Discalimer: I don't own Voltron, Star Trek, or anything else that it owned by WEP or Paramount. What I do own are the crew of the Berlin (except for Mordock and Scotty), the fighter, Thunderwing, and the story itself.
A/N: I apologize again for the lateness between posts. I'm doing the best I can. Unfortunately, this story isn't very high on my priorities list right now.
Crash, RL2: As always, thanks for the reveiws and support.
Star Tron: EscalationsChapter 14: Bait and Switch
Four days after Lotor's capture, the Starship Berlin, freshly repaired but still scarred by laser burns on her hull, warped out of the Diamond System. The arrangement was simple. The Berlin was to transport Lotor to a rendezvous in deep space, alone, away from any star systems claimed either by Doom or the Alliance. Zarkon would send one battleship with the crew of Tango Seven aboard. The exchange would be made by shuttle, and the two ships would return to their own territory under a flag of truce. Very simple.
But Captain Driscoll didn't trust the Doomies one bit. He intended to keep the weapons and shields on standby, in case Zarkon's ship got rowdy. It honestly wouldn't have surprised him. But if the Doom vessel did attack, it would be the last mistake they'd ever make. Repair crews had worked around the clock, guided by the Highland Miracle Worker, and restored the Berlin to full combat-readiness. If the Doom ship tried to pull a fast one, it would be stopped cold.
So, he sat in the command chair, watching the forward screen as the starship traveled at high warp toward the rendezvous, running over the procedure in his mind, and trying to think of every dirty trick the Doom ship might pull. Especially when they discovered what the Berlin and her crew had in store for them.
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The Doom battleship hung motionless in space, in the galactic middle of nowhere. In its throne-like command chair, sat Commander Cossack. After seeing the Berlin run from his battle fleet near Tango Seven, and having heard the reports from the battle fleets that had engaged her, he was confident that he would be able to take on the starship. Once Lotor was safely aboard, of course.
And even if the Federation vessel should prove problematic for his own ship, his cargo could easily take care of it. At first, he hadn't understood why the mysterious coffin ships had been loaded into his cargo bay, but when the witch, Haggar, had come aboard, everything became clear. He was a little disappointed that the glory of destroying the starship would not be his alone, but still, to be commanding the ship that launched the robeast attack was no small honor to his mind.
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"Approaching rendezvous coordinates, Captain," Singh announced.
Driscoll rose from the command chair. "Very well, Lieutenant. Yellow alert, weapons and shields to standby. Mike, reduce to one-half impulse power. Bring us out of warp." He looked to the upper deck of the bridge. "Mordock, is our evil twin out there?"
The Benzite scanned his board before replying, "Yes, sir. I have one Doom battleship bearing one-five mark seven. Their weapons are offline, but their shields are in place."
Driscoll nodded. "Well, tit for tat then. T.J., shields up." He heard the beeps from the tactical console, indicating that Jacobs was carrying out his orders. A moment later, a barely audible electronic hum sounded around the edge of the bridge as the shields came online.
Another chirp sounded from the tactical station behind the command chairs, and Jacobs said, "Enemy vessel is hailing."
"Okay, guys, here we go," Driscoll said. He walked halfway to the helm console and nodded toward the viewer. "Onscreen, Commander."
The image on the screen changed to show a round Drule face. The man it belonged to was a little overweight, and probably carried substantial rank, given the quality and accoutrements of his uniform.
"I am Commander Cossack of the Twenty-Seventh Royal Doom Battle Group."
"Captain Driscoll, Starship Berlin," Driscoll replied curtly. "You have the scientists?"
"I do," Cossack replied. There was an edge of indignation in his voice. He resented being spoken to so plainly. Especially by this charlatan boy. "Your people are already aboard a shuttle. As soon as His Highness is safely aboard our ship, they will be released."
"I don't think so, Commander. Our agreement was for a simultaneous exchange."
Cossack nodded. Perhaps the boy wasn't as dull as he'd assumed. "Of course, Captain. Then shall we proceed?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with." Driscoll replied. He looked at Singh and said, loudly enough for Cossack to hear, "Shuttle cleared for launch. Get 'im going." He watched as Cossack turned aside and said something to someone off screen, and Jacobs reported, "Doom shuttle launching."
Driscoll and Cossack locked eyes as the shuttles carried out their missions. "Shuttle docking commencing," Singh said. The Berlin's shuttle, having nowhere near the capacity it needed to receive the scientists from the larger Doom transport shuttle, would be beaming the scientists directly to the starship as they stepped aboard.
"Scarecrow is beginning transport," Singh reported quietly. Several minutes passed as the scientists were transferred to the Berlin. Finally, Singh reported that the transfer was complete.
"Very well. Order Lieutenant Falstaff to have the guards escort that blue slime off the shuttle," Driscoll told her.
"Aye, sir," Singh replied, relaying the order.
A few moments later, the operations officer reported that Lotor had been transferred to the Doom shuttle, and that the Scarecrow was on her way back. "Tell Falstaff to hurry," Driscoll ordered. "I wanna get out of here."
No sooner had the shuttle landed than Mordock called out, "Four Doom cruisers inbound on an intercept course!"
"Bearing, Lieutenant?" Gredar demanded.
"Port quarter, bearing two-zero-three."
"Hard a' port, impulse power all ahead one-half," Driscoll ordered. He looked up at the tactical officer. "Make a hole, T.J."
"Aye, sir," Jacobs replied as the Captain settled into his chair. "Torpedoes ready."
"Fire at will," Driscoll replied.
Two photon torpedoes erupted from the Berlin's launch tubes, streaking toward their target. The cruiser second from the left was hit dead on, the explosions sundering its hull as it tumbled away, out of control.
The Berlin made for the break in the line, but the other Doom ships were ready. Even as the starship's phasers opened fire, trying to hold their enemies back, the cruisers and the battleship fired back, trying to slow the starship.
As his vessel shuddered under the assault, Driscoll shouted, "Mike, get us outta here!" Normally, he'd have turned to fight, but with a few dozen civilians aboard, he had no intention of it. Slowly the Berlin came around, returning fire at the Doom ships, trying to get clear of them long enough to go to warp.
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On the bridge of the Doom battleship, Cossack watched in amusement as the Federation ship struggled to get clear of his own ships. He heard the doors whoosh open behind him, and turned to see Prince Lotor walk onto the bridge, carrying a small, gray box.
Cossack rose and bowed. "Your Highness," he said. "All is ready. Our ships are keeping the Berlin busy, and the robeasts are ready to launch at your command." He noted the box that Lotor was carrying. "What is that, sire?"
"A piece of Federation technology I managed to secret off their ship," Lotor replied. He handed it to Cossack, who flipped it around, end for end, up and down, examining it. The startled gasp he heard from Haggar made him look back at Lotor, who was now upside down on his head! Cossack rotated the box, and watched Lotor spin around. On his side, his feet, on the ceiling, the floor, all the time never changing his pose.
"It's a trick!" Cossack roared. He spun around toward the witch, dropping the holoprojector on the ground. It broke apart, Lotor's image disappearing as he ordered. "Launch your robeasts! Destroy them!"
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"Cossack's ship has launched two coffin ships," Mordock reported.
"Robeasts," Gredar rumbled.
Driscoll nodded and rose. So far, the Berlin hadn't been able to break away from the Doom ships. They'd disabled their original attackers, only to be set upon by four more. The lazon missiles the ship's shields had absorbed were taking their toll, and with robeasts on the way, it became imperative that they escape now.
"Right full rudder, impulse power, all ahead full," Driscoll ordered. "Course bearing four-five mark twelve."
The ship made a break for a hole in the Doom line. If they could just get past those ships…
Suddenly, a barrage of lazon missiles slammed into the ship, knocking them off course. "Port shields down to seventy percent," Jacobs reported.
Suddenly, something clicked in Driscoll's mind. All this time, the force employed by the Doom ships had been only enough to deflect them from any escape vector they plotted, not to do any serious damage. The Doom ships weren't trying to destroy the Berlin, only to prevent her escape.
"They're toying with us, Captain," Gredar said as Driscoll reached the same conclusion.
Driscoll nodded. "Well I for one am nobody's toy. Helm…"
Just then, Mordock burst out, "Robeasts approaching, starboard quarter! Two of them."
"Onscreen," Driscoll said. The viewer shifted, and Driscoll's heart rose into his throat. The starship was faced with not one but two robeasts. One was a dirty white, and resembled a skeleton wearing medieval armor. It's eyes stared out from a Romanesque helmet, visible only as two bright neon blue points. It carried a wicked-looking curved, barb-tipped sword in one bony hand,and in the other it carried a shield half as big as itself, and very thick. The crest on its helmet was made up of a series of knifelike points, and it's armor had similar points sticking out from various locations.
The other robeast was a large, blood-red creature resembling a fish with an alligator's head. It's pointed head had short, finlike blades sticking out the top and above each eye, which were located on the sides of its head. It's mouth was filled with jagged fangs. It's arms and legs sported fins like those on its head on the wrists and ankles. There was a long razor-sharp ridge on its back, and a long tail with a long upper lobe.
The Berlin's bridge crew regarded these new monstrosities with horror and disgust. Driscoll was about to order his ship to come around and deliver a barrage of photon torpedoes, when a new message boomed over the bridge's speakers. "Leave them to us, Adam. You get those scientists out of here."
Just then, the cruisers that had been blocking the Berlin's retreat exploded, showering fire and debris across the stars. Through the fireball, the five robot Lions appeared, still holding their daggers in their mouths.
"Captain," Gredar rasped. "I do not believe that Voltron can handle two robeasts at once."
Driscoll regarded the screen, which showed the Lions squaring off with the robeasts. Gredar was right. Voltron would be hard-pressed in this one, but the Berlin had to return to Arus. He wouldn't risk the lives of the scientists aboard. The ship had no choice but to flee.
Or did they?
A plan began to form in the captain's mind. "Helm, fall back. Give me some room to launch my fighter." He turned to his hulking, green first officer. "Gredar, you have the ship."
Gredar grunted as Captain Driscoll walked off the bridge, the turbolift doors whooshing shut behind him.
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The five Lions swooped in, crossing in front of the two robeasts, delivering a series of quick slashes with their daggers. The robeasts flinched from the unexpected assault, but were none the worse for it.
"Well, that was productive," Lance quipped as the Lions regrouped.
Keith ignored him, already visualizing the next attack run. "Okay, everyone, let 'em have it!" The Lions rushed in, firing at will with everything they had, blanketing the robeasts in hellfire.
As he approached the knight robeast, Pidge felt Green Lion shudder violently, throwing him hard against his seat restraints as damaged circuits shot sparks across the cockpit. "Aargh!" he screamed, knowing his Lion was caught.
Hunk saw what happened, and his reaction was immediate. "I'm coming, Pidge," he said, guiding Yellow Lion into a sharp turn. The great cat zoomed straight at the knight,which was holding Green Lion in a crushing death-grip. "Laser-fangs!" Hunk called. Yellow Lion's mouth gaped, and it's fangs began to glow and appeared to lengthen. Closing in, the Lion struck, just as intent on freeing its companion as Hunk was. The fangs sunk deep into the robeast's wrist. Howling in pain, the robeast dropped Green Lion, and Pidge wasted no time in vacating the area.
"Whew," Pidge sighed. "Thanks, Hunk."
While Hunk and Pidge were squaring off against the knight, the others had been busy with the gator-fish. After their initial run, Allura had come around and launched a stingray missile attack, striking the robeast in its neck. The creature ducked away, clutching at its neck. While it was distracted, Keith and Lance came in behind it, Keith blasting away with Black Lion's eyebeams while Lance used Red Lion's electro-claws to deliver a series of devastating blows.
Regrouping with the others once more, Keith surveyed the scene, and wasn't surprised to see that aside from thoroughly pissing off the Doom constructs, the attacks had had little effect. No surprise there, the Commander mused.
He was about to initiate the Voltron formation sequence when a familiar voice called out, "Make way for the Air Force!" Just then, Thunderwing raced past the Voltron Force formation, its wings laden with rockets and torpedoes. Keith had been wondering when Driscoll would join them.
The Mustang zoomed in on the robeasts, Adam's rock music drifting over the open channel as he hummed, "Down we dive, spouting our flame from un-der," He fired his torpedoes at the knight, then adjusted course and blanketed the gator-fish with his rockets. "Off with one helluva roar." He swooped out of his run, clearing the gator-fish and rejoining the Voltron Force. "Nothin' can stop the U.S. Air Force!"
Finishing his song, he switched over to the Berlin's channel. "Okay, T.J., let 'em have it!" he ordered. On cure, a flurry of photon torpedo and phaser fire erupted from the far side of the robeasts, confusing them again, just as they were recovering from the P-51's attack.
Keith saw his chance. "Okay, team, let's go. Activate interlocks. Dynotherms connected. Infracells up, megathrusters are go."
"Let's go Voltron Force!" the team chorused as the formation sequence began. Keith called out the cadence as the Lions transformed. "Form feet and legs. Form arms and body." Red, Yellow, Green and Blue Lions tucked in their legs and docked with Black Lion. "Thunderwing interface!" The little fighter folded its wings and slid into the opening in Black Lion's back. "And I'll form the head!" Black Lion's mouth opened wide and its ears folded out, forming Voltron's face and helmet. Seconds after entering the transformation sequence, Voltron stood facing the two robeasts.
Recovering from their shock at the sudden attacks from various angles, the robeasts squared off with the Defender of the Universe. Suddenly, the gator-fish spun around, lashing out with its swordlike tail.
"Dodge!" Keith yelled, pulling Voltron back and twisting away from the blow, which glanced off of Yellow Lion.
As Voltron maneuvered to avoid the gator-fish's tail, the knight moved in, its sword raised. Adam noticed this on his sensor display, and immediately called to his ship. "Gredar, take the knight!"
The Berlin laid down a withering salvo of phaser fire, making the knight flinch away from Voltron. Knowing Voltron would have a tough time with the two robeasts, Adam had decided to have his ship stay on the edges of the battle, providing cover fire as necessary, with him acting as a forward air controller, calling in his ship's fire as needed.
But he miscalculated. As the starship came in to hit the knight, the gator-fish was able to maneuver behind it, trapping it with Voltron. While the knight regained its composure, the gator-fish closed on the starship.
Keith saw this and reacted immediately. Voltron rushed in, and Lance opened up with Red Lion's torch, scorching the gator-fish's face. "Punch!" Keith yelled, as Voltron's left arm came around and plowed into the robeast's chest, knocking the robeast away from the starship. At the same time, the Berlin's forward phaser turrets sent a searing blast of energy past the robot warrior's head, deterring an attack by the knight from behind. Pidge called out the bearing, and Voltron spun around, letting loose a pair of stingray missiles from his feet.
With the gator-fish a safe distance away, Driscoll called out to Gredar, "Quantum torpedoes, fire!"
A pair of blue energy balls shot from the ship, connecting with the gator-fish's stomach, spinning it around. Seeing an opening, Keith called for Voltron's most powerful weapon. "Form Blazing Sword!" The warrior's hands clasped together, and as they parted, the ribbon of energy between them coalesced into the trident-tipped Blazing Sword. Taking a step back, Voltron raised the sword over its head and issued a mighty roar, then closed to attack the gator-fish.
But the red robeast wasn't through yet. Coming to just in time, it swung it's tail around, and took the end in its hand, which detached to become a sword of its own, which it raised in a single, blindingly fast motion and blocked the Arusian robot's blade.
Meanwhile, the knight, damaged but far from down, closed in to help its comrade. But it wasn't after Voltron this time. Dodging phaser fire, it closed in on the exposed flank of the vessel. Ducking under the starboard nacelle pylon, it struck the side of the hull, slicing through the shield and into the hull, leaving a vicious tear that leaked atmosphere into space.
"Keith, the Berlin!" Driscoll yelled, noticing the robeast as it pulled away from its attack, chased by a flurry of phaser fire. The ship was still in the fight, but that was too close.
Kicking the gator-fish away, Voltron spun and closed in on the knight, bracketed by deadly red energy beams from the Federation ship. With no room to turn and fight, it was an easy target for Voltron. "Ready!" Keith yelled, as the sword swung high over Voltron's head. "Slash attack!"
The sword came down in one swift motion, cutting into the robeast's neck before stopping as it wedged in its armor.
The robeast's head lolled to the side as it swung around as though stumbling, swinging Voltron around. Finally, the Blazing Sword was wrenched loose, and Voltron scrambled to get clear as the robeast exploded with such force that the great warrior was sent tumbling, his pilots shaken.
Coming to, Keith looked up in time to see the gator-fish make a run on the Berlin. As the starship swung bows-on to the robeast, it hefted its sword and threw it like a spear. The weapon punched through the shields and dug deep into the saucer.
Driscoll's reaction upon seeing this was immediate. "Gredar, come right to bearing two-four-zero, all ahead three-quarters impulse," he ordered. "Warp for home as soon as you're clear." It was time for the ship to run for it.
He watched his ship come around, trying to get out of the spot it had gotten into. As it turned, Voltron rushed in to cover her retreat. Seeing Voltron rushing in, the gator-fish lowered its head and charged. Voltron lowered the blazing sword, preparing to meet his foe head-on.
But the gator-fish had one last trick to play. At the last moment, it ducked down and to the left, biting into Voltron's right leg, Blue Lion, just above its head. Allura's scream pierced the comm channel.
"Allura!" Keith yelled as Voltron rocked side to side, the gator-fish shook its head. It was trying to tear a chunk out of the robot.
"Let's cut this thing loose," said Keith. "Strike!"
Voltron swung the Blazing sword around and in one slice, decapitated the robeast. The body drifted away and the jaws released, the head floating off. The robot warrior just had time to get clear as the whole thing exploded in a blinding flash.
But the fireworks were ignored. Frantically, every one of the Voltron Force members was calling to Allura. She responded to none.
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"Oh, no!" Cossack moaned. "How could this happen?" The robeasts had failed. So had eight of his cruisers, crewed by some of the finest men in his command. The King would not be pleased. Especially when he added to it that Lotor was still in Alliance custody.
"Your ships didn't do their job, Commander," Haggar accused him. "That's how." The blue cat yowled angrily, as if reinforcing his mistress' point.
Cossack's anger flared. He'd been made a fool of. The starship and Voltron should be space dust. But instead, the Berlin had escaped, and Voltron was now preparing to attack his command ship.
What was that human proverb about discretion?
Knowing he didn't stand a chance against Voltron, Cossack ordered an immediate retreat. Returning to his command chair, he began crafting his explanation to King Zarkon. Right now, the witch's angry glare was the least of his problem.
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Making his way through crawlspaces in the robot, Pidge arrived in Blue Lion's cockpit just a minute or two after the robeast was destroyed. What he found did nothing to reassure him. A haze of smoke hung in the air, and he could see Allura. She was slumped over in her chair, her hand hanging limply, no longer grasping the control yokes.
Crossing to her in a single stride, Pidge examined her. The visor of her helmet was cracked, and a small trickle of blood extended from the corner of her mouth. But her breathing was steady, though shallow, and her pulse was regular. Still, Pidge knew she needed help. Calling up to Keith, he said, "Allura's hurt bad, Skipper. She's alive, but she needs help pronto."
The report made everybody's stomach do a backflip. Allura was the one person they always strove to bring back safe, and now, she had become their only casualty. But even before Pidge had completed his report, a call for help was already going out to the closest source available.