Author's Note - Finally, the season premier everyone has been waiting for! Let the games begin!
Theme Music : "One" by Metallica
Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins and associated characters are the property of KathDMD. Admiral Lysette Fabrere and associated characters are the property of selena devargo.
Episode 501 : "One"
"Don't let them out of your sights!" Ryan shouted as they closely followed Kala's command ship.
"There's a strange energy surge," Dylan said, "and now it's gone." A slight clicking noise could be heard behind him, but it went unnoticed, a lone space mouse scurrying.
"So is the ship," Ryan commented. "Dammit!" he slammed his fist on the console.
"So you want the good news or the bad news?" Amy asked.
"What is it?" Ryan asked angrily.
"Before we lost the signal," she replied, "we were able to track where they are heading."
"Where?" he asked.
"Titan," she replied.
Is this the end?
Has defeat found me?
So….this is….death?
A flash of light enveloped General Krai Soltorn, and a warm sensation filled her as she vanished from sight.
"I'm not detecting anything," Tails replied. "I think we did it."
"Great!" Roxy cheered. "But…what do we do now?"
"Do we have any way to communicate with Galaxy Garrison?" JC asked.
"Nothing long range, I'm afraid," Tails replied. "We're lucky we have enough power to talk to each other."
"Life support?" JC asked.
"Minimum," Tails replied.
"What about Dariana?" Seth asked. "She's not responding."
"She's probably still passed out from the fight," JC replied. "Don't worry, she'll come to." No one knew, but she was indeed awake, and looking around at her surroundings. A seething hatred and lust for power consumed her, and she gripped the controls, yanking frantically and hammering buttons. Her eyes glowed as the hatred within her rose. Suddenly, she arched her back and screamed in anger, an enormous surge of power blasting from her all at once. She then fell limp over the controls. The surge forced the interlocks apart, and jarred the jets away from one about, forcing Voltron to split into its individual components.
"What was that?" JC asked.
"I don't know," Tails said, looking at her meters, "but we somehow have power. Not much, but enough."
"Can you reach Galaxy garrison?" JC asked.
"No," she replied, "but the sensors are now picking up another vessel…it's the Bogart!"
"Hail them!" JC ordered. "Let them know the situation. Hopefully they can get us back to the Garrison hangar so we can figure out what happened, and fix the ships.
Lord Kanji looked around the room, satisfied with his work. The others were still on bended knee in reverence.
"Arise, and bear witness to the future, my bretheren," he said. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth at the thought of what has occurred. Haggar, feeling the overwhelming urges pulling at her very soul, looked at Kanji in fear and shock.
"You….have awakened them?" she asked.
"Beyond that," he replied. "I am their master."
"But no one is the master of the Old Ones!" she begged. "Lord Kanji, I know the power you wield. I know the destructive force of your very will! Your will has driven every Drule in the universe to your command, as you have spoken and predicted. It has come to pass. But I beg of you, do not think it so easy to control the Old Ones! They are as much the enemy of the Drule Empire as they are the Alliance!"
"They are the enemies of Voltron," he replied cautiously. "They bend to my will because of their lust for power and vengeance. They share the same warrior heart that I do….the same heart that beats within every Drule in the universe. The lust for power, conquest, honor and glory! They shall be the catalyst of Voltron's destruction! And the four corners of the universe….from Earth to Arus, from Terra to Yolon, they will all know and fear me. I again tell you, Sorceress, Voltron will meet his end."
"As you wish, my lord," she replied, bowing her head. She knew in her mind the risk he was taking, yet could feel the confidence in his voice and in his mind. She may only be a fragment of the sorceress she was….a fraction of the woman that she was…but her heart was that of one of the last of the lamia…the most powerful race of Drules in the empire. Yet the Old Ones…..she feared more than the gods she prayed to.
"What do you wish us to do first, Lord Kanji?" King Bhorn asked.
"Return to your kingdoms, and prepare them for war," Kanji replied. "Instill in them the same confidence I instill in you. Let them know that the competition started eons ago is about to resume….and the spirit of Voltron will fall to their power."
JC and Roxy followed Captain Stebbins onto the bridge of the Bogart.
"How is Sergeant Kovinx?' He asked.
"Still unconscious, Sir," JC replied.
"The Space Marshall isn't too happy your crew took off without clearance," he said, sitting in his chair. "She's gonna want to have a talk with the two of you when we return."
"Understood, Sir," Roxy replied.
"That aside, Captian," JC said, "we did manage to stop General Soltorn and her robeast assistants. Kala got away though. The last we saw, the Panthers were following them."
"They're heading towards Titan," he replied. "We don't know why, and we can't track their position. They are using some sort of cloaking technology similar to the Void Generator Sky Marshall Wade developed. I don't know how they gained this technology, but this might turn the tide in the war with the Drule Supremacy."
"We'll find her, and stop her, Sir," Roxy assured him. He chuckled.
"You young people," he laughed. "I spent quite a bit of my career behind a desk. Now at my age, I'm commanding a stellar ship."
"Not so old, Captain," Roxy replied. "You're pretty close in age to the Space Marshall."
"Still," he continued, "I never saw myself as taking the fight to the Drules. And honestly, for your sake, I would ease back and think before doing anything that rash."
"Yes, Sir," she replied.
"That said," he said, "I hope Sergeant Kovinx recovers soon."
"Me too," Roxy said.
Seth grabbed Dariana's hand and held it in his. He looked down at her, breathing deeply, lost in sleep.
"Hey," he said softly. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I'm here." He gently kissed her hand. "Captain Stebbins is going to take us back to Earth. Then maybe we can find out what happened to the ships. Then we can figure out our next step to finding Kala and stopping her." She remained unresponsive, though in her mind, a battle raged on. Deep inside, the voice of something powerful had a hold on her, a voice that drowned out even the mighty Kovinx.
"The Earth ships have broken off pursuit," Kala said. Wade placed his bionic hand on her shoulder.
"They know where we're headed," he replied. "It's only a matter of time before that wretched lieutenant puts two and two together. Everything will hinge on relocating the parts from the Void to Titan. The generator will keep our base out of the scanning range of Galaxy Garrison, and allow us to launch assault on them easily."
"What about Lord Kanji?" she asked. "You are not the only one seeking revenge on Voltron. And you know I cannot fight his will for long."
"I never underestimated his power," Wade said. "Nor do I forget his strategy. I will serve under him as long as it serves my needs. These 'Old Ones' he speaks of want revenge on Voltron? I say we aid them in any way we can."
"He has control over all the Drules un the universe," she said. "He could turn this ship around at a whim if he wanted to by simply ordering the crew."
"We have an upper hand," he replied, holding up his bionic arm, as if quoting a pun. "For starters, I want to replace much of the crew with robotic soldiers. The sooner we do this, the safer we will be. Not to put your troops out of use, but we will need all the help we can get."
"And what else?" she asked. He looked her in the eye.
"The Voltron Force consists of five pilots from the Academy," he said. "One of them….is Drule." Kala's expression changed to that of relief and excitement. "Lord Kanji now has the power of Earth's Voltron in his very grasp." He closed his fist, and the two laughed, knowing the plans of the Supremacy were bearing fruit.
