Las Luces, California 2001

Las Luces East High School was a special school. It was full of students gifted in some way. Or some ways. There were dancers, singers, actors, artists, authors, athletes, mathletes, linguists, musicians, and the technologically knowledgeable just to name a few. Its emphasis was on expanding knowledge and honing skills. It let in only the best of the best. You didn't merely transfer to Las Luces East; you had to audition. You had to maintain your grades and you had to excel in your field.

The Las Luces East High Talent Show was the major event of the year, overshadowing even Homecoming or Prom. Very few people didn't participate, and even those who had no creative talent got involved. It was a school event. People from all over Las Luces, California bought tickets to attend. Fundraisers were held. Other schools were invited to have participants. Everyone wanted to be the best, even if you didn't attend Las Luces East High.

Abigail Truman made a face at a passing girl surrounded by friends in the outside lunch tables. The girl was a creamy skinned blond with loose curls down her back and bright blue eyes. "I'd hate her if she weren't so darned nice," she declared.

Selena Vega snorted. "I know, right?" she said. The girl they were referring to was one of the most talented and popular girls in Las Luces East. Marcy Sharpe was only a sophomore, like Abby and Selena but she'd been skyrocketed to school stardom by being the first freshman to win the Talent Show the year before.

Abby looked at her friend. Selena was a quiet, introspective type, though she had a wicked humor at times. She had wavy dark hair, and dark eyes. "Maybe we should do our own thing this year instead of being in the choir. I mean, we totally stomped the stage last year, but we were a bit lost in the crowd," she suggested.

Selena smiled at her friend. They were members of the Glee Club or as they were called, the Star Lights, and Las Luces East Show Choir awards lined their rehearsal room. Neither of them were the leads. Selena didn't think that was fair. Abby had a voice that could outdo anyone any day of the week. She also had the looks with dark mocha skin, deep brown eyes and bouncy curls with gold streaks. "You should sing. A solo. I bet we could get Simon to help you write a song," she suggested.

Abby paled slightly. "I don't know about that, girl. Me, alone on the stage? I don't think I'd make it," she said pathetically.

Selena laughed. "You have to get over the stage fright someday or you'll be Show Choir chorus the rest of your career," she pointed out.

Abby rolled her eyes. "What about you? Are you happy being Show Choir chorus?" she asked.

Selena sighed, picking at her lunch. "Not really, but I get to help with the choreography, which is fun," she said lamely.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Girl, I need to get over my stage fright and you need to come out of that shell," she declared. She punctuated her remark by crunching on an apple slice.

"Selena!"

Abby and Selena both looked up in surprise as Marcy came toward them. Marcy, when she wasn't doing solo acts, was a major lead in Show Choir. "Yeah?" Selena asked warily.

Marcy beamed and joined them at the table. "I was wondering if you'd like to work with me on this year's Talent Show. I love your choreography, and I think we'd make a great team," she said excitedly.

Abby dropped her half-eaten apple slice. Selena was too shocked to talk. "You want me to perform with you? Or do your choreography?" she asked, almost hating to be suspicious.

Marcy was still smiling. "Whichever you'd feel more comfortable doing. Oh, unless you're going to something with Abby. Oh sorry. I should have asked that first," she said, chagrined.

"Actually, I'm trying to talk Abby into working with Simon on a solo song," Selena answered. That was why no one could actually dislike Marcy Sharpe. She was so darn nice.

Marcy gasped. "You should totally do that, Abby! You have an incredible R&B voice, and I know Simon could find that perfect sound and song for you," she said encouragingly. Abby glared at Selena who just smirked back.

"I'll think about it," Abby muttered.

Marcy clapped her hands together. "You'll do wonderful, I know it," she assured Abby. She smiled at Selena. "So, what do you think of my idea?" she asked.

Selena fidgeted slightly in her seat. "Can I think it over?" she asked.

"Of course," Marcy assured her. She turned when she heard someone say her name. "Oh, my friends are calling. Just let me know soon. See you guys in practice," she said and waved. She dashed off.

Abby held her head. "Where does she get all that energy? Choir practice, cheer practice, working on her act for the show, and maintaining an A average. Sheesh. If I had half her energy, I'd be a stick," she declared.

Selena snickered. "Sometimes I really would like to hate her," she said.

Abby grinned. "So, are you going to work with her?" she asked.

Selena slumped. "I need to think it over," she answered honestly. She wasn't the type to seek the spotlight or attention, but she so enjoyed singing and dancing. She nodded behind Abby. "Here comes Simon. You should really work with him on a solo. Please. Give it a try," she begged.

Abby sighed. "I'll ask Simon. He's probably already booked," she said turned. "Simon!" she shouted.

A skinny guy of medium height and a slightly lanky build turned. Simon Creed was an example of a multitalented student. He played almost any instrument he picked up, he was a computer geek of the highest caliber, and he wrote songs that moved the soul. He also had a black belt in karate. His hazel-green eyes were always laughing, he had a few slight freckles and the hair that he carelessly style sticking up that couldn't decide if it was red, blond, or brown.

As usual he was hanging out with Quenton Albreicht. Quenton was taller and broader than Simon. Since he always wore thick black glasses and various hoodies, the only thing one could tell about him was that he had dark hair and dark eyes. Abby and Selena weren't sure why he was in Las Luces. The best they could come up with was some sort of academics. His grades were always highest in his grade.

He'd lived on the same street as Selena for as long as she could remember, and she wasn't sure she could even describe him to anyone were they to ask her to. She'd only heard his voice a handful of times in all those years. Poor thing was usually just referred to as "Simon's Friend" since few people even knew his name.

Simon grinned at them as they approached. "You sang?" he asked.

Selena made an encouraging motion to Abby. Abby shook her head, suddenly stupefied. Selena rolled her eyes. "If you aren't already doing something, would you work with Abby on a song for the talent show?" she asked him for her friend.

Simon's eyes widened. "Oh, sweet yes! Abby, Abby, Abby, Abby. I will hook you up and you might even beat Marcy this year," he said, excited at that prospect and merely working with Abby's honey voice.

"Not if she and Selena team up," Abby denied, a bit mollified that he agreed so eagerly.

Simon gasped, clutching his chest and staggering back against his friend who pushed him away. "My heart just stopped. I got a happy in my--"

"Si," Quen growled.

"I was gonna say chest, I swear," Simon declared. "If that happens, then we have our work cut out for us," he told Abby conspiratively. "Meet me after school and we'll get a head start," he said in a stage whisper. Abby giggled and agreed.

Selena rolled her eyes. "I don't even know if I'm going to do it. I have to think about it," she muttered and sunk down in her chair. "Marcy draws too much attention," she said. She just wanted a simple life doing the things she loved to do. Was that so much to ask for?

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Earth Space

The Promethenon barreled toward the blue planet known as Earth. The place where the King's Heir was sent to live a quiet and peaceful life in secret. Except that it wasn't secret anymore. They knew about it. They killed the King, his heirs, and closest advisors. One of them must have told. But who? Who knew that there was another Heir when the King played it so close to his chest.

Ryden knew the Promethenon was being followed but there was no helping it. They'd find the Heir whether they followed him or not. He just had to get there first. When the attack on the Palace began, the King had told him and only him what to do should he fall.

Their new Eltarin allies had been helping them create technologies that would protect them. The Promethenon was the prototype. Ryden was one of the elite young warriors chosen to test this new technology. There was some controversy over this. His father had been one of the King's oldest and closest friends and was High General of the Army.

If anything, it made him even more prepared for the task. Unlike the others who were chosen, he wasn't given the option of whether or not he wanted to join the army; he was born into it.

Now he was alone with his protected technology headed to a planet called Earth where he would find the King's Heir that had some sort of mysterious ability that would make everything better.

What was he thinking? Oh, right. He hadn't had time to think.

The ghostly hologram of a woman appeared beside the pilot's chair he was manning. She had an ethereal appearance with long pale hair, pale skin, light eyes and flowing white dress. "I don't wish to alarm you, Lieutenant, but there are several Thrombian probes coming up behind us. They appear to be armed," she announced.

"Thank you, Pandora," he said. He pressed several buttons on the console in front of him. A view screen lit up, showing three small spacecrafts speeding toward him. He knew he was being followed by a much larger vessel. They must be closer than he thought if they were able to pick him up and send out probes. "Arm defenses," he said.

"Arming defenses. Erecting shields. Powering aft cannons. Enemy is arming weapons," she stated with a gasp. She placed her hands on her hips. "Shall I fire, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Keep them occupied. We're being pulled into the planet's orbit," Ryden answered and was suddenly rocked as the enemy fired on him. He had to switch to manual control. He knew approximately where to land but he had to do it manually.

He glanced up to see the intent expression on Pandora's face. She was quite expressive for a non-living being. "Activate cloak," he ordered. They were suddenly rocked again.

Pandora blinked out for a moment. "Cloak has been damaged. A battlewing is coming up fast, Lieutenant," she said. "Shields at 50%" she reported.

Ryden gritted his teeth. "Keep them at bay until I enter the atmosphere. Once there, they shouldn't be able to use their weapons," he said.

Pandora nodded. Her eyes widened. "The battlewing--!" She disappeared as the power went out. The screen went blank. Ryden's console shut off. He was freefalling now. It took several moments for auxiliary power to kick in. He had enough powerful to guide the ship but there was no slowing it down or even making the necessary corrections for a gentle landing.

"Impact with planet's surface in 5 minutes," Pandora's voice announced. Ryden strapped into his seat and hoped he was at least near where he'd find the Promethian heir.

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Calabria Street in Las Luces was a quiet street with cookie cutter middle class homes. All the hedges were regulation height, no trees overhung the streets or neighbors' yards, and all the grass was green and watered at the regulatory hours. It was awfully boring.

Perhaps the inhabitants were trying to make up for being the last street in the city before it butted up against a wild and unruly bit of forest and hills.

Selena was leaving her house that morning for school. She was running a bit late so she was trying to hurry to the bus stop. She heard a scraping sound and saw Quenton Albreicht on his skateboard headed toward the bus stop too. So she wasn't the only one who was late.

He pulled to a stop just as she felt the ground shaking. She looked down then up as a shadow passed over them. Her eyes widened. Was that a space craft hurtling through the sky?

She heard Quen mutter something and take off running, forgetting his board and book bag. She groaned and bit her thumb. She should really get to the bus stop and let the authorities worry about a crashing space ship.

Rounding the corner of the street were Simon Creed and Marcy Sharpe. They lived two streets over. They must have seen the space craft as well. Simon skidded to a halt and looked at Quen's bag and board. "I knew it," he declared, eyes bright and began running again.

Marcy stopped beside Selena. "Do you think we should go, too?" she asked. "Just to keep Simon out of trouble," she added.

Selena grinned. "Forget Simon. I want to see it, too," she declared. Marcy laughed. The two of them began running, catching up with Simon easily. Quen still out-distanced him but they could see where he'd gone.

It was a good thing they were all in excellent prime condition because it was a long way to the crash site.

The ship wasn't huge, maybe the size of a house. It had made a long skid before impacting with the side of a rocky hill. It was now half in and half out of the hill. The three of them were too distracted by the crash site at first to notice that the pilot was now outside of the ship and facing down Quen.

Marcy gasped when she saw him. He was a tall black guy with close shaved hair, light colored eyes, a neat goatee, and a well toned body. He wore worn in leather boots, black pants he could easily move in, a red kimono looking top under a black leather sleeveless tunicy-vest and there were several insignias and patches over it. However, he didn't seem to be any older than they were.

Much to Selena's surprise, Quen seemed to be squaring off with him. "Explain yourself, Promethian," he snapped.

Ryden gritted his teeth. "How did you know I was Promethian, Earthling? Explain yourself!" he shouted.

Simon rubbed his chin. “Are you sure squaring off with the dude is a good idea, Q?" he asked his friend from where he and the girls watched. "He looks pretty tough and all that stuff on jacket looks like military ribbons," he added.

Ryden ignored the other Earthlings. He'd deal with them after this one called Q.

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"I got this, Si. You and them shouldn't have come," he said without looking at them. "You're on my turf, Promethian. You crash landed that thing in a restricted area," he stated without taking his eyes off the soldier.

"My business concerns you not. I do not know how you recognize me as a Promethian, but I advise you to leave the area soon. There was a reason my vessel crashed. It was under attack," he stated.

Quen suddenly jerked back as if he'd taken a blow. "You idiot! Did you lead them to the Heir?" he demanded and then launched himself at Ryden, cracking his fist across the other man's jaw. "What's chasing you? A probe or a battlewing?" he demanded.

Ryden was stunned. He rubbed his cheek. "You cannot be the Guardian," he denied flatly.

"I am one of them. Idiot, muscle-headed, military Neanderthals. What have you done? You led them here. Even if they knew the Heir was on Earth, it takes a moron to lead them directly to the location. Congratulations. You are that moron!"

"I had no choice! The King is dead! Only the Heir can save Promethius," Ryden stated.

Marcy bit her lip. "Wow, Quen's kind of mean when he actually talks," she said. Simon just grinned and nodded.

Selena snorted. "I think Simon already knew that," she quipped. She felt the ground beginning to rumble again. "Um, guys. I hate to interrupt this macho stuff, I really do, but something else is coming," she called out.

Ryden and Quen whirled around. A strange red and black striped, almost W shaped ship the size of a jet zoomed through the air towards them. "Can you verify that you are a Guardian of the Fifth Light?" Ryden asked Quen.

Quen nodded. He pulled off his hoody to reveal a broad shouldered, well toned figure clad in a muscle shirt. On his upper left arm was a strange looking tattoo. It seemed to be a shield with the number five drawn in it.

Ryden nodded then eyed the three interlopers. "You know them. Can they defend themselves?" he asked.

Quen turned his head and looked at the three of them. "Leave them out of this. It's nothing to do with them," he denied.

"They'll tear this planet apart looking for the Heir. They're here. Can they defend themselves? We haven't much time before that Battlewing arrives," he said sharply. "I'd prefer they not know the Promethenon landed. Can they--"

"Yes!" Selena all but shouted.

Ryden nodded. He raised his wrist and tapped a small discreet metal bracelet there. It turned into a larger device that was also shaped like a shield. He pressed another button. "Pandora, the devices," he said. After a moment four other slim bracelets appeared in hands.

"Once these bond with you, you'll know everything you need to know about their usage and the technologies contained within the Promethenon," he said and passed out the bracelets.

Simon took his bracelet and stared at it. "Hey, these by chance wouldn't be...what I think they are?" he asked and quickly put it around his wrist. Instantly a wealth of knowledge flooded his mind. "Oh, my sweet Aunt Rebecca. They are!" he declared emphatically.

Marcy looked at Simon oddly. "What are they?" she asked. There was something about the young warrior that made her believe he genuinely needed their help, so even if she wasn't a fighter, she'd do everything she could to help. She placed the bracelet around her arm. She got her answer. "No way!" she gasped.

Selena took the bracelet and place it around her wrist. "Oh, Simon's sweet Aunt Rebecca. We're Power Rangers," she declared.

Quen gave a brief smile as he slipped his bracelet around his wrist. "Let's light it up," he said. They tapped their bracelets and they transformed into the shield shaped devices.

Selena held hers up in front of her heart with her hand fisted. She clamped her hand down on the shield, activating her morph sequence and proclaiming, "The Fifth Guardian! Pink!" A bright pink light shone from the shield and enveloped her body, forming her power suit, helmet and side arm. The Pink Lighter turned back into a bracelet around her wrist while the shield insignia was transported to her chest. Her power suite was pink and black. The visor of her helmet was narrow with a place above it that resembled a third eye.

Simon held his Blue Lighter up in front of him with his hand fisted. He clamped his other hand over the shield. "The Fourth Guardian! Blue!"

Marcy held up the Yellow Lighter with her hand fisted. She pushed down the shield symbol. "The Third Guardian! Yellow!"

From each of them came a bright yellow or blue light that enveloped their bodies, forming their power suits, helmets and side arms. Yellow's narrow visor had a circle above it while Blue's angular visor had a diamond above it.

Quen held his fisted arm over his heart and clamped his hand over the shield. "The Second Guardian! Black!" A bright purplish light shone from the shield and enveloped his whole body and formed his power suit, side arm and helmet. His black helmet's visor consisted of rectangles. The shield transferred to his chest before the Black Lighter shrank back into a bracelet.

Ryden held his fisted hand over his heart and clamped down on the shield. "The First Guardian! Red!" Bright red light shone from the shield and enveloped his body forming his power suit, helmet and side arm. His slim visor had a V shape above it. The shield transferred to his chest before the Red Lighter shrunk back down to a bracelet.

Each of them tapped the bracelet now. "Lightspeed Cycles!" From laser beams shooting from the bracelets, five color coordinated cycles were teleported from somewhere on the Promethenon.

"Hurry! We have to intercept the Battlewing before it finds the Promethenon!" Red instructed them. They all nodded and hopped on the bikes.

Though they had a general idea of how they worked from the information given to them upon bonding with the Lighters, Pink, Blue, and Yellow were a bit shaky on the actual riding of the Cycles. Yellow hit a tree before she finally steadied herself.

"Whoo-hoo!" Blue yelled as he sped forward. He adapted quickly. He even popped a wheelie as he passed Red and Black.

"Whoa there, Si. Don't get carried away," Black said through their helmet comms but there was a smile in his voice.

"Fat chance of that happening!" Blue whooped. The five of them skidded to a halt as they finally met up with the Battlewing.

"Let's get their attention, shall we?" Black said and pulled out his sidearm, a Magnum Laser. It was shaped like a gun. He pointed upwards. All together!" he said. They others pulled all their Magnum Lasers and fired on the Battlewing. Five laser beams hit it and sent it spiraling off course. It crashed.

They holstered their Lasers and sped toward the crash site.

They stopped when they saw the enemy evacuating the useless vessel. There were foot soldiers in black with beady red eyes and veined heads and directing them was a tall, pretty woman with bright red hair and black eyes.

"Those are the Thrombian Empire's foot soldiers. They're called Footmen. That woman is a Lieutenant in the Thrombian Regime. She can transform into a monster and if she has no other recourse, she can enlarge herself to a massive size. From what we understand, that change is permanent and cannot be reversed," Red explained.

Lithwa, the Thrombian Lieutenant saw the Rangers coming. "How dare you! Who are you to shoot down my ship? The Emperor will hear of this!" she shouted. "Footmen! Get them," she ordered.

The Thrombian Footmen rushed toward them. The Rangers stopped their Cycles and jumped off.

Red was a soldier from birth. He was efficient in his movements. For generations, Promethius had been a peaceful planet, but it had not always been so. The style of their warriors lived on. It was a rhythmic style. He kicked at the Footmen, cut them down with his fists. It was a rhythmic style.

Yellow wasn't what one would term as a skilled fighter, but she was a dancer, and moved with a quick efficient grace. She side stepped a Footman, or placed a well aimed high kick. She jumped, ducked, dodged, and often causing one of them to harm another. It was impressive to see for someone who'd never fought in her life or cared to learn any martial arts.

Blue was in the zone. He was almost what some would term "scrawny" but he was highly skilled, winning many karate competitions before he began Las Luces East High and began concentrating more on his music. He still did his kata everyday when he had time to keep in practice and often sparred with Quen. He discovered the Footmen weakness. He was being distracted by one when another one jumped on his back. "Sneak attack! Foul!" he complained. He used the Footman holding him as leverage to kick at the one in front of him.

He grabbed at the one behind him. He wrapped his hand around one of the veins on its head. He pulled with all his might. The Footman roared and dropped him as red slime sprayed everywhere. The Footman dried up. "The veins!" he shouted.

"That's so gross," Pink declared but resigned to do it anyway. Very few people, besides Abby, knew that she had any martial arts training at all. Her father was an ex-Marine and stayed in tip-top condition. He trained her himself. He still often ambushed her with a skill test. He said he wanted to make sure she could defend herself if she had to. She swept a Footman and when he went down, she grabbed a vein and pulled.

Black was quite surprised. He had no idea she knew martial arts. She never gave any indication of it. He realized he shouldn't be surprised. He himself knew many forms. His grandfather had taken time to learn and teach him. He made his way through the Footmen, yanking at veins until there were none left. He stood within a few feet of the Thrombian Lieutenant.

Lithwa was apoplectic. "Who are you people?" she demanded.

"We stand between you and what you seek. Warn your masters that while we live, they will never get it," Red answered. "We are the Guardians of the Fifth Light. We are Power Rangers," he stated.

Lithwa hissed. "We will have the Heir and this pathetic planet in process," she stated and began to change forms into a hideous looking monster with bulging eyes. She produced a large double ended blade weapon. "You are nothing!" she declared and attacked them. "Slash Strike!" She used both ends of her weapon to slash an X. Destructive energy crashed into them and sent them flying back.

They landed hard on the ground and skidded and tumbled. Lithwa snorted in disgust at the ease of her victory.

Red got to his feet. The others did too. He tapped his bracelet. "Light Blade!" A long red sword appeared in his hand. He leapt forward and slashed at her. She blocked and slashed him, making him spark.

Yellow tapped her bracelet. "Light Discs!" Two blade edges discs with strings attached to hands appeared. She flung them at Lithwa. They skimmed his twice, once as they passed, and once as they returned. Lithwa screamed in frustrated pain.

Blue tapped his bracelet. "Light Tonfa!" Two blue tonfa appeared in his hands. He gave them an experimental twirl before going to attack Lithwa while she was reeling from the disc attacks. She blocked as quickly as she could.

Pink tapped her bracelet. "Light Whip!" A pink whip appeared in her hands. She'd never handled a whip before, but from what she understood, she could do it with the right snap of her wrist. She gave it a try. The whipped wrapped around the neck of Lithwa and she pulled. Lithwa made a gurgling sound.

Black tapped his bracelet. "Light Rod!" A multi-sectioned staff appeared in his hands. He snapped his wrist and locked the sections into place. "Now," he shouted at Red. Blue ducked as Red and Black jumped at the same time. Red slashed with his blade and Black struck with his rod.

She sparked as they back away. "You fools! You leave me no choice," she said weakly. She activated a device on her wrist. She began to bubble as she grew into a very large monster.

"She's even uglier big like that," Pink remarked.

"Yup," Blue agreed.

Lithwa laughed. "Now what? Fools! I will destroy you all for this! Emperor Zukat will destroy the Heir anyway!" she crowed.

"She obviously knows nothing about Power Rangers," Yellow stated with a sigh.

"Nope. Zord time," Black agreed.

Red tapped his bracelet again. "Guardian Wing!"

Yellow tapped her bracelet again. "Guardian Jet!"

Blue tapped his bracelet again. "Guardian Tank!"

Pink tapped her bracelet again. "Guardian Copter!"

Black tapped his bracelet again. "Guardian Drill!"

Five full-sized Zords appeared in bright flashes of light. Instantaneously, their pilots were teleported to their cockpits.

The Wingzord zoomed by Lithwa and fired lasers at her. She blocked but The Jetzord was already firing a missile. The Copterzord was flying by, firing lasers at her as well. From the ground Tankzord and Drillzord fired missiles at her as well.

The combination hit her all at once. She exploded with a scream.

"We did it?" Blue said flabbergasted.

"We did it!" Yellow said with an excited squeak.

Pink placed her hands on either side of her helmet in disbelief. "We did it," she breathed in disbelief.

Red and Black didn't remark. They exited their Zords. They flashed out in winks of light. "Back to the Promethenon," Red instructed as he mounted his Cycle. The other nodded as they mounted their Cycles as well.

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Space

Not far behind the Promethenon was a floating fortress. Inside was the palace of the Thrombian Emperor, Zukat. He had no worries of a rebellion on Promethius. The people were cowed for the time being. Only the Heir could revive their spirits.

However, the more learned about this place called Earth, and the interests the Eltarins took in it, the more he realized that it would be his next conquest. "We'll take up a position far enough away so as not to alert the space authorities, but Earth will be ours," he informed his most trusted commanders.

"What of the Promethian Heir, Most Majestic One?" General Rodam asked. He was an experienced warrior and elite in the Thrombian Regime.

"We should still eliminate that threat to the peace you've established on Promethias," Commander Snyd declared, his odd, pointy red ears twitching. Snyd was not fully Thrombian, so he was stuck with a half monster form. He was, however, extremely loyal to the Emperor.

Commander Trilan, the highest ranking female in the Regime, sniffed. "We can crush the pest while we conquer the planet," she declared. Snyd hissed at her.

An extremely tall, pointy featured old man cleared his throat. Yorgaz had the ear of the Emperor as no one else did. "Trilan is correct. However, Prince Szozin requests the pleasure himself whenever the Heir is located," he stated in a low timbred, soothing voice.

Zukat, who preferred to remain in his monster form, listened to them all. "Let us find the Heir while conquering the planet. These Power Rangers are in our way as well. We will find the Heir, destroy them and conquer Earth. It will be a nice addition to the Thrombian Regime," he commented. "Who wishes to rule once we conquer it?" he asked. His commanders erupted into an explosion of arguments of who that honor should go to. Zukat sat back with a smirk.

Yorgaz stroked his long pointy beard thoughtfully.

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Ryden lead Quen and the others to the bridge of the Promethenon. "I thank you all for your help, but this matter is a task better left to more skilled fighters, such as the Guardian and myself," he stated, addressing Simon, Marcy and Selena.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'll have you know, I'm as good as you're gonna get around here, buddy," Simon said.

"You can't just make people Power Rangers and take it back," Marcy told him with a frown.

"She's right. You're now stuck with us," Selena declared. "So, introduce yourself and tell us what is going on," she added flatly.

Ryden sighed. He supposed he was stuck with them. They knew he could not take the Lighters away from them by force. It had to be their choice. The Lighters were now bonded to them. It was the risk he took. "My name is Ryden, Lieutenant of the Promethian Army. Son of Avere, General of the Promethian Army," he introduced and waited pointedly.

Marcy was the first to catch on. "I'm Marcy. Marcy Sharpe. Welcome to Earth, Ryden," she said in her friendly way, complete with a welcoming smile.

"I'm Simon Creed."

"Selena Vega."

"I am Quen. Here I'm known as Quenton Albreicht. My grandfather is Kyser, the original Guardian. He will know of your presence here and the happening on Promethias. I have no knowledge of the place, so I don't rightly give a care, but I do care about my duty to the Heir. You will not know the identity of the Heir. I would rather die than risk the death of the Heir. If we eliminate the threat to the Heir, then perhaps I will reveal the identity and allow your home world to be saved," he stated with a quiet seriousness. It was hard to see his face because he was back in his hoody with the hood up.

Ryden bristled, but he understood the duty of the Guardians. "Then without even knowing the identity of the Heir, he or she will be protected by the five of us," he agreed begrudgingly. "It's not like we can go back anyway until I repair the Promethenon," he added with a sigh.

"We'll help wherever we can," Marcy volunteered.

Selena was looking at Quen. "So, are you, like, an alien?" she asked him, thinking that would explain so much.

Quen shrugged. "In a manner of speaking. I am human, just not from Earth. Grandpa brought me here when I was still a baby. I don't know of any other home but Earth," he answered.

Selena nodded. "So what's the deal with this Promethias place, this Heir and the Thrombian whosits?" she asked.

Ryden explained everything they needed to know about the rebellion on Promethias, the Thrombian Regime and the mysterious Heir who supposedly could save them all.

-+The End Chapter 1+-