Sorry this took me so long to update!! Unfortunately I fell under a huge writers block and between work and life, it kind of got set to the side. I'm already working on the next chapter and hope to have it up in a few days! Thanks for all the support and kind reviews, it's the inspiration to keep it going!! Thanks again!!
Voltron, don't own them, just wish I did!!!!
Just as the ship had reached Doom and landed on the bleak gray soil, several armed guards unlocked the door to the cell they were sleeping in. The bright light of the hallway and the loud clank of metal made every one jump as the guards entered the room.
G-Prince Lotor wants to see you Commander. Come with me.
Keith released his hold on Allura. As he stepped closer to the guards, he looked back at the group of people who sat on the stone cold floor he gave them a slight nod of his head trying to assure them everything would be all right. With in moments the large steel doors closed shut leaving the rest of the Voltron force in the dark.
L-I think we've landed. It feels like the engines have stopped.
S-I wonder why they only wanted Keith.
P-Well, it's always been very obvious that Lotor hates Keith the most out of all of us.
Lance glanced over at Allura and he could see the fear in her eyes and rested his hand on her shoulder.
L-He'll be fine Allura.
A-I hope so.
Keith walked down the long dark hallways following the castle guards. He closely looked over the many elaborate details of the castle so he could remember how to make his way back to the rest of the team if he had the chance to escape. He and the soldiers arrived to a large set of bi-fold doors that opened to reveal a large throne room. As he glanced down the red carpet before him, he could see Lotor sitting in one of the chairs at the top of the staircase. As he walked closer towards him, Lotor began to climb down the stairs.
L-Commander, it's always a pleasure to see you.
K- I wish I could say the same but I don't think the feeling is mutual.
Lotor punched Keith hard in the stomach knocking the wind out of him. As the force of the blow made Keith slump over, the prince then sent another blow to his face splitting his lip. Keith fell to the floor hard as dizziness washed over him.
L-I've wanted to do that for a very long time. I feel much better now.
Keith wiped the trickle of blood that dripped down his chin and then spit out the bitter coppery liquid that remained in his mouth.
K-Is that all you've got Lotor?
Lotor bellowed out a loud chuckle and drew his sword from his sheath as Keith stood and took a step towards him.
L-Tell me Andrews, is this something I should end right here?
K-It doesn't matter if you kill me. You'll still loose.
L-Ahh, but that's where you're wrong. I didn't bring you here to kill you.
K-Than what did you bring me here for? This isn't exactly the location I would have picked for my honeymoon. I was looking more along the lines of tropical.
L-Please accept my apologies for not congratulating you on your marriage. So why don't you enlighten me as to how a measly pilot turns his dreams in to a fairytale?
K-Just cut to the chase Lotor. It's obvious that you want something other wise I would be dead right now or at least the rest of the team would be here.
L-There is something that I want. For once it's not your wife.
K-That's good to hear. I had hoped you gave up on your obsession with her after what your mother did to her.
L- Don't speak of her as my mother or I will kill you. I had no idea what she had done to Allura. I would never willing hurt her.
K-But you would put her in harms way to get to me though. After all, she did almost die when you shot her with your blaster at the Garrison Ball.
L-Enough! I brought you here because I have an offer that I'm willing to make.
Keith stared at the prince quite curious as to what he was talking about. It would be interesting to hear it even though he knew he couldn't believe a word that came out of this monster's mouth.
Lotor sat down on the stairway to his throne and smiled at the thought in his head.
L-I'm going to release you and the other members of you team.
K-Why would you possibly do that?
L-I never wanted Arus. My father has wanted to get his hands on that pathetic planet for many years now. It started back when he and King Alfor had a falling out with one another. My father took it upon his self to destroy Alfor's lineage. I only wanted your wife. I realize now that she and I are not meant to be. I love her dearly. Every single moment of pain in her life has been caused by my father and me. When she was held captive on my ship, it was the first time that she had seen me as a man and not a monster.
K- You actually expect me to believe that you have no interest in Allura?
L-My plan is simple. I want my crown and empire. Help me defeat my father and the attack on Arus will stop.
K-What if we don't help?
L-I figure that my father should be arriving back here in the next day or two and will have you and your friends either killed or thrown in the slave pits. You're pretty wife and her cousin will probably join my father's harem. It's your choice. I must say that I don't think it's a difficult one to make. Stay here and rot, or help me ensure your freedom.
K-How do I know you won't double cross us? I can remember an occasion or two in the past where you turned on us. Besides, you don't have the manpower here to destroy Zarkon's armada.
L-It's only fitting that you should feel that way. I assure you that Arus will no longer be at threat. As far as my army, alone I do not have what it takes. But with Voltron and the help of Merla's military we should be able to defeat him.
K-This seems too simple. If you hate your father so much than why is he still alive?
L-You forget Commander, I have tried to get rid of him in the past. I've even poisoned the old fool. He's well protected here, but he's not on Arus.
Lotor glanced over at the guards who stood next to Keith and signaled for them to take him back to his cell.
L-You have one hour to discuss this over with your teammates.
With that, the guards shoved Keith towards the door and led him back to the castle dungeons. He walked into the tiny cell as the guards slammed the door shut behind him. Allura ran to his arms and held him tightly.
A-They hurt you. Are you all right?
K-I'm fine.
L-What did Lotor want? What lovely fate is planned for us?
K-Lotor is letting us go.
A-Why would he do that?
K-He wants us to help him get rid of his father. He says that if we agree to attack with him, he'll stop the fighting between the two planets.
A-Do you believe him?
K-No I don't, but if it gives us the opportunity to get out of here and strike back, than I don't think there is any other option.
L-He's right. After all Lotor doesn't know that we still have control over the lions. If he tries anything funny, than we just take him out with his father.
S-We can easily set him up. I think we should do it. Did he say how long until we are released? Is it possible for us to get there before Lotor does?
K-No. We need Lotor for that part. We're outnumbered without his troops. I guess Merla has also agreed to fight with Lotor. With that type of manpower, we should have no problem getting to Zarkon. After all he doesn't know how to operate the castle defenses.
P-What if Zarkon is already heading back for Doom?
K-Lotor said it would be another day or two until he leaves. I say that when we get back to Arus we take out Zarkon. We can radio the Alliance in case Graham didn't get the chance to get help. I say we wipe out their whole army. We don't have to kill Lotor. If we take out his fleet, then he's no longer a threat.
A-I think we should tell Lotor we want to call the Alliance before we agree to his terms. Their reinforcements should only take an hour to arrive to Arus. That should help in depleting Zarkon's fleet and give us an edge by the time we can get back. We have to keep that monster away from my people and that type of distraction should be more than enough.
S-She's right Keith, if Lotor agrees, then we should accept his offer.
K-Sounds like a plan to me but we don't know if Lotor will agree to those terms. He has his own plan right now and I'm pretty sure he's not telling us everything.
L-When do they want our answer?
K-He'll be back within the hour to see what we've decided.
A-If we can get the Alliance there, I think we have a good chance. I don't trust him, especially with Merla helping him out.
P-Yeah but Merla helped us out before too.
A-I know, but she also loves Lotor. He could easily manipulate her feelings for him. He's done it before in the past.
K-One way or another, we'll make it work.
She looked down at her hand as she felt Keith squeeze it tighter. As he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, he took a deep breath. He prayed that their plan worked, so many people's lives depended on them right now. Allura laid her head on his chest and listened to the loud thump of his heart. She knew that underneath the mask of will power and determination that he wore, he was terrified as to what was going to happen. She could tell by the way that the thump of his heart had quickened it's pace, and by the feel of his clammy hands.
A-I want to go with you to talk to him.
K-No, I don't trust him, and I don't want you anywhere near that slime.
A-But if he doesn't agree to your terms, we may never get out of this. I can persuade him.
L-Yeah either that or get both of yourselves killed.
A- Why do you say that?
L-Come on Allura, the man hates Keith, do you really think that he wants to see the two of you together? Even if the two of you are doing nothing but standing there, he'll go crazy.
A-Keith, let me go in your place then.
K-Absolutely not, when the guard arrives, we'll have him send for Lotor and make him come down here.
The team remained silent as they waited for the minutes to pass. Finally there was a loud clank and the door to the cell they were in opened.
G-The Prince is awaiting your answer. He sent me to retrieve the information.
K- Tell Lotor that we wish to speak with him before we give him answer. We have conditions that we want met before we agree to anything.
The guard nodded his head and locked the door of the cell. Within minutes it reopened allowing six guards to step in the room followed by Lotor.
L-I don't think that you are in the position to be making demands, so please enlighten me and tell me what you want.
K-Before we agree, we want to call Galaxy Garrison and request a fleet of ships to protect Arus.
L-That's absurd. Why would I allow you to call in reinforcements? They would draw fire on my men as soon as they know that you and your friends are out of harms way. I'm trying to expand my army and control, not destroy it.
K-Allow me to place the call and you can stand there and listen to my every word. I will tell them not to fire upon you or Merla. On the battlefield they have to obey my commands, and can not break my orders as an active officer with the Alliance. They would be tried and convicted on grounds of insubordination.
L- I don't like the fact that you are trying to call the shots. How do I know that you won't betray me?
K-I'm not trying to call the shots, I'm simply doing the exact same thing you are, protecting what's important to me. Besides, I have no proof that you won't betray me either, as I said earlier, you have betrayed all of us in the past.
L-Your attack will alert my father that something is wrong. He'll be suspicious as to how the Garrison knew to send reinforcements. With the help of Merla we can cloak ourselves under the radar. He would be blind-sided by the attack.
K-I don't think that's the case. He should be expecting reinforcements, if Graham didn't have the chance to call them, I'm quite sure someone did. There were over two hundred Alliance officers on Arus when it was attacked. If we can make sure that help is on the way, by the time we arrive, his armada should be greatly depleted. Then we can come in and seal the deal.
A-Lotor, it's our only to chance to gain back what is rightfully ours. You want your kingdom back, I just want to make sure that my people are safe. Please let us do this.
L-Allura, you have never gone back on your word with me. Give me your word that you will not attack upon my men.
Allura looked at Lotor then back to Keith. He nodded his head assuring her that they would not betray him.
A-Lotor, I give you my word. As long as you and your men do not fire upon us, you will be free to leave Arus and do as you please.
L-Agreed.
K-Let's go make that call. After that, I need you to show me your artillery.
Lotor nodded his head towards the soldiers and they stepped aside as they lowered the weapons. The Voltron force and guards followed Lotor as he made his way to the communications room of the castle. Both Allura and Lotor stood next to Keith as he opened a channel to the Garrison headquarters. Instantly a man appeared on the telescreen.
P-I'm Private James Hawkins Brigade 54806, please state the reason of you call.
K-I'm Commander Keith Andrews of Voltron, Alpha 90072, I have a distress call concerning planet Arus and need to be patched through to Marshall Ludwig immediately.
P-Connecting sir, please hold as I transmit your message.
A moment later Marshall Ludwig appeared on the screen anxiously awaiting a response from Keith.
M-Commander, I heard of everything that is happening on Arus, please fill me in on your position.
K-Sir, Zarkon has taken over control of the castle and lions. We are on planet Doom getting ready to counter attack his fleet. We are requesting help from the Alliance.
M-Keith, I've already dispatched 25 fighter jets to Arus about an hour ago when I received a distress call from Lt. McAfee.
K-It's not enough sir, I need about fifty to sixty more sent there. Prince Lotor is going to be part of our counterattack, he has a fleet of about fifty ships and Queen Merla is also suppling about twenty five.
M-He's the enemy, how can we possibly trust him?
K-We have given each other our word and should either of us break it, this will all be for nothing. He has his own interests in all of this as do we, he and his men are not to be fired upon. I need to get that message relayed to all of the pilots heading towards Arus. We should be arriving to the planet within five hours.
M-I'll make the call right now and make sure the orders are clear.
K-Thank you sir.
He nodded his head and looked closely at Lotor.
M-Prince Lotor, let me make myself clear. You have full support of the Alliance right now, betray us and we will destroy you.
P-I understand you Marshall Ludwig perfectly well. I assure you my interests lay only in dethroning my father.
M-I will have the ships deployed within the hour.
As the televiewer screen went blank they all turned to leave the room but stopped as Merla walked in.
L-Ahh, Merla it's about time that you arrive. You're late.
M-I apologize Lotor, I had some unfinished business to attend to.
L-Are your troops ready?
M-Yes, all of the women are armed and ready. I believe it's time to load your artillery.
L-I was just about to take the Voltron team to the room so they can see what we have.
Merla turned to look at the seven individuals before her and smiled as she followed them out of the room.
M-It's good to see you again Allura. Congratulations to the both of you on your union.
A-Thank you Merla. I had hoped to have wonderful memories of my wedding day.
M-And you shall, once Zarkon is defeated.
A-All I can say is that I hope that we can stick to the plan that Lotor agreed to. I have seen the good in him and I would really like it if there could be peace between our planets.
M-I can't speak for Lotor, I'm not sure what his intentions are right now, but I can assure you that I'm not the person I once was. I care deeply for him, but I won't be made the fool of again by him.
A-Keep him grounded Merla. Don't let him do anything stupid. The Alliance is sending a fleet to Arus now and they are aware of the pact that we have made with Lotor. Marshall Ludwig spoke directly to Lotor and threatened to destroy him if he even thinks about breaking the deal he made with us.
M-I didn't know the Alliance had gotten wind of what transpired with Zarkon.
A-We had just ended our connection with Ludwig just before you entered the room. The fleet should arrive to Arus within two hours.
M-I hope there will be few casualties.
A-So do I.
The two walked in silence as they watched Keith and Lotor going over battle tactics. They both said a silent prayer in their hearts knowing that both of their loved ones faced a grave possibility of not being there when this war was over. As everyone entered the command room Keith grabbed a paper and started jotting down different counts of blasters, tazers, and grenade launchers. Several guards had begun to load the cargo on to the ships as the rest of the team went over old blue print drawings that Lotor had made of the castle of lions. There were rooms and secret passage ways that were not on the drawings much to the satisfaction of the team. They didn't need their enemy knowing all of their secrets.
A-Lotor, do you have something that I can change into. I need to take this dress off.
He stole a second to look at her. Even with her hair tangled, bruises on her face and a tattered wedding dress, she was still striking. It amazed him just how much he still wanted her, desired her and fantasized about her. She looked to the floor unable to look in to his eyes anymore. Keith cleared his throat and that made Lotor look away from her.
L-Guard, go get something the princess can wear and bring it here.
Keith had seen the look on his enemy's face as he stared at his wife and felt his blood boil. He didn't trust this man as far as he could throw him and by the look in his eyes just now, he knew that he lied when he said that he didn't want Allura anymore. The guard returned a moment and later and handed an extra guard's uniform to Allura. She was about to ask where she could change when Keith took the clothes from her hands.
K-Do you have anything else? I don't want her dressed in a Drule uniform. An Alliance soldier would fire upon her if she wore that.
M-I have something in my ship. Guard, go to my ship and see Lt. Falka, she will give you what you need. Bring back two sets, one for Princess Romelle as well.
K-Thank you.
L-I think we're done with the inventory. Hunk and Sven have everything totaled up and it's being divided up to be put on the carriers.
The guard came back a moment later with two new sets of uniforms similar to her own Voltron uniform. Both of the women took their clothing and followed the others out to the ships.
K-Hunk, Lance and Pidge, I want you all on Merla's carrier. Allura, Romelle and Sven will ride with Lotor and I. All right guys, lets move out.
As they boarded the carriers, then buckled their belts, they felt the ships roar to life. Within minutes they were leaving the dark gray planet of Doom and heading back home. Allura unbuckled her belt and stood to look for a room to change in. Keith grabbed her hand and stooped her before she could take another step.
K-Hey, where are you going?
A-I just wanted to change my clothes and be ready for when we get home.
K-I'll go with you, I don't want you alone anywhere on this ship.
She nodded her head and followed him as he took her hand and found a small bed room on the carrier. With his protective nature, he looked around the room and made sure it was empty before she started to remove her wedding dress. She reached around to her back for the button closures but was having a hard time getting them. He stole a glance at her and smiled with a lopsided grin as she struggled against the mass of silk and tulle.
A-Keith, can you help me, I can't reach the top ones.
K-Sure.
He walked up closely behind her as his fingers fumbled with the tiny little buttons. She pulled her hair out of the way to give him a better view and exposed the top of her shoulder as she did that. His hands stopped working as he looked down at the beautiful woman before him.
A-Keith?
A feeling of dread swept through him as he thought of the possibility that something might happen to her. He swallowed hard as he tried to wash the panic aside. They had no idea what was going to happen once they returned home. He wasn't even sure if there was a home left. It had been hours since any kind of transmission from Arus. She spoke his name softer this time and leaned back into his chest when his arms came around her.
K-I love you.
His lips gently kissed her shoulder as he nuzzled her neck.
A-I love you too.
She turned around to face him and felt his arms tighten around her waist. His hand caressed her cheek as his dark brown eyes became misty, slowly closing as he tipped her chin up to his. Her lips willingly opened as she felt the gentle tremble of his when they touched her. Her hand slid up his chest and draped around his neck pulling her closer to him. She could sense his need to touch her and could feel the uncertain agony of what was going to happen.
A-Keith, promise me that you won't give up.
Her eyes began to shimmer as they became glassy with unshed tears.
K-I won't give up.
A-Promise me. I can't loose you. No matter how bad it seems or gets, I can't do this without you. I won't.
He kissed her harder this time, more aggressive knowing that she had similar fears of her own.
K-With all that I am Allura, I promise that I won't give up.
He laid his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.
A-Keith, if anything happens to me-
K-Don't. Don't talk like that.
A-I have to. You're Arus's only hope. Even Zarkon fears you, he told us all at the castle before that you're the only one who can stop his plans. I need you to take care of my people for me.
K-Nothing is going to happen to you. We're all going to be just fine. You're strength will get us both through this and when this is over we're going to start our life together.
The tears spilled down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away with the pad of his thumb.
A-Do you really think we have a chance?
K-As long as Lotor can keep to the deal and the majority of Zarkon's ships have been destroyed. If he betrays us before we can cause enough damage to Zarkon, we won't make it. Even though Ludwig has 25 ships already headed to Arus and another fifty on the way, most of those men have no battle experience, just flight simulator programs.
A-I want to be on one of the fighter jets when we get there.
K-No, Allura it's too dangerous.
A-Keith, I'm a damn good pilot and even you said I have ten times the experience than these kids have. You need me up there...
K-I can't let you. If something happened to you...I can't worry about you while I'm up there.
A-What are you going to do Keith? Leave me on the ship with Lotor?
He let out a deep breath and thought about what she said. There was no way he was leaving her with Lotor. He sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. There was no other option than to let her fight.
K-Allura, there's a good chance that you're gonna get hurt up there, that we all are. Remember that we're all going to be in Drule ships when we start attacking.
A-How will we know who to fire at and who not too? We can't identify our enemy and could easily pick off each other.
K-I need to talk to Lotor and see if there is a way we can flag our ships.
She sat down on the bed beside him so he could unfasten the rest of the buttons to her dress. The soft silky material fell from her shoulders exposing her back to him. He took a deep breath and slowly stood from the bed.
K-Let's get you dressed Ally, before I throw you on this bed and have my way with you.
He gave her a quick wink and another lopsided grin. As she stood from the bed she let the dress fall to the floor. Keith felt his heart stop as his eyes traveled up and down her body. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
K-Is this all for me?
His fingers traced the delicate white laced corset that had snap closures in the front and a pink bow tied at the top. Her stockings stopped mid thigh and had a matching pink bow at the top of the elastic.
A-How long until we reach Arus?
He glanced down at his watch while the other wrapped around her waist.
K-Almost four and half hours.
A-Good.
Her fingers traced a path up and down his muscular chest as her lips sought his. As she began to undo the buttons on his flight jacket, she began to kiss his jaw line than his neck.
K-We...we should... head back...need to flag...
A-I need you Keith, we may never have a chance to be like this again.
K-We will.
Her lips continued to set fire to his skin as she pushed his shirt of his shoulders, it too now laying on the floor.
A-We don't know that for sure.
He knew that he should have pulled away, there was work that still needed to be done, but she was right. He wanted her so much and there was no guarantee that they would make it out of this alive. He lifted her effortlessly in his arms and laid her gently on the bed. There was no way he could have stopped even if he wanted to. The fire continued to build as he slowly unlaced the pink bow of her corset exposing her beautiful body to him. He laid down on top of her, his hands caressing every inch of her body.
K-I love you Mrs. Andrews.
A-I love you too Mr. Andrews.
About an hour later she laid across his chest as his fingers caressed her bare shoulder. He looked down at the beautiful angel he was holding and wished that this moment never had to end.
A- Mmm, I don't want to get up.
K-Neither do I, but we have to soon. I'm surprised that no one has come knocking on the door just yet.
A-You're going to jinx us.
He smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
A-I'm sure Lotor would have this bed burned if he knew what we were doing in here.
K-Ally, did you really have to mention his name?
A-Well it's the truth.
She laughed at him as he rolled his eyes.
K-New rule, from now on there is no talk of that slime while we're in bed.
A-What if we're on the floor?
She could tell by the devilish look on his face that she was going to regret saying that. Instantly he pounced on her and started to tickle her below her rib cage making her squeal out in laughter. A moment later there was a knock at the door that brought them to silence.
A-See, I told you that you jinxed us.
K-Who is it?
L-It's me Lance. Open up, I need to go over some things with you.
K-Give us a couple minutes and we'll be right out.
L-Couldn't you guys had waited until we were back home for this?
K- Mention this to anyone and I kick you ass, after all it is our wedding day.
L-I'll meet you up on deck in ten.
Allura quickly threw on the uniform Merla had supplied her with and watched as Keith zipped up his flight jacket.
A-Ready?
K-Yeah, let's go.
He took her hand and lead her back to the control room of the carrier. They were surrounded with soldiers busy at work loading cargo and missiles on to the ships. Allura looked over at Lance and felt her cheeks turn a bright shade of red when she saw the smirk on his face.
K-So what's up Lance?
L-Well, I thought that you'd be happy to know that we found a way to flag our ships.
Keith followed Lance over to one of the cruisers to see what he was talking about.
L-We found a bunch of these blue halogen bulbs and right now we have all of the guards replacing these red ones with the blue.
K-It'll work but do we have enough to flag the back of the ships?
L-No, these won't fit in the sockets in the back, so we can't change them at all. We barely had enough to change the front lights on these. I've checked this whole carrier and there is nothing else around here to mark the back of the ships. We still have to be careful or we'll end up firing on our own men.
K- How long until we reach Arus?
L-I'd say less than two hours.
K-Good, let's get the rest of the cargo on board, feed the troops and then I have to go over the controls with Allura, she's never flown a ship like these before.
L-You're letting her fly? I thought you would have kept her grounded.
K-What was I supposed to do? Let her sit with Lotor while all of this is going on?
L-I guess you're right. We'll all take care of her. She'll be fine.
Keith nodded his head, still unable to shake the bad feeling he had earlier.
L-Come on, let's go get some food, I'm sure you worked up an appetite earlier.
K-Don't think I won't kick your ass when this is all over.
L-Don't get so bent out of shape, hell if I had someone special I would have done the same thing knowing there's a good chance of not coming home later.
K-What do you think of the odds?
L-They don't look so hot but I sure the hell ain't going down without a fight. Now let's go before Hunk eats everything.
They both chuckled as they made their way to a room that was filled with tables and chairs and dozens of soldiers already sitting down to what would be their last meal for many. He pulled a chair out next to where Allura and the rest of the team was sitting.
A-Romelle, where are you going to be when all of this is going on?
R-I'm going to fly with Sven in his ship.
K-I'm surprised that Sven is ok with it.
S-I didn't really have a choice. It's not safe to leave her on the carrier and she can't fly by herself. I'm just afraid that she might get hurt.
R-I'll be fine as long as I'm with you. Besides, I couldn't bear it if something happened to you up there. I want to be with you no matter what our outcome may be.
She caressed his cheek as he brought her hand to his lips.
S-I love you Romelle.
R-I love you to Sven.
H-So where's Lotor at? I haven't seen him for the last couple of hours.
P-He's with Merla. I saw both of them in the hull. It looked like they needed to be alone for a while. I think that they are up to something.
K-I know they are but I'm not sure what. We'll just have to wait and see.
A moment later Lotor and Merla walked up to their table and pulled a chair up next to Keith. Keith reached for the papers that Lotor tossed down in front of him and began to read them.
A-What is it?
L-It's a status report that Marshall Ludwig sent to me. His men are falling quickly. They have no experience and my father's army is destroying them.
K-We need to call them back and make Zarkon think that they are retreating.
S-We can have them sit back by planet Ebb until we reach Arus and then have them attack with us.
K-Come on Lotor, let's go make another call.
Allura and the others watched as Keith and Lotor went to the control room.
A-So many people are dying right now. I can't take this waiting.
Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
L-We'll get through this Allura. In the end, we'll prevail just as we always do.
A- You don't sound very cocky right now.
L-What do you mean by that?
A-When ever we're in a bad situation, you always act cocky. Your ego goes in to overload. You just don't sound like yourself right now.
L-So you're saying it's a bad that I'm not being egotistical?
A-It could be. Do you really believe that we can do this?
L-Ally, I love you like a sister and would never lie to you. I'm scared, but in the end I think we're gonna kick some Doom ass.
A smile appeared on her lips as the rest of the group cheered and toasted mugs of coffee. She raised her glass and clanked it against his.
L-I think we need to finish up here and get you to one of the ships. Keith said he still had to show you how to fly it.
A-Do you want to start while we wait for him to get back?
L-Let's go. We don't have much time left.
Everyone made their way to a ship and double checked to make sure it was all in order. Lance climbed in after Allura sat down in the cockpit. As she started the engine, Lance pulled up radar and showed her to lock in on targets.
L-You can't lock in until your within a hundred yards of your target.
A-Wow, with the lions you can lock in at five hundred yards.
L-Which explains why they are always a sorry shot. The only thing good about this bucket of rust, is that you don't have to recharge your cannon. Your cannon can shoot one shot per second, no bad loads or charges. It can't back fire in the shaft.
A-That's good to know. The throttle feels a lot softer too.
L-The steering is a lot more sensitive than the lions. If you push it too far to the right or left, you'll spin out of control doing 360's before you hit the ground. You have an engine on each side, it's the easiest way to take these ships down as you know. If you have one taken out, you only have about a good five to ten seconds to eject before you free fall.
K-Hey, how's it going over here?
A-Good, Lance started showing me some stuff until you came back.
L-She's catching on quick. Too bad these babies aren't linked up with visual.
K-Yeah, there's no visual but I made sure that com link is working fine. There shouldn't be any problems with that. Have you had a chance to check your ship yet?
L-Not yet. Can you take over here?
K-I got it, go ahead.
Lance climbed down the small ladder and then Keith jumped up in the seat beside her.
K- So is there anything that you're not sure of?
A- I think I've got most of it. I'm just worried about locking in, you have to get so close to the target.
K-Yeah these ships are pretty prehistoric. Are you sure you want to fly? You can fly with me like Sven and Romelle are doing.
A-I want to do this.
K-I just don't want you going in there because you feel like you have something to prove. Everyone here would probably prefer that you ride with me. They know you can handle this but these ships don't even have shields on them. One blown engine and you're down.
A-Keith, I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm just trying to save my planet. I'm trying to save our home.
K-I know.
A-How long do we have?
K-We'll take flight in about thirty minutes. The Alliance officers pulled back and made it look like a retreat, Zarkon's not going to know what hit him when we get there.
A-Good, I hope we blind-side the bastard.
K-I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear.
They both laughed as he pulled her close. His arms wrapped around her waist as he kissed her hair.
K-I have to go check my ship and get ready.
He felt her nod her head and hug him tighter. He pulled back far enough to look into her ocean blue eyes and saw them tremble. She was trying to put on a brave face, but he could see right through her. His hand caressed his cheek as he swallowed hard. He didn't want to leave just yet but he had to. He felt there was so much to say but when he tried to speak the words couldn't come out. He felt like the walls were closing in on him and that there wasn't enough time. He leaned down and placed his lips over hers. He held her as tight as he could, his kiss becoming more desperate. He wanted to memorize the way she felt against him and the way she quivered under his touch. Memories of their years together flew threw his mind like a story book. From the moment he kneeled before and kissed her hand, swearing to protect her and her people, to a few simple hours ago when they said their vows to one another. They had been through so much over the last four years and his life had only found meaning once he met her. What can you possibly say to a person to let them know that you are their only reason for wanting to live? He wasn't a man of words, but of actions.
A moment later he tore his lips away from hers and sighed heavily.
K- Promise me that you'll be here when this is over.
She remembered the promise that she made him make earlier and felt her heart tighten at the uncertainty in his voice.
A-With all that I am Keith, I promise you that I'll be here.
K-I love you Allura. Just find your way back to me.
A-I love you too, and I will, I promise that I will.
She kissed him one more time quickly and he jumped down the ladder of her ship. She watched as he made his way to his ship and did a quick systems check..
K-All right team, this is it. All systems are go, let's go home.