As stated last night, here's the second chapter reposted.  Chapter 3
tomorrow.

-------------------------

Chapter 2



Lisa frowned.  Even for classified orders, the most recent set had been
kept much more secret than usual.  So far, all anyone had been told was
that they were going to Arus.  It was such an extreme change of course
that she and everyone else was doing all they could to find out why- and
failing.



Lisa, however, felt she had an 'in' to finding out what that secret was.
Jeff- she was sure that, if she tried hard enough, she could get him to
do anything for her... including letting her have information she wasn't
officially supposed to have.  He may not have stayed for the whole
briefing where those orders were made, but between him, Cliff, Crik,
Hawkins, and Newley, only Jeff was likely to answer her questions.



"Hi, Lisa!" Ginger said, seeing her as she rounded a corner while she
made her way through the corridors.  Giving Lisa a doubletake, she
grinned.  "Just where ARE you going dressed like that, girl?"



Lisa grimaced.  In order to, uh, facilitate her interrogation, she'd
figured that it couldn't hurt to make herself look just a tiny bit
sexier by wearing a slightly shorter than regulation skirt and a
slightly tighter-than-normal shirt.  Not that she was necessarily going
to rely on sex appeal to get her answers, but it couldn't hurt.



She wasn't entirely comfortable with her get-up, however... it was a bit
too much for her, and really the seduction thing wasn't entirely to her
taste.  And if there was one person on the entire ship she MOST wanted
to avoid while she was in the process of attempting it, it was Ginger.
She was a good friend, true, but... well, she could expect a good
ribbing for this one.  Especially if she answered Ginger's question
straightforwardly.



"I'm trying to figure out what our orders are," she said stiffly.  Not a
lie, but not exactly an admission, either.



"Ah- going to talk to Jeff, huh?"



Lisa flushed.  "Well, um-"



Ginger laughed as she made her way passed the embarrassed girl and
rounded the corner of the hallway.  "Good luck, girl.  Lemme know how it
turns out!"



Lisa started rushing in the opposite direction, hoping desperately that
she could avoid further embarrassment.  Maybe this was a bad idea after
all...



*          *          *          *          *



All five members of the Voltron Force currently on planet Arus looked
shell-shocked- all of them for completely different reasons.  Allura
looked ecstatic, but also very confused and somewhat uncertain.  Keith
was fiercely determined and perhaps just a touch contented as well, but
as the enormity of what he was getting ready to do was just starting to
dawn on him the stress from the upcoming event was starting to show on
his face.



Lance was unsure whether to congratulate his Captain- no, make that
Vice-Admiral now- on his upcoming wedding, tease him about it, or yell
at him for taking advantage of the bad news from planet Earth to secure
for himself possibly the most beautiful women in the universe as his
bride.  Since he wasn't entirely sure yet just why they were getting
married so soon, and since he was so surprised at the announcement the
bride-to-be's nanny just made, he didn't have any choice other than to
stand there gawking like an idiot until someone told him just what the
hell was going on.



Hunk wasn't sure what to make of things.  On the one hand, the planet of
his ancestors was being abandoned to a vicious horde who were as bad or
worse than the Doomies, which made him unhappy.  On the other hand, his
commanding officer and good male friend was marrying his princess and
closest female friend, which made him VERY happy.  However, that
marriage was awfully sudden- he'd just found out moments ago that the
two were in love, but they hadn't been planning to do anything about
their love for some time.  Their relationship was going along pretty
smoothly, it seemed, which was good, yet it was entirely possible that
the news had coerced one or both of them into having this marriage,
which was not good.  Finally, he hadn't had anything to eat in almost
three hours, which made him quite hungry- which was NOT a good thing
when he was trying to puzzle out a dilemma, since he didn't think as
well when he was hungry.



Pidge, however, was the most stunned of them all.  He hadn't heard Keith
and Allura's declaration of love in the rec room earlier that day.  For
a very long time, he'd held a crush on the Princess.  He'd realized it
was impractical for some time to hope for anything from her, since he
WAS several years younger than her, but he'd hoped there would be plenty
of time still before she picked a suitor.  A long enough time for him to
grow up, perhaps, and get her to notice him.  If she was getting
married, though, that ruined all of his dreams- and WHY was she getting
married just then?  And why to KEITH, of all people?  Keith certainly
hadn't shown her any affection- if anything, he treated her protection
as a duty above all else.  Or so he thought... though it was slowly
dawning on him that perhaps Keith's over-protective streak towards the
Princess might not have entirely been thanks to his duty after all.



He was the first to break the silence after Nanny's pronouncement.
"Married?  But... WHY?!" he blurted out.



"Well, that's obvious, donchya think?.  They love each other," Lance
drawled.  Pidge flinched slightly- his dream of life with the princess
was definitely gone, and that statement just slammed it home to him.
"What I want to know is, why NOW?"



Coran shifted uncomfortably.  "Because Arus needs someone who can
legally stand up to the Alliance should there be a conflict, and we don'
t have one until Princess Allura is married."



"I don't understand," Hunk said.  "What difference does that make?  And
why worry about the Alliance- we're the good guys, remember?"



"We are," Keith said, "But the Alliance isn't.  It's the lesser of
several evils, true, but the Alliance can be just as oppressive as
anyone if they feel they have to be.  Besides- do you really think Arus
could support the seven billion people Earth is sending us right now?"



"Quite right," Coran agreed.  "We simply have to have someone powerful
enough locally to turn them away, if need be."



Lance, Pidge, and Hunk looked at each other in surprise.  What were the
Earth refugees supposed to do- drift in space?



"Don't misunderstand," the Princess said, finally getting into the
discussion.  "Arus will take as many people as they can-"



"But we can't take everyone," Keith interrupted.  "It wouldn't be good
for us OR for them.  As soon as we can, we'll talk to Pollux and a few
other neighboring worlds so we can arrange for them to take a portion of
the populace as well, but unless we have someone in power here we can't
make the Alliance look elsewhere as its dumping grounds."



"Hold on, I don't get it," Pidge said, still unhappy about things as
they stood but willing to listen.  "Why do you keep acting as if Arus
doesn't have a leader?  Princess, you're in charge here, aren't you?"



Allura gave a sickly smile.  "Sort of... but not really.  And THAT is
why I need to get married as soon as possible."



"What does 'sort of' mean, Princess?  You seem to have been in charge of
everything since we've been here," Hunk noted.



Lance, however, was starting to understand.  "I think I know, Hunk...
remember our orders?  'Find and Recover Voltron.  Establish a temporary
administrative system on Arus until the formal government is restored.'
The Princess' is ruling under that 'temporary administrative system'
clause, isn't she?"



Coran hesitated, then nodded at Lance.  "Correct.  Arus is a
constitutional monarchy, officially, but our constitution has not been
in use since the death of King Alfor and the destruction of the
planetary council.  Allura went into hiding, and we were in anarchy
until you showed up and brought Voltron back to us.  Since then, the
Princess has been ruling as a de facto absolute monarch under writ of
the Galaxy Alliance."



"My marriage is the first step to restoring the constitution," Allura
explained hesitantly.  "My coronation cannot take place until after I'm
married.  And, as queen, I could call for elections and bring back the
planetary council- something I cannot do as princess, according to our
laws."



"So you're getting married for political reasons?" Pidge asked
hopefully.  Perhaps there was still a chance for him, after all.



"I would NEVER marry exclusively for political gains," the Princess
snapped regally.  Deflating slightly, she continued, "But yes, the
timing is political."



"That does NOT mean this is a sham marriage," Keith growled.  "If it
was, she would have been better off marrying the son of some village
mayor or a nobleman or someone like that.  Or," he smiled slightly,
"Even Prince Bandor."



"I love Keith," the Princess whispered.  "But we weren't planning to
seriously court each other until after the war was over."



"There's no time to delay, now, however," Coran said.  "The Princess
must marry, and must be crowned Queen, before the day is out.  If we don
't, we will not have time to set up our official government before the
Alliance forces arrive."



"Which leaves us no time for all this chatter," Nanny interrupted.  "I
may not like the Princess' choice of suitor- royalty should marry
royalty- but we don't seem to have any options.  She simply won't accept
anyone else other than this... this ruffian."  She shuddered, unable to
say Keith's name in regards to Allura.  "And I don't have time to make
this affair as grandiose as it should be... but I will do what I can.
You ALL need to get dressed in the most formal clothing you have- Coran,
you get the minister and invite all of the noblemen who can make it here
by tonight to show up.  I'll set my staff into decorating the throne
room for the occasion and cooking for the reception.  Allura, come with
me- I'll have to see if I can find an appropriate dress that you'll fit
in."



Nanny grabbed the Princess by her arm and started leading her out of the
room before Coran stopped her.  "Wait, Nanny," he said.  "We may not
have time for all of this- the sooner we get it done, the better.  I
will conduct the ceremony myself.  You can start setting up a reception
if you so desire, but we're holding the wedding right now."



Nanny's eyes widened.  "You CAN'T- there's no way... you must need at
least a little time to draw up the official documents.  Can't I at least
have a chance to get everyone appropriately dressed?"



Coran stared at her hard.  "You have an hour," he conceded.  "We need to
get enough done so that we can hold elections tomorrow.  Portions of the
Alliance fleet could get here within 48 hours, and even if the main
convoy is not expected to arrive for at least a week we do not want
anyone to show up here and find we have not put out government in
 place."



"An hour!?" Nanny shrieked.  "But-"



"No buts, Nanny," Allura broke in.  "We don't have time to do this
properly, so some things will have to be sacrificed for expediency's
sake."



Nanny's expression hardened.  "Very well.  But if we have an hour, we're
going to make the best use of that hour."  Turning on the men, she
snapped, "You all have plenty of time to put on your dress uniforms
between now and then- hurry to it.  Now, come along, Princess- we must
find something for you, and we don't have the luxury of time."



With that, she resumed leading Allura out of the room and initiating a
whirlwind of activity- the com system started ringing moments later with
non-secure transmissions to various members of the castle staff.



The five men still in the briefing room glanced at the door they'd left
from and blinked.  Finally, Lance smirked, turning to the others.



"Well, you heard her- let's get ready.  Keithy, YOU should dressed
first; you might need someone to inspect your uniform-  after all, it IS
your wedding."



*          *          *          *          *



"What is our status?" Space Marshal Graham asked to the panel in the
briefing room.



"The plan is in operation," General Warren noted.  "We've assigned every
citizen on Earth a refugee ship to board.  Now, we just have to wait for
those ships to get here."



Commodore Steele sighed.  "Only 30% of the transports have arrived.  The
flotilla is assembling in orbit around Mars- that many ships orbiting
Earth would affect the tides, and we'd flood out half of the population
before we could evacuate them.  We'll need to land them in shifts,
anyway- we might as well start evacuating people with what we've got."



Graham nodded.  "Good.  And the Explorer?"



"I'm afraid it's too far away to arrive on Arus before a local
government is formed- we'll have to either invade or make compromises."



Graham raised an eyebrow.  "Invade?  Why would we invade?  And what does
it matter if there's a local government?"



Steele looked disgusted.  "Well, why else would you try to deny them
their independance?"



"I gave no such order- I merely asked for the Explorer to arrive on Arus
to help keep the spaceways in the system clear of pirates for our
convoy!  Why would you think I was planning to deny their independance?"



Steele paused.  "Then... this ISN'T your order?" he asked, passing the
Space Marshal a sheet of paper.



"Special Order 60321



"To:  Patrick Steele, Commodore, Galaxy Garrison, Earth.  Granted rank
of Captain, Galaxy Garrison, under 23204-pre:1.  Granted Acting-Flag
under 34392-tmp:1-A, Special Order of Space Marshal's Office.



"From:  Jonathan Graham, Administrative, Earth.  Granted rank of Space
Marshal under 34392-prz:1-A, Special Order of the President.



"act: (Action)



"1 Procure transport vessels for evacuation of Earth under command of
Louis Desaix (see pre:1)



"2 Send S.S. Explorer to Arus



"-A:  Objective:  Clear Spaceways of hostiles which may endanger refugee
convoy.



"-B:  Objective:  Establish temporary Galaxy Garrison Headquarters on
Arus Surface.



"-C:  Objective:  Prevent formation of independant government on Arus.
Failing this, demand treaty with Arus which will permit resettlement of
Earth population on Arus.  Use maximum force, if necessary.



"pre:  (Promotions and Endorsements)



"1 Promote Louis Desaix to Acting Flag rank, assign as Commodore of
Refuge Fleet.



"prz:  (Presidential Amendments and Orders)



"1 Instruct S.S. Explorer to maintain radio silence."



Graham frowned.  "This is similar to what I wrote, but... I did NOT
include act:2-C.  And there were no prz's when I sent it to you."



Steele gasped as the implication hit him.  "You mean... someone
intercepted and altered your orders?"



"Indeed."



"This is not good.  There are two questions we have to ask- HOW and
 WHY?" General Warren growled.  "And what can be done to fix this?"



"I think it's obvious as to why- someone wants to get rid of the Lion
Voltron and any other support we might have from Arus," Steel snorted.
"Which would completely defeat the purpose of our plan- the Voltrons are
the only ships capable of handling Robeasts, and all of our enemies know
that."



Graham rubbed his chin in thought.  "Well, I can't do anything about the
Explorer- they're under radio silence.  But I sent a personal recording
of my message to Arus- they can't have altered that without breaking the
codeblock.  It will give away that we know there's someone intercepting
our orders, but whoever's doing it will be expecting that."  He turned
around in his chair to the communications viewscreen.  "Commodore
Steele, see if you can raise Arus- I think this is important enough that
we'll have to dispense with the pre-recording that is needed for
encoding."



"Right away, sir," Steele said, typing a few commands into a nearby
keyboard.  After a few minutes, he frowned.  "Sir, I am unable to raise
Arus.  The transmission is being jammed."



"Shit!" Graham snapped.  "They're two steps ahead of us.  Keep trying,
Steele- if you can't get through, the best we can do is to look for that
leak... and pray we don't find a hostile Arus when we arrive."



*          *          *          *          *



"Um, Chip?" Jeff said.



Chip, cleaning and polishing small model of the Vehicle Voltron he had
hand-made for his brother, glanced up at his Team Captain.  "Yeah,
 Jeff?"



"You... know we're heading for Arus, right?"



Chip nodded enthusiastically.  "Of course- I'm looking forward to seeing
Pidge again.  It's been ages... and maybe I'll be able to show him up
with my piloting skills!"



Jeff grimaced.  "Yeah... about that.  Um, Chip- you're grounded for the
duration of this mission.  Hawkins' orders- I don't have any choice."



Chip's eyes widened.  "But... but WHY?"



Jeff sighed.  "You don't want to know, Chip.  Now, head over to Hawkins'
office- he's got a new assignment for you in the meantime."



Chip searched Jeff's face for something that would tell him what was
going on.  Seeing absolutely no emotion on his usually expressive face
worried him considerably.  Still, there was nothing he could say, was
there?  "Aye, aye, sir!" he snapped, leaping to his feet and running out
of the room- not because he was that enthusiastic for the duty, but
rather because he didn't want anyone to see the tears that were forming
in his eyes.  Something told him Pidge was in serious trouble.



Lisa watched the entire incident from the door and frowned.  She, too,
had noticed Jeff's emotionlessness since recieving those orders, and
this latest development was starting to clue her in as to why.
Seduction was definitely out as a method for getting information- much
to her personal relief- but perhaps a bald accusation would help.



"Jeff," she called.



"Yes, Lisa?" he replied tonelessly.



"I'd like to talk to you in private for a minute..."



*          *          *          *          *



'It's amazing what can be done with safety pins and ribbons,' Allura
thought, amazed, as Nanny was furiously making last minute alterations
to her late mother's wedding dress while she wore it.  Nanny huffed
something under her breath about her training too much for a proper
princess as she struggled to tighten a particularly strained ribbon
before continuing her speech on the marital duties of Arus' queen.



"My child, remember you never had a proper courtship," Nanny lectured,
"So I suggest you don't give him your innocence on the first night-"



"Nanny!" Allura cried, outraged.  "I don't need to be told about that."



"Yes, you do, my posy," Nanny clucked.  "He's a man, and a ruffian at
that.  Like any other man, he'll only have one thing on his mind-"



"Nanny," Allura snapped.  "I already said I don't need to be told about
that.  We'd already discussed it before calling you in."



Nanny frowned.  "He probably wants you to go to bed with him the very
first night, doesn't he?"



Allura hesitated, then whispered halfheartedly, "No, he wanted to wait.
I'm the one who's insisting we don't."



"Princess!"  This time, it was Nanny's turn to be outraged.  She was
actually so surprised she stopped working.



"Keith was speaking for me when he said this wasn't going to be a sham
wedding.  I won't let it be one.  I want to have a normal courtship, but
I also want to be sure no-one can contest our marriage by saying we've
never consumated it.  Maybe after the first night, we'll go back and
pretend it didn't happen- at least long enough for us to get properly
aquainted with each other.  But for this night, our wedding night, we're
doing everything a married couple is supposed to do."



Nanny wanted to say something, but before she could there was a
knocking.  "Nanny, Coran asked me to come get you and tell you we've got
to get started," Hunk said through the door.



Realizing that she'd forgotten what she was doing, she shouted back, "We
'll be done in one minute- hold on!"



Making two or three real quick adjustments, Nanny ran her eye up and
down Allura's frame.  Shaking her head, she sighed.



"Do I pass inspection?" Allura asked.



"Well, it would have been better if you weren't quite so slim or so
muscular, and if we'd had time to custom fit the thing, but considering
that by the time we got this on you I only had about fifteen minutes to
make alterations, it's not that bad."  She patted down one last wrinkle.
"You'll do."



Allura smiled.  "Good.  Now, let's go get me married, okay?"



Nanny rolled her eyes skyward.  "And may heaven help us survive it."



They made their way out of the room, following Hunk to the throne room
where Coran had set up the ceremony.



Allura gasped.  There hadn't been much change to the room, but Nanny's
staff had done an excellent job of placing a few decorations in the
limited time available.  Gold ribbons, flowers, candles- it looked as if
they'd had a year to get it all decorated, not just an hour.  And, best
of all, in pews along the hall sat all of her staff.  Nanny quickly
lowered Allura's veil and then rushed passed her to take her place as
her maid of honor, leaving Hunk to lead her up the aisle.



In front of the room stood Coran, Lance, Pidge, and- best of all-
Keith... all in their dress uniforms and looking better than she'd ever
seen them before.  Trembling slightly, she started her way up the aisle-
and was happily surprised to hear a wedding march coming from the castle
sound system.  Perhaps it was rushed, but it was also everything she'd
ever wanted in a wedding- a small ceremony in front of all her friends,
without too much fanfare but still with all of the little frills that
went with a good wedding.  Her eyes getting moist, she marched down the
aisle at a proper pace, and finally reached the altar that had been set
up for her wedding.



Coran stepped up and smiled at the gathering.  "Welcome.  As you all
probably know, this is not a normal wedding."  He glanced at Allura, his
eyes twinkling.  "After all, it's not often a Royal Princess gets
married around here.  It's even less often that she only has an hour to
get ready for that wedding."  Polite laughter erupted from the small
crowd.  "You've all done well getting it ready, and I'm sure she thanks
you.  But there's even more to make this wedding special- and that is
the man our Princess has chosen for her husband.



"Keith," he continued.  "You are perhaps the most noble man I have ever
met.  Even moreso than the most princely prince.  I trust you to care
for our Princess, and make her feel as loved and cherished as she
deserves."  He paused.  "I also trust you to keep her out of too much
trouble."  More polite chuckles.  "Allura, you are the daughter I never
had.  And when I heard you say that Keith was the man you wished to
marry, I couldn't have been happier.  You have chosen well.  Perhaps,
though, you might try and get him to loosen up from time to time- I fear
everyone will be worked to death if he keeps up this pace."



He paused, allowing for even more laughter.  Then he got more serious.
"Your Highness, if I weren't conducting this ceremony, I would be giving
you away right now.  Since I'm not able to do that, however-"



"I will do it, myself," an ethereal voice said, materializing into a
ghostly form of King Alfor.  "Hello, old friend- it has been some time."



Some of the castle staff who had never seen the ghost of their long-dead
king nearly fainted at the sight.  The other's, though, merely were
surprised that he put in an appearance in a situation which was not
planet-threatening.



"Y- your Majesty," Coran stammered, swallowing hard.



"I bless my daughter's marriage to this man," the spirit said.  "And I
give her away, now.  Please, continue with the ceremony."  He paused,
pressing his immaterial lips to Allura's forehead.  "Your mother is here
with me, too, child- unfortunately, she lacks the power to make herself
seen, but know that she is watching."



"Yes, father," Allura whispered, tears forming in her eyes once more.



With that, Alfor stepped back, fading away from sight.  "I'll still be
watching, as well."



Coran cleared his throat.  "Ah, well... ah hem.  Yes, okay.  Let us
continue.  Allura, Princess Royal of the House of Arus, Daughter of
Alfor.  Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in
the covenant of marriage?  Will you love him, comfort him, honor and
keep in, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, as long as you
both shall live?"



Allura choked up when Nanny prompted her to speak with a toe.  "I will,"
she barely said.



"Keith Andrew Lockhart, will you have this woman as your wife; to live
together in the covenant of marriage?  Will you love her, comfort her,
honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, as
long as you both shall live?"



Without hesitation, Keith answered, "I will."



Coran paused.  "In a religious ceremony, I believe, I am supposed to
read a religious passage on the blessings of marriage right here.  I am
not a priest, however, and the two of you follow different religions.
However, I will gladly quote from what I was once told by our late king:
Love is the only path through which we can truly be happy.  Marriage is
the greatest celebration of love in any culture in the known universe.
So today, you two give each other the greatest of gifts: true
 happiness."  Bowing his head briefly, he allowed that to sink in before
moving on.  Joining their hands together, he said, "Princess, repeat
after me:"



Echoing her prime minister, Allura repeated, her voice wavering the
entire time, "I, Allura, take you, my protector and dearest champion
Keith, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for
better and for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.  This is my solemn
vow."



Again with Coran's prompting, Keith replied, "I, Keith, take you, my
beloved Princess Allura, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this
day forward, for better and for worse, for richer for poorer, in
sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by
death.  This is my solemn vow."



"Rings?" Coran said.  Lance quickly pulled the ring box he had been
given minutes before the ceremony by Coran out of his pocket, and
offered it to Coran.  Opening the box, he gave both of them a ring.



Still repeating Coran's words, Allura continued, "Keith, I give you this
ring as a symbol of my vow.  With all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you as my husband."



"Allura, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow.  With all that I am
and all that I have, I honor you as my wife."



Coran smiled, joined their now-ringbearing hands together and covering
them with his own, said, "Now that Keith and Allura have given
themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, and
with the giving of rings, I can now pronounce them as husband and wife.
Keith, you may kiss the bride!"



A loud cheer went up as Keith lifted Allura's veil and gave her a kiss.
It was not their first kiss- that had been in a hospital room when they
had confessed their love to each other- but it was their deepest and
most public to date.



When it ended, Keith and Allura turned to the crowd and waved,
acknoledging the cheers.  Pidge's and Nanny's looked a little forced,
but even they were genuinely pleased to see the happiness in the two
young people's faces.



"Now, Keith, Princess- go with Nanny.  You still need to prepare for
tonight's coronation- and possibly discuss some details for the wedding
reception I am sure Nanny is dying to plan- before you can enjoy
yourselves.  Meanwhile, I'm going to be getting in touch with Pollux to
both announce your wedding and to start discussions about our situation
with the Alliance."



Lance chuckled at the expression on Keith's face.  "Sorry, chief," he
cracked, "Looks like you can't even get a brake at your own wedding."



Keith smiled at Allura, not even looking in his friend's direction.  "I
don't think I agree with you there- I think what I got more than makes
up for the trouble."

 -------------------------
David A. Tatum
http://davecon.anifics.com
desaix@anifics.com



             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'