Beginner's Resistance
Ch. 10: Meeting in the Embassy
Disclaimer: I don't own the Voltron Force or its characters (including the Wadedroids)—they belong to World Events Productions. The good news is that Diana, Ethel, Bernice, Deborah, Alex, Cheryl, and Hyacinth are all my characters!
A week later, Diana was rudely waken-up by a group of Wadedroids. "Time for your weekly rehab session and shower. Time for your weekly rehab session and shower."
"Rehab for what? I don't need a rehab session." Diana mumbled to herself. Before Diana could do anything, she was grabbed by a couple of Wadedroids. The rest of the group woke-up and didn't panic.
"This must be your weekly rehab session and shower," Bernice called out as the Wadedroids slowly pulled Diana towards the door to other parts of The Void. "I didn't think that your day was coming up so soon."
"That makes two of us," Diana replied back. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She called out to the group. The robots took her down a few doors and forced her to sit down on a chair in the middle of a room. As they left the room and locked the door. A bright light shined on Diana as Wade's face was shown on the large screen.
"Diana Smythe-Williams, welcome to your first rehab session," Wade said. "These sessions are here to help you get back into my good graces. We'll meet weekly until you disclose everything about the Den Resistance or until I need you again."
"I'll never disclose anything about the Resistance. And I'll never help you again." Diana said.
"Never say never," Wade replied. "Let's start. Who are you in the Den Resistance?"
"Wouldn't you love to know that?" Diana replied. "To answer your question, for me to know and you to never find out."
"Cute, very cute," Wade responded. Diana responded with a snort. "What made you join the resistance against me?"
"Do you really have to ask me that question?" Diana asked back. "The better question would be what made you such an ass to people?"
Wade narrowed his eyes at Diana. "I would watch your words if I was you." Diana rolled her eyes as she asked why should she. "You wouldn't want me to be ugly," Diana muttered under her breath that it was already too late. After denying she said anything, Wade asked when did she join the Resistance. Diana remarked that she'll never tell and asked when did he decide to be an ass. Wade ignored the question before asking another one. "Why did you join the Resistance?" Diana answered by asking if he really had to ask that question, considering his past with her. Sighing, Wade finally asked where did she join them.
"Wouldn't you love to know that? You'll just have to keep guessing." Diana replied, shrugging her shoulders. Wade threw some places out and Diana denied them all. Wade asked Diana how she joined the Resistance.
"Did you have to be hazed? Selected? Volunteered? Secret Handshake?"
"All I had to do is raise my shirt at Mardi Gras in New Orleans," Diana remarked with a smile. Wade started to ask if she was serious but stopped when Diana laughed at her answer. "You'll never get those answers, Wade."
"It's ok. When I catch the rest of your little friends, I'll get my answers. I'll get my evidence and then prosecute everyone involved. You'll be sorry that you didn't cooperate with me." Wade said with a smile. Diana remarked not likely. "And since we're done with the questions for this session, we'll take you to some physical rehab. Enjoy the water and I'll see you next week and you'll give me the answers I wanted." As quick as the light was turned on, it was turned off. A couple of the robots grabbed Diana and took over a few doors over to a shower area. The next thing she knew, the robots had two heavy hoses and was spraying highly pressured water all over Diana from head to toes. The pressure of the water forced Diana to fall to her hands and knees. The hosing continued for another 15 minutes before another set of robots picked Diana up and took her to where she received her first set of clothes. Minutes later, she was taken to the infirmary for a check-up before being pushed back into the open yard with everybody else.
Alex was the first one to notice Diana return and ran to help her up and guided her back to their favorite bench. Diana was asked by everyone if she was ok. "I'm fine. I'm going to complain to management that they need to give us a choice of bath products." Cheryl pointed out that Diana was making a long list of complaints about The Void. Cheryl also stated that she remembered how Diana was making a similar list about Wade when they first met at the Embassy.
"I also seem to recall that you and Lance were pretty cozy during the meeting. I never knew that you just met Lance and were already swimming in denial." Alex added in.
"I was not cozy with Lance during that meeting. We were just quick friends." Diana countered.
"Tell it to somebody who doesn't know you," Bernice replied with a smile. "In fact, there were times when there were some major hand holding and whispering. Especially if you thought nobody was looking at the two of you."
"We were not holding hands and such. It was too early for that to happen." Diana replied. "In fact, I hated mornings at that time." Everyone laughed at Diana's attempts to deny there was anything happening then.
"You know the night before was a big night. So was the two nights before since I know that most of us had to attend both the graduation ball and the installation ball." Ethel added in. "In fact, I still remember that first meeting with everybody at the Embassy. I was the first to arrive, then Bernice, followed by Cheryl and Alex, and somehow Diana was the last to arrive—as well as a certain Voltron Pilot."
*****Five years ago at the Arusian Embassy*****
Ethel thanked the Lyft driver for the ride to the Arusian Embassy as she left the car. With a smile, Ethel paid for her ride and gave him a review before looking at the Embassy. She was amazed that the Embassy looked more like a private house rather than a government building. Ethel went up the steps to the front door and pressed the intercom button as she noticed that it was 9 AM.
"Welcome to the Arusian Embassy. How may I help you?" A soft voice answered the call.
"I was asked to be here as soon as possible from Commander Keith," Ethel replied.
"Are you Ethel Acenas?" The voice asked. "Can you show the id to the camera, please?" Ethel nodded and flashed her id in front of the small camera. "Ok, Ms. Acenas, you've been verified. Just pull on the door when you hear the chime." A few seconds later, Ethel heard the chime and pulled on the door to enter the Embassy. As Ethel stepped into the wide foyer she was amazed by the interior. On her left was the receptionist's area—a booth that seemed to be carved into a marble wall with a sliding window and a small-frame woman was sitting as she was typing into a keyboard. On Ethel's right was a bench with a long cushion that also seemed nested into the marble wall. A few steps more, Ethel could tell that a person would have to step down two steps to enter the reception room. "Ms. Acenas, please sign here while Commander Keith makes his way here." The receptionist called out, breaking Ethel out of her admiration for the entranceway. After Ethel was finished signing her name on the visitor log, she was given a visitor badge and was asked to wait in the reception room for Keith.
The reception room looked more like a living room. It was a long rectangular sized room and was divided into three sections: a reading section, a sitting section, and a media section. The reading section was to the far right and boasted of an oversized black couch, two matching black chairs, end tables with lamps and a coffee table in the middle. The reading section also had three small bookcases serving as a room boundary. The area was also accessorized with a large black rug. The sitting section also boasted of an oversized blue couch, two matching sofas, end tables with lamps and a coffee table in the middle, with a large blue area rug. The last section of the room was the media area. The media area had a white couch, two matching white chairs, three end tables, and a white area rug. On the wall of the media section was a large tv screen with an option to switch to either a communication mode or a computer mode. Ethel whistled as she made her way to the sitting section and noted that there was a staircase to the left of the room.
A couple of minutes later, Keith, Coran, and Hyacinth entered the reception room. "Ethel! Thank you for coming. I would like for you to meet two very important people to Arus. This is the Arusian Ambassador Dr. Hyacinth Smythe-Williams and the Royal Advisor Coran Smythe. Coran and Hyacinth, this is Ethel Acenas."
"It's a pleasure to meet you personally, Ethel," Hyacinth said as she shook hands with Ethel. "I have some of your early jewelry designs in my personal collection."
"It's my pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Dr. Smythe-Williams. Thank you for purchasing my early work."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Ethel," Coran stated, also shaking hands with Ethel. "I also have an early piece of yours in my personal collection."
"Thank you Advisor Smythe," Ethel replied. "I'm sorry that I met you under a stressful time," Ethel stated.
"We've been through worse," Keith said. "Let's make our way to the conference room. Breakfast is being served there as we talk about yesterday." Coran, Hyacinth, and Ethel nodded their heads in agreement and took the hallway to the right to make it to the conference room. After passing 4 doors, they took a left turn and headed towards a long hallway before making another left and entered the conference room at the first door at the right. The room was sizeable, with a long rectangular table in the middle. On the far right wall was a large tv mounted on the wall. Under the tv was a small bookshelf filled with several pieces of technology, including some of the older technology pieces for back-up. Lining the back wall was several windows which featured the other side of the courtyard. Under the windows were several smaller tables that were full of warm food and drinks. On the far left wall was a map of Arus and a map of Earth. Under the maps were another set of small bookcases that were filled with globes and paper atlases of several planets. On either side of the wall were several bookcases filled with volumes of books. As Ethel walked further into the room, she noticed that in front of each chair was a datapad that could bring up a holographic computer screen if needed.
"Ethel, please feel free to help yourself to the breakfast buffet there," Hyacinth stated as she walked towards the table. "We'll have enough for everyone at the meeting."
"Thank you, Dr. Smythe-Williams," Ethel replied as she followed her hosts to the table. Ethel grabbed a plate and helped herself to some scrambled eggs, a couple of pancakes, a couple of pieces of bacon and finally a large glass of orange juice. Ethel also placed her silverware under the plate before choosing to sit with her back to the door. Ethel noted that her hosts also filled their plates the same way and for the most part chose hot coffee over the juice. As Ethel started to eat her breakfast, the conference door opened and two new arrivals entered the room.
"Princess Allura, Princess Bernice, I would like for you to meet Ethel Acenas. Ethel, please meet Her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Arus and Her Royal Highness Princess Bernice of Cetrac." Ethel stood up from her seat and curtsied both princesses before speaking.
"It's an honor to meet you both, your majesties," Ethel said, unsure if she was addressing Allura and Bernice properly.
"It's a pleasure to meet the person who designed my engagement set," Allura stated. "And, please feel free to call me Allura. I have a feeling that we will be working closely in the future."
"And, please, feel free to call me Bernice," Bernice added. "I'm a great admirer of your works and I hope to work with you closely as well."
"Thank you, Allura and Bernice," Ethel said with a smile. "I look forward to working with you in the future as well." Allura and Bernice nodded at Ethel before going to the breakfast bar to serve themselves. Ethel returned to her seat and noticed that Coran sat two seats from Keith and that Hyacinth was sitting next to him. Bernice chose to sit next to Ethel, across from Allura who sat between Keith and Coran.
Fifteen minutes later Cheryl, Alex, Hunk, and Pidge enter the room. Keith introduces Ethel to the group. At the same time, Hunk and Pidge take the time to introduce Cheryl and Alex to the group. After the introductions were made, the foursome made their way to the breakfast bar and filled up their plates as well as cups of both coffee and orange juice before joining the table. Hunk and Alex took the last two seats on the other side of Keith as Pidge and Cheryl took the seats on the other side of Ethel.
Once everyone was settled in their seats, Keith frowned when he noticed that two people were still missing. "Does anyone know where Diana and Lance are?" Before anyone could answer, the door opened as Lance and Diana rushed in together. "Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex meet my second in command, Lance McClain and Dr. Smythe-Williams' daughter, Diana. Lance and Diana, meet Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex."
"Hello everyone. Pleased to meet you." Diana said, shaking their hands as she made her way to the breakfast buffet.
"The same here," Lance said as he shook their hands. "Although we unofficially met the last two nights," Lance replied as he joined Diana at the breakfast bar. Lance tried to put a few pieces of bacon on Diana's plate when she slapped his hand away. Hyacinth and Coran noticed the interaction between Diana and Lance at the breakfast bar and waited until they settled into the last two seats before asking them a question.
"So, is there something we should know about you and Lance, Diana?" Hyacinth asked as she took a few sips of her coffee.
Diana placed her fork back down on the table before answering. "No, mother. I apologize for being late and for my rude manners. I'm getting used to a having a bodyguard and having to tell him he wasn't allowed to the meeting took a few more minutes than I hoped." Diana picked her fork back up before taking a few bites of her eggs. "And flyboy here was just lost and didn't want any directions. I just happened to walk by and guide him to the room."
"Nothing at all, Dr. Smythe-Williams," Lance replied. "But it's not from a lack of trying on my part."
"But now that we're all here, we can focus for the reason for our meeting," Diana replied, trying to guide the conversation back to the meeting instead of focusing on what may or may not be happening between her and Lance. Keith cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention before speaking again.
*****Present Day, The Void*****
Bernice thought about the breakfast meeting. "That's when Keith shared what happened the night before at Headquarters. In fact, all of us took turns sharing about what happened the night before. I remember feeling left out since I had nothing to report."
"That's right. You even asked why we were there since it we weren't part of the team." Ethel added.
"And while Keith was explaining why we were invited to the meeting a couple wasn't paying attention to the conversation," Alex said. "In fact, I remembered that they were called out on it, too."
"Lance and Diana stopped whatever conversation they were having and denied the whispering," Cheryl added in with a smile. "What did you two talk about then?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana said with a smile. "It wasn't important and it's not worth having to repeat." She stretched her arms out again and then linked them behind her head.
"So, you're just going to keep us in the dark?" Ethel remarked freely. Diana rolled her eyes as the group put forth their theories on the private conversation in between fits of laughter.
*****5 years ago at the Arusian Embassy*****
"Alright, let's get to business," Keith said, taking back the conversation from Diana. "We'll have everyone share what happened to them after the Celebration. After that, we'll compare notes and go through some options. Wade likes to think ahead and we're already behind the 8-ball so to speak. I'll share what we went through as a team in Wade's office. Then we'll get to everyone else starting with Alex and Cheryl." Everyone nodded their head in agreement.
Keith went on to tell everyone in the room a quick recap of their meeting with Wade last night. Princess Allura told Wade that the lions never attacked civilians before. Pidge and Hunk said that Voltron's technology was very advanced—even more than the Alliance could ever hope for. They also stated that whatever happened, it came from external sources. Wade yelled at Pidge and Hunk for a few minutes stating that it's impossible for the source to be external. Wade also shared that he has two crews going through the lions right now. Keith shared slightly more than basic information about Voltron and how this incident is a fluke. Every time Wade asked Lance a question, Lance either answered back in a question or made a joke of the question. After two hours of talking with the team, Wade dismissed the Voltron Force and promised to follow-up with them in the morning.
"So that's what happened to us. While we were at Wade's office, we heard that Cheryl and Alex were at the hangar at HQ going over the lions. Can you tell us what you two went through with the technical sections?"
"We were surprised that we were asked to help out. They pulled us from my parents' hotel suite. Then when we got there they wanted us to go through the systems to see what happened." Alex said. "I wasn't sure what they wanted us to do anyway."
"It's not like we've worked on Voltron before or anything. Just theory and simulations." Cheryl replied. "They had us go through each lion's technical systems and mechanical systems to figure out what happened. We couldn't pinpoint anything."
"Same here. All we could come up with is that the Lions reacted to black lion. After our teams swept through the lions for hours, we stopped for the night with a temporary report. Our team leaders pulled Cheryl and me apart and shared that they personally think that the Lions were sabotaged and couldn't prove it. We're supposed to go back to the lions sometime today." Alex replied.
"Which is a waste of time. I'm thinking that this happened for another reason besides putting the lions out of commission. And Alex's dad shared about the new material his company's making on the west coast." Cheryl replied.
"That's what I needed to hear. We'll come back to that later." Keith said. "How about you Bernice? What happened to you?"
"Nothing. I was escorted back to my hotel suites. I was also assigned a bodyguard that just had to follow me here to the embassy." Bernice stated. "I had no communication with Wade since our brief conversation during the celebration about my planet's intent to the Alliance. Which has ultimately been ignored several times."
"Alright. Ethel, how was your night?"
"I took the bus to the celebration and ended up going to an acquaintance's house overnight. My apartment was blocked off for some reason—even though it was several blocks away from the celebration. Other than that, I have nothing." Ethel replied. "I'm not sure why I'm even here."
"I'll explain that in a little bit. Diana, we saw you leave HQ as we were arriving." Keith said, looking at Diana. "I believe you had a meeting with Wade as well?"
"Unfortunately, I had to meet with that bastard," Diana said, crossing her arms.
"Diana, your language!" Hyacinth chided.
"There's actually more names and words she could use to refer to the esteemed marshal." Lance drawled as he got up from his chair and went to raid the buffet again for fruit. "Bastard is probably the nicest one she could call him."
"She can call him by his title or last name. She knows better." Hyacinth answered Lance. "And she knows an acceptable language." Diana rolled eyes as Lance returned back to his seat with a plate full of fruit. Diana snatched a few grapes from his plate before continuing.
"Anyway, Marshal Wade made sure that I met with him immediately after separating Princess Bernice and me from what was left of the VIP section. Evelyn, Wade's assistant told me that my mom was safe before I entered his office. After a short round of cordial greetings, our conversation started" Diana said, giving her mother a saintly look before continuing. "I shared how I felt about the situation including the point that I knew he had his hands over it. He didn't deny the accusations but told me that I would never be able to prove it. As I was going to slap him, he warned me not to lay a finger on him."
Diana paused and took a deep breath. "When I asked him why he simply told me that he re-activated The Void and said that I would be sent there. He then presented his job offer again." Diana said pausing as her left hand was being held by Lance under the table tightly. She took a quick look at her mother before facing Lance. The reassurance on his face gave her the strength to continue the rest of the story. "I told him not on my life would I ever work for him. He gave me a smirk as he stated what about my mother. He told me that he would withdraw the guards here which would threaten my mother's life."
Hyacinth's face went pale. "He did what? That's it—"
"No need mother." Diana interrupted. "I decided that I'll take his offer to be the next Lead Behavioral Analyst. The first stipulation is my babysitter, sorry, I mean bodyguard until Wade deems otherwise. Wade sent the rest of my stipulations and my first day of duty is two weeks from Monday." Diana finished as she released her hand from Lance's hold. She walked to Hyacinth and gave her a tight hug. "Mom, everything is going to be ok. No matter what happens, I'll always protect you, Mom. Wade won't get away with this."
"That's my angel," Hyacinth said, returning the hug before releasing Diana. Diana kissed her mother's forehead before walking back to her seat next to Lance. "Diana's always been my little protector ever since she was a child. She's been even more protective since her father died. I can't live without her."
"You won't have to, Dr. Smythe-Williams," Lance said. "We're going to make sure that the both of you enjoy long lives together. That's what we do as Defender of the Universe." Lance said. "And Defender of beautiful women across the galaxies." Diana rolled her eyes as Hyacinth thanked the Voltron Force for protecting the universe.
"Back at the matter at hand," Keith said, getting everybody's attention again. "Ethel and Bernice you're probably wondering why you were called here to the meeting."
"Yes, the thought did occur," Bernice replied.
"I called the two of you here because I felt that you two could give us some insight we're missing out on. Although you had the least interaction with him, you both stated that you can't trust Wade either. It never hurts to have an extra set of eyes in planning."
"I'll try. I can't see how it'll help, but I'll try." Ethel said.
"The same here," Bernice replied. "I just know that he can't go unchecked."
"That's what the council is for," Coran replied. "It should be the check and balance to Wade's office."
"But even that can fail. How many times has past nations had checks and balances and still fall under unjust administrations and rulers?" Diana said. "It doesn't hurt to have a little back-up. I still don't trust Wade as far as I can throw him."
"Before we go off track with feelings and personal stories, let's recap everything," Keith said. He quickly recapped all the stories shared in the room before piecing the stories together and repeating the timeline, using a holographic screen so everyone could follow. Occasionally Lance would pull Diana closer and whisper something to her. Diana would respond back in a whisper before turning back to the screen.
When Keith weaved the timeline back to the scans of the Lions, Lance pulled Diana closer to him again. "Why didn't you tell me everything Wade said to you in his office?" He whispered.
"Because I didn't have time to. I gave you the Cliff notes version." Diana whispered back. "It's not like you're my boyfriend, despite what everyone wants to believe."
"It's not from a lack of trying," Lance whispered back as Keith moved the timeline up to Diana arriving at Wade's office.
"If that's what you want to call it," Diana whispered in annoyance. Diana pointed out an information gap Keith had and shared her insight into how things were going during and after the Celebration.
"You can't honestly tell me that you're feeling nothing for me," Lance added in a whisper.
"You're right, I do feel something for you," Diana replied. "But right now, I need to focus on making sure my mother stays protected. Then there's Wade—I can't stand by and let him make all the power moves."
"You're not the only one. I'll protect you and your mother." Lance whispered again before speaking aloud. "Actually Keith, I told him that he could piss the f—" Diana stepped on his toe to remind him to watch his language. "Sorry about that." Lance turned to give Diana a quick look before returning to his previous statement. "I told him that he could pass the fudge on. Voltron is Arus' property and Arus is where he'll stay. The lions never broke down like this before and I don't think it'll happen again."
"Right," Keith replied, as he finished some of his notes again. "The lions never broke down, they were tampered with."
"I don't need help. I got this." Diana whispered back.
"Two is better than one," Lance whispered back. "Even from afar. I have friends everywhere." Lance took a glance back to the screen Keith was working with. Lance also noticed that Coran and Hyacinth were looking at him and Diana. "We better focus back on the subject matter before your mom and uncle say anything."
Diana took a glance at Hyacinth and Coran and sighed. "Too late," Diana whispered before turning in her chair to face the rest of the group again.
"Diana and Lance, do you have something you want to share with us?" Coran asked.
"You two seem to have an interesting conversation going on there," Hyacinth added. Lance and Diana sighed before answering.
"No, nothing to share here." They answered in unison.
"So, Fearless Leader, what are our next steps?" Lance asked just before the communications tech alerted the room was that Wade was calling for Hyacinth personally.
"Put him on the big screen. Whatever he has to say, I'm pretty sure that has to do with everyone in here." Hyacinth ordered a few moments later. It wasn't too long before Wade's face filled the screen.
"Good morning, Voltron Force as well as Hyacinth, Coran, and Diana," Wade said in greeting. "It looks like you have company as well. Good morning Ms. Acenas, Princess Bernice and Sergeants Jackson and Zana."
"Good Morning, Sky Marshal Wade. What can I do for you today?" Hyacinth asked diplomatically.
*****Present, The Void*****
"I had no idea how fast someone could make changes until that call." Bernice shared as they took a break from going down memory lane.
"I still can't believe how everything happened so fast," Ethel added.
"I knew that the checks and balances were about to fail, I had no idea that it was going to fail us so quick," Diana added. "Then again, I should have known since Wade had his hand all in everything."
*****Past, Arusian Embassy*****
"I would like to inform everyone that there was an emergency council meeting earlier this morning. The council has decided that the lions are too dangerous and has requested that Voltron's custody be handed over to the Galaxy Alliance military and into my discretion."
The room erupted in what's and why's before Hyacinth stood up and raised her hand to silence the room. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, Sky Marshal Wade, but why wasn't Princess Allura, Commander Keith, Coran or I notified about this meeting. This seems to be a breach in protocol."
"I agree. We should have received a notification so we could present a defense." Coran added on. "This is unprecedented."
"Normally we would, however, the Executive Board of the Alliance agreed with my statement that having your presence would only be a conflict of interest," Wade explained. Diana balled her hands into fists under the table, while Lance muttered a curse under his breath. The rest of the room showed no emotion or just narrowed their eyes slightly.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Sky Marshal." Allura started. "But wouldn't handing the custody of Voltron over to your office be a violation of our agreement. Voltron belongs to Arus and Arus alone."
"As the leader for the Galaxy Alliance military, I have the privilege of revoking custody of any weapon in the Galaxy. Furthermore, although you are a ruling monarch, I don't have authority over you. However, I do have authority over the remaining members of the Voltron Force. Unless you have other pilots, Your Highness." Allura narrowed her eyes again.
"How dare you use heavy-handed tactics!" Diana spat at Wade as she stood up. "You basket of deplorable waste!"
"Diana, do I need to remind you about our conversation last night? I notify you of the consequences should you break any of the stipulations, including professional decorum."
Diana opens her mouth to say something when she felt Lance grab her hand and sit her back down. "Diana, just humor him for right now. We'll get him back later." Lance whispered in her ear.
"Fine. I'll humor him for now." Diana whispered back before placing her arms down her sides and changed into a peaceful facial expression. "Please accept my humblest apologies, Sky Marshal Wade. I was out of line and I should never produce another slip again in your presence."
"Your apology is accepted, Diana. Just don't let it happen again."
"Sky Marshal, I'm sure that you are a very busy man but I have one more question. Is it possible to come to another solution or even a compromise? Voltron has always stood as a symbol of hope for Arus as well the Universe."
"Unfortunately not, Dr. Smythe-Williams. The Voltron force has 72 hours starting now to turn over custody of Voltron, including all keys. And as Sky Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance, I order the Voltron Force to be placed under house arrest until further notice. Do you receive the order, Commander Keith Kogane?"
Keith sighed as he looked at each pilot individually. "I received the order, Sky Marshal Wade. We are now staying in custody of the Arusian Embassy until further notice. I believe you are sending some troops now?"
"Actually, I have my best officer already there. In fact, Diana's bodyguard will be responsible for making sure that your team stays put." Diana narrowed her eyes at Wade.
"Captain Wiley is waiting for further orders along with our signature tracking anklets to make sure that the team is complying with orders."
"Lucky us," Lance said under his breath.
"Lt. McClain? You have something to add?" Wade asked Lance.
"No, sir. Nothing at all." Lance replied.
"That is all. Have a great day and don't forget to let me know when you're turning the Lions and the keys over."
"Sir!" The Voltron Force saluted Sky Marshal Wade as he disconnected the call.
"I hate that Bastard!" Diana yells after the screen goes blank. "That man is evil incarnate." Diana finishes her outburst.
"I wouldn't go that far to say that he's evil incarnate. That was Lotor." Lance drawled. "Wade is just devious."
"I understand he has an obsession with lions?" Bernice asked. "I kept hearing that story in the VIP section as Wade did his speech at the celebration."
"I heard the same thing in the crowds," Ethel added.
"Believe it or not, he wasn't always obsessed with Lions. As you all may know, Marshal Wade, Diana's father, and I were classmates at the Academy. One day, Black lion visited the school. All the high achieving students were invited to step into Black lion's cockpit to see if they would be the next pilot. One by one, we all failed Black lion's test.
"Diana's father tried and although Black liked him, he didn't move for him at all. I tried Black and I was rejected, too. Wade always wanted to be a Voltron pilot and specifically Black lion. Wade entered the cockpit and was rejected by Black outright. Wade had to be carried off of Black lion. Ever since then he's been obsessed with lions. He hoped by studying Lions he would be able to pilot Black one day anyway." Coran said finishing his story.
"So, it's all coming together now," Cheryl stated. "That might be why he's so interested in the inner workings of the lions."
"That old dirty bastard!" Diana exclaimed, agreeing with Cheryl. "He's going to try and copy the lions."
"That's why his tactics were so heavy-handed!" Bernice added. "But what would he gain from that?"
"To be honest, we don't completely understand Voltron ourselves," Pidge stated. "He could ask us, but he'll still be at square one."
"And the technology is so old Arusian, there's almost nobody that can copy the technology perfectly," Hyacinth stated. "I had a friend that tried and failed. He was the best Machine Engineer Arus ever produced."
"It'll be years before he'll even get close to it," Keith said. "So what we're going to do for the time being is hand the lions over to the Alliance."
"Keith! No! We can't!" Allura stated, standing up. "That's what he wants. I refuse."
"I agree. Wade can take his orders and put them where the sun don't shine." Lance said, agreeing with Allura.
"We'll give him the Lions. But we'll add a few twists. He'll get the keys, but we'll keep a copy of the keys to ourselves." Keith said. "Pidge, how long will it take to finish up your starter keys and remote keys?"
"About 36 hours, Keith," Pidge said. "The starter keys won't take any time to program. The remote keys will take the greatest amount of time."
"Do you have everything you need here?" Keith asked.
"I believe so," Pidge stated. "I'll have Hunk to help me so we can test the remote ones out."
"I still don't like this plan, but I trust you, Keith," Allura said.
"That's all I ask. Is there anything else?"
"If Hunk and Pidge need anything, we can get it." Cheryl and Alex stated.
"If they can't or if it'll cost too much money, I'll get it," Bernice stated. "I was going formalized ourselves as allies to Arus anyway. It'll give me a good cover."
"Once Pidge has the starter keys finished, let me know. I can make a great faux copy to be used in case the plan takes longer than expected." Ethel stated. "It'll give me a challenge."
"That's a great idea, Ethel," Keith said. "We have a plan. This plan stays in this room until we get the Lions back to Arus. Lance, you and I need to come up with a backup plan or two. Bernice, go on and formalize your plans to make Arus and Cetrac allies. It'll give us additional cover if needed. Coran and Hyacinth focus on the diplomatic and law issues—see if we have a chance to appeal anything. Diana, you know HQ better than anyone—whenever you get the chance, find a few places we could set up a resistance base under Wade's nose. We would only need the space for a few weeks to a few months. I can't see this go on for years."
"Yes, sir," Diana said with a salute. "Ethel, if you still can't get home, you can stay here at the Embassy."
"Thank you. I'll let you know as soon as possible. I better go and check on my store. Let me know if you need my assistance at any time."
"We better head back to the barracks and make sure our stuff is still in one piece. If we see the lions again, we'll let you guys know." Alex said standing up.
"Likewise, if you need us, let us know and we'll return if needed," Cheryl said as she headed towards the door.
"Alright. Ethel, Bernice, Cheryl, and Alex keep in touch every 12 hours. Meeting's over—we got things to do." Keith said, dismissing the meeting. Everyone emptied the room and went to take care of their assignments.
****Present Day, The Void****
"I still feel bad that I couldn't find that virus that Wade put in on the Lions," Cheryl said. "I tried so many times, too."
"Heck, I still feel bad that I couldn't figure out how Wade got the lions to methodically move like that," Alex added in.
"I hated how everything took years. I was using all my contacts for Black lion, too." Ethel said. "Okay, so they were legal sources but that's beside the point."
"I hated that I couldn't do more for Keith and Allura like I wanted to. Even with Deborah's help." Bernice stated.
"I still hate that old dirty bastard and I still believe that he's evil incarnate," Diana stated. "And both sentiments continue to grow every day I'm here."
"That's some hatred," Alex stated.
"He's responsible for some of the worst days of my life. Including that day we actually had to turn the lions over." Diana said, remembering how that day went down.
****Past, Arusian Embassy*****
After Pidge and Hunk finished making the starter keys, Hyacinth informed Wade that the Voltron Force were on their way to surrender the lions to him. A few minutes after that, the Voltron Force filled up an Alliance SUV while Diana, Coran, and Hyacinth followed in Hyacinth's blue Cadillac CT6 sedan. A few minutes later, they arrived at the Alliance HQ hangar where the lions were being kept. The group left the cars and walked into the hangar where Wade was waiting with the media to mark the occasion. Lance, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura were wearing their Voltron uniforms. Diana was wearing a conservative black suit with matching pumps. Hyacinth was wearing her blue suit with blue flats while Coran was wearing his usual outfit.
The group stopped in front of Wade and the Alliance Council president. After a quick salute and handshakes, Keith turned over the starter keys to Sky Marshal Wade. Marshal Wade was trying his best not to smile as he finally gained access to the lions. "Thank you, Voltron Force, for giving custody of Voltron to the Galaxy Alliance. Because you complied with our wishes so quickly, we have decided to change the terms."
The press was shocked and started asking questions. Wade silenced them with a wave of his hand. "We will return Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow lions to Arus—still locked up and with the promise that they will never be started. If the lions are started, there will be strict consequences to pay. Meanwhile, Black lion will remain in my custody indefinitely."
Allura started to say no and forget about the deal when Keith turned and shook his head no to her. Allura was about to say something when she noticed that Keith gave her their private signal that everything is going to be ok and that this was part of his backup plans for the lions.
"On behalf of Arus I, Princess Allura, will agree to your terms as previously agreed along with this new change. Thank you for being considerate of Arus and allowing for most of our treasure to be returned." Allura stated.
"Commander Keith, this envelope holds your new assignments with instructions. You and your team have two weeks to take care of their personal business. Your house arrest will end at midnight tonight." Wade then hands Keith the envelope with their new assignments. "As for you, Diana. You will start your position as the Lead Behavioral Analyst within 3 weeks. This should give you enough time to take care of your caseloads at the clinic and actually give you a refreshing vacation before starting your work in my administration."
The press started taking pictures of Diana and Wade looking at each other for a few moments while Diana bit back the insult she wanted to hurl at him. "Thank you for your generosity, Sky Marshal Wade. That will give me time to refer my clients to other professionals and prepare myself for my new position." Diana said diplomatically.
As Wade dismissed the Voltron Force, Hyacinth and Coran spoke with the press along with Wade. Lance, Diana, Keith, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge all watched from a quiet spot away from the press to watch the lions being loaded until the large Arusian transport they used over a week ago to arrive on Earth. Allura turned to Keith to hide her tears as she could feel Blue lion crying out to her. Hunk and Pidge looked away from their lions and watched Coran talk to the press about other changes. Keith held on to Allura tightly as Diana held onto Lance's hand to comfort him.
"Wade made have won this battle, but we're going to win the war," Lance stated. "He won't get away with this. Not while we still have breath."
"Oh, he's definitely going down," Diana promised. "I won't let him get away with this."
"There's nothing like Red. Red's the best ship I ever flew." Lance stated. "Red fit me like a glove, I didn't even have to adjust Red to my liking."
"All the lions are like that for us," Keith stated before lifting Allura's chin up. "I promise you Allura, I'm going to bring Black back home one day. Voltron will return." After the press conference was over, the Voltron Force and Diana rejoined Coran and Hyacinth to return to the Embassy.
Back at the Embassy's conference room, Keith opens the envelope and looks over the new assignments before handing the assignments to each pilot except for Allura. "Well, gang. This is going to be the first time we're going to be split up." Keith flipped his paper over. "Wade has me reassigned to Cetrac to oversee the new Alliance Base he's building there."
"That's on the other remote side of the galaxy!" Allura said. "The only good thing about Cetrac is that we're allies with Bernice's planet so you'll be amongst friends."
Lance flipped his paper over. "Wade has me assigned to the Academy as a flight instructor. Great, I get to be under Wade's thumb. He's going to kill me for sure now."
"Not likely. You're the best pilot out there." Keith said. "He can't kill you just yet—too many eyes and too many instructors to vouch for you."
"I'll have to find a place, yay me," Lance said. "I'm so looking forward to the instructor barracks."
"It'll be better than my quarters." Hunk said. "He has me assigned to both HQ and the Academy to teach some of the basic mechanical engineering courses. There's no way I'm staying in those barracks."
"Same here. I'm assigned to HQ and teaching System engineering courses as well." Pidge said. "It's like he wants to keep us under his thumb," Pidge said. "I don't want to stay in those barracks either."
"Well, at least Lance, Pidge, and Hunk will be together," Allura said. "I'll be stuck alone in the Castle of Lions in Arus."
"Not exactly. There's still our niece, Larmina." Diana said with a smile. "She's eight and she loves staying at the Castle. I'm sure Nanny would love to stay in the Castle for a few weeks. And I'm sure that guys and I will make every attempt to visit you until Black comes home. It should only take a few weeks to a few months. A year tops. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk—why don't you share an apartment?"
"How about Hunk and I share a place?" Pidge stated. "If we stay with Lance, we'll never be able to stay the night at our place. He'll keep the Do Not Disturb tie on the door every night."
"I'm a changed man," Lance said, looking at Diana. "I already see what I want and I'm going to get her. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? It's not like Hunk doesn't snore loud or anything."
"And Pidge still feeds the mice," Hunk added.
*****Present*****
"Who knew that it would take years to get to this point?" Ethel asked. "What went wrong?"
"Right. It was only supposed to last a year at the most. Who knew that Wade was so devious?" Cheryl added.
"The road to justice is a long, curvy road," Diana replied. Before anyone else could add a response, the dinner bell rang. Shrugging their shoulders, the crew runs to the table to get their daily slop meal and talk about other things besides the past.
***Meanwhile on Arus, before "Deep Blue" (aka Episode 9)***
"What do you mean Diana's been captured? And it's been a week? Why wasn't I told?" Lance roared at Pidge. A couple of days ago Lance asked the team if they would let him know the next time Diana checked in. Lance and Diana had an argument about Diana's latest mission as well as the current state of their relationship. Before Lance knew it, Diana angrily disconnected the call and put her self into "Do Not Disturb" mode. It's been over a week and Diana hasn't checked in to let Lance know her mission went well.
"I just found out. We figured that she was still on her mission when she missed her 36-hour check-in. Then she missed her bi-weekly check-in. That's when I knew something was wrong." Pidge stated.
"And here I thought she was still mad at me about our last conversation. I knew she was going to get caught next." Lance stated. "Where are they holding her? Maybe we can spring her out discretely."
"That's why it took us a moment to figure out that she was missing. She was sent to The Void. And you know how hard it is to find that prison. Someone just was released there and lucked upon a ship going back to one of the hidden bases and confirmed her location."
"Damn," Lance said.
"I got a plan in place already. I'm sending Mansett as a way of assessing the situation one last time. When he's in, we'll set everyone free." Keith said walking into the control room.
"That's easy for you. Your woman isn't in there." Lance stated. "Allura never had to be stuck in a cage."
"Say that again," Keith said. "You haven't been separated from your woman for nearly five years. Five years, Lance, five years. We'll stick to my plan and that's it."
Lance balled his hands into fists, getting ready to strike Keith. "I already told you that just because you're back doesn't mean you have to everything your way." Keith was about to raise his fists as well. He was tired of Lance bucking his authority.
"If you're going to fight, go fight in the gym or something. Or anywhere really—just not here. Not to mention if Allura sees you two fighting again…" Pidge stated, sensing that Lance and Keith were going to fight again. "And I really don't want to explain to her why there's blood everywhere."
"Fine," Lance said, leaving the room. He stopped at the door. "For the record, I really don't like this situation at all, but we'll stick to your plan, for now, Keith."
"I don't like it either, but the plan is working so far," Keith said. "We'll get Diana out. Just give us some more time."