AN) I'm going to do a slight recap since a few little things had changed in order for the shorter one to make more sense and vise-versa.

When Lotor betrayed Lance and everyone, Lance hadn't known GG and Farrah were on the ship. Lotor still kills Hagar, but after they lock up Lotor in jail because GG and Farrah tell them what Lotor had done.

((((((((((()))))))))

Lance blinked in surprise.

This wasn't part of the plan.

He sat in a cell with Farrah and GG. When did they even get there?!

"I take it, i've been had," Lance said almost casually and GG gave him a 'no duh' look. Farrah was asleep after being given more than one sedative. After he'd finished contacting Earth, Lotor told him he had something else made. Lance, suspicious, but sure he'd gotten a feel for Lotor, followed. Five minutes later he'd been shoved in a cell and hands put into...more advanced cuffs. Lance tried and failed to see where he'd gone wrong. He had missed something in his assessment of Lotor and it was bugging him that he couldn't pin point it.

GG scooted over so he was sitting right next to his brother.

"You're plan was a good one-"

"I know it was a good one," Lance snapped, "i just can't figure out where this is going anymore. I thought i could do this little side investigation and it blew up in my face. And you two..."

It hit like a rock.

"Maltak," GG said slowly noticing Lances face getting much paler, "Maltak, everything will be fine."

"..I can't..." Lance shook his head, "...I can't lose you guys...i can't lose anyone...if this ends up killing or...or even hurting anyone..."

"Good thing we're tougher than your average human, then, yes?" GG said still slowly and evenly, "and so are the paladins. They made it this far, you should have a little more faith in them."

the door opened and sentries walked in. the brothers braced themselves but instead of being dragged out, Lotor entered with a stranger.

He was a large and as built as Farrah with similar markings on his face. Over one eye was a screen as he scanned each prisoner, looking down his nose at them.

"I didn't know you had an Uncle..." Lance hissed to GG.

"I don't..." GG hissed back, "don't say that were father can hear you..."

"the two you want are these, Commander Roshak," Lotor said gesturing to Farrah and GG, "Haggar may not have been able to follow through with providing you with experts, but i assure you that these two have the skill Haggar promised if not more."

"And this one?" the Galra commander asked looking at Lance.

"That one is not important at the moment," Lotor said waving his hand, "just a silly sub-human to taunt the other earthlings with. Leverage. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Not important?" Lance cried as if he'd just been mortally wounded, "really?!"

Lotor glared at him, but before he could say anything, the Galra commander spoke up.

"I'll take all three," he said, "or no deal."

"I need that leverage if i'm to hold up the other part of our little agreement," Lotor said through clenched teeth.

"Then perhaps you are not the all powerful and intelligent leader i've heard so much about," the other challenged and grinned, "did you think, after all my discussions with Haggar, i wouldn't know what her possessions look like?"

"It is mine," Lotor said grinning back, "do you intend to take it by force?"

"You guys know i'm sitting right here...right?" Lance said, bored. Roshak sneered.

"I see neither you nor that witch has done what needs to be done."

He motioned for his own men to take the prisoners. Lotor unsheathed his sword.

"I was afraid it would come to this," he sighed, "but you see...i believe in the law of finders-keepers."

()

Lance winced as his phone started to go off in his pocket. Roshak reached in and brought it out. Without looking at it, he crushed it and continued to lead the way to his ship that was hovering next to Lotors. the emperors ship was a disaster. All of lotors men were dead, and Lotor himself was unconscious. It wasn't his lucky fight.

Funny, lance thought to himself, how the circle of power and strength works.

Roshak had him board a seperate ship from Farrah and GG. Lance kicked and made a fuss, but stopped when they pinned him to the ground and strapped a black and purple collar on him. Even though he tried to speak, no sound could be heard.

"That's better," Roshak sighed, "containers don't make noise, that's just unnatural."

()

"I hope these are satisfactory?"

Haggar looked Farrah and GG over. Farrah was still out cold and GG had to have more restraints placed on him.

"I see you've taken the liberty of extracting your payment early," she replied slowly.

"I saw no need bringing it so close to its own familiar territory."

"Then, yes, this is satisfactory."

As her own men took her new prisoners away Roshak excused himself.

"I will leave my fleet here," he said, "as per our deal, but I, myself, am needed elsewhere."

"Off to make use of what I gave you, no doubt."

"Well, that too," Roshak grinned, "it is a rather appealing container."

()

Lance had been warped straight to Roshaks main base. the planet was well hidden and the base was underneath the planets surface. Anyone passing by would just think it was an uninhabited planet and ignore it.

The first item of business, apparently, was to get with of Haggars seal. By taking a ball-like instrument and heading it up, they rolled it over the scars, uniformly burning the skin down to an even level. They did it with both seals and then left him in a cell while his skin cracked and wept.

When Roshak returned from his little meeting with Haggar, Lance was brought up the stairs to the control room. The Galra commander looked him over like one would look over a cantaloupe at the market. Lance sneered at him and when Roshaks attention was on his face, Lance lashed out with his foot.

It wasn't a bad plan. this was the closest to the surface he'd most likely ever be, and escape early on was his only option if he wanted to have any strength to do it. What he didn't count on were the metal enhancements the Galra had. Both his legs were made of rock solid titanium. Lance whined silently as his foot throbbed.

"I see," Roshak said nodding, "Kasik, Blai."

Two Galra soldiers stepped forward and saluted, "Yes Sir!"

"Do, ojects make noise on their own?"

"No Sir!"

"Do objects, move, on their own?"

"No Sir!"

"Then i want the two of you to fix this thing. Its broken and if we're going to use it properly, then it needs to be fixed. Also, Make sure you mark it as mine. I am not like Haggar who always looked at everything as temporary. As the closest being to god in this known universe, What is mine, is mine for eternity."

He's demented! Fear took over any reason Lance had as he tried to turn and run. He twisted and lashed out, knowing that without a doubt, this would be his only opportunity.

()

Lance blinked slowly.

How long had it been?

did it matter?

Everything was edged with a different color hue. The pain in his body making it impossible to move. Not that he wanted to. After a while, when the day was supposedly done, they didn't bother taking him from his cell to the lab or anything, they just left him there. After a while they didn't even need straps to hold him down.

He wasn't going to go anywhere.

they had won.

He had lost

()

"guys! Its been almost a month!" Hunk complained, "If we don't find him soon i won't be angry enough anymore to hit him!"

"Don't worry," Keith said, "the moment he looks at you with that stupid grin and say's something like 'what took you guys so long' all that anger will come flooding back."

"I take it you know from experience," Pidge said.

So far they had gotten into a number of skirmishes with Roshaks ships. they had taken out a number of his fleets and three of his bases. But all the clues they thought would take them to his main bases were a series of uninhabitable planets. They'd come across three with nothing on them.

"I was sure the last bit of intel we'd received would be the one," Shiro sighed, "What are we missing?"

"Nothing and everything," Pidge grumbled, "This Roshak guy is smart. The bases and ships we're able to glean information from only hold minimal amount of information, if any at all. He's learned from Zarkons mistakes and has a ton of allies. Its fair to say he's actually managed to unite all the Galra once more under his own rule."

"which means he's a force to be reckoned with," Keith added, "is anyone else worried this guy might prove to be more dangerous than Zarkon or Haggar?"

"Of course he's more dangerous!" Hunk snapped, "This guy built his own empire right under Zarkons nose!"

"Well, to be fair, Zarkon had a one track mind with the lions and all..." Pidge said flicking through her intel once again. Shiro was right. They were missing something.

()

It was like he was watching everything through night vision goggles and it was foggy out. Everything had blended together into one color and he could barely make shapes out unless they moved.

The Galra moved Lance from the table to a cylindrical tank. He leaned against the glass, his mind seeing, but not comprehending. as a clear liquid began to fill the tank the small attacked his sinuses. The assault jarred him a little. He wondered where he was. He wondered if they'd managed to kill Haggar. He wondered if everyone was ok.

The liquid rose above his mouth and nose. He blinked as it stung his eyes. He was too tired to hold his breath. So he breathed it in, and for the first time in a long while, he blacked out.

()

Roshak watched as his base shone with new light.

they had filled the sub-human with quintessence until his eyes practically glowed from it all. Then, within the tank and the formula he had created himself, that boy would power this base for thousands- no, millions, of years! No one would find them, because the planet moved on its own, wandering around the universe.

Of course Roshak had made it that way. He had taken a planet that no one wanted, built a base underneath it, and then used his supreme intellect to harness enough energy to move it where he wanted it. It had taken an extreme amount of power to move it from one side of its planetary neighbor to the other. after that initial thrust however, they had kepts going until the gravity of another star system pulled them in. And there they had stayed. the previously desolate planet had spawned new life and was now a garden of perfection. But If Roshak wanted to retain his perfect plan, he needed to move. The only problem was that he didn't have that much power at the time.

Now he did.

()

"Two months, guys..." Hunk nearly sobbed, "I'm not angry anymore, now i'm just worried."

"How can he be hidden so well?!" Pidge swore pounding the arms of her chair, "this is ridiculous! We found Oriande faster than this! We made it into a separate reality faster than this!'

"that's because those were mistakes," Keith sighed, "when you try to do something its always harder."

"The last ship we attacked," Shiro said slowly, "Pidge, have you gone through the manifest yet?"

"Yeah, and its all the same stuff," she snipped moodily, "food, water, medical supplies-"

"Quintessence?"

"What?"

"Was there any quintessence on board?"

Pidge scowled as she flipped through the manifest.

"...no, there was no quintessence on board."

"But there was always quintessence on board all the other ones," Keith said, "always."

Shiro thought for a moment. He hated changes that he dind't know the reason for. This was a small change, in the grand scheme of things, but because they had guessed it was all going to Lance, now they weren't sure of themselves. Were they no longer giving Lance quintessence?

did they kill him?

Shiro shook that thought out of his head.

"Come on guys," shiro said, "i know i refused this idea before...but i think we're going to have to split up."