Year 1, Day 12

The teens, hungry, thirsty, sweating, and exhausted, arrived at the Crystal Cavern midway through the day. The place was a mess; the ceiling was gone, the walls were collapsed, and broken crystal was strewn everywhere, no longer coating anything. The floor and the structure in the center of the cavern were plain rock. The teens set down their burdens for a short rest.

"Zarkon sure did a number on this place," Matt commented, stepping over a pile of rubble.

"Curious. Apparently this entire cavern is really composed of rock-the crystal only coated it," Billy observed.

"Even the building," Trini mused.

"At least it's still here," Matt said, speaking of the Command Center.

"Look at the size of that hole!" Kimberly exclaimed. "At least getting in won't be a problem."

"And it doesn't look like Zarkon left any guards behind," Matt observed, looking around.

"Things might finally be starting to look up," Trini said hopefully.

The teens picked up their unconscious comrades and walked through the cavern towards the Command Center. They entered the Command Center through the gigantic gash in the outer wall. Once inside, the teens worked their way through a maze of corridors, many of which were filled with rubble. The finally reached the Primary Chamber and stopped, staring. The main door was blown off of its hinges. Computer banks all around the raised dais were ripped open. Plates were curled upward at the edges and screens were cracked and shattered. Red emergency lights provided the only illumination, bathing everything in a deep crimson glow.

"What is this place?" Kimberly breathed.

"It's more like what was this place," Matt replied.

"It looks like a bomb went off in here," Trini said.

"Let's get Zack and Jason to the dais," Kimberly suggested.

The teens walked to the dais and laid their friends down on their backs.

"Phew!" Trini exhaled. "Zack sure is heavy!"

"Yeah, so's Jason," Kimberly said. "Of course, it doesn't help that my partner has a bad arm." Kim grinned.

"Hey!" Matt protested. "That's not my fault!"

Just then the teens heard Billy's voice from over in a corner. "Whoa, neat!"

The teens walk over to find him bending over Alpha at his recharge station. The little robot's lights were out and his chest panel was blackened and charred.

"What's that?" Matt asked.

"A fully-sentient, multifunctional automaton," Billy answered simply.

"In English, please," Kim requested.

"He said that it's an android," Trini translated.

"Right," Billy agreed.

"Nice work, Billy. Can you fix it?" Matt asked.

"I don't know," Billy conceded. "It's more complex than anything I've worked with before."

"Maybe it's just turned off," Kim suggested. She reached behind Alpha and flipped a switch on his back. Suddenly his lights came on and he stood straight up. The teens jumped backward, startled, and Kim let out a little screech.

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Or maybe it was just turned off," Billy agreed. "Good job, Kim."

"Thanks," Kim blushed.

"Who, or what, are you?" Matt asked the little robot.

"I am Alpha 5, fully-sentient robot guardian," Alpha proclaimed proudly. "I administer to the everyday needs of the Command Center."

"Is that this place?" Trini asked.

"Ah, yes. You must be the Chosen," Alpha replied.

"Yeah, whatever. Right now we need help. Our friends are hurt real badly. They need medical attention," Matt said, gesturing to Jason and Zack.

Alpha looked from Jason and Zack and the others. "Ai-yi-yi! You all need medical care. Come. We need to get you to the medical bay."

The teens grabbed Zack and Jason as before and followed Alpha up the set of stairs behind the time-warp tube to the medical bay. They questioned Alpha as they walked.

"What happened to this place?" Matt asked. "I mean, we know it was attacked and all, but why?"

"Zarkon's forces invaded it and carried off the princess," Alpha replied bitterly.

"Zarkon! I really hate that name," Kim exclaimed in disgust.

"You've met him?" Alpha asked, interested.

"Yes," Billy answered. "He captured us here and made us fight in his arena."

"Then we escaped, but Zarkon's ships shot us down," Trini finished.

"Which reminds me. How did we get out of that ship?" Kim asked. "I thought we were dead."

"I used the little power left in the teleportation system to teleport you away."

"Thanks," Matt said gratefully. "You saved our lives. But we need to get back to Zarkon's fortress. He still has my sister."

"And the princess," Alpha said. "But first you need the regeneration beds. By the time you are better, the Command Center will be fixed and we'll be able to explain everything to you."

"'We?'" Trini asked.

"You'll see," Alpha promised. "Ah. Here we are." He stopped in a room with five beds lined up against each wall.

"You don't understand," Matt said, frustrated. "We really need to get back to Zarkon's castle and rescue my sister. There's no telling what's been done to her. We don't have any time to spend in a regeneration bed."

"Patience," Alpha admonished. "You're in no condition to go anywhere. You're exhausted and badly injured. You may not feel like it, but even though you are conscious, you're still just as bad as the two friends you're carrying. Besides, the help you need will not be ready for a time. There are many things that must be repaired. Don't worry; your sister is okay for the time being."

"Matt, Alpha's right," Kim agreed. "All of us are in really bad shape. Our bodies won't hold up much longer."

"Listen to her, Matt," Billy said. "We're all exhausted."

"Besides," Trini added, "you saw what it looked like down there. It's a wonder we can get any help here at all."

Matt sighed. "Well, okay. But wake us up as soon as you can."

"Of course," Alpha agreed. "Now lie down on the beds, close your eyes, and relax." The teens complied with Alpha's request. The little robot walked over to each bed in turn and pressed a button, causing a light blue dome of energy to cover each bed and the person resting on it.

At a nearby military base a meeting of officers was in session. A colonel presided over the whole thing.

"But sir," a captain protested, "we must investigate the valley and find out what's going on."

"I'm sorry, Captain Bourgeois," the colonel said, but we have been specifically ordered not to interfere anywhere in the vicinity of the debris zone. Something about radiation levels and electrical storms."

"With all due respect, Colonel," a major spoke up, "no sensing device that we have can penetrate the electrical field surrounding the place. All we have to go on are the shots of strange lights and explosions we got before the field went up."

"And the media already released that information to the public," Captain Bourgeois said. "Think of the theories flying around out there."

"Believe me, gentlemen, I am," the colonel said grimly. "But we have our orders. We stay put."

Sam and Allura were chained, naked and spread-eagled, to two vertical platforms in the center of the arena. Other than that, the arena was empty.

"So what did you do to make Zarkon so angry?" Allura asked Sam.

"I helped my friends escape," Sam replied.

Allura perked up. "Did they get away?" she asked hopefully.

Sam sighed, dejectedly. "Yes, but Zarkon's ships shot them down."

"Did Zarkon find the bodies?" Allura asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied.

"Then there's still hope," Allura assured her. "Very few people ever escape Zarkon's clutches without help. In fact, I can only think of five. Why didn't you get out with them?"

Sam laughed. "I got stuck. Why are you here?"

"I'm the princess of a faraway world that wouldn't give into Zarkon. I opposed him for a long time, but eventually I was forced to flee. He finally caught up with me."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Sam requested. "It's not like we have anything else to do."

"Okay," Allura agreed. "Here goes…."

Year 1, Day 19

Alpha was in the Medical Bay turning off the regeneration beds. As the fields disappeared, the teens woke up. They were completely healed and dressed in white medical gowns. They groaned and sat up on the edge of the beds.

"What happened?" Jason asked. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Command Center's Medical Bay," Alpha answered.

"Whoa!" Zack exclaimed when he saw Alpha. "Who are you?"

"This is Alpha 5," Billy replied. "He teleported us out of the ship at the last moment. Matt, Trini, Kim, and I carried you and Jason here after the scout ship exploded. Alpha put us in these regeneration beds."

"How long have we been out?" Matt asked.

"Seven days," Alpha replied.

"Seven days?!" Trini exclaimed in disbelief.

"Your wounds were serious," Alpha pointed out.

Kimberly picked at her medical gown. "How did we get into these clothes?" ,p."I had the Medical Bay's computer morph you into the medical gowns and dispose of the remains of your old clothes," Alpha answered.

"Morph?" Kim questioned.

"I'll explain later," Alpha told the teens. "Right now there is someone downstairs you need to see."

The teens followed Alpha downstairs to the Primary Chamber. When they got down there, they were surprised to see the room completely repaired. The six friends stared at the scene in awe.

"But this place was a mess when we first got here. How…?" Trini's voice trailed off as she continued to look around.

"The Command Center is self-regenerating. Given enough time anything can be repaired. Barring total destruction, of course," Alpha explained.

"Wow, cool," Zack, who was seeing it for the first time, said.

"So where's this person you wanted us to meet?" Jason asked.

"Up there," Alpha said, pointing behind the teens to the time-warp tube.

Kimberly looked around. "Up where-oh," she said after spotting the floating head that was Zordon in the blue tube.

The other teens turned around and their jaws dropped even farther, if that was possible.

"Who is that?" Matt breathed.

"I am Zordon of Eltare," the head replied in a deep voice. "You must be the Chosen."

"Yeah, what does that mean-Chosen." Jason asked.

"As the time of the Great Battle nears, the Fates spin out Chosen to even the scales between good and evil, and to battle it out between themselves to decide the fate of the universe. Some Chosen are good, some are evil; you are six of Chosen spun out to aid the side of good."

"What about my sister, Sam?" Matt questioned. "Zarkon still has her."

"Your sister, Samantha, is a seventh," Zordon replied. "Together, you shall play a key role in the salvation of the universe."

"What exactly is going on here?" Trini asked.

"Yeah, what's this all about?" Zack said.

"I will explain all," Zordon told the teens, "but first I must say this: what you are about to hear may sound strange. There will be parts of my tale that you might not believe; that is natural. But every part of what I am about to tell you is true. Listen and learn. And while you listen, observe the Viewing Globe; the events I am about to relay to you will also be played out there. I suggest you sit down. This is going to be a rather lengthy tale."

The teens arranged themselves on the floor of the dais and looked expectantly at the Viewing Globe. As Zordon began his story, the Globe came to life with images from the tale.

"I am from a planet called Eltare in the Denubian Galaxy. Eltare was a peaceful planet, and its people were devoted to science. Then came a Draconian space fleet, led by King Pethosk. The Draconians are a race of pirates and conquerors; they are infamous for their use of slaves in mining and other industries. When the Draconians came we had no defense, save one.

"A group of Eltarans, myself included, had secretly constructed a prototype robot known as Voltron. Five warriors piloted it against the fleet; they were winning until Pethosk's witch Haggar arrived. She possesses powerful magic, and is kept alive indefinitely by the dark forces she commands. She tricked the Voltron Force, the pilots of the mighty robot, and split Voltron into five Lion ships. The pilots were killed and the Lions were badly damaged. Eltare's only hope was gone.

"When Draconian forces swept over the planet, I escaped with the damaged Lions to Arus, a planet at the far end of the Denubian Galaxy, via a warp tunnel. Arus and Eltare had been allies for hundreds of years previous to this; the king welcomed me with open arms. Together we repaired the Lions and constructed keys with which to operate them. The keys would also allow the Lions to join together to form Voltron.

"The king and I watched as Pethosk's forces swept through the galaxy. When we realized that his reaching Arus would be inevitable, I set off to find a haven for the people of Arus in another galaxy. So I traveled with Alpha to this galaxy, and eventually to this planet. We established a Command Center, which you now stand in, as our base of operations and set up a vigilant watch. We also put a cloaked satellite in orbit, but Zarkon destroyed that when he arrived."

"That's great," Zack interrupted, "but what does all of this have to do with Zarkon and us?"

"Pethosk himself never made it to Arus, but his fleet continued, under command of his descendents. It was his son Zarkon who finally reached Arus and attacked it, with brutal force. He was eventually defeated at the hands of a new Voltron Force, but he returned sometime later to claim his revenge. The new Voltron Force was captured, and the planet enslaved. The five Lions were lost. The planet's ruler, Princess Allura, in desperation, fled here with some of her people.

"Now Zarkon has come looking for the princess. He attacked the Command Center and captured her, at the same time he captured you I suspect. He surely means to execute her and your sister both. You must go back to the castle, find them, and rescue them."

"But how are we supposed to get back there?" Kimberly asked.

"And how are we supposed to know what the princess looks like?" Jason queried.

"Wait a minute," Trini said. "Is the princess about my height, my age, with waist-length blonde hair?"

"Yes," Zordon affirmed. "You've seen her?"

"She was chained up above the arena when we fought Zarkon's robeast," Matt replied. "We were going to rescue her when we escaped, but things didn't go exactly as planned."

"That is okay," Zarkon assured. "Now that you know where she is, you can more easily rescue her when you go back. As to how you are supposed to get back to the castle, our only hope lies once again with Voltron."

"But you said the Lions were lost," Billy pointed out. "That means Voltron is lost as well."

"The prototype Lions were lost, but, using special Eltaran biomorphic technology, Alpha and I created seven new Lions and seven special suits. The Chronicles have declared that you six, your friend whom Zarkon holds captive, and one other are to be the saviors of the universe."

"You've got to be kidding," Kim said. "We're supposed to be the saviors of the universe?"

"I am quite serious," Zordon frowned. "And whether you believe me or not, you still need to save your friend."

Matt turned to the others. "This guy's right. We don't have anything to lose by joining him."

Jason nodded. "This could be our only chance to save Sam."

"We might as well give it a try," Billy agreed.

"Well...okay," Trini agreed. "But just to save Sam. After that, all bets are off."

"Okay, old man, what do you have in mind?" Zack asked.

"Alpha, get the Keys," Zordon instructed the little robot.

"I already have them, Zordon," Alpha replied, holding up a wooden box engraved with the Lion emblem of Arus.

"These Keys access your Lions and morph you into your suits. The seven Lions can only be accessed from this chamber, and your suits are automatically activated during transport from this room to your Lions. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one," Matt said. "When can we get going?"

"As soon as you accept your keys," Zordon replied. "Matthew, you shall command the team and the White Lion. Jason, the Red Lion is yours. Trini, the Yellow Lion will be under your control. Kimberly, You have control of the Pink Lion. Zachary, you have the Green Lion. And William, yours is the Blue Lion. Samantha, when she returns, will command the Purple Lion."

As Zordon spoke, each teen took his or her Key from the box and examined it. Each Key was shaped like an oval. It was molded in metal the color of the Lion it activated and had a black circle in the center on which the Lion emblem of Arus stood in red, gold, and white.

"How do we get to the Lions?" Kim asked.

"Stand back," Alpha commanded.

The teens stepped off the dais. Alpha pressed several buttons at a computer terminal and the dais rose up on a cylinder with doors numbered in color from 1 to 7 on its sides.

"Cool!" Zack exclaimed.

"Okay guys, we have my sister and a princess to rescue," Matt said.

"Good luck," Zordon said. "And may the Power protect you."

The teens ran to their doors, which slid open for them. When they entered the tube they turned around and jumped through a hole in the floor outlined in glowing lights. As they entered the hole, they were enveloped in colored energy. In an instant their clothes were taken away and replaced with form-fitting plastic-metal armor and a helmet. They dropped out of the tunnel and into their Lions.

"Okay, Alpha, we're in the Lions. Now what do we do?" Matt asked.

"Take the Keys from your belt buckles and insert them in to the spot on the control panel. After that the Power should take over," Alpha's voice came back over the comm. "Don't worry-you were meant for this."

The teens did as they were told. As soon as the keys were inserted into the control panel, the panel sprang to life, the engines started up, and the bay doors opened. Suddenly a strange sensation came over the teens. They took the controls and the six Lions burst into the open as the sun was setting.

"This is great!" Kim exclaimed. "I know exactly what to do!"

"It's pretty weird," Trini commented, "but I'm not complaining.

"I wonder what this button does…." Zack mused as he pressed a button on the control panel. "Whoa!"

Wings spread out from the back of Zack's Lion and lifted it into the air as the engines between the wings roared to life.

"Hey guys--try the yellow button on the left side of the control panel," Zack said.

The other teens pushed it, causing the same thing to happen to their Lions.

"Nice work, Zack," Matt complimented his friend. "Now let's go. We have prisoners to rescue."

The six Lions flew off in formation toward the moon and Zarkon's castle.

A guard opened a door at the far end of Zarkon's throne room and addressed the king. "Sire, the witch Haggar wishes to speak with you."

"She has arrived?" Zarkon asked, surprised.

"No, milord," the guard replied. "She is communicating via CommGrid."

"Oh. Forward the transmission to my private throne screen."

"Yes, milord." The guard bowed and left the room. Zarkon pressed a button on the arm of his throne and a screen embedded there came to life, showing an image of Haggar's blue-scaled head deep in the shadows of a brown hood.

"How good of you to call, Haggar," Zarkon said. "What is keeping you?"

"I ran into a group of rebels on Miza III," the witch replied. "A group of rebels has decided to fight back."

"Can you crush them?" Zarkon asked.

"Of course, but it will take a little time. This a larger band."

"Very well," Zarkon said. "Witch, I require your council. A small matter has arisen which may become a problem if not dealt with."

"What is this matter?" Haggar asked.

"My forces captured seven young humans on the planet several days ago. Later six of them escaped."

"It is not my problem if you fail to keep your prisoners from escaping," Haggar told the king.

"Guard your tongue, witch! I do not believe these were ordinary humans."

"It sounds like you are making excuses," Haggar mused.

"I thought I told you to hold your tongue!"

"Still," Haggar continued, "very few are able to escape from your clutches. I wonder…."

"What? Speak, witch!"

"What is the name of the planet?" Haggar asked.

"Earth," Zarkon replied.

"Chosen!" the evil witch hissed.

"That was my guess," Zarkon told her.

"You must hunt and kill them!" Haggar said.

Zarkon laughed. "They escaped in a scout ship. Several of my cruisers pursued it and shot it down. There were no survivors."

"And the one that did not escape?" Haggar asked quickly.

"She was flogged and put on display with Princess Allura. They are both scheduled to be terminated tonight."

"You fool!" Haggar said. "If this one is Chosen she is too dangerous to have been kept alive. If Allura talked, and the Chosen believed, you could have trouble, even with the impending execution."

"What can one lone Chosen do to me?" Zarkon asked arrogantly.

"Anything is possible," Haggar replied levelly. "You are absolutely sure the other six were killed?"

"Yes," Zarkon replied.

"Just in case the six who escaped actually survived, you must be prepared. Do you remember the new blue robeast I sent with you?"

"Yes. It has made a place for itself in my arena."

"It is a prototype of a design I made specifically to deal with Chosen," Haggar explained. "If any more show themselves you must send it to Earth in a transport capsule. That should take care of any other problems that arise."

Explosions sounded from Haggar's side of the transmission, causing the witch to glance over her shoulder.

"I must go," she said. "The pitiful rebels are making nuisances of themselves again. Do not let this matter with the Chosen lie. I will join you as soon as I can."

Zarkon's screen went blank as Haggar severed the transmission link. The king pressed another button on the arm of his throne and talked into a speaker.

"General Vistro!"

"Yes, my king," Vistro's voice came back.

"I want you to execute Allura and the human now."

"I will make the arrangements immediately, sire. What method of execution would you prefer me to use?"

Zarkon paused. "I want to hear them scream all the way to their deaths. Torture them. Make sure it is slow and painful."

"Yes, milord. The execution will begin shortly."

The intercom clicked, signaling the end of the conversation. Zarkon's laughter filled the room.

The six Lions flew in formation through the lower atmosphere of Earth.

"Billy, can you plot us a course so that Zarkon won't be able to see us coming?" Matt asked.

"Affirmative, but it will take at least twice as long as a straight-line course. Plus we'll have to go much slower over the moon than we normally could so that Zarkon's forces won't detect us."

"Damn," Matt whispered.

"We can't let them see us coming," Jason pointed out.

"If we're going to get Sam and the princess out of there, we'll have to take Zarkon by surprise," Trini agreed.

"I don't like it, but you're both right," Matt conceded. "Billy give us the course."

"Here it comes," Billy said, pressing a couple of buttons.

"Wait a minute. You mean we have to fly halfway around the world, then loop way around in space?" Matt complained.

"It's the shortest route," Billy told him.

"Can't you shave a little off?" Matt asked.

"Not if you don't want us being seen," Billy replied.

"Could we go in from different directions?" Zack suggested.

"Yeah," Kim said, picking up on Zack's idea. "It'll be a lot harder for them to spot one Lion than it would six Lions together."

"Good idea," Billy said. "Let me run the data." There was a short pause, then the reply cam back. "Got it. Theoretically we can cut off about one or two minutes."

"Let's do it," Matt said. "Billy, transmit the data to us."

"Done," Billy replied.

"Okay. Everybody break into your tracks on my mark," Matt ordered. "3…2…1…mark!"

The six Lions split off individually and began their courses toward Zarkon's fortress.

In the arena of Zarkon's castle the execution was about to begin. The king sat in his throne and the seats were filled with slaves, guarded closely by robot soldiers carrying laser rifles and force whips. Allura and Samantha were chained spread-eagled to vertical slabs in the center of the arena with a table of torture implements between them.

Zarkon stood, and the crowd fell silent. "Now, slaves, you will witness the price of opposing me! Begin the execution!"

As Zarkon sat down the executioners picked up two firebrands from the table and moved towards Sam and Allura. The executioner on the right drew the needle-shaped tip of his firebrand up Sam's thigh, prompting a scream of pain. An angry red line of burned skin followed the firebrand. At the same time, Allura's executioner applied his firebrand to her stomach, causing the princess to cry out. Both executioners continued in this way, slowly drawing their firebrands across the skin of their victims in random places.

The six Lions skimmed the surface of the moon at a snail's pace speed.

"Billy, how much longer?" Matt asked, dodging a crater.

"About 10 minutes," came the reply over the intership Comm system. "And before you ask, we can't go any faster if you don't want them to see us coming."

Matt grimaced at Billy's last comment. "And we should all get there at about the same time?"

"Affirmative."

"Matt, I've been looking at the controls," Jason's voice suddenly spoke up. "These buttons on the control sticks look like weapons triggers."

"That's right," Trini agreed. "The thumb switch on the stick creates a targeting overlay."

"We have weapons?" Zack asked. "Awesome!"

Matt considered this latest information. "Oh, really…that gives me an idea."

"What's that?" Kim asked.

"We're going to strafe the castle," Matt replied. "Then we're going to take out the launch bay and the ships inside."

"I like it!" Jason agreed.

"Now we just have to get there," Kimberly said grimly.

Meanwhile, in Zarkon's arena, Sam and Allura were a mass of angry red burn lines. The executioners had exchanged the firebrands for electroshock needles. As the needles were inserted into various places of the girls' bodies, they screamed in pain as they were zapped with increasing amounts of electricity.

As the Lions approached the castle, Zack's voice came over the intercom. "Matt, we're in position."

"Then let's go," Matt replied. "Start your strafing runs.

The Lions arced over and around the castle, firing multi-colored beams of energy from the twin laser cannons mounted on their jet packs. The laser blasts gouged holes in the castle walls and produced sparks wherever they hit. Matt's strafing run took him over the arena, where he saw Allura and his sister.

"What was that?!" Zarkon shouted angrily as explosions rocked the castle.

"My king, we are under attack!" Corbec's voice shouted over the Comm.

"By what?" Zarkon demanded.

"Ships that look like Lion ships, milord!"

"Impossible!" Zarkon fumed. "They're dead!"

Zarkon caught a glance of Matt's Lion as it strafed the arena, shattering the transparisteel dome and sending shards tumbling down.

"Dahk!" Zarkon swore. "Corbec, assemble your forces and blast those Lion ships to atoms!"

"At once, milord." The communications link went silent as Corbec carried out his king's orders.

As Zarkon left his throne, the guards herded the slaves out of the arena, and the executioners fled, leaving behind their implements of torture. In seconds the arena was empty, except for the two bodies chained in the center of the arena.

"Matt, we have a problem," Billy said.

"What?"

"A crapload of ships just launched from the castle," Kimberly answered.

"Wonderful," Matt groaned. "I found Sam and the princess. They're chained in the arena at the top of the castle. Can you guys hold them off while Jason and I go rescue them?"

"Just make it fast," Zack said.

"Great. Let's go, Jase."

"Right with you, bro."

Red and White Lions looped back towards to dome atop the castle while the other Lions turned and engaged the enemy ships with missiles and lasers blasting. Matt and Jason landed their Lions at opposite ends of the arena, crushing most of the seats and the throne. They leapt out of their Lions and ran over to the unconscious girls.

"What did they do to you?" Matt asked upon seeing the torture wounds, but neither girl responded.

Matt blasted the chains holding the chains holding his sister while Jason took care of Allura's restraints. The freed girls slumped into their rescuers arms. Matt and Jason took them back to their small cockpits. A few seconds later the Lions powered up and blasted back off into space where the Black Lion was at the fringe of the battle, pursued by a trio of robot fighters .

"I've got three fighters on my tail! I can't shake them!" Zack shouted.

"Hang on, Zack," Jason replied.

White and Red Lions came up behind the fighters and unleashed a flurry of missiles, decimating the robots.

"Thanks, guys," Zack said as the two Lions flew through the explosion they created, debris rattling against their armor plating.

"Any time," Matt replied. "Everybody, listen up! We've got Sam and the princess. Group up and let's get out of here!"

"Easier said than done!" Trini retorted as her Yellow Lion tore through a cruiser with its teeth and claws. The big ship promptly exploded in a spectacular fireball. "These freaks are all over us!"

"In that case, let's clear out a few of these bastards first," Matt said.

The six Lions flew throughout the swarm of enemy craft, blasting with lasers and tearing apart anything in their path with teeth and claws. Soon the Draconian numbers were greatly thinned.

The viewscreen on the bridge of Corbec's flagship flashed as the ship rocked from another near-miss.

"Admiral!" the tactical officer spoke up. "They're all over us! Our forces are being decimated!"

"Dahk! This is Admiral Corbec to all craft. Retreat! I repeat, retreat!" Corbec ordered. "Next time, humans," he muttered under his breath. At Corbec's orders the Draconian ships pulled back to the castle.

"Look at them run!" Kimberly exclaimed.

"We won!" Zack shouted.

"Now let's get back to the Command Center," Matt said. "Sam and the princess are hurt bad."

The Lions turned away from the castle and headed back to Earth.

The teens stood around a glassed-in section of the Med Lab while Sam and Allura, dressed in medical gowns, lay on regeneration beds inside with Kimberly and Alpha attending them. Kim stood up and walked over to the other anxious teens.

"I never knew she had medical training," Billy whispered to Jason.

"Neither did I," Jason whispered back. "How are they doing?" he asked Kim.

"They're resting," Kim replied. They were in really bad shape, but thanks to this technology they'll be okay physically. Mentally, though…."

"What?" Matt asked.

"I don't know," Kim sighed. I'm no psychologist, but it's obvious that Zarkon was torturing them when we arrived, possibly to death. I'm amazed that they weren't dead when we got to the castle. There's no telling if they'll recover mentally. They may be scarred for life."

Trini shuddered. "I hope you're wrong, Kim."

"So do I, Trini, so do I."

"When can we talk to them?" Zack asked.

"They'll need at least a week, probably more in the regeneration beds," Kim replied. "We should be able to talk to them after that."

Alpha poked his head out of the Med Lab. "I'll continue monitoring Samantha and Princess Allura. Zordon would like to see you now, and then you should probably get some sleep. You've had a busy day."

"I don't know…." Matt said, reluctant to let the two bodies on the regeneration beds out of his sight.

"Don't worry," Alpha told him. "They're in good hands."

"It'll be all right," Kimberly assured her friend. "Alpha's a great nurse."

"Well…okay," Matt agreed. "But only if they are in good hands."

"They are," Alpha said. "Now go."

The teens entered the Primary Chamber and walked to the dais in front of Zordon's time-warp tube.

"You wanted to see us, Zordon?" Trini asked.

"My young friends," Zordon began," you have demonstrated extensive courage today in your rescue of Princess Allura and Samantha. Now you must make a decision: do you wish to continue fighting the evil of Zarkon and other tyrants like him, or would you prefer to wait here until Samantha is healed and go back to your normal lives?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that that's no decision at all," Jason said.

"Atrocities like the ones Zarkon has committed must be stopped," Billy agreed.

"And he has to pay for what he did to Sam and the princess," Matt added.

"You cannot base your decision on your thirst for revenge. You must be noble and just, otherwise you become no better than Zarkon himself," Zordon cautioned.

"Still, he can't be allowed to keep doing what he did to Sam and the princess," Matt said.

"Zarkon has to be stopped," Trini agreed.

"Yeah, we want to stay," Zack said.

"Very well," Zordon said, "but you must all agree to three conditions."

"Like what?" Kim asked.

"First, you must never use your powers for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless you are forced to. And finally, you must keep your identities secret at all times. Nobody on this planet may know who you are. Though the last is not so important now as you will have to stay here because of the electrical field. Do you accept these terms?"

The teens all nodded. "We accept," Matt answered.

"Then congratulations. You are the new Voltron Force, defenders of the universe!"

"And once Sam is better we'll have a full team!" Trini said.

"We'll be unstoppable!" Zack exclaimed.

"Zarkon had better watch out, 'cause the Voltron Force is back!" Kim said.

Zarkon sat alone in his throne room.

"So. This planet will not be as easily conquered as first thought," the evil king said to himself. "So be it. I will be patient, but those Lion ships are puzzling. I know they are not the Voltron Lions, but they still trouble me, especially in the hands of Chosen. Well, it does not matter. I may have lost this battle, but I will win the war, prophecy or no prophecy. Nobody defeats King Zarkon! I will rule the universe!" Zarkon's maniacal laughter rang up and down the corridors of his castle fortress.

The End... for now