Episode Nine
Shock
Tossing and turning, she hardly slept that night. She was extremely exhausted—she had been feeling like that for the last few days, but she didn't know why. After hours of restlessness, she had finally fallen asleep for few moments, but early before sunrise, she woke up again. Sitting up in her bed, she crawled to the side and looked out the window.
It was mostly silent in the room. As she listened, only the sound of Gabriel's faint breathing filled the dark room. She grabbed her stomach as sickness swirled like a tempest in her body. "What is wrong with me? I feel so nauseated." Getting up, she untangled herself from the mass of blankets, and walked away from the bed. Quietly, she walked towards the doorway and pushed the button to open the door. She stood quiet for a moment, looking back towards the couch then she left the room.
It was strange. She had been feeling extremely sick for the last few days. She worried in silence as she walked down the hallways of the Castle. After a few turns through the corridors, Allura eventually arrived at the medical center. Quietly, she entered the room filled with medical equipment, scanners, and supplies for any kind of emergency. The Queen lay down on a table and pushed a red button near by. The table was contracted into a large circular scanner that would scan her body for problems and concerns.
King Gabriel stood with his arms cross over his chest in the Lion hanger. He stood patiently as their new friend, Rick Star, examined the inner parts of the Black Lion.
"The engineering is amazing!" Rick exclaimed while looking into the Black Lion's core. "The scientist that developed these things must have been a genius."
"It was Queen Allura's father, the late King Alfor."
Rick pulled his head out of the Lion's inner parts. After a week, he was completely healed of the wounds he received. His shaggy brown hair was cut and trimmed to a short spiky style, and his skin was cleaned up. Except, he had some grease on his hands and face from exploring the Lion.
"Do you think you can work on them?" King Gabriel asked.
Rick stood up. "Yes, I believe I have the ability."
Gabriel started walking away from the Lion. Rick began to follow him out of the hanger. The King put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "Then that would make you the Royal Mechanic, Rick Star."
Rick nodded. "Thank you, your Majesty."
"Well, I suppose Nanny has breakfast waiting for us." King Gabriel headed towards the dining room with Rick.
As thought, Nanny had a large breakfast of exotic fruits, breads, and a variety of drinks. The Voltron Force and executive members of the Castle, along with Rick and Cassie took a seat at the table while Nanny served them.
Hunk immediately started tearing into his breakfast before the others could even fill their plates.
"Where's the Queen?" Pidge asked.
"Yes, I haven't seen her all morning. Where is that girl?" Nanny asked. She looked to Gabriel.
Gabriel shrugged. "She was not there when I woke up this morning."
"Do you think something's wrong?" Lance asked. "We can't ever be too careful with Doom still harassing us."
"Wouldn't you have noticed if she disappeared during the night?" Rick spoke up.
Everyone looked around nervously while falling silent. Gabriel gently sighed for a moment then looked up at Rick. "The Queen and I rest in different places."
Rick looked down to his plate, embarrassed.
"Anyway," Pidge broke the silent awkwardness. "What is the agenda for today, commander?" He looked to Gabriel. "Basic maneuvers? Strategy and tactic?"
"I was thinking that after breakfast I'd take each of you, one by one, out on patrol and work on handling. Meanwhile, when the others are back at the Castle, Rick can examine each of the Lions."
"We've never had to replace any parts on the Lions before." Hunk said, with a mouthful of food.
"I'm not thinking about replacement but rather upgrading."
"Upgrading?" Lance questioned.
The conversation was immediately cut short when the Queen hurried into the room, completely flustered. Quickly, she sat down without looking at anyone.
"Queen Allura, are you alright?" Nanny asked.
Allura's head jerked up. Her face was pale and sickly. "I…uh…I'm fine! I'm fine, Nanny!"
"Are you sure?" Lance asked. "You look like a ghost."
"I'm fine," She reassured. She tried to smile. "Everything is fine." She glanced up, looking down towards the opposite end of the table. Her eyes locked with the King's sapphire blue eyes for a brief moment then she tore them away.
"Would you like anything to eat, Highness?" Nanny rolled the cart over towards Allura.
Allura glanced over towards the cart of breakfast food. A sudden swirl in her stomach made her feel extremely sick. "No, thank you. I must excuse myself," Allura said gracefully before running out of the dining room.
"What's with her?" Lance asked.
Gabriel put his hand over his forehead. "I don't know anymore."
Gently, Cassie laid down her silverware and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "The Queen appeared very pale. Perhaps she has the flu?"
Rick nodded. "That's a possibility."
"Are you sure about that?" Pidge asked. "She has been under a lot of stress lately."
Cassie gently turned towards the small pilot. "Stress can weaken one's immunity and allow other infection to set in." She faintly smiled. "Perhaps the Queen needs some proper rest."
"Yes, you're right," Nanny said. "I'll see to it that the Queen is properly taken care of and given plenty of rest." She walked away.
"Wow, you sure know a lot about medicine, Cassie." Hunk said.
"Yeah, and she's pretty too!" Pidge whispered to Hunk, with stars in his eyes. He looked over the gentle young woman with long brown hair and beautiful violet eyes.
Lance glanced over at the young woman but looked away.
"Cassandra used to work in the hospital on Alderaan before the betrayal." Rick said before taking a drink.
"As a doctor?" Pidge asked.
Cassie faintly smiled and shook her head. "I am a commoner. I am not allowed to be a doctor on Alderaan."
"Rick wanted to be a pilot, and you wanted to be a doctor but you couldn't because of the rules on your planet?" Pidge asked.
"Tradition only allowed noblemen and noblewomen to be employed in certain occupations," Gabriel spoke up. "Something I have always considered unfair." He looked over at Rick. "But now, Rick can help us with our Lions, and Cassie is welcome to study anything she wishes here on Arus."
Rick nodded. "Thank you for your kindness, your majesty. It is good to hear that some of the Alderaan Royal Family is still loyal to the people. It warms my heart to know that you and Queen Isabella are still alive."
"Yes, when will we get to meet the Queen?" Cassie asked.
"She has been called to Galaxy Garrison on Earth for questioning over the events of the betrayal. She should be back within two weeks, I'd assume. I'm sure she'd be happy to see some of the survivors of Alderaan alive and well."
Cassie nodded. "Yes, thank you for letting our people rebuild their lives and homes on planet Arus."
The King nodded back.
Together, the Voltron Force along with Nanny, Coran, Rick and Cassie stood in the hanger of the Castle looking over the Lions again. The King, standing next to Rick, put his hand on the Black Lion and looked over his crew. "I've been studying the Lions greatly over the last few months, and I have developed some new upgrades that I think the Lions should go through."
"Interesting." Coran put his hand under his chin. "What you do have in mind, your Majesty?"
"The Lions are an amazing accomplishment, but the enemy is eventually going to learn all our weaknesses and tactics. We need upgrades to compete with Doom's advancing power and technology." The King said.
"I've noticed that the missiles tend to jam under rapid firing," Lance spoke up.
Gabriel nodded. "Yes, these are the kinds of problems we are looking to correct."
Allura stepped forward. "Excuse me, but my father's Lions do not need upgrading!"
"Queen Allura, we're only trying to think of ways of improving Voltron for battle," Coran said. "I think it is a necessary action for the safety of Arus and the Voltron Force."
"My father, King Alfor, built Voltron, and Voltron doesn't need any of his improvements!" Allura pointed angrily at Gabriel. "He is not a true King like my Father was, and he should not be allowed to alter Voltron!"
Nanny stepped forward. "Your Highness, everyone on Arus loves King Gabriel. They are very happy and pleased with your marriage to him."
"Everyone is happy but me because I know what a fraud he is!"
The King stepped forward, reaching out his arms for Allura. "Allura, I'm just trying to protect the people. I didn't mean any disrespect towards your father or Voltron. Your father was a great king and a great scientist."
Allura pushed him away. "That's right! And you'll never be half the man or king my father was!" She glared at him angrily. "And you'll never be the pilot or commander that Keith was!"
The King stood unmoved for a moment as silence filled the hanger. Everyone watched, flabbergasted, as cruel words poured out of Allura's mouth. They never believed all their lives that Allura could be so unkind, but everything had changed about her since Keith died. After the initial shock, Gabriel gently nodded his head and started to walk away. "I'll call for each of you when it's your turn for patrol."
The young Crowned Prince of Doom stood in the empty throne room staring up towards the throne where his father usually sat. Clenching his fist, his mind wandered over all the hopes and dreams that had been crushed over the past two years. The bitter aftertaste of failure filled his mouth as he stood quiet. Images of the golden haired goddess danced through his mind. His eyes drifted up to the throne. He would one day conquer the throne of Doom and make Allura his Queen. Closing his eyes and holding his fist up to his forehead, he uttered gently, "You will be mine, Allura. I will have you at whatever cost."
Snickering echoed through the darkness. "Who's there!" Lotor quickly grabbed his light sword and held it up. "Show yourself!"
Footsteps clicked against the marble floor as Crowned Prince Daisen of Alderaan stepped out of the darkness. "Explain to me Lotor why the beautiful Princess Allura would want someone ugly and inhuman like you?"
"Those are fighting words, Daisen!" Lotor held up his sword, ready to charge.
Daisen only laughed. "No need to fight, Lotor. Only the one who captures Voltron will truly worthy of having Allura."
Lotor put his sword down. "And what makes you so confident that you posses the power of defeating the mighty Voltron?"
The dark-haired prince stood with a sinister smile. "Because unlike you, I know that my brother, King Gabriel, is a bumbling idiot…"
"Yes, the same King Gabriel that has been called the Greatest Pilot in the Galaxy," Lotor interrupted. "He pilots Black Lion even better their former commander."
"Yes, yes, I've heard." Daisen hissed, obviously jealous of his younger brother. "My brother has undeservingly been given Allura, the throne of Arus, and everything else I deserve, but know his weaknesses." He crossed his arms over his chest. "He is too merciful. He doesn't think like a soldier."
"And how is that supposed to help you? Voltron always finds a way around everything we've ever plotted, planned, or prepared. Voltron is invincible!"
"When there's a will, there is a way, Lotor, and I will have Allura for myself."
Lotor's anger flared as he whipped out his light sword again. "I will kill you before you ever lay a hand on Allura!"
Daisen laughed. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you're the best man at my wedding to Allura!"
Lotor raised his arm ready to strike at Daisen.
"LOTOR!" A voice boomed throughout the throne room. Both Lotor and Daisen looked up towards the throne. King Zarkon had just entered with King Charon and the witch Hagar.
"What is the meaning of this?" Zarkon's voice boomed.
Lotor and Daisen both stood silent and ashamed in the presence of the King of Doom. Both of them kept their heads low, but continued to exchange wrathful glances.
Hagar, holding her blue cat, stroked its fur gently. "Sire, jealousy boils in their blood. The Queen of Arus they both desire."
Zarkon sighed. "Fools! Can't you do keep your wits straight or will you let a woman and lusty passions destroy you?" He slammed his fist down on his throne. "Your infatuation with this stupid girl is destroying my empire!"
"But Father…"
"But nothing!" Zarkon boomed.
Boldly, Lotor took a step forward. "It is only because I mirror your traits so greatly that I desire this woman."
"What do you mean?"
"Father, your cruelty has been passed to me as it was from your father from generation to generation. It is in my blood to see such a woman suffer under my control. It is in my blood to break her spirit and destroy her. I must make her my personal slave. I am a conqueror, and when I cannot conquer, I go mad."
King Zarkon touched his chin and pondered for a moment. "I suppose you might have a point there, my son." He thought some more. "As I have stated before, to which ever one of you that proves victorious in defeating Voltron, the Queen will be yours."
"Excellent," Lotor said.
"That's very well then since I have a team in place already on the surface of Arus, my Lord," Daisen spoke up, stepping forward.
Lotor looked over at him with an angry glare.
"What is this plan, my son?" King Charon asked.
Daisen took another step forward. "After careful observation of the Castle of Lion's operations, I have noticed that frequently the Voltron Force will take the Lions out to practice maneuvers or patrol certain areas of the planet. I have assembled a small force to attack one of these Lions when it is isolated. If we succeed, we can send a Robeast to Arus, and attack. Without one of the Lions, Voltron cannot be formed."
"Interesting plan, but do you have a Robeast?" King Zarkon asked.
Daisen nodded fervently. "Yes, the best one ever. Hagar and I have been working on it in secret for weeks."
The blue King looked over at the witch. "Is this true?"
"Yes, Sire, it is one of my most evil creations, and with the help of Prince Daisen, it will surely defeat Voltron." The witch looked over at King Charon. "Your son has such a mind of evil that I would have thought it he was born on Doom."
"Thank you, witch," King Charon nodded.
It was mid afternoon when Gabriel and Pidge came in with their Lions. They had been out patrolling a section of Arus while working on combat skills and battle tactics. With the help of King Gabriel, each of the pilots was growing tremendously in his ability to pilot the Lions. The strong King came into the hanger with the short young Pidge at his side.
"How was your exercise, Pidge?" Hunk asked.
"It was amazing!" He exclaimed while putting off his green helmet. "Gabriel showed me a 360º lateral spin."
The King smiled pulling off his black helmet. "Yes, and he was marvelous at it too. You're a fine pilot, Pidge."
Lance was sitting at a table looking at a magazine. "Well, I guess we should page the Queen for the last patrol, eh?"
"Oh, right," Gabriel uttered nervously.
Rick walked up rubbing his hands on a white cloth. "I'm glad you're back. Blue Lion is talking a little more time than I expected for repairs. I'm afraid that you won't be able to take it out for the last patrol."
Gabriel pondered for a moment.
"I guess the Queen won't be going out today," Hunk said.
"Yeah, but she really needs to work on her evasive actions," Lance said.
Pidge shrugged his shoulders. "But she is sick. Maybe we should let her rest."
Gabriel shook his head. "I'd rather push her when she's sick than to have her get hurt in battle because she was unprepared."
Lance nodded. "That's right."
"But Blue Lion won't be ready for take-off, you Highness," Rick restated.
"That's alright. I'll take her out in Black Lion."
Lance looked up from his magazine. "You're going to let the Queen pilot Black Lion? Are you sure?"
The King nodded. "Yes, she is Arusian Royalty. She should learn how to pilot all of the Lions, not just the Blue one."
"You probably shouldn't push her so hard, Gabriel," Pidge said.
"She'll be alright," Gabriel replied.
Footsteps crossed the floor. The men looked up to see the Queen standing in her pink pilot uniform. She walked over to them. "Do you think it is proper to speak about someone in their absence?" She glared at Gabriel.
Gabriel looked away. "I said nothing improper, my lady. I was only mentioning my wishes for you to learn to pilot Black Lion."
"I should be the one piloting the Black Lion anyway!" She hissed before walking off towards the lion.
Pidge gave Gabriel a thumbs-up. "Good luck!"
Lance rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you'll need it with her."
Gabriel turned around, and starting walking while putting on his black helmet. "Wait up, Allura."
Prince Daisen looked over the vast deserts of Arus through his binoculars. With a group of Doom soldiers, he patiently awaited for the sight of one of the Lions. They were on the far side of the planet Arus, many miles away from the Castle of Lions—a perfect place to stage the trap.
Mounted and ready, one of the Doom soldiers had a small laser cannon ready for fire. He had to make the hit count. They were only going to fire once upon the Lion, hoping to make the accident look like a mechanical failure rather than an attack. Once the Lion was down, Daisen could radio back to planet Doom for the special Robeast.
"Sire, look!" One of the soldiers pointed out in the distance. "Dust!"
Daisen looked through his binoculars towards the horizon. He grinned. "Perfect." The Black Lion was heading right into his trap.
"Now ease the joysticks back," Gabriel said.
"I know," Allura hissed. "It isn't my first time to pilot a Lion." She did as he asked, and they gently were swept upward in the air.
"Now jerk back harder."
She did so, and they sky-rocketed up into the air harder and faster than she was used too. The Lion started to shake violently as they accelerated at incredible speeds towards a high altitude."
She started to cry out in fear, but Gabriel reached up to the control panel and pushed a button. The shaking began to stop. "Now jerk it back in quickly."
She did as she was commanded, but she felt terrified with the rapid plummeting back towards the ground. "I have to pull up!"
"No!" He firmly commanded. "Push through!"
"You're going to kill us!" She screamed.
"I order you to push through!"
Faster and faster they approached the ground and what seemed to be the last second, he ordered her to roll in the air to land on the Lion's feet. Successfully, she managed to do what was asked without crashing. They hit the ground hard and bounced upward. Once they hit the ground again, Allura collapsed back into her seat, panting heavily.
"Are you alright?" Gabriel asked.
"You almost got us killed!"
"We're perfectly fine, Allura."
She threw off her seatbelt. "I am not going to let you get us killed with this reckless piloting!"
"Allura, you pilot with fear! You're not pushing your limits! You're always playing it save and holding yourself back. You've got to push yourself and discover the limits of these Lions! We need every bit of skill we've got!"
"Keith would have never asked me to do such a thing!" Allura yelled.
"I'm not Keith for the last time!" Gabriel yelled back.
"Quickly! Now is the time to fire since they are standing stationary!" Daisen waved his arm in the direction of Black Lion. On command, the Doom soldier fired the laser cannon towards the Lion. A small ball of red energy shot out of the cannon and flew towards the Lion. With a direct hit, the energy ball hit the Lion's front right leg at the joint.
Suddenly, the Black Lion started to shake, interrupting Gabriel and Allura's fight. The lights flickered for a moment until the Lion stopped shaking. Once the power came back on, the control panel popped up with an alert showing that the leg had been damaged.
"Something must have blown in the Lion's leg." Gabriel looked at the panel.
"Maybe if you weren't recklessly piloting, parts wouldn't blow up!" Allura added sarcastically.
"We really don't need your nagging right now, Allura!" Gabriel snapped before getting out of the Lion.
"I'm not a nag!" Allura quickly followed behind him.
The two pilots crawled out of the Lion and landed on the ground. They looked up to examine the leg of the Lion for a few moments.
"I don't understand. I had Alaric check it over and make upgrades before we left."
"Perhaps your upgrades are really degrades?" Allura suggested, with a smirk on her face.
"Ha! Very clever," Gabriel muttered, angrily.
"What are we going to do, O fearless leader?"
Frustrated, Gabriel looked away from her towards the horizon. The sun was beginning to set. He took the small gold radio off his belt and contacted the Castle of Lions. "Coran, do you copy?"
"Yes, your Highness, what is the matter?"
"We're way out in grid 10 on the edge of the desert, and we've had a mechanical failure. I don't believe we'll be able to make it back to the Castle of Lions tonight."
"Should I send a repair team, Highness?" Coran asked.
"No, I don't think will be safe to send a team out at night. Doom squads patrol too often at night. It wouldn't be safe at all."
"But what about you and the Queen, your Highness?"
Gabriel looked around the desert and cliffs while talking on the radio. There's a cave near by. I think we can at least move Black Lion into it so we can hide for the night. Then straight away in the morning, send a repair team."
"Are you sure this is safe, your Highness?"
"Yes, we'll be fine. There are extra rations and supplies in the Black Lion. We'll be alright for the night."
"As you wish, Highness." Coran cut the transmission.
Across the horizon, Daisen watched through his binoculars with a large smirk on his face. "They're checking it out. They must not expect it's an attack. Good." He looked back to the soldiers. "Radio back to planet Doom and tell them to send the Robeast."
"Yes, sir!"
A Doom Soldier rushed through the throne room. He bowed. "Sire, Prince's Daisen's plan has been successful thus far. He requests that the Robeast be sent immediately to planet Arus."
"Excellent! Alert Hagar to send forth the Robeast!"
"Yes, Sire." The soldier ran off.
The evil King looked back to his new ally. "Your son may even be more evil than my own. Perhaps it will be Daisen that we see becoming Lord of the Universe after my commission."
King Charon grinned.
Deep within Hagar's laboratory, she worked diligently to prepare this new Robeast for Prince Daisen. She had just finished her creation and had already packed it away in a coffin. She only awaited the orders to send the creature.
Hidden within the shadows, Prince Lotor, stared at the coffin. If Daisen succeeded, he would have Allura. He clenched his fists—he could not allow that to happen. When the witch became preoccupied with some soldiers, he walked up to the coffin and grabbed hold of one of the jet packs. He ripped it off the coffin then quickly returned to the darkness just in time. The old witch had just received the orders to send the Robeast to Arus. Lotor grinned as he looked at the jet pack in his hand. The Voltron Force would have plenty of time to repair the Lion before the Robeast ever reached Arus. Daisen would fail.
"Well, this is lovely!" Allura looked around the dismal cave. They managed to limp the Black Lion into the cave and hide from any possible air attack from planet Doom. Outside, Gabriel managed to find enough Cliffside brush to start a fire and keep it going for the night. Inside the Black Lion, they had a few rations that would last them a couple of days, if needed, and a sleeping bag. Naturally, the Queen called her rights to the sleeping bag while Gabriel was going to have to sleep on the cold ground.
"I'm sorry. There's not much more I can do," Gabriel uttered.
"You could leave the Voltron Force! We'd all be better off for it!" She took a bite of one of the energy bars in her rations. "Because of you, I'm stuck here in this cold rotten cave eating these nasty bars!"
Gabriel kept his back turned towards her, feeling the tension and anger rise inside of him.
Frustrated, the Queen stood up and threw the bar into the fire. "I hate this place! I hate this food! And I hate you!"
"Don't you think I already know that!" Gabriel snapped. "You've told me enough to last a lifetime!"
"Then why don't you get the hint and leave! You'll never be a good King, and you'll never be a good pilot!
More tension fell heavy upon his shoulders. A volcano of rage, building from the months of pressure, started to blow within him.
"You're nothing like Keith!" She yelled, gentle tears flowing from her eyes. "You're nothing like him at all! You're pathetic! You're worthless!"
That was it! Those were the words he heard all his life from his father, and he wasn't going to take them from her. He spun around quickly, fury burning in his eyes. Eyes that usually were compassionate and gentle were now like daggers wishing for blood. Seeing them, Allura started back for a moment and stopped talking.
"DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?" Gabriel boomed, the loudness of his voice shook the cave. It wasn't his usual yell, but it was a mighty powerful raging voice from the very pit of his despair. He charged forward, grabbing Allura's arm. "I SAID, DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?"
Immediately, Allura began to sob heavily and pull away from him. She shook her head and sobbed harder while trembling with fear. Gabriel's rage in that moment reminded her of something Lotor or Zarkon would do. It frightened her terribly.
Gabriel firmly squeezed her wrist. "ANSWER ME! DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?"
She shook her head. "No," she managed to utter between sobs. She tried to catch her breath. He let go of her arm, and it returned gently to her side. She stood before him broken and frail, like a scared child. His anger only grew as silence passed by, but she tried hard to catch her breath. She shook her head again and looked up into his angry eyes. "Gabriel…" She started to sob but stopped herself. "…I'm pregnant."
"What?" Gabriel uttered, feeling his rage melt instantly. "You're what?"
She began to sob again. "I'm pregnant," She choked out.
He felt like the most wretched creature in the universe. "Allura, oh god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He rushed forward, taking the weeping Queen into his arms. She readily embraced him and sobbed against his chest. His arms went around her and held her tightly in place. "I'm so sorry, Allura. I'm so sorry for yelling at you."
Instantly, his uniform became wet from her tears. "What are we going to do, Gabriel? What are we going to do? We can't live like this! Not with children!"
"I don't know, Allura." He stroked her blonde hair as he kept his hand over her head, keeping her to his chest. "I don't know."
"I don't know what to do either."
Gabriel pulled back to look at Allura's face. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
She was still crying. "I just found out this morning. I've been feeling so sick lately, and I went to the medical center to have the machines scan my body. It told me that I was pregnant."
Shocked, he stood helpless for a moment. "To think, we've only been together one time, and now we're going to have a child."
She wiped her tears. "Actually, we're having twins, Gabriel."
"Twins?" As if one child didn't seem like enough, now there were two. He nodded then took Allura back into his arms. Her head thudded against his chest, and she began to cry on him again.
Something was wrong. Daisen looked angrily at the sky awaiting the arrival of the Robeast. It was hours overdue. Something within his senses told him that Lotor was behind it all. Frustrated, he sat down on a rock and waited. "Allura will be mine!"