Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers. What, you were expecting something witty?

Team Conflict
by Starhawk

"The preflight sequence is complete," DECA's steady monotone informed them. "All systems are operational. Power levels are at ninety-eight percent."

"We're ready to go," Andros said. He looked up from one of the auxiliary consoles, where he would monitor structural integrity as the Megaship climbed out of the atmosphere. "Take us out."

From Andros's place at the helm, Zhane announced, "Thrusters online."

Phantom wasn't sure what had made Andros ask Zhane to pilot the ship--Ashley was just as qualified, and she hadn't been in a coma for two years. But he had no say in the matter, so he stood by the auxiliary navigation console and watched the power curve on the thrusters climb as Zhane nudged the ship into liftoff.

"The port thruster is functioning within normal limits," he reported a moment later, and Cassie looked up from her place next to Zhane to smile at him.

The corner of his mouth lifted in answer. Her silent support made him feel a little better, and he glanced back down at the thruster indicators as their ascent continued. TJ and Carlos were still working on vectors for their test maneuvers, so there shouldn't have been anything there but the smooth power curve of recently activated thrusters. He watched anyway--

And frowned in alarm as the curve spiked suddenly. He opened his mouth to say something when he realized that the starboard thruster was behaving exactly the same way. Whatever the problem was, it wasn't only affecting the damaged thruster.

"Zhane!" Ashley exclaimed, startling him out of his concern. She sounded both indignant and amused. "We do have *standard* tests."

He looked up in time to see Zhane shrug. "What's the harm in a victory roll?" the Silver Ranger asked innocently.

"It could have put undue stress on the thrusters, that's what," Cassie said sharply, and he agreed whole-heartedly. Zhane didn't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Zhane turned toward her, and she blinked, shaking her head. "Sorry, Zhane. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Zhane," Andros interrupted. "Let's save the victory rolls for *after* we complete the tests, all right?"

Zhane waved cheerfully in his direction, not at all troubled by the reprimand. "You got it." Inclining his head toward Cassie, he added, "I'm sorry if I upset you."

She just laughed. "No, *I'm* sorry. I don't know what came over me." She flashed an apologetic smile in his direction, and Phantom felt his heart clench.

He hated the feeling of jealousy that consumed him when she looked at someone else like that. He would gladly do without the feeling, but it wasn't something he could control. *First TJ, now Zhane,* he thought, looking helplessly down at the console.

He tried to remind himself that she loved *him*… and in his heart, he believed that. She had told him so often enough, and he felt occasional flickers of the feeling through the empathic link they shared. But there was always some tiny shred of a reason that he should worry, and this time he couldn't help remembering her tears this morning.

He had known she was upset, but she wouldn't tell him why. Maybe he should have tried harder--maybe he shouldn't have let her "distract" him. But he could never think properly with her as close as she had been then…

"You should have the initial vectors now, Zhane," TJ said, looking up from the grid he and Carlos were using to plot the test maneuvers.

"They're here," the Silver Ranger confirmed, touching the thruster controls to initiate the tests. The nav comp talked to the thrusters, and the Megaship was put through its paces. Zhane leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.

Phantom looked at him for a moment, trying not to comment. But the other's attitude only annoyed him more the longer he watched, and at last he said, "I suggest that if something does go wrong with the thrusters, Zhane, you will be far more useful if you are actually paying attention."

He hadn't meant it to sound quite so rude, but Zhane turned in his chair almost as though he'd been expecting it. "You seemed confident enough earlier," Zhane pointed out. "Why the sudden doubt?"

"I do not doubt my repair work," Phantom retorted. "I merely feel that your attitude is inappropriate for someone who is piloting a battleship."

Zhane raised an eyebrow. "I don't see you working too hard over there. Shouldn't you be monitoring something?"

"My inattention will not cause the ship to crash," he replied darkly. "Yours might."

He was well aware that the others were exchanging glances, uncertain of what to do. He saw Andros, on the other side of the Bridge, turn away from the station he was standing in front of and regard the two of them with a confused and somewhat exasperated expression.

Zhane must have noticed too, for he chuckled suddenly. "We're not going to crash. Lighten up, Sa--Phantom."

He didn't miss the Silver Ranger's slip, and his eyes narrowed. That was no mistake. The other had deliberately started to say his real name and then stopped, using the title the Earth Rangers had given him only to mock him.

He had suspected it was only a matter of time before one or both of the Kerovan Rangers recognized him, but he hadn't anticipated the feeling of helplessness their discovery would cause. He felt as though he was sliding inevitably backwards, into the darkness from which the Shadow Ranger had come, and there was nothing he could do to prevent the crumbling of yet another life around him.

"Zhane," Cassie snapped, and her voice lightened the encroaching shadows a little. "He's right; we *will* crash if you don't pay attention. Turn around."

Her tone brooked no argument, and Zhane turned around, shooting her a startled look as he did so. But it was Andros who started to speak, only to be cut off by Carlos's announcement, "We've completed the test maneuvers."

"If anyone cares," TJ added under his breath.

Phantom turned back to his console, closing his eyes. He could see, suddenly, the rift that threatened to form in this team, a team that had once been as inseparable as his own. His first friends had been torn from him through his own failing, and he couldn't watch the Astro Rangers divide because of him as well.

"I'm taking us into the upper atmosphere," Zhane's voice said, after a moment of quiet.

"No problems so far," Andros reported.

Opening his eyes, he studied the station in front of him. It allowed him to watch the Megaship's progress as it climbed higher, leaving the desert planet behind. Finally, they were beyond the stratosphere and heading slowly into deeper space. If there were any problems with the hull patches, they would show up now.

"Structural integrity is at ninety-five percent of optimum," Andros announced, and Ashley clapped once. Phantom could imagine the Red Ranger smiling over at her, but he did not turn around.

"Set a course for Earth," Andros said, and his voice was indeed smiling. They two were possibly the only untroubled ones on the Bridge. "Hyperush nine."

***

"You can't be serious," Zhane said, pacing down the corridor of deck six. "How could Zordon possibly have known that the Earth Rangers would leave their home planet--and in a shuttle that just happened to be compatible with Kerovan technology?"

Andros shrugged. Taking Zhane to get acquainted with the Megazord shuttle had simply been a way to get him away from Phantom. He couldn't understand why the two were so at odds with each other, but it was starting to affect the rest of the team as well.

"From what you've said," Zhane persisted, "he'd have to have known the Earth Rangers would lose their powers. He'd have to have had the specs for both the shuttle they took *and* the Megaship. And somehow he'd have to have gotten the plans for the Megazord back to Earth before the Earth Rangers left."

"That was probably the easiest part," Andros interjected, realizing Zhane wasn't going to let the subject drop. The hangar bay doors opened as they approached, and they entered the chamber that held both the shuttle and Phantom's fighter in drydock. "The Earth Rangers worked with another interdimensional being after Zordon--all he would have had to do would be to send them to her, and she could have kept them safe until they were needed."

He looked back as Zhane stopped, looking around the bay curiously. "That's a starfighter," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Phantom's ship," Andros explained. "The shuttle's on the other side of the bay, in the launching booth. It's kept ready for automatic launch all the time, so the Megazord sequence can be activated without any of us having to be on the shuttle."

Zhane raised an eyebrow as he followed Andros over to the launching booth. "Can it fight like that?"

"Not really. Alpha can control it, to a certain extent, but mostly it's just to save us time." He pressed his morpher against the access panel outside the booth, and a door slid open to allow them in.

They had to climb through the staging to reach the shuttle's airlock. Normally, the Rangers teleported in, but NASADA had originally intended the shuttle for use by Earth's space program, and as such it had a single manual entrance.

Pausing on the metallic landing outside the airlock, Andros slapped the access panel and turned back to offer Zhane a hand. The Silver Ranger grabbed it with his right hand and took hold of the railing with the other, hauling himself up.

The airlock slid open without fuss, since the pressure on both sides was nearly equal already, and they both stepped inside. They had to wait for the outer door to close before the inner one would open, and Zhane fidgeted through the few seconds that took.

Andros shot him a sympathetic look as they stepped out into the shuttle's main living area. "The claustrophobia hasn't gotten any better, has it."

Zhane let out his breath in a sigh. "You thought two years in stasis would help?" he asked wryly.

Concerned, Andros assured him, "We don't have to stay--I just thought you'd want to see what it looks like."

"No, I'm fine," his friend answered, taking another deep breath. "This isn't nearly as bad as the airlock." He studied the room, then added, "On the other hand, I can't imagine spending days at a time in here."

Andros smiled. "I couldn't either, believe me. But they were only on board for a few hours before DECA picked them up."

Zhane gave him a look, and he knew what the other was thinking. If DECA *hadn't* picked them up, they could have been on this shuttle indefinitely--a prospect that Zhane would abhor. Andros couldn't blame him, especially knowing that the other Ranger had been trapped in a collapsed building for hours after Dark Spectre's initial assault on KO-35.

"How nice," Zhane said, straight-faced, and Andros couldn't help grinning.

"Wait till you see the cockpit."

Zhane did follow him into the cockpit, and he nodded while Andros pointed out the modifications the Rangers had made to it. He watched while Andros explained the stations they had set up, and the routing of controls. But he said less and less the longer they were in there, and Andros could see his discomfort growing.

He knew his friend wouldn't say anything until it got unbearable, so he finished quickly and ushered Zhane back out into the main room. "You did a lot of that work yourself," Zhane said after a moment, and only someone who knew him well would notice the deliberate way he was speaking to cover his nervousness. "From what you said before, I thought Zordon's plans integrated the two systems automatically."

The hiss of the airlock's hydraulics made Zhane jump, and Andros frowned. He hadn't realized the other was so tense--he should have suggested they leave long before this.

He glanced over at the airlock, and a smile temporarily took the place of his frown as Ashley stepped through. "Hey, guys," she said cheerfully.

For some reason, she had changed out of her uniform, and he couldn't help noticing that her yellow print sleeveless tee was *very* sleeveless. Two ribbons crossed each shoulder and tied at the top, but other than that her neck and shoulders were bare.

*Andros,* Zhane thought at him, and his tone was distinctly amused, *you're staring.*

Andros blinked and glanced away, embarrassed. He heard Zhane greet Ashley, giving his friend time to compose himself. "Hi Ashley," he managed at last, giving her a reasonably normal smile.

She wasn't fooled. "Did I interrupt something?" Ashley asked, concerned. "I can leave--"

"No," Andros hurried to assure her. "I just finished explaining the shuttle controls to Zhane. You're not interrupting at all."

"And even if you were," Zhane added with his usual flair, "we would take the beauty of your presence over our conversation any time."

Andros tried not to roll his eyes, but Ashley only laughed. "Personally, I'd rather *not* interrupt your conversation." She leaned toward Zhane and said in a stage whisper, "I love the sound of Andros's voice."

She was looking at him as she said it, and he shifted a little uncomfortably. Zhane grinned, though, and Andros wondered if it was a good thing that he had been right about how well they'd get along. He suspected their friendship would involve teasing him at every opportunity.

Ashley saw his chagrinned expression and came over to take his arm. "Andros, I'm just kidding," she said, smiling at him fondly.

He felt his heart melt at that smile, and he couldn't help but return it. "I know," he told her, patting her hand. "I was just thinking that with both of you around, I'm going to get twice as much teasing as I used to."

Ashley giggled. "That's because we like to see you smile."

This time, Zhane laughed. "See, I could never say something like that and get away with it. But coming from you, it's cute." He put an arm around Andros's shoulders and winked at her. "I think we're going to get along very well."

She stretched out her free hand and clasped his, and for the briefest instant, the three of them stood there, together and completely at peace.

Then Ashley pulled away, taking a step toward the airlock. "I have to get back up to the Bridge, but you can always come up if you want. I just came down to let you know that Cassie and Carlos took Phantom on an official tour of the Megaship."

"Ah," Zhane said, squeezing Andros's shoulder and then letting go as well. "Phantom's gone, so it's safe for me to go back to the Bridge, huh?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say that," Ashley answered wryly, catching his eye. "But yes. That's what I meant."

Andros glanced at his friend, wondering what he would say to her admission. He still didn't understand Zhane's reaction to their ally, and he couldn't predict how the other would respond.

Zhane just smiled. "Well, let's go then. I'm ready to get off this shuttle--no offense."

"None taken," Ashley said with a wry grin. "It's not the most exciting place," she added, misinterpreting his remark. But Zhane didn't correct her, and Andros said nothing, knowing the other preferred not to talk about his reaction to small spaces.

They all went through the airlock together with a little room left over, since it had been made for three people wearing space suits. At least, there seemed to be extra room to Andros--one look at Zhane told him that his friend did not share that opinion. But the Silver Ranger managed to hold still this time, and if he was a little too eager to get through the outer door on their way out, Ashley didn't seem to notice.

Andros gestured to her, and she stepped out next. He followed, hitting the access panel and hearing the door slide shut behind him. Zhane was standing by the railing, making no attempt to climb down, and Andros went first to give his friend time to collect himself.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he looked up, and to his relief he saw Zhane climbing down the lower ladder of the staging. Ashley was waiting at the cross-section just above him, and as Zhane stepped off the ladder, she grabbed a nearby support and swung out into the air.

Watching her, Andros's stomach lurched. Her feet found the ladder a moment later, and she let go of her previous handhold to hang on to the sides of the ladder as she climbed down. But her unorthodox maneuver was as frightening as it was graceful, no matter how many times he reminded himself that she had the increased strength and reflexes of a Ranger.

*You're staring again,* Zhane said, standing at his side.

Andros tore his eyes away from Ashley's lithe body and glared at his friend. Zhane just shrugged, a smile playing about his lips.

"All right," Ashley said, dropping to the ground beside them. "Let's go."

TJ was the only one on the Bridge when they arrived, and he looked up from the pilot's station as they entered. "Hey," he greeted them. "One half of the warring faction has arrived."

Andros sighed. "Let's try not to think of it as a war, all right?"

He saw Ashley and TJ exchange glances. "Look," Ashley said at last. "We can't keep this up. It's a big ship, but it's not that big. Eventually, you guys will have to be in the same room with each other for more than a few minutes at a time."

Zhane gave her a blank look. "Me?"

"Yes, you," she said firmly, not at all deceived by his careful innocence. "What's up with you and Phantom? Did you two know each other before this?"

"You could say that," Zhane muttered, and Andros shot him a warning glance.

*What?* Zhane asked silently. *You didn't tell her?*

Andros shook his head, and Ashley noticed immediately. "What is it? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Andros denied, even as Zhane shot him an incredulous look.

"Andros," he said aloud. "If you don't tell them, I will. He's practically a part of your team--they deserve to know."

Andros stared at him in surprise. It obviously meant a lot to Zhane that the others know of Phantom's identity, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. *Why are you doing this?* he asked, and Zhane returned his glance with a surprised look of his own.

*Andros, information about the Elisian team is publicly available. All any of them have to do is search galactic databanks for an image correlation, and they could find out who he is.*

Andros had to admit the truth of that. But the fact that Phantom had not volunteered the information himself made him pause. There must be some reason that he insisted on going by "Phantom" rather than his real name, and Andros could not bring himself to override his wishes.

"You tell them, then," he said quietly, taking a step back. "It's not my place."

Zhane hesitated. *If it means that much to you…*

Andros shook his head. *No, you're right. When he demorphed, he must have known that any of us could find out who he is. He made his decision, and he's never mentioned it one way or another--so I guess there's no real reason you *shouldn't* tell them.*

TJ had come forward to stand just behind the second row of stations, his arms folded across his chest. "Look, Zhane was right when he said Phantom is practically a part of our team. Whatever you two know about him can't possibly be enough to change that."

Zhane shrugged noncommittally, and Andros saw Ashley glance uncertainly at him. *Andros?* she asked hesitantly. *What's going on?*

"Zhane, just tell them," Andros said with a sigh. "It's nothing bad," he told the others, then winced. "Well, it is, but it's no reflection on him. I think he just--can't talk about it."

"His teammates were killed," Zhane said bluntly. "About three years ago, Dark Spectre launched an assault on the League's frontier, and Elisia--his home planet--was one of the first to be attacked. Everyone thought the entire Elisian Ranger team died in the onslaught."

Andros saw Ashley's eyes widen, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"A few months later, though," Zhane continued, "the Shadow Ranger turned up. He got involved in League politics awfully quickly for someone who wasn't supposed to know anybody, and he was the driving force behind the creation of a defensive force that formed soon after to protect the frontier."

"Phantom is the Shadow Ranger," TJ surmised, no expression on his face.

Andros nodded. "He was known as the Shadow Ranger for several years, actually. It was only after his time on Earth that he started going by 'Phantom'."

Ashley looked a little sheepish. "We didn't know he had another name."

"How did he survive, when the rest of his team didn't?" TJ asked suddenly.

Zhane leaned forward, giving the sudden impression of pouncing. "That's what *I* want to know. Psych profiles of Ranger teams show that the leader of a team is the least likely to live through an assault that threatens the entire team--so how *did* he survive?"

Andros stared at him in shock. "Zhane, you can't be suggesting…" He couldn't even finish the sentence.

Zhane just shrugged again. "He went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one knew who he was afterwards. All I want to know is how he lived when none of the others did--and why he won't talk about it."

"He lived," Phantom's voice said quietly from the door, "because the woman he loved gave her own life to save his."

Andros started, straightening up from where he'd been leaning against one of the auxiliary consoles. He saw Ashley and TJ look up guiltily as well to see Phantom standing in the doorway.

He stepped onto the Bridge, and Carlos and Cassie silently walked in behind him. Carlos went unobtrusively to check the structural integrity readout, but Cassie stayed beside him as he regarded the other Rangers with a carefully controlled expression. "He was gravely injured when he let anger over his best friend's death consume him, and knew nothing more until he woke up days later in a trauma ward on Eltare."

No one spoke, not daring to interrupt. Carlos turned away from the readout to listen as Phantom continued. "He was told the four people he loved most in the universe were gone forever, and that he himself had almost joined them several times in the past few days. He was told that the girl he had loved for years had sacrificed herself to keep him from being killed while he lay unconscious, and that he would still be weeks in recovering."

He paused, and Ashley took a step forward. "Phantom," she said, her voice soft and sympathetic, and he turned his head to look at her.

"My name is Saryn," he told her, with quiet dignity. "I was the Red Ranger of Elisia for two years."

Andros caught his eye, nodding to him in silent respect, and Saryn returned the gesture gravely. Zhane, however, was not content to let things rest. "So why did you hide who you were? Why let everyone think you had died?"

He turned his gaze on Zhane. "Because it was easier," he said steadily. "I had lost everything I ever cared about, and I couldn't continue to be the person I was before without the people who *made* me that person."

There was a sudden movement beside him, and he glanced over at Cassie. Andros, following his gaze, was startled to see tears in her eyes. Saryn did not seem surprised, however.

He just sighed, and reached out to gently stroke her face. "I am truly sorry, Cassie," he murmured. "I do not know how to keep you from feeling this."

She shook her head a little, forcing a smile. "It's not your fault. I don't know why I can't block it out…"

A single tear slid down her cheek, and his hand dropped to her shoulder and pulled her into a wordless embrace. She leaned against him, and Andros shot a covert glance around the Bridge. The others looked as puzzled as he felt--except for TJ, who still seemed more pensive than anything else.

"Did I miss something?" Ashley asked hesitantly, catching his eye before looking back at the two by the door. "Are you--okay, Cassie?"

Cassie nodded, not pulling away from Saryn's embrace. "I'm fine," she murmured, her voice only a little muffled.

Saryn sighed again. "No, she is not. She is feeling what I am feeling, and she is not as used to dealing with it."

He stroked her hair gently, not looking at the others. "It happens, sometimes, that two of my people will bond empathically. That has happened between Cassie and I, and I fear she is more sensitive to it than I."

Carlos muttered something to himself, but on the quiet Bridge, it carried clearly to everyone. "Is this whole team psychic?"

Cassie, still pressed up against Saryn's chest, giggled a little, and Andros saw Ashley smile. TJ laughed aloud, and Carlos looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry," he offered. "I didn't mean that to be so loud."

Andros smiled a little, glancing inadvertently at Zhane.

The Silver Ranger was staring at Cassie as though he'd never seen her before. *Zhane?* Andros asked, not wanting to draw attention to his friend by saying anything out loud.

*She's--* Zhane's thought dissolved into incoherence, and Andros waited for him to figure out what he meant. *She's feeling everything he's feeling?* the other asked at last.

Andros had to keep himself from shrugging. *That's what empathy is. I don't know why it's affecting her, since she's not Elisian, but… I do know I've never seen Cassie cry before.*

"All right," TJ demanded, glancing over at them, "anyone here who can read a mind *other* than their own, raise your hand."

Andros glanced over at Ashley, and found her watching him as well. "Are we that obvious?" he asked, trying not to show his embarrassment.

She laughed. "TJ's just annoyed because he can't do it," she said, shooting an amused look in the Blue Ranger's direction.

"I don't know about you," TJ answered with a grin that said he was kidding, "but I'm starting to feel distinctly left out."

Ashley laughed again, but before she could answer, Zhane said quietly, "I was just realizing how little I know about you guys." Looking over at Saryn and Cassie, he added, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

Andros couldn't tell whether he was apologizing for his implied accusation, or simply for causing Cassie distress. Saryn gave Zhane a measured look and answered neutrally, "You know now. I would prefer not to discuss it any further."

Zhane blinked, and Andros couldn't help thinking he was about to say something to aggravate the situation. Before he could intervene, though, Carlos spoke up.

"I don't mean to press the issue," he said, and Cassie finally lifted her head, trying to inconspicuously rub her eyes. "But--what should we call you, now?"

Saryn let Cassie step away, but Andros noticed that he kept one hand possessively on her shoulder. "Cassie calls me Saryn," he said quietly, "and I find that I like hearing it again, after all these years. But Phantom is my name now almost as much as Saryn was then, and I do not mind if you wish to continue using it."

*He didn't answer the question,* Andros noticed, just as DECA interrupted, "Ten minutes to the edge of the Sol system."

"Thanks, DECA," Ashley answered automatically, glancing down at the console beside her.

Andros went over to stand beside her, and he heard Cassie ask quietly, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Saryn nod and follow her out into the hallway. Then Ashley touched his arm to get his attention, and he looked back at the navigation panel in front of them.

"There's a NASADA probe out here that DECA didn't pick up last time," she pointed out, and he nodded.

"Alter course to avoid its sensor range," he told her, watching her make the appropriate corrections. "We don't want to interrupt their readings."

"Or screw up their navigation system, like last time," Carlos added wryly.

Andros just looked at him. "If your Earth probes were not so sensitive, the Megaship's presence would not have affected it."

"Hey," TJ protested. "NASADA built those probes with no League intervention--you have to admit they did a pretty good job to design them from scratch."

"Guys, guys," Ashley broke in, a smile in her voice. "In a few minutes we'll be home, and we can all have some time apart. I know you're just kidding, but no more fighting until we get there, okay?"

There was quiet for a moment. Then TJ remarked, "Oh yeah, I can't wait to get home and go to trig class…"

Carlos snickered at his sarcasm. "What, you're not looking forward to the exam?"

"I'm looking forward to Saturday night," TJ said fervently, "when it will all be over."

"At least for a week and a half," Ashley put in, and TJ grimaced at her.

"Thanks for reminding me, Ash."

Caught up in the realization that school would start for the Earth Rangers in less than two weeks, Andros didn't catch her retort. They would be back in classes, worrying over things he didn't even understand… and Ashley would be taken away from him again.

*We can say "later" for the rest of our lives,* he thought suddenly. *"We'll have time later", and "I'll make it up to you then"--but the truth is, there will always be something else to do, something else getting in the way. Zhane was right,* he realized, glancing over at his friend. *All we can do is make the most of the time we have right now.*

"Ashley," he said suddenly, and she looked away from the others. He tilted his head a little, silently asking her to step back with him. She did, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Zhane move to join TJ and Carlos on the other side of the Bridge, giving them the semblance of privacy.

"What's up?" she asked curiously.

He took a deep breath. *Why is this so hard?* he demanded of himself. She had already said yes; it was only up to him to make things more solid.

"You said you'd go out with me," he said, a little nervously. Her sudden smile made him feel better, and she nodded immediately. "But we never said when--and I was wondering… do you want to do something tonight?"

"I'd *love* to," she said, still smiling at him. "Want to get dinner first? Maybe at six?"

He felt an answering smile creeping across his own face. "That would be great."

Then Carlos's voice, quieter than usual but still easily audible on their side of the Bridge, asked, "Zhane, take a look at this and tell me if it's a bad thing."

Tearing his eyes away from Ashley's, Andros frowned across the Bridge. "What's wrong?"

Carlos stepped aside to let Zhane see whatever he'd been looking at. "Structural integrity is down two percent since takeoff," the Silver Ranger reported.

"And the problem seems to be concentrated around the hangar bay," TJ added, looking over his shoulder. "I wonder if the patch we put on it isn't holding up as well as it should."

Andros joined them so he could see for himself, but the readout told him nothing that they hadn't. He sighed. "We'll have to take a look at it once we get to Earth. Tomorrow," he added, feeling Ashley's sudden presence at his shoulder. A two percent decrease wasn't serious enough that it couldn't wait, and he wanted to be selfish for once.

"We're entering the Sol system," DECA announced. After a pause, she added, "We are receiving NASADA's recognition signal."

"Send it back," Andros replied automatically. Obviously, the Megaship didn't *need* NASADA's permission to enter the Sol system, but superior technology didn't give them the right to trespass where they weren't welcome. NASADA, of course, never failed to welcome them, and it was simple courtesy to return the gesture.

"NASADA has received our transmission," DECA answered, and Andros nodded.

Saryn and Cassie rejoined them on the Bridge as the Megaship came out of hyperspace, coasting past the Kuiper belt and on into Earth's solar system. Two of the gas giants slid by to the ship's starboard side, and moments later the second asteroid belt had flashed past and the thrusters were firing in reverse. Dumping the rest of its extrasolar velocity as the Megaship entered Mars' orbit, Earth became a visible point of light on the forward screen.

"So that's Earth, huh?" Zhane asked, as the light grew into a blue-green marble covered with swirling clouds.

"That's Earth," Ashley confirmed happily.

Andros shot his friend a warning look. It wasn't very polite to make disparaging remarks about someone's home planet, and though he didn't think Zhane would be that insensitive, he couldn't honestly put it past the Silver Ranger. Especially not after the other's confrontation with Saryn.

Zhane returned the look with an "oh please" glance. "It's beautiful," he said, and was rewarded with Ashley's smile.

"It's even more beautiful from the surface," TJ said with a grin. "And I, for one, can't wait to get back."

"Incoming video transmission from the Aquitian Rangers," DECA interjected.

"Open a link," Andros said, and there was a muted flash from somewhere behind him. He tensed, even as his brain recognized the brief glow as that produced when morphing energy excited local electrons.

He wasn't the only one to turn around. Every Ranger on the Bridge glanced over their shoulder at the flare--to see the Phantom Ranger morphed at Cassie's side.

*Of course,* Andros thought, turning back to the screen as the Aquitians' swirl logo disappeared. *He didn't build a new life for the Phantom just to reclaim his identity as Saryn the moment someone challenged him.* But it was still a little disconcerting to try and reconcile the two "different" people into one.

Justin's face replaced the logo, and Andros blinked. "Welcome home, guys," the former Blue Turbo Ranger said cheerfully, grinning at them.

"Justin!" Ashley exclaimed. She sounded delighted, and Andros smiled inadvertently. "What are you doing there?"

"We're just having a little reunion," he answered smugly, and pushed something on the console in front of him. The camera panned backward, to reveal what Andros assumed was the interior of the Aquitians' seaship.

Three people he didn't recognize stood behind Justin, and the Blue Aquitian Ranger was at his side. A blonde-haired girl put her hand on Justin's shoulder, and a youth with longer hair than Andros's clapped the Blue Aquitian Ranger on the back. "Billy here told us he was in the neighborhood, and we had to come and say hello."

"Tommy!" TJ exclaimed, and Carlos laughed.

"I knew you guys wouldn't be able to resist checking up on us," the Black Astro Ranger teased.

"This is so great!" Ashley took Andros's hand and grinned happily at the screen. "You all have to meet Andros, and Zhane--do you have time to hang around this afternoon?"

The blonde girl smiled and exchanged glances with the others. "I think we could find the time. I can't wait to hear how you're doing."

"We want to hear about you, too," Cassie said, stepping a little forward with a smile in her voice. "It's been a long time."

"Man, you can say that again," the boy on Justin's other side agreed. "I haven't even *met* you guys, but Justin's told me some--interesting stories."

"Justin…" TJ and Ashley exclaimed at the same time, and the former Blue Ranger grinned.

"Nothing but good stuff, honest," he said, looking earnestly at the screen. "Well, except for that time--"

His voice was suddenly muffled as the blonde girl clapped a hand over his mouth and smiled sweetly at them. "He can tell you about that later," she said, and Andros saw Ashley exchanging glances with the former Turbo Rangers out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, I think the Aquitian Rangers would like to talk to you before they leave," the longhaired boy told them, and the Blue Aquitian Ranger smiled at him.

Justin stepped out of the way, and Cetaci came forward to stand in front of the camera. "We welcome you home as well, Astro Rangers," she said, tilting her head to the side and pressing her fingertips and thumbs together.

Andros automatically mimicked the gesture. "Thank you," he said, conscious of Zhane watching him. The Silver Ranger had always teased him about the way he imitated other culture's rituals without realizing it. It could be extremely useful in diplomatic situations, but it really wasn't necessary when dealing with people he knew.

"We were successful in freeing Zordon," he said, hearing his words fall into Aquitian phrasing and trying to stop it.

Cetaci nodded before he could continue. "So we heard from Aquitar. Zordon of Eltare arrived on our planet almost two of your days ago."

"We thought that was where he would go," Andros agreed, looking over his shoulder at Phantom. "Unfortunately, we were too busy the last couple days to find out."

"I understand," Cetaci said, a slight smile on her face. "We have been busy here as well--and we have news that you should hear, as well as something that I believe you, Andros, will wish to have."

Andros frowned. "Why? What's happened?"

"We captured Astronema," Cetaci replied calmly.

Focused on the golden circle that glimmered in her hand as she lifted it high enough for them to see, Andros was oblivious to the exclamations of shock around him. He heard a rushing in his ears as his world narrowed to that tiny glittering disk, and the White Aquitian Ranger's voice seemed to come to him from somewhere far away. "She escaped several hours later--but she left this behind."

He raised his hand, disbelieving, to touch the chain that had hung around his neck ever since he was a small child. On it hung a gold disk--a locket, identical in every way to the one Cetaci now held.