A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday or the day before. I found out my dog had terminal cancer on Friday and we put her to sleep on Saturday. We had no idea she had cancer. She was clean when we took her to the vet in July. Then dad took her to the vet last Tuesday because she hurt herself and the doctors found a huge tumor in her abdomen. It was 12 lbs and the size of a football. The chances of her surviving surgery were low and even if they succeeded in removing it, she would have had to go through chemo and that still would have only bought her another year at most. It wouldn't have been much of a life and she was old for her breed.
Her name was Sophie and she was 12 years old. We all came home to love on her Friday afternoon. She was fine when I saw her a couple weeks ago but she could barely stand Friday night and could only manage a single weak wag of her tail Saturday morning. We all stayed with her and loved on her until she fell asleep and didn't wake up. She loved everyone unconditionally and was the most gentle dog I'd ever known. She was an angel to so many people and I miss her so much. I'm crying as I'm writing this dammit.
Sorry to ruin the mood, but yeah... That's been my weekend. Hope yours went better.
BTW, "Merserie" is from the Romanian word for "trade."
Chapter summary: In which Lance is upset, Shiro is suspicious, and Nyma and Rolo end up the keepers of secrets.
53: Phenacite - aids with astral travel
Lance was still fuming when he rounded the corner to his bedroom. He pushed in the access code for his quarters harder than he should have and stalked into the room. This was one of those times he sincerely wished he could slam the door behind him. At most, all he could do was angrily lock the door and lean against it.
The metal was cool against his clothed back, but not quite as cold as his skin was. It felt good. At least the door supported him, even if it was just an inanimate, unfeeling door. He let himself slowly sink down to the floor so his knees pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rest his nose against his thighs. Hot, angry tears brimmed his eyes, trailing down his cheeks.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to anyone. Honestly, there were times he wondered if his sister knew what exactly was involved in the whole Heir-Sentinel relationship. He knew she did, but the indignant part of him still wondered. Why didn't she just accept their positions and move on with her life?
Frak this place. Frak this war. Frak his father. Frak the Galra. Frak his life. Frak everything.
He just wanted to close his eyes and wake up back on Altea with his mother holding him and telling this was all just a dream. It wasn't real. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. It was too much weight, too much responsibility. When he accepted his father's title of Sentinel, he'd done so knowing what he was walking into. But no one expected the Galra to rebel and take their fury out on the Alteans. Lance had not been prepared for that.
He definitely hadn't been prepared for the rebellion to become a war that resulted in the loss of Altea and everything Lance ever held dear. Sure, he still had the Castleship and Allura and Coran and Father if he considered the memories of his father familiar. But otherwise he was floundering the ocean with no land in sight. He vaguely wondered if this was what the Humans on board were feeling.
But then again, they were going back to the Humans' home planet now, weren't they? Earth. He'd listened to the other paladins talk about it when they ate together in the mess hall or in between training sessions. It sounded like a nice place to visit, even if it wasn't home.
Home. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be surrounded by something welcoming and familiar once more. Just for a cycle.
Before he knew it, he was sobbing and shaking. He never felt embarrassed when he realized a while later that mixed in with his tears, he'd been calling for his mother.
The memory core remained dark even after an hour. Maybe it was longer than an hour, Shiro didn't know. All he knew was that his continuous attempts to get a response from Sendak's unconscious mind were proving to be a study in failure. Coran had said these things could take time even with willing participants. Maybe Shiro should call it a day and take a break. A workout session in the training arena sounded good right about now, if Pidge was finished with it that is.
If Pidge was still busy working on the targeting program with Keith, then it would probably be best if Shiro paid a visit to Allura. The plan, as far as he knew, was to make a wormhole jump to Earth's vicinity this evening or tomorrow morning when Allura was rested enough to handle to power needed to initiate the jump. Judging from what he'd seen of the princess's appearance this morning, he doubted the jump would be made tonight. Both Allura and Lance had seemed extra tired.
Still, he glanced back at Sendak's prison pod, it felt like giving up if he left now. There wasn't much he could do besides wait, but he still felt like he was giving up. He had no way of knowing exactly how long he'd been waiting but when his stomach finally grumbled, he decided to call it a day. He would come back to check in the evening before he went to bed. There was no way he was going to miss the chance to interrogate Sendak.
If he had stayed for another few minutes, he probably would have noticed the faintest trickle of purple energy seep into the memory core branching out into thin threads resembling the roots of an invisible tree.
Nyma's hand twitched to the fluorite shard in her pocket for the twelfth time since she and Rolo left the Castleship. Yes, she had been counting. She couldn't help it. It felt like a weight on her mind and it tingled when it touched her fingers. There had been a couple time when she could swear she felt something like emotions or snatches of thought when she touched the shard's smooth surface. It was strange.
Right now, she felt something strongly from the shard. It was like a niggling thought in the back of her mind demanding she touch the shard. So she did just that.
:Can you hear me?:
She almost dropped the shard in shock, fumbling with it before gripping it tightly in her palm. "Uh, your highness?" she called cautiously.
:It's me,: the Altean prince's voice said. :I wanted to test the connection to be sure it worked.:
Nyma nodded, leaning back in her chair and staring out the cockpit window. She fiddled with the stone in her hand, pulling it out so she could actually look at it. The watery blue-green of the crystal caught the dim light from the nebula they were currently flying through, revealing a smoky tendril of purple deep within the shard. Something flickered behind the stone and she lowered it to see what had caught her attention.
She almost screamed.
:Please don't,: the prince said. :I can hear you perfectly well without you yelling.:
"Okay," Nyma said slowly. "So… I can see you."
The spectral image of the Altean prince nodded. :Per say,: he said, his voice sounding somewhat distant as if spoken through a tunnel. :What you see is my quintessence which is why I'm not solid.:
"Yeah, um, about that," Nyma began, eyeing the prince's hips, faintly disturbed. "You're standing in the dashboard."
Lance lifted an eyebrow. :The move.:
"Excuse me?"
:Turn around and hold the crystal shard in front of you,: he clarified with a roll of his eye. :My image will move with you.:
Nyma spun in her chair holding the shard out in front of her as she did so. True to Lance's words, the prince's form moved with her so it now seemed to stand in the empty floor of the cockpit. She leaned back in her chair and hummed. "Interesting," she murmured. "It's like a portable hologram."
:Something like that, yes,: Lance said with a nod. :Except only you can see and hear me.:
"So I'd look like a freak to anyone else," Nyma said.
Lance smirked. :Basically.:
"Thanks," Nyma said wryly.
:Anytime.:
Nyma couldn't fight the smirk from spreading across her face at the prince's smug tone. "Okay, your highness," she began.
:Lance,: the prince said curtly. :Please. I'm not the prince of much anymore.:
Oh, right. "Alright then," she corrected herself. "Lance. What do you want? We haven't been away long enough to contact anyone."
:I figured as much,: he said. :I just wanted to test the connection to be sure it worked correctly.:
"Did anyone ever tell you you're a bad liar?" Nyma asked wryly, arching an eyebrow incredulously. She couldn't see the blush that colored the prince's face through the blue tone of the image that washed out all the other colors, but she knew it was there.
:Not to my face, no,: Lance admitted.
"You're a bad liar," Nyma said.
Curiously, instead of being offended, Lance huffed a laugh. :I'm not necessarily surprised. I'm not a diplomat.:
"But you were a prince," Nyma said.
:Royalty on Altea isn't what you think it is. Was,: Lance corrected, dropping his gaze. :Wasn't what you think it was.:
"Okay, so what was it like?" Nyma asked.
:It was an elected position,: Lance explained. :The royalty were the ones chosen by the people to represent Altea in official business regarding the Galactic Alliance. We didn't hold much power nor were we a major player in the politics at the time, but we were valuable as diplomats, relief work, and exploration.:
"Huh." Nyma rolled the fluorite shard I her hand thoughtfully. "So if you didn't want anything, then why call me?"
Lance bowed his head, glancing over his shoulder at something Nyma couldn't see. When he looked back, he looked tired. :I just needed to talk,: he said slowly.
Nyma groaned. "I'm not a therapist, you know," she said.
Lance glared. :I'm aware of that. But you also aren't one of the six other people on this ship I can talk to.:
Nyma shrugged. "Okay, yeah, I can understand that," she said. "Ship fever has a tendency to get to the best of us sometimes." She met Lance's eye. "So who did you have a fight with?" she asked shrewdly.
Lance pursed his lips. :My sister,: he said.
Ah. That made sense.
:We both said things we meant but didn't mean,: Lance said. :Or we meant them but we never meant to say them out loud.:
"Isn't that usually how fights go?"
Lance shrugged. He leaned back and crossed his ankles and arms, braced against something she couldn't see. It was strange in a fascinating sort of way. "Do I look like I'm sitting on nothing?" she asked curiously.
:I'm aware you're sitting on a chair most likely,: Lance said, :but I can't see it, no. I can only see you. Nothing else.:
"Huh, interesting," she said. "So if I gave this shard to Rolo," she said, holding up Lance's fluorite shard, "would he see you?"
:Maybe,: Lance said, tilting his head thoughtfully. :It probably wouldn't be as clear as you see me, but he should be able to see me.:
Nyma nodded. "That could be useful," she said, studying the shard. "Is there any way to make this kind of thing without quintessence?"
Lance hummed. :I don't see why not,: he said considering the idea. :It hasn't been done before as far as I'm aware. But that doesn't mean it can't be done.:
"Then I guess that means I can give it a try," Nyma said. She grinned. "Hey Beezer," she called to the little cyber-unit keeping an eye on the recovered Galra shuttle's readouts. It beeped when she called it. "Make a note to keep an eye out for possible trades involving holographic and communication devices."
The cyber-unit beeped and went back to holding their course.
"We've recovered what we could from our old ship and are on our way to Meserie at the moment," Nyma said, returning her attention to Lance's image. "It's a busy trading outpost frequented by Black Marketers and legit traders. The Galra have a presence there, but they don't bother enforcing much. Most of them are too involved in the Black Market anyway. Enforcing the law would cause problems for them." She shrugged and waved her free hand mildly. "Besides, as long as they don't enforce, they can keep most of the trade in this quadrant limited to Merserie."
:Understandable,: Lance said, scratching behind his pointed ear. :The would know the Black Market can never be totally controlled or shut down. Zarkon was a diplomat himself at one point. He would know better than to try to control the Black Market.:
"The Galra Emperor was a diplomat?" Nyma said in disbelief. "No way."
Lance nodded. :He was. That's actually how my sister met him to begin with. He came to Altea with our father as a diplomat for the Galra. We weren't at war with them then, remember. We didn't necessarily agree with them on everything, but we were allies. Zarkon was actually a-: He abruptly fell silent, looking away. :Nothing, nevermind.:
Well wasn't that interesting.
"Rolo and I will keep our ears open for your mate's requested trade," Nyma said, studying the prince's facial expressions closely.
:What did he ask for, if you don't mind me asking?:
"Nothing, nevermind," Nyma said. Lance blinked then glowered. Nyma just smirked. "Funny how secrets can go both ways, huh?" she teased.
Lance snorted and shook his head.
"Has your sister given you what she traded for yet?" Nyma asked.
:If you mean the cybernetic eye, then no, not yet,: Lance answered, surprising the trader.
"So you did see that," she murmured.
:I figured she was trading for something when she had me get the Kadesh,: the prince said with a one shouldered shrug. :Kadesh isn't something we use often.:
"Why?" Nyma asked, both of her eyebrows brushing her hairline with interest.
:It's not a contraceptive for us,: Lance said. :You'll understand if I say we don't really need that sort of thing.:
"So I've heard," Nyma said. "It is for Taiidae, but it also helps enhance the sexual experience."
:That's what it does for us,: Lance said. :Although, you'll understand why that wouldn't exactly mean much for us now.:
Nyma nodded grimly. "Tell your mate, we should have some results by tomorrow evening," she said. "Although, it would probably be best if we told him in person, not through you. I'm a trader and I value my client's privacy."
:I thought Rolo was the one Keith traded with.:
"He is," Nyma agreed. "But I'm his partner. I know what they traded for and I'm still bound by customer-trader confidentiality."
Lance furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity. :Alright. But I'd rather you not use this method,: he said eventually, referring to their quintessence communication. :If I let Keith use your shard, you would understand what I mean.:
"I would feel it?" she asked nervously.
:No,: Lance said. :You wouldn't be able to see him or feel him unless I resonated with him so the quintessence in my shard in your possession would recognize him as a part of me. But he could see you. He couldn't hear you, but he could see you.:
"That's a little disturbing," Nyma said. "And if I gave your shard to Rolo?"
Lance shook his head. :He shouldn't be able to use it to talk to me either,: Lance said. :He could see me, but not hear me. I wouldn't be able to see or hear him either.:
"That explains why you were so hesitant to do this," Nyma said, dropping her gaze to the shard in her hand. "You could easily spy on someone that way."
:That's one of the reasons, yes,: Lance said.
"Alright, then we'll use our encrypted channel," the Teiidae said firmly. "You have the codes in your system?" Lance nodded. "Then expect a call from us sometime next cycle. Try not to intrude," she warned. "It is a private conversation."
:I understand.:
"Good. Then I'll speak to you later."
Lance nodded and faded away.
"Well that was something."
Nyma turned in her chair to Rolo who stood in the doorway that lead from the shuttle's small bridge to the storage compartment in the back.
"Was that the prince?" Rolo asked.
Nyma nodded. "You couldn't see him, could you?" She wasn't surprised Rolo shook his head.
"Couldn't hear him either," Rolo said. He strolled to his seat at the dashboard and pulled up their travel status. "I finished cataloguing what we have," he said. "It isn't much, but it'll get us through tonight's trade. I'll start looking for a possible juniberry trader when I can."
"You're sure about this?" his partner asked.
Rolo shook his head. "No, I'm not," he answered honestly. "Quite frankly, I hate the idea. But a trade is a trade, after all."
Nyma nodded. "What if the trader is a Galra?" she asked, leaning back in her chair watching her partner fiddle with the controls.
"Let's hope it isn't," Rolo said.
"But if it is?" Nyma pressed.
Her partner sighed and scratched his head. "Then we'll deal with it," he said after a moment. "We aren't actually going to get our hands on the plant, just tell the halfbreed how to get it."
"Unless we want them in our debt," Nyma said off-handedly.
Rolo paused and gave her a considering look. He pressed his lips together in thought. "Think we could pull that off?" he asked carefully.
"Maybe," she hedged. "If we could get away with it without losing our support base."
Rolo nodded. "I'll keep that idea in mind," he murmured. "But first," he pushed in a few buttons, "straight face on."
Nyma immediately sat up and schooled her expression so it gave nothing away. She turned her chair so it faced the front view screen and waited for Rolo to pull up the view screen. When the red-tinged glow of the view screen lit the bridge, Nyma forced herself to relax.
It took a few tecks for the call to go through. When it did, Nyma was glad she was in control of herself. Their contact seemed anything but in control of himself. His purple fur was fluffed out in all directions as if he'd been running his hands through ti continuously. His golden eyes had a shine to them that wasn't exactly something Nyma thought was healthy. Clearly, something had changed on Thace's end that wasn't necessarily for the better.
"I can't talk for long," Thace said.
"What's going on?" Rolo demanded, concern obvious on his face.
Thace glanced around him. "Lotor is here," he said urgently. "He arrived late last night and is taking over the hunt for the Lions of Voltron."
"Lotor?!" Rolo cried. He looked at his partner who was just as pale as he was. Rolo licked his lips nervously. "Oh quiznack."
"Commander Prorok and I will be attached to the prince's search party," Thace said. "I'm going to act as the intermediary between Lotor and the emperor." He shook his head. "Apparently, I impressed Zarkon," he said. "I'm not sure how to deal with this."
"We can use this," Rolo said, leaning forward eagerly. "If you're close to the emperor, then we could get that much more information to the resistance."
"Speaking of," Nyma said, "we've been in direct contact with the Voltron team. We have a direct connection to one of the members which we can use to trade information from both sides."
"Do you trust them?" Thace demanded cautiously.
Rolo hesitated and looked at Nyma, She nodded and Rolo answered slowly. "I'd say yes," he answered slowly. "Our contact there… He offered a good faith gift that required more concession on his side then ours."
"And this person is your contact?" Thace asked. "You didn't tell him about me, did you?"
Nyma shook her head. "No," she said aloud. "He told us he didn't want to know the names of any of our contacts."
Thace actually looked surprised by that. "Not at all?"
"No," Nyma said, shaking her head. "He said it would be better for everyone involved if he didn't know. So you'll understand if we keep his identity a secret as well."
"No," Thace said quickly. "If he wants to stay hidden, it's probably for the best. Lotor's on the hunt for someone involved with the Voltron Lions. Apparently, Sendak captured him but he escaped. I don't know the details except that Zarkon wants him alive and unharmed, if possible."
"Unharmed?" Nyma repeated. "That's…"
"Unusual to say the least," Rolo finished.
"Like I said, I don't know much," Thace said. "I may be close to the emperor, but I'm still only a subcommander. I'll see what I can learn from Lotor but don't count on anything too useful yet."
"We won't," Rolo said, nodding. "When do you want us to contact you next?"
"Don't," Thace said. "I'll contact you."
"We'll do," Nyma said.
"One last thing," Rolo said before Thace could cut the communication. "Do you know anyone under Prorok who has a halfbreed son?"
Thace stiffened. "Why?"
"We crossed paths with a halfbreed while with the Voltron team," Rolo said. "He mentioned having a father serving under Prorok."
Thace's eyes widened. "What was his name?"
Rolo glanced at Nyma so she answered. "Keithek," she said. "But they call him Keith."
Thace buried his face in his hands. "He's alive," he murmured almost too softly for the communicator to catch.
"You're his father, aren't you," Nyma said. It wasn't a question, but neither she nor Rolo really needed an answer. Thace's reaction was answer enough. "You should know he wouldn't tell us who you were. He wanted to protect you."
Thace chuckled. "That boy..."
"He has a mate," Nyma said.
Thace stood ramrod straight in shock. "A mate?" he gasped. "Who…?"
"Our contact, actually," Nyma said. "According to Keith, Sendak hurt his mate so Keith killed him."
A smile tugged Thace's lips up in a smile. "Did he now? Good."
"Do you want us to tell him about you?" Nyma asked.
Thace hesitated, obviously conflicted. Eventually, his smile faded and he shook his head. "No," he said. "It's probably for the best that he doesn't know."
Nyma winced but a glance at Rolo and they both knew that some things were best kept secret. "Alright then," she said. "We'll pass along the information about Lotor but we won't say anything to Keith."
"Thank you," Thace said. "I'll contact you when I can."
The traders nodded. "Stay safe, friend," Rolo said. Thace smiled and offered a friendly salute before ending the connection.
