Chapter 40

A/N: ok, next chapter! Isn't that exciting? Hope y'all're enjoying the story so far. I'm having fun writing it. Now, just FYI, this chapter is more of a filler to give some background that I'm sure you're all eager to figure out.

I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender or Destiny, just my OCs.

/comms/

Bolt is intercoms/vid-chats

Telepathy/dreams/flashbacks

Keith leaned against the wall casually as he and Kolivan entered what Keith assumed to be Kolivan's private office. Most of the time whenever he met up with the Blade leader, he was out in the mission control and briefing room. Thankfully, while to most this would be intimidating, it would be nothing like being summoned by both an angry Ikora and a completely exasperated Zavala for pulling something stupid, or worse, being summoned by the Speaker after doing something stupid.

Keith could still remember hearing that stupid whistle tune they all did when he and a few of his friends were summoned by the Speaker after "accidently" stealing Cayde's sparrow and driving off the tower walls after he failed to keep his promise about taking them to one of Fireteam Islands...did he mention they ran over Cayde in the process and stole his lunch at the same time?

However, despite the fact Keith didn't feel intimidated, that didn't mean the situation wasn't awkward in the slightest.

"When did this happen?"

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Keith looked up to see Kolivan scrutinizing him. "Huh?"

"How long have you been a Guardian?" he stated rephrasing the question.

"My whole life," Keith shrugged, "I'm a Kiin."

If the leader of the Blade was surprised, it didn't show considering Kolivan's resting bitch face remained firmly in place. "And were you ever going to tell us?" he said, a slight shift in his tone saying he was either very frustrated or currently trying not to kill Keith, possibly a combination of both.

"If things had gone according to plan, then no one would have ever found out," Keith stated, shrugged his shoulders.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Besides, Jaz, Darvah, and probably the entire Blade by now…Haggar, and I think a few of the Generals?" Keith frowned, how many did know by now? The Galra were obviously trying to keep it on the down low, but who knows how many of his higher ups Zarkon told.

"WHAT?!"

"Not like I was trying to give it away! That wizard just showed up at the wrong time! She put the puzzle together herself," Keith hissed crossing his arms. "Don't know how considering I had my ghost erase almost all the footage, but she did!"

Kolivan was silent for a moment, his ears partially pinned back in anger. "Keith, you're not going to go on any missions for a while."

"WHAT?! Kolivan, I can't just sit back and do nothing!"

"You're going to have to, you're an asset we cannot afford to lose."

"I'm immortal! You're not going to lose me!" Keith exclaimed tossing his hands in the air.

"That doesn't mean you can't be captured!"

"Then I'll break out again like I did last time! They don't have anything that can hold me! The Glara Empire isn't proficient enough in containing Guardians, not like the Hive and Vex."

"It doesn't matter, you're confined to base until further notice."

"You really think I can't just sneak out?"

"You really doubt that Voltron will come and drag you back if I contact them?" Kolivan threatened, watching the young Guardian scowl.

"Fine! I agree to this…temporary break, and you agree not to tell Voltron or the Coalition, deal!"

Kolivan frowned at that, he knew the former Paladin considered Voltron to be his family, so why did the prospect of them coming after him seem to terrify him so? "You don't want them to know?"

"Trust me, it's better if they don't," Keith scoffed. "For now they just have to focus on handling the warring factions of the Galra, they don't need to be concerned with the Cabal, Vex, or Hive at the same time."

There was more to it than that, Kolivan was certain, however, it seemed like Keith would be unwilling to give anything more no matter how hard he pushed. Guardians, especially Titans, were stubborn that way. "Very well, I'll agree to your terms if you would be willing to teach a few courses on how to handle Hive and Vex should our men encounter them on any missions," Kolivan yielded.

"Deal, but you're going to have to expand your weapons arsenal to more than blades. Trust me, a sword won't do much against the Vex. Luckily, I think I know someone who'd be willing to get me the stuff, but I'll have to make the trade myself."

-.-

"I can't believe we're flying into the belly of the beast," Lance said as the Castle flew up towards the hangar in the Galra Central Command.

"Strange to thin that the last time we were here we were fighting the Galra," Hunk mused, "now we're working with them."

"We have to do everything we can to support Lotor," Allura stated as the Castle landed. "This is our chance to promote a new era of peace."

They all nodded, before walking out of the ship where a Galra woman was waiting in a red dress. "I am Tarin, Emperor Lotor asked me to escort you," she said with a bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Tarin," Allura greeted warmly and the Galra smiled back.

"You as well Princess. Follow me," she said leading the way.

"So…what is it you do for Lotor?" Hunk asked trying to break the silence.

"I'm a liaison," she smiled, "specifically, I communicate with sellers of rare artifacts that have historical significance. I determine if it's something the empire needs in its collection and then buy it for the Emperor."

"So have you found anything cool recently?" Lance asked.

"Perhaps I'll show you later," she replied. "Recently I procured a very rare Guardian handcannon as well as a complete set of Guardian Cerimonial armor for one of their specific holidays from a first-time seller, whose now an exclusive to me only. I look forwards to anything he might sell next."

The Galra woman stepped aside as they came to a set of doors. Placing her hand on the pad, the doors opened revealing Lotor standing at the bottom of the steps between two guards. On either side of the room a line of sentries stood, and just above the throne hung a large violet, gold and white banner.

"Thank you for coming my friends," Lotor smiled widely as they entered. "As you can see, I've prepared a new imperial banner in honor of our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Voltron Paladins. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age. since I ascended to the throne, the Galra empire has been torn apart. A sizeable portion has already sworn its allegiance to me, however, massive factions remain in revolt."

"Uh, ok, the Glara aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek," Hunk commented.

"They're more likely to swing the other fist," Lance finished.

"How do you get an empire that's only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?" Shiro questioned.

"By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for," Lotor replied stepping towards them. "Quintessence. Unlimited amounts out it. and Allura, you're the key to getting it." He turned away from the princess to look to the other Paladins. "I'm sure you're interested in inspecting every aspect of the Galra Headquarters."

"I'd like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations," Shiro answered.

"Consider it done."

"You want to sync our intelligence to their headquarters?" Coran asked raising an eyebrow. "Never thought I'd see the quiznaking quintant."

"I can have a sentry take you to the record room," Lotor began only to yelp as Tarin pulled on his ear.

"Really? You invite guests over and don't offer them anything? You want to get straight to work? I'm sure we were raised better than that Lotor," she scolded crossing her arms.

"Tarin! I'm certain they want to get started as well!"

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you know? You didn't ask! For all you know they could be tired from their long trip, or hungry!" A sly grin came to her face, "What would Dayak think?"

At that name, Lotor visibly paled. "You wouldn't!"

The Galra woman just grinned wickedly, "Try me."

Lotor's eyes narrowed as they stood in a stalemate before Lotor inevitably yielded. "Very well, I'm certain all of you would enjoy some refreshments and rest after your long journey?"

"Actually, that doesn't sound too bad," Lance shrugged as Pidge and Hunk nodded in agreement mubling about needing food and sleep.

"In fact, while dinner is being prepared, we can give you a tour," Lotor offered and everyone nodded. They didn't want to get lost.

"Have fun with that," Tarin said typing on a pad as she walked away.

Lotor's jaw dropped and he looked affronted. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I just received word from one of my exclusive sellers that he has procured something of high value that'd I'd be very interested to see. And if I don't make a reply soon he'll give it to the highest bidder."

"And you just scolded me about being a workaholic Tarin!" he called after her as she left the room.

"I learned from the best!"

"Wow, you two certainly have an interesting dynamic," Coran remarked pulling on his mustache. "Wouldn't expect a Galra to blatantly disregard the emperor like that."

Lotor chuckled his cheeks turning a darker shade of purple, "Tarin and I grew up together as children, so I doubt she cares for my rank. In fact, she never has, even when she had once been my betrothed."

"Whoa, wait! You were engaged to her?!" Lance exclaimed pointing after. "How'd you get a hottie like that to agree to marry you?!"

Looking a little insulted, Lotor silently fumed. "I did not ask her to marry me, our fathers arranged it. However, when we were older we decided to break it off due to several arguments."

"A few mere arguments doesn't really seem like a valid reason to break off an engagement," Shiro spoke up. "Couples do it all the time."

"True," Lotor mulled, "but…" he trailed off, "it doesn't matter. Allow me to show you all around."

-.-

Keith sat in his regular Earth clothing sipping a drink that looked like lemonade but tasted like root beer, by his feet was a large duffel. Keith honestly stuck out like a sore thumb in the fancy environment he was in, but it would make it easier for the Blade to spot any threats coming his way. Kolivan and several other blades were hiding nearby, he could spot Kolivan dressed casually spitting from a mug "reading" from a tablet nearby—talk about a disturbing image—and Ilun and Vrek were "looking at some shops nearby, and he knew there were others hiding either in the crowds or wherever they decided to do their mission impossible stuff.

"It's good to see you again," Tarin smiled as she approached. Now that she looked at her seller more, she could see he was probably the same species as the Paladins.

"You got here fast," Keith commented.

"Well, I had to make sure you didn't sell to anyone else, you sounded pretty rushed," she smiled sitting down across from him. "So what is it you want to sell?"

Keith kicked the duffel towards her, glancing down. Getting the message, the Galra woman grabbed the bag, and attempted to heft it into her lap. It was heavy, really heavy.

Kneeling down, she opened it and gasped, inside was broken red and white armor, a complete Guardian Titan, the only thing missing was a sash, but she could easily supply it for one of the ones in the collection. Looking at a shoulder piece she gasped, seeing the symbol. The symbol of the Rein Fireteam itself, the fireteam that singlehandedly slew Crota, the Taken King Oryx and his brood.

"This…by the ancients…do you realize what you have?"

"A complete Guardian Titan Sunbreaker from the Rein Fireteam, this particular broken armor came from a Guardian known as Captain Allen James Kogane aka Texas. The only piece missing is the sash, it stands to reason that it burned away," Keith stated. In reality he was lying, he kept his father's sash, just to have something left of him.

Tarin sat back, this…this was priceless, people have literally killed for just a fraction of what her seller just brought her. "Wha—what do you want for it?"

"I need at least three large shipments containing a minimum of five-hundred blasters, XV in class and 325 in rank at least."

"Are you planning on going to war?" she questioned.

"Not exactly, some friends of mine are concerned about some strange black substance they found near a village on their planet, think it might be Hive possibly running around. They'd like some weapons just to reassure themselves."

"Of course," she said, "where will I be sending them to?"

This had been the hard part to figure out, but they had convinced Allura to let them slingshot a shipment to Central Command, and then one of the Lions would bring the shipment to them.

"I have some friends in Central Command who've agreed to bring the shipments to them," Keith replied and Tarin had to keep her eyes from widening, seems her suspicions were correct that he was the same kind. But she still had her duty to keep her buyer's IDs secret along with her sellers, regardless of the fact if they knew each other or not. "And I need them as soon as possible."

Pulling out her tablet, Tarin began looking through the Galra military arsenal, finding many large shipments above the required rank, mainly because few requested the particular type of weapons preferring traditional blasters over these reloading rapid-fire weapons despite the fact they caused more damage. "I can get you five shipments of six-hundred XV487s to arrive at Central by tomorrow."

"That's perfect," Keith smiled standing up and shaking her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"And with you as well," she said, snapping her fingers as her personal sentry came and picked up the bag. "Be careful with that, it's worth more than your entire assembly line."

Going to her ship, she sat down next to the cargo and looked to the pilot. "Back to Central Command. I got what I came here for."

-.-

"The last place I want to show you before we head for dinner was one of my favorites to visit as a child," Lotor said as the began to wrap up the tour. "It's where my father stored historical artifacts on great value. Some even from Altea and Diabazaal."

As they approached the room, they could hear yelling, "NO! NO! NO! THAT DOES NOT GO THERE! AND DON'T HANDLE IT THAT ROUGHLY! IF YOU BREAK IT, I WILL BREAK YOU!"

Peering in the doorway, they could see Tarin baring her fangs at several unfortunate workers. "Tarin, I'm certain there's no need to be like that," Lotor implored getting the woman's attention.

"I'm merely protecting the artifact," she huffed flattening her ears.

"And do tell, what is it you've procured?" Lotor asked and the female Galra clicked her tongue, pushing him away.

"Nope! It's not all set up yet! I will show you as soon as it's perfect!" she said pushing them all out the door before closing it in their faces.

"Well…" Lotor gaped, obviously not sure how to react to what just happened.

"Maybe we should let her work?" Shiro said with a raised eyebrow.

"…Perhaps, I've never seen her so territorial over an artifact before," Lotor said still baffled by what had occurred.

Going to the dining hall, they sat down chatting as Pidge's tablet buzzed. "Guys! Quiet! Someone's calling!" she exclaimed and they all watched as she answered and a small hologram of Keith appeared.

"Hey Keith!" she greeted.

"What's up Mullet?!" Lance called.

"Where's your Marmora stuff? Are you on break?" Hunk asked noticing he was wearing his civies.

"No, just finished an undercover op. I called to inform you guys I got those shipments the Blade needs all set up. The liaison said they should arrive by tomorrow."

"So what exactly do you need?" Lotor questioned frowning a bit.

"Kolivan wants to expand our arsenal in case of emergency, I just so happened to have met a trader not too long ago that I could get it from."

"I see."

"We'll make sure to get those to you as soon as we can," Shiro smiled.

"Thanks," Keith said with a nod before he ended the transmission.

"It's ready!" Tarin exclaimed bursting into the room, a wide grin plastered on her face and some of her long mane was a little frazzled, causing Lotor's eyes to widen a fraction. In all his life he'd never seen the woman looked so uncollected.

"Can it wait?" Hunk asked.

"No!" she said yanking Lotor out of his chair, causing everyone else to follow as she led them to the gold room with the curtain.

Now that the Paladins were really looking around, they could see numerous artifacts covered in glass on the walls, shelves, and on tables. To top it off, there were at least six Galra guards and several sentries on duty in the room.

"This cost me—well, actually you—a fortune to get, but I believe this will be the prize of any collection," Tarn smiled. "Now due to its rarity, I've had to triple the security."

That made Lotor's eyebrows go up. "Just what exactly did you get?!"

"I'm glad you asked!" she said grabbing the curtain. "Lotor, Princess Allura, Paladins of Voltron, be the first to gaze upon—" she ripped the curtain away revealing two sets of armor, "the first sets of complete armor I managed to obtain." Tarin turned to the blue and gold armor with intricate designs and embellishements adorning it, "This a set of ceremonial holiday armor," she motioned to the second set of damaged white and red armor with a burned black sash on its waist, "and this is the first complete Guardian combat armor ever seen in a collection."

"Remarkable," Lotor admired.

"Unfortunately, I had to use a sash in the collection due to the fact the original sash was missing," she grumbled her ears drooping in disappointment.

"But it is still better preserved than any other armor collected to date," Lotor said walking to admire it before stopping to stare at them symbol on the right shoulder piece. "…It can't be…"

"Lotor?" Allura inquired, noticing the suddenly crestfallen expression that covered his previously excited face. "What's wrong?"

"I…I once met the Guardian who wore this armor," he said pointing to the symbol.

Flashback

"He's late," Lotor groaned leaning against a railing overlooking the Sprawling city of Laat Hiim braiding his hair. His father stood next to him, gazing out over the city with his hands clasped behind his back, Sendak standing behind them on guard duty. Why he was called here from his banishment, he wasn't exactly sure; probably to present a false image of a happy family; but he normally wouldn't be one to complain. Well, he wouldn't if he came here with anyone else. Now, he wished he could just get away to explore the place his lovely Tarin had always been so enamored with.

"You do understand that the Rein Squadron Captain is most likely giving a debriefing to the Vanguards?" Zarkon answered dully.

"QUIZNAKING DRAAF! Zu'u los spein!"

Turning they saw a young boy, about seven or eight, with pale skin, shaggy black hair and violet eyes race past towards the series of steps that led underground into the wall, a ghost flying just behind him.

"Tinvok!" several adult Guardians scolded as he vanished inside.

"Traveler, Allen where'd your boy learn to curse like that?" one man asked.

The human man in red and white armor Lotor had noticed joking with a group of other Guardians turn around with a roll of his eyes. He had brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a scar on his right eyebrow just above his eye.

"Ya really want me to answer that Glen?" he asked in a deep accent.

"Nah, we all know that it wasn't you, considering how much those kids spend with Lord Shaxx and Cayde they probably say worse when we're not around."

"True," the man chuckled going right over to Zarkon and holding out a hand. "Y'all must be the representatives the Galra Empire sent, sorry it took me so long, name's Allen Kogane, I'm the Captain of the Rein Fireteam."

Zarkon nodded and shook the Guardian's hand. "I am Emperor Zarkon, this is my son Lotor, and my General Sendak."

Allen's eyebrows rose. "You came yourself? Don't mean to seem rude but it's a little early in these talks don't ya think? Ya won't get to meet the high command yet."

"I would prefer to handle matters as delicate as these personally."

Allen nodded, before looking to Lotor. "Why don't ya go explore the Tower or City, nothin' interestin's going to be going on till tomorrow when the Festival starts, just don't leave the walls and don't disrupt the lessons, both those actions are deadly in their own right. Ya can meet back up with us at the Galley for lunch, I hear they're servin' Enrix."

Lotor nodded and started walking away. He looked at the different vendor shops, admired the sight of the hangar filled with advanced battleships. Sighing he turned and started walking away, Tarin would love this place. She was the one who always went on and on about Terra and its fascinating history.

And while it was no Altea, Lotor was always happy to hear his closest friend and future wife talk about her own passion.

Leaving the hangar, he walked through the plaza down a dark and almost clausterphobic hall before exiting to another small plaza. This one had some sort of structure blocking the view of the city. Walking in, he started as massive rings orbited a glowing orb of white light, and flames lined the elegant room along the edge overlooking the sprawling civilization. In the upper corner to his left, something caught his eye. Walking up the steps he found himself looking at a small desk surrounded by a library of sorts.

Picking up a book, he looked and sighed as he looked at the strange writing, it wasn't Fae, Awoken, or Altean, the alphabet was the same as the Awoken language, but the arrangements were different. Going to grab a different book, he stopped as a deep growl startled him.

Slowly turning, Lotor raised his hands, gazing at a scaled creature arching its back and snarling at him. It had some thick brown armor plating on its back and the rest of its body was covered in blue scales with darker blue stripes. It had burning green eyes, a long snout filled with teeth, and the beast easily stood to waist height.

"Narvi! Stand down!" a voice snapped and it immediately stopped hissing, giving low croons to a Guardian in white robes that walked down a series of steps towards him. "I apologize for my pet, she is not used to visitors that are neither Guardian nor children."

"It is fine Sir Guardian," Lotor said with a respectful bow. "Thank you."

"I see you were admiring the Forbidden Texts."

"I did not know, it wasn't my intention to be disrespectful," Lotor apologized quickly. He'd be dead if Zarkon found out he'd disrespected a Guardian, librarian or not.

"It is fine young one; I do not blame you for your curiosity, my former apprentice's works make many curious, you are hardly the first I've had to steer away. Especially when it comes to the younglings, I swear they make it a personal goal to kill me before their first Crucible," the man grumbled the last part more to himself. "Speaking of which I have a class, shall you like to stay and observe, or shall I direct you to somewhere less…deadly?"

"Less deadly."

The masked man nodded. "Head towards the Vanguard table, Lord Shaxx just might be running a Crucible right now. If not, I believe the Wyvern, Drake, or Sparrow Races are about to start. I would recommend taking a shuttle out to see one of the lesser cities, however scanners indicate a large storm rolling over the area, so they'll be closed down."

"Thank you," Lotor bowed before rushing out of the room.

Lotor went back out to the wall, he would've liked to see a Wyvern race since the rare Terran creatures were something that had always fascinated him, since Tarin had started explaining everything about her favorite obsession. However, he wasn't sure where exactly to look for those. Perhaps if he was lucky he'd get to see a few as he observed the city from her mighty walls.

A roar echoed above him and he looked up, smiling as he saw several massive creatures flying overhead. They dove down, and he could hear the Guardians cheer as their Wyverns began the freefall before pulling up at the last second. Flying back up, he watched as they spun and flipped in the air, effortlessly weaving between each other in a dangerous yet beautiful dance through the skies.

A large blue and yellow Wyvern split off from the group, landing on one of the perches coming out from the wall mere yards away. The ground shook as it landed, and it gave a croon as its Guardian dismounted, petting the creature's feathery neck before patting it and walking away as it took off again. The sheer force coming off its massive wings making Lotor take a step back in awe as he watched it soar high into the skies.

Lotor had to admit, they were just as beautiful as he had heard. So many different types with different vibrant colors. Tarin would love it here. Pity his fiancée couldn't accompany them, but then again, Sendak had always been overprotective of his daughter, no matter how powerful she was.

He would have to get her a gift to apologize. But what would she like best? There was so much to pick from. A gun or some other form of weapon would be a traditional Galra gift, however, Tarin loved history and arts more than warfare…Perhaps that is why they got along so well.

A book then? No…there was no guarantee he'd buy one in a legible language here. Terra spoke more languages than any planet he'd ever known. That would be a quick way to mess things up.

Maybe clothing would suit her needs? Something light, functional, but he had to make sure it was ornate. Sendak wouldn't even let her see anything he deemed to be less than what his "princess" deserved. Looking at some of the clothing of the people around him he pursed his lips in thought. Tarin had always been fond of the Hunter cloaks, but those were strictly for them only. Perhaps there was something similar? Something with ornate embellishments or embroidery? With a pair of simple leather boots! She'd mentioned a few times that she wanted a pair of those.

But where to get them?

Something bumped Lotor's leg, pulling the Galra Prince out of his thoughts. Looking down he was greeted by a small creature that looked like a baby Wyvern with four legs and no wings was pawing his leg with a red ball that just barely fit into its mouth with wide golden eyes. It was mostly black with brilliant gold shining on the edge of its small plates and the formation of two small black horns on the top of its head, as well as a violet stripe running down the middle of its back.

"Rukaan!" a boy called running over and picking up the baby animal. The boy's ghost looked at him, before nudging the child, looked up at him as he brushed a piece of raven hair out of his violet eyes, holding the drake with one arm. The hatchling was almost big enough to still touch the ground as the child held it from under its front paws and its tail was wrapping around one of the boy's boots. "Sorry, sir."

"It is fine, child," Lotor smiled knelt down to the boy's height. "Tell me, is your little friend a Wyvern?"

The boy shook his head. "Nope, my Wyvern is still at my apartment till she's trained more. This is Rukaan, he's a Drake!"

"Drake?" Lotor repeated eyebrows rising. He hadn't heard of Drakes before, seems Terra was full of fascinating creatures.

"Yep! Haven't you heard of them before?" the boy asked tilting his head and setting down the hatchling.

A loud growl came before he could answer, and Lotor's head snapped up to see a much larger version of this drake walk by. He instinctively pulled the child closer to him as its lava burning eyes looked at them and it was brilliant green in color. There was a series of frills and horns around its head and a series of spines ran along its back. The Guardian riding the creature didn't seem affected, holding onto the saddle as its wings twitched every now and then. He was impressed that the Guardian could even get on, that thing was so massive not even his father would be able to touch the top of its shoulders. The riding Guardian make a click of some sort and the beast bellowed before its massive wings spread and it took off into the sky.

"You can let me go," the boy said shoving his way out of his grip with strength no normal child could ever possess.

"So…will your drake grow as big as that one?" Lotor asked trying to imagine this impossibly small child attempting to climb on something that large.

The boy burst out laughing. "That's a dragon! Drakes don't have wings!"

"…oh." Perhaps Tarin would enjoy a one of these Drakes? She was fond of small creatures.

"Anyways, Rukaan is probably going to be that big or a little bigger. He's a Yolosian Mountain Drake, so they get pretty big, but not as big as Strunmah Dragons or the Blēnon Wyvern though! Those things are so big they can crush a mountain! They even eat other dragons, griffins, wyvern, drakes, hydras, amphithere and even giant wyrms!"

"That sounds…quite large." Welp, there went that plan.

The boy nodded, some of his hair falling into his face. "Yeah, they're one of the species we can't tame."

"Well, what species have you tamed?"

"Oh, well there's Rukaan," he smiled holding up the Drake, "and I'm still training my wyvern."

"Well that's more than I've ever trained," Lotor smiled.

The child gave him a look of what could only be described as horror. "YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PETS?!"

"I do in fact have a pet. He's named Kova."

The child looked slightly relieved, "What's Kova look like?"

Lotor pulled up a picture of his pet, whom he had given to Narti to help her see. "This is Kova."

The boy blinked as he stared at the image. "…I didn't know there were house cats out in space."

"Keith! C'mon! Cayde is wanting us for something!"

"Coming Sky!" the boy—Keith—called setting his drake down as he ran off, the little animal chasing after. Stopping for a split second he turned around and gave a wave. "Nice talking to you mister!"

Lotor smiled returning the wave as the child left. Once the boy was gone, he ran a hand through his hair. Where on Diabazaal was he going to find those clothes?

"Lotor? You alright?" Tarin questioned pulling the new emperor out of the memory.

"Yes, I apologize, I seemed to have zoned out there for a moment."

"It's fine, we've all had a busy day," Shiro smiled.

"Hey Lotor, what's this?" Pidge asked standing in front of a pedestal containing an old book.

Walking over, Lotor looked down at the slightly burned old leather-bound book. There was a series of lines dots and curved lines along the front. "I…I'm not sure," he frowned opening it carefully, just to see pages filled with the strange symbols.

"Well obviously it has something to do with these guardian dudes," Lance commented.

"Unless it was stored in the wrong section?" Hunk suggested.

"May I see?" Allura asked.

"Certainly," Lotor said stepping aside, allowing the Princess and her advisor to step forwards and look over the book.

"I feel like I've seen this language before," Coran said twirling the end of his moustache with a frown.

"What is it you're looking at?" Tarin asked.

"This," Lotor said carefully taking the book. He didn't even have to hand it to her before she gasped and took a step back.

"Set that down!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" Allura asked taking the book and placing it back where they got it. "Is it delicate?"

Tarin didn't answer. "I can't believe he actually got his hands on one, I'm going to have to bolster security again."

"What do you mean Tarin?" Lotor questioned, starting to become frustrated that she wasn't answering.

"This book is written in a language only reported to be found in Guardian archives. It's possible that this has intel on their enemies, or even recounts their history. It might even contain the techniques they used to manipulate quintessence. Though, for all we know it could just hold the bounties and assassination orders," she said holding the book. "I don't even know how Zarkon got his hands on one all the library collections were thought to be destroyed! I handled all of the collection and never before have I seen this."

"Do you think Haggar could have gotten it?" Allura questioned.

"It's possible, I wasn't responsible for managing whatever she brought in. And considering the fact she's always been a little obsessed with Guardian quintessence manipulation, it stands to reason she would find a way to retrieve something that might give her an insight to their power."

"But no one could read it, so why would she keep it?" Allura questioned. "Why not burn it to make sure no one else could have access to it?"

Shiro looked back at the book as Tarin set it back on its stand. "Probably because whatever's in there, is too valuable to lose."