1Hello all! It's in this chapter that I really began to have fun with the other characters. I don't remember if Lance was quite so impish in the series, but he's one of my favourites, because he showed a lot of courage despite having lots of reasons to be sad. I remember he was very insightful, so I worked that trait in the story. Keith has cute problems in this one, but don't worry. He won't ever give up on Allura, not in this fic!
6- In the dead of the night
Vh'taï was a relatively small planet. Its resources were strained by years of overexploitation. The ozone layer was thin, and the large and numerous cities were covered to protect them from the sun. Within, the recycled air was a reeking miasma. There were throngs of creatures everywhere you looked. It was like Lance had described, a smuggler haven. You could see the most fantastic array of different species, but in spite of the variety they all had the shifty eyed look that one associates with shady characters.
The city was dirty, and so were it's inhabitants, it seemed, at least in their disposition. The buildings looked neglected and were covered in a gray dust that leeched colours. The city was in a dull monochrome. Keith was a little disgusted. He was used to the clear, luminous tints of Aris. He had comments on the strange black and white scenery.
"The people themselves quite make up for that lack, though," observed Lance, "they have distinctly colourful personalities . . . "
He and Keith were worming their way through the mass. They wore grey concealing clothes that made them look part of the scenery, and more then half the populace was likewise bundled up. They were heading to a place where the adventuresome Lance had been before. It made Keith wonder what the hell Lance had been doing in the few years of peace. He certainly seemed familiar with the local fauna.
They finally made it to a nondescript building that didn't even have a sign. Lance went in confidently and Keith saw that there was nothing there but a hall, rather old looking, with an ancient elevator at its extremity. An enormous reptile stood there, and it didn't look too bright. It was lazily sweeping the filthy floor with a broom that had seen better days.
"What do you want?" It slurred in interplanetary lingo.
"Surely you remember the Stray," drawled Lance in a suave voice, the voice of an accomplished con artist. Keith looked at him in amazement.
"Ah! Stray, it's you," said the reptile, suddenly looking ferociously intelligent. "You know you're responsible for anyone you bring in, brother."
"Yep, no sweat, Leone here is my associate. "
"Well, up you go. Have a care, Stray, some important people here tonight..."
"Thanks, bro, but I already knew that."
"Pfah! Of course you did."
The rather frightful beast operated the elevator that brought them to the seventh floor. They came out and Keith got a sense of unreality. They stepped in a very modern bar, a huge and luxurious place with fountains, statues, and plants. Tables dotted the bright, silvery floor, and sexy servants scurried to please the clients. One huge table was elevated on a kind of dais. This one was empty. The atmosphere reeked. It was a bizarre mix of smoke and perfumes, and of course what smells good to one species stank for the next. The people here are nose blind, Keith decided. He felt slightly nauseous. Lance did all the talking, and a very dignified looking major-domo that looked somewhat like an ostrich brought them to a secluded spot. The Commander sat gratefully, wondering if the fact that his face was green made him conspicuous. He was vaguely aware that Lance ordered something and paid in advance.
"Relax, 'Leone'," Lance told him. "You look like a tourist. "
A servant had arrived with two servings of a colourful concoction, with some unknown vegetable poking out. Keith eyed his drink suspiciously.
"Try it, it's quite good actually."
"It won't roll me under the table?"
"Nope, I ordered non alcoholic drinks. We need to stay sharp."
Keith tried and found it quite refreshing. It actually settled his queasiness. Lance was observing him with a smug expression. The look said "Yeah I've been here before and no I won't tell you under what circumstance." The Lance look that always made you hesitate between irritation and amusement. "Stray" indeed... Keith scowled and Lance smiled all the more. Feeling a little more secure Keith finally began to observe his surroundings.
***** ***** *****
Aris
He felt very comfortable. He could hear voices, but he ignored them and left his eyes resolutely closed. He was dead, no? He shouldn't hear anything and he certainly couldn't consciously keep nonexistent lids firmly shut. One of the voices sounded quite academic, and he helplessly listened as it explained that they were going to remodel his shoulder and upgrade the cybernetic implants. They would be more ergonomic and functional. That word again.
He felt a gentle hand stroking the hair back from his face. With a mental sigh, he tried to open his eyes. It proved harder then he thought, and all he saw was a shifting cloud of unfocused, washed out color. But one shade he recognized. That swirl of molten gold. Perhaps some improbable mistake had landed him in paradise, but he doubted that. He tried to smile and failed. He was horribly sad.
They had saved him. He was surrounded by enemies and utterly helpless. They would nurse him back to health and he would land in the Bastille again. His life would be reduced to endlessly counting those gray walls. How could they be so cruel? The irony of it was that they probably thought their act quite heroic. Ah, but then their conscience would be as pure as snow. That was the reason. He almost laughed in derision. Almost.
Still, he had his love near him for one precious moment; he tried to focus, tried to imprint that image in his mind, but then the colors bled in one another and he fell asleep again.
***** ***** *****
Vh'taï
Keith discreetly grabbed Lance's arm and poked his chin leftward. Lance carefully didn't react, waited a few minutes, then he nonchalantly changed his position to see what had made Keith suddenly look sharp and excited. A clutch of drules had taken the elevated table, and with them, resplendent in his ancient splendor, was King Zarkon himself. He had his black and red robes and even the crown of old, with those interminable golden spikes. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, and he was treated like royalty.
"Well," commented Lance. "It seems the coup Snow was talking about has already taken place . . . This table was always reserved for Scheme, the 'leader' of this ragtag world. He built a kind of guild for thieves and cutthroats here, setting 'protection' and establishing their infamous 'tax'. From the looks of things, Has Been took over."
"Snow," "Has Been?"
"Its bad form to name people here, everyone has a false name, Leone . . . I'll try to get more info."
And Lance darted out in the organized chaos in the room. The Commander quickly lost sight of him, and adjusted his hood. The last thing he wanted was to be recognized in such a place . . .
"Well well," came a sultry voice.
The Commander lifted his head and confronted a blast from the past. Of all the rotten luck in the galaxy! Ikari! The genius of his old school! How had she ended up being a servant in such a hole?
"So, handsome, how are we called these days?" She asked.
"...Er, Leone."
"Leone, neh? Figures. I'll bet fifteen credits 'Stray' is with you."
Keith became even more alarmed. He definitely wished he were anywhere else. When he had been a boy, Ikari had a crush on him and had pursued him relentlessly for years. She wasn't supposed to even know Lance, much less his Stray persona. The skinny, raven-haired waif had become quite curvaceous, and she was wearing such a skimpy affair . . . it really left nothing to the imagination.
"Stray told me all manners of extraordinary things about you, Leone Dear. How about I give you a piece of advice absolutely free, for old time's sake? You've been spotted. Get your cute little arse out of here . . . "
And with that she swayed on her way. He couldn't help thinking hers didn't look bad either, and turned bright pink. Such thoughts were so unlike him! Her delicate hand was holding a tray full of triangular shaped glasses filled with a fluorescent blue liquid. She had left one in front of him. He drank it all at once and struggled afterward not to choke on the demonic concoction. Suddenly Lance was back. Now it was Keith's turn to impress him with a bit of info. They both got up as casually as they could and made their way to the exit. They saw several enormous drules hanging around the entrance, almost too relaxed. Lance grabbed his partner and went in the opposite direction.
"This place is like a harvarti cheese. The trick is to find the right hole to get out . . . "
The big drules were following them. Lance stayed calm and led them in a merry chase among the plants and the confusing architecture of the castle bar. It was obvious they'd been ordered not to create a commotion, and the explorer took full advantage of that. Hunter and prey would lose sight of each other for a few seconds, only to reemerge from behind a fountain or an artificial bush filled with glittering flowers. After a while though, it became evident after one such pause that the quarry wasn't reappearing. The hunters fanned out, widening their search, then looked crestfallen as they began to realize they'd have to report that they lost them.
Lance and Keith were once again winding their way through the mass of smelly creatures, and after a while they got to the spaceport. They had come with Lotor's smuggler ship, a serviceable, discreet machine. Blackened by its proximity to a sun, and with certain parts obviously welded together, there wasn't any chance it was going to be stolen. Surprisingly the odd looking machine had no real damage. They had put a new cloaking device and that was it. Still, the Commander would have given a fortune to have his lion with him just now. In the category of predators, Zarkon and Ikari in the same day really scored high in his book.
"So, who was the looker?" Asked Lance impishly, as if he didn't know.
"You tell me, Stray. Let's get out of here, while we still have all our pieces . . . "
"Not to mention your virginity . . . "
"Just what did she tell you!?" Exclaimed the Commander, suddenly very alarmed. He remembered Ikari was always making up stories. From the amused look in Lance's face, this particular yarn must have been good . . .
***** ***** *****
Aris
"...Rose?"
"Yes, Snow?"
"When are they going to do it?"
"Do what?"
"Put me back in Bastille 12."
"I'm sorry Snow, I don't know at all what they plan."
"It's ok."
The golden eyes disappeared slowly again, and Lotor's breathing became even. He had regained consciousness only a few times and these were the only words he had spoken.
Meanwhile, the doctor was working at integrating the schematic Hunk had provided for new artificial parts. He had never realized the explorer was quite so ingenious. The reconstruction of the face would prove more of a challenge, though. They had kept both eyes, but it had proven a medical error. The eye in the false socket would have eventually gone bad, and he was faced with two choices: either keep it and having to perform major surgery again in a year, or change it now. He opted for the removal, and it facilitated all the rest: the rebuilding of the cheekbone and the articulation for the jaw. He marveled at how the drule had been able to retain some sanity with such a torture device permanently grafted into his face. He would see to it that the new parts were painless. As for esthetic, he could hardly do worse.
As luck had it, cyborgs were his passion. Sometimes the damage was just too great, or the cost of bioengineering too high. For a number of reasons cyborgs still existed, but experts were few and far between. Dr. Hausmann had studied it as a hobby; there was no money in it. Now he had a chance to use all this knowledge and some ideas of his own.
He, Hunk and Pidge had found to their surprise that they formed a formidable trio when it came to design biologically compatible mechanical parts. Hausmann would try this new "sensitive artificial flesh." It was highly experimental, and they didn't know if it would work, but whatever the outcome, the drule would still be better off. The doctor also had some good ideas for the ear, and considering the extent of the damage and the scarring, he was rather proud of his plans. He just hoped his patient would accept the surgery, as removing the old parts would create quite a trauma. Changing the face wasn't an immediate necessity, but in view of the weakening eye and deterioration rate of the tissue surrounding the cybernetic implant, it would be more prudent to act now. And so he let his patient wake, but Lotor wouldn't say a word. In theory he was a war prisoner, so Allura took the decision for him.
When the Commander and Lance came back from Vh'taï, they had just begun the surgery.
They found Rose and the princess pacing the medwing, trailed by Hunk and Pidge who were enthusiastically explaining how their new creations, their 'cyberorgans', were constructed and programmed. Rose was listening intently, as such things fascinated her, but Princess Allura looked awfully relieved at their arrival. She gave them a smile that put a warm glow on their cheeks.
"Well, said Rose, for once you look the part of space explorers."
"You mean space rogues . . . " answered Lance.
Allura had to admit he was right. The two normally dashing heroes looked like something fresh out of a sewer. Muddy boots, filthy colorless robes, and the smell! Indescribable. She tried not to wrinkle her nose as they told them what they had seen.
"Who warned you, you said?"
"An old friend of mine," said Lance as Keith became quite pink.
"Are you all right, Keith?" asked Allura, slightly worried.
"Just a little tired, Princess. Ah, if you don't mind, could we finish this report later?"
"Yeah, said Lance with a twinkle in his eyes, a nice cold shower is just what the Commander needs."
"You could use one too," threw in Pidge, who was standing a little farther off, looking pale.
The two walked away. "You owe me, Commander" Lance was saying. But Allura never noticed. She was back at her pacing, dutifully followed by Rose. Keith jumped when Pidge spoke; he hadn't noticed the two pilots had followed them.
"So, Lance, what's the real story?"
"Ever told you about Ikari?"
"Lance! Cried Keith, shut up!"