Final Resistance
Chapter 16: Grand Tour
Disclaimer: I don't own the Voltron Force—it all belongs to World Events Productions and who ever they decide to license them to. I'm just a broke fanfiction writer that loves writing this story with my original characters (Diana, Bernice, Ethel, Alex, Cheryl, and most of their families).
Since her return to Arus a month ago, the days just flew by for Diana. The first three days were spent eating, sleeping, and of course, quality time with Lance into the late nights. The next two weeks were spent at Diana's family ancestral home—Smythe House in the most remote northern area of Arus. Diana, Ethel, Bernice, Cheryl, and Alex decided they wanted to recover away from the constant action at the Castle of Lions. The two weeks at Smythe House were blissful as Diana and her friends enjoyed the fresh air, clear lake water, dark soil, and the occasional breeze surrounding them. By day, Diana enjoyed all the outdoor activities that her friends wanted to try. In the late afternoons, the therapist who lived in Davi (one of the small towns near Smythe House) would come and have a therapy session with one of the ladies for an hour, then an hour with Diana. In the evenings, the ladies would enjoy dinner together before hanging out in the library to either read or discuss their plans after their visit to Arus was finished. At night, Diana's sleep was always interrupted by a strong nightmare or a recall of the events she went through in The Void. After waking up startled, she would call Lance (who had the overnight shift in the Castle) and tell him what she experienced. Once she was finished, Lance would cheer her up before encouraging her to go back to sleep. After her conversations with Lance, one of her friends would check-in on Diana and spend the rest of the night on the very comfortable sleeping sofa in Diana's room. In the morning, Diana would apologize, then thank whoever stayed the night in her room.
When the two weeks were up, the ladies returned to the Castle of Lions to prepare for their trip back home—Cetrac, California, Houston, and finally, Cape Canaveral. While Smythe House was a calming space, the Castle of Lions was a busy environment. In addition to staying alert for any impending attacks, Diana spent her mornings helping Keith sift through the intelligence briefs that found their way to his desk. After lunch, Diana spent an hour with the doctors or remotely with her therapist from Davi. The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Lance with his afternoon cadet lessons. Next came dinner and relaxing time in sun room with the adults as the cadets worked on their homework in the library or in their rooms. When the evening got late, everybody would leave for their rooms—except for Lance who had the overnight shift at Castle Control. Her nightmares and recalls reduced from daily to every 2-3 nights when she returned to the castle. If she woke-up from a nightmare or recall, Diana would slip on her robe and slippers and join Lance at Castle Control until she ultimately went back to sleep. The next morning she'll wake-up in Lance's arms in his room.
Diana had another recall from when Wade was whipping her back and woke-up. Sighing, she got up from her bed and reached for her favorite robe and slippers. After making sure that she tied her robe tight, Diana left her room and headed straight for Castle Control where she knew Lance would be waiting for her. Fortunately for Diana, none of the castle guards were roaming the hallways and she was able to walk the hallways uninterrupted. With another sigh, Diana entered her code before stepping through the doorway. Lance turned around and smiled at Diana the moment the door closed. "The Lady in My Life is now here to seduce me on my last overnight shift at Castle Control."
Diana chuckled as she walked into Lance's embrace. "It's hard to seduce anyone in a terry robe and slippers."
"That's where you're wrong, Milady," Lance answered. "I know what's under that robe. It's the anticipation for me." Lance bent his head down slightly and gave Diana a lingering kiss.
"You'll have to enjoy the anticipation," Diana answered after they ended the kiss.
"I was hoping for a romantic interlude, too." Lance replied before turning serious. "What brought you into my arms?"
Diana sighed. "I had another recall about the lashes my back took. At least now I can see most of the scars are fading away and none of the scars are developing into keloids yet." Diana gently moved and sat in the chair next to Lance. "I'm guessing that the scans are showing nothing."
"Nothing yet," Lance said. "It's been surprisingly quiet the last few days—nothing from Doom or Wade. My intuition is starting to kick into overdrive. I have a feeling I'm not going to like the next fight."
"Is that why you're looking at the dens a bit more lately?" Diana asked as she watched the dens for a few moments—no signs of activity.
"Yes. The stupid nagging voice in the back of my head won't go away." Lance said. "It keeps going back to the Mechanical Eye. All I can do is watch and hope for the best." Diana nodded her head as she noticed Lance's pad with two tabs open. "And speaking for the best, are you ready for your grand tour?"
"I'm still a bit torn on the tour—but I made promises and I intend to keep them," Diana answered as she grabbed the pad. "Nothing's been packed yet."
"You know, everybody will understand if you decide to stay here on Arus. We can sell or ship our things from the apartment. Cheryl's and Alex's families will understand if you're not there to reunite them. Bernice and Cetrac will be okay if you ultimately decide to push the diplomatic mission later." Lance pointed out.
"I feel like Wade wins if I stay here in your protective care." Diana answered. "Creating or grading?"
"Both. The Academy thought it was a great idea to allow the cadets to complete their courses remotely. They also thought it was a great idea for me to tailor the curriculum. You'll be a great instructor, it'll be fun they said." Lance replied.
"I'll grade." Diana said as Lance took his pad and closed one of the tabs. He gave the tablet back to Diana so she could grade some of the assignments.
"And I'll go back to PSTV—all the scans you want, 24/7." Lance remarked dryly.
Four hours later, Diana woke-up still dressed in her lacy pajamas and comfortably in Lance's arms. With a smile, Diana kissed Lance's forehead before releasing herself from his embrace. She quietly walked over to Lance's dresser and grabbed her robe and slippers from the top. Satisfied that she tied everything tight, Diana sneaked back into her room next door, just as the Cadets opened their doors so they could get their morning physical training out of the way. Diana sighed and took in the sight of her room. "I better get started on that packing. I'll need enough things for a month. Ballroom dress, casual clothes, suits, shoes, gifts…everything." After a quick stretching session, Diana finally started her packing. She decided to focus on the Cetrac leg of her long trip first.
Diana walked into her closet and went to the back to look at her collection of ballgowns. She glanced at the different dresses before pushing them away. Since Diana was also performing diplomatic duties on Cetrac, she decided to go with some of her more conservative dresses—basically any dress that didn't feature any cut-outs, high-splits, deep-vs, or were backless. It took her a few more dresses before she finally settled on a blue, long-sleeved, sequin gown. Diana then pulled a pair of blue satin shoes, the matching clutch purse, and a pair of blue underwear she dedicated to ball outfits before placing all the ball items into a garment bag. She then walked out of the closet to hang the garment bag on the hook that was on the front of her the closet. With a smile, Diana then turned to her suit collection. After a few minutes, Diana settled on a royal blue power suit, a white skirt suit, and finally a purple pant suit with a vest and black shirt. She also grabbed pumps to match each suit and a set of pearl jewelry for accessories. She carefully placed each suit and accessory into the first of her purple suitcases. After that, Diana chose four casual outfits and the needed things for each outfit. After the casual clothes were placed in the suitcase, Diana smiled as she walked out of the closet and went to where she had the gifts for Devin, Deborah, and Angela. She placed the gifts on top and closed the suitcase—satisfied that she had the first leg of the trip covered. Glancing at a clock, Diana noticed that she missed breakfast and was even hungrier. "I guess I deserve a break. I'll just grab a light breakfast from the kitchen and come back to work on the next leg—California." Diana said to herself as she walked out of her room and made her way to the kitchen.
After sharing a quick breakfast with the kitchen staff, Diana returned to her room to finish packing her bags for the trip. Glancing at the clock again, Diana had the rest of the morning to finish the task. Bernice, Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex tentatively scheduled their departure from Arus after lunch. With a sigh, Diana walked into her closet to focus for a week in the desert. After Cetrac, the next stop was Mojave Desert, California. The first thing Diana picked out for that week was a yellow, sleeveless maxi dress and matching sandals. Diana then picked out 4 pairs of denim shorts (in different lengths, of course) and short sleeve shirts (of different colors, of course) and two pairs of sneakers. Diana chose an airy, red jumpsuit followed by a green linen pant suit. After that, Diana grabbed a week's worth of underwear and socks to go with the rest of the desert clothes. And to finish off packing for the desert, Diana added the gifts she set aside for Alex's parents, siblings, and even little Teddy. With a contented sigh, Diana rolled the two packed suitcases by her closet.
"All that's left is my outfits for Houston. I'm going to need another suit and more casual clothes." Diana said to herself as she walked back into the closet. Going through her suit collection, Diana decided to settle for an asymmetrical maroon suit with matching pumps. After that, Diana picked out a couple of sundresses, a couple of rompers, and finally a couple of T-shirts and leggings combinations. Satisfied with her choice for Houston, Diana finally grabbed the gifts she had for Cheryl's family—including the twins. "And as for Florida—I still have tons of clothes in the apartment, so I'll have everything washed and packed for the trip back home to Arus." Diana said with a smile as she zipped up the last purple suitcase. Diana grabbed her garment bag and laid it gently on her loveseat before rolling her three suitcases next to the garment bag.
Diana then sat on the edge of her bed as she took the time to make sure that her room was clean and tidy. Satisfied that everything looked good, Diana then moved to look out her window to enjoy her view of Mount Raiman where Red Lion's den was found. Remembering the conversation she had with Lance late last night, Diana hoped that nothing would happen to Voltron while she was off planet. Just as Diana was finished with her thoughts regarding the lions, she could hear the soft, near-inaudible hiss of her door opening and closing. She could also hear Lance's footsteps and smell his favorite smoky cologne. "Most people would knock or ring before entering another person's room."
"I'm not most people. I'm your man," Lance answered with a smile in his voice. "And it's not like I don't know your code and vice-versa." Lance allowed his eyes to move up and down Diana's flight uniform clad body in appreciation. Diana turned around as Lance was still admiring her body.
"Do I meet your approval?"
"You always do." Lance replied as he lowered his voice and stood next to Diana. Together they turned to enjoy looking at Mount Raiman.
"It's just a uniform. Just like yours—but in purple."
"I love a woman in uniform," Lance responded moving Diana closer to his body. "Especially my woman." Diana smiled as Lance had her body pressed against his body. Diana lifted her head slightly as Lance lowered his head slightly for a lingering kiss. As the kiss went on, Diana draped her arms on Lance's shoulders and Lance moved his hands to cup her ample bottom.
After breaking the kiss and catching their breath, Diana spoke again. "You're not making this any easier, Lance. You know that I want to stay here."
"So, stay here. It's not too late. You know that I'll keep you safe and sound," Lance answered as he guided Diana towards her bed. "Trust me when I say that everybody will definitely understand." Lance finished in between light kisses all over Diana's face. "You don't have to leave Arus at all. Everything can be done without your presence or at the very least postponed until you're comfortable enough to leave." Lance paused again to look into Diana's eyes. "As for our things on Earth—if it's something we ultimately can't live without, it can be sent here. Everything else can be sold."
Diana smiled into Lance's leather jacket as she laid most of her body across the bed. After taking in the scent of the jacket and its owner, Diana looked back up to Lance's face. "I'm not super comfortable leaving—but I need to do this grand tour. Besides promising the girls, I have points to prove. I promised to personally reunite Cheryl and Alex with their families. I promised Ethel that I was going to spend a day helping to open her new store. I promised Allura and Bernice that I would personally take on the diplomatic tasks before allowing Lawrence to be their liaison to the Alliance and to Voltron. I have to demonstrate to people in Florida that Wade didn't scare me off." Diana paused with a big smile. "And I personally want to pack the rest of our things to complete our move here."
Lance nodded in approval as his body hovered over Diana's body. "That's the Diana I know and love."
"Would it be wrong if I told you that I miss you already today?"
"That's what happens when you sneak out of my room between the time Keith goes for his workout and when the cadets wake-up for their workouts." Lance replied with a smile.
"Even we have to be discrete at times, Lance." Diana said. "Especially for the cadets."
"Heaven forbid that any of the cadets learn Sex Ed by accident. They're beyond old enough to have at least their first lecture in the subject."
Diana playfully pushed Lance away. "Well, you're their main instructor, Lance. Why not add it to your evolving curriculum?"
With a smile, Lance playfully pushed Diana back on the bed and hovered over her again. "Don't think I haven't tried. I keep proposing the idea to Their Majesties. In response, the idea keeps getting shot down."
Diana laughed before speaking again. "I'm sure that you will successfully convince them. Maybe then, I can finally have The Talk with Larmina."
"While this conversation has been interesting…I would like to focus on something else." Lance said as he kissed Diana and let her top bun down. Diana's curls fell and framed her face in a long bob. Diana smiled against Lance's lips as his fingers played with a few strands of her hair. As the kisses continued, Diana moved her hands to hold on to Lance's shoulders as she slowly felt her control slipping. A few moments later, Lance stopped the kisses and took out a small box from one of his pockets.
"For me?" Diana managed to ask as she finally caught her breath. "Lance…"
"Ssh. Just open the box." Diana took the box in her hands and opened the box. Diana looked up to Lance with tears in her eyes. The box held a sterling silver ring with small Alexandrite stones swirling around the band before wrapping around the marquise-cut garnet. The inside of the ring was engraved with the phrase "I promise" and their initials bookending the phase. "Diana, I know it's probably late to give you this ring, but I wanted to make sure you know beyond a doubt how much I love you. Diana, I promise to always love you and will do everything in my power to keep you safe."
"Lance…" Diana sighed as Lance took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her ring finger. "This ring's timing is perfect. I love the ring! I promise to always love you and do all I can to keep you safe." Diana vowed as she pulled up slightly to give Lance a lingering kiss of her own. Lance softly growled Diana's name before returning her lingering kiss with another lingering one. As the kisses continued, Lance slowly unzipped Diana's uniform and managed to get Diana's torso free of the fabric. With a smile, Lance started exploring the exposed skin with his lips as Diana sighed in contentment. Lance paused to stare into Diana's desire-darkened eyes. Diana took the opportunity to admire Lance's deepened eyes before sharing another lingering kiss with him. The next thing she knew, Lance managed to undo her bra and was about to enjoy the upcoming ministrations when there was a knock on her door.
"Aunt Diana, are you okay in there?" Larmina called out. "I haven't seen you all day. If you changed your mind, it's ok—but you're about to miss out on everything in the hangar. Aunt Allura and your friends are asking about you."
Diana softly groaned. "It was just getting good," Diana protested as Lance quickly and gently put her bra back on. "Everything is fine, Larmina. I was doing some last minute packing for the trip."
"We also can't locate Lance either. By chance is he in there with you?" Daniel asked next. Lance groaned as he helped Diana back into her uniform.
"So much for subtlety," Larmina and Vince said together. Larmina reached out and smacked Daniel across the back of his head. Diana smiled as Lance helped her to stand. The couple walked towards the door several feet away.
"Yes, I'm in here with Diana. I was helping her pack." Lance answered as he smoothed a stray strand along Diana's nape. Diana grabbed her garment bag and one of her rolling suitcases. Lance took the other two suitcases. "It's not too late to change your mind…" Lance started as he raised an eyebrow. Diana shook her head before Lance opened the door and the cadets scrambled down the hallway. "We're on our way to the hangar now." Lance called out behind the cadets.
"Perhaps Sex Ed should be added to the curriculum after all." Diana said with a smile.
"Along with a few classes in etiquette while I'm at it." Lance responded as they stepped into the hallway with Diana's luggage.
"Maybe I should teach the etiquette classes?" Diana joked. "I'm not sure you can teach a subject that you never nailed."
"I'll let you know that I aced the etiquette classes at the Academy. Not to mention the extra etiquette classes that Nanny gave us for Arusian Society."
"I find that hard to believe," Diana said in a joking manner before Lance swept her into his arms, bridal style. Before Diana could catch her breath, Lance gave her a lingering kiss. Moments later, Lance gently guided Diana back to a standing position. "I'll say that you'll make a great etiquette instructor. In fact, I think I'm going to need a refresher class or two." Lance chuckled as Diana weaved her arm around his arm and they continued their walk to the hangar where their friends were waiting for them. The couple enjoyed taking turns sneaking appreciative glances at the other. When they arrived at the hangar, all eyes were on the couple.
"Look at what the cat dragged in," Hunk started.
"And is that an engagement ring?" Alex asked as she noticed the promise ring on Diana's hand.
Diana smiled before answering. "It's not an engagement ring. Just a long overdue promise ring." As the ladies—excluding Ethel, who made the ring—took turns admiring the ring, the guys complimented the ring that Lance chose for Diana. When asked where did he get the ring, Lance pointed to Ethel with a smile. After all the compliments, Diana and Lance shared a knowing look before Lance spoke.
"I guarantee that next time, it'll be an engagement ring." Lance announced with a smile.
"And when would that be?" Bernice asked. "I'm a very interested party." Everybody in the hangar turned to look at Lance and Diana expectantly.
"I'm working on that," Lance answered with a smile. "I'll say it's likely to happen sometime in the near future. But we're not here to discuss our relationship—we're here to exchange gifts like it's Christmas!"
"Besides, as much as I would love to—we can't stay here all day." Diana added. "So, who wants to go first?"
"I can go first. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions to the gifts." Cheryl volunteered as she gave a wrapped box to all of the Voltron Force and the cadets. The cadets immediately tore into their boxes and glanced at their gifts with appreciation. Vince and Daniel's gift was a complete gaming system including a copy of Pidge's Voltron game. Larmina's gift was a holographic martial arts program. Keith's gift was a program that would help Keith triage the intelligence briefs that were sent his way. Lance's gift was a holographic shooting range he could take just about anywhere. Pidge's gift was a shell AI program to help him build a droid he was planning to do in his spare time. Allura's gift was a program that would triage and delegate tasks when she was bogged down with piloting and kingdom affairs. Hunk's gift was a program that was designed to help coding a little easier for him. Alex's gifts were themed around building. The cadets each received a set designed to help them build things when they found themselves in the Hunkyard with Hunk. Keith's gift was a chess set he would have to assemble piece by piece. Lance's gift was a large diorama featuring famous and historic guns of the past. Pidge's gift was a set of physical tools to help working on mechanical things easier. Allura's gift was a small robotic set. Hunk's gift was a set of the best mechanical tools. Ethel went next and handed everyone their gifts—heritage rings featuring each birthstone. Bernice's gifts came next—she offered official honorary guards and second citizenships to the cadets and the Voltron Force. The Voltron Force were happy with their gifts and were ready to give their gifts to the ladies.
Keith's gift to Bernice, Ethel, Alex, and Cheryl were books. Bernice's books were about Arusian and Earth histories. Ethel's books were over the different gemstones found in remote systems in the Alliance. Alex's books covered both historic and novel approaches to engineering. Cheryl's books were about some of past technologies from different cultures across the remote worlds. Lance brought out his gifts—each member's favorite things. For Bernice, it was a small jeweled dagger set. Ethel's gift was a new jewelry tools. Alex's gift was a custom tool set that fit perfectly in her hands. And finally, Cheryl's gift from Lance was a new electric guitar with a sheet music subscription. Pidge's gift was the ladies' new Voltcoms which finally added their own weapon cache. Bernice was paired with a set of throwing discs. Ethel was matched with a crossbow. Cheryl's received a rifle and Alex was paired with two axes. Allura presented Bernice, Alex, Ethel, and Cheryl with honorary knight and offer of Arusian citizenship. Finally, Hunk gifted the ladies with their own vehicles to replace their old ones. Bernice received a custom made sedan. Cheryl received a new hovercycle. Ethel was gifted with a kit sportscar while Alex received a brand new hybrid SUV/truck.
Once all the gifts were given, there were several rounds of pictures before the ladies luggage and gifts were loaded into the spaceship's sizeable storage area. Finally, it was time for Diana and her team to leave for Arus. The Voltron Force and cadets said their good-byes and good wishes for Bernice, Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex. As the other ladies boarded the ship, Vince and Daniel said their good-byes quickly and shared they couldn't wait until Diana returned for good. Larmina bear hugged Diana while saying good-bye and Diana promised that she'll be back with something special for her. The cadets ran towards Castle Control as the pilots took their turns saying good-bye to Diana. After more promises, the team left the hangar, allowing Diana and Lance to have a few moments of privacy together.
"It's going to be a long month with nothing but phone calls." Lance said as he pulled Diana closer to him.
"I know." Diana answered as Lance lowered his head to kiss Diana on her lips. They shared a deep, lingering kiss in the middle of the hangar. When they finally broke-up the kiss, Lance smiled before talking again.
"I guess I better let you go. I'm fighting the temptation to take you over my shoulder and hide you in my room." Diana let out a mock surprise at Lance's statement.
"Don't you dare tempt me." Diana said with a smile, as she took a step away from Lance. "Until later…"
"Until later. I love you."
"I love you, too." Diana answered as she walked into the fractal backwards to extend the last physical moment she'll have with Lance in a month. Once she was in the fractal, Diana closed the door behind her and took the pilot seat. After going through the pre-flight checks, Diana moved the fractal out of the hangar and into the Arusian skies. Once the ship was in Arus' orbit, the Voltron Force took over the communication screen and wished them a great trip.
"And get back here before Lance gets too moody." Hunk and Pidge told Diana in a joking voice. Diana and the ladies laughed as Lance turned to give Hunk and Pidge two one-finger salutes.
The flight to Cetrac took three days but it was peaceful. The piloting and co-piloting duties were rotated giving everyone the chance to either pilot, co-pilot, or sleep peacefully in one of the sleeping pods. The flight to Cetrac also served as a lighter version of their time at Smythe House. The friends bonds grew deeper and they even had ideas for how they're going to reunite after Wade's reign was over. Surprisingly, Diana didn't have a nightmare or a recall during the flight—but Diana shared that she was sleeping well, and Lance's calls were probably helping her relax, too. When the spaceship landed at the spaceport closest to Bernice's castle, the ground crew personally unloaded their luggage as Bernice engaged in a brief conversation with them. Before stepping outside, the ladies took a few moments to refresh their looks for the crowds and when Bernice will step into the throne room to address her court. Ethel was wearing a black suit with a white bodysuit underneath and a pair of black flats. Ethel's hair was in a slick, but low ponytail. Diana was wearing a red blouse on top of a red pair of slacks and matching red stiletto heels and weaved a red ribbon around her top bun. Cheryl was wearing a soft green midi-dress with green kitten heels with her hair tucked into a low side bun. Bernice was wearing a blue maxi-dress and blue stiletto heels and topped off with a small headband of white flowers on her straightened hair. And finally, Alex was wearing a yellow blouse with navy slacks and navy pumps. Alex's hair was left down in soft waves. Once they stepped out of the ship, they were greeted with loud cheers from the crowd who were eagerly waiting to catch the first glimpse of Bernice's return.
After a brief speech thanking the crowd for their continued support and enthusiasm, Bernice and the ladies got into a SUV that featured a clear dome for the back rows. Ethel, Alex, and Cheryl sat in the middle row while Bernice and Diana shared the back row. The ladies waved non-stop during the short 15 minute drive to Bernice's castle as they were amazed at the people's response to Bernice finally returning home to rule her planet again. When the SUV arrived in front of the main castle building, they were greeted by the castle staff. With a smile, Bernice greeted each staff member personally before sharing a brief introduction—from the staff members with the lowest seniority to the staff members with the highest seniority. After the staff introductions, the head butler and housekeeper escorted the ladies to the throne room as the rest of the staff hustled off to complete their tasks for the day.
When they arrived at the throne room, the announcer smiled and curtsied Bernice before stating how happy she was to see Bernice again at home. Bernice replied that she was happy to see the announcer again and asked about her family. After a few more moments of conversation, the announcer opened the door and stepped into the throne room. After clearing her throat to gain the room's attention, the announcer said it was her highest pleasure to report that Bernice had finally returned to Cetrac. The announcer then took the time to present Ethel, Diana, Cheryl, and Alex. Each lady walked down the long aisle before stopping on either side of the altar where Bernice's throne stood at the top of the stage. On the lower part of the stage was where Devin and Deborah's chairs were located. Their daughter Angela was standing next to Diana with her nanny besides her. Finally, Bernice was announced to full fanfare and her full name with title. As Bernice walked down the aisle, the room exploded into bows and curtsies and the only sound in the room was a trumpet playing Cetrac's anthem. When Bernice made it to her throne, she smiled and addressed her court. Bernice made it a point to personally thank Devin and Deborah for ruling Cetrac in her prolonged absence. After making a few more statements, Bernice dismissed the court so that everyone could prepare for the ball later that evening.
For the rest of the trip, the ladies enjoyed their time exploring Cetrac and Bernice's culture. Diana was able to spend three days fulfilling ambassador duties throughout the planet before fully enjoying Cetrac. The day before Alex, Cheryl, Diana, and Ethel left for Earth, Lawrence arrived in Cetrac. After sharing some good memories, Diana introduced Lawrence to Bernice and highlighted how well of a representative Lawrence would be for Cetrac—especially pointing out that Lawrence's stepfather was a minor noble in one of the Cetrac's most remote regions. Diana didn't miss how well Lawrence and Bernice were getting along. On the day the ladies left, Bernice thanked the ladies and promised that they always have an open invitation to visit Cetrac.
The flight to California roughly took another three days, but once they landed on Earth the ladies nearly kissed the desert floor. Diana was able to land their spaceship at a private spaceport just a few miles from where Alex's parents lived. On the way to California, Alex and Diana found out that the Zanas were planning a big birthday party for Alex's mom and Teddy. Alex and Diana shared a knowing look and plotted with Alex's father on how they were going to surprise the Zanas at their birthday party. After planning all the details, Diana and Alex hung-up to share with the others their new plan to surprise most of the Zana family.
As newly planned, once the spaceship was settled in the spaceport, Diana and Ethel sat in the driver and front passenger seats of the SUV. Cheryl and Alex sat in the middle row with all the luggage tucked around the back row and in the very back of the vehicle. As the SUV neared the Zanas' house, they could hear the music and celebration as the food was being served. When they arrived at the house, Diana casually backed the SUV up to the driveway where a supersized box marked where Alex and the ladies were going to hide. Diana quickly ran to the doorbell and pressed it three times before sprinting and jumping into the box. The ladies softly giggled as they heard Mr. Zana act like the doorbell was an ongoing prank. A few minutes later, Mr. Zana walked to the box and shared that he was finally able to get the biggest and best present for his wife and nephew to share.
With a smile, Mrs. Zana hoisted Teddy to her waist and pulled the ribbon to reveal Alex and the ladies. The yard was full of squeals and cheers as Mrs. Zana pulled Alex into a big hug with Teddy yelling, he's so happy that his Auntie was back. After introducing Ethel and re-introducing Cheryl to the Zanas, the party continued into the night. For the rest of the trip in the desert, Diana spent her early mornings eating cereal with Teddy before playing with his plush Voltron set (and couldn't help but smile every time Teddy grabbed red lion first). Her mornings and afternoons were spent exploring all the cool and hidden things to do in the desert. At night, the ladies camped out in the backyard and enjoyed more bonding time.
After spending the week in the desert, it was time for the next stop—Houston. Mrs. Zana made it a point to make sure that Diana, Ethel, and Cheryl had a large helpings of chilaquiles for breakfast (or second breakfast in Diana's case) and had a lunch packed for the ladies. After their bags and lunches were loaded, it was time to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Zana hugged each of the ladies and made them promise to visit Mojave again. Teddy hugged Diana's leg and made her promise to take him to Arus with her next time she visits Earth. Diana smiled and promised to do so—if his parents and Lance agree to it first. Finally, it was Alex's turn to say goodbye to the ladies. After hugging them, Alex promised to meet up with them in Florida in time to help Diana with her big moving day. After a quick group hug, the ladies piled into the SUV. With a last wave, Diana drove the SUV back to the spaceport and the ladies enjoyed a very short 4-hour flight to Houston.
Unfortunately, the only spaceport Diana could land the ship at NASA's old center in Clear Lake—which was on the other side of town from the Jacksons' house on the Northwest Side. Fortunately, they were assigned a hangar on the private part of the spaceport. Unfortunately, the ladies still had to make their way through a public terminal and meet Mrs. Jackson on the curb. Fortunately, the ladies weren't recognized as they rolled their suitcases through the terminal and at the curb. Another sign of good luck was that Mrs. Jackson was already waiting for them and immediately hugged Cheryl tightly. Ethel and Diana slid all three suitcases into the trunk of the car as Mrs. Jackson continued to ask Cheryl question after question. After the ladies got in the car, Mrs. Jackson continued asking Cheryl questions but eventually took a break to ask Ethel and Diana several questions. Unfortunately for them, Houston traffic was a big monster this afternoon and it took them roughly 90 minutes to make it Cheryl's northwest neighborhood.
Once they arrived at the Jacksons' home, Mr. Jackson and the twins quickly ran and hugged Cheryl tightly for a few moments. As Cheryl was answering questions from her dad and sisters, Mrs. Jackson helped Diana and Ethel settle into the spare bedroom—Diana chose to sleep on the sleeper sofa and Ethel chose to sleep on the full-size bed. After putting their suitcases in the closet, Mrs. Jackson thanked Diana for personally making sure that Cheryl was reunited with the family. Diana waved it off and said that the real thanks go to the Voltron Force. After a quick back and forth conversation, Diana and Ethel helped Mrs. Jackson prepare fried fish and Potatoes O'Brien for dinner. After dinner, Cheryl, Diana, and Ethel had some long conversations into the night with Cheryl's parents. When it was time for bed, Diana and Ethel ended up sleeping in Cheryl's room as they continued to chat among themselves until their eyes closed.
Diana spent the next day in Houston visiting a couple of universities. In the morning, she took a campus tour and spoke to a group of ROTC students before spending time with Public Health majors at Prairie View A&M. After enjoying a delicious lunch at Prairie View, Diana went back to Houston and spent a couple of hours at Texas Southern University, enjoying another campus tour and took the opportunity to do a seminar speech with the Public Administration majors. When her time at Texas Southern was finished, Diana met with her paternal grandmother over coffee before they went through a tour of Northwest Prep. When the tour of Northwest Prep was finished, Diana was ushered to speak in front of the whole student body—which surprised the Jackson twins. After the speech was finished, Diana went back to the Jacksons' home and the enjoyed the evening out with Cheryl and Ethel. For the rest of the week in Houston, Diana and Ethel explored the sights and sounds of Houston with Cheryl—from enjoying a night at Gilley's to spending the day at the Kemah Boardwalk to a girls' day trip to Galveston for the beaches and dolphins.
As much as Diana enjoyed her time in Houston, she was anxious to finally make it to Florida. After giving the Jacksons their gifts and having a big breakfast, Diana and Ethel said their goodbyes. Cheryl promised she'll be in Florida to help with Diana's big moving day next week. Diana deadpanned and said she was trying to forget about that day. Ethel and Cheryl laughed saying that they know that Diana's looking forward to the day because she'll be back with Lance soon. After another round of goodbyes, Diana and Ethel left in a Lyft towards the spaceport. Traffic was significantly lighter this time, so they were able to make it to Clear Lake where the spaceport was in about 45 minutes. After arriving at the spaceport, Diana did the pre-flight checks before taking off on the extra brief 2-hour flight to Florida.
When the spaceship landed in Cape Canaveral at the public spaceport, Diana was surprised to see a crowd of people waiting for her outside the tarmac. "Why is there a crowd outside waiting for us?" Diana asked Ethel. "We were supposed to meet a staff member from the embassy."
"That's a good question," Ethel said as she stopped next to Diana a few feet away from the barrier that separated them from the crowd. Ethel and Diana pulled out their phones to search for Cape Canaveral news—it wasn't too long before they found an article mentioning they were arriving today after miraculously being found by the Voltron Force. "Somebody leaked this." They paused for a second as they rolled to the end of the article. "Wade."
"What's his angle?" Diana asked, sighing. "I guess we better face the crowd. And I think I see the Arusian Embassy staff member pulling up behind the crowd." Ethel nodded as they approached the edge of the barrier.
"Diana! Welcome back! How was your trip?" Diana answered that her trip was peacefully uneventful. Another person asked about her previous stops in Cetrac, Mojave, and Houston. Diana answered she was spending time with friends and their families. Another person asked Diana about her future plans and Diana answered that she wasn't quite sure yet. The embassy staff member nodded their head in apology before opening the door of the SUV for Diana and Ethel. The ladies got into the SUV and laid their suitcases behind them. A few minutes later, they stopped at Ethel's house where her friend was waiting and greeted them with a big smile. Diana spent a few minutes enjoying the reunion before promising to help Ethel re-open jewelry store tomorrow morning. Ethel thanked her before walking her back to the waiting SUV. With a smile, Diana waved as the SUV pulled away to the 15-minute drive to the apartment Diana shared with Lance. Once she arrived at the apartment, Diana sighed and called Lance to let him know she made it home safe. After leaving a message with Lance, Diana inspected the apartment and was pleased to see that everything was exactly how she left it. With a sigh, Diana decided to start her packing with the guest bedroom in the back that served as Lance's personal office.
The week in Cape Canaveral flew by. The day after they returned to Florida, Diana helped Ethel as promised with the grand re-opening of the jewelry store—doing everything from opening the display cases to selling several pieces of jewelry to acting as a spokesperson for Ethel's store. After a successful day, Diana and Ethel had drinks at their favorite bar before parting ways. For the rest of the week, Diana enjoyed the days making her final visits to her favorite spots in the city. Diana spent her last nights in Florida packing each room for the move to Arus. Occasionally she had to call Lance to confirm which items they wanted to donate—although they originally wanted to sell things, but Diana pointed out that they could make a bigger impact by donating the unwanted items. Finally, on the afternoon before the big move, Diana was finally able to take all the donated items to three charities that focus on helping people transition from homelessness to permanent housing. With a smile, Diana refused any recognition of the donations and stated that she just wanted to make one last impact in the area.
After dropping the items off, Diana drove to the spaceport to pick up Cheryl and Alex. After pulling up to the curb, Diana got out of her SUV and the ladies shared a big group hug and a laugh. Even the camera flashes around them couldn't steal their joy. After getting into the SUV, Diana drove off to pick Ethel up from the jewelry shop. Along the way, Alex and Cheryl asked Diana how she felt about Wade leaking information about Diana's return to Cape Canaveral and her plans to move to Arus. Diana answered with a sigh that she felt Wade was up to something big. Cheryl commented that if he thought to turn the public against Diana—the plan failed. Diana mentioned it felt like the media coverage was serving as a distraction and she didn't trust Wade. Alex changed the conversation around to a more delightful conversation—news on Lance and their relationship. Minutes later, Diana was laughing as they pulled up to Ethel's store. With a smile, Ethel ran out of the store and enveloped Cheryl and Alex into a hug. Diana laughed as Ethel pulled Diana into the group hug.
Minutes later, the ladies arrived at Diana's apartment with pizza, soda, ice cream, and other junk food to last them through the night. "All we can do is party lightly since someone packed everything up this week." Alex said taking in all the rooms that looked like glorified storage rooms. "There's boxes everywhere."
"That's the point!" Diana said with a smile. "We feast tonight—for tomorrow, we're going to be working hard as mules getting everything into the moving truck and into the fractal." The ladies cheered and laughed as the light party started with glee. The night passed quickly with the ladies continuing sleepover—they watched movies projected on the wall from their combined Voltcoms, enjoyed the junk food, shared secrets, and even shared their future plans.
The next day in Cape Canaveral, Diana spent her last morning on Earth with Ethel, Cheryl, and Alex. The ladies were helping Diana move all the boxes, containers, and furniture into the waiting U-Haul truck. When the ladies arrived, Diana joked that everything must go—into the truck, that is. The next couple of hours were spent making several trips between the apartment and the moving truck. Diana sighed as Ethel, Alex, and Cheryl came back into the apartment from taking the last of the packed boxes into the moving truck outside. "It's finally done!" Diana said with a smile. "Let's eat something quick and then we can go to the spaceport do this all over again."
Alex smiled before answering. "That works for me. Moving all those boxes made me hungry. I'm probably going to be hungry again after everything goes into your fractal. At least when you get to Arus you'll have the guys and the Castle staff to help move everything."
"It's going to be fun to direct traffic instead of doing the heavy lifting." Diana said with a smile. "Then I'll have another round of this with Smythe House. Luckily…this should be my last move in a long time. I think it's Cheryl's turn to pick a place to get food."
Before Cheryl could give out the restaurant she wanted to eat from—all of their phones went off in an alarm. Immediately everyone grabbed their phones and looked down in disbelief as they saw the breaking news alert: Princess Allura is currently being live-streamed through ANN. "Wait—isn't Ebb under an Alliance blockade? Why is Allura there?"
"Ebb is still under an Alliance blockade. Their ruler invited Allura to come and discuss having a treaty with Arus since they were tired of Wade's bullying tactics. Lance warned her, but Allura was determined to have Larmina shadow her on a diplomatic trip with Uncle Coran as part of the delegation." Diana said as she pulled up a virtual monitor from her Voltcom. She sighed as the signal was processing. "I agreed with Lance, but Allura wasn't having it." In seconds, the virtual screen showed Allura in an arena fighting off some of Wade's droids. The camera also panned to a box where Wade was confidently sitting in with Larmina a few feet behind him. "That Bastard! I told him to leave the cadets out of his grudge with Voltron!"
"How do you think the guys are handling it?"
"Beyond pissed and probably already on their way to Ebb to get Allura." Diana answered as she placed her Voltcom on the bar in the living room so the screen could be enlarged. "I better call the spaceport and tell them I'm taking off sooner than expected for Arus." Diana walked away to the front bedroom and called the spaceport to push up her flight time. After going back and forth with the representative and ultimately their supervisor, Diana was able to push up her departure to roughly an hour from now. "Sorry, y'all. I got to run to the 'port and take-off. I was able to get permission to take off in an hour. I already got the ground crews to start my preflight."
"We'll help you get everything into your fractal." Alex said as she opened the door behind her. "I got rage to burn off, now."
"Same here." Cheryl said as she and Ethel grabbed their miniature purses off the kitchen bar.
"Thanks. I'll lock up everything and toss the keys to the leasing office." Diana said before making one last pass through the apartment to make sure that all the rooms were emptied before closing the screen and putting her Voltcom back on her arm. With a sigh, Diana walked out and locked the door before jumping into the waiting truck. A few minutes later, Diana handed the keys to the leasing manager and made sure that the security deposit was deposited into Diana and Lance's shared checking account. With a deep breath, Diana jumped into the truck again and pulled off as Ethel had the livestream still on her Voltcom.
"The good news is that the guys are already at Ebb and fighting Wade. The bad news is that they formed a one-legged Voltron and is struggling against Wade's giant robot." Ethel said.
"They need Blue Lion." Diana said. The truck was silent through the 15-minute drive to the spaceport. Once they arrived at the hangar that held Diana's fractal, Ethel asked Diana a question.
"So…can a Lion form a limb in the midst of battle?"
"In theory, it should. The lions turn into limbs, torso, and head when Voltron is formed during battle. I haven't heard about a missing lion being turned into a limb in the heat of battle—but then again, we're discovering new things about Voltron this time around."
Before either one could say anything else, Allura was able to break free from Wade and turn Blue Lion into a leg to connect with the rest of Voltron. "And there you have, Ethel. Missing lion or lions can turn into limb or limbs during the heat of battle." Diana announced as she parked the moving truck besides the fractal.
"And they just saved the day," Ethel said as the ground crew told Diana that all the pre-flight checks have been performed and she can leave at a moment's notice.
"Thanks. We'll load up everything in the moving truck and I'll be on my way." Diana said to the crew.
"We'll be honored if we could help you with that task." The crew leader said with a smile. "It's the least I can do for one of the Alliance's unsung heroes."
"Thanks. We need the help." Diana replied as she quickly took out the moving dolly from the truck and started putting boxes on it. A few seconds later the ladies and the ground crew took turns in moving boxes, furniture, and even large containers into the fractal. With their combined effort, everything was loaded into the large fractal in thirty minutes. Diana thanked the ground crew before turning to her friends. "I'm sorry I'm leaving y'all this way, but I got this feeling that I'm needed on Arus." Diana hugged each lady, promising to call them once she made it safely on Arus.
"And if we know Lance and Keith as well as we think we do-they're probably already working on plans to take Wade out of the leadership box for good." Diana's Voltcom beeped with an update from Lance as soon as Alex finished making her statement.
"Try beyond planning. They're preparing to leave for Earth without Allura now. Which means Larmina's probably going to fly Blue Lion solo." Diana said, updating the group. "I also have a funny feeling about Wade—he gave up too easily for my taste."
"We'll watch him here. Take care of business." Ethel said. "Be careful and send our love to Arus."
Diana nodded her head before running into the fractal and closing the loading door behind her. Five minutes later, Diana moved the fractal out of the hangar and onto the main part of the runway. With a deep breath, Diana briefly closed her eyes before taking off from Earth and into Earth's orbit. "Hang on guys, I'm on my way to Arus. Don't do anything too crazy." Diana said to herself as she made it to the dark depths of Space.