Hi all!
I am so sorry for the delay. Life was a little hectic and then my computer crashed, taking everything I had written with it.
I really hope that the next chapter won't take as long to post, I have it all in my mind, now I just need to get it all back down on paper again.
Thank you for your awesome support and patience. You guys rock!
Enjoy,
Failte
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"A current map of Bur'lik is being loaded into your onboard computers," Keith told his crew. "Pidge was able to narrow down Vinn's location to a one hundred square mile section. You need to know Bur'lik is a small, nearly frozen planet, meaning the temperatures at night usually reach about twenty five degrees below zero and up to about freezing during the mid point of the day, so you will need to wear your heated flightsuits. We are hoping Vinn will be contacting us again so we can pinpoint his exact location. For now we are sending you up with fifty Garrison fighters and fifty Brigade fighters, that should be enough. But you will wait for my final word before you approach Vinn. If you leave now, going at full speed, you should reach Bur'lik in half an hour, about fifteen to twenty minutes faster than the fighters."
"So what?" Erik interrupted. "We hover above Bur'lik while they do who-knows-what to my family?"
"You will stay ten miles above the Bur'lik atmosphere, the Lions all have a cloaking device that should keep you hidden. We're hoping that since Vinn and his men are traveling, that their radar equipment isn't top of the line, but just in case, your Lions should be invisible up until five miles of their radar. We want to try and pinpoint their location before you go in so you have less of a chance to be discovered."
"What about the fighters?" Gideon asked. "They don't have cloaking devises as strong."
"They will stay just outside the atmosphere, close enough to aid you when needed but far enough to be outside their radar."
"What are we waiting for? Let's get moving." Erik demanded impatiently.
Keith took the young man's arm and led him away from the group, "I trust you, Erik, if I didn't you wouldn't be commanding the Voltron Force and protecting my planet. So I believe you will answer me honestly, can you do this?"
"Yes, sir."
"If you have any doubt at all about your ability to keep a clear mind, say so now. This is your family."
"I know and I can handle it."
Keith studied the young man, the determined, angry expression that barely hid his fear. "Just promise me you won't try and do this all by yourself, you have an entire team of talented soldiers who are there to help you."
"Yes, sir."
"All right," he turned to the rest of the team, still holding Erik by the arm. "To your Lions gang."
"You okay?" Sky whispered to Erik as they hurried to their entrance tubes.
"No." He replied curtly before disappearing into Black.
Sky rode down into Red and took a deep breath. She was worried about Erik. He was so close to his family, if he were to lose them all in one fell swoop, it would kill him.
"You know where you're going," Keith said from Castle Control. "Just lay low until we give you further information. Pidge has loaded maps and any other information needed for this mission into your onboard computers. Good luck, team."
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Tristan pulled open the back door and entered the comfortable warmth of the kitchen. Ever since he had heard what had happened on Arus and had been denied his request to return to duty, he didn't know what to do with himself. He went for a walk and ended up going further and further until he found himself nearly five miles away from home. He started back and returned home long after dinner.
"I was starting to worry."
With a start, Tristan noticed his mother sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of tea at her elbow and the paperwork for the next month's charity dinner spread out in front of her. "I'm sorry, Mother, I went for a walk and I guess I got carried away."
She nodded, removing her glasses and setting them down beside her teacup, "Have a seat, Tristan."
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
"What's on your mind, darling?"
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't at all been yourself lately. You obviously have a lot on your mind and you were glued to the television earlier until you stormed from the house, slamming the door behind you. What's on your mind?"
Tristan toyed with the edge of the table runner and glared at the polished mahogany surface of the table. "It's nothing, I'm…I'm just wondering what I'm going to do when my service is up."
"Mm, I see. Who is she?"
He looked up, "Excuse me?"
"You are usually more focused. You've been quiet and, well, depressed. A mother knows. Darling, what's wrong?" She reached across the table and patted his hand.
Tristan chewed on his lower lip and tried to think of something to say. He suddenly felt quite young, running to his mother for advice. But then he realized he wanted her advice.
"I…I think I might be in love," he whispered, still looking at the tabletop.
Josephine Alexander couldn't help but smile at her son's admittance. Tristan had always been rather introverted, he wanted to handle everything himself, never asking for advice or guidance. It had served him well, though, he was hard working, intelligent and had worked his way up through the ranks of the Garrison rather quickly. But that had all been hard for her to watch. Josie wanted to help her son. She wanted to give advice, ease his stress. This was the first time she could remember when he was allowing her to do just that.
"Tell me about her," she said quietly.
"She's…amazing," he looked up at her and was pleased to see that his mother looked genuinely interested. "Her name is Cady and she's beautiful, smart, sweet, and…she's amazing."
"Where did you meet?"
"On Arus."
"Oh, yes, I've heard the news. You're worried about her."
Tristan nodded.
A thought occurred to Josie quickly, "Is it the Princess?"
He nodded again.
"I've seen her picture, she is beautiful."
"Both inside and out."
"Have you told her?"
"Uh, no."
"Do you know how she feels?"
He nodded.
"And?"
"She, uh, she feels the same way," he mumbled, blushing.
"What's the problem then? Go, be with her."
"It's not that easy. I think my former CO knows about us and she is doing what she can to keep us separated. She doesn't believe in relationships within the ranks or with the people we're serving."
"Is that why you haven't decided what you're doing when your tour is up?"
"I don't know what to do. I contacted my new CO to see if I could go to Arus and help, but my request was turned down."
Josie pursed her lips and thought a moment. A smile broke across her face after a moment and she squeezed his hand, "Darling, you have nearly a week left in your vacation. Go, be with her."
"I can't. The Garrison won't allow me…"
"Forget the Garrison. This is your time, darling. If this is what you want we can open your trust fund, there is more than enough for a trip to Arus."
Hope swelled within him, "Are you serious?"
"Yes. It's not every day my only son falls in love."
"But what if she doesn't want to see me? I mean, she emailed me and asked me how I felt and I didn't respond. She is probably so angry with me."
"Oh, darling, really, I'm sure she's not."
Tristan licked his lips, "I want to, but…"
"Go, Tristan. If I can offer you any advice, as your mother, I am telling you, go. Talk to her, tell her how you feel. You are a wonderful young man and I'm sure she would be more thrilled than angry to see you."
He took a deep breath and stood. "Thank you, Mother."
"Are you going?"
"I'll be leaving as soon as I can get a ride," he walked around the table and stood beside her. "Thank you."She smiled as he kissed her powdered cheek, "Anytime, darling."
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The flight to Bur'lik was a quick, quiet one. Other than a few required comments on navigation and radar detection, nothing was said. Erik obviously didn't want to talk and the others knew not to bother him with anything trivial or unnecessary. It took them exactly half an hour to arrive at their destination.
"Any word from Vinn?" Erik asked when he connected to Castle Control.
"Net yet," Keith sighed.
"What if he doesn't contact you?" Declan asked.
"I'll be surprised. I want you five to stick together for now, circle around and let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary."
When they disconnected, Sky opened a private line with Erik. "How're you holding up?"
"I'm fine."
"Erik…"
"What do you want me to say, Sky? I'm terrified? Wired? Pissed off? I'm all those and more."
"I know, Erik. We're all in this together and we're going to kick Vinn's ass."
He gave her a half-smirk, "I know, Sunny."
"And tonight, when we're all safe and sound back in the castle, I will make you forget you ever felt any of that."
"Promise?"
"Absolutely."
"Thanks Sky."
"I love you."
"Love you too." Erik opened the line to the other Lions when a beeping filled his cabin. "Yes, sir, what is it?"
Keith's face filled the screen in all their cabins, "We just received a message from one of Vinn's Lieutenants. He would like to meet with us tomorrow morning."
"Where?" Erik asked.
"On neutral territory, Planet Sani."
"What did you tell him?"
"We agreed to meet him and bring along Black and Red as part of the negotiations. As soon as he had those two Lions, we would get Romelle and Delora. He would then send men to retrieve the rest of Lions and release Sven."
"So he isn't expecting us at all?" Gideon asked.
Keith shook his head, "No, he is taking us at our word. I guess our reputation precedes us. Pidge was able to narrow down his location and has sent the information to your onboard computers."
"We're going in," Erik said.
"I know. Good luck." Keith felt his heart race. He knew they could handle this, but at the same time he was worried about the crew he still considered children.
"What's the plan, Cap?" Declan asked.
Erik quickly read over the new information. They were able to zero in on where Vinn was staying. Apparently they had taken over an abandoned research center on the north side of the planet, an area thought to be too frozen to sustain life. "We are going to come in slowly and land about five miles from their location in what appears to be a large crater, I'm sending the coordinates to your computers. From there we're going in and getting my family. This shows numerous entrances, I'm going to assume the one in the back, facing the large, open area will probably be the least guarded, that's what we're aiming for. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," the four other pilots responded.
The Garrison and Brigade ships hung back as the Lions began their descent toward Bur'lik's surface. Erik pulled back on his thrusters and lowered Black gently to the frozen ground, barely causing a movement on the ground. He flinched when he heard Green land. True, Brina had come a long way, but she still needed to work on her landings.
With the Lions set on standby, the five pilots crept down to the ground. Moving quickly and quietly, staying close together with their weapons drawn, the Force moved toward what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.
The barren tundra was pocked with craters and dips, causing them to slip and stumble a few times. The biting cold burned the skin visible between the bottom of the goggles and to tops of their scarves. But they kept moving, eventually finding their footing. The whir of generators and the shuffling sounds of guards patrolling the grounds grew louder. Erik motioned soundlessly for them to follow him.
Erik spoke into his communicator so they could all hear him and he didn't have to shout over the wind, "I'm willing to bet that the guards are mostly inside, no one wants to be out in this."
"That's for sure," Declan replied.
"We are going to go in there and do our best to find my family and get out," he explained. "The blueprints Pidge sent showed rooms in the lower level, I'm guessing that's where they are. I hate to do this, but Gideon, Brina, I want you guys out here. If we need you we will call for you and it would be easier for you to get in touch with the Garrison and Brigade ships if needed. If you don't' hear from us by 15:45, contact Castle Control."
They both nodded.
"Declan, Sky, stay with me and keep low.""Yes, sir," Sky responded.
Declan saluted.Erik scanned the area and than nodded toward the building.Declan squeezed Brina's arm reassuringly before following his leader out of their hiding place and across the open land.
Erik ran his hand over the door in front of them. It was old and made of a thick, heavy material he didn't recognize. The lock was old and rather rustic. With Sky and Declan covering him, Erik picked the lock and waited a beat before opening it just slightly. Hearing nothing, he pushed it open just enough for them to slip inside. The hallway was deserted as the all lifted their goggles on to the top of their heads and allowed their eyes to adjust to the dimness.
"This way," Erik whispered. "Stay close and be prepared."
As the three pilots crept silently along the wall, their eyes and ears tuned into their surroundings. Twice they ducked into the shadows of doorways to hide from passing guards. The further into the building they got, the more men they passed. Erik tried to remember where the stairs to the lower level were. The blueprints had shown the stairway at the far end of this hallway, but the hall seemed to stretch on forever.
Sky chewed on her lower lip as Erik scanned the hall in front of them. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating slightly.
"We're almost there," Erik hissed over his shoulder. "Stay close."
They moved on, pausing once at what they thought were approaching steps. With his heart in his throat, Erik stopped short at the sight of an unguarded door. This is too good to be true, he thought as he nodded toward the door.
Looking right, then left, and right once more, Erik moved to the door and eased it open. Before him a narrow staircase stretched down before him. He held his breath, listening for any noise or movement.
"Halt!"
Erik tensed at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He turned slowly, his hands raised to see three guards pointing their weapons at them.