**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
From the base's central control room, Immea gave her mission report to Kolivan. He, understandably, was perturbed by Sendak's reappearance. Whether the Galra commander was currently alive or dead remained unknown, concerning him all the more.
"The Galra will be holding the Kral Zera one day from now. If Haggar plans to use him to take over the Empire, he will be there," he said. His expression was as rigid and dour as usual, but there was a hint of concern lingering at the edges of his voice. "Return to headquarters immediately."
"Yes, sir," Immea replied and their call ended, leaving the room in silence.
"What's the Kral Zera?" Mari finally asked, watching as she turned away from the empty displays.
"It's a coronation ceremony held on Feyiv for the next ruler of the Galra Empire," she explained, her frown deepening. "The most powerful generals and warlords will gather there to fight for the throne."
"…Including Sendak," Mari concluded. "If he lived."
Immea nodded. "We can't let any of them take over the Empire, especially not him and Haggar. The Blades are going to disrupt the ceremony." She cast a glance her way and added, "If Voltron really wants this war to end as soon as possible, the paladins should consider doing the same."
"I'll make sure to contact them about it," she assured her, ignoring the budding feeling of dread gnawing at the back of her mind. "Although I'm sure Lotor's already said something about it to them."
Immea hummed and turned to Scarlett, her expression softening. She approached the Utearen so they were only standing a foot or so apart. "I have to go back now," she said, her voice quiet. "I'm sorry."
Scarlett's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't say anything. Her hand, having been snugly wrapped in cooling bandages, swung uneasily at her side. Immea sighed and reached for her belt, producing a sheathed dagger that was not her own.
"Here," she said, holding it out to Scarlett. "I found this in the vault."
Scarlett's eyes widened in recognition. "My knife!" she exclaimed, taking it and gripping it tightly in her good hand. "I thought that shape-shifting jerk kept it for himself."
"It's Ulaz's gift to you. It'll always find its way home, one way or another," Immea said, a tiny grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Don't let anyone take it from you again."
"I won't," Scarlett promised, hanging the blade on her hip where it belonged. Her gaze slowly dragged up to the older girl's, suddenly bashful but determined. "Thank you, Immea. For this, and…for saving us."
Immea's face completely cracked into a smile, an unspoken relief softening her features. "We'll talk more soon," she said, tenderly ruffling Scarlett's feathery hair. "I wanna hear about all the new things you've made."
Scarlett leaned into the touch, unable to suppress a grin of her own. "Get ready for the longest conversation of your life. We'll have a lot of catching up to do by then."
Immea chuckled. A hint of sadness lingered in her gaze as she looked at the younger girl and the companions that watched them from the edges of the room. "I'm glad you're doing well here," she admitted. "With your new family."
"Stupid. You're still my family," Scarlett rolled her eyes and punched her playfully in the gut. "You'll always be my sister."
She closed the distance between them, wrapping the Blade in a tight hug. Immea stiffened for a second, caught off guard. Who knows how long it had been since she'd last been embraced. The Blades of Marmora weren't exactly the touchy-feely types. Still, she returned the gesture, hugging Scarlett back and enveloping her in a long forgotten warmth and familiarity. They stood like that for a moment, a silent history of pain and love and turmoil passing between them.
"Goodbye. Be safe," Scarlett whispered. "I love you."
"I will," Immea murmured. "I…I love you too."
They pulled away from each other and Immea gently bumped her forehead against Scarlett's, their antenna glowing brighter as they touched. Then she straightened, rewarding the younger girl with one last smile before heading out of the room to return to her team. When she was gone, Scarlett sniffled, crestfallen and left with Mari, Mitsubishi, and Treble once more.
"You gonna be okay?" Mari asked, slowly and carefully.
Scarlett took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah. I'm gonna be okay," she decided. "This isn't goodbye forever. She feels that way too."
"I'm glad I was able to meet your family," Mitsubishi piped up, his hair settling on yellow. "Even if she never bothered to ask me my name."
That brought a small smile back to her lips. "Yeah, she's like that. I'll introduce you next time."
In the peaceful silence that followed, she yawned, sparking a round of yawns from the rest of them. It was the middle of the night, after all, with dawn quickly approaching in just a few more vargas. After the hectic evening they'd had, they were all in need of sleep.
"Okay, little ones. I think it's about time you went to bed," Mari chided them teasingly.
Scarlett scowled at her but didn't argue. "I do feel like I'm gonna pass out at any tick," she admitted and Mitsubishi silently agreed, rubbing at his eyes.
"Heck yeah! Sleepy time! I'm gonna go out like a light," Treble cheered, although her never-ending energy said otherwise.
"How are you still so hyper?" Scarlett grumbled and the Flouwan girl giggled.
"I'm gonna teach you and Mitsu my tummy-squeeze technique tomorrow," she said, ignoring Scarlett's question as she led the way towards the exit. "You won't get tricked by a shapeshifter ever again."
"Good. I just might do that to everyone I meet from now on," Scarlett said, her expression grim.
They paused in the doorway as Mitsubishi looked over his shoulder at Mari. "You should go to sleep too," he said, and Treble hummed in agreement.
"Yeah, you're getting bags under your eyes," Scarlett smirked, evoking a mildly irritated tsk from the human.
"I am not," she mumbled, self-consciously pressing her fingers to the delicate skin beneath her left eye. "I'll hit the hay soon. Just got a quick call to make."
Mitsubishi nodded in understanding and Treble took his and Scarlett's good hands in hers as she led them out. "Goodnight!" she chirped, her voice echoing down the hall. "See you tomorrow, Mari!"
The doors slid shut and Mari let out a deep breath. She moved to the control panel, her movements starting to drag as the day's events finally caught up to her. She couldn't wait to snuggle up in the warmth of her bed and promptly pass out. Calling the Castle of Lions, she stared at her screens as she waited for someone to answer. A dobash passed and then two. She was on the verge of leaving a message when Shiro's face suddenly popped up on screen, looking just as terribly exhausted as she felt.
"God, you look awful," she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
His frown deepened. "Hello to you too," he muttered and she gave him an apologetic shrug.
"Sorry. I'm just kind of surprised you're still up out of all the others."
"I can't sleep. We've had a…rough couple of days." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What is it? Did you need something?"
Mari swallowed, forcing herself to ignore the smidge of annoyance behind his questions. "Has Lotor told you about the Kral Zera ceremony?"
"He did."
"Is Voltron going to do anything about it?"
"We should be," he huffed. "We can't risk any of the rogue Galra commanders taking control. Lotor has to be the next emperor. But Allura and the others think it's too risky to get involved right now."
There was an unbridled bitterness in his voice, the frustration and stress of a leader who wasn't being listened to and wasn't getting his way. Mari wasn't sure putting Lotor on the throne was the best course of action either, but she did agree that they couldn't let anyone else take control.
"Well, regardless of whether or not Voltron decides to step in during the ceremony, I have some pretty bad news to share with you," she said, pressing forward with their dour conversation. "Sendak is back."
Shiro's head snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide. "What?"
"We found him in the cryo-pod on Hutt. Haggar sent Lotor's old generals to bring him to her," she briefly explained. "One of the Blades of Marmora wounded him pretty badly, but…we don't know if he made it out alive or not. If he did…"
"…then he'll be Haggar's puppet. She'll have control over the Empire," Shiro realized, the brand new concern making him alert and awake. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, as if to steel himself. "Okay. I'll handle this," he decided, more to himself than to her. He brought his gaze back to his sister, granting her a small but appreciative smile. "Thanks for the intel, sis."
Mari nodded, keeping her cool as her heart fluttered with pride. "Anytime."
A beat of silence passed between them. Shiro lifted a quizzical brow at her as he asked, "Did you…need anything else?"
"Oh. Um…" An embarrassed heat rose to her cheeks as she fumbled to continue their talk. "Did — Did Sam decide whether or not to go back to Earth yet?"
"Yeah. He'll be leaving in a few days." Curt and to the point, Shiro leaned back in his seat, his weariness returning. He dragged a hand down his face, struggling to keep this patience from snapping, and her momentary happiness faded. "Got a message you want him to take back home?
Suddenly feeling awkward and stupid for wanting to speak with him for just a little bit longer, Mari stiffly shook her head. Right now, she couldn't come up with anything meaningful to say to their family and friends back home even if she tried.
"No. I was just wondering," she said finally, her casual tone forced and thin. "I'll let you get some rest now."
"Okay," he said, sounding almost relieved.
"Goodnight, Takashi," she said, her chest feeling heavy and hollow at the same time. "Love you."
A strained smile graced his fatigued features. "Goodnight, Mari."
Then without another word, their call ended and she was left alone once more.
The following days proved to be rather eventful for Team Voltron. The Kral Zera was held and, without informing the other paladins, Shiro had taken Lotor in the Black Lion to participate in the fight for the throne. Haggar and Lotor's ex-generals had also been there to witness the ceremony, along with many other Galra officers. Sendak, unfortunately, was among them. Uninjured and very much alive, no doubt healed by Haggar's magic, he had been fixed with a new eye and arm prosthetic, one that was even more deadly than the last.
In a hectic battle to become the next ruler of the Empire, Galra fought Galra, with Blades and eventually Voltron joining the mixture. Sendak was Lotor's main opponent, but his efforts against the prince proved to be futile with all the chaos going on around them. Refusing to fall to Lotor, Sendak escaped from Feyiv, disappearing with an entire fleet of Galran cruisers and fighters. With his major opponents scattered, Lotor was left to light the sacred flame, crowning himself the new emperor of the Galra Empire.
His coronation brought immediate changes within the Empire. With his central goal to bring about a new era of peace, Lotor and Voltron united forces, as he hoped to merge Coran and Allura's knowledge of Altean culture and technology with his military and modern Galra tech. While many of the other Galra leaders submitted to his rule, there were others who remained dissatisfied. Like Sendak, they went rogue, taking their fleets with them and refusing to follow the new emperor.
But despite the splitting factions within the Empire, hope remained the ever burning light within the hearts of the coalition members. Sam was sent home to Earth, bringing blueprints of Olkari and Altean technology with him, as well as a solid understanding of Voltron and the universal war against the oppressive Galra. His goal was to help Earth build its first galactic defense system in preparation for when the war would reach their tiny primitive planet.
As for Vurelle, the shapeshifting bounty-hunter had been banished off-world and more guards were posted to better keep an eye out for unfamiliar ships and visitors. The Vurellean mating rituals reached their end and Ellosh and Korlis returned worn out, but overflowing with pride and joy. And with them, they brought the newest member of their family.
"An egg!" Treble gushed, excitedly inspecting the cream-colored oval that sat in a cloth sack tied to Korlis' chest.
"It's big," Mitsubishi noted, his hair flickering between yellow and white. It was indeed big, about double the size of a football.
"Do you have to build a nest for it?" Mari wondered, and Ellosh chuckled.
"No, no. The egg has to constantly be kept warm by one of its parents," she explained. "Many partners take turns keeping it pressed to their chests to share their body heat."
"Oh. Gotcha," Mari said.
"Do humans make nests for their eggs?" Ellosh asked, purely honest and curious. "I know Aviserans do."
"Earthling females, erm…just carry the baby inside of them as it develops," Mari answered, patting her tummy vaguely to indicate where a baby would be. "It takes about nine months. Er, phoebs."
"Ah, I see," Ellosh mused. "Very similar to Alteans, then. Except for them it's ten phoebs."
"Wow," Mari grimaced at the thought as she watched Treble and Mitsubishi fawn over the egg.
"Is it a girl?" Treble asked, bouncing up and down on her heels. "Or a boy?"
"We won't know until it hatches, love," Ellosh replied.
"When will it hatch?" Treble prompted.
"About two and a half phoebs," Korlis replied. "Won't be easy carryin' around this squirt all day for that long, 'specially when it gets bigger."
"But it'll be worth it," Ellosh said, smiling as he nuzzled his nose against hers.
Treble pouted, clearly disappointed with his answer. "Two and a half phoebs? But that'll take forever!" she groaned, and Ellosh tenderly petted her head.
"Patience is key. Those two and a half phoebs will pass by in no time," she gently reminded her. "And when they hatch, we'll be more than ready to welcome them to the world."
Treble hummed, but reluctantly nodded. "I hope it's a girl," she said. Then whispering to the egg, she pleaded, "Please be my new little sis!"
"Be a boy," Mitsubishi countered, and Treble cast him an annoyed scowl.
"Let's not pressure them. They'll decide from themselves," Ellosh reminded them. "Either way, we'll love them just as they are."
With eggs cradled close to many Vurellean hearts, the planet's inhabitants continued to grow along with the rest of the coalition. A quiet calm was present within the coalition territories, ever protected by Voltron and now Lotor's loyal fleets. But for how long, no one could know. Their enemies were still out there lurking in the shadows, scheming and expanding their forces. And like cracks in glass, the hidden rifts between hearts were growing larger by the day, threatening the thin veil of peace that had settled over them. It was only a matter of time before a problem too large for any one person to handle was wedged in between and shattered it completely.
A/N: With that, Rifts and Realizations is complete! Part 8, A Fallen Star, will begin uploading next week, so be on the lookout for it. In other series news, I've decided there will be 10 parts in total: Part 9 has been finished (it's the longest one yet lol), and I'm currently taking a bit of a break in writing Part 10.
As always, stay safe, read and re-read some good fics, and I'll be back with Part 8 soon!
**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja
