Hello again! Thank you for continuing onto the second chapter. I apologize for the amount of time it took to get this chapter done, I'm in the middle of a move. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I did with writing this. If you like how the story is going, please like and comment!
Enjoy!
Allura stood in front of the healing pod, staring at the man sleeping inside as thoughts from the day tried to arrange themselves. Once on the ship, Deimos was immediately placed in a pod while his co-pilot Mateo was led to another room, Hunk and Lance taking the kids to the mess hall. She inspected Deimos as he slept, taking notes to the similarities between him and Mateo.
Unlike the dark haired companion, Deimos sported short, unkept wavy dirty blonde hair, dreads and beads standing out from his locks. He was lighter then Allura and like Mateo, had a peculiar coloring to his face and body. The green in his skin contoured his face and neck,the color becoming more prominent as he healed. She watched in silence, her mind now comparing his and her species. What had changed between in all those years? Was Sylt even remotely Altean? How was it there was an Altean child on that ship? Questions whacked her mind as she sighed, turning away from the pod and walked to the mess hall. Just then, Coran called out to her, stopping her in her tracks.
"Ah, Princess!" Coran spoke, waving to her. "I've got news. The kids have been cleaned up and are currently dressing as we speak. Lance said he'd bring them to the mess hall."
"That's great, Coran," She replied with a smile, hesitating for a moment. "Did you happen..."
"To ask the little girl about herself? I'm afraid not," He shook his head, Allura holding back a sigh. "Who would've thought we'd see one of our own after all this time?"
"I know..." Allura agreed, brushing her hair out of her face. Convinced that they were they only two Alteans left, it left many questions unanswered when this little girl appeared before them. The truest question that burned in their minds was this: Were there more of them?
"Princess, might I suggest we question Mateo? He did promise to explain himself," Coran prompted, breaking Allura's train of thought. "Shiro and Pidge went down to the docks to help him start repairs."
"I agree, but how likely is he to tell us everything?" She questioned, crossing her arms.
"As long as you continue to be a gracious host, I'll tell you anything," Mateo piped in with a chuckle, Allura looking over her shoulder to him, a bright blush now dusting her cheeks. Shiro trailed behind the Sylt, nodding to Allura and Coran but the princesses focus had shifted elsewhere. Mateo was covered in oil and dust and had tossed his soiled shirt over his shoulder, exposing his toned chest and stomach. He wasn't very sculpted but he was toned enough to show subtle definition. Her eyes wandered down his torso and back up to his face, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
"Pidge will be up soon, thought you might want to talk with Mateo before he got to involved with working on the Gull," Shiro mentioned, Allura shaking off her previous train of thought.
"Good thinking, Shiro," Allura thanked said as the the four of them got closer, Allura standing up straight. "I'd like to start with some questions about th-"
"The kids? Of course," Mateo cut off, earning a side eye from Shiro. "Hm... Where do I start?"
"How about with why you had them on your ship to begin with?" Shiro prompted. "Followed by how your ship got so mangled?"
"The Gull is damaged during an escape. A small Galra ship was carrying some...goods it should have left behind. When Deimos stole it back, they retaliated," Mateo answered, watching Shiro. "Our planet, Sylt, was invaded long ago by the Galra," He spoke, his voice low and somber. "It's know for its vast seas and little land, but we have a good system going. We were a neutral ground for trade ships until they invaded."
"They turned our beloved ports into trading ground for livestock... In their case, the livestock was aliens. All sorts of them ended up there, from all reaches of the galaxy," He continued, motioning with his hands. "More recently, they've been dealing with children."
"Child trafficking?" Shiro stared at Mateo in horror, him nodding in reply.
"Deimos originally invaded a ship that took his nephew and hijacked it, renaming it The Gull. Now, he tracks ships carrying kids and brings them back to Sylt, then returns them home," Mateo replied, looking proud of his friend. "I joined him soon after as his co-pilot."
"If you don't mind me asking, you said you return the children back to their homes?" Allura asked, him nodding in reply as she asked another. "Then would you happen to know where that little Altean girl came from?"
"Do you know if she's the only one?," Coran quickly added on, stroking his mustache. Allura nodded, looking over at Mateo as they waited for his answer to the previous question. Mateo stood there, concern in his eye. Taking a deep breath, he sighed as he looked up at the group.
"Yes, I know where she came from. She has a name, you know," He finally spoke. "It's Shkurte."
"Lovely name," Allura mentioned, a small smile crossing her lips. Finally, they were getting the answers they wanted.
"Yes, it is," Mateo nodded graciously. "She's from Sylt, like Deimos and I. ... Are you catching flies, buddy?" He gaffed at Coran, the man staring at Mateo in shock, mouth wide open.
"That can't be. Tell the truth," Allura demanded, a frown set on her lips. Mateo smiled, shaking his head. "You can't honestly be saying Alteans are living there."
"It's completely true. We are descendant from you, princess," Mateo added quickly. "Mind you, it took us hundreds of years to full adapt to Sylt's environment. Not the point, but yes. There are some Alteans left on Sylt, maybe less then a hundred women..."
"I'm sorry, did you say "women"?" Coran asked, shutting his mouth. "What about the men? Surely you must've meant men and woman." Mateo shook his head, watching Coran and Allura's faces as the news registered.
"Altean men are hard to come by," He spoke, looking to Coran. "You're the first adult male I've seen in years. I'm sorry to say, but Altean has almost become a female only race."
"Then how is Shkurte here?" Allura interrupted. "She must be full Altean, there's no way she isn't!" As Mateo looked to continue, a thud was heard from in the mess hall, followed by the pitter-patter of small feet.
"Hey, wait! You can't go out there!" Lance yelled, chasing after the young Altean girl as she bolted out of the mess hall, shoving past the Paladins. Mateo practically leapt closer and swept her up into his arms as to her as she beelined to him, holding onto him tightly as she looked back to everyone, scared.
"Why do I have to stay in there?" Shkurte asked, tears welling. "I want to stay with Father!"
"Shkurte, come on. They'll be down questioning your dad in a mi- Wait, what?!" Lance exclaimed, eyes widening as the words sunk in, everyone staring at the small girl. In Mateo's arms, it was easy to see that the two did share some similarities, the most prominent being their bright purple eyes.
"We Sylts kept one Altean trait. For you, you could shift into any alien species you desired," He spoke, holding her close. "For us, we can shift our DNA to whatever species our mates desire. Shkurte is one of my Altean children." Allura clapped a hand over her mouth, her brain refusing to process what she was hearing. How could this be?
"I hate to break your pretty little heart, darling," A deep voice spoke from behind them, Allura jumping a little in shock as the Paladins surrounded her, eyes focused on the man dragging himself down the hall. Deimos had let himself out the pod earlier then he should've been and he leaned against the wall, a smirk decorating his face. "You hoped to find your people and be rid of us, didn't you?" His eyes stayed focused on Allura as he spoke, a satisfied look appearing as she confirmed him wordlessly.
"That's what I thought, you tart," He chuckled, low and dark as she glared back at him. "Without us, your race will be nothing. You need us. Now I suggest you start treating us a little less like prisoners and a little more like royalty, don't you think?"
