"My Dearest Friend,

Fret not about our fiery Princess. I know it's hard to let such things go but worrying about something we can do little to change will only be more stress than you need right now. No one really knows how to feel about all of this, Allura's not actually upset with you. She's just upset with the situation you're both stuck in. You're both frustrated. It's totally understandable. I know you'll be there for each other no matter what. It's okay to lean on me and her. She's becoming a wise young woman now so don't be afraid to turn to her.

I'm surprised you'd never clocked me for a military man. The Space Squad was quite different from the Royal Army as you know. I didn't invest nearly as much time in the service as you have. It's been a Smythe family tradition for generations to serve in the Squad for a time. I learned quite a bit from those days. I was quite a wild young man. I needed that structure and discipline to straighten me out. I've got quite a few tales that I believe will bring a smile to your face, Madame.

I started off thinking the Squad would be some stupid chore that my mother had sent me on. I wasn't exactly receptive to any of it. They were so controlling over everything; the way I marched, the way I stood, the way I even looked at people. They were even harder on me because of my family name. Apparently, I carried myself with a bit too much swagger. I imagine you would probably still agree with them, Madame. I thought I knew how to do everything but I was so very wrong.

I'd fired a gun before. I wasn't a terrible shot but it wasn't exactly my gift. I also wasn't terribly athletic. I remember the other Space Squad recruits were quite a bit more built than me. I was practically skin and bones back then. It was rather difficult to keep up with them at first and they weren't particularly forgiving. It took a great deal of hard work and sweat, and a bit of mud was also involved but, I did get into shape.

I was very cocky. As much as you fantasize about beating me now, I would've definitely gotten you to punch me back then. After boot camp, I was pretty trigger happy and still rather full of myself. That changed quite a bit after my first time trying to harvest scaltrite from a weblum! It's why I ended up volunteering for that instructional video towards the end of my Space Squad career. I thought I had the perfect plan. I wasn't afraid of a stupid worm. Well, like an idiot I flew in front of its face and nearly got our ship sliced in half. Because of my genius maneuvering, I was forced to volunteer for the more messy part of that mission. I have seen quite a bit in my lifetime but that is still quite possibly the most revolting experience I have ever had. I was covered with stomach acid, some sticky goo of a mysterious origin, and possibly some feces. I can still smell that awful stench if I think about it too much. It made me a bit more humble though.

I'm not nearly as vain now. I also don't possess those chiseled abs anymore. It was a short career but it instilled lessons in me that I still use today. It is quite funny to think that we were both in the service at the same time. The Space Squad did cross paths with the Army on occasion but I definitely would've remembered if I'd run into you. There probably would've been a great deal of vexation on your part, I imagine.

It's nice to reminisce about the old days like this. It helps keep me focused on our goal. We will have that again one day. There will be peace. It's going to be a long road but I know we'll get there. I hope it won't be too late by then to have little Smythe children of my own to send off to the Space Squad. But it's still something to look forward to.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, too.

Royal Advisor, Castle Helmsman, and Exceptionally Talented Weblum Wrangler,

Coran Hieronymous Wimbleton Smythe."

Coran read over his message briefly to check for any errors. He wanted to say so much more at the end. He always did. Sometimes he'd type up a heartfelt confession to Nayni but he inevitably would delete it. When he was satisfied with the final draft he sent off the encrypted message. They seemed to be exchanging more and more messages that were not related to the war effort in the slightest. He needed it though.

He slid the datapad back on the bare shelf of his quarters. He lay back in his bed and stared up at the metal ceiling. Nayni's query about his days in the Space Squad had really stirred up some strange thoughts for him. They were haunting him in the darkness of his room. The Castle was silent during such a late hour. It was that silence that was most troubling when he was alone like this. He'd try to force himself to sleep but he'd either start obsessing over whatever task he was working on at the moment or he'd become overwhelmed with worry.

Tonight he was fixated on something so trivial and unexpected. When Nayni was first considered for the Guard Captain position, Coran had to do extensive research on her background. He'd done so for every candidate. He remembered seeing all those images of her over the course of her Army and Guardsman career. He'd been provided with pictures of her various travels and minor victories. His mind kept revolving around the picture of her fresh out of boot camp. She'd still been a tad round but she was so—fit.

She'd had this glint in her eye and the tiniest of smiles on her face. Her grey and blue uniform clung to every curve of her muscles and her rather ample bosom. Coran felt his ears getting a little warm and tingly. If they had met back then, he probably would've pursued her relentlessly. He hadn't had much trouble with wooing back then. He'd been a handsome, well-formed, young Altean man. She probably would've been just as stubborn with him as she was now and nothing would've come of it but, quiznack, she would've been quite the sight.

Coran rubbed his eyes and ran his hands over his face. He wasn't the least bit tired. He tried to roll on his side to shake the images from his mind but it wasn't particularly helpful. Coran wondered if she ever thought of him this way. He doubted it. Nayni and Coran were close but their relationship was so confusing that he'd never be certain what was going on in her head. His thoughts still kept drifting back in that rather questionable direction.

He kept picturing himself, leaning against some obscure wall in an unknown location. He'd just be a pillar of pure muscle, flashing that short woman a wink. He'd flex his muscles and run his fingers through his spiky red hair. Those were the simple classic moves that had always gotten him exactly what he'd wanted. Maybe Nayni would've rolled her eyes or maybe he'd bring a flush to that olive skin of hers. They would've been two young, spritely Alteans that were a bit more flexible than they were now. There wouldn't have been a war to fight then either, they would've had a lot of time on their hands.

Coran thought about her hands on him and felt his heart racing a bit. It seemed a bit disrespectful to think about her this way but the thoughts just kept popping up. He kept thinking about that young, hard-bodied woman pushing him up against that wall with that gleam in her eye. She'd have that same tiny grin. She'd grab him by the hips and her hands would travel down the solid muscle of his thighs.

Coran was definitely flushed now. He was staring wide-eyed at the wall. He wasn't exactly ashamed for thinking about indulging himself. He'd had to resort to such measures over the years he'd spent as a single man. He'd just been so stressed from the war with the Galra that the thought hadn't crossed his mind in quite some time. But, he was feeling a bit frustrated. He was tired, he was stressed and now he was rather flustered. Coran knew the release would put him to sleep immediately.

Coran was taking care of himself. Nayni had constantly nagged him to take better care of himself in her letters. Coran knew that it probably wasn't exactly what Nayni would've expected of him but at least he was finally fulfilling her wishes.

It had only taken three days but Nayni had finally shaken off her case of the Slipperies. The janitorial drones were currently reclaiming their quarters from the flood of Nayni's mucus. She'd gotten in a shower and was savoring the feeling of her skin and hair being neat and dry. Nayni had finally started to gain a sense of the Castle's full layout. There were only bits and pieces that she'd been familiar with back before the war. Now she could almost see a map of it in her mind. She was heading for the Teludav chamber.

Coran was in there calibrating the systems and ensuring that the Castle was in tiptop shape. She'd been feeling a bit uneasy. The past few days had been rather tense. Pidge was trying to refine her program to track the Queen's militia while the rest of them were trying to settle on the best plan of action to take next. Nayni was half expecting Lotor to take off since no one was on board with his plan but the Galra Prince had stuck around. Tomyko had just stayed cooped up in the quarters they'd provided for her.

Nayni was just relieved that she finally wasn't sick anymore. He boots clacked as she walked down the narrow hallway to the Teludav chamber. Her intentions for this visit were less than innocent. Coran had been a very attentive caretaker while she was ill and she wanted to repay him. Nayni typed into the control panel and watched the doors to the chamber slide open. She actually found herself smirking rather deviously. The years that she'd spent pining for him had left Nayni with a rather insatiable appetite for his touch.

Coran was standing rigidly behind a control panel. Multiple aquamarine screens were splayed out before him. She could see the Teludav at his back. The rows and rows of scaltrite lenses lined the cylindrical enclosure. They seemed to be glistening in the artificial light of the chamber. Nayni stepped into the control room and tried to casually lock the door behind her. Coran smiled at her brightly. For once he was the clueless one.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Coran asked.

His sweetness was only making her more hungry for him.

"Much better now, thanks to you," Nayni said.

Nayni tried to lean against the wall and look rather seductive but she wasn't particularly talented at that. Coran was able to look so sexy without any effort whatsoever. She felt like she looked rather stupid so she just got back into her formal, rigid position. He smirked and Nayni knew the jig was up. He raised a brow and she found herself rather flustered now. Coran sauntered over to her. He'd turned the tables on her rather quickly.

"Whats the matter, Madame?" Coran cooed. "Is there a problem?"

Nayni had come in here thinking she was going to put the moves on him but here he was stripping her of all sanity again. After all these years he still was so gifted at getting her flustered. Nayni was trying to hide her furious blushing in an attempt to regain some control over herself.

"Oh I'm just-ya know-coming here to learn about calibrating and such," Nayni stammered.

She was losing this duel. But she wasn't terribly upset about it. Coran towered over her but she loved it. He reached down and caressed her jaw with his fingers. The fabric of his glove felt tantalizing on her flesh.

"Would you like me to show you a few things?" Coran asked.

Nayni couldn't help but smile.

"Please," Nayni said.

At some point, she would hope that he wouldn't turn her into jelly so easily but she doubted that would ever come to be. He gingerly wrapped his arm around Nayni's waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel his hot breath on her ear as he pointed out the various controls to her. He adjusted one of the dials with his long fingers.

"This rotates the lenses," Coran said.

He somehow managed to inject quite a bit of sexual energy into that rather innocent comment. Nayni watched the blue disks rotate around and tilt before they finally readjusted back into their previous position. He pulled her a little bit closer and ran his hand up the curve of her waist. Nayni tried to hold in a gasp. Coran briefly typed into the console.

"And this is how you adjust the lasers," Coran whispered.

The mechanisms at the end of the chamber whirred and clicked as they extended and retracted. Coran playfully toyed with the buttons of her shirt. He pushed some of the levers on the control panel. Numbers and graphs appeared on the blue display but none of them really made any sense to Nayni. She was also having a rather difficult time concentrating now. Coran ran his teeth along the edge of her earlobe and Nayni gasped.

"Those are the levels of the cooling system, it's very important that they're perfectly balanced," Coran whispered. "Or the Teludav will overheat."

Nayni had just given up on resisting it now. Her legs were already shaking. Coran kissed the curve of her neck. That tortuous sensation of his mustache against her skin made Nayni shudder. Coran flicked his hand across the control panel and the lights in the room dimmed. The silhouette of his body was illuminated by the aquamarine glow from the Teludav lenses.

"Are you overheating, my dear?" Coran teased.

Nayni bit down on her bottom lip. Her gaze flickered up to meet his. He looked so devious. His eyes were twinkling with sheer delight and his mustache looked a tad crooked from the grin on his face. Nayni reached up and undid the buttons of his collar. She had come here with one intention. That drive was giving her the strength to push past his tortuous advances.

She gingerly pried open his shirt. She ran her stubby hand along that thin patch of red hair on his chest.

"I'm fine, Coran," Nayni murmured.

She smiled wickedly and he seemed rather surprised. She ran her fingers through his fiery hair and pressed her lips to his. His kiss tasted so delectable and she could feel that his mustache was already damp with sweat. She felt along the lean muscles of his shoulders as they kissed. She slid her hand down along his firm stomach and his kisses grew more desperate and hungry. Nayni pulled away from him and her gaze flickered to the ground.

"I believe you'll be the one doing the overheating," Nayni teased.

Nayni had believed him to be a patient man. He had always taken great lengths to draw things out and build up that tortuous pressure until everything came to a breaking point. He didn't seem to be very interested in that at the moment. She'd never seen him this way. She'd never seen him so desperate and out of control. It seemed that she'd finally been able to win at this little game they always played. Coran's hand roved over the back of her head. He cursed and tried to pull her away.

She was worried that something was wrong but was pleasantly surprised when he fell to his knees and scrambled to tear off her clothes. They were writhing around on the floor like clumsy teenagers. Nayni had always been a tad awkward but he'd never been this way. Coran had never been so impatient that he'd fumble with buttons and flail as he tried to kick off his boots. He always took the lead. It was a rush she'd never experienced before.

They tussled around on the floor, tangling themselves in their own clothes. Coran was so relentlessly wild that it didn't take her long to succumb. She found his desperation so deeply satisfying that Nayni couldn't help but laugh. Coran collapsed on top of her and she wrapped her arms around him. He started chuckling as he struggled to catch his breath. The shower she'd taken earlier seemed rather irrelevant now. She could feel his hot, damp breath on the flesh of her neck.

"You drove me mad, woman," Coran stammered.

He rolled over onto his back, his legs were still tangled up in his half removed pants. She quite enjoyed seeing Coran like this, all drenched in sweat, red-faced and flustered. It made Nayni feel like a fired up young cadet again. Coran grabbed her and pulled her against his body. He was so hot, he was radiating like a furnace.

"How have you managed to surprise me again after all of these years?" Coran teased.

This left her feeling rather smug. Nayni gave him a reassuring pat on his bare chest.

"It was just a bit of payback for enduring all those years of torture from you, Coran," Nayni said.

This seemed to fill him with quite a bit of pride. She noticed that he took great delight in being reminded that he'd had that effect on her for years. Nayni didn't have too many tricks up her sleeve but she had a few. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she'd gotten quite rusty and not just with men. She'd spent a good chunk of her life as a single woman and she hadn't exactly been confident that her old ways would still be able to seduce anyone.

"I must admit," Nayni began. "Dreaming about moments like these kept me company on many a lonely night."

He seemed even more delighted by this confession. At the time, it had made things quite awkward whenever she'd run into Coran at the Palace. She didn't feel awkward around him anymore. Coran kicked his legs and tugged on his pants until he'd fully freed himself. The cold floor of the Teludav's control room wasn't exactly comfortable but it was far more tolerable with his company. He wore that devilish grin again and there was a glint in his eye.

"That's a rather scandalous statement, Nayni," Coran teased.

Yet, Coran seemed to find it to be a rather delicious idea. She could tell by the way he was biting down on his bottom lip and toying with the end of his mustache. That little gesture had developed quite a bit of sensual context to it since she'd been bedding him. It used to be such a benign trait of his. Nayni would've been horrified to discuss this topic years ago but there wasn't any reason to hide things from anyone now.

"Well, I was single for quite a while, Coran," Nayni said. "And everyone has needs."

Coran chuckled and his eyes flickered over her. It still gave her a thrill to see him look at her in that way. She wondered if that would ever go away.

"I confess that I may have resorted to the same survival tactics whilst thinking of you," Coran said.

Now, he was the one that was still full of surprises. She found herself blushing again. They'd both established that they'd been pining for each other for years but the idea of Coran getting off by thinking of her was making her feel rather hot and bothered.

"Oh my," Nayni stammered.

She couldn't resist fanning herself and he chuckled. How many nights had slipped by over the years where they'd been thinking of each other? It seemed so obvious now but she had never really thought about it at all in the past. Coran brushed some of her thick, brown hair away from her neck. It didn't matter how many times he'd kissed her now, she still swooned every time. As she felt his soft lips planting warm kisses along her neck, her heart fluttered.

Every time they held each other like this after an intimate encounter, she just wanted to be in his arms forever. They didn't exactly have that luxury on a ship full of adolescents. She gave Coran one last kiss before she sat up. They'd torn each other's clothes off so quickly and so many times now that they were able to put themselves back together with great ease. The two of them had it down to an art now. Nayni helped him button up his collar. Coran combed through her hair with his slender fingers and pulled the brown, tangled mass back into her signature bun. Nayni ran her fingers along his mustache and straightened out the orange hairs that had sprung out of place.

She was rather satisfied with the results of things but they both had a bit of an odor. They at least could maintain the visual illusion that nothing had happened in the Teludav control room. She felt so at ease in that moment it didn't really matter to her. Coran's touch had turned out to be the greatest stress reliever of her entire life. She could've utilized that much earlier in her life but it was a blessing to have it now anyway. Coran was leaned over the control panel. She watched his hands flicker over the keys as he finished up his work.

Nayni's heart skipped a beat when the doors to the chamber opened. She and Coran stared at the Green Paladin standing in the doorway wide-eyed in shock. Nayni had managed to learn the layout of the Castle but apparently, she had still failed to understand how to properly lock a door. If they'd ended their little tryst a dobash later, they would've been walked in on by this innocent child. Pidge's eyes darted between the two of them and she furrowed her brow.

"Uh—is there a problem?" Pidge said.

Coran forced an awkward smile. He rested a hand on Nayni's shoulder. She felt like dying.

"Nothing's the matter, Number Five," Coran said. "What is it that you need?"

He could mask his embarrassment so easily. Nayni was just frozen in terror. The idea of what could've possibly happened wouldn't loosen its grip on her. They'd dodged a most awkward situation but it was based purely on luck. It was her fault too. Though Coran was managing to put on a somewhat believable performance, Nayni's stiff posture and grimace gave away her anxiety.

Pidge looked them over. She adjusted her glasses.

"I think I've got my tracking program finished," Pidge said. "I just need to import it into the Castle's main system."

Coran nodded with approval. The smile on his face and that look of pride in his eye weren't forced.

"Fantastic!" Coran said. "Let's get to the bridge then, shall we?"

Pidge still seemed to find the whole affair to be awkward. Her eyes were narrowed and one of her brows was raised rather skeptically.

"Right-cool," Pidge said.

Her tone was rather flat. Whatever enthusiasm she'd felt before she'd entered this room was now replaced with suspicion and possibly some mild revulsion if she'd pieced together what had just happened. The Green Paladin made a hasty exit regardless of how she actually felt. Nayni watched until the girl was out of sight before she tugged Coran by the arm and pulled him back.

Nayni was so mortified that she was trembling.

"I swear I locked the door," Nayni whispered.

Coran flashed her a smile and rested his hands on her broad shoulders.

"Well, clearly you didn't, my dear," Coran said through gritted teeth.

They both looked at the door nervously then back to each other. Coran let out a sigh and shook his head.

"In the future, we'll double check," Coran said.

Nayni just nodded and took a deep breath. Maybe in the future, they'd keep things just within the confines of their quarters. She wasn't really keen on these spontaneous encounters anymore, let alone the planned outings. She could feel Coran's hand in the small of her back as they followed Pidge down the hall.

It was both lovely and awful to be surrounded by such an abundance of youth. Coran and Nayni were far too old to have children of their own now but it felt like the Paladins were family. He seemed to beam when he talked about them and their individual quirks. He'd spoken of them in the same way she'd boasted about Allura back in the day. She'd started to feel that way about them too. Nayni was rather partial to Pidge.

The Green Paladin reminded her quite a bit of how Nayni had been at the age, well, the Altean equivalent of that age. Nayni hadn't been as technologically inclined but she'd had that same fire in her. She recognized that determination. Though, Nayni had no issue admitting that Pidge was infinitely more intelligent than she was.

As awkward as the march to the bridge was, Nayni still found herself rather relaxed by the time they'd reached it. Pidge seemed to have gone into autopilot as soon as they stepped through the archway onto the bridge. The lights came on as Coran followed Pidge to the main control panel. Nayni looked out of the massive canopy at the twinkling stars and the green nebula spread out around the Castle. She'd always wanted solid ground beneath her feet and now she was fairly certain she'd be traversing the universe for the rest of her life.

Watching Coran and Pidge work at the console brought a smile to Nayni's face. The main display illuminated their excited faces in blue light. Small green windows opened up across the screen and Pidge was pointing out parts of her code to Coran. He couldn't hide the enthusiasm he had for her brilliance. Pidge was very proud of herself and rightly so. He typed into the control panel as Pidge explained the intricacies of her program's abilities and the manner in which it operated. Most of it sounded like gibberish to Nayni.

The look Coran had in his eye, the way he responded to everything Pidge said, the way he carried himself around her; it all stirred such strange feelings within Nayni. She mourned the lost opportunity she'd had with him but there was such a genuine happiness she felt in this moment. Nayni could sit there and dwell on what type of parent he would've been but she had this example right in front of her. He cared for all of them as if they had always been a part of his family. He was so loving and selfless and he expressed those feelings without an ounce of fear.

Nayni crept up to the main display. She looked at the green maps spread out across the blue holographic screen. Pidge zoomed in on a portion of the star map that had a cluster of red blips on it.

"That should be the Queen's militia," Pidge explained. "I can't be certain but I'm pretty sure I was able to triangulate their position based on all of the quintessence readings we've been picking up."

Nayni was having a hard time focusing on the Green Paladin's explanation but Coran didn't seem to have too much of an issue keeping up. A soft repetitive beep emitted from the main panel and Nayni cocked her brow. Pidge scuttled over to the left side of the display and started typing into the control panel. The green star map scrolled across the screen as Pidge zeroed in on another system. A large cluster of violet blips were moving towards a planet. Pidge took a step back. She seemed a tad bit alarmed.

"That's a Galra fleet," Pidge said.

Coran waved his hand over the display and it zoomed in on a very familiar image. Nayni recognized the orange and pink atmosphere of that planet. Her gaze flickered over to Coran to confirm what she thought she was seeing. His eyes had narrowed and his expression was grim.

"They're headed for Terrapin," Coran said. "I think the Galra are going to try and take it back."