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

her chair just far enough to let me steer.

I take a second look. And a third. Karone is absolutely right; there's definitely a few key pieces to this chronicle missing, left untranslated by the Science Division. Still, the last English sentences are painfully clear.

"After over a month of treatment, she showed no signs of recovery. Mourning the loss of the perfect peace experienced in the Nexus, Jun-ha Diran chose to end her suffering by ending her life."

The next paragraph is mostly unreadable, but I don't think I have the presence of mind to read it anyway. In fact, for nearly a minute I can't bring myself to do anything at all.

I barely feel the hand that grasps mine, squeezing tightly. "Leo, we can't jump to conclusions. This is only one account…and it's filled with holes. We don't know how long Jun-ha was in the Nexus, or how she was rescued. Maybe they forced her out, or --"

I can hear her talking, but the words aren't sinking in. "We saw the phrase 'perfect peace'

more than once," I note, practically glaring at the two words on the screen. "Some other descriptors are 'a dream made real'

and 'bliss.'

Does this mean that the Nexus is heaven?"

Karone's eyebrow rose. "Well, I'm not the expert in Terran mythology, but I thought heaven was only accessible to the dead. Kendrix is very much alive. I spoke to her, and so did Maya."

"Yes, and Maya told us that Kendrix said she was 'in a wonderful place.'

" My vision blurs, and suddenly I can't see the screen anymore. "Think about it -– this Jun-ha was rescued by her husband, and she still preferred the Nexus to her home. The Nexus doesn't sound like a prison."

"It's a prison if Kendrix is being held there against her will!" Karone stands up, turning my chair around to force me into facing her. "Leo, we know Kendrix is trying to get home. We know she'd be right here if she had the choice."

She makes sense, but… "If we bring her back, she could die."

Karone closes her eyes, sighing heavily. "Yes, it's possible. But we don't know for sure. We only have one precedent, and we don't know enough about this woman, her circumstances, or how she was rescued. We can't just give up."

"I'm not giving up," I answer quickly, but my uncertainty rings clear in my voice. "I…I just need to think about this."

I rub the bridge of my nose, suddenly worn out. "Let's call it a day."

She watches me silently for a few moments before she replies. "Okay, Leo," she concedes, drawing away from me. "We'll continue tomorrow."

I muster a weak, but grateful smile, and clear out of Kendrix's old room. I'm in my own world as I walk aimlessly through the halls of Terra Venture, my mind insistently reassembling all the pieces of information we've collected.

I never even considered the possibility that Kendrix is better off where she is. I'd been so focused on bringing her back…getting her back…to really see the situation.

What if she really is in some wonderful dream world right now? Why would she want to come back? Maybe that explains why she hasn't appeared to us since Karone got the pink Quasar Saber… maybe her mission is over, and she's now free to move on.

What right do I have to pull her back? We're fighting a war for survival, and Trakeena is even more dangerous than Scorpius was. We're billions of miles from home, with no solid idea when we'll find a suitable place to settle. Sure, it's an adventure…but life on Terra Venture is definitely a challenge, especially for us Rangers.

How can I drag her back to this, just so I can have her back?

Part Eleven: Risk

Chapter Forty-Four

-Kai-

I've been saying for weeks that we should get rid of the Galaxy Book once and for all. Destroy it, toss it in a pocket dimension… anything to get it off Terra Venture without delivering it to Trakeena on a silver platter. I mean, how many disasters is that thing going to cause before we do something decisive? Kendrix would still be here if not for that thing!

Instead, we've been going in the completely wrong direction.

First, Commander Stanton dedicated more resources to researching the Book. I talked to Mike about it, but neither of us had the pull to discourage the Commander and the Council from unlocking the "mysteries of the universe."

Mysteries are overrated.

Needless to say, the idea of a bunch of scientists dissecting powerful spells as if they were chemical formulae didn't sit well with me; so I volunteered extra shifts to guard duty. And it was a good thing too, since one weird incantation summoned an energy pulse that blew all the power transformers on Terra Venture, leaving us dead in space.

Luckily, the damage wasn't bad, and no one was seriously hurt. A few first-degree electrical burns from consoles shorting out, and a few accidents resulting from the sudden power-outage. Backup generators went online immediately, and now repair crews are running around the clock to get us back to full power.

I'm willing to count my blessings; this incident is minor compared to the near-miss we had with the vortex the Savage Sword created on Rashon. And Commander Stanton finally realized that the Galaxy Book is the ultimate Pandora's Box. He gave the order to terminate all research on the Book as soon as the lights went out, locking it in wired plexiglass and keeping a security squad in the Science Division to make sure no one comes near the thing.

I was a member of that squad for three straight shifts before I decided I needed some rest to function properly.

And now I find that even when I'm not standing with my back to the Book and a laser rifle in my hands, my mind is still in that room. I can feel it in my bones...something else is going to happen with that Book.

I'm not a superstitious person, but past experience has taught me to trust my intuition, especially when I feel a choking sense of danger on the horizon. So after less than four hours of actual sleep, I jump out of bed, throw on the nearest uniform I can find, and grab my sidearm as I run out the door.

The halls are quiet and the lights are dull to create the illusion of night. A few people walk the halls, moving out of my way as I hurry towards the Science Division in a half-jog.

My pace quickens as I feel a strange tingle of power against my skin, growing stronger as I approach the Galaxy Book. Something is here. Something that isn't human.

I draw my sidearm as I jump over the collapsed bodies of the guards that were stationed just outside the room that holds the Book.

"Freeze!" I shout in warning. The red sight lands on the back of a large man, whose arms slowly rise over his head. He turns in profile, and his eyes meet mine.

The first thing that puts me on alert -– other than the fact that he's hovering over the Galaxy Book – is his weird calmness. He doesn't look the least bit concerned that he has a gun pointed to his back. And those eyes…something about those eyes is off.

He turns fully toward me, and for a long moment it feels like those sharp eyes look right through me.

I swallow hard, and my fingers itch to activate my morpher. This doesn't feel at all like a mundane threat, and I suddenly want to kick myself for not bringing Leo and Damon with me. But backup shortly arrives in the form of two patrollers on duty, and the quiet hum of their blasters charging is a comfort.

The weird sharpness in the perpetrator's eyes fades, and when one of the patrollers slaps a pair of standard issue handcuffs on his wrists, he doesn't resist.

Protocol is followed to the letter. I'm good at that. I don't even need the rule book for it. Since the Galaxy Book has been established as a Priority Code One, any development must be brought immediately to Commander Stanton's and the Council's attention. And that includes the break in, and the thief. The thief with no passport or paperwork, who isn't on the ship's personnel database at all.

An immediate interrogation is held, with the entire Council in attendance. I stand outside for a few minutes, my concern growing as protocol plays out in the room right beside me.

This just isn't going to work; I'm sure of that much. I'm not confident the security team is equipped to contain an alien threat like this one.

My fingers hover over my communicator. I should contact Leo right now – let him know what's going on. It's been a whirlwind of activity the past hour, but he should know we have an intruder on our hands.

"Mr. Chen, what are you doing out here?"

I straighten immediately, standing at attention as the Commander approaches. A handful of papers are squeezed tightly in his hands, and the look he's giving me is nothing but serious.

I have no answer for him, so I fall into stride beside him as he enters the Council's conference room.

As soon as I enter, I stand to the side, trying to blend into the background. I want to be nothing but a spectator, watching events unfold around me. My goal is to collect as much information about this intruder as I can, so I can alert the other Rangers as soon as I have a chance. But as soon as I pass through the sliding doors, I can feel those eyes on me again.

He's watching me.

"Anything?"