Allura mindlessly stirred her morning tea from a chair she had placed in the far corner of her darkened room.

The sun had risen hours ago, but the steel shades were drawn, rendering the room on the verge of very dark. Allura didn’t think to mind. In fact, two minutes after Nanny had come in and opened the blinds, Allura drew them shut. She didn’t want to be reminded that it was morning.

The pale-skinned Princess had yet to ready herself for the day. Donning her pink nightgown despite not having worn it the night before, she had only just noticed that it was on inside-out. She hoped that Nanny hadn’t noticed at all.

Last night…

It had all seemed a dream. He left her bed not five hours ago, and she already missed him dreadfully.

She feigned sleep when he rose, and as he dressed, Allura thought several times of trying to stop him. Maybe she should have tried to convince him to stay. After all, that would have been the smart thing to do. But she didn’t stop him; she didn’t say anything. He kissed her cheek and climbed through the unlocked window. She let him go without so much as a word - back into the arms of the enemy.

Allura lay awake for hours, wondering why she hadn’t called for help. Why hadn’t she listened to the voice of reason and called out for someone to come and grab him before he could leave? She could analyze it forever, and yet she knew that there was not one answer, but many.

She took a small sip of her tea and rested her head back against the high-backed chair.

She easily recalled the way he moved, how he looked into her eyes as they made love, how he whispered to her so sweetly. She could still smell him on her skin and feel his hands on her thighs and waist. The emotion there was real. It had to have been.

Perhaps it was blind, hopeful desire, but she could have sworn that the man who shared her bed last night was the same one who she’d known these past three years. But it couldn’t have been. After all, he did leave. Maybe in her wishful heart, she wanted him to stay of his own will, not because he was forced to by men with guns. Maybe that was why she hadn’t called out.

But she barely had time for such thoughts now. Sven and Lance were on their way to Nebus, if they weren’t already there. She only hoped that Keith would still be there as the coded message had indicated. But he might not be. After all, it’s a distance back to Doom and then another three hours to Nebus. Hopefully he made it back before he was missed. Hopefully Lance and Sven weren’t walking into a trap. And what if Zarkon found that Keith was missing last night? What if…

She hadn’t time to think about that now. She had to pull herself together and get to the control room to wait for news of Sven and Lance. She didn’t have time to pick apart the endless scenarios that ran rampant in her head. And anyway, Keith was too smart to get caught if he didn’t want to. Way too clever.

Reluctantly, Allura put down her tea and headed for the washroom.

The mighty King Zarkon sat comfortably in the captain’s chair aboard his flag ship currently orbiting the tiny desert planet of Nebus. Although the control room was filled with Doom pilots and soldiers, there was a heavy silence permeating throughout save for the usual mechanical hums and buzzes of the ship. King Zarkon liked it quite so he could think.

Zarkon had known better moods than the one he was in today. After all, this wasn’t what he had in mind to be doing this morning. But after last night, he didn’t have much choice.

He had to give the Commander kudos; he was a lot more clever than he’d initially given him credit for. How he got off the planet was beyond whatever Zarkon could come up with. There was a quadruple security system on the docking bay, and even then, someone would have had to manually turn off the sensors in order to deactivate the alarms. Only when the Commander re-entered Doom airspace this morning was he detected, and only then, were they able to retrace his route. Arus. He’d been to Arus. But for what was the question that currently plagued the Great King. And why did he come back? He could’ve stayed. Most likely he was probably further along in the addiction than initially thought. But if that was the case, what business did he have on Arus in the first place?

Zarkon was too smart to think that it was a military operation on behalf of the Doom agenda. For the time being, the Commander still had vivid enough memories of his past, and some part of him was still sympathetic to his friends and their cause. He would still remember his place among them.

One thing was certain; if he had gone to see any number of them for any conceivable reason, he wouldn’t have made it back. Then again, perhaps he didn’t go to see them, but merely one of them.

An evil grin spread across the King’s wrinkled face. If that was the case, the Princess Allura and her pitiful little planet would soon be his. He would have the Commander right where he wanted him, and the galaxy would soon fall thereafter. Voltron would finally be his to do with as he pleased.

But for now, Zarkon had to make sure that things were proceeding as planned. He needed to see how far along the Commander was in the transition. Initially, Zarkon trusted that Lotor would oversee the operation, but after remembering that Lotor was a complete numbskull, he decided to come himself. And considering what had happened last night, it was the only option.

Doom soldiers had been monitoring the approaching Red Lion for some time now.

What fools to fall into my trap!

The coded message that he’d sent to the Castle of Lions only two short days ago had drawn them out of their little shell, just as he’d planned. They might be expecting a trap, but they would be hopeful. After all, they were trying to save their friend. If the Voltron force had a weakness, it would be their dreary concern for one another. It was nauseating how much value they put on each other.

“My King, the Red Lion has entered the atmosphere.”

“Good. Prepare a shuttle to the surface.”

Zarkon stood, and after a languorous stretch, he practically skipped to the docking bay.

Keith stepped from the air conditioned confines of the Doom cruiser into the flaming hot winds of the desert planet Nebus. There were two seasons on Nebus - hot and really hot. Its twin suns were bright enough to blind a man and hot enough to kill him. Keith squinted from the white, scorching rays that penetrated his perpetually dilated pupils. After only a week, he had become accustomed to the constant dim, gray hue of the Doom sky. Somehow, he had almost forgotten how beautiful a blue sky could be. For a moment, it seemed to remind him of something, although he couldn’t remember what.

Trying to shield the sun with his arm, he surveyed the Nebulian terrain. The countryside was barren, save for the mining colony that thrived atop one of the galaxy’s largest lazon reserves. It was a wonder to Keith how the slaves could manage to work under such harsh conditions. Simply standing there, his palate was dry from thirst. Hopefully, the officers’ quarters would be equipped for comfort because this was almost unbearable.

Just as he was about to step down from the landing platform, he was pushed aside by someone exiting the ship from behind. He scowled in the direction of the tall, white-haired figure now walking toward the operation’s headquarters. The faster he disposed of Lotor, the better. He didn’t need a babysitter on this mission. In fact, Lotor would probably just get in his way. Keith would have to make certain to do an exceptional job to prove that he could be trusted. Perhaps then Lotor could finally be eliminated.

Suddenly remembering a previous conversation with Zarkon, Keith smiled. If he did a good job on this mission, Zarkon had promised him something else. A vision of her clouded his brain, and he felt a pleasant sensation come over his already heated body. Hopefully, the Princess would come to him willingly. She might, if only she would open her mind to understand the true meaning of Zarkon’s vision. Only now did Keith fully comprehend the grand scheme to bring order to a chaotic universe. Soon, the others would learn too…or die from their ignorance. How small his mind used to think, but there was no time to dwell on the past. There was work to be done in the name of the Doom empire. Keith took a deep, choking breath on the Nebulian desert air and headed for the officers’ quarters.

“Well? What are you all standing around for? We all have a job to do, so let’s get on it!”

The dozen or so Doom officers that had just been standing around the main consul paused to consider the order from their new commander before scattering about to their designated areas. Only Lotor remained behind in the main control center, engaged in looking over the schematics of the mining colony on a large monitor.

“You know, Lotor? It’s no wonder you never managed to conquer Arus. You have no idea how to be a leader.”

Lotor made no attempt to respond.

Keith moved up next to him. “Actually, we should just bury the hatchet if we’re to get along. After all, I really don’t want my first officer to dislike me.”

Lotor barely turned his attention from the screen. “Captain Keith, I think it would be best if we get this over with, because I’m likely to break your neck with my bare hands if you’re not out of my sight very, very soon.”

Now that Keith was successful in getting a reaction, he moved in closer. “Does this animosity have anything to do with the Princess? Because if it does, there’s no need to be jealous. I’m sure we’ll all be good friends. In fact, we might even name our first son after you.”

Lotor dropped what he was doing and headed for the door without a word.

“Good, at least now I can get some work done.”

As he neared the exit, Lotor stopped and turned abruptly. For the first time that week, he favored Keith with his nearly famous, cocky grin. “Captain, I know what you did to her. Rather, what you almost did to her. I should actually be thanking you because now, I’m quite sure that she’ll seek out the comfort of someone else for a change. And I’ll be right there to pick up the pieces of her little broken heart.”

Keith returned Lotor’s cool stare. “What do you mean, ‘what I almost did to her’?” A big part of him wanted to tell Lotor all about what happened the night before, but it was much more satisfying to keep that little secret to himself for a while. And after all, Allura was a lady; he wouldn’t want to show her any disrespect.

Lotor took a step forward. “By the time I’m done with her, she won’t even shed a tear at your funeral.”

“I hate to throw this in your face, Lotor, but the Princess happens to have feelings for me.”

“Well, if she did, she doesn’t any more. You took care of that yourself. Thanks, by the way.”

Keith smiled inwardly. Just the simple memory of her in his arms last night was enough retort to any comment that Lotor could make.

The lack of reaction infuriated Lotor. How dare he be ignored. “I will have her, Captain, and if she can’t get you out of that pretty little head of hers, I’ll be sure to send you what’s left in a cheap trash bag.”

Keith turned cold, every bit of cocky arrogance now gone from his countenance. “Are you threatening her life? Because if you are, I’ll kill you right here, right now.”

Lotor turned and pressed the release button for the exit door.

Keith took an angry step toward the door. “I’m not finished with you yet!”

Grinned to himself, he threw a side-long glance over his shoulder. “I assure you, Captain, we’ll have our day. And that is a promise.”

The door closed behind him.

Keith didn’t ponder the exchange very long. There was work to be done. Besides, Lotor would get his due soon enough. Keith shrugged it off and turned to study the compound schematics that the ornery Prince had been examining. Unfortunately, he was so entirely consumed by his rapid thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the faint noise behind him until it was too late.

He felt a hard, blunt object push firmly into the small of his back. “Hands in the air.”

He didn’t comply.

“Now!”

Keith didn’t need to turn around. He instantly knew the voice to be that of his former teammate, his former friend. He reluctantly obliged the command, only because he new better than to test his half-cocked, former first officer.

“Lance, nice of you to drop by.”

“It’s time to go home, Keith. Just relax, and we’ll get out of here.”

Keith only laughed. “My good friend, how small your mind works. I’m not going anywhere.”

The voice was the same, but the words were those of a stranger. Lance fought the urge to be put off his guard, because that’s what Keith would be counting on. He simply went about disarming the stranger before him. “Let’s see - you always carry a weapon in your right boot and one…behind your back.” True to form, Keith was littered with blasters.

“Lance, because you’re my friend, I’ll allow you to leave without incident.”

Lance ignored the comment. He pulled his com link from his pocket and hailed it. “I’ve got him - get ready to go.”

“Nice little operation rescue you have going here, old friend, but I’m afraid that you won’t get off this planet. You see, it has a nice, little protective barrier around it that can’t be crossed unless you know the correct frequency.”

Lance hoped that Keith was bluffing, but Keith rarely bluffed. They had been in such a rush to leave Arus that he hadn’t completely familiarized himself with the security measures of Nebus. He figured that a remote, desert planet would barely be equipped with a defense system, much less a one-way defensive barrier.

“Like a fly in a spider’s web, my friend. You can get into the atmosphere, but you can’t get out. A technological Hotel California, if you will,” he added with amusement. “I’m getting the feeling that you might be in some immediate danger.”

It couldn’t be, but it was. The whole thing had been a set up. A trap, and they had fallen right into it.

Keith slowly turned around to meet a face that now seemed unfamiliar to him. His head was full of the memory of him, but those memories no longer had meaning. They seemed so long ago, as if they had never really been a reality to begin with.

“Because we were once friends, I will extend to you the opportunity to leave before someone finds you, and I suggest you take it. The frequency to penetrate the barrier is 987.9 megahertz. I suggest you get out of here, Lance…before the calvary busts through that door.”

“Keith, come with us. We can help you. No one blames you for what’s been happening. It could’ve happened to anyone. Keith, Allura needs you. She’s been wrecked with worry over you being gone.”

Lance noticed that the mention of Allura seemed to give Keith pause. For an instant, he thought he saw something of his old friend, but it faded quickly.

“Go home, Lance.”

Lance became frantic. It was a trap, and surely they had spotted the lion on approach and were looking for it, along with its occupants. He was quickly running out of time.

Lance held his gun steadfast and double checked that the setting was on stun. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but if Keith wouldn’t go peacefully.

“I’m sorry, buddy, but this is for your own good.”

Suddenly, a large blast from one of the nearby mines caused a nearly deafening boom. Lance was only distracted for a moment, but a moment was all a man like Keith needed. Almost instantly, he had snatched the blaster from his other boot and had it aimed precisely between the eyes of his target. Lance stood his ground, and the two faced each other in stand off that one would only expect to see in some sort of alternate universe.

Seconds dragged before one of them finally spoke. “You can’t win, Lance.”

Lance blinked away a bead of perspiration that had dripped into his eye. “I promised Allura on my life that I would bring you back, and it’s a promise I intend to keep. We’re both going back, or neither of us will see another sunrise. Do you understand me, Captain?”

Keith felt his composure starting to fail. The situation seemed strange for some reason, but he couldn’t let himself be distracted by it now. “I will kill you, Lance….if I have to.”

“You won’t have to.” At that, Lance glanced over Keith’s shoulder to the doorway behind him.

There was someone behind him, and Keith’s attention instinctively moved in that direction.

Lance took the opportunity. He winced, but only for a fraction of a second as he pulled the trigger. Keith dropped to the floor with heavy thud, his gun sliding across the hard floor, coming to stop at the feet of the man in the doorway.

“How did you know I needed help in here?”

“You left your com link on,” Sven replied, still surveying the situation. After a pause, he sighed. “This is very, very strange.”

Lance could only nod in agreement. “Let’s get out of here before we have bigger problems. They know we’re here, and it’s only a matter of seconds before they figure out that we’re right under their noses.”

He walked over to his motionless friend on the floor and crouched beside him. Lance couldn’t help but notice how pale his face was. The only color in his complexion seemed to be that of two dark circles under his eyes. He looked very, very tired. “It’ll be alright, buddy.”

Sven came up beside them and forced aside his own disturbing thoughts. “Lance, let’s go.” He bent down and carefully picked up his former commander, placing him over his shoulder with seemingly minimal effort.

They headed down the corridor that would lead back into the hot Nebulian air and the lion they had hidden almost two kilometers from their current location.

At the exit, Lance pressed the switch that would open the automatic door. A blast of hot air met him in the face like an oven just opened, and his sun-blinded eyes instantly began to water. Quickly, they ventured into the white light, not even noticing the dark figure that stood before them.

But almost instantly, it emerged from the blinding rays of the hot, hot sun. A sudden panic filled Lance that stopped him dead in his tracks. Zarkon!

Sven stumbled backward, and Lance instinctively moved in front of them. It looked as though he would have to fulfill his promise to the Princess after all.

“Get going, Sven.”

Zarkon took an easy step forward and addressed Sven directly. “Lieutenant, I suggest that you put Commander Keith down.”

As if on cue, what must have been thirty squadrons of Doom soldiers appeared from no where, blasters ready and all pointed in their direction.

Lance didn’t bother to raise his weapon. It would have been a futile effort.

He’d rather perish from a bad case of the clap rather than die at the hands of Zarkon, but the Fates had never been kind to him. He was going to die right here, and Zarkon will have succeeded in killing his entire family. And what was worse, he wouldn’t die alone.

Sven hesitated, but he finally relinquished defeat and eased Keith gently to the ground.

Sven and Lance both stood steadfast to meet their fate with honor.

The Great King took on a strange expression of curiosity as he studied the two men. “Surely you knew this was a trap.”

Neither Lance or Sven gave response.

“But still you came. Stupid of you. Admirable, but stupid.”

Lance could now see another familiar figure in the distance. Lotor stood a distance away, his back leaning against the wall of the building from which they’d just come, a definite look of contempt plastered on his face.

“What are you waiting for, Zarkon?” Lance stated flatly.

The large King turned his back and took a couple small steps toward his troops. He stood there for more than a few minutes before turning around.

“You’re a cocky son of a bitch, aren’t you?”

“I try,” was the predictable reply.

Zarkon smiled. “It’s difficult to dislike you, Lieutenant. You remind me so much of myself when I was your age.”

Lance wanted nothing more than to pummel him, but he didn’t. Zarkon wanted a reaction, so he wasn’t going to give him one. For once in his life, Lance kept quiet.

Zarkon took two large paces to stand tall above the stoic Lieutenant, and Lance could barely keep from flinching. After all, the king was easily a foot and a half taller than he was. But rage kept Lance from feeling anything but contempt.

Zarkon spoke slowly. “You and your little Irish friend here are free to go, but I don’t have to tell you that Commander Keith stays. However, there is one thing that you must do for me in return,” Zarkon added. “You must give your Princess a message from me. Tell her…tell her that she is always welcome in my house and that I look forward to seeing her again. Let her know that our next meeting will be under more pleasant circumstances. Yes, tell her that.”

Lance couldn’t believe his fucking ears. This was all just getting way too weird.

“Well, Lieutenant, you’d better get moving before I change my mind.”

Did Zarkon think that he was an idiot?

“Sure, we’ll turn around and start walking away so that you can shoot us from behind.”

“If I wanted you and your little Irish friend dead, I’d blow your fucking heads off and watch you bleed from your empty eye sockets.”

Sven stepped forward and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Lance. Now is not the time.” With that, Sven favored the king with a look born of what could have been pure evil. “He’ll get his soon enough.”

Leave. They didn’t have much of a choice. He would have time to think about what all this meant later. For now, Sven probably had the right idea. Now if only he could fight off the urge to spit in Zarkon’s face.

“Don’t forget to deliver my message, Lieutenant.”

With that, Zarkon turned his back and disappeared into the desert sands as if it had all been a mirage. But it wasn’t; the robot soldiers remained fixed and waiting for one of them to make a wrong move. Lance took one look at Keith, still lying in a heap on the hot ground, and started toward the ship.

For an instant, Lance almost wished that Zarkon would have killed him. It was better than going back without Keith. But as long as their was blood in his veins, he would try again…and again…and again, until he kept his promise to the Princess. And besides, he had one family member left, and he wasn’t about to give him up for anything.

Lance was so caught up in his own thoughts, he barely heard Sven talking to no one in particular.

“Irish? Do I look Irish? I’ll show that blue-faced, son of a bitch what Irish looks like…”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This entire situation was getting funnier by the minute.