Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron, Star Trek, or anything else that is owned by either Paramount or World Events Productions. What I do own are the crew of the Berlin, (except Mordock and Scotty), the fighter Thunderwing and the story itself.
Star Tron: Escalations
Chapter 10: Storm Surge
Barely an hour after returning to the Castle, the alarms jolted Keith awake. He quickly dressed and ran to the Control Room, meeting Lance and Pidge on the way. Hunk was already there when they arrived. "What's going on?" Keith asked.
"The Berlin spotted a Doom task force near Shamara. Some of them broke away from the main group and are heading this way," Hunk said as Allura came into the chamber, just finishing putting her hair up.
Keith's decision was immediate. "Launch the Lions," he said.
Within moments, the five robot Lions took off from their hiding places and rocketed into the pre-dawn sky, setting a course toward Shamara. As they formed up, Keith hailed the starship. "Black Lion calling Starship Berlin, can you vector us to the breakaways?"
"We're a little busy here, Keith," said Adam. A burst of static crackled over the channel as the Berlin took a hit. "Head our way and you should find 'em."
"Roger," Keith replied. He tuned the intercom back to the other Lions. "Okay, team, let's get 'em." He led the group straight toward the Berlin at maximum velocity, the Lions straining with their pilots to put on every ounce of speed they could muster. "Watch your sensors, we don't have a perfect vector."
The tension mounted for the five pilots with each passing second. How many were there? What types of ships? Was there a robeast? These questions and more buzzed in their minds as they checked their instruments and prepared for battle.
Suddenly, Pidge called out, "I see them! Enemy ships at two o'clock low!"
Keith glanced at his sensors to confirm the vector. He saw twelve enemy battleships in a tight, four-column formation heading straight for the wormhole. "Attack formation four," he ordered. "Break and engage." On his own command, he guided Black Lion into a hard turn into the Doom ships and began his first attack. Streaking in full bore, Keith dove at one of the ships, his plasma cannon blazing.
Suddenly, his target and three other ships began shooting back. Several laser hits glanced off of Black Lion, forcing Keith to break off. "Aah," he grunted, gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain control of his Lion.
"Keith, their defensive fire's too thick," said Hunk. "We can't get through."
"Pidge," said Keith, "use your Lion's space torpedoes. See if you can take out some of their guns."
"Right." Pidge came around, deploying the torpedo launcher from his Lion's back. "Space torpedoes!" he announced, sending a number of the compact warheads toward the battleships. Two were hit, both losing their upper turrets.
"It's working," said Allura.
"Pidge," said Keith, "hang back and try to take out their turrets. Hunk, you and Allura help him out with your Stingray missiles. Lance, let's go after those ships again."
"Now we're talking," said Lance as he formed up with Keith.
Green, Blue, and Yellow Lions dodged in and out of the turrets' range, firing missiles and drawing their fire and trying to take them out while Red and Black circled wide around the front for a head-on attack.
"Everyone attack now!" Keith ordered. He and Lance charged the columns of ships, their Lion daggers ready, while the others tried to draw as much fire as they could. Streaking down the column, Keith and Lance made quick, slashing attacks, disabling three battleships and destroying a fourth.
With their formation broken up, the remaining ships struggled to reassemble, but the Lions now had control of the battle. All of them streaked in, slashing, shooting, biting and clawing whatever crossed the paths.
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In the confusion, one ship managed to slip away. Moving out to a safe distance, Lotor's command ship came around. As the remainder of his detachment made a last-ditch attempt to flee, the Doom prince turned to the witch standing at his side. "Is it ready?"
Haggar stroked her blue cat. "Yes, My Lord, all is ready."
Lotor smiled. "Deploy the robeast!" he commanded.
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"Captain!" shouted Jacobs. "One of the ships just launched a robeast!"
The Berlin had been very busy with the Doom fleet. Though holding their own, the ship and her crew were making little headway, and the battle had ground down to a draw, with neither side able to turn an advantage.
"Onscreen," Driscoll ordered.
The image on the viewer changed to show a turtle-like creature with massive, clawed hands and feet. It had no discernible head, but instead two eyes and a round, lamprey-like mouth could be seen on the top edge of the shell. It carried a long, thin staff with a wicked looking spiked club on one end.
"Where does he get these things?" Driscoll wondered aloud. He quickly weighed his options and made his decision, which was reinforced as the ship shuddered under another salvo from the enemy force. "The Voltron Force can handle Sheldon there. We've got enough to worry about."
The viewer changed back to an image of the battle at hand as two battleships came in on a close pass. "Torpedoes, fire!" Driscoll ordered. "Helm, come left to bearing two-four-zero mark three-thirty."
The torpedo salvo struck the two Doom battleships, tearing huge, ragged holes in their sides as the Berlin ducked away and prepared another barrage.
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"Okay, team, time for the Big Guy," said Keith. "Activate interlocks. Dynotherms connected. Infracells up, megathrusters are go!"
"Let's go Voltron Force!" the pilots chorused. Seconds later, Voltron stood toe-to-toe with the turtle from hell.
"I could go for some turtle soup right about now," said Hunk.
"Well, let's get cookin'," said Lance. "Lion torch!" he announced as Voltron extended his right arm and a tongue of flame shot from it and enveloped the robeast. The monster howled in pain, then burst through the fireball and slashed at Voltron with his staff.
"Royal shield!" Allura called out, and the crest on Voltron's chest rose and spread, deflecting the blow, although the robot was sent spinning from the force of the impact.
Coming around, the demon turtle pointed its staff at Voltron again and the spikes shot out like missiles. Before anyone could react, Voltron was peppered with strikes.
Gritting his teeth against the errant electrical surges jolting his body, Keith called out, "Anyone hurt?"
"Naw, Keith, we're all right," said Hunk. "But I'm getting sick of this guy."
"I hear ya, Hunk, so let's see how he likes this," said Keith. "Spinning laser blades!"
The two disks formed in Voltron's hands and he hurled them at the robeast. Too slow to dodge them, the turtle turned its back and withdrew its limbs into its shell as the laser blades struck and harmlessly bounced off its carapace.
"So much for that idea," said Pidge as Keith maneuvered Voltron out away from the turtle-beast to gain some maneuvering room. He had an idea, but he had to set things up just right.
"Stingray missiles," Keith ordered, and two of the huge warheads shot from Voltron's feet. Once again, the turtle withdrew into its shell, and the missiles detonated against it with little damage.
But then, instead of putting its limbs back out, the turtle began to spin, and tilted edge-on to Voltron like some kind of demented discus. In a sudden burst of speed, it surged forward at the warrior.
"Dodge it!" Keith ordered, as Voltron sidestepped the attack, avoiding the turtle by inches. But the robeast wasn't so easily evaded. Tilting up on edge like a Frisbee, the robeast came at Voltron again, and again, Voltron dodged its attack.
Suddenly, the turtle popped out of its shell and fired another barrage of missiles from its staff. The small projectiles hit Voltron and sent him reeling.
Dazed, Keith shook his head to clear it. This robeast was tough. He'd caught them completely off guard. Looking up, Keith barely had time to warn the others before the robeast charged again.
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On the bridge of the Berlin, the crew braced themselves as another volley of enemy lasers rocked the ship. "Port shields at sixty-eight percent," said Jacobs. "Minor damage on deck fifteen."
"Come left one-one-zero degrees, impulse, all ahead one-quarter," Driscoll ordered. The starship was under a constant barrage of laser fire from Lotor's fleet, with over twenty ships pitted against the Federation vessel. The good news was, the odds were improving. Slowly.
As his ship completed the turn, Driscoll saw five enemy ships ahead, closing in. "Torpedoes, full spread, fire!"
Ten photon torpedoes flew from the Berlin like a cosmic shotgun blast, easily finding their marks. Four of the ships were torn apart in a blaze of antimatter annihilation, flaming debris flying across the starscape. But the fifth ship was only slightly damaged, and returned fire with a merciless blast from its main cannon.
Several panels shot sparks and wisps of smoke drifted through the air.
"Finish him," Gredar ordered.
Jacobs eagerly complied, shredding the skullship with a series of phaser strikes as another barrage wracked the Federation ship, throwing several crewmen to the deck as the remaining battleships tried to exact revenge for their comrades.
Scanning her board, Singh called out, "Damage to the port impulse engine. Casualties reported on deck four."
"Upper shields at forty-seven percent and falling," said Jacobs.
"Return fire. Helm, maneuver sequence Archer-three."
The Berlin began to dodge and jink as the Doom fleet closed in, forming a wide arc around the rear of the ship. The twenty-two remaining cruisers powered their main weapons batteries, drawing a bead on the lone starship.
"Aft phasers," Driscoll ordered. The turrets on the Berlin's stern began hacking away the pursuing cruisers. Two of them turned away as the others fired, the combined assault striking the Berlin's aft shield arc. The bridge crew was thrown about like rag dolls by the force of the blast.
Struggling to her feet, Jacobs waved a hand across her board to clear the thickening smoke away. What she saw wasn't good. "Aft shields collapsing, rear weapons offline, tractor beams offline."
"Main shuttlebay is damaged, casualty reports coming in from all decks," Singh called out.
"Shit," Driscoll spat. "Reroute tractor beam and aft phaser power to rear shields. Come about, three-quarters impluse power. T.J., fire at will. Shred those mothers."
The Berlin turned into her attackers, unleashing a hellish storm of phaser and torpedo fire. Making a close pass along the echelon of skullships, the starship slashed and blasted away at the Doom cruisers, putting seven more out of action.
Suddenly, Jacobs heard a beep from her console. What she saw made her gasp. Oh no, not now! "Captain! Phasers are going offline!"
"Auxiliary power?" Driscoll asked.
Jacobs keyed some commands into her console. "Not working."
"Bridge to engineering!" Driscoll hollered.
"Scott here."
"What's happening to my phasers, Scotty?"
"When we lost the aft mounts, it caused a power cascade through the entire system. Every bloody turret is goin' down!"
"Well get 'em back!"
"But sir..."
"Just do what you can. Bridge out." He stood and turned to Jacobs. "Ready photons. We're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way."
He walked up between helm and ops. "Mike, come about, course bearing two-four-zero, impulse, all ahead one half."
"Captain, our forward shields are at fifty-six percent," said Jacobs. "If they hit us like that again..."
"Noted, Commander, but it's crunch time." Driscoll's tone brooked no arguments, nor were any offered. "Fire on my command."
Coming around again on the Doom fleet, the Berlin began her attack run. The distance between the combatants closed quickly. Seconds later, the void between them was ablaze with weapons fire.
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Reeling from the robeast's full-on blitz, it was several seconds before Voltron recovered. All five pilots were badly shaken.
"Hold together, team," said Keith. "He hasn't got us yet."
The turtle stood there a moment, poised like a sumo wrestler, holding its staff in one hand. Keith saw his chance.
"Prepare for Lion-head attack!" he ordered. Voltron's arms stretched out forward and his feet spread apart. "Go for his limbs, guys."
"Right," the others acknowledged.
"Fire!"
The heads of Blue, Yellow, Red and Green Lions all launched, streaking toward the turtle. The surprised robeast hesitated, unsure of how to respond as the Lion heads attached themselves to its wrists and ankles. The robeast dropped its staff as the force of the impact sent it into a multi-axial tumble.
As the Lion heads rejoined Voltron, Keith called out, "Form Blazing Sword!" Voltron's hands came together, and the great sword formed between them. A mighty roar sounded from the warrior as he prepared to strike.
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"No!" Lotor yelled. "If Voltron uses his sword, the robeast is finished. Gunner! Target Voltron and fire. Full power!"
"Yes, My Lord."
Lotor watched as the gunner executed his orders. A barrage of laser fire cut across the void, catching Voltron's right shoulder and making him drop the Blazing Sword.
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Lance braced himself against the stray bolts of electricity zipping around Red Lion's cockpit.
"Lance, you okay?" Keith asked.
"Yeah, I'll live."
Keith cursed to himself. He'd forgotten about Lotor. He didn't usually get involved with the robeast attacks. This was a new tactic.
Voltron looked around. "Where's the sword?" Keith asked.
"Look out!" Allura warned as the robeast delivered a ferocious punch to Voltron's chest. The turtle had seen Voltron drop his sword, and wasted no time in capitalizing on the blunder.
"Ready for hand-to-hand," he said as the robeast came in again. "Block!" Keith ordered as the robeast swung. Voltron deflected the blow with his left arm as his right came up. "Lance."
"On it," Lance replied. "Lion torch!" A jet of flame shot from Red Lion's mouth, flambe'ing the robeast's face.
Withdrawing into its shell, the robeast spun as Voltron ducked back, ready to dodge, but the robeast had a surprise in store. It popped out of its shell, its hands and feet delivering a rapid series of hits that sent Voltron reeling.
Recovering from the blow, Keith looked up in horror to see the robeast coming at them again. Worse, it had somehow gotten its staff back, and now held it up, ready to strike. "Brace for impact!" he warned.
Suddenly, two explosions on the robeast's chest knocked it aside. "Bingo!" said a familiar voice. A second later, four more photon torpedoes hit the robeast, blasting it farther away from Voltron as the Berlin closed in beside Voltron.
"Hey, Keith, I think you dropped something," said Adam. Keith looked over and saw Thunderwing with the Blazing Sword secured in a tractor beam.
"Thanks, Adam," Keith replied. Voltron reached for the sword as Keith said, "Thunderwing interface!"
The old fighter slid into the bay in Black Lion's back, and its added power shot through the warrior's systems as Voltron advanced on the robeast, which was still being bombarded by the starship.
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The stunned robeast spun as it was struck again and again. Confused and disoriented, it had no idea what to do.
Finally regaining its balance, the robeast looked around, hurt and very angry. The first thing it saw was the Berlin, the source of its latest torment.
Bent on dishing out some payback, it lunged at the starship. But in its blind rage, it never saw Voltron preparing to attack.
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"Get him, boss," Adam urged. "If he gets to the Berlin, I don't know if she can take it."
"Right," said Keith. "Ready!" he announced as Voltron brought his sword up. "Attack!"
Voltron surged forward, closing in on the robeast. Swinging the Blazing Sword down, Voltron cut cleanly down the middle of the robeast.
But this robeast had one last, very nasty, surprise. As the Blazing Sword passed through its body, it activated a bomb. Made with the new lazon/topaz explosive, it was intended as the mother of all parting shots.
Luckily for Voltron, they had one asset Haggar hadn't counted on.
Driscoll's headset crackled as Lieutenant Mordock cut into the VF intercom. "Captain, I'm reading a large energy buildup on the robeast. I've never seen anything like it."
"Everybody back! Clear out!" Driscoll shouted. He dialed back into Voltron's internal comm system. "Keith, we gotta move, now!"
Voltron and the Berlin spun around and began to flee just as the bomb detonated. A blinding flash and titanic shockwave washed over both, and blinded Lotor's sensors.
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When his sensors cleared, Lotor could see neither the Berlin nor Voltron. When a sensor scan did not reveal their presence, a small smile crossed his lips. The price had been high, but the outcome was as expected. He turned to the witch at his side. "My compliments, Haggar. We've finally done it."
"Indeed, Sire," Haggar replied.
"All ships, return to Planet Doom," Lotor ordered, his ship coming around as the remaining few ships of his fleet joined up. With Voltron and the Berlin out of the way, he could take Arus at his leisure.
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"Whoa, what a ride," Singh said, looking around the hazy bridge.
"Good work, Lieutenant," said Jacobs. As the shock wave had approached the ship, Jacobs and Curtis had combined their efforts to reconfigure the shields and engine outputs, enabling the ship to ride the crest of the wave like an interstellar surfer. The wave had carried them nearly halfway to Arus.
"Status of Voltron?" Gredar asked.
Jacobs hailed Voltron, and asked Keith that very question.
"We're all right. A little bit banged up, but we'll manage," Keith replied. "Thanks for the help." Voltron had ducked in between the starship's nacelles to take advantage of what little shield protection the ship could offer, and also to tag along for the ride. "Sorry about the punctures on your nacelle pylons, though. The Lions have sharp teeth."
"Forgiven, Commander," said Gredar.
Just then, Driscoll cut in. "Okay, Gredar, head back to Arus and get Scotty's boys working on DC. We'll debrief in an hour."
"Understood, Captain."
"All right, folks," said Keith. "Let's go home."