You were the treasure in my hand
You were the one who always stood beside me
So unaware I foolishly believed
That you would always be there
But then there came a day
That I turned my head
And you slipped away...
****
THE END
 |
Disclaimer: the Rangers belong to Saban. The children belong to the AstroRangers, brought to you courtesy of Starhawk and myself. "If I Had Only Known" is by Reba McEntire from her album, For My Broken Heart.
Author's Note: "People who let things fester don't do denial well." :) Thanks, Starhawk. :) This is for Bonaparte, Redbird, Ibn, Betsy, Sable, Casey, Angel, the U.S.S. Enterpoop, and for those who have spoken, but have not been heard. Listen, and you shall hear. :)
Though both were anxious to go, leaving was not easy. Wanting to say good-bye to their children, they had waited the next morning until the kids were awake. That may have been a mistake, but they just couldn't go without speaking to them. Zhane's daughter wanted to go with her dad to get her mommy. And Andros' son just didn't want his dad to go. Ashley had promised both her son and her niece that their fathers would be back soon, but there was little that could be done to console the children. Zhane could not help but be angered at the irony of it.
Without the MegaShip they were forced to use their Galaxy Gliders to make the trip, and the children could not accompany them that way. During their previous trip to Terra Venture to help against the Psycho Rangers, the AstroRangers had left their borrowed shuttle behind on Terra Venture and had returned to Earth on their Gliders. So other than their Gliders they were grounded. They had always expected the Galaxy Rangers to return the MegaShip when they reached their destination. Andros had been rightfully upset when she had been stolen, but he had expected his ship to be well cared for, and they had all expected her eventual return. And now this...
The journey to Miranoi was a long one. Following Karone's lead they knew they could find it. But their journey was interrupted several times as they made stops at planets along the way: Aquitar, Elisia, Eltar, Phaedos, Triforia and many others. They had relied so much on the MegaShip and her technology that without her, contact with other planets now required quite a bit of effort. So they stopped at each planet to speak to their allies, to confirm their parts in the mission on Earth that lay ahead. All had pledged to help the AstroRangers should they need it. And though reaching Miranoi was Andros' and Zhane's objective at the moment, they could not in good conscience skip the opportunity to speak with the allies, especially considering the importance of the mission on Earth.
Their mood was somber, and Zhane was unusually quiet. And though neither of them wished to speak about what had happened in the far reaches of the galaxy, people continuously asked them why they were not taking the MegaShip on such a long trip. A sparsely detailed explanation was the most anyone got. For Andros and Zhane themselves still did not know how the MegaShip had been destroyed, only that she was gone. Karone wouldn't tell them, saying it was best that they got there first and saw the situation for themselves. Everyone expressed their heartfelt sympathies at the passing of the legendary ship, the ship known throughout the galaxies for her heroic exploits, the ship that with the two Kerovan Rangers had truly made them an undefeatable team. Andros and Zhane tried to be polite and each time they mumbled their thanks, but every word only reminded them of their loss.
Zhane's normally easy smile was there as usual, but it seemed quite fake to Andros, as he watched Zhane joke his way through the meetings on the various planets. Andros knew him far too well, and knew that Zhane's joking was only his defense mechanism to hide the hurt he was feeling. Andros, though usually the quiet and sullen one, did his best to take on his share of the ambassadorial duties to take some of the pressure off of Zhane. As leader it was truly Andros' place to speak for the AstroRangers anyway, but he had always relied on Zhane to help him in these matters. Zhane's usually unflappable good humor had always served them well in such situations. But this journey was far from normal and as much as they tried to hide it, neither of them was at their best.
Even their conversations with each other, whether with spoken words or with thoughts, were halted and brief. Neither could find the words to speak to the other as they both dwelled in their grief instead of expressing it.
When they finally reached Miranoi, it was night at the colony. With all their stops, the trip had taken them far longer than they had wanted it to. The five long days had done nothing to make either of them feel any better, though Zhane had brightened considerably at the prospect of the imminent reunion with his wife.
Zhane had learned from his conversations with her that she and Kendrix had been staying with Maya at her village. It was a practical decision as it made more room for the colonists in the makeshift, quickly constructed emergency housing. The hut might have eventually been a little crowded if Karone had intended to stay for any length of time. Which she didn't.
They had never asked about her life in the five years since the war with Dark Spectre had ended; and she had never said. They had no idea she had a husband and child waiting for her at home, or that she still held her sorceress powers. They probably also expected her to stay on Miranoi with them. But nothing could be further from the truth.
When they arrived she was waiting for them just outside the village. They could not land fast enough. Zhane was demorphed and in Karone's arms even before his Glider had disappeared back into hyperspace. Andros waited his turn with a slight grin on his face, and hugged his sister when Zhane finally let her go.
They knew that both she and the Galaxy Rangers were safe, having survived their final battle with Trakeena. So it was with questions about the MegaShip's fate on their minds that they moved some distance away from the village, into the surrounding jungle.
And it was there that Karone told them. She told them how Trakeena's madness-inspired recklessness had nearly destroyed them all. And how it had all come down to one desperate decision; a decision to which the eventual conclusion made no sense. If the intent had been to save the shuttles leaving Terra Venture, then there were other ways to do that than setting off the MegaShip's self-destruct. If the intent had been to destroy Trakeena, well, that failed miserably.
Neither Andros nor Zhane said anything at first. Both were shocked at the callous disregard with which their ship had been treated. But when the shock wore off, Karone knew the anger would take over. That was why she had waited until now to tell them, so she would be there to calm them down.
She also knew what question would be next, and she told them when they asked. Where was she? Karone pointed skyward, toward Miranoi's moon. The larger pieces had been pulled there by the moon's gravity, just as the Scorpion Stinger had. The rest had gotten there because of her. Using a combination of her considerable telekinetic abilities and her immense sorceress powers, she had collected as much of the MegaShip as she could find and had deposited them on the moon. Karone knew they would have to see her for themselves for the degree of the damage to sink in, to know she was truly gone.
With her sorceress powers even teleporting to the moon was a simple act for her. So she left them then, going to the moon and knowing they would soon follow, that they would want to see it for themselves to believe.
Andros and Zhane shared a look as a single unspoken thought passed between them. Their Gliders appeared without preamble, and morphing they left for the moon.
As they exited hyperspace, Karone was waiting there for them. But their eyes were immediately drawn to the great expanse behind her. Hulks of metal of varying sizes covered the ground; it was the remains of their home.
Andros jumped off his Glider, demorphing as he went. He said nothing, nor did he even pause, as he wandered off across the plain, passing amongst the pieces, some large enough to walk into, others no larger than his hand.
Zhane stumbled as he stepped off his Glider. He demorphed and turned away from the sight before him, looking to his wife for reassurance. She was beside him in an instant, putting a consoling arm around him as they too started walking after Andros.
The hallways of their youth lay in rubble before them, but the memories remained fresh in their minds. Walking there, listening to the silence, they could almost hear the echoed voices of two young boys, crying and laughing their way through a turbulent childhood.
Faced with the devastation before them, the two Kerovan Rangers could not help but remember their first encounter with the ship that would become their home and the computer that would become their surrogate parent. It was the day that two unskilled and unprepared children had been forced by evil to take up their destiny in defense of their planet and their very lives. And their sole ally had been a starship and her sentient computer...
It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Their first time aboard the grand ship and first meeting with its onboard computer wasn't scheduled for several weeks. But Dark Spectre obviously did not care for Kerovan schedules.
His unexpected attack on KO-35 had caught them off guard. The planet was not ready for such an onslaught. At just eight-years-old, the colony's two Rangers were unprepared for the fight they suddenly had been thrust into. Their training had only just begun. They had never even morphed before. But when the attack began they had jumped into action, morphing and fumbling their way through a defensive movement, buying the colonists time to escape.
When the children had done all they could to ensure the colonists' safety, the computer did her part to ensure theirs. The two child Rangers had been left fighting alone on a hastily-abandoned planet. DECA teleported them to the safety of the MegaShip as soon as she could.
There had been no time for introductions. Just a few hurried instructions from DECA as she worked to run interference and prevent Dark Spectre's forces from following the Kerovan shuttles.
The two frightened and awe-struck children did their best to help their new allies, as computer and ship together managed to hold off the invading forces. It was a small victory that day. KO-35 had been lost for now, but its people had survived.
It was a baptism by fire that never should have happened. But that day a life-long bond was forged between ship, computer, and Rangers. A new family was formed... one that would fight to the death for each other.
They had faced death together many times since that day, and had somehow managed to survive. But out on the edge of the galaxy, a Ranger's life could be short and painful. And their Zords and computers were supposed to outlive them, not the other way around...
They had been two children caught up in a war they didn't understand. But they understood that countless lives depended on their actions. And despite their young age, they knew what it meant to be Rangers trapped in the unforgiving war in space. They knew that a space Ranger's life was usually short and ended in battle. Space Rangers were expected to defend Ranger-less planets everywhere. And it was in these planetary battles, away from their starships, that they were so vulnerable. Rangers were mortal, but their starships were not. Starships were designed to outlive the inevitable death of their pilots and would be passed on to the replacements.
That was what had made the young Red and Silver Kerovan Rangers and their ship so special. They fought not only for good, but also for each other. Rangers, ship, and computer had formed a friendship worth fighting for. They would protect each other, and they would not be separated. And they hadn't, until the MegaShip had been stolen... and now destroyed. Destroyed by Rangers, Rangers who should have understood, should have realized the precious gift they had in their hands.
After the battle against the Psychos, Andros had granted them the temporary use of the MegaShip. But had they understood what that meant? What incredible responsibility had been placed on their shoulders? The Rangers of every planet Andros and Zhane had visited understood the terrible loss of the MegaShip's death. Did the Galaxy Rangers? Did they understand what they had taken away from the AstroRangers with their rash decision?
Karone did. The pain of the loss was written all over her brother and husband's faces, and she knew their hurt better than anyone. She had known when the decision was made what the cost would be to her and her family. If she could have stopped the Galaxy Rangers from doing it, she would have. But there had been no time for turning back.
Andros had stopped his wandering, stopping to stare, as if taking in more than just what was lying there. He had yet to speak. He had been frowning as he scanned the wreckage, the debris that had been much more than just a vessel to them. Worried at the length of his silence, Karone finally spoke up.
"Andros?"
He turned then, a look of confusion and disbelief on his face. And the words he spoke startled her with their seriousness and simplicity.
"She's not here."
|