This is my take on how I imagine how the Second Season of Voltron Force might had ended. Taking bits from the 30th Anniversary book, a slice of Devil's Due Voltron Comic version, and snippets of some sneak peeks I saw during my trips to New York Comic Con's Voltron Panels, I've woven a dark tale. Perhaps darker than what would ever see the TV screen.
Taking place after the episode 'Black', we see what happened after Maahox destroyed planet Doom.
Lotor was being reborn again… He knew this because of the pain. Always started with pain, like millions of needles stabbing throughout him. He should be able to open his eyes soon, yet when he tried, he found he couldn't due to the pain of just breathing. Expecting Maahox to come in crackling about how he just used the last bit of Haggarium up, he found that his memory must be off; there could have been no way the scientist would ever betray him. Instead, he heard different sounds. Crackling fire, smells of burnt things, along with the bubbling of chemicals and the ozone of electronics.
Soon a new sound reached his ears, the sound of an old woman breathing heavily. He hissed as he felt a hand shake his arm. An unfamiliar laugh rang in his ears. "Good… good… we have breath. Now let's see what else we have. Girl! Come here, and make sure he still breathes while I tend to some things," "the woman yelled. Part of him felt relief to hear the old hag stumble off into the unknown. Lotor focused on his strength. Sensing a body beside him, he strained to peek and see.
He couldn't cannot see much, but he could tell she is of his age. She had deep indigo skin that was lightly reflective, with a crown of quills in place of hair, and glowing solid golden bronze eyes. Recognizing what she is, he felt for a moment puzzled for a moment, only to grow concerned when he noticed the slave collar on her. It marked her as belonging to the nobles within the Second Kingdom of the Drule Empire. He groaned. Of all the things he dreaded, having to deal with the Brat, as he called the Prince Skath was the thing he dreaded most. He only hoped the Tartarusian was only going to be good and just sit where she was.
He remembered hearing complaints from the Drule gossip mill about Tartarusians. Strong willed and stubborn, they were not the best of slaves. They were better for minor work hiring, but their work still needed to be double checked. He could never understand why the Second Kingdom allowed that nomadic tribe to remain in their territory. Now he was stuck with a slave who seemed to be becoming bored by the minute. Finding strength enough to talk, he asked, "So tell me… Who and why… have I been brought from death?"
She gave gave him an irritated look, "You have no clue, do you? Well, for starters… I only know that my brother and I were originally hired to scrape your dead hide off what is left of the once proud Planet Doom. Took some time to dislodge you from some rock, but… I say, getting more than fifty percent of you back was enough. The witch Cerise was not too thrilled, but it was the truth. They were not going to pay us enough to shift through every inch of dirt to gather every tiny chunk of your flesh. Maybe that is why I am now sporting this dashing ring of service," she snorted before spitting on the ground near him.
Lotor's eyes rolled before closing, thinking back, it slowly came back. Maahox had teleported him out of the Castle turned Ro-beast. The mocking before a massive tentacle came down on him. "So, what is left of my kingdom?"
"What is left, seriously? Nothing… not a blasted thing. The planet is destroyed, whatever followers you had went up with it. Looters were already picking it clean when we came looking for you. Whatever it was that trashed your world, it might have been destroyed by Voltron. Supposedly there was a massive Ro-beast reported to be attacking Earth, but it's gone now."
Gone… the word echoed in Lotor's mind. A once thriving empire held a seat of power there and now it was gone. "She says it as if it means nothing," his thoughts echoed, grasping her words. "Like it has been a fact for centuries." Then the thought of Voltron still standing caused his blood to boil, but it was not enough to give him the strength to move from his position.
"We are to move him," a male voice rang out. The Tartarusian slave moved with a grunt. Opening his eyes again, he found two large Drules looking over the platform he was lying on. They roughly grabbed it and jostled it loose from the base.
Lotor groaned in pain, "Arg… Careful you fools, I should be treated appropriately to my status as…"
"A nobody," the Drule by his head interrupted. "You are a funny one. You think after what you have done, any Drule worth his metal and honor would still follow you?" The Drules laughed. "Hey Issak, can you believe this one? He thinks he's still royalty."
"Rusin, I am having a hard time believing he is related to Zarkon,." chuckled the one by his feet.
"Yeah… maybe my old man is right, that Sincline wench pulled one over on Zarkon," Rusin laughed. "No matter anyway, she got her reward in the end."
Lotor could only growl as he felt like he was being tossed about. The level of disrespect was unbelievable and to hear of his mother spoken as such made him sick. He was tempted to rip them apart had it not been for the pain he was in. Then again, he had never heard her referred to as a 'Sincline wench', whatever that was.
"Sincline? What is a Sincline?" asked the Tartarusian.
"The woman's family name. Other than that, all I know was she was a fool to mess with Zarkon. Thought that just because she popped out a boy for Zarkon, he would do whatever she asked for. Ha! That king showed her what she was really worth." Issak chuckled.
With that, Lotor felt the platform he was on drop, and he landed on the floor of a small room with a heavy thud. Rusin laughed, "Ride is over, loser. Ronoshi… the witch wants you to keep watching over him. You know your fate if he croaks again." With that, the Drule slammed a metal bar door closed. The Tartarusian sighed as she slumped into a corner of the room.
"Let me guess… I die, you die too?" Lotor managed to mutter.
"Yes… and with my death, they will drag you back from death's grasp. Just like how they already did so using my brother," she hissed.
XXXX
Lotor let out a sigh. It was plain to see the situation he was in. Maahox must be dead, if not in deep hiding, his home world was in ruin, and there were no loyal Drules in sight. The slave was not going to be willing to help, and by the sounds of it, wasn't fully broken in to begin with. If anything, she may be plotting her own escape already. All he wished to know now was why… If he was nothing, what was there to be gained in his resurrection, and why would the Second Kingdom have a hand in it?
There was a bit of dread in that it would be some stupid reason, like wanting to rub in the fact that every attempt to take Arus ended in failure. "Yes, it could be just that," thought Lotor. "You had gone to several galaxies, bringing other planetary monarchs to their knees, and yet every attempt to do the same to Arus has led to… this." A surge of pain caused him to cringe in a manner to move. As the wave passed, he could see he lacked a leg and an arm. A flicker of light caught his attention as well. Looking to see where the flicker of light came from, he realized he was seeing things strange with one eye.
"Slave… Tell me truthfully… How much of me was lost?" he asked.
Glancing thoughtfully at him, she explained, "As you can tell, you lack a right leg and I'll say... just under your left knee is gone as well. Your right arm… and lung, which has been replaced with a mechanical one… and lastly, I would say, the right side of your head. The witch felt it best to give you a new eye and ear. Why I don't know, but I'm guessing whoever hired her wanted you to see and hear." She leaned back against the wall of the cell. "Personally, I don't see the reason. You wasted all you had for what? Did you get some bad wine, or was it too much wine?"
"I was trying to claim what was rightfully mine… as if you would understand."
Ronoshi snorted, "I can understand many things, save pounding one's face into an unmovable object repeatedly. Try me."
"I should not have to share my business with a slave…" Lotor growled.
"And by the looks of things… you are not in any better position than me. Is your ego so big, you can't see the ground you are standing on?" she asked mockingly as he cringed again from pain.
Lotor sighed at the momentary truth she spoke. "Alright… I did it to claim a woman, happy now?"
Ronoshi arched her eyebrow, "And this woman… she wanted you to lay waste to Arus to prove yourself to her?"
"NO! No! She was…" Lotor stared at the ceiling. He could see Allura in his mind, floating above him like a siren angel. He wanted to reach out and grab her, yet as he tried, she floated far away. With her, his urge to chase her vanished. "She was my destiny… to be mine as I rule the universe."
"Oh… you mean…" Ronoshi snorted a laugh. "I see; you didn't take her 'no'. Well pal, maybe you are right about my understanding. Then again, you might have been wrong about the destiny bit. It looks more like she was your destruction rather than partner in life. Oh well, sucks to be you."
Lotor frowned as he turned his head from the Tartarusian. The idea that the woman could be somewhat right was not one he wanted to entertain. Instead he tried to focus on his boiling emotions. He had every right to be angry for being raised once more, treated as less than a slave, and kept in the dark as to why. In the back of his mind, he could hear his father's laugh, chiding him for his ignorance. With his 'what have you done for me now' attitude and forgetting everything he had done as if it meant nothing. How he wanted wine so he could forget the beast of a father he had. He groaned as a stab of pain hits his guts, "Forget wine, I'll take any substance now," he moaned.
Ronoshi banged on the bars of the door. "Food" she yelled out. Some time passed before a bowl is brought forth. It was a mushy soup, lacking flavor, but with something that eased the pains. Lotor was humiliated, yet decided to save his strength on a better fight. Sleep found him weary and lulled him into an uneasy dream.
XXXXX
He hated this dream… it was always hard to see, yet it was the same thing… normally. This time it felt sharper. He was not lost in the woods, but in the crowd of his father's court. He noticed he was just a kid trying to move between the many courtiers for a better view of what was going on with his father. He heard the people chuckling. "The Sincline whore has such brass," one voice says. "I bet a bar of gold, Zarkon will put her in her true place," another says. Peeking from behind a soldier's legs, Lotor saw his mother kneeling before his father begging for the lives of a group of slaves.
He was spellbound by her face. Since her death, he never could fully remember it. Seeing it now so clearly, he could make out her long blond hair and blue eyes… she looked so much like… Suddenly he felt sick. Knowing what was about to happen, he still tried to reach out to stop an event he knew was in the past. The soldiers about him grabbed him and muffled him, leaving him no choice but to watch his father strangle his mother before everyone. Letting her lifeless body drop, Zarkon turned in his direction. Screams from the people who his mother begged to spare filled the court room as the guards murdered each one. His father beckoned him to his side. On shaky legs, he came. As the dream starts to fade, he heard the words his father says before darkness covered everything… "Clean up this mess, boy."
XXXX
He jolted up, his nerves flaring with the prickling of waking up so fast. A quick scan reminded him that he is in a cell with the Tartarusian slave girl, who is equally startled. "What in the hells?" she hollered. He noticed his breathing is rapid and tried to calm himself. A lone tear fell falls from him, he remembered everything… the dream… moment by moment. He dismissed Ronoshi's worried look, and instead tried to distract himself with a better look at himself. As the woman said, the leg was gone right up to his hip and the foot on his other leg was no more than a stump under the knee. His chest was partly covered with a metal cap, no robotic arm, but there appeared to look like there was a connection panel for an arm in the future, if there was a future.
Seeing how a slave was being looked higher than he was, he let his mind burn through the possibilities of reasons. None seemed very good. Sighing, he glared at the bowl from last night. It still held mush, only colder than before. Lotor wondered what enemy he had made to have wanted to raise him again. Then it dawned on him… he had Maahox working just about everything. It was a fool's move, and one that he would have welcomed a beating for making if he had noticed it sooner. "There may have been more to his haggarium than I thought," he pondered. Going over his thoughts, he kept seeing every mistake he should have never allow. To so blindly place trust in the squid he knew nothing of save what he did at the time he met Maahox. Never keeping a more trusted spy on the occultist and tabs of every action he made. On top of that, the haggarium treatments… it gave a drug like influences stronger than any he had tried before. A drug rush like that should never be allowed. In hindsight, he could see how it increased the many failures in his attacks on Arus.
Of course, hindsight also allowed him to see that the vast Army Maahox had gathered when he first met the squid had dwindled to very low numbers. He began to wonder where his followers went. Not that he had much love for them, but they were his to command. Unknown things done in his name may be the reason for his state. "Did they run off from something that was happening at Castle Doom?" he wondered. Second Kingdom never looked kindly at the Ninth, and at times it felt as if they were looking for any reason to come harass them. Had Maahox given them reason? Had they had him raised to make a spectacle before all the other Kingdoms? His nostrils flared at the thought. That may be the reason… the guards did say that others questioned if he was truly a son of Zarkon. Despite every other conquest, his failure to tame Arus would be held up as proof that his blood had no trace of the great king Zarkon… the grand conqueror of the far galaxy. He snorted with disgust.
Ronoshi remained strangely quiet; turning towards her, he found her picking her nails with one of her quills she had dislodged somehow. Even though she appeared bored, he sensed she is plotting. Frustrated at the lack of more appendages, he can only hoped that he will find a way out like she must be thinking.
XXXXXX
The Guards came only with a grunt as they decided to drag him back to the lab he was in before. It looked like any other witch's lab he had seen. It was somewhat dark with the various potions and tech gadgets scattered about in a chaotic mess. There was a hunched figure by one table with some robotics on it. He remembered Ronoshi saying the name Cerise; perhaps this was the witch mentioned. "So who do I have the honor of seeing?" he sarcastically asked.
The figure just chuckled. "Ever the witty one, boy of Zarkon." She turned around and Lotor's eye twitched as he stared at the haggard woman with a large pink eye. "You may call me Cerise. It is good to see that you are more… alert now."
He fought the urge to heave as he noticed a stench coming off her. Glaring at her, he asked, "I take it you are in the service of the Second Kingdom."
"I am…" she responded as she takes took measurements of his remaining leg. "And in case you are wondering…yes you are… The Emperor has asked about… for you… much curious about why a lone soldier made his way to the First kingdom with dreadful tales, very dreadful tales… of magic used so wrong."
"I'm not sure what you mean, witch."
"Do you? That may be possible… you royal brats are never one for understanding the finer points of wielding such power. Granted, you had the stench of the grand witch Haggar all over you, but the manner seemed all wrong. Had to remove the traces to be able to do a proper resurrection… Oh the things I learned from doing just that will be interesting to the Emperor's ears," she said with a snarl.
"May I at least know what the tales said I have done?"
She gave a look to a charm about her neck. Then giving him a sideways glance, she explained, "How about this… You tell me how Haggar's magic came to be within you?"
"A Callium by the name of Maahox came to me, saying he knew how to take the power from the Haggar Nebula in the form that he called Haggarium, and that with it, he could help me destroy Voltron once and for all. It was with this substance he used to bring me back from the dead many times."
The witch smacked her face with her palm so hard, it could be heard over all the other sounds of the lab. "Gaah! Fool! You listened to that idiot… of course you did… I bet you didn't ask how it was made."
"I take it there was more to this Maahox."
"There was good reason he was an outcast. The only thing he was ever good at was making a mess and he didn't care who had to clean up after him. Thought Voltron was his only target? Oh, his list was longer than a Black Deathbeast's tail." Sighing, she headed back to the table with the robotics. "I will give you this bit of knowledge… this Haggarium is made of more than just the essence of Haggar… it is also of every Drule who was sent to harvest it… bit of the ships as well… Whatever Army you had, Maahox might as well boil each one of those soldiers up to make up the soup he filled you with… that you bathed in… and wasted in a foolish pursuit to claim some Arusian wench."
Returning back near him with some parts, she continued, "I shall give you some legs, but only out of respect for your father. You should at least be able to stand before the Emperor while he decides a fitting punishment for your failure as a king within the Drule Empire." The guards held him down as she lined up the legs parts by him. "I should also warn you… this is going to hurt a lot."
XXXXXX
The witch did well in her warning; it was more than just painful. Yet despite having nerves set on fire and metal grafted to bone, in the end, he was able to stand well and balanced on two metal feet. It would be his amusement while he healed back in his cell, this time alone. Now he could focus on how he was going to get out of this mess.
He still had only one arm, but that was not much of an issue. He should still have some caches for emergencies. What he needed was a ship and a weapon. And so far… he had seen only two rooms of this place and they were not far apart. Perhaps if he could talk to Ronoshi, he could team up with her… she must have more familiarity with the layouts of this place than he did. Hopefully he could figure a way to convince her that he will not back stab her in the process. He might want more by his side… if what the witch said was true, there would be little help for him.
This pissed him to no end. He should be treated with respect, all of which came from what he had done. Yet the notion that of the very lives he had lead, in the end, he had lead them to their deaths. It was a sickening thought. All turned into a glowing purple soup which he devoured feverishly. Perhaps facing the Emperor was a good thing… it would be justice for the lost of land and men. But, he was being brought to the Emperor by the brat Prince Skath of the Second Kingdom. He knew what the disrespectful Prince would do, and no way was he going to allow the fool to make a mockery of the once proud Prince of the Ninth Kingdom at his trial.
No… He would find a way out, embarrass the Second Kingdom first. Perhaps make fools of them all. He was Lotor, son of Zarkon. If Zarkon could rise up from the lowly solider ranks all the way to earn his own kingdom, then he should be able to rise as well from this muck and win back his rightful place. Of course… this may be a long journey and his quest for Allura would have to end. He frowned at the thought. She was still very beautiful in his mind, yet now with his memories more intact, it was harder for him to separate the image of his mother from Allura's face. The resemblance became stronger when Allura straightened her hair.
He cursed the winds quietly; it was more than her looks that was making this decision a bit easier than it would have been some time ago. Something in his head was not feeling right. Touching the right side of his face the best he could, he traced the edge of the metal plating. It was more than just an ear and an eye, but almost the whole side of his head. "Damage…" he thought. "There could be more missing than even they thought." It would be something he had to gauge himself. Did he want to control the Universe still? Yes, that drive was still there. His opinion of Humans was still the same. He thought long and hard and came up with that only his desire for Allura and the need to crush Voltron had changed.
It was irritating that while his wanting the universe had not changed, the need to rid the one thing in the way of having it all conflicted with his main desire. "But then again… This might be a non matter. First things should be first, and that is to get out of here. Then I will need to start my life truly anew." This seemed most vital of all. Once he broke out, the Emperor would be placing a huge bounty on his head. Running about with the name 'Lotor' would hamper any good start. "And you can't take over a Universe without an army… having no army and attracting Voltron could be very deadly. No… I will need time to find a new, different way to strike at Voltron. Even if I do find such chance, I would have to remind myself of the many ways I have been beaten before. I dare not make another mistake again, for this could be my last chance to do anything." Slowly an idea came… not much of one, but it would very risky and bold.
XXXXX
Ronoshi came later with a meal. It didn't look like much, but it was some meat and mush, better than just plain mush. She may have eaten her share earlier since she had not brought anything for herself, or as he picked at the meat, she had taken some of the choicer bits from him for herself. It didn't matter to him… he needed to get inside this slave's head and find her price. She was one who has done hire-work, so she may have fighting and piloting skills. If there was one guarantee in his favor, as long as he was alive, so was she… and that was something she would want to keep as it was. Also, the witch had back stabbed her and her brother… he was willing to bet, Ronoshi held a grudge against the witch and he might be able to use that as leverage.
"Ronoshi…" he asked between bites. "Do you wish to keep that collar?"
The woman stared at him, her face in a twist. He could understand her not having any trust with him. His reputation hads gone far within the Empire. "I only ask because I do know how those things work."
"I think you can figure out the answer as well," she said, still studying him.
"Perhaps… my guess… we both would rather be somewhere else. I may have little to offer, but if we work together… we both can be free. I might even be able to give something back in return. I have need for a weapon and a ship… you… well; I can offer a hand and rid you of that necklace with your head still attached."
Ronoshi looked at him with cautious eyes, her face sneered in an angry way. "Of course," Lotor quickly added, "My manners must be slipping; I've almost forgot how you were tricked. I will not betray you for you are worth more as an ally than anything else."
Tilting her nose up, she replied, "I will consider it… I'll let you know what I think later." With no more than a huff, she stood up and took the plate he had, leaving him there with the bone from his meal to gnaw on.
XXXXX
Their escape was a thing of beauty as far as he was concerned. Ronoshi had freed him and had found a Lazon sword. Even with one arm, he found the Drule guards sorely lacking the skills to contain him. The witch Cerise had little chance. She had just finished talking to Prince Skath about him being ready for transport when Ronoshi attacked. While they were occupied, Lotor disposed of most of the guards. He felt the need to keep the two that insulted him earlier for his amusement at a more appropriate time.
Ronoshi had the upper hand save for a nasty trick that had knocked the Tartarusian on her butt. Luckily for them, he had been watching and nailed the witch with his sword. He found it amazing how vulnerable Drule witches were to Lazon. It was agreed between the two to loot whatever they could and Lotor would fly out to one of his caches. From there, they would decide how they would part ways.
Lotor sat triumphantly in the pilot seat of the stolen ship he renamed Korrinoth. The two Drules, Rusin and Issak, sat nearby, chained and collared. They were both dumbfounded and ashamed. Lotor had plans to win these two into eating their insults, if If the Dark Gods were most willing, he would also have them as his best soldiers. The ship was full of various tradable goods. Books, weapons, and whatever else they could cram into the hulls. "This is a good start for now," he thought.
Suddenly, a cat jumped up onto the control panels.
Lotor's blood ran cold as he notices its markings. It had deep blue fur with a bright yellow stripe on its head and glowing bright yellow eyes. The way it sat in front of him reminded him of how… "By the darkest and wickedest gods… " he muttered.
"Your guess is true, Prince Lotor… or is it just Lotor?" a bodiless voice rang out from around the cat. "I see you have found yourself alive without my help. Good, less work for me. Anyway, I have need for you. I want you to come at once and help me with my new plan to destroy Voltron."
"Haggar… I am just starting to get things together… I do not have the resources to handle such a task," he yelled at the cat. "Unless you are providing the means and I see this plan first before I agree to such a foolish endeavor, I cannot by any means do anything."
The cat looked about. Haggar's voice responded,, "So I see… Very well, I will provide you in detail of what I have been working on and should you agree, I will arrange means of payment for whomever you hire. We will talk again in three days once you receive the plans." With a quick hop, the cat vanished into the shadows of the ship. A light beeped on the communications panel; there he found the file Hagar mentioned.
Glaring at the two Drules by his feet, Lotor rasped, "So… What do you say to a gamble? Haggar has a plan that she wants me to do. Are you curious to see how this ends?" He was asking with a slight smug look. "I'm willing to say, it would be interesting but… let's make this simple. Follow me… If I can earn back my status, I will pay you well. Should I fail and be never more than Captain of a ship in 10 years… whatever bounty is on my head and wealth I have made till then is yours to claim. Do I have your interests?"
Looking to where the cat was, to Lotor, and each other, the Drules considered his offer. It was several minutes before they came to an agreement. "Yes Lotor, we'll follow."
"Good, but first… Since I am starting fresh once more, I've decided to go by a new name… You said my mother's family name was Sincline, correct?" asked Lotor. Rusin nodded. "Then that is what I will go by. I plan to learn from my mistakes as Lotor and most of all, I will cut away from one of my past desires… Allura. She will be no longer hold any sway over me."
"I'll believe it when I see it," mocked Issak.
Sincline snorted with a grin, "Then I will make you a believer."
Pulling the plans from the computer, he called for Ronoshi to join him; perhaps she would be interested in this. If anything, she could offer some helpful advice in his rebuilding of himself and contacts. They had three days to review the plans. Things had to be flawless. Already he could see how this was different compared to previous attacks. Smiling as Ronoshi joined them, he laid the plans out. "We'll begin with tearing at this and find possible flaws and errors…"
(ends)
The tale will continue in "Long way home".. Where we'll see Haggar's plan unfold.
Many Thanks for my editor Dawn, for getting my hack and slash of the English language in order.