The lights were loud and the music was louder, but conversation still swirled around him in more languages than he could identify. This part of KaliKay's might be designed to mimic Earth, but it was clearly frequented by more than just humans. Aliens surrounded him. Somehow, though, that made the Earth-human population stand out even more, and it made him wonder why exactly this place existed.

Not KaliKay's itself, of course. Almost every country on Earth had some version of a bar or dance club, and it looked like there were variations not only in other solar systems but other galaxies as well. But why recreate a club from a planet that barely even had spaceflight? What market was KaliKay's catering to with this particular environment?

There were two obvious options, he had decided earlier. One, Earth had a fan following that it didn't know about. Maybe some of those UFO stories weren't so far-fetched after all. Or two, the Power Rangers weren't the only human beings to find themselves habitually offplanet on Friday nights.

He wasn't sure how he felt about either possibility. On the other hand, *he* was here. And when it came down to it, it wasn't such a bad way to spend the day after Thanksgiving.

He wondered idly what his parents would say when they found out that their daughter had been home for the first time since school started--and they had missed her. In point of fact, everyone had missed her. She had been on the planet for less than three hours.

Jeff had still been asleep when Kerone showed up on his doorstop just before noon, and true to form, she hadn't let a little thing like that stop her. He would have been disappointed if she had, but the courtesies she observed when she clearly didn't have to amused him. When knocking hadn't worked, Kerone had broken in without any show of remorse and cranked up the stereo to get him out of bed.

Dragging himself down the stairs to see which of his roommates had cut their vacation short, it had taken him several minutes to comprehend what he was seeing. Kerone had been sprawled over the end of the couch, playing with Val's TV remote, while his sister rooted through the kitchen cupboards. She hadn't even turned around when he managed to stammer out a greeting, evidently preferring her hunt for coffee mugs to his surprise.

They had been gone for months, and then they just showed up in his living room as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. He shook his head, watching the dancers out on the floor and between the tables disperse as the set came to its inevitable end. It wasn't Amanda singing this time, but the words were still in English and he felt as though he ought to recognize the music from somewhere.

He could still see Kerone, sitting over at one of the tables by the window with someone who had introduced himself as "Jenkarta". Ashley, however, was nowhere to be found, and he scanned the bar again. She wouldn't have taken off on her own, would she?

Yes, he decided, remembering her mood at the apartment earlier. Apparently the girls had tried to track down both their former teammates before coming to him, but TJ and Carlos were elsewhere for the holiday. When he had finally gotten Ashley's attention away from the coffee, which he hadn't known she drank, she had barely said "hello" before she was crying in his arms.

He was about to stand up and go hunt for her when he saw the flash of yellow on the other side of the room. Kerone was dressed in black leather, which unfortunately made it almost impossible not to stare, his sister's friend or no. But Ashley was still wearing bright yellow, albeit an outfit he'd never seen before. After hearing the bare essentials of their "quest", he could only assume they were clothes she had kept on the Megaship.

She was dancing, which he could have ignored, despite the fact that it was with a stranger. She was also slow-dancing, which was much more questionable, and on top of that she was slow-dancing without music. That set off every Big Brother Alert he had.

On the other hand, her partner wore a green vest with a star pattern that looked vaguely familiar. Sure enough, when he glanced over at Kerone again, he saw the same five-pointed insignia on Jenkarta's red vest. It was enough to identify them both as Rangers, even to the untrained eye, and that made Jeff hesitate.

"She's pretty far gone," said a voice to his right. "Unusual for a Ranger. Rough day?"

Jeff swung around in surprise. The voice came from a raven-haired woman leaning against the bar, blocking the seat beside him but not actually occupying it. She seemed to be speaking to him--in fact, she was giving him a politely expectant look that said she expected some sort of reply.

"Excuse me?" It was the only thing he could think of to say, considering he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Your friend." The woman nodded in the direction he had been staring, apparently referring to Ashley, though he had no idea how she had known they were together. "She's beyond drunk, you know. Most people will make allowances for a Ranger, but if she gets in someone's face you're going to have to get her out of here fast."

Alarmed, Jeff glanced back toward his sister. She seemed perfectly content to lean against her partner, her head on his shoulder as she ignored everything around her. Sure, it wasn't something he would have expected from her normally, but she had just broken up with her boyfriend after losing three months of her life. He thought she was entitled to a couple of beers.

"She's not really drunk, is she?" He turned a frown on the woman beside him. "I've been watching her since we got here, and she hasn't had that much. It's not like she's out of control or anything."

The woman gave him an odd look. "Do you know *what* she's been drinking?"

"Well..." He was forced to admit that he didn't. "No, I guess not."

The woman shook her head. "Let's just say that if I had to be on duty any time in the next rotation, I wouldn't even have one of those things. Targa's watching out for her right now, but if I were you I wouldn't let her out of my sight."

Belatedly, he realized there was a five-pointed star on the left side of her yellow vest. "Thank you," he said, wondering if he ought to go over and rescue the other Ranger right now. "Targa's your teammate? It's nice of you to look out for her like that."

"It's not exactly a chore for him," the woman pointed out, a smile curving her lips. "But she's obviously vulnerable right now, and Rangers watch each other's backs." She settled onto the seat next to him at last, holding out her hand. "I'm Natani, out of Eltare."

He took her hand out of reflex, not stopping to wonder how she knew to shake hands. "Jeff Hammond," he told her. "From Earth. But maybe you knew that."

She smiled again at his sudden wariness, shaking her head. "No. I've heard of Ashley and Kerone, though I have yet to meet either of them in person. But I don't think I've ever seen you here before."

Was that a pickup line, he wondered? "Probably because I'm not here very much," he offered, smiling in return. In fact, he had only been to KaliKay's twice in his life, but there was no reason to tell her that. "Ashley's having kind of a bad night, so Kerone and I brought her here to relax."

"You certainly succeeded in that," Natani remarked. "Are you her teammates, then?"

He was both flattered that she would think so and disappointed that he had to correct her. "Kerone is," he admitted. "I'm not a Ranger, but Ashley's my sister."

"I see." The woman looked past him once more, and he couldn't help following her gaze. "You're considerably more tolerant than I would be, in that case."

The Green Eltaran Ranger was leading Ashley toward the door, her head still on his shoulder and his arm around her waist. Jeff was on his feet before he thought, ready to intercept them before they could get past the bar. "Not that tolerant," he said over his shoulder.

To his surprise, Natani was right behind him as he made his way through the crowd. Whether she meant to intercede on his behalf or that of her teammate's, he didn't know, and as it turned out he didn't get to find out. As he caught up with Ashley, Kerone seemed to appear out of thin air at his side.

"Andros said she doesn't drink," the sorceress remarked, sounding puzzled.

"Living up to Andros' expectations probably isn't high on her priority list right now," Jeff told her. Only when she gave him a surprised look did he realize that her comment hadn't been directed at him.

Jenkarta was with her, scanning the crowd around them while Natani said something to the Ranger supporting Ashley. He gave her over to Jeff and Kerone without protest, flashing each of them a carefully apologetic look. Interestingly, his teammate moved to stand beside him, while their leader continued to watch the room.

"I meant no disrespect," the man Natani had called "Targa" offered. "I knew you must be watching out for her, but when she said she wished to leave, I could not get your attention without offending her."

Ashley seemed past offending to Jeff, but he didn't say so. His sister draped herself over him with no complaint or even acknowledgement that her partner had changed. He couldn't tell if she was sleepy or unaware or maybe both, but Kerone had a steadying hand on her other elbow and it was probably a good thing.

"Thank you for taking care of her," she was telling Targa. "I shouldn't have left her alone so long."

"Sometimes strangers sympathize better than friends," he replied cryptically. "It was no burden, I assure you."

He and Natani both offered apparently sincere wishes for Ashley's recovery, but Jenkarta's farewell was distracted at best. The Red Eltaran Ranger seemed to barely notice their departure. It wasn't until they were back aboard the Megaship--in the medical bay, since Ashley was by now completely unresponsive--that the obvious question occurred to Jeff.

"What were they doing there?" he wanted to know, watching Kerone hold a medscanner over his sister's prone form. She shot him an odd look, and he added, "That room in particular, I mean, not KaliKay's in general."

She shrugged, doing something to the medscanner. "Eltarans like Earth. I don't really know why."

"Hey," he objected.

"I didn't mean it that way," she said calmly, not looking up. "I have nothing against Earth. I just don't know what specific reason the Eltarans have for liking it so much. If there is one."

Kerone tossed the medscanner down before he could answer and added, "She's out, and she's drugged enough that even with an antidote she won't wake up for hours. I honestly don't know if she wants that or not."

Jeff stiffened. "Antidote? What was she drinking down there?"

"I don't know," Kerone said, shaking her head. "I don't drink. I wouldn't know one thing from another. But apparently whatever it was wasn't alcoholic, at least by your standards. There was something else in it."

"Something dangerous?" Jeff persisted. "Did she know what she was doing, or did she just get lucky?"

Kerone sighed, though whether her impatience was directed at him or his sister he couldn't tell. "I don't know," she repeated. "DECA can get most of it out of her system, if you think that's what she'd want. But whatever's already been absorbed is going to keep her unconscious for a while."

"It's what I want," he said firmly. "If she wants to forget, there are better ways to do it."

Kerone hesitated. "I agree," she said at last. "But--"

"She wasn't thinking," Jeff reminded her. "Just do it. She can blame me later, and I'll tell her I bullied you into it."

To her credit, Kerone didn't laugh. But she did smile, just enough that he knew she found the thought of being bullied amusing. He watched as she administered DECA's "antidote", and he wondered if Ashley would wake up with a hangover.

Serve her right, he thought, but he felt a twinge of sympathy. He'd been dumped once or twice himself, and he hadn't taken it much better. He supposed she wouldn't thank him for reminding Andros that the girl he had dumped was someone's little sister... but the idea was tempting.

"So, the Kerovan team," Jeff said aloud, reminding himself that the two of them were still teammates. Anything he did to Andros would only make things more awkward than they already were. "Are you the Black Ranger, or what?"

Kerone gave him a wide-eyed look, and he nodded pointedly at her outfit. She did laugh, then, but it was a friendly sound instead of a derisive one. "No," she said, sinking down onto the edge of the patient bed. "But I refuse to wear purple for the rest of my life, just because I happen to have a morpher."

"Don't Rangers wear their colors for a reason?" He tried to picture her in purple leather, and he wondered if she might be the one person in the universe that could pull it off. "Ashley's complained about it before. She says she feels terrible if she doesn't wear yellow."

Kerone shrugged. "It hasn't bothered me yet."

"Have you morphed yet?" Jeff wanted to know. "Ashley says it's worse right after a fight."

She frowned at that. "No," she said slowly. "I haven't. I didn't think of that."

She glanced down at something that was suddenly in her hand, and Jeff blinked. She hadn't been holding anything a moment ago, he was sure of that. And she certainly hadn't been holding a violet-tinted replica of Zhane's digimorpher.

Kerone flipped it open and punched in a code before he even realized what she was doing. Unfamiliar numbers ghosted from the digimorpher in holographic gold, mimicking the old astromorphers, and the whir of confirmation vibrated through the room. There was a bright flash of light--

And Kerone sat before him, still clad in her bar clothes and wearing a bemused expression. "That's strange," she said, staring at her digimorpher. "Maybe I'm not doing it right."

"You duplicated Zhane's code precisely," DECA offered unexpectedly. "Your Power signature, however, is weaker than that of any other Ranger I have observed."

"What does that mean?" Kerone demanded. "I have the Power, but I can't use it?"

"Did you have prior knowledge of Zhane's code?" DECA countered.

Kerone looked taken aback. "No. I never asked."

"Then clearly you are drawing on the Power in some way. Involuntary knowledge of Ranger procedure, ability, and zord operation are granted to all those who hold the Power." DECA's camera light flickered. "Why you did not morph, however, is a question I can't answer."

This time, Kerone triggered her morpher and thrust her right hand out. "Let's Rocket!"

The characteristic sound-and-light show repeated itself, but nothing else happened. "Well," Kerone said, shaking her head. "At least I won't have to worry about color withdrawal."

"What about the others?" Jeff wondered aloud. "Have they tried morphing? I mean, what good is it to have the Power if you can't morph?"

"The others can morph," Kerone said with a kind of resigned certainty. "Ty and Ashley fought in their zords this afternoon. Maybe Andros hasn't tried yet, but there's no reason he wouldn't be able to."

"There's no reason you shouldn't be able to, either," Jeff pointed out. "You went on the quest with everyone else, right? You've been gone, anyway..."

Kerone swung her legs, staring down at her feet as she kicked the patient bed gently. "I was on the quest," she agreed. She didn't say anything else.

"Should I just not ask?" Jeff suggested at last. It looked like a good time to change the subject. "Do you want to go home, or stay here on the Megaship until Ashley wakes up?"

"I'm not human," Kerone said abruptly. She kicked her feet against the base of the patient bed again. "They warned me that it might cause problems."

Jeff just stared at her, waiting for the punchline. It sounded like something Zhane would say, delivered with that same neutrality that was just convincing enough to be real, followed by a smirk or outright laughter depending on his audience. His practical jokes must be contagious.

When no more explanation was forthcoming, however, he started to wonder. "What did you just say?" he asked finally.

"I'm not human. I'm magic. Ecliptor made me magic so I could survive after I was kidnapped. When I went on the quest, I was told that it might be hard for me to hold the Power because I'm not human anymore."

"But..." Jeff's mind stumbled over that for several seconds before he came up with anything even remotely intelligent to say. "But aliens hold the Power all the time. There are plenty of alien Rangers!"

"I'm not alien," she said, still staring at the floor. "I'm not even alive. I guess the Power doesn't like that."

"You have all the vital statistics of a human being," DECA interjected. "And for the most part, they fall within accepted ranges. What makes you say you're not alive?"

There was silence for a moment.

"I don't think we should go home," Kerone said at last. "Ashley's not going to want to deal with the others for a while. But we can't sit in orbit around KaliKay's for the rest of the night, either."

Kerone slid off the patient bed and wandered toward the door, resettling herself against the doorframe. Folding her arms, she gazed down the corridor as though waiting for someone to come around the corner. "Where do you want to go, Jeff?"

"Me?" He glanced at DECA's camera for help, wondering if she wanted to press the issue. He wasn't a diagnostic computer, but Kerone seemed alive enough to him.

"Earth may not be any better for her emotional state than KO-35 right now," DECA remarked, as though they had been talking about Ashley all along. "You do have friends on Elisia, however."

He saw Kerone lift her head at that, though she didn't turn to look at them. "Do you need to be getting back?" she asked. The question was clearly directed at him. "I know Ashley left messages for everyone, but if you don't want to disappear..."

"Hey, I'm on vacation," Jeff said quickly. There was no way he was going to pass this up. "I've always wanted to see Elisia. Besides, Ashley will probably want someone to yell at, and it might as well be me."

He got the impression that Kerone was smiling. "I'll be sure to let her know you said so."

***

Dark. Loud. And worst of all, uncomfortable.

The noise was in her head, she thought. Of course, the pain probably was too. Maybe. The darkness was definitely real, though. And if it was nighttime, that meant she could go back to sleep. That way she wouldn't have to worry about where she was, or why she felt like something the cat had dragged in and spit out.

But then there was the discomfort factor. She was used to waking up with the aches of battle, but she hadn't felt sick in a long time. Now she was not only sick, but utterly disoriented as she tried to place the mattress underneath her and the faint patterns of light on the ceiling.

Sitting up didn't help, but after her head stopped swimming, she decided that at least she wasn't in her room in Keyota. It wasn't her bed, for one thing. The walls were in the wrong place, too, and it didn't seem likely that they had suddenly rearranged themselves just to confuse her. So where was she?

Light through an open door was her only direction. Shadows kept getting in her way, although they didn't materialize into actual objects more than twice. Finally she realized that every time she shifted her gaze the lights were leaving an afterimage on her eyes. Pretty, but not helpful.

The air felt funny as she wavered in the doorway, squinting toward the lights in an effort to make them look like something she recognized. There was something wrong with them, but she couldn't pin down exactly what it was. She slid her feet carefully over the hard ground, keeping her hand against the wall as she moved toward--

Lighted windows? She stopped, glancing upward as it suddenly occurred to her that she wasn't inside anymore. She was looking at a building from the outside. Yet there was a roof over her head, and the temperature was no different here than it had been in the place where she had woken up.

She had to be dreaming. It was the only explanation that made any sense. She tried to remember where she had been when she went to sleep. If she knew where she was, it would be easier to wake up.

A snuffling sound made her hug the nearest wall instinctively, heart racing as she cast about for the source of the noise. Unfortunately, the vague outlines generated by the lights weren't enough to identify whatever was moving around out there. She held her breath as the sound came closer, tensing as a rhythmic clicking began and increased.

Then something butted her knees, and between the fright and the darkness she lost her balance. She was on the ground before she knew what had happened, trying to ward off whatever was attacking her and not having much success--

"Jetson?" It was a voice she should know, pitched lower than usual and far enough away that she barely heard it at all. But suddenly she knew her assailant, and knew too that it wasn't an assailant at all. Attackers didn't climb all over you in their effort to lick your face, and that was exactly what this one was trying to do.

"Jetson!" Cassie's voice was closer this time, and she must have been able to see something in the darkness, for she asked, "Who's that?"

All she could manage was a muffled yelp as Jetson put his paw on her shoulder and stuck his nose in her face, knocking her hard enough that she almost hit her head on the wall. Then he was gone, hauled back by a shadow with Cassie's voice. "Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry! I didn't even know you were awake--he didn't hurt you, did he? Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," she mumbled, wondering what Cassie was doing in her dream. "Where am I?"

"You're at the Ranger compound on Elisia." Cassie must have let go of Jetson, because there was a hand on her arm and fingers groping for hers. "Can you get up? He didn't mean to knock you over; it's just that he hasn't seen you in so long..."

"It's okay," she repeated, reaching for the wall with her free hand as she wavered. Cassie moved a little closer, linking their arms together as she stood and pulling her away from the wall. "What are you--where are we going?"

"Inside where it's light," her friend said firmly. "I want to be able to see you before I believe you're all right. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm dreaming," she murmured. Then she thought about that for a moment and corrected, "Like I have the flu and I'm dreaming."

She frowned down at one of the lights as they passed it, and it occurred to her that it was floating. It was just barely above the ground, not resting on it, but there was nothing to hold it there. "Why are the lights floating?" she wanted to know.

"They're easier to move that way." Cassie sounded distracted, and when she looked up she realized they had stopped. "Is the light inside going to bother you? Kerone said she didn't know whether you'd be hungover or not."

There was Kerone, in the doorway in front of them. She made an effort to smile. "Hi, Kerone. What are you doing here?"

"Catching up on the news," Kerone answered. "How are you feeling?"

She tried to give the question more thought this time. "Disgusting," she said at last. "If I'm not dreaming, what are we doing on Elisia? Have we been here a long time?"

"No," Kerone said, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder as Cassie helped her through the door. "We've been here since we left KaliKay's a few hours ago. Jeff's sleeping. Cassie's filling me in on what's been going on in the universe lately."

She was quiet a moment, thinking about that. Why would Kerone need Cassie to tell her what was going on? What was Jeff doing here? And what could they possibly have been doing at KaliKay's? She hadn't been there since graduation.

"I can stand on my own, you know," she said, as Cassie pulled out a chair for her. She sat down hard when her friend let go, and she made a token face. "I think."

"DECA said you might be a little out of it when you woke up," Kerone offered, perching on the edge of the table. "I guess you drank some weird stuff earlier. Do you remember?"

There was a gentle pressure against her leg, and she looked down to find Jetson leaning on her, staring up at her with adoring eyes. His tail thumped against the floor when she looked at him, and she smiled involuntarily. "Hey Jetson," she murmured, dropping her hand to pat his head. "What's up?"

Oddly, he reminded her of a shadow looming over her, a giant growling shadow that had knocked fighters out of the sky to protect her. The cats, the quest, and the Power came rushing back, and she frowned a little. "Wait... what's today?"

"The second day of Jeminai rising," Kerone answered promptly.

Her eyes widened, and she glanced at Cassie. Then she blinked, taking in her friend's form in full light for the first time. "Cassie, what--" She blurted the words out before she could think, but when her mind caught up with her tongue she had no idea how to finish the question.

Her friend smiled, a little sheepishly, which was a strange expression on her. "I'm pregnant," she said, shrugging as though it didn't much matter. "Twins."

Ashley just stared at her. "What?"

Cassie actually laughed at her surprise, putting a possessive hand over her rounded stomach. "I'm pregnant with twins," she repeated, more proudly this time. "I'd tell you when, but between the species thing and the time difference, no one's exactly sure."

There was no way to answer that, so she settled for staring some more.

"It's Thanksgiving on Earth," Cassie volunteered, when she didn't say anything. "If that helps any. You guys were gone a long time... but I guess you knew that."

Jeff. She and Kerone had gone back to Earth after the quest, and everyone but Jeff had been on Thanksgiving break. The three of them had gone to KaliKay's, partly to celebrate and partly to--

Ashley swallowed hard. She hadn't been at KaliKay's to celebrate. The remembering was a lot harder than the forgetting had been, but it was finally catching up with her. She understood belatedly that she was feeling a lot better than she had any right to, given the circumstances.

"You all right?" Cassie asked uncertainly. "You don't look so good."

She looked at Kerone, just to be sure, and the sympathy in the other girl's eyes confirmed it. "We broke up, didn't we," she breathed. It wasn't any easier to say the second time. "He dumped me for Zhane."

"Actually, you dumped him," Kerone corrected. "That's kind of different."

She looked down, but Cassie must have seen the tears in her eyes before she could hide them. "Not different enough to matter, though," the other girl said quietly. It was hard to tell whether that was for her benefit or Kerone's.

Ashley slid down out of her chair to sit next to Jetson, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against hers. "I want a dog," she whispered, as he tried to lick her face. "Dogs are good, aren't they, Jetson."

Then something occurred to her, and she straightened abruptly. "The kittens! Where are they?"

"They're with TJ and Max," Cassie reassured her, bracing her arms awkwardly on her chair as she lowered herself to the floor too. "DECA took them to Earth when you guys disappeared. I guess she didn't trust anyone on KO-35 to take care of alien pets."

Ashley sighed, relaxing a little. "They probably won't even recognize us," she muttered. "Well," she amended, "not that Andros probably wants them..." She felt tears pricking her eyelids again and she stared intently at Jetson, hoping no one would notice.

"Hey," Cassie said quietly. "It's going to be okay, Ash."

"Easy for you to say," she muttered. She tried to smile to take the sting out of her words, but she couldn't help the bitterness that crept into her tone. "Miss Married With Children."

There was no ignoring the awkward silence that fell then, but Kerone eased the tension a little by sliding off the edge of the table and joining them on the floor. She didn't speak, but the movement was at least a distraction. Ashley wasn't sure she would take the words back even if she could.

"I know," Cassie said at last. "I know it's easy to say that when you're not the one dealing with it. But it hasn't all been wine and roses here, either, and we're still managing."

She refused to ask, but Kerone did it for her. "Is there anything we can do?" the sorceress wanted to know.

Cassie shook her head once, shifting a little as she tried to get comfortable on the floor. "There's nothing anyone can do, really. We just have to deal with things one day at a time, like everyone else."

Ashley swallowed, still staring down at the floor. "What happened?"

"Life," Cassie said matter-of-factly. "I was in a hover crash. Billy says the dimensional shifting may have affected the twins in ways we can't see yet. Saryn collapsed in front of planetary cameras when his empathy screwed him over. His credibility's shot, the babies are hurting, and on top of everything else, Jetson caught some weird recycled air disease that means he can't leave Elisia ever again."

Ashley opened her mouth, then closed it again. "I can't believe it's been so long," she murmured at last. "It feels like we just left yesterday. We *did* just leave yesterday..."

"Is Saryn all right?" Kerone wanted to know. "He looked okay earlier, but I can never tell with him. Is the Frontier Defense supporting him, at least?"

"He resigned just before all this happened," Cassie said with a sigh. "Which turned out to be good, because then they didn't have to be all noble about keeping him even though he was breaking his own planet's laws. But it also made it pretty much impossible for them to defend him, and unfortunately the government isn't taking it too well."

"Wait," Ashley broke in uncertainly. "What happened, again? Who's mad at Saryn?"

Jetson growled, startling her, and she turned wide eyes on him as he lifted his head and barked once in the direction of the door. His hackles were up, but otherwise he seemed perfectly content to go on lying next to her on the floor. He growled again before resting his head on her leg once more, keeping a wary eye on the door.

"Hi, Kyril," Cassie said, without even turning.

A shadow drifted through the open door, and the darkness seemed to cling to him even a moment after he had stepped into the light. Ashley blinked and the effect vanished, leaving a perfectly ordinary figure in its wake. Or almost ordinary...

Hands in the pockets of a blue tunic that hung loosely off his shoulders, he ambled across the room toward them. He even slouched a little, reminding her of Zhane with his deliberately casual air. He was going to such lengths to appear unremarkable, in fact, that it took her a second to recognize the one thing he couldn't disguise.

His footsteps were silent. Not quiet, not muffled, not even inaudible, she was sure. They were utterly silent. Jetson made no further objections to his presence, but there was no doubt in her mind that his growl had been directed at this ghost.

"Ani mara," he said easily, leaning against the nearest table and regarding them with a look of detached amusement. "Good morning."

"Don't you ever sleep?" Cassie wanted to know, craning her neck to look up at him.

"Sometimes," he said with a grin. "Just for the fun of it."

If Cassie's nonchalance had given her any doubts, his answer had dispelled them. Andros had told her about people like this on the Border, where magic of all kinds made the improbable possible. The Eltaran voyagers had originated back when Eltare, not Elisia, had marked the boundary of League space, and they had once been just as unusual.

She was on her feet before she knew what was happening, but when she poked him in the shoulder her eyes widened. "You're solid!" she exclaimed, startled. She blushed a little at the look he gave her, and behind her she heard Cassie laugh.

"That's her standard alien test," her friend offered from her place on the floor. "Whenever she meets a new race she has to poke them. No one knows why."

"Better than shooting first and poking later," he said, giving her a long-suffering look. "I'm used to it."

"But how can you be solid?" Ashley demanded. "I shouldn't be able to poke you!"

He shrugged. "What's solid? The universe is just energy, the same as us. I'm as corporeal as I want to be--or not." He reached out to poke her in return, and before she could back away his hand went right through her.

He grinned at her startled expression. "Is that more what you were expecting?"

"How did you do that?" Kerone wanted to know. "Are you a sorcerer?"

"I'm Kyril," he answered, glancing over at her. "I'd rather not label myself more than that, unless it makes you uncomfortable."

Kerone looked nonplussed at that, but she didn't reply. It was the first time in a long while that Ashley had seen her at a loss for words, but she supposed Kyril would have that effect on a lot of people. She had so many questions she didn't even know where to start.

A blast of cold air caught her completely off guard, and the howl that assaulted her ears was second only to the flashing red of the evacuation alert. The night was shattered by Cassie's scream as she found herself waking from a dream she hadn't realized she'd been having. Everyone was talking at once, trying to be heard over the terrifying shriek of decompression, and through her disorientation there was only one thing Ashley was sure of.

The Megaship was under attack.

***

One moment he was in the zord bay beneath the hills of Keyota, helping Zhane calibrate a new systems bank to be compatible with the redesigned Kerovan Security Network. The next moment Andros found himself on the Bridge of the Megaship, his stomach twisting uncomfortably in the failing gravity as the lights flickered and the air thinned. His mind couldn't process what was happening, but adrenaline--or the Power--kicked in as he shoved Zhane toward the lift and shouted at the others to move.

Cassie was slumped over the weapons console, and he had her in his arms before he had time to think about what he was doing. "Get out!" he shouted again, seeing TJ hesitate by the lift. It was a noble gesture, waiting for the others to escape, but it was foolish and impractical when DECA was the only thing keeping the hull breach safeties from activating.

He was already breathing harder as the air pressure fell, and he saw Zhane pulling Carlos into the lift behind TJ. His vision sparkled with black, but someone caught his arms as he stumbled, buffeted by escaping atmosphere and clinging desperately to that lifeline. Ashley hauled him into the lift and helped cushion his fall as the door struggled to close behind them.

The bulkhead outside the lift slammed into place, sealing the Bridge off from the rest of the ship. The lift door slid closed at last and oxygen flooded into the little compartment, alleviating the darkness at the edges of his vision as he gasped for breath. They were moving, he realized distantly, and he thanked DECA silently for whatever power she had in reserve.

"What the hell is going on?" TJ demanded, crawling over to rest his hand against the side of Cassie's neck. "How did we get here? And what's going on?"

"Don't look at me," Andros managed, sucking in another welcome breath. "I don't know any more than you do."

"Anyone?" Carlos glanced around, but no answer seemed forthcoming. "What are we doing on the Megaship?"

"We left the Megaship in orbit around KO-35." Zhane shifted, sliding his arm around Andros' shoulders and helping him up. Andros shot him a grateful look, but the Silver Ranger was already frowning down at Cassie. "We need to get her to the Medical bay."

"Not in battle, I'm guessing?" Carlos suggested wryly. "Why are people shooting at us?"

"The Megaship is not under attack at this time," a voice interjected. It was feminine and vaguely artificial, but it certainly wasn't DECA. "There are hull breaches on decks one, five, and six, and there is a fire on deck four that I am still in the process of containing. As soon as it has been put out and the hall is repressurized, you will be able to access the Medical bay."

Andros and Ashley exchanged startled glances, but Carlos beat them to the punch. "Who are you?" he demanded, looking around as though he could see the source of the voice. "Where's DECA?"

"This is DECA's day off," the voice said tartly. "As you well know. I'll thank you to treat me as the fully qualified control op I am, instead of as a second rate replacement."

"Whoa, wait a minute," TJ cut in. "No one's calling anyone second rate. You got us out of whatever mess we were just in, and we're grateful. We're just a little confused about what's going on."

"JT has warned you repeatedly that transition is disorienting," the voice replied. "You have complained of the phenomenon often enough yourselves, yet you were not prepared? Forgive me if I wonder what you *were* expecting--and why you're complaining about something that saved your lives."

"We're not complaining," Ashley began uncertainly, but Carlos interrupted her.

"I am," he retorted. "What are we doing here? And where's DECA?"

"Carlos." TJ shot a stifling glare in his direction. Carlos just rolled his eyes and looked away, but he didn't say anything more.

"JT?" Andros repeated, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't know anyone named JT... but Justin did. "How long have we been on the Megaship? Who were we fighting?"

"The Astro Rangers have been on the Megaship for the past 7.63 days. You have been engaged in classified reconnaissance on Dark Spectre's latest battleship, which turned out to be less theoretical than expected. If it weren't for JT's intervention you would not have survived the encounter."

"Dark Spectre's latest battleship?" Ashley echoed. She sounded almost as numb as he felt. She must have recognized the name too.

"The Dark Fortress," the voice replied impatiently. "Commanded by Astronema, and reinforced by a hundred plus velocifighters? If you are attempting to play some sort of prank on me, I assure you, it is not amusing."

"It's not so funny from where we are, either," Zhane told her. "We don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, we do," Andros said heavily. "KERI, is that you?"

"Who else would be operating the Megaship in DECA's absence?" the computer demanded.

Andros sighed, trying to ignore the look Zhane was giving him. This was definitely one of those stories he should have told his friend earlier, and in detail. "Can you contact JT from here? We're going to need to talk to him."

"Who's JT?" Carlos wanted to know, but a look from TJ silenced him again.

"We lost the comm shortly before transition," KERI answered, sounding a little less defensive this time. "Do you--" He'd never heard the computer stop in the middle of a sentence before. "You truly don't remember?"

"We're not who you think we are, KERI." Andros glanced over at Carlos, who was staring at him in disbelief. TJ was frowning, but at least he didn't look quite so incredulous. They hadn't even gotten to the unbelievable part yet. "Whatever JT did, it must have switched your Rangers with their counterparts from our dimension. Us," he elaborated, in case it wasn't clear.

"It seems that there is precedent for that in the experimental data," KERI agreed, after a miniscule pause. Andros had no doubt that she had reviewed whatever information she had in that split-second hesitation. "It is, in fact, why the technology has not yet been approved. Circumstances demanded action, however, and JT must have decided your lives were worth the risk."

"Generous of him," Zhane remarked. "Care to fill the rest of us in?"

"That's why Tessa had to morph," TJ said unexpectedly. "The side effects of the experiment were affecting Cassie's pregnancy, and Justin thought it had to do with the Pink Power. Tessa had to use it before it would transfer fully..."

"Perhaps it was not the Power after all," KERI replied, as though she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Perhaps the dimensional doorways opened by transition are attracted to something else entirely. Our Cassandra has been kept out of the testing as a precautionary measure ever since."

"Is that what this is about?" Carlos looked wary. "The experiments Justin's been doing? Those visions he warned us about never lasted this long--"

"The environment on deck four is now within tolerable parameters," KERI interrupted. The door slid open, and a wave of acrid heat flooded into the lift. At the same moment, Cassie began to stir, fingers clenching on Ashley's as she rolled her head to the side.

"Cassie?" TJ and Ashley both tried to keep her down, but she was determined not to stay. She pushed their hands away awkwardly, struggling to sit up, and finally TJ helped her instead of trying to restrain her. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Saryn?" she demanded, eyes wide as she stared around at the walls of the lift. "I can't feel him; where is he? What's going on?"

"Cassie, take it easy," TJ soothed. "It's all right, you just lost consciousness there for a while. How are you feeling?"

Cassie turned her gaze on him, but there was nothing familiar in her dark eyes. If she was seeing him at all, she definitely didn't recognize him. "Where's Saryn!" she shouted. "Did you sedate him? This isn't his fault!"

"Cassie--" Ashley tried to put a hand on her shoulder and was instantly shrugged off. Andros got the feeling that if Cassie had been in any shape to leap to her feet, she would have.

"What did you do to him!" Cassie tried to twist away from them, but she flinched as though she'd been kicked in the stomach. Wrapping her arms around herself, she closed her eyes and bent over her abdomen protectively.

"Cassie," Ashley murmured again. She reached out to her friend, more tentatively this time, but Cassie didn't react. Sliding closer, Ashley wrapped her arm around Cassie's shoulders and hugged her awkwardly. "It's going to be okay, Cassie."

Cassie drew in a shuddering breath, but she didn't lift her head. "It hurts," she said, so softly that Andros barely heard her. "It hurts a lot."

"We need to take you to the Medical bay," Ashley said, just as softly. "Do you think you can stand up, if we help you?"

There was a pause, and then Cassie's head bobbed once. "Sorry, Ash," she whispered, still not looking up. "I didn't realize it was you."

"It's okay." Ashley caught TJ's eye, and he moved closer without a word. Between the two of them, they helped Cassie to her feet, and Andros grabbed Zhane's hand automatically. His friend pulled him up, and Carlos preceded everyone out into the corridor.

They didn't get more than a few steps before the teleportation stream wrapped them up and yanked them off of the Megaship altogether. The room that replaced the metal corridor was considerably cooler, better lit, and much less ragged around the edges. It was also completely unfamiliar.

"Sorry about the--"

Andros spun at the sound of the voice, and two things registered simultaneously. One was that the woman addressing was Linnse. The second was that she had broken off midsentence to gape at Cassie.

"Linnse?" TJ sounded wary, but she pushed him out of the way without regard for his hesitation. "What are you doing here?"

"Help me get her over there," Linnse was saying to Ashley. "What happened? TJ, reroute the diagnostic scanner so we don't have to move her. Lie down, okay?" she told Cassie, as she and Ashley got her onto one of the patient beds. "We're going to take care of you."

"Is anyone else hurt?" she asked, lifting her head to give them all a quick once over. "TJ, what are you just standing around for? At least toss me the portable scanner; it's on the table next to you."

"Linnse," Andros began uncertainly. "Is JT around somewhere?"

"He's in Co-Op," she said, nodding when TJ held up the scanner. She caught in one-handed and turned it on Cassie without needing to calibrate it first. She must have been expecting them. "He'll probably be down soon. He was pretty worried about putting you through transition with no warning."

A door slid open almost before she finished speaking, and Justin's identical twin came bursting through. He actually caught the doorframe to slow his momentum, though it took him another three or four steps to stop moving completely. He was out of breath, and his gaze flicked over each of them in the time it took to blink--until it came to rest on Cassie.

JT's eyes widened, and then, uncharacteristically, he swore. He sought out Andros again, and it was obvious he didn't need to be told. "The dimension shift--"

"There were a few problems," Andros finished.

"This isn't good," JT muttered. "For one thing, they're going to be freaking out. For another, the generator is compromised..."

His expression told Andros exactly what that meant, but Ashley had to ask. "You can't send us back?" she guessed.

JT sighed. "I can't even get a message to Justin, let alone swap anyone back. Linnse, please tell me the twins are okay."

Linnse had been staring at the scanner in dismay, but now she lifted her startled gaze to his. "How did you know? And how can she be pregnant? They've only been gone a few days!"

"These aren't our Rangers," JT said, moving over to the patient bed to peer down at Cassie. "Ours are lost somewhere in their dimension--I hope. They're stuck there, too. At least until I can calibrate an uncontaminated power source, and who knows how long that will take."

"My babies?" Cassie pleaded, holding Linnse's gaze.

"I--" Linnse shifted uncomfortably, but she didn't look back at the scanner. "As far as I can tell, they're okay. How are you feeling?"

Cassie closed her eyes, letting out a shaking breath. "As long as they're okay, it doesn't matter," she murmured. "I'm fine."

"That's ridiculous," Linnse snapped, some of her shock overtaken by indignation. "As long as you're pregnant, your welfare is theirs. How are you feeling?"

Cassie looked up at her in surprise, and Andros decided to get JT's attention again. "So when you say we're stuck here, what exactly do you mean? Last time it took a few hours to get everything up and running again. Is it going to take that long this time?"

JT turned reluctantly. "This is a little different," he said evasively. "Then we were sending a couple of people from one dimension to another. Now we're talking about an entire battleship going through multiple dimensions--"

"How long?" TJ interrupted.

"Days, at least," JT admitted. "Maybe weeks. With the way the war's going... well, you could be here for a while."

"Yet another excuse my professors will love," Carlos muttered, exchanging glances with TJ. "'I'm sorry; I couldn't make the final because I was stuck in another dimension.'"

TJ shrugged philosophically. "At least it's better than 'I couldn't attend graduation because I was kidnapped by my evil clone.'"

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Andros asked, uncomfortably aware that there were aspects of this dimension that might come as a bit of a surprise to the others. He wasn't sure how he felt about being stuck here for an extended period of time.

JT met his gaze squarely. "Yeah. You can morph and take the Eltarans' patrol while I brief them. I know you guys have your own lives, but we were short even before we lost an entire Ranger team. Anything you can do to compensate for that would be appreciated."

Taken aback, Andros could only nod. "Of course," he agreed automatically.

"Patrol?" TJ repeated. "What patrol?"

"The patrol that's the only thing keeping this planet from ground invasion and defeat at the hands of Dark Spectre." JT tossed the words over his shoulder as he headed for the door. "I'm sorry if that disrupts your studies, but if we're lucky maybe it will keep all of us alive another day."