Chapter Five

Keith and Lance arrived at Castle Control together, their expressions sober. Pidge, Hunk, and Calendi were already there. Sven, Coran, and Romelle were gathered around Allura who stood at the command console. When they appeared, she nodded at each. As much as she wished she could go with them, her place was in Castle Control, but Calendi would not be permanent. Blue Lion was Allura's and she wasn't going to give it up that easily.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yes...Allura," Keith said.

They stared at each other for a heartbeat but it was enough. Her blue eyes thawed slightly as they looked into his and she nodded slightly, the one movement enough to make them both forget their harsh words.

"Good luck," she said.

The five pilots went to their chutes. Coran turned on the room's speakers so they could hear the transmissions coming from the Lions and the ships. Around them, men and women took seats at their stations, placing their headsets on. They each had several pilots to monitor and they began testing their connections. The viewscreen came to life.

"Ready for departure," Allura said to the whole fleet, putting on her own headpiece. "Good luck. May Riaru be with you."

The Arusian sun began to rise over the sky as the Fleet left the planet.

Allura watched the Lions' pilots on her monitors. She saw as Keith's head lolled backwards and he gave in to the sleep that had been threatening to overtake him the second he sat down. She sat in her own seat and glanced at the others. Pidge was curled up in his seat and had been asleep from the moment they had lifted off. Lance and Hunk were sitting up in their seats, mechanically checking their instruments and readings. Calendi was slouched in hers, her eyes on the stars speeding by them. Her fingers tapped impatiently on the armrests. Allura smirked. She had never seen an adrenaline junkie in her life, but as soon as she saw Caine Calendi, she knew what she was. She wondered what Keith was thinking when he suggested she pilot Blue Lion. None of the others liked her because of her attitude during battles and she didn't like them because they didn't like her. After this mission, she would be out of there.

"Everything is going smoothly," Coran said. "Why don't you get some rest, Your Highness. They won't be reaching Pollux in another hour."

"I can't," Allura said, but she was beginning to feel the punishment of too many sleepless nights now that things were temporarily slowing down. "What if something happens?"

"Ve vill vake you," Sven said. "Romelle, could you take the Princess to her chambers?"

Romelle went to her cousin's side and reluctantly, Allura went with her. She was starting to see double and that wasn't going to bode well when the battle started. Even a short catnap would do some good. Romelle helped Allura, who suddenly forgot that she could walk straight, to her room.

"I'll wake you as soon as they get there," Romelle said gently, tucking Allura in.

But the Arusian Princess didn't hear her. She was already asleep. Romelle returned to Castle Control. Sven had taken Allura's seat and was carefully monitoring the others. He had been pleased to see that Lance kept a short leash on the Black and Green Lions while their pilots slept. They couldn't talk, but they could see each other. Romelle put her hand on Sven's shoulder, her forehead knotted.

"I'm afraid," she said.

"Dey vill make eet," Sven assured her. "Everyting good in dis universe iz on der side."

"Pollux has been waiting for this day for centuries," Romelle said, her hands tightening on his shoulder. "If they fail, the people will get the worst punishment my father and Zarkon can offer them."

"Det?"

"No," she said, her eyes tearing. "Continued slavery."

The proximity alarms went off in Keith's ear. He woke up none too gracefully, almost falling out of his seat in the process. The brownish green sphere of Pollux loomed on his viewscreen and he was immediately awake. He glanced at the smaller monitors at his elbow and saw the others beginning to go into action. Radio silence had ended.

"All systems go?" Keith asked all the warships and the Lions.

The five warships cleared with him as did the other four Lions. They neared Pollux's atmosphere and Keith was half-expecting a welcoming committee. On Arus, Allura watched the viewscreen with bated breath, expecting the same. To both their relief and surprise, they entered Polluxian airspace with no problems. They were a hundred kilometers away from the castle. Enough room to begin their attack. It was then did their sensors began alerting them of ships coming in from all around them.

"Defensive positions," Keith said. "How many are coming in?"

"At least fifty from our flank and another fifty straight ahead. Twenty or so from either side," someone answered.

"Launch the fighters," Keith ordered. "On my signal, get into formations and begin attacking. Do as we planned. Ready the ground teams. As soon as I give the call, start dropping them."

"Yes, sir," came a chorus of voices.

"Lions, stay in formation," he said. "Protect the squadrons and the warships."

"We're with you, Commander," Calendi said, a feral grin on her face.

"Calm down, Calendi," Hunk said. "This isn't a game."

"Get off my back. I never said it was a game."

"Stop," Keith said warningly. "Focus on your mission."

"They're closing in on us," Lance said. "They'll come within striking distance in five...four....three....two..."

Romelle gasped as the viewscreens on their monitors lit up when laser fire erupted from both sides. The speakers began to burst with a cacophony of voices and the volume was lowered to save their ears. Sven stood behind Coran at the command console with a headpiece on. Gwen was pacing around the room, glancing once in a while at her brother's viewscreen to make sure that he was still alive. Allura got up from her seat and began to walk all over the room, checking on things. She listened to everything that was going on, every order the captains of the warships made and everything Keith said. Her blue eyes were ice cold as she concentrated. Romelle admired her determination and understood then why her cousin was as prickly as she was. She had too much to worry about and being polite wasn't one of them. The idea brought a small smile to her face.

It quickly disappeared when they lost their first fighter. Allura stopped her walking and glared at the screen.

"Close them up, squadron gamma," Keith ordered. "You have a gap in your starboard side."

"How can he fight and lead at the same time," Romelle said.

"Talent," Sven said simply.

"I want to see the whole battlefield on the main viewscreen," Allura said. "Use the ships' sensors to set it up."

In five minutes, they had a black grid on the large screen with green dots and red dots dancing about. Allura leaned on the command console as she studied the screen. She could see the Arusian fleet fighting at all sides, but pushing forward all the same. Keith was going hoarse trying to juggle it all together.

"Beta squadron," Allura said. "Move forty-five degrees to your left. Fill in that hole." She turned around and faced the others, clapping her hands. "Let's back them up now. Keith can't do this alone."

"Thanks," he said.

Allura glanced quickly at his monitor, but couldn't tell whether he was sarcastic or not. No matter, things would work better this way. They could see the entire battle where he couldn't. She looked at the viewscreen.

"Keith, they are coming up fast behind you," she said. "You need to strengthen the back."

"Do it, Allura," Keith said while dodging laser fire. "I think I stretched myself thin this time."

Allura blinked with surprise at his admission, but quickly recovered. "Squadrons Gamma and Omega, raise aft shields and prepare to turn around to engage the enemy."