cubbieberry - I don't necessarily want you to feel that the past and the future are reflected in the fics. KathDMD and I think alot alike, and I play in her universe (though sometimes, i don't exactly play nice ;) ) I do want readers to feel free to enjoy Voltron legacy as a stand alone piece, but KathDMD's stories that form the backbone of this entire universe are so compelling, i almost demand readers check it all out!

Oh, and by the way, enjoy the bit of KA I cooked up in this chapter.

KathDMD -Love, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Your brain is SEXY!

We did discuss the promotions briefly, love. But i do admit, we haven't had a good colaboration session in quite some time. And yes, that's an open invitation.

And yes, borrow whomever you like. This arc of mine is gonna borrow from Locked out of Heaven a bit, so I'm taking liberties too. ;)

While I know in my own little mind and world who killed Len's father...well, read your DMs dammit!

selena devargo - This chapter will give marina the spotlight. You may think Lysette has vanished, but don't wory! I'm actually 3 chapters ahead, and As you witnessed last week, the Council is in an uproar over Lotor!

Author's Note - This week is Lion Force Week! I'm continuing the story arc, but for the most part, you will get to see the Lion Force in action! (On a side note, Sticking to WEP original characters doesn't limit one to the Lion Force. I am and always will be a fan of the Vehicle Team, and can easily follow the stories of every member of the team!)

Theme Music : "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard

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 and associated characters are the property of selena devargo.

Episode 67 : Step Inside

"No, no no!" Lance shouted from the back seat of the Red Lion and it swerved violently from side to side. "You're not compensating for the amount of thrust this thing has. If you can't go fast, then you need to learn control!"

"I'm trying my best," Marina snapped back.

"Your best isn't gonna be good enough with a robeast breathing down your neck," he replied. "I don't know why I didn't start you out in the simulator."

"Because I told you not to," Allura replied via the com.

"Of course," Lance replied more calmly.

"There isn't a lot of time," Allura said. "She's going to have to learn how to fly the lion the same way I did. Don't you remember all the training you and Keith put me through?"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied. "I also remember you spinning out of control on your first few attempts, crash landing, and Hunk having to patch up the damage to the lion."

"Even so," she said without flinching, "you must keep trying. I know you care a lot for Red, but he can handle it."

"SHE!" Lance snapped back in an annoyed tone. Marina snickered.

"Something funny, Lieutenant?" he asked angrily. She became serious.

"No, sir," she replied. "Not at all." She continued to fly, and as she became more comfortable with the controls, Red began to even out. She did nick the side of a mountain as she went around it to turn back for the return trip, but more or less she made it back to the lair in one piece. Upon landing, the com opened again.

"Lance," Keith said.

"What's up?" he replied.

"As soon as you and Lieutenant Deville return from your training exercises," Keith said, "I need you to meet me in the conference room. I have some important missives from Galaxy Garrison."

"On my way," he replied. He turned to Marina. "Stop by my office later to go over your flight test results."

"I was being tested?" she asked.

"You're always being tested, Lieutenant," he replied as they both stood on the platform that took them back to the return shuttle.

Haggar leaned over a boiling cauldron, taking in the rising steam. She looked over at Cova, resting on the window sill, looking out over Doom. She stood up, but kept her gaze intot he cauldron.

"Underestimating Lotor will be my last mistake," she said. "I should be focusing on the task at hand. Kidnapping the pilot turned out to be a foolish plot. But perhaps if we continue to focus our efforts on her, the evident weakest link of their force, we can crush Voltron yet." She turned and walked over to a shelf and grabbed a bottle of liquid and poured it into the cauldron. "With this mixture, I will render my next robeast invulnerable to the flames generated by the Red Lion. With an element of cold, perhaps we can finally stop Voltron in its tracks and take back Arus, and the spirit of Voltron!" She cackled loudly, scaring Cova from the window.

The bell rang, and the entire class stood up to walk out. Lieutenant Ellington shouted over the crowd as best she could.

"Remember," she shouted, "the test on this material is going to be this Tuesday! I suggest you all get as much studying in as possible because this will determine your rank in your flight training!" As the students pushed their way through the door, one girl pushed her way in. Ginger had her back turned to the class by that time, erasing things she had marked up on the display board.

"Lieutenant Ellington?" Larmina said. Ginger turned around and smiled.

"Ah, Larmina!" she replied. "I take it you are here to begin the set of examinations required for an entry-level officer."

"Yeah," Larmina said. "I don't know what the big deal is about having a rank in the Garrison military. I mean, I'm already a Lion pilot. What does it matter if I have a rank?"

"Rank is a powerful thing," she replied. "You see, Larmina, when we all started at the Academy, we had no idea where our lives would take us. The Academy gave us structure. And the occasional party or two." She laughed. "But seriously, the role of leadership is a way of determining who will lead and who must follow. You need to know when to take charge, and how."

"I already know how to take charge," Larmina said, forming her staff with her voltcom.

"That's not what I mean," Ginger replied. "Sometimes you need to make tough decisions. And honestly, sometimes you will have to place your life in the hands of someone else's plans. They are responsible for you. That's where leadership comes from. Not just brute force, but responsibility." She sighed. "Ouch, I'm starting to sound like Keith. But you get the idea, right?"

"I guess so," Larmina said.

"Good," Ginger replied. "Besides, you want to be on the level with Vince and Daniel, right? This is the way you advance."

"Absolutely!" Larmina said.

"OK," Ginger said. "Here is the first part of the written exam." She plopped a nice size packet of papers in front of Larmina. She did not look amused. "You have sixty minutes to complete as much of the test as possible. Then we will grade the answers you provide. Most are multiple choice, but I'm sure there are a few essays in there as well. Good luck!" She smiled, then went back to sorting the board. Larmina sat down and picked up a datapad and a pencil and began the grueling test.

Lance walked into the conference room and saw Keith going through paperwork. He closed the door and walked up to the table.

"You wanted to see me?" Lance asked.

"Yes," Keith replied. "We received some special notifications from Galaxy Garrison."

"Is something wrong?" Lance asked.

"Just the opposite," Keith replied, "Commander." He handed Lance a piece of paper from the stack, and he looked it over carefully. His eyes soon lit up once he realized what it was.

"A promotion?" Lance asked. "I wish I could say I was shocked."

"Don't be," Keith replied. "With your new position as Headmaster of the Academy here on Arus, it was expected, as was my promotion to Admiral."

"Admiral Crankypants?" Lance laughed. "That has a nice ring to it."

"Alright, enough of that," Keith replied. "Now, how well did Lieutenant Deville do?"

"She's still pretty shaky," Lance replied. "She's shown her proficiency with the weapons systems, and she's good at making split second decisions, but she needs to become more comfortable with the Lion's controls. It's not like piloting a fractal, ya know."

"Of course," Keith said. "I know Allura has been pushing you to get her ready as soon as possible."

"It's not easy," Lance replied. "Allura suggests we train Marina the same way we trained her. But even that was flawed. We are dealing with someone who has been mostly behind a desk her entire career. Sure, she showed she can pilot a standard test fighter with little problems. But like I said, this is different. And we don't have time to recover from mistakes."

"I understand," Keith replied. "We'll talk more about it when we meet with her about her performance." Lance began to walk towards the door.

"I'll be in the repair bay with Hunk assessing the damage to Red," Lance said angrily as he walked out the door. Keith let out a sigh, then sat down and continued sifting through paperwork.

One of Haggar's generals, General Turak, paced back and forth in front of his men. He looked upon them with determination.

"That witch and her magic," he said. "Wasting time brewing her potions and concoctions, while there is a ripe world out there for the taking! We have a perfectly good robeast here, and an army bent on destruction! My father wouldn't stand here and wait for some hocus pocus! It's time to stand and fight!" The army cheered. "Set a course! It's time we take back Arus!"

Vince and Daniel ride up to the Academy on a pair of hover bikes. As they come to a halt in front of the school, the two remove their helmets and look at one another.

"I'm still getting used to this, you know," Vince said. "I wish you didn't turn every trip into a race."

"Gotta stay on my game," Daniel said with a laugh. Moments later, Larmina emerged from the school, looking physically drained.

"Larmina," Vince asked, "are you ok?"

"What did they test you on?" Daniel asked. "Hand to hand combat? Flight simulators?"

"Quantum Theory and Aerodynamics, just to start," she replied exasperated. "I didn't know a written test could take this much out of you! It seemed almost like a waste of time."

"It was no picnic for us either," Daniel replied. "But then again, we went over the initial material over several weeks. You kinda got it all in one lump sum."

"I just hope all this pays off," Larmina said. "I mean, Lieutenant Ellington keeps telling me 'Rank is important'. I just never really see being a part of the Garrison ranks all that important."

"Well, it's good we will soon be on even turf," Vince replied.

"Yeah, we can all suffer together." Daniel added. Suddenly, there was a huge whooshing noise. As the three looked overhead, they watched an armada enter the atmosphere, headed for the Castle.

"Those are Drule Ships!" Vince shouted.

"We better get back to the castle," Daniel said. "Hop on, Larmina." She got onto the bike, and replacing their helmets, she wrapped her arms around Daniel as the bikes sped off in the direction of the castle.

Alarms were blaring all over the castle. Keith and Allura ran into the control room.

"Pidge," Keith asked, "What's going on?"

"A surprise attack," he replied. "I've launched defensive missiles at the fleet, but we're gonna need to deploy the lions to take care of it. I also detect ground troops nearby."

"I'll round up the guard and head out there on foot," Keith said. "Allura, you help Pidge on defenses. And where the hell is…." Daniel ran into the control room with Larmina and Vince. Lance and Hunk ran in shortly afterwards.

"Keith," Daniel said, "we saw a huge fleet heading for the castle."

"We know," Keith said. "I need you all to get to the lions and get out there to stop it."

"We have a problem there, Keith," Hunk said. "Red is still down for repairs."

"How bad is it?" Keith asked.

"I took the weapons offline while I was doing some repairs to the exo," he replied. "There's not much she can do in her condition. Banged up pretty good." Keith sighed. "Then the four of you get out there now. We'll see what we can do." Daniel, Larmina, Vince and Hunk ran for the chutes. Lance turned to see marina running in.

"I heard the alarm," Marina shouted. Lance gave her a look.

"Lieutenant,' he said, "you're with me."

"Where are you going?" Allura asked.

"We're gonna see just how badly damaged Red really is," Lance replied as he and Marina raced out of the control room.

Lance ran into the repair bay and looked at Red. Some of the panels were off, but to him, it didn't look bad. Marina caught up to him.

"McClain," she asked, "what are you doing?"

"We're gonna do exactly what Allura said," he replied. "You're getting a crash course. Let's just hope you don't take that literally." They climbed into Red. They sat down and strapped in. Her voltcom lit up as the Lion powered on. Red's eyes lit up with power, then let out a mighty roar. Lance was slightly taken aback, as suddenly Red was responding powerfully….to someone else. Red took off from the hangar and into the sky.

"Keep circling!" Daniel shouted. "Take out the smaller fighters first, then we can concentrate our fire on the command ship." The lions one by one took out the small Drule fighters making up this small armada.

"Looks like Keith and the Guard are doing good on the ground," Vince said, checking out the ground forces being wiped out.

"Just keep your eye on the prize, Magic man," Daniel said. "I don't want any of these things catching you off guard." No sooner did he say it than a robeast came out of nowhere and struck Black Lion, sending him flying to the ground in the distance.

"Pidge!" Vince shouted. "We got a robeast!"

"I'm doing the best I can," Pidge replied. "The castle defenses are still trying to take out the armada. I'll see what I can do."

"Daniel!" Larmina shouted. "Are you alright?" Daniel rubbed his head and pulled the controls.

"It'll take a little more than that to slow me down," Daniel replied, taking off into the air once more. They looked at the robeast. Nothing too out of the ordinary…just a robotic monster with basic weaponry. It fired on the lions, but they were able to scatter and dodge it. "Everyone come at it from opposite sides. Grab it with your jaws, and pull it down!" The lions circled the beast, then latched on, dragging the beast kicking and screaming to the ground.

"We got it!" Vince shouted. All at once it flailed its arms and legs, sending each of the lions flying. The beast stood up and turned around, and out of nowhere, Red Lion crashed into it, and knocked him back down.

"How's that for an attack!" Marina shouted.

"You crashed," Lance replied.

"He's down, isn't he?" she asked.

"Not for long," Lance said. "Move!" Red took off just as the beast swung. It got to its feet again, and the lions regrouped.

"We need to form Voltron!" Daniel shouted.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Marina said.

"You don't have a choice, Lieutenant," Lance shouted. "Get into position." The lions took off.

"Activate interlocks!" Daniel shouted. "Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"

"Let's go Voltron Force!" they all shouted. The lions flew in formation, and the energy field took hold. The lions began to reconfigure.

"Form feet and legs!" Daniel shouted. "Form arms and torso! And I'll form the head!" Voltron's eyes lit up with power, and the lions each let out a mighty roar.

"I did it!" Marina shouted.

"No time to gloat, Lieutenant," Lance said. "We need to take this thing out."

"Then let's do it!" Daniel shouted. Voltron ran at the beast and hit it twice hard, sending it reeling backwards. It fired lasers at Voltron, but he dodged them easily.

"Form Blazing Sword!" Daniel shouted. Red and Green clanked together, and the sword formed from the energy beam. Green Lion roared as Voltron brandished the sword. Voltron took off running at the beast, but the beast turned and fired, hitting Red. Voltron reeled backwards and dropped the sword.

"What the hell?" Lance yelled.

"He got in a lucky shot," Marina shouted.

"Then do something!" Lance yelled. Marina grabbed the controls, determined. The beast came at them firing. Daniel turned Voltron to favor Red, putting Green out front to block the lasers. But as they turned, Red swooped down and grabbed the sword, and the momentum was enough to turn Voltron completely around, putting Red in the way again.

"What the…" Lance shouted as Red swung around and cut horizontally through the beast. It fell in two pieces, exploding in front of them.

"That takes care of that," Marina said. Lance shot her a look.

"I don't know whether to chalk that up to skill or luck," Lance remarked.

"Am I getting graded on this?" Marina asked. Lance buried his head in his hands.

The team gathered in the Control Room after returning. Allura was holding little Alexander when they entered.

"Good job to all of you," she remarked. "Especially you, Lieutenant Deville."

"She's a work in progress," Lance remarked. Keith arrived and walked up to Allura.

"The ground troops are defeated," he said, "and it looks like the fleet is headed out of Arusian space." He smiled and touched Alex's nose with his finger. Allura smiled back at him.

"I do have one question though," Daniel asked.

"What's that, Ensign?" Keith asked.

"The attack seemed unplanned and disorganized," Daniel remarked. "Why did they waste their effort?"

Bhed sat in the cold cell rocking back and forth. Then suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps on the floors of the hallway. But it wasn't the usual stomps of the guard. No…these were most definitely women's shoes. He knew just from the sound of the clacking who was approaching his cell. When the door opened, he looked up and grinned.

"I knew you would come," he said. Lenora gave the man a look of contempt.

"What do you know of my father?" she said, an angry look on her face.

"I want immunity," he said. "And I want to return home. Those are my terms!" She waved the guard away. He closed the door, still unlocked, and walked away. Bhed stood up and approached her. "Give me what I need, and I'll tell you what I know." She paused a moment, then her Weapons Cache lit up, a shotgun forming, pointed point blank at his head.

"And these are MY terms," she replied. "What do you know of my father's murder?" He cringed.

"The information I have could destroy me in ways that would make your weapon look like mercy," he replied. "Your father's death wasn't an accident, Space Marshall. It wasn't a simple robbery as they would make you out to believe. Someone wanted something very specific….if only your father knew what he had…"

"Who was it!" she shouted. Bhed suddenly heard something in his head….. Tick…..tick…..tick…..

"No!" he shouted. "No!" He gasped for breath and fell to the floor. When she checked his pulse….there was none. It wasn't the first time a man died in front of her…and yet somehow, everything about that day came flooding back to her. She turned and ran from the cell, leaving Bhed's lifeless body motionless on the ground.