Hello again! After all this time, I am sure that many of you who were so gracious to follow my story before had given up hope that this sucker would ever get finished. Trust me when I say that you are not the only ones. At any rate, I have made a resolution that I will finish this story (mostly because I have others that I want to write but can't until I have laid this one to rest), so I dusted off my trusty laptop, and this is what happened. Enjoy!

On a side note...the rest of this story is practically already written, so I promise that the wait for updates will be minimal.

Keith felt a weight lift from his shoulders as he settled into the cockpit of the Black Lion. There was no indecision or confusion within him. In fact, being in Black was most certainly a spiritual experience for him. There was no hesitation. Only control. And after everything that had happened recently, he sorely needed that feeling of being in command once again. Once a quick pre-flight check was complete, he let out a satisfying breath as his beast lifted itself from its pedestal and rose into the bright blue morning sky. His fingers flew effortlessly over the controls as he and his lion streaked through clouds as one. Only moments later, he hovered over the desert cave that served as the Yellow Lion's den. Hunk was already in the sky, waiting for him.

"It feels good to be back!" Hunk whooped over the intercom.

Keith gave a small laugh. "Agreed."

"Hell yeah!" Lance yelled as Red Lion approached.

"Pidge," Keith said as Green came into view. "what do your diagnostics look like?"

"Lookin' good so far, Keith. The power cells are fully charged and ready to go." Pidge reported.

Keith nodded. "Alright, then. Now we just wait for Allura and then..."

"Speaking of her Royalness," Lance interjected, "here she comes now." He frowned at the scanner. "But it looks like something's wrong."

The Blue Lion was flying on wobbly path to say the least. The bobbing and weaving reminded Lance why he had long ago given up drinking Tequila. Then without warning, it lifted its tail and flung an bolt of ice right at Lance. Red jumped nimbly out of the way barely getting nipped in the foot.

"What the hell, Allura?" Lance admonished.

Then something happened that shocked them all. Blue lion answered. But wasn't the voice they were expecting.

"Sorry, Buddy," the strong Norwegian accent came through loud and clear, "it's been awhile and I think I need to get accustomed to the controls on this thing."

Keith's jaw dropped. "Sven? What the...?"

"Allura asked me to fly Blue Lion." Sven interrupted. "She said that she had some pressing business to attend to."

"Pressing business?" Hunk snarled. "What could possibly be more important that saving her planet from the Drules?"

There was an umcomfortable silence for a moment, which surprised Lance because normally Keith would be fuming about Allura's inability to follow orders. Then again, both Lance and Keith knew very well where Allura had gone. Keith didn't want to say it out loud, so Lance finally spoke. "She's going after Lotor. Isn't she?"

Keith nodded. "Yes." His answer was quiet and calm, and Lance was beginning to wonder if it was really Keith piloting Black.

"Well?" Hunk joined. "Are we going to go back for her? Certainly she doesn't think that she can take on Lotor all by herself."

Keith allowed himself another moment of contemplation. Of course his first instinct was to go back and drag her to the Blue Lion by her hair. But he had learned his lesson after The Inferno. It was not the time to allow emotions to dictate his actions. "No," he finally said, "Allura has made her decision."

Pidge's jaw dropped. "But..."

"And I have made mine." Keith said with certain authority. "We have neither the time nor the manpower to go back for her, Pidge. We have one objective now. To stop the Drule armada. We clear out those ships, then we'll hunt down Lotor." His eyes narrowed and not a single one of the men on his team doubted the next the words out of their commander's mouth. "This ends now."

They all nodded in agreement. Any more discussion was halted when their sensor alarms went off simultaneously.

"Um, Keith," Pidge said, "we've got company." He watched his scanner. "And it looks big."

"A Robeast?" Keith asked.

Then Pidge smiled. "Actually, no. It's The Explorer!"

Allura peeked around the corner of the corridor to make sure it was clear. She hated sneaking around, but she also knew that if Coran and Nanny found out what she was up to, they would try to stop her. The combat gear that she had secured from the supply room was a little big, but it served her purpose. She had also taken two pistols, now attached to her hips, and a lazor rifle. All she needed to do was get out of the underground bunkers and sneak into the castle. Then she would find Lotor and put an end to his treachery.

"You look like a woman on a mission." a voice hissed in her ear from behind. Allura jumped and spun around. She was relieved that it was only Deirdre who had discovered her. "Sorry," Deirdre said, "didn't mean to scare you."

Allura let out a breath. "It's okay. What are you doing out of medical bay?" Then she noticed Deirdre's attire. She was wearing the Drule soldier uniform that she had been wearing when Lance had brought her underground. Her red hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail.

Deirdre smirked at her. "On a mission of my own." She glanced around the stone walled corridor before leaning against it to take in Allura. "Nice gear," she commented as if they were having a normal conversation about the weather. "I could use some hardware like that." She indicated the rifle in Allura's hands.

The princess watched her skeptically. While Lance was positive that Deirdre was back to her own self, Allura couldn't help but be wary of putting weaponry into her hands. "What are you planning to do?"

Deirdre smirked. "The same as you, I imagine." She paused briefly before speaking one name. "Lotor."

"Lotor?" Allura blinked at her.

"You're not the only one with a score to settle, Allura. I mean to make Lotor pay for this. And I plan on getting a hold of that witch of his and finding out what exactly she did to me."

Allura watched her for a moment, contemplating what she should do. She hadn't really planned the scenario out yet, but she was sure that with her knowledge of the inner workings of the castle that she would be able to get in and get Lotor. She probably wouldn't make it out alive, but that was most certainly a risk she was willing to take. Perhaps it would be prudent to have someone at her back.

"Okay." she said finally. "This way."

Deirdre followed her as she went back the way she came toward the store room. "How exactly are you planning on getting into castle?"

"When my ancestors built Voltron, they realized that such a power would bring a great threat to Arus. They knew that there would always be greedy individuals who would try to exploit such power. So, they built a series of tunnels throughout the castle in case of invasion." Allura stopped in front of a heavy metal door. After glancing around to make sure they alone, she punched in a series of numbers into an electronic key pad. The locked clicked and the door opened. "When I was young, my father and I used to play hide and seek in the different tunnels. He wanted me to know them inside and out for my own protection. I have every one of them committed to memory." She stepped aside and allowed Deirdre entrance to the store room.

Deirdre let out a long whistle. The walls of the deep room were lined with all sorts of different weaponry, from laser rifles and pistols to long swords and tactical knifes. On the back wall: grenades, smoke bombs, pipe bombs, and land mines rested each on its own shelf. She turned to Allura and smiled. "Everything a girl needs, eh. But let me ask you something, Allura."

"Yes?"

"I thought that this was a peaceful planet. From what I understand, even Voltron is only allowed for defense. What's with the arsenal?"

Allura smirked. "We may be peaceful beings, but we're not stupid."

Deirdre nodded and smiled. "Alright, then. Let's load up."

Wade regarded the the five lions in flight from the bridge of The Explorer. Lotor had obviously gotten the lions up and running and no doubt was planning on ambushing Zeppo when the crazy son of a bitch showed his face. He would destroy them both. The time had come. And he reveled in it. He was about to be the most powerful man in the universe and it made his mouth water madly. Of course, he didn't know for certain that Lotor was in command of the Voltron lions. For all he knew, the Commander and the Princess has made it off of the Inferno alive. He chuckled silently to himself. It made no difference really who was in control. He was going to destroy Voltron.

From his command seat, he tapped a button on the controls in front of him. "Lt. Garrett."

A young, faceless voice came over the speaker. "Yes, Sir."

"Everything is in place as I requested?"

"Yes, Sir. No communications in or out, Sir."

Wade smiled broadly, making the whiskers of his mustache bristle. "Good. Commander Harper."

The man at the helm in front of him turned slightly in his seat. "Yes, Sir."

"We know for a fact that the Drules in command of those lions. We cannot allow that. Fire on them at will, Commander."

"Yes, Sir."

"Kieth, I'm still not getting any communications through to the Explorer." Pidge announced. "I think the signals have been scrambled."

"Can you unscramble them?"

"I don't know, I mean, I can try to do it from our end, but it would help if someone on the Explorer was..."

Pidge never got to finish his sentence. Green lion was knocked backward with a jolt nearly slamming into the side of the desert mountain that housed Yellow. Pidge jerked on the controls keeping him from careening to the ground.

"Pidge! Are you alright?" Keith's yelled into his intercom.

Once stabilized, Pidge shook his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears. "Yeah, I think so."

"What the hell was that?" Lance bellowed.

Hunk answered. "It came from the Explorer! They're firing on us!"

Another blast nearly clipped Black's nose.

"Why are they attacking us?" Sven growled.

Keith furrowed his brow. There was only one explanation. "It has to be Wade." he ground through clinched teeth. "He must be in command of the Explorer." He thought for a brief moment before making his decision. "Everyone in formation! Follow me."

With his team behind him, he pulled Black into the sky, climbing through the clouds until the Explorer came into his view screen. He hated what he was going to have to do next, but if Wade was trying to destroy Voltron, he had no other choice. "Fire!" he yelled.

The alarms blared loudly throughout The Explorer as Jeff raced down the corridor. The sound of a small explosion could be heard as the ship rocked violently. He steadied himself against the bulkhead and waited briefly for it to pass before pressing forward toward the hanger that housed his team's vehicles. By the time he arrived at his destination, Chip and Ginger were waiting for him. Both wore curious expressions that Jeff did not need to interpret.

"We're under attack!" he claimed, before either could get the question out.

"Drules?" Ginger asked.

Jeff shook his head, reluctant to even voice the truth. "It's Voltron."

"What?" They both cried with disbelief.

"Hey, what's going on?" Wolo and Rocky were sprinting toward them.

Jeff took a breath and looked at each of them. "Wade said that he had confirmation that Keith and Princess Allura were on board The Inferno when it went down." He paused to let them process the information.

"Keith!" Ginger shrieked, tears already flooding her eyes. Rocky put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll have time to mourn his loss later, Ginger." Jeff hated to sound cruel, but time was of the essence at that moment. "Right now, we need to be at the top of our game. Wade has every reason to believe that the Drules have taken control of the lions."

Rocky nodded. "How are we going to handle this, Chief?"

"I think that we can all agree that Voltron can not be left in the hands of the Drules." Jeff paused again. "Our orders are clear, take the lions down with any force necessary. Air Team will be deployed first to assess the situation. Then we'll call in the others if we need them. Everyone clear?"

He looked at each of them. Rocky, Wolo, and Chip nodded. They were with him.

"Ginger?"

The usually bubbly blond lifted her head from where it rested on Rocky's shoulder. She wiped the tears from her cheek. "Yes, Jeff, you can count me in."

"Good. Now let's get this done."

Romelle pushed aside the tall grass in which she lay hidden so that she could get a better view of the small village at the bottom of the hill. Next to her, Richie looked through his binoculars, hoping to get some glimpse of life. It had taken them less time than expected to get back to camp and apprise her troops of the situation. Now was the time for action. They would clear out all the nearby communities, then they would reclaim the Castle of Lions.

"Do you see anything?" Romelle whispered.

"Well, you could say that." Richie replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Richie smiled at her. "Relax, Princess, here..." he handed her the binoculars. "...see for yourself."

Romelle peered through the lenses. What she saw was certainly not what she was expecting. She shoved the binoculars back at him. "We have to get down there." She pushed herself up to a standing position and made a series of gestures at her troops only a few lengths behind them.

Not ten minutes later, Romelle, Richie, and the troops were standing in the middle of the town square, trying to interpret the meaning of the sordid scene that they had come upon. Doom soldiers lay strewn about the square. There were no villagers to be found.

"What do you think happened here?" Romelle asked softly.

Richie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like the soldiers came to take the village. And the villagers weren't having it. Look," He pointed to two of the soldiers lying in the dirt. Their weapons are gone."

"Hold it!" The voice behind them made them turn. Three young men stood before them, each with a blaster in his hand.

Their presence prompted Romelle's troops to raise their weapons. The youth standing in front of the other two trained his blaster at Romelle, but she noticed that his hands were shaking ever so slightly. "Put your guns down, or I will shoot her."

Romelle motioned for her men to lower their weapons. "Hello, there." She raised her hands and tried her best to smile even while staring down a barrel of a gun. "We're not your enemies. I am Princess Romelle of Pollux. Princess Allura is my cousin. We're here to help you."

"Don't listen to her, Lorne!" The dark haired boy standing in back of him barked. "The Drules are liars. Why would the Princess of Pollux be leading her own army? Surely she has commanders for that," he snarled.

Romelle bristled slightly. She hated when people assumed that she was not capable of leading her army in combat. She had proven time and again that she was as capable as any man. She was about to lay into the young man, but never got the chance."

"Hey kid," Richie took their attention when he spoke in his deep, authoritative voice. "I bet she could take you out in a heartbeat if given the chance. Anyway, just take a good look at her. She looks just like your princess. Hell, the two of them could be sisters."

Lorne narrowed his eyes as his gaze bore into her. He looked undecided, so Romelle decided it was time to try again. She took a step towards him. "Listen...Lorne, that's your name, right?" She took another small step. "Lorne, you don't look like a cold-blooded killer to me."

The other boy snorted. "Shows how much you know! Lorne helped the Voltron Force take out all of these soldiers!" he said proudly.

Romelle nodded. "Yes," she remembered Lance telling her about the village when he and Hunk had stolen the Drule ship. "It must have been Lance and Hunk." She stole a glance at Richie who nodded. "They told me all about what happened here. About how they stole the Drule freighter to fool Prince Lotor. They also said that they had they couldn't have done it without the help they got from some very brave men in the village. One of the names Lance mentioned was Lorne."

Lorne's mouth gave a slight twitch. "He...told the others about me."

"Yes," Richie responded, "he said that you and your friends were great heroes."

The young man finally lowered his blaster. "Heroes? Us?"

Romelle smiled at him. "Yes, Lorne. And I'm sure when all of this is over, Princess Allura will want to thank you personally for your role in her rescue."

Scarlet splotches covered the boys' faces in embarrassment. Then Lorne's expression turned serious. "We want to help you." He said. "We have a lot of men hiding in the caves, waiting to hear from the Voltron Force. We're ready to fight for Arus."

Romelle was touched by Lorne's words, but she was unsure if she really wanted to put them in that kind of danger. She thought of her cousin. Surely Allura would reject the notion. After all, the Princess of Arus had suffered greatly to protect her people. "Lorne, I'm not sure that you fully understand what standing up to the likes of Lotor could cost you."

"Yes, we do." The dark haired boy stepped forward, his resolve clear. "We've lived under his terror for most of our lives."

"I say we let them fight." They all turned to face Richie.

Suddenly, Romelle felt very irritated. The man had no right to meddle in the affairs of a planet that he knew absolutely nothing about. "You have no say in this!" she shot back at him.

Richie ignored her anger. "Maybe not," he said calmly, "but don't you think that they should have a say in protecting their own home?"

The princess looked from Richie to the three young men. The expressions on their faces told her that they were going to fight with or without her help. She sighed deeply and resigned herself. "Very well, take us to where the others are."

"Whoo hoo!" the boys shouted as they turned to lead them out of the square.

Romelle motioned for her men to follow, but she hung back for a moment contemplating what the future might hold for the people of Arus. She became acutely aware that Richie was standing right next to her. "These people are not trained soldiers, Richie," she stated through ground teeth.

He leaned in slightly and spoke softly. "There is no greater army than the one that fights for his own freedom."

His words hung in the air as he left her side to follow the others. As she watched him go, she felt how true they were. The thought of freedom and protecting the ones that she loved were the only two things that had kept her alive when she was Zarkon's prisoner. She just hoped that it would be enough for the people of Arus.

The tunnels that ran throughout the Castle of Lions were every bit as dark and dank as Allura remembered them to be. Listening to her own footsteps echoing off of the stone the surrounded her brought back a flood of memories so acute that she had to stop for a brief moment to get her bearings. Once inside, she was able to confidently lead them through. Of course, as many hours as she had spent in the dark tunnels – first with her father, then hiding from Nanny when she got a bit older – she could have navigated them with her eyes closed. She could hear Deirdre's heavy breathing behind her. The path was not difficult, but if a person was not acclimated with the small spaces through which they walked, claustrophobia had a way of rearing its ugly head. No to mention that time seemed to slow to a crawl.

"Are you alright back there?" Allura asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm okay." Deirdre managed. After another moment, she spoke again. "Um, how much farther are you planning on taking us?"

"We're almost there." Allura assured her, as she focused on the beam of light coming from the flashlight on her wrist.

They continued walking in silence until Allura began to see the tell-tale signs that their destination was nearing. As a child, she had hated when Nanny would fuss over her, making sure every hair was in perfect place whenever neighboring royals would visit. Allura had gotten in the habit of hiding out in the tunnels until Nanny finally gave up pursuit. Sometimes it would take hours, so Allura had stashed her paints in a nearby entrance. She had littered the walls with drawings and paintings out of her own imagination. Now, as an adult, she lightly ran her fingertips along the faded artwork, feeling as if she was drawing power from the memories of her younger self. Then she stopped.

"This is it." she said, putting her ear against the stone. She heard nothing coming from the other side. She turned to Deirdre who was now sweating profusely. "Are you ready?"

Deirdre nodded. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Allura smirked at her. "Nope."

"Okay." Deirdre replied. Then she shrugged. "What the hell, let's do it anyway."

The princess nodded and pushed on the wall with some force. The stone gave way, and a door appeared. They crawled through and found themselves in the King and Queen's main bedroom chamber. It was just as Allura had remembered it. Although she was technically the ruling monarch of Arus, she had never been able to bring herself to move into the large suite, opting instead to stay in her own room that she had been in since she was born. It was only half the size of the master suite, but it served her purpose.

Next to her, Deirdre whistled softly. "Now this is what I call some primo sleeping quarters," she commented.

"Come on," Allura whispered.

They turned off their flashlights and, with blasters in hands, quickly moved the length of the room to the door on the other side. Once again, Allura paused to listen for any indication that someone was on the other side. She heard nothing. As quietly as she could, she slowly opened the door and slipped into the hallway with Deirdre close behind.

"The back stairs leading to Castle Control is around that corner to the left," she whispered. "We'll have to be quick."

Deirdre nodded. "And hope we don't get caught."

Allura nodded and began making her way to the end of the corridor. Her heart was pumping so loud in her ears that she barely registered the nearing footsteps. By then, it was too late. Allura raised her blaster to take aim, only to falter as the muzzle of a gun rested sharply into her back. As the armed soldiers rounded the corner, Deirdre spoke loudly and with authority.

"Hold your weapons!" she ordered. "I've got the Princess in my custody."

The two Drules were startled to see the two women in the hallway, but they conceded to Deirdre's orders. They looked from Allura to Deirdre, each noting the Drule uniform that she was wearing.

"Drop your weapon." Deirdre said to Allura.

"Deirdre, you traitor!" Allura bellowed. "I knew that I shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Maybe next time you'll listen to your instincts instead of being a trusting fool. Now drop your blaster."

Allura complied.

"Now," Deirdre continued, speaking to the soldiers. "take me to Lotor. I have a little gift for him."