Adam followed his escort aimlessly through the high security prison. Two sentries flanked his shoulders and applied silent pressure to keep moving. Despite the alien nature of the prison wardens, the other prisoners still shouted insults and, dare he say, catcalled him as he walked past. Two months. Eight and a half weeks. Sixty days and counting.

Never in his life had he expected to end up in a place like this. He'd actively put individuals into similar places. Not everyone here seemed like complete scum. Some even seemed to be of like mind, but he didn't dare reveal his military history to his cell block. The last thing he wanted was to be targetted for infighting.

After walking to what seemed like the other end of the compound, his escort rested a hand on some kind of keypad and a door opened. They stood at attention ninety degrees to the opening and said, "We've arrived."

Adam raised an eyebrow and lifted his cuffed hands to give a sloppy salute before pivoting and entering the interrogation stall. The only occupant was a tall, elegantly postured galra with delicate features and long white hair. They sat at a bare metal table with a chair across from them. Multiple thin metal sheets were spread for examination.

When Adam sat down, the escort entered the room and stood in the corner behind the interrogator. Adam shifted his weight in the chair, leaning his shoulder into one side of the back and kicking his leg out. After minutes of silence, he asked with a shrug, "So, officer, what's this about? Is my parole starting? Have I been a good boy?"

The 'officer' returned a raised eyebrow and folded their hands on the table. "Actually, I'm simply a visitor of this... fine facility. I've read your history, far more than the wardens here have access to, and I wanted to have a frank conversation."

Adam rolled that thought around his mouth before saying, "And what makes you think I'd talk to an alien? You saying you know my background? What I could do to you with the training I've been given?"

The galra raised an amused hand and gestured to the escort. "That's why I've invited Officer Yorak to stay, though I think you'll find I am quite capable of defending myself." Leaning forward over the table, the galra invited, "Come now. Tell me about yourself."

"I don't even get a record scratch?"

The galra looked to their metal sheets which lit up with information when he touched them. "I'm sorry, I don't quite..."

"I believe the prisoner is referring to what the natives call a 'may may'."

Adam poorly stifled a snort of laughter and corrected, "It's meme, but yeah."

The interrogator turned to the corner and asked, "Have you studied this colony's heritage, Yorak?"

Officer Yorak startled and crossed an arm over their chest in the salute Adam now recognized. "I beg forgiveness, Prince Lotor. I've always been curious about the colonies, despite my superiors disregard... and this is my first posting since graduating." There was a long pause before they added, "Sir."

Adam let the pressure in the room simmer. So his interogator was some kind of alien royalty. His escort seemed to be practically a child. And a rule breaker. Perhaps he could sway her curiosities and gain something. Then the focus was brought back to him.

Lotor cleared his throat and asked, "What brought you to us?"

"And you had my history?"

"I just want to know from your perspective."

Adam straightened up in the chair. "Even if I wanted to tell you, which I don't, you have to know I have nothing good to say about what your people have done to me. To my people." He couldn't keep the bitter anger out of his voice.

Lotor's posture straightened from the forward eagerness he'd previously shown. "I can't speak for anyone except myself, but the way the empire treats its colonies is abhorrent and unforgivable." Yorak's attention changed almost imperceptibly. "I know my words cannot turn back time."

Adam leaned back in the chair. "So you think a few kind words and an apology will have me singing like a canary?"

"Canary?"

"An avian creature renowned for its beauty and vocal performances," Yorak stated before Lotor could ask more.

"Awe, you think I'm pretty," Adam said with a cocky smirk.

Yorak folded her arms. "Focus. You're testing my patience."

Lotor chuckled under his breath and said, "Easy, Yorak. Your assistance is wonderful. Is it true you've also studied the languages of this planet?"

"I've learned a few, though the translation tech makes it harder to work through." Yorak touched where the ear should be on her helmet. "I can't speak it without turning it off. I could teach you, if you'd like."

Lotor turned to face Yorak, Adam seemingly forgotten. "Really? Could you give me a demonstration?"

Yorak moved slightly closer to the table. "Can you disable your translator?"

Lotor reached up and touched the side of his helmet. "By all means."

Yorak turned from Lotor to Adam and said in french, "Omelette du fromage?" Adam remained stone faced. In english, Yorak said, "It's better to be slapped by the truth than kissed by a lie." Adam raised an eyebrow at that. She tipped her head before saying in a much too enthusiastic tone, "Hola! Soy Yorak. Vamanos!"

Adam wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream, but seeing no reaction, Yorak stepped up to the table and cocked a hip. Adam watched as Yorak put her hands on the table and started tapping a finger. He managed not to flinch back.

Yorak sighed and tapped the side of her helmet before she recrossed her arms. "I'm not sure I know any languages this particular native speaks. My apologies, Prince Lotor."

Lotor rested a hand on her forearm before she could retreat to the corner. "You have my gratitude, regardless, Officer Yorak."

Adam settled back to wait. He'd trained for... whatever this was. Though as much as he hated it, he almost wished they'd just get to the torture part. At least then he'd have a legitimate reason to cringe. Then Lotor began repeating his questions.

Adam let himself dissociate. He started repeating his training in his head. You're a POW. You're resilient. You're strong. Focus. He didn't know how much time passed before he noticed the tapping. Slow. Rythmic. And so... so... annoying. It became the only thing he could think about. He shot an annoyed glare at Officer Yorak.

She didn't react behind her blackout visor. Small for a galra, but still as big as he was, it made sense now, knowing she was young. She didn't have anything that made her particularly stick out. A full body suit hid any unique features. No tail stuck out. No augmented limbs. Her helmet left everything to the imagination. Yet, that same tapping over and over. So... so... annoying.

"I can see we're getting nowhere, Mr. West."

Adam jerked his attention back to his actual interogater and tensed. Now the real resiliance would come. He waited to see what devices would be brought out to try to break him.

Lotor put his head in his hand and rubbed his brow. With the other, he gestured to the corner and said, "Please return the prisoner to their cell."

Yorak saluted in galra fashion and went to the door. "Follow me, please."

Adam stood, stiff, but confused. Was this a trick? He stepped out of the room and saw the sentries were still there. Without pause, they began to move, once again shepherding him after his escort. After a couple minutes, he realized they were going exactly back the way they'd come so many hours ago. He opened his mouth to ask something probably stupid, when the noise of the other inmates started up again.

He started to dissociate again. There was nothing else to do to protect himself at the moment. Ten more minutes walking and he finally reached his designated cell. "Aw, home sweet home." He entered and held his hands out to remove the cuffs. Yorak acquiesed and slid the gate shut. Adam grabbed the bars and leaned forward. "So is this going to become a regular thing? You and I taking scenic walks? Long conversations in dark rooms? I'm flattered by the attention, I just want to know if I should clear my schedule."

Yorak folded her arms and cocked a hip. "I am simply assigned to assist Prince Lotor in his studies for the duration of his stay. Should you maintain his curiosity, I suppose our interactions will continue."

"Study? Like a bug under a microscope?"

Yorak sighed and put a hand on her hip. "If you'd actually listened during your interview, everything asked was hardly personal. Lotor seeks information and for some reason, he thinks you're the one who can help. Personally, I don't know. You seem like you lack focus."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"You're smart," Yorak shot back. She reached out and grabbed the bars on either side of Adam's hands and leaned forward. "Figure it out." She waited, face inches from the gate hidden behind that visor, finger tapping the bars. Ten long seconds, then she pivoted on one heel and strutted away.

So... So... Annoying.

Three months. Eleven weeks. Eighty days and counting. Every few days, Yorak would come to his cell, bright and early, and take him to the interrogation stall. After three or four of these visitations, Adam had started giving small answers. Simple things that had no consequence. Nothing that mattered. But never Shiro. Keith. Military intel. Anything that could be used against him or anyone else he cared about.

If they were still alive.

"What do you know of this?" Lotor slid an image forward.

Adam turned half back to the table and looked at a picture of the word Roanoke scrawled on a busted cement wall. "Well, they got it wrong." He reached out with cuffed hands and slid the picture closer. "A group of colonists journeyed to 'New Land' and made a small settlement. They named the town Roanoke. Realizing how poorly prepared they were, their leader returned to their place of origin and promised to bring more supplies, but when he finally returned years later, the only thing they found was the word Croatoan scrawled on a tree."

"Ah, like this," Lotor said, sliding an ancient article citing cryptids and supernatural forces as the cause of the village's downfall.

With a half smirk Adam pointed to the picture. "This is the only thing correct here. Everyone speculated as to what the forboding messages meant, but it was pretty obvious that the native population took them in when they were faced with starvation and desperation."

Lotor put a finger to his temple with a soft smile. Adam could see the wheels turning behind his distanced gaze. "Interesting. That... recontexualized everything I had suspected. Indulge me, what made it obvious?"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Genetics?" Yorak straightened where she stood, focused entirely on him. "The two peoples were from opposite ends of the planet. Apart from sharing the same species they looked nothing alike. When people found the deserted village, the natives had people whose features matched the colonists more than the natives. As well as children who had both."

Lotor slid a metal sheet toward himself and started making notes with his finger. Adam felt completely forgotten as he kept working for some time. It seemed to be true as Lotor suddenly stopped what he was doing to glance back at Adam with a small, "Oh."

Adam asked, "Do you need me for anything else?"

"No, no, your insight into this historical event is most informative. Thank you. Yorak, we're done here for today. I... must research the possibilities."

Yorak stepped forward and Adam knew he was being dismissed. Before he left, Adam turned back and asked, "Why does a story from centuries ago seem to make you so excited?"

Lotor looked up from his notes once more, having become absorbed again, both eyebrows rising in surprise. "This... this is the clue to a mystery that has existed since before I was born. With this, I might finally find out why... what I was born to do."

Then Yorak put a hand in the middle of Adam's back and forced him out of the room. The door shut with finality and Adam kept walking, Yorak at his side. He noticed immediately that the sentries weren't present. With a sidelong glance, he asked, "No security detail?"

Yorak kept her gaze forward and answered, "They were summoned elsewhere to handle a disturbance. We will be altering our route to avoid entering a skirmish."

"Scared of a little fight?"

Yorak's finger started tapping through Adam's shirt and she said, "My task is to act as your protection as long as Lotor has need of you. You're something of an untouchable here, or hadn't you noticed?"

Adam shifted uncomfortably beneath her touch, ticklish but not in a way he liked. After all, it wasn't Shiro doing it. "Is that a threat?"

"A warning. Many immoral individuals deserve to be here. I don't know what you did to earn the same fate, but if you don't want to end up deceased, you should welcome my company."

Adam hated the sense behind her words. He couldn't think of a snarky response before an imposing figure flanked by three galra entered the opposite end of the hall and started toward them with fast strides. Yorak grabbed his bicep and pulled him against the wall as the massive questionably canine animal pulled at its lead. It turned toward Adam with a low growl and a strange bark before the handler urged it forward.

A bead of cold sweat ran down Adam's back. Only when the animal was gone did he breathe again. Except, the warden had stopped next to them. His uniform seemed more ornate than what Adam'd seen before, apart from Lotor.

He was one of the tallest galra as well, clearing eight feet easily. He arrived shortly after Adam had, though the other inmates and guards spoke of him with absolute fear and respect. This was Adam's first time seeing him, but the features described were a dead giveaway. Features like the tail.

Yorak suluted with her free hand and maintained an iron grip on Adam's bicep.

"Officer Yorak, sir."

"At ease, private. We've been through this. Call me Uncle."

Yorak seemed to swell with pride and Adam saw the tall tailed galra smirk. Then his attention turned to Adam and the familiarity fell. "This native is your charge?"

"Yes, Uncle. I've fulfilled my duties with the utmost responsibility."

"I understand. I know you are to return them to their holding area, but I believe your assistance is needed in the infirmary. You should accompany me further, Yorak."

Adam tensed as Yorak pulled him from the wall and fell in line with the warden. She kept a brisk pace a few steps behind the warden, practically dragging Adam along. He didn't recognize where they were going after a few turns. They passed through multiple wide rooms where more of those strange dogs and their handlers waited. Sentries lined the walls and a few splatterings of blood added to the decor. A few human prisoners remained at bay.

Adam felt the eyes of the spectators on him as a few deep bellowing barks followed him. He kept his head down and tried to make himself look small behind Yorak's form. They passed through several more doors before stopping in a med ward of some kind.

Multiple people lay strapped to stretchers in various degrees of consciousness. Several more waited for attention in holding cells barely the size of closets. Adam didn't get to take in anymore before Yorak took him to a stretcher and secured the cuffs in place.

"Wait a second, what-"

Yorak cut him off with what he assumed was a sharp glance through her visor. "I will return for you when I can. Don't move." Then she followed the warden into one of the surgery wards.

Adam sat awkwardly with his hands above his head and one shoulder. Slowly, the patients were taken care of one by one until it was just Adam and another in the holding cell closest behind him. At least, he assumed they were still there since he hadn't seen anyone come for that occupant. He was starting to doze off when the lights flickered.

"Finally."

Adam jolted awake and tried to glance over his shoulder to see the other prisoner, but they remained in his blind spot. "What do you mean?"

There was a small movement in the far corner. Adam watched as a cat dropped from a vent and crouched, taking in the room before honing in on him and walking forward. The calico cutie trotted up to him and rubbed herself along his boot before jumping up on the stretcher.

If that wasn't surprising enough, when the cat touched his hand with her nose, the cuffs abruptly released and Adam fell into a more natural sitting position. The cat proceeded to jump down into his lap and pressed biscuits into his thighs while purring up a storm.

"What kind of feline bullsh-" Adam cut himself off and felt his mouth go dry. "Is this cat purring in morse code?"

"Took you long enough."

"What-"

"No time to explain, Brucie, just take the wristband collar and replace the one you have. Quickly."

Adam noticed that as with the cuffs, his prisoner identification band had fallen off as well. The cat sat and presented its neck so Adam could remove an identical band.

Then Adam froze. He heard the cell behind him open and jumped to his feet. The cat flew five feet, though he wasn't really sure it actually was a cat. He tensed up and took a few steps back into the center of the room. He turned to face his opponent and gasped, "Brad?"

The man apparent stepped out of the cell as the cat ran, darting to the vent and jumping out of the room. Adam kept backing up, eyes never leaving the other thing in the room. "No. I watched them take you. You're dead. Which means none of this is real. This room, the cat, you're just some alien trick to break me."

'Brad' closed the distance, hands out. "We don't have time, Adam. The admiral sent a team to extract assets. Is Shiro here? Where is Takashi, Adam?"

"As though I'd tell something like you. Just like I thought, they finally gave up on the good cop routine and are living up to the bad cop spiel. Well, fuck you. Cats can't purr in morse code. You're dead. I may as well be too."

Brad kept approaching and answered, "Not yet. I can reason with him. He's just confused."

Adam rolled his shoulders and raised his fists. Whatever halucination this was, he wouldn't give up information. This trap was so obvious in hindsight. Which meant there was nothing else to say.

"Adam, please, you know me. We served together for five years. Graduated from the Garrison. You and Shiro adopted Keith after he stole Shiro's car."

"Nothing you can say means anything. It's all in my head anyway."

Brad tried to reach a hand towards Adam's shoulder and he easily dodged. He returned a punch and reached for a scalpal off the nearest counter. Brad exhaled slowly and wiped a thumb along his jaw before squaring up. He asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? Is this what it'll take to prove I'm here?"

Adam switched the grip on the scalpal and didn't bother responding. Since this was all in his head, nothing mattered. He couldn't get hurt. He wasn't actually hurting his friend. They circled and exchanged blows. If it weren't for the location, it might have been like old times. Except, this still hurt physically and emotionally. And he was trying to kill 'Brad'. Everything was warring inside him.

"Stay out! I can handle this!"

"Can't even talk to me? Thought we were friends."

Then a small round object rolled across the floor between them. Brad cursed and covered his mouth as the grenade burst into a cloud of gas. As quickly as it happened, Adam felt light headed. His legs went weak and he started falling. When he hit the ground, it was surprisingly soft and he turned his head to see the concerned face of a friend. "Keith?"

Adam woke up in his cell with a raging migraine. He slowly sat up and tentatively touched his head. Movement caught his eye and he turned to see Yorak stand from where she had been kneeling fifteen feet in front of his cell.

Except, this wasn't his cell. The usual background noise was deafened considerably and the lighting much darker, calmer. He went to the bars and looked around. "Now where am I?"

Yorak explained, "When I found you where I left you, you had sustained many injuries. In fear of self harm, you've been placed in isolated observation until it is decided you pose no threat to yourself. How are you feeling? I have been granted access to administer analgesics, should you wish."

Adam took stock of himself. Now that she mentioned it, he did feel like he'd gone multiple rounds in the ring, and his arms and stomach had the bruises to match. But self harm? Thinking fast, he put his forehead to the bars and groaned. "I wouldn't mind some pain killers, honestly."

She went to a small cart and sorted through multiple items before approaching with a small syringe like object. "While unconscious, a thorough exam was conducted upon your person. I'm content to report no internal bleeding or damage to vital organs." She stopped just out of reach and instructed, "Stand back from the bars and face the wall."

Adam gave a resignated sigh and did as asked. He heard the bars open behind him and forced himself not to look. Her steps made no sound before he felt her hand adjust his arm slightly backwards and lift his shirt sleeve. The vial was pressed to his bicep and there was a small pinch before his headache immediately started to fade. This time, he sighed in relief.

A second later, the gate shut behind him and he turned to see Yorak return her implements to the cart. "Thank you."

"I am merely completing my objectives. Think nothing of this kindness."

"Still, others would have done everything to make that as painful as possible," Adam pressed. "But I don't think I can forgive you for violating my privacy."

She returned to kneeling where she had been and replied, "A necessary intrusion, I assure you, but nothing more."

Adam sat on the cot bench with his back against the wall facing Yorak. "So, what now?"

"Now, we wait. Should sixty vargas pass without further incident, normalcy will be resumed. Whether or not either of us likes it, we're stuck here until then. Of course, you can always behave rashly, but I highly recommend against that course of action."

So he had a personal babysitter. He said as much and earned a chuckle from Yorak. "Well," she said, "if you really think that to be the case, you should call me daiyak."

"And that means?"

"Governess."

Adam groaned and leaned forward over his knees. First they locked him up, now he was being belittled by a child. Then he sat up in alarm. "How long have you been speaking english?"

"Since you woke up," Yorak replied with a smug tone. "I suspected you understood me during your interview. It was definitely entertaining trying to make you laugh."

Adam leaned back. "Did you learn everything from memes?"

"Not all. As part of my education, I was versed in historic accounts. Only some of which were memes, but they were the most interesting."

Adam sulked while Yorak went silent. If she wanted to exchange pleasantries, he wouldn't indulge her. She seemed to oblige, kneeling completely still. Adam simply sat comtemplating his choices, few as they were.

Should he try to make a break for it? He only had one guard to deal with at the moment. Surely he could overpower her. He just didn't know if he'd gained enough of her trust to risk something. Should he deflect about Lotor? Maybe memes were the way forward, tricking Yorak into slipping up?

Hours later, Yorak hadn't moved and Adam was growing restless. He tried to keep busy. He did push ups, pull ups, and jumping jacks until he was out of breath and sweaty. It was around the time he started his planks that Yorak began to move again.

She slowly stretched her legs out in front of her and bent double over them. After a minute, she changed to stretch something else. Remembering he didn't care, Adam finished his core workout. He started meditating, feeling the sweat drip down the back of his neck with eyes closed. After half an hour or so, he sensed movement in the room, but didn't hear anything. Slightly shocked, he opened his eyes to see Yorak sparring solo.

She wielded a short sword with the hilt wrapped in fabric. Her movement was honestly beautiful. She had absolute control and the confidence to match. It was completely unlike the fighting from the galra he'd witnessed. On top of that, she never made a sound other than the wind rushing over her sword.

He found himself mesmerized for longer than he wished before snapping back to his senses. Instead, he studied her. If they wanted to know everything about him, he'd return the favor. He wished he could actually spar with her. Maybe learn how to actually win a fair fight with them. Not that he expected to actually get a fair fight. They always fought in packs, either with sentries or other guards.

"You don't need to be shy," Yorak said. Adam startled, about to respond when a galra with a tray walked into view.

"Forgive my intrusion. My lord heard you've not left your charge and wished to hear how you fare." The woman had short hair so blue it was almost black clipped back from her face. Wide eyes and a sharp jaw line framed a soft smile and dainty nose. She set her tray on a low table and asked, "So how are you, Yorak?"

Adam watched in bemused horror as Yorak sheathed her sword and laid it next to the tray. "My charge and myself are doing well, Lieutenant Axca. Please convey my gratitude to Prince Lotor for his concern."

Axca folded her hands at her waist and bowed her head slightly. "As you wish." She hesitated before adding, "Your dialect is... unusually old fashioned. It's quite endearing."

Yorak had reached to the tray, plucking something small, and paused with her hand raised to eat. Her visor retracted enough to reveal her mouth, canines visible between parted lips. "I was raised to give proper respect where it is deserved. Though, I understand it does draw attention. Do the others think it pretentious?"

Acxa put a hand on Yorak's shoulder and tilted her head with a small laugh. "Even so, what does it matter? Their lack of intelligence shouldn't be a detriment to you. And... there is another matter to be discussed."

Yorak sighed and ate silently for a few seconds. "I... suspected his intentions with this assignment."

Acxa retracted her hand and sat down at the table. "You would be a wonderful addition to our team, Yorak. Surely you can see the benefits. You're wasted here and it's only going to get worse."

Yorak's attention snapped back to Acxa. "I heard the druids had already begun their work. Surely, this colony isn't depleted so much that we're abandoning it after such a short occupation."

Acxa's smile became sad and she shook her head. "The druids have something in mind. The emperor himself is planning something for this planet. As an example of what happens when anyone defies him. It's why Lotor is anxious to finish his work here before the Galactic Hub arrives."

Yorak sat beside Acxa with her knees to her chest and hugged them. "How long until then?"

Acxa shrugged. "He suspects two pheobs. Maybe three." She looked down to Yorak as she would a little sister and finished, "Before we leave, Lotor will come to you with his request. I won't try to sway your answer, but should you decide to accept, you will be welcomed with open arms." Then Acxa stood and paced away with a single glance toward Adam. There was something like pity in her eyes and he hated that.

Once Acxa was gone, Yorak put her forehead on her knees. She looked as young as she truly seemed to be. Adam went to the bars and leaned against them, trying to glean something real. "Yorak?"

She immediately glanced up, mouth still parted in surprise. Then she pursed her lips and stood. She reached for the tray and when she turned back, the visor had lowered again. "You should consume this." She placed the tray in the slot between the bars and waited for Adam to take it. "I have something I need to tend do. I will return when I can." Then she practically ran from the cells, only pausing to re-equip her sword.

Adam watched her leave and took the meal back to his cot. His curiosity about Yorak was immediately replaced by surprise at the meal. Instead of the sludgey goo he'd grown accustomed to, this was actual food. Seeded grapes that were obviously small and foraged. Some kind of rice pilaf with dark meat. A modest meal, but human in nature. Had Lotor's research led to this? It had also obviously been prepared for Yorak. A bid to gain her favor? Did Lotor have his own harem?

He had more questions now than before he'd woken up here. Yet there didn't seem to be anything to do but wait. He finished his meal and settled back, truly alone and comfortable enough to actually sleep.