KathDMD: Okay so your first wish will be coming soon and the second…well…not yet. But of course, I will build more mystery in this one. LOL. So you like Sam….Lovey! I'm so glad you do. Let's see what happens to Sam. I'm interested in knowing as well. ;) I've always thought that Hunk would be the voice of reason should he have been developed to be more mature. He's also very versatile and can be written in various ways. So thank you!

Snyperlady: So here you will know a little of what he found out. Thanks for the kudos…now where is yours! You're killing me here!

Cubbiesfan1: Mi rubia As always so happy and grateful for your loyalty. I'm so glad that you liked my pairing between Lance and Romelle. This one was tricky. Originally Lance's love interest was someone else (well, originally when I wrote the first outline of the fic in 2007/8. LOL. But I changed it because for this story, I wanted Romelle to also have someone. So you have a thought….let me know! So yes, Romelle is Allura's voice of reason. She grounds her. And since the souls of the lions are with Keith and the others, their rank supersedes the other military personnel. And Keith's memory…part of the mystery. I'm going to see what you think about Darrell in later chapters...LOL.

GoPinkLion: You and everyone else. LOL. But I hope you stay with me throughout the journey to find out. Expect sweeter K/A scenes soon. ;)

Guest: Thank you! I hope you keep enjoying it.

Playlist

Milky Chance: Running

Soundcritters: Thunderlane

C21FX: Solace

Chapter 15

The evening ended on a fabulous note as the women shared current events in their lives. They also took time to travel back in time and reminisce about events they held to heart. Lucy took the opportunity to tell them she was pregnant, Romelle discussed her divorce and Allura talked about the return of the team and Lotor. The evening, with its highs and lows gave them the opportunity to laugh, cry and even argue—in a friendly disposition, of course! Their last topic of conversation involved the one event that had Romelle in constant motion—the gala.

"Romelle, this is wonderful!" Lucy smiled happily as she sipped on her lemon water. "I can't wait for the gala. By the way, I already have an idea of what I'm going to wear." The three finished dinner and were sharing a dessert, a very large piece of Manhattan Chocolate Lava Cake.

"You're lucky you're not showing much," Romelle nodded before taking a spoonful of the dessert. Looking at Lucy, Romelle noticed the glow in her cheeks, the shine of her red hair and the great smile on her face. Lucy was happy. "It will still be easy to find a dress."

"Thank Goodness!" Lucy replied with a sigh of relief. "I can't imagine how hard it would have been to find a dress for that theme when my belly is the size of the moon."

Laughing, Romelle shook her head, "You'll never be big, Lucy! You're a little thing as it is. But, seriously girls, as I was saying earlier, my biggest worry was that you wouldn't show up."

"Of course, we would," Allura snorted playfully. "How could we not? It's for a good cause. Actually, I'm surprised that Uncle Coran allowed you access to the old castle. That place hasn't been used in years."

"It was very nice of him," Romelle nodded appreciatively. "Dad's been very sweet lately, despite all the chaos around him. Maybe he feels sorry for me."

"No," Allura disagreed, "He's just being a Dad. And, you know he's always had a soft spot for us. Well, more for you. Usually, he wants to kill me." Allura found her companions laughing as they nodded in agreement.

You're still giving him headaches, Allura?" Lucy playfully asked.

Altair shrugged, "Him and I are more alike than he wants to admit. It's not my fault that he commands the female version of himself."

"If he were to hear you," Lucy laughed even harder.

"Listen, Allura," Romelle said somewhat getting serious, "I need to make sure you all attend the gala. Are you positive about this?"

"Well, of course!" Allura laughed, "You know we'll be there. Lucy will make sure Hunk makes it on time. Although, you're going to have to work your magic to get him to dress up. You know how Hunk hates costumes."

"You got that right," Lucy snorted.

Allura continued, "Darrell will go, most likely to see Hope. And Lance…well, I'm sure his flavor of the week will be there—"

"I'm sure you'll all be there," Romelle nodded, averting her eyes slightly. "I meant…well, I wanted to know if you could convince—"

Her cousin's sudden tone made Allura look up. Allura caught the little nervous smile Romelle offered. Suddenly her eyes widened, understanding what her cousin asked, "No!"

"Allura, please!"

"Absolutely not!" Allura raised her voice.

"Did I miss something?" Lucy asked looking at the two.

"Yes!" Altair replied, "Romelle wants me to convince Keith to go."

"Ah," Lucy took a spoonful of the decadent dessert and decided to let her two friends discuss that issue. The last thing she needed was to get the wrath of Allura's temper. Anything involving Keith usually set her off like a firecracker.

"Allura, if anyone of us asks him, he won't go. He'll only listen to you. Tell him to do it for me."

"Why me? I am not Keith's keeper or spiritual guide," she huffed. "If he wants to participate in an event that will help kids, he will to do it on his own, not because I've asked him to."

"Maybe it's not a matter of wanting," Lucy casually entered the conversation, "But, think about it. Going to this thing when he knows everyone hates him and he has no support—"

"He brought that on himself!" Allura snapped.

"Allura!" Romelle answered. "Enough of this!"

"I have no idea why you are so forgiving of his actions, Romelle," Altair looked at her cousin, trying to understand her feelings on the subject. "Why would you forgive him?"

"I seem to remember times in your life where you displayed certain emotions that I myself didn't understand. Yet, I respected them," Romelle reminded her cousin.

The statement muted Altair.

"As I was saying," Lucy raised her voice a little, trying to calm what looked like an argument between the cousins, "The man did his time. He has the backing of the lions and Romelle made her peace. If she has, I think you all should. I don't know Allura, seems to me that having the entire team there will help not only the public, but all of you as well. But, if you all don't want to do it for the health of the team, then at least do it for the sake of the people."

Allura looked at Lucy with a sudden curiosity, "How can you be so—"

"Twenty years makes you think a lot," Lucy shrugged as she looked at Romelle. "You end up thinking and questioning. And then…wondering."

Romelle suddenly looked at the dessert and took a piece.

"What the hell are you talking about, Lucy?"

"Nothing, really. Nothing." Lucy shrugged. Lightening up the mood, she continued, "It's just that sometimes, I wonder how we all ended up here. We were a family. We should be a family. Can't we at least try to be civil to one another?"

Lucy did have a point, Allura realized. Sighing, she answered, "Fine. I'll speak to him. But, I won't push him if he doesn't want to go."

With that Romelle inwardly sighed in relief, but she realized that Lucy's statement had her on edge. Did she know? And if she did, how come she hadn't said anything?

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning was uneventful. The team went through morning practice and later, tactical training. After lunch, Keith met with the generals to discuss the plan that he and Coran put together for Korrinth. The generals were in agreement, but they weren't so sure who to send. The meeting ended with the group taking time to review officer files and decide on the ideal candidate. Walking out of the room, Keith suddenly heard Sam's voice calling for him. Turning, he watched as the General walked toward him, "I'd like to speak to you. Would you join me in my office?"

"What is this about?" Keith asked directly. "If it is about Altair—"

"I assure you Captain, it is not about Allura," Sam replied immediately. "This conversation has nothing to do with my girlfriend."

The sting of the statement hit Keith like a punch in the stomach, but he ignored the feeling of hurt and anger. Instead, he nodded, "Fine. Lead the way General."

The two walked in silence as they headed to Sam's office. Once inside, Keith noticed the medium sized room with a large window, overlooking the training grounds. An L-shaped glass desk with a state of the art vidscreen, took a third of the space of the room. Keith also noticed the holographic pictures on the walls. They were motion pictures of underwater life. Apparently, the General liked the water.

But that's not the picture that caught Keith's attention. On the desk sat and holographic box illuminating a 3D picture of Sam and Allura. It was picture of them sitting by large rocks, the ocean was their background. The waves crashed the boulders they sat on. Both smiled as Sam had his arms wrapped around Allura's waist. It must have been a special occasion since both dressed in white. Not wanting the stare to linger for too long, Keith turned his sights to the window as the General said, "Please, have a seat." Keith did as told and waited for the other man to speak.

"Captain, I know we left the meeting trying to decide who would be the best fit for this mission and I know you have the last word on who that person is. However, I'd like you to consider someone who I believe can do the job successfully."

"Why didn't you say so during the meeting with the rest of your peers?" Keith asked curiously. "It would probably have saved us meeting again."

"I'm not sure they would agree," the general sighed. "That's why I wanted to speak to you first before bringing it up in the next meeting."

"I assume that the choice is unorthodox?"

Sam let out a humorless laugh, "I would agree with the statement."

Sitting up a little, Keith looked at the man before him for a moment before answering, "It's you. You want to go."

"You are very sharp," Sam smiled. "But, before you say anything else, I'd like to share with you my reasons for wanting to go."

"I'm listening."

Sitting back, Sam looked at the captain with a calm fashion as he spoke, "I've had more experience running surveillance at off worlds than anyone else. I can speak dozens of languages including Drule—"

"An gceapann tú gur féidir leat a dhéanamh i ndáiríre seo?" Keith suddenly interrupted him.

Sam looked at him a confused before he asked, "I'm…I'm sorry?"

"I just asked you if you really thought you could do this….in Drule," Keith answered studying the man in front of him.

"That's not Drule," Sam shook his head as he sat back up.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Keith nodded calm. "A dialect of the old Drule language. Kind of like Terra's old English of the Anglo-Saxon era. It's used in the neighboring villages close to the castle, where the person we choose will be stationed."

"I've never heard of such thing," the general replied, clearly surprised by the information and embarrassed by his initial reaction.

"General, you wouldn't have known. I found out myself two years ago while on a private assignment," Keith sat back on the chair, "Apparently, people chose the dialect of the language in order to be able to communicate without humans understanding what they said. My guess is that they distrusted the off-worlders. Military personnel has had a hard time learning the language because the dialect can frequently change. See, there's a trick to it and it is only told by those the Drules choose to tell. It's not an easy trick to learn. Those that do know it know because the Drules want to do certain business dealings with them. If you would have been caught with that look on your face, the Drules would have slaughtered you. They would have picked up on you being not one of them."

"Kogane, no one would have past that test."

"I understand that general," he replied, "But, you need to be able to react in an instant under any situation, no matter where they are. You hesitated. You looked surprised. They would have made you. In the field, you'd be dead."

"This wasn't the field," Sam reminded him.

"But this was certainly an opportunity to show me how you could have assimilated to a situation. You failed." Keith stared at the man for a moment before he continued, "I've never read your file…I bet you've never toured the Crimson Quadrant, have you?"

"How did you–"

"Well, for starters you show too much self-confidence. Anyone who has ever toured the Crimson comes back changed. It's something that can't be explained, we come to regard the Crimson as a place of pain, a place where you lose your soul and everything that was once you. A place where even though you walk out alive, a piece of you is dead. We respect the Crimson. No one ever wants to go during times of war. No one is ever confident to fight the Drules." Keith answered looking directly at Sam. "General, I don't mean to disrespect you, in any way, but you're too cocky for this mission."

Sam's eyes filled with rage and he banged hard on the table with his fist, "You self-absorbed bastard! You don't understand my reasons at all!"

Keeping his tone from raising, Keith sat forward on his chair, "I understand your reasons alright. But, this little exercise was for you to understand what type of assignment this is. It's not simple and it's not glorious. The person I chose has to be sharp, quick, with a severe lack of emotions to do what needs to be done. That person needs to be able to assimilate to any situation at hand. To physically, mentally and emotionally detached themselves from everything and everyone, because that is what they will live with for months. Complete detachment from those they know and love."

"You think I can't do this?"

"No," Keith shook his head as he firmly stated, "I don't."

Sam's eyes widened, "You have no reason to think so. Unless, you think I am too old?"

"Do you want me to be more direct?" Keith finally asked, "Alright. No, I don't think you are too old, but I do think you are way out of your league for this assignment. Aside from that, I think you are trying to prove something to someone. I don't need emotions running the mission. Your emotions lead you General Gellar."

"How dare you!"

The captain looked at Sam with a piercing stare, "You're intimidated by me. By what Allura and I had long ago. You are letting your feelings dictate this longing you have to be part of this mission. I can't let that happen, there are bigger things at stake than proving yourself to Altair."

Sam stood up, enraged by the accusation, "You son of a—"

"You can call me whatever you want, but you know it's true," Keith replied, "Tell me General, if I wasn't here. If I weren't part of the team and this mission was still in place, would you have taken it? Would you have asked Coran to consider you?"

Wanting to answer a sincere yes, Sam found himself unable to. He swore that Kogane would see through the lie immediately.

Standing up, knowing the conversation was over, Keith walked to the door, "I think nothing else needs to be said General. Have a good day." With that, he left leaving Sam brooding in anger.

XXXXXXXXXX

After the meeting, Coran headed to his office when he was suddenly stopped by Mosley who ran up to him, "Advisor Coran!"

Turning to watch the young girl running to him almost breathless, he answered, "Whatever is the matter, child!"

"You asked me this morning to get the old ballroom ready, but we have a problem," her green eyes blazed with worry. "And not a little problem, it's a big one!"

"What do you mean?" Coran couldn't possibly understand what problem could occur in the old ballroom. The place hadn't been used in decades. The worst thing that he thought Mosley could encounter were the cobwebs decorating the ceiling.

"It's a broken pipe," she answered, "Basically, it flooded most of the ballroom. I got a crew to begin clean up immediately, but the walls are a mess, Advisor Coran. If you are still planning on holding that party, we need to get someone to help us."

"Great!"" the older man huffed in frustration. No wanting to disappoint his daughter, Coran had to think of fast. "Thank you Ensign Mosley. Allow me to give it a thought and I'll let you know what to do later today."

"Alright," she nodded, "I'll be down on the hangar running inspection and later I'll be at the lair making sure everything for tomorrow is ready. But, please call me as soon as you have made your decision. I'd like to get started as soon as possible. I'd really like to help Ms. D'Orr."

Smiling, the advisor nodded, "So do I my dear."

Offering a sympathetic smile, Mosley nodded before turning and leaving.

Walking into his office and taking a seat at his desk, Coran sighed, thinking what to do when suddenly a smile brightened his features. "Ah, yes!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk finished the day early and decided on come home to see Lucy since he had not been with her the night before, "Lucy?"

"I'm in the kitchen, baby!" She hollered as he heard the rumbling of pots and pans. As Hunk continued walking towards the kitchen, he heard her say, "I feel like having pasta today, but not marinara. I have a craving for pesto with chicken…or maybe calamari. Do you know if Arus sells calamari?"

Hunk leaned by the kitchen door and smiled as his wife searched for apparently the pan that she needed to boil the pasta. Smiling, he replied, "I'm sure there are places where I can find calamari."

Looking at her husband, Lucy smiled back, "That's great baby! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!"

"I'm glad," he answered as he walked up and kissed her, "How are you my love?"

"I'm good," she nodded as she hugged him. "This morning I felt a little morning sickness, but that's too be expected."

At the mention of morning sickness, Hunk's smile withered. Ever since Lucy had told him she was pregnant, he couldn't get off his mind what a mistake it was to have a kid, but he could never admit such a thing to her, "Feeling better?"

"Oh yes," she answered missing the initial facial expression, "Why do you think I want pasta?" Breaking away from him, Lucy turned to the pantry to get the ingredients, "So tell me, how was your day? I missed you last night. Are you going to stay on the base whenever you have to go out on patrol?"

"It's just easier that way Lu," Hunk admonished, "I come back from patrol and I sleep about two hours or so before morning practice begins. Then, there's everything else. I just wouldn't get any rest if I had to drive back here to then go back."

"I understand," she agreed. "I just miss you when you're not around. I had forgotten what it was like when you are on duty."

He smiled a little at that before asking, "How was your night out with the girls?"

"It was great!" she smiled. "Romelle told us about the fundraiser and what the theme is. I'm going to start looking up costumes for us later tonight."

"Costumes?"

"The party is going to be held at the base, in the old ballroom," Lucy answered, "And the theme is fashion from the time royalty ruled Arus."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he rolled his eyes, "So we all have to dress up?"

Looking at him, Lucy gave Hunk a sarcastic smile, "Mandatory."

"Oh jeez!"

"Anyways," she continued as she walked over to the fridge to get items out for a salad, "It was a great evening. We caught up and…well, it was nice to see the girls again. Maybe after the gala, we could have Romelle, Allura and Sam over for dinner."

"That should be fun," he agreed. "So when is this party?"

"Next month," Lucy answered. "I can't wait! Oh! I forgot. Romelle gave me the name of an OBGYN here on Arus. She says he's fabulous. I was able to call him earlier today and we have an appointment with him for tomorrow morning. It's great that Romelle has so many connections, he took me in right away."

"Oh," the smile faded again, "So soon?"

Turning to him, Lucy smiled, "Soon? Honey, how long did you think I could wait?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I just meant—"

Walking up to her husband, she kissed him lightly, "Hunk, my love. If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're nervous about having this baby."

"Nervous?" he shook his head, "I'm not nervous."

"Then?"

He couldn't tell her. Looking into her eyes, the smile she offered him, telling Lucy the truth would destroy her, "Maybe a little," was all he could say.

Hugging him fiercely, Lucy answered, "You're going to be the best Daddy in the world!"

Hugging his wife back, Hunk inwardly sighed, I shouldn't be a father at all, Lucy. We shouldn't have a child. Not now, not ever.

XXXXXXXXX

When Mosley finished her inspection by the hangar, she walked over to the lair to prepare flight plans for the next day. As the young ensign walked in, she was surprised to find Keith by the computers preparing the flight plan himself. A smile crept into her features at the sight of the Captain. She found herself giddy with excitement every time opportunities where she and he were alone arose.

"Captain," the young woman found herself showing externally the excitement she felt within. Quickly, she tried to compose herself when she watched Keith turn around and look at her.

"Mosley," he answered seriously, "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head, "It's just that I came here to prepare the flight plan for tomorrow and I just wasn't expecting you here."

Turning back to face the computer, Keith answered, "You needn't worry about that. I'm almost done with tomorrow's flight plans."

"But, Master Coran assigned me—"

"It's not a big deal, Mosley," he interjected, "Besides, I don't mind doing them myself. Coran thinks that by you doing them, it alleviates my workload, but I don't mind the work."

As she walked closer to him, Kirian found herself with the opportunity of asking him yet again for the one assignment wanted, "Captain."

"Yes."

"Would you mind if we speak about—"

"Your request to go to Korrinth?" he asked as he sighed trying to hide his frustration. "Mosley, this isn't the time or place to discuss this."

"If not now, then when?" she asked firmly. "I know I can pull this off. I'm much more capable than you give me credit for."

Turning around again to face her, Keith replied, "Are you? Enlighten me Mosley. How are you more capable than I believe."

"Well," she took a deep breath, "For starters, I am just as capable as any of the Arusian picks. I'm skilled in martial arts, I am fluent in various languages around the galaxy, and I specialized in Drule at the academy. I am also—"

"An gceapann tú gur féidir leat a dhéanamh i ndáiríre seo?" Keith suddenly asked.

"I mo thuairimse, is féidir liom a dhéanamh níos mó ná an méid a chreideann tú," Mosley answered with a firmness that for a moment surprised her. A satisfied feeling blossomed inside of her when she noticed the captain looked at her with an impressed gaze.

"You can do more than what I believe you can, huh?" he answered translating what she had replied to him moments earlier.

"As I said earlier, I am fluent in various languages around the galaxy," the girl answered even more firmly. "And yes, I am more capable than what you think."

"Where did you learn this kind of dialect?" Keith asked, his cold eyes suddenly becoming colder as he looked at the ensign, "It isn't taught at the academy."

Mosley was about to answer when they both heard another voice fill the room, "Keith, are you in here?"

Both looked at the entrance and watched as Altair walked in.

"I'm here, Altair," Keith yelled out. Turning to Mosley, he said, "We'll talk about this later."

Mosley's eyes widened, "But—"

"Later," he repeated with a more firm tone.

Sighing, Mosley nodded as Altair walked up to them, "Fine. But, let's not wait too long." With a smile, Mosley's gaze fell on Altair, "Lieutenant Altair," she nodded before walking out and leaving the area.

After the young woman left, Allura said to Keith, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, you need to worry about," Keith answered going back to the computer. "What is it that you need, Altair? You should be resting, I believe you're on patrol tonight."

"I know, Keith," her steady tone was firm. "I saw the schedule. I need to speak to you."

"About?" he answered not bothering to look at her.

He was being difficult, she sighed inwardly. That meant, he wasn't in the best of moods and Allura knew why. Their kiss. What happened the day before? Why had they suddenly given in to the impossible? As much as she wanted to talk about what happened, she was afraid and, by the attitude he currently held, it wasn't the time. Instead, Allura decided to talk to him about what she had originally gone for, "You probably know that Romelle runs a foundation for orphaned children. There's a gala that she's putting together to raise funds for the foundation. She'd like the team to attend."

He said nothing, just kept working.

"Anyway," she continued rolling her eyes, "Part of it is publicity. And it will also make the planet feel some comfort in knowing that we are back."

Keith smirked. "Sure, I don't see a problem that the team attends."

"Keith," she said, "She wants the entire team to attend."

That had him stop working. Turning to look at her, Keith replied, "Allura, you know I don't do functions."

"I understand, but it would be smart to make the exception this time. It's good publicity and we need it," she answered looking at him. "The planet will feel better to see a team that's united."

"So you want us to lie to the planet?"

"We're not…technically lying," she corrected him. "We are together, not the way we were, but no one outside our inner circle needs to know that."

Looking extremely annoyed, Keith shook his head, "If you all want to go, then go. As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to be there and I really doubt I'll be missed."

"Quit the damn pity talk!"

"It's not pity talk, Allura," he laughed, "It's what's true. I don't have time to make an appearance just to make the planet feel better."

"That's not—"

"Oh, but it is!" his eyes widened. "It's all smoke and screens Altair and the funny thing is that you all actually think the people of Arus are dense enough to believe it! They know. And you know what? They don't care. All they care about is that we do what we need to do and save their damn behinds."

"You can't think—"

"But I can," Keith nodded firmly. "You still live in a fantasy world Princess. The people of Arus are fine. They don't care whether we are together as a team or apart. All they want is protection and a team that can do that job, whether they get along or not."

Deep inside Altair knew he was right. Things had changed. It really wasn't the same Arus from twenty years ago. Looking intently at him, Allura suddenly changed her tactic, "Do it for Romelle."

His features suddenly softened, "What?"

"Romelle wants you there," Allura shrugged. "I don't know why, but she was adamant that I ask you. She told me, practically begged me, to convince you to be there. She told me to tell you to please do it for her."

Keith suddenly lowered eyes. Allura caught the action. Those words, they hit him hard. What is going on here? Suddenly, he looked up, "Fine."

"Just like that?" Altair looked at him surprised.

Turning around to face the screen, he replied, "Just like that."

VVVVVVVVVV

Later that evening, as the sun began to set, Romelle walked into her apartment completely drained from a day of planning. She was surprised by who she found sitting in her living room, "Dad?"

Looking up, Coran gave her daughter a bright smile, "Ellie, I'm sorry that I came in without your permission—"

"No," she shook her head, "Dad, why would I mind that? You are always welcomed here. I'm just surprised to see you here that's all." Romelle walked up to her father and hugged him. "Lately, all you do is spend time at the base. I don't think you've gone home since this mess started."

"Actually, I've been there maybe twice," Coran smiled triumphantly. To him, the action was definitely something great he'd achieve. He referred to the one bedroom loft he owned about ten minutes away from Romelle's place. He had his own apartment within the base, but he loved to stay in the loft when he needed time away from his military home. It served as another way to relieve the daily stress the base sometime caused him. "Today, however, I came to see you to discuss the gala."

"Oh?"

"Well, my dear," he began, "It seems like we've run into a somewhat challenging situation and I need your help."

"Dad," Romelle's blue eyes widened, "This doesn't sound good. What's wrong?"

"Well, do you want to hear the good news or the bad news, first?"

Romelle closed her eyes, "Oh God." Sighing, she sat down on her couch, "Bad news first. Lay it on me."

"I had one of my officers look over the old ballroom to begin your preparations and well…she found a leak in one of the pipes on the wall. The ballroom's flooded."

"What! No!" Romelle lay further back on the sofa, clearly distraught, "How bad is it?'

"Not too bad, but it will need some restoration and possibly the guidance of an architect that can help you rebuild certain sections in time for the event."

Sighing rather hard, Romelle said, "Well, maybe I can ask Ryan to do me a favor and help me with the redesigning of the affected areas."

"That's a possibility," Coran agreed, "However, don't you want to hear the good news?"

"I can't imagine any news being good at this moment," she snorted.

"Well, what if I were to tell you that I found an architect already and that I can get that person to begin looking that the structure, say tomorrow morning?"

"What?" the blonde woman laughed with a little sarcasm, "Dad, where on Arus did you find someone so fast? Wait. Did you talk to Ryan for me?"

"No," he shook his head, "I got the next best thing."

Suddenly, Romelle heard a third voice in the room call out to her, "Mom?"

Immediately turning around, Romelle gasped, "Oh my God! Hope!"

"Mommy!" the woman exclaimed as she ran to her mother.

"My baby!" she yelled as she took her into her arms, "Hope, I can't believe you are here. Oh, how I've missed you! How…I thought you couldn't get away."

"Grandpa, pulled rank on the firm," the young woman smiled. "You should have seen him in action."

"Honey, that's not pulling rank," he noted, "I just made them see possibilities."

"Dad!" Romelle grew serious and turned around to face her father, "What did you do? I don't want to impose—"

"Mom, you're not imposing," the girl brought her mother's gaze back to her, "Grandpa just explained that if I helped with your project, the firm could use the remodeling project as part of their portfolio. Honestly, it's a great exchange. I'm getting paid to do this and I'm home with you a little more time than expected."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Romelle, it's fine," Coran interjected. "The ballroom needs to be renovated and who better than to have a family member to it? Besides, Hope's getting paid for her time and the firm gets credit for the renovation."

"They don't have a castle in their portfolio," Hope winked.

"This is great!" Romelle laughed and then hugged both her daughter and father. "I can't thank you enough for what you are doing. This means the world to me! My baby is back with me."

"Well," Hope muttered.

"What?" Romelle asked curiously.

"Thing is Mom, I still need to get back to finish the project I started. The firm halted the project for a few weeks. I only have a limited amount of time to get the ballroom rebuilt."

"Which means that we are going to need to push the gala up," Coran said. "Well, if you want your daughter to attend."

"Which I really do," Hope looked at her mother, and Romelle immediately understood the meaning of her words.

"I can move it up," she replied without hesitation. "The invitations will go out electronically, so there shouldn't be a problem changing the date."

"So, it's settled. The Gala is in two weeks' time," Coran said.

"Yes," Romelle answered. "Shouldn't be a problem." Then, she looked at her daughter and hugged her. "I'm so glad you are back, honey."

"Me too," Hope answered as she closed her eyes. Perhaps this trip back would allow her answers to the questions she sought.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Later that evening, on the other side of town…

Studying the flight simulations the team would practice on for the next day, Keith stood up from his living room sofa and walked over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of bourbon and swallowed it in one gulp before pouring himself another glass. Lately, most of his time was filled with working at the base. He forgot what it felt like to be home, really be home. He dare to say he missed being alone. He had been alone for so many years that now, surrounded by people at the base, brought him anxiety.

The looks of questions or judgment for what happened ages ago hadn't diminished. People still blamed him. To them, he was everything but a hero. He still had no idea how he was going to survive the gala that Romelle so adamantly wanted him to attend. Damn that woman! Fixing what can't be mended.

Working with the team under the conditions hadn't been easy either. Constantly ignoring the anger in their faces was no easy task. In fact, it drained him a little each day. Hiding his own hurt and masking it with detached gazes and a stoic demeanor took every bit of energy in him. He needed a break, so he went home. After speaking to Allura, he finalized a couple of things before deciding to take the work home for the evening.

About to take a seat once again to review the flight plan on his vidscreen, Keith was interrupted by Agatha's voice.

"You have a visitor at the door."

Sighing, he answered, "Who?" He gulped the second drink once again.

There was a moment of pause before Agatha answered, "Lieutenant Lance McClain."

The name surprised him, "Why would he be here?" Keith wondered. "Let him in Agatha."

"As you wish Captain."

The doors swooshed open moments later and McClain walked in immediately looking around. "Wasn't expecting you lived this way?"

Keith said nothing.

Lance laughed, "I mean, it's a nice place, don't get me wrong. Nice modern furniture, three floors…You have pretty decent taste. Just didn't expect it to look this way. But, what's with the outside looking the way it does? Brownstones are almost non-existent on Arus and honestly Keith, you're not exactly in the best part of town you know."

"What do you want?" Keith spoke out.

Seeing that Keith wouldn't play his game, Lance took out a small disc and held it up in his hand, "The kid found something. Darrell was able to hack into Lotor's systems last night and he found something of interest. You've been so busy most of the day that I waited so we could speak better about this."

"What?" the captain questioned with interest.

"The layout of the bastard's base," Lance began. "I think Darrell may have found what he's hiding." Walking over to the living room and specifically to the vidscreen, the Lieutenant gestured, "May I?"

Keith nodded. Lance slid the disc on the slot of the vidscreen. Walking over to the bar once again, the captain poured himself another glass of bourbon. Whatever his second in command would reveal definitely wasn't good news. He needed another drink.

"Am I to assume that being in exile made you forget to be hospitable?" Lance called out as he programmed the vidscreen to reveal the contents of his disk.

"What do you want?"

"Have you forgotten my preference?" Lance asked sarcastically.

Sighing in frustration, Keith took another glass and poured a shot of whisky on the glass. He walked over to the living area handing Lance the glass as he sat down, "So what is it you want to show me?"

The vidscreen revealed a three dimensional image of Drule castle and its surrounding bases with icons showing how far apart each base was from the castle.

"Here," Lance used the vidscreen's touchscreen features to enlarge a certain base about fifty miles from the castle. "This is Creta. After Darrell hacked into Korrinth's systems, he found that this specific base houses a small amount of Drule soldiers. We know this from other documents he downloaded. Their purpose is to guard and keep tabs on aircrafts coming in or out of the planet as well as protecting it from any assaults."

"So it's a control base." Keith stated flatly. "They could be housing arsenal or food…it could very well be a base that control their satellite systems."

"On the surface it could be any one of the things you said, but upon closer inspection…" Lance zoomed in on the base, punched a couple of codes on the virtual keypad and soon the map revealed that the base extended miles below the surface of the planet.

"What the hell," The captain's eyes widened. "There's a base under the base?"

"More than that. This is a map that Darrell was able to download from their servers. Our plans don't include this underground base. Worse, the kid was able to find documentation that reports high toxic levels surrounding the underground base. That place is a ticking time bomb, Keith. Whatever is down there could be what Lotor plans on using against us." Once finished, the Lieutenant swallowed the contents of his glass in one gulp. "Not bad. I was expecting the cheap stuff."

Ignoring the comment, Keith continued looking at the vidscreen. "Does Coran know?"

"No," Lance shook his head. "I followed protocol. I told you first."

Keith didn't reply. Feeling surprised by Lance's gradual change toward him, he just nodded before replying, "We need someone in yesterday."

Turning to face the captain, Lance asked, "The question is who? We don't have much time."

"I had a meeting with the Generals today. They are still searching."

"They need to choose faster."

"I know," he nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Lance then asked another question, this time calmly, "The informants that you talked about...is the information..."

"Good?" Keith replied. "Yeah, they have never failed me."

"Do you pay them?"

"Of course, it's business Lance, I have to pay them."

Walking to the bar and helping himself to another drink, Lance asked, "Where do you get the money? Looking at this place, i know you're doing okay, more than okay, but that type of information is expensive. How do you do it, Keith?"

Sighing, he knew he had to be truthful. He'd need Lance's help if Hazar found Haggar's whereabouts, "Normally, i get the funds from clients that hire me."

"How much do the informants want?" Lance asked seriously.

"Two million."

At this, McClain laughed, "You really think Coran is going to authorize two million?"

"I wasn't planning on asking him," Keith replied.

"Then, who?" Lance hadn't finished asking when he realized who it was. "You have got to be kidding me! What if I say no?"

Looking carefully at the Voltron pilot, Keith, shook his head, "I have a few clients that I still have friendly relationships with, I can go to them. But, truth be told, I rather not. It would mean I'd have to give them some information that i don't feel comfortable giving and it could possibly put them and their families in danger. It's not something I want to do, but under the circumstances, I don't see any other way."

Quiet for a moment, Lance played with his glass at hand. He didn't want to put anybody in danger. Keith didn't have the money, if he did, he wouldn't have asked. And he definitely wouldn't have asked him, "It's a hefty amount but doable. You'll have it in your bank account by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," Keith answered. "If they find nothing, I'll return it immediately."

Nodding, Lance went to get another drink, "Not a word about this again. Now, what are we going to do about that?" He pointed to the screen, "We need to find out more about this. You need someone on Korrinth, yesterday."

Thinking for a bit, Keith nodded in agreement, "I'll show them this first thing tomorrow." He finally stated, "But whoever we choose is likely not to come back."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor walked into the control room and realized something had happened. His men moved about in anxious fashion as they worked the various computer systems around them. Even Yurak, who stood by Cossack looked spooked by what occurred around him. Lotor turned to Cossack who paled when he met the prince's stare. "What's going on?"

Cossack looked at his friend with a little trepidation, "Our systems have been hacked. Blue prints of the bases were copied and retrieved by the hacker."

Yurak watched with keen interest.

The Prince's face showed no reaction, nor discomfort, "Stoker. Did he gather anything else?"

The Drule shook his head, "No. He was in for only a minute and logged out before we even knew he was there. Sire, by know…they know about Creta."

Silent for a moment, Lotor walked about calmly. Yurak stared at his superior in disbelief. He had never seen a Drule this calm and calculating. Zarkon and Zolon displayed rather haughty and aggressive behaviors when things didn't go their way. Lotor did not. The old Drule wasn't too sure how to react this strange calmness.

"Are you sure nothing else was taken?" Lotor continued inquiring with interest.

"Positive."

"Good." Lotor smiled, "Then, perhaps, this is a good time to personally introduce my plans to the Voltron Force."

Yurak looked at the prince with disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"Simple, they obviously want to know more about the base. Specifically, what we have secretly hidden on Creta. Don't you think it's a perfect opportunity to show them?"

"Yes?" Yurak replied unsure.

"Of course it is!" Lotor laughed.

"What's on your mind, my Lord," Cossack questioned his friend.

Looking at his confidant, the prince smiled with excitement, "Prepare the suites Cossack. We are about to have guests."