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Chapter Thirteen: Unity
“So…that’s it?” Leo Corbett turned to his allies.
“The amulet,” Cam approached Anatari, “How did you or those entities know?”
“Your amulet is a family treasure, Cameron. Its power was created in my day as a catalyst to Lothor’s dark magic. Fate led Kiya Watanabe, your uncle, to the amulet because he had tapped into a small portion of Lothor’s power. The amulet was to keep that darkness at bay to serve its greatest purpose.”
Cam smiled in disbelief. “What purpose? This has to be what I was waiting for as I grew up.”
“For that,” answered Anatari, “I’d have to consult the Council of Elders- a court of Gods who help maintain the Morphin Grid, and the creators of the amulet. But first I’ll have to seek them out. When Lothor crossed the breach, they surely relocated.”
“Are you leaving us?” Karone held his wrist.
He nodded with a smile. “I must. Lothor’s presence has disrupted the universal Morphin Grid. The Council will advise me of my next mission.” He took a moment to look at all the Rangers around him- three generations united. “The thirteen of you have united in a way I’d hoped for during many millennia of imprisonment. My hope in the survival of goodness has been replenished. For that, I’m always in your debt. I ask of only one thing in return.” He turned to Karone. “Join me, Karone, when I approach the Council.”
Karone could barely find the words. “To the Council? I don’t understand.”
“It’s quite simple. You are my savior as the Angels were to us all today. This was told to me by the Gods centuries ago. They told me that she would grow up in darkness that would only be shattered by the ones she cherished. Your former bodyguard, Ecliptor. Your brother, Andros. Even your [I]sins as Astronema[/I] were foreseen, Karone. It is now that you’re ready to join me to end the armies of darkness. You sealed the prophecy by coming to my aid on Mirinoi.”
Andros came behind his sister and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Andros, I-”
“Don’t worry,” said Andros, “If there’s anyone who can get our people to thrive again, I believe it’s through him. Don’t be afraid.”
“It’s not that. It’s…I don’t want to let you down again.” Tears started to run.
“Karone, you grew up under lies and manipulation. They had to condition you in Astronema- it wasn’t you to begin with.”
“I know that now. That’s why I have to go with Anatari. It’s time I lived my life the way it was meant.” The siblings shared a long embrace; tears flowing down both faces.
The Galaxy Rangers didn’t know what to say, but they kept still.
Then Cam walked past the Wind Rangers saying, “Anatari, allow me to join you.”
“What?” Tori couldn’t believe it. “Cam, what are you doing?”
“Whoa, you’re leaving?” followed Shane. Tori was now wiping tears of her own.
Dustin stumbled on his response. “B- du…who’s going to be all high and mighty with us?”
“I’ll program it into Cyber Cam for you,” he said with a laugh. Dustin then thanked him as he started to tear up as well.
Hunter and Blake walked behind him, offering their hands in a high five. “Be careful, bro,” said Blake.
Cam replied with “Try not to get captured while I’m gone.”
“We guarantee nothing,” smiled Hunter.
“Before we leave this planet,” spoke Anatari, “we must first ensure this never happens again.” He kneeled down to a quivering Jinxer, whose body was mutilated by the fire storm. Demon cards lay all around him. Anatari shuffled through them, picking up two. He held one up saying, “This is to restore peace on planet Mirinoi.”
He tossed one card over and stuck it into the Savage Sword, which still had the Quasar Sabers melded into it. The card turned into energy and coursed through the metals, separating the sabers one by one.
He held up the second card. “And this one…oh, this is a special one.” He smiled deviously at Jinxer. “It’ll place you as the new gatekeeper of the underworlds and personal guard to Lothor for three thousand years. Do give him my regards.”
Not a peep came from Jinxer as Anatari applied the card; teleporting Jinxer away. “With any luck, that’s the last we’ll ever see of his bloodline.”
Anatari walked towards the Galaxies with the Quasar Sabers in hand. “Though now you know the true origins of these weapons, it was your destinies to use them against the evil that created them. I return them to you.”
Leo then looked at his comrades of five years with a look of content. “Anatari, I think we all agree on something here. I’ve regarded my saber as a close friend all this time. Now I know why. It has the spirit of the original Galaxy Red. We think it’s time to let them rest in peace.”
Shane approached Leo and Anatari. “As much as I hate breaking this up, I just need to point out that our rides were pretty much annihilated. How do we get home?”
“The only way that’s left.”
“Teleporting?” asked Andros.
“Uh, no.”
“Ninja Streaking?” asked Dustin.
Anatari and the Galaxy Rangers gave Dustin the most awkward look. Dustin followed up by saying, “What? It’s teleporting, too.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s try old-fashioned portals,” finished Anatari, who turned around and raised a glowing hand. Several portals began to open up.
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Leo, Damon, Kai, Kendrix and Maya all stood before the sacred stone once more.
“Well,” Kai was the first to speak up, “looks like it’s back to stowaway’s life for you, Leo.”
Leo couldn’t help but smile. His eyes stayed fix on the stone. “Yeah…maybe I’ll give that officer thing another try.”
Kendrix laughed. “Do we really need another Kai?”
Kai’s eyes opened wide. “Did….did Kendrix just make a [I]joke[/I]? Damon, what did you do to her?”
“That’s all her, brother.”
Maya, wiping away tears of laughter and joy, finally turned to her saber. “There’s only one task left to be fulfilled. Our quest is finally complete…well, again.” She slid the blade into the rock. Damon and Kendrix followed up, and finally Kai and Leo.
They all then stepped to the side as Anatari approached the stone. He placed his palms onto the rock’s smooth surface and an illumination followed.
With all five sabers rested, they and the stone lit up beautifully with colored energies swirling all about. Anatari stepped back and watched in awe with the others.
The stone then proceeded to disintegrate into light sand, which absorbed into the metal blades. One by one, each saber began to ascend to the heavens, but not before the vague translucent images of each ancient warrior appeared behind each weapon. They looked down to the Mirinoian heroes with such joy. Finally, they vanished as did the Quasar Sabers.
The former Galaxy Ranger team watched the skies with arms wrapped around each other. There wasn’t a single dry eye among them. On this day, they had said goodbye to so many lives that forever changed their own. Now they go on with the wisdom those lives brought.
“We’d better get to the Commander’s funeral.”
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The entire population had gathered for the final resting of their leader. Scientists, engineers, workers and family men, Earthen and Mirinoian alike, mourned together.
A casket was constructed with metals from Terra Venture which lay before the crowd. The Rangers joined them as Mike Corbett began to speak.
“I was given the honor to present this eulogy, so the only fair way to go about this is from the heart. The truth is, we’ve had many honors bestowed onto us. We all were given the honor of being heroes. Together, we’ve started a bond that will only thrive in generations to come, no matter what tries to drive us apart. We had protectors against this galaxy’s most ruthless monarchs. When we fall, others will rise in our place. This was the Commander’s dream. And so help me, as the new Commander, I will preserve that dream until it’s my time to fall.”
A roar of applause finished off the speech. Leo cheered his brother on with his friends among the crowd. A new dawn set on the people of Mirinoi.
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An intense day of training ensued for the hopefuls of the Wind Ninja Academy. As the students practiced varieties of elemental attacks and defenses, one student with shoulder-length brunette hair wearing an orange-stripped academy uniform walked right past them and towards her log cabin.
She casually opened the door. Before the light was flipped on, a strange aroma caught her senses. She couldn’t really put her finger on it, but it was a cool-like kind of smell. She flipped the switch.
But there was no light. Instead, the switch turned Chantal Kreviazuk’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Burning candles ensnared her eyes over to the bed. Stiffly, she approached it.
It was all just the oddest thing. But what was on her bed shocked her even more. Yellow roses and tiny feathers had been sprinkled all over the sheets. This was either the greatest thing, or the greatest time to use some of her new ninja moves. A voice came from behind.
“Hey, Marah.” He grinned so greatly.
Oh dear lord, it was Dustin. Wha…but what was he doing here? In her room! Did he break in or…my God, that face in that candlelight…..breathe deep, Marah.
“Yeah, um, I kinda wanted to talk to you about something,” his hands were fidgeting with each other at a speedier pace, “and…well, like, I’ve wanted to before and, well the timing just didn’t, uh, and something Andros said made a lot of sense and-”
Marah starred at that beautiful face, with the dark brown eyes, the hair with too much products in it, and those lips that danced forever.
“-so I was all, ah! Dude! And then-”
In place of Dustin’s speech was that song, which sang:
“So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go”
Two years was long enough. Marah clasped her sweaty palms to the side of his head, moved forward and planted the biggest kiss on the lips, breathing in deep as she massaged his lips with her own.
But she had tripped over her feet and pressed herself against Dustin, causing them both to drop down onto the bed. And when they did, the feathers bounced high and floated aimlessly around the room. Music and heavy breathing was all that broke the silence.
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The cabin door flung open…”Marah, come one, will ya? We’re going to be la…” said a taller blonde woman, stricken with a horrified expression at the sight of her sister stripping down like a caged animal. Only one word was fit for a moment like this. “Eeeewwwwww…….ew!”
Kapri burst from the cabin shrieking that word the whole way. She ran so fast that she didn’t even notice herself interrupting a class. Tori and Shane, in their sensei uniforms, were run into.
“Whoa, there.” Shane started looking around. “Have you seen Dustin?”
She could still hear that song from inside the cabin. Kapri looked at him blankly seconds before suddenly throwing up all over his uniform.
“Whoa. Whoa!” He couldn’t back away soon enough.
Tori cried, “The other way! Turn the other way!”
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