Power Wars: The Rising Force
by Emily

Chapter 4

Millions of miles away, unaware of the evil that threatened the entire universe, the remaining three power rangers were working diligently in their sanctuary known as the Control Center. With the departure of two comrades, tools and systems had to be updated to accommodate the changes. Much like the days of old, and reminiscent of a certain previous blue ranger, Justin worked at the control panels reprogramming the Zords so they could call them without Tommy and Karone. He was oblivious to the world around him as he worked, sounds and sites blocked from him. Finally, a smile of satisfaction crossed his face as he finished his job. He was just about to close down the system when suddenly,

"Are you almost finished, Justin?" a voice asked loudly, causing Justin to jump in alarm. He spun around, arms raised in a defensive block. Laughter rang in his ears as Zhane stood before him, obviously pleased that he had startled Justin. Justin sighed, fighting back a smile as he turned back to the controls.

"Yes, Zhane, I am almost finished," Justin said in exasperation as he closed the programs down. "Now we'll be able to use the Zords without Tommy and Karone."

"So you don't need any help, then," Zhane said, almost happily, as he looked around Justin's shoulder at the controls. Though he had been from a highly advanced society, fixing things had never been his strongpoint, nor had he really tried to learn. Sure, he knew enough to get by, but what Justin was doing...that was incredible.

"Nope. I think I have it covered."

"Oh, okay."

Silence passed between them, as both were unable to think of things to talk about. Neither had really known each other that much, other than a few brief encounters during the Space Ranger era. In fact, the only thing that connected them was their friendships with the past rangers.

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" Zhane asked, looking around the Control Center, still somewhat awestruck by everything in it. "I mean, this place is incredible, but what else do you guys do?"

"Well, really, there isn't that much real entertainment here anymore. Since Hollywood was basically destroyed, there aren't any new movies anymore and music groups really don't perform. There are a few things, though, especially some things that I programmed into the databanks of the computer."

Zhane stared thoughtfully at Justin for a moment. "Hey, I'm ready for anything."

Justin smiled and walked over to a door that Zhane had not noticed before. Together, the two of them went to the door, passing Kat as they did. They smiled at her as they passed, but he only briefly acknowledged their presence. She sat before the viewing globe, watching over parts of the tunnels and the earth, making sure that everyone was safe. The door at the side of the Control Center opened as Justin and Zhane neared, revealing a mostly empty room.

Zhane looked around, somewhat confused by the appearance of the room, turned to Justin in question. Justin said nothing, instead going over to a small panel by the side of the room. He pressed a series of buttons and suddenly, the entire room changed. A soft light blue carpet covered the floor and the walls were a dover white in color. A small table sat in the corner of the room, covered in pictures. A closer look revealed pictures of former rangers, Justin's family members, and a black and white picture of a woman in her mid-twenties. A bar was at the other side of the room, though, Zhane observed in amusement, cans of soda pop stood behind the bar instead of beers or wines.

A television set, a vcr, and a dvd player were next to the table, movies and N64 games spilling from the open cupboard beneath the system. But in the middle of the room was a huge table. Zhane walked forward, puzzled by the point of the table. He turned to Justin, confusion written on his face.

"What is this?"

Justin smiled, walking over to one end of the table and motioning for Zhane to walk to the other. "It's called air hockey. I used to play it all the time when I was younger. I don't have that much time for it anymore, but I keep it programmed in just in case."

"How do you play?" Zhane asked, picking up one of the handles and examining it. "Do you hit these things together?"

Justin laughed and reached down, hitting a switch as he did. Suddenly, the table lit up and the air started coming out of the little holes in the table. Justin reached down and pulled a flat disk out of his goal and put it on the table. "The object of the game is to get this disk into your goal. If I get this disk in the goal by you, I get one point. If you get it in the goal by me, you get one point. The first player to seven points wins. Got it?"

Zhane nodded vaguely, still slightly confused by the game.

"Alright. Here we go!" Justin hit the disk forward with his handle, pushing it straight towards the goal. With lightning fast reflexes, Zhane blocked it and sent it careening back towards Justin. The disk traveled back and forth for a few minutes before Justin's old reflexes started to kick in. With a sudden motion, he jerked the disk to the right, causing it to bounce off the walls. Zhane tried to cut the disk off, but he missed and the disk went into the goal. He looked up at the scoreboard in front of him and watched as one point for Justin was put up. Zhane put the disk back on the table but it was only a matter of minutes before Justin had scored again. As the game wore on, Zhane began to get the hang of it and managed to score two points in a row. But, alas, his attempts were in vain. Justin scored in three successive moves and soon the game ended, with a score of 7-2.

Even though it had been a mismatched game, the effects of it showed immediately. A smile shone of Justin's face as he stepped away from the board, while Zhane stepped away, sweating slightly but happy.

"Good game," Justin said as he walked over to Zhane. "Not bad for a first time."

"That was great!" Zhane exclaimed as he glanced back to the table. "But now I'm a little thirsty. What do you have to drink here?"

"I have tons! I have all kinds of pops and juice and even some smoothies that I figured out how to make."

Justin chatted on about drinks as he walked over to the bar, reaching into the refrigerator that sat on the floor. He pulled out a Coca-Cola for himself and turned to Zhane. "What do you want?"

"Actually, do you have any water? I've always been partial to water." Zhane asked, looking at the drinks in the fridge. Justin nodded and reached for a glass cup that hung above him. Just as he touched the glass, it slipped from the hook it was on and started falling to the ground. Suddenly, it slowed and stopped, hanging in midair. For a moment, Justin looked at it in surprise and shock before he could jog his memory.

"That's right. You guys have telekinetic powers. I'd forgotten about that," Justin said as he grabbed the glass and placed it on the bar. As he took out a bottle of water, he looked at Zhane's confused face.

"How did you know I was telekinetic?"

"Sometimes, when something starts to fall or drop, Karone can usually stop it before it breaks. Not all the time, though. She's been getting better over the years, though, and she rarely drops things now." Justin explained, pouring water into the glass. He handed it to Zhane, but Zhane ignored it.

"How has Karone been doing here?" he asked softly, staring at Justin. Justin shrugged.

"Pretty good, I guess. At first, she had some trouble adjusting, since basically everyone she knew was either killed or missing. She ran into a lot of trouble in the beginning, especially when word got out that she used to be Astronema."

Zhane's face paled slightly, but he continued to press Justin for more information. "How did she adjust, if things were as troublesome as they sound?"

Justin sighed, taking a sip of his drink. "There were a number of people who didn't believe her story, that she was brainwashed to be evil. But I had a feeling that it might be true, since I used to be a power ranger and all. She seemed to know a lot about technology and all that stuff, so I started talking to her. Bit by bit, she began to open up to me and it turns out that she had incredible ideas about the tunnels. In fact, the crypt was her idea. I think that she didn't want to forget the past, especially her brother, but she didn't want to be reminded by it all the time. Plus, she had been at that final battle and she knew what some people had given up to defend their world."

"Wow." was all Zhane could say as he digested the story Justin had told him. "I didn't know that things were that hard for her. I was just so happy and excited to see her. For years, I thought that every person that I knew or cared about had been killed in that battle. But first I find Karone and then I find out that some of my friends still have signs of life...I can't remember the last time I was that happy."

"Karone never gave up hope for you, y'know," Justin said, looking Zhane straight in the eye. "She never knew what happened to you, but she was convinced that Kanara hadn't killed you. I didn't want to say anything to dash her hopes, but I didn't think that you and Kat had made it."

"It was hard," Zhane admitted. "Some days I wished that I would just die because I couldn't stand it anymore. Everyday, I had to look at the face of the person that killed by best friends and everyday she would taunt Kat and I about it. I really hated her for that."

Justin shook his head sadly, remembering the times that he had met with Kimberly before she turned into Kanara. "She wasn't always like that. Kanara. Back when she was Kimberly she was one of the nicest and happiest people that I knew. She seemed genuinely happy for every one of her friends and she even took the time to really get to know me, a kid who was five to six years younger than her. I can't believe that she is that..that...well, that monster that destroyed our planet and our friends."

Silence filled the room as images of the past came back to them, overwhelming them with emotions. The silence was cut short, though, as a sudden screech was heard from the main Control Center. Justin and Zhane took off at top speed towards the main room, trying to find out what was wrong.

They found Kat standing in front of the viewing globe, staring at it in excitement. She turned to them, endless emotions on her face. She pointed towards the viewing globe. Justin and Zhane walked closer, squinting slightly at the brightness of the globe. All they could see were crowds of people pushing into each other excitedly, crowded around a room...

"It's the crypt," Kat whispered. "Something going on at the crypt."

"We have to get down there!" Justin exclaimed rushing towards the door, Kat and Zhane close behind. As Zhane ran out the door, a searing pain engulfed him, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. He gasped in pain, trying to calm the fire that seemed to fill his body. He closed his eyes, willing himself to push away the pain. Slowly, very slowly, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees and opened his eyes to look for Justin and Kat. But they were gone, already on their way to the crypt. Zhane slowly pushed himself back up, ignoring the pain that was now beginning to lessen. He slowly followed the crowds of people that rushed down the halls, the pain disappearing with every step. He rounded a corner and stopped suddenly to avoid running into Kat and Justin. It was obvious that the two were so excited about the news they had received that neither had realized he had fallen behind. The three looked at the crypt ahead, but could only see crowds of people pushing towards the room.

"There has to be a way through this crowd!" Kat screamed, trying to be heard over the noise that echoed through the halls. Justin nodded once, a sort of grim determination on his face as he slowly and carefully pushed through the crowd. Kat followed him in surprise and sadness, still not able to believe how much he had changed over the last five years. As they reached the entrance to the crypt, Justin turned to the guard, Justin's face a mask of maturity and seriousness.

"What is going on here? Why are these people crowded into such a small area like this?" he asked, his booming voice somewhat reminiscent of Tommy's "leader" voice. The guard shrugged slightly barely glancing at Justin as he surveyed the crowd.

"You will find out in due time."

Justin shrugged, determined to get into the crypt. He turned to Kat and Zhane and motioned for them to follow him as pulled out his ID card. He showed it to the guard who, after studying it suspiciously, moved aside to let them in. They quickly walked through the security measures and into the main part of the crypt. There, a small group of scientists and doctors were crowded around one of the tubes. More specifically, they were crowded around Andros' tube. Zhane looked at Justin in shock, his face paling slightly.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice raising slightly as he looked at the tube where his best friend lay. "What's wrong with Andros?"

Justin shook his head and walked quickly over to the tube. As he neared it, one of the doctors turned around in greet him in relief.

"Commander! We were just going to contact you about the breaking news!" the doctor said, excitement brimming in his voice. His eyes flashed with excitement as he looked at Justin. "For some reason, the life signs of the rangers has started to improve! Just in the last couple of hours they have started breathing on their own and two have shown slight signs of movement! It's just incredible."

Justin looked at him in shock, not daring to believe that some of his friends were still alive. "What? How is this possible, doctor? Their life signs have remained unchanged for years. Why would they suddenly start showing signs of life?"

"You mean you don't know?" the doctor asked, looking at him in shock. Justin shook his head, eyes wandering to look at tubes behind the doctor. "The Power Rangers are back! Our theory is that since the people in the crypt are former rangers, they mighty still have a trace of their old powers. Therefore, with the coming of the new rangers, the new powers may be reactivated the old ones."

Justin nodded, pieces fitting together like a puzzle. He silently cursed at himself, questioning why he had not realized that right away. "That does make sense, doctor. But what are you going to do now that the rangers have started to show signs of life?"

"We are going to watch over them for the next couple of days, to see if there are anymore changes that occur as the power of the new rangers becomes stronger. We'll record everything we see, no matter how small, so we can figure out if they will in fact wake up," the doctor explained. As Justin nodded once more, the doctor excused himself and went back to the tube where Andros lay. Justin turned to the others, who stared at him anxiously.

"We should leave, guys," Justin whispered, not wanting to disturb the doctors. "I know you want to see the rangers, but we have to let the doctors take care of them for now."

When Kat and Zhane only stared at him, he sighed and slowly walked out of the crypt. Slowly, very slowly, Kat and Zhane followed him reluctantly. They had to hurry to keep up with him as he pushed through the crowd and went to his room. As soon as the door to his room closed behind the three of him, Zhane stared at Justin.

"Why did we leave, Justin?" Zhane asked, his voice a deadly calm. Gone was all traces of humor that had once been his trademark of life. "Why did we leave?"

"The doctors have to see..."

"Screw the doctors! I don't want my best friend to wake up with doctors crowded around him, treating him like he's a piece of science to be studied. I don't want him thinking that everyone he knows and loves is gone and that he is to blame, because he will blame himself. I don't want him to be alone!"

Justin visibly took a step away from Zhane's sudden anger, shocked by the outburst. Zhane sat down at the table, breathing heavily, tears visible in his eyes. Kat walked over, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it away, but Kat was not ready to give up. She once again put her hand on his shoulder, whispering softly into his ear. She turned to look at Justin, but still holding onto Zhane.

"We have to go back Justin," she stated quietly. "We can't leave him there with them. He's one of us, a ranger. We have to be there when he wakes up, to comfort him, to explain what has happened over the last five years. He has to know that his best friend and his sister are still alive."

Justin sighed nervously. He looked away from his fellow ranger, not daring to meet them in the eye. "We can't go back. It's against all protocol. We have to let the doctors deal with it. Once they see that he is healed, we'll be able to see him again."

"You don't get it, do you Justin?" Zhane asked, his voice shaking with rage and anger that he had kept inside for five years. "You just don't get it. This isn't about doctors or protocol or rules. This is about friendship and commitment. There's more to being a ranger than just following the rules. Some rules are meant to be broken. Especially in times like these."

With that, Zhane stood up and left the room. Justin and Kat stared at his retreating back. For a moment, Justin was speechless as he thought about what Zhane had said.

"He's right, you know," Kat said, walking over to Justin. "Some things are more important than rules. You know that. You learned that during your years as a ranger. What happened?"

"I grew up, Kat."

Kat looked at him, tears pooling slightly in her eyes. "I know that, Justin. But just because you grew up doesn't mean you have to lose the love of life that you once had. Remember when you first became a ranger? Remember how excited you were?"

"Times have changed since then. I have to be more serious because of the responsibilities I hold. I can't be the kid I once was, especially since I have so many things to take care of."

"Damn it, Justin!"

Justin looked at her in surprise, shocked by her words. Never in the years that he had known her had he ever heard her swear. In fact, she was the last person he thought that would. Kat continued, ignoring the look he gave her.

"I know that times have changed and that you have to be more responsible. But that doesn't mean that you have to stop loving life. Don't you remember what the Turbo team was like? How close we were? How, even when times were bad, we could always find a way through them? Being a ranger is more than being responsible and serious. You have to be a ranger in spirit. You have to love life and your teammates, not shide away from both."

Justin only stared at her, eyes blank. Her frustration mounted as she looked at those blank eyes, her tears slowly starting down her cheeks. "You might be older and you might be a heck of a lot smarter, but there are many things that you have to learn, Justin Stewert. And now, I'm going after Zhane. He might do something drastic."

She spun around, marching out of the room with Justin staring blankly after her. The reality of what she and Zhane had said slowly began to sink it, causing questions to fill in his mind. But before he could start to contemplate their words, a sharp beeping broke through the silence. It took him a second, but he finally realized that it was his communicator. After touching a button on the side, a small projection showed putties running through the ruins of Angel Grove. He reached to press another button on the communicator to contact the others, but stopped short.

"No. I have to do this one on my own," he whispered, pulling out his crystal. "They need time for themselves."

"Jedi White!" he yelled, gripping the crystal tightly. In a flash of white light, Justin disappeared from his room. He reappeared a second later, this time on the surface of the Earth. He looked around his surrounding, searching for the putties that he had seen. He started walking cautiously through what was once Angel Grove, carefully studying his surroundings. Suddenly, from out of a torn up building, a dozen putties leapt at him. The putties quickly surrounding him, circling him slowly. Justin quickly went to work, knocking a few aside with a fast side kick. He ducked as one of the putties tried to punch him, sweeping the feet out from under the putty. After a few quicker moves by Justin the putties disappeared, beaten.

"That was easy," he murmured. "Maybe a little too easy."

Suddenly, from out the sky, a giant boulder fell to the ground, sending a spray of debris showering towards Justin. Justin leapt back, barely avoiding the rubble shot at him. A crack formed on the boulder, opening wider with every passing second. With a giant sound, the boulder split in half, revealing a tall black-haired woman. Her Asian features were very pretty, but they were twisted in an evil smirk. Light glinted off her gold armor and a long curved tail flicked with every move she made.

"So it was easy, was it young one?" she taunted, pulling out a spiked boomerang. Justin involuntarily backed up, knees crouched as he prepared for an attack. "Then try this one for size!"

She threw the boomerang at him. Justin dove out of the way, narrowly missing being beheaded by the weapon. The boomerang landed back in the woman's hand and she jumped forward. Justin quickly got up, just in time to block her first attack. From that point on, Justin found that he could do nothing but block her attacks, for she moved with inhuman speed. Whip kicks, tornado kicks, series of punches all came at him in a blur. Panic slowly registered in his mind as he lost ground to the villainess. Suddenly, she pushed her boomerang forward, hitting him on the chest. Sparks flew everywhere from the impact, causing Justin to fly to the ground. As he struggled to get back up, she kicked him sharply squarely in the ribs. Justin groaned in pain as he clutched his bruised side, all changes of getting up anytime soon destroyed. She bent down and ripped his morpher off of his belt. In a flash of light his armor disappeared, leaving Justin lying on the ground without any of his powers. She chuckled as she grasped his crystal tightly in her fist.

"What do you want?" Justin hissed through his teeth. "And who are you?"

She bent, her lips close to his ear. "I am Scorpina, deadly assassin of Rita Repulsa. And what do I want? The death of all power rangers."

Scorpina stood back up, readying her boomerang for the final attack. As she prepared to bring the boomerang down for the final kill, Justin's crystal flashed in her hand. A slight scream of pain emerged from her as she dropped the crystal and examined her now burnt hand. Justin took advantage of her hesitation and lunged forward, grabbing his crystal. But before he could reach it, her foot came down hard on his wrist. He grimaced in pain as she put more weight onto his wrist.

"Don't even think about it, rookie," she sneered. "You're not getting anywhere close to that crystal."

But she was once again interrupted, this time by a blast to her side. She fell to the ground, surprising by the unexpected attack. With a burst of energy, Justin grabbed his crystal and morphed. He backed away from Scorpina, glancing briefly to his right to see Jedi Black and Jedi Pink approaching.

"Thanks guys," he sighed as he looked over at them. The two nodded and pulled out their blade blasters, as Scorpina glared at all of them.

"You will pay for that!" Scorpina hissed as she got to her feet. "Nobody does that to me. Nobody." She lunged at them, boomerang outstretched. With quick nods to each other, the three rangers braced themselves for the oncoming attack. As Scorpina landed, she slashed at the three rangers, her tail whipping out wildly. The rangers jumped back, barely avoiding the venomous tail. Jedi Black sprang into actions, attacking Scorpina with a series of kicks and blocks. Jedi Pink joined in, pulling a blaster off of her uniform. She punched at Scorpina, but was knocked to the ground, her blaster going flying. Jedi Black soon joined her as his own attacks against Scorpina proved futile. Scorpina looked at the remaining ranger, a smirk crossing her face.

"Looks like it's just you and me," she hissed. "This time, you're going down."

As the two slowly circled each other, dozens of putties appeared, surrounding the other two rangers. Jedi White looked around, realizing that no one would be able to help him this time. He once again focused his attention towards Scorpina, watching for any movement.

Meanwhile, the other two rangers had a bigger problem to face. Dozens of putties surrounded them, attacking them from all angles. Jedi Pink quickly went to work, fending off each of the putties that attacked her. Adrenaline pumped through her system as she kicked and punched her way through the putties. Her fighting form was never better as she quickly made her way through the putties. Suddenly, a cry of pain caught her attention. She gasped as she saw Jedi Black being dragged away by a group of putties.

"Zhane!" she screamed as she jumped over the fallen putties, running as soon as she hit the ground. Jedi Black struggled weakly as he tried to escape from the creatures, his uniform covered in scorch marks. Jedi Pink attacked the putties, blasting each of them with her recovered blade blaster. Many of the putties fell back, giving Jedi Black enough room to roll to safety. "Zhane, are you okay?"

"I think so," Jedi Black murmured as Jedi Pink slowly helped him to his feet. He turned to look at Jedi White, Jedi Pink supporting him as he turned. They looked just in time to see Jedi White being knocked down. The two ranger stared at each other before running over to help their falling companion. Jedi Pink shot her blaster just as Scorpina leapt forward to slash at Jedi White. She shrieked as the blast hit her, burning the uncovered skin on her side. The rangers regrouped as Scorpina stumbled, holding her side in pain.

"This isn't over rangers," she threatened, still clutching her side protectively. "This planet will be destroyed next time."

With that last threat, Scorpina disappeared in a cloud of smoke. As soon as she had gone, Jedi Black fell to the ground in exhaustion. Jedi Pink ran to his side, concern replacing the adrenaline that had once filled her body. Jedi White looked around and, seeing no one, said,

"C'mon. Let's get back to the Control Center." With that, the rangers disappeared in white, black, and pink streaks of light.

~*~

As the rangers appeared in the Control Center, Jedi Black instantly demorphed. Zhane stared at the other rangers briefly before slowly getting up. He did not get far, though, as he fell against one of the counsels. Jedi Pink and Jedi White quickly demorphed, rushing over to their fallen comrade.

"Zhane, what's wrong?" Kat asked as she grabbed hold of his arm gently and led him to the medical chamber. She laid him down on a cot, Justin watching them closely. Kat gasped as she saw his face for the first time. Zhane's face was a pasty white, as if all of his blood had slowly drained from it. Dark rings circled his eyes and his eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at her. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the cot in a dead faint. Kat could only stare down at Zhane as Justin grabbed a medical scanner from the nearby shelf.

"What's wrong with him Justin?" Kat asked, her voice strangely calm as she stared down at Zhane. Justin glanced at her, surprised by the pain that was evident in her eyes. He quickly walked over to Zhane, scanning him with the medical scanner. As the readings came up, Justin looked at the results in shock.

Kat looked at him in alarm, grasping his arm. "What's wrong? What's wrong with him?" An unnatural silence filled the medical chamber as Justin could only stare at the readings. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Justin tore his gaze away form the scanner and looked at Kat.

"If the readings are correct, then Zhane is slowly losing power. If he loses too much..." Justin broke off in the middle of the sentence as he looked away from Kat. Kat's blue eyes filled with horror as she saw the emotions that were conflicting on Justin's face.

"Justin, tell me," she whispered, her voice somewhat strangled by the emotions that choked her throat. He finally looked up at her, pain, sorrow, and fear evident in his eyes.

"If he loses too much, not only will he lose his powers but he would eventually...die," Even though the last word was barely above a whisper, it sounded to Kat as is Justin had yelled it out for the whole world to hear. A shaking hand flew to her mouth as she leaned heavily against one of the shelves. Justin leaned forwards, clumsily grasping her hand. "I'm sorry Kat. I know how close you two are..."

"Justin...not now." Kat whispered, her voice strained as she tried to hold back her tears. "Right now, we have to find a way to help him. We have to find a cure."

Justin nodded, glancing briefly at the scanner that still lay in his hand. "I'll be back in a little while. I want to run a few more tests on the readings I took. Then I'll probably run through his history to see if he's ever lost his powers before. Watch over him while I'm gone."

Kat nodded as she watched Justin walk of the room, a small sense of pride resounding deep within her as she saw how calmly and rationally he was able to handle the situation. Her throat tightened up again as his words came back to her. Grabbing a nearby chair, she dragged it over to the cot where Zhane was laying. She sat down, slowly reaching for Zhane's hand. She stared at him, wincing at the paleness of his face.

"You have to be alright Zhane," she whispered, leaning closer to him as if trying to get him to hear her. "You can't leave yet. Not after everything that you've survived over the last couple years." Her tears began to flow slowly down her face, reflecting off the lights. Kat wiped her hand across her face, smearing the tears. Silence filled the room as she stared at him, the silence almost threatening to suffocate her. I...I just can't take the silence right now. I need to hear something.

She slowly stood up, not taking her eyes off of Zhane. Out of pure chance, she opened a cabinet and found a small cd player in it. Next to the cd player was a small cd case. In it she found a large group of cds, each labeled according. She flipped through and was surprised to find a single cd labeled, Kat's mix. She stared at it for a few minutes, a sad smile crossing her face as she realized they were Justin's group of cds. She put the cd in and quickly shuffled back to Zhane. As she sat back down, the music began to play. She froze as she recognized the tune that was playing. The song drew her back five years ago, back when things were normal.

All I am, all I'll be
Everything in this world
All that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes
Shining at me

She remembered that song. Back then, it was just a song that she had enjoyed listening too. Now, the song meant much more to her.

A slight smiled crossed her face as she stared down at Zhane. Memories of their imprisonment came to her. But they weren't the painful memories. Instead, she remembered the memories that had kept her together until her escape. Everytime I thought that I was done with, he was there. His eyes held hope that at times, I really didn't think I had anymore. Everytime I looked at him, I could feel his hope, even though it slowly began to dim as the years passed. But that's all I needed. All I needed where the emotions that he managed to show me just by looking at me.

When you smile I can feel
All my passion unfolding

Even now, I can tell what he feels, just by looking at his eyes. And when he smiles...I want to just throw myself into his arms. Shock filled her as Kat stared at Zhane, conflicting emotions running through her. What's going on? I'm in love with Tommy, aren't I?

Kat's forehead wrinkled just a bit as a sudden thought came to her. Zhane and I are just friends...aren't we? It's just that everytime I'm around him, it feels so right. I know that I love Tommy but...is it the kind of love that I think it is?

Your hand brushes mine
And a thousand sensations
Seduce me 'cause I
I do cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice

Kat reached down gently and pushed the stray hairs out of Zhane's eyes. What is going on here? Tommy is the one that I love! Not Zhane. Tommy, not Zhane. Tommy. At least, I think.

I will love you still
From the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control

You can say that again. Suddenly, I'm so confused! When I saw Tommy after a long five years, I felt like the giddy teenager that went out with him during high school. But after our argument, I don't know where we stand anymore. When I'm with Zhane, I feel..well, I don't know what I feel. she thought as she glanced over at the cd player. But even if I do have feelings for him, he and Karone mean a lot to each other. I think.

I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much
I do

Realization hit her with the force of a truck. I love Zhane. I love everything about him from his sense of humor to his undying hope. Yes, I still love Tommy, but it's different. I'm different. Both of us have changed too much for anything to really work out between us. Both of us have begun to grow in different directions, just as he and Kim did years ago.

If my world, before you
I lived outside my emotions
Didn't know where I was going
'Til that day I found you

Before Kanara and before I got to know Zhane, everything was so different. I was studying to be an elementary teacher and I was teaching ballet to young beginners. Tommy and I were happily together and the prospect of marriage had come up a few times. I wanted to settle down in one place and be close to my friends and family. But now, after all that has happened, my plans have changed. I don't know if I want to be a teacher anymore. Instead of staying in one place, I want to explore. Zhane told me so much about space and his home planet of KO-35 that I want to see everything with my own eyes. I want to be out there, watching the birth of stars and the growing of planets. And most of all, I want to be with Zhane. Maybe even forever.

How you opened my life
To a new paradise
In a world torn by change
Still with all my heart
'Til my dying day

Everything is different now. Everything. The world has changed so much in just five years, that I don't know if I can catch up with all of it. If it wasn't for Zhane I would by totally lost in this new world. And - and......I don't want him to ever leave me.

I do cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will love you still
From the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much
Yes I do
If you're asking do I love you this much
Yes I do cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will love you still
From the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much
Baby I do

As the music slowly wound down, Kat made no move to turn the cd player off. A new song came on, and though she recognized the tune, she paid no attention to it. Instead, she leaned closer to Zhane struggling with the emotions that were now raging through her.

"Zhane, you can't leave me," she whispered, her throat beginning to close up once again. "After all that we've been through together, you can't leave now. You have done so much over the last couple years while we were under Kanara's rule. I don't want to...and I can't...live without you."

She was about to say more when Zhane slowly started to move. Her dim hope suddenly filled her, excitement filled her hands as she gripped his hand carefully. "Zhane? Are you okay?"

"I feel like I was just run over by the Megaship," Zhane groaned weakly as he opened his eyes to look at her. He struggled to sit up, but was quickly but gently pushed back down by Kat.

"I don't think so," Kat ordered, talking softly. "You took some pretty hard hits out there and you shouldn't be getting up already." Zhane rolled his eyes as he gave a sigh of defeat.

"Yes, mother," he sighed sarcastically, pouting slightly. Kat burst into strained giggles as she saw the look on his face. He favored her with a slow smile, watching as her eyes twinkled with merriment, relief, and a little bit of fear.

She's so gorgeous, Zhane thought as he looked at up her. But she already has someone, someone who will never want to lose her. I wish I had seen her first. I would do so much just to be with her...

Kat's laughter died away slowly as she noticed Zhane looking up at her intensely. Their eyes locked with each other, neither of them realizing that they were slowly drifting closer to each other. All they saw were the naked emotions that lay in each other's eyes. They reflected the same confusion, fright, and, most of all, love. Kat gently closed her eyes as she felt Zhane's lips touch her. He carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. The world around them no longer mattered as long as they were together.

~*~

"Life signs are increasing!"

"Brain patterns are becoming more rapid."

"Get ready to release him from the chamber." The head doctor ordered as he and the small group of doctors surrounded Andros' tube. Every moment brought the former ranger closer to life as his signs began to improve. The doctors worked quickly but carefully as they prepared to bring the ranger back into the world. They were so absorbed in bringing him back that none of them noticed the security guard that rushed into the room.

"Doctor Stevens!" he called in alarm, his breath coming in short gasps. The surprised doctors all turned around, their work halted by their surprise. The head doctor, Doctor Stevens, hurried over to the guard, wanting to get back to work.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice demanding an answer immediately. The guard took a few deep breaths in order to control his heavy breathing.

"A huge fire has broken out in sector five of the tunnels. They need all the doctors there they can get because there were many people when the fire started." the security guard explained. Doctor Stevens nodded and turned to the others. The other doctors looked at him expectantly, ready to be sent.

"All of you go to sector five immediately to help out over there. If the fire is as bad as it sounds, they're going to need all the help they can get. If not, I want all of you to get back here as soon as possible. I'll take care of things here while you take care of sector five." The doctors looked as if they were going to argue with him, but instead they followed the guard out of the room. As soon as they were done, the head doctors walked back over to Andros. But this time, instead of using his equipment to help the ranger, he dropped everything to the ground. A slow, wicked smile crossed his face as he stared at the ranger. "Stupid people. It was all too easy."

A flash of light lit up the crypt and when it disappeared, Scorpina appeared. The doctor looked around and instead of looking afraid and shocked by the sudden appearance of one of Rita's henchmen, he greeted her as if she was an old friend.

"Has the plan worked?"

The doctor nodded as he walked over to Scorpina. "As easy as Rita said it would. For once, she actually came up with a well-thought out plan. Now, the ex-ranger is ours for the taking!"

A flash of gold light covered the doctor and when it disappeared, Goldar stared back at Scorpina. "And the rangers never suspected a thing."

"Why would they? After all, Doctor Stevens has been a part of the resistance ever since the tunnels were built. It never occurred to them that the doctor would be evil. Especially when there was no one present at his 'accidental' death," Scorpina said, a smirk as evil as Goldar crossing her face. Goldar nodded in agreement, the two walking over to Andros.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his finger poised above the button to open the tube. Scorpina nodded and, with a touch of his finger, the tube opened. Andros fell forward, being caught by the henchmen just before he hit the ground.

"With the power that Rita has stored over the last five years, there should be enough to fill him," Scorpina growled, tilting her head towards Andros. Suddenly, a small moan escaped Andros' lips and he shifted slightly in their arms. Goldar looked at Scorpina in alarm.

"We have to get him back to Rita before he wakes up!" Goldar exclaimed. Scorpina nodded and in three flashes of light, they disappeared from the chamber, leaving nothing but an empty tube and the notes of the real Dr. Stevens.

~*~

Far away from the planet of Earth on the small planet of Tatooine, a middle-aged woman slowly stood up from her small table. Her dusty brown hair was slightly streaked with shades of gray, though they were hidden by the dust. A weary but hopeful look was on her face as she put her dishes into the sink. She glanced a worn chair at the other end of the table, a wistful but sad look crossing her face. Thoughts of her only son filled her mind, threatening to overtake her. Memories that she had pushed away earlier that day so she could get her work done flew back at her. She looked away from the chair and closer her eyes, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. She walked out of the room but instead of walking into her bedroom, she slowly made her way into the one next to hers. It was a very cramped room with nothing but a small bed in the corner, a work bench in the middle, and an almost completed droid standing in the corner. Pieces and parts of old machines and droids littered the room, some pieces even laid on the bed.

I miss him so much, she thought as she walked over the slumping droid. Even though I know that his destiny doesn't lie on this planet with me, I can't help but missing him. She stared at the droid for a moment before pushing a small button on its back. In an instant, the droid immediately came to life and stood up on its own.

"Good evening miss," the droid said primly. "I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. How may I..."

"Hello See-Threepio," the interrupted, smiling slightly at the talkative droid. "How are you today?"

"Oh, hello Shmi." See-Threepio replied, a bit offended at being interrupted. "I am fine. Just a little drafty, since Master Skywalker never finished my casting. If only my casting was done, it would make standing here so much easier. I can't believe that I didn't even notice until that rude little droid pointed it out to me. Hmmp, naked indeed. That little droid was just jealous of my superior workmanship." Shmi Skywalker only shook her head, smiling at him.

"So I take it you want someone to finish your casting, huh?" she asked.

"Oh yes. It would be lovely if I could have my casting done." Shmi nodded and sat down at her son's workbench. See-Threepio looked at her in alarm as she began to work with the casting that Anakin had started, but hadn't finished. "Miss, what are you doing?"

"You said you wanted your casting done, and I haven't worked at Watto's for all those years and not learned anything about casting." she explained as she set to work. See-Threepio watched in interest as her hands worked quickly, but diligently at the task. Time began to fly by as Shmi was able to shape the casting into the form of See-Threepio. Even as she worked, her mind began to focus more on her son then the task at hand. Sighing slightly, she put the casting down.

"Why are you stopping miss?" the droid asked. "That piece was looking quite nice."

"I miss him, See-Threepio." she sighed as she looked at the droid.

"Master Skywalker?" he asked. Shmi nodded as she looked around his room. "Well, sitting here with me won't help at all. After all, he did create me. You should take a bit of a break. Don't worry about me. You've done much for me today, after all." Shmi smiled up at him as she looked over her work.

"I did, didn't I?" she asked. As she looked over See-Threepio, she studied her casting work. His head was completely casted, as was his entire chest area, both of his arms, and down to this knees. "I don't have much more to do. I think I might be able to finish up with you tonight."

See-Threepio gave his own sigh of relief. "Oh good. I was afraid that my casting might never be finished now that Master Skywalker is away with his training." Shmi Skywalker nodded as she sadly thought about her son's departure.

"I know that this is what he wants to be, but I miss him so much." she said. "I'm glad he's off of this planet and he's not in slavery anymore, but I miss him so much. It was so hard to let Annie go. But he really wants to become a Jedi, and I can't stand in the way of his dreams."

"He must become what he wants of become." See-Threepio said quietly. Shmi nodded, then turned back to him.

"Yes, he has his own dreams that he needs to live out. I don't want him to become like me." Shmi whispered sadly. Silence passed through the room as Shmi closed her eyes. Shaking it away, she opened her eyes and turned back to See-Threepio, giving him a shadow of a smile. "Come on. We have to finish the casting on your legs." Again, she began to mold the casting into the shape of the droid. As she got to his last leg, she smiled as she picked up the last piece.

"We're almost done," she said, working the final piece of casting into it's shape. "Then you don't have to worry about being drafty anymore."

See-Threepio seemed to smile as he stared at the casting that was slowly being molded into the shape of his leg. "That will be nice, miss. I was hoping that I would be completely someday soon."

"Well, it's a good thing that I came in, now isn't it?" she asked the droid, slowly shaping the casting. She took the final piece and placed it on the droid's leg, pushing it into place. She leaned back and looked at the final product, pride filling her as she looked at her son's now-finished creation.

"You really are a piece of work. I don't think Annie realized how incredible his skills are."

But before See-Threepio could answer, a laser beam flew into the room, missing Shmi by mere inches. Both of them turned towards the door, and looked in shock at the white troopers that stood in the doorway. Shmi ran over to See-Threepio and glared at the troopers, her own determination pulling through. Anakin had gotten his determination and stubbornness right from his mother and See-Threepio could now see why.

"What do you want?" What do you think you're doing here?" she demanded, glaring daggers at the troopers. But the troopers ignored her, instead looking around the room as they pointed laser guns directly at her and See-Threepio. "Answer me!"

"They have more important things to do then listen to a slave like you." The troopers quickly moved out of the doorway as a young woman slowly walked into the room, inspecting her surroundings with a disgusted look on her face. Her shoulder length hair, complete with purple streaks, glowed slightly under the light coming from the window. Her black leather bodysuit was studded with silver metal and she wore three inch high leather boots on her feet. She glared at Shmi with purple eyes, distaste for the woman obvious in her eyes. "After all, they take orders from me."

"Who are you?" Shmi demanded, panic slowly rising as she saw the laser on the girl's belt. The girl smirked at her as she pulled out the laser, bringing it even with Shmi's chest.

"My name is wasted on dirt like you," Kanara spat out, staring at the worn clothes and the shabby blankets. "In simple terms, I am your destruction."

With that, Kanara shot the laser at Shmi, hitting her once in the chest. With a look of disbelief and horror on her face Shmi slowly sank to the ground, her life force slowly draining away from her. Kanara walked over to Shmi and knelt down besides her. "Don't worry, Shmi. I'll take good care of Anakin for you."

Her heart gave one final strong lurch as thoughts of Anakin came to Shmi's mind. As her eyes unfocused, she silently asked the Jedi to watch over her son and to keep him from the girl. She silently said goodbye to her son, telling him of her love one last time. She closed her eyes and her spirit left her body completely. The girl stood up, smirking as she turned to the cowering droid.

"Take him with us," she ordered. The stormtroopers ran over and grabbed the trembling droid, slightly scuffing his new molding. "He might come of some use to us." She began to walk towards the doorway but turned back one last time to look at one of the stormtroopers.

"If he gets away, you'll pay with your life."

"Yes Kanara," answered the stormtrooper, his fear radiating off of him. Kanara nodded in satisfaction and walked out of the room, her small group of stormtroopers following her closely.

This is much more fun then sneaking around. Screw that Darth Sidis or whatever the hell his name is. Moving with force in the open is much better than sneaking around. A cruel smile crossed her face as she headed out into the waning light of day. And this way, I can hurt the Jedi even more.

Introduction and Prologue | Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Epilogue