Transformations…
Chapter 9: Attack
"Do you think we should try and contact Cavalry Command again, Saber?" Fireball asks as they proceed towards the base.
Saber shrugs. "I suppose I could try." He hits a few buttons, "Bismarck calling Cavalry Command, come in."
After waiting for several minutes, he gets no response. "Nothing not even a hint of a response. I don't like this at all." Saber says grimly.
"Anything on radar, April?" Fireball asks.
"Nothing so fa…wait a minute, I see something, several something's actually. It appears to be four ships. Two look rather large." April states.
Fireball turns to Colt. "Colt, be ready, just in case." Colt nods and Fireball turns to Saber, "What do you think?"
Saber scans the screen, pulling up a visual image "I don't think they're the welcoming committee, judging from the looks of the ships." On his screen he sees two large looking ships with a type of skull shape on the helm, flanked by two similar but smaller ships.
"They give me the creeps." April says with a shudder as she pulls up the visual.
"Saber, what should we do?" Fireball asks. "I really don't want to do something stupid here."
Saber sighs. "Honestly, I'm not sure. We are most likely within firing range of their ships, but they have yet to fire at us or make contact. Perhaps we should attempt to land, as normal."
"But we have to have permission to land, Saber." Colt chimes in.
"He's right." Fireball adds. "Try calling Cavalry Command again."
Saber nods and tries again to make contact. "Bismarck calling Cavalry Command, come in." He waits a minute. "Still not even a hint of a reply."
Just then a strange face comes onto the screen. A woman with pale white-blue skin, pointed ears, fangs, pink hair, and yellow eyes, wearing a crown appears. "You won't be hearing from your Command Center, Bismarck. They're a little busy at the moment."
"Who are you?" Saber asks astonished.
"How did you get our signal?" Colt asks obviously irritated.
"That's no matter to you. All you need to know is that I am in control of this base and its inhabitants. Right now, I have only shown them a little of what I can do." She laughs as she shows them an images of several places of the Cavalry Command damaged from what looks to be bombs. "I have only begun to show my power. If you surrender, I might go easy on you."
Saber turns to Fireball, "Captain?"
"What if we don't surrender?" Fireball asks.
She laughs. "Simple. I destroy you, like I did that other ship."
Saber gasps, and turns away from the screen to face Fireball, trying to control his anger, "Can you get us out of here? Fast?"
Fireball nods. "I'll try." He kicks in the drives turning the ship around quickly. "We can't do anything for anyone down there at this point." Just then the ship is hit from behind, rocking them. "Shit!" Fireball says, trying to stay in his saddle unit. Saber and April are thrown from their saddle units.
Colt manages to barely stay in his, fires back towards the ship. "Fireball, we need to do something NOW!"
"Are you two okay?" He asks Saber and April. They nod as they scramble to get back into their units. He turns to Colt. "Activating the hyper drive, fire at will, Colt. I'll try and get us out of here." He starts activating the hyper drives, increasing their speed, Colt fires towards the ships that are firing at them.
"Maybe I'll get lucky and knock one of the out." Colt says as he's firing.
"Head towards Orb, but don't set the coordinates into the computers. They may be able to pick up the systems." Saber states.
Fireball nods. "Right." The ship accelerates and they are soon a good distance from Cavalry Command and the ships. Fireball sighs, hitting the console with his fists. "Damn it!"
"Easy, Fireball," Saber says, a bit harshly. "It could have ended much worse."
"Oh? How's that?" Fireball replies sarcastically.
"We could be dead." Saber states matter-of-factly. "We're not, so that witch wants something. I'm just not sure what."
April looks around worried. "I hope no one was killed."
Fireball glances over to her. "We can't do anything about it right now, April. I hope not too, but we have to figure out what we're going to do about those ships."
Saber nods. "I know what I'd like to do to them…" He says coldly.
Fireball shakes his head. "We can't just kill them out right, even though you have every right to. We need to meet up with the Voltron Force and tell them what we've seen. Maybe they know who the witch woman we saw is."
Saber turns and pulls up the pictures from the conversation on his screen. "Perhaps they know her, and if they do, maybe they will know how to put an end to this. We can't allow her to just continue to kill people on a whim."
Fireball nods. "I know."
Everyone is silent, with their own thoughts for a bit when a voice over the intercom breaks them from their reveries. "This is Captain Keith Kogane calling the Bismarck, come in."
Saber clicks a button to open the connection. "This is the Bismarck. Go ahead."
Keith's image comes on the screen. "We have you on radar, what's going on?"
"Cavalry Command was attacked. It appears that it took a good hit. We have no word on conditions on the ground. The images we have," Saber replies. He clicks a button to send the images to them "are presumably from the attacker. I'm sending you the images we were sent of Cavalry Command and of the woman who attacked them and us. Perhaps you will recognize her."
Keith scans over the images. "She sort of reminds me of Zarkon, or at least of his kind. But so far as we knew, we killed all of them off." He looks at the images of damage to Cavalry Command and gasps. "It doesn't look good down there, does it?"
Saber shakes his head. "No, and we've still no contact from anyone on the ground." He replies grimly.
"We need to regroup. I'm just not sure where. We can't exactly get to Yuma right now, and I don't want to land in Orb. That could bring them problems." Keith states.
"Perhaps we should try and get to Pollux? It's closer than Altea, but far enough away from the ships, they shouldn't follow us." Allura says.
"Pollux?" Saber asks. "I've not heard of that."
"We have an alliance with them. It's our sister planet, so to speak. My cousins rule there. We should be safe there." Allura replies.
Saber nods and turns to Fireball, "Captain?"
Fireball thinks for a moment then nods. "Sounds like our best bet. Let's do it."
Saber nods and turns back to the screen. "Lead the way, Captain." Saber replies.
They all head towards Pollux, arriving a short time later and landing. Prince Bandor and Princess Romelle come out to meet them as they land. Allura comes out to greet them first, followed by Keith, and the other Voltron force members. The Bismarck crew falls in behind them.
"Please, come in." Bandor says after greeting the crew. After introductions, he leads them to a meeting room and after everyone is seated, Allura explains the situation.
"So, what do you need us to do?" Bandor asks Allura.
"We basically need a place to regroup, and come up with a plan of attack. We are hoping only to be here for a day or so." Allura replies.
"Can we see the pictures that you have of the woman?" Romelle asks.
"I sent them to you both in email," Allura says. "I thought that might help, when I thought of us coming here."
Bandor pulls up his email and finds the message and opens the images so that everyone can see them.
"It doesn't look good." Romelle states, "Can we do anything to help? We have weapons, men and ships."
"At this point, we're not even sure who we are dealing with, or what firepower she has access to." Fireball says.
"Obviously, she has a significant amount of firepower to be able to cause that much damage to Cavalry Command and not take much of a hit herself." Saber states.
"We have 3 battleships, and several hundred men that are willing and ready to help in any way they can." Bandor says. "I can lead them myself. With your ship, our ships and Voltron, we should be able to stop this crazy witch."
"We can't just rush in and attack them. We don't know what other weapons they may have." Keith states.
"Keith is right. We need to try and send out a reconnaissance crew to see if there are other ships close-by or if she has some sort of nearby base or staging area." Allura says.
"I could take my red fury and go out and see if I can spot anything." Fireball offers.
"You shouldn't go alone. Three of us should go. A better chance of everyone making it back that way." Keith states.
"I'll take red lion and go with him." Lance says.
"I'll go too. I'm not gonna let race boy have all the fun." Colt states, "I'll take my broncobuster. It's fast and quiet."
"Unlike you." mutters Fireball, getting a warning glance from Saber.
"I'm not sure about separating the lions, Lance. I think you should go, but perhaps you can ride with one of them." Keith says, nodding towards Colt and Fireball.
"You could use one of our scout ships, Lance." Bandor offers.
"I think Keith is correct. We shouldn't separate the lions, in the event that we have been followed." Saber states.
Keith nods and turns towards Bandor, "Can we borrow a scout ship, Your Highness?"
Bandor nods. "Anything you can use that we have is yours, Captain." Bandor turns to a soldier near the entrance to the room, "Go and have a scout ship readied for Lance. Bring it close to the Bismarck ship and Voltron."
"Yes Sir!" the soldier says and leaves.
"If you run into trouble, we can still send Voltron out to help," Keith looks towards Saber, "provided Saber is willing to fill in if needed." Saber nods. "Good, then you can all leave as soon as the ships are ready."
"We need to go and ready our ships." Fireball states and turns to Saber, "I know that technically you're not in command of our crew but, you will have to be now until I return."
Saber nods, "Aye, Sir."
Fireball, Colt, and Lance head to the ships.
Keith looks around, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, "I suppose all we can do is wait to see what they find."
"If anything," Allura adds.
"Why don't we show you to some sleeping quarters, so you can all rest while you can?" Romelle asks. Everyone nods, and she turns to another soldier stationed by the doors, "Please show our guests to the guest rooms, and after they are settled, show them to the common area so we can meet again in about an hour to discuss plans, once we know what we're up against."
"Yes, Your Highness." The soldier replies, and signals for the group to follow him. After everyone is settled and allowed time to rest, they are led to a common sitting room where Bandor and Romelle are waiting along with Keith and Allura.
Allura looks up and smiles. "Everyone settled?" Each person nods.
"Good. We have not heard back from the scouting unit as of yet, but we are hoping to at any time." Keith states.
Saber nods. "I just hope they don't get into any trouble."
Keith smiles, "I've been wondering if it was wise for the three of them to go out together."
Saber smiles and shakes his head, "Probably not the most thought out plan, but if something comes up, they are dependable. Lance seems to be a good strategist, so as long as they don't kill each other, they should be fine."
Allura laughs, "I'm sure they will be fine. They can be professional, if they need to be."
"Yeah, and Lance can follow orders if he has to." Pidge chimes in, Hunk laughing.
A soldier comes into the room, "Your Highness! We received a distress signal from the scout ship. We haven't been able to raise a voice communication."
Bandor stands up, "What?!" He rushes to the control room, the others following behind. "This is Prince Bandor of Pollux, come in." No response is received and Bandor turns to Keith.
"I don't like this. We should go and investigate in the lions." Bandor nods and Keith looks at Saber. "Are you up for it?"
Saber nods and replies to Keith, "I'm ready. You're in charge, Captain." He turns to face April, "Do anything they ask of you and help them in any way you can. We'll go get the others." April nods and he turns back to Keith. "Let's go."
Keith nods and hands him the key to Red Lion. "Head out." The team follows Keith out and they launch the lions.
"Where was their last location, Keith?" Saber asks.
"Not much further, we're about-" His lion is hit and he dives a minute before righting it.
"Keith!" Allura screams.
"I'm okay. What the Hell was that?" He replies.
"That's not good." Hunk says, stating the obvious.
"What is it?" Pidge asks.
"It looks like a robot, but God is it ugly." Keith states. The robot fires again, narrowly missing Saber.
"Bloody Hell!" Saber curses as he evades the attack and fires his tail laser. "I think I know why we got a distress call," he says dryly.
Pidge and Hunk follow suit, firing their weapons towards the robot.
"I can't get a fix on any of them." Keith states as he dodges another attack. The robot grabs Allura and Pidge, flinging them into each other. "Allura!" Keith yells as he hears Allura and Pidge scream as their lions hit each other.
Saber and Hunk fire, hitting the robot, causing it to drop them, "Are you all right?" Saber asks.
"Yes" They both reply.
"This isn't working. We need a new plan of attack." Keith says.
"I've got the others on radar." Saber says. "They aren't moving, but we're not exactly in a position to see about them at the moment." He says while dodging another attack.
Keith nods, "We need to combine. Saber, I know you haven't had a chance to try this before, but do you think you can do it?"
"Yes, Captain. I'll do my best with it. Lance went over the sequence with me once. I'll follow your lead." He replies.
"All right then, let's form Voltron!" Keith orders. They go through the combination sequence and the robot attacks almost instantly, hitting them with a sword. They evade, barely getting grazed by the weapon, the fire missiles from the lion heads. They spar back and forth for a bit.
"This isn't working, Keith." Hunk says.
"We need to finish this!" Keith says. They form their sword and destroy the robot. After the explosion dies down Keith asks, "Do you still have them on your radar, Saber?"
"Yes. Not far from here. I do detect other ships heading this way, so I suggest we get them and get out of here." Saber replies. "I've put the coordinates in. You should be able to see everything as I see now on your screen."
Keith nods. "Right, let's go."
They head to where the scout ship is, and find the three ships badly damaged, but everyone still alive. They put the pilots into the lions and a lion each grabs a ship. They return to Pollux, landing into the hangar bay. They call for med assistance, and a few hours later, the trio awake in the med bay, several people anxiously looking at them.
"Fireball?" April asks, noticing he's the first to wake. "Are you alright?"
He looks around trying to figure out where he is. "How did I get here?"
"We brought you back in the lions." Saber replies.
"You got to fly again, huh?" Fireball asks. The others begin to stir, looking around.
Saber nods. "What happened?"
Fireball closes his eyes taking a deep breath, "You want the good news or the bad news first?"
Saber looks towards Keith, "Bad news." Keith replies.
"Well, they have some sort of robot army, a lot of them." Fireball begins.
"Aye, we met one of them on our way to you." Saber states.
Fireball continues, "Some of them seem to be stronger than others, but they have dozens of them. They were leaving Yuma and heading to an unknown location; I guess one of them spotted us, and we were attacked. I suppose we're lucky to be alive. They have pretty extensive firepower. I was just about to try to contact Cavalry Command when the robot attacked. I figured that if they were pulling away, that perhaps I could get a message to someone on the ground."
"Probably not the brightest idea; that may have been what gave us away." Lance says weakly. "But, I understand why you were trying. I would have too if I knew people I cared for were down there."
Colt looks over, "The robot came out of nowhere. It was like we saw them heading away then suddenly, we were being hit from behind."
"You said there was good news?" Allura asks.
"They apparently have left the vicinity of Yuma, so we should be able to get to Cavalry Command." Lance says.
Saber nods, "Well, at least we may be able to get to Cavalry Command to assess damages."
Keith nods, "It'll be a day or so before we can go, we need to make some repairs to the ships." Saber nods. "We also need to let these three," he says nodding towards Fireball, Lance, and Colt, "rest up, so if we need them, they are able bodied. Since the ships seem to have pulled away, why don't you go see if you can contact someone at Cavalry Command, Saber?"
Saber nods, "I'll go see about that. I think I'll try from the Bismarck. They might be less likely to accept a call from an unknown system." Keith nods and Saber heads out to the Bismarck, leaving April and the Voltron crew with the wounded trio.
"So, how did you defeat the robot?" Lance asks weakly.
"We combined." Allura replies.
"How?" Lance asks.
"Saber was in red lion." Lance nods, and Keith continues, "He did well. I'm glad you had shown him the basics for the combine sequence. We might not be here otherwise." Keith answers.
Lance looks to Bandor, who is standing back away from the group, "I'm sorry your ship is trashed."
Bandor shrugs, "I have other ships, losing one is not a huge loss."
"Good to know," Lance says with a smirk, "in case I need another one."
Allura laughs, "Lance, I can tell you're feeling better."
Saber gets into his saddle unit and presses the intercom button. "Bismarck calling Cavalry Command, come in."
After a minute, Commander Eagle appears on the screen. He has a bandage on his head and stitches close to one eye. "This is Commander Eagle, go ahead, Bismarck."
Saber looks a bit startled, but composes himself, "Sir, we know you were attacked, how bad is it?"
Commander Eagle looks down, "It could have been much worse, honestly. We only had three casualties, still not a good number, but it could have been much, much worse. No one that any of you knew personally was killed." Saber looks relieved and the Commander continues, "We had some warning this time. One of our teams was out practicing maneuvers in some fighter ships when the invading ships appeared on radar. They sent us a warning, and we got most everyone to shelters. The three casualties were the pilots who warned us." Saber nods grimly. "I think Colt's wife was mildly injured, and her brother Josh has a broken arm, but there are some a bit worse off, and a lot who made out far better."
"April and Colt will be relieved to know that all of you are all right, relatively speaking, Sir." Saber says. "We had a distress call we thought from you, but when Coran couldn't contact you, we tried to come and check on the situation, we were attacked ourselves and had to retreat or risk getting killed." The Commander nods and Saber continues, "We are safe for the moment, and we hope to return to Cavalry Command soon. Not knowing if the lines are being monitored, I will not give away our location, nor go into timing at this point. We will be returning soon though, Sir, and we will do all we can to help with the rebuilding efforts."
"We shall see you soon then, take care, Captain." Commander Eagle says.
Saber nods. "We shall, Sir."
"Commander Eagle out," he says closing the connection.
Saber looks at the darkened screen for a moment processing the information before getting up and returning to the med bay. He enters the room and sees everyone talking normally. They all stop and turn when he enters, waiting for any news he has. "Well, I spoke with Commander Eagle," he pauses and looks around the room before continuing, "no one we know was killed; however, there were three casualties." He sees April wince, but continues, "Robin and Josh have minor injuries, but will be fine. Commander Eagle had a few stitches and bruises, but promises he will be fine." April relaxes a bit. "The three that died are the ones who gave the Command a bit of warning, or things would have turned out much worse. There were three pilots out on flight practice, when they spotted foreign ships and sent out a warning. If it hadn't been for their diligence, things would have been far worse."
Everyone nods.
"When are we going back, Saber?" Colt asks.
Saber shrugs. "As soon as the ships are ready, I suppose. I would not commit to a timeframe over the com. I also did not tell Commander Eagle where we are. Hopefully, if the coms are being monitored, that will keep you safe here." Saber says turning to Bandor who nods. "I figure it will be at least a day or so, seeing as you three are not in your best condition. There is also the question of who all is coming to Cavalry Command."
Keith comes over to Saber, "I think we should stay with you. If your ship is attacked again, you might not get away as you did last time. If we stay together, we can at least put up a good fight." He turns to Bandor, "However, that does leave Altea unguarded. Could you possibly send a ship or two there as protection until we return?" Bandor nods. "If there is trouble, we should get there fairly quickly, but this way, there are some defenses in place. Just don't leave your home unguarded."
Bandor looks to Keith, "We will send a couple of ships to Altea. I will go with them. Romelle can stay here and take care of things. We will stay as long as necessary. You focus on terminating this new threat. Otherwise, we may all end up fighting the witch, a problem I wish to avoid."
Keith nods. "Thank you, Your Highness. Your generosity is greatly appreciated."
Allura comes over to stand beside Keith. Bandor smiles at them. "We're practically family now; so it's the least I can do."
Keith looks quizzically to Allura, who shrugs. "I haven't said a word to them."
Romelle smiles, "Coran sort of hinted the other day when we talked. It wasn't unexpected."
By now the rest of the crew is looking at the couple. Allura blushes and smiles. "Well, we weren't going to say anything until this was over," She pauses looking to Keith, who nods and she continues. "Keith and I are engaged. We have not decided anything else yet, like when or anything."
Hunk laughs. "It's about time!"
Lance grins. "I thought you were already engaged, like a year or so the way you two are always around each other."
Allura blushes and laughs, "A year, Lance? Seriously?
Lance gives her his most innocent smile, "Let's just say that I think it's about time and leave it at that. I don't want to get myself into trouble."
Pidge laughs, "When have you cared about what anyone thought about what you've said, Lance?"
Lance glares at him. "Ha ha. Real funny, Shorty."
They talk for a while about the engagement and upcoming plans before dispersing to their quarters. Saber enters into his quarters and sits down at a desk at the end of his bed and closes his eyes for a moment attempting to clear his head. Pulling out his journal, a picture falls out of him and Sincia, he gasps, struggling to keep his emotions in check, staring at the picture for a long time before he sets it down on the desk and starts writing in the journal. A while later, he hears a knock at his door, he gets up and opens his door to find April standing there.
"Hi, Saber. Can I come in?" April asks quietly.
Saber nods and goes back into the room, sitting at the foot of his bed, and nodding to the chair for her to sit.
She sits down and sighs, trying to figure out what to say. She notices the picture, and glances at Saber, who looks away briefly, before meeting her gaze again. "I don't know how you can do this, Saber…" April begins quietly. "I've been worried sick the last couple of days, barely able to function, and I had no confirmation that anything bad had happened…I don't know how you…"
"It's easier to continue working than to dwell on…" Saber interrupts her, then pauses and sighs, nodding towards the picture. "I had forgotten I even had the picture of us." He says quietly. "I almost lost it when it fell out of the journal tonight. There are times I feel that I can move on, and then there are times like…tonight where the pain of loss still seems so, fresh." He pauses, looking at April's face for a moment. "You didn't come here to talk about me, April. What's going on?"
April looks down for a moment, thinking before speaking, taking a deep breath. "Well, I did partly come to check on you, honestly. I figured that hearing about Keith and the Princess might have upset you a bit. But also, I've been thinking…"
Saber looks at her and sighs, "I already knew about them. I found out the morning we got the distress call from Cavalry Command. So, it wasn't a shock for me." He pauses, studying her face for a moment. "But that's not what this is about is it?"
April shakes her head and starts to speak, but stops herself several times, thinking of how to continue. "Well, I know everyone wants to get back to Cavalry Command as soon as possible, but I think we need to go to Orb first." April says.
"Why's that?" Saber studies her face trying to read her expression. "Orb is a neutral colony. Why risk getting them involved?"
April closes her eyes, thinking for a moment. "I have a feeling things are going to get worse, before they get better…" Saber nods and she continues, "As you said, they are neutral…but they do believe in being prepared."
"Okay…" He replies hesitantly. "But what does that have to do with us?"
"Have you heard of their fighting ships, the GUNDAMS?"
He nods. "I've heard them mentioned, but I've never seen one personally."
"Well, I have been working with them to make a more versatile version of the Bismarck, sharing the technology we have with them and vice versa. I want to see how it's coming along, and I also want to share with them some of the Voltron updates so that the newer ship we are working on can be the most technologically advanced fighting machine we can create...especially with all of the unknowns right now."
Saber closes his eyes to think and runs his hands over his face in an attempt to clear his head, "Have you talked with Fireball about this?"
She shakes her head. "I'm not sure he would understand the reasoning behind it, to be honest. You have a more…military mind than he does. I was hoping you could back me up if I had to present some sort of rationale to get him and the others to understand why we need to detour to Orb. I am hoping it would only be another day or so that we are delayed."
Saber nods. "I understand your reasoning for going there, and I think you are probably right to do so." He pauses, thinking. "How long has this project been in the works?"
"Do you remember when we got Bismarck II during the so-called peace treaty?" He nods. "It was just before you were informed of that."
"You're always trying to stay a step ahead." He says ruefully. "You are bit more traveled than I thought you were, April." He says obviously amused.
She smiles slightly. "Funny" Then her expression turns serious. "I am glad that I've been lucky enough to have access to so much technology. Not too many people in Cavalry Command know about this. You are one of three." April says.
"You and your Father being the other two?" He asks.
April nods. "It's highly classified. I probably shouldn't be telling you, but I will need someone with me I trust, and I value your input."
Saber nods. "Well, I will back you up, and I can pull rank…if I have to. But I don't think Fireball will put up much of a fight. Colt might though. I know how anxious he is to check on Robin and Josh. But, he will go along with whatever we decide, because he knows you're not afraid of tying him up or something if need be." April laughs and he pauses, thinking, "Perhaps it would be best if we just told them that we are going there to try and form a treaty with Orb. In case we need the help. It's perfectly plausible, and I don't see Fireball objecting to that."
April nods. "Thank you for supporting me in this and for humoring me by talking with me about everything. I'm sorry if I got you from anything." She stands up from the chair, looking at the clock. "I suppose I should go and get some rest. Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Saber nods. "I'll be fine. I'd tell you if I thought otherwise."
April nods and turns towards the door. "Good night, Saber."
"Good night, April." He replies and walks her to the door, closing it after she leaves.