"Get out of there, Keith! It's rigged to explode in less than ten minutes!" Kolivan's worried voice rang over his comm.
"I can't, Dad! I can hear crying, there's children trapped aboard the ship! I have to help them!" He raced off towards the sound, arriving at a locked room, he opened the door, and five children ranging in ages from 2 to 6 tumbled out. He immediately scooped up the two youngest toddlers, and began jogging down the hall, the three older ones following the best they could until they passed Antok who scooped the three oldest up and they both began running towards the docking.
The doors to the ship slid closed and they pulled away from the other ship just as it began to explode. Keith gave a sigh of relief and turned to the children huddling in the corner, the two oldest boys standing in front of the girls. He cautiously approached them and kneeled down. The youngest toddler, was wailing away, tears flooding her chubby cheeks, her pale face turning slightly purple which made him worry that she wasn't breathing well.
"Can I pick her up to soothe her? She needs to calm down so that she can breathe better." The oldest boy narrowed his eyes before bidding slightly and standing to the side slightly. He reached for the toddler, stopping in his tracks when the second youngest girl bared tiny fangs and hissed at him.
"It's alright sweetie. I'm just going to calm her down. I won't hurt her. Pinky promise." She nodded and let him pick up the littlest of the group. She had short blonde, almost white, hair and he couldn't see her eyes quite yet. She had tiny markings on her cheeks like Allura. She was Altean. Or at least half.
He began to purr softly, cradling her to his chest and rocking her gently. He began to lick her short hair, grooming her which helped calm the fussy toddler. She blinked up at him with wide watery eyes. Two different colored eyes. Her left was a brilliant gold, her right a deep purple that seemed to glow. He cooed at her softly, running a gentle claw down her cheek. She grabbed his finger and held it tightly, chirping softly.
The oldest little boy peeked at her. "Is Sephy okay?" Keith nodded.
"She was just really scared. She needed some comfort. And now that she's calmed down, I bet we can get you all something to eat when we get back to the base, alright?" The boy nodded.
"I'm Keith. What's your names?" The second boy bounced slightly.
"That's Haddy! I Wilfy! That Lydia and That Niva!" He said pointing to the oldest girl and the girl that had hissed at him.
"Haddy?" He asked, understanding that the child was excited and most likely shorted the others name.
"My name is Hadrian Black, but I go by Hades. That's Wilford Proctor. Then Lydia Prince and Niva Nirvana. The two year old your holding is Persephone Bloodwood we call her Sephy." Keith nodded.
The ship rumbled slightly as it docked at the base. Ulaz had been called ahead of time, to make sure the Infirmary was ready for the children. They couldn't have food until they knew what species they were. Seeing as different species had different nutritional requirements. Keith carried Persephone and Niva down the ramp, Lydia clung onto Hades hand while Wil held his other.
Ulaz quickly ran the tests he needed so he could get the children food to eat. The results shocked him.
"Keith, come here for a second. Leave little Seph with Hades please." Keith nodded and handed her to the boy before walking to Ulaz.
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"Hades, Wilford, and Niva are Galra cubs. About six, five and three years old respectively. Lydia is fully Altean at about four years of age. And Persephone, well little Persephone is half Altean, half Galra, like Prince Lotor. Although her genes seemed to have blended just so that she looks almost fully Altean, except when she experiences strong emotions, her skin turns pale purple. Her eyes are the two different colours from her heritage. Yellow for Galra and Purple for her Altean side. She's two years of age, officially making her the youngest of the group." Keith nodded.
"Where are they going to sleep?" He asked.
"With our pack, of course. Persephone seemed attached to you and I can tell they don't want to be separated. That's fine. We have plenty of room in our quarters anyways." Keith hugged Ulaz before taking the children upstairs to get food.