Power Rangers In Space/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Heather Ray [best novels ever TXT] 📗

-Karone-

It takes a moment for his question to sink in. I straighten, blinking rapidly to clear the afterimage of alien pictograms that's been seared into my retinas, and turn to stare at Leo.

The look he's giving me is one I'm familiar with. Andros often looked at me like that, especially the first weeks after the Countdown, when I couldn't bear the weight of my sins.

Leo's concerned. But, what is he so worried about?

"I'm here because I have a job to do," I remind him. "Kendrix is waiting for us, and now we have an opportunity to search for her." I reach for the coffee, taking a slow sip and reveling in its sweet warmth.

"You know I appreciate everything you've done to help me; I can't even tell you what a difference you've made in researching the Galaxy Book...but I never wanted to impose on you." His expression is oddly serious. "Maya told me you're not sleeping."

My eyebrow rises as I consider the blatant breech of privacy. "I appreciate your concern, but there's no need to worry," I tell him firmly, drawing away from him.

His eyes never leave me, and I start to feel...flustered. "Well, I definitely think you deserve a break, then." He reaches to the computer monitor, turning off the screen. "So, instead of researching, why don't we just talk a little?

Gods of the universe, why does everyone think they need to tell me what's good for me? "I'd really rather not, Leo. Believe me, I'm perfectly fine."

Though frankly, my obvious aggravation doesn't help my case. I struggle not to sigh…I should be better able to control my feelings. I was pretty good at that once upon a time.

I reach over to turn the monitor back on, but Leo stays my hand. I look at his hand, gently but securely wrapped around my wrist, and blink in surprise.

"Karone, you know you're one of us, right?" My eyebrow rises as I return his gaze. "I mean it," he insists. "You're one of us now, and that means that, thick or thin, you can count on us. If there's anything we can do to help you, you know you can come to us."

He then releases my wrist. "I just want to make sure you know that, okay?"

I bow my head, suddenly feeling sheepish for my defensive reaction. Obviously I hadn't been masking my foul mood very effectively. I had hoped that being useful to the Rangers, filling up my time with projects, would keep my mind occupied enough not to realize how long it's been since Zhane and I spoke. Since…he abruptly terminated our discussion.

It's been precisely ninety-two hours. Seems like my distraction techniques haven't produced results.

Leo is probably the one person on this ship who can understand what I'm going through. Our situations may be different, but there's a shroud of frightening uncertainty that darkens both our relationships. We don't know when we'll find Kendrix. And we don't know when I'll be able to return to Earth. If…I'll be able to return to Earth.

I know telling Leo won't help anything. It won't make Zhane contact me, nor will it hasten my return to Earth.

Nonetheless, I wonder if confession really is good for the soul. "I had an argument with my fiancé," I murmur at last. "He's…less than thrilled with the status of my mission out here."

Embarrassment warms my cheeks as soon as I see his startled expression. "You're engaged?"

I can't quite keep the solemn note from my voice. "I…think so." His quizzical look loosens my tongue. "I should say, I was engaged when I left Earth to find Kendrix's saber. But our circumstances have, obviously, changed a great deal the past few weeks."

I stare into the coffee cup, watching the last vestiges of marshmallow melt into the dark roast. "We strongly disagree on whether I should be out here on Terra Venture. It was my decision to make, but still the consequences can't be ignored. I don't know when, or even if

, I'll return to Earth."

I look up into Leo's shell-shocked green eyes. "It's not that I don't want to be out here… I can't even explain how important it is for me to be a Ranger. I've learned so much, and grown so much…I love being part of your team. But, it hurts to think about what I left behind. I'm not even sure it's reasonable of me to expect him to wait for me."

I breathe deeply, feeling strangely better. I guess vocalizing concerns really does help one's state of mind.

Leo's frown is thoughtful as his eyes linger on my Morpher. "Karone…I'm sorry. I had no idea you were dealing with this."

"It's not your fault, by any means --"

"I know, but still…I should've paid more attention."

He stands up, walking to the large window that proudly displays the vast open space before us. "You really should know that you've been a big help to us since you came. You're a dependable Ranger, and you have knowledge about magic and the universe that has saved our bacon more than once. You're making a big difference here."

A grateful grin brightens my face. "Thanks, Leo. It's good to hear it."

He returns the smile, and then nods his head. "And guess what? Now we have another reason to find Kendrix as soon as possible. Once Kendrix is back, you'll have the freedom to go home whenever you want."

He takes the initiative, turning on the computer monitor. "So let's get to work!"

-Leo-

The hours go by in a blur as we pour over the text available to us. Unfortunately, a lot of sentences are only half-translated, leaving us to try and decipher what we can from what we can read.

After every few sentence fragments I read, I can't help but glance at Karone.

I can't believe what she's done for us. I mean, I've had a feeling since our first conversation that she left someone important behind…but a fiancé? That's…that's just incredible.

It scares me to even think about making that kind of decision. I mean, how could I get through each day knowing that I consciously decided to leave the one I love? It's bad enough that Kendrix was sucked away by a freak accident, but at least I know what happened was completely out of my hands. If I added the guilt factor of knowing I was responsible…

No wonder she doesn't sleep much.

"Leo!" she gasps, the sudden shout almost knocking me out of my chair, "I think I found something!"

I blink stupidly as Karone drags me to the text she'd been reading. "You found a reference to the Nexus?"

Her face is bright with excitement. "Not just a reference…this page has the word translated 'Nexus'

eight times! I thought it was too good to be true at first, but after reading the first bit, I think it's a safe bet that we're talking about the same pocket dimension. Here…look."

She scrolls down the screen, pointing at the scanned image of the Galaxy Book with the corresponding text. "Too bad we didn't get the whole account… it looks like we only have a part in the middle. See? Looking at the spacing and margins, the previous paragraph and at least two paragraphs on the following page seem to continue the same account. Also, some words within the text are currently marked 'untranslatable,'

so we'll have to figure them out by context."

I'm too excited to see a down side to this. "What does it say?"

Karone squints thoughtfully at the screen. "It looks like this section chronicles a spaceship called the Itobi. No mention of what planet it was from, or when this occurred. Hmm… okay, the ship was collecting data on a strange energy surge that erupted…the place is untranslatable, but it must've been on a planet, because a research crew of seven was sent to investigate."

Karone pauses, reading the paragraph and figuring it out in her head. I can't stand to wait, so I peer over her shoulder at the screen.

"The seven explorers vanished in a flash of light, leaving nothing behind," she continues, "The rest of the crew searched the area without finding a trace. The seven were assumed dead."

I narrow my eyes at the monitor. "Well, we know that's not what happened to Kendrix. Maya said Kendrix came to her in a dream."

Karone smiles at me. "I know, Leo, I know. I spoke to Kendrix myself, remember?"

She then turns back to the screen, and reads silently before speaking again. "It goes on: one of the seven, named Jun-ha Diran, was…hmm, this part is choppy, but it looks like she was bound to someone on the ship. Her husband."

"Bound?"

"Yes -– some species can form psychic links with their loved ones. They can speak to each other telepathically, or even sense each other's feelings. It's not an uncommon trait in strongly telepathic species."

I watch Karone's face rather than the screen, noting her reaction.

"I don't know what kind of telepathic bond this species has, but it's a very strong one," she comments, fascinated. "In fact, Jun-ha's husband was able to sense that she was still alive. The rest of this paragraph is poorly translated -– something about 'tracing' the bond. It looks like the crew of the Itobi were able to open the Nexus, and the husband was able to find his wife through this bond. No comment on whether the six others were found."

Then, her eyes widen. The suspense knots my stomach as she glances at me through the corner of her eye.

"What is it?" I ask anxiously.

"The… the rest of this paragraph talks about the woman's recovery."

My throat goes dry. "Recovery?"

"Again, it's not a full account," she warns me, "but Jun-ha suffered what looks like severe depression. The Nexus is described as 'a dream made real,'

and 'perfect peace.'

Jun-ha couldn't find joy in the real world when she returned."

I stare dumbly. A dream reality? Is that were Kendrix is now? Living in some dreamscape, enjoying 'perfect peace?'

Is that even possible?

Karone gulps suddenly, turning to face me. "Ultimately, she killed herself."

It takes a moment for that to sink in. Karone looks away from me, her hand reaching for the keyboard. "Maybe I should study this more carefully. There must be something we missed --"

"Let me take a look," I insist. She nods, rolling