Hello everybody. The team has found out the details about the Call and interferes. With terrible results. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this chapter.

!WARNING! Description of a fire death in this chapter.

War Is Laughing

Ronan was alarmed as soon as he entered the briefing room. He had somehow expected, that his moment of carelessness with Pidge might cause some reactions, but Freyda's presence made him worried. And it made him angry. He felt her eyes on him, while she forced herself to a smile. She always did that, when his instincts were about to took over. Maybe she was ordered to be here as well, but she also wanted to be here. The other Paladins were present and they looked worried at him. The Commander's face was also worried, but more than that he seemed to be nervous. Nervous and angry as well. Ronan noticed another person, standing in the corner of the room. The high grown Galra woman had her eyes closed and was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed before her chest. She was in a somber mood as she opened her eyes and faced his look. He simply greeted her by hitting his chest with his right fist and a nod. Her mood even dropped more, but she returned the greeting instantly, before she faced Keith and Pidge with an angry look. Keith ignored it, but Pidge winced a bit and turned away from her. Freyda came closer and wrapped her arms around him and both rested their heads against each other. Right this moment, the door opened again and Acxa and Veronica entered the room. Both were also frozen on spot and Veronica got a grip on Acxa's arm, as she noticed the worried and scanning eyes, but Acxa's face hardened. She shared a short look with Ronan and both understood. It seemed, that the rest have gained a clue, what the Call meant.

"Take seats, please."

Shiro's voice was controlled, but slightly trembling. Veronica was about to pull Acxa to a seat, but her girlfriend faced Shiro with a hard look and kept standing. Also Ronan and Freyda didn't move. The eyes of the Commander got a dangerous glow.

"I won't repeat myself. Take a seat."

The three kept staring angry at him, but then Ronan sighed and took place at the table and Freyda followed. This convinced Acxa to took a chair beside Keith and Veronica placed herself between Acxa and Freyda. Shiro took a deep breath and pressed his fingertips of his hand together before his face, sharing worried looks between Ronan and Acxa.

"We understand it now. We know about the Vocazz and the reason for it."

Ronan's look was empty. Freyda took his hand and squeezed it, but he barely recognized her comforting touch. He was in his own nightmare again. Shiro's face softened.

"We understand you Ronan. Nothing can bring her back, but this isn't an option. None I can tolerate."

"What does he speak of, Acxa?"

Lance's face showed worried confusion.

"I mean, we were called, because they're about to kill each other, but none of you have told me already why."

Acxa's look was almost broken. Her eyes were glittering in anger and sadness. She also ignored the begging tugging of her girlfriend.

"He's talking about this."

Shocked eyes observed Freyda taking off her chain with the deformed ring. She placed the chain on the table, for everyone to see. Pain and grief seemed to gnaw on her, while she done so. Ronan faced the ring and carefully touched the golden metal. But suddenly he winced back in pain, like the ring had burned his fingertips. Freyda pulled him in her arms. The man started to cry. A shocked room stared at them, while he was weeping in desperation.

"It wasn't your business. You had no right to do so, Shiro!"

Acxa's voice was cold. Deadly cold, but a wet glitter was in her eyes. Veronica almost winced back from her, because of the barely hidden anger. But Shiro glared back at her.

"I have all the right. I'm the Commander of this ship and I won't allow any kind of vendetta. No one has the right to demand it here and no one would get a bloody duel as long as I am the Commander!"

"I have no right? I HAVE NO RIGHT!?"

Ronan was jumped up from his seat and had slammed his hand in rage on the table. He was shaking in fury anger. He nearly ripped out his implant, letting his heavy scar reappear for everyone. Shiro was about to close his eyes in shock for a second, but Ronan screamed his rage at him.

"No! Look at me! Lock me in my face and tell me, I had no right to do so! Cause I have! I! HAVE!"

He turned his head harsh to share tortured looks with the others.

"No one knows, how it is, to watch his love been swallowed by fire. How it is to be rejected by death at the same moment. To be forced to see, what the fire has left of her."

He turned to Acxa and faced her shocked and ashamed look.

"Abby was such a strong woman. I have fallen for her, because of this, but today my only wish is, that she would have been weak!"

He cried heavily, but he turned his burning look to Shiro again.

"As the flames, which had swallowed her parted, she was still alive for a while. Burned so much, that I couldn't even recognize her face anymore, that I couldn't even touch her, because it had only increased her torture. But her strength FORCED her to hold a painful grip on the rest of life, which was in her. And I was FORCED to watch it."

He broke down. He curled himself together to a shivering ball, wagging fore and back. Freyda was on her knees, instantly, holding him as tight as she could. For an awful long time his desperate cries were the only sound, which filled the room. Only with Freyda's help he got back on his seat. He was breathing heavy and tears were still running out of his red swollen eye.

"It was my right and it is."

He looked up to the Galran woman, who had observed the scenery with shock and sadness. Krolia simply nodded with dark face and Ronan nodded back at her.

"I respect the Galran rules of honor. So don't dare to question my own, again!"

He rested in Freyda's arms. The woman looked painful worried at him, stroking and kissing his head, in order to ease his pain. Both didn't cared anymore about the persons around them. He just pulled himself closer and sobbed in her chest.

Acxa and Veronica observed the scenery with vivid horror. The Galra had barely recognized, that Veronica had also wrapped her arms around her, like she was trying to block away all the pain, which was rushing in giant waves through the room. But it didn't work. Suddenly Ronan stood up. He was shaky on his legs, but he faced Shiro again. The Commander was still quiet.

"I have promised my help on the planet. I'll stay to this promise. After that we'll leave the ship. I won't set a foot on board here again, so you don't have to fear any further problems. Voltron has saved us down there, so our lives for the duel."

Freyda's eyes widened in surprise and shock and also Kroila gave him a shocked gasp. Ronan sighed tired. He faced Acxa. All color had faded from her face at his words and it seemed that her look wasn't a surprise for him.

"In the end, I care more for my new family. I have lived with this pain for six years now. I can live on with it."

He hit his chest weak with his fist before Acxa, facing the shocked glittering eyes of the half-Galra.

"My new family for my old, General. Honor can only be found in life, so I take what I get. I have seen your will to settle things with honor, Acxa. You would have been worthy to face your guilt. I sincerely wish, that you could live with it, too."

He faced a still shocked Veronica and also greeted her with respect.

"Aid her stand."

He looked up to Shiro again, who was also struggling with his feelings. His face had hardened visibly.

"Because its hard to do so, when someone rips at the floor under your feet."

Ronan took his implant from the table and was about to go, when Allura's begging voice made him hesitate.

"Ronan, please. You must understand him. We couldn't accept this. Let us talk about another way."

"There was another way, Allura."

His voices scared everyone. It seemed to be so deeply frustrated and almost bare of any hope. He turned around and faced the Altean with a look so lost and hollowed, that a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"But I fear none of you have seen it."

He looked to Keith and Pidge, who turned away from him.

"Or has understood me."

Her turned to Acxa and a sad smile rushed over his lips only to fall back in his hopeless state.

"Or has dared to accept it."

He finally turned to Shiro and his anger came back to him.

"Or has dared to believe in her."

He faced Kroila, who had listened to him with obviously great surprise but also with the same growing anger and desperation, which had to be found in his words.

"Make it stop, Ronan. How could I, when no one wants to help me? How could I, when I'm the only one, who dares to respect her honor? The Galran way of honor. How could there be peace for us, when there is no understanding? I'll keep on trying to make it stop. I have sworn this to my Abby. At least for my new family."

Tears felt down from Kroila's cheeks, while she stared at the man with shocked widened eyes and open mouth. She straightened up and hit her chest with her fist, bowing deep before Ronan. For a brief moment his face seemed to lighten up a bit. He returned the gesture and turned back to Allura, who watched him with tears in her eyes.

"There was a way. A Galran way. A bridge to find peace for a Galra and a Human, but your Commander had blown it up. No duel, no solution. The Call allows no way back."

His face became incredibly sad and broken again.

"At least from a Galran point of view. And now excuse me. We have to prepare our leave."

He turned back to the door and left the room. Freyda took the chain from the table and hung it back around her neck. Her look rested with cold anger on every member of the team, beside Veronica. With a look of deepest worries and sadness she walked over to her, to pull the shocked woman in a long and close hug. She faced Acxa's pale and empty face, while she was still holding Veronica. Suddenly her eyes shot wide open and she pushed the human back to share short looks between Acxa and Veronica. She pressed her hand before her mouth.

"No..."

Her questioning look rested on Veronica.

"She had started to see it, too."

Acxa turned away from her with a bitter look. Veronica's confusion held on only for a brief moment, before she understood the question. She nodded, which made Freyda taking a painful tortured laughter. She placed a hand on Acxa's shoulder, which made the woman turn to her.

"See what you have found in your darkest moment, Acxa. For me it was Ronan and Tjaàl."

Freyda took Veronica's hand and placed it in Acxa's.

"Kathy was right, you two look like Ronan and me. Don't let war take this also from you."

She gave both the warmest smile, she could give them in this situation, before her stone cold face returned for the rest of the team. She closed her eyes and sighed heavy.

"Maybe they'll understand it one day. Try to see their worries for you, not the mistake they have made."

She faced Keith with her last look.

"It should count for something."

She greeted Krolia, who returned the gesture with a face darker than a black sun and left the room to follow Ronan.