KathDMD - My muse hasn't been around much lately. I don't write solely for the reviews, but it's the feedback that make it worthwhile. It's part of the greater equation. That said, hope you enjoy this chapter.
cubbieberry - Yep. Lance made that decision long ago. It's just that the final days have finally arrived.
Author's Note - This chapter was painful to write at times. Thankfully, the end came out pretty good. I'm trying to find my way back to where I was so that i can pick up the flow of the story again. I have ideas, but there's so much going on that i need to start eliminating things, or i will become overwhelmed.
Theme Music : "Waiting For Superman" by Daughtry
Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins and associated characters are the property of KathDMD. Lieutenant Lysette Fabrere is the property of selena devargo.
Episode 57 : Save The Day
Larmina activated her Voltcom, forming her complete suit with helmet, unleashing her staff and thinking the worst. As the beast was about to strike, a streak of black slammed into the beast knocking it out of the way.
"Jaws off my girl!" Daniel shouted as Black bit down on the beast. It jerked violently, and Black was able to tear a chunk out of it, causing it to retreat. "Hang in there, Larmina!" She watched the others fighting the underwater monsters, looking like part piranhas and part tadpoles. Black snagged the shuttle in its jaws and took off for the surface. He burst through the surface and landed on the beach, gently setting the shuttle down. Larmina climbed out of the shuttle and looked up at Black Lion towering over her.
"What are those things?" she asked.
"Don't know," he replied. "But I better help the other fight them off. You going to be able to get to Blue?" She extended her lance and twirled it.
"I'll manage," she replied with a smirk, then dove into the water. Black followed in kind, assisting the rest of the team.
"Looks like Daniel was able to get the shuttle onto dry land," Pidge said. He activated the com. "Lance, what's going on down there?"
"Crazy-looking fish-like robeasts!" he shouted, still working his controls like crazy, firing at one and swatting another. "It's not just one either, it's a whole swarm of them!"
"Lance!" Daniel shouted. "Larmina is making a swim for Blue. Let's give her some cover fire."
"You heard the man," Lance said, "let's fry these fish!" Red let out a blast of fire under the water the burned the beasts in Larmina's path. The four guarded her as best they could, allowing her to swim to Blue.
Stop them! A voice called out telepathically to the beasts. Do not let the girl reach her lion! Destroy them! They began aggressively swarming, trying desperately to get to Larmina.
"These things seem a little more ticked off than before to you?" Hunk asked.
"Just keep fighting!" Daniel said, firing the Tail Shock at several more. "Come on Larmina!"
"I'm almost there!" she shouted. One suddenly broke through and headed right for her. She turned quickly and cracked it with her lance, and as it opened its mouth, she jammed the lance inside it. She swam quickly past it. The hatch opened, and she swam into the lion.
"She made it!" Daniel said. "Now we can form Voltron!"
"Whoa there, cadet," Lance said. "Shouldn't we continue taking these things out on a smaller scale first?"
"Just trust me," Daniel replied. "And we'll need a little something extra for this. Larmina, let me know when you are ready." Larmina sat in the seat and strapped in. Water flowed into the turbines, the nexus coming to life and generating power to the lion. Its eyes lit up, and it let out a mighty roar. It leaped from its pad and joined the others as they burst through the surface of the lake.
"Ready to form Voltron," Daniel said. "Activate interlocks! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"
"Let's go Voltron Force!" they shouted. The lions flew in formation into the air, and the energy field took hold. The lions began to transform.
"Form Feet and legs!" Daniel shouted. "Form arms and body!" He paused for a moment. "Larmina, Blue Center!" He pulled the controls, and Voltron reconfigured.
"And I'll form the head!" Larmina shouted as Volton's eyes glowed with power. Each lion let out a mighty roar as Voltron powered up, ready for battle.
"Freeze the lake!" Daniel shouted.
"Form Titanic Trident!" Larmina shouted. No sooner did the trident form in Voltron's hands that he drove it into the lake, freezing it solid.
"Iced 'em!" Daniel said. Vince groaned.
"No time to get cocky," Lance shouted. "We missed a few!" Three flew at them, hitting them in the back, causing Voltron to stagger forward. All of a sudden, the ones in the lake broke free of the ice and hit Voltron head on, causing him to stagger backwards.
"We gotta stay on our feet!" Lance shouted.
"I'm trying!" Hunk shouted. Voltron staggered and flailed around, trying to knock the beasts off.
"They're eating away at the hull!" Vince said. "If we don't get them off soon, we're gonna be eaten alive!"
The robeast fired, hitting Alpha at point blank range. Aidan had brought the sword up in a defensive position, and most of the blast was absorbed, through Alpha was sent reeling backwards into a rock face.
"Controls jammed!" Aidan shouted. "Rebooting systems. Should be back up and running in ninety seconds." Beta turned to face the beast, its eyes aglow with power.
"I guess it's just you and us now," David said, arming the weapons systems.
"Ready to give it all we've got," Morgan acknowledged. The beast let out another roar. Beta unleashed its Chain Whip, and managed to lash it around the beast's neck. Beta pulled hard, sending the robeast into the same rock face Alpha hit earlier. The beast was able to recover quickly though, and broke the chain.
"Almost ready," Aidan said, frustrated. He suddenly heard moaning coming from the com. "Lisa! Are you and Taye alright?" A moment passed before a response was heard.
"Benton's still out cold," Lisa replied. "I'll see what I can do from here. Systems are online. We have full control."
"Let's not waste any time," Aidan said. "Kaga, pull the right and left actuators. This will compensate for the additional force we're gonna need to combine." Aidan heard Alpha's systems come online. He pulled the controls, and shot upward. The beast went to swing at Beta again, but it too moved just in time. Gamma followed suit. "Activate Interlocks! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"
"Let's go Voltron Force!" they shouted. All three robots split apart for reconfiguration.
"Marine Dimension!" Aidan commanded. They pulled into position. "Form feet and legs!" Alpha and Beta's legs came together, Gamma's forming the thighs. "Form arms and torso!" Beta formed the lower torso, Alpha the middle, and Gamma taking the lead.
"And I'll form the head!" Lisa shouted, as Gamma's head reconfigured for Marine Dimension. Voltron reached upwards, and the energy field surrounding them exploded outward from them.
"You sure you can do this?" Aidan asked.
"Not much of a choice, is there?" Lisa replied. Voltron flew right at the beast and tackled it. They flew through the water, tumbling end over end until they hit bottom. The beast managed to kick Voltron off, though it struggled to turn over before getting to its feet.
"It's like a giagatic turtle," Morgan said, looking over the scans. "Its armaments are super tough, but there are weak points."
"Can we exploit them?" Aidan asked frantically, as Voltron evaded a blast from the mega cannon.
"Not unless we can get the damn thing on its back again," she replied. "It seems to pull in as a defense when we attack."
"Then we need to be on the defense," David replied.
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked him.
"We just need to get it to attack us, then catch it off guard," he replied, giving her a wink. He pointed at an overhang with a spike of rock hanging from it. He nodded, and she nodded back.
"Lisa," Morgan said, "lead it backwards to that overhang. We have an idea." Voltron dodged another attack and swam for the overhang. The beast was in tow. Voltron turned quickly.
"Marine Spears!" Lisa shouted, Voltron heal up its right arm, and several darts fired from a small cannon above the arm, hitting the beast in the face. The darts bounced off, but hit it with enough force for it to stop its forward motion and reel back slightly. Votron turned and pulled the spike from the overhang, then turned back to the beast.
"Batter up!" Aidan shouted. Voltron took a swing and hit the beast, sending it tumbling to the bottom. "It's on its back! Let's make this quick! Denjin Dimesion!" Voltron shot upwards, and reconfigured, Alpha taking the lead and forming the head. The energy field dissipated. "Form Blazing Sword!" Voltron reached up, and the symbols for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma formed as beams of light that solidified in Voltron's hands as the sword. He turned the sword downward and dropped down through the water quickly, plunging the sword through the lightly armored underbelly of the beast. The sword sparked with energy as it pierced the beast, and when Voltron pulled it out and backed off, the beast exploded.
"I'm seeing something else on the RadialTrac," Morgan said. "It looks like a ship…a Drule vessel!"
"Life forms aboard?" Aidan asked.
"Only two registered as life forms," she replied. "One full blooded Drule, and the other….half Derinja."
"Derinja…." Aidan said softly through gritted teeth.
"Great," Dari shouted. "Your robeast failed again!"
"Don't be so short-sighted," Twyla replied. "While we did not destroy Voltron, I've accomplished two things."
"What's that?" she asked.
"First of all," Twyla replied, "we managed to catch them off guard. I not only learned more about the flaws in the beast, but more about this Voltron's weapon systems. Perhaps we can exploit these things in the future."
"And the other?" Dari asked.
"The sheer distraction," she said with a smirk. "Your men along with half of my robot forces have been constructing an underwater base off the southern coast of this continent. Soon we will have a base of operations to launch stronger attacks on Terra right from their own homeworld! It will only be a matter of time before we defeat the Voltron Force, and enslave all the people of Terra!"
"Brilliant!" Dari replied. "And I'll finally have my revenge."
"Any sign of her?" Hawkins asked.
"Not yet," Chip replied. "We've lost all communications with the CJE. The homing beacon isn't even giving off a signal."
"Well keep trying," he replied. "We need to find her and the CJE before something happens."
"Wait," Chip said, "I'm picking up an incoming vessel….I can't make it out without getting a visual, but it doesn't look like a drule vessel. It's on a course for the hangar."
"Open the bay doors!" Hawkins shouted. The doors slowly opened, and the CJE flew in and carefully landed. Hawkins and Chip ran from the control room to the hangar, and arrived just as Jenny climbed out.
"I'll tell you what, Commander," she said, "that was one crazy test flight." Hawkins turned to Chip."
"Get your men on this and see if any more of the systems were compromised," he said.
"Yes, sir!" Chip replied, then dashed off to get Tangor and Zandee.
"Are you alright?" Hawkins asked.
"I'm fine, Commander," she replied. "A little shaken, but otherwise OK. Mid-flight, something or someone took control of the ship remotely. I had no control. I had to short circuit the communications circuits to cut the signal transmission. That's the only way I was able to regain control of the ship and return here."
"Good thinking, Cadet Owens," he replied.
"There's more though, Commander," she replied. "While I was down there, I caught sight of an underwater base at the bottom of the bay." His eyes widened.
"A base?" he asked. "We don't have any knowledge of this. Could you tell what it was?"
"I saw Drule vessels, sir," she replied. "I can only assume the Drules somehow built it right under our noses."
"I am going to have to meet with Commander Stormclaw and Lieutenant Fabrere about this," he said. "If the Drules are up to something right here on Earth, and this close to Galaxy Garrison, we are going to have to take defensive measures, and think of a plan to stop whatever they are up to."
"In the meantime," she asked, "what do you want me to do? I mean…am I going to be interning on the Defender?" Hawkins smiled.
"While you will undergo more training aboard the Defender," he said, "you are going to be more than just interning. I need to discuss a few things with the Acting Space Marshall before I make any decisions. Until then, I want you to meet up with the other cadets that are assisting Sergeant Stoker's team and assist them."
"Yes, sir!" she replied with a salute. He saluted back, and she walked towards the other ships.
"Funny," he said to himself, "she reminds me of Aki." He walked out of the hangar.
"Can we take off?" Daniel asked. "Maybe we can reconfigure to Red and dive into the volcano."
"These things won't let us even move!" Lance replied. "I could torch them if I could turn around, but I can't."
"What if we launch the lion heads?" Daniel asked.
"No can do," Lance replied. "The Lion Torches won't work when disconnected."
"Then can we knock them off?" Daniel asked.
"We've never tried it from another configuration," Lance replied. "Pidge, is it possible?" Before Pidge could respond, they felt several jolts. "What the flack?" He looked on the viewscreen, and saw Jet Voltron firing at them, knocking the beasts off them. "Truvall!"
"You're lucky I'm a better shot than you!" she snarked.
"Just don't scratch the paint!" Lance quipped in reply.
"What are those things?" JC asked.
"Ugly!" Tails replied. "Miniature robeasts. The teeth appear to be made of a corrite alloy, but the exterior shells don't seem as dense."
"Ice won't harm them," Dariana said. "They were able to burst through the frozen lake. The Magma Pistols are having an effect. Maybe exposing them to something hotter will destroy them."
"But how do we get them altogether?" JC asked. Roxy fired and blasted the last one off Lion Voltron's shoulder.
"Form Red Center!" Daniel shouted. Voltron reconfigured, Red forming the head.
"Draw Magma Pistols!" lance shouted, and the pistols formed in Voltron's hands. Both of them continued to shoot the beasts as they continually tried to attack them.
"They just keep coming!" JC shouted.
"We shoot 'em down," Daniel said," and they get right back up!"
"We need something hot enough to fry these things," JC said. "But how can we gather them up?"
"Do we have anything powerful enough to stop them here?" Roxy asked? Everything was silent for a moment.
"I can configure the Raybeam Whip to launch a wave of energy," Tails replied. "And I have another idea."
"Whatever it is," JC replied, "you better do it quick!"
"I need you to buy us a few seconds once ready," she said.
"We got you covered," Daniel said. "Come on, Lance, pour it on!"
"I got this!" Lance shouted back.
"I hope this works," Tails said softly, plugging her voltcom into the console. "NOW!"
"Raybeam Whip!" JC shouted. Voltron reached behind him and pulled the handle, and a long whip formed from it.
"Upgrade Boost!" Tails shouted. Her Voltcom glowed, and as the whip cracked, it caught fire. "Diverting all power to Jet Red! Let's toast these suckers!" Voltron launched the whip, and as it cracked the ground, a wave of flame blasted through the beasts, melting them. Lion Voltron backed up as Jet Voltron continued to crack the whip at them, sending blasts of flame at the oncoming beasts. Once the last of them were melted, Lion Voltron grabbed a huge boulder, and slammed it on top of the remains, burying them. The power then faded, and the whip disappeared.
"Power cells are at critical," JC said. "Separate and head back to the castle. It looks like we may be here for a while longer." The Voltrons split up, and headed back to the castle.
"I can't believe they destroyed my parasites!" Haggar screeched. "But no matter. I have much bigger plans to destroy the Voltron Force. And with the power Kanji Red has bestowed upon my creations, nothing will stop it! He will have his total victory against the Galaxy Alliance, and I will have the secret of Voltron, and become whole once more!" She cackled loudly, and her cat, Cova, screeched along with her.
"How were you able to do that?" Roxy asked Tails as both teams walked out of the control room.
"My Voltcom," she replied. "I was able to do an upgrade boost on the systems. From what I can tell both from my calculations and the totally kick-butt results, my upgrade can apply an elemental charge to the weapons and defense systems. If I'm correct, that's gonna make Voltron even more powerful!"
"Hey," Lance said to Roxy, "great work out there, kid."
"Thanks, Rookie," she replied with a smirk.
"Heh," he replied. "Just try to bring that same amount of expertise and control to the competition tomorrow. Who know? If you really want to pilot Red…."
"I guess we'll see, won't we?" Roxy replied. Lance walked away. JC came up behind her.
"What did he mean by that?" JC asked. Roxy just walked away, leaving JC to ponder.