Jack Oliver stood near one of the computer banks in The Command Center. His head was still spinning with everything he had just been told. "Let me see if I have this right," the Naval Officer said as he rubbed his chin. "When Rita Repulsa, the space witch that started attacking Earth last year, was set free you two scanned the planet for individuals these Power Coins would accept. You found these five kids and for months they defended Angel Grove and Earth from her. Then she finds the coin she had would respond to Tommy, so she abducts him, brainwashes him, and sets him loose on you. After you managed to free him he began working with you until she used some magic wax to make a candle that when it burnt you would strip him of his powers."
"You've got it right so far, Uncle Jack," Tommy said giving his uncle a nod.
"That's when you ran some test and found out he was Force Sensitive in this other universe, galaxy, dimension, whatever the case may be and you sent him there, wiping him from the memories of those that love him until he came back?"
"Yes," Zordon said his disembodied head moving in his tube as if nodding. "Please understand, Captain Oliver doing so was necessary, and not a decision I enjoyed making."
"Then you spend the next year on a swamp world learning about The Force, and training to become a Jedi Knight from some ancient alien. During this time, Rita's boss, Lord Zedd returns, takes over her operation, and uses you," he said pointing at Kat, "by brainwashing you to target the first pink ranger. When you broke free of his control and she left to compete in The Pan Globals, you took over for her?"
"Yes, Captain Oliver," Kat said with a nod.
"That must have been awful for you?" Her aunt Kathy said.
"It was, the entire time I knew what I was doing but, I couldn't stop myself."
"Yeah, it was like that for me too," Tommy said giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"And shortly after that you came back having completed your training and regained your powers?'
"Yes, then was voted as the new leader of the team before going back to the other dimension and officially joining The Rebellion," Tommy said with a nervous smile.
Jack began to laugh as he placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. He looked at the younger man with a prideful smile. "I always knew you were going to be something special, but damn kid, protecting the whole world, fighting not one, or even two but three tyrants," Jack paused as he looked at his brother and his wife. "I'd say you've done us proud."
"Beyond proud," James and Monica said together.
Suddenly the alarms began to blare. "What's going on?" Rachel asked breaking her long silence.
"Aye aye aye aye aye!" Alpha yelled, "Dimensional rift detected in Downtown Angel Grove!"
"Everyone observe the viewing globe," Zordon said as the crystal ball-like mechanism began to flicker to life.
"Great, Goldar's back," Trini said sarcastically.
"Not to mention a bunch of Imperial Bucketheads," Zack added.
"Those must be The Imperial Storm Troopers you mentioned," Jack said as he watched soldiers dressed in stark white armor with black underneath, visible between the gaps in the armor. On the heads as a single black band around the head, two dark lenses for eyes, and a black triangularly shaped mouth.
"Unfortunately, your hypothesis is correct, Captain Oliver," Billy said affirming the man's guess.
"Do you think Zedd or Palpatine are up to something?" Kat asked looking over at Tommy.
"Oh, I sense a trap," Tommy answered with a determined look on his face.
"So umm… what are you going to do?" Rachel asked looking at Kat and suddenly being very afraid for her cousin's life.
"The only thing we can do," Jason said with a shrug.
"Spring the trap," Tommy said with a nod. "Guys, it's morphin' time! Dragonzord!"
"Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Triceratops!"
"Sabertooth Tiger!"
Tyrannosaurus!"
The six teens disappeared into bright flashes of light, one green, one dark purple, one pink, one blue, one yellow, and one red. When the lights faded where the teens had stood, now stood six armored warriors.
"Whoa!" Jack, Rachel, and Kathy said together having seen the rangers morph for the first time.
In Downtown Angel Grove Goldar laughed as he watched the stormtroopers mercilessly target the civilians as they tried to run from the area. His evil gravely laugh filled the air. "Yes!" he yelled in sadistic glee. "Run weaklings, run for your meaningless lives!"
The rangers teleported in according to Tommy's plan. He materialized around the corner of a building half a block East and a head of Goldar and the Imperial Troops. Jason and Trini had materialized slightly to the North and South and quickly cut between the buildings to close on Goldar's position. Billy had materialized a half block to the West to attack from the rear. Above Tommy slowly stuck his head around the corner just enough to look above seeing Kat in position on a building top her Power Bow at the ready. He lifted his right wrist to the molded lips of his helmet before tapping the communicator under his glove.
"Everyone ready?"
"All set Tommy," Jason replied.
"GOLDAR!" Tommy called out as he stepped out into the street. The stormtroopers stopped and quickly formed a firing line.
"Welcome green weakling," Goldar laughed. "Where are your friends?" Tommy didn't answer. He reached out with The Force and called his lightsaber to his hand. He gripped the long hilt in both hands divided it into its two halves and ignited them.
"Wow," Rachel said as she watched the two vibrant green blades came to life with a distinctive sound that sounded like a snapping hiss. As the two blades ignite, a bright green light fills the air, casting shadows in all directions. The blades themselves appear to be made of pure energy, crackling and humming with power as Tommy took a defensive stance. The shape of the blades is reminiscent of a traditional sword, with sharp points on each end.
"Uh… What does he plan to do with those?" Jack asked.
"You'll see, mate," William Hillard said with a knowing smile.
"What are you waiting for you fools fire!" Goldar yelled. The stormtroopers raised their blaster rifles and began to fire. Giving himself fully to The Force, Tommy began moving the two lightsabers in sharp, beautiful, fluid movements. The pitch of the hum of his lightsabers changed wildly as he moved the glowing blades in a flurry of motion. With each movement, several blaster bolts were reflected back at the stormtroopers.
"Unbelievable." Jack thought in disbelief. He was seeing it but he still couldn't believe it.
Seconds after the first blaster bolts were fired Billy charged from the rear taking Goldar by surprise and knocking him down to the ground. At the same time, Jason and Trini moved in from the sides cutting their way through stormtroopers with their power sword and power daggers respectively. Above them, Kat drew the drawstring of her bow back and as she did an arrow appeared as if by magic, and charged with pink energy. She fired the arrow into the center of a formation of stormtroopers cussing an explosion and sending several troopers flying. From the other side of the street Zack, with his power ax in its cannon mode rained laser beams down on the street.
"Nicely done, Tommy, you let them walk right into a box," Jack thought now impressed by his nephew's battle strategy.
In seconds, the entire platoon of troops lay dead in the street. Tommy charged forward to join Jason, Trini, and Billy in their fight with Goldar. He heard Zack and Kat land behind him and join him in his charge. As the three remaining rangers closed in, Goldar disappeared with an evil laugh.
Tommy felt a tremor in The Force, an odd dark presence he had not felt before. It was powerful but paled when compared to Vader. He spun and looked at Kat. "Kat, look out!" he yelled as he thrust his left hand towards her and hit her with a Force Push just powerful enough to send her sliding back a few feet.
"Tommy what the.." she began before a new entrant into the fight landed where she had been standing, stabbing a red lightsaber into the street as they had. It was an alien creature in all-black armor. Only the flesh of its hands, feet, and head were visible and covered in rough yellow-green scales. its eyes were black and sunken into the scull with tiny yellow dots at the center giving them an eerie lifeless look.
"Ah, at last, a Jedi," the creature said in a clear and almost aristocratic tone.
"Sidious has taken a new apprentice I see," Tommy said as he deactivated the lightsaber in his left hand and hooked it back on his belt.
"I am one of My Emperor's assassin but when I kill you, he will cast aside that broken wreck, Darth Vader, and place me at his side.
"That remains to be seen," Tommy said as he adopted the opening stance of Soresu.
"Fight me, Jedi!" the newcomer ordered pointing his lightsaber at Tommy.
"Tommy be careful," Zack yelled, raising his ax to fire.
"Yeah, we don't know how strong he is," Jason added as he took an aggressive stance as if he was going to charge.
"Stand down rangers," Tommy ordered without taking his eyes off the alien. "Without The Force, I'm afraid you wouldn't last long in this fight."
For a long moment, the alien continued to stare at Tommy, his rage building as he tapped deeper and deeper into The Dark Side of The Force. With a primal scream the creature Leapt at Tommy. Tommy slid to his side and with one graceful flick of his wrist blocked the red blade with his own. Again and again, the alien slashed and stabbed at Tommy, only to have his blade dodged or effortlessly turned aside.
"Looks like all those duels that hologram of Obi-Wan have paid off," James said as he watched the image of his son's unbreakable defense turn away a savage attack.
Tommy dodged another strike and used The Force to push the alien back into the wreckage of a car. "I've had enough of sitting on the sidelines!" Zack yelled as he leaped into the air did a flip and came down, intending on crushing the alien's skull with the diamond-hard cutting edge of his ax.
"Zack, no!" Tommy yelled. The alien stuck his free hand out and shot Sith Lightning at the black ranger.
"AAAAHHHH!" Zack screamed in agony.
The raw power of the Sith lightning coursed through Zack's body like a thousand fiery needles, setting every nerve ablaze. It felt like his whole being was being electrocuted from the inside out, sending waves of excruciating pain throughout his body. Each strike felt like it would be his last as if his body was being consumed by the intense heat and electricity. Despite his best efforts to fight back, he was helpless against the overwhelming force of the attack. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and one he hoped to never feel again.
Thinking quickly Tommy used The Force to lift a corner mailbox and hurl it at the alien like a missile. The alien howled in pain as the mailbox struck him, causing him to relent in his attack on Zack.
"Zordon, teleport Zack back to The Command Center," Tommy said in a calm tone.
"No, I can…" Zack began before disappearing in a black streak of light.
"I've sensed your thoughts through this fight, Quaren Dal'ak," Tommy said causing the alien to take a back step as he lifted himself off of the car. "You blame the Jedi for what happened at the end of The Clone Wars. And yes, we do have blame because we didn't believe The Sith could have changed. But, the true person at fault is Palpatine, Sidious, The Emperor. I beg you, let me help you process your anger and hate, and hopefully, we can work together to form a new Jedi Order, a New Republic."
"Begging for your life, Jedi?" Quaren asked as he re-activated his lightsaber.
"No, I'm begging for yours," Tommy replied. Quaren roared in anger and charged Tommy, his lightsaber high above his head. As he neared he took a downward strike. Tommy Stepped to his side avoiding the strike before taking a leaping step, turning in the air, and stabbing Quaren between his shoulders with his lightsaber. Quaren looked down in horror at the green blade protruding from his chest. He watched as it vanished as Tommy shut off his lightsaber. Quaren let out a faint grunt of pain as he fell to the ground the last sound that his brain registered was the clattering of the hilt of his lightsaber as it hit the street.
"Tommy, are you okay?" Kat asked.
"Yeah, let's get back to The Command Center."