Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron, Star Trek, or anything else that is copyrighted material by World Events Productions or Paramount. What are mine are the crew of the Berlin (except for Mordock and Scotty), and the fighter Thunderwing, as well as the story itself.
Crash77A: The stardates I use are based on the date of First Contact and a rather complex but seemingly accurate calculation I found on the Internet. I'm not really trying to match it too closely to the Dominion War. As far as how many of these there will be, I don't really see an end in sight. I have several others already written, but they take place about a year from the events in my current story, in the second season of the original VF, so those will be a while in coming, and also I have written some based on V3D.
T.F. Kit: Thanks for the encouragement. Truthfully, I haven't decided how the Keith, Adam, Allura thing will turn out. I always hated the layout of these things where the leader automatically gets the girl. It's too played-out. If Keith does get Allura, he's gonna have to fight for her, maybe literally. But whatever happens, it won't be decided any time soon.
C-town Chica: Welcome aboard. If you want to know who Adam is, I suggest you read my previous two stories, Star Tron: The Black Suits Cometh and Star Tron: Louder Than Words.
RedLion2: I'll never be out of action long. Just enough to refuel and rearm, then its on to the next sortie. You're right, neither of them will back down. And the thing with the mice was kind of a fluke, but I liked it. They get too little space in these fics, so I'm gonna try to give them some spots in mine.
As expected, Coran received a message from the Berlin as she crossed into Doom territory. He relayed this information to Keith.
"What did it say, Coran?" Keith asked.
"Adam said, 'Crossing border, will contact and advise when on target.'"
"Nothing else?"
"No. It was an encrypted microburst transmission. Such messages are simple as a rule."
Keith nodded. From here on, no news would be good news. Crossing such large tracts of enemy territory as the Berlin was, stealth was essential to victory, as was speed. Luckily, the Federation ship had plenty of both. For now, at least.
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Allura couldn't sleep. She knew she should, as she'd be flying in the middle of the night, but despite Coran's advice that everyone get some rest, she just couldn't seem to relax. Her mind was too full. As was becoming common lately, she couldn't' help but think about all that was happening with her planet and people, the reconstruction, and the new alliance with the Federation. But it was more than that. Beyond all the relatively normal concerns, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Very wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on it.
Stop it, you're just being silly, she chided herself. And she believed it. They were watching for anything that might be trouble, the boys were guarding the wormhole, and the Berlin was safe.
But then why did she have this feeling?
She had learned to trust these gut feelings. They had served her well in the past. She had a feeling before the Voltron Force arrived, before Lotor returned to plague her, and before the Starfleeters arrived, as well as on several other important occasions. And now, something told her that something very bad was about to happen. Something that would have far-reaching consequences.
Restless now, she rose and headed for her study. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well look over some of the reports she'd been putting off.
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"Two minutes to Doom border, Commander," Curtis reported.
Gredar grunted and touched his combadge. "Captain Driscoll to the bridge."
Less than a minute later, Driscoll appeared from the door to his ready room. Before the refit, he had used a small office on deck two, since his ready room had been packed with extra computer gear. But since the refit, he was able to use the regular ready room again, and had given the other office to Gredar to use.
"Report," said Driscoll.
"We are approaching the border," said Gredar. "Crossing in nine seconds."
"Okay, yellow alert, notify Arus, then activate stealth measures. Mordock, what's out there?"
"I have three star-cutters within sensor range. None of them are in position to intercept."
"Good. Mr. Curtis, maintain course and best speed."
"Aye, sir."
Several minutes passed as the bridge crew settled into silent operations mode for the nine-hour flight to Space Station Tango Seven.
After verifying that all sections had gone silent, Lieutenant Maria Singh began monitoring communications, as was part of her duty as operations manager. Not thirty seconds went by before she intercepted a priority message sent by one of the star-cutters. Once the computer decrypted it, she read it over, and didn't like what she read one bit. "Captain?"
"Yeah, Maria?"
"Looks like our cover's blown. One of those star-cutters just sent a message to Doom, telling them about us."
"Damn. Well, it can't be helped. We've probably got a few more hours until they can do anything about it, so we'll maintain silent ops and continue as planned for now."
"Lieutenant Mordock," Gredar rasped. "Focus passive scanning on a 90-degree arc directly ahead."
"Yes, sir."
Driscoll looked at Gredar. "Thanks, Gredar. Didn't think of that."
Gredar growled, but said nothing. But Driscoll thought that it somehow sounded less severe than usual.
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"So the Berlin is paying us another visit?" Zarkon asked rhetorically. He dismissed the guard that had brought him the message and called for Lotor.
A few minutes later, Lotor strode into the throne room, holding his helmet under his arm, his cape billowing behind him.
"You saw this?" Zarkon asked, holding up the message.
"Yes, Father. But I do not understand. We have no significant installations in that area, and there are no bases at all along their course."
"None of our bases, no. But they are on a direct heading for the Alliance base Tango Seven."
Lotor frowned. "So they did manage to get a distress call out."
"So it would seem. I trust that our business there is concluded?"
Lotor nodded. "Our raiding party is on their way back. The Berlin will find nothing at the base."
"Well, that won't do at all," said Zarkon.
"What do you mean?"
"We mustn't forget our manners, Lotor. After coming all this way, it would be a shame for our dear Captain Driscoll to find no one home. I believe that the 27th battle group is in the area?"
"Yes, they are," Lotor replied, understanding his father's meaning. "I'll see that they give the Berlin a warm welcome." He turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
"There is another opportunity here, Sire," said a soft, gravelly voice. A moment later, Haggar stepped out of the shadows, holding her blue cat. "If the Berlin is here, that means that the wormhole is unguarded."
"Voltron is still there," Zarkon replied.
"Perhaps a diversion, then?"
Zarkon smiled slightly. The witch never missed a beat. "Perhaps," he replied.
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At the Castle of Lions, Lance was on watch in the Control Room. He kept one sensor grid trained on Hunk, Allura, and the wormhole, while the others scanned the sky for danger.
And that's exactly what he found.
A light on his board alerted him to the incoming fighters. Sixty Doom Stingers headed straight for the castle. He punched the alarm button, and the klaxons blared throughout the palace. Within moments, Coran, Keith, and Pidge came racing in.
"What is it?" Keith asked.
"Sixty fighters coming in. They'll be here in two minutes."
"Then let's get up there," said Keith. Lance surrendered the console to Coran, and a moment later, he joined Keith and Pidge in the launch tubes.
Black, Red, and Green Lions formed up above the castle as the fighters came streaking in toward it. The Lions engaged the fighters as the castle's defensive batteries opened up, filling the sky with laser-flak.
"Should we call Allura and Hunk to help?" Pidge asked.
"No, leave them," Keith replied as Black Lion struck down three fighters in quick succession. "They need to cover the wormhole."
"Right," Pidge said, shooting down two fighters with Green Lion's space torpedoes.
Just then, Lance swooped in, crushing a fighter in Red Lion's jaws less than thirty feet from Pidge.
"Yow! Watch it!" Pidge shouted.
"Don't worry, buddy, Lance has it all under control." Just then, Red Lion was blasted sideways by a fighter and fell toward the ground. Pidge dove and shredded the fighter with Green Lion's claws as Lance pulled out of the dive.
"'All under control,' huh?"
"Well, almost all," Lance amended as he and Pidge climbed back into the fight. Joining up with Keith, they tore into a knot of fighters, the Lions roaring as they unleashed a furious gauntlet of steel claws, teeth, and missiles.
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Allura was startled by the buzzer warning her of incoming ships. She called up the sensor log, and gasped as she saw forty Doom fighters heading straight toward her and Hunk.
"Hunk, watch out. We've got fighters coming our way!"
"The castle's under attack, too," Hunk replied.
"How do you know?"
"Coran just called up."
The Princess glanced at her panel and saw the "incoming transmission" indicator lit. She hit a control, saying, "What's going on, Coran?"
"A group of enemy fighters is attacking the castle. Keith and the others are handling it. You are to hold position."
"Coran, we've got fighters coming after us, too."
"I'll send the others as soon as I can, but you must hold the wormhole by yourselves for now."
"All right, Coran." She closed the channel and glanced at Hunk's image on the intercom. "We've got to hold them off, Hunk. Let's go."
Blue Lion set off toward the fighters with a bound, Hunk following close behind. The distance between the Lions and the fighters closed quickly.
Blue Lion was the first to fire. "Ion darts!" Allura announced, sending a hail of blue energy bolts at the gaggle of fighters. Seven were hit and exploded in clouds of flame and debris. Hunk followed up with a shot from his plasma cannon, blowing up three more.
Then, they met. The fighters dodged away as the distance closed to zero. Both Lions attacked with claw strikes, but there were too many fighters. Over twenty still remained as the group reformed and made a break for the wormhole.
"Hunk! The wormhole!"
"I'm on it!" Hunk replied. Yellow Lion turned and raced after the fighters, with Blue Lion just behind.
As they neared the wormhole, the group split in two, half making for the wormhole while the rest turned back.
"I'll get that group," said Allura, indicating the ones that broke off.
"Right. I'll stay with these guys," Hunk replied.
Allura turned and went after the second group as Hunk began firing at the first group, picking them off with missiles one-by-one.
But as Allura closed to fire Blue Lion's ice cannon, the fighters rounded on her. She broke hard and went into a split-S, narrowly escaping the laser barrage. Coming around beneath the fighters, she shot toward them, tearing three of them apart as she blew through the formation.
The others gave chase, closing in. Allura watched her sensors, and as they came into weapons range, she began jinking, the Lion making sharp jump-turns left, right, up, and down while firing its tail laser. Then, on one of the downward turns, she went into an outside loop, surprising her pursuers, who were slow to react.
Suddenly, the enemy formation scattered. Allura chose a target and accelerated toward it. She gritted her teeth and held the control yoke in a white-knuckled grip. "Electro-claws!" she yelled, and the Lion struck, shredding the fighter.
She destroyed three others this way, before the others gave up and fled.
A few minutes later, the wormhole opened, and Yellow Lion appeared. "Hunk? Are you all right?"
"Yeah, sure, Allura. I'm fine. Can't say the same about those fighters, though," the big guy replied with a grin.
"I took care of mine, too," said Allura. "Now come on, let's go help the others."
With Allura in the lead, the two Lions raced for Arus to aid their comrades. What neither one of them saw, though, was a lone fighter from the group that engaged Allura, as it headed quickly through the wormhole.