Knight�s Pride
By T.F. Kit
Chapter 5: Dreams & Exercises
The Nemesis was barely holding together. The pirate ships had done a lot of damage. The crew was fighting bravely. Most of the command staff was killed but somehow the second in command had survived. She sat propped in the command chair in scarcely contained pain. Her left side had a gash starting just under the armpit and ending just below the knee, but she was still issuing orders.
They had been helping a survey ship scan the asteroid belt around a non-livable gas giant, looking for usable materials. Not exciting work but it was space and that was always fun. It had all been going just fine normal reading gathering samples. Then suddenly there were pirate ships.
The attack had happened fast. The marauding ships had taken out most of the weaponry in one pass; the Nemesis had faired the best out of the group. It was the largest ship within the survey envoy and had the best compliment of fighters and pilots in the fleet.
The Crane and Delta were crippled and dead in the water. The survey ship, Er�complir, had managed to get behind the Nemesis before its own engines were shot out. It had no weaponry of its own. And then there was the Argos, a small battle cruiser with no fighters but it had been fast. However not fast enough. Had been. The commander took a shaking breath.
There was a civilian transport not too far off. The commander had managed to get a communication off to them, hoping that they would relay the message to Garrison Command and get help to them. She was pretty sure it would be over by the time back up arrived but who would be the victor was the question.
Fortunately the pirates had taken heavy tolls as well. They were down to three ships. The attacking ships were smaller and faster but the Nemesis had the firepower to win and a crew with the heart to die for it.
"Open a channel to the pirate ship." The commander said.
"Sir?" The ensign at the communications station gave a startled look.
"You heard me." She clipped back.
"On screen." The ensign said, regaining his composure.
"Well are you ready to.." The pirate started smoothly.
"You are violating Treaty 463. Leave this space immediately." Her voice was strong, her face determined.
The pirate laughed. "You are not in much of a position to demand anything. Your ship is falling apart and your crew is dying. Surrender and we will spare your lives."
The commander stood up, fire and death shot from her eyes. "This ship and her crew are not here for the power of conquest and are willing to defend, at any cost, the ship behind us." She made a split second decision and continued to talk. "This ship has a meca-warp engine with a power source to run a space station and take out everything in a million kilometer radius." She took a step forward and straightened. "No raider pirate has ever defeated a StarCruiser. So I suggest you back down." She felt the stir of her own crew. They knew she would do it especially with what had happened with the Argos. This was a battle and hard decisions had to be made. They all knew that.
The pirate faltered and saw determination in the dark eyes of his opponent. The view screen flicked off. The commander moved back to the chair. "Prepare for whatever happens. Shields at maximum, gun turrets ready." She looked out the view screen in front of her and the pirate ships facing them. Then suddenly the pirate fighters began breaking off their attack.
"Recall all fighters." The commander barked. "Holding pattern around the ships."
Then the pirates� main vessels began to slowly move away.
"They are powering down weapons and moving away sir." Someone said. "We won. They are retreating."
The commander could hear the jubilation in the young mans voice. She relaxed slightly. "Contact Garrison Command and tell them we need repair crews and medical ships, immediately." She looked at an Ensign and saw his shoulders fall. "How badly damaged are the other ships?"
"The other ships are a loss." Was his response. "The Crane and Delta are registering as 75% damaged. No life-support on the Crane and only medical and the command deck on the Delta. The Reload has no propulsion just life-support. It remained with in our protective fire. Shuttles and fighters from all ships are in a holding pattern around us. The Argos�"
"I know about the Argos." The commander said. "Start pulling in shuttles and fighters. Get anyone with medical knowledge working in cargo bay six. That is the closest to the infirmary an emergency triage can be set up there. Then start assessing the damage to the ship, see what we can repair to get it moving. I don�t trust the pirates to stay gone." She took a shaky breath and started to rise when there was a groan.
"There has been structural damage to the bridge." One of the Ensigns yelled, panic edging into his voice. "A minor hull breach that is expanding."
"Everyone get off the bridge. Now!" The commander shouted as a loud ripping sound was emitted from above her. She looked up just in time to see a structural beam fall toward her. Everything was dark and numbness set in.
Then pain crept into her. KaLee tried to take a breath but found it hard, as though the air around her was thick.
No.
A needle was in her arm, and more pain came, setting her nerves on fire. A mired of colors swirled in front of her.
Stop.
She tried to move but found herself restricted. Faces loomed in front of her eyes now. Nothing she could make out, shadowed by the lights behind them. The sounds of beeping and clicking filled her ears.
"Let me go." She tired to push the faces away with her hands. "Go away."
A voice. "Commander Akira."
"No."
"Akira."
"Go away, leave me alone."
"KaLee." The voice was persistent, and familiar.
Why would he be here? Did he do this to me? She struggled more.
"KaLee. It�s all right."
"Please stop." Someone was restraining her hands. She tried to pull them back to her and push him away.
"Let me go, please. No more." Her voice came out croaked.
"Kat."
She snapped out of it. Who the hell would call me that now? Her eyes flew open and Keith�s face was in front of her.
"It�s me." He spoke.
She was not at the labs on earth; she was on Arus in the infirmary after being shot. A dream? That was all it was?
Her face crumpled, she could not stop her reaction. She started to cry, collapsing into Keith�s arms.
"It�s okay, you�re safe. It�s all right." His voice was soothing as he held her; she cried a little more but then started to feel tired. Her body pulled her gently back into sleep and for the rest of the night she did not dream.
* * * * * * * * * *
KaLee sat in the library working on calculations, a cane stood leaning on the table next to her.
Today was to be the first day in the lion flyers, small craft that were similar to the lions. The rest of the recruits were going there. She on the other hand was not. The doctor had said she could not over exert herself only two days after she had been shot. Everyone had yesterday off to recover but today went back to training. KaLee was the only one not allowed because of her injury.
"You need to let even this super body of yours heal." The doctor had told her firmly. If she had tried to disobey doctor's order and went along; the whole team would have lost the chance to work in the lion flyers. So KaLee said she would work on calculations in the library.
She was surprised when Cole walked in and sat down at the table. "So, what calculations are we working on today?" He asked casually.
"Cole are you okay?" KaLee asked concern drifted across her face.
"Yeah," he answered, fidgeting slightly as he looked at her. "I just felt I needed to work more on my calculations before flying and you always finish really fast. So I thought I would get some help form you." He flashed her a smile and put his hands behind his back. Cole hated calculations.
KaLee had watched him in heated argument with Hunk over their necessity. He continually voiced the opinion that hands on was better, that you learn more from experience than from a pen and paper. KaLee was about to mention this when the twins walked to the table.
"We just didn't feel ready to start in the lion flyers." Deida said.
"And come on if Cole needs help with calculations we are a lot better at them then you are." Derk responded.
They moved up to the table and sat down, Cole followed suit.
What Deida had said sounded about right. Both her and Derk had the lowest flight scores. But them working with Cole?
The twins hate trying to teach Cole. KaLee thought. They find him difficult.
Then Droe and Lillian walked in the room. "I felt it would be better if I studied wind currents and star calculations before I proceeded on to working with the lion flyer." Lillian spoke monotone. "I knew the twins would be here so I could ask them questions if I needed help."
"And I didn't feel right about taking advantage of your injury to get ahead." Droe stated honestly. The others flashed him slight looks. They sat down together and moved through some papers.
When Ryan walked in KaLee knew they were all there because of Droe's honestly. "The winds weren't right. I didn't feel like risking it in a ship I haven't flown."
KaLee let a brief smile filter across her face knowing what they were doing. Then she let it go. She could not let them do this. Any chance to work in anything resembling a lion was not something you pass up, even for a team member. She was about to get up and protest when Spike walked in.
"Well thank you so much," he said sarcastically. "Because of the rest of you not wanting to fly the lion flyers I couldn't either. Hunk didn't feel one person was worth it. So he called off the flight training." He sat down at the end of the table with an exaggerated huff.
That didn't sound like Hunk. He might have even promoted the edge. KaLee's mind worked over what Spike had said.
"Now I have to work on stupid calculations with the rest of you." Spike said.
This doesn't feel right. KaLee thought. I know they are being noble� but I can�t let them loose this advantage, even if I gain one. She started to stand as she spoke. "I am going to talk to Hunk. Even one trainee is important."
Spike hid his panic very well, but KaLee had plenty of experience with detecting hidden emotion. "He was rather firm. He said he had something to take care of with the King then he was going to come here and work on an exercise with us." Spike said. She could see searching in his eyes, reading her expression.
Exercise? She paused.
*Let them do this. * A shadowed voice filled her head. She was about to argue when he spoke again. *Let them do this. *
She sighed and relaxed her body back into the chair. "Did he say what type of exercise?" KaLee asked Spike.
He lounged back into his chair and said. "Nope. Just that he would be here in about an hour."
Right before lunch.
"I saw the King talking to him right before our run this morning." Cole said. "The King looked�" He stopped. KaLee watched him, not sure how to proceed with out looking too nosy.
It was Ryan who asked the question, saving her. "How did the King look Cole?"
"Well," Cole began. "Tired and concerned. Like he was trying to figure something out." He shook his head. "I can�t explain it any better. He just looked off." He shrugged.
Everyone sat for a moment trying to remember what the King looked like the last time they saw him.
"Well," KaLee was the first to speak. "I think we have a few calculations to work on." She laid the sheet that Hunk had given her in the middle of the table. "Why don�t we do this until Hunk arrives with our next exercise?"
Cole groaned and Spike snorted. The others gave a slight chuckle at that but they all pulled around the table to see what could be done.
They were deep into the work when Hunk walked in. KaLee heard other footsteps from above in the second level of the library, but did not see anyone.
"Okay." Hunk's voice filled the room. "Time to do a bonding exercise."
Derk and Deida groaned. Hunk gave them a sidelong glance, as he walked around the table dropping folders on the table in front of each of them.
"I am assuming like any good recruits you read each others files before you came here." He dropped the last one in front of KaLee. "If not here is a quick summery of your exploitations. The rest of the day I want to play hot seat."
KaLee fingered the file and glanced up at the balcony. Keith was up there, standing off to the side of one of the bookshelves.
"For about one hour one of you gets asked questions. Any question the rest of you want to ask can be asked. The person being asked has the right not to answer and they don�t have to give a reason." He looked across the table at the faces there. "But I want you to get to know each other, on a bit more of a personal level. If you make it to Voltron, you will be working in away very few have. And you are going to have to trust each other."
KaLee kept her vision on Keith as Hunk spoke. So you want to know about us too. She smiled. It is not going to work the way you think.
"So who wants to go first?" Hunk asked.
"Hunk, sir." KaLee�s voice held just as much presence as his did. "I think you should leave." She brought her gaze to him.
"And why�" he started but she continued to talk.
"We need to answer these questions with out the fear of influencing your decisions about the Voltron force." Her voice remained steady.
Hunk�s mouth dropped open. "What you do will influence the decision and �"
She interrupted again. "Yes you make the decisions and some of what we did before will influence that. But our interpretations of what we did shouldn�t, and how our teammates react to those decisions should not matter to anyone but us." She glanced up at Keith and could not read his emotion. "We will have to work together, not you sir. We should be able to ask and respond in an open manner, with out fear of influencing you."
Hunk just managed to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across his face. "Okay," he looked around the rest of the table. "What about the rest of you? How do you feel about that?"
Spike spoke first. "I know I haven�t been exactly mister goody-too-shoes. An open conversation with out you here would be easier on me."
Lillian and the twins nodded.
"It is fair sir." Ryan held his vision on KaLee as he spoke. "It gives us the opportunity to become something other than people you work with." His hands, however asked a question of KaLee. *Who�s in the balcony? *
"If we can talk openly to each other it shows real trust in each other as a team." KaLee looked at Hunk, as her hands signaled. *The King. *
"This is an exercise." Hunk started. "But I do see your point. You need to have a true group not just one on face value to me." He looked around the table at them. "Though I don�t think you hide much of your true feelings towards each other. I will leave. Lunch is being sent into you as will dinner if you are not done." With that he left.
KaLee listened as his heavy footfalls moved out of the library. He has a limp. I wonder how he received that. She looked up to the balcony and Keith.
"So who is up in the balcony?" Spike asked.
"You know," Lillian said. "There are ways to ask that question with out informing the person up there."
"Yeah," Spike said. "If he was any type of threat, one of the commanders would have taken care of it."
"It�s the King." KaLee said. Ryan looked at her in slight surprise as she turned her gaze up wards. "Now it is our decision to either ignore that he is here or wait until he leaves."
It was Lillian who spoke first. "I respect the King but as with Hunk, he will be making the decisions on the Voltron Force. I do not want what is said here to influence his decisions."
"I agree there." It was Deida. "There have been decisions that I have made that have not been the smartest or the best for the situation. I would rather not have why I did it reflect to heavily on whether or not I stay." There were other murmurs of agreement.
"With all due respect your Majesty, we would like you to leave." KaLee spoke as she watched Keith. His eyes gazed upon her. "If you have any questions you need to ask us personally. I for one will answer with the best of my ability."
There was a slight nod and he backed away. Listening she heard his footsteps leave the balcony and room. She brought her eyes down to the group and gave a nod.
"Well," Spike gave a smile. "Who wants to go first?"
They all looked around the table at each other; no one seemed to want to volunteer. KaLee looked at Ryan and gave a sigh.
"Well let�s start with the highest ranking." She smiled. "I guess that would be me."
They all looked at her uncertain where to start. Her eyes scanned theirs. "Well?" She sat there expectantly. "What do you want to know?"
There was audible shifting in seats and she continued to wait. Ryan just watched, waiting himself.
You probably know the most. Her thoughts went. She knew what they wanted to ask, but it was now who would have the courage to ask.
"Um�" It was Cole�s voice that interrupted the silence. "I was wondering, because I have no clearance and could only see the stuff on open reports. What happened with the Nemesis?"
KaLee gave a nod. "Okay. What do you all know? And this doesn�t include Ryan and Spike." She looked at the blonde pirate as he gave a slight chuckle and nod of acknowledgment.
"Well," Derk spoke up. "There was an open attack by pirates and raiders on a survey group. The Nemesis was the lead ship, most weaponry. There were other ships. The Crane and Delta, both scientific vessels, doing survey work on the asteroid belt. The Nemesis had been assigned to give cover about a day or so earlier. There had been reports of possible raider activity and they wanted to make sure that no problems would occur. The Argos joined them not two hours before the battle ensued. They were just doing some routine maintenance runs, testing out their engines. They were new engines, one of the first in long running designs. That is what peaked my interest."
He stopped and looked at his sister who said. "I just thought that the loss of the Argos was almost tragic. An engine that fast and it was destroyed. Not to mention the loss of life with it. Not many from that ship made it off."
"I have a bit more access to reports." Lillian spoke up now. "I had some friends on the Delta and Argos. So I did a little more digging. The second in command of the Nemesis was brought up on charges of endangerment of lives. That she had targeted the engines of the Argos and gave the order to fire." There was an audible shifting again with slight gasps of surprise. "I would be interested in hearing how SHE was not found guilty of those charges." Lillian's eyes were trained on KaLee, but KaLee also noticed Spike�s expression. It was almost one of anger directed at Lillian.
Ryan sat up straighter. "That is something I would be interested in hearing as well. But also what happened with the communications with the civilian transport that was within communications range. I know they had an escort. Why weren�t they asked to send help?"
"Okay," KaLee spoke again. "Now that we have the rumors out on the table. Who here wants to hear my side of the story?"
She waited a moment, as they all seemed to give nods and agreement that she continue.
"It was 48 hours standard time that the Nemesis was called to the sector of space where the attack happened." Her voice was steady stating facts. "It was not until 36 hours later that anything odd started to happen."