Author's Note - The Arusian Space Academy is about to open...so with lance taking his place as Headmaster, who is going to pilot Red Lion? New cadets make their way into the picture, as our fearless members of the new Voltron Force continue their adventures on Earth, Arus, and beyond.
Theme Music : "Take Me Home" by Cash Cash
Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins and associated characters are the property of KathDMD.
Episode 53 : Take Me Home
"You sick son of a blit!" a young female cadet shouted at the boy in her academy dorm room. She grabbed a huge handful of clothes and assorted items that obviously belonged to him and pitched then out the third story window.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the boy asked angrily.
"What I should have done a long time ago!" she shouted. "Getting rid of you and everything that reminds me of you! You've done this to me for the last time, Paul! Now get the flack out!"
"I told you nothing happened!" he shouted. "I swear!"
"I caught you red handed!" she screamed back. "You think I'm a complete idiot?"
"I was helping her look for something!" he shouted.
"And you both had to be naked, on top of her and grinding to find it?" she shouted back with a half laugh. "I know what YOU were looking for! Now get out!"
"Jenny, baby, come on," he said, walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand, then his arm, twisted it around and behind his back, then slammed him face first into the wall, pinning him there.
"This is the last time I am going to warn you, you sick freak," she said through gritted teeth. "Get out of here, and never come back. If I see you again, even one glance, and you're gonna be missing some very sensitive parts of your body. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded, unable to speak. She opened the door and threw him out, slamming the door behind her. She locked the door and walked over to the couch, falling face first into it crying. Moments later, her cell phone began to ring. She picked up.
"What?" she shouted, thinking it was Paul. "Oh, I'm sorry Professor…no, no I'm not busy…..extra credit assignment? Doing what? ….well, what kinda test are we talking about? ….alright, I'll be down to the auditorium in a half hour….no problem…..ok bye." She sighed. "Accelerated learning program. So help me, this better involve something better than a simulator." She gathered her things and stuffed them into a pack, then took off out the door, locking it behind her.
"Jonathan Carter Grend!" his mother shouted. She walked up to him and held his face in her hands, then gave him a great big hug. "Your father and I are so proud of you." She smiled.
"Thanks mom," JC replied. "I want you to meet one of my fellow pilots, my friend Roxy Truvall." Roxy shot him a look, but smiled and shook his mother's hand.
"It's an honor to meet you," Roxy said.
"For me as well," JC's mom replied. "It's not every day you get a visit from members of the Voltron Force!"
"We're gonna be launching for Arus later today," he said. "I just wanted to stop in and make sure you were alright. You know Roxy's from Arus?"
"I didn't know," she replied. "That's nice though. What is going on on Arus?"
"The Academy is opening a new campus there," Roxy said. "We're going there for the grand opening."
"How exciting!" his mom said. "Well, it was nice meeting you. And Jon….please be careful."
"I will, mom," he replied, giving her another big hug before he and Roxy left.
"We have to strike now!" one member of the council shouted. "We can't afford to have an Alliance training facility so close to the Koronith borders!"
"And what?" Throk asked. "We allow them to squash us with Voltron? We need to come up with a better strategy than that! Brute force will get us to the same place Zarkon is!"
"My plan was fool proof!" Twyla shouted. "If it wasn't for that other Voltron Force from Terra, General Kovinx would have destroyed both forces from Earth!" They continued to bicker as Wade stood just outside the door with Commander Kala.
"Look at them all," she said, "Bickering like a bunch of pathetic fools. They don't realize the potential the Empire truly has."
"I have observed them at their best and at their worst," Wade replied. "They call one another idiots and fools. And that is exactly what they are. They lack focus and discipline."
"I've always admired your military genius," she said, looking over at him.
"And I've always admired your strategic mind," he replied. "The Drule Supremacy needs a leader they can believe in, but one who is just as strong willed and strategically minded." At that point, Wade stopped as he watched a red-skinned Drule walk into the room. The man was taller and broader than most, and was dressed in full military garb, and a red cape that stretched to his knees. He approached the council table, showing no fear on his face.
"I have listened long enough to the bickering of this council," the man said. "You are all a disgrace to the name of the Empire!"
"And who might you be?" Throk questioned. The man took a deep breath and walked up to Throk. Throk tried to show no fear, but the man towered over him, looking down on him with his pointed teeth. He flashed a small and sadistic grin before grabbing Throk by the throat and pinning him against the wall. He looked into his eyes.
"I…..am your savior….you pathetic little peon," he said through his teeth. "If you want to call yourself Drule, so be it. But don't you dare embarrass the name of your race with threats you can't very well back up." He dropped Throk to the ground. The council was on edge. Merla was the only one at the table who didn't seem alarmed. In fact, she seemed intrigued by this man's show of power and confidence. "You have all been so lost in your pathetic and selfish visions of glory that you have forgotten to bring glory to the Empire! To the point you allowed the Empire to fall!" He pounded his fist on the table. "No more. Zeppo ignored the woes of a dying planet, Zarkon lost the vision of a true supreme race, and the entire Empire failed and fell to their knees in front of an ancient power in the form of a giant mechanical monster." He turned from them. "My name is Kanji Red. Call me King, Emperor, Lord. It doesn't matter. I will lead this Empire back to glory. And those of you against me will meet a quick death." The council swallowed their words and bowed their heads. Even Wade was impressed by this man's prowess. He had single handedly done what Wade hoped to accomplish….finally unify the Drule races into one combat-ready unit capable of crushing the life out of the Galaxy Alliance.
"The Voltron Force has launched for Arus," one of the council members said. "In a matter of days, the new Arus Campus of the Academy will be open. This will be a bold new step in establishing a foothold in the Denubian Galaxy."
"But that leaves us defenseless!" another council member protested. "Didn't we support and fund Project Defender as a tool to defend Earth? Why are we sending them away and leaving the earth at the mercy of our enemies? The Drules are still out there. And after Lotor's escape from Bastile 12…."
"That is still under investigation, Admiral," Commander Stormclaw replied. "And speaking of investigation, what news do we have about the incident with the Defender?"
"Well, Commander," Captain Newley replied, "We haven't received all the data from the recorders as of yet. Sergeant Stoker has been working with the Project Defender team at decoding them. Sergeants Katz and Karateya are working on trying to piece the ships together again. We'll hopefully know more about what happened in the next few days."
"That's all fine and good," the Admiral said, "but what about our defenses?"
"We don't expect an attack," Stormclaw replied, "but if one happens, rest assured, we'll be ready." He looked over at the clock. "Right now I think we all should break for lunch. We can discuss more about the project and funding once we return." He saluted everyone, and they stood up and left the room. Stormclaw pulled Newley aside.
"What's up, Mike?" he asked.
"How's Hawkins holding up?" Stormclaw asked.
"The Commander, or the Space Marshall?" Newley laughed.
"Both, actually," Stormclaw replied.
"He's holding up, considering all that's happened," Newley replied. "But he's got his mind on other things. Len's going into surgery later today. They're going to deliver the twins via Cesarian."
"Are they alright?" he asked.
"Fine!" Newley reassured him. "But because of how big the twins are, they were afraid to proceed with inducing labor. They felt it would be safer to perform the procedure."
"Seems like everyone's having babies this month," Stormclaw laughed. "Princess Allura on Arus, and now Lenora….hey, when are you planning on becoming a father?" Newly was walking away and suddenly burst out in laughter, pointing at Mike.
"That's…..that's a good one," he laughed, barely able to get the words out. He continued to walk away as both men laughed.
JC and the team walked slowly towards the Castle of Lions where Coran and the others were preparing for the opening ceremony.
"This is actually kinda awesome," Roxy said. "For the first time, we have an official GA Academy training facility right here on Arus!"
"It is kinda cool," JC said. There was a brief pause.
"So," Roxy continued, "How come you told your mom I was just your 'friend'?"
"We're not friends?" he asked. She elbowed him.
"Yeah," she replied, "but I thought we were more than that."
"We made it official?" he asked.
"You know what, Grend?" she said. "Get bent." She walked ahead of him.
"Smooth, JC," Seth said laughing. "Real smooth."
"Dammit," he said under his breath as he tried to catch up.
"So," Hunk said to Lance as they made their way down the hall to the elevator, "have you given any thought as to who's gonna be taking over flying Red?" Lance shuddered.
"I've been trying not to think about it," Lance replied. "She and I have been together for a long time. Been through a lot together. I can't just let go, ya know?"
"I hear ya, bro," Hunk replied. "But don't forget, you got someone else you plan to spend a long time with." Lance laughed.
"I know, you're right," Lance replied. "I just can't imagine anyone else behind her controls. I thought I'd have more time to think about this, but with everything with the academy moving far ahead of schedule, it's got my head spinning."
"It is coming up fast," Hunk said. "You having second thoughts about taking that headmaster position?"
"This is my chance to have a future with Ginger," Lance replied. "How can I pass that up? I wish I had time to hand pick someone I know would treat red right." He and Hunk looked ahead and saw the Jet Force team being lead in my Roxy, who seemed to be in one of her moods again.
"Maybe the decision will be easier than you think," Hunk said, elbowing lance. Lance grinned as the team approached.
"Truvall!" Lance shouted.
"McClain!" Roxy shouted back. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. "So, Headmaster, huh?"
"Yeah," Lance replied. "The Garrison just can't seem to get along without my intense teaching skills."
"If you'll excuse us, we have some catching up to do," Roxy said. They walked away from the rest of the team. Hunk looked at them and grinned.
"Welcome back to Arus!" he said. "Lemme show you where we have the buffet set up for the celebration!" They followed Hunk out to the courtyard.
Commander Stormclaw walked up to Chip as he seemed feverishly hard at work at the computer terminal in the main hangar.
"Sergeant Stoker," he asked, "have you found any more information so far?"
"Aside from eyewitness accounts, including my own, I haven't been able to dig up much as of yet," Chip replied. "When we launched with the Defender from earth, I did a full check of the systems. Everything seemed to be in good shape. Don't get me wrong, Commander, Voltron has been through alot. The last overhaul we had was years ago when they reconditioned the solar inducers in an attempt to solve the original power issue we were having when it was first launched."
"So you believe it was just the age of the equipment?" Stormclaw asked. Chip snorted.
"Voltron is more than just equipment, Commander," he replied. "Voltron is unlike any piece of machinery man has ever seen. Even with the wear on the systems, there was no reason for the interlocks to fail the way they did. Dr Loring made this design complex alright…to the point where it couldn't be explained. It's not only going to make investigating the accident next to impossible, but it's going to make rebuilding it just as impossible."
"From your own recollection," Stormclaw asked, "what happened?"
"Jeff gave the order to come at it with the Blazing Sword," he replied. "With virtually no time to react, the spiked ball attached to that flail, which was about three quarters our size, flew at us. We brought the sword down hoping to block or even cut through it, but it was so massive it impacted on the side of the blade. I saw it shatter in three pieces. The force was so strong that my harness busted, and I was thrown from my seat. I saw the tip of the sword break apart, but it wasn't what separated my ship from the rest. From what I could tell after the incident, the interlock at the shoulder joint failed and disengaged. And I'm still at a loss as to whether the failure was part of the cause, or if it's what saved our lives from the impact."
"In the meantime," Stomclaw said, "I have given you and your team access to Project Defender's classified records. It includes several writings from Dr. Loring himself that were never released to even the top brass. Maybe there's something in there that could give you a clue into the failsafes he may have built into the robot, or even give you insight into how to rebuild it."
"Thank you, Commander," Chip replied. Stormclaw left him to his work.
"Are you alright?" Jon asked Len as she laid there on the table. She was exhausted, but nodded her head yes in a dizzy state. The doctors lifted the first of the two babies from her and gave it to one of the nurses. The doctor went in, and carefully removed the second, handing them over to another nurse.
"Congratulations," the doctor said. "One girl and one boy." Jon looked and smiled at them, as did Len, tilting her head to the side to see. "Commander Hawkins, I'm going to ask you to step outside while we finish the procedure. The babies are rather small. We want to get them checked out and tested to make sure they are truly alright."
"Of course," Jon replied.
"Jon?" Len said, looking up at him. "I love you."
"I love you too," he replied, stroking her hair. "Mon ange." He smiled. "I'll be here when you wake up." He left the room, and she allowed herself to drift back to sleep.
Jenny walked into the auditorium in the main Garrison Academy building. She had been expecting more people, but found it was just the professor there, fiddling with a holographic projector machine used for presenting a large crowd material. When she came in, he noticed right away as the silence in the room had been broken, as had his concentration.
"Ah, Jennifer," he said with a bit of a smile. "Please come here. There is something I want to show you." She carefully came down the steps and walked towards where he stood next to the projector.
"You said there would be a signup for this Accelerated Learning Program," she said. "But there's no one else here."
"I know," he replied. "I wanted to give you first crack at the written exam, as you have been my star pupil."
"But what is it?' she asked.
"Something dreams are made of, dear girl," he replied. "This isn't just a learning program. This is a chance to explore the universe in ways you couldn't possibly imagine, and experience scientific discoveries like no other!"
"Professor Paige," she said, "I don't understand."
"The GA Flight Academy is currently doing a search for pilots to fill ranked positions on the Defender," he said. "I remember from my years serving on the Explorer the things I saw and experienced. I went into that journey a well learned man and came back even more educated. I made discoveries in the medical and scientific fields that broadened my horizons."
"I'm not looking to get into the medical field though," she said. "Don't get me wrong, Professor, I know my stuff when it comes to scientific research, but I don't just want to be sitting behind a microscope aboard a stuffy old ship."
"Trust me," he replied. "You'll find a lot more than that aboard the Defender. I assume with the Drule threat still looming, they are looking for capable fighters and pilots as well."
"That's more up my alley," she said. "But I thought you said this was more of a scientific position?"
"The Defender's number one mission is and always has been to explore new worlds, and to find new livable ones to ease the overcrowded planets of the Galaxy Alliance. This exploration is at the core of our scientific research. It's not all about microscopes and beakers, Jennifer. It's about exploring the unknown."
"I understand what you mean, Professor," she replied. "I'll do my best." She sat sown on a chair and began working on the exam. The Professor began fiddling through his holographic slides…slides depicting the launching of the Explorer, and of Dr. Loring's Voltron.