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Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to the current holder of the copyright. This is a fan work and not for profit.
A Cry for Help
Aquitar
It was the forgotten planet or at least the world the Galactic Council tried not to think about too much. At one time it had been a key part of the Council and the source of some of the best warriors for expeditions to watery worlds. Then the villain known as Minion had orchestrated an attack on the planet and contact had been lost. Few Aquitians had made it out of the supposed slaughter and no word had come from the planet after Minion's eventual defeat. Many assumed the world had simply died.
Some of the survivors had returned to their world months after the event. All had vanished. The few trading and relief ships that had attempted to land had been destroyed. Satellites sent to survey the surface had been lost. In the end the Council did not have the backbone to risk sending a fleet to investigate exactly what had happened, fearing that some dictator now called the planet home. They chose to let Aquitar remain an unknown in a universe that was too dangerous to leave such mysteries unsolved.
Aquitar was not dead. Its population survived, sort of. They existed although it was difficult to call the slavery they endured life. For something had claimed the watery world shortly after the original conqueror had left it, something that had polluted the waters with its very presence. Once it had become clear that the invaders could permanently poison the waters of their world, the Aquitians had accepted their new situation while waiting for help from the outside to free themselves. And since that time they had worked tirelessly in their new master's name, united by an unwanted purpose and an increasing fear that help was never going to arrive and that whether or not they completed their task, they would be destroyed.
But there was still hope and there was still enough fight in the downtrodden population to fight back. United as a single mind for a brief second, all they could manage was a single word without being detected, something that would let the rest of the universe know of the great peril they faced and remind them that they were still there. One word that would convey everything they needed to say. And once a thought came to mind they clung to it, enhancing its power before sending it out into the cosmos.
A single word, a name that carried all the hopes of the Aquitian people into the minds of all those that were capable of hearing and understanding them. Language was not a barrier for this was raw feeling. Desperation, fear, grief and sorrow all rolled into a continuous heart wrenching plea for help. And on the surface, their masters failed to figure out what was happening - for the people of Aquitar in their desperation had shared the hopes they kept buried deep inside and had realised they were not alone.
In that moment they had gained hope and the belief that they could fight back and retake their world.
The cry for help had been sent. It echoed through space, enhanced by the collective thoughts and emotions of the Aquitian people. Many heard the silent yet powerful plea and most ignored it. Those that should have responded refused to do so, blocked by bureaucracy and political reasoning. The plight of one planet, even one that had contributed as much as Aquitar, mattered little when those in power were too busy scrutinising the activities on Earth. The distrust of Zordon and his Rangers blinded the Galactic Council to the real priorities, something that some of its senior members were only to happy to allow to continue.
Eventually though on a cold winter night on the planet Earth, the cry was heard and understood. It was said that when taking on the mantle of a Ranger, that the Power could cause latent psychic abilities to emerge. On Earth the Rangers were proof that such theories were correct. Most felt the call although not all were capable of understanding its meaning, only the underlying need. It was enough though for the Power Rangers to gather together as a complete group for the first time in months.
"Aquitar..."
Billy spoke the planet's name and his pain was evident. He had lived there, had loved there and had lost everything there when Minion had directed his forces to seize the watery world. He had left knowing that those that remained were as good as lost and when Minion had been destroyed and reality restored, he had believe like many others that Aquitar and its people were truly lost. But that was not the case. They had survived and judging by the message he had received, they had been suffering.
"We left them," he said blandly. "All this time and we've allowed them to suffer instead of helping. How could we miss the population of an entire planet?"
"Somebody used a powerful spell to stop those looking from seeing anything except what they needed to see," Trey explained. "They fooled everybody."
~Not everybody,~ The Lord of Triforia corrected himself. ~Somebody in the Council would have known. The census office would have recorded the population.~
"The spell used is very similar to those used by some Rangers to hide their identities," Zordon explained. "Once the spell was in place and the first lies were told, the spell became self-sustaining, using the belief of those it had already affected to reinforce its influence. Only those that knew the secret or visited the planet would know the truth."
"And now the spell has been broken," Trey concluded.
"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "The psychic message that some of you felt has overwhelmed the effects of the spell, rendering it useless."
"So how are the Council going to help them?" Trini asked.
"The Councill will not be lending any assistance," Trey answered. "Aquitar was removed from its membership when it was declared a dead world. The Council will not interfere in the affairs of non-member planets."
"Unless it happens to be Earth," Jamie pointed out.
"Zordon we owe the Aquitians a debt we cannot repay," Tommy said. "Earth would have fallen to Rita and Zedd if not for their efforts. They put their lives on the line to help us."
"Tommy's right, we can't abandon them," Jason added.
Several Rangers nodded in agreement.
"Rangers, I am proud of your loyalty, but you must understand that if we aid Aquitar, we will be standing against the Council," Trey argued.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Zack retorted. "Aquitar is not a Council world and nor is Earth."
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, we can't just leave Earth undefended," Alpha protested.
"We don't have to," Tommy answered. "Don't you see guys? Fred and the Turbo Rangers are the active team, the rest of us are reserves. We can go and help Aquitar and still leave the planet protected."
"If we're going to do this we need to do so quickly, before they discover their secret is out," Adam urged.
Zordon was silent for a while, considering the problem and its possible outcomes. In the end though even he knew there was only one option.
"Very well Rangers, we shall aid the people of Aquitar. I suggest you all return to your families and explain the situation. We might be gone for some time."
"We?"
"Of course, I cannot allow you to venture into danger on your own."
"But Zordon what about the Council?"
"While it is true that I am a member of the Galactic Council, I am also one of
the Grid Masters. My presence will allow you some credibility when it becomes public knowledge. At the very least I can shield those of you who are natives of Council worlds."
And so it was decided that the Power Rangers of Earth would aid their allies on Aquitar. That night many truths were revealed to families across Angel Grove. Not many of those who heard the truth were completely surprised; the original Power Rangers had not been as careful as some of the later teams to conceal their identities. There were words of encouragement as well as some anger at the news that their children were leaving, but in the end, it was accepted.
And as Pyramidas hovered above the Power Chamber, the citizens of Angel Grove witnessed a light show unlike anything they had seen before as the Rangers loaded their massive carrier ready for the journey ahead. And as the light show ended, the Rangers teleported aboard and Pyramidas took off into space. The Liberation of Aquitar had begun, but first Zordon had insisted that they seek out the help they needed. Freeing a planet took more than a few teams of Power Rangers after all.
End of Part
<post_date>2017-08-17 12:00:01</post_date><post_modified>2022-11-15 14:09:37</post_modified>
