Chapter Two - The Visitor
"What's up?" Lance asked, momentarily catching his breath.
Hunk whirled the seat around to face them. "I'm not sure. It's not a Doom ship, but it hasn't contacted us yet." He swiveled the chair to face the controls again and enlarged the picture on the viewscreen.
Keith carefully studied the ship that had entered the planet's airspace. The sleek, one-man fighter ship gracefully flew through the Arussian sky. At the altitude the ship was in, large cloud masses covered the sky. Whoever's flying that thing is good. He thought, noting the way the pilot almost effortless dodged a mountain that came into the ship's view when the sky cleared. He continued to eye the ship as Hunk entered commands on the console to give him every angle of the spacecraft. Keith put a hand on Hunk's shoulder to make him stop.
"That crest," Keith said, pointing to the screen, "doesn't it look like one of those that hangs beside the crest of King Alfor in the conference room?"
"Hey, I think you're right, Keith!" Pidge said, "I remember seeing a crest with a dragon in it."
"Hunk, find the frequency used by the pilot of that ship." Keith ordered.
Hunk entered a new set of commands. "He's all yours, skipper."
Keith nodded. "This is castle control. You have entered Arussian airspace. Please identify yourself and your mission."
After a few seconds, the pilot made audio contact.
"Castle control, before I do, please tell me that your princess is alive."
Everybody shot questioning glances at each other.
"Princess Allura of the Royal House of Arus is alive." Keith said.
Silence from the other side.
"What is going on here?"
Everyone whirled around to find Princess Allura and Coran standing at the entrance of Castle Control.
"Your highness, that is the crest of the Royal House of Amaget." Coran said, noticing the ship on the viewscreen. He had approached the console as he said this.
"Coran? Is that you?"
The Prime Minister was startled.
The pilot finally made visual contact. He was wearing a helmet with a tinted visor.
"Coran! It is you!"
Allura gasped. That voice!
Coran seemed to have recognized the voice as well. "Could it be?"
The pilot took his helmet off.
Allura couldn't hold back the tears that formed in her eyes. Her hands trembled at her sides as she whispered with a mixture of uncertainty, hope, and happiness, "Allan."
The pilot smiled. "I missed you, too, Allura."