The Gift
By: Jera Lynn
k u r o . j i s h i h o t m a i l . c o m
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Summary: The entire Denubian galaxy is shakened when an Empress disappears. The Voltron Force must now contend with dealing with Zarkon's forces, and be on the look out for someone who can determine the fate of an entire galaxy.
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Prologue
Aleysia.
It was a name that many feared, throughout the Far Galaxy, though it was rarely spoken. It was a name that many feared by the mere mention of it. Others could only offer their respect.
Aleysia.
She never asked for what was ordained to her upon her birth, but she accepted it nonetheless. Many felt that she was not right for the role that she had to play, simply because, every one that came before her, were her male relatives. She, had the honor and notoriety, of being the first female to hold the power that she possessed. A power that many men, would have gladly taken from her, though she never feared it. She would gladly confront anyone that would dare to challenge her for what she was. After all, being the Empress of the entire Denubian Galaxy, was a title that many would actually kill for.
"Aleysia."
Planet Phaedra. Only two people lived on this, small little planet. The home she had known for her entire life. It was a tiny green planet, on the edge of the Denubian Galaxy, in what is known as the Cerulean Quadrant. So far removed, that the Meriandian Asteroid group would obscure it from many of the other planets within the system. The nearest planet to it, was nearly a weeks travel by the fastest transport ship in existence. As many would believe that t was a sanctuary, where there were no seasons, just Spring all year long; it was also her prison. For being so far from the rest of the system she ruled over, it also prevented her from leaving to see what she ruled over. The only way she was kept aprise of the happenings of the galaxy, was the monthly meeting she would have with key amabassadors from the surrounding quadrants. 12 members would represent the 58 planets she ruled over.
"Aleysia."
Today was no different than any other day that she met with the ambassadors. They argued amongst each other, then of course, clapped each other on the back, when they felt they made headway in whatever minor squabble they were quarreling over. She let out a discontented sigh as she looked down at the papers before her.
"Aleysia."
She gasped as she quickly met the gaze of the Ambassador from Planet Theta. Every member at the table were now focused on her as she sat up in the chair she had found herself slouching in. Clearing her throat she focused herself on the paper before her reading it over quickly.
"What do you propose to do about the situation between Alterians and the Cerians of the Crimson Quadrant?" he asked again. "They are not abiding by the treaty you set in place between them since Lord Deryl took over to reign in his fathers place nearly ten years ago. "
Aleysia breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes, trying to fight away the headache she knew would be coming.
"Aleysia."
"Issue an ultimatum to Deryl of Aletra," she blurted. "If he wishes to continue receiving the goods from my planet to help sustain his people, he will cease his actions against the people of Cera. I will not tolerate his insolence any longer."
"Aleysia, you know how he feels..."
"I dont care what he feels," she stated as she stood abruptly. "Far too long that hes defied me. Issue my ultimatum."
"Yes, mistress."
"If that is all of the matters that must be addressed today, I thank you all for your presence and your timely reports," Aleysia stated.
"Mistress, there is still the matter of your upcoming birthday," an ambassador from Malicia stated.
Aleysia raised her hand to him. "We will address that at our next meeting."
"With all due respect, mistress, but it is an important matter that we must..."
"We will address that at our next meeting," she stressed again. "I already have enough to worry about as it is already."
"But, mistress, your father specifically stated..."
"That is enough, Coen," she said directing her amber gaze toward the young ambassador. "My birthday isnt for another year, we have time to address the matter at our next meeting."
The young man slowly nodded, averting his gaze from her.
"With that, I thank you again for your timely reports," she said with a smile. "Please send my regards to your people, and I will address you all again at our next meeting."
"Thank you, mistress."
Aleysia nodded and watched as each ambassador said their farewells to each other, and leave quietly from the meeting room. They would all then take their own transports and return to their own homeworlds, to deliver her message to their people. Leaving her alone, on the planet she called home for all of her life.
"That wasnt very nice."
She wasnt completely alone. She let out a sigh as her long time mentor and friend, Tory, entered the meeting room and took a seat at the long table beside her.
"Coen was only expressing what the others all are reluctant to say," he said. "Your birthday is coming up, and it has them concerned."
"Concerned?" she asked. "No, that is the furthest thing from their minds at this moment."
She slowly stood from her chair and she walked over to one of the many windows that lined the meeting room. Staring out of it, she watched as the ships the ambassadors took, started to lift off, one by one.
"All theyre concerned about is whom they will be able to suck up to, should I ever pass on," she said. She breathed in deeply. "Im getting tired, Tory. Im tired of all of them, putting up their act so they can simply get what they want. I used to look forward to seeing how I can help them all; help solve their problems, but as the years drag on, I feel that everything I do, is simply being ignored."
She felt him come to stand near her, and she slowly turned to meet his gaze. "Maybe I should just not worry about my birthday, and just let all of this fade away."
"You cant mean that," Tory said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "This system relies on you to keep things in order. Without you, wars would break out amongst the very planets you fought so hard to keep at peace. That is something only a true leader can do. You are your fathers daughter, and everything that he had done in his stead, you are keeping together by simply being who you are."
"And what if Im tired of being who I am, Tory?" she asked. She pulled out of his hold on her and walked toward the edge of the table, collecting the papers and reports given to her by the ambassadors. "What if I dont want to be who I am? Tired of being kept almost a prisoner on my own home world because of all the delegating I must do. I can only rule afar, and I believe that is the reason why this system is slowly slipping from my control."
"Aleysia," Tory started. "It's the stress talking. You know how important you are to everyone."
"No, Tory," she said as she stared down the at the papers before her. "I've been contemplating this for a long time now; my father had his best intentions in mind when he stipulated that I must find a suitor before my 200th birthday. But, I could no more find a suitor now, than I would have a century ago. I would not be able to determine who is simply true in their intentions, or if they were after the power they would gain should we marry. I cannot afford for my stewardship go to someone that doesn't deserve it."
Tory slowly nodded. "What do you propose?"
Aleysia closed her eyes. "There is only one thing that I can do," she said. "I must find someone worthy of replacing me."
"Replacing?"
"I have a year, to decide," she said as she looked down at the papers before her. A block of text caught her attention and she lifted one of the pages from the table and read it over.
"But the Amabassadors..."
"They do not govern me," she said. "This is my burden to bare. In a year, I will name the next heir to this throne. And he or she will rule over this galaxy, once I pass on. My father's will was not specific on who will suceed me. So, its within my power to name the heir, if he or she isn't my own."
Tory could only stare at her as she held a piece of paper in her hand. She met his gaze as she slowly turned it toward him and read the neatly written words printed on the parchment.
"What are we to do about the ambassadors?"
"Cancel all meetings for the next few months," she said as she gathered all the papers and held them together. "Have them continue to submit their reports, and I will read over them and deal with their issues."
"I'll see that your request is sent to the ambassadors," Tory said. "I hope that you know what you are doing."
Aleysia smiled weakly. "It's the only thing that I can do, Tory," she said. "If I die without an heir, this system; this Galaxy will be without the guidance it sorely needs."
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Chapter One
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Coran watched as several reports from Galaxy Garrison appeared on the monitor before him, reading through many of them quickly as they pertained to other planets within the Galaxy. He printed up the important issues for Princess Allura to look over, that would require her attention. As he looked over the list one last time, his brows furrowed when he saw the last listing on the digital read out before him and quickly pulled up the article that caught his attention.
"Aleysia?"
The name brought back a flood of memories to him. The last time he had heard that name, he was simply a child himself. When Arus was a prosperous and peaceful planet; there was no King Zarkon or the Drule supremacy to worry about, he was allowed to visit the Castle of Lions with his father, who was the Castle diplomat to King Ardos, father to King Alfor, and grandfather to Princess Allura. He happened to be there that day, when a young woman had come to visit, and that the castle staff were excited to have this special guest. Her name was Aleysia. At the time, he didn't understand what all the excitement was about, but it was later, when he was much older, did he come to realize who she was.
"Aleysia who?"
Coran quickly turned in his seat to see that Allura had entered the control room. She smiled as she met his gaze and he quickly cleared his throat to address her.
"A name from the past, princess," he stated. "From a time before you were born."
"Before I was born?" she asked then smiled. "What does the report state?"
"I just accessed it," Coran stated. He clicked on the report and had it display on the main display before them.
"She's disappeared?" Allura asked. "Who is she that has gotten even Galaxy Garrison interested in it?"
Coran slowly turned to her. "Yes, I forget that you wouldn't know who she is," Coran stated. "Considering that much of what we had was destroyed, you wouldn't understand what she is either."
"What she is?" Allura asked. "Coran, who is she?"
"She's the Empress of the Denubian Galaxy, Princess," he stated. "With all that has happened in the last 20 years, I didn't realize that she was even still alive."
"What?" Allura asked. "What do you mean Empress?"
"What do you mean Empress?"
Coran cleared his throat as he turned to the now gathered Voltron Force and Princess Allura in a small conference room. Nanny stood at the end of the room as she slowly nodded to Coran.
"Before the Galaxy Alliance formed, the Denubian Galaxy was ruled over, entirely by Emperor Zyrius," Coran stated. "Over 70 planets within the system alone, he governed over everything they did. If wars broke out, he would intervene. If a planet was discovered to be able to support life, he would designate which planets would have claim to it. He was considered, by many a level handed ruler.
"Then the Galaxy Alliance was formed, and several planets within the Denubian Galaxy were interested in joining," Coran continued. "Emperor Zyrius allowed the delegates from the Galaxy Alliance to meet with him to discuss the advantages of joining . For this, he agreed that if the planets within his rule were interested, he would allow them to commit to the new alliance, but that they would elect a representative to attend the meetings he would have on Planet Phaedra."
"Phaedra?" Pidge inquired. "That planet is way at the edge of the Cerulean Quadrant. I didn't realize that there was anyone living on it."
Coran nodded. "During Emperor Zyrius' reign, it was inhabited by several cultures," he said. "But upon the birth of his daughter, and his unexpected death, it was left by his decree that the only people who would live there, would be Empress Aleysia, and a mentor that was deemed her guardian."
"What happened to the people?"
"They were evacuated, and settled on the other planets within the system," Coran stated. He then smiled to himself. "First though I have to make you all realize, that Emperor Zyrius died over a century ago. Empress Aleysia, is nearly 200 years old."
"Long life?" Allura asked.
"Planet Phaedra." Coran stated. "Whoever is born there, is gifted with long life. Which is one of the reasons why Zyrius wanted to have the planet vacated when he died; to protect his daughter from outside influences.
"Growing up on Phaedra also meant that their development cyle slows," Coran continued. "We based it on for every 100 years, it would be equal to that of 10 years in normal human development. Aleysia today, would be like, and seem like any 20 year old human. When I last saw her, I was only a child myself. Its been over 40 years since she visited Arus. During your grandfather's rule, princess."
Allura slowly nodded. "And what of this new report from Galaxy Garrison?"
"Since we are under the representation of the Galaxy Alliance, I hadn't realized that Aleysia was still holding meetings with the 12 appointed ambassadors that are allowed to see her," Coran said. "We have been out of touch with the going ons, with all the trouble we've been receiving from King Zarkon, we assumed that Aleysia had given up her rights to this part of the Denubian Galaxy outright, or that she passed on herself, since it would also be against her authority for King Zarkon to attack us."
Then he shook his head. "No, I must take that back," he stated. "King Zarkon came into rule on Planet Doom soon after Zyrius' death. So, there could be some loophole that he exploited to reign terror on the planets within this system. I haven't seen the documents that were agreed upon by the planets within the system, so I will have to dig through them to see what they actually state."
"So, if she is the ruler, then even King Zarkon must answer to her?" Lance asked.
"If her power was granted to rule over them, yes," Coran said. "But, this system is far from Phaedra's location, so of course, monitoring the activities are minimal at best. But now with this report from the Alliance, we will need to be extra careful in what we do. If Aleysia has truly disappeared, we will have to be prepared for any reprecussions should they arise.
"It says that the last anyone had seen her was nearly three months ago, at the regular meeting held on Phaedra," Coran said. "Since then, subsequent meetings were cancled, so the Ambassador from Theta traveled to Phaedra, unscheduled and found the palace there, vacant. Only the regular maintenance machines were running. Even Aleysia's mentor, was nowhere to be found."
"Coran, what happens if she is not found," Keith asked. "What would her disappearance mean? What would her death mean?"
"If it does come to that, then the will her father left behind had dictated that should his daughter die from both natural or unnatural causes, the rule of this system will shift to 3 of the 12 amabassadors until a new delegate would be elected to take her place. That means the 58 current planets under her rule would send a chosen delegate of their own, to fight for that position. The elections as to whom would take her place would be held on her closest birthday; and whoever wins, will be the next emperor or empress of this system."
"So, anyone who felt that they would like to take control, would find it beneficial to somehow see that she doesn't return?" Keith asked. "However, they would have to deal with the 3 amabassadors."
"3 out of the twelve are aligned with the Drule Empire," Coran interjected. "The Galaxy Alliance has only one representative, and the rest of the Ambassadors are from various planets within the system."
"What is the Galaxy Alliance doing on determining what happened to her?" Allura asked.
"They've asked everyone in the system to be on the look out for her," Coran stated. "However, due to heavy rules in place that she implemented, no one has a current image of what she looks like. And I only remember her from when I last saw her. The only striking feature that she possesses, is the unusual Amber colored eyes; inherited from her mother."
"Anything else?"
"Beyond that, she looks like any normal human that you may run into," Coran said. Then with a deep breath, he continued. "I'll keep you posted should the Alliance get any new information. For now, if you happen upon anyone who doesn't look like they belong her, be sure to report to me and we'll investigate it further. If she wasn't kidnapped, or heaven forbid, murdered, she may have disappeared for her own reasons. For that, we will have to figure why. As this has taken up much of your time, Im sure you have your specific duties to attend to, so I shall not keep you from them."
Allura slowly nodded, and stood as Coran confired with her for a moment and slowly left the room. Nanny was quick to clear her throat and step forward.
"Princess, we have a meeting to attend to with the Mayor of Karte," she said. "He will need your input on their current rebuilding projects."
Allura nodded. "I'll be with you shortly, Nanny."
With that, the portly nursemaid left the room with the door sliding close behind her.
"It seems that we will have to be on the look out for this wayward teenager," Lance said as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. "Afterall, she is just a teenager, even if she is almost 200 years old."
"A teenager with enough power to decide the fates of several planets in this system, Lance," Allura said. "I remember my father telling me about her when I was young, but I thought that he was just telling me a fairy tale. I never could imagine that someone could have so much power."
"Well, whatever reasons are behind her disappearance, I think she is rebelling against her cooped up lilfe on that far away planet," Lance said. "I would. Actually, I'd go insane if I were delegated to live alone and to rule afar."
"But, Lance, what if something did happen to her, that was not of her doing?" Allura asked. "That means King Zarkon would have as much say as to whom he decides to be offered up as a delegate to be considered to be elected to her vacated position."
"And with 3 ambassadors with ties to the Drule Empire," Pidge continued for Allura. "They could end up skewing the votes to favore whom King Zarkon offers up. "
"I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here," Keith stated as he stood. "Right now, the best thing we can do is simply try to locate her. We are already at a disadvantage because we do not know what she looks like. There's no reason to believe she would leave the Galaxy for any reason, so its best for us t concentrate on the planets with the Denubian Galaxy. Maybe Coran can work with the other leaders of the planets to see what kind of efforst they are doing in reguard to searching for her."
Allura nodded. "I'll be sure to see that Galaxy Garrison keeps us posted."
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tbc