As you can tell, I've reformatted this story into more manageable chapters.

"Homefront"

by Eric R. Umali

Part 2

A tiring week later, the Voltron Force was assembled in the Castle’s control room for a post-training mission debriefing.  Keith had yet to begin when the communications system chimed.  Pidge walked over to it, then looked up nervously.

“Keith,” the bespectacled young man said cautiously, “it’s a priority message from Galaxy Garrison.  Your eyes only.”

“Thank you, Pidge,” he replied.  “I’ll take it in my quarters.  While I’m gone, I want you all to review your own performances today.”

The young commander strolled out of the room.  Once he was out of earshot, Allura slid down a few inches in her chair.  “I am _exhausted_,” she said.

“Me, too,” said Hunk, yawning.

“Keith’s really letting us have it lately.”

“He’s just trying to keep us on our toes, Allura,” replied Lance.

“Now that we’re not fighting Zarkon and Lotor every other day, we need to stay in training,” Pidge added.

“But,” said Allura, “he certainly doesn’t need to kill us doing it.”

“The commander has his reasons,” muttered Hunk.  A sharp look from Lance silenced the larger man.

“And what does that mean?” asked Allura.

Before anyone could answer, Keith strode angrily into the room.

“What was in the message, Keith?”

“I’ve been ordered to report to Galaxy Garrison Station 10 on Kaitain for a special meeting,” he replied.  “Allura,” he said, turning to the Princess, “I’m leaving you in command.”

Her eyes widened-- this was certainly not what she expected.

“I’ll be leaving in two hours.”

**********

Two days later, the team was again gathered for a debriefing.  Only the young men were already there, and were engaged in a hushed, but spirited conversation.

“...but it’s already been two days.”

“You know the regulations-- only minimal communication.”

“And seeing how he wants it kept a secret, I for one am not surprised.”

“But he could at least have signaled us that he’d gotten to Earth safely.”

“What do you mean, ‘Earth’?”

The young men spun around to see Allura standing nearby, clipboard under one arm, a hand on her hip.

“I repeat, what do you mean, ‘Earth’?  I assume you’re talking about Keith, even though Keith was ordered to report to Kaitain.”

“That’s what we meant,” said Pidge, twiddling his fingers.  “We meant Kaitain.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Pidge.”

“Allura,” said Hunk, “you’ll just have to trust us.  Its for the best.”

“The best?  It seems our commanding officer lied to us-- I’m sorry, lied to _me_-- about his orders.”

“Allura, calm down.”

“I will _not_ calm down.  For a month now, I’ve had to live under his scrutiny and his ridiculous training schedules.  For weeks, he’s been hellbent to either kill me or force me to quit!”

“You want to know what Keith is doing, _Princess_?”  Lance’s voice was harsh, and the last word laced with venom.  “Yes, he’s on Earth.  He was called to Galaxy Garrison Headquarters.  Not for a special meeting, but to face a Disciplinary Review Board hearing-- a _court martial_.”

Allura was stunned.  “A court martial?  Why?  Keith is the finest officer the Space Explorers have ever produced!”

“He’s also an officer who has been disobeying a direct order from Galaxy Garrison for the last four years.”

“What?!”

Lance took a deep breath, and turned away, though he continued speaking.  “When it became certain that Sven was not going to come back and return to his position, Galaxy Garrison wanted to send another Space Explorer to replace him.”

“But-- But _I_ replaced Sven.”

“You were, at least as far as Galaxy Garrison was concerned, a temporary replacement.  They didn’t trust an untrained, untested civilian as the pilot of a lion.  But we did.  _Keith_ did.  Keith was given a _direct order_ to remove you from the Voltron Force.  Every time he refused and argued the order, it was given from a higher ranking officer.  After a year, the Secretary General of Galaxy Garrison himself was issuing the order.”

Allura closed her eyes, trying desperately to understand.   “Keith was the best and fastest moving officer in Galaxy Garrison history,” Lance went on, “and during that rise, he collected a lot of influence, and a lot of people ended up owing him favors.  As time went on, and each time Galaxy Garrison tried to send another Space Explorer, he used some of that influence or called in one of those favors to get it turned down.  While we still had Zarkon to worry about, they let it go.  But now...”

“Now?” she asked, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

“Now,” he said and sighed, “he’s out of influence, out of favors.  That’s why he’s been called to the Headquarters.  So they can look him in the eye when they drum him out of the Space Explorers.”

“So why has he been so hard on me, if he believes in me so?”

“He didn’t want to give Galaxy Garrison a single reason to force you out.  Keith knew if you could outdo any other Space Explorer’s scores on tests and simulations, it would just be their pettiness that would be their support.  He knew they’d look foolish drumming out the only person to match his scores in anything.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?  Why has he been so... distant?  So cold?”

Lance grunted.  Pidge took over for him.  “Because, Princess,” Pidge said, “his feelings for you would be just another reason to let you go.”

“His feelings for me?”

“It’s only obvious,” said Hunk.

“I don’t understand,” whispered Allura.

Lance spun on her.  “Commanders aren’t supposed to fall in love with their teammates, Allura.  _Now_ do you understand?”

His voice was cold.  When they had first met, Lance had fallen in love with the beautiful princess immediately, as had Keith.  It soon became apparent that Allura had eyes only for the handsome commander, and that Lance would have to live with that.  The scene on the balcony he had interrupted convinced him of that.

So, the young man had resolved to be their best friend, and he was.  But now, their stubborness was threatening their careers and their happiness, and he would not stand idly by and watch it happen.

With a cry, Allura bolted from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.  Minutes later, she collapsed on her bed, still in tears.  *How could he?  How could he not tell me?  For the good of the team, I would have gladly stepped down!*

**And for the good of the team, I kept you on, because you were the best.**  Allura could swear she heard Keith’s voice in her mind, calming her, encouraging her, as he had done before.

*What about what Lance said?*  She yelled back, not knowing if it was really Keith she was yelling at, or herself.  *Is it true?  _Do_ you love me?*

The phantom voice answered, **I think you already know the answer to that.**

“I’m sorry for the way I’ve resented you-- for doing what you thought was best for me,” she whispered, praying that somehow, across the light years, he would hear.  “Keith, I’m so sorry…”

Allura did not hear her door slide open, but turned when Lance cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

“Lance?!” she said, hiding her flushed, wet face.  “What are you doing in here?”

“I came to give you this,” he replied.  Allura heard the sound of something being hung beside her closet.  She turned to see a crisp, pressed Space Explorer’s dress uniform, obviously tailored to her size.

“A uniform?  I don’t understand.”

“Keith knew the court martial was coming, so that’s why he pushed you.  Your scores are as good as his-- some even better.  He planned on giving you a field commission.  In fact, he was going to do it the day he left.  He got Nanny’s help to make this uniform.  It would have been all official.  Congratulations, Lieutenant,” he said, gave a smart salute, and left.

Allura stood and looked at the uniform, tracing her fingers over its polished buttons and insignia, including its special clip for her lion key.  She held it up before her and looked into the mirror.

Ten minutes later, she was in her jumpsuit and on her way to the nearest launchpad.  She raised her small communicator and spoke into it.  “Coran,” she said, her voice calm and even, “have a long-range ship prepared.  I’m going to Earth.”

‘But, Your Highness--‘ said the older man, obviously confused.

“No questions, Coran.”  She shut down the device before he could respond.

Her teammates were waiting for her in front of the ship.

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Hunk.

“To Earth,” was all she answered, and that was all that was needed.

“You’re leaving Arus with one less lion pilot,” said Pidge.  “With just Keith away, we could have handled most problems with four lions, or even called in Sven.  But with just three lions--“

“Keith needs someone to stand up for him.  It’s my fault he’s there.”

“Keith would want you to stay,” replied Lance.  “Would he want to risk Arus or any other planet just for the sake of his own career?”

Allura opened her mouth to argue, but could not.  Coran, her advisor and head of state, came running onto the lauchpad.

“Princess--“ he began.

“Stand down the ship, Coran,” she ordered, “and radio Galaxy Garrison Headquarters.  Inform them that I will be speaking to the Disciplinary Review Board on behalf of Commander Keith.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

TO BE CONTINUED...