Keith made plans for their immediate departure with his usual ruthless efficiency. Within an hour, he had finalized the arrangements for their trip to Arus.
He contacted Garrison Command and coaxed Space Marshall Graham into allowing them hitch a ride on the Havilland, a high-speed troop transport heading towards Mariis, a small outpost in the Far Galaxy.
Unlike the other ships in the Garrison Fleet, the Havilland— and the other ships of its class — used stakiton-powered warp drives, capable of propelling ships at incredible speeds. As a result, the Havilland was capable of making the journey to Arus in a mere 48 hours, instead of the normal 64 hours.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as he considered the inherent disadvantages in his plan. The incredible speed of the Havilland meant that it would have to travel without an armed escort, but it also meant that the ship should be able to outrun any possible hostile craft.
It should be safe enough.
Although he would have preferred a direct trip to Arus, in the relative safety of the Havilland, the ship would only be able to take them to the outskirts of the Leona system, where Arus was located.
The ship needed to get to Mariis ASAP. A disease was sweeping across the outpost and the death toll was rising rapidly. The situation there was dire. The outpost urgently needed the help of the medical team onboard the Havilland as well as the medical supplies that the ship carried.
With a heavy sigh, Keith sent a coded message to Arus, using a special code that Pidge devised for the exclusive use of the members of the Voltron Force, to inform them about the final plans.
"Castle Control, this is Altaire," Keith reported. "We've entered the Leona system and are beginning our descent on Arus now."
The communications monitor shimmered to life and Pidge's face appeared on screen. He grinned broadly, revealing two small dimples on each cheek. "Greetings, Your Highnesses!" He chirped brightly.
The welcoming grin on the face of the youngest member of the Voltron Force did much to lift Keith's spirits and alleviate his worry. Pidge wouldn't have been in such high spirits if Coran's condition was as serious as they feared.
"Pidge!" Keith scolded in mock-annoyance that was only partly feigned. "How many times have I told you NOT to call me Your Highness. It's just Keith, remember?"
"Yes sir, Captain Just Keith, sir!" Pidge parroted, grinning merrily all the while. "Lance, Hunk and Sven are on their way there to escort you home. You should see their lions any minute now."
He sobered and turned to Allura. "And Princess, before you start thinking that I'm an insensitive jerk, Doctor Gorma says that Coran's condition has improved considerably since we talked to you last."
"Thank you, Pidge. That's good to hear." Allura replied graciously. "But I would never think that you were an insensitive jerk... That's Lance's job."
"PRINCESS!" Lance's outraged face appeared in a small window on the communications monitor as the Red Lion fell into place beside the Altaire. "I resent that!"
Keith chuckled and made a few adjustments on his console so that they could see Hunk and Sven as well. "You can't blame Ally for thinking that, Lance. She spent a lot of time with Ginger... and she heard ALL the stories about you."
"Yikes! Was the Spice Girl still as ditzy as ever?" Lance asked with an exaggerated grimace that quickly faded as he saw the censure in Allura's eyes. "Just kidding, Princess. Old habits are hard to break."
"Even though, Lance," Allura scolded him lightly. "That still wasn't very gentlemanly of you. Picking on someone who isn't even around to defend herself!"
"Speaking of not around," Keith said casually, "has Jeff left already?"
Hunk nodded. "Yes. You just missed him. He left Arus space about 3 hours ago. When he checked in an hour ago, his shuttle was already in the Zadi system."
Pidge chuckled out loud. "Yeah. You guys are around four hours late, you know. So much for the much-vaunted stakiton-drives!"
"Sorry, Pidge," Keith replied, "but you can't really blame the drives for that. There was an abnormally high amount of solar activity in the Cephia system, so we had to detour around it."
"Oh look, Keith," Allura breathed, laying a hand on her husband's arm to call his attention. She pointed at the huge blue marble suspended in the blackness of space. "It's Arus!"
Keith smiled indulgently and lifted a hand from his controls to touch Allura's soft cheek. "Yes, Princess," he agreed. "It's Arus. We're home."
Allura's heart melted when she heard him call Arus home and she flashed him a brilliant smile. She lifted her hand to touch his and trap it against her cheek.
Keith's eyes warmed and his thumb gently stroked the back of Allura's hand in an unconscious caress.
The rest of the Force watched them with indulgent amusement, until Sven laughingly called Keith's attention back to his piloting duties. "You MIGHT consider starting preparations for atmospheric re-entry, Your Highness."
"Of course," Keith said crisply, shooting Sven a withering glare, even as he felt his face and the back of his neck warm.
Laughter began to fill the comm-channel.
Keith immediately bent his head, trying to hide the embarrassed color staining his cheeks by busying himself with the re-entry, a basic procedure that he had done so often in the past that he could do it blindfolded.
The laughter grew louder, telling him that he had not entirely succeeded.
With his hand hovering over his control panel, Keith glared at his laughing teammates. "I'm going to cut communication for a while, so we'll see you on the ground. Altaire signing out."
He switched off the comm channel and grinned ruefully at his wife. "My ears are burning. Why do I have the feeling that I've given them enough ammunition for a year-long Keith-roast?"
"Because you have." Allura's eyes danced with amusement as she glanced up from her controls. "Shield strength is at 180, Keith. We are clear for atmospheric re-entry."
"Okay, Princess. Let's go home," Keith replied as the blackness of space gave way to an incredible circle of lavender, blue-green, and some violet, surrounding a central yellow-orange core as the Altaire was recaptured by Arus' gravity.
The ship descended gracefully and leveled off into a deep rosy lavender sky that was rapidly darkening to a velvety blue-purple. The Red, Blue and Yellow Lions flanked the Altaire, leading it to its designated landing zone.
Here and there, the dusky violet darkness of the night was broken by pinpricks of light, where the people of Arus lit bonfires to welcome their Princess home in an age-old tradition.
Nanny squinted up into the twilight sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Altaire, but all she could make out was the streaks of color that were the three lions escorting the Princess' ship.
Her eyes narrowed as a lingering sense of unease washed over her. She couldn't help but notice the shadowy gloom in the twilight sky. She had never seen a sky like this one.
Its shadowy depths held the promise of the blackest night that she had ever seen, without even a single star to relieve the heavy veil of darkness.
She let out an uneasy breath. Evil feeds on darkness, Betta. She reminded herself, remembering the warnings incorporated in the ancient legends of Cador.
She sensed the magical stirring in the air around her. Something was going to happen — tonight — when the forces of darkness would be at their strongest.
Certainty crawled over her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Crossing herself, Nanny muttered a short prayer, for herself, for her Little Princess and for the men who served and protected them all.