From: "David A. Tatum" desaix@sysnet.net
To: "David A. Tatum" desaix@sysnet.net
Subject: Volt2.txt
Date: Friday, October 12, 2001 1:11 PM
-------------------------
Chapter 2
Lisa frowned. Even for classified orders, the most recent set had been kept
much more secret than usual. So far, all anyone had been told was that they
were going to Arus. It was such an extreme change of course that she and
everyone else was doing all they could to find out why- and failing.
Lisa, however, felt she had an 'in' to finding out what that secret was.
Jeff- she was sure that, if she tried hard enough, she could get him to do
anything for her... including letting her have information she wasn't
officially supposed to have. He may not have stayed for the whole briefing
where those orders were made, but between him, Cliff, Crik, Hawkins, and
Newley, only Jeff was likely to answer her questions.
"Hi, Lisa!" Ginger said, seeing her as she rounded a corner while she made
her way through the corridors. Giving Lisa a doubletake, she grinned.
"Just where ARE you going dressed like that, girl?"
Lisa grimaced. In order to, uh, facilitate her interrogation, she'd figured
that it couldn't hurt to make herself look just a tiny bit sexier by wearing
a slightly shorter than regulation skirt and a slightly tighter-than-normal
shirt. Not that she was necessarily going to rely on sex appeal to get her
answers, but it couldn't hurt.
She wasn't entirely comfortable with her get-up, however... it was a bit too
much for her, and really the seduction thing wasn't entirely to her taste.
And if there was one person on the entire ship she MOST wanted to avoid
while she was in the process of attempting it, it was Ginger. She was a
good friend, true, but... well, she could expect a good ribbing for this
one. Especially if she answered Ginger's question straightforwardly.
"I'm trying to figure out what our orders are," she said stiffly. Not a
lie, but not exactly an admission, either.
"Ah- going to talk to Jeff, huh?"
Lisa flushed. "Well, um-"
Ginger laughed as she made her way passed the embarrassed girl and rounded
the corner of the hallway. "Good luck, girl. Lemme know how it turns out!"
Lisa started rushing in the opposite direction, hoping desperately that she
could avoid further embarrassment. Maybe this was a bad idea after all...
* * * * *
All five members of the Voltron Force currently on planet Arus looked
shell-shocked- all of them for completely different reasons. Allura looked
ecstatic, but also very confused and somewhat uncertain. Keith was fiercely
determined and perhaps just a touch contented as well, but the enormity of
what he was getting ready to do was just starting to dawn on him, and the
emotional consequences of the upcoming event were starting to show on his
face.
Lance was unsure whether to congratulate his Captain- no, make that
Vice-Admiral now- on his upcoming wedding, tease him about it, or yell at
him for taking advantage of the bad news from planet Earth to secure for
himself possibly the most beautiful women in the universe as his bride.
Since he wasn't entirely sure yet just why they were getting married so
soon, and since he was so surprised at the announcement the bride-to-be's
nanny just made, he didn't have any choice other than to stand there gawking
like an idiot until someone told him just what the hell was going on.
Hunk wasn't sure what to make of things. On the one hand, the planet of his
ancestors was being abandoned to a vicious horde who were as bad or worse
than the Doomies, which made him unhappy. On the other hand, his commanding
officer and good male friend was marrying his princess and closest female
friend, which made him VERY happy. However, that marriage was awfully
sudden- he'd just found out moments ago that the two were in love, but they
hadn't been planning to do anything about their love for some time. Their
relationship was going along pretty smoothly, it seemed, which was good, yet
it was entirely possible that the news had coerced one or both of them into
having this marriage, which was not good. Finally, he hadn't had anything
to eat in almost three hours, which made him quite hungry- which was NOT a
good thing when he was trying to puzzle out a dilemma, since he didn't think
as well when he was hungry.
Pidge, however, was the most stunned of them all. He hadn't heard Keith and
Allura's declaration of love in the rec room earlier that day. For a very
long time, he'd held a crush on the Princess. He'd realized it was
impractical for some time to hope for anything from her, since he WAS
several years younger than her, but he'd hoped there would be plenty of time
still before she picked a suitor. A long enough time for him to grow up,
perhaps, and get her to notice him. If she was getting married, though,
that ruined all of his dreams- and WHY was she getting married just then?
And why to KEITH, of all people? Keith certainly hadn't shown her any
affection- if anything, he treated her protection as a duty above all else.
Or so he thought... though it was slowly dawning on him that perhaps Keith's
over-protective streak towards the Princess might not have entirely been
thanks to his duty after all.
He was the first to break the silence after Nanny's pronouncement.
"Married? But... WHY?!" he blurted out.
"Well, that's obvious, donchya think?. They love each other," Lance
drawled. Pidge flinched slightly- his dream of life with the princess was
definitely gone, and that statement just slammed it home to him. "What I
want to know is, why NOW?"
Coran shifted uncomfortably. "Because Arus needs someone who can legally
stand up to the Alliance should there be a conflict, and we don't have one
until Princess Allura is married."
"I don't understand," Hunk said. "What difference does that make? And why
worry about the Alliance- we're the good guys, remember?"
"We are," Keith said, "But the Alliance isn't. It's the lesser of several
evils, true, but the Alliance can be just as oppressive as anyone if they
feel they have to be. Besides- do you really think Arus could support the
seven billion people Earth is sending us right now?"
"Quite right," Coran agreed. "We simply have to have someone powerful
enough locally to turn them away, if need be."
Lance, Pidge, and Hunk looked at each other in surprise. What were the
Earth refugees supposed to do- drift in space?
"Don't misunderstand," the Princess said, finally getting into the
discussion. "Arus will take as many people as they can-"
"But we can't take everyone," Keith interrupted. "It wouldn't be good for
us OR for them. As soon as we can, we'll talk to Pollux and a few other
neighboring worlds so we can arrange for them to take a portion of the
populace as well, but unless we have someone in power here we can't make the
Alliance look elsewhere as its dumping grounds."
"Hold on, I don't get it," Pidge said, still unhappy about things as they
stood but willing to listen. "Why do you keep acting as if Arus doesn't
have a leader? Princess, you're in charge here, aren't you?"
Allura gave a sickly smile. "Sort of... but not really. And THAT is why I
need to get married as soon as possible."
"What does 'sort of' mean, Princess? You seem to have been in charge of
everything since we've been here," Hunk noted.
Lance, however, was starting to understand. "I think I know, Hunk...
remember our orders? 'Find and Recover Voltron. Establish a temporary
administrative system on Arus until the formal government is restored.' The
Princess' is ruling under that 'temporary administrative system' clause, isn
't she?"
Coran hesitated, then nodded at Lance. "Correct. Arus is a constitutional
monarchy, officially, but our constitution has not been in use since the
death of King Alfor and the destruction of the planetary council. Allura
went into hiding, and we were in anarchy until you showed up and brought
Voltron back to us. Since then, the Princess has been ruling as a de facto
absolute monarch under writ of the Galaxy Alliance."
"My marriage is the first step to restoring the constitution," Allura
explained hesitantly. "My coronation cannot take place until after I'm
married. And, as queen, I could call for elections and bring back the
planetary council- something I cannot do as princess, according to our
laws."
"So you're getting married for political reasons?" Pidge asked hopefully.
Perhaps there was still a chance for him, after all.
"I would NEVER marry exclusively for political gains," the Princess snapped
regally. Deflating slightly, she continued, "But yes, it is political."
"That does NOT mean this is a sham marriage," Keith growled. "If it was,
she would have been better off marrying the son of some village mayor or a
nobleman or someone like that. Or," he smiled slightly, "Even Prince
Bandor."
"I love Keith," the Princess whispered. "But we weren't planning to
seriously court each other until after the war was over."
"There's no time to delay, now, however," Coran said. "The Princess must
marry, and must be crowned Queen, before the day is out. If we don't, we
will not have time to set up our official government before the Alliance
forces arrive."
"Which leaves us no time for all this chatter," Nanny interrupted. "I may
not like the Princess' choice of suitor- royalty should marry royalty- but
we don't seem to have any options. She simply won't accept anyone else
other than this... this ruffian." She shuddered, unable to say Keith's name
in regards to Allura. "And I don't have time to make this affair as
grandiose as it should be... but I will do what I can. You ALL need to get
dressed in the most formal clothing you have- Coran, you get the minister
and invite all of the noblemen who can make it here by tonight to show up.
I'll set my staff into decorating the throne room for the occasion and
cooking for the reception. Allura, come with me- I'll have to see if I can
find an appropriate dress that you'll fit in."
Nanny grabbed the Princess by her arm and started leading her out of the
room before Coran stopped her. "Wait, Nanny," he said. "We may not have
time for all of this- the sooner we get it done, the better. I will conduct
the ceremony myself. You can start setting up a reception if you so desire,
but we're holding the wedding right now."
Nanny's eyes widened. "You CAN'T- there's no way... you must need at least
a little time to draw up the official documents. Can't I at least have a
chance to get everyone appropriately dressed?"
Coran stared at her hard. "You have an hour," he conceded. "We need to get
enough done so that we can hold elections tomorrow. Portions of the
Alliance fleet could get here within 48 hours, and even if the main convoy
is not expected to arrive for at least a week we do not want anyone to show
up here and find we have not put out government in place."
"An hour!?" Nanny shrieked. "But-"
"No buts, Nanny," Allura broke in. "We don't have time to do this properly,
so some things will have to be sacrificed for expediency's sake."
Nanny's expression hardened. "Very well. But if we have an hour, we're
going to make the best use of that hour." Turning on the men, she snapped,
"You all have plenty of time to put on your dress uniforms between now and
then- hurry to it. Now, come along, Princess- we must find something for
you, and we don't have the luxury of time."
With that, she resumed leading Allura out of the room and initiating a
whirlwind of activity- the com system started ringing moments later with
non-secure transmissions to various members of the castle staff.
The five men still in the briefing room glanced at the door they'd left from
and blinked. Finally, Lance smirked, turning to the others.
"Well, you heard her- let's get ready. Keithy, YOU should dressed first;
you might need someone to inspect your uniform- after all, it IS your
wedding."
* * * * *
"What is our status?" Space Marshal Graham asked to the panel in the
briefing room.
"The plan is in operation," General Warren noted. "We've assigned every
citizen on Earth a refugee ship to board. Now, we just have to wait for
those ships to get here."
Commodore Steele sighed. "Only 30% of the transports have arrived. The
flotilla is assembling in orbit around Mars- that many ships orbiting Earth
would affect the tides, and we'd flood out half of the population before we
could evacuate them. We'll need to land them in shifts, anyway- we might as
well start evacuating people with what we've got."
Graham nodded. "Good. And the Explorer?"
"I'm afraid it's too far away to arrive on Arus before a local government is
formed- we'll have to either invade or make compromises."
Graham raised an eyebrow. "Invade? Why would we invade? And what does it
matter if there's a local government?"
Steele looked disgusted. "Well, why else would you try to deny them their
independance?"
"I gave no such order- I merely asked for the Explorer to arrive on Arus to
help keep the spaceways in the system clear of pirates for our convoy! Why
would you think I was planning to deny their independance?"
Steele paused. "Then... this ISN'T your order?" he asked, passing the Space
Marshal a sheet of paper.
"Special Order 60321
"To: Patrick Steele, Commodore, Galaxy Garrison, Earth. Granted rank of
Captain, Galaxy Garrison, under 23204-pre:1. Granted Acting-Flag under
34392-tmp:1-A, Special Order of Space Marshal's Office.
"From: Jonathan Graham, Administrative, Earth. Granted rank of Space
Marshal under 34392-prz:1-A, Special Order of the President.
"act: (Action)
"1 Procure transport vessels for evacuation of Earth under command of Louis
Desaix (see pre:1)
"2 Send S.S. Explorer to Earth
"-A: Objective: Clear Spaceways of hostiles which may endanger refugee
convoy.
"-B: Objective: Establish temporary Galaxy Garrison Headquarters on Arus
Surface.
"-C: Objective: Prevent formation of independant government on Arus.
Failing this, demand treaty with Arus which will permit resettlement of
Earth population on Arus. Use maximum force, if necessary.
"pre: (Promotions and Endorsements)
"1 Promote Louis Desaix to Acting Flag rank, assign as Commodore of Refuge
Fleet.
"prz: (Presidential Amendments and Orders)
"1 Instruct S.S. Explorer to maintain radio silence."
Graham frowned. "This is similar to what I wrote, but... I did NOT include
act:2-C. And there were no prz's when I sent it to you."
Steele gasped as the implication hit him. "You mean... someone intercepted
and altered your orders?"
"Indeed."
"This is not good. There are two questions we have to ask- HOW and WHY?"
General Warren growled. "And what can be done to fix this?"
"I think it's obvious as to why- someone wants to get rid of the Lion
Voltron and any other support we might have from Arus," Steel snorted.
"Which would completely defeat the purpose of our plan- the Voltrons are the
only ships capable of handling Robeasts, and all of our enemies know that."
Graham rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I can't do anything about the
Explorer- they're under radio silence. But I sent a personal recording of
my message to Arus- they can't have altered that without breaking the
codeblock. It will give away that we know there's someone intercepting our
orders, but whoever's doing it will be expecting that." He turned around in
his chair to the communications viewscreen. "Commodore Steele, see if you
can raise Arus- I think this is important enough that we'll have to dispense
with the pre-recording that is needed for recording."
"Right away, sir," Steele said, typing a few commands into a nearby
keyboard. After a few minutes, he frowned. "Sir, I am unable to raise
Arus. The transmission is being jammed."
"Shit!" Graham snapped. "They're two steps ahead of us. Keep trying,
Steele- if you can't get through, the best we can do is to look for that
leak... and pray we don't find a hostile Arus when we arrive."
* * * * *
"Um, Chip?" Jeff said.
Chip, cleaning and polishing small model of the Vehicle Voltron he had
hand-made for his brother, glanced up at his Team Captain. "Yeah, Jeff?"
"You... know we're heading for Arus, right?"
Chip nodded enthusiastically. "Of course- I'm looking forward to seeing
Pidge again. It's been ages... and maybe I'll be able to show him up with
my piloting skills!"
Jeff grimaced. "Yeah... about that. Um, Chip- you're grounded for the
duration of this mission. Hawkins' orders- I don't have any choice."
Chip's eyes widened. "But... but WHY?"
Jeff sighed. "You don't want to know, Chip. Now, head over to Hawkins'
office- he's got a new assignment for you in the meantime."
Chip searched Jeff's face for something that would tell him what was going
on. Seeing absolutely no emotion on his usually expressive face worried him
considerably. Still, there was nothing he could say, was there? "Aye, aye,
sir!" he snapped, leaping to his feet and running out of the room- not
because he was that enthusiastic for the duty, but rather because he didn't
want anyone to see the tears that were forming in his eyes. Something told
him Pidge was in serious trouble.
Lisa watched the entire incident from the door and frowned. She, too, had
noticed Jeff's emotionlessness since recieving those orders, and this latest
development was starting to clue her in as to why. Seduction was definitely
out as a method for getting information- much to her personal relief- but
perhaps a bald accusation would help.
"Jeff," she called.
"Yes, Lisa?" he replied tonelessly.
"I'd like to talk to you in private for a minute..."
* * * * *
'It's amazing what can be done with safety pins and ribbons,' Allura
thought, amazed, as Nanny was furiously making last minute alterations to
her late mother's wedding dress while she wore it. Nanny huffed something
under her breath about her training too much for a proper princess as she
struggled to tighten a particularly strained ribbon before continuing her
speech on the marital duties of Arus' queen.
"My child, remember you never had a proper courtship," Nanny lectured, "So I
suggest you don't give him your innocence on the first night-"
"Nanny!" Allura cried, outraged. "I don't need to be told about that."
"Yes, you do, my posy," Nanny clucked. "He's a man, and a ruffian at that.
Like any other man, he'll only have one thing on his mind-"
"Nanny," Allura snapped. "I already said I don't need to be told about
that. We'd already discussed it before calling you in."
Nanny frowned. "He probably wants you to go to bed with him the very first
night, doesn't he?"
Allura hesitated, then whispered halfheartedly, "No, he wanted to wait. I'm
the one who's insisting we don't."
"Princess!" This time, it was Nanny's turn to be outraged. She was
actually so surprised she stopped working.
"Keith was speaking for me when he said this wasn't going to be a sham
wedding. I won't let it be one. I want to have a normal courtship, but I
also want to be sure no-one can contest our marriage by saying we've never
consumated it. Maybe after the first night, we'll go back and pretend it
didn't happen- at least long enough for us to get properly aquainted with
each other. But for this night, our wedding night, we're doing everything a
married couple is supposed to do."
Nanny wanted to say something, but before she could there was a knocking.
"Nanny, Coran asked me to come get you and tell you we've got to get
started," Hunk said through the door.
Realizing that she'd forgotten what she was doing, she shouted back, "We'll
be done in one minute- hold on!"
Making two or three real quick adjustments, Nanny ran her eye up and down
Allura's frame. Shaking her head, she sighed.
"Do I pass inspection?" Allura asked.
"Well, it would have been better if you weren't quite so slim or so
muscular, and if we'd had time to custom fit the thing, but considering that
by the time we got this on you I only had about fifteen minutes to make
alterations, it's not that bad." She patted down one last wrinkle. "You'll
do."
Allura smiled. "Good. Now, let's go get me married, okay?"
Nanny rolled her eyes skyward. "And may heaven help us survive it."
They made their way out of the room, following Hunk to the throne room where
Coran had set up the ceremony.
Allura gasped. There hadn't been much change to the room, but Nanny's staff
had done an excellent job of placing a few decorations in the limited time
available. Gold ribbons, flowers, candles- it looked as if they'd had a
year to get it all decorated, not just an hour. And, best of all, in pews
along the hall sat all of her staff. Nanny quickly lowered Allura's veil
and then rushed passed her to take her place as her maid of honor, leaving
Hunk to lead her up the aisle.
In front of the room stood Coran, Lance, Pidge, and- best of all- Keith...
all in their dress uniforms and looking better than she'd ever seen them
before. Trembling slightly, she started her way up the aisle- and was
happily surprised to hear a wedding march coming from the castle sound
system. Perhaps it was rushed, but it was also everything she'd ever wanted
in a wedding- a small ceremony in front of all her friends, without too much
fanfare but still with all of the little frills that went with a good
wedding. Her eyes getting moist, she marched down the aisle at a proper
pace, and finally reached the altar that had been set up for her wedding.
Coran stepped up and smiled at the gathering. "Welcome. As you all
probably know, this is not a normal wedding." He glanced at Allura, his
eyes twinkling. "After all, it's not often a Royal Princess gets married
around here. It's even less often that she only has an hour to get ready
for that wedding." Polite laughter erupted from the small crowd. "You've
all done well getting it ready, and I'm sure she thanks you. But there's
even more to make this wedding special- and that is the man our Princess has
chosen for her husband.
"Kieth," he continued. "You are perhaps the most noble man I have ever met.
Even moreso than the most princely prince. I trust you to care for our
Princess, and make her feel as loved and cherished as she deserves." He
paused. "I also trust you to keep her out of too much trouble." More
polite chuckles. "Allura, you are the daughter I never had. And when I
heard you say that Keith was the man you wished to marry, I couldn't have
been happier. You have chosen well. Perhaps, though, you might try and get
him to loosen up from time to time- I fear everyone will be worked to death
if he keeps up this pace."
He paused, allowing for even more laughter. Then he got more serious.
"Your Highness, if I weren't conducting this ceremony, I would be giving you
away right now. Since I'm not able to do that myself, however-"
"I will do it, myself," an ethereal voice said, materializing into a ghostly
form of King Alfor. "Hello, old friend- it has been some time."
Some of the castle staff who had never seen the ghost of their long-dead
king nearly fainted at the sight. The other's, though, merely were
surprised that he put in an appearance in a situation which was not
planet-threatening.
"Y- your Majesty," Coran stammered, swallowing hard.
"I bless my daughter's marriage to this man," the spirit said. "And I give
her away, now. Please, continue with the ceremony." He paused, pressing
his immaterial lips to Allura's forehead. "Your mother is here with me,
too, child- unfortunately, she lacks the power to make herself seen, but
know that she is watching."
"Yes, father," Allura whispered, tears forming in her eyes once more.
With that, Alfor stepped back, fading away from sight. "I'll still be
watching, as well."
Coran cleared his throat. "Ah, well... ah hem. Yes, okay. Let us
continue. Allura, Princess Royal of the House of Arus, Daughter of Alfor.
Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant
of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep in, in sickness
and in health, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"
Allura choked up when Nanny prompted her to speak with a toe. "I will," she
barely said.
"Keith Andrew Lockhart, will you have this woman as your wife; to live
together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor
and keep her, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, as long as
you both shall live?"
Without hesitation, Keith answered, "I will."
Coran paused. "In a religious ceremony, I believe, I am supposed to read a
religious passage on the blessings of marriage right here. I am not a
priest, however, and the two of you follow different religions. However, I
will gladly quote from what I was once told by our late king: Love is the
only path through which we can truly be happy. Marriage is the greatest
celebration of love in any culture in the known universe. So today, you two
give each other the greatest of gifts: true happiness." Bowing his head
briefly, he allowed that to sink in before moving on. Joining their hands
together, he said, "Princess, repeat after me:"
Echoing her prime minister, Allura repeated, her voice wavering the entire
time, "I, Allura, take you, my protector and dearest champion Keith, to be
my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for
worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."
Again with Coran's prompting, Kieth replied, "I, Keith, take you, my beloved
Princess Allura, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better and for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn
vow."
"Rings?" Coran said. Lance quickly pulled the ring box he had been given
minutes before the ceremony by Coran out of his pocket, and offered it to
Coran. Opening the box, he gave both of them a ring.
Still repeating Coran's words, Allura continued, "Keith, I give you this
ring as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you as my husband."
"Allura, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am and
all that I have, I honor you as my wife."
Coran smiled, joined their now-ringbearing hands together and covering them
with his own, said, "Now that Keith and Allura have given themselves to each
other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, and with the giving of
rings, I can now pronounce them as husband and wife. Keith, you may kiss
the bride!"
A loud cheer went up as Keith lifted Allura's veil and gave her a kiss. It
was not their first kiss- that had been in a hospital room when they had
confessed their love to each other- but it was their deepest and most public
to date.
When it ended, Keith and Allura turned to the crowd and waved, acknoledging
the cheers. Pidge's and Nanny's looked a little forced, but even they were
genuinely pleased to see the happiness in the two young people's faces.
"Now, Keith, Princess- go with Nanny. You still need to prepare for tonight
's coronation- and possibly discuss some details for the wedding reception I
am sure Nanny is dying to plan- before you can enjoy yourselves. Meanwhile,
I'm going to be getting in touch with Pollux to both announce your wedding
and to start discussions about our situation with the Alliance."
Lance chuckled at the expression on Keith's face. "Sorry, chief," he
cracked, "Looks like you can't even get a brake at your own wedding."
Keith smiled at Allura, not even looking in his friend's direction. "I don'
t think I agree with you there- I think what I got more than made up for
it."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
anime fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm
To: "David A. Tatum" desaix@sysnet.net
Subject: Volt2.txt
Date: Friday, October 12, 2001 1:11 PM
-------------------------
Chapter 2
Lisa frowned. Even for classified orders, the most recent set had been kept
much more secret than usual. So far, all anyone had been told was that they
were going to Arus. It was such an extreme change of course that she and
everyone else was doing all they could to find out why- and failing.
Lisa, however, felt she had an 'in' to finding out what that secret was.
Jeff- she was sure that, if she tried hard enough, she could get him to do
anything for her... including letting her have information she wasn't
officially supposed to have. He may not have stayed for the whole briefing
where those orders were made, but between him, Cliff, Crik, Hawkins, and
Newley, only Jeff was likely to answer her questions.
"Hi, Lisa!" Ginger said, seeing her as she rounded a corner while she made
her way through the corridors. Giving Lisa a doubletake, she grinned.
"Just where ARE you going dressed like that, girl?"
Lisa grimaced. In order to, uh, facilitate her interrogation, she'd figured
that it couldn't hurt to make herself look just a tiny bit sexier by wearing
a slightly shorter than regulation skirt and a slightly tighter-than-normal
shirt. Not that she was necessarily going to rely on sex appeal to get her
answers, but it couldn't hurt.
She wasn't entirely comfortable with her get-up, however... it was a bit too
much for her, and really the seduction thing wasn't entirely to her taste.
And if there was one person on the entire ship she MOST wanted to avoid
while she was in the process of attempting it, it was Ginger. She was a
good friend, true, but... well, she could expect a good ribbing for this
one. Especially if she answered Ginger's question straightforwardly.
"I'm trying to figure out what our orders are," she said stiffly. Not a
lie, but not exactly an admission, either.
"Ah- going to talk to Jeff, huh?"
Lisa flushed. "Well, um-"
Ginger laughed as she made her way passed the embarrassed girl and rounded
the corner of the hallway. "Good luck, girl. Lemme know how it turns out!"
Lisa started rushing in the opposite direction, hoping desperately that she
could avoid further embarrassment. Maybe this was a bad idea after all...
* * * * *
All five members of the Voltron Force currently on planet Arus looked
shell-shocked- all of them for completely different reasons. Allura looked
ecstatic, but also very confused and somewhat uncertain. Keith was fiercely
determined and perhaps just a touch contented as well, but the enormity of
what he was getting ready to do was just starting to dawn on him, and the
emotional consequences of the upcoming event were starting to show on his
face.
Lance was unsure whether to congratulate his Captain- no, make that
Vice-Admiral now- on his upcoming wedding, tease him about it, or yell at
him for taking advantage of the bad news from planet Earth to secure for
himself possibly the most beautiful women in the universe as his bride.
Since he wasn't entirely sure yet just why they were getting married so
soon, and since he was so surprised at the announcement the bride-to-be's
nanny just made, he didn't have any choice other than to stand there gawking
like an idiot until someone told him just what the hell was going on.
Hunk wasn't sure what to make of things. On the one hand, the planet of his
ancestors was being abandoned to a vicious horde who were as bad or worse
than the Doomies, which made him unhappy. On the other hand, his commanding
officer and good male friend was marrying his princess and closest female
friend, which made him VERY happy. However, that marriage was awfully
sudden- he'd just found out moments ago that the two were in love, but they
hadn't been planning to do anything about their love for some time. Their
relationship was going along pretty smoothly, it seemed, which was good, yet
it was entirely possible that the news had coerced one or both of them into
having this marriage, which was not good. Finally, he hadn't had anything
to eat in almost three hours, which made him quite hungry- which was NOT a
good thing when he was trying to puzzle out a dilemma, since he didn't think
as well when he was hungry.
Pidge, however, was the most stunned of them all. He hadn't heard Keith and
Allura's declaration of love in the rec room earlier that day. For a very
long time, he'd held a crush on the Princess. He'd realized it was
impractical for some time to hope for anything from her, since he WAS
several years younger than her, but he'd hoped there would be plenty of time
still before she picked a suitor. A long enough time for him to grow up,
perhaps, and get her to notice him. If she was getting married, though,
that ruined all of his dreams- and WHY was she getting married just then?
And why to KEITH, of all people? Keith certainly hadn't shown her any
affection- if anything, he treated her protection as a duty above all else.
Or so he thought... though it was slowly dawning on him that perhaps Keith's
over-protective streak towards the Princess might not have entirely been
thanks to his duty after all.
He was the first to break the silence after Nanny's pronouncement.
"Married? But... WHY?!" he blurted out.
"Well, that's obvious, donchya think?. They love each other," Lance
drawled. Pidge flinched slightly- his dream of life with the princess was
definitely gone, and that statement just slammed it home to him. "What I
want to know is, why NOW?"
Coran shifted uncomfortably. "Because Arus needs someone who can legally
stand up to the Alliance should there be a conflict, and we don't have one
until Princess Allura is married."
"I don't understand," Hunk said. "What difference does that make? And why
worry about the Alliance- we're the good guys, remember?"
"We are," Keith said, "But the Alliance isn't. It's the lesser of several
evils, true, but the Alliance can be just as oppressive as anyone if they
feel they have to be. Besides- do you really think Arus could support the
seven billion people Earth is sending us right now?"
"Quite right," Coran agreed. "We simply have to have someone powerful
enough locally to turn them away, if need be."
Lance, Pidge, and Hunk looked at each other in surprise. What were the
Earth refugees supposed to do- drift in space?
"Don't misunderstand," the Princess said, finally getting into the
discussion. "Arus will take as many people as they can-"
"But we can't take everyone," Keith interrupted. "It wouldn't be good for
us OR for them. As soon as we can, we'll talk to Pollux and a few other
neighboring worlds so we can arrange for them to take a portion of the
populace as well, but unless we have someone in power here we can't make the
Alliance look elsewhere as its dumping grounds."
"Hold on, I don't get it," Pidge said, still unhappy about things as they
stood but willing to listen. "Why do you keep acting as if Arus doesn't
have a leader? Princess, you're in charge here, aren't you?"
Allura gave a sickly smile. "Sort of... but not really. And THAT is why I
need to get married as soon as possible."
"What does 'sort of' mean, Princess? You seem to have been in charge of
everything since we've been here," Hunk noted.
Lance, however, was starting to understand. "I think I know, Hunk...
remember our orders? 'Find and Recover Voltron. Establish a temporary
administrative system on Arus until the formal government is restored.' The
Princess' is ruling under that 'temporary administrative system' clause, isn
't she?"
Coran hesitated, then nodded at Lance. "Correct. Arus is a constitutional
monarchy, officially, but our constitution has not been in use since the
death of King Alfor and the destruction of the planetary council. Allura
went into hiding, and we were in anarchy until you showed up and brought
Voltron back to us. Since then, the Princess has been ruling as a de facto
absolute monarch under writ of the Galaxy Alliance."
"My marriage is the first step to restoring the constitution," Allura
explained hesitantly. "My coronation cannot take place until after I'm
married. And, as queen, I could call for elections and bring back the
planetary council- something I cannot do as princess, according to our
laws."
"So you're getting married for political reasons?" Pidge asked hopefully.
Perhaps there was still a chance for him, after all.
"I would NEVER marry exclusively for political gains," the Princess snapped
regally. Deflating slightly, she continued, "But yes, it is political."
"That does NOT mean this is a sham marriage," Keith growled. "If it was,
she would have been better off marrying the son of some village mayor or a
nobleman or someone like that. Or," he smiled slightly, "Even Prince
Bandor."
"I love Keith," the Princess whispered. "But we weren't planning to
seriously court each other until after the war was over."
"There's no time to delay, now, however," Coran said. "The Princess must
marry, and must be crowned Queen, before the day is out. If we don't, we
will not have time to set up our official government before the Alliance
forces arrive."
"Which leaves us no time for all this chatter," Nanny interrupted. "I may
not like the Princess' choice of suitor- royalty should marry royalty- but
we don't seem to have any options. She simply won't accept anyone else
other than this... this ruffian." She shuddered, unable to say Keith's name
in regards to Allura. "And I don't have time to make this affair as
grandiose as it should be... but I will do what I can. You ALL need to get
dressed in the most formal clothing you have- Coran, you get the minister
and invite all of the noblemen who can make it here by tonight to show up.
I'll set my staff into decorating the throne room for the occasion and
cooking for the reception. Allura, come with me- I'll have to see if I can
find an appropriate dress that you'll fit in."
Nanny grabbed the Princess by her arm and started leading her out of the
room before Coran stopped her. "Wait, Nanny," he said. "We may not have
time for all of this- the sooner we get it done, the better. I will conduct
the ceremony myself. You can start setting up a reception if you so desire,
but we're holding the wedding right now."
Nanny's eyes widened. "You CAN'T- there's no way... you must need at least
a little time to draw up the official documents. Can't I at least have a
chance to get everyone appropriately dressed?"
Coran stared at her hard. "You have an hour," he conceded. "We need to get
enough done so that we can hold elections tomorrow. Portions of the
Alliance fleet could get here within 48 hours, and even if the main convoy
is not expected to arrive for at least a week we do not want anyone to show
up here and find we have not put out government in place."
"An hour!?" Nanny shrieked. "But-"
"No buts, Nanny," Allura broke in. "We don't have time to do this properly,
so some things will have to be sacrificed for expediency's sake."
Nanny's expression hardened. "Very well. But if we have an hour, we're
going to make the best use of that hour." Turning on the men, she snapped,
"You all have plenty of time to put on your dress uniforms between now and
then- hurry to it. Now, come along, Princess- we must find something for
you, and we don't have the luxury of time."
With that, she resumed leading Allura out of the room and initiating a
whirlwind of activity- the com system started ringing moments later with
non-secure transmissions to various members of the castle staff.
The five men still in the briefing room glanced at the door they'd left from
and blinked. Finally, Lance smirked, turning to the others.
"Well, you heard her- let's get ready. Keithy, YOU should dressed first;
you might need someone to inspect your uniform- after all, it IS your
wedding."
* * * * *
"What is our status?" Space Marshal Graham asked to the panel in the
briefing room.
"The plan is in operation," General Warren noted. "We've assigned every
citizen on Earth a refugee ship to board. Now, we just have to wait for
those ships to get here."
Commodore Steele sighed. "Only 30% of the transports have arrived. The
flotilla is assembling in orbit around Mars- that many ships orbiting Earth
would affect the tides, and we'd flood out half of the population before we
could evacuate them. We'll need to land them in shifts, anyway- we might as
well start evacuating people with what we've got."
Graham nodded. "Good. And the Explorer?"
"I'm afraid it's too far away to arrive on Arus before a local government is
formed- we'll have to either invade or make compromises."
Graham raised an eyebrow. "Invade? Why would we invade? And what does it
matter if there's a local government?"
Steele looked disgusted. "Well, why else would you try to deny them their
independance?"
"I gave no such order- I merely asked for the Explorer to arrive on Arus to
help keep the spaceways in the system clear of pirates for our convoy! Why
would you think I was planning to deny their independance?"
Steele paused. "Then... this ISN'T your order?" he asked, passing the Space
Marshal a sheet of paper.
"Special Order 60321
"To: Patrick Steele, Commodore, Galaxy Garrison, Earth. Granted rank of
Captain, Galaxy Garrison, under 23204-pre:1. Granted Acting-Flag under
34392-tmp:1-A, Special Order of Space Marshal's Office.
"From: Jonathan Graham, Administrative, Earth. Granted rank of Space
Marshal under 34392-prz:1-A, Special Order of the President.
"act: (Action)
"1 Procure transport vessels for evacuation of Earth under command of Louis
Desaix (see pre:1)
"2 Send S.S. Explorer to Earth
"-A: Objective: Clear Spaceways of hostiles which may endanger refugee
convoy.
"-B: Objective: Establish temporary Galaxy Garrison Headquarters on Arus
Surface.
"-C: Objective: Prevent formation of independant government on Arus.
Failing this, demand treaty with Arus which will permit resettlement of
Earth population on Arus. Use maximum force, if necessary.
"pre: (Promotions and Endorsements)
"1 Promote Louis Desaix to Acting Flag rank, assign as Commodore of Refuge
Fleet.
"prz: (Presidential Amendments and Orders)
"1 Instruct S.S. Explorer to maintain radio silence."
Graham frowned. "This is similar to what I wrote, but... I did NOT include
act:2-C. And there were no prz's when I sent it to you."
Steele gasped as the implication hit him. "You mean... someone intercepted
and altered your orders?"
"Indeed."
"This is not good. There are two questions we have to ask- HOW and WHY?"
General Warren growled. "And what can be done to fix this?"
"I think it's obvious as to why- someone wants to get rid of the Lion
Voltron and any other support we might have from Arus," Steel snorted.
"Which would completely defeat the purpose of our plan- the Voltrons are the
only ships capable of handling Robeasts, and all of our enemies know that."
Graham rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I can't do anything about the
Explorer- they're under radio silence. But I sent a personal recording of
my message to Arus- they can't have altered that without breaking the
codeblock. It will give away that we know there's someone intercepting our
orders, but whoever's doing it will be expecting that." He turned around in
his chair to the communications viewscreen. "Commodore Steele, see if you
can raise Arus- I think this is important enough that we'll have to dispense
with the pre-recording that is needed for recording."
"Right away, sir," Steele said, typing a few commands into a nearby
keyboard. After a few minutes, he frowned. "Sir, I am unable to raise
Arus. The transmission is being jammed."
"Shit!" Graham snapped. "They're two steps ahead of us. Keep trying,
Steele- if you can't get through, the best we can do is to look for that
leak... and pray we don't find a hostile Arus when we arrive."
* * * * *
"Um, Chip?" Jeff said.
Chip, cleaning and polishing small model of the Vehicle Voltron he had
hand-made for his brother, glanced up at his Team Captain. "Yeah, Jeff?"
"You... know we're heading for Arus, right?"
Chip nodded enthusiastically. "Of course- I'm looking forward to seeing
Pidge again. It's been ages... and maybe I'll be able to show him up with
my piloting skills!"
Jeff grimaced. "Yeah... about that. Um, Chip- you're grounded for the
duration of this mission. Hawkins' orders- I don't have any choice."
Chip's eyes widened. "But... but WHY?"
Jeff sighed. "You don't want to know, Chip. Now, head over to Hawkins'
office- he's got a new assignment for you in the meantime."
Chip searched Jeff's face for something that would tell him what was going
on. Seeing absolutely no emotion on his usually expressive face worried him
considerably. Still, there was nothing he could say, was there? "Aye, aye,
sir!" he snapped, leaping to his feet and running out of the room- not
because he was that enthusiastic for the duty, but rather because he didn't
want anyone to see the tears that were forming in his eyes. Something told
him Pidge was in serious trouble.
Lisa watched the entire incident from the door and frowned. She, too, had
noticed Jeff's emotionlessness since recieving those orders, and this latest
development was starting to clue her in as to why. Seduction was definitely
out as a method for getting information- much to her personal relief- but
perhaps a bald accusation would help.
"Jeff," she called.
"Yes, Lisa?" he replied tonelessly.
"I'd like to talk to you in private for a minute..."
* * * * *
'It's amazing what can be done with safety pins and ribbons,' Allura
thought, amazed, as Nanny was furiously making last minute alterations to
her late mother's wedding dress while she wore it. Nanny huffed something
under her breath about her training too much for a proper princess as she
struggled to tighten a particularly strained ribbon before continuing her
speech on the marital duties of Arus' queen.
"My child, remember you never had a proper courtship," Nanny lectured, "So I
suggest you don't give him your innocence on the first night-"
"Nanny!" Allura cried, outraged. "I don't need to be told about that."
"Yes, you do, my posy," Nanny clucked. "He's a man, and a ruffian at that.
Like any other man, he'll only have one thing on his mind-"
"Nanny," Allura snapped. "I already said I don't need to be told about
that. We'd already discussed it before calling you in."
Nanny frowned. "He probably wants you to go to bed with him the very first
night, doesn't he?"
Allura hesitated, then whispered halfheartedly, "No, he wanted to wait. I'm
the one who's insisting we don't."
"Princess!" This time, it was Nanny's turn to be outraged. She was
actually so surprised she stopped working.
"Keith was speaking for me when he said this wasn't going to be a sham
wedding. I won't let it be one. I want to have a normal courtship, but I
also want to be sure no-one can contest our marriage by saying we've never
consumated it. Maybe after the first night, we'll go back and pretend it
didn't happen- at least long enough for us to get properly aquainted with
each other. But for this night, our wedding night, we're doing everything a
married couple is supposed to do."
Nanny wanted to say something, but before she could there was a knocking.
"Nanny, Coran asked me to come get you and tell you we've got to get
started," Hunk said through the door.
Realizing that she'd forgotten what she was doing, she shouted back, "We'll
be done in one minute- hold on!"
Making two or three real quick adjustments, Nanny ran her eye up and down
Allura's frame. Shaking her head, she sighed.
"Do I pass inspection?" Allura asked.
"Well, it would have been better if you weren't quite so slim or so
muscular, and if we'd had time to custom fit the thing, but considering that
by the time we got this on you I only had about fifteen minutes to make
alterations, it's not that bad." She patted down one last wrinkle. "You'll
do."
Allura smiled. "Good. Now, let's go get me married, okay?"
Nanny rolled her eyes skyward. "And may heaven help us survive it."
They made their way out of the room, following Hunk to the throne room where
Coran had set up the ceremony.
Allura gasped. There hadn't been much change to the room, but Nanny's staff
had done an excellent job of placing a few decorations in the limited time
available. Gold ribbons, flowers, candles- it looked as if they'd had a
year to get it all decorated, not just an hour. And, best of all, in pews
along the hall sat all of her staff. Nanny quickly lowered Allura's veil
and then rushed passed her to take her place as her maid of honor, leaving
Hunk to lead her up the aisle.
In front of the room stood Coran, Lance, Pidge, and- best of all- Keith...
all in their dress uniforms and looking better than she'd ever seen them
before. Trembling slightly, she started her way up the aisle- and was
happily surprised to hear a wedding march coming from the castle sound
system. Perhaps it was rushed, but it was also everything she'd ever wanted
in a wedding- a small ceremony in front of all her friends, without too much
fanfare but still with all of the little frills that went with a good
wedding. Her eyes getting moist, she marched down the aisle at a proper
pace, and finally reached the altar that had been set up for her wedding.
Coran stepped up and smiled at the gathering. "Welcome. As you all
probably know, this is not a normal wedding." He glanced at Allura, his
eyes twinkling. "After all, it's not often a Royal Princess gets married
around here. It's even less often that she only has an hour to get ready
for that wedding." Polite laughter erupted from the small crowd. "You've
all done well getting it ready, and I'm sure she thanks you. But there's
even more to make this wedding special- and that is the man our Princess has
chosen for her husband.
"Kieth," he continued. "You are perhaps the most noble man I have ever met.
Even moreso than the most princely prince. I trust you to care for our
Princess, and make her feel as loved and cherished as she deserves." He
paused. "I also trust you to keep her out of too much trouble." More
polite chuckles. "Allura, you are the daughter I never had. And when I
heard you say that Keith was the man you wished to marry, I couldn't have
been happier. You have chosen well. Perhaps, though, you might try and get
him to loosen up from time to time- I fear everyone will be worked to death
if he keeps up this pace."
He paused, allowing for even more laughter. Then he got more serious.
"Your Highness, if I weren't conducting this ceremony, I would be giving you
away right now. Since I'm not able to do that myself, however-"
"I will do it, myself," an ethereal voice said, materializing into a ghostly
form of King Alfor. "Hello, old friend- it has been some time."
Some of the castle staff who had never seen the ghost of their long-dead
king nearly fainted at the sight. The other's, though, merely were
surprised that he put in an appearance in a situation which was not
planet-threatening.
"Y- your Majesty," Coran stammered, swallowing hard.
"I bless my daughter's marriage to this man," the spirit said. "And I give
her away, now. Please, continue with the ceremony." He paused, pressing
his immaterial lips to Allura's forehead. "Your mother is here with me,
too, child- unfortunately, she lacks the power to make herself seen, but
know that she is watching."
"Yes, father," Allura whispered, tears forming in her eyes once more.
With that, Alfor stepped back, fading away from sight. "I'll still be
watching, as well."
Coran cleared his throat. "Ah, well... ah hem. Yes, okay. Let us
continue. Allura, Princess Royal of the House of Arus, Daughter of Alfor.
Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant
of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep in, in sickness
and in health, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"
Allura choked up when Nanny prompted her to speak with a toe. "I will," she
barely said.
"Keith Andrew Lockhart, will you have this woman as your wife; to live
together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor
and keep her, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, as long as
you both shall live?"
Without hesitation, Keith answered, "I will."
Coran paused. "In a religious ceremony, I believe, I am supposed to read a
religious passage on the blessings of marriage right here. I am not a
priest, however, and the two of you follow different religions. However, I
will gladly quote from what I was once told by our late king: Love is the
only path through which we can truly be happy. Marriage is the greatest
celebration of love in any culture in the known universe. So today, you two
give each other the greatest of gifts: true happiness." Bowing his head
briefly, he allowed that to sink in before moving on. Joining their hands
together, he said, "Princess, repeat after me:"
Echoing her prime minister, Allura repeated, her voice wavering the entire
time, "I, Allura, take you, my protector and dearest champion Keith, to be
my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for
worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."
Again with Coran's prompting, Kieth replied, "I, Keith, take you, my beloved
Princess Allura, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better and for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn
vow."
"Rings?" Coran said. Lance quickly pulled the ring box he had been given
minutes before the ceremony by Coran out of his pocket, and offered it to
Coran. Opening the box, he gave both of them a ring.
Still repeating Coran's words, Allura continued, "Keith, I give you this
ring as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you as my husband."
"Allura, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow. With all that I am and
all that I have, I honor you as my wife."
Coran smiled, joined their now-ringbearing hands together and covering them
with his own, said, "Now that Keith and Allura have given themselves to each
other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, and with the giving of
rings, I can now pronounce them as husband and wife. Keith, you may kiss
the bride!"
A loud cheer went up as Keith lifted Allura's veil and gave her a kiss. It
was not their first kiss- that had been in a hospital room when they had
confessed their love to each other- but it was their deepest and most public
to date.
When it ended, Keith and Allura turned to the crowd and waved, acknoledging
the cheers. Pidge's and Nanny's looked a little forced, but even they were
genuinely pleased to see the happiness in the two young people's faces.
"Now, Keith, Princess- go with Nanny. You still need to prepare for tonight
's coronation- and possibly discuss some details for the wedding reception I
am sure Nanny is dying to plan- before you can enjoy yourselves. Meanwhile,
I'm going to be getting in touch with Pollux to both announce your wedding
and to start discussions about our situation with the Alliance."
Lance chuckled at the expression on Keith's face. "Sorry, chief," he
cracked, "Looks like you can't even get a brake at your own wedding."
Keith smiled at Allura, not even looking in his friend's direction. "I don'
t think I agree with you there- I think what I got more than made up for
it."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
anime fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm