Chapter Seven

 

 

Allura knew that Keith wasn’t asleep.  He didn’t move a muscle and his eyes were shut, but she could hear that his breathing was not deep and even, like it was supposed to be.  She’d been tossing and turning for the past hour, trying to get some rest, but her mind was whirling with activity.  They had ended all discussion about Voltron when they left Castle Control that night and dinner had been a tense affair.  Bethie’s recommendations were well-received and accepted by her parents, but not without some arguments on Keith’s part.  He gave in eventually, but it did not take a mind reader to see that Keith was angry and was not handling the decision well.  The Princesses wisely kept quiet and they went to bed without another word about it.  Allura followed their example at first, but she could not stand the waves of anxiety emanating from him and she could not sleep until they had hashed it out.  Besides, they usually had their most constructive conversations in bed.

 

“What’s on your mind?” she finally asked.

 

“I don’t like sending them out,” he answered without hesitation.  “We’re asking a lot out of our friends by recruiting their kids when they already risked their lives for Arus when they were the Voltron Force.”

 

“Lance and Hunk wouldn’t have it any other way,” she soothed.  “They said so and you know they meant it.  Who else can we trust to be in the Lions but kids that we’ve seen grow up, kids whose parents we trusted with the Lions.”

 

Keith turned on his side so that he could look at her.  His hand slid underneath the covers to rest on her stomach.  The touch was comforting and she put her hand over his.

 

“It’s hard to believe, but they are grown up now,” she said.  “They are skilled pilots in their own rights and aside from Bethie, they have all been in the Academy.  They’re young, but they have the discipline and the training.”

 

“It surprises me that you agreed to all this so quickly,” he said, a note of accusation in his voice.

 

She bristled.  “It shouldn’t.  It’s the wisest move we can make.”

 

His silence spoke volumes. 

 

“Keith, we can’t fly those Lions anymore.  Let it go,” she said, shoving the covers back and getting to her feet.  “Why are you being so damned stubborn?  You know this is the right move.”

 

He pushed his side of covers back and faced her from across the bed.  With narrowed eyes, he looked ready for battle and Allura leaned forward without meaning to, ready to meet him.

 

“Sue me for being concerned about those kids, Allura.  If there was another way, I would snap it up in a second.  I know this is the best way, but I don’t like it!  We fought Zarkon to the edge of Hell and back so that our children would not have to live like we did.”

 

“Don’t you think I know that!  But look at them, Keith.  Most of them went to the Academy.  They’re risking their lives wherever they are simply by the nature of their chosen occupations.  It’s in their blood.  You can’t protect them forever!”

 

They stared at each other from across the bed.  Allura felt her anger wash away as Keith’s shoulder’s sagged.  She got on the bed and crawled to him.  On her knees, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

 

“If they’re anything like their parents, they’re going to make it through this,” she whispered.

 

He clutched at her, burying his face in her neck.  “If they don’t, I won’t.”

 

Allura closed her eyes, thinking of the children their chosen five had once been, and wished vehemently that they could have stopped time for just a moment to keep they closer a little bit longer. 

 

“Do me one favor, Allura,” he said as they got back underneath the covers.

 

She curled up against him, resting her head against his shoulder.  “What’s that?”

 

“You give me absolute control over this Voltron Force.  I am going to run this team and I don’t want every decision to be second-guessed.”

 

Allura clenched her teeth.  “You’re asking a lot of me, Keith.”

 

“You want me to train them, I have to do it my way and no one else’s.”

 

“Can I at least offer advice?”

 

“Of course, I’m just saying that when I make a decision, I don’t want it to be something that can be overturned.  Discipline will be our greatest tool above all else.  If I know these pilots, they’re going to need a lot of it considering our relationships with them.”

 

He had a point but she did not like giving up that much control.  It went against every grain of her being. 

 

Keith seemed to realize this and he let out a long-suffering sigh.  “Alright, absolute control unless you have any grave objections, but I’ll only consider what you say.”

 

“Deal.”

 

“We’re doing the right thing, right?”

 

“As right as it can be,” she answered, putting a hand on his cheek.  “We’re doing right by our subjects.  We’re doing our duty.”

 

Even in the waning moonlight she could see his lips thin.

 

“That doesn’t make it any easier,” he muttered.

 

 

 

 

Lance always thought that the sound of his communicator trilling was the sound that would greet him if he ever saw the gates of Hell.  Blindly, he reached for it and with one eye open, saw who was calling. 

 

“What is it, Keith?” Lance said, blinking away sleep.  “We just got to Centri Base and I haven’t had a chance to take a look at it yet.”

 

Keith’s opening words had Lance sitting up in bed.  His next words had Lance out of bed and running into Jack’s room.  The Lieutenant almost fell out of bed at Lance’s words.

 

“Voltron?” Jack mumbled, not fully awake.

 

“Get your ass up, boy,” Lance exclaimed.  “You’re the Red’s new pilot.”

 

 

 

Jordan finished packing, unable to keep the grin from spreading across her face.  Romelle watched her mutely as Sven leaned against the doorway, not sure where to even start.

 

“I’ll be fine,” she told them even though she knew it would not remove the shadow that clouded her mother’s eyes on the frown that cut a stern slash on her father’s face.

 

“Listen to everything Uncle Keith says.  He was always the best pilot out of all of us and he knows how to handle those Lions,” Sven said.  “If what he says doesn’t match up to what you know, replace what you know.”

 

“Yes, Dad.”

 

Jordan zipped her tote and gave her room one last look before hefting onto her shoulder.  Christian came in then, a sad smile on his face.  It was the first time they would be separated for a long period of time and Jordan found that it was harder to leave her twin brother than it was to leave her parents.  He took the bag from her silently and she let him.  They walked to the docking bay, Sven with his arm around Romelle, and Jordan and Ian leading the way.  The ship she was boarding was waiting and was already half full.  Jordan turned around with a brave smile and was immediately enveloped in her mother’s arms.

 

“Be careful, Jordan,” she said fiercely.  “I don’t know what I would do…”

 

“I will, Mom,” Jordan said before Romelle could finish that thought.  “Being inside the Green Lion is probably one of the safest places in the universe right now.”

 

Sven put a hand on Romelle’s shoulder when she did not let go.  Romelle gave Jordan one last squeeze and stepped aside so that Sven could pull her close.

 

“Call us as soon as you get there,” he said, kissing her blonde head.  “Don’t get too excited and always stay serious.”

 

“I will, Dad.”

 

Then it was Ian.  Jordan nearly burst into tears when he hugged her and she could see that he was close to them himself when he pulled away.

 

“Don’t screw up or else I’ll be there to take your place and you’ll never get the Green back,” he teased, tugging on a lock of hair.  “Take care, Jay.”

 

“I’ll be back for graduation,” she reminded him but it was little consolation.  “Until then, be good, alright?”

 

“Always.”

 

She looked at all of them one last time and then picked up her bag.  With a wave, she disappeared inside the ship. 

 

 

 

Ensign Matthew Yearling was staring listlessly at the various meters that told him that the chemical mixture in the engines were perfectly even.  The Intrepid was new and aside from a tightening a few nuts and bolts that Matt was sure he could do in his sleep, he was pretty useless.  His commanding officer was just a lieutenant if that was any indication of the state of engineering on this ship. 

 

At the end of his shift, he went back to the bunk where the lower ranked officers were housed four at a time.  He liked his roommates just fine but he envied them their more exciting positions on the bridge.  The bunk was empty when he got there as his shift ended in the middle of the day while the others worked until early evening.  He took the time to go through his personal mail, which usually consisted of messages from his parents and sisters.  He wished he could get stationed on a base like Morgan because it sounded like life was a little bit more exciting there.

 

To his surprise, he saw a message marked priority and it was from Arus.  He thought maybe his cousin Jack had finally gotten a girl pregnant but when he read the letter, his green eyes widened.

 

“Ensign Yearling,” the ship’s commander’s voice sounded tiny through his communicator but Matt heard it like a boom of thunder.

 

“Yes, sir,” he answered, his eyes still glued to the screen.

 

“Please come in and see me.  I have received a message from Queen Allura of Arus concerning your assignment.”

 

Matt couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face.  “I’ll be right there, sir.”