This was a very difficult chapter for me to write not just because of the subject matter, but also because my external hard drive crapped out on me and ate the entire chapter :( So I had to rewrite it from scratch (Boo!) I really tried to keep this T (a very heavy editing process was involved), but some of it's kinda rough just the same. Anyway, please let me know what you thought.

"Lotor!"

Lotor tried in vain to hide his scowl as Emperor Zeppo addressed him through the comm screen on the bridge of the Inferno. The Drule Emperor was insufferable, and Lotor resented being scrutinized. "Yes, Emperor."

"What is your status?"

"Do you have such little faith in me that you would inquire?" The words were out before Lotor had realized he had said them.

Zeppo frowned. "I gave you a small fleet of my ships to take Arus. I think I am entitled to see what my investment has gotten me."

Lotor's face twisted into a smug grin. "I have the Captain of the Voltron Force and Princess Allura in my custody. The lions are inoperable and the castle is without power. My...your ships have already landed on the surface. It is only a matter of time before the Castle of Lions and Voltron will be ours."

For the first time that he could remember, Zeppo did not look on him with complete digust. In fact, the elder Drule almost smiled. Almost. "I am both suprised and impressed Lotor. I will be bringing my own fleet to join you in three days. I trust by then you will have complete control of Arus?"

Lotor's face fell slightly. "Of course, Emperor, I will be looking forward to your arrival."

"Good," was all Zeppo offered before signaling to one of his men. Without any warning, his image disappeared from the viewscreen.

Lotor growled loudly as he stomped off of the bridge. His rage consumed him as he stormed through the corridor. Anyone that he happened upon trembled as his passed. Did Zeppo really think that he would be able to come in and take over after Lotor had done all of the work? Absolutely not. By the time his fleet arrived, Lotor would have control of Voltron. Then he would crush Zeppo and rule as not only the king of Arus, but also the Supreme Ruler of the Drule Empire.

Still reeling with anger, Lotor marched up to a guard standing in front of his destination. "Open it!" he commanded.

Without hesitiation, the guard pushed a sequence of buttons allowing Lotor entrance to the room he was guarding. The room was pitch black and the sweltering temperature pushed back at him like a wall. Using his hands to feel against the wall, he flipped the switch, casting light throughout the bare room.

At the far end of the room, Keith's head shot up from where he dangled by his wrists – his boots barely touching the floor. From where Lotor stood by the door, the commander looked unharmed, but the oppressive heat and humity of the room had his hair plastered to his face and his skin flushed, dripping with sweat.

Keith squinted at the new light in the room. Lotor almost laughed out loud as his approached. "Hello, Commander," he drawled, "I trust your accomadations are to your liking?" The only response was a stone cold glare. "It's interesting how things have worked out isn't it, Keith. Once I was your prisoner. And now you are mine." No response. Lotor expected nothing less from the ever stoic leader of the Voltron Force.

"You know, Keith, you really did make a poor showing by surrendering yourself to me. What will the rest of your team think about you giving up so easily? I always knew you were weak. What did you think would happen? Some grand rescue of your precious princess?" Lotor lowered his voice, but leaned in so that Keith was sure to hear him. "My princess."

The Commander barely flinched, but it was enough for Lotor to notice. "She will never be yours," he finally responded in a low growl.

Then a thought struck Lotor. He had been wrong about Keith. "I see now, you weren't planning on rescuing her. You just wanted to be close to her. You think that with you in such a close proximity, she will be able to resist me."

Suddenly Lotor produced a large blade and without ceremony plunged it into Keith's shoulder. A satisfying scream echoed through the room, prompting Lotor to push it deeper. Lotor let out a satisfying sigh. "I have been waiting a long time to do that," he whispered.

Slowly, he withdrew the blade, relishing every grunt that Keith made through gritted teeth. He gazed with utter pleasure at the stream of blood flowing over Keith's sleeve, smearing over the black lion insignia on his uniform. Reaching up, he ripped the patch from his arm. "You really don't know much about women, do you. What do you think Allura will do when she learns that I have you as my prisoner?" He laughed loudly. "She will give me anything that I want." The smile disappeared and his voice lowered. "And I intend to take all that she has to offer." Turning on his heel, Lotor started back towards the door.

His open wound forgotten, Keith lunged forward only to be yanked back by his restraints. "Lotor! You will die by my hand!"

Lotor glanced back as he reached the door, making sure to turn off the light sending the room into complete darkness. Smiling sadistically, he shook his head. "Not today, my dear Commander. Not today."

As the door closed behind him, Lotor turned to the posted guard. "Wait a while, then have someone tend to his wounds. I don't want him to bleed out before I have a chance to kill him."

"What are we going to do, Lance?" For the first time in a long time, Pidge was scared. It was easy for them to be brave when they had Voltron to fight the bad guys. But they didn't have Voltron, and now they were sitting ducks.

Lance frowned in frustration as he watched the Drule ships landing on Arus, meticulously taking the villagers hostage. They were coming in droves now. With Voltron no longer an effective threat, the Drules had no fear of coming out in the open and taking over the planet. They could send the Arusian army out, but their numbers were limited and the Drules would keep coming until there was no more resistance. There was no way that they could take on Lotor's army alone. He felt helpless.

Standing next to him, Hunk banged his fist on the console. "What are they waiting for? Why not just attack the castle?"

"They want to keep the castle in tact." Coran said thoughtfully. "Lotor knows that if they have the people under their control that we will have no choice but to surrender without a fight. He would not want to risk damaging Voltron."

"You're right, Coran." Lance agreed.

"With the Princess being held by Lotor, and Voltron out of commission, the people have lost the will to fight anymore." Coran said sadly.

Lance squared his shoulders. He knew what they had to do. "Looks like we'll have to change that, then. Coran, I want you to evacuate the anyone left in the castle to the underground bunker."

"What?" Hunk growled, "we're just going to give them the castle? Not even fight for it?" The big man crossed his arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow at his commander. "That doesn't sound like you, Lance. You're usually the first one to want to kick some butt. The odds never mattered before."

Lance put a hand on the larger man's shoulder to calm him. "We have to keep these people safe, Hunk. Staying here just waiting for Lotor's troops to come in will not do anyone any favors. He will either turn them into slaves or kill them. Is that what you want for Rebecca?"

Hunk glanced behind him where Rebecca was sitting with a bawling Nanny, trying to comfort her. Their eyes met, and Hunk knew he had no other choice. He nodded then regarded Lance again. "Since when have you been the level headed one? That's usually Keith's job."

"Yeah, well, Keith's not here. And I'm in charge." Lance seemed almost unsure even as he made the statement. What he didn't want to tell everyone was that he was terrified to be in charge. While Keith was the Commander, he and Lance had always been an formidable pair, especially in combat. Their very differnt styles, while bringing about a certain amount of conflict, complemented each other. And while Keith always had the final say, he never discounted Lance's opinions, even when he disagreed. Now, everyone's fate rested on his decisions alone, and that scared the piss out of him. But he couldn't afford to let them think that he was questioning his own ability. Instead he returned his attention to Coran who was looking at him strangely. "The bunkers were uncompromised during the first invasion, right? That's how you were able to keep Allura safe for all that time."

Coran nodded. "Yes, there are enough supplies, plus a complete med lab to keep us all hidden for several weeks."

"Good, get everyone down there and seal it off. Nanny..."

He turned to Nanny who was still bawling in the corner. He walked quickly to her and knelt beside her. He felt sorry for the poor woman who was mourning more for the loss of her princess more than for the planet itself. Allura was Nanny's life, and Lance knew that Nanny felt just as helpless as he did at the moment. Still, this was no time for them all to fall apart. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "Nanny," her response was more sobs. "NANNY!" he finally yelled at her, getting her attention. "You want to help Allura, right? You want to help us get her back?"

The woman nodded. Her eyes were red and swollen. "I will give my life to make sure the Princess is safe."

Lance smiled sympathetically. "Hopefully it won't come to that, but there is something that I need you to do for me..."

Allura groaned as the throbbing in her head continued to keep her in her prone position. She felt as if even opening her eyes would cause her brain to explode. She lay still for a moment, trying to remember what had happened. She had been in Blue on patrol. Something had gone wrong. The lion had just suddenly lost power. She was falling. Her heart stopping screams...Keith calling her name...Then everything went dark. Had she crashed? Where was she now? Had she been taken prisoner? If so, by who? She had to find answers. Very gently and only as fast as her pounding head would allow, she opened her eyes and sat up.

Glancing around, she quickly realized that she was in some sort of bed chamber. It was sparse and undecorated, but definitely meant to be sleeping quarters for someone. She was sitting on a most uncomfortable cot that had only starched white sheets and a single pillow. Across the room, next to the door that she assumed led outside, was a small dresser. On the other side of the exit was another door. A mirrored closet door was left half open. From where she sat she could see that it was empty. She pushed herself to standing only to grab the wall to keep from falling, and gingerly made her way to the outside door. It was locked. Her heart sank. She was a prisoner. Turning slightly, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Her uniform had been removed, and she was now clad in a white tank top and a pair of white, drawstring pants. She was barefoot. Someone had bandaged an injury over her right eye and taken the time to remove her hairpins and brush out her hair so that it now hung down her back. She reached up to carefully touch the bandage on her temple.

"Admiring my med staff's handy work?"

The familiar voice made her jump, threatening to send her head into another spin. She turned and made her way back to the bed just as her legs buckled.

Lotor rushed to her side to help her sit, holding her arm as he joined her on the mattress. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She yanked her arm from his grasp. "Don't touch me!"

He took the hint and scooted back on the cot to give her space. "I am sorry that I had nothing else for you to wear, but I really wasn't expecting you to be my guest this soon."

Allura lifted her chin. "Okay, so you have me. What do you want from me?"

He narrowed his eyes but smiled. The no-nonsense Princess, forever putting on airs of invinciblilty. "What I've always wanted, my dear. You." Allura shuttered. "Come now, Allura, even you must realize that a union between our planets would do nothing but bring peace and prosperity to Arus."

She snorted. "Your brand of peace and prosperity is making my people slaves under your rule. I will never be yours as long as the Voltron Force lives, and neither will Arus."

A strange expression fell across Lotor's face as he stood. If she didn't know any better, Allura would almost mistake it for...hurt. It passed quickly, however, and his arrogant smile returned. "You know, Allura, I was really hoping that it wouldn't come to this."

He reached out and dropped something on the bed next to her. She looked at the lion's head staring back at her. It was the insignia for the black lion. Reserved for only the Captain of the Voltron Force. Then she noticed the blood stain across the patch. Allura's breath hitched. Keith...oh god no...

Lotor watched and waited for recognition and understanding to reach her. When she looked up at him with pools forming in her big, blue eyes, he knew he had her. "Yes, Allura, I have your precious Commander in chains below. You will be happy to know that he is alive, if not bleeding just a bit." He watched as relief washed over her. He wanted to smack her for it. "But," he said cheerfully, "I also have another suprise for you." He almost skipped to the door and opened it. "Bring her."

Allura watched in horror as Deirdre was pushed roughly through the door. Her hands were chained in front of her, but she looked no worse for wear. She held her head up defiantly and to Allura, she looked rather pissed off. "Deirdre...how?"

"It's kind of a long story," Deirdre stated, glaring at Lotor.

He only chuckled. "You see, Allura? Your friends are unharmed. How long they stay that way is up to you, my dear."

He didn't have to elaborate for Allura to get his meaning. Her face fell as her shoulders sagged. She had no choice. He had won. "Alright, Lotor," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "I'll give you what you want."

"Yes," he purred, "that's a good and loyal friend." Lotor had to physically stop himself from dancing about the room. "By tonight, I will have Arus," he moved to Allura, sliding an arm around her waste, "and you and I will be what we were always meant to be."

"No, wedding, Lotor?"

His reverie was cut short as he cocked his head at Deirdre. "Of course there will be a wedding. Once I have conquered Arus, all of its people will witness the union of their beloved princess and the King of Doom!"

"So, you're going to wait for your wedding night," Deirdre pressed.

Now Lotor was confused. "What?"

"Think about it, Lotor. Allura's been saving herself her whole life for her wedding night." She glanced at Allura who nodded slowly. "You wouldn't ruin all of that just so that you can get your rocks off, right? I mean, you wouldn't if you truely loved her."

The words penetrated Lotor's thoughts as he watched the two women. Then his gaze focused on the Princess and his expression softened. "I am not a complete monster, Allura." Then to her suprise he took her hand in his own, and kissed the back of it. "We will wait until we are husband and wife." His pointed smile sent a shiver up her spine, but she felt a shred of relief that she would not have to share a bed with him that night.

"But,"

Her reprive was short lived as Lotor continued.

"I do require some sort of celebration of my conquest." He looked between the two women, his gaze settling on Deirdre. She seemed to know what he was implying and nodded slowly.

Allura was horrified. "No! You can't..."

She was cut short when Deirdre went to her, blocking her from Lotor's view. "It's alright, Allura," she soothed, "I know what I'm doing."

Realization struck Allura as she gazed into Deirdre's determined stare. That had been her plan all along. Deirdre knew that Lotor would take her instead. The Princess shook her head. She would not let Deirdre suffer in her place. "Don't do this," she pleaded.

But in the end, Deirdre only gave her the most confident smile she could muster. "Trust me, it's better this way. I only ask one thing in return."

"Anything!"

Deirdre smiled sadly. "If anything happens to me...take care of the boys. They really need a woman like you to set them straight every now and again."

Allura wanted to smile; to laugh at the insinuation. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears that she had tried so hard to hold back.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle this."

Lotor snorted from where he had been observing by the door. "I doubt that very much. Guards!" Two men entered the room in haste. "Take her to my chambers. And send for Hagar."

The men nodded, grabbed Deirdre roughly and escorted her back into the corridor. Lotor stood and watched Allura for a moment, only then noticing her tears. In a moment of weakness, he crossed the room to her, taking her face with a suprisingly gentle touch. He wiped her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "Don't cry, my love. You will see that, in the end, it's for the best."

She could only stare at him in disbelief as he turned from her, strided across the room, and left her alone again. She stood, unable to move for what seemed like an eternity, before finally collapsing on the bed, consumed by her own grief.

Romelle sat straight up in bed when the first sound of her communicator filtered through her drowsy consciousness. She hoped that it had not disturbed Sven who had finally begun resting peacefully since their return to Pollux. His leg had required several surgeries to repair the injury and kept him in a constant state of pain. As she turned on the lamp beside her bed, she felt him stir next to her. Shrugging into her robe, she padded to her desk, sat down, and flipped the communication unit on.

"Your Majesty," the familiar voice of her royal adviser, Jace, "I am sorry to wake you, but Commander Holgersson has an urgent message coming in. The origins are from Earth."

"Put it through," Sven said as he moved to stand behind Romelle, tying the draw strings on his pants. Romelle frowned and moved to let him sit in her chair.

"Sven," a voice crackled through the bedchamber. The sound quality was terrible but Sven could still recognize it.

Sven cocked his head. "Jeff? The reception is awful."

"I know, I'm on a very unofficial line, so there's no guarantee how long the connection will last, but something has happened that I thought you and Romelle ought to know about."

Romelle leaned forward on the desk. "Sounds serious."

"Lotor has escaped from custody. And I've gotten some intel from an inside source that he has moved to invade Arus. I can't establish a comm connection with them either."

Sven breathed sucked in a breath. "Son of a bitch. What is Garrison doing about this?"

"Nothing yet. There's whispers that Vehicle Voltron might be deployed to help, but no official orders have been given yet. Wade pushed through an emergency vote of the security counsel officially promoting him to Sky Marshal. He's got complete impunity now."

Romelle and Sven locked gazes, each mirroring the same concerned expression. Before they could voice them, Jeff's voice crackled again...

"Listen, I know that Wade is up to no good. Tell Keith that that I've got Chip working covertly to hack Wade's files. Hopefully we can find out what the hell he really wants."

"Alright," Sven nodded, "thanks for the heads up, Jeff. You better get off before someone catches on to you."

"You're right. I probably won't be able to contact you again, but let everyone know that we're doing what we can on this end."

"Will do, Jeff. Thank you." Sven reached out and cut the comm link. He glanced up at Romelle to find her already stripping off her nightgown and pulling her hair back into a pony tail.

He stood to go to her. "What are you doing?"

"We have to move quickly, if there's no communication with Arus, it's a good bet that Lotor has already begun the attack."

On her tiptoes, she reached to the top of her closet and pulled down a holster and rifle.

"Our ships are no match for a Drule fleet, Romelle."

"I know that, but there are very few soldiers in the galaxy that can match the Pollux army on the ground. We'll land on the surface and take out the ground troops. At the very least, we can keep the innocent people safe."

Sven smiled at her tenacity as he took her face in her hands. He bent to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "You remind me every day why I love you."

Romelle blushed and smiled back at him, her eyes shining with adoration.

"We should start getting the troops and transports together, then," he said as he started peeling off his pajama pants.

This time Romelle's expression faltered when she saw the long scar trailing down his leg. "Are you sure you're ready to do this? You've only been back on that leg for a couple of days."

He smirked back at her as he slid a t-shirt over his head. "I'll be fine, love. My friends are in trouble. I owe them. Besides," he kissed her on the forehead, "staying here while the love of my life goes into battle to save the day is not an option."

When Lotor arrived at his bedchamber doors, Hagar was just leaving. She floated to to him, regarding him with her glowing red eyes. "Everything is prepared, Your Highness. I suspect that you will have a most fulfilling evening," she said dispassionately. Being far less humanoid than either the Earthings or the Drules, she had no understanding of the carnal needs of them. She found it to be a ridiculous distraction. But for the sake of avoiding any more complications due to Lotor's overeager libido, and while it was far beneath her mystical skills, she was willing to allow him this small favor.

He scowled. The old bag had no idea what would quench his needs. Only when he finally had Allura in his bed begging and pleading for more would he truely be satisfied.

"Your Majesty," Hagar decided to change the subject, "I was thinking, what if I made the Princess completely compliant to you? Put her on your side, if you will."

Lotor understood. "With the Sorcas?" He shook his head. "You have not infected a human with those creepy things yet. You don't know how a human will react. Absolutely not. I will not let you use my future bride as a test subject."

"What about the Commander? He would be a strong ally under your control."

Lotor rubbed his chin. Having Keith under his influence would be quite ironic. Then again, if he were to die due to complications from the unknown parasites, Lotor would be robbed of his true victory of killing him.

The witch could see the conflict in Lotor's expression. "Do not be so weak, Lotor. Do not let your feelings for the princess or your unwavering hatred for the commander, blur your judgement."

The new King of Doom was thoughtful for another moment. Perhaps Hagar was right. Perhaps all these years his lust and hatred has been serving as the catalyst for his defeats. Maybe he would have to take a step back and rethink his tactics. But for now...

"I will think on it, Hagar, and I will give you my decision. Now, leave me before your presence ruins my mood." Hagar scoffed at him but showed no signs of actually being offended. "Yes, your Majesty." The witch bowed slightly and turned to leave.

The lights in his bedchamber were turned low so that he had to squint when he first entered. He looked around the room and as his eyes had adjusted to the low light he could now see his prey standing in the corner shadows. "Come here." He said quietly.

As she moved from her spot and into the dim light. Lotor smiled at Hagar's creation. The woman stood in front of him in a pale pink nightgown that clinged to her curvy figure. Long golden hair spilled over her shoulders barely conceling her breasts underneath. Hagar had worked her magic well. Although the woman's face and quite frankly her body was nothing compared to the real Allura, it would be a nice distraction for the evening. She lifted her chin, clearly unafraid and unintimidated by him. She had some fire in her. He smiled. That could prove to be most entertaining.

Deirdre glanced down at her new blond hair and fingered the curly tresses lightly. "Blond? Really? What's the matter Lotor? Have you become so sick and twisted in your obsession with Allura that other women can't even turn you on anymore?"

Lotor blanched at her words. More because they were true than anything else. There had been a time when he could take the slave women one after another no matter what they looked like. And he had indulged in each and every one. Now, it seemed that very few were able to get him to the point where he could perform. Even now as he stared at her new blue eyes, he felt nothing. It wasn't Allura. Fortunately, he had a good imagination.

He walked to her and ran a finger down her cheek. Still she stood strong, never breaking eye contact. "Not to worry, my dear. I won't be able to tell the difference from behind."

Without warning, he grabbed her and turned her around harshly. Pulling the blond hair away from her neck, he leaned in and breathed heavy on her. He began to rub his pelvis against her bottom and was joyful when he received his desired reaction. He ground harder against her just to make sure she could feel it. He breathed in her ear. "There, you see? We can make this work. Allura."

The Castle of Lions erupted into chaos when Coran had made the announcement for everyone to evacuate to the safety of the underground bunkers. No doubt, many had had flashbacks of the first time that they had been forced from their home and into hiding. The castle had been caught off guard then. This time, they had an evacuation plan in place. But that didn't mean that they weren't scared. Just as they had a little over half of the castle underground, the intruder alarm sounded. The Drules had breached the castle defenses. They were now in the castle.

Lance, Hunk with Rebecca at his side, Pidge, and Coran stood at the entrance of the tunnel that resided behind King Alfor's crypt deep in the belly of the castle. They watched and consoled as the entire castle staff filed passed them and disappeared into the tunnel.

Hunk leaned close to Lance. "You think Nanny could have picked something a little less scratchy?"

"You're lucky we could find anything to fit you at all, big guy," Lance hissed.

Nanny had managed to scrape together an outfit for both of them, effectively disguising them as common villagers. Lance had been an easy fit, but Nanny had to piece together two different outfits to fit Hunk.

As the last of the staff filtered through, Lance turned to Coran. "I think that's the last of them. You and Pidge go on ahead. Hunk and I will make sure the entrance is secure and hidden. Then we'll go out the back side of the castle."

"How will you get out without being seen?" Pidge asked.

Hunk grinned at him. "You're not the only one who's spent too much time with those space mice, Pidge. They've shown me a castle secret or two. We'll be okay." He turned to Rebecca, pulling her into a passionate embrace before crushing his lips to her. When they parted, he noted the tears in her eyes. He gently wiped them away. "You have to go with Coran and Pidge, darling."

She buried her face into his chest. "What if something happens to you?"

His chest swelling, Hunk raised her head to look at him. "This is what I was trained for, Rebecca. This is what I do."

She sniffed and wiped eyes before nodding. "I know. And I love you for it." She smiled at him. "Just make sure you come back to me in one piece."

"That, my darling, is a promise." He stepped back and gave her a grand salute.

Nodding bravely, she turned and allowed Pidge to lead her into the darkness.

Coran took a step toward the tunnel and then turned back. "You are sure this is how you want to do this?"

Lance nodded. "This is the only way. Once you're in, we'll seal off the entrance. You will be safe."

The older man suprised Lance when he approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You have shown great leadership today, Lance. You have grown so much since that first day I saw you in our crumbling castle. You were a hotheaded kid who couldn't be trusted to stay out of trouble. Now you stand before me as a man, and leader that does your own commander proud and earned your men's respect. And mine."

Lance was dumbstruck at the older man's admission. It was no secret that Coran and Nanny had found them less than desirable candidates to be pilots of the sacred Voltron Lions. Lance couldn't really blame them for that. But over the years they had more than proven themselves to Allura's keepers. They had gained a great deal of respect for Keith and his leadership capabilities, Lance knew, but up until that moment, he never thought that he had earned that right. "Thank you, Coran. You know that I will do everything that I can to get them back."

Coran nodded. Then, turning on his heel he disappeared into the tunnel.

In the darkness, Keith felt his body beginning to give up on him. Dehydration coupled with the blood loss from Lotor's infliction had his mind turning in on itself. Sweat dripped from his forehead, stinging his eyes. He was unsure how much longer he could hold out. I just have to hang on, he told himself, Lance will come through. I have to trust in that.

The door opened, shedding light into the room. As his pupils dialated painfully, he squinted to see. In the doorway with the corridor lights in the background, he could see no more than a shadow of a siloette. But he knew who is visitor was.

Hagar floated into the room and closed the door behind her once again giving in to the darkness. She cackled as she lifted her staff, a green light emanating from the orb afixed to the top of if. "Is that better, Commander?" she asked as she moved to him. He said nothing. "Aren't you wondering why you are still alive?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

Standing just in front of him, she narrowed her red eyes at him. "Lotor wants to make sure that you are completely broken before he kills you."

Keith made his best attempt to laugh. "You know that will never happen, Hagar. What do you want?"

"I have been tasked with making sure that there is nothing left of you but the shell of your formal self." She snickered. "I want to show you something." Lifting her staff slightly, she held the green orb just in front of Keith's face. As he gazed into it, it clouded over and a began to move until it formed picture in front of him. Two figures appeared, their backs to him. In his foggy mind, Keith struggled to understand what his eyes were seeing. Lotor stood in front of a woman with long, blong hair. He ripped at her clothes, groping her, and rubbing himself against her. Then he spoke. "You see, we can make this work, Allura," he growled before forcing her to the bed.

Keith felt his empty stomach turn. He looked away, squeezing his eyes shut, willing the images out of his mind. But they were seared into his memory. And he wept. He had failed. Failed to protect his team, to protect Arus, and failed to protect her. He had knelt before her and sworn to protect her and her planet. He had failed.

Hagar watched with pleasure as the Commander began to unravel in front of her. Finally lowering her staff, she turned and moved away from him as he sobbed softly. She smiled. The great leader of the Voltron Force was vulnerable after all. She moved into the corridor and closed the door just as the earth shattering wail erupted from within chilling even her cold blooded body to its very core.