Hello Everybody. I have some busy times ahead, so I finished a LOT of chapters this weekend. Prepare for many new chapters for this story.

This chapter, Keith and Krolia are talking about the Call, the Vocazz. I hope my idea of a ritual demand of revenge is fitting and I hope I have managed to create a fitting mother-son-relationship here, cause I haven't found much informations about it. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this new chapter.

The Vocazz

Keith was waiting in the hangar and watched the small ship landing. It was a Galran fighter. He was nervous, because his mother had instantly ended the transmission, as he had asked her about the message. Krolia had announced, she would be there as soon as possible. She has been worried, visibly worried, before the communication screen had turned black. Maybe she was worried about him. He hadn't told her the full circumstances. Keith had hoped to get more informations, when he wouldn't tell her, that Acxa was involved. She might have blocked any support in this case. Galras and honor could be tricky and his mother tended to take these terms serious, from a Galran point of view. The cockpit capsule opened and a tall Galran woman stepped out of it. She put off her helmet and the serious and worried face of Krolia scanned the nervous look of her son. She walked over to Keith and hugged him. Her voice was controlled as ever, but Keith recognized how tight his mother was hugging him, while she was speaking.

"We should talk in private. The Call has to be taken very serious."

He was even more worried, as his mother pulled him in another close hug as soon as the door of his quarter was closed. Her face was full of worries.

"What have you answered, Keith?"

He was caught off guard, although he had expected, that Krolia would thought, that the Call had been addressed to him.

"Mom, I haven't answered, I..."

"No…!"

All color seemed to fade from her face, her eyes wide opened in shock and fear. She stumbled backwards, but instantly took a hand on her sword, scanning the surrounding.

"Then they could kill you anytime, anywhere. Ignoring the Call gives them the right to do so."

Her voice was about to panic. Keith tried to get a grip on her shoulders in order to cool her down.

"Mom, Mom! It's okay, I'm fine, Everything is fine wit me, you..."

"No!"

Krolia's voice was nearly shrieking in fear and panic. Her look rested tortured on her shocked son.

"You don't understand! By staying quiet, you have ignored the Call. This is the worst option."

She looked helpless around, like she was expecting an attack at any moment. Keith looked shocked and speechless at her.

"Maybe they accept a message from me to redo the Call. You're not familiar with it. With a bit of luck they might understand it and give you a second chance to react proper. Who has called it, Keith?"

He looked still shocked and confused in the tortured begging eyes of his mother. She grabbed him at his shoulders and shook him.

"Keith! The Call! Who has called it?"

Keith was still staring in shock in the scared face of his mother. His voice was trembling.

"The Call wasn't for me. Acxa was called and..."

A loud slap echoed through his quarter. His left cheek instantly burned like hell and he knew immediately, that the marks, his mother's hand definitely would have left on it, might be staying there fore some days. The hard strike had nearly turned him around. Tears tried to float his eyes in pain and he pressed his own hand against his cheek, while he turned back to Krolia. The Galra was frozen in her last motion, shaking in anger. Her lips were quivering and tears glittered in her eyes.

"How could you, Keith."

"Mom..."

Shame and sadness was in his voice. Krolia's tearful quote was twisting and wrenching his guts. Suddenly the Galra rushed forward and pulled him in another embrace.

"How could you scare me to death, Keith."

She sobbed. Keith carefully placed a hand on her back. Both stood there for a while, until his mother finally released him from her protecting arms. He recognized, that her knees were about to get soft and so he placed her at the couch and took a seat beside her. He gave her a soothing kiss on her forehead.

"Sorry Mom, I had no idea, that you would react this way. I never wanted to scare you so much."

An angry glow approached in her eyes, but then she took his hand and squeezed it with a nod. Her face softened a lot, but still a little shock and anger remained.

"Like I said, the Call was for Acxa and we need more informations about it. She hasn't give us much hints about it, neither Freyda or Ronan."

He began to explain his mother the whole situation. The Galra listened to it with closed eyes, her arms crossed before her chest. Keith recognized, that her face was jerking from time to time. She stayed quite after he was finished with his explanation. Keith started to get nervous again, but he tried to keep patient. He knew, that this would be the wiser way, especially after her former outburst. Minutes passed and Krolia was still sitting with crossed arms and closed eyes beside him, but finally she took a deep breath and opened it again.

"And how should I help? You have all the informations, you need to know. You should be glad, that Acxa has even shared these with you."

Her look reminded Keith of Freyda's burning eyes at the first meeting after their mission.

"The Call. Tell me about. The details. What does it exactly mean? What may be the consequences?"

The look of his mother hardened.

"No."

Krolia's reaction elicited Keith a surprised gasp. He looked at her with frustration and a lack of understanding.

"I won't help you to interfere this. It's their busyness, not your's and by interfering you might do things even worse."

She was about to stand up and leave, when Keith's dangerous voice made her freeze on spot.

"And what if someone might address the Call to me one day, Mom?"

She turned around and watched at Keith with anger, but also with pain and fear in her look. Her face returned quickly to the stoic hard mask, he knew from her, but he could still see worries for him behind it.

"Then you'll react, like Acxa did and right after that you'll call me, instantly."

He withstood her look, this time and also tried to keep a serious face, but like his mother, he couldn't hide his sadness and worries completely.

"But you cannot be there for me, forever."

Krolia closed her eyes and turned her head aside with a bitter look. Keith stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Mom, I need to know, how to handle the Call."

She avoided his look.

"But you'll use this knowledge to interfere. I know you, Keith. You have no right to do so."

The Paladin brought himself in his mothers sight, still holding her on her shoulders. His look was determined.

"It doesn't change the facts. The Call, what is is about?"

Both kept looking at each other. Finally, Krolia released a sigh and walked back to the couch and took seat again with Keith.

"The Call, the 'Vocazz'. It's a ritual call for rightful revenge. A demand of vendetta, in fact."

Keith's eyes widened in shock and he inhaled sharp. He was about to jump up, but the warning and serious look from his mother kept him in place. He had suggested this fact, like the others, but he still had hoped, that he would be wrong. Krolia continued her explanation.

"It's a demand for a duel. This demand has to be delivered under the eyes of at least two witnesses in personal or by an chosen messenger. Once received, you have three options: Accept, Deny or Ignore. You have to choose instantly."

Keith nodded serious. He remembered the afternoon in the treatment room. Now he understood Freyda's pensive look even more. If Acxa had stayed quite, she had ignored the Call. Krolia kept focused on her explanation.

"Ignoring would be the worst option. In this case the one, who has demanded the duel would be allowed to kill the other Galra whenever and wherever he or she wants. Denying is better, but only a bit. A 'Jud'kch', you may call it a judge, would be called in that case and had to decide, if the reasons for the Call were rightful or not, which are in most case. If so, the person, who had denied the Call would be executed instantly, otherwise the one, who had misused the Call. The executed one dies in shame, but his family is washed clean from the guilt. The best and most honored option is to accept the Call. In that case, the one, who had accepted has to meet with the one, who has called to talk about the reasons, why revenge is demanded and to explain the own point of view. Then a day for the duel would be set up and the 'Parfazzi' begins. It's the time to prepare for the duel and to think over each others reasons. If one side might have doubts about it, then both could decide to settle things another way at the day of the duel, otherwise they have to fight, until blood cleans the guilt."

Keith had pensively listened, but at this point his eyes started to glow. It was a chance, he hoped.

"Why to think over the reasons?"

Krolia faced him with her stoic look.

"Why spilling blood, carelessly? It may sound like a cruel tradition for you, but we do honor life. The Call is mostly given to another Galra, when blood has been spilled before. It doesn't matter, which reasons has caused it. Was it a crime, an accident or maybe a rightful given death? It doesn't matter for the Call, only the pain and loss of the other Galra. By accepting the Call, both sides have the option to think over, if more blood has to be spilled or if things could be set to an end, peacefully."

Keith closed his eyes. It was a strange idea for him, but a one, which wasn't bare of a twisted logic in his opinion. Acxa's reaction was holding up a chance to search for a peaceful solution. And if this shouldn't work, they could switch to more drastic options, to prevent them from killing each other. But his mother seemed to have read his mind, cause she got a grip on his shoulder and faced him with a most serious look.

"You may try to help them to find a peaceful solution, but don't even dare to think about stopping the duel, if it should happened, Keith! You have no idea, what damage you would cause!"

He faced her even more determinant.

"Than explain it to me. Why shouldn't I try to prevent them from killing each other? Cause I cannot understand it!"

Keith was angry. He couldn't see the reasons for it and the pitied look of his mother didn't help him to come down.

"You ignore two vital aspects, Keith. First, the Vocazz is about honor. Accepting the Call has restored her honor! And as a half-blood even more. But the guilt remains. That's the second aspect. She had taken the offered chance to restore her honor, by taking responsibility for her past, by facing her guilt. The guilt has to be cleaned. The duel is the last option, but is has to be done. No matter, who wins, the blood will be spilled with honor and it will wash away the guilt, that's the idea behind it."

Keith jumped up with a mad face. He screamed furious at his mother.

"But this is ridiculous! She has changed sides! She has already started to face her past in another way! It wasn't her fault, mom! At least not alone!"

Krolia pulled him back on the couch with a sad look.

"Haven't you listened, Keith. All this doesn't matters. He had the right to start the Call, she had accepted, that's it. Stopping a duel would mean stopping to free herself from the guilt, The guilt would be transformed into an even greater shame! It would crush the honor, she had gained, by accepting the Call. Think about it, like you want to, but Acxa would never ever accept a step like that. Not as the Galra, she used to be. The guilt has to be purged, peaceful or with blood."

Keith stared shocked and helpless at her but Krolia simply stood up. She gave her son a sad smile.

"It has to go its natural way. Otherwise it'll destroy her. And the one, who stopped the duel would be responsible for it."

Keith stared defeated and helpless at the wall. Kroila sighed sad and walked over to him. She hugged him and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Try to help her to find a peaceful solution. I really hope, you'll be successful. But in the end, don't stop the duel. You wouldn't find a happy end for her, if you try." She lifted his head, by putting her had on his chin. "And also not for you, believe me."

She rested her forehead on his for a moment and sighed with sad resignation.

"I'll stay here on the Atlas for some days. Maybe I can help on the planet or with the facility ship."

She gave him a little smile.

"It's all we can do for her, Keith. Trust me."

She got up and turned around, leaving a shocked and worried Keith behind in his quarter.