Arus: The Castle of Lions
Keith contacted Coran on Planet Arus,and this time his transmission was in realtime, not delayed. He was able to speak to him directly. Keith had some shocking news from Chip that he wanted him to know.
Coran, R'issa and Prince Bandor sat in the rec room drinking their morning coffee when the comm signal for Alfor's Code beeped. Coran went to get it.
He said, "It's Keith!Thank the heavens!"
Bandor and R'issa jumped up and joined Coran at the communications terminal.
Coran said to them, "It's going to be audio only, so here we go.Keith! Are you two all right?"
Keith's voice came over the com, "Yes, Coran, we're fine..but guess who we ran into down here..Chip! You know, Pidge's brother! He's heading a slave resistance..and don't ask me how he got here..it's a long story.."
Coran smiled slightly and then he frowned. He had bad news to give Keith.
"Keith, I don't know how to tell you this...we received a message from Allura last night...Zarkon found them and killed Lotor." Coran choked a little and continued, "Some hours later,we received official notification that the marriage had-been-consumated. I also received an invitation.."
Keith broke in, "Wait, Allura?.... invitation--?"
Coran faltered on, "Yes, an invitation to a ball to be held in Allura's honor on Doom a week from Friday. I and my wife are required to attend under threat of Arus'destruction."
Keith broke in again, "That's the news I was going to tell you, Coran! Chip thinks that the ball might the perfect way to free Doom and get Allura back...we wanted to discuss it with you and make some plans.."
Coran ran his hands through his hair and said, "Yes, Prince Bandor and I were discussing the same thing. We are definitely going to get Allura back. This ball may be perfect...Zarkon thinks he has everything under his control now, and his guard will be down. I'm sure he is inviting me to gloat over his victory..."
Keith said, "We thought so too, Coran. Chip has connections to some Doom officers who are sympathetic over our cause, and many slaves from Arus work in the palace. When Allura gets back, we can make contact with her, and let her know what's going on."
Coran asked, "And what about you and Kate?"
Keith replied, "We are going to let them capture us again-the night of the ball."
Coran exclaimed, "What, you're crazy!"
Keith laughed, "Crazy like a fox...look if we get captured the night of the ball, it will distract Zarkon even more. You know that he will gloat over us in the palace before he does anything with us. The only thing we'll need are some more outside people, Chip's in...."
Bandor interrupted, "Count me in, Keith!" Keith laughed again, "Way to go, Bandor! You're in! Hey, Coran, go to the ball-let him think he had won...then when we get Garrison and Alliance forces together on them, you can get Allura out."
Coran nodded, and said, "It sounds like a good plan. We have no choice but to go anyhow. Keith, keep in constant contact with us and we will also contact you to fine tune the plan. Please, Keith, be careful."
Keith replied, "We will, Coran-keep cool-we'll get Allura back. Akira out."
Coran leaned back in the chair as R'issa obligingly rubbed his shoulders. He said, "I never thought I'd be invitied to a party at Zarkon's--lucky me!" The others laughed and then Coran added somberly, "Let's hope we can all get out of this one alive.
Well, Bandor, I guess we should get Pidge and Hunk-it's time to try out the shields!" Coran got up, kissed R'issa and he and Bandor went down the hall, filled with determination and renewed hope.
On board Soneyna's Ship; enroute to Planet Arus..
The sensor array on Soneyna's ship beeped signaling that they would be approaching the planet Arus in 1 clizh. (roughly 1 hour)
Lotor was impressed, the ship actually made it off the ground! It performed better than it looked.
Soneyna leaned back in the co-pilot's chair and gave him an I-told-you-so look. Lotor thought that sometimes she acted so much like Hagar it was spooky. Lotor again thought about Allura and his father. The anger burned inside of him. He wanted to just end his miserable father's life - cut it off completely.
It would feel good to be rid of him. But Sonenya had warned him and he knew that if he challenged his father, he would be dead, and Allura would never be free.
Sonenya seemed to know his troubling thoughts and said, "Son of Z'aale, would you like to know how Allura became a 'lost' Sister?"
Lotor gave her a look, sighed and said, "Why not? We've nothing better to do..."
Sonenya gave him a mock-seductive look and said, "Well, I don't know about that, my young pleasure-slave! There is always the sleep chamber in the back."
Upon seeing the shocked look on his face, Sonenya laughed and said, "Paybacks are hell, aren't they, D'aavid? Now you know how the other person feels--you do the same thing to Allura,my boy--of course, sometimes the things you say do make her laugh."
Lotor was suprised, "I didn't know that."
Sonenya said with a smile, "There's a lot of things you don't know about the girl you love, D'aavid....now, let me tell the story about Alford and Allureaa'...
Around a hundred years ago, in the time of your great-grandfather, D'antayan was a planet inhabited by the Sisters and the Warlocks. There had always been more Sisters than Warlocks, however, the Warlocks, with their power, had a tendency to be cruel to the Sisters, sell them into slavery and the like. They ruled over the Sisters-infighting amongest themselves until the warlock Ave'nngr came to power. He was a warlock of the Black Arts and was very powerful. He consolidated all the warlocks into one faction, ruling over the Sisters. They put them in slavery if they refused their rules.
The bewitchers were especially at risk for slavery on the pleasure planets-for they could be whatever any man desired. A high premium was paid on these women. In fact, there are decendants of those bewitchers on the various pleasure planets in this system. Anyway, back to my story - one Sister who was a powerful and beautiful bewitcher was Allureaa'.She looked much like your Allura, D'aavid.
She resisted Ave'nngr's rule and hid in the mountain ranges of Twk'aa to elude capture. However, Ave'nngr heard of her great beauty and power and intended to capture her himself and sell her into slavery to one of the pleasure planets.
However, he changed his mind when he discovered her in the woods of the mountains bathing in a stream. He fell in love with her glamour and her beauty and wanted her for himself to produce a strong warlock heir. Using a Black Spell, he captured her and made her his Queen. She willingly stayed with him under the spell and Ave'nngr was pleased, for he enjoyed her passion. But Allureaa' hated him. She became pregnant with his child, and she delivered him a son. It was too soon to tell if the son would be a powerful warlock or not, but Ave'nngr was pleased.
A few months after his birth, Allureaa' took her son and ran away from D'antayan, trying to get as far away as possible. She had hoped that if she were away from hAve'nngr's influence, she could defeat him somehow. Ave'nngr followed and shot her ship down over Arus, where it crashed in the woods behind the ancient Castle. Allureaa' was able to save the ship using her powers to shield it. She was not seriously hurt, but she was unconcious when she landed.
Ave'nngr landed behind her and went to her ship. He had planned to kill her and take his son, but instead, even in her sleep, her beauty called to him, bewitching him, and so he raped her. She did not awake through this, or perhaps she was and only pretended. He could not kill her. Ave'nngr left her there, thinking that she would be no bother to him on the far planet,and he had his son. He left for D'antayan and never returned.
When Allureaa' awoke, she was in the castle of King Alford, the ruler of Arus. He had found her in her ship and carried her to safety. Allureaa' knew that Ave'nngr had her son, and she also knew that he had had his way with her. She looked upon the handsome king and thought that perhaps he would make a good mate for her, for she knew she did not want to go back to D'antayan.
She and King Alford fell in love-quite naturally, I might add, and shortly after that fateful day, they were married. Immediately, Allureaa' became pregnant-or rather she had been pregnant when she married. She never told Alford of the rape, and eight months later, a son was born who looked like her, except he had hair the color of chestnut brown. Allureaa' never told anyone that she was a Sister, and never let on that their son was a warlock. (He had shown the ability very young) This boy, their only son, was King Alfor's father, Garwin. It was he that had started the idea of Voltron, and the construction of the metallic castle.
Meanwhile, on D'antayan, the remaining Sisters revolted against the slavery. The bewitchers banded together seduced the warlock overlords and killed them. Of course, there was widespead chaos. When Ave'nngr came back, he tried to restore order but was killed by a fellow Black Sister named Elya. Elya took his son, now named Bran'donn and hid him, teaching him the Black Arts, however, Bran'donn never had the power his father or mother had-this warlock eventually mated with a Terran woman from somewhere and produced a son named Zandaan-who by the way, eventually met your father, Z'aale and helped him come to power. It was my sister, Ch'enuya who killed Zandaan.
This is why we shield our world from the Outworlders, and why we kill our warlocks-because they have the mindset of evil.
Of course, Garwin and Alfor were unusual, they had the heart of their mother and grandmother, and not the evil heart of the warlocks. They were good men who lived under the shadow of evil.
Your Allura does too-she lives under the shadow of evil-and yet she is untouched by it. But that is the attraction theat holds your father to her--he had never seen her like.
Lotor said quietly, "That is amazing, Sonenya, but it's hard to believe."
Sonenya smiled, "Believe or not, D'aavid, it is true-you will have to guard her, for she cannot control her glamour. Any man-except one who loves her as a father or brother can become enamoured of her.
But know this, D'aavid,you are the one she loves, though in the past, you used your father's ways to claim her. Even now, she loves you, remember that."
The navigator sensor suddenly beeped, interrupting her. Lotor looked upon the small viewscreen and said, "We're entering Arus space, Sonenya,I'm going to transmit our signal."
Sonenya looked startled "Signal? Oh son-of-a m'annatha!"
Lotor looked at her and said, "What do you mean by that, Sonenya?"
Sonenya looked sheepish, "The transmitter's gone to hell-you can try it but the signal will break up-I had ordered the parts for it but they won't be in till Tuesday."
Lotor cursed under his breath and grabbed the transmitter. "Castle Control, This is Sister's Folly...this is Prince Lotor speaking...we need permission to land..over....." Sonenya looked over on her screen,
"My sensors are indicate a sheild around Planet Arus."
Lotor spat back, "Arus doesn't have a shield! You must be mistaken---"
WHOOM!!
The ship rocked, as if it hit something hard. Lotor looked over the controls. "Damn! The aft stabilizers are out! What the hell did we hit?
Sonenya picked herself off the floor, grumbling about cheap seat belts and said, "I told you! They've got shields! Better hope the armour holds out!"
Sonenya rushed to her chair, trying to compensate. The ship was hurtling downwards in the shield again out of control. Lotor was steering, trying to keep the ship up, and yelling into the transmitter.. It didn't look good.
Castle Control...Coran: Distress Signal
"Castle....(static) trol...This is Sister's Fo(hiss, crackle) permission to land...(hiss)is Prince..(hiss, crackle) mayday! Lower your shields! (crackle)our ship will (crackle)...Prime Minist...(crackle)...Coran...do you(crackle)..."
Coran had a sudden memory of Lida, of how she crashed on Arus. He had a feeling he had better let this ship land. He yelled into the comm, "Donnelly, tell the techs to lower the sheilds immediately! Now!"
The shields were lowered, and the ship kept plummeting downward, although it looked as though the pilot was trying to compensate.
The ship crashed, amazingly, almost at the spot where Lida had landed twenty years ago. Coran and Baile Gorma ran out with the security forces to get to the ship. The ship wasn't heavily damaged, but the occupants were unconscious with some minor injuries.
The woman no one recognized, but the man-the man was Prince Lotor,in the uniform of a slave. Coran was shocked-and then even more so when Baile Gorma showed him the unmistakable and unreproducable mark of the slave of Zarkon.
Rise Into The Abyss: The Interlude