DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from Voltron: Legendary Defender.

Thanks to my friend who reads/edits my fanfics for me. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry it took me awhile. Law School can be overwhelming. Reviews are appreciated and loved! Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed! I always love reading your comments.


He looked ridiculous.

It's just the outside, Keith inwardly chanted. I'm still me. It's only my appearance that's changed. I'm still me. I'm still Keith Kogane, the Red Paladin of Earth.

His ears twitched, breaking his concentration. They constantly reacted to even the slightest sounds; the sensation was disconcerting to say the least. He couldn't mask his feelings anymore (not that he was any good at that before). And don't get him started on his eyes.

Keith avoided looking at them directly, the mirror's reflection a glaring reminder of his sudden transformation. The monochromatic yellow sent shivers of revulsion down his spine. There was only one word he could use to describe them: alien. He missed the grey-blue color he inherited from his mother, at least, he thought he did. His memories of her were fuzzy at best.

Still, he reminded himself, they weren't his real eyes, not really. Nothing about this body was. Parts of him were still reminisce of the human Keith but in a new galran form. This fact still didn't disperse the out-of-body experience he felt. He was both Keith and not Keith.

Clothes were different too. Thace brought him some clothes to change into outside of the dreary hospital ones, but they were nothing like his old ones. Whereas in his world he wore tight fitted clothes, this world's Keith liked a more loose and baggy style. The best he could scrounge up was a long shirt he tied with a sash and some baggy trousers that completely covered his legs in unfamiliar fabric. The shirt was red, though closer to maroon than he would have liked. No gloves though. Pity.

Thank Voltron for this one small blessing; he still had his same hair style. The color was same inky black, though now with a few purple hairs strewn in. To his team, it would be the Universe's joke. To Keith, it meant he still existed in his own way, despite this new alien body.

Sighing, Keith set down the small mirror, scanning his hospital room. He already explored every nook and cranny for a makeshift weapon but apparently Galra Keith didn't own any. Even his knife was gone. It pained him, because for the first time in his life, Keith was a sitting duck. Terrific.

Thanks, Red Lion, he grumbled internally. Real great job you did. Let's throw stupid ol' Keith into another universe without any weapon he could use! Better yet, make him a fucking Galra! Because that totally makes sense! It was as if the Lion put him in a video game on hard mode when he hadn't even finished the tutorial.

He buried his face into his pillow. Damnit, this is all wrong. How am I supposed to even find the Red Lion? I don't even know where I am. He threw the pillow across the room, barely satisfied with the mild whoosh and soft landing it emitted.

Keith rested his chin against his hand, looking around the room for anything to do.

God, he was so bored.

The Galra called the place the Sanctuary, but to Keith it was hell. Hospitals didn't exist here, that is, not in the traditional sense. Military medics and nurses existed from what Thace told him, but the more serious injuries were treated by the Druids, since they were the only ones capable of manipulating Quintessence, a magical heal-all, or so he gathered.

Nevertheless, the Druids made him nervous. They barely spoke to Keith, usually deferring to Thace for questions about his condition, which irked him. His Quintessence amnesia story didn't exactly work well with them either, but they at least accepted that he couldn't remember things. Or maybe (and probably most likely), they simply wanted him out for the next patient and didn't give a rat's ass about his story.

And now he was stuck inside with nothing to do but look at his ugly mug, or rummage through the room in search of things to occupy his time.

Is this what I'm reduced to now? Keith sighed. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Footsteps resounded; suddenly, Thace appeared from outside the door. Keith attempted to appear apathetic, but his ears betrayed him. The rapid fluttering movements showing his excitement. Thace snorted; Keith scowled.

Body movements in a Galra body were similar to a human's, however there were several key differences. For example, having these stupid cat ears meant hiding his feelings was a total crapshoot.

Apparently, old Keith struggled with this too. Great.

Moving around was another issue as well, a fact he soon learned after awakening. While he was still around the same height as his previous form, his arms were now noticeably longer than a human's. Not to mention his new lack of coordination. He was like Lance, but worse. Could he even pilot a lion without crashing into something with this body? He shuddered inwardly; it was a harrowing thought.

His walking felt off too. He hadn't noticed before, but his feet had sections of rough epidermis skin that eerily reminded him of cat paws. Pidge would have had a field day if she saw Keith now. They were cushiony at least, but weird.

"Keith, good news. I've signed you out." Thace said. "Everything came back good, well, physically. Oh, I almost forgot!"

The Galra reached inside his pocket, pulling out a small purple object the size of an eraser-head. "Your MEGIN."

"My what?" Keith raised an eyebrow, perplexed. He put his hands together in the shape a therapist might when faced with a difficult patient "Okay. Let's pretend, in a hypothetical scenario, that in my amnesia state I actually came from another dimension that was sent here by a magical space cat, ended up in this body and don't have much knowledge of Galra technology. Now, explain."

His alien father stared at him. "That's . . .imaginative, though oddly specific," Thace said. "Sorry, I, I wasn't expecting your amnesia to be so total. I suppose I'll have to explain everything for you."

Keith froze at the look Thace threw him. Was it…pity? Sadness? No, that wasn't it. It was like the look Shiro gave him when he broke his arm during his first few months at the Garrison.

He stepped closer, presenting the device to his eye level. "Here. Micro-Earpiece for Galran Intergalactic Netspace. A bit of a mouthful, so we call it the MEGIN. It's your communicator. It hooks up to the GIN automatically when you put it in."

"And how do I put it in?" Keith cocked his head to the side.

The Galra bent down on one knee, now eye-level with the teen. Keith startled but the alien caught him by the ear.

"What are you doing!" Keith growled, wiggling away as Thace tried to insert a finger into his ear.

"Sorry, sorry." Thace said, "It's easier when another person puts it in. I promise I won't hurt you." He lifted Keith's chin with a finger. "It's alright. I'd never hurt you, cub."

Keith stopped squirming, face flushed. "Ugh…Fine, just do it."

A hand scratched his right ear, as if reassuring Keith. He shuddered; it felt nice. Comforting, like when he and Shiro used to curl up on the couch and watch cartoons. His gaze directed towards the wall behind them. He missed those days. Long before Voltron or the Kerberos mess, when it was just him and Shiro against the world.

Well, at least the Galra was…tolerable. A bit like Shiro in a way. Not that he would ever admit it. Keith didn't know what his occupation was, but from rummaging through Thace's things he guessed him to be some sort of military member. He treated Keith fairly well since his awakening four days ago, but the man was far more physically affectionate than any of his past foster families had been like.

Usually, he brushed off things like hugs and hair ruffles, but from Thace it felt…reassuring for some reason. Warm. Oh, who was he kidding; he was starving for any sort of affection. Shiro had been like family to him before the Kerberos mission and after, well, they never really got to hang out like they used to. Shiro's attention was divided between the team, and after his enslavement by the Galra he was more touch-phobic than ever. It pained him, knowing that the man he viewed as a brother wouldn't confide in him. Had he not trusted Keith?

And it didn't even matter anymore. His Shiro was gone. His former body was gone and Keith was stuck in a completely different galaxy, away from his Universe and the rest of the paladins. Was he even a paladin? Would the Red Lion of this world even accept him?

But now, he had this MEGIN thing. If it was anything like the internet than he could scope out the Galra and find the Red Lion. Maybe even figure out how to take down Zarkon along the way. Yeah, Keith thought, maybe this won't be as hard as I thought it would be.

"Is everything okay, Keith?" Thace asked, worry evident. Keith blinked. He'd completely blanked out. "Does your MEGIN fit?"

A light ding rang in his ear.

"Vrepit to MEGIN, Kinden Zer Thace," a voice resounded, nearly making him jump out of his skin.

He swerved around, alarmed. "What was that?"

"Your MEGIN. Here, put your hand over your ear like this." Thace answered, motioning Keith to follow suit. "Excellent. Now, ask your MEGIN a question."

"Uh," Keith started. What should I ask? He thought

"Um…what part of the Galaxy are we in?" He asked, voice squeaking at the end.

Nothing happened.

"You need to add Vrepit Za." Thace added.

Keith blanched. "It doesn't answer to anything else?"

"It's programmed into the device."

He sighed. Quiznak. Nothing came easy in this world, did it? "Okay, Vrepit Za," he mumbled out quickly. "What Galaxy are we in?"

"We are currently situated at the Universal Station 5 in the Zanzabak System. Is this what you are looking for?"

Keith inwardly groaned. Ok, great, so at least I have an idea of where I am now. No need to panic you're that you're practically in the fucking Galra heartland over here, Keith. Geez, Red Lion. Right, focus. Access to Galra technology might turn out to be a good thing. "Yeah, thanks."

"Good. I'm glad." He ruffled Keith's hair and smiled. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You look like you've just eaten a whole Gormakar."

Keith avoided his concerned gaze. "Yeah, I just zoned out I guess. Thinking about things."

"Any new memories?"

He shrugged. "Not really." Not ever, but ruining the man's hopes didn't set well with him for some reason. Probably because the Galra was useful. Losing him early on would set him back even worse than he was now.

Thace nodded, mouth turned downward. "I see. Well, how about we take a walk around the base? Perhaps that will help jog your memory."

Keith straightened up, eyes wide. "Really?"

Finally, Keith thought. He hadn't been allowed to leave since he arrived, despite his best efforts. Something about safety concerns. Bleh. The entrance only opened for Thace. Not like Keith had anywhere to go, but a choice would have been nice.

Thace stood up. His clothes were casual, or at least as casual as a Galra can get; a dark grey pair of pants paired with a black shirt. The insignia on his shirt was in Galran but for some reason Keith understood it. What was a 'Zark 5'?

"Yes, really. I'll have the servant bots transfer over our things." He looked around the room with a frown, "What a mess we've made. Really should have cleaned the place up."

Quickly, Keith slipped on the sandals below his bed. He nearly smacked into the door as it opened. He heard Thace snort behind him but he paid the alien no heed. He was free.

Finally.

"—And this here is Level 3: The Foodbay. That's where we will be meeting your Uncle." Thace said, gesturing forward as the elevator doors swished open. "Fair warning: he can be a bit intense."

Keith nodded absentmindedly, almost cross-eyed with all the information stuffed into his skull. When he asked the Galra to explain things he hadn't expected it to be so informative. A pang of nostalgia hit Keith. It reminded him of Coran.

The corridors were similar to the other Galra ships he'd been in. It made Keith feel out of sorts, the Spartan design and sterile rooms suffocating. Unsurprisingly, few Galra actually lived on this ship as Droids easily outnumbered the aliens, who were a measly 200 or so at most. Only military personal, their families and the Druids were allowed on board.

He was surprised to learn that the Galra weren't as homogenous as he'd come to see them. Of course, they were all purple, but the features were quite different now that he wasn't focusing on avoiding shots to the head. Some looked like He and Thace, with the feline features, while others fell under more reptilian or amphibious areas. A few even had pupils. The one or two Druids he saw on his tour were smaller than the other Galrans, similar to humans but with pointed ears and purple skin. The marks on their faces reminded him of the Alteans, but the shape was completely different. Could they be related?

Thace abruptly came to a halt. Keith, not paying attention, ran into his back and tripped over. In a flash, two large hands grasped both his arms, saving him from smashing face first. They brought him back to standing.

Keith startled as the Galra moved to stroke the fur on his face. It was thicker and more sensitive than his former human skin. The alien looked pleased doing the action though, so Keith stayed quiet.

While Keith wasn't a short guy by any means but in comparison to Thace he was nearly two heads shorter and it showed. That and the fact that Thace tended to baby him over the past few days, which Keith was pretty sure this wasn't temporary, made him feel like he was a kid again.

"Be careful." The alien said softly, glowing eyes soft. "The foodbay is just through this door."

Keith watched as Thace put a hand to a pad, which lit up underneath his fingers. The door whooshed open.

As Thace walked in Keith fell into step behind him.

"ENTERING: 1st ENGINEER OF ZARK 5, THACE ZAR YARAK; ENTERING: KINDEN ZAR THACE."

He blinked, then turned to Thace. "Kinden? I thought I was Keith."

"Oh," Thace remarked, eyebrows raised. He scratched his temple. "Well, yes. I like to call you Keith, but I suppose it's not your name per se."

"You keep calling me Keith. I'm pretty sure that's a name, unless that's Galra for something."

"Ah, Keith means reckless idiot in the Old Galran."

"What, really?" Keith asked, dismayed.

"No, I'm just messing with you," Thace snorted. "I got you for a second though, didn't I?"

Keith threw him a half-hearted glare. "Hilarious. Truly. But, really, why do you keep calling me that if it isn't my name?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated. How to start…" The Galra rubbed his chin, eyebrows furrowed. "It's a leftover piece of history from the times before our leader Zarkon. Before him, there were several different races of Galra that all lived separately. Each had their own languages and cultures specific to them. Because of this diversity however, we were constantly at war with each other. We were nearly on the brink of extinction until Zarkon took control. Children were among the largest of casualties during the wars, so the Galra of earlier times didn't give them names, as they would perish soon anyway."

"That's rather heartless of them."

He scratched his temple, brows furrowed, as if deep in thought. "…I don't know if it's so much heartless as it's protecting themselves. Losing a loved one can be…difficult, to say the least. Our kind didn't see the use of naming the soon-to-be dead. So, until a child reached his age of majority, he would not have an individual name. Boys were called Kindan and girls Kindra.

"So I'm Kinden Zar Thace?" He asked with some uncertainty, "Son of Thace?"

"Exactly! And I am Thace zar Yarak. Thace, son of Yarak."

"But that doesn't answer my other question," Keith said. "Why do you call me Keith?"

"It's…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I guess you could say, it's a family nickname."

"How did you come up with it? Keith doesn't sound like a very Galran name."

"I didn't. Your mother did."

Keith blinked. "Oh."

A large hand encompassed his shoulder before he could ask anything else. Instinctively he moved to smacked it away, only to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

Sendak.

Quiznak.

"Thace, you look well. Finally back to eating again? And here I was thinking I would have to start force-feeding you." He said, laughing as if he had made a joke.

Subconsciously, Keith tried to move closer to Thace. Sendak noticed the movement and pulled him back, enveloping him with his arms.

"And here's the little bastard himself! How's little Kevik—"

"Keith." He and Thace said simultaneously.

"—Keith doing? Still as small as ever? Your Michra blood showing through, hmm? Maybe we should toss him into a pit of Pjark-Ras. That'll toughen him up."

"Sendak." Thace said in a low voice. "Brother, I don't like you using that word around him. Please, leave the politics for the barracks."

A short tense silence ensued. Keith looked between the two in confusion. What did Michra mean? Something was going on here that he wasn't privy to.

Two hands shot up in mocking surrender. Sendak, his visage mocking, was the first to respond. "Apologies, little brother. I promise, no politics."

"Here, Kinden." Sendak shoved what looked like an iPad into his hands. "Fetch yourself something for us to eat. Your father and I have some catching up to do."

Keith scrawled but resisted wisecracking at the Galran. He imaged Shiro would be proud of him for that.

As he lined up behind the other Galrans realization hit him.

Oh Fuck.

Sendak was his Uncle.

He was related to one of their enemies. Anger rose inside of him. Great, another thing to add to his list of shit he had to deal with. Thanks, Red Lion.

He nearly dropped the stupid Galran's iPad when one of the Drones asked him what he would like to order.

Eyes fluttering for a dazed moment, he then smirked and handed the robot the pad. "The most expensive thing you have, for all three of us."

Screw it. If the Universe was going to fuck with him then he wasn't going to take it sitting down.

"In fact, let's make that a double order."