Interlude:

The Occupation

The soldiers and officers ran rampant upon Arus, destroying property, stealing, and in general, doing the things that normal occupying armies do.

Many people ran to the caves, as they had during the attacks of years ago, but many of them were buried alive when Doom destroyers came and blasted holes through the surface. The Castle of Lions was no refuge - not as it had been in the past. There,troops had taken control of it and had rounded up most of the castle personnel - including Dr. Gorma and his patient, Keith Akira. Under Amalgamus' instructions, Dr. Gorma and Akira were to be taken to Doom pending a ready reslift table (a life support system) for Akira.

It was Zarkon's command that Akira remain alive for the moment and Dr. Gorma to continue to care for his patient. Gorma was tempted to just kill both himself and Keith, but his oath to save lives still bound him. He could not do it. He suspected that he and Akira would be used to coerce the princess somehow. He believed as Coran did, that the princess was still alive and on Doom. He knew that Coran was already there. Gorma had seen him taken, and had tried to stop the officers, but he was deterred by one of them aiming his laserrifle at Keith's head.

For Dr. Gorma, the occupation was of death and destruction - of hopes dying in the dust. No Voltron now..only Doom and slavery.In the rebuilt cities, of course panic was rampant. People fleeing, trying to get off planet, trying to get anywhere were all about. Children and parents were separated, lost, and this time there was no Voltron to save them.

Women were raped, taken as slaves along with the men, herded onto the waiting ships like so much cattle. The smell of death and burning were in the air, where once the scent of flowers prevailed.

Rumors ran rampant regarding what happened to the Princess and Coran, their prime minister. There was speculation that they were on Doom, awaiting execution. Of course, later, many of these self-same slaves of Arus would be paraded in front of King Zarkon, and they would know first hand. Their world was in shambles.

Fires broke out as Doom and Alliance ships fired upon structures - many with people in them - incinerated alive. Dead bodies were in the streets, their eyes opened, seeing nothing but the blue sky above them. The sun still shone beautifully despite the weeping of the people and the crack of the whip upon their backs.

Not all the people were not taken as slaves though. There were many left behind. They would be a work force - basically slaves but on their home planet. For now, occupational troops would be about the planet, stationed in key cities to keep the remaining populace under control. They would be demoralized first and then starved. They would be more pliable then.

One scene that many on the isle of Atair would never forget was their Queen, Orla, rallying her small army to battle against the Doom invaders. Of course, it had been futile - like ants battling a giant. But for awhile, there had been a hope - for Orla was Allura's aunt. If the princess had been killed, then it would be Orla's place to rule Arus. But that wasn't to be. Orla's army had been slaughtered, and Orla's fate was like any other woman caught in war.

However, rather than become a plaything for the officers, she killed herself with an officer's forgotten weapon. Of course, the officer had been killed outright for his negligence and Orla was beheaded and her head placed upon a pike for all the people of her island to see as they filed into the waiting slave ships. Her people wept in despair and mourning as they filed into the ships. For many children and adults, their sleep ( what little they would recieve) would be haunted by nightmares of their ordeal for however many months or years they were allotted.

BOOK FIVE: Let The Fun Begin!
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