Voltron: V4
                            LEGEND

                        part 2: Convergence
                            by Mea



     Telos.  Though far from the galactic center, the planet was considered one of the
finest jewels of the Denubian Galaxy, a beautiful blue and green orb endlessly traveling
its celestial orbit.  In less than three hundred years, it had grown from an unpopulated
world to a thriving society.  It was not strategically located, and though a member of the
Galaxy Alliance, it rarely involved itself in interplanetary affairs.  In short, it was a
beautiful, peaceful, and insignificant world.
     The planet wouldn't know what hit it, thought General Norak.
     He was examining the map of that area of space in his quarters, deciding how he
would approach his mission.  The Devastation was a powerful ship by itself, but it was
also backed by a small fleet of smaller warships, numerous fighters, and a few other
things courtesy of Planet Doom.  As if he'd need it.
     The ignorant fools on that world, Telos... they had no idea what may hide
somewhere on their planet's surface: a weapon that could completely tip the balance of
power in the Denubian Galaxy.
     If he could find it.
     If it was even here.
     If it ever even existed...
     Had Norak been a soldier of lesser faith, he would have thought this mission a
fool's errand.
     Norak believed.  And the general was not a fool.  He knew that Zarkon, and the
Druul empire before him, had long studied the strange records they had found many,
many years ago.  Fragmented and decayed, they told of things that happened almost
one thousand years ago (so he'd been told), but as they were incomplete, the records
could only hint at the location of their prize.  And if someone had finally managed to
make sense of them, Norak would be a fool not to search for his prize.
     Not Zarkon's, but his.  With it, he would remake the Empire of Doom into true
greatness.
     Power wasn't a drug to the general.  It was his life's blood.
     A fanged smile crept across his dark features.  It was here.  He could feel it in his
craw.
     He tapped the comm panel on the wall and ordered a scout squadron to scan the
planet.  Their report would tell him of the planet's defenses (laughable at best, he was
quite sure of that) and maybe, just maybe a hint as to where his objective might be
located.
     It would be his.  Zarkon be damned, it would be his.
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     General Zuir was built like an Earth cheetah: lean, lithe, and efficiency personified
in a Druul.  He moved like a predator; always watchful and alert, ready to act at the
slightest notice.
     His dark ship, the Charybdis, and the other ships in his fleet sat at the edge of the
Ariel cluster, waiting.  The general had just finished his latest coded report to the Druul
Empire (unfortunately, there was little to report), and now sat quietly in his command
chair, deep in thought.
     Zarkon's fleet in this area was unusual, as it had little strategic value.  Strategic
value, however, had little to do with this mission.  It was more akin to a quest; the fleet
before him was chasing a legend, a promise of power.  It was ironic that the renegade
Zarkon would be the one to solve the puzzle that had puzzled generations of Druul,
though the renegade did not deserve the spoils.  It would far better serve the Druul
Empire than one lone upstart.  
     He'd studied the other fleet and come to the conclusion that they were nearly
equal in strength.  Zuir's advantage would have to be surprise and initiative if he hoped
to gain the weapon for the Empire.
     "Sir, we've tapped into the Devastation's scout wing's communications."
     "Very good," Zuir said, "Have the ships go to alert status.  I want everything ready
to go at a moment's notice.  We must be ready."
     "Yes sir - Sir, there's something on the long range scanners."
     "Can you make out what it is?"
     "No sir, it's too far out, but it seems to be heading for this region.  Five ships in
all, appear to be flying in formation."
     "Let me see."
     The general stood up fluidly, and in three strides was looking over the officer's
shoulder at the screens.
     "Well," he murmured, "This might be interesting."
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     For the second time in recent memory, Mira found herself waking up in a strange
location.
     This time, the room was spotless, positively sanitized.  It felt like a hospital with
its beige walls and neutral furniture.  In fact, it looked, felt, sounded, and smelled like a
hospital; she'd seen enough of them when she was a child and too much of a daredevil
for her own good.
     Her arm itched.  When she reached to scratch it, her fingers felt something stuck
in the skin.
     An IV tube fed out of the needle taped to her arm to a transparent bag filled with
clear fluid hanging over her bed.  With some effort, she withdrew her hand and put it
back at her side.  Her arm still itched but she'd live with it.
     A thought slowly occurred to her; if she was in a hospital, that meant she'd made
it, that she'd escaped.  Outnumbered, outgunned, odds a million to one against, and
SHE MADE IT!  She started to laugh; it came out dry and hoarse, but she didn't care.  It
felt good to actually have something to be happy about.
     She was still smiling when the door to her room opened, ushering in a doctor, the
nurse assisting him, and a man in a battered leather jacket. The man looked strangely
familiar.
     "Good morning... Mira," said the doctor after quickly referencing his charts.  He
was somewhat plump, with a receding hairline in full retreat.  He could almost be
described as "matronly" except he was male. "I'm Doctor Greys.  I see we're doing
better." 
     Mira nodded. She noticed the man settle into a chair across the room as the
doctor came over to her bedside. 
     "Let's make sure, shall we?  You took a nasty blow to the head among other
things, and I'm not one to take a thing like that lightly.  Now, how many fingers do you
see?"
     "Five, but you're only holding up three."
     The man in the battered jacked tried to stifle a chuckle.  The doctor was a little
less amused.
     "I...see.  Now, hold still, please," he said as he held back her eyelid and checked
her eyes with a small light.  After several more minutes of general poking, prodding, and
testing, the doctor scrawled some notes on the chart and nodded to himself.
     'Well," he began, sending off his nurse with the chart, "It seems the trauma to
your head wasn't as serious as it could have been.  I see no signs of a fracture or a
concussion.  As for the rest of your wounds, they're superficial.  HOWEVER, I notice
you seem to be suffering from malnutrition and long term dehydration.  Now, I don't
know what you were doing out there or how long it was before your friend here found
you adrift, but now that you're at my hospital, we're going to do something about it.  A
few days rest and some real food under my supervision, and you should be as good as-"
     He was interrupted by a nurse signaling him from the doorway.
     "Excuse me.  This will only take a moment."
     Which left her alone with her one visitor.
     "Owen... right?" asked Mira.
     He gave a small mock salute and smiled.  "Glad to see you remember me."
     "Thank you.  For everything.  I owe you-"
     "Ah, don't worry about it, my dear.  Just doing what needed to be done." 
     "Still, I owe you my life. I don't think I really thanked you before.  If there's
anything I can do, anyth... Telos.  I have to contact Telos about-"
     "Whoah, whoah whoah.  Simmer down and listen.  Number one, you're already
on Telos.  This is one of their hospitals.  And number two, they know."
     "They do?"
     "Well, they know that SOMETHING's headed their way.  Whether they do
anything about it is their decision, of course."
     "They do? How did..." her voice trailed off as she looked at him hard.  "I told you,
and you told them. Before I blacked out?"
     "Something like that."
     "And they listened to YOU?  Uh, no offense."
     Owen's grin broadened. "I guess you could say I've got some connections."
     "So, what are they doing to prepare?"
     "Dunno.  Haven't had a chance to see."
     "Oh... Are you sure they believed you?"
     "They're GOOD connections."
     She leaned back to digest this. Her hand absently brushed some loose hair away
from her eyes when she felt something high on her forehead, a line of roughness
imbedded in her skin.  She fingered it gingerly before asking.
     "Stitches?"
     "Sixteen.  You knocked your head pretty hard."
     "How long have I been here?"
     Before he could answer, the door opened and Doctor Greys walked in, his face
pale and apprehensive, something obviously weighing heavily on his mind.
     "Doctor?"
     "The nurse will bring you some clothes in a moment," the doctor said to Mira, his
voice sounding worried and somber.  "You'll need to get ready to leave."
     "Now HOLD ON," Owen said as he jumped to his feet, "First you say she needs
rest, and now... What is goin' on here?"
     "Doctor," Mira began, "You can tell me if there's something really wrong."
     "No!  Oh no, it's not that... Look, I'm sorry.  I have no choice in this matter."
     "What matter?" Owen demanded.
     The doctor turned to him, took a deep breath, and said "Lord Kyr just sent word.
He wants to see her immediately."
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     "Are you POSITIVE?" General Norak demanded for the third time.
     The scout he was addressing nodded an affirmative once more, as Norak
expected him to.  Deep down he knew the facts would not change just because he
willed it.  
     "Fine.  Go.  Go back to your post!  I need to think."
     He barely saw the scout salute and leave; already he was deeply engrossed in
thought.  What were THEY doing here?  Did they know about the weapon?  It wasn't
possible; no one outside the Doom and the Druul Empire knew it anything about it.  But
they WERE from Arus so maybe...
     If Arus knew where it was, they'd have claimed it long ago; there had to be
another reason they were here.
     He sat in silence, his chin resting on his clasped hands.  The only sound was the
dull hum of the engines.  He had to decide.  While he did have a few of Haggar's "toys",
he was loathe to use them just yet.  A sudden strike with fighters, well placed and well
timed might be more efficient and would still leave him a weapon to fall back on.  If he
were fast enough. He might catch them off-guard, and he wouldn't even need Haggar's
toys. Yes, that was the answer.
     General Norak stood up, adjusted his uniform, and purposefully strode out of his
quarters and to the bridge.  Around him, he could feel his troops snap to attention.
     "Order all fighter squadrons to go on full alert.  Be ready to launch on my mark."
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     Five unusual ships landed on Telos.
     They were not unexpected.
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     The Royal Palace of Telos may not have been owned by a Galactic Emperor, but
for all appearances, it might as well have been.  A grand structure, it radiated a subtle
opulence that was generally reserved for those who held true galactic power.  It's
crystalline spires reached skyward, which, when the light was right, looked to be made
of the purest ice.  The inside was equally beautiful, decorated in an elegant yet subdued
fashion that centered around white marble and red tapestry.  Even though the palace
had been there less than three hundred years, it had a timelessness about it that made
it feel like it had been there for thousands more.
     Mira had never had to deal with royalty or palaces before.  As she was being led
to the throne room, she found the whole impression to be a little overwhelming.  Just
about anything here was probably worth more credits than she'd ever see in her lifetime,
it made her almost afraid to breath in case she accidentally broke something.  What was
more, she still didn't know why Telos' ruler wanted to see her.
     Her new friend Owen, the one who looked like a space prospector, didn't seem to
be bothered by the surroundings much, though he looked more out of place than she did
in her new clothes (not quite courtly attire, but they were much better than what she'd
had.  Compared to the rags, her casual clothes were the finest silk) She tried to match
his calmness, but inside, it only made her more nervous.  She tried to stop herself from
restlessly picking at the small bandage on her arm, only to discover she had already
peeled it off some time ago.
     The were eventually lead to the main hall of the palace, a huge brilliant room,
extremely elegant and refined.  White polished pillars supported delicate arches over
head while red tapestries and carpet accented the pure whiteness of the marble.  At the
far side of the room was a carpeted platform that held the royal throne subtly trimmed in
gold.  Seated on it was a man in his late twenties dressed in white clothes that
complemented his pale hair.  His features were angular and humorless as he regarded
his visitors.  It was obvious from his demeanor, that this was Lord Kyr.  On either side of
him were two other people.  The one at his right was a willowy woman in her thirties
dressed in a simple high neck dress with her hair done up in a tight bun and a pair of
glasses on her face. The one at his left was a man who looked a little younger than Lord
Kyr and was dressed in the blue dress military uniform of Telos.  His hair was dark,
almost pitch black, his features attractive, and his attention stance textbook perfect. All
three looked down at their visitors, leaving no question who was in authority.
     Following the lead of her escort, Mira and Owen bowed before the throne and
waited for the ruler to speak.  Instead, the woman stepped forward.
     "I am Prime Minister Lynn," she said, "May I present His Highness, Lord Kyr,
Sovereign of Telos, and His Defender of the Throne Jared -"
     "That's enough, Lynn," interrupted  Kyr, "I want to keep this brief." 
     The young ruler leaned forward in his seat.  
     "Yesterday, I was informed by an official at Galaxy Garrison that they had reason
to believe that my planet may be under attack by the forces of Doom.  The information,
supplied by a... Commander Hawkins, I believe?  It was vague, but it did mention that
there was someone with more information arriving at the capitol very soon.  I can only
assume that would be you.
     "So tell me. You seem to know more about this than any of us.  Tell me why this
world has suddenly become so important to King Zarkon, and how it is you came by this
information."
     Every eye in the room turned to the pair and scrutinized them hard enough to be
felt. Mira tentatively took a step forward.
     "Lord Kyr.  Until recently, I had been a prisoner of the Doom Empire.  I managed
to escape off of one of their transports, but while I was on the ship, I overheard them
receive orders to join a fleet at the Ariel Cluster because there was something on Telos."
     "And what was that something?" Lord Kyr asked before she could continue.
     "...I don't know."
     "I see. Do you know where on Telos this alleged item is?  
     "...No."
     "Do you know how many ships?"
     "No.
     "When they plan to attack?"
     "No."
     There was something in her voice, Owen though, an edge.  She was starting to
get angry.
     "Do you know ANYTHING at all?" he demanded condescendingly.
     Owen hazarded a glance at Mira.  Her body was rigid and her expression had
darkened with barely hidden fury.  When she spoke, it was the controlled tones of
someone trying not to lose their temper.
     "I know that there IS something on this planet, something you may not even know
you have, and I know Doom wants it more than anything, and that they will come here,
whether you're ready for them or not."
     Lord Kyr settled back into his throne; he didn't notice the worried expression on
his Prime Minister's face.  Instead, he stared levelly at Mira.  
     "In a few minutes, I am expecting a royal delegation from one of the most
influential planets in the alliance.  This is a very important event for Telos, and you come
here, spreading an outrageous story about an escape, which is laughable, and a
phantom attack, which is unlikely and has no proof, but somehow, word of this reached
people of importance and has thrown Telos into near hysteria.  I have no desire to
appear weak to the rest of the alliance, nor do I wish to appear like a paranoid child,
afraid of every shadow, AND I will not put my planet in a state of panic on the eve of this
very important diplomatic event!"
     "Not..." Mira began in disbelief. "Lord Kyr, you don't understand.  Zarkon's forces
are not something to be taken lightly.  If they want something on your planet, they're
going to come in and get it, diplomatic event or not!  And unless you DO something -"
     "Telos has nothing Zarkon's Empire doesn't already have in abundance.  There is
nothing for him here."
     "How can you be so sure?  You've never dealt with them!"
     "Mira," Owen whispered as a warning; things were starting to turn ugly.
     "I am Lord of this planet," Kyr answered, straightening up to his full height on the
throne. "And as such, I decide what is best for her."
     "Even if that means sentencing it to destruction!"
     "THAT'S ENOUGH!" the young lord roared.  "Unless you have some concrete
evidence of this so-called attack, I do NOT want you to speak of this again as I will NOT
have you spreading panic on MY WORLD!  You will leave, now. This audience is at an
end."
     "But -"
     Owen caught her before she could step forward. "I think we're done here."
     "Owen!"
     "AREN'T we?" he finished, his voice tinged with warning.
     The next comment died on Mira's lips as she realized what she was doing.  She
was arguing with the ruler of the planet like he was a cadet.  If she were to go on like
this, it was very likely she'd find herself in another cell, this time on Telos, even if he was
a condescending fool.  
     She turned back to Lord Kyr, and with a quick "Your Highness", bowed, turned,
and stalked out of the hall, followed by Owen and a small escort that followed them as
far as the door.   Only when they were gone did Kyr settle back into his throne.  
     He was still fuming.
     She had actually questioned his judgement.  HIS.   He had been sovereign of
Telos for five years and she'd actually had the nerve to question him.  And NOW of all
times.
     "Your Lordship?" asked a hesitant voice to his right.
     "Yes Lynn.  What is it?"
     "Permission to send Jared on a errand for me?"
     "...Now?"
     "I'm sorry, you highness.  I fear I've been neglect in my duties and something
completely slipped my mind.  I'm afraid it's very important."
     "That's not like you, Lynn."
     'I know, your lordship."
     He pondered this for a moment.
     "Very well.  I suppose I can be seen without a bodyguard for one meeting.  This is
supposed to be an informal audience.  Like they ever are.  Just do it quickly."
     Lynn nodded to him and went over to Lord Kyr's royal bodyguard to give him his
orders in a low voice.  The guard snapped a salute and hurried off through one of the
room's side exits.
     "Will he take long?" Kyr asked.
     "He should be back by tonight's ball," answered the prime-minister.
     Kyr raised an eyebrow.  "That long?"
     "I'm sorry your highness."
     Lord Kyr sighed.  "I'm sure you had good reason, Lynn.  And I trust your
judgement.  Don't worry.  Look, I think they've arrived."
     Lynn followed the young lord's gaze to a soldier who had just entered the hall.
     The soldier snapped a salute and announced, "Present Her Highness, the Royal
Princess of Planet Arus, Princess Allura, and entourage!"
                         +    +    +    +    +    
     "I don't believe it! How could he- Of all the idiotic, narrowminded, overconfident..."
     "Bullheaded?"
     Mira ignored Owen's "helpful" comment and continued to stalk her way back to
the entrance.  "He might as well just HANDED Zarkon the whole planet on a silver
platter.  I.. Who does he THINK he IS?!?"
     "The ruler of the planet?  The sovereign lord of Telos?  The guy who runs the
place?"
     Mira stopped abruptly and shot Owen a dark look and would have snapped a
comeback as well, except for the annoying fact that he was right.  Instead, she growled
something unintelligible, and started back on her path.  She could hear Owen jogging to
keep up.
     "I am not going to let Zarkon take another planet.  Not without a fight," she
snarled.
     "So, what are ya' gonna to do?  Steal a fighter and take him on single-handed?"
     "...If necessary."
     "You're not serious."
     "Yes... No... I mean... I don't know."
     She stopped, her bravado deflated.
     "Everything's been happening so fast," she continued, " I haven't even had TIME
to think.  I don't even know what I'm saying."
     She looked at Owen, half expecting him to say something, but all he did was
smile sympathetically.  Since she'd met him, he always seemed to be smiling.  It was
kind of unnerving.
     "I was just trying to help," she added, massaging her brow with her fingers, "I
thought that maybe if they knew what was coming, it wouldn't be Balto all over again. 
But that Arrogant..." she quickly calmed herself before continuing, "He acted like I made
the whole thing up.  He practically laughed in my face when I told him about my escape."
     "I'm having trouble believing it myself."
     "...What?"
     "I can't believe that they could hold you for an entire year," Owen finished, his grin
widened a bit.
     Mira sagged against a pillar.  "Not funny Owen."
     "Sorry, just trying to help."
     "No offense, but why are you being so helpful to me?"
     "Seemed the thing to do."
     The look on her face said she didn't believe him.
     "And," he added, "You remind me of someone."
     "Who?"
     "Ah, doncha worry 'bout that.  You should probably head back to the hospital
anyway.  The doc said you needed rest."
     "Wait, I need to know, that thing back there about Commander Hawkins.  You
didn't pretend..."
     Owen winked. "Mira, why would I go and pretend to be someone like that?"
     She blinked at him.  "You KNOW Commander Hawkins?"
     "Let's just say I wasn't always the carefree soul you see today, and leave it at
that."
     "Owen.  How do you... uh-oh."
     Owen saw her gaze focus behind him.  He turned to see one of the three from
the throne room, the soldier, striding purposefully towards them.
     "Uh-oh is right.  Think His Lordship changed his mind and decided to throw ya' in
the brig?"
     Mira didn't answer.
     The soldier stopped before them, his face betraying no emotion.  "Prime Minister
Lynn has asked that you come with me."
     "Let me guess, you're escorting me off-planet?"
     "She has message for you.  Quote 'I believe you will find your answers here,'
unquote."
     Mira and Owen exchanged looks.  "Answers?"
     "I don't know."
     Mira thought a second before replying.  "Okay... um," she paused, hunting for a
name.
     "Jared, Defender of the Throne and Protector of Lord Kyr."
     "Okay, Jared," she finished, "I guess we'll follow you then."
     "This way," he said, "We'll need to take an aircar."
     "Looks like you're not going to get that thinking time after all," Owen remarked as
the two followed quickly after him.
                    +    +    +    +    +
     "My dear Allura, your picture doesn't do you justice," the Lord of Planet Telos
beamed as he knelt to kiss the young ruler's hand, hiding his surprise at her attire. 
Instead of the expected royal gown, she wore a white jumpsuit with colored accents,
similar to the ones worn by the four boys with her.  Well, not really boys, he corrected
himself, most of them were almost his age.  They seemed impressed with his royal
palace; the small one in green and white was openly gawking at it, and the large one in
orange and white was as well, though he was trying to hide it.  The other two were
impressed as well, he could tell, even the one in red and white.  Still, he was
disappointed; he had hoped this would be just himself and the princess.
     Allura smiled at the ruler of Telos.  "Lord Kyr, you're such a flatterer."
     "Ah, but it is you who flatter me by gracing my humble planet."
     One of the princess' companions, the one in the white and blue, gave a small
sarcastic snort.  Lord Kyr ignored it.
     "Lord Kyr, please, this is embarrassing.  We only came here because of the
artifacts you found."
     The young lord's smile seemed to waver on the edges in disappointment for a
moment.  He recovered quickly.
     "Of course, of course.  I had a few of them brought to the palace for your
inspection."  
     He clapped his hands twice, and a servant came in bearing a glass-domed tray. 
Beneath the dome was a collection of weathered electronics that looked like they had
been buried for decades.
     Allura's four companions gathered around the display (discipline on Arus must be
lax, Kyr thought) and all five of them looked carefully inside.
     "Lord Kyr," Allura asked tentatively, "May I?"
     "Of course." He nodded to the servant who removed the dome.  "I asked that they
bring the least fragile pieces for your perusal.  You may handle them if you wish."
     The princes picked one of the artifacts up gingerly and turned it over, examining it
carefully. "Where did you find these?"
     "I believe my Prime Minister can tell you that; she keeps track of such things for
me.  Lynn?"
     "Of course, my lord." said Lynn as she stepped forward from her place by the
throne. 
     "The artifacts you are viewing were discovered about a month ago in a set of
caves near the area we call the Scar.  You will note the Arusian seal on the each piece,
which dates from before the time I believe you refer to as 'The Purges', which conforms
with our carbon dating of the artifact."
     "You mean this is a thousand years old"? Allura gasped.
     "Actually, we believe closer to nine hundred years.  The area it was found doesn't
appear to be an actual colony, more like a temporary settlement from a crashed crew or
the like.  As soon as we were sure the artifacts were genuine, we contacted your
government."
     "I'm sorry we took so long in accepting your invitation, but business on Arus has
kept us from coming."
     "You're timing couldn't be better, Princess," the Prime Minister added. "Especially
after our most recent findings."
     Kyr snapped alert; he didn't remember this.
     "Not long ago," continued Lynn,"a mining operation started near the Scar, an area
we believe was hit by a large meteor long before Telos was settled.  The miners hoped
to locate and mine the meteorite, but instead, they encountered the hull of a large ship
which we believe to also be Arusian in origin."
     All eyes stared at Lynn.
     "Are you sure?" asked Allura.
     "Not completely, no.  We've sent an archeological team to investigate the findings
further, but it does seem that it is from Arus from roughly the same time frame as those
artifacts you hold now."
     Of course, Kyr thought, the discovery at the mine, I'd forgotten about that.  What
would I do without you Lynn.
     He watched the princess marveled over this for a moment and quietly beamed
with pride that the find had impressed her so.  Certainly they'd have much to talk about
now.
     "Can we see the site?" the princess asked. "Today, if possible?"
     Kyr was a little surprised.  "Today?  But your highness, I had hoped we would get
a chance to talk without your bodyguards. Just the two of us, informally."
     "Yeah, why don't we just go wait at the servant's entrance," muttered the man in
blue and white, sarcasm oozing from his tone.     
     "Lance!" the man in red and white hissed in warning.  At least this one knew a
little respect, thought Kyr.  'Lance' shot his companion a look, but said nothing further.
     "Lord Kyr," said Allura, drawing his attention back to her, "I'm afraid I can't stay on
your planet long.  The only reason I was able to get away this time was that we dealt
such heavy losses to Planet Doom in their last attack, they're in no shape to hurt Arus.
Even so, I can't leave Arus undefended for too long, which is why I took the fastest
ships we had on Arus.
     "And these aren't my body guards," continued the princess.  "They're my friends,
Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge.  I'm surprised you don't recognize them.  The Voltron
Force?"
     Kyr took his error in stride.  "My princess, please forgive my ignorance.  I didn't
realize.  It's a pleasure to meet the noble defenders of our galaxy," he said, though his
sincerity seemed not quite genuine. "As for the site... I believe I can arrange a tour of the
dig.  We can go there in a few minutes, if you'd like."
     "Thank you, Lord Kyr.  You have no idea what this means to Arus."
     "Think nothing of it, your highness, it is my pleasure.  Lynn, contact the dig site. 
Tell them we'll be visiting them shortly."
                    +    +    +    +    +
     "Yes General Norak?"
     "Alert the first wing.  We attack now."
                    +    +    +    +    +
     Scott, at age 15,  was the youngest member of the archeological team assigned
to the Scar Mine Dig, a position he had earned by showing enormous promise in his
studies and his voracious appetite for knowledge, which had endeared him to Professor
Windum, the head of the dig.
     And, as fate would have it, he was up to his elbows in muddy water and dirty
equipment when the professor called everyone out of the tents.
     Hands still dripping, he ducked out of his tent to see that the site had visitors.
While two of them, a man and a woman, were strangers to him, he instantly recognized
the Defender of the Throne talking to the professor.  His mouth hung open; he'd never
been this close to royalty... or in this case, near-royalty.     
     "Ah, here he is," said the professor, waving him over,"And this is Scott, my
student intern and one of the brightest members of this team. He can show you around
the site."
     "Nice to meet you," said the tall man in Telosian military dress as he offered Scott
his hand to shake.
     "Hi," Scott grinned, "Same here. I mean, it's a real pleasure to meet you sir."  He
couldn't believe it; he was shaking hands with Lord Kyr's personal defender.  No one
back home would believe this!  
     He noticed the man's expression changed to mild disgust.  He looked down at his
dripping hand. "Oh! Sorry! I forgot!"
     "That's... okay," the royal guardian said, looking at his hand like something
landed on it and died.
     The professor offered him a rag as he shot a glare at Scott, who right then
wanted to crawl into the hole they'd been excavating.  No one back home would believe
this.
     "I'm really sorry," Scott added sheepishly.
     "Scott tends to get a little too caught up in his work," explained Professor
Windum.  "Sometimes he loses track of the rest of the world."  The other two visitors
exchanged incredulous looks.  "Now, if you would, please follow Glenn here, and he'll
familiarize you with some of the equipment we use.  I'll join you in a moment."
     As soon as the visitors were gone, he pushed the already damp rag into 
Scott's hands.  
     "Professor -"
     "Not now Scott. Just listen. These are guests here on Prime Minister Lynn's
request, and I want you to treat them as such.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to show
them around since I'm needed up here.  It seems we're very popular today; Lord Kyr's
bringing guests."
     "Lord Kyr?  Coming HERE?"
      The professor nodded.  "I need to be here to meet him and his visitors, so I want
you to show our current guests the dig."
     "Me?"
     "You know the site almost better than any of the others, I'm sure you'll do a 
good job."
     "Oh, I will, I-"
     "-IF you remember to pay attention."
     "...Sorry."
     The professor's stern expression softened.  "I know Scott.  Just stay 
focused, and show them what we've found.  I know you'll do fine.  And don't rush, I'm
sure you'll be back in plenty of time to shake Lord Kyr's hand.  Just make sure to wash
up first."
     +    +    +    +    +    +
     "General Zuir, I-" 
     " I see that.  Tell the first wing to move to these coordinates and be careful to stay
out of the Doom ships' sensors, and await my orders."
     "Yes sir."
     "Let's see what our rival has planned..."
     +    +    +    +    +    +
     A trio of space explorers watched from the roof of a Palace parapet as the aircar
departed for the dig site.
     "...I don't know," said Pidge to the others, "I kind of wanted to know why the
Princess wanted to see this thing so bad."
     "Not me," said Lance, "Not if that Lord Kyr's going to be there."
     "I don't think he likes you, Lance," Hunk remarked. "You were a little rude back
there."
     "Oh come on!  You saw him!  He tried to pretend we didn't even exist.  He
doesn't want us there; he just wants to get cozy with the Princess."
     Pidge thought a moment.  "But Keith went with them."
     Lance smile conspiratorially. "I know.  And it's going to drive him crazy."
     "Which one," asked Hunk, "Lord Kyr or Keith?"
          "Mmmm... Both of them."
     They looked out over the landscape; it was different than Arus, but it was equally
as beautiful.  Dark green hills surrounded the castle, scattered with lush willow trees that
flowed in the gentlest breeze.  In the distance, low mountains edged the horizon in a
rough line of multiple greens and rich browns.  They could see a nearby city, cream and
white colored buildings set close together without being claustrophobic and everywhere,
everything was full of life.  In short, the landscape was the very picture of peace and
natural tranquility.
     Reminds me of home, Lance thought, what it used to be like before...
     He shut his eyes and cleared his thoughts; that was a long time ago, he was so
young he barely remembered... no, that's a lie.  He remembered everything that
happened that day the ships came and everything started to burn and... but now was
NOT the time to deal with it. Not now.  This is a different planet, and he might as well
enjoy it, even if it killed him.
     If he had to spend any more time with Kyr, it probably would. That royal jerk.
     He noticed Pidge had pulled out a pair of binoculars and was looking intently at
the mountains.
     "See anything?" he asked.
     "I'm trying to see if you can see the Scar from here.  Remember, we saw it
coming in?"
     He did.  It was hard to miss: an area of rock cut into the lush greenness of the
surrounding hills.  It looked as if something gigantic had taken a massive gouge out of
the planet with a knife.  Whatever made it had to have been huge.
     "I wonder what kind of ship it is?" Hunk asked no one in particular.
     "Hm?"
     "The ship they found.  I wonder what kind it is."
     "Big."
     "I know that.  I mean, what was it used for, what -
     "Wait," interrupted Pidge. He was still looking through his binoculars.  "What's
that?"
     "What?"
     "That," he said, pointing at the sky. "Those dark spots.  I can't make them out, but
I think they're flying in formation."
     "Maybe they're -"
     Before he could finish, and alarm within the castle started to sound.
     The three explorers looked at each other.  Pidge peered into his binoculars again.
     "It can't be," he gasped,  "Doom Fighters!"
     "I don't believe this!"
     "Believe it Hunk," said Lance.  "We'd better get to the lions!  Looks like Telos is
being invaded!"
     +    +    +    +    +    +
To be continued