Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers or any of its characters. Nikodai, Ginako, Magaki and Nara, however, are my own creations.
Song credit:
Enya - "May It Be"
Translations:
Mornië utúlië - Darkness has come
Mornië alantië - Darkness has fallen
Thank you for reading, and may the Power protect you.
o
Peacemaker
Go back in time a billion years. The Solar System is little more than a colorful cloud of gas with swirling proto-planetary discs forming near a rotating mass in the center. Look around at the stars surrounding the area. Stare in awe at the glistening veil of the Milky Way. Gawk at the vastness that seems close enough to touch, yet lifetimes distant.
Now, turn towards the constellation Sagittarius and fly. Fly past the bulbous center of the Milky Way galaxy. Streak beyond other solar systems, galaxies and nebulae.
Keep going until the glow of a brilliant red star comes into view. In perfect orbit around the star is a gloriously ringed planet as large as Jupiter with two moons. It has grassy plains, exquisite silver mountain ranges and a sea as clear as glass.
Welcome to planet Saberius.
The Saberians were anthromorphic white tigers with ruby red eyes and a body covered in short white fur. The men often wore beautifully carved silver helmets that formed a point above their snouts, curved around their ears to cover the sides of their faces and sloped into a point in the back.
Some lived in caves. Others lived on the plains. Those who lived in caves were Cave-Dwellers. Those that lived on the plains were Plains-Dwellers.
A war raged between the two races. A war so old both sides had forgotten what they were fighting over, or why. A war that was killing the very world they lived on.
But one man, the oldest Saberian wizard alive, had a dream of peace. It is with him that this story begins.
o
A sliver of light peeked through a small rip in silvery cloth. It gradually made its way across a furry, pointed white ear and spilled across two closed eyes. The eyes fluttered open and squinted, blazing like brilliant rubies under the bright light. In their depths lay centuries of knowledge and secrets.
Nikodai smiled as he awoke to the glorious purple sunrise. He reached over to draw aside the simple cloth covering the cave opening and took in a deep breath of the sweet morning air. The ice crystals that formed the rings of the planet were catching the light, creating a perpetual rainbow overhead.
Nikodai smiled at the beauty, picked up his cane and walked to a shelf to get his breakfast. He carefully picked out a ripe Pakuka fruit. A Pakuka fruit looked much like a banana, except a little fatter and light blue. When it rotten, it would turn black and give off an awful stench.
The old wizard was just sitting down to eat when distant explosions rumbled in the distance. Menacing dust plumes and mushroom clouds rose like advancing demons above the horizon.
"And so begins another day of useless battle," Nikodai muttered to himself as he took a bite of the extremely juicy fruit.
"Nikodai!" A younger adolescent dressed in a simple loincloth poked his head around the faded brown cloth covering the opening to the cave. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, Magaki." Nikodai replied with a smile. He put down his half-eaten Pakuka fruit and licked his fingers clean with a rough tongue. "How are you?"
"I fare well. The battles are getting worse. More nuclear weapons are being used." Magaki narrowed his red eyes and came all the way inside. His budding musculature stood out in sharp relief under his well-trimmed fur.
"I know, I know." Nikodai sighed. "I wish I could put a stop to it all."
"Don't we all?" The youth shook his head sadly, "Well, be sure to keep inside today. It's going to be pretty hot outside with all this nuking that's going on."
"Ah, thank you, Magaki. You are too kind." Nikodai smiled again at the young lad. You're sure growing up, young Magaki...only yesterday, it seems, I was blessing your head as slipped from your mother's body, he added silently.
"You're welcome, old friend." Magaki nodded, yanked the cloth aside and stepped out. His silhouette swept across the material and disappeared.
Nikodai finished eating and stood up again, leaning heavily on his metal staff. He hated all the senseless fighting. He hated it because he could feel the planet's pain in his soul. The radiation from years of bombing was causing the planet's core to swell like a balloon.
The world was dying.
"I must search for peace, then. Search for reasons why this fighting has to continue." Nikodai said to the empty air. He inclined his head solemnly, "I will find answers..."
And so his journey began.
o
"HAAAAAAIYAAAAAAH!" Screamed a warrior as he fired his flame-thrower at a group of Plains-Dwellers. The enemies ducked the flames and tossed a plasma grenade into the warrior's little shelter.
When it exploded, the warrior screamed until death ripped his spirit from the mortal coil. His skin had been burned clean off and his armor had melted onto his body. The warrior's newly sightless red eyes reflected images of others being struck down by a stream of fire.
"Well, one less group of fools to worry about." Growled Ginako, a one-eyed warrior adorned by silver armor with gold shoulder-guards. He glared at the dead figures before him with his good eye while the flame-thrower in his hand hissed menacingly.
Magaki ran up at that moment, but stopped short and averted his eyes when he saw the burnt bodies. "Geez! What happened to clean killing!"
"This is war, Magaki! Cleanliness has no place here with scum like this." Said Ginako, sneering. He lowered his flame-thrower and sighed dejectedly.
Nikodai quietly approached, leaning on his staff as he walked along. He was wearing a silver robe with a hood to keep most of the sunlight out of his crimson eyes. "Why must you have war at all? Call a truce and have peace."
"I wish I knew, Nikodai." Magaki replied, then added sharply, "Didn't I tell you to stay inside?"
Ginako glared at Magaki, then Nikodai. "Don't listen to that old windbag! He's just a fool with foolish dreams!"
"Hey! You have no right to say that!" Cried Magaki as he tried to protest for his friend.
Nikodai reached out and placed his hand on Magaki's shoulder. "It is all right. Calm yourself. His words are painful, but I can withstand them." He said the words calmly, but Magaki could see the hurt in his eyes.
Ginako sneered and walked off to join the group that was waiting under cover. Snickers wafted out of the shelter and several eyes fixed themselves on the wise old wizard. To many of the warriors on the planet, Nikodai was just a senile old man that spoke nonsense.
Magaki sneered contemptuously, "Ginako is such a jerk!"
"Don't insult him, Magaki. If you do then you sink to his level. Don't sink that low." Nikodai said, turning his head away from a gust of wind that blew dust into his fur. "If we want peace, then we'll have to find it."
"How?" Magaki asked the wizard. "You can't touch peace. You can't hold it in your hands and roll in it! It is impossible!" He exploded angrily.
"No, but you can feel it when it is there." Nikodai replied calmly. His eyes sparkled as a smile appeared on his face. "You're young, Magaki. You've never known peace, but I have. It is wonderful." He moved his hand, and on the back, Magaki noticed a gold object imbedded in the fur.
"Hey...wait a second there. That's the symbol of the White Tiger Coin!"
"Indeed."
"You made the Coin?" Magaki asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes, long ago. With it comes a powerful Zord too dangerous for anyone who doesn't know what they're doing to use." Nikodai replied calmly, moving his hand so the symbol was out of sight again beneath the sleeve of his silver robe. "And I am going to the Adaro mountains. I hid the Coin there many centuries ago...perhaps the way to peace is located somewhere within the caves." He gazed into the distance with hopeful red eyes, "And I think I'm going to force the Zord to leave the planet. I fear what will happen if someone gets ahold of it."
"But...the mountains...they're so far away..." Magaki looked down, then up as the ice crystals glimmered in the sun that still hung low over the horizon. The sky overhead had taken on a lilac colored hue, and silverish clouds crawled steadily across the atmosphere.
"That will make it so much more a relief when I find what I seek." Nikodai grinned, leaning on his staff. He shook his head and swayed under the sun's intense heat. The staff sank slightly into the pale soil.
"C'mon. Let's get you into the shade." Magaki grabbed ahold of Nikodai's arm and hauled him towards a tall tree with translucent amber bark and icy blue leaves. "Good old Wispen trees. Always around when you need them."
"There aren't many left. This war will destroy them." Nikodai's face grew very serious. He pulled a rubber flask from beneath his robe, unscrewed the lid and took a drink. Offering it to Magaki, he steadily pronounced, "The planet is dying, Magaki. I can feel it's pain. I can hear it cry."
"Are you sure?" Asked Magaki as he grasped the flask and swallowed a mouthful of cold water. He sighed, refreshed, and handed the container back to its owner.
Nikodai nodded and put the flask away as another series of explosions went off in the distance. A shockwave so loud it put thunder to shame ripped through the area. It rattled the tree and their bones.
Magaki watched Nikodai wince in pain and saw a tear roll down his cheek.
"Nikodai, are you all right?"
Nikodai, ignoring Magaki for the moment, reached back and gently caressed the tree with his hand. "Shhh, yes I know. I will find a way to make them stop hurting you."
The younger Saberian quirked a furry eyebrow. "You really are crazy."
Nikodai suddenly reached out and grabbed Magaki's wrist. Magaki let out a cry of surprise. Then he heard an explosion in the distance. He felt pain tear through his body with the shockwave and watched Nikodai wince as he winced.
Then came the agonized cries, cries like a child in extreme pain.
AAAHHH! No! Please stop! Please stop the pain! AAAHHH!
"Listen." Nikodai's eyes flared angrily. He squeezed the younger man's wrist and another blast of pain shot through their bodies. "Listen..."
AAAHHH! Please, stop! AAAHHH!
Magaki's eyes widened in terror. "No! No more! Please!"
The symbol on Nikodai's hand shimmered as he released Magaki's wrist. Magaki fell to his knees and started to cry.
"I...I didn't know..." He put his hands on the ground, clutched a patch of grass in his fist and sobbed, as if apologizing to the planet. He removed his helmet and touched his forehead to the ground. "I'm sorry...I..."
"Shhh, child." Nikodai placed his hand gently on Magaki's head as he sobbed. He asked gently, "Now do you believe me?"
Magaki regained himself, sniffed and climbed to his feet. There were still tear streaks glistening on his cheeks. "Yes, Nikodai. I do now. But there is no way to prove this to everyone."
"Maybe not. We'll find out when we reach the Adaro mountains." Nikodai murmured, looking off into the distance. The wind whipped his decorative robe around his aged body.
"When do we begin?"
Nikodai turned and looked Magaki dead in the eye. With a fierce determination in both his gaze and his voice, he replied, "Right now."
o
Wind howled across the pale soil, stirring up burnt dust. The sun was beating down among the glistening ice crystal streak that ran across the sky. Strong wind was making it very difficult for the two traveling figures that walked against it like fish swimming upstream. Smoke from distant fires choked them, and often times they had to pick their way through the debris of destroyed colonies.
"They're going to start bombing again soon." Magaki said through clenched teeth as the wind slapped him in the face.
Nikodai was about to answer when a Plains-Dweller vaulted up from a hidden ditch behind him.
"Nikodai! Behind you!" Magaki cried. Right then another Plains-Dweller lurched into his path with a spear.
Heeding Magaki's warning, Nikodai ducked in time to avoid having his head clubbed off. He grasped his staff in both hands and rammed it backwards against the other Saberian's stomach. "'Yah!"
The warrior doubled over and took another swing. Nikodai twirled gracefully to dodge the club and slapped the dirt with his staff. His robe swirled around him like water.
"Stand still so I can hit you, old goon!" The warrior made another advance.
"Please, stop this fighting! I don't want to harm you!" Nikodai pivoted to the left, dodging the swinging metal club.
"Too bad, I do!" Laughing, the warrior held his weapon high for the killing move.
"Then forgive me." Nikodai swiftly dashed his staff across either side of the warrior's face, then swept it up below his chin to deliver the knock-out blow.
The Saberian warrior dropped like a rock, and Nikodai paused to catch his breath.
"Tss-yah!" Magaki leapt forward and buried his foot in his attacker's chest.
"Oof!" The warrior carrying the spear was so large that he was only knocked off balance. He regained himself and charged the smaller fighter. "Is that all you have, little runt?"
Magaki dropped down to dodge the spear and waited for the warrior to trample past him so he could dispatch him with a simple neck-chop. "In your dreams, big guy."
Nikodai only shook his head. A gust of wind whistled through the area, ruffling his fur and robe.
"Bastard." Magaki's red eyes blazed fiercely. He snatched the spear out of the fallen warrior's hand and held it high, prepared to drive it through his heart. He was stopped when a warm palm settled on his shoulder.
"No!" Nikodai's desperate voice spoke from Magaki's side, "Don't throw away your innocence, Magaki! You haven't killed before...so don't start now!"
"Oh, come on! What the heck are we supposed to do when they wake up? Dust them off and send them on their way?" The youth lowered the spear without regretting what he almost did and gestured to the two men sprawled out in the grass. One of them was already starting to move.
Nikodai squinted at the fallen Saberian climbing to his feet and watched him ready his club for another charge.
Before the warrior could attack, the old wizard's red eyes began to glow. He waved his hand near the warrior's face and chanted softly, "No more violence. Pick your friend up and leave this place. Go home to your family."
"No...more...violence...Go...home..." The warrior, hypnotized, dropped his club and became immediately passive. He bent down to lift his unconscious friend from the grass, threw him over his shoulder and limped off into the distance.
Magaki stared angrily at Nikodai. "I can't believe you let them get away!"
"It was mercy, Magaki. Something that poor warrior and his friend have never heard of." Nikodai replied calmly, coughing a little as some dust was blown into his mouth. He changed the subject, "We need to find some food."
"Taken care of." Magaki reached into a pouch at his side and tossed Nikodai a fresh Pakuka fruit and a few berries. "I picked it while you were sleeping."
"Thank you." Nikodai caught the fruit and bit down eagerly. Some of the juice dribbled down his chin, but with a flick of his tongue, it was taken care of. The juice and sweet taste were very refreshing, especially when mixed with the tangy red berries.
A mushroom cloud bloomed in the distance as another nuclear weapon detonated. The explosion was out of hearing range, but the shockwave roared across the land and knocked the two travelers off their feet.
"We better get moving. The next one could be anywhere. I think they're aiming for anyone wandering about...they'll mistaken us for Plains-Dwellers. Those savages!" Magaki spat the last part of the sentence out like a curse or a bad tasting food.
"Then let's go." Nikodai stated tersely, tapping his cane on the ground as he stood back up. He helped Magaki up while he peered off into the distance and bit his lower lip. Not too far away was a range of silver mountains. One of which rose to nearly a mile high, the highest mountain on the planet. "If we hurry, we can reach the mountains by sunset."
"OK!" Magaki started to sprint across the grass. "C'mon Nikodai! Get those old bones moving," he laughed.
Nikodai let out a hearty belly laugh. "Just you wait, boy!" With that, he lifted his staff up and began to run. Surprisingly, he was much faster than he looked. As if his using the staff was only a prop to disguise his true abilities. "Just you wait!"
"Hey!" Magaki cried in surprise when Nikodai strode past him.
"You think that only youngsters like yourself can run? Ha!" Nikodai laughed, his robe billowing out behind him like a majestic set of silver wings as his speedy feet kicked a trail of dust up in Magaki's face. "Eat my dust, brat!"
"Hah-hah, hah! Just you wait, old man!" Magaki laughed back and sped through the dust cloud in attempt to catch up with his friend.
Laughter echoed across the plains as the old man continued to outrun his younger counterpart.
o
The climb was steep and tough. The distant, yawning cave entrance was so old and worn that the path leading up to it had long since eroded away. And the bombing going on around the area wasn't helping much, either.
Sometimes a bomb would pass so close the mountain would rumble and half-melted ice-rocks would rain down. The two climbing Saberians were nearly buried alive twice, but managed to escape with the help of Nikodai's magic.
Magaki pulled himself up onto a ledge and strained to haul Nikodai up by the arm. "Almost there!"
"Good...the sooner the better." Nikodai stated as another explosion shook the mountain, causing him to lose his grip and slip off the ledge. Certain doom awaited him below. "AAHH!"
"NIKODAI!" Magaki dove forward and grabbed Nikodai's hand before he fell out of reach. He started to slip as well, scraping his knees and belly on the rough rocks. Wrapping his legs around a boulder to stop himself, he grunted in pain, "I've got you."
Nikodai dangled precariously. Magaki's quick hands where the only thing between him and a six-hundred foot drop. He could feel the youth's sweaty palms slipping against his own. He was going to fall again! "Pull, Magaki! Hurry, I'm slipping!"
Gasping, Magaki gritted his teeth, "Hang on!" His compact muscles bulged as he bore the six-foot-tall, one-hundred-fifty pound wizard's full weight and struggled to pull him back up.
Slowly, inch by inch, the young warrior managed to drag his friend back onto safe ground. They both fell over on the ledge, panting.
"Ack!" Breathed Nikodai as he regained his monologue and wits. "Cursed bombings!"
"I hate heights." Magaki grumbled. Cool air ruffled his dirty white fur. He looked up and realized they were both lying in the mouth of the cave. "Are we here? Please tell me we are. I don't think I can climb any further."
Nikodai seemed to be noticing the same thing. "Yes, this is it!" He grinned and stood up, some stray dust falling from his fur.
The cavern was huge with crystalline stalactites and icy stalagmites. Some stretched miles high or low. Others were a hundred feet in diameter. The air smelled of dust, mold and water. A glow from somewhere deep in the back of the cavern provided pale white natural light.
They traveled through the maze of stalactites and stalagmites for several hours. The way had changed over the years, but Nikodai, by the power of his magic, knew how to reach his destination.
"The planet's life force is strongest in here..." His voice echoed slightly in the caverns.
"Really?" Asked Magaki, a curious expression coming to his face.
Nikodai nodded and stepped over some boulders. He put his hand on something to steady himself. Magaki glanced over and realized his friend was resting on a piece of metal.
"Hey, Nikodai! Look!" Magaki pointed up towards the ceiling. "Is that what I THINK it is!"
Nikodai looked up where the cavern opened up into another level. He could see more of the metal thing that he was touching. Monstrous shapes of gold, red, black, white, blue and silver metal.
His creation.
"Yes. It's the White TigerZord," Nikodai replied with a smile. "The Coin is hidden safe inside, and only I can get in. I hid it there on purpose so that, if the Zord is found, it couldn't immediately be put to evil use. It is still possible to break in, which is why I want to get it out of here so quickly."
Magaki's jaw dropped as he turned and looked up at the TigerZord. "It's so...huge..."
"Come, no time to gawk. We must go further." Nikodai was pointing to a glow that was coming from another corridor. Magaki followed swiftly, tripping slightly over the rocks on the ground.
This way. The planet guided Nikodai into the cavern large round cavern. In its center was a circle of stalagmites surrounding a beautiful white lagoon of pure holiness. The glow was immense, but painless. Magaki stood back while Nikodai approached the water's edge.
"I am here." He said simply. "I have questions."
What is it you ask? The water glowed with the question, and for a moment a symbol matching the one on Nikodai's hand appeared on the water.
"Why so much hate? Why wars? How can I help stop them?"
A war must be fought to the finish, kind Nikodai. The planet answered cryptically. I am doomed...but I have one final hope. With that, the water in front of Nikodai began to boil as something rose to the surface. It was silver and gleamed in the glow of the water. This adamantium is from my heart, from my core. Take it and use it wisely, for it alone has great power.
Magaki's eyes widened as he watched Nikodai pick up the lump of metal. The symbol on Nikodai's hand shimmered around the outer edges when it contacted the glowing water.
"Thank you, dear Planet Saberia. I do hope that your pain will soon end." Nikodai said respectfully.
It will...
Magaki put his hand on Nikodai's arm to help him out of the water and blinked. Some of the glow was lingering on his fingertips. He glanced at the pool and watched the glow flicker out. When he thrust his hand out, he felt cold wetness and heard the sound of ordinary water splashing. "Amazing...did it speak to you?"
"Yes." Nikodai placed the glittery adamantium in a thick pouch under his robe as he started to leave the cave. "Come, we must go now. We can cover more ground if we travel through the night."
Magaki stopped fooling with the water and hurried to catch up with his old friend. "What are you going to do with the metal, Nikodai?"
"Make a weapon. A weapon of peace."
o
It had been a year since the journey. Nikodai worked tirelessly to temper the metal he got from the cave. For days and days, his hammering echoed throughout the cavern where he lived.
One day, Magaki came in and saw Nikodai placing a very beautiful item on the table. It was a silver Saber with an extendible blade that added another foot to its length. Between the wrist guards, there was a pattern that matched the one on the back of Nikodai's hand. What astounded Magaki the most was the way the handle ended with a sculpture of Nikodai's head and face.
"Wow...it looks just like you!" Magaki said, astonished.
Nikodai smiled. "I feel like I've had a son, creating this beautiful Saber. But for now, I will hide it. Nobody must know it exists just yet."
Magaki's eyes twinkled. He walked up to Nikodai and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Name it first, Nikodai. If it is like a son, give it a name."
The wizard smiled proudly. "All right. I will call it Saba..." His smile grew, "In the Old Tongue, it means Peacemaker."
"Saba, the Peacemaker. I like it." Magaki grinned and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "Perhaps someday I'll get to wield it and bring justice to the land."
"When you're older, my friend. When you're older." Nikodai opened a secret hole in the wall behind his spellbooks, placed the Saber known as Saba inside and sealed it with whispered spell. He carefully placed his spellbooks in front of the seal so nobody would suspect something was hidden there.
o
Ten years later...
o
Nikodai continued trying to preach his thoughts of peace. Despite his pleas, nobody believed him, and the wars continued after a brief pause.
The air and the water were soon so polluted that it was very hard to find any decent air to breathe or water to drink. Many people died of radiation poisoning and dehydration. The planet's ecosystem was breaking down.
"Good morning Nikodai." A Saberian woman dressed in a simple pink tube dress held in place by a gold belt poked her head around Nikodai's cloth door. Her unusually childlike voice rang sweetly through the cave. She was a beautiful young woman with a shapely figure, perfect white fur and gentle hands.
"Ah, good morning Nara!" Nikodai sat up in bed and smiled. He, too, enjoyed the sweet sound of her clear voice. "How do you and Magaki fare?"
"My husband and I are well, but the air is awful this morning." Nara replied, slipping inside and approaching the shelves lining the opposite wall. Blissfully unaware of the treasure hidden in the wall three feet away from her, she happily chopped up a Pakuka fruit and mixed it with tangy green Noog sauce poured from a pouch hanging on her belt. "I made my special just for you."
"The famous Noog sauce eh? It seems you make the best on this planet."
Nara grinned and brought the bowl to Nikodai. He slowly ate what she offered, closing his eyes in delight at the taste. "Mm, delicious. I wonder if Magaki would mind if I kept you." He teased.
"Oh, Nikodai! You're such a flirt!" Her giggle sounded like a flock of chattering birds.
A tall, well-built warrior clad in black armor with gold shoulder-guards ducked into the cool, dim cave. "Nikodai," he began with a voice deepened by maturity, "are you trying to steal my wife again?"
"Magaki! Drat, you caught me again." Nikodai laughed from where he was just finishing up his breakfast. The old running joke had been going on ever since the day the happy couple joined in marriage. He watched Nara and Magaki touch noses and sighed, happy for them. "I see old Ginako hasn't worn you out yet."
"No, I wore him out. He got goosed in the behind with a laser yesterday though. It was low power, but he was screaming like a child." Magaki laughed.
Nara and Nikodai laughed along with him. It was about time someone shut Ginako up!
Their laughter was cut abruptly short when a bomb was dropped a short distance away. The explosion was close enough to rattle their teeth and shake the cave. Shockwaves knocked them off their feet. Loose dust was stirred, filling the room with an eerie cloud.
Magaki waved his hand to disperse the dust, climbed to his feet and looked outside. "Oh no..."
All the trees and grass were gone, charred black and destroyed. The ground was torn up like a huge claw had come down from the sky and dug there. Smoke crawled up from the scorched soil. Magaki even saw a dead Jamahama, a creature that looked like a red and black horse with fourteen legs, no eyes and a long beak like a hummingbird. They ate by sticking their beak into a Wispen tree and sucking out the rich and sweet sap.
Nikodai could hear the planet crying. In fact, he was crying too. Nara placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but Nikodai wouldn't be calmed this time. He could feel a hot knot of rage twist tightly in the pit of his stomach. A vein near his left ear bulged as he bore his sharp teeth. His red eyes ignited like twin balls of fire. In the eerie light his aged face looked very menacing.
"The planet is dying! It's dying! It's dying! The fools!" The old wizard roared angrily. He practically lunged to his feet with a snarl. "That's it! No more! NO MORE!"
Nara put her hand to her mouth. In all the time she'd known Nikodai, she'd never seen him that angry.
Magaki turned around. "What?" He didn't seem to have heard what Nikodai had said about the planet dying. He stopped short when he saw just how irate his friend was becoming.
Nikodai didn't answer. Instead he rushed to his bookshelf, slapped the books aside and started punching the wall in with his staff. His poor staff bent from the blows, a race to see if the wood or the rock would break first.
"What are you doing, Nikodai?" Nara asked.
"What I should have done ten years ago!" Nikodai finally extended a hand towards the wall. The symbol on the back of his hand flickered. Magical energy crackled to life as a fireball spewed from Nikodai's palm and blasted a hole in the wall, revealing something silver.
Nikodai shoved his arm into the hole to retrieve the beautiful Saber he'd made ten years earlier. It was a little dusty, but he wiped it off with his sleeve. Its inanimate eyes glittered hopefully as a shimmer ran down the edge of the curved blade.
Nikodai vanished into an inner cavern with white walls and a gold round table in the center. On that table was a symbol congruent to the one on the back of his hand.
As soon as Nikodai entered, a semicircle of white flames erupted on the opposite wall.
Nara and Magaki, dumbfounded and mystified by the wizard's anger, watched from the doorway. They didn't dare disturb Nikodai.
Nikodai, eerily illuminated by the white fire, angrily placed the Saber on the center of the table. He snapped his fingers and a worn leather-bound book emerged from the fire. It flipped open when the enraged wizard passed a hand across the cover and caressed the pages with a slender finger.
When Nikodai found the page he needed, he gathered together a bag of silver dust and one drop of his own blood drawn from his fingertip. He used the blood to make an arch on the Saba Saber's brow, then sprinkled the dust all down its length.
With his hands he made several gesticulations, drawing clear runes in the air. Each time he finished drawing an invisible design, he passed a hand over the Saber. And each time his hand passed it, the Saber's eyes would glow.
From a distance it appeared little more than an intricate dance, or the gestures of a madman..
"What is he doing?" Nara asked nervously, peering over Magaki's shoulder.
"I think he's casting a spell," Magaki replied, curiously watching Nikodai's quick movements. "But for what?"
Nikodai lowered his hands and laid the black leather-bound book down on the table. He tore out a page and folded it into a tiny square. He whispered a few words of magic and the paper square between his fingers swirled into a white sphere. With another quick movement, he placed the sphere carefully in the Saber's open mouth.
"Now it begins."
"What begins?" Magaki inquired.
"SILENCE!" snapped Nikodai, shocking the young warrior to silence.
Nara backed away a step and clasped both hands against her chest as though protecting her pounding heart. She didn't want the others to see she was scared.
Laying both hands on the table, Nikodai lifted his head and bore his teeth angrily at the white flames before him. He could see the planet's future, the impending doom of the entire Saberian world.
There was no way to stop it.
Fueled by anger and sorrow, Nikodai began chanting in ancient tongues, glancing occasionally down at the book. He held his staff high with both hands as spheres of white light gathered in its center. White lightning struck both ends and flashed over to surround the shimmering Saber. The white bolts twisted and crackled until they caught on the sphere in the Saber's mouth. When the lightning met the sphere, it seemed to explode in a blinding burst of pure magic.
Nikodai lowered his hands, but the staff remained suspended above his head, held in place by the lightning surging from its ends. He extended both arms towards the white fire, whispering something arcane. The flames curled away from the wall and wrapped around the wizard's body so fiercely that he appeared to be standing in the middle of a fire tornado. His arms rose suddenly and he stood poised. The fire whirling around him gushed through his back, surged across his heart and spiraled into the Saber with a deafening whoosh.
Suddenly, the Saba Saber's hilt turned white! Its eyes blazed a brilliant red! Flashes of gold shimmered around the edges!
The last thing Nikodai, Magaki or Nara saw before the light was too bright was the Saber rising up off the table in a vortex of magic fire and lightning. The last sound they remembered was a cry of surprise.
A cry that Nikodai couldn't have possibly emitted.
o
All was silent.
Nara and Magaki uncovered their eyes and peeked into the room. Nikodai was unconscious and curled up under the table. He twitched occasionally as if caught in the throes of a vivid dream. Above him, Saber drifted down and clattered onto the tabletop with a metallic clang.
The Saber had been transformed dramatically. It was white in some places, gold in others, and the face looked just like Nikodai's. Right down to the silver helmet and shaggy fur.
"It looks different now... Wow." Breathed Magaki in wonder. His glittery red eyes betrayed his curiosity.
Nikodai opened his eyes, a bright glow fading from them, and shook the cobwebs out of his head. He slowly climbed to his full six-foot height gazed down at the Saber with a tired smile. "It is no longer an it, but a he."
"What?" Magaki looked at Nikodai confusedly.
"A he?" Added Nara.
At that moment, the Saber named Saba opened his eyes. They glowed a bright crimson like a pair of burning coals and faded to a polished ruby hue.
Nikodai grinned. "He lives. I gave him half of my soul and all of my knowledge. But I also gave him something else."
"Oh?" Nara asked. "What else?"
Magaki perked up and listened as he put his arm around Nara's waist.
"Within his blade is the ability to control the White TigerZord. Only he can call and control it. But that also means that if the wrong person gets ahold of Saba, they can control it." Nikodai said. "He is a key as well as a weapon."
Saba blinked once as he became aware of Nikodai's speech for the first time. Self-awareness and consciousness came to him a moment later, and uttered his first two words, "I'm...alive?"
o
Nikodai watched in amazement as Saba floated around the room. It had been three days since he had given Saba the gift of life, and already it seemed as if he had always existed. To Nikodai, Saba was a son. Saba seemed to see Nikodai in a similar manner, because he always called him 'father'.
"Saba, you do understand that this planet is destroying itself, right?" Nikodai said as he watched Saba use the tip of his blade to touch down on a nearby table.
"I do understand." Saba replied in his unique, slightly echoing voice. He turned towards Nikodai and regarded him with smoldering eyes. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to send you off this planet with the White TigerZord. You are the peace symbol of this world, Saba. I want to leave some bit of this race behind to warn others of the fate that took our lives." He paused and looked down at the ground, sighing. "If I die before I send you away, the White TigerZord will leave on it's own within thirty minutes of my last breath. If that happens you must call it yourself and leave with it."
"Come with me." Saba rose sadly off the table and floated to Nikodai.
"I can't. I am too old, my son." Nikodai reached out and gently grasped Saba's hilt. "I would never survive the journey. Neither would Nara or Magaki."
"And I would survive this journey how? Am I not mortal?" Asked Saba, his red eyes glowing slightly in the dim cavern where Nikodai lived.
"Saba, my son, you have the gift of immortality. You will not age like normal people do." Said Nikodai with a smile. "I also left Magaki and Nara a little surprise..."
Saba remained silent.
"Yes," the wizard continued to smile. "The spell I cast to bring you to life also affected Magaki and Nara. I protected their souls, Saba. After they die, they'll be reborn and find each other again. And the next person to wield you, my son, will be whoever inherits Magaki's soul. You'll know him and Nara both, although they won't know you."
"Really?" The small Saber lit up hopefully. "How?"
Nikodai leaned back a little and chuckled at Saba's curiosity. "It'll just...come to you."
Saba appeared satiated by Nikodai's reply. Rather than leave it at that, he decided to press the matter further. "What about your soul? Will I see you again?"
"You have half of my soul, my young one. The other half will die with the planet, which is how it should be. You, the Coin and the TigerZord are my last legacies to the universe."
All of a sudden, there was a MASSIVE explosion outside. One of the nukes had been dropped a mere fifty miles away. A bit close.
"Ginako!" Magaki could be heard screaming in the distance.
Nikodai looked at Saba and got up. He ran outside towards the sound of Magaki's cries. He found Magaki on his knees beside a charred body. Ginako's charred corpse smelled horribly of burning flesh. His terrified face gaped sightlessly at the sky.
"NO! NO! HE'S GONE! NO!" Magaki screamed in rage, "We didn't even see it coming..."
"Ginako..." Nikodai knelt down by the body. "Oh no...you poor warrior..."
Saba didn't know what to say. Before that moment, he hadn't seen the horror he was intended to prevent. But when he did, it all came clear what his duty would be. To fight evils like this.
"This will be all of us in a few days." Magaki huffed.
"Come! We must get away before the next one hits!" Nikodai grabbed Magaki's arm. "Magaki!"
Magaki pulled his arm away. "This will be ALL of us in a few days! What does it matter? I'm staying here to wait for Nara." He pointed at Saba. "Get him out of here!"
"Magaki!" Saba cried. He flew right out of Nikodai's hand and over to Magaki. He wanted to at least say goodbye to his friend.
"Saba..." Magaki grasped Saba's hilt. "You need to fulfill your duty. You are our hope."
"I don't want to be alone." Saba said quietly, his eyes glinting slightly.
"You won't be alone. We'll always be with you." Said Magaki as he used his free hand to wipe the tears away from his eyes. He released his grip on the Saber. "Go. Go and fulfill your destiny."
"Good luck, Magaki. I'll see you again." Saba replied cryptically, speaking slowly as if to keep this moment as long as possible.
"If you don't live to see me again after today, Magaki...may peace be with you." Nikodai spoke gently to Magaki. He extended his palm, laid it flat on the young warrior's black and gold armor and closed his eyes. His hand glowed and the symbol of the Coin shimmered into being on Magaki's chestplate. A point of light danced around its golden edges.
"Nikodai..." Magaki touched the symbol and closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He gripped Nikodai's hand tightly, holding it in place over his heart, and for the first time admitted what he'd been feeling the whole time, "I'm afraid..."
Nikodai smiled sadly and patted Magaki's chest. His voice was nearly lost in the rumble of another explosion. "It will be all right, my dear, young friend. I promise."
Magaki hardened his expression and released Nikodai's hand. His eyes grew fierce with hope. "We will meet again before the end. Count on it."
Smirking, Nikodai returned to his home. Saba followed silently, trailing a cloud of white light in his wake.
Magaki turned, knelt down over Ginako's dead body, and began to pray for the planet to protect his soul.
o
The next morning, Nikodai awoke early to the sound of Nara crying and Magaki whispering nervously outside. Saba was hovering in the middle of the room, listening to the planet because he too could hear it scream.
"Soon..." Saba murmured.
The cave shook and trembled. Nikodai rolled out of bed just as a pile of boulders fell upon it. "Saba, it is time!"
"Father!" Saba flew down to Nikodai. "I'm frightened."
"Don't be." Nikodai replied calmly, grasping Saba's hilt gently. At that moment the ground turned topsy-turvy. Lava broke through the back of the cavern and began spilling into the room. Everything in its wake melted. Nikodai tightened his grip Saba and dashed outside where Nara and Magaki were clutching each other. "Nara, Magaki! Run NOW!"
"Nikodai!" Nara cried out in fear, her cheeks stained with tears. She was so hysterical that Magaki had to pick her up and carry her away from the danger bearing down upon them.
Nikodai stopped a safe distance from the lava and looked around in dispair. Images of the dying world flickered across his piercing ruby eyes.
All the plant life was gone. The air was hot as an oven and getting hotter by the second. Lightning shredded the skies. Thunder raged. Lava came spewing out of the ocean. Massive natural gas tornadoes lined the horizon. Fissures were opening up in the ground. Mountains started to crumble.
"Saba! You have to call the White TigerZord!" Nikodai cried, shielding his head as a flaming rock sailed past him. "Now, Saba!"
"I..." The Saber's quivering voice replied over the clamor. "...I don't know if I know how!"
"Saba! Do it, please!" Magaki pleaded desperately, clutching a sobbing Nara protectively to his chest. Even as the ground below the couple trembled, they remained standing. As if their love was protecting them.
"You can do it." Nikodai whispered encouragingly. "I know you can."
Another lava bomb exploded less than fifty feet from the group of Saberians. Cracks shredded the ground like lightning flashing across the sky.
"Saba, please!" Nara screamed between sobs. "Hurry!"
Saba floated out of Nikodai's hand and turned towards the Adaro mountains. Without knowing exactly how he knew what to say, he shouted, "ACTIVATE THE TIGERZORD!"
o
ACTIV-ACTIV-ACTIV-ACTIVATE-ATE-ATE-ATE THE-THE-THE TIGER-TIGER-TIGER-TIGERZORD-ZORD-ZORD-ZORD! The words echoed across the explosions going on around the planet. Through the walls of lava and rockslides. And the last mountain still standing rumbled.
A massive shape moved within the mountain. Odd growling emanated from within the rock. The massive shape began to rise and awaken.
The White TigerZord rose to it's feet and emitted a roar as it's golden tail suddenly stood up with a mechanical click. With another roar, the Zord's legs began to move, and the gigantic robot literally crashed into the walls as it sought freedom.
A side of the mountain exploded as the White TigerZord burst free. It's legs scrambled against the uneven rock, and then it sped away at insane speeds towards the voice that called it.
o
Magaki looked up when he heard the rumbling and felt the ground vibrate. In the distance, he saw the massive shape of the White TigerZord.
"YEAH! All right, it works! Woohoo!" He cried in glee, jumping up and down with excitement and relief. Nara was inclined to lift her head away from his chest for the first time that day and fixed her red eyes on the massive Zord on approach. Hope rose in her heart.
Nikodai heard the footfalls of the massive White TigerZord as it approached. Soon, it appeared in the distance, roaring a cry of hope as it sprinted across the dying land.
"All right! It works!" Nikodai shouted happily.
"Precisely." Saba stated, grinning with pride.
Magaki reached over and took hold of Saba's hilt. He smiled down at the little Saber, his red eyes gleaming, "Saba, you're amazing!"
All of a sudden a small volcano exploded under the running White TigerZord, sending it sprawling onto it's back. It's legs kicked in the air and it roared furiously, stirring the dust with its metal tail.
"Oh no!" Nikodai cried.
"Get up! Get up now!" Saba cried. His eyes began to glow as he willed the robot to rise again.
Another explosion rocked the White TigerZord, jolting it. The next one had enough push to turn the massive robot back over so it could run. Small burns were visible on it's outer metal, but it didn't seem phased one bit.
Nikodai watched the White TigerZord leap over a fissure that opened at it's feet. Then it skidded to a stop about a hundred yards away from where Nikodai, Magaki, Nara and Saba were standing. It's eyes glowed and it gave a low growl.
"It's time, Saba." Nikodai pronounced quietly.
The fallen mountains behind them exploded from the pressure of a sudden gas jet. Falling rocks rained down, showering everyone in soot and dirt. Nara and Magaki disappeared behind a cloud of dust.
"Father!" Saba cried as the rocks buried him and Nikodai alive.
Nikodai cried out, but Saba didn't get a chance to see why. He was small enough to slip out from between the rocks and look around. He looked for Nikodai, unable to find him.
Suddenly a hand shout out from the debris and wrapped around Saba's hilt. "Saba, help me out here." Magaki's voice was barely audible behind the rocks. Saba nodded and rose, trying to pull Magaki free, but the rocks were too heavy and wouldn't fall away.
Nara appeared on top of a small rock pile, looking for her husband. She noticed the hand gripping Saba and raced over to dig into the rocks. Magaki finally sat up with a few cuts and bruises. He coughed on the dust coating his lungs. "Saba...you have to get out of here!"
Saba wouldn't have that yet. He needed to find Nikodai first! "Father! I can't find him!"
Nara, in the meantime, continued digging around until she uncovered a white hand. "Nikodai! NIKODAI!" She cried.
Saba, alerted by the shouting, gazed at the rocks where Nara was working. In his fear, he felt a surge of power. A shimmer raced through his clear red eyes. He focused his energy with a cry of surprise as a sparkling white laser issued forth from his eyes and destroyed the rocks, revealing Nikodai.
Nara pulled back with a hand over her mouth to cover her retching. Magaki gasped in horror. Saba nearly fell to the ground when he saw the reason for their reactions.
Nikodai's legs were crushed, but that wasn't even half of the horror. A piece of sharp rock jutted up from his stomach, spilling his bloody entrails all over the soil. His body was almost sheared in two.
Oddly, he felt no pain until he tried to move.
"Sa...ba..." Nikodai gasped weakly.
Saba floated down to Nikodai and ignored the wound. "Nikodai..."
Nara and Magaki quickly came to Saba's side. Magaki let out a sob and fell to his knees beside the dying wizard. Nikodai, his best friend for so long, was leaving him forever. "No...Nikodai..."
Nara wiped a tear from her face and laid a hand on Magaki's arm. She tried her hardest not to let her eyes wander to the sickening wound.
Another explosion rang out in the distance, ripping through the eardrums of everything still alive. Smoke plumes billowed up into the cloudy air as lightning and thunder tore through the angry skies. More and more tornadoes were forming around the area.
Nikodai reached up and grasped Saba's hilt gently, his hand weak and trembling. "Sa...ba... my son..." he whispered, "Please...go. Don't let others suffer...the same fate as this planet...did..." Nikodai grimaced in pain. "AAUGH!"
"Don't talk, Nikodai, save your strength." Nara spoke soothingly to her old friend, laying a hand on his clammy brow.
"That doesn't matter now, young Nara." Nikodai brushed a hand through her matted fur, staining it with his blood. He turned his glassy ruby eyes towards Magaki and managed to smile weakly, "I am not afraid of the end..."
"Oh, Nikodai...why couldn't they listen! Why couldn't we save the world?" Magaki exclaimed sadly. He lowered down closer to Nikodai's fallen frame to listen for his reply.
"Because not enough of us...were willing to...listen...ungh... But we may...just may...have saved another world...thanks to Saba..." A faint smile showed on Nikodai's lips, which were stained with his black blood. He took a last look at the massive White TigerZord, looming large like a sentinel as the lightning flashed around it. Then he looked back at Saba, his creation, as his vision started to blur. "Go...Saba...go now."
Saba lowered himself down and touched his nose to Nikodai's forehead. "Goodbye, Father. I shall never forget you."
"And I...I will never forget...you, my...my son." Nikodai's hand slipped from Saba's hilt. He watched the tiny Saber float towards the massive Zord.
His creation. His legacy.
"Ooh...ungh..." The old wizard groaned as the pain of his wounds finally started to register. He could feel his life fading. The world around him was shrinking and blurring into a pinpoint of light in the distance. He felt detached from his pain. And sleepy. So very, very sleepy. "Ma...Magaki... Nara... I can't hold on any longer..."
"No!" Magaki clutched Nikodai's head to his chest and started to cry softly, "You're my best friend, Nikodai..."
"Magaki...you're such a good lad..."
Nara squeezed Magaki's arm and shook her head slowly. She could see what Magaki was refusing to believe. The realization formed a lump in her throat that threatened to choke her voice off. "Nikodai...go in peace, my friend. We'll meet again."
Magaki glanced over at Nara, "Will we?"
"Yes, you will...my...friends..." Nikodai replied softly, smiling brightly with a twinkle in his red eyes. Then his head slumped to the side and his eyes stared into nothingness. As his life faded he could see the future.
The TigerZord escaping into space with Saba safe inside.
Saba Being discovered by a wizard carrying a spiral-tipped staff.
Five Coins flipping for the fate of the universe.
The TigerZord teleporting onto a blue planet with a single moon.
A warrior wearing a white Saberian battle uniform with a black chest-plate.
The same warrior extending an arm as Saba materializes in his gloved hand.
Then everything faded into darkness and peace. Nikodai breathed in once more, closed his eyes and sighed happily as his soul joined with the planet. Clouds raced forth to cover the sun when he died.
"NIKODAIIII!" Magaki screamed angrily when he saw his friend die. He clutched Nikodai tightly to his chest and sobbed against the top of his head. "Nooo...no, no, no...I'm not ready!"
Saba looked down at Nikodai, who looked as peaceful now as he did when he slept. "Rest well, father." He said softly as a crystalline tear rolled down his nose and landed on Nikodai's forehead. His eyes shifted slowly towards Magaki and Nara. They were both bending over the dead wizard, paying final respects. "Rest well..."
Nara stood up fiercely when she heard Saba's voice. "Go Saba! Go now! GO! Save yourself!"
Magaki laid Nikodai carefully on one of the rocks and climbed to his feet next to his beloved wife. "Saba, this is your last chance! Please go! Go for Nikodai! For us! Go! Please go!"
That was all the Saber needed to hear. He could feel Nikodai's spirit move within him. What Nikodai had told him earlier was true after all.
"Goodbye!" Saba disappeared in a flash of white sparkling light and reappeared inside the White TigerZord. He formed a mind link with the robot, allowing him to see with its eyes.
He saw Nikodai lying among the rocks. He saw Nara and Magaki clutching each other amidst the fire and wind. He saw the twisting, ropelike tornadoes getting closer. He saw the lightning ripping across the skies as lava began to spew up from the trembling planet's crust. The rumble was deafening!
Continents started sinking into the boiling sea full of lava, spewing acid steam as they vanished. An eerie fog filled the area, and massive chunks of ice bombarded the bleeding earth. The ice crystals making up the rings were actually falling out of orbit and crashing down to the planet!
Saba watched this in awe and fear. A steady stream of tears poured from his eyes and pooled at the base of his hilt. The planet's pain was unbearable!
It was time to go.
He used the White TigerZord's eyes to study the area below him. A fissure was opening up, so he moved the Zord a few hundred feet away before the planet could swallow him up.
"It is time. TigerZord power!" Saba cried through his tears. The Zord's legs folded up near it's body as it transformed into a massive ship. Saba could feel the entire White TigerZord vibrating as it powered up the engines to escape velocity.
Slowly, as the continent it was standing on began to sink, the White TigerZord blasted off and away from the area. The ground it was standing on a moment ago exploded in a shower of red hot lava.
Up through the lightning torn skies. Up through the angry clouds. Up through the evaporating atmosphere. Up through the falling ice crystals. Up and up the White TigerZord went, rocketing away from the dying planet.
Nara and Magaki watched the TigerZord until it they lost track of it among the emerging stars peeking between the clouds, and knew their world's legacy would live on.
Lowering his eyes to Nara's beautiful face, Magaki held her close to his body, touched her cheek and smiled. His fear of dying was disappearing. Somehow he knew they would always be together. "Nara, I love you."
The air around them started to superheat and glow a brilliant white. The very ground they stood upon began to sink into the acid sea. Lava, acid water and ice chunks were racing towards them. The strong winds rippled their matted white fur.
Trembling, Nara shifted her gaze to meet Magaki's smoldering eyes and felt her fear of death suddenly dissolve in his strong gaze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered back, "I love you too, Magaki..."
Simultaneously, the two last living Saberians closed their eyes, leaned towards one another and kissed, outlined by the brightening glow of the impending explosion. It was the last thing either of them would ever remember.
Saba, safely tucked inside the TigerZord, hovered a few thousand miles away from the boiling world. He watched the burning red planet glow brightly and explode soundlessly in a flash as bright as ten suns, taking the two moons with it. Specks of debris and silent shockwaves billowed like million-mile-wide pond ripples. A single point of light from the planet's core formed a vertical line of white light, imploded and faded.
And the planet Saberius was no more.
o
May it be
An evening star
Shines down
Upon you
For over a million years, the White TigerZord drifted through space, going through periods of activity and inactivity.
Finally, a planet was detected, and the White TigerZord landed. Saba was still dormant inside. The Zord used it's own intelligence to place Saba safely on the ground where he would be found. Then the White TigerZord went dormant.
May it be
When darkness falls
Your heart
Will be true
For many years, the White TigerZord and Saba were dormant.
Then, one day, a very powerful man came along. He wore flowing white robes with a rainbow-colored cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He carried a gray stone staff ending in a concentric spiral. The man approached the White TigerZord without fear, knowing exactly what it was when he saw it.
He was very familiar with Zords.
You walk along a road
Oh how far you are from home
"A White TigerZord!" The man whispered respectfully. "It finally arrived." He glanced down and noticed Saba lying between the White TigerZord's front paws. Lowering his staff, he reached down and picked the Saber up to examine it.
As soon as he was touched, Saba's eyes opened and flashed, startling his finder. "I am Saba of the planet Saberius, which is now gone. I seek peace."
Mornië utúlië
Believe and you
Will find your way
The man smiled warmly. Now he knew everything was full-circle.
"Yes, I have been expecting you, Saba. I saw your planet explode in my dreams. I knew your Zord would wind up here."
"Where is here? And who are you?" Asked Saba, going quickly on guard. The White TigerZord behind him remained still and dormant, its inactive red eyes shimmering dully.
Mornië alantië
A promise lives
Within you now
The man placed his hand on his chest and inclined his jewel-adorned head. "I am a wizard, and my name is Zordon." He gestured to the lovely green terrain all around, "This is the planet Eltar."
Saba was astonished. Another wizard! He could feel his power!
The white Saber quickly started to explain everything that happened to Saberius. He spoke of Nikodai, Nara and Magaki. He spoke of the wars and the hatred. He spoke of the horrid way his planet had died.
May it be
The shadow's call
Will fly away
Zordon listened intently to Saba's words, his face saddening at what he heard. He was all-too-familiar with wars. In fact, at that very moment, he was involved in one with a very evil force.
"I can help you fulfill the duty you were created for."
"You can?" Saba lifted his head to gaze at his new friend.
May it be
A journey on
To light the day
"Yes. Right now I am at war with an evil woman known as Rita Repulsa..." Zordon began to explain the war.
And so Saba became Zordon's companion in this war. The war itself lasted several hundred years. It was a very bloody and violent war full of magic and weaponry. Much like the wars he remembered from his home.
When the night is all gone
You may rise
To find the sun
When both sides reached a stalemate, Saba finally suggested something less violent. Zordon took that suggestion and challenged Rita to a special coin toss that would determine who would rule the universe. Saba even helped Zordon infuse the Coins with magic to ensure the evil side wouldn't win.
Rita lost the coin toss as planned. In her rage, she cast a spell that trapped Zordon in another dimension beyond the flow of time. Zordon retorted by focusing his power and locking Rita and her goon-squad in an intergalactic dumpster. He sent her off into space, hoping that was the last of her.
Mornië utúlië
Believe and you
Will find your way
Before he was completely trapped in his new prison, Zordon teleported Saba and the White TigerZord to Earth where they remained hidden for the next ten thousand years. Saba was patient and spent the time dreaming of his home. Hoping that maybe, by luck, he wouldn't be needed and he would be able to dream for the rest of eternity.
But the evil returned.
For a time, the help of the White TigerZord and Saba were not needed. Then one day, the war intensified. Saba was awakened by a telepathic call from Zordon.
Mornië alantië
A promise lives
Within you now
I hear you, Zordon. Saba replied telepathically.
You are needed now, Saba. The one you have been waiting for is ready to receive you. Zordon told him. Although he preferred his dreams over reality, Saba was delighted to hear a voice again after a millennium of silence.
I'm ready. Breathed Saba with confidence. His crimson eyes twinkled and he smiled as he dissolved into a cloud of white sparkles.
A promise lives
Within you now...
o
"Extend your hand, White Ranger, and accept all that has been granted to you." Zordon's eerie floating face wavered gently in the tube, his only way to contact the outside world.
Tommy, the White Ranger, extended his arm. A cloud of white sparkles appeared in his outstretched hand and coalesced into Saba. Tommy lowered his arm and examined the magnificent Saber he now held. Through the metallic hilt he could feel a vibration of magic and life.
Somehow he knew Saba was meant only for his hand to wield.
"Congratulations, Tommy, you are now the leader of the Power Rangers."
Tommy breathed a sigh of awe. "Aw man, it's good to be back."
Weeew! Weeew! The alarm went off inside the Command Center.
Zordon's image seemed to increase in size when he heard the alarm blare. He hated to see such a happy reunion being interrupted.
"Nimrod, the Scarlet Sentinel, is attacking the industrial center."
"Zordon," Jason's face grew serious and his deep voice gruff as he fixed his eyes on the face hovering in the tube, "Our Zords were damaged in the last battle with the Nimrod monster. We need time to repair them."
"Oh, no! Aye yi, yi, yi, yi!" Alpha twirled and panicked, waving his arms about. Red lights flickered around his ovular head. "Bulk and Skull are just about to open Rita's dumpster!
"WHAT?" A general cry went up. Everyone whirled to face the white Viewing Globe and saw an image of Bulk and Skull trying to open a golden container with a giant can-opener. So far they appeared to be having no success.
"We've gotta stop them!" Zach exclaimed, glancing nervously over his shoulder at the others.
Trini shook her head slowly, "If they open up that dumpster..." she sighed gravely and continued, "our cover will be blown."
"Yeah," Kimberly added, worriedly tapping her lower lip. She turned to face the others with a frown, torn with indecision. "We have to stop the Nimrod and the goons too."
"Yeah," Billy turned away and walked towards one of the computer consoles, "and repair the Zords."
"Billy and Trini, you must teleport to the damaged Zords and begin repairs." Zordon pronounced diplomatically without letting his desperation show in his voice. He needed to keep the Rangers calm. "Alpha will provide you with all the information you need."
"Right." Said Billy.
He and Trini teleported away in one yellow and one blue streak of light.
"Jason, Kimberly and Zach. You must go to Bulk and Skull's location and secure Rita's dumpster. She can not be allowed to escape."
"We're on it." Stated Jason.
Then Zordon looked down at Tommy. "Tommy, it is up to you to do battle with the Nimrod monster until the others are able to join you." The wise wizard nodded slowly to send the Power Rangers off, "Go now, and may the Power protect you!"
Tommy and Jason looked at each other, both smiling as though exchanging a silent message to one another. Jason readily stepped down and let Tommy take the torch.
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!" Tommy grabbed his morpher and held it high. "TIGERZORD!"
"MASTODON!"
"PTERODACTYL!"
"TYRANOSAURUS!"
Together, the teenagers morphed into the White, Pink, Black and Red Rangers.
Jason, Kimberly and Zach teleported to Bulk and Skull's location. Hopefully they would be in time to prevent Rita's escape.
Tommy teleported to where the Nimrod monster was lumbering through the city. Saba took one look at the monster and knew what needed to do.
Raising his head high, he shouted towards the mountains, "ACTIVATE THE TIGERZORD!"
o
ACTIV-ACTIV-ACTIV-ACTIVATE-ATE-ATE-ATE THE-THE-THE TIGER-TIGER-TIGER-TIGERZORD-ZORD-ZORD-ZORD!
In the distance, the dormant White TigerZord awoke to the call. It's golden tail eagerly snapped up. Its massive metal legs scrambled on the soil as it dashed forth to answer Saba's echoing voice.
o
Tommy heard the huge White TigerZord approaching. He looked on in genuine surprise and admiration as the massive robot crashed into view.
"ALL RIGHT! IT WORKS! WOOHOO!" He leapt up and down, holding Saba high above his head so the Zord would see them.
"Of course it works. I know what I'm doing." Saba replied happily. Tommy's elation reminded him of the way Nikodai and Magaki had reacted when the White TigerZord appeared to them for the first time.
And that is when he realized that Tommy's uniform was a suit of Saberian battle armor with the addition of the aesthetic helmet. And something was familiar about his voice. Something from the past.
Meanwhile the White TigerZord, in its eagerness to reach Saba, bounced off a mountainside. It slammed into another one on the opposite side, flipped over and landed on it's back with a tremendous crash.
Tommy went flying, did a cartwheel and landed on his butt. He picked Saba up and exclaimed accusingly, "Hey, I thought you knew what you were doing!"
"I do." Saba replied indignantly.
"Yeah, you sure coulda fooled me!" Tommy said back with a laugh. His reply left no doubt in Saba's mind. That was Magaki's soul in that young man's body!
And the battle with the Nimrod monster began. In the beginning, slightly due to Tommy's inexperience with his new Zord, Nimrod took the upper hand. Saba sent a distress call to Zordon, who in turn sent the newly repaired Zords into the fray.
The battle intensified. Nimrod's temper flared, which proved to be a fatal mistake.
With relative ease, the Power Rangers took the monster down together.
o
The Zords were all powering down and the Rangers were starting to emerge. Tommy climbed free of the White TigerZord and jumped to the ground with the others.
"We won!" Came the Pink Ranger's excited cry. She demorphed, brushed a strand of brown hair back and eyed the White Ranger with soft brown eyes. "It feels good to have you out there with us again, Tommy."
Her voice!
Saba peered at Kimberly and had to smile when he saw her and Tommy embrace.
At last, they were all truly together again.
o
"That went well." Saba stated when he and Tommy were alone for a moment.
"Yeah, sure did. Seems those aliens out there just don't know when to quit." Tommy answered coolly. "But we'll get 'em. We haven't lost a fight yet."
Saba turned away to gaze at the lovely sunset. The sky overhead was dark blue and the horizon was turning pale orange and pink with purple around the edges. The single moon was just a crescent in the sky.
It reminded him of the world he came from.
"This place is beautiful. I do hope it doesn't end up destroyed like the planet I came from." Saba commented. "We can not allow the evil that is lurking to win."
"We won't." Tommy looked down at Saba, sympathizing with him. "I promise." His dark eyes twinkled with curiosity as that strange feeling of familiarity washed over him. "Saba, I have a question."
"Yes?" the Saber replied.
"Is your name a native word where you came from?" Asked Tommy.
"Yes, it is." Saba replied.
"Oh. What does it translate to?"
Saba grinned. "Peacemaker."
Tommy nodded and demorphed to join the others. They got together to send Rita back into space where she belonged.
o
Later on that night, as he slept soundly in his bed, Tommy saw Saba in his dreams. The Saber drifted through his subconscious, telling the tale of where he came from. A fantastic tale that carried the young warrior to another world.
A world that existed a billion years in the past.
A world with hardship and war.
A world where a doomed couple shared their last kiss as everything they knew crashed down around them.
A world where hope survived long after everyone had perished.
A world where an old wizard's dream of peace was still unfolding.
o
o
o
o
o
Somewhere in oblivion, Nikodai lifted his face to the light and smiled.
o
THE END