Chapter 18: The Slaves of Mura
Sakura returned to the castle nearly an hour later, feeling relatively calmed, and to her relief Lotor said nothing as she collected her bag, packed and provided by Haggar, and joined her Prince on the Galactic Train for the five hour flight. Or, she quietly mused, the "Centipede Express" as it was sometimes humorously referred to due to its physical appearance resembling a giant mechanical version of the creature.. One thing she did notice as she boarded, Spinner flying up to join her at her summons, was that Haggar didn't seem to have a bag of her own.
"I'm afraid there's been a last moment change of plans, my dark darling," Haggar answered her curious glance. "Something's come up that requires my presence here, so it'll just be you and Lotor for the next few days. Don't worry, I'll be along with his majesty for the cannon's inaugural firing." Sakura found herself swallowing a small gulp; this would quite possibly be the longest she'd ever been away from her mother and master that she could recall, outside the original two day mission to Arus that began the entire Voltron conflict in the first place. Haggar then turned to Lotor with a sly smirk on her aged face.
"And Lotor, do us all a favor and try to remember that Sakura isn't one of your harem ladies, would you?" she commented, causing both Lotor's and Sakura's eyes to widen in shock at the suggestion.
"MAMA HAGGAR!" Sakura shrieked in disdain and embarrassment.
"I would never think such a thing!" Lotor said, equally flummoxed. "You know I currently only have eyes for Allura! Besides, women only interest me if they have a proper set of breasts, which Sakura still seems to be a while from having at present." Sakura blushed further.
"I'm an AA cup, thank you," she growled under her breath. "And I'm very positive they're still expanding. You do know what a late bloomer is, don't you?!" Lotor's eyes actually bugged out a little further at that info drop.
"Wait, you mean you're actually wearing a. . .?" he started.
"YES! ARE YOU HAPPY?!" she shrieked at him, a few of the other passengers boarding the interstellar craft glancing in their direction, adding to their moment of discomfort. Haggar began cackling merrily, heavily amused at the exchange.
"I'll be waiting in our section," Lotor decided, grabbed his bag, and ducked inside the train, extricating himself from the conversation immediately. Sakura turned and glared at her adoptive parent.
"Did you have to do that?" she growled.
"Well, you are beginning to truly blossom into womanhood, my dear," Haggar replied, still smiling. "And knowing Lotor's mind when it comes to pretty young females, I worry for you."
"Oh, yeah. Worry," Sakura muttered sarcastically as she gripped her bag and finally marched inside the train herself, Spinner, who had smartly stayed quiet throughout the conversation, attached to her shoulder as per usual.
"Well," he commented as they headed into the compartment they would share with Lotor for the trip out. "That was rather awkward."
"Never speak of it again," Sakura hissed.
"Speak of what?" Spinner asked with a smirk of his own.
The trip out was mostly uneventful. About the only thing that stood out was that an asteroid passed in front of the train about an hour out from the planet, and was smashed into pieces as the train went straight on through it. In their cabin, Lotor and Sakura noticed the slight vibrations, but were otherwise undisturbed. So much so that neither bothered to ask the attendant what had happened.
They arrived on planet Mura and were met by the Galran foreman, who seemed both pleased and nervous at Lotor's arrival. The area where they disembarked had a rocky terrain, dominated by a large crater. One side of the crater had been dug open to allow a simple roadway to be built leading into the main area. Within the crater near the center was a Galran fortress, where the two would be staying; to its left and slightly forward was a small arena for entertainment and punishment of slaves; and to the fortress's right and also forward was the one hundred and fifty meter(four hundred and ninety two feet) high Interstellar Space Cannon.
The cannon was bright red, and had a round base which held the main operations center, maintenance facilities, and munitions center. Above that sat the enormous barrel within an equally enormous brace, a group of three rib-like supports sat mid-bore on the cannon on either side, and the end of the barrel was capped with four talon-like prongs at each "corner" of the circular opening. It was very imposing, and still surrounded by scaffolding as the slaves, under the supervision of the watchful overseers and guards, worked feverishly to complete the construction.
The guards on tap were of a slightly different stock from the Galran norm, having light blue skin and various hair colors, seeming somewhat more human than Galran - not unlike Prince Lotor. They wore dark blue, nearly black, uniforms with gold buttons and lining, and black helmets. It was not the first time Sakura had seen such guards, Lotor tending to favor them over the standard Galran rank and file, and she doubted it would be the last time.
"Prince Lotor, we've been expecting you," the foreman greeted his Prince. "As you can see, we've managed to not only stay on schedule with His Majesty's demands, but get a few weeks ahead, and the construction should be finalized within another two days, three at most. Even now I have people working final software installation on the cannon's computers, and the targeting system is being calibrated and prepared for the inaugural shot. I also have some people running last minute checks on the subsystems and the base rotational array. All should be in perfect working order upon your father, King Zarkon's, arrival."
"Very good," Lotor nodded. "I expect full reports on everything in my office in an hour. Until then I'll be in my room getting settled."
"Of course, my Prince," the foreman replied. "I was told that Witch Haggar and her apprentice, the young Witch-in-training Sakura, would be accompanying you. Are they here?"
"Haggar was waylaid by a change in plans, and will be arriving later with my father," Lotor stated, then waved a hand to the waiting Sakura at his side, Spinner at his usual traveling place on her shoulder. "This is Witch Sakura, and you will afford her all the courtesy and respect as you would me, understood?" The foreman looked at Sakura, and for once there was no look of surprise at her appearance.
"Absolutely, Prince Lotor," the foreman nodded. "In fact, when we heard who all was coming we arranged a gift for the young lady, a companion for her stay here." He waved a hand behind him, and a girl of approximately the same age as Sakura came up. She wore a simple brown short-sleeved shirt and pants outfit with red wrist bands and red boots. She had mildly pale skin like porcelain, purple eyes, and grey-violet hair that she wore straight and went down almost to her hips, a red headband holding back her bangs. She stopped just in front of Sakura, blinked, then smiled.
"Hello, my lady," she greeted her. "I am Tomoyo. I'll be your companion while you visit planet Mura." Sakura examined the girl with her eyes carefully, considering, then smiled calmly.
"Alright, I accept your gift, foreman," she said to the civil servant, then turned to Tomoyo, indicating her bag with her staff. "Get that and follow me and Prince Lotor to our rooms in the fortress. And no talking unless spoken to, understood?"
"Yes, my lady," Tomoyo nodded, and stepped forward to pick up the bag in question. Sakura and Lotor then headed off toward the fortress with Tomoyo following obediently behind, the Galactic Train departing a few minutes later to continue on its route. The foreman also followed along, not having been dismissed yet by Lotor.
"Have there been any issues I should be aware of, foreman?" Lotor inquired.
"Not really, sire," the foreman replied. "Other than the slaves occasionally grouching about getting their freedom back or whispering foolhardy plans to rebel or escape, its been pretty uneventful around here. In fact, I rather think that, despite the fact that they must know what we intend to use it for, the Muran workers are actually quite proud of having built the cannon."
"They've brought a new wonder of military technology into being," Lotor smiled. "All from their personal hard work and sweat and tears. Copious amounts, I imagine. They have every reason to be proud of that accomplishment."
"It really is quite impressive," Sakura admitted. "I almost pity the poor suckers who are going to be on its receiving end later. Almost." She noticed the slaves working away on the project, noting they all wore outfits identical to Tomoyo's, the only differences being some were yellow, others grey, and occasionally two of the colors would be combined, usually in the order of brown shirt and yellow pants. Every last one wore the exact same wrist bands and boots, all of them the same shade of red, with some of the women and girls present wearing the same headband as well.
But the one thing that she really noticed, though, was that every Muran, every. . .single. . .one, had the exact same cut to the shoulders curving toward their front to end in two points on either side of their head haircut. She spotted maybe one or two slaves with either longer or shorter hair, and some of the men were balding, but always in the exact same style.
"Have a preferred style of hair you like, foreman?" Sakura inquired.
"It's neat, doesn't affect their vision, easily groomed when needed, and allows them to maintain maximum efficiency," the foreman explained. "The same reason we allow them time to regularly bathe themselves. The stench of being unbathed for more than a day would be incredibly distracting from their work, Witch Sakura." Sakura blinked at the comment about regular bathing, taking another glance to notice that the Murans were uniformly clean, minus their current worked up sweat. A glance over her shoulder at Tomoyo confirmed that she, too, was quite clean. She then recalled that the slaves back on Galra were also at least semi-regularly bathed, her personal room tidier, Naoko, included.
"Okay, I'll give you that one," she admitted.
"It is nicer not to have them smell all the time," Spinner added, to which Lotor gave a quick chuckle, while the foreman blinked and Tomoyo's eyes widened in surprise as both tried to pinpoint where the additional voice came from.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I give you an overly sensitive nose?" Sakura asked, giving Spinner a little scratch with her finger. Tomoyo just stared in surprise, as the foreman blinked again in equal surprise.
"Her toy talks?" Tomoyo asked aloud, then stiffened when she realized she'd just spoken without leave, her hand snapping up to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry." The others merely glanced over their shoulders at her, Spinner lifting off of Sakura's shoulders to turn fully and face the slave girl.
"First, I'm not a toy, I'm her familiar," he corrected Tomoyo with a small smile. "And second, I believe you had explicit instructions about using your vocal cords, did you not?"
"I'm really sorry," Tomoyo said, trying desperately not to panic.
"Let it go, Spinner," Lotor, of all people, said, waving a hand dismissively. "I think we can allow her one tiny slip this early in our possession of her. Don't you agree, Sakura?"
"Given I didn't really introduce Spinner to her, yeah, sure," Sakura decided after only a moment's thought, then, looking over her shoulder at Tomoyo, added, "But one's all you get, understood?"
"Yes, my lady. I understand," Tomoyo bowed her head, then briefly turned her gaze to Lotor. "Thank you for your mercy, oh mighty Prince."
"Mercy?" Lotor blinked, then laughed loudly as Sakura turned back to watch where she was going and Spinner returned to her shoulder. A moment later they reached the doors to the fortress, and Lotor finally waved to the foreman that he was dismissed as a guard met them to lead them to their rooms. Upon reaching their rooms they got settled quickly, the rooms being limited to a bed, a small personal desk, a vanity with mirror, a dresser, and small attached bathroom complete with shower. Lotor then headed to the office to look over the reports he requested while Sakura went for a walk around the construction site, Lotor wanting her to get a feel as to just how foolish the slaves were ready to be.
Sakura was thorough, strolling all throughout the nearly completed cannon, the slaves paying little if any attention to her presence. To make herself all the more "invisible", she had Tomoyo follow along with her while wearing a simple glamour spell that made her appear to the Murans as just another one of them, heading to whatever work she was assigned to. She checked around not just outside the cannon, but took a little stroll inside it, too, and roughly an hour and a half after she started, she headed back to Lotor to give him her report, dropping the glamour spell as she left the cannon behind her.
"And?" Lotor asked as she entered the room and strolled up to the desk he sat at. A lounge couch sat against the right side wall, a small coffee table in front of it, and a communication screen was on the wall behind the desk.
"They're definitely restless," she said. "More than a few whispers of rebellion, and even more of escape. But at this stage it seems like they're more worried about what's going to happen to them after the cannon's finished than anything else."
"Hm, yes, that makes sense," Lotor said. "I've been going over the reports, and everything looks good. We should be ready for the inaugural test shot in two to three days time."
"And in the meantime?" Sakura asked.
"Make ourselves comfortable and keep an eye on things to make sure they get done when they should be," Lotor replied.
"Make ourselves comfortable?" Sakura said, her eyes thoughtful. "I suppose I could come up with something to distract me for a while." She turned to leave the office.
"You do that," Lotor said, then glanced at the next report and blinked. "Wait, is that the date?"
"What about the date?" Sakura turned back to him.
"Huh. I guess the conflict with Arus and Voltron had us so preoccupied we just lost track of the days," Lotor muttered.
"So, what?" Sakura asked. "You thought it had been longer than it actually has been? Or not as long as it actually has been?"
"Hm?" Lotor finally looked back up at her. "Oh, uh, little of both, I guess. Don't you know what day it is in three days?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
"In three days?" she replied, then scrunched her eyes, thinking hard. "Umm, no, not really." She looked at him plainly, curiosity in her eyes. "Why? Is it important?"
"Well, yes and no," he answered. "You know what, go find yourself some entertainment. I have things in hand here." Sakura arched an eye in confusion, then shrugged and headed out the door. Tomoyo, who had followed Sakura to the office and waited diligently outside while quietly listening to every word, glanced briefly at the Prince while he went through the next report in the pile, then walked smartly after her current mistress.
"Seriously, what was he getting on about?" Sakura pondered as she held her hands behind her head, her mind deep in thought.
"I have no idea, my lady," Tomoyo replied. "Could a Galran holiday be coming up?"
"No, I don't think so," Sakura said, then dropped her eyes into a small scowl. "And I wasn't talking to you."
"I'm sorry," Tomoyo said. "Just trying to be helpful."
"And you failed," Sakura stated, then paused before giving a shrug. "Though not through lack of trying." Tomoyo briefly considered thanking Sakura for the thought, but then quashed it, keeping her mouth closed for the moment. "Heck with it," Sakura decided. "I'm gonna hit the library, grab a computer, and play some solitaire or something." With that decision in mind, she headed off, Tomoyo quietly following behind.
"Garrison, this is Agent 3961 on Mura, come in. Repeat, this is Agent 3961 calling Garrison, please come in."
"Garrison here, 3961. What do you have to report?"
"Garrison, Interstellar Space Cannon construction will be complete in approximately two days time, three max. Also, Lotor and Haggar's apprentice are on-planet overseeing final stages of construction. Zarkon and Haggar expected to join them in time for inaugural test shot. Instructions?"
"3961, attempt to sabotage Cannon if possible, otherwise, hang tight. Will look into other options in the meantime."
"Garrison, two more things. First, why was I not told that Haggar's apprentice was a human? And second, is there anything significant occurring in three days time that you know you of?"
"3961, apologies, intel on species of witch's pupil only recently transferred to us from Captain Keith and his men on Arus. As to second inquiry... ….no, nothing looks significant about it. Why?"
"Garrison, Lotor seemed to think it was of some kind of importance. Are you sure it isn't some sort of Galran holiday or festival or something?"
"3961, only if the Doomies celebrate April Fools. Otherwise, not to our knowledge. Anything else?"
"Garrison, not at this time. 3961, signing off."
"3961, good luck out there. Garrison, signing off."
The rest of that day went by uneventfully, Lotor and Sakura finding ways to distract themselves when not occupied minding the construction, which they generally left to the foreman and his staff. During that time, Sakura found Tomoyo's company surprisingly pleasant, the girl unexpectedly knowledgeable on multiple subjects, allowing for actually constructive conversations when she allowed the girl to speak freely.
During the following afternoon, Sakura took a shower, then sat in front of her vanity in a robe, pondering things. As she pondered, Tomoyo came up behind her.
"Would you like me to brush your hair for you, my lady?" she asked politely.
"Hm? Oh, sure, go ahead," Sakura replied, levitating the brush to her servant, who caught it and started carefully going to work.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, my lady, where are you from?" Tomoyo asked as she brushed.
"From?" Sakura arched an eye. "My home is on Galra. I live in the royal castle with Haggar and Lotor." She paused. "And, unfortunately, King Zarkon."
"I meant before that, my lady," Tomoyo clarified. "I mean, you weren't born on Galra...were you?"
"Oh," Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "I...don't honestly know. I think I might have been born somewhere else, and came to Galra and mama Haggar afterward. I know I've been with her since I was very small. In fact, I can't remember a time I wasn't part of the Empire."
"Really?" Tomoyo asked, a note of sadness in her voice. "That's so sad for you."
"Sad?" Sakura asked.
"You can't even remember your own home, the place where you were born," Tomoyo explained. "Does your family not want to tell you anything about that?"
"Mama Haggar is my family, the only one I've ever known," Sakura replied. "My birth parents died long ago, before Haggar took me in. I..." She paused, a momentary wave of sorrow passing through her. "I don't even remember what they looked like anymore."
"If they were alive," Tomoyo said, "they'd probably feel really mixed about you."
"How do you figure that?" Sakura arched her eye again.
"Well, on the one hand, they'd probably be very proud of you," Tomoyo stated. "A powerful witch, with a position of authority within the highest ranks of a royal court! How could they not be? But on the other hand, it's the Galran Royal Court, the rulers of evil over nearly a third of the whole galaxy! Murdering and enslaving hundreds of thousands of innocent people everyday, and you're a willing part of that! I can only imagine that part would fill them with great shame."
"Pride and shame? All at once?" Sakura mused, then gave a small, bemused laugh. "Now that's kind of rich."
"Doesn't it ever bother you?" Tomoyo asked. "Helping them do what they do? At all?" For a moment Sven's face, joined by Lisa's brother's and King Magg's, all of them scowling at her fiercely, passed through Sakura's mind, but she immediately shoved them out.
"No," she answered. "And even if I did, what could I do about it? The enemy is the enemy and they bring what happens on themselves. And trust me when I say there's no reasoning with Zarkon or Lotor once they've made up their minds about something. I'm alive. And I mean to stay that way."
"So that's the whole of your life, then?" Tomoyo lowered her eyes sorrowfully. "Just staying alive? Never really living?"
"I am living!" Sakura scowled slightly. "I'm contributing to the future! I have a boy I like! I have my own hobbies! Done things because it was what I wanted to do, not because someone told me to! And I have my magic, and it's mine and only I get to decide what to do with it!"
"You have a boyfriend?" Tomoyo paused a moment, honestly surprised.
"Uh, no," Sakura admitted. "Pidge is...playing hard to get."
"Really?" Tomoyo continued brushing. "Someone as cute as you is having trouble landing a special someone?" Sakura's eyes widened at that comment.
"Cute?" she asked. "You really think so?"
"Oh, absolutely," Tomoyo said, finishing her task and setting down the brush. "I'd never lie about something like that."
"Congratulations," Sakura commented quietly. "You're officially the second person to ever say that about me. At least, where I could hear it."
"Oh?" Tomoyo felt herself brighten a bit. "Who was the first?"
"Prince Bandor of Pollux," Sakura admitted, then found herself sagging a touch. "And after everything we've done to him and his world, he still seems to actually like me." She thought for a moment before adding, "I guess his mind must have snapped from all of it."
"Or maybe he's still convinced there's something in you worth trying to save," Tomoyo suggested.
"Save?" Sakura asked. "Why would I need saving?"
"Because you're not the evil monster the rest of them are," Tomoyo said. "Not yet."
"Bandor's sister would beg to differ," Sakura replied, recalling Romelle's attempt on her life back on planet Russel. "Besides, it's just a matter of time before Zarkon finally rules everything, and if not him, Lotor in his place. Best to stay on the winning side."
"The winning side?" Tomoyo arched an eyebrow. "You honestly believe the Empire will ultimately defeat the Alliance? From what I hear, they're consistently getting their butts handed to them by Voltron, and that's just one robot."
"And after Voltron meets the power of our new super cannon, he'll be a pile of burning scrap metal," Sakura smiled. "That, or Zarkon will have it fired at Arus directly. Damage the whole planet in a way so as to wreck their ability to defend themselves or even use the robot in time to stop our forces from mopping up."
"Only if the cannon ever becomes operational," Tomoyo whispered to herself, glowering. Unfortunately, she forgot for that one brief moment that Sakura could still see her in the mirror.
"What was that, slave?" Sakura glared at Tomoyo's reflection. Tomoyo immediately beamed into a happy smile.
"Nothing, my lady!" she chimed. "Just thinking about my probable next assignment after you leave Mura."
"What makes you think I won't take you home with me?" Sakura arched her eyebrow at Tomoyo again, a smile returning to her own lips.
"Go to Galra? With you?" Tomoyo stiffened, her pupils shrinking to little dots and her face paling.
"Of course," Sakura said. "You do belong to me now, and I find your presence surprisingly enjoyable. Why wouldn't I take you back with me?"
"Uhhh, don't you already have a personal slave waiting back there for you?" Tomoyo asked, her mind desperately trying to find a reason for her to be left on Mura.
"Sure I do," Sakura replied. "But she's mostly for keeping my room and my and mama Haggar's lab clean and tidy. Besides, you can never have too many personal slaves on hand."
"Oh, um, uh, I was under the impression I was only to be your companion while you visited Mura, and no longer," Tomoyo threw out, mental panic starting to set in and cloud her mind.
"You were a gift," Sakura corrected. "And since when does one ever return a gift? Especially one as pleasant to have as you?"
"Uh, okay," Tomoyo said, her brain still slightly locked up. Just then the door chime was heard, and they turned to see a guard step inside and snap to attention.
"Witch Sakura, dinner is prepared and Prince Lotor awaits your company should you wish to join him," the guard said.
"Very well, I'll be along presently," she replied and waved him out, the guard departing immediately. Sakura stood and motioned to the dresser. "Fetch me a set of clothes, would you?" she requested, and Tomoyo went and collected the required items while Sakura removed her robe. After a few moments she was dressed, and then stepped over to the bed, where Spinner had been sleeping in a small curled ball the entire time. She gave him a nudge, waking him.
"Hm, yes?" he asked, his voice a little groggy.
"Dinner time," Sakura said, a little sing-song note in her voice. Spinner rubbed his eyes and lifted into the air, following Sakura as she retrieved her staff and exited the room. Tomoyo followed behind them, having not been dismissed.
'No,' the slave girl thought to herself. 'I can't leave Mura! And the cannon, it mustn't be allowed to become operational!'
A couple of hours later after dinner, Lotor and Sakura decided to relax a bit, Lotor taking a drink at his desk in his office, while Sakura enjoyed a milkshake made of imported ingredients on the lounge couch, both thinking of the most likely events to come. Most prominently on Lotor's mind was using the cannon to blackmail Arus into handing over Allura to him at last, a smile filling his face at the thought of her trying one last time to dash away from him, only for him to grab her by the hand and forcing her into his arms. Sakura, meanwhile, thought of the threat of the cannon being used to force Pidge's surrender, a scene of Pidge coming to her and kneeling before her in supplication, she taking his head in her hand to gaze admiringly into his beautiful face filling her mind. Like Lotor, she smiled happily at the mental images.
Spinner also sat upon the couch, flipping through a book he'd grabbed at the fortress's library, and Tomoyo stood to the left of the couch, awaiting instructions from Sakura. Sakura's staff lay against the couch. The quiet was suddenly cut by a chime going off, the communication screen coming to life to show an image of King Zarkon.
"Lotor!" the King snapped out, and Lotor and Sakura jumped to their feet, Spinner into the air, all facing their liege; the drinks were quickly placed on the desk and table as they stood, and Spinner's book dropped on the couch as he flew up. Tomoyo, not knowing what she should or shouldn't do, simply stayed still, save for turning her eyes to see the King of evil for herself for the first time.
'That's him? That's Zarkon?' she thought to herself. 'I thought he'd be scarier.'
"Father," Lotor replied to his sire.
"Sire," Sakura and Spinner nodded their heads.
"Give me a report," Zarkon ordered. "I trust the construction is progressing?"
"Yes, Father, it progresses favorably," Lotor replied, giving a slight bow with his right hand held across his chest, Sakura and Spinner following suit. The image then shifted to one of Haggar, and Tomoyo's eyes widened just a tiny sliver.
"Be careful, Lotor," Haggar said. "We mustn't let the project's existence be discovered by outside forces."
"No worries," Lotor stated. "All security measures have been taken. Not even the Voltron Force could chance on this, never mind the Alliance."
"Against our enemies, even a thousand eyes and ears might not be enough!" Haggar warned. "Do not be negligent!"
"Agreed," Zarkon cut back in. "Betrayal from within may yet plague you. Already there's the chance that an intelligence leak has occurred."
"What?!" Lotor's head snapped up. Sakura and Spinner also gaped at that reveal as their heads snapped up as well.
"When?!" Sakura squeaked. "How?!" To the side, Tomoyo stiffened, her eyes now widening a full centimeter.
"Our people detected an outgoing transmission from Mura mere hours after your arrival there, my evil sweetheart," Haggar returned. "They have yet to ascertain its source of origin, and it was sufficiently short lived and buried in the bandwidth that they have also been unable to track it to its destination."
"Seriously, ma. . .Master Haggar?" Sakura asked. "That's annoying. Do we at least have any idea what was transmitted?"
'That's who Sakura calls 'mama'?' Tomoyo thought.
"No, by the time it was detected it was already cutting out," Haggar admitted, almost bemoaningly. "Nothing was able to be recorded before it ended. If it is a leak, they know how to cover their tracks quite well."
"Damn," Sakura and Lotor both growled. Haggar then batted her old eyes to the side, a curiosity in them.
"Tell me, my wicked one, who is that child with you?" the elderly witch inquired. Sakura blinked, turning a quick eye to Tomoyo before turning back.
"A gift to me from the foreman," she answered. "Her company has been rather enjoyable. I intend to bring her back with me to Galra."
"Why did she react so nervously to our discussion about the possible leak?" Haggar arched an eye, and Tomoyo felt herself stiffen further.
"She did?" Sakura, Lotor, and Spinner all turned to look at her. Tomoyo thought for a moment, then turned fully to face the witch on the screen, her hands slapped together in front of her as though she were praying.
"I was just surprised to hear that anyone had the nerve to try and betray his most royal evilness, Lady Haggar," Tomoyo said, giving a bow of submission as she finished. "I now dread the no doubt horrible executions of my fellow people that are certain to come over this," she added. Just then a guard entered the room, his face sweating.
"Sire!" the guard addressed Lotor. Lotor turned to face the guard, as did Sakura and Spinner, Tomoyo for the moment forgotten, much to her relief. "Urgent news! A group of prisoners have escaped!"
"WHAT?!" Lotor roared, leaping over the desk and running over to the guard. Upon reaching him, Lotor grabbed him by the coat and lifted him off the ground. "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW MANY GOT AWAY?!"
"S...six of them, sir," the guard replied. "They were on the periphery, carting refuse away to the disposal field, and took the three guards by surprise when they turned to check a sound. The survivor says it happened too fast for them to react in time!"
"EXCUSES!" Lotor roared, dropping the man back to the ground. "Where's the survivor?!"
"In the Medical Wing, Sire, recovering!" the guard answered quickly.
"And his supervisor?!" Lotor glared. The guard gulped.
"That. . .would be me," he said. "Sire."
"Not anymore, you fool!" Lotor drew his sword and swung down upon the man, slicing him open from his left collar to his right waist.
"Sire, please. . .GAAAAHHHHH!" The guard desperately pleaded, to no avail, then screamed as the blow landed. He slumped to the ground, bleeding out. Tomoyo shrieked at the sight, clasping her hands over her mouth, Sakura finally turning back to her.
"How could he?" Tomoyo gasped through her hands.
"He failed in his duties to the Prince," Sakura replied calmly. "How could Lotor do any less?"
"He didn't have to kill him!" Tomoyo shrieked before she could stop herself, then froze as she turned to see Lotor suddenly standing over her.
"Let me guess," he said, a sinister, almost terrifying, calm in his voice. "Your first execution?" She was so frightened that all Tomoyo could do in response was nod slightly. Sakura stepped up to her, and grabbed her chin with her hand, turning Tomoyo's face toward her.
"Get used it," Sakura said. "They happen almost daily on Galra." Tomoyo could only feel her heart sinking at that statement.
"Leave the girl for now," Zarkon's voice cut in from the communication screen, reminding them that the call was still ongoing, causing Sakura and Lotor to turn away from the slave girl. "Tend to the more immediate problem, Lotor. Find the escaped slaves, and kill them. And make a spectacle of it as an example to the rest of the worms on Mura."
"Of course, Father," Lotor nodded toward the screen, sheathing his blade.
"I think your new pet will make for some delightfully fresh entertainment for us, little witch," Zarkon added as an aside to Sakura.
"Very likely, your highness," Sakura replied curtly. Tomoyo felt herself sinking even further into despair.
"We'll see you upon our arrival in two days time, Lotor," Zarkon stated. "Be ready."
"Yes, Father. I will be," Lotor answered, and the screen went black, the call ended. Lotor turned to head to the door. "Let's tend to this problem quickly," the Prince decided.
Sadly for the escaped prisoners, Lotor and his men were able to locate them relatively quickly, the search only lasting about three hours. Lotor then had the torches around the Muran arena lit, and all the slaves marched in and seated. As the last took their seats, curious as to what was up, and dreading the possible answer, five of the recaptured escapees were brought in and tied to wooden poles lying on the ground in the center of the arena. The poles were then lifted to stand upright, the five slaves now bound an easy six to eight feet off the ground. The sixth was then escorted in, getting kicked in the rear and flying forward to land on the ground before his fellows. The crowd started making noise, getting restless and fidgety.
"Silence!" Lotor's voice boomed over the crowd, drawing their attention. A large hologram of Lotor appeared in the sky above the arena, his face stern. "What you see before you is the price of disobedience! Look well at what happens to those who attempt to defy the rulers of planet Galra!"
"Laying it on thick, aren't you, Lotor?" Sakura's voice chimed with a note of amusement in it, the girl stepping into the hologram beside him, Spinner sitting on his usual shoulder.
"Well, Father did say to make it a spectacle," Lotor commented idly to her.
"Okay, then," Sakura replied. "What'cha got for 'em?" More than a few members of the crowd found themselves staring in both shock and rage at the sight of the human child alongside the Prince of Doom, the camaraderie in their behavior all too clear. Lotor gave a quick snap of his fingers, and a gate lifted, a turquoise skinned monstrosity entering the arena with a roar.
It wore only black ankle bands and wrist bands and a red loincloth held up by a black belt, the belt and wrist bands sporting equally red gemstones on them. Its bald, dark turquoise head had three eyes in it, plus one more in its chin, the four yellow orbs scanning the prey before it. The monster's teeth, not surprisingly, were all razor sharp, ready to rend the flesh of its victims. It stomped forward toward the bound men, stopping to lean over and sniff the one on the ground, licking the poor man with its serpentine tongue. The crowd began gasping in horror, a few shrieks included as well.
"Ooh, nasty," Sakura quipped. "This is gonna be messy, isn't it?"
"Like Father said," Lotor replied. "Spectacle." He then turned his attention back to the action at hand, addressing the monster in the ring. "Take your time tasting your meal, there's no rush."
"ENOUGH!" a voice screamed from the crowd, causing both Lotor and Sakura to blink in surprise. A blue-green haired man in the crowd had jumped to his feet, screaming defiantly. "STOP THIS NOW! EVERYONE, ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO SIT THERE AND LET THEM KILL OUR PEOPLE?! I SAY NO! STOP IT NOW!" The crowd began bustling with noise, most clearly agreeing with the man's call for action.
"Mouthy fellow, isn't he?" Spinner commented idly.
"Too mouthy," Sakura grumbled.
"Do you listen to this impudent slave, or do you listen to me?!" Lotor asked the crowd. "Defy me, and more will be slain!"
"DON'T LISTEN TO THAT GUY! DON'T LET HIM FOOL YOU!" another man jumped to his feet. "HE CAN'T AFFORD TO SLAUGHTER US! HE'S BLUFFING! LET'S SAVE OUR GUYS!"
"YEAH!" the crowd roared, all of them jumping to their feet at once, their fists raised to the sky. "STOP THIS NOW! STOP THIS NOW! STOP THIS NOW!" they roared, the words becoming a chant as they punched the air with their fists. The monster looked up from its intended meal, four eyes scanning the crowd while it tried to understand what all the yelling was about. It stood up and roared, grabbing its head as if in pain, then dashed around, swinging its arms in the air at the crowd in threatening poses like it thought that would be enough to quiet them. After a few moments with no change in the crowd, the monster roared again, once more clenching its head in its hands, its eyes closed, and then ran back to its pen to escape the agitated crowd.
"Wow," Sakura drawled as she watched on the view screen in Lotor's office. "That thing wouldn't last two minutes against Voltron." Next to her, Lotor growled in annoyance at this turn.
"So fear doesn't sway them?!" he snarled, clenching his own fist in the air. "You won't back down?!" He grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Perhaps you'd like the taste of...!" he started to draw his blade, only to be grabbed by the two guards who had been standing behind him the whole time. Sakura turned, watching Lotor, concern filling her face.
"Sire, please! Think clearly!" the first one said. "Think of the weapon!"
"The weapon comes first, Highness!" the other added.
"Release me at once!" Lotor snapped at them. "I'll kill them all!"
"If you kill them now, the construction won't be completed!" the first guard interjected.
"Unless you were planning to have all of us do it instead," Spinner added dryly. This finally caused Lotor to settle down, at least for the moment. The guards released their hold, and dropped to their knees in subjugation.
"We just got back the latest figures, sire," the first guard stated. "All will be finished in one more day."
"So please, for now, spare their lives," the second said. "Then you may kill them if you wish." Lotor ground his teeth, but accepted the truth of their words.
"Fine, I suppose I have no choice," Lotor commented, anger still in his voice. "Not if I want to get Allura. Send a contingent to restore order and return the slaves to their cells. Minor injuries are permitted provided they don't disable anyone."
"What about those guys?" Sakura asked, indicating the recaptured escapees still waiting in the arena itself.
"Leave them until dawn, then let the sun take care of them," Lotor said, then marched out of the room in a huff.
"You two have no idea how lucky you are right now," Sakura commented to the guards, then headed out of the room herself. "You can leave now," she waved behind her as she went. Slumped onto her knees on the other side of the room from them, Tomoyo stared as the guards rose and departed, desperately trying to get her heart to slow down after everything that had just happened, and the face of the Prince she had just been witness to.
'Gods,' she thought. 'What am I going to do?'
The following evening, as the construction was being finalized, a quiet settled over the slaves and guards watching them. Whilst everyone was working, a small craft slipped down to the surface, and two figures quickly crept about. A pair of guards spotted the two, and in the attempt to take them prisoner, the guards themselves were rendered unconscious, stripped, bound, and quickly stowed behind some large rocky outcroppings. The two figures quickly donned the guards' uniforms and started creeping around again, seeking a safe means of approaching the cannon.
As fate would have it, the slaves were allowed a break right then, the man who had started the crowd's scream riot in the arena the night before taking a seat to mop his brow and forearms with a sweat rag. As he finished mopping himself, he glanced up to notice a pair of shadows dashing away behind the larger rocks that sat away from the work area. Curiosity getting the better of him, he stood up and walked over to the boulders to get a closer look, and gasped in surprise at what he found.
"What in the. . .?" he asked the air. "What's this?"
"Hold on, slave!" a voice called out behind him, causing him to turn and see Lotor and a guard, the guard's sword drawn, dashing toward him. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"Wait, I can explain!" he snapped out desperately, but then Lotor got close enough to see him, and instantly recognized his face.
"YOU!" Lotor half roared. "You're the slave who dared to defy me!"
'Oh, crap,' the slave thought.
"Your excellency, please wait," he said quickly.
"Don't bother begging for your life! I'm making an example of you!" Lotor yanked out his sword and gave it a swing, the slave barely jumping away from it, and then desperately pointing to what lay behind the nearby boulders.
"Please, look!" the slave cried, having literally no other cards to play.
"You take me for a...What the...?" Lotor started while batting an eye for a quick look on the off chance he wasn't playing a trick, only to be met with the sight of the two unconscious guards stripped to their skivvies. The sight claimed his attention fully. "Guards? What's the meaning of this?!"
"Well, if I had money, I'd bet it on you having a pair of infiltrators," the slave said as calmly as he could. "Your highness." Lotor's eyes widened in panic, realizing the slave could very well be right.
"Alert all defense units at once!" Lotor commanded. "And someone wake Witch Sakura and get her over here, we may need the aid of her sorcery!"
"Yes, my Prince!" the guard nodded, sheathed his blade, and took off to relay the orders.
"Who dares try to interfere with us on this?" Lotor muttered to himself, then turned back to the slave. "You've earned a momentary reprieve, slave. Come with me, I want your eyes to help me search for our unwanted guests."
"Yes, sire," the slave responded with a quick nod of his head. He knew refusal right now would lead most likely to a swift death. That didn't mean he necessarily had to do a good job, though.
Sakura blinked awake at the sudden banging on her door, rising to a sitting position in her bed. A glance out her window told her it was still the middle of the night. 'They better have a good reason for this,' she thought as she got out of bed and answered the door.
"Yes?" she asked the guard on the other side.
"Witch Sakura, Prince Lotor has ordered your presence immediately," the guard saluted her. "Someone has infiltrated the premises."
"Say what?" her eyes widened as surprise pushed sleep out of her brain.
Fifteen minutes later she joined Lotor as he and the guards and the one slave were still searching around for whoever had snuck in. Lotor quickly filled her in on the discovery of the two unconscious, half naked guards, and that it was only because the slave had "reported" it immediately that he hadn't been killed. Yet.
"Any sign of our new 'friends'?" she asked.
"Not so far," Lotor replied. "Got any tricks that could aid us?"
"Maybe," Sakura said. "Maybe not." She clasped her hands around her staff, closed her eyes, and focused as hard as she could, a wave of magic emanating out from her to briefly encompass the entire crater. After a few moments it subsided and she opened her eyes again. "Nope," she reported. "Can't tell the intruders from the slaves, their energy is all the same."
"Oh, well, worth a shot," Lotor grimaced. "We'll just have to use our eyes, then."
"How much of a threat do you think we're looking at?" she inquired. Before Lotor could answer, though, the slave suddenly shouted out from an entry point on the side of the cannon leading into a maintenance corridor.
"HERE THEY ARE! I FOUND THEM! GUARDS, THIS WAY! THEY'RE DOWN THERE!" the slave shouted loudly, a platoon of eight guards dashing in. "They're this way, in guard's uniforms!" the slave directed them, Lotor and Sakura coming up just in time to see two men in said uniforms looking a little too peach colored to be Galrans dashing away as the platoon opened fire on them with their blaster rifles. Unfortunately the guards failed to actually aim, allowing the two mystery men to escape unharmed, though the guards would give chase for several minutes.
Lotor, meanwhile, walked up to where the impostors had been when they were caught, looking at what they had left behind. A solid backpack like contraption that had been attached to the wall, a panel still open and exposed revealing multiple buttons, and a screen that was flashing while a slow beeping could be heard.
"The audacity," Lotor growled. "Who would dare?" Sakura came up and looked at the device, her eyes widening.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.
"Yes," Lotor replied, not really paying attention, until Sakura let out a small shriek, wrapped him in a magic shell, and yanked him back outside whilst running out herself. The slave had been nearby, and blinked in reaction to Sakura's swift movements.
"You, slave! Remove that at once!" Sakura leaned her head around the corner to snap at him while pointing at the device, Lotor's own head turning back around the corner a second later.
"Me?" the slave gaped. Fortunately the guards returned, and noticed the situation at once, two of them quickly kneeling before the device and quickly disabling it before pulling it off the wall.
"Report," Lotor commanded as he stepped fully back into the corridor, the lead guard snapping to attention with a salute.
"I'm afraid the impostors got away, Prince Lotor," the guard stated. "We lost sight of them as they ran back into the hills under darkness. So far it looks like only this and one other large explosive was planted before they were found, so that's in our favor. I've sent other guards to search the hills in the direction they escaped, and have others checking around the cannon's base for any other signs of sabotage."
"Very well," Lotor nodded. "Have the explosives disposed of properly. And have this slave taken to my office." The slave stiffened a little in surprise at the command, unsure what to think. Lotor then turned to Sakura.
"Could I ask one last quick favor before I release you back to your bed?" he asked.
"What would you like?" Sakura asked, one eyebrow arched in curiosity. Lotor bent down and whispered something in her ear, a slight smile returning to her face. "I think I can manage that," she said.
About forty minutes later in Lotor's office, the slave sat in a kneeling position on the floor with head bowed slightly, waiting patiently as Lotor waited sitting on the edge of his desk. The door opened to reveal Sakura holding a bottle in her hands. She carried it directly over to Lotor and handed it to him, who smiled as he took it.
"As requested, though I warn you the results are not guaranteed as I didn't give it the full time normally needed to attain full potency," she stated. "I'd normally let it sit for a couple of hours or so for that. But since I thought you'd like it sooner..."
"It'll be fine, Sakura," Lotor replied, grabbing a goblet and pouring the bottle's contents into it. He then turned to the slave still waiting on the floor. "What is your name, slave?" he asked.
"My name is Hallem, Sire," the slave replied.
"And why did you alert me to the infiltration?" Lotor asked, taking a drink from the goblet.
"I had a choice?" Hallem counter-asked. "You were about to kill me, and it was the only option available at the time."
"A fair point," Lotor agreed. "Let me rephrase that. Why did you sound the alarm when you spotted the actual intruders rather than let them finish their sabotage and escape?"
"Finishing the cannon is my dream, your excellency," Hallem replied. "I didn't want it to be destroyed." At this Hallem finally summoned the courage to look up at his interrogator. "I am loyal to you, and wished to prove that."
"Loyal?" Lotor smirked. "I'd like to believe that, but I would be foolish not to make certain." Lotor stood up and walked over to Hallem, refilling the goblet as he went. "This is a truth potion, Hallem. Made by Witch Sakura herself, so you can rest assured it works as advertised. One sip, and you won't be able to tell a lie. Have a cup." With that, Lotor handed the goblet to Hallem, who stared at it with wide eyes.
"But..." Hallem started.
"What's the matter, can't drink it?" Lotor asked. "Come now, honest men don't fear. Are you afraid? Afraid of the truth?"
"You're not scared of my mixing skills, are you?" Sakura stepped up next to Lotor, bending down slightly to stare at Hallem with a smile on her face. She stood back up and took the bottle from Lotor, taking a quick swig of the contents, a drop slipping out of the corner of her mouth that she wiped off with the back of her hand. She then raised her hand, energy starting to crackle around it. "I might feel insulted," she added.
"I understand," Hallem said, and took the goblet, gulping down the whole thing before setting it on the floor.
"So then," Lotor said, watching Hallem carefully. "Why do you wish to see the cannon completed?"
"I wish to test fire it at the inaugural ceremony, to demonstrate its power," Hallem replied.
"Why? For glory?" Lotor asked.
"To win the freedom of my people who built it," Hallem answered. Lotor chuckled.
"All right, depending on your behavior I may choose to spare their lives," Lotor decided. "But I won't say if I'll free them or not, as I just drank the potion myself."
"And before you even ask, whether I wanted to or not I don't really have the authority to declare your people free," Sakura commented.
"You may return to your barracks for the night, Hallem," Lotor stated, and Hallem rose to his feet, departing the room. "Well done, Sakura," Lotor commented to his comrade. "I could definitely feel my ability to speak deceit heavily hampered."
"Yeah, but not completely," Sakura said, and scowled. "Also, I clearly needed to add a couple more berries for flavoring. That was way too acrid. So, is the cannon clear of all sabotage?"
"Indeed," Lotor confirmed. "They actually found a series of smaller explosives strewn all over. Our saboteurs were planning to make quite the amount of noise with our new toy."
"Whoa, did we ever get lucky," Sakura commented. "Zarkon would have been beyond pissed." She then yawned, tiredness starting to catch up to her.
"I imagine you'd like to go back to bed now," Lotor said. "Go ahead, get your rest. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Thanks, Lotor," Sakura replied. "See you tomorrow." And with that, Sakura left the office. Lotor quietly smiled to himself.
"Oh, yes," he mused. "A very big day."
Sakura strolled down the hall, headed for the sleeping chambers, exhaustion already beginning to sink back into her brain. And then she heard the voice of Hallem cry out once again.
"GUARDS, I'VE FOUND THE ARUSIAN SPIES!" his voice called out loudly, and a moment later six guards ran past and down a side corridor. Sakura, the sleep once more pushed from her, bolted after them.
"They're in the fortress?!" she pondered aloud. "Who are these guys?!" She turned the corner in time to see the impostors fleeing once again, the guards firing after them as they ran. This time, though, thanks to the far better light of the corridor and one briefly glancing back as he ran, Sakura was able to get a look at one of the men's faces. A face, even from a distance, she recognized all too well. She froze in place, her eyes wide.
"Keith?!" she gaped.
Four minutes earlier. . .
Hallem stepped out of the Prince's office, the door automatically shutting behind him. His breathing was steady, but barely. He hadn't known what he was in for when Prince Lotor had ordered him taken to the office, but ultimately it had been both far more and far less harrowing than he'd have thought it would be. More in that he was certain Prince Lotor would kill him at any moment, most likely for the scene he'd caused at the arena the previous night. Less in that the questions had been fairly straightforward, and hadn't required him betraying any friends. The truth potion was unexpected though, and there was little doubt in his mind that had Lotor asked his questions differently he would have said something he most certainly didn't want to.
And the young witch girl, Sakura Lotor had called her, was to his mind kind of terrifying. At first blush she had seemed like an almost normal child, just following her elder's directions without really thinking through the potential consequences. Even when she'd ordered him to get rid of the bomb the impostors had left in their haste to escape, Hallem couldn't find it in his heart to fault the girl. But the way she smiled in the office while crackling energy around her hand. . . No, whatever else the girl might be, he decided, she was evil, just as twisted and corrupt as her Prince.
As he mulled all this over, he started to turn a corner when two surprisingly powerful hands grabbed him and pulled him down the hall and into a slightly darkened side hall. 'Geeze, what now?' he thought. Hallem found himself pressed against the wall with a hand clamped over his mouth as he looked up at who had grabbed him. He blinked in shock as he saw before him one of the two humans who had stolen guards' uniforms before him, still wearing said uniform. He immediately started trying to break free of the man's grip.
"Keep quiet, and stop fighting me," the man whispered. "We're here to help you, and free the people of Mura." Hallem stilled his attempts, glancing over to see the other impostor walking up quietly from his left.
"Why'd you sound the alarm?" the second man asked. "We could have destroyed the cannon!" The first man then released his grip on Hallem, allowing him to rub his mouth before he spoke.
"You're the ones who were planting the explosives," he commented. "Aren't you?"
"Yes," the second man said. "You can trust us, we're the Voltron Force. I'm Keith, and this is Lance."
"Then that's all the more reason to turn you in," Hallem said. "And I will. I don't want to be 'saved'."
"Are you serious?" Lance grabbed him by the shirt again. "What's your problem?"
"You betrayed this planet," Hallem scowled. "I don't care if Voltron is destroyed."
"You wanna explain that?!" Lance growled.
"Why do you hate Voltron so much?" Keith asked, much more calmly.
"You know how Zarkon and the Galra attacked Arus fifteen years ago?" Hallem asked. Keith and Lance nodded. "When that happened, upon hearing of it my people sent aid, risking our lives to help you. But despite it all, Voltron never rose to aid in the battle. My father, my brother, they both died in that fight!" Hallem started to shed tears as he spoke, Lance releasing his grip.
"Look my friend, you have to understand," Keith started. "Back then, Voltron was..."
"Excuses!" Hallem growled. "It's far too late for your "justifications" now!"
"You really want to be on the same side as the monsters who killed your family?!" Lance stared at him aghast.
"Seems to be working out fine for the witch girl," Hallem brushed him off.
"Be reasonable!" Keith said before Lance could react to Hallem's comment. "You can't free your people alone! Join forces with us! We can help!"
"I only need to count on myself!" Hallem stated with a scowl. "I now control the cannon!" He then rose his hands to his mouth, and shouted loudly, "GUARDS, I'VE FOUND THE ARUSIAN SPIES!" Keith and Lance stared at him in shock, then Lance grabbed him by the shirt again.
"You son of a. . .!" Lance growled, but then the sound of running footsteps caught their attention, and they turned to see shadows approaching from down the hall. "Damn, time to leave!" Lance gritted his teeth and let Hallem go. The two started dashing down the hall, Keith glancing back as he did.
"Don't let your father's and brother's deaths be for nothing!" he called to Hallem. The guards opened fire then, Keith and Lance barely escaping down the halls, but not before Hallem caught the sound of another voice.
"Keith?!" the female voice intoned, and Hallem glanced over his shoulder as the guards ran past him, once more after the intruders. Standing just down the hallway, a look of surprise on her face, was the witch girl, Sakura. She then took on a look of pure rage.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" she snapped, then charged off back down the hall, Hallem watching her go. He then turned away, lost for the moment in thought.
'This is my battle, my fight,' he decided, clenching his fist. 'I don't need help from anyone else!'
Sakura reported her sighting of Keith to Lotor immediately, who was even less pleased than she was. And when the guards returned, reporting Keith and his companion had escaped again, departing Mura rapidly in what looked like just the head of Green Lion, Lotor was even angrier, but decided to let it slide.
The cannon was finished, and if Voltron was mad enough to try and attack now, the robot would be finished in one shot. For the moment, his best choice was to get some sleep, something Sakura happily agreed to. This time, she managed to make it to her room, switch back into her nightgown, and plopped down on the bed, zonking out as soon as her head reached the pillow.
Out in space, in the asteroid belt just beyond Mura's orbit, the rest of Voltron, already united into the mighty robot, lay hidden, Green's head returning as quick as it could. As soon as Green's head had reattached and Keith, Lance, and Pidge had done a quick space walk back to their lions, Keith laid out the only plan he had left – take Voltron in and destroy the cannon head on. Though even he admitted it was both highly insane and extremely dangerous. But as their attempt at covert surveillance turned sabotage had failed, it really was the only option they had left.
Several hours later, the Galran soldiers were all outside and at attention in front of the giant weapon as the Interstellar Space Cannon was officially christened. The Galran crowd cheered loudly to the air.
"LONG LIVE PRINCE LOTOR! LONG LIVE THE GALRA EMPIRE!" they cried. At the fortress, Lotor stood on a balcony, Sakura at his side with her staff in her hand, Spinner on her shoulder, two guards standing behind them at either end of the balcony. A small table sat behind them with a (for the moment) discarded datapad laying upon it.
"Our Interstellar Space Cannon is now complete!" Lotor declared loudly to the crowd below. "With it, Voltron's threat is now meaningless! We will destroy him with one shot! And then the Empire will march, unopposed, across the galaxy!" The crowd below cheered even more. "Sadly, however," Lotor continued, "We must wait a little while yet for the arrival of my father, King Zarkon, and Witch Haggar, who'll be arriving presently on the Centipede Express before we can commence with the inaugural firing of the cannon. In the meantime, it so happens that today is extra special for one of us, and thus I've made a few, albeit hasty, preparations for it. Bring them out!"
Sakura stared in confusion as several Muran children suddenly paraded out from the small arena, some carrying large cardboard sheets, while the others held something else. As soon as they were all in position, the ones holding the sheets held them up to show they each had a letter on them, that together spelled out a simple message. The rest started waving what they held, which turned out to be multi-colored sparklers and noise makers. A small fireworks display began to fire from the other side of the outcroppings behind the arena. Sakura felt herself freeze in surprise, her mind trying to process but hitting a temporary wall.
The message on the cardboard sheets read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WITCH SAKURA!
"You never actually checked what the date was after I commented on it, did you?" Lotor smiled, helplessly amused at Sakura's shock. Sakura snapped out of it and turned to grab the datapad off the table, quickly bringing it up to check the day's date. Sure enough, it was right there: Trenath 3.
"Holy crap, it is my birthday!" she exclaimed, then tossed the pad aside, a guard catching it quickly, throwing her hands into the air with a huge smile on her face. "I made it to twelve! Alright!" On her shoulder, Spinner had observed all, first with curiosity when the children came out, then with mild surprise of his own when the message was revealed, and then with eyes wide in shock at Sakura's exclamation. The last one due to being right next to her head when she did it.
"Hooray for you," he quipped.
"Happy birthday, my friend," Lotor said. He then clapped his hands and the guards behind them turned and opened the doors to the room within, revealing two other servants rolling in a five layer fully frosted cake on a trolley.
"EEEE!" Sakura squealed, her eyes widening along with her smile. She then dashed towards it, squealing, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" Lotor smiled happily as he followed after her. One of the servants quickly cut a piece of cake for the birthday girl, a rather large one at Sakura's request, and a slightly smaller one for Lotor. They quietly munched away, enjoying the flavors of chocolate and vanilla swirled together coated by Chocolate mousse cream. During this time, the soldiers outside had dispersed, most returning to their posts inside the fortress, a handful staying to watch the slave children. After several minutes, Lotor started tapping his foot impatiently.
"Any word yet?" he asked the guards.
"None, sire," one guard answered. "Not since their message this morning about their departure."
"They should be arriving on the Galactic Train presently, sir," the other assured him.
"Father should have just had Haggar fly them here on her broomstick," Lotor groused. A second later an energy bolt whizzed past his head. He glanced at Sakura, her finger pointed in his direction, energy lightly crackling around it.
"Not funny," she said. Before he could respond, the com sound chirped, and they both turned to the viewscreen behind them as it came on, another guard appearing upon it.
"Sire, we have a sighting," the guard on the screen reported. "Voltron is approaching rapidly."
"Excellent," Lotor beamed. "Just as expected. Now the inaugural test shot will have extra meaning. Father and Haggar will just have to watch the footage afterward. Prepare to fire!"
"Yes, sire!" the onscreen guard replied.
"And don't kill the Princess!" Lotor added. "I want her alive!"
"Tell him to aim for Voltron's center mass, the black lion," Sakura stated. "That way there'll be a decent chance the bulk of the other four will survive intact, and we can collect Pidge and Allura afterward." She then giggled to herself. "Guess I'll get to play nurse with him after all." Lotor chuckled happily.
"Give me direct contact with our gunner," Lotor ordered.
In the main firing control chamber of the cannon, Hallem sat at the firing controls, which consisted of a simple lever with a firing button sitting where the user's thumb would rest atop it. To the lever's left side was a computer console for yaw and pitch correction, and in front of him was the targeting screen. Voltron's image was on it as the robot drew closer. On the wall next to Hallem's head on his left was a small view screen.
'Guess I can't blame them for wanting to make it idiot proof,' he thought to himself. The view screen came on, showing Lotor's face.
"Hallem, you have your orders?" Lotor asked.
"Yes, sir," Hallem responded. "I can see Voltron approaching now."
"Good, prepare to fire as directed, black lion primarily," Lotor stated. "Remember, this is the opportunity you begged for!" Hallem popped his knuckles, and took hold of the control stick, centering the targeting hairs on Voltron's head. And then he suddenly felt something cold and metallic pressed against his neck.
"How about not?" a female voice commented. "Hands off the joystick or I fire." Lotor blinked in surprise as Hallem glanced carefully to the right at who was in the control chamber with him.
"Sakura, what the hell is going on here?!" Lotor snapped, and Sakura's face entered the screen next to and below Lotor's, looking curious.
"Why? What happen. . .HEY!" she started to ask, then her eyes bulged in surprise. "There you are! I've had people looking for you all morning, miss disappear! Do you have any idea the trouble you're in. . .Tomoyo, what are you doing?"
"It's called my job, Sakura," Tomoyo replied, keeping her Garrison standard issue gun steady on Hallem. "Sorry if I've disappointed you."
"Your what?!" Sakura and Lotor snapped, then Lotor's eyes lit up in realization.
"The coded transmission Haggar mentioned!" he gaped. "You weren't reacting because you were surprised that someone might be a traitor, you reacted because you thought you'd been discovered!"
"Wait, Tomoyo?!" Sakura turned to Lotor. "She's a spy?!"
"Trained by Garrison since I was five," Tomoyo confirmed. She then glanced briefly at the targeting screen and the approaching Voltron, then returned her attention to Hallem. "To be fair, I'm almost tempted to let you take a shot across their bow just for screwing up my plan A and forcing me to go to, well, plan B," she added.
"Your plan A?" Hallem asked.
"Yeah, I was setting a whole bunch of small explosives last night when those nitwits screwed it up by getting caught sneaking around," Tomoyo explained.
"The smaller explosives were yours?!" Lotor stared in surprise. He had to give credit where it was due, he hadn't suspected the two types of explosives were anything but connected to each other. The girl had done her work masterfully, until everything had gone wrong, anyway.
"Set so I could blow them all simultaneously by remote once I was well clear," Tomoyo confirmed. "Now then, my friend, I believe I gave you a strict instruction, didn't I?"
"Ignore her, Hallem!" Lotor snapped. "Fire on Voltron now! FIRE!" Just then, a second craft appeared on the targeting screen, and Hallem's eyes widened.
"There you are," he said as he raised a clenched fist, causing all the others to blink. "I've been waiting, waiting for this day! That's why I endured everything, even a truth potion!" He then pulled the lever to left, the cannon moving and shifting away from Voltron, Hallem quickly typing in corrections on the console as the massive weapon resettled and homed in on its new target. Tomoyo glanced at the screen, and now her eyes widened in surprise.
"That's the. . .what are you doing?!" she asked.
"For my father and brother!" Hallem declared. "And all the people of Mura!" And with that, he fired. The shot exploded out of the cannon's barrel, going straight past Voltron and grazing the Centipede Express. Several of the Express's insect leg-like attachments were blown off as the whole craft shook. Hallem cracked into delighted laughter.
"NO!" Sakura screamed. "Not on my birthday! Don't you dare do this on my birthday!"
"Your birthday?" Tomoyo blinked. "Oh, that's what he was going on about. Well, um, happy birthday, I guess?"
"HALLEM, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Lotor roared.
On the Galactic train, Zarkon and Haggar were enjoying the journey, discussing recent intelligence reports from the Alliance border. Then suddenly the whole train shook violently, sending them flying forward and rolling across the floor, the two unintentionally entwined with each other. Once the immediate shaking stopped, Haggar pulled herself away from Zarkon and pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her head through her hood.
"What the hell was that?" she asked. "Turbulence?" A moment later the door to the cabin opened and a Galran soldier stepped inside.
"Sire, good news," he stated. "The cannon works perfectly. Bad news, a rebel seems to have taken control of it and turned it against us."
"What!? That was the cannon firing on us?!" Zarkon stared up at the soldier, eyes filled with rage.
Back in the cannon, Hallem watched as the damaged train started wobbling, using emergency thrusters in an attempt to reclaim stability as it continued towards the ground.
"Time for the other snakes," Hallem grinned, and turned the cannon again, this time right into the fortress, the barrel actually crashing into the wall.
"Okay, I agree that Lotor's got it coming, but Sakura. . ." Tomoyo, who had relaxed her gun arm to her side, started.
"Is as irredeemable as the rest of them," Hallem declared.
Outside on the ground, the remaining soldiers had broken into disarray, and the slave children had dropped their cardboard sheets and sparklers to run for the safety of, ironically, their cells. In their panic, the soldiers dove inside the fortress, only realizing their error as the cannon slammed into it and the damage caused the entrance way to be caved in.
Inside the fortress, Lotor was seething whilst Sakura was freaking out. The whole building shook, and parts of the ceiling was falling in on them. Lotor was dragging Sakura away by the hand, dashing for an emergency landing pad where a small, limited personnel craft lay waiting.
"Blast you, Hallem, you treacherous snake!" he growled, one hand blocking the falling rubble.
"MY CAKE!" Sakura screamed.
"It's not worth our lives!" Lotor snapped as they reached the craft and he tossed her in, jumping into the pilot seat and beginning take off procedures. A moment later Spinner flew in, Sakura's staff between his front paws, dropping into the craft with them. Without any further word Lotor launched the craft and blasted out of the fortress a mere moment before Hallem fired again, the entire top of the fortress exploding off in a massive fireball!
"Don't think this is over yet, slave!" Lotor declared, flying the craft over to intercept with the galactic train. He then noticed Voltron having come in to hover near the cannon. "Oh, right, them," Lotor muttered. A few moments later the train made a less than graceful emergency landing on the ground just beyond the crater, somehow still managing to stay effectively intact.
Back in the cannon, Hallem laughed in delight at the results, while Tomoyo had crossed her arms, unable to be anything but impressed.
"And now to finish them," Hallem stated, aiming the cannon to fire it right on the Centipede Express's "head". But right before he could fire, though, a blast of electric energy fired out of the train and smacked the cannon, jolting anyone and everyone inside it. Hallem and Tomoyo screamed in shock, falling backward, unable to do anything else.
Voltron came to the ground near the train in time to watch it drop most of its back end, almost twenty cars worth, and the extensions on the remaining twenty-four popping out to act like actual legs. The galactic train had effectively transformed into a giant mechanical centipede robeast! And its first act was to fire another blast of energy from its "eyes" right at Voltron. The shot caught Voltron off guard, knocking him to the ground, and then Centipede turned on the cannon, attempting to disable it. The bombardment was enough to prevent the still recovering Hallem and Tomoyo from aiding any further. Voltron then rose and leaped into the air, coming back down hard on Centipede's back, regaining its attention.
Voltron leaped away, back flipping into the air as Centipede turned toward him with its body curling into a partial spiral as a large portion lifted upright into the air. Centipede lunged at Voltron, who dove forward out of the way, flipped around, and flung his Spinning Laser Disc at Centipede, the throwing star weapon catching it in one of its joints and tearing straight through the other side. Centipede quickly turned around to double back, only to be greeted by Voltron's double-bladed javelin smacking into its maw, running about four cars before tearing out at a point where Centipede was still curved in its turning motion. Centipede fired a missile in return as it was hit, but Voltron intercepted the projectile with a quick shot of his Crest Cross Beam, the missile detonating safely in midair about five meters away from Voltron.
Voltron then decided the game was over, breaking out the Blazing Sword and diving straight into Centipede's already damaged maw. Centipede, ironically, had straightened out at this point, so Voltron wound up going straight on through the entire machine, tearing out of the back end. By this time any and all remaining passengers and personnel aboard had evacuated via escaped pods, Zarkon and Haggar clambering into the, now overly crowded, space craft piloted by Lotor that had intercepted with Centipede earlier primarily for that reason. Even as Centipede, now effectively empty save its unfortunate skeleton crew, exploded apart into the usual flaming scrap and wreckage, Lotor was flying them away from Mura as fast as he could.
"Lotor, care to explain to me exactly how this all happened?!" Zarkon growled at his son from over Lotor's right shoulder. Haggar was more directly behind him, and Sakura was on his left, Spinner slightly squished along with Cova against the wall behind his mistress.
"Not while I'm flying, I don't," Lotor replied. "And only because I don't entertain the idea of crashing us into something due to you throttling me." Zarkon's eyes began twitching heavily. He was just certain the explanation would not be to his liking.
"I can't believe this," Sakura growled. "Zarkon's birthday was bad enough, but now they have to go and screw up mine?!" Haggar blinked, then pulled a small package from her cloak, handing it to her apprentice.
"Oh, yes, in all the annoyance I almost forgot," she said. "Here, my dark darling, for you. I know it's not much consolation, but. . ." Sakura stared at it for a moment, then turned her head away, feigning momentary disinterest. Then she snatched it away from Haggar without looking at her and quickly opened it, finding a small, blue locket with black edges on a chain. She blinked, then popped it open, her breath momentarily catching.
Within was a picture of her with Yurak from almost a year ago, taken after she'd won a particularly tricky game at a holiday carnival. In the picture she was holding her stuffed prize while winking at the camera, Yurak resting his real arm on her left shoulder while doing a thumbs up with his cybernetic one. Both were smiling cheerfully.
"Thanks, it's wonderful," Sakura said as she closed it and hung it around her neck.
Back on Mura, Voltron had landed and the team had disembarked to meet with the celebrating people of Mura, exalting in their reclaimed freedom. Hallem and Tomoyo had left the cannon as well, and met with the Voltron Force, Hallem acting very apologetic.
"Forgive me," he said. "I wanted to defeat Zarkon and his son with my own hands. I shouldn't have ignored your offer of help so quickly."
"It's fine," Keith said. "In the end, your people were freed, and that's what matters." The two smiled, rejoicing.
"And who are you?" Allura asked Tomoyo.
"Garrison Infiltration and Espionage Agent 3-9-6-1, Tomoyo Daidoji, ma'am," Tomoyo saluted sharply.
"Agent?" Allura blanched. "But you're a child!"
"So am I," Pidge pointed out, then turned to Tomoyo. "Let me guess, war orphan?"
"One of the handful to escape enslavement during the capture of planet Tomoeda, sir," Tomoyo confirmed.
"Never did like that practice," Hunk grumbled.
"I mean, I get why, but that doesn't make it any less repulsive," Lance commented.
"This is a practice?" Allura asked, feeling she wouldn't like the response.
"Yeah," Hunk answered. "Garrison's covert ops sector is known to recruit war orphans and train them to be spies. The reasoning being that since they have no one left to miss them, there'll be no one to complain if something goes pear shaped on a mission."
"That's detestable!" Allura went pale.
"We know," Hunk, Lance, Pidge, and Keith all echoed.
"Hey, if anyone should be holding a grudge right now, it's me," Tomoyo stated, making them all turn to her. "If you idiots hadn't messed up last night, I could have blown the cannon into chunks before sun up." She paused, taking a breath, then smiled. "Of course, then I wouldn't have been able to see who the cannon was actually shot at. So, all good I guess."
"Yeah, I guess that was one surprise that last night's fiasco was worth," Lance agreed.
"Oh, by the way, how'd you even know to come here, anyway?" Tomoyo asked.
"The Castle of Lions' deep space scanner detected an asteroid suddenly getting smashed to bits nearby. Later observation noted the Centipede in the area, which had us wondering why Zarkon had his space train going to this planet when at the moment it couldn't have been of strategic importance," Pidge explained. "Since Mura was once allied with Arus, we decided to come investigate. The rest you know."
"I see," Tomoyo said.
"Either which way, everything's come out in our favor, and now the alliance has a powerful new weapon for its arsenal," Keith stated. "If the Murans will allow us to use it."
"We'll see," Hallem smiled.
And finally this one's done. I really wasn't expecting to rival chapter 14 so soon, yet here we are. And you know what? Worth it! Cause I finally found a way to work in Tomoyo! I honestly wasn't sure I'd find a place for her. But then I had the idea for her involvement here as I started writing this chapter and went with it. Though it did mean lengthening the bridge into episode 25 more than I originally expected. FYI, the first scene in the episode with the bad guys is when Lotor's daydreaming about using the cannon's threat to force Allura's surrender.
As to the episode itself, it was quite interesting to work with, though a couple of things did nearly cause issues. Firstly, when Lotor's interrogating Hallem in his office, his question of "Why did you report the break in to me?" made me think he meant when Hallem found the knocked out guards, which as written above, he didn't have a lot of options right then. Also, in Golion Hallem is forced to simply prove his loyalty by drinking Blood Wine, which Sincline states is made from the blood of other Murans! While opting to go with the Voltron version, I did opt to make use of Sakura's presence to explain just where Lotor got a truth potion from in the first place. I also added the use of the Crest Cross Beam as in the show Voltron just weathers that particular explosion like it's nothing, even though both before and after these events he's taken damage from similar or even arguably less powerful blows.
And lets not forget my biggest addition to these events – Sakura's birthday! Yeah, I stopped a moment to figuratively crunch the numbers in regards to how much time has passed in story since the beginning of chapter 4, when I commented that she was "nearly twelve", and came to find that approximately 76 days had passed, roughly two and half months and change. So I figured, yeah, it was time to make it official and stuck it in. Well, that's about enough of that, time to get to the next chapter and episodes. What's next, again? Oh, yeah, invisible robeast and then the "green medusa". I predict more hand waving in the near future. . .wait, medusa? I seem to recall a message from long ago I recently glanced over again while cleaning out my e-mail, something about the medusa, and Haggar, and Pidge, and a laser gun getting fired. . .oh, blip. . .
See you next time!
