A/N: Hey all. Once again, I've been gone for a while, only to come back with something very different from what I've done before. Those of you who know my stories know that my writing is driven much more by my characters than by my plot, and children's shows like Power Rangers are exactly the opposite. That said, Power Rangers In Space was an exceptional season that opened up a lot of doors, especially with respect to Karone. In my opinion, her brief tenure on Lost Galaxy utterly failed to walk through those open doors, despite the early attempts to confront her past. This story is my attempt to rectify that, and give one of the greatest generations of rangers the continued development they deserved.

That said, I've kept the audience of Power Rangers in mind when writing this. Those of you coming from my Scorpion story will not find this nearly as mature or complex. Power Rangers is a children's show, and it felt only right to continue the show's use of quirks and uncanny conveniences to drive the plot forward and turn unlikely events into run-of-the-mill occurrences. My focus is always on the characters developing through the plot, rather than the other way around, so feel free to roll your eyes at some of the wacky twists that will test our heroes.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is currently owned by Hasbro, and is the eternal legacy of Haim Saban. But for a few OCs, these characters are his. I am merely playing with them for entertainment and posterity, and have no financial incentives or benefits for writing this.

Chapter 1: The Return to Earth

As Astronema, she had learned things. She had learned that chaos was the natural state of existence, and that evil was the means by which that natural state was freed from the constraints placed on it by order and the forces of good. She had grown up to become a defender of chaos, an agent of Dark Specter, the all-powerful being that would eliminate order and grant eternal freedom to all things.

Then that whole reality that she had grown up in was completely turned on its head. She met the brother that she had believed long-dead, and he showed her an array of emotions that she had never known before, including happiness. Then the war ended with Dark Specter dead and evil defeated, and all that was left was unfamiliar.

After that, she had tried to help Andros and the Terran rangers however she could. But she was not a ranger, and her brother's overprotectiveness had too often caused him to leave her behind. Unwilling to sit still on Earth, she began shadowing him and the Terran rangers on missions, and that was what led her to Gwinnet, and ultimately to Karasa, where her life changed once again.

Though she had only briefly been a ranger, it had been the most fulfilling experience of her life. She had gotten to fight for meaningful causes, rather than for chaos and a power-mad demigod. Each time she helped save the people of Terra Venture, it felt like she was saving herself as well, putting her past further and further behind her.

Along the way, she had learned a new reality, a new natural state of existence. She had learned that life was the ultimate treasure, to be protected above all else.

But what had happened to Kendrix seemed to defy every understanding of nature that she had ever learned. Now, as she watched the true Pink Galaxy Ranger sit on the edge of the lake, somberly staring out at nothing, she could sense that something was wrong. Something felt tainted.

"Kendrix?" Both pink rangers looked up to see Leo approaching.

Kendrix smiled weakly. "Hi."

Leo stopped walking, looking at her uncertainly.

They had been on Mirinoi for over a month now. The first week had been a period of relief and elation, as everyone took some time to relax and put the chaos of the past year behind them. Then they all put their focus into building their society. Homes had been built, followed by places of business. Recreational locations had been designated for the children. Everyone helped everyone, and it hadn't mattered at all who had been a ranger and who hadn't been.

Now that people were starting to settle in, however, there was time to think about things. People started to think about the families they had left behind on Earth, and the elation of finding their new world and starting their new lives had given way to the somber realization that they were immeasurably far from home and everyone that they had known, and had no way to ever see them again.

Karone had no idea how far she was from KO-35, but she felt like she was a lot further away than she had ever been before. Looking down, she turned over the shard of twisted, red metal that she held in her hands. It was a piece of the Megaship, the same vessel that Andros had taken from KO-35 when he set out to find her all those years ago.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

Kendrix looked down. "I'm not sure if I can explain it."

Leo's face fell, and he walked over and sat down beside her. Neither of them had noticed Karone there, but she was just fine with that. More and more over the past month, she had been reminded that they had all become friends long before she came along.

Kendrix looked back out at the water. Leo waited, but she didn't say anything else.

"You know I'm here for you. I'll help however I can."

"I know." Her eyes remained fixed on whatever she was looking at, and Karone wondered if she was staring into a memory.

Ecliptor had believed that death granted access to the Realm of Eternal Shadows, where monsters who fulfilled their purposes in life could thrive for eternity. Similarly, many Terrans believed in a place called Heaven, an eternal paradise where people who did good in their lives would go when they died. Karone often wondered what had become of her old mentor, who had cared deeply for her despite what he was. She hoped that Ecliptor had found his way to whatever version of eternity he could enjoy forever.

Now, as she watched Kendrix, she wondered if perhaps the restored woman was remembering wherever she had been in death. Kendrix had claimed that she couldn't remember anything, but Karone wasn't sure she believed her.

She watched Leo and Kendrix for a while longer, than turned and walked silently into the forest, not wanting to disturb them.

There was a path leading back to the colony, but she walked away from it. She didn't feel like going back there right now. The others were all immersed in their new lives. Mike had begun a relationship with Haley, the slave that he had rescued in the Lost Galaxy. Kai had begun a new relationship of his own, while Damon, who was now Chief Engineer for the colony, was extremely busy with his job.

Maya was spending most of her time in the village of her youth. Karone was happy for her, but also jealous that she got to be with everyone who had ever mattered to her. On Terra Venture, they had bonded over being relative strangers among the Terrans, and Karone had been grateful to not be the only one who was not from Earth. Now, however, Maya also had the people of her homeworld around her, and Karone was the only stranger left.

She walked deeper into the forest, twirling the shard from the Megaship in her fingers. Then she stopped, sensing that she was not alone. A twig snapped to her left, and she quickly turned, raising the shard like a dagger.

"Don't hurt me!" Bulk cowered away from her, his thick arm covering his head.

Karone relaxed, lowering the shard. "Sorry, Bulk."

"It's okay," Bulk replied, straightening again and brushing himself off. "I understand, believe me. It feels a little strange to have gone this long without some monster attacking the colony."

Karone chuckled a little. "That's true, I guess." She wasn't willing to admit it out loud to anyone, but she missed the conflict. She had been raised to fight, and she was beginning to feel just as restless here as she had on Earth.

"There's always been some enemy waiting around the next corner," Bulk went on. "First it was Rita and Zedd, then Divatox, then… well…" He gave a slight gesture towards Karone, tensing as though he feared her reaction.

"Yeah," she replied, giving a small smile to assure him that she wouldn't hurt him.

"And now Trakeena's gone, and I keep wondering what's going to attack us next."

Karone glanced in the direction of the colony. "Maybe nothing will." As much as she missed the conflict, the people here certainly deserved to live out the rest of their lives in peace. They had been through enough. As had the other rangers.

"I hope you're right. Although, I have to admit, life is a lot more boring without the monster attacks." After a moment, Bulk seemed to realize whom he had just said that to. "I mean, not that I was one of the ones putting my life on the line each time, but…" He trailed off, looking away sheepishly.

"It's okay." Karone still wasn't willing to say out loud that she agreed. She looked down, twirling the shard in her fingers again.

"That's a piece of the Megaship, isn't it?"

Karone nodded, impressed that he recognized the little piece of metal.

"I saw you guys fly it into Trakeena's ship. It's a really good thing that Andros let the colony use it as a museum."

Karone nodded. Bulk probably didn't realize just how many other times the Galaxy Rangers had relied on the Megaship in their struggles. She smiled bitterly. "You know, I think the whole time the others were aboard the ship, they never appreciated it. They never knew how much Andros went through on that ship. How important it was to him." She looked up, suddenly feeling embarrassed that she was complaining about her friends. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to vent."

Bulk held up his hands. "It's okay. Sometimes we all need to get things off our chests."

Karone looked down again. She felt like she'd been needing to say something about the end of the Megaship for a while now. It hadn't hit her at the time, in the heat and desperation of the battle, but it felt wrong that Andros hadn't been there at the end. His beloved ship had been destroyed in battle over a distant planet, and he didn't even know about it yet.

She turned the shard over again in her hands. "This is all I have to remember him by now."

"That isn't true," Bulk replied immediately, surprising her. He tapped his chest, over his heart. "You have what's in here."

She gave a small smile. "Since when are you so insightful?"

"Hey, I may not always seem like it, but I've got feelings."

"You've got more than that." She still remembered when he had stood up to her on her last day as Astronema, at the end of the war.

"Besides, I kind of know what it's like to have a brother. I mean, Skull is not my real brother, but he's like a brother. I'd give anything to see him again."

Karone vaguely remembered the small, wiry man who accompanied Bulk back on Earth. Before she could provide sympathy, however, a cool breeze blew past her. She stiffened. The air was wrong. It was not the warm, clean air of Mirinoi.

Frowning, she looked in the direction the breeze had come from. Then she began walking in that direction.

"Karone?" Bulk asked. She didn't reply, and heard the loud crunching of the forest floor as he began following her.

Past several trees, she froze. There was a portal up ahead, and through it she could see a large bridge made of red metal.

"That's Earth," Bulk said breathlessly. "San Francisco."

"Earth?" Karone stared at the portal. She could see her brother again.

"We should tell everyone," said Bulk. "They can all see their families again."

"We don't know how long the portal is going to stay open," Karone replied. She took a step towards it.

"True," said Bulk. He looked back in the direction of the colony, then at the portal again.

Karone began walking. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

"What about the others?" Bulk asked.

Karone paused, looking back at him. At the moment, however, she felt irresistibly drawn to the portal, and the opportunity to see her brother again. Without saying anything, she started walking again.

Bulk hesitated for another moment, and then she heard him running after her. "Hey, wait up." She didn't stop, and he caught up to her right before she stepped through. "I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. Like I said, you're not the only one who left a brother back on Earth."

She nodded, and stepped through. The air around her grew impossibly dense, closing in on every surface of her skin. Then she was propelled forward, and landed with her feet on pavement.

"Well, that was unpleasant," said Bulk after he appeared beside her. He looked around, then raised his arms. "But worth it. Welcome to San Francisco."

Karone looked at the enormous bridge in front of her for another moment, then turned and looked at the city around her. From her orbit around Earth on the Dark Fortress, she had seen cities that were much larger than Angel Grove, and San Francisco was certainly one of them. "How do we get back to Angel Grove from here?"

Bulk pointed in a direction. "There's a bus that will get us back there in no time." Then he frowned, patting his pockets. "But I don't have any money with me. Do you?"

"Dollars? No." Karone hadn't used the Terran currency in over a month, since the people on Mirinoi were still helping each other free-of-charge. She wasn't carrying money with her these days.

"Hmm." Bulk pondered for several seconds, looking around. His gaze paused in a certain direction, but it was several more seconds before he said anything. "Well, I have another idea, but it's probably a bad one."

"What?"

"Skull has an aunt that lives not too far from here. She's not the nicest lady you'll ever meet, but she might be willing to give us a ride to Angel Grove."

"Okay." Karone started walking in the direction Bulk was looking. Bulk hesitated for a moment, then fell into step beside her.

Soon, they were walking down a street where all of the houses were adjacent to one another, with no space in between. Karone found it unsightly. "Why are all the houses here stuck together like that?"

"They're called townhouses," said Bulk. "They're cheaper than, you know, regular houses, with yards and all that."

"I'm glad they didn't build townhouses on Terra Venture. Our apartments were so nice there."

"Yes, but apartment buildings on Earth aren't always so clean and modern. Townhouses are generally considered a step up from apartments." Bulk paused in front of a set of concrete stairs that led up to one of the townhouses. The house was a dull-gray color, but in many places the paint had chipped off to reveal the red brick underneath. Bulk hesitated again, staring up at the black door.

"Is this the house?" Karone asked. Bulk nodded. "Come on." She started climbing the stairs. After a moment, she heard Bulk start climbing behind her. When she reached the top, she knocked.

Several seconds passed without answer. "Maybe she's not home," Bulk suggested, sounding hopeful.

"Do you have a third idea for getting back to Angel Grove?"

Before Bulk could respond, however, the door opened, revealing a short lady with dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses.

"Hi, Auntie Ceci," said Bulk, giving a jerky, childish wave.

"Oh, hello, Farkas," the woman replied. Karone raised her eyebrows at the bizarre nickname. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes then shifted to Karone, and looked her up and down. "My, aren't you a pretty young woman. You're far too good for him, my dear."

"Uh, we, um," Bulk stammered.

"What's your name, dear?" the woman asked.

"My name's Karone."

"Karone? My, what a lovely name. Italian?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, yes, yes, she's Italian," said Bulk. Karone glanced at him, having no idea what he meant by that.

"Lovely. I'm Cecilia Skullovitch." The woman held out her hand, and Karone shook it gently.

"Very pleased to meet you."

Cecilia's gaze returned to Bulk, and hardened once more. "So, tell me, Farkas, have you found gainful employment yet?"

Bulk straightened and placed his hands on his hips, looking proud. "As a matter of fact, I was a bartender."

"Was? Were you already fired?"

Bulk looked wounded. "No, the bar was destroyed."

"Oh. Well, as long as you're not the one who blew it up, I suppose it's not your fault." She looked back at Karone. "I told my brother he should have moved away from Angel Grove years ago. He's had to rebuild his business three times now from all those freak monster attacks. At least it's been quiet since we beat that alien nafka last year."

Bulk gave a loud, fake cough. "So, Auntie Ceci, we were actually wondering if—"

"Oh, I've forgotten my manners, haven't I?" Cecilia interjected, interrupting Bulk. "Please, won't you come in?" She stepped aside to allow Karone to enter.

Karone stepped inside and looked around. The interior of the house was dimly-lit, and the furnishings of the small living room she was now standing in looked old and worn. A few holes were scattered across the gray rug that covered most of the floor, and white fluff could be seen emerging from within the cushions of the large armchair in the corner of the room.

"I know, I need to replace the furniture," said Cecilia, crossing the little room and sitting down in the armchair. "But I so rarely have guests, so I figured there wasn't any point to spending all that money. Please, sit."

She gestured to the couch that sat in front of the window, across from her chair. The sunlight had bleached a pale stripe across the center of the couch, and Karone couldn't help but stare at it as she approached the couch and sat down. The cushion sank heavily beneath her weight, which felt odd because Karone knew she didn't weigh that much compared to most Terrans.

When Bulk sat at the other end of the couch, the entire piece of furniture creaked, and Karone suppressed the instinct to stand lest she offend her host.

Then Cecilia abruptly stood back up. "Oh my, I should serve something, shouldn't I? Would you like some tea, dear?"

"Um, no, thank you."

Bulk leaned forward. "Actually, Auntie Ceci, we came here to ask—"

Cecilia interrupted him again. "Oh, I'm sorry. You must have come here for the soccer match, didn't you? The team from Angel Grove is here. I should turn it on." She walked over to her television and turned it on. The screen showed a recreational field with two teams scrambling around it.

Bulk leaned towards Karone. "Hey, look." He pointed at the screen. Karone recognized Carlos standing on the side of the field. Bulk lowered his voice so Cecilia couldn't hear. "Maybe we can get a ride from him, and not have to worry about her anymore."

Karone lowered her voice to match his. "Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Okay."

Bulk immediately stood, and the couch trembled again. "Well, Auntie Ceci, thank you very much for your hospitality. But you're right, we should be getting over to the game."

"Oh, okay, Farkas."

Karone stood as well. "It was lovely to meet you, Ms. Skullovitch."

"Call me Cecilia, dear. And it was lovely indeed. I hope to see you again. Though I doubt you'll have the patience to put up with Farkas for much longer."

Bulk's face fell, and he made for the door. Karone followed him out.

"That's an odd nickname she has for you," Karone commented as they descended the stairs and continued up the street. "Farkas? What does it mean?"

Bulk gave an audible sigh. "It's my real name. Bulk is the nickname."

"Really?" Karone half-turned towards him. He seemed to shrink before her eyes as his shoulders slumped. "Well, I suppose it's no worse than Astronema."

Bulk's face broke into a little grin. "That's true." He stood straight again. "Come on, that soccer match was happening at the stadium this way."

By the time they reached the stadium, the match was already over. The Angel Grove team was exiting joyfully.

"Carlos!" Karone waved over to him.

He turned and looked, then stopped in his tracks when he saw her. "Karone!" Trotting over, he leaned in and gave her a hug. "Finally. Andros has been beside himself."

"I'm back on Earth," said Karone. "We were stranded on Mirinoi for a while." She nodded towards Bulk.

Carlos glanced up at Bulk, and then back at Karone. "Sounds like you have a lot to fill us in on."

"Well, if you can give us a ride back to Angel Grove, I can give you a head start on catching up."

"Sure thing. The younger students will take the bus back, but I brought my own car up here. Over there." He pointed over at a black car that was parked across the street from the stadium.

"Thank you." Karone and Bulk followed him across the street to the car, and Karone sat down in the passenger seat while Bulk climbed into the back. She watched as Carlos started the car and pulled out of the spot. Then, as they set out towards Angel Grove, she fixed her eyes on the horizon, anticipating seeing her brother again.