Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron/GoLion and/or it's characters. All OCs belong to me...
The Resistance: Book III
Chapter 10
"Lieutenant Commander, please…calm yourself." Demanded Coran, noticing that Red's pilot began to roll up his sleeves as his nostrils began to flare. Lance looked at the Arusian Minister and gritted his teeth before turning his attention back to their guest.
"For the last time, What the hell are you doing here, Lochlan?" agitation evident in the deep grumble of his voice
The well sculpted Infinity Commander casually lowered his duffle bag to the floor, leaning in to address him with a smirk "No need to get your jocks all up in a bundle, McClain. I'm actually here on official business. Didn't your Captain tell you?"
Lance rolled his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Kogane knows? Yeah, don't think so." He huffed. "I can guarantee that he wouldn't have allowed it."
"Don't really think he had much of a choice, mate. It was part of the agreement he made" winked Liam.
Lance inched closer and opened his mouth to respond when the room was greeted with the familiar swishing sound of door one being activated. Within moments, the captain and the princess entered the control room, instantly overwhelmed by the tension ebbing off its occupants. Keith's gaze immediately spotted the subject of said tension. What the fu…
"Oh my God! Liam!" The princess' elation interrupted his train of thought as he watched her run to the buff Aussie and throw her arms around him.
Lochlan returned the favor and planted a kiss on her temple "Damn it Blondie, I've missed ya." He paused, hearing the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat. He chuckled when Allura pulled back "Better stop hanging all over me girl…don't want to get my ass kicked before I've even settled in." he closed with a wink.
Allura turned to look at Keith, who's appearance seemed calm; however, she could sense that he was holding back a full on rage. "Duly noted" she giggled her reply and proceeded to walk back over to the commander, throwing her arm around his waist. For added assurance, she projected their little escapade in Black to which he arched a brow.
Lance grunted and rolled his eyes "Um…hello?" he caught their attention "Yeah, hi there… Anyone care to explain what the hell is going on and why we know nothing about it?"
Keith threw his eyes at Liam. "Yeah. Exactly what are you doing here, Lochlan? No one cleared this with me and I do not like surprises"
Liam chuckled. "You're joking, right? Of course it was cleared, mate. You signed off on the paper work yourself."
Keith took a step toward him "I sure as hell did not."
Liam grinned in annoyance and reached into his bag, taking out a folder. He pulled out a stack of papers and threw it at Keith. "Is that not your signature?"
Lance and Allura walked up to either side of the commander, looking over his shoulder as he reviewed the paperwork. The captain's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, albeit slightly. "You're the one here to oversee the AIT project for DAAT?"
"Ridgy Didge, mate. Lord Duncan hand-picked me himself." He nodded proudly.
Keith clenched his jaw and groaned under his breath "Of course he did."
Allura placed her hand on Keith's arm while Liam looked from one to the other. The Infinity commander sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Look Kogane, I'm not here to cause any trouble…really. I'm just here to do my job and help in any way I can. I think you and I can both agree that this pettiness, although fun as it may be, has gone on long enough."
Keith furrowed his brow for a moment then blew out a puff of air before running his hand through his hair. "Yes, it has- and this project is most definitely a priority. Alright Lochlan. Welcome to Arus." He resigned as he reached out to shake Liam's hand. The Aussie obliged and grinned when Keith added "I'm still keeping an eye on you."
Liam chuckled "Wouldn't expect anything less, mate"
Allura smiled "Well I for one am happy to see you. Tell me, have you seen Geni?"
Liam was about to answer however he was, once again, abruptly interrupted by Lance. "This moment is touching and all, truly- very warm and fuzzy- but can we please get to the next topic…like…what the hell happened with Black?" he snorted.
Pidge stepped forward. "I agree…I mean, I know Hunk installed upgrades but…whoa!"
"Hell no…little buddy! I had nothing to do with that" Hunk said, shaking his head.
"Gentlemen, Your Highness- this may take some time to explain. Why don't we move to the main conference room to discuss this more openly." suggested Coran.
Allura turned to their new guest. "Liam, you are more than welcome to join us. I'll have Nanny serve lunch in there."
"Thanks Blondie, er I mean, Princess. I'll release my crew and be right there." Adding his signature wink as he turned away.
When the Infinity commander made his exit, Lance mocked the princess' adoration. Batting his eyes "Oh Liam, I am soooo happy you're here…barf!"
"Oh, give me a break, Lance. Stop trying to be such an instigator" Allura huffed in response.
"Just how happy are you?" Keith added.
"Seriously? Ugh! I am not even going to answer that. Coran is waiting and we have much more important things to discuss. Can we drop this nonsense and go…please?" By that point Pidge and Hunk had gathered and all four Voltron pilots glared at her with arms crossed in front of them. She shook her head in annoyance and walked away.
Xxxxx
The main conference room resembled a miniature ballroom with a table stationed in the center that could seat thirty guests with ease. The group shuffled in and took their seats while Nanny served refreshments. First, Keith addressed Liam's arrival and his role in overseeing the AIT project, believing that it was a much easier subject to explain. Once he finished, Hunk spoke up
"So Cap, What gives? I mean, that was some serious power. Where the hell did that upgrade come from and why didn't I know about it?" he asked, feeling a bit insulted; Yellow's pilot was the one in charge of all the mechanical aspects of the lions, after all.
"Hunk, please- don't be upset. What happened in Black was not that kind of an upgrade- we would never bypass you. This upgrade was Allura"
"Come again?" Questioned Pidge.
"Remember a while back when we talked about the prophecy and our possible role in it?" they all nodded, all except Liam, of course.
"Prophecy? You mean like psychic shit and all?" he asked with an incredulous stare.
Sensing that Lance was about rebut with a snarky comment, Keith interjected. "Look, Liam, there is honestly no time to go over all of this with you from the beginning. Just try and keep up. I'll brief you later" The Aussie raised his hands in resignation and Keith continued. "King Alfor believes that it is all coming to fruition. What happened today only serves to prove that he is right. As I'd mentioned, His Majesty spoke of the Daughter's of Arus; but, until recently I wasn't aware of what their role would be- hell, I'm still not 100% sure. I can only guess that they'll have the same role in enhancing the remaining lions just as the princess did in Black"
'Let's hope it's not exactly as I reacted' Allura projected, earning a quick side glance from Keith.
"So basically what you're saying is that these other 'daughters' will serve as some kind of catalyst?" asked Pidge.
"That's a good way to put it, Stoker"
Green's pilot rubbed his chin "Hm. Interesting. After seeing what Allura's energy did to Black, I am curious to see what will happen with the rest for sure"
Lance tilted his head back throwing his haze to the ceiling "So, where the hell are the rest of these daughters anyway?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure. According to King Alfor, they're supposed to appear once Allura is ready. We were kind of hoping that putting her in Black today would have somehow triggered their arrival."
Hunk nudged Liam "Got all that?" he chuckled.
"Yeah, I don't think this coffee will do, I need a stiff drink to take all this in" he smirked. Hunk gave him a pat on the back "I hear ya man, believe me"
The team listened on intently as their commander talked about Allura's connection with Black. The Force was no longer surprised by such admissions seeing as though they were a common occurrence as of late. Ever since the incident in MedTec, the crew was rather accepting of the metaphysical nuances that encompassed Arus, the Lions, and Voltron.
Keith and Coran updated the group as much as they could; however, no mention was made of the princess' alleged powers- something that Keith was not comfortable with.
Coming as no surprise to anyone in the room, Lance's mind was still focused on the Daughters "Does anyone even know who these chicks are and where the hell they're hiding?"
Allura finally spoke up "I do"
Keith arched a brow "You do?"
"Of course I do, this prophecy has been my life, remember?"
Do you know them personally or just know of them?" Asked Pidge.
"I know them personally- all Arusian Nobility. As a matter of fact, you know one of them- besides me of course."
Red's pilot mockingly tapped his chin "Gee, let me take a wild guess, hmmm…could it be… Romelle" he stated. Allura threw him a disgruntled look and nodded.
"Is Romelle aware that she is part of it?" asked Keith- a little annoyed with himself that he did not realize it until now. So obvious
Allura cinched her brow "Romelle was not hidden like the others. I'm not sure why- maybe because of her family's betrayal? To be honest, I don't think she has a clue that there even is a prophecy let alone that she is involved in it."
Keith ran a hand through his hair. "Well, maybe it's about time we let her in on it, don't you think?" he said, a bit of irritation in his voice. Allura was about to snap back when Nanny and her staff entered to begin to serve lunch. 'You're lucky' she projected, narrowing her eyes as she glanced at him
The governess proudly placed her trays full of scrumptious goodies on the table, making sure to reiterate "…the importance of a good meal for strong young men".
Allura's relationship with the Voltron commander had brought out a completely different side to Nanny. She became much more attentive to the men of the Force. The boys loved it; however, the princess found all the complimenting and fawning over a bit annoying at times.
"Oooh, Nanny! What did you put in this potato salad? It's amazing!" admired Hunk.
The young monarch crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her chair. Taking notice, Coran gave a soft chuckle at his surrogate daughter's discomfort. How far we've all come he thought. As he moved to reach for his coffee, he noticed a very sudden drop in temperature Strange. By the look on Allura's face, she had noticed as well.
"Did it just drop like 20 degrees in here?" The princess said out loud. Nanny's gaze shot up. "My goodness child, you are right! Ach! You will catch cold!" as she uttered those words, the china on the table began to rattle, ever so slightly at first, but progressed to a point where it felt as though an earthquake was mere moments away.
Suddenly, the air began to swirl within the large space, sending papers and scraps flying about within a make-shift whirl wind. The governess grabbed at her chest.
"By the Lions, what is happening?" she gasped.
Not quite sure if this was a malevolent occurrence or not, the Voltron commander stood up and ordered "Everybody take cover, now!"
The group quickly moved away from the table and huddled against the far wall when out of nowhere, several sparks of light began to appear overhead. One-by-one, the sparks danced above them and slowly morphed into beams of light. Allura was in awe. She stood up and began to make her way back toward the center of the room when first beam, emerald in color, touched the ground in front of her and dissipated to reveal a young woman. The spunky young girl dressed in a dirty-yellow tunic and brown suede boots cut right below her knee, appeared to be around the age of 16- her lavender eyes popped against her cropped aborigine hair.
"Dasia" whispered the Arusian princess.
Next came a beam of citrine light, vanishing to expose a voluptuous tanned-skinned woman with piercing hazel eyes and silky chocolate brown hair that skimmed her collar bone. Dressed in a body hugging navy blue sheath dress and knee-high cream colored boots, she definitely caught the attention of a certain pilot. Hot damn, Lance thought as he took her in from across the room.
"Mimika" the princess smiled.
Emerald and citrine were followed by a flash of fiery ruby revealing an exotic young woman with flowing waist-length copper red hair and almond shaped honey colored eyes, clad in a skin hugging olive green jump suit and black leather combat boots.
Allura narrowed her eyes at the sight of her, not exactly thrilled about this particular arrival "Shalhevet." She grunted.
Her disdain was interrupted by the final entry. A shimmering beam of sapphire came upon them with a roar, exposing not one, but two occupants dressed in, well…not much at all. The entire room was aghast
"Holy shit!" yelled Lance as he began to convulse in fits of laughter.
Keith's eyes widened and he immediately focused his attention on Allura, whose deep azure eyes had glazed over.
"…and hellooooo Sven…" she giggled.
Pidge hid his face in his hands while Hunk and Liam joined in Lance's uncontrollable laughter.
"Good gods!" gasped Coran as he ran to stand in front of the pair while Nanny frantically darted out of the room in search of some kind of clothing. The Arusian princess continued to sport a mischievous grin as she allowed her eyes to peruse the well maintained physique of her cousin's husband, until she heard a little voice in her head.
'Allura! What the hell!'
Allura bit her lip and threw her gaze at Keith 'What? A girl can look' Keith crossed his arms in front of him 'Relax K, you know where my heart lies' she projected with a wink. Keith closed his eyes and shook his head.
The three new arrivals remained statuesque from shock, while Lance, Hunk, Liam, and Pidge continued their gut-busting joy at the Swede's expense. Sven was mortified to say the least. The couple was obviously otherwise engaged when the Lion guides decided to whisk them away. Romelle buried herself behind him, uttering 'oh my god' under her breath over and over until Nanny showed up with a pair of robes and handed them to the newly-weds.
"Sven, seriously…what the fuck?" Keith growled.
"Really? Upset are you?" the Swede snarled. "In case you did not notice, dumskalle, Romelle and I had other plans when we were suddenly flashed here- so forgive me if I didn't wear my formals!"
As Romelle covered herself, she turned to her cousin. "What the hell, Al! How did this happen?"
Shalhevet, who smugly leaned against the wall playing with her nails, interjected "It's simple- looks like Prissallura finally woke up." She let out a huff and pushed herself off the wall and turned to face Allura "About time too, I was getting rather bored."
Lance leaned into Keith "Well aint she a peach."
The captain shook his head "Lance, man, don't get involved…let's just see how Lura handles this."
Red's pilot arched a brow "Excuse me? I had no intention of getting involved but, forget that- What have I said about nicknames, Kogane?"
"Really?" Keith eyed him with a threatening glare. Lance snarled and continued to listen.
Allura placed her hands on her hips "Ah… Shalhevet, so nice to see that you haven't moved on."
The redhead snickered through her nose and stuck up her chin "Now now, Allie-cat…why so bitter? Guilty conscience because you underhandedly eliminated the competition?" she spat.
Allura crossed her arms in front of her and replied with confidence "There was no competition Shalhevet…only what you created in your insecure little mind."
The firey red-head lunged forward and assumed Allura's stance "You took him away from me." She snarled.
"No, I didn't. You're the one that left him, you're the one who broke his heart…you're the one who didn't believe him, so take some responsibility" Allura explained with extreme agitation that did not go unnoticed by the occupants of the room.
"I know what I saw." Replied the redhead with her hands clenched into fists.
"Really? Pffft You saw nothing…only what she wanted you to see and you know it…yet you continue to blame me…even after all these years? Even after knowing the truth? Screw you Eti!" The princess was practically in her face, pointing at Shalhevet for emphasis.
"You brought that bitch here, Allura!" She yelled
The princess crossed her arms in front of her "No, Eti, I didn't, my family did. You know damn well that I despised her just as much as you- especially after what happened."
Coran had enough. He made his way to join the newly arrived Daughters "Lady Shalhevet, this is not the time nor the place to air out your personal differences." Lectured the advisor, narrowing his eyes at the young woman.
Mimika approached Shalhevet and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Eti, Master Coran is right- now is not the right time for this." Shalhevet crossed her arms and arched brow at Allura, who threw her hands up in resignation.
It was now Romelle's turn to express her impatience. Her nostrils began to flare as she bore her gaze into the four women "Would someone please answer my question and tell me what the hell Sven and I are doing here?" she yelled. Sven wrapped a calming arm around her shoulder.
Dasia's stepped forward to offer an explanation "Princess Allura must have come in to her powers…that would explain why the Lion Guides finally released us after all these years." She nodded.
Allura flinched "Powers? What powers?"
Upon hearing this, the Polluxian princess widened her eyes and stepped closer to Sven, burying her head into his shoulder- a move that Allura found odd considering the fact that Romelle had just let them all have it. Putting the thought aside, she turned toward Dasia.
"Sia, I'm not sure what you're talking about. My empath powers are a given and I've had them for years. The only thing I managed to do was re-connect with Black- that's all"
"Pfft looks like you owe me, Sia…I told you there was no way she would have her power when we got here…shocking." Shalhevet momentarily threw her gaze to the ceiling then back.
Coran intervened once more "My Lady, according to Alfor, the three of you would know the necessary steps to move forward"
Romelle shook her head "I still don't understand what we're doing here…"
The advisor continued "Princess Romelle, my apologies as we had hoped to discussed this with you prior to the arrival of the others. You five young women are who the prophecy refers to as the Daughters of Arus. Together with the Voltron Force, you are the key to defending our world and defeating Haggar and the legacy of Korrinoth once and for all."
"Coran, Pollux is my home…"
"Your surrogate home, Romelle. You are a pure Arusian by blood…remember?" added Mimika.
Coran nodded and continued "Once Allura connected with Black, the Daughters were called home, just as prophesised."
"I don't understand…I don't recall the prophecy mentioning anything about powers…" Allura mused.
Shalhevet slowly approached Allura "So much for the House of Pshychon being ready…"
Allura spun around and got straight in her face "Let's get one thing straight, Shali - I've been ready since childhood and am stronger than your teeny tiny little brain can even begin to comprehend! While your bitchy ass has been locked away waiting and obsessing over this personal vendetta you have against me…I've been risking my life defending Arus, defending our people…so back the fuck off!" she yelled, pushing Shali back by forcefully tapping her finger tips against the red-head's shoulders.
Shali caught her balance and immediately spat back "Obviously not risking it enough…otherwise you would have come into your powers by now. I could easily take you down"
Coran decided to back away from the women and join the group of men and Nanny who were huddled on the other side of the room.
"Coran, stop this nonsense! You know nothing good has ever come from those two arguing." Pleaded Nanny
"Let it be Frieda." He silenced Nanny and turned to the boys "Get ready gentlemen…I have a feeling this is about to escalate." He turned to Keith. "Captain, I implore you not reach out to her. I have a feeling that Lady Shalhevet may use this moment as an attempt to unleash the princess' power." Keith looked at Coran then nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Allura narrowed her eyes. "You are no match for me, Shali."
Eti threw her head back and laughed "Oh you naïve little princess, I have my powers, remember? We all do! You're the only one too weak to receive them!"
The two women began to circle each other. "You wouldn't have lasted a single minute going through what I have been through- and that's a guarantee. You are the weak one, Shali. You need powers to defend yourself? Well, I don't." snarled Allura.
"Oh, snap!" said Pidge, turning to high-five Hunk
Liam leaned into Keith's ear "Nothing hotter than chicks smack talking, is there?" he winked and patted him on the back.
"I hate to agree with Lochlan, but damn…that's hot. Look at them…circling each other all primal like" added Lance. Keith responded by throwing his gaze up and shaking his head.
"Really? That confident, are you?" the red-head smirked. "Well then…defend yourself from this!" she yelled, two fire balls instantly appearing in the palms of her hands, immediately whipping them at Allura- who easily dodged them; however, Shalhevet was nowhere near done.
Keith instinctively jumped forward but Coran held him back.
Lance shook his extended arm and pointed "What the fuck! Those are fire balls…real fire balls!"
"With…real fire!" Hunk stuttered.
"And she just like conjured them like out of nowhere!" gasped Pidge, waiving his arms all about.
One fireball after the other, Eti bombarded Allura; however, the Arusian monarch effectively evaded every single one thrown her way. It was more than evident to all that Shalhevet was getting frustrated when she began using her powers at full force. Nothing she put out seemed to phase Allura, who somehow managed to distract Eti long enough to pin her to the ground. Both women were breathless and full of rage.
"I have been fighting off Lotor and Haggar for the last three years…did you honestly think your dumbass pathetic fireballs would scare me?" Allura hissed in her ear.
The princess pulled her off the floor and threw her a disgusted look while Shalhevet rubbed the back of her neck and offered her a blank glare.
"What's the matter, Shali? Surprised? Are you forgetting who trained me?" Allura snarled.
Shali continued to stare her down, refusing to answer. Allura threw her gaze to Romelle.
"Is there something you would like to share, cousin?"
Romelle looked at Sven and then at Allura . Shaking her head she replied "I don't know what to say, Al"
"How long?"
The Polluxian Royal looked to Sven once more. He held her and nodded. Romelle met Allura's gaze "A little after Keith was shot. The thought of Lotor being back terrified me to no end. I was walking in my garden early one evening, overwhelmed with all sorts of crazy scenarios when Sven snuck up on me. That's when it happened. Thank the gods, I didn't hurt him. I would never have forgiven myself." she said as she wrapped her arms around her husband.
Allura briefly closed her eyes. "Why? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Allura, she was scared…she had no idea what this was or where it came from. We had no idea about the prophecy or all this Daughter stuff- we are just hearing it…seeing it now, so we decided to keep it between us until we could figure out what was happening." offered Sven.
"Al, if I had known any of this, I swear I would have come to you right away."
Allura became quiet as she struggled to find the right words. Her bottom lip pinched and she gained a thoughtful expression, suddenly feeling the need to be alone- to go somewhere quiet to sort things out. Nodding to Romelle, she turned and faced the rest of the room's occupants who still appeared to be in awe of what they'd just witnessed.
"If you all wouldn't mind, I have some things I need to attend to…" she paused and looked directly at Coran "I'll be in my study should anything come up that needs my attention." Allura then faced Keith.
'Don't follow me K…I just need to be alone for a bit'
The captain furrowed his brow and sighed. 'I understand.'
The Arusian princess turned and walked out of the conference room. Nanny rubbed her hands on her skirts and let out a deep breath "well, looks like I have many rooms to prepare." She looked at Romelle and Sven "Your room is ready, Highnesses….as is yours, Commander Lochlan" Nanny then turned to the remaining newcomers "The rest of you, please give me about an hour. All should be set up by then." She finished with a slight bow and left the room.
"Why don't you go after her?" asked Liam.
The Voltron commander inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and slowly released his breath. "She doesn't want me to."
"Really…read her mind now did you?" Liam challenged.
Keith crossed his arms and arched a brow when Lance interjected. "Drop it, Lochlan"
"Åh, gode Gud." Sven slapped his palm on his forehead and mumbled under his breath. Gently placing his arm around his wife, he looked at his long-time friend "Keith, I'm sure you will not object if Romelle and I excuse ourselves."
Black's pilot actually managed to snicker "No, of course not. I'm sorry about this man…wish I could have given you a heads up…" he paused and threw his gaze to Lance who had a perverted comment on the tip of is tongue "don't even think about it!"
Red's pilot hissed his displeasure at being unusually over-silenced the entire day.
Liam laughed "Still a pooper I see, Kogane." Lochlan's smile deepened upon the glare he received from Keith. "Alright then, on that note I will excuse myself as well. I'll definitely need to rest up if I'm to wrap my mind around all of this."
Liam exited the conference room followed by Hunk and Pidge. The pilots of Yellow and Green were famished and decided they were better off heading down to the dining area before getting to work on the Control room upgrades Pidge had created. That left Coran, Keith, and Lance behind with the three young women. The advisor suggested that they all head toward the rec room for a more relaxed setting. To his surprise, they all agreed.