Earthsiege
by Rain Fletcher

This, it turned out, was easily accomplished. The Rangers simply let the lions go into automatic feeding mode (clearing away the considerable wreckage before any could fall into the atmosphere), retired to their respective crew quarters, and crashed hard. It would take more than one good rest to recover from their exertions, but this would be a good start.

And so it was that when Billy next awakened, he found himself in the pilot's quarters of the Yellow Lion, not to mention in the most enviable position of waking up in Katherine's arms. For a while, he just let himself enjoy the warmth and comfort of her presence. This was a first for him, without question, waking up next to the woman he loved, and he found it a feeling he could certainly enjoy getting used to.

After a while, though, he realized that he needed to get some things taken care of, and there was no sense waking Katherine to do so. He carefully slipped out of her arms and pushed himself up off the large pilot's bunk. He didn't really want to leave her here by herself, but he would probably need to do this work from the cockpit.

Then, a gentle nudge from Toth reminded him that this was not necessary. There was a computer terminal here in the pilot's quarters, and he could probably access anything he needed from here.

Thanking Toth silently, he took a seat at the pilot's desk and went to work. The tabletop was itself a touch-sensitive computer, and he tapped in a few commands to get access to the communications array. They needed to get back to Earth eventually, and Billy wanted to know what to expect once they got down there.

Toth's ears brought in a series of silent television broadcasts from Angel Grove, and as expected, there were currently two news stories airing regarding the revelation of the Power Rangers' identities. Billy hadn't been too surprised when Tommy told him about this part: after all, Haggar had promised revenge when she'd been defeated on the Skybase. Billy had to wonder if Haggar had known that leaking their identities would have the added effect of stripping the Power from them. She was probably having a good laugh about it somewhere.

It then occurred to him that he should check his e-mail. He hadn't been home in a couple of weeks, and the messages were bound to have piled up. Toth's sophisticated communications array took only seconds to negotiate with Billy's domain system back home, and before long, he had access to his mailbox, where about a dozen messages were waiting.

The first few were from classmates and even a professor who were wondering where he'd disappeared to since the invasion. Another three were from various news services he subscribed to, so he saved those to read later. One of them even apologized for having been delayed by the damage to continental phone services. Billy smiled at this: even with global communications at a modern-age low, nothing could kill the Internet.

The last four messages had arrived in the past twelve hours. Two were from classmates, and said, essentially, "We just saw the news and... that was you, wasn't it?" Billy sighed, as he'd been expecting this. He was frankly surprised that there weren't already more of these messages.

The next, he saw, was from his father.

Mail From: mitchell@cresta.ait.edu
No fewer than twenty different members of my research team have called or approached me in the last six hours, and all of them have been asking the same thing: "Is that your son?"
What you may not know is that I have suspected this for quite some time. When it first occurred to me, I thought of the possibility of intervening, but you're too much like your mother: once you have a cause to fight for, nothing will shake you from it.
What you also may not know is that you have always made me proud, William, but I have never been more proud of you than I am now. No doubt I am going to be fielding many more questions about you and your cause very soon, but I will simply tell them that any father would be proud to have a son like you.

A pair of hands appeared at Billy's shoulders, then, and began a gentle massage that nearly made him dissolve into a puddle. "Oh. Oh, I'm giving you just two hours to stop that, I mean it."

"Silly," Katherine laughed. "I thought you could use it."

"Definitely. Just so long as I get to return the favor."

"That would be nice. As comfortable as these pilot's chairs are, my back is one huge knot after all this. And you do give great backrubs."

"It's all those books on human anatomy for Bio," Billy smiled, then winced as she caught a particularly tight spot. "Just a matter of knowing where to put the hands."

She did not reply to this, and after a while, Billy looked up to see that she was giving him a curious smile. "Oh, really?" she said, once she had his eyes.

"C'mere," Billy whispered, putting his arms out to her. She came around and settled herself on his lap so that they could put their arms around each other.

"I love you very, very much," he said quietly.

"And I love you," she smiled. "I can't tell you how happy it made me to hear you say that last night."

"After all the times we kept talking about how we'd find time to talk about it later, I hoped that just saying I loved you... well... let's just say I hoped it wouldn't be a let-down after all the dramatic build-up."

"Oh, you," she laughed, placing her forehead against his.

He paused a long time to collect his thoughts before pressing on. "And as for the rest... Are you okay with that?"

She looked into his eyes for a while, then nodded silently.

"I don't know if I was making any sense last night," Billy admitted.

"We have both been under a lot of stress," she nodded.

"Of course. I... just didn't want to rush into anything. Not meaning that I didn't want... you, of course, just... not yet, not under these circumstances. I wasn't sure if I was able to get a coherent meaning across."

"You did," she assured him.

"I want to enjoy every new thing about this," Billy went on. "I want to cherish every first. This was the first time I ever woke up to find you next to me, and it was incredible."

She gave him a humored smile. "And this is the first time I ever awakened to find you at the computer, though I have a feeling it may not be the last."

"Sorry," he blushed.

"Only teasing, silly," she chuckled, giving him a small peck on the lips. "So what are you up to, anyhow?"

"Just checking e-mail," he told her, reaching around her to advance to the next message. "Hey, here's one from Ernie!"

"I didn't know Ernie had e-mail."

"I set him up with a webpage and e-mail account for the youth center a while ago," Billy explained.

Mail From: ernie@agyc.com
You know, I always knew there was something about you and your friends. A lot of things suddenly make more sense now, and I've been kicking myself for never putting it together before now. You kids did good, and you did us all proud. I'm not sure why you picked now to come out and tell the world, but I'm sure you had good reason.
I know there's nothing anyone can really do to pay you back for saving the world, but I'll tell you what. Give me a call if you can, and I'll set up a private party after-hours for you and anyone else you'd like to bring. I promise not to tell anyone else about it. No news, no authorities, and you guys can blow off as much steam as you need to. I figure it's the least I can do.
You did good, Billy. Tell the others I said so.

"Oh, that's sweet," Katherine smiled as she read it.

"Yeah, Ernie's one of a kind."

She looked over at Billy and raised her eyebrows. "Do you think we should take him up on his offer?"

Billy's smile became gradually wider. "Let's see what the others think when they wake up. In the meantime, don't I owe you a backrub?"

"I won't say no to that."

Post-Siege, day two
Muriel was just about to turn the information desk over to Sophia when a delivery man with long, somewhat shaggy black hair came through the front doors of the dormitory carrying a huge bouquet of red roses. He looked around for a few moments, then approached the desk.

"(May I help you, sir?)" she asked.

He gave her a blank look. "Uh, look, I'm really sorry, but I don't speak French. Do you speak English?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, surprised that a local florist would employ anyone who didn't speak the language. There was something familiar about him beneath the sunglasses and high-collar coat he was wearing, though.

"Cool. Are you Muriel? I don't have a last name, just Muriel at the front desk."

Muriel exchanged glances with Sophia. "Yes, I'm Muriel."

"These are for you, then," he nodded, setting the roses down on the desktop. "Sign, please?"

Still in mild shock at this, Muriel signed his notepad at the indicated line, after which he gave her an expressive grin and was on his way.

"(Who are they from?)" Sophia asked, looking at Muriel with huge eyes. Her features then fell. "(I hope it isn't Louis trying to get you back.)"

"(Louis would never have thought to send roses,)" Muriel remarked, searching through the flowers for a card. Once she found it, she carefully opened and read it. It was also in English, she noticed, and she felt her heart jump as she read it.

Chere Muriel-
Thanks for your help last week. Whether you know it or not (and you might), you did us all a great big favor, and all of us are very grateful. Even though we met on business, the pleasure was all mine.
-M. Bulk
(p.s. If you want to say hello, just follow that delivery guy!)

"(What does it say?)" Sophia asked, trying to get a look.

Muriel stared at the card for a moment, then suddenly remembered where she'd seen the delivery man's face before. "(Sophia, I have to go.)"

"(What's the matter?)" Sophia asked as Muriel scooped up the flowers and headed for the door.

"(Nothing at all,)" Muriel grinned back at her, then hurried outside.

She caught sight of the delivery man heading off between two of the outer dorm houses, so she took off running after him. She was almost upon him when he turned a corner behind one of the large buildings. She hurried after him, and literally ran into a larger shape as she whipped around the corner. The roses went flying as she was sent sprawling by the impact.

"Muriel!" she heard, and then Bulk was there, extending one hand to help her up.

She looked up at his broad, smiling face, then at the face of the "delivery man," and she gasped. "It was you!" she laughed. "Mon Dieu, it was!"

"I take it you understood what I meant in the note, then?" Bulk asked.

She nodded. "When I saw a replay of the announcement, I recognized your face, and I heard 'Bulk' as part of your name, so I thought it had to be you. You were here working for the Power Rangers?"

Bulk exchanged glances with the other young man. "Well, that's one of the things I was hoping to talk to you about. Remember how I came here looking for three people, and how I hitched a ride with your roommate all the way down to the Riviera just to catch them?"

She nodded. "I remember. Were they other allies of yours?"

"Yeah, they were. Um... have you told anyone else about this?"

"Non, I did not. It did not seem right to do so. Aside from which, who would believe me?"

"Good. See, it's really important that no one else finds out about their connection with all of this."

"I promise, I'll keep it to myself," she smiled. She then looked down to where she'd dropped the half-crushed bouquet as she'd run into him. She quickly reached to pick it up. "Merci pour les fleurs," she said, somewhat embarrassed by the condition of them.

"You're welcome," he smiled back, looking a bit nervous. "Um, by the way, this is my best friend Skull. Skull, this is Muriel."

"Pleased to meetcha," Skull smiled, taking her hand and kissing it. Bulk glared at him.

"Enchante," she nodded to him. She then looked at Bulk. "So... now that I'm sworn to secrecy, will I ever see you again?"

"Actually," Bulk said, looking more nervous now, "we're having a little party back in Angel Grove for all the Rangers and their friends, and I was wondering if you'd... like to come?"

"Oh, I'd love to! But how would we get to America from here? There are still no flights."

Bulk and Skull exchanged knowing looks. "Let's just say that flying over won't be a problem," Bulk nodded.

~*~

Billy spent much of the gathering sitting off to one side, resting. He was still fairly weak from his brief hibernation, and needed a little bit of time to take it easy. From here, he had an unparalleled view of all of his friends as they danced, caught up with one another's lives, explained things to somewhat glassy-eyed parents, and just enjoyed one another's presence. A few short weeks ago, Billy would have felt disconnected from this vantage, as though he were still on the outside looking in. Now, no such thoughts crossed his mind.

His eyes found Katherine, who was having a somewhat animated conversation with her parents, with Tanya close by to give her backup. That seemed to be going well enough. Scanning the room, he found that Kimberly and Tommy were still dancing, as expected. The song currently playing was an upbeat dance tune, but they were slow-dancing anyway, lost in one another again. Over by the main counter, Skull was chatting with a stunned Detective Stone, and as Billy watched, Aisha drifted past, reached out, and gave Skull's hand a squeeze before moving on. Skull smiled at her with an expression that was right on the borders of shy. Zack, Trini and Jason were in what appeared to be a very secretive discussion, occasionally casting glances toward where Tanya and Kat were standing. Billy laughed to himself. It was obvious from the position of outside observer that Zack had become quite taken with Tanya in an awful hurry, but of course Adam might have something to say about that. Also seated at the long counter were Bulk and Muriel. Bulk seemed to be entertaining her with stories of his service aboard the Black Lion, pointing out different members of the team as he narrated. At one point he indicated Billy, and Billy waved back as Muriel looked over at him with wide eyes.

At length, Katherine and Tanya joined him, having left Katherine's parents to talk with the Olivers. "Feeling antisocial?" Kat asked, sitting down beside him and taking his hand. Tanya rolled her eyes and took a seat opposite Billy.

"Not at all," he smiled, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. Tanya gave this an even more exaggerated eye-rolling, but she was smiling. "I'm just watching for future developments, that's all."

Kat raised her eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

"We've got a large number of questions that remain to be answered, not the least of which being 'What do we do next?'" Billy elaborated. "I'm trying to get a feel for it."

"I bet you've already got plans," Tanya nodded.

"I do, but they might not come to anything, depending on how everyone feels now that the big push to save the world is over. Take Skull, for instance. Do you see the way he's talking to Detective Stone?"

Katherine and Tanya followed his gaze. "Stone's looking a bit skeptical," Katherine noted.

"Yeah, and Skull has that quietly manic look he gets when he's got strong ideas," Billy went on. "He's with us no matter what we do. He's really excited about being a part of something this big, and I'll bet he's either giving his resignation to Stone or trying to convince him to come along for the ride. I think Bulk will follow Skull's lead on this one, which is a bit of a switch, and he's really trying to impress this Muriel of his."

"I can see that," Tanya nodded. "So what about Tommy and Kim? They haven't looked up for the last hour."

Billy looked the pair over. "My guess is that Tommy's going to have a lot of trouble with the idea of losing the Power, and Kim is going to be having trouble with the idea of her gymnastics career being over before it could begin properly. They'll be okay with one another for a while, but if they start trying to use one another to get over what they've lost, they're in for trouble. On a similar note, look at Adam and Rocky."

"They look like they're arguing," Katherine frowned.

Billy nodded. "Or at least having a heated discussion. Rocky's still feeling very angry and betrayed about losing the Power, and blames Zordon for that. He wants to try to fight it somehow, or try to make some kind of appeal to Zordon, but Adam's having doubts because he feels like he failed the team when he collapsed at the wheel."

As they watched, Rocky shook his head angrily and stalked off, oblivious to Adam's attempt to restrain him. Tanya immediately got to her feet. "I'd better see what this is all about," she said. "I'll be right back."

Billy gazed thoughtfully after her. "I feel even more badly for her," he noted to Katherine. "The way I hear it, she really came into her own as a leader and tactician when Tommy was knocked out in combat, and now she probably feels she'll never have the chance to prove herself again."

"Are you sure you didn't switch to majoring in Psychology?" Katherine asked him.

"This has nothing to do with study. It has to do with knowing most of these people as long as I have, and having watched most of them in action at one time or another. This last year, stuck in the Power Chamber, I had a lot of time to think about things like this."

"Then the question still stands. What do we do now?"

"I have some ideas, but it's not all up to me."

The song that had been playing ended, to be followed by a track from the new Journey album. "Oh, I love this band," Kat whispered. She then stood and held both hands out for Billy. "Are you too tired to share a dance?" she smiled.

"Never," he laughed, pulling himself to his feet with her help.

"Fair eve to theeself," she chuckled. "So what were you and Lieutenant Stone talking about?"

"Well, officially it's detective Stone now," he corrected her.

"Right. Sorry, I'm still feeling really out of touch here."

"Oh, you haven't been gone that long," Skull replied, waving aside the comment.

"Longer than you think," she sighed.

Skull furrowed his brow in an almost comic look of confusion. "'Splain, please?"

Aisha took a long drink of her smoothie and tried to think of a way to broach the subject. "You remember Rita and Lord Zedd, right?"

"I think everyone in Angel Grove remembers them," Skull nodded.

"And of course you know about the Machine Empire, considering that we just helped take them down."

"All true."

"Well, not too long before the Machine Empire arrived, there was a time when Rita's father came to Earth and tried to help Rita and Zedd take over. It was right after Kim left the team, and right before I left. His name was Master Vile."

"I remember Master Vile," Skull nodded. "He disappeared the same time the Machine Empire came to town, just like Rita and Zedd, right?"

"Right. Well, what you may not remember is that Master Vile figured out a way to warp time backwards, and everyone was de-aged by about eight years. That way, the Power Rangers were out of commission, since we were too young to properly hold the powers. Billy figured out a way to reverse the process on himself, but at the same time our power coins were destroyed."

"Ouch," Skull winced. His expression indicated that he was trying very hard to follow Aisha's brief explanation, and seemed to be doing okay so far.

"The Alien Rangers came to Earth then and helped us out while the rest of us kid rangers went out looking for the pieces of the Zeo Crystal."

"The new source of the Rangers' powers?" Skull asked.

"Exactly."

"So who are the Alien Rangers?"

Aisha looked him in the eyes for a moment, then nodded. "I figured you wouldn't remember."

"Why's that?"

"I'm getting to that."

"Ah. Then do please continue, dear lady."

She smiled at his affected tone. "I had to go to Africa to find my part of the crystal, but that was when I found out about the plague that was affecting the wildlife. That was also when I met Tanya, and when I decided to stay and help her family, she took the crystal shard and came back to Angel Grove. I guess once they got the crystal together, it brought time back to the way it was supposed to be, and no one remembered any of it happening except those of us who'd been involved with bringing the pieces of the crystal back."

Skull nodded very slowly, and then the light gradually dawned. "You know, right around that same time, I remember Bulk and I were kicking around, minding our own business, and then suddenly we were at the playground, on the swings, with no idea how we got there. I figured somebody must have slipped us a mickey in our smoothies and that we both blacked out. Maybe that was when time got reset."

"That could be," Aisha nodded.

He nodded along with her, obviously waiting for her to continue. When she said nothing, he fixed her with another puzzled look. "And this has to do with why you feel out of touch becaaaause..?"

"Because my decision to stay in Africa altered history slightly. Once time reset itself, Tanya grew up back here in Angel Grove, while I grew up and lived with my family in Africa. So what that means is that I have all the memories of living in Angel Grove until age seventeen, and then all the memories of growing up in Nairobi and in the wilds. I still remember being a Power Ranger, but it's as though it all happened nine years ago. My parents don't remember living here: as far as they're concerned, we moved to Nairobi when I was nine years old. Only the other Power Rangers remembered that I'd ever lived here at all."

"I remembered," Skull said, quietly.

Aisha studied his expression for a long moment. "But you shouldn't. As far as history's concerned, I never went to Angel Grove High School, and we should never have met. Only the other Power Rangers remembered."

"No, Bulk and I distinctly remembered you. It's funny, though: we used to wonder why it was that after you left, everyone just stopped talking about you. I guess it was because no one else at school remembered who you were. Wild. Maybe that's why Billy asked if me and Bulk remembered you before he sent me out to find you."

"But you're not Power Rangers!" Aisha said, shaking her head. "I never really thought about it, but you shouldn't have recognized me the other day. Why you and Bulk, and not anyone else outside the team?"

Skull then surprised Aisha by taking her hand and very gently kissing it. "Probably because some people are never to be forgotten, m'lady."

She tried to think of a flippant response to keep the mood light, but as she looked into his eyes she realized that he was being completely serious, or at least as much as he had ever been.

"Skull?" she asked, quietly.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to dance?"

"I would be honored, m'lady."

He still had her hand, so she pulled him up from his seat and led him out to the dance floor. As they danced, he gave her one of his patented quirky smiles. "So if you have both sets of memories, does this technically make you... twenty-five or so?"

"I guess. It was weird being a seventeen-year-old mind in a nine-year-old body, but I got by."

"Cool. So how do you feel about dating younger men?"

"Oh, you," she half-sighed and half-laughed, leaning her head against his shoulder. She saw Kat dancing with Billy a few feet away, and shot the other girl a wide smile.

"You never answered my question," she continued at length. "What were you and Lieu... I mean, Detective Stone talking about?"

"Future plans," Skull replied. "Now that I've had a taste of this whole hero thing, the rest of you are never gonna get rid of me."

"Good," Aisha said, very quietly.

"I was just thinking it might be nice for the good guys to have a contact like him: someone with a little military and law- enforcement background. That kind of thing. Do you think Billy and Tommy would go for that?"

"Probably. They've always liked him."

"So... what are your plans from here?" he asked. "Now that the Machine Empire's out of the way, are you going back to Kenya?"

"I... may need to think about that..." she whispered.

Rocky finally broke the silence. "We beat 'em. It nearly killed us all, but we won."

"Yeah, we did," Adam whispered.

"We should be happy about that," Tanya added, placing one hand on Rocky's shoulder. "It's over."

"But it's not over. You heard Billy tell us about what Klank said. Who knows how many of those planets Mondo conquered are gonna want to take us down? And now all we can do is just sit and watch while someone else tries to save the day. I'm not ready for it to be over."

"Rocky, we did our part!" Tanya insisted. "Pretty much everyone wants to save the world these days, but how many of us actually get the chance to actively do it? Being Power Rangers was an honor and a privilege, and we can't forget that."

"Zordon forgot about it pretty quick," Rocky said, darkly.

"Well, so what? So someone else will have to be the Power Rangers now. That doesn't change what we did, and it doesn't change who we are."

"There's still plenty of ways we can save the world, Rock," Adam nodded.

"That's easy for you to say. You've got the Red Lion."

"I had the Red Lion," Adam corrected him, putting some heat into his voice. "And to be honest, I only had the Red Lion because there was no one else there who could have flown it except Bulk and Skull, and they haven't had our training. Now that we've actually got some other choices, maybe someone else will end up flying it."

"The point is," Tanya went on, "not having powers doesn't mean you can't do anything for the cause. I mean, look at Billy! He's been without his powers for a year, and look at everything he did!"

"But I'm not Billy!" Rocky growled, stepping away from them. "I don't have his brains, or his way with machines! I can't build zords and weapons! I can't come up with plans to save the world! I'm just a fighter!"

"That's not true," Adam told his friend.

Rocky looked up at the sky again, and both Adam and Tanya were surprised to see that he was crying. "When we got the Zeo crystal, I remember thinking that Billy should have been the Blue Ranger instead of me. I knew it'd be better for the team to have him around. But I didn't say anything, because I couldn't handle not having powers anymore! I remember thinking better him than me, 'cause he didn't need his powers to help out, and I knew that if I didn't have powers, I'd be..."

"You'd be what?" Tanya asked, gently.

"Just another dumb punk kid," Rocky wept. "Bein' a Power Ranger, I was somebody. Now, I'm... nothing."

It was here that he finally broke down, but Tanya was there to put her arms around him and hold him close, and Adam was there for him to lean on. "That's where you're wrong, Rocky," Adam whispered. "Completely and totally wrong."

Jason, Trini and Zack drifted over to watch, as did Bulk, Muriel, and several of the adults present.

"...siege barely one day over, world governments are struggling to re-establish order. Scientists at NASA have stated that it will take at least three years to replace the dozens of satellites lost in the attack."

"Maybe we could throw in and help NASA out," Jason mused.

"Memorial services were held in Washington today in honor of those lives lost during the invasion. Tens of thousands gathered in Centennial Park to pay tribute, including the President and First Lady. In addressing the crowd, the President urged not only America, but the world, to take pride in this victory over the Machine Empire."

The picture switched to a somewhat static-washed view of the President speaking to the crowd (the picture quality being testament to the lack of good satellites), as the Vice-President, Speaker of the House and First Lady looked on. "We, as a nation... we, as the human race have suffered at the hands of those who would take from us the very world that sustains us. We have many pieces to pick up... many struggles to overcome in the days and weeks and months to come. Now is the time when we will need each other more than ever. I call upon the people of America... the people of all the world... to remember this as the day of our liberation, and remember always those brave young men and women who fought to save us all."

Bulk exchanged wide-eyed looks with the others. "Wow," was all he said.

From the President's speech, the televised image changed to footage from yesterday's encounter with the public outside the Power Chamber. Tommy and Kimberly led the way, arm in arm, while the others followed behind in their stoic procession. The local newscaster's voice accompanied the images. "Nothing more has been heard from the Power Rangers since their surprising televised message, and even more surprising appearance outside their mountaintop base yesterday. Among those seen were four of the five current Power Rangers, three of their proclaimed allies, and a number of unknown uniformed figures presumed to be the pilots of the giant lion-ships surrounding the base. Of Pink Ranger Katherine Hillard and team leader William Mitchell, however, there was no sign, and it has been speculated that these two may have been lost in the battle."

As the anchorwoman went on to describe local efforts to get Angel Grove back on its feet, Jason shook his head. "That's strange, man. It's weird to think of the President talking about us like that."

"What's so strange?" Ernie asked. "You kids are heroes."

"I think I know what you mean, Jase," Zack nodded. "After a while, it was like fighting the bad guys was just our job. It was what we did, and we didn't make a big deal out of it."

"It seems it was a big deal after all," Trini smiled at him. "In fact, it was about as big as it gets."

"We'll have time for lots of things," she grinned, leading him back to the sidelines, where they reclaimed their seats.

At this point, Tommy and Kimberly also abandoned the dance floor and drifted over toward the two of them, hand in hand. "You, ah..." Tommy started, then cleared his throat. "You two look good together."

"So do you," Katherine smiled back, making Tommy look away for a moment. Even holding hands with his one true love, Billy noticed, he still held onto his guilt, like always.

"We just wanted you to be the first to know," Kimberly went on. "We're... thinking of moving back to Florida, both of us."

"Yeah," Tommy affirmed. "We thought it might be a good idea to get away from Angel Grove after all that's happened."

"Ohhh, I'm sorry to hear that," Katherine said, with genuine sorrow.

"I wish you wouldn't," Billy added.

"It'd be one thing if we still had the Power Rangers, but now we don't even have that anymore," Kimberly sighed.

"That's not true," Billy disagreed, shaking his head.

Tommy brought over a couple of chairs, and he and Kimberly sat down opposite the other couple. "Why do you say that?" Tommy asked.

"Because we may not have the Power anymore, but we still have each other, not to mention Voltron."

"Are the lions staying, then?" Kimberly asked.

"Yes, at least until Arus becomes habitable again. And that won't be until well after our lifetimes."

"Yeah, but it looks like you guys have Voltron pretty well covered without us," Tommy shrugged.

"Who's got Voltron pretty well covered?" Jason asked, as he, Trini and Zack pulled up into the group conversation.

"All of you guys," Tommy said, vaguely gesturing to Jason and Katherine. "You handled things just fine up there."

"I would hardly call that a flawless performance," Kat grimaced.

"Yes, but we did all make it back," Trini reminded her, nodding and smiling at Billy.

"Are you guys planning to stick with it?" Tommy asked.

"Well... that was something we wanted to talk to everyone about..." Jason said, pulling up a chair for Trini, then himself. Zack gave his friend a sarcastic pout as he found a chair for himself.

"Did Zordon talk to you?" Billy asked.

Trini widened her eyes at him. "How did you know?"

"Educated guess," he shrugged. "It makes perfect sense that he would."

Jason nodded slowly. "He called the three of us over to the Power Chamber earlier today and asked if we wanted to join up as Power Rangers again."

"Did you accept?" Kat asked.

Zack shook his head. "I started giving him attitude again, like yesterday. He asked us to think about it, and we left."

"It doesn't seem right, somehow," Trini went on. "Logically, I can understand why none of you can hold the Power anymore, but..."

Jason finished for her. "But it still stinks. It would feel like we were benefitting from your misfortune."

Billy looked at Tommy, trying to gauge his reaction, but could sense nothing.

"But on the other hand," Zack admitted, "it's a tempting offer."

"I think you should take him up on it, if you want to," Billy said, making all eyes suddenly go to him. He glanced around the circle and nodded. "The world still needs the Power Rangers, even with Voltron here."

It was at this point that Skull and Aisha found their way into the outskirts of the conversation, having seen the gathering from where they had been dancing. Within moments, Bulk and Muriel joined them as well, standing beside the other couple.

"I'm not happy about what happened either," Billy went on, "but if Voltron and the Voltron Force are going to be a viable, working team here on Earth, it would be better to be closely allied with the Power Rangers than just sort of co-existing on the same planet. If we had a bunch of total strangers as Power Rangers, that might not be easy to accomplish, but with you there, we could all be part of the same team. Aside from which, I can't think of anyone I'd trust more with the job."

Jason nodded slowly, then looked over at Tommy. "Would you be okay with that, bro?"
"Of course I would!" Tommy half-smiled. "At least I'd know the team was in good hands."

"That would make three of us," Trini pointed out, looking at Zack to see if he agreed. When he finally nodded in assent, she went on. "That leaves two more, and it has to be two who weren't revealed on that broadcast."

"What about Aisha?" Kimberly asked, looking around the group to find the other girl. "You're still eligible, I guess."

Aisha widened her eyes. "Me? But... but I don't know if I could..."

Skull fixed her with a steady gaze. "You did it before, didn't you?"

She gave him a worried frown, then looked over her ring of friends, desperately trying to find Tanya in the crowd. The former Yellow Zeo Ranger was approaching the confab opposite her, with Adam and Rocky close behind. "I was just telling Skull about... The thing is, after what happened with Master Vile reversing time, then bringing it back, it feels like it's been nearly ten years since I was a Power Ranger. The same thing happened to Tanya." She motioned vaguely across the circle, hoping that Tanya would back her up on this.

Tanya nodded, crossing her arms. "Yeah, it's true. Sometimes I barely remember how life was back in Kenya."

"I... just don't want to be a liability," Aisha finished, shaking her head.

"I don't see that happening," Jason said. "I'll bet it'll be just like riding a bike. Once we're back in the armor for a few days, we'll probably be just as good as we ever were."

There was a long pause, as Aisha struggled with this, but at last she nodded. "If you really think I'm needed, of course I'll stay."

"And that," Billy said, suddenly turning back to Tommy and Kimberly, "is why I hope the two of you reconsider. "We're going to need all the help we can get with Voltron."

"Well, you only need five pilots, right?" Rocky asked. His voice was a bit rough, taking Billy somewhat off-guard. "There's more than five of us left."

"That's as may be, but we don't just need five pilots. We need all the people we can get! There was a time when each lion of Voltron had dozens of crew members. They can be flown by a single person, sure, but they're so much more effective if they each have a team of their own. I think any of us who have the drive and the ability should have a chance to work with the lions, and yes, that includes piloting them. I think it would behoove each of us to learn as much as we can from the lions and about the lions, because it's quite possible that we may one day be recruiting and training others to join us. To start with, though, we only have each other, and I'd rather keep this team together, if we can do it."

Kimberly and Tommy had both been staring at him during this impassioned speech, then they turned to one another. "Can we think about this?" Kimberly asked Billy.

"Of course you can," Billy laughed. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being pretty insistent here, but I think it's for a good cause. Look at this group we have here. With all of us together, think of all we can accomplish. There's going to be a lot more to this than just defending the world from invaders, too. We have a chance to help bring together a new beginning for the entire planet Earth."

Billy felt Katherine's hand close around his, and he looked over at her. She said nothing: simply gazed into his eyes and waited for him to continue.

"While I was in the Power Chamber during the siege, I had the radio playing the news almost constantly. One of the most amazing things about the entire crisis was that the world started pulling together against the common enemy. Maybe they didn't do it in the best of ways — given a little more time they probably would have launched the nukes and screwed up the whole works — but it was a start. We've got the ability now to help that along. In those five lions we've got access to technology that could change the face of the planet. Technology that could produce almost limitless energy with no environmental side effects. Technology that could irrigate deserts and help grow enough food to feed the world. Technology that could, theoretically, eliminate the need for war. It won't be easy, of course, and it would involve more politics than you can shake a stick at, but we've got some political experience between us now." He indicated Zack, Jason and Trini.

"But it's not just a matter of the Earth. During the time we've been Power Rangers, we've met a lot of enemies from space, but we've also made some good friends and allies, like the Rangers of Aquitar. They were here to help us, and we always said we'd return the favor. Why stop there, though? Why not find out who else is out there? Why not make as many friends as we can, and present a united front against people like Mondo, or Lord Zedd, or Planet Doom? We could have not only a unified Earth, but an entire galaxy alliance to stand against evil and oppression."

At this point, Billy started to feel a buzz in the back of his mind, similar to the feeling he got while holding Alth's key, and the words began pouring out. "King Alfor always hoped for something like this. He built Voltron mostly for defense, but also had exploration in mind. In time we won't just need fighters and defenders: we'll need adventurers and explorers to go out and find these new worlds. Maybe in time we can build a second Voltron, one intended more for exploration than defense, to complement the lions. One joined force made up of three exploration vessels: one to explore from the air, one from the land, one from the sea. And each of these three could be a combined force of its own, made up of a team of five smaller vessels. Then once things are a little more settled here on Earth, and the Power Rangers have the defense of this planet well in hand, the two Voltrons can go to work bringing together all the forces of good in this galaxy, and we can truly live up to the name 'Defenders of the Universe.'"

Billy blinked a few times as the rush of words ended, and looked around the circle to see that everyone in the room had come to listen, including Ernie, Detective Stone, and the Rangers' family members.

"Geez, Billy," Zack said at last. "You don't think small, do you?"

"When did you go and become a visionary on us?" Kimberly smiled at him.

"Let's just say that my trip to Planet Arus opened my eyes to some things," Billy shrugged. "If we want to keep up the good fight, we've got a lot of work ahead of us, and we'll need everyone we can get."

"Where do we start?" Katherine asked him.

"Oh, right here, I imagine. We still need to find a fifth Power Ranger for the time being."

"How about my brother David?" Tommy asked.

"How about Muriel?" Bulk asked, making Muriel stare slack- jawed at him.

"Hey, maybe Kijana?" Skull grinned, raising his eyebrows at Aisha.

"There's a guy named Carlos I met coaching soccer," Adam pointed out.

"Have any of you met this dude T.J. that just moved to town?" Rocky continued.
"Maybe you should bring up those suggestions with Zordon," Billy chuckled. "I'm sure he'll want to have something to do with the decision. In the meantime, I have every intention of starting work on establishing a home base for the Voltron Force as soon as possible. Who's with me?"

The teens cheered in response to Billy's question, and the crowd became a babble of excited conversation and making of plans. In the middle of it, Billy watched Tommy and Kimberly discussing things between themselves. Kimberly smiled and nodded to Tommy, who then turned to Billy. "We're with you, man."

Billy clasped Tommy's hand. "I'm glad to hear it."

Post-Siege, day four
NEW YORK (AP): Game five of the World Series took an interesting turn when a potentially catchable fly ball to the warning track was snagged out of the air by a fan in the front row, preventing Atlanta Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom from making what could have been an inning-ending catch. The fly ball was ruled a home run, despite protests from the Atlanta bench.

What caused a greater stir, however, was when the scoreboard crew relayed a live video image of the fan who caught the ball up onto the Jumbo-Tron scoreboard: the ball had been caught by none other than former Power Ranger Rocky DeSantos, who was attending the game alongside fellow former Power Rangers Adam Park and Tanya Sloan. As the crowd recognized DeSantos and his companions, game play was momentarily halted as all in attendance at Yankee Stadium gave the three Rangers a standing ovation for a full seven minutes. After shaking hands with a few dozen fans, the three quickly vanished from the scene to allow game play to continue. DeSantos later contacted the local news media to apologize for interrupting the game, which the Yankees eventually won in extra innings by the score of 5 to 4.

This was the first public appearance by any members of the Power Rangers since they announced their collective retirement at a press conference two days ago, and introduced the five new costumed heroes who would take their place. The identities of the five new heroes remain a guarded secret, which former field leader Tommy Oliver states would be best for all concerned parties. -PAUL HOOVER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Post-Siege, week three
Katherine and Billy did eventually have the chance to see the world from the top of Mount Wilhelm together.

Soon after establishing a permanent base for Voltron in the wilds of Australia (thanks to the cooperation of local government and tribal leaders), the two went for a well-deserved afternoon fly with the Blue and Yellow Lions. As it turned out, they didn't stay at the top of Wilhelm for very long, electing instead to jaunt off to a deserted stretch of beach along the continent's west coast. While Kat brought Toth in to land on the sand, Billy took Alth down to gratefully immerse herself in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, eventually settling down so that only the top of her head could be seen above the waves.

"I'll get changed and meet you on the beach," Katherine transmitted, smiling from one of Alth's auxiliary viewers.

"Okay. I'll swim in to meet you," he replied before contact was broken. He checked the main viewer to see that the Yellow Lion was making himself comfortable in the endless sand.

"Toth seems to be enjoying this," Billy remarked as he descended the stairs from the pilot's chair.

[He couldn't be happier now that he has a proper desert in which to live,] Alth replied, her mental voice sounding humored at her mate's antics. [He is also quite pleased with his new choice of pilot.]

"The two of them seem to have a nice rapport," Billy nodded as he stepped into the pilot's quarters and started stripping off his uniform.

As he undressed, he suddenly remembered a question he'd been meaning to ask for some time. "Alth?"

[Yes, Maker?]

"Why exactly can Katherine hear you, anyway? I thought only Makers could hear your voices."

[True.]

"So... does this mean that she's a Maker?"

[So it would seem.]

Billy tried to picture this, but couldn't. "But she doesn't like working with her hands. She's always talking about how mechanically inept she is, which I think is an exaggeration, but... if she's a Maker, she keeps that light under a thick bushel."

[Ah, but she is not a Maker in that sense.]

He slipped on his swimming trunks and rummaged around in the closet for a plastic bag to wrap his towel in. "In what sense, then?"

[She is a Maker of the spirit. While you are a Maker in that you are a visionary, a builder and a scientist, she is a Maker in that she is a nurturer, a healer and an artist. You are a craftsman and an architect, while she is a moderator and a wise counsel. You will build many great things, while she will touch many lives deeply. You are two sides of the same coin. You will learn from one another and provide balance for one another.]

Billy paused to let this thought sink in. "I never thought about it quite that way," he said, quietly.

[And when two such Makers join, there is naught which cannot be accomplished between you.]

He closed his eyes and smiled, putting these thoughts to images. "That's good to know."

[Indeed. But in the here and now, you may not wish to keep the Maker waiting.]

"Right."

After returning to the bridge one last time to glance over the rows of monitors, he exited through a service hatch somewhere in the top of the lion's head, then dove from the very tip of Alth's snout into the water.

It had been positively forever since the last time he'd had a real swim in a real ocean: not since his last visit to Aquitar, come to think of it. It felt wonderful to knife through the warm water with a series of powerful strokes, allowing the incoming waves to guide him in to shore.

As he neared the shallows, however, something shot out of nowhere and grabbed him. Billy flipped over with the impact, then struggled to get his head back above the water, but just as quickly as he did, two hands dunked him right back under again.

When Billy finally righted himself and started treading water, he was not at all surprised to see Katherine there, grinning at him. "You're so easy to sneak up on," she laughed.

"Guilty as charged. I think I may have lost my towel for good on that one." He hunted around for the plastic bag, which he'd let go of during his struggle. Luckily, it was close by.

Swimming side by side, then, they rode the gentle surf in to the point that they could walk up onto the beach, hand in hand. Billy unwrapped his towel and unrolled it next to hers (in spite of his best efforts, it was slightly damp in places), and only after looking up from this did he notice Katherine's state of dress.

Once she had his undivided attention, she struck a mock-runway pose. "So... how do I look in yellow?"

During Billy's childhood, his father had possessed a huge collection of vinyl 45 r.p.m. singles from the golden age of rock and roll, and Billy had grown up listening to them again and again, memorizing every word. Unbidden, the tune of "Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" came to the forefront of his mind. Billy realized then and there that whoever wrote that song must have somehow fallen into a time portal and been inspired by Katherine to come up with the lyrics.

He, on the other hand, was left completely speechless.

Katherine put her arms around him and leaned in to kiss him. "I take it you approve?"

"Um..." was all he had time to say before a verbal reply suddenly became the very least of his priorities.

From the sand and the sea, Toth and Alth kept watch.

Post-Siege, week five
The long voyage was nearly over. The mighty pyramid-ship was preparing to make its final approach to the shining blue-white planet Earth, and its lone occupant and pilot was beginning to feel the rush of anticipation. Earth: the location of the Zeo Crystal, and the five brave Rangers who bore its power. Soon there would be six, he thought with some satisfaction. Soon the Gold Ranger would make himself known to his Earthbound allies, and once they had proven themselves to him, he would reveal the final pieces of....

Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger, was shaken out of his thoughts as alert sirens blared out, and warning lights lit up all around the bridge of the great pyramid. Scans revealed an incoming ship speeding away from the Earth's surface, on a direct intercept course. This was not right! According to all he had gathered on Earth and the Zeo Rangers, space travel was as yet beyond them, short of their MegaZord, and this incoming ship looked nothing like it!

He brought Pyramidas around to face off with the incoming vessel, preparing himself for anything. Perhaps he was too late, and the Earth had already fallen to the machines.

Once his scanners completed their analysis of the incoming ship, he brought a visual to his heads-up viewer. What he saw there made his jaw drop in shock.

At approximately the same moment, a voice came in over his communications systems. "Attention alien vessel: this is Red Lion of the Voltron Force. Please identify yourself." The voice was human, and male. Trey shook his head slowly. The legendary Voltron? Here?

"I..." he stammered, "I am seeking the Zeo Rangers, to offer assistance in their battle with the Machine Empire."

Another male voice laughed at this. "Really? I hate to break it to you, pal, but you're about a month late!"

"Who are you?" asked the first voice.

"I am Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger. Are you... I mean to say is that... really one of the ships of Voltron?"

"Sure is!" laughed the second voice.

"Then... perhaps I am not needed here after all. I do apologize, my friends. Pyramidas has been crossing the void between our worlds for some time. I did not hear of your victory. I shall return to Triforia as soon as..."

"Wait, you don't have to go yet," the first voice interrupted him. "Why don't you come back down to Earth with us? I'm sure the rest of the Voltron Force would like to meet you, not to mention the new Zeo Rangers."

"But if the Earth is guarded by Voltron...."

"Hey, man, you just came all this way to lend us a hand. The least we could do is have you over for dinner to meet the gang. Come on, we'll guide you in."

Trey watched the Red Lion turn and rocket off toward the distant Earth. Lacking a clear alternative, he and Pyramidas followed.

Post-Siege, week eighteen
Construction of the ships which would form the second Voltron (collectively known to the Force as Vehicle Voltron) had been underway for about a month, and Billy was finding his skills as a Maker tested again and again. Designing fifteen individual vehicles (each capable of space travel as well as travel over their specific environment) which could alternately transform into three advanced fighter craft or into one combined humanoid shape was a logistic nightmare, but it was a concept he was not ready to abandon yet. Fortunately for him, he had a lot of help with the actual construction.

Their mountaintop base (ironically located in the Kimberley Plateau region of Western Australia) had been the first major construction project, providing a meeting place for the Voltron Force, housing for not only the Force members but any visiting family (most of their families had relocated to escape media attention, but many spent a considerable amount of time here as well), plus underground access to the new lairs of the five lions. The very top level of the structure was the construction hangar, where Billy had practically been living for the last couple of weeks.

This particular day found a festive mood in the cavernous hangar, as construction of the first of the five ships of the Air Team neared completion. Billy, Skull, Tanya, Rocky and Adam stood around the vessel, which resembled a huge, high-tech helicopter, and inspected their work.

"Looking sweet!" Rocky grinned, running his hand down along the tail of the craft. "Now we just need to see how well it flies."

"You can just leave that to me," Skull nodded, rubbing a chamois cloth over the glossy black metal. He more than any of them had become particularly attached to this ship, and he and Bulk had put in many late hours in its construction.

"We've got a few more tests to run on it before I'd be willing to risk a pilot," Billy reminded him.

Skull gave a high-pitched laugh. "I thought risk was the business, kemo sabe. Besides, I always wanted to be a test pilot, just like in The Right Stuff."

"I still can't wait 'til we get to the Land Team," Tanya remarked. "No offense to the old zords, but I want something that can cover some ground."

Adam started laughing, and Tanya swatted him playfully. "What's so funny?"

"I just got this mental picture of you at the wheel of a monster-truck zord. What's funny is that it fits."

"Oh, yeah, definitely!" Rocky agreed, making Tanya smack him across the arm as well.

"So how long is Bulk going to be with that pizza?" Skull asked, taking off his shirt and using it to wipe the sweat from his face.

On cue, Bulk teleported in, carrying two pizza boxes and a twelve-pack of soda. "Direct from Chicago, it's the Bulk Ranger teleporting pizza delivery service!" He caught sight of Skull and wolf-whistled. "Man, could you be any sexier?"

Skull replied by striking a heroic pose and puffing out his chest. Tanya all but fell over laughing at the expression on his face.

They gathered away from the ship to pass around the pizza and drinks and celebrate their accomplishment. "Chicago style," Rocky noted around a mouthful of cheese. "Good choice, Bulk."

"As our dear friend Mr. Mitchell says, the new teleporters should be used for team business only," Bulk said in an overly prim and proper tone. "What better business than this, I ask you?"

"I can't argue with that," Billy nodded, trying to get a single piece removed without pulling the cheese off the entire pizza.

They ate, drank and chatted for a while, until their impromptu celebration was interrupted by the echoing sound of a telephone bell.

"I'll get it," Adam volunteered, setting down his drink and jogging toward the glass-walled control booth in the corner of the hangar. He emerged after a few moments and called back across the hangar. "Hey, Billy, you've got a call!"

"Is it an outside line?" Billy asked. As far as he knew, there was no one else in the complex right now who would have any need to talk to him.

"You could say that. It's Kat."

"Oooooh!" Billy's four other teammates chorused, grinning at him.

"I'll take it in there, Adam," Billy said, ignoring their well-meaning taunts. As he passed Adam on his way to the booth, he added "Make sure Rocky doesn't eat everything while I'm talking, okay?"

"Will do," Adam chuckled.

The control monitors showed that the "incoming call" was indeed from the Blue Lion (relayed through the ground-based Yellow Lion), and a quick telemetry scan revealed that the ship was starting on its way back from Aquitar. The signal was audio-only, so Billy put on a headset microphone to reply. "Kat?"

"Hullo, Billy!" Kat's voice came over the headset. Even light-years away, she sounded as though she were in the next room. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, sweetheart. But you're days early! Did everything go well?"

"Oh, everything went perfectly," she replied. "Better than perfectly, in fact. You were right: Tommy knew exactly which inspiring words to say."

"How are he and Kim, then?"

"Oh, they're fine."

"Uh huh. And how are you with he and Kim?"

She gave a melodramatic sigh. "Perhaps the tiniest bit exasperated. At least they're not afraid to hold hands in front of me anymore."

Billy chuckled at this. He had been somewhat reproachful about the three of them taking this mission together, but details had conspired. The Blue Lion was the best ship for a journey to Aquitar, and Billy was the logical choice to negotiate with the Aquitian Rangers considering the amount of time he had spent with them. Billy, however, was more than slightly occupied with the construction of the Vehicle Voltron, so Tommy became the next logical choice for the negotiations. Alth, however, had insisted (or at least strongly requested) that Katherine be her pilot for this trip in lieu of Billy. No one had specifically said anything, but it was obvious that Kimberly was not too thrilled with the idea of Katherine and Tommy going off alone into space for a week-long mission. It was Katherine who then suggested that Kimberly join them, which she told Billy was for her own peace of mind as much as Kim's. She hadn't relished the idea of listening to Tommy apologizing to her all through the trip.

"You'll be happy to know that the mission was a smashing success," Katherine went on. "The Rangers of Aquitar will be happy to form an official alliance with both the Rangers of Earth and the Voltron Force. That's one step toward your Galaxy Alliance."

"Two, if Trey can put in the good word on Triforia," Billy nodded.

"True. As for the advice you requested concerning the Sea Team vehicles, well... we have a bit of a surprise."

"What's that?"

"It just so happens that Delphine and Cestro were both quite taken with the idea of the Vehicle Voltron, and they said they would be happy to offer any assistance you require in its construction."

"Really? That's great!"

"There's more."

"Oh?"

Katherine's tone implied that she was smiling widely. "Yes. You see, when I say they were quite taken with the idea, I mean quite taken. They in fact insisted on accompanying us back to Earth. They're currently on board with us."

"But aren't they needed on Aquitar?"

"That was what we asked. As it turns out, they've both retired from active duty, and new White and Blue Rangers have taken their place."

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all. Delphine seems to think it was fated that we would arrive seeking their help so soon after they stepped down."

Billy shook his head. "That's amazing. Having them here should help immeasurably."

"So what do you think? Was this mission a success?"

"Quite. You did great. Tell Kim and Tommy I said so, would you? And give my regards to Cestro and Delphine?"

"Of course," she replied. "Before I sign off, though, there was one other thing."

"Yes?"

"Exactly."

This completely lost him. "I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"Yes."

"Um..."

She laughed. "I've been thinking about that talk we had on the beach last week, and... yes, I would be happy to marry you."

For a long while, Billy was too stunned to answer. At length, he shook his head and grinned. "So you're telling me this now, when I'm in the middle of building helicopters and you're still two days away from Earth and I can't even kiss you? No fair."

She giggled at his tone. "I couldn't wait the two days to say it, love."

"Do you realize," he said, still laughing, "that I'm going to have to go back out into the hangar and explain to everyone why I'm grinning like an idiot?"

"You'll think of something, I'm sure."

He let out a long sigh. "Kat?"

"Hmm?"

"Hurry back."

There was a pause, then she laughed. "Alth says to tell you that patience is always rewarded. I'll call again once we're clear of Transit, I promise."

"I'll be around, I'm sure."

Post-Siege, year one
NEW YORK (AP): Optimism was high at the United Nations, as was tension, as the world prepares for the launch of the Voltron Force. Many nations expressed concern that the Earth would be left undefended with the departure of the lion ships, which have worked alongside the Power Rangers to repel several alien attacks since their arrival during the Machine Empire Siege of 1996. In a statement read by Muriel LaFauve, the Voltron/Power Ranger liaison to the U.N., the nations of the world were assured that the next generation of Power Rangers would prove equal to any task, even with the Voltron Force away on what is being called the first of many long-term exploration missions.

LaFauve was followed by representatives from the planets Aquitar and Triforia, who went on to proclaim to the people of Earth that any attack from space would be met with the combined force of three worlds' defenders, eliciting a standing ovation from all present.

Now, all attention turns to Australia, awaiting the moment the five lion ships will leave the Earth and briefly join their allies in orbit before the combined force departs for space unknown. - PAUL HOOVER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Exploration, day one
Ten miles off the western coast of Australia, Alth emerged from her undersea lair and began her ascent, first breaking the surface of the water, then climbing for altitude, spinning in a few barrel-rolls as she went. Billy could feel her anticipation for the mission to come, and it fed his own excitement.

His scans showed the other four lions rocketing from their own lairs across the continent, converging toward the rendezvous point in orbit. Gradually, they fell into formation, with the Black Lion in the lead, Red and Green Lions behind and to either side, and Blue and Yellow Lions completing the V-shape at the rear.

"Okay, Lion Force, let's log on!" came Tommy's voice. "Black Lion, ready!"

"Red Lion, ready!" sounded the only marginally different voice of David Trueheart, Tommy's brother.

"Green Lion, ready!" Kimberly shouted, the sound of her voice indication enough that she was smiling.

"Blue Lion, ready!" Billy added, biting down on the urge to let out a wild whoop of joy as they cleared the atmosphere.

"Yellow Lion, ready!" Katherine chimed in, completing the roll call.

"Let's go and meet the rest of the gang, then!" Tommy laughed. "Setting a course for the EXPLORER."

"Right on your tail, bro!" David said in a growl that would do his lion proud.

Billy's scans revealed the mother-ship of the Vehicle Force dead ahead, and he adjusted Alth's flight path to follow Black Lion to the final rendezvous point. As the EXPLORER drew closer, he could not help but feel a rush of pride. He had seen the ship in various states of completion over the past months, and now that it was finished, his satisfaction was at an all-time high. He had done his best to live up to the title of Maker, and here was the fruit of those efforts.

"Black Lion to EXPLORER!" Tommy transmitted to the huge vessel. "Trey, do you copy?"

"EXPLORER here!" came Trey's voice.

"What's your status?"

"All systems are go, crew is at the ready, and the pilots are prepared to launch!"

"Whenever you're ready, then!"

~*~

"Air Team Leader, this is Helm Control," Trey's voice came over his helmet speakers. "Lion Force is in position, awaiting your launch."

"Stand by, Helm Control!" Jason grinned in reply.

A status screen to the left of his main viewer showed that the other four ships of the Air Team were likewise finalizing their preparations, and in moments, all five showed up as ready. He switched over to broadcast to the whole team. "This is Air Team Leader. Air Team is prepared for launch. Team Leaders, what's your status?"

"Land Team Leader, reporting," Tanya replied. "We're ready when you are!"

"Sea Team Leader, reporting," Delphine added. "All ships prepared to launch!"

"Helm Control, all systems are go!" Jason called. "Awaiting clearance to launch!"

"Acknowledged, Air Leader. You are cleared for sequential launch."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have been cleared!" Jason advised the team. "Just like we practiced, now! Air Team Leader, launch!" He gunned his throttle, and his fighter craft shot out of its hangar and into space, leaving the huge mother-ship behind it.

"Air Team Two, launch!" Zack shouted, rocketing his own fighter out of its hangar and into Jason's wake.

"Air Team Three, launch!" Trini's ship followed close on Zack's heels.

"Air Team Four, launch!" With a laugh and a wild "Yeee-hah!" Skull brought his beloved rocket-copter out of the hangar and into space.

"Air Team Five, launch!" Bulk echoed. His copter, a twin of Skull's, followed his partner's ship into the inky void.

Jason brought up a rear display to see the other four trailing behind him. It was a team to be proud of. He was grateful that he, Trini and Zack had not been split up, and he had to admit that Bulk and Skull were shaping up to be pretty decent heroes. "Looking good, folks!" he called to the four. "Land Team, you're next!"

"Here we come!" Tanya acknowledged. "Land Team Leader, launch!" Her ship, resembling nothing so much as a racecar, led the rest of her team into space.

"Land Team Two, launch!" A second racecar followed, piloted by Aisha.

"Land Team Three, launch!" Thirteen-year-old whiz kid Justin Stewart's voice cracked with excitement as he followed his teammates.

"Land Team Four, launch!" Rocky called out, bringing out the first of two all-terrain crafts which would double as Voltron's fists.

"Land Team Five, launch!" Adam finished, following in his own six-wheeler.

Jason by this time had led the Air Team to their rendezvous point, and he turned his attention to his monitors to check the status of the others. He always liked watching the Land Team flying. Cars in space? Who would have thought it. Adam had been the original choice to lead this group of mostly middle-era Rangers, but he had abdicated in favor of Tanya early on, and the results had been spectacular. Jason was a little worried about the kid, but Rocky always managed to keep him in line.

"Okay, Delphine, Sea Team's up next!" he transmitted.

"Roger that!" Delphine called in, her distorted voice tinged with excitement. "Sea Team Leader, launch!"

"Sea Team Two, launch!" The second of the mid-depth "sea rovers" was piloted by Carlos Vargas, a relatively new addition to the Force.

"Sea Team Three, launch!" Cestro warbled. The former Aquitian Ranger's ship was more an undersea laboratory than anything else, but had a fair share of firepower.

"Sea Team Four, launch!" came the voice of fifteen-year-old Fred Kelleman, a longtime acquaintance but new recruit for the team.

"Sea Team Five, launch!" The second deep-sea diver, and last of the ships, was flown by Ashley Hammond, another recent addition who had amazed them all with her piloting skills.

Jason watched the relatively non-descript Sea Team vessels circle in to take their place in the sky with the other two teams. This group he was the most uncertain about, as three of the five were relatively inexperienced, with only a few months as Rangers between them. Having Delphine and Cestro as part of the team, however, went far to ease his concerns. Their many years of Rangering, not to mention knowledge of marine life, would be invaluable.

"Helm Control to Vehicle Force," Trey radioed in. "All ships clear, and launch tubes have been sealed. Well done, my friends!"

"That was just the beginning. Team leaders, bring your ships together on my mark! Initiate docking sequences... now!"

With that order, each team of five brought their ships together into the first of their joined stages: the terrain fighters. For the Air Team, this meant docking the two planes and two copters with four of the six faces of Trini's more or less cubical transport vessel (nicknamed the Borg Cube). The Land Team, similarly, brought the two cars and two ATV's in to join with Justin's armored carrier (dubbed the Sandcrawler), and the Sea Team hooked up the four pods to Cestro's submersible lab (which as yet had no official nickname, but they were leaning toward Sea Biscuit).

The joining went off without a hitch, and Jason's auxiliary monitors lit up with the faces of his four Air Team compatriots.

"You know, Jason, we have got to stop meeting like this," Skull chided him, waggling one finger at his leader.

"I think I can see my house from here!" Bulk joked.

"Steady there, gentlemen," Jason chuckled. "Trini, how're we doing on power?"

"Power cell merge is complete, and we're green for interstellar travel," she smiled at him.

"Don't be talkin' green, girl," Zack laughed. "This is the Air Team, not the Air Sickness Team."

"You guys get yourselves set for Transit," Jason warned them. "Tanya, Delphine, how are things with your groups? Are you ready for the Transit jump?"

"That's a big aye-firmative for the Land Team!" Tanya replied.

"Ditto for the Sea Team," Delphine reported. "Just lead the way!"

"Helm Control, are you ready to jump?"

"Affirmative, Air Leader. All personnel are ready for Transit on your go."

Jason brought the combined Air Fighter around to take its place in the lead of what would be a convoy to their first destination point, with the Land Fighter, Sea Fighter and EXPLORER following behind. Once the shakedown leg of their journey was over, the fifteen individual ships would again dock with the EXPLORER, and they would continue their voyage as a single unit until the smaller ships were needed.

His viewscreen showed nothing but stars ahead. Stars surrounded by worlds just begging to be explored. Again, he found that he had not yet stopped smiling.

"Air Team Leader to Black Lion," he called. "Did you like what you saw there, bro?"

Tommy laughed at Jason's words. "You guys were great. Are we all set, then?"

"Everything looks good on our end. You take care of the Black Lion, bro, you hear me?"

"You bet, man. You guys keep in touch, and be sure to yell if you need backup. Otherwise we'll see you at Planet Arus in six months."

"Wouldn't miss it, bro! Happy trails!"

He brought a forward view to his main screen, and watched as the three joined vessels headed off into space, followed by their parent ship. They would take it slow until reaching the boundaries of the solar system, then make their jump into Transit. Tommy watched them go, and couldn't help feeling a bit wistful. After working so closely for the last year, they were separating again, but he knew that they would be able to take care of each other.

"We'll see them soon," Kimberly said, echoing his own thoughts.

"Of course we will," Katherine agreed.

"Meanwhile, we've got a job of our own to do," Billy reminded them.

"So when do we get started?" David asked.

"There's just one last thing to take care of," Tommy replied. "Kat, could you patch us through to the Command Center?"

"Done," Katherine replied. Almost immediately, the forward view was replaced by the smiling face of T.J. Kroon, the recently promoted leader of the next batch of Power Rangers.

"Command Center here!" T.J. reported. "You guys all set to go?"

"Any moment now," Tommy nodded. "How's the team?"

"Couldn't be better. We've got some good ones here, no doubt about it."

"They had a good teacher," said Billy.

"Thanks," T.J. sighed, looking mildly embarrassed at the praise.

"I know we've said this before, but you guys take good care of the Earth while we're gone, okay?"

T.J. held up both hands. "Tommy, I promise you, the planet won't even have a scratch on it when you get back. With those two sets of zords we've got, we're all set."

"We're counting on you, little brother," Tommy grinned. "You and Cassie keep a close eye on those rookies, now."

"We won't disappoint you," T.J. promised. "Good luck up there! Call us anytime!"

After a chorus of goodbyes and well-wishings to be passed on to Zordon, Alpha and the rest of the new team, Tommy broke contact and turned Black Lion's sights to the stars.

"We've got a lot of space to cover," he told the team. "Are you ready?"

"No time like the present," David replied.

~*~

While they had a few moments, Billy put in a private communication to Katherine. "So... what do you think of the team?"

"I think it worked out well," she nodded. "Though I hope you realize that Tommy's going to have a hard time acting like a team leader to you now."

"He'll get used to it," Billy chuckled. "I'm sure Seth will help in his own subtle way. It's funny we ended up with this group of five, though; there's a lot of family involved here. I hope it's not bad for the mythology to have two brothers in the Black and Red Lions."

"Well, at least that way we managed to have the Red and Green Lions be brother and sister, technically."

"True."

"And as for Alth and Toth being lifemates...." she went on.

Billy looked to see the outline of the ring beneath his uniform glove. "Yes, I think we've got that covered."

"Most assuredly."

The five lions sped into the blackness, and into what they knew was only the beginning.

End

This story (c) 1996-1998 Rain Fletcher

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo and all constituent characters and locations (c) 1998 Saban Entertainment

Voltron, Defender of the Universe (Lion Force) and constituent characters and locations based on GOLION, (c) 1998 Toei Corporation, licensed to World Events Productions. Voltron, Defender of the Universe (Vehicle Force) based on DAIRUGGER XV, (c) 1998 Toei Corporation, licensed to World Events Productions
The characters of Muriel LaFauve, Sophia Renard, Paul Hoover, and Aisha's various family members (except Ishala, (c) 1998 Saban) were created by and are (c) 1998 Rain Fletcher (I wanted to use only "real" Saban characters, but I guess it's unavoidable that any fanfic is going to wind up needing incidental characters like these...)
"Forever in Blue" performed by Journey, from TRIAL BY FIRE, words and music by Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain and Neil Schon, (c) 1996 Love Batch Music/So Much Music/Fingers of Joy Music (ASCAP) All rights reserved
The author would like to suggest the following soundtrack for EARTHSIEGE:

TRIAL BY FIRE by Journey, particularly the songs "Forever in Blue," "Castles Burning" and "Can't Tame the Lion"
TEST FOR ECHO by Rush, particularly the songs "Driven" and "Resist"
"All Along the Watchtower" as performed by Jimi Hendrix
"Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, from EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE
"Don't Cry" by Seal, from SEAL (the second one)
"The One I Love" by R.E.M., from DOCUMENT
"Machine Messiah" by Yes, from DRAMA
"The Forge of Vulcan" by Hawkwind, from QUARK, STRANGENESS AND CHARM
"The Minstrel Boy," a traditional Irish song of valor
"Peace in Our Time" by Eddie Money, from THE SOUND OF MONEY
and pretty much anything Bob Dylan ever recorded.

Special thanks to Kittie Verdena (for patience and sometimes lack thereof), Manuel Perez (for my first break on the Web), Akiko (for suggesting a story with a little action), Kevin McPhail (for showing I wasn't the only Billy/Kat fan out there), Chris Funaro (for late-night storyline jams), and everyone who encouraged me to finish this beast, with particular thanks to Lynn Hodges, who I really need to call.

Extra-special thanks to David Yost, Catherine Sutherland, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and the rest of the cast of POWER RANGERS, for breathing life into these characters and making them truly worth caring about.