"How's he doing?" Ashley's voice was pitched low, but it carried to everyone on the quiet Bridge.

Few words had been spoken here since the broadcast began. They had gathered on the Bridge to watch, finding comfort in numbers and maybe hoping for some sort of closure. TJ had taken Cassie's seat at the main weapons' station, his feet propped up on the console as he listened in the company of his friends.

It was funny, he had reflected, how different things sounded when one attempted to describe them. He had thought the events of the previous day were clear in his mind, but hearing Cetaci speak, he realized how narrow his own perspective had been. There had been so much he had missed and hadn't even thought to ask... yet at the same time, there was so much being left out of this explanation of events.

Cetaci was a good speaker, he had to give her that. She spoke clearly and got in every essential point, plus a few that hadn't even occurred to him. And when she stopped, in what was obviously a rehearsed pause, Andros picked up the narrative without hesitation. They had clearly put a lot of thought into this, and it told the story--but there was so much no one could ever convey of what had gone on.

The others felt it too, he thought, glancing over his shoulder. They were all very quiet, maybe remembering their own version of what was being retold for the universe to hear. Maybe, like him, thinking of everything that couldn't be said in words: facing down the odds without the benefit of a hero's hindsight, the heart-stopping fear and rush of adrenaline that came with every battle... the helplessness of imprisonment, and the absolute faith they had to have in each other to escape.

Even the dizzying roller coaster ride that followed: free, chased, trapped, free again--the decision to leave behind one of their own, and the terrifying seconds when it had been his finger on the trigger and no way to change things once it was done. The horrible realization that even that might not be enough, and again the sense of helplessness. None of those things came through in the broadcast, and he knew without having to ask that the nightmares that had followed the battle wouldn't even be mentioned.

Yet somehow it didn't matter. The terror and the isolation might be feelings no one else ever associated with the great "battle of Rysia", or whatever it came to be called. But neither would anyone else know the pure and unadulterated joy of triumph, the true amazement that started to take hold when they realized just what they had managed to accomplish. After this, nothing would ever be impossible again.

No one saw these moments, either, TJ thought, leaning back in his chair. The time after, the reflection on what had been and what was to come. The time when they gathered to see what the rest of the universe would hear about them, and compare that to what and who they really were. "Hero" was nothing more than a label, after all--it wasn't an identity.

He glanced over his shoulder once more, smiling to himself. No, their identity lay with each other. It lay in the fact that Carlos and Jeff were playing Hangman on an auxiliary tactical screen, and in the fact that Zhane had deactivated the nav console so he could use it as a chair. It lay in the fact that Kerone sat sideways in Ashley's usual seat, letting Zhane braid her hair while she watched the broadcast with a far-off look in her eyes. And it lay in the fact that Ashley had asked Cassie how Saryn was doing even when he looked perfectly fine--everyone could tell something was wrong, just from the way she was staring at the screen.

Cassie shrugged at her friend's question, her arms folded across her chest and an irritated expression on her face. "He's fine, I guess."

"You guess?" Ashley asked, her voice amused. The words were subdued, as though she too sensed the contemplative air that lingered on the Bridge and didn't want to disturb it.

Cassie looked sideways at her. "I'm going to kill him," she said calmly.

No one so much as started. TJ actually smiled a little. They were all listening, somewhat idly perhaps, but with the curiosity of people who wanted to know what their friends were thinking. With the broadcast playing in the background, no one could forget how much they had been through in the past couple of days, and there was an odd kind of peace hovering in the air. It was as though one could say anything at all and have it accepted with perfect equanimity.

"Huh," was Ashley's noncommittal reply. "When did he give you his ruby?"

Cassie lifted a hand to the ruby that hung around her neck, running it up and down the gold chain in a strangely familiar gesture. After a moment, TJ placed it: it was the same way Andros was wont to play with his locket when he was distracted. "This morning," she said at last. "But I didn't know he was going to do the broadcast without it. If he collapses in front of IN cameras..."

She didn't finish, but no one seemed to expect her to. Ashley just shook her head, sliding her arm around her friend's shoulders. "He's fine," she murmured, resting her head against Cassie's. "You said so yourself. Stop worrying."

Cassie sighed a little, leaning into her friend. "Yeah," she admitted. "Maybe you're right."

For a moment, the Bridge was quiet again. Then Ashley said, almost offhandedly, "Of course, you could always ask him."

TJ considered the main screen, wondering if Tessa was really as calm as she looked. She looked almost like she belonged there, and he couldn't help thinking about what the others might have said to her. He knew she didn't like being in front of crowds, and yet she held herself as though she had done this before.

"What do you mean?" Cassie asked, wandering through his train of thought.

"Your telepathy," Ashley replied. That wasn't quite the right word, but it didn't bother TJ. ESP was ESP. He was just glad most of them stayed out of his head.

"It's empathy," Cassie corrected softly. "It doesn't work the way yours and Andros' does."

"Huh," Ashley said again. It seemed to be her word of choice for the day, though she almost never used it otherwise. "That's funny. He said you told him it was girl talk last night, when he came up to the Megaship."

TJ had no idea what to make of that sentence, but Cassie's pause was obvious. "Well, sometimes there are words," she mumbled finally. "It's still not telepathy."

"You use the word differently than I do, then," Zhane interjected from behind them. His tone was casual, not provocative, as though he was only offering the remark at face value instead of implying something else with it.

TJ thought Cassie shrugged, but she didn't answer aloud.

"Oh," Zhane added, and TJ glanced in his direction. The Silver Ranger was apparently rebraiding Kerone's hair, either not satisfied with his original effort or simply more interested in the process than the end result. Now, though, he paused and held something over her shoulder for her inspection. "I forgot to give this back to you. Nice homing device."

Kerone turned her head a little, restrained by his loose hold on her hair, to study the small object. There was a mottled purple star shape in his hand, with centimeter-long sparkly streamers attached to one point. It was almost a pendant, except for the lack of a necklace to hang it on. "It's yours," she said, making no move to take it back. "I didn't give it to you for just yesterday."

"Planning to lose me again?" he teased gently, withdrawing his hand.

She smiled, not turning. "Just not going to let you get away."

TJ smiled too, looking back at the screen. It was the most open he had ever heard the two of them, trading affectionate words without their usual sniping. He supposed there were times in everyone's life when they realized how important it was to let the people they cared about know it.

"Aureole?" Carlos demanded suddenly, raising his voice for the first time since the broadcast had started. "That isn't a word!"

"Sure it is." Jeff sounded surprised. "It's the hazy ring around the moon. Aureole; everyone knows that one."

He heard Carlos turn around. "Who here knew what 'aureole' meant?"

Still watching the screen, TJ raised his hand.

"You don't count," Carlos told him. "Your girlfriend's an astronomer."

"I knew it," Zhane put in.

"I didn't," Ashley offered. "But I'm still surprised you didn't get it, Carlos."

TJ looked up, alerted by the impish note in her voice, and he saw Carlos give her a suspicious glance. "How could I get a word I've never heard of before?"

Ashley shrugged, one arm still around Cassie's shoulder. She too was facing the screen, but the amusement in her voice was clear. "Well, it starts with 'a', 'u', and 'r', and everyone guesses 'e'. You should have only had two letters left."

Carlos narrowed his eyes at her. "Very funny. Do you want to say something, Ash?"

"I just did," she answered, unperturbed. "I still think you should talk to her."

"You should have talked to her last night," Kerone said. "We were all up. You should have joined us instead of going to Earth."

Carlos sighed. "Is there anyone who doesn't know about this? Or anyone who doesn't have an opinion, for that matter?"

"No one except her," Ashley told him.

"Look," Carlos said, his frustration an evident contrast to the calm atmosphere of the Bridge. "I know I've screwed up with Aura. But if everyone could just mind their own business and let me figure this out, that would be great."

There was a brief silence for a moment, and TJ wondered if his friend was truly upset. And if he was, what exactly was bothering him? The way Kerone had told it, Aura was the one who felt guilty for things *she* had said, not the other way around.

He studied the Red Aquitian Ranger on the main screen, but there was no trace of the troubled girl who had had to be coaxed into smiling the night before. He hadn't known what was wrong then, and if Kerone hadn't told him this morning, he probably still wouldn't know. The Aquitians all seemed to be good at hiding what they were feeling.

"Aura?" Jeff asked, his voice interrupting the silence again. "She's one of the Aquitian Rangers, right?"

"Yeah," Ashley agreed. "She likes Carlos."

At Carlos' exasperated exclamation, TJ couldn't help but grin. Jeff didn't make things any better by asking, "Isn't she the one you went back to Aquitar with yesterday?"

"Yeah," Ashley said again, before Carlos could reply. "He likes her, too."

"Could we talk about something else?" Carlos demanded.

"That's cool," Jeff answered, ignoring Carlos. "You going to bring her back to Earth, man? The university would love you guys. You could be the poster child for campus diversity."

Ashley laughed. "That would be great. If there were aliens in town, people could hardly keep fighting over race and stuff."

TJ couldn't help grinning as an image sprang unbidden to his mind. "Imagine little half-Aquitian kids running around the park. That would sure slow people down."

"There aren't going to be any kids!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Really?" TJ asked, glancing back at him. "You've talked about it already?"

"No!"

"That's good," Jeff put in. "With looks like hers, those kids would be pretty cute."

"As long as they don't look like Carlos," Ashley added.

"Don't let me interrupt your fun," Carlos muttered, and something in his tone made TJ pause.

Ashley must have heard it too, for her voice gentled suddenly. "We're just teasing, Carlos. Are you okay?"

"I just don't think it's anyone else's business!"

"We're all each other's business," Cassie said, pulling away from Ashley and turning around at last. "That's what being a team means."

"Yeah, well you don't see me interfering in your love life," Carlos shot back, clearly not appeased.

TJ caught Cassie's eye just then, and the sparkle there told him louder than words the retort she was struggling not to make. He could almost hear her saying, "Maybe if you did a better job with yours--" But she wouldn't, because he was obviously more upset than they had realized, and teasing him further wouldn't help matters any.

"We just want you to be happy," Ashley insisted. "You're not now, so we're just trying to make you do something about it."

Oddly, that seemed to have the desired effect on Carlos. He subsided a little, looking down at the auxiliary console before he answered. "Well, thanks," he muttered at last. "I know I have to do something; I just don't know *what*."

Ashley smiled across the Bridge at him. "It'll work out. It always does, somehow."

"Maybe." He lifted his gaze to glare half-heartedly at TJ. "But that kid remark was totally uncalled for."

TJ tried to suppress a grin, unable to keep the image from popping back into his head. "Sorry."

"Yeah, whatever." Carlos didn't look convinced, but neither did he sound as irritated as he had before.

TJ swiveled back toward the screen, putting his feet back up on the weapons' console. Linnse was offering what sounded like the end of the address, to him, and he hoped they were almost done. The earlier peace of the Bridge hadn't completely evaporated, but he had to feel sorry for Carlos. There must be more between him and Aura than he had realized, for the Black Ranger seemed frustrated by their forced separation.

"Hey," he said, as something else caught his attention. "How come Zordon isn't talking?"

"Because he wasn't there?" Zhane suggested dryly, combing the braid out of Kerone's hair again.

"Are you ever going to be satisfied with that braid?" Ashley inquired, sounding amused.

"Oh, I was satisfied the first time," Zhane admitted. "Astrea just doesn't want her hair braided."

TJ couldn't help chuckling. "Then why on Earth are you doing it?" The colloquialism was out before he remembered where he was, but no one bothered to correct him.

"To annoy her?"

Kerone reached over her shoulder and slapped his knee. Despite her unsmiling expression, it was a fond gesture, and TJ chuckled again. "I guess it's working."

"No reason," Zhane admitted a moment later. "It's just fun."

"Dare I ask how you know how to braid?" TJ asked, watching the Silver Ranger separate her hair into pigtails and start braiding them separately.

Zhane gave him what looked like a genuinely surprised look. "You don't think Andros braids his hair himself, do you?"

Ashley laughed at that. "That's why it always looks so perfect!"

"Hey," Cassie interrupted, drawing their attention back to the screen. "I think it's over."

Sure enough, Linnse had stopped talking, and the scene from Aquitar was replaced by the IN logo a moment later. An image of a being from a species TJ didn't recognize followed, and the screen automatically translated for them. "This address followed by news briefs from Rysia and Parikat, after which we will return for an analysis of the latest Aquitian broadcast."

Every morpher on the Bridge went off simultaneously, distracting TJ before IN could switch transmissions. He glanced around and found everyone waiting on him. He swung his feet off the console and sat up straighter, activating his communicator's transmit function. "This is TJ."

"Teej, we'll meet you guys in the southern research dome," Andros' voice came back. "I can't remember if DECA has the coordinates for that or not--"

"Confirmed," DECA interrupted.

"Great," Andros replied. "We'll see you there in a few minutes."

"We'll be there," TJ said, getting to his feet and gathering up the others with a glance.

Kerone waited for Zhane to loose her hair from its braids once again, and then they both scrambled to their feet as well. Jeff and Carlos moved closer to the center of the Bridge, and TJ caught Cassie's eye again. "Showtime," he heard her murmur, and he smiled.

With a nod to DECA, he declared, "Let's go."

***

"Hey!" Carlos would have sworn Ashley was moving before the teleportation stream released them; it was the only way she could have ended up in Andros' arms so fast. "You were great!" she exclaimed, hugging him enthusiastically.

He chuckled, not at all embarrassed by the overt display of affection. He had changed so much in the last few weeks. "Thanks," he said, turning his head to kiss her hair fondly. "You should have been with us; Billy was going to make us a screensaver."

"What?" She pulled away to look at him curiously, and he grinned at her.

"You," TJ was telling Tessa, "looked fabulous. I can't believe you told me you didn't like being in front of crowds!"

"I don't," she told him fervently. "And I was terrified. But it wasn't like anyone was actually *in* the room with us..."

Cassie didn't say a word when Saryn appeared at her side, just turned and glared up at him. He returned her stare calmly, with only a flicker of amusement for her exasperation. Finally she just sighed and leaned into him, apparently giving up on reproof.

He put one arm around her, but his other hand went to her chin to tilt her face toward him again. When she looked up he kissed her, without flourish but--for him--very, very publicly. It was a gentle but lingering kiss, and Carlos doubted there was a single person in the room who missed it.

He thought he saw Linnse smile as she turned away, and even Cetaci looked mildly approving. Cassie smiled radiantly when Saryn let her go, and he suspected Saryn wouldn't be able to say or do anything wrong for the rest of the day.

There were two people who were conspicuously absent from the gathering--not including Zordon, whom he hadn't expected to see anyway--and he was wondering how to inquire discretely when the main door slid open again. Delphinius came in, supervising one end of an antigrav mechanism that looked like nothing so much as a buffet table.

Aura was guiding the other end, and an indescribable nervousness gripped his heart at the sight of her. She looked no different from any other day, uniform in place and hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even her injuries were understated, and the scratches on her face had almost disappeared. She nodded at Delphinius' directions on table placement, and to all intents and purposes was exactly the same person he'd known for the last four weeks.

Except that she was studiously avoiding his gaze. She had glanced up as they came through the door, and she gave the room another quick inspection as they slid the table up against the wall by the door. Each time, her eyes flicked past him as though he wasn't there. Today, for the first time, he found himself consciously waiting for her acknowledgement, and for the first time she clearly had no intention of giving it.

"I don't want us to be friends anymore, Carlos."

The words rang in his mind and he willed her to look up, to catch his eye and smile slightly, as she had done so many times before. Thought it remained absent from the reality before him he could see the expression vividly in his mind's eye, the warmth of recognition and welcome that he hadn't missed until it was gone.

"I hope that's for us," Ashley said, raising her voice. "I can think of at least one person who didn't have any breakfast this morning."

Aura lifted her head and smiled in Ashley's direction, and Delphinius picked something remotely fruit-like up off the table before stepping away from it. "It is," he informed them. "We are clearly not all on the same schedule, thanks both to the time difference and recent events, but I hope we can mitigate these influences to some extent."

"Thank you," Andros said, and from the sincere gratitude in his voice Carlos suspected that he was the one to whom Ashley had referred. "We appreciate your effort."

"It is no effort to exert oneself for one's friends," Cestria replied, glancing up from where she and Billy were marking off portions of the dome's floor space. "Please let us know if there is anything else we may do."

"Hey," Carlos said quietly, sidling up to the table in an effort to get Aura's attention without anyone else noticing. "How are you feeling?"

Aura didn't look up. "I am well, thank you," she said calmly, rearranging something on the table.

"Hey, Aura!" Billy's voice intruded suddenly, startling Carlos. "Could you give us a hand over here?"

"Excuse me," she murmured, and she was gone before he could say anything else.

"Can we help?" he heard Cassie ask.

He turned in time to see Billy wave her off, shaking his head. "No, no, we're just trying to get the lights to line up along the aisle. Have something to eat," he suggested with a smile.

"There may be a difficulty," Cetaci announced suddenly.

Carlos glanced at her, surprised, but she was staring toward the elevated platform that had been installed on the other side of the room. She seemed completely oblivious to their surroundings until Delphinius joined her, following her gaze across the room. "Has the wall done something to offend you?" he inquired mildly, offering her the piece of fruit he had taken from the table.

She accepted the fruit almost absently, for once not bristling at his words. "The wall is fine. It is the procession which I am having trouble with."

"If you see a procession there, I suspect there *is* a difficulty," Delphinius agreed, with perfect equanimity.

This time she turned her head. Carlos couldn't see her expression from where he was standing, but Delphinius shifted. "What is the trouble?" he asked, no expression Carlos could read in his tone.

Cetaci turned to regard the rest of them. Most of the Astro Rangers had joined Carlos by the table, and her own teammates were laying floor lights not far away. Studying them all, she asked simply, "Who leads?"

Andros looked up at that. "You, of course. It's your planet."

Cetaci shook her head. "It is my duty to present the ribbons. I will not be a part of the procession, and it is not appropriate for Cestria and Delphinius to lead when members of your team are--when others have seniority."

"Wait," TJ interrupted. "Could someone explain this to me? Just for curiosity's sake? I don't understand the problem."

"The audience will gather in this room, on either side of the aisle which Billy and Cestria are laying out," Delphinius told him. "Cetaci will begin the proceedings from over there--" He indicated the platform. "And the Rangers will enter through this door."

"Two at a time," Cetaci added. "You see the problem."

"Not entirely," TJ admitted. "Why does it matter who goes first?"

Andros chuckled, drawing their attention just as he handed some of whatever he was snacking on to Ashley. "Good question," he said wryly. It was the tone of someone who knew the answer but was more interested in his girlfriend's reaction to alien food than in explaining it.

Carlos couldn't help sneaking another glance at Aura. She was standing a few feet behind Billy, siting down the line that was already laid out toward Cestria. She was apparently coordinating their effort completely by eye, which, while impressive, made it all the easier for her to continue avoiding his gaze.

"It matters because the universe will be watching," Saryn said quietly, his arm still wrapped loosely around Cassie's shoulders. "There are people who will read something into every detail, from the words we speak to the order in which we enter the room. It will not matter that there is nothing to interpret; they will try to do it anyway."

"This is going to be broadcast?" Cassie asked, looking up at him.

He nodded wordlessly.

"Unlike the earlier address," Cetaci added, "there will be reporters here in the Ranger dome as well as in orbit. We will not even control what they see, so this all the more important."

"You said something about seniority," Kerone said, when the pause following Cetaci's words lengthened. "Can't you just have Saryn and Andros lead? They've been Rangers the longest."

"No." Cetaci didn't even have to think about it. "Andros must walk with his teammates; that is simply the way it is done. But because this is Aquitar, the Astro team may not precede the Aquitian team."

"But you just said the Aquitian team can't go first without you," Ashley said, looking almost as confused as Carlos felt. "I don't get it."

"The Aquitian team may go first," Saryn said, raising his voice a little. "I will walk with the Astro Rangers."

"Why wouldn't you?" Cassie wanted to know. "Why are you going before the Aquitians?"

Carlos didn't miss the look that passed between Saryn and Cetaci, but he didn't know what to make of it either. "Cetaci is trying to honor Elisia by having me lead," he said, his voice quieter this time. "It is not entirely without precedent to have a... separated Ranger from a defeated planet open a ceremony such as this."

"Separated?" Cassie repeated, in a voice that said she didn't like the sound of that.

"Surviving," Saryn amended, softly enough that Carlos had to strain to hear him. "In memory of those who have fallen, a surviving Ranger may lead those being honored in a victory ceremony."

No one said anything for a moment.

"I'll walk with him," Kerone said abruptly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Carlos saw even Billy and Aura look up at that. "What?" Delphinius asked, as though he hadn't heard.

She shrugged. "That's what this is about, isn't it? We have to walk in pairs, and anyone who walks with Saryn is separated from their team?"

"You are not a Ranger," Cetaci said, as though it might have escaped her notice.

Kerone tossed her head, giving Cetaci an icy look. "I remind you that *I* was Dark Spectre's second in command. It was *my* information that led to his defeat. I have sacrificed as much as anyone in this room for something I believe is right, and I don't appreciate your implication that I am somehow inferior in spite of it."

"Hey," Andros said, stepping forward. "No one's saying anything like that, Kerone."

She didn't look impressed. "Don't patronize me, Andros."

"I'm not," he said, sounding startled. "I *know* what you've lost; you know that. Cetaci's only pointing out that not everyone will see it that way."

Something drew Carlos' attention to Cassie as she leaned her head briefly against Saryn's shoulder, and he saw her pat Saryn's hand comfortingly. *No,* he thought, rejecting the thought even as it occurred to him. Kerone couldn't be making a scene to distract them from Saryn. That wasn't stopping Cassie from taking advantage of it, though.

Farther across the room, Billy and Cestria were gazing at each other, probably locked in some sort of silent conversation. Aura stood alone nearby, ostensibly listening but keeping her eyes on the tiny coin-shaped light in her hand. It was one of the devices they had been using to mark the aisle, but as he watched, she tossed it a little way up in the air and caught it like a quarter, flipping it over onto the back of her hand. He tried to suppress a smile as she frowned at the light, as though it had come tails-side-up when she wanted heads. He wondered what the question had been.

"This is an impasse, then," Kerone said impatiently. "Either I walk with Saryn at the front of the line or we both walk with the Astro Rangers in the middle. Which is it?"

No one answered for a moment, and Ashley actually sighed. "Well, are we going to vote or something? I say Kerone walks in front."

"So do I," Andros put in. "Show of hands."

The rest of the Astro team raised their hands, except for Saryn. To Carlos' surprise, Aura raised her hand too, and to his even greater surprise so did Cetaci. She hesitated when her teammates didn't agree, and she gave Delphinius a reluctant look. "Is it--" She stumbled over the words, and she wouldn't meet anyone's gaze but his. "Is it appropriate that I change my vote?"

"No," Cestria said from behind her.

Delphinius shook his head. "No," he agreed. "Majority rule is acceptable in this situation. Do you disagree, Saryn?"

"I do not wish to offer my opinion, but I agree that the vote is valid," Saryn answered.

Cetaci looked satisfied with that, but before Carlos could wonder at her sudden change in demeanor Kerone had stepped forward to confront Saryn. "*I* want your opinion," she said firmly. "I don't know anything about politics. Is it wrong to have me beside you?"

Saryn looked at her for a moment, and then a slight smile graced his expression. "It is undeniably symbolic to have the former princess of evil leading this procession. I would welcome either Kerone or Astronema at my side."

"But do *you* want *me* there?" she persisted, and Carlos suddenly got the feeling that he was missing a significant part of this conversation.

"Yes," Saryn said simply.

"Good," Cetaci interjected, turning to regard her teammates. "Have you finished that side of the aisle yet?"

They obviously hadn't, but she waited for Billy's answer anyway. "Another seven lights, I think," he told her, catching the one Aura tossed in his direction. "We're almost done."

Cetaci nodded and returned her attention to the rest of the group, but her impatience had come across loud and clear. Carlos saw Billy and Cestria exchange neutral glances, and he knew something passed between them. He had been around them long enough to get good at recognizing that kind of expression, but that didn't put him any closer to knowing what had been said.

"You will enter here," Cetaci was saying, walking forward from the door. "The lights Billy and Cestria are placing will mark the edges of the aisle, which will likely be the only open floor space in the room. If everyone will assemble in the appropriate order for a moment, I will walk you through the ceremony."

Saryn gave Cassie a brief hug before finally letting her go, and Kerone waited for him to take a place in the aisle. When she joined him, he cocked his head at her. There was a smile evident in his voice when he said, "It would probably be wise for you to stand to my right, rather than left."

She moved, but not without asking, "Why?"

"Team leaders traditionally stand to the left," Cetaci said, motioning to Delphinius. "Although I have a great deal of respect for you, Kerone, I do not think it would be wise to imply that Dark Spectre's former Second is the most important person in this procession."

Ashley laughed. "That would shake them up a little."

"Cestria and Aura will stand here," Cetaci said, nodding to Delphinius as he left a space between him and Kerone. "Delphinius and Billy will be behind them, followed by the Astro team. I confess I am not clear on your ranking system..."

"We have a ranking system?" TJ asked dryly.

"We're all set," Billy said, joining them by the door. The three of them took their places as though their positions were a given, and Carlos tried not to sigh as Aura once more managed to avoid even looking at him.

Without a word, Andros stepped away from Ashley to stand behind Billy, and Zhane stood beside him. No one challenged Zhane, but the rest of them just looked at each other. The only ones who looked more lost were Tessa and Jeff, but neither of them complained.

"TJ," Ashley said at last. "You and Cassie go next, and me and Carlos will be last. Tess, since you got elected as leader, I think you're behind me."

Cetaci's expression was unreadable. "I think it will be a first to have a Pink Ranger represent her teammates as leader."

"To my knowledge," Saryn agreed. He had turned around to watch the arranging, and he gave Tessa a small smile. "You will make history today."

Tessa looked nonplussed. "But I didn't do anything!"

"Just go with it," Jeff advised, standing a little uncomfortably at her side. "Right place at the right time, you know."

She shook her head, but she didn't protest further.

Cetaci apparently considered the matter solved. "You will walk down the aisle--"

"To the tune of "Here Comes the Bride," TJ muttered, and Ashley giggled.

Cetaci ignored him. "The procession splits when you reach the platform, and the two lines will proceed around their respective corners and climb the platform from opposite sides. That will put Saryn and Kerone beside each other again when the two lines meet, but everyone else will be in a different order."

Saryn glanced at her, and when she nodded, he turned to catch Kerone's eye. The two of them started forward at the same time, and the Aquitian Rangers followed smoothly. It wasn't long before Carlos realized that it wasn't as easy as it looked, though, and from Cetaci's expression, he wasn't alone.

No one said anything though, and they walked in near-silence across the room. Saryn gestured to Kerone when they reached the platform, and she turned right without hesitation. Strangely, it was easier to maintain the pace around the platform than it had been during the approach--maybe because there was only one person to follow, he didn't know.

"You will not need extra room during the ceremony," Cetaci told them, studying them from the floor. "You may stand almost shoulder to shoulder and be assured of enough space."

Carlos moved a little closer to Cassie as the line moved down, with Jeff on his other side. On Cassie's other side, Zhane shifted uncomfortably. "How long is this ceremony going to be, again?"

"There ceremony itself will be brief," Cetaci replied, regarding them critically. "And I do not wish to allow the reporters to ask questions afterwards." She paused, then asked, "Is there anyone here who does?"

"Hell no," Carlos muttered under his breath, and he heard Jeff chuckle.

"Second that," Zhane said fervently. "What's next?"

"I will announce our victory, and--" Carlos felt a stir of movement down the line, and Cetaci nodded once. "Yes. Everyone is familiar with this, then?"

Carlos glanced to his right. The Aquitians had placed their right hands over their hearts, joined by Zhane, Andros, and Saryn, and he caught Cassie's eye. She shrugged, and he shook his head at Cetaci. "I've never seen that before."

She put her right hand over her heart and then extended it, palm up, toward him. "It is a traditional Ranger gesture of service or greeting," she told him.

He imitated her, and she nodded. "Once everyone is assembled on the platform and I speak, you will all stand thus. I will present Tessa with her ribbon and then move down the line. As I say your name, you extend your hand, receive your ribbon, and return your hand to your chest while the rest of the ribbons are given. We will go through the line once now, so that you can tell me what you wish to be called," she added, coming forward and climbing onto the platform without bothering with the stairs.

"What about you?" Jeff asked. "Don't you get a ribbon, or whatever?"

She paused, looking down the line. "That is Saryn's responsibility, if he chooses to accept it. Otherwise, it falls to Cestria."

"I would be honored," Saryn told her quietly.

She nodded, as though she had expected no less, but Carlos thought he saw a glint of pleasure in her eyes. "Tessa," she said, walking to the opposite end of the platform. "How do you wish to be addressed?"

Tessa put her hand over her heart uncertainly, and Carlos suspected she wasn't thrilled with the idea of going first. But her voice was firm when she said, "Tessa McFarlan."

"Tessa McFarlan," Cetaci repeated, and Tessa extended her hand as Cetaci had done before. Cetaci laid her fingers over Tessa's wrist and then withdrew them, and she added, "The appropriate response is, 'I am honored to serve.'"

"Oh!" Tessa hesitated, then asked, "Before or after?"

Cetaci placed her hand over her heart. "Cetaci of Aquitar," she announced. She held out her hand, wrapped her fingers around her wrist the way she had done with Tessa, and said, "I am honored to serve." Then she withdrew her hand and cocked her head at Tessa.

Tessa nodded. "Okay; I think I've got it."

"After your performance in the control room this morning, I have no doubt of your ability," Cetaci told her. Carlos couldn't help being surprised at the compliment, but Cetaci had moved on to Ashley before Tessa could manage to thank her.

"Ashley of Earth," Ashley said, when Cetaci looked at her.

Carlos tried to repress a smile, but Cetaci only nodded. "Ashley of Earth," she repeated, and Ashley extended her hand.

Cetaci touched her wrist and Ashley said solemnly, "I am honored to serve." She placed her hand over her heart again, and Cetaci moved on.

TJ used his last name, the way Tessa had. Andros said "Andros of KO-35" proudly, and Cestria's quiet "Cestria of Aquitar" was no less so. Delphinius too said "of Aquitar", and Saryn said "of Elisia" the way he always had. Carlos did wonder how Kerone planned to introduce herself, but she only tossed her hair over her shoulder and said calmly, "Kerone of KO-35."

Aura's turn snuck up on him, and Carlos was suddenly glad that there were three people between him and her. He couldn't explain the way his throat closed up on hearing her defiant voice utter the words "Aura of Aquitar", but there were several seconds afterwards when he couldn't have spoken if his life depended on it.

She was right, he thought, he was "different since he found out". Suddenly that subconscious wall that he'd erected between the two of them was gone, and he was left floundering in a tide of emotions he had buried back when they were too insignificant to recognize. Back when he had first looked at her and thought *Man, she's pretty,* and then laughed at himself for even thinking it. Any future thoughts had been immediately suppressed, bubbling up only in his dreams and somehow strengthening despite the lack of attention.

Cassie nudged him, and he blinked. Clearing his throat, he managed to say, "Carlos Vargas." Cetaci gave him an odd look that he tried to ignore as he held his hand out. He could feel the others' eyes on him, and he couldn't help glancing sideways.

Aura's grey eyes were staring back at him, and he was caught. He felt frustration well up in him when she looked quickly away, as though he had missed some opportunity, and he felt Cetaci's fingers squeeze his wrist warningly. He glared at her, just barely remembering to add, "I am honored to serve," before withdrawing his hand. Her return stare was cold before she moved on to Jeff.

"Jeff Hammond," he told her, looking from her to Carlos uncertainly. His expression said "what the hell" plain as day, but there was nothing Carlos could say. "I'm honored to serve," Jeff said, drawing his hand back after her token touch. "What now?"

Cetaci turned and walked back to the middle of the platform without answering, and Saryn stepped out of his place in line to meet her. They faced each other at right angles to everyone else, and Saryn nodded to her. "Cetaci of Aquitar," he said, and she held out her hand. He touched her wrist as she had done for everyone else, and she put her hand over her heart before turning to face the room.

"There will be a brief conclusion," she said, her back to them momentarily. She turned then and added, "I think it best for everyone to leave the way they entered immediately afterward, so that no one tries to take advantage of the silence. Tessa, you and Jeff will lead."

Jeff cleared his throat, but he turned to his left and stepped down off the platform without looking over his shoulder. Carlos saw him and Tessa look at each other as the two lines converged in front of the platform again, but he was too busy trying to catch Aura's eye to pay much attention. Aura was behind him rather than in front as they filed out--which, he had to admit, went much better the second time--and he glanced over his shoulder repeatedly until Cassie gave him a friendly shove from behind. "Watch where you're going," she whispered.

He did, reluctantly, but as the line dissolved outside the door he stepped out of the way and waited. "Aura," he said, as she walked through the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Face to face with him, she didn't look away. After last night's dream, it was doubly disconcerting to have her silver gaze so close--but her words were what made him wince. "We talked yesterday," she said evenly.

"I know, but--it wasn't what I wanted to say." He could feel Billy's eyes on him. The other Ranger hadn't gone far after preceding her out into the hallway, and Cestria and Delphinius took a less than subtle interest in the conversation as they passed by as well. He tried to ignore it, but between the four of them it was almost impossible to concentrate. "I need to apologize, Aura. I have to... look, would you just hear me out?"

She studied him, no hint of her feelings in her expression. "I was wrong when I said I no longer wished to be your friend," she said slowly. "But I think I was right in saying that avoiding each other might be the best course for a time."

"And I think I was right in saying that wouldn't solve anything," he insisted. He heard the chime of a communicator as Cetaci stepped out into the hallway, but he ignored the voice that replied when she acknowledged it. "There were some things I couldn't say then, but--"

"Aura," Cetaci interrupted, lowering her communicator. "Security is requesting details of the ceremony. Perhaps you could take care of that."

"Yes," she agreed quickly. If her expression had been neutral before, there was no mistaking the relief in it now. "I will do so." She made her way through the Rangers without another word, escaping from the group and heading down the hallway toward one of the diver bays.

Carlos glared at Cetaci, but she didn't seem to notice. "We will continue preparations here," she told Andros. "I assume your team has some members to collect before the ceremony?"

"Yeah," Andros agreed. "Some of us will have to head back to Earth to get them. Would it help to have the rest of us stay and work with you here?"

Cetaci hesitated, and Carlos could have sworn she was fighting the urge to say, "Anyone but Carlos." Instead she said, "We would welcome your assistance, yes, but I do not wish to interfere with your duties."

"It's no interference," Andros assured her.

"I'll stay," Ashley put in quickly, and Cassie agreed. It was almost a given then that Saryn would stay, but Jeff's offer of help surprised Carlos.

Carlos opened his mouth to volunteer as well, but Andros shot him a warning look that caught him off guard. He hesitated just long enough for Andros to say, "I think we'll need everyone else on the Megaship--does that help?"

"Your assistance is very much appreciated," Cetaci replied. "We will return your teammates in plenty of time for them to prepare for the ceremony."

Andros smiled. "We'll be back shortly."

Carlos wanted to protest, but Andros wasn't paying any attention. "Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," he told Ashley fondly.

She grinned at him. "Don't worry; I'll make sure any monsters know to wait until you get back to attack."

Carlos could do nothing but follow suit when Andros, Zhane, and TJ opened their morphers. TJ took Tessa's hand, and the five of them rode the teleportation stream back to the Bridge of the Megaship.

"Andros," Carlos complained, as soon as the familiar surroundings appeared. "No offense, but your timing sucks."

Andros just gave him a surprised look. "You're not planning to come with us, are you?"

Carlos frowned, trying to figure out what he meant by that. "To Earth?"

"No, to the center of the sun," TJ retorted. "Of course to Earth. I couldn't believe they wouldn't even let you talk to her," he added, leaning against the pilot's station. "That was low."

"It was like they were conspiring against you," Tessa agreed. "'Aura, come help us with this.' 'Aura, go do that.' Couldn't they let *her* make up her mind?"

Zhane was the only one who had no comment. The Silver Ranger sat down heavily in Ashley's seat, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "I hate Aquitar." The words were so close to the ones Carlos wanted to say that he didn't bother asking what Zhane meant. He just stared at the rest of them in surprise, trying to figure out how many of his attempts to get Aura's attention had been noticed.

"You should probably go," Andros said at last. "Before she gets done with Security and decides to go help the others in the research dome."

Carlos gaped at him. "You--you planned it this way?"

Andros looked at him like he had just announced that the sum of two and two was four. "They wouldn't have let you near her if you'd stayed to help set up for the ceremony. If you can catch her in the Ranger dome, you'll probably have a while before anyone notices she hasn't come back."

"Right," Carlos managed, reaching for his morpher. "I--thanks."

"Good luck," Tessa told him, smiling.