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“Very good.” Decorated handsomely in dark gray attire, Commander William Stanton handed back the GSA status report to the young ensign. Satisfaction radiated from the commander’s face. “Now report to the dome and have Mr. Chen show you proper maintenance procedures.” There was no mistake about it. This day was for all the people of Mirinoi.
Stanton stood in a tall field of lush grass and gazed at his dream coming to life. Terra Venture’s city dome neared full restoration.
“Sir, I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” remarked Officer Mike Corbett, who approached from behind with another progress report. A soft smile crossed their faces.
Stanton broke from his stare and turned to his loyal officer. “Mike, let’s fire up the viewing screen. We have an audience to attend to.” His anticipation grew by the minute.
Maya took her seat outside the city dome up a tree branch ninety-foot high along other Mirinoian children in their traditional midriffs and short skirts. A small mass of people gathered nearby murmuring among themselves. Leo Corbett, dressed casual as usual, kept the children dazzled with his magic tricks while Officer Kendrix and sweet Karone laughed in the distance when his card stunts failed. Damon remained at his bunker with oil stains all over his mechanics uniform repairing a GSA car that Leo “accidentally” crashed. Officer Kai Chen stood by within the dome beside Mike and Commander Stanton awaiting the final preparations.
“Mr. Chen,” said Stanton with a spring in his voice, “begin transmission.”
The eager citizens’ patience finally paid off when the one-hundred inch monitor on the front side of the dome’s Command Tower lit up for the very first time since the crash. “Citizens of Mirinoi, this is Commander Stanton.” Complete silence broke out among the crowds at the voice of their elected leader.
All the light inside the dome was beamed onto the tower, keeping the rest of it cloaked in darkness. “I’ve promised today to be an event for our generations, and we’re only moments away from unveiling it. What I wanted above all else for Terra Venture was the safety of its people. Getting here was a validation that our combined efforts can get us through any obstacle of any stature. Now that we’re here, there’s only one other thing I could think of to ensure that safety for ages to come. Look ahead, and see the beacon of our future.”
In an instant, all the other lights turned on and the crowd gasped. Not only was the city dome completely restored to its previous glory, but the landscape was totally reformed. Along with soaring skyscrapers were the grandiose trees that Mirinoi flourished with. For everything technological, there was something natural and unrefined balancing it out. Magnificently detailed sunflower statues, the symbol of light and hope for Mirinoi, were erected in the park.
“By our cultures merging over the past five years, I am convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that the safety of persons from Earth and Mirinoi are forever preserved.” His twelve year-old daughter, Jodie, stood in front with her father’s draped arm. “And our children and their children will grow up in a future of which the foundations are built by us here and now…and forever.”
A heartfelt round of applause followed. Not since landing on Mirinoi had the people expressed such hope in their eyes.
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His eyes woke to a sight that could not be reality. Instead of walls filled with lava, it was an ocean of trees. Jungle spanned over the horizon. The elongated branches and thick leaves shielded him from the alien brightness of the sky. And snowfall had left its mark. A light coat of icy frosting covered most of everything in sight.
H e sat up from the cold ground, his mind bewildered as a child’s. His foot brushed against something large. When he looked over, he could not believe what sat before him; a massive stone with five decorated swords inserted. Before he could study the beauty of it, a sickening feeling overcame him at what he saw next. The dark tornado from the Abyss was being absorbed into the rock.
Looking up, the twister was spiraling from the heavens. And all the evil he had guarded was now contaminating the purity of the Quasar Sabers. Bright electricity javelined from the funnel and struck randomly.
The applause persisted and cheers erupted as the joyous citizens began entering the city. No detail was left unattended. It was as if a proficient craftsman took a clay model and sculpted it to perfection. Children ran rampantly through the newly paved streets and even climbed the majestic Sunflower Statues. A Mirinoian Utopia.
Jodie and the Commander joined the masses from the tower. Little Jodie ran off to play with some of her friends. What would he have done without her? The journey to Mirinoi would have been so empty. It was her that kept his spirit alive when trapped in the Lost Galaxy. And now to see this. He could not help but-
“Daddy what’s that?” Jodie pointed to the sky behind him.
Taken back for a second, Stanton looked to the cold sky. It almost looked like lightning.
Piercing the moment, a massive lightning strike crashed into the upper portion of the Command Tower. All the population gasped as they watched its foundations crumble onto the streets. The tower itself collapsed in a matter of seconds. Stanton’s heart sunk at the sight but was still trying to comprehend what happened. Someone shouted “Look!” Two more lightning strikes were ready to hail onto the City Dome. Both reflected in the pupils of the Commander. He gathered his nerves and shouted, “Run! Everybody, get out of here!”
The duel strikes thundered into the rear of the city where nobody had reached yet. Stanton saw his daughter about few blocks away, and he ran to her as fast as humanely possible.
Along the way, his officers were guiding everyone they could find. He could always rely on them. But Jodie was still hiding with her friends behind a statue. He was only a block away now.
A third strike appeared from nowhere and struck the ground directly to the right of the Commander. His body was propelled some feet away before plummeting against the pavement. He heard screams and explosions, but his daughter was still safe. Get up, old man.
His legs had some deep cuts, but he hobbled his way over to Jodie. When he finally reached her, he tried picking her up but the weight was too much on his legs. “We have to run, sweetie. You ready?” She nodded in agreement but her face was horrified.
When William Stanton looked behind him before running again, he saw the fourth lightning bolt. It struck him in the back and he jerked to the ground. There was no pain as everything went black.
Terra Venture was falling again. The lightning strikes multiplied by the dozens and struck without prejudice. Leo tried rushing back into the smoky city to find more people, but Kai grabbed him by the arm.
“Leo, wait! We can be more help with the sabers.”
He couldn’t argue with that; every second counted now. It was time to bring them out of retirement again.
With Maya, Damon and Kendrix following, Kai and Leo lead the way to the stone. It was fortunate they knew the trail by heart since fire was consuming everything.
A deep crackling suddenly showed itself. Bellowing moans followed it. And when the Rangers knew they were within ten feet of the stone, they found the source. Not only were the strikes emitting from the stone, but creatures were emerging from the smoke. Very familiar faces, too. It was a number of the monsters they had destroyed on their journey to Mirinoi. Leo had no time for this. “Maya, get their attention!”
Agile Maya climbed a large tree like a cat in the matter of seconds, calling out the monsters who outnumbered the Rangers two to one. Damon and Kai managed to sneak by the monsters, leap towards the stone and pull the sabers from it before slamming onto the ground. Immediately, they raised their swords to the sky and colored lightning charged them. Energies coursed their body and forged into the Green and Blue Galaxy Ranger battlesuits. They tackled whatever monster was nearby, gashing them with the Quasar Sabers.
Maya swung on a few vines, grabbing light Kendrix along the way. Kendrix was heaved towards the stone where she re-commissioned the saber with the Wildcat emblem on the golden handle. She immediately morphed into Galaxy Pink. A bulky monster she remembered as Hardtochoke grabbed her by the throat.
Leo, skilled in various martial arts, used his strength to hold off and distract any monster he could. The tribal Freaky Tiki stabbed his chest with his spiked staff, trying to drive it through the muscle. But the monster cringed in agony after being sliced from behind by Maya, morphed in her yellow battlesuit.
With his team hacking away, Leo finally had clear sailing to the last saber in the stone. He grabbed it below the Lion emblem and drew it to the sky shouting, “Go Galactic!” He morphed into Galaxy Red.
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