Arus
arus(dot)geo(at)yahoo(dot)com
Relative disclaimers apply.
Author's Note: This is my second series that Im currently trying to flesh out . It has no relation to the previous series, that contain Birthright and others. This one will follow the characters as I have defined them in my Evaluations ficlet. I will finish up Evaluations soon (Only Pidge and Seven are left to write for), and then this story is to follow. You dont have to read Evaluations in order to follow this story. Just that some of their personal history are revealed in that short.
Summary:It has been a year since the Voltron Force arrived on Arus, defending the beautiful planet against the forces of King Zarkon. Now, as their presence on Arus brings back the life to the citizens, a new threat emerges from the ranks of the Drule Empire.
Prologue
The young man breathed in deeply as he spied the small ship being guarded by only a few of the Drule guards. He quickly scanned the area, then turning to the small group he was with, signaled to have two of the men to flank from the right as they circled to encounter the guards from the left.
As they moved, hidden by the crates and boxes that filled the small hangar, his group neared the four guards, and he readied his weapon. He then gave the signal, and soon the small hangar was alit with shots from laser rifles and soon the four guards who had been guarding the ship, were down and quickly dragged away.
"Jeryn, how long?"
The young man turned to the woman who stood near him, as he quickly keyed in a code to the ship's door and it slowly slid open. "Ten minutes," he said. "I have to get the ship started, and then we have to override the hangar's doors."
"Work quickly," she stated.
As Jeryn entered the small ship, he quickly made his way to the cockpit, initiating the start up sequence to get the ship warmed up. Quickly scanning over the control panel before him, he accessed the computers to work on getting the hangar doors to open.
Then it was at that time the alarms started to sound. Jeryn looked up to see that Drule soldiers started to fill the hangar as they came to realize what his group was about to do.
"Jeryn, hurry!" he heard his men yell. "They've found us out."
Damn Drule technology Jeryn thought to himself as he tried to make sense of the strange language being displayed on the view screen before him. As he keyed in another sequence, the hangar door alarms sounded.
"Cara, get the others!" Jeryn yelled from his seat.
He quickly stood to head back to the door when he realized that she was no longer standing outside of the ship. His eyes then widened as he saw a group of Drule Soldiers standing around the bodies of the small group of men he came with, and one was holding Cara to the side as he forced her to her knees.
"Cara!" he yelled.
Two of the Drule Soldiers standing near her looked in his direction as they raised their rifles to him and started to head toward him. Cara turned to him, tears in her eyes as a Drule Soldier held a gun to her head.
"Go!" she yelled.
As the two guards neared, he quickly pressed the button on the door panel and watched as it slide close, locking it before they had a chance to capture him. He quickly made his way to the cockpit to run through the final procedures before he could lift off.
You wont get out of here alive, Jeryn
The voice caught him by surprise, but as he looked into the view screen before him, he saw the Drule Soldier that had been the one who led the attack against his home planet, so many years ago, standing before his ship, with a garrison of Drule Soldiers gathering behind him.
"Tarris," he said more to himself than in reply.
General Tarris was a notable and ruthless soldier in the ranks of the Drule Empire; working and serving under the 4th Kingdom, ruled by King Akian and his followers. Even though factions of the Empire were straying away in their methodology to join with the Galaxy Alliance, there were still 5 kingdoms out of the 14 Drule Kingdoms that still maintain a distant relationship with the terran based order. The 4th kingdom however, maintained a neutral policy with the Alliance, as long as they do not interfere with the going ons of the Drule Empire, they would not interfere or engage those who belong to the Alliance.
And General Tarris was among the elite soldiers that served faithfully under the rule of King Akian, however, he was not a Drule himself. He was in charge of the most respected and oftened feared group of men, trained personally by him, to become the force that even the other Drule Kingdoms could not stand against. Tarris, a human, in charge of the most feared force in all of the Drule Empire was not only an insult to those who found the idea to be ridiculous, he was also a respected in that sense as well. Anyone who got in the way of the General, never lived to speak about it to anyone. He was a genious in battle, as well as a lethal killer should one every decided to fight him one-on-one.
"Then by death you will have to take me, General." he stated.
So be it.
He watched as the general commanded the soldiers behind him to take a stance and then open fire on the ship. Jeryn grabbed a hold of the controls before him. The hangar doors behind his ship were already opened and all he needed was a distraction. He spied a few barrles at the far end of the hangar, he quickly engaged the weapons system on the ship and fired upon them.
The barrles exploded, causing the soldiers to scatter as the hangar began to fill with smoke. Jeryn took the opportunity to get the ship responding and soon he was flying the small ship out of the hangar. He looked back into his view screen as the rear view of the hangar came into display, as the castle from which he was escaping from, started to fire upon the small ship he piloted. Closing his eyes tightly, knowing that the men he had come with were now executed, he pulled on the controls before him which put the ship into the fastest speed possible. Hoping that the coordinates he was given and programmed were taking him to someplace; somewhere, he could find friends, and help.
Tarris watched as the small ship disappeared into the nightsky as the castle stood down from firing upon it. A soldier then approached him, as they brough over the young woman they had captured. He stared down at her, slowly taking off the helmet he wore to meet her gaze. Handing his helmet over to the soldier and tying his hair back, he slipped on the eyepatch he usually wore, to cover his scarred right eye, as he came to stand before her.
"Where is he headed to?"
When the woman did not answer, he signaled for a guard to pull one of her arms free and push her to lie prone on the ground before her. Holding her arm out, the guard forced her hand to open as he stepped on her arm to hold it there.
"I do not like to repeat myself," Tarris stated as he kneeled down before her, removing a knife from the belt he wore as he unsheathed it, and placed the tip of the blade to her outstretched hand.
"Somewhere you can't touch him," she said through clenched teeth.
Cara let out a blood curdling scream as he stabbed the knife through her hand, slowly twisting the blade.
"Where is he headed?"
Again, when she did not answer, he removed the blade and stabbed her hand again.
"If you dont answer, I will cut off your fingers, then your hand," he stated. "And dont think the task will be quick. I will slowly tear apart your flesh. I do not believe in quick deaths, my dear. Now, tell me, where is he headed?"
Tears in her eyes, she met his single gaze. "Arus," she said straining as the guard who held her down pulled her to a kneeling position. "He's going to Arus; where he will be protected under the Galaxy Alliance, and you have no control over him."
Tarris took her injured hand into his own, her blood flowing freely from the two stab wounds he gave her. He then pushed his gloved thumb into one of the wounds which caused her to scream in pain. "Do you think that a planet within the Galaxy Alliance will stop me from capturing him?" he asked.
"Your own kingdom's treaty with the Alliance prevent you from doing so," she said as she stared at him. "Defy that policy, and you will have the entire Alliance as well as much the Drule Supremacy bearing down on this kingdom."
Tarris smiled to himself as he dropped her hand from his hold. "One thing you and your people dont realize, Cara, is that Im able to find ways around circumstances that go beyond my control and then return it back to my control," he said. He then looked at her. "What was your planet, Cara? The one we attacked all those years ago?"
"Arcona," she said.
"Ah, yes," he said. "You and Jeryn, the last of your people, wasn't it?"
"No thanks to you."
"Sad really," he said. "I was willing to allow you to live, being that you and Jeryn are the last Arconans alive. But, I have no tolerance for those that disobey me."
With the knife he held, he placed it to her neck and in a quick stroke, slid it cleanly across her pale skin. Her eyes widened in disbelief before her last breath escaped her. Slowly standing, Tarris wiped the blade of the knife before resheating it. He then turned to the soldier who held his helmet and addressed him.
"See that this mess is cleaned up," he ordered. "Take the bodies to the incernerator and dispose of them. I will speak with King Akian on this matter."
"Sir, what about the ship?"
"We will have to chase after it, however, if it is true of its desitnation, I have to discuss this situation with the king," he said. "In the meantime, gather my forces together. Have Commander Elian report to me as soon as my squadron is read to depart."
"Yes, sir," the soldier stated. "Your ship will be ready within the hour."
Tarris nodded as he took his helmet from the soldier then slowly walked away as the guards and soldiers proceeded to clean up the mess within the hangar. He then turned to the open hangar doors staring up at the night sky above. Jeryn was someone they could not lose.
Chapter 1
Allura looked over the report in front of her as Coran stood by awaiting to hear her answer. After a few moments of studying it, she smiled as she turned to her Castle Advisor.
"So, it seems that everything is in order for the celebration?" she asked.
"I've received responses from the three mayors of Cavella, Lucan and Devalis," Coran stated. "We will definitely have a big turnout for the new recruits, and for the knighting."
Allura smiled. "Its been a while since a formal knighting ceremony has been conducted here," she said. "15 right?"
Coran smiled. "The honors have been drawn up and the medals casted," Coran stated. "Now, it all remains on your shoulders."
Allura breathed in deeply. "And the added pressure," she said. "I've studied that speech a hundred times and I still dont remember all of it."
"It takes a bit, since its written in the old language," he said. "However, if you need help, dont feel as if you can't ask for it."
Allura nodded as she penned her name to the report and handed him it to him. "Did you extend our invite to Admiral Benson and his family?"
"Sent them out yesterday," Coran stated. "I'll inform you of his answer when I receive it."
"Excellent," she said with a smile. "Where are the boys?" she asked.
Coran smiled. "Keith and Lance are doing their routine patrol," he said. "Hunk is working on Yellow Lion's maintenance, and I believe Pidge is with the new recruits; getting them acquainted with our castle's security and going ons."
Allura nodded as she slowly stood. "When Lance and Keith return, have them and the new recruits meet me in the meeting room on Level 4," she said. "In the mean time, Im going to finish up the project I've been working on."
Coran nodded. "Should we arrange to meeting for 4?"
She nodded. "You know where to reach me," she said.
With that, she said her farewell to Coran as she left the small study and headed toward the lower level of the castle. It had been an ongoing project of hers, since a more stable life was established within the castle, and she was hoping that she could have the time to finish it.
As she reached the lower level, she turned toward the east side of the castle, walking down two hallways before ending up at a set of glass sliding doors. Beyond, she could see that she had a lot of work ahead of her, but the work she had done so far was something she was proud of.
"Ah, princess!" a sweet voice sung out as she entered the small garden that laid before her.
Of course her work didn't come without help either.
"Alania," Allura smiled as she joined the young girl within the garden, as she tended to a small troft she was building. "I see that you were able to get some troft from Luncan."
The young girl nodded with excitement. "Yes, Gill finally was able to finish the order I made," she said with a smile. "I also took the liberty of clearing away the overgrowth in that section of the garden; so now we have more room to work with."
Allura smiled as she nodded seeing how the small garden was now transforming. She looked above her, to see the open skylight above. It had been a hard task, but a wonder as much as a delight it was to have this small area dedicated to something that she and her mother had once enjoyed doing together when she was a child. It was the only open area of the castle, that at night , would be enclosed within the walls that surrounded it. Only a week earlier, she had Hunk help out with a small artifial brook that took in water from the surround moat and pumped it into the garden, then flushed back out to the moat. The building was easy, the plumbing wasn't.
"Oh, and while I was clearing away the brush, Allura, I happened upon this," Alania stated as she walked up to a nearby table and lifted up a small beautiful periwinkle colored rose.
Allura's smile faltered a bit as she stared at the flower. It had been along time since she had seen this particular flower, and she didn't realize that the plant that must have grown it had survived the attacks upon the castle.
"Alania, where did you find this?"
The girl smiled as she led Allura to small enclosed area that she must have cleared away of weeds and brush to reveal a three foot high bush, flowering with those odd colored roses.
"It took me about an hour, but I had smelt this sweet scent in this area," she said. "When I cleared away some of the brush, I realized that there was a rose bush here. Its a little dishelveled an undernourished, but I think with some new soil and regular attention, we can get this beauty to be its once formerly glory."
Allura slowly nodded as she looked at the bush. It had been along time since she had seen it, a plant that she and her mother had planted together.
"Princess, what is the matter?" Alania asked as she noticed Allura's sudden silence.
"Oh, its nothing," Allura said meeting her gaze. "Its just that, this bush is something my mother and I planted together. It carries a lot of meaning."
Alania smiled. "When I was younger, my mother and I had a huge garden in the back of our home and there was a special tree that she and I planted together," she said with a smile as she walked over to the small bush. Slowly she looked through the budding flowers. "It grew well that first year, but in the second, we found so many dead and brown leaves, we couldn't understand why; we adjusted the fertilizer we used, even the amount of water, but nothing we did could help it; then when I was sitting the garden, watching as the last of the poor tree's leaves fell to the ground, I noticed a small seed pod had fallen as well. The tree was telling me, that it couldn't live but to give its offspring a chance. Ten years later, that tree is still standing in the garden that my mother and I helped to put together."
She then stood as she had picked four flower stems from the bush and slowly removed the thorns from them. Pulling a tie from the apron she wore, she tied the flowers together and handed it to the Princess.
"I learned that day, that we must value each life, no matter how short it can be," she said. "The tree that we have now, is strong and unyielding. It lasted through three attacks by Zarkon's forces and stands tall against anything that it meets. It seems that this bush, is doing just the same."
Allura slowly nodded. "Through it all, it has remained living hoping that someone would find it again, and tend to it," she added. "Thank you, Alania. That was a beautiful story."
"Get those into some water, and they should be blooming by tomorrow," she said. "I will clean up here, Princess. There isn't much we can do today until I get that shipment of soil from Gill."
"Alania, you've done so much already," Allura stated.
The young girl smiled. "It beats doing laundry and mopping up the rooms in the Castle, Princess," she said. "And the other girls find doing this too dirty for their liking."
Allura smiled as she nodded. "I guess it takes a certain person to like gardening," she said. "Dont work too long, Alania. You can have the rest of the evening off. Looks like I'll go ahead and rest before my meeting later today."
Alania smiled. "If there is anything I need, princess, I'll be sure to let you know."
"Sector 249 is all clear," Lance announced over the radio as he met up with Black Lion just a little south of the Castle of Lions. "The mayor of Orico does need some help with a levy in the near future. We are going to be hitting the rain season soon, and he wants to be sure the levies are adequate enough."
Keith slowly nodded as he met the gaze of Lance within his view-screen. "I'll be sure to let Allura know of their needs," he said. "Let's do a quick run to the east sector and do a wide scan; make sure our sattelites are in working order."
"Aye, aye," Lance replied. "Its been a while since we did a space run."
Keith smiled. "Last one to Leo1 will have to do the other's chores for a week."
"Haha, you're on," Lance laughed in reply.
The two lions were found racing toward the east then did a quick shot toward the upper atmosphere. Keith kept watch on his sensors, seeing the Red Lion edge him out a bit as they entered the thin atmosphere above Arus. The blue sky of Arus soon crept away, into a star filled blanketed sky, and he couldn't help but breathe in deeply as he was greeted with the vastness.
"Hey, you're losing position, Keith," came Lance's taunt. "Try to keep up, chief."
Letting out his breath, Keith pulled on his controls as he turned his ship toward the small sattelite that orbited Arus. It sole purpose was to detect any incoming airpsace traffic or alert them to any potential attacks by Zarkon's forces.
Red Lion was already there by the time Keith approached, and of course Lance was already rubbing it in, while Keith ran over the diagnostics.
"You do realize I have stable duty this week," Lance tried to rub in.
"I dont mind horses, Lance," Keith replied. "Systems seems fine with Leo1."
Lance was silent for a moment. "Then, we have a problem, chief," Lance suddenly replied.
"What is it?"
"Detecting a small drule ship about 1000 clicks from our position, bearing down fast," Lance stated. "You're not going to like this."
Keith quickly switch his sensors over to the signal from the small sattelite and saw what Lance was referring to. A small blip on the radar showed a fast moving small spaceship heading toward Arus, but it was the squadron of ships that were following it that had him worried.
"Trajectory?"
"Arus," Lance quickly answered. "If it keeps course, it will land right on the Castle's doorstep."
"Drule?"
"Judging by the ship's shape, yeah," he replied. "Chief, I dont think that ship is capapable of attack. Outrunning something, sure, but not attack."
"Markings?"
"4th kingdom" Lance replied.
"Damn," Keith swore under his breath. "We cant do anything unless it reaches our airspace."
"What should we do?"
"Lets radio the Castle," Keith stated. "We'll hang up here until we know what is going on. We can't interfere unless that ship comes into our airspace, or they happen to destroy it."
"Think its a slave who stole a ship?"
"We can only assume that it has nothing to do with us, for now," Keith answered.
He could only stare at the screen before him, watching as the small ship finally came into sensor view. It was definitely a Drule ship, however, the squadron behind it, was that of a full fledge attack force. He counted nearly a hundred ships that were actively following the smaller one.
"Damn, we can only wait."
To be Continued...