Voltron: Defender of the Universe
Youth Will Be Served
[Disclaimer: Voltron: Defender of the Universe belongs to its owners, and not to me. The use of its characters and related details in the following work of fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only.]
[Author's Note: I've always been a fan of both versions of "classic" Voltron, but I've never tried writing for this fandom either. By the way, I'm aware that – going by US Naval rankings, a Captain (Newley) would actually outrank a Commander (Hawkins) but that the dub reversed the original anime's command structure without switching their ranks. Therefore, aboard the Explorer, Commander Hawkins is in charge. When I think about the involvement of characters that are clearly younger than others around them in situations most people would not associate a child with, the implications of that lead to story lines like this. Enjoy – BMillsWrites]
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Invitation
Commander James Hawkins of the Galaxy Alliance vessel Explorer sat reviewing a classified item, with a related crew personnel file, on a viewer in his ready room. The crew member profiled was a young boy with large round glasses, wearing the standard uniform of the Air Team for the vehicular Voltron Force.
The classified document detailed that Vehicle Voltron (as the combined mech was nicknamed) was based on a design conveyed to the Galaxy Alliance by King Alfor of the planet Arus, which was protected by the original or Lion Voltron (as the obvious nickname went). Very few people knew that King Alfor himself had come in secret to program the 15 vehicles built to render his design – a process he conducted alone and unobserved. The secret of how his programming imbued Vehicle Voltron with the same intangible, but undefeated quality as the Lion version died with the good king.
The pictured youngster had no clue about his Voltron's true Arusian legacy, nor did he realize that he and his twin brother were an intentional – not coincidental – part of that legacy. King Alfor had made only two conditions about sharing Voltron with the Galaxy Alliance. First, if Arus came under attack and upon King's Alfor's request – or his death – the Galaxy Alliance agreed to send a team of five to station on Arus as pilots for Lion Voltron's re-emergence. Secondly, King Alfor insisted that at least one pilot chosen for the Vehicle Voltron be a blood relation to one of the pilots sent to Arus – the closer the relationship the better. That condition had been met in the Stoker twins, Darrell and Christopher – much better known respectively as Pidge and Chip.
They were orphaned on Balto, and shortly after their adoption, standardized educational testing had revealed both boys to be polymath prodigies – universal geniuses with raw intelligence off any scale. Initially, the Galaxy Alliance had recruited both boys while they were still a single-digit age strictly for the Scientific Division, but the concurrent onset of the struggle between planets Arus and Doom foreshadowed the wider conflict between the Galaxy Alliance and the Drule Empire. With the operation of both Voltrons in mind, Chip and Pidge were both "invited" to become scientifically-oriented Space Explorers in the Security Division instead. Their assignments to their respective Voltron units remained classified until the level of their training made them irreplaceable.
Chip was assigned to the Explorer, and even now the boy would adamantly assert that he was first and foremost a research scientist helping to explore planets for potential colonization. The battles he was part of as a member of the Voltron Force were just necessary to defend their work from the Drules. Pidge went off to Arus as a "systems specialist" for his team. From what Hawkins knew of Pidge Stoker, he was the more aggressive of the two, and the better at physical combat. It was deemed that Pidge was too brash for a conventional assignment under a traditional command structure. He probably relished the now-frequent need for Voltron on Arus.
Chip was the more introverted twin – and the more conceptual problem-solver. No one would describe Chip Stoker as brash. He was... charmingly precocious in a way that sometimes frustrated him about being taken seriously. Chip normally excelled in the straight-laced structure of his Galaxy Alliance post. He could still be boyishly sensitive with hurt feelings. Still, whenever Chip was intense about something it was best not to underestimate him. Seeing him as just a small boy would be a big mistake.
A chime sounded, indicating someone's request to enter the ready room. Hawkins closed the files he'd been examining. "Come in." Hawkins permitted, then voice-activated the door's release, "Access granted.". The door slid open to reveal Chip Stoker standing at attention, an unmistakeably worried look on his round face.
"Ensign Stoker, reporting as requested, sir." The boy stated, observing meticulous protocol.
"Good," Hawkins acknowledged before instantly shifting his tone, "At ease, Ensign. In fact, Chip, take a seat over here and let's dispense with formalities. You don't have to call me sir during this conversation."
The boy visibly relaxed and smiled brightly as he took the offered seat in front of the desk. "Thanks, Commander. I'd like that a lot."
Hawkins smirked for a moment, "Actually I'm surprised you haven't asked why I wanted to speak with you this morning. To get right down to it, Chip, I have an unusual assignment for you. The assignment won't start until early this evening, but it's going to alter any plans you had for most of the day."
"Oh... is that... all... that you needed to see me about, Commander?" Chip wondered with a sigh that was clearly disappointment. The emphasis he put on the word "all" obviously indicated that the boy thought there would or should be more, or some different issue to discuss.
Hawkins leaned forward on his desk to signal his interest in what was immediately on his young crew member's mind. "If there's something else that I'm missing Chip, let's hear it now."
Chip adjusted his glasses nervously, but the Commander's calm, unangered expression gave him the confidence to press his topic. "I just thought you wanted to see me about the review for internal promotion that I filed last week."
"I see," Hawkins noted. Captain Newley had already transmitted last week's review filings, and nothing from Ensign Stoker had been part of that package. From time to time, a crew member who had either been passed over for Alliance promotion, or who for some reason wasn't eligible for a particular Alliance rank, could file for a service review. The review often led to a temporary promotion, effective only aboard their current vessel. The honorific became a de facto recommendation to the Alliance that the crew member should be fully promoted when and if at all possible. The leaders of the three Vehicle Voltron teams were each Lieutenant Commanders, and every other member of the Vehicle Voltron Force – except Chip – was a Lieutenant. Chip's age made him ineligible for full promotion past Ensign, but the boy should have every reason to expect a likely successful response to a filing for an internal promotion. "To be honest, Chip, I didn't receive a review filing from you. Just to ask the obvious question, are you sure that you filed it with Captain Newley? They're supposed to go through him first."
"Sure I did, Commander, I promise. I'll even forward you the automated delivery receipt I got back." Chip insisted.
"That won't be necessary, Chip. I'm sorry about not being aware of it. It's oversight on my end then, but I promise that I'll look into it. It will be better to discuss it with you when I've seen it, right?"
Chip nodded, easily picturing the way he wanted that discussion to play out. "Yes, that makes sense. Please let me know if you don't find it, because I'll re-file it ASAP, no problem."
Commander Hawkins returned the nod reassuringly, "I don't think that will be necessary either, Chip. Right now, I need to talk about the assignment I need you for this evening."
The youngster changed focus gratefully, "Of course, Commander, thanks! I'm ready for any assignment you have for me."
Hawkins shook his head sideways bemusedly. "You may be ready to hear about it Chip, but being ready for the assignment itself will take some getting used to. As you may know, the Explorer has entered the Gogian System. The briefing on the systems to be surveyed was back at the beginning of this month, but do you recall much on this one?"The man could almost see the boy's eyes flash like an indicator light for the rapid processing of his mind.
"Well, just off the top of my head," Chip began earnestly, "the planets of the Gogian system are all capable of supporting humanoid life forms and agriculture. Except for the planet nearest to the Alliance's side of the system, the planets are unpopulated by sentient life, but colonization wouldn't be as easy as it sounds. A settlement on the near planet has been been established by the Gogus Corporation – which claims the right to administer what it calls 'colonization offers' from either the Alliance or the Drules for a fee. That reminds me of what a history book I have called a 'land grab' by 'speculators'." Chip saw that Commander Hawkins just seemed to be staring at him,"Uh, if that's not interesting or relevant enough, I could tell you about average planetary temperatures or native animal diversities... things like that."
"It's all interestingly relevant Chip, I was just amazed by how precise your memory is." Hawkins praised, but added, "That's enough though, thanks."
The young Ensign's pride glowed into a blushing grin. "Anytime Commander. I hope the information helps."
The Commander affirmed, "Well, it certainly tells me that you're informed for the assignment tonight."
"What is it exactly that you need me to do, Commander?"
Hawkins spelled out the unusual duty. "The Gogus Corporation is open to negotiations that would allow the Explorer to survey the other system planets in advance of a colonization offer. They've invited myself and Captain Newley to a formal dinner with their corporate officers, but they've also made a few requests to get a sense of what the Galaxy Alliance is really all about. One of those requests is to bring along the Explorer's youngest crew member."
"That's me!" Chip exclaimed in automatic realization.
"Yes, by at least seven years that is you Chip," Hawkins agreed. "Tonight you will be representing all the other members of your Voltron Force, not to mention the non-bridge crew of the Explorer, and even the Galaxy Alliance itself, at what amounts to a formal state dinner."
Chip looked awe-struck, "Oh wow," was his understated reaction.
The Commander joked to hopefully undercut the stress the boy was starting to wrestle with, "So, what have you liked about attending formal dinners before, Chip?"
Chip easily realized that his commanding officer was intentionally exaggerating, and he played along to show that he knew he could make it through this really BIG deal. "Let me answer that after this one, Commander, because it will be my first."
"Good for you, Chip," Hawkins congratulated. "These are usually pretty boring affairs. Just answer whatever questions someone might ask you honestly... and diplomatically. The powers that be in the Galaxy Alliance want us to play nice with the Gogus Corporation, and not offend them. That means, for example, that we should avoid phrases like 'land grab' and 'speculators' in any conversations tonight, understand?"
"Yes, Commander, I do," Chip confirmed dutifully, "I'll do my best not to do or say anything wrong."
The Commander confided something important, "I don't think they'll be expecting someone as young as you. That will give you the element of surprise to win people over by just being yourself. I want to see how they adjust to you too, because the request for the youngest crew member suggests they're interested in either intimidation or propaganda."
"Commander...," the boy wondered seriously, "should I even tell them that I'm a member of our Voltron Force? I mean, what if they hold it against the Alliance that I go into combat on a pretty regular basis?"
"I wouldn't tell Jeff, Cliff, or Krik to hide being a member of the Voltron Force, so I'm not telling you to do that either, Chip. I know you work as hard as all your other Voltron teammates, or even harder, because you might feel like you have to prove yourself -"
"- Over and over again," the youngster acknowledged before realizing that he'd interrupted. "Oh... Sorry."
Hawkins waved off the slight discourtesy, "I understand. You don't have anything to prove about yourself to anyone aboard the Explorer, and especially not to the officers of the Gogus Corporation. If anyone tonight has a problem with you defending the work and lives of the people aboard this ship, then they have a problem with me first, and I'll address the issue... honestly, and diplomatically." He gave the boy a conspiratorial smile and Chip returned it. Problem solved.
"Thanks, Commander," said the relieved boy.
"OK then, let's wrap up this briefing. All your regular duties are shelved for the day. Instead, I have sent you a package of diplomatic training files on refresher topics like table etiquette, general cues for making polite conversation, and a beginner's guide to state dinners as diplomatic events. I want you to review all of that before meeting Captain Newley and myself in Shuttle Bay 1 at 17:00 sharp. Speaking of sharp, we'll all need to be our neatest, cleanest, and fully decked out. What condition is your dress uniform in, Chip?"
"Non-existent," Chip admitted plainly. "I've never been told to get one."
"I thought that might be the case. The uniform division of Supply is expecting you this morning. Report there as soon as you leave here. They'll get you measured in order to fabricate a full dress uniform for you as a priority requisition. They'll have it to you in a matter of few hours." The ready room's request chime sounded. "Good timing, access granted," Hawkins noted, standing. Chip stood up as well. The door opened to Ginger, another Voltron Air Team member.
"Good morning sir. Good morning, Chip." Both returned her salutation, but Chip was definitely the more surprised to see her.
Hawkins explained, finding it hard not to become paternally teasing, "Chip, Ginger will be helping you stay on task today about getting ready for this evening. I'm sure you won't mind because this isn't about your age, just your level of experience. I know that I could benefit from the same kind of help, but this is your first diplomatic event, so I'm assigning that help to you. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"No, Commander." was Chip's appropriate, if meekly distressed, reply.
"Excellent. You're both dismissed then. They all exchanged salutes before Hawkins continued casually, "Ginger, his first stop needs to be the uniform division in Supply."
"Yes sir," She replied while taking hold of the boy's arm. "Come on Chip. We have a lot to do before lunch. We need to have the barber freshen up your haircut. We also can't have you show up tonight with grubby fingernails... or slouching... and then there's -"
Chip managed to resist Ginger's pull enough to pause at the ready room doorway, making one last thing clear, "Commander...," he appealed plaintively.
"Yes, Chip?" Hawkins inquired sympathetically.
"I hope this is all the help I'm going to need about tonight. I think this is all I could take." Ginger huffed at that and growled at him as she yanked Chip the rest of the way out of the ready room, and its door closed.