KathDMD : Don't let Dariana's visions confuse you, they are more simple than you think. Unless you are seeing the flashbacks from the end of the story...that is someone else entirely. You'll find that out soon enough. As for Stasia, of course I worked her in there. With Mike returning to Earth, it's only fair he spend some time recuperating with her by his side.
MegazordPrime : Intense is an understatement. With Wade dead and the Alliance pulling itself together, you better believe Lord Kanjii has had enough of failure. It's only a matter of time before the Galaxy Alliance comes face to face with the Supremacy's big bad...
Author's Note : Coming down to the wire. Thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing. It's one of the things that keeps me going.
Theme Music : None
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 525 : "Fallen Kingdom – Part 4"
"Dar!" Seth shouted, gently shaking her. "Speak to me! Are you alright?" Her eyes gently fluttered open.
"He's coming," she replied.
"Who's coming?" Seth asked.
"Lord Kanjii," she replied. "He is sick of the failures his minions and generals have been giving him. He said he wants to see Voltron with his own eyes….and challenge him."
"If he wants Voltron," Roxy said, punching her palm with her fist, "I say we give him Voltron."
"But can we defeat him?" JC asked. "We know how powerful Voltron is, but if what Dariana has been saying is true, this may be like nothing we've ever faced."
"I don't know if Voltron has the power to defeat him," Dariana said. "Kovinx keeps hinting for me to learn to control the power of Earth. I don't even know how to begin, or even if that is the answer."
"I can have Tangor and Zandee make modifications to the ship so we can take more of a beating," Tails said, "but until I see what this guy has up his sleeve, we won't know how to prepare for this."
"What about your father, Dar?" Seth asked. She looked at him quizzically. "Your father is the only other known lamia in existence. If Kovinx is telling you to master another form of the magic you have been using, then maybe he can help."
"His magic, from what I have seen, is wind based," she replied. "What he knows beyond that…..I don't know."
"It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?" Seth asked. She smiled at him, her jagged teeth making her smile even more prominent, causing Seth to grin back at her. He helped her to her feet.
"Let's go find the Space Marshall and put this plan into motion," JC said.
"We'll make a stop at Nebb to converse with Dariana's dad," Roxy said, "then unless we make contact with this Lord Kanjii before that, head to Quantus and set our Lazon trap." JC looked at her and nodded.
"Shouldn't you be resting, Marshall?" a man walking briskly next to Lenora said to her as they approached the elevator."
"You haven't spent much time with us, have you, Ambassador?" she asked with a slight laugh. "Like most Garrison soldiers, I'm pretty resilient."
"So I see," he replied. Before they could board the elevator, JC and the team approached.
"Space Marshall," he shouted, "can we have a quick second?"
"What is it, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"We would like to request permission to fly to Nebb to visit Dariana's father," JC said. "We think he might know a way to stop Lord Kanjii and deal a huge blow to the Supremacy."
"Permission granted," she replied, "but I don't see how this is going to affect the Supremacy. Didn't you say you have never seen this 'Lord Kanjii' before?"
"He exists, space Marshall," Dariana said softly.
"Without Wade or Kala to carry out his orders," JC continued, "we think he will send out yet another general, or if we're lucky, try to manage his takeover of our system himself. If that's the case, it would make it the perfect time to put an end to him without having to set a foot on Carnus."
"I assume you have a plan," she said.
"We're going to head to Quantus," Roxy said. "We may be able to lure the remaining Drule forces out of hiding with a lazon shipment. At the very least, we may take out the bulk of their remaining forces, but we are of course hoping for something a bit bigger."
"Do you think you can handle it?" she asked.
"I gave Sergeants Katz and Karatea the specifications to modify the ships with some improved armor," Tails said. "We may not be able to predict what we come across out there, but at least we'll be prepared."
"I trust your team, Lieutenant," she said, turning back to JC. "With Wade finally taken care of, things are turning in our favor. But if this Lord Kanjii is as big a threat as you say, then you have my support. But I want you to document everything, and I expect a full report on my desk when you return."
"Thank you, Space Marshall," JC said, giving her a salute. They turned and ran back towards the hangar.
"A possible lead to defeating the head of the Drule Supremacy?" the ambassador asked. "Are you sure you should be trusting something like this to a group of children?" Lenora turned to him as the elevator doors opened once again.
"That was the Voltron Force, Ambassador," she replied. "And I'd trust them with my life." They entered the elevator, the doors closing behind them.
A man's footsteps echo through the room as he enters, several others behind him. He looks down at the scrap and debris scattered all over the place…looking very much like everywhere in the building. He angrily kicked a piece of debris from his path.
"This was supposed to be OUR time to shine!" he shouted, kicking another piece clear across the room.
"Take it easy, Ryan," Dylan said. "Getting angry isn't gonna fix this."
"Then what is?" Ryan shouted, turning to his team. "Those academy BRATS ruined everything for us! We had them! We had them in the palms of our flacking hands, and they STILL managed to pull out of this, destroying the base and killing off Marshall Wade!"
"Maybe we should go back to Earth," Amy suggested. "Turn ourselves in."
"No way," Ryan protested. "Go in front of my 'perfect little soldier' father and admit defeat? Beg for his forgiveness? To the man that deserted our family? Flack him! Flack all of those high and mighty Garrison generals! Sky Marshall Wade was more of a father to me than he ever was!"
"And what about us?" Amy asked.
"Your lives weren't much better than mine," he said. "You don't remember?" The others hung their head….he was right, after all. "We became a team…..a family. We take care of one another. And I'll be damned if I let that fall apart because some snot nosed cadets, especially that little blit Roxy Truvall, got in our way and put a roadblock in our plans!"
"I don't think we have much of a choice though," Eric said, stepping out from behind the group.
"There's always a choice," a voice replied, echoing through the room. They took a step back, as a form came out of the darkness. "And nothing motivates us all like good old fashioned revenge." Kala laughed, and the most sinister smirk appeared on Ryan's face as he realized that the battle for them was far from over.
Lysette Fabrere walked into her office wearing a very short, tight pair of shorts and a sports bra. She was soaked with sweat, and was wiping it away with a white towel she had picked up on her way there.
"I find it funny how humans spend so much time doing what they call 'exercising'," Lotor said, sitting at a desk, looking through digital paperwork.
"As if there weren't far more interesting ways to work out," she replied with a smirk, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Besides, it takes a bit of work to keep looking like this you know. Alcohol alone ain't cutting it."
"Which brings me to why I asked you to stop by before you leave for the Garrison," he said. "This morning I received an encoded message."
"Encoded?" she asked. "Who the flack is writing you?" He gave her a look.
"The code is old," he said. "But like most old Drule security codes, your team has it already cracked. I ran it through the computer, and its contents were….suprising."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind the chair. "What did it say?"
"It simply said, 'The day has come.'," he replied.
"Is that supposed to mean something to you?" she asked.
"It's not so much the 'what' of the message, but the 'who'," he replied. He showed her the image of the letter….emblazoned with the seal of King Zarkon Daibazal…the seal of the Royal Family.
A personal spacecraft made its way through alliance territory. Its pilot gripped the controls tightly…her mind focused on the goal ahead of them.
"The day has come," she said to herself, the shuttle continuing on its way….towards the Drule Homeworld of Carnus.
To be continued…..