Voltrex - The blazing sword is a lot closer to Vehicle Voltron's sword. It's a Katana blade, and they form it by clasping right and left hands at voltron's left hip and pulling apart, as if he were drawing the sword from an invisible sheath. It's definitely cool looking, and with the right amount of control, is wicked fast!

KathDMD - There's a lot of action leading up to the end of Season 1, and this next episode is no exception! You already know my feelings as far as Seth and Dariana. You will find the connection the lamia have is a powerful one...mostly due to Kovinx. I'm glad you liked the card game at the end. I can just picture tails counting cards. She seems ditzy and energetic at times, but her mind is far more analytical. Just means she's eccentric. -cheesy grin-

Author's Note - Of all the things I felt I wanted, needed, and had to do today, this was a must. I hope everyone enjoys it.

Theme Music : Call Me When You're Sober, by Evanescence

Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins is the property of KathDMD.

Episode 22 : The 'L' Word

Both teams of the Voltron Force were assembled in the control room of the Castle of Lions. Prince-Consort Keith Kogane paced in front of them, his wife, Queen Allura, stood to the side observing.

"Space Marshall Hawkins has asked us to assist with the transport of lazon from Eptus to Earth," he said. "While the mission would leave Arus unprotected for a short period of time, We have amassed enough defenses to afford having the team assist with the escort. The transport will meet us just within scanner range of Arus. This is to throw off the Supremacy, and to make them think the ship is merely a tow ship. Once we rendezvous with the transport, we will lead and follow at a safe enough distance as we travel from here to Earth along this course," He pointed to sections of a holo-map. "Again, this is to throw the Supremacy off. If we do run into any trouble, it should be minimal. I will lead the escort in Black Lion." Daniel folded his arms.

"Sounds pretty strait forward," JC replied.

"And if the Supremacy does show up," Roxy said, cracking her knuckles, "we have the firepower to back it up!"

"Strategy, Truvall," Keith said. "Don't go in with guns blazing. Any force that finds us will find themselves outmatched and probably run. I'll give that order." Roxy folded her arms.

Still trying to run my life. I'm not a child anymore. I'm the flacking Force Leader!

"I'll need you ready and in your ships in one hour," he said.

"Yes…..sir," Roxy replied with a mock salute. She turned to walk away, and the rest of team followed. Keith sighed.

"You need to learn to trust them, Keith," Allura said. "They are as much a part of all this as we are."

"I still have to be careful," Keith replied. "Daniel is still in training, and from what I hear, so are they. I just don't want what happened with Daniel to happen with them as well."

"It won't," Allura replied. "And now more than ever, fate is driving Voltron's destiny. And that destiny lies with them."

"You make it sound so simple," he said walking up to her. She wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his chest. He held her back, breathing in deeply. "You always know how to put my mind at ease."

"And keep it at ease, my love," she replied. "And come back to me safely." They released one another, and she looked at him and smiled. She walked out of the room, and he sat in one of the chairs and began a security sweep.

The team began to step into the elevator, when Queen Allura approached them.

"Cadet Kovinx," she asked, "can I please have a word with you?" Dariana was puzzled, but walked over to the Queen and bowed her head. The elevator doors closed, and the team was whisked away to the upper floors.

"What do you wish to ask me, your majesty?" Dariana asked.

"I was told you awoke in the catacombs near my father's tomb," she replied. "Vince was not totally aware of what was happening, or why, but I have a feeling you might know more."

"Your highness," Dariana replied, "I have been having dreams. Most of them I believe had to do with Haggar, and the actual construction of Voltron. In the last dream I had, I saw Voltron split into five parts. I felt the energy that tore its pilots apart….including King Alfor's father. I heard your father vow that Voltron would rise from the ashes."

"Vince remembers you saying something about finding the key," she said. "What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure, your highness," Dariana replied, lifting her head and looking into Allura's eyes. "But I think it has something to do with her. In the dream, I am in the body of a young girl. They refer to her as 'Kovinx'. The only way I could explain it is that my consciousness is seeing things through her eyes, and reacting to it. It's as if I'm really there, and she's here. They referred to her as 'lamia'."

"Lamia," Allura replied, "is an ancient term for 'witch', 'sorceress', or 'demon'."

"That makes some sense," Dariana said. "I believe Kovinx was Haggar's daughter. Haggar sacrificed herself, splitting her soul in the process to give life to Voltron. The question I have is how does the beautiful enchantress in my dream have anything to do with the demonic witch serving Lotor?"

"I had a dream once," Allura replied. "Only it wasn't really a dream. You see, the Drule Supremacy had combined its forces into a giant armada, and were attacking an Alliance outpost. When we launched the Flying Fortress to assist them, Witch Haggar was able to sneak aboard when the defenses were down, and steal my consciousness. While there, I fought her in a world of dreams and nightmares. She used magic she had never wielded before to bend and twist the world into what her heart desired. The problem with doing that is that you need a heart to begin with, and not all of it had been turned black and evil."

"Those with a heart cannot be totally blind to love," Dariana said.

"It was when Keith conquered his fears and rescued me that it all became clear," she replied. "No matter what she did, she could not defeat him. In the end, I was able to find the good hidden from everyone. In the dream realm, you can't hide. She truly was a split soul….one superior, powerful, evil and ugly, and one submissive, loving, good and beautiful. This other side of Haggar we had never seen before."

"What did she look like?" Dariana asked inquisitively.

"She was one of most beautiful Drule women I'd ever seen," she replied. "Fair complexion, jet black hair, and this long red cape surrounding her."

"That's the Haggar I saw in my dream!" Dariana said excitedly. "Now I'm understanding better. But if she still had some good within her…that would mean that something must have happened when her soul was severed."

"You believe her soul was split when Voltron was created?" Allura asked.

"Your majesty," she replied, "I not only believe it was split, but that something or someone caused it to split more than once."

"Remember, cadets," Keith said from the cockpit of Black Lion, "we want to keep radio chatter to a minimum. Shout out only if you spot anything out of the ordinary."

"Aren't you causing radio chatter right now?" Roxy asked.

"Good one, Truvall!" Lance said smiling. "Definitely an 11.5 on the smartass meter."

"That's enough, you two," Keith said. "We're almost to the rendezvous point. Truvall, you have your team cover the front, and we will follow behind."

"Yes, Commander," Roxy replied. She cut his signal to speak to the rest of her team. "He needs to calm the flack down."

"You need to calm the flack down," JC replied. "He's a superior officer. Just follow orders for now. You know what we need to do if snart hits the fan."

"I'm actually in agreement with you for once, Grend," she replied. "Look, there's the ship. OK team, I want you to circle behind, perform an extended arch 180, then place yourself in wing formation a thousand meters ahead."

"Got it," the team responded. As they performed the maneuver, Keith looked on with a frown.

"What is she doing?" Keith asked.

"I believe she is turning her team around in order to get into position, oh cranky one," Lance replied. "Looks to me like she knows what she's doing."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he replied. He reached over to the communications console and opened up a channel to the transport. "This is Commander Kogane of the Voltron Force. Are you ready to proceed?"

"We are ready, commander," the voice of the ship's captain said over the com.

"We will lead and follow at a safe distance," Keith replied. "If you have any trouble, please contact me over a secure channel."

"Thank you, commander," he said, then ended communication.

"Commander," one of the Drule soldiers at the helm said, "our scanners are detecting a large vessel out of the Denubian Galaxy. Long range scan indicates it's some sort of tow ship."

"Plot an intercept course," Twyla said.

"Commander," he replied, "protocol states that we need to continue to scan for Alliance ships transporting lazon."

"I know the protocol, junk for brains!" she said. "But I have a hunch that ship is no tow ship. And as long as I'm packing a top-notch robeast, it won't hurt to investigate."

"Yes, commander," he replied, and proceeded to program the course into the ships navigational system.

"I know damn well the alliance is getting desperate for lazon," she said. "If there's even the slightest chance that ship is some sort of decoy, discovering it would be a killing blow to the Galaxy Alliance!"

"Hey Dar," Seth asked, "I've been meaning to ask you what happenned back on Arus. You said you were in the catacombs with Vince. What were you dreaming about?"

"That's just it," she replied. "It wasn't a dream, Seth. I was there. Kovinx watched as Haggar tried to destroy Voltron. She ended up killing the other pilots, and sending Voltron flying into Arus in pieces." She took a deep breath. "Seth, it was me. I mean, Kovinx. Kovinx was like Haggar...a lamia"

"What is that?" Seth asked.

"'Lamia' is a witch," she replied, "an enchantress or a demon. Call it what you want, it's what I am. That power, according to Alfor, trancends space and time. It was her magic that saved Haggar's soul, or the part of it trapped within Voltron's core. But instead of the Defender being destroyed, the spell caused Voltron to split into five pieces that crashed to Arus. Kovinx was a very powerful lamia, which is why i know now why they wanted to sacrifice her soul. It was so pure that evil could not taint it. When what was left of Haggar tried to destroy Voltron, Kovinx's magic, along with the fact that Haggar could not destroy a part of herself, prevented the Defender from being destroyed. Alfor said Voltron would be like a phoenix, and rise from the ashes. And in our lifetime, it had."

"So," Seth replied, "Are you saying you're a...a..."

"A witch?" Dariana said. "Perhaps. I have not been able to perform spells or garner any kind of magical properties . Yet the blackouts...it's as if Kovinx switches places with me. I can see the past, and she can see the future. I still don't understand it all myself."

"It's OK, Dar," Seth said with a smile, "Long as we have each other to look after, everything is gonna be alright." Dariana smiled.

"I wonder how Tick's doing," she replied.

"Don't worry, beautiful," Seth replied. "He's a tough little guy. He'll probably be up and about waiting for you when we get back."

Commander Hawkins walked into the Space Marshall's office. Lenora looked up from her paprework and smiled.

"You wanted to see me?" Hawkins said. "I assume this is for business?"

"Mostly," she said with a slight grin. "Jon, I know it's been tough with the Explorer gone. Her crew reassigned all over the Garrisson...heck all over the Alliance! But...if it's one thing I realized over the past few weeks, it's that you don't belong behind a desk."

"Oh?" he asked. "What gives you that idea?" He smirked.

"I know you," she replied. "You may be married to me, but that ship has been with you for as long as I can remember. It's been pretty much home away from home to our family. Everyone's been out of sorts since it happenned, and honestly, we need a ship out there running tests and finding livable worlds. We have an entire force and it's being underutilized."

"You didn't just call me in to tell me this," he said.

"No," she replied. "I called you in here with a proposal." Hawkins raised an eyebrow.

"A proposal?" he asked. "We are still talking business, aren't we?" She smirked.

"You know how I've been wanting you to retire," she said. "I've come up with a compromise of sorts. I actually have something to show you, but only if you promise to begin looking for someone to replace you when you retire sometime in the next...oh I don't know...two years or so?"

"I do love compromises," he replied, smiling, "and I do love you. Very well. I accept." She stood up and walked over to him, wrapped her arms around him, and the two shared a soft, passionate kiss. She looked into his eyes and smiled back.

"This is one compromise I believe you wan't regret making, Commander," she said with a smirk. "Come with me out to the shipyard. Let me show you what your Uncle's company had been working on prior to his passing." Intrigued, he followed her out of the office.

"Commander Kogane," the captian of the transport said, "long range scanners are picking up a fleet of vessels on an intercept course with us."

"Maintain your course and speed, captain," Keith replied. "We don't want it to look suspicious." Keith closed the com.

"No offense, Keith," Daniel said from the seat behind him, "but a fleet of Drule ships on an intercept course with us doesn't exactly scream 'scouting mission' to me."

"We have to remain calm, Daniel," Keith replied. "The minute we deviate from the plan is when it all breaks loose."

"I guess," Daniel replied. "But shouldn't you warn Roxy and the others?"

"They have their orders," Keith replied. "When we know more, I'll alert them." Daniel felt uneasy. I wish that telepathic link to Vince still worked. Daniel looked at his voltcom, and touched a few buttons on his com.

"Are you sure we should wait to tell the others about the approaching ships?" Daniel asked, knowing full well he was transmitting to the other ships on a short range frequency.

"I told you, Daniel," Keith replied, "once we confirm they are Drule ships, and what their intent is, then we'll proceed. I don't want to jump the gun until we know what's going on."

"Fine," Daniel replied, turning of his com.

"What the flack?" Roxy shouted. "Son of a..."

"Did I just hear that transmission correctly?" Tails asked. She pulled the communications console over and keyed in a few commands. "The message did originate from Black, but not from Black's com. I think it was Daniel's voltcom!" Roxy smirked.

"That kid's smarter than he lets on," Roxy said. "OK team, you heard what's going on. There's a small fleet of Drule ships heading our way. While I agree with Kogane that we need to preceed with caution until we know their intent, I want to increase our distance ahead of the transport and be ready the moment we determine what they want. We don't want them spotting us. When they are almost in sensor range, scatter and turn, then wait. Tails, I need you to monitor all communication frequencies."

"Sure thing," Tais said.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Dariana said softly. Several minutes later, they did as Roxy ordered, and pulled ahead and turned. The fleet alligned their course with the transport.

"Eptus vessel," Twyla shouted. "this is Commander Twyla of the Supremacy Defence Force. I have been ordered to search your ship before you proceed. What is your destination?" The captain played it cool.

"We are on our way to Mira to assist with an excavation project," the captain replied. "Your scanners should clearly show that we are not armed. I ask to please continue on our course."

"We will allow you to travel through Drule territory," Twyla replied, "but first we will need to board your vessel to verify your claim."

"My word is not good enough?" the captain said, again, trying to play it cool.

"Forgive me, captain, for my forwardness," she replied, "but these are regulations. You do understand, right? We will board your ship in five minutes. Ready your crew." The communication ended. Keith opened up a channel to the force, but before he could say a word, Roxy and her team came out of nowhere and opened fire on the ships, destroying a few drones, and doing serious damage to some of the warships.

"What the hell is going on, Truvall!" Keith said. There was no reply.

"You were right, Dar!" Tails shouted. "Their forward arrays were armed, and about to blast the transport to kingdom come!"

"Well," Roxy said, "now that we got their attention, let's buy the transport some time to escape."

"Sir!" one of the crew members said to the captain. "The Aliiance forces have engaged the Drules!"

"Change course," the captain ordered. "Take us away from the fighting. Once out of range, continue on a course for Earth."

"Aye, sir!" he shouted, and began plotting the course.

"What now, Keith?" Vince asked.

"Let's get in there and buy the transport time to escape." he replied. The lions entered the fray, and began attacking the warships.

"The transport is almost out of range!" Tails replied."

"Don't let any of their ships pesrue it!" Roxy shouted. "Stop them at all costs!" One drone took off, and JC turned Black around and sped after it. Another drone took off after him. Roxy saw it.

"Grend!" she shouted, "you got one on your tail!"

"I got this, Truvall!" he shouted back, taking evasive action to shake the one behind him while trying to shoot down the one he was following.

"The ship is getting away!" the soldier told Twyla.

"Quickly!" she replied. "Release the robeast!" The hatch of the command ship opened, and a mechanical monster flew out. It glowed with power that radiated from behind it. It pulled out a mace and began attacking the lions.

"Keith!" Larmina shouted. "We got a robeast!"

"Just a little closer," JC said, then hit the weapons console. A blade of energy launched for a turret that appeated above the ship and sliced the enemy drone, destroying it. Just then a missile hit Balck from behind. "Dammit!"

"JC!" Roxy shouted. She blasted another drone, then went speeding in his direction. As the drone was closing in on Black, she fired Magma Cannons at it, and destroyed it. Black drifted.

"Are you alright?' Roxy shouted. "Dammit, Grend, say something!"

"Get bent," he replied.

"You dirty son of a..." she started to say.

"Guys?" Seth said. "We need Voltron!"

"Manuever your ships to meet up," Roxy ordered. "Then immediately switch to diamond formation." The ships flew to one another, then turned quickly.

"Activate Interlocks," Roxy shouted, "Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"

"Let's go Voltron Force!" they shouted. The ships flew into formation, and the energy field took hold.

"Form feet and legs!" Roxy shouted. "Form arms and torso!" Voltron's head appeared, and he arched back with power as the energy field exploded, and his eyes lit up. They turned to see the Lion force had combined as well.

"Two Voltrons?" Twyla yelled. She thought for a moment. "Get us out of here. Send a communication to High Command and let them know the situation." The Command ship turned and retreated.

"They're running!" Tails shouted.

"We need to take care of the robeast!" Roxy said.

"No!" Keith said. "We will handle the robeast. You persue the ship!" Just then, the beast launched cables from its hands, grabbing both Voltrons. Before they could react, the beast pulled hard, and both Voltrons slammed into one another.

"Don't argue with me, Kogane!" Roxy shouted. "Just follow my lead." She pulled her console. "Ready...pull!" Both voltrons yanked the cables, and the beast flew at them. They punched the beast, which snapped the cables.

"Draw Magma Pistols!" she shouted. Voltron took shots at the beast, keeping it off balance.

"Hunk, get ready," Keith ordered. "Form Yellow Center!" Lion Voltron reconfigured to Yellow Center.

"Time to do what I do best!" Hunk shouted. "Rock Wrecking Maces!" The maces formed in Voltron's hands, and he swung them at the beast, doing moderate damage. The robeast managed to miss the last shot and grab the chain. "Uh oh."

"We need to break its concentration!" Roxy shouted.

"It's main power cell is...well," Tails tired to say.

"Spit it the flack out!" Roxy shouted.

"That's what she said," Tails replied.

"McGovern!" Roxy shouted.

"It's in it's crotch!" Tails shouted.

"Gotta be flacking kidding me," Roxy replied. Beofre they could react, Dariana pulled her console on instinct. She started to feel something strange...not a blackout, but similar to how she felt in the dream.

"Form Blazing Chargers!" Dariana shouted. She rocked the console, and Voltron fired the charger, which hit its mark. It electrified, then pulled back, ripping off the cod piece of the armor.

"I can't watch!" Hunk shouted.

"I can," Larmina said as Lion Voltron's right foot kicked it right in the power source. Almost everyone cringed.

"Yep," Tails said. "Its weapon systems are down."

"Form Blazing Sword!" Roxy shouted. Voltron reached to its hip and pulled the energy from it, forming the sword. "Take it out!" Voltron flew at the monster and sliced it in two. Moments later, it expoded.

"That was painful," Seth said.

"It's not over yet," Roxy said. "Tails, signal Kogane and the others to come with us to rendezvous with the transport."

"You got it," Tails replied, and both Voltrons headed in the direction of the transport.

The crews of both Voltron forces stood on the landing pad as the transport touched down. When it opened up, the captain emerged with a few crew members, carrying the first of the lazon the Alliance requested. Keith turned to Roxy.

"Truvall," he said, "I've never been fond of your methods, but everything worked out. You really do have a fine team."

"Thanks, commander," she replied, genuinely proud for the compliment. She looked over and saw JC walking away. She walked over to him and stopped him.

"Grend," she said, "where are you going?"

"Was gonna head back to the dorm and unpack," he replied. "You got this under control. You don't need me."

"Of course we need you," she replied.

"No," he replied. "YOU don't need me. And by the way, thanks for the save back there." He walked away, leaving Roxy standing by herself speechless.