Well, I got this up by Monday, just not the Monday you all were thinking. Sorry. My infant son ran fever all last weekend so no writing got done and then after that I lost the muse for a week but luckily it came back.

I made this entry a study in writing in strictly English Prime, except for dialogue. E-Prime eliminates the verb 'to be' in order to show more accurate observations. Instead of "the sky is blue" you would say "I see a blue sky today" and so on.

I dedicate this one to Ms MaraJade. I had written half of it already when I received your last PM. I feel so awful for you but know that it can never come close to what you are feeling.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Voltron and make no money on this.

News

Young Princess Allura walked purposefully through the Castle of Lions on her way to Command and Control. The weekly report from Terra came at precisely 9 am on Mondays. Each week she anxiously awaited what information their allies collected regarding the Drule Empire as well as accomplishments by the Vehicle Voltron group. On a personal note, Keith enjoyed swapping messages with Commander Jeff and Pidge usually exchanged juvenile jokes and technical bafflements with his twin brother Chip. Lance managed to keep alive his social circle of friends--how many girls did he have potential dates with? six, at last count--and Hunk received letters from his family. These grew more earnest as his sister neared the end of her pregnancy.

Turning a corner, Allura almost collided with Hunk's immense frame. "Oh! Good morning! Forgive me; I was on my way to C and C," she said beaming up at the man.

Hunk gazed sweetly down at her, gesturing that she go ahead of him while responding soothingly, "That's quite alright, Your Highness." His soft demeanor never failed to surprise her, yet lately he seemed livelier than ever before with a bounce in his step disconcerting on a man his size and a twinkle in his eye.

"You are in a good mood this morning!"

"Yeah, I guess so. I know my mom will have sent another letter today. It won't be long before there's a new little one in the family." She could hear the pride in his statement, see it in the upright lines of his stature. It appeared that someone was looking forward to becoming an uncle.

The two entered the large command room to find all the other Voltron members plus Coran already reading through mail files. The atmosphere surrounding them felt calm and friendly, thus Allura determined that no horrible attacks had occurred since their last communique. She felt relieved.

Lance noticed them first. "Hey, good morning! Hunk, you sly devil, you didn't tell me you were dating the princess." He winked over at her, a big grin upon his handsome features. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his boyish behavior. She heard Hunk chuckle briefly beside her as Keith glanced first at them then at his second.

"Knock it off, Lieutenant."

"Sorry, Cap'n. Your Highness, I have routed all your reports to the far left terminal. Hunk, yours are on the back terminal."

Allura thanked him, walked over to the computer station and began reading. Half a dozen planets reported minor skirmishes with Drule fighters. Vehicle Voltron took heavy hits in a Doom sabotage attack while flying escort for medical supplies to Alpha Centauri, so close to home! She bet they were reeling from that one and wondered what Jeff told Keith. Alliance Intelligence informed her of increasing ore mining in the Drule's asteroid belt, and fires on planet Metzal still ran rampant, escalating the casualties into the double digits, but the war analysts predicted that.

Loud guffaws erupted in the chamber. "Oh, my gosh," Pidge said between breaths. "That was hilarious! Guys, you gotta hear this one. Okay, what is the ugliest body in space?"

A pregnant pause hung in the air, looks of dread passing among the rest of the team. Everyone knew Chip sent these awful jokes.

"Ur-anus!!!!" Pidge beamed and started laughing again. Lance groaned. Keith pinched his forehead, eyes closed. Allura stood puzzling out the riddle in bewilderment while Coran frowned.

"So, Hunk, buddy, what did you thi--" Pidge's voice caught in mid sentence and he said nothing further. A chill silence fell over the room as each person subconsciously noticed that Hunk had not laughed at the pun, which he usually did, and each looked over to where the large man stood staring at the comm.

What Allura saw sent tremors down her spine.

Hunk's entire body had gone still as a statue and his skin had drained of color to a marble whiteness. His brown eyes, which normally contained a quiet love of life and whose outside corners dimpled in young laugh lines, had grown wide and dull in astonishment, losing any gaiety they might have held. His bottom lip quivered slightly in trying to say something and tension tightened his brows as his mind worked to process what he had just been reading.

"Hunk?" she asked gently, fearful of his response. "Hunk, what happened?"

He gave no indication that he heard her.

"Please, Hunk, what's going on?" She grew colder with each passing second.

After a minute or two went by, Keith pointedly looked at Lance with a silent command. Instantly a copy of the letter displayed on his screen and he quickly glanced through the missive. Allura could tell when he found the cause for alarm for his breath caught and his eyes stopped scanning and he too grew still as death. Dread coursed through her own body.

Her need to know overtook any qualms about privacy and she quietly opened that same note and skimmed till she got to this declaration.

'I am sorry to inform you, my son, but your sister had to be rushed to the emergency room last Thursday in great abdominal pain and then gushing fluids. The placenta ruptured. The doctors and nurses worked diligently but could not save the baby. Your sister is alive and recovering but emotionally she is in a deep depression. We all are. I wish you could be here. We need your solid presence.'

Allura wanted to reach out to him in comfort, in sympathy, but words would not come to her. She knew the deep pain of familial loss but not that of a small, unborn child. Nothing could connect her lack of experience with his intense grief. All thoughts seamed inadequate, all phrases superficial.

She thought touch might work where language failed, but her movements forward snapped him out of his trance. A flash of deep anguish lit his eyes a second before he turned around and fled away from them. Clearly, these new emotions overwhelmed him.

Keith briefed the rest of the team about the situation. They all stood there in shock, not sure how to react or what to do next. Life would go on and Voltron would still protect Arus, but in that moment everything seemed futile.

Hunk's hopelessness hung over the castle like a northern blizzard, cold and smothering.