Author's Note: This chapter took me longer than I thought it would, but I hope you enjoy it. Some of you that are reading my story also have stories of your own in progress. There have been some updates, and I will read and review them either tonight or tomorrow.
The Fall Out
Vince and Daniel were together in the infirmary, with the two guards outside the door. Daniel wasn't orange anymore, and his stomach felt better. "What happened to me? Am I cured?" He asked Vince, who was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.
Vince looked up at him and said "I doubt it. And we are screwed! They are going to put us in jail!" He was having visions of returning to earth on a prison ship, and couldn't imagine what his parents were going to say.
"What went wrong?" Daniel asked, still trying to figure out what Vince had done to him. Vince was trying to figure that out too. He went over all the research he had done, and at first couldn't see what had happened. As he was reviewing, in his head, the research, he thought about how Pidge had looked at him. His idol had looked at him like he was a total idiot.
As he was reviewing the events, he saw Pidge's face again and remembered that at first he had not looked concerned as they came in. Vince thought about the scene again, as he replayed it in his mind everything clicked together!
Pidge had known Vince was hacking into his accounts and had set this up! 'Which meant he had known about Daniel and the Haggerium' he thought. Now that Vince knew that, he knew where Pidge had gotten his information from! "Larmina!" He said it out loud and Daniel looked at him. He had not been able to follow Vince's thoughts before then, so had just ignored them.
"I don't think Larmina did this!" Daniel said, wondering if the mind transference was starting to affect Vince. "No, Pidge did this, but Larmina told him!" Vince said and explained what Pidge had done. "That is just evil!" Daniel said, and then "Do you think Larmina knew he was behind this?"
Vince thought about Larmina standing there, just staring at them, and had no doubt that she knew! Daniel picked up that thought, and said "I think Pidge helped her write that note that she sent us! That phrase about 'duty' bothered me, since it didn't sound like something Larmina would say."
They both sat there for a minute, exchanging thoughts of surprise and sadness that Larmina had sided with Pidge. Daniel said "I tried to talk to Larmina last night, after the party." He forgot that Vince could see everything in his head, and Vince saw what had happened.
"Dude, you threatened royalty! They could kill you for that!" Vince look scandalized as he saw how Daniel had grabbed Larmina's arm. Daniel knew he had gone too far, but alcohol and haggerium had clouded his judgment. He also thought about Pidge being up there and said "What do you think Allura would do to Pidge if she knew he had been upstairs?"
"How is she going to know? And what if he was just escorting Larmina upstairs? You only saw him on the landing!" Vince said, trying not to think about how she and 'DJ Prong' had been all over each other! Daniel picked that thought up, and said "We could tell her! And also how Larmina has known about the haggerium for a couple of weeks! The team would not like that!"
Vince sighed and said "It doesn't matter! We have no credibility with the team any more. Larmina is royalty, and has Pidge on her side. They won't believe us!" Daniel said "Once again Larmina comes out on top! She took over Blue Lion, and sold us down the river to look good for Pidge and the team!"
"This has to stop now Daniel!" Vince exclaimed, totally done with Daniel, his lies, and his inability to take responsibility for anything. He was tired of hearing Daniel whine about Larmina flying! "You should have told the team right away! It was wrong for me to go along with you not telling and wrong for both of us to involved Larmina in the deceit!"
Daniel was shocked at how his friend was looking at him, and he saw what his friend was feeling in his mind. Daniel had spent his whole life getting away with stuff, or talking his way out of trouble. He still didn't quite understand what Vince was so upset about, but decided he had better figure it out.
Vince went on "When they come to get us you need to tell them that you know what you did was wrong!" He thought for a moment "Do you know why it was wrong? Don't you remember that oath we took?" Daniel in fact had not paid attention to the oath ceremony, only caring about flying.
Vince picked up on that and said "Daniel, for once in your life stop thinking about yourself and what you want!" He marched over to the other side of the room, turned his back on Daniel, and started doing math equations in his head to block his friend's thoughts.
Meanwhile things were not good in the conference room. The team had been joined by Coran and Fredericks. Allura had wanted Coran there since the matter could concern the security of the planet. Fredericks could sense trouble in his domain and was not going to miss the show. He was good at making himself unobtrusive; he picked up a lot of gossip that way.
Lance was prepared to put Daniel and Vince in jail, until they could be sent back to earth to stand trial. Keith pointed out that their crimes had taken place on Arus and involved Voltron, while Hunk pointed out that both boys were still enrolled in the Academy, and as such fell under that jurisdiction.
Pidge had sided with Hunk, and even Lance had to admit that Hunk was right. Allura felt like the boys had closed ranks on her! She finally got their attention and said "You all are missing the point!" This happened on Voltron's watch! And those boys were on Arus because of me!"
Larmina saw how much that fact bothered her Aunt! She remembered overhearing her Aunt and Lance arguing about bringing Daniel and Vince to Arus. She had been spying, a deplorable habit she had picked up from living in the castle, when they had talked about it. Larmina still saw her Aunt telling Lance that her Father, King Alfor, had said it must happen.
Larmina knew how her Aunt felt about her Father, but she also knew that her Aunt did not have the whole story. Having talked to Pidge she understood how Daniel and Vince had violated their oath. She also knew what a good person her Aunt was, and how highly principled she was. Larmina though had seen on Ebb how good people could sacrifice their morals for immediate gratification.
She remembered last night, how Daniel had looked at her, ready to fight her to the end, to get what he wanted. He wasn't thinking straight and in that state could comprise not just Voltron but Arus too. Larmina knew that her Aunt felt guilty for bringing Daniel and Vince to Arus, but at the end of the day the defense of the kingdom had to come first.
Larmina realized that her Aunt was talking to her. "Larmina, these boys are your friends. What is your position on what they did?" She saw how everyone around the table, but Pidge was looking at her. He was looking slightly off to the side, and she knew he wanted to see what she did. Larmina had already made her decision though, the other day after talking to Pidge.
"Aunt Allura, they didn't just betray the trust of the team, the betrayed the trust of Arus! Even if you allow for the haggerium clouding Daniel's judgment, Vince knew better. He put all of us at risk by going along with Daniel. Arus could have been harmed." Larmina said in a steady voice as he looked at her Aunt.
"I understand your devotion to Arus Larmina, but you need to learn compassion! We are responsible for those boys!" Allura told her niece, disappointment in her voice. Larmina didn't look away from her Aunt, but raised her chin as she stared her in the eye.
Allura realized that Larmina was not going to side with her on the matter. She knew that some of it was that Larmina didn't have the responsibility for the situation like she did. Allura also knew that Larmina was Arusian to her core, and would see what Daniel and Vince did as a threat to the planet. However, she was very disappointed in how Larmina wasn't more forgiving to her friends.
She stood up and said "I am Queen, and it will be my decision as to what happens to Daniel and Vince." She paused and set "I am going to go talk to them, and when I am done I will let you all know my decision!" She walked out of the room very regally.
After she left, everyone else looked at each other around the table. Pidge was opposite and off to the side of Larmina. He managed to catch her eye and gave her a quick smile. Pidge had not been surprised at what Allura said, knowing how her mind worked. He had wondered who Larmina would side with though. Larmina was loyal to her Aunt and would not have gone against her lightly. He knew though that she had taken her heart what he had told her about the oath.
Coran and Fredericks talked in low voices off in the corner, while Lance muttered under his breath. Keith looked very tense, while Hunk, Pidge, and Larmina sat there in silence. Larmina had seen the smile Pidge gave her, and she appreciated it. She wished she could explain to her Aunt about the oath, and maybe she would understand. However, even if her Aunt was furious with her she wouldn't change her mind.
When Allura entered the infirmary Daniel and Vince stood up. She told them to sit down and said "I want to hear the whole story, calmly, from each of you." Daniel had been thinking about what Vince had said to him, and reviewing his life whole. He had not liked what he saw, how he never really cared for anyone else, but himself.
Even joining the Academy and taking the oath of loyalty had not meant anything to him, and Daniel had only thought about Voltron as an end to his dream, of flying a lion. His fellow cadets would have stood by him, but he knew that he would not have reciprocated the gesture. He knew that he had abused the trust of the Voltron team, Vince's friendship, and the trust Allura had extended to him.
Daniel looked at Allura now and said "Your Majesty I want to beg your pardon for all the trouble I have caused to you, Voltron and Arus. I am ready to take full responsibility for my actions. I would like to request that you do not punish Vince. He was only trying to help." Allura and Vince looked at Daniel as he said this, and were shocked.
Daniel told Allura the whole story, repeating several times how sorry he was for his behavior and why he knew it was wrong. When he was done Allura turned to Vince and said "What do you have to say Vince?"
Vince had been impressed that Daniel had taken complete responsibility and not mentioned Larmina once. He knew that he couldn't tell Allura what Pidge had done, but would need to figure out some way to fix it with Pidge if he ever got the chance. "Your Majesty, I should not have gone along with what Daniel wanted me to do. It was wrong and put everyone at risk. I also should not have tried to fix it myself."
Allura said "I want you to come with me, and tell the team what you have just told me." They left the infirmary, Allura waving off the guards as they did. For Daniel and Vince it was the worst moment of their lives, walking into that room.
The team was sitting around the table, looking at them with various degrees of distrust and contempt. Daniel didn't even try to look at Larmina and Pidge and first, but then realized he would need to, just to right his conscious.
"I have talked with Daniel and Vince, and they both have something to say to all of you. After they have said their piece, I will tell you my decision." Allura announced in a formal tone. Daniel and Vince both told the team what they had told Allura, and apologized for their actions. Pidge had never thought he would see the day when Daniel would take responsibility for anything. He also had to hand it to Vince for keeping quiet about the trick that turned Daniel orange.
Lance was having a hard time buying it, having dealt with Daniel's messes for too long. Keith and Hunk though, were impressed that the boys realized what they had done. Larmina was glad to see Daniel finally understanding what he had done, but they were going to have to talk about the incident on the stairs before she fully forgave him.
"My decision is that Daniel and Vince stay with us, on Arus, as team members." Allura announced, and before Lance could interject she went on "It was on Voltron's watch that Daniel was infected with the haggerium. Yes, it was wrong that he took Voltron out, but why did it happen in the first place?"
Allura said "Vince was alone in the lab, experimenting with that helmet he had designed." Pidge was all set to say something, but Allura went on "Pidge, I am not blaming you in the least. You trusted that Vince knew what he was doing. You forgot, in fact we all forgot, that Daniel and Vince are just young men. It was our responsibility to train and mentor them and we didn't do our job!"
Lance stood up and said "I resent that remark Allura! We treated them like team members, but Daniel never returned the respect we gave him!" His eyes were blazing, thinking about all the stunts Daniel had pulled. Daniel said "Lance is right, Your Majesty. You all gave me a big responsibility and I failed, time and time again."
"The boys will stay on Arus, and on the team. However, they will be treated as junior team members! Daniel, you are confined to castle defense duties, but at no time will you be alone in the control room." Allura said, and then turned to Vince "You may fly with Pidge, or one of the other pilots, but you will not fly alone. In addition you are to work with Pidge on the haggerium antidote, but you are not to do any research that is not under Pidge's direct control."
Allura looked around the table, meeting each team member's eye. Keith understood that it had been decided and they would have to live with it. He looked at Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Larmina, nodding his head at them. Keith turned to the boys and said "Allura has spoken, and I hope you understand how lucky you are that she has intervened on your behalf. Do you understand the rules?"
Daniel and Vince nodded, and Keith went on "I am implementing the same rules as you would be living under at the Academy! Mandatory lights out at night, rigid PE exercises, and a very tightly regulated schedule!" The boys looked at him and Daniel said "Thank you for accepting us back. I won't let you down again." Vince said the same thing, and Lance said "There won't be a second chance!"
That evening, after Keith had inspected the boys before lights out, he went over to the rec room. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were there, having been called by Keith. After he greeted them he got right down to business. "Ok, I just finished inspecting the dorm for the night. We need to set up a schedule for lights out, and the wakeup call. We will all take turns supervising PE in the morning!"
Lance said "I'm a little old to be First Cadet!" Hunk and Pidge agreed, but Keith said "Per Allura's direct request, this is what we have to do." Pidge had a thought and said "Why don't we just transfer them to the Arusian Military Academy? The course is similar to ours on earth, and it would keep them out of trouble!"
"You are very welcome to present that idea to Allura, but don't count on it being well received. In her opinion this is our problem, so we need to correct it!" Keith said, but thinking at the back of his mind 'that is really not a bad idea, and I wish we could'.
"Now, on to some team business and how we are going to handle Daniel and Vince in day to day operations." Keith said. Hunk said "Shouldn't Larmina be here too?" Keith smiled and replied "I will have to send her a memo with what is discussed. Allura insisted that she needed to meet with Larmina tonight."
Pidge had known that, from a message she had sent him earlier in the evening. He was looking forward to talking to her tomorrow at Green's den. He was sure that she wasn't having a good evening.
Lance said "I was very impressed that she sided with us, and not Allura. That didn't win her any points I bet!" Keith said "She understood what a threat Daniel posed, and defending Arus will always come first with her." Hunk said "Allura always sees the best in everyone, no matter what!" Lance laughed and said "I think Larmina's motto is fight first, and ask questions later!"
They all laughed and then Keith said "Larmina is a member of our team, and she proved tonight where her loyalty is. We need to remember that! Now, here is what I am proposing." He proceeded to go over his plan, and everyone went along with it.
In their dorm room Daniel and Vince were thinking thoughts back and forth to each other; they understood that there would be no more meetings in the Lair. 'Look man, I'm sorry I put you in this position.' Daniel thought, and Vince said 'what finally made you realize what an asshole you had been?' Daniel laughed and said 'keep it up and you might be able to curse as well as Lance does!'
That brought a smile to Vince's face for a minute and then Daniel said 'I saw what a self absorbed screw up I have been my whole life, plain and simple. You gave me your friendship and I got you screwed!' Vince thought 'I really should not have been experimenting with that helmet by myself. Ugh, how am I ever going to be able to work with Pidge? He knows I hacked into his accounts!'
'Well, I have to apologize to Larmina for threatening her after the party.' Daniel thought, and then remembered how Pidge had looked at him. Vince picked that thread up and said 'I bet he and Larmina are laughing themselves silly right now!' Daniel said 'I bet she will have fun bossing us around!' Vince said 'She has always been able to boss us around, idiot!'
Daniel had a totally off topic thought 'Do you think Pidge and Larmina are serious?' Vince got a grim look on his face and thought 'I would not be surprised!' Daniel got an evil grin on his face and said 'we can't get back at Pidge for that trick he played today, but what do you think Allura will do if she finds out about them?' Vince thought about that, and felt almost sympathy for Pidge, until he remembered today. He thought 'dude, I don't think it will be pretty!'