"We're coming up on Aquitar," said Rocky, the Blue Zeo Ranger, "We should be in orbit in about ten minutes."

"Good," said Tommy, "I just hope we're in time. Adam, bring us out of warp. I'll try to magnify the visual of Aquitar."

"You got it, Tommy," said Adam, turning to his console. Tommy typed a few commands, and watched as the screen image changed from bright stars streaking by to a large gray sphere hovering in space.

"Uh, are you sure that's Aquitar?" said Rocky, "I mean, its supposed to be blue!"

"Well, according to all the star charts, that's Aquitar," said Tommy, "Its gray because of the increased cloud cover. The entire atmosphere is saturated by cumulonimbus."

"Storm clouds," said Katherine quietly, "That must be how Divatox dehydrates a planet!"

"According to our sensors, the planet's water supply is down to 8.2 kilometers in depth. Normally the average depth of the ocean is seventeen. So over half the ocean has been evaporated."

Suddenly, the rangers see a small bronze object come around the gray planet. Tanya squinted at it beneath her yellow helmet.

"Can you enlarge the middle-left edge of the planet?" she asked.

"Sure," said Tommy, zooming in on that section. The small bronze dot enlarged into a clearer shape. It appeared to be a bullet with wings.

"Divatox's ship," Adam said, "It has to be."

"Let's try to contact the Aquitians before we get any closer," suggested Katherine, "We should come up with a plan of attack."

"I'll send out another signal," Tanya offered, "I just hope they answer this time."

Once again, Tanya sent a beacon to Triton. After a few seconds of static, the leader of the Alien Rangers appeared on screen.

"Delphine," said Tommy, "is anything wrong? When we tried to contact you earlier, the message didn't go through."

^Unfortunately, the laboratory, where our only long-range communications relay is kept, was destroyed when Divatox sent a volley of torpedoes. The only other communicator is by far inferior.^

"My God," whispered Katherine, "Was anyone hurt?"

^I'm afraid so. Cestria was wounded, but she is alive.^

"Where are you now?" asked Rocky.

^The other Aquitian Rangers and I are inside our underground Battle Borg hangar. Cestro is leading the others in the repair of our Battle Borgs, which took serious damage when we battled Divatox a few hours ago.^

"How serious is the damage?" asked Adam.

^The White Borg sustained extremely serious damage, and the Blue Borg has suffered a loss of energy because of the water drain. The other three Borgs are operational, yet they too aren't quite up to par.^

"Try to get the Borgs ready to fight," said Tommy, "Send them up whenever you can. We're going after Divatox."

^Very well, but be careful,^ said Delphine, ^I shall send you the coordinates of the Borg hangar, in case you need to teleport here. There is plenty of room for your zords if need be.^

"Thank you Delphine. We'll see you soon."

Tanya de-activated the communicator, and turned to Tommy. "So, what do we do now?"

"We attack Divatox's ship."

"But, we can't escalate a battle!" Adam objected.

"I know," said Tommy, "but we can't sit here and wait. We'll send Divatox a warning."

"That last set of torpedoes completely destroyed the laboratory, Captain," said Rygog, "What should we do now?"

"I... I don't know," Divatox said angrily, "Porto still hasn't finished fixing my spell book, and his time's nearly up. Maybe we'll launch another set of torpedoes, just to keep the fish on their toes. Or whatever it is they have."

"Uh, Auntie D," said Elgar, "there's a bogie coming into scanner range, and its coming this way."

"Really?" said Divatox, sitting up in her chair, "Can you identify it?"

"I've never seen it before," Elgar said with a shrug, "but it kinda looks like a Battle Borg."

"It must be another team of Power Rangers," Divatox snarled, "The Aquitians managed to send for help."

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission," Rygog said.

"Well, patch it in!"

Rygog nodded, and Divatox focussed her attention onto the viewscreen. The image of outer space faded, and was replaced by an interior view of the cockpit. Five rangers in color-coded uniforms appeared, with the red one in the center.

^Divatox, we are the Zeo Rangers of Earth. If you don't leave orbit of Aquitar immediately, we will open fire. This is your only warning.^

Divatox turned off the screen, and her eyebrow rose. "A warning?! Well, I won't be quite so hospitable to give them such a warning. Porto!"

The white scientist turned from his computer screen. "Yes, Captain?"

"Did you finish the spell restoration yet?"

"I... I need more time--"

"Well, put it on hold for now," she said, standing up and approaching him, "we've got bigger fish to fry. The Zeo Rangers are arguably the most powerful team of Power Rangers in this galaxy, and we need to destroy them. Prepare one of those experimental drill torpedos for me, and step on it!"

"Yes ma'am," said Porto, hurrying out of the bridge, "I'll load one immediately!"

"Excellent," said Divatox with a grin, "Rygog! Send a transmission to that Megazord."

"Aye," he replied, and the Zeo Rangers once again appeared on the viewscreen. Divatox smiled at them.

"Well, hello Zeo Rangers," she said, "Welcome to the little party. Unfortunately, I'm not about to pack up and leave, just because a team of humans have decided to stick their noses where they don't belong. Now, because you have interfered, you can share the fate of your fish-tailed allies below. Rygog!"

Rygog turned off the communicator, and the screen returned to a view of outer space, with both the planet Aquitar and the Megazord appearing on screen. Divatox sat back in her throne, and clasped her hands on her lap.

"Let's give them an appetizer, and the drill torpedo will be the main course. Fire a set of explosive torpedos."

"Locked... and firing!" said Rygog, obeying his mistress's command.

"Well, so much for avoiding a conflict," sighed Rocky.

"Everyone, get ready," said Adam, "She's got something planned."

Just then, the alarms started sounding.

"She's firing at us!" yelled Tanya, "Two torpedos heading straight for us!"

"I'm on it," said Katherine, "Taking evasive action."

The Megazord swerved to the right seconds before the two torpedos streaked by them. Suddenly, the torpedos turned around, once again heading for the rangers.

"Its been programmed!" said Rocky, "It's not gonna quit until it hits us!"

"Then we'd better destroy them," said Tommy, "Let's give 'em an energy blast of our own!"

A blast of powerful energy shot forth from the fist of the Megazord, instantly reducing one torpedo to dust. The Megazord quickly moved to the side to avoid the second torpedo, and then fired another energy bolt to destroy the final one.

"That's it?" said Rocky in surprise, "That's all Divatox has for us?"

"I somehow doubt it," said Tanya, "Sensors show another torpedo is launching."

A rather large silver torpedo appeared from the submarine, and streaked towards the rangers. Once again, the rangers tried to side-step the torpedo, but this one was substantially faster than the others, and also more maneuvreable. Once it got close, the bullet tip opened, revealing shining razor sharp blades.

"What... what kind of torpedo is this?!" cried Tanya.

"We can't dodge it," said Katherine, "Its gonna hit!"

"Brace for impact!" Tommy ordered, as the Megazord jolted when the torpedo struck its abdomen.

"Why didn't it explode?" Adam wondered aloud, "Don't torpedos usually explode?"

Suddenly, the entire Megazord began shaking violently, and all the lights blinked on and off.

"What's happening?" Katherine cried.

"Its... drilling through the abdomen of the Megazord!" Tanya said in alarm, "Its actually making a hole through the midsection!"

"We're in trouble," Tommy said quietly, "The torpedo must've hit the weapon relay. We're a sitting duck!"

The rangers watched helplessly as the drill completely cut through the Megazord, and came out the other end. Then, the submarine came closer, and fired beams of white energy.

"We can't move fast enough to dodge!" Adam said frustratedly.

"The Megazord has no chance," said Tommy, "but its only damaged in the mid-section-- Super Zeozord V. Our only chance is to disengage Megazord, and have the four operational zords take on Divatox."

"Let's just pray the stabilizers weren't damaged," said Tanya quietly.

"Guys, get back to your individual cockpits," Tommy ordered.

"Right," the four other rangers responded, as they all vanished from their seats. Tommy then activated the separation sequence, and Super Zeozords I-IV separated from the torso, and took their android forms. The red zord, however, was completely powerless. As soon as the other zords separated, the lights went out in Tommy's cockpit.

"Damn," he muttered, "the main power relay was hit. The only thing keeping Megazord functioning was the energy siphoned from the four other zords. I'm dead in the water!"

Meanwhile, in Super Zeozord I, Katherine gets her bearings. She quickly sees the three other zords prepared for battle, as well as Tommy's zord remaining in the shape of the Megazord torso, with cut wires sparking in the darkness of space.

"Tommy?" she said into her communicator, "Tommy, do you read?"

There was nothing but silence. Katherine jerked her head when she saw more white energy lasers lighting up from the submarine, streaking dangerously close to the helpless red zord.

"Oh no! Divatox is planning to pick off Tommy while he's down! And he can't maneuvre, or fight back!"

^Katherine, Tanya, Rocky, do you read me?^ came a voice over Kat's communicator.

"Adam?"

^Guys, Tommy's communications are down, and I'm willing to bet so is every other zord function-- including life support. We gotta get him out of harm's way.^

^Right,^ said Rocky's voice through the intercom, ^Tanya, Adam, and I can draw Diva's fire from Tommy, while Kat contacts the Aquitians to see if they can somehow teleport the zord to their hangar.^

"Good idea," said Katherine, "I'm on it."

Kat watched in her screen as the Blue, Green, and Yellow Super Zeozords flew into action, firing upon the bronze space sub as well as dodging the lasers that spat at them. Then, she activated her communicator again, and sent a message to Aquitar. Delphine's image appeared on the viewer.

"Delphine, we've got trouble up here," Kat said.

^We know,^ Delphine said, ^We saw the fight via satellite signal. Is Tommy alright?^

"I don't know, but he's not answering our signals. I don't think he can, and his zord is seriously damaged. He's no good in this fight."

^I shall teleport him here immediately,^ said Delphine.

"Thanks. Pink Ranger out."

Kat turned off her communicator, and watched in her screen as Super Zeozord V vanished in a flash of bright red light. Satisfied that Tommy was out of harm's way, she activated her thrusters to join the fray.

The streets of Angel Grove are in chaos. Hundreds of terrified citizens run for their lives as armies of Finster's Putties, enhanced by a dose of Super Putty, march through the downtown area, destroying everything in their path. The Tenga Warriors fly overhead, knocking over telephone poles, traffic lights, and street lights. In the center of the maylay stand Rito Revolto, Goldar, and Scorpina, directing the hordes of magical monsters.

"Remember!" growled Goldar, "Tear everything apart!"

"This is too easy," said Rito, "Nobody's fighting back."

"There is no one _to_ fight back!" said Scorpina, "The police department has never had to confront magical creatures. Their weapons are completely ineffective. And humans are easily frightened. They don't stand a chance, and with the Power Rangers gone, there is no one to come to their aid."

"I beg to differ!" called a commanding voice from above. The three villains looked overhead, and saw five women atop a building. They all leapt down from the building, in order of lavender, turquoise, orange, gold, and pink. The woman in pink descended slower, because her long, silken cape caught the air, causing her to glide down. She landed in front of the four other warriors, who stood with their hands on their hips. Goldar scowled.

"So, if it isn't Little Kimberly and her fan club," he chuckled, gripping his large gold broad sword. Scorpina's eyes flashed as she surveyed the team of her fellow Venusians. She recognized the lavender one as Jezebel, a young guard at the palace while Syren reigned. The turquoise one was Sophia, one of the rebels who remained imprisoned in the dungeons for being loyal to Queen Naya, even after her death. The one in orange was obviously Renee Ryan, Kimberly's friend from Florida, and the daughter of the enchantress Leila, who died at Scorpina's own hand. A small grin crossed her face as her onyx eyes locked with the blue ones of the woman dressed in gold armor. It was Dalal, Syren's right-hand warrior and enchantress. Scorpina knew where Dalal's loyalties truly lay. After all, centuries of loyal service to the forces of evil can't be simply disregarded.

"Okay," whispered Kimberly, "I'll take Goldar. He's the strongest, and I've fought him before. Sophia, you fight Rito. He's an idiot, and shouldn't be too tough to take on. Renee--"

"Scorpina's mine," Renee said, her teeth clenched tightly.

"Are you sure?" asked Kimberly, "Scorpina is one of the most powerful Venusian warriors ever!"

"And she killed my mother!" Renee barked, "Its payback time!"

"Fine," said Kimberly, "just keep your head on. Dalal, you take on the Tengas, and Jezebel, you keep those Putties busy. Everyone, keep the rest of the team in the corner of your eye. Someone may need some help."

"Then let's do it!" said Renee, leaping into the air. Scorpina smiled when she saw the girl flip in her direction. She leapt back, so Renee landed about a yard in front of her. Scorpina unsheathed her Stinger sword, and in reply, Renee's hands wavered, and her nails became razor sharp claws. Tiger claws.

"Let's see what you can do, Tiger," said Scorpina.

"You'll pay for what you did to my mother!" Renee cried, slicing at Scorpina. Scorpina ducked quickly, and swung her blade at Renee. Renee stepped back, and then pointed her claws at Scorpina. Orange bolts of energy flew from her fingertips, and Scorpina deflected them with her sword. Renee snarled angrily, the spirit of the Tiger taking over her senses. She let the ferocity reign, and growled as she lept at Scorpina. She struck the surprised warrior in the stomach, knocking both warriors to the ground.

Meanwhile, Kimberly stood her ground as Goldar circled her, chuckling. "You know, Kimberly," he said, "it wasn't all that long ago when the very sight of me terrified you. Even in your Pink Ranger armor, you knew you weren't safe from me. You weren't a match for me."

"Things have changed," Kimberly said coolly, "and most of all, I've changed. I've grown up, and you've gone downhill. You're not such a big deal anymore."

Goldar growled at the insult, and leapt at the Pink Ninjetti at an incredible speed. Kimberly managed to leap out of the way, and watched Goldar land on his feet in a squatting position. He growled again, and raised his sword. Kimberly was unarmed, but she deflected the weapon with her silver armbands, which encased her forearms. She then delivered a powerful front kick, hitting Goldar in the stomach. To his surprise, she actually hurt him, since her Ninjetti power enhances her already immense Venusian strength. His red eyes flashed with anger as he released a terrifying roar, causing Kimberly to cringe. She gasped as the golden plated monster charged at her again, clamping down on her arm with his fangs. Fortunately, he bit her armband, and Kimberly's own eyes flashed-- with pink light. She transformed into the shape of a pink crane, and scratched Goldar's snout with her own claws. He snarled, and spread his wings, chasing Kimberly into the sky.

On the ground, Dalal fired small spheres of golden energy into the flock of Tenga Warriors, reducing them to piles of feathers one by one. She noticed how Scorpina and Renee were fighting ferally, with both of them bleeding from scratch wounds. Jezebel was tearing through the huge army of Putties in her animal form, trampling them with her mighty Horse hooves. Sophia was facing off against Rito, easily dodging his clumsy sword strokes, and delivering her own attacks while he was off balance. In the skies, Kimberly was still in the form of a crane, and Goldar was on her tail, flapping his wings madly to keep up with her. Dalal smiled, and waved at the Queen. Kimberly noticed Dalal, and saw the flock of Tengas, just ahead of her. She picked up speed, flying right for the closely packed birds dodging Dalal's spheres of energy. Goldar had to fly at his fastest speed to catch up. Suddenly, just feet in front of the massive cluster of Tengas, Kimberly vanished in a flash of pink light. But Goldar didn't have the power of teleportation. He flew directly into the swarm of Tengas, colliding with a good number of them before they all fell to the ground in a heap. Kimberly appeared beside Dalal, back in her human form. She smiled, and gave Dalal a high five.

On the moon, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa watch the fight from the palace. Rita rolls her eyes impatiently.

"I don't believe this," she barks, "Your oh-so-mighty team of Putties and Tengas are falling like flies! And of course Goldar is getting his butt whipped by Kimberly!"

"Oh shut up, woman!" roared Zedd, "Its not like your brother is faring any better. He probably couldn't hit the broad side of an asteroid! And Scorpina is just barely managing to hold back that Orange Ninjetti."

"Well, Scorpina's your soldier, not mine," Rita snapped. Zedd held out his palm, and a silver sphere appeared.

"Its time to raise the stakes," he said, "Kimberly and her Venusians may be as formidible as the Zeo Rangers in hand-to-hand battle, but they don't have a squad of Zords to use. Once Goldar, Rito, and Scorpina are fully grown, they'll trample Angel Grove, and the Venusians, into dust!!"

Zedd threw the enlarging sphere down to Earth. It flew purposefully through the atmosphere, and landed in the open palm of Goldar, who had just risen to his feet, and was still a little dizzy from his run in with the Tengas. He smiled when he saw the sphere.

"Rito! Scorpina!" he roared. His two allies both managed to escape their opponents, and stood on opposite sides of Goldar. The Guardians also regrouped, and stood facing their enemies.

"Now its time to end this," said Goldar, detonating the grenade. In a bright flash of light, accompanied by a thick cloud of gray smoke, Goldar, Rito, and Scorpina grew to monster size. Also, Scorpina transformed into her animal form, becoming a vicious, venomous scorpion monster. The five Guardians were knocked back by the energy release. Renee brushed herself off, and looked up at the villains.

"Uh oh," she said, "We're in trouble!"

Tommy opened his eyes, and realized he was no longer wearing his Red Zeo Ranger helmet. He looked around, and to his surprise, he saw an unfamiliar Aquitian man standing over him, running a small scanning device over his forehead. Tommy blinked, and scanned the rest of the room. He tried to move his head, but the Aquitian restrained him.

"Please," he said, "do not move until I have finished the scan. It shall only take another minute."

"Okay," Tommy said, and remained absolutely still. Just then, he heard the door open.

"How is he, Aquiva?" asked a familiar voice. Tommy instantly recognized it as belonging to Tideus, the Yellow Aquitian Ranger.

"He should be fine," the old Aquitian said, "His armor protected him against the explosion, but he did lose consciousness when he was thrown across the cockpit of his zord. I have healed his wounds."

"What happened?" Tommy whispered.

"You went into battle against Divatox's ship," Tideus explained, "and your zord was seriously damaged. The main power relay imploded as soon as the ship was teleported into the Battle Borg hangar. You suffered some minor wounds, and lost consciousness."

"How long was I out?" Tommy asked, sitting up on the bed.

"Eighteen minutes," said Aquiva.

Tommy looked around the medical room. There were a few other beds, which were all empty. Then, in the corner was a tube, lying horizontal and filled with crystal clear water. The tube was connected to a few rather large pieces of medical scanners and equipment. Tommy gasped as he realized he recognized the Aquitian, floating inside the water, her eyes closed and her golden brown hair wavering in the water. He has only seen this young woman a handful of times in his life, but he knew he wasn't mistaken.

"Oh my God," he said, standing up and walking to the machine, "Is that--?"

"Cestria," Tideus said solemnly.

"What happened to her?"

"Divatox destroyed the main laboratory, where Cestria and I were located. She sustained serious wounds."

Tommy stood beside the tube, and gazed at the young woman intently. He could tell from all the complex machinery that she was connected to that her condition was critical.

"Billy must be crushed--" Tommy began, but then he was struck by a revelation. "Tideus, just where is Billy anyway? I haven't seen or heard from him during this entire ordeal, and I know that he would be right here, trying his best to save Cestria. Is he okay?"

"I... I do not know for certain," Tideus explained, "Cestria sent him on a quest to find the Sword of Tympanus, to protect if from Divatox. He left not long after she first arrived, and we haven't heard from him yet."

Tommy nodded, and then turned back to Cestria. "So, he doesn't even know she's been hurt."

Tideus shook his head. "She was waiting for him to contact us when we were attacked."

"Uh, Doctor Aquiva?" said Tommy, turning to the elderly man, "How serious are her wounds?"

"Extremely," Aquiva said, "Her ribs were shattered, and her skull was fractured. There is a serious brain hemmorage as well. We are trying to stop the internal bleeding, but several major organs have been damaged. We don't have the technology to save her."

"You're sure?" said Tommy.

"Yes," said Aquiva, "There is nothing we can do to save her. At this point, it is only a matter of time."

"Tommy," said Tideus, "I must return to the Battle Borg hangar to assist in the repairs of your zord. Do you wish to come with me?"

"No," Tommy said, "I'll keep and eye on Cestria. For Billy."

Sweat beaded on Billy's forehead, and trickled down his skin. He leapt back from his opponent, taking a second to wipe the sweat from his eyes. He panted heavily and his eyes narrowed as the mighty silver warrior charged, pointing his sword menacingly. Billy blocked the sword with a quick swing of his pearly white lance, and kicked the warrior in the small of his back before he had a chance to regain his balance. Billy leapt back again, and watched with alarm as his opponent immediately rose to his feet, and turned to the young man again. Billy took a cautious step back, to insure that he wasn't too close to the edge of the floating silver platform. He was about a yard away, and Billy caught a glance of the boiling lava pool beneath the platform as he turned his head. He just barely managed to step to the side in time, avoiding another swing of the sword. This time, however, he wasn't as lucky, and the warrior swung at Billy's feet with the blunt side of the sword, knocking the former Power Ranger off his feet. Billy collapsed to the floor, and rolled out of the way as the warrior stomped on the tile he was lying on milliseconds earlier. Billy then leapt to his feet, and held his lance with both hands.

After fifteen minutes of fighting, Billy could feel himself tiring. Its been nearly a year since he was an active Power Ranger, serving his planet as a warrior. Ever since the Power Coins were destroyed by Goldar, Billy had been on the sidelines, helping the Aquitian Rangers from behind the scenes in the Command Center, while his friends went on Zeo Quests, to regain a new power source. Although he expected to join the team, someone had to give up a place. There were six Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but there could only be five Zeo Rangers.

Billy, being the veteran on the team, easily had earned a position on the Zeo team. However, he felt he could be of more help from behind the scenes, aiding the Zeo Rangers as he had the Aquitian Rangers. A few weeks of this was fine, but slowly, it became a boring, demeaning existence. Especially considering his friends took him for granted. He relished the idea of becoming the Gold Ranger awhile later, but it just wasn't his destiny. After learning he couldn't take this power, he felt completely useless. The Command Center used to feel like a second home, but the Power Chamber quickly became a prison. A prison he had to escape. And he found his escape when he fell in love with Cestria.

Now, a year since the last time he wielded a lance in battle, he is fighting against a mighty armored warrior for his life. It reminded him of his battles against the golden-armored warrior Goldar. But this warrior was far different. He wasn't as strong as Goldar, which certainly doesn't make him weak in any sense of the word. This warrior is still incredibly strong, and fast. But what is most surprising to Billy is his strategy of attack. The enemy thinks his actions through, and Billy was sure that he could beat a strong warrior by fighting intelligently. Fortunately for Billy, he too could fight intelligently.

Once again, the warrior charged at Billy. This time, though, Billy could tell he wasn't planning on running his sword through him. He was holding his sword to the side, apparently intending to swing across. Billy realized the warrior's intent-- to force him too close to the edge. Billy smiled, and ran towards the oncoming knight. Once Billy picked up speed, he pushed one of the ends of the lance into the silver floor, and pole-vaulted over the knight. The knight was obviously startled by Billy's sudden move, and tried to slow down to a stop. Billy landed nimbly, and rushed towards his enemy. The tiles had gotten rather slippery from Billy's sweat, and the knight was having difficulty keeping his balance. This time, Billy had the knight too close to the edge.

"I shall not be defeated!" the knight cried, swinging his sword downwards. Billy caught the blade between the three blades on the end of the lance, and pulled the weapon from the knight. At the same time, the opposite end of the lance slammed the knight in the chest, throwing him off the edge. Billy was startled, since he didn't intend to knock the knight into the lava. He cautiously peeked over the edge, and saw the knight hanging off the edge by his fingers. Billy immediately dropped his weapons, and grabbed the knight's arm.

"Hold...on!" Billy commanded, pulling the warrior up. Despite his bulky armor, the knight was surprisingly light. Billy managed to pull the knight back onto the platform. The knight rose to his feet, and looked down at Billy, who was still on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Billy glanced up at the warrior, and was suprised when the latter offered his hand. Billy accepted, and the knight pulled the young man to his feet.

"Why did you save me?" the knight asked, "I would have killed you, you realize."

"Yes, I realize that," said Billy, "but you aren't my enemy. This battle was a test, to make sure I was worthy of the Sword of Tympanus. Defeating you in combat doesn't include killing. And I don't kill unless absolutely necessary."

The knight nodded. "You have passed your test then, William James Mitchell. I have made the right decision."

Billy looked to the ground, and noticed his lance revert back into the Eye of Tympanus. He picked up the pearly sphere, and looked back at the knight. To Billy's surprise, the knight was now shorter than he.

"You... you shrunk?" Billy said in astonishment. The knight nodded, and reached up to his helmet.

"Well, I had to look intimidating," he said, "and a short old man isn't a very intimidating opponent."

Billy's eyes widened as the knight pulled off the helmet, revealing the face of an ancient man, with snow white hair and beard. He only had one eye.

"Who are you?" Billy asked, still overcome with astonishment. He watched in amazement as the silver armor faded, transforming into a loose silver robe, much like the one Zordon wore the one time his time-warp column was shattered by Ivan Ooze.

"Who do you think?" the old man asked.

"Tympanus...? But... that's impossible!"

"Come on, Boy! Surely you have learned that _nothing_ is impossible! I am Eltarian. We live for thousands of your Earth years."

"But... why are you here?"

"I'll tell you," said the old man, "You see, Billy, it all started on Eltar, over ten thousand years ago. I was the prominent wizard on the planet, and some say even in the entire galaxy. I cast incredible spells, and created many wonderous devices, but undoubtably my greatest achievement was the creation of the sword and staff. When Eltar forged an alliance with Aquitar and Triforia, I gave the sword and staff as gifts of friendship to the ruling families. But, my sword was useless on Aquitar, since the people are so peaceful by nature. So, the first minister contacted me and asked me what he should do about the sword. I knew that this weapon is indeed dangerous, especially if it ever fell into the wrong hands, so I told him I'd hide it myself. The only way to ever find the hiding place is my Eye, which acts as a compass. May I have it back, by the way?"

Billy arched his eyebrow, and handed the eye back to the old man. Tympanus smiled, and the fist-sized pearl shrunk back to the size of an eye in his hand. He then placed it in his empty socket. Billy felt his stomach wretch when he saw the pearl look back at him from the head of the famed wizard.

"Ah, that's much better," Tympanus said, blinking, "You don't know how annoying it is to get used to having only one eye! Now where was I? Oh yes... I hid the sword here, but I knew it had to be protected. I could have created a magical being to guard it, but such beings get weak quickly. After a few years, the spell dissipates, and all that's left is a vestige of a once powerful warrior. I then thought about sending an actual person to guard the sword, but firstly, not many were willing to devote their lives to guarding a sword. Not much fun, I'll tell you. Also, there is always the problem of trust. I can't send anyone I don't trust implicitly, because the sword is very powerful, and very tempting. So, I decided there was only one person for the job-- me. I lived here for over ten-thousand years, waiting for this moment. Now, the time of destiny is upon us."

"But, why now?" asked Billy, "And why me?"

"Billy, you were literally born to be the first Silver Ranger, guardian of the Sword of Tympanus. The sword was created to protect the galaxy from evil, and especially to protect Aquitar. Aquitar has never before been under siege as it is now. Divatox has the potential to destroy the planet easily. Only the power you possess can stop her. The reason why it is you, is because you have the wisdom, the courage, the knowledge, and the honesty to use such vast power only for the good of the galaxy, and not for personal gain. You were born with the capacity to think and learn that no human being before you ever had. Your years as one of Zordon's Power Rangers taught you responsibility, your time as a mere assistant taught you humility, and your time as an old man taught you mortality. You have been forged to be a great hero, William, and it is now time to claim what you have earned. The negative protons you absorbed made it possible for a human being to fully unite with the power of Silver, in a way that was impossible with your friend and the Gold Ranger powers. Your trials have made you strong, and I proudly grant you this new power."

Tympanus lead Billy through a narrow tunnel, which lead outside the mountain. Billy looked in awe at the planet as seen from the only point above sea level. He noticed with alarm how low the water level was-- so low that a good amount of the mountain range now peaked over the water's surface. Billy then turned to see Tympanus at the very peak of the mountain. Billy smiled when he saw a silver hilt, encrusted with pearls, sticking out of the rock.

"No better place to hide something than in plain sight," Billy said to Tympanus.

"I couldn't agree more. Now, pull the sword, and point it to the suns."

Billy looked up, and noticed that the two suns Aquitar circled were directly overhead in a single patch of cloudless sky. He grabbed the hilt with both hands, and pulled the sword out with ease. The long two-edged weapon gleamed in the bright sunlight, and a beam of light fell from the suns to the point of the blade. Billy watched in surprise as the light was absorbed by the sword, and converted into silver light. The silver light surrounded Billy, and when the light faded, the Silver Ranger appeared. His uniform was exactly like the Gold Ranger's, but instead of black armor with gold shield, it was a white uniform with silver shield and accents. Billy staggered after the rush of power, but the wave of dizziness soon faded.

"Your body will get accustomed to the Power soon," said Tympanus.

"Its great to be a ranger again," said Billy, examining the sword, "After all this time..."

"Just like the Gold Ranger, your powers are compatible with those of the Zeo Rangers. Your zord is the Silvertip Shark, an ancient and deadly Aquitian animal very similar to the Great White Shark of Earth. When not in water, your Shark Zord can transform into Battle Mode, when it takes an android form. Your zord also has the ability to transform into any zord you desire it to, but only for a short period of time. You can use this ability to assume the place of a teammate whose zord was damaged, so the team can still create the Megazord. However, you cannot form any combination zords, like the Megazord. You can only form single zords."

"Incredible," said Billy.

"As you know, the Power teaches you how to use the weapons given you--"

Suddenly, a large object plummeted from the skies. It crashed into the remaining ocean, and the impact shook the mountain violently.

"My God," said Billy, "that was Super Zeozord I! Katherine could be hurt!"

"Your friends appear to be in battle at this moment," Tympanus said solemnly, "They need your assistance, William."

"Right," said Billy, holding his sword over the water, "Silvertip Sharkzord, power up!!"

Once again, the large mountain Tympanus and the Silver Ranger stood upon shook violently, and a loud grinding sound was heard. Billy ran to the side of the mountain, and saw a sleek, silver and white machine swim out of the rock. It was as large as a whale, and a huge gleaming silver dorsal fin sliced through the water's surface. The sight of the gargantuan machine sent chills up Billy's spine. Since childhood, he had feared fish. And the shark was the most dangerous, powerful fish in the ocean.

"The Sharkzord can swim as quickly as any zord can fly," Tympanus explained, "and it can swim through the air as it does the sea. However, if you need to fight on land, it must be transformed into Battle Mode. And whenever it is transformed into another zord, it drains energy very quickly. Like the Dragonzord that I'm sure you've encountered on Earth, the Sharkzord must be kept beneath the seas. Since this machine was designed for Aquitian use, it can be controlled completely by the mind, with a special helmet that you would wear instead of your Silver Ranger helmet. The zord will respond quicker, but since you haven't practiced the telepathic control of a zord, I suggest you not use this feature yet. Now, you'd best hurry. Your pink friend hasn't broken out of the seas, and the zord must've taken serious damage to lose control as it did."

"I'd better help her," said Billy, "How do I get into the zord?"

"You need to teleport," Tympanus explained, "but since you've never been inside the cockpit, you don't know how to visualize it for teleportation. So, I shall help you this first time."

Tympanus waved his hand before Billy's helmet. When Billy opened his eyes, he found himself inside a spacious, well-lit chamber, with a large screen panning the entire wall in front of him. He had three consoles within his reach-- one directly in front of him, with a steering wheel among other devices, one to his left, with a small screen, joystick and other buttons, and one on his right, with a small screen and more buttons. Behind the main pilot's seat, which was a comfortable leather chair with a seatbelt and its own controls on the armrest, was a row of six seats against the back wall, three on either side of a large door. Hovering above the pilot's seat was a large silver helmet, with a soft blue visor to cover the eyes. After taking a quick look around, Billy buckled his seatbelt and nodded once.

"From the look of things, the ships navigational systems and steering in front of me, the communications and teleportational systems are to my right, and finally weapons and tracking systems are to my left. The ship even has room for passengers. Incredible. Now, to find Kat."

Billy reached out his left hand, and activated the tracking system. A bullseye appeared, and the radar turned on. A pink dot flashed on the screen, and the exact coordinates registered in the corner of the screen.

"Kat's about seven miles from my present position. She landed... dangerously close to Triton. I hope the impact didn't further damage the city."

Billy frowned under his helmet, and took the steering wheel with both hands. He pressed the red button on the side, and pushed the wheel forward, just like an airplane's steering. The Silvertip Sharkzord pushed itself through the salt water, and Billy expertly steered the strange vessel towards Katherine's location. Although the ocean was dark, the main viewer showed the environment clearly. Super Zeozord I had crashed into the barren seafloor not far from Triton. Billy could see from a distance that the zord sustained serious damage, with sparks flying even underneath the waters. Billy held his breath, and activated his communicator.

"Katherine," he said into the microphone, "Its Billy! Are you okay? Do you read me?"

The words "Please Wait" appeared on the blank screen. Billy couldn't help but smile. "Somehow, the zord has modified itself for a human host fluent in English. It must be from when I first called upon it, yelling its name in English. Extraordinary."

As Billy watched, the screen read "Communique Accepted", and Katherine appeared on the screen, holding onto her chair and trying desperately to stay conscious. Billy gasped when he noticed the cockpit steadily beginning to flood.

^Billy?^ she said, peering at the screen, ^Is that you? What happened to you?^

"I'll explain later," Billy said, relieved to see his friend was okay, "Suffice it to say that I'm the Silver Ranger now. Are you injured?"

^Just a few scratches,^ Katherine said, ^but my zord's hull has been compromised. Divatox's acid torpedo ate right through the top of the head, straight into the cockpit! I'm lucky the water washed away the acid, but its still gushing in, and all the systems are offline.^

"We need to get the ship into the Aquitian hangar. Hopefully, Cestro can patch it together again fast. Hang on, Kat, I'm teleporting you in."

^In where?^ she asked. Billy smiled.

"Turn on your rear viewer."

Katherine did as she was told, and gasped when she saw the gargantuan sharkzord on her screen. She turned back to the communications screen.

^Nice zord, Billy,^ Katherine said, ^You've moved up in the world.^

"Thanks," said Billy, locking the teleporter onto Katherine's coordinates. In a streak of bright pink light, Zeo Ranger I appeared beside Billy. She looked around in awe at the high-tech surroundings that comprised the zord's cockpit.

"This place is even more complicated than the Megazord!" Katherine said, shaking her head, "Whoever built this thing picked the perfect person for the job. You probably feel right at home in here."

"Its second nature," he said, turning his communicator back on, "Listen, Kat, I'll teleport you and your zord to Triton, and then I'll join Tommy and the others in space."

"Tommy's zord was damaged too," Katherine said, folding her arms, "Super Zeozord V was the first to crash. He's in Triton now."

"That's not good," Billy said, "Only three zords are fighting Divatox? I'd better get up there immediately."

After about five minutes, Delphine appeared on the communications viewscreen. Billy was visibly surprised.

"Delphine?" he said.

^Yes. I apologize for taking so long to respond, William, but the laboratory was attacked by Divatox prior to the Power Rangers' arrival. The communications systems there have been damaged, so I had to use the hangar's short-range communicators.^

"Cestria was monitoring communications," Billy said quietly. Delphine was quiet for a moment.

^Yes, she was,^ Delphine said finally, ^She was in the laboratory at the time of the attack.^

Billy remained quiet, as if in shock. Katherine placed a consoling hand on Billy's shoulder, and then turned to the screen.

"Delphine, is Cestria okay?"

^She is injured, but Aquiva is taking care of her. However, I shall not lie to you. Her injuries are serious. Had Tideus not reached her when he did, she wouldn't have survived.^

"I'm coming--" Billy said.

"I'm sorry, Billy, but you can't," Katherine interrupted, "The rangers need you. You're the only one who can turn the tide of the battle."

^The Pink Ranger is correct,^ Delphine said, ^Our scanners are showing that the Green, Yellow, and Blue Zeozords are barely holding their own. If Divatox is to be defeated, they need backup immediately.^

"How is Tommy's zord?" asked Billy.

^Cestro is working on it now,^ Delphine said, ^He abandoned his work on the other zords to focus on it. The drill torpedo cut completely through the zord's abdomen, and compromised the energy tanks as well. The damage is extensive.^

"Tell Cestro to stop working on the red zord, and immediately begin patching the head of the pink zord," Billy said, "We just need the Megazord."

"Billy, that's impossible," Katherine said," We need Zeozord V for the Megazord!"

"Nothing's impossible," Billy said to her. He then turned to Delphine, "Can you teleport Super Zeozord I to the hangar? We need that ship working ASAP."

^Teleporting now,^ said Delphine, turning from the screen for a moment. Both Katherine and Billy watched in the main screen as the entire Super Zeozord vanished in a flash of bright pink light.

"I'll teleport Kat to your coordinates," Billy continued, "Please send her to the fight as soon as her zord is operational."

^Cestro is looking over the damage now, and tells me it should take about half an hour.^

"Tell him he's got fifteen minutes. He can do it. I have faith in his abilities. Sharkzord out."

Billy turned off the communicator, and turned to Katherine. "Kat, please check on Cestria for me. I... I don't know what I'd do without her."

"I promise," said Katherine, giving the Silver Ranger a quick hug, "Good luck."

Billy nodded, and activated the teleporter. Katherine vanished in a flash of pink light, leaving the Silver Ranger alone in the cockpit of the Silvertip Sharkzord.

"Now, to help the other rangers."