.
The rangers lept to the ground and their Zords vanished going back to their home dimension. Seargent Corris ran up to them. "Commander, we've just received word from Command, The Death Star has been destroyed!"
"What a relief," Kat said with a heavy sigh.
Soon after, the rangers and the few serving soldiers from the brief but intense ground battle returned to the temple. When they did they say heard and then saw the shouts of joy as several Rebels gathered around Luke Skywalker, the pilot that had fired the proton torpedo that had caused the space station's destruction, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. the two smugglers having returned to make a miraculous save. Kat noticed Tommy eyeing Princess Leia closely. Seeing the concerned look the Australian girl gave him Tommy turned to her.
"What do you think of her?" Kat asked.
"She looks like her mother, how Vader didn't see it. I'll never know."
"Wait," Billy said with a confused look on his face. "How do you know what her mother looked like, and why would Vader care? You heard General Dodonna, her mother was killed when Alderaan was destroyed."
"You are partially correct Billy. The woman that raised and cared for her as if she were her own did die on Alderaan. However, her birth mother died about eighteen years ago at a medical center on an asteroid called Polis Masa."
"What, who's her birth mother?" Kat asked.
"Padm'e Amidalla," Tommy answered. The other five ranger's eyes went wide and Kat shifted her gaze from Tommy to Luke, Leia, and Han with Chewbacca standing nearby as they stood together with their arms around one another's shoulders with their head back in joyous laughter as technicians wheeled away a badly damaged artoo unit. Her eyes moved back to Tommy, then back again to Luke, Leia, and Han, then back to Tommy again. Tommy wrapped his right arm around her and pulled her close to his side. "It's exactly what you think." He said answering the unspoken question.
Shortly after, a large group of Rebels gathered in an interior courtyard and waited as Princess Leia, C-3P0 and General Dodonna stood on a raised platform. Large stone doors slid open and Luke, Han, Chewbacca and the rangers entered the courtyard and made their way to the waiting princess and general. Chewbacca roared as the gathered Rebels stood at attention and shifted to watch them step onto the platform. Princess Leia proudly placed medals around each of their necks for the rolls they played in the previous battle.
The crowd cheered as the gathered Heroes of The Rebellion looked out at them and the previously damaged artoo unit whistled loudly as it wabbled its way next to the golden protocol droid causing both Luke and Leia to smile broadly. As the crowd applauded Tommy turned to partially face. Leia. "Princess, may I have a word, once we don't have an evacuation to worry about?"
"Of course," Leia answered with a polite nod and a curious look.