KathDMD - Yeah, Kala gave the order alright, and in the back of hermind, she knows what needs to be done! As for Wade not dying...he's either too tough or too lucky, but he is still mortal, no thanks to Haggar's rebirth. As for Lysette...she has a special role on the team.

Megazord Prime - Wade has a goal, and won't stop until he achieves it.

Author's Note - I know it's taking forever to get these episodes out, but it's coming. Been working alot, but thanks to my muse (and the DWC of course ;) ), things are on track. Enjoy! (By the way, look for a nod to one of my favorite stories, "Madness" by one of my favorite fanfic writers, bknbu!)

Without my muse, I am nothing.

Theme Music : None

Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins and associated characters are the property of KathDMD. Admiral Lysette Fabrere and associated characters are the property of selena devargo.

Episode 95 : "Steele Force"

"How much longer until we're in range?" JC asked.

"Not much longer," Tails replied, keying things into her console. "I'm picking up quite a large fleet of Drule ships in the vicinity, and not a lot of defensive strikes against them."

"The how about we even the odds," Roxy replied with a grin. Jet Red shot forward at double the speed of the rest.

"Dammit, Truvall!" JC shouted. "Wait for the order!"

"That girl is gonna get herself killed one of these days," Seth said shaking his head.

"I hope not," Dariana said softly as the remaining jets zoomed towards the enemy.

"Commander!" one of the Drule officers shouted. "The Voltron Force is approaching!"

"That tiny fleet of jets from Earth?" she asked. "We'll squash them like flies. Divert the Stellar Snipers from the group to deal with them."

"Yes, Commander," he replied. Shortly after, several ships broke formation and turned to intercept the Voltron Force.

"I got you in my sights you son of a…." Roxy said, taking aim at the command ship. Suddenly she felt a jolt as laser blasts hit her shields. "What the…."

"Roxy, you alright?" JC shouted as the team blew past them, turning to meet them again.

"I'm fine," she said, "but those ships….those aren't ordinary Drule fighters."

"Snipers," Dariana said. "Drule elite forces. I've heard of them from stories my mom used to tell about Drule, but I've never seen them in person before."

"Whatever they are, we need to take them out if we have any hope of stopping kala," JC said.

"Then let's show them they can't outclass the best!" Roxy said. As she came around, she opened fire, scoring a few hits of her own, but the damage was minimal.

"Not a scratch," JC said.

"They're heavily armored, JC," Tails said. "This isn't going to be easy." The com beeped. JC turned on the com.

"Grend," Lysette said.

"What is it, Admiral?" JC asked.

"I just received word that the Drules have targeted Dradin because they're after Manset….and the Space Marshall's twins," Lysette replied.

"What?" JC said in shock. "Kala would stoop that low!"

"JC," Seth said, "Dar and I can head down to the surface to look for them. Can you three handle these ships?"

"Chance of success is at sixty-eight percent," Tails said. The team was silent. "Give or take half a percent of course."

"Make it quick, Derringer," JC replied. "If Kala's involved, I wouldn't doubt this fight getting really ugly really fast." Blue and Yellow shot down towards the planet, and JC, Roxy and Tails continued to open fire.

"These guys just don't quit," Roxy said.

"And even stingray missiles aren't having an effect on them," Tails said. "Even if they're distractions, they'll never let us go after the command ship."

"I wish we didn't have to send Seth and Dari down there," JC said. Suddenly, several ships streaked past them and opened fire on the Snipers. Three of them focused fire and managed to penetrate the shields of one of them, causing it to explode.

"What was that?" Roxy asked.

"I dunno," Tails replied, "but it was awesome!"

"Whoever it is, they're on our side," JC said, "and they have the right idea. Everyone focus fire on the same Sniper. Maybe we can penetrate the shielding enough to stop it."

Lenora sat on her couch, her hands running through her chestnut locks, gripping the sides of her head, full of worry. Jon sat nearby, staring at the com, waiting to hear some sort of news.

"I should have gone," she muttered. "I should have gone myself."

"You know we can't do that," Jon replied. "As much as I want to go running as well, the minute we do, all hell will break loose here."

"I can't believe the Drules….that Kala would sink so low as to attack my own children!" she screeched.

"The Voltron Force is headed there," he said. "They'll stop the Drules. They'll be safe."

"How can you be so sure, Jon?' she asked, almost pleading with him. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Before they could respond, a familiar face entered the Triplex.

"Hello Lenora, John," he said as he walked in.

"Commander Steele," Jon replied, reaching out and shaking his hand. "What brings you here? I guess you've heard about the attack on Dradin."

"Who hasn't by now?" he asked. "But I'm not here to give you old news. I'm here with good news."

"Good news?" Lenora asked, finally getting to her feet and looking Steele dead in the eye. "What is it?"

"The Voltron Force isn't the only squadron heading to Dradin," he replied. "I know I may be overstepping my bounds a bit, being retired from the Garrison, but I have been keeping a close eye on things since leaving, and I know what needs to be done."

"Who's heading to Dradin?" Lenora asked, demanding an answer.

"I've sent the Black Panthers," he replied. "This squad was hand-picked by the Academy Board, and are the top of their class. If there's anyone that can get the job done….believe me, Lenora, they will."

Seth and Dariana leaped from their cockpits to the ground. They ran to one of the nearby buildings and ducked around the corner. Seth held up his forearm, and a map appeared above it.

"Manset's last known location was here," he said, pointing to a spot on the map not far from them. "These buildings weren't built to withstand attacks. My thought is if I were under attack, I'd head underground. Parking garage, or sewer."

"It's a big city, Seth," she replied. "Where do we go from here?"

"Down, babe," he said, pointing at the manhole cover. "Down." He pried the cover off, and the two climbed down into the murky depths. Dari tapped her forearm, and a light emitted from her helmet. Tick popped out of her Voltcom and looked around, suddenly leaping from her arm and scurrying around the tunnel. "Hmph, must feel right at home." Tick let out a small screech.

"I think Tick might actually be picking up something," Dariana said. Tick let out two affirmative clicks, and scurried off in one direction. They ran to follow.

"Hopefully it isn't a moldy block of cheese," he snickered. Moments later through, a blaster shot nearly missed them. They ducked around a corner.

"They've spotted us," Dariana said. "I hope they haven't found them yet."

"If they had, they wouldn't be wasting their time on us," he replied, leaning out from the corner and firing several bolts from his crossbow. They fired back, and Seth ducked back around the corner, nearly missing getting hit by another barrage of blasts. Suddenly, blaster fire came out of nowhere, accurately taking out each of the Drules quickly. Several dark forms ran past them like ghosts.

"What was that?" Dariana asked. "I sense…human…."

"Let's follow them and find out," Seth said. They ran as fast as they could until they came to an opening in one of the walls. Stepping inside, they found themselves in an underground room. As they walked in, they came face to face with Manset, Maria, the twins, and the figures they saw in the sewers.

"Who are you guys?" Seth asked.

"Voltron Force!" Manset exclaimed. "So the Space Marshall sent you as well?"

"As well?" Seth asked. The leader turned around and looked Seth in the eye, then extended his hand.

"Ryan Steele," he said, "Panthera Force."