susan : We won't be going back to Earth until we rid ourselves of this robeast threat! Oh, and I'm with you on hoping KathDMD's writer's block goes away soon.
Author's Note : Penultimate!
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 225 : "After Effect – Part 4"
"All units, form Voltron!" Jenny shouted. The ships swarmed around the robeast, then made a beeline away from it, getting into formation. The robeast turned to fire on them, but was immediately hit with laser fire from behind. Tamor turned the robeast and saw the Defender approaching.
"Ready for round two?" Jeff asked. "Give her everything we've got!" The ship lit up the sky with laser fire, the robeast trying to dodge the blasts.
"Form feet and legs!" Jenny shouted, as the ships fell into place, the interlocks locking into place. "Form arms and torso! And I'll form the head!" The CJE dropped into place and locked in, the bay doors opening to reveal Voltron's Face, its eyes lighting up with power. The Falcon immediately screeched downward, locking into place on Voltron's chest. Voltron reached both arms into their, following up with a series of air punches, becoming charged with power.
"Time to put an end to the distractions," Tamor said, pressing a button, then pulling hard on the control yokes. The robeast turned and held out one hand, and a powerful beam fired, hitting the Defender directly, stopping the ship's forward momentum and actually sending it gliding backwards.
"Status!" Jeff yelled.
"That beam hit our shields head on," Sparks said. "We had to divert all power to the plating and shields to withstand the blast. No damage, but we are drifting backwards. Engineering reports the engines have stalled. It will take several minutes to get them back up again."
"Then tell them to get them back up and running immediately!" Jeff shouted. "We need to keep on that thing!"
"Cadet Owens," Christiane said, "that robeast has a power we've never seen before. We did a sensor sweep earlier, and our meters maxxed out."
"That's impossible," Ken said. "The meter goes far beyond the limits of even supernovas."
"I've seen it myself, cadet," Cliff said.
"Powerful or not, we need to find a way to beat it," Jenny said, gripping the controls tightly. The robeast turned to face them.
"He's spotted us," Rocky said.
"Weapon charging," Ken shouted.
"Brace for it!" Jenny shouted. "Christiane!"
"Form Ionic Shield!" Christiane shouted, connecting her Voltcom to the console. As the robeast fired, the shield went up, and the beam slammed against it, knocking Voltron backwards.
"We need to get him on the ground," Jenny said. "We need to fight him on our terms."
"If we land," Krik said, "he will remain in the air and pick us off."
"Oh he'll follow us," Jenny said confidently. "That pilot has just as much to prove as I do. And if I can see that, so can he, and he'll follow us wherever we go." She pulled the yokes, and Voltron rolled out of the math of the beam, the shield vanishing. "Marvin, Hutch, give me full thrusters! Keegans, you too. I want Voltron's speed pushed to its limits."
"You're going to outrun it?" Cliff asked.
"Not exactly," Jenny replied. Voltron bolted through the air.
"Not going to get away that easily," Tamor said, maneuvering the robeast to pursue them. Voltron headed over the forests, then dove into the valley below. The foliage began to disappear as several deep canyons came into view.
"He's not gonna land on his own," Jenny said, "so I'm gonna find a way to make him land." Voltron dodged through the canyon, making sharp turns and steering clear of the enormous canyon walls. The robeast remained in pursuit, trying to close the distance between them.
"He's going to have a weapons lock in a matter of minutes," Ken said.
"No need to state the obvious, sugar," Dixie replied.
"RadialTrac is detecting a cavern up ahead," Cliff said.
"Is it going to be big enough?" Jenny asked.
"It's gonna be a tight fit, love," Cliff said.
"That's what SHE said," Chet laughed.
"Bro, you totally heard her say that!" Eddie replied.
"Maintain speed and get ready to cut it as we enter the cave," Jenny said. "Steady…."
"He's got a weapons lock!" Ken shouted.
"Now!" Jenny shouted. Voltron shifted to the left and darted into the cave, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop. Tamor pulled his controls and managed to guide the robeast into the cave as well, landing and coming to a stop, powering up his weapons.
"We got him to land, "Wolo asked, "now what?"
"We give it what we got," Jenny said. "Fire Electro-Thermoblasters!" Voltron arched back, and a wave of energy blasted from Voltron's chest as the robeast fired. The beams met, and exploded, causing the cave to partially collapse. Both Voltron and the robeast tried to dodge the falling rocks.
"He can't maneuver in here," Krik said. "But neither can we."
"We don't need to," Jenny said. "Come on, Voltron, let's show him how it's done." She plugged in her Voltcom. The robeast fired again, Voltron dodged left. "Form Plasma Cannon!" The cannon formed on Voltron's arm and fired a blast at the robeast, hitting it and knocking it onto the wall. Voltron ran forward, dodging the falling rocks, and tackled the robeast through the cavern wall. They both fell to the floor, then quickly rolled to their feet.
"Annoying," Tamor grunted to himself as the robeast got to its feet.
"Eye beam!" Jenny shouted, and Voltron fired its eye beam at the robeast. The robeast ran to dodge it, and Voltron turned his head to follow it. The robeast reached down and swung its arm, a large rock hitting Voltron in the face, interrupting the eye beam and causing them to stagger backwards.
"That was a cheap move!" Rocky shouted.
"This isn't over, Rocky," Jenny replied, pulling the controls. Votrin turned and ran at the robeast.
"Gotta take advantage of these surroundings," Tamor said to himself. He paused a moment, then grabbed Voltron as he approached, moving out of the way and redirecting his momentum, Voltron smashing into the rock face. He rolled and fell to the ground, then attempted to recover.
"The quarters in here are too small," Krik said. "We need room to fight."
"If we give him an inch," Jenny said, "he's gonna take a mile. No, captain, we need to keep that thing in control." She pulled the controls, dodging a punch by the robeast. "Form Spinning Laser Blades!" Ken attached his Voltcom, and Voltron reached for the blades on its shoulders. They glowed blue for a moment, then became encased in fire as they spun to life. "Feeding coordinates! Launch!"
"That's one…" Ken said, as Voltron threw the first one at the robeast, narrowly missing it. "And there's two!" The second flew above the robeast, cutting through the ceiling and causing another partial cave in, encasing the robeast in a pile of rubble.
"Unh…" Tamor grunted as he pulled the yokes, trying to free the robeast. Voltron ran to retrieve the blades just as he was working himself free.
"The armor is barely scratched," Ken said. "And it seems like he's holding back on the firepower."
"Because he can't win that way," Jenny said. "If he fires that weapon, he's gonna bring the whole mountain down on us. And he knows it. He's not in this for a stalemate, Hunter. He's in this to win." She pulled the yokes hard. "And so am I." Voltron swung around, swiping at the robeast with one of the blades. Tamor managed to break free of the rubble and lean back far enough for Voltron to miss. He swung forward, hitting Voltron with a hard right, causing the mighty robot to stagger backwards. "Keep your footing, guys!"
"If he's thinking the same thing as you, love," Cliff said, "he's going to try and find a way out of here. We need to end this fast."
"Way ahead of you," Jenny replied. "Form Blazing Sword!" Voltron reached above his head, combining the blades and pulling downwards. The flames died down as the blade formed in his hands, smoke and steam rising from it as Voltron looked ahead into the robeast's eyes.
"This is it," Christiane said. "We need to take our shot." Energy flowed from her Voltcom into the console.
"Then let's end this!" Jenny shouted. She thrust the yoke forward, and Voltron ran at the robeast. Tamor reached for the controls just as Voltron's blade sliced through the air at his mid section.
Clank. Crash. Boom.
To be continued…..