Episode Eight
Slave Revolt
The sky was dark and overcast as it always was. The electric fields that protected the planet constantly lit up the dark sky. High above them, vultures circled with their screeches looking for the dead and fallen to pick at.
"GET BACK TO WORK!" The sudden crack of the whip made her jump, but she fell over as the whip struck across her back. The young woman fell to her knees with a scream.
The grey Doom soldier cracked his whip again. "GET UP! GET BACK TO WORK NOW!"
"LEAVE HER ALONE!"
The soldier drew back his whip again. In front of the young woman, a young man turned his back to the soldier, taking the brunt of the whip. He cried out in pain as the whip crossed against his back.
"Alaric, no, please!" The young woman started to sob as she grabbed a hold of the young man.
The young man named Alaric cried out again as the whip repeatedly struck his back. "Cassie, get up! Come on! Get up!"
Weeping, the young woman stood up to her feet while pulling the young man up with her. He stood, almost collapsing again from the whip, but managed to stay up with the young woman holding him.
The soldier drew back his whip. "LET THAT BE A LESSON TO YOU! NOW GET BACK TO WORK!" He quickly started cracking his whip at the on-lookers. "GET BACK TO WORK, OR YOU'LL BE WHIPPED LIKE THESE TWO!"
He hissed as a cool rag touched the deep cuts across his back. His back was scared in many places, but now, he had three fresh wounds that tore across his back.
"I'm sorry," Cassie gently padded Alaric's back with the damp rag. "Why did you jump in front of me? I was the one who deserved the whipping. I was dawdling when I should have been working."
He slightly shifted, turning his head towards her. "You're my little sister. I have to protect you, Cassie." He faintly smiled through his immense pain.
She shook her head. "You should not have done that."
Alaric turned over on his cot. "No, they shouldn't have whipped you! They shouldn't be whipping any of us!"
Cassie sighed and looked to the small barred window in their tiny cell. The hideous yellow moon of Doom glowed dimly providing some light into the dark cell. "This is our life now, brother." She sighed. "Alderaan is destroyed, and our King has betrayed us."
Alaric groaned. "We don't deserve this!" He sat up in bed, but with great pain. Cassie tried to make him lay back down, but he refused. "I have to do something!"
"But what?" Cassie sighed. "We have no soldiers. All of our soldiers are either serving Zarkon or have been killed in the rebellion."
"I'll fight, Cassie. I'll fight to the death if I have too."
"But you're not a soldier! You're a commoner just like the rest of us."
Alaric clenched his fist. "I may have not been born a nobleman, but it is my duty to fight to protect my people. Since our own nobles have abandoned us, I must fight."
Cassie buried her face into her brother's shoulder. "There's too many of them. We'll never been able to escape. They'll kill us."
Gently, Alaric put his arms around his sister. "We'll die if we stay here much longer." He began to stand up. "I'm going to save our people."
Solemnly, the King of Arus sat at a table looking under the lens of a large magnifying glass. Carefully and meticulously, he fused wires together and screwed in tiny bolts.
"What'cha doin'?" Pidge popped up in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel looked up from his project. "I'm almost done. I'll show you."
In the control room, Pidge took a seat until Gabriel was finished. Quickly, Gabriel finished with the wires, put the metal cover back on then pushed the magnifying glass away. He picked up his project.
"What is it?" Pidge asked.
Gabriel held the metal handle in his hand. He pushed a button and a grey laser beam shot out from the handle. He waved it around in the air.
"A laser sword!" Pidge leapt up from his seat. "Cool!"
"I made one for each of us."
Pidge ran over to Gabriel's desk. He looked at the other metal sticks and grabbed one with a green handle. He pushed the button, and a green laser beam shot of the handle. "I didn't know you were such a scientist, your Highness."
Gabriel shrugged. "It's a bit of a hobby, I suppose."
"Well, these will really help us in battle against Zarkon!"
Lance and Hunk entered the control room. After seeing Pidge and Gabriel with laser swords, they eagerly wanted to see the new toys. They found the swords that Gabriel made for them and released their beams. A blue beam shot out of Lance's sword while an orange beam came from Hunk's. Pidge and Hunk started gently sparring with their swords.
"What's going on here?" Queen Allura walked into the control room. Gabriel looked to the ground, but Pidge stepped forward waving his beam. "Look what Gabriel made for us."
Lance picked up the last sword. He handed it to Allura. Gingerly, she took the sword and pushed the button. A pink laser blade shot out of her sword handle. Gently, she waved it around, looking at it curiously.
"These will do us a lot of good on the battlefield," Hunk said.
Allura pushed the button to detract the blade. "What good?" She handed the blade back to Lance and walked away.
Gabriel frowned.
"And why should we listen to you, Rick?" A man asked sitting on the floor with his ankles in shackles.
The young man, Alaric, also called Rick, stood before the other slaves of planet Doom trying to plead his case of escape. "Because we'll die here if we don't do something!"
"We don't have a home to go to!" A woman yelled. "Alderaan is destroyed."
"There's nothing left of our people. For heaven's sake, our royal family has betrayed us!" Another spoke up.
"But Prince Gabriel is still alive!" Another said.
"He'll betray us just like his father!" A voice from the back spoke up.
A woman stood up. "I was a servant in the palace! Prince Gabriel was as kind and compassionate as his mother, the Queen, rest her soul!"
"Yes!" Alaric agreed. "We can go to Arus! I've heard that Prince Gabriel is now King there. He can help us! Voltron can help us!"
"How do we know if that's true? Why would Voltron help us? Alderaan betrayed them so they're not going to want to save us!" The old man stood up as he hollered. "I think you need to learn your place, young one! You are by no means a pilot or a nobleman!"
Alaric clenched his fists. "I might have not been a nobleman, but I certainly wasn't born as a slave to Zarkon!"
"He's right. The Voltron force will help us. We didn't betray them. It's because of King Charon that we're here," Cassie spoke up.
"We'll never escape!" Another yelled.
"If we rush the guards and charge to a ship, we can escape! Some of us might get hurt, but we've got to try!" Alaric said.
"And who will fly the ship, Rick?" The old man said again.
Alaric stood tall. "I will."
"But you're not a nobleman! You can't fly!" The people started talking and chattering among themselves.
"What does that matter?" Alaric asked, angrily. "Our planet is destroyed. There is no such thing as nobleman anymore. Just because I am from low birth does mean I can't fly! I've watched the pilots in the hanger. I've fixed their spaceships and even tested them!"
"Only a nobleman is allowed to be in the military. You need to learn your place, Rick!"
"If I don't fly, my place and yours will be in the ground with the birds picking at our dead flesh!" Alaric shook his fist angrily. "I am going to fly us out of here! If you want to escape then follow me, but if you want to die, be my guest!" Alaric turned around and left the group of slaves. Cassie followed quickly behind.
They stormed off towards their sleeping quarters. He sat angrily on his bed while he ran his hand through his shaggy brown hair. Cassie stood in the doorway watching as many emotions and feelings swarmed over her brother. "Rick, are you alright?"
He looked over, his bright blue eyes saddened. "All my life I've wanted to be a pilot."
She sighed. "I know."
He rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't understand why they think I have to be a nobleman in order to be a pilot."
Cassie shook her head. "Tradition, I suppose."
"Well, there's no such thing as tradition anymore! Our planet and way of life is gone! We've got to do anything and everything to survive!" He looked back towards his sister. She had long brown hair and beautiful violet eyes. "I just want to show the universe what I can do."
She nodded, compassionately. "And you will someday."
He looked back towards the window. "Yeah, if I don't die here."
The sound of footsteps approached. Alaric and Cassie both looked up. A group of slaves stood in the doorway. "Rick," One of them called out.
"Yes?" He looked up.
"We're with you." A man gently nodded his head. "We'll escape if you lead us. We don't know much about fighting or flying, but we'll try."
Alaric stood up off the bed. "Get everyone ready! We're leaving Doom tonight!"
The man nodded. "Right!"
"Would you like some more, my King?" Nanny asked.
The King starred off towards the window of the dining room towards the night sky.
"Your majesty?"
Gabriel looked over at Nanny. He shook his head. "No, thank you, Nanny."
"Is there something wrong, your Highness?" Coran asked.
Gabriel shrugged. "Nothing really." He looked back out the window. "I was just thinking about Alderaan."
"I'm sorry, your Highness. No search parties have been able to locate any life yet. I'm afraid they have either been captured or they perished in the attack."
Gabriel sighed. "I understand." He quietly pushed the food on his plate around with his fork.
"What was Alderaan like?" Lance asked.
Gabriel looked up. "It was a beautiful planet—full of clear cool lakes and miles upon miles of lush forest." He paused for a moment. "Now it's a wasteland."
"I'm sorry," Pidge said. "Zarkon destroyed my home planet too."
"Worst of all, he destroyed my people." Gabriel pushed his plate away. He stood up from the table. "Thank you. I'm going to retire now." He nodded and walked out of the room. He walked through the castle towards the royal bedchambers. He pushed the button to enter his room, but as he stepped in, he realized that Allura was already in the room. His stomach started to twist and churn.
She glanced over at him, but really didn't pay him much attention. She still felt embarrassed when alone in his presence, but never showed it with her tough angry exterior.
Without words, Gabriel walked over to the couch and lied down. He quickly leapt up after feeling something bite his back. Allura glanced over from his strange reaction. Gabriel reached down and pulled up a small mouse by the tail. "It was just Cheddar."
Dangling, the small mouse squeaked then wiggled out of Allura's grip. Cheddar ran across the floor over to Allura and scurried up Allura's leg to her shoulder. The King watched for a few moments then turned away. The mouse started to squeak in Allura's ear, and she giggled. Gabriel glancing back—having the suspicion that the mouse was gossiping about him. Gabriel looked over to the coffee table in front of the couch. "What in the world!" Gabriel leapt up.
"What?" Allura asked.
Gabriel grabbed his blaster rifle off the table. "Your mouse chewed my blaster!"
Allura put her hands on her hips. "How do you know it was Cheddar?"
"Because there are mice bite marks on the wires!" Gabriel exclaimed.
"Well maybe you shouldn't leave your things out."
"Or maybe you told him to chew my stuff?"
Allura rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous!"
"Is it really?" Gabriel snapped.
Allura turned away from him. "I've got better things to deal with than commanding the mice to eat your things." She walked into the bathroom.
Alaric pointed at a group of young men. He motioned them towards a group of soldiers then pointed another group towards the hallway. Quickly, the first group of men came behind the soldiers and strangled them with their shirts. The soldiers fell to the ground unconscious while the slaves grabbed their blasters. The second group of slaves ran forward down the hallway and stopped before turning the corner. Alaric came up behind them, with Cassie at his side. He peered around the corner.
It was the outer hallway surrounding the launch pad. Alaric looked to his right towards a young man. "Go back and bring the others forward." He looked towards another young man. "You, go ahead and tell me how many guards there are, and what kind of ships are in the dock." The two young men nodded and took off with their assignments.
Soon, the weaker slaves—the elderly, mothers, and young children came forward through the cleared hallway. After a few moments, Alaric's scout came back panting heavily.
"Twenty guards," He stooped over to breathe. "And only one slave ship in the dock."
Alaric sighed. "The slave ships are so slow." He looked behind him towards the frightened people. "But, I have to make it work." He held up one of the Doom blasters and started to walk forward. "As we planned, team!"
They nodded. "Right."
Alaric stepped out into the last ring of hallways. He quickly headed towards the arched doorway that let out to the launch pad. The others came right behind him. They opened up fire on the Doom soldiers.
"ATTACK! ALERT THE CASTLE! THE SLAVES ARE ATTACKING!" The Doom Soldiers started scurrying all over the launch pad. Alaric and the slaves came out into the launch pad firing their blasters. The fastest of them, designated to run to the ship, sprinting out towards the slave ship. After dodging a few lasers, he was shot through the chest before reaching the ship.
"KIRAN! NO!" Alaric yelled as he fired at the soldier who shot the runner in revenge. Immediately after, the alarm system started screaming, alerting the castle of their escape.
The second designated runner charged forward through the maze of laser fire. He managed to run up the bridge to the ship and open the doors.
"COME ON! THE DOORS ARE OPEN!" Cassie hollered. Soon, a wave of slaves charged hurriedly towards the ships with the young men leading the way. Some of them were picked off by the laser fire, but the majority of them made it into the ship. Alaric stood near the platform firing upon the Doom soldiers.
As planned, the slaves would start up the ship and immediately try and contact planet Arus. The other slaves were to quickly get prepared for take-off. Reinforcements of Doom soldiers poured out onto the launch pad. They kept firing at the slaves trying to enter the ship and even the ship itself. Soon, the last of the slaves were pouring into the launch area.
"RICK, WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" Cassie ran over to the entrance of the ship where Alaric stood guard.
"HELP!"
Alaric and Cassie looked down. An old man had fallen down and couldn't get back up. Without even thinking, Alaric ran back down the platform towards the old man. He dodged the lasers and quickly reached the old man. He threw the old man's arm around his shoulder and tried to drag him back towards the slave ship.
"COME ON, RICK! WE HAVE TO GO!"
"I'M COMING! JUST WAIT!" As Alaric hobbled up the platform, a laser grazed across his arm. He cried out in pain, but he kept dragging the man towards the ship. More and more soldiers were firing upon them. A wave of laser fire came at them only to be blocked by the closing door. Alaric had made it inside with the old man. The other slaves took the old man, and Alaric ran to the control panel. Cassie followed quickly behind.
Taking the seat of command, Alaric sat down and started hitting the control buttons. Quickly, he flipped the throttle and jerked the joystick back. Suddenly, the slave ship began to take flight. "GET PREPARED FOR FIRE!"
He hadn't spoken too soon when the Doom defense lasers started firing upon the escaping ship. He looked over the control panel, and decided to be daring by trying some maneuvers. He looked over at his other fellow slaves. "Have we gotten a hold of Arus yet?"
"Almost! I'm getting there!"
"PLANET ARUS! PLANET ARUS! COME IN! WE NEED HELP!"
Coran, administrator of the Castle of Lions, sat at the control panel. He pushed a button, bringing up the communication line that called up. "This is Planet Arus. What is your emergency?"
The transmission of from the slave ship appeared before Coran. "Help us! We've just escaped from planet Doom! Their fleet is after us!"
"Who are you?"
"We're the slaves from Alderaan! Please!" Suddenly, the man screamed. The ship was hit with a major blast from the Doom fleet.
"Voltron will be with you! Hold on!" Coran pushed the red button, setting on the alarm system of the Castle. Within a few moments, the Voltron force ran into the control room in their pajamas.
"What's going on?" Lance asked.
Coran spun around in his chair. "There has been a slave revolt on planet Doom. They are heading this way!" He pushed another button on the screen. An image of the slave ship appeared before them. Its back left quarter was hit, and they were struggling to keep a proper altitude.
Gabriel looked to Pidge and Hunk. "I want you two to attach to the ship and bring it down on Arus safely." He looked at Allura. "First, you get up there and use Blue Lion to put out that fire. Lance and I will fend off those fighter ships."
Everyone nodded then ran for the Lions. Soon, the five lions blasted off the surface of planet Arus up into the atmosphere. The slave ship was coming down faster than it should have been while the small fighters were blasting at the ships weak spot. With their Lion daggers, the Black and Red Lions quickly tore through the small fighters that plagued the slave ship. Quickly behind them, the Blue Lion sprayed a cold blast of water onto the ship, putting out the fire. Next, the Yellow and Green Lion came alongside the slave ship. They attached their Lions to each side of the ship and brought it down to the surface.
The people screamed and cried as the lights flickered of and on within the slave ship. They hit the ground with a big jerk and slid hard into the planet's ground. From the jerk forward, Alaric's head hit against the control panel. He passed out while Cassie flew forward and banged her head too. Many of the other slaves sustained injury from the crash landing, but they were alive.
"Coran, are there any other ships in sight?" Gabriel radioed back to the control room.
Coran searched the skies through the scanner. "Nothing in sight—only the small fighters accompanied the slave ship."
"Alright, Lions. Let's get down to that ship." The five Lions came together near the ship. The pilots exited the Lions and waited for a few moments. Nobody came out of the slave ship.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Lance asked.
"No, it can't be," Hunk said.
"We've better check, and see who's in there." Gabriel walked forward towards the slave ship. The other members followed behind him with their blasters out. They opened the door and stepped into the slave ship. At first, it was difficult to see, but suddenly, the lights of the ship came back on. Hundreds of people huddled together in fear as the Voltron Force stood before them.
"Look at all these people," Pidge's mouth hung open. "They're terrified."
The people began to look up at their saviors. A sudden murmur started to arise. They recognized their Prince and started to draw near him.
"It's Prince Gabriel!"
"He's alive?"
"Yes, He's alive! He's a member of the Voltron Force!"
Excitedly, the people started to cheer and holler. They all moved towards their Prince and swarmed him. Men, women, and children all fawned over him and marveled at his presence.
"You're alive!"
"Is it true that you're King of Arus now?"
"How did you escape the betrayal?"
"Will you save us? Will you save Alderaan?"
Gabriel nodded. "Yes, I am King now, and I'm going to protect you all." Gabriel looked around at the frightened people. "How did you escape? Where are your leaders?"
"At the control panel, your Majesty," One of the slaves answered.
Quickly, Gabriel headed towards the controls of the ship. The Voltron Force followed quickly behind him. Soon, they found the brave pilot slumped in his chair while his head was bleeding. On the floor, the brown haired young woman laid with a gash over her temple. Gabriel bent down to them. "Quick! They're still alive! They need medical attention!"
Pidge picked up his radio and called for Coran.
Allura knelt down and picked up Cassie in her arms. "Thank you for your bravery," She whispered to the unconscious young woman.
The young man fluttered his bright blue eyes open as a cold washcloth touched his forehead. Standing above him, the Voltron Force towered over him looking very concerned. "Where am I?" He gently whispered. "Am I dead? Are you an angel?"
Allura patted his forehead again with the cloth. "No, you're alive." She smiled. "You're safe on Arus now."
He pondered for a moment then his eyes bulged. "Where's Cassie?" He quickly sat up but felt a surge of pain knock him back down to the bed. "Where's Cassie? Where is she?"
"You mean, her?" Pidge pointed to the bed next to them. The two young slaves lay in the Castle infirmary with the other wounded slaves. Resting peacefully, the young woman's head was snuggled into her pillow.
"Is she alright?" Alaric asked, almost in tears.
"Yes, she's perfectly fine," Allura said.
Alaric rested his head back down on the pillow. "You mean, we survived?" He almost started to laugh. "We're on Arus now?"
Allura nodded. "Yes, I am Queen Allura of Arus, and we welcome you and your people to our planet."
The tears that were forming earlier were now gently rolling down his cheeks. "We're really safe now? Zarkon isn't after us."
"Not anymore! We took care of that crook!" Hunk beamed with pride.
Bewildered, Alaric looked around the room. His eyes rested upon the King, and he gasped. "It's true! You're King of Arus now? Why did King Charon betray us? How did you escape?" Alaric shook his head since he forgot his manners. "Your majesty," He slightly bowed his head.
The King pondered for a moment. "My father is a cruel man. I apologize for the pain and suffering he has put our people through." Slowly, Gabriel fell to his knees. "I humbly thank you for your bravery in saving our people."
"Your majesty," Alaric looked mortified. "You should not bow to me. I am merely a commoner."
"A commoner who has shown uncommon valor and virtue within the face of danger for the benefit of others," King Gabriel answered.
"What is your name?" Queen Allura asked.
"Alaric Star." He tried to sit up again, but with great difficulty. "My friends call me Rick."
"Rick Star, eh?" Lance said. "Well, Rick Star, you've sure got some guts." He looked around the room. "Leading almost 200 people in a revolt against Doom would take a considerable amount of courage."
"Or stupidity," Alaric smirked. His eyes fluttered from exhaustion. He looked over at Cassie. "Are you sure she'll be alright?"
"Yes, she'll be fine," Allura said. "I will see to it."
"Thank you," Alaric started to drift back to sleep.
