Chapter 9: Lights in the Sky

I tried to stay away
You know
Just in case
I've come to realize
We all have our place

"Lights in the Sky" by Nine Inch Nails

Part 1

"I understand. Before I get into details, um...H-How's Larmina?"

"Larmina is fine. She accompanied me on my address."

A twitch of a smile crept up on Allura's pretty lips at the next statement.

"We...managed to get her into a dress, if you can believe it."

Keith could be heard chuckling softly at the imagery. As much as Larmina had despised feminine wear, she had no clue how breathtaking she was, especially to Keith. Dismissing the thought immediately, he cleared his throat.

"That'll be good practice for her. How were they? The people."

"They seemed to take it well. Nervous, yes, but faithful nonetheless."

Keith proceeded to inform Allura on what had come out of the Alliance meeting thus far. So far, it had been concluded that every planet of the Alliance must take part in capturing Wade. There was no way that the Voltron Force could be in multiple places simultaneously. The issue? Trust. The crown princess nodded her head along, absorbing the information. She affirmed the reasoning, allowing Keith to continue. The thought of choosing between her role as queen and a Voltron Force pilot came to mind, making her chest tighten. The thought had been dancing menacingly in her mind for the past few days. If she had to step aside as queen in the matter…that meant that one of the cadets would have to take her place should the situation call for it.

That meant Larmina..

"I see," Allura said. "We shall see how this pans out, I guess?"

"Yes. Let's hope for the best. I have to leave now, so I apologize if this is quick."

"I understand, it's no problem. Oh Keith, before you go.."

"Yes?"

"When you have enough time on your hands, I must discuss something with you concerning Larmina."

"L-Larmina?" he almost choked on thin air.

"Yes," she sighed.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, of course! This is a serious topic, so it cannot be discussed in five minutes. I need your best opinion on the matter, since it concerns her piloting."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Allura thieved a look at her unsuspecting niece over her shoulder before lowering her voice into the voltcom.

"Her piloting. I'm debating on whether or not I should have Larmina take my place in Blue should I be needed on Arus."

"Oh! Oh...I see. Will do, Princess."

She could hear the commander sighing. Was that in frustration? She could not exactly tell. 'He must be stressed,' she reasoned, putting her analytical mind to rest.

"Take it easy, Keith. We will get through this."

"I know, Allura. Talk to you soon."

A café table, composed of iron legs and a cement body, awaited the return of the crown princess. The stained glass surface of the table reflected colors of red, blue, and yellow on the silverware. Larmina appeared rather comfortable dressed in baggy cargo pants and a loose fitting t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Her knees had been brought up to her bosom as she nursed a glass of rich berry juice. Smiling at her niece's unabashed nature, Allura lifted the bottom of her white and navy blue gown before sitting down.

"So...what was that?" asked Larmina casually, settling her crystal glass down.

"It was Keith," said Allura, placing a powder blue napkin across her lap. "He briefed me on whatever progress has been made. So far, he, Coran, and the Alliance are arranging for militaries on various planets to be stationed and be vigilant of Wade and the robeast. This will be a test of trust in the Alliance, but it must be done. A point was made that Voltron cannot be in multiple places at once, should more than one attack occur, so the best way to maintain security in the galaxy is to work together."

"It sounds like they have it figured out," she evaluated with a shrug.

Allura was a little disturbed by Larmina's lack of reaction. This meeting was not for the hell of it. Swallowing down her irritation, the blonde woman continued her explanation.

"There is more to it than devising a plan. Which planets are willing to take part with their militaries? Which militaries are strong enough to participate? Do they have the right technology to identify the threat and fight it off? What will be the communication style used between planets so that it is quick, and Wade does not hack in and figure out the plan?"

"Aunt Allura, I think I get it. I listen in class more than you think."

"You should still listen. You are one of three cadets that I am informing. I trust that you are mature enough to handle this. Especially after this situation...I have been thinking about certain things...concerning you."

Larmina panicked. Her heart ceased to beat. Did Allura know? She could feel time stand still as she watched her aunt gather her words carefully, wringing her hands.

"Larmina," Allura began, her eyes focusing on the silverware before her. "This situation calls for everyone to take part in whatever way they can. Just as Voltron cannot be in two places at once, I cannot be both queen and a pilot. This is not definite just yet, but...you may have to take over Blue should it be appropriate for me to stand by Arus. This will be more serious than a test, but you have shown more progress than your fellow cadets. Can you handle this?"

Choking on words, Larmina chose to her drink berry juice to the last drop, avoiding speech. For a second, she wished the juice had been whiskey instead. Allura patiently awaited an answer, knowing that this had been unexpected for the young lady. When Larmina placed the empty crystal glass back down, Allura empathized with her.

"Larmina, I know this is sudden, and I wish there was more time, but we need all the help we can get. You will be supervised by us, so you are not being thrown into this blindfolded. This isn't final just yet; I will be discussing this with Keith to get his opinion on it."

'Shit,' Larmina mentally cursed. 'I'm not ready! What is he going to say?! Fuck!'

Two days later, Keith and Coran were boarded on an aircraft heading straight to Arus. The past three days had been hectic. If there was one opinion on the matter, then there were dozens of other opinions just waiting to be shouted across the room. Defense. Offense. Protect. Attack. It is phenomenal how, throughout history, one man is able to wreak such havoc amongst multiple societies. Keith never wanted a drink so desperately before.

Fidgeting in his seat, Keith was typing up an electronic briefing of the final decisions to Allura and the rest of the Force. Arus was set up. Ariel was being organized and prepared for defenses. Balto was more than ready with the advanced technology, offering to improve Hagaarium sensors. Earth was still in the process of setup, but prepped nonetheless.

Everything was settled as best as possible. It all looked good on paper, or on a screen, in this case. Looking to the side window, watching stars scatter by, the commander could not help but wish to face Wade alone. As much as he respected the courage of the Alliance, he wanted Wade to
himself. 'As long as he is captured...remember that!' he scolded himself. 'This isn't time for a tantrum. Besides, you have to decide on Larmina's piloting.' His stomach churned at the thought. The same girl he had been intimate with would possibly be the girl he throws into the shark pit.

Although the decision was not final, knowing that Larmina would possibly have to fly Blue alone made him uneasy. Do not mistaken; he had faith in the princess's ability. However, after having shared more than just physical contact, the possibility of her in danger under his watch was just too soon, maybe even unthinkable.

Keith mentally slapped himself. She was a cadet! She has been training to take over Blue! It was rare for the commander to be conflicted between decisions. Allura was younger when she had taken over Blue, and she had done just fine, regardless of a few mishaps. Why was Larmina any different? He rubbed his temples as if to smooth out the train wreck of thoughts in his mind.

"Are you alright, Keith?" Coran spoke softly beside him, sipping chamomile tea to ease his aches and pains.

"Fantastic," he muttered sarcastically.

"What ails you? The meeting seemed to end well. We are more than ready as we will ever be."

"It's not that, Coran. It's just...Allura wants my input on Larmina possibly flying Blue in place of Allura should she be needed on Arus. I just don't know if this is the right time with Wade and the spider robeast running loose."

The elder ambassador sighed deeply, settling his ceramic tea cup down onto the fold out table that was connected to the seat in front of him. Memories seemed to dance before his dark eyes as he formulated an answer.

"I understand your concern. I was mortified when Allura had taken Black. I recall my heart nearly stopping at the sight of her tumbling down in that lion! Alas, she was alright; nothing Dr. Gorma could not handle. Yes, Larmina is young, but Allura was around her age when she started flying as well."

"I remember," he breathed, recalling the shock he experienced when finding out that Allura had taken out Black unsupervised. "Back then, I was hesitant about the situation, and more than concerned for her safety. I somehow knew that she needed a chance. She demanded a chance. I don't know why, but I just feel differently about Larmina. I tense up."

"Perhaps you are experiencing what all people experience eventually," reasoned Coran, a twitch of his mustache indicating oncoming humor.

"Which is..?"

"Age," Coran chuckled. "You are almost thirty years old, are you not? These past several years, you have changed drastically from the obedient boy I first met a long time ago. You have aged, with all due respect."

"Don't remind me," Keith sighed, unspoken truths lurking about the spoken words.

'Tell Larmina that,' he mentally commented. Raking his fingers through his short black hair, Keith struggled between his emotion and his rationality. 'If you had no relations with her, you would concede to her piloting. Even though this isn't a "relationship," I'm still finding myself involved. Goddamnit, I knew this would bite me in the ass! Hopefully, I'll just speak with Allura and make a decision without Larmina being present.'

"I'll look over her training progress from the past several months," Ketih finally spoke. "Perhaps facts will narrow it all down."

"Sounds like a wise choice, commander. And remember, Princess Larmina is a young adult now. She will be eighteen years old in a few weeks, and will have opinions of her own."

Keith smirked to himself before saying, "I bet she has had opinions even before she could talk."

"A family trait, unfortunately," Coran muttered, sipping the last of his chamomile tea.

Keith had pretty much been a dark blur since his return from earth. He discussed the briefings he had sent to the Force members, sans cadets, in the control room. Soon after questions were addressed, Allura had confronted him privately in the hallway.

"Have you thought about it?" she questioned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been going through my mind, but with the Alliance and all, I haven't come to a decision just yet. She's young, Allura. I just don't know."

"I understand," said the blonde woman, averting her eyes as she retracted her hand from his shoulder. "I'm not comfortable with the possibility either. However, I cannot be here in the castle and in Blue at the same time. And, out of the three cadets, Larmina has been advancing the quickest. She is not ignorant, but she is neglecting her duty as future pilot."

"It seems she doesn't wish to be a pilot."

"It's her destiny, Keith!" she raised her voice.

"I know, I know," Keith rubbed his eyes, trying to ease the tension. "Look, let's call it a day, and figure this out tomorrow. We are not going to figure this out right this instant. Have you talked to Larmina about this?"

"Yes, just after I finished speaking with you a few days ago. She seemed to shut down."

"It is unexpected news for her."

"I know. I know it's unfair, but we need all the help we can get. If Sven wasn't infected, I'd call him in for standby, but that isn't possible right now."

"We'll figure this out tomorrow. I think she should be involved in the conversation. I am not sending out an unwilling cadet into battle should the time come."

"I agree. She won't respond to me. Maybe she will listen to you?"

Keith cleared his throat, his blue eyes staring off into the distance to avoid her gaze.

"We shall see."

"This is Commander Kogane. I'm going out for a ride," Keith assured the guard on security duty via voltcom. "I should be back in about an hour or so."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied, his voice laced with static over the voltcom. "Please check in when returning so we are aware. We should be able to see you on the holoscreens, but this is just precaution."

"I more than understand. Nice work. Over and out.."

After three days of nonstop strategizing and traveling, Keith needed to blow off some serious steam. His black hoverbike was kept in a small garage, located within the hangar bay, where other small vehicles were held. The late night hour seemed to be the perfect time to escape for a while, when everyone else was settling into bed. Walking the slick bike to one of the large metal doors, Keith activated the said door using one of the functions on his voltcom. The large door roared with life as it rose to the top, metal panels snapping in motion. A pleased sigh escaped his lips at the sight of a dirt path.

Freedom.

Before he could pass through the threshold of the door, a small hand grazed his forearm. In a flash, Keith seized the hand in his large palm, turning around to grab hold of the figure.

Wide eyes of light blue stared up at Keith. His grip immediately loosened on the small hand when recognizing the silent intruder.

"Larmina? I-I'm sorry, force of habit.."

The surprised expression quickly disappeared on Larmina's face, her signature sarcastic frown reprising.

"I'll get over it," she assured, rubbing the hand that Keith had grabbed. "We need to talk about Blue."

"I had a feeling you would want to," Keith sighed deeply, looking away as he quickly made a decision. "Alright...Get a helmet from the garage."

"Wait, you don't want to stay here and talk?"

"I need to ride to calm down from these past few days. Either you ride with me and we stop somewhere to discuss this, or you wait until tomorrow. Last I heard, waiting is not your forte."

Initially, Larmina frowned at the comment. However, she knew very well that she preferred action right now, not later. She smirked to herself, walking away in search of a helmet.

"You learn quickly, commander."

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter! New ideas came to mind, so some readjusting was needed. I was going to wait until this chapter became longer, but I want to try and keep updates frequent, so I separated this chapter into two parts. Now that my gig at the elementary school is done, I started a new retail job a few weeks ago (never sell your soul to retail), and my schedule has become a little hectic. I will still be writing, but the updates will be a little random. Hope that's ok!

Thanks again for all your support! I promise, next chapter will be more interesting. :P I'll write back to your messages as soon as I can!