Chapter 25: Testing, Testing, Testing, 1…2…3(Part 2)(Allura's POV)
Allura tenses in her seat. How could Lotor be half-altean? It doesn't make any must have just said that to get them to trust him more willingly. After all, Honvera died before she could give birth to her son, who evidently would have been half-altean and half-galra.
There's no way the baby survived and lived for ten thousand years. That's impossible. But then again Zarkon managed it somehow. Still there's no way she's going to see him. No way! Because even if he isn't half-altean he sure looks like it, which fills her with dread.
Because if the claim is true the others would definitely be more willing to put their trust in him. Which is bad, as they don't know anything about the ex-prince except that he is a traitor and wants to make the Galra Empire great again. Which is quinacked because the Galra Empire can't get better. They've been stuck as a conquering Empire for ten thousand years. It would be better if they were eradicated from the whole universe as justice for what they did to the Alteans and our home world.
She shakes herself out of her anger, that isn't the right thing to do though. And would it satisfy her? Probably not. But then….. Even though eradicating them isn't the right thing to do, it doesn't feel right to not do what they did to her people. Maybe that's being selfish, but she doesn't care.
Her and Coran are the only Alteans left in this universe. Only because of her father's quick thinking to put them both into cryosleep. If he had stayed and fought, though, the outcome would have been much different. But that's in the past and this is the present she has to deal with. A war-torn world.
Though she has to wonder why most planets aren't actually against Voltron in defeating the world. If her memory serves from past wars that eons ago, some places didn't like the fact that they were getting rescued by the good guys until years later when their lives became infinitely better.
But she guesses Zarkon isn't very nice to most planets in his kingdom which is why there isn't as much opposition to Voltron threatening the rule of the Empire, unless it's the Galra Empire itself.
But this war is strange, since no Empire in the known world has lasted for ten thousand years. Though the Valmerians are just as strange with their longer life spans then that of Alteans. They probably know more about the war than any race among the whole universe.
Allura sighs, she just wants this fighting to stop! She's kinda sick and tired of having to fight a lot of Galra just to free the universe. Sure she felt hopeful that her and the Paladins could beat Zarkon and end his reign. But as the further along this war drags on, well, she's starting to lose hope that they will win with their allies and establish a new sense of peace.
And if this Lotor's information holds true, well it won't be long until the war is finally over. They might have a few rebellions, here and there from Galra loyal to the Empire, but at long last the majority of the fighting will be over and she can finally go back to living in peace.
The base comes within their sights. It looks like a regular base.
Days After in the Room Where Lotor's Cell is Located:
Allura stares at Lotor with narrowed eyes. All of his information has been proven true in these past few days. Still something bothers her, yet she can't yet put her finger on it.
"Don't you trust me? Marinette already does, so what's with the conceding stares?" Lotor asks.
She exchanges a look with Shiro. Marinette and Lance have been the only ones to visit Lotor so far since they took him in. Pidge and Hunk aren't really eager to visit the cell, since they have other things going on(probably engineering stuff) and Coran, well, he's with Marinette and Lance.
"Come on. Just tell me. I've given you correct information about several bases. What more do you want?"
"Sorry, Prince," Allura says the word with venom, "It's just my instincts tell me not to trust you. That's why I finally caved. I just had to see the traitor to the Galra Empire in person."
And it's not a wrong reason either. You just can't have impressions of a person based on what they say. Actions are what matter.
"Allura….Can't you see he isn't trying to deceive us? I mean is it really so hard to believe that Lotor might actually be on our side?" Shiro asks.
"Yes. For one thing a half galra-altean hybrid shouldn't be able to exist, so he could be lying about to gain our trust." She pointedly looks at him with suspicion.
"Princess Allura, why do you believe that to be so far fetched? If my father has survived for ten thousand years why can't his son?" Lotor rebuttals.
"Because Honerva died without bearing her child. She wasn't able to give birth before she died, so it's extremely unlikely that her son could survive. Unless you're saying she did somehow like her husband."
"My mother died giving birth to me. Or at least that's what my father always says when I ask him about anything relating to her."
Allura narrows her eyes. "That still doesn't explain why you could have lived for ten thousand years."
She sees Lotor take a deep breath and speaks, "Do you know what caused Zarkon to live for so long?...I thought not. The story I heard from my, um, first nanny is that Zarkon along with the other paladins went to seal the rift on Daibazaal, however Zarkon only used Voltron to get to the rift so he could heal his wife with quintessence. Apparently something overtook both of them when they were there and they appeared to both be dead. However after a funeral and Daibazaal was destroyed before the rift could destroy it, Zarkon appeared alive. But his appearance had changed and he no longer had pupils. Only yellow eyes. So that something is my best guess at how he could live for so long and my mother survived only long to give birth afterwards, or so I was told. I never saw that nanny again after Zarkon had learned what she told me about that."
"You think for one quiznacking second I'm going to believe that story! You're dumber than I thought, something didn't change Zarkon! He was evil from the start!" Allura looks at him seething.
Lotor hardens his eyes, "If that is what you believe then you truly didn't know my father and his friendship with Alfor."
"He let the rift consume Daibazaal and didn't listen to my father's advice. I'm sorry but I don't trust you in the slightest."
Lotor's POV
Lotor winces at Allura's harshness. He sees the princess walk away and leave him alone with a man, who is also visiting the first time. Why can't the princess see he's telling the truth? Marinette was able to. And that was before they had started to attack the bases to prove they could trust him.
"Sorry about that Lotor."
The ex-prince looks at the man perplexed. "About what?"
"For the way Allura's acting. She usually is a lot more calm than this. But for what's worth I trust you. I don't believe you're lying in the slightest. I mean we easily defeated major Galra bases with your information."
Lotor nods. "Yes, and thanks. But I do think there's some other information that could be of use to you."
"You weren't telling us everything?" the man asks, one of his eyebrows raised in confusion. "No that's not what I meant and you didn't ask for this specific piece of information. Do you know of a human scientist?"
The man's grey eyes open wide. "You don't mean…It can't be…..Is this human scientist's name Samuel Holt?"
"Perhaps," he shrugs, "All I know is that he was an important prisoner for my father and worked with other prisoners who used to be scientists in their home world."
"And you didn't tell us….."
"Because you never asked if I knew where prisoners were kept. Especially human ones. But I can tell you where the prison is. Though I can't actually guarantee he'll be there since I haven't visited said prison in a while."
The man sighs, "I'll give it some thought. By the way, my name is Shiro. Since I don't believe I properly introduced myself at the start of this meeting since Allura wanted to get straight to the point."
"You're not going to tell the others?"
Shiro chuckles, "Of course I'm telling them. Especially Pidge, she'll be ecstatic to try and rescue her father. However we need to decide as a team and I'm not a hundred percent sure how that's going to go over. But I'll let you know."
"Of course," Lotor replies. Damn it! Why can't these people just trust him already?! It's very frustrating, however he understands it's only because of his heritage and his race. Again, frustrating, but understandable since he was actively working against them with his kingdom.
He watches as Shiro leaves, and sighs. This is going to be a long process isn't it?