Moonspell Chapter 3
Disclaimer: Voltron-don't own it, don't make any money from it...just love it.
Time passed.
That desperate young princess grew up.
That chief advisor grew old.
However, they remained in their ruined castle, waiting for a miracle. Five miracles arrived one day, and life around the Castle was never the same.
A new Castle of Lions rose like a phoenix reborn from the broken remains of its predecessor. The gardens were gone, the former green space replaced by tactical efficiency. The new Castle faintly emulated a style of a traditional Castle. However years of fighting invading hordes of Drules forced the need for functionality. Laser turrets, radars, and blast-proof hatches replaced statuary, fountains and heraldry. A few of the breezeways and terraces remained for enjoying the pleasant Arus climate. The occupants of a particular East terrace remembered a time when parties and other gatherings were held here, where long afternoons were idled away in courtly gossip and intrigues.
These two, a old man and a young woman, had no time for such trivial things.
The work of rebuilding had been daunting for Coran. He had been shouldered with the responsibility of pulling Arus from the darkest depths and giving the beleaguered planet a chance to survive. Much of the same could be said about his young charge sitting across from him sipping coffee at the impromptu breakfast table. The terrace consisted of a grid of grey slate tiles outlined by a line of stubby granite columns, was Spartan in its design compared to its predecessor. Illuminated by the Arusian sunrise, this terrace merely peeked out underneath the east side of the castle like a timid child peering around his mother's legs. Typical outdoor furniture had been bravely attempted a few years ago, however such furniture did not withstand constant attacks and falling debris.
The young woman, the heir to the throne of Arus, and the weary advisor sat on curved stone benches around a modest stone table. Given the uneasy peace that Arus had recently achieved, morning briefings out on the terrace were now a common routine. Previously, such briefings were conducted in the Control Room. The four young men who usually accompanied Allura during those briefings were scattered to the winds.
Everything here has its tactical purpose, Allura mused to herself. What would it be like to have all those ornate trappings of luxury that her predecessors had enjoyed? She briefly pictured herself on an upholstered chaise lounge with a ornate parasol-the kind her mother had so many years ago. The image of herself stretched out on such a frivolous piece of furniture seemed so ridiculous to her. Adding the missing young men to picture gave Allura a quick mental diversion from the cold reality around her.
Hmmm, Hunk could pour me a few cold beers and bring me cheese pizza while Pidge debriefs me on the latest gossip. Lance could massage my back and tell a few dirty jokes, while Keith would...
"...and then lightning bolts would shoot out of my eyes and Nanny would come back to work at the Castle and teach you a few more good manners!"
"Oh...I apologize Coran. The coffee has not kicked in yet. " Allura's lack of attention to the affairs of the state du jour did not go unnoticed.
"I suppose development plans are not as exciting as flying a Blue Lion through a morning patrol." Coran patiently smiled at the princess.
She smiled weakly at her advisor and mentor. "This is my duty now, Coran. " She waved her hand over the data pad and stacks of dossiers. "It has its own rewards."
Life certainly had slowed around the Castle of Lions. Peace had been restored to the Denubian Galaxy and to the Galaxy Alliance. The scourge of Zarkon and his son, Lotor, had been eliminated by the mechanized champion of her home world, Voltron. Three years of battling the Drule menace came to a head in a battle over earth. However, the mighty defender's reward had been a mandated decommissioning by Grand Sky Marshal Wade. After a unexpected and rather suspicious malfunction of the Lions during the Galaxy Celebration, Wade tapped into the backlash of public opinion to mothball the lions ...and save one for himself.
Sensing something in the princess' heart, Coran added ,"I miss them too, Allura. Things are just not the same without the team here."
The Voltron Force were now fractured and scattered. She remained here on Arus. Pidge, Hunk and Lance were assigned to the Galaxy Alliance Flight Academy. And Keith...
What was stolen must be returned.
The princess sighed slowly and turned her gaze across the verdant landscape around the castle. The Castle was a solitary sentinel nestled among rolling hills. It had been decided as the rebuilding began that no settlements would be located near the castle. As the castle had been the focus of so many attacks and these last bloody years were still fresh in the citizens of Arus, they did not want to take any chances.
The citizens of Arus as well as their princess knew this was not the peace they had fought so hard for. It was a peace with conditions, concessions and humiliation. Four of the Lions lain dormant and chained, another lion stolen. She hated Zarkon for what he had done to her home, but she seethed with anger at thought of what Wade had done.
Coran's datapad buzzed softly. The advisor peered down at the device; he was being summoned to the Palace's communication center for an encrypted communiqué on the classified intra-Arus network. However, the message was not for him.
"Allura, would you take your breakfast 'to go'? There has been a message received from Queen Orla. "
"Aunt Orla...", Allura leapt to her feet. Before Coran could get out of his seat and gather a few dossiers, Allura had already abandoned the coffee. A worried niece made a hurried dash for the door.
0300. The Galaxy Alliance Flight Academy students were still recovering from a day of lessons, simulations and physical training. However, one instructor was getting a very early start to his day or he was getting a very late end to a very long day. The Tech Sergeant was not in his office, well at least not his official office. He was frantically typing away on a terminal.
"Let's see...establishing connection...enabling primary layer encryption...now ShadowDen encryption..." The young man adjusted his wide, green goggles and tapped impatiently on the keyboard. "C'mon...make the handshake..."
A small beep...victory!
Pidge Stoker resumed the flurry of keystrokes.
Stalker, are you there?
Pidge anxiously waited for the cursor move, a sign of life.
...ACK
"Whew, acknowledged!" Pidge breathed a sigh of relief.
Stalker, no sightings of watering hole. Hyena has hid the kill.
-Hyena? Hyena? WTF?
Pidge hissed. "Shit! Hyena...no...think Pidge, small canine forager...JACKAL!"
Jackal-my bad. Wait one for status...
Something crashing to the ground behind him caused Pidge to flinch. He quickly turned his head, hoping to keep communications with Stalker going.
"Fracking three o clock in the fracking morning. This is getting old." A bleary-eyed Lance McClain stumbled into the Den, the unofficial headquarters of resistance growing right underneath Wade's nose. The lieutenant had managed to wrap his ankle around one of Hunk's power cables.
"Well, look what that the lions drug in!", Pidge turned his attention back to the terminal. "I've got him. Get untangled from Hunk's lieutenant trap and get over here!"
"Whew. I'd hate to think I left that blonde lieutenant alone at the Officers' Club for nothing." Lance slid into the seat next to Pidge. "This IS pretty damn important. I'm just glad we got him this time."
Pidge rolled his eyes at the latest report of Lance's exploits. "Your sacrifice will be entered into the Hall of Heroes. Wait...Keith's sending something..."
-Zuklon. Others here hunting. More to follow.
"Zuklon? How the hell did he end up there? " Lance shook his head.
"Is there anything you want to tell him? Our window of opportunity is about to close", Pidge remarked as he typed in other updates to the renegade commander.
"Tell him I miss his smile, his warmth, the way his laughter lights up a room."
Red says hello.
-Tell him 2 keep his pants on and stay focused.
Haha, you got it.
-How is she?
Pidge did not have to ask the former Voltron commander for any clarification. He knew exactly who Keith was asking about.
I think she misses us. Called a couple nights ago. Hyena making demands. Do u want me 2 tell her anything?
The cursor remained stationary for a long moment as if the user on the other end was collecting his thoughts.
-Tell her to tell Hyena he can stick his demands up his ass. And tell her I miss her.
I will. Horizon approaching. I'm working on com solution. This sucks but is secure, at least for now.
-Yes, we need voice coms. I miss the sound of Red's velvet smooth voice.
Pidge cackled at the commander's humor.
Funny, he said the same about you.
-I bet. Stalker Out.
Lance glanced at a console signaling an alarm. "Pidge, the horizon is closing."
"That's okay. He's already gone. If anything, he's efficient."
The two former Voltron pilots sat in silence for a moment, each collecting their thoughts. Both were fearful for their friend.
Both hated living a lie.
"He's out there putting his life on the line, and all we can do is..is..wait!" Pidge slammed his fist down on the console. "We can't track him, we can't give him intelligence...all we can do is wait for the next window to open. "
Lance tilted his head back and stared up at the bulkhead of the unused storage facility they had claimed as their base of operations. Officially, it had been sealed off for possible chemical contamination after a 'scan' had been 'conducted' by an 'Alliance Safety Team' that Wade's staff never questioned. Of course it had been carefully composed by Pidge and planted on Wade's desk by Lance.
At least one thing had gone down as planned for them.
"If I have to give one more lecture on the Evolution of the Fractal Fighter, I'm going to go rogue myself. " Lance grinned at the young tech sergeant. " But I'm not going to some hole -in-the-wall like Zuklon. I'm going to Vegas. "
"Sounds good. I can't take much more of being in Wade's Alliance. This isn't the Galaxy Alliance I swore to defend." Pidge got up from the console and stretched.
"No, Pidge. This is no Alliance. This is Wade's Kingdom. And there are others who feel the same way. Keith is going to find those others. Until then, we gotta keep up this farce. Maybe we'll get some hint of where to look next. "
"I can't believe we've been here six months, and we haven't heard anything on where Wade's stashed Black. It's like he made Black disappear. "
Lance replied, "Or maybe he's scared everyone shitless into keeping their mouths shut. We'll find somebody willing to talk...eventually."
Lance stood up to face Pidge. "Well, PT starts in about an hour. How about a drink?"
Pidge replied as they turned toward the door, "I doubt you are referring to a pre-workout vitamin-boost protein shake."
"That depends, Tech Sergeant," replied Lance, "if you call Jack Daniels a vitamin."
