And so our tale goes on. What lies ahead for the plucky young cadet?

* * * *


Family Reunion

Chapter III: Attraction

by Lady Kiara

The unforgiving night went on as Trina sat huddled at the edge of her bed not knowing what to make of the dream she had. Could it be possible? Lance Masterson? He was cad with no breeding, uncouth, and horrific manners! She recalled how he was at supper- wolfing down at least a dozen pieces of fried chicken and shoveling down what seemed like a quart of creamed corn. She sighed hopelessly and ran through her mental rolodex of failed relationships. She was never good at admitting her feelings properly anyway. That seemed like a Kogane genetic trait, silencing your true feelings no matter how loud your actions or opinions are. She lay back and fell fast asleep. Lance walked the corridors contemplating his erotic dream co-starring Keith's sister.
"Dammit! Cool your jets, Lance. Nothing to go ballistic over you just screwed Trina in your dream... it was just a dream!" Lance wiped some sweat from his brow and passed Trina's quarters. The door was left open just a quarter of an inch and Lance dared himself to peek in. He saw the sleeping form of Trina curled up sleeping peacefully. She wore that same purple nightshirt he first saw her with on the terrace. The next thing he knew he was standing over her bed. Her breast rose ans fell at a steady pace, and Lance held his hand out gently hovering over it. 'She'll never know. She won't wake up. Just a quick feel....' Lance withdrew his hand, defeated he went back to his bedroom and quietly shut the door behind him.

* * * *

The old witch gazed deeply into her crystal orb studying the scene. Rubbing the roughened green skin on her chin, Haggar went to the bronze gong in her laboratory and sounded it. One of her slaves came running in.
"Yes Haggar. You summoned me?" The young man dressed in a tattered uniform knelt on the floor.
"Get Lady Axia for me. I have something that actually might rouse his Lordship. And be quick abaout it!" Haggar snapped, and the young man scampered off down the dank corridor. The princess of the Barsi homeworld sighed contentedly in Lotor's enormous bathtub. Axia's golden naked body gleamed in the mint-scented gray water, her maraschino cherry red hair was pinned up in braids around her head. She grabbed a computer pad that was lying on a towel on the marble legde and used her laser pen to decipher a crossword.
"I see we're pounding out the chapters tonight." Lotor commented walking into his bathroom.
"Go away Lotor. Why don't you go play with that Captain Keith? Oh I forgot, big bad Voltron might scare you away!"
"Bitch," the dark prince mumbled easing himself into the warm water across from his mistress.
"But that's how you want me baby." Axia blew him a kiss. But her green reptilian eyes gave away her malevolance.
"Y-y-y-your m-majesties..." The young slave said standing outside of the doorway.
"What is it now you groveling maggot?!" Axia said.
"Haggar requests your presence in her lab, Ladyship."
"What does the old bag want?"
"I am not permitted to ask questions my Lady."
"Just go to her darling. I don't want to hear my father complaining any more about you... you have a big mouth as it is." Lotor trailed off.
"What did you say, 'great prince'?" Axia threw a towel at him. Lotor caught it with ease and smirked. Axia leapt out of the tub with the skill of a gymnast and slipped on a black velvet robe and followed the slave.
"Haggar..." The slave said sticking his head in the doorway. Axia stormed in and the slave went back to his duties.
"Ah, Lady Axia I'm glad you could make it."
"Dispense with the pleasantries you old bag!" She crossed her arms over her large breasts.
"I've been keeping a surveilance over the Voltron Force and-"
"And?!"
"-and I think I may have found something that might intrest the prince..." With a wave of her shriveled hand the image of the Voltron force training in the castle's gymnasium appeared. The picture then shifted to Trina wearing a purple leotard, spandex shorts, and ballet slippers do a handstand on the balance beam. With ease she pressed forwards vaulting herself into the air doing two sommersaults and landed on her feet, arms outstreched. Pidge, Hunk, Romelle, and Allura applauded. Trina bowed and smiled.
"She is interesting. Who is she?"
"The sister of Captain Keith. Trina is her name. That one possesses great power, she wants to command the Black Lion as well."
"Is she a threat?"
"The possibility is great. But she just might be the incentive the prince needs."
"Perhaps... perhaps...." A devious smile crossed Axia's face.

* * * *

Energy blasts roasted the grassy terrain as another one of Haggar's robeasts was destroyed. The shrill scream of a part female-part vulture robeast flew towards the lion and Trina veered left. "ACTIVATE DEFLECTOR WINGS!" Silvery wings extended out of the Black Lion's back and Trina steered the lion to leap into the air and catch the wind to match the vulture's flight pattern. "Bye-bye birdie! PROTONIC CANNON FIRE!" The robeast had disintergrated into matter.
"OK, end simulation." Keith announced. The terrain had went black and Trina unbuckled herself from the "cockpit's" seat and the automatic chamber door opened. She glnced up at the blank scoreboard on the wall and a blur of digits computed on the screen. It stopped when it reached 38,000.
"All right! Best new score yet!"
"Not bad- for a beginner Imouto." Her older brother winked.
"C'mon Big Brother! You gotta let me take the lion out for a spin, that alone is my reason for living!"
"Then I suggest you find a new reality kiddo!" Lance said. He was wearing his blue and white uniform, his helmet was tucked under his arm. Trina stuck her tongue at him.
"Lay off Masterson!" Keith turned to his sister. "I'll consider it. But for now, you still need to cut your teeth in the simulator."
"Hai! Arigato Akira-niichan." She threw her arms around Keith's neck. Keith's silver and red wrist communicator beeped twice.
"Keith here."
"Yo! Why aren't you out for lion practice with the rest of us?" Hunk asked.
"I'll be right there, Keith out."
"And you lecture to us about tardiness..." Lance smirked.
"I have to go, see ya later Ryooko-chan." Keith kissed Trina's cheek an ran to shuttle 1 to suit up. Lance stood there staring at Trina.
"What?!" She barked.
"Exactly what are your intentions with the Black Lion?"
"My intentions are none of your business!" Trina turned on her heel.
"Do you really think that you'll lead the Voltron Force?" Lance's words made Trina seethe with fury and she faced him.
"I have every intention to prove to Keith that I am a competent pilot and a dependable soldier! Nothing will stop me from my destiny." Trina fingered the crystal onyx charm around her neck.
"You don't have the experience and you lack the drive to pilot any one of the lions." Trina's eyes squinted to violet slits as she turned to him once more.
"Oh I have the drive and control. Something that you lack!"
"You're a kid, be a kid and stay outta this shit!"
"You can't tell me what to do!" She hissed and stalked off. Lance tried to turn his mind to other things, but the dream kept resurfacing. Defeated he went to join the others on the field. Trina went up to the outer mezzanine in the rear of the palace to watch the lions practice. The Green Lion was equipped for stealth silent running like the many jungle beasts it rules over, launched its star spear to the charging Yellow Lion and it ripped into its hind leg. The damage was minor, Trina thought. Even she could repair it. She looked on with pride as the Black Lion pounced on the Blue with in an almost loving manner. Keith and Allura. A princess and her knight. Arus' future. Trina smiled and pictured Keith in a king's finery, sure he would complain about the frogs and tight tunic at first, but Arus needs a good king. And a king needs a good warrior. A purple uniform. Straight-laced polished white boots. A blaster clipped to her silver belt and a sword to go with it. Trina looked to the hot sun with possibilities in her eyes, but found herself looking toward a far entrance in the palace ballroom and seeing the slender figure of a rogue pilot leaning against the wall. She could read his arrogant smirk in the darkness of the doorway.
The slam of a door. Tearing of cloth. Taste of salt. Bodies slapping wetly against one another. Cries of release. Trina's hair veiled around Lance's head as she bent to kiss him. Trina shook herself from the dream and ran inside. Nanny rushed around the kitchen when Trina walked in. She hoped Hunk didn't eat the remainder of the cherry cobbler from last night's dessert.
"Hey Nanny." Nanny looked her up and down and scowled.
"You have to get ready!"
"Ready? Ready for what?" Trina pulled out a bottle of chocolate soda and took a long draught.
"Didn't Coran tell you? He didn't did he?"
"Will you cool your jets and tell me what Coran didn't tell us?" Nanny huffed out a breath as she hastily dried the dishes from lunch.
"A delegation from the Mantra homeworld has arrived on Pollux and His Majesty, Prince Bandor, has announced a ball and we are obligated to attend!" She stacked the plates in a cupboard and hung the teacups on the little steel hooks on the underside of the shelf. "And now I must lay out the princess' gown out. I'll be sure to find you something as well Miss Trina."
"Whoa Nanny! Who said I'm goin' to this whoop-de-doo? I'm not going anywhere tonight."
"Oh yes you are. You are a part of this household you will respect the rules! You are coming with us." Nanny left the kitchen.
"I won't!" Trina screamed after her. Soon Trina found herself standing in front of her full-length mirror wearing the gown Nanny had chosen. A strapless satin deep puprple figure-hugging gown with a sparkling gossamer train that was sewn onto the back of the dress that cascaded down her back onto the floor. Her black hair pinned high a bun, a criclet of silver around it adorned with amethysts. "Man, what a get up!" Trina sighed.
"So, ready to go?" Allura wearing a pink silk spagetti-strapped gown and white opera-length gloves. Her hair was kept in its usual style with the gold tiara in her hair.
"Do I have to?" Trina moaned. Allura put her arm around her.
"It'll be over before you know it."


* * * *


The ballroom was noisy enough, Trina thought as she muddled her way through the crowd. Holding her glass of pink champagne careful not to spill it on some stuffy dignitary. She was satisfied enough that several men had asked her to dance, two of which were princes complete with marriage proposals. Trina standing by a French window caught Romelle's eye and she waved to her. Trina lifted her glass in response. Romelle wore a shoulderless long sleeved silver gown made of crushed velvet and she trailed happily on Sven's arm. Each male member of the Voltron team- including Sven- wore their dress uniform, their jackets matching their uniform's colour.
Lance gulped down his fourth pink champagne as he saw Trina talking to an unknown diplomat. He sneered at the sight and felt something go though him- perhaps envy? She looked towards Lance's direction and hoped he had been bothered. She wasn't one for balls and dressing up, but she knew she looked good. And she knew Lance knew that.
"Ask her will you?" A gruff voice said from behind Lance. He nearly leapt.
"Jesus H. Christ, Hunk!" Lance spluttered. "Kill me why don't you?"
"I don't have to kill you because starin' at her is killin' you good buddy."
"Yeah, just keep dancin' on the mine field." The two fighters sat on the marble steps of the ballroom's main entrance. Lance hailed a waiter for another champagne. Hunk's plate was well-stocked with hors d'ouvres from the buffet table and a glass of ginger ale. Lance laughed for the first time that night looking at his friend stuff himself with deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and vegetable crackers smeared with pate. "Think you could save a few crumbs for Lance, big guy?"
"I have a motto for my women and my food Lance, 'Get your own'."
"It figures. Let me level with you man. If there was a girl that you KNOW, I mean emphatically, totally, INSTINCTIVELY, KNOW that is wrong for you, would you still make a play for her?"
"You know what they say, opposites attract. But what disturbs you the most- that she's Keith's sister, or that she's pretty damn good pilot and fighter?" Lance didn't answer. He couldn't answer. Trina looked out the window and saw an unusual flash behind a clump of bushes and shadows. Spotting Coran sipping some wine chatting with Romelle and Bandor who was wearing his dress uniform of the Polluxian royal army, she ran over to Coran.
"Ah, Trina. I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself."
"Hardly. Coran, I saw something in the bushes outside." Normally Coran would've brushed it off, but with Lotor's frequent attacks in the past few weeks he pulled Trina over to the side.
"What did you see?"
"I'm not sure, but it was a flash in the bushes."
"Haggar's robeast devils."
"The black prince himself. Lotor is truly a coward, let them do the dirty work while he takes the glory. Not even an honourable warrior!" Trina snorted.
"Perhaps, but he puts up a pretty good fight. His strategies are second to none."
"But you always manage to win Coran." He kept his dark glance on the cadet as he lifted his long-stemmed glass to his lips.
"GOOD EVENIN' LADIES AND GENTS!!" A woman's voice boomed out. Lady Axia stood atop the stairs of the main ballroom entrance wearing a sleek, black satin evening gown with a plunging neckline that exposed the curves of her breasts and a thigh high slit on the side of the skirt. Her red hair hung loose down her bare back with a neon green streak. Crashes and glass flying everywhere as Lotor's soldiers came careening in through the windows brandishing blaster rifles. The dark prince's laugh echoed throughout the room as Bandor's head was tipped upward with a barrel of a rifle, aimed at his throat. His older sister shrunk into a corner with Allura also held at bay by the soldiers.
"I think the element of suprise is definately the best form of attack, don't you think Axia?" Lotor came in dressed in a black and silver dress uniform. His shiny boots made a clattering sound like the rattle of bones.
"We should've planned it, organization, pre-sold the movie rights...." The soldiers were focused on the present royalty and security forces, however the Voltron Force was scattered throughout the ballroom and had ducked beneath or under tables. Pidge edged towards Sven and cocked their blasters from behind the bar. Trina stood partially hid behind royal blue satin curtains by the window, Keith kept one eye on his sister and the other on his teammates- sans Allura- making a silent formation around the guards. Trina lifted the hem of her gown a retrieved a small thermal charge tucked into a leather garter on her upper right thigh, and placed it into a sling she removed and unfolded from her corset. Lotor spotted Princess Allura and headed towards her.
"My... dear... Allura, didn't your Mommy ever tell you that if you play with matches you'll get burned?" He reached out to stroke her cheek. Allura flinched. Trina lifted the sling above her head and began to whirl it.
'This should give you enough time Big Brother....' Trina thought. Gaining enough momentum she threw the sling back and released the charge. It flew directly into the blazing crystal chandelier shattering it into shards causing a blinding, massive explosion.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!!" One of the guards shouted shielding his eyes from the light. The V-force flew into action firing their blasters and Polluxian soldiers burst through the now unattended entrances of the ballroom. Lotor saw Keith pounding his Captain of the Guard into the marble floor and drew his lighting sword. Despite the length of her dress, Trina managed to kick one of the Doom soldiers in the face and flipped another one over her head by grabbing his forearm. She glanced over at the charging Lotor when she pulled her blaster from her left thigh holster and ran after him. Keith was being throttled by the brutish soldier and didn't see Lotor's blade bearing down on him. Trina leapt and rolled twice to halt in a kneeling position with her blaster aimed at Lotor's head.
"TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND YOUR BRAINS WILL BE THE NEXT COURSE ON THAT BUFFET TABLE, DRULE SCUM!!" All action ceased in the room and all eyes fell on the dark prince and the cadet. Axia cackled while perched on a gilded statue's pedestal, sipping champagne. Lotor slowly straightened up but didn't turn around. "Drop the blade and call your dog off my brother... NOW!" Keith dropped to the floor with a gagging sound and Lotor threw the sword to the side. The Polluxian guards seized the blaster rifles and rounded the Doom mercenaries up, Lotor put his hands up and faced Trina and his eyes widened. His onyx eyes travelled from her slender hips, up to her well rounded breasts, to her cold face as she raised the blaster's setting up a knotch... And he forgot about Allura. Hunk and Lance bounded over to them with their blasters drawn.
"KEITH! WHAT HAPPENED?" Lance shouted.
"S'okay, Masterson," Trina said keeping both eyes and blaster on Lotor. "I'll take care of this trash."
"Yeah right little girl! You think I'd leave you with this creep?!"
"Shut your mouth! I can take care of my damn self. I don't need some obnoxious jack-ass like you to ape over me!"
"HEY! I've just about had enough of you're mouth! You are NOT too old for me to put you over my knee!" Trina fumed and dropped her blaster from Lotor's right temple and strutted to Lance. Keith and Hunk's jaws dropped. Lotor began to laugh, but Hunk grunted and cocked the blaster, as did the Polluxian soldiers and Lotor raised his arms languidly.
"That's it! My brother was right you are an idiot as you are a discipline case!"
"SAY WHAT? KEITH...!"
"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!" Axia guffawed, rocking herself back and forth on the pedestal. She threw her champagne glass across the floor as it smashed against the marble and gold. Trina and Lance took aim at the Barsi Princess.
"Who's this Lotor? Your latest out of your daddy's harem?" Lance snorted.
"What are you brayin' at bitch?" Trina growled.
"What a show you put on for us, Miss Kogane! I'm actually impressed! Lotor, I would hurry up and snatch this one before Commander Lance does!" Axia teased. Trina leapt onto the pedestal and grasped Axia by the throat and thrust the blaster into her cheek.
"TRINA!" Keith shouted starting to his feet.
"Becareful what you say, slut. Your tongue will dig your grave." Trina hissed. Axia smiled maliciously and turned to a golden mist then reappeared standing in the open window.
"This was a most amusing evening and I assure you there will be plenty more. Oh yes and Lotor, you owe me one."
"For what Axia, my dear?"
"This!" Sweeping her hand across air, Lotor and his mercenaries became mist. Lotor's laugh echoed throughout the ballroom.
"Trina... Trina.... I look forward to seeing you again." Keith helped his sister from the pedestal and held her close. He looked down at her face expecting fear, but all he saw was anger. Stone-cold anger, and the drive to fight. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision.


FIN