Chapter Text
Dark Fortress, Earth Solar System.
Ecliptor was furious.
Dark Spectre's treacherous mercenary, Darkonda, had crossed not only him, but his beloved Princess of Evil, Astronema, yet again. And if the deadly android Ecliptor had his way: for the final time.
Darkonda and he had clashed many a time before over the wretched creature's selfish schemes, trading wins and losses, with Ecliptor himself slaying the nine-lived freak of nature twice in combat. With the idiot space pirate Divatox's equally bumbling nephew Elgar and a cadre of the robotic quantrons in tow, Ecliptor sought to make it three against Darkonda, and if the bastard rose again, Ecliptor would just kill him again until he stayed dead.
Spreading lies about Astronema! Claiming that she had an illicit affair with a Power Ranger and ran off with the band of multi-colored children...he refused to believe it. He had raised Astronema right: he raised her to be pure evil and loyal only to Dark Spectre, just as he was designed and built to be.
"DARKONDA! DARKONDA!" demanded Ecliptor as he stormed through the Dark Fortress in search of his hated rival. "COME OUT AND FACE ME!!"
"Why don't we talk about this, huh?" Elgar asked as the bumbling alien struggled to keep pace with the enraged android. "I'm sure we can all come to a peaceful-"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!" roared Ecliptor, knocking Elgar to the ground with a sweeping backhand.
Ecliptor reached the bridge, brandishing his large, grid-etched sword as Elgar kept his distance. "WHERE ARE YOU, DARKONDA?! FACE ME, YOU COWARD!"
Darkonda stepped out of the shadows, brandishing a sword of his own.
"Now now, Ecliptor," Darkonda sneered. "No reason to be rude."
"You!" growled Ecliptor, pointing his sword threateningly at the cackling Darkonda.
"Me!" mocked Darkonda. "You should be thanking me, Ecliptor! I exposed the traitor for what she was!"
"Never!" snapped Ecliptor, inching forward, his sword pointed directly at Darkonda's chest. "There's more to this, and I know you have something to do with it!"
Darkonda batted away the sword with his own. "You have nothing on me, robot. Nothing at all. Perhaps Dark Specter would be interested in why you continue to protect a confirmed traitor?"
Dark Specter's monstrous form appeared on the oversized viewing screen, the orange-red cracks in his black hide glowing bright in anger as he glared at his quarreling generals.
"SILENCE, FOOLS!" roared Dark Specter as the denizens of the Dark Fortress bowed in submission to the demonic beast. "ASTRONEMA HAS INDEED BETRAYED US ALL AND IS NOW ALIGNING HERSELF WITH THE CURSED POWER RANGERS UNDER HER PREVIOUS NAME OF KARONE."
Ecliptor pounded his fist on the cold metal floor of the Fortress. Darkonda spared a glance at him, his souless, evil yellow eyes narrowing.
"IT SEEMS WE NOW HAVE A VOID OF LEADERSHIP IN OUR INVASION OF EARTH," Dark Spectre continued. "CONSIDERING YOUR COMPLETE LACK OF COOPERATION WITH EACH OTHER THUS FAR, IT IS MY WILL THAT THE TWO OF YOU WILL DUEL FOR THAT RIGHT!"
Ecliptor solemnly rose and once again bowed towards Dark Specter. "It will be my pleasure, my Lord."
Darkonda wasted no time in his attack, lunging so swiftly at his rival that only Ecliptor's cybernetic reflexes and skill saved him from the onslaught.
Darkonda was cunning, skilled, and pragmatic in his attack, but as ever, Ecliptor's cybernetic precision and enhanced reflexes allowed him to fend off Darkonda's offense and respond in kind.
Ecliptor was simply far too determined to win, fueled by hatred, rage, self preservation, and the desire to prove himself to his creator, and after a close and intense skirmish that spanned only a matter of minutes, the android struck the decisive blow and Darkonda fell wounded and defeated to the ground before him and the watchful gaze of Dark Specter.
"ECLIPTOR, YOU ARE VICTORIOUS!" Dark Specter declared, impressed. "I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU WOULD INDEED DESTROY THE POWER RANGERS!"
Ecliptor raised his sword in allegiance. "Your wish is my command, my Lord Dark Spectre!"
"WOULD YOU STRIKE DOWN ASTRONEMA IF GIVEN THE CHANCE, I WONDER?" Dark Specter mused. "THERE, I DO HAVE MY DOUBTS."
"No, my Lord," Ecliptor swore. "All enemies to your lordship will be annihilated!"
"NO...YOU WOULD HESITATE, ECLIPTOR. IN YOUR YEARS AS HER GUARDIAN, YOU HAVE DEVELOPED COMPASSION FOR HER!" Dark Specter countered.
"No, my Lord!" Ecliptor beseeched. "I will destroy the Power Rangers!"
"THEREFORE, DARKONDA WILL COMMAND THE DARK FORTRESS-" Dark Specter commanded.
"No! No!" Ecliptor cried as Dark Specter ignored him.
"AND YOU, ECLIPTOR, WILL BE...RECONFIGURED," Dark Specter decided, his final judgment passed.
"NO!!!" roared Ecliptor, fending off the swarming quantrons. "NO!!!! DAMN YOU!"
Ecliptor swung his blade in wide swaths at the incoming horde of quantrons, but even a mighty mechanical warrior such as himself was susceptible to numbers, and he was thus overwhelmed.
Darkonda snuck behind him and ran him through with his blade. Sparks flew and electricity arced. The light in Ecliptor's red eyes faded, and Darkonda raised his blade in victory over his hated rival.
"Take that hunk of junk away, my quantrons!" cackled the newly established leader of the Dark Fortress. "Make him mine. Make him my slave! Ha ha ha!"
"DO NOT FAIL ME, DARKONDA," warned Dark Specter as Darkonda watched the lifeless body of Ecliptor being dragged away by the quantron drones. "OR HIS FATE WILL BE YOUR'S!"
Darkonda swept into an exaggerated bow. "I will not let you down, my Lord."
"SEE TO IT THAT YOU DON'T," growled Dark Specter. "FARE YOU WELL!"
Dark Specter's image faded from the viewing screen.
"Feh!" spat Darkonda as he surveyed the damage android had made.
In the corner cowered Elgar. His future was now uncertain, for there was no longer an Astronema or an Ecliptor to tolerate him on behalf of Dark Specter. Darkonda was his own agent, and even Elgar knew this, and he threw himself at Darkonda's feet.
"Please don't kill me please don't kill me!" groveled the pointy headed alien. "I'll do anything, but please don't kill me please!
"I get the overwhelming sense that you want to live," deadpanned Darkonda as Elgar began kissing his feet.
"Oh yes! Oh yes! I really want to-Oof!" Elgar begged before Darkonda kicked him square in the ribs.
"THEN DON'T TOUCH ME!" snapped Darkonda.
Elgar coughed, his body wracked in pain, but he knelt before his new master, awaiting his orders.
"You have no loyalties to anyone but me. Not to Divatox, not to the United Alliance of Evil, and certainly not to that fool Dark Specter," Darkonda pointed his sword threateningly at Elgar's throat. "I expect every order followed without question and without fail. If I even get the vaguest hint of any treachery, I will be eating my next meal out of your skull! Do I make myself clear?"
Elgar nodded, his eyes wide with fear.
"Good." Darkonda smiled, revealing rows of pointy teeth like that of a shark. "Today is only the beginning! First Astronema and that fool Ecliptor! Then the Power Rangers!"
Darkonda strode to the viewing screen where the blues and greens of planet Earth sat in full relief.
"First I will take Earth, and then one by one the United Alliance of Evil will join me or fall like the rest," declared Darkonda. "Once Dark Specter is defeated, the universe will be mine! MWAH HA HA HA!"