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The asteroid belt, a literal belt made out of space debris that orbit the sun, with the occasional few drifting from their orbit and crashing on one of the nearby planets.
The scene focuses on a large asteroid in particular with a large opening as lights flash inside before it changes to show what is actually happening.
Inside the cave is the Astro Megaship with two of the rangers trying to repair the massive gash in its outer hull.
"Damn, this is worse than I thought." Carlos said.
"Yeah, it'll take days to repair it." Cassie activates her communicator. "Andros, how are things on your end?"
The scene switches to the control room with Andros under one of the terminals. "Depends. Do you wanna hear the bad news or the worse news?"
Cassie sighs. "Define worse."
Andros pushes himself out from underneath and stands up. He holds up a burned circuit board before tossing it into a pile. "Well, all of the main circuit boards are fried. Navigation is completely out and D.E.C.A. is on the fritz." Andros looks at the D.E.C.A. camera mumbling incomprehensible nonsense. "We will need to head to KO-35 for extensive repairs, but we can't do that because we don't have a ship."
"And we can't leave the Earth unprotected." Cassie said.
Andros sighs before he makes another call. "How are things on your end, Ashley?"
Ashley walks through the messy halls of the ship. "Megadecks 2 through 5 are done for. We won't be able to use the training room either. As for the engine-" A faint explosion goes off in the distance followed by a familiar "Ai Yi Yi Yi Yi!". "Believe me, you don't wanna know."
Andros sighs in defeat. "I thought so. Thanks, Ashley." He turns off his communicator and rubs his sweaty face. "What am I going to do?"
"I think the better question should be what can you not do?"
"!?" Andros bolts from the floor and sees a person standing in front of the controls.
"Hello there!" The man said in a British accent.
Andros raises his left arm to activate his morpher but is mortified to find that it wasn't there anymore.
"Now, now, there's no need for animosity. We are all friends here." The scientist smiles.
Andros stretches out his hand. "Give that back."
The scientist's smile thins. "You could have said please, but alright." He throws the morpher at Andros, who effortlessly catches it. "Now, you're going to tell-" But the moment he looks up, the man has vanished.
"Boy, this place has seen better days, hasn't it?" Andros' neck snaps to his right as he sees the man standing in front of the main monitor. "Have you thought about turning it into a museum?"
Andros turns on his communicator. "Guys, I need you here on the bridge. We have an intruder." But the moment he looks back, he is already gone.
"You know, the Astro Megazord is one of my favorites. It is the first to use less than five components to transform." Andros now sees the man sitting on the left side of the room. "It has a hint of nostalgia that I just can't resist."
The main doors slide open and all of the rangers walk in. TJ quickly moves in and grabs the mystery man by his shoulders. "Gotcha!"
The man just smiles. "The blue Space ranger, that takes me back." He then has a puzzled look. "Or is it forward? It's so hard to tell, Theodore. Have we met?"
TJ's eyes widened and let him go. "How did you know my name?"
The man straightens his coat. "Have we met yet, I suppose the question was. As for your question, well, you told me. Or perhaps, you will tell me in the future."
Carlos steps forward. "Who are you?"
"That's a good question, I was hoping you could tell me." The man said.
"This guy is just too weird." Cassie remarks.
"You're telling me. My head is killing me just trying to keep up." Ashley groans.
"Andros steps forward. "TJ, Carlos, restrain him."
"You got it-!?" But when they turn back, he is already gone.
"By the way, I would go and take a look at your engine. That funny little robot looks quite frightened." He said from the adjacent door.
Andros eyes widened. "Ashley! Go and check on the engine!"
"Right!" Ashley rushes to the elevator and its doors close.
"Well, the crisis has been averted." The man remarks before he is grabbed by the collar.
"Enough games. You are going to tell us who you are right now." Andros demands.
"Careful with the coat, it's 12,000 years old. As your question, I just needed to pick the right moment. Why, if you hadn't sent young Ashley to the engine room, we would all be floating space dust by now." The man explains.
Andros, not believing a word, presses a button on the console. "Alpha. What's the status of the engine?"
"Ai Yi Yi Yi Yi! Andros, the engine was on the verge of a meltdown! If Ashley hadn't come... oh, I don't want to think about it." Alpha grimaced.
After hearing that, everyone looks at the mystery man in awe and shock.
"You... saved us." Cassie said.
"That I have." He said.
"But... how did you know... you couldn't have." TJ said.
"Because it has already happened, or it would have happened if I hadn't urged you to send the young ranger down there." He states.
Everyone can feel a headache coming. This guy is impossible. He keeps talking in riddles, like he can't tell between backwards and forwards.
"So, who are you Mr... Paradox?" Carlos asked.
Cassie gives her teammate a look. "Paradox? Really?"
"Well, what else was I gonna call him?"
He massages his chin. "Hm... paradox... paradox..." He smiles. "Oh yes! That will do! That will do very nicely!"
"Ok then... Paradox. Mind telling us how you got here?" Andros asks.
"Why, of course! I'll tell you my story in a way you can understand with a beginning, middle, and end." He takes out his pocket watch. "We'll start in the middle," He opens it and everyone is transported to a lab where they see Paradox along with another person and a massive circular rock on the other end of the room. "It all begins in a military base Los Soledad. It was built entirely because of my ingenious theory; a time tunnel utilizing the properties I discovered in quartz crystals. Which would allow us access to past and future events." The space rangers watch as the rock glows and a tunnel opens in the middle. Suddenly, the instruments begin to go haywire and the tunnel begins to pull things in."
"Yeah well, for a genius, it looks like you blew it." Carlos comments and earns a smack in the head from Cassie.
"You don't know half of it. Some tiny miscalculation on my part destabilized the experiment and ripped a hole in the fabric of reality." The pull was too strong and Paradox was flung into the tunnel. "I was hurled into the Event Horizon. I must have spent 100,000 years there. I didn't age or need to sleep or eat... just exist."
"Yikes..." TJ hissed.
"At first, I went mad of course. But after a few millennia I got bored with that too and went sane, very sane." Paradox begins to learn everything. "I began to learn and now I have a total understanding of the space/time continuum allowing me to travel anywhere and anywhen I want. Within reason, of course." He closes the pocket watch and everything returns to normal.
Everyone was awestruck by this revelation. A time travel... an actual freaking time travel was standing in front of them!
"Now then, with that all out of the way. I would like you all to close your eyes, it will only be for a microsecond. Please tell this to young Ashley and Alpha 6." Paradox said.
Reluctantly, Andros contacts Ashley. "Ashley, could you close your eyes? Tell Alpha to do the same."
"Um... okay? Alpha, close your eyes." Ashley said.
"You got it."
The others soon close their eyes. "Now... open them."
The rangers open their eyes and gasp at the now fully repaired bridge.
"W-What...?" Andros was at a loss for words.
"Consider it a thank you for not 'kicking my butt' as the kids of today might say." Paradox said.
"You fix the megaship." Cassie said.
"No, he did more than that." Andros goes to one of the computers and sees something. "This ship is new. Fresh off the assembly line."
"How do you know that?" TJ asked.
"I know this ship from top to bottom. But more than that, D.E.C.A.'s data archive is completely gone, like it never existed." Andros states.
"Welcome to the Astro Megaship. All crewmembers must register through retinal scan." D.E.C.A. states.
"So D.E.C.A.'s been reset." TJ surmised.
"It's going to take a while to get D.E.C.A. back up to date. Luckily, our morphers also double as back up drives for D.E.C.A." Andros said.
"Well, that's convenient." Cassie said.
Paradox checks his pocket watch. "Oh, look at the time. I must be going now."
"Wait, you're leaving?" Carlos asked.
"Yes, well, the life of a time-traveling hero isn't exactly an easy thing. Lots of ups and downs and no overtime." Paradox jovially states.
"Wait!" TJ shouts. "If you're a time traveler, then can you tell us what happens to us in the future?"
"Yeah, will we save Zordon?" Cassie asks.
"Will we be able to beat the Alliance of Evil?" Carlos asks.
"Will I be able to find my sister?" Andros asks.
Everyone turns to Andros at that last bit. "You have a sister...?"
Andros realizes what he said and backs away. "Forget about it."
"Well while those are some fascinating questions, as one doctor would put it, spoilers." Paradox opens his pocket watch and disappears. "Farewell!"
As Paradox disappears, Cassie turns her attention to their leader. "Listen Andros, if you want to talk-"
"Come on, we need to get D.E.C.A. up and running again." Andros then walks away.
The three rangers look at each other with worry. Why hasn't he mentioned he had a sister? And more importantly, why hasn't he asked for their help in finding her? Did he still not trust them?
"Um... guys? Can I open my eyes now?" Ashley asks.
"Ai Yi Yi Yi Yi, the suspense is killing me!" Alpha exclaims.
Earth
Standing near the entrance of a theater was Nero in his civilian outfit waiting for his date.
"I can't believe she said it." Nero mutters as he thinks back on what happened.
Flashback
Nero stays silent for a moment. "... would you like to go out with me?"
"... eh?" It's the only thing that came out of Astronema's mouth.
"What game are you playing, brat?" Ecliptor demands.
"Game? I'm simply asking her highness out on a date." Nero elaborates which causes the android warrior to tremble with rage.
"A DATE!? YOU ARE OVERSTEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES, BOY!" Ecliptor exclaims. "I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS BLASPHEMY!"
"Enough Ecliptor!" Astronema orders.
Ecliptor turns to her in shock. "But princess!? He is a ranger! He cannot be trusted!"
"I said enough, Ecliptor! That's not your decision to make!" Astronema looks at the screen. "So... when is this 'date'?"
"I have already sent you the coordinates. You should be getting them right... now!"
*DING~*
Alright then, see ya there~" Nero waves as the transmission ends.
Flashback end
Maybe I should have given it more thought to this. I mean, she doesn't even know what I look like under that helmet of mine." I remarked. "Oh well, nothing I do about it now..."
"Nero?"
Nero's eyes widen at the familiar voice and turn to see a woman with blond hair wearing a brown tank top with brown pants and black slippers.
Nero arches an eyebrow before realizing who this was. "Astronema?"
"Nero!" Astronema rushes forward and, to my shock, leaps onto me and gives me a hug.
Nero blushes as he feels her generous assets pressing against his chest.
The bystanders can't help but stare at the two. Some of them were jealous of their relationship.
Astronema lets me go. "So, this is what you look like?"
Nero smirks. "What do you think? Do you like it?"
She caresses my cheek. "I think you should have shown me sooner. You're so cute~"
"And you're beautiful." I replied.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the road, a disguised Ecliptor and Elgar watch for a distance.
"Man, those two are really hitting it up." Elgar comments.
"Quiet, you fool. We are on a mission. We must make sure Astronema isn't captured by the Power Rangers, and for that, we must remain vigilant for any sign of danger." Ecliptor states.
"I thought it was because you were too paranoid to leave Astronema alone." Elgar remarks before he wires his mouth shut from Ecliptor's evil glare.
Astronema stares at the building beside them. "By the way, what is this place Nero?"
"This place is called a movie theater. It's a place where people go and watch movies." Nero replies.
The princess just looks more confused. "Moo...veas...? Are those some earthling-type of shooting range?"
Nero sheepishly chuckles. "Um, no. It's a place where humans go to watch and relax."
"I see..." Astronema clearly didn't understand. "So, what you're saying is this place is a waste of time?"
"Not everything has to have a grand purpose, Astronema. Sometimes you just gotta do what you want to do rather than what you have to do." Nero grabs her hand and guides her in. "C'mon, the new Stargate movie is about to start."
Ecliptor sees the two walk inside. "They're on the move, let's go!" He stands up and rushes towards the theater.
"H-Hey wait!" Elgar soon follows him.
The two went inside and proceeded to buy their tickets before buying snacks. Astronema had a hard time picking what candy to get so I simply bought her three different bags of candy which she graciously accepted.
As the two go inside, Ecliptor and Elgar enter the building. Ecliptor assaults the first person he comes across, demanding to know where Astronema and Nero went and threatening to kill them if they refuse to answer while Elgar begins to eat all of the snacks and drinks he can find.
Long story short, they were arrested and sent elsewhere.
We watched Stargate. Astronema had a confused look during the first half but then changed into a mix of interest and slight confusion.
It seems even aliens have a hard grasp of the world of science fiction.
After the movie, she started talking about how flawed the Stargate (the gate not the movie) was. While it was an effective device, she thought the antagonist was thinking too small. He could have created an entire network of portals and enslaved the galaxy, but he only used two to get from Earth to Abydos. She called Ra a fool for underestimating humans, a mistake that she will not make herself.
Nero finds an arcade and takes Astronema there. While the princess of evil was confused on what to do, she quickly found herself immersed in these primitive games. She had a particular pension for shooting games and would laugh like a madwoman.
Why am I getting so weirdly aroused by this?
She eventually got bored of the arcade and wanted to leave, but not before Nero spotted a claw machine and they immediately went to it. I insert a quarter and the machine starts up and begins to fiddle with a joystick.
"I don't understand. What is the point of this?" Astronema asks.
"The point, my dear, is to use the claw to get one of these plushies though that's easier said than done." Nero said. "Luckily for you, I am a claw machine master."
Nero guides the claw above the desired target and presses the button.
The claw falls from above...
... and it misses.
"Claw machine master, huh?" Astronema smirks.
Nero searches for another quarter. "Cut me some slack, I'm out of practice."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." Astronema rolls her eyes.
After a couple more tries, Nero finally manages to grab the plushie.
"Yes!" The claw takes the plushie upwards. "C'mon, don't fail me now..." Nero carefully guides the claw to the exit hole and it falls into it.
He crouches and grabs the plushie from the other side.
"Here." Nero gives the plushie to Astronema.
"Y-You're giving it... to me...?" Astronema asks in surprise.
"Well... yeah. This is the sort of thing you do on dates." Nero said.
Astronema grabs the plushie and slowly brings it up her face. When was the last time someone ever gave her a gift? She couldn't even remember. There is a weird feeling slowly rising from within her that she doesn't understand.
Astronema blushes and hugs the penguin. "Thank you..."
Nero smiles. "Anytime."
----
Ecliptor and Elgar run through the town square. After escaping the police, they went on the run to find Astronema.
Elgar collapses on the ground in exhaustion. "I wanna go home, Ecliptor. This day has been a complete disaster."
Ecliptor turns to the whining Elgar. "Your weakness disgusts me." He grabs Elgar's collar and pulls him up. "You are a soldier of evil. One of Dark Specter's elite warriors, and your queen is in mortal peril. Are you telling me you can live with yourself knowing that you let your leader die!? Hmph, no wonder that pirate Divatox failed with weakings like you around." He throws Elgar back to the ground. "Go back to the Dark Fortress if you choose, I will search for the princess myself."
Elgar stares as Ecliptor's form fades into the crowd, leaving the monster alone with his thoughts.
However, neither of them bothered to look at the parlor in the background, where a certain couple was eating ice cream.
"Mmm~ this tastes so gooooood~" Astronema moans sensually as she eats her Neapolitan sundae.
Nero blushes as he eats his oreo sundae.
'Does she have to make that noise every time she eats her sundae?'
"Say... tell me more about your plan." Astronema suddenly said.
Nero blinks. "Plan? What are you talking about?"
"Do you think I am a fool, Nero? I know that you are not loyal to Dark Specter or anyone in the alliance for that matter." The intense glare from Astronema made the hairs behind Nero's neck stand up. "Depending on what you say now, I will consider you either friend or foe. And trust me, there will be a punishment for your deception."
"..." Nero looks at her with an analytical gaze. She is very perceptive, too perceptive. He didn't understand why the space fish chose her but now he understood. Astronema was smart and patient. She was like a predator, always hiding in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to pounce when her enemies least expect it.
Overall, she would have been a pretty competent villain with a tragic backstory.
It's too bad she's from a kid's show.
"Tell me, what does Dark Specter want out of this war? Nero asks.
"To destroy Zordon and plunge the universe in chaos." Astronema said.
"And how is he going to do that?"
"By destroying their source of power."
"And that's the problem, right there." Nero points at her. "Do you know what the Morphing Grid does? What does it provide? It doesn't just grant rangers their powers, oh no, it does so much more than that."
"What does it do?"
"Life. The Morphing Grid provides life energy. It's what keeps this universe literally together." Nero states. "Dark Specter's plan is to destroy all life in the universe."
"But why?"
"Tell me, do you know what Dark Specter is?" Nero asks.
Astronema shakes a no.
"Dark Specter isn't a normal monster, I can tell you that much. Hell, I'm not sure if 'monster' is the right word to describe what he is." Nero began. "He is an anomaly, a creature from another dimension who came to this universe to conquer it. He found out about the existence of the grid and tried to harness it for its own gain, but he was stopped by the Phantom Ranger and his team. Of course, we both know that wasn't a permanent victory and have been building an army to launch his plan of conquest."
"... how do you know all of this?" She asked.
Nero shows her his Omni Morpher. "This thing has an archive of everything that happens in the omniverse. It was easy to pull up information on Dark Specter."
That was an obvious lie. I was just speculating based on what I remember from watching TV and reading the comics.
Astronema can see that something doesn't add up. "You are not telling me out of the 'goodness' of your heart. What do you really gain from all of this?"
Nero flashes her an evil smile. "I want to kill Dark Specter and take his throne."
The two stare at each other for what feels like ages... until laughter breaks the ice.
"I knew you were foolish, but you're just insane." Astronema laughs. "You can't kill Dark Specter! Many have tried and failed! And even if you did manage it, you will have to deal with a universe worth of monsters trying to kill you for the rest of your life."
"Except, none of them were me. And when I want something, I will take it." Nero states.
"Why are you telling me all of this, seriously? I can just kill you right now just for this." Astronema asks.
"Because," Nero places his hand on Astronema's. "I want you to be with me."
Astronema's eyes widened.
"Haven't you ever wondered where you came from? Why are you, and you alone, held in such high regard?" Nero asked.
"I am Dark Specter's prized servant..." She mutters.
"Yes... a servant. His prized pawn. Without you, all of his plans will fall apart." Nero whispers. "He gives so much freedom and yet keeps you on a tight leash. He wants you to be the symbol of evil but also a symbol of servitude." He states. "He has hidden so much from you, gave you false promises all for the sake of keeping you in control."
Astronema grits her teeth. She wanted to deny his words, her training demanded her to snap his neck.
And yet, deep down, she knew he was right.
Dark Specter is a powerful being and all powerful beings have many skeletons in their closet. He told her that her family were killed by power rangers, but is that really true? There were times she doubted her dark master and wanted to learn the truth herself but couldn't out of fear of being punished.
"... I can see my words have affected you." Nero stands up. "You don't have to give me your answer right away... we have plenty of time."
Astronema watches as Nero walks away. She looks at the plushie he gave her and grips on it tightly.
"Fuck..." Astronema whispers under her breath.
Meanwhile
The sun sets on Angel Grove as Ecliptor watches the sunset from on top of a water tower.
"HEY!" Ecliptor turns to see Elgar climbing up the ladder until he reaches the top.
"I... I finally found you..." Elgar wheezes out.
"... what are you doing here?" Ecliptor asks.
"What do you mean!? Are you stupid or something!? I came looking for you!" Elgar exclaims.
"Hmph..." Ecliptor goes back to watching the sunset.
Elgar scratches his head. "Look, I know I'm not the most... useful guy around, but at least I'm doing my part on the team."
"Right, your 'part' which is doing the chores around the base. Yes, you have been very helpful." Ecliptor sarcastically remarks.
Elgar opens his mouth to retort before the two of them hear a message.
"Elgar, Ecliptor. Return to the Dark Fortress at once."
"As you command." Ecliptor replies with a much happier tone. He teleports in a flash of geometric shapes leaving a dumbfounded Elgar behind.
"*Sigh* Why am I always left out?" Elgar mumbles.
In the Dark Fortress, Ecliptor appears on the bridge and makes his way towards Astronema's room and knocks on the door.
"... enter."
The door slides open and Ecliptor walks into his princess' private quarters. There, he sees something unnatural: Astronema sporting a flustered expression while holding onto a stuffed animal.
"My queen, what is the matter?" Ecliptor asks.
"Ecliptor..." His princess sounds so confused and vulnerable. "I... what should I do?"
Power Chamber
Alpha 5 is in the control room as he hears the familiar sound of the opening doors and turns around.
"Welcome back, Nero. How was your date with Astronema?" Alpha asks.
Nero walks up to the android. "Aside from not hitting 1st base, it went better than I hoped. Now, we just need to wait and see." He said. "By the way, what is the progress on Project Troy?"
Alpha presses a button and the Viewing Globe shows something being built in the zord hangar. "Weapon construction is at 55% and is proceeding on schedule. If my estimations are correct, it will take 7.2 days to finish construction."
"Excellent work, Alpha. I knew I could count on you!" Nero gives Alpha a hug.
Steam comes out of the top of Alpha's head. "Ai Yi Yi Yi Yi, you are embarrassing me, Nero."
Nero lets him go and stares at the monitor and smiles. "It won't be long now... soon neither Dark Specter or the rangers will stop me."
----
Author Notes
The wait is over! An update has come at last!
Nero is now sinking his fangs deeper into Astronema. He told her his true motives and offered her a place by his side. Question is, will she take it or not?
I bet you weren't expecting Professor Paradox to show up in this story of all places, but here he is. He's gonna be helping the rangers every so often.
This chapter was pretty short but the next one will have more action.
I hope you guys enjoy this.
Grand Journey's up next.
Peace~