Lieutenant Billings crested the top of a rise and shielded his eyes. As far as he could see, the surface of Iota Draconis was barren but for thousands upon thousands of upthrusting crystalline pillars. Each one was unique in structure, and their gem-like facets reflected the orange sunlight in a display that made it seem as though the entire surface of the planet was on fire. That image, combined with the thin, hot wind that tugged at his Starfleet uniform and stole his breath, reminded Billings of the myths about Hell he'd heard as a child.

His communicator beeped. "Base to Lieutenant Billings, come in," a deep male voice crackled.

He plucked it off his belt and flipped it open. "Billings here."

"Commander Osgood is requesting an update on your progress, Lieutenant."

Billings squinted down at the tricorder in his other hand. "I've finished collecting data from sector four, am approaching sector five to begin downloading now." Shaking his head, he added, "The commander's not gonna believe some of the stuff these rocks know."

"Tell me about it!" the voice agreed enthusiastically. "Just to warn you, atmospheric sensors are picking up a small meteor shower in our area, so proceed with caution."

"Copy that, Base, will do. Billings out," he said, flipping his communicator shut. He cast a wary gaze upward, but the alien sky was as cloudless and pink-orange as always. He resumed his walk across the plain. He set his tricorder on a wide-beam scan, which was how one said "Hello!" on this planet. He watched the pattern of bounce-back for the specific energy spike that meant one of the pillars was feeling communicative.

Absorbed in his work, he barely sensed a small tremor pass through the ground. But then, he heard a distant rumble, like that of a shuttle or rocket approaching overhead. Billings stopped and looked up in time to see a large meteorite bearing down on his position. Heart in his throat, he dove behind a nearby pillar as the glowing piece of space debris screamed through the air and slammed into the ground only a few hundred meters away, like an exploding photon torpedo.

He huddled behind the pillar, protecting his head until the shock wave passed, bringing with it a gust of sand and grit. When he uncovered his ears, his communicator was beeping again. "Base to Billings, we picked up an impact near your location. Are you okay?"

Billings got up and made a beeline for the new crater. "Yeah, Base, I'm fine, but I'm sure there are a few pillars that aren't. I'm going to go see what I can salvage."

"All right, but be careful. We'll send a hover car to bring you back. Commander Osgood is recalling all personnel to base until the meteor shower ends."

"Understood. Billings out." He ran through the pillars towards the smoking hole, skidding to a stop at the crumbling edge. He estimated the crater to be at least twenty meters around, and smack dab in the center was the meteorite, still faintly glowing from the heat of atmospheric entry. It had such a strange shape to it that Billings was instantly intrigued. He carefully descended the walls of the crater, adjusting his tricorder settings to scan it. "What the - ?" he muttered to himself, staring at the results in surprise.

This was no ordinary meteor. According to the tricorder, it was a...well, a bucket. A stone bucket with a sealed lid. And, assuming the readings weren't getting influenced by background radiation, there was something alive inside. But only barely; the readings were very weak. Briefly, Billing's mind was filled with half-baked fantasies of saving an exotic alien princess and being commended and promoted for it. Fortunately, the tricorder showed that the bucket's exterior was cooling quite rapidly. Walking right up to the bucket, Billings dug his fingertips into the small crack under the lid and lifted with all his weight. The lid gave.

As soon as the seal was broken, Billings was blasted with a powerful plume of smoke. He reeled back from the meteorite, gasping for air. The smoke escaped from the bucket with a shrill hiss, but Billings heard something else escaping, too: unbelievably, it sounded like a shrieking laugh.

When the smoke cleared, Billings saw that he was no longer alone in the crater, but any notions of exotic alien princesses dissipated along with the haze. "Aaaahahahaha! After ten thousand years, I'm free!" the elaborately-garbed woman declared with a voice that hit Billings like nails on a chalkboard. She raised her staff towards the sky in triumph, and a bolt of lightning shot out, into the ground. "It's time to CONQUER THE UNIVERSE!"

Billings tried to back away, but he had loose footing in the disturbed soil. The woman spotted him and grinned with a hungry, deranged look on her face. She pointed her staff at him. "And you will be the first to serve me! How lucky you are!"

The last thing Billings knew was a beam of light from the woman's staff, coming directly at him.

Deep below the surface of Iota Draconis was a crystalline cavern that had lain dark and cold for millenia. Suddenly, the darkness was cracked in half by a split-second bolt of electricity. The sonic boom that followed it shook the cavern.

Then, slowly, a pale green light began to effuse out of the walls. Gradually, it was joined by a vague pinkish glow from the floor, and a blue one from the ceiling. The lumpy outcroppings of translucent mineral began to emit a white light of their own. The lights brightened steadily until the cavern was fully illuminated. Then, a small section of wall shifted to reveal an alcove. Within it was a chrome-plated humanoid robot. In place of eyes, the robot had a narrow visor across its face, which began to shine with yellow light. It shivered suddenly, and then, with a stiff, jerky gait, the robot stepped out into the cavern.

It made its way across the chamber to a ring of spiky crystals. The robot lifted a stiff arm, grasped one of the crystals, and moved it from its place below the center to a small hole along the side. The middle of the ring flared to life, displaying a rolling pattern of light bands. The robot jiggled the displaced crystal. The rolling pattern of light bands unified into a pixelated image of the surface of Iota Draconis.

The robot tapped its finger on a round, faceted gem below the screen, and the image switched to a view from the lip of a new crater. In the center was a stone bucket, its lid half off. The robot uttered a dismayed whistle and tapped the gem several more times. The vantage point shifted again until the image showed a white, domed building set on a plateau amidst the pillars. The robot gave the gemstone a twist, and the image zoomed in until the Starfleet command insignia was visible above the building's main entrance. The robot tapped the gem once more, and the image became a blurred visual from inside the building. It appeared to be a laboratory.

A woman stood in plain sight, wearing an elaborate, pointed headdress, large ornamental collar, and holding a vicious staff. The robot took hold of another pointed crystal and moved it. The woman's grating shriek of a voice began to echo through the chamber:

"Instead of cursing Zordon for imprisoning me, I should thank him! He made me miss out on a lot of really good violence these past ten thousand years, but here, I can not only reconquer this planet, but I can launch invasions of all these other planets, too! Aaaahahahaha!" the woman laughed almost giddily. She wandered around the laboratory, handling pieces of equipment with disdain until she came to a star map on one wall. "United Federation of Planets, prepare to become my NEW EMPIRE!" she squealed.

The robot tapped a second round gem, and the sound and image both turned off. The robot put its hands on either side of its head and turned to face the rest of the chamber. "Aye, yi, yi, yi, yi!" the robot exclaimed in a high-pitched, buzzing voice. It moved to a bank of crystals across the chamber and quickly rearranged them. On the wall beside it was another crystal-ringed viewing screen, only much larger than the first. A glowing, humanoid face began to coalesce on the screen. "Oh, Zordon!" the robot cried, "Rita has escaped!"

The face resolved completely, and a deep, male voice resonated through the chamber: "It is as I feared, Alpha. Rita remains bent on conquering the universe, and if she is not stopped, she will spread chaos and fear throughout the galaxy. Quickly, Alpha, ready the Power Coins."

"Yes, Zordon!" The robot, Alpha, moved to yet another grouping of crystals and made adjustments. A glowing spot on the wall opened up to reveal five large stalagmites, each a different color. Each had a small golden disc balanced on the tip. Alpha made another adjustment to the bank of crystals, and a bolt of energy zapped up and down the stalagmites. "The Power Coins are fully charged, Zordon!"

"Now, Alpha, comes the crucial step: you must seek out and recruit five youths with enough spirit and energy to effectively use the power of the coins!"

"Yes, Zordon! Scanning now," Alpha announced, shuffling to yet another crystal outcropping. After a few moments, the little chrome robot put its hands to its head again. "Aye, yi, yi, Zordon! It appears this planet is no longer inhabited! I can't find anyone who matches!"

"Then you must widen your scan beyond this world, Alpha. We must find a group of young people who can help us to protect the galaxy against Rita."

"Yes, Zordon," Alpha answered, shifting and tapping the crystals as quick as its jerky joints would allow. "Here, Zordon! I am detecting a group of lifeforms...but they are in open space! How strange!"

"We have awakened in a time where space travel exists, Alpha. This makes our task even more important. Bring the youths here, Alpha!"

"But Zordon, if my readings are correct, these are not the kind of youths we have recruited before. What if they are not strong enough?"

"We will have to take that risk, Alpha. The future of the galaxy is depending on us!"

Alpha whistled uncertainly. "I was afraid you'd say that, Zordon. Very well."

"Iota Draconis, this is the USS Enterprise, please respond. I repeat, this is USS Enterprise, calling Federation Outpost Iota Draconis, do you read?" Communications officer Lieutenant Uhura slouched at her post as she spoke. She was far from inattentive, but after an hour of saying the same two sentences over and over again with no reply, it was hard not to feel a bit useless. She was silent, leaving the channel open, but as before nothing came through on her ear pod. She sighed.

In the center seat, Commander Spock turned his head and for a moment, their eyes met in sober understanding. The moment passed quickly, and Spock turned to the front of the bridge again. "Time to Iota Draconis, Mr. Chekov?" he asked.

"Entering wisual range in three minutes, sir," the young ensign at the navigation console answered, his words flavored with an accent - or was it a speech impediment? - that never failed to strike Spock as peculiar.

Spock thumbed a button on the arm of his chair. "Spock to Captain, we are approaching Iota Draconis."

Just then, the turbolift doors opened and a young man in a gold uniform strutted onto the bridge. "Thank you, Spock," the man said.

On any other man, the mixture of authority and confidence that seemed to ooze from his pores would have seemed like simple arrogance. Especially when he looked as young as James Kirk did. But for all his mischief and bluster, James Kirk had saved the Federation, and as he swept across the bridge towards the center seat, Lieutenant Uhura and everyone else automatically sat a little straighter. Spock got out of the center seat, and Kirk took his place with sprawling ease. There were few men in existence who seemed as made for command as Captain James T. Kirk.

"Uhura, any contact with the outpost?" Kirk asked.

"No sir, nothing."

"Are you sure they're getting our signal?"

Uhura didn't entirely suppress her how-stupid-do-I-look? reaction. "The channel is open, sir. I'm not picking up any signs of interference or malfunctions. They're just not answering."

Kirk directed his attention at Spock, who had taken up position at the science station. "How many people did you say are on that outpost?"

"According to Starfleet records, there should be eight."

"Wisual range in two minutes, Captain," Ensign Chekov reported.

"Sensors, Spock?" Kirk asked.

"Long-range scans confirm the existence and position of Iota Draconis exactly where it should be. I detect no other spacecraft, nor any evidence of cosmic or atmospheric disruptions."

Though Spock's words were spoken with the utmost clinical remove, Kirk couldn't help feeling a twinge of dread when he spoke of the "existence" of the planet. He remembered what happened to Vulcan with a vividness that wouldn't fade. They all did.

"Wisual contact with Iota Draconis in one minute, thirty seconds."

"Mr. Sulu, prepare to drop out of warp and put us in a stationary orbit over the outpost," Kirk ordered.

"Aye, sir."

"Captain, I am detecting a high-power energy beam on a collision course with - " Spock started to announce, when suddenly, he, as well as Kirk, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu were enveloped in a cloud of electricity, then vanished completely from their stations.

When they reappeared, it was in mid-air, and they fell ungracefully to the ground. Captain Kirk grimaced and sat up. He stared at his surroundings, taking in the pink, glowing floor and the green, crystal-studded walls.

" - the Enterprise...?" Spock finished his sentence with more than a hint of obvious bewilderment.

"...Captain?" Uhura said slowly, also looking around.

"Everybody all right?" Kirk asked, getting unsteadily to his feet.

"Aye," Chekov grunted, rubbing the back of his head. Sulu looked a bit dazed, but he nodded.

Spock had regained his footing, too, and helped Chekov and Sulu get up. Kirk offered a hand to Uhura.

"Oh, dear!" a buzzing, high-pitched voice wailed.

The Starfleet officers all turned to see a child-sized, chrome robot standing beside a mass of glass-like crystals, its hands on its head. "I'm sorry for the bad landing, Rangers! These sensors need recalibrating," the robot said in a clearly fretful tone.

Kirk opened his mouth for a salvo of questions.

"Greetings, humans!" a thunderous male voice boomed from the wall behind the robot. A distorted, but humanoid face appeared high in the wall, encircled by a ring of crystals. "I am Zordon, and this is Alpha-5, my loyal robotic assistant. At my command, Alpha has brought you here to join me in the battle to save the galaxy from evil. If you will look into the viewing screen, you will see that, above us, on the surface of this world, the evil empress known as Rita Repulsa has been freed from the prison I put her in over ten thousand years ago."

The robot shuffled to a bank of crystals to the right of the large glowing head and activated a smaller viewer.

"Iota Draconis!" Sulu exclaimed, as the white dome came into focus. The image switched to an interior view. A strange-looking woman was hunched over a laboratory table. She had white hair bound into two unruly horns on top of her head, and wore a massive, tattered ornamental collar over a dowdy, crinkled pink gown. She was surrounded by an assortment of unfamiliar equipment.

"Who - ?" Uhura began.

"Rita Repulsa, as she was colloquially known, a dangerous and powerful sorceress," Zordon reiterated. "Ten thousand years ago, she embarked on a campaign of terror and conquest that brought almost the entire known universe within her grasp. Only I, armed with five mystical Power Coins, was able to bring her reign of evil to an end. I built a prison and placed her in it, sentencing her to an eternity lost among the stars. But somehow she has managed to return, and her need for revenge against me is nearly as great as her lust to regain dominion over the universe. See how she is already using her powers to corrupt and desecrate life to suit her whim!"

The view of the lab shifted. A giant cage, clearly cobbled together from support struts and other pieces of the dome itself, took up a large portion of the room. Inside it were several bizarre, lumpy creatures. One of them suddenly threw itself at the bars. It was vaguely humanoid, with glowing red eyes, and it appeared to have some kind of bulky, rock-like exoskeleton. It opened its mouth, showing off rows of razor teeth.

But it was wearing a Starfleet uniform. The red shirt and black pants were in tatters, but the breast insignia was plainly visible. Chekov gasped, and Uhura covered her mouth with a hand. They could now see that all the other creatures were also garbed in Starfleet uniforms.

"My god," Kirk murmured. "There were eight people on that outpost."

"They are people no longer, made into tortured servants of Rita," Zordon said, his impressive voice softened with pain. "I am sorry. Rita's power is monstrous, and she has no regard for life. She must be stopped, or she will use this base to spread her destructive energies to every inhabited world in this galaxy. That is why I have brought you here. Together, you are destined to become the Power Rangers, the only force in the universe strong enough to defeat Rita."

On the opposite side of the chamber from the small viewing screen, a wall alcove opened to reveal five glassy, colored stalagmites: yellow, red, blue, black and green. Each spire was capped with a flat, golden disc bearing a unique, engraved symbol. Alpha walked over and plucked the discs from the spires and placed them on a small metal tray.

"These are the Power Coins. They draw their power from the vital energies of the physical universe, and you will each receive the coin with which your life energy is most compatible," Zordon continued. Alpha approached the five dumbfounded Starfleet officers, stopping in front of Ensign Chekov. One of the coins began to emit a green glow. Chekov reached out to touch it.

Kirk had doubts. "Don't touch that thing, Ensign, that's an order!" Kirk barked. Chekov jumped back from the tray as if it had burst into flame.

"James Kirk, you have concerns?" Zordon asked.

Kirk scoffed in disbelief. "Concerns? Yeah, a few. First of all, my ship was traveling at Warp speed towards Iota Draconis and you pulled my entire command crew off the bridge!"

"The Enterprise has achieved orbit safely, James. The situation was too serious to wait, but I would never have allowed my urgency to endanger your crew. I apologize for the disorientation you experienced."

Kirk and Spock exchanged looks.

"Yes, well, thank you for showing us what the problem is on our outpost, but we are officers in Starfleet, committed to protecting and exploring the territory of the United Federation of Planets," Kirk said.

Spock chimed in. "It is our intention to respect and safeguard the rights and freedoms of all beings we encounter in our travels. We understand your situation, but we simply cannot be your...Power Rangers. We have the full resources of the Federation at our disposal to deal with this crisis, and that is how we must deal with it. We are happy to render any assistance we can in the name of peace, as Starfleet officers."

"So, in the best interests of all of us, I'm asking you to return us to our ship," Kirk added.

"But you can't refuse!" Alpha squeaked, approaching him. "Rita must be stopped!"

Kirk's face darkened. "Believe me, after what she's done to the personnel on that outpost, she will be."

"Your patriotism is commendable, Captain James T. Kirk. No one deserves the Yellow Power Coin more than you - "

"No Power Coin, I'm sorry, Zordon. I already have my duty as a Starfleet officer. I can't serve you, too." (No matter how tempting the idea was starting to seem, he reminded himself.)

Zordon was silent for a moment. "Captain Kirk speaks for all of you?"

Uhura stepped forward. "He does."

Kirk felt reassured. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chekov and Sulu nod. For a machine, Alpha looked positively depressed.

When Zordon spoke again, there was a note of defeat in his voice. "I cannot fault your principles, however misguided and naive I believe them to be, nor would I force you to do that which you do not wish to. You will find Rita a formidable opponent, and though my long experience tells me you are doomed to failure, I wish you every success in the coming battle. Alpha and I will monitor the situation, and should you change your mind and wish to accept the Power Coins, we will be ready to equip you. Farewell."

And just like that, just as quickly as they had been snatched off the bridge of the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu found themselves back on it again, albeit it once more in a heap on the floor.

"And they're back! Cancel the alert, tell security we found 'em," a peppy Scottish accent announced.

Kirk hauled himself off the floor to see his chief engineer standing by the center seat, looking a bit flustered. "Scotty! What're you doing here?" he quipped.

"What do you think? My Warp engines cut out, then I got a call from a pair of frantic ensigns telling me all the senior bridge officers have gone poof!into thin air seconds from planetary orbit. So naturally, I high-tailed it up here and quite dramatically prevented your ship from crashing into the atmosphere - you're welcome, by the way - just in time for you lot to conveniently pop back into existence. Sir."

"What happened, Jim? Where in the blue blazes did you go? You all right?"

Kirk smiled at his grizzled medical officer. "Yeah, Bones, fine. Uhura." Kirk paused by his chair and looked to Uhura, who was just settling in at her station.

"Sir?"

"Radio Starfleet, let them know we've arrived in orbit and are investigating the situation."

"Aye sir. Should I send code thirty nine?" Uhura asked cautiously.

Kirk considered that for a moment. Back on his bridge, surrounded by the familiar, it was easy to second guess what had happened in Zordon's cave. He glanced at Spock, who was tending to sensor sweeps and status reports with the unflappable aplomb of a man who had not just been waylaid to an alien lair in mid-sentence.

Spock cocked his eyebrow. "At this time, I do not believe we have sufficient evidence of that."

"Agreed. Standard coding, Lieutenant. Then call up a security team to meet me, Commander Spock, Lieutenant Sulu and Doctor McCoy in the briefing room, ASAP. And keep trying to raise the outpost, too. Hack into their security system if you have to. Mr. Scott, get me the schematics for the outpost on Iota Draconis and pipe them into the briefing room. Mr. Sulu, set up a synchronous orbit over the outpost before you head down. Spock, tell the armory to cough up some phasers," Kirk ordered breezily, as he headed towards the turbolift doors. He didn't notice Spock begin to follow him. "Mr. Chekov, you have the conn."

"Aye, sir," Chekov called over the din of officers obeying orders.

McCoy sidled up next to Scotty. "What's code thirty nine?"

After a moment's thought, Scotty gave McCoy a meaningful look and answered, "It means there's been an alien attack on a Starfleet installation."

"That's what I thought," McCoy rumbled.

"Captain!" Uhura cried, "We're receiving a signal from the outpost!"

Kirk skidded to a halt, causing Spock to nearly run into him. Kirk whirled around and headed back to his chair. "On screen."

The viewing screen switched from a placid image of Iota Draconis, to one of...

"Is that...?" Sulu began.

"That woman!" Chekov exclaimed. "I...think?"

"Hello, little starship! I see you!" her harsh voice shrieked over the speakers. Her exotic, wildly painted face filled the screen. "How nice of the Federation to send such a fine vessel to escort me to my coronation! Aaaahahahaha!"

Everyone stared at the screen. Scotty and McCoy were completely confused.

"I am Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise, and I demand to know what you've done to our outpost and personnel," Kirk barked.

The woman's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, everyone on the bridge was subjected to a powerful electric shock, and they all convulsed in pain. "That's no way to address your new ruler, my pretty little Captain-boy!" the woman snarled. "Show me proper respect next time, or I'll have to punish you the same way I did these insolents down here!"

The electric shock subsided. Kirk and his crew struggled back to their posts.

"My god, Jim! Are those our people?" McCoy gasped.

Looking back at the viewing screen, Kirk found himself treated to something of a repeat of the horrible revelation he'd received in Zordon's lair. Rita sat on a ridiculously over-styled, improvised throne, and groveling all around her was a cluster of vaguely humanoid monsters. They were dressed in body armor that looked like playfully grotesque parodies of their Starfleet uniforms, leaving little doubt as to their original identities.

As for Rita herself, she scarcely resembled the frumpy lunatic Kirk had seen before. She had changed her own clothing to a shimmering, gold gown that resembled a Starfleet woman's dress tunic, and she had replaced her huge ornamental collar with a luxurious black cape. Her two-horned hairstyle remained, but it was sleeker and wrapped in gold and black to complement her new outfit. The insignia on her gown matched the alien symbol atop her staff. "Luckily for you, Captain, your Empress Rita Repulsa is feeling generous. Surrender your ship and your crew to me now, and I'll let you keep that darling face of yours," she cooed threateningly.

Kirk could scarcely believe his eyes. He glanced at Spock, then back at the screen. "Not a chance, lady."

Spock stepped forward. "Madam," he intoned seriously, "You are acting in violation of Federation law. Desist at once, or we shall be forced to take action against you."

Rita's expression turned dangerous. "How DARE you talk back to me! Your ship will be mine, Captain, you can't stop me!" She thrust her staff towards him, and the tip sparked with power.

The Enterprise lurched sickeningly, throwing everyone from their station. The floor seemed to tilt strangely, and the bulkheads began to vibrate and squeal. Sulu barely managed to cling to his chair "Captain, we've lost our orbit and we're on a collision course with Iota Draconis. Something's pulling us down onto the planet!"

"Red alert! Mr. Sulu, full reverse. Make an emergency breakaway," Kirk cried, climbing back towards his seat.

The alarm began to sound throughout the ship.

"Engines not responding, Captain," Sulu reported.

The Enterprise pitched down, nearly throwing Kirk out of his chair again. "Scotty!"

Scotty staggered to the engineering monitor and slapped the controls. "I've got to get down there!"

"Go! Spock, how's she doing this?"

"Unknown, Captain, but we seem to be caught in some kind of artificial tidal force. We are entering the atmosphere. Outer hull is beginning to heat."

"Shields up! Uhura, pinpoint that transmission. Mr. Chekov, target phasers."

"You want to fire on our own outpost, sir?" Chekov asked incredulously.

"I want to fire on her!" Kirk snapped, waving a hand towards the screen. Rita was still pointing her staff and laughing psychotically, though it was hard to hear her over the stressed whine and rumble of the ship.

"Aye, sir! Targeting phasers," Chekov said.

"Shields are at maximum, but hull temperature is still rising," Spock reported.

"Chekov, fire!"

"Firing phasers!" Chekov confirmed. The view screen changed to show two beams of energy fly from the ship towards the surface of Iota Draconis. "Direct hit on the outpost, sir."

"Aaaahahahaha!" Rita screeched. "Your little energy beams are no match for me, Captain! Before I take over your ship, I will truly enjoy destroying all of you!"

"No change, Captain, we're still falling fast," Spock said.

Suddenly, the ship shuddered again, but the floor actually leveled off a bit.

"Captain, we're stabilizing," Sulu remarked.

"Can we leave orbit?"

Sulu punched a few buttons and shook his head. "No sir, we're still being pulled downward, but I think I can put us into a decaying orbit."

"Do it."

"Fight all you want, you puny sacks of carbon, but you are doomed! I shall enjoy watching you writhe and sweat in fear before the end comes!" Rita shrieked.

"Uhura, cut her off!" Kirk snapped.

"Engineering to bridge," Scotty said.

Kirk thumbed a switch. "Bridge."

"We're resisting the pull with everything we've got, Captain. Whatever that witch has grabbed us with, it's too powerful. We haven't got enough juice to achieve a stable orbit, let alone reach escape velocity. The best I can do for now is slow our fall for a wee while. Boosting thrusters and engines are going full power, and I've had to tie in the auxiliaries and comprise shields and weapons just to get that much. "

"How long, Scotty?"

"Assuming Mr. Sulu is able to work his magic at the helm, maybe an hour at most before we burn out. And up, as it were."

Kirk rolled his eyes. "What about ejecting and detonating the Warp core?"

"Theoretically, aye, that might give us enough oomph to break free, but it'd also ignite the planet's atmosphere, which would cook us, as well as the entire surface of the planet, just as thoroughly as an uncontrolled reentry would."

Kirk sighed. "Alternatives?"

The comm was quiet for a moment. "I'll have to get back to you on that, sir."

"All right, Scotty, do your best." Kirk rubbed his face, mind racing. "What about photon torpedoes?" he said to the bridge at-large.

"Likely just as ineffective, Captain, since our phasers made no impact. Clearly, Rita's power is every bit as formidable as we were warned," Spock said, his implication obvious.

"So it seems," Kirk agreed reluctantly. He saw Sulu and Chekov exchange a look, and he didn't need to turn to know that Uhura was probably thinking the same thing.

McCoy's jaw dropped. "You were warned? How? What's going on, here, Jim?"

Kirk avoided eye contact. "When we were taken away, we were told about Rita and offered assistance to defeat her. It seemed too incredible to believe at the time. But now - "

The view screen flickered, and a giant, greenish, glowing head appeared. "I am greatly relieved to see that you have changed your mind, James," the head thundered. "Alpha will bring all of you here in a moment. Together, we shall defeat Rita and save your ship, as well as the galaxy."

Kirk stood. Chekov and Sulu followed suit, and he sensed Spock and Uhura flank him, ready. He looked over at McCoy and thumbed the comm. switch on his chair. "Scotty, get back up here, you have the conn. Bones, work with Scotty to keep us in orbit as long as possible. Spock, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu and myself are going down there to handle this, but if you and Scott find a way to get out of here, take it, understand?"

"And what about you?" McCoy demanded.

"If we're successful, I imagine we'll find our way back here just like before." Kirk turned to address the view screen. "All right, Zordon, let's try it your way."