Request for Assistance
by Starhawk

"The Barox?" Hands resting on the Bridge's main comm console, Cassie looked over at Saryn. "Who are they?"

Unmorphed, the expression on his face made it patently obvious that he had been paying more attention to her than the comm link. At her question, though, he roused himself enough to look back at the viewscreen and exchange glances with the leader of the Aquitian Rangers.

"The Barox are a race of mechanical bounty hunters," he answered at last. "They hire themselves out for almost any kind of reward, and they do not stop until they complete their mission."

"Or until they're destroyed," Billy said, from his position at Cetaci's left shoulder.

Saryn nodded, acknowledging the correction. "Or until they are destroyed," he repeated.

"Then we must find a way to destroy them," Cetaci said firmly. "Immediately. Three of their ships have penetrated our system within the last hour, and they have already caused significant damage to the outsystem orbital stations.

"Aquitar thanks you for your information," she added, clearly intending to end the communication.

"Wait--" Cassie shot a look at the Ranger standing beside her, wondering if she should even offer. He had reminded her of Cetaci's stubborn pride on their way to the Bridge, but she couldn't *not* say anything. "You've dealt with them before; could we help Aquitar fight them now?"

"That is not necessary," Cetaci interjected. "We are quite capable of dealing with these… *bounty* hunters." The scorn she put into the word made it clear that she didn't think much of their profession.

"They are not mere bounty hunters," Saryn warned quietly. "The Barox are ruthless, efficient killers. Destruction is all they know, and they stop at nothing. I--will not intrude on your fight unless you ask, but I wish you would not face them alone."

Cetaci actually hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at Billy. He just looked back, and they stared at each other for a moment. Finally Cetaci shook her head, turning back to the comm channel.

She looked about to speak, but a sound from out of the screen's range caught her attention. She looked away again, and suddenly Cestria was at her side, one hand on her leader's shoulder and her eyes on the viewscreen. "We would be grateful for any assistance you could offer," she said simply.

Cetaci tilted her head to one side, but she said nothing. Cassie waited a moment, to see if she would disagree, but the White Aquitian Ranger remained silent. At last, Cassie said, "We're on our way."

Cestria nodded once. "Thank you, Astro Rangers."

The transmission cut off from the other end, and Cassie sighed. Inputting the appropriate commands into the Megaship's nav system, she said quietly, "They're still afraid of me, aren't they."

Saryn seemed to consider that, his eyes on her once again. "I would not say afraid," he said, after a moment. "They may be a little wary, yet, but they are not afraid."

She stared back at him, wondering suddenly if he was seeing her or the person she had become for the last two days. "I didn't mean it!" she burst out. "If I could, I'd go back and change things, but I can't!"

He reached for her hand, still resting on the console, and she squeezed his fingers hard. She wished she could lean against him and feel his arms hold her, but she sighed again and stayed where she was. For the last two days she'd touched him at every opportunity, and doing it now would only serve to remind him of everything else she'd done.

"They will not hold it against you, Cassie," he said, his voice low. "They know as well as I that you were not yourself."

"And you?" she whispered, not sure she meant him to hear.

He leaned closer. "Cassie?"

She looked up, knowing and annoyed by the fact that there were tears in her eyes. She was helpless to prevent it, though, and the open concern on his face only made her feel worse. "And you?" she asked again, louder. "Do you hold it against me?"

He looked startled. "Of course I do not. You did nothing that I have reason to be upset about."

She felt a tear slip down her cheek even as she smiled a little. "Do you want a list? Threatening you, shooting at you, making you demorph in front of the Aquitians--"

She cut off as he laid a finger over her lips. "Cassie, none of those things were your fault." He brushed the tear away from her face, letting his hand fall to her shoulder. "Your brainwaves were altered; your personality was no longer your own. You were, in all practical ways, a different person."

"Then why did you still help me?" she whispered. He could not possibly believe that, or he wouldn't have kept trying to talk to her.

"Because I wanted to believe everyone else was wrong," he said softly, tucking her hair away from her face. Tapping her temple with one finger, he continued before she could speak, "I wanted to think that you were still in here somewhere, that you could hear me and come back to me, somehow…"

She couldn't help it, then; she stepped closer and put her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't deserve you," she admitted quietly.

"You deserve someone far better than I," he murmured, hugging her gently. "But if there are times when I make you happy, that is all I ask."

"You *always* make me happy," Cassie insisted, not moving. "I love you… and I couldn't ask for anything else."

"I love you, too," his voice whispered in her ear, and she closed her eyes.

She leaned against him, listening to him breathe. She was inexpressibly glad that she had not managed to drive him away in the last two days--with anyone else, she was knew love would not be enough to make them stay. But his strength had kept him believing in her, even when it seemed hopeless.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, just holding on to each other, but she wasn't about to let go. He seemed content to stay that way forever, but eventually DECA's unmistakable voice announced their arrival in orbit around Aquitar.

Cassie frowned as she lifted her head from Saryn's shoulder. They should have received a recognition signal from Aquitar as soon as they entered the system--things must be more serious than she had thought if the Megaship had made it into the heart of the Aquitian solar system with no acknowledgement at all.

Saryn caught her eye as they separated, and he looked surprised as well. "DECA, contact the Aquitian Rangers," Cassie said, watching his reaction.

"I am attempting to establish communication," the computer answered, after a short delay.

Saryn was doing something to the scanners, and he looked up suddenly, gazing at the viewscreen as its field of view shifted. "That is why they are not answering," he said.

Cassie followed his gaze, squinting at the magnified blips that swarmed across the screen. "Barox?" she breathed, and he nodded.

"But--there's more than three of them," she said, wondering why the fighter wing had not been launched.

"There are six Barox ships," he confirmed, tapping the control panel until a closer image appeared on the screen. She drew back, alarmed by the bristling armament on the nearest ship. "They are not equipped to launch an all-out assault on an underwater world--but they are perfectly capable of infiltrating a city and destroying it from the inside."

Cassie stared at him. "You mean…"

"There are undoubtedly several Barox on the planet's surface already," he told her grimly. "We cannot be sure the Aquitians even know, if their satellites have been disabled."

"DECA, call Zhane," she said, glancing toward the computer's camera. "How many of those ships are still manned?"

Saryn did not answer for a moment, and she looked at him. Studying the screen, he replied, "Four, I think."

"How do you--" The view on the screen answered her question without her having to ask it. Four of the Barox ships were headed straight for the Megaship, while two remained on what could easily be autopilot as they continued their orbit of Aquitar. "Never mind."

"We cannot take on four ships," Saryn muttered, almost to himself.

"Where's the fighter wing?" she asked, before she understood what he was saying. If he didn't think the Megaship could take four of them, there was no way an Aquitian fighter could even hold its own. "Oh…"

"The wing will not have been launched, not to fight something like this," he answered anyway. "The Barox are a formidable enemy, even to a Power enhanced ship."

"The zords?"

He looked over at her, but she couldn't read his expression. "I do not know," he said at last. "It is possible they could hold the Barox off--but I would not like to see them try."

She glanced over at her usual station, and a green glow surrounding the tactical map told her that he had already raised the Megaship's shields. "So they can't do any damage up here--but there's two on the planet?"

The ship shuddered, and he corrected grimly, "They cannot do any damage to the *Aquitians* up here. We seem to be an acceptable substitute."

"Can't even get a good night's sleep around here without someone trying to blow us up," Zhane grumbled from the doorway, and Cassie glanced over her shoulder. She hadn't heard him come in.

"Took you long enough," she said, half-seriously.

"Hey, I don't live on the Bridge," he said, sounding subdued, but not as depressed as she had expected under the circumstances. "DECA woke me up--what's going on?"

"The Barox," Saryn interjected. "Six of their ships are attacking Aquitar--or were. Four of them have now turned their efforts on us."

There was no answer, and Cassie took another look at the Silver Ranger as she slid into her accustomed seat. The shock on his face made her suspect that he, too, had encountered the Barox at one point--or at least heard of them.

"Six?" he managed, coming forward to stand by the nav console.

Bringing the Megalasers online, Cassie scanned the tactical map quickly. Zhane seemed to have shaken away his astonishment, for he said, "The Barox are space and atmospheric fighters, aren't they?"

Cassie brought the Megalasers to bear as a ship streaked past, spraying weapons fire and catching the Megaship's shields repeatedly. She hit her target full on, with both laser arrays--and it didn't even slow down. She felt a sinking feeling descend upon her as she began to realize exactly what they were up against.

"Yes," she heard Saryn say, from somewhere behind her. "They cannot damage Aquitar from here. But there are two hunters already on the surface, and we have been unable to establish communication with the Aquitian Rangers."

The Megaship banked abruptly, cutting between two of the well-armed ships, and Cassie just shook her head. For someone who was used to piloting a starfighter, Saryn knew what he was doing at the helm of a battleship.

She kept firing, isolating and tracking each ship for a second or more as they swept past, pelting them with as much laser fire as she could keep control of. They didn't seem even slightly affected, but then, the Megaship hadn't taken any serious damage yet either. *Stalemate?* she wondered, but it was too early to tell.

"Could we draw some of them away from Aquitar, then?" she heard Zhane ask. "Keep them from joining their friends?"

The stars spun wildly as Saryn tested that theory. The Megaship was suddenly racing away from Aquitar, heading at sublight for the edge of the system--and two of the Barox were following.

"Yes," he said calmly. "We can."

"But what about the Aquitians?" Cassie protested, punching the fire controls far harder than she had to and smirking as she managed to knock one of the Barox ships off its original course.

The Megaship jerked violently a moment later, and her tactical screen showed both ships in parallel alignment--far too close and lessening the distance quickly. She grimaced as they raked the Megaship's stern with their own laser fire, her train of thought completely forgotten.

Saryn picked up where she had left off. "We cannot simply leave them to fight their enemies from the inside," he argued, even as the Megaship twisted to the side and downward simultaneously, neatly evading a second strafing run.

**He* can concentrate on two things at once,* Cassie thought wryly, targeting the closer of the two ships they were racing. "What if we let DECA lure these ships away while we teleport back to Aquitar?"

She had no idea where that thought had come from. She had voiced it before she thought, and now she had no time to contemplate its ramifications. *I could really learn to hate these Barox,* she thought, as another round of laser fire failed to do any significant damage to the other ships.

She didn't even notice the silence behind her until Saryn broke it. "DECA cannot pilot this ship under fire alone. I have dealt with the Barox; I will go, while you and Zhane remain aboard the Megaship."

"No," Cassie said sharply. "If you go, I go."

"Both of you go," Zhane interrupted. "I can handle the Megaship better than either of you."

"You cannot--"

"Shut up, Saryn," Zhane said, not sounding particularly annoyed. "I know what I'm talking about. And I'm only going to fight long enough to make them mad--with a little luck, they'll follow me into hyperspace and straight into the Qesiti system."

Saryn was quiet, probably considering that. "They will not thank you for bring the Barox down on them," he warned.

"Probably not," Zhane agreed. "But they'll fight, and between the Megaship and their Megazord we should be able to defeat these two. If it works, I'll be back to help you as soon as they're gone."

Cassie did not ask what would happen if it *didn't* work. They were Rangers; this was what they did. So long as none of them did it alone, she thought, taking her gaze away from the tactical map just long enough to glance at Saryn.

A movement beside him drew her attention, and she caught Zhane watching her as she turned back to the weapons' console. She felt a pang of guilt then, not only for leaving him alone--but also for forgetting, even for a few minutes, about Andros. He was more alone now than Saryn would be if he went to Aquitar by himself, more alone even than she had been when she was evil…

Blinking determinedly, she stared at the tactical map and reminded herself sternly that she couldn't afford to get teary-eyed now. She was slammed against the console as the Megaship took another hit, and she threw herself back into the fight with a vengeance, waiting for Saryn to decide.

"We will go," he said finally, and then Zhane's hand was on her shoulder, nudging her out of her chair. She saw him slide into her place, staring intently down at the tactical map.

"Good luck," Zhane said, not looking up. "Stay in one piece until I get back."

"You too," Cassie said quietly, backing away. She caught at the second row of consoles to steady herself as the ship shook again. "DECA, thirty degrees to starboard," Zhane snapped, and she looked to Saryn.

He held out his hand, and she took it, letting his teleportation carry her away before her morpher could download the appropriate coordinates.

***

The stars streaked across the screen, wheeling as DECA tossed the ship around--not fast enough. Laser fire made the shield readout flare yet again, and he cursed silently. "Andros," he muttered, "where are you when I need you?"

He could have used a pilot with his friend's skill, but more than that, he desperately needed the companionship. No matter what he had told Saryn about being able to handle the Megaship, it was hard to go into battle by yourself. He and Andros had fought side by side for longer than he cared to think about, and it was impossible not to be conscious of the empty chair at his right.

He triggered the Megalasers again, chasing one of the other ships determinedly through the night. He kept the lock several seconds longer than Cassie had been doing, but while he was concentrating on that one, the other managed to get behind him.

Something made him look up just before the second ship fired, and he lost the lock--but he braced himself against the console just before the ship rocked. He could almost hear Andros chuckling at the mistake, and he shook his head. "Let's see *you* do better," he said, out loud and somewhat indignantly.

He gave DECA a new heading and got ready to jump into hyperspace. "If you want to laugh," he told his absent friend, "you may be about to get the chance." If the Barox ships didn't follow him through lightspeed, he was going to have to turn around and fight them without help.

"Hyperspace vector confirmed," DECA reported, and he looked up.

"Hyperrush nine," he ordered, and the view outside finally steadied as the EM scanners went offline and computerized starlines streaked across the screen.

"The Barox ships are following," DECA said unnecessarily, since he could see that for himself on the tactical map.

"Yeah!" he cheered. He might get through this after all. "Told you I could do it!"

Glancing over at the empty pilot's station, his grin faded. *Andros,* he thought, unconsciously projecting the thought. For a moment, he had almost forgotten his friend was gone, and the loneliness hurt that much more when it came crashing back.

He thought he was hallucinating when he *heard* his friend's startled reply. *Zhane?*

It sounded far too distant, too removed to be anything more than his overstressed imagination inventing the comfort he so desperately needed. But as many times as he had wished to hear Andros's voice answering his mental call, he had never thought his friend would sound so--startled.

*Zhane, can you hear me?*

He hesitated, wondering just how real hallucinations could become before he could be considered insane. But what if it wasn't a hallucination, he wondered, reaching out to that faint voice warily. *Andros?*

***

The jungle suddenly became distant and unimportant. Fighting the brush was a mere annoyance, and he stopped, holding absolutely still. The heat surrounded him, seeming somehow to still everything that had been making noise. For just a moment, he had thought--

*Zhane?*

His headache lingered on the outskirts of his awareness, reaching phantom fingers toward his mind even as he wondered if it was returning. But the discomfort was muted, barely there. It certainly wasn't strong enough to signal the complete disappearance of the pain-relieving drug from his system. And yet--

*Zhane, can you hear me?*

"Andros?" Ashley, only a little way ahead, had noticed his frozen position. He motioned her quiet, straining to hear the one person who was the closest family he had left.

He felt a ridiculous grin break across his face as her voice was echoed by the one in his mind. *Andros?* Zhane asked uncertainly.

***

*Time really can stop,* Carlos mused, giving the clock over the door a disgusted look. *It's been a minute before the bell for at least an hour now.*

The bell rang, startling him, and he stuffed his already-closed notebook into his backpack. "Finally," he muttered, and the girl sitting beside him gave him a sympathetic smile.

They filed out of the classroom with everyone else, and a flash of blue at the other end of the hallway caught Carlos's eye. "Teej!" he yelled, and saw his friend's hand lift above the crowd in acknowledgement.

"Hey--" TJ fought his way through the crowd and lowered his voice, almost too low for Carlos to hear. "Have you tried contacting the Megaship this morning?"

Carlos gave him an odd look. "Why would I do that?"

TJ glanced over his shoulder, then tilted his head toward a classroom that had emptied out for the first period of lunches. Puzzled, Carlos followed him inside and watched as TJ shut the door behind them.

"Remember how I said I'd call Cassie and see what the Aquitians wanted?"

Carlos nodded, the hurried hallway discussion after second period coming to mind. "Yeah. What'd she say?"

"That's just it," TJ insisted. "I couldn't reach her. I can't contact Zhane either, or DECA."

Carlos couldn't help looking over his shoulder, even in the deserted room, before lifting his own morpher and signaling Cassie's morpher. Static was the only answer, and he frowned. He tried to contact Zhane, and then DECA, with identical results.

TJ folded his arms. "Well, at least it isn't my communicator. Where could they have gone?"

"Aquitar?" Carlos guessed. "Maybe it *was* a distress call…"

"Nice of them to keep us informed," TJ muttered.

***

"Down!" he shouted, pushing Cassie out of the way and remembering only at the last moment that he was not morphed. She was thinking faster than he was, however, and she yanked him to the floor on top of her.

As pleasant as the situation would have seemed in other circumstances, he had no time to enjoy it. Laser fire shot by over their heads, and Cassie's stunner was suddenly in her hand. Holding his shoulder to keep him down, she aimed over him and across the room, catching one of the Barox full in the chest.

The only effect seemed to be that the hunter turned in their direction, his weapon tracking faster than his eyes. "No!" someone yelled, and blaster fire drew the alien's attention to another corner of the room.

Cassie pushed away from him and he rolled in the opposite direction, cursing himself for not morphing before he teleported. They *both* should have morphed--what had they been thinking?

"Phantom!" Billy's voice, followed by a trail of blaster fire that laid down enough cover for him to scramble out of the center of the room. He had seen Cassie duck behind one of the consoles; she would be safe--

A shot, far too close for his comfort, sprayed sparks from the panel Billy was hiding behind. Billy retaliated, his weapon returning fire that centered on the nearer of the two hunters. "Intruder protocol level two!" he shouted, his voice penetrating the surrounding din of laser fire and explosive impacts. "Initiate!"

The chaos only intensified as five wall-mounted laser units opened fire on the room, and Billy grabbed his shoulder. "Let's go!" he said loudly, jerking his head toward the lift. "Cestria's ordering us out!"

"Cassie--"

"She's with Cestria; she'll be fine! Phantom, come on!" Billy obviously wouldn't leave without him, but Billy wouldn't leave Cestria either, not if he thought she was in trouble. So he followed Billy as best he could, well aware that it was as much luck as skill that got them to the lift unscathed.

He felt Billy shove him through the door as it opened, heard the other Ranger yelling for one of his companions. Nearby blaster fire was the only warning he had before Aura dove inside, Billy right behind her as the doors slammed shut.

"Level three," Aura told the lift breathlessly, collapsing against the far wall. "Thank you, Billy."

"No problem," Billy answered, checking the charge on his blaster. It took that simple act for the realization to set in that *none* of them were morphed--that wasn't a Power enabled weapon that Billy held, it was an ordinary blaster.

"Intruder protocol level one," the Blue Aquitian Ranger was saying. "Control room only, isolate and initiate."

The lift slowed to a halt before any of them could catch their breath, and the door slid open on a completely empty hallway. Billy held out his hand to Aura, pulling her to her feet. The three of them stepped out into the hallway, and several wall-mounted systems swung in their direction.

"Let's go," Billy said, ignoring them. "The other lift comes out--"

As they rounded the corner, he didn't even have to finish the sentence. Cestria and Delphinius were moving an unconscious Cetaci out of the lift, and behind them--

*Cassie,* he thought, relieved beyond measure. No matter Billy's assurances, nothing could compare to visible proof of her safety. She caught his eye and smiled, letting the door slide shut as the four of them cleared the lift.

"The intruder protocols?" Cestria asked, glancing over at Billy.

"Level one, control room only," he answered, and she nodded.

Cocking her head at Delphinius, the two of them set Cetaci down gently against one of the corridor walls. He couldn't help but approve--at least this way, they would be able to see the enemy coming. And though the intruder defense systems did not extend everywhere, they were omnipresent in the hallways.

"What's level one?" Cassie asked, crouching next to Cestria.

"No safeties," Billy answered. "Before the lasers were scanning for morphers and avoiding them. Now they'll shoot at anyone--there's a nerve gas, too, but I doubt that will slow the hunters down much."

"The lasers may, though," Aura said. "The wall mounts are shielded from attack, and even the Barox can only withstand so many hits."

Cetaci moved a little, and on the floor next to her, Delphinius reached instinctively for her hand. "Teleportation," she mumbled, her fingers clenching on the hand that took hers. "Lock… it down."

He lowered himself to the ground beside Cassie, watching Cetaci struggle to open her eyes. "Are you sure that is wise?" he asked. "We will be far more limited in our movement--"

"So… will they," she muttered, trying to push herself into a sitting position. "Keep others--"

"She says it will keep the other Barox out, if they're not all here already," Cestria said quietly.

Cetaci nodded painfully, managing to straighten up a little.

"And it will keep them from surprising us," Cestria added, though it was hard to tell if they were her words or Cetaci's.

He nodded reluctantly, but Cetaci must not have seen it. "My planet, Phantom," she said hoarsely, the slightest bit of tired amusement in her tone. "My decision."

He couldn't help smiling a little. Billy took a step away from the group, moving down the hall toward the nearest command panel, and Cestria watched him go for a moment before turning back to Cetaci.

"There could be as many as six hunters inside the dome," she said quietly, the voice of one who knew no one wanted to be reminded. "We saw two--where are the others?"

"We should… split up," Cetaci said awkwardly, squinting at the opposite wall as though she could see something in it. "We can't trust…" She ran out of breath again, and Cestria picked up the narrative for her again.

"She says we can't trust the lifts anymore," the Yellow Ranger explained in a soft voice. "They were a convenient escape route, but to use them to *enter* the control room could be suicide."

He nodded without realizing it. The confined space would offer no escape if the Barox were there and waiting for them when the door opened--and they would be. The lifts warned of arrivals with a chime and a quiet hum that would be audible to anyone listening for it.

"There are two corridors which lead directly to the control room," Cestria continued. "The lift in the mess hall is obvious to anyone who looks, but the living quarters have a manual exit that the hunters are probably unaware of.

"We may be able to use that to regain entrance--if either of the hunters in the control room have survived, we will deal with them then. The others…" Cestria trailed off, waiting patiently. "The control room scanners can tell us their locations."

"Maybe not," Billy interrupted as he rejoined them. "Don't they have some sort of cloak that makes them invisible to scanners?"

"Yes." He ignored Cassie's hand on his arm as best he could, somewhat grateful for the current crisis. It gave him something to focus on other than the fact that he was unmorphed--if not for their situation, he thought he might be as uncomfortable as he had been around the Astro Rangers at first.

"They will not be so easy to track," he continued, seeing Cetaci's gaze turn toward him. "But I do not believe we will have to search them out. They will no doubt find us, and sooner than we would like."

"Secondary operations," Delphinius said suddenly. "If the hunters have not determined its location yet--"

"A base," Aura interrupted, rather uncharacteristically for an Aquitian. Delphinius only nodded.

"That was my thought," he agreed, and Cetaci nodded a little.

"Cestria," she murmured, taking a deep breath. "You and… Billy will secure auxiliary control. Aura--" She stopped for breath. Cestria opened her mouth to speak, but Cetaci shook her head. "Aura and Phantom… will try to retake the control room."

"And I?" Delphinius asked, looking somewhat irritated. "You must stop trying to protect me, Cetaci."

"I am not…" Cetaci struggled for breath, not letting go of his hand when he tried to pull away.

"She needs you," Cestria said simply, when Cetaci trailed off. "Cetaci is in no condition to fight--you must stay here and keep her safe until one of our two targets is secure."

The irritation vanished, and Delphinius actually looked slightly startled as he turned to look at Cetaci. She nodded once, confirming Cestria's statement, and the Black Aquitian Ranger's expression softened.

"I will stay," Delphinius said quietly.

Cassie's hand tightened on his arm, and he glanced at her as she asked, "What about me? I know I'm not part of your team, and I know you don't exactly want to trust me right now, but I have to do *something*."

"It is not--" Cetaci looked over at her. "Not a matter of trust," she said slowly. "You… choose."

He willed her to stay with Cetaci, or even to go with Cestria--but of course she did not. "I'm going with Sa--Phantom and Aura," Cassie said, hesitating only over his name.

He tried not to sigh. She *would* pick the most dangerous task. He did not understand why Cetaci had not simply assigned her to a task as she had everyone else, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Objecting would only make her more determined, however, so he just said quietly, "You may call me Saryn in front of them. I am not morphed; there is no need to refer to me as though I am."

She nodded wordlessly, and Cetaci drew another breath. "And us?" she managed to ask, as Billy helped Cestria to her feet. "What shall we--call you?"

He saw Cassie watching him, and he carefully avoided her gaze. "You may… also call me Saryn," he said, committing to the change.

Cetaci nodded too, looking up at him as he stood. "As you wish, Saryn."

This time, he did look at Cassie. She had a small smile on her face, and she looked contented enough to dispel any misgivings on his part. She really was happier this way.

Her smile made any discomfort he might have felt worth it, and he held out his hand to her as she climbed to her feet.

***

"Go," Saryn whispered, motioning Cassie to precede him through the access hatch. She thought about arguing--after all, he was the least used to fighting unmorphed--but thought the better of it. The faster she moved, the less time he would be alone.

She tucked the handle of her stunner into her jeans pocket and started up the ladder. Billy had told them how he tracked Saryn the day before, homing in on the Power his ruby was drawing, and they had all agreed that morphing would only make them easier to find. So they went unmorphed--and in some cases, weaponless.

Billy, Aura, and Cetaci were all armed with blasters taken from the control room. The mergence of Saryn's Power and life force let him summon his own blaster without being morphed, and somehow Cassie had her stunner. She had not been able to explain how that happened, but no one was about to complain. Between the blasters and the two Power weapons, that left only Cestria and Delphinius unarmed.

"Careful," Aura murmured from above, and Cassie pulled herself through the hatch.

Saryn, dividing his attention between the hallway and the ascent, had seen that the way was clear and came up the ladder behind her. She only shook her head as he took the rungs two and a time, *with* his blaster in his hand. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was showing off.

"The door is unguarded," Aura told them quietly, and Cassie followed her gaze toward the closed control room door.

"It is unguarded from *this* side," Saryn corrected, and she shot him an unreadable glance.

"Of course," she agreed, catching Cassie's eye. Cassie rolled her eyes, just a little, and the corner of Aura's mouth quirked.

They all knew what Aura had meant, but Saryn seemed to be in full formal mode, precise speech and all. She wasn't sure he realized he was doing it, but she felt a little guilty. He was only formal when he was upset or uncomfortable, and she suspected it was the latter--because he was unmorphed.

"Your weapons are the stronger," Aura continued. "If one of you will trigger the door, I will enter first and draw their attention from you. You will both have clear shots for perhaps two or three seconds, depending on the hunters' reaction time."

"No." Aura seemed to have expected Saryn's objection, and she interrupted before he could get farther than, "I will--"

"It does not surprise me to know that you were the leader of your Ranger team," she said, drowning out the rest of his sentence. "You want to take all the risks for yourself. But I am the logical choice for this--I am used to fighting unmorphed, and I hit my target almost as often as Cassie does. And Cassie's weapon, as well as yours, is more suited for a prolonged attack."

Saryn did not look convinced, but Cassie hadn't missed his alarm when Aura implied that Cassie--not him--was the other "logical" choice. She suspected it was that as much as anything that made him say, "Agreed. I will override the door lock, and Cassie and I will cover you from the doorway."

Aura nodded, and before she could turn away, Cassie held out her hand, palm down. Aura looked at her oddly, but Saryn must have recognized the gesture, for he placed his hand over hers. She looked at Aura until the Aquitian reluctantly did the same.

"Power *Rangers*," Cassie whispered fiercely, and their hands broke apart.

***

"Incoming transmission," DECA announced, her clear voice somehow cutting through the chaos around him.

Zhane ignored it anyway, concentrating the Megalasers on the remaining Barox ship as it tumbled through the fringes of the outermost Qesiti asteroid belt. A boulder crumbled to pieces as the powerful weapons blasted through it, but the ship continued on.

"Incoming transmission," DECA repeated, sounding almost impatient.

"From who?" He knew from past experience that the computer would not be silenced until he had done what she wanted.

"The signal is coming from Earth," she replied, sounding rather smug.

That wasn't what he had expected to hear, but he didn't stop to question. "Fine; put it on the auxiliary comm screen."

He didn't have time to glance over and see who it was, but TJ's voice was easily recognizable. "I'm a little busy, here," Zhane said, trying not to snap at the other Ranger as the Qesiti Megazord requested his assistance.

"Yeah, well we're a little worried, here!" TJ retorted. "We haven't been able to contact anyone all morning--are you all right?"

"I'd be better if I weren't trying to two different people and fight at the same time," he answered, annoyed.

"Can we help?"

The Megaship dove forward, intercepting a blast from the hunter's ship before it could reach the Megazord. The energy impact wasn't completely dissipated by the shields, and Zhane clutched the console in front of him in an effort to stay in his seat.

The Qesiti came up behind him, letting the Megaship shield them as they locked onto the Barox ship and fired, again and again. Zhane wasn't too happy about the beating he was taking for their heroic effort, but it was his fault the Barox were in this system at all--he supposed if anyone was going to get shot to pieces, it ought to be him.

"I'll get back to you," Zhane said at last, trying to bring the Megalasers to bear while DECA kept the Megaship between the Barox and the Qesiti. *Great,* he thought. *One wrong move, and I'll be blasted from *both* sides…*

"Zhane," TJ insisted, and Zhane shook his head in frustration.

"Look, I'll get back to you! DECA, end transmission!"

No sooner had the link dissolved than the Barox's port thruster ignited. The Qesiti swooped in, but Zhane beat them to the punch. "I'm the one taking all the fire," he muttered. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you destroy that ship alone!"

Between the Megalasers and the Qesiti armament, the Barox ship disintegrated into expanding ripples of dust.

*Not the most satisfying explosion I've ever seen,* he told his friend smugly. *But it's not bad.*

*Are you all right?* Andros demanded, his voice stronger than it had been before.

*Yeah--I think TJ's a little annoyed with me, though,* Zhane said, glancing over at the comm station as DECA announced an incoming Qesiti signal.

*TJ?* Andros repeated.

"DECA, accept the Qesiti transmission," Zhane said aloud. As the Red Qesiti Ranger appeared on the main screen, he repeated resignedly, *I'll get back to you.*