Two days had passed since Diane terrorized Terra Venture. During city-wide clean up, the enforcers acquired her body and preserved it inside a cold storage container to bring back home. Between their efforts and that of the Rangers, no civilian suffered any fatal injuries that day. But among the enforcers grew a creeping sense of dread for the journey to come. Finding a way to return home was one matter, but no one could address the question of what would happen once they presented the body of the late Queen for the universe to see.

From the inside of one of Terra Venture's medical facilities, Jason's eyes finally began to open. The harsh sting of the room's lights hit his corneas; his first dose of brightness in over 48 hours. He also felt a delicate, soft sensation inside of his left hand. He turned his head to find Kendrix right beside him, smiling brightly with a few fresh tears hanging off her eyes. The stinging quickly faded.

"Good morning," she said.

Jason looked around at his surroundings before noticing an odd blue tubing connected to his body. He could just barely move his limbs and had lost feeling in many of his body parts; a novel sensation for him. He started to speak with a weakened, rough voice, "So... I'm alive, huh? That's nice..."

Kendrix shook her head before lightly kissing him on the cheek. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"Don't quite remember... all the details of our battle, but... I'm guessing everything worked out?"

"Yes. It's really over."

"And the others?"

"Doing much better. Ethan's in stable condition, but still bed-ridden. Taylor received a blood transfusion and surgery on her shoulder, so she's in the same boat. Carter needed to get his shoulder looked at too, but didn't need surgery. He still has a few scrapes from the battle and his time spent inside a burning building, but nothing he isn't used to."

Jason looked worriedly upon the bandage on Kendrix' cheek, one of several affixed to her face. He forced his hand up and gently placed it against her face. "And... how about you? Are you doing alright?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing." Kendrix pressed Jason's hand tighter against her cheek. "Most of my body got pretty banged up, but I got off easy compared to everyone else. And I'd gladly do it again."

Jason could feel his hairs stand on end hearing the soft, yet empowering tenor of her statement. But with his glasses on a counter next to him, he could only see a hazy imitation of her smile. He tried to stand himself up, but struggled to make much progress.

Kendrix gently pushed him back on his bed. "Not so fast. I've talked to the doctors and you're nowhere near fully recovered yet. Promise me you won't push yourself until you've gotten more rest."

"Heh, yeah, sounds good. I don't think I've got much of a choice right now anyway... Kendrix, what of my mother? Is she recovering, too?"

Kendrix stood speechless as her lips began to quiver. She gripped Jason's hand tighter as she struggled to voice a proper response.

All the while, Jason's memories began to slowly flow back like a gentle stream. He suddenly remembered the exact moment, the exact second, that his finger pulled the trigger. A moment, a second, he wouldn't soon forget.

"Jason... I'm so so sorry... Your mother, she... she didn't make it..."

"I see." Jason took a deep breath and smiled. "But, it couldn't be helped. It was either her or us, right? There was no other way."

Kendrix tried to compose herself. "R-Right... Hey, I'll be back with some food. You haven't eaten anything solid in days. Get some rest, okay?"

As Kendrix got up and left the room, Jason laid there in silent contemplation. Inside his mind, he kept repeating the statement. There was no other way... There was no other way... There was...

His heartbeat quickened. His pulse jumped. His breathing intensified as the myriad of dancing, jeering colors returned. He turned to his side and witnessed his Morpher laying on a table while exuding all of these blurry tints and tones, these vibrant bouts of mockery. With what little power he had in his arms, he reached over to the side counter. He attempted to grab at the Morpher, but his hand passed right through it. The Morpher then strapped itself back onto his wrist as Jason's breathing continued to labor to the point of hyperventilation. "You... you betrayed me!!!"

He grabbed at his wrist and tightened his grip, but could feel nothing. His senses suddenly came back as his Morpher returned to its true place upon the side table. He laid there, mouth open, eyes soaked in tears, not able to form a single coherent thought, physically and mentally paralyzed. He tried to breathe in and out, but started violently coughing for an entire minute. As he tried to control himself, he continued to repeat the words in his head over and over again, There was no other way. There was no other way. There was no other way. There was no other way. There was...

...

The day came and the day went with Jason spending all of it bedridden. The evening would have passed much slower if not for Carter stopping by every now and again to visit him and the others. The second Ethan and Taylor could crawl out of bed, the team all joined Jason and watched 'Bladerunner' together. Ethan's constant smiles and pointing out of details informed the others that he was doing just fine.

Jason managed to feign some semblance of ease, but could not pay attention to the flashing pictures upon the screen. Kendrix' constant presence made chasing the nightmares away a less arduous task. But even still, he could feel the shivering presence of a thick cloud hovering over head, dissuading the sunshine. Jason told her she could go off and do other things, but she'd refuse. Within the hours they spent together, talking and swapping more life stories, Jason finally told her the tale of how he first became heavily invested in Power Rangers.

The storytelling managed to ease Jason's mind for a spell, giving him an avenue to be enthusiastic again. But then, his energy started slipping once he arrived at the final moments of the 'In Space' saga. "It's a bit... odd. Lord Zedd, Rita, Divatox, they all got to be redeemed, but... they didn't do anything. And then Ecliptor died... I guess I never really thought about it that way before."

The abrupt shift in his tone and delivery followed suit with later tales, all leading up to the last recorded Ranger story his time knew of. "Sledge was defeated, but... not even the Sledge they had ever fought before. It was... off putting, a bit. I can't really explain it. Then, the Dino Charge team formed a completely new dimension and the rest is supposedly history, until Chronic Storm."

Kendrix gently took his hand inside hers. "I really enjoyed this. I never knew how rich our history was before now."

"Yeah... long legacy."

Kendrix thought quickly in an effort to lighten the mood. "So, how did Ziggy react when you told him you thought he was the 'embodiment of humanity'?"

"Never told him. Thought it'd sound dumb... It's interesting, the way it all comes together to form these arcs and stories, y'know?"

"I know that part pretty well."

"Yeah, stupid question. But then sometimes..."

Still thinking of ways to cheer him up, Kendrix came up with clever follow up. "I'm just thankful that our story doesn't have to end quite yet."

A few seconds ticked away after the words left her mouth. She began to wonder if Jason had heard her. But a moment later, he slowly nodded before turning to face her while gripping tighter to her hand. "Kendrix... I need you."

"You have me." Kendrix placed her free hand atop Jason's tight grip. "I was lost for a long time. I came back to life, but I was still lost. I didn't know where I was going, what I really wanted to do or be... if I was really even alive. Then, I met you."

Jason pulled her in for a hug. He closed his eyes tight just before he let the tears escape them while he pressed the side of his face against hers. "I need you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Jason."

Caught off guard by response, Jason's eyes opened wide as the trapped tears escaped down his face. He held even tighter to Kendrix' embrace. "Promise me... that you'll always be you."

She pulled back a bit as her smile once again lit up the room before she held onto Jason's face. She wiped away his tears before pulling him in for a kiss. Once their lips were free from each other's embrace, Kendrix calmly replied, "I promise."

...

The next day saw Jason and the Chronic Storm team back on their feet after mostly recovering. Having fulfilled their responsibilities, the time had come to depart for the future. Unfortunately, Ethan still struggled to figure out how to use the Galaxy Book to recreate the portal that brought them here in the first place. He constructed a few theories while healing based on what Kendrix and him managed to piece together, but nothing concrete. What they knew is that chanting certain spells in the Galaxy Book backward would create the reverse effect of the spell proper. Using that knowledge and combining the incantations of several spells lead the pair to a testable solution.

Both Ranger teams gathered outside around where the original rift closed up alongside Alex and the enforcers. Ethan carefully perused the Galaxy Book with one hand while he held up a tablet full of spell translations in the other hand. He mumbled to himself to practice the incantation as they walked towards the small green hill down the path.

Ethan took a deep breath and placed the open Galaxy Book on the ground once they arrived at the spot. "Let's hope this works, or we're all gonna find ourselves in another lost galaxy."

"You can do this, Ethan," replied Kendrix.

"Okay." Ethan cleared his throat and prepared to read the spell, "Avokah... Eti... Etinalem—"

Suddenly, the wind began to quicken, blowing through the trees and shaking away the leaves. From out of the sky, a tiny blue rift expanded on the horizon until it grew to the size of a small lake.

"Uhh, Ethan...?" asked Carter.

He quickly threw his hands up. "Hey, don't look at me! I wasn't even halfway through the spell!"

A black fighter ship ripped through the portal and starting flying towards Terra Venture. Jason's eyes widened, recognizing the design immediately. "That's a Triforian vessel."

"Triforian?" Kai asked. "The same Triforians that you're enemies with?"

"The mission's not over yet," added Carter.

Jason's Morpher started to buzz and click uncontrollably, causing his heart rate to jump. The cold, sinister voice of General Axis came up on comms, "Why hello there, Green Ranger."

"Axis! What are you doing here?" reacted Jason.

"What else? I'm here to erase your lineage. You and your friends running off through time cannot save you from me anymore. Meet me at the southern exit of these ruins immediately, or, I'll ruin them further."

"Ruins?" Jason looked to Maya. "Where is that?"

"Nowhere near here," she replied.

Axis chuckled. "You're telling me you designed this city of yours on purpose? In any case, making me wait would be regrettable, Green Ranger. You may tell your accursed mother the same." The transmission cut out.

"He's got time warp technology," Jason said. "But how?"

"We'll figure that out once we beat him," Taylor replied. "Let's move."

"Go, Galactic!"

"Chronic Storm, Ranger form!"

The teams morphed up and made their way to Terra Venture's South Gate, an area mostly used for factories and warehouses, making it relatively free of civilians. A lucky break, to be sure. The Rangers arrived to find Axis all by himself, leaning on the gate while tapping his foot.

"We're here, Axis!" announced Carter.

"That took a little longer than expected," replied Axis.

Axis started to power up his lightning glove while Jason motioned him to wait. "Axis, we don't have to fight."

"Of course we do, Green Ranger. I've come too far and sacrificed too much to let this day end in any other way. The power to rule my people belongs to me and me alone!"

"But, that's just the thing... I think I kind of agree with you."

"You... what...?" replied a bewildered Axis. "Of what trickery is this? You are the son of a liar and a killer, born and raised to be one yourself and you expect me to seek truth in your words? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

The other Rangers got their weapons ready, but Jason motioned for them to ease up while he walked closer to Axis. "Listen to me! She's gone..."

Axis looked confused by his response.

"Queen Diane... she attacked Terra Venture to get to us. She had gone too far well before then... There was no other way. And there's no chance that once her actions make their reporting rounds that I'll become some kind of king or whatever. The kingdom, the throne, the universal monarchy, all of it's built on a foundation of lies and blood. All of it has to go."

Axis stood absolutely stunned by the news. "You... liars!" He sent a fierce electrical wave straight at the Rangers, knocking them back. "You nearly had me, oh did you ever so nearly have me buying that ridiculous tale! You didn't even have the stomach to take me out when I threatened your entire race. So why would I believe you had it within you to take out your own mother?"

Jason quickly got behind Axis. A nervous twinge ran down the General's spine. How? I didn't even—

Just as Axis braced himself for an attack, Jason demorphed. He shook the dizziness away, an unexpected side effect of his power down. "She betrayed us all. To her, we were nothing more than a means of defending her own power; pawns in her game. You of all people should believe that much." He removed his Morpher and tossed it at the feet of Axis. "You once said that you and I weren't so different. And now, we do have something very real in common: a need to move past the Queen and look towards a brighter future for both of our worlds, for all worlds."

"Listen to him, Axis," stated Carter.

The General picked up Jason's Morpher while thinking through his words. "Hmm, I knew that she would come here to eliminate you Rangers. Even if you had no intentions of slaying her, if she cornered you and limited your options..."

Jason took a deep breath in and out. "There was no other way..."

Axis turned to face him and looked him up and down. "You'd be willing to drop your guard against me, just to prove a point? Heh, you and your bravery."

Axis blindsided Jason with a punch to the face. The others started to move in but Jason motioned them back. "No need, guys." He picked himself back up. "There are ways to win without fighting."

"You... fool!" Axis kicked him to the ground.

Jason picked himself back up again. Despite his almost instinctual inclination towards it, he held down his arms, refusing to get into his fighting stance.

"Fight back! Or, stand idly by while I pick off your friends one by one!"

"Axis! We can work all of this out, together. You want uninhibited rule of Triforia, and honestly, I'm starting to think every planet should have that choice. Alliances are one thing, but that was never what the monarchy was built on. I don't know as much about the political side of things as I should. But, I do know there has to be a better way."

"A better way..." Axis rubbed his chin. "An independent universal democracy. A system of planets ruled by the people with elected officials, not those born into power."

Jason hesitantly nodded. "Uhh, yeah, sure." He turned to the others. "Democracy is good, right?"

Carter nodded. "It's the best system I know."

Taylor concurred. "It's not perfect, but it's worth fighting for."

Jason half-smiled and looked back to Axis. "So, what'll it be, General?"

Axis cocked back another punch, but hesitated to strike again. His fist dangled in the air, clenched and rattling. "Why must you make this so difficult, Green Ranger!? You speak more like one of my senators than one of my enemies!"

"Maybe that's because we were never really enemies. It's like I said, we all got played here. Regardless of what people say about you and the heinous crimes you've committed, no one can deny that you worked hard and overcame plenty of obstacles to get to where you are. And, I'm just guessing on this one, but you probably also had a few role models you want to live up to."

"Hmph... a few, actually. Naturally, there was the great General Pyreus. A hero to many. But there were few I sought to mirror more than former General Raigon, the original lightning master. He was harsh and relentless as an instructor, but you'd find no fiercer a comrade; a man who would lay it all out to bear for those he cared for. For years he'd... Wait, why exactly am I exchanging stories with you?"

Jason looked back at Taylor. "Stop me if you've heard this one before, but you and I, we really aren't so different."

Axis rolled his eyes.

"Anyways... Time Force has people that can figure this stuff out. Work with them. They're exactly what Earth needs right now. And you're exactly what Triforia needs right now."

Axis shrugged. "No arguing that. But, even if I believed your words. Even if I knew I could trust you and your Earther kind to never bring back the throne. Why would I take such a risk when I can end you right here and now?"

Jason shrugged right back. "Can't say I don't follow your thinking. And if that's your conclusion, then we have a mission to finish."

Axis glared back at his odd smile. "Is that so?"

Jason comfortably got into his fighting stance. "But I have to warn you. If you fight me, we'll all fight back. The decision is yours to make but you should consider your odds. You probably already have though, is that safe to say? You did willingly come here alone. But you've got backup ready. I know that much."

Axis hesitated to make a move while the other Rangers readied blasters and Quasar Launchers all aimed directly at him. He couldn't help but smirk. "Heh, clever deductions. I'm starting to realize that perhaps killing you isn't the way to resolve all of this... It's what most of my people would have done. It's what my real brother would have done, surely." He walked up to Jason and placed the Green Morpher into his hands. "But not me. Not this day."

Jason took a relieved breath. "Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed." He slowly returned his Morpher back to his wrist. Somehow, it felt even heavier now. But he shook off the creeping sensation as the others joined him.

Kendrix demorphed and ran over to hug Jason.

Axis looked at the two with a tiny smirk. "I thought the world of a female once, much like how you've always fancied this Pink Ranger."

Jason chuckled. "Geez, was it always that obvious?"

The entire group began to laugh.

"You know, I had a feeling," replied Leo.

Taylor shook her head. "I could tell within five minutes."

"Took me a little longer," Carter added. "But I caught on."

Jason looked to Kendrix who gingerly nodded. "You did make it pretty obvious, hehe."

"Alright alright, I get it."

"But I liked that about you. I thought it was cute."

Jason looked back at Axis. He could tell that Axis actually looked heavily troubled while caught inside a memory deeply seared into his mind. "She meant a lot to you,