The fleet of ships entered Polluxian atmosphere, and to those on the surface, it looked as if a large dark cloud was looming overhead. Leading the pack was Red Lion.

"Pollux Base Alpha, this is Red Lion checking in," Lance said.

"We're happy to see you, Red Lion. Nice of you to bring the cavalry."

"I always think ahead. We'll be landing shortly. Red Lion out."

Lance switched off the link and studied the readings on his screen. Lotor's fleet was staying steady, in position and in number. The Polluxian Forces were grouped together at the capital, awaiting reinforcements.

"How's it looking?" Keith's voice came through Lance's helmet speaker.

"Not too bad. I'll have the ground troops land and the rest will hover above. I figure that's challenge enough."

"Good."

Lance barked out orders, and slowly, they got into position. Lotor would be stupid not to notice the activity above Polluxa, and Lance wondered if he would make his move now.

He did.

"Attention Polluxian Forces," said the smooth baritone of the Doom Prince over the Red's speakers. "I am extending a warm welcome to your new visitors as well as the flag of peace. I do not wish to fight."

"WHAT??" Lance heard Keith and Allura say in unison.

"I have only stationed my troops here for lack of anywhere else to go." Lotor continued. "I understand that you must have imagined I was building up my forces to attack you, but this is not the case. In fact, I wanted to prevent any other invasions by my presence here. I would for you to send a representative to speak with me. We do have some matters to discuss."

Lotor severed communications and for a moment there was dead silence as everyone digested what he'd said.

"Vat de hell..." Sven muttered, breaking the silence. "All dat preparation for dis..."

Then everyone started talking at once. Lance took off his helmet, afraid his eardrums were going to burst, and he turned on the cockpit speakers instead.

"SHUT UP!" Allura ordered.

They shut up.

"Alright, Lance," she said, her voice grim. "You're going to meet with Lotor."

"Me?" Lance squeaked. "I'm no diplomat, Allura."

"No kidding," Keith agreed, sounding tired. "But you're the leader, Lance. This is your show, so you should do this."

Lance sighed. "You're right."

"Alderain will go with you," Allura said. "But you'll do the talking."

"Why?" Keith asked.

Their voices were suddenly cut off. Lance snickered, guessing that Keith had turned off the sound while they argued.

"What do you mean why?" Allura retorted. "Alderain is fully qualified to deal with Lotor and he can back Lance up if the need arises."

"Lance can handle this on his own," Keith argued. "If you send Alderain with him, it'll make him look incompetent and we don't want Lotor to think that."

They faced off, neither one unwilling to back down. Keith's dark eyes glittered with challenge but Allura's were hard with stubbornness. Coran looked from one to the other and rolled his eyes. He stood, stepping between them.

"Let Alderain accompany Lance there, but not to have him in the same room. He can go, perhaps, just as an escort rather than a secondary diplomat."

"Fine," Allura said through gritted teeth.

She was annoyed with Keith disagreeing with her. He'd gotten surly for some reason, especially with any mention of Alderain. Allura noticed that this behavior had started after she'd told him that the Prince was an official suitor. She still wondered if allowing Alderain to court her was due to a momentary lapse of sanity.

Shaking her head, she refocused on the issue at hand. Keith was telling Lance what was to be done, his voice tight with anger. He glanced at Allura from the corner of his eye as if sizing her up. She glared at him, but he only looked away. Lance signed off and prepared to meet Lotor.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Allura asked, looking at Coran though the question was really meant for Keith.

"Lance will be on his guard," Keith replied, not looking at her. "What could Lotor be up to?"

"Nothing good," Gwen muttered, standing nearby. Her brown eyes were worried. "Lance better watch his back."

Lance cleared his throat, fiddling with his earlobe. Alderain stood next to him, dressed in all his finery, and looked far calmer than Lance did. Forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths, the pilot of the Red Lion stepped up to the double metal doors of Lotor's private chambers. They slid open, and Lance could see the Doom Prince sitting behind a shiny black desk.

"Come in, Lieutenant Branegan," he greeted, standing.

Lance nodded, his resolve strengthening. Prince Alderain hung back and the doors slid shut, leaving Lance with Lotor. They eyed each other for a few moments, taking a quick inventory of each other.

Lotor was powerfully built, with a mane of wild white hair. Like most drules, he was blue-skinned and cat-eyed, and by their standards he was very handsome. Yet all Lance could see was the evil he represented. He had to fight the urge to unholster his blaster and start shooting.

"Please, take a seat," Lotor offered. ""I'm glad that you agreed to meet with me."

Lance sat across from Lotor. "The Polluxians do not want their home to become a battleground once again. I hope that you were sincere in offering your flag of peace."

"I was and still am," Lotor replied, leaning back in his seat and clasping his hands together. "I am as tired of fighting as I'm sure you and your comrades are. This war has to end somewhere and I want to it to start with me--with us, today. We can start peace negotiations as soon as possible, if your Princess so desires it."

"Forgive me for being blunt, Your Highness, but what exactly do you plan to do now? I am fairly certain that your father will not appreciate your gesture."

"I want to seek asylum within the Alliance. I offer you all the ships I have on Pollux and the men on them in exchange for a guarantee on my safety."

"That will be difficult to do..."

"The Alliance is no longer the weak organization that it was a decade ago. Hiding me within one of its many member planets will not be difficult."

A muscle worked in Lance's jaw and he looked, for all outward appearances, to be deep in thought. Lotor watched him closely, his eyes unblinking.

"What do you say, Lieutenant? I assume that you're given the authority to grant me what I wish. Time is of the essence."

"Your request is granted," Lance said. "But you understand that we will have to..."

"...place you under guard temporarily where you will be watched at all times," Keith said into a small microphone. "You will have to forgive our suspicious nature, but we must be sure that we can trust you. I hope you can understand, Your Highness."

He paced the length of the conference room, away from prying eyes. On the viewscreen, Lotor seemed to be looking right at him.

"I do understand and I will do all I can to earn the Alliance's trust. Thank you, Lieutenant," he said.

"No, thank you, Prince Lotor," Keith said.

"No, thank you, Prince Lotor," Lance repeated.

The image shifted as he stood. Lotor proffered a hand which he accepted and then Lance turned, walking towards the door.

"Good job, Lance," Keith said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Buddy," Lance answered quietly, his tone tinged with relief.

Alderain turned towards the door when he heard them open, half-afraid that Lotor would come running out, brandishing a blaster. He released a breath when he saw that it was only Lance.

"How did it go?" he asked as they were escorted back to their shuttle.

"Very well," Lance answered, pleased. He discreetly removed the earpiece that allowed him to hear Keith. Alderain didn't seem to notice the motion.

"I'm glad. I was not looking forward to this battle."

"I was," Lance admitted, shaking his head with disappointment. "But hey, peace isn't so bad--from what I can remember anyway."

"That was a quick talk."

"We said all that needed to be said. Don't worry though, I'm sure there'll be lots more talking soon."

Back on Arus, Keith turned off the microphone and came out of the conference room. Allura and Coran were at the command console, speaking to Lance and Alderain.

"Hey, Keith," Lance greeted, a twinkle in his eye. "I've decided to quit the Voltron Force and join the Alliance's diplomatic corps."

Keith chuckled. "Just remember that there's a two minute lag time between Earth and Arus."

They laughed, enjoying the bewildered glances of Coran, Allura, and Alderain. It had been Lance's idea to have Keith play puppeteer. He knew he wasn't much of a diplomat, but he also knew that it was necessary that he go, not Alderain. Hunk had provided the gadgets, a mere ten minutes before the planned meeting. Keith had his doubts, but they had pulled it off and he was relieved. However, aside from his veiled comment, no one else was to know about their scheme.

"As a gesture of good faith, we should send the troops back," Alderain suggested.

"All of them?" Allura asked doubtfully.

"That's too big a gesture," Keith argued. "Lotor isn't exactly the most trustworthy of individuals and this could just be a ploy for him to attack Pollux while they're headed back home."

"But we must at least show him that we want peace," Alderain argued. "Leaving all our troops on Pollux tells him that we don't expect anything to come out of his peace plan."

"It's a cease fire, not a peace plan," Keith shot back. "Not yet. Not until someone signs something."

"I didn't know you were such a cynic, Commander," Alderain sneered.

Before Keith could respond, Lance, seeing the dangerous gleam in Keith's eyes, interrupted. "I'll have half the troops stay here for a few days then when everything has been ironed out, we'll send for them back. Both of you are right."

Keith nodded. "Good plan, Lance. You decide who stays and who goes."

"Excellent idea, Lieutenant," Alderain said, refusing to be topped by Keith.

"You should definitely think about the diplomatic corps, Lance," Allura added wryly.

Back on Pollux, Lotor sat back in his seat, a satisfied expression on his face. He was pouring himself a goblet of red wine when the viewscreen perched on his desk suddenly came to life and Zarkon’s face filled the screen, his own expression thunderous.

“ARE YOU CRAZY? WHY ARE YOU GIVING UP POLLUX?? IT’S AN IMPORTANT STRATEGIC PLANET....”

“Is it?” Lotor said, feigning shock. “Father, you should have told me.”

Zarkon looked as if he wanted to reach out and grab Lotor by the neck. “I am cursed with a simpleton for a son,” he growled. “Lotor, what the hell were you thinking? Can’t you do anything right?”

The Prince’s jaw tightened. “Apparently not, Your Majesty.”

“You better fix this, you little son of a bitch, or this time...”

“I know.”

The King of Doom glared one more time at his only son and cut the connection without a word of goodbye. Lotor, teeth clenched, sat ramrod straight in his seat. Gone was the relaxed and contented man who had been enjoying his triumph. In his place was a man beaten down time and time again by the words of the one man he sought to impress.

Over and over again, he heard his father‘s voice berating him, calling him names that no father should ever call a son. Lotor’s fists clenched tighter and tighter until the sound of shattering glass broke him from his reverie. Looking down, he saw that he’d shattered his goblet in his hand. Blood flowed from the cuts on his palm, mixing with the wine that had been in the goblet, a red river that affected him little.

And all he did was watch silently as the mixture pooled on the desktop.