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Karone loved being a Power Ranger, but Astronema had loved being an evil princess. The idea turned Karone’s stomach, so she’d reach back into her memories focus on her thoughts and feelings during that dark time. Each time she’d hope she could remember some glimmer some inkling that she’d hated it, but no, that’s not what she found. She found a wicked woman that reveled in the chaos, destruction, and evil that she’d wrought upon the galaxy.
This was why she needed to do this, no matter how dangerous it was.
From her perch on the edge of a cliff she looked down at the mechanical footsoldiers of the latest threat to Earth. They were blue, silver and black, with cone hats on polearms. She had seen them before on Galaxy Warriors, kudabots was what they were called. While many of the contestants of Galaxy Warriors were willing, there was a large group that were enslaved and forced to participate for a shot at their freedom. It was rare for them to succeed.
Karone watched as they used nets to trap the peaceful inhabitants of the Gingaman system. It was an image that she could have imagined herself ordering years ago. She’d go a step further and say that Astronema would have heavily endorsed Galaxy Warrior.
She stood up. “Hey, why don’t you pick on someone that can fight back.”
The kudabots whipped around and tilted their heads up to look at Karone at the cliff’s edge with the red sun behind her.
“Go Galactic!” Karone called out with strength and confidence in her voice. A press of a button and the Pink Galaxy Ranger stood before where Karone had once been.
She leapt high, the Beta Bow in hand as she shot down a rain of arrows. As she came down her foot connected with the head of a kudabot. With the close combat she switched gears, putting away the Beta Bow and drawing the Quasar Saber. As she pulled it from her belt the blade extended from it’s compact form into it’s full length. A swing and one slashed the chest of a kudabot, letting sparks fly. Karone gracefully pivoted and brought it back up against another kudabot.
A hard blow hit Karone from behind, pushing her forward. She rolled with it, got back up to her feet, then pushed off, flipping backwards over the head of the kudabot and placing her behind it. Her sword ran through it easily before she yanked it out and continued the fight.
With a roar that would make a Galactabeast proud, she fought on until every kudabot laid at her feet, destroyed.
Karone turned to the trapped aliens, who shrank away from her. “Don’t worry I’m here to help you.” She used her Quasar Saber to cut them free of the netting. “I can help you-“
The aliens fled from her as if she was as dangerous as the kudabots that had initially threatened them. Maybe they had the right idea? While Karone fought every day to make up for the evil of Astronema, it would never be enough and ever creature in the known universe had every right to despise her for what she had done.
Karone heard fast footsteps coming up behind her at a run. She spun around to see another kudabot, it hadn’t been as destroyed as she thought.
There was the blast of a laser and the kudabot fell to the ground, revealing another pink ranger, this one had an oval symbol on her helmet. Karone frowned as she tried to place the familiar uniform.
“You’re Katherine, right?” Cassie had inherited her Turbo powers from Katherine. This looked like the form Katherine had before the Turbo powers.
“You got it right,” Katherine said as she reached up and removed her helmet, revealing her face. “And you’re Karone.”
Karone nodded as she removed her own helmet. “What are you doing here? This is a long way from Earth.”
“It’s also a long way from Miranoi or KO35,” Katherine said.
“Evil doesn’t always spend its time attacking a single city that’s easily defended by Power Rangers. Sometimes you have to hunt down evil where it’s hiding and help people that don’t have anyone else to help them.”
“I see,” Katherine said.
“I have a ship nearby. I have some food if you’re hungry.”
“That would be lovely,” Katherine said.
Both Pink Rangers put their helmets back on as Karone led the trip back to her small ship. It was designed for a crew of five, but could still be run by only a single person. Once they were inside both women demorphed. Karone was wearing heavy clothing perfect for the rough terrain she often had to traverse on foot. It was mostly dark colors with pink highlights. Katherine was wearing jeans, shirt, and sneakers, it was like she’d just teleported there from Earth, which she probably did.
The ship had an engine room, a bridge, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a common room. The common room had everything for food preparation and entertainment.
“I don’t see anyone else on the ship,” Katherine said as she sat down at the table in the common room.
“It’s just me.”
“But it’s meant for five. You’re out here all alone and the other six Galaxy Rangers are still on Miranoi. Your brother and the other Space Rangers are on the other side of the Galaxy. You’re far away from everyone you know and love, fighting a one woman battle.”
“What do you know about me?” Karone snapped. Katherine might be another Pink Ranger but that didn’t mean she knew a thing about her. She wasn’t even from either of the two teams that Karone was close to. The only connection they had was briefly fighting side by side while helping the Megaforce Rangers.
“I don’t know you, not personally. We aren’t friends and we aren’t teammates. But we have a lot in common, me and you.”
“Yes, we’re both Pink Rangers and there’s a lot more Pink Rangers out there in the universe. What are you doing out here, Katherine?”
Katherine sighed. “All of your friends are worried about you. They’ve noticed the long absences. They’re worried about what you might be doing out here by yourself. I was asked to come out and talk to you, because I’m not your friend and you don’t have to worry about ruining your friendship with me.”
“They don’t understand. You wouldn’t understand. No one understands. I did things. I did horrible things and when I think back on them, I didn’t feel any remorse for any of my actions at the time. I was horrible. I deserve to be punished for what I did and the least I can do as much good as I did evil!” Karone’s voice raised louder and louder as she spoke.
“I remember the attack on Earth by Astronema. I was scared. I was retired but I fought against the invaders with the other Zeo Rangers and the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.”
Karone balled up her fists. “Then you understand just how much I need to make up for.”
“Do you know how I became a Power Ranger?” Katherine asked.
“I guess Zordon chose you.”
Katherine shook her head. “No, I was put under a spell by Rita Repulsa and forced to do her bidding. I stole the Power Coin from Kimberly Hart, a good and kind person and the Pink Ranger. It almost killed her then once I was free and Kimberly had a chance to pursue her dreams, she made me her successor and willingly gave me the Power Coin that I’d previously stolen.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You were under a spell,” Karone said.
“I still felt like I had to not only live up to Kimberly’s legacy, but I also needed to prove that I deserved this chance to be good, that I didn’t deserve to be hated and feared.”
Karone nodded. She’d seen people under spells and brainwashing before. You couldn’t blame them for what they did in that state as it was rarely what they would naturally do on their own.
“How is me being under a spell any different than you being brainwashed?” Katherine asked.
Karone opened her mouth to object, paused, and then said, “It’s different because I wasn’t always brainwashed. I was raised to be an evil warrior by Ecliptor and then I was trained in the dark arts. I did what I did because I wanted to do it! I wasn’t brainwashed until later! Astronema was me. I was Astronema! It’s not the same thing! And no one understands! Not Andros! Not Zane! Not Kendrix! None of them!”
Katherine sat quietly and listened to everything Karone had to say.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe it isn’t the same. Maybe Astronema is just as much you as Karone is. But does it really make a different?” Katherine asked.
“I don’t understand,” Karone said.
“Well, if you are both Astronema and Karone, then that means that both Astronema and Karone were the heir to Ecliptor, but it also means that both Astronema and Karone are the Pink Galaxy Ranger and just saved those innocent people from slavery or worse,” Katherine said.
“I…never thought of it that way,” Karone admitted.
“I still feel guilty for what I did while working for Rita, but I’m not the only one that’s been under a spell, or corrupted, or even brainwashed. Even Rita Repulsa, the vile space witch that did that to me, was corrupted by her own magic, and now she’s one of the great protectors of good magic. If I can forgive others, even the one that put me under her spell, if others forgive me for what I’ve done, then why shouldn’t you?”
Karone’s vision started to blur as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She reached up and brushed them away with the back of her hand.
“Are you alright?” Katherine gently asked.
Karone nodded. “I don’t think I’m ready. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t know how to stop.”
“Take all the time you need. Your friends will be ready for you whenever you’re ready, and if you want, I’d like to be there for you as well.”
“I don’t think they’d understand. They try to, but I don’t think anyone can understand unless they’ve gone through it.” Karone did appreciate them, she really did, but they’d never been a princess of evil before.
Katherine stood up again and took Karone’s hand, giving her a smile. “I don’t know exactly what it was like, but I do have a better frame of reference than other rangers. You can talk to me about it anytime and whenever you need me to listen.”
“Thanks, I think I’d like that.”
An alarm rang through the ship.
“What does that mean?” Katherine asked.
“It picked up a transmission.” Karone raced to the bridge with Katherine on her heels. She hit a green button to start playing the transmission.
“…to Shibolena Seven and capture the native species. They will make excellent new contestants on Galaxy Warrior. If they resist, then destroy them,” Madame Odious said in the transmission.
“I have to go stop them. Shibolena Seven doesn’t have any Power Rangers and no one else is closer to it,” Karone said as she was already touching the controls to prepare for takeoff.
“Could you use a hand?” Katherine asked.
Karone looked over her shoulder at Katherine and then smiled at her. “Yeah, I think I’d like that. We’ll have enough time to get something to eat and talk some more. And… are there more?”
“More what?” Katherine asked.
“People like me and you,” Karone said.
Katherine nodded. “I know of a few more. Sometimes we meet up and talk about what it was like. We give each other comfort and support and we can talk freely about things the others wouldn’t understand.”
“Do you think I can meet them?”
“Karone, I think they’d love to meet you.”