One Month Earlier:

The initial prototype, once seen as a magnificent toy, now stood in the hangar as a cruel joke, a reminder of when his understanding was so much more limited, that his theories were so much underdeveloped. He felt like a doctor who practiced bleeding in favor of using antibiotics, or a writer who saw his first grade paper on elephants after years of refining his skills.

And all this after one night of examining the completed data. One night was all it took for him to see the truth.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Wade wondered aloud. "Fifteen pieces! It's a miracle they could even get the stupid machine to walk! Jeff, Cliff, Cric you must think I'm an absolute fool!"

The machine obviously, did not answer, but the men and women responsible for it, as good as they were had been asked to spin gold from dirt. If they were there, they likely would have offered some rebuke, or at least felt vindicated that their efforts were hampered and not their own fault.

"I'll start again," Wade resolved. "From scratch."

The design came together in his head even as he began sketching out the shape of the machine. It was as if the signal was acting as a muse, telling him what chords to strike, what to do. He smiled.

"This will surpass even the mighty lions. I swear it!"

Present Day:

The legions of fighters began closing in on the giant robot even as its pilots tried to understand what they were controlling. Larmina was the first to get her bearings.

"Guys? What the quiznak are we supposed to do?!"

"I dunno!" Daniel shot back. "Doc! What kinda weapons are on this thing?"

Two fighters closed in on the group, prompting Vince to accelerate the machine into the air. "We can't stay still! We'll get torn to shreds!"

"Yeah, I know!" Daniel yelled, while pressing the red button. "I dunno, let's just punch em!"

Immediately, the robot's arms raised, and it did just that.

In a manner of speaking.

"Did…the robot's fists just fly off its arms?" Larmina asked, absolutely confused.

"I'm not sure if that's the dumbest thing ever or the most awesome," Daniel answered, watching as the two fists, guided by a thick wire, launched as if they were missiles, slamming into the two fighters and utterly obliterating them. Snapping back into place, Voltron continued to fly into the air, accelerating towards the remaining fighter squadrons.

I see you've figured out the Nitro Punch!

"Nitro Punch?" Daniel asked. "What other gizmos do you have on here?"

"We need a distance weapon!" Larmina yelled. "We'll never get close enough to the ship to punch it with all these fighters in the way!"

Ah, that's where the Volt Beam comes in!

Taking the initiative, Daniel pressed the button, shouting "VOLT BEAM!" In response, two lasers fired from the eyes of the robot, flying through the fighter craft, and impacting the battleship itself.

"Ugh!"

The impact of the blast nearly threw Throk from his chair. Several of his crew was not as lucky, falling to the ground. Composing himself, he shouted "Status report!"

"Fire in the engine room Viceroy! We're losing altitude!"

"Full power to the engines!" Throk yelled. "Get us outside the atmosphere! And don't let that thing near us!"

"Sir," Maahox began, "this is exactly what the Robeast was designed for in relation to attacking other ships. I believe it can fight the human's answer to Voltron on equal footing."

"The enemy robot is coming right for us!" a crewman yelled. "It's annihilating our fighters!"

"Recall all fighter craft and deploy the Robeast at once! We'll see if the Earth is willing to resist once their champion is felled!"

"This is actually starting to be kind of fun!" Larmina yelled.

"FUN!?" Vince shouted. "We're still outnumbered like, a billion to one!"

"Not for long!" she boasted, even as Voltron continued to rise into the air, prepared to strike the bridge of the enemy ship. "SOLAR COMBAT SPEAR!"

A large metallic spear formed on the leg of the machine, which was soon raised into its hands. It leaned back and prepared to strike when a forceful jolt shook the machine, causing it to drop the spear.

"What happened?" Larmina yelled.

"Something just tackled us!" Daniel answered. "It's at least as big as Voltron is!"

"We're losing altitude!" Vince added. Daniel was livid at this.

"They're gonna get away!"

"We've got bigger problems!" Larmina shouted. "This thing is gonna impact dead center in the city!"

"Full power to the engines!" Vince shouted. "Maybe we can impact outside the city limits!"

"You sure?"

"If we don't, we're gonna turn downtown LA into a crater!"

"JUST DO IT!"

The machine began to move to and fro, guiding its fall to the earth, and finally, colliding with the ground in a small suburb several miles from the actual city. The thing that tackled the pilots moved back before it hit the ground, standing in front of Voltron.

"We're still alive, right?" Vince asked.

"Yeah," Daniel answered. "Somehow."

I told you brats that Voltron was built to stand up to tremendous punishment! But you're not invincible!

"He's right," Larmina answered. "Looks like we might have taken a lot of damage to the leg and left arm, but we're still more than combat-ready."

"Then we'd better not keep…whoa."

The trio looked on at the monitors showing their opponent even as their machine stood on its feet.

The opposing machine had four arms with three pronged claws on the end on top of a oval body. No equivalent of the face existed, but instead, numerous camera lenses were present, allowing it to see from all angles. The machine stood on a trio of spindly legs, holding the top-heavy form together.

"What is it?" Vince asked.

"Well it ain't friendly, that's for sure. NITRO PUNCH!"

The robot's two fists flew out towards their target, but unlike the fighters, the Robeast was ready. Two of the clawed hands caught the fists, and the body began swinging two and fro, taking Voltron along with it.

"AHHHH!"

The robot was flipped onto the ground, barely able to stand with its retracted fists before a barrage of lasers began to bombard it.

"Jeez!" Larmina yelled while pressing the red button. "Do we have a shield?" In response to the inquiry, a shield formed in the left arm of the robot, deflecting the lasers.

"We can't win if we're on the defensive!"

"She's right!" Daniel shouted. "We need a weapon to get up close to it!"

Time to call in the Spinning Laser Blades.

"Alright! SPINNING LASER BLADES!"

The shield vanished as two short circular blades began forming in Voltron's hands. The Robeast moved in to prevent the attack, but a powerful swing of the blades lopped off one of the machine's arms. A second swipe dispatched another, the damaged arms resting in the streets.

"Time to finish him off!" Vince yelled.

Call in the Blazing Sword.

"A giant robot sword?" Daniel asked. "Hardly the craziest thing I've seen today."

Now we're getting somewhere.

"FORM BLAZING SWORD!"

The two spinning blades came together in the hands of the machine, and with a bright glow, were replaced with a large two-handed broadsword. On the sword's hilt was the emblem of the Galaxy Garrison.

"AAAAAAHHH!"

The trio yelled as Voltron charged forward, and with one mighty blow, slashed the Robeast in two, the pieces falling to the ground in tatters over smaller homes and a convenience store. Fortunately, it seemed that the buildings had been evacuated when the massive battle had begun in their streets.

"We won!" Daniel shouted.

"I'm not dead!" Vince added, relief present in his voice. Larmina however, still had a concern.

"What about the Galra fleet?"

They've retreated for now, Professor Wade began. But I doubt this is the last we've seen of them."

"So now what?"

Your ships all have autopilot to separate. I'll active it and recall them. I promise, once you get in I will explain everything to you down to the smallest detail.

"You had better," was all Daniel said in reply.

The ships rested off alongside the dark side of the moon, hidden from view. Galra soldiers worked tirelessly to repair their damaged craft and prepare for a subsequent assault. Away from all this, in a small conference room, Viceroy Throk looked on at a hologram of a man he had hoped to not see.

"Commander Hazar. Where is his Emminence?"

The hologram stood in the room like any other Galra would, but the expression it wore only seemed annoying to Throk on that face.

"Emperor Zarkon is busy dealing with the sightings of Voltron. I am authorized to speak in his stead. Now, what of your findings? Did you finish your excavation of this 'Earth'?"

"We had…a slight problem."

"Slight?" Hazar asked. "How slight?"

"The humans, i.e.: the native species on the planet, were able to defeat one of our Robeast's and temporarily drive off our fleet. It's nothing really, Maahox is working on a new Robeast even as we speak. Earth will be under Galra control before you know it."

The expression on Hazar's face soon changed from smug to confused. "What could have defeated a Robeast?"

"Voltron."

"Don't lie to me!" Hazar yelled. "I know for a fact that Voltron is on Arus! Your lies will…"

"No, the humans!" Throk quickly added. "They…made their own Voltron!"

"Humans made a Voltron, really?" Hazar asked. "This is a planet barely a generation away from discovering how fire works and you're telling me they made a copy of the greatest weapon in the universe?!"

"Well it isn't a perfect copy, you see, it's made of three fighter craft which combine into the machine…"

The anger in Hazar's voice left, replaced with a curious tone. "If the humans could make their own Voltron, perhaps they hold the key to replicating it. Perhaps they hold the key to defeating it."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you may potentially be sitting on a huge sum of wealth, Viceroy…if you can extract it."

"Oh I will be able to extract it," Throk answered. "Let the Emperor know that this may take longer than planned, but Earth will fall, and with it, the secret of Voltron!"

"I'm sure of it," Hazar answered. "I will relay the message."

The hologram vanished, and as it did, Throk added final words to no one in particular.

"And when I have the secret to the weapon even Emperor Zarkon fears, I will rule the universe. And the first thing I'm going to do to you Hazar, is see your public execution is handled personally."

Threatening someone again sir?

"Maahox," Throk grimaced even as he turned around to face his science officer, glass in hand. Maahox must have known because he carried a bottle and his own glass with a brown liquid that he took a sip from. Setting the bottle down on the desk, he looked on at the worried Viceroy.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Oh, nothing too important; just the part about you wanting to unlock the secret to Voltron to overthrow our beloved Emperor. I do believe that's treason, is it not?"

"I uh…"

Maahox moved his free hand forward, dispelling tension. "Oh, relax, I won't tell anyone. Besides, I've always thought Voltron was a bit overrated."

"How so?"

"An old weapon, made with whatever mystical mumbo-jumbo that led to its creation, is supposed to be the gold standard for robotic warfare from now till the end of time? Hardly. Science moves us forward in all areas. That includes weapons like Voltron."

"You believe you can make a weapon superior to Voltron."

"Of course I do. And this human made knockoff will be excellent practice for the real thing. Once I unlock its secrets, I will make a weapon superior to any other!"

"A toast," Throk began, making sure to keep the doors closed. "To the conquest of Earth, and through it, the universe."

"And to the advancement of science," Maahox answered, toasting Throk before having a drink.

"Commander Hawkins, we're getting calls from pretty much every other Galaxy Garrison office. They sound…anxious."

"Put them on."

Screens filled with the representatives of numerous nations. Many appears confused. Some appeared worried. Still others upset.

The Galaxy Garrison made a weapon and had it engage in battle in the United States?

Who's in control of it?

Who else has a giant robot?

"Gentlemen," Commander Hawkins began, "We all knew that after the Kerberos incident that we were not alone in the universe. We knew. And while we all did our best to hide that from the public, we also had to make the preparations for the day that aliens would come with hostile intentions. Today, gentlemen, was that day. And today, thanks to Professor Wade and three brave pilots, the weapon known as Voltron was able to repel the alien invasion."

What if the Galra return? One voice responded above all others.

"The use of Voltron will only be authorized by this council, Marshall Graham. It will not be used for any other reason but to defend the Earth, and hopefully in the future, to explore what lies beyond it."

"Voltron? That's what we're calling it?"

"That's what Professor Wade called it, yes. It's an…unusual name, but no more so than some of the other proposals."

We agree that the unit can be trusted with Galaxy Garrison. For now. We'll worry about the trickier issues when the Galra are dealt with.

"You needn't worry gentlemen. Voltron is a weapon for good."

I hope so. For all our sakes.

"I will ensure that this is handled as smoothly as possible, Marshall."

"Okay, doc. The explanation?"

Professor Wade sighed as he looked on at the three cadets, still wearing their pilot suits. The trio had been deposited in a small office where he was waiting, looking on at his tablet as the professor obsessed over the minute detail. After placing their helmets on a nearby desk, the trio sat down, hoping for something to make sense of the situation.

"Well you're all here, and you're all alive. OK, time for the explanation. Please follow me."

Standing from his desk, the trio followed Professor Wade as he walked off towards a catwalk overlooking the entire complex. He smiled.

"As you've probably figured out in the moments where your lives weren't at risk," Wade began, "we made first contact with alien life during the Kerberos incident. Furthermore, we knew said life was not friendly. We also knew of a weapon that the aliens were looking for."

"Weapon?" Vince asked. "What kind of weapon?"

"A mighty robot, as the signal said. Loved by good, feared by evil. I was put in charge of a project to replicate the machine. Unfortunately, with what limited information we had, we had come up with a machine that…was not exactly worthy of the original."

Continuing into another room, the group looked on at a giant robot standing still. Or rather, the cadets did, as the mere sight of the machine seemed to cause Wade to gag.

"That…thing was our prototype. It's made of fifteen separate components, requires a pilot for each, and is a complete logistical nightmare to operate."

"Does that have trucks for feet?" Larmina asked. "Like what, giant roller skates!"

"You don't have to rub it in my face!" Wade yelled, almost apologetically. "Fifteen pilots to use the equivalent of a fighter! In what universe did that possibly seem like a good idea?!"

"Sorry," Larmina replied.

"Anyway," Wade continued, doing his absolute best to change the subject, "one month ago, three cadets, a dropout from the Garrison academy, and one of the survivors of the Kerberos mission went AWOL in what we believe was one of the components of the Lion Voltron. However, when it left, we were able to study a much more direct, stronger signal, as well as completed designs for weapon generating systems, as in using its energy to create constructs to fight with."

"It creates weapons out of thin air. Is that why we have to yell the attacks we want?" Daniel asked.

"The Lions we believe have a bond that cannot be explained through human science."

"Mystical?" Lance asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. That's why we had to use the voice commands and AI to simplify everything or there'd be ten thousand buttons for every little doo-dad. I'm going to provide you a list, provided you stay on with us."

The trio stopped and looked on at Wade, who concluded the tour by descending from the catwalk and returning to the office. Inside said office, a man in a Galaxy Garrison uniform stood waiting for the group.

"Hello Daniel, Vince, Larmina," the man began in a gruff, authoritarian tone. The voice was neither angry nor demanding, just forceful and direct. "My name is Commander Hawkins of the Galaxy Garrison. And I want to thank you three for saving Los Angeles and possibly the world from the Galra."

"Uh, thank you sir," Vince began, saluting, while Daneil and Larmina followed suit.

"However," Hawkins continued, "You are also due to face court martial on charges of assaulting an officer, escaping a brig, as well as the laundry list of prior offenses, particularly you two," he added, pointing at Daniel and Larmina.

"So?" Daniel asked. "We saved the world? Doesn't that count for anything?"

"It depends on how we proceed. Professor Wade has told me that he believes you three are capable of handing Voltron when other test pilots nearly killed themselves trying. So, these charges get dropped completely, IF you accept posting at Galaxy Garrison's new unit, Strategic Earth Defense, or SED. You'll automatically be graduated as officers, which I believe you were close to doing before this incident, correct?"

"Two semesters, sir," Daniel responded.

"Well, this will be an early graduation, Daniel. Or is it Lieutenant Tong? Then again, you could always turn down the posting, and we'll just add 'unauthorized use of Galaxy Garrison property' to your offenses, at which point your collective crimes will probably see you serving a sentence that will last longer than your natural lives."

The trio knew they had been had. The choice was obvious.

"We accept sir."

"Good to have you aboard then, 1st Lieutenant. You three will all be at the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Galaxy Garrison with all the responsibilities and privilege of that title."

"Now what?" Larmina asked as the Commander walked off.

"I suggest you go online and fill out your benefit information. And you might want to tell your parents. Because starting tomorrow, you will be training on those machines non-stop, are we clear? The Galra aren't going to rest, and neither can we."

"Crystal, sir," Larmina answered, completely unsure of how to tell her parents she had graduated two semesters early without being called a bald-faced liar and a troublemaker.

"We graduated," Vince stated. "So why do I feel terrified about what's going to happen next?"

"That just means you're sane," Wade quipped.

Obviously, with the presence of the actual Vehicle Voltron in this story, not to mention lots of plot elements mashed together, this is not a 1:1 interpretation of anything as much as it is a re-imagining of sorts. Hopefully it works.

Reviews and comments are always welcome. I promise I won't delete even the negative ones, and I do try to take all criticism into account.