In Main Engineering on the Koenig, Lt. Karen Derbely was considering her options. Her systems all confirmed the same thing; the ship's power systems were being steadily drained. Within a few minutes the Koenig would be dead in space, and her crew condemned to the slow death from loss of life support. They had no power to the warp drives, insufficient power to impulsors… "Alright," she said to the assembled engineering officers. "I need suggestions and I need something we can do in the next sixty seconds."

She already knew that term likely eliminated the most realistic of solutions to their problem. Nevertheless she spotted a glint of hope in the Polish woman's gray eyes. "We could overload the reactors," Poniatowski recommended. "That might give us enough power to break away."

"Or blow us up," Engineer Lang pointed out.

"I'd rather be blown up than die slowly, I think," Poniatowski answered.

"I'd rather not die at all," Derbely said. "But it's the best solution. Let's do it!"

Tothwallad was watching the Alliance ship die with quiet satisfaction. Their fate would encourage the outsiders to stay away from Cabea and their NEUROM allies. "Prepare the null mines," he said. "We will disable the vessel once its power reserves are exhausted."

Lady Dolores stood from the seat she had taken from Kishtamar. "I can sense their uncertainty and terror," she said. A soft, quiet smile came to her face. "It is… exquisite. Although I believe they may be planning an escape."

"Let them try. The Aurigan man-of-war never lets go of prey, and neither do we," Tothwallad said.

On the Koenig bridge Apley and the others heard what the plan was. "What if this thing can keep up with the overload?"

"It's got to have a limit somewhere," Derbely said. "And this is our only option, which we're running out of time to implement."

There was a quiet moment where nothing was said. This wasn't supposed to be Apley's decision. It was a call Zack Carrey should be making, and his failure to report to the bridge was so out of the ordinary that Apley didn't know what to think. Now he had to make the call. It seemed the only way out. But that didn't make it as easy as others might think. It was easy to think that another, safer solution might just present itself if one were to wait. It likely wouldn't, of course, but self-deception came easy when risking possible death with a choice.

For Apley this was a new situation. He'd commanded in battle before, but this wasn't the same thing. You were often too busy in battle to think about these things.

It reflected a lot on Apley's thinking process that, despite all of this, he made his decision in the space of two seconds. "Do it," he ordered.

"Beginning overload now."

Silence returned to the bridge. "Reactor output is increasing. Still no change in power readings," Magda said at first. A few seconds later she said, "Our power levels are stabilizing… power levels increasing."

Teswall spoke up the moment her sensors showed what was happening. "The Alliance vessel is increasing its power output."

"So that is their plan?" Tothwallad shook his head. "These fools, they don't even know the right way to escape from an Aurigan man-of-war. If we were the creature we would be gorging ourselves on this."

"I sense some resignation. They may be planning to destroy themselves," Dolores warned.

"They are hoping we disengage the limbs. Lieutenant Noswam, what is the status of our reserve capacitors?"

"Still at twenty percent, sir," Noswam replied after checking her station.

"No danger then," Tothwallad said. "We have them."

"Reactor levels are now approaching the red-line," Magda warned.

"What about our power levels?" Apley asked.

"Recovering, but still insufficient to break free or to engage the warp field," Magda replied.

"I have phaser power and torpedoes again," Sherlily said. "What if we opened fire?"

"Two torpedoes didn't do much to their shields, I doubt we could blast free," Apley said. Almost immediately, he realized the alternative. "Lieutenant, prepare to remote arm all solar torpedoes."

"Sir?"

"Please. We've only bought a couple of minutes by doing this…"

"Maybe not even that," Magda warned. "Those reactors are over the redline."

"Engineering here. Whatever you're going to do, Commander Apley, you'd better do it soon," Derbely said. "Reactor 2 is showing signs of instability. If we energize the naqia for too much longer, we're going to lose it."

"Lieutenant Navaez, assume remote transporter control. Transport some our solar torpedoes around the limbs, right at the edge of their protective shields."

Magda looked back at him. "That's cutting it awfully close. That blast is going to hit us without any shields."

"I know. But it's also going to hit those tentacles holding us. Tactical, detonate the torpedoes the moment they materialize. We can't give the limbs time to disable them."

"Aye sir," Sherlily said. "I'm ready for transport."

Apley turned his head to Magda. Magda nodded and turned back. It was dangerous, but it was the best shot they had. "Transporting torpedoes… now."

Bursts of white light appeared around the grappling limbs, twelve in all. The white light of the transporters barely had a moment to dissipate before the torpedoes detonated. The Koenig shook violently. "The armor took it," Magda said. "The arms still have us."

"Again!"

More torpedoes appeared and exploded around the limbs.

Tothwallad watched on his viewer as another series of blasts pummelled the limbs draining the life from the Alliance ship. His vessel shook slightly from the short distance to the blasts. "Our defensive fields are still holding," Noswan said.

"Fire the null mine launcher!" Tothwallad ordered. "Disable them!"

"All three reactors are now showing extreme stress, we have to power down or the naqia is going to destabilize!"

Apley heard that warning and said nothing. Magda was already sending the next wave of torpedoes.

The explosions went off again and this time the limbs from the enemy ship seemed to react. They didn't get broken off as he'd thought would happen. Instead they recoiled, as if alive and struck with a severe blow.

"Impulsors to full!" he was shouting, and Hajar's instincts rendered that unnecessary. The Koenig was already in motion. The ship lurched forward in a violent surge. A second later, a series of projectiles erupted from the attacking ship, barely missing them. It turned to pursue and its weapons opened up.

"Dial down the reactors!" Apley shouted into the comms. "Shields, now! Ensign, take us back to the Aurora, best speed!"

They all affirmed his orders. The Koenig shook from the impact of an energy blast on her rear armor. A moment later the ship's deflectors came back online and a further pair of hits were stopped by shimmers of blue light.

The Koenig's warp drives lit up a moment later. She made the jump to warp speed and raced away from her attacker.

"I'm only able to make Warp 5, sir," Hajar reported.

"No sign of pursuit yet," Magda said. "Although I can't be sure given the Fracture's effects."

"If they use the same drives as the Avalonians and Solarians, they won't be able to intercept us at warp," Apley observed. "We'll worry about pursuit once we're back at the Aurora." Apley tapped the intercom key. "I need a detail to check on the Commander, immediately. He still hasn't made it to the bridge."

"This is Doctor Epstein. I am on my way."

Apley nodded and tapped the key again. "Bridge to Engineering. Derbely, what's our status?"

"I had to disengage Reactor 3. We're running off 1 and 2 right now, and I don't like what I'm seeing in 2. I think we need to return to our dock and do a complete systems check with all reactors powered down."

"We should be to the Aurora in six hours, given our speed."

"I might be able to get us to cruise speed, sir," Derbely answered.

"Good, We need to get back." Apley tapped a key and brought up a holographic representation of the ship they'd just encountered. "Things out here are worse than we thought." Once he closed the intercom call he said, "Lieutenant Navaez, raise the Aurora."

"I'm trying, but we took shock damage to our comm systems," Magda said. "It'll be hours before the repair teams can restore full communications."

Apley nodded at that. Whatever happened first, their return or the comms going back online, he could only hope they weren't too late..

The bridge crew of the Judgement of Fate watched in frustration when the Alliance vessel escaped.

It was with horror that they watched Lady Dolores' reaction.

The Ministry of Fate agent turned with rage to Lieutenant Teswall's station. Teswall wasn't given a chance to protest before the iron vice of Dolores' power gripped her throat. She gagged and choked out a plea that did her no good. Dolores' invisibly grip was such that even the death rattle from Teswall's expired lungs couldn't be heard by the others. "That is the price for incompetence," Dolores announced, a clear warning to the others.

None dared challenge her on that matter. It would have simply resulted in their own immediate executions.

"Our mission is now jeopardized," she continued. "Communications, you will send a signal to the Tatran's Bane."

That brought everyone's attention. The Tatran's Bane was the flagship of Admiral Gal-Nazad. His presence brought home the weight behind their mission.

"Inform Admiral Gal-Nazad that I need him to accelerate his arrival. The Alliance knows we are here now."

"Sending now, Lady," was the response.

"And what would you have us do now?" Tothwallad asked. He tried to avoid staring too openly at Teswall's corpse.

"We will remain at the admiral's call," she replied. "That is all for now."

With the example of Teswall to consider, everyone returned to work.

Cat and Pidge stood near Tom Barnes while he connected another of the lines linking the Aurora to the Green Lion. The assembly piece was fitted right by the entrance to the flight deck. The cables attaching it to the ship ran further away, to one of the elevators to the hangar deck.

"We're getting there," Barnes said. "Then all we have to do is see if this thing works."

Cat noticed worry appear on Pidge's face. "I hope it does. Without me, the others can't form Voltron. They won't be able to defeat Emperor Zarkon and the Galra."

"Sounds like a weirdo Japanese anime if you ask me," Barnes muttered, his hands now inside the assembly system. "Lion ships and alien emperors and crap, if you ask me it all sounds like fraking nonsense…"

Cat sighed. "He gets like this sometimes."

"Keith can get pretty moody sometimes too," Pidge said. "Especially if Lance is picking on him."

"They're two of the other lion ship pilots?"

Pidge nodded.

"So, this is where you are." Angel stepped onto the flight deck from the nearby port entrance, still wearing her uniform. She walked the last ten meters to join them.

"This is my big sister Angel," Cat said to Pidge. "She's the ship's Tactical Officer. It lets her shoot things."

"Oh, uh, hi." Pidge extended a hand. Angel accepted it. "Katie Holt."

"Miss Holt."

"Are you off-duty for the day?" Cat asked.

"Yep." Angel faced Cat again. "Violeta should be getting off her final bridge watch soon. Weren't we going to get dinner?"

"Oh, right," Cat answered. "I'm sorry, I've just been busy down here helping Miss Holt…"

"You know, you can call me 'Katie' if you want," Pidge interjected.

"...helping Katie with the project I recommended to the Captain earlier," Caterina finished, correcting herself. "We should be done soon and I'm pretty sure Julia will want me on the bridge when we try this."

"She probably will."

"There we go," Barnes said. "Hey, Lion girl, can you test these connections? I want to make sure everything's good down here before we activate anything."

"Oh, sure." Pidge started a brisk jog back to her Lion.

Cat almost joined her but stopped at seeing Angel's expression. She looked at her sister and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm probably not the best source for advice given my track record," Angel began, "but I think you need to spend more time with your girlfriend, Cat."

"Huh?" Cat blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that ever since you got back from traveling with that Doctor guy, you've been wrapping yourself up with science and stuff and not spending time with Violeta. And I think it's going to mess up your relationship."

"What do you mean? I see her every day!"

"And how often is it just seeing her when she's getting on duty? Or at the end of the night?" Angel shook her head. "But that's not enough for a relationship. I can tell you that from experience."

"So, what, you're saying that I'm neglecting Violeta like Rob neglected you?" Cat asked.

"Maybe not that much yet, okay, but you're getting there. I mean, when you had a chance to go on leave with her, where did you go? You took her to a science fair. On Vulcan."

"I was invited to it," Cat remarked defensively. "To give a presentation. And Violeta didn't complain."

"Of course she didn't. She wouldn't because she knows you're sensitive about things and doesn't want to hurt your feelings."

"You don't seem to care as much about my feelings," Cat pointed out.

"I do care about them," Angel retorted. "I also care about you, though, and that means telling you when I think you're making a mistake."

It was not often the two sisters got into an argument, with Cat usually accepting her older sister's points to avoid such. It was to Angel's surprise that an offended look came to Cat's face. "It sounds to me like you're trying to run my life. I don't need you telling me what I should do to spend time with my girlfriend. Yeah, we went to Vulcan instead of Sirius. I was invited to give a presentation to a science conference being attended by some of the Multiverse's most respected scientists. I wasn't going to turn that down, and Violeta understood completely."

"It doesn't mean she liked it. You need to make it up to her."

"You think I don't know that?" Cat demanded. Her voice was loud enough that it could be heard for meters around them, ending the privacy of their conversation. "I do, and I will, when I can. Just like I'll make it up to her for missing our dinner plans tonight. But I'm going to do it my way."

Angel crossed her arms. "Alright. Fine. I was just trying to give you some advice, but if you want to do it this way, it's up to you and Violeta." It was clear Angel had more on her mind than that, but she held back. Getting into an argument with Cat was the last thing she'd had in mind. She was, indeed, surprised by how vehement Cat had gotten over the matter.

"If you two are done fussing…" Barnes looked up from the assembly. "All of our tests are green. We're ready to do this."

"Then I'd better get to the bridge." Caterina looked toward the Green Lion. Pidge was walking back. "I'm heading up to the bridge, want to join me?"

"Normally I'd love to see it, but I should be down here monitoring the Lion while you do your end," Pidge answered.

Cat nodded. "We should be ready soon, you won't have to wait long." She turned and walked away without another word.

Once she was out of earshot Barnes looked to Angel. "Woh," he said. "It looks like Cat's gotten territorial. I never thought I'd see the day she told you off."

"Yeah," Angel sighed. "Tell me about it."

Some light years away, Captain Tothwallad waited patiently for Squadron Captain Unam Tissim to react to his report. The austere figure of the Squadron Captain, resplendent in a golden uniform marked with blue, looked at Tothwallad through artificial eyes. The implants were crafted by the Anethgan and allowed those so implanted to view the world through spectrums other than the normal visual spectra. According to rumor some of these sets even allowed someone to see the twists and folds of Fracture space, or the energies that fueled the Ministry of Fate and its highest agents.

"So the vessel escaped," Tissim said. "And has undoubtedly warned our quarry of our arrival."

"We did all that we could, great Captain," Tothwallad answered. His life could depend upon such answers.

"I know. Blame can be assigned later. For now we must fulfill our orders. The targets must not be allowed to escape."

"Is that wise, Captain?" asked Lady Dolores. "We were under orders not to engage until Admiral Gal-Nazad arrived."

"Indeed. But we are also under orders to ensure the taking of the target. These orders come from the All-Father himself."

"Yes sir," Tothwallad said. His voice was a squeak. The All-Father? But the All-Father is… Nobody knew if the All-Father was even real or a composite of the leadership of the MoF. Tothwallad desperately wished he had never been aboard this ship, whatever he felt before. He did not want to attract the attention of anyone powerful enough to know the All-Father's will, to know the All-Father's existence. And the fact he had been told that...

Remembering himself, Tothwallad looked to his helmsman. "Take up formation with Captain Tissim's squadron," he barked.

"Yes sir."

The Judgement of Fate moved into formation with the present NEUROM ships. Moments later they were in hyperspace.

Cat stepped out of the lift onto the bridge. Meridina stood from the command chair at her arrival. "Lieutenant," she said simply. "Your preparations are finished?"

"Yeah. We're ready to link into the lion." Cat set at the science station, relieving Lieutenant al-Rashad. She tapped in her passcode to reflect she was now on station. Al-Rashad didn't leave, however, but moved to the rear of the bridge and an auxiliary station. It was clear she had an interest of what was going to happen next.

The helm was still being manned by Violeta. Lieutenant Neyzi was sitting at Ops and Lieutenant Jarke was at Tactical. All were clearly interested in what was about to happen.

The door to the ready office slid open. Julia emerged with Jarod beside her. Jarod assumed Ops from Neyzi while Julia took her chair. "Is everything ready?" she asked.

"They're ready on the flight deck," said Cat. "I'm feeding the necessary information into the systems."

Julia looked forward. "Jarod?"

"I have the telemetry." He worked the Ops console. "I'm bringing the data connection online." Quiet moments passed with no seeming result. "The IU radio system is now tied into the lion ship."

"I'm creatingt the link now," said Pidge, using the same connection.

While they waited to see if this resulted in anything, Julia asked, "Are you confident we can re-open the wormhole safely?"

"The plan is sound," Jarod said, with Cat nodding in agreement. "Although I can't promise that there's absolutely no risk. We're trying something completely new with the technology here."

"Hrm."

"Honestly, this entire thing is a bit of a throw in the dark," Cat added. "We don't know for certain how this wormhole took on a sixth dimensional characteristic. But it's our best shot since I don't have any idea what their universe of origin is."

"If this does not work, Ms. Holt could end up stranded," Meridina observed.

"Yeah," Cat agreed, " and from what she's said, that could be a very bad thing for the universe she comes from."

Jarod's board drew his attention. "I'm getting a stable return from the signal. I think we've found them."

Julia nodded. "Whenever you're ready, Commander."

Jarod's hands moved over his control station. The Aurora's systems responded to his commands. Power surged into the ship's jump drive and navigational deflector. A lance of energy came from the dish and intersected space.

A tone sounded on Cat's board. "I'm picking up something."

"What?" asked Julia.

"Give me a moment, I need to… oh. Oh wow. Look at that neutrino surge."

"Cat?"

"I...I think the wormhole is reforming."

Julia looked to the front of the bridge. "On screen."

The holo-viewscreen showed the empty space ahead of them and the single beam from the Aurora's deflector array. Gradually the warping of space seemed to relax a little around the beam.

A blue hole suddenly formed in space, looking very much like a portal rather than the swirl of color Cat and the others remembered from the Bajoran Wormhole, among other things. From within the void at the center of the vortex energy swirled and crackled, turning greenish in color.

"The particle emissions are consistent with what we found before," Cat said. "I think something is coming through."

Something emerged from the center of the void. The ship was sizable, if not as large as the Aurora. It had a main body and four smaller pieces attached to the central body by pylons. The primary color of the ship was white with blue highlights.

"That's it," said Pidge excitedly. "The Castle of Lions."

A warning tone sounded on Jarod's board. "We've got feedback coming through the jump drive," he said. "I've got to shut it down."

"Just another moment," Cat urged him.

Jarod nodded and kept working. The vessel ahead cleared the wormhole. A moment later the lance of energy from the Aurora ended. The wormhole opening collapsed abruptly. "The jump drive is offline," Jarod informed them.

"Yeah, I'll say," Barnes grumbled. "You nearly burnt the damn thing out."

Julia heard that but kept her attention on the ship that emerged. "Any life signs or energy signatures?"

"There's definitely an energy signature," Cat noted. "And I'm picking up two life signs. Non-Human."

"They're hailing."

Julia nodded at Jarod. "Put them on."

The holo-viewscreen changed to show a bridge or command center on the other ship. The image focused on a humanoid figure. The being looked female with silver hair pulled into what looked like a bun at the back of her head. Her blue eyes contained a lavender pupil. Curved blue marks were visible on the outer corners of her eyes. Her ears were about Human-size, but pointed. The suit she was wearing reminded Julia of the armor that Katie Holt had been recovered in. It wasn't the same design, but it clearly had aesthetic similarities.

"Hello," the young woman on the viewscreen said. "Pidge? Are you there?"

"I'm here," was the reply. The holo-viewscreen added a secondary image showing Pidge at the controls of her ship "It worked!"

There was visible relief on the alien woman's face. "Have you seen the others? Are they here?"

"I'm not sure. I can't pick them up."

"Neither can we," stated a male voice from the other ship. Someone off-camera was speaking. "I'm not showing any of the other Lions on our systems. But there seems to be something wrong with the scanners."

"It's because of this area of space," Julia said. "It's known as the Fracture, and it's got severe spatial distortions that makes most scanning impossible over long distances." Seeing that she had their attention now, she added, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Julia Andreys of the Starship Aurora, representing the United Alliance of Systems. You would be Princess Allura?"

"I am." Allura showed a little confusion. "Although I'm surprised to see Humans in a starship of that size. The Paladins have made it clear your world has yet to develop such ships."

"So we've been told. But we're not from your universe. The Alliance has interuniversal jump drive that allows us to explore multiple universes."

"I can verify that," Pidge said. "I've seen some of their database. And the local starcharts. This is an entirely different universe."

"That is… quite bizarre," Allura answered. "But I see no reason to not believe you. And we may need help to find the others."

"And find a way home," Coran added.

"It is possible that they're back in your home universe," Cat said. "Depending on when they got thrown out of the wormhole, if it happened before whatever it was finished shifting your wormhole into something that could penetrate the universal barrier, they wouldn't have ended up here. As for a way home…"

"Lieutenant, you sound like you have an idea," Julia noted.

"Just a few thoughts, but I think I'll need to run simulations first." Cat gave Barnes an apologetic look. "And we might need the jump drive back too."

"So you can burn it out again?" he asked sarcastically.

"Any help you can provide will be appreciated," Allura said. "We need to get back to our home universe. We're the only hope our universe has left against the Galra."

"Miss Holt already told us about them," Julia said. "We're in our own conflict with an evil empire, so we'll be glad to help you get back to fight yours. Are you in need of any repair assistance?"

"We seem to have come through alright. Thank you for the offer and for any assistance you can give in returning us."

"If you want to come over and discuss that with us, we'll be happy to host you," Julia said.

"I will take you up on shortly, Captain. Until then, Pidge, are you returning to the Castle?"

"Well, not right away." Pidge grinned a little sheepishly. "It's going to take time to disconnect the Green Lion from the Aurora."

"Then I'll join you shortly." A moment later the image disappeared.

"Cat, those simulations you want to run?"

At Julia's question, she nodded. "I'll go get started on them right away."

"Go." Julia looked to Barnes next. "I want an ETA on jump drive repairs too."

After Cat stood from the chair al-Rashad resumed her watch at the station. Julia settled back into her chair and glanced toward Meridina. "Well, this isn't our usual survey mission now, is it?"

"It is not," she agreed.

"And are you thinking what I am?"

Meridina gave her a slightly sardonic look, which spoke volumes to her relative lack of patience given what this area of space was doing to her. "Despite this place, I can still sense thought. You are thinking of the resemblance?"

"I suppose it could just be like Humans and Gersallians," Julia noted.

"Possibly," Meridina agreed.

That was all there was to be said on that subject. Julia decided to bring up another. "You're not feeling any better?"

"I am afraid I am not," Meridina confirmed.

"Right." Which meant that every moment they were adding to their time in the Fracture by helping these people would be another moment of misery for Meridina and many others on the crew.

They would just have to make it worthwhile.

Julia was present in the shuttle bay when the shuttle arrived from the Castle of Lions. Katie Holt joined her just as the shuttle landed. She was back in the armor they had recovered her in.

Allura stepped out of the hatch wearing more formal attire than before. Instead of the suit she was in a long, flowing white dress with long sleeves. A tiara encircled her head. "Greetings, Captain," she stated upon approach. "And it's good to see you're well, Pidge. I've been fearing the worst."

"So have I."

"We'll do whatever we can to help you," Julia promised. "If you'll follow me, my officers are gathering in one of our conference rooms to discuss the situation."

They departed the shuttle bay. Julia led them through the bright azure corridors of the Aurora. "An impressive vessel, certainly," Allura said. "And you say you serve an alliance of systems?"

"I do," Julia answered. "The United Alliance of Systems contains a number of systems and planets from numerous universes. We banded together to ensure the fair sharing of advanced technology with each other, including the interuniversal drive, and for mutual-defense. Each member of the Alliance has fair representation to our government and a hand in electing our leaders."

"That sounds quite good," said Allura. "My father would have gladly supported your Alliance. If the day comes that your people enter our home universe, it may provide the example to help defeat the Galra."

"I would hope so." Julia decided not to mention that the Alliance was hardly universally committed to defeating the threat it was facing now, given the peace movement of Senator Pensley. "Unfortunately we have our own war we're fighting."

"I suppose evil can be found anywhere."

"If there's a universe without evil, we haven't found it yet," Julia lamented. She turned to her right and stepped up to a lift door. "Here." It opened at her approach. She stepped in and they followed. Once everyone was inside she said "Bridge" and the lift started to move. It would only take a minute or two for the car to work its way to the bridge. "Our science officer is running simulations now. If anyone can find a way to get you back, I'm sure she can."

"I don't doubt it," said Pidge.

"Again, I thank you for your efforts on our behalf, Captain," said Allura. "Hopefully we can find the others and…"

The lift came to a stop. The door swished open and admitted Ensign Talara. "Oh, Captain," she began. "I was just on my way to my bridge watch. I didn't mean to hold you up."

Julia heard the surprised intake of breath to either side of her. Pidge and Allura were both staring in complete surprise at Talara. "This is Ensign Talara," Julia said to them. "She's one of our bridge officers."

"I… I don't believe it," Allura gasped. "How is this possible? Coran and I are..."

The similarity in their appearances was something Julia had already noticed. Now that they were face-to-face, it was impossible to miss. The two shared a similar skin tone, their ears were the same general shape, and they had color in their pupils as well as the irises. If Julia didn't know better she would have thought Talara was one of Allura's species too.

"She's a Falaen from Universe A7R6, Princess Allura," Julia explained to their guests. "It wouldn't be the first time we've found species with virtually the same appearance. Gersallians and Humans are like that, for instance."

This might have dispelled the surprise from their faces, but now it was Talara's eyes that widened. "Wait," she said. She looked closely at Allura. "Princess Allura?"

That prompted a nod with the reply, "I am, yes. Princess Allura of Altea." There was still lingering hope in her voice.

Now Talara's face paled in shock. The young Falaen woman looked like the entire world suddenly made no sense.

"What is it, Ensign?" Julia asked. Even as she said the words, her mind started to provide its own answers. Realization set in. "Wait. Are you...?"

Talara nodded, although she couldn't quite keep her eyes off of Allura, who in turn looked like she didn't know whether to remain stunned silent or to weep with joy. "Yes, Captain. My people and I are Altean."

The officers of the Aurora assembled with their guests in the conference lounge off of the bridge. In this assemblage of senior officers, plus the higher-ranking junior officers in Lucy and Barnes, Ensign Talara already had reason to be nervous. That she was sitting across from a legendary icon of her people at the middle of the conference table made that worse.

Julia was at the head of the table, as always, with Meridina to one side and Jarod on the other. Scotty, Cat, Barnes, and Lucy were beyond Jarod's seat while Leo, Angel, and Locarno were on Meridina's side. Allura and Pidge sat beyond Locarno and Talara was beside Lucy. The holo-viewscreen on the wall was patched into the command center of the Castle of Lions, where the other Altean survivor, Coran, was watching. He seemed to be particularly set on Talara. "Well, she certainly looks Altean."

Leo tapped his omnitool and brought up a holographic image with the table's holo-projector. It showed two sets of what looked like DNA helixes. Information displayed showed various points of similarity. "The genetic scans agree." He nodded to Talara. "Her genetic structure is a species match to Princess Allura with a slight genetic variance that looks like genetic drift. Ten thousand years worth of further development on a new homeworld certainly accounts for that."

Talara nodded. She already knew they were the same, but now Doctor Gillam had confirmed it for everyone else's benefit.

Allura's eyes never left Talara. "Then… our people aren't all dead," she said softly. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "How many?"

"Legend says that about fifty thousand of our people survived to settle Fala," Talara replied. "Only one out of five who fled."

Allura immediately recognized the name of the new homeworld her people settled. "Fala? You named our new world after my mother?"

Talara nodded quietly. "To honor her. She… didn't survive."

"Mother." Grief now shown on Allura's face. She quietly wiped tears from her cheeks with the fingers of her right hand. "I know Father sent her away before the attack began. But he never told me why." She looked toward the image of Coran.

"All he told me was that he had to buy time, and that above all else Zarkon couldn't be allowed to claim Voltron."

"He must have hoped he could tie up the Galra fleets while the evacuation convoy got away," Pidge said.

"Alright. I'm a bit behind on this," said Angel. "But just what the heck is this 'Voltron' thing?'

Talara spoke first. "In the legends my people passed down, Voltron was a great weapon of Light formed from the bodies of five powerful lions of metal. They were built by Altea's King Alfor to protect the peoples of the known universe." Talara's voice was steady now as she reached into her memories. None of their visitors had yet to contradict her. "In the end, he was betrayed by one of his own allies. Voltron disappeared and an enemy swept over our people."

"The Galra," Allura said in a bitter tone.

Talara nodded. "That is a name Falaen parents use to frighten children."

"The Galra were allies?" Pidge asked Allura.

"When I was just a child, Emperor Zarkon and my father knew each other as friends." Allura scowled. "He tricked my Father and betrayed him to seize control of Voltron. That was when he destroyed Altea."

"So if the evacuation was a success, how did it happen?" Coran asked. "The Galra seem convinced we're the last."

"This is the story passed down to me as a youth," Talara began. "According to the legend of the Great Fall, King Alfor realized our people were doomed if some did not escape. So he and Queen Fala made sure to hold back some of our ships from the last battle with the Galra fleet. While the Galra focused on trying to seize Voltron, the Queen gathered as many survivors of the Galra attack as she could and fled the star system. They escaped just before Zarkon destroyed it."

"Then what happened?" Allura asked, with all of the energy of someone who desperately needed to know.

"The Galra pursued them without pity or mercy. One by one, the evacuation ships were destroyed until only a few remained." Talara's voice made clear her feelings toward this story. There was a sense of horror of how close her ancestors had come to annihilation at the hands of a pitiless foe. It was a contrast in emotions, to some degree, as while Allura shared that horror, she clearly felt more frustration as well. Talara continued, "Soon the fleet was trapped between Galra ships. The Galra opened fire on Queen Fala's lead ship. Their weapons devastated the control bridge. Most of Fala's closest followers died in that attack."

Coran's eyes fell at that. "There were good people with Fala. Some of the best in the royal service."

"And with mother dead or wounded and her station damaged, our ships wouldn't have been able to form a wormhole," Allura said.

"Why not?" asked Barnes. "Didn't you train your people to do that?"

"Only the royal bloodlines of Altea can operate a teludav drive," Coran answered. "It runs off of their energy."

Meridina glanced toward Allura. "Technology powered by swevyra," she said. "Until I saw your lion ships, I never imagined such a thing possible."

"Swevy-what?" asked Pidge.

"It's a Gersallian word that doesn't translate well into English," Lucy answered. "It roughly means 'life force', but with special connotations to it that involve using it to sense the Flow of Life and use life-energy for various things. Like limited sensing of the future so you can win gunfights with swords."

"It sounds like these people had it bad then," said Angel. "I'm guessing they got away?"

Talara nodded. "All seemed lost when a miracle happened."

"They found a wormhole or something?" Cat asked. An excited look came to her. "Or did they get help? Was it a humanoid being in a blue box bigger on the inside?"

The visitors and guests all looked at her with some confusion. "Uh, no," Talara answered.

"A blue box bigger on the inside?" Pidge asked, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"I was just wondering if they were saved by the Doctor," Cat said. Seeing the looks of the others, she sheepishly added, "Well, it's the kind of thing he'd do. And he's traveled to other universes before…"

"It wasn't this Doctor you speak of," Talara said. "But someone did come. As the Galra launched their final attack to wipe out the survivors, a great vessel appeared among Queen Fala's ships. The ship's defenses were beyond anything my ancestors knew. It absorbed the attack of the Galra by itself and then utterly annihilated their pursuit ships."

"According to what you have said, this was thousands of years before the Darglan," said Meridina. "Who was their savior?"

"The Doctor said there have been other interuniversal-capable species," Cat pointed out. "It could have been one of them."

"We do not know the species of the being controlling the great ship, just that it used beams of energy so powerful that when they touched the Galra ships they cut through them like they were made of paper. The history reads that Queen Fala was summoned before the leader of the ship after they had annihilated the Galra forces. Her wounds were critical and she was dying. But even though it was likely to kill her, Queen Fala went to meet with our savior where she pleaded for the future of our people."

"Mother…" Allura look pained. She had known her mother was likely dead for some time, but to hear of how she died hurt in its own way.

"Nobody knows what was said between them. Our people feared that they were doomed. But a short time after she went over, the great vessel generated its own portal. And the Queen herself gave the command to depart through it without her."

"Why would she leave them behind?" Cat asked.

"We don't know. Or at least, the stories don't record it. The others didn't wish to abandon her, of course, but she insisted they must survive and keep Altea's memory. The survivors obeyed and flew through the portal. On the other side was an uninhabited star system with a world that fit our species' needs. My ancestors named our new homeworld in honor of our queen." Talara took a drink of water to whet her throat.

"She's truly gone, then," Allura murmured, pain in her voice. "I knew not to hope, but hearing it…"

A brief glimpse of pain appeared on Coran's face. As if it hurt that he wasn't physically present to help Allura through her grief.

"And you still do not know who this being was?" asked Meridina.

"We never saw the ship again," Talara confirmed. "It took us a long time to get back into space as it was. It took many generations for our people to rebuild our civilization to cover Fala, and a number more for us to spread back to the stars. And some of the technologies spoken of in our legends were lost to us. We never learned how to build the wonders like the teludav drive or the Castle of Lions. Returning to the stars required my ancestors to find the secrets of warp travel instead."

"And you stopped being Alteans?"

Talara nodded at Pidge. "By the time we encountered new species, we identified ourselves with our new world. We were Falaens, not Alteans."

"But you remember the other name."

"Yes," Talara said in reply to Julia. "We have not forgotten it. Only some of the specifics of what led us to our new home."

"We knew that the Darglan transplanted species onto new worlds," Julia said. "It's not too much of a surprise that other species with IU drives have done the same."

"This isn't some secret history Falaens don't share, is it?" Locarno asked. "Because this sounds like something that would have become widely known by now."

She shook her head. "We do not hide this story. Nor do we talk about it openly. It is simply part of our heritage. Until those from other worlds take interest in the legend, I'm sure most non-Falaens don't pay particular interest." Talara looked to Julia. "I would like to add that this is why I volunteered for Alliance service ma'am. The Nazi Reich is just as cruel as the Galra were said to be. Your Alliance is the same as the being who once saved us. I, and others like me, believe we should honor our benefactor and the memory of Queen Fala by opposing evil as they did."

"Your people are one of those who didn't withdraw their petition to join the Alliance when the war started," Julia said. "I'd say you're living up to that pretty well."

"Thank you, Captain."

Julia nodded once and moved forward in her chair. "Alright, now that we've settled this point of interest, let's discuss the matter at hand. Specifically, getting your ships back to your home universe."

"Oh… yes." Allura looked up. "That should be our priority, as well as locating the other Lions."

"The scanners aren't showing any of them," Coran confirmed.

"The Fracture may be interfering with your sensors."

"The connection between the Castle and the Lions is more than a matter of electronic signals," said Allura. "Although you may be right. I have never seen a region of space like this one."

"We haven't either," Jarod said. "But we should also consider the possibility that the other ships are still back in your home universe."

"Is there any way to know for certain?" Julia asked him.

Jarod looked to Cat. "If we can get sensor data from when the ships were in the wormhole," she said. "We can compare that data to the specific points where the other lion ships fell out. And then we'll know. Or at least we'll have a good idea."

"Coran, I'd like you to send that recorded data."

"Right away, Princess."

"And if the others are back in our home universe, how do we get back?" asked Pidge. "Can you scan us and figure out how to get there?"

"It really doesn't work that way," Julia said. She looked at the others. "At least I don't think it does. Suggestions?"

"That's going to take more time," Cat admitted. "There are a couple of theories about the effect that we can try. I've got the simulations running down in Science Lab 2. They'll be ready in several more hours."

"In the meanwhile, Princess Allura, we're ready to provide any aid necessary for you and your subordinate," Julia continued. "How are your stores? We can provide food, water, and other supplies."

"Especially the food."

"You have my thanks for your generosity, Captain, but I believe most of our stores are still full."

"And we've got plenty of food to last us," Coran added.

Cat fought the impulse to giggle at the face Pidge made. Whatever progress she'd made into accepting said goo into her palate had been undone by being exposed to the products of Hargert's kitchen.

"Then we'll convene again when Lieutenant Delgado has more data for us. Everyone, you're dismissed."

After the briefing Meridina called out to Ensign Talara. The Falaen (or Altean, one now supposed) walked up to her instead of joining the others in leaving the bridge. "Commander?" she asked.

"This has not been easy for you, has it?" Meridina asked. "I sense you are uneasy."

"Well, some of it is this awful region of space," Talara said. "I think it is getting to me as well." She could see Meridina wasn't going to leave it at that. After a few moments of consideration Talara gave up and continued speaking. "It is all so… maddening, I suppose? My people have spent ten thousand years putting our near-extinction behind us. Princess Allura, King Alfor, Voltron… they are nothing but legends to us. Stories we learn as children."

"Those legends have shaped your culture, have they not?" Meridina pointed out.

"Yes. But… it's just so much, Commander. For me to meet Princess Allura… well, imagine if you were to meet Swenya face-to-face. Or Reshan, or Tanisan."

"I understand what you mean, Ensign," Meridina said. "Legends are often different from the truth. Virtues are exaggerated. Faults are ignored. It is hard to imagine a legend as a living being with hopes and fears of their own."

Talara nodded. "Not that Princess Allura hasn't impressed me. She has. But the stories we tell of her, of her undying devotion to her father's cause… the legends claim she perished fighting at her father's side. If she's alive, then what else is inaccurate?"

"I suspect the legend writers underestimated a parent's willingness to save their child." Meridina examined the young officer carefully. In her new role as First Officer, it was her responsibility to provide advice for all of the officers of the ship. She understood this was what she needed to focus on here; to help Talara through whatever thoughts she had. "It is reasonable for you to concern yourself with the possibility that your people are wrong about their past. I am… familiar with that feeling."

"And what have you done about it?"

"I have not allowed it to distract me," she answered. "You may have an alternative I did not enjoy, however. By speaking to Allura, you may see that regardless of the outcome, your people's memory of her is still accurate."

"Is that appropriate, Commander? I am just a junior officer."

"You are also a member of her species, whom she believed to be lost. You are the living embodiment of the joy and hope that now dwells within Allura. A symbol that her people survived." Meridina smiled gently. "There is nothing inappropriate about you being in her company."

Talara nodded. Meridina, despite her discomfort from the Fracture, felt the young woman's uncertainty and nervousness. It was not out of place. Meridina imagined she would have the same feeling if she were meeting Swenya.

A blue holographic light appeared over the back of Talara's left hand. "Captain Andreys to Ensign Talara. Please report to the Bridge."

"Oh, yes, it is time for my first watch," Talara said. She nodded at Meridina. "Thank you, Commander, for your advice."

"You are welcome." Meridina nodded in reply and watched Talara depart. She drew in a breath, which did nothing to settle her queasy stomach. She departed for her quarters and another attempt to rest.

Talara arrived on the bridge fully prepared to assume her helm station. Seeing Ensign Jimenez at the helm caused her confusion. He was not supposed to come on duty until she finished her first watch. She stepped around the tactical station and approached the command chairs. Julia was seated with Allura to her left in the guest chair. "Captain, you wished to see me?"

"Ensign." Julia nodded at her. "It's going to take a while for Lieutenant Delgado and Commander Jarod to figure out a way to get the Princess and her ships back to their home universe. In the meantime, Princess Allura has kindly invited a team from the Aurora over to examine the technology of the Castle. She's requested your presence and I've agreed to it."

Talara glanced toward Allura. She drew in a nervous breath and nodded. "I understand, Captain. Whom do I report to?"

"I'd like you to spend time with Coran and myself, actually," Allura said. "It is selfish of me, I know, but we have so many questions…"

"It is okay, Highness," Talara responded. "I… I understand, really. I have questions too."

"Well, we have much to share then." Allura stood and looked to Julia. "Captain, I will be returning to my vessel. Your team is welcome to join us whenever they are ready."

"Lieutenant Lucero is assembling her people now," Julia said. "They'll beam over within the hour."

"In the meantime, I will fly my shuttle back. Ensign, if you will please join me?"

Talara nodded. "Yes, of course."

Meridina stepped up at this final exchange. She took her seat and quietly watched Talara and Allura leave the bridge. "They are both uncertain, but hopeful," she said to Julia. "You did a good thing, sending Talara over."

"I figure it will help her as much as it helps Allura and her… assistant, was he?"

"A retainer, certainly." While Meridina spoke, a sudden grimace appeared on her face.

Julia noticed it immediately. "Meridina? What's wrong? Do you need to go to the medbay?"

"No," Meridina replied. "It is… I believe something is about to happen. I can feel a violent intent in the Flow of Life."

"Where? Around us?"

"No. Further away. I cannot say where. The Fracture clouds my connection to the Flow of Life too greatly." She eyed Julia warily. "Captain, when was the last check-in by the Koenig?"

"It should have been an hour ago." Julia frowned. She glanced toward the front of the bridge, where Lieutenant Jakeet was at Ops. "When was the last check-in from the Koenig?"

Jakeet looked at the logs. "Ninety-six minutes ago."

Julia frowned. "What about our active channel to them?"

Jakeet checked it. "It appears to have been lost."

"That is not like Zachary," Meridina noted. "Though he has been so lost as of late, I do not see him failing to maintain communications. Particularly in our current location."

"Agreed." Julia didn't bother keeping her worry off her face. "And we can't go looking for them without leaving the Castle behind."

"If their systems are intact enough, it may be safe."

Julia responded by tapping the intercom key on her chair. "Bridge to Lucero."

"Lucero here."

"The Koenig hasn't checked in on time and we can't raise her. I need to know if Allura's ship can defend itself. Get your team now and get over there."

"I haven't finished…" Lucy audibly stopped herself. "Yes Captain, we're on our way."

"Inform Allura of the change in plans," Julia instructed Jakeet. "Sensors, keep an eye out for the Koenig."

"Yes ma'am."

"And elevate running status to Code Yellow," she added. "Something's wrong, and I don't want it catching us by surprise."

When the door to Science Lab 2 opened Caterina looked up from her work station. Pidge walked in wearing her Paladin armor. "Sorry," she said. "But when the lights started flashing yellow I thought it might be an attack warning."

"We're at Code Yellow running status now. That is, it's sort of a standby for combat. The shields are kept up and everyone's supposed to avoid things that would keep them from getting to their combat stations quickly. So no holodeck fun or anything. Although you can sleep or eat and stuff like that."

Pidge stepped up to the console Cat was seated at. She looked about as she did, observing all of the holotanks and holo-displays showing data. Three other officers and scientists were at other locations in the large lab area. "And this is only one of three labs on your ship?"

Cat nodded. "Well, four if you count the testing labs in medbay. And oh, you should let Allura know." Cat reached over and tapped a key, bringing up a secondary holo-screen showing a recording from the Castle. Lion ships of black and red color flew by the screen and hit the tunnel wall in the background, disappearing. Another video showed the same happening to two more of blue and yellow color. "I've gone over your castle's sensor records. The other lions hit the tunnel wall before the particle signature associated with interuniversal transition began to form."

"You mean that they didn't come to this universe or any others? They're back in our home universe?"

"Exactly." Cat grinned. "So we don't have to worry about finding them."

Pidge matched the grin. "Well, that's a relief. Now you can focus on getting us back too."

"That's the tricky part," Cat admitted. She turned back to the screen and began entering information. "I had the sensors taking in every bit of information they could when the Castle opened that wormhole. I'm hoping that there's a signature I can use to find your home universe."

"How does that work?"

"Well, under normal circumstances, we have to scan a resulting jump point. And it has to be kept open long enough to get a good scan in. That doesn't always happen." Cat shook her head. "In your case, the wormhole wasn't open long enough. The data we got was partial."

"Allura said the wormhole had her and Coran stuck in some sort of loop, where they would fall into the end of the wormhole and jump back in time by a few minutes. Coran even got a few years younger in each loop."

"Physical regression from a temporal field?" Cat blinked. "Now that is completely bizarre." Cat sorted through her readings. "A temporal component… And the wormhole was destabilized. You know, jump points have done the same thing."

"What do you mean?" Pidge asked.

"Almost two years ago, there was a case where a shuttle rigged to explode detonated inside of a jump point. As in right at the middle during the moment of transition from one universe to another. Instead of destabilizing and collapsing the point, it turned it into a temporal point with an intense gravitational element. It even sucked in someone and sent them back in time by two hundred years."

"Time travel?" Pidge's expression betrayed her surprise. "What happened to them, then? You found them in the historical records?"

"We did. And we used another effect that Scotty knows about to go back in time and pick them up. It involved warping around a star to cause temporal displacement. The math was crazy-insane and awesome."

"I'll bet." Pidge looked at everything again. A distant look formed on her face, one with evident pain. "Matt and my dad would love this ship. And everything you've got."

Cat looked to her. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," Pidge answered. "The Galra have them."

"I'm sorry," Cat said. "Family's important to me too. I don't know what I'd do if Angel was taken by the bad guys like that."

"I was going to look for them. But the others needed me." Pidge slumped into a seat beside Cat. Her eyes remained lowered. "I know that beating the Galra is more important to a lot of people. But I feel like I'm letting my family down. And now… now I might be stranded in another universe, and I'll never find them."

Cat placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "You will," Cat said. "And I'll find a way to get you home, okay? I promise."

Pidge lifted her eyes. Tears were formed in them, tears of grief and frustration. "Thank you," she said. "I'm sure you will."

The extent to which the Fracture interfered with all things electronic was evident in the distortions forming on Julia's screen, interfering with the image of Admiral Maran in his office. His voice was mostly clear when he spoke, at least. "I am astounded by the report you and Doctor Gillam have filed," he said. "I never imagined the Falaens had such a tragic history."

"How much did we know about them? I don't recall anything about their not being native to Fala."

"It's not widely known. It's possible they simply don't talk about it. Given their reputation in A7R6 they may have worried that such an origin would undermine their diplomatic position. Some of the other species would have seen them as invaders." Maran's image flickered. "I'm more disturbed by your inability to reach the Koenig."

"They may have lost communications. We won't know for sure until we look for them. And given the circumstances, I thought it best to focus on protecting the Castle of Lions."

"I agree. If not for the Fracture's notorious instability I would be ordering ships to jump to your position. As it is, I've ordered the Soyuz and the Unatam'se to rendezvous with you. But they're still days away at high warp."

"So we're on our own." Julia nodded. "I expected that."

"Keep me informed. Maran out." The distorted image of Maran disappeared, returning her monitor to a blank black screen.

Julia rubbed at her forehead. They were alone out here, deep in this Godforsaken stretch of space, closer to hostile powers than they were friendly ones. Admiral Maran had simply confirmed how spread out they were. If there was a hostile force on its way, the Aurora would be handling it by itself…

The comm system sounded. "Captain, we have ships on sensors," said Locarno. "They're currently in hyperspace and will arrive in a few minutes."

Julia got to her feet. "Recall the command staff to the bridge," she said. "Go to Code Red."

"We were about to beam Lieutenant Lucero and her team over…"

It took only a moment for Julia to make her decision about that. Lucy alone would make sure that the Castle of Lions couldn't be easily taken by boarding parties. "Send them over before your raise shields. And make sure they and Princess Allura know what's going on. I'm on my way."

A moment later, the alert klaxon sounded to summon the Aurora crew to combat stations.

It didn't take long for everyone to gather on the bridge and assume their stations. "All weapons armed and ready," Angel said. "Torpedoes loading in all launchers."

"All shield generators showing green," Barnes said from the Engineering station. "Armor-Hull self-repair systems online."

"Commander Laurent and his pilots are currently boarding their fighters and are ready to launch," Meridina confirmed. Though it was clear she still felt sick, she was hiding it well. "All sections and departments report combat readiness."

"Good." Julia directed her attention to Jarod. "Open a communication to the Castle."

The holo-viewscreen changed to show the command center of the Altean vessel. Lucy and Talara were visible beside Allura and Coran. "Should the incoming vessels prove hostile, we are prepared to fight," Allura said.

"Their systems are pretty sophisticated," Lucy added. "And they're all operating at optimal condition. The only thing down right now is their wormhole drive."

"Hopefully we won't need it."

A moment later another image appeared on the screen. Pidge was in full armor and helmet in the seat of her lion. "Green is ready."

"I'm picking up subspace rippling, they're about to transition out of hyperspace," Cat said.

The viewscreen shifted to show empty space. A moment later a number of ships appeared, as if zipping in from nowhere. The vessels in question were long and thin craft by proportion, with slanted sections of hull at sections along the main body that may have been intended as protective armoring for important spaces along the hull. Toward the rear of the ship was a tall spire, behind which was a multi-level tower structure with a smaller spire above it. Another long spire emerged from the bottom of the rear hull, tipped with a double-paneled ending that was possible electronics. Two double-barrelled main weapons pointed forward. Eight of these vessels were present and arranged in a double line, one above the other, their main guns all pointing forward.

A ninth vessel of similar size appeared. This one was beige-colored, long and sleek, and had the startling sight of six long, wavering tentacles attached to its bow. They looked completely organic, their tips the shape of arrowheads.

"Lieutenant Delgado, can you identify them?"

"They're not matching anything in the database," Cat answered. "Scanning the odd one out."

"You mean the octopus one?" Angel asked.

"Those tendrils are more like a jellyfish's," Cat said. "The signature is in our database as that of an Aurigan man-of-war, a cosmozoan life form found in the Fracture. The class of ship itself…" After a moment Cat looked over. "It's coming up as a Judgement-class hunter scout of the Republic of Cabea."

Julia frowned at that. "They're a member nation of NEUROM," she said. "So that's who we're dealing with."

"Most concerning," Meridina agreed.

"Incoming hail from the main ship," Jarod said.

"On screen, and patch them to Allura." Julia stood from her chair. The screen shifted to show a severe-looking man in a resplendent golden uniform. His complexion was pale brown, the mark of a long-time space-dweller, with graying hair at his temples. His eyes were artificial green orbs set into his face with blue lights where the pupil and iris would be on an organic eye. "Greetings. I am Captain Julia Andreys of the Alliance Starship Aurora." Julia kept her voice level and friendly.

"I am Squadron Captain Unam Tissim, commander of the 194th Doctrinal Enforcement Squadron of the Ministry of Fate. Captain Andreys, your ship and name are known to us. I will permit you to withdraw and allow us to take possession of these extrauniversal craft."

Julia furrowed her brow. "Squadron Captain, this isn't NEUROM space. By what grounds do you intend to seize them?"

"It is the will of the Ministry," was the response. "We will not permit any other people to secure the power of these unknown craft."

"Captain Tissim, I am Princess Allura of Altea. I assure you, we mean you no harm, and it is our intent to return to our universe of origin as soon as possible. There is no need for violence."

"If you wish to avoid violence, alien, then surrender your craft immediately. We will allow the Alliance to take you away."

"I'm not giving up my ship. We have need of it in our home universe."

"Then you take responsibility of your own fate, alien."

"Squadron Captain, I will protect Princess Allura and her vessels," Julia warned. "And the Alliance will consider this a hostile action by NEUROM against the Alliance."

"Consider it as you like. We do not fear your Alliance. The Fates are with us. Cross the Fates and face our fury."