Chapter 5

The Red Lion

Chezor walked inside the Green Lion with Abby, sitting on the bed that sat on the right side of the Lion. She watched Abby walk forward, sit in the pilot chair which slid her forward, and grab the joysticks. Chezor closed her eyes and lay back on the bed, feeling the jolt as the Lion took off. She took a deep breath and relaxed her body. She had left Earth probably about a day ago and from that time had hardly gotten any sleep, and she had opened two wormholes. Abby was half Altayan so she should be able to open the next. "Chezor," Abby suddenly called.

"What?" Chezor asked not opening her eyes.

"The Lion wants you to open a wormhole," Chezor opened her eyes.

"Can't you do it?" she asked. "You are half Altayan."

"How?" Abby asked. Chezor sighed, stood and walked over to Abby.

"Put your hand on the control module," she said, "that's what I did." Abby looked at the control module, shrugged and put her hand on its surface. Nothing happened. Chezor looked at her.

"Do you feel anything?" she asked.

"Am I supposed to?" Abby responded. They waited for a few more ticks then Chezor sighed.

"Alight," she said. "Move your hand, your Lion apparently wants me to open a wormhole." Chezor gently touched the control module. As soon as she put her hand down a wormhole appeared in front of them. Chezor slumped against the wall as they flew inside it, beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. She felt exhausted. Abby looked at her in concern.

"I'm fine," Chezor said waving her hand. "Just a little bit tired.

"You guys seeing this?" Alic suddenly said. Chezor and Abby looked up and they exited the wormhole. A burning planet sat in front of them, its surface was completely red with lava.

"Wow," Chezor breathed, "it looks like Mustafar!" Abby blinked.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Ignore me," Chezor said. "Nerd reference." They flew down to the planet's surface. As they neared it Chezor began to feel something, a pull, like some energy was calling to her.

"Did your Lion say anything about who the pilot was?" Alic asked. "Like if they are on the planet's surface? It seems kind of weird to bring us to the right planet without our next pilot.

"No," Abby said shrugging

"Because it's me," Chezor said, her eyes glued onto the planet. "I can feel it. It's like the lion is calling to me."

"Oh," Alic said, "that's convenient. You're already here." They continued to fly down to the planet's surface, Chezor directing them. The Lions landed on a small stone island surrounded by lava. A bridge stretched out, crossing the river and ended at the entrance of a cave with two stone lions cared around it.

"Bad news Chezor," Abby said. "The planet's surface is toxic to breathe in. You need a space helmet which we don't have."

"Hey what is that?" Celk asked. "Behind the cave entrance." Chezor turned and saw a white ship. It was now covered in soot and ash, but didn't look as though it had been there for very long.

"That's an Altayan ship!" Alic said. "It's a new model, built for exploring planets; it's fast but has next to no armor."

"So Altayans found the lion…" Celk whispered, "What should we do?" Chezor stared at the cave entrance, her hand slowly closed into a fist of anger. How dare they, how dare they touch her lion! She looked down at the small gun lying on the ground. She picked it up and turned to Abby.

"How long can I be outside the Lion before I pass out from lack of oxygen?" she asked. Abby looked at her in surprise. Her hands flew over the control module calculating.

"About eleven dobashs," she said shrugging. Eleven dobashs Chezor thought that is about ten Earth minutes.

"Open the Lion." Abby looked at her in shock.

"What!" she said, "Did you not just hear me!"

"I don't have time to think of another idea!" Chezor responded. "The Altayans are about to get the next lion. We can't let them steal our last chance to save the universe! If I'm not back in twelve dobashs, find someone else to pilot the lion."

"This isn't a very good idea!" Alic said. "They'll have sentries with them!" Abby pressed buttons on her control module. The Lion lowered its head.

"Abby!" Alic shouted. "What are you doing!" Abby turned to Chezor and nodded.

"Go," she said. Chezor nodded and smiled. The lion opened its mouth.

Chezor looked across the burning bridge, took a deep breath, set the stop watch on her watch and ran out onto the mountain side. She instantly felt the difference in the air, it was thinner, hotter. She sprinted across the bridge, the burning air stinging her skin, she ran into the tunnel, her Galra night vision helping her navigate.

She leaned heavily against the wall of the tunnel and gasped for breath, the air burned her lungs. As her sweating skin pressed against the stone the cave lit up with pictures of red lions. She gasped in shock and span around looking at the glowing images. Suddenly she doubled over coughing, her lungs screamed for air. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her breathing and looked down at her watch - 3:25. Taking a deep breath she ran on. The farther she got, the more breaks she needed, the more she bent over, coughing. The air was poisoning her, she could feel it. Finally Chezor reached where the door protecting the lion should have stood, but instead it lay on the floor, blackened. A cloud of ash and dust still floated around the entrance of the cave the door had one kept hidden, obscuring her view. Anger pulsed through her veins, this temple had stood for thousands of years, and yet here came the Altayans, blasting it apart to get what was inside. Typical. If the Altayan Empire wanted something, they would get it, no matter what fell in its wake. Chezor heard voices from beyond the fallen door. She creped forward, stopping just outside the door, listening. The cloud of dust slowly dissipated around her. "Fascinating," a male voice said. "This strange ship is giving off a higher reading of quintessence then I have ever seen! More than should even be possible! I think we have finally found what Emperor Alfor has been looking for!" From her vantage point Chezor could see one Altayan busy typing away on a hollo-screen, around him she could see two sentries, each holding guns. She leaned out farther, unable to resist the pull to see her lion. Her jaw fell open is shock, the lion was a flaming red color, hiding behind a glowing red particle barrier. Chezor shook herself, focus she thought. Angling her gun, she managed to see three other sentries in its reflection. She looked down at her watch again - 6:42. Her breath was coming out more ragged and labored. Each breath took effort and left her lungs feeling deprived of air. Her gun was small - she could only take out two sentries (if that) before the element of surprise was no longer hers. Angling the gun again she managed to see a large stone behind the three sentries. Chezor tightened the grip on her gun victory or death she thought. Her father had always hated that saying. But Chezor found strength in it. To her it has always meant 'I will never stop until I succeed.' She ran out into the open, her gun firing and managed to take out two sentries before bullets began to fly around her. She dove behind the stone, but just as she did a bullet slammed into her thigh. She screamed and pulled her leg behind the protection of the stone. Blood already poured out of her leg, soaking her pants; she griped her leg as agony shot through it. Bullets flew around her. Desperately she tried to think of some sort of plan. "I didn't think a rebel would follow us here," the Altayan called out through the fray of bullets. Chezor griped her leg, too out of breath and too filled with pain to respond. She looked down at her watch again - 8:52. Chezor leaped out from behind the rock, her leg screaming in pain. Bullets few around her. She ran in a wavy line, jumping from foot to foot making herself an impossible target. She jumped onto the first sentry, slamming her claws into it face. She leaped off, using the dead robot as a shield, she slammed into the second shooting her gun as she did. She wrenched the gun out of the robot's hand and shot the 5th and final sentry. Her lungs felt tight and burned in her chest. She knew running had decreased her time but she didn't have time to think of another option. She ran to the Altayan, kicked his knee, causing him to fall then kicked his gun away. She pointed the sentry's gun at his face, dropping the bullet-filled sentry she had used as a shield.

"Please," the Altayan said. "You can have the ship, just don't shoot me." Chezor wanted to, Altayans had taken everything from her, they had taken the life she had wanted to live, a life off of Earth with her sister and mother. They had forced millions into slavery and had killed hundreds more. Yet Chezor saw something in the Altalayn's eyes - innocence, fear. This man hadn't chosen his life any more than she had chosen hers. He was a prisoner to fate, to this war just as she was. Chezor stood staring at the man, feeling torn. Finally she lowered the gun. The man ran out of the cave, stumbling in fear. Chezor turned back to the lion, and staggered. Black spots flashed across her eyes. She fell to her knees, coughing. She couldn't breathe, her head pounded. She tried to stand but her leg gave way and she fell to the stone floor of the cave. The last thing she saw before she fainted was the particle barrier around the lion fading. Then black enveloped her.

The first thing Chezor was aware of was the pain in her leg and the pounding pain in her head. The second was that she could breath. She opened her eyes and looked around. The ceiling was gray but the air itself was tinted red. She sat up; wincing at the pain in her head. She looked around and instantly recognized the layout around her. She was inside the Red Lion. "How..." she whispered.

"Chezor!" Alic's voice called out from the intercom. "If you don't answer me I will use my Lion to blast a hole into the cave to get you out!"

"I'm here!" Chezor called. She tried to move her leg, but a lightning bolt of agony shot through it. She screamed and gripped it, her pant leg was wet and a pool of purple-red blood was growing around her leg.

"Chezor!" Celk called. "What is wrong? What happened?" Chezor groaned in pain.

"I was shot in the leg," she said.

"Can you move?" Abby asked. "You need to steer the lion to where we are."

"I'll try," Chezor said, wincing in pain. She put her hand on the wall and used it to stand, crying out in pain as she did, managing to walk to the pilot chair, dragging her leg behind her. She sat in the chair, gasping, beads of sweat dripped down her face and grabbed the joy sticks. The Lion came to life. The control modal glowed red. Chezor heard the roar of a lion echo around her. Suddenly, with a flash of light, the universe faded around her and she saw five lions fly forward, Red, Blue, Black, Green, and Yellow. They flew upwards trailing streaks of light. With a flash of blinding light, they combined together and became a huge, metal man, his body made from the Lions. A massive, glowing sword was in his hand. Suddenly Chezor was back, she looked around in shock.

"Wow," she whispered. "So that's what Voltron looks like…" She shook her self and pushed the joy sticks in the direction her screen told her the other Lions were. The Red Lion shot forward, Chezor was pushed back in her chair, gasping. Despite her pain she smiled.

"Wow," she whispered as the Lion speed forward, "You are fast!" In no time at all she saw the others in the distance. The Lions turned and flew towards her.

"Chezor!" Celk called. "You are okay!"

Chezor grunted, "Define okay," she said. Suddenly everything around her turned red, she heard a Lion's growl around her, it was strong and fierce. A thought appeared in her head, a thought she somehow knew came from the Lion. Then everything went back. Chezor looked around in shock.

"Hey guys…" she said, "my Lion just told me how to find the next lion, or at least part of how to find it. It gave me part of a map."

"It gave a map part to me as well," Celk said.

"Same," Alic said.

"I have one too," Abby said.

"Four to find the one, one to find the four…" Chezor whispered.

"What?" Alic asked in confusion.

"It was a part of that creepy poem from the Blue Lion's cave. You need one Lion to find the other three and our four Lions combine to find the last lion."

"Oh!" Alic said, "well the map fragment my Lion gave me started at this planet."

"Then lead the way," Abby said. "Let's find the last lion