Final Resistance
Chapter 10: The Meeting in the Embassy
Disclaimer: I don't own the Voltron Force or its characters (including Wade droids) they belong to World Events Productions. The good news is that Diana, Ethel, Bernice, Deborah, Alex, Cheryl, and Hyacinth are my original characters.
Since they shared what happened during the Galaxy Celebration, Wade increased the frequency of his interrogation of Diana and the crew to nearly twice a day for a whole week. He had the droids perform the interrogations as well as provide the transcripts-except for Diana. Wade personally made sure to perform her interrogations personally. After the interrogations, Wade punished the crew with just one meal a day and no recreation breaks—again except for Diana. Wade threw Diana into the Black Hole for a week with a daily meal and minimal liquids.
Once everyone served their punishment, Wade released them back to their normal cells. The next day they were able to enjoy their meal and recreation breaks again. After a brief reunion at breakfast, the ladies were able to meet up in the Open Yard and took over a small picnic table.
"Can I just say how we all look like we've been through hell?" Diana asked.
"That's because we just have." Cheryl answered. "Hopefully, we won't go through all that again anytime soon."
"Me, too. That was tough." Bernice, Ethel, and Alex added.
"Unfortunately for me, I think Wade is just starting." Diana replied. "I'm starting to think that man has an unhealthy obsession with me."
"Don't say that! Didn't anyone tell you that you manifest things into your life?" Bernice asked.
"I've heard it. Needless to say, I don't believe in that." Diana replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, want to return to memory lane? I'm okay sharing how we felt when we all formally met at the Arusian Embassy."
"Sounds good for me. I can use the distraction." Ethel added.
"Me, too." Cheryl, Alex and Bernice chimed in.
"If I remember correctly, Ethel—weren't you the first one to make it?" Bernice asked.
"Yes. So, I took a Lyft to get to the Arusian Embassy. Apparently, Lyft felt bad about what happened at the Celebration because the ride was deeply discounted. Anyway…"
****Five Years Ago, Arusian Embassy****
As Ethel stepped out of the car, she thanked the Lyft driver for the ride to the Arusian Embassy. She looked down at her phone to pay the driver before walking up to the Embassy door. It never failed to amaze her how the Arusian Embassy always looked more like a private residence instead of a governmental building. Ethel went up the steps to the front door and pressed the intercom button as she noticed that it was nearly 9 AM.
"Hello, Ms. Acenas! Please show your ID to the camera, please?" The speaker on the other side of the com answered. Ethel showed her physical ID to the small camera before the short conversation continued. "Thank you so much! Come on in and don't forget to sign the visitor log."
"Thank you." Ethel replied as the chime sounded in her ears. As she walked inside, she stopped at the small reception desk and signed, dated, and timed the visitor log-in.
"Thank you, Ms. Acenas! Commander Keith will meet you in a few moments in the reception room. Here's your visitor badge. Make sure to return it here before you leave for the day." The receptionist chirped as Ethel nodded her head. Ethel took the visitor badge and left the foyer towards the reception room. The reception room was really a large living room separated in 3 sections and was easily accessed by going down three steps. The farthest right section was the reading section. The reading section boasted an oversized black couch, two matching black chairs, end tables with gold lamps, with a large coffee table and black rug in the middle of the section. The reading section had three small bookcases which served as a room boundary behind the couch and two large bookcases against the far wall. The sitting area took up the middle section of the room. The sitting section had two blue oversized couches facing each other, two matching sofas facing Ethel with the other sofa sitting in front of the windows. The area also had end tables with gold lamps and a coffee table in the middle over a large blue rug. The far left section of the room was set up as a tv/media section. On the far left wall was a large tv while the oversized white couch facing it. There were also two matching white chairs, end tables with gold tamps, and a large white rug.
Ethel was still deciding where to sit when Keith, Coran, and Hyacinth entered the room. "Ethel! Thank you for coming. I would like for you to meet the current Royal Advisor Coran Smythe," Keith introduced Coran to Ethel. Coran extended his hand for a handshake, which Ethel responded before saying she was pleased to meet him formally. "And you already know, Ambassador Dr. Hyacinth Smythe-Williams." Both women answered yes before asking how each other was during outside of yesterday. "Let's make our way to the conference room. Breakfast is being served there as we talk about what happened yesterday and what our next move will be." Coran, Hyacinth, and Ethel nodded their heads in agreement. Hyacinth led the group down the hallway to the right. On the way to the room, they made small talk about a couple of topics. After walking past four doors, they made a left turn and went down another long hallway. They made another left and entered the conference room at the first door on the right. The room was sizeable with the long rectangular table in the middle. On the far right wall was a large mounted TV. Under the tv was a small bookshelf filled with several pieces of both old and modern technology. Lining the back wall were several windows which gave occupants of the room a great view of the courtyard. Under the windows were several smaller tables that were full of warm food and drinks—the breakfast buffet for the meeting. On the far left wall was a map of Arus and a map of Earth. Under the maps were a couple of small bookcases filled with globes and atlases of several planets. On either side of the wall were several bookcases full of books. As Ethel walked further into the room, she noticed that there was a tablet in front of each chair, ready for use during the meeting.
"Ethel, please feel free to help yourself to the breakfast buffet, there," Hyacinth said, pointing to the tables. "We have enough for everyone to have their fill during the meeting."
"Thank you, Dr. Smythe-Williams," Ethel replied as she followed her hosts to the tables. Ethel grabbed a plate and helped herself to some scrambled eggs, a couple of pancakes, a couple of pieces of bacon and finally a large glass of orange juice. Ethel also placed her silverware under the plate before choosing to sit with her back to the conference room door. Ethel noticed that her hosts also filled their plates the same way and for the most part chose coffee over juice.
While Ethel started eating her breakfast, Bernice got out of the Uber she rode to the embassy. She thanked the driver and paid for her ride before making her way to the front door. Similarly, to what she did when she first met Allura and Diana a few days ago, Bernice pressed the intercom button.
"Welcome back to the Arusian Embassy, Princess Bernice. Please come in! Princess Allura is waiting for you at the receptionist desk!" The voice on the other side of the intercom cheered. Bernice smiled as the door chimed and she entered the Embassy. As she turned to the right to face the receptionist, Allura was standing there with a smile. The receptionist stood and slightly bowed her head towards Bernice before sitting back down.
"Thank you for coming here on such short notice, Bernice. Breakfast is being served in the conference room, which is the same place we're having a meeting," Allura greeted Bernice.
"I just wish we were meeting up again under a better situation," Bernice replied as she followed Allura down the same hallway Keith, Coran, Hyacinth, and Ethel walked a few moments earlier. Once they arrived at the conference room, Ethel turned around to greet them.
"Ethel, I want to formally introduce their Highnesses, Princess Allura of Arus and Princess Bernice of Cetrac. Your highnesses, this is Ethel Acenas." Coran and Hyacinth introduced the ladies to each other. Ethel stood up and did a quick curtsy to both princesses before speaking.
"It's an honor to meet the both of you. I wish it was under better circumstances," Ethel stated.
"As do I, Ethel. Thank you so much for designing my engagement set! I love it!" Allura said with a smile. "Please, feel free to call me Allura."
"And please, call me Bernice. I have a feeling that we may meet up more in the future," Bernice added with a smile, before following Allura in greeting Hyacinth and Coran. Bernice then followed Allura to the buffet and helped herself to her breakfast plate. While Bernice and Allura were settling into their seats for breakfast, a couple of participants were just arriving at the Embassy.
After parking her jeep close to the front door of the Embassy, Alex and Cheryl pressed the intercom. "Good morning! Your names, please?"
"Cheryl Jackson and Alexandra Zana. Pidge and Hunk invited us over for a meeting." Alex answered.
"That's great. They're waiting for you at the reception desk. Please show your IDs." Cheryl and Alex took out their IDs and placed them in front of the small camera by the intercom. "Thank you so much, Sergeants Jackson and Zana. Just pull the door when you hear the chime. To your immediate right is the reception desk. Remember to fill out the visitor log for your badges. Welcome to the Arusian Embassy!"
"Thank you," Cheryl and Alex chimed together. The door chimed and Cheryl pulled the door to allow them to enter the building. Just as the intercom said, Hunk and Pidge were waiting at the reception desk. After introducing the ladies to the receptionist, Cheryl and Alex filled out the visitor log and received their visitor badges before following Hunk and Pidge down the hallway towards the conference room. On the way to the meeting, the four talked about the systems on the Lions and how they're still looking for proof of sabotage. When they arrived at the conference room, another round of introductions happened before the foursome finally took advantage of the breakfast buffet. Once they were settled in their chairs, Keith looked down at his watch in slight frustration. Two people were missing from the upcoming meeting.
Meanwhile on the third floor of the embassy, Diana was taking one last look in the mirror. Diana decided to style her hair into a low bun with two braids on either side of her center part and decorated it with a simple maroon ribbon. She also decided to skip wearing make-up and chose to wear a form-fitting maroon dress. She also slipped her feet into near-matching maroon flats. Diana took a quick breath before noticing that she's probably going to be late for the meeting downstairs with the Voltron Force, her mother, and her uncle. She quickly walked out of her room and bumped into her temporary housemate, Lawrence.
"Good morning, Diana. Did you sleep well?"
"Not really," Diana answered as she turned to Lawrence. "You can go back to your room and rest up some more. I'm going downstairs for breakfast and a quick meeting."
"I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight if you're not in your room." Lawrence told Diana as they walked down the stairs. "Orders and all."
"I'm not fragile—I can handle myself well," Diana responded as they made it to the second floor. "Also, this is a private meeting."
Lawrence reached for Diana and pulled her close to him. "For old time's sake, let me be there with you. I can't protect you as ordered if I'm not near you."
Diana pulled away from Lawrence and started her way to the first floor. "There is no old time's sake for the both of us." She called out as Lawrence followed behind her. "This meeting is about Arus and only for Arus." Diana told Lawrence as she arrived on the first floor, not far from the reception room. "You're not needed. We can go over my schedule and things later. And now I'm late for the meeting!"
"I would hate to tell the Sky Marshal…"
"Lawrence, if you remember anything about me-it should be how I could care less about the Sky Marshal," Diana said, turning to head towards the hallway that led to the conference room and ended up against Lance's solid body instead.
"Good morning, Diana," Lance greeted her. He lowered his head slightly to whisper in her ear. "An admirer of yours?" Diana felt her body tremble at the sound of the lowered voice, and she fought the urge to close her eyes in response.
"Unfortunately, he's my most recent ex-boyfriend," Diana whispered back to Lance. She turned to face Lawrence again. "Captain Lawrence Wiley, I would like to formally introduce you to Lieutenant Lance McClain. Not only is he the pilot of Red Lion, he's also second in charge of the Voltron Force."
"Nice to formally meet you, Lt. McClain. I've heard a lot of good things about you," Lawrence said to Lance after they exchanged salutes and handshakes.
"It's nice to meet you formally, Captain. Diana, we're late for the meeting." Lance said as he softly took one of Diana's arms.
"I was just heading my way there, now," Diana said before nudging her head towards Lawrence. "I was also explaining that to my appointed bodyguard." Lance, Diana, and Lawrence walked together down the hall. "I'm afraid you're going to be bored out of your mind."
"Besides, I believe that you're missing the necessary clearance to attend the meeting. Why not enjoy breakfast in the dining room?" Lance added. "Besides, with the full Voltron Force, Diana's extremely protected from whatever threats that may come her way in your absence."
"My orders were to—" Lawrence started again as they stopped just outside the conference room.
"As Lance said, Captain, you don't have the security clearance to be included in the meeting. Go enjoy your breakfast and I'll meet you in the reception room. We can go over whatever you need to know for the next few days." Diana told him. "I'll be fine. I'm the daughter of a diplomat-scientist and a deceased officer in the Alliance. I'm also a Lt. in the Alliance Reserve. I'll be with a Royal Advisor who was trained at the Academy and five of the best men the Alliance has trained. I've been in worse situations with and without your presence."
"Arrgh, fine. Since you're already late, I'll go and eat some breakfast. The Sky Marshal isn't going to like this." Diana opened the door to the conference room wordlessly. Keith just asked the room if anyone had seen them this morning. Lance turned around to close and lock the door giving Lawrence a smug look as another round of introductions started. On his side of the door, Lawrence frowned before making his way towards the dining room.
"Sorry for the tardiness, everyone. I had a hard time explaining to my assigned bodyguard that he was not allowed to join our meeting. Needless to say, he didn't like it," Diana offered after the final round of introductions happened.
"What about Lance? Anything I should know about the two of you?" Hyacinth asked from her chair, looking pointedly at Diana. Hyacinth believed that Lance and Diana had something going on beyond friendship. The last couple of nights gave Hyacinth a couple of confirming moments. On the night of Wade's ball, Hyacinth caught Diana and Lance alone in the courtyard of the embassy with their faces mere millimeters apart. Last night, she overheard Keith ask Lance what was the reason behind the quick kiss in front of the headquarters building. Lance answered he wasn't thinking—but it comforted Diana enough after what was likely a tiring conversation with Wade. As if that wasn't enough, both Hyacinth and the main Embassy staff noticed that Diana was making a decent attempt to disguise her crush on the ace pilot.
"I bumped into Lance on my way here. He helped convey to my appointed bodyguard that he didn't have the security clearance to join this meeting," Diana answered nonchalantly. "Besides that – nothing between us at all."
"Nothing at the moment, Dr. Smythe-Williams," Lance answered as Diana rolled her eyes at him before making her way to the breakfast buffet. The whole room watched as Lance followed Diana along the buffet. Occasionally, he would add something to Diana's plate, which she would respond by telling him to tend to his own plate. After the third time, Diana slapped his hand before adding some eggs to his plate before walking to the empty seat across from Hunk. Lance followed and sat next to Diana. "Nothing at the moment, but not from a lack of trying on my part," Lance said before taking a bite of his breakfast as Diana rolled her eyes at Lance.
"I take it that we're ready to focus on our meeting. Time is of the essence, right Keith?" Diana asked, anxious to take the focus off of her and Lance. Keith cleared his throat before speaking again.
*****Present Day, The Void*****
Bernice thought about the breakfast meeting. "That's when Keith took over the meeting and shared what the team's meeting with Wade was like after the celebration. Then he had Diana share her experience. Then Alex and Cheryl's experiences. I was feeling left out since I didn't have a meeting with him that night."
"You weren't the only one, Bernice. I felt the same way—I didn't have a meeting with Wade but was invited to the meeting. At least you asked why we were even there. All I did was share my thoughts about Wade with Keith when he was at my store."
"And all I did at that point was share with Allura how I felt about Cetrac always being left out of Alliance benefits." Bernice added.
Alex sat up straighter on the bleacher. "I just remembered something about the meeting. While our presence was being explained, Diana and Lance were having a conversation at the same time. In fact," Alex paused for a second to grin at Diana. "They were called out on it, too."
"And the conversation ended in denial. Since I was across and over some from the couple, I always wanted to know what was being whispered." Cheryl added to the conversation from her seat.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana answered with a big smile before continuing. "It wasn't important then and it's not important now. It doesn't need to be repeated now."
"So…you're willing to keep us in the dark about it?" Ethel remarked freely. Diana let out a fake sigh before stretching her arms and crossing them over her chest. The next few moments were spent with the group sharing theories before continuing on with the story.
*****The Past, Arusian Embassy*****
"You're right, time is of the essence," Keith said, taking over the meeting again. "The agenda for this meeting is to share what happened in Wade's office after the celebration from the Voltron Force and Diana. After that, we'll learn what happened to the Lions while we were meeting with Wade from Cheryl and Alex. Bernice and Ethel, we'll ask for your insight as well. After that, we're put the notes together, figure out a plan and see if we could at least catch up with Wade. He likes to plan things as if he's playing chess. We're already behind the 8-ball as it is."
"Tell me about it," Diana responded softly. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Keith went on to share all the events that happened when the Voltron Force met with Wade in his office last night. Allura had Keith to paused to highlight how she pointed out several times that the Lions would never attack civilians and this is something that has never happened before. Pidge and Hunk interrupted Keith at another point, to highlight how they said several times to Wade that Voltron's technology is actually more advanced than originally thought and that's without adding that the Lions are sentient. Pidge also pointed out that they told Wade several times that whatever happened to the Lions definitely came from outside sources. Hunk highlighted the fact that Wade yelled at both of them for several minutes constantly stating that it would be impossible that the Lions broke down from external factors. Taking over the conversation again, Keith pointed out that they did share some overlooked information about Voltron that supported their perspective that this incident is a fluke and mostly likely had an external origin point. Finally, the occasional question that Wade would ask Lance was answered consistently with either jokes or a question.
"Of course, that didn't improve his mood much. So anyway, after two hours, Wade finally dismissed us with the promise of following up with us later this morning," Keith paused for a few moments before looking at Diana. "Before we listen to what happened with Cheryl and Alex in the hangar, let's focus on Diana. We saw you as you left Headquarters—could you share what happened with your meeting with Wade last night?"
"Yes, unfortunately I was forced to meet with that Bastard," Diana said as she crossed her arms.
"Diana—" Hyacinth warned with a pointed look.
"In all fairness, there's actually more severe names she could call the Sky Marshal," Lance drawled as he got up to grab a few pieces of fruit from the breakfast buffet. "Bastard is probably the nicest and most neutral one she could call him right now."
"Calling him unsavory names wouldn't help the situation any," Hyacinth replied, giving Lance the same pointed look, she gave Diana a few moments before. Lance returned to his seat next to Diana and placed a small plate of fruit in front of Diana. Diana thanked Lance for the fruit before speaking again to the group.
"If he wasn't so despicable, I would actually refer to him with the respect his title affords him," Diana started. "Anyway…after the celebration, I was generously supplied a group of military escorts to make sure I made it to Headquarters safely. After our very brief greetings, I shared how I felt about the situation and how I believe that he had a hand in it. Of course, he denied it at first. When I repeated that I knew he had a hand in sabotaging the Lions, among other things including sabotaging Lance's training jets while at the Academy and my father's death in Hawaii; he finally said that I would never be able to prove it." Diana paused for a few moments before continuing. "After that he warned that if I so much as lift a finger to him, he will arrest me for assault and send me to the newly opened Void."
"Diana—"
"Mom, let me finish, please. After sharing that he saw more in me than meets the eye, I was given two decisions. I could join the Alliance full-time as an Intelligence Officer which would allow me to complete my dual Master's in Public Health and Social Work before transferring to another position after graduation. As an alternative, Arus would suffer the consequences from several violent and cyber threats from Doom-sympathizing Drules against the Arusian Embassy without support from the Alliance." Diana paused.
"He wouldn't dare!" Hyacinth said as she stood up in shock and paled. "He wouldn't stoop as low as that would he?"
"If it means justified the ends, he would." Coran, Diana, Keith, and Lance all said together before Diana walked over to her mother and hugged her. "Mom, there's no need to worry. While those threats are all creditable, I did the right thing. Well—after sharing my personal disgust for him anyway—I did the right thing and decided to join the Alliance full-time in Intelligence. So, for now, I have an ex-boyfriend who's my temporary bodyguard and I have to delegate so many things at the clinic among other things. Did I mention how much I really hate that man? Anyway, Mom—I'm going to make sure that everything's going to be ok." Hyacinth returned Diana's hug before kissing her forehead. "No matter what happens, I'll always protect you Mom—and please know that Wade definitely won't get away with this." Diana walked back to her seat next to Lance.
"I know that Diana always been your protector, but she's not alone in this," Lance said. "We're going to make sure that the both of you enjoy long lives together—that's what we do as Defender of the Universe. And of course, beautiful women." Diana rolled her eyes at Lance as Hyacinth shared her thanks with the group.
"Back to the matter at hand," Keith announced, getting everybody's attention again. "Ethel and Bernice, we're going to get to your insights in a few moments. Let's hear about what Alex and Cheryl learned in the hangar last night." Ethel and Bernice nodded their heads as Cheryl and Alex started to share their evening in the hangar.
"So, we were surprised that we were asked to help with the investigation. They quickly pulled us from my parents' hotel room. Then, when we got there, we were assigned to our individual groups and that's when things got a bit interesting." Alex started the story.
"It was a bit weird that our teams were given vague instructions about the Lions. For whatever reason, the Lions only seemed to fully trust Alex and I to do the diagnostics in the cockpit. Red said that they liked me as a back-up behind Lance and Diana for some reason. Yellow said that he liked me as his back-up behind Hunk. Not that we're going to be flying them anytime soon," Cheryl shared. "So anyway, after five hours of searching through the systems—we couldn't find anything internal. However, some time later today we're supposed to sweep through the systems again."
"It's kind of funny. I get the feeling that all this was done for a personal project. My dad's company in California made a new material for the Alliance for an undisclosed project that Wade is about to launch." Alex replied. "It's like somebody wanted the Lions to be out of commission. Even our lieutenants believed that the Lions were sacred because they were raised in Arus at one point. They also agreed that the sabotage started in Black to get the other Lions to act out. Going back today is like a waste of time, but maybe we'll catch something with fresh eyes."
"That's what I needed to hear. Ethel and Bernice would you like to share your nights?" Keith asked them.
"Nothing much with me, Keith. I was escorted to the hotel and spoke with my co-regent—who's also one of my best friends. I made an announcement to my citizens, then prepared paperwork." Bernice said. "I also checked in with Diana for a few moments."
"Pretty much the same with me," Ethel added. "I took the bus to the mainland with a friend of mine. I couldn't get home."
"At least you guys had happier endings to the night," Diana said with a smile. "And with your insights, we'll be able to come up with something. Wade can't go unchecked."
"That's what the council is for," Coran replied. "It's the check and balance to Wade."
"But even that can fail, Uncle. How many times has past nations had the same checks and balances and still fall to unjust regimes?" Diana said. "It doesn't hurt to have a little back-up. I still don't trust Wade as far as I can throw him."
"So, before we go off track with personal feelings and stories," Keith said, pausing to look at Diana for a few moments. "Let's recap everything in a timeline and with notes." Keith started to recap the events of the night before. Meanwhile, Lance pulled Diana's seat closer to him so they could have a private conversation.
"Why didn't you tell me everything Wade said to you in his office?" Lance whispered.
"I didn't have the time to. I gave you the Cliff notes version," Diana whispered back. "You're not my boyfriend, despite what everyone wants to believe."
"You know it's not from a lack of trying," Lance whispered back as Keith moved the holographic timeline a couple of hours.
"If that's what you want to call it," Diana whispered back before pointing out an information gap Keith had on the celebration. Diana also supplied her insights regarding the end of the celebration. Keith thanked her before continuing on.
"You're feeling something for me, but you just want to be in denial," Lance added in whisper.
"You're right. I do feel for you," Diana replied. "But I'm going to be busy. I need to focus on protecting my mom, the Embassy, and Arus. Then there's Wade's power hungry arse. Not to mention school and whatever intelligence assignments coming my way."
"You're not the only one in this. I'll protect you and your mom," Lance whispered again before speaking out loud to correct Keith on a couple of facts. "Actually, Keith, I told him he could piss the f—" Diana stepped hard on his toe to remind him about language around her mother. "He could pass the fudge on. Voltron belongs to Arus and Arus is where he'll stay."
"How could I ever forget?" Keith replied, rolling his eyes. "The lions never broke down—they were tampered with."
"I don't need help. I got this," Diana whispered to Lance once he was settled back into his seat again.
"Two is better than one, Diana. Even if I'm far away, I have connections everywhere. Don't forget, I also did Intelligence missions before going to Arus." Lance looked away from Diana to look at the screen in front of him. Lance also noticed that Coran and Hyacinth were taking an increasing interest in their conversation. "We better focus back on the meeting before your mom and uncle say anything about us out loud."
Diana turned slightly to catch a glimpse of her relatives. She mentally winced at the interested look her mom and Coran shared. "Too late. They've noticed enough." Diana whispered to Lance before looking at the screen in front of her with all the notes from the meeting so far. She noticed that she missed some of Bernice's insights and some of Ethel's insights.
Once there was a break in conversation, Coran took the opportunity to ask Diana and Lance about their conversation a few moments ago. "Diana and Lance, do you have something you want to share with us?"
"Yes, you two seem to have an interesting conversation going on there." Hyacinth added. Lance and Diana sighed together before answering.
"No, nothing to share here." They answered in unison. "So, what's next, Fearless Leader?" Lance asked Keith just before they received a notification that Wade was calling for Hyacinth personally.
Hyacinth answered the communications technician and asked that Wade's call be displayed on the big screen. Everybody turned to the big screen on the wall as Wade's face filled the screen.
"Good morning, Voltron Force. Hyacinth, Coran, and Diana fancy seeing you here with the Force. And I see you have special company as well." Wade noticed Ethel, Bernice, Cheryl and Alex.
"Good morning, Sky Marshal Wade. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Hyacinth said diplomatically, while frowning mentally over the timing of his call.
*****Present Day, The Void*****
"I had no idea how fast someone could enact changes in bureaucracy until that call." Bernice shared after they took a quick break from going down memory lane.
"I still can't believe how fast all the events came together," Ethel added.
"Personally, I knew that the checks and balances were slowly about to fail, but I didn't know that it was going to fail us so quickly." Diana said. "Then again, I should have known since Wade was involved. Have I mentioned how much I despise that man?"
The group nodded before they went back to their shared storytelling.
*****Past, Arusian Embassy*****
"I have the displeasure of informing everyone that there was an emergency council meeting earlier this morning. It was decided that the Lions are too dangerous. The Galaxy Alliance is asking that custody of Voltron be handed over to the military and under my discretion." Wade told the group with a straight face and waited to see what their first reactions would be.
Hyacinth quickly stood-up and glanced at everyone in the room, leaving a warning look for Diana last. Noticing that Diana was also keeping an emotionless look, Hyacinth turned back to Wade before responding. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, Sky Marshal Wade. Princess Allura, Commander Keith, Royal Advisor Coran, or I should have been notified of this meeting—if nothing else but to be able present a defense. This seems to be a breach in protocol."
"I agree. We should have received some sort of notification," Coran replied. "This is unprecedented."
"Since this situation is extremely unique—the Executive Board agreed with my sentiments that having your presence would only be a conflict of interest," Wade explained as Diana balled her hands into fists and Lance let loose a string of profanities under his breath. The only other expressions in the room were narrowed eyes and slight disbelief.
"Voltron isn't subject to the Alliance, Sky Marshal. We can't surrender custody of Voltron since it's a violation of Arus' inclusion to the Alliance."
"I may not have jurisdiction of Voltron, I do however have the final say over the other pilots who are still active members of the Galaxy Alliance military. I also have the privilege of revoking military weapons in the Galaxy." Allura narrowed her eyes as she read between the lines. He could, officially, ask to remove Arus as a member of the Alliance.
"How dare you! You wouldn't dare request Arus—" Diana railed at Wade, understanding the veiled threat.
"Did you already forgot what we discussed last night, Ms. Smythe-Williams?" Wade asked.
Diana opened her mouth to respond when she felt Lance grab her hand and guided her to sit down. She turned to look at Lance, who nodded his head no before whispering in her ear. "Humor him for now, we can fight another day." Diana mentally growled as she faced Wade again.
"Well, I'm waiting…"
"No sir, I did not forget what we talked about last night. I'm sorry that you would think otherwise."
"Indeed," Wade responded before looking at Hyacinth and Coran.
"Isn't there another way around this, Sky Marshal? Voltron has always stood as a symbol of hope for Arus and the Galaxy."
"Unfortunately, this is non-negotiable. Voltron is to be surrendered to my custody within 72 hours starting now. This includes all keys. As the Sky Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance, I order all members of the Voltron Force to be placed under house arrest in the Arusian Embassy until further notice. Do you receive the orders, Commander Keith Kogane?"
Keith sighed as he looked at the group before turning to respond to Wade. "I received the order, Sky Marshal. We're staying in custody of the Arusian Embassy until further notice. Are we going to have members of the military police here?"
"Since this is such a unique situation, I decided that isn't necessary. Each member of the Voltron Force has exemplary records. Captain Lawrence Wiley is already on location as well as a company of soldiers who were already assigned to supply security support for the embassy. He'll make sure my orders are being followed. He's also serving as the Voltron Force's primary contact to me."
"Lucky us," Lance muttered.
"Lt. McClain, do you have anything to add?" Wade asked, hearing and seeing Lance move his lips.
"No sir, nothing at all." Lance replied.
"That's all. I'll be waiting for Voltron's surrender." Wade said before disconnecting the call.
"I absolutely hate that man! He's an old, dirty bastard that's evil incarnate." Diana yelled seconds later, sharing her growing hatred for Wade.
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call him evil incarnate. Just extremely devious. Lotor is evil incarnate." Lance replied to Diana's statement, ignoring the annoyed look Diana was giving him.
"What's with his obsession with the Lions?" Bernice asked with Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex echoing the same sentiment.
"Despite what you may feel, Wade wasn't always obsessed with the Lions. If you may recall, Diana's father, Sky Marshal Wade, and myself were classmates at the Academy. One day, Black Lion visited the Academy, and all the high achieving students were invited to step into Black Lion's cockpit to see if they would be the next pilot. One by one, they all failed. Diana's father tried and although Black liked him, he wouldn't move. I stepped into the cockpit and Black also failed to move for me either. But at least, Diana's father and I were given a prophecy. Wade always wanted to be a Voltron pilot—and even more so, Black Lion pilot. When he stepped into the cockpit, Black Lion fully rejected him. Wade had to be carried out of the cockpit. The obsessions with lions started then. He hoped by studying the Lions he would be able to pilot Black one day anyway." Coran said finishing his story.
"So, it's all coming together now," Cheryl said. "That might be why he's so interested in the inner workings of the lions." The group paused, letting Cheryl's words sink in.
"He's going to try and copy the lions!" Diana exclaimed. "That's the plan—copy the lions."
"That would explain why he was able to sway a decision against Arus so quickly." Bernice added.
"But we're still trying to understand the technology behind Voltron ourselves," Pidge told the group. "He's ok with starting from square one."
"And the technology is so old Arusian, there's almost nobody that can copy Voltron perfectly," Hyacinth added. "I had a friend that tried and failed. He was the best Mechanical Engineer Arus ever produced."
"It'll be years before he'll even get close to copying Voltron," Keith said. "So, we're going to hand over the lions to the Alliance."
"Keith! No! We can't." Allura said, standing up. "That's what he wants. I refuse to give him that satisfaction."
"I agree with Allura, Keith. He can take those orders and placed put them where the sun doesn't shine." Lance added.
"Pidge's been working on a key update for the Lions. How long would it take for you to finish making the remote keys?"
"For the Lions? I'll need another 36 hours. I've been working on the starter keys." Pidge answered.
"Do you have everything you need here?"
"I believe so," Pidge answered. "I have Hunk to help me out, too."
"I still don't like your plan, but I trust you, Keith." Allura said.
"That's all I ask. Anything else to discuss?"
"Since Hunk and Pidge are under house arrest, we can get things here if needed." Cheryl and Alex said together.
"If cost becomes an issue, let me know. I'll help out," Bernice added.
"Let me know if I can make some fake keys for you, Pidge. I need a challenge." Ethel said.
"We got a plan. This goes without saying, but make sure this stays in this room. Lance, you and I are going to need to make some back up plans. Bernice, go ahead and make your plans to formalize an Arus-Cetrac allyship. Coran and Hyacinth can continue to go through the diplomatic channels and see if there's a back way to appeal the ruling. Diana—you know HQ better than anyone. When you get the chance, scope out a place where a resistance can grow under Wade's nose for a few months. He'll get the lions, but we'll have a back door way to get them back."
"Sounds like a plan," Diana responded.
"We better head back to the barracks," Alex said as she stood up. Cheryl stood up as well.
"We should. Let us know if we need to make a return trip here." Cheryl added before leaving the room with Alex. "We have to move some of our things around before having to report again."
"I better go check on my store and then my house." Ethel said, standing up to leave.
"Ethel if you can't get home, you're free to stay with us at the Embassy." Diana offered.
"Thanks. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Ethel answered with a smile before leaving the room as well. Bernice took her leave and repeated that she'll help with anything, too. A few moments later, everyone left the conference room. Hyacinth and Coran left to head for Hyacinth's office on the third floor of the embassy. Pidge and Hunk left for their room on the second floor to work on the keys more. Keith, Allura, and Lance went to the makeshift office Keith had been using since arriving on Earth. Diana met up with Lawrence in the café before going to the embassy's library to hash out details about her new role and how to handle all those threats towards the Embassy.
Two days later, the Voltron Force was ready to surrender the Lions to Wade's control. Pidge and Hunk had completed the updates to the starter keys and successfully made the remote keys. Hyacinth informed Wade that Voltron was being surrendered to him. Moments later, the Voltron Force filled up the Alliance SUV that was waiting on them. Coran, Hyacinth, Diana, and Lawrence followed them in Hyacinth's personal Cadilliac CT6 sedan. After a quiet 15 minute ride to the Alliance Headquarters Hangar where the lions were being kept. They quietly stepped out of the vehicles and met with Wade in the middle of the hangar. Wade wasn't alone—there was a large media presence. The Voltron Force were wearing their flight uniforms. Diana was dressed in a conservative black pants suit with a white camisole and matching black pumps. Hyacinth was wearing a blue skirt suit with matching flats while Coran was wearing his usual castle suit.
The group stopped in front of Wade and the Alliance's president. After a quick salute and firm handshakes, Keith turned over the starter keys to Sky Marshal Wade. Wade was trying his best not to smile he finally gained full access to Black lion. "Thank you, Voltron Force for giving custody of Voltron to the Galaxy Alliance. Because you complied with our request so quickly, the terms have been changed." The press was shocked and started asking questions. Wade silenced them with a wave of his hand. "We will return all the lions—except for Black Lion. The Lions must remained locked up with the promise that they will never be started again. If the lions are started, there will be strict consequences to pay—including the possibility of reduced access to the Alliance. Black Lion will remain in my custody indefinitely."
Allura started to say no and forget about the surrender, when Keith turned and shook his head at her. Allura really wanted to say something but noticed that Keith gave her their secret signal that everything was going to be ok—and part of his back-up plans for the lions. Sighing before speaking, Allura gathered her strength. "On behalf of Arus I, Princess Allura, will agree to your terms. Thank you for being so considerate of Arus and allowing for most of our treasured lions to be returned."
Wade simply nodded his head before giving Keith a large envelope. "Commander Keith, that envelope holds the new assignments for the pilots. You and your team have three weeks to take care of their personal business. Your house arrest will end at midnight tonight," Wade said, secretly smiling. "As for you, Diana—I'm looking forward to working with you in the future. Our Military Intelligence branch awaits your expertise. Your status will turn to full-time in a month."
The press was taking pictures of both Diana and Wade staring at each other in the open. After a few moments, Diana bit back the insults she wanted to hurl at him. "Thank you for your generosity, Sky Marshall Wade. That will give me plenty of time to refer my clients to other professionals and prepare for full-time duty." Diana said diplomatically before shaking Wade's hand and walking to Lance's side. Lawrence was about to follow Diana but was stopped by Wade before he publicly dismissed the Voltron pilots. Wade introduced Lawrence as one of the rising leaders in the Alliance. Wade also officially announced that Lawrence would take over the most prestigious Intelligence teams in the Alliance. Lawrence stepped up to the podium and answered some questions, before allowing Wade to take control of the press conference again. Wade then allowed Hyacinth and Coran to take over the conference. Hyacinth and Coran spoke about the upcoming changes at the Arusian Embassy while the Voltron Force walked closer to where the Lions were being loaded in a large ship.
Lance, Diana, Keith, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge all watched as the chained lions were loaded to a ship one by one. Allura turned to Keith and buried her head in his shoulder as Blue lion cried out to her. Hunk and Pidge looked away as their lions were transported next and watched as Coran addressed the press about the changes he may enact as the new Arusian ambassador. As Keith was still comforting Allura, Diana held onto Lance's hand to comfort him as Red Lion was finally loaded into the Arusian transport ship.
"There's nothing like Red. Red's the best ship I ever flew," Lance told Diana as he turned to look at her. "Red fit me like a glove and I didn't even have to adjust her to my liking." He finished before taking a deep breath. Lance turned even more seriously as he looked into Diana's eyes. "Wade may have won this battle, but we're going to win the war." Lance said.
"Wade's not going to get away with this. As long as we have breath, we're going to make sure that Wade will go down," Diana added. "I'm not that helpless girl anymore."
Keith lifted Allura's chin slightly up. "I promise Allura. I'm going to bring Black back home with his pride. Voltron will return." The press conference was wrapping up and Wade theatrically left the press conference. The Voltron Force rejoined Coran, Hyacinth, and Lawrence. The Voltron Force once again piled into the Alliance SUV. Hyacinth decided to drive her Cadilliac back to the embassy with Coran in the front passenger seat while Diana and Lawrence sat in the back seats. Hyacinth drove towards the embassy first, with the Voltron Force's SUV following her. Lawrence decided to try to dispel the heavy silence in the car.
"At least most of the Lions will be coming home," Lawrence said. "Which is a better situation than we all initially thought."
"It should be all the Lions," Diana said, crossing her arms. "Am I supposed to pat Wade on the back and say good job?" Hyacinth and Coran discretely rolled their eyes from the front of the car.
"Diana, in a few days Wade is going to be your boss. Maybe once you get to know him better, maybe you'll like him more." Lawrence told her as he grabbed her attention.
"Not likely. You forget we have a rocky history together," Diana replied, turning her head back to the window.
"Give him a chance, Diana," Lawrence said, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't you think you should stop having a grudge with the man?"
"Perhaps Wade should stop making people's lives miserable," Diana shot back as she continued looking out the window. This wasn't the first time in the last couple of days Lawrence had been trying to get Diana to look at Wade in a different light. "And as I said before, we have too much history for me to change my feelings about Wade. So, stop trying to push it."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Lawrence asked. "You can't keep this up!"
"Look at the pot calling the kettle black," Diana retorted. "I'm not going to waste another moment in this conversation. I've already said all I'm going to say about Wade." Diana crossed her arms again and went back to looking through her window again as they slowly turned into the embassy's neighborhood.
"Are you two done?" Hyacinth asked looking at Diana and Lawrence from the rear-view mirror. When she was met with silence, she continued. "Diana, Lawrence is only trying to help make your life easier in a few days. You're already coming into an even more stressful situation. Lawrence, Diana has already made her feelings clear regarding Sky Marshal Wade. As she said, there's too much history between them for her to quickly change her view of him. Acknowledge those facts and carry on."
"Yes, Mom." Diana replied while Lawrence replied "Yes, ma'am." The ride finished in silence. Once they arrived at the Embassy, Lawrence excused himself to his room to take care a few reports. Diana followed the Voltron Force to the conference room while Coran and Hyacinth went to her office to go over their upcoming transition.
*****Present Day, The Void*****
"Who knew that it would take years to get to this point?" Ethel asked. "What went wrong?"
"Right. It was only supposed to last a year at the most. Who knew that Wade was so devious?" Cheryl asked.
"There's a saying I used to hear every so often at home. The road to justice is a long, curvy road." Diana replied. Before anybody could add a response to what Diana just said, a group of Wade droids entered the open yard and called the recreation break to an end. Just as Diana was leaving the yard, a separate group of Wade droids grabbed Diana. The lead droid's screen flickered on with live footage of Wade's face.
"Hello again, Diana. I hope you've been enjoying your stay at the Void so far."
"Not really—but that's not why we're talking right now, are we?"
Wade chuckled before responding. "Since my recent interrogation with you and your friends failed, I decided to put you in one of sensory deprivation rooms." Without another word, the screen went black, and the droids forcefully moved Diana away from the rest of the prisoners and into a different set of hallways.
"Lucky me," Diana muttered to herself as she was escorted to a different level of the prison.
*****Meanwhile on Arus, before Deep Blue (episode 9)*****
"What do you mean Diana's been captured? You're also telling me that she's been captured for over three weeks now?"
"That's correct," Pidge replied. "And before you ask, I just found out myself." A couple of days ago, Lance asked the team if they had heard from Diana. When everyone answered they haven't heard from Diana, Lance asked that they let him know when she next checked-in. Diana and Lance argued about her latest mission and how it affected their relationship. Before he could react, Diana angrily disconnected the call and put herself into "Do Not Disturb" mode. All that happened over a month ago.
"And here I was thinking that she was still pissed at me because of how our last conversation ended." Lance replied. "Any ideas where Wade is hiding her? We should be able to spring her out quickly."
"That's why it took us so long to figure out she's missing. She was sent to The Void. And you know how hard that place is to find. It was just luck that one of our allies happened to come across a prisoner that was released without support. The prisoner confirmed that Diana was in The Void and has already been through at least one round of interrogation with Wade."
"Damn. It's going to be challenging to discreetly get her and the other prisoners free." Lance said, crossing his arms like Diana normally does when she hears something she doesn't like.
Keith walked into the room and stood by Lance. "I'm already got a plan in motion. I'm sending Mansett to the Void to prepare everything for the rescue. When we know he's in for sure, we'll go and set everybody free."
"That's easy for you. Your woman doesn't have a checkered past with Wade. Also, Allura's never been stuck behind bars."
"She hasn't—but we've been separated during our long engagement for five years. Five years. We'll stick to my plan and that's it." Keith said.
Lance balled his hands into fists. "I already told you that just because you're back doesn't mean that you have to have everything your way. I'm a Commander, too, in case you forgot." Keith started raising his fists as well. He was tired of Lance continuing to question every decision he made since returning to Arus.
Pidge ran and stood between the men. "Hey, if you're going to fight—go fight in the gym. Better yet, anywhere else really. Not to mention if Allura catches you two fighting…" Pidge trailed, sensing that Lance and Keith were going to really fight this time. "I really don't want to explain to her why there's blood everywhere in Castle Control."
Lance relented first. "Tch, fine." Lance said before turning around to leave the room. "For the record, I really hate the plan and all—but we'll stick to your plan for now, Keith."
"That's all I ask, Lance. I really don't like the plan much either—but it's all we got right now." Keith said, lowering his fists. "We'll get Diana out. Just give the plan more time."