"I've been researching all possible ways that I can, with help from Alpha and Skye for a way to heal her....we have come up with..a slight possibility..." he said cautiously, but even so, there was an immediate eruption of excited babble.

"Hold on, hold on...there are facts that everyone needs to know!" he said."That's gonna give you an interesting status among the Deshaadra. You're wild, which means the only authority you have to answer to is the Elders- and me, of course, but only for the next couple weeks. Unless there's something huge going down, the Elders will basically ignore you, so you're pretty much covered. Only thing to remember when you meet another Deshaadra is not to kill them unless they try to kill you first."
          Chelsea threw him a half-smile. "Sounds simple enough." Her eyes widened as comprehension dawned. Not only would it have been like that before, Zhane was acting as though it was *still* like that. He had befriended the "new" Astro Rangers, certainly, but he treated Andros like the other half of a team of two. He backed Andros in everything, supported every decision he made, and dropped whatever he was doing at the Red Ranger's whim. He was giving all of himself to a teammate who no longer gave it all back, and she doubted he even realized what was happening.

She wondered if introducing Zhane to the agrec crew would prevent or hasten a final, angry confrontation between the two Rangers.

"Ty will make sure he gets back safely," someone said from behind her. She hadn't heard Tevi return, but she managed not to start at the sound of her voice. "If you want out," Tevi continued, "I have a room back at the hostel."

          "It's a pretty uncomplicated life," Duke agreed. "Not easy, but uncomplicated. Now, the Council's gonna be a little leery around you, since you're kind of an anomaly. You're the first Earth person to enter our ranks, and you're the only apprentice to serve outside a garal."
          "What about you?" she asked curiously.

Rocky shook his head "If there is any sort of a chance we will take it, there is nothing more to say."

Billy fought an inner battle to accept that spontaneously well meant judgement at face value and regretfully failed to deny his conscience.

"I will not let any of you make a decision without full knowledge of the danger involved!" he said forcefully.

They quietened down much to his surprise. He took a deep breath and launched into his explanation.