Author's Note: Voltron and all its constituents belong to World Events Productions originally. The Stellar Ship Defender and Captain Jennifer Owens belong to WarzonePrez. All other original characters belong to me.

selena. devargo - We're back in a new way, baby!

ForeverWells - Lovey, it is so good to hear from you. Let a new generation of Voltron love commence!

emie. mac - It's good to hear from you! I'm excited about exploring our friend Jeff's growth and maturity… that is, IF he's grown and matured. ;-)

Chapter Two.

Frowning, Jacob Hawkins studied his appearance in the mirror. Dressed in his official Defender staff uniform, he finally looked like an adult ready to stand on his two feet. Which worked in his favor. He was tired of being known only as the son of the Space Marshall. Now he was ready to forge a name for himself on his own merit.

"Tu as l'air bien, mon petit."

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. "Thank you, Papa." He studied his father's clothing. "And thank you for not wearing your commander's uniform."

Hawkins shook his head. "I haven't been a commander in a long time now, mon petit. It's not my uniform to wear anymore." Coming over to his son, he inspected the seams and straightened the neckline and shoulders. "But it looks wonderful on you. Like you were born to wear it. Which," he winked, "you were."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "So you say."

"I do say." The Vice Marshall grabbed his son by the shoulders and marched him down the stairs to the main living room, where the full-length portrait of his namesake, Jacob Christopher Hawkins, hung regally. "This man would say, too."

"Papa, I already know that GrandUncle Jacob's company built the S.S. Explorer. You don't need to remind me."

Hawkins shook his head. "Non, I don't. You already know that, as you said. But I don't think you've fully grasped the gravitas of the situation. You don't realize that, technically speaking, you are the third generation, and your sons will be the ones to inherit the throne."

Jacob frowned. "Not Lulu's or Charlotte's?"

"Non, mon petit. You are the one who bears the Hawkins name, the one who will continue the bloodline. The Defender—and, by extension, the Explorer—runs in your veins."

"Hmm." He closed his eyes, allowing the weight to wash over him. "That's a lot to ask. I hope I don't let you down."

He leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of his son's head. "Don't worry, mon petit. You won't."

The docking bay was seriously crowded, far more so than Cliff had expected. Yes, he knew this was a huge event. Yes, he knew there would be lots of people to see the Defender off. He still hadn't thought there would be this big of a turnout.

"Looks like the press is here too, Cliff." Marvin Izu elbowed his commanding officer. "I wasn't expecting to see those dipshits."

Cliff blew out an aggravated exhale. "Please don't use that language, Marvin."

"Why not?" The curly-haired pilot seemed abundantly cheerful. "They're dirty liars, the whole bunch of 'em. Hutch would say the same damn thing."

"I would!" Hutch Nagato bounced up behind his old teammates. Though much greyer than he was when he first started his post decades earlier, his enthusiasm hadn't aged at all. He might even have been more jubilant than teammates less than half his age. "I hope they don't ask me for a sound bite. I'll give 'em a sound bite."

"Please don't embarrass Lenora… or me," Cliff groaned.

"Relax, Cliff. They're not going to do anything. They don't have it in them."

Both Hutch and Marvin went googly-eyed as their fourth team member joined them. "Hi, Ka," Marvin greeted her, an absurd amount of star-struck admiration dripping off his tongue. "You look unusually spectacular today."

She rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, Marvin." Turning her attention to her captain, she asked, "Is EJ here yet?"

"Any moment now," Cliff assured her.

Hutch shook his head. "How weird is that, Kelly's son being the new pilot* for Chukker's rugger? I mean, like, damn, what are the odds?"

"Please," the Australian captain shrugged, "this is Vehicle Voltron. Weirder things than that have happened before."

"Yeah," Marvin agreed, "like when we were on Planet Pentos and Ka picked up those strange abilities."

"I'm standing right here, Marv," she reminded him sarcastically. "And I still have those 'strange' telekinetic abilities, thank you very much."

"Good thing." The curly-haired pilot patted her shoulder. "I'd be disappointed if you couldn't make things move with your mind anymore. That's the coolest thing ever."

"He's right," Hutch chimed in. "And honestly, the older we've gotten and the more awesome things we've seen, I second that Ka moving things without touching them is definitely the coolest thing ever."

Her eyes flashed in response, and she telekinetically lifted both their right arms to slap themselves across the face.

"Now that is a useful skill."

Cliff turned in the direction of the new voice and finally laid eyes on one of his best friend's children. Kelly's eighteen-year-old son, Edward James Benton, approached them. The boy was tall, like his father, but with his mother's tawny brown skin and ash-blond ringlets cropped close to his head. "EJ! It's good to see you, Lad."

"Hey, Uncle Cliff." EJ, tall for his eighteen years, bowed his head. "Oh, um, I suppose I should greet you as Captain Jack now."

"Nonsense." Cliff grinned as he clapped the boy on his shoulder. "We're pretty lax on the rules around here. Especially if Admiral Aki is too high up on his horse, so to speak."

"You still haven't forgiven him for taking over the Commander's position," Hutch marveled.

"No, that's not it at all. That's not a position that Crik or I ever wanted." The Land Team Captain shook his head. "But as his two closest comrades, we know when to rein him in when he's gotten too big for his britches."

Ka nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"So we're laid-back here. Got it." EJ gave a thumbs-up.

"Besides," Ka added, "EJ's mom is technically the right arm of the Space Marshall. My friend here can pretty much do what he wants." She lifted up onto her tip-toes to plant a kiss on the boy's cheek.

"Hey, Ka," Marvin interjected, "can I have a kiss, too?"

She telekinetically forced him to slap himself in the face with both hands.

When Crik looked out over his newly-anointed Sea Team, he smiled. Some faces he recognized. Some he did not… but were similar all the same.

"Crik! It's good to be here, mate."

Shannon Izumo seemed pleased beyond belief that he had resumed his post as a Sea Team pilot. He'd been in the United States—Texas, to be exact—ever since Vanderleigh had taken the office of the President, and he had seen his share of horrors and atrocities. "Shannon, I am so glad that you're back under my command," the Miran told him. He wasn't lying. The Irishman was the only pilot who had been with him for any length of time.

"It's good to see you too, mate." They settled in for some semblance of a guy hug before the next generation of pilots bombarded them.

"So… I guess this is our new team."

She was pretty, that much was for sure. With her copper skin and cropped red hair, she was most definitely an Andromedan. "You must be Chrysanthemum, yes?" Crik asked.

"Call me Chrys." She tilted her head towards the pilot next to her. "Believe it or not, this is my best friend from the Academy. Meet Marx."

"Pleasure." The dark-skinned, seven-and-a-half-foot-tall Bravuran stood behind her, more proper and protocol-following than even the Space Marshall herself. "It is an honor to serve on the Voltron Vehicle Force, Captain Keats."

Crik couldn't help but grin as he shook both their hands. Chrysanthemum Keaton and Marx Kagan had taken over for his long-time friends and co-pilots Tangor Katz and Zandee Karateya. Those two are still in the Garrison's service, just in a different way. "No, Sir, the pleasure is mine. And please, don't ever call me Captain Keats. 'Crik' is sufficient."

"As long as you never call me Sir again," Marx echoed.

"It's a deal." Crik shook his hand firmly and looked up, smiling. He wasn't used to looking up. "I look forward to working with you, Marx." He turned to shake the Andromendan's hand. "And you, Chrys."

"You really are as chill as Professor Kirigas said," she gushed.

Crik blushed. "How do you know my friend Cinda?"

"Marx and I took a class with her in our first semester. It was one of the last ones she taught online before leaving the Arusian Space Academy outpost." Chrys shrugged. "Kirigas said she never really felt comfortable teaching, especially not online. She preferred to get her hands dirty."

"Sounds like Cinda," Shannon winked. "Tell me, is my Cupcake still teaching, too?"

Crik groaned. "Must you still refer to Ginger that way, Shannon? After all, she's married. She's a wife and mother."

"Oh, come on. You know full well that Ginger Ellington never married Lance McClain." The Irishman pounded his chest. "That leaves some hope for the rest of us."

"Oh, hardly."

For some reason, Crik was surprised by the sarcasm in the newcomer's voice. "Aidan," he greeted the young man, "do you know something that we don't?"

"For starters, nobody calls me 'Aidan' except my mother when she's mad at me." As he laughed at his own joke, his blond ponytail shook behind him.

"So that must be all the time," the Miran countered.

"You must know my mom."

"Very much so. Lisa Kaga Dalloway was one of the finest pilots and Sea Team members to ever grace Vehicle Voltron. Don't ruin her legacy by following in your father's footsteps."

Shannon threw his head back and laughed. "Oh man, you mean we've got two of Aidan Dalloway? What did we ever do to deserve this?"

"Hey now, it's AJ, not Aidan. It's how my dad and I distinguish ourselves from each other." The boy shrugged. "And to answer your question, my mom says that Cliff didn't deserve to put up with another Dalloway, so it was better for me to pilot her Space Prober than to end up on the Land Team."

Despite his more formal demeanor, Crik almost fell over laughing. "That might be the best answer to any question I've ever heard in my lifetime. Make sure you send your regards to your mother next time you speak with her."

"And definitely make sure to introduce yourself to Cliff when you get a chance," Shannon egged him on. "I can't wait to see how that goes."

Chrys lifted an eyebrow. "Are we talking about Lieutenant Admiral Dalloway on Terra? Is that AJ's dad?"

"Must be," Marx replied. "And from the looks of things, it seems that Crik and Shannon seem to know him very well."

"Unfortunately for them," AJ cracked. "Now, where's Uncle Cliff so I can go tell him that his best Mate sends his regards?"

Crik almost didn't want to tell him where to find the Land Team captain. But then he figured it might be a lot more fun to watch that conversation play out. "If I point him out, I never told you, understand?"

AJ nodded vigorously with a terribly mischievous expression on his face. "This conversation never happened."

Wolo Kreuz was the most recognizable member of the new Air Team. For one, he was Salan, and his pale violet skin with the diamond-shaped mark in the center of his forehead caused him to stand out amongst the rest. Another, he'd also served as pilot the longest.

"Jenny," he greeted his captain with a big hug, "it's good to see you again."

"You too, Wolo," she spoke into his torso. The Salan was so tall, she barely came up to his collarbone. "I'm so glad to have at least one recurring member on my team."

"Understandable." He released Jen from the hug and looked her up and down. "You've grown up much since we were grounded. It doesn't seem right to call you Jenny anymore."

"Fair. I do go by Jen these days." She shrugged. "But, as my most senior Air Team member—and the most senior Air Team member overall—I don't have a problem with you calling me by my little-girl name."

"That's good. I might slip up from time to time."

"And that is totally fine by me." She paused to grin at him. "The rest of these girls, well, not so much."

Wolo froze. "Girls? What do you mean, girls?"

She reached up to pat him on the shoulder. "What I mean is that the three new Air Team members are all female, Kreuz. You are the only guy on the block."

"Oh, dear Lord." The Salan closed his eyes. "In all of David Rackens' seven hells, I never imagined I'd end up in a position like this."

"Hey, did you just mention my dad?"

Jen and Wolo both turned their heads in the direction of the newcomer. She was a young woman, no more than eighteen, with sharp grey eyes and black hair streaked with threads of aubergine and cerulean. By her side stood another female of the same age, one with ultra-dark skin and black cornrows in her hair. "You must be Lydia Rackens," the captain noted.

"Damn straight." Lydia grabbed the hand of the female with her. "And this is Azalea. Azalea Miniocre. Her dad works in the office of the Space Marshall."

"Lydia. Azalea. It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Jen shook both their hands. "I'm Jen Owens, the captain of the Air Team. And this is Wolo Kreuz, who's been here for longer than all of us combined."

Wolo regarded the fairer-skinned girl with reverence. "I have been friends with your father for many, many decades, Lydia Rackens," he greeted her. "He and I have known each other since we were younger than you are now."

"He told me. It's nice to finally meet you, Wolo." Instead of shaking his hand, Lydia embraced him. "Last night, he told me to send his regards. And that he's jealous."

One corner of Wolo's mouth turned up in a smile. "Knowing your father, I'd say that he's lying. He would never want to return to outer space, not even Terra's."

"True enough." Her voice never waivered as she cracked a smile. "If given the opportunity, he would totally turn it down. But the desire never truly dies, does it?"

"No, it does not." Wolo took a step back and regarded this girl. She was brash, if not more so. Irresponsible? Is that the term I'm looking for? Or did he not know what to make of her because she was so unlike his old friend? Well, she couldn't possibly be David's mini-me. Not with Morgan Feld as her mother. "If it did, I wouldn't be here at my advanced age."

"Not true! Salans have a long lifespan. I know that for a fact."

Jen nearly rubbed her eyes with her fists at the image before her. She knew, but she hadn't been truly prepared. Another Salan. There haven't been two Salans on this Force since Tangor left. "You must be Roma."

"Roma Katz." The tall, bald Salan gave a half-salute. "Picking up where my cousin Tangor left off."

Azalea and Lydia appeared confused, but Jen and especially Wolo knew exactly what she was talking about. "Welcome to the team, Roma," the captain greeted her. "I know it's not the Sea Team like your cousin was on, but you the Voltron Force welcomes you nonetheless."

"And the Air Team is nothing to be disappointed with," Wolo added with a wink. "We might be even better than the Sea Team."

"So you say." Roma had a maturity that the other two girls on the team could not match. "I haven't found that out for certain, but I'm willing to play along."

"I like that in a teammate." Jen shook her hand firmly. "Welcome aboard, Katz."

Azalea moved to Roma's side almost imperceptibly. "So you've never piloted a rugger before?" she asked.

Roma shook her head. "Never. And if I'm being honest, I don't have a good enough relationship with my cousin for him to tell me everything about piloting one. I'm just as much behind the eight ball as you girls are."

"I snuck the key to my parents' Blue Mecha** and flew once," Lydia piped up. "AJ stole the key to his dad's Black Mecha and flew with me."

Wolo shook his head. "I'm sure that didn't end well."

"True. We both got our butts whooped. EJ laughed at us—we asked him to steal his dad's key to Red Mecha, but he wouldn't do it. I guess that's what happens when your mom is the head Admiral in the Galaxy Alliance." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, we both got our first real taste of flying on that little outing, and it really got under our skin."

"You two are idiots." Azalea shook her head.

Jen buried her face in her palms. "Wolo and I are gonna have our hands full."

"And Crik," Wolo reminded her. "AJ is on the Sea Team."

"Oh man," Roma quipped, "this is like Gladiator Voltron 2.0… only with a dozen more pilots."

"And a dozen more ruggers," Lydia added.

Jen wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder. "I like how you're referring to them as ruggers and not as mecha. You've got this down pat already, Lyddie. You're starting to grow on me."

Azalea rolled her eyes.

To say that the Space Marshall was not taking this event well was an understatement. "Oh, mon garçon, s'il te plaît, fais attention là-bas," she pleaded as she placed her palms on either side of her son's face.

"Maman, we can do this without the theatrics." Jacob shrugged. "You are the Space Marshall, after all. It's your duty to send the next generation of pilots off into space."

"He is correct, mon ange," the Vice Marshall agreed. He wrapped his arm around his son and kissed the top of his head. "I won't wish you good luck, Jake. Instead, I'll ask you to keep Jeff in line the best you can. And try to stay out of any arguments between Jeff and Cliff. Those two can get heated sometimes."

"You didn't tell me that babysitting was on the curriculum."

"It comes with the territory, especially with Admiral Aki at the helm." The Vice Marshall shrugged, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "Feel free to punch him in the face if it helps."

The Space Marshall shot her husband a look. "You're not making this situation any better, mon cœur."

"My turn." Little Charlotte wrapped her arms around her brother's waist and held tight. "I'll miss you, Jakey. Probably more than I miss Lu. But don't tell anyone I said that, 'kay?"

Surprised, Jacob took a step back. "You will? Really? Even more than Lu?"

The little girl shrugged. Being a miniature version of her father, with jet hair and piercing eyes, she came off as far more mature than her years. "Obviously. I don't have to fight you for the bathroom."

He laughed. "I love you, Char. And I'll miss you lots."

She jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hugging him tightly, she whispered, "Kick some butt."

He laughed as he set her down on the ground. "Maman and Papa have their hands full with you, kiddo."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I guess it's time to board." Jacob glanced backward at the ship. The Stellar Ship Defender was a carbon copy of its predecessor, the Explorer. "Time to say adieu."

Hawkins placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "You're going to do great. You were born for this."

Jacob nodded solemnly and headed off to the gangplank to board the ship before his mother began to cry. He hated to see his mother cry.

At the helm of the ship, Jeff took a deep breath in, inhaling the musty scent of a ship that had been boarded up for an extended period. The last time he'd been here, they were being recalled after Graydon Vanderleigh had overridden the Congressional vote to keep them in outer space. They had tried so hard to take off before that decision went through, but that fraudulent president shot them down from the skies.

Luckily, neither the crew nor the ship had sustained any lasting damage. Physically, anyway. Mentally? That was another story.

"It's about time you showed up, Aki."

Half of Jeff's mouth turned up as he stared down Sparks. He and Darek, the two oldest crew members on deck, were seated at their original posts. They were probably going to die here, doing what they loved most. "Glad you were able to wait for me, Tech Sergeant."

Though his hair had long since greyed to a very pale shade of blond, the former redhead winked. "I'm used to waiting on the commander for this ship, whoever it may be."

Jeff smirked. "Believe it or not, Sparks, we've come full circle."

"What are you talking about?" Darek piped up.

"Oh… wait until you see what I've got in store for you." The Admiral winked, trying not to burst from holding in his secret. "Let's just say that Commander Hawkins is back on this ship."

"No way." Graziela, the newbie tech sergeant, inserted herself into the conversation. "The Vice Marshall would never leave his post next to his wife at the Garrison."

"I said Commander Hawkins, not Vice Marshall Hawkins, Graziela. Don't get ahead of yourself."

As though he'd known he was the topic of conversation, Jacob strode through the doors to the main deck as though he owned the place. Dressed in his official uniform, he was the spitting image of his father. Sparks and Darek both stifled a gasp.

"That's insane," Sparks mumbled to himself.

"Jake. Good to see you." Jeff patted his godson on the shoulder. "I was just telling the crew here that we've come full circle and there's a new Commander Hawkins on deck."

Jacob shook his head. "I know nothing about being a commander, Sir. I plan to learn on the fly."

"That's the spirit!" Darek cheered him on.

Jeff settled into the command seat and stared straight ahead. "Departure in T minus ten minutes. Crew, prepare for liftoff."

Alarms sounded, belts buckled, and screens lit up. Jacob smiled to himself as he strapped himself into the seat next to the admiral. His father was right; the Defender did run in his veins. This was exactly where he wanted to be, and exactly where he wanted to go. It was as if his whole life had suddenly opened up before him, and the options were limitless. That was the most exciting of all.

A tumbler of bourbon in hand, Richard Newley leaned against the railing on his balcony, watching the Stellar Ship Defender lift off the ground and hover in the air. Soon it would be high in the sky and exiting Earth's atmosphere, where he would no longer see it. Grinning, he remembered a time when he and his best friend were on that ship… and then, a decade later, when they were in charge of that ship.

Well, it wasn't exactly this ship. His ship had long been destroyed. But this one was close enough, wasn't it? It certainly looked like it, especially while lifting away from Galaxy Garrison.

He knocked his head back and took a long sip, his eyes never leaving the Defender. This must have been how Moriarty felt when we took off without him. It doesn't matter how old you get, the sting of your ship taking off without you never really goes away. He swallowed. Not even after all these years.

Newley never sat down, he simply continued to lean against the railing and watch until the Defender lifted higher and higher, pressing against the sun and seemingly beyond. Transfixed on the image, he was startled by the static of his comm. "Are you watching this, Rich?" the voice asked.

"You know I am."

"You know that my son is on there, right?"

"Good. Somebody's got to keep an eye on Jeff."

Hawkins laughed. "That's basically what I told Jake, in not so many words."

"Well, what can I say, Jon? Our ship took off without us." Finally swallowed up by the sky, the Defender was no longer visible. "God help us."

"God's hand is on them."

"I sure hope so."

"It is. I have faith."

"I need some of yours."

Hawkins laughed again. "What are you doing tonight, Rich? You're welcome to join us for dinner if you'd like."

He paused. "Actually, that sounds good. Tell Lenora to expect me within the hour."

"I'll do that. See you soon, Rich."

With that, Newley knocked back the rest of his cocktail and headed indoors to get ready for his dinner date. Today was the type of day that he didn't want to spend alone. And the only person he could imagine spending time with now was the same person he had shared all of his past adventures with.

Tu as l'air bien, mon petit: You look good, my little one

Oh, mon garçon, s'il te plaît, fais attention là-bas: Oh, my boy, please be careful out there

* For all you newcomers who don't necessarily want to go looking back through old stories for an explanation, Kelly Asimov-Benton (one of my OCs) dated Modoch Chukker (a canon character and original Vehicle Voltron pilot) for many years. They broke up when Modoch cheated on her. This is why the original Land Team members are weirded out by the fact that Kelly's son will be piloting her ex-boyfriend's rugger.

** Again, for all you newcomers who don't necessarily want to go looking back through old stories for an explanation, these three new OC Vehicle Voltron pilots (Lydia Rackens, AJ Dalloway, and EJ Benton) are the children of my OC Gladiator Voltron pilots (previously and probably better-known as Albegas). Respectively, their parents are: David Rackens and Morgan Feld Rackens; Aidan Dalloway and Lisa Kaga Dalloway (a canon character and original Vehicle Voltron pilot); and Taye Benton and Admiral Kelly Asimov-Benton.