Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron/Go Lion or any of their characters. They are the property of WEP and Devil's Due Comic and Toei Animation. All other characters are mine. This is written purely for entertainment purposes and I am not monetarily compensated in any way.

Rites of Passage

Chapter 14

I feel like a bucket of cold water has been thrown over me. If my eyes and my ship's sensors are to be believed I have witnessed the impossible…the formation and collapse of a wormhole. After centuries of research they were thought to be the stuff of fairytales. Their nearest equivalent was the tunnels kept stable by the jump ports. They were thought to be naturally occurring thin spots in the membranes of this space time and had been already in use for millennia by the Wyverns. And the ports and tunnels themselves pre-dated the Wyvern. Who created them no one remembered, or ever knew.

Once, the Wyverns were our overlords, but when their civilization concluded its inevitable decline we ascended to our rightful place as the dominant beings in the galaxy. All we did was maintain the ports, because without them the tunnels would collapse or become unstable, leading not just to who knows where in space, but more dangerously to who knows when.

Even so, they were not the instant light speed connection to any point in the galaxy or universe so popular in fiction. A journey from one end of the Supremacy to another would require multiple jumps through multiple ports and still take several years. Long, but nevertheless a vast improvement from the centuries that conventional space travel, even at near light speed, would take.

That the Alliance now has the ability to circumvent the laws of time and space means that the Supremacy's position as the master race is in jeopardy. The implications of what they could do with such technology fills me with dread. As does the idea of being subject to humanity's idea of peaceful co-existence. Our only hope is that they do not have not enough ships refitted to create a significant threat…yet.

I take a deep breath as I remember the battle I have just watched, and I'm slightly reassured. While they may have higher mobility, they still aren't worth shit in a fire fight. Two of their cruisers were destroyed. That's two less to worry about. The Highlander's propulsion failed and left her practically adrift and ripe for the taking. Whatever this new device is, it seems the Alliance, with their typical impatience has not yet fully mastered it before trying to put it to use. Their tendency to over reach may yet be their downfall.

I tell my communications officer to contact the Jhe' ghin but I belay the order to take my Second's incoming hail from the Highlander.

"On screen." I say.

"Rihan Annsu, did you just see what we saw?" He asks.

"This is Commander Sincline and we did." I answer. Before he can reply we are hailed by Commander Erteien

"Rihan Annsu and Highlander, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Negative." I answer.

"Is it possible for you to increase your velocity?" He asks. It is obvious that he'd like to get out of open space and back to base as soon as possible.

I am of the same mindset and I mentally calculate if my ship can handle the increased load. It might be possible, but I need to check with propulsions and engineering.

"I need to verify." I reply.

"Understood, Jhe'ghin, out." He answers.

I call down to propulsion and engineering and order another check of our systems. They report that our fuel cells are lower than expected as we have not been able to shut down our main engine and allow them to recharge. And the fuselage is showing signs of stress around the tractor beam turret. Any faster and we might not get to the Khans Khiori at all.

I send an updated situation report encoded to the Khans Khiori with our ETA and turn the bridge back over to my navigator and retire to my office. In spite of all that has occurred I still have work to finish and I need to document what I saw in the logs while it is still fresh in my mind. Once in my office I send my reply to the Jhe'ghin's commander via a secure line. I can tell that it is not what Erteien wants to hear, but I remind him that we have two thousand human prisoners as hostage and only twenty seven more nerve racking hours to go.

Twenty seven more hours. I growl in frustration. I hadn't realized so much time had passed. As I dig in the mountain of administrative duties I notice I have been sent a new file. It is McAllister's autopsy report. McAllister. Just the thought of her sends a stabbing pain through my temples. So, now I know why she stayed aboard to see that the ship was destroyed. It was only when her child's life was in the balance that she faltered in her duty.

I stare at it for a moment before opening it to see the cause of death. A blood clot had traveled through one of her arteries and reached her heart causing it to stop. I guess the meds didn't watch the dosage close enough. I'd like to think that the grief of my taking her daughter also had something to do with it. I close out of the file with a hard poke of my finger. She lucky she's dead. The Rakh'orhe will cause no more misery.

My office door chimes and I'm startled out of my thoughts. "Enter!" I call out and the door opens and Yoi walks through it and braces at attention.

"Sir? You wanted to see me?" He asks.

"Ah, yes. I was wondering if the engineer had said anything about the Highlander while you were with her?" I ask.

He looks confused for a moment, "The engineer?"

I scowl at him in irritation "Yes, red hair, spots? Hits people?" I say and point at his fading black eye.

"Oh! Her!" He answers smiling.

"Yes, her." I shake my head a little in exasperation.

"Oh yes, sir! A lot! What Megan told me helped me piece together the Highlander's log."

I frown in confusion. "Megan? Is that her name?" I ask. A meghon is a type of rodent on Korrinoth with a very pointy nose and pungent musk glands.

"Yes, terrible isn't it?" He says shaking his head in agreement.

"Indeed." The things humans choose to call their children. "Exactly what did she tell you?"

"Um, she told me that the Highlander was being used as a transport vessel; just delivering supplies and personnel. They had just stopped at Minos and picked up the military equipment in the hold. Then they were on their way back to the Sappir System. She had hoped to be with her family for some Terran solstice festival next month." He answers.

"The Sappir System? From here?" I ask. "That doesn't make any sense. It would take them half a year to get there from here."

He pauses as he considers what I said. "You're right, sir. I don't know why I didn't catch on to that."

"I know exactly why you didn't." I scold him and he looks down sheepishly. To be honest, I'm actually impressed that he had gotten that much information out of the girl. I think of my evening with McAllister's daughter and realize I don't even know her name. "Yoi, how did it go with her?" I ask bluntly.

He looks startled. "Um, how did it go?" He glances around for a moment and then says, "I guess it was the usual way…or ways…" He trails off clearly embarrassed.

I laugh, "That's not what I'm asking. How did you get her to trust you?"

He pauses for a moment, "Um, well, I guess she didn't have any other choice. She was kicking and scratching the whole way back to my cabin. Really putting up a fight. She tried to bite me…to make me let go… and I was about to knock her out, but we ran into Tarek and Rhea. They tried to take her but I pulled rank on them. They had some other prisoners in the barracks already and we could hear them screaming. I guess that scared her so I told her that she had to calm down and do what I said or I wouldn't be able to protect her. After that she was fine." He explains.

"I see…" How simple, I think. Just one small act of kindness in the middle of all the fear and uncertainty was all it took. And I have to admit, from the girl's perspective, Yoi is a much safer option than Tarek and his barrack mates.

"Do you think you could get her to tell me about the…" I pause, I don't even know what to call it, "the new jump technology they're using?"

He nods. "I think so. She seemed to be a bit discouraged about Alliance command as well."

"Good. I'll have her sent up from detention." I say and as I reach for my comm to call Cossack Yoi stops me.

"Um, Sir, uh, she's not in detention. I left her in my cabin." He stammers.

"What? She's where?!"

"My cabin, Sir. She's restrained. My bunkmates are onboard the High—"

I hold up my hand to silence him. "Yoi, you're lucky you're so damn good at your job. I should have you flogged." I say again incredulous at his audacity. "Go get her and bring her here."

Yes, Sir." He says and braces to attention before he turns smartly and leaves. I shake my head as the door swishes shut and in spite of myself self I smile. Yoi does nothing by half measure; he even breaks the rules to the best of his ability.