"Good, that's the last sector. Good work, gentleman, and that will be all for now! Coran out." The Diplomat broke the link and Hunk sighed with relief.

"Great! So is it time to head back to the Castle?"

The plaintive tone in the voice that crackled into the cockpit of Yellow Lion made Hunk chuckle. "Yes, we've been given the okay, but isn't that supposed to be my line?" He inquired impishly, turning his gaze to his telecomm.

Pidge's boyish face grinned back at him. "Yes, but today I have a good reason for wanting to get back early-and before you ask, no, it doesn't involve the consumption of food."

The Big Man scowled in mock annoyance. "Ha! For your information, Pidgey-widge, I haven't been eating a whole lot lately, in fact I think I may have lost some weight!"

"That's because you're head over heels in love." Pidge informed him slyly. "Once that wears off, your appetite will come back."

Hunk flushed a dull red under his visor. "I am not 'head over heels'! It's too soon! I- I just met her."

Pidge gave him a dubious look. "Uh-huh, sure. Y'know, even without our psychic connection, I can read you like a book. You don't really believe that. You've got it bad for her- admit it!"

Hunk barked out a laugh. "So, what are you now, the 'Love Doctor' or something? Been talking to Lance?"

"No, I just know you and your moods. The 'Caro and Hunk' hearts- and- arrows doodled all over our flight log sort of gives it away too." Pidge said dryly, holding up the decorated printout with a flourish.

"Oh, crap- did I do that?"

"Yeah."

An awkward silence fell between them for just a moment, and then Hunk spoke up, his gravel-hard voice sounding oddly uncertain.

"Please don't give me a hard time about Caro, okay little buddy? She's very special to me and I don't want to mess it up."

Pidge's sly smile turned downward. "Okay," he agreed slowly, feeling an uneasiness that was all too familiar.

Only Hunk's teammates had been privy to the heartbreak he had suffered when his first love had turned traitor. Since then, the Big Man had avoided most women with a vengeance, not trusting that his better judgment could overrule his susceptibility to a pretty face and kind words. Pidge knew that Caro was the first woman since the Twyla fiasco that Hunk had sought out for companionship without agonizing about it.

~It's somewhat ironic that he chose a nurse this time. I sure hope Caro has the power to heal the biggest heart in the galaxy.~

"I won't tease you, if you don't want me to." He promised solemnly.

"Thank you." Hunk said gruffly, then forced a cheerier tone. "So, what's your hurry to get back? Did your new computer game finally come in or something?"

"Nope." The youth shook his head, but even on the grainy view screen, Hunk could see the green eyes had started to sparkle behind the round spectacles. "Better than that."

"Better than food or a computer game...hm..." The Yellow Lion pilot pondered a bit. "Comic books?"

"Nope."

"A girl?"

Pidge felt his face heating up. "No!" He half-shouted. "Why is it that people in love think everyone else should be in love too!"

"Well, jeez, don't bite my head off, it was only a guess!"

"You'll never guess, so I'll tell you. I'm doing an experiment with my amulet to find out if talent I possessed in my quest really exists in me."

"You mean, talking to animals? But you know you can do that, you've been talking to Cheddar and Cheesy for almost two years."

"I know, but that doesn't prove a thing. The Space Mice are unusual, almost magical creatures, not at all like the average animal." Pidge insisted.

Hunk nodded thoughtfully. "I think I know what you mean. You want to converse with undomesticated animals. That would prove it's you that has the talent."

Pidge blinked at him owlishly. "My, that was a big word."

His friend grinned proudly. "Caro and I have been doing a lot of crossword puzzles lately. I've added a few words to my vocabulary."

"See, I knew you were in love- you never wanted to do those puzzles with me! You said they were a bore."

"Yeah, well...I changed my mind, and you are getting way off topic."

Pidge shrugged. "There's nothing else to tell. I'm going for a walk to find some animals and talk to them. End of story."

"Are you going to let me know what the results are?"

"Sure. How about tonight after the dinner?"

Hunk hesitated. "Well, um, I-I kind of told Caro I'd-"

Pidge broke in quickly. "It's okay, Big Guy. It can wait until tomorrow." A cloud of loneliness loomed in his thoughts, but the boy forced it back. He couldn't expect his older friend to deny himself a date, just because he hadn't had the nerve to look for one.

"Thanks for understanding, little buddy." Hunk saw the glum expression before his friend could wipe it away, and made a shrewd guess as to its source. "By the way, who are you bringing to the dinner?"

"Myself."

"Aw, come on...isn't there anyone you'd like to bring?"

"In case you haven't noticed, there aren't any females my age in the castle."

Hunk smiled broadly. "Aha, but there is! I know of least one, anyway," he amended. "She's the daughter of one of the guards, and works as a page when she's not in school. She's smart, and pretty too, and I just happen to know she thinks you're the cat's meow. Want me to hook you up with her?"

Pidge's mouth dropped open. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure!" Hunk smirked at his young friend's stunned expression. "That is, if you don't mind spending time with a cute girl, instead of the guys. And be warned, you better mind your manners and stay attentive, because girls expect a heck of a lot more out of you than a guy does." He added, smugly.

"Thanks for the info, Lieutenant Nanny." The Green Lion pilot rolled his eyes. "I guess one night of being 'a little gentleman' couldn't hurt- and it's not like I have anywhere else to go, or anything to do." He shrugged. "I'm trapped."

Hunk chuckled. "You make it sound like a prison sentence."

"I hate dinner parties. They bore me."

"Maybe having Giselle there will change your mind. Like you said yourself, I used to say that about crossword puzzles, and now look at me."

"Giselle," Pidge repeated softly. "I like that name."

Hunk smiled to himself. He knew it had been difficult for Pidge the last few weeks- with everybody paired up the boy probably felt like the proverbial fifth wheel. "I think you'll hit it off. You two will make a great couple!"

"Who says we're going to be a couple?" Pidge grumbled. "It's only a dinner party. She'll be bored stiff and so will I."

"But at least you'll be bored together, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

A beep emitted from Yellow Lion's console. Hunk's voice became businesslike. "We're over the Garden. Descend to hover level and prepare for landing in the Lion Bay. I want to run a few diagnostics before we put our kitties to bed."

"I copy, Yellow Lion. Descending to hover level."

As he reduced his altitude, Pidge glanced out his cockpit windows and spotted two familiar figures on one of the garden's winding paths. "Well, well, speaking of couples, looks like the lovebirds were let out of their gilded cage for awhile." He joked.

Hunk looked down upon the two figures, which were now waving, and sighed. "Those two have to be both the luckiest, and the unluckiest people in the galaxy. After all they've gone through to be together, it'd be a shame for the Garrison to mess it up."

Pidge shot his friend a perplexed look, but had no time to form a question before landing Green Lion claimed his full attention.

The two Lions hovered behind the south wall of the castle, and then landed softly on all fours in front of the massive doors that opened into the Lion Maintenance bay. Once the doors were fully open, the two Lion ships walked inside and straight to their designated maintenance spots, where they then dropped down, cat style, their metal legs and paws folded under the massive bodies.

Removing his helmet with a sigh of relief, Pidge leaped out of his cockpit with a couple of lithe bounds and joined his teammate who had already disembarked and was walking towards him.

They fell into step and began a deliberately paced stroll around the ships so Hunk could do a visual checklist for any needed mechanical adjustments.

After five minutes of purely technical babble, Pidge could stand it no longer, and blurted out the question uppermost in his mind. "I have to ask this, Hunk. Were you implying back there that you think the Garrison will disapprove of Keith and the Princess' relationship?"

The Yellow Lion pilot, ran a huge hand through his untamable hair, and nervously adjusted his headband. "Well- yes. I know Keith thinks it's just a matter of doing the paperwork and submitting it for approval, but I have a very bad feeling about it. In fact, I think they'll have a problem with us having the stones, and with what happened to all of us in the Valley of the Lions." He replied quietly.

"But why? If it helps us get stronger-"

"That's precisely the problem."

Hunk looked around furtively for eavesdroppers, and then pulled his friend into the shadows between Yellow Lion's front paws.

"This has to stay strictly between you and me for now, understand? I'm planning to tell Keith about it first thing tomorrow morning, but until then, not a word! I'd get in a lot of trouble for this for sure if anyone outside the team found out. I don't know what Keith will do about it when I tell him, but that's immaterial-I believe he and Allura have the right to know about what's been going on at HQ." The Yellow Lion pilot stated quietly.

Pidge eyes were wide and solemn. "You can count on me, Big Guy - my lips are sealed." He vowed.

"Okay, good. Well, there's no easy way to say this so I'll cut to the chase-for the last few months, I have been gaining access to the Garrison's computers and reading all the Garrison/Alliance memos, and studying transcriptions from Galaxy Garrison meetings."

"No way!" Pidge gave him a shocked look. "Hunk! You're telling me that you hacked the Garrison mainframe?" The Green Lion pilot fell back against the Space Lion, staring at his teammate in astonishment.

Hunk looked grim. "Yep, and what's more, I'm very glad I did. At first, I was just trying to find a credible explanation for their constantly breaking promises to send back up to Arus because it seemed suspicious to me. After I started reading about the meetings, I was just amazed and sickened at the sheer amount of politicking and back scratching that goes on that no one knows about." He made a sour face.

Pidge shook his head in bewilderment. "So? What does that have to do with the Skipper?"

"The correspondence I read last night exposed how taken aback the council is with how much has been accomplished here in such a sort time without any visible support from G.G, and their concern about how much influence Princess Allura has gained in the Alliance. It also states that they know how much of a tour de force Lion Voltron has become in this galaxy, and says that the four of us are completely loyal to Allura and will support her cause even at the expense of Garrison interests. It also said that Keith's made quite a few decisions lately regarding the use of Voltron without consulting the Garrison, and they don't like that. They want to keep control of both Voltrons, at all costs."

Pidge asked bewilderedly. "But how could they be plotting to keep Keith and the Princess apart? They don't even know about their relationship!"

"They don't have to know about it to foul things up. The Garrison has already been making plans to ensure Planet Arus stays under its semi-benevolent thumb for a number of political and tactical reasons, and you can bet that plan includes promoting Keith on the pretext of honoring him for his 'outstanding heroism and leadership'. The real reason for it is to get him out of here and back on Earth in an advisory capacity, while leaving a Garrison approved 'yes-man' as a replacement for him."

"But he doesn't have to accept the promotion, does he?"

"Yeah, he does, because he has two years left on his tour of duty before getting the option to re-up. The only way that I can see that Keith would be able to stay on Arus is if he asks for a dishonorable discharge-which they'll deny, of course, because of their political agenda. His only choice then would be to desert his commission and apply for political asylum."

Pidge sputtered, "B-but, that's so unfair! We know Keith would never desert, because the Princess' reputation and his vows of service and integrity mean the world to him! He would have to go, given the direct orders for promotion, and that would be the end of him and Princess. And Voltron's best pilot would be gone as well!"

"Yep, you got it."

The Green Lion pilot spat with contempt. "That's totally low, selfish and shortsighted. Not to mention devious."

Hunk smiled bitterly. "Yeah...and it's the Garrison way."