Ultimate Legacy: Chapter Fourteen
The Serious Rebellion
Tyler's vision blurred into focus. He rolled onto his stomach to push himself up, feeling sand beneath his fingers.
With a groan, he stood and found himself on a beach looking out upon a green ocean. The sea air smelled salty, and the heat from the two suns stung his skin.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced across the landscape, trying to find a clue about his whereabouts. He didn't recognize the place at all - unsurprisingly.
He flipped open his morpher to contact the others. "Seth...Mat...Kira...Kym..."
No one answered.
Suddenly, a knife buzzed through the air and knocked the morpher from Tyler's hand.
About a dozen women leapt from the jungle and landed on the beach, surrounding Tyler. They wielded spears, short swords, and staffs, and wore armor styled after the Amazons of Greek legend.
Tyler nodded at them with a smirk. "Hello..."
The women parted, allowing their leader to pass and walk closer to Tyler. Her long, blonde hair flowed down her skin, and her red-and-golden armored glimmered in the sunlight. She carried a slender sword, more like a katana then the weapons of her soldiers.
"Who are you?" she asked. "No man is allowed on our shores. Speak quickly, or I will cut out your tongue."
"That's not very welcoming..."
The young woman lifted her blade to the teen's throat. She narrowed her eyes with recognition. "There is something...familiar about you."
"I do have a bounty or two on my head," Tyler said. "You want to tie me up and cash me in?"
She kicked his legs, knocking him to the ground. He slammed his head against the sand, jarring a memory. A name came to mind.
"Lauren Shiba..." he said.
Lauren narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my birth name?"
An alternate version of Lauren Shiba, her counterpart on Earth Prime held the Red Samurai powers, before becoming the Red Hurricane Ranger, replacing her half-brother Simon. She and Simon both descended from the bloodline of the First Angel: Lucifer.
"Are you part-angel?" Tyler asked.
"We all are..." Lauren said. "We are the Daughters of Angels, Protectors of the Gates of Tartarus."
"Tyler!" a voice shouted from down the beach. He looked to see Kym, Kira, Seth and Mat run to the scene.
Tyler took advantage of the distraction. He unsheathed his Power Saber, parried past the women warriors, and regrouped with his friends.
"It was nice meeting you," Tyler said as he grabbed his morpher and flipped it open. "But we have to be going..."
He punched the command codes for the Legacy Galleon. But nothing happened.
"Yeah, we kind of lost the ship when you blew up a freaking planet to take out the last bad guy," Mat said. "So...there's that."
The Amazons lifted their weapons, shouted war cries, and charged to attack the rangers. The teens unsheathed their Power Sabers and shifted into defensive stances.
"Try not to hurt them," Tyler said. "Let's fight through, and find someplace safe."
The Amazons crashed against the rangers with the sound of metal clanging against metal.
Tyler faced off with Lauren. They twirled their blades, slashing and parrying. Despite Tyler's sword skills, Lauren gained the upper hand. She knocked his sword away and kicked him off his feet.
Lauren chopped her blade at the fallen ranger.
But Seth lunged to his leader's side, blocked the blow, and side-kicked Lauren; the Amazon stumbled backward.
Lauren cursed beneath her breathe. "A lucky strike."
Seth twirled his sword. "Not luck. Skill."
They charged and dueled, clashing blades in a display of martial beauty, moving like dancers - that wanted to kill each other.
With a lightning-quick upset, Lauren parried, knocked Seth's sword out his hand, and kicked him to the ground.
She placed her sword against his throat and narrowed her eyes with curiosity. "Your sword technique. You fight almost as well as we Nephilim. But you are not one of us. What are you? How did you learn your dance of blades?
Seth narrowed his eyes and said nothing. His mind flashed back...
Seth and several soldiers sparred within a dingy Armada battle chamber, with dim lights and girders that supported the ceiling.
"What are you idiots doing?!" a voice shouted from the shadows. "You'll never become soldiers with fighting like that! You're no better than X-Borgs!"
Seth and the other cadets wore all black, with plates of gray armor over their chests, legs and arms. They moved across the metal deck while clashing blades with one another.
A group of X-Borgs entered the fray, taking the trainees off guard. They swung their staffs, bashing the trainees before they could fight back. Grunts clubbed Seth in the gut and back, knocking him off his feet.
Seth bashed his head against the floor, nearly crumbling into unconsciousness.
"Leave him!" the trainer shouted to the other cadets. "Attack more fiercely! With more aggression!"
Seth's vision blurred in and out of focus as the training continued, and then finished. The trainees left the arena, leaving Seth behind.
One cadet lingered and leaned at Seth's side. "Seth..." he said as he shook Seth gently. "Seth...you OK?"
Seth looked up to face the older cadet. "Syd..." Seth whispered. "Hey..."
Syd decided to help Seth train. The older cadet stood back and watched Seth twirl a pair of sabers. The teen moved his blades through quick and powerful slashes.
Syd nodded with approval and placed a hand on Seth's shoulder. "That's good for now. Next...I want you to watch this. I came up with this move myself..."
Syd stepped back. He swung his sword, slowly, through an arc; his blade ebbed with white power. He shifted back, held his sword in an offensive position, and lashed out. He swung through an x-shaped pattern that streaked with white energy and shot outward, exploding with bursts of white energy.
Lauren lowered her blade. "You have nothing to say? Very well." She looked to her sisters. "Bind him."
Seth kicked the legs out from under her, rolled aside, and regrouped with his teammates. They shifted into defensive stances.
"We're done fighting," Tyler said. "Let us go."
"Your females, perhaps. But you males...you do not belong here," Lauren said.
"Right, so let us leave," Mat said. "This doesn't have to be complicated."
Suddenly, the ground shook. Skies darkened, and lightning flashed from the clouds.
Mat sighed. "Things just got complicated, didn't they?"
The Armada flagship hovered near the patchwork planet where the Rangers battled the Amazons. A smaller vessel docked with the command ship, jarring its hull, and rattling Prince Vekar on the bridge.
"What...what was that?" the prince asked. Surely no one dared to dock so roughly against the flagship of the prince.
The bridge doors opened, and a trio of X-Borgs scrambled through, running from an Action Commander: Deratsu Gair.
Gair slashed through the X-Borgs as he stormed onto the bridge. "Out of my way, you little pests!"
Argus rushed forward, blocked the Action Commander's blade, and twisted it downward.
Vekar stepped back, opening his eyes wide with recognition. "You're Deratsu Gair!"
General Damaras stepped next to his prince. "What's an Elite Guard of the Emperor doing here?"
Gair pulled his sword away and bowed. "His Majesty ordered me to help you, Your Highness." The Action Commander pointed at the general. "Damaras. Despite your presence, you still haven't finished His Majesty's creation, or stopped the renegades who stand in your way. How pathetic..."
Vekar crossed his arms over his chest. "I see...so father sent you. Very well. With you at my side, there is nothing to fear."
The prince looked towards the viewport and extended his hand. "Prepare to deploy! We will capture those rogues, and present them as a gift to my father. I will accompany you."
"No," Damaras protested. "If anything were to happen to Your Highness, the Armada would be in an uproar!"
"Do not worry...." Vekar looked over his shoulder. "Argus! You're coming too."
Argus bowed. "Yes, boss."
The storm rippled with distortion energy. The island started to crack, and fragments rose into the skies, devoured by voids.
Suddenly, a fleet of Armada battleships broke through the clouds above. They opened fire with lances of green energy, incinerating patches of the island with massive bursts of flame.
Lauren narrowed her eyes as she looked into the sky. "Our duel will have to wait, rogue."
She twirled her sword into a battle stance. "Sisters!With me!"
Lauren and the Amazons rushed across the beach and headed towards the battleships in the distance. The ship dropped dozens of X-Borgs, and the grunts quickly spotted the Amazons and returned the charge.
Tyler sighed. "Well..." he said with his usual calm. "Looks like we have this to deal with now."
The rangers rushed to help the Amazons - not as if they needed it. Lauren and her fellow Nephilim bashed through the X-Borgs with swords slashing, blades cutting through armor with bursts of spark.
Lauren parried and slashed, each blow sparking on impact and hurling X-Borgs off their feet. She moved with the strength of a savage, the skill of a samurai, and the grace of an angel.
Above, an Armada ship lowered and cast a pale blue transportation beam onto the surface. Vekar, Argus, and Deratsu Gair, backed by an army of Zergs and X-Borgs, stepped from the beam.
Vekar stepped forward, his every movement loose with arrogance. "Amazons and rogues! Listen well! I am the Supreme Commander of the Zangyack Armada! Prince Vekar! My personal appearance means it is only a matter of time before you are brought to your knees, and all remnants of reality fall under my control! If you value your lives, prostrate yourselves at my feet!"
Tyler fired his blaster at Vekar.
Argus stepped in front of his prince; the villain slashed the bullets from the air with bursts of spark before they could strike.
"You can stop that bullshit greeting of yours..." Tyler said calmly as he and the other rangers regrouped.
Kira placed her hands on her hips. "So you're the big boss?"
"It's him," Seth said. "The Emperor's idiot son."
"What?!" Vekar shook with rage. "You damn renegades...This is your last chance to lay down and surrender!"
"Pretty sure that's our line," Mat said.
Kym nodded. "We don't lose to people like you."
Mat looked over his shoulder towards Lauren. "You might want to step back. Things are about to get 'showy' here in a sec."
Lauren arced an eyebrow. "Showy?"
"Yeah, it's a thing," Mat said. "Learn to accept it."
Vekar thrust his hand. "X-Borgs! Get them!"
The X-Borgs charged to attack.
And the teens returned the charge.
Tyler blocked and punched a pair of X-Borgs. A third soldier tried to attack from behind. But the teen snapped a back-kick that bashed the grunt off its feet.
He spin-kicked a grunt, high-blocked a staff, and elbowed that soldier's gut.
Tyler stepped into a defensive stance and armed his morpher. "Ultimate transform!" He inserted his Key into his morpher: "POOOOOWER RANGERS!"
He morphed into his armor with a flash of energy.
"Ultimate Red Ranger!" He back-fisted a grunt and pressed on his attack.
Seth blocked a staff and ripped the weapon away from its holder. He swung the weapon and spun through a group of X-Borgs, clubbing them off their feet.
Seth tossed the club aside and round-housed kicked a grunt's head. He followed with a jump-kick, and then armed his morpher.
"Ultimate transform!" He inserted his Key into his morpher: "POOOOOWER RANGERS!"
Energy flashed around him as he morphed into his armor.
"Ultimate Blue Ranger!"
Kira elbowed a grunt, jump-kicked a second solider, and struck a third X-Borg with a back-fist strike.
The ranger flipped backward and landed with a reverse side-kick that bashed a grunt off its feet.
She round-kicked a grunt, armed her morpher, and bashed it over an X-Borg's head, knocking the grunt to the ground.
"Ultimate transform!" She inserted her Key into her morpher: "POOOOOOWER RANGERS!"
She morphed into her armor with a wave of energy.
"Ultimate Yellow Ranger!"
Mat flipped a grunt to the ground. Two X-Borgs grabbed him by the arms, and a third charged from the front.
The teen kicked the third X-Borg upside the head and twisted free. He armed his morpher, ducked beneath a staff swing, and punched the grunt in the gut.
"Ultimate transform!" He inserted his Key into his morpher: "POOOOOWER RANGERS!"
He morphed into his armor with a splash of light.
"Ultimate Green Ranger!"
Kym spun her way through a wave of X-Borgs. She swung her arms wide, blocking their strikes, and elbowed a grunt behind her. She snapped an outer crescent-kick, bashing a grunt off its feet.
She twirled past another X-Borg and armed her morpher.
"Ultimate transform!" She inserted her Key into her morpher: "POOOOOOOOWER RANGERS!"
Energy flashed around her as she morphed into her armor.
"Ultimate Pink Ranger!"
Prince Vekar grumbled with annoyance. "What are you doing?! Hurry up and kill them!"
Another wave of Zergs and X-Borgs charged.
The Red Ranger parried and slashed his way through a wave of X-Borgs. He kicked the legs out from beneath a grunt, spun, and slashed an X-Borg's chest.
The Blue Ranger twirled his blade through a squad of X-Borgs. Metal slashed through metal, tearing the grunts apart.
He looked over his shoulder. "Kira!"
He tossed his blade to the Yellow Ranger. She caught the weapon and dual-wielded, carving through X-Borgs with bursts of spark.
The Yellow Ranger pounced and slashed outward, slicing through a pair of Zergs.
The Green Ranger armed his blaster and fired; bullets tore through X-Borgs with bursts of spark, whipping them off their feet.
The Green Ranger spun and fired wildly, blasting through X-Borgs and Zergs.
He looked over his shoulder towards the Pink Ranger. "Kym!"
He tossed his blaster to the Pink Ranger.
She caught the weapon and dual-wielded blasters, firing at X-Borgs and Zergs. The Pink Ranger leaped backward and fired while in midair, bullets tearing through grunts.
The Rangers regrouped after the last of the grunts fell. They gave their weapons back to each other and faced off with Prince Vekar, Argus and Deratsu Gair.
The Red Ranger aimed his sword at the villains. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Deratsu stepped forward. "Your Highness, please leave this to me."
The Action Commander stalked towards the Rangers, who armed a set of Ranger Keys.
"Dino!Buckler!" They inserted the keys into their morphers: "BAAAAAAATTLE TASK FORCE!"
They morphed into the Battle Task Force Power Rangers. Kym shifted into Ptera Ranger, Mat shifted into Mammoth Ranger, Tyler morphed into Tyranno Ranger, Seth transformed into Tricera Ranger, and Kira shifted into Tiger Ranger.
They armed their weapons.
"Tyranno Sword!"
"Mammoth Breaker!"
"Tricera Lance!"
"Tiger Daggers!"
"Ptera Bow!"
The Rangers charged at Deratsu Gair and attacked. The Action Commander parried and countered, one-by-one.
Deratsu parried the Tyranno Sword and slashed the Red Ranger. He blocked the Tricera Lance and Mammoth Breaker and swung wide, slashing the Blue Ranger and Black Ranger backward. Tiger Ranger spun her daggers and Ptera Ranger swung her bow; Deratsu blocked and hacked them backward.
Tiger Ranger crashed and rolled into a crouched stance. She pounced and swung her daggers; Deratsu slashed her from the air with a burst of spark.
Ptera Ranger leapt towards the monster and fired a volley of arrows. Deratsu chopped the arrows from the air and swung through a streak of blue energy, slashing the Ranger to the ground.
The Black Ranger moved in from behind. "Power Crusher!"
He chopped the ground with a wave of power that tore towards Deratsu. The villain slashed through a streak of blue energy that swatted the power wave aside.
Tricera Ranger spun his lance into a fighting stance and charged. He twirled and swung the weapon with expert precision. But the Action Commander parried, blocked, and slashed the Blue Ranger off his feet.
Tyranno Ranger lunged with a chop. Deratsu blocked and countered; the Red Ranger parried and snapped a kick that the monster blocked.
Deratsu Gair chopped and swung upward, slashing Tyranno Ranger with massive bursts of spark that hurled him through the air.
Prince Vekar laughed as he watched. "Wonderful, Deratsu Gair! Quickly, send those pathetic rogues to Hell!"
The Rangers regrouped and armed another set of Ranger Keys.
"Shogun! Transform!" They inserted their keys into their morphers: "NIIIIIIIINJA RANGERS!"
Kym shifted into Ninja White, Mat shifted into Ninja Black, Tyler morphed into Ninja Red, Seth transformed into Ninja Blue and Kira shifted into Ninja Yellow.
The Rangers crossed their swords and thrust the weapons forward.
"Shinobi Strike!" The blades fired a pulse of golden energy that stabbed towards Deratsu Gair.
Deratsu stepped into a defensive stance and blocked the blast, which thrashed with golden power.
The Action Commander swung his arms, shattering the blast with a shockwave that hurled the Rangers off their feet. They crashed and tumbled across the ground.
The Yellow Ranger climbed slowly to her feet, as did the others. "Well...that settles it. He's different from the other Action Commanders…"
The Red Ranger nodded. "Let's try this one more time."
They armed a set of Ranger Keys.
"Galaxy! Transform!" They inserted their keys into their morphers: "GAAAAAAALAXY RANGERS!"
Kym morphed into Galaxy Pink, Mat shifted into Galaxy Green, Tyler morphed into Galaxy Red, Seth shifted into Galaxy Blue and Kira morphed into Galaxy Yellow.
The Rangers hunched like animals and charged to attack.
Galaxy Red, Galaxy Green, Galaxy Yellow and Galaxy Pink charged towards the Action Commander, while Galaxy Blue split off towards Prince Vekar.
They struck like animals. Galaxy Red pounced with the strength of the lion, Galaxy Green attacked with the grace of the condor, Galaxy Yellow lunged with the ferocity of the wolf, and Galaxy Pink sprang with the prowess of the wildcat. They punched, clawed, and kicked, swarming around the Action Commander before he could counter.
Galaxy Blue leapt through the air and charged towards Prince Vekar to attack.
Argus stepped in front of his prince and forced the Ranger backward with a flurry of sword swings. The Blue Ranger hopped backward to gain distance, and he armed his Kiba Claw.
"Mind getting out of the way?"
Argus stepped into a defensive stance. "I am Prince Vekar's loyal right-hand man, Argus. I won't let you lay a finger on my boss."
The villain charged with a pair of sword slashes; he moved with precision, without wasting a move. Galaxy Blue dodged and parried with his Kiba Claw.
The Ranger spun and slashed his claw through a back-hand swing. Argus blocked and chopped, but the Blue Ranger dodged.
Galaxy Blue somersaulted backward through the air, kicking the villain upside the head. He landed just in time to block a sword swing. Their weapons sparked and pressed against one another.
Argus knocked the weapon away, slashed the Blue Ranger's gut, pommel-bashed the Ranger's chest, and slashed through an x-shaped pattern that sparked on impact and hurled the Ranger through the air.
Galaxy Blue crashed and tumbled backward. Energy flashed around him as he shifted back into his Ultimate Blue Ranger form.
The Blue Ranger rolled into a crouched stance and armed his Power Saber.
Meanwhile, Galaxy Yellow and Galaxy Pink armed their Seijuuken, hopped at the Action Commander, and slashed. Deratsu blocked and swung wide, slashing the Rangers with bursts of spark that whipped them backward.
Galaxy Green swooped through the air and shifted his Kiba Dagger into a blaster. "Kiba Shot!"
He fired bursts of green energy the Action Commander slashed aside. The villain swung his sword through a streak of energy, slashing the Ranger from the air.
Galaxy Red hopped and slashed, twirling his Seijuuken with speed and power. The Action Commander parried and dodged as their swords clashed.
The Red Ranger stepped back and thrust his hand. "Mane of Flame!"
His palm fired a pulse of flame that the Action Commander dodged. Galaxy Red pressed forward, slashing and chopping his sword, metal clanging against metal with bursts of spark.
Galaxy Red pounced into the air and angled his descent towards the Action Commander. Deratsu thrust his hand and fired a pulse of cyan energy, blasting the Ranger from the air with a burst of spark.
The Ranger crashed against the ground; energy flashed around him as he shifted into his Ultimate Red Ranger form. The Ultimate Green Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Pink Ranger regrouped around him, helping him to his feet.
"He's tough..." the Red Ranger said. "That's annoying...Come on!"
The four Rangers charged.
Nearby, the Blue Ranger and Argus clashed swords. They pressed their blades, and the Ranger leaned forward. "I don't have time to deal with you. Let's end this!"
"How naïve...How very, very naïve."
He parried the sword and elbowed the Ranger, knocking him back several steps. The Blue Ranger shifted into a defensive stance.
Argus stepped back. He swung his sword, slowly, through an arc; his blade ebbed with white power. He shifted back, held his sword in an offensive position, and lashed out. He swung through an x-shaped pattern that streaked with white energy and shot outward.
The attack took the Blue Ranger off guard, because of its familiarity. It reminded him of Syd - exactly like Syd. "That stance..."
The x-blast exploded against the Blue Ranger with a burst of white light, hurling him backward.
He crashed and tumbled across the ground, the impact knocking him from his armor with a burst of blue light.
Slowly, Seth climbed to his feet and narrowed his eyes at his opponent. "Syd...is that you?"
"Syd? That name means nothing to me."
"You're lying!" Seth shouted. "I saw it with my own eyes. That swordsmanship...that was Syd's move!"
Prince Vekar crossed his arms behind his back and stepped forward. "That's right, rogue. Argus was remodeled from Syd, a deserter from my Armada!"
"What...?"
"I didn't care for him, since he was so impudent. But his sword technique seemed useful, so I turned him into my weapon."
"Syd..." Seth whispered.
"What a touching reunion," Prince Vekar mocked. "No need for tears...just die."
Argus lifted his sword and stalked towards the ranger. Seth stood still, shocked at the revelation.
The Red Ranger noticed and jumped towards his teammate's side. "Seth, move!"
Argus swung his sword through a streak of blue energy towards Seth's head. At the last second, the Red Ranger pushed Seth aside. Argus's sword slashed the Red Ranger's back with massive bursts of spark, knocking him to his knees.
The impact knocked him from his armor with a burst of red light. Before he fell, he whipped his blaster backward and opened fire. Bullets blasted Argus and Vekar with massive bursts of spark. The impact knocked Argus's sword from his hands, and the weapon arced through the air.
Prince Vekar staggered backward and grasped his injured arm, which seeped with blue ichor.
"Blood...Blood! It's blood!" He collapsed to his knees. "Even father has never hit me before!"
Deratsu Gair slashed the Green Ranger and Yellow Ranger off their feet.
"We can't let any harm come to His Highness. Retreat!"
The Action Commander regrouped with Prince Vekar and Argus. The flagship beamed them up with a splash of light.
The Armada ships moved out of the atmosphere - but not before dropping a bomb that smashed the Gates of Tartarus.
To be continued...Chapter 15