Chapter Eight
Bethie, and Jack
waited in the docking bay for the shuttle that was nearing the Castle of Lion’s
airspace. Jack looked thoughtful, his
hands clasped behind his back as he tracked the shuttle’s path. Bethie fairly hummed with excitement, her
blue eyes bright with it.
“Have you gotten to
fly the Black yet?” Jack asked.
“No,” she
answered. “Dad wants to teach us all at
the same time, or at least most of us, so that he won’t have to repeat the same
thing over and over again.”
“I got here as fast
as I could. Dad pretty much threw me
into a transport as soon as I could get dressed. I think he might be more excited about this
than I am.”
“You don’t seem
that excited,” Bethie pointed out curiously.
“What’s on your mind?”
Jack shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I always wanted to have
a go with the Lions, but I don’t like that their coming back to life is a omen
for what’s to come. I don’t relish going
to war.”
At that, Bethie’s smile was wiped off her face. “I know, but I feel like we have more of a
chance now with the Lions back. Those
pods are going to hatch and we’re going to be in the thick of it; better for us
to have the greatest weapons in the Alliance than not.”
The shuttle landed
and their discussion was pushed aside as Jordan came running out of the doors
before they had fully opened. She
laughed as she threw her arms around her cousin. Jack grinned and shook his head at them as
Matt followed in Jordan’s wake, but more subdued.
“Welcome back, Matty,” Jack said to his cousin.
“Good to be off
that ship and planetside,” Matt said with a smile as
they hugged.
Jordan and Bethie
finally let go of each other and Jordan turned her attention to Jack. When she was nine, she was sure she was going
to marry him and told everyone she knew, much to his embarrassment. Fortunately, she got over it and even though
she still flirted with him whenever she could, it was only to make him
uncomfortable. For some reason, he
couldn’t seem to come up with any good replies when she turned on the
charm. She was probably one of the few
women who could unnerve him and she loved it.
“Still a load of
trouble I see,” she teased, hugging him.
“Why else would I
be flying the Red?” he returned with a quirky smile.
“You look taller,
Matt,” Bethie said, appraising the younger man.
Matt was as tall as
his father but had the same build as the Branegan
side of the family. He and Jack could
easily be brothers but when he grinned it was Hunk’s.
“I’m hoping I’m
done because my uniform is perfect right now,” he said, looking down at himself
as if to check.
“Mom’s waiting for
us in Castle Control,” Bethie said. “I
don’t think we want to keep her waiting any longer. She’s been on the edge of her seat since we
call you all back home.”
“How’s your dad
holding up?” Jordan asked.
“Quiet,” Bethie
said, frowning slightly. “And that
worries me.”
“I think he just
needs to get used to the idea that it’ll be us and not them in the Lions now,”
Jack suggested.
They were coming
down the hall when Alana was turning the corner. She smiled broadly when she saw them and
hugged her cousin and Matt in greeting.
“Mom sent me out to
look for you,” she said.
“I told you,”
Bethie said with a smirk.
The five of them
entered Castle Control and found only Allura and Keith there. For now, the resurrection of Voltron was being kept under wraps from everyone in the
castle, including Skech. If he was suspicious as to the heightened
activity in Castle Control that did not involve him, he kept his mouth shut and
did not ask questions. So far, the news
media kept their attention on the pods and the activity in the Senate, so they
were able to prepare themselves in peace.
But now, with the arrival of three IAF, soon four, officers the buzz
would start. They had decided that in a
day or two, they would release a statement about Voltron’s
return.
After greeting the
two newcomers, they got down to business.
“You all know why
you’re here,” Allura began as they settled into various positions around the
room. She paced in a circle so that she
could look them in the face, to emphasize her words. “I am going to tell you right now that any
expectations you may have about piloting the Lions should be left at the
door. I know you have been raised on
stories about Voltron and the Lions, and it is an
amazing ride, but most of it will be hard work.
You are carrying a larger responsibility on your shoulders now. Not only are you representing IAF interests,
but now you have to consider the Arusian people. Above all else, Voltron
is to be used for the defense of Arus. Voltron has never
been used for aggressive means and it will never be, as long as I’m around.”
“We’re going to run
this team with strict discipline,” Keith said sternly. “The second you put the uniform on, I am not
your uncle, or your father…I am your commander and you’re going to do as I
say. You become the Voltron
Force and you’re going to act in a manner that is appropriate to the role. The Lions are the most powerful weapons we
have against whatever is coming at us and you’re going to be controlling
them. That means a great deal of
responsibility is going to rest on your shoulders and you’re going to be faced
with situations you’d only heard about.
If you don’t feel you’re up to it, say so now.”
He was not
surprised that none of them said a word.
They stared at him, wide-eyed and he was satisfied with their
reaction. If he put the fear of Riaru in them, he did his job.
“Good,” Allura
said. “You’re going to start training
early tomorrow morning. If I were you,
I’d get some rest.”
“Here are your
keys,” Keith said with a small smile.
Bethie got the
Black, Jack the Red, Matt the Yellow, and Jordan the Green. They stared at the keys reverently.
“I hate to point
out the obvious, Aunt Allura, but where’s the fifth pilot?” Jordan asked when
she raised her eyes.
Keith and Allura
glanced at each other.
“He’s on his way,”
Allura answered.
Bethie rose from
bed, fully dressed. On silent feet, she
stole out into the corridor and went out in the garden. The moon was full and she found her way
easily.
Skech was already waiting for her when she
reached the one corner of the garden that the cameras did not cover. Smiling, she went into his arms and their
lips found each other unerringly. They
met as often as they could but they were always careful with when and
where. Skech
hated having to sneak around and so did she, but she could not convince him to
tell her parents about their romance, citing their age difference. Fifteen years was not something to scoff at
and she had a hard time convincing even herself that her parents would accept
it. They may respect Skech
as an aide, but it would be a stretch to equate that to a suitor for their
daughter. Bethie was not by nature a
foolish woman, but when it came to him, she sometimes forgot to think. She couldn’t remember a time when she did not
love him and when he finally saw her as a woman, she had grasped at the
chance. He had fought her off for as
long as he could but eventually, he could not deny his feelings either. For the last year, they had been meeting in various
places, but the garden was one of their favorites.
“You’ve been busy,”
he said, running a hand through her hair.
“I’ve missed you, Elisabeth.”
“I know, I’m
sorry,” she said, resting her head against his chest. “Dad’s been keeping me on my toes.”
He knew better than
to ask about what they were doing and Bethie was not going to betray her
parents’ trust any more than she already had.
They moved to the bench and sat close together. In low voices, they discussed their days,
their thoughts, and everything under the sun.
“I’m going to ask
your father to let me join the rank and file,” he said suddenly.
Bethie froze. “What?
Why would you do that?”
“I’m a soldier,” he
said gently, caressing her face. “As
much as I enjoy being your father’s aide, I need to be out there with my
brothers.”
“And sisters,” she
muttered.
Skech smiled, his arms tightening around her. “Naturally.”
Bethie tilted her
face up so that she could meet his eyes.
“Don’t act too hastily. The army
might not even be deployed if all that happens to be in those pods is air.”
“You know as well
as I do that that’s pretty unlikely.
Even if those pods are decoys, we still need to get into a state of
preparedness.”
She sighed. “I had to fall in love with an honorable
man.”
He kissed her
head. “You fell in love with the whole
package.”
Their lips met
again and as usual, heat flared between them fast and sure. Bethie’s hand found
the open neck of his shirt and dipped in to touch his warm skin.
“Not out here,” he
murmured against her lips.
She smiled against
his kiss as his hands began to wander.
She didn’t have to answer him.
He’d already convinced himself.
