Beginner's Resistance
Chapter 1: Meeting in the Void
Disclaimer: I don't own the Voltron Force or its characters—they belong to World Events Productions. The good news is that Diana, Ethel, Bernice, Alex, and Cheryl are my original characters.
"Now get out there and make friends. You're going to be here for a long time." The Wadebot said it pushed the bronzed beauty into a large space with more prisoners. "Play nice." It closed the door behind her with a recorded laugh. Shaking her head, Diana looked around the large space and looked at her fellow prisoners. As Diana took a few more steps into the open space, Diana noticed a group of people she had worked closely with for the last five years. Their common goal of shutting Sky Marshall Wade was so close, they can taste it. Putting up the best smile she could put on her face, Diana went to her group of cohorts.
"Well, look what the cat drugged in. Diana Smythe-Williams! Long time, no see." Alexandria Zana said with a smile. "And you still look fabulous even in these ugly suits." Diana shared a laugh with the heavy-set woman before they hugged each other. Diana and Alexandria had contrasting features. Diana's height stood at 5'11" and she had an hourglass body that boasted of a small waist with sizeable chest and hips. Diana's hair was naturally black and curly—but from time to time her curls could be seen with both red and brown highlights. Diana's skin was bronzed-color and her face featured round dark brown eyes, a Roman-shaped nose, and full lips. They always wanted to wear the same outfit and thanks to Sky Marshall Wade they can—orange prison jackets, pants, and tank tops with black canvas shoes. Accessorized with those black ankle cuffs.
"How have you been, Alex?" Diana asked after they broke the hug. Alexandria Zana was also 5'11 and had a heavy-set, boxy frame with a long waist. Alex boasted a fair skin tone and naturally wavy red hair. Alex also boasted wide green eyes, a celestial-shaped nose, and medium-full lips. Although Alex was stocky, she was starting to build a muscular frame before being sent to the Void prison. Right now, though the orange suit was clashing with her natural beauty and couldn't wait to burn it as soon as possible.
"I've been at better places." She responded. The group laughed.
Diana then turned and curtsied the next person, Princess Bernice from the planet Cetrac. Then thin monarch stood up and gave Diana a hug. "Bernice, it's so good to see you!" Diana said as they broke-up from the hug. "How are you holding up?" The monarch from Cetrac was 5'0" and petite-framed woman. The monarch boasted of a peach skin tone, chocolate-colored hair, almond-shaped brown eyes, thin nose, and small lips. What the Princess lacked in height, she made-up for with a usually huge character.
"I've been better." The princess replied. "I hate this place almost as much as I hate the man who put me here."
"I can understand," Diana said, as she turned to address her next friend. "And you Ethel?"
"I'm doing as good as expected for being the first one held here," Ethel replied, as Diana gave her a hug. "I'm going to make sure that man will go down for this." The now-thin woman promised. "I want my curves back!" Ethel Acenas' height was 5'5" and she had a pear-shaped body that she missed since being held at the prison. Ethel's olive skin color played with black straight hair. Ethel also inherited a set of black eyes from her father, a broad nose, and rosy lips to finish her features. Ethel was known for her jewelry designs as well as her adaptability. Which was failing right now.
"Oh, believe me. His ass is definitely going down and you'll get your curves back." Diana promised as she broke the hug with Ethel. Diana then turned to her last friend, Cheryl. Cheryl Jackson was the youngest member of the group. At the age of 23, Cheryl had dark brown skin tone, naturally black and coily hair that was usually straightened chemically and stood at 5'4". Cheryl also had narrow hazel eyes, full nose, and lips. Cheryl was also known for her high technical ability and a mechanical ability that almost second to none.
"And you, Cheryl? How are you doing?" Diana asked the younger woman. Cheryl smiled back at her.
"I'm doing better, now that I see you. I can't wait until we bust out of here. I got plans and things to build back up." Cheryl said after hugging Diana. "You can't keep good people down."
"Truer words have never been spoken," Diana answered back. "And always, I don't come empty-handed. I got some goodies for you guys." Diana said before looking around. She then gave each woman a thick bangle. "I think these will make things a little better until we're free again."
"Jewelry is nice and—" Ethel started but stopped when she realized that the bangles were more than meets the eye—the bangles held a personal message from a Voltron pilot. "I'll have to agree. How did you get this past them Wadebots?" Ethel said as the ladies sat down on a long bench.
"I have secret talents that come in handy at times. I would wait until most prisoners are asleep before looking at your messages." Diana stated, taking a deep breath. "Roll Call?"
"Well for the most part—at least the ones I can account for. I have 2 or 3 people that I haven't heard from. Two of mine are in the infirmary. Who knows if they'll ever get out. My last person is in the Black Hole—and that is Chief Kalon from Ariel." Diana nodded to Ethel.
"All accounted for and doing well." The rest of the group shared. Diana nodded her confirmation.
"I never thought that I would be a political prisoner," Bernice announced. "Whatever happened to diplomatic immunity? I'm a head of state. Who arrests a head of state?" When Bernice was arrested and sent to the Void, she just finished a mission and was on her way to a diplomatic trip to one of the furthest planets in the galaxy.
"I never thought that I would be caught so easily," Ethel added. Ethel was arrested and sent to the Void after completing both a jewelry show and a mission.
"I hope that my family is doing ok. I wonder what they were told." Cheryl and Alexandria shared. They were arrested at the same time although they were in different places just before they were going to finish a mission that required them to strike down a system that was based on two different planets. They were the primary breadwinners for their struggling families and were worried about how their families were making out as well as what was spread against them.
"I already accepted the fact that Wade would throw me in here eventually. I hate that Bastard." Diana shared. The sky marshal and Diana had a personal history that started long before she even joined the Den Resistance. The world hate was the weakest word that could describe how Diana really felt about the highest-ranking official in Galaxy Alliance's military wing.
"Such language!" Bernice stated.
"I'm being nice. There are a lot more names and words from where that came from. Lance is a great teacher." Diana replied as she put her hands behind her head and reclined on the bench some.
"Let's focus on the brighter stuff for a few days," Ethel said. "You know for being cohorts for the better of five years, we still don't know a lot about each other."
"Well, we never had any long-term missions and our main contacts kept us busy as well," Bernice replied. "But I would definitely love to know my cohorts better. I would like to know everything from the beginning. Like how did you meet your contact? What were your thoughts during that infamous ceremony? Your view on the meeting we had? What was the first thing you did before joining the resistance?"
"Those are some great questions and to be honest, I never shared that information with anybody in the resistance," Diana said. "Looks like we have all the time in the world now to share war stories. I'm game if everybody else joins."
"I wouldn't mind the stories. It'll get my mind off things." Bernice stated.
"Same here," Ethel added on.
"Ditto." Cheryl agreed.
"I'll tell my story, too." Alexandria finally added her vote in. "So, who goes first with the introductions?"
"I always wanted to know how Diana met Lance and whether they actually did more than kiss the first day," Cheryl said. "I heard all kind of stories, but nothing ever matches. Well, that and that anything involving Lance is going to be more entertaining than how someone meets Keith, Allura, Pidge or Hunk."
"For whatever reason, all these stories about how Lance and I met are crazy. They are all so far from the truth it isn't funny. It seems like people project whatever they want on our unique relationship." Diana sighed, as four sets of eyes looked at her expectantly. "Ok, I'll go first. I am sharing the true story of how Lance and I met. I hope that y'all will listen well because I'm not repeating this story again." The other ladies moved in closer to Diana. She cleared her throat before starting.
"I met Lance McClain for the first time when the Arusian transport landed at Cape Canaveral Spaceport within the Galaxy Alliance headquarters. I was still working as a Behavioral Analyst for the Veteran's Clinic at the time and I promised my mother that I would meet her at the tarmac…" Diana started her story with her captive audience.