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.

3. Revelation

Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters are the property of World Events
Productions. All rights reserved. I don't own these characters and I am not
receiving any profit for writing this story. Cyann Miller, Jedrel Jhaksinn, and
the infamous Aldran are mine.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This segment was originally part of chapter 2: "The
Tempest," but for reasons of length (once I got going I couldn't stop!), I have
decided to make it its own chapter, entitled "Revelation," the reasons for
which you will shortly find out! And as always, say 'em with me: "speech",
, ~flashbacks~


SMALL ETERNITIES
by Cyanne/Saturn Girl

PART 3: REVELATION


Although this was only the first time she'd been aboard Prince Lotor's
command ship, Allura was still shocked by the deterioration she saw. For
an egomaniac like Lotor, Allura had supposed that the ship would be
flawless, but instead she saw frayed wiring, and circuit doors lying open,
their hinges melted. The metal walls of the ship were grimy and a flurry of
dark dust particles fluttered whenever either of them took a step. Lotor was
in much worse a state than he let on, Allura mused. As much as Allura
despised him for what he had done to her planet, she couldn't help feeling a
shred of sympathy for the dark prince. No matter how black his heart was, it
must have been painful to see his home destroyed.
Lotor kept his yellow eyes fixed ahead as they walked toward their
unknown destination in the bowels of the ship. From time to time Allura
glanced at his grim profile, wondering what was going through his mind. As
they walked, they passed many a dark corner or adjoining hallway, and each
time she considered darting into the dark maze, away from the Doom
prince, maybe to sabotage the ship somehow and force it to crash--but each
time she dismissed the cowardly thought. She had a feeling that Lotor was
still too mired in suspicion to think of harming her. She cast another brief
glance at him, and saw that his eyes were cloudy and thoughtful. Lance's
trick had worked; Lotor's brain was furiously backpedalling in order to
compensate for this unexpected occurrence.
After a particularly potent breath of the dust-filled air, Allura sneezed.
Lotor jerked out of his fog to fix her with his yellow stare. "At last I finally
have you all to myself. It almost seems too good to be true--" he trailed off
expectantly, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Allura did not deign to answer, raising her head high like the princess
that she was. she
wondered.
Lotor frowned, his yellow eyes becoming slits. He tried another tactic.
"Your friends must not value you very much, to let you go so easily."
Allura's lips tightened, but she refused to take the bait.
At her second proud silence, Lotor's brows drew together angrily.
"You're being quite rude, Your Majesty. Didn't that Koran fellow teach you
manners--such as how to greet royalty?"
"Anyone," Allura replied testily, "who plunders and kills for the sake of
spite is not worthy of royal treatment."
"And anyone who refuses to respect superiors is not worthy of respect
themselves."
"You are no superior of mine!"
"But I will be soon," Lotor replied with satisfaction. "Where I come
from, husbands are superior to their wives."
Allura was beginning to see red. "I see that your ego was not
destroyed along with your castle."
He scowled. "You would do best not to mention that, my dear. It's a
very sore subject, and I don't think you want to get on my bad side."
she thought contemptuously.
Lotor seemed to sense her disdain. He regarded her thoughtfully,
allowing her a brief glimpse of the scarred side of his face. "How old are you
now? Twenty-three?" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "And still
unmarried? What a shame."
Allura just narrowed her gaze.
"You must have had suitors, of course," Lotor continued patronizingly,
"yet here you are, almost halfway to thirty, and still alone. Perhaps you just
haven't met the right prince." One eyebrow lifted insolently.
All too aware of his insinuation, Allura replied defiantly, "Perhaps I do
not desire a prince." Immediately she regretted her choice of words.
"Desire, Your Highness?" Lotor's lips curled into a crooked smile.
He was baiting her again. Allura had to make an effort to remain cold
silence. How good it would feel to slap that violet face!
"You know nothing of desire," Lotor went on. "But I do." He stopped
abruptly, facing her closely and giving her a full view of his ravaged face.
Against her will, Allura flinched at the sight and instinctively backed away,
toward the wall. For a moment, she saw anger flickering in the prince's
eyes, but it was gone almost immediately.
"For four years--four long years," Lotor repeated for emphasis, "I have
loved only you. I could give you everything that Koran hopes for you. If you
were my wife, I would guard your planet like my own--"
"And enslave it like your own."
Lotor shrugged. "At least your planet would be protected."
"I would rather my planet be vulnerable than at the mercy of your
cruelty."
"Cruelty? You are the only one of us who is cruel, Princess." Lotor
took another step toward her, causing Allura to back away further and
inadvertently pin herself against the wall. Allura said a silent curse for having
allowed herself to be cornered. As she had expected, Lotor had confiscated
her blaster, but he did not know of the knife hidden in her boot. She tensed
her body to be ready.
"You are the cruel one," Lotor continued, his voice husky with an
emotion that Allura did not want to analyze. "You cannot imagine what the
past four years have been like for me. I offered you my mercy and my love
and you continued to spurn it, forcing me to take action, hurting me as it hurt
you."
Allura thought, governing an almost uncontrollable
urge to spit back a reply. Now was not the time to lose her head. She must
remain calm, so she would not be caught off guard. She swallowed hard
and returned his impassioned stare coolly.
"I could have destroyed your miserable planet many a time," Lotor
went on gruffly. "Yet I have always showed you mercy. "
Allura could feel his breath touching her face, and it caused her
stomach to turn. She thought longingly of Keith--of how, just a few short
hours ago, he had stood in Lotor's place and whispered far more pleasant
words. Finding a few precious seconds of shelter in the happy memory,
Allura closed her eyes.
She did not see Lotor's jaw suddenly clench, and his eyes become
razors. Her eyes were just beginning to open when Lotor spoke again. "Am
I ugly to you now, Princess?" he snarled, thrusting his face into hers. "Can
you not bear to look upon me, for fear of turning your precious stomach?"
His catlike eyes widened in sudden comprehension. "Damn you," he
rasped. "You are thinking of him!" Lotor pressed himself closer, and Allura
felt the bolts of the wall dig into her back. His mutilated face only inches
from hers, Lotor continued menacingly. "I will not allow you to think of him!"
Before Allura realized his intention, Lotor pressed his mouth hard to hers.
Allura screamed even as she felt the pressure of his cold lips on hers.
Fighting a wave of revulsion, she kicked up her knee and heard his
strangled grunt as the limb hit its target. His mouth left hers and Allura had
to fight another urge to scream. She had very little time. Lightning-quick,
she swung her left leg toward his trunk, intending to knock him down. But to
her horror, he simply caught her leg and held it, pressed against his side.
Lotor was obviously still in pain; his words came in short bursts, but his
grip was one of iron. "What would your darling space explorer think if he
arrived to see this?" he growled mockingly.
Allura fought to keep her balance; the last thing she wanted was to be
supported by him. She was shaking with horror and anger; she could still
feel his cold kiss on her mouth. Her mind desperately searched for another
self-defense move that would get her out of this embarrassing position.
Lotor took advantage of her shock and put his other hand around her
waist, pulling her to him. This time, Allura realized his intention and turned
her head, so his kiss landed on her cheek instead. Undaunted, Lotor began
to rain small kisses all over her cheek and right ear. And even as he did
that, Allura felt his hands fumbling at the buttons of her uniform. Seized with
a choking fear, Allura frantically twisted her head away, and suddenly she
had an idea--an idea that made her want to retch, but would accomplish
what she needed.
Lotor was moving to kiss her again when Allura suddenly swung her
other leg up to curl around his waist. Feeling his start of surprise, Allura
took advantage of it to wrap her arms around his chest and press her lips to
his.
As she had expected, Lotor was temporarily stunned by her sudden
ardor. Allura pressed herself against him, her arms and legs encircling him,
trying desperately to ignore the horror of what she was doing. She had to
focus upon her goal. Her eyes tightly closed, Allura slowly reached down
toward her right boot. Abruptly, she felt Lotor's arms tighten around her and
made a pretense of pulling him closer in order to disguise her deft removal
of the small dagger As soon as she felt the weapon in her hand, Allura
sank it into Lotor's back.
Lotor gave a yelp of pain and surprise and let go of her, his hands
roving desperately around to grasp the blade embedded in his back. He lost
his balance and began to topple backward, and automatically Allura
tightened her grip on him as they fell over.
Lotor hit the floor with a grunt. Allura lay sprawled on top of him. For
several moments she forgot where she was, then realization hit and she
rolled off him as if he were on fire. She dragged herself to the other side of
the hallway and curled into a tight ball, shaking and whimpering. She kept a
sharp eye on his still form, expecting every second to see him rise and come
after her again, and only after what must have been ten minutes did it hit her
that Lotor was not going to move.
Still shaking like a leaf, Allura uncoiled her body, her eyes never
leaving the fallen prince. He lay on his stomach, still and unmoving, his long
white hair a tangled sea.
I killed him. The words ran in her head a hundred times, and with
each repetition the relief of safety sweetened, until finally she sank to the
floor, limp, and abandoned herself to a torrent of sobbing.

"Ba da bing!" exclaimed Lance. "I've got him!"
"Thanks, Lance," said Keith from the black lion. "Circulate the
coordinates."
"Already done, cap. Bastard didn't get far, did he?"
Pidge examined his nav screen. "No, I'm surprised. I thought he'd be
out of here like a lightning, now that--" he cut the words off abruptly,
remembering Keith.
After an awkward silence, Hunk spoke up. "It's just like the old days
with Keith and Sven here, huh fellas?"
"How does it feel, boys?" asked Lance, playing along.
"Like I'm four years younger," remarked Sven ruefully.
"How do you feel, Keith?" Pidge inquired.
"Annoyed," replied Keith tightly, "because you guys are talking when
you should be tracking Lotor's ship."
No one could think of a reply.

"And they're off," Cyann announced, as the lion ships sailed out of
view. "Off to rescue the Princess--again." When Jeff looked at her
curiously, she continued, lowering her voice. "I'll say one thing: Allura's got
that damsel-in-distress thing down pat. Good thing she's got no shortage of
knights."
"I fail to see how you can make jokes at a time like this," Koran
snapped sharply from the main terminal. His face was pale, and behind his
spectacles his eyes were dry and red. "Allura and the rest of the Voltron
Force are in very real danger. This time, I fear Lotor will stop at nothing
until--" he pressed a hand to his temple, unable to finish.
Cyann pursed her lips sadly. "I'm sorry, Koran. I should have said
that."
Koran did not reply, for something had caught his eye. "A
long-distance transmission is coming in. From Galaxy Garrison." He set to
work establishing the connection.
Behind him, Cyann sucked in her breath, wincing. "Damn, that man
has the worst timing," she muttered.
"Aldran?" Jeff guessed.
Cyann nodded. "Expecting a report on the Conference. Koran, do you
mind receiving it on audio only? Tell him I'm unavailable right now. "
Koran hesitated. "I'm not sure I have the right. Aldran is your superior
officer."
"So what?" Cyann's tone was cold. At their shocked looks, she
softened it. "Please, Koran, just this once? Under the circumstances I think
it's justified. I'll make contact with him later."
"Just explain what's going on," Ginger suggested. "I'm sure he'll
understand that it's a bad time."
Koran nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Thank you," Cyann said sincerely.
Jeff had been observing this exchange with an peculiar expression on
his face. As Koran made appropriate excuses to Aldran, Jeff moved next to
Cyann and spoke in a low tone. "Why make Koran do your dirty work? I
thought you and Aldran were good friends."
Keeping a watchful eye on Koran, Cyann answered tightly, "I just don't
want to deal with him right now, okay?"
The animosity in her tone was patently obvious now. On the opposite
side of Cyann, Ginger exchanged a concerned glance with Jeff. "Have you
got something against Space Marshal Aldran?" she inquired.
Cyann stared at an unknown point off to the side for a few moments,
obviously thinking, then at last met their inquisitive eyes--and those of Koran
as he finished the transmission. "You got an hour?"
Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Sure."
Cyann sighed. "Just keep it under your hats, okay?"
"Scout's honor," said Jeff.
Ginger linked her hands behind her back. "What's going on, Cyann?"
"Well, of course you both know about the mole they found at Galaxy
Garrison a couple of years ago," Cyann began. "But a lot of people think
that he wasn't alone. The amount of leaked information was so specialized
that some think that the mole must have had a contact in a very high place,
say, on the Board of Control."
"A mole on the Board of Control?" Koran repeated incredulously.
"It looks like it."
"But can you prove any of this?"
Cyann winced. "Well, that's where it gets complicated. Bottom-line is,
there's evidence to indicate that," a brief hesitation, "Aldran himself is
involved."
"The Space Marshal!" Koran exclaimed. "You can't be serious!
Whatever for?"
Cyann shrugged. "There were a lot of reasons. Most of the leaked
information had to do with both Voltrons' missions, and Aldran is the one
who decides the where's, when's, and why's."
"That's circumstantial," Jeff countered. "It doesn't necessarily implicate
Aldran."
"But it might explain why the Drule Empire always seems to know
exactly where we are, so they can ambush us," Ginger pointed out.
"Are you saying that Space Marshal Aldran is a spy?" Koran looked
even more skeptical. "That's a serious accusation."
"Which is why this is off the record," Cyann shot back somewhat
defensively. "I had to keep this to myself until I was absolutely sure. And
now I am."
Koran shook his head with disapproval. "I believe your theory owes
more to hearsay than to suspicion."
Cyann was unfazed. "You have a right to be skeptical, Koran, but like I
said, there are other reasons. First of all," she turned to Jeff and Ginger,
"you both know that security's been bumped up at Headquarters, right?"
"Yes . . .?" prodded Jeff.
For Koran's benefit, Cyann explained, "Each major entrance to the
main Garrison complex is equipped with a triple-step security checkpoint,
which includes presentation of official, digitally-encoded Garrison ID,
destination and business clearance checks, and thumprinting. Also, once
you get up to the third floor, retinal and iris exams are included."
"Good heavens," Koran breathed. "Is the Galaxy Alliance that
paranoid about penetration?"
"You bet, Koran," Jeff affirmed darkly. "Cyann's right. Next thing you
know they'll be taking DNA samples of everybody who walks through the
door."
"The mole operation had been going on for four years when they
caught the guy," Cyann clarified. "Understandably, the Board is determined
to prevent such a thing from occurring again."
"With such a thorough security system," Koran returned, "I don't see
how they can fail."
"You'd think so," replied Cyann. "The system is state-of-the-art.
However, it would be a lot more effective if it operated on more than the first
nine floors."
"What?"
"There are twelve floors to the main complex. The normal functions of
the Garrison take place on those first nine floors. The tenth, eleventh, and
twelfth floors are specialized; Voltron Headquarters, the Board's meeting
room, and Aldran's office and meeting rooms, respectively. Security
measures have hardly changed at all on those three floors."
"She's right," Jeff admitted, scratching the stubble on his chin
thoughtfully. "I thought that was odd."
Ginger added, "I suppose Aldran figured they didn't have to worry
about anyone on those three floors."
"Precisely." Cyann replied triumphantly, raising her index finger. "But,"
she added, cocking an eyebrow, "it also indicates that if there is a spy at
Galaxy Garrison, the ideal place for him to operate is on one of the top three
floors."
A brief silence followed as everyone digested the information. "I admit
that is suspicious," mused Koran, "but it still doesn't specifically point to
Space Marshal Aldran. Anyone on those three floors could be the mole."
Cyann nodded her head slightly, verifying the validity of Koran's words.
"The rest of the reasons are primarily personal." She let her gaze fall to the
floor. "I've known Aldran for a long time. When I was captain-supreme of
the Space Force, we were good friends. He'd consult me on various
matters having to do with Garrison politics, and of course as
captain-supreme I reported directly to him. But he's different now." She
paused, thinking. "Galaxy Garrison used to be quite involved in both Near
and Far Universe affairs--which is how the Voltron mission was set up--but
now Aldran's turned isolationist. A year ago, he passed down a new policy
stating that Galaxy Garrison will not involve itself in affairs that it cannot
benefit from."
"I remember that policy," Ginger interrupted gravely. "No one took it
seriously at first."
"Aldran claimed that we must protect ourselves." Cyann sneered at
this. "So right now the Garrison's just sitting on its ass, twiddling its thumbs
while pretending to be doing something important. It's bull, and it makes me
angry."
"She has a point," volunteered Jeff glumly. "Even Voltron's mission
load has been cut down. It's like the Garrison doesn't care anymore."
Koran shook his head. "This is most disturbing. We have always
relied on Galaxy Garrison to aid us."
Cyann snorted. "And how many times have they done that? Once?
Twice? Face it, Koran. Galaxy Garrison has never given a damn when it
came to Planet Arus. And I'm sorry to say that it still doesn't."
"But what does all this have to do with Space Marshal Aldran?"
Ginger interrupted. "Don't take this the wrong way, Cyann, but it sounds like
you're stating opinions, not facts. I agree that the new policies are
ridiculous, but they were made in good spirit. And people change."
Cyann still looked skeptical. "Well, there's another reason."
"Which is?" Koran folded his arms expectantly.
Cyann hesitated momentarily, then looked at Koran. "Why did Keith
leave Planet Arus?"
A strange emotion flickered in Koran's eyes. "Keith resigned for
personal reasons," he replied guardedly.
"In other words, he left by his own free will?"
"Yes, absolutely."
Cyann raised an eyebrow. "That seems strange, considering that
Aldran sent you a direct order recalling Keith to the Garrison several months
before he actually left."
Jeff and Ginger gasped. "Is that true, Koran?" Jeff asked.
Koran's jaw dropped in surprise. "How did you know about that?"
Cyann folded her arms across her chest. "Aldran told me himself. I
was in his office one day for a private conference and the subject of Keith
came up. Now, Keith's a good friend of mine, and I knew he wasn't happy at
Galaxy Garrison, so I asked Aldran flat-out if he had been dissatisfied with
Keith's service as Voltron commander on Arus."

~ Aldran looked surprised. "No, he was doing a fantastic job. You of
all people ought to know that."
"Then why did you allow him to return?"
Aldran looked across his desk at Cyann, standing tall and confidently,
her hands laced behind her back. The gaze held for several seconds. Then
Aldran spoke, slowly, as if choosing his words with care. "I recalled him back
here because I no longer wanted him on Arus."
"Recalled him?" she repeated. "You mean, you ordered him back
here? Why?"
Aldran paused again, scrutinizing Cyann's inquisitive expression. He
leaned forward. "Cyann, can I trust you?"
"Of course," she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"The wars between Planet Doom and Planet Arus have been going on
for nearly half a century, without resolution." He paused, as if expecting her
to say something.
"So what's your point?" Cyann shrugged her shoulders, raising an
eyebrow at the Space Marshal. "What do you care?"
Aldran sighed. "Look at it this way, captain. You know that I am
planning reforms for this base, to make it more efficient, productive, and
powerful. If I--if we can accomplish this, we will succeed in strengthening the
Galaxy Alliance so that it may rise to its rightful place as the guardian of
peace in the universe. But in order for this to happen, all the planets under
our protection must accept my reforms, for only as one can we make
ourselves strong. For this reason, we cannot allow any planet to lag behind
in our progress toward this goal. We must discard old grudges against our
fellow worlds, so that we may all move forward together, as one."
Cyann looked even more confused. "I'm not sure I understand. What
'old grudges' are you talking about? And what does all this have to do with
Keith?"
Aldran shook his head, changing his mind. "Never mind. Politics have
never been your strong point, Cyann."~

"And he dropped the subject," finished Cyann. "That conversation
rankled at me for quite a while. I felt like I'd missed something, something
big, but I could never steer Aldran back to that subject. And then, one day, it
hit me: the 'old grudges' Aldran was referring to were the wars between
Planet Arus and Planet Doom. While these wars were raging, there was no
hope of uniting those two planets under Aldran's reforms. So, Aldran had to
end the conflicts, and fast, and he did this by tipping the scales."
"By removing Keith," Jeff concluded in dismay.
"In stripping Voltron of its talented commander," Cyann elucidated
needlessly, "Aldran could effectively cripple Arus, making it easy prey for
Planet Doom."
"My God," Koran whispered.
"How do you know all this?" Ginger asked suspiciously. "You said
Aldran dropped the subject."
"It's not hard to put two and two together," Cyann replied, her gaze
dropping to the floor.
"Oh, come on, Cyann," Jeff burst out angrily. "For someone who's
acting on assumptions, you seem pretty sure of yourself. This isn't the kind
of thing that just occurs to you out of nowhere. You had to have gotten these
ideas from somewhere--or someone."
"Well, you're wrong!" she replied hotly. "I didn't need anyone to tell me
this stuff; anyone with half a brain could have figured it out."
"Well, you're the only one who has so far." Jeff crossed his arms.
"Don't you think that's odd?"
There was an uncomfortable silence. Jeff looked as if he had more to
say, but before he could speak, Koran interjected soberly, "So Aldran is
trying to yoke the galaxy with these new reforms of his."
Cyann nodded gravely. "More or less."
"More or less?" Ginger repeated, fed up with Cyann's deliberate
vagueness. "Can't you give us a straight answer for once?"
Cyann bristled. "You'd better watch it, sister. You're lucky I'm telling
you anything at all. Don't you realize that I could lose my job for this?"
"Why should you lose your job?" Jeff challenged. "What does Aldran
care what a mere navigator says about him?"
For an instant, Cyann faltered. Almost immediately, though, she
regained control of her demeanor and replied tersely, "It's still treason, no
matter what rank you are. But that's not the point. Aldran's had the axe
raised for years, and before you even realize what's going on, he'll let it fall.
I want you guys to be on guard for that moment."
Another loaded silence. "Come on," Cyann urged quietly, "do you think
I'd take a risk like this if it weren't important?"
Jeff stared at Cyann for a long moment, as if judging the veracity of
the tale in her eyes. Then he looked away, clenching his teeth in frustration.
"That two-faced son of a bitch. He doesn't care who he hurts, just as long as
he can push those damn reforms of his!"
"I had no idea," Koran said hollowly. "The situation is far more serious
than I thought." He sighed. "But I'm afraid we can do nothing until the
Voltron Force returns." A flicker of pain crossed his face. "That is, if they
return at all . . ."
Ginger stepped forward and put a hand on Koran's slumping shoulder.
"The Voltron Force will get through this, Koran; they always do."
Koran nodded, squaring his shoulders. "There is much to do. I must
see to the people of the village that was attacked. Will you help me?"
"Of course, Koran," Ginger declared, exchanging an affirmative glance
with Jeff.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on things," Cyann volunteered.

Once the others had gone, Cyann breathed a sigh and leaned on the
console, taking in deep, slow breaths to soothe her pounding heart. She felt
drained, light-headed from the strain of what she had just done. It had been
so easy, so terribly easy . . . Briefly she wondered if she'd said too much,
then dismissed the thought. Her acting skills were one of the reasons she'd
landed this job in the first place. Diplomacy was nothing more than glorified
acting, Aldran had said. Cyann squeezed her eyes shut, her head beginning
to throb. She had to be careful. It would not do to get cocky after only one
successful performance. There were many more on the way, and each time
it would get progressively more difficult. This time, she'd only scratched the
surface. The more she revealed, the harder it would be to cover her tracks.
Suddenly remembering Aldran, Cyann straightened and began to type
a code. After a brief burst of static the Space Marshal's angry face
appeared on the large viewscreen. "You had better have a good
explanation for that run-around you had Koran give me, Captain Miller."
Cyann raised her eyebrows. "Will you relax? Everything's going
according to plan so far."
"I'm glad to hear it," Aldran replied imperiously. "I must confess to
having had doubts. I hope you are still clear on the objectives of this
assignment."
"I'm working on it, okay?" She was suddenly irritated.
Aldran's countenance remained impassive. "Cyann, I chose you for
this mission because I hold you in high respect. Your--unique--experience
made you an ideal choice, but an ambiguous one. If things go as planned,
you will be rewarded. Should this assignment prove--too difficult for you,
rest assured there will be consequences."
Cyann stood up tall. "I give you my word, Space Marshal. I will not fail
you."
Aldran gave a thin smile. "I'm afraid that's not enough to convince me.
I have reason to believe you have decided to double-cross me. To that end,
I am dispatching a small garrison to escort you back to headquarters. They
will arrive tonight. You will go quietly."
"What?!"
"You heard me, Cyann," Aldran replied severely. "You will return to
the Garrison tonight. Report to me as soon as you arrive."
Cyann's jaw had slackened. For a few seconds she simply stared at
the angry space marshal's image, as if at any moment Aldran would declare
that he was kidding. But his face remained stern.
Cyann dropped her gaze, considering her next move. Abruptly, her
head snapped up. "No."
Aldran turned a dark red. "What did you say?"
"You heard me," Cyann replied, throwing his words back at him.
"What you are attempting is mutiny, Captain. Hardly a welcome
addition to your previously flawless record."
"So be it." She was indifferent. "I'd like to complete the mission."
"Not until you give me proof that you can still be trusted." Aldran raised
his eyebrows significantly. "I have not been hearing good things from my
surveillance department, Cyann." The Space Marshal smiled. "I suggest
you make an effort to find alternate topics of dinner conversation."
Cyann flushed. "Did Jed tell you that?" she demanded acidly.
"Still competitive, I see. " Aldran had a patronizing smirk.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Aldran laughed heartily. "A bit of insurance in a world of jeopardy,
Cyann."
"You don't trust me?"
"Only so far as the Voltron Force is concerned. This mission was a
test of your loyalty."
Again her cheeks colored. Between clenched teeth, she said, "I plan
restore your faith in me, Space Marshal."
"Very well. I am hereby placing you under arrest for disobeying a direct
order from a superior officer. You will return to the Garrison as a prisoner,
rather than an officer." He shook his head. "It's a damn shame, Cyann.
You've always been one of my best officers. You could have gone so far. . .
and in the end you'll end up back where you started."
"Go to hell," she replied coldly, "Sir."
For a long moment, the Space Marshal and the captain stared at each
other. Then Aldran's image vanished as he cut the transmission.
Cyann stood still, arms crossed, thinking hard for several minutes.
She could feel anger trembling in her chest. So Aldran didn't trust her! He
had never trusted her! Wounded pride made her clench her teeth even as
raw fear froze in her belly. It had never fully occurred to her that she could
be replaced, that there were others to whom Aldran could turn; now what
she had considered an idle threat was fast becoming a reality. Cyann was
suddenly seized with the need to confront Jed, to find out exactly where she
stood--with him, and with Aldran. She left the control room, heading for the
detention cells, unable to shake the feeling that Aldran's eagle gaze was still
fixed upon her.

At first the detention guard, who was unfamiliar with Cyann's
connection to the Voltron Force--and also alerted to the possibility of a spy
in the Castle of Lions--refused to admit her. But, after some fast talking and
a few dazzling smiles, he seemed to change his mind. Sending one last
grateful smile to the unsuspecting guard, Cyann turned toward the prisoner
almost apprehensively. For although they were separated by steel bars, she
still felt exposed. But the moment his black eyes met hers, the old anger
resurfaced, giving her strength.
Jed stood in the middle of the small cell, arms folded, his challenging
gaze daring her to make the first move.
Cyann took a deep breath. "Jed."
His expression was immovable. "Cyann."
There was an uncomfortable, loaded silence. Cyann was horribly
conscious of the oppressive air. pride
admonished her silently. "What is your mission here?" she asked frostily.
"I could ask the same of you," the prisoner replied. "I did not realize
the extent to which you spread your . . . influence."
Cyann narrowed her eyes. "Never mind the insults. Are you really
here to check up on me?"
"What do you care?" Jed answered airily. "You're Aldran's little pet.
It's amazing how far a great pair of legs can take you, isn't it, Cyann?"
She flared. "Shut the hell up. I got where I am because of skill, unlike
some I could mention."
Jed shrugged mockingly. "It's none of my business how you get to the
top." He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and chuckled at her scowl.
"How dare you speak that way to me?" she demanded furiously, her
blue eyes pure ice. "After all I've done for you!"
"Water under the bridge," he answered coolly. "Nothing more."
Cyann pursed her lips and nodded in resignation. "Fine. Two can
play at that game." She turned her back to him. "I hope you enjoy
incarceration, Jed, because I can assure you that this time I will not use my
influence to show you mercy."
He bristled. "You'd better not count your chickens before they hatch,
Cyann. Being a spy is one thing, but being a two-faced traitor--"
. She whirled furiously. "You don't know anything about me! You never
did! I may not be perfect, but at least I'm trying to do the right thing."
"Somehow I doubt Galaxy Garrison--or for that matter, Planet
Arus--will see it that way," Jed replied insolently. "Haven't you heard the
expression: 'you can't have your cake and eat it too?' "
She gazed at him scathingly, then without another word she turned
and wrenched the door open, trying hard to keep her temper.
"Compassion is a weakness in this game, Cyann," he called after
her, determined to have the last word. "You start caring about others rather
than yourself, and you lose the edge. You're no use to Aldran now!"
The cell door slammed behind her, cutting off Jed's cynical laughter.
Cyann clenched her fists, her lips set in a tight, unmistakably angry line.
A figure emerged from the shadows beside the cell door, still
resonating from the force of the slam, and watched the retreating form of the
angry captain disappear down the hall. When she was gone, he opened the
cell door.
The security guard looked up warily. "What can I do for you,
Commander?"

Cyann stomped back to her room, her expression dangerously
unstable. She gave the door a fierce slam, cursing loudly, not caring who
heard her. she fumed. She strode purposely over to her bed and reached under it for her
suitcase. Kneeling on the floor, she unlocked the padlock with a long code,
and slowly opened the bag.
After rummaging through a few items, she sat back on her heels,
unmoving, staring down at the contents in silent contemplation, reaching
down to run her fingers over the jumbled mass of wires and switches. She
heard Aldran's voice, cool and efficient, as he handed her the suitcase one
hour before her departure for Arus: "Half of this in the main power room and
the Castle of Lions is defenseless. You know when to use it."
An idea began to form. The minute that Cyann had stepped onto the
landing platform of the Castle of Lions, all thoughts of detonating the bomb
had flown from her mind, but Jed's words were ringing insistently in her
head--and he'd made it clear in the past that he was all too willing to step
into her shoes. Cyann's fingers gripped the suitcase with white knuckles at
the thought and she looked down into the suitcase with new determination. It
was a simple enough mechanism, a tweak here and there could reduce the
potency of the explosive by more than seventy-five percent, something that
could be chalked up to a simple power surge.
Suddenly Cyann caught herself, the foolhardiness of the plan chilling
her blood like a pail of ice water. In that moment she realized just how
close to the edge she had been pushed. she told herself firmly.
Cyann turned away from the suitcase and leaned against the bed,
bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her cheek on them, taking
deep breaths to cool her temper. This had been Jed's intention all along,
she realized, beads of nervous sweat forming on her brow. Jed was well
familiar with her flash-fire temper and he had used it to his advantage.
"Captain Miller to the Control Room."
At the sound of the intercom posted in every room, Cyann jumped a
mile. Her heart thudding guiltily, she stood up, flushing the turbulent
thoughts from her mind. In the washroom, she splashed some cold water on
her burning cheeks, then left the chamber at a run, forgetting all about the
suitcase.

When her crying fit ended, Allura felt weak as a kitten. Numbly, her
hands and legs shuddering with exhaustion and leftover terror, she
managed to get to her feet. She swayed at first, and braced herself on the
wall. Prince Lotor lay motionless on the floor, his waist-length white hair
tangled in a growing pool of blood. Allura had to make an intense effort to
keep from vomiting. As she stared at him, Allura felt an awesome surge of
hate rise within her breast.
Lotor should have had a full crew; it was amazing that none of them
came running at her strangled shouts. But no one came, and the rage
eventually passed, leaving the Princess of Arus feeling curiously stronger.
The anger had a cleansing effect; it cleared her mind so she could decide
what to do next. I must contact the Voltron Force she thought. I must
get to the cockpit.

"I don't like this," grumbled Hunk. "Why isn't Lotor firing?"
"I say he's playing dead," Lance replied grimly. "No way I'm letting my
guard down."
"I'm with you," said Keith. "I've never known Lotor to turn down a
fight."
"I never do," Hunk added with determination.
Inside the red lion a new light suddenly caught Lance's eye. "What
the--" He pressed a few buttons, then scanned the code that flashed across
the corresponding computer screen. he
thought, his jaw tightening as he keyed the deciph code. I wonder what
His Majesty's got to say.
"Lance? This is Allura. Are you there?"
Lance felt his heart skip a beat. Lightning-quick, he stabilized the
signal and switched on the intercom. "God, Allura, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Lance." She sounded slightly out of breath.
"Where are you?"
"In Lotor's cockpit. He didn't have a crew; the ship was on autopilot."
So that's why he wasn't firing. "Where's Lotor?"
There was a pause that alarmed Lance even further. "Out of
commission for now. Can you guys board the ship?"
"Just try and stop us," Lance retorted.
"I'll open the docking bay, and meet you there."
"Check. Anything else?"
"Yes," she replied, then hesitated. "Tell Keith--I'm okay."
"Will do. See you in a few minutes." Lance terminated the signal and
punched the intership comm a second later. "Guys, I just got a message
from Allura--"
"Why didn't you patch it through?" Keith interrupted sounding angry.
"Is she okay?"
"She's all right, but shut up and listen. She's in the cockpit; she said
Lotor's out of commission and asked us to board. The docking bay's open."
"Let's do it," said Keith. "We haven't got a minute to lose."

After a few minutes of figuring out how to unlock the docking bay,
Allura put the ship back on autopilot, then hurried there to meet her friends.
When she reached the entrance, she could hear the rumble of the lions'
engines, and the bay door growling to a close. A small green light
appeared on the circuitboard next to the entrance, indicating that it was now
safe to enter the bay. Allura pressed a button and almost dove into the
hangar.
The Voltron Force was already scrambling out of their lions. Hunk
shouted, "Princess! Are you okay?" but Allura only had eyes for one person.
When she saw him, his pale face a striking contrast to his raven hair,
Allura's strength evaporated. Suddenly her eyes were hot with tears.
Keith caught her shoulders as she hurtled towards him. At arm's
length, he examined her with concern. "Are you okay?"
Allura wanted so much to bury her face in his strong shoulder, but she
understood the look in Keith's eyes: She sighed, forcing a
smile. "I'm okay. I'm fine, everyone." Their worried looks touched her.
"Lotor didn't try anything, did he?" Hunk asked brusquely. "'Cause if
he did, I'm gonna--"
"Cool off, Hunk," Keith interrupted warningly. "Now's not the time to
lose our heads." He turned back to the Princess. "Where's Lotor?"
Remembering the horrible episode, Allura's eyes again filled with
tears. She had never killed a man before, however awful. What would the
Force think when they found out what she had done? What would Keith
think of how she had had to do it? Aware that everyone was regarding her
curiously, Allura blinked the tears away. "It's a long story," she stammered.
"I'll show you where I--follow me."
She led them through the darkened corridors, noting their expressions
as they surveyed the sad state of the ship. Sven, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge
observed the decay with concern, talking quietly among themselves, but
Keith's eyes remained fixed ahead.
Allura's heart began to pound as they neared the scene of her crime.
She could feel Lotor's hands on her, his lips, and it took great courage not to
turn and run in the opposite direction. She caught Keith's eyes, dark and
concerned as he noticed her agitation. She wanted to smile, to reassure
him, but her lips would not move and she was forced to look away.
They came around another turn, and Allura slowed, bracing herself.
One more turn and they would be in the corridor where she had left Lotor's
corpse. It became harder and harder to walk normally, her legs were
trembling so violently.
She felt Keith's hand touch her arm, but she ignored it and walked
faster, just wanting to get the scene over with. She turned the final corner,
and gasped.
The Voltron Force surrounded her instantly. "What is it?" exclaimed
Pidge.
"There's blood on the floor!" Sven cried, pointing.
Keith's hand clamped like a vise upon Allura's arm. "He--he was--right
here," Allura whispered, her hands flying to her lips. "Right here."
"What the hell happened here?" Lance's tone was dangerously
unsteady. Allura opened her mouth to speak, then was arrested by their
furious expressions. They were already on edge; telling them what Lotor
had tried to do might to more harm than good, particularly to those with
hair-trigger tempers like Hunk and Lance. Even Keith had an expression on
his face that Allura had never seen before; cold and dark and--frightening.
"Allura, what happened?" Pidge demanded, his fists clenched.
Allura made her decision and shook her head. "Not now. We've got
to get off this ship before he finds us."
Keith's grip on her arm relaxed as he composed himself. "She's right,"
he said to the others, his tone filled with authority. "Let's go."
"Wait a minute," complained Hunk. "Shouldn't we find Lotor first? If
we leave he'll just come after us, and it'll be war all over again."
"Hunk's right," said Lance, curling his hands into fists. "I say we settle
things with the Prince once and for all."
"No!" Allura cried. "Please, let's just go. I don't want to stay here a
moment longer."
"Don't worry, we'll protect you, Allura," Pidge assured.
Allura looked at Keith and was horrified to see that he was actually
considering the idea. "Keith, we can't stay," she implored, touching his arm.
"Please," she repeated, "let's go."
Keith was obviously torn, but Allura was tugging his arm with a strange
urgency. He started to reply--
"Leaving so soon?" gasped a familiar voice.
Prince Lotor stood at the end of the hall, his face a sickly mauve
instead of its usual vivid periwinkle. The contrast emphasized his scars,
turning them a vivid red against his ashen skin. The Voltron Force caught
their breath in horror.
Allura shrank behind Keith, revulsed by the sight of the man whose
hands had pawed her body. Automatically Keith stood up tall. "You're
outnumbered, Lotor."
Lotor scowled. "I've a score to settle with you, boy." He gasped
between words. "You recall the deal: you or Princess Allura. I'll allow your
friends to leave, but you must stay."
"No!" shrieked the Princess.
Keith's expression did not alter. He turned his head slightly toward his
friends. "Go."
"Are you crazy?" Lance demanded. "The hell I'm leaving you here."
"Me neither!" chorused Pidge and Hunk.
Keith's teeth were clenched. "I said, go."
"We're not leaving, Keith," Sven replied firmly.
"This is your one chance to save your friends and their planet," Lotor
hissed. "Either you stay here and face me or I'll send my fleet to Arus."
"You don't have much of a fleet left," Lance shot back contemptuously.
"We'll make mincemeat out of your army."
"I may not have enough soldiers left to destroy the Castle of Lions, but
I have enough to wipe out the nearby village!" Lotor threatened.
Allura's knees felt weak. "You can't!"
Keith's brows drew together as he stared at Lotor. "If I stay, you've
gotta promise that you won't go anywhere near Arus."
Allura thought, panic flooding every limb. "Keith, no!
We can defend the village. Voltron can do it." She put both hands on his
hard shoulders, trying to get him to turn and look at her. She caught the
Prince's eyes on her, narrowed in anger.
"Perhaps your little knight will be more willing to stay when he learns
what I did to you--or rather, what you did to me!" Lotor's face twisted into a
horrible grin.
The men of the Voltron Force gasped.
Allura's eyes widened in horror. "Nothing happened!" she cried. "You're lying!"
"What will your friends think, Allura," Lotor continued, undaunted,
"when they find out their pure princess is has the mind of a common slut?"
"Stop it!" Allura choked, tears spilling out of her liquid blue eyes.
Beneath her hands, she felt Keith's entire body clench. She tightened her
grip, digging her nails into the hard muscle of his arm. "He's lying!" she
cried, fixing her eyes on Keith. "He's lying."
Lotor focused a gaze of challenge upon Keith. "I have no need to lie.
Look upon her unbouttoned uniform, the red marks on her throat where my
kisses touched. See the shame upon her flushed face. The evidence is
before your eyes, captain. Now what do you believe?"
"That's it, you son of a bitch!" Lance yelled, and before anyone could
stop him, he fired his laser, hitting Lotor in the shoulder. Lance fired again,
getting a hit in the stomach. Lotor slumped with a groan, pressing a hand to
the wound, and turning slightly so that everyone could see that his back was
stained with blood.
Allura caught Keith's gaze and her eyes widened in fear. His eyes
were positively black, blacker than she had ever seen them. And he had
turned ghost-white. Altogether it was a frightening countenance; Allura tore
her stinging eyes away.
"Let's go!" shouted Sven, and Allura felt her arm grabbed roughly as
she was pulled back toward the docking bay.
Lotor's strangled roar echoed after them.

Keith practically pulled Allura's arm out of the socket as they fled
toward the lion ships. Allura cried out at the pain in her arm, but Keith's grip
did not loosen.
"Keith--" she gasped, but his grip only tightened. It was as if he'd
gone mad. Allura's foot caught and she stumbled and fell against him. He
finally looked at her.
"Allura, we've gotta go!" His voice was harsh; unrecognizable--it
frightened Allura and she dropped her eyes. Keith took hold of her arm and
wrenched her to her feet as they began to run again.
When they reached their ships, Allura started to follow Keith to the
black lion, and received a rude surprise when she felt Keith shove her
toward Lance.
Lance was also surprised. "Keith--" he began.
Keith ignored him; he was already boarding his lion ship. As she
gazed at his retreating form, Allura felt Lance take her arm and gently lead
her into the red lion.
Inside the ship, Lance gently strapped her into the spare seat. "You
okay?" he asked, his brown eyes serious.
Allura nodded absently. Through the viewscreen of Lance's red lion,
she could see the black lion's eyes gleam as it powered up. She was still
confused by Keith's brusque treatment of her; it was so unlike him. she wondered fearfully. The look on Keith's face when he
saw Lotor's bloody wound hung before Allura's blurry eyes--and the way he
had stared at her--as if he hated her! Allura felt a lump rise in her throat,
and as Lance powered up the controls, she put her hands over her face and
cried.

Inside the black lion, Keith tried desperately to put the Princess out of
his mind. The horrible images hovered before his eyes like ghosts: Prince
Lotor's bloodstained uniform, Allura's pallor, her tearstained face, the top
buttons of her uniform undone, revealing red, bruised skin--Keith squeezed
his eyes shut against the volcanic feelings the images stirred in him--the
utter rage. I shouldn't have let her go . . . it's my fault . . . His eyes felt
gritty, hot with tears of anger and self-hate. Keith took one hand off the
steering column and pressed his throbbing forehead. He must keep
control, remain cool and focused, ignore the fact that every fiber of him was
crying out for Lotor's blood. The very thought of the prince even laying a
hand on Princess Allura was enough to drive Keith mad, let alone . . . he
could not bear to think of it. Keith opened his eyes and stared straight
ahead, making a valiant effort to clear his turbulent thoughts. Now was not
the time lose his head.
"I'm sending the coordinates for the hyperspace jump," Keith said into
the intership comm, marvelling at how even his voice sounded. "Ready at
my mark."

Once the lions had entered hyperspace, Lance turned around to
contemplate the weeping Princess. "Are you sure you're okay?" he
demanded, sounding worried.
Allura scrubbed tears off her face. "I think he hates me, Lance."
"Who? Keith? Why would he hate you?"
"Because of what I did," she sniffled.
Lance looked at her closely. "What did you do?"
Allura avoided his gaze. "I just want to go home," she whimpered, like
a little girl.
Lance regarded her sympathetically, his eyes tender. "We'll get you
there, Princess."

An anxious Koran--accompanied by an even more anxious
Nanny--waited outside the Castle of Lions, along with Jeff, Ginger, and
Cyann, watching the lions as they neared their landing site.
"Well, it doesn't look like they've had a battle," Cyann said critically,
scrutinizing the condition of the lion ships. "Yet."
"Oh, I hope Princess Allura's okay," Ginger worried. "Trapped on that
horrible ship with that horrible man--" she stopped when Jeff placed a
warning hand on her arm, nodding toward Koran.
The lions touched down a hundred feet from the Castle, and the
Voltron Force began to disembark.
Nanny picked up her skirts and ran forward as fast as her chubby legs
could carry her. "Princess!" she cried.
"She's over here," came Lance's voice. Everyone turned to see Lance
gently leading a bedraggled Allura out of the red lion. Nanny engulfed her in
a hug instantly, sobbing furiously.
"My baby, my poor, precious child . . ."
Koran moved with surprising speed, considering his health and age,
and, even before Nanny could let go, he caught both of them in a fierce hug.
Allura buried her face in his broad shoulder, simultaneously attempting to
talk Nanny out of her sobs while holding back her own.
A few feet away, Cyann eyed a wan Lance in concern. "Hey, anything
broken?"
Lance glanced at her, then at the Princess, and Cyann felt her
stomach drop. "What happened?" she asked sotto voce, shooting another
concerned glance at Allura.
Lance shook his head and removed his helmet. "She wouldn't tell us,"
he said softly.
Jeff noticed that only four Voltron pilots were present. "Hey, where's--"
Everyone looked at the black lion as its hatch slowly opened and a red
uniform slid silently out. He moved easily, calmly, as if nothing was wrong.
Everyone eyed him with concern as he quietly approached them. Only
when he removed his helmet did everyone notice that Keith's face was so
pale he looked ill.
Allura broke away from Koran and Nanny's fierce grip. "I told you I'd
come back," she whispered, with a pathetic attempt at a smile.
"Are you all right?" Koran asked gruffly, for the thousandth time.
Allura felt everyone's eyes on her. Slowly she nodded.
No one looked convinced. "Let's get her inside," said Cyann.

After Dr. Gorma had thoroughly examined her and found nothing more
than a few bruises, Allura was released from the med facility. With some
difficulty, Koran then excused himself to prepare for the now-certain
onslaught of the resurrected Doom army, taking Cyann along to help, while
Ginger and Jeff headed for the security wing to check on Jed. The Voltron
Force was left alone.
"Are you ready to tell us what happened?" inquired Pidge.
Allura looked at their worried faces and felt her heart sink. "It doesn't
matter," she evaded, reluctant to tell the painful story. "We should be
preparing for--" she broke off, seeing that it was no use.
"Allura, we're your friends," Lance interrupted quietly. "You know you
can tell us anything."
Allura shook her head, turning away to avoid their earnest gazes. "I
don't want to talk about it, okay?"
Silence. "Did he--?" Hunk began, then stopped, reluctant to continue.
Allura thought in frustration,
clenching her fists to stave off the nervous breakdown she could feel
approaching. She lowered her head, still refusing to meet their concerned
eyes. "Please," she implored softly. "I don't want to discuss it."
"Princess," she heard Pidge say after another pause, "you'd tell us if
he hurt you, wouldn't you?"
Unseen to them, Allura squeezed her eyes shut. "Of course," she
whispered stiffly. "Now, please leave me alone."
Keith spoke his first words since Allura's return. "Why don't you guys
take this time to prime your lions? Make sure they're in perfect condition for
battle."
It was a dismissal. They were concerned about the
Princess, but the familiar commanding note had returned to their former
captain's voice. Obediently, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge ambled off, talking
quietly among themselves. Sven hung back, looking at his friend the
captain, and placed a supportive hand on Keith's shoulder. Their eyes met
in intense nonverbal communication, and then Sven followed his comrades.
In the charged silence, Allura felt Keith's presence behind her, waiting
patiently for her to speak. When she remained silent, he spoke instead.
"Allura," he said softly, "please, did Lotor--hurt you?"
Allura wanted to cry at his gentle, familiar tone--so different from that
of the madman she'd glimpsed on Lotor's ship. The words rushed to her lips,
but when she opened her mouth to speak, only a sob escaped. Suddenly
she was a little girl again, looking for safety and security in the closest pair of
arms. She threw herself into his embrace and he held her tightly, as if she
could fly away from him at any moment. Finally, Allura could bury her face
in his strong shoulder, as she had so longed to on Lotor's ship.
She felt Keith's lips, soft on her forehead. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I
shouldn't have let you go." His hand found her chin, tilting it up so he could
look into her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Staring up at him, Allura shook her head. "It's not your fault."
Keith did not look convinced. He regarded her intently for several
seconds. "Are you really okay?" he asked again, even more quietly.
Allura started to say yes, when the enormity of Lotor's assault fully hit
her. In that instant, she realized what might have happened had she not
had that knife in her boot. Just thinking about it made her shudder, and
without even realizing it, more tears began to flow freely from her tired eyes.
Attuned to her distress, Keith tensed. His eyes narrowed, and his
voice roughened as he caressed her shining cheek. "If he harmed a hair on
your head . . ."
A lucid thought penetrated Allura's jumbled mind. Keith's voice,
usually so calm, held an alien timbre of fury that frightened her. What would
Keith do if he found out what Lotor had tried to do? Allura knew the answer:
Keith would fly right back to Planet Doom and confront Lotor, which was
exactly what the dark prince wanted. And even if she managed to convince
Keith that the incident had caused no serious physical damage, Allura had a
feeling that he would seek out Lotor anyway; that was the kind of man Keith
was, the kind of honor he would uphold. In that moment, Allura realized just
how powerless she was. She could no more prevent what she sensed was
coming than she could stand firmly in the face of a cyclone. she thought, making her decision. Keith must
never know what happened on Lotor's ship, she decided; the possible
repercussions were just too risky. . Allura looked into Keith's distressed eyes and
shook her head for the final time. "It doesn't matter. It's over."
Keith gave her a penetrating stare; Allura had the uncomfortable
feeling that he could see straight into her heart and read the truth. For a
moment he seemed about to press the matter further, but abruptly he
stepped back, clearing his throat, and releasing her from his embrace. "All
right," he said, his eyes never leaving her. "I'll see you later then." He
started to turn away.
"Keith."
He turned back. "Yes?"
"Please don't be angry with me."
"I'm not angry."
Allura just looked at him.
Keith sighed. "I'm not angry," he repeated. After a moment's
hesitation, he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. "I have to go."
Allura stood frozen in place until he had disappeared down the
corridor.

"Why are we doing this?" Ginger asked on their way to Jed's cell.
"Shouldn't we be preparing for battle, too?"
Jeff's expression was thoughtful. "Not yet. There's something I'd like
to ask Jed."
"So ask him. I'm going to help Koran." Ginger started to part ways, but
Jeff grabbed her arm with a strange urgency.
"No, wait. I need you to be a witness."
"A witness to what? Jeff, what the hell are you talking about?"
Before answering, he glanced around surreptitiously, making sure they
were alone. Then, at a low volume, he began to speak. "I went to talk to Jed
again while Koran was making a speech to the townspeople of that village
that got attacked. When I got there, I heard shouting. It was Cyann, arguing
with Jed. Just then, someone flung the door open; I scrambled to the side
just in time to see Cyann stomping out the room like she was about to kill
someone. And then I heard Jed shouting after her: 'Compassion is a
weakness in this game. You start caring about others instead of yourself,
and you lose the edge. You're no use to Aldran now!' "
Ginger looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"
"That," said Jeff grimly, "is what I intend to find out." He did not speak
again until Jed stood facing them, on the other side of the bars.
"Well," Jed said cynically, "to what do I owe--"
"Shut up and listen," Jeff snapped severely. "How do you know Cyann
Miller?"
The prisoner's eyebrows shot up, but his expression remained cool.
"Cyann Miller?" he parroted insolently.
"Cut the crap and tell me the truth!" Jeff growled. "How do you know
her?"
Jed did not appear intimidated. Fearing for the worst, Ginger
tentatively gripped Jeff's arm. "Jeff, calm down," she whispered.
Jeff relaxed his taut jaw muscles, realizing that his anger was of no
use. "All right. How about if I ask a different way. What is the real reason
she's in trouble with General Aldran?"
Jed gave a wide, slow smile. "Because," he began in a light tone,
"she's not doing her job."
"What job?" asked Ginger.

Sven was waiting as Keith turned the corner. "Keith--"
"Hi, Sven." Keith did not even look at him.
Sven put out a hand to stop him. "Wait, please. The boys and I are
meeting in the rec room. Please join us."
Keith met Sven's eyes and knew he could not make an excuse. His
friends knew him too well.
It seemed treasonous to meet in the recreation lounge, as if nothing
was wrong, when in fact things couldn't be worse. His teammates stood
awkwardly as Keith entered the lounge. Keith glanced briefly at his friends,
then sat down in the first chair he came to, pushing the Princess out of his
thoughts. "Pidge, Hunk, Lance, are your lions primed?"
"Standing by," Hunk replied quietly.
"How's the Princess?" Pidge asked before Keith could fire another
question.
Keith dropped his gaze momentarily, then fixed his teammates with
stern look. "We're not talking about the Princess right now, Pidge--"
Hunk interrupted this time. "I think we should, Keith."
"Later, Hunk."
Lance, leaning against the opposite wall, looked up in resentment.
"Don't you care about her at all?" he snapped.
It was very rare observation to see Keith lose his temper, but when he
did, he really lost it. The captain's head snapped up, his eyes two
smoldering coals. He glared at Lance, his speech cold and clipped. "What
the hell is that supposed to mean, Lance?"
Lance looked as if he regretted his hot words, but he was on edge as
well and his concern for Allura banished all sense of tact. "How can you talk
about the damn lions when Allura has just returned from God-knows-what
pit of hell? How can you talk strategy when she's obviously hurting? How
can you act so unconcerned when that bastard is getting away after--after--"
he couldn't bring himself to complete the thought.
Keith's pale face flushed pink. In a single bound he had Lance by the
collar, pinning him against the wall. "How dare you say that to me?! It was
your goddamn idea for her to go in the first place! How the hell do you think I
feel?! Do you think I'm not angry? Do you think that I wouldn't like to go
back to Doom and tear Lotor's heart out?" Keith spat these words with
unconcealed fury. "Do you actually think what may have happened to her
doesn't matter to me?"
Sven was on his feet in an instant, trying to pry the two apart. "Keith!
Lance! Calm down! This isn't helping Allura!"
Slowly, Keith seemed to come to his senses. He lowered his head and
released his grip, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to cool his
temper.
His own cheeks flushed, Lance absently straightened his collar, never
taking his eyes off Keith. "She wouldn't tell you anything, either?" he asked
quietly.
Keith shook his head, still breathing deeply.
Sven put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "She wouldn't talk to any of us."
Keith gave no sign of having heard. "I should have gone," he said
dully. "It's my fault."
"It is not," Sven contradicted. "We couldn't have known. We still don't
know. Let's not jump to conclusions before we know all the facts."
It was the kind of thing Keith himself would have said. Their former
captain looked surprised, then nodded, looking ashamed. "You're right,
you're right. I'm sorry, Lance. I shouldn't have lost my temper."
Lance shrugged. He was obviously still angry. "I wish she'd tell us
something, so we could stop worrying about it."
"Why should she?"
The men turned to see Cyann standing in the open doorway, her eyes
narrowed and her expression cool.
"What does that mean?" Lance asked crossly.
Cyann stepped fully into the room, her arms crossed. "None of you
has any idea what Allura is going through. Put yourself in her shoes: you've
just returned from hell, and all you want is to forget what happened--but you
can't because people are nagging you for details!" She paused, fixing them
each with an individual stare. "We all have suspicions as to what happened
on Lotor's ship. Suspicions," she emphasized, "without facts to back them
up. Maybe you should wait until she's ready to tell you, before you allow
rumors to get the best of your emotions. In the meantime, you've got other
things to worry about."
"Like Planet Doom," confirmed Sven.
"Like Galaxy Garrison," Cyann amended.
Everyone stared at her in surprise. "Come again?" said Hunk.
"There's no time to explain," Cyann said crisply, looking at Keith. "To
make a long story short, they could become a problem real fast."
"Wait a minute, here!" Lance declared, looking from Keith to Cyann in
confusion. "Exactly what kind of problem?"
"They'll be here tonight to escort me back to headquarters," she
answered, reluctantly. "I've been arrested."
"What for?" Keith asked.
"For conspiracy," said Jeff, suddenly appearing in the doorway, Ginger
at his side, mirroring his tense countenance. Behind them stood several
castle guards.
Everyone looked at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean, Jeff?"
asked Hunk.
Instead of replying, Jeff made a motion toward the guards, and,
lightning-quick, they had Cyann surrounded.
"Jeff, what the hell--" she exclaimed, as two of the guards wrenched
her arms behind her back and cuffed her.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Lance burst out indignantly.
"Will somebody please explain something for once?"
"She's a spy," Jeff replied between clenched teeth. "She's Aldran's
right arm, sent here to be his eyes on Planet Arus."
"What?!"
"Ginger and I talked to Jed again," Jeff continued. "Apparently he and
Cyann were both sent here to spy--and God knows what else--without either
of them knowing it. But they both had the same mission: to ensure the
destruction of the Castle of Lions."
"No--!" Cyann began to struggle violently. "It's not like that! Lance,"
her eyes were imploring as they met his, "that's not what it was about."
Lance gazed back at her in horror, his face ashen, unable to say a
word.
"Lucky for us," Jeff added darkly, "she's been having second
thoughts."
"That's why she's in trouble," said Ginger.
"Or maybe that was part of the plan, too," Jeff surmised acidly. "To get
out of the way before all hell breaks loose?"
"Shut up," Cyann spat. "You don't understand."
"Then why don't you explain it to us, Cyann?" Keith suggested coolly,
his expression suddenly guarded. "Somehow I get the feeling that you have
a lot of explaining to do."
Stunned, Cyann stopped struggling against the guards. She took a
breath. "Fine. What do you want to know?" she asked curtly.
Hunk clenched his fists. "Are you a spy or not?" he challenged.
Cyann grimaced, then went limp with forced detachment. "That was
my mission," she said dully, "but everything's different now--" she broke off
at the look on their faces--the shock, the betrayal, the simmering anger in
their eyes.
"Cyann . . .?"
Everyone whirled, startled, to see Princess Allura standing in the
doorway, her cerulean eyes wide with astonishment.
"Allura, you shouldn't be here--" Lance began gruffly.
"No," Keith interrupted. "She's got a right to hear this." He fumbled for
his comlink. "And so does Koran."
The silence in the room was leaden and oppressive, making it difficult
to breathe. While they waited for Koran to arrive, Jeff quietly summarized all
that Cyann had revealed while the Voltron Force was rescuing the Princess,
omitting only the true nature of Keith's departure. Everyone listened, rooted
to the spot, until the door to the lounge slid open.
"What is going on?" Koran inquired worriedly.
Jeff motioned to the prisoner. "Cyann was just about to tell us."
Cyann gazed from face to face, looking for compassion and finding
none. Finally she gave up and began, almost defiantly, "What I told Jeff,
Ginger, and Koran was true. Aldran is planning a major coup, to eliminate
his enemies and take control of the Near Universe, a plan that's been years
in the making. He's been favoring the Drules for years; that's why they
always seemed to know where the Explorer was. In exchange they left Earth
alone." She turned a solemn gaze to the members of the Vehicle Force
present. "Aldran never forgot Vehicle Voltron's lack of support for his
reforms."
"That's the real reason we're here, isn't it?" Jeff asked sagaciously.
"Aldran wanted us out of the way."
"Basically, yes," Cyann admitted, unable to meet his gaze. "There is
no Conference."
Although no one made a sound, shock caused everyone to take a
sudden breath of air. "There is no Voltron Conference," Allura repeated
dumbly, her eyes straining to see through the layers of lies that buried the
truth.
Cyann shook her head. "Aldran set the whole thing up to get those
who most strongly opposed him, the leaders of the Voltron Force, away from
Galaxy Garrison. The Board's quarterly forum is coming up, and Aldran
wanted to make sure his reforms went through."
Allura's face twisted into a frown. "Is that what all this is about? Those
ridiculous reforms?"
Cyann nodded gravely. "Aldran is willing to do whatever is necessary
to get them passed."
"No matter who gets hurt," Sven finished tightly.
When Cyann did not respond, Pidge spoke. "Why Arus?"
Cyann's gaze was fixed on the floor. "I don't know if any of you realize
the influence Voltron has had throughout the galaxy. Everyone knows and
idolizes him. If other star systems heard that Voltron had refused to have
anything to do with Aldran's reforms, he'd be hard-pressed to talk anyone
into accepting them."
"So that's how it is," said Pidge. "Voltron is nothing more than an
obstacle to Aldran."
"How can that be?" Hunk demanded hotly. "Voltron has done more for
the Alliance in the four years since we brought him back than Galaxy
Garrison has done in almost a century."
"Not to mention the fact that Voltron's pulled Galaxy Garrison's ass out
of the fire more than a few times," Lance added shortly. "Then again,
Aldran's never been long on gratitude."
"Now wait a minute," Jeff announced, hoping to ease the growing
tension, "let's stick to the subject. Cyann, you said that Aldran's been
planning this whole thing for a while. How long?"
She sighed. "About three years, I think. Aldran was laying the
groundwork when I returned to the Garrison after serving on the Voltron
Force."
"What do you mean, laying the groundwork?"
"I mean, he was making deals with Planet Doom and the Drule
Empire."
"Both of them?" questioned Sven.
"The Drules promised to leave the Near Universe alone, if Aldran
made sure that they got the resources they needed to fortify their empire,"
Cyann elaborated. "Aldran accomplished this by allowing the Drules to know
the location of the Explorer as it searched for new planets. In exchange for
relative peace around the core systems of the Galaxy Alliance, Vehicle
Voltron got into a few fights."
"If Aldran was setting us up," Ginger queried, "then why did he allow
us to engage in combat with the Drules?"
"One must keep up appearances," Cyann retorted sarcastically.
"Aldran never had any intention of allowing the Drules to return to full power.
He let the Drules grab a new planet here and there, but he kept them on a
pretty tight leash. Any time it looked like they were improving too quickly,
Aldran sent in Vehicle Voltron to take 'em down a peg or two."
"I don't believe this!" Jeff exploded. "You mean to tell us that
everything we did, every battle we fought, every defeat, every victory, was
predecided?" Before she could answer, he spat, "Everything we did was for
nothing!"
"Not for nothing, Jeff," Cyann interjected. "As I said, Aldran didn't fix
every battle--"
"I can't believe you're defending him!" Ginger declared hotly. "Just
how involved are you in this thing?"
"Good question," said Lance, his brow furrowed into a scowl.
"Never mind," Cyann snapped. "Anyway, I'm not finished yet. Aldran
had another plan to keep the Drule Empire in check, and that was Planet
Doom. There are--were--roughly between fifteen and twenty-five planets
under the Doom crown, and only half of them contained large deposits of
lazon. Because lazon is a key ingredient in the kind of robotic technology
that Haggar the Witch used, the planets lacking significant amounts of this
material were left relatively alone. The Drules had their eye on a few of
these planets, and, in order to placate them, Aldran agreed to provide a
distraction to keep Doom occupied while the Drules looted the planets."
"What kind of distraction?" Allura asked, already dreading the answer.
Cyann cleared her throat. "Before I go on, there's something you
should know--that is, if Keith doesn't mind. It's about Keith's departure."
Their eyes met, and after a moment, Keith gave a brief nod.
"I don't know how many of you know this," Cyann began, "but Keith
was recalled to Galaxy Garrison almost a year before his resignation."
"What?" Her eyes wide, Allura looked to Keith for confirmation.
"Is this true, Keith?" Hunk inquired.
Keith crossed his arms across his chest and nodded grimly.
"But why?" Lance demanded.
The captain shook his head, refusing to meet their eyes. "Your guess
is as good as mine."
"But why didn't you go?" Allura asked, a lump in her throat.
"Because he was needed here," Koran volunteered, before Keith
could answer. When everyone looked at him in surprise, he sighed. "This
explanation is long overdue, I'm afraid. At Keith's request, I've kept it a
secret, but I think the time for discretion is past." He took a breath. "Three
years ago, a few months after Cyann left Arus after her injury, I received a
formal order from Space Marshal Aldran, recalling the captain of the Voltron
Force to Galaxy Headquarters on Planet Earth. Naturally, I was stunned,
and I contacted Aldran to ask the meaning of the order. Aldran said he was
displeased with the 'friction' between Keith and Prince Lotor. He said that it
had become personal, and that the only way to ease the tension was to
recall Keith to base. I have always thought highly of Keith, and it seemed an
insult to grant Aldran's request without consulting Keith himself.
"Keith was as surprised as I was at Aldran's order. He apologized for
allowing the matter to become personal, and gave me his word that he
would not engage Lotor unless it was absolutely necessary. I conveyed this
to Aldran, but it was not enough. I told Aldran that Keith was needed on
Arus. Aldran became angry and in turn he gave me a direct order to
terminate him."
Everyone inhaled sharply. Even Keith looked shocked. Before anyone
could reply, Koran raised a hand to silence their unspoken questions.
"Please, allow me to finish. I could not bring myself to do it. I had much faith
in Keith and I knew that he would give his life for Arus. However, there
was--" Koran paused discreetly, "his relationship with Princess Allura. The
details are not important, but in light of Aldran's order and Arusian tradition, I
felt I had no choice but to send Keith away. I knew it would be the hardest
decision I would ever make, because, no matter what Aldran said, I could
not forget all that Keith had done for our poor planet. I'm sorry, Keith," the
serious gray eyes behind the spectacles focused on the younger man,"sorry
for driving you away from where you belonged."
Keith made a negative gesture, the tense set of his shoulders the only
indication of what was churning below the carefully controlled surface. "I'm
a soldier, Koran. My place is where I'm sent. I should have gone back as
soon as we received Aldran's order."
"But you didn't," Pidge said quietly. "Why, Keith?"
Keith looked up, his eyes sweeping over the faces of his friends before
finally coming to rest on Allura. His gaze fell to the floor as he replied,
"Because I didn't want to go."
"But you ignored Aldran's order for so long," Allura burst out, her old
guilt resurfacing. "Why didn't you tell us about it?" she added in her head. As she had expected, he
looked up, and in his eyes she read the answer she had already guessed.
Jeff cleared his throat discreetly. "So, what you're telling us, Cyann, is
that Keith was also a pawn in Space Marshal Aldran's galactic power play."
"More or less," Cyann replied listlessly.
Something clicked in Allura's brain. she
realized suddenly, It was a small relief, but Allura felt like a weight had been lifted from
her shoulders. The past seemed to open up before her eyes. Everything
made sense: Keith's rash decision to resign when they got in trouble after
the clandestine target practice, his reluctance to talk about his departure,
the turmoil in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She felt a tidal wave of
sympathy for Keith. How difficult it must have been for a man who'd never
disobeyed an order in his life to ignore a direct order from the head of the
Galaxy Headquarters! To carry a burden like that, and not be able to tell
anyone . . . Allura's throat tightened. Then, in a single instant, her sympathy
was engulfed by a torrent of righteous anger, a surge of revulsion and hatred
for the callousness of Aldran's scheme. she
thought with growing fury. She faced Cyann, her blue eyes burning.
"How could you do it, Cyann? How could you work for a man who
plays with people as if they were toys?"
Cyann's face flushed scarlet. "Look, I don't agree one bit with what
Aldran is doing--
"Then why are you working for him?" Lance challenged, clenching his
fists.
"Not now--"
"Yes, now!" he roared. "You've dodged the question long enough,
Cyann. We all know you're involved somehow, so just spill it." Lance's face
was pale, and his forehead shown with sweat, but his expression was hard
and he folded his arms expectantly.
Cyann frowned, realizing that she could delay her part in the grim
drama no longer. She swallowed. "I was in bad shape when I got back to
headquarters after my injury in the Coral Sector. The doctors told me I would
never walk normally again, not without a cane. My career as a pilot was
effectively finished.
"You can't imagine what that did to me. I had already been living on
borrowed time with my old injury, but this new damage destroyed any
chance I had of making something of myself at Galaxy Garrison. It was a
nightmare from the past returning to haunt me. I was expected to receive an
honorable discharge, or spend the rest of my life working behind a desk."
She shook her head resolutely. "To me that was a fate worse than death. I
would have done anything--anything--to get back to the action. And that's
when Aldran came to see me in the hospital.
"Aldran offered to make a deal: if I would agree to become his
personal assistant, he would foot the bill for a new form of constructive
surgery--prosthetic limb replacement. It was a dream come true--a chance
to rejoin the world I loved and missed. Of course, I accepted.
"Within six months, I was on my feet, no trace of a limp. And I was
working closely with Aldran on Alliance negotiations and legislation. It wasn't
flying, but was something. I became Aldran's chief deputy, aide and
confidant. Anything going to him had to go through me first, which is how I
found out about the Drule Empire. I was shocked at first, but Aldran
explained that he was only doing it for the good of the Alliance." She snorted
contemptuously. "And I believed him. I had tremendous respect for Aldran,
and I convinced myself that, however unorthodox his reforms were, they
really would benefit the Alliance in the long run. As time went by, Aldran
involved me more and more in his plans, and I allowed myself to become
more and more mired in the net of deception Aldran was weaving around
Galaxy Garrison. By the time I realized how bad things had gotten, I was
already irrevocably entangled. And yet, some part of me was glad to be
where I was, in the middle of everything. As Aldran's chief aide, I received
respect and deference. Aldran and I ruled Galaxy Garrison; his opinion--and
therefore mine--was law. It was such an exciting place to be that sometimes
I lost track of how far I had strayed from my own personal morals. One day I
awoke to the realization that I'd completed a metamorphosis. I'd become
self-absorbed, callous and a slave to my own ambition. I no longer cared
about restoring peace to the galaxy, all I cared about was making sure that
Galaxy Garrison was on top. I deluded myself into believing that Galaxy
Garrison was destined to become the greatest power in the universe, and
that the only true cause lay in fulfilling that destiny. I was completely
brainwashed. The only thing I thought about was pleasing Aldran, making
him proud, no matter what it was. I was determined to make myself an asset
to him. Aldran saw that, and he used it against me. He knew about my
ambition, my childish yearning for glory, and he said he could made it
happen, make my dreams come true. I believed him, and committed myself
to his cause.
"By the time I realized how changed I'd become, it was too late. My
position was a prestigious one, but precarious. One false move could send
me plummeting back to nothing, to everything I had expected to be before
Aldran made his proposal. I could not bear the thought of returning to that
time, to that handicapped, frustrated woman with nowhere to go. And so I
clung even tighter to the chains that bound me, embroiled myself even
further into the hurricane brewing around me. I turned my back on
everything I had once held dear, and became what Aldran wanted: an
accomplice."
Cyann paused for breath, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. They all
waited patiently for her to continue. "There was one thing, though, that never
sat well with me: Aldran's contempt for Voltron. Despite all the reasons he
gave me for its uselessness, I always believed in Voltron's power. It was the
one thing I stood up to Aldran about. Eventually, he stopped mentioning it.
At first, I congratulated myself on swaying his judgement, liking the idea that
I had as much influence over him as he had over me, that we were truly
partners. Later I found out that he'd simply looked elsewhere for someone to
support his campaign against Voltron."
"Jed," Keith finished. "I knew I recognized him from somewhere." He
looked at the others. "A few months before I left Arus, the Board of Control
caught a mole sending top-secret information to the Drule Empire via the
welcome beacon. Somehow he managed to escape the death penalty, and
wound up only getting exiled. He was all over the papers until the Board
suppressed the story, but I remembered his face. It was Jed."
"Oh, my . . ." Allura breathed, horror-struck at the thought of having
allowed such a person access to her castle.
"I always thought there was something fishy about that," declared Jeff.
"I couldn't understand why anyone as militant as Aldran would allow a traitor
to go free in wartime, especially when his own Galaxy Garrison policy
recommended execution for treason on that scale."
"Please tell me you didn't have anything to do with that, Cyann," Allura
implored, though she had already guessed the answer.
Cyann was looking a little green. "I wish I could. I'm not proud of it, but
it was through my influence that Aldran allowed Jed to go free. You see, Jed
and I were involved once."
Everyone drew an audible breath. "What?" Lance sputtered angrily.
Cyann studiously avoided his gaze. "Jedrel Jhaksinn studied at the
Academy a year behind me, specializing in undercover operations. He got
kicked out in his last year for some stupid stunt, then disappeared for a
while. When I became captain-supreme, he turned up out of nowhere as my
second-in-command. I'll spare you the details of our relationship, but it
fizzled pretty quick after I realized that Jed was gunning for my job. It was
subtle at first, but soon I found out that he was going behind my back,
undermining my orders and building up a flock of supporters among the
squadron leaders. I talked to Aldran about it and Jed was demoted,
something he never forgave me for. He disappeared again after that, and a
a year later they found him and arrested him for treason.
"I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Jed was cocky, insolent, and
completely without scruples when it came to getting what he wanted. Still,
some part of me didn't want to see him die. He had a lot of potential, and, if
put to good use, his skills would have taken him far, even with treason on
his record. I convinced Aldran and the Board to lessen the sentence from
death to permanent exile outside the system, on the condition that If Jed
ever came within fifty parsecs of Planet Earth, the death sentence would be
reissued and cemented. The decision satisfied both the Board and myself--it
sent Jed far away from Galaxy Garrison and got him permanently out of my
hair. I never expected to see Jed again--so you can imagine my surprise
when I found out that he was my understudy."
"He was working for Aldran?" Sven asked.
Cyann nodded bitterly. "Apparently, Aldran picked up on my inner
turmoil regarding Voltron, and secured a backup in case I cracked. Jed was
the perfect candidate: highly skilled at subterfuge, and he hated my guts.
He'd never forgiven me for ruining his chances of becoming captain-
supreme, and the fact that he owed me his life for speaking to the Board in
his favor only made him despise me more. I suppose he saw his chance to
get even by usurping my position as Aldran's chief confidant."
"Is that why Jed's here?" Pidge piped up. "To check up on you?"
She nodded assent. "I think so. I can't blame Aldran for sending him
though--Aldran's not stupid. He knew this assignment would be hard for me,
considering my history with you guys."
"He was testing you," Jeff concluded solemnly.
"What exactly was your assignment?" Keith fired into the lapse of
silence.
Cyann sighed again. "The assignment was to accompany certain
members of the Voltron Force to Planet Arus for the so-called Great Voltron
Conference, under the guise of an impartial witness. In reality, Aldran
wanted someone here to make sure things proceeded as he had planned."
"All of this was planned?" Sven repeated. "Prince Lotor's attack and
everything?"
"No, it wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. Lotor jumped the
gun. He was supposed to wait until the Castle was disabled." Cyann
seemed to catch herself.
"Disabled?" Koran gasped. "What do you mean, disabled?"
Cyann looked even more ill. "One of my duties," she said, mockingly,
self-reproachfully, "was to disable the Castle of Lions with a bomb as soon
as I arrived, leaving it easy prey for--" she broke off, knowing that it was not
necessary to explain. Reluctantly, she raised her eyes.
They were looking at her as if they had never seen her before.
Expressions ranging from guardedness to cold fury flitted across their faces
like aurorae. Most painful of all was Lance, staring at her in utter disbelief,
his brown eyes filled with hurt. Cyann felt tears prick her eyes as she hastily
looked away.
Keith broke the silence. "I have one more question, Cyann. What was
in it for you?"
"If everything went as planned," Cyann replied expressionlessly,
"Aldran promised to reissue my wings and reinstate me as captain-
supreme."
This single sentence stung more fiercely than anything else that had
been revealed that afternoon. Allura squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip
against angry tears. Lance turned his back. Hunk clenched his fists, and
Pidge turned pale. Jeff's jaw tightened and he gave Cyann a look of pure
loathing.
Ginger broke the painful silence. "You--you bitch!" she spat, her pretty
face marred by an expression of pure disgust. "How could you betray us like
that, while pretending to be our friend, our ally? Don't you care about
anything besides yourself?"
Cyann's head, lowered in shame, snapped up angrily. "Of course I do!
What do you think I've been doing since I got here? I never had any
intention of carrying out my instructions. I came here because I wanted to
warn you about Aldran." Cyann sought Allura's eyes. "Remember that note
you received at dinner last night? I sent it. With all that talk about Planet
Doom, I wanted to put you on guard, try to prepare you for what was going
to happen. I intended to double-cross Aldran."
"Why should we believe you," Hunk retorted, "after what you've
done?"
Keith shot him a warning look. "Now, hold on, everybody. We can't
jump to conclusions. We can't forget that whatever her assignment was,
Cyann really hasn't done anything to harm the Castle of Lions so far. And if
what she says is true, we've got a lot more important things to worry about
than her duplicity."
Cyann's eyes were red with unshed tears. "Everything I've told you is
true," she declared. "I want to help you; that's why I'm here."
"You're here as Aldran's spy," Lance shot back in a tone as frigid as
Pluto, his back still turned.
"I'm on your side!" she cried, her voice wavering dangerously. "I want
to help you!"
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Keith said, his expression static, "but it
still doesn't change the fact that you withheld valuable information that could
have prevented everything that's happened up to now. You may not have
done anything to hurt the Castle, but your silence endangered the lives of
everyone in it, not to mention the people of the village that was attacked.
Moreover, you waited until the last possible moment to come clean. You
keep telling us that you're on our side, Cyann, but judging by your actions so
far, you're obviously not sure, and at this point, I'm afraid we can't afford to
take any chances."
"What?" Cyann gasped.
"I agree," said Sven, nodding with approval.
"Better safe than sorry," added Hunk.
Pidge nodded as well. "It's the only way."
"Yes," agreed the Princess.
Keith looked at Lance. "You've got a say in this, too, Lance."
Lance was quiet for a long moment, then, his eyes lowered, he gave a
faint nod.
"No!" Cyann shrieked, struggling with renewed strength. "Please!" she
implored her frozen comrades. "I'm on your side, you've got to believe that!"
Still receiving no response, she launched a last-ditch effort. "Lance! Lance,
please!"
He stiffened, then slowly turned.
"Lance," Cyann repeated, locking herself in place and gazing
searchingly into his eyes, "please. You of all people have got to believe me."
Lance held the gaze for another moment, then shook his head. "I'm
sorry, Cyann."
Cyann's eyes spilled over. It was no use. Without another word, she
allowed the castle guards to lead her away.
When she was gone, Lance expelled a shaking breath, as if he had
been holding it for several hours. "She's telling the truth," he informed them.
"Or at least she thinks she is."
"Does she pose a threat to the Castle?" Keith asked quietly.
Lance shook his head again. "I can't tell."
"We made the right decision, then," Allura said.
Lance muttered a curse.
"Lance?" Allura asked quietly. "Are you all right?"
"Peachy," came the terse reply. "I'm outta here." He practically bolted
from the room.
"Man, he must feel awful," Hunk sympathized. "I would if my girl
turned out to be a spy."
"Just let him go," commanded Keith, even though no one seemed
inclined to move.
Something had been niggling at Allura. "Keith, you've been good
friends with Cyann the past two years. Did you have any inkling of this?"
Keith sighed. "I knew she worked for Aldran, and that he was involved
in some pretty shady stuff. I wondered a few times just how involved Cyann
was, but I couldn't bring myself to confront her about it. I guess I never
really believed that she could do something like this."
"None of us did," Allura replied sincerely, touching his arm. When his
eyes met hers, she noticed for the first time how tired he looked.
As if on cue, Keith's mask slipped back into place. "Princess, why
don't you get some rest? We've got a hard battle ahead of us."
Allura opened her mouth to protest, then realized that he was not
giving her a dismissal. He honestly looked concerned. she thought.
As she moved out into the hallway, Allura's mind moved like
molasses, numbed by the roller-coaster of emotions that had washed over
her in the past day. Her world had turned upside down over and over again;
she was suddenly frightened and alone in an unfamiliar land, a land where
nothing was what it seemed. Frightened by what she had heard, what it
meant, what it would mean to the unknown future. Frightened--
But not alone.
Allura felt the light touch on her shoulder as if in a dream. The clouds
dispersed, the topsy-turvy world around her melted away, save for one
person. Turning, she came into his arms gratefully, finding shelter from the
tempest swirling around them, closing her eyes when she found that he was
trembling as well, that he was frightened, too, that he was clinging to her for
the same reasons that she clung to him.
Her cheek resting on Keith's shoulder, Allura mused over the startling
revelations that had come to pass since Keith's return. An important battle
was ahead of them, a battle that might decide the fate of their world and
their lives.
But not yet. There was still some time left. And what little time they
had they must make their own. Destiny would arrive soon enough. "Keith,"
Allura whispered against his cheek. "Come with me."

They walked toward her room as if in a dream. The door was barely
closed before they were in each other's arms. At first their kisses were
delicate, hushed, as if they feared to be discovered, then they grew more
bold and more passionate. Keith held her to him as if their bodies would
meld if pressed together tightly enough. Allura's body went warm and tingly
all over, and she responded to Keith's ardence with her own. she thought, opening her mouth to his. I will have this moment, if
nothing else
They were lying on the bed, arms and legs entwined, when Allura
noticed the tears in Keith's eyes. They would not fall; he held them in tightly,
but they were still there, shimmering, turning his eyes to black pools of
liquid.
"Allura," he whispered, his voice faltering, "are you sure? After--"
"Yes," she responded against his lips. "More so than before. I love
you, Keith." She pulled his head down to hers again, felt him respond, and
then they both stopped thinking.

Just before they slept in each other's arms, Allura felt a premonition
seep through her bones, but instead of eliciting fear and apprehension, the
feeling released a surge of conviction that, even if none of them survived the
blow hurtling towards them, they would have died for the right reasons, and
their dreams would go on shining in the heavens, reflecting in the eyes of
those left behind . . .

TO BE CONTINUED . . .