Parsi Five had little to offer in entertainment during downtime. If they weren't training, resting, or working on the ship's repairs, the younger paladins were reduced to finding their own methods of amusing themselves. However, with the expansive stretch of desert yawning before them, their choices were limited. The landscape reminded the earthlings of Nevada. Everything except the pink cacti reminded them of the dry, arid red deserts of the south-western U.S. How a planet could still thrive with even a little plant life with two suns defied certain laws of earthly science. Pidge accounted for at least five or six distinct species of shrubs and more cacti. The variations of color for the cacti ranged from hot pink to deep purple. Spiky flowers bloomed on and around the tops of the rounded arms. Pearlescent nectar dribbled from the succulent-like blooms like tempting ambrosia.

"How far do you think this desert goes on?" Lance wondered.

Pidge busied herself with repairing the wiring; she didn't so much as look in his direction. "Considering that this planet has two suns, I'm pretty sure that this whole place is just one dry desert."

Lance wiped sweat from his brow. In spite of having two suns, the weather seemed pretty arid. Dry but not burning. He almost expected a little more suffering. He watched swirling clouds of red dust rise from the rocky terrain and vanish into the air. For the most part, Parsi Five consisted of a flat surface with mountain ranges erupting out of the ground in random points. Dark purple clouds overhead might indicate rain, as in water-rain, but without knowing the precise geography of the planet, it was hard to tell. It was a planet whose atmosphere seemed compatible for breathing to both earthlings and Alteans. That wasn't the thing that surprised Lance the most.

As of yet, the locals hadn't bothered to look for what caused the commotion. The emergency landing wasn't exactly the most subtle nor the quietest. It might be that the species of this planet were completely deaf, though that seemed highly unlikely. Here and there, Lance could spot pieces of abandoned craft. Some more ancient than others. Parsi Five was clearly just a spot where travelers got themselves stranded. Rusting and decaying scraps of metal littered the desert. Ships of all kinds were left to waste away. Small or imperial, the planet made no distinction between what kind of ship, or people, it dragged to its surface. With so many abandoned vehicles, it was no easy feat to stop thinking about what happened to the people who piloted those ships. Among them, with Lance in particular, the mystery about what happened to those who crash landed on the planet nagged them.

Lance made his way over to a ship half-swallowed up by the desert. The ship was made from some kind of white metal that must have looked like the purest steel in the galaxy before its pilot left it to rust in this forsaken place. He felt sorry for the pitiful thing. The ship had somehow been split down the middle in its crash. One half here and the tail discarded somewhere else. It appeared almost as if a giant toddler threw a fit and broke its toy out of spite. The frayed ends of the metal where the nose of the ship had been ripped from the rest of its body formed odd markings. Lance, with nothing else to do for the time being, inspected the bits and ends of the wrecked ship. He half-suspected that the ship to the victim of an attack from above, such as a canon shot through its belly and split apart on impact. At a closer look, that wasn't the case. By the direction of the tears, the ship had been struck from the bottom first, and then crushed as if in fist or between powerful jaws. He looked at the ground but found no suspicious-looking holes or evidence to suggest a weapon. Judging by how corroded the metal looked, it had been there for a long time. Long enough for the desert to cover up the evidence and swept it under its dust.

"Hey, Lance! Where are ya?" Keith shouted.

Lance ducked out from the wreckage and waved his hand. "Over here."

In the distance, it appeared that Keith sighed, sagging his shoulders. He marched on over to the wreckage to see what Lance had found to be so interesting.

"Take a look at this." Lance pointed and held a piece of metal from the ship. "Do you see a pattern here?"

Keith looked but it took him a little while longer to see it. "The ship was torn in half."

"Like something grabbed it in mid-air and went Incredible Hulk on the ship."

"What do you think it could've been?"

A pair of footsteps approached. Shiro didn't like them wandering off, not when they knew so little about this planet. At least this particular wreckage wasn't far from their ship. Still, it concerned him to see so many bits and pieces of ships. The gravitational pull of Parsi Five was alarming and to find a few crash sites didn't surprise him. But this one seemed different. Everything except for the middle, the ship didn't appear to have any damages. There were markings where it had broken off from its tail that looked almost like teeth marks. Very large teeth marks.

"Ahem." Shiro cleared his throat.

The two whipped around and went stiff like they were back at the garrison. It irked him a little that they thought him that scary. Maybe he was. Sometimes it was necessary, but it was all too easy to forget that these kids weren't soldiers. They didn't have the experience he had. They'd been training under the garrison for a short while before they were shot into space. What they knew about the universe was shattered before their eyes. It was hard to command a group of teenagers and still treat them like soldiers when literal universes were opening their minds.

"We were just…uh…" Lance stumbled to find better words.

"The damage to this ship looks different than the rest. It doesn't look like the other crash sites." Keith made up for Lance's sudden stammering.

Shiro took a second look at the ship's frayed ends. Metal appeared crushed and the rainbow of wires were torn and shredded. Something happened to this ship that didn't happen to the others. He worried that this wasn't the only one out there. With such a big desert, there was bound to be others just like it.

"All the more reason to be on our toes. Who knows what lives out here."

"What do you think it was?" Asked Lance.

"Something big," Shiro answered. And that worried him. Something big and nasty enough to take down a ship. This desert planet held more dangers than he cared to think about. "Come on, Coran's got the grub on. Let's get out of this heat before it goes to our heads."

"Alright! I'm starving!" Lance ran ahead of them.

Shiro stayed behind looking at the remains of the ship.

"There's a lot of 'em out here. Looks like a boneyard," Keith said listlessly as he meandered back to the ship.

Scraps of metal poked out of the desert's crust. Wings embedded in the dirt, ships with hallowed out guts no doubt picked by scavengers, and miscellaneous pieces littering all over the place. But this ship was different. This one wasn't as intact as the others. It was missing its lower half and its middle looked like it had been eaten whole. What was left were merely the unwanted leftovers. It didn't take an earthling criminal investigator to know that those markings were made by teeth. No if's or but's about it. They weren't going to be here much longer. Hopefully by then they wouldn't learn just what had torn apart this ship.

By the third day, Lance's inability to deal with boredom let him wander around the desert, always within sight-seeing distance of the ship. Repairs were a little behind schedule because they needed more metal to cover the deep scratches caused by the lions' claws. Coran needed more time to buff out the dents in the hull. The scrap metal laying all around them could be melted down and re-purposed, but that process took longer than if they acquired new metal.

Lance tried not to wonder too far. It had been a few days now and they hadn't encountered any of the locals of Parsi Five. No curious onlookers or spies. Not even the nomads that were said to wander through the deserts. It seemed that intelligent life simply didn't exist, at least not around their landing. Crash sites were abandoned and picked clean long ago. Nobody had been here in a while, a very long while by Lance's estimation.

When grew tired of picking apart scrap metal that would be used for mending the ship, the oddly colored plant life captured his attention with their new smells and bright hues. There was a shrub that reminded him of lavender but smelled more like rosemary. The hot pink cacti had a pungent yet sweet smell wafting off their lotus-like blooms. The closer Lance got to one of them, the stronger the smell became. He almost became nauseous at the sickly sweetness coming off the flowers, but his curiosity proved to be too powerful. It overcame his common sense. Its hard skin was covered in small needles. Though they appeared quite short, they were nevertheless quite sharp. As evidence to this, Lance pricked his finger, through his glove, when he decided to test the sharpness of one of the needles.

Other than the coloration, the cactus didn't look much different than the ones back on earth. Sure, the oozing blooms and the strange yellow veins creeping up from the roots were a little alarming, it didn't seem all that dangerous. The needles weren't that deadly, unless you were thrown from the sky and landed on it. That would indeed kill a person.

Lance's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He grabbed the canteen from his belt. The cap popped off with a hollowness that should have warned him. He put the canteen to his lips only to be highly disappointed. Lance shook the bottle, but not a drop could be spared. Glancing over his shoulder, the ship had plenty of water, though Shiro would no doubt give him a lecture on better water conservation. Plus, the ship was sooo far away. Did he really have the patience to walk all the way back to the ship, get more water, and walk back? The answer would be, 'Of course not.'

Back on earth, cacti stored water. Health nuts consumed cactus water instead of coconut water because it was healthy, or so they said. One could potentially survive off cactus water out in the desert. Taking out his bayard, Lance wondered if that applied on Parsi Five.


Ix Chel arrived at the village before the suns had risen very high in the skies. It was large for a Parsi village. It held the only greenery for several ticks. The secret fertility lay in the sand worms who occasionally popped out of the ground. Their flesh made excellent fertilizer. The pesky creatures sucked the nutrients away from the planet, facilitating the arid, desert climate, but once killed, their flesh, full of life-giving nutrients, was given back to the soil where they could plant things like food and fibers for clothes.

The people of Parsi Five were lithe creatures and short in stature. What they grew didn't offer much in sustancence other than to continue life. They didn't build much muscle. Their elongated, pointed ears, much like her own, were designed to pick up the sounds of sand storms fast approaching or the rumble of sand worms far below the surface.

Ix Chel admired their resilience. Though small and disadvantaged in terms of weapons, they had a strong spirit that allowed them to endure both the brutality of the desert and Zarkon's rule. Because they were such a poor planet in the eyes of Galra, Parsi Five and its inhabitants were left largely alone. They didn't have the technology or the skill to fight back. Outnumbered, outclassed, and outgunned, the Parsis made the intelligent move to surrender quietly. All they had to do was pay taxes and they would be left to their own devices.

Not many outsiders lived on this planet, and if they did, it was because they were stranded and had no way of escaping. The ones that remained were often traders or travelers who got caught in the planet's pull. Ix Chel had run into a handful of refugees from other planets. Their homelands had been oppressed by the Galra Empire, but at least here one could be allowed to live a mostly peaceful existence. The occasional bandits caused trouble, though that was generally when Ix Chel stepped in.

The villagers spotted her long before she reached the fence marking its perimeter. Barefoot children ran through the gate, running towards her. The blue-gray goliath, Amun, falling in step behind her allowed the children to run him over. Amun rolled over unto his back and let them bet his belly which could have contained two or three of them if he ever got hungry. There was never any danger from the likes of him. When he sat on his hindlegs, he still stood a head taller than Ix Chel, perhaps the tallest person on this planet. He was big enough to carry at least three on his back, but Amun was the gentlest giant one could meet.

The children hold of Ix Chel and tackled her to the ground, fighting amongst each other over who would hug her. She tussled heads of two-tone blonde hair and hugged as many she could get her arms around. She laughed, which sometimes felt so strange. To laugh and feel joy wasn't something she was accustomed to living out in the wilderness. When the children let her up, Ix Chel entered the village proper with an army tagging alongside her. Amun was generous enough to let some of them ride on his back as they paraded down the main path down the middle of the village.

Her first stop was at the hut of Mamuka whose home was the third hut on the left. Mamuka, in a flowing white dress customary to expecting mothers, waddled from her front door to greet Ix Chel at her yard gate.

"You mustn't be moving so much!" Ix Chel chided. "It's not good for the infant."

She knelt in the dirt before Mamuka and her protruding stomach. Ix Chel pressed her pointed ear and hands to Mamuka's stomach. She felt the baby move and heard the heart beating strong. She let energy flow through her body into Mamuka's. A soft white glow flowed and spiraled out of her hands. The gentle influx of power enter the body of the mother and unborn child. The glow swam through both until Mamuka's body gave off an ethereal light. It subsided quickly like a passing light. Mamuka rubbed her temple, sighing with relief.

"Thank you, so much, Nami," she smiled and offered Ix Chel a pouch of tea leaves as payment.

'Nami' wasn't a name but a title. 'Healer' to some and to others meant 'spiritual advisor.' It depended on the tribe she spoke to. The number of meanings behind a single word or name drove stranded travelers mad. It frustrated them to no end when they tried to translate.

Ix Chel rose to her feet, dusting off her trousers. "It's all in a days work. You must let me know when you go into labor. I'll try to help you."

"Oh! You've done so much already. I couldn't possibly burden you with being my mid-wife!"

"Nonsense. It's part of my job, isn't it?"

"I suppose you're right," Mamuka chuckled. She looked over Ix Chel's shoulder. "Village Leader…"

Ix Chel spun around to meet the wizened old Parsis who remained at the gate.

"Nami, did you receive our message?"

Answering, she nodded.

"Come with me, if it pleases you."

Ix Chel followed him to the outer edge of the village. The largest hut wasn't reserved for the headman, but for to be used by village counsel. She had lived on this planet for the last two lunar allignments. She healed their sick, cure the wounded, and tended to women in labor. Many villages relied on her to protect them from bandits and hunt sand worms. Some villages allowed her a seat in their counsel meetings. They trusted her, though sometimes she wondered why they put so much of it to her. If they knew the truth, they would spit in her face.

The counsel of this village was small compared to some. Despite having the largest village within this sector, they had only a handful of males and females serving on the counsel. Most were too young and there were those who simply didn't have the time to perform this task. Half a dozen sat in a circle on pillows on the floor. Aside from the headman, there were four males. Ix Chel took a seat at the end of the circle with her back facing the hut's entrance. When the headman took his seat at the front, the meeting was officially called to order.

"One of Zarkon's generals is paying us a visit in a short while. The Little Sister will be a quarter behind her Mother and the Eldest Daughter will show her darker half."

In other words, the small moon would be behind the largest moon orbiting Parsi Five and the second largest will be in its waning gibbous. If she calculated correctly, Ix Chel would have to plan for their arrival in four days time.

"Do you know which one he is sending?" She asked.

Blood pounded in her veins. They always sent low-ranking officers to check in on them and collect taxes. Zakron knew that Parsi Five did not have a lot to offer. His taxes didn't overburden the populace, a small mercy. Still, no matter who they sent, Galra met Parsi with the same amount of cruelty as any other planet. Ix Chel had the distinct pleasure of meeting those males face to face. Most generals treated her with indifference, which might seem like a reprieve to those who had other ideas. She prayed that they would not send…

"They send Liodas."

A rock formed in her throat. Out of all the generals, she hated Liodas the most. Ix Chel glanced around the councel members, counting the number of pitying looks. The counsel knew what Liodas did, how he extracted special favors from this village. Liodas was a warrior with an insatiable lust for blood as well as for flesh. They paid less than other villages in exchange for their young women. That tradition only ended when Ix Chel stepped forward and offered herself in their stead.

"We do not ask that you volunteer. We will make do…"

"No!" Ix Chel slammed her palm on the ground. "You will not let your young girls to be abused by that monster. I refuse to let you even consider it! Do not think I would refuse to trade my dignity to save them. It is nothing to me."

The counsel spoke not a word to contradict her. They would trade their own lives if necessary, but they couldn't argue with her. One way or another, Ix Chel would find a way to keep the deal with Liodas. Whether the villagers like it or not, they couldn't stand in her way. They would have to tie her up and lock her in a cellar to keep her from making a martyr of herself.

The meeting ended not long after. Ix Chel excused herself first. She needed space to collect her thoughts. Liodas visited a season ago just after the cotton sprouted. He couldn't be demanding more tributes, could he? The empire knew that Parsi Five couldn't offer anymore than their desert planet could provide. For Liodas, it must have been something more personal. Then.

Her body recovered from their last encounter. She had just gotten used to having skin free of claw marks on her hips, thighs, and back. The Eldest Daughter had gone a full cycle by the time those dark, violent bruises faded.

Ix Chel started down through the village. She forced a smile on her face. The army of little ones couldn't find out. They mustn't. She laughed and smiled and played with them. There was an act she couldn't step away from. For their sake, she didn't let her horror dashed with rage ruin them.

Clouds of dust billowed in the distance. Children were rushed inside in fear of a dust storm, but Ix Chel heard engines roaring like goliaths. Two or three of them headed for the village. Sleek machines drove over the desert rushing madly towards them. Not Galra, not bandits. Strangers, from where she couldn't guess. Their uniforms and armor were so vastly different from what she had seen in all the time she lived on Parsi Five. Whistling, Amun rushed to her side.

She checked her weapons on her hip and strapped to her back before climbing onto Amun. They rode out to meet the strangers. Engines made to a screeching halt. Ix Chel dismounted from Amun's back. He growled at the intruders. Only her hand on his cropped head kept him from pouncing.

"Please!" A desperate male in white and black armor pleaded. He stepped off his vehicle but didn't remove his helmet. "We're in need of help. Our friend has been poisoned. Is there anyone in this village who can heal him?"

Ix Chel's first instinct was to send the male on his way. She cared little for strangers. Each new stranded piolet meant that Zarkon would watch the planet more closely, checking for rebels. However, Ix Chel could see through the visor of his helmet and saw just how desperate he was. His brows were sharply furrowed. She could smell his fear from where she stood.

Amun growled again as the stranger stepped closer. Ix Chel warned her goliath to calm down. She gathered her stuff from the village square. Against her better judgement, she answered.

"I'm a healer. If you take me to your friend quickly, I might be able to save him."