AN: I don't know if anyone was feeling lost while reading the story and didn't find the revelations running through appealing so here are some the OC backgrounds to ground visitors reading this little fic. I've label them as guest characters. :) Thanks for the suggestion cubbie.
Guest Characters
Vela was a Drule Intelligence agent who we saw in the first chapter, busy following up on the last intel surrounding Kala's last operation which was mounting an attack on Arus. She used an identity as Jazia Trell, an Arusian junior constabulary officer to have unfettered access around town. As the story rolled by, we found out she was one of "The Lost Children," a Drule myth running throughout all the enslaved homeworlds under the Drule Empire. She suffered a childhood injury that is semi-healed by an antidote. She occasionally has to take medication. The frequency of the dose always depends on the severity of the pain attacks. She was part of the group called "The Faceless" as Havran found out in Chapter 5 and if she's not careful, her old team seems to be 'out there' too.
Geldrin Ifin, Havran Ayel and Fellin Brax - are the three remaining spies. After Zanir's demise and the other terminated spies - these three have started calling the mysterious person that's after them as "The Cleaner" within their circle.
The constabulary officers: Chief Andros, Wyx Andros, Jaryl Marthos, Eli Parr (a non-Arusian) and lastly, Marsh Nevs who has already turned his back to his officers and profession as revealed in Chapter 4.
I won't be enumerating the other OCs since they were pretty much peripheral characters in the story.
This story weaves through episode three of the show.
Thank you for taking the time to review the story.
Chapter Seven
Jazia stumbled, but kept a tight hold around the little girl crying for her mother while making sure the girl's older brother was unhurt from the blast they had narrowly evaded.
It was a battle zone.
Everywhere, Wade's drones began taking pot shots at buildings and even blasting Drule foot soldiers too. She dashed behind a wall, watching Commander Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force slicing down the drones like paper and hacking Drule soldiers with his twin swords. Behind him, Larmina, armed with her Bo staff with deadly curve blade tip at one end, was equally up to the challenge. She dispatched the drones and the Drule soldiers with combat ease.
Jazia took note of their fighting pattern. They had seen her and were clearing the way for her to follow behind them. She kept close to the broken walls for cover until she could get to the children's mother who was beckoning them from across the street a corner away. The children's mother, along with the other survivors, was protected
by the only operable force field in the area. She chose her path carefully through the rubble when a male voice stopped her in tracks.
"Jazia!" Marsh yelled from inside the threshold. He was half-dragging a tenant out.
Jazia slowly swiveled toward the direction of the older deputy's voice. Half an hour ago at the station, Jaryl had come out with the Chief to share his prelim findings with the rest of the officers, and Jazia had been right. Based from the trace evidence left on the fingernails, Marsh Nevs became their first person of interest. Before anyone could formulate a thought, the town had come under fire.
She had left the constabulary to begin her search for Marsh but didn't expect the man to be hanging around helping people. His actions made her wonder if everything he was doing was just a ploy. Her own covert mission was making her reflect on things in such inconvenient moments.
"Where are you heading?" Marsh readjusted his hold when the other man finally slumped to unconsciousness.
Jazia pointed to where a group of survivors had taken shelter. She downplayed any emotion that might indicate her knowledge of Jaryl's report.
"Okay," he nodded his understanding when his trained gaze fell on Keith and Larmina who were busy clearing the area of Drules and Wade's drones for them.
As if on cue, Jazia saw Keith's signal. Immediately as their human cargo allowed them, Jazia and Marsh ran as fast as they could. Soon, the children were reunited with their mother and the injured man was being looked after by a nurse. The force field was reactivated in time to prevent the survivors from getting crushed against a piece of Drule fractal hull that came hurtling toward their spot.
The deputy poked his head out from behind a large broken wall which served as a temporary protection from an exploded fractal engine. Jazia was silent beside him, surveying the chaos with levelheadedness marked only by one who has been on the field too many times. Marsh spared her a sidelong glance and regarded the young officer. She had a detached composure throughout this emergency. Most greenhorn officers feel rattled in situations like this, and the instinctive need to hang on to an older officer's calm demeanor was sometimes their only lifeline. Marsh got a distinct impression, though, that this was just a walk in the park for Jazia.
A hard push from Jazia took Marsh's out from his reverie. He barely registered his legs pumping quickly just to get behind another concrete wall. Their temporary hiding place had disintegrated from a stray fractal blast ray.
"I'm going to check those other buildings," Marsh forced his concentration back on the town's emergency as he pointed to another row of stores. "There could be others trapped inside and besides," he purposefully cut her off, "the drones and the Drules are more interested in the Voltron Force than us."
Jazia clamped her hand around his wrist; Marsh was surprised by the strength of woman's grasp, but he didn't challenge her. Instead, he looked squarely at her. "I was surprised you were the one the Chief sent to bring me in."
"I understand revenge," she said quietly and let her gaze fell on his uniform-bare of his office insignia and division symbols.
He was taken aback.
"You're old enough to be someone's grown up daughter; what's your mission?" His stare bore into Jazia's soul. She didn't flinch from the steely glare but released her hold on him.
"I thought so." Marsh said as he prepared to leave their temporary sanctuary.
"Deputy!" The nurse called out from across the street. "There's still room for both of you!"
Marsh finally got up, leaving Jazia a puzzling look as he made a quick run for the buildings where he planned to seek out survivors and disappeared back into the chaotic, smoke-filled streets.
"Jazia?" The nurse turned to the junior officer with a concerned gaze.
"Don't worry about the deputy," she said in a loud voice. "He'll be all right." Jazia glanced back at the direction the former deputy had taken. The smoke was dark and thick, rising up to the skies. It's possible the man was making his getaway, but she was torn whether to follow him or observe the Drule attack. This incursion meant Lotor was active again or brought to life, if stories of his death were true. That meant the Drule Empire was rising from the ashes and it wasn't a cheery thought she didn't like to dwell on.
She took another assessment of the streets. The fighting was continually being drawn away by Keith and Larmina from the pockets of survivors. She stepped away from her hiding place and went back to the nurse, who was waiting for her outside the force field.
"Take care of everyone," she said and managed to drag the nurse toward her when a blast ray came too near their spot. She coughed from the dust and surveyed her surroundings. The nurse quickly lowered the force field using the portable device she was carrying and gestured for Jazia to follow her inside the shield, but Jazia shook her head. She needed to be somewhere; she wanted to check the spy's location, and these attacks proved a good cover for her to investigate.
"Jazia, where you are going?" The nurse cried out, hoping to stop the other woman in whatever she was planning to do.
Jazia heard the woman but didn't bother answering her and sought for an operational vehicle up on the street. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Just stay put until this is over." She had commanded so sternly that the nurse was shocked by the young woman's tone; her surprise doubled further when Jazia, like a seasoned warrior, easily neutralized three Drule foot soldiers heading to the survivors' spot.
"If Chief Andros is training his officers with those kinds of combat moves, I'm signing up!" A young man said to his friend, who nodded beside him.
The nurse frowned. "But I don't remember Wyx ever telling me about it," she said under her breath. Soon Jazia disappeared from her view.
Jazia slowly treaded her way along the street, checking one vehicle after another. She had destroyed a handful of drones and dispatched some of the Drule foot soldiers along the way.
Soon her thoughts led her to Sky Marshall Wade's campaign. According to the Sky Marshal, Voltron was a danger to the Alliance, and he was doing everything in his power to make the people see his way. However, just as she started to head in the general direction Marsh had taken, a sound of approaching Drule fractal shifted her attention. It was heading for the canyons. She wondered why this one separated from its group. She decided to follow it. She spotted a hoverbike and clambered on the vehicle. The hoverbike purred as if unaffected by the battle. She took the back alleys, away from the battleground. She then hit full throttle and the vehicle rocketed to speeds only a trained field agent could handle.
On the streets, Keith had been patched in with the team, thanks to Pidge via an open comlink. He saw what the team was facing at the canyon. He and Larmina had just successfully dispatched another group of Wade's drones when another platoon surrounded them. Regaining their bearings, Keith and Larmina were getting ready for the next round when Wade's drones short-circuited on the spot.
"That's good, right?" Larmina glanced up to Keith for guidance. Even if Larmina showed battle prowess, she was still feeling overwhelmed by what was happening. Her training took over so that she didn't have time to absorb the destruction left by the drones and the Drule attack. She was just relieved a senior officer was with her.
"C'mon, we'd better help the others," Keith said not missing a beat and raced out of the attack zone.
"Short cut!" Larmina pointed to the water grate. Immediately, Keith was at her side and helped her lift the grate cover from the slot. She jumped to the lower level catwalk followed by Keith. They ran the length of the catwalk until they were in front of a metal door off the right side. They turned the big wheel all the way until they heard the click and pushed the heavy door outward.
"If I remember my history studies," Larmina sprinted along the well-lighted corridor, "this leads to the Canyon of Sorrows." She indicated to the yellow paint color of the tunnel walls. "During the Zarkonian wars, the underground network was a way to get from one place to another without being detected."
"These also served as escape routes," Keith added, recalling his readings from when he and the team first came to Arus. "Much like the tunnels back in the Castle."
Larmina nodded. "According to a book I found in the castle's library, there were several huge networks running underneath out of the town. I haven't explored all the tunnels, but it said there was one that connected this town to the castle and another set of tunnels leading to the Gray Horn Mountains. I can't wait to explore those when I get a chance." They reached an intersection. She led Keith to another yellow corridor where they sprinted for a several more meters before finally coming before another access door.
The door protested a few times before the duo left the artificial lighting of the tunnel and stepped out under sudden glare of the afternoon sun that blinded them momentarily. When their vision finally adjusted to the brightness, it afforded them a view of the upper canyon ridge. The ground shook. Keith and Larmina made their way to the lions' position.
After several communication exchanges later, it was decided to let Daniel leave the safety of the Red Lion so he could race back to the castle and fly the now-operational Black Lion to the Canyon of Sorrows.
With the help of Daniel's Voltcomm-enhanced speed ability, he zipped back to the castle and soon flew Black to join into the fray. Relinquishing the command seat of Black Lion to Keith, Daniel, Vince, and Larmina beamed in utter excitement in being inside the cockpit of no less The Black Lion.
Larmina got a brief look at Daniel. She could see the cadet was on Cloud Nine, especially riding along with his hero, Commander Keith Kogane, leader of the esteemed Voltron Force.
Oh, yeah, he is definitely foaming at the mouth. Larmina tucked the mental thought for future ammunition against Daniel.
At the other side of the canyon ridge, Jazia observed the battle as the Spider Robeast focused its attack on Wade's Lion, leaving the Voltron force a little time to regroup.
These two mechanical robots were locked in a battle for superiority. Concussive bone rattling tremors after another ran through the canyons whenever the mechanical beasts fell to the ground. In the heat of the battle, Wade's Lion flicked its metal head to free its eye from the Haggarium gunk that has splattered across its face. The gunk flew straight to Jazia's hiding spot; just as she managed to dive away for cover, a drop plopped on her arm.
Suddenly her mind exploded with memories not her own; Kala's voice threaded in and out of her consciousness. Then Kala's blood lust raked through her soul, rapidly morphing into betrayal. The emotions boiled off from an abyss where pure terror resided in Kala's own soul. Jazia fought for control against the raging mental battle. She stared at the substance causing such violation.
She wobbled on her feet. Half the time, she wanted to tear out her eyeballs out from her eye sockets while the rest of time, she was trying to keep a sane thought together. As she searched around for a stick to remove the Haggarium substance clinging on her arm, the torment continued to the point she wanted to cut her arm off.
Jazia screamed for relief and battled against the torrential waves of Kala's final memories. Images showing Maahox's betrayal, when the occult scientist encased the Drule female commander in a tube pod with a spider grown from a Haggarium mix and took a bite at Kala. The spider immediately absorbed the woman into its Haggarium-enhanced biology.
Jazia fell once more to her knees, her fingers curling around the stick she had found tucked between the gaps of two boulders. She swiped away the blood trickling down her nostrils with her fingers as she feverishly scraped the torturous and viscous substance off her arm. She finally flung away the stick with the Haggarium and crumpled to the ground, breathing laboriously. She passed in and out of consciousness. Before she could understand what happened, she was caught in the throes of a childhood injury. It was too much for her nervous system to take, and with her awareness slipping, she slapped hard on her medscan wristband. The minicomputer adequately dosed her nervous system with the antidote just as darkness swallowed her. She never saw the lions form the mighty Voltron and consequently defeat the Spider/ Wade Robeast.
Marsh woke up with a start and surveyed the little room he was in. For a moment, his thoughts were incoherent, and he didn't recognize his surroundings. His body stiffened at the foreignness of the bare room just as his gaze settled on a holopicture of a happy young couple at their wedding day before the firestorms of the Zarkonian Wars.
It wasn't long when Marsh's senses oriented themselves and the memory of the apartment came back to him. He frowned. He has never encountered the feeling of missing time before. He checked his timepiece; it was only half past the hour since he had fallen asleep, still waiting for the computer to decrypt the last three names.
He coughed and massaged his chest. He knew he had overexerted himself a couple hours ago heaving pieces of blocks that were part of a roof where a family of four had been trapped underneath.
Fortunately, the family had sought refuge under their stone dining table, saving them from being crushed under the weight of the collapsed roof. With his help, the family had been rescued. He had lent them the landspeeder he had commandeered for the emergency and instructed the family to get examined at the town's hospital district.
Marsh moved around his tiny apartment and soon stepped out from his lavatory, clean but tired. The Doom fractals had left the planet and most of Wade's drones were out of commission. A soft beep chimed through the room and as expected, the constabulary officers raided his old apartment only they didn't find him there.
He had long ago transferred to a different address and didn't bother updating his details after closing his wife's case. All those years, he never gave up hope then his search came to a crushing halt three months ago. He felt his eyes sting again and the excruciating emptiness pierced his chest once more. He reached for the only surviving picture of his wife, and as he fell to his knees, he once again wept in anguish. "I never meant to fail you," he looked through his tears. The drops splattered on the small display monitor.
He had known that as long as he was alive, Naria would be too. He knew that she was going to survive and come back to him, or he would be rescuing her when he found her location, but he was too late. He was too far, always too late.
"Will you ever forgive me, Naria?" He gazed at his wife's young carefree face. It was hard looking at the picture, but he would never be parted from it. He pressed a button at the frame's base. The picture flickered, darkened before the images re-focused and the audio static died down. Naria's warm laugh filled the room. It swelled Marsh's heart hearing the recorded audio of their chat at their wedding. He had heard it many times but he promised himself, he would never forget his wife's voice.
The recording picked up their last conversation about taking a trip back to Naria's home province of Oliyar to visit her mother. The audio buzzed again until it fizzled completely into static. Marsh carefully pressed the stop button. It also automatically slid out a small compartment where a small cylindrical chip lay in the middle. He took it out and their picture disappeared. He lifted his pendant from under his shirt. The pendant he held in great care had swirling patterns at the center with three smaller downward swirling lines, enclosed inside a ring. He used his fingernail to push the tiny clasp of the receptacle set at the middle underside of the pendant to house the cylindrical chip inside and snapped its back cover shut. He reverently held the pendant for a few more seconds before tucking it back inside his shirt. He took a deep breath and walked toward his desk.
Unknown to Chief Andros and his constabulary officers, Marsh had decided to terminate the spies that littered his planet. It had been his ongoing project for several years now. He had kept tabs on persons he knew to be sympathetic to the Drules. However, keeping tabs on spies wasn't satisfying him anymore, and his badge of office could no longer keep the pain away. He had known it was going to come to this, and there was no turning back.
He poured himself a drink and checked the progress of his decryption program. A short chirp from the computer denoted its task done, and the remaining three names were displayed on screen: Havran Ayel, Fellin Brax, and Geldril Ifin.
He immediately went to find their home and business addresses if they had any. The search didn't take too long, and he was surprised to find that these men had occupations. Havran worked as a technician at the town's appliance center; Fellin worked as part of a security for a local banker; and Geldrin was an assistant to the construction foreman.
Marsh then opened a file stored in his computer. He hadn't believed that when he was raiding the secret base in Lazar Province, one of the spies was careless enough to leave a map of the other spies' hideouts. If that had been a sign of compensation since Fate knew he won't be reunited with his wife, Marsh finally accepted it as a sign from providence.
Studying the map carefully and committing to memory the final hiding places, he started crossing out locations he had visited. The tunnel with the secret well would have been evacuated by now, so there was one more place those three spies would be hiding now. This one was near a chain of caves near the Cavern of Remembrance, again outside of town, and south of the Canyon of Sorrows. He typed a few commands that wiped out all the files on his computer. He tossed the portable computer to a compactor and began packing his gear.