KathDMD - Roxy and JC's banter, I think is going to continue for a very long time. As for Dariana, it's not easy being a Drule on Earth. You can imagine how the cold war with the Empire made the general public feel about them. But being a native of Nebb, we should expect great things from her. By the way, Twyla is indeed a captain, though judging by her experience and ruthlessness, I wouldn't be surprised if she was promoted. As for our dear Space Marshall...there is a reason behind her ambiguity. ;)
Disclaimer - Voltron and related characters are the property of WEP.
Episode 5 : Mind Your Tails
"Hey," JC said to Seth, "you ready for today?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Seth replied. "I can't believe the Explorer is back after another stint in deep space."
"Well, ever since the fall of the Drule Empire," JC said, "their mission I hear has been a lot easier. Not hard to find decent livable worlds when the enemy isn't constantly taking them, ruining them, or blowing them up."
"True," Seth replied. "I wonder who the Space Marshall knows on the Explorer that can assist with the repairs on Jet Black."
"Could be a member of their Voltron Force," JC said. "I mean, they've had firsthand experience with Dr. Loring's creation. I wouldn't be surprised if they were familiar with it." At that, they grabbed their things and left for the ceremony.
"I have never been more excited in my life!" Tails said, nearly squeeing.
"Well it IS a big deal," Roxy said. "It's not every day the Explorer returns to Earth!"
"Exactly!" Tails shouted. "The fanfare, the celebrations, the hot pilots!"
"You're not telling me anything I don't already know!" Roxy replied. She looked over at Dariana, who was slowly packing away a few things. She had been staying with the girls for the past few days to keep an eye on her, especially after what happened to them just those few days ago.
"Hey," Roxy said to her. "Are you alright?" Dar just smiled a little and looked up at her.
"I'll be alright," she replied. "I just need to relax. And it seems like I can definitely enjoy myself at the celebration. Honestly, I'm almost as excited as you are." Tick skittered up onto her shoulder and began dancing on it. "See? Even Tick is getting into it!" They laughed.
"We better get going," Roxy said. "It'll be here within the hour! JC and Seth are supposed to meet up with us there." They all grabbed their things and left the dorm room.
Captain Twyla walked down the hallway and made her way into Viceroy Throk's office. She carefully walked towards his desk as he stood at the window looking out.
"You wished to see me, Viceroy?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "I have an important mission for you."
"What is it?" she asked. "Are we finally leading a full scale attack on Troika? Maybe Mira?"
"Even bigger, Captain," he answered. "I need you to lead a small attack squadron to Earth."
"Earth?" she asked. "The heart of the Galaxy Alliance? This sounds like a suicide mission!"
"Your force is not an invasion force," he replied. "Their Stellar Ship Explorer is returning to Earth. We want to crush them while they are lulled into a false sense of security. Nerok's scientists will be providing you with a robeast that has been infused with the haggarium we acquired from planet Doom. Cripple their fleet, and make sure the Explorer is destroyed. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" she replied, and left.
Captain Jeff Dukane walked down the long corridor to where the Air Tem cabins were located. He gently knocked on one of the doors.
"Hey Chip!" he shouted. "We're almost to Earth! You coming out? They have a welcoming party and everything this time!"
"I'll be out a bit later," he replied through the door. "I have a few things I need to take care of before we disembark. I'm meeting with the Academy's Commander Stormclaw at 2000 hours. I think it's about the project the Space Marshall's been talking about."
"Alright," he replied. "I know the crowds aren't much your thing. But if you change your mind, you let me know, ok?" He walked back down the hall. Inside the room, Chip sat at his desk studying a schematic.
"If I'm correct," he said to himself, "the Nebbians used this design for the power core. But I remember Pidge telling me how this weakness was exposed. I have to come up with a sound solution in order to prevent this from being exploited without causing the power compromise we had with our Voltron." He continued scribbling away, trying to think.
The crowd held their breath as they watched the Explorer touch down at the harbor. The gate lowered into a bridge to the main doors, and locked the ship in place. Moments later the door opened, and the first one to emerge was Commander Hawkins.
"What's going on?" Tails shouted. "I can't see over everyone!"
"They just opened the doors," JC replied. "The commander just came out, and I assume the rest of the crew, and maybe the Voltron Force will be next."
"Oh snart!" she yelled. "It sucks being this short sometimes!"
"I got your back, little lady," Seth said, hoisting Tails onto his massive shoulders.
"Oooh oooh!" she shouted. "I think the Voltron Force is coming out now!" JC, Roxy and Dariana stood on their toes trying to look. Seth couldn't see because Tails' hands were covering his face. "Yeah there! That's Jeff Dukane and his team! Wow!"
"Impressive indeed," Roxy said. "Too bad I hear he's married now."
"No way!" Tails shouted. "Well there's plenty of guys on that ship. One of them's gotta be single!"
"Am I the only one not actually looking to hook up with member of the Vehicle Team?" JC scowled.
"I'm too busy remembering the day we heard they liberated Drule," Dariana said, "and saved it's people from the planet's destruction. I have the greatest respect for what they did, and what they still do." They continued watching, except for Seth, who was pretty much in the dark for the remainder of the ceremony.
A few hours later, Roxy and Tails were walking into the hangar to check on the ships. Roxy wanted to see if there were any improvements to Jet Red, while Tails just wanted to tag along.
"How long are they gonna be here again?" Tails asked.
"Two weeks," Roxy replied. "We've been over this.
"I know, I know," she said. "I'm just overly excited. I can't help it! It's me, alright!" They walked around Jet Black and Tails ran into someone and fell onto her butt.
"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"
"Snart!" she blurted out. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm used to walking into things like walls and doors and…" She looked up and saw who it was, or who she thought it was. "Pidge?"
"Afraid not," he replied with a sigh. "THAT would be my twin brother. A lot of people get us mixed up." He reached out his hand and helped her to her feet.
"Now that you mention it," she said, "you're a bit taller than he is."
"True," he replied, "but even for a Baltan, I'm still short."
"I'm from Balto too!" she squeed. "Are you working on Jet Black?"
"Yep," he replied. "While I'm here on leave, the Space Marshall gave me the task of trying to change the power routing so that the structure isn't compromised like this again."
"Did you consider maybe rearranging the thermocouples?" she asked. "I mean, if you rerouted the dynotherms here and here, and patched the main lead further inside the bulkhead, you might increase your armor rating by twenty percent….I mean….um…are you busy tonight?"
"Well, uh," he stammered, "I guess not. I can't begin any of the heavy work until tomorrow. Still in the planning stages ya know."
"Then it's settled!" she said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll meet you right here at 2300. We can talk thermocouples." She turned and walked away, her pink pig tails bouncing with each step.
"What an unusual girl," he said to himself, beginning to smile as well. Roxy followed her out of the hangar.
"Captain Twyla!" the soldier shouted. "We are entering the Terran system. What are your orders?"
"Maintain course and speed," she replied. "We are to strike quickly and take out as many of them as possible. Our objective is the Explorer. If the Terrans are able to launch their ships, we are to back off immediately in order to maintain our numbers. The robeast will do the rest."
"Yes, ma'am!" he replied as he pushed buttons, and the ship began its trek closer and closer to Earth.
"Those fools from the Explorer captured me once and tried to brainwash me into believing their ways," she said. "It's time I paid them back for trying to turn me against my emperor and my people!"
Chip was just cleaning up his work when he turned to see Tails had returned. She still had her adorable pink pig tails, and still had her glasses and her cute smile. But this time she came dressed in her voltcom uniform, a tight black jumpsuit with green trim.
"Hey there," she said.
"Hey yourself!" he replied. "Looking good!"
"Thanks!" she replied, blushing. "I love this suit. It's form fitting, and it makes me look important!" She turned serious and stood at attention for a moment, then breathed out and began laughing. He chuckled. "I know you've been working on Jet Black, but would you like a ride in Green?"
"Are they much different from the other ships?" he asked.
"Not too much," she replied. "The steering is a bit different, and from what I seen from pictures of your ships, we have a few less levers. So what do ya say?"
"Sure," he replied. She grabbed him by the arm and led him to the ship. They climbed in, and she sat in the main seat. They strapped themselves in, and she was about to place her key when she found the controls moved slightly.
"That's odd," she replied.
"Put the key into your voltcom," he said. "We installed control upgrades into all the ships." She did as he asked, and she pushed the button on her voltcom, and sure enough, Green powered up.
"Now to show you what this baby can do!" she shouted. "WHOOOOOOOO!" The ship tore out of the hangar and shot into the sky.
"A lot of the controls are pretty similar," Chip said as they streaked across the sky. "I noticed that when I was working on the voltcom interactivity sensors. But the speed and maneuverability is impressive!"
"I know!" she said. "One modification they made is the hyperdrive capability. I couldn't believe they were able to implement that complex system into a ship with so little mass!"
"My thoughts exactly!" Chip replied. "You're really something, Cadet McGovern."
"Call me Tails," she replied. "Most people do." She smiled. She pulled on the yokes, and the ship rocketed into space. Soon afterwards, she felt the ship shake.
"What was that?" Chip asked.
"I have no idea," she replied. "Let me check the RadialTrac….SNART! It's a fleet of Drule attack ships!"
"Are they firing on us?" he asked. The ship rocked again. "I guess that's a yes."
"Hang on to your underwear!" she shouted. She pushed the throttle and began maneuvering through the laser fire, firing back at some of the ships. Some of them continued to attack, but the rest continued towards Earth.
"They bulk of the force seems to be headed for Earth!" Chip shouted. We have to warn the Garrisson!"
"JC," Tails shouted as she hit the transmitter. "There's an attack fleet entering Earth's outer perimeter! Warn the Garrisson and get me some backup!"
Alarms blared everywhere in the Garrisson, and the cadets at the Academy were scrambling to find out what was going on and witness the action. Roxy met up with Seth and Dariana, and they ran into the control room to see JC talking to Commander Stormclaw and Commander Hawkins.
"What's the situation?" Roxy said, seriousness in her expression.
"Cadet McGovern spotted a small Drule attack fleet in the outer perimeter," Stormclaw replied. "There was no prior warning. I can only assume they took out the satellites."
"Then what the flack are we waiting for?" Roxy yelled. "Let's get up there and take 'em out!" Roxy ran, and the team followed, into the chutes and into their ships. Black, Red, Blue and Yellow launched successfully. Stormclaw and Hawkins looked on as the ships disappeared.
"You have a fine group of cadets there," Hawkins said.
"Indeed," Stormclaw replied.
"See about getting more fighters in the air," Hawkins said. "I'll update the Space Marshall, then see about launching my teams." Stormclaw nodded and ran to the control. Hawkins dashed out of the room.
"This is gonna get a little bumpy," Tails said as she tried to double back to get to the front of the attack fleet. As she passed the last few ships, she fired rear missiles, and managed to take out a couple more of them.
"Your RadialTrac is picking up a few more ships up ahead," Chip said, observing a side screen. "It looks like the rest of your team."
"Good," she said, then hit the communicator. "Welcome to the party, guys. You got my back?"
"Always up for a party," Roxy replied. "And this one's gonna be a blast!" She fired her forward array, and blew up two more ships.
"JC," Tails said, "Some of the ships aren't stopping! The command ship is still heading into earth's atmosphere!"
"You and Roxy double back," JC replied. "Seth, Dar and I will clean up these. See if you can stop that command ship."
"You got it, Chief!" she replied. "Hang on!" She pushed the throttle to max, and headed back into Earth's atmosphere.
"Captain!" the Drule soldier at the helm yelled, "half of our ships have been destroyed!"
"I am very well aware of that," replied Twyla. "Viceroy Throk gave me explicit instructions, and I plan to follow them to the letter. We are going to move in, get a few good shots in and retreat, but not before we leave Earth with a little gift." She laughed maniacally.
"There are at least a dozen or more fighters escorting the command ship," Tails commented. "It shouldn't be hard to take them out."
"RadialTrac is showing more ships," Chip said. "It looks like the Garrisson sent out their air squadrons!" Sure enough, Fighter ships sent by the Garrisson engaged the remaining attack ships escorting the command vessel.
"While the backup has the attack ships," Roxy said, "How about you and me take out that command ship?"
"Heck yeah!" she shouted. They flew at the command ship at full speed, locking on with their forward arrays.
"Release the robeast!" Twyla shouted.
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier replied, and pressed the button to open the cargo hold.
"That should keep the Voltron Force busy," she said. "Fire all remaining missiles at the Explorer! I want that ship disabled if not obliterated! Once our supply is out, come about and set a course back to the base!"
"Yes, ma'am," the soldier said again, complying with the captain's orders.
Roxy and Tails fired at the command ship and banked left and right, respectively. As the smoke cleared, something came from the ship.
"Either the RadialTrac is going crazy," Chip said, "Or they just released a giant robeast!"
"Snart!" Tails screeched.
"It's worse," he replied. "The command ship just launched all of its remaining missiles. They're aimed directly at the Explorer!"
"Double snart!" she explaimed.
"Voltron Force to the launch area!" shouted Tech Sergeant Sparks over the intercom of the Explorer. "All units launch immediately!"
"Crikey!" Cliff yelled. "And here I thought we'd be able to get some relaxation in for these two weeks!"
"Come on guys!" Jeff yelled. "Where's Chip?"
"He was supposed to be in one of the Garrisson hangars," replied Rocky. "Tangor and Zandee were helping him earlier, but they came back without him."
"Let's just hope he heard the alarm and that he's on his way," said Jeff. "Come on!" The teams ran to the launch area and sat in their chairs. The group of chairs were lifted to the above deck, and each rolled along the tracks into the pylons overlooking the launching bay. The pilots were lowered into the ships, and their seats locked in place.
"Air Team, minus one, ready to launch!" Jeff shouted.
"Land Team, ready to launch!" yelled Cliff
"Sea Team, ready to launch!" yelled Krik
"Let's get going and take care of those missiles!" Jeff yelled as the launch sequence began, and fourteen of the fifteen ships launched and flew towards the oncoming missiles. One by one, the ships blasted the missiles. One made it past when Marvin missed.
"We have a rogue one!" Marvin yelled.
"I'll get it bud!" Hutch yelled, turning around and firing at it. The shot grazed the missile and caused it to explode, but the shrapnel hit the Explorer, damaging one of its forward arrays and taking out the starboard sensors.
"Keep focused, team!" Jeff shouted. "Don't let another one by!"
Roxy and Tails made passes by the robeast, but their weapons weren't doing much damage, if at all.
"This is insane!" Tails shouted. "We're not even phasing it!"
"JC," Roxy shouted over the intercom, "we got a robeast down here!"
"On our way!" JC replied. "Seth, Dar, it looks like we got them on the run. Let's meet up with Roxy and Tails for the big guy."
"You got it!" Seth said.
"We're ready," Dariana said quietly, but confidently. Tick let out a couple of clicking noises or approval from her shoulder. They took off into earth's atmosphere and saw the battle ensuing….then saw the robeast.
"Everybody regroup for formation!" he yelled. The ships pulled into the familiar wing formation. "Activate interlocks! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"
"Let's go Voltron Force!" they shouted. The team broke into star formation, and the energy field surrounded them.
"Form feet and legs!" JC shouted. "Form arms and torso! And I'll form the head!" Upon completion, Voltron arched back, and the energy field exploded as its eyes lit up.
"JC," Tails said, "I'm picking up those weird energy fluctuations again."
"The power drain?" he asked.
"Mmm hmm," she replied. "How do you want to proceed?"
"Let's avoid direct contact," he replied. "Let's draw it away from the Explorer and the Garrison!"
"Draw?" Roxy asked. "That's exactly what I had in mind!" She reached over and brought up her weapons console. "Draw Magma Pistols!" Voltron reached to its hips and pulled, the energy emerging forming the pistols. Voltron began firing at it, and the robeast turned to follow.
"OK guys, pull us back," JC said, "and keep your distance." Voltron backed off, and the robeast followed.
"Tails," Chip said. "I have to get back to the Explorer. I can get my vehicle, and then we can help!"
"Pull back the guns," JC yelled, and Roxy put them away. "Form Spinning Laser Blade!" Voltron reached above its head, forming a half circle that became the Spinning Laser Blade. They wound up and threw it, and it managed to gouge into its chest, but bounce off and return.
"It's gotta be that weird energy!" Seth said.
"Something about it isn't right," Dariana replied. Just then, the beast took off at full speed, tackling Voltron out of the air and to the ground outside the city, pinning him.
"Power levels are dropping rapidly again!" Seth shouted. "I can't do anything about it!"
"Black isn't ready yet!" Dariana yelled. "Rerouting the grid will only drain the rest of the system!" Tails thought for a moment.
"Dar," she asked, "can you route some of the emergency power to Green?"
"Why?" Roxy asked, annerved.
"Trust me!" she shouted. Dar pulled up a console and began keying in commands. The lighting inside Jet Green flickered as energy was restored. Hang on, Chip!" She hit a button, and the front of Jet Green blasted off and shot into the distance.
"What the flack is she doing?" Roxy asked.
"Jeff!" Cliff shouted. "I think we got them all! Should we go after the command ship?"
"No," he replied. "It looks like the cadets are in trouble. Where the heck is Chip? Without him, we can't form Voltron!"
Tails landed, skidding across the deck of the explorer. She opened the hatch, and Chip hopped out.
"Be careful!" he shouted as he ran into the hangar.
"Don't worry about me!" she shouted. "I got this!" She closed the hatch and hit a button, and retro rockets fired, sending her back towards the battle. Moments later, Chip flew out of the hangar piloting his Recon Helicopter.
"Jeff!" Wolo shouted. "Here comes Chip!"
"Chip!" Jeff yelled. "Where ya been at?"
"Getting a firsthand tour of the new Voltron!" he replied. "That robeast has some sort of energy drain! We have to do something!"
"I know one thing we can do," Jeff said with a smirk. "I know we haven't done this in a while outside of drills. You guys ready?"
"We're ready!" the three teams announced.
"Let's form Voltron!" Jeff shouted. The vehicles pulled into formation, and a red energy field surrounded then as they began to pull into position. "Form feet and legs! Form arms and torso! And I'll form the head!" As Jeff's Jet locked into position, the bay doors opened, and Voltron's eyes lit up with power. The Falcon Jet Fighter cruised downward and locked into position on Voltron's chest as his hand closed into a fist, the energy field dissipating as the solar-nuclear power source kicked in. It raised its arms above its head, then punched the air twice, then completed the power up sequence.
"Let's go Voltron Force!" they shouted.
"We gotta get it away from them," Jeff said, "but let's keep our distance. Form Solar Combat Spears!" Voltron reached down as the holsters emerged from Voltron's lower legs, and grabbed each individual spear and hurled them at the beast. Several pierced the armor, and stuck in its back. It was forced to release the cadets, and turn to Vehicle Voltron.
"That got his attention!" Jeff shouted.
"Yeah," Krik replied, "But now he's coming after us!" The robeast fired several missiles, and Voltron leaped into the air to dodge them, then came down on the beast with a flying kick. The robeast fell, and Voltron backed off.
"Jeff!" Cliff yelled. "Power levels are depleting faster than normal!"
"Then we better make this quick," Jeff replied. "Form Spinning Laser Blades!" Vehicle Voltron reached to its shoulders and pulled the helicopter blades, which lit up and spun with energy. It hurled them at the monster, and just like the other Voltron, the blades barely nicked the surface, then returned.
"I don't understand it!" Jeff said in shock. "What are power levels at?'
"Forty-six percent and dropping!" Cliff responded. Jeff gritted his teeth, trying to think of a way to get through this beast.
"Is everyone ok?" JC asked.
"I'm ok," Roxy said. "But we need to get up. I think we owe that thing a little payback!" Tails returned and re-docked on Jet Green.
"I'm baaaaaaaack!" she replied.
"Good to have ya back," JC said.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Roxy said. "Get up and fight?" Dariana went to grab the controls, but Tick ran down her arm and stood on her hand. He looked up at her and let out a series of oddly loud ticks.
"What is it?" she asked. He ran up to her voltcom and once again merged with it. It then started to glow with power. Her eyes went pure white for a split second, then returned to normal. "What an odd feeling….what's that? You want me to….wait, you're talking to me?"
"What's going on down there, Dar?" JC asked. "We need to get up!"
"I'm on it!" she shouted. She grasped the controls and pulled hard. Voltron got to its feet.
"Eye Beam!" JC shouted, and fired the Eye Beam at the monster. It turned around.
"Let's try and finish this, team!" Jeff shouted. "Form Blazing Sword!" Voltron put the Spinning Laser Blades together over its head and pulled strait down, the energy forming the Blazing Sword. Jeff grabbed the lever in front of him and pushed forward. Vehicle Voltron ran towards the beast and managed to push the sword right through its chest. The energy surge went through Voltron, and the beast tried to pull free.
"If power levels drop any further," Krik shouted, "the interlocks won't hold!"
"Seth," Dar said, "I know this is gonna sound weird, but I need you to divert all remaining power to Jet Yellow."
"Why?" Seth asked.
"Trust me!" she shouted. "I hope you're right, little guy," she said quietly to Tick. Seth began keying commands and hitting buttons.
"Tails and Roxy, follow my lead!" Dar shouted. She pulled up the weapons console and hit the center button. Her eyes whited out for a moment again. "Form Blazing Chargers!" Voltron clasped its hands in front of him, then pulled apart, a pair of handles in them, looking kind of like brass knuckles.
"You guys swing, I'll launch!" Dar shouted. Voltron punched forward with Red, and a spike launched from it with a wire attached, and it embedded in the beast's back. Voltron did it again with Green. Once in, Dar hit a button, and all of a sudden, energy began to spark along the cables, seeming to electrify the beast. Vehicle Voltron was getting a backlash from the energy charge, but Seth looked down and saw their Voltron gaining full power.
"This is amazing!" he shouted. "Power levels are coming up!"
"Rocky," Jeff eeked out. "Reverse polarity!" Rocky reached for his controls and pushed a lever forward. Jeff pulled back, and the sword came loose from the beast, sending Vehicle Voltron backwards, but still on their feet.
"What are the power levels at?" Jeff asked
"Thirty percent and holding," Cliff replied.
"Now to finish it!" JC yelled. He pulled hard, and Voltron yanked the cables, sending the robeast flying overhead and to the ground. The cables retracted, and the chargers vanished.
"Oooh!" Tails shouted. "Let me! Let me!" She pulled the weapons console and hit a button. "Form Blazing Snart!" Voltron crossed his arms and swung them down and apart quickly, and a pair of green axes appeared. "OK, axes work!" Dar's eyes whited out one more time, and the axes glowed. Voltron threw each one with deadly precision, and one embedded in the beast's chest, the other in its neck. It staggered backwards.
"Form Blazing Sword!" JC shouted. Voltron pulled the sword from its hip, the energy materializing into solidified metal. Voltron leaped into the air, swung back, and sliced clean through the beast, splitting him in half vertically. The beast exploded, and Voltron resheathed its sword.
"That was beyond awesome!" Tails shouted enthusiastically. "More awesome than the time I snorted the micro-cell chip on accident and was able to play my phone's music out my butt for a week!"
"TMI, Tails," JC replied. "T….M…..I."
Commander Stormclaw and Commander Hawkins walked up to the door of the Space Marshall's office, and carefully opened the door.
"Ah, good," she said, "you're here." They saw she was in street clothes instead of her usual uniform, but still stood at attention. "At ease, gentlemen." They relaxed. "How bad is the damage to the Explorer?"
"The damage was limited to the Starboard sensor array," Hawkins replied. 'It will delay our departure for maybe another week or so."
"Interesting," she said. "I know the team could use the rest, especially after today."
"I couldn't agree more," Hawkins replied.
"What about the cadets?" Stormclaw asked.
"They deserve some rest too, Commander," she replied. "But we're the ones who have to remain on guard and vigilant. Which is why I'm taking a few days off myself." Both commanders raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure things will run well for a few quiet days in your capable hands?"
"Yes, ma'am," Stormclaw responded.
"I need to get a few things done, and then I'll be off," she said. "You're dismissed."