Hi there! I know I have been away for a while. It's been a combination of business with school and my family and an MIA muse. Thanks to Faith (keithnallurafan) for raising this KAEX challenge. It started my juices flowing. This is in response to the Power Failure during Epic Winter Storm Challenge.

This story is a relatively short multi-chapter that takes place in my challenge arc. It follows Meant to Be Broken, Between Floors, and Fly, Lions, Fly.

This is my first attempt at writing a Robeast/ Voltron battle scene. I usually stick to the relationships and character interactions. C and C are welcome, but please no flames.

Enjoy!

Rated T

Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron. The story is mine.

Heat

by Sunshineleo

Chapter 1

Lotor growled in frustration. Once again, it looked like the Voltron Force would defeat him soon. Looking around desperately, the evil prince considered his options. His yellow eyes fell on the industrial looking warehouses and bays located at the back of the Castle of Lions. Remembering the sketchy schematics shown to him by his own Drule engineers, Lotor grinned evilly as he realized that those bays housed the power systems for the whole castle.

"I may not be able to defeat Voltron," he mumbled to himself. "But with the deep freeze Arus is experiencing, I can certainly make things difficult for the Voltron Force." Turning to his second, he ordered, "Let the Robeast deal with Voltron. Turn our ion cannons to the castle."

"But sir," his second protested. "The Robeast won't last much longer."

"Turn our cannons to the castle," Lotor interrupted furiously, annoyed that his second in command would question a direct order. Narrowing his eyes, Lotor snarled. "Target those industrial bays now."

"Aye sir," the second responded, keying in the new targets. He knew he would be punished for what Lotor considered his insubordination. "Target locked."

"Now fire," Lotor sneered, an evil grin crossing his handsome face.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"That last blast took out our generators," Koran reported across the comm. "Lotor seems to be concentrating his attack on the castle power systems and generator bays. We are sitting ducks with no defense. Commander, you must destroy that Robeast and then the command ship. I don't know how much more the castle can take." Koran's usually calm voice held a tinge of panic.

"We are trying, Koran," Keith responded through gritted teeth. "Hold on for a few more minutes. We almost have this ugly contained." Turning his attention back to the battle with the Robeast that resembled a mythical yeti, Keith gave his usual battle ending order. "Form blazing sword."

The great robot touched its lion-head hands together. When they pulled apart, a great light formed, solidifying into Voltron's five-pointed Blazing sword. Voltron lifted its red right arm, the blazing sword held high, while the other lion heads roared their battle cry.

"Blazing sword, strike!" Keith cried as the yeti roared maniacally. The white beast didn't have a chance to even move before Voltron's mighty sword sliced the Robeast cleanly in half, separating its shoulders and head from its pelvis and legs.

Cheers erupted from the cockpits of each of the lions as Keith pulled hard on his controls. Voltron leaped backwards, out of the way just as the yeti Robeast exploded in a rush of heat and light. "Good work, team," Keith praised his Voltron force. He keyed in the series of commands that directed Voltron to disengage the blazing sword. Turning toward the castle, the commander spotted Lotor's command ship looming dark in Arus's twilight sky. The gigantic ship appeared to be powering up its huge ion cannon for another hit at the gleaming castle. "But our work is not done," he warned. "We still have to take out the command ship."

"Hurry, Keith," the princess's quiet voice came over the comm. "It looks like Lotor is getting ready to fire again. I am not sure if the castle can take another hit like the last one. With no power, they have neither weapons nor shields. They're sitting ducks!"

"Yes, Princess, I realize that," Keith replied tersely, trying to keep sarcasm out of his voice. Locking eyes with Blue's pilot on the inter cockpit viewer, Keith cocked an eyebrow in challenge, willing Allura to say any more. He must have communicated his annoyance because the princess remained quiet. Keith's strategic mind quickly formulated a plan to take out the command ship without further damaging the already fragile Castle of Lions.

"Ok, here's the plan. Lance and Pidge, you fire your lava and wind lasers directly at the ship. That should bring their focus on us and away from the castle. Hunk, Princess, once the ship gets ready to fire, you concentrate eye beams on the top of the ship where the bridge is located. Pidge and Lance, once your Lions recharge, then fire eye beams as well." Keith relayed his intricate plan with authority ringing in his voice. "I'll fire up the electro force cross to deal the final blow. Does everyone understand?"

"You got it, Keith," came Lance's response.

"Aye, aye skipper," chirped Pidge cheerfully.

"Let's do this, Cap," Hunk growled, the look in his brown eyes menacing.

"Yes, sir," Allura replied curtly.

Keith glanced at the blue lion pilot in the viewer. Anger blazed in her blue eyes. Her slender eyebrows furrowed across her forehead, and her lips sat pinched in a straight line. Shit, Keith thought. She's pissed. Oh well, I'll have to deal with her later. We have a battle to finish. Turning his attention back to the main view screen, he grabbed the yoke tightly and got ready to engage the enemy.

Watching with knit brows, Keith scrutinized the scene before him. Lotor's command ship loomed large in the sky, hovering just over the crippled Castle of Lions. Confused by its location above the back of the castle, Keith couldn't quite figure out where Lotor was firing. Well, it didn't matter. Glancing at his internal viewer, he saw that his team sat ready to receive and execute his command.

"Red, Green, go!" he called. Wind as powerful as an f5 tornado blew from Green Lion's open jaws. The force of the wind blew the huge command ship off its trajectory, making it miss its next shot with its ion cannon. At the same time, flaming, hot lava erupted from Red Lion's jaws. The boiling liquid oozed across the top of the cannon, instantly melting its mounted turrets.

Seeing that Voltron had temporarily disabled the great ship, Keith gave the next order. "Yellow, Blue, eye beams at that bridge. Red, Green, fire as soon as recharged. Fire!"

With that order, powerful laser beams fired from both of Voltron's feet. Their concentrated power targeted Lotor's bridge located at the top of his command ship. Within a few minutes, Red and Green Lions joined their efforts.

Watching carefully, Keith surmised that the ship had lost most of its major weapons. Lotor had turned his massive ship away from the castle so it now faced Voltron, just as the commander figured he would. Keith noticed the ship's hangar bay door beginning to open.

"Okay, team," Keith noticed. "It looks like Lotor is getting ready to deploy more fighters. What do you say we just take care of this and put an end to the battle?"

"Let's go, Voltron Force," came his team's response.

Keith diverted all power to Voltron's chest. Hitting the series of commands, Keith called out Voltron's second most powerful weapon. "Electro force cross!"

The Arusian coat of arms emblazoned on Voltron's chest began to glow. The golden cross sizzled as a beam as powerful as lightning formed and exploded from the glowing cross. It slammed into Lotor's command ship, hitting it squarely in its side.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lotor's ship didn't stand a chance. The moment the electro force cross hit the ship, all power systems went off line. A crack appeared in the great ship's hull, and it threatened to break apart. On the bridge, the Prince of Doom punched the console in front of him. "Damn it," he yelled. "Return fire," he barked. When nothing happened, he turned to his second. "Why are we not responding?"

His second appeared terrified. Shaking, he swallowed audibly. "Sire," he began meekly. "Our systems are off line. Weapons are inoperable and shields and life support are at fifteen percent. We will not survive another hit."

Lotor sighed loudly. "Options?"

Blinking in surprise at the question, the second looked at his screen. "I recommend sealing off the parts of the ship with the hull breach and retreat. We should have enough power to make it back to Doom."

Lotor punched the console a second time, this time flattening it to the floor. "Argh!" He yelled, causing even his seasoned Doom officers to shrink back in fear. "Fine. Do it. Retreat." Beckoning his second, he commanded, "Open a channel to Kogane."

"Aye, Sire," his second responded.

A second later, the Voltron commander's red helmeted face appeared on his view screen. "Hey, Lotor. Are you ready to surrender?" his nemesis quipped sarcastically.

"Never," Lotor growled back. "I am calling for a retreat. Per GA regulation 1.25-A, I request an opportunity to get back to my planet without retaliation or pursuit."

A rock formed in the pit of Keith's stomach. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath. Lotor played a very strategic card, one that as a GA officer in command, Keith could not ignore. Sighing loudly, Keith glared at Lotor through the visor of his helmet. "Acknowledged, Lotor. You are free to go, but should you retaliate in any way within the next seven days, our agreement will be considered null and void. Do we have an agreement?"

Nodding his head, the Doom prince accepted Keith's terms . "Agreed." Then the expression on his face shifted from one of humility to one that was menacing. "You may have won this one, Voltron Force." He spoke to the entire team. "But good luck surviving your subzero temperatures with no power and no heat. You will not go unscathed. Princess," he turned his predatory yellow eyes to the beautiful face only partially hidden behind her pink helmet. "Give me a call if you need me to keep you warm..."

He was cut off by Keith's angry snarl. "Go Lotor," he commanded. "Before I change my mind and say screw our agreement." Keith's voice held a barely contained rage.

Throwing his hands up, the Doom prince sneered. "Fine, I'm going," he relented. "Until we meet again." He cut off communication to the Black Lion pilot. "Let's go. Set course for Doom." Standing in his stiff military posture, Lotor turned back toward his view screen as his great ship turned away from the Castle of Lions and out toward the blackness of space.

A sudden bang and lurch almost made Lotor lose his balance. "Report," he barked.

"It appears that Voltron is assisting us on our trip back to Doom," Lotor's second reported. "They are pushing us away from Arus."

Sure enough, the great ship lay clutched between the arms of the great robot, Voltron using its mighty thrusters to push the command ship out of Arus's atmosphere and away from the planet. Because they had not shown any military retaliation, the Voltron force stayed true to their agreement. Lotor could do nothing if he wanted to keep their agreement intact.

A second bang and lurch rocked the great ship as Voltron let go. "We are now under our own power," second reported. "Orders?"

"Proceed to Doom," Lotor maintained. "We will regroup and plan our next attack." Despite the devastating loss, he smiled in satisfaction. "We will leave the Voltron Force to freeze." Turning back to the vastness of space, he began to plan his next attack against the Voltron Force and planet Arus.