Relative disclaimers apply.

"Well, team, it looks like we're almost there," said Keith as the planet Knoll loomed ahead of them.

"I hope they're still here. I'm getting tired of playing catch-up with them," added Lance.

Hours ago, Keith's transwaver had flashed and activated to reveal Coran's face. The moustached advisor delivered his news gravely with the note of caution that so became him. He had done the research on Sven and Lucia's destination that the Voltron Force had asked for.

"There is a record of a distress call sent out from planet Knoll in the Verdant System, an area known to be controlled by King Zarkon," he had said. "The Alliance had never acted on this request for help because of all its other problems, and while we received news of it on Arus, the timing was such that we were busy with Zarkon elsewhere. It would unfortunately appear that the message had been forgotten in the midst of greater concerns. Knoll is not very important strategically, and only seems to be of importance to planet Doom as a source of food for its robeasts.

"However, Knoll is known for its liberal use of slaves to care for the herd animals there and in turn the plants the animals feed on. The distress message was dated some time ago, but I believe I have a bit of information that may be of interest to you. The message was sent by a man by the name of Sho Shirogane. Do you think this may be the one?"

"There can't be any others," Keith had replied. "The name's right, and besides, we don't have any leads other than this is the one."

Now with the unimpressive brown planet in sight, Keith signaled the rest of the Force. "All right, let's head for the coordinates of Garilon Labor Camp. It's on the dark side of the planet right now so it'll be the middle of the night, moving towards morning, there. Keep alert and stay low. If Zarkon's forces spot us while Sven and Lucia are infiltrating the prison we may put them in danger."

"How long do you think they could have been down there already? asked Hunk.

"Not more than a couple of hours I would guess," said Lance. "Sven gave us the slip, but he can't push Blue Lion any faster than ours. Besides, we didn't start out at Pollux so we didn't have to travel as far to Knoll as he did."

"I hope they're all right," said Pidge. "If they need it maybe we should give them a hand. After all, Sven's our friend and we shouldn't let him and his sister fight alone."

Keith nodded. "I hear you, Pidge. But first we need to make certain the Blue Lion is safe. As soon as we know it is we'll see to Sven and Lucia."

Sven reacted faster than he thought possible, using the enhanced strength of his Armor to propel the bent remains of the door between the doorway and Lucia as a shield. He dodged the errant laserfire and scooped his sister up in his arms. As the door crashed back to the floor beneath the force of laser-powered assault, he dashed back towards the ladder.

Beams of light skimmed around him, searing holes into the floor and walls. He reached the small chamber and reached to his wrist to activate the Armor's flight. He felt his "backpack" hum through the metal on his back and his lifted his head up to view the open hatch at the end of the ladder. There was no sign of Sho. His thrusters fired, propelling him upward with remarkable speed and precision regardless of the fact he could not correctly position his arms to direct his flight.

Sven burst above the roof of the prison and spiraled off to one side, startling his younger brother, who was poised a couple meters away to snipe the first robot to climb the ladder. Sho relaxed slightly, lowering his rifle as Sven landed across from him.

"I heard the laserfire," said Sho hesitantly. "Is she... Will she be all right?" His worried gaze fell on Lucia.

Her face could not be seen behind the polarized visor of her helmet, but the crimson stains across her uniform not be ignored. Some of it was beginning to dry, clotting her uniform to her skin, but much of it on her chest still glistened uncomfortably moist.

"I think for the moment she will be," said Sven. "She took one direct hit. The rest are more superficial. If nothing else we should be thankful that laser wounds burn clean."

A stream of fire erupted from the hatch between them, startling them both. Sho kicked the heavy metal lid down with a resounding clang and looked to Sven. "So what now, Oniisan?"

Sven turned his gaze towards the fields. Some of Zarkon's ships were heading that way with others in pursuit. One of those that fled crashed beneath a heavy stream of laserfire. Another escaped to the stratosphere, and a third even retaliated with its own weapon systems.

"We head to the Blue Lion of Voltron," he said. He adjusted his sister's weight in his arms and she groaned.

"Lucia," he murmured.

She rolled her head to one side. "I heard you," she said weakly. She tried to slip from Sven's arms. "Let me fly--on my own." She saw the looked of concern on her brother's face but could only shake her head in disagreement as she gathered her strength to speak again.

The roof beneath them shook, trembling with the quaking earth below the building's foundation. A deafening roar shattering the air, catching the attention of all three siblings. Not far within the fields a new chasm yawned of metal and stone. A great bipedal creature rose from it, lifting taloned hands to the sky as in supplication. The beast was murky blue in color, with hideous gnarled skin, sunken yellow eyes, and a blunted fanged snout. It bellowed once more and leapt after the escaping ships with a flight unprecedented for a creature of its size.

"Good Lord!" said Sho. "What is that thing?"

"A robeast," Sven replied grimly.

Lucia shook her head weakly. "Perhaps I was wrong to send those people to the ships." She took in a deep breath, then raised her eyes to her elder brother. "Look, Sven, you can't carry both me and Sho and still fly. You'd be too heavy. That robeast thing is going to attack the prisoners. We need to help them. And for that we're going to need to get to the Blue Lion."

Sven gently set Lucia on her feet, steadying her when she seemed about to fall. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. "You're right," said Sven. "Together with the Armor, the Blue Lion may be enough to delay the robeast long enough for the prisoners to get away. Lucia, be careful. Now that we have Sho, you have to keep yourself alive long enough so that we may see Father again. Don't die on us."

"Hemorrhaging isn't my way to go," Lucia said firmly. "I will go back." She slowly lifted a hand to the horizon as though she could touch it. "The blood within our veins gives us the will to live, and while I have that yet within me I will stay."

The Red Lion swooped out of the night sky with the speed of a falcon. Coming out of nowhere, it arrived to bear its fiery breath against the robeast's face. A moment later the Black Lion appeared as well. Missiles fired from its shoulder cannons to home in on their target.

Below them and the two lions yet to emerge from space, Sven deposited Sho beside the Blue Lion. Sven glanced back to see if Lucia approached in the distance. At Sven's insistence she flew slower to keep herself from becoming dizzy from her injuries. She took her time, but would catch up soon though.

Sven looked back to his younger brother, considering. "Sho, what I'm about to ask you may seem strange, but you've finished your pilot's training, haven't you?"

Sho nodded hesitantly. "Of course. I haven't flown in over a year obviously, but I still remember how."

Sven again appraised his brother and deemed him healthy enough. Barely--assuming trusting his flying skills was not a mistake. "The other Voltron lions are up there, fighting. Blue Lion should join them," Sven said slowly. "I must stay down here and protect Lucia. With her injuries there's no way she could survive being thrown around in a dogfight. I know you've never flown combat before, and you're not in the best of shape, but my friends in the other lions will help you."

Sho stood speechless as Sven removed the key to the Blue Lion from a compartment in his AFIS Armor. "You want... me to fly?"

Sven smiled slightly. "Two Shiroganes have already flown it. Why not a third? If I could give you this Armor and fly Blue Lion myself I would, but I'm afraid the Armor won't fit you."

Sho accepted the key with a slight bow then scrambled up the Blue Lion's head and into the cockpit. The Blue Lion's eyes flashed for an instant, then it rose from its crouch with a roar and leapt into the dark sky. Sven stood silently a moment, watching the lion dwindle into the sky, then turned away to look for Lucia. The night vision of his helmet revealed the spots of heat coming from her thrusters and flickers of something else from various spots around them. He waited patiently through the few moments it took for her to reach him.

Lucia was breathless when she arrived. She slowed down and tried to bring her legs beneath her but collapsed once she cut the power from her pack. Lucia sucked in a deep breath and groaned, holding a hand limply to her chest. Sven was beside her in an instant.

"What did you do?" she asked, looking up at him. Disbelief sounded in her voice as she realized who it was who knelt beside her and who now flew the Blue Lion. "He's only fifteen!"

"He's going to have to be a lot more than that," said Sven.

The Blue Lion's flight wove away from the brother and sister and towards the battlefield. Dodging, then meandering, it fired titanium claws at the robeast, striking its backside. The other lions made way for the erratic lion, perhaps confused.

"Lucia, can we tap into Voltron's tac net?" Sven asked.

She nodded wordlessly, reaching out to adjust the dial on first his helmet then her own. An assault of words bombarded them.

"Now who are you?" asked Hunk.

"Sho, isn't it," said Keith.

"What are you doing flying Blue Lion? Where's Sven and Lucia?" demanded Lance.

"Look you guys, this really isn't the time..." Pidge chimed in.

"Right!" said Sho, voice wavering. "I'm here so you guys can form Voltron. There are lots of prisoners on those spacecraft and we've got to destroy this robeast before it kills them all!"

"He's right," said Sven as he helped Lucia stand. He paused momentarily as his friends called out his name in surprise and greeting. "Lucia needs immediate medical attention, but she's willing to wait a little longer until you destroy that robeast. So hurry up and get him, for all of us."

"All right," agreed Keith. "We'll walk you through this, Sho, so just sit tight." The five lions began to group together, lights emitting from all of them in silver, blue, green, yellow, and red. The robeast roared, maneuvering into a defensive position.

"Activate interlock. Dynatherms connected," came Keith's voice.

Sven and Lucia looked to each other, then to the brightening sky.

"Infracels up. Megathrusters are go. Let's go Voltron Force!"

The light was almost blinding. But Lucia watched, fascinated, through the inhuman sight her visor gave her. As Keith called out the commands the lions folded away their legs, retracted their tails, and essentially transformed themselves into the parts of Voltron's body. The Blue and Yellow Lions formed the legs, the Red and Green the arms, and finally the Black Lion became Voltron's head and body.

United, the mighty robot assumed a combative stance. Behind it the ships continued to flee. The robeast lunged forward, but Voltron clamped the Green and Red Lion heads on its shoulders, falling down to throw the creature's weight over it with its own momentum. In a swift motion, Voltron brought the cheeks of the Green and Red Lions together and pulled them apart to form the beam of light that coalesced into the Blazing Sword.

"The knight in shining armor. It's like a fairy tale," murmured Lucia, leaning wearily again Sven.

Above her, Voltron slashed the robeast down the middle, dividing it neatly into two identical halves, both of which exploded a split second later.

Lucia closed her eyes. "So like a fairy tale."

After the battle the five lions formed a ring around the six people standing in the rocky remains of what was once a thriving field on planet Knoll. The six seemed insignificant compared to the mighty robots they had flown, but the lions of legend did not exist in a world of greyed intention.

Sven inclined his head respectfully towards Keith. "I am sorry for having caused you all this trouble." He allowed his gaze to travel up to the Blue Lion's cockpit, in which Lucia now rested. "I'm afraid I cannot say the same for Lucia. She is not one to regret."

"Forget it," said Keith, with a wave of his hand. "Perhaps we were too harsh on you. We've had our own share of disobeying orders, and like you for a good cause. If we had known the whole story beforehand we would have come here long before now. Knoll's freedom is long overdue. After you leave we'll clean up here. The rest of the planet's defense forces have probably been alerted by now, but there shouldn't be any more robeasts."

"Freedom," murmured Sven.

Lance scraped a stone along the ground with the toe of his boot. "So, I guess you're planning on heading back to Earth?"

Sven nodded. "Yes. We will first take a stop off at Pollux so Lucia can recover. I will leave the Blue Lion for you there. Then we'll borrow one of Romelle's ships to take to Earth. I am certain she will let me. As for after that... We will see our father and Lucia will have to report back to her superiors at Galaxy Garrison."

"That's gonna get ugly," said Hunk.

Sven nodded slightly. "You have no idea." He had not mentioned that the Armor he and Lucia had been wearing were classified pieces of equipment and that she had stolen them. The Voltron Force would not report her stealing of the Blue Lion, but the fact she had gone AWOL and stolen the decommissioned Sparrowhawk were no longer hidden.

"I hope they go easy on her," said Pidge, looking at the Blue Lion. "After all, this is for family. That has to count for something."

"I hope so too, Pidge," Sven said softly. "But I can't help but acknowledge the state of the Alliance's war with the Drule. Things are so tense now that the Alliance is at loathe to loose an officer like her. That will not go well in her favor. She disobeyed a direct order in coming here, and much worse.

"Though I can't help but worry what she may face back on Earth, I am deeply honored to have someone such as her for a sister. Lucia knew the price before she came here, perhaps even better than we do now, and she is willing to pay it. If she was nothing else this entire mission, she was willing."

Sven turned to go, and with a wordless nod of farewell, Sho did as well. The two brothers climbed up the head of the Blue Lion to where their sister awaited, and her future.