Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron or its original Japanese version Golion. Both are the property of their original creators and/or importers/dubbers. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.
The Sindariin
Chapter Twelve:
The Captain of the Empress' Royal Guard was called to her Lady's room early in the morning. "Morning" on Galra was defined as the first twelve hours of a twenty-four hour cycle. It was nearing the close of the ninth hour as the Captain stepped off the lift on the royal residential floor. She crossed the hall to the Empress' chamber and knocked gently on the door and it was quickly opened by her human maid. The slave stepped back for the Captain to enter, offering a submissive bow of respect to the Galran woman.
Empress Fala ni Altea was sitting on her sofa dressed in a fluffy pink house-robe sipping a mug of some steaming liquid. Judging by the teapot that rested on a silver tray on the coffee table in front of her it was likely tea of sorts. The Empress set her mug down stiffly as if just that simple movement elicited great pain and the Captain had to wonder what the Emperor saw in such a weak creature as this human woman. She motioned for the Captain to come and sit beside her and the Galran woman crossed the room, bowing respectfully before sitting as she was bade.
"Your Majesty, you summoned me."
The Empress pulled aside the collar of her robe to reveal the Emperor's velhil, the bite mark on her shoulder now covered in a fresh gauze bandage. "What is this?"
"That is a thin, translucent fabric with an open weave commonly called 'gauze', Your Majesty." The Captain supplied dutifully. The Empress glared at her in displeasure, that was not the answer she had wanted. "Forgive me, that was an attempt at humor. May I assume you are referring to the wound beneath said gauze?"
"Sincline keeps reopening it. He keeps sucking my blood from it." The Empress explained righting her robe. "Last night he wanted me to drink some of his blood in return. Obviously, there's some deeper cultural meaning here that I'm just not getting. So, Captain, I ask you again: what is this?"
The Empress' slave brought out a second mug and filled it with tea for the Captain whom sipped it slowly.
"Thank you, Marisol." The Empress said. The Captain only nodded. She was not in the practice of thanking slaves for preforming their normal duties and felt awkward doing so. But if the Empress was going to lower herself to showing her slave any sort of difference then her Captain of the Guard should as well. Fala ni Altea then turned her eyes back on the Captain silently demanding an answer to her query.
The Captain set her mug of tea down on a pink lacquered coaster and said, "Its something ardan do to show that they mean more to one another than just casual sex. Blood is life-force and the sharing of blood between ardan is the sharing of each others life-force. Its supposed to be a private ritual called 'vel' and the bite marks are called 'velhil'. Most people make their velhil on the neck, but since you're human you're jugular vein is a bit closer to the surface than a Galran's and so if His Eminence bit you there you would have bled out and died. That's probably why he chose to make his velhil on your shoulder."
The Empress sipped her tea with an unsettled expression on her fair human face. "Can you explain to me what 'ardan' means exactly?" She said at length. "I think I have an idea of what it is but I want to be sure."
"Certainly, Your Majesty. Your ardan is a person from whom you feel a strong feeling of arda." The Captain answered simply. The Empress seemed to pout at this answer however, so the Captain elaborated. "Arda is a feeling of intense passion and devotion tempered by affection. Your ardan would be a person for whom you are passionately devoted to, its the difference between a person you sleep with just for some free and easy sex and the person you sleep with because you share an emotional connection. I suppose in your language it would be something between a 'lover' and a 'mate'."
"This ardan thing, is this a permanent matching? Is arda forever or just for now?" The Empress pressed.
"By the gods no!" The Captain exclaimed. "The Galra by nature are not a monogamous people. Ardan are never permanent matches and most often not exclusive either, a single person could have several ardan."
The Empress pursed her lips in disapproval and the Captain had to wonder just why the Emperor chose her for his wife and ardan when she was not only ignorant of Galran culture but also disapproved of their practices as well. "And the blood thing, 'vel', all ardan share blood?"
This time in answer, instead of saying anything, the Captain unfastened the topmost clasps of her guard's uniform and pulled her high collar aside to reveal to the Empress a two-day-old bite mark that already looked to be half healed. "Yes, all ardan share blood." Once she was satisfied that the Empress got the point she refastened the clasps of her uniform. "My ardan is currently off planet working to further the glory of our great Empire and his velhil will be gone before he returns just as mine will have healed on his body. But yes, Your Majesty, all ardan preform vel, all ardan share blood."
The Empress bit her thumb nail in thought. "And if one ardan takes blood without the other offering it willingly? Or one drinks while the other refuses?"
The corner of the Captain's eye twitched noticeably. Oh dear, she was sure this fell into the 'intruding on the royals' personal lives' category of don'ts but it was the Empress herself whom was bringing her into it. If the Captain answered honestly and explained that it was a taboo to take blood that was not freely given from a lover she would essentially be insulting the Emperor, if word of this conversation ever got back to him it could cost her her job (and possibly her life depending on his mood). But if she refused to answer at all the Empress would be displeased and while the Captain didn't fear any form of retribution from the Altean noblewoman directly she was still very well aware that she would be slighting the second most powerful person in the Empire. Finally, the Captain settled on a diplomatic answer.
"In a case like that, Your Majesty, I would recommend that they sit down and talk. Communication is key to any relationship." This was advice she often gave her oldest daughter whom was at that age when boys suddenly became very appealing.
The Empress looked displeased with this idea and the Captain wondered how her displeasure would manifest itself. Throwing heavy objects and barking commands as she had done the previous day, quiet and sulky as she had been prior to her planet's surrender or violent and fatal as her husband's displeasure often tended to be. This time it was none of the above, the Empress seeming to sigh in resignation. She sipped her tea agitatedly, emptying her mug.
"What about rape?" She suddenly blurted.
The Captain opened her mouth to answer, thought better of it and closed it again. The Empress avoided her eyes and the Captain once again wondered why this woman was the Emperor's wife and not just another one of his harem slaves, one of his 'Collection'. Their relationship did not appear to be that of ardan at all. In fact, HIs Eminence treated the Empress no different than his pleasure slaves so why did he make her his wife?
"Captain?" Her Majesty pressed.
"Ah... Galra is a place ruled by the strong, Your Majesty." The woman replied awkwardly.
"Yes, I got that."
"If a person cannot defend them self from an assailant no one will help them." The Captain continued. "If a woman attracts the attention of a man that she doesn't want for a partner she could try asking him to leave her alone, but if he's stronger than she is there's really not much she could do to prevent him from taking what he wanted."
"That's horrible!" Tears stung the young Empress' eyes.
"That's the way things are." The Captain shrugged. "Your Majesty, if I may offer some personal advice?"
"Fine, whatever."
"I was in charge of guarding His Eminences harem prior to your arrival on Galra." She informed the distraught Empress. "The women there shared much the same feeling you do about His Eminence and sex. But they found that it was easier when they didn't try to fight him. He has never liked having his demands denied or orders disobeyed and a weak human female with no combat training doesn't stand a chance against a Galran warrior-prince. It would be better for you if you just went along with whatever demands he makes of you."
Her Majesty's already fair human skin paled to an unsettling shade. "I could never willingly..." She trailed off not finishing her thought.
"You need not be willing, Your Majesty, just so long as you're not unwilling." The Captain continued. "As I understand it, His Eminence only becomes... violent, shall we say, when he is challenged. I'm not saying you go skipping towards him with a smile and a kiss, just don't push him away."
"That seems so passive."
"Its the best advice that I can give you."
The Empress sighed and leaned back on the couch. "Captain, what's your ardan like? Not like Sincline."
"No." She shook her head suddenly seeming to glow with warmth and affection. "My ardan is not quite as impatient as the Emperor seems to be. He comes from a military family and sometimes is just a little to tightly wound for his own good but once you get him in bed..." The Captain bit her bottom lip and made a soft sucking sound. "Dynamite, Your Majesty, pure explosive dynamite."
"I... see..." The Empress looked disappointed.
"But you were wondering how he treats me. Am I correct?"
"Yes." She whispered.
"One thing you need to understand about Galran's, Your Majesty, is that we heal much faster than you humans do and we can take much more... damage as well." The captain thought it best to preface her next statement. "My ardan and I are about as rough with each other as His Eminence appears to be with you. The difference is that while it hurts you, Galrans aren't bothered by it, in fact we find it rather stimulating. However, please don't think that His Eminence is like that with all his women just because he's half-Galran. As I said, I guarded his harem before you and he didn't harm the women who didn't fight him. Its just when that temper of his gets the better of him that he forgets how fragile your people are."
Fala ni Altea sat in silent displeasure, revulsion playing across her face.
"If it really bothers you that much then teach your sons to treat women differently. Societies can be changed, more quickly so when people in a position of power are instigating said change."
The Empress jumped up as if she'd received an electric sock. "Sons!"
"Well, yes." The Captain nodded confused by the Empress' sudden panicked state. The scent of her Lady's fear was suddenly so thick in the room that the woman could almost taste it. "As the wife of the Emperor you would be expected to bear his heirs."
Didn't she know where children came from? Or did humans not reproduce through sex? No, she was sure they did.
"Oh, God..." Her Majesty's hands flew to her mouth in horror. "Oh, God, no. Please, no. Oh, God! I can't... I... Oh, God!"
The Captain stood hoping to help calm her distraught Lady but unsure as to what to do or say. The slave, Marisol, reappeared and the Captain was glad for it. Another human female would know what to do far batter than a Galran one.
...
Raible watched with clenched teeth as Galran scientists scuttled about Blue Lion's maintenance hangar beneath the lake. He stood next to General Gibra fin Surkhal, the fell alien commander not having let the old man out of his site since landing on Altea not two days ago. The old strategist wondered if the Galran General already suspected him of treachery. But then again, the Galra were such a devious and underhanded people themselves that they probably suspected treachery from everyone regardless. The question was, how strongly did Gibra suspect him of treachery?
"Walk with me, Steward." The General commanded stepping along the observation platform on which they stood, to the wide service stairs that lead down to the hangar floor.
Raible fell into step slightingly behind the alien commander. The two walked a wide circle around the Lion, watching Galran technicians, engineers and other such scientists take apart the noble machine piece by beautiful blue piece. The strategist wondered exactly what they were doing with it, what they hoped to accomplish exactly. If Sincline had wanted the Lion destroyed it could have easily been done a million times over by now. Instead it was being studied and examined right down to every last nut, bolt and coil. Was Sincline trying to figure out how it worked? If so, then good luck trying to bypass the late King Raimon's ghost that protected the Lions from being piloted by evil hearts.
Speaking of the late king's lingering spirit, Raible could not help himself but smile at the effect their resident haunt was having on the occupying Galran soldiers. Nothing to grand, mind you, just little things like his portraits moving, objects flying off shelves, soldiers hearing a mysterious angry voice on their off shifts when they were trying to sleep. Nothing to big and obvious that cried 'ghost' but Raible knew what it was and he was comforted by the knowledge that his dearly departed sovereign was still with him. The strategist risked a sideways glance at the General, noting the circles under the man's golden eyes that were just a shade darker than the rest of his blue-green complexion. He wasn't sleeping well.
The two men finished their circuit about the room and stopped in front of the Lions open jaw. Its lower mandible had been stripped away revealing the delicate and complexed circuitry underneath.
"It really is a wonder..." The General mused aloud. He must have meant for Raible to respond because while his tone was soft and musing he had spoken in Altean rather than his own native language.
"What is?" The strategist opted to take the bate.
"How you're people could be so technologically primitive when compared to the Empire and yet have such a technological marvel such as this." Gibra answered without looking at him. "Tell me, Steward, was Golion not ori-"
The General's question was cut-off suddenly by a loud crash that brought the entire hangar's attention to a fallen cable that had nearly crushed one of the Galran engineers. The man had just missed being pinned under the massive steel cable but only by inches and was currently laying on the floor with blood welling from the whole right side of his body. Gibra rushed to the scene leaving the Altean strategist forgotten for the moment. He glared upwards form where the cable had fallen and shouted to the maintenance worker that was hurriedly hoisting it back up again.
"What happened!"
"I don't know, sir." The other Galran answered back. "As the gods as my witnesses, I wasn't at my post." Yes, that was a wonderful defense, he wasn't doing his job. "It must have been the ghost!"
"The ghost!" Several of the other technicians, engineers and guards that circled the injured man gasped and pulled back. Some of them took out talismans of their pagan gods and began muttering prayers and wards as if such heathen idols and beliefs could protect them.
Raible noticed the minute twitch of the corner of the General's eye that was either a sign of tension or annoyance, not that the two were mutually exclusive. Gibra turned to the people that surrounded him and his injured engineer. "For the gods' sake! You're all acting like simpering little children! My daughters have more backbone than you! And you call yourselves men!" He glared down at the injured man. "Get him to the infirmary now! And you..." shouting back up at the tech with the cable now "... report to my office once that is secure and be sure that its secure! We will discuss your incompetence then! Steward, come with me."
Gibra lead Raible back out of Blue Lions maintenance hangar and back up to the castle proper. Galran soldiers saluted while human servants moved fearfully out of the way as the two passed and Raible was left to wonder why the castle help hadn't been made slave. For that matter, what hadn't the entire population been enslaved? The General lead the strategist to his office, what have previously been Raible's own office prior to the occupation, and opening the door invited the old man to sit with him.
It felt odd being invited into his own office but Raible considered it a minor miracle that the Galran commander had 'invited' at all instead of just ordering him to. Gibra poured two glasses, one of brandy for Raible and one of that dreadful blood-wine they drank. What had he called it... yarbara? The General slouched in the leather armchair behind the desk while Raible took one of the 'guest chiars' in front. Gibra removed his heavy horned helmet and massaged the sides of his bald scaly head where, Raible presumed, the alien had a stress-headache.
"As I was going to ask prior to that interruption," he said, "was Golion not originally from Altea?"
The strategist paused unsure if he wanted to answer the alien interloper or not and unsure of what the villain would do to him if he did not. Finally, he decided to tell the General the Golion lore but nothing else. What could he do with a story anyway?
"There's a legend handed down about a mighty robot." He began. The General sipped his blood-wine as the old man spoke, listening thoughtfully. "It isn't said who built the giant robot or why but it was said to be unbeatable! No enemy that stood before it ever lived to tell the tale of their battle. Finally, the mighty robot became so proud that it challenged the Goddess herself and was cursed for his pride. The robot would sleep until it could use its power for peace."
"And you believe this malevolent super-robot to be your Golion?" Gibra pored himself a second glass of blood-wine.
Raible remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the General's assertion.
"Tell me of this 'Goddess'." Gibra said, suddenly changing the subject. "As I understood it, Altea has only one god and he is male."
"God is all things, General." The strategist answered simply. He had not been a religious man since Altea's first defeat at the hands of the Empire fifteen years ago and the loss of his wife and infant son. Because of this he had felt awkward discussing religion and God specifically, he often questioned God's plans and purpose when faced with such horror and villainy as the Galra Empire. How could a just and merciful god allow such a vile and repugnant people to exist? The Lord had annihilated entire cities and tribes for less.
"Hm, that's a convenient belief." The General mused. "If your god can be all things then all things could be your god, its all a matter of picking and choosing. How very pretentious."
"We do not 'pick and choose'!" Raible turned a bright red feeling suddenly defensive. He himself may not have much faith in God anymore but that didn't mean that this vile alien interloper could go around flinging insults at something that has given his people hope these past fifteen years.
Gibra looked sideways at him, one hairless brow-ridge raised in a silent warning for the human to remember his place. The strategist instantly demurred, it wouldn't do for him to get himself locked-up as Lady Hys had. The boisterous headstrong woman had made the mistake of telling the General exactly what she thought of him the moment the Galran forces set foot within the castle walls. Needless to say, Gibra was less than pleased with her outburst and ordered the woman thrown in jail. Raible had the unfortunate task of informing the alien commander that Castle Gradam had no jail or dungeons. Hys had then been placed under house arrest, locking in a chamber in the servant's wing of the castle that was hastily renovated to accommodate prisoners. It wouldn't do for Raible to get himself thrown in there with her or worse killed before the boys could return to take back Blue Lion and rescue Fala. Speaking of the princess' Lion, would it even be usable by the time the boys came to claim it?
"Forgive me, my outburst." He said repentantly. "May I ask what you plan to do with Blue Lion?"
"You may ask all you like." The General answered and took another sip of his blood-wine. "But what the Emperor does with Blue Lion is his own business and he does not concern you or I. The Lions, all the Lions, are no longer the property of Altea but His Eminence, Emperor Sincline Hangalra, he need not share his motives or plans with little people such as you and I. I can tell you that Blue Lion will not be permanently harmed."
That was a relief, however small. If Blue Lion wasn't going to be 'permanently harmed' then they meant to put the feline-mech back together at some point. He just hoped they managed to reconstruct it before the boys returned and that it remained on Altea and didn't get shipped off to the Galran capitol where they couldn't reach it, just like Fala...
Before either man could say more on the subject, however, an attendant entered the office with a datapad and a tray of dispatches for the General. The officer withdrew one of particular importance from the que and handed it to Gibra. "News from our spy satellite over Heracles, sir." He said. "The four stolen Lions were detected entering the planetary space not more than a few hours ago."
...
Kogane and the others were greeted warmly by Prince Alor whom was more than honored to provide fuel and maintenance for the Lions while the team planned their attack on the Galran capitol. A few short days after Kogane and the others arrived on planet Heracles a Galran freighter was detected within the planet's finite space. The prince rushed to his castle's own Command Center with the Lion pilots close on his heals. They all peered up at the monitor to see the freighter slow its approach as a Herculesian patrol ship drew near.
"Un-identified Galran freighter," they heard the patrol ship hail the alien craft, "you are entering Heraclesian planetary space. If you do not deviate from your current course we will be forced to open fire."
A pregnant silence filled the comm channel after that. Kogane placed a comforting hand on the young prince's shoulder, they both had suffered much at the hands of the fell Empire and the older man tried to offer what support he could to the young monarch. And then then with a burst of static the comm channel was filled with the comforting ring of a familiar and most welcome female voice.
"This is Princess Amue of Heracles." She announced. "I request clearance to land. I have equipment pertinent to the fight against Galra!"
The young prince jumped on the Command Center's comm at the sound of his older sister's most welcome voice.
"Sister!" He called. But before he could give the princess permission for a safe landing, Kogane placed his hand over the transmitter, halting the young prince in his words.
"It could be a trick." He informed the boy.
"But that's my sister's voice!" The little prince argued.
The Black Lion pilot and Golion Team Chief was about the argue with the boy, reminding the young and naive prince just how crafty Galran forces were and that Sincline had used Amue against them in the past. But before he could get even a word out Kurogane cut him off.
"T'ch." The Red Lion pilot scoffed, placing his hands in his pockets. "What a bunch of paranoid neurotics we are. We call Ryou asking him to send us a Galran ship so we can figure out how to penetrate that planet's barrier and when he and Amue show up we instantly decide they're spies. Whatever happened to all that 'love' and 'trust' Fala always liked to lecture about?"
The mention of their own lost princess made Kogane pause, his hand drifting down into his pocket to caress Blue Lion's key.
"It's a freighter, a transport ship, not a fighter." Kurogane continued. "It hasn't got any guns on it except for inarticulate blasters in the front. Its not like they can really cause any real damage in that. We let them land and meet them on the platform with a host of soldiers of our own. If it's a trap we blast every last Galran that steps off that ship strait back to hell. If its not a trap then Ryou and the princess can laugh at us over lunch."
"I like that plan. Let's do that!" Prince Alor nodded enthusiastically.
Kogane still felt uneasy over the idea, but this was the prince's world and he was in no position to be giving orders. The outranked Golion chief cast an angry glare at his teammate for suggesting the plan in the first place before nodding his agreement to the child-prince. The Galran ship was given clearance to land and the Lion team with a host of Heraclesian soldiers met the ship on the landing platform. The ship's gangplank was lowered with a soft metallic hiss and the soldiers fixed their lazer-fifles on the now open exit.
Princess Amue along with three other women exited the ship, pausing at the site of the soldiers. "Hi."
The soldiers lowered their guns at the sight of their beloved warrior-princess. Kogane came up to her and glaring into her face which so greatly resembled Fala's asked, "Where's Ryou?"
"Back on Galra." She answered plainly not one to mince words. "I'm here to pilot Blue Lion in Fala's stead."
Kogane bit back the retort that they had asked specifically for Shirogane Ryou, not Princess Amue. Ryou had been Shirogane Takashi's younger brother before the late Blue Lion pilot's untimely death. He had also been a space pilot before being enslaved by the Empire just like the rest of them. He was a natural born pilot and fighter, the princess was... the princess was just another naive girl playing with big boys. The Black Lion pilot voiced none of these opinions, however, and instead stepped aside for her to pass. Prince Alor might become hysterical if he was denied seeing his sister any longer.
...