I was going to finish this yesterday, but I got a bit held up. I went to see the light show at the local botanical garden with my mom before it ended for the season... very nice, very pretty, but it does always give me just a bit of a headache afterwards. Totally worth it though. Anyways, here's the next chapter! With this, we're just two chapters away from the end! We've got the climatic battle coming up next, so look forward to that!
maroon
chapter nineteen
alive
"Did you see the yellow lion off, princess?"
"They're off." Allura replied. "Let us hope the Weblum tracker still works."
"Oh, it should." Coran said. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine."
Worried? Yes, she supposed she was. It was difficult not to be, when the stakes were as high as they were. If even one of them were to fail...
...well, at least they would live to fight another day. But a chance as good as this might not come around again for a long time- failure was simply not an option at this point. She couldn't waste the best chance they had at taking down Zarkon.
"I am certain they will be." Allura said finally. "Is everything ready for your journey to Olkarion?"
"I've got the teleduv blueprints all ready to go." Coran told her. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself, princess?"
Allura merely gave him a weak smile. "I won't be alone. The mice will be with me. And Kaltenecker, I suppose."
"Ah yes, the cow." Coran hummed. "I never did get a chance to ask Lance just what exactly a cow is, mind you. I suppose it'll have to wait until after he comes back."
"I suppose it shall." Allura agreed, before letting her smile drop. "I- Coran, there's something I have been meaning to talk to you about."
Coran gave her an understanding smile. "It's about Kyix, isn't it?"
Nodding, Allura frowned. Now that the heat of her anger had a chance to cool, she almost wanted to avoid the subject. After all, Coran had been right to trust Kyix- but it still did not change the fact that he had seen fit to lie to her, if only through omission. For someone that she viewed as a second father to keep something like that from her, she...
...she felt saddened by it. It felt as if he couldn't trust her in the same way she trusted him. She knew that was not true, and yet, the feeling remained.
Coran merely sighed. "I didn't want to keep it from you."
"I know." Allura said. "It was not your secret to tell. And... you were right, I think. We can trust him."
She might still have her apprehensions about working with the Galra, but that much was clear.
Coran smiled. "That you can. But still, it doesn't change the fact that I lied to you. I'm sorry, princess."
"I know you had good reason for it," Allura began, "-and I know that you would have never hidden the truth if you did not think Kyix was trustworthy, but I still... you are like family to me, Coran. I would hope that there would be no secrets between us."
"I understand." Coran told her. "And from now on, I promise, there won't be."
His voice was sincere, and she knew that she could trust him. He likely hated lying to her just as much as she hated having been lied to, if not more.
"Apology accepted." Allura told him. "Just promise me that you will stay safe."
"Oh, I'll be fine." Coran assured her. "Why, I'm quite certain that my mission is the least dangerous of them all. But I'll get that teleduv built. You can count on me, princess. And the Olkari, since you know, they'll be the ones actually doing the building."
"I know I can." Allura said, not hesitating for even a second before she wrapped the older Altean in a warm embrace. "I will see you soon, Coran."
Coran merely smiled, returning her embrace. "Your father would be proud, you know."
She couldn't say anything to that, instead simply nodding. They stayed that way for several doboshes, before they finally parted. Taking a step back, she smiled at Coran, watching as he boarded the pod and made preparations for departure.
Then she was alone. Or well... nearly. Perhaps now would be a good time to try out those road trip games Hunk had taught her. She was certain the mice would love them.
"Any luck with the princess?"
Keith just grunted, clearly frustrated. "No, nothing. She's not answering the coms."
Hunk paled. That was exactly the answer he had been afraid of. "What did Kolivan say? Did he say how much time we have before that monster breaks free of the crystal? Because that could be really helpful right about now."
Keith just shook his head. "Probably not longer than a few doboshes. Can't this thing go any faster?"
"I'm already going as fast as I can!" Hunk protested. "The yellow lion just wasn't built for speed!"
Gritting his teeth, Keith dug his claws into the back of the pilot's chair. "Can't this thing wormhole on it's own? Like the blue lion did?"
"I don't think Yellow can do that." Hunk told him, the yellow lion purring in apologetic affirmation in his head. "Nope, yeah, definitely can't do that."
In any other situation, the frustrated growl that Keith made would have caused him to flinch. But given the circumstances? He'd probably be making that same exact noise if, you know, he could, which he couldn't.
"It's okay." Hunk said. "I mean, the princess has the Castle with her, right? She can use that to create a wormhole and we can get there in like, the blink of an eye."
Honestly, he was just trying to convince himself. This situation stunk, and he knew it. No offense to Yellow, but it was kind of making him wish that they had come here in the red lion. At least then maybe they would get to the Balmera faster.
He just hoped Allura got to the Castle before the robeast broke free.
She was barely able to get the particle barrier up in time.
She had raced to the bridge faster than she thought possible, but it still didn't feel as if it were fast enough. Once the particle barrier was up, only then did she give herself a second to actually catch her breath.
But only a second. She could not afford to spend any further time, not when that monster that Zarkon had sent back during their liberation of the Balmera had seemingly come back to life. She didn't even need to stop to look to know that Kolivan had attempted to send several transmissions in her absence- she was starting to regret switching off the com feature of her earrings whilst on the Balmera. She had done it out of respect for the ritual in which she was about to engage, but perhaps she shouldn't have.
Though she wasn't certain what difference it would have made. The Castle's weapons barely had an effect on the monster, not when it was using pieces of the very crystal that had held it captive to protect itself.
Just looking at it made her shudder. Even without its head, it still moved- just what kind of foul magic had been used to create such a thing?
She began to understand now why Kyix had reacted so negatively to it. It truly was monstrous. But if she were to defeat it, she would need to call him back here, to fight it a second time. Not just him, either- no, if they stood any hope of defeating this monster, this robeast, then she needed all of the paladins here.
She just needed to buy time for them to arrive.
They came out of the wormhole to an overwhelming feeling of nausea.
Biting back the urge to vomit, Keith glanced down at Hunk, who, while a bit freaked out, seemed otherwise fine. Right. It was just him. Of course it was. He hadn't exactly forgotten just how sick to his stomach this particular robeast had made him feel, but this time it was somehow even worse.
But he couldn't let it get to him. They had to beat it, for real this time. And in order to do that, they needed all five lions. So he held it together. He didn't have any other choice.
Even when the yellow lion was struck by one of the robeast's beams, and he swore that he could feel its energy tearing through him, he held it together. He couldn't afford to be Voltron's weak link.
He held it together even when one of the robeast's beams nearly struck him- any closer, and he would have been disintegrated, not just blown back. He held it together even though all he wanted to do was curl in on himself and shiver, not because he'd just stared death in the face, but because he couldn't get the sensation the energy skirting so close to him had left him with.
He held it together when they formed Voltron, because he had to. They needed the sword. Things might be more open between them now, but he still kept his end of the bond closed. The other paladins didn't need to feel what he was feeling. Maybe in future battles, he would let them in, but he didn't want to risk potentially compromising the entire team.
He held it together all the way to the red lion's hangar, and then he couldn't hold it together any longer.
Instinct drew him to the red lion's hangar.
He hadn't forgotten the way that Keith had passed out after their previous battle with this same robeast. It had been a scary time.
He'd seen the shaky way Keith had flown the red lion back to the Castle, felt his hesitation to fully partake in the paladin bond. Hunk had told him that Keith had looked a little pale, slightly more obvious with his purple skin. He'd probably be here too, if he hadn't headed to the Balmera to check on Shay and her family.
Maybe he didn't actually have anything to worry about. Maybe he'd be fine- he had been after the last robeast they fought, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be there.
When he got to the red lion's hangar, it almost seemed to be waiting, crouched down to let anyone enter. That probably wasn't a good sign. Shiro wasted no time entering the cockpit, only to find Keith slumped over in the pilot's chair, his breaths shallow.
Swearing underneath his breath, he made a futile attempt to lift him, only to buckle under the red paladin's weight. He was a lot heavier than he remembered- denser bones, maybe. Probably something to do with his transformation- or the reversal of it, he guessed.
Thankfully, he wasn't the only one who had noticed that something was amiss. He just didn't expect it to be Allura. She took one look at the way his knees had given out, and then promptly moved him aside, scooping Keith's unconscious form up into her arms.
"Come on then," she said, "-he will be better off in the med bay."
Staring up at her, Shiro quickly shook off his stupor. Right. It was easy to forget just how strong the princess was sometimes. Hauling himself to his feet, Shiro fell into step behind her. Once they left, the red lion righted itself, seeming to look at them with watchful eyes as Allura carried her paladin away.
Thankfully, by the time they got to the med bay, Keith's breathing had stabilized. Allura checked him over anyways, but eventually concluded that the best for thing for him was to simply sleep it off. Given the source of his exhaustion, she'd probably know best.
Once Keith was settled, the plates of his armor removed, Shiro looked over towards Allura with a slight frown. "How did you know to come to the hangar?"
Allura gave him a weak smile. "I was aware this might be a possibility. I thought it best to check."
"Well... thanks." Shiro told her. "I'm not sure I could have moved him by myself."
"You and Lance managed the last time." Allura pointed out.
"Yeah, well, he's a lot heavier this time around." Shiro gave a weak chuckle. "Guess maybe that's a Galra thing."
Allura nodded in understanding. "That is relatively normal for a Galra. They do tend to be a heavy sort. If anything, I would say Kyix is a bit too light."
Shiro had to bite down on his tongue to keep himself from protesting that no, he wasn't remotely light. Instead, he pushed himself to his feet. "I should probably tell the others."
Allura just shook her head. "Stay. I will inform the others."
Shiro frowned. "Are you sure? I could-"
"I need to set a course for Olkarion anyways." Allura told him. "And I hear that you had... quite the time with Slav. You could use a break yourself."
Shiro grimaced. "That's a nicer way than I would have put it."
"Yes, I am starting to understand why Kyix was so adamant to not be a part of that mission." Allura admitted. "He is... quite the character."
Arching a brow, Shiro wondered if being diplomatic was just Allura's default setting. She was right though- he could understand why it was that Keith didn't care for Slav. He'd have to have a chat with him about not warning him properly about just what he'd be dealing with, but that could wait until after they defeated Zarkon.
"In that case, I'll take you up on that offer." Shiro said. "Thanks."
Allura merely smiled. "It is the least I can do, after everything."
Everything had to be the negative way she had reacted to Keith's revelation. It was good to see that she was already working to make amends. He was sure Keith would appreciate it- when he regained consciousness, that was.
He'd be here when he did.
"So... how's he doing?"
Giving Hunk a weak smile, Shiro glanced over towards Keith. He had been sleeping ever since the fight with the robeast, though Coran had assured him his vitals were fine. He knew the Altean was right- that with a little rest, he'd probably be better, but in spite of that, he couldn't help but worry.
They had to find a way to deal with this. They might have a plan to defeat Zarkon, but if it didn't work, he would probably only continue to send robeasts after them. And while this was the only robeast that had managed to get such an extreme reaction from him, there was no telling if something like this might happen again.
He'd talk to Allura about it later. Right now they had to focus on the mission ahead of them. From the sound of it, construction on the teleduv was almost complete.
"Coran says he'll be fine." Shiro told him. "Just needs some rest."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Hunk offered him a weak smile of his own. "Good, because you have no idea how worried I was when I heard he fainted again. I mean, I knew he looked a little pale when we were dealing with the Weblum, but..."
The Weblum. Right. He needed to talk to Hunk about that.
"You mentioned that." Shiro said. "I think you also mentioned something about some kind of interference?"
Hunk winced. "Yeah, yeah, I guess you could say that. We, uh... we ran into company. Galra company."
"Imperial?" Shiro asked, narrowing his eyes. When Hunk nodded, he stood up. "Hunk, why didn't you mention something like that sooner?"
"It's fine!" Hunk quickly said. "Nothing happened! Well, I mean, they stole a bag of scaultrite, but hey, nobody got hurt."
Heaving a sigh, Shiro ran a hand through his hair. "Even if nobody got hurt, that's still something you should have mentioned."
"Well, I mean... I'm mentioning it now, right?" Hunk told him. "And it didn't seem like the right time before. I mean... you seemed pretty worried about Keith. Not that I can blame you, but..."
He had a point, he had to admit. "Do you know what the Galra soldier was in the Weblum for?"
"I'm going to guess it was for scaultrite, seeing as they stole a bag of it." Hunk told him. "But it was weird. Their ship and their armor... I've never seen a Galra with that type. If Keith hadn't told me they were an imperial soldier, I might not have even guessed."
Brow crinkling, Shiro frowned. "Maybe they were a different type of solider?"
He'd seen a handful of variations during his time as a Galra prisoner, or at least, he was pretty certain that he had. His memories were still pretty blurry.
"Maybe." Hunk said. "I tried asking Keith, but he kind of seemed like he didn't want to talk about it. All I know is that whoever they were, he didn't like them, which... is actually a huge understatement now that I think about it, considering that I had to like, physically restrain him from stabbing them to death when they couldn't defend themselves."
Shiro's frown only deepened. That... didn't sound like Keith. At least, not the Keith he knew. That said, Hunk had no reason to lie to him- and it wasn't like he knew everything about Keith.
"I'll talk to him about it when he wakes up." Shiro promised. He was sure he probably had a good reason for it.
Hunk bobbed his head in acknowledgment, casting a fretful glance over towards Keith. "He will, right? Wake up, I mean. I know you said he's fine, and he did last time, but..."
"Hunk," Shiro began, "-I promise, he's going to be fine. Why don't you head back to your room and try to relax a bit? You've had a long day. We all have."
Hunk chewed on his lip, but finally nodded. "Yeah, yeah, you're probably right. Take some time to unwind before we have to face down certain death. You know, again."
That was a joke, if not a wholly nervous one. Snorting, Shiro shook his head. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that. As long as we succeed in disabling Zarkon's ship, we should be fine."
They did- but Hunk and the other paladins were just kids. If he could take any of their worries off their shoulders, then he wouldn't hesitate to do so.
Hunk didn't look convinced, but he seemed to appreciate the effort all the same. "In that case, I think I will take you up on that offer. I could kill for a hot shower right about now. Be honest, do I smell like Weblum guts?"
"You smell fine, Hunk, I promise." Shiro assured him.
Reassured, if still not totally convinced, Hunk excused himself. Heaving a sigh, Shiro slumped back in his chair, glancing over towards Keith. He hadn't stirred, but he didn't expect him to. He'd slept through Coran poking and prodding him, so he doubted he was going to wake up quite so soon.
It was funny. He'd always wanted a little brother. He could still remember begging his mom for one when he was little, before he understood that wasn't how it worked. Even after he'd grown up, he'd never totally lost that desire. When Keith had entered the picture, he'd thought his wish had come true, even if it was probably just one-sided on his part.
He guessed that was just what happened when you wished for a little brother on the stars. You got one from the stars.
Groaning, Keith's eyes fluttered open.
He nearly had to shut them again, the lights in the med bay were so bright. He must have passed out again. Great. Dimly, he could hear someone shuffling around. Coran? No, he was on Olkarion. Then again, he had no idea how much time had passed, so maybe they had already landed.
"Keith?"
Oh. Shiro, then.
Turning his head, he squinted, the lights not as bright this time. Either Shiro had turned them down, or his eyes had just adjusted accordingly. Either way, he could see Shiro's worried face, plain as day. He hadn't even changed out of his paladin armor.
"How long-?"
"Three hours." Shiro told him. "Not that long. Do you want to rest some more? There's still plenty of time before the mission."
He frowned. Three vargas was a lot of time when they were this busy. But as much as he wanted to get up and do something, he knew it was better that he probably rested. "Are we on Olkarion?"
"Just landed an hour ago." Shiro told him. "Coran popped in to check on you, but he seems to think all you need is just a bit of rest. I guess the robeast took a lot out of you."
Keith grimaced, turning his head away. "Yeah. Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize." Shiro told him. "You did great, considering."
"I still passed out afterwards." Keith said. "What if there had been another attack? You'd be down one lion."
"We'd manage." Shiro assured him. "I'm just glad you're alright. Was it bad?"
Nodding, Keith just stared up at the ceiling. It had to have been the corrupted Balmeran crystals that did it, or maybe it was just the fact that the monster had revived after being in state of near death. Maybe it was because he had just come back from a graveyard of dead planets, planets that by all accounts, shouldn't be dead.
Eyes snapping wide open, Keith pushed himself up into a sitting position. The dead planets. That was right, he needed to talk to Kolivan- him and Allura. If the komar was operational then...
He blinked, struck by a sudden smell of dizziness. If it hadn't been for Shiro bracing him, he probably would have collapsed, but as it was, he managed to shake it off.
"You okay?" Shiro asked. "What's wrong?"
"Is Kolivan here?" Keith asked. "I need to talk to him about something. It's important."
"He arrived with Antok just a short while ago." Shiro told him with a frown. "Did something happen while you were in the Weblum? Hunk says you ran into a Galra soldier."
Right. He should have known Hunk would mention that. "It's not about that."
"You sure?" Shiro asked. "Hunk said it seemed pretty personal."
Keith frowned, wondering just how much Hunk had told him. He guessed it didn't matter. Once they defeated Zarkon, they would probably have to deal with Lotor. It would have to all come out in the open at some point. Just... not right now.
"Look," Keith began, "-we can talk about that later. This can't wait."
Shiro didn't look convinced, but in the end, all he did was heave a sigh. "Alright. We can discuss it later- on the condition you stay here. I'll get Kolivan."
Keith just nodded. He didn't have a lot of ground to protest, and honestly? Right now, he just kind of didn't feel like it. Shiro was right- he did still need to rest. "You should probably get the princess too. I think she's going to need to hear this."
Shiro nodded. "I'll get her. You try to rest a little more. I think we've all had a long day."
Keith just arched a brow at that. Orchestrating a prison break and then having to fight a robeast did sound exhausting, but somehow, he didn't think that was what Shiro was referring to. In fact, he was positive it wasn't.
"I take it you talked to Slav, huh?"
"Yes," Shiro said, his lips set in a tight frown that spoke volumes to his annoyance, "-and we'll be talking about that later."
Snorting, Keith ducked his head. Right. He probably should have warned Shiro about Slav's... eccentricities, but words only did so much good when it came to Slav.
Thankfully, Shiro seemed to take it in good humor. Giving his shoulder a light squeeze, he excused himself. Watching him go, Keith heaved a long sigh, allowing himself to collapse back into the cot, shutting his eyes for just a moment. Maybe becoming Galra again had made his reaction worse.
At least now he had an excuse not to go back to Olkarion with the other paladins. He didn't think showing himself to the populace would be such a good idea. He didn't know how Ryner and the other Olkari would take to the idea that one of the paladins they had trusted was actually Galra, especially after their own king betrayed them.
He wondered what happened to Lubos. He hoped they killed him. That was the only fate traitors deserved.
His father hadn't been an exception. He just wished it hadn't come at such a high cost.
When Princess Allura had informed him upon his arrival that Kyix was recovering in the medical ward, it did not take him by surprise. He had already been briefed on the aftereffects of his previous battle with what he believed the paladins were calling a robeast. It was not that he was wholly unconcerned, but simply that he trusted the Alteans assessment of the youngest Blade's condition.
They would have more reason to understand Kyix's reazit than he did. As leader of the Blade of Marmora, he ensured that he was a walking vessel of knowledge of old Galran culture- preserving the forgotten ways was yet another way to resist Zarkon's tyranny- but there was a difference between knowing and understanding, and he was not so proud that he could not admit when one had a deeper understanding than he.
He was, however, pleased to hear that he had awoken from the black paladin. Less pleased to hear that he was asking to speak to him- both him and the princess, on matters that appeared to be of some importance.
He had already been briefed on his... encounter in the Weblum. Based on the description of the Galra solider's armor that the yellow paladin had given, he concluded that the solider they met was likely one of Prince Lotor's generals- which would also explain Kyix's behavior. That was something he would need to speak to Princess Allura about, but it could wait until after they defeated Zarkon.
Still, he was glad to see that Kyix looked well- exhausted, but that was to be expected under the circumstances. He seemed to brighten a bit when he entered, and Kolivan would not deny the faint smile that tugged at his own lips.
"Kyix," he began, "-it is good to see you awake. The paladins informed me that you were resting."
"Which you should still be doing." Allura added, looking a bit cross.
"I know," Kyix said, "-and I will. But there's something I need to tell you both first."
Allura merely arched her brows. "I'm listening."
Nodding, Kyix bit down on his lip. He recognized the lapse of silence as the youngling trying to collect his thoughts, and allowed him to. "Did Hunk tell you about the dead planets?"
Allura nodded. "Yes, he mentioned it. Something about an asteroid strike?"
Kyix just shook his head. "I wish that's what it was. But I felt... there was something about them that felt unnatural."
"Unnatural?" Allura frowned. "Unnatural how?"
Chewing on his lip, Kyix considered her question, before ultimately shaking his head again. "I don't know. I just know that whatever it was that destroyed those planets, it couldn't have been anything natural."
Kolivan felt himself tense, eyes narrowing. "You're speaking of the komar."
"The komar?" Allura questioned, turning to look at him. "What is this komar?"
"The komar is a weapon." Kolivan stated. "One that Zarkon's witch has long been rumored to be working on. Supposedly it has the ability to drain the quintessence from an entire planet in an instant."
Allura paled- and rightly so. If the komar was operational, this was grave news indeed.
"If this komar is operational," Shiro began, "-do we need to call off the mission?"
"No." Kolivan said. "If the komar is truly operational, then that is all the more reason we need to destroy Central Command now. If what Kyix says is true, then Zarkon has already been using it to drain the quintessence from planets."
Turning towards Kyix, Allura's brow furrowed. "You are certain of this? Perhaps what you were sensing was merely the fading quintessence of the planets."
"No," Kyix admitted, "-but I can't think of anything else that would cause that sensation. I felt the Balmera when it was dying. This was... this was different."
At his words, Allura's expression only grew more grave. "Then I fear Kolivan is right. We must destroy this komar before it can be used again."
Allura turned back towards him. "Do you think your spy can gather any information on it? I would hate to go in blind."
"Doubtful." Kolivan admitted. "If Thace has not yet heard of the komar being functional, then I doubt he will. Even within the upper ranks, Zarkon still enacts considerable information control. It may very well be that none outside the druids and the Emperor himself even know about it."
Closing her eyes, Allura heaved a sigh. "Then I suppose we have no choice. The operation will go on, as planned."
"I'll let the other paladins know." Shiro said.
"Please do." Allura told him. "They deserve to know the full scale of what we are up against."
Shiro nodded, offering Kyix a small smile before he departed, presumably to inform the other paladins. Although he had only known him for a short while, he found that Kyix's assessment of him was correct- they could not have possibly asked for a better black paladin.
"I will inform Coran." Allura said. "Perhaps the yellow lion recorded some data that might be useful to us."
Kolivan watched as the princess also departed, before turning back to face Kyix. He flinched underneath his gaze, and he did not need deca-phoebs of watching his growth to know what was on his mind. For one who had been trained as a spy, he could sometimes be quite easy to read.
"...this is about Lotor, isn't it?"
"It is." Kolivan stated. "I have already been briefed on the complications you faced in the Weblum."
Kyix merely snorted. "Complications."
Kolivan narrowed his eyes. "You know that you cannot let your emotions cloud your judgement."
Kyix faintly growled. "What was I supposed to do? She was right there. I could have finished her off, if Hunk hadn't stopped me. That would have been one less general."
"And you would have lost a chance to gather valuable intelligence." Kolivan stated. "Should this plan succeed, we may finally see an end to Zarkon's reign. We cannot ignore the possibility that Prince Lotor might return to ignite the flame at the Kral Zera."
Clenching his fists, Kyix looked away. "I know, I know. I just... I just lost it, okay? You of all people should understand! You're the one who had to-"
Kyix cut himself off, gaze dropping to the floor. He understood his hesitance to finish that sentence. It was a decision that still weighed heavily on his conscience to this day.
Heaving a faint sigh, Kolivan closed the distance between the two of them. Resting a hand on Kyix's head, he let his claws lightly scrape against his scalp. The gesture returned a faint rumble from the youngling's chest, though weaker than he was accustomed to. Normally this was something reserved for a parent and their child, but as most of the main base had partaken in raising Kyix, such boundaries tended to be a bit weaker. He did not think Krolia would begrudge him.
"If I could take back what you had to witness during your trial, I would." Kolivan stated. "But we cannot change the past. We can only move forward."
Kyix swallowed. "I know, I just..."
"Lotor's influence goaded my own father into betraying the Blade of Marmora, betraying mom, and-" he bit his lip, claws digging into his palms, "-and trying to kill me."
Closing his eyes, Kolivan let out a long breath. Knowledge or death.
But some knowledge was worse than even death.
"I do not expect you to forgive him, youngling," Kolivan told him, "-only to not let your anger blind you. It is liable to get you killed."
Kyix merely nodded, saying nothing. It would be enough for now.
"Now," Kolivan said, drawing his hand away, "-you should rest. The teleduv should be complete within the next few vargas, and the operation will begin tomorrow."
Kyix made a low noise of protest, but settled back into his cot. Though he was well aware time was of the essence, he lingered, until he was certain that he had fallen asleep.
He had long since dreamt of a world where Blade younglings could be raised without fear of Zarkon's rule. Perhaps with Voltron, they might actually have a chance.