Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and new characters.
Chapter 3: A New War
"Say Hunk" Lance spoke to the heated man at his side, " You think if we taped his mouth shut, Keith would get mad?" He asked jokingly, referring to Pidge, who had turned into a cross somewhere between an incredibly boring science teacher, and a jubilant 10-year old. The whole 'educating us about the trapoidal thing' was great and all, but a man can only take so much.
"I think our leader here would be upset if I forgot to say my 'please and thank-yous'" Hunk joked with his friend. They group had hiked from the scorching desert and were now in a seemingly endless forest. The trees reached further then the eyes could see, but at least they blocked out the blinding sun. The heat, however, only got worse as the trudged through the mini-rainforest.
Lance smiled, "I hear that." He conceded. Lance didn't bother turning around as Sven came up behind him, but one look showed what was to be said was meant for only his ears. "Hey Hunk, I gotta rest" Lance motioned to his side in mock-pain, "I'll catch up with you in a sec."
"Fine," Hunk shrugged, "But I wouldn't fall back to far if I was you." He added casually as he hurriedly trotted up to Keith and Pidge and began chatting.
"This forest vas eyes, vy friend" Sven warned as he came up along-side Lance. "I know vou have voticed." He added, as more of a statement then an observation. Lance only nodded and the two sped up to catch up with Keith, Pidge, and Hunk. Keith gave Sven and Lance a side glance as he watched them take opposite sides and unsheathe their weapons. Keith un-holstered his laser guns as he saw this and moved out in front of Hunk and Pidge. Keith, Lance, and Sven were so used to fighting with each other that the three managed to fall into a protective triangle formation around the two lesser soldiers in impending-ness of an attack. Hunk and Pidge seemed oblivious, that is until the laser fire broke out.
A sea of forms suddenly surged around the small group. They were all at least 6 feet tall and seemed to possess a great deal of strength. Gasping as a beam singed passed his head, Keith began trying to find the leader of the group. 'Get the leader and they'll back down… just like colonies' Keith hoped to himself as yet another beam barely missed him. Glancing back the commander watched Sven and Pidge work together to deliver a few mighty blows to one of the attackers, he then watched a stunned Lance fall to the ground as Hunk took out his attacker in a single distant shot, and then he saw what he was really searching for. The leader stood at, at least, 7 foot, with inhumanly brawny and muscled stance to go with it. Keith could on the monster's left arm was no arm at all, but a cannon, which was currently pointed directly at his head.
"You are now a prisoner of Planet Doom" Came a sharp and grindy voice, and then everything went black.
***
"Hey fearless leader" Hunk shook Keith's still form. "I think you outta' wake up now." He all but whispered. Hunk gazed around the cell the team was locked in. The room was built of slick, hard, and cold concrete. It contained only two exits, the first being the door… which presently was just a doorway shaped hole in the black concrete with greenish-colored laser beams running across it. The second possible exit was a single tiny window with three metal bars barring across it… only catch was that this window was about 20 feet up; so as far as Hunk could see, they were all pretty screwed. Pidge was currently scaling along the walls; looking for a nook he could get a foothold in to climb up towards the window with, although the smooth fortifications had provided no avail so far. Sven sat by the door of the cell, watching the single guard outside as a hawk would a small rabbit, waiting for a time to strike. Lance was fixed in the far right corner rubbing his slit and cracked knuckles from the fight. The team had been lucky in that their attackers only seized their guns from them, leaving them still with their smoke bombs and boxer's gloves in tow. Hunk rubbed his burned arm and looked down at Keith, "Don't suppose you have a brilliant plan or anything thing like that, do ya?" Hunk asked the unconscious form, "Nah, didn't think so," He added with a sigh towards his solitary conversation.
"Vomeone vis voming" Sven warned from his spot as he stood and backed into a corner, Pidge following suit. It's much easier to pull off an escape when your captures think you are afraid, and getting up in a soldier's face was a definite way to hitch that façade.
The man who entered the room was General Mantra, the same man who had taken out Keith earlier. He was dressed in a body armor suit and a flowing red sash cape, somewhat of a majestic glow of self-pride around him. "So… spacemen… why have you attempted invasion of Planet Doom?" The general spat at the crippled soldiers. No one said a word as the General's icy gaze passed over each of them individually, pausing at Keith to smile. "If this is supposed to be a commander, then your world must be very pitiful," He mused over Keith's form, before promptly kicking him in the side. It took all of Hunk's will-power not to jump all over the General as he heard Keith gasp, Sven had to hold Pidge down, but Lance, having pretty much no impulse control as it is, took the opportunity to lunge at the commander, dragging the huge form away from Keith. General Mantra took one took at Lance's pitiful size and bellowed a huge laugh, then in one great swing, centered directly on Lance's wounded side, sent him slamming into the concrete wall. As the General then walked out of the cell he gave his orders, "They are all to be executed tomorrow at dawn." He sneered.
"Asshole…" Lance spat at the General's disappearing form as he struggled to stand with help from Sven. Keith stirred at Hunk's side, the hit having jarred him awake.
"I second that." The commander agreed groggily. "So, any one got a plan on how to get out of here?" he asked as he stood and took in their bleak situation.
"Actually…" Pidge piped up, "I think I've got an idea… maybe a plan". Pidge quickly told them the details as the cogs turned in his little head. The plan was thin… if that. They were all going to have to work together for it to fly straight. The scheme was for Lance to, hopefully, juice up his gloves enough to punch a whole directly through the wall, the guard would then open the door to check out the disturbance and Sven would set off a smoke bomb. But since the beams only parted long enough for a single being to pass through, there would only be enough time for one or two of the team to escape. Pidge and Keith had been chosen to make the dive. Hopefully with a genius and their Commander on the outside, the team would have some hope of rescue. So yeah… it was thin; but a plans a plan.
'This is really gonna hurt' Lance thought to himself as he faced the wall. Glancing back at the others, he took a deep breathe, raised his arm, and slammed it through the brick, letting the sound of breaking bones and curses fill the room. The next phase of the plan sped by. Before the guard got through that door, thick smoke filled the room and the outside corridor. Keith and Pidge slipped out, using the black fog as their only cover as they lost themselves from the group of guards running towards the cell they had just vacated.
"Ok…" Keith whispered as he gasped for air, "Now what?" he asked his companion.
"Hey, I did my job." Pidge said defensively, "I got us out, now you get them out." He added crossing his arms as he stood before the leaning over commander.
"Great… just great…" Keith heaved as he Pidge by the shoulder and pulled him down the hallway. "What time is it?" Keith asked after they rounded out yet another corridor.
"What?" Pidge asked confused.
"The time?" Keith looked at Pidge, "How long till dawn?" He elaborated for his friend.
"An hour… a minute…?" Pidge mocked, "Do you really expect me to know how time works when we've gone back in time and crashed landed on an alien planet?" He asked exasperated. "I'm not that brilliant!".
"Great…" Keith began, but the sound of footsteps quickly prompted him and Pidge to dive into the nearest room. The room was, or seemed to be, a throne room… seeing is how a gigantic throne sat in the middle of the room. That was surrounded by many other smaller thrones, but what really caught Keith's eyes was the frail and dirtied girl shackled to the monstrous main throne. "Hey…" Keith whispered to the tiny figure as he approached her, Pidge standing guard by the door. Keith slowly reached out to reassure the girl and she finally looked up at him. Two of the most beautiful ice blue eyes ever created were staring at him from behind a mess a matted blonde hair with a look of pure terror. The girl promptly squealed and kicked away at him. "Calm down! Your going to call the guards!" he begged her shakily. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just relax." He reassured her as he cautiously went to work on releasing her from her chains. "There… see? Told you I wasn't going to hurt you." Keith cooed to the girl as the chains clattered to the floor.
"Thank-you" the girl managed after a moment with a small smile. "Who are you?" She prompted after noticing Keith and Pidge's strange ways.
"I'm Keith, and that's Pidge" he spoke as Pidge gave her a happy nod. "We and out three other friends crash-landed here yesterday, and today we were captured by some General and dragged in here" he explained, trying his best not to confuse her. "And you are?" he prompted.
A visible look of pride came over the girl as she spoke, "I am Princess Allura of Arus. I was imprisoned here after my planet was captured by Zarkon's forces." She explained regally as she stood.
"What's a Zarkon?" Pidge pressed from his post at the door, intrigued.
"He's the horrible and evil King of this planet. He lives here, but conquers and destroys the other planets all over the galaxy." She explained slowly, as if it was common knowledge.
"Oh…" Was all Pidge said before turning to Keith. "Keith, we've got to get moving." Pidge glanced to Allura. "Princess, how long till dawn?" He asked.
"When the claw matches the sun," she explained motioning to a large Doom-style clock hanging in the throne, who's claw was just about a centimeter from overlapping a sun. "Why?"
"Princess," Keith started respectively, suddenly nervous, "When we escaped our cell we left our friends. The General said that we were all going to be executed at dawn. Now I need you to tell me where these executions take place and how to get off this rock, and I need you to do it while we run." Keith explained before grabbing Allura's hand and running out of the room after Pidge.
"There!" Allura called out as they raced past a window. Through the window was what seemed like a courtyard, with a pit behind it. "They will shoot your friends there and then their bodies will go in the pit." She explained. "Here they come now…" she breathed as she watched her new friends eyes widen.
"We need to get down there!" Pidge cried as he watched Hunk resisting his shackles.
"I know! I know!" Keith cried in frustration. "Princess, are there any ships we can commandeer?" He asked, his brain spinning.
"Yes…Yes!" She exclaimed. "On the loading bay there will be unmanned ships since all will be watching the execution. If you can fly it, we can take it and escape with your friends to my planet." She explained.
"Then let's do it." Keith agreed, hurriedly heading down to the loading bay. "Pidge, get down there and stall that execution! I'll pick you all up in a ship in 5. Be ready!" he ordered as Pidge headed off towards the courtyard.
The loading bay was filed with ships, all unmanned, so Keith quickly chose the one that seemed the most useful…the one with the biggest guns. Once settled Allura finally took in the fact of what was going on. "Can you fly this thing?" She asked hesitantly.
"Well… no, but I guess I'm going to learn." Keith answered, as a he pushed a blinking button. Twin cannons suddenly fired blasts, blowing a whole in the loading bay's wall. "Guess we wont have to find a door…" Keith joked nervously. Allura fastened her seatbelt.
Pidge's resources were beginning to get depleted. He had plunged into the courtyard and taken out the two sentries guarding his friends, and now they were all pinned behind some column with almost no power left in their weapons. Then hope arrived. Keith provided cover fire as he landed the hijacked ship and let his friends rush aboard, and in less then two minutes they were speeding away from Planet Doom.
"So…how'd we get a Princess?" Lance asked as he leaned in the co-pilot seat beside Keith, now several miles from Planet Doom. A confused expression planted on his face.
"Vhat does vit vatter?" Sven asked as he walked into the cockpit. "Vust vas long vas ve're var vrom Planet Doom." He added.
"Quite right." Princess Allura piped in. "And soon you'll all be guests in my magnificent kingdom of Planet Arus." She added, and then smiled noticing the happy expressions on her savior's faces. 'I just hope there's some of my Planet's greatness left' she added to herself with a sigh.
***
Back on Planet Doom, General Mantra groveled at the feet of his king. "Imbeciles!" The mighty Lord Zarkon growled as his dark witch Haggar stood at his side cackling. "Explain to me… how a few… humans" he paused, spiting at the word, "broke into my throne room, freed the Princess of Arus, stole a fighter ship, and escaped off Planet Doom." He bellowed.
Haggar cackled in her blue skin, "Shows what happens when incompetents are left in charge sire." Her voice scratched, smiling a black-toothed smile at the sight of the most powerful General in Zarkon's army squirming.
General Mantra bowed even lower, struggling for a reply. "Lord… I will return the Princess of Arus to you and the heads of those spacemen mounted on your wall within the next moon." He vowed. "I swear it." He added.
"See that you do…" Zarkon's intimidating formed leaned down to only a few inches from the General's head, "Because, if you don't, your head will be mounted in their place." He growled.