Chapter Six
Alana found Lotor in the small yard outside his house, his wife and son sitting with him. Jahann Lotor was a quiet, gentle woman who seemed to love her husband unconditionally and when Lotor was with her, Alana found it hard to believe that he was the same man who had ravaged planets. Then, she would see a look in his eye, a hard, ruthless gleam that brought all of that back. She, Jason, and Romelle had been put up in an empty hut nearby, and they found that the small village was as peaceful as Lotor described it to be. Their presence barely made a ripple in the villagers' consciousness, which was what they preferred. They kept to themselves, monitoring communcations, and it was what they had received that morning that had Alana looking for Lotor. She'd named herself the official liaison to Lotor and neither Jason or Romelle wanted the position enough to argue with her.
Something about Lotor intrigued her. Maybe it was seeing shadows of her mother in his face or because she admired the way he had turned his life around, but she wanted to talk to him and ask him questions until she was satisfied. He treated her with mild amusement and did not seem to mind her presence. Alana knew if her parents knew about this relationship with her half-uncle, they would be horrified. She could only hope that the fact that she was doing this for them would excuse her behavior.
Lotor looked up as she approached and the smile that had been on his face faded. He said something to his wife and the woman picked up their son, taking him inside.
"Her name is Merla," Alana said, foregoing the greeting.
"Merla..."
His face blanked out as he searched his memory. Alana sat down next to him, waiting patiently.
"She was a daughter of a Drule king my father used to try to assassinate at least once a year," Lotor finally said. "She struck me as rather strange, quiet, always watching. We rarely spoke and I'm surprised she would use my name. I was not even sure she knew who I was."
"Her father wasn't allied with Hazar?"
"My father defeated hers and took their kingdom under his own. I don't know what happened to them after that, didn't really care to find out. Does this mean you will be leaving soon, little Princess?" he asked.
"I think you should come with us."
The snort he made was answer enough. Alana had been expecting it and she was ready to argue until her face turned blue as his.
"Their technology is beyond ours and time is running out for my parents..."
"They're still alive?" Lotor interrupted, eyebrow arched.
Alana stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your parents surrendered and they live? If Merla wanted Arus, to have the reigning King and Queen under her control is ideal. She kills them and Arus is then hers for the taking, regardless the presence of heirs. As I understand it, coronation negates bloodline."
"What could she want then?"
Lotor took a deep breath. "My father did not just want Arus for reasons of revenge, despite what has been written about the subject. Magic runs deep in Arus, in the land, even though its people have forgotten it. It lives in the Lions and most powerfully, in the Royal Family."
"Magic?" Alana repeated, wondering just how much her parents had kept from her and her older siblings.
"Not the kind that has rabbits being pulled out of hats, but the kind that has robot Lions forming a giant robot."
"The kind that has fighters disappearing in thin air and powerful ro-beasts bursting out of pods," she said, understanding.
"Pods?" he asked.
"Yes. Merla has moved beyond the coffins Hagar liked to use. So what did Zarkon really want to find on Arus?"
"Controlling Arus means controlling power beyond imagining," Lotor said. "Even now, Merla is harvesting this power to strengthen her fleet. Adding to it."
"How can we stop her?"
"That I don't know."
"Do you know of anyone who would?"
"Hagar's been lost for as long as I have," he said. "Of course, you could always take a trip into former Drule territories. As far as I know, the Alliance has not been able to gain a decent foothold there, at least in terms of intelligence."
"You're surprisingly well-informed."
He smiled humorlessly. "When I learned that Arus had come under new management, I set out to find what I could. I may be a peaceful man now but that does not mean I've stopped thinking altogether."
"So you still have connections with the Drules."
The question floated, unspoken between them. Alana refused to back down and he did not break eye contact.
"Planet Prinoth," he said. "Look for Rathul and tell him I sent you. He'll help you find what you need."
"None of us knew this, Uncle," Alana said. "I doubt Mom even had any idea that Arus itself was...magical. You have to come with us. What you know will help us defeat Merla and stop her from using Arus for evil means."
"I've battled with my demons too long only to go back to the place where it all began," he said. "For me to be able to make contact with other Drules, Drules I most likely led once...the temptation would be too great. I cannot go back."
That was a reason that Alana had not prepared herself for. The naked pleading on his face weakend her resolve.
"Look what you've built here," she said, trying one last time. "You wouldn't throw that away so readily."
"Power beyond imagining, Alana," he said. "Stronger men have thrown away more for that."
She stood and held out a hand. "Then I can't ask you. Thank you for all your help."
He took her hand and he looked at it a moment before raising it to his lips.
"Allura raised a good girl," he said. "I am glad to have met you. It is good to see my blood has some good in it."
"All you have to do is look at your son, Uncle. Take care."
"You, too. But I hope you'll forgive me when I say I hope I don't see you or yours here again."
Alana nodded. "Aunt Romelle will be happy about that."
"Would you tell her something for me? Tell her I'm sorry. With all my heart."
"Of course."
She smiled at him one last time, took a mental picture of how he sat in front of his humble house, and walked away.
Jason was pacing in front of their hut when she returned.
"Well?" he asked.
"She's a Drule princess," Alana answered. "Well...former. Where's Aunt Romelle?"
Hearing her name, Romelle stuck her head out the door. She gestured for the two of them to come in, a datapad in hand.
"I'm going to send your report to Sven, Lance, and Jack as soon as you finish," she said. "Start talking, Lana."
Alana told them what Lotor said as clearly and concisely as she could. Jason was shocked to hear about Arus' legacy, but Romelle did not look especially surprised--though her forehead crinkled as Alana explained.
"You asked him to come with us?" Romelle repeated, her hands stilling on the datapad. "Are you crazy?"
"He knows this woman and he knows more about Arus than we do," Alana said, holding her hands out as if to ask her aunt to understand, but Romelle had been difficult about Lotor since they found him and Alana was not too hopeful that she would change.
"I'm glad he decided against it," she said. "Go on, Alana."
"I know he did a lot of horrible things, Aunt Romelle. But he's changed..."
"You didn't live through what he did," Romelle said harshly, her eyes shooting darts at her niece. "You have the luxury of having had a peaceful and safe childhood. I did not and you know why? Because of him and the horrible men he supported."
Jason put a hand on Romelle's arm and she looked as if she was about to shake it off, but then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was clear.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be short with you, Lana."
Alana smiled reassuringly. "It's okay."
"So where are we going next?" Jason asked.
Alana looked at them both. "Prinoth."
"That's pretty deep in Drule territory," Romelle observed. "I don't even think that Fleet Intelligence has been able to get anybody in there."
There was a knock at the door and Jason rose to answer it. The man who had stopped them on the path stood there, not looking too happy about being there either.
"Lotor wanted me to give you this," he said and he held out an access card.
Even Alana could see that it was Drulian in origin.
"Where's the ship?" Romelle demanded.
"Outside."
They stepped out and saw the blue and red transport rising above the trees. The familiar curling prow made Romelle's blood run cold, but it was exactly what they needed. It was old but it looked like it was in good condition.
"That's a pretty good ticket to Prinoth," Jason said idly. "Too bad it's a museum piece."
"It won't raise any alarms," Romelle said.
"Tell my Uncle we said thank you," Alana told the man.
He nodded and took his leave.
"Let's get out of here," Romelle said, going back in the hut to gather their things. "We've definitely outstayed our welcome."
