Author's Notes: For those who like action over romance, this story should appeal to you. I will, however touch upon some romantic aspects, especially with Keith and Allura so if not in favor of those two-you may find a little discomfort, then again, read on--you may not!

Chapter 1 "Practice Makes Perfect"

Planet Arus, Castle of Lions

It was dawn, or at least, barely dawn on Planet Arus, home of the Voltron LionForce. Already things were astir as they day officially began for the mighty team. All were congregating in the rec. room, preparing for their daily 5:30am lion practice.

"Dammit Keith! Why are these practices so blasted early?! It's not like Lotor or Zarkon plan their attacks on a time schedule! We'll jump regardless of the time! It's a given! Lance sarcastically pointed out.

Keith's only reply as he casually sipped a cup of cocoa was, "So?"

"Hmph." Lance gruffed while sliding his hands into his pockets.

"It's still not as bad as the Academy, Lance. Remember, we were up at 4am everyday for physical training. And we had a sergeant rattling an empty garbage can with a drumstick for an alarm clock."Keith pointed out.

"A garbage can?! At 4am! I pity you boys." a shocked Allura said.

"I still hear the ringing of tin in my ears!" Pidge replied.

"You guys complain about how bad the food was, the training, the classes, the instructors, the hours. Is there anything that you possibly liked?" Allura inquired.

"Uh...um...." Keith trailed.

"Well, uh, nothing I can say in front of your Highness." Lance said. "And Keith would say that too!" he added while his best friend sent daggers from his eyes.

"Hey wouldya look at the time! Let's get goin' team!" Keith yelled as he lept for the doorway and was gone before the rest of the team could get up.

Lance shrugged and yelled down the hallway, "One of these days Keith! You can't keep dodging topics forever!"

"What's goin' on? I don't get it?" Hunk asked Pidge as they were running down the hall.

"Sorry Big Guy, I think it's way over your head and maybe even mine this time." Pidge responded.

As they reached the Control Room, Coran was ready as the portals to the lions were already set. Keith ran in portal #1, lept, and was gone in one fluid motion. The other four followed seconds later. Coran simply nodded his head.

Once all were aboard their respective lions, the mechanical beasts flew towards the practice grounds in unison.

Keith landed Black lion softly onto the ground and lept out as the others followed suit.

"Ok team, today we're gonna practice one-on-one combat, evasive maneuvers. Each lion will fly a separate direction for five minutes then turn and re-engage here in a free-for-all. The lion with the least hits upon itself will be declared the 'victor'. Any questions?"

"Yeah. Will you be in this maneuver or observing from the ground?" Lance inquired, smiling mischieviously while rubbing his hands together.

Keith met Lance's gaze and calmly replied, "I will be flying."

"Oh goody! A chance to nail the big cheese himself!"exclaimed Allura.

"Was that the Princess sayin' that?!" Pidge exclaimed.

"Looks like she's got some kinda grudge against the Cap." Hunk observed.

"This could get interesting. She's definitely one of us now!"Lance added.

"Hey--this is a serious practice guys."Keith shot back.

"Apparently so's her 'grudge.'" Lance countered.

A challenge?! That's the spirit! To the lions!" Keith shouted as he made for his lion leaving the others dumbfounded on the ground.

"He never quits does he?" Hunk muttered as he struggled back to his lion's cockpit.

All five lions roared as they darted into the sky, each heading a different direction without a word spoken as to who was going where. Lance flew south, Pidge to the east, Hunk headed west, and the Princess flew north. Keith hesitated long enough to allow the others to take the four main compass points and were just out-of-sight when he directed Black lion straight up into Arus' high atmosphere. Seeing how he wasn't specific with the word direction, it didn't necessarily mean a compass point. He was surprised that none of the others thought about that. They were normally more astute. A smirk crossed his face, automatically the advantage was his.

What Keith has also forgot to mentiion was what speed the lions should be flying for those five minutes. One pilot, however was astute enough to see that. Red lion slowed to nearly a hover after reaching just out of sight of the others. "This'll get 'em!" Lance thought to himself while scanning for nooks to hide in.

When the five minutes had passed the action commenced. Pidge and Hunk ended up engaging each other out-of-bounds, before the rendevous point and continuing all the way to it. Blue lion, which ended up just beyound the Castle of Lions itself, veered left and increased speed in a classic charge to the rendevous point. The Princess figured immediate aggression on her part might catch one of the boys off-guard. Keith had nearly reached Arus' outermost atomosphere before he laid back on the throttles and let Black lion sink into a dive straight down.

Meanwhile, Red lion had found a nook to hide in and braced to pounce. Lance wasn't sure who he'd get first, but it'd scare 'em silly.

At the rendevous point, Green and Yellow lions were continuing their personal dogfight.

"Gotchya again you twirp!" exclaimed Hunk.

"Too much boasting you overgrown has-been!" Pidge shot back as the two pounded each other with anything they could. So much for evasive maneuvers for that pair.

Blue lion had nearly overshot the meeting point as Allura almost forgot how quickly she'd arrive. As she was slowing up, Red lion pounced on the unaware lion just as Black lion struck from above.

"OOOOoofff!" was all that could be heard from the three lions as togehter, they slammed and careened to the ground below landing with a tremendous, earth-shaking 'thud.'

"And I thought we were obvious!" exclaimed Pidge as he and Hunk temporarily halted their fight to see the outcome of the other.

"I think they're really gonna need the aspirin after that!" Hunk stated.

"We'd better land and make sure's everyone's okay. None of 'em are movin." Pidge said as he landed Green lion with Hunk right beside him.

"Hey!" Pidge yelled through his hand held comm unit. "Anyone-please answer!"

A groan emerged then Red lion's hatch opened and Lance stumbled out.

"You ok man?" asked Pidge.

"Uhhh...I think. Did you get the license and insurance numbers of those two lions!" Lance cracked back.

Well...no, but you can." Pidge answered as he turned to see the Princess stepping out. "Hey there Princess! Feelin' all right?"

"Wha-what happened?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing!" replied Lance.

After a quick assessment they realized that Keith had yet to emerge from Black lion. Keith had taken the hardest impact, slamming the ground first then being hit by the other two lions milliseconds later. All four ran over to the lion in attempt to reach Black lion's hatch.

"It's jammed!" Lance replied as he tugged at the manual knobs.

"Lemme try Lance." Hunk offered as Lance gave him room. After several attempts Hunk managed to pry it open.

"Pidge, it's open enough for you. Step in." Lance ordered.

Pidge squeezed into Black lion's cockpit to find Keith crying...no...he was giggling!

"Wha the-?" was all Pidge could get out as Keith looked at him.

"Uh, hello Pidge! Boy, that certainly was stupid,eh?" Keith replied.

"Huh?"

" I've never made such a stupid mistake! My instructors would have a field day with this one back at the Academy."

The others who were peering through the open hatch were dumbfounded (again!)

"Hmph! We worry and he's laughing about the whole thing!"Lance snorted.

"Yes, but think of it this way Lance. We did nail his behind this time!" giggled Allura.

"Heheh...we sure did! Gotta rub it in too!" was Lance's reply. He then turned back towards the cockpit hatch. "Hey Pidge! Get that wretch out here!"

" Who ya callin' wretch, you slouch-boy!" retorted their captain as he and Pidge stepped out.

"You were defeated o' mighty leader!" Lance smirked.

"Nooo...I think it was more a draw Lance. None of us flew out from it." Keith coolly answered.

"Call it what you like, it's still the first one you didn't!" Lance shot back.

There was no response from Keith. He gazed at the entire team then turned to the heap of lions.

"Well, I guess you got your grudges fulfilled then." Keith muttered inaudibly to himself. "Lance, Princess, please inspect your lions and report any damage to me immediately. I'm going to contact Coran and inform him of our delay returning. Pidge, Hunk, you two return to the Castle. Practice is over for the day."

"Yessir." the latter two replied as they re-entered their lions.

As the Yellow and Green lions lept into the air, Keith turned and inspected his own lion. The Princess and Lance, walked together around Red lion until they were out of Keith's line of sight. There, they couldn't resist a little converstation.

"We sure waxed his butt!" Allura exclaimed.

"Heheh...sure did! Sorry for waxin' yours too."

"That's ok, Lance. I got yours too! But the important thing is that we got Keith's!"

"You do realize that now he's gonna mope and hang around that lion makin' sure all the scratches, etc. are gone."

"And I thought I was bad when I broke a nail! I guess guys can have quirks too."

"I suppose Princess, but they're usually rather amusing. Keith's are downright BORING!"

"So, tell me Lance-has he ever NOT been a stick-in-the-mud?"

Lance thought long and hard, trying to recollect a time when his friend was ever NOT serious. It proved to be a rather difficult question to answer.

"Well, Princess, I guess it depends. As you know he doesn't talk much about himself, not even to his close friends. Hey, I gotta idea, maybe if we butter him up alittle, he'll tell us himself?"

"How?"

Before Lance could respond, a high-pitched whoosh and two black blurs from above sailed past their position. Keith was already in his lion, poised for action, except that his lion was pinned by the other two.

Lance and Allura, a moment behind, still managed to get into their lions and move off the Black before Keith could start ranting, but that was all they could do before Black lion lept into the air...almost. Blue lion had managed to fire the blue claw during the skirmish and it had lodged into Black lion's left hip joint. The leg was useless. Keith's usual graceful take-off became an excerpt for a blooper reel. The ground shook as the main lion crashed on it's belly with a jolting thud.

"Keith!" Allura screamed.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Lance inquired.

"Will you two stop worrying about me and wasting time! Get after those bogeys!"

"Yessir!" Allura and Lance snapped as Blue and Red lion successfully lept into the air.

But is was already too late. The two black blurs had completed their high speed arc and were on a second pass, barely missing the two climbing lions.

"Geesh, they're fast! Lance, they don't read on ANY scanners!" Allura's panicked voice noted.

You two stay cool! Keep your heads, don't panic." Keith calmly replied.

"But Keith, WHAT are we up against? We can't id!" Lance shot back.

"Doesn't matter. You're combat pilots! Now do your duty!" Keith scolded.

Meanwhile the two black blurs had slowed up on their third arc. The lead "blur" decided to reply to all the babble.

"Dewar. Is that you?"

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Keith sternly shot back.

"Easy there. No need to be hostile. I can't believe you don't recognize me--SCRUFF!!!"

"Huh?!"

"Who the heck is THAT?" Allura asked Lance.

"Beats me, but obviously knows Keith."

Is it male or female?" Allura asked as for some reason pangs of jealousy surged forth.

"Hard to say Princess. Sounds like the pilot has some kind of voice distorter."

The two blurs had now completed their arc back to the lions and hovered, revealing two sleek, smooth, stealthy recon fighters-Earth's latest--the SRF-26 Aurora.

"Whatta beauty!" exclaimed Lance with a whistle.

"Betchya that ship'll turn Keith on. He only seems to respond to technological wonders." Allura hmphed.

"Dewar--you still there?" the lead Aurora pilot asked.

"You called me a scruff. If you weren't an Alliance ship I'd--"

" You'd what? With a crippled ship that's belly down in the dirt against the Alliance's latest, best fighter staring down your throat--" the pilot interrupted.

Keith growled. "I still have two of my finest airborne!"

"And my wingman would have no problem turning those kitties into scrap."

"Keith, that other ship has missle lock on us! Is it friend or foe?! Permission to engage?!" Lance screamed.

"Hold Lance. Aurora leader-what's the big idea?! First you insult me and now you threaten my teammates!"

"Awwwww...you're still a stick-in-the-mud aren't you. Maybe I should whoop your butt. Might knock loose some 'fun' cells."

"Lance, Princess--stand down and return to the Castle. Threat is not immenient. I repeat, threat is NOT immenient."

"But Keith--" Allura and Lance tried to reply.

"Do NOT question my orders! Return to the Castle, NOW!"

"Yessir. Geesh, excuse us." muttered Lance as he and Allura turned their lions for home.

Keith switched his comm over to 'secure' to prevent the other lions from hearing anymore while watching them fly out of sight.

"Aurora pilot-now, gimme an id--another hint--I think I know who you are, but humor me--what's your call sign?"

"Stingray. My wingman's is Cheetah."

"DAWSON?!"

"So you DO remember me, eh, scruff!"

"Will you stop calling me that!"

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Oh, good answer coming from the top of his class. Great intellectual value in that one!"

" I dare you to land and confront me personally, Dawson!"

"My pleasure Captain. Cheetah, return to Crimson Wing and await my signal to return with the squadron."

"Wilco out, Stingray!"

The two Auroras split off--one up into the high atmosphere above and was gone without a trace, the other, glided quietly to the ground beside the crippled Black Lion. Both officers lept out of their ships. Keith, in his heroic red & white Voltron uniform minus helmet and the Aurora commander in a solid black flightsuit complete with a helmet that resembled a cross between an ant's head and a medieval knight's helm. For several minutes they simply stared at each other. It was Stingray who broke the silence first.

"Long time no see or hear Dewar. Y'know, you really haven't changed all that much in the past three years. Filled out a bit physically, but not much more."

" I'm not sure how to take that Dawson--an insult or a compliment?"

"Purely a compliment Captain. I've missed seeing your ship on my six just before the 'dead' beep goes off in mine. Guess I finally score one today."

"Actually, that's TWO Dawson."

"Oh yeah, forgotTHAT occurrence." Stingray smirked.

"Hmph."

" Just kidding! Geesh, you've got no sense of humor anymore! I'll havta talk to Lance. His jokes must be suffering."

Keith shifted uncomfortably. "It's really nice to see you again. Welcome to Arus! How long you gonna be here?"

"I presume two weeks. Recon and intelligence, classified...y'know, the 'need to know' only stuff. And thank you, it's a pleasure to be here and to see you again. I didn't think our flight plans would ever cross again."

"Aside from Jeff and Sven, you were my only true airborne competition back at the Academy." Keith jibed.

"You compare me to those two amateurs?! Should I be insulted this time?"

"Not at all. Just you were the only one who chose NOT to become a member of a Voltron force."

"And you already know the reason why scruff!"

"I know...just teasin'.."

"As you always do."

"Do not!"

"Do too! You're nothing but a big TEASE!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I give up."

"A first for you?"

"Will you STOP before I hijack your ship and put it into the ground so we're on even terms!"

"You wouldn't--"

"Do you dare chance it?"

"You're very annoying sometimes. You know that?"

"That's me! C'mon, I gotta get my lion fixed. Couldya give me a lift to the Castle?"

"What's in it for me? I can't just let unauthorized people into a classified aircraft. It could jeopardize my career!"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Keith responded as a slight smirk crossed his face.

The Aurora pilot sighed and motioned to the ship. "Ok, debating this is useless against you. Hop in. I'm sure that lionship is just as valuable. You owe me a ride in it once it's repaired."

"Deal." Keith replied as they hopped into the Aurora and flew onwards to the Castle.

tbc...