Small Eternities

by Cyanne

**FINISHED** A clandestine target practice has disastrous results for Keith and Allura, and events are set in motion that will alter their lives forever.

1. The Going

Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are the property of World Events
Productions. All rights reserved. Done for no profit whatsoever. Cyann Miller
and General Aldran belong to me.

Introduction
February, 2002: What follows is a revised version of my original "Small
Eternities, Part 1: The Going." I have made some minor changes to reflect my
changing ideas about the story and the characters in the five years since it was
first written. Most of the changes made were necessary to foreshadow events
in Parts 2 and 3, most of which I had not even imagined when I began Part
One. Like many writers, I literally came up with this story page by page, and
thus Parts 2 and 3 have turned out very different from Part 1. This reposting is
an attempt to establish a little more continuity between the three sections.
However, the story is essentially the same. I hope you still enjoy it. --SG

P.S. Just to refresh everyone's memory: "speech,"


SMALL ETERNITIES
by Saturn Girl

Part One: The Going

Allura's alarm went off at three-forty-five. With a soft groan, she leaned over to turn
it off, started to lean back, then caught herself when she remembered why it had gone off
in what seemed like the middle of the night, more than two hours before regular lion
practice. She quickly shoved the covers off and stood up in the dark room, feeling a tingle
in her stomach as she reached for her pink flight suit.
When she had dressed, Allura went to the mirror to pin up her hair. She gazed at
her reflection critically as she twisted her hair into its usual tight topknot. She adjusted the
angle of her tiara and went to the washroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When
she emerged, the clock read 4:05.
Keith would be waiting for her.
The princess retrieved her blaster, which she had carefully hidden beneath her bed
the night before, checked her appearance one more time, and hurried out the door.
She stole quietly through the corridor, only too conscious of her three teammates
sleeping behind the doors she passed, and allowed herself a small smile of triumph when
she arrived at the rec room without incident.
Her captain was sitting in his usual chair, sipping a cup of coffee. When the door
slid open to admit Allura, he looked up and smiled.
"Morning, Princess," Keith said amiably. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd
decided to sleep in after all."
"Well, better late than never, right?" Allura replied, smiling back. "Ready?"
"When you are." He rose.
"Then let's go." Allura moved toward the door.
"Hey Princess?"
She turned. "Yes?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but what do you say to working on some aerial
targets as well this morning?"
"Are you implying that my air shots need as much work as my ground aim?" Allura
inquired huffily.
"I didn't say that," Keith protested, raising his hands in innocence. "I just thought,
as long as we were taking the lions . . . "
Allura shrugged. "You're the captain. Come on, let's get out of here before
everybody wakes up."
"As you wish, Princess."

Allura began keying the startup code as soon as her shuttle landed her in the blue
lion. She heard the robot lion roar as its systems came online, and felt the usual thrill of
excitement. She adjusted power intake, took hold of the steering column, and launched the
blue lion from its watery cavern in the depths of Lake Serenity.
With a glorious splash, the lion broke the surface of the lake and soared into the
still-dark sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black lion, hovering in mid-air,
come to join her. "What took you so long, Princess?" she heard Keith remark teasingly.
"Oh, be quiet," Allura shot back, fighting to keep her delighted smile from
permeating her words. It was the kind of thing Lance would have said, a gentle, affectionate
tease. Allura loved to be teased by Keith, who was usually so serious.
On the intership monitor, she could see that Keith was smiling as well. "Sorry,
Princess. Set course for the target field."
Both lions put on an extra burst of speed and headed for a large meadow where the
team held their weekly target practice. The practices were only held once a week because,
with the exception of Allura, everyone on the Voltron Force had perfect--or near-perfect--
aim. It always made Allura feel bad, not being equally skilled, and she was grateful for this
extra practice.
The meadow was only a few miles away, so within minutes the lions reached the
large field and touched down gently on the dewy grass. Quickly, Allura removed her
helmet, made sure she had her blaster, opened the top hatch of the blue lion and pulled
herself out.
She looked across the meadow, and saw Keith scrambling out of his lion. He, too,
had removed his helmet, and his long black hair blew gently in the early morning breeze.
Allura felt her heart stir. As if he sensed her eyes upon him, Keith looked back across the
meadow at her. Their eyes met, and Allura quickly dropped her gaze.
"So," she called across the field. "Shall we switch lions now?"
"One thing at a time, Princess. Let's work on your aim first."
Allura gritted her teeth as she made her way carefully to the ground. "Keith, you
promised to let me have a try on Black Lion today!"
"I know, but--"
"I hope you're not stalling again, Keith." The Princess crossed her arms over her
chest, looking petulant. "Are you really so protective of your black lion that you can't trust
me to take care of it?"
"Not at all," Keith replied, though he seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes. "It's
just that...Black Lion isn't easy to handle, and I want to you to be absolutely comfortable
with yourself before--"
"All right, all right," she interrupted, blinking away tears of frustration. "Let's work on my
aim, then, but promise me you'll at least let me sit in the command seat!" She knew the
sarcasm was unnecessary, but she couldn't help it.
"Princess, I'm not underestimating you." Keith voice was quiet and even. "You're a
far better pilot than even you know. But it's my responsiblity as your captain to keep you
from doing too much before you're ready--I need each and every member of my team in
one piece, ready for anything, and you know why."
"I know, Keith," she grumbled, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry for pestering you."
He shook his head. "I never think of it that way, Princess." Then he grinned at her.
"Shall we?"
They walked over to the practice area, where several lines were painted on the
grass, at ten foot intervals, marking the various shooting distances.
"I left the targets up from last time," Keith told her. "Is a hundred feet too much?"
"Not at all," she replied, still a trifle testily.
"I didn't mean it that way."
"A hundred feet is fine."
They moved to the appointed reference point, a well-worn patch of grass. Allura
glanced across the field at the red and white bulls-eye target.
"Did you remember to put blanks in?" Keith asked.
"Yes, Nanny." Why did everyone seem to think she was an airhead?
"All right, fire when ready."
Allura raised her arm and fired a quick shot. The target showed no visible damage.
"Try it again," said Keith.
She took aim again, squinted at the target, and fired. Another miss. And another.
"What am I doing wrong, Keith?"
"You're giving it too much weight," Keith replied. "A good shot isn't a process, it's a
reflex." Keith raised his own blaster. His expression did not change as he fired. Bulls-eye.
"You make it look easy," Allura said, not without admiration.
"It is easy, and you can do it." Keith dropped his arm. "Try again."
Allura sighed and took aim. For a moment, she simply stared at the target. Then
she fired. A small burn mark appeared on the edge.
"Better," Keith said encouragingly.
"Not for me," Allura countered with determination. "A shot like that wouldn't do me
any good in a battle." She raised the weapon again, narrowing her eyes at the faraway red
and white target. She pursed her lips in concentration and fired. The shot grazed the top
of the target. She spat out a word she'd heard Lance use when he stubbed his toe.
If Keith was surprised, he didn't show it. "Take it easy, Princess. You're still giving it
too much weight. When you touch a hot iron, do you think before you pull your hand
away?"
"No."
"The same thing applies to shooting a blaster. It's a simple action, a reflex. Aim,"
he took aim, "focus," he scrutinized the target, "fire." Another perfect hit.
Allura shook her head in wonder. Was there anything Keith couldn't do perfectly?
She noticed that he was waiting for her to take another shot. She raised the blaster,
sighted the center of the target, and pulled the trigger. A burn mark appeared in the left
half. She dropped her arm in frustration.
"You have to see the hit before you pull the trigger," Keith explained, forever
patient. "Don't think about whether or not it will hit; in fact, don't think about anything. Just
do it."
Allura thought, sighting the target, A blemish appeared, a few
inches to the left of center. She inhaled in surprise.
"Good," Keith commented. "Try it again."
Feeling more sure of herself, Allura took aim and fired again, trying to clear her
thoughts. Miss.
"You're still thinking too much. Let go, Princess."
She stared at the target. , she thought quickly. Bulls-eye! She
dropped her arm in surprise.
"Excellent."
Allura felt the corners of her mouth rise into a wide smile. "I did it," she said in
amazement, looking at Keith.
He was smiling as well. "I knew you could."
"I wasn't even trying that time," Allura marveled.
"Exactly," Keith replied with satisfaction. "That's what was holding you back."
For the next hour, Allura fired again and again, missing most of the time, but
scoring enough bulls-eyes to make Keith nod in approval. When he finally told her to take
a break, Allura's wrist and shoulder were cramped with the strain. She switched the laser
to her other hand and began to rotate her sore wrist. While she massaged the soreness
out of her body, Keith took a few shots himself, switching hands and scoring perfect hits
every time. Allura watched with admiration as she rubbed her stiff shoulder. "You look like
you don't need to practice at all," she remarked enviously.
"But I do practice," Keith replied without turning, "because it's better to be prepared
for nothing than caught off guard." After another five shot volley of perfect hits, he lowered
the gun and faced her. "You're getting much better."
"Maybe, but it'll be quite a while until I'm up to the level of the rest of the team,"
Allura replied glumly.
"Don't talk like that. Hunk, Pidge, Lance and I were trained at the Space Academy
for six years. You've been at this for barely two years and already you're scoring bulls-
eyes at a hundred feet--not too shabby, Princess."
Allura managed a small smile, somewhat embarrassed by the praise. "What time is
it?"
"Almost five-thirty. We should head back in about fifteen minutes."
Allura nodded, gazing in the direction of the Castle of Lions. She frowned. "Keith, I
can't see the Castle."
He followed her gaze. A thick fog had obscured the faraway figure of the majestic
Castle. Overhead, steel-gray clouds shifted ominously, as a surprisingly strong breeze
ruffled the trees surrounding the field.
"Looks like a storm's coming," Allura observed. "Do you think it'll hit us?"
"Maybe." Keith was staring critically at the sky. "We may have to end practice a
little early."
"Fine with me," Allura answered. "I don't like the look of those clouds."
"At any rate," Keith continued, gazing at the opening of a forest about fifty feet away
from where they were standing, "we should probably get away from--"
An earsplitting crash drowned out his words. There was a blinding flash of light.
Allura turned toward the source of the horrible crash and saw that one of the tallest trees
near the opening of the forest, nearly seventy feet high, had been hit by lightning. It was
swaying--it was going to fall! And it was headed straight for them!
Allura felt a hard shove as Keith pushed her out of the tree's path. She hit the
ground hard on her right arm, then felt the ground shake and her ears crackle with a
tremendous smash that seemed to vibrate the entire planet.
In the horrible hush that followed, Allura continued to lay upon the damp grass,
hardly breathing, afraid to move. Suddenly, she felt something hit her hand. The limb
flexed in alarm, and Allura tensed. More stings landed, on her forehead, on her arms and
legs. She looked up, and realized that it had begun to rain, hard.
"Allura?"
"Keith!" She turned her head to see him lying beside her, gazing at her in concern.
Behind him, the fallen tree lay, barely two feet away.
"Are you all right?" Keith asked.
"I think so," she replied. "What about you?"
"I'm fine," he replied absently, already pushing himself to his feet. When he was
standing, he offered his hand to help her up.
When she was on her feet, Keith continued to hold her hand, for which Allura was
grateful; although her panic had ebbed, she couldn't seem to stop trembling. The rain was
coming faster now; Allura winced from the force of the huge, sharp drops. She looked at
Keith and saw him hurriedly scanning their surroundings. Suddenly he pointed.
"There! We can wait out the storm."
Allura followed his gesture and a saw a large cave. In the back of her mind, she
realized that it must have been left over from the days when the Arusian people lived in
caves to escape King Zarkon. She had a brief flashback of heat, screams, and death in
harmony, and closed her eyes briefly against the horrible memories.
"Come on," Keith urged, tugging at her hand.

The cave was chilly. Allura could not help a shiver as she gazed into its cold
darkness. She wiped the raindrops off her forehead. They were both drenched.
"Are you warm enough, Princess?"
"I'm fine," she assured him. Keith did not need to know how much her right elbow
hurt; it would only worry him.
As if he heard her thoughts, Keith looked at her critically for a few moments, then
looked back at the meadow. Lightning flashed, and there was another clap of thunder.
The rain was was pouring down in sheets, like folds of gray silk.
Allura sat on the floor of the cave. "How long do you think it'll last?"
"Probably not very long. Fierce storms like this tend to spend themselves quickly."
"I hope so. If Nanny discovers that I'm gone, she'll have a fit. She'd never let me
leave the Castle again."
Keith gave a rueful smile. "You're lucky to have people around who care about
you, Princess."
Noticing the wistful tone in his words, Allura looked up at him curiously. She knew
Keith had been orphaned at the age of ten, and, having no siblings, he had spent most of
his life alone. Having always had her father, Koran, and Nanny around made Allura
sometimes take her family for granted. Gazing at Keith's grim profile as he stared at the
rainstorm made her realize just how lucky she was.
Keith looked away from the storm. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
Allura couldn't bring herself to lie to him. "I landed pretty hard on my right arm," she
admitted, "but don't worry, I think I'll live."
He gave a faint smile. "I'm sure you will, but just in case, I'm going back to the black
lion to get a med kit."
"Keith," Allura protested. "That's not necessary. It's just a bruise. Besides, you
can't go out into that storm--you're soaked already." When he looked away in impatience,
she added lightly, "You'll get sick and Lance will have to lead the team. Are you willing to
take such a risk?" She smiled at her joke.
Keith looked back at her with his usual crooked smile. "I'll chance it," he said wryly.
"Keith," she said again, looking at him seriously. "Please. The storm will be over
any minute, then we can go back. I don't like the idea of you going out there alone."
Keith was still staring outside. "While I'm there, I can try to send a message, in case
we're late." It was as if he hadn't heard her.
"Keith!" Allura was exasperated. "Don't be so stubborn!"
Surprised by her outraged tone, Keith finally turned. For a moment, Allura thought
he might be angry, but then she saw that he was trying to hold off a smile.
"And just what is so funny?" she demanded haughtily.
Keith's face became a mask again. "Nothing, Princess," he replied politely. "Were
you going to say something?"
Caught off guard, Allura had forgotten what she had been about to say. She
thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. Please, don't go back out into that storm. I'm perfectly
fine, and when it's over, I give you my word that I will not walk back to the blue lion on my
hands." Her eyes implored him to heed her words.
Keith smiled. "All right, Your Majesty, you've convinced me."

Fifteen minutes later, the storm showed no sign of letting up. Keith's expression
had become tense, but he continued to sit, still and patient, as if he had all the time in the
world.
Allura shifted her position, wincing as the cold stone of the wall dug into her spine.
She fought another shiver; she knew very well that Keith was monitoring her closely, and at
her first sign of discomfort, nothing would stop him from going to the black lion for the med
kit. Allura wrenched her body still to repress another shiver. Keith never seemed to notice
the elements; she was just as determined to ignore the cold air of the cave and her soaked
clothes.
Suddenly she sneezed. Self-consciously, she glanced at Keith, and caught him
looking at her. Allura shifted again, trying to look comfortable. But this time, she was
unable to keep from shivering.
Now Keith looked her in the eye. "You can give up the act, Princess."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she hedged. "I'm just fine."
Keith moved his gaze away for a moment, as if he was hesitating, then he slowly got
up and moved to her side of the cave, sitting next to her. "Lean against me," he said. "We
can keep each other warm."
For the briefest of seconds, Allura was nervous. Then she moved closer, leaning
against him, and felt Keith put his arm around her shoulders. The first few moments were
awkward, but soon Allura felt Keith relax, and allowed herself to do the same. She shivered
again, uncontrollably, and felt him draw her closer. As her head rested on his shoulder,
Allura tried not to think about how close he was, how she could feel the rise and fall of his
chest as he breathed, how safe she felt in his arms. She turned her mind to the Castle. "I
hope we make it back in time."
"We will," he answered confidently. "I took the precaution of telling Lance where
we'd be, just in case. At least they'll know you're not far."
"Somehow," she said, "I don't think that will make much of a difference."

The alarm clock gave an unholy screech right next to Lance's ear. He started, then
reached out with one hand to turn it off. For a moment, he lay back onto his pillow,
wistfully, then regretfully pushed back the covers and launched himself out of bed. "Why
does lion practice have to be so damn early?" he mumbled to himself, rubbing his eyes. He
reached for his jeans and turtleneck, put them on, and reached for his leather jacket.
Lance left his room just as Hunk and Pidge were emerging from theirs. "Morning," a
bright-eyed Pidge chirped.
"It's not morning," Lance argued. "It's still the middle of the night."
"How can Keith expect us to get up so early every morning?" Hunk complained.
"I'm so tired I can hardly walk."
"Well you wouldn't be if you didn't go to bed so late," Pidge replied matter-of-factly.
"There's more to life than going to bed early," Hunk countered.
"Not here there isn't," Lance added. "Come on; he's probably waiting for us."
When they reached the rec room, they were startled to find it empty. "Whoah!"
exclaimed Pidge. "Did we beat Keith out of bed?"
"This has got to be a dream," Hunk said, "I think I'll go back to sleep." Pidge
grabbed his arm, shaking a disciplinary finger.
Lance suddenly remembered what Keith had told him the previous night. , Lance thought. I don't like this, but I'd better not say
anything. "Hey, everybody has an off day. He'll be here any minute."
"I guess the Princess is having an off day, too," Pidge observed, "because she's
not here either. What a coincidence, huh?" The fourteen-year-old boy raised his
eyebrows suggestively.
Lance fought the urge to chuckle. He himself had given Keith the same look the
night before, and received a reproachful earful in return. 'Say what you will about me,"
Keith had told him sternly, 'but mention one word that compromises the Princess's honor
and I'll knock you from here to next week.' Though Keith had been smiling, albeit
somewhat ferally, Lance knew he meant what he said, and had hastily dropped the subject.
But still, it wouldn't do to have rumors get started...
"Knock it off, Pidge," Lance admonished, beating down a smile. "You know Keith is
too honest to pull a stunt like that."
The boy sighed in disapointment. "You're probably right."
They all sat down to wait. Fifteen minutes later, Pidge got up. "That's it; I'm
worried. Something must have happened."
"Sit down, Pidge," Lance ordered. "I'm sure they'll be back soon. Nanny and Koran
will be getting up shortly, and there's no use upsetting them."
"But Lance," Hunk argued, sounding concerned, "what if something did happen to
them? Maybe Prince Lotor captured the Princess, and then when Keith tried to rescue her,
maybe they got him, too."
"Nonsense. Lotor and his father were destroyed when we sent Haggar's storm back
to them. Remember how Koran said it changed the rotation of the planet? The sun side of
Planet Doom gets up to seven hundred degrees; there's no way they could have survived."
Hunk shrugged. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't Lotor or Zarkon. But we all know it's not
like Keith to be late for anything. I say something happened."
"I know they're okay," Lance insisted. "Keep your voice down; someone will hear
you."
Just then, the door slid open, and the team looked hopefully toward it. But it wasn't
Keith or the Princess, it was Koran.
"What are you all doing here?" the chief diplomat inquired in surprise. "Shouldn't
you be at practice?"
"We can't practice without our captain," Hunk replied.
"Or the Princess," Pidge added.
"They're not here?" Koran said, alarmed. "Where are they?"
Nanny appeared a moment later. "What's going on? Why aren't you practicing?
And where's Princess Allura?"
"Maybe she's still in bed," Pidge suggested hopefully.
"She wouldn't miss her precious lion practice," Nanny replied firmly. "Where is
she?"
Hunk turned to Lance. "Well, Lance, you're second-in-command. What do you
think?"
Lance looked uncomfortable. He'd promised not to breathe a word unless it was
absolutely necessary. Looking at Nanny and Koran's worried faces, Lance guessed that it
was absolutely necessary. "There's nothing to worry about," he sighed
finally, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I know where they are."
"Where?" everyone exclaimed.
"They're at the target field."
"What are they doing there?" Koran demanded.
"Keith's giving the Princess some extra target practice." Out of the corner of his
eye, Lance saw Pidge nudge Hunk with a grin.
"When did they say they'd be back?" Nanny asked.
Lance stared at his feet. "Six."
"Six!" Nanny cried. "It's nearly half past! Where are they?"
"I'm sure they're fine," replied Lance. "Keith wouldn't let anything happen to the
Princess. Maybe one of the lions broke down, and they're trying to fix it."
"Did anyone else know about these plans?" Koran gave the Voltron Force a grim
stare.
Hunk and Pidge shook their heads.
"How long have they been gone?" Koran demanded of Lance.
Lance replied honestly. "I don't know."
"You don't know!" Nanny was very upset. "They could have been gone for hours,
and we'd never have known! She could have been kidnapped, or hurt--"
"I'm sure everything's fine, Nanny," Koran consoled the agitated nurse, fixing Lance
with a stern look. "Why were you the only one who knew?"
Lance shrugged. "Keith said he wanted someone to know, as a safety precaution--
" he stopped himself, but it was too late.
Nanny gave a cry of fear and fell against Koran. "Oh, my poor girl! What could
have happened to her?"
"I'm disappointed in you, Lance," Koran told him. "You should have told us."
"But Keith swore me to secrecy!" Lance protested, then suddenly realized it was
the wrong thing to say. "I mean--"
Koran face turned red. "Oh, he did, did he!"
"Oh, Koran!" Nanny sobbed.
"It's all right," he comforted her, his scowl losing some of its intensity. "I should
have known something like this might happen."
"What?" asked Hunk.
"Never mind," Koran brushed him off. To Nanny, he said, "I'm sure they'll return
soon, Nanny."
"But what if something's happened?" Nanny sniffled.
"Lance was right about one thing," Koran said grimly. "Keith would never let
anything happen to the Princess. But right now, all we can do is wait."

Allura did not realize she'd fallen asleep until she woke up. She became conscious
of someone gently nudging her.
"Allura?" she heard Keith say softly.
She blinked a few times. They were still in the cave, and it was still cold--though
she felt warm in Keith's arms. Suddenly she realized what was missing.
The storm was over. The meadow sparkled at them; leftover raindrops glistened on
the trees, and the grass lay flat and stunned after the unexpected onslaught. Allura
marveled at its tranquil beauty for a moment before turning back to Keith.
"It's over," she said, stating the obvious.
"And not a moment too soon," Keith responded. His voice sounded odd, a little
gruff. Allura abruptly recovered her senses and pulled away from him--then was amazed at
how cold she felt without his body next to hers. "What time is it?" she asked.
The look on his face told her that it was not good news. "Six-thirty."
"Oh no!" Allura cried, pushing herself to her feet. "We've got to go, now!"
"What about your arm?" Keith inquired stubbornly.
"Forget my arm," she answered. "I can fly just fine, and don't argue with me."
Keith sighed. "I wouldn't dream of it, Princess. Let's go."
They sprinted across the damp meadow to the lions. "They'll still run, won't they?"
Allura worried.
"Of course," Keith assured her. "They've taken much worse than a little downpour."
They scrambled into their lions and inserted their keys. A moment later, they
launched into the sky simultaneously, heading for the Castle. The fog had cleared, and
Allura could now easily see her home. Then she thought of the inhabitants of that Castle,
and of what must be waiting for her there. Nanny and Koran were certainly awake by now,
and Allura could almost hear their angry accusations. "I don't think I've ever dreaded going
home so much," she admitted to Keith.
"Relax, Princess," he replied. "We've got a good reason for being late."
"That's not what I'm concerned about," Allura said.
They reached the Castle quickly. Keith and Allura stored their lions in their
respective hiding places and rode the underground shuttles back to the Castle. Allura felt
her heart sink when her elevator door slid open and she saw Koran, Nanny, and the rest of
the Voltron Force standing there, waiting. Keith emerged at the same time; he and Allura
exchanged a quick glance.
"Oh, Your Majesty!" Nanny exclaimed, rushing forward. "I thought something had
happened!"
Allura returned the hug. "I'm all right, Nanny."
"I'm awfully sorry, sir," Keith apologized, clearing his throat slightly. "I meant to get
her back before six, but we got caught in a bad storm."
Koran's stony expression did not waver. "You could have flown through it."
"I didn't want to risk it, Koran. I thought it would be better if we just waited it out. But
I didn't think it would last as long as it did."
"You've flown those robot lions through much worse than a simple thunderstorm,"
Koran replied coldly. "You knew that we would be worried if we awoke and found both of
you gone."
"I didn't want to worry you. I just thought--"
"On the contrary, Keith," Koran interrupted, "it doesn't sound like you thought at all.
I would not have expected this kind of irresponsible behavior from you, of all people."
Keith looked stunned.
"It's not his fault," Allura insisted. "I asked for extra practice."
"Then you should have refused," Koran replied, his eyes never leaving Keith. "I
must say this shows very poor judgement, Keith."
"It was my idea," Allura protested, trying to catch Keith's eye. "It's me you should be
angry with, not Keith."
"I am angry with both of you," Koran answered frostily. "What you did was not only
irresponsible, it was dangerous. You could have been injured, or even captured, and we
would have no way of knowing what happened."
"Koran, if she'd been hurt I'd have moved heaven and earth--" Keith began.
Koran raised an imperious hand. "Enough. Lion practice is suspended for the day.
Keith, I would like you to see you in the control room as soon as you've gotten cleaned up.
Is that understood?"
Keith paled. Then he sighed. "Yes, Koran."
Nanny had apparently recovered her wits. "And as for you," she said to the
Princess, "we are going to have a chat, young lady." She dragged Allura toward the door
by her injured arm. Knowing it would only make things worse, Allura bit back the stab of
pain she felt in her right elbow. She looked back at Keith once before Nanny hauled her
out of the room.
Without a word, Koran turned on his heel and headed for the control room. Keith
and his teammates continued to stand in the same places, dumbfounded by what had just
happened.
Lance spoke first. "I'm really sorry, Keith. I told them."
"That was exactly what you should have done, Lance," Keith replied firmly.
"Koran's just worried about the Princess," Hunk offered. "I don't think he's really
that mad at you."
"He has every right to be."
"But Princess Allura said it was her idea," Hunk responded, putting a friendly arm
around Keith's shoulders. "And believe me, man, I know how convincing she can be, with
those big blue eyes of hers--"
Keith shot Hunk a gaze so fierce that the words died on his lips. Hunk dropped his
arm immediately.
Keith said, "Koran was right; it was very poor judgement." Without another word,
he exited the room.
"Boy oh boy, is Keith in trouble," Pidge said in awe. "He's the last person I'd have
figured to get into a mess like this."
Lance had watched Keith leave with a feeling of forboding. "I think there's a lot more
going on here than what happened this morning."
"What?" Hunk asked.
Lance gave him a scornful look. "Think about it, Hunk. Keith and the Princess
snuck out in the middle of the night without telling anyone. Do I need to spell it out for
you?"
"Oh...yeah. But Keith would never--"
"I know he wouldn't," Lance interjected. "But it may be hard to convince Koran that.
He's practically a father to the Princess."
"I see what you mean," Hunk answered. "This is definitely not good."
"Do you think he'll ground Keith?" Pidge asked, wide-eyed.
"Of course not; Koran knows we need him. But I'd say Keith's definitely in for an
earful."
Pidge thought a moment. "I sure wouldn't want to be Keith right now."

When Keith had changed into a fresh uniform, he went obediently to the control
room, feeling as if he were going to his own execution. "You wanted to see me, Koran?"
Koran turned away from the main keyboard and gazed sternly at him. "I am not
going to beat around the bush, Keith. This nonsense with Princess Allura has gone on long
enough."
"Koran--" One look from the first minister silenced Keith.
"You are aware, commander, that more than six months have gone by since Galaxy
Garrison sent orders recalling you to base."
Keith recoiled slightly, then nodded. "Yes, sir."
Koran continued. "Because I believed you were still needed here, I disobeyed those
orders. I have not regretted my actions--so far. You must understand that Allura is a royal
princess, heir to the throne of Planet Arus. She has a responsibility to her planet and her
people."
"I want the best for Princess Allura," Koran continued, when Keith made no reply,
"and I am sure that you do, as well. But she cannot remain on the Voltron Force
indefinitely; she must marry and form an alliance with another world. You're an intelligent
man, Keith, so you must understand what I am trying to say."
Keith's jaw tightened. "I understand, Koran."
"Then you must end this--infatuation--immediately. Ever since the death of King
Alfor, his daughter has been like my own. I care for her very deeply, and I do not want to
see her get hurt. What happened this morning has made me very apprehensive. As
Princess Allura's guardian, it is my duty to ensure that this affair ends now, before Her
Majesty gets hurt."
It was a veiled insult, but an insult nonetheless. Keith's jaw tightened perceptibly.
Koran was not finished yet. "I am placing this on your shoulders, Keith, because
Princess Allura is still very young and has led a sheltered life. Things between you and the
Princess must remain professional. Otherwise, I shall be obliged to take action. Do we
understand each other?"
Keith's expression was cold. "I understand, Koran."
"Good. You are dismissed, commander."
Keith gave a chilly, respectful bow, turned on his heel, and walked through the
door. Once he was in the corridor, he quickened his pace, clenching his jaw muscles, and
headed for his room. Inside, he slammed the door behind him in an uncharacteristic
display of temper. "I understand you perfectly, Koran!"
A minute later he removed a sheet of paper and a pen from a drawer. He scribbled
a quick note, folded the letter and sealed it, then scrawled the name "Sven Jacobsen" on
the front. He rose resolutely and strode quickly to the mail room. He handed the attendant
the letter. "To Planet Pollux, please."

As Allura had expected, Nanny plunged in the moment the door to the Princess's
chamber shut behind them. "Just what do you think you were doing, missy?" the nurse
demanded.
"Improving my aim," Allura answered hotly.
"You know very well that is not what I meant."
Allura looked away. Nanny, determined to be heard, moved back into the
Princess's line of vision. "I meant, what was going through your head when you decided to
sneak out in the middle of the night with that boy!"
"Nanny!" Allura was indignant. "You make it sound so suspicious. I assure you, all
we were doing was shooting at a target, and we really did get caught in a thunderstorm. It
was a really bad one, too," she elaborated. "Keith thought it would be better if we just
waited it out."
"I'm sure he did."
Nanny's tone made Allura flush. "Stop it, Nanny! Nothing happened, nothing at all!
You're getting upset over nothing!"
"Nothing?" Nanny exclaimed in disbelief. "Nothing? I wake up in the morning to
find that the girl who is like a daughter to me is missing, and no one knows where she is.
How can you call that getting upset over nothing? I've never been so frightened in my life!
We had no way of knowing where you were, if you'd been hurt--"
"Keith would never hurt me!"
"Maybe he would not have, but there is a great deal out there who would. Suppose
that awful Prince Lotor had showed up, and captured you?"
"Keith would never let that happen!"
"He did, barely a year ago!" Nanny's voice wavered with indignant emotion. "Or
have you forgotten how, not so long ago, Keith allowed you to be pulled into Lotor's tractor
beam and imprisoned on Planet Doom?"
"He had no choice!" Allura retorted. "Keith did what he had to do!"
"I don't believe this!" Nanny stormed. "He's put your life in danger countless times,
and yet you defend him!"
"Yes, I do!" Allura exclaimed with fervor, "because we can never repay Keith for
what he has done for Planet Arus. Without him to lead the Voltron Force, Arus might have
been completely destroyed by King Zarkon!" Her voice wavered with emotion. "Everything
he does is for the good of our planet! How can you berate him so?" Allura's brow
furrowed. "You're forgetting that each time my life was in danger, Keith risked his to save
me. How can you even think that he would--" she could not finish the sentence.
The anger melted from Nanny's eyes. "You are right, Your Majesty. Keith has
done all he could for you and your planet. I know he would never harm you in any way.
But dearest, try to see it from my eyes. You are all that I have, Your Majesty, and I worry
about you every second of every day. I can't help it. Why couldn't you have told me your
plans?"
"Because you would not have approved," Allura admitted.
"Exactly, and with good reason. It was very dangerous, what you two did this
morning. Suppose we had been attacked. With you and the Voltron commander missing,
we would not have been able to defend ourselves. Moreover," Nanny continued, raising a
hand to silence Allura's protests, "it would have been much safer for you two to practice in
broad daylight. You can never tell who might be hiding in the shadows."
"But then we might not have had time," Allura explained. "You and Koran keep me
so busy with diplomatic affairs that I barely have time to fly and keep up my Academy
studies."
"You are a princess before you are a pilot."
"I know that, Nanny, but I love flying the blue lion. I care very much for Arus, and I'll
gladly give my life for my people. But until I improve my fighting skills, I'm a hindrance to
the Voltron Force, and that's the last thing I want to be. Can you understand, Nanny?"
Nanny sighed. "I just worry," she repeated.
Allura took her hand. "I didn't mean to upset you, Nanny. I'm so sorry."
Nanny clasped her in a fierce hug. "I know, dearest."

(One day later)

"Sven Jacobsen?"
Sven looked up from the book he was reading. "Yes?"
The attendant held out a folded piece of paper bearing the royal seal of Planet
Arus. Sven thanked the servant and took the letter apprehensively. He hoped that nothing
was wrong on Planet Arus. He opened the letter:
Sven,
Please come to Planet Arus as soon as you can. Don't worry, nothing is
wrong, but what I have to discuss is very important and best done in person.
Your friend, Keith
The letter was very typical of Keith, Sven thought. No greetings or small talk; just
the facts. But despite Keith's words urging him not to worry, Sven knew that Keith would not
contact him unless something was very wrong.

Sven arrived on Arus the following morning. Keith met him at the landing platform.
"Sven! Good to see you, buddy!" Keith's joviality seemed forced, but Sven
responded in kind, conscious of the eyes of the platform guards.
"Likewise. How's flying?"
"So you miss it that much, do you?" Keith remarked with amusement.
Sven smiled sheepishly, and they strolled away from the platform--and the guards.
Once they were alone, Sven sent Keith a shrewd look and stopped walking.
"So what is this really about, Keith?"
The other man hesitated a moment, then said, "Sven, if I could no longer lead the
Voltron Force, would you take my place?"
This was the last thing Sven had expected to hear. "Is there something you're not
telling me?"
"Let's call it hypothetical for now," Keith replied hastily. "Would you?"
Sven cocked his head. "What's going on, Keith? Why wouldn't you be able to lead
the Voltron Force?"
"Well, say I got killed, or . . . "
"Or what? You've taken spills that would have finished me ten times over. You've
got nine lives when you fly, Keith. So tell me the real reason."
Keith hesitated again, and he avoided the older man's gaze. "Or if I was asked to
leave," he finished reluctantly.
"Why would you be asked to leave?"
Keith looked even more uncomfortable. "Just answer the question."
Sven could tell that something really was wrong. "Keith, why are you asking me
something crazy like this? Why in the world would Koran or the Princess ask you to leave
Arus?"
"Well . . . suppose I could no longer do my job...as effectively."
"Why wouldn't you be able to do your job?" Suddenly Sven got it. "This is about the
Princess, isn't it?"
For the first time, Sven saw Keith blush. He nodded. "Oh . . . I see." Pause. "Has
anything . . .?"
"No," Keith assured him quickly, "but I got one hell of a lecture from Koran
yesterday morning."
"What happened?"
Keith looked at the ground. "Allura asked for some extra target practice before
regular lion practice. We got caught in a storm and arrived back late. Now both Koran and
Nanny suspect me of abducting her for--God knows what reason."
The corners of Sven's mouth curled in the tiniest of smiles. "I hate to say it, Keith,
but you can't really blame them."
"I know," Keith answered glumly. "But Koran wouldn't even listen to my side. He's
already tried and condemned me. In fact, he threatened to send me back to Galaxy
Garrison." Keith did not mention the six-month old orders.
"Really? That serious, eh?" Sven frowned. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I can't stay here any longer, Sven. Things are
getting...difficult."
"Are things 'difficult' for the Princess as well?"
"I--can't answer that," Keith replied, still avoiding Sven's gaze. "But it doesn't matter
anyway. She's a princess and I'm...not worthy of her."
"You should know that excuse won't work on me, Keith. I know this territory."
"But this is different," Keith insisted again. "Romelle doesn't have an overprotective
diplomat and a nuclear nurse guarding her. I'm worried about Allura, Sven. If things
continue as they have been, she's going to either run away forever, or be smothered to
death. They've got to learn to let her make her own decisions. Allura loves her planet, but
she's got to choose her own way to serve it. Koran and Nanny seem to think that she's
simply a puppet to be led on strings."
"You care very deeply for the Princess," Sven observed wisely.
"Would you take my place, Sven, if I asked you to?"
Sven was silent for a long moment. "Yes," he finally said, "if you asked me to. But,"
he added, when he saw Keith breath a sigh of relief, "nothing has happened yet, there's no
reason--"
"Better safe than sorry," Keith pronounced somewhat grimly.
They had entered the Castle by this time, and continued slowly down the corridor in
silence, each man lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly they heard a voice behind them.
"Sven?"
Keith and Sven turned to see Princess Allura standing there. Sven shot a quick
glance at Keith, but, as he had expected, Keith's face had become a mask.
"Sven!" Allura repeated. "What are you doing here?"
"Just in the neighborhood," Sven replied with a grin. "I thought I'd drop by."
Allura smiled. "It's wonderful to see you. How is my cousin?"
Sven blushed. "She's fine."
Allura's smile widened. "I don't have to ask if things are okay between you two; I
can tell by your blush." When Sven flushed even redder, she laughed.
There was a brief silence. Then Sven, his color back to normal, spoke up. "Well,
as long as I'm here, I think I'll go say hello to the rest of the guys. See you both later."
"Goodbye, Sven," Allura said.
"Bye, Sven," Keith echoed. When Sven had disappeared down the hall, Keith and
Allura stood there awkwardly for several moments.
Allura found her voice. "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure." Keith crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What about?""
"About--the other day . . . I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I didn't mean to get you
into so much trouble. I feel terrible."
"Don't worry about it. I should have had better judgement." He was looking away
from her again.
"But it was my idea."
"And I agreed to it."
"But still--" Allura began, looking miserable.
"Don't worry about it," Keith repeated. "Everything's okay."
Allura was silent a moment. "What awful things did Koran say to you?"
Keith didn't answer for several seconds. "It doesn't matter," he replied indifferently.
"It matters to me," Allura replied. "I can understand them wanting to look after me,
but blaming you for what was my own stupid idea--"
"It wasn't a stupid idea, Princess," Keith said sharply. "You're doing what you can to
become a good ruler for this planet. If Koran and Nanny don't like the way you do it, then
it's their own fault for not believing in you enough."
Allura looked shocked for a moment. "You're right," she said in amazement. "You're
right, Keith! Sometimes I feel like they don't trust me at all. They behave as though I'll run
wild if they let me out of their sight."
"They trust you, Princess. They've known you all your life. It's me--and the rest of
the Force--that they don't trust."
"But why?" Allura asked. "You guys have done so much for Planet Arus, I should
think they'd trust you completely."
"Apparently it doesn't work that way," Keith said ruefully. "When you care about
someone, logic goes out the window." I should know he added privately.
"That certainly would explain a lot," Allura admitted. "Still, I think they both treated
you unfairly, especially Koran."
"For the third and final time, Princess, don't worry about it." Keith sounded more
amused than exasperated. "I've survived much worse than a lecture."
Allura was quiet a moment, wondering exactly what Koran had said to Keith, and
why Keith wouldn't talk about it. It couldn't have been good, whatever it was, or Keith
wouldn't be so tight-lipped about it. Then again, she amended with an internal sigh, Keith's
mastery over his emotions was well-known. She was just about to press him further, when
she heard her name being called.
"Princess! Princess Allura!"
She turned to see Koran striding down the hall, his expression stern. "Koran, what
is it?"
"There is something I must discuss with you, now."
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
Koran shook his head. "I must speak to you alone, Princess. Excuse us, Keith."
He shot a murderous look at the Voltron commander and seized Allura's arm, dragging her
away before she or Keith could say a word.

"Koran!" Allura demanded in alarm. "Whatever is the matter?"
Koran pulled her into the control room and keyed the door shut behind them. Then
he faced her, and she saw that his face was flushed angrily. "What were you and
Commander Keith talking about?"
Allura blinked in surprise, then folded her arms. "If you must know, I was asking him
about the awful things you said to him two days ago. How could you, Koran? Keith did
nothing wrong!"
"I don't like his influence on you, Princess," Koran said firmly. "He is a captain, you
are a princess. There is no reason for you two to be conversing outside of lion practice or
combat itself, and soon you will not even have that in common."
"Don't tell me that you've got another silly prince lined up for me to inspect!" Allura
cried. "You know how I feel about that, Koran--I refuse to marry against my will, no matter
how much it suits your diplomatic policies!"
"Your Majesty, you are twenty years old. The time is long past when you must put
aside your own desires and think of your planet. Planet Doom is no longer a threat to us,
there is no reason for you to continue flying the Blue Lion!"
Allura was white with rage. 'No, no reason at all--except that it's the only thing that
makes me happy! Koran, when I was a child, you always said that you wished me
happiness when I grew up. Well, I'm grown up, and I've found something to make me happy,
that also lets me protect my planet! Are you telling me that you'd rather see me unhappily
married to a man I don't even know, than doing something I love with someone that I--" she
broke off, realizing what she had been about to say.
Koran set his teeth. "Princess--"
"No! No more, Koran! I refuse to listen to you anymore!" Her voice broke on the
final words, and she turned and fled, pounding the key to open the door, and hurling
herself out of the control room, blinking away sudden, stinging tears.
Behind her retreating form, Koran's shoulders sank in misery.

Allura strode defiantly down the corridor, fuming. She reached her room and gave
the door a satisfying slam on its hinges. Inside, she flounced onto her satin-hung bed to
think furious thoughts. She tried to see the situation from her diplomat's eyes. She recalled
Keith's words: "When you care about someone, logic goes out the window." That certainly
seemed true now.
Allura rolled over onto her stomach and sighed, her fury ebbing. I don't know what
Koran thought he was rescuing me from back there, she thought, a trifle bitterly.
She felt a warm flush blanket her cheeks at the scandalous thought. But in spite of
herself, Allura felt her thoughts move backward in time, to every special moment she and
Keith had shared: the brief instant in the dank dungeon in the bowels of Planet Doom when
he had taken her in his arms. The conversation in the cave on the fourth moon of Planet
Mada, where they had crash-landed. And, the moment in the cave near the target field,
where they waited out the fierce storm. Again she relived Keith getting up and sitting next
to her, gently--almost hesitantly--putting his arm around her shoulders to keep her warm . .
. Allura smiled. It seemed like Keith was always there to keep her warm. No matter what,
Keith had always come through for her, whether it was getting into a one-on-one duel with
Prince Lotor to allow her to escape, or leaping out of his black lion mid-flight, to catch her
as she fell toward Lake Serenity. Allura felt a sting in her eyes. . The thought of Koran reprimanding Keith, when Keith's only
motives had been to further her safety, made Allura's blood boil. How dared Koran!
Suddenly the door to her chamber opened without the sound of a knock. Nanny
puffed in, her face flushed. She was livid.
"Tell me I did not actually overhear you smartmouthing Minister Koran, young lady!"
the nurse demanded, placing her hands on her hips in a gesture that Allura was all too
familiar with.
The Princess of Arus girded herself for battle. "He was treating me like a child!"
"No doubt because you were behaving like one," Nanny countered testily. "Have I
taught you nothing? You know to respect your elders!"
"Yes, Nanny, but I find that hard when they won't respect me!" Allura shot back
huffily.
"What does that mean?" Nanny folded her arms across her chest and gave Allura
a steely stare.
Allura sighed. "Keith and I were talking, and all of a sudden Koran appeared out of
nowhere and yanked me away, claiming he had something important to discuss--but he
lied!" Allura raised her voice in frustration. "He just wanted to get me away from Keith!"
"So we are back to this subject again! Koran was trying to protect you, Princess.
He does not want to see you get hurt."
"Keith would never hurt me!"
Nanny tried another, familiar tactic. "He is not your equal!"
"He may not be my equal by birth, but in all other ways it is I who fall short!" Allura's
tone had become passionate.
"He is only a pilot--"
"A pilot," Allura interrupted, her face flushed, "who flew half a million light years
away from his home planet to defend a world that is not his own, to combat an insane
monster and his diabolical son, and to risk his life for an unimportant little planet in the
Azure Quadrant! And he made that decision over five thousand light years away, Nanny,
before he met any of us. How can you say he's just a pilot!"
Nanny stared at her. "You're losing track of the point, Your Highness. It is true that
Keith has done more service than we can ever repay him for, but that is not the issue at
hand. You are a royal princess--"
"I am so sick of hearing that!" Allura cried. "You and Koran sound like a broken
record--your excuse for everything is my lineage! What if I tell you that I don't care?"
Nanny's hands flew to her mouth. "You can't mean that!" she cried. "Those words
disgrace your honored father, King Alfor!"
"No, they do not," Allura disagreed, in a quieter tone. "Father always urged me to
follow my heart. My heart is with the Voltron Force, Nanny."
"Princess, you don't realize what you are saying--"
"Yes, I do," the Princess replied firmly. "Don't you want me to be happy, Nanny? I
won't be happy marrying some prince from another planet, and I won't be happy leaving
Arus. I want to stay here, and fly the Blue Lion. Why can't you understand that?" She
took her nurse's hand.
Nanny looked sad. "You have great heart, Your Majesty. I just hate to see it
wasted over a silly infatuation--"
"It's not a silly infatuation!" Allura flared again. "I love him!" The minute the words
left her mouth she clapped her hand to her lips in consternation.
Nanny drew her breath in sharply. "You can't mean that."
Allura thought about it. Her eyes widened with surprise. "Yes, Nanny," she said,
just as awed as her nurse, "I do."
Nanny's handkerchief appeared in her hand and she dabbed at her forehead.
"Then it is already too late," she whispered, more to herself than to Allura.
"What do you mean, Nanny?"
The nurse did not reply. She simply turned on her heel. Before she left, Allura
heard her mutter under her breath, "I must speak to Minister Koran."
"Nanny!" Allura cried. "Wait, please!" But the older woman was gone. the Princess thought despairingly.

Koran, Keith and Sven were making awkward small talk when Nanny burst into the
control room. Seeing the nurse's flushed face and anxious expression, Koran immediately
asked, "What's wrong, Nanny?"
"I must speak to you, Minister Koran."
Koran motioned for her to begin.
Nanny did not budge. "I must speak to you alone," she clarified.
Koran stared back at Nanny, and his expression molded to match hers. "Sven,
Keith, leave us, please."
"Certainly," Sven replied, bowing graciously toward Nanny. She nodded stiffly in
return. When Sven glanced at Keith, he saw that the commander's brow had furrowed. But
he did not protest Koran's order and calmly accompanied Sven out of the room.

When the door clamped shut behind them, Sven gave a low whistle. "What was that
all about?"
Keith was staring back at the door, as if he could see through to the occupants
inside. "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling."
"What's that?"
Keith did not reply; he was still staring at the gray metal door. "Sven, you said that
you'd take my place on the Voltron Force--"
"If," Sven interrupted, "that became necessary."
"Yes," Keith dismissed the words absently. "But I can count on your support, right?"
"Of course," Sven answered guardedly. Now he had a bad feeling of his own.
Keith finally faced him, with a grim expression on his face. Just then, the door to
the control room slid open and Nanny emerged, her face pale and her countenance regal.
She nodded at Sven but didn't even glance at Keith. The young men exchanged a look.
From inside the control room, Koran's voice boomed. "Keith, come in here!"
Keith suddenly turned to Sven, his dark eyes urgent. "I need your final answer now,
Sven. Will you take my place?"
"Keith, what are you talking about?" Sven exclaimed. "You don't know--"
"Please, Sven." Keith was deadly serious.
"But Keith," Sven protested, trying to avoid his friend's unwavering gaze. When
Keith continued to stare at him imploringly, Sven closed his eyes wearily and said, "All
right."
Keith expelled his breath. "I can count on you?"
"Yes, of course."
He put his hand on Sven's shoulder. "Thank you." He turned and entered the
control room. The automatic door swished shut, leaving Sven in a daze.

"Yes, Koran?"
Koran was facing the opposite direction. "Keith, I told you a two days ago--"
Keith could not bear to hear the words. "Forgive me, Koran, but I know what you're
going to say. I have just asked Sven Jacobsen if he would take over as captain, and he
has agreed."
Koran whirled, surprised.
Keith avoided the other man's eyes. "You're right, Koran. It can't go on." He took
a breath and forced out the painful words. "I resign from the Voltron Force. I'll send word
to Galaxy Garrison that I'm ready to leave at their disposal."
Clearly this was the last thing Koran had expected to hear. He continued to stare in
shock. "Keith, I didn't--" he began.
"I'd rather it end this way," Keith interjected again, still refusing to meet Koran's
eyes.
Koran stared for another few seconds, then sighed. "If that is what you wish."
When Keith spoke, his tone did not waver at all. "It is, Koran." He raised his eyes
to fearlessly meet the diplomat's.
In spite of his anger, Koran's eyes had become sympathetic. "You're sure about
this?"
Keith only nodded.
"Very well. Send Sven in, please."
Keith bowed somewhat stiffly and exited the room, his head held high.

The Keith who emerged from the control room was a different man than the one
who had entered only minutes before. His face was pale, his eyes hard, and his expression
stony.
"What happened?" Sven demanded.
"I resigned."
"You what? But why?"
"I prefer it this way, Sven," Keith replied firmly.
Sven stared at him in utter disbelief. He started to reply, but no words would come
out.
"Koran wants to speak to you," Keith continued calmly. "And I have letters to send.
I'll see you later." Before Sven could choke out another word, Keith was halfway down the
hall.

At Keith's insistence, nothing was said about his decision for the rest of the week;
Keith wanted to hear from Galaxy Garrison before any kind of announcement was made.
But even though no one said anything about it, the other members of the Voltron Force
knew that something was up. Keith became even more pensive than usual; every time
someone spoke to him, he seemed to have to make an effort to concentrate on what they
were saying. Then, inevitably, his eyes would resume their faraway appearance.
There was a general understanding that Princess Allura was on probation. She
was only allowed to attend practice with the boys, never to socialize. Koran and Nanny
concocted excuses ranging from the weather to her studies, and kept her as busy as
possible from morning till night. Allura would normally have angrily protested, but she too
had noticed Keith's increased moodiness, and it seemed to affect her as well.
Before the incident of the clandestine target practice, Keith and Allura had been
close friends. They talked and laughed and confided in each other. Allura learned a lot
about Keith's life before he had come to Arus, and found to courage to relate to him some
of her own childhood memories. And since the visit of Prince Aikian, their friendship had
become even fonder. It wasn't long before the usually no-nonsense Keith was teasing
Allura as playfully as the rest of the boys. Allura had relished the change. Now that she
was no longer worried about appearing immature in his eyes, she had found she could
relax and joke around with him quite easily, something she had never expected to happen
with the forever-austere commander.
But now all that had changed. Keith had become as withdrawn from her as he had
in the beginning, forever hiding behind a wall of seriousness. Now he was truly her captain
and nothing more, as Koran and Nanny would have preferred from the beginning. Allura felt
the loss acutely, as if she had lost her oldest friend, and had only herself to blame, no
matter what Keith said. The infamous target practice had been her idea, after all. Allura
still tried to start up conversations with Keith, but he only gave her short, clipped answers
before excusing himself. Many nights that week Allura cried herself to sleep over the loss
of the friend she had begun to cling to for dear life.

I can't take much more of this, Allura thought as she steered the blue lion into
formation. The team was returning from an intense flight practice, but instead of feeling
tired, Allura only felt anxious. I feel as if I'm waiting for a bomb to drop; I don't know
whether to look forward to or dread the explosion.
"Hey, Princess," called Lance over the airwaves, "are you up for some judo when
we get back?"
"I don't think so, Lance," she replied. "I'm not in the mood."
"I'll practice with you, Lance," Pidge volunteered.
"Forget it. It's more fun with the Princess."
Nanny would have been shocked, but Allura smiled, knowing that Lance was only
kidding. To a point, anyway.
"Hey, Keith," Lance continued. "You up for some one-on-one?"
"Sorry," the commander replied, "I've got work to do."
"You always have work to do," Hunk complained. "You're no fun anymore."
Keith did not reply.
When they entered the Castle after stowing their mechanical lions, they adjourned
as usual to the rec room, which was usually where Keith gave them his critiques of their
performance. For the fourth time that week, however, Keith let Hunk, Pidge and Lance
socialize while he remained silent and withdrawn. Allura sat, slightly away from the boys,
feeling more alone than ever.
When the door opened, Allura expected to see Nanny's indignant face, but instead
it was a castle page, bearing a letter. "For Commander Keith," he said.
"Thanks," Keith answered politely, accepting the note from the page. The young
man bowed and exited. Keith opened the letter quickly, scanned its contents, apparently
reading it several times.
When he finally looked up, he saw that the rest of the team was looking at him in
concern. Mail from Galaxy Garrison was rare on Planet Arus, not only because of the
distance, but of Arus' relative insignificance as far as Earth was concerned.
Lance's tone was serious as he said quietly, "What's up, cap?"
Keith folded the note and returned it to its envelope. "Just a note from Jeff," he said
quickly and calmly, referring to the captain of Voltron of the Near Universe, an old Academy
buddy of his.
Allura saw Lance furrow his brow at this. This worried her, because Lance could
always tell immediately if someone was lying.
Just then, Nanny arrived, telling them that supper was ready. Allura saw Keith stuff
the letter into his pocket. she wondered in frustration. As she
followed the rest of the team to the dining room, she vowed that she would find out what
was bothering Keith, Nanny or no Nanny.

The meal passed without incident. Keith was silent, but that was hardly something
new. Lance, Hunk and Pidge joked and teased Nanny about her cooking, to which she
replied indignantly, but not without some fond amusement.
As they were about to adjourn for the evening, Allura heard Keith clear his throat.
"Princess," he asked, "may I make an announcement?"
"Of course," Allura replied.
Keith was silent another moment, gathering his thoughts. Then he spoke. "Galaxy
Garrison has offered me the position of captain of the newly commissioned Space Team of
Voltron of the Near Universe. I have decided to accept the position."
No one would have been more surprised if he had calmly announced plans to enlist
in the army of Planet Doom. They stared in utter disbelief.
Lance was the first to regain the power of speech. "Have you gone crazy?"
Keith continued with maddening calm, avoiding everyone's eyes. "I have asked
Sven if he would take over as captain, and he has accepted. I think you'll all agree that he
is more than qualified. He'll arrive in a few days."
"We don't need another captain!" Hunk blustered. "We need you, Keith!"
"I am sorry to do this to you on such short notice," Keith said, as if he'd memorized
the speech. "But I'm afraid that this is how it has to be."
"Why?" Pidge demanded.
Keith was silent a moment. "I have my reasons."
"Such as?" Lance sat back in his chair and folded his arms.
"Personal reasons."
Allura felt as if she had been punched in the stomach.
"Personal reasons?" Lance exclaimed. "You're out of your mind, Keith! You can't
abandon Arus for personal reasons!"
"What's happened to you?" Hunk said in amazement. "This isn't the Keith I know."
Keith sat like a statue, staring down at the table with grave resignation. "This is the
way it has to be," he repeated. "I'm sorry. Excuse me, Princess." He rose abruptly and left
the table.
For almost a minute, no one said anything. Lance sat stiffly in his chair, scowling.
Hunk and Pidge exchanged a worried glance. Allura sat at the head of the table, white-
faced and trembling. She looked accusingly at Koran. "Did you have anything to do with
this?"
Koran looked utterly miserable. "This was Keith's own decision, Princess."
Allura looked away and asked the same question of Nanny, in the same frozen
voice.
"I knew nothing of this," the nurse replied sincerely.
Allura looked back at Koran with such hurt that it stabbed at the old man's heart.
Then she rose and strode quickly from the room, her hand over her lips.
When she was gone, those remaining continued to sit in silence, each lost in their
own shock. Suddenly Lance banged his fist on the table. "Damn it, he can't do this! I
won't let him do this!"
"It was his decision, Lance," Koran said quietly.
"Then he's out of his mind. You can't let him do this, Koran!"
"I'm afraid my hands are tied, Lance. If Keith chooses to leave, then I can do
nothing."
"But he's abandoning Arus!"
"He has found a responsible successor. You cannot contest Sven's ability to lead
the team."
"I thought he went back to Pollux."
"To settle his affairs, yes. But I have spoken to him and he has indeed accepted
the position."
"You knew about this?" Pidge exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It was not my place," the diplomat replied firmly. He sighed. "Perhaps this is for
the best."
"How can you say that?" Hunk burst out. "He's our captain."
"Captains are nothing more than high-ranking soldiers. They come and go. Keith
is making this decision as soldier. You would all do best to support him." Koran got up
from the table and left.
"So," Pidge said. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know about you two," Lance replied grimly, "but I'm going to have a talk with
Commander Keith about this leaving business."

When Allura reached her bedroom, she threw herself on the bed and allowed the
misery to engulf her. Over and over again she heard the horrible words, Keith telling them
that he was leaving--for personal reasons! What reason would Keith have to leave the
planet that had become his home, other than to get away from her? Allura wailed inwardly. Allura was sure that her passionate
declaration was the cause of Keith's sudden decision. Nanny had obviously rushed to
Koran the minute the fateful words had left Allura's mouth. No doubt Koran had repeated
them to Keith. Allura was so upset that she didn't even feel embarrassed that her deepest
secret had reached Keith's ears. Allura buried her head in a pillow, wishing that
she could sink through the bed and the floor and never come out.
She heard the door open. "Princess?" It was Nanny.
Suddenly Allura became a little girl again. She raised her tear-stained face from
the sodden pillow and cried, "Oh, Nanny!"
Nanny was at her side in an instant. "Oh, my precious girl, don't cry like that!"
Allura sniffled against Nanny's shoulder. She tried to speak, but sobs robbed her
of the words.
"There, there," Nanny consoled. "It's all right, dearest. It can't be that bad."
Allura raised her head. "I know what you're going to say," she accused. "That I
was foolish to hope, and that this is the best thing that could happen. Well it doesn't feel
like it!"
Nanny brushed the tears off Allura's pink cheeks, looking into her eyes. "Princess, I
am going to tell you something very important." The nurse paused, gazing tenderly at her
charge. "Princess, there are many reasons why I hoped for your marriage. But the most
important reason of all is your happiness. I want you to marry someone who worships the
ground you walk upon, someone that will keep you safe all your life, who would love you as
much as Koran and I do, if not more. I have always believed that such a man would come
along someday. I thought that man would be a prince, but it appears that I was wrong."
Allura looked up in surprise.
"Listen carefully, Princess, for I will only say this once. You think that Keith is going
away because he does not care for you, is that right?"
Allura swallowed and nodded.
Nanny took Allura's hand. "My dear, all you have to do is look at his eyes to see
that is not true. Keith loves you deeply. He is afraid that he will not be able to love you and
defend your planet at the same time. He would rather break his own heart than endanger
you or Planet Arus in any way. That is why he is leaving."
"How--how do you know this?''
"I know the kind of man Keith is; I have known others like him." For an instant,
Nanny looked wistful. "He puts his duty before everything else--even love."
Allura's chest heaved with unshed tears. "What can I do?"
"You must let him go," Nanny replied simply. "That is all you can do. Fighting his
decision will only make things worse for the both of you."
"I can't imagine being here without Keith." Allura began to cry again.
Nanny sighed and cradled Allura's head on her shoulder. "It won't be easy,
dearest, but you must be strong. This is just as hard for him as it is for you."
Allura was silent a few moments, sniffling. "Why are you telling me this, Nanny?
You've never liked Keith, or any of the Voltron Force."
Nanny gave a wry smile. "It is true that I never approved of your affection for Keith.
I still don't. I looked upon it as a silly schoolgirl fancy that would result in nothing but
heartbreak for you. And as long as you held onto it, the tighter bound to the Voltron force
you became, and this frightened me. But, over the years, I cannot deny that I have seen
Keith grow into the kind of man I always hoped that you would find. Despite all that I have
said, Keith has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is worthy of a princess's love,
whether or not he has royal blood."
Another tear slid down the Princess's flushed cheek. "But if you suddenly think so
highly of Keith, why do you urge me to accept his decision to leave Arus?"
Nanny gazed at her solemnly. "Keith has his own life to lead, Princess. If he feels
that he must leave Arus, then that is how it must be. It is better this way, love, for both of
you."
"But I may never see him again!"
The older woman sighed. "That is not for certain, Your Highness."
"You mean, someday he might come back?"
"That is for the future to decide, Princess. In the meantime, remember what I have
said."
Allura sniffled again. "Oh, Nanny, this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever
done."
"But you can do it, Your Highness. I know you can."
Allura hugged Nanny tighter. "I love you so much, Nanny!" she cried, fighting
another bout of tears.
"I love you, too, Princess," Nanny said fondly. "Now," she continued, stern
practicality returning to her tone. "Dry your tears and come see Koran with me. He
believes that you are angry with him, and he is miserable."
"You're right," Allura said, dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief Nanny handed
her. "I'm sorry I've hurt you and Koran so."
"We've grown used to it," Nanny remarked with wry sarcasm. "Come."

Lance strode quickly down the corridor. As he passed the observation lounge, he
caught a flash of red. He stopped short and backtracked.
Keith was standing by the wall-size window, his arms folded. It was obvious that he
wanted to be alone, and at any other time Lance might have respected his friend's wishes.
But Lance was angry. He hesitated only a moment before blurting out, "I know the real
reason you're leaving. It's because of Princess Allura, isn't it?"
Keith neither moved nor replied.
"Just tell me the truth," Lance went on stubbornly.
"Yes," the captain replied quietly. "It's because of Allura."
Keith's tone was cool and controlled, but there lurked an unmistakable note of
sadness that suddenly made Lance feel ashamed of his rash behavior. Instinctively, he
shoved his hands into his pockets and entered the room.
"I don't get it, Keith," Lance said, the anger gone from his voice. "It's obvious that
the two of you feel something for each other. What's the problem?"
"You know very well what the problem is."
"You mean that jazz about her being a princess, and you being a pilot?" Lance
sounded disgusted. "So who the hell cares? If she decides--"
"It's more than that, Lance," Keith interrupted. "She has her people to think about.
It will do Arus good to unite with another planet, and that can only happen if Allura marries
a prince."
Lance snorted. "You sound just like Koran and Nanny. On and on about duty.
Why don't you cut the crap and tell me the truth?"
Keith sighed and lowered his gaze, still focused on the Arusian evening. He was
well familiar with Lance's bullheadedness. "Do you remember how you behaved when
Cyann Miller was on the Force?"
Stung, Lance lowered his own gaze.
"You were so concerned about her safety that you nearly got yourself killed, not to
mention court-martialled. Do you remember how it felt to watch that dangerous dogfight
that, for all we know, may have cost Cyann her wings?"
Lance clenched his teeth at the memory. "It was terrifying," he admitted.
A moment passed before Keith replied, shifting his gaze away from Lance. "I feel
that way every time we go into battle. For two years, Lance, I've had to swallow that fear.
You have no idea how hard it was to do some of the things I did--keep my cool when she
took risks, stay calm when she was held prisoner, retain my sanity when she was hurt. It's
taken a toll on me." A deep sigh. "I can't fight it any longer."
"So don't fight it."
"Lance, it's not that simple."
"Yes it is! I know what this is about." Lance's tone had a tightness to it. "This is
about you, and only you. You live in a world of duty and apathy, and now something's
come around that you don't know how to handle, so you push it away. You're afraid to love
her!"
Lance's challenging words had no effect on Keith. He simply regarded his
hotheaded friend wearily. "We had this discussion when Prince Aikian was visiting. Do you
remember what I told you?"
"That a soldier's duty must come first," Lance remarked, as if swearing an oath, but
obviously one that he did not believe in. "That he must focus upon his goal of peace and
not rest until the galaxy is free of tyranny and oppression. And, that if Doom were to ever
find out about your feelings for the Princess, it would give them a weapon against you."
"Exactly, Lance, and I still believe that. Now do you see why I have to go?"
"No, I don't! I know you, Keith. You can handle this; you just don't want to."
"You're missing the point," Keith snapped. "What's the one thing that Voltron needs
most? Teamwork. There has to be a balance between the five pilots. If something tips the
scales, our performance could suffer. What do you do when one part of a machine breaks
down? You replace the part."
"Or you fix it," Lance retorted. "And I happen to know you're a damn fine mechanic
when you want to be, Keith."
"My first duty is to Voltron, Lance and if I can't pull my weight properly, all of you
could suffer. I can't let that happen."
"You think so much of duty, Keith, but now you've completely forgotten it! You're
letting your own fear get in the way of your duty to defend Planet Arus. That's not the Keith
I know."
Keith was silent for several moments. In an empty tone, he finally replied, "Then
maybe you don't really know me, Lance." He crossed in front of his shocked copilot,
moving toward the door.
Lance called after him the words that he felt were his last hope. "I don't think you
care for Allura at all! If you did, you'd stay here to defend her planet. But instead you're
abandoning both Allura and Planet Arus, simply because you afraid! You're a coward,
Keith!"
Halfway out the door, Keith froze as if turned to stone. Unseen to Lance, he closed
his eyes in pain for a moment, then continued on his way.
Lance gazed after him in impotent frustration. "What's happened to you, Keith?"
he wondered aloud.
"What's happened to who?" Hunk asked, appearing in the doorway, Pidge in tow.
"We heard shouting. What's going on in here?"
Lance ignored the question. "I don't know Keith anymore," he said bitterly.
"Is he leaving because of the Princess?" Pidge inquired.
"What other reason could there be?" Lance spat bitterly.
"I can't believe Keith would just resign," Hunk mused. "It's not like him at all. He
never gives up."
"Well, he did this time." His jaw clenched, Lance stalked out of the room.

Sven placed his bag in the cargo hold of his small Polluxian fighter jet.
"That's all you're bringing?" Princess Romelle asked in surprise. "One bag?"
Sven smiled. "I don't need as many clothes as you do."
She smiled back. "Touche." She sighed, gazing at the sky. "I still can't believe
Keith would leave the Voltron Force. The man has lived and breathed Voltron for two
years now."
"It's ironic," Sven agreed sadly. "It's not an easy decision for him; it's more closely
related to choosing the lesser of two evils."
"My cousin being one of them."
"You know I didn't mean it that way." Sven leaned against the metal hull of the ship.
"It'll be strange to be a Voltron pilot again after all these years."
"But you look forward to it," Romelle said perceptively.
"Yes," he admitted, "but I'll miss it here."
Romelle stepped closer to him. "There will always be a home for you here, and
--I will always be here." She looked into his eyes.
Sven took her hand, caressed it gently. "I know. Part of me--no, most of me--
wishes that I didn't have to go."
"You'll make a great captain."
Sven looked embarrassed. "We'll see," he said ruefully. Then his expression
sobered. "If you ever need me--"
"Bandor and I can take care of Pollux," Romelle replied firmly.
"I have no doubt of it," Sven said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "But I don't
want you to feel as if I'm abandoning Pollux."
Romelle squeezed his hand. "I know you're not. You're helping a friend in need. I
think it's very noble of you. But I shall miss you terribly."
"I'll miss you, too." He stroked her beautiful cheek. "I'll think of you every day."
"You have more important matters to think about," Romelle admonished, trying to
keep a straight face and losing. "But I'm flattered." She cupped his face in her hands. "I
think of you every minute."
Sven's voice became gruff. "I'll only be twenty light years away."
"So will I," she whispered, pulling his face down to hers.

At Sven's request, Keith began training him in the black lion the same day that he
arrived on Planet Arus. Lance was given temporary authority to lead regular lion practice,
with Princess Allura as second. The first practice without Keith felt very strange. Lance
ran a functional practice by the seat of his pants, while the black lion dove and swooped in
a dance of its own.
Sven was a fast learner; within two days, he was flying the Black Lion as effortlessly
as if he'd flown the Blue Lion. Lance quipped that it was because Sven's uniform matched
the color of the lion, thinking himself quite witty until Pidge pointed out that Lance's own
uniform did not match the fiery hue of his lion: "Sure would explain a lot," the young man
had said cheekily, delighted at having trapped Lance in his own joke.
Three days after Sven's arrival, Keith decided that the time had come for Sven to
take over lion practice. Although he trusted Sven's ability, Keith still insisted upon
monitoring each practice from the control room. But he never interfered.

"Good job on the last dive," said Sven from the cockpit of the black lion. "Let's try
another one. Go to attack formation."
The lions formed a large V, with the black lion at the apex. "At my mark, dive, hold
for ten, flip, and return to formation."
The lions performed the trick easily. However, the blue lion faltered a bit in its flip.
"Princess," Sven monitored, "keep your vector up."
"Sorry," Allura mumbled, adjusting her controls. She couldn't seem to keep her
mind on her flying; all she could think about was Keith. Knowing he was watching the
practice from the Castle somehow made her more nervous than she had felt when he was
flying with them. As the blue lion obediently returned to formation, Allura's mind wandered
off again.
In the week since Keith's startling announcement, the Castle of Lions had the air of
a funeral. Conversations at meals and after hours were stilted and uncomfortable. No one
knew what to say to Keith; in a way, it was almost a blessing that he'd been spending all his
time practicing his own flight maneuvers in one of Arus's one-man fighter ships. They
hardly saw him. Last night, though, Allura had chanced to meet him in the corridor. Keith
wore his usual mask of austerity, but when he saw her she could swear that he went a little
pale.
"Hi," she'd said awkwardly.
"Hello," Keith replied expressionlessly.
"We wondered if you'd dropped off the face of the planet."
A faint smile. "Not yet."
Silence. Allura decided to cut to the chase; who knew when she'd get him alone
again? "Keith, are you okay?"
He looked up, as if startled. "Why do you ask?"
"You've been so distant lately. We never see you anymore. It's like--" she paused,
infuriated that her voice had begun to shake, "like you've already gone."
Keith gazed at her, his dark eyes sad.
Allura took a step closer. "I just think, we should treasure these last weeks, you
know? After you go, there's no telling when--" Her voice was wavering again.
Keith still did not say anything. He looked as if he were experiencing an internal
struggle. "Allura," he began, "I--I'm sorry," he finished, lowering his gaze and pushing past
her. She stared after him tremulously, feeling as if she'd come very close to something
important.
The feeling was still with her as she steered the blue lion back toward the Castle of
Lions at Sven's order. Allura couldn't get the look on Keith's face out of her mind.
"Princess?"
Allura jerked out of her reverie. "Yes?" she faltered, recognizing Pidge's voice.
"Me and Hunk are going down to the lake to swim after practice. Do you want to
come?"
"No, thank you, Pidge, but give Hunk good dunking for me."
"Will do."
"Hey!" Hunk protested, emerging from his room and hearing Pidge's words.
"Keith?" Pidge continued. "Do you want to--" he broke off, suddenly remembering
that Keith was no longer in the black lion. "Sorry, Sven," Pidge finally said sheepishly. "I
guess I forgot."
"Don't worry about it, Pidge," Sven said quietly. "It'll be quite a while before any of
us gets used to his absence."
Suddenly the enormity of Keith's decision hit Allura. Keith was going to leave. He
would be _gone_, absent from their lives for--who knew how long? Suddenly Allura wished
that Sven hadn't picked up the maneuvers of the black lion quite so quickly. Suddenly the remaining time seemed doubly precious
to her. I can't let him leave, Allura thought despairingly.
"Princess!"
Again she jerked herself awake. "What?"
"Watch your altitude," Lance said with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Lance." Allura managed to squelch her melancholy
thoughts and guided her lion safely back to its hiding place.

"You've chosen a fine replacement," Koran commented to Keith, as they watched
the lions approach from practice.
Keith was gazing pensively at the viewscreen, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Maybe," he said, "but I'd feel a lot better if I could stick around until their first battle."
"You know that's not possible, Keith," Koran said firmly. "You've kept Galaxy
Garrison waiting long enough."
Keith did not reply, but Koran saw that he was clenching a fist.
"You have faith in Sven's ability, do you not?" he pressed.
"Of course."
"Then you must trust him," the minister replied firmly. Then his voice softened. "I
understand your consternation, Keith. But I think that in this case it is better--"
"If I leave as soon as possible," Keith finished, a bitter edge to his voice.
Koran started to say something else, but the elevators to the lions suddenly slid
open, spilling out Sven, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and the Princess.
Keith shook off his sullen expression and walked toward Sven. "A fine job, captain."
"Thank you," Sven replied, shaking Keith's hand.
Keith faced the rest of the team. "Well done, everyone."
"Well, when you've got natural talent . . . " Lance began with a cocky grin, obviously
trying to lighten the grim air. He trailed off when he saw it wasn't working.
Allura caught Keith's eye on her. In her eyes, she silently thanked him for not
mentioning her faulty flying. A smile twitched at Keith's mouth for a brief moment, then the
mask slipped back in place. His voice was cool as he said, "I guess there's no need for me
to stick around. I'll leave tomorrow."
"Wait!" the words ripped out of Allura. "You can't go yet! We haven't even had our
first battle."
"Yeah," Pidge agreed, "we might need you, Keith."
"You always say it's good to have a backup," Lance added.
Keith refused to meet anyone's gaze. "I have faith in all of you."
"Faith is one thing but support is another," Lance shot back curtly. "Come on,
Keith. You can't go yet."
Koran cleared his throat. "You are all forgetting that Keith has a responsibility to
Galaxy Garrison. If he delays, he may lose his position."
Allura thought tartly.
"Koran is right," Keith said quietly. "Sven has proved himself more than able to
assume command. My duty is to the other Voltron Force now. I must leave as soon as
possible." He strode quickly from the room.
The Voltron Force stood numb. Then Allura stepped forward, staring at Koran with
reproach burning in her clear blue eyes. "You sure are doing a fine job of getting rid of
him."
Koran's face fell. "Princess--" he began, but she was already gone.

Keith walked down the hall, feeling like a man possessed. He felt numb, as if this
was all a dream--a nightmare--that he would soon awake from. he told
himself, for the billionth time.
For the trillionth time he wondered what had gone wrong--when and how everything had
suddenly gone bad. How had the planet that had quickly become a home to him suddenly
become a minefield--a place where any false move might result in a hideous, fatal
explosion?
Keith had reached his room by this time; he shut the door behind him and quickly
crossed his arms tightly over his chest, beating down the fierce emotions that threatened to
take over. With a calmness he was far from feeling, Keith lay down on his bed, staring at
the ceiling and thinking of the past two years. Arus was so
much like Earth, but better. With a shock he realized that he'd hardly thought of his home
world in the two years since he and the rest of the men had crash-landed on Planet Arus.


Koran finished setting the nighttime perimeter alarm system, then slackened his
hands with a sigh. He hadn't felt this drained since his days as a soldier in the seldom-
used Arusian army--well over thirty years ago. The business of Keith's approaching
departure and Princess Allura's subsequent melancholia had monopolized Koran's
thoughts. Again and again he saw her, eyes shining with tears, and with a terrible coldness
in her usually warm voice: "You sure are doing a fine job of getting rid of him." It had
pierced Koran through the heart. Allura was like a daughter to him, and to see her
unhappy was more than he could bear. he thought in
despair. .
He closed his weary eyes as images came flooding back from earlier that afternoon.
Keith had asked Koran to patch a channel through to Galaxy Garrison so that he could
notify them of his imminent arrival. Although Koran had known Keith for two years, the
young man suddenly looked a stranger--why, Koran wasn't sure. Keith stood up straight
and tall as usual, his uniform had been spotless, and his tone perfectly respectful as he
addressed the image of Galaxy Garrison General Aldran projected on the viewscreen. But
still Koran knew that Keith was not happy; in fact, his eyes held the same expression that
Koran had glimpsed in those of the Princess.
Koran shoved the unpleasant thought away. Despite the naggings at his
conscience, he was confident that he was doing the correct thing. I cannot forget that my
primary duty is to Arus. King Alfor left Allura in my charge; it is my duty to see that she is
kept safe all her life, out of this horrible war. Why couldn't Allura understand that he was
only trying to protect her? He knew she had always been headstrong, but Allura had had
her twentieth birthday a month ago. Although Koran knew that without the Voltron Force,
Arus might have been completely destroyed, there were still times when he wished they
had not come--for they had turned Allura's thoughts away from her duties as a royal
princess, and focused them upon the sky, and all of the things that she should rightfully
have never been exposed to: war, greed, and lust.
From deep within, Koran heard a faint echo of the gone-but-not-forgotten King
Alfor: "I give you my daughter, trusted advisor Koran, because I know that you will care for
her and allow her to attain the heights I know she can accomplish. Keep my memory alive
within her, and I shall always be with you." The ghostly words of the great king and dear
friend made Koran's throat tighten with emotion. he thought,

I can't believe Keith is leaving tomorrow. Allura sat in front of the mirror in her
bedroom, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders, a brush grasped lightly in her limp
wrist. She stared at the pale, hollow-eyed young woman in the glass, her thoughts dull,
muted and numb. Outside, she could hear the evening birds singing their last songs, could
hear the servants periodically passing by, could feel the seat beneath her and the weight of
her hair on her shoulders--it all seemed familiar, but remote, like a half-remembered dream
that she'd had before and knew well. She knew how the dream would progress, and how it
would end. She knew that she would finish brushing her hair, get into bed, fall asleep,
awake the next morning, get dressed, and meet the rest of the team on the landing bay to
bid Keith goodbye.
Goodbye. Again she felt a surge of raw disbelief, that this was a bad dream that
she could awaken from at any moment.
She felt the brush slip out of her hands and fall to the floor, but she took no note of
it as she mechanically stood, removed her robe and slipped beneath the covers.
Surprisingly, she found herself recalling the first time she'd met the Voltron Force, on that
fateful day, two years ago, when the castle was in ruins and she and Koran were alone.
She closed her eyes and suddenly she was back in the dark hall, lit only by the single flame
of Koran's candle. She stood at the top of the stairs, frightened but interested, listening to
the low rumble of Koran's voice and those of the five young men who'd arrived with the
name of Voltron on their lips.


The morning was unusually cold. The prominent members of the Castle of Lions
shivered as they stood upon the docking bay, gazing sadly at the small shuttle that would
take Keith, their commander and their friend, to his new life at Galaxy Garrison.
Keith emerged quietly from the Castle, carrying his only bag. He looked, as usual,
calm and determined. There was a brief silence.
Nanny was the first to step forward. "Thank you, Keith, for all you've done for us."
A reluctant smile played at Keith's lips as he bowed respectfully at the royal nurse.
"I'll miss you, Nanny."
Nanny snorted. "You will not, you wretch." Her gaze was fond as she leaned
forward to say her last words. "Good luck, and for heaven's sake, get a haircut!"
There was hearty, if empty, laughter. Keith's half grin became whole. "Goodbye,
Nanny."
Koran stepped forward, clearing his throat. He held his hand out to Keith. "I will be
forever grateful to you for everything you have done. If not for you, Arus would certainly
have been destroyed."
"Not with strong leaders like you and the Princess," Keith replied. "It is you who
keep Arus alive, not a mere defense force. I'll miss this beautiful planet."
Koran shook Keith's hand a while longer, then reached for Nanny's arm and quietly
led the old woman into the castle.
There was an awkward silence. With effort, Keith faced the four men who had
become his closest friends in the two short years since they had met. "Well, I guess this is
it."
Hunk offered one of his mammoth paws. "It's been great working with you, buddy."
"It's been great working with you, too, Hunk. Keep a lid on the temper, huh?"
Hunk smiled. "You got it."
"Raise hell at Galaxy Garrison," Lance quipped, the next to shake Keith's hand.
Keith grinned. "You'd better behave yourself. I'm not sure Sven's as forgiving as I
am."
Lance grinned back. "I'm not making any promises. Don't do anything I wouldn't
do--or," he added rakishly, "anything I would."
Pidge held out his small hand, trying to hid his boyish tears. "You've been like a big
brother to me. I'll miss that."
Keith reached out to tousle the boy's hair. "So will I." He turned to Sven. "Take
care of the team for me."
"Of course," Sven replied. "You take care of yourself."
"I will." Another awkward silence. "Bye, guys."
"See ya, Keith," said Hunk. Lance shoved his hands in his pockets and sent Keith a
smirk. Sven saluted. Pidge waved. Then they all turned and entered the Castle.
Princess Allura was the only one left. After the bay door clicked shut behind the
boys, she and Keith gazed at each other even more awkwardly.
Allura could feel a lump begin to swell in her throat. "I'm sorry, Keith."
"Don't be, Princess. There was nothing you did."
"I'll miss you," she said.
"I'll miss you, too," he replied, gazing at her steadily.
Allura looked down, feeling self-conscious under the intensity of his gaze. "I can't
imagine being here without you."
Keith looked at his own feet. "Do you think I'm abandoning Arus?"
"No," Allura replied. "I know you're not. Thank you," she continued, "for everything
you've done, for me and for Arus."
A half-smile. "Just doing my job, Princess."
Allura bit back a sob. "Was that all it was?"
Keith looked up. "No," he answered softly, staring at her with such a tender
expression that it made the lump in her throat double in size. She heaved a shallow sigh,
and her body moved of its own accord. She took a step toward him, hesitated, then took
another step. They were so close that she could hear his own shallow breathing. Allura
gazed into his dark eyes, hesitated again, then leaned forward, closed her eyes, and gently
kissed him on the lips.
The kiss lasted only a moment, yet when she pulled back, Allura saw that Keith's
eyes were as red as she knew hers must be. He drew a shaking breath, staring at her with
such an odd expression that she had to ask, "What?"
Keith did not reply; he simply gazed at her. As if it had a mind of its own, his hand
lifted to gently touch her face. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, almost to himself.
Allura felt a tear slip unchecked down her cheek. It splashed Keith's hand, and he
quickly pulled away. He looked as if he were about to say something.
"What?" Allura said again.
"Nothing," he replied softly. "I'd better get going." He started to turn.
"Keith!" Allura cried suddenly, without knowing why.
"What?"
"Nothing," she whispered.
Keith gave his familiar crooked grin. "Goodbye, Prin---Allura."
"Goodbye, Keith."
He took a step back, his eyes never leaving her. With effort, Allura managed a
small smile. Keith smiled back as he took another step, still not turning. Then, quickly, he
whirled and boarded the small shuttle that would take him to Earth.
Allura's hand flew to her mouth to stop the weeping she knew was just seconds
away. The shuttle fired its engines, and Allura automatically shielded her eyes from the
bright blue flames emitted from the large rear jets. She felt her mouth form his name again,
but over the roar of the shuttle, she did not know if she actually spoke aloud.
The shuttle lifted off easily and soared into the brightening sky. The light hit it,
giving it a glow that made Allura's lips tremble again. She kept the vessel in sight as long
as she could, then tore her burning eyes away from the sky.
Almost immediately, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Princess?" she heard
Nanny's voice say softly.
"Oh, Nanny!" Allura cried, whirling around. "I feel like I'm going to die."
"There, there, now," Nanny comforted, embracing Allura tightly. "I know it hurts,
dearest, but time will heal the wound."
"You don't understand," Allura answered, her words muffled by tears. "Things will
never be the same again."
"That is true, darling," Nanny said, firmly but emotionally. "But change is a natural
part of life. In time, you will become used to his absence."
"No!" Allura cried, louder. "I will never get used to it! Voltron has lost his heart!"
She pushed the nurse away and ran into the Castle, her strangled sobs echoing off the
walls of the bay.

Keith closed his eyes as he felt the shuttle's engine roar as it finally broke free of
the gravitational pull of Planet Arus. He opened them again when the starlit panorama of
space was visible. Good old familiar infinity. He resisted an urge to look back at the planet
he had left, knowing that it would only make him feel worse.
If that were possible.
His last fifteen minutes on Arus had been the most difficult of his life. The image of
Allura's tearstained face was scorched upon his memory. He hated to see her unhappy,
and he'd never seen her more unhappy than on that landing platform, with his shuttle
waiting to take him away. To be honest, he hadn't felt that great himself. Keith had known
that it would be hard to leave Arus, but he'd never imagined that it would elicit an almost
physical pain.
Keith put a hand over his eyes, which felt as if they were on fire. he told himself. He
dropped his hand. He could imagine nothing worse than standing on that landing platform
and not being able to tell Allura how much he cared. It had taken superhuman effort to
walk away from her, especially after the kiss, the first they had ever shared...
Shoving his regretful
thoughts out of his head, he reached into a bag and removed a large folder: his debriefing
material from Galaxy Garrison. Keith focused his attention on the familiar materials of a
pilot: blueprints and backlogs. Thirty seconds later he gave up. It was no use. For the
first time in his life, Keith's heart was not in his work.

The Princess of Arus remained in her room for two days. Everyone was greatly
worried about her, but Nanny assured them firmly that in time Allura would swallow her
sadness and rejoin her friends.
"You're probably right, Nanny," said Pidge, "but it sure doesn't make me feel any
better."
They were sitting at the breakfast table, gazing sadly at Allura's unoccupied chair at
its head. No one had touched their food.
Hunk frowned. "Boy, if I had Keith here I'd sure give him a piece of my mind. I don't
care if he is--was--the captain. No one hurts the Princess like this."
"He didn't do it on purpose, Hunk," Lance replied, a little tersely. "Each and every
one of us knows that Keith would never willingly hurt the Princess." He sighed. " It's
probably better that he isn't here; he wouldn't want to see her like this."
Pidge leaned his head on his hand, his elbow propped on the table in an improper
gesture that no one noticed. "I'm not sure that I do, either. I just wish there was something
we could do."
"There is." Koran spoke quietly from the opposite end of the table. "You can be
her friends. That is what she needs most right now."
Lance leaned back in his chair, thinking sadly to himself that Koran was wrong.
None of them could give Allura what she truly needed; only Keith could do that. And Keith
was gone.

The last person Keith expected to see as he stepped off the shuttle at Galaxy
Headquarters was Cyann Miller.
Keith stopped dead in his tracks, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.
Cyann was out of uniform, which itself was unusual, but even more incredible, she was
walking, effortlessly and without the slightest trace of a limp.
"Keith!" she called, waving.
"Cyann--" he stammered, "you're--you don't have--" he was unable to finish.
Cyann grinned knowingly and patted her right leg. "Prosthetic. Isn't technology
wonderful?"
"I'll say." Keith was amazed. "I had no idea--wow. Can you still fly?"
A cloud crossed Cyann's face. "Physically yes. Technically no."
"What does that mean?"
"I'll go into it later. Come on, let's get the hell out of his ant farm."
"How did you know I was coming?" Keith asked, as they headed out of the terminal.
"Or are you going to tell me that a captain-supreme has her methods?"
Cyann scanned the large space terminal, avoiding Keith's eyes. "Oh, I'm not
captain-supreme anymore."
"What? Why?"
"Well," her tone was dry, "you know that space pilots are supposed to be in the
peak of health right?"
"Right."
"Well, someone upstairs took that a little farther. All space pilots must be in a state
of perfect physical--and mechanical --health."
"You mean . . .?"
"I'm grounded," Cyann finished bitterly.
Keith stared. "That's awful. I've never heard of that policy."
"I have a feeling nobody had until I arrived."
"So, what do you do now?"
"I navigate. I sit at a computer for eight hours a day, typing commands."
"That's an ensign job!"
"No kidding. Sometimes they let me actually monitor runs in the control tower."
Keith was disgusted. "I can't believe it. You're way overqualified for that job! Did
you get to keep your rank?"
"Yep. I'm the only captain in electronic navigation."
Keith shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Cyann. What an idiotic policy."
"My sentiments exactly. It's not that big a deal, though," Cyann continued, moving
slightly to the side to avoid someone in a hurry. "I'd rather work a menial job like this than
leave the Garrison completely. It's all I know."
"I know what you mean," Keith answered. "I'd like to talk to the General about that,
though. It's unfair, even insulting, to do that to someone of your caliber."
"Thanks for the ego boost, Keith, but I've already tried. Aldran and I have always
been good friends, but I couldn't get him to budge an inch on this. I don't know what's
happened to him. You'd hardly recognize Galaxy Garrison, Keith. It's become a mega-
bureaucracy, handing out idiotic policies like this one right and left. By the way," she
added, "due to regulation 641-F, you'll have to cut your hair."
Keith put a hand to his shoulder-length black hair. "They never had a problem with
it before."
"That was over two years ago, Keith. Like I said, things have changed around
here."
They came to a large doorway that opened onto a huge circular room, with at least
thirty doors leading to other branches of the spaceport. The room was a blur of light blue
Galaxy Garrison uniforms. Keith and Cyann stopped for a moment, surveying the busy
scene. "Home sweet home," Cyann quipped.
"It brings back memories," said Keith. "The last time I was here, I was eighteen
years old and on my way to the Voltron training program on Planet Ventus."
"And I was sulking in my room over not being picked for the Voltron Force. Seems
a lot longer than two years, doesn't it, Keith?"
"It sure does." Keith felt his thoughts drift into the past. Two years ago, he'd been
an eager soldier, on his way to a small planet half a million light years away, never
dreaming what was to come. He'd never expected to see Galaxy Garrison again.
Cyann turned to Keith. "We've got some time to kill. You hungry?"

Cyann took a bite of her salad and chewed thoughtfully, gazing at Keith from the
corner of her eye. He was staring out the large window next to the table, which looked out
onto Garrison City. Everything was gray, the tall titanium buildings, the large photoreceptor
dishes, and the concrete avenues. About a block away, the Space Academy was visible.
Cyann looked out and saw the engineering library, the largest structure on campus, and
the administration building, indicated by the large Allied Planets flag blowing in the breeze.
"So," Cyann drawled. "Let me guess. Koran got tired of your crappy leadership
skills and kicked your incompetent ass out of Arus, am I right?"
Keith managed a faint smile at Cyann's familiar brusque humor. "Not exactly. Is
that the Academy over there?" He nodded in its direction.
Keith's abrupt change of topic confirmed Cyann's suspicions. He did not want to
talk about his reasons for leaving Arus. Cyann knew that Keith had loved his job;
something awful must have happened to make him leave. Cyann had a hunch what that
might have been.
"So," she said, trying again. "How's Allura?"
Keith swallowed. "She's fine," he said quickly.
Cyann sat back in her chair. "All right, I won't pry any further." She glanced at her
watch. "I guess we'd better go. I'll take you to Headquarters."
Keith took one last sip of the coffee he'd barely touched. "Thanks."
Cyann knew that he wasn't just thanking her for the ride. "No problem, Captain.
Shall we?"
"Whenever you're ready, Captain."

At the entrance to the mammoth structure of the Galaxy Garrison administrative
building, Cyann showed a small ID card to a blue-uniformed guard with a small remote
bound around his wrist.
"Password?" the guard asked.
"E pluribus unum."
The guard pressed a code on the small remote and the double-sealed gate before
them opened. They entered a large courtyard, surrounded by concrete walls, sterile and
imperious. Before them stood another double-sealed door and a second security officer.
Cyann looked back at Keith, whose expression was quizzical. "Security's been bumped up
considerably, ever since we found the mole."
"Mole?"
"Someone pretty high up on the inside was allied secretly with the Drule Empire,"
Cyann explained as she flashed her ID at the second guard, who, with a flick of his wrist,
caused the second double-sealed door to slide open obediently. As they passed through
the opening, toward yet another double-sealed door, Cyann continued her story. "They
caught him a couple of months ago. He was the head dispatcher for the General. He used
his privileges to pass information to the Drules hidden inside the default welcome beacon."
Keith gave a crooked grin. "Very original."
"Under different circumstances, I certainly would have been impressed. But since
then, everybody's been super-suspicious. You have to flash your ID card everywhere, and
I mean everywhere. That's why it's the first thing that will be issued to you. Luckily, you
won't have to pass through security check. You have the General and me to thank for that.
By the way, the General wants to see you before you check in at Voltron headquarters. I'll
take you there myself."
"Thank you." Keith looked up at the imposing structure. "Old place still looks the
same."
"That's about all you can say about it," Cyann remarked, a little dryly, flashing her
ID card for the third time to a third blue uniform in front of the true building entrance. "Let's
go."
Inside Galaxy Headquarters, Cyann showed her ID to three more guards on their
way to Check-in, and each time the guards ran the card through a different machine.
Cyann raised her eyebrows at Keith as if to say: see what I mean? Keith understood her
disgust. She was right; a lot had changed in two years.
At Check-in, Keith's handwriting, security code, and fingerprint were cleared by the
attendant and he was issued a small card just like Cyann's.
"Immediate destination?" the Check-in woman asked.
"Twelfth floor. General Aldran's office," Cyann stated.
"May I see your verification, please?"
Cyann handed the woman a slip of paper. The woman nodded and returned the
paper. "If you will both please sign in. Your full name, please."
This time Keith was the one who raised his eyebrows at Cyann. She made a
gesture of annoyance as she duly signed her name. Keith signed his, and they moved
toward a set of doors marked 'Elevators'. Cyann swiped her ID card through a large metal
box on one of the doors, and obligingly they parted.
When they were in the elevator, Keith exhaled audibly. "You weren't kidding when
you said this place had changed. I've never seen such a paranoid system. I thought they
caught the mole."
Cyann nodded, looking as disgusted as Keith felt. "They did, but a lot of the boys
upstairs don't think he was alone. They argue that it would have been impossible for only
one man to pass the estimated amount of information via the beacon."
"How much did we lose?"
"The mole confessed that the operation had been going on for four years."
"Four years!" Keith exclaimed, stunned. "No wonder everyone's so paranoid."
"It was quite a blow to the Board of Control. The mega-security may be a bother,
but the Board seems to think it's worth it."
"I always say better safe than sorry, but this is approaching the ridiculous."
"I agree. Here we are."
The elevator doors opened into a large, lavishly furnished anteroom. Keith drew a
breath, recalling the last time he had been summoned to this room.
Cyann approached the sentry positioned at the door. "Captain Cyann Miller and
Captain Keith--" she paused, looking at him.
"Silver," he replied.
The sentry nodded. "He's been expecting you." He opened the door for them.
General Aldran rose from his chair.
"Good afternoon, General," Cyann and Keith chorused and saluted as the door
shut behind them.
"Good afternoon," replied the General, nodding his head. "It's good to see you,
Cyann."
"Likewise, General."
Aldran looked at Keith with interest. "Welcome back, Keith." He offered his hand.
Keith shook it firmly. "Thank you, General. It's good to be back."
"Your record has preceded you. I must say I am impressed."
"Thank you, General."
"How are our friends on Planet Arus?"
"Very well, General."
Aldran nodded. "Her Highness Princess Allura spoke highly of you."
Keith's expression did not alter.
Aldran continued, frowning slightly. "I hope you were not unhappy with your
position, Keith."
"On the contrary, General. I enjoyed it."
"Apparently so. Tell me, Captain Silver--may I call you Keith?--why you waited
almost seven months to obey my orders to return to Galaxy Garrison for a new
assignment?"
Cyann gave a small gasp of surprise. The General's eyes flicked to her briefly, then
went back to Keith, scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes and bushy gray brows drawn
together tightly.
"With all due respect, sir, those orders were addressed to Chief Diplomat Koran,
not to me." Keith replied noncomittally. "I stayed long enough to settle my affairs and train
my replacement. I am ready to move on, sir; I look forward to a new challenge."
The General appeared satisfied. "Well, I daresay you will find your new position so.
Voltron headquarters are on the tenth floor. You can check in and pick up your new
uniform there. Cyann will show you the way. You are dismissed."
Keith and Cyann saluted and exited the room. They were silent until the elevator
doors closed behind them.
"Allow me to apologize for the General," Cyann said, her words sharp and clipped
with irritation. "He's one of the nosiest men I've ever met."
"It's all right. He had a right to ask why I disobeyed his orders."
"He really summoned you back six months ago?" Cyann asked. "Just you?"
Keith nodded. "I still have no idea why. Koran could not understand it either."
"But he let you stay on Arus?"
"Koran insisted on it. He planned to appeal Aldran's orders; he said I could not
possibly be needed that urgently, not when there was still so much to be done on Arus."
The elevator doors opened into a similar anteroom, less lavish than the general's.
A dark-haired young man rose from a chair at their entrance. "Hey, Keith!"
Keith grinned at his old friend. "Hi, Jeff, how's it going?" Jeff Castle was captain of
Voltron of the Near Universe, informally known as Vehicle Voltron because it was made up
of smaller vehicle ships, instead of robot lions. The two shook hands.
"Good. And you?"
"Good." Jeff looked happy. "Hey, Cyann."
"Greetings and salutations, but enough about me," Cyann grinned. "This is Keith's
homecoming, not mine."
Jeff grinned back. "It is good to see you, Keith, although I must say I'm surprised. I
thought you'd turned your back on good old GG."
"So did I," Keith admitted.
"Well," said Cyann. "I'm going to get the hell out of here and let you two get
reacquainted. See you both later."
"Bye, Cyann," they both said at the same time. They grinned at each other.
"So," said Jeff, "what happened?"
"What do you mean?" Keith replied, knowing very well what Jeff meant.
"What happened to make you quit a job you loved--and one you were actually good
at, I might add."
Keith grinned and shrugged. "Stuff happens."
"It wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with a certain gorgeous--"
"Jeff," Keith interjected warningly. "Don't."
Seeing that Keith was serious, Jeff made a compliant gesture. "All right. I'll lay off."
He indicated toward a hallway. "You'll get your uniform and room assignment down there."
They began to walk.
"This is going to be weird," Jeff mused.
"What?"
"You and me on the same force. I hope you'll go easy on me."
"I'll have to. Technically, you have superiority."
"I see you've done your homework. Actually, it's pretty informal. We're a team, all
equal. I will accept advice, however."
"I'll keep that in mind."
They reached a window with the word 'Check-in' below it. Keith showed his ID, was
fingerprinted again, and given a white-and-blue uniform that matched Jeff's, a slip of paper
with the number of his assigned room, and an official Galaxy Garrison communicator to
wear on his wrist. After thanking the attendant, Keith eyed his new uniform. "It's been over
two years since I wore one of these."
"Somewhat more stylish than your last uniform."
"Those uniforms were a court tradition, Jeff."
"I take it back. Hey, Keith?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like being back here?"
Keith was silent a moment. "I'll get used to it."
Jeff frowned. "Are you sure about that?"
Keith sighed. "No, Jeff, I'm not. But don't worry; I'll survive."
"I know you will. You'd better change; that red uniform sticks out like a sore thumb
around here." Jeff watched Keith move off, he furrowed his brow. It was Keith's nature to
internalize his feelings, but Jeff could tell that he was not happy. In fact, he was miserable.
Jeff sighed and crossed his arms. He had a pretty good idea as to why Keith had left Arus,
whether or not Keith wanted to talk about it. He had seen the way Keith behaved around
Princess Allura of Arus--and Jeff could hardly blame him, the girl was a knockout.
Keith returned, clad in his new uniform. It made Jeff feel curiously sad to see it.
"How do I look?" Keith asked, with an obviously forced light tone.
"Like Jeff with a wig." Both men turned to see Cyann. "It's eerie," she commented,
sizing them up, "how much you two look alike. Are you sure you weren't separated at
birth?" Not expecting an answer, she continued. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is--" she
hesitated, "I just checked my mail, and, well, I got a letter from Arus."
Jeff shot Keith a quick glance. He had flushed a little.
Cyann looked almost as uncomfortable as Keith. "I thought maybe..." she trailed
off.
"No," Keith said quietly. "Thank you, but no."
Cyann understood, nodding slightly. "Well, I guess you two have work to do. I'll
see you later."
When she was gone, Jeff looked at Keith. "I got the afternoon off. Would you like
to see the city?"
Keith shook his head, avoiding Jeff's gaze. "If you don't mind, I'll just go find my
room."
"No problem," Jeff said quickly, understanding that Keith wanted to be alone. "Talk
to you later?"
"Sure." Noting a sign that said "Staff Quarters," Keith moved down the hall in the
direction the arrow indicated. On the way, he passed a lounge. Keith stopped. It was a
large room, obviously designed to accommodate the entire Voltron staff and their friends.
There were comfortable chairs and couches embossed with the Galaxy Garrison seal, and
a bar to one side. A large window occupied the wall immediately opposite the doorway,
showing the soft twilight of evening. A few bright stars were visible.
The room was deserted. Keith entered, hearing the sound of his boots echo on the
hard floor. He headed for the window. As he gazed at the familiar terran night, Keith
suddenly felt more alone that he ever had in his lonely life. In the southeast, his eye settled
on a faint star, low on the horizon: Arus's sun, the star Leonia. The planet itself was much
too small to see, but even seeing the star that brought warmth to Planet Arus made him feel
a little better, as if his friends were watching him. He wondered what the team was doing,
wondered if . . .
"Keith?"
He turned, startled. "Cyann. Hi."
"Hi, yourself. What's up?"
Keith did not reply but turned back to the view, knowing that Cyann would
understand.
Cyann took a few steps forward, squinting a little. "Is that Leonia?
"Yes."
"It's beautiful." After a pause, she added, "You miss Arus." Only the slightest hint
of question hung in the phrase.
Several seconds passed before Keith replied, "Very much."
Cyann suddenly felt sad. She stared out at the night sky for a few moments more,
then said, "Good night, Keith."
"Good night."

The Princess Allura that emerged from her bedchamber after her two-day isolation
was a different woman than the girl who had entered in tears, although she looked the
same. Her pink uniform was starched and spotless, her top knot had never been so
perfect. No one needed to know how long it had taken her shaking fingers to accomplish
what had previously taken minutes. She was a little paler, her blue eyes had a new depth.
She spoke a little slower. No one needed to know that her heart had been shattered to
pieces and that a new, stronger model with a thick shell had taken its place.
When she entered the rec room, she felt like a different person. Koran, Nanny, and
the Voltron Forced gazed at her silently, trying to discern the physical representation of the
change that they sensed. All Allura could do was gaze at her friends, at their concerned
faces, at their guarded stances, at their wonderful familiarity. Suddenly, she knew that
everything would be okay.
"Boy, did you have us all worried," Lance commented a week later, as he and Allura
strolled aimlessly through the Castle. "Hunk was ready to break down the door, and I
confess that I had the same idea myself."
Allura couldn't help a fond smile. "I appreciate your concern, but really, I was fine."
"What were you doing in there for two days?"
"Thinking, mostly."
"About what?"
"Everything..." She fell silent. He did not pry. Instead, he gazed around the metal
walls of the corridor.
"I keep thinking, whenever I come to a corner, that somehow, I'll meet Keith. That
all of this is just a dream."
"I know what you mean," Allura said softly.
"Would you rather I didn't talk about it?"
"No, it's all right. Everyone's been so concerned about me, no one thought of what
you guys must be going through. He was your friend, too."
Lance gave a half-smile. "I remember the first time I met Keith." He paused.
"Go on..."
"It was at the Academy. All five of us had been called into the General's anteroom.
I remember being a little nervous; I was quite the daredevil in those days--okay, I still am--
and I was thinking maybe I'd gotten caught or something. Anyway, I get to the anteroom,
and I see these four total strangers. Actually, I thought I recognized Hunk from somewhere,
but the rest of them I'd never seen."
"Keith was the only one of us in uniform, Galaxy Garrison uniform, that is. Usually,
no one wore their flight suits after hours. I thought he was a sentry at first, on account of
his outstanding soldiership."
"He was standing by the door to the General's private office. Hunk, Pidge, and
Sven were at ease, but Keith stood up straight and tall, his arms behind his back like a
soldier at attention. "
"Just then, the General's door opened, and he beckoned us into his office. Now I
was really confused. Why had four total strangers been summoned at once to see the
General? I didn't know what to expect."
"Aldran sat down behind his desk and told us that we'd all been selected to form the
strike force that would fly five hundred thousand light years away to Planet Arus, from
whom we had received an urgent distress signal. He told us about Zarkon, and Voltron;
that each one of us would pilot a robotic lion that would merge with the others to form the
most powerful defender of the universe: the mighty Voltron. I remember thinking that
sounded pretty cool.
"When Aldrin had finished the debriefing, he reminded us that we had the right to
refuse the commission. He handed us a thick contract and told us to have it signed and
witnessed by six o'clock that evening, or our names would be stricken from the list. He said
there were plenty of standbys waiting for a chance like this. If we chose to accept, we
would depart the following morning for the training camp on Planet Ventus, in the Amethyst
Quadrant. He asked if we had any questions, then dismissed us." Lance shook his head in
wonder. "It completely blew my mind."
"Go on," prompted the Princess.
"As soon as the General's door closed, Keith introduced himself and shook our
hands. He was so polite I got the feeling his heart wasn't in it. All business, all boring; that
was my first impression of Keith."
Allura spoke up. "You mean you didn't like him?"
Lance shook his head. "It wasn't that. It was like he was--removed from the rest of
us. Oh, sure, he was polite and all, but Keith was the perfect soldier--always quoting
Garrison policy and following orders without question. I thought being friends with him was
a lost cause. All he talked about was how mighty Voltron was, how he was a symbol to the
universe, that he would restore peace across the planets--yatta-yatta-yatta--"
"In other words, you thought he was a real 'stick-in-the-mud'."
"Completely," Lance replied honestly. "And I was right." He chuckled at Allura's
shocked expression. "But, over the next few months, I got to know him. We got into a lot of
tough spots, the boys and I, and we all came to see that there was more to Keith than duty
and ideals. He may have been strict and boringly-honest, but he was also a true friend. I
consider it an honor to know him."
Allura looked at her feet. "I miss him."
"So do I." Lance paused, hesitating. "You know, Keith does care about you."
A few moments passed before Allura answered. "I know."
"You've changed his life, Princess," Lance persisted. "He's so different now from
the robot he was when I met him. Now he's--" Lance searched for the appropriate word,
and chuckled when he found it, "human."
Allura managed a small smile. Lance looked closely at her face, but could find no
trace of sadness. The walked in silence for a few minutes, then
Lance abruptly, said "All right, Your Majesty, that's it."
She looked at him, surprised.
"You've been way too quiet," he continued, in a persuasive tone. "You're bored,
that's what, and I have the antidote. How would you like to learn to fly the red lion?"
Her eyes lit up. "Really? You would teach me?"
"Anything for Her Majesty," Lance replied, quickly kissing her hand.
"What about Sven?"
"Let me talk to him. How 'bout it?"
"I'd love it." She was smiling. "You're a wonderful person, Lance."
"I know, I know."
Allura slapped his arm lightly. "All egotism aside, I appreciate your effort."
Lance shrugged. "I can't let you wither away. Keith would come back and kick my
ass."
Allura looked thoughtful. "Do you really think he'll come back?"
"Someday, yes. He once told me that these past two years have been the best of
his life."
She smiled. "Mine, too."
They had reached the observation lounge. Allura moved toward the large window,
looking appreciatively at the calm night. Thousands of stars were visible, all twinkling like
jewels. Allura's eyes roved among them.
"You know," came a younger voice behind them, "The star Sol should be visible
right now."
Allura thought. She and Lance turned to see Pidge and Hunk
standing in the doorway. Pidge stepped forward, searching for something in the sky.
"There," he said, pointing to a faint, twinkling star in on the northwest horizon.
Everyone focused on the pale dot of light. No one needed to speak; they all knew
that everyone was thinking the same thing: was Keith also staring at the stars, gazing back
at them across five hundred thousand light years?
"It's the end of an era," said Sven, appearing behind them, his arms folded across
his chest.
"I wonder what the next one will bring," the Princess said quietly.

END PART ONE