Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron or its original Japanese version Golion; nor do I own The Scarlet Pimpernel by the Baroness Orczy. Both are the property of their original creators and/or importers/dubbers. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.
(A/N: I needed a break from my other fan fiction and I do so love The Scarlet Pimpernel by the Baroness Orczy. Love it, love it, love it. If you haven't read it go do so, do it now! Then watch the movie with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, then watch the older black and white movie with Leslie Howard. Then see the play. Oh, god! I love the play! It was what got me interested in the Pimpernel all those years ago…. And my lover is taking me to see it again next week! Hence the inspiration for this new fan fiction.)
The Azure Pimpernel
Chapter One: The Faceless Phantom
The girl trembled in fear as the Galran soldier scrutinized her small group of humans, all dressed as slaves. Only three of them actually were slaves however, herself included. The fourth was a free man, one of the noble rebels battling the forces of the evil Empire. At the moment, however, he was aiding in the escape of three lowly slave-girls whom had the misfortune of displeasing the Prince Imperial and had been sentenced to become dinner for the Empire's vile beastmen monstrosities.
"My master would be very displeased if you delay me." The young rebel was saying. He played the part of a submissive slave well, speaking clearly with just the right amount of tremble in his words to give the impression that he was intimidated and kept his eyes downcast, not daring to look up at one of his 'betters'.
The guard handed the rebel back a piece of paper bearing the Imperial skull-crest. "Hmph, everything seems in order. Now get lost, worms!"
He gave the man a very un-gentle kick in the ass and the rebel went stumbling forward to the soldier's great amusement. The three girls followed after him, not one daring to breath until they were past the gate and safely away, disappearing from site around a bend. Once they were sure the soldiers could no longer see them, the quartet cut off the road that lead to the Occult-Witch's beastmem laboratories and instead turned across country towards an outcropping of rocks that hid one of many entrances to a series of underground caves.
Once safely inside, all four humans breathed heavy sighs of relief.
"Thank you." One of them whispered, afraid to raise her voice any more.
"You're welcome." The rebel replied. "But I'm only the instrument of your escape. It was the Azure Pimpernel that told us of your need and thought of the plan."
"You mean, you're not the Azure Pimpernel?" Asked the second.
To this the young rebel merely smiled. "No. My name is Ryou, Shirogane Ryou, and I am but a simple man looking for justice in the world."
…
Ever since word had spread of Golion's several victories over the vile Galra Empire, the slaves belonging to said Empire had been unruly, disobedient, even rebellious. A rebel group had seemed to have sprung up over night performing acts of terrorism all over the capitol. But worst of all… oh, worst of all was a mysterious and illusive figure whom had no name. Slave, traitors and political prisoners would simply be spirited away before their sentences could be carried out and all that would be left was a small paper card bearing no words but rather the image of a small blue flower.
Daibazaal had been told that the flower was called a 'pimpernel', a species that only grew on Earth in the color red and on Altea in the color blue. Thus, the mysterious cad had been named the 'Azure Pimpernel' by the Empire and had a heavy bounty had been placed on his illusive and seemingly invisible head.
…
It was late evening when the shuttle landed in the Castle Gradam's docking bay. It was a small ship, but worthy of space travel and was probably the best thing Ryou and his small rebel cell could find on Galra. Raible stood with Hys beside him, ready to greet and tend to the latest fugitives from the Empire. Ryou, with this help of his illusive partner the Azure Pimpernel had been helping slaves escape the dreaded Imperial capitol for months now. Those that could not (or would not for whatever reason) join up with his little militia were sent to Altea for asylum.
Three young women tiptoed hesitantly down the shuttle's narrow gangplank and Hys immediately pounced on them.
"Oh, you poor babies!" The woman moaned at how thin they looked, how freighted their eyes were. "It must have been so terrible for you!"
Raible shook his head at the woman. Sometimes, her maternal antics were just too much for him to stomach seriously and there was nothing to do but laugh. One of the former-slaves detached herself from the lamenting woman's fawning grasp and hesitantly approached him.
"Are you Raible the Strategist?" She asked hesitantly.
"I am."
"I was told to give you this." She extended to him two envelopes.
The first was a dirty packet containing a grubby piece of paper with a full report from Ryou written across it, front and back. The second, he opened to find a nothing but a small card of very fine stationary. The only thing the card contained was a simple drawing of a small flower in blue ink –an azure pimpernel.
…
Prince Imperial Sincline entered the throne room hesitantly. It was a common occurrence for his father to summon him, however, just because it happened often did not mean it was not something to be feared. Emperor Daibazaal rarely called for someone unless it was to berate and belittle them in a public forum. Occasionally, he would rough them up and even kill them when he had the inclination. Sincline was tentatively confident that his father wouldn't kill him, but this did not sooth the threat of bodily injury.
The Prince Imperial took a deep breath to calm his nerves and knelt before the Golden Throne. He did not look up when he said, "You summoned me, father."
"I'm very displeased, Sincline." Said the king. He was almost always displeased, so this was not news. The question was: Was it the prince that he was displeased with? and, How pain would he have to suffer before the Emperor was satisfied? "We keep lousing slaves to this ghost, this phantom the Azure Pimpernel."
"He's freed barely a handful of slaves, father." The prince said, barely raising hi head, certainly not lifting his eyes. "I'm sure we've lost more between Golion freeing entire planets and the rebels raids." This was very true.
"Golion and the rebels we can strike back at." His father growled. "They have names and faces and weaknesses to exploit. This Pimpernel is a phantom. I cannot strike at him for I do not know who –or even what- he is. Unchecked he could stand to become as big a problem as the Golion team."
"And what do you want me to do about it?" Sincline growled.
"I want you to find out who he is and bring him before me!"
At this the prince did raise his head. "What? But, father, he's only one man. Surely, my time would be better spent-"
"Do not interrupt me, boy!" Daibazaal snarled. "You've been rather useless to me of late, always bungling the simplest of tasks. This is your chance to make it up to your poor old father and do something right for a change."
Sincline lowered his head. "Yes, father. But where would I begine?"
"Use you're head, boy! Its that thing that sits between your shoulders. An azure pimpernel is a flower that only grows on Altea, ergo the Pimpernel must be Altean. Start there. I am sending you to Altea as an under the pretext of wanting to arrange a piece between our two planets." He spat the word 'peace' out as if it were something vile.
The prince's mouth watered at the idea of a peace between Galra and Altea. It they were no longer enemies then Princess Fala would no longer have a reason to spurn his advances. Her rejections would turn to acceptance and he would finally be able to take the beautiful young monarch as his own.
"Stop drooling, boy, and act like the prince you're supposed to be and not the rutting dog you are!" Daibazaal's fist impacted the armrest of the Golden Throne making a loud and painful sound that made Sincline flinch and remember that his father was never hesitant about turning that fist on him. "I do not desire a pease with Altea, that is just a cover so that they don't boot you right back off their planet the minuet you land. I want you to learn the identity of the Azure Pimpernel. When you know who he is, or even better yet, if you find the actual physical man, bring him before me to face Imperial justice."
"Father, this will be a very difficult task and-"
"And you still here?" His father cut him off.
…
(A/N: Okay, so I'm writing this mostly because I need a break from my other story. So, be forewarned that this is not a priority and is not likely to get finished. I suggest you don't get to into it. Its not even that good anyway.)