Chapter ten! Double digits! I actually finished this one up last night, but didn't have enough time to edit it, so I left that until today. With that said, here you go! There's a slight time skip between this chapter and the last one of about two weeks, since there definitely seemed to be a time skip between season two and season three in the canon. We're officially in season three now!
As always, thanks for reading! See you next chapter!
who you are in the dark
chapter ten
loyalties
The cheers were deafening.
Keith closed his eyes, forcing himself not to look. Taking in a deep breath, he reminded himself that he wasn't the one in the pits, not today.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't help.
Gritting his teeth, Keith folded his ears, half grateful that he could now, trying to drown out the cheers. Forcing his eyes open, he fixed them directly ahead, to the match that was playing out below him. Savage as the opponent was, the bout was a far cry from the frenzied matches he'd been thrown into in the arena, with both participants granted the privilege of having a weapon.
But of course they were. One was Lotor.
He didn't understand why anyone would willingly sign themselves up for the arena. What memories he had of it, though fractured and tenuous, were chaotic and repulsive, the kind of thing he'd rather forget. He sort of understood how Shiro's year as a gladiator had all ended up blurring together like it had- though from the sound of it, he'd at least been afforded the thinnest shred of dignity.
He bit his lip, trying to force back the bitter feeling. No. He wasn't doing this. He wasn't weighing Shiro's suffering against his own.
Instead, he focused on the match. It was obvious that Lotor was toying with the gladiator, dancing around him like this was some kind of Broadway production and not a fight with life or death stakes.
Tilting his head, his tail flicked behind him from where he had hidden it inside his cloak. Even with his ears folded, he could still hear the commander's voice from out under the cheers. The one that Lotor had decided to mark for his plan- Commander Throk, a tall, lanky Galra who was not satisfied with the idea of Lotor taking the throne.
The whole plan was nothing but fucking pageantry. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that the Galra Empire actually really loved pageantry. It sounded funny, and it would be, if their choice of pageantry wasn't absolutely terrifying.
And he had to be a part of it.
Narrowing his eyes, Keith stared down at his hands. Sure, there was always the chance Lotor might lose, but he didn't think so. If there was one thing that he had managed to glean about the no longer exiled prince, it was that he was always careful to avoid missteps. Which meant by factoring him into his plans, he knew he'd follow through.
The worst part was, he wasn't wrong. He couldn't afford to look disloyal, not while he was present on Central Command. His continued freedom probably depended on it. Even if all he would have to do was stand and salute, it still ate away at him, knowing what the ripple effect of that would be.
They were in the arena. He couldn't help but wonder just how many of these officers had come to see him fight in the past.
They'd know.
And rumors would do what they did- spread.
He didn't know how long it would take until it reached the paladins. If his conversation with Branko from two weeks ago was any indication, there probably were Galra in the chain of command willing to use it against them. They'd have no proof- but just a taunt would be enough.
It'd get them thinking.
And if they started thinking, maybe they'd realize that he was always kind of weird. Even if Shiro stayed quiet about the stuff he knew he'd read on his medical forms, it didn't really matter. I mean, he'd sensed the blue lion's energy in the desert. What part of that was normal?
Granted, he didn't know if that was because he was part Galra. But it didn't matter.
Worst case scenario, they would think he'd been working with the Galra from the start. Slightly less worse was that they thought he was a traitor. But fine- he was used to not being liked, even hated. Maybe he'd let himself get a little more attached to the paladins than he thought if he was still worrying about this, but it wouldn't matter. He could handle it.
At least he'd started to gather some actual intelligence. He wasn't stupid enough to venture into Central Command alone, not when Haggar and her druids still lurked, but being this close did give him access to intelligence he didn't have before. Whenever he did, it was usually in the company of one of Lotor's other generals- typically Ezor or Narti, sometimes Zethrid.
Never Acxa.
The feeling of being able to move about Central Command was still as strange as it had been since he'd first stepped on it, but that wasn't exactly something he wanted to get used to. He didn't want to fall into the trap of truly thinking he belonged here- that felt like a slippery slope to wholeheartedly saying vrepit sa and forgetting his own allegiances.
That he'd like to avoid.
He did sort of get used to the whispers, though. He really had been right about Galrans love of gossip- because they were full of it. Some were even willing to talk to him. Just because some of them recognized him as the former red paladin, didn't mean all of them did. It seemed to be an exclusive few, who had seen his earliest arena matches, and had stuck with them while his body had slowly been transformed. Fans, in the most twisted of senses. Or maybe they just stuck around in hopes of seeing him getting eviscerated by some beast's horns. Either way, the knowledge turned out to not be as common as he thought.
Most of his information came from foot soldiers, who weren't allowed in the arena, a privilege afforded to those of high rank. They didn't bat an eye at talking to him, probably just regarding him as just another Galra. If they had any apprehension, it was due to his rank, of all things. All it had taken was one well placed, curious question about how he'd heard there had been other human captives at one point, and he'd been able to learn something new.
He'd managed to learn that rebels had sprung Pidge's brother from a work camp months ago. Still no word on her father, other than that he'd been taken to a different work camp, but he'd find him. Who knew? Maybe rebels had already sprung him too.
He'd also learned that there had been a Galran rebel onboard Central Command.
That was only spoken about in the most hushed whispers, so he didn't have a ton of information on the subject. But it had... he didn't know. Just knowing that there was at least one Galra out there who wasn't blindly loyal to Zarkon... it helped. He'd heard further rumors that there was a whole group of them, but well... he'd believe it when he saw it.
Maybe his mother was the same.
All he knew was that they had assisted Voltron with their plan. Something about a virus- from the sound of it, a lot of the lower ranking soldiers didn't know what had happened, not fully. Zarkon had gone out to face Voltron himself in some kind of mechanical armor that the druids had been working with his technicians to build, and had ended up enduring a critical injury.
The jury was still out on just how bad. Aside from Lotor and the druids, he was pretty sure that Haggar hadn't let anyone in to see Zarkon. In light of that, rumors had started to spread- that his injuries were much worse than the witch had claimed, and that he might never return to the throne.
It was also what had spurred on Throk's own plan of seizing it. He wasn't the only one, but from the sound of it, he was the one with the most support. Hence, why Lotor had decided to target him.
Lotor being Emperor? Bad. This Commander Throk being Emperor? Worse.
Calling Lotor a dangerous lunatic for, presumably, allowing conquered planets to continue to rule themselves? Yeah, that was pretty telling.
Look, he didn't like Lotor either. But he still really found himself hoping he'd just wipe the floor with this creep. Especially after his crack about him not having any honor just because he let those who weren't pure Galra have a crack at the command. He didn't even like being part Galra, and he still felt himself taking offense.
Just how obsessed were the Galra with purity anyways?
Cheers rang out as Lotor disarmed the gladiator, felling him. Alone among them, Keith felt his body tense, his breath hitch in his throat. He both heard and felt his heart pounding in his chest, the chorus of cheers mixing in with his memories, bringing back the taste of iron. Swallowing it down, he took in a deep breath, quickly composing himself.
This was the last place he could afford to show weakness.
Maybe he was one of them now, but he didn't doubt that given the chance, the Galra would eat him alive. He wouldn't let them.
Instead he watched the shock on Throk's face as he realized that the small challenger was Prince Lotor. From his vantage point, he had just the right angle to make out the brief flash of disbelief, then apprehension- as if he realized that the timing of this was just too good. When Lotor lifted his sword, unerringly pointing towards where Throk sat in the stands, he watched realization wash over his face.
"Throk," Lotor's voice rang out through the arena, the same kind of orator's skill Allura possessed, "-you wish to challenge me? Then come down and claim your crown."
His words earned hushed whispers and pointed looks, and Lotor gave them all a moment to reach their crest. He was putting the pressure on Throk, ensuring that his challenge was taken.
Lotor did not lower his blade, nor did he waver.
Pageantry.
"True Galra do not take the throne by stirring up insurrection in darkened chambers." Lotor pressed forward, and he felt himself tense, knowing that the moment was soon approaching. "They rise through honorable rite of combat. Defeat me here, and the throne is yours."
Exhaling, Keith rose to his feet, grasping the cloak that concealed him. Thin as it was, it had been his only protection, and now he was about to cast that away.
There was his armor, but that wasn't the sort of protection he meant.
But he did. Because he didn't have a choice. To stay where he was, he had to at least look loyal. And over the past two weeks, there was one thing about Lotor that had become crystal clear to him.
He was dangerous.
Not in the same way Zarkon was- but worse.
Because he knew, that if somehow Lotor had been the one to find him, lost and adrift, rather than Shiro, that even with all his experience, he still would have fallen for everything he said. He would have believed in him- maybe he'd have been skeptical at first, but eventually, his words would have taken root.
And that thought was terrifying.
There was no way he could let him go unchecked. Maybe with him around, Lotor would at least gauge his plans, keeping the fact that he had been a former paladin in mind. He didn't know how much protection that would offer the team, but if it got them any, then it was better to stay right where he was, rather than try to splinter off, and hope for the best with the rebels.
By now, he was certain that the rumors of him becoming one of Lotor's generals had spread throughout Central Command, to even those who hadn't recognized him from the arenas. But even those who did not have a fixed position in the main fleet would come to the arenas, and from there, the rumors would spread. He could already hear them start- some of them only recognizing him as the half-feral halfbreed that had been Haggar's pet gladiator for so long, and others...
It was a good thing he had practice not reacting to the words red paladin.
The match went as expected- with Lotor soundly defeating Throk. Even so, he couldn't help but track Throk's moves with his eyes. They were roughly the same size and shape, so even if he'd failed to defeat Lotor, it could still make for decent reference. He'd spent the bulk of the past two weeks, when he hadn't been trying to gather intelligence on the paladins, isolated in the training room, trying to figure out a new way to fight.
The results were... mixed. But he was getting there.
It felt good, having a sword in hand again. He was starting to adjust to his own gait, slowly but surely starting to feel comfortable in his changed skin.
Except when he thought about it too hard, and it all fell to the wayside. Part of him felt like he shouldn't be getting comfortable, clinging to a thin desperate hope that he might be able to turn back to the human he'd once been.
Either way, the reflection in his mirror didn't belong to a stranger anymore.
Sucking in a breath, Keith listened with half an ear to Lotor's grandiose speech. Though he commanded fully the attention of the Galra, Keith still couldn't help but feel eyes on him at his remark that they should allow those who were worthy to rise and join their ranks. He can't help but wonder if he's meant to be an example of that.
The former red paladin, now swearing his allegiance to the Galra Empire. Yeah. Had to be.
Hearing a Galra preach about allies- Keith could only watch with narrowed eyes, stiff. Lotor might act like he cared about those under his command, but he still didn't buy it.
Victory or death was the Galra way. Anything that was weak wasn't needed. If one of them were to fail him, substantially, he was pretty sure his talk would turn out to be just that- talk.
Like he ever had any doubts.
Still, when the time came, Keith grit his teeth and forced himself to salute. Even as those gathered at the arena steadily rose to their feet, some in waves, doing the same, he still felt sick. Keenly, he was aware that he didn't belong here.
Even if every part of him looked as if it did.
"That could have gone worse."
Glancing up at Hunk's statement, Pidge merely frowned. "It could have gone a lot better, too."
"At least they liked your pizza rolls." Lance observed, slumping over on the couch, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'm not really feeling like we sold them on the whole Coalition idea."
Ceasing her typing, Pidge heaved a sigh. She'd pretty much hit an impasse on her search for Matt anyways- until she could figure out who sold nano-thermite titanium-boron, she didn't have any other leads. And as it turned out, that stuff was hard to track down.
"We just have to hope Allura can smooth everything out." Pidge stated. "I... don't think they took the news of us not being able to form Voltron right now very well."
Letting out a snort, Lance rolled his eyes. "That's putting it one way."
"I mean... I kind of get it." Hunk frowned. "The Galra Empire is scary. Voltron's big. They kind of counteract each other, you know?"
"Yeah, but even Voltron can't do anything alone." Pidge observed. "We were only able to get as far as we have because of the Blade of Marmora. We'd have never had a shot at Zarkon without them."
"Yeah, not to mention we couldn't have taken back Puig without them." Lance said. "But try telling that to the Puigans."
"But I mean... it's not like this is a permanent thing, right?" Hunk frowned. "Shiro's gonna get better."
He was. He was, but... without knowing what was actually wrong with him, they couldn't even begin to hope to heal him. She hadn't even known Shiro had been sick, and the guy had been practically a legend at her house. Her father, she thought, had to have known- but they were having just as much luck finding him as they were with Keith.
And it wasn't like Shiro could tell them until he finished recuperating. He'd already been in that pod for two weeks, and from the sound of it, he'd probably be in there for two more. He'd taken a hard hit from both his drained quintessence, and whatever medical issue it was that Zarkon had managed to exacerbate, so just recovering from that was a monumental task, even with the healing pods.
Without them, he'd probably be dead.
"Yeah, but until he does, we don't have the black lion." Pidge stated. "And it's not like we can find a replacement paladin for him, like we did with..."
She trailed off there, her voice faltering. Shutting her laptop, she closed her eyes. They all knew what they had done- they'd replaced Keith. Even if they had never stopped looking for him, it didn't change the fact that they'd done that.
It felt unfair to Allura, too. Constantly painting her as Keith's replacement. Like she wasn't a real part of the team- even though at this point, she'd been flying the red lion for longer than Keith ever had.
It was a sobering thought.
"I'm guessing you didn't find anything about Keith in those prison records." Lance noted.
Shaking her head, Pidge just frowned. "No. It's like he just vanished. I thought with the Blade as our allies now, we might stand a better shot at finding him but..."
"Guess the Galra don't want us to track him down that easy." Lance noted. "You know, it's weird. Sure, it was one thing before, when Allura hadn't... you know, but now? You would think at this point, they'd like, ease up on the information control a bit."
Frowning, Pidge looked up at him. "What are you saying?"
"I don't know." Lance said. "It's just been bugging me."
"He's kind of got a point." Hunk admitted. "They're really putting in an effort to hide him."
"Provided he's not dead." Lance muttered.
"No." Pidge said, resolutely. "He's not. The red lion would have sensed it."
"Unless it has, and Allura just hasn't told us." Lance pointed out.
"Allura wouldn't do that." Hunk said.
"I mean, she didn't tell us about Zarkon being the black lion's former paladin until he started hunting us down across galaxies with the thing." Lance remarked. "I'm just saying- maybe she's just trying to spare our feelings."
Face falling, as much as Pidge wanted to agree with him, Lance had a point. Even so...
"No," Pidge said, "-she would have told Shiro, at least. And Shiro would have told us. Keith has to still be alive. We can't give up on him."
The lounge fell into silence after that. Staring down at her hands, she couldn't help but feel frustrated, like there was something more that she could be doing. But there wasn't. With just four active lions, their forces had been spread thin. Just liberating the few planets they had took up most of them, even with the Blade of Marmora.
Not every fight had been as easy as Puig.
Which meant they needed this Coalition now more than ever.
"You know, it's funny." Lance said. "A year ago, I would have laughed if anyone told me I'd care about mullet this much."
She hadn't even known Keith a year ago. Even now, she still didn't know him that well. He'd always been... well, he'd made an effort, she could tell that much, but he still sort of kept to the fringes, especially after they had left Arus. She can still remember the way he blew up at her when she'd wanted to leave to find her family.
God, Keith's family.
He'd never mentioned them, even once. But he had to have a family, right? How were they going to explain this to them, once they got back to Earth?
If they ever got back to Earth.
And that was starting to look like a big if.
"Who knows?" Hunk said. "Maybe- maybe we'll have a breakthrough. Surprise Shiro when he gets out of the pod. Just... hey look, we found Keith!"
She couldn't help but wish she had Hunk's optimism. That said, it had taken her nearly eight months to find even a trace of Matt- so that wasn't to say it was impossible.
"Yeah, well, mullet better be grateful for all the effort we put into finding him." Lance said- though it was clear he didn't mean it. Of course they would look for Keith. Maybe they didn't know him that well, but he was still a part of this time- still the red paladin.
Maybe Allura flew the red lion for now, but it didn't change that fact.
He didn't expect Lotor to call on him so soon after his speech.
It was to his admitted relief that he had decided to opt out of taking up quarters on Central Command, but had instead chosen to remain on his flagship. After his theatrical display in the gladiator arena, grandiose speech and all, his flagship had departed from Central Command. He'd done what he'd came there to do, and now it was time to leave.
They were headed for the Paglium quadrant. He sort of had an idea as to where that was- he had been making himself familiar with the Empire's star maps.
He'd also been trying to learn Galran. He'd been frustrated to learn that Lotor had anticipated this, and had already pre-set the ship with a tutorial program in English. He shouldn't have been, it should have been an obvious assumption to make, but he still didn't like the idea of Lotor thinking two, three steps ahead of him.
At the very least, it had kept him busy during his time on Central Command. In between learning about the Empire, trying to gain intelligence, and training, he'd had very little time to think. Which wasn't to say he hadn't been- just... not so many personal thoughts.
He'd learned that while he'd been out in the desert. If he kept himself busy, he wouldn't have to dwell on Shiro's loss. If he kept himself busy now, he wouldn't have time to dwell on the loss of his own humanity.
"Ah, Keith, there you are." Lotor said, as if he hadn't been the one to call him to the bridge. "I have a question for you."
Tilting his head, Keith blinked. That was new.
He hadn't responded, but Lotor pressed forward anyways. "Are you familiar with the Blade of Marmora?"
"No." Keith automatically replied- because he hadn't.
Lotor said nothing, instead merely leaning back in his chair. "You are certain?"
"Yes." Keith stated, wondering what this was about.
"Very well, I believe you." Lotor said. "Might I see your knife?"
Tensing, Keith felt his fur bristle. What did Lotor want with his knife?
"You don't have to worry." Lotor said. "I intend to give it back."
Frowning, he still didn't trust that. But in the end, he reached behind him, pulling it from its new sheath. He had been able to obtain one while on Central Command, plain black with no frills. Setting down the knife in front of Lotor, he folded his arms in front of him, waiting to see what it was that he would do with it.
Carefully picking it up, Lotor studied the blade. "Do you know what this is made out of?"
"No." Keith replied.
"Luxite." Lotor told him. "Very rare."
He didn't say anything to that, instead watching as Lotor began to work at the bandages that concealed the hilt. He bristled at that, fighting the urge to tell him to stop. It wasn't like there was any point to hiding the symbol on the hilt- it was just some Galra symbol.
Merely lifting a brow at the sight of the glowing sigil, Lotor placed the knife down on the table in front of him. "You truly do not know what this knife is?"
"No." Keith told him.
All he knew was that it was his mother's. But he wasn't going to tell him that. He probably already had guessed that much anyways.
Merely letting out a hum, Lotor looked as if he were debating something. "I believe your mother was a member of the Blade of Marmora."
"Like I said, I don't know what that is." Keith said.
"Patience now." Lotor chided him- and he felt his skin crawl at hearing that word leave Lotor's lips. "I am sure that while you were snooping around for information in regards to the paladins, you heard rumor of there being some sort of resistance movement within the Galra Empire itself."
Tail twitching, Keith frowned. It wasn't like he was surprised Lotor had known what he was up to, but it bothered him how casually he had said it. "I might have."
"That would be the Blade of Marmora." Lotor told him.
For a second, Keith couldn't quite process what he had told him, trying in vain to connect the dots. Sure, he had been hoping that his mother hadn't been a part of the Empire, but he'd thought it was just naive hope.
He didn't actually expect it to be true.
His next reaction was to get defensive. "I don't know anything about her."
"Oh, I imagine you don't." Lotor said, making it sound so simple. "I just merely wanted to confirm my own suspicions."
Watching with one eye as Lotor carefully wrapped the hilt of the blade back up, Keith mulled over this revelation. Sure, he was glad to hear his mom wasn't some Zarkon fanatic, but it still didn't answer the most important question- namely, who she was.
Or why she had left him.
He tried really hard not to think what she would think of what he was up to.
Handing him back his knife, Keith quickly took it, sheathing it behind him without any hesitation. "Is that all?"
"For now, yes." Lotor told him. "We will be having a briefing once we reach the Paglium quadrant. There is much work to be done, so you may be quite occupied for some time."
He tried not to overthink that comment. Had Lotor known he was purposefully keeping himself busy?
He pushed it aside, instead giving him a curt nod. "Understood."
"Good." Lotor told him. "That is all for now."
Taking that as the dismissal it was meant to be, Keith didn't waste any time in leaving. It wasn't until he returned to his quarters that he dared to draw his knife, tearing away at the wrappings to study the sigil for himself.
Rebel.
His mother was a rebel.
Falling back on his bed, he groaned, rolling on his side, his tail grateful to be freed. It looped itself over his torso, twitching as he studied the blade itself. For so long, it had been a huge mystery to him, so to have it solved, just like that...
And yet, he still had questions.
The Blade of Marmora.
Just who were they, exactly?
"He's coming around."
Though he had returned from his mission alive, Thace had sustained injuries from one of Haggar's druids. They had been substantial, enough to require the use of a stasis pod to fully stabilize his condition, until he was well enough to recover on his own strength. Princess Allura had offered the use of one of her healing pods, but he had refused- Thace's condition had not been quite that serious, and he'd rather keep his operatives close.
Still, it had taken him two full movements to recover enough to be brought out of stasis. Kolivan had briefed their medical staff to inform him when he started waking up, so that he might be there.
After losing Ulaz and Antok, losing Thace would have been a heavy blow to the Blade of Marmora. He was only glad it hadn't come to that.
For a long moment, Thace struggled to place his whereabouts- before his eyes fell on his face. "Kolivan."
"Thace." Kolivan said simply, remaining impassive, though in truth, he was relieved. Antok had been his right hand for centuries, so to see him fall in battle...
It was not something that got easier.
"The mission...?"
"We were able to substantially damage Central Command, but were unable to destroy it." Kolivan said simply. "The paladins were, however, able to strike a decisive blow against Zarkon, though we do not know yet if he is dead."
Unable to take command, at least. Death would have been optimal, but this at least afforded them an opportunity.
Seeming more at ease now that he had heard that, Thace sunk back into the cot. "Good."
"Now," turning his head so that he could look up at him properly, Thace frowned, "-what is that you aren't telling me, old friend?"
Kolivan did not drop his gaze. "The black paladin's condition is critical. He is expected to recover, but it will take up to two full movements longer."
"I take it that it's already been two full movements then." Thace observed.
"Yes." Kolivan said simply, seeing no reason to lie. "We had to put you in stasis, due to the extent of your injuries."
"So I gathered." Thace observed. "What else are you not telling me?"
Merely frowning, Kolivan still did not drop his gaze. "Antok did not make it back from our assault on the komar."
Now Thace's expression turned grave. "I see."
Silence lingered for a long moment, before Thace chose to break it. "...and the komar?"
"Destroyed." Kolivan reported. "Princess Allura saw to it."
"The Altean princess." Thace noted. "Never thought I would see they day there were Alteans among us again."
There had been one, of course- Prince Lotor. Narrowing his eyes at the thought of the prince, Kolivan ran through the rumors that they had been picking up. Chief among them was that Prince Lotor had been summoned to Central Command.
Without a spy in their ranks, he was not able to say what for. But it was not hard to make a few assumptions.
"News of Zarkon's defeat at the hands of the paladins has spread." Kolivan informed him. "They are already acting to take advantage of this momentum. Several previously Galra occupied planets have been freed already."
"Heartening news, my friend." Thace observed. "Yet there still remains something you have not yet told me."
Studying Thace, Kolivan assessed his next words. Though he had gained rank and access within Central Command, there were still many things that Thace had been kept out of. He did not know if telling him would be of any use, but only a fool would fail to divulge important information simply because they assumed it would be pointless.
Thousands of years past his natural lifespan, and the universe still managed to be full of surprises.
"The rumors were true."
It took Thace a moment to assess those words. Once he did, he pushed himself to set up, feet hanging out of the cot. "Regarding the red paladin?"
"Yes."
They had picked up on them, nearly half a deca-phoeb ago. That the red paladin of Voltron had vanished, leaving the paladins that remained unable to form the mighty warrior. When the red lion began to reappear, and Voltron with it, they assumed that they had either simply been rumors- or that perhaps the red paladin had sustained some form of injury, and had been recovering.
None of their intelligence had indicated that the Empire was in possession of him.
Yet as it turned out, that had not been true. The red lion still flew simply because its paladin had been replaced- and the paladins that remained had been searching for their missing comrade ever since.
Keith Kogane, a boy from Earth. Eighteen cycles old, on the cusp of adulthood for a human. From the sound of it, he possessed a strong connection to the black paladin.
And he had been taken by the Empire. Even worse, by a druid.
It did not speak well as to his odds of survival.
Even so, it was strange that the Empire had kept it so well under wraps. It didn't fit with how they normally operated.
Narrowing his eyes, Thace frowned. He recognized that contemplative expression, one he knew so well when Thace was hesitating to express something he felt that would be troubling.
"Now who is it that is not saying everything."
To his credit, Thace merely let out a faint laugh. There was no humor to it, however.
"There were rumors," he began, "-of a prisoner from the general block that Haggar had taken an interest in."
Kolivan frowned. That was not unusual, from what he knew, but he was certain that Thace was going somewhere with this, so he simply let him continue.
"I was never able to see him myself, but it would seem that she had them fighting against arena beasts." Thace told him. "From what I was able to learn, he was a rebel of some kind."
Kolivan merely blinked at that. "And they are still alive?"
"Unknown." Thace stated. "They seem to have disappeared."
His frown deepening, Kolivan considered this. "And you believe this could be the missing red paladin?"
"There were rumors. At his first few matches, some say he was announced as such, but there was never any proof." Thace said, his brow furrowing. "These new paladins... they are humans, correct?"
Lifting his brows, Kolivan studded Thace. "Yes."
"Then it cannot be." Thace said simply. "The rebel was part Galra."
"That is highly unusual." Kolivan stated. "Most are with us."
But even so, he couldn't help but think that there had been Galra presence on Earth. One of their own operatives, Krolia, had been stationed there for nearly two deca-phoebs, after being stranded due to the loss of her ship. When she was finally able to return to base, she had informed him that she had located the blue lion on Earth, and that she had destroyed a secondary scouting party that had tracked it down.
He doubted she would have left any of the scouts alive.
And he did not believe that Krolia would have left out something as important as having had a child. Not when she had informed him of the loss of her luxite blade- it had disappeared during the crash, and she had since been unable to find it. In all likelihood, it had sunk somewhere into the sands of the desert terrain in which she had crashed.
It was unthinkable to believe that she could have lied.
Beyond that, the paladins would have likely noticed if one of their own was part Galra. Given the initial disdain the Altean princess had towards him, he found it difficult to believe that she would have allowed one to fly what once had been her father's lion.
And yet, something about this sat uneasily in the pit of his stomach. Experience dictated that was not something to be ignored.
He knew what it was too, his mind already forming the connection.
A part Galra rebel, a gladiator, one who had gone missing.
Prince Lotor's new general.
Kolivan was not a man who believed in coincidence. He just didn't like what this one seemed to imply.