Power Rangers In Space/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy by Heather Ray (romantic novels to read TXT) 📕

-Andros-

I watch the assembly of solemn Galaxy Rangers, huddled in a semi-circle, standing before me in the hangar from which my veteran team will soon disembark.

My team has a mission to continue, and we can't stagnate. If we don't press onward, the new threat we detected will consume the galaxy Zordon died to purge.

The Galaxy Rangers, however, have to cope with a loss that cuts so deeply, it's beyond description.

Although my years of service as the Red Space Ranger have hardened me, I still feel sick with sorrow for this bold though woefully inexperienced team. I am all too familiar with the pain of losing loved ones in the line of duty. How many people had died during the war against Dark Specter? Family, friends, fellow Rangers, innocent civilians...I shudder to count.

I know what it's like to have a part of you soul violently and unexpectedly torn away. These Rangers didn't even have the chance to help their ally. They arrived just in time to witness the blinding white fire that consumed the Pink Ranger whole, leaving nothing at all in its wake.

They couldn't even say goodbye.

"Thank you, for all you've done," I tell them, my face set in a grim mask. I know any words of condolence would be useless. Not only am I poorly equipped to offer comfort to this group of near-strangers, but I know to do so would prove fruitless. When a sacrifice has been made, I have personally found that gratitude instead of sympathy is more of a consolation. It reminded me of the good that had been accomplished as a result of the sacrifice, rather than the loss itself.

Kai Chen, the Blue Ranger, chooses to represent his team. He steps forward, offering me his hand. "We're...glad to help, Andros."

While the composed officer says the words cleanly, years of battle and hard-won victories make me keenly aware of the effort Kai had to put into uttering that sentence.

He is trying desperately to move forward... to remember his duty to the galaxy as a Power Ranger. Never to question fate, or let himself reflect on everything that was lost. To hold it in...to block it out. To silence the haunting voice of one's fallen comrade, muttering a torturous litany of 'What if...?'

'What if you had arrived on time? What if I weren't fighting alone? What if I never even became

a Ranger? What would I be doing now...if I were still alive? What kind of happy future have I been denied, because you weren't there

??'

I take his hand in a genuine shake, silencing my own personal demons with the skill only garnered from years of experience. My face shows none of my tension, as I offer a silent prayer that these promising heroes won't have to endure the guilt that still cripples me.

Aided by my friends, I have restored KO 35 to its pre-war glory. I helped assure peace for my planet, Earth, Eltar, Aquitar, Triforia, and all the countless systems under the thumb of tyrants like the Machines, Dark Specter, and Lord Zedd. I participated in the Countdown...winning the final battle of a war that had swallowed countless lives, and spanned over ten thousand years.

However, no number of victories can ever balance the weight of my defeats. No number of lives saved can make me forget the lives lost.

Through my distraction, I feel something brush passed me. I incline my eyes, and watch Cassie as she hugs each of the mourning Rangers in turn. As the direct beneficiary of Kendrix's death, the burden my good friend bears is traumatic.

She will never again be the light-hearted, buoyant person she was before the Psycho Rangers' latest assault. She will be haunted by the memory of the Ranger who died to save her.

I know the stabbing pain of watching a friend die on my behalf. I was there

when Zhane threw himself in front of Dark Specter's monster. I watched in detached fascination as the blade severed bones and organs, spurting blood everywhere. I remember the rage that burned within me, that dulled into the cold dispassion that ruled my life for two lonely years.

Only, Zhane didn't die for me. I managed to save him...save my soul from the weight of a guilt that could never be quenched.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," Cassie murmurs, squeezing her eyes tightly in a desperate effort to fight the tears back for just a few moments more. "Kendrix was such a wonderful person...so strong, so giving. Oh God, I'm sorry I couldn't help her...stop

her...before...!"

"Ssh," T.J. urges, almost materializing at her side. He is insistent in his embrace, helping her find the warmth and unconditional comfort of his affection. His arms envelop her, stroking her hair and back, slowly calming her.

I also know from experience how powerful love can be. Ashley...helped me find myself again. Her vigilant, supportive presence was crucial to my recovery, from the pain of losses passed, and the anguish of the losses I was sure the Countdown would cost me.

My second-in-command lifts his gaze. His dark eyes speak volumes as he wordlessly expresses all the gratitude and sorrow that fill him.

Then Maya, the kind-hearted Yellow Ranger, pulls away from her team, offering a questioning glance at T.J. When the Blue Ranger nods his acquiescence, she gently touches Cassie's shoulder, and smiles into the Pink Ranger's tear-streaked face.

"Cassie, Kendrix chose the path she has taken. She knew the risks, and she weighed them. Trust me, I know Kendrix...she's never done something impulsive as long as I've known her. She knew what was at stake, and she acted in good judgment."

Cassie nods mutely, struggling to regulate her breaths without choking on her sobs.

"Kendrix died to save all of us, as well as everyone on Terra Venture," Maya continues, "Now isn't the time for guilt, from any of us."

The wise simplicity that seems to be the Mirinoian's nature rings true to us all. We all fall into a brief, contemplative silence.

Finally, Ashley raises her voice. "We should get going."

My personal savior turns to me, and gently touches my palm. My fingers weave through hers tightly, as a sudden, illogical fear grips me. I fear she might vanish...as the Pink Galaxy Ranger had.

I push the paranoia back into the darker recesses of my heart, and turn back to my new comrades. "Give our farewells to Leo."

I don't blame the Red Ranger for his absence. If it had been Ashley, ripped away while I helplessly looked on...I'd be far more than inconsolable. I'd be incoherent.

"We'll do that," Damon Henderson, the Green Ranger, assures me.

Goodbyes and regards already exchanged, my teammates and I strap on our helmets, board our gliders, and prepare to leave. The Galaxy Rangers leave the hangar, and watch us depart from behind the safety of several feet of glass.

I bid a last salute to Damon, Maya, and Kai as they shrink in my vision. They are all able, worthy heroes. More than worthy to hold the Power.

I shake my head solemnly as I leave three numbed warriors to face the murky swamp that is their immediate future, as they gradually learn to deal with their loss.

-Mike-

"Bro?"

My voice is strong, but laced with an undercurrent of dread, as I cross the dark apartment that is the last known whereabouts of my little brother.

Not to my surprise, there's no verbal answer, but as my eyes adjust to the obscure room, I can make out a silhouette on the couch, facing one of the larger windows.

Leo stares into the infinite blackness of space, his entire body motionless, shoulders hunched forward.

I know him. I've been there for every heartache he's ever dealt with. As kids, he always looked to me for guidance, and that didn't change much as we both grew up. I know he still sees me as the wise older brother...and even though he's the leader of the Power Rangers, sometimes he needs someone else to show him the way.

To someone who doesn't know him, he probably seems like he wants solitude. He separated himself from his friends, shrouding himself in darkness and meditating on the cosmos.

But Leo Corbett never wants to be alone. He's terrified of true solitude. And that's part of the reason why he's so shaken by what happened.

I sit beside him on the couch. "You want to talk about it?"

Leo doesn't respond at first, his eyes staring out the window as if he could see something worth considering out there. Then, his lips slowly part from the solemn line, but his eyes never wavered from the canopy of the heavens.

"A few months ago, after you had disappeared...Kendrix was sitting where you are right now," he tells me, his voice cold and oddly detached. "Funny, isn't it?"

I'm so stunned by his tone my worry grows tenfold. Is my little brother in shock?

"She made me promise that I'd never give up...hope." His voice catches on the last word, and he falls silent again, sifting through whatever is storming through his mind. "She...helped me so much when you fell, Mike. She promised me everything would be okay...and when she said it, I...I believed her. She made me believe it...and she was right. We found you."

A sad grin crosses his face. "She was right. She was so smart...she knew just what to say. And now...she's gone

. She's gone Mike! Just like that!"

He snaps his fingers in illustration, the harsh sound stunning me. I watch his eyes widen feverishly, brow pinching as he finally looks at me.

"Where is she, Mike?" he mutters, his voice raw and pained. "M...maybe she's in another dimension somewhere? Like you were? Maybe there was a localized wormhole that sent her through time, or even across the galaxy?"

His voice is so broken and petulant, I suddenly feel like I've been transported fifteen years into the past, when our dog Hercules ran away from home. Leo looked at me with those same watery eyes, begging for reassurance that the world wasn't going to end.

He never learned how to deal with loss. Perhaps, it's because he never had

to. Hercules came back after a few days, thanks to a wary neighbor. And even I had resurfaced, after months of missing in action.

But it's not optimism that makes him refuse to accept loss. It's something far less comforting. It's denial, pure and simple.

He