Authors Note: As some of you know, A snow storm knocked out my power, going on a week and may last a few more days. I got tired of that, so I'm at Panera's and going to post what I've written with the Macbook before it's power got to low (there was one charge from my mom's handy dandy car charger in there). Lance4Forever and Cinderella thank you for missing me and the story :-D much love! This chapter actually would've been posted last Friday night if the site hadn't been acting weird, and Saturday if I hadn't been slow about it before the power went kaput. Rachel.
~~.~~
Red Lion had been in sight for the last four hours, getting closer and closer. The building next to it was the goal, but Lance had his eyes on his Lion. Sven and Romelle were walking in front of him and Allura, voices low, last minute plans talked over, repeatly for Sven's peace of mind. Altea and Fin were nearby, listening.
All the slaves knew their role, they had their rocks, their sticks and most importantly they had their anger; the plan was ready as soon as they got within throwing distance of the slave ships and of the main building on the moon. The building Sven still planned to run into to, to try to download files off of its main computer, to get some sort of sense of why this moon base existed, why was it a hub? It was a shipping port, nothing more, nothing less. They landed slaves, then they moved them - the walking was just another way for Zarkon to exert power, it wasn't needed. It was a way for the Drule King and his minions to enjoy the pain others. Like a cat playing with its prey before the kill.
Allura and he had their roles, cover fire, keep things under control. Don't do anything fancy, get into red lion. It sounded easy. It wasn't. The hair on the back of his neck had been raised for the whole day, his sixth sense was screaming at him that something was going to go really wrong. More wrong than even he and Allura could know from what little the prophecy gave them.
The prophecy showed the slave ships going away, Allura felt with slaves free, with Romelle and Sven's plan having had worked. Only not with Sven and Romelle on board as planned. Lance gritted his teeth against the feeling of his skin not fitting right on his bones and his calf on fire due to infection.
It wouldn't be much longer now, they were almost up the hill, to the building. Five more minutes at most, he judged it, as the Drules, whips hissed in the air making them all walk faster. The tension was felt everywhere and Lance looked at Allura. She smiled at him, trying to look brave and sure but he saw her fear, her uncertainty. He nodded at her hoping he looked brave and sure.
She nodded back a stubborn set to her jaw, he knew the feeling, no matter what he was going to make sure the slaves got off this planet and then her. Problem was Allura was thinking the same thing as him: Slaves and him. They could be the others worst nightmare in the getting the job done right and well.
What was the use of knowing what was going to happen, if he couldn't do anything against it, he thought, wary and tense.
You don't know enough, my King.
Altea's voice shocked him, it was light, female, airier than he expected the strong and solid woman he'd seen working with Romelle, Sven and Fin the last two days. He looked towards her, she was walking next to him. He reprimanded himself for allowing her to do so without his notice. Especially, so soon to the beginning of the revolt.
"I'm not a king," he said to her.
He felt Allura react, she was practically his crutch there was no way she could keep her surprise a secret, but she stayed silent. He waited for more from Altea, because he knew it was coming.
(ITALIC)Not yet, no, sooner than you think. Though, I see you never liking the title, though it is who you are. Your love for Arus is pure. It's part of who you are. You stood by that fire and had your world turned upside down by a woman's simple question.
Lance misstepped at Altea's words, Allura tightened her grip, Lance shook his head quickly to let Allura knew it was okay, he was fine. Not that he was, but he was okay enough, to go on with the conversation. So, I feel at home there, doesn't make me the king. He thought it so Allura wouldn't hear it, hoped it go through, because he didn't want to explain things to Allura. He'd told her already anyway, but he didn't want her pressing, if she pushed, it might lead to other things...
You know it is true.
"What?"
You're in love with her. You have been for a long time, longer than I think you want to admit, maybe will ever admit. Fighting it is foolish since it's a fight you don't want to win.
"It's not true," Lance muttered.
You worry for Keith Kogane, but there is no need. It works out. He doesn't see but then he will. His eyes will be opened in a way that they can't be closed and he'll understand the inevitable. And his own heart and her own heart, they were never truly matched. Love yes, Love no.
"You don't know," Lance whispered.
Tara the love he lost, the love he thought he'd never be over. Yes, I know of her.
Lance shook his head.
Allura opened his heart again. It's not to undervalued. Don't undervalue your role in things to come. In everything. You are not disposal, you've been trying to tell them, all three to treat you as such - you are anything but. You and Allura are Arus's future, you saw but a glimpse of a rebuilt planet...it's you and her. Without you two it never will happen. The two of you will change a few things about the future, it can't be helped, with foreknowledge somethings change. But one thing that won't change is that both you and Allura go with your gut... Your instincts. Never lead you wrong.
"Great, my instincts say some one is going to die, someone important," Lance said before he could check it. Allura gasped next to him. Altea met his gaze and didn't say a word to him in response, she nodded however and then she stepped forward, touched both Sven and Fin on the shoulder.
They were at the top of the hill. Lance looked up at his Lion, less than ten feet away, looming over them and he could hear water in the distance, rushing. He knew it was below the ledge that surrounded the flat summit they were on. The Drules were corraling them towards the one building, the two slave ships were in sight. There were people who could fly them among the slaves, Lance knew as along as they got on a ship, and off the planet, if they could disable the fireball mechanism they'd be fine.
Sven turned and met his eye. He and Sven both started to look around as they entered the building, they saw no other Drule's. Only those that had walked with them. But there was something off, they were being pushed past the ships, instead of pushed near them and it set off Lance's radar.
"What is going on," Allura asked.
"Don't know," he said.
Sven didn't like it either but he decided it was only for him to find out, he gave the signal for revolt. Chaos ensued. Instantly there was blaster fire everywhere, the Drule's were using their whips, but the slaves outnumbered them and while their crude weapons of rocks and sticks didn't mete out much power, their need for freedom, hatred for those who'd treated them with such cruelty for no sane reason for so long far outweighed anything else.
Sven easily took out a Drule by breaking his neck, he was the head guard and Sven grabbed back his own weapons, Romelle's, Lance's and Allura's, tossed them to the appropriate people. He nodded toward where they'd been being corralled, told Romelle to get the slaves to the ships, and yelled. "Get to Red Lion," to him and Allura.
It was chaotic, it was a mess but the slaves were now in control, the plan was working out as it should. Yet Lance and Allura glanced at each other, making eye contact and they saw the same fear. Something was going to go very wrong.
Nonetheless a plan was a plan, Red was towards the north, parked right by the summit's rocky ledge. Lance and Allura started to make their way over towards it only to be blocked by on larger, until then, unseen and unknown Drule.
He laughed. "Zarkon, he'd been afraid of this. Thought Lotor a fool not to kill you all on sight. He gave me clear orders, however. Don't interfer with the Polluxian Princess and the former pilot. But do kill Princess Allura, her hold on my son is too distraction. It's my honor to do my Kings bidding and kill you, Princess Allura." He raised his blaster and aimed right at Allura.
Lance shoved her hard behind him, hard enough that he knew she'd roll down the slight incline they'd made their way up toward Red Lion, enough that she could get out of sight, and out of danger.
"I don't think so."
"Funny, he didn't think you'd be an issue, McClain. Haggar, though, she tried to warn him. Said you might be a thorn in my side. I was of course given the go head to bring your head back for Zarkon to use as a new decoration for his throne room."
Lance rolled his eyes. "I'd clash with the decor, don't you think. Blood and gore doesn't go with my skin tone."
The Drule laughed, cocked his head to the side and raised his blaster. The fact was he had Lance dead to rights, there was no way out of this without doing something crazy. Lance of course knew crazy, and he was always willing to go with it. "It's always made me laugh how ridiculous you humans are when there is no where left for you to go; you're dead McClain."
Lance cocked his own to the opposite, moved his own blaster, down not up, and shrugged. "I'll decide that, thank you," he said and before he finished the word, you, he fired on the Drule's kneecap. Then he gritted his teeth, told himself to forget he was injured and tackled the guy, figuring if he was going to be the one to die he'd like it be brawling with his fists and not from a lazon blast.
He heard Allura scream, he sent out a don't worry, that he is pretty sure she growled out in return in a quick mental parlay. As soon as he and the Drule hit the ground though they were on their feet, closer to the ledge facing Fin with a blaster rifle.
"You won't take him," Fin shouted, holding the rifle in shaking hands. "He's the future of Arus, you can't have him or our Queen."
The Drule started to laugh again and rose his hand that still had his blaster, Lance did the same, they were less than a foot apart, blaster's in the other faces.
"I'll fire," Fin yelled.
The Drule laughed. "Not before he and I do, old man. Look at you shaking as you hold that weapon, you don't know what to with it. He and I will take each other out first. It's as good as any way to die."
"What about me," Allura yelled.
Lance swore, but he knew she wouldn't stay out of it, she was incapable. He wouldn't have her any other way, but he wanted her to run his entire body shook with the need for her to run and protect herself. Even as he moved his eyes for split second off of the Drule to glance at her with pride. She stood a few feet away, down a ways from where the three of them were, blaster fire ready, steady hand.
"I can fire fast, Drule. Aren't you supposed to kill me, aren't I the main prize?"
Zarkon's hit man looked between her and Lance. "Fine. Come over here, Princess and I'll let this one go."
"No," Lance yelled. "Allura, I won't trade myself for you so don't even try it."
"You will let Fin, go," Allura yelled.
Lance glanced over at the old man, he was shaking but he did have a good hold on the blaster rifle, his grip looked sure on the trigger.
"Princess, I am not trading myself for you either," Fin said.
"I'm impatient, I wish to shoot someone, I think I'll make it..." the Drule cut off and Lance felt the blue man hit his trigger more than he saw it, or understood it. He felt it and he knew instantly it was a direct shot at him. He closed his eyes, but instead of him a point blank shot of lazon to his brain was Fin kicked him in his bad leg and he stumbled back, falling over the ledge.
"You will not take the King of Arus," Fin shouted.
Altea appeared, with her own rifle, she'd be the one to fire, stalling the Drule from killing Lance. Lance gripped onto the rocks with his hands, cursing having to drop his blaster, thinking that Altea must have told Fin to do this to him. Prophecy wasn't so much destiny as crazy people making wacko decisions he thought. Watching as Altea walked up from behind the Drule pointing her rifle in his face, she glanced at Fin. Lance could feel the silent communication between the two older Arusians and then Fin took off running.
Altea held her gun at the Drule. The Drule laughed again and Lance knew he was going to fire, and he wanted to warn Altea, tell her to run, move; whatever crazy Seer thing she thought she was doing, it wasn't worth her own life, not over his, never. But he couldn't stop it, there was no one who could save her now.
Try to have faith in what you know to be true. He heard her in his head seconds before Altea and the Drule took each other out. Then Lance was slipping, and Allura's hands were wrapping around his forearms, trying to pull him up but it was useless. They looked right at each other and she shook her head. "No, no, no. No!" she shouted.
"Get in Red Lion, and go home!"
"No," Allura shouted.
"Allura, go to Red, go to safety!" he yelled just as he lost his grip.
His last vision was Allura's stubborn expression as she screamed no at him rather than about his fall.
~~.~~
Allura's hands had never felt so empty. She moved up from where she'd lain flat on the ground and looked at her hands. There was dirt on them, nothing else, no sign of Lance at all. She wiped at her eyes with the back of one of her hands, telling herself this wasn't the time for crying. She turned toward the bodies. Ignoring the Drule, she bent over Altea and looked in the grey eyes that used to see so much.
"You saved his life, or gave him a chance...me a chance too. Thank you." Allura whispered. "I don't, I still don't understand what you meant. Arus would have been lucky to have you back, as their Seer. I won't allow your death to be considered one that was in vain, or empty. It was hero's death," Allura closed Altea's eyes, then grabbed the blaster rifle, checked it and used the strap on it to throw over her own shoulder.
She started running towards Red Lion, she'd fly down to the River, go right to the caves, maybe if she hurried she'd get to Lance before he fell through the floor of first place of rest. She began to make the climb up the Lion to the cockpit door on the roof of the head, when she heard shouts.
"Allura, Allura!"
Romelle. She didn't have time for her, or Sven, Allura thought as she glanced over her shoulder. They were almost to the lion, their heads however had turned over to the edge of the summit where the two bodies lay.
"I have to fly down to the river, Lance fell," Allura yelled, then hurried forward to get into the Lion.
Neither Sven or Romelle reacted in words to what she said but Sven's speed picked up, he barreled onto the Lion and was in the cockpit seconds after Allura. "What do you mean he fell?"
"He fell over the ledge, into the river," Allura said.
She felt detached from herself. She heard herself and she sounded numb and calm. Too calm. She watched herself as she sat down and start the sequence to start Red. There was a slight spike of anger at Lance when she held key in her palm, the memory of him making her take it last night. Just in case, because she'd need it more than him if the Prophecy was right. He'd rolled his eyes as he said Prophecy, but he'd made her take the key anyway. She felt anger but it was still swimming around her not quite connecting with herself.
She had one sole focus. "I have to go find him."
"No, we have to get off this moon, while the firewall is still down and none of Zarkon's men are here. There is an alarm alerting him of what we've done here, the slave ships are on their own out there. Red Lion needs to protect them."
"They'll be fine," Allura said, a brief flicker of guilt that she barely felt because she didn't know that for sure. But she did know what she had to do. She had to save Lance. "Lance won't be, I have to save him."
Romelle made it into Red Lion's cockpit.
Allura lifted off.
"Allura, leave the planet and accompany the slaves we just freed," Sven ordered.
"Not without Lance, you'd leave him behind, injured?" Allura looked at him then, for the first time. Sven looked ashen and he looked down to the ground before he looked up at her but she couldn't really process his pain past her own worry.
"The two of you, you have these secrets, Allura. He knew this was possibility, and I didn't believe him. But I know his wishes, he wishes you to leave this planet, to go to safety. To fly back to Arus...this is what I will do. Obey those wishes."
"No," Allura said. "I'm saving him because there is no other choice to be made," she said. "Neither do you, Sven because this choice is mine, Sven. Mine."
"Allura, the Slave ships, this moon, we don't know how long we have to leave it," Romelle said.
Allura landed Red on stripe of rocky shoreline, the mountains surrounding it, the river rushing toward the three waterfalls, and the smaller brook that streamed out in between: It was all picture perfect how it'd been drawn by the Altea who'd lived on Arus centuries ago, the one the Altea who had died for Lance had been named for.
Allura took a breath and stood up, Sven blocked her.
"I will not let you leave this Lion, Princess."
Allura sighed, then she aimed the rifle at him. "You say you know he and I have secrets, well know this. I know he survived the fall, but I don't know how long he has past that, not without me going after him. I am going to do that, you can't stop me." She tightened her grip on the blaster rifle, her finger minutely moving toward the trigger, just to make her point.
"Allura!" Romelle shouted.
"Romelle," Allura looked at her cousin, meeting Romelle's gaze a small part of the emotional dam she had against her emotions taking over her mind when she needed to be control broke.
"Romelle, I have to do this, I have too, it's Lance. Lance. And there is no other choice for me, here. The options they might exist but the thought of them... It's this or I let myself die with him, lost and alone. Let me save him. I have to save him."