She tried not to laugh as Zhane's blue-eyed gaze stared accusingly up at her. "You said you couldn't swim!"

Putting her hands on her hips, she tossed her head smugly, wet hair clinging to her face. "I said I didn't *want* to swim. I never said I couldn't."

"Women," he muttered under his breath. Hooking one arm over the edge of the rock on which she stood, he stretched the other one in her direction. "Give me a hand?"

She should have suspected something, just by the sheer innocence of his expression. But she reached for his hand instinctively, preparing to haul him up, and was caught completely off guard when he yanked hard on her hand.

She shrieked as she lost her balance and tumbled forward, the cool water closing over her head with a violent splash. The world went silent save for the pounding of her heart, and she opened her eyes automatically as she struggled back up to the surface.

Zhane looked down at her from the rock she had just left, a smirk on his face as she broke through into the air. "I win," he declared.

"Oh!" she gasped, trying to rub the water out of her eyes and push her hair back at the same time. "You do not! The bet was the first person *to* the rock, not the last one standing on it!"

"Last time I checked, *I* was on the rock," he reminded her. "That means I make the rules."

Placing both hands on the flat surface of the rock, she pulled herself out of the water. Zhane pretended to back away from her dripping form, despite the fact that his long jean shorts were far soggier than her swimsuit. "Don't get me wet again!"

She lunged for him, shoving him hard enough to push him toward the other side of the rock. On the edge, he refused to let go of her arms, and for a minute it looked like he would be able to keep his balance.

Hand-to-hand combat was almost unavoidable in Dark Spectre's service, however, and over the years she had developed strength to rival the Rangers'. With a final push, she managed to send him over the side--but she couldn't quite disentangle herself in time, and she fell into the water on top of him.

She found herself choking as water splashed into her eyes and mouth and churned around her as Zhane twisted out from underneath her. He bobbed to the surface beside her, shaking his head to toss water out of his short hair and regarding her with concern.

She reached for the rock, bracing one arm against its rough surface and coughing harder. Then she felt Zhane's hands under her arms, lifting her out of the water and setting her up on the shallow ledge. He had to be standing on something, she thought distantly, realizing how lucky they'd been not to hit some underwater projection in their roughhousing.

Then Zhane was beside her, patting her back awkwardly as she struggled with the water in her lungs. She felt laughter bubbling up in her again, and as the coughing subsided, giggles took its place. "Zhane," she managed, "that doesn't help. You'd have to hit me harder than that to be any use."

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said sheepishly, his gaze still worried as he watched her brush her hair out of her face and draw in a deep, experimental breath. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, letting her breath out slowly and taking another. His hand still rested gently on her back, and she pretended not to notice. If she made him self-conscious, he would certainly pull away, and she found she liked him touching her.

"I'm okay," she said at last, lifting her head to smile at him. "It's been a while since I was in the water."

"That's what you get for pushing me," he teased, and her smile widened.

"I still won," she pointed out.

He sighed in mock-resignation. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"You *guess*?" she exclaimed. "This was your idea! I can swim faster than you; admit it!"

He sighed again, but he didn't take his eyes off of her. "You can swim faster," he agreed. "I was wrong."

She gave him a suspicious look, and he laughed. "You're never happy! If I argue with you, you argue back, and if I don't argue, you think I'm humoring you and you argue anyway!"

She looked down, trying not to blush. She had had to fight for every inch of ground she gained under Dark Spectre, and the truth was that she simply wasn't used to getting agreement easily. Maybe it *did* make her suspicious.

"Hey," he said quietly, reaching out to tap her chin. She looked up involuntarily, and he smiled. "I'm just kidding."

She felt a smile creep onto her face in return, and she nodded. The silver chain around his neck glittered with water droplets and reflected sunlight as he moved, and she focused on it in an effort to change the subject. "Nice," she said, touching the only silver thing he currently wore.

He shrugged, lifting the medallion with one hand and tilting it so it caught the light. "It used to be Andros'," he said. "He gave it to me years ago, but I only found it last night. Thought it might help with some of the color problems I've been having."

"Color problems?" she repeated, frowning a little as she looked up at him.

"You know Rangers have to wear their color, even when they're not morphed?"

Her frown deepened. "No. I didn't know that. Why?"

"Withdrawal," he said simply. "We control our Power through our morphers, but it's always with us. It's just a matter of degree. It's with us most strongly when we're morphed, and wearing our color keeps it from fading all the way when we demorph.

"Your body gets used to having that kind of energy, you know--it's addictive, in a way. When it's gone, you have to readjust to a lower energy level, and that takes time. It makes you really tired," he added, an expression of distaste on his face. "And it usually gives you a headache for a few days."

She tried not to smile at his annoyance. He had obviously had experience with the phenomenon. "So you have to go through that every time you demorph?"

He shook his head. "That's why we all wear our colors. The Power's drawn to the color that chose you--more so when you're morphed, obviously, but to some extent even when you're not. It keeps us from taking days to recover after every fight."

She couldn't help remembering Saryn's attire, and she said thoughtfully, "*That's* why he was wearing red, then."

"Saryn?" Zhane asked. "That surprised me, too."

Then *he* frowned. "Wait--how did you know he was a Red Ranger?"

She shook her head, amused. They continually forgot who she was. Or at least, who she had been. "Saryn's Power crystal was the only one that wasn't officially found by Eltarans after the attack on Elisia. Dark Spectre's forces spent weeks searching for it--undercover, of course."

He stared at her. "You've known who he was all this time?"

She shrugged. "I recognized the name the first time you said it, on the Megaship a few weeks ago. When he didn't deny what I said about Elisia, I thought it had to be him."

"And I was worried about telling you!" he exclaimed indignantly. "You could have said something!"

"You didn't ask," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Next time I'll ask if you know what I'm not telling you before I tell you."

"If it will make you feel better," she agreed. Before he could protest, she touched his medallion again. "So this helps with your... withdrawal?"

"I don't know yet," he admitted, apparently willing to let the topic of Saryn slide. "I mean, I don't know if it will work for very long. But yeah, it does help."

She looked a little closer, trying to decipher the etching in the smooth metal. "What kind of bird is that?"

"A phoenix," he muttered, looking a little uncomfortable. Before she could ask what that was, he nodded to her own necklace. "Your locket can stand the water too, then?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Can Andros'?"

He grinned. "Usually. But he has this annoying habit of putting things in it, and they don't tend to respond well to water."

Without a word, she unclasped the chain and tugged at the metal pendant, tilting the open locket for him to see. He laughed aloud. "Well, you're definitely related. You didn't destroy it by swimming, did you?"

She shook her head. "One of the advantages of being a sorceress," she told him, gazing at the data disc sandwiched between the two pictures in her locket. "I can waterproof anything."

"That must be useful," he said, his grin lingering in his voice. "So what is it?"

She looked up suddenly, and he blinked at her serious expression. "You don't have to tell me," he said quickly, but she overrode him.

"It's the disc Ecliptor gave me."

He stared at her.

Her lips quirked, and she closed the locket carefully. She had fastened the chain around her neck again before he found his voice. "It's--you're carrying it *around* with you?"

She shrugged, pulling her legs up in front of her and resting her arms on her knees. "It's safer with me than it would be on the Megaship."

"What *is* it?" he repeated curiously.

She smiled, knowing he didn't expect her to have accessed it yet. But she had had some free time while the others were changing, and despite what she had said, she had not only looked at the data but she had downloaded backup copies into the Megaship's computer.

"It's a two week battle plan for Dark Spectre's fleet," she answered, staring down at the water. "Along with tactical data and the layout for his ship."

There was absolute silence, and she tried to suppress her smile. The sunlight danced across the lake, darting streamers of the stuff over the miniature wave tops that lapped against the side of their rock. For a few more seconds, things were calm, and she was just a teenager at the beach.

"It's *what*?" Zhane demanded finally, shattering the peace and yanking her from summer afternoon to intergalactic war in the blink of an eye. "And you didn't *tell* us? Didn't that seem kind of important?"

"I'll take care of it," she said, still staring determinedly down at the water. She knew she had irrevocably involved the others just by telling Zhane about the disc, but somehow shocking him, even for just a few seconds, had seemed worth it.

Now, of course, it was too late.

"What do you mean, you'll take care of it?" She could feel his stare on her. "We're all in this together!"

"I mean," she insisted, "that I'm best qualified to act on the information. I've been sneaking in and out of Dark Spectre's fleet for years; I can do it again."

"And then what?" he demanded.

"Destroy his ship," she said calmly. "Dark Spectre holds the forces of Evil together. They've never been able to agree on anything long enough to cooperate before, and without his power keeping them in line, they'll never be able to again. Destroy Dark Spectre, and his forces fall apart."

"And you're just going to sneak onto his ship, by *yourself*, blow it up, and get off alive?" Zhane was a little more upset than she had expected, but still she did not look up.

"That's the plan," she agreed.

"You're insane!"

She raised an eyebrow at the water. "I didn't just command Dark Spectre's flagship, Zhane. I was his second in command. I know this can be done."

"Not alone!" he retorted immediately. "Look, the Rangers are about teamwork. We can help you, if you let us."

"I won't. I won't risk your team for something I can do myself."

"*Your* team,* he corrected. "And your team will risk itself for *you*--that's the way it works. None of us will let you go into something as ridiculously dangerous as this without backup."

"No one else has to know," she said, looking up at him at last. "Zhane--"

"Too late," he informed her.

She winced as Andros' voice intruded on the conversation. *Kerone, if you think I'm letting my sister walk into the middle of Dark Spectre's fleet without reinforcements, you're out of your mind.*

"Zhane," she hissed.

"All for one," he replied, not looking at all repentant. "That's what a team is, Astrea."

***

"This is Cassie."

Ashley winced at the expressionless tone of her friend's voice. "Cass, we have trouble. Can you meet us back on the Megaship?"

"I'm on my way."

The transmission cut off without any further comment, not even a question on what the trouble *was*, and Ashley would have worried if she had had time for it. "Andros?"

Andros sighed. "Nothing. DECA says he isn't on the Megaship, and she can't pick up his Power signature anywhere on Earth."

"He couldn't have teleported back to Aquitar from here," she objected. "The Aquitians' system is the only one that can reach that far without burning out."

"And he couldn't have contacted them without being on the Megaship," Andros said, obviously frustrated. "I know. He may have told DECA not to tell us he was there--it would be just like her to suddenly side with him instead of me."

A crackle of electricity made them look up, and Kerone and Zhane stepped out of a double violet silhouette. Carlos and Karen were coming up the beach right behind them, and only then did Ashley remember that TJ wasn't with them.

"TJ," she said, touching her communicator.

His voice came back a moment later, even as she scanned what little she could see of the beach for him and Tessa. "This is TJ. What's up, Ash?"

"Can you meet us on the Megaship? It's sort of an emergency."

"Trouble?" he asked immediately.

She shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see it. "Strategy session," she answered.

"Now?"

"It's an emergency," she repeated.

She heard him sigh. "I'll be there."

Lowering her wrist, she looked up as Carlos objected. "Guys, it's almost one. Is this going to take long? The game starts in an hour..."

Ashley exchanged glances with Andros. She had given up cheering at games this semester, although she remained a "reserve" member of the cheerleading team. But Carlos stubbornly refused to quit soccer, and she, TJ, and Cassie had backed him up when Andros protested. After all, TJ had played baseball in the spring--it was possible, if difficult, to get to most of the practices.

"You'd better go," she said at last. "We'll tell you what happens."

"At least tell me what this is about first," he insisted.

She caught Kerone's eye, and the blond-haired girl lifted her chin. "I have tactical data for Dark Spectre's fleet."

"And plans for his ship," Zhane interjected. "She wants to sneak on board herself and destroy it."

"What?" Carlos exclaimed, staring at Kerone as though she had changed back into Astronema before his eyes. "That's crazy!"

Zhane threw his hands up in the air. "Thank you!" Turning to Kerone, he added, "See?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, and Ashley put a hand over her mouth so neither of them would see her grin. She thought they deliberately antagonized each other, almost as though each was circling a dangerous animal. They teased, they prodded, but the moment they got too close--if they ever got too close--they jumped back to gauge the other's reaction.

*It's really kind of cute,* she thought, amused.

"That's what Zhane said," Andros said dryly, and she blinked. He was talking to Carlos, completely oblivious to her musing. "We're going to try and talk her into something less... suicidal."

Carlos shot a dubious look in Kerone's direction. "Good luck," he said under his breath.

"I heard that," she said sharply, her gaze flickering away from Zhane.

"You were supposed to," Carlos shot back. "We're strong together, Kerone; that's why the Rangers are a team. You're part of the team, and we don't let our teammates risk their lives alone."

"Yeah, when we risk our lives, we all do it together," Ashley said, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Carlos. I feel so much better. Go play soccer."

He looked about to protest, until she gave him a fond shove. "I'm kidding! We won't do anything stupid while you're gone; don't worry. None of us," she added, glancing over her shoulder at Kerone.

"Come on," Karen said, putting a hand on his arm. "They promised."

"They've promised before," he said darkly, giving Ashley a pointed look. But she just gave him her most innocent smile, and finally he let Karen lead him away.

"Are we ready?" she asked, turning around.

"No thanks to you," Zhane said with a grin, standing up. He was wearing his shirt again, the odd medallion she had seen before underneath it. The cooler was in his right hand, and Andros had her shirt in one hand and the beach blanket in the other.

"Thanks," she said, trying not to blush as she pulled her shirt on over her shoulders. "I would have helped--"

"Sure you would have," Zhane teased, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You and Carlos probably staged that so you wouldn't have to do any work."

She grinned, unable to resist the challenge in his voice. "And you fell for it! Isn't it nice to have slaves, Kerone?"

She heard Andros cough, and saw him trying to suppress a snicker. Kerone looked puzzled, and Zhane looked indignant. She tried not to smirk. Reaching for her morpher, Ashley said quickly, "See you on the Megaship."

Golden haze filled her vision before Zhane could come up with a reply.

***

"We can't involve the Alliance without telling them where the information came from," Andros argued.

"We can," Cetaci insisted. "The Alliance does not need to know any of the details. There are plenty of ships not involved in any active defense--they can fight on the front lines like everyone else."

"Just because they're not actively involved doesn't mean they're available." Zhane managed to catch the White Ranger's attention for a few seconds. "And they're not going to drop everything without at least a *reason*."

"Is League defense not reason enough?" Cetaci demanded.

"If that were true," Cestria interjected quietly, "the Frontier Defense and the Inner Alliance would not have the problems they do. Both have the same goal, yet they disagree on how to accomplish it."

Kerone frowned irritably in Saryn's direction. He had been usually silent through the entire argument, and she suspected it was his testimony that would tip the balance in favor of Andros and Zhane. The Aquitians knew and respected him, and if *he* told the White Aquitian Ranger that she was wrong, she might listen.

*It would be the least he could do,* she thought, *when this is his fault in the first place.* If he hadn't felt the need to come all the way to Aquitar just to sulk, there would have been no need for the Aquitian Rangers to be involved in this "strategy session" at all.

"Look," Andros broke in. "Let's just assume that somehow we *can* get a second strike force, Alliance or no. Maybe we can split the Rangers up. But that still leaves Kerone on Dark Spectre's ship alone."

"That isn't a problem," she interrupted. "I prefer it that way."

"It is an unacceptable risk," Cetaci answered, tilting her head to one side. Kerone bristled, but the other Ranger continued, "If you are in some way injured or captured, you will have no way to even notify us that the mission has failed."

"The probability of your success is greatly decreased if you go alone," Billy agreed.

She shot a suspicious look in his direction before she could stop herself. Ashley had assured her that Billy was human, but sometimes he sounded just as Aquitian as his teammates.

"What if you just take one person?" Andros asked mildly. "A partner, not a strike team."

Folding her arms across her chest, she shook her head. "I won't be responsible for someone else's safety in a place like that."

"We all know the risks," Zhane told her. "And all of us are willing to take them."

"Do you think it's going to be any safer in the zords?" TJ put in. "Do you think sneaking into Divatox's fleet was easier than this?"

"They are right," Saryn said, turning away from the window to catch her eye. It was probably the first time he had spoken since they arrived. "We all do what we have to."

She stared back at him thoughtfully, surprised to hear her own words repeated back to her. She felt her fingers twitch, but she managed to keep herself from looking down. "We do what we have to." Zhane was right. They knew the risks; they took them everyday, the same as her.

"On one condition," she said at last. "I choose my partner."

Andros shrugged, exchanging glances first with Zhane and then Cetaci. "Fair enough," he agreed. She thought he was relieved she had agreed at all. "It's your decision."

She knew he expected her to pick either him or Zhane. But frankly, either of them would be a liability--not because of their skills, but because of her feelings for them. She knew perfectly well that they would be able to distract her at the worst moments, making both her and her partner vulnerable to attack.

She knew too that neither Andros nor Zhane would be able to leave her and finish the mission themselves if the situation warranted it. If she were injured, or worse, she would become their first priority, and they would lose their chance to destroy Dark Spectre.

Her gaze swung across the room, fixing on the one Ranger whom she could count on to put the mission first. Coincidentally, he was also the one most used to working alone, without a team to back him up. "Saryn," she said aloud. "I want Saryn."

Andros did look startled. But turning toward the Phantom Ranger, he asked only, "Is that all right with you?"

She ignored the dark glare Cassie sent in her direction. On the opposite side of the room from Saryn, the other had also been strangely quiet. The two were obviously avoiding each other's gazes, and Kerone knew how her choice probably looked after her conversation with Saryn earlier.

But there was no way she was passing up his help just because of some ridiculous fight. He was best suited, therefore he went. It was as simple as that, and if it bothered the Pink Ranger...

*So much the better,* she thought, annoyed. She couldn't believe he had just let Cassie yell at him like that. She knew she shouldn't care, that it was none of her business, but people had tried to intimidate her all her life. The only way to get any respect was to show them that you wouldn't stand for it, and she had cheered silently when Saryn finally stood up and shouted right back at Cassie.

"It is acceptable to me," Saryn agreed, avoiding Cassie's gaze as studiously as he had all afternoon.

"All right. Then we're back to the external teams," Andros said decisively. "I'm still not convinced we can get the Alliance in on this without telling them what's going on, but they *will* protect Aquitar."

TJ snapped his fingers. "Which leaves the Aquitian zords free!"

Andros nodded. "That gives us two sets of zords--"

"What about Earth?" Ashley interrupted. "We can't just leave Earth undefended."

There was an odd look in Andros' eye. "I think we can get around that. Just for now, let's assume that we have two fully mobile teams."

Ashley folded her arms. "Right," she said slowly. Kerone could almost see her trying to puzzle out what Andros had in mind.

"One team is a diversion to draw Dark Spectre's forces away," Aura said, looking up. "But what about the other?"

"Also a diversion," Zhane guessed, looking to Andros for confirmation. "The second team goes up against Dark Spectre the old-fashioned way?"

Andros gave him a half-smile. "Yeah. The second team is courier and cover for Kerone and Saryn. The bad news is that once the second team is in position, they're going to be hard to miss. Which means you--" He caught Kerone's eye, and she knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"We'll have a time limit," she finished. "I was expecting that." She glanced Saryn's way, and he only nodded.

Cetaci tilted her head to one side and addressed Andros. "When do we start?"

Andros didn't look at all surprised to be the one giving orders, but Kerone suddenly saw her own words coming back to her again. "That we were both leaders... that we were meant to bring people together."

"You're right that we should at least try to get the Alliance involved," he was telling Cetaci. "Have Delphinius see what he can do. But if they demand more information than where and when, we're going to have to do this ourselves. We can't risk knowledge of Kerone's source getting out."

Cetaci nodded to Cestria. Something must have passed between them, for a moment later the Yellow Aquitian Ranger turned and slipped out of the rebuilt control room. Presumably, she was on her way to Delphinius in auxiliary control, but there must be more to it--Aquitians were telepaths; Kerone had expected her to simply relay the information from here.

"If that doesn't work," Andros continued, apparently unfazed by the departure, "we're going to need a little time to get our Earth defense organized. It can't be ready earlier than tomorrow."

"Can you have the new zord interfaces online by tomorrow?" Cetaci asked, turning to Aura.

Aura actually hesitated. "By myself, I intended to have them reinitialized in three days. But if I progress any farther on them now, they will be inoperable until the upgrade is complete."

"And if you have help?" Cetaci asked impatiently.

"Billy and Carlos are the only ones qualified to work on the new system," Aura told her. "With all three of us working on it, we could probably have the interfaces running by tonight."

"Billy?"

Billy nodded, stepping away from the wall to join Aura. "I'm up for it if you are."

She inclined her head slightly. "I am also--up for it."

"Carlos isn't," Ashley said, sounding almost apologetic. "He's busy; he won't be free for another few hours."

Aura cocked her head further, and Kerone watched carefully. The Aquitians *did* show emotion, it was just more subtle in them than it was in humans. And if she were to guess, she would say Aura looked--upset.

"Will he assist us then?" the Red Aquitian Ranger asked.

Ashley shrugged, exchanging glances with TJ. "I can't speak for him, but I'm sure he will."

TJ nodded in support, and Aura looked over at Billy. "With Carlos' help, we can complete the upgrade."

Billy straightened, apparently dragging his focus back to the conversation from somewhere far away. "Then let's get to work," he said firmly. "Keep us updated, all right?"

Cetaci nodded once, and Billy turned to leave the control room. Aura was right behind him, and Andros caught Cetaci's eye. "We need to get back to Earth," he said, indicating his teammates. "We need to get our defense together, in case Delphinius can't convince the Alliance."

"You must protect your planet," Cetaci agreed. "We will notify you when the zord work is complete."

"And we'll send Carlos to you as soon as he's free," Andros said, pressing his fingers together and nodding to the Aquitian Ranger team leader.

As she returned the gesture, Saryn's voice interrupted their leave-taking. "I will remain here," he declared to no one in particular. "I have work to do."

Kerone raised an eyebrow in his direction. "We need to go over the plans for Dark Spectre's ship. We can't just teleport on, you know--we need to know where we're going in advance."

"Of course," he replied. "That is my priority."

She considered fighting him for it--after all, Aquitar wasn't *her* home--but one command center was pretty much like another. They might as well plan here as on the Megaship. With a slight shrug, she stepped away from Zhane and TJ and joined him on the other side of the room.

"Saryn," Cassie said quietly. Her voice was audible to the entire room, but she wouldn't meet anyone's eye. "Can I--talk to you for a minute?"

It was all Kerone could do not to glance Saryn's way. Cassie's tone was appropriately humble, and it did take courage to make so obvious a plea in front of her teammates. She would not think less of him for granting such a request.

"I have work to do," Saryn repeated, and this time he turned around and walked out of the control room.

Cassie stared after him, shock obvious on her face for several seconds. Then Kerone saw her swallow hard and toss her hair over her shoulder, a gesture of defiance that she knew well. The Pink Ranger wasn't going to chase him--and Kerone couldn't help thinking that her reluctance to do so was part of the problem.

Andros looked over at Cassie when she said nothing more. "You're welcome to stay," he offered gently. "We can handle this."

"There's nothing for me to do here," she told him, her expression stony. "I'm going back to Earth."

He nodded wordlessly and reached for his morpher. Cetaci nodded again when he did, and Kerone saw Andros' best friend lift a hand in her direction. She smiled a little and waved back as they disappeared into a shower of colored sparkles.

***

The zord bay was oddly quiet when it materialized around Carlos, the cavernous bay enveloping him with its stillness. It was probably one of the largest maintained atmospheres on Aquitar, aside from the agricultural domes, but usually one person could make it echo with noise very easily.

Insulated by thick coral on all sides, there was little background noise, and the hum of the generator could be drowned out by a single murmured conversation. Exterior repairs to the zords were far louder, and often enough the zord bay must have been filled with the hiss of welders and the distinctive smell of sealant.

This afternoon, though--or morning, by Aquitian time--it was silent in a way that was probably the norm only when the bay was empty. Aura and Billy must be inside one of the zords, with the solid hulls muffling any noise they made.

But he and Aura had spent several evenings inside the zord cockpits. It wasn't the lack of noise that bothered him, he realized suddenly. It was the lack of any greeting as he entered the bay. He was used to her knowing as soon as he walked in.

"Hello?" he called, peering around curiously. "Anybody home?"

There was a brief delay, and then Billy popped out of the Sirethian zord. "Carlos!" The Blue Ranger waved, and Carlos grinned. The other could make any mechanical situation look complex, simply by running a hand through his already tousled hair and waving some obscure tool around.

Carlos happened to know that the upgrade to the Aquitian zord interface system required little more than a hydrospanner, concentration, and an incredible amount of patience. Yet Billy had a degausser in his hand--an electronic one, no less--and he stuffed it into the pocket of his Aquitian uniform with enviable nonchalance as he climbed out of the cockpit.

"Hey," Carlos greeted him. "Where's Aura?"

"She went to get something to eat some time ago," Billy said, climbing down the side of his zord and jumping to the ground. "She'll probably be--oh, here she is."

Carlos turned in time to see the Red Aquitian Ranger stride into the zord bay, and she lifted her hand in acknowledgement when she saw him. He waved back, reminding himself not to smile. To his knowledge, waving wasn't an Aquitian gesture--she must have picked it up from Billy.

"Kerone told us you were playing soccer," Billy was saying. "You didn't have to come here right after your game."

"Well, I did shower first," Carlos said with a grin. "And changed." He was wearing his Astro uniform. "I think taking Dark Spectre down is worth some sacrifice on my part."

Karen was still caught up in the novelty of being "in" on the Power Rangers' secret, and she hadn't objected in the slightest when he told her he had to go. He had hoped to take her with the team when they went out to celebrate their victory, but somehow the Aquitian zords seemed just a little more important. And Tessa had found her friend during the game, so he hadn't felt so bad about leaving them afterwards.

"It's hard to have a life without telling anyone, isn't it?" Billy said, his smile sympathetic.

Carlos chuckled. "It's hard to have a life, period. My girlfriend actually knows, but it doesn't make leaving her much easier."

"Your girlfriend?" Aura repeated.

At the same moment, Billy asked, "She knows?"

"She found me out," Carlos admitted. "I couldn't not tell her. You know," he added to Aura, "someone you're going out with."

She blinked. "I know. I have just never heard you mention her."

"So much for the secret identity rule, huh?" Billy asked ruefully.

Carlos shook his head. "It's impossible to keep up when you're going into space every other day. Our parents had to know, and a couple other people found out by accident. And most of the old Rangers know, of course."

"Your people do not normally know who their Rangers are?" Aura asked, looking puzzled.

"No," Carlos said fervently. "If they did, none of us would *ever* have a life. We'd just be 'the Power Rangers', and cameras would probably follow us everywhere."

Aura didn't look anymore enlightened.

"It's different on Earth," Billy told her. "They're a little more--"

He glanced Carlos' way, and Carlos grinned. "Primitive?"

"Isolated," Billy suggested diplomatically, echoing Andros' choice of words without knowing it. "Their technology is considerably less advanced than ours, so you have to realize that zords seem like magic to them. And they have no contact with the rest of the League, so they don't have any perspective on how common Ranger teams really are."

"Common?" Carlos echoed.

Right on top of him, Aura added, "I would not say 'common'."

"Sorry," Billy said, with the hint of a smile. "But as far as Earth is concerned, their Astro Rangers are the only ones. Some hero worship is inevitable, especially considering Earth's history. The Rangers do quite literally save the planet on a regular basis."

Aura seemed to consider that for a moment. "Earth is an interesting world," she said at last.

Billy nodded when Carlos did, but Carlos hadn't missed the fact that the Blue Ranger referred to the people of Earth as "they". It was the Aquitians that he included himself as a part of, despite his planet of origin.

Then Aura derailed that train of thought by adding, "I would like to see it sometime."

"Earth?" Carlos repeated, startled. He realized it was a ridiculous question even as he asked, but she merely nodded.

"You could," he said, after a brief pause. A truly amusing thought took hold in his mind. "You could," he repeated, trying to repress a grin. "I'll take you sometime, if you want."

"I do," she said surprising him again. "I think I would like that."

"The seaship doesn't give you a very good view," Billy agreed. "You could talk to Cestria, too--she's been to Earth several times."

Aura looked at him. "Has she?"

"Did you take her?" Carlos added.

"Yeah," Billy said with a fond smile. "I get homesick sometimes, and it's nice to go back and see the rest of the team. The old team," he amended, glancing at Carlos.

"The Zeo team?" Carlos guessed, trying to remember what little he had learned of Ranger history.

"Among others," Billy answered, a faraway look in his eyes. "They seem to like Cestria--although my dad did kind of freak out when he first found out I was dating an alien."

There was a pause, during which Carlos was dying to ask for the rest of the story. But Aura gave her head a quick shake and reminded them, "The zords."

"Right," Billy said quickly, glancing over his shoulder at the Sirethian zord as though he expected it to reprove him for the lapse.

Carlos followed his gaze. "It's too bad standing around talking doesn't get anything done," he said ruefully. "I was looking forward to hearing some stories."

"Next time," Billy promised with a grin.

Carlos nodded, seeing Aura shift at his side. She was clearly impatient to get back to work, so he turned to her. "So, what's already finished?"

"Canthris is online," she said, trading glances with Billy.

He smiled. Of course her zord would be first; he would have started with his if their positions were reversed. "And Sirethian?" he asked.

"Almost done," Billy assured them. "Another hour, at the most."

"I will begin work on Mireth," Aura decided. "Zaal's self-repair systems only shut down this morning, so I would prefer to give its energy reserves time to recharge before doing more work on it."

"Which leaves me Lissan." Carlos scanned the zord bay and located Cestria's zord, next to Delphinius' and on the far side of Billy's. "I can do that."

"Remember to change your communicator frequency," Billy said, as he turned away.

"Thanks," Carlos called after him, reaching for his communicator. In truth, he had gotten so used to hearing Aura in his mind that he might have forgotten to switch to the Aquitians' comm frequency altogether.

He looked up and caught Aura watching him make the adjustment. *Are you still listening for me?* he thought experimentally.

*Of course,* she replied immediately, and he smiled.

Her lips quirked in return, and he tossed off a jaunty salute in her direction. She lifted her hand hesitantly, and his smile widened as he turned away, heading across the bay toward the yellow-tinted Aquitian zord.