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Disclaimer: The basic concept belongs to whoever Disney assigned it to but the characters belong to us. Like our previous fic series Viva La Resistance this series requires a lot of work due to differences in Time Zone and Hemispheres.
August 4th, 4124.
President Silvino looked through his reports, and a frown passed over his face. He called his aide in.
"I want April and Danny Pepe, the Egans, Julia Basto, and find Mr. Basto as well, Sam Cantrell and Rosie Renault, and Mrs. Maire to be present tomorrow at a hearing."
"Yes, President Silvino," the aide whispered before scuttling out. The aide ported out, coming to rest in the castle of The Nameless One and showing himself to be Jolik. "I think I have a solution to your plan."
"What?"
"You may capture your hostages by having them port directly into dungeons here. I am to tell certain parents of the Rangers to come to a hearing for Silvino. I will tell them to port here and you may deal with them."
"Good, Jolik. Make it so."
~*~
August 5th, 4124.
"Any luck in finding Sita?" asked Valdi.
"I've got her readings all over Fortress Articia, but no one is ever there," complained E-Berg. "Sometimes her readings are outside Fortress Articia."
"What does that mean for us?" asked Kylara.
"Simply put, it means we don't have a Black Ranger," replied Will.
"You are such a pragmatist, Will," muttered Thala.
"Any chance of -" Radha was cut off as a transmission from The Nameless One began to play.
"Greetings, Rangers!" The voice was brisk. "I'd like to introduce April and Danny Pepe." April and Danny came into view, tied up and struggling. Charda swore ferociously. "I'm returning the idiot baby, it cries too much, and I only smiled at it." Verelin ported into Charda's arms.
"Also, I introduce Rosie Renault and Sam Cantrell!" Isidore stiffened. "Julia and Richard Basto!" Landre's mouth dropped. "The Egans and Mrs. Maire!"
What do you want?" hissed Valdi.
"I'll make you a little deal. I'll return your parents, in exchange for the entire population leaving Unaka for E'ooa, a planet very similar and close to Unaka. You will never be bothered by anyone of the UAE there."
"How close?"
"A tenth of a tenth of a tenth of a lightyear," came the calm answer.
"And exactly how are we to get there?" asked Valdi. "I don't think we have any ships that will get us there quick smart."
"Eltar has a new series of ships that they are using for interplanetary travel. Just dial them up and request one. Everyone in Unaka will be transported over in a week."
"How long do we have to discuss this?"
"Three days, Ranger. If no answer by then, the Gold mother dies."
Valdi snapped the communications off. "Odds of mounting a rescue?"
"Wouldn't have a clue," said Radha. "As I see it, we need Sita, now more than ever. If we haven't found her in two hours, then we have to try and figure out how to mount the rescue ourselves."
"But where the hell is she?" snapped Isidore.
"She's trapped," said Landre absently. "Her morph screwed up."
"E-Berg, Alpha, scan for Ranger energy patterns emanating from within Fortress Articia," said Kylara, thinking. "I've got a strange feeling about this."
The scan took better part of forty-five minutes, but at last they found them. "Now. Can you like, force demorph the energy, and all that junk?" questioned Kylara. "Ah. Valley Girls. It never fails," she quipped as everyone stared at her.
A burst of muted cursing sprung forth as they heard numerous smashes, clangs and clatters. Racing to the noise, they found Sita underneath the pile of stuff that used to be Articula's office.
"I - what?" asked Sita, most succintly.
"You disappeared from the battlefield," began Adria.
"And now you're here," ended Thala.
~*~
Sita had been informed of everything, and had begun work.
"If we're going to break them out, we only have one chance. Tomorrow, at 0429 hours, will be the next split second gap in the shields I can punch through and lengthen without anyone noticing. I'll be able to get nine of you in there. I recommend that Landre and I be the ones who stay behind."
"How do we get out?" asked Charda.
Sita held up a small phaser like object. "This will force the shielding back to the way it was and I've set up an automatic port back once the computer, which monitors the shielding has punched through again. Make sure the parents are holding you."
"How do we get them out without anyone noticing?" asked Valdi practically. Sita shrugged.
"It all depends on the situation you find yourself in."
"That is sure reassuring," Wildrik commented.
"Be aware though that some parts of the castle like the dungeons are more highly shielded then others. For instance within the dungeons you will temporarily lose morph. What makes it difficult is that's most likely where he has the parents."
"Sita, is there any chance Danielle could give us a better idea of the layout of the castle?"
"I will ask her since I didn't see much of it when I was there. I was too busy taking Jolik out and rescuing Articula's daughter to really explore the place. Getting back to the shielding issue once you lose morph you will also could lose communications. It's possible that the more highly shielded areas are also shielded against porting. As you know I was morphed when I ported which is surprising since you would think his own Throne Room would have been shielded against our port signatures."
"Sita, how long would it take to go a tenth of a tenth of a tenth of a light year just in case we decide to accede to T'Aldr's demands?"
"Let's see a light year is 5.88 trillion miles. We only want 5.88 billion miles though. In one day light travels in the neighborhood of 16.1 billion miles. the distance we want to go is a little more then one third so around nine hours give or take assuming we were going at the speed of light which by the way is 186,282 miles per second."
"How far is 5.88 billion miles?"
"If we were on Earth and we lined up all nine planets in a row with the sun at one end and Pluto at the other end and we placed the planets at their greatest distance from the sun the distance from the sun to Pluto would be less then the distance we want to travel by a couple billion miles."
"How fast can these ships go?" asked Will, practically.
Sita made no answer immediately, but turned to the computers. "It'll take a while. Go talk to Mother."
~*~
"... and that's the entire plan of the castle," said Danielle, wearily.
"Oi!" came Sita's voice. "The ships can travel at the speed of light without the problems of time passing, as long as a special type of shielding is employed. The only problem is, the shielding works off Ranger Powers. And if the shielding shows signs of weakening, there's an automatic deceleration before it fails. And when it does fail, the power rips into the bearers, with power levels that go higher than even Phaedos have attained. Basically, we would die."
"Ah, shit!" cursed Valdi. "I'm kinda fond of living."
"So are we all, Valdi," said Radha, in an exasperated tone. "What time do you need us tomorrow, Sita?"
"0420 hours," came the reply. "Don't expect me home for dinner, Mother."
"I never do," replied Danielle.
"Where are the likely areas for shielding?" asked Charda.
"Dungeons are shielded from morphing, porting, and communications. As for anywhere else, you're pretty much in the dark, because I never knew," said Danielle.
"And on that note, we should all go to sleep," said Kylara.
A somewhat restful night then ensued, and all Rangers were at Fortress Articia.
"Okay... Mother's given me the signature of Tylai, and I've incorporated it into your signatures. The shielding should say that Tylai are porting through," Sita's wearied voice came at them from where she was manipulating controls.
"We're ready, Sita." She activated the controls and sent them on their way, and then handed off to Landre and went to go have some sleep.
~*~
"Okay... this way are the dungeons," whispered Valdi, as they crept downwards. Suddenly, their suits flickered, and then they cut out. But Thala, who had been in her Phantom aspect was still with them, but still invisible.
"I'm demorphed, but still in my Phantom aspect," she whispered, astonished. They crept along, and soon Charda spotted Jolik in a cell, drugging their parents. He halted them, and Jolik left.
They crept in, and began untying their parents. Carefully supporting the adults, they began to make their way out, and soon they remorphed.
But alas, they managed their way to the throne room. In a thunderclap, they all demorphed, one by one. As Thala demorphed, she was force-shifted out of her Phantom aspect, and Valdi snarled, flinging his mother aside, who became a Tylai.
"We've been tricked!" Kylara snapped as the others also flung aside Tylai.
"Oh, god. Can't a simple rescue mission go right?" asked Wildrik.
"No," answered T'Aldr, as he came upon them.