Lotor slid into the scene practically unnoticed, almost like a shadow on the forest floor.
The battle had started just a few dobashes ago, but it was already spiraling into chaos. Galra soldiers and androids flooded the loading docks of the massive ship and were pushing back against just six warriors and a band of rebel Galra with all their might. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the scene. If they kept coming here, someone would begin to suspect that he was disabling security for his own purposes.
He was supposed to be here, and it wasn't at all unexpected for him to be on the frontlines of the Garla battlefield, rallying and spewing Galra rhetoric and propaganda. However, his motives were questionable.
After learning that he was actually half Altean, a deep hatred for his Galra was born. His mother had betrayed her own kind, and his father had brutally destroyed her planet without question.
He despised the Galra with every fiber of his being. Their genocidal tendencies and their lust for blood seemed to hover like the stench of carrion in every corner of the Galra Empire, and he had enough of it.
His plan was slow moving at first. Maybe on one planet he would take a poor half-Galra under his wing and support them in becoming a high ranking Galra agent, and on the next, he might dominate mercilessly to avoid suspicion. But finally, he was at a point in his plans where the rest of the universe might have a chance against the Galra.
After years of hard work, he had his own loyal agents everywhere in the Galra Empire. He convinced them all to swear allegiance to him, instead of Zarkon. And one by one, he smuggled them into Central Command, either as prisoners or disguised as Galra soldiers. Soon enough, he would have more personnel on the massive ship than Zarkon himself, and then he could destroy Zarkon's Empire swiftly and effectively.
Lotor didn't consider himself a hero, of course. He was merely a means to reaching the end of the unspeakable horror that his father had spread throughout galaxies over several thousands of years. Lotor knew his own hands were not clean, but he carried on. Perhaps it was necessary to fight evil with evil.
And then Voltron came out of nowhere.
Although he knew that Voltron stood a chance against his father, he couldn't shake the sensation that somehow Voltron was threatening his goal of toppling the Galra Empire. Every time they showed up, his plans were at risk of being discovered. His closest generals hated them, and they had all agreed that Voltron would need to be eliminated if the operations were to continue as planned.
But they seemed indestructible.
Every attempt at destroying them only seemed to make them stronger. Lotor considered the risks of continuing on with them barging in like this, and he realized he needed to take a different approach when dealing with Voltron.
As he watched the battle unfold around him, he knew he would need to reach the Paladins somehow if he wanted to keep them from stumbling blindly into his plans. If he could capture one and get the rest to trust him somehow, maybe they could move forward together. He narrowed his eyes as he watched one of them struggle against two of his generals Ezor and Zethrid.
Perhaps today was going to be his lucky day.
Lotor sauntered through the battle, paying almost no care to the Galra android that was being blown to bits by the Yellow Paladin or to Acxa and the Green Paladin locked in combat just a little ways off from where he walked. His eyes were locked on the one struggling to keep up with Ezor's punches and Zethrid's brute force on a loading platform across the battlefield.
Lotor called a direction or two out as he broke into a run. He needed to get to the Paladin quickly so he could subdue him, otherwise, his generals might kill him. He ducked under fire from the Yellow Paladin and slid towards the area where his two generals were gaining the upper hand.
Ezor had kicked the Paladin's Bayard out of his hand and was giggling as he frantically lunged towards her.
"Aw, you want your toy back?" Lotor could hear her teasing.
She flipped over the Paladin and landing daintily behind him. He turned to grab his Bayard but Zethrid grabbed him from behind. The Paladin squirmed, and somehow managed to land a solid kick to Zethrid's stomach. She dropped him with a gasp as Lotor's heart skipped a beat.
If Zethrid got angry, there would be no hope. He approached the platform just in time to see Ezor leap back into action, this time swinging a knife at the Paladin. He ducked under another beam from the Yellow Paladin's fire and scrambled almost ungraciously onto the platform. Lotor leapt behind the Paladin right as he turned away from Ezor and kicked him firmly under his ribcage.
The Paladin choked, and Lotor could see tears forming in his wide blue eyes.
As he crumpled to the ground, Lotor noticed blood coming from where he had kicked the Paladin. His heart sank as he saw the Blue Paladin clutched the hilt of a knife, a knife that Lotor had just kicked deeper into the wound.
Lotor dropped to his knees as another wave of fire screamed over his head, and demanded that Ezor go prepare an escape pod. Perhaps if he took the Paladin somewhere else, he could strike up a deal with the other Paladins...if it wasn't too late. He grabbed the Blue Paladin by one arm and began to drag him off the platform. As he slunk away with his prey in tow, he heard a shriek erupt from nearby.
"LANCE!"