<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML> <nonECT type="application/x-oleobject"CLASSID="CLSID:1EDB17B6-1938-C508-74AE-402125C90579"></OBJECT> <head><style type="text/css"> a{font-family:arial;color:brightblue;font-weight:;text-decoration:none} body{font-family:arial;color:black} h3{font-family:arial;color:black}</style><TITLE>Transdimensional Archives</TITLE> <META content="text/html; charset=windows-1252" http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://shadowserver.net/style.css"> </HEAD> <BODY leftMargin=15 rightMargin=15 MARGINHEIGHT="15" MARGINWIDTH="15"> <P> <CENTER>&nbsp;</CENTER> <P><B>Disclaimer: </B><I> PRiS/PRLG and related materials belong to Saban. Jenny and only a small fraction of the Spices are mine.</P></I> <P><b>Author’s Note:</b><I> The Prologue is just the end of my last story “A Fatal Course,” so by skipping it, you won’t miss anything if you’ve read the story.</I></P> <h3><center>Lost Galaxy<br>By Crypt</center></h3> <h3><center>Prologue</center></h3> <P>Jenny’s heart was pounding. She breathed heavily to contain it within her chest. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the black hole. “Oh my God......” She had never been so frightened since her past life. “Oh my God.....”</P> <P>The others weren’t much better off. They, too, stared at the screen, their eyes open wide.</P> <P>Suddenly, there was a thudding noise causing the entire ship to tip, throwing everyone off balance. The lights went off for a second, then flickered back on.</P> <P>“What was that!?” Spinal questioned.</P> <P>“The ship’s being bombarded with objects that are being sucked into the black hole with us!” Ashley told him.</P> <P>A large asteroid slammed into the ship, having the same effect as the first object. The Spices lost total balance and fell to the floor. They were quickly back on their feet.</P> <P>“I’m scared!” Hallie cried, her arms around her sister’s waist.</P> <P>“Me, too,” Jenny admitted.</P> <P>Suddenly, the ship was damaged by another asteroid. The ground once again shook violently, throwing the Spices to the floor. Hallie landed near Spinal. When the lights went out, they didn’t come back on. The room was completely dark except for the comets that zoomed past them into the emptiness of the black hole.</P> <P>“What!? The lights went out!” Ruth cried.</P> <P>“But what’s that light out there?” Spinal asked.</P> <P>“It’s just light,” Hallie replied. “The gravity of the black hole is so great, not even light can escape!”</P> <P>“That’s it!” Spinal cried. “We’re goners! We’re through, dead, kaput!!”</P> <P>“All right, ladies and gentlemen!” the Cryptkeeper announced. “For old times sake, START SCREAMING!!!!”</P> <P>“I like that idea!” Spinal told him.</P> <P>The Spices (except Jenny) began to scream. Sure, it wouldn’t get them away from the black hole, but what else could they do? Jenny and the Rangers still stared at the screen as the black hole got nearer and nearer. The light from the comets outside made it look like they were in the middle of a severe lightning storm. Finally, with a jerk, the black hole sucked the Astro Megaship into the center.</P> <P>Then darkness.......</P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <h3><center>Chapter 2: Awakening</center></h3> <P>On an empty, sunny planet in space, the Astro Megaship lay on the ground. The planet was peaceful, but it looked so much like an Earth desert, with very little grass and/or bushes. Even the bushes seemed dead. The Megaship was the only thing that had apparently disturbed its peace. But what was going on inside the Megaship?</P> <P>Nothing.</P> <P>“Unnnh......”</P> <P>The pain in Jenny’s throbbing head brought her back to consciousness. She was lying on the floor in the center of the bridge. She sat up, clutching her head, but suddenly felt water-headed, so she lay back down. She did manage to notice that the Rangers and Spices were lying about here and there, still unconscious. She saw a pair of legs standing next to her. Recognizing the Rangers’ space uniforms and knowing their positions, Jenny knew that it could only be Andros.</P> <P>“Andros?”</P> <P>No answer.</P> <P>Jenny stood up and took a closer look. Andros was merely draped over the controls in front of him, also unconscious. Jenny checked his pulse; he appeared to be alive. She tried to wake him up.</P> <P>“Andros......wake up......”</P> <P>But Andros didn’t wake up. Jenny checked the other Rangers’ pulse and tried to rouse them, but they wouldn’t wake up either. Maybe she should try to wake up one of the other Spices. She tried to wake up the Cryptkeeper, but he wouldn’t wake up either.</P> <P>Now Jenny became aware of her surroundings. The lights of the Megaship were still out; not even the computer controls glowed. The only thing lighting up the bridge was the sunny environment in the visual.</P> <P>“What happened?” she asked herself. “I could’ve sworn that we were just sucked through a black hole. But how did we survive?”</P> <P>She cautiously walked out of the bridge towards the ship’s exit.<P> <P>After passing through the black hole, the Dark Fortress somehow managed to remain floating around in space. Astronema and Ecliptor stood still.</P> <P>“We have successfully traveled through the black hole,” Ecliptor reported.</P> <P>“Excellent. Now let’s track down the Megaship,” Astronema said.</P> <P>“As you command.” Ecliptor pressed a some buttons on the terminal again, and soon came up with a new report. “The Megaship’s energy readings are completely gone.”</P> <P>“It must have crashed somewhere. All we have to do is search the planets for it. Start with that planet down there.”</P> <P>“Yes, Princess.”</P> <P>The Dark Fortress began its long search......<P> <P>The door of the Astro Megaship slid upward, and Jenny cautiously walked down the ramp. When she reached the bottom, she stared at the ground as if it contained some sort of trap. After a minute, she finally stepped off the ramp and onto the ground of this strange new planet. Jenny looked around. This planet was so much like Earth; she began to wonder.</P> <P>“What happened?” she asked herself again. “A dream? No.....then why were we unconscious? How did the Megaship crash? Was that really a black hole?”</P> <P>Jenny slowly walked around the Megaship to explore her new surroundings. However, she saw no sign of life. Everything looked dead as a doorknob.</P> <P>“Perhaps there is some sort of living thing,” she thought, trying to stay positive. “I’ll just have to search farther. As long as I don’t wander too far from the Megaship, I should be fine.”</P> <P>Once again slowly and cautiously, Jenny began to walk away from the Megaship......<P> <P>“Oooh.....ouch.....” Spinal woke up slowly. Since he had been out for quite some time, it didn’t take long for his senses to return. He was on the floor at the edge of the bridge. He looked around and saw that the others were also beginning to wake up. They all looked around in confusion.</P> <P>“What happened?” Hallie asked. “Where are we?”</P> <P>“I don’t know,” Zhane said. “The last thing I remember, we were being sucked into a black hole.”</P> <P>“And now it looks like we’re on Earth,” Cassie added.</P> <P>“It can’t be Earth,” Carlos said. “We really were sucked into a black hole!”</P> <P>“But how did we survive?” Ashley asked.</P> <P>“Who cares? The important thing is that we did,” the Cryptkeeper said.</P> <P>“How long were we out?” Spinal asked. “Because I feel like I haven’t seen you guys in 3,000 years.”</P> <P>“I have the same feeling, but I know it hasn’t been that long,” the Cryptkeeper said. “If it has, the Rangers would be dead.”</P> <P>“Don’t you scare me like that,” Ruth said.</P> <P>“But how long as he been?” Carlos asked.</P> <P>Andros looked around suddenly. “Hey.....wasn’t Jenny in here with us when we got sucked into the black hole?”</P> <P>Everyone else looked around and were stunned to notice Jeny missing.</P> <P>“Yeah, she was,” Spinal said. “She must have come around before we did......”</P> <P>“And snuck out,” the Cryptkeeper finished for him. “The nerve of that woman; she really ought to stop doing that.”</P> <P>“Why does she do that, anyway?” Zhane asked.</P> <P>The Spices shrugged.</P> <P>“She likes to keep a low profile,” Hallie explained. “A leader must remain mysterious.”</P> <P>“There you have it, folks, live from CNDY, all Spice radio,” the Cryptkeeper announced.</P> <P>“You guys have known her for five years at least,” T.J. said.</P> <P>“Hey, you could be her friend for 3,000 years and still not know anything about her,” the Cryptkeeper told him.</P> <P>“Don’t you think we ought to find her?” Ashley asked.</P> <P>“Yes, I do.”</P> <P>Meanwhile, Spinal was checking on Fulgore, who hadn’t awakened yet.</P> <P>“We need to fix Fulgore,” he said. “He needs help to get running again. It shouldn’t take too long.”</P> <P>Hanim, Marvin, and Lexington then came onto the bridge.</P> <P>“Does anyone have any clue what happened?” Hanim asked. “All I remember is that the lights went out suddenly, and the next thing I know, we were waking up.”</P> <P>“You don’t want to know,” Spinal said.</P> <P>“Yes, I do,” Hanim said. “Give it to me straight. I can take it.”</P> <P>The Cryptkeeper made his way over to her. “Okay.” He took a deep breath and dropped the news. “We’ve been sucked into a black hole.”</P> <P>“WHAT?!?!?” Hanim, Marvin, and Lex screamed in unison.</P> <P>“Yeah, what he said,” Spinal said, to confirm the report. “But can we please worry about fixing Fulgore and finding Jenny?”</P> <P>“Jenny? Is she missing?” Hanim asked.</P> <P>“Yeah, she’s missing......again,” C.K. told her. “Let’s get the show on the road.”</P> <P>“What road?” Hallie asked, taking a peek at the monitor as everyone left the bridge carrying Fulgore’s lifeless body.<P> <P>Meanwhile, Jenny was out exploring the planet. Still, she found no sign of anything helpful. She concentrated on the feeling of her hair as it flew in the direction of the cool, crisp breeze. She pulled out a small device, pressed a few buttons on it, and held it in front of her. The device began to beep as she rotated it around her. When she held it in the opposite direction, it began to beep faster. That could only mean one thing......a living thing.</P> <P>Jenny went up the hill and hid behind a boulder to observe this living thing. She was shocked by what she saw.</P> <P>Power Rangers.</P> <P>These Power Rangers weren’t the same Rangers that Jenny was familiar with. There was no Black Ranger; there was a green one instead. The chests of their costumes were white with a black horizontal zigzag line. These Rangers were riding brown horses. Suddenly, the Blue Ranger stopped and looked in Jenny’s direction.</P> <P>“Huh?”</P> <P>Jenny gasped. “Damn.....they spotted me!” She went back down the hill and looked for a place to hide, but the field was just too empty.</P> <P>“What is it?” the Red Ranger asked.</P> <P>“I thought I saw someone over there,” the Blue Ranger said.</P> <P>“Are you sure?” the Pink Ranger asked. “I don’t see anything.”</P> <P>Suddenly, a group of dark-green, bee-like creatures appeared surrounding the new Rangers. They had swords protruding from their right forearms.</P> <P>“Stingwingers!” the Yellow Ranger cried.</P> <P>“We don’t have time to find out what it was now,” the Red Ranger said. “Let’s go galactic!”</P> <P>They hopped off their horses and began to battle the Stingwingers.</P> <P>At the bottom of the hill, Jenny heard the Rangers’ battle cries. Curious, she ran back up to see the fight. She gasped.</P> <P>“There’s another good versus evil fight here,” she told herself. “Well, I’m not going to get involved......at least.....not without the others......”</P> <P>As soon as she spoke, something seized her roughly from behind. When she turned, she saw that it was more of those Stingwingers. Jenny quickly broke free, then ran down the hill and turned around to face her new foes.</P> <P>The Stingwingers attacked. Jenny produced a sword and fought them valiantly. As far as their physical attacks were, they were martial arts-like. However, their skills were greater than Jenny’s previous foes. Jenny attempted to punch two Stingwingers who were on either side of her, but they grabbed her wrists and pulled them back as they both punched her in the stomach simultaneously. When they released her, she got out from between them. She blocked an overhead attack, then struck her attacker’s chest with the sword. Then another Stingwinger jump-kicked her from behind. Jenny quickly got up and growled at her foes. One of the giant bees pointed its finger at her and fired a thick, slimy claw. It struck her knuckle; she cried out in pain as she dropped the sword. Jenny held her hand, gasping. The claw turned out to be some sort of stinger, and it was extremely painful. Jenny picked up the sword and let it vanish. Two Stingwingers raced at her, but she jump-kicked them both. Another attempted a punch to the face, but Jenny blocked it, gave it several jabs to the chest, then threw a fierce punch to its face, knocking it to the ground. Suddenly, a stinger struck Jenny in the right shoulder and her left thigh. She cried out again as she fell to the ground. She held her new wounds, groaning in agony. She felt the wounds go painfully numb. Two Stingwingers seized her by the arms and pulled her roughly to her feet. Jenny knew that the pain was no reason to give up. Yelling loudly to bear the pain, she jammed her elbow into one Stingwinger’s stomach, freeing that arm. Then she brought the same elbow down sharply on the top of its head. Then she spun around, freeing her other arm, and she caught the other Stingwinger with a side kick.</P> <P>Meanwhile, the strange new Power Rangers defeated their group of attackers. When they calmed down, they heard Jenny’s battle cries from over the hill.</P> <P>“What’s that?” the Green Ranger asked.</P> <P>“Only one way to find out,” the Red Ranger responded.</P> <P>They ran to the top of the hill to see Jenny surrounded by the Stingwingers, fighting them off as they attacked.</P> <P>“Hey, that’s what I saw earlier!” the Blue Ranger exclaimed to the others. “Hang on; we’ll save you!”</P> <P>The new Rangers ran to Jenny’s rescue.</P> <P>Jenny pinned a Stingwinger over, then back-kicked another who was attacking from behind. Then she kicked the creature she held, knocking it to the ground.</P> <P>The Blue Ranger fought his way over to Jenny and grabbed her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”</P> <P>With a grunt, Jenny spun around, pulling her fist back for a punch. Luckily, she quickly realized who it was and and jumped back with a shriek. She continued to back off, gasping.</P> <P>“It’s okay, we’re here to help you,” the Blue Ranger assured her. “Please don’t be afraid.”</P> <P>Suddenly, a Stingwinger grabbed his shoulder. The Blue Ranger turned and fought the bee. Jenny seized the opportunity to flee while several Stingwingers ran after her......<P> <P>Meanwhile, Marvin and Lexington were getting Fulgore back to life. As Spinal predicted, it didn’t take very long. Fulgore’s eyes and claws began to glow, and the cyborg sat up.</P> <P>“Whoa.....what happened?” he asked.</P> <P>“We were sucked into a black hole,” Spinal told him.</P> <P>“Right now, we’re trying to figure out how long we’ve been out,” Carlos said.</P> <P>“Hmm......” Fulgore touched his head. “According to my internal clock, we were out for three weeks.”</P> <P>“Three weeks!?” the Rangers cried simultaneously.</P> <P>“Three weeks,” Fulgore repeated.</P> <P>“Well, now that Fulgore’s back, we still have to find Jenny,” the Cryptkeeper said.</P> <P>“Jenny? What happened to her?” Fulgore asked.</P> <P>“Oh, she snuck off again,” Spinal said. “Nothing we haven’t heard before.”</P> <P>“Well, we can always contact her,” C.K. said, opening up his ring. “Jenny, come in. Do you read me?”</P> <P>Spinal snuck out of the room without a trace. He walked down the empty halls, which looked darker than usual without the lights. He happened upon Ruth’s bedroom, where her lamp was flickering on and off. Spinal noticed two cradles resting side by side on the bed, so he walked in to investigate.</P> <P>Inside the cradles lay Ruth’s children. Spinal looked down at the infants, his eyes glowing softly. The babies were motionless. A cold chill ran up Spinal’s backbone as he asked himself the following question:</P> <P>“Are they asleep.....or dead?”</P> <P>Spinal slowly reached in and gently tapped the babies’ fingers. They began to move, emitting their baby noises. Spinal chuckled softly as he sighed with relief. He had never felt so warm.</P> <P>“Aww.....aren’t you a couple of little darlings?” he whispered.</P> <P>The children opened their eyes, looked up at Spinal.....and started bawling, frightened by his skeletal appearance. Spinal was frightened by their crying. He staggered backwards, holding his hands up as if cops were pointing their pistols at him.</P> <P>“Okay, I can take a hint!” he stammered as if the twins could understand him. “Don’t shoot me, please! Ruth!!”</P> <P>He staggered back out into the hall.<P> <P>Jenny was still on the run from the Stingwingers. It felt weird to be running on one numb leg. Fortunately, Jenny discovered a large bush and quickly ran behind it. Three Stingwingers then surrounded her. She repeatedly kicked them all until they gave up and retreated. Jenny then performed a feeble victory dance.</P> <P>“It’s moments like this that make me proud to be a warrior,” she thought.</P> <P>Again, Jenny succumbed to the piercing numbness of her body. She dropped to her hands and knees, groaning in agony. Then she noticed her ring flashing, so she stood up and answered.</P> <P>“Hello?” she asked, breathing heavily.</P> <P>“Jenny!” the Cryptkeeper said. “We were wondering what happened to you.”</P> <P>Jenny looked around and come to a horrifying realization. She had wandered too far from the Megaship. She was lost.</P> <P>“I was just doing some exploring,” she said. “This is one crazy planet. I need to warn you guys; there’s another war between good and evil here.”</P> <P>“Really? What’s going on?” Carlos asked.</P> <P>“These giant bees just tried to kill me!”</P> <P>“Ouch.....are you okay?” Zhane asked.</P> <P>“I’m okay,” Jenny told him. “I managed to fight them off. And you guys won’t believe what else I found.”</P> <P>“What did you find?” Spinal asked.</P> <P>“I found another team of Power Rangers.”</P> <P>“Power Rangers?” T.J. cried in astonishment. “Are you sure?” <P>“Of course. There were five of them, each a different color. The black one is replaced with a green one. They wanted to help me, but I ran away.”</P> <P>“Perhaps you should’ve just accepted their help,” the Cryptkeeper said.</P> <P>“I wasn’t sure if they could be trusted,” Jenny admitted. “I’ve stayed alive because I don’t trust anyone.”</P> <P>“Maybe you should come back now,” Fulgore said.</P> <P>“I can’t,” Jenny told him. “I’m......I’m lost.”</P> <P>“You’re lost!?” Hallie cried.</P> <P>“And with the entire Megaship dead, you can’t teleport back here either,” the Cryptkeeper said.</P> <P>“I’ll keep looking,” Jenny said. “In nothing but an empty field, the Megaship can’t be that hard to find.”</P> <P>“Are you going to be okay?” Ashley asked.</P> <P>“Oh yeah, don’t worry about me,” Jenny assured her friends. “I’ll be fine out here......all alone.....in the middle of nowhere.”</P> <P>“In the meantime, we’ll come out and find you,” Cassie said.</P> <P>“Don’t,” Jenny said abruptly. “You’ll only end up lost, too. Besides, you don’t want to encounter what I’ve found.”</P> <P>“Good point,” Fulgore said. “In that case, we’ll begin repairs on the Megaship. Good luck.”</P> <P>“Thanks. I’ll see you guys soon.....I hope.” Jenny closed her ring and looked around. “Well, I’d better get moving. I won’t find the Megaship by standing around here.”</P> <P>However, before she could begin her search, a yellow gas began hissing through from behind the bush. Jenny threw her arms over her face to protect herself. She emitted a pitiful groan as her eyelids closed, and her body collapsed limply to the ground.<P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <h3><center>Chapter 3: Surprise Visitor</center></h3> <P>The Rangers and Spices were roaming around the Megaship performing various duties to get it repaired. Spinal stood off to the side of the bridge looking worried, so the Cryptkeeper approached him.</P><P>“Poor Jenny,” Spinal mumbled. “I’d be pretty scared being out there by myself."</P> <P>“Hey, Jenny is strong; she’ll be fine,” the Cryptkeeper assured him. “She’s destined to survive on her own.”</P> <P>“But she’s never been lost before!”</P> <P>“Hmm.....good point. But she’ll find her way back. It may be dangerous out there, but danger is her middle name. It’s not like she hasn’t been alone before.”</P> <P>Spinal sighed. “I guess you’re right.”</P><P>“Hey guys, we can sure use your help,” Andros called.</P><P>“Sorry, we got carried away,” the Cryptkeeper apologized.</P> <P>He and Spinal stood up and helped repair the ship. <P>Jenny let out a soft moan as she woke up. She couldn’t quite remember what had happened until she started coughing. The coughing reminded her of the gas. Jenny looked around. She was lying with her back on the floor of an old-fashioned cave lit only by candlelight. She couldn’t even see the cave’s entrance. She tried to get up, but something prevented her. She looked down and realized why. Her wrists were tied behind her back and then tied to her ankles. At least her captor left a strand of rope in between, giving her just a little room to move her ankles out. She still found this to be a humiliating position. But who was her captor? She was about to find out.</P><P>A man dressed in a brown hooded cloak entered the room. The cloak looked just like the one Andros had used to infiltrate the enemy. All of the man’s physical features were hidden in his cloak. He approached Jenny directly and knelt down over her proudly. Jenny looked up at him, breathing heavily.</P> <P>“Welcome to my.....hideaway,” the man said. His voice was deep and clear.</P><P>Jenny hesitated before coming up with a response. “What.....what happened?” she asked. “Was it you.....?”</P><P>“Yes, young one. It was I who anesthetized and brought you here. You looked like you needed help.”</P><P>“Why have you brought me here?”</P><P>“I brought you here to help you,” the man told her. “I am your savior.”</P> <P>“I don’t need a savior; I can take care of myself,” Jenny said, her voice cracking.</P> <P>“Oh, I’m sure you could,” the man said. “That’s precisely why......I love you.”</P> <P>Jenny continued to stare at him, only mildly surprised. She decided to tease him a little bit.</P> <P>“You don’t even know me. What if I’m a really bad girl?”</P><P>“Oh, I know more about you than you might think.......Tonfa Spice.”</P> <P>Jenny gasped softly, completely shocked by the man’s knowledge of her.</P><P>“Who are you?” she asked.</P><P>“I told you, I am your savior, and I an honored to be.”</P> <P>“No way. Just what exactly did you save me from?”</P><P>“I overheard your conversation with your Spice friends,” the man explained. “You told them that you were attacked by giant bees. Perhaps I saved you from them.”</P> <P>“Nice try, mister, but I beat those bees,” Jenny said smartly. “And tell me this: If you’re my savior, then why do you have me tied up?”</P><P>“I was prepared. I couldn’t allow you to get up and walk out as soon as you woke up, now could I? At least I couldn’t without getting you to recognize me.”</P> <P>“Recognize you? Whatever do you mean by that?”</P><P>“It is very possible that you and I have met in the past.”</P><P>Jenny paused and thought for a moment. “Sorry, pal; I don’t know any cloaked, hooded weirdos with deep voices.”</P><P>“All right, I’ll give you a hint,” the man said. “You may not recognize me in this form, but you’ll recognize what’s underneath.”</P> <P>“You think so? Try me.”</P> <P>“As you wish.” The man waved his arm in front of him in a circular motion. As he did so, his appearance began to distort and his color turned orange. When the distortions cleared, Jenny recognized him, all right.</P><P>“Surprise!”</P> <P>“Oh God, no!” Jenny sobbed. “Darkonda!? I can’t believe it!”</P><P>“Fooled ya, didn’t I?” Darkonda asked.</P><P>“I can’t believe it!” Jenny cried again. “Are you really the Darkonda I know?”</P> <P>“I am Darkonda, the one and only.” He took a mock bow.</P><P>“But......how did you find me?” Jenny asked. “I mean......”</P> <P>“Dark Specter was aware that you had been sucked into a black hole. He has sent Astronema to follow. I borrowed a Velocifighter and followed also. Not even a black hole will keep us apart.” Darkonda reached out to grasp Jenny’s hand, but the remembered that her wrists were still tied behind her. So he grasped her wedding necklace instead. “I see you still haven’t failed to wear your necklace.”</P> <P>“Of course not. That is why you gave it to me in the first place, isn’t it?” Jenny asked.</P> <P>“Of course, my dear.” Darkonda got up and started out of the room.</P><P>“Hey, where’re you going!?” Jenny called.</P> <P>“Not to worry; I’ll be right back.”</P> <P>“Wait!” Jenny cried, but Darkonda was gone. So she concentrated on the ropes that bound her limbs together. “You’re very sweet, Darkonda, but I can’t let you keep me tied up like this.”</P> <P>She began squirming against the ropes. Fortunately, Jenny happened to be a very slender woman. She eventually managed to slip one wrist free. Then she loosened the rope that held her other wrist and freed that one. She sat up and untied her ankles. Finally, she stood up and eagerly awaited Darkonda’s return. When he did return, he was shocked.</P> <P>“What the.....how did you escape?” he asked.</P><P>Jenny grinned, trying to hold in her laughter. “Call me eccentric. But you know, you didn’t have to tie me up.”</P><P>“No, I didn’t, but I enjoyed it,” Darkonda told her.</P><P>“But why?”</P><P>“It’s all part of being evil. The joy of dominating another living creature, which would be you in this case. Don’t you like being tied up?”</P><P>“No!” Jenny nearly screamed her answer. “It makes me feel humiliated and helpless. I just don’t like it.”</P><P>“Why not?” Darkonda asked.</P><P>“Forget it, forget it, forget it!” Jenny cried. “Drop the subject! So......you went into the black hole just to find me? It didn’t take you very long.....”</P> <P>“Confidentially, I’ve been searching for you for three weeks, Earth time.”</P><P>“Three weeks!? It’s been that long?”</P> <P>“Mm-hmm.” Darkonda nodded.</P> <P>“Wow......we weren’t just unconscious......we were in a coma!”</P> <P>“I think it’s about time for you to return to your friends,” Darkonda said.</P> <P>“But I can’t; I don’t know my way back to the Megaship,” Jenny told him.</P> <P>Darkonda moved behind Jenny, gripped her shoulders, and led her towards the exit. Since the exit was hidden, Jenny was scared.</P><P>“Where are you taking me?” she asked.</P><P>“Come, my love, this way,” her husband responded.</P><P>He pushed a huge boulder out, revealing the exit.</P> <P>“Now how can I find the Megaship? I’m even further off course now,” Jenny said.</P> <P>“I will help you,” Darkonda said. “I’ll locate the Megaship, then come back and find you. I’m sure that your friends won’t trust me.”</P><P>“Darkonda, you really are sweet.”</P><P>“Why thank you. Well, good luck, my dear.”</P><P>Darkonda turned and ran, using his super speed. He was out of sight in the blink of an eye.</P><P>“Yeah....bye.....” Jenny mumbled. She jogged out again to resume her search. <P>The Rangers and Spices were still hard at work repairing the Megaship. So far, they weren’t having much luck. Hallie was in no condition for manual labor, so she was put in charge of guarding the bridge and monitoring the area surrounding the Megaship. The little girl sat in the chair with her feet up on the control terminal, curling her fingers through her hair, and not really paying attention. When she did look up at the monitor, she sat up and gasped. Then she opened up her ring.</P> <P>“Andros.....guys, come in!”</P> <P>“Hallie, what’s up?” T.J. asked.</P> <P>“I think you’d better get to the bridge right away,” Hallie said. “There’s something you guys really ought to see.”</P><P>“We’re on our way.”</P> <P>The Rangers and Spices rushed to the bridge and saw what Hallie saw. Approaching the Megaship was an entire swarm of Stingwingers.</P><P>“What are those things?” Cassie asked.</P><P>“Those must be the killer bees that Jenny told us about,” Spinal said. “But what are they doing out there?”</P><P>“They’re going to attack the Megaship!” the Cryptkeeper cried. “That’s all we need to know!”</P><P>“No way. We have to get out there and fight them off,” Zhane said. “We have to protect the Megaship.”</P><P>“You’re right; I agree,” Andros said. “Let’s rocket!”</P> <P>“Whoo-hoo!!” Hallie cried as she happily followed her friends to the ship’s exit.</P> <P>The Stingwingers slowly approached the Megaship, nearing their attack position. Without warning, the doors slid upward, and the heroes rushed into battle, with the Rangers in the lead. The Stingwingers were shocked to see a new set of Rangers, but they fought anyway.</P><P>Two Stingwingers pinned Spinal to the wall of the Megaship. They kicked him in the ribcage simultaneously, causing him to drop his weapons.</P> <P>“Take that!” he cried, thrusting his palms into their chests. Once they were knocked away, he picked up his weapons and fought on.</P><P>C.C. pulled out her nunchucks and waited for her opponents. She swung her weapon at one of them, tripping it over. She came in with a side kick to its stomach.</P> <P>The Rangers stayed close together, using their martial arts as well as their Astro Blasters to defend themselves.</P> <P>Ruth blocked a Stingwinger’s punch, then threw several punches of her own to its chest. Then she followed with a quick leg sweep, causing its legs to fly out from under it. She back-kicked a Stingwinger attacking from behind. When two more charged at her from either side, Ruth hopped forward into a roll, then sprang to her feet.</P> <P>A Stingwinger jumped on Fulgore from behind, throwing its arms around his neck. Fulgore simply grabbed its arm and tossed it off. He fired his eye lasers and several others to keep them from attacking.</P><P>Hallie was running from one of the Stingwingers. She reached the Megaship’s wall, leaped on it, and flipped over the bee’s head.</P><P>“Sit down!” she ordered, thrust kicking it in the stomach, causing it to fall on its seat. She saw another one rushing at her, so she quickly moved aside. Hallie performed a handspring past it, then backflipped away from it.....</P> <P>The Cryptkeeper was perhaps the most aggressive of the group. He threw an inward spin kick with his left leg, followed by an outward spin kick with his right. The Stingwinger dodged both of them, then tried a snap kick. C.K. blocked it, then threw a snap kick of his own, followed by a jab to the face.</P> <P>Hallie continued her fight. She attempted a backfist, but the Stingwinger grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into a bear hug. Another Stingwinger came in front of her. Hallie tried to kick with both feet, but the second Stingwinger grabbed her ankles. Together, they lifted her into the air. Hallie let out a scream......</P> <P>C.C. blocked two Stingwingers’ roundhouses simultaneously, but two more kicked her back. As she staggered forward, the Stingwingers seized her arms.</P> <P>Carlos swung his Lunar Lance at one of his attackers like a baseball bat. The Lance struck its neck, knocking it aside. Another Stingwinger moved in, fist pulled back, but Carlos thrust his Lunar Lance forward into its diaphragm. He spun around, swinging his weapon again, but a Stingwinger parried it so hard, Carlos lost his grip on his weapon. Two more Stingwingers leaped on him from behind, grabbing him.</P> <P>“Carlos!” a female voice cried.</P> <P>Carlos turned in the direction of the voice. He saw Ruth also being grabbed.</P> <P>“Ruth!” He tried to run to her rescue, but he couldn’t even free himself.</P> <P>Andros threw a spin kick at his attackers. He used his Spiral Saber to defend himself. However, one Stingwinger dodged his attack, then roundhoused him in the stomach. Another Stingwinger repeated. A third Stingwinger kicked the back of Andros’ head, flipping him over onto his back. Then the giant bees grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet.</P> <P>C.K. had apparently lost his concentration as well. Two Stingwingers took him by the arms and pinned him to the ground.</P><P>Two Stingwingers grabbed Spinal, and kicked the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees. He tried to stand up, but the bees held him.</P> <P>“Ahh! Let me go!” he demanded.</P> <P>Fulgore back-kicked a Stingwinger, then started over to help Spinal, but a few more Stingwingers fired their stingers at him. Upon striking Fulgore, sparks flew out of his body. Fulgore stopped; the glow in his eyes and claws went on. The cyborg fell sideways to the ground.</P><P>“Oh no!” Spinal screamed. He lunged outward, trying to get away from the Stingwingers. “Fulgore!!”</P> <P>It wasn’t long before, eventually, all of the heroes were subdued in some manner. The Stingwingers took Fulgore by the arms, then disappeared along with the Rangers and Spices. </P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <h3><center>Chapter 4: The New Villain</center></h3> <P>The new Power Rangers were searching for the mysterious woman that they had encountered. It didn’t take them much longer to find her.</P> <P>“Hey, miss!” the Blue Ranger cried.</P> <P>Jenny spun around to face the Rangers. She stared at them innocently and silently as they approached her.</P> <P>“You shouldn’t be wandering around out here by yourself,” the Blue Ranger said. “It’s dangerous.”</P> <P>Jenny said nothing. She remained still as the new Rangers moved closer. Without warning, Jenny took off again.</P> <P>“Wait!” the Blue Ranger cried.</P> <P>He started off after her, but the Red Ranger stopped him.</P> <P>“It’s not a good idea to follow her,” the Red Ranger said. “She’s scared.”</P> <P>“But she needs help,” the Blue Ranger said. “Those Stingwingers must have attacked her for a reason. Besides, does she have any idea where she’s going?”</P> <P>Without waiting for an answer, he ran after Jenny. The terrified girl continued to run frantically. She lost her footing and fell to the ground, but quickly picked herself up and pressed up. She ran into a field of brown, dry, thorny vines. However, as she reached the other end, her leg got caught, and she fell down again. Gasping, she looked back to see her leg caught in the vines. She tried to pull her leg free, but the vines held her. The new Rangers came out of the field and stood in front of her.</P> <P>“Hey, are you okay?” the Blue Ranger asked.</P> <P>Jenny tried to pull her leg free again. The Yellow Ranger moved over to the vine and produce what looked like a large hunting knife.</P> <P>“Hold still now,” she said calmly.</P> <P>Jenny stopped struggling, and the Yellow Ranger cut the vine. Jenny stood up and removed what was still stuck on her jeans. She took one last look at the new Power Rangers before turning to run away again.</P> <P>“Wait, don’t go!” the Blue Ranger cried.</P> <P>Jenny stopped, although she’d only taken one step. She stared at the Rangers with heavy, exhausted breaths.</P> <P>“What are you doing out here alone?” the Blue Ranger asked. “And where are you going? Are you lost?”</P> <P>Jenny continued to stare. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She covered her face and began to sob, something she hated doing in front of people.</P> <P>“Yes.....I am lost!” she admitted. “I got lost after fighting those......giant bees!”</P> <P>“Come on; we’ll take you back to the Terra Venture,” the Blue Ranger said, offering his hand.</P> <P>“Terra Venture? What’s that?” Jenny asked.</P> <P>The Rangers exchanged confused glances.</P> <P>“You’re not from the Terra Venture?” the Green Ranger asked.</P> <P>“No.”</P> <P>“Where are you from?” the Pink Ranger asked.</P> <P>Jenny thought for a moment. “I......I don’t know......”</P> <P>“Do you have amnesia?” the Blue Ranger asked.</P> <P>“No; I know who I am. Our Megaship crashed on this planet. I came out to explore, but I got lost. I’m trying to find my way back.”</P> <P>“So you must know what planet you’re from,” the Yellow Ranger said.</P> <P>“Yeah. I’m from a planet called Earth,” Jenny told her.</P> <P>“Earth? We, too, are from Earth,” the Red Ranger said.</P> <P>“Are you guys really Power Rangers?” Jenny asked.</P> <P>“Of course we are,” the Blue Ranger replied. “We’re the only team of Power Rangers in existence right now. Why?”</P> <P>Jenny knew that it wasn’t true. “Never mind; it’s a long story.”</P> <P>“Well, we can help you find your.....Megaship,” the Pink Ranger said, extending her hand. “What do you say?”</P> <P>Jenny paused as she pondered the new Rangers’ offer......<P> <P>In a different fortress in space, an evil villain sat in his throne. He looked like some kind of giant insect, slimy and extremely ugly. He wasn’t doing anything in particular. He just sat there, looking sinister, and enjoying his position as an evil master. His second-in-command, Furio entered the room.</P> <P>“I come with a report, sire,” he said. “The Stingwingers have discovered a crashed spaceship and captured its occupants.”</P> <P>The villain said nothing. Furio stepped closer.</P> <P>“My Lord?”</P> <P>Nothing but silence from this new villain, so Furio continued.</P> <P>“I also have some startling news. Six of the ship’s occupants are Power Rangers - not the ones that have been thwarting us all this time. These are completely different Rangers. What are you going to do about them?”</P> <P>The villain finally spoke. “Power Rangers do not concern me at the moment.”</P> <P>Furio gave a confused look. “Is something troubling you, sire?”</P> <P>The villain stood up slowly. He looked at his second-in-command. “I am occupied with another train of thought. Come, my loyal warrior; I wish to show you something.”</P> <P>He walked into the next room followed by his number one minion. The villain walked directly to a control panel underneath a wall embedded with 13” monitors. After pressing several buttons, a scene was duplicated on each of the screens. They showed the new Power Rangers fighting the Stingwingers. The Furio was still confused.</P> <P>“So the Power Rangers are defeating the Stingwingers. Is that what you wish to show me?”</P> <P>“Have patience. This is what I wanted to show you.” The villain pressed another button, and the screens displayed Jenny’s fight.</P> <P>“Who is she, my Lord?” asked Furio.</P> <P>“She is not a Power Ranger, yet she fights valiantly. She fights like a demon.”</P> <P>“What are you going to do, Master?”</P> <P>“Dispatch the Stingwingers. Have them get out there, find her, and bring her to me!”</P> <P>“What about the prisoners?”</P> <P>“Do what you like, but don’t - I repeat - don’t destroy them,” the villain said. “I’ll want to deal with them myself later on. But for now, I just want the girl. Throw the prisoners in some holding cells for now.”</P> <P>“Yes, sir.” Furio snapped his fingers, and a group of Stingwingers appeared. “Scorpius has some new orders for you.”</P> <P>The villain, called Scorpius, turned to face the Stingwingers. “See this girl? Find her! Bring her to me! But keep the battle short and sweet. I do not want her harmed.”</P> <P>The Stingwingers put both wrists together in front of them and spread them out, their loyal salute to Scorpius.</P> <P>“Wait!” Scorpius called suddenly.</P> <P>The Stingwingers froze. Scorpius stepped forward.</P> <P>“I am well aware that the girl is an exceptional fighter. Therefore, we shall search for a weakness together.”</P> <P>He turned back to the monitors and watched the battle carefully. His eyes lit up when Jenny’s hand was hit by the stingers. He watched for a little while longer.</P> <P>“Ah, I’ve got it!” he cried suddenly.</P> <P>“What is it, Master?” Furio asked.</P> <P>“I’ve discovered an advantage. Watch closely.”</P> <P>Scorpius pressed a button which rewound the visual a little, then pressed another button that changed the scene. Instead of displaying thousands of duplicates, they were now seeing one large scene. They displayed Jenny being struck in the thigh and shoulder, and she fell to the ground, groaning in pain.</P> <P>“The stingers weaken her significantly. So if you strike her with enough of those, you’ll have her. Now go!”</P> <P>“I like your plan, sire,” Furio remarked.</P> <P>“Thank you,” Scorpius said coldly. He paused the visual, where Jenny stood in her victory stance. “She’s lovely, isn’t she? This is going to be interesting.......”<P> <P>Meanwhile, Jenny still wasn’t sure if she could trust the new Rangers. “Uh......no thanks. I don’t see how your walking with me is going to help me.”</P> <P>“You should at least let us stay with you,” the Blue Ranger said. “Those Stingwingers could come back.”</P> <P>“Those......Stingwingers were after you guys, not me,” Jenny told them. “They only attacked me because I happened to be nearby. So as long as I’m with you, I’m in danger.”</P> <P>The Rangers glanced at each other again.</P> <P>“She’s right,” the Red Ranger said. “We should get as far away from her as possible.”</P> <P>“But thanks anyway,” Jenny said.</P> <P>“Good luck,” the Blue Ranger called.</P> <P>The Rangers gripped the center of their belts and teleported away. Jenny looked up and sighed.</P> <P>“Maybe those Rangers really are good,” she thought. “But I’m in my own war. I’ve got to find the others, fix the Megaship, and get off this dead planet.”</P> <P>She brushed her jeans with her hands and calmly resumed her search. She ran up a hill to get a better look around. Still, she saw nothing but an empty field surrounding her. She sighed in frustration. This could only mean that she was nowhere near the Astro Megaship. However, before she could decide on a direction to turn, the Stingwingers appeared at the bottom of the hill and took a fighting stance. Jenny gasped.</P> <P>“What do they want!?” she thought in horror. “I can’t believe it.....they’re actually after me! But why? These guys always have to pick on me.......”</P> <P>She turned and ran down the hill, but then another row of Stingwingers appeared, blocking her path. Jenny sighed in frustration again, then took her own fighting stance. She looked back at the Stingwingers following her down the hill. They formed a circle around her. Jenny carefully surveyed them all as they walked around her. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer, so she flipped her way out of the circle. Now the Stingwingers attacked. Once again, Jenny fought them using her kicks mainly. She ran from them to keep a distance, then leaped at one of them. She extended both fists forward on her way down, punching it in the chest as she landed. Suddenly, six of them leaped on her at once, trying to push her down. However, Jenny would not allow them to force her to her knees. She grunted desperately, gathering every ounce of strength in her body. Once she had done so, she threw herself upward, spinning around, throwing all of the Stingwingers off. She sighed wearily, then faced them again.</P> <P>Now it was time for the Stingwingers to carry out their plan. They fired their stingers at Jenny, who rolled out of the way. She stood up with a crescent kick, throwing a Stingwinger aside. Another Stingwinger charged at her, but she moved aside and spun around, kicking its lower back. Before she could react, a Stingwinger fired its stinger, catching Jenny in the stomach. She groaned loudly and staggered back as a Stingwinger took her into a bear hug. Ignoring the pain, Jenny broke free and elbowed the bee in the chest. Another Stingwinger tried a snap kick, but Jenny blocked it and threw an inward spin kick at it. When it ducked, she threw a leg sweep, tripping it over.</P> <P>Remembering their orders to keep the battle short and sweet, the Stingwingers fired their stingers madly. Jenny raced to avoid them, but one stinger struck her left ankle. She cried out and fell to the ground. Two Stingwingers grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet, but then Jenny kicked both of them. She went on the offensive and tried to punch one of them, but it blocked and punched her already wounded abdomen. Another Stingwinger leaped at her and kicked her shoulder, throwing her off balance. When she stood up again, she held her shoulder. Seeing that they had the advantage, the Stingwingers fired their stingers again. They struck Jenny in various areas of her body. Again, Jenny began to feel numb all over. She stood there, gasping, struggling to maintain consciousness. Finally, one more stinger struck the back of her neck. Jenny arched backwards; her arms dropped, she dropped to her knees, and fell face-first on the ground. The Stingwingers buzzed in triumph as they swarmed over her unconscious body......</P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <h3><center>Chapter 5: Captives</center></h3> <P>Now the Astro Megaship truly sat deserted. Astronema, Ecliptor, and the Quantrons appeared right outside of it.</P> <P>“This is it,” Astronema said with a smile. “The Astro Megaship!”</P> <P>“Do you think the Rangers and Spices are inside?” Ecliptor asked.</P> <P>“Why don’t we find out? Break it open.”</P> <P>“Yes, Princess.”</P> <P>Ecliptor approached the doors and thrust his sword through. He forced the door open. “We’re in.”</P> <P>“Excellent.” Astronema turned to the Quantrons and nodded. The Quantrons moved in front of her and entered the Megaship. Astronema and Ecliptor followed. They walked down the empty halls.</P> <P>“Hmm.....there are no energy readings here whatsoever,” Ecliptor said.</P> <P>“It’s been badly damaged,” Astronema said. “Yoo-hoo......Rangers, Spices! Come out, come out, wherever you are! Your favorite princess is here!”</P> <P>Nothing.</P> <P>Ecliptor checked several rooms of the Megaship. As he walked down the hall, he looked into Ruth’s room and saw two cradles laying on a bed side by side. He approached the infants slowly. They looked up at Ecliptor, cooing, bubbles of saliva formed around their tiny mouths. Ecliptor reached out and played with Robyn’s toes. Robyn giggled with delight. Rachel just stared, looking confused. Ecliptor backed up and left the room.</P> <P>“They’re not here. The ship is empty,” he told Astronema.</P> <P>“Hmm.....without any working controls, it’s useless to us,” Astronema said.</P> <P>“Perhaps we should just destroy it.”</P> <P>“No. The Rangers and Spices will come back. We’ll let them fix it, then we can claim it for our own.”</P> <P>“Your evil is beautiful, Astronema,” Ecliptor said.</P> <P>“Quantrons, let’s go,” Astronema called, without an