KathDMD - JC and Roxy needed to meet Soltorn face to face, as I want her to be more than the "Robeast of the WeeK". Oh, and Hydra and Mira are separate planets, but they were sister planets, at least here. I'm aware of the mixup, but there will still be fallout.
lovecastle89 - Yep, leave it to Wade to make a statement by using genocide.
Author's Note - Story Arc starts picking up speed here! Enjoy!
Theme Music : "Hysteria" 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 84 : "Insurrection"
"I want the next council meeting to be held in two weeks' time," King Bhorn ordered. "Contact the members of the High Council, and we shall convene in the meeting room at our primary military headquarters on Planet Carnus. But don't bother sending any invitations to Korrinoth. The Ninth Kingdom has no ruler, unless you count that scab of a witch, Haggar. There's still talk amongst the Council over whether she's even a Drule at all."
"I might actually reconsider, Your Majesty," one of the robed servants replied. "It may actually seem disrespectful, not just to Korronith, but to the entire High Council and the Kingdoms it represents if you would actually consider leaving even one of them out of negotiations."
"How DARE you speak to me in that manner!" Bhorn lashed out. "How dare a mere SERVANT address me in a way that would make me seem an enemy to the remaining kingdoms and their peoples! I am King Bhorn, Leader of the Drule High Council, and I demand respect from those that serve under me!"
"And to those who serve WITH you, my lord?" the servant asked. "I hear General Soltorn of the Fourth Kingdom has gone missing."
"What did you say?" Bhorn asked, momentarily forgoing his rage.
"Indeed, it would seem that not only has the good general been stolen away from her people," the servant said, almost with a slight laugh, "but it would also seem that Korronith has been easily dealing with those that would mock it." Bhorn stood up and looked at the robed man, unable to see his face.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "You look like one of my servants, but you speak out like a traitor!" He pulled a sword from a sheath by his side and pointed it at the servant. "You seem to think you know more about the Drule Supremacy than I do." The servant snickered.
"Perhaps it is because you are ignorant and blind, my lord," he replied. "Most fools who are not just insane for power, but are insane for the sake of being insane usually are. A pity…I actually had faith in your leadership abilities, but I'm afraid you lack as much vision as the rest of them."
"Guards!" Bhorn shouted. "Take him down! In as many pieces as necessary!" Four very large Drule guards came at the servant, two with blasters, the other two with swords. The servant smirked.
"I figured you would need another demonstration," he said. The two with blasters trained them on him while the two with swords came towards him to take him. The servant pulled a huge longsword from a sheath and swung back, cutting off the hand of the first. The second swung and met his blade, and after several exchanges, was pushed back so hard he flew across the room and hit a wall, knocking him out. The other two opened fire, and the man held out his hand, the blaster shots hitting an invisible field and dissipating. He ran at the first guard, cutting the blaster in two, then spinning around and slicing his head off. He then threw his sword at the last one, impaling him through the chest. He held out his hand, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The sword caught fire, and as the last one bled to death, he burned alive. Bhorn stood there in disbelief, still gripping his sword. The man walked slowly to the burning corpse, and easily pulled his sword from it. He turned to look at Bhorn again. In a rage, Bhorn ran down and came at the man with his sword. As he took his swing, the man blocked it with his own sword with one hand easily, then stood up taller, pushing against Bhorn, forcing him down to one knee. Bhorn clenched his teeth as he tried to push back, but the man was much stronger, and for the first time since he was a child, he felt fear.
"Who….are…you?" Bhorn asked. The man pulled the hood from his head, and Bhorn's eyes widened.
"Ruthless aggression and outright violence is not the true way to honor and victory, Your Highness," Kanji said with a smirk. "Victory is achieved through not just brute strength, but strategy." He spun his sword, knocking Bhorn's out of his hand. He grabbed Bhorn by the neck and lifted him up. He carried him to the throne and in one motion, forcibly set him down onto it.
"Lord Kanji," Bhorn said with a raspy voice, his throat in searing pain, "had I known it was you…"
"You would have had my head?" Kanji laughed. "be careful of your own thoughts. And more importantly, be careful who you decide to double-cross, Your Highness." He started to walk away.
"You spoke earlier of Soltorn," Bhorn said. "Do you know what has happened to her?" Kanji stopped and turned slightly to look back at Bhorn.
"She is currently in the service of Sky Marshall Wade," Kanji replied, "current commander of the armies of the Ninth Kingdom…and now the Fourth. As I said before, Your Highness, tread lightly, for there may come a day when the Council's services, in my eyes, will no longer be required." Kanji walked towards the door. Several guards rushed in, but Bhorn signaled them to allow Kanji to pass, and not to engage him.
I can feel his fear….and his rage, Kanji thought as he left. He may still be of some use to me.
"Citizens of the Galaxy Alliance," Commodore Mitchell announced on the Emergency Broadcast Network, "as you are aware, the Alliance has received word that Planet Hydra has met an unfortunate demise at the hands of the our enemies. Many of its people have been killed, a victim of mass genocide instituted by the Supremacy." He took a deep breath as he paused for a moment. "As you are all aware, the Galaxy Alliance has sworn to protect its people, including the planets that make up this Alliance. The High Council, after reviewing the evidence from this incident, believe that due to the negligence at Galaxy Garrison, a support fleet was not launched to assist the weakened forces protecting a shipment of lason to the planet. This decision was deemed the direct result of negligence from the executive order, namely that of the Space Marshall and the Vice Marshall. It is because of this, the High Council, in accordance with Section Nine, Article seventy-two of the Amendment of Reinstatement, in the event of Executive Powers no longer servicing the will of its people, the High Council, with the support of a majority of the Galaxy Alliance Representatives, may temporarily relieve them of command until such a time as they are seen fit to resume command, or are replaced." The crowd outside watching to monitors began to talk amongst themselves.
"Because we do not wish to relive this tragedy," he continued, "the High Council has selected an interim commander to take Executive command while the matter is addressed. Rest assured, with the assistance of the Council and the Representatives, we will ensure that the incident that caused this tragedy never again happens. We extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and families that were lost, and we will do our best to offer our support in their time of need. That said, the S.S. Legacy, as well as the Voltron Force, will be ordered to return to Earth in order to be examined, investigated, and if necessary, dismantled in order to get to the bottom of what has happened. As always, the safety of the Galaxy Alliance is our number one priority, and we will do our best to uphold the integrity we have shown you all in the past. We will release more information as it becomes available. Thank you." The transmission ended.
"Well, there it is," Lenora said, hitting the power button on the remote control. Jon sat next to her in disbelief, while Mike sat on the nearby chair looking like he wants to leap through the TV and choke someone.
"I don't know how you remain so calm, Lenora," Mike said. "That low down piece of snart outright lied to everyone watching that transmission!"
"Politics at its best, Commander," Len replied, still expressionless. "I've told you this before, and I'm gonna say it again. I didn't get to be the Space Marshall based on my looks, or by any shenanigans."
"We already know that," Mike replied.
"But it's how I got to where I am that's important to remember, Mike," she replied. "I fought the system. Even when Wade was here blocking me at every turn, I fought. And I didn't stop fighting. You all have told me over and over again that I have always made the right decisions, what's right for the Galaxy Alliance. Because of that, I will never ever doubt myself." She got up from the couch and went over to the nearby playpen, and looked down at the twins who had fallen asleep while playing. "And I'll never stop fighting."
"We're here to back you up," Mike said. Jon placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm here as well," Alrek said, walking in the door.
"Mr. Holgersson," Len said.
"Call me Alrek," he replied. "As soon as I heard the Council spewing their sØppel on the television, I felt I needed to come."
"I appreciate that," she replied.
"So you know," he continued, "I am not the only one concerned about this. I just want you to know you're not alone."
"Thank you," Jon replied. Mike's voltcom began to beep. He tapped a button and looked at the readout.
"I believe I understand what Mr. Holgersson is saying," Mike said. "The Garrison is on lockdown, but I propose we set up a meeting place outside the campus to discuss our options once the Legacy returns to port."
"Agreed," Lenora replied. "I want to hear what happened directly from Captain Brown's mouth. And knowing Grend and his team, I think not only will their story differ from the drivel the Commodore is spewing, but their testimony will be crucial in stopping this nonsense."
"So, what do we do now?" Roxy asked.
"We wait," JC replied. "We wait to hear from Len or the High Council on what our next move is. So far, all we've heard was an order from Commodore Mitchell to return to Earth."
"I think there's more to it than that," Dariana said.
"What's up, Dar?" Seth asked.
"Aside from it being odd for the High Council to give direct orders to the military," she said, "the visions I've been having about Lord Kanji are becoming more vivid. Seth, I honestly think Kovinx really is trying to warn us of something."
"You think everything going on might be tied to this Kanji guy?" Seth asked.
"I can't prove anything," she replied. "I can only try to explain what I feel when I have these dreams. I have yet to see the face of this Drule that they say was charismatic enough to win over the kingdoms, yet ruthless enough to rule over them with an iron fist. I only know what Olan, Kovinx's father, told her. I feel as if Alfor's father, and his Lion Knights, may hold the key to all this, as they are the ones that faced the 'Great Evil' Olan spoke of. We know this."
"Guys," Tails said, "I was able to hack into the EBN. If what I'm seeing is true, I don't think you're gonna like it."
"What is it?" JC asked. Tails repositioned the holoscreen, and they watched in horror as Commodore Mitchell gave his speech.
"That son of a…." Roxy said with clenched fists.
"He's outright lying to the people!" Seth shouted. "We have to tell Captain Brown!"
"Tell him I've been hacking into the Legacy's computer system?" Tails asked. "Not a good idea."
"But he has to know!" Seth said.
"We need to keep it cool for now," JC said. Roxy shot him a look. "I mean it, Rox. One way or another, the truth is gonna come out. And if I know the Space Marshall, she's already cooking up a plan."
"So we're back to just sitting here and waiting?" Seth asked.
"Not exactly," JC replied. Roxy raised an eyebrow. JC turned his head to look at her. "We're gonna do what we do best."
"Snoop around and get into trouble?" Tails asked. JC smirked.
"Seth," JC said, "I want you and Dari to get back to the hangar and help Sergeants Katz and Karateya finish any and all repairs on the ships. Try to load any additional ammo and firepower you can, and make sure energy reserves are maxxed out. I'm pretty sure once we launch, we're gonna be AWOL for a pretty long time."
"AWOL?" Roxy asked. "Why, Lieutenant, you almost sound like you're planning a mutiny."
"In my mind," he replied, "I'm following the orders of my Space Marshall." He gave her a wink. He turned to Tails. "Tails, I want you to stay hacked into the Legacy's communication grid. I want to know any and all communications between the Legacy and Galaxy Garrison, and I want them recorded."
"Yes sir, thank you sir, may I please have another, sir?" Tails shouted with a mock salute.
"Just do it, McGovern," JC replied with a laugh. "Roxy, you and I have Level I clearance aboard the Legacy. Let's see if we can find anything out from the Captain without openly admitting we're going to be fleeing his ship shortly before returning to port."
"Sounds good to me," she replied. He held up his hand, and she placed her palm to his. They looked into one another's eyes. "We do this together."
"Aw," Tails said with a giggle.
"Can it, McGovern," Roxy replied with a smirk. They all left the room, leaving Tails to continue working on her terminal.
"Sky Marshall," Kala said over the UltraWave, "your plans have worked out perfectly. Chaos is spreading throughout the Alliance, and there is talk amongst their leaders of putting down the troublesome Space Marshall."
"Excellent," he replied. "I was hoping my little diversionary tactic would cause the Council to see things my way. The time to strike is soon, but not yet. There are two things I need to do."
"And what would that be?" she asked.
"You already know my thoughts, Commander," he replied. "The first will be to gather the remaining troops, as well as the dear General, and launch an attack on Eden. It's proximity to Quantus will give us an advantage in our next bout with the lason-spewing planet, and with Voltron out of the way, we should have no problem stopping the Alliance forces there."
"You believe Voltron not to be a threat?" she asked. "Are you sure you aren't underestimating this force?"
"We have always understood each other in the ways of strategy, Commander," he replied. "There was once I was able to hold you back from taking revenge for the sole purpose of strategy, and there has been a time you have done the same for me. And if it is one thing I've learned over the years, it is never to underestimate the Voltron Force. We are better than them. We are stronger than them. But most of all, we are smarter than them. Knowing those troublesome cadets they chose to fly those mocked up ships Graham commissioned, they will all out participate in our little manufactured civil war. And all the while, we'll be reaping the benefits of not having to deal with Voltron."
"And if they somehow come to their senses?" she asked.
"That's the other thing I need, Commander," he replied. "I am taking my command ship and a small fleet on a little hunt."
"A hunt for what?" she asked
"The other half of The Void," he replied with a smirk.