Chapter 15: The Battle Begins(Begin the Blitz Part 2)(Lotor's POV)
Lotor stares at Space. Stars still remain around them, same with the asteroids. He was aware that his mother had built it eons ago. Of course the Gateway has shifted, away from Daibazaal, or a Weblum had eaten the remains and all that remained was the Gateway and the asteroid belt that had gathered around it.
He also used what little Quintessence he had stolen from the Witch's supply. Lotor refused to get Quintessence the old way, hurting planets and innocents just because the empire wants their lifeforce.
Yet he felt compelled to see the Yellowness of the Rifts where the Quintessence lay and wanted to know more about what it could do. How it could help people if used in the right way.
Yet others did not see it that way. All they saw was a Prince trying to change tradition, which they hated and they hated it even more because he was Half-Altean, and not a pure Galra.
His only friends who understand him are his Generals. Half-bloods like him even if they didn't have Altean blood coursing through their veins.
Then why did he feel uneasy, being alone in his room aboard their Cruiser. As after that failure they returned to the Cruiser and all went to their rooms. And why did he feel something horribly wrong was going to happen?
A swift knock on his door makes him sit up and look at where he heard the knock at his door came from.
"Come in," he says, trying to hide his nervousness and the uneasy feeling he has in his stomach from being heard.
His generals all come through the door single file like and then flank out.
"What is the matter?" He asks, deliberately putting annoyance in so that it could mask his other feelings.
Ezor grins wickedly, "Look at that Axea, he wants to know what's wrong."
His uneasiness turns to horror, as with a swift movement Ezor is up close to him, she whispers, "The problem is you." Lotor feels the sting of a stun gun at his neck. After that his vision blurs and he falls to the ground, becoming unconscious.
Pidge's POV
Pidge exhales, the tense feeling not going away. She remembered the meeting that happened just that morning. How Marinette was able to come up with a strategy in a manner of seconds after her idea was outvoted.
Which surprised her, since this whole thing was Shiro's idea. And Shiro is a good strategist.
She also remembered the hurt in Mari's voice when she found out all of them had called a meeting without her. Lance was the only one to speak up to Shiro about it, and Shiro had convinced most of them that marinette would not like this idea and therefore needed to talk about it to the whole Cotillion before she could make her arguments.
Mari was indeed upset, but Pidge knew it was more from Shiro not telling her about the idea, rather the actual idea itself.
Still, Mari's idea somehow felt more right then what they were about to do. Which is why she is so tense. This might be a trap, but it might not be. That and her and Hunk would have to invade a Communications tower and disable it before any action could take place.
They also have to be stealthy and not attract much attention to themselves. That is why she is glad she brought that red gas from that Gaseous planet so they could stun the guards and the Communications system. Since it wouldn't take forever and the systems would be offline for a longer period of time.
Which means they can start the battle early and probably finish it in enough so they can go home. Not that she doesn't care about freeing Naxzela, it's just, her inventor brain is in a whirl trying to come up with inventions to help this war be over fast. That and she needs to find her father.
But nothing has been turning up, no matter how hard she tries. It seems that her father was a very important prisoner if no information on him can be found. Did they somehow recognize that he was a scientist? Is that way information on him is so tight-lipped/unavailable?
A hand touches her shoulder and she jumps. "Hunk!" She yells, staring at the older, taller and more physically fit boy.
"Sorry. I guess I startled you even though I didn't mean to. You just seemed lost in thought and I thought maybe you….."
Pidge sighs, Hunk is a good friend. Perhaps she should talk to someone other than her brother about what a huge pain finding their father has become. Especially since it seemed she never could get any information about him whatsoever.
"I guess I'm just tense, you know. Going into a Communications tower. I am kind of hoping to find info on my father…"
"Oh…."
She looks at Hunk, his big brown eyes have concern in them. Honestly, she is touched. Not many people outside of her family ever treated her like a normal kid, instead treating her like a science nerd(except nerd was the nice term). Always laughing at her comments and teasing her.
So Hunk, Lance, Mari, Allura Coran, Shiro and Keith have been her only friends besides her family. Although more like a second family considering how long they've spent together, fighting this war against the Galrans.
"Well," Hunks says, clearing his throat, "I hope you do find some. Guessing from the look of the place it must be a pretty important planet to the Galra. And we do have to disable the Communications tower…"
A lightbulb goes off in her head, "Hunk you're a genius. All I have to do is upload whatever data they have and then I see, after the battle, if there's any useful information."
Her eyes sparkle with delight. Carefully, Pidge taps the cloak button, as now they are near Naxela. Now all they have to do is disable the Communications tower and hope their rebel forces can take over the two Zaiforge cannons at the opposite ends of the planet.
Lotor's POV
Lotor shifts, uncomfortable. His neck stings with pain, though that does not worry him. What worries him is that his so-called friends turned on him the minute something went not as planned.
He had chosen them to be his Generals, to fight with him and to support his cause. Though he did kill Narti after realising that the witch was using her to spy on them, when they were building the ships. That was the only bad thing he did, killing Narti. He did regret it, but the witch and his father could not know about the ships he was building.
For if Zarkon had got his hands on them, then he would use it to destroy most of the planets in the Galaxy for their Quintessence. He despised it, despised it.
"Father! What are you doing?" cries a younger Lotor.
His father turns at him, giving him a cold and disappointed look. "You did follow the Galra way of enslaving people. Instead you make peace with them, give them your friendship." He spat friendship as if it were the most disgusting thing.
"But father," young Lotor pleaded, "I got just as much lifeforce from them as any of the other planets. They have given you Quintessence. Spare them please!"
But his father only walked away, "But I need to teach you a lesson. A lesson about the Galra ways. And besides Haggar needs a planet to test her….Experiments on. And if they destroy that planet they destroy it."
Lotor had sunk to knees, crying. Those people were so kind, and were so willing to give him an adequate sacrifice to produce a gallon of Quintessence, all so they could remain free. Lotor had thought that would be enough to keep them Zarkons wrath, but he had been wrong. And that moment that's when he knew, he had to change the way the Galra Empire thought and did things.
Yes that's when he knew things had to change.
He knew an uprising would happen sooner or later, with or without Voltron. Because no race liked being under the Galra Empire's thumb. Not even him, the Prince and heir. Though now more likely just a renegade Prince and a traitor to his people.
Which he wasn't, he just wants the Galra Empire to have a bright future and not be known forever as the Villians of the story.
Lotor looks down at his hands. They handcuffed him. Shouldn't they know that handcuffs cannot hold him? He is part-Altean. And Alteans have the ability to shapeshift into other races, though he could increase or decrease his size, since his skin apparently can't change colour and his face cannot rearranging itself to look like other creatures.
Though perhaps that's for the best since most Galrans don't like interacting with other races that much, unless of course it is when they fight or they are enslaved.
He shakes his head, no time to think about that now.
Contracting he makes his body smaller, soon the handcuffs slip right off, and he starts making himself his regular size. His wrists ache, but he ignores the pain.
Sliding out, he looks around. He laughs inside his head, they really didn't have one of themselves standing guard. How idetotic of them. Then again there are only the three of them adboard this Cruiser they stole. Since they left the crew inhabiting this ship on some planet.
Quietly and swiftly Lotor makes his way to where the Syncline ships are being held. Having an ego he goes to the one that is meant to look like the knight's head when all three Syncline ships transform.
Getting into the pilot's seat he starts the ship up. There's only way to get out of this ship, which is to blast a big hole right through it. So Lotor does. The other ships go flying out into the vacuum of space, which he doesn't really care about right at this moment.
Flying through the hole he looks back one more time at the Galra Cruiser he and his generals stole. A tear falls down Lotor's cheek, and he says, "Goodbye old friends."
Marinette's POV
Marinette looks down at Naxzela. Her muscles are tense, she's already transformed into Ladybug, but of course having her black paladin armour on top, so Tikki cannot offer her comforting words.
The only reason she is so tense is because this isn't her idea. If this goes wrong all the blame would be put on Shiro instead of the others realising they had a part to play in it too. For who voted that we should attack Naxzela despite the high probability of it being a trap? The whole Coalition, minus the members of Voltron, except Shiro.
Pidge and Hunk have already descended and now it's up to them to disable Communications so no other forces can come through. She smiles, remembering how she had to come up with a plan, since Shiro had only formed the idea not an actual plan.
Still it hurt her to know that Shiro still did not see her as an equal, but only as someone who replaced Keith. Especially since she rescued him from dying. Perhaps after this maybe she should resign her place as Voltorn's leader. Since it seems Shiro wants to be the only one in control.
But Black hasn't let him, and he hasn't felt any connection towards Black at all. If Black let him, she wouldn't be able to be in the pilot's seat right now and fly Black.
So then why did Black save Shiro? Was it only because the lion had a bond with him and nothing else. She would have assumed that Black would take the first chance he got to replace her with someone he bonded so closely with.
Pidge's voice breaks her out of her thoughts, "The Communications have been disabled, you are ready to attack whenever you're ready, Mari."
She lets out a breath, so it's finally come. The moment of truth. Whether or not this planet is a trap or not.
Uneasily Marinette says, "The attack begins now."