Lotor reached forward and grabbed another cluster of the fruits he'd learned about. They were vibrant, a delectable shade of red and green. Propping his feet up on the console, he leaned back in the chair and dangled them above his mouth. While he savored the sweet flavor, he listened in as the soldier he'd, well he didn't want to say interrogated, went about his day.

Axca asked while balancing in a one handed hand stand, "Are you certain this is the best use of our time? This colony is... volatile."

Lotor smirked around the fruit between his teeth and chewed thoughtfully. "You put forth this plan, Acxa."

She slowly lowered into a descending push-up until her legs were on the floor and shot him an annoyed glance. "That's not my point, your majesty."

Lotor's smirk turned into a grin. "I jest, my dear. You know I trust your judgement as my own." Acxa shook her head and resumed her workout. He chewed and swallowed another 'grape' and said, "The private has no concept of concealing his emotions and you read his biography as well. There has to be a reason he's remained within such close proximity to this location. Just like I believe there to be a reason he survived an assassination from my father's enemies. Or should we have destroyed that hidden device we found on his armor?"

Acxa rolled her eyes and stood with her arms folded. Her chest heaved from the mild exertion, though she was hardly out of breath. Lotor kept his eyes on the bowl to the side, struggling not to stare. She approached and leaned over his shoulder. With deft movement, she typed quickly and pulled up the tracker they'd placed, the warmth of her skin radiating against his cheek and neck. He groaned uncomfortably because she knew exactly what she was doing. Her faint smirk as she stood and snagged some fruit for herself gave her away.

She eyed the console in whole and said, "Well, he hasn't veered too far from his designated objectives. How many more quintants should we allow before taking a more direct approach?"

Lotor placed the uneaten fruits back in the bowl and said, "I think we can afford at least ten more. The emperor doesn't seem to have made the connection between Voltron and this planet. The slower we go, the less likely we are to draw the attention of him or his witch."

"Very well. I'm going to patrol the area. The last thing we want is imperial soldiers snooping around."

She left and Lotor looked at the console in mild boredom. He may have claimed they had plenty of time, but the soldier had returned to active duty five quintants ago after forty vargas observation without incident. Lotor had started to doubt what he'd seen in the med-bay. There was always a chance he'd misread the soldier, but all the information he'd found seemed to confirm his suspicions. Lotor grabbed the report he'd assembled containing all the information they'd accumulated about this zone and its inhabitants.

He read about what had been here before his father's forces decimated it. Beautiful land and thriving people. Beings well into their evolutionary development. Admirable. Until terror befell them. Lives destroyed and ruined. So many added to the death count.

And yet... Lotor looked at the still images from the local containment facility. Younglings played while locked behind the empire's walls. Older children maintained a disciplinary protocol of some kind. Parents tended to their offspring and the space they'd been allowed. Many plants with similar vibrant produce grew in the sunlight. They were making the best of what they could. The universe should not have been so cruel to them.

Lotor put aside the report and leaned forward with his head in his hands. He knew what would happen to them. To all of them. It would only happen faster if he intervened or drew the emperor's ire. He couldn't take the guilt for another colony's collapse. Innocent deaths. Lives the universe would not give back.

"You can't be here, Tretok."

Lotor jumped at the unfamiliar voice that hissed such cold words. In a moment of panic and triumph, he scanned the console for the private's current location to find... nothing. No triangulation whatsoever. It could take a few dobosches to learn where he'd been lost, so he focused on the com bug that seemed to work.

"I... I know. Flame, I know, but I had to see you. What happened out there... my... my," Tretok sucked a breath through his teeth, "is it true, Kincaid?"

Footsteps approached the private, slow and soft. "Is what true?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Tretok shot back, the anger leaving his voice in favor of betrayal. "An officer came to me while I was in recovery. He said things that are... far above my clearance. Things... I can barely comprehend the consequences of. So I need to know. Is it true that you're working with those... cutthroats who murdered my company?"

Lotor wanted to reach for a notepad to jot things down, but he didn't want to miss this. Any second. Whoever the private spoke to held answers to Lotor's questions. Every quintant since he'd fought with the blue paladin led to this moment. He waited with held breath.

"Tretok..."

Lotor exhaled and covered his mouth. His eyes darted over the console as that single word, the way it was said, confirmed everything. The blades were here and they'd allied with the paladins and this planet's occupants.

"Don't... Kincaid... Just don't." Tretok took a shaky breath. "I should return to my post. Jytar was right. This is too much."

"And you still came to talk? Tretok, we can't keep doing this," the masculine voice pleaded. "Your people enslaved us. Locked us in this cage. You pulled a gun on me and my friends, my family. You could have been killed!" Tretok gasped and the other man finished, "There is no way in this existence that we can be together... but I still don't want to see you get hurt. So please, stay away from us."

Lotor sat back in the chair. Despite everything that had happened to them, somehow they'd managed to foster feelings. An imperial soldier and a primitive colonist.

"Ryan, I-"

The audio feed went to static and Lotor immediately leaned forward. His hands flew over the console trying to regain a connection to no avail. He spent the next quarter varga figuring out what in the world happened and froze when he finally realized it. A slow smirk grew on his face and he fell back in his chair. "You clever bastards."

Acxa exited the bathroom and walked to the closet. A feline serpentined between her bare legs and she asked as she reached for night clothes. "Are Ezor and Zethrid still out?" A low growl answered her and she giggled. "They don't seriously think they can hide their relationship do they? It's-

"Acxa!"

Acxa gave a small screech in alarm and covered her front with the clothes she held as Lotor rushed into the room. He came right up to her and she retreated against the wall, but it meant nothing. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against his chest, spinning them around and exclaiming, "We found them!"

"My lord! Prince- Prince Lotor!" Acxa nearly lost the clothes between them in his enthusiasm and dug her nails into his arms shouting, "Put me down!"

Lotor yelped in pain and surprise and jumped backward at the same time Kova ran behind him. He tripped with another yell and Acxa stumbled to the bed to grab a blanket. A different one fell over her shoulders and she looked up to see Narti glare toward Lotor's prone shape beneath her night clothes.

Lotor lifted the fabric off his face and peeked up at them nervously. "Oh, um, forgive me, Acxa. I..." He hastily stood and straightened his clothing. "I have news regarding the attack at our research facility. When you are decent... and composed, please join me on the bridge."

He gathered the rest of the clothes and held them out as Narti stalked toward him. She snatched them from him, forcing him to retreat with raised hands. Narti shut and locked the door behind him. Acxa sighed in relief and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Kova jumped on the bed and rubbed against Acxa's side. Narti returned to the bed and sat beside her. With one hand, she reached up and pushed Acxa's hair back, then grabbed the towel and gently tousled it. Acxa smiled and Kova purred.

Acxa closed her eyes and let her forehead fall against Narti's shoulder. "He's in one of his revelries. If what he said is true, coming here wouldn't have been in vain. Pheobs of work will pay off." Narti finished fussing about Acxa and stood. Acxa smiled and reached for her clothes. "I'll see you on the bridge then?"

Kova jumped from the floor to the bed and up to Narti's shoulders. They wordlessly left the room and Acxa finished dressing. Still, she took her time returning to the bridge. From the doorway, she watched Lotor double check his reports and try to calm down. His habit of bouncing on the balls of his feet when he was excited seemed to be making a reappearance. Narti stood off to one side, the picture of serenity. And Zethrid and Ezor were nowhere in sight. Like usual.

Acxa entered the bridge and folded her hands behind her back at attention. "When you're ready, Lotor."

He flashed her a grin in sheer happiness and said without hesitation, "We found them, Acxa. The blades did come here after raiding the facility. Come take a look." She went to his side and looked down as he pointed and said, "Here. Do you see anything odd?"

Acxa scanned the live schematics of the holding facility Private Tretok was partially in charge of guarding. Nothing seemed out of place. In fact, it barely looked live at all. "What am I looking at?"

Lotor pulled up a copy of the schematics with an earlier timestamp. "Watch."

Acxa humored him and saw the tracker they'd placed on the soldier cross beyond the barrier around the facility. He traveled a short distance before the tracker vanished entirely. Acxa furrowed her brow and leaned on a hand placed on the console. Technical difficulties could be at play, but as excited as Lotor was, clearly something else was at fault.

Lotor explained without prompt, "I didn't notice at first and it took far too long to realize the connection. But listen to this." He tapped the playback and held his hands near his chest, eyes alight in pure joy watching for her reaction.

Acxa's eyes widened as a man spoke, voice unfamiliar. Yet so emotional and insistent. He spoke to Tretok in a manner that said it happened frequently. And Tretok grew less composed until it seemed the man's soft appeal was the only thing keeping him from panic. Right before audio cut out. Acxa tapped a nail on the console and said, "There was no malfunction on our end."

"Exactly," Lotor exclaimed. "I theorize the assassins were listening into Tretok's actions, due to what we found on his armor. They knew I spoke to him. They knew I'd want to keep tracers on him. Do you understand, Acxa? They destroyed their own tech as well as anything we placed on him to keep us from discovering more. I knew the assassins left him alive for a reason!" Lotor began to pace, eyes lost in the middle distance, and ranted, "The prisoner at the base did not directly admit it, but the people here are working with the assassins. Which means the paladins are also involved. However, we need more information. We have a name and a location. So we're not starting from scratch."

"And what of the empire?"

Lotor bit his lip and rubbed his temple with one hand. "What indeed. We will have to be thorough, yet discreet. No doubt we will also waste time with false leads in case anyone catches on to what we've discovered."

"And the assassins? The paladins? Would it not be more timely to make direct contact?" Acxa worried. It made her different from the others of her team. Lotor may tease her about it, but she gave voice to his own thoughts. Lotor froze, and she knew she'd hit the nail on the head.

"No... If we play our hand too fast, they will vanish in the night all over again. I haven't spent half my lifetime trying to find them to lose everything so rashly." He took a deep breath and leaned on the back of his chair. A calm expression passed over his face and he whispered reverently, "I can't believe we're so close. This is it, Acxa."

He looked up and met her eyes. She gasped lightly, her heart rate accelerating. She crossed the bridge and covered his hand with hers. Then the door opened. Acxa pulled away and stalked stiffly toward her seat as the missing members of their party entered.

"So what'd we miss?"

James watched the soldier leave, concern making him glance toward Ryan as he retreated back inside. Without noise, Keith appeared at his side and said, "Go with him. We'll make sure Tretok leaves."

James looked at Keith, curious if he meant more by that than the immediate intention. Then he followed after Ryan at a brisk pace. "Kincaid. Hey, Kincaid."

Ryan stopped in a dark doorway and hugged his chest. "I guess it's over then?"

James leaned on the wall and watched several kids run past completely unaware of the enemy within their territory. "Matt used the tech Katie made to destroy our bugs and whatever that prince did, I suppose. He won't cause us any more trouble." James leaned forward to look at his friend and added, "Unless... This is what you wanted? We all agreed it would be best to exonerate him from what we're doing here."

Ryan hugged himself tighter and said, "I thought... I mean, I think so, but what are we doing? That woman kept Hunk unconscious for nearly three days. And now they want to take him to their space ship?"

"Again, we all agreed to go. The princess has resources for us." James pushed off the wall and stood in front of Ryan. "And, if something can be done to help Hunk, it would be there."

Ryan forced himself to relax and stood at attention. "Yeah, you're right... but Tretok-"

"Is no longer in danger," Lance said.

James and Ryan looked over where the sharpshooter leaned casually on the staircase banister. James asked, "He's gone then?"

Lance gave a cheeky salute and grinned. "Keith watched from the ground, me from above. The soldier is out of our care."

James shared a look with Ryan and asked, "And we're sure that's what's best for him?"

Lance took a long deep breath and looked past James to Ryan. "I know it might not seem like it, but the less involved he is, the safer he'll be. Knowledge cannot be forced upon the unwilling. Such is the way of the blade."

"And if he were," Ryan asked, "willing, I mean?"

Lance's shoulders fell. "He isn't, Ryan. You saw the fear in his eyes. We are assassins and he a victim of trauma at the hands of the empire. I wish there was more we could do for him, but it would be in his best interests to forget anything to do with us."

"Are those your words or theirs'?"

"Ryan," Lance exasperated. Then he squared up and said, "We're leaving for the pod in an hour."

James shot Ryan a look and followed Lance down the hall. "So soon? Won't they be watching the school?"

"Yes," Lance answered. "Keith's suspicions were correct. Which is why we need to leave for a short time. We'll watch from a safe distance, gather intel, and hopefully, we'll find the other paladins."

"You really think Hunk is one of you?"

"I was unconscious for nearly a month, so I'm a little under-qualified to speak on it, but," Lance said, "Allura and Keith believe so. Keith is what the blades call telestic. It means he's sensitive to the currents of quintessence. He can feel things we can't, energies of those around him and the environment. When he was young, he suffered from migraines and sleepless nights. You always wondered why he preferred to sleep in Shiro's dorm."

James chewed his cheek in thought. "You make him sound like some kind of electrometer."

Lance smirked sidelong at him. "Keith always knew when a storm would hit. Helped keep the hangar from chaos a few times. It's what makes him such an exceptional pilot." Lance's smirk fell. "It would make him a good druid or alchemist."

"What does that mean?"

"Able to manipulate quintessence like Allura... and her late father." Lance stopped and faced James straight on. "You don't understand. As much as Keith's gifts benefit him, they also make him vulnerable. That is why I protect him, James. Will you help me?"

James nodded. "Of course. Keith is like my brother."

Lance reached out and clapped him on the arm. With the flash of a grin, he said, "Thank you."

The door opened and Katie looked up from where she sat beside a resting Hunk. "Everything went to plan, yeah?"

Keith folded his hands in front of him and nodded. "Yeah. Your gear worked brilliantly."

Katie blushed and fidgeted with the bed covers. "My folks did most of the work."

"Oh, so because it's Keith you're suddenly humble?"

Keith chuckled and entered the room, pausing as a doctor crossed his path. "Of course she is, though there's no need."

Katie smirked and glanced over to see him wink. He entered the infirmary and walked between the curtains to Hunk's bed. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Hunk settled deeper under the blankets. "You mean the bed can't come with?"

Katie rolled her eyes and put a hand over his forehead. "Oh dear, Keefy. I'm afraid he's gone feverish again. He's delusional with it. Why, all he's been talking about for the past day is when he'll get to leave this room."

Keith held out a hand. "Are you going to take this kind of slander, even from such a pretty mouth?"

"You think I'm pretty?" Katie said, the question directed at Hunk.

Hunk groaned and took Keith's offered hand. "You promised you wouldn't talk."

Keith grinned with full dimples and said, "I haven't broken my word, yet. Though I hardly keep secrets from my sister." He pulled Hunk upright and faced away to save his modesty. "I will wait beyond the curtain ready to assist as needed."

Katie watched Keith move away with a raised eyebrow. "Well, cadet, shall we get you dressed and ready for travel?"

Hunk reached above his head stretching his shoulders. Every bone in his body seemed to creak and pop. "Let's. I need a change of scenery."

Katie scooped the sleeping mice out of the blankets and watched carefully to make sure Hunk didn't stumble from vertigo as he dressed. He did grab for the headboard at one point, but steadied himself before she could intervene. As a final touch, he used his headband to tie back his hair and asked, "How do I look?"

Katie tried to lie and tried not to stare. In the end, nothing left her mouth and Hunk giggled. She huffed indignantly and wrapped an arm around his back. "Come on, or your ego will grow too big to leave the atmosphere. Unless you wanna talk about what about what else you find pretty besides my mouth?"

Keith shifted as they emerged from the curtained hospital bed. "Ready?" He moved to Hunk's other side and instructed, "Lean on me whenever you need to. Ohana, right?"

"Mahalo," Hunk replied.

Keith was much more prepared to guide Hunk through the building. Katie tried to help, but whatever they'd done for Hunk seemed to have rallied his strength. And he had always been strong. Only now, she didn't worry. Because Keith had brought her family home. The rest of her family. They reached the music room on the third floor and she spontaneously hugged Keith from behind.

"Pidge, wha-"

"Shut up and take this." Katie squeezed him and whispered, "Thank you, alright. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Keith took her hands and moved to the side of the hall. "I know we haven't had much time to ourselves since I got back... but I haven't told anyone what you said while you were in recovery either. It breaks my heart what you went through."

Katie gasped and pulled back, but he turned and caught her against his chest. She mumbled against him, "I've been so scared, Keith. And I don't know who to talk to because they all expect so much and I..."

Keith's lips brushed her forehead and she blinked back tears. She waited for him to talk, but all he did was hold her until she choked back her sobs. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "All of your feelings are valid and when you want to talk about them, I'm here for you."

"Keith, where- Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Katie stepped back and wiped her eyes before looking at the princess. Then Keith wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side, hiding her red blotched face in his shirt. "We're coming, Allura. Coleen, is everything set?"

Katie watched her mom fiddle around with the tech she'd been learning about. "Just a moment, children. And... There! Coran? Can you hear us?"

"Haha! I hear you loud and clear, Coleen. Allura, my dear," a jovial man with a vaguely British accent said, "how is everything down there?"

Allura trotted to the console and said far too close to the mic, "We're doing wonderful, Coran!"

Katie winced and Keith grunted as the feedback screeched through the room. Coleen laughed and pulled the mic back. "It's much more sensitive than your walkies, Allura. Coran, we're just about ready for the jump back to the castle and there will be guests."

"Quiznack, have you found those pesky paladins already?"

Keith rolled his eyes and said, "It's probable, but we won't know until they meet the lions will we?"

"Roger that, kit. I eagerly await your transmissions and will be ready for pick up. Safe flying, my boy."

"And to you," Keith answered. To the room, he said, "Now who wants to go to space?"

Veronica climbed out of the ship and glanced around the hangar. Several other 'pods' lined each side of the expansive space. Lance stepped up to her side and gloated, "It's alright. You can be impressed now."

"About what? The fact that you hid a space ship on the school roof or that your boyfriend successfully brought us here?"

Lance sighed and rolled his eyes. "Can't you let me have just this one thing?"

"I'm not openly teasing you right now." Veronica smirked and poked his forehead. "That's all you get." She walked in a circle and admitted, "This place is pretty cool. You lived here for a while?"

"Yeah," Lance said, "while Keith and the blades set up a base of operations in the desert. You're going to love Allura's bathroom. So many products. I picked out a few of them myself."

"Welcome."

Veronica followed the voice and spotted a tall man with flaming orange hair and a magnificent mustache. He wore a sort of blue and white suit with a double tailed jacket. Two blue markings identical to the ones beneath Allura's eyes adorned his face.

"Coran!" Allura jumped out of the cockpit and ran to the man for a hug.

Coran smiled dotingly down at her and looked toward the ship. "How was the voyage?"

Keith strode toward the alien duo and put a hand across his chest to his opposite shoulder. "We passed the empire's perimeter unnoticed and without pursuit."

"Well done, kit." Coran reached out and squeezed his shoulder making Keith blush with an embarrassed smile. "How are you faring? When the red lion arrived without you-"

"She's here?"

Coran furrowed his brow and looked harder at Keith. "She allowed Antok and your m-"

"Daiyak!" Keith interrupted again almost desperately.

Coran stammered and took a moment before sighing and tipping his head. "I understand, son. That explains their behavior since they reunited." Coran looked around the hangar and asked, "Which of you is the one who needed medical treatment?"

Veronica looked at Hunk between Matt and Katie. He looked a bit strained from the trip, but tried his best to remain at attention. Allura pulled Coran toward him and said, "This is Hunk Garrette, a friend of Keith and Lance from school."

Veronica smiled to herself and covered it with a hand. The princess made the garrison sound like some kind of private boys academy. Coran held out a hand which Hunk shook and said, "Well met, lad." He then looked at Katie and took her hand in both of his. "You must be Katie Holt. I see it in your eyes. So much like your brother's."

"Yes, sir. Most people call me Pidge."

The smile he'd shown Allura made a reappearance for Katie. "Of course, my dear. I've heard so much about you from your family." He bowed at the waist and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Pidge. I am Coran, the princess's adviser."

Keith cleared his throat and said, "I know it's a bit rushed, but I think we should go to the lions for confirmation."

Allura reached for his hand and smiled enthusiastically at him and then everyone else. "Yes, let's! I can't wait any longer for you to meet them!" Then she dragged Keith down the hall laughing.

Matt and Katie escorted Hunk between James and Rizavi. Veronica dawdled near the back with Lance. "They're excited. And she's so..."

"Incredible?"

Veronica chuckled and shoved Lance's shoulder. "I was going to say forward. She was much more reserved when you first brought her home. Is it Keith? He seems to be the deciding factor."

Lance made an indecisive noise before saying slowly, "Yeah, it's Keith, but it's completely platonic. While I was... comatose... they became close. Allura lost everything and Keith... God, I wish I could have been there for him. They're practically siblings now and with the connection her father made between her and the lions-"

"Her father?"

Lance paused and flashed a questioning look at her. "King Alfor, the creator of the lions and original Red Paladin."

"Oh, the way Keith is now? I thought that was like, thousands of years ago."

"It was." Lance sighed and said, "There's been a development. You remember the locker room?"

"What about it?" Veronica asked while trying to remain impartial.

Lance froze and folded his arms. "It will all make sense in a few minutes when you see them for yourself."

"Roger, cadet." Veronica wrapped an arm around her little brother's shoulders and leaned her head against his. "And hey, I'm sorry Kincaid backed out."

They resumed walking and Lance said, "It's alright. I know he's been conflicted about all of this. I mean, he's hardly the first person to fall in love with a galra."

Veronica stifled a snort of laughter. "Speaking from experience? Was there some hot chick in your prison bank?"

"You know I love a woman with handcuffs," Lance jabbed back. "Come on. The atrium is this way."

Veronica couldn't take in much of the scenery as Lance rushed her along sterile halls before descending a grandiose ramp and there she saw them. Five lions in glorious primary colors laid about like feral cats on the savanna. Keith stood hand in hand with Allura in front of the red one while the black one watched with lifted chin. Keith pulled Allura close and placed a chaste kiss on her hairline. Then they turned and faced the gathered crowd.

Lance squeezed Veronica's hand and walked forward to join them. Veronica stood at James's shoulder as Hunk and Pidge staggered forward. James whispered, "What are they doing?"

Veronica looked from Keith to Matt and saw understanding in both their eyes. Her lips barely moved as she muttered, "Oh my god, they were right."

She watched in awe as Keith grinned and guided them toward two lions off to one side. The green lion sat up as it groomed the golden yellow one who stretched out one leg uncomfortably. It was familiar when it shouldn't have been. Wordlessly, Pidge and Hunk walked up and reached out.

The yellow lion let out a loud groan and began to purr with its eyes closed. Rebuking them for taking so long. Hunk gasped and reached out to fall against the yellow lion's nose. And then Pidge started laughing. Loud, full, joyful laughter Veronica had only heard a couple times since the galra first arrived. The green lion leaned forward and playfully pounced toward her. She dodged aside and they bounded through the small space.

When they'd both calmed down, Lance walked to the blue lion and sat on her front paw. Keith smiled at Pidge and she put both hands under the green lion's chin, pressing her forehead to the living metal. Lance and Hunk shared a grin.

Allura folded her hands in front of her waist and took a deep breath. "Thank you all for coming. As we suspected, two of the missing paladins have been found. Pidge is the pilot of the green lion and Hunk the pilot of the yellow lion." She looked at him in contrition and said, "I owe you both an apology. The reason you have suffered injury this past pheob is due to my ineptitude. During the recovery of the yellow lion, I made a near fatal mistake. Only Lance's quick thinking and skillful piloting snagged victory from defeat. For that, you have my sincere penance."

"We don't blame you, Allura," Hunk slowly replied.

"And there's no point blaming yourself for what could have happened," Katie finished. Keith shifted uncomfortably and leaned backwards into the black lion. Katie scratched beneath the green lion's chin and said, "You got this far, right?"

Allura rolled her lips, eyes shining with relieved tears, and breathed, "Thank you, both of you."

"Now that that's settled, who's ready for lunch?" Coran cheerfully announced.