Lance glanced at his wristwatch and tried to conceal a yawn. It was morning — not one of his favorite times of the day — and he was stuck in another "briefing" session, watching news dispatches.
Unfortunately, for him, the "news" that Galaxy Garrison regularly transmitted to Arus was never very interesting. More often than not, the videos were filled with the promotional fluff that the Garrison Public Affairs office designed to improve the morale of its troops. The hard-core news, if there were any, generally was limited to current events in distant planets that he barely remembered.
He couldn't help but notice how, in its infinite "wisdom," the Public Affairs department of Galaxy Garrison chose to focus on the social events of the officials stationed in Terra and other major Garrison locations.
He slouched lower in his seat and idly began to catalog the reactions of the other people with him. He chuckled quietly under his breath — it was obvious that he wasn't the only bored person in the room.
Hunk was contentedly snoring away, dead to the world. Jeff was reading a thick progress report from Galaxy Garrison about the training of the Vehicle team and Pidge was doodling into a touch-pad, probably working on another invention.
Coran was the only one paying attention to the news feed and it looked like the Arussian Prime Minister was enjoying it. But then, Lance reminded himself, Coran was a diplomat and the social scene was his natural habitat.
He did a double take as he noticed two familiar faces fill the screen. He bolted up and pointed at the screen of the conference room. "Hey guys, look! It's Keith and the Princess!"
"*Captain, you were considered one of Galaxy Garrison's finest officers. Do you regret giving up your career for love? Do you think you'll miss what you have now?*"
"Good question," Hunk remarked as they waited for Keith's answer.
"*I'm not giving up anything, I joined GG because I wanted my life to make a difference, and that's exactly what Allura and I do on Arus. She rules it and I back her up.*"
Jeff hooted with laughter. "Yeah right, that'll be the day. Keith in a number two position? Naah. Will never happen."
"Shh..." Pidge said, shooting an irritated glare in Jeff's general direction as he reached for the volume controls. "Be quiet. I want to hear what the Princess is saying."
"*...As commander of the Voltron Force, he and the others have given the people of the dozens of planets their lives and freedom back, but they've also given them something infinitely more precious...*"
The camera zoomed in for a close-up and focused on Allura's face. Her extraordinary blue eyes shone with a mixture of gratitude, admiration and love as she smiled up at her husband.
"Hope."
There was a long moment of appreciative silence before Lance broke it with an small embarrassed laugh. "Gee, I didn't know how much she thought of us. Was that why she knighted us a few months ago, Coran?"
Receiving no answer, he glanced over at the Prime Minister. His gaze sharpened with alarm and concern as he noticed the how pale the man had become. "CORAN!?"
"HAGGAR!" Zarkon of Doom shouted. His voice echoed loudly through the cold, empty hall of his throne room. "Where are you witch?!"
"My Lord?" The air was filled with the smell of putrid flesh as a brown cloaked figure emerged from the darkness. "You summoned me?"
"Yes..." Zarkon hissed. His yellow reptilian eyes had a look that was not quite anger. "Come closer, old witch so that I can see you."
Haggar stepped closer into the dim light. Under the concealing cowl she wore, her face displayed a strange fear, as it always did whenever she faced Zarkon. It was Haggar's most secret of secrets. Despite all her powers, the witch was terrified of Zarkon.
Zarkon triggered the controls on the ornately carved golden scepter that he carried with him at all times. "Let me show you something very interesting."
The screen flickered to life only to display the image of Allura of Arus. "... he and the others have given the people of the dozens of planets their lives and freedom back..."
Haggar turned to stare at the king in confusion. "That's Princess Allura," she stated the obvious. "She married the young captain of the Voltron Force. I believe that they were visiting Terra on their wedding trip."
"*... but they've also given them something infinitely more precious — Hope.*"
At the same instant that Haggar gasped in recognition, a jeweled goblet flew through the air and hit the monitor. An intricate spider-web of cracks blossomed across the glass.
Haggar stared at monitor in disbelief. She knew the mark on Allura's shoulder. She had first seen it in a vision — the phoenix that foretold her doom and she had seen it often since.
She had it burnt into the backs of screaming slaves before throwing them into turning them into ro-beasts to compete in the arena for his entertainment. On her orders, Zarkon's armies etched it onto a mountain of every planet that he conquered before leveling the mountain to the ground, in a dramatic display of the strength and power of the forces of Doom.
Silence echoed in the great hall. The thick red wine that had filled Zarkon's goblet trickled down Allura's distorted cheek as though the princess had been wounded by the sharp shards of glass.
Haggar studied Zarkon covertly, trying to discern his mood. His outward appearance, as he leaned back and drummed his fingers against his overly embellished throne, did not give her any clues.
She whispered a few words in the secret tongue of the ancients and cast a simple scrye spell, hoping to see into Zarkon's mind. But, much to her consternation, the spell fizzled.
Her mouth twisted with bitter disappointment. The dark forces that fueled her magic had given their blessings to Zarkon and as a result, the king of Doom was one of the few people immune to her magic.
She forced herself to wait patiently.
An eternity passed before Zarkon stirred.
He growled, deep in the back of his throat and looked up with hooded eyes. His tone, when he finally spoke, was even and his voice was eerily soft. "She is the one you warned me about? The one who would be instrumental in bringing about the end of my empire?"
"Yes, Sire." Haggar concurred. Knowing how selfish Zarkon was with his troops, she had taken the precaution of twisting the Phoenix prophecy to her own ends to ensure his complete cooperation in her pursuit of the Phoenix.
"Kill her, old witch. I don't care what you do with her. I want her dead.""
Haggar's black heart jumped with excitement and she lowered her eyes to conceal her exultation. Zarkon had made a fatal! Her mind whirled madly as she began to make her plans, but her visage did not give a hint of the treachery in her thoughts.
She nodded subserviently, "As thou will, so mote it be."