Author's Note: If you've made it over here because of my "Someone Like You" trilogy, thank you and welcome back. It helps a little bit if you're familiar with those three stories, because this is sort of a prequel to it. That being said, if you don't, then don't worry; it's not necessary.
There are lots—LOTS—of retelling stories. Many of them are good, some of them are great, but they all have one thing in common: it's the Voltron Lion Force, sometimes with a sprinkling of Vehicle Voltron thrown in for good measure.
If you're like me, then your first introduction to the Voltron Vehicle Force was in that cheesetastic mess better known as "Fleet of Doom," which I first saw in 1992. Twenty years later, as an adult, I tracked down six boxed sets—three Vehicle Voltron dubs and three Dairugger XV subs. (I already owned the DotU dubs and the GoLion subs.) After watching them, I realized just how underappreciated Vehicle Voltron is. So here is my own Voltron retelling, with settings literally around the universe, which doesn't simply relegate VV to a cameo appearance.
Yes, I know that the canon name for Commander Hawkins is James, but when I started writing about these characters 20-odd years ago, there was no first name, which is how Jonathan—or Jon—came about. I chose to keep the name Jon, not only because I like it and I'm used to it, but also because so many characters simply refer to him as "Hawkins" that I don't view it as an issue. Similarly, the canon name for Space Marshall Graham is Dylan, but because that didn't appear until the "Voltron: Year One" comic was introduced, I chose to keep the name I had made up for him, which is Matthias.
In addition, for those of you who haven't checked out my profile, this story is heavy on the OCs. If that's not your thing, then please bypass; this retelling is not for you. But if you're game, I think you might feel rewarded for your efforts, as my writing mixes all forms of Voltron: DotU/GoLion, VV/Dairugger, GV/Albegas, Nicktoons' VF, Image/DDP, Dynamite Press, Netflix's VLD, and even a little V3D (blech).
I own nothing except my characters and planets, and I do this for entertainment and stress relief purposes only. I make no money off it.
Now let the madness begin.
Title Song: "Coming Home" by Skylar Grey
It all began with a legend: the legend of Voltron, the defender of the universe.
The story of a mighty robot, one which slaughtered demons and conquered evil, had been told for millennia. The mechanical wonder had been created through a combination of science, religion and magic; a theoretical savior for those living under tyranny.
It was the goddess Sarga of the Wyvern who destroyed him.
It wasn't so much that she destroyed Voltron, more that she had split him into five separate pieces. Lions. Why lions, no one could guess; explanations ranged from the whimsy of the goddess to the creation of a ship that looked foolish so as not to intimidate its enemies. Regardless of the reason, Voltron was no more, its parts buried deep within the heart of a beautiful planet in the Far Universe, and evil slowly...steadily...began to rebuild itself.
Thousands of years later, on Planet Earth, a Galaxy Alliance was formed. Initially, it consisted of three planets: Earth, Mira, and Sala. Eventually, the alliance expanded its horizons to include Hydra, Mira's twin planet, as well as planets from other solar systems, such as Terra of the Middle Universe, where they experienced the Drule threat for the first time.
Because of the threat of an attack from hostile aliens, the Galaxy Alliance decided to form a school on Earth to train young men and women how to defend their planets. Known as the Space Explorers Academy—or, more often than not, the Space Academy or just the Academy—the students trained in everything from piloting to shooting, engineering to systems analysis, navigation to interplanetary relations. The leaders decided to build this school on a small island just off the coast of the United States' Manhattan, which they christened Garrison Island; hence, Galaxy Garrison was born.
Meanwhile, on Planet Terra, a young but well-respected biomedical systems analyst known as Moran joined forces with the two most highly-respected minds within the Galaxy Alliance: Professor Mizuki of Terra and Dr. Loring of Earth. Together, the three men—with the help of three young, extraordinarily-gifted students named Daisaku Enjoji, Tetsuya Jin, and Hotaru Mizuki—created what they coined Alpha/Beta/Gamma, or AlBeGas, as a prototype for what Voltron could have been. It was far from perfect, but it served its purpose, helping to keep the Drule threat away from Terra.
Then, honoring the two-year contract which had been previously installed, Moran and Loring secured the three AlBeGas mechas and brought them back to Earth, keeping them under tight security as Garrison property.
Albegas, as the prototype was referred to, was extensively researched; ripped apart and put back together again, Loring and Moran were able to piece together a new type of Voltron. Made up of fifteen parts, each one reminiscent of vehicles for the sea, sky and terrain, it was to be Earth's defender, much like the aforementioned Lion Voltron, which had disappeared so many thousands of years earlier.
It would be many years before the new Vehicle Voltron could be unveiled. In the meantime, Space Marshall Peter Graves, the head of the Galaxy Alliance, contacted J.C.H. Manufacturing & Steel to create the ultimate craft for his research purposes. It took ten years to construct, but the result was the Stellar Ship Explorer, commissioned by Jacob Christopher Hawkins and sent almost immediately into space to accurately chart a map of the solar system.
It was a shame that Graves never saw the Explorer in action. He was killed in a freak accident, though many of his subordinates claimed it was outright murder. Never proven, his death paved the way for the rise of his second-in-command, Commodore Charles Grayson Hingham.
Hingham was never liked or well-received as Space Marshall, considering the circumstances of his predecessor's death. Worse, his own second-in-command, Admiral Charles Riordan Wegener, was a Drule sympathizer, which made both of their cases less well-received. Things only grew worse when the High Command discovered that Wegener had obtained classified information regarding Albegas and the new Voltron, and had sold it to the Drule Supreme Council for a large profit.
The High Command, under the temporary leadership of Commander Byron Loehmann and Colonel Jeremy Dillin, brought charges against Hingham and Wegener. The Space Marshall was tried, convicted, and sentenced to confinement within the Galactic Prison, but was later moved to the Void due to his noncompliant behavior. Meanwhile, the Admiral was tried and convicted in absentia, since he had mysteriously disappeared before his trial had even occurred.
No one ever learned that, ironically, a very prominent member of the Drule Supreme Council had killed him. The leader of the Ninth Planet, or Korrinoth, better known by its nickname, Doom. King Zarkon Daibazaal had been the one to perform the unsavory deed...personally.
With both Wegener and Hingham gone, and the name of Charles tainted in that period of Galaxy Alliance history, the High Command decided to recruit a new Space Marshall. Sifting through the classified files of men whom Hingham had once thought were possible contenders to succeed him, the interim leaders of the Garrison came to an agreement. They unanimously elected Commodore Matthias Dylan Graham to the highest rank.
The first thing Graham did as Space Marshall was appoint his own second-in-command. Though the second-highest position had previously been an elected one, the Garrison's newest top-ranked shunned the idea of a vote, instead promoting his trusted comrade, Commander Robert Steele. While he knew that the move would cause friction and possibly create enemies, he had good reason for it: the rumor mill had it that Colonel James Cross was a shoe-in to take over Wegener's old position.
Colonel Cross and his former Space Academy roommate, Colonel Charles Herbert Wade, loved outer space. They were both enamoured of their positions and would not have returned to Earth if the proverbial loaded pistol had been held to their heads. Because of this, Graham could not, in good conscience, allow Cross to be elected as his second-in-command. He felt that it was the only reasonable thing to do.
With Graham and Steele in charge of Galaxy Garrison—and, therefore, of the Alliance—things began to settle in...and down. Cross and Wade remained on their respective ships in the Near Universe. The S.S. Explorer, under the command of the Space Marshall's longtime friend, Commander William Moriarty, charted the stars and planets in the galaxy to create an updated, accurate map of the solar system. Planet Terra had recovered from its loss of Albegas and had implemented a new type of security system to ward off any future attacks. Earth's Voltron was under construction, and the planet's defenses seemed to be enough for the time being.
Then, in the Far Universe, Korrinoth raided Planet Arus.
Though Arus was not, as it stood, a part of the Galaxy Alliance—nor was it even in the Garrison's part of the universe—Graham decided to chance providing aid to the planet. He brought up the subject at the next High Command meeting without giving Commander Steele any advance notice. Unsurprisingly, the council members reacted negatively and shot down the Space Marshall's request.
"But why not?" Graham had argued. "We're in the midst of creating a Vehicle Voltron to protect Earth. We've taken AlBeGas from Terra and reengineered the Voltron prototype to suit our needs. Why not send an exploratory team to Arus and see if they can find out what happened to Lion Voltron? And if they can help the planet defeat Doom and restore it to its rightful place in the process, well, so much the better."
"Lion Voltron is merely a legend," Loehmann had pointed out, irritated.
"Enough so that we built two giant war machines in its image." Faces turned to Steele, who had stood up to defend his superior. "I agree with Graham. We should send a small exploratory mission to Arus."
Had the High Command unanimously concurred at that point, a different team of space explorers might have been chosen for the assignment. As it stood, it took more than a year for all of the council members to agree to the operation, and even then, it took more time to cut through the bureaucracy and red tape and drum up the funds to support the mission. By the time the dust had settled, that year's most-senior class was less than two months out from graduation.
Wanting to choose their sharpest, most up-to-date and most capable cadets, Graham commissioned his most trusted lieutenants, Don Brown and Jason Stebbins, to decide upon the team of five. The two young men eagerly tackled the task, sorting through every last student in the graduating student body, doing research and interviews, reviewing grades and extracurriculars and backgrounds. They selected their five candidates and presented them to High Command, where four out of five members were approved.
The fifth candidate was approved by everyone but the Space Marshall himself.
Several years prior, Graham had seen limitless potential in one cadet. He was not the only one; Stebbins and Brown had seen it, too. He couldn't blame them for choosing this one particular candidate, but he had to veto their decision, appointing their back-up choice in lieu of their first choice.
He wanted their fifth candidate for his own roster.
Though the two lieutenants were somewhat miffed and appalled, arguing that their back-up candidate was not quite as good of a fit for the mission, their decision was overruled. Graham got his way and finalized the decision one month before graduation.
And then, the day after graduation, he sent the exploratory team to Arus.
Over the course of summer vacation, Vehicle Voltron was completed. The S.S. Explorer headed back to Earth, ready to house the new defender of the universe and then continue on its mission of creating a new starmap of the solar system. One problem stood in the way: this new Voltron Force would require a team of fifteen pilots...pilots who needed to be chosen quickly.
Summoning Brown and Stebbins to task once more, they began the lengthy and arduous task of sifting through thousands of candidates for the fifteen slots on the Voltron Vehicle Force, blissfully unaware that the five members of their exploratory mission to Arus were fighting for their very lives to escape the slave dungeons of Castle Doom...
Space Marshall Graham's three lieutenants sat in the otherwise-empty strategy room, making the last-minute finalizations for the pilots of the Voltron Vehicle Force. Lieutenant Don Brown nervously slicked his blond hair back with his hand. This was the second time that he and Lieutenant Jason Stebbins had done this sort of thing, but the last time, it was on a smaller scale. When they had chosen the team sent to Arus, it had only been five cadets. Now it was fifteen.
He looked over at the third lieutenant in their midst.
She was twenty-one years old and a new graduate from the Space Academy, younger than Brown and Stebbins had been when they were offered the position of Lieutenant. All three of them had heard some of the unpleasant innuendo-laced rumors as to why Graham had drafted a female so young to such a high rank, but to her credit, everyone who worked with her chose to ignore them. Once they had gotten to know her, they realized that she'd earned the position on merit alone.
The only thing that Stebbins and Brown couldn't ignore was the irony that this new lieutenant was helping them to choose this team. Not only had she personally—and fairly, they might add—sorted through hundreds of possible candidates with them, including many of her friends and former classmates, but it hadn't been so long since they were making a decision about her and the exploration team sent to Planet Arus.
"So three teams," Brown repeated, impatiently tapping his fingers on the tabletop. "Land, Sea, and Air. Each team is made up of five members, and each team has a captain. The captain of the Air Team is the overall captain of the Voltron Force."
"Sea Team roster: status complete," she began. "Consists of Captain Crik Miranda Keats. Also comprised of Tangor Katz, Shannon Izumo, Zandee Karateya, and Lisa Kaga." Her lips curled up slightly, pleased, as she rattled off Lisa's name.
"Land Team roster: status complete," Stebbins continued. "Consists of Captain Clifford Walter Jack. Also comprised of Modoch Chukker, Cinda Kirigas, Hutch Nagato, and Marvin Izu." The dark-haired, fair-skinned lieutenant had absolutely no association with the members of the team; though he'd met all of the candidates in person, the names were just words on a sheet of paper.
"Air Team roster: status still incomplete," Brown sighed. "Currently comprised of Chip Stoker, Wolo Kreuz, Rocky Shinobu, and Ginger Ellington. Captain status still undecided."
The youngest lieutenant exhaled in frustration. "Brown, how much longer are we going to punt back and forth between the two choices? There are good reasons for either one of them to be captain of the Air Team. At the rate we're going, we may as well just flip a coin."
Stebbins chuckled. "She's right, you know."
Brown looked flustered. "Run through the data again," he instructed his fellow lieutenants. Opening his manila folder, he produced two photos, headshots which the three of them knew all too well by now. One was of Jeffrey Aki. The other was of Aidan Dalloway.
"Both Aki and Dalloway have identical grades," Stebbins began. "They both specialized in piloting at the Academy, both graduated in the top tier of gunners, and both are specially trained in hand-to-hand combat. It's a tough call, Brown. On paper, it's almost like they're the same person." He shrugged. "Anyway, you know what I think. I vote for Dalloway. He and Clifford Jack were roommates and best friends at the Academy. Dalloway will fit right in."
Brown shook his head. "I think I've finally decided that my vote goes to Aki. In person at least, the guy sounds a little more...sensible. Dalloway was reprimanded a few too many times during his five years at the Academy." He looked over at their third lieutenant. "And what do you think? Who gets your vote?"
Stebbins grinned. "Ooh, you get to be the tiebreaker. Lucky you."
Exhaling again, she picked up both photos and held one in each hand. She knew both of the candidates personally, so much better than her fellow lieutenants did. "They are both overly qualified for the position," she murmured after a long silence. "But my vote has to go to Aki. Even though he has more of a temper, Dalloway isn't mature enough to handle the role of captain. Not now, at least."
Brown nodded, satisfied with the decision. "Then it's settled. Air Team status: complete with Captain Jeffrey Manabu Aki." He slid Jeff's photo back into the manila envelope. "Good job. I'll bring this to Space Marshall Graham and tell him and Commander Steele that we have a Voltron Force."
She picked up the discarded photo. "I'm sorry, Aidan," she whispered to it. "I am so, so sorry. Don't hate me. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
As the three lieutenants stood to take their leave, Brown cleared his throat. "Hey," he shot out, "how do you guys feel about getting pizza and beer after I drop off this envelope? It's been a long few weeks, and we should make good on the chance to celebrate."
"Yeah, that sounds good," Stebbins agreed. He looked over at the newest member of their trio. "What about you, Stensson? Are you in?"
She shook her head. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the offer, but I'm really exhausted. I think I'm just gonna go home and go to bed."
"Sure thing. See you tomorrow, then." Brown darted down the hallway to the Space Marshall's office, but Stebbins stayed put, looking back at Stensson.
"Hey, do you want an escort? I hate to send you home alone at this late of an hour." He brushed a stray hair off her forehead in a brotherly way. "You'll make us worry."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Good night, Jason."
On the street, she grabbed the first available hovercab to take her to the Valley, the Garrison's nickname for the cheap just-off-campus housing allotted for the Space Academy's graduated students. Then, once she was home, she collapsed onto the full-sized bed in her studio apartment, where she closed her eyes against the anguish of having to choose Jeff Aki over Aidan Dalloway.
Not that it was any different from any other night. The young lieutenant had lived her life in a constant state of anguish since the day after she graduated from the Academy, from the exact moment that her fiancé walked out of her life. It was only at night that she found solace, dreaming of him. Because that was the only place where they were together: in her dreams.
She couldn't wait until the day he finally came home.