Emergence
Chapter One
The sun shone down on the scene of a duel. Two men, sworn enemies, faced off in the bottom of a ravine. The duel was short-lived, however, and it ended with a swipe from a laser sword.
"You were a fool to think you could defeat me, Keith." Lotor snarled, his eyes gleaming with evil glee, as his foe lay motionless in the dust.
"You………………you won't win………." Keith gasped, painfully.
"Oh, but I already have! See you in hell, Keith!" Lotor sneered, as he mounted his airspeeder and disappeared over the ridge. Keith closed his eyes, knowing that his situation was hopeless. He'd come out to the barren planet alone, without anyone knowing where he was.
"And now I am going to die." Keith thought, bitterly, as the sun burned above him. As the blackness of unconsciousness surrounded him, Keith caught sight of something moving along the rocky face of the cliff adjacent to where he lay.
"Maybe some scavenger looking for food. I hope it's quick in killing me. This pain is unbearable." Keith thought, as his eyelids fluttered shut.
Sean watched as Lotor disappeared into his ship. It had been years since he'd seen the Drulian prince, but it was the same as the last time. Still the same, cold-blooded gaze. When the ship had lifted off and all was silent again, Sean went into the ravine to see what Lotor had come for. He was shocked at what he saw; a young, human male lay in the bottom of the ravine in a puddle of his own blood.
"So that is what Lotor has been up to!" Sean thought, as he started descending into the ravine. When he'd gotten down to where the young man lay, the man was unconscious.
"Hmm……….this wound was caused by a laser blade. I do wish the Drules would stop trying to imitate the Jedi weapons!" Sean muttered, as he tore his own shirt into strips and started binding the man's wounded chest in them. As gently as he could, Sean lifted the man onto his shoulders, aware that the man was in a dire situation.
"It appears that we are going to be leaving sooner than expected." Sean thought, as he found a shallow cave and waited for dusk.
Allurra paced nervously as the hours passed. Where was he? When Keith had been found missing and the Black Lion gone from its berth, they knew something had happened. Across the room, Sven, longtime friend of Keith and fellow Voltron pilot, stood at a window, moodily watching what was going on in the town below. Allurra didn't dare speak to the dark-eyed pilot since she felt he blamed her for his friend's disappearance. When she heard him sigh, she chanced a look at him. Even though she knew he would never hurt her, Sven was still a man to be respected, even though she was a princess.
"Daijobu, Sven-san?" Allurra asked. He nodded, silently.
"Just worried. Never knew Keith to do this kind of thing." Sven said, softly. Allurra nodded in agreement. She had to agree with the quiet Norwegian. He was a quiet voice of reason, but he rarely spoke; at least, not in her presence, anyway.
"Where do you think he went?" Allurra asked, as Sven brushed an errant strand of dark hair from his eyes.
"Somewhere far. Wherever he is, it isn't planetside." Sven replied.
"How do you know?" Allurra asked, knowing to trust in Sven's instincts.
"I can feel it. His presence isn't on Arus. It's elsewhere." Sven again said, as he turned his coal black gaze onto the Crowned Princess of Arus.
"You may be right. But where would we start searching for him?" Allurra asked. Sven shrugged, a slight, almost imperceptible movement of his shoulders.
"I will begin by scanning the area around Arus, then work my way out. If anything, he should still be close enough that the Black Lion can be sensed by the Blue." Sven said, as he left his place at the window.
"Are you going alone?" Allurra asked.
"Of course not. I'm taking the others with me." Sven replied, matter-of-factly, before he disappeared into the control room. Allurra sighed, as the tall man left the room; his moods were so hard to predict! She marveled at the ability Keith and the others had to make Sven even crack a smile.
"He's just worried about Romelle. Ever since Doom destroyed Pollux, Sven has been concerned about her, even though she says that she is all right." Allurra thought, as she watched Hunk, Pidge, and Lance file into the room after the dark-eyed man.