Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron, Star Trek, or anything else that belongs to Paramount or WEP. What I do own are the crew of the Berlin (except Mordock and Scotty) the fighter, Thunderwing, and the story itself.
Thanks a lot to RedLion2 and welcome back Crash77A. It's been a while. Anyhoo, this one's almost done (finally). Probably within the next chapter or so, I'll be bringing it to a close, and it'll be on to other things. So, without further ado…
Star Tron: EscalationsChapter 16: Nor Iron Bars
Prince Lotor sat in his cell, contemplating how he might escape. Despite its primitive form, the cell he was being held in was well-constructed. Located in one of the remnants of the old palace, the dungeon was composed of walls of hardened brick at least a foot thick. There were no windows, and the door to the cell was two inches of solid steel on the bottom half, and bars an inch thick at the top. It was secured by five mechanical locks, as well as a forcefield and two magnetic shackles. A guard was posed in the hall opposite the door, and he was willing to bet that there were other guards nearer the exit.
The odds were definitely not in his favor. Finally, he resigned himself to the fact that there was little he could do to affect an escape on his own, at least under present conditions. For now, patience would prove to be his strongest ally.
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"Approaching Arus, Captain," Lt. Mordock announced.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Driscoll acknowledged. "Mike, slow to one-quarter impulse power, standard orbit."
"One-quarter impulse, standard orbit, aye."
As the starship settled into orbit above Arus, Driscoll looked around the bridge. He could see the stress of the past week in the faces of his crew. In his book, they'd earned a rest. He leaned over to his first officer and quietly said, "Commander, I think some shore leave is in order after the last couple of weeks we've had. Coordinate with Captain Scott and set up a rotation schedule for leave and repairs."
"Aye, sir," Gredar rumbled.
"And make sure you're name's on that list. That's an order." Since the ship left spacedock, Gredar hadn't taken a single hour off aside from his normal duty rotation. He was the only member of the crew to have done that, and Driscoll knew the Gorn had to be at least as tired as the rest of them.
Gredar grunted a noncommittal reply.
"Skipper, Commander Keith is hailing," Jacobs reported.
"Onscreen."
Keith appeared on the forward viewer and wasted no time on social niceties. "We've got a problem, Adam. Allura's in no shape to fly, and we've got to land Blue Lion."
"Yeah, I'd call that a problem," Adam replied honestly. "Can't you just detach Blue and come back for her later?"
Keith shook his head. "Between the damage and how long we've been combined into Voltron, Blue's power won't last ten minutes once we split up."
That was a bigger problem. Allura probably wouldn't be able to fly for several days yet, and they didn't dare just leave Voltron sitting out for days. By then, all his power would be gone, and he'd be a sitting duck. Someone had to fly Blue.
"Okay, hold on a minute. I'll get back to ya."
Keith nodded, and the screen returned to the image of the planet below. Driscoll rose and headed for the turbolift. "Gredar, you have the bridge," he tossed over his shoulder. Stepping onto the lift, he said, "Sickbay."
The lift discharged him on deck five, a few yards walk from sickbay. When he arrived, Allura was sitting on the side of her bed, tugging on her gloves, speaking excitedly with Dr. Saladin.
"Princess, you are not fit to fly," the doctor was saying. "Your injuries require more time to heal. It has barely been a day."
"Doctor, I have to land my Lion, and that's that." Allura was in full "princess mode." Her tone and body language indicating that her mind was made up, and would not be changed.
"But Your Highness, you don't understand," Saladin continued. "Your reflexes are not as fast as they need to be. Our vision and hearing are still affected by the concussion."
"A little ringing in my ears won't stop me from flying."
At that point, Driscoll stepped in. Laying a hand on Saladin's shoulder, he said, "Sheik, it's a five-minute flight. Just landing, no combat."
"Captain, she is not fit to fly at all."
"Adam, I feel fine," Allura protested.
"Sheik, the problem's bigger than you think," Driscoll said. "Allura's the only one who can land Blue Lion. If she don't get that Lion down within ten minutes after Voltron breaks up, it'll lose power and auger."
"I'm sorry, Adam, but my decision cannot be changed."
"What if I didn't fly?" Allura asked. "What if I were a passenger?"
The two men looked at her skeptically. Saladin was amazed at her stubbornness, and Adam was surprised by her statement. She loved flying Blue. For her to give up the pilot's seat was unconscionable. "What do you mean?" Driscoll asked.
"You could fly, and I'll talk you down."
Saladin shook his head. "You still cannot take the g-load of reentry."
Allura threw her hands up and huffed in exasperation.
"Wait, Sheik. If we let Keith take Voltron down, then beam in for landing, is that okay?"
Saladin thought a moment, scratching his mustache, then sighed. "Yes, I suppose so."
Adam and Allura exchanged smiles. "Meet me in transporter room one in five minutes," Adam said. Allura nodded, and the two left sickbay.
Saladin watched them go, shaking his head.
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When Adam old Keith the plan for getting Blue Lion down, the Voltron Force leader was skeptical. And he was worried. Adam had never flown a Lion, and Allura would be neither in a position or condition to take over if something went wrong. It was exactly the kind of idea where there were more ways to fail than succeed.
Still, it was the only idea they had.
So he began taking Voltron down into Arus' atmosphere. The robot was engulfed in a massive fireball as he descended, and began to shake as gravity pulled him down, and increasing atmospheric density resisted his movement. The g-forces slowly mounted. Three g's, four g's, five. . .
The strain peaked at eight g's, pinning the pilots to their seats as a fiery yellow glow filled their cockpits. Even after centuries of spaceflight, reentry still felt much like it did in the early days.
Finally, the glow faded, and the shaking eased. Keith guided Voltron into an upright position eight miles above the ground.
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Adam and Allura stood on the transporter pad, waiting for Keith's signal. Adam had stopped by the shuttlebay to grab his jacket and helmet from his plane.
Allura turned to him. "You'll want to duck before we beam over. The cockpit's not all that high."
Adam nodded. "Right."
"Ten seconds," the transporter operator warned.
The pilots nodded their understanding. "Don't worry about the controls too much," Allura reminded her companion. "Just focus on the control yoke and pedals. I'll guide you through the rest."
Adam nodded again, clenching and unclenching his hands as his palms began to sweat.
"Commander Keith is hailing. They're ready," the transporter operator announced.
"Okay," Driscoll replied. He crouched and looked at Allura, who was also crouched down. She nodded, and he looked back and the tech. "Okay, Hannigan. Energize."
Allura watched Ensign Hannigan punch a few buttons, then slide his hand up the console. She heard the hum and felt the tingling sensation, and a moment later she was standing in Blue Lion's cockpit.
Adam and Allura quickly took their positions, Adam in the pilot's seat, and Allura in the fold-out jumpseat behind him. As he settled in, Adam felt a curious sensation fill him. But he had no time to focus on it as Keith's face appeared on the small comm screen. "Ready, Adam?"
"You bet," he said.
"Allura?"
"Ready, Keith."
"Okay, here we go." There was a loud clang, and Blue Lion fell away toward the ground. Adam braced himself for any unexpected gyrations or torque effects, but there were none. Instead, he pulled back ever so gently on the control yoke, and the Lion pulled up. Allura was right. It was more like guiding the Lion, as one would a horse, than flying a machine. He scanned the monitors, looking for some sign of the legs having deployed, but there was none. Sensors, power readouts, navigational instruments, and dozens of buttons and switches were all he saw. But somehow, he knew everything was right. HE just had the feeling that all was as it should be. And more, there was a sensation of great power at his fingertips. A barely-restrained, raw, savage power of a magnitude he'd never known, just begging to be unleashed. And he wanted to unleash it, very badly.
Whoa, baby, I'd love to take this kitty out for a spin.
But the controls didn't seem quite as fluid as Allura had described. There was a hesitance, almost as if the Lion were resisting. As he set course for the Castle of Lions, he mentioned that to Allura.
"Yes, Blue Lion is resisting you. It knows you're not me. But it follows your commands, because I'm here."
"Does that have something to do with the Lions' magic?"
"Yes. I'm not sure exactly how it all ties together though."
Adam nodded, then looked forward. The view was like that of a bomber's cockpit, with limited visibility to the sides, and none upward or back. Sliding Blue Lion in on Lance's flank, Adam was surprised to hear Keith say, "Forget the approach formation, Adam. Land and get Allura to the castle."
"Roger that," Driscoll replied.
As they approached the moat, Allura guided him in. "All right, Adam, slow down now," Adam nudged the throttle back. "More… Now dive down into the water."
Driscoll thought she was nuts, but complied. The great cat dove into the water, it's paws stretched ahead of it like an Olympic high-diver, and leveled off just beneath the surface.
"Okay, now steer a little to the right… Good. There's the landing pad." Allura pointed down and ahead.
"Yeah, I got it." Adam glanced at the power gauge, which had been low in the red, but now seemed to have risen a few points. Odd.
"As you approach, slow down… that's it. Now turn left to face the outer bank, pull up and let the Lion settle."
Following her instructions, Adam guided the Lion in for an easy touchdown. Adam looked over his shoulder at the Princess. "Piece a' cake," he said with a smile.
Allura smiled back. "Not bad for a beginner," she replied. Before Adam could reply, the pilot seat and its attached jumpseat slid backward out of the cockpit and descended into a tram car, which took them into the castle. They traveled upward through a long tube, hanging from a bar. They then passed through a forcefield that changed Allura's flight suit into the pink jumpsuit she'd been wearing before she left the palace, but left Adam's clothing untouched.
Finally, the bar lift stopped, and the two stepped out of the launch tube into Castle Control. The rest of the team followed a moment later.
"Princess! Are you all right? What has this hooligan done to you?" Nanny gushed, running up to Allura. Dr. Gorma and Coran followed behind, along with a nurse pushing a wheelchair.
Adam stepped aside and let Nanny fuss over the Princess, remembering his promise to Allura that he'd patch things up with the governess.
"Nanny, I'm fine," Allura was saying. "Adam didn't do anything to me." She mentioned how he'd flown the Lion down with her guidance from the jumpseat. Nanny regarded the Captain with a cold look, then resumed her fussing.
As Allura, Nanny, and the medical staff left the Control Room, the boys got an update from Coran. Nothing noteworthy had happened while they'd been gone. A message had arrived from Starfleet Command that the delivery of the first part of the starbase had been pushed up, and that the core would arrive the next day.
Pidge took over the watch from Coran, and the group broke up. On the way out of the Control Room, Keith stopped Adam in the corridor. "Make it fast, Keith, I've got a lot to do," Adam warned. After what had happened aboard the Berlin, he didn't particularly feel like talking to Keith, but was willing to extend him at least professional courtesy.
Keith bristled at Driscoll's coarse remark, but restrained himself. "I'm not apologizing for what I said yesterday. But it wasn't personal."
Adam was about to express his doubt in no uncertain terms, when an alarm rent the air, and warning lights flashed.
The two commanders looked at each other and spoke in unison, "Dungeon." Their differences swept aside by the call of duty, Keith and Adam raced for the depths of the castle.
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"It's about time you showed up, witch," Lotor said as Haggar appeared outside his cell door. The guard who'd been posted by the door now lay dead, struck down by one of Haggar's dark spells.
"Well, I would have been here sooner, but the traffic was murder," the witch quipped sarcastically. Lotor rolled his eyes. "Spare me your humor and open the door."
The witch raised her hand toward the lock, which began to glow a faint green color, before the door swung open with a loud clank. Lotor stepped out and walked over to the small locker where his weapons were stored. Retrieving them, he activated his laser sword and looked around. Satisfied that the other guards in the area were not yet aware of his escape, he motioned to Haggar and the two headed down the corridor toward the exit.
Anticipating Lotor's question, Haggar said, "We must teleport out from the same place I entered. Patience, My Liege."
Suddenly, they heard an alarm blare. Lotor didn't have to wonder what was happening. His absence had been noticed.
Just as the alarms started, the castle shook, and a muffled boom that was felt more than heard, resounded from several levels above. "That would be Cossack," said Haggar.
Lotor nodded as he broke into a run. Two guards came around a corner at the far end of the corridor, lowering their blasters as they warned, "Halt or we shoot!"
Haggar stunned the first guard with a spell, while Lotor dispatched the other with a slash. The two barely broke stride during the attack, rounding the corner the guards had just passed, only to hear, "Hold it, assholes." There in front of them stood Commander Keith and Captain Driscoll, weapons ready and aimed at the villains' heads.
Lotor glared defiantly at h is enemies, sword at the ready. "Stand aside," he commmanded.
Driscoll thumbed a lever on the back of his weapon, and Lotor heard a whine as the power setting amped up. "Go to hell."
"You first," Lotor spat, lunging at Adam as Haggar's blue cat leaped at Keith from an air duct in the ceiling above, knocking his weapon aside. Lotor's fist connected with Adam's jaw and the captain fell back, stunned. Lotor swung at Keith as he passed, but the commander deflected the sword blow with the barrel of his blaster.
Keith dropped his damaged blaster to the floor and knelt beside Adam as Lotor and Haggar ran off. The dazed starship captain waved him off. "F'get it. Go gettum," he slurred, holding his phaser out to Keith. "Point 'n shoot."
Keith took the pistol and charged off after the escaping prince and witch. As he ran, he pulled his communicator from his belt. "Coran, this is Keith. Lotor's escaped. He and Haggar are heading for ammo bunker three-alpha. Send backup. And send a medical team down to the dungeons, we've got wounded."
"Acknowledged," said Coran.
Keith sprinted sown the corridor, hearing a few blaster shots as he ran, knowing his quarry wasn't far ahead. Coming around a corner, he glimpsed them just ahead as they disappeared into the ammunition bunker. Keith ran up to the door, stopping just short and flattening himself out against the wall. Silently, he counted to three, then swept into the room. He scanned left and right, but saw no one.
Lotor and Haggar were gone. But they left a parting gift. Stacked up against a row of missile warheads was what appeared to be a small explosive device, attached to which was a soccer-ball-sized container of ionized-topaz-enriched lazon. Enough to turn the castle into a smoking hole in the ground.
Keith dropped Adam's phaser and began examining the device. It was extremely complicated, well beyond his ability to defuse. Finally, he found the timer, and for the first time, he was afraid.
They had less than four minutes.
Pulling his communicator from his belt, he called the control room. "Coran, we've got a problem."
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Safely aboard his command ship, Lotor surveyed the activity on the bridge. While Haggar was breaking him out, Cossack had been attacking the castle and nearby villages to distract the Arusians' attention from the jailbreak. Now, the fighters were laying down a screen of suppressive fire while the command ship rose into the sky.
"Ready to recall the fighters, Sire," a droid soldier reported.
"No, redirect attack to the villages. These puny weaklings will pay for their insolence. Nobody treats me like a common thief and gets away with it!" Lotor replied with venom.
The fighters angled away from the castle and moved in on a village to the south, strafing everything in sight. The castle's defensive guns ceased fire so they wouldn't damage the village. But ruby beams were sprouting from the ground like fiery vines as the Starfleet engineers returned fire as best they could with their hand phasers.
Suddenly, the command ship shook violently, throwing several crewmen to the deck. "What was that?" Lotor demanded.
"We're being fired on by the Berlin, Sire," Cossack replied. "Shields failing. We're taking heavy damage!"
"Blast it all!" Lotor growled angrily. He was hot for revenge, but now he had no time. "Retreat!" he ordered. "Back to Planet Doom." On his order, the command ship sped up and away, jinking and weaving as the fighters rose from the village to attack the starship in a suicidal effort to cover Lotor's retreat.
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The alert lights were still flashing when Allura rushed into Castle Control, with Nanny following close behind. "What's happening, Coran?" she asked. On her way up from the infirmary, she'd heard talk of a bomb in one of the castle's magazines.
Coran nodded at one of the monitors. "See for yourself, Highness."
Allura looked at the monitor, where the boys were working feverishly to disarm the bomb, which was attached to a group of missile warheads. "How long do we have?"
"Two minutes, thirty-seven seconds."
"We have to evacuate the Castle," said Nanny.
Allura nodded. "Coran, have the guards start evacuation procedures." She knew it was futile, that with the amount of explosives involved, there was no way anyone would be able to get to a safe distance in time. But it was better than sitting around waiting.
"Come, Princess, we must go," Nanny urged, edging toward the door.
"No, Nanny, I'm staying here," Allura said calmly, turning back to the screen. She wouldn't abandon the boys. They'd always stood by her, and she wasn't about to leave them.
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"One twenty-seven, Keith," said Lance.
"Hunk? Pidge? What's the word?"
"Almost there, Keith," Hunk replied.
Keith's eyes flitted nervously between the timer and the men working to defuse the device. It was his only outward sign of unease.
A moment later, Adam came stumbling in. He took one look at the situation and the corner of his mouth quirked down. "Yikes."
Just then, Pidge jumped up. "Got it!" he announced. The group stared at the timer, frozen at fifty-three seconds.
Then, it ticked down…
And kept going.
"Shit!" Driscoll blurted.
"Redundant timing circuits," Lance said. "Gotta give him points for preparation."
Keith looked at the youngest member. "Pidge, can you get the bomb off the warheads?"
"I can try," Pidge replied.
Pidge and Hunk started scouring the device, trying to figure out how it attached to the warheads. "Looks like some kind of magnetic connection," Hunk said. He looked closer at the shackles. "Oh, no. Pressure switch! If we take it off, it'll blow."
"We have to chance it. Adam, we'll need your help, too."
Adam nodded as Keith quickly described his idea.
Twenty seconds… fifteen…twelve…
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"Detonation in progress," a droid soldier reported.
Lotor smiled. His ship was just leaving the Diamond system, en route to Planet Doom. "Show me," he demanded.
The screen at the front of the bridge displayed a magnified view of Arus, with the Berlin hanging in orbit. Visible just in front of the ship, a fireball bloomed, then slowly faded.
Right where the Castle of Lions used to be.
Lotor's smile broadened into a grin. "So much for the Voltron Force," he said.