KathDMD -Glad you like whats going on with Syn. Starting in this episode, you are going to see the connection the power and the watch have to Sven...a revalation that may shock you! By the way, Lotor's part in all this isn't finished, and Lysette will take part in the action...as will the Space Marshall herself! This chapter is back to our Lion Force, so I hope you enjoy. Oh, and here's hoping Cubbie is listening...as K/A is clearly stated with a "!".

Author's Note - Lions! This week we get to see the Lion Force in action as chaos erupts at a rally on Pollux!

Theme Music : "Blue" by Eiffel 65

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 71 : "Blue"

A crowd gathered on the palace grounds awaiting the royals to emerge on their way to the Coliseum for Princess Romelle to give her speech on the current state of the Alliance. As they emerged from the castle grounds, the crowd cheered, and Sven looked down at Erik with a proud smile. Both were in full dress uniform, the princess in an elegant but modest dress. They walked as a family towards the land shuttle and climbed inside. The crowd continued to wave as it sped away.

"Your first speech to our people as the official ambassador to the Galaxy Alliance," Sven said. "Are you nervous?"

"I've had more stressful days," she replied. "There's a lot I need to say to the people…about the threat from the Supremacy, and even more, the latest news from the Garrison that Lotor is seeking asylum on Earth."

"Lotor?" Sven replied with a hint of anger in his voice. "Are they insane? Who is even considering hearing him out?"

"The Space Marshall herself seems to be pushing for amnesty," she replied. Sven was taken aback.

"But why?" he asked. "Why in seven hells would she do that?"

"The High Council has been debating that all week," she replied. "Most are speculating she has ulterior motives. I was actually hoping you would know more….you know her much better than I do."

"I thought I did," he said more softly. "I can't imagine her defending someone as monstrous as Lotor." Erik tugged at Sven's sleeve.

"Are we there yet?" he asked. The break in the conversation actually caused him to smile at his son.

"Almost," he replied.

"Will Voltron be there?" he asked. They laughed.

"Yes, Erik," Romelle replied. "Along with Queen Allura and Her Prince-Consort, Keith."

"How much longer until we reach Pollux?" Daniel asked.

"We should be within range in the next fifteen minutes or so," Vince replied. "Allura, are you sure it's such a good idea for you, Keith and Alex to be leaving Arus?"

"We can't hide in the shadows forever, Vince," Allura replied. "Fear is one of the ways the Drules control people. You can't live your life constantly in fear." She shot a glance at Keith, who she knew disapproved of this trip for security reasons.

"I still ensured all the necessary precautions," Keith said. "I'm still not keen on taking Alex all the way out to Pollux for this event. It's not safe for him."

"Overprotective father?" Allura said with a smirk.

"I'm just looking out for our son," he replied. They both looked down at him, strapped in a child seat tightly connected to the lion's rear seat. "I know we have an image to maintain. I just hate to have him so exposed."

"I want the people to know him," she said. "And besides, we can look at this as our first family trip." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He gently cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her.

"You think things will be alright on Arus until we get back?" Marina asked.

"Pidge is on the defenses," Lance replied. "And Ginger is at the castle as well to help him keep an eye on things 'till we return. What could go wrong?"

A young Drule general walked into Haggar's lab and knelt before her.

"Your Excellency," he said, "we have received word that Queen Allura and her husband are on their way to planet Pollux."

"Just as I foresaw," she replied with an evil grin. "Take your fleet and position yourself strategically around the planet. Once the Queen arrives, activate the netting device. It will shroud the entire planet in a field that none of their ships will be able to penetrate!"

"What if they bring Voltron?" the general asked.

"I have a little surprise for them," she replied. "It is on its way to Pollux as we speak. And when it awakens unbeknownst to the Polluxian people, it will not only lay the towns and cities to waste, but destroy Voltron once and for all!" She began to cackle loudly, the general nodding to her, and leaving to carry out her orders.

Sven and Erik stood at attention as the princess of Pollux took to the podium. The crowd slowly died down as she was about to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "I come to you today with the promise of a brighter tomorrow. Since our entry into the Galaxy Alliance, we have found new allies, and have benefited in ways we could only dream. The days of darkness that clouded us all are finally lifting. Our new bond with our sister world, Arus, is stronger than ever, and we have become a force in the galaxy dedicated to the peace and safety of its people." The crowd cheered.

"Her gown is beautiful," Allura commented. "It's been a long time since I've seen my cousin giving a speech. She really is a remarkable woman."

"You're pretty remarkable yourself, Your Highness," Keith replied with a smirk. She blushed.

"I come to you, the people of Pollux," Romelle continued, "not just to share with you the news of enhanced trade and protection from our brethren worlds in the Alliance, but to also ask for your support in maintaining this union. No longer will we be deceived by the promises of an enemy, but instead we shall revel in glory with our new allies! The future of our planet depends on the continued support of Pollux's government, and its people. We shall rise up and continue to defend our homeworld from invaders, and the Drule Supremacy shall torment us no longer!" The crowd began to cheer, but then shadows covered the grounds, blocking the sun. As she looked up in confusion, she saw Drule ships appear, and what could only be described as a net in the sky appeared.

"The Drules!" Sven shouted. "Everyone, quickly! Take cover!" The crowd spread out, people trampling over other people, running for the buildings to take cover. The Drules opened fire on the crowd, and caused even more panic and destruction.

"We need to stop this," Keith said with a closed fist. "Team, get to the lions. Allura, you're with me."

"We have to get Alex to safety!" Allura implored.

"We'll try to distract the ships while you get to cover," Daniel said. Keith nodded. "Let's roll team!" The six ran towards the Lions as Sven waved to Allura and Keith to take cover in the Collusseum.

"Hurry!" Sven yelled. Keith and Allura made it to them. Little Alex began to cry from fright. "We will take the tunnels back to the castle," he said. "The ships can't penetrate them. Alex will be safe there."

"Right," Keith said. He wanted to join the battle, but knew Allura's and Alex's safety came first. They ran for the entrance to the underground passage.

"We're almost there!" Daniel shouted. The ships fired in front of them, and the ground gave way, sending the pilots into the abyss below.

Within an underground military complex, officers in the Polluxian military crowd back and forth, trying to mobilize their ships. The main doors open, and three people walk in. The officers immediately stop and turn towards them and salute.

"Your majesty," the general said. Bandor nodded.

"What is the status of the fleet?" he asked. "Are we able to get them off the ground?"

"In progress, sire," the general replied. "The Druled have established some sort of forcefield around the opter atmosphere. Their ships seem to move freely through it, but nothing we fire makes it through."

"Sorcery," Bandor muttered. "Get those ships in the air and try and stop the ones firing on the ground. We need to protect the people. Any sign of my sister and Sven?"

"No sign of them yet, sire," the general replied. "We did not entry to the tunnel network near the coliseum."

"I hope it was them," Bandor replied. "Continue with the operation. I'll be in Ops-5." The two people accompanying Bandor followed him out. Once they were down the hallway and in the elevator, one of them looked his way.

"Sire," he said, "you aren't proposing the use of the weapon?"

"We need to use everything in our arsenal to stop the Drules," Bandor replied. "I vowed to keep our people safe at all costs. And that's just what I plan to do…with or without the help of the Alliance." The doors opened, and the three walked into a gigantic laboratory adjacent to a hangar. They walked to the edge of the lab and looked through the glass into the hangar….which housed a gigantic machine in the shape of a white lion.

The six Voltron Pilots slowly got to their feet and looked around.

"Where are we?" Lance asked.

"I think we might be in the underground tunnel system," Vince replied. "I read about this on our way here. The people of Pollux began creating a vast underground network of tunnels to use in the event of a Drule occupation. The Ground gave way when they fired at us, and I guess we fell in."

"Aren't they supposed to be indestructible?" Hunk asked.

"That's what's confusing," Vince replied. "Normal Drule weapons shouldn't be able to penetrate the tunnel walls. Something odd is going on."

"Now's not the time to think about it," Daniel replied, brushing the dirt off his suit. "We need to find a way out of here and get to the lions." The group nodded and followed him into the tunnel. As they walked through the tunnels, they suddenly heard footsteps.

"What's that?" Marina asked.

"You think it might be Keith and the others?" Lance asked. Suddenly blaster fire erupted, and the team ducked behind a corner. "I guess that's a no." Lance held out his hands, and a pair of guns formed, and he began to take shots around the corner at their attackers.

"Keep giving us cover fire," Daniel ordered. "The rest of us are gonna rush them."

"I'm not gonna make you any promises, Dan-man," Lance replied. He continued to fire, and the rest of the team turned the corner and ran at their attackers. They dodged laser fire and began their strike. Daniel flew through several, running past and slashing them to pieces. Larmina pulled out her staff and swung it around, smacking two in the side of the head, and the third in the gut, sending them reeling to the ground. Vince lashed onto the metal connectors in the ceiling and swung into several more, knocking them out. Hunk swung around to smash one, then saw two coming at marina.

"Marina!" he shouted. She turned and out of instinct, two blades came out of her arms, glowing red, slashing the two that were coming at her. When she looked, they were a pair of sai. Another came at her, and she turned and roundkicked him away, throwing one of the sai at it. She ran to him and retrieved it just as Hunk slammed the last two's heads together, knocking them out cold.

"That takes care of that," Lance said. He turned and walked up to Marina. "So, this is what the Voltcoms chose for you? Nice."

"Chose for me?" Marina asked. "You mean this was another test?"

"More like on the job training," Lance snickered.

"Let's get a move on," Daniel said as more blaster fire from above the surface shook the ground. The team continued to run through the tunnel.

"We have to get to the castle," Sven said as he and the others ran through the tunnels. He then noticed some red lights flashing, and alarm went off in the distance. "This is not good news, Keith."

"Something break into the tunnel system?" Keith asked.

"Ja," he replied. "But how? The tunnels were constructed with this in mind. How could anything penetrate it?" The ground shook again. They continued to run.

"Are there any defenses other than the fleet?" Allura asked. She held Alex tightly.

"The castle itself was redesigned from the ground up, much like the Castle of Lions," Sven replied. "The defense systems are state of the art. But there is one thing our labs have been working on….that Galaxy Garrison doesn't know about."

"What?" Keith asked.

"Once we reach Ops-5," Sven said, "you'll understand." They continued to run through the tunnels.

"The Lions are sitting ducks!" the Drule General shouted. "Without their pilots, they are useless! Have the fighters concentrate their firepower on the city! I don't care what Haggar says, I'm not waiting for Voltron to let loose our surprise on their castle! Power up the robeast! Destroy everything in your path!" The ground rumbled. Suddenly, the surface cracked, and a gigantic robeast burst from beneath the ground. It's lizard-like head let out a roar, and it swung its tail, taking out a nearby building. It held out its hand, and a purple beam fired at another building, and in a flash of light, it vaporized.

"Did you see that?" someone on the ground shouted. "It's a robeast! Run! Head for the castle!" The robeast continued its path of destruction, heading for the castle as well.

"There!" Lance shouted. "It looks like a surface access point!" They ran to the door.

"It looks like it needs a security code," Larmina said, looking at the control panel. Vince held his hand up to it, and wires sprouted from his fingers, connecting to the panel. Within seconds, the locks clicked open.

"Human lockpick," Daniel said with a smirk. They opened the door and ran through. When they surfaced, they found themselves clear across town.

"Over there!" Lance shouted. They saw the Lions in the distance. But when they looked to their right, they saw the robeast approaching the castle.

"Oh no," Marina said, "they're firing on the lions! We've got to do something!"

"I can make it there the fastest," Daniel said. "Larmina, you and the others follow as quickly as you can. I'll try to draw their fire. Lance, head for the castle and see if you can help them hold off that robeast."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Lance retorted. "I can't let you guys go alone."

"You got a better idea?" Daniel asked. He looked at Hunk for support, but Hunk just shrugged.

"Kid's got a point," Hunk said. Lance sighed. He looked at Marina and pointed to her.

"Not a scratch, Lieutenant," he said forcefully before running off.

"Come on!" Daniel shouted before his claws extended and he took off running. Larmina and the others followed as fast as they could.

The tunnel doors opened, and Sven lead the others into what appeared to be an underground lab.

"What is this place?" Keith asked. Allura gently swung Alex, who was finally beginning to calm down.

"Ever since the encounter with Haggar I have fought a battle within myself," Sven said. "It was a battle not only to end the infection that plagued my body, but to once again become a great pilot and navigator." He turned and looked at Romelle, Erik holding her waist. "I said I would never be the man I used to be." She smiled. "That is when Bandor and I came up with an idea." They continued to walk through the lab, and as they walked into the hangar, came into view of bandor. Bandor turned and smiled.

"Sven!" he shouted. "Romelle! You're ok!"

"You think a few pesky Drule ships can keep us down?" Sven laughed. "Latterlig."

"The Drules have set up a network around the entire planet!" Bandor said. "None of our ships can escape the atmosphere. And it looks like the grid is tightening. But that's not the worst part. They just set loose a robeast, and it is headed for the castle! Our ships can handle the Drule fleet, but if we don't do something about that robeast…."

"What is this?" Keith said. He asked….though he immediately recognized it right away.

"This is my redemption, min venn," Sven replied. "It is time to turn the evil that Haggar has done against her."

"But that thing is possessed!" Keith said. "You can't possibly think to control it! Sven, you know as well as I do the life force inside the lions…they're not just machines. You know that."

"Ja," he replied. "But I also know that even the most evil of magics can be turned. And the lions have always been a compliment to their pilots. It accepts me. That will be enough."

"You can't seriously believe you can control it," Keith protested. Sven looked him dead in the eye.

"He and I are one, min venn," he replied. He turned back to Bandor. "We have no choice but to launch." He grabbed his voltcom off the rising pedestal. "Are the castle defenses operational?"

"I already gave the order," Bandor replied. "Be careful, Sven." Sven nodded as the armor formed around him, no longer a black ice, but ice blue. He ran to the lion and began to climb to the cockpit.

"I hope the Viking knows what he's doing," Keith said.

"Don't worry," Erik said, still holding tightly to Romelle. "He's my daddy." They backed up as the clamps released, and the white lion slowly lifted into the air, then took off out of the opening hangar doors.

Daniel flew like a blur past the enemy fire and managed to climb into the cockpit of Black. Its eyes lit up with power and let out a roar as it reacted to Daniel's presence.

"Alright, Black," he said, "let's give our friends a little cover." Black bent its knees, then sprung into the air in a quick takeoff. He fired missiles at a few of the attacking ships, and physically tore apart one of the bigger cruisers with its jaws.

"One of the lions is attacking the fleet!" one of the soldiers shouted. The general clenched his fist.

"Then destroy it!" he yelled.

"We're trying!" the soldier shouted back. The others ran through the city, avoiding fire as they went until they made it back to the lions.

"Climb in before they open fire again!" Marina shouted. They climbed into the cockpits.

"Yellow Lion, ready to rock!" Hunk shouted as Yellow's eyes glowed and let out a roar.

"Blue Lion, ready to kick some butt!" Larmina shouted as Blue's eyes lit up with power and let out a roar as well.

"Green Lion, powered up!" Vince said as Green also let out a roar.

"Red Lion, fired and ready!" Marina shouted. The lions took off into the air and began taking out more of the attacking ships.

"They're wiping out the fleet!" the officer shouted.

"Hold them as long as you can," the general replied. "Our objective is the destruction of of Castle Pollux! As long as they're distracted, nothing will stop the robeast from leveling their castle!"

The robeast glowed with a powerful purple aura as it stopped short of the castle and let out a mighty roar. But as it was about to launch its attack, it was suddenly struck by a directed sound blast that hit it dead on and knocked it end over end, sending it to the ground. Landing nearby…the white lion.

"You want a fight, you old witch!" Sven shouted. "You've got one!" He pulled tightly on the controls. He could feel the slight hesitance behind them. "Come on. I'm not longer a slave to her and neither are you. We do this as a team." White let out a roar before charging at the beast. The beast got up and grabbed White Lion and skidded backwards. Both were locked in a power struggle. Keith, Allura and Romelle watched the fight on the monitors.

"We have to help him somehow," Keith said. He lifted his arm up to his mouth. "Daniel, where are you?"

"We had a minor setback, Keith," Daniel replied, ripping through another cruiser. "We've almost got the entire fleet torn to shreds."

"Well we have a robeast at the castle steps," Keith replied.

"A robeast?" Daniel asked. He opened the com to the others. "You guys hear that?"

"We need to stop that robeast," Larmina said.

"We also need to do something about that net," Vince replied. Just then he thought of something. "The network is being strung by ships on the outside. If I can adjust trhe frequency modulation slightly enough to…."

"Whatever you're gonna do, magic man, make it quick," Daniel replied. "Meet us at the castle." Black threw a piece of one of the ships caught in its jaws, sending it crashing into one of the few remaining ships. All but Green took off for the castle. Vince began focusing, and he became linked with the onboard computer. Green drifted closer and closer to the net, and the purple glow surrounding the net was melted, allowing Green to slowly pass through. Once through, Vince came out of his trance.

"Whew," he sighed. "Now all I need to do is take out these three ships, and the entire grid should destabilize." He looked on his scanners and saw tons of blips. "A fleet…."

Sven tried to force the beast to roll to the left, but instead it lifted up the lion and tossed it like a rag doll across the field.

"I have to try and get it away from the castle," he said to himself. The beast came at him, but was struck from the side by Black, followed by Yellow, pinning the beast to the ground.

"Looks like we arrived just in time," Daniel said as Black let out a roar of approval.

"Sven," Hunk asked, "what's with the lion?"

"Long story, Hunk," he replied. "We just need to get it away from the castle."

"We got this thing taken care of," Daniel said.

"You don't understand," Sven said. "It's laced with…." The beast knocked Yellow off, then punched Black, sending it flying across the field as well. As it skidded to a stop, power levels dropped, and Black was knocked out.

"Haggarium," Daniel said, defeated. "I'm trying to get Black back online, but it's gonna take a minute.

"What's with this thing?" Marina asked, narrowly missing it as it fired a laser at Red.

"Haggarium," Larmina replied. "If this thing has a Dark Nexus, getting near it could drain Voltron's power levels."

"Then let's buy Daniel some time to think of something," Marina said. "What do you get when you mix water and fire?"

"A doused fire?" she asked.

"Steam," Marina replied. Blue and Red circled around the beast opposite one another. "Now!" Blue began dousing everything with a blast of water, and Red fired a blast of fire, evaporating the water. Soon the entire area was in a thick layer of fog.

"Black is back!" Daniel said as powe came back on. All five lions flew into the air above the cloud.

"Now what?" Larmina asked. "Without Vince, we can't form Voltron. And with the Haggarium flowing from that thing…."

"Guys," Hunk said, "I think the rest of the Drule fleet just caught up with us." They looked to see the remaining Drule ships heading their way, ready to fire. Then out of nowhere, the grid was gone, and a huge armada of ships from both Earth and Mira began to open fire on the Drules.

"It's the Alliance forces!" Marina shouted.

"Yes!" Daniel shouted.

"But how did they make it through the net?" Sven asked. Green appeared from the fleet and joined the rest of them.

"Hey guys," Vince said. "I miss anything?"

"Not much, " Daniel replied. "We still gotta deal with that robeast. The fog is lifting, and it's got a Dark Nexus."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Vince asked. Daniel Smirked.

"Let's Voltron!" Daniel shouted. He connected his voltcom.

"Um….uh…."Marina stuttered as she began to work the controls.

"Flash Form, GO!" Daniel shouted. The lions came together in a matter of seconds, forming the feet, legs, arms, body and head of Voltron. Marina opened her eyes.

"I think I need more practice," she said.

"No time," Daniel said. "Form Blazing Sword!" Red and Green came together and pulled apart, forming the energy beam that formed the Blazing Sword. Red pulled it back as Green let out a mighty roar.

"We do this together," Sven said, a golden axe blade appearing in the white lion's mouth. Both came screaming down into the lifting cloud. At once there was a screeching metal on metal sound….then silence…..then an explosion. When the fog finally lifted, there was nothing left of the robeast, and Voltron stood next to the white lion brandishing the Blazing Sword.

"Get us out of here!" the general shouted. "How am I going to explain this to Haggar?" The last Drule ship jumped to hyperspace and was gone. Lance finally came running into the castle control room.

"I miss anything?" he asked. The Alliance fleet hovered nearby….Keith and Bandor looking at the monitors in satisfaction.

"Thanks to all of you," Romelle said, "Pollux is once again safe."

"If it wasn't for Sven fighting off the robeast, and the Alliance and Polluxian fleets taking care of those Drule Ships," Daniel said, "it might have been a lot different."

"You sure that thing's still safe?" Keith asked. Sven patted Keith on the back.

"Ja," he replied. "It is like me. Still struggling to recover, and fighting to become something better."

"You're already better, min mann," Romele replied to him, smiling.

"Daddy, you were awesome!" Erik replied, giving him a hug.

"So what now?" Marina asked. "I mean, what does that white lion do? Can it connect to Voltron?" They all let out a hearty laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sven replied laughing. "You can't just start adding lions to Voltron!" They continued to laugh, though she couldn't understand why.

"What….what am I doing here?" the man asked. He looked around and saw the stone he had awoken from. "A tomb….what…what is the meaning of this?"

"Your prison," a voice in his mind echoed. "You played your part well, my servant. But now is the final hour. Now is the time you take back what is ours."

"I don't understand," he said. Memories of a ship in distress….of an inaccurate command at ops. "No….how did I….how could I…"

"Like this," the voice said. The man arched backwards screaming in pain. When it stopped, he looked ahead, his eyes a deep crimson, with a sadistic grin on his face. "Lead Navigator Holgresson….the dead have one last mission….the rebirth….of Syn." He began to laugh sadistically, and the sounds echoed through the caverns deep within an asteroid among many orbiting Sol.