Power Rangers: A Legend Retold

Prologue

Space. Quiet, empty. A vacuum of tranquility. Many stars decorate its backdrop, each with a world and perhaps a civilisation. In a distant corner of a distant galaxy a brilliant swirl of blue and white light pulses and moves, it seems to devour any space body that dares to drift close enough as if luring it with its beauty before consuming it and sending it into the opening at the centre of the swirling clouds and off to a distant part of the galaxy, perhaps a different galaxy altogether.

The tranquility is broken as a small craft passes overhead. It looks advanced, sleek but not imposing, more like a science vessel than any build for combat. Its hull is a darkened white, shaped almost like an arrow and at the centre of the forward section a swirling ball of blue light. Evidently its power source. It gracefully passes over headed for the swirling light.

The small and disarming nature of the first ship is not shared by another that appears just as suddenly as the first. It is almost five times larger than the first ship, its hull an almost black colour. The front of its exterior showing many sharp edges, cutting through space like razor blades toward the other ship. The predator like vessel continues to close on the first, lights over its surface showing various weapons powering.

***

The interior of the larger vessel is just as menacing. Dark lighting, sharp decor and flashing strobes of light almost like thunder lighting some corridors. Commander Brach waits as the wall in front of him irises and opens, letting him through to the command deck of the flag ship, the pride of the Zedorian Empire and personal ship of Lord Zedd himself; Serpentera. As he enters he hears a fellow servant of the Lord call "Weapons charged and ready my Lord."

Brach walks to his post and begins taking calls from all sections avoiding the centre of the deck.

At the centre sits Zedd on an almost throne like seat, tubes pumping into his bare, red,muscled flesh. The tubes stop pumping as the report comes in, he stands, the tubes detaching on command. Nutrient time was over.

Zedd lets out an almost rumble as he grabs his staff, the symbol above it not unlike the Earth letter z itself. But not quite. He stands looking out at the small science vessel racing for the whirlpool of light.

"Zordon..." his deep voice rumbles "Open fire! Target engines, I don't want Zordon destroyed. Just make sure he doesn't reach that wormhole."

***

Serpentera's ports open like small mouths on its surface firing projectiles of light at the smaller vessel.

Inside the science vessel Eltar 4 sparks fly and explosions can be heard as can the alarms alerting the damage to its pilots. A female voice comes from the screens above the pilot "port engine failure."

The pilot's skin is almost white in colour, his scalp bold and his extremities resembling more flippers than hands with three large digits on each. He was an aging scientist known as Zordon.

Behind him a fair haired women known as Dulcea, of different species closer than Zordon to human, works other controls. Across from her is as mechanoid named by Zordon as Alpha five. The fifth in the line of such machines.

"Stabilise it Alpha! We must make that wormhole!" Zordon calls back to his trusted servant.

"Aye, aye aye! Yes master. Attempting to repair" replies Alpha.

The ships shakes again violently on impact. Behind them a panel blows starting a blaze at the back of cabin. Gas vents from the ceiling to exterminate it quickly but soon event that would be compromised.

"Zedd is closing" says Dulcea before noticing a new flash before her "he's hailing for you."

Zordon looks back at her before forward again.

"It may buy us some time, put him on" replies the wise old Eltan.

The screen before Zordon flickers from a star chart and readout to the face of Zedd.
"Zordon, I believe you have some poses ions of mine" rumbles Zedd.

Zordon continues to work his ship as he replies "they belong to neither you nor I Zedd. But I know the power they posses need to be kept as far away from your hands as possible."

"Fool, I have the first of them we found. I will use the coins to strengthen my forces. Protection for all planets in my space" Zedd clenches his fist as he speaks.

"Thats what I am afraid of Zedd. I will not allow this ancient power to be twisted and used to conquer more worlds like my own" replies Zordon in defiance.

"You were always an old fool Zordon. So be it. I will cripple you vessel and take them by force. I will enjoy signing the order for your execution."

With that Zedd's face was gone from the screen and the barrage of weapon fire continued.

The damaged continued to mount, the struggle beginning to seem hopeless as Zordon turned to his followers.

"We need to slow him down, suggestions?" He spoke in a gentle tone.

The two sat thinking for awhile before Alpha computed and spoke up "Master, if we ejected the main drive sphere and detonate near his ship it should do moderate to considerable damage."
"We would be limited to thrusters only. How are we to get around on the other side?" retorts Dulcea as the ships continues to fall apart around them.

"Slowly, but better than not at all Dulcea" Zordon finally replies "get to it Alpha."
Alpha nods before turning to his consol. He stops for a moment.

"We will have to rather close to Lord Zedd's ship to keep within signal range Master" he called over the noise of their ship contorting with stress around them.

Zordon nodded "I will slow us down a few figures then."

At that moment a large impact sounded, they could all tell it had done major damage to their ship. It all happened in a flash and yet time seemed to slow for Zordon as he heard the explosion behind him. Dulcea's consol. He turned watching as the impact threw her back hard into the floor. The place at which she had sat now a charred hole in the wall. He quickly left his chair and knelt down beside her, already knowing her condition before he even checked. Dead.

He had no time for tears as Alpha called "Forgive me master, but I am ready."
Zordon breathed in and sat back in the pilot chair.

"Do it!" he commanded.

***

Outside three joints un-latched letting the blue sphere fall from the forward part of Eltar 4. It drifted past the main ship toward Serpentera as Zedd, now impatient, looked on.

"What is he doing?" Zedd pondered, seated in his throne.

From behind him an warrior stepped forward. It looked like a blue monkey, its eyes red as pure rage and its decorated armour similar to that of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. He was Zedd's Commanding General and right hand known as Goldar.

"They won't have any engines but thrusters. I thought this guy was wise" Goldar growled.

Zedd did not replying but watched as the orb got closer, and closer. Suddenly it hit him. He stood in a sudden panic.

"All stop! Now!"

***

It was to late. Alpha detonated the sphere and watched intently as the resulting explosion expanded into a shock wave.

"Aye aye aye! We are too close!" The robot called out.

Zordon's ship was flung forward violently with the dissipating shock wave. Fortunately it was a jolt forward toward the worm hole. Unfortunately with the damage Eltar 4 had already taken the further damage to their ship was catastrophic.

Zordon was lurched forward, right into an exploding consol.

Alpha pulled himself up, his visual sensor erratic and the damage to his outer skin was moderate but he was still mobile at least. After a moment to collect and repair some vital systems his attention turned to Zordon who was a rasping heap in the deck floor.
Alpha turned him over in a panic, scanning him with his bio sensors. Slowly Zordon opened his eyes.

"Master, you are critically injured. We need to treat you..." Alpha began but was cut off.

"No" Zordon managed to wheeze "no time for that. To late for that Alpha. We prepared for this. Let us hope the equipment for project sustainment is not destroyed."
"But Master!" Alpha pleaded "we haven't even tested it. If you die all the knowledge of the coins, the hope of Zaltar dies with you."
Zordon nodded "that is why I prepared this project. Now quickly Alpha, while there is still time."

***

Zedd's ship hung in space like a damaged beast, wounds upon its surface.

On the command deck Goldar pulled his Lord from the floor in time only to see Eltar 4 begin to enter the worm whole.

"After them!" He cried in rage.

No sooner had he said those words that the worm hole lit up in a flash and was suddenly gone.

"What happened?!" He demanded, slamming his fist on the arm of his command chair.

"They destroyed the entry to the phenomenon my Lord" replied Commander Brach frankly.

Zedd said nothing but sat back, lowering his head and mussing for a moment.

Goldar stepped before him.

"Orders my Lord?" He asked.

Zedd looked up at him, his skin now almost glowing red with his rage.

"Orders?" He repeats in a hushed tone before standing and promptly slamming his staff to the metal floor "I want every ship in every quadrant to stop what they are doing and begin sweeping the Galaxy! The universe if they have to, until they find Zordon! And when they do he shall pay for what he has done! Get to it!"

Everyone and everything on the ship simply snapped to life as Zedd sat back in his chair and brooded. Insulted and it was the last thing he did, he would destroy Zordon and he didn't care what planets or galaxies stood in his way.

***

Eltar 4 now emerged from the now useless wormhole back into open space, far from their own galaxy.

On board Alpha 5 hurriedly walked into the medical room and continued to connect the dying Zordon to the equipment that would preserve him for eternity. If it worked.

"Just so you know Master" Alpha turned toward Zordon from a readout "this has a 75.8 percent chance of failure."
Zordon simply sighed and continued trying to stay alive long enough to try.

"Doesn't look like I have much of a choice old friend. And call me Zordon. Your model has served me more than enough to dispense with the formality of Master."

Alpha turned back to him and nodded down at his master who lay dying on the metal slab table. Wires now connected all over his temple and skull.

"Aye Mas...I mean Zordon" he replied and continued to work.

"Did you destroy entry to the wormhole?" Zordon wheezed.

"Yes" responded Alpha.

As Alpha worked away on various panels, some in need of repair, Zordon turning his head toward the robot.

"Just so you known Alpha. You have far exceeded my expectations. I was always proud of your brothers before you but non have reached the heights of service and intelligence you have old friend. You have lasted far longer than I attended and for that I am glad."
Alpha's metal features were incapable of emotion but were he humanoid Zordon knew what his expression would be as he looked down at his creator in his last moments.

Alpha made a few last calculations before finally speaking "Its ready Zordon."

Zordon turned his head and settled to an upright position with a deep, solum breath before replying "do it."

Alpha hesitated for a moment, taking a second to look at his creator one last time before activating the process.

The device came to life and the screens began to scroll to fast to read by human eye as quickly the last essence that was Zordon was taken from his body and changed from biology electronic energy to data patterns. So far so good.

Zordon's body jolted with a last moment a life before going dead. Biologically Zordon was dead.

The screens were erratic trying to compute all the data as Alpha rushed from consol to consol on the curved wall to guide the process along, correct any problems and simply hope for the best. Suddenly the room was silent and dark as power cut.

Then with a jolt of life the screens flickered back on, alarms sounding and data still streaming until finally one read in Zaltan "Transfer Complete."

Alpha stood back from the screen and waited, hoping the process had indeed worked. Finally a digital pattern formed on one of the screen, the scrolling data grouped and formed a face. Zordon's face.