Winning Days
Book IV: The Beaten Generation, Part I
By Purrsia Kat
Jeff came out of his daze as the smoke from the robeast's destruction was clearing, and he caught a glimpse of Nerok's fleet retreating. Forgetting he was not the one in command, he sent Voltron – blazing sword still in hand – up toward the retreating vessels. One thing was on his mind – Nerok was gonna pay. Halfway there, his teammates' shouting brought him back to his senses. They were right – it was against everything the Alliance and their codes of conduct stood for to attack a retreating fleet. Truth was, Jeff wanted to strike out so he had an outlet for all the horror and anger which stemmed from what they'd been cornered into doing. As much as he loathed what Keira had done, she didn't deserve that fate and in particular, neither did Sandu. The fact that the Drules would even do that to one of their own burned Jeff to the core.
Voltron hovered in the sky above Phynos, with its pilots lost in a moment of hopelessness and duty bound honor. That was, until something caught Ginger's keen eye and she radioed her observation to the others.
Looking down at the expanse of golden dunes below, he saw it too…something that caught the bright sun and shone back at them brightly. At first he thought it was just a piece of the robeast, but it was too far from the site of its last stand for that. It also could have been a downed Drule vessel, or part of one, although he couldn't imagine its dark metals shining so brilliantly. Even so, it could be from the ships shot down full of Keira's innocent countrymen, so they had to at least check it out. But this time, he waited for Cric to give the order.
Voltron descended still on the defensive. As he neared his immense shadow darkened the desert floor below. Jeff realized that the object wasn't a part of a ship, but an intact but damaged vessel...some sort of small pod. And making their way out of it were two figures.
Could it be?
With one mighty hand, Voltron scooped down into the sand beneath the two figures and stood upright raising the two frightened captives high above the ground, sand sifting through his huge robotic fingers. There huddled together, to Jeff's utter disbelief, were a battered but very much alive Keira and Sandu.
Robots and soldiers alike steered clear of Nerok on the brooding flight back to Drule. The ruthlessly ambitious Drule commander couldn't understand what went wrong. He had them that time, he was sure of it!
But none of the special defenses installed in the robeast effected Voltron as expected. It was as if the intelligence they'd received was bogus. And given such, that's why Nerok chose to retreat instead of responding when he realized the escape pod in the robeast had been launched thanks to a built in mechanism. Generally, the pods were only installed in case something went wrong during routine test flights. They provided a means of escape for the pilot as not to lose a perfectly good robot or soldier in a training or exercise. But any honorable Drule would never eject during a battle. Most had too much loyalty to the Empire, and the rest would know the alert would mean if they were captured, they'd be executed for abandoning the Empire in battle. To use it under those circumstances would mean suicide or self-imposed exile. Hence, Nerok could conclude that somehow, Sandu managed to save his own skin – he would know about the pod's existence. And he very well could have been soft enough to take the alien girl with him.
Part of him was galled that not even that part of his plot had gone right. He'd have savored it so much more if he could be assured that the Voltron Force had to chew on the consequences of their actions. The other part of him was aware that leaving Sandu and the girl alive and in Alliance custody could mean the risk of revealing the spy's identity.
"Screw him," Nerok grumbled to himself. The idiot fouled up something, or that robeast would have been the end of Voltron. Now he had to return to Drule and face not only Twila's gloating but also the scrutiny of the Council as to why their investment in his fleet, robeasts and leadership were warranted. He almost hoped the spy was ratted out and the Alliance hung him for treason – it'd save him the trouble.
Suddenly, a transmission from Drule interrupted Nerok's bleak train of thought. Nerok could hardly believe what he was hearing. A revolt? He'd know, as had the rest of the council along with the Emperor about some puny band of citizens calling themselves the URF, but they were no real threat. Or so he thought. It seemed someone was causing enough trouble on his home planet to cause an urgent alert for all units to return to home base as soon as possible. Furthermore, Hazar and his sister were being accused of aiding the rebels and making an attempt on Throk's life.
A lopsided grin formed on Nerok's face as he thought about how he could take out his frustrations on a bunch of upstarts. And Hazar's second trial – for treason – was something he didn't want to miss. He just hoped Twila hadn't beat him there and gotten him in his own heap of trouble with her lying mouth.
"Full speed ahead," he ordered his crew.
Back at the Explorer, the dining hall was abuzz with activity, as the three teams went over the wild roller coaster ride that was the last battle and all the unexpected events that occurred.
"I can't believe I insulted the Commander," Cliff bemoaned, shaking his head at the memory of his comments to the then mystery pilot that flew Hutch's unit.
Jeff clapped Cliff on the back. "Yeah, way to go. And you thought I was the master of 'open mouth, insert foot'."
"Well the open mouth title is still up for debate," Cliff shot back good-naturedly.
"Best of all, Sandu and Keira made it. I would have hated to have that on my conscious," Ginger added. "It's nice that something worked out for us for a change."
Lisa had been standing there listening to the conversation quietly, when she decided she really ought to sit down and rest for she wasn't exactly feeling up to par yet, herself. As she walked off to find a seat, she noticed Cric sitting in a booth alone. She slid onto the seat across from his.
"I don't like this look for you," she declared.
"And what's that?"
"This moping thing you keep doing," she clarified, though her tone was full of concern rather than condemnation.
"It's just – " he began, sitting back and running his fingers through his blue hair. "I was feeling so good, recharged. And then…"
"What?" Lisa pressed him. "You've got to stop getting down on yourself as a leader. You're doing fine. You were never this way when you just had the Sea Team to lead, but when you think about it, you've only got a few more people to take charge of now."
He shook his head. "It's not that. Not this time."
Lisa frowned. She didn't like the sound of this.
"When we were getting ready to take care of that robeast with Sandu and Keira inside, I had a feeling-"
"But they're ok," Lisa interrupted.
"Let me finish," he urged. "Well, actually, I don't know how to describe it really. I've been sitting here trying to get a grip on it. Like…like we're going to be torn asunder, like the beast was when it met the sword. Usually I see only mere moments into the future, relatively speaking, but I think after Cinda helped clear my mind it opened up and I saw farther than I've ever seen before. So it was strange – a bizarre mix of all the good and bad things to come. I can't explain it any other way."
Lisa sighed in exasperation. But then she considered how he must feel. Ominous vagaries weren't fun for anybody.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, and then followed her gaze to where she was watching Jeff as he laughed and talked with some of his teammates. "You like him, don't you?"
Lisa blinked, snapping out of her daydream. "Huh? Oh, I – well, I – "
"I don't know what you're waiting for," Cric continued with a bluntness that had Lisa speechless for a moment. "Good things, like I was saying before, are waiting for you but only if you act now. So why the delay?"
"I-it's complicated," she finally sputtered.
"It's only as complicated as you're making it," he countered. "Listen, we never know how short our lives are going to be. And we're only human – you can't help who you fall in love with. I just don't want you to look back, as a friend, and see the hurt on your face as you're wondering what might have been."
Lisa sat back in her chair, with her mouth agape. "You, Mr. Straight Laced, are sitting there telling me to break protocol by getting involved with a superior."
Cric grinned at her a strange, knowing grin. "The teams, we all know you have a thing for each other and think about it – you already care for one another so whatever "problems" that would cause is already there. No, I wouldn't flaunt it in front of the Commander, but," he shrugged, "there's no sense in being coy about it. What we do out here in space is so serious. Give yourself a break."
Lisa still wasn't convinced. "But what about Ginger? She's my friend—"
"She's had a crush on Jeff since Academy, right?"
Lisa nodded.
"And in all that time Jeff never showed that kind of romantic interest in her, correct?"
"I guess," Lisa replied. "But-"
"But nothing," Cric interrupted. "It's not meant to be. You sitting back out of respect for her isn't going to make Jeff suddenly fall in love with her. You're just denying yourself your own chance at love. I think she will understand that, too."
Lisa eyed Cric with disbelief. She'd never seen him like this before and she certainly never thought she'd be getting her romantic advice from him. "What has gotten into you?"
"It's like I was telling you, I had some kind of life altering epiphany in that battle, Lisa. All I can tell you is you only live once. You only live once." He patted the table with each syllable with the last line, as if to underscore the point even more. Lisa found it inspiring and strange at the same time.
Keira would have never thought she'd be happy to be on the Explorer again. Not that she was particularly proud of herself but she was feeling oddly grateful to be alive. One thing she'd learned from her ordeal was she did want to live.
As she and Sandu were tended to in the sick bay, she marveled at how he'd saved them both. Luckily, neither was gravely injured – just banged up a bit. His kindness also had taught her something else important – things were rarely as simple as black and white and this fight between the Alliance and the Drules was surely complicated. But there were good people on both sides as much as there was blame and shady dealings. The two of them had both been guests aboard the Explorer before and indeed they had to admit, they were treated well.
Keira just wished she'd seen it before.
She looked to Sandu who sat on the bed next to hers, and noticed how shaken he still looked. Her heart went out to the alien man.
"Thank you," she said softly and in all sincerity.
She thought back to that moment in the robeast when it became apparent Voltron was going to have to strike, and her heart quickened at the memory as if she was reliving that awful moment. While the robeast pilots scrambled to figure out why their "special" weaponry had not worked, Sandu had managed to free himself enough to get them to an escape pod. 'Narrow escape' was putting it mildly – they'd crashed because they were caught too close to the robeast when it exploded. Without Sandu she would surely have perished in that awful beast.
Sandu looked down at his bloodied, bruised hands and looked sorrowful enough that it pained Keira. She supposed he was thinking about what was to become of his family now.
The silence between them was awkward, and it gave Keira time to think about facing the Alliance members she so ungratefully betrayed. She wondered what they would have in store for her, although she didn't fear the prospect in the same way she had before. It didn't escape her attention that even though she'd been cleaned up and bandaged as best that could be done, the medics lingered – of course, they wouldn't want to leave her alone anywhere. Not after how she'd behaved in the past. She sighed, sorely wishing she knew then what she did now. Or at least paid attention to it when it was staring her in the face.
It wasn't long before Commander Hawkins entered the room, with the ones she remembered as Jeff and Lisa trailing behind him. Those two headed off first to talk to the medics, as Keira guessed Lisa's obvious ailments were troubling her. Hawkins, however, made a visit to her and Sandu, and Keira found it hard to meet the man's gaze.
"You two have been through quite an ordeal," he remarked.
"I should have never did their dirty deeds for them, no matter what they held over me," muttered Sandu.
Keira would have vocally seconded the sentiment if she didn't feel so intimidated by Hawkins' presence. Though she didn't fear him the way she had Nerok, she did fear he'd have scorn for her role in so many of the bad things that had happened to them all in recent weeks. Was there anything she could even say that would be adequate? She'd never felt so foolish in all her life.
Keira was grateful when Hawkins turned his attention to Sandu for a moment. "I'm sorry it turned out so poorly for you, Sandu, but you are of course, welcome here."
Sandu nodded slowly. "What's going to happen to us now?"
"We're heading to a small outpost we have on a nearby planet that's pretty small itself. The Drules haven't figured out we're there or seemed to have stumbled upon the planet themselves. As soon as we figure it's safe to land there without anyone noticing, we'll drop the two of you off. Strange as it may sound, I think you'll be safer there rather than here."
Keira liked the idea of land and sun. But what would become of them in the long term? It seemed they were both marooned, without a real home or a people to go back to and the thought made Keira sad.
"But first," Hawkins continued, looking again toward Keira much to her chagrin. "We need you and Lisa to participate in a 'voice line-up' of sorts. I'm sure you know we've got a little spying problem on board. Both of you have heard his voice, but you've not seen his face, correct?"
Keira nodded, knowing Hawkins referred to the Drule sympathizer that helped her cause so much trouble. She would of course, cooperate. It was the least she could do now.
Hawkins looked her over thoughtfully while she still had difficulty looking him in the eye. "I think you've probably seen the unfortunate side of the Drule Empire."
Keira dropped her gaze to her lap and nodded again. She thought back to what Nerok said about her world and what was really happening to the survivors, and her eyes teared up with helplessness and anger. The surge of emotion gave her the courage to look up directly at Hawkins for the first time. "I'm sorry," she managed to choke out, though there was so much more she wanted to articulate. But her mind was in such a jumble from all that had happened and all she'd learned – and all she now felt – it just wasn't possible to explain or show just how much regret she had.
"You're not the first to be tricked by the Drule leaders," Hawkins assured her.
Keira was relieved he seemed to understand a little and that he appeared to believe in her sincerity. He even seemed to sense he could trust her now. It was a start at mending fences, she supposed.
"I can count on you to participate in our efforts to track down our spy?" he asked.
"Yes sir," she responded in earnest. If there was one person she wanted to get what was coming to him, it was that lying creep.
"Thank you. Both you and Sandu rest and get yourselves something to eat," Hawkins suggested. "We'll let you know when we're ready to proceed."
With that, he turned and left. Keira's relief only lasted a short moment for Jeff and Lisa approached next. There was no mistaking the contempt and mistrust coming from the Air Team Leader, and Keira felt another wave of guilt and shame wash over her. Though he said nothing, he didn't have to - his glare said it all. Fortunately, he passed her by to be by Sandu's side. They soon left together, Keira overhearing something about grabbing a bite, which left her alone with Lisa.
Lisa, in the meantime, sat down gently beside Keira on the bed and gathered Keira's hands into her own. "Don't mind him," Lisa assured her, referring to Jeff. "He gets a little overly…intense about things sometimes, but he'll come around."
Keira didn't know what to say and simply offered a weak smile in response.
"Oh, look at your dress," Lisa remarked as she took in the torn and soiled garment.
"It's not mine anyway," Keira confessed with an embarrassed laugh. "I stole it from a store in town – right before…" she trailed off, thinking back to her odd behavior and how she was so sure the seer's words were coming true before her eyes – or so it seemed. It really hadn't been like her at all.
Lisa patted Keira's hand gently. "It's okay," she assured her. "I may have something you can wear."
"I was told the two of us are going to help identify a spy," Keira noted nervously.
Lisa nodded and reached for a zippered pouch on the stand by the bed. "I know what will make you feel better." Rolling up her sleeves, Lisa opened the bag and began to rummage through it, and Keira could see it was full of assorted cosmetics. "I was in here earlier," she explained, "and being able to freshen up a little always raises my spirits. And don't worry about the spy – we've been on heightened alert and the teams will keep us safe."
Up close, Keira could see the areas of Lisa's exposed arms were still holding evidence of quite an injury – puncture wounds that were freshly scarred over - and she couldn't help but admire the woman's strength to overcome it and the unassuming grace with which she did it. Keira wondered if the spy had done that to her. After all, the woman must have had some contact with the spy to be taking part in the ID of him as well.
Lisa pulled out a compact and proceeded to fill the pad with powder. "Your skin is a lot darker than mine, so I'm not sure how well this will work, but we can see. May I?" she asked before she attempted to make-up Keira.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Keira asked, but not with suspicion. Her tone was more filled with amazement than anything.
"Why not?" Lisa replied with a sympathetic smile.
Dorma moved quickly along the dusty streets below the surface of Drule, crumbling buildings towering high above her. She'd heard murmurings of Hazar's return out on the street, and she knew she couldn't stay in hiding forever – he'd need her help. Plus, she had yet to find her father and each hour that passed made that meeting a more dangerous one as surely her family's home would be the first place they'd look for her. She'd found a discarded cloak some time ago and was using it to obscure her identity as best she could even though it was late and the streets were nearly empty.
The eyes of the Drule government, they never rest, she thought bitterly while chancing a glance up at a light post that had a camera affixed to it.
Before Dorma knew what was happening, someone grabbed her from a darkened side street and pinned her up against a building, stifling her cries with his hand. Once Dorma's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she relaxed.
"Father!" she exclaimed after he removed his hand from her face. "I thought…well, I'm sure you've heard by now," she finished weakly.
"You're in a lot of trouble, young lady." The admonishment made her feel like a little girl again and she sighed, not knowing what to say for herself. She wondered if it would do any good to tell him about the rebellion at all, even. "Throk isn't dead, but they're looking for you. And they're bringing Hazar back. They believe the two of you conspired to kill Throk. You're both going to be tried for attempted murder and treason."
Dorma studied her father's stern, aged face. It was hard to read him sometimes, and right now she couldn't decide if he was more upset with her or the situation. "Hazar had nothing to do with this," she explained.
"So you did?"
Mozak's penetrating stare was impossible to ignore. "I – " she stumbled, grasping for where to begin. "It's complicated, father."
He nodded slowly. "I'm sure it is. But you know what's going to complicate matters for you? This rebellion 'rumor' has got the Council up in arms – they're going to make an example out of this and out of you and Hazar."
"Do they think we're in with the rebels?" Dorma asked before thinking.
Mozak arched a brow. "Not yet," he answered simply. "But if they make two of their own pay dearly for treason, I'm sure commoners thinking like thoughts will want to think twice. Or so I would assume this to be the Council's logic."
Dorma took a deep breath. "Do you share their way of thinking, father?"
Mozak paused thoughtfully before answering. She knew the old man was no fool and that he likely had an inkling of how deep into it she was. "I think you know I haven't seen eye to eye with this government for a long time. Especially after what they did to your brother when he finally got brave enough to say what people like myself have been thinking. But I'm old, child…"
He looked away out toward the street, and Dorma thought she saw the glint of a tear forming in his eye. She bowed her head, feeling so much like weeping herself.
"I want you to know, father, that whatever I've done, it was for the good of all. No matter what happens or what they'll say, I would never shame our family name," Dorma explained, her voice cracking with emotion.
Mozak laid a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her in for a hug. After squeezing her tightly, he released her and looked upon her face with the pride and affection only a father could muster. "I could never be ashamed of you and Hazar," he assured her.
With that, he turned to go. He had almost disappeared into the shadows when he turned to say one last thing. "I'd appreciate those papers back that you took from my office when you have a chance. They were my only copies that I took from the Council Building, and once they figure out they're missing then I'm going to be in a bit of trouble myself."
Dorma's eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed. Indeed the man was no fool. At a loss for words, she nodded numbly and then stared after his form until it was gone. She stayed in that alley for a moment, reflecting on and taking comfort in the wider meaning of his comment. If he'd taken the documents she'd swiped without consent, which means he didn't know the truth about the planet's deteriorating condition and he was the good-hearted man she always thought he was. The only thing she wondered is what he had planned to do with them…
At long last, Sven had the Explorer in sight, though he missed Planet Pollux already. It'd been a long flight, even at the amazingly high speeds his shuttle was equipped to run at, and to say he had jet lag would be putting it mildly. Therefore, he was more than a little relieved to find the radar quiet and see the Explorer and her fleet cruising through space in relative tranquility. He'd seemed to be lucky enough to arrive during a lull in the action.
Good, he thought, maybe I'll have some time to relax and shake this weariness off before I'm actually needed.
Though he realized there'd be briefings and training to do. But it never hurt to hope.
The Explorer resembled a space-worthy aircraft carrier, and Sven guided his craft onto the long landing strip that comprised the front 1/3 of the mighty vessel. Slowing, he cruised into the docking bay and at long last could shut the engines down. Looking out the canopy, he could see two figures in Alliance issued brown uniforms waiting for him to disembark, along with who he guessed was the leaders of the Voltron Teams present on the Explorer – two of whom he recognized from his Academy days back at Galaxy Garrison. Even from this distance, he could tell Jeff and Cliff had changed little, at least in their appearances. Though he would venture to guess the war with the Drule Empire had changed them in other ways, much like himself and the Lion Force back in the Denubian Galaxy.
As he got out and made his way toward the men who were there to greet him, he noticed the specialized vehicles parked in groups of five in the hangar. No doubt, he figured, the very ships that could join to comprise the Garrison's own version of Voltron that was based on the Arusian one.
He hoped he didn't look as tired as he felt. "Sven Helgeson reporting for duty," he introduced himself, surprised at how dry and cracked his voice sounded.
The tall dark-haired officer extended his hand to Sven first. "Commander Hawkins," the man replied, his voice deep and quite commanding of itself.
Sven took his hand firmly and nodded.
"This is Captain Newley," Hawkins went on, gesturing toward the other man in brown. "And you may know some of our team leaders here – Jeff, Cliff and Cric."
"I do," Sven confirmed, offering a tired smile in their direction.
Once all the introductions and handshakes were out of the way, Sven was briefed on the situation as well as warned about the security problem on board the Explorer. Indeed it was every bit of the mess the Garrison hinted at when he got the call to come lend a hand.
"I understand you used to pilot one of the Lions in the Arusian Voltron," Hawkins remarked as he led the group of men over to where the five units comprising the Land Team's vehicles were docked.
"Used to?" Cric wondered aloud. "What happened?"
Sven shrugged. "I got hurt fending off the old witch Haggar. While I was gone and on the mend, Arus' Princess Allura took my place and I just never went back to it after I healed," he explained keeping the story short and skipping over the unpleasant stint in the Pit of Skulls. "I preferred to stay on Arus' sister planet, Pollux, to help defend it against our mutual enemy – Zarkon and his lot on Planet Doom."
"A witch?" Cliff echoed with some disbelief. "At least we don't have to deal with any Drule Voodoo in this part of the galaxy," he added gratefully.
They all gathered around the ship that forms one of Voltron's feet, which would normally be piloted by Hutch. "Ironic then, that you've been called upon to sub for an injured pilot," Hawkins remarked. "Our Voltron, while employing the basic concepts and much of the weaponry of the Arusian original, is quite different as you can see. Instead of five Lions that combine, we have 15 specialized space vehicles that combine. While, Dr. Loring's design does afford us certain advantages over the legendary Lion Voltron – such as we can form Voltron with a part or two missing sometimes if we must – there's other not-so-advantageous facts about this version."
"So you could form Voltron without this ship," Sven guessed, gesturing toward Hutch's spacecraft.
Cliff fielded this one. "We could, technically, being it is just the foot – we've even gone headless before," he added, shooting an amused grin Jeff's way. "While it is possible and often better than no Voltron at all, the thing is, it's not as effective. It's only when all fifteen parts come together that Voltron is at his best. We've got limited stored energy to work with as it is when we're combined so we usually like to go in at optimal strength if we can help it."
"And with how aggressive the Drules have been lately," Cric added, "we need every advantage we can get."
Sven nodded. It made sense to him.
"What's worse," said Newley, "is we're in an area where what few allies we might have counted on aren't sure what to make of the mess at Rilo – I'm sure you got the briefing on that from Galaxy Garrison. We were on our own in the last battle and that nearly cost us. We can't afford to be vulnerable in any other way. We barely have enough time to patch up Voltron before the next wave hits as it is. He's taken a beating."
He looked the unit over, and marveled at how different it was from the lion he once flew. This particular part would fit right in on any highway back home on Earth if not for its oversized proportions.
"You'll be on Cliff's team," Newley said, "as part of the land unit. We've got a uniform and helmet ready for you along with scheduled flight and formation drills. Of course, we'll let you rest up first."
Sven couldn't help but look markedly relieved.
"Cliff will show you to your quarters," Hawkins said, "and brief you on a few things specific to this particular craft before your first drill."
Dismissed, Sven followed Cliff to his designated quarters and tried to focus his tired mind on what the land team leader was telling him. It was a lot to take in at once and Sven wondered how long he'd be on this detail. And how soon before he could go back to Pollux.
Nerok stormed into the Council Building, where Hazar was already inside in a hearing before the Supreme Council, only to be turned away by the guards at the door to the Council Room. The meeting, it seemed was a closed one. But at least that meant Twila wasn't in there running her mouth yet.
Adding to Nerok's irritation was the presence of Twila, who was loitering outside the Council Room, sure enough. Even Nerok wouldn't usually stoop so low as to strike a woman, but he had the urge to punch that woman's teeth out. Yet, he restrained himself.
"What are you doing here?" he snapped at her.
She smiled sweetly. "I thought the council might be interested in hearing why your last trip was such a failure, and that your brilliant spy isn't so much."
Nerok shook with anger. "Woman," he seethed through gritted teeth, "if you bring those lies to the Council table, I'm going to break your jaw."
Twila's response – to laugh derisively to show she was clearly unimpressed with the threat – infuriated Nerok more. But then he realized that his reactions were only feeding into her little game. So he decided to switch tacks.
"I think," he said coolly, "the Council will be more interested in how my plans for Hazar would help them flush out those irritating little rebels."
Just the way she stood with her hands on her hips, looking down her nose at him made Nerok want to spit nails. "Oh? Well, that'll be really interesting as long as you're not sharing the gallows with Hazar after I'm done in there."
He couldn't help it – that woman had a way of getting to him. Every bone in her body, he fumed, that's what I'm going to break.
Nerok hadn't taken two steps toward her when the building began to shake violently and then started to crumble around them at a frightening pace.
Rebels! They dare strike the council building!
He tried to run out, but the blinding and choking dust slowed him too much, and he soon found himself under a pile of heavy debris when the tremor was over.
Nerok was still conscious. Other than a few shouts and some moaning, along with the sound of debris settling, was all that could be heard. Nerok himself could do little more than grunt, the weight bearing down on him was so strong from whatever had landed atop him. He couldn't even get enough air in his lungs to cough, though he wanted to badly.
Agonizing minutes passed and no help seemed to arrive. All the while it was getting harder and harder for Nerok to breathe. Finally, he saw in the settling dust and emergency lights, a slight figure approach him. His relief was soon replaced by horror as he realized it was a bruised and battered Twila. But surely she'd help a fellow officer…
"Help me," he wheezed out, the fingers on his outstretched arms reaching out toward her boots. The weight of the debris on his back was becoming unbearable. Other than his arms and his head, he couldn't budge.
It seemed like Twila stared down at him forever. She bent down and swiped a blinking communicator that Nerok had dropped. And then, without a word she left him there to draw his last agonizing breaths.
Word spread fast around the Explorer – Hutch was coming to, slowly coming back to the world of consciousness. It wasn't long before his recovery room was full of his teammates and other well-wishers. They were glad they were able to greet him, given the decision to leave him behind at the base was nixed – even with the spy about and the attempt on his life – in favor of having the specialists come to him and simply increase security. The reasoning being, having one's loved ones around for support was often as critical to a patient's recovery as competent medical care. The move now seemed to pay off, finally.
"Hey, buddy," Cliff said as Hutch's lids fluttered open. "Welcome back."
Hutch was still hooked up to a respirator, so he couldn't reply if he'd wanted to, but his reaction seemed to communicate that he heard and understood his teammate. Which pleased the doctor immensely.
"It'll be a long while before he's off the respirator, much less cleared for flight," the doctor reminded them. "But he's out of the woods now. In large thanks to Lisa who alerted us to the tampering done to his IV. He shows great cognitive response so I think he'll be alright."
The room erupted in cheers as Lisa flushed at the attention.
Soon the teams dispersed to leave Hutch's closest friend and teammate, Marvin, to catch him up on what had happened since he was injured. Lisa, though glad she'd done what she'd done, was glad she was no longer the center of attention. Having the spotlight was never something she was ever comfortable with, and she thought she'd head off to one of the lounges and rest a while for her own healing injuries were starting to get the best of her.
She assumed the others would head off to the cafeteria to celebrate the good news about Hutch, so finding a quiet place wouldn't be too hard. Though she was also mindful not to get too isolated either, being a key witness to the upcoming voice line-up. Not that she had to worry – the first lounge she came to was the one that had been used as Keira's temporary quarters from before, and in there she found Jeff. He was alone, standing in front of the window and looking out at the stars.
"Hey," she said softly when she got close, and felt a little bad when he startled. She hadn't meant to sneak up on him, but she figured he must have been pretty deep in thought.
"Lisa," he greeted her warmly and with a smile as soon as he realized what was going on. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," she said honestly, while she gently eased herself onto the soft cushion of a loveseat nearby.
"You should be takin' it easy," he replied, his genuine concern touching.
She patted the cushion beside her, beckoning him to sit. He needed no further coaxing. "That's really something about Hutch. I'm so glad he'll pull through."
"Yeah, me too," Jeff agreed.
Lisa didn't realize her next move sent out an odd signal until she noticed the look on Jeff's face as she zipped the front of her uniform down a bit. She flushed a little as she searched for the charm that hung around her neck.
"I know Shannon says I'm too superstitious, among other things," she explained while unclasping the chain and producing the item with its beautiful crystalline charm from around her neck. "But I brought this gem with me from my home world on this journey because my people believe it gives good luck. It's a moonstone." She held it out for his inspection. The starlight coming through the window glinted off the stone, making it luminescent.
"I-it's pretty, Lisa," he replied, and she could tell he couldn't figure where she was going with the story. And she was also pretty sure Jeff didn't believe in charms or fate or anything of the sort. But she did and that's why she was doing this.
"I really believe this charm saved me during that fight with the robeast where I got hurt. You have to admit it was pretty miraculous that the worse didn't happen," she told him.
Jeff nodded solemnly, waiting for her to go on.
"But I want you to have it now." She took one of his hands and pressed the necklace into his palm, then folded his fingers over it. "I know, maybe you don't believe in that stuff, but it would make me feel better if you had it now." She was thinking back to her conversation with Cric earlier and, maybe she was reading too much into it, but she had a scary feeling it was more than the concept of true love that had him telling her to enjoy their love while they had the chance.
"Okay," he said, still clasping the gem in his fist, though obviously still quite uncertain.
"Thank you. And thank you for not making fun of me," she added with a little laugh.
"Nah, we still got Hutch around for that."
Lisa laughed more as she sank back into the soft, inviting cushions of the loveseat and once again became aware of just how exhausted she really was. "You won't feel terribly offended if I fall asleep, will you?"
"No, not at all." He then pulled her close to him and she did not resist. His warmth was welcome and in his arms she felt safe as she dozed off peacefully. Cric was right – when she wasn't making things up to be complicated it just felt right.
What was a turn of very bad luck for Nerok turned out to be a blessing for Hazar. The Council Building, though not totally collapsed, was heavily damaged, and the commotion allowed him a chance to escape being that he was among the lucky not killed or trapped by parts of the falling structure.
Furthermore, it was clear his "trial" was even more of a joke than the first that had gotten him exiled. The Council was panicked – their losses to the Alliance while the Space Explorers crept ever-closer to their world, the rumored rebellion and growing unrest among others such as himself and Mongo, along with the reality of their dying planet was getting to be too much. And Hazar could see the writing on the wall. They weren't interested in what really happened to Throk or why. They simply wanted a scapegoat to make an example out of before they lost what little control they had left over the citizens. The same citizens Hazar were only interested in evacuating and saving.
Normally, Hazar wouldn't slink off like some common criminal, but he realized he couldn't do his people any good locked up – or worse. And clearly, that's where those proceedings were going. So with the dust and chaos as his cover, Hazar snuck out and made his escape, unsure of just where he was going to go. That is, until a cloaked figure approached him. The woman spoke his name and Hazar recognized the voice immediately.
She pulled him aside in time to avoid the troop of Drule soldiers and tanks that were rushing to the scene at the Council Building. They huddled in the shadows for a moment before Hazar spoke.
"What happened?" he asked, as he thought perhaps it was the rebels as well.
Dorma looked up at him perplexed. "How should I know? The whole city shook more violently than ever before. I thought it was over," she added bluntly.
"Everyone thinks the rebels hit the Council Building. But if this thing was city-wide…"
Dorma nodded. "Trust me, it wasn't us. Although I almost wish it was. Do you know what this means?" She looked at him with eyes wide with fear. "It's happening, Hazar. Sooner than anyone thought it would. Our world…it's in its death throes."
Hazar closed his eyes, overwhelmed with it all. How could they all possibly evacuate in time now? Especially with the mad men still in power? He or Dorma would be arrested before they could do much of anything in public. It seemed so utterly hopeless.
Hazar's eyes shot open as an idea came to him. "We need the Alliance," he said simply. "We've got to get an S.O.S. out to them and hope they think it sincere."
Dorma didn't argue, likely seeing the need for as many ships as they can get to move such a large population overriding any xenophobic fears. "I think I know where we can try that," she offered.
"Good," Hazar replied. "While they're on their way we have work to do. We're going to have to stage a coup."
Dorma looked at him a long moment before slowly nodding. Though to him, she had the look of a woman who had just signed her own suicide note.
"You understand, don't you?" he asked, but as much explaining to convince himself it had to be done as it was for her benefit. Besides, they already had it in for them, so they might as well try. "They'll never let the Alliance help us, even if this planet is crumbling around them. They're too full of pride and fear. We have to get them out of power so we can do what we have to for our people. If that makes us traitors…" he trailed off, letting the implication speak for itself.
Dorma reached out and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we've got to take advantage of the fact that their attention is on the Council Building. Let's go!"
They turned to go when two figures emerged in their path. Hazar was ready to fight his way past until he realized who they were – his own parents.
"Thank the stars we found you here," Mozak said. "And Hazar – you escaped!"
Both he and Dorma gasped when they got a good look at what condition their parents were in as they came into better light.
"What happened?" Dorma pleaded, rushing to their side. "Did the tremor get the house?"
Mozak shook his head bitterly. "Worse. They came by looking for you, Dorma. They were already there terrorizing your mother when I got back."
Hazar could guess who "they" were. The Empire had surely lost its mind if it was now stooping to roughing-up its senior citizens.
"It ends tonight," Hazar said with determination. "Let's go. We've got a message to get to the Explorer."
Jeff sat holding Lisa for quite a while, and though he was grateful for the opportunity to have her so close along with her willingness to be held, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. At least, after the way she'd ran out of the room at the gala when he was so bold as to kiss her, he wasn't sure what to make of the mixed signals. Maybe he was just moving too fast for her before.
He could tell by her soft, even breaths she was asleep, and Jeff used the arm he had wrapped around her to give her a quick, affectionate squeeze and press her closer to him. He was more than just intrigued or crushing on her at this point. Jeff was in love, and for the first time. Sure, he'd dated others back home and had fond memories of some of those girls. But this certainly felt different. The defining moment, he supposed, was when he thought he'd witnessed the destruction of the Aqua Fighter a few battles ago, and Lisa with it. He felt a sorrow he never thought possible just in that instant, and by contrast, and equally unmatched joy when he realized they made it – and more importantly, she made it – out alive.
However, he wanted to tread lightly, for if nothing else worked out between them, he didn't want their friendship to be sacrificed. The other stuff, he was less concerned about – such as what everyone else thought. And he certainly hadn't clued in to how Ginger factored into it all, as focused as he'd been on Lisa.
He was going to simply try to enjoy the moment and peace and quiet for what it was. It seemed to be over all too soon, when Ginger breezed through the doorway. Jeff made no attempt this time to hide what was going on, and simply regarded Ginger like it was no big deal. For Ginger's part, if it bothered her, she wasn't showing it outwardly.
"Here you are," she remarked casually enough. Though Jeff thought he detected a little waver in her tone. "The Commander wants to see you."
Jeff gently moved Lisa as not to wake her, leaving her still upright but leaning against the loveseat for support, so he could get up. Ginger picked up on his questioning glance.
"Don't worry, I'll stay with her. She's going to be needed soon anyway – Keira's in right now trying to identify the spy by voice." Ginger explained. "Just get going – it's urgent, whatever it is. He's in the conference room." Ginger sat down softly next to the slumbering Lisa and offered Jeff a quick smile of support.
Jeff put the charm Lisa had given him around his neck before thanking Ginger and heading out to meet Hawkins.
He entered the room to find Hawkins and the other team members already gathered.
"Glad you could make it," Cliff cracked, eyeing the gem around Jeff's neck. "Big line at the costume jewelry shop?"
Jeff shot Cliff a look that communicated something along the lines of a give me a break kind of sentiment. "Yeah, your mother was there making a big stink over that ugly thing you got her that she was trying to return," he shot back.
Hawkins cleared his throat. "If you two are done, I'd like to get to the point." After some muttered apologies, he continued. "First of all, we've found that my office has indeed been bugged and are meeting here for this room has been cleared as secure. You probably also already know that Keira is in the lower deck, trying to ID our spy by voice alone. We may or may not be able to trust her with this, but we also have Lisa to hopefully corroborate what Keira may reveal. All personnel on board will have to go through the process, including the Voltron Force."
Jeff couldn't believe his ears. "Sir, you can't possibly think-"
"Honestly, Jeff, I don't," Hawkins interrupted. "But we need to clear the teams on some kind of evidentiary level. And if you're worried Keira might finger one of you as some sort of new way to cause trouble, don't worry – it won't stick unless Lisa can back her up. We've just called up the bridge staff to go through the process. We're trying to first hit the people most likely to have had the kind of knowledge the spy seems to have, given the security clearance and electronics know-how he or she has displayed. The laundry crew and maids, therefore, are not first priority as you might imagine."
Jeff relaxed a little. At least that much made sense.
Cric didn't seem concerned. "Sounds fair enough to me. Have we learned any more about Keira or her people?"
Hawkins nodded. "In fact, we have. Turns out they did draw blood when we first brought Keira on board and DNA analysis confirms what Newley had first suspected when he briefed us before – she's indeed descended from the people who long-ago commandeered that prison shuttle. So all our hunches about their aversion to advanced technology was correct and all but guarantees nothing she pulled off before she'd done on her own. Now that she's cooperating, she confirms much of this as well."
"And what of the survivors from her world?" Cliff wondered.
Hawkins sighed. "As you might have guessed, we've been trying to track them and bring them to safety, but they've not been too responsive. There's not too many left, from what we can gather. It's very discouraging and discomforting news. But that's not the least of the reasons I've called you all in here."
Jeff definitely didn't like the sound of this!
Hawkins studied his team leaders closely before he went on. "We've gotten a call from Commander Hazar, from planet Drule itself."
The team leaders gaped at one another wondering what this was leading to.
"Earlier intelligence told us he'd been demoted for trying to make a genuine peace with us. But it seems he's been brought back to Drule and not only is he in peril, but of more concern to him is the fate of his people. His world, it's dying faster than they'd all thought."
Jeff was the first to break the stunned silence that followed. "And….what can we do?"
Hawkins looked at Jeff levelly. "We haven't gotten final orders from Galaxy Garrison yet, but I think it's very likely that you must prepare yourself for a visit to Drule, a move which will be viewed as an invasion by their high command, I'm sure. However, we cannot in good conscience turn Hazar away or let the Drule citizenry perish."
"Hazar has indeed proven himself trustworthy," Cric began carefully, "but this is a task we don't seem equipped to carry out, with all due respect sir."
Cliff chimed in as well. "I agree. Even if we do make it to the surface of their world without being torn to ribbons, we don't have enough transports in this quadrant to evacuate a whole planet, do we sir?"
Hawkins handled the doubts with amazing patience. "Even so, we have to try to do what we can and pray another fleet can reach us in time to get as many people as we can. Even if we can't save them all, it's better than nothing. In the meantime, Hazar has assured us that he and a group of citizens – a band called the URF that we've also had some intelligence on for some time – are going to try to do what they can against those who are in power in the hopes that we won't meet with too much resistance upon our arrival. They'll also try to take as many of their own ships as possible to aid in their own evacuation."
Jeff didn't feel at all comforted by the notion. The idea that a band of rebels were going to put enough dents in the Drule power structure to make a difference in time wasn't a likely one. They'd been fighting the same tyrants for more than a year! He supposed this was as good a time as any to start believing in lucky charms. They would need it.
"In the meantime, I want Cliff to take Sven out and run drills with the rest of the Land Team. He's definitely got to get used to piloting Hutch's vehicle. Later on, all teams will practice together, including the forming of Voltron." Satisfied the teams had nothing more to say in protest, Hawkins sent them on their way. "Oh, Jeff?" Hawkins called after the Air Team leader before he filed out the door behind his comrades.
Jeff turned to face Hawkins. "Yes, sir?"
"I forgot to add, you're being reinstated as leader of the Voltron Force for this mission, but you're also on probation – so don't get over zealous."
Jeff was stunned and at first, didn't know what to say. "Thank you, sir." He managed.
"Don't thank me, you earned it."
Jeff exited the room feeling invigorated despite the ominous mission ahead, and decided to head down to where Keira was likely making the voice ID's, and wondering if Lisa had already been awakened to prepare for her part in the task. Besides, it'd likely be his turn to go soon, although he hoped they got the guy before he had to do so.
Jeff walked on, and eventually found himself in a quiet and lonely corridor as he continued to mull things over. Slowing his pace, Jeff realized he wasn't so alone when he heard a man's voice, though lowered, from around the corner. Some manner of instinct told Jeff to stop and listen. He leaned his back against the wall near where the hall intersected with the next, and strained to hear what was being said.
"They're closing in on me," Jeff could hear the man tell somebody. "I've got to leave, but you need to promise me asylum," the man demanded. "Ok, fine, he promised me asylum but woman, your whole damn Empire owes me," Jeff heard the man insist. "That information was bad, I know, but I didn't know it at the time. But I still got that ship to you because of things I know – it's not my fault Nerok couldn't keep it in his possession. Believe me, you still need me, especially if you want to have a prayer when they invade your planet."
Jeff scowled, as even in the hushed state, the voice was very familiar. His heart raced for he knew the man who had long betrayed everyone on that ship was around the corner. He briefly considered going back for help, but this was his chance to make sure the traitor paid – for all he'd done to Hutch, to Lisa – hell, even to Keira for poisoning her mind against them. If he left now, he risked the man getting away as it was clear he was spooked and ready to run.
Taking his pistol out of its holster, Jeff slowly crept around the corner. Since he could not hear anyone replying to the man, he was fairly certain the spy must have been tele-communicating with his conspirators. Sure enough, there was nobody else in the corridor and as luck would have it the spy's back was to Jeff.
Jeff couldn't help but feel a stab of disgust at the man, wearing the brown Alliance uniform and disgracing it so. Silently he crept into the corridor with the man and leveled his pistol at him.
"Forget about that. I already made it worth your while," the man continued, oblivious so far to Jeff's presence. "Hawkins won't live to command the invasion of Drule. I guarantee it – the clock is already ticking on his life. Now you owe it to me to welcome me with open arms when I get there. Don't double cross me – you'll regret it."
Jeff couldn't believe what he'd just heard and fought the urge to shoot the man in the back. "I'll save 'em the trouble," Jeff snarled, his pistol still aimed threateningly.
The man whirled around and looked genuinely shocked to find a gun less than an arm's length from his face.
Jeff let out a shocked gasp upon seeing the traitor's face. That moment of surprise was all the spy needed to take advantage, and before Jeff could get a shot off, his pistol was knocked clear. The two then fought hand to hand, trading blows – each fighting deftly for their own life.
But the traitor fought better than Jeff would have expected, further amplifying the feeling that this was a man Jeff really never knew at all. The man twisted him with a hold impossible for Jeff to struggle out of while trying to squeeze the very breath out of him with his bare hands. In the struggle, the moon stone charm Lisa had given him was ripped from around his neck and scattered across the corridor where it came to rest against the wall.
Jeff pulled, dug and grabbed at his assailants hands to no avail. He was also unable to writhe out from under the man's body weight. It was no use.
"You arrogant pilots, you're all alike," the spy grunted as he squeezed his hands tighter around Jeff's throat. "Bet you wish you didn't play hero now."
Jeff could only gasp and wheeze in response.
All of Jeff's fear and anger began dissipating as his breath left him and he became light-headed. He had not the strength to struggle any longer and one last shock of panic lit through him as he realized he was fast losing his conscious grip on the world. He found the dream-like images that flashed through his mind strangely comforting. They were memories – mental snapshots from his life – and the final one before the world went dark was of Lisa's beautiful, soft face.
...TO BE CONTINUED