Bridges
Chapter 12 - Collaboration
It felt like time ran on fast-forward for Allura. The next month flew by as she was sworn in to the position as High Diplomat for the Galaxy Alliance. It was the same effective rank as Marshal but followed the non-military track. Everything that entered and left the Galaxy Alliance passed across her desk first. The hub of the Alliance had shifted from Earth to Arus in less than a week.
Even Lotor had to admit she was phenomenal. She withstood criticism with graceful dignity and handled reproach with tact. He only found aggravation in the fact he couldn't secure time with her very often. He found the company of his father's calls to be more frequent than his time with the new queen, much to his dismay.
Zarkon had little of value to contribute. If he wasn't begging Lotor to return, he was threatening him with imminent destruction. With either invitation, Lotor declined bluntly and ended the transmission with equivalent grace.
He watched with fascination as she built an empire around her in a matter of weeks, albeit unknowingly. Planets that had sworn to defend Zarkon were meeting with her regularly to negotiate joining the Alliance under her leadership. Nine Drule planets had made the jump within the first month of Allura's reign. She carved out the time to meet with each leader and find out the needs of the planet.
Each time, she had cleared her calendar for five hours, though she rarely needed more than two. She was more than pleased to hear the other side, enthusiastic and eager for more knowledge and information. Often she was met with incredulity and skepticism that she genuinely wanted to make sure needs and wants were accommodated, yet not one single ruler left a meeting with Allura without being devoted to her and her growing network of allies.
Dangerous. Lotor's keen militaristic eyes saw the threat she posed to the Alliance. She was likable. Planets and their rulers adored her. Her kindness, compassion and determination to care for anyone who asked with gentle and humble power made her very dangerous to the institution the Alliance had. She was making allies left and right.
"Do you think she's made more enemies than friends?"
Lotor paused, turning to look over his shoulder. Allura continued down the hallway, talking to a former Drule dictator at her side as they exited a conference room. The planet Elision had now joined the Alliance thanks to Allura's negotiating, bringing the Alliance's Drule planet population up to ten.
Commander Keith stood twenty feet back, watching as his queen chatted animatedly with the ruler, talking about Drule traditions and customs, assuring him of her concern for preserving their way of life while still trying to find a solution to end slavery on many Drule planets.
"I don't know," he commented carefully, eyeing his most dangerous adversary.
"You see it though, don't you," the pilot insisted, approaching him casually while keeping his hands in plain sight. "She makes friends so easily… but they aren't Alliance friends. They are loyal to her. As long as the Galaxy Alliance is pleased by this, all is well."
"And as soon as they try and step in to take control, she resists as she is often inclined to do… Then the leaders flank her-" Lotor continued, catching the hints Keith was dropping.
"And suddenly she's in grave danger," Keith finished, solidifying Lotor's concerns.
"Are they that cruel? It's the Galaxy Alliance," the Drule commented.
"The Alliance was birthed out of war as an answer to the Drule Empire's unchecked power," Keith explained. "It exists in name as a peacekeeper, but it was created from within an inferno of conflict. It requires combat to survive. If Allura succeeds in the ultimate goal of making peace with Zarkon and ending the war altogether, the Galaxy Alliance will have little purpose anymore," he finished.
"That makes her very dangerous to them," Lotor summarized. Keith only nodded.
"It's a balance. They want someone well liked at the helm in wake of the previous leader's egregious actions, but someone adored enough to bring peace to the galaxy is too much. It's quite… complicated. And I worry for her safety."
"Does she know? Has anyone told her?" Lotor glared at Keith, frustrated with the commander's seemingly laid-back observation.
He only sighed. "She completely understands. I think Allura knew damn well that they brought her in with the intention of making her a pawn the moment they contacted her. She knows she is putting herself at risk by not acting as their puppet and instead, doing what she thinks is right. Like she always does. …Like she has always done. The best we can do is keep a close watch and try and protect her," he sighed again, running a hand through his hair worriedly before continuing.
"She has never been the type of person to take a risk without knowing exactly what losing would cost her," he went on, watching Lotor closely for a reaction, hinting that each of her gambles of surrendering herself to the Drule prince to save her planet hadn't been made in ignorance. "And being willing to pay that price should it come to it," he finished quietly.
"I never meant her harm-" Lotor started, catching his hidden implication.
"No, of course not. You just intended to forsake her of everything she loves and treasures, uproot her from her home, slay her people in front of her, and bind her to your will," the commander snapped, his anger finally showing after so long. A muscle in Lotor's jaw ticked, but his face remained otherwise impassive.
"You're not incorrect. But you're also wrong on one count," he disagreed, enraging the lead Voltron pilot further. He held up his hand to stop the overflow of emotions. "We can agree I was in the wrong when it came to the proper way to approach her to obtain anything but spite as a response. We can discuss the merits of Drule courtship later. Right now, we need to keep her safe. Can we agree that is our common goal?"
"…Yes," Keith conceded after a moment, his anger quieting.
"Do we have a plan?" He asked, as Keith shrugged uncomfortably under Lotor's gaze.
"Not really. There isn't much to do until they do something wrong. I'm just worried their first step will be a strike against her," he murmured. Lotor nodded in assent.
"Then we keep close. We flank her as often as possible." When Keith nodded, Lotor continued. "That means we are going to be crossing each other's path. To do the most efficient job at this, we should… realistically… ...collaborate," he begrudgingly admitted, practically choking on the last word. "Which means… maintaining contact with each other to coordinate strikes or to clear an area ahead of her. Can we even accomplish that? Can we trust each other enough to keep her safe? I will have to rely on you when you see something I don't, and you, I, in the same situation." Keith shifted warily at the prince's words, contemplating the logistical merit of them. Lotor wasn't wrong.
"For Allura, I trust you. ONLY when it comes to her," he amended warily. "…There is only one thing I believe when it comes to you, and that is that I don't think you ever want to see her harmed. Only then, and only for her… but yes," he agreed reluctantly, looking about as ill as Lotor was feeling.
The two proud soldiers faced each other for several seconds, stiff-shouldered and grim-faced before they both simultaneously hissed out a noise of annoyance. In the same second, they both reached out and grasped the other's hand in a shake of agreement. Surprise caught them as they realized they had acted in unison on a single ideal.
With a grunt of assent, they yanked their hands back and folded their hands across their chests, nodding once before turning away to walk down the hall in opposite directions.
Allura was walking the leader of Elision down the hallway when her communicator beeped. She politely excused herself from the king to take the call.
"We have a situation," Coran began. "If you could join us in the control room, perhaps Lotor too…" Allura shut off the communicator as she began sprinting down the hallway, searching for the Drule prince.
As she rounded a corner, she nearly collided with Keith.
"Oh! Keith! Have you-"
"From Coran? I heard! Let's move!" He grabbed her wrist and started sprinting toward the control room.
"Have you seen Lotor?"
The commander stopped so abruptly that Allura nearly collided with him as she skidded to a stop behind him.
"Why?" The venom in his voice caught her off guard. She sniffed haughtily, eyeing her commander warily, shifting her weight back away from him. Keith quickly calmed himself, realizing he was redirecting his irritation at the Drule to the last person who should receive it.
"Because Coran requested him, as well," she said carefully, clearly displeased with his attitude.
"Last I saw him, he was heading back toward the library," he relinquished the information uncomfortably, tempering his bitterness as best he could.
"I'll meet you in the Control Room," she said, tapping his shoulder before turning and running the way Keith had indicated.
Allura banked around a corner, her feet nearly slipping out from underneath her as she slowed down.
"Lotor!" She called out, waving as he spun to face a breathless queen.
"Allura! What is it?" He moved quickly to her in concern just as she straightened up from where she had doubled over to catch her breath.
"Are you free right now? Coran has requested both of us in the command room. I don't know what is happening, but it sounded immediate," she explained. When Lotor only nodded, she turned and led them briskly down the network of hallways until they arrived at the heart of the Castle of Lions.
The door slid open to reveal a pale Coran and a pacing Keith. Both glanced up as they entered.
"Remember how you deployed some Alliance ships to the Drule planets that signed with you?" Allura only nodded as Coran began explaining, a knot tightening in her stomach. "That was very wise. Zarkon has begun his first punishing counterstrike to the planets that defected from the Drule Empire," he finished, gesturing to the screen where several tens of warships hung in the skyline of one of the newest additions to the Galaxy Alliance.
It was a small and relatively peaceful planet of Crato. The population was mostly Drule and had been a rather neglected component to the Drule Empire until recently. Allura had finished negotiations with the benevolent ruler only days earlier, fully bringing them under the Alliance's care.
"Hail the command ship," she instructed, squaring her shoulders. The Drules had not opened fire yet and the Alliance vessels were hovering uncomfortably in the space over the planet, waiting.
The first two hails went unheeded. At the third, however, someone answered. When only the audio line flickered on, Allura launched into the speech that she had been rehearsing in her mind for the last five minutes.
"This is Queen Allura of the Galaxy Alliance and planet Arus. You are-"
"I know who you are, your Ladyship," a familiar voice answered her quietly. The video feed flickered on.
"Valzek!" All four people in the control room stared openly at the commander. He smiled sadly at the royal before him.
"Congratulations on your coronation," he said.
"Valzek, what are you doing? Why are you threatening Crato? They're under Alliance protection now – they barely even have a military of their own!" Allura crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips together.
"We're under orders from Zarkon to either reclaim or destroy any defecting planets. Crato happened to be on the top of his list," he admitted, the wistful tone never leaving his voice.
"There are Alliance ships flanking you. If you leave now, they will let you leave. We don't need to fight here, we can resolve this," she pressed him, a hint of sorrow creeping into her voice. "Please."
"You know we cannot do that, your Ladyship. You understand how King Zarkon is. If we return without accomplishing our goal, we are all dead. Or worse – coliseum fodder. Either we will die here at your command, or we will die there at his. The former is far kinder and more honorable than the latter, as you can imagine," he explained, a sigh leaving him as he finished.
"Maybe not," she said quietly, her mind moving quickly. "What if there's a third option?"
"There isn't. The only options that exist; we surrender and leave, or we stay and fight. We either win or lose that fight. We have a one in three shot of surviving past tomorrow's dawn with the way the Fates have rolled the dice."
Allura shook her head once. "There is another option. It may not have always been on the table, but in my belief, it should have been. Don't run. Don't fight. Simply… stop. There is more than room on any Alliance planet. Take your pick. Arus, Pollox, or even Syracuse if you prefer the many nude beaches. You'd have protection from the Galaxy Alliance should Zarkon ever come looking for you." She folded her hands in front of her and regarded worriedly the man who played no small part in saving her life.
Please, do not make me fight him, she prayed desperately.
"You… would let us?"
"Absolutely. The only thing I would ask in return is only to respect the laws of the society you settle in. No murdering, pillaging or raiding," she said calmly. Valzek seemed contemplative at her words.
"I would need to confer with my crew. We must make any decision on this unanimously. If we accept your offer, we all become traitors to the Drule Empire and will never be able to return again."
"Take all the time you need. This is a secure line. Only you and I know of this. I will instruct my commanders that negotiations are underway and not to attack. However, if your fleet does open fire, I will take that as your answer and they will act accordingly," she said softly.
"Understood," he finished before ending the hail. Allura keyed up the command ships in the fleet and let them know she was in conversation with the Drule commander and not to attack prematurely.
Tense seconds crept into nerve-wracking minutes. Allura stood dutifully at the navigation panel, her eyes rooted on the blank screen. Her hands clasped together in prayer formation before her lips as she wished from the very bottom of her soul they would accept her offer.
The young woman jumped in surprise when a calming hand came to rest on each of her shoulders. Slowly, she lowered her hands and turned to look behind her. Lotor just watched Allura, resolute and impassive. He nodded once in her direction.
"Don't forget to breathe," he commented softly.
"Everything is going to be fine," she insisted. "It has to be," she whispered, turning back to watch the empty screen, waiting with trepidation for Valzek's response. Coran was sitting in a chair, head bowed as he fought to express only serenity. Internally, his concern reflected Allura's, but it was for her sake. He knew that having to order the destruction of that particular commander would damage her on some core level. He also knew that given no other option, she would do it without question.
"The Alliance will win," Keith said. He was a step further removed from the situation and mistook Allura's concern for that of her own fleet, not her enemy's.
"That's not why I'm worried," she snapped at him, her voice hitching a couple notes. She dropped her hands to her sides as her eyes locked on his and her breath quickened. The warm hands on her shoulders squeezed lightly.
"Valzek is very clever. I'm sure he will be able to negotiate with his crew," Lotor offered. She sighed and shook her head once in response.
"I hope so. I really, really do. He's one of the reasons I'm even alive today, Keith," she explained, glancing to her startled commander. "If he hadn't found us… I'm not sure how long we would have been able to hold out. At any rate," she trailed off and just touched her temple lightly.
Without warning, the silence in the room was shattered as the screen lit up. Valzek's ancient, steeled face appeared on the screen. Allura stared up at him. His face wore no expression, no indication of what news he bore. She feared the worst but continued to pray for the best. Her expression strained further as the silent seconds rolled by and she held her breath, waiting for him to speak.
Allura felt her chest begin to burn from lack of oxygen before the hardened war hero finally said anything.
"We accept."
Allura collapsed to her knees as she exhaled all the tension and fear out of her body with the breath she had been holding. Lotor was just fast enough to catch her by the waist and bring her to her feet before she hit the ground.
She instinctively turned into him, wrapping her arms around the offering of strength presented to her, and murmured against his chest as tears of relief rolled down her cheek.
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness," she whispered over again before taking a moment to collect herself and wipe her eyes. She blushed up at Lotor in embarrassment and gave a quick nod of gratitude. One last shaky exhale and she was back to her stoic self. She directed Coran to contact the Alliance ships and let them know what had transpired.
"Thank you, Valzek," she spoke earnestly to the commander on the screen. He nodded once in response, a hint of a smile on his face. "Where can we help you settle?"
"Well, a couple of the guys were pretty interested in that Syracuse place, but as for myself – I think Arus will do just nicely, if you'll have us." Allura smiled brightly at his response and nodded.
"Of course, it would be my honor! I'm going to have a couple of the warships escort you just to make sure Zarkon doesn't try anything. I am certain he will not be pleased once the news reaches his ears. We shall see you soon! Welcome to the Galaxy Alliance!" She waved at the screen as the commander gave a curt bow before cutting the feed.
Ecstatically, she turned and threw her arms around Lotor's shoulders, embracing him with a fervor he had not seen from her before.
"He said yes!" She cheered, hugging the surprised Drule. Hesitantly, he offered comfort and put his arms around her, casting a wary look at both Coran and Keith as he did so. "It's such wonderful news, we don't have to fight!" Catching her breath, she froze and looked up at him. Turning a brighter shade of pink than her traditional royal gown, she awkwardly untangled herself from him and stepped back. She reached up to pat down her hair, looking at the concerned faces of her commander and advisor.
"I mean," she lowered her voice to a calmer decibel. "Peace is always preferred, of course," she finished primly. She turned and stepped around Lotor, leaving the Command Center before she made another irrational display of emotion. Lotor was quick to follow behind her and turned the corner just in time to catch her bounce up and down and giggle excitedly. She froze when she saw him and stared stoically for a moment before a cloud-shattering smile lit up on her face.
"He said yes!" She whispered excitedly at him again, clapping her hands together once in front of her, unable to calm her excitement with how the situation had resolved itself. "I'm so relieved," she continued, unable to tame the smile on her face. He couldn't help but return the genuine smile back, shaking his head once.
"It will take them several hours to arrive. It wouldn't be a terrible idea for you to get some rest," he commented.
"There's no way I'll be able to rest right now. I'm far too excited. I don't think I've eaten since breakfast, however. Would you like to join me?" She glanced up at him shyly. Allura was still getting used to the level of comfort she felt around the man who used to be one of her nightmares.
"Hopefully Cossack won't ruin it this time," he replied. As Allura tossed her head back to laugh, Lotor was struck by an odd warmth welling inside of him. The sensation was unnatural and foreign. He couldn't describe the feeling except that he had become positively addicted to it by now, and it seemed to appear whenever he was around Allura.
"There you are, Prince Lotor," Coran came around the corner and tossed Allura a curious look as she continued to giggle behind her palm. "There is a call waiting for you in your private room. They called Central and I redirected it there. It's your father." The last sentence cooled Lotor's blood and he just groaned. Even Allura's laughter calmed as she watched him worriedly.
"I'll meet you in the dining hall shortly? I'll go send him on his way and catch up with you. Don't wait for me though," he said to Allura. She nodded once in understanding. Lotor turned away to head to his room, positively dreading yet another conversation with the irritable ruler.
Concern marred Allura's face as she watched him walk away. Lotor had received several calls from his father since arriving on Arus. No others had come for her since she had swiftly shot the tyrant down, but he continued to goad his son. She had wondered what they talked about, and while the equipment existed to monitor the calls, she couldn't bring herself to invade his privacy that way. He had demonstrated loyalty to her thus far and she wanted to respect that he would continue to. It did worry her how often the old man called – mostly because she didn't like how it troubled the prince when it happened. There was something about this particular moment, though, that did not sit well with the woman, but she had no evidence or logic to articulate her discomfort.
"Now that things are settling down, we should address this situation," Coran said quietly once Lotor was out of earshot. Allura crossed her arms over her chest and turned to look at him curiously. "Do you intend to allow him to continue to stay here?"
"Of course. As long as he wants asylum and has Arus' interest at heart, I have no problem with that. Rather, as long as he doesn't intend to promote Planet Doom's Anti-Arus agenda, he can stay. I don't require loyalty, I just won't tolerate betrayal. Admittedly, I don't know that I would ever believe that could have been the case two months ago. But here we are."
"Very well. He just seems to float around. Perhaps there is a rank or role you could assign him? Even the Space Explorers have a rank and position. Obviously their skill as pilots outranks everything else when combat arises, but Hunk runs the maintenance hangar – Pidge has his electronics lab. Talk with him, see if there's some bit of authority we could give him. Give him something to do," Coran urged Allura.
"If he wants; I'm not going to put him to work if he doesn't want to, that would be a bit cruel. He's technically a refugee, you know."
"I would guess that he would prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, in my opinion. See about it."
Allura just nodded in response as Coran turned and made his way away from her. Allura crossed her arms over her chest tighter, as if trying to protect herself from something.
"Lunch," she reminded herself. Turning, she made her way from the drama and chaos behind her. A few moments of welcome rest would be a wonderful respite.
Bridges is that lovechild that started out as a three-shot fluffic of the two stranded on a planet. And... ...it's grown. I actually have the skeleton of the entire story mapped out now, and it's a matter of filling in the flesh. I'm excited to continue to bring you chapters. It has migrated from a cute fluffic to a full-blown Alternate Reality piece, so, I do apologize to those of you here looking for the sexy flufftimes. There will be some fanservice next chapter, I promise. (I've already written that part out.) In the interim, I do appreciate your comments! Please don't be shy - if you liked it, hated it, or disagreed with something, I would love to hear about it. Thank you for reading, and more to come soon!
