Lotor paged through an ancient book. Casting a lazy glance toward the library doors, he noted the guards had taken post on either side. Raising a derisive eyebrow, he vanished between the bookshelves. He shuddered and braced with his forehead against the dirty tomes. Haggar's 'offer' to keep him alive in exchange for research furthering her quintescence weaponry against the empire was a constant bad taste in his mouth.

This was worse than anything he'd ever done under his father's orders. Worse than any lie he'd ever told to his friends. Lies that led to their deaths. Lotor took a shattered breath. He'd almost forgotten this feeling. Worthless. Powerless. Tears stung his eyes and he wished he had. With this remembrance came others. So much of his life had been like this, twisting his mind into painful knots and chaotic spirals... but he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on it.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened up, pushing the pain and fear deep inside so that only cold anger could exist in him. It was several more meditative breaths before he walked down the aisle trailing a finger along the dusty spines. He scanned titles, pausing every now and then to pull a book. When he returned to his work station, he carried a small stack. Lotor spread out his study materials and took a seat. He slid one toward him and rubbed his brow. He opened to the introduction and resumed his task.

"Lotor, time has expired today."

Lotor snarled, "I'm not finished."

A cold hand gripped his shoulder. "We are not asking. Move, prisoner."

Lotor violently shrugged off the hand and stood. He glared between the two druids and roughly fixed his clothes. "Fine. I don't have to find the solution to the energy deficit today if you insist on returning me to my cell."

"It is hardly a cell, your majesty." The female druid motioned Lotor past him and said, "And first there is dinner with your mother."

Lotor clenched his jaw and rolled his neck. "That woman is not my mother."

Cold laughter followed him. He led through the manor along the halls he knew. The paths he took every day. It was disgusting and he hated it. How could he allow this to happen? How could he do this to himself? The answer was obvious to him. It made him want to vomit. There was no one to blame but himself.

The doors of the dim dining room swung open before him and he sneered, "Is there something wrong with the lighting that we can't ever properly see what's before our noses?"

"Good evening, Lotor. I see your sense of humor is as lacking as ever."

"I wonder where I got that trait?" Lotor pulled a chair and draped himself sideways in it. As usual, Haggar sat at the end of the table. Kova ate morsels amidst a creme gravy beside her. A smattering of entrees was displayed for eating. And as always, his appetite deserted him. "So what's available? Some kind of organic protein..." he stabbed a dubious lump with a three pronged fork, "and an unidentifiable vegetable."

"You don't have to sound so disappointed. Keitaran has made sure we're well supplied. Rhea enjoys the fruit in particular."

Lotor muttered, "Of course she does. Her sweet tooth is only challenged by her love of animals." He rolled the lump of veg across his plate before grudgingly moving it to his mouth. He chewed slowly, the taste never really registering.

"That's the quickest you've willingly eaten since you arrived," Haggar commented with a hint of approval.

"Since I was stolen," Lotor snidely retorted. Haggar's cold gaze snapped to him and he added, "like so many others." The vegetable he'd just swallowed threatened to make a reappearance and he shoved the plate away with two fingers.

"You seem to have settled in."

Lotor reached for the glass in front of him and swirled the liquid within. He raised it in mockery toward his guards. "Your servants lack much in courtesy."

A crooked smirk crossed Haggar's lips as she sipped from her own goblet and said, "You've also finally accepted we aren't poisoning you. Still, you test me." She wiped her mouth and stood. Lotor relaxed with a relieved exhale, but when he moved to get up from the table, Haggar's severe glare held him in place. "Since you seem determined to shun my hospitality, my hand has been forced. When you've eaten what your guard deems necessary, you will be taken to your quarters until there is need of you." She glided toward the exit with sickening grace, Kova's tail twitching at the end beside her.

Lotor stood and slammed his hands on the table snarling, "I'm not some insolent child, hag!"

"Then act like it," Haggar shot back.

Lotor straightened, his leg catching on the chair. She left and he half fell until he was seated. He put his head in his hands struggling to breathe. When he finally looked up, he composed a blank expression. If she wanted to 'test' him, so be it. He folded his arms and glared at the guard. He had all night.

Keith paced the halls in a desperate attempt to hide his panic. He knocked again on Haggar's bedchamber, but he couldn't wait any longer. He opened the door and said, "Honerva, I must speak with-"

He barely stepped into the room when a dagger appeared against his throat. He shot the druid a look and they stood down. Haggar rose from her bed and Keith knelt in the center of the room. Her silhouette through the gossamer curtains went to a wardrobe and he lowered his gaze. He said again, "Mistress, may we speak?"

"What are we doing if not that, my child?"

Keith kept his eyes down and reported, "Lotor did not return last evening. When Acxa told me, I scoured the manor, but I cannot find him. If he leaves orbit, the empire will-"

"Keitaran," Haggar said and he looked up. Her hair was pulled forward over one shoulder, her robes loose on her gaunt figure. Her eyes were clear and she looked more present minded than he'd seen in weeks. She rested a hand on his shoulder and soothed, "I know where Lotor is."

Keith pushed to his feet. "Where is he?"

Haggar folded her arms and sat on the bed. She crossed her legs and asked, "Where haven't you looked?"

Keith furrowed his brow. "What are you asking? I looked-" His attention snapped to her and his blood went cold. "What did you do? Mistress, it's not safe there. The radiation will hurt him."

"Over time. He will not be there long enough for any lasting damage." Haggar ran a hand through her hair with a deep inhale through her nose. "Why are you troubled by this, my son? Something is different. You are... distant from me."

"Mistress-"

"That, Keitaran," Haggar interrupted. "You haven't called me that in a long time. Address me properly, and I may listen."

Keith's chest rose and he clenched his teeth. This was not how he'd expected the conversation to go. "Witch-empress, I'm not different."

"There you go with titles, witch-prince."

Keith paced in front of the bed. "It's who I am. There's nothing I can do to change that. As one cannot change their imprint on the cosmos, we are immutable."

Haggar casually lifted her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "You've been reading the old philosophies again, though you give away all." She reached for him. "Come here, my son."

Keith realized he was panting like a wild animal and stopped. Holding his breath, he knelt beside the bed with his back to her. The back of her hand brushed the side of his neck and he flinched. "Are you going to discipline me?"

"Do I need to?" Haggar asked gently. She continued, "Apothica says Rhea's cravings have reached an astounding quantity. I know you've been showing him your favor."

Keith struggled not to twist away from Haggar's touch. "I'm only following your instructions, mistress."

"Address me properly."

"Mother," Keith finally said, "if you won't answer my questions, let me go to the north wing and retrieve Lotor."

Haggar's touch retracted and there was a silence vacuum. "Keitaran, I don't have to answer you and until Lotor learns I will not abide his behavior, he will suffer from his choice. He is weak, Keitaran. Weak from his time with the blood empress. His aunt has ruined him and he will not reach his full potential without a catalyst. I will be that energy that drives him."

"He can't do so in the north wing, mother."

"He will stay there until I say otherwise, am I understood?"

Keith glared and stood. No one stopped him from leaving the bedroom. He drew his dagger and went to train.

Gnov stared at the wall trying to find the correlation between everything that had happened and how Lotor fit into it all. Until she knew the answer to that loaded question, she wouldn't be able to give a believable explanation to the generals. There had to be some discernible pattern. Something she was missing.

"Arbiter, the encryption has been broken."

"Leave."

"Arbiter-"

"I said leave me," Gnov said over her shoulder. "The empress trusted me to handle this with discretion. Let me do her will."

"Vrepit sa."

Gnov waited for the door to close before making sure she was alone. She locked the door and braced herself to listen. Whatever was in this message required the highest level of security she had ever seen. The breadcrumbs she'd followed just to find it had been nearly invisible. "Let's see what you secrets you hold."

She sat down and tapped the screen. "This is the first lieutenant of the Retribution hailing all vessels of the Flame of Purification! Does anyone hear me? Please respond! I repeat, this is the Retribution calling to the Flame of Purification! This is not a drill! We have a missing child, last seen aboard Commander Sendak's primary vessel! I repeat, this is First Lieutenant Acxa of the Flagship Retribution hailing all vessels of the Flame of Purification. Please, anyone, this an emergency!"

Gnov's eyes widened and she paused the audio. Her eyes flitted over the information on the screen, finally piecing together what happened at the armistice. The message from the Retribution repeated twice more, the woman's voice becoming more hysterical with every unanswered call. There was something about this child. The one she was searching for. There was a new wave frequency. Gnov played the reply.

"Retribution, I read you loud and clear."

There was a sharp intake of breath and the woman gasped, "Thank the sacred flame. Has anything been done to find the child? She is a full blooded galra child, eight deca-pheobs old. Last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and gray pants. She has curly hair cut at shoulder length-"

"I understand. There aren't many kits running around. A message is being relayed to the captain of your ship. Maintain your distance and keep chatter to a minimum. I'll be on the line the entire time until she's found."

"Thank you. Who am I speaking to? I don't recognize this frequency."

The male voice faltered before stammering, "I'm using a guarded channel to prevent alarming the empire. What's your name, lieutenant?"

The woman's voice was still suspicious when she answered, "I am Acxa. Am I correct that this is Daren Neko?"

"Affirmative, Lieutenant. Your daughter is as good as found."

Acxa and the man, Daren Neko, said nothing for a short time. Gnov took the lull to think. Acxa was the girl Haggar had kept with the druids. She and Lotor had become friends and they were inseparable. But now she was back with Haggar and she had a child on top of serving beneath the captain of the Retribution. There was still something she was missing.

Then there was a dull explosion on the transmission. A crew member said, "Milady, the cruiser!"

"Leave the cruiser and focus on that ship! Where did they come from?"

"But Keith-"

"We can't help him. Now fire! I'm taking control."

The message played on, forgotten as the crew of the Retribution drew fire away from Sendak's burning vessel. Gnov pulled up footage from the armistice and began to fit it in with what she'd learned about their enemy's movements. A lion roared.

"Keith!"

Gnov jumped and paused the audio at the fear in the man's voice. A sudden thought made her frown and she pulled up every visual she had of the lions and their paladins in real time from when the lions had intervened... and the timestamps overlapped perfectly. She feared the implications if her suspicions were correct. Putting a hand to her mouth, Gnov watched with growing horror as the paladins reacted to something a few moments before the message she'd decrypted was answered.

Three of the paladins went into the green lion and 'Daren Neko' responded to Acxa's distress call. Alphonse was with the negotiating party and Lotor remained with the black paladin. While the message played a second time, Gnov studied their behavior. Lotor moved, sudden and purposeful. The black paladin and Lotor scuffled. Then the pirate's initial attack happened.

Lotor left the black paladin where he lay unmoving, and sprinted across the dusty plain. A minute later, the paladins re-emerged and made their way back to Lance. The black lion took off on its own. The paladins split up to their individual lions, Lance entering with Allura.

Gnov paused the visual feed and scanned everything again. Where was the black lion? It was the only one unaccounted for amid the chaos. The visual was grainy and unfocused. She'd catch a glimpse for a split second frame here or there, then she found it. She gasped and put her hands on the table for support. Taking a deep breath, she slowly sat and tried to overcome her shock.

The pirate ship was lined up for another airstrike and the Retribution was a red streak on its tail. Gnov played the clip frame by frame again. The ships closed in on the cruiser. A small figure appeared before the burning cruiser. They fell to their knees clutching a child to their chest. The black lion materialized. It drove its jaw-blade into the pirate ship and vanished a heartbeat later with a gut wrenching roar and reappeared over the top of the two figures on the ground with its particle barrier engaged.

As it lowered its head, Keith looked up, eyes wide and slack jawed. That accursed mask was gone for the first time since he'd been turned. Gnov reached out and touched the image. He looked so scared. So young and vulnerable. Gnov felt a tug in her chest. He was not the boy she knew anymore. She swallowed her compassion and continued watching.

The girl pulled away, but he caught her arm before she could run to the lion. He gently held her face, looking her over in surprise, then looked to the lion. When he reached out, the lion met his touch. Keith's lips moved and the child smiled. Then the lion opened its mouth and Keith lifted the girl inside. He had another moment between himself and the lion, and then it took off.

Gnov saw Keith vanish from that angle and appear running across the plain on an intercepting path with Lotor and the negotiating party. She knew what happened then, so she searched out the black lion again. It was moving with a single minded determination toward the Retribution. Gnov leaned forward over her steepled hands when the ship hovered and its lower bay door opened. The lion controlled its flight until it could open its mouth, the jaw just resting inside the ship.

A woman ran forward recklessly, just managing to catch herself on the black lion. Acxa. Gnov hadn't seen her in deca-pheobs. Her hair was a bit longer, softer and better kept, but it was the sheer relief in her eyes as she reached both arms to the girl that made Gnov realize how much Acxa had changed. Acxa caught the girl as she jumped from the black lion, falling to her knees with her. She wept and rocked the child in her arms, then thanked the lion repeatedly until it left ticks later.

Gnov froze the video and pulled up the frame of Keith with the child beside Acxa. She compared the kit to both adults, but there was no resemblance. In Acxa's message, she had said the kit was full galra, and yet the paladin posing as the man had said she was Acxa's daughter. Curiosity and the chance at gaining the upper hand made Gnov's choice for her. She saved all the information to a file and sent it to Krolia.

The file was tied to her vitals. Should the information she sought lead to her death, the empress would be able to pick up where she left off. She hesitated on the threshold. If what she'd learned meant what she feared, their allies were not all they seemed. She didn't know who to trust anymore. Taking silence, she returned to the empress's throne room.

"My liege," Gnov began with bowed head and a perfect salute, "I have a possible lead on the matter we discussed. I ask for clearance to pursue my suspicions."

Krolia didn't look up from the paperwork she was reviewing. "Of course, Arbiter. Is there anything you require?" Gnov cleared her throat and Krolia glanced sideways at her. Sitting up straight, she waved a hand and commanded, "Go."

The guards saluted and marched toward the exit. Gnov insisted, "Everyone, my empress."

The blades on either side of the throne didn't react. Krolia narrowed her eyes and Gnov tipped her chin. Krolia nodded to the assassin on her left and that finally made them move. Gnov waited until the doors closed with a dull boom before approaching the throne. Krolia scowled and asked, "What's really going on, Gnov?"

Gnov knelt and took Krolia's hand. "I'm not sure yet, but I want to be certain before I accuse anyone."

"And the blades? Gnov, I know I asked you to handle collateral, but-"

"This is bigger than collateral," Gnov interrupted. She immediately looked down and shook her head to clear it. "Forgive me, empress, but there is a reason I trust only you at this moment."

"Gnov," Krolia lightly touched her cheek, "I believe you, but what can I do to help?"

Gnov shook her head again and couldn't meet Krolia's eyes. "I need absolute secrecy. No one can know where I am or what I'm doing until I return. Not Kolivan, the generals, or Alphonse... I'm scared to even tell you this much, my friend."

"Friend," Krolia repeated, "Look at me." Gnov did as asked and Krolia was smiling soft and warm. "I asked you for discretion. It is only fair I reciprocate. Take my fastest ship and do what you have to. Do not even tell me specifics about time frame or destination. Just go. And may the sacred flame bring you solace."

Gnov bowed her head. "Vrepit sa."

Gnov landed the ship on the dusty plain and checked the sensors, but no one had followed her here. Taking her equipment, she walked to the crashed ship. Most of the shell was burned. She shoved her doubt away. She was already here, it wasn't worth questioning whether the venture would be fruitful until she'd checked.

Finding an access point was easy. Climbing through the wreckage, she made her way to the bridge. Disappointment awaited her. None of the computers had survived the fire. She continued systematically through the ship, double checking everything she knew about them, any access to the servers she might infiltrate.

Dobosches turned to vargas, vargas to quintants. Gnov was starting to lose the systematic patience it took to keep searching. She'd been over this ship top to bottom, and she couldn't find a salvageable connection point. She left her sleeping quarters and dug through the medicine cabinet. Scanning labels, she groaned when she couldn't find what she needed.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to ignore the headache as she resumed her task. Trudging through the cruiser was worse today. The smell of burnt wiring and charred metal only worsened the pain. And that wasn't the worst part. The horror of the attack showed in the scars on the ship and the burnt corpses of those unfortunate enough to have succumbed to the smoke and flames.

Gnov fell against the wall and rubbed her forehead. If she didn't get relief soon, she'd be forced to retreat. This whole endeavor would be a waste. It was a long shot, but she made her way to the medical ward. Soot stains were abstract macabre art displayed the entire way to the belly of the ship. The black marring the walls lessened the further she went.

Once in the ward, she went all the way to the back. She sighed in relief when she saw a medicine cabinet that was virtually untouched by fire. Taking her time, she raided the drugs she needed, popping twice the usual amount for fast effect. She rubbed her temples and waited impatiently when her foot hit something.

Glancing down, she saw the chart reader flicker to life. She crouched and picked it up, murmuring a quick prayer for the soul of the doctor near it. The chart wasn't much, barely a single percentile of what the computers stored, but it was all she'd found. She sat on the counter and started flicking through patients.

The meds were starting to kick in when she froze. It was her, the kit from the armistice. Gnov finally had what she needed. She packed away the chart and returned to her ship. Now she knew where her enemy lie in wait.

Woo! I knew Gnov was my power player! Can I get a review?