The New Prince

Chapter 1

“Evasive maneuvers, evasive maneuvers!” Keith yelled as he lifted off from the ground where the robeast slammed him minutes earlier.

“Are you all right?” He heard Allura from the comm.

“I’m fine, Princess. Just be careful, this one has it in for you.”

“I think this tin can has it in for you, Commander!” Lance answered, firing a couple of proton missiles at the gigantic metal beast.

The beast, looking like a Roman gladiator from ancient Earth times, wore the face of a tiger and wings of an eagle.

Lotor decided to attack at dawn this time, even before the sun rose. Keith knew the Prince’s purpose. A surprise attack, he thought; when they would least expect it and where they would be most vulnerable. It’s a careless attack, though, he thought, as he positioned himself closer to the beast and noticed it turning toward Blue.

“Negative, it’s going after the Princess!” Keith shouted back almost hitting the beast’s whip as it flew toward him. “We need to form Voltron, now!”

Upon hearing his words, all five lions flew up and commenced the sequence to form Voltron. Seconds later, Voltron slammed the robeast from the back causing it to fall forward, releasing the whip from its hand.

“Pidge, run the scan, quick!” Keith commanded to his youngest crewmember as he studied the beast and looked for weak points.

“I’m running it,” Pidge replied quickly, not bothering to meet the Commander’s eyes on his screen.

“Never mind.” Keith fired back. “Look, between its upper torso, there’s flesh.”

“How?” Hunk asked immediately. “That thing is full of metal.”

“Negative, it’s just covered with metal on the surface. Below, it’s just flesh. We can slice it.” Keith smiled at the discovery.

“Well, we better do it now. That thing is coming right at us!” Lance yelled as he saw the beast fly at them. “Keith now is a good time to let us know what you want us to do!”

“Form Blazing Sword!” Keith yelled as the sword formed. He positioned Voltron as the beast flew at them. The Blazing Sword then sliced it in two. Both pieces of the Robeast headed toward the ground, but not before they exploded in the air.

“Whoo!” Lance howled. “What a way to start the morning!”

Allura smiled as she saw the sun beginning to rise. “Yep, it’s a great morning.” she laughed as she noticed Lotor’s ship begin to leave the planet.

Nodding in approval, Keith stared at Lotor’s retreating ship, making sure it completely left the atmosphere. “Ok team; let’s make this our lion practice for the day. I think we all deserve a rest.”

**********

Zarkon, King of Doom, the most sadistic of all the emperors of the Drule Empire, walked down the hallways of his castle lost in thought. Having had many enemies in the past, he never thought of them as much trouble. He disposed of such nuisances rather quickly. Others, a bit more of a challenge, took more time to dispose of, but he always managed to do it. Like the thorns preventing him from touching the beautiful black roses in his gardens, these nuisances, these despicable thorns stopped, if only for a moment, his access to power.

Now, Viceroy Throk, his latest thorn, posed an obstacle in his quest. He would do anything to dispose of this latest nuisance.

As the doors opened to the control room, his subjects rose from their chairs and saluted their King. “At ease men,” he told them as he headed toward the video screen. “Did we win?” he asked, knowing full well the outcome.