"For years, we have worked, trained, and focused toward our ultimate goal." Arcanza stood among the amassed crowd of people—men, women, boys, and girls, all dressed in black and slashed with either purple or orange depending on their fighting abilities—swinging his fists as he addressed them. His voice was cool and collected, it was easily heard even by those toward the back of the army, but hunger was shining in his crystalline gaze. Strangely, he was dressed in his own version of the standard Twilight Legion uniform striped with silver, his hair tied back, his hands and feet protected by flexible black steel, the same type he used to create the Pseudo Ranger's armor. Speaking of the Ranger, it was approaching the dais while Legionnaires were shuffling to make way for it. Sir Vesper's lip twitched as he returned his attention to his master. "This step is important in that plan. We are poised to strike the home of Alpha Complex and our most powerful enemies. Soon they and their surroundings will belong to Twilight Legion and we can proceed paving the path for the coming two beings of the Trinity."
Vesper, as always, was amazed by his forthright and stunning proposition. The Trinity of Darkness was a holy trio—the Destroyer, the Betrayer, the Resurrector—that was prophesied to appear before evil enveloped the universe. When he learned Arcanza had proclaimed himself the Destroyer, Sir Vesper wasted no time answering his new master's summons.
His hands tightened around their contents, two Hypercoins in each hand, the source of power for the Omni Rangers' Morphers, as he debated yet again whether or not to inform Arcanza of his accomplishment. It was a stroke of luck when he spotted Pseudo Ranger challenging the new Red Ranger to one-on-one combat; it was a stroke of dumb luck when the lesser powerful and lesser experienced of the two maintained the upper hand. But it had served as a nice distraction so Vesper could swipe the coins from the Omni Morphers and render four Power Rangers powerless and, in essence, no threat to his Lord's plan.
"Follow us into the city," Arcanza instructed. "Myself, Pseudo Ranger, and your commander Sir Vesper. Leading you, my Twilight Legion, we will lay siege to Ivory Glade!"
The Legion roared with excitement. Pseudo Ranger stood at Arcanza's side, speaking with him quite animatedly. Suddenly Vesper was being lifted up by a group of Legionnaires and carried forward. He maneuvered all four coins to one hand then drew his sword, quickly and fiercely striking the excited people. Falling back onto his own two feet, Sir Vesper raised the blade, stained with blood from every planet he had conquered, and called out, "Move in! In the name of Lord Arcanza, in the command of the Fallen Star Conqueror, begin the conquest of the Earth!"
As soon as the final word was blasted, an army of black, violet, orange, silver, and empty white pseudoine-infused eyes charged forward, pouring themselves in a horde, directing themselves to the north, and tearing into the city of their enemies.
Ivory Glade was under siege.
They thought they had found the perfect hiding place. Patrick crouched down low with his year-younger sister Rachel nearby, motioning for her to stay silent as they spied on the four people in the distance. She followed his directions, her green eyes sparkling with excitement, so it was not her that gave them away.
Something must have triggered a warning in the boy in blue, because he suddenly pointed directly at them and announced loudly, "We have company."
Rachel and Patrick turned around to run, but the other teenaged boy, in a dirty white shirt and shredded green vest, matching the rips and shreds of his jeans, had already caught them. "Patrick!" he exclaimed.
"Alex!" The surprise was mutual. "You're a Power Ranger?" The words were out before he could think not to say them. Rachel groaned as though she agreed it was a stupid move on his part.
Alexander Revell, a fellow student—they were seniors now—at Harrison High School, crossed his arms and studied them silently. He was well-known around the neighborhood as the type of young man who was strong and quiet. In truth, a perfect candidate for a Ranger.
Close behind him came two other people from school, Brittany Elliott, an intelligent girl with bright blue eyes, and Becky Spencer, the cheerleading co-captain and center of attention in more than one social circle. Also choice Power Ranger material. They shared a worried look.
The fourth member of the party was familiar but Patrick could not idenify him. Older and bigger, with golden-brown hair and dark brown eyes, he must have been the group's leader while the Red Ranger was away. "Another compromise," he said gravely. "Terrific."
"No!" gasped Becky.
Brittany added, "We can't tell the Omnians. Patrick and Rachel are our friends, Michael. We won't harm them."
"Compromise is compromise," Michael growled.
Alex lifted a hand to quiet the others. "How did you know?" he asked Patrick.
"We saw the battle between the Red Ranger and the evil Ranger," he admitted. "Then we saw Sir Vesper steal your powers. We should have helped then, but earlier we saw him kill a police officer, so we were afraid..."
"That's alright." Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It was smart of you not to get involved. Sir Vesper is without remorse, morals, or patience."
Brittany interrupted him as he spoke. "I hate to change subjects quickly," she announced, "but there are hundreds of Twilight Legion members ready to move in."
"Damn him," Michael swore, turning away and shaking with anger. Suddenly men dressed in black and orange began to round the corners and fill the streets. From their hiding positions, Patrick, his sister, his friends, and Michael watched a group of six or seven surround three pedestrians and proceed torturing them.
"The best thing we can do," proposed Becky, "is get back to Alpha Complex."
Rachel's eyes widened and Patrick felt his own do the same. "Alpha Complex?" she repeated in an awed whisper. "Why do you have to go there?"
"Some friends there can help us," Brittany answered.
"Let us help," Patrick suggested. "We might not have been able to help you fight Sir Vesper or that evil Ranger thing, but we can make sure you get through Ivory Glade safely."
It took another minute or two of convincing, but soon Patrick and Rachel Manus were accompanying the secret identities of the Power Rangers to the legendary abandoned building on the other side of the city.
Seven Legionmen and Legionwomen flanked him on either side, but Vesper completely ignored them as he unfolded the map and layed it out before him on the pile of bodies, some still alive and some not. "We came up from the south," reflected the Shadow, "and Alpha Complex borders the city on the east, mountains to the west. Pseudo Ranger fought the Rangers about here...so...this would be the best place to intercept them."
The Legionnaire directly beside him grunted acknowledgement. From the glazed, distant look in his face, he was carrying a high level of pseudoine.
"You must get to the Complex before they do and stall them," a metallic voice echoed over the scene.
Vesper inwardly roared with rage, but managed to calmly reply, "Point taken."
The commander began to fold the map, but a gray-armored hand halted the process. Pseudo Ranger took a second or two to study the map, then left suddenly, with the parting words, "The Power Rangers are mine to destroy. Keep it in mind."
"How little you know," Sir Vesper laughed under his breath. "They are not Power Rangers without their power." His sick laughter accompanied the sixteen-person force as they continued on their journey.
Mimicing Alex's perfect high kick, Patrick dispatched the final assailant. Another woman, he noted sadly; before today he had never struck a female let alone knock one out cold with his shoe. With the immediate danger passed, the group of six continued forward, keeping pressed against walls or implementing other methods of avoiding detection by the roaming people in violet or orange, two colors Patrick had come to detest greatly.
"I think it's Soleron," Becky said without warning.
"Where?" demanded Michael.
"No, not here," she corrected herself. "I mean the Pseudo Ranger. I think Soleron is the Pseudo Ranger. He can fight like an Omnian and has plenty of knowledge about OmniTech."
Michael shook his head and said distantly, "So did Craig. It's possible he was betraying us all along and was a Twilight Legionnaire the entire time."
"I know this sounds crazy," whispered Brittany, "but I get the strange feeling Amber Donaldson is playing some part in this. I'm not saying she is Pseudo Ranger, but..."
"She was very skilled in martial arts, wasn't she?" Becky remembered. "What do you think, Alex?"
"It could be Arcanza walking around with a bucket on his head for all I care," Alex answered honestly. "All I know is that Pseudo Ranger is dangerous, to everyone, not just us, and needs to be stopped as soon as possible."
A rumble of thunder above drowned out their speculation, accompanying a bolt of lightning lashing out toward the ground, the gentle rain picking up in strength. The teenagers were already wet, muddy, and cold, but the growing intensity of the storm still bothered them. Patrick had given his jacket to Brittany earlier; Rachel had given hers to Becky.
Just then, at about the most frightening moment of Patrick's life, a deep familiar voice cried out over the storm, "There they are! Surround them!" It was Sir Vesper!
"Patrick, Rachel, stay back," Alex warned, lifting a strange device, like a sword handle and hilt but no blade. Michael had one, too, and was breathing unnaturally heavy. A large collection of Twilight Legion members began filing out in front of them and behind them, following Vesper's directions.
Sir Vesper swept into sight, his cape twisting in the winds of the storm. His eyes burned bright red and fiery orange and he seemed to assess the entire situation in once glance. "I realize you are powerless," he said with a taunt in his voice. "Though you may think differently, I am truly an honorable warrior, so I will not fight you. You have been worthy competitors for several months now. Simply tell me where I can find your friend Craig Hopwood, the Omnian Soleron Naelra, and Professor Abner Donaldson, and I will not harm you or your friends."
"We don't..." began Rebecca, but Alex stopped her by pulling her back.
"Give us time to consider your offer," said Alex. "We don't betray our friends."
The alien warrior blinked, pondering the reason behind the delay, then shrugged and thrust his curved sword into the solid ground, an incredible feat of strength. "I will return in one hour for your answer." He vanished into the shadows, but the Legion still surrounded them, waiting patiently for their commander to return.
Gathered together in the steady stream of rain, Alexander, Rebecca, Brittany, Michael, Patrick, and Rachel shared a simultaneous look of fright.
"What do we do now?" asked Michael.
"Wait an hour," Alex sighed, "and hope for a miracle the entire time."
Michael rolled his eyes, repeating drably, "A mircale."
Ivory Glade city hall was a two-story square building with a tower protruding upward, where an clock presented the time and flags of the state and nation fluttered in the wind. Arcanza was standing on the top of the clock tower, watching his Legion circulate through the city like bad blood through veins, his hand clutching the railing, leaving imprints. In his blood-splattered battle fatigue and royal stance, he appeared truly as the evil lord he was. A black-feathered falcon dig its talons deep into Arcanza's shoulder but he seemed to barely notice.
Vesper approached him carefully, but still was unable to reach him before Arcanza discovered he was there. "When you first arrived," his master drew the words out, "I assigned you with but one mission: the deaths of three people. Your words, as I recall them, were, 'Three as good as dead at this minute, Lord Arcanza.' Do you recall this?"
"I do, my lord," the Shadow of War answered.
"Failure I understand. Disobience I understand. But just because I see the reasons behind things does not mean I tolerate them. I have slain people for both failure and disobience. People of my Twilight Legion whom I love! Tell me, Fallen Star Conqueror. Tell me, Shadow of War. Tell me, Commander of Twilight Legion. Why should I toleratre such disgraces from you?"
Falling to one knee, Vesper replied, "You should not, my lord. I accept your punishment, but first may I inform you..."
"You have the teenagers surrounded," finished Arcanza. "And you hold the Hypercoins, the source of OmniTech. I would expect a lesser warrior to keep this information from me so he could use it as a bargaining tool. I would not expect this from my second in command. More disgraces."
He reached out to hand the coins to Arcanza, but the lord waved his hand away.
"I relieve you of your duties, Sir Vesper." Those crystalline eyes suddenly filled with translucent fire and danced in his eyes. "You are released from service to Twilight Legion."
With that, the platform beneath Vesper's feet vaporized, and suddenly gravity was carrying him to the solid pavement below. Still grasping the Hypercoins in one hand and shaking his fist with the other, he cried, "You will regret using me! This planet will yet tremble in the hands of Sir Vesper! Trinity damn you, Arcanza! Trinity damn you..."
And, as he went silent, the falling warrior swore he heard Arcanza laugh, "Damn me."
Drenched and disheartened, once more Patrick checked his watch, then glanced up at Alexander, who was still pacing back and forth with his head tilted back and eyes closed. An hour had come and gone, but still no sign of Sir Vesper's promised return and his sword remained embedded in the ground. Michael had approached it once, but one of the Legionnaires quickly reacted to block his path and he had not seemed too happy about that.
"Maybe he isn't coming back," Rachel sighed. She looked tired and ready to give up their fight. Alex grunted.
Brittany added, "I am afraid he might be using distraction tactics again..." A flash of lightning in the sky. "...and something else terrible is happening..." Thunder followed. "...beneath our noses." She shivered and rubbed her arms. Brittany, Rachel, Becky, and Patrick were stationed underneath a overhanging, still cold even though safe from the storm. Alex and Michael, dormant Lifeblades in hand, kept a steady watch on their captors.
Then, strangely, the men and women of the Legion withdrew. One minute their gazes were locked on their six charges, the next minute they were walking away without a look back. An entire small army just walked away from their battle. At the same time the storm began to taper off, steady rain being replaced by light drizzle.
"What's going on?" wondered Becky. Alex grunted a similar question.
"People of Ivory Glade..."
The voice came from all around and filled both of Patrick's ears as though it were directly in front of him. Slowly the teenagers looked skyward and saw the holographic likeness of a tall, well-built man in silver and black clothing, long black hair tied back, eyes shining like polished diamonds. "Arcanza!" Michael hissed angrily.
"I greet you now, and wish to both inform you of what has been taking place and welcome you into the family of Twilight Legion. But first, please allow me to begin by introducing myself. I am called Arcanza and I hail from a distant planet known as Omnis that was destroyed several years ago. When I arrived on Earth, I realized your planet was in grave danger from pollution and unrest and many other factors that, left unchecked, would spell disaster for your people. To combat this I formed Twilight Legion and instilled them with knowledge from beyond the stars. But it is time, I decided, to spread my ideas and missions. To prove I would act upon my words, I recognized the threat these so-called 'Power Rangers' posed to your city. This group of agitators is responsible for creating hideous monsters of incredible proportions and then staging battles to convince you of their supposed good intentions."
As he spoke, Alex, Becky, and Brittany stared wordlessly, their mouths hanging open and words unable to form. It was difficult to tell if it was the raindrops or tears running down their cheeks. Rachel was holding Becky's hand. Michael covered his mouth with his hand and was squinting intensely to see Arcanza's image suspended in the sky.
"At my command, Twilight Legion organized a strike team to sweep into the city and elimiate the Power Rangers. I have been informed that, with the exception of one, we have succeeded in our mission. Ivory Glade has been liberated from the evils they sought to impose. Our next act, hopefully with your city's cooperation, is to march toward Alpha Complex, the place these Power Rangers secured as their base of operations, and destroy it."
Suddenly Brittany exclaimed, "Listen! It's the Pseudo Ranger's voice!"
"Alex was right," whispered Becky, "it was Arcanza with a bucket on his head."
"No."
The entire group twisted around and leaped into their confrontation position when they heard the voice. For the second time today, Sir Vesper had sneaked upon them unnoticed and startled them by speaking. Now he moved slower and erratically, as though almost in pain, as he wrapped both hands around the handle of his weapon and pulled. It would not budge.
"Then do you know who the Pseudo Ranger is?" Rebecca demanded.
Vesper chuckled, his laugh turning into a cough. "I know it is not Arcanza, for I have seen the two together. And that is the reason for my replacement." He pulled again, screaming as he did so, and unsheathed his weapon from the ground. "You have learned much, so it would be useless for me to offer an alliance now. You want Pseudo Ranger, Arcanza, and me dead; Arcanza and his Pseudo Ranger want you and me dead; I want Pseudo Ranger, Arcanza, you, and all Earthlings dead. Quite a lovely little triangle we have made for ourselves."
"We have a decision," Alex called the announcement. "We will tell you where Craig, Professor Donaldson, and Soleron are."
The otherworldly warrior cough-laughed again. "I could care less where those Trinity-damned scum grow." Then, slashing his blade through the air, the Fallen Star Conqueror charged forward, determined that if he could not dominate Earth, at least Sir Vesper would have the Power Rangers and OmniTech as his final conquests.
Original Publication Date: 28 September 1999
