Chapter dedicated to Keithsgirlfriend.

Allura's shoulders slumped. She wracked her brain, searching desperately for the reason he had left in such a rush. The mood had certainly calmed down after their… bonding moment… That was the only way she could describe their previous conversation during their break between deciphering the code.

The code… It still hovered unsolved over the silver box. A flame of annoyance sparked to life and she rashly slammed the communicator closed.

She growled when it popped and hissed. Her hands hurriedly opened the machine again to check its status. Please, don't be broke… The Altean words once again bloomed to life. They flickered and enlarged into readable font.

Despite the resolved dilemma, her jaw clenched as frustration mounted once again. "Fine," she ground out. "Why didn't you do this earlier?" She asked to no one in particular.

She didn't even read the message as a wave of guilt came over her. Maybe she had pushed him too far. It was hard to believe that a monster like Zarkon could have raised Lotor with any semblance of love…

A blush crept up her cheeks.

Yes, she was beginning to love him… Alright… maybe she was already in love with him. She was fairly certain she had partaken in this conversation with herself before. Her shoulders slumped further, and she palmed her face. Allura was also a novice at this thing called 'love'. She recalled memories between her father and mother.

They had been so close, seemingly depending only on each other.

She sighed and hugged herself. That was farfetched, even for her. Maybe 'love' was too strong of a word.

Her sapphire eyes flicked back to the hovering message and Allura read the line of characters several times before she comprehended their meaning. The string of letters and numbers was a set of coordinates.

Her brow scrunched with dawning curiosity. She bolted upright and opened up a console set into the table. A holographic map of the universe shimmered to life a handspan above the generator set into the tablet top.

Her fingers flew over the small keyboard, entering the code carefully into the computer.

A tick later, the map swivelled and zoomed on the system they currently resided within. A trace of confusion passed over her face. She brought the map into more focus with an index finger. A small, red blip on the holo indicated a region on another planet in the system – one of the earlier "experiments".

The princess sat staring at the geography for a long time. A million thoughts and speculations ran through her mind. Lotor incessantly threatened to distract her attention. He will want to know, but I am not sure he would appreciate interruption on whatever he is doing… resting probably.

A whir from the door interrupted her silent debate. Shiro entered. He was followed quietly by Pidge and Lance. Shiro's steely eyes were immediately drawn to the holograph in front of her. "Did you figure it out?" He asked hopefully.

Allura smiled and stepped aside to let the three gain a better look at the planet and indicated coordinates. "Yes, I believe so."

"So, these designate a position on an earlier version of the last planet?" Pidge asked, analysing the enigma before her. "Won't the code match on any of the versions?"

Allura considered the possibility. Curious now, she typed the sequence into the database again. This time she specified a search on the planet she and Lotor had visited. A location popped into the air. It was identical to the previous picture.

Lance broke the musing silence. "What does that mean?"

Pidge shrugged. "I am not sure," she mused with one hand on her chin. She smirked. "I wanted to see if it worked. After all, I have never seen twin planets… quadruplet planets," she quickly modified. "I would suggest checking both places out since we don't even know if the newest planet was even 'born' when these were recorded."

The princess crossed her arms and stared into the holograph. An impassive look crossed her mind. She weighed the significance of the information. This was becoming a complex task and for what? Initially, she had felt a connexion drawing her here to this system. Her brow creased. There was no hope that any Alteans remained on the planets. They would have shown up on the planetary scans. It had been a foolish idea anyways.

She and Coran were the only Alteans left in the universe. Even this colony had been destroyed. They had been used as slaves till this operation was cancelled or stopped. But by whom? Maybe that was the question she was here to answer.

No, this was not about a personal quest to achieve Altean memories. This was about the fate of the universe. Her life goal was peace. She could not, would not, become distracted by her private yearnings. This was war.

What Lotor had mentioned about the valuable ore within the mountainous regions below, returned to her. Utilising the element left a bitter taste in her mouth. But if it fell into the wrong hands, it would make their fight all the more difficult.

Allura lifted her eyes from the glittering blue planet. She was aware of the other Paladins watching her intently.

Shiro was the one to break the silence. "What do you want to do?" He asked gently. He knew the emotional investment Allura had made into this mission. These were the horrific remnants of her people's last injustice. An echo of his own home played at the back of his mind. It was strangely distant.

"We will stay here three more days and attempt to find out what happened. Afterwards, we cannot afford to stay any longer." A thought occurred to her. "Perhaps" –

All theories were cut short by a wailing siren.