Krye finished up with his duties after the announcements. This consisted of having to meet with the two remaining generals and every high ranking commander, eager to be chosen as one of HIS generals.

But he already knew who he wanted.

He was cordial, but short, making it clear he didn't wish to stay long. This won him a lot of respect and now everyone wanted to be under him even more.

However, he had other plans.

He walked straight to the transport ships and borded one that was just about to leave.

"Sir!" the captain saluted, "What do I owe the honor?"

"You're ship is heading to the 54th quadrant," Krye said, "I wish to be dropped off at the prison planet in the 34th."

"Yes, of course," The captain was relieved it was on the way and he wouldn't have to detour long, "We will do this immediately!"

"Captain," Krye said sternly, "Take your time and do things right."

"Yes sir," he said, holding his salute until the new prince left. When the danger had passed the captain lowered his arm and sighed. This was going to be a rough voyage. Krye was new to this level of power. He was probably looking forward to exercising that power somewhere. He was just unlucky enough to have it be on his ship.

()

Krye disembarked the ship at the prison colony and made his way to the largest building. The captain watched him go and puzzled at the easy journey. The prince had stayed in his room for the most part and had actually let the Captain and the workers do their jobs.

"That's a strange one," he murmured while getting his ship up and running again.

()

The prison was more deep than tall. The upper levels reserved for high ranking officers who have yet to be stiked of their titles.

Kryes target was in one of the lowest levels. The rank and stale air proving the fact that this prisoner had upset more than just Zarkon.

When he reached the cell, the jailer opened the door and the prince walked in.

"You're name," Krye asked.

The galra sitting on the floor was gaunt and starved. Long forgotten by everyone.

"...Qal…tak," he said through a very dry mouth.

"Good," Krye bent over and handed him a flask of water. He positioned the straw for the prisoner so that he could take a drink.

"I have a proposition for you, Qaltok." Krye said as the prisoner drank, "Either you join me, or you remain here in this building."

"And…who are you?" He asked, his gaunt face belying the sharpness of his gaze.

"I am Krye, adopted son of the empire. My word is Zarkons."

Qaltok snorted.

"I will give you three days to think about it," Krye replied.

"Why me?" he asked, "I never heard of you."

"Because you were the only one to speak your mind to Zarkon a decafeeb ago," Krye said, "You saved many of our brotherens lives then. Your strategies and the way you think, I would have them be on my side. I need someone like you much more than you need someone like me."

"Those are pretty words," Qalton replied, "I turned down a similar offer not too long ago…again."

"I know," he said, "I know a lot of things. I know how you managed to piss off every single general and commander in every fleet. I know how smart you are. I know how you wept as you annihilated every planet you were told to. I know you resent Zarkon as much as you are loyal to him. I know you think you deserve to rot here and you haven't said anything about your treatment. I am not offering you a nice bed, Qaltok. I'm offering you…freedom."

"….zarkon will not allow this…"

"Did you not hear me? I am Zarkons voice. He already gave his blessing to whomever I choose as my generals."

Qaltok looked the new prince up and down. This was a greater force than even Lotor…and that terrified him.

But what would happen…if he aided this great force?

()

Voltron wondered where and when they would meet this new threat, but they were too busy to sit on it. They went about and freed as many individual planets and systems as they could. Little by little they were gaining ground and pushing the empire back.

When they finally met with Kryes forces head on, it was over a small moon with a mining operation on it. The operation was killing the planet and Voltron was there to free it.

Krye showed up halfway through and laid on heavy fire. So much so, that Voltron narrowly escaped, but the mining base and the village was completely wiped out. Krye then moved, ignoring Voltron, and began to wipe out everyone else. Village after village, town and city alike, all over the planet.

Voltron attacked and with a vengeance. Krye held them back effortlessly and when they were done destroying the moon, they left. Leaving Voltron to wonder what the heck just happened.

Time and time again, this happened until Pidge discovered a pattern.

"He's only destroying planets in sector PX24Z," she said brining it up on the map. Every time we free a planet outside this sector, he never intervenes, but the moment we cross that line, he's all over the place."

"Maybe that's his territory?" Keith asked, looking to Lotor, who shrugged.

"I've still yet to meet the…new prince."

"You haven't met your younger brother yet?" Hunk asked innocently and Lotor glared at him.

"you should get on that," Pidge said, following up, "he's the only person we don't know about."

"We know that he has one of Zarkons former generals with him," Acxa replied, "and that is no small feat. He's also gained the loyalty of five other commanders that he's promoted to General."

"His influence is spreading and his following is most definitely a threat," Lotor hissed.

"What if he's like you?" Allura asked, "And is simply following along to stay alive? You need to communicate with him and see what he's like."

Lotor thought that was the dumbest idea yet out of the princess, but he smiled at her, "you always try to see the good in people."

"I try and see allies instead of enemies," she corrected, "that's how you're standing where you are right now."

"Burn," Hunk muttered, just loud enough for Lotor to hear.

()

They stayed out of the PX24Z sector and focused on the area around it. Occasionally they would try again, but Krye was persistent.

Soon there wasn't any planet left in that sector to save. Everyone was remorseful, but they were hardened by then.

War was ugly, but necessary.

()

Krye patted his first generals back as he finished vomiting.

"…My lord…" he said standing straight and giving Krye a desperate look.

"We are done, Qal," he said, "that illness didn't spread to any other sectors as we know of at the moment. As for the commander of this sector, I will have his head."

"I will check the others," he replied and moved to do so, but Krye held him back.

"An ill general is a useless one, Qal," he reminded him, not for the first time, "rest until you are useful to me again."

Qaltok saluted and went the opposite way, towards the sleeping compartments on the ship.

Krye made sure the general did not sneak the other way before turning and heading towards the bridge.

"Ulrik," Krye commanded, contacting one of his other generals, "I want you to search the other sectors for possible signs of this plague. I want arrested all those that hide such a thing in their sectors."

The general saluted and cut the vid com.

"Palil," Krye said to the galra driving the ship, "set a course for Commander Shups ship. Its time he learned the hard way what lying to his emperor is really about."

"Yes, My lord."

()

Keith not only trained hard, but he studied as well…not that the others knew. His "Galra Studies" as he came to view them, were complex. There was pre and post world and pre and post formation of the Blades. There were several other pre's and post's and several other things that he had to learn before he could even start studying that.

But he wasn't asked to memorize it.

He was given a general knowledge and then told to memorize something else.

"We Blades are not only working to end the war, we are also keepers of knowledge," Kolivan had told him, "over the years one of us has been the keeper of current affairs while anothers duty is to memorize the past. We each have out own part of our old culture memorized. I myself hold our cultures manerizums, which have changed drastically throughout the years. The Blade head before me taught me everything I know and I was able to study in our archives as well. You're job to to memorize the current affairs of Voltron and the galra empire. Write it all down. Everything. Biasly and unbiasly. We want ALL the information we can possibly hold. Understand?"

"…not yreally," Keith said, "It seems pretty…double standard if you hoard all this information without giving it as well."

Kolivan nodded, "Yes, but it must be kept so when this war is over the truth can still be known. The truth will be here and our reactions to it. We may be treated harshly in the future, but we will be long dead and can only hope that the truth will be seen as only that."

Keith scowled, trying to pull apart the meanings in Kolivans sentences. But in large, he did understand. The Galra had been at war for so long, they no longer remembered how to function as an actual society. With the Blades knowledge, they would have a foundation to build again.

"That is what we must keep secret," Kolivan said, his voice lowering, "That is what we must keep safe. There are too many that would seek us out to destroy it. Their lies mean more to them than the truth, but we must keep it."

"The truth is sometimes painful," Keith said, thinking of his own past.

"But its better to be in pain than it is to be killed by a lie."

()

Commander Shup was looking around his base. Once a magnificent structure, there were only a few pieces of metal left standing.

He had been on his rounds when he started to notice that planets and moons were being eradicated. Unsure about what was going on he contacted headquarters, but they still hadn't gotten back to him.

Thinking he should go back to his sector base, he arrived only to find it in complete ruins.

He ranted and raved and few of his men weren't fast enough to escape his anger.

It was Voltron! It had to be those upstarts! Voltron did this!

He was already planning his revenge when another, larger ship, landed next to his and the new prince walked down the plank with three escorts.

They were not his generals.

Shup had kept close tabs on the new prince, expecting an invite to his generals any quintant now.

But in this disgrace?

Could he hope?

"Commander Shup," Krye said stopping in front of him, "I need to speak with you."

Shup saluted, "Sir, I am so sorry about the conditions of this base, or I would offer you better hospitality."

Krye turned his head as though just noticing the carnage.

"Yes, I told Havla to make sure not a scrap was left standing. I'll be sure to discuss with her how she's failed. When I say, 'not a scrap' I mean to be taken literally."

It took a good few minutes for the meaning to sink in.

"You-?!"

"I," Krye said and unsheathed his sword. He slowly raised it and held it against the commanders neck.

"Now, Shup, How long did you think you could lie to the empire?"

He didn't use his title, officially demoting him. Shup barely swallowed.

"I never-"

"You said everything was…what was it Riplish?"

"'perfectly stable and harvesting was abundant'," Said one of the attendants, bringing up Shups latest reports he had sent only a few quintants ago.

"You said 'abundant', but still only met the qutota specifically…so I decided to see where the extra 'abundance' was going. I expected to see it in your grand base or to see it being traded with other commanders, but Shup…for you to lie-"

"I never lie-"

"DESEASE! Shup. EVERY planet in your sector is sick, not even fit for a weblum! It's gotten so bad we're checking your surrounding sectors and others to see how far it spread! You not only lied but you FAILED to contain it! You FAILED to deal with the matter. Did you know that our entire empire feeds on quintessence? We need it to be pure and healthy. Yours is not only diseased, but of the poorest quality. I'm afraid there's nothing left for me to do but take your head."

"No!" Shup cried and fell to his knees, "No! I can make it up! I can-"

"Everything has been destroyed, Shup. There's nothing left for you to try. There is no second chance here. You will suffer as every person on their planet suffered."

()

Qaltok walked out to the bridge to find his lord at the helm, flying it himself.

"Riplish says you already took out the trash."

"Yes."

"And sent everyone to bed?"

"Yes."

"And you?"

"I am not tired."

"I just so happened to be fresh from sleep, why don't you at least lie down," Qaltok replied, reaching out to take over the controls.

"I will cut them off at the ebows," warned Krye, and the general retreated.

"My lord, you must rest some time."

"Rest is for the dead."

Qaltok pursed his lips…just how far would Krye let him go?

"May I ask a question?"

"You may ask as many as you like," Krye said.

"What drives you? What is your goal?"

"A little late in asking that now after swearing your loyalty to me," Krye said pointedly, "There is something that must be done and I aim to do it."

"This something-"

"Is not for you to know about at this time. I ask for your loyalty and trust, Qaltok, do I have it?"

The general stood silent for a time. So far his lord had not shown even the slightest bit of emotion, even when destroying whole civilizations…but had awkwardly made sure he took care of himself. In Kryes own way, he took care of his own.

"You have both, my lord, but I still may ask questions."

Krye shrugged, "I've never said you couldn't ask."