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Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to whoever owns the copyright. This is a fan work and no profit is being made.
The Dark Victory
In some ways the Galactic Council had been lucky. The galaxy was a very big place, the universe was even bigger. The forces of darkness had set out on their campaign of renewed conquest and instead of heading inwards towards Erlion and Eltare, they had pushed out into the wider cosmos. In doing so they had given the Galactic Council a reprieve, but had also raised the paranoia, fear and arguing among its members. For it was not a matter of if the enemy turned their attention to Council worlds, it was only a matter of when.
And with that realisation had come an understanding that the Galactic Council and its members were not prepared for war. They had grown used to the watered down tactics of the Machine Empire and the lacklustre campaigns of Rita and Zedd. Dark Specter had renewed his forces and had sent them forth with determination and a degree of evil competence not seen for a long time.
There was no question that the forces of darkness held the advantage. Dark Specter had somehow united them, organised them and motivated them. The same could not be said for the Council's forces, which under the squabbling, selfish and fractured leadership, would not present a united front. The Morphin Council had mobilised, assembling an army of
Grid Masters, Power Rangers and Power Soldiers. The Masked Rider Corps were actively recruiting and the Green Lanterns had activated their entire membership in response to the threat.
In comparison the IGPF had been slowed by bureaucracy and bickering between members of the Galactic Council concerning their role and the Council's military forces were still scattered awaiting orders. There had been no increase in recruitment or training. Technology and budgets were still limited and those responsible for leading the military forces had been held back by a lack of guidance.
One thing they could agree upon though was that dark days were coming and that they needed to work quickly if they were to weather the storm. Sadly it appeared that there was a vast difference between recognising the need for action and following through on their obligations. It would not take long for them to realise that it was already too late.
Dark Specter had won.
Dark Specter had won. He hadn't conquered the universe, the galaxy or even the planet known as Earth. But in the battle for dominance between the many villainous factions, he had emerged victorious. The members of the United Alliance of Evil had followed his edict and accepted his empty promises. In return for completing the tasks he had set them, they would be allowed an opportunity to strike at the planet Earth.
What Dark Specter had failed to explain to the suddenly eager followers was that he would be the one to assign the tasks and that those that were most likely to conquer the Earth were those given the most difficult, time consuming tasks far away from the ultimate prize. He had sent Rita, Zedd and others to conquer galaxies, knowing that doing so would take them centuries. He had changed the definition of success to slow their progress and to remove the competition.
There was still some competition, but they were limited and easily dealt with. He had given them simpler tasks to complete, knowing that their attempts to target the Earth would quell any complaints that he had cheated. He had even set his own forces tasks that would delay his own strike at the planet until others had tried and failed.
In the end though Dark Specter knew that he would emerge victorious because he alone understood the importance of the planet Earth. Members of the UAE had seen some of the reports regarding the planet's power. He understood why it was so powerful and why those that attacked it were bound to grow incompetent. And he planned to extract the source of that power and to use it to bind the universe together with himself as its ruler.
And it didn't matter if they Council managed to get their act together. The only way they could stop him would be to destroy the prize before he could claim it, at which point the greatest weapon they possessed would be lost. One way or another, Dark Specter had already triumphed.
Dimitiria closed the Book of the Unknown once more and tried to make sense of all that she had seen. As an Inquirian she was the perfect guardian for the ancient tome, possessing a thirst for knowledge and a natural grasp of asking the right questions. Still it seemed that there were too many forces in play to draw any real conclusions.
It seemed that nature could not tolerate a vacuum and with so many threats out there steps had been taken to ensure the Earth remained protected. Why the planet was so important was still not clear. The reasons were growing daily, but she still felt there was something they had yet to learn. A great secret that would shake their society to its core.
She feared for her old friend Zordon when the time came. She strongly suspected that the price of securing the peace he so desired would be too high. Still for now Zordon was safely back on Earth, guiding his Rangers and Trey of Triforia had also arrived safely.
There was no question that the darkness was expanding. Dark Specter and his forces had set forth on their campaign, extending the reach of their dark powers beyond their previous territories. Sooner or later that expansion would turn inward and the light was at risk of being swept aside by the dark tide.
And then there were the other dangers beyond Dark Specter's control. The Xenotome spoke of enemies hiding in the darkness and waiting for the opportunity the Grand Monarch's actions granted them. Sadly it seemed that no matter how brightly Zordon and his Rangers shone their beacon of hope, there could be only one conclusion:
~The worst is yet to come.~
End
<post_date>2019-03-12 12:00:01</post_date><post_modified>2022-11-15 14:09:39</post_modified>
