The lions blasted out of their dens and, following Lance’s orders, launched a head-on attack at the colossal medieval knight. The robeast deflected the Green Lion with a swing of his arm, fending off the Yellow Lion’s claws and teeth with the other arm. Allura got a stingray missile hit on the robeast’s torso, but the clearing smoke revealed that it caused no damage at all.
“This one’s as tough-skinned as they come,” Lance quipped, dodging a stroke from the broadsword. “But we’re going to prove that we’re tougher. Is everyone okay?”
“I’m fine,” Pidge said, pulling up and joining the others back in mid-air. “Lance, don’t you think we should lead this beast away from the Castle’s firing range? We’re blocking the Castle’s cannon sights – and Coran can handle the battleships and cruisers until we dispose that thing.”
“Right you are, little guy,” Lance agreed, pulling up and leading the team in a semi-V formation towards the far side of the lake, away from the Castle. The robeast quickly took off after them in pursuit.
“Are you having any difficulties handling the Black Lion, Lance?” Allura asked worriedly into the commlink. “According to my computer, you’re listing a little to the right.”
Lance grimaced. “I’m just not used to handling this big baby – I miss my lion, it flies as light as air,” he confessed, checking his list with a sheepish smile. “I would have wanted to take Red Lion, but we obviously need Black Lion’s bulk to get rid of big rusty.”
Getting rid of the robeast was, by all means, easier said than done. Lance led the team into several attacks devised by Keith for the possibility of fighting only with four lions, but the robeast seemed to anticipate each of their maneuvers and shot at them in their most vulnerable area, breaking their formation each and every time.
“Looks like Haggar’s gotten someone with brains to transform,” Allura gasped, pulling up from where the robeast had flung her unto the ground.
Even as he dodged the powerful laser beam erupting from the knight’s sword, Lance had to admit that he was getting really worried now. Hunk had sustained some damage in his rear jets, Allura on the side of her ship – and he was still having trouble controlling Black Lion’s horizontal plane. The robeast seemed to be toying with them, choosing which of them was weakest so that he could take that one out, and at the rate things were going, it would only be a matter of time. “Of all the times for Haggar to get a new improved model,” he muttered. “Just when we’re down…”
Coran’s worried voice came over the commlink. “Lance, I’ve managed to down four of the ten battleships and three cruisers, but we’re running out of firepower – and the Castle has sustained some damage. I need you here, and I need you now.”
Pidge’s scream interrupted Coran’s transmission, and Lance could only groan as he saw the Green Lion plummet to the ground once more. “We’re doing the best we can, Coran,” he shouted, losing his cool for the first time during the entire battle. “This robeast’s tough – it’s not only strong and fast, it’s also anticipating all of our moves.” They were each desperately attacking on their own now, without following any battle plan – but they were not doing any better even then.
Hunk had flown above the robeast’s head and shot a missile at the dome-shaped helmet. The blast shook the robeast’s equilibrium, and the clearing smoke revealed that the outer, tinted portion of the dome had cracked and fallen, revealing a clear layer of thick, glass-like material. Inside the capsule was a pilot controlling the robot via tubes attached by suction to several areas of his torso.
“Haggar’s gotten a humanoid to pilot this one,” Hunk informed the rest of the team, swooping down for another attack. This time the robeast was ready, whipping out his broadsword towards Hunk’s lion before he could get another shot in. “That helmet area – that’s where he’s vulnerable.”
Pidge attacked the robeast from behind, his Lion’s claws dealing the head of the robeast a mighty blow before he pulled up to a climb. The blow dislodged the pilot’s helmet within the cockpit, and Pidge thought he saw a glimpse of dark hair before he was too far from the robeast to be certain. A sudden thought prodded at him, and as he doubled-back to rejoin formation, he noted the robeast’s movements as he fended off the Lions’ attacks; the way the robeast held his sword; they way he anticipated all of their moves…
Lance had the Black Lion’s razor within its mouth and was preparing to launch himself at the robeast and slash at the glass dome with his jaws.
Allura, meanwhile, had flown above the robeast’s head in the same manner Hunk had and was aiming her stingray missiles at the dome shaped helmet when she heard him.
“Guys, Lance – stop!” Pidge shouted into the commlink. “Don’t fire! It’s Keith! Keith is flying the robeast!”
Stunned by Pidge’s outburst, Allura didn’t notice
the robeast’s arm sweeping through the air in a powerful arc towards her
until it was too late. The force of impact hurled her to the ground, the
horrifying crash knocking her from her seat and blacking her out.
“So you’ve finally figured it out,” Haggar said, finding the frequency of their commlink and locking on to it. “You’re right, that is your illustrious leader flying my pretty robot. I didn’t have time to train someone to be as good as he is – and then there is the added bonus of my being able to erase make him obedient to me with my magic, but not forget the battle plans he’s spent months with you perfecting.”
“Switch frequencies!” Lance ordered. “Then regroup!”
All three of the Lions regrouped side by side on one side of the robeast, holding their ground together while they tried to figure out what to do. There was a lull in the battle as Keith tried to gauge what the remaining Lions would do next.
“Allura’s still out, Lance,” Pidge said, brow puckered with worry.
“Dammit!” Hunk shouted. “What are we going to do now, Lance? We destroy that glass dome, we take Keith out permanently. We don’t, he takes us out permanently.”
Lance squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, forcing his frustration down. “Pidge, I want you to run your scanner at that robot and see if there’s any vulnerable spot near the neck are we can cut the head off without causing the robot to blow before we can get it away safely,” he ordered. “Hunk, stand by to jump him.”
“Will do,” Pidge replied, frantically punching a series of commands into his console.
“Lance – we need your help here at the Castle. Please hurry!” Coran’s voice rang with urgency and alarm over the commlink. “We’re down to our last ten minutes of firepower and our shields are not going to hold out much longer – and there are still five more functional battleships in the air.”
“Lance, there’s a chink in his armor somewhere between the shoulder blades and the neck – the Black Lion’s knife can slice through that diagonally,” Pidge reported after Coran’s message ended. “What’s the plan… Guys, he’s going for the Princess!”
The three space explorers were horrified to find that Keith had transferred his attention to the still prone Blue Lion, beginning to stride towards it, broadsword upraised.
“He’s going to destroy the Blue Lion!” Hunk shouted. He began to fire his weapons at the robeast in order to distract it. The others did so as well.
“Allura, wake up!” Lance said urgently into the
commlink. “Wake up!”
The Worst Enemy -- A Knight's Redemption