Prison Break

Keith bared his teeth in an angry snarl as he was dragged down a hall of cells. The translucent barriers allowed a clear view of each of the prisoners kept there. Some of them jeered or slammed their hands against the barrier as he went by and others ignored him entirely, turning their backs so they didn't have to watch. The guards jerked him to a stop outside one of the cells and then shoved him inside hard enough that he went sprawling to the floor.

He growled low in his throat as he pushed himself up on his hands and knees, but refused to give them more of a reaction than that. His side still ached from their punishment after the last time he "misbehaved" and had no desire to go through that again.

Keith kept his back turned to the guards and waited until he heard the hum of the barrier activating and the sound of heavy footsteps walking away before he stood up.

And that was when the crushing weight of guilt settled over him. "What have I done?"

How had he messed up such a simple mission? He didn't understand. Things had been going so well until suddenly they weren't and Keith found himself surrounded by Imperial soldiers. He was lucky they didn't kill him on the spot!

Keith sat down on the hard mattress that was bolted to the wall and put his head in his hands, trying to think.

"So, what are you in for?"

Keith leaped to his feet, reaching for the blade he no longer had. "Who's there?"

"Take it easy! I'm in the cell next to you. There's a vent that runs between us. See it?"

He frowned and looked around, spotting the mentioned vent up near the ceiling. It was just big enough for a drone to fit inside, but Keith doubted he could fit more than his head through. "Do all of the cells have that? Why do I only hear you?"

"I couldn't say. I've only ever been in this one, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any others connected to us. For once thing, I only have one vent. How about you?"

"Yeah," Keith responded after taking a second look. "Hey, how did you end up here?"

"Oh, you know, I just released a prisoner from a maximum security facility and caused too much structural damage for the prison to continue operating without extensive repairs. May have caused some panic."

"Wait, you're the one who set that monster free?" Keith asked incredulously.

"Monster?" They laughed as though that was the funniest thing they had ever heard. "I'd hardly call Laika a monster. Overly excitable, maybe, but considering she has more of a taste for destroying sentries than any living thing, she's hardly a threat. I guess they had to put some kind of spin on my capture though. Can't let anyone know the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

They were silent for a moment. "It hardly seems fair for me to do all of the talking. I don't suppose you'll agree to an even exchange of information?"

Every part of Keith's training dictated that he shouldn't do that. What if it was a trap to get him to admit his guilt? Though why they would go through such lengths when they already had him imprisoned, he didn't know. "I've been accused for the death of Prince Lotor," he said carefully.

"Prince Lotor is dead?" they asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "But how? What happened?"

"You said this was an equivalent exchange," Keith boldly pointed out.

There was another, softer laugh. "You're right. I did say that. The truth is, I was there to rescue a prisoner. Setting loose the warden's pet yupper was just an accident that worked in my favor."

Keith swallowed nervously. He was going to be in so much trouble if anyone knew he was about to reveal his mission to a stranger. He really shouldn't say anything else. It was too risky. But he was so interested to hear what really happened at Beta Traz; it was information that not even the Blade of Marmora knew.

"I was supposed to guard Prince Lotor and gather intel on the person he was meeting with. It all happened so fast. I... I didn't know what to do. Looking back, it was clear we were set up. Someone knew about us."

"Could be," they agreed. "I think the empire was prepared for us at Beta Traz too. I bought enough time for my team to escape with the prisoner, but I wasn't so lucky. On the bright side, they've had two movements to come up with a plan to get me out of here! In three... two... one."

Keith's jaw dropped as a clicking sound echoed down the hall of cells and then each of the barriers went out. All at once, there was a roar of noise as the other prisoners took notice and began to make their escape.

He ran to the door, determined to make a break for it before any of the guards caught on and reactivated the cells. Keith grasped the frame and swung himself around it, only to run smack into a tiny figure with long brown hair and glasses. His eyes went wide as he took in the green markings high on her cheeks. "You're-!"

"There's no time for that! You're coming with me," she said, grabbing his arm without waiting for his agreement. She tugged him along, surprisingly strong for someone her size.

"Where are we going? And why me?" he asked as they split away from the other inmates, who seemed delighted to have a chance to wreak havoc on the facility.

"You can pilot a Galra ship. I can't," she explained simply. "I'll give you the coordinates so I can meet my friends at our rendezvous point and then we'll make sure you get back to your friends as well. Deal?"

Another equivalent exchange. It seemed to be something important to her.

"Deal," he agreed.

She was grinning as she increased her speed. "I'm Katla, by the way. But you can call me Pidge. All of my friends do."

"I'm Keith. Well, Keithir, but-"

"Shh!" she hissed, yanking him into a darkened alcove.

He could hear the sound of sentries running by, too focused on their mission parameters to round up the rioting prisoners to pay them any mind. After a doboshe or two, Keith risked checking up and down the corridor.

"It's all clear."

Pidge nodded and then they were off again.

Keith wasn't sure how she knew the way to go, but he wasn't going to complain as they made it to the ships without any problems. He hopped into the pilot's seat of the nearest one and reached down to help her up. Luckily, the hangar doors were already open, so all he had to worry about was familiarizing himself with the controls of the ship.

He took a deep breath and followed his gut instinct, hoping they were similar to the ones used by the Blade.

Within a few ticks, they were speeding down the landing strip and soaring out into open space. He toggled a few more switched and then pushed down the throttle, rocketing them away from the prison ship.

Next to him, Pidge "whooped!" in delight.

"How did you know all of that? About which way to go and that all of the cells would open up?" Keith asked.

Pidge grinned and tapped the frame of her glasses. "Believe it or not, they didn't think to check my glasses for any hidden tech when they locked me up. I haven't been able to send any messages out, but my friends have been able to send messages in. They told me when the cells would unlock and how to get to the hangar."

"Impressive."

"I know," she said proudly. "I guess this makes us jailbreak buddies, doesn't it."

Keith glanced at her, confused about what that had to do with anything. "I guess?"

"It means we have a bond. Who knows, maybe we'll work together again some day. After all, it sounds like we're working towards the same goal," she said, shrugging.

"And what do you think that goal is?" Keith asked.

"Ending the reign of Emperor Zarkon." Pidge said the words so matter-of-factly that Keith didn't hesitate to believe they were the truth. And what reason did she have to lie? She was clearly Altean and few had suffered at the hands of Zarkon and his soldiers more than her people.

"He has to be stopped," Keith agreed. "The organization I'm with, we hoped Prince Lotor was the answer. And he seemed on board with our plans, but..."

"We hoped the same as well. He is – was – half Altean and he really sounded like he wanted to make things better. It's a set back, but if we all come together, maybe we can find another solution," Pidge suggested, looking at him hopefully.

Keith wanted to try, but it wasn't up for him to decide. He could only wait and hope that everything would work out. And in the even that Kolivan rejected the idea of working with Pidge and her friends...

Well, it wouldn't be the first time Keith rebelled against orders.

"You said something about coordinates?" he asked.

Pidge beamed up at him, happy to give him what he wanted.